#form finding

[noosphe-re]

Drawing is therefore the Idea—it is the true form of the thing. Or more exactly, it is the gesture that proceeds from the desire to show this form and to trace it so as to show the form—but not to trace in order to reveal it as a form already received. Here, to trace is to find, and in order to find, to seek a form to come (or to let it seek and find itself)—a form to come that should or that can come through drawing.

Jean-Luc Nancy, The Pleasure in Drawing, translated by Philip Armstrong

[oliverthedaemon]

Cicero's Dæmon

Cicero is my personal hero among historical figures and after a lot of deliberation, I have decided his dæmon would be a firecrest.

According to legend Jupiter declared that the bird who flew highest into the sky would be King of the Birds. In the end, all the others had to give up but the eagle who was the strongest. Just as the eagle was about to be declared the winner and was at the end of his strength, the firecrest burst from his feathers, where it had been hiding, flew several feet up, and was declared king of the birds. Having risen to the top entirely through its wits rather than its strength. This seems fitting for Cicero - the first politician in the history of Rome to rise to the top not because of his famous name or military career but because of his simple skill as a politician. Plus the firecrest is a songbird which fits a man of such eloquence and according to Celtic legend it brought the secret of fire and writing to man. Also fitting for a famously great rhetorician and philosopher. 

[penumbra-the-unicorn]

ONE (1) quiz and suddenly I'm 10 and obsessed with dæmonology again.

No, little me, our daemon has not settled yet, but I finally got around to naming her <3 Munedallia and I are besties for sure.

[firstginger]

i really enjoyed doing my wolf roundup, is there another species that people would find interesting? was playing around with doves, corvids, eagles, domestic dogs, moths/butterflies, lemurs?

[spicy-and-yet-sweet]

@old-daemon-farts and I were watching Galavant last night and got to talking about form finding for him and Richard. We went through a few forms for each of them before deciding.

King Richard: Red albino conda Western Hognose. Female. Beautiful, royal colours, people think snakes mean cunning but actually these snakes are super overdramatic and play dead at any sign of danger.

Galavant: Red Kite. Female. Obviously had to match his hair colour. Regal without being royal.

[daemonism-101]

Do you have any advice for formfinding with your daemon?

Oh boy, form finding isn't really my strongest skill. But you can visit

Without needing an account. There are HUNDREDS of animals listed that you can browse through.

Tips for analytic formfinding have a decent grasp of

your social levels

Stressors

Work ethic

MBTI types (optional)

enneagram (optional)

For symbolic form finding, it's good to know

Tropes

Symbolism

Narratives

But in general, I say write the things down that make you YOU. What about your personality, disposition, life, hobbies, presence you have, and reputation influence how others see you and how you see yourself.

What animals are you drawn to? Start with those and look them up on the forum.

What animals have reputations that match yours? Are you a trickster fox or docile doe? Do you love socializing and have a strong work drive and ethic like some domestic dogs? Things like that.

I definitely rely on the forums for form finding.

[afternoonafterthoughts]

Form finding

ive been browsing the TDF for a few days (well, the sections that are open to visitors at least) while waiting for my activation email. (anyone have an idea how long that usually takes..? ive even contacted the admins already)

currently, the analytic form that fits me the closest would be the angel shark. it doesnt really have a full analysis on there (and the attached image is some kind of ray? the original is here and actual angel sharks look more like burnt pancakes) and im not 100% feeling it, but ive combed over most other analyses and there's always one thing that doesnt fit amidst an otherwise very fitting form. >:/

id love to venture further into the analytic form finding topic but again, thatll have to wait until i can log in and talk to the people on there

i still want to keep the cardinal around as a comfort form because it really was the very first ray of hope that actually solidified my attachment to daemonism. (and yes, i was very disappointed that the analytic version doesnt fit me)

cardinal, my beloved

[a-daemian-and-her-trash-daemon]

We are currently thinking some kind of big cat tbh.

Like snow leopards are beautiful af and people have recommended them to me as a form before, but i dunno if they are defensive enough? I dunno if that makes sense tbh.

My friend Ella has definitely been like "be a cloudie" so i have looked into clouded leopards at least a little. They are also super beautiful and i kinda vibe with like hiding in the trees ambushing kinda deal but also again idk if they are defensive enough?

I also looked into Panthera pardus, Amur Leopards, and Jaguars a bit which i do think i am eyeing critically atm.

[such-a-daydreamer]

Based on a real thing that happened to me and my sister (me as Stan and my sis as Ford)

She had held my foot up for a while trying really hard to pull me up thinking it was my arm, we laughed about it almost instantly after but it was still scary.

Be beach careful people! Waves can easily pin you against the sand if you don't dive at the right time.

[humming-fly]

was anyone gonna tell me shadow saved rouge's life in sa2 or was I just supposed to find that out playing the game myself

(this worked out as a rather fitting closer for the Final Day in Year of Shadow haha, hope ya'll have a fun new year! 🎉🎉🎉)

[starry-bi-sky]

I am loudly pushing the batdad agenda i am loudly pushing the— DPxDC Prompt

“Woah. You look like shit."

Granted, that’s probably not the first thing Danny should be saying to the guy that just bit the curb, but in his defense; he’s not running on 100% right now either.

The man -- tall, towering, and broader than Danny is tall -- whips around on his heel, black frayed cape flaring out impressively. Danny would've whistled in appreciation, but he takes the time instead to wipe the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing the blood running from his nose across his cheek.

"Sorry." He blinks widely, not even flinching as the man with the horns zeroes in on him. "That was rude of me. I have a really bad brain-to-mouth filter; Sam says its what always gets me into trouble."

And she's not wrong either, per say. His smart mouth is what landed him in this situation -- with blood blossom extract running through his veins and cannibalizing the ectoplasm in his bloodstream. Thanks Vlad.

The man grunts at him; a short, curt "hm" that shouldn't make Danny smile, but he does because he's somewhat delirious and probably concussed. The man keeps some kind of distance, sinking towards the shadows of Gotham's alleyway like he dares to melt right into it.

If it's supposed to scare Danny, it doesn't work. Danny's never been afraid of the dark; he's always been able to hide himself in it. He blinks slowly at the mass of shadows.

"You look hurt." The shadows says, blurring together around the edges. Danny squints, and licks his lips to get the blood dripping down his chin off. Ugh, he hates the taste of blood.

"I am." He says, "My godfather poisoned me. M'dying." The agony of the blood blossom eating him from the inside out looped back around to numbing a while ago, so all he feels is half-awake and dazed.

"Hey," Danny stumbles forward towards the man, a bloodied hand reaching out to him. "You-- you're a hero, right? You're not attacking me; which is more than I can say for most costumed people I've met." Maybe it's a poor bar to judge someone at, but he's already established that Danny's not in his right mind.

The man makes no change in expression, but Danny realizes blearily that it's hard to tell with the shadows on his face. He stays still long enough for Danny to latch onto the cape -- stretchy, but almost soft under his fingers.

He looks up blearily into the whites of the man's eyes. "Can you help me? I don't-- I don't wanna die." Again. He doesn't wanna die again. He blinks slow and lizard-like. "I mean- I'll probably get to see mom and dad again, but I told them I'd at least try and make it to adulthood."

There's a clatter down the street, and Danny's ghost sense chills up his spine and leaves a bitter, ashy taste in his mouth. He immediately knows who it belongs to even before the deceptively gentle; "Daniel?" echoes down the way.

"Daniel? Quit your games, badger, Gotham is dangerous for children."

Danny's mouth pulls back, and blood spills against his tongue. "Please." He rasps, and grabs onto the shadow's cape with both hands. "Please. He's going to kill me. Please--"

"Daniel? Is that you?"

His lips part, dragging in air to plead with the darkness again. He doesn't need to, the whites of his eyes narrow, and the cape whirls around him before Danny can blink. Soon swaddled in shadows, the Night lifts him up, and steals him away.

[oliverthedaemon]

Every fall the form finding journey re-launches for me like clockwork. I have done this so many years though that I have a pretty solid short list: Lions, Mountain Lions, Sabertooth Tigers, Ospreys, Golden Eagles.

[spyroskaprinis]

“Studies For A Villa” _ 15.02.2024 _ SK

Text- & image-prompt artworks via “DeepAI”.

“ ‘Text to image’ generates images from text prompts. A latent text-to-image diffusion model capable of generating photo-realistic images given any text input.”

[firstginger]

What animal forms would you say sit at the intersection of the King and Magician Jungian Archetypes?

oh wonderful question! the king/ruler is a quintessential archetype: a member of the structural quadrant, the king seeks to enact their vision through asserting power and control in the world around them. they find security in maintaining a sense of control; often these individuals are either strong visionary leaders or corrupted by their authoritarian viewpoints. the magician is somewhat more enigmatic — as an impressionist, they also act as a catalyst for change, but when the magician is dominant and lacking structural influence they predominantly enact this through their intuition, reflection, and understanding. the crossroads of the ruler/magician paints the image of a wise leader, in tune with their own feelings and perspective, willing to seize leadership in order to bring betterment, but perhaps even more drawn into the trap of only seeing their own perspective.

for animal forms, apex predators are very fitting for the ruler and i think there's a nice selection of ones that evoke intuition, transformation, and polarized opinions as well. i'll touch on three here.

the jaguar i used the jaguar as an example of a pullman daemon befitting the ruler in my post, but it's the perfect combination of the ruler and the magician. the jaguar is noble, courageous, and spiritual; in much mythology it is a symbol of leadership and wisdom through innovation. the jaguar exemplifies transformative leadership though also the withdrawn, intensely private nature a ruler/magician would possess.

