- The Sands
- The USS Egg
- Whirling Wormhole Egg
- I Admire Its Purity Egg
- Seven Sisters Egg
- Birth of a Universe Egg
- Evil Overlord From Far, Far, Far Away Egg
- Cat's Eye Egg
- Solar Eclipse Egg
- Dread and Nausea Egg
- Clowning Around Egg
- Singularly Sentient Egg
- Bringer of Jollity Egg
- The Divine Mