Difference between revisions of "Clutch:53"

Candidates: Ashenna, Bayan, Charis, Dassah, Eleria, Felix, Imariel, Kasiese, Samialla, Shanlee, Steorra, Wilf, Tavrie

Egg Writers: Caitlyn, Jazra, Jendayi, Kasiese, M'wen, Melata, R'hin, Satiet, Tavrie

Dragon Writers: Amilin, I'daur, M'wen, Maja, R'hin, Rilsa, Satiet

Dragon Editors: Josilina, Satiet

Dragon Puppeteers: I'daur, Josilina, M'wen, Maja, Melata, R'hin, Rilsa, Satiet

Search Committee: Amilin, I'daur, Josilina, M'wen, Melata, R'hin, Rilsa, Satiet

Roiling Nightmare Egg

Glistening with a slick-appearing surface, thick gobbets of near gelatinous, clear slime seem to ooze their way down and across the midnight surface of this nightmare egg. Black as space - an ebony which destroys all light and hope - the curves of the elongated sphere hint at possible reflections of sickly green and roiling purple with the stray touch of ambient light. Creeping, undulating, spreading like a disease, tentacular arcs and knobby protrusions draw a bizarre landscape of terror from base to apex - leading the eye deeper into the nest of horrors which lie, waiting, within.

Clutch Pose: 'In the nick of time' could apply to Lhiannonth's arrival - she just has time to smooth out a hollow in the sand before she crouches for the arrival of a dark, mucus-y egg. Paying no mind to its less-than-appealing appearance, the gold steps aside and mounds sand around it briskly.

Touch: The trepidation one experiences at the sight of this nightmarish egg is only heightened by the strange feel of the ovoid: vaguely resinous, yet porously hard to the touch. At the back of the mind, one is haunted by insinuations of a clamminess reminiscent of the darkest, dankest jungle - appalled by nuances of a seemingly pulsating heat.

Sound: Daring to rest your face so tantalizingly near the hellish surface, the hair on your nape rises at the ghostly inferences of nightmare winds moaning through some cavernous recess. Just as you come to your senses and pull away, the echoes of a slithering squelch reach out and caress your ear.

Inspiration: Inspired by the 'secreted resin' caverns the Aliens made their nests of in the ALIEN series.

Credit: Caitlyn

Girls' Night Out Egg

There's no blending in this egg, the two colors distinct and divided evenly over the surface. Split neatly in half from top to bottom, one side offers the intricacy of beading along the leathery shell - iridescence found in the sheen of an off-white base mixed intermittently with exceedingly pale gold. Painted curtains, gauzy and light seem to hang low into this patchwork of silvery beads and exude gracious elegance oft found in the confidence of well-bred ladies. A sensual swirl of crimson neatly separates the white from the other half of the egg: a brilliant and eye catching pink. In this side, a cascade of varying shades of rose seem to flounce gaudily in the swish of color that descends like ruffles. No doubt, the color is cheerful, the artwork enthusiastic, and while it lacks the intricacy of its more genteel half, there's a certain charisma captured in this vibrantly pink side.

Clutch Pose: The second egg comes with much of the impatience of the first; Lhiannonth doesn't have much time to bury the last before she shuffles aside to lay a distinctly two-toned egg.

Touch: The off-white side is as intricate in texture as it appears to be, a distinctive bead-work like feeling found along its shell. However, silken to the touch is the pink, where only the slightest indentations separate each cascading ruffle.

Sound: Light laughter seems prevalent when an ear is pressed to this egg, offset by the general din of a gather or masquerade. Every so often, the metallic clang of thin swords hitting against each other echoes faintly.

Inspiration: "Shindig" an episode of Joss Whedon's Firefly includes in it a ballroom scene where Inara is dressed in a gorgeous gown of translucent fabric, gauzy lace and intricate beading in pale gold and white. At the same function, however, there was a markedly different dress, a bright pink affair that spoke of anything -but- grace and elegance. Still, many adore Kaylee and her country bumpkin ballgown. This egg is a mix of these two differing women and dresses.

Credit: Satiet

Overwhelming Odds Egg

Strikingly bright orange streaks swirl across this egg, a fierce contrast with the dull gray underneath. Buried deep in the sands, its apex barely rises three quarters of the height of the eggs around it, though the gaudy coloring makes up for the lack of size. On closer inspection, the egg is not only buried deep in the sand, but it actually is smaller then the other eggs.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth leaves the pink and white egg for Leiventh to deal with, taking some time to scoop out a deep cradle for the imminent third egg which, once laid, appears disproportionately small for its nest, orange and gray sides nearly hidden by sand.

Touch: The egg feels smooth with only a few wrinkles along the back, usually coinciding with the orange blotches, quite warm to the touch.

Sound: If an ear is pressed to its side, a soft whooshing can be heard, like wind blowing through a small window.

Inspiration: My inspiration for this egg is the Ender's series by Orson Scott card. The egg itself is based on the main character of "Ender's Shadow" And the uniform of 'dragon' army (I thought that fitting).

Credit: M'wen

Cage of Lightning Egg

A large and oddly shaped egg, at first glance it appears to be a perfect sphere until closer inspection proves that it rests on a slightly flattened base. This provides some advantage against toppling over but gives it a squat look that isn't entirely attractive. Its shell is pretty enough; the base hue is a dull grey but that canvas is softened by a web of violet-edged white. The jagged pattern clasps the egg's entire surface, bright enough to almost obscure the more structured designs that are hidden beneath.

Clutch Pose: Pacing the sands, Lhiannonth makes something of a detour to near her rider, dipping her head down near Josilina's. After a moment Josi laughs and the gold moves away to nose out a hollow and lay a large, squat egg.

Touch: Rough and prickly, this egg's shell seems to catch at any skin unfortunate enough to come into contact with it.

Sound: A low hum sounds from within this egg, broken occasionally by a faint hissing pulse.

Inspiration: The lightning shield that protected Ming the Merciless' city in 1980?s _Flash Gordon_.

Credit: Jendayi

The Depth of the Mind Egg

The utterly smooth and soft surface of this egg is unique and striking. The ovoid shape is distorted by the strange occurrence of a set of patterns that cover its perfectly smooth surface from top to bottom. Widening around its middle, the egg appears to be a touch more spherical than some of its peers. The apex rounds off a little sooner than some of the other eggs, more curved than sharp. Perhaps the almost square-shaped patches that bend themselves around its convex surface create this illusion as well. The nearly quadrilateral patches are mostly blue with variations in hue that shift the tile-like patterns from soft, powdery sky to a more dark and alluring midnight shade of indigo. It is a precisely designed arrangement of darkness and light all tinted with the color of imagination.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth is interrupted from piling sand around the last egg by another set of contractions. This next, spherical egg comes about without much fuss and the gold nudges it gently before setting to work half-burying it.

Touch: The surface of this egg is smooth to the touch with not a hint of raised textures. The shell is as soft as perfectly polished metal.

Sound: The whispering sound given off by the egg when one gets close enough and presses an ear to hear, is a whooshing and whispering like a room so full of chattering people that the words are unintelligible and only the sound of the air passing through vocal cords can be heard.

Inspiration: X-men Cerebro

Credit: Tavrie

Mottled Obsidian Shadow Egg

Against the golden yellows of the sands, this egg stands out in stark, bleak contrast. Opaque, the black surface draws attention, the curve of its shell guiding eyes along the surface and down to the black fingers that seem to stretch out towards the hot sands. Although initially the egg seems entirely black, a closer inspection will reveal little white lines, like veins, that run across the entire surface, creating a mottled, rippling look of obsidian. The egg is set somewhat apart from the others within the clutch, as if a deliberately wide berth has been given.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth settles some distance away from the eggs to rest, tail curling and uncurling restlessly. She's some moments there before rising to a crouch, and she doesn't even move closer to the rest of the clutch before depositing a black egg.

Touch: At first touch, the egg is oddly cool despite the heat of the sands. Further attention reveals an odd kind of softness to the shell, not unlike the smoothness of newborn skin.

Sound: An ear pressed to the surface of this egg would detect an ever-present humming, very soft, almost more felt than heard.

Inspiration: A shadow ship, from the 1990?s sci-fi TV series, Bablyon 5.

Credit: R'hin

Arrow to Salvation Egg

In dusky maples offset by swirling clouds of creamed champagne lies hope in the glistening radiance of this rotund egg. More round than oblong, its shape lends itself to a planetary illusion that is similar to what Pern might look like from the skies - least what the starcrafters and fanciful harpers might describe, with golden light-shaded clouds hanging over the uneven coating of darker ocher continent-shapes and oceans. Spiraling upward from the base to apex is a thin line of bronze, its texture seemingly engraved into the egg's leathery surface. As it curls up, reaching to where the northern pole might be on a planet, the line is met by a dusty V, bronze sprinkled denser at the point and gradating out to blend seamlessly with the dusky base. At the arrow's point, in the weave of thin oceanic blues and spring greens lies the promise of a future.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth snorts to herself, fussing with the sand of another hollow, before lowering herself over it. Stepping away, she reveals a round egg dominated by shades of gold and bronze, before piling sand around it.

Touch: Smooth, despite the swirl of clouds, the only texture to this egg lies along the spiraling line upward. The path of bronze is bumpy at its beginning, until its unevenness settles the closer it gets to the arrowhead, smoothing into the rest of the shell.

Sound: At first, the airy sounds in the egg seem tumultuous, like too many voices speaking at once, but the longer your ear lingers, the more do the weave of sounds temper, until peacefulness reigns in the wash of an ocean wave to a foliage-encrusted shore.

Inspiration: The Arrow of Apollo from Battlestar Galactica, and what it meant for the people of the twelve colonies in their quest to find the lost 13th colony of Earth to call home.

Credit: Satiet

Flashy Thing Egg

The primary color of this small, rough looking egg is dull silver. If one makes a closer inspection, specks of dark gray and black can be resolved, sprinkled lightly over the shell. An enthusiastic imagination might pick out familiar Pernian constellations, or even devise new ones for the sand-bound cosmic canvas. Occasionally, depending on how the gold dragon has most recently repositioned her charge, a slash of startlingly bright red is viewable, wrapping partway around the circumference of the egg's pointy end. The red patch inevitably draws the eye, seeming to glow against its silver backdrop as it reflects any nearby light source with mirror-like intensity.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth makes her way to an indentation scooped out by Leiventh, warbling a thank you to the bronze before crouching to lay a small, silvery egg.

Touch: The egg under your fingertips feels rough, like an unfinished stone corridor. The exception is the red patch, which is glass smooth and slightly oily.

Sound: An ear placed against this egg reveals the subtle hum of errant breezes sweeping over rough shell.

Inspiration: Men In Black, Memory Erasing Device

Credit: Melata

Chaotic Vanguard Egg

As though buried for centuries of dust, this egg mixes swirls and swirls of rich sandy brown and deep ebony black. Tiny points, like diamonds, wink from its depths. Almost as though it had been buried in time itself, symbols wink from its depths, and a ring, a sparkling ring of golden color, is visible. Within the ring are more rings, a spiral of silver, almost blinding silver that, the more its looked at, the more dizzying the swirls become, until it looks like an eternal whirlpool is ready to jump from the shell. Within and without the whirl can be seen shadows, people, and strange monsters, locked into combat. Odd shapes twisting beneath the veil of sand dance beneath the shadows. Still, the inside of the ring remains clear, almost like a liquid silver road. The spiral inside the ring stretches into the distance.

Clutch Pose: Absorbed in fussing with the last egg, a fresh contraction seems to take Lhiannonth by surprise and she hastily crouches to lay another darker egg. She takes a moment to give it a look-over before setting to work in pushing sand around it.

Inspiration: The Stargate in Stargate SG-1 was found in the desert of Egypt, buried under a pyramid. The US Government found one and started training interplanetary explorers to go through it and make contact with life on other planets. For ten seasons the members of the foremost of these groups, SG-1, have gone on adventures in an attempt to defeat the evil Gu-auld, and more recently the sinister Aurae. Will SG-1 defeat the Aurae and save the galaxy? Only time will tell.

Credit: Jazra

Inevitable Assimilation Egg

Darkness warps its frigid fingers around this egg, giving it a cold, harsh appearance which is vastly different from the actual sand-warmed surface of the shell. From apex to carefully planted bottom, gloom formed by fathomless blues and greens so dark that they almost appear black when shadowed has been crisscrossed and woven together to form a picture of hectic but almost eerie beauty. The knotted mess covering the rough, slightly grainy surface is patched with an occasional colorless maw that pierces the already dark and twining form like openings in a labyrinth. Flecks of pale green stand out garishly here and there along the ovoid, rare flashes of color that add a look of ominous intelligence to the egg, as if it could survey its surroundings.

Clutch Pose: Fatigue has begun to slow the clutching gold down, and Lhiannonth's steps take on a shuffling quality, though she's careful to avoid disturbing any of the eggs already out there. Stepping around one of the darker eggs she deposits a green-flecked egg.

Touch: The surface of this egg is rough to the touch with tiny ridges and bumps that give it a weathered texture. The pattern of lumps changes here and there, leaving some places smoother than others.

Sound: From inside the egg, soft hum, more like a whir can be heard.

Inspiration: Star Trek's Borg Cube

Credit: Tavrie

Life's Clock Rosette Egg

This egg is not one to draw the eye but it is handsome in its own subtle way, being petite, round and richly shaded. Its surface is tinted a crimson deep enough to conjure thoughts of blood or fine vintages of wine, ringed with swirls of sinister red-black. A single unwinking eye mars one side of the little sphere, a circle of diluted cerise that creates the optical illusion that a light is focused on the shell from the inside.

Clutch Pose: Lhiannonth shifts her weight restlessly, hovering over a natural indentation in the sands. Contractions ripple across her hide but it's a few moments of strained wait before the appearance of a petite, red egg. She gives it a little nudge before leaving it to Leiventh's ministrations, retreating to the fringes of the clutch, lying down, and closing her eyes. That, it seems, is that.

Touch: The surface of this egg is flawless, as perfectly smooth to touch as polished glass would be.

Sound: One has to listen very carefully but with effort, a soft and rhythmic ticking might be heard within the egg.

Inspiration: The inspiration for this egg was drawn from the crystal "handflowers" or "lifeclocks" implanted in the hands of the characters of "Logan's Run".

Credit: Jendayi

Honorable Mentions

There were a lot of fantastic descs and unfortunately, we couldn't use them all, but here are the others submitted.

Balance of the Force Egg

A battle wages across the leathery surface of this large egg, interlocking shades of vivid blue, neon greens, and scarlets criss-crossing in a hatch pattern, with no discernible dominance by one color or the other. The base of the egg is shaded in an inky black that rises insidiously to attempt to overwhelm the colors. A patch of brilliance, white-light, dusts the top, scattered down the along the egg's oblong sides to intersperse between the war of color sticks. Midst the patchwork of myriad shades lies one thin line of lavender, neatly dividing the squatter base from the narrow top curve.

Inspiration: Jedi light sabers.

Credit: Satiet

Retreat to Paradise Egg

A rainbow of colors flow softly over the surface of this egg like the layers of a gather gown in all its newness and splendor. The apex has been brushed by a powdery yellow that slowly shifts into the most gentle of warm, sunset hues. This peachy color lasts for but a glimpse before the transition is complete and the gently rounded body of the egg is ringed round the middle in lovely petal pink. This conversion changes the initial gaiety of the egg into a more tender elegance. Once again, this wave of blossomed splendor gives way to yet another color, transforming into an insipid purplish-blue like the tail end of a romantic sunset, folding around the eggs base before it melts into the warming sands.

Inspiration: Star Wars Padme's Dress

Credit: Tavrie

Satellites's Silhouette Egg

Where it's been deposited and partially concealed in the sand, this egg looks terribly out of place; there's no question as to where it would look more in place, either. Nearly perfectly round, with what appear to be small craters pressed into it's surface. Despite it's bland, porus appearance, this egg seems to have a bit of a _glow_ about it, faint but existant nonetheless.

Inspiration: Inspiration comes from the moon. Come on -- how many sci-fi movies don't have a moon?

Credit: Kasiese

Encoded Messages Egg

This egg's shell is of startling contrast to the sands, to it's mother...to nearly everything around it. The colour of pitch, it is only accentuated, and accentuated well, by the straigh lines of startlingly neon green that race down it's side, in perfectly parallel lines from one apex to the other. Upon closer inspection, the lines more resemble glyphs of some sort, all blended very closely together, sometimes overlapping; it gives it all the surreal effect of appearing as though the letters and numbers are moving, at times.

Inspiration: Inspiration comes from the main images that comes to mind when one things of The Matrix Trilogy: the black computer screen, streaming neon green letters down it's face.

Credit: Kasiese

P'mar (Paemar) and green Raneth

The Depth of the Mind Egg gives very little warning before a split appears down the side, and soon after a limb follows it, the egg shattering moments later.The little green that tumbles out lets out a joyful bugle, greeting the gathered candidates with suitable enthusiasm. She's more enthusiastic than gainly, however, tripping over and leaving a trail of sand along her snout. That doesn't stop her heading strongly for her chosen candidate, her mind apparently already made up: a sandy-haired young lad has her fixated, and when she finally stops in front of Paemar, the boy looks startled. "Raneth!" the Neratian - now P'mar - blurts, with a broad grin. One of the assistant weyrlingmasters escorts the newest pair off the sands, the boy grinning and chatting all the way.

D'rian (Denarian) and green Lonreth

A powerful force struggles within the Buried Battles egg and finally triumphs, sending splinters and bits of shell /everywhere/. The resulting brown is rather large, his hide just a few shades lighter than carob. After taking only a few moments to orient himself, he's carrying himself with a steady pride that brings him to the feet of Ronayil. R'yil, formerly a guard at Bitra, reaches out to place a hand on one dark eyeridge and to say, "I'm yours, Eluth."