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Not Quite Lovecraft

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[X]Have a picnic at the beach with Emily. And..
-[X] Roast the fish you and Nemo caught by the seashore. Surprise Emily with a souvenir from the depths that you know she'll like.
-[X] Paint the sunset as Nemo plays among the waves. Idly sketching Emily as she sits relaxed, depicting her human side this time.
 
_brightwing said:
What do you guys think Emily would appreciate though, based on what we know about her so far?

There's a lot of interesting things underwater, but what could Oliver realistically bring up that would appeal to her sensibilities...
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An (already dead and dried out) starfish or a scallop shell.
The former regenerates in fascinating ways, making it a neat symbol of rebirth. In giving a dead one, it also accentuates the discontinuity of the rebirth within a single organism in normal ecosystems and the idea of regeneration that is possible within the broader reality of this setting.

I prefer a scallop shell, as scallops can have many, up to a hundred, simple eyes around their shell edge. This knowledge being less commonly known might be endearing or entertaining for Emily, and being less associated with death is a better option for Oliver's thoughts at present.
 
[X]Have a picnic at the beach with Emily. And..
-[X] Roast the fish you and Nemo caught by the seashore. Surprise Emily with a souvenir from the depths that you know she'll like.
-[X] Paint the sunset as Nemo plays among the waves. Idly sketching Emily as she sits relaxed, depicting her human side this time.
 
Tascion said:
An (already dead and dried out) starfish or a scallop shell.
The former regenerates in fascinating ways, making it a neat symbol of rebirth. In giving a dead one, it also accentuates the discontinuity of the rebirth within a single organism in normal ecosystems and the idea of regeneration that is possible within the broader reality of this setting.

I prefer a scallop shell, as scallops can have many, up to a hundred, simple eyes around their shell edge. This knowledge being less commonly known might be endearing or entertaining for Emily, and being less associated with death is a better option for Oliver's thoughts at present.
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They really have great symbology, and ties so well with Emily's aspects. With the psychopomp aspect of the Red realm. The part about the eyes are fascinating too. As a poet she might really appreciate the meanings behind them..
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Feb 15, 2024 at 9:22 PM, finished with 11 posts and 7 votes.
    • [X]Have a picnic at the beach with Emily. And..
      -[X] Roast the fish you and Nemo caught by the seashore. Surprise Emily with a souvenir from the depths that you know she'll like.
      -[X] Paint the sunset as Nemo plays among the waves. Idly sketching Emily as she sits relaxed, depicting her human side this time.
      [X]Have a picnic at the beach with Emily
    Click to expand...
     
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    Beach Picnic
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    • You decided to set up a picnic to have with Emily. You didn't call her right away, of course. First you needed proper picnic supplies. A basket, a blanket, some proper wine for the occasion now that prohibition was over. You picked up ice cream, along with a proper cherry pie to share. You were planning on catching fish to grill, so you prepared a cashew and grape salad along with roasted red potatoes sliced into chunks. With the picnic food ready you just had to open the door and cross over to the other side to call Emily.

    She was surprised and pleased by your invitation to the sea, giving a delighted giggle before hurrying to go and change into proper beach wear. She came back down in one of the newer style dresses that showed off her calves with sandals and a large brimmed hat. Her hair was pinned up. The fashions may currently prefer shorter hair but Emily still loved hers long, even if that wasn't quite proper to wear out in public.

    "You look beautiful," you complimented her. Emily beamed as she walked through and took in the picnic. "Oh, this is wonderful. A perfect day for it!"

    Truthfully the rocky beach you had selected wasn't one that was suited for a beach trip, and it was still slightly chilly. Neither of you cared about that, capable of enjoying it just as it was. Nemo was more than happy to give Emily a hug and give one of their deeper more vibrational calls as they looked out to the sea.

    She settles down on the blanket as you head out with Nemo into the water once more. She's smiling as she watches you both dive into the deep. You think you can feel her watching even when you're out of sight, but you don't know if that's real or just fondness for her playing on your mind. You swim back and forth letting Nemo lead you on a hunt for fish and keeping your eyes open for anything that you think would be an appropriate gift from the sea to bring back.

    You catch cod and bring them back out. Emily praises both of you for your fishing skills and you set up a fire to roast them before settling down to a proper feast. You drink together and enjoy the fish and pie with ice cream. Emily is light and carefree as she talks about the food, the weather, and what she thinks of the beach. It's a good day. Far from anything ordinary, but it suits you just fine. You would take this over a more normal experience any day. Nemo is one of the best friends you could ask for, and Emily is a wonderful companion.

    With the picnic finished being eaten you walk down to the sea again and resume hunting for something to bring back. Nemo is more than happy to help, though they aren't very good at deciding what to bring for you to examine. You end up finding a scallop shell, and take a moment to rinse it in the sea before bringing it back to her. Emily smiles as she accepts it and sits down to gently trace over the soft curves of the shell. The edges are sharp, and she's careful to not touch them.

    You know you have to immortalize this moment. You take out your sketchbook and draw Emily as she is. A beautiful human woman, sitting at the beach. It feels odd to draw her as something so human. It's not what she is at all. It is what she started as, and it still rests as her core, but it feels almost unfinished. Or maybe like you're revealing a secret, something rarely seen these days.

    You think you'll take the time to properly paint this later. For now you use pencil crayons to do your best to give life and color to the drawing you've made of Emily staring out at the sunset enjoying the beach.

    [ ]Visit with Robert
    [ ]Write to Jackson Elias
    [ ]Work on painting magic
    [ ]Write-in
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X]Visit with Robert

    Let's check that Robert is okay. He is Oliver friend and deserves an explanation.

    We should not repeat the mistake we have made with that other friend we introduced to the supernatural and then never saw again.
     
    [X] Work on painting magic. And..
    -[X] Expand the sketch on canvas capturing the moment with Emily today, the paint tied to her just like your self portrait. Her as a human sitting by the shore on one side, and the ocean itself representing her occult self.
    -[X] The portrait of Emily representing the core aspect of what once was, the girl before she wandered into the Dreams. A memento, for her to remember her past as she tends to the garden and her god. The ocean you paint sunset red as her mystic self you see in the world of the dreams. The many eyes that sees eternity in the deep slumber of consciousness. Nemo between the waves, caught in joyous abandon. Showing the wonder of it, the infinite horizons of the hidden worlds. The canvas wreathed with the flowers of the garden blooming from the paint. Their leaves swaying with the whispers of the dead.

    We respected his wishes, but we should still leave the door open. His eyes are opened and world changed evermore. It must feel so lonely to go about everyday without having anyone to talk about these things. In his desperation he could potentially fall prey to unsavory types. I wouldn't mind pulling strings so he comes in contact with the Reverand.
     
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    _brightwing said:
    What do you guys think about visiting the inventor Yog Sothoth Child later to understand their stance on things?
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    I like it


    I'm currently paralyzed between visiting with Robert and painting. We did send a letter though.

    Also, @_brightwing, I don't understand your vote. Are you pushing for two paintings, a scene with two versions of her or... what?

    [X]Work on painting magic
    -[X]Turn the sketch into a full painting, following the feelings already in the sketch
     
    Tascion said:
    I like it


    I'm currently paralyzed between visiting with Robert and painting. We did send a letter though.

    Also, @_brightwing, I don't understand your vote. Are you pushing for two paintings, a scene with two versions of her or... what?

    [X]Work on painting magic
    -[X]Turn the sketch into a full painting, following the feelings already in the sketch
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    Click to shrink...

    A single painting, with Emily on the seaside as a human, but the ocean on the other side as eldritch - just like the sea of the dream realm. A marriage of both her human and occult selves. Emily has been increasingly drifting from time to time, my hope was to use the moment in the seaside to help her ground back to the world. If Oliver can make a self portrait, I think he could help Emily too in a similar fashion. See herself, and remember her humanity - while also integrating with her dedication to her god.

    You're right though, I should make it more clearer. Gimme a minute..
     
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    [] Work on painting magic. And..
    -[] Expand the sketch on canvas capturing the moment with Emily today, the paint tied to her just like your self portrait. Her as a human sitting by the shore on one side, and the ocean itself representing her occult self.
    -[] The portrait of Emily representing the core aspect of what once was, the girl before she wandered into the Dreams. A memento, for her to remember her past as she tends to the garden and her god. The ocean you paint sunset red as her mystic self you see in the world of the dreams. The many eyes that sees eternity in the deep slumber of consciousness. Nemo between the waves, caught in joyous abandon. Showing the wonder of it, the infinite horizons of the hidden worlds. The canvas wreathed with the flowers of the garden blooming from the paint. Their leaves swaying with the whispers of the dead.

    Does this work? Feel free to suggest ideas or adding imagery that could help with her self portrait!

    Tascion said:
    -
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    _brightwing said:
    -[] The portrait of Emily representing the core aspect of what once was, the girl before she wandered into the Dreams. A reminder, for her to anchor herself with her humanity as she tends to the garden and her god.
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    Makes sense.

