HRWClutch:28/Eggs

HRW Clutch 28/Eggs

Gold Rielsath x Bronze Malsaeth
Clutch Count:	15 eggs
Theme:	'Masks.'

Dual Demeanor Egg

Vaporous silver swirls over the shell of this rather small, rotund little egg, flowing down a surface devoid of color and vivacity. Fog settles atop, a shroud for the chilled clouds that almost appear twisted into incongruous shapes, perhaps the outline of a face, or the gathers in a fine fabric. There is little variation throughout, whites and greys draped eerily over such a silent 'scape.

Inspiration: Not all masks are tangible. The ones that we have all worn at some point in our lives but perhaps never admitted to -- these have always seemed, to me, to be the most chilling and sometimes, the most frightful.

Credit: Paige

Child's Whimsy Egg

A whimsical egg, big and mostly white, this egg has a certain flimsy look to it. Precariously placed, it appears as if it might crumple at any moment. Its pale surface is wrinkled-looking with shadows, darker folds, and crinkles like wadded up fabric. The most riveting feature of the shell, though, is a series of big black spots, inexpertly made, as if some child got a hold of the egg and colored it up in fanciful patterns. Irregularly shaped, sized, and placed, the playful spots cover the surface in capricious fashion, only one of them different: a big pink spot right on top.

Inspiration: When I was about twelve or so, my family bought a cow suit, complete with udder, for Halloween. And every year since then, somebody in the family has ended up wearing it-usually me.

Credit: I'daur

Bound With Spinnerwebs Egg

Pure red, lucid and bright, covers this egg in a protective embrace. The purity of the colour is broken only by the peculiar markings that cover it, the most apparent of which being a pair of white half-circles -- pulled and distorted at the outer edges to evoke images of some kind of eye. Between the inner points of those circles resides a single dot, from which an intricate black web is spun. The web lines are precise, curiously so, and curve with immaculate accuracy about the entirety of the egg -- save the 'eyes,' of course -- to ensure the identity of its occupant remains a mystery.

Inspiration: None other than Spider-Man's mask, of course. ;)

Credit: Sunniva

Don Juan Triumphant Egg

Red is the color for anger and passion, and crimson is how deep it runs over this egg's shell. Deeper swathes dip down to its base, shadows swirling like the dramatic swish of a cape or flare of fire. A backlit, white silhouette combines with grey and black to create a vague womanly shape off to one side, trapped past the point of no return by swirls of cherry and twists of blackened rage. That brightness, a beacon of hope amidst the darkness, reemerges where a few gentle curves come together to form a a white mask, cracked by a splinter of black that obscures the shadows of a face too gruesome to comprehend.

Inspiration: So I'm way into Phantom of the Opera, and mask = Phantom in my head. Past the Point of No Return is my favorite song from that particular play, and I used the rendition from the PotO movie to desc this egg.

Credit: Virgil

Sweet Dreams Egg

Colorful dots cover most of this small egg like so many sprinkles on off-white icing: red, blue, green purple, yellow, and orange, combinations of concentric circles bound within a curved band that wraps around the middle. Two almond-shaped slits are cut out of one side to show an underlying cream color and are placed equally apart like a pair of eyes. A thin, taut stripe of purple on the opposite side of the egg connects one end of the dotted band to the other.

Inspiration: I have this sleeping mask that I bought at Target for all of one dollar! And it is the best mask ever, white with polka dots all over it, and it smells of vanilla.

Credit: Berit

Whitefaced Carnivale Egg

Smooth and featureless this egg seems, its even sides drawing up to a broad, rounded crown that shimmers with the sheen of fine white polish. Along one side only are there any markings to draw the eye, blacker than black against white, almond-shaped eyes peek out from above the pinpricks of nostrils and the shapely shadowed form of lush lips. Expressionless, this face holds no immediate clues to the egg's occupant, but is in and of itself mysterious and perhaps intriguing for it.

Inspiration: Venice carnival masks

Credit: Milani

Deathly Comical Egg

A twisted mixture of garish blue and bright vermillion coats this large, rotund egg, creating an almost comical look to it. Atop the backdrop of these strangely commingled colors are solid circles of brash scarlet, lined with haphazardly painted gaudy dashes of cobalt that further underscore the egg's strangely whimsical visage. Thin brush strokes of raven black and rustic brown plumb vertically agaisnt the brighter colours, giving the egg an inky, mysterious silhouette.

Inspiration: The masks Joker's clown posse used in Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel, The Dark Knight.

Credit: X'lar

Crimson Caricature Egg

Red, the rough deep shade of a pure thick dye made of dried hibiscus flowers or fresh sumac berries, coats this egg. Shadows and lines of dark charcoal create texture and the illusion of features, here a thickly lined forehead, there an arched pair of angular overhanging brows, next a craggy extended and over exaggerated pointed nose that seems almost three-dimensional, and below even those a curled mustache that wends its villainous way up, up, up toward the apex of the egg.

Inspiration: A commedia dell'arte mask for the character Capitano (a form of Italian theatre that is the precursor to the television sit-com).

Credit: Nolee

Black-Draped Egg

Ominously brooding, this egg has presence enough to make up for its small size. Black shrouds it-not the tight, fitted black one would expect of an eggshell, but like an oversized hood has been pulled over its surface. The matte black displays uneven shading, lightened areas like fabric folds that even seem to twist and reform in the light, rippling in imagined wind. The only respite from the black are two jagged-edged, pale peach ovals on one side, their own centers dark brown pits.

Inspiration: The old medieval executioner's hoods.

Credit: I'daur

Hear Me Roar Egg

Mangy red and yellow lines skitter across the egg's surface, looking like hair that's gone too long without a cut. The rest of the shell is mostly left untouched by colour, leaving it with a pale-as-ivory hue. Though, there are a few exceptions: there's a single dot of brown in one spot, while a thin stripe of black outlines a circle in three other areas.

Inspiration: For Disney Week at the summer camp I worked at we made lion masks out of paper plates and tissue paper.

Credit: Fayre

Desperado's Disguise Egg

One of the larger eggs in the clutch, it might once have been red. Maybe. Now it's only a unevenly faded, vaguely pinkish shade, and in a few spots the color looks like it's been nearly scuffed off, revealing the bare cream egg beneath. Still, overlying the reddish hue are swirls and spots of black -- really, more gray than anything else -- and white, forming an abstract pattern.

Inspiration: A cowboy's bandana, or rather the bandanas I pretended to be a cowboy with while growing up.

Credit: S'fox

Beauty's Price Egg

Thick, creamy avocado color is slicked in one thick layer across this egg's shell. The consistency in color is lost when one looks at the shape of the egg, though, for this one has bulges and irregularities where there should be only smooth sides. All told, it's rather an ugly little egg, but it holds the promise of impermanence, with something far more alluring lurking just beneath its hardened surface.

Inspiration: I mostly just thought that this would be an interesting concept for a mask egg, since it's not what usually comes to mind first. It's not the elegant masquerade concoctions or the hideous costumes, but something routine and completely mundane. I also liked the idea of a ritual that involved getting ugly to become more beautiful.

Credit: Idraila

Vicarious Vaudevillian Egg

The pale, near-white flesh tone of this egg is smooth and flawless, and if not for its darker markings would be unremarkable at best. A curtain of ebony falls over one side of the shell from top to bottom, while on the reverse, the same black appears in sharp unmistakable lines: two arches side by side near the top over narrow eye slits, watching. Where lips would be found, the inky thickness of a crookedly hooked smile curls upward into blushed cheeks while an ebony smear juts downward below the lower lip. Smiling cheerfully, though hardly innocently, those narrowed eyes perhaps guard deep inner workings of mischief and anarchy.

Inspiration: A Guy Fawkes mask, specifically the one worn by the character V in /V for Vendetta/, playful and mysterious.

Credit: Lujayn

Wooden Watcher Egg

Blackened-slit eyes, distinguishable from the frame of dark mahogany by the barest change in hue, watch with a predatory gaze from the safety of the sands. Equally frightful is the curve of a month, full lips that might hide teeth pulled into a taut line where shadows and light play upon the darkened wood tones and between the highlights of blood red. Crudely cut markings seem to scar the surface at the top of the egg, cut purposefully into a tribal-like mark. A similar pattern mars the "cheek" of the ovoid, adding to the savage look of this wooden egg.

Inspiration: A wooden, African tribal mask. Specifically, one my mother brought back with her when she was in Africa. It used to terrify me when I was little.

Credit: Balinne

Height of Indulgence Egg

Feathered green and purple, the hues belonging to jewels and rich fabrics, cover this egg in chaotic ripples that dance and tumble around the subtle, almost circular curves. Not to be outdone, gold glitters in the mica-thin facets of the shell, visible only if caught in the right light but no less decadent for that subtlety.

Inspiration: This egg was inspired by the richness and wildness that is Mardi Gras. It's over the top, but filled with a raw, unbridled sort of energy. The colors are fun, sprightly and carefree, just like the environment of Mardi Gras itself, one that can only be fully achieved with the anonymity of those brightly colored masks.

Credit: Idraila

Honorable Mentions

There were so many spectacular descriptions submitted that the decisions on which were used or not were very difficult. We'd like to honor and thank everyone who submitted a description in our honorable mentions.

Just Ducky Egg

This is a squatty little egg overall, all short and round; but the creamy colored shell of its fat midsection is normal enough looking, though it's ticked with faint specks that almost look like feathers. The narrower end of the egg, which is really only marginally less bulbous, has a triangular, deep orange spot right on its end. The other end is capped no less colorfully, in a combination of yellow and green streaks that isn't particularly attractive.

Inspiration: A mascot head, specifically a duck.

Credit: S'fox

Shadowed Redemption Egg

Matte black has been pulled over the surface of this egg like so much shell-tight leather, pulled taut as if to cover any hint of what might reside beneath. Charcoal accents seem to sketch out an elusive visage -- eyes there, the shadow of a nose here, a mouth set in a dour line. What might otherwise be a mostly monochromatic creation is offset subtly by the illusion of bold white stitches, curving in an arc from one side to the other, the apex coming just below the hinted shadow of a nose. A strange detail to be sure, one clearly meant to keep this egg mute to any hint of what is hidden beneath.

Inspiration: Blame Batman comics for this one. This egg is based on the mask worn by Cassandra Cain during her stint as Batgirl -- the most notable aspect of the mask, the way the mouth is covered, was due to the character's initial inability to speak.

Credit: Sunniva

Unlikely Guardian Egg

Geometrically precise lines streak across this egg, separating a flat gold-bronze plate at the front from a deep, pearlescent red that covers the top, back, and sides. The red outlines an angular, metallic 'face' -- a straight, thin line toward the bottom indicates an unmoving mouth, though there is no nose to speak of. The 'eyes' are narrow white rectangles, connected with another line, rendering the whole of the egg's appearance to be somewhat cold and aloof, but the angling of it and the way it seems to look over its fellow eggs seems to hint at protectiveness.

Inspiration: None other than Iron Man in all his gaudy glory. One of my favourite movies and definitely an unlikely hero if ever there were one!

Credit: Sunniva

Appraising Hunter Egg

Bronze and silver have been blended upon this shell into an alien creation, burnished to a muted shine. A pair of lines sketch out a deeply furrowed brow over multifaceted charcoal shapes -- those almond-shaped and deeply slanted shapes resemble eyes, fiercely scowling with a hunter's patience at the world, yet unable to be scrutinized in kind. There is no nose or mouth, however, simply a blank expanse, an expanse that is unbroken until it curves toward the back. There, the odd metallic hues break away and blackness flows like a mane, sectioned off into separate locks by what appears to be bands of that selfsame metal.

Inspiration: The inspiration of this egg was derived from the masks of the Yautja -- better known as Predators. As galactic hunters, they were generally equipped with some fantastic tech and their masks were arguably one of the most important pieces.

Credit: Sunniva

Laughter and Tears Egg

Pure, unblemished white marks this egg from its brethren, save for two blurred expressions on opposing sides. One is a whimsical smile, an upward-curving arc of black and two rounded smudges, and the other is a frown in black with downward-slanted lines for eyes. Ribbons of charcoal slide off to the sides, disappearing into the bottom of this starkly contrasted ovoid.

Inspiration: I was inspired by the comedy and tragedy masks associated with the theatre. They, to me, represent the classic 'mask'.

Credit: Berit

Remember Remember Egg

A blanched complexion and narrowed black slits for eyes do nothing to chill the warmth in the overly implied face this egg wears. More angular than its fellows, it tends to taper at the bottom instead of widen, so it looks a bit slim and top-heavy. The suggestion of its smile is cheerful above its pointy 'chin' and its cheeks are pinkened and rosy, though a little asymmetrical on either side. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. It's also only viewable from the front, as the back is coated in black.

Inspiration: If it wasn't obvious, V for Vendetta is to blame for this one. The mask V wears is a manifestation of Guy Fawkes's face and symbolizes freedom and real patriotism both.

Credit: Virgil

Unyielding Protector Egg

The purity of this small egg's unyielding bone white base is marred by a starburst pattern of three wide crimson triangles spaced out seemingly equidistant from one another. Narrow horizontal ribbons of glossy black also stretch out over the wide bulge of the egg's equator. Where there is no stark white, there are spots of menacing black covering the expanse of the egg's surface. The egg's shell is textured like it may have fine granulated sand stuck to it, giving it a particularly bumpy feel.

Inspiration: In addition to protecting the goalie's face, the hockey mask has also been used in pop culture with regard to what Jason Vorhees wears in the Friday the 13th film franchise.

Credit: X'lar

Bean Egg

Nubbles of texture are outstanding on this egg, visible from even as much as a dozen feet away. The raised bits create rounded, raised wells that look in some light like large bubbles, but viewed from another angle are more translucent, like raised ovals. There are enough sizes that one could, if one dared to get close enough, press a face just so against one of the oval rings of raised nubbles like a cozy face mask, a safe and isolated place to just breathe in the scent of the egg.

Inspiration: Anesthesia masks.

Credit: Nolee

Toxic Eyes Egg

An egg shouldn't be so dark as this; its glossy, almost-black shell causes wondering remarks about its health. Or maybe it's the texture, rubbery-looking even once it's hardened to the touch, that raises such doubts. The twin spots of toxic, sallow green, each unlucky circle big enough to contain a candidate's handprint, don't help.

Inspiration: Not the mask you want to wear, but if you need it, better to have it than not: the gas mask.

Credit: Ch'val

Protective Cage Egg

A peachy shade forms the base for this egg, only average in size. However, rather than forming a flat, uniform surface, the flesh color is broken up by an almost geometric pattern, dark blue stripes that outline a rough rectangle of unbroken space on the top of the ovoid; from there, the lines branch off in both directions, up and down, as they wrap around the shell. Around each narrow band, a faint illusion of shadowing, the darkening of the pinkish hue underneath, gives the surface added depth-and makes it look more like a cage for the egg, and the growing dragon, within.

Inspiration: A catcher's mask! Not unlike the one my imaginary MLB boyfriend Brian McCann wears. XD

Credit: I'daur

Secret Raider Egg

The overall color of this small egg is yellow-violent, blazing yellow. Idle lines of black curve and arc across its shell, making a pattern that, out of the corner of the eye and through the wavering of heat shimmer, appear to misshape the egg into a soft-edged blob. Tiny flecks of silver-grey dot the shell's surface, the color darkening and spreading out wide into two black-shimmering opaque circles near the apex like eerie, shadowed eyes. It's nerve-racking to be watched by this almost-face. But the shocking shade of yellow draws the eye, and if the bright shell is touched, it's utterly smooth.

Inspiration: One of those dreadful-but-fun 1980s cartoons, MASK, involved secret agents driving really cool vehicles that turned into other vehicles and wearing masks that gave them awesome powers (technological, not magical). The masks could see infrared, produce holograms, hypnotize people, you name it. The egg is based on the mask of Brad Turner, who operated the helicopter/motorcycle Condor. The egg name comes from the MASK theme song (which I can still sing, twenty-some years later) which begins "Secret raiders working overtime fighting crime".

Credit: Neiravi

Toxic Fumes Egg

Steel grey sheen sweeps over the smoothed curves of this egg, hints of ancient metal and age-shined leather in its shadowed tint. Its wide, oddly flattened base is peppered with even black freckles, so dark they seem dimpled into the egg's flat surface. Two larger spots mark the other end, wide and gleaming like bug's eyes, with hues of a sickly green and wavering mustard yellow.

Inspiration: The inspiration for this egg was a gas mask; not one from the modern age of invisible biological warfare, but an ancient, bulky one from the World War era, images of dangerous gas reflected in the large goggles. It was the dawn of a tool that has allowed humanity to weather some very difficult and trying times.

Credit: Idraila

Tribal Ritual Egg

This egg is odd, to be sure, from the stretched, oblong shape of it to the markings that cover its surface. Small brown lines, both dusty and dark, densely crowd the surface, most of them aligned lengthwise to give the illusion of a wood grain covering it from end to end. There are other lines, too, much paler and more haphazard, making their long, sketched way over the rest of the colors at sharp angles and wide curves. Looking from afar, and at just the right angle, one might be able to imagine the vague shape of a face created by those whitened lines, a haunting, empty expression gazing indifferently at the world.

Inspiration: This egg came from an image I had in my head of a standard tribal mask. Like most tribal masks, the eyes are hollow, the mouth open, the markings pregnant with meaning that's lost on us. It's mysterious but also bewitching on some very basic level, as if it appeals to the instinctual, animal side present in all of us.

Credit: Idraila

En Guard Egg

A tight mesh of silvery grey seems to encompass what would otherwise be a plain white egg, its texture formed by tiny bumps and lines evident only to the touch. Nothing is getting through that steady shield either, for this egg is one of the most compact and dense, one of the first to harden in response to the heat.

Inspiration: Fencing masks have the advantage of already being egg-shaped, so I went with a simplistic design that still got across the idea of being guarded. The mask closes the wearer in, allowing them to see out but no one else to see inside, allowing them to move and fight but still protecting them from any offensive strikes.

Credit: Idraila