there's boundless stories of the jaguar in mesoamerican cultures. the maya, for example, associated the jaguar with godliness, the underworld, and fertility. the popol vuh, which recounts the creation and history of the k'iche' maya people, features the hero twins: jaguar-spotted xbalanqué and his twin hunahpú. as another common example, the aztec similarly associated the jaguar with godliness (specifically tezcatlipoca, the smoking mirror, the creator god known to be both vengeful and a patron to the esteemed and wealthy) and strength — seen also through the ocēlōtl warriors. jaguars also are heavily associated with nagual: mesoamerican shapeshifters who have connected with power and spiritual insight, enabling them to take the form of their tonal animal. this is also quite smilar to the olmec spiritualism of the werejaguar, whose symbol is debated, but the anthropomorphism of the jaguar's portrayal seems similar to how the jaguar intersects with divinity and power in other mesoamerican cultures.

anyway all of this culminates to make the jaguar the perfect form for someone who resonates strongly with both the ruler and the magician. the jaguar certainly has other motifs as well; the jungle is of course a strong one, as well as mesoamerica, stalking and hunting, and the significance of their black morph (often called the black panther).

the bearded vulture the bearded vulture is one of my favorite raptors and another beautiful intersection between the magician and the ruler. vultures in general i believe are wonderful candidates for the magician; scavenger animals excel in insight and transformation, often associated with themes of death and rebirth. the bearded vulture is a real striking example of this — its association with sovereignty comes primarily from iranian culture, known vernacularly as homa. homa is a legendary divine bird, believed to fly restlessly and never land, though when it casts a shadow or lands upon a man it is believed to bestow kingship. even the turbans of kings bore feathers from homa's plumage. homa also had connections with rebirth: similarly to a phoenix, it would be consumed in fire every few centuries, and then be reborn new from the ashes.

homa and the bearded vulture have strong positive associations in iranian culture, as it's also considered a bird of luck and lifelong happinness. it also has intensely false negative associations with taking livestock (the bearded vulture is also called the lammergeier, or lamb-taker in german), which unfortunately has contributed to its threatened status. in greece, the bearded vulture (or ossifrage) were one of the types of birds that ornithomancers could use to guide political decisions, again connecting bearded vultures to the spiritual and to kings.

altogether, the bearded vulture is a great option for someone who relates strongly to the transformative and rebirth aspects of the magician, as well as the destined and noble aspects of the ruler. the bearded vulture, in addition to elements mentioned above, also is associated with symbolism of the alps and highlands, death and decay, and sacred divinity. the bearded vulture is also a good option for a ruler/magician who also relates to aspects of the explorer.

the cobra the quintessential cobra is commonly confused with the king cobra — or maybe just overshadowed as the king cobra is largest and most venomous "cobra" while not being a cobra at all! it is an ophiophagus and not a naja like species such as the indian cobra and the egyptian cobra. cobras in general have complex associations of nobility, divinity, and fear. it's difficult to separate any snake form from its intrinsic negative associations, though the cobra is particularly rooted in most people's consciousness as being part of snake charming acts and notorious for deadly bites. i'm going to go over the cobra in general, though you could absolutely look into specific species that may fit you the best.

the ruler symbolism of the cobra has been seen both in how the cobra associates with the divine and with kings. the uraeus is one of the most striking cobra symbols: an upright or rearing cobra used in ancient egypt to denote kings. the cobra was intended to be a protector of the pharaoh and of tombs; it was also worn as a head ornament, conveying legitimacy of the ruler. this is due to the uraeus being a symbol of wadjet — the protector of lower egypt, depicted as a variant of a snake-woman (most often an egyptian cobra). gods of other cultures were also associated with the cobra. the hindu gods shiva and vishnu are often depicted with cobras, the latter seen resting atop the cobra shesha: a naga demigod and king of the serpents who holds the planets within his hood. despite the cobra's venomous reputation, it also holds an important place in cultural symbolism as the protector of spiritual and sacred spaces.

all in all, the cobra may be an excellent form for a ruler/magician who relates somewhat to elements of the outlaw. the cobra has a multifaceted reputation of both protective and deadly, kingly and feared, and featured in stories of both creation and destruction.

hope this helps in getting form ideas flowing! :)

[daemonism-101]

Where is the best place to get a form analysis done now? Is it worth it to join the forum for that? Is it still going?

Yes, the forum is still absolutely worth joining. All new content for analyses gets posted there, and you can make requeast and even learn how to interpret and write some for yourself. The partnered Discord server also helps with form finding, but you wouldn't see a full analysis there. Forum content is much slower these days because there's already so many animals that have been done. But new ones are posted periodically.

[noodles-and-tea]

Who’s your favorite gravity falls character?

THIS GUY