    _brightwing said:
    The ocean you paint sunset red as her mystic self you see in the world of the dreams. The many eyes that sees eternity in the deep slumber of consciousness. Nemo between the waves, caught in joyous abandon. Showing the wonder of it, the infinite horizons of the hidden worlds.
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    This middle part does not make sense, especially the first sentence. Are you suggesting that her mystic self is the ocean? An ocean with eyes?

    Why include Nemo then? This isn't an actual ocean, it's her god. Nemo enjoys swimming in the water analogue, but it's not actually an ocean in the sense of Nemo's preferred and natural environment.

    _brightwing said:
    The canvas wreathed with the flowers of the garden blooming from the paint. Their leaves swaying with the whispers of the dead.
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    I like this, but I'm unclear if you're suggesting making the frame out of flowers or if there's a painted psuedo-frame within a more normal frame.


    Overall, I'm also opposed to making this portrait as a anchor for her. Emily is managing her own journey and hasn't asked for an anchor from us. I think she's managed her journey better than we have ours in some respects. I'd rather you change 'anchor' to something like 'momento'. We like Emily as a human, and giving her something to remember that it's fine, but I think creating an anchor for her, and unasked, is crossing the line into meddling.
     
    You make some good points.. The wreath thing was intentionally left a bit surreal to include in that aspect of the red realm. And so Blacksheep can take the element into any angle that works.

    The painting isn't meant to be an anchor but more like a mirror that Oliver uses his reaffirm his self. I do agree Emily has managed her journey better than us but she has her moments where she drifts back to deep sleep or times she act out of touch with humanity. I really wanted to ensure Emily can stay with us in the quest for longer. I'll look into changing the wording better..
    Edit: A memento, for her to remember her past as she tends to the garden and her god

    As for the ocean.. I was thinking Oliver works on the aspect of infinity of the red realm and dreams. When Oliver himself was losing touch with humanity he saw Emily as a multitude of eyes. That could work into the vastness of ocean with Oliver taking artistic liberties to express the eyes into the waves.

    I included Nemo there because he was part of the moment Oliver is capturing. There is an innocence to them and I thought they could stand in as representation of the wonder of occult world as they experienced in that moment. Do you think I should show it differently still?
    Tascion said:
    Makes sense.


    This middle part does not make sense, especially the first sentence. Are you suggesting that her mystic self is the ocean? An ocean with eyes?

    Why include Nemo then? This isn't an actual ocean, it's her god. Nemo enjoys swimming in the water analogue, but it's not actually an ocean in the sense of Nemo's preferred and natural environment.


    I like this, but I'm unclear if you're suggesting making the frame out of flowers or if there's a painted psuedo-frame within a more normal frame.


    Overall, I'm also opposed to making this portrait as a anchor for her. Emily is managing her own journey and hasn't asked for an anchor from us. I think she's managed her journey better than we have ours in some respects. I'd rather you change 'anchor' to something like 'momento'. We like Emily as a human, and giving her something to remember that it's fine, but I think creating an anchor for her, and unasked, is crossing the line into meddling.
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    Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Blacksheep on Feb 22, 2024 at 7:49 PM, finished with 12 posts and 5 votes.
    • [X] Work on painting magic. And..
      -[X] Expand the sketch on canvas capturing the moment with Emily today, the paint tied to her just like your self portrait. Her as a human sitting by the shore on one side, and the ocean itself representing her occult self.
      -[X] The portrait of Emily representing the core aspect of what once was, the girl before she wandered into the Dreams. A memento, for her to remember her past as she tends to the garden and her god. The ocean you paint sunset red as her mystic self you see in the world of the dreams. The many eyes that sees eternity in the deep slumber of consciousness. Nemo between the waves, caught in joyous abandon. Showing the wonder of it, the infinite horizons of the hidden worlds. The canvas wreathed with the flowers of the garden blooming from the paint. Their leaves swaying with the whispers of the dead.
      [X]Work on painting magic
      [X]Visit with Robert
      [X]Work on painting magic
      -[X]Turn the sketch into a full painting, following the feelings already in the sketch
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • Painting Emily
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    • Back at home you took out your paintbrush and got to work. You were going to take your sketches of Emily and make them into a full piece. Perhaps you'd even consider putting some up in an art gallery. Emily could be an anonymous muse. So few knew of what she looked like, after all. You would have to ask her what she thought of that of course.

    You had plenty of inspiration. You painted her sitting out on the beach looking out to the ocean with a smile, warm and bright and human. Another captured her looking out to the horizon of the Red Realm, the Garden creeping in on the edges of the painting. Yet another captured her laughing as Nemo frolicked through the waves, and even sketched in flickers of Old Ones beneath the surface. It was satisfying, and you were quick to present them to your friend.

    Emily cooed over the drawings. "What a wonderful present! I could dream of these any time I want." She touched the painting, and you swore you saw her fingers sink into it slightly. You knew that you wouldn't be sending these to an art gallery then. She seemed far too pleased to take them for herself. You wondered what exactly you had created in the paintings that had her so charmed.

    Going through your mail you find that you have received a letter from Jackson Elias. He has made progress in his hunt, in the past of the Carlyle Expedition. It strikes you as strange. From what you recall, the Carlyle Expedition down in Kenya ended in the expedition's death. Now you fear that the deaths may have had a more occult reason to them. Hopefully Jackson is continuing to be safe.

    It's not the only letter of note you receive. There is also an invitation, marked with what you know is a rune simply because you cannot see it. Inside is a ticket, and an invitation to a performance by an illusionist, Thoth the Magnificent. The letter itself is written by Thoth. He writes that he is a fan of your work, and has been following you for some time. He would be deeply honored to meet with you in person, if you can make it to his show.

    [ ]Go to the show
    [ ]Write to Robert
    [ ]Make plans for joining Jackson in his explorations
    [ ]Reach out to the child of Yog-Sogoth you met
    [ ]Write-in
     
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    • Hmm Thoth the magnificent has the Tarot Magician card imagery. Thoth and Hermes make up the mythic symbology in the card. Both representing words - speech and writing. The dog headed ape by the Egyptian god Thoth represents illusion - word's capacity to bend and twist truth as well.

    Could be an interesting thing to follow up on.. What do you guys think? Or would you follow up on a Jackson adventure? I also wanted to follow back on the Hound or gemstone research if we still have time.


    [X] Go to the show
    [X]Make plans for joining Jackson in his explorations
    [X]Reach out to the child of Yog-Sogoth you met

    [X] Study the gemstone
    -[X] from the last adventure showing it to Emily trying understand its properties through canvas. Remembering the overlapping selves you felt deep in the ritual chamber.
    -[X] Tell Emily about the hound and how she reminded you of Nemo for a moment. Can she think of a way she could be reached out to and helped? She seemed hungry, alone and in pain. Would the red realm be able to offer her shelter and sustenance like it did for Nemo?
     
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    [X] Solving the Last Questions
    -[X]Write to Robert, check if he is alright and discover what happened to him and the waitress after Oliver disappeared. Try to explain to him the existance of the occult now that things calmed down.
    -[X] from the last adventure showing it to Emily trying understand its properties through canvas. Remembering the overlapping selves you felt deep in the ritual chamber.
    -[X] Tell Emily about the hound and how she reminded you of Nemo for a moment. Can she think of a way she could be reached out to and helped? She seemed hungry, alone and in pain. Would the red realm be able to offer her shelter and sustenance like it did for Nemo?
    -[X] Reach out to the child of Yog-Sogoth you met, see if he knows something abaout the ritual, the time loop and the hound. Ask him questions abaout his father and his eldritch nature. Maybe he can give Oliver some advice abaout not begin completely human?


    I think this covers everything necessary to wrap up the loose threads of our last adventure.
     
    [X] Solving the Last Questions
    -[X]Write to Robert, check if he is alright and discover what happened to him and the waitress after Oliver disappeared. Try to explain to him the existance of the occult now that things calmed down.
    -[X] Study the gemstone from the last adventure showing it to Emily trying understand its properties through canvas. Remembering the overlapping selves you felt deep in the ritual chamber.
    -[X] Tell Emily about the hound and how she reminded you of Nemo for a moment. Can she think of a way she could be reached out to and helped? She seemed hungry, alone and in pain. Would the red realm be able to offer her shelter and sustenance like it did for Nemo?
    -[X] Reach out to the child of Yog-Sogoth you met, see if he knows something about the ritual, the time loop and the hound. Ask him questions about his father and his eldritch nature. Maybe he can give Oliver some advice about not begin completely human? Also mention the Yog-Sogoth adherent you met in the train and if he could help her make sense of things.


    I really like it, minor change adding the study of gemstone line. It's what he should be doing after an adventure after he's had a chance to decompress. I'd also like to redeem the waitress if we can. Send her the Child's way? Channel her interests in a constructive fashion like we did with the fanatic who attacked Oliver.

    Edit: Adding mention of the waitress too if you don't object Mystic Pentagram. I'll remove it you don't like it.
     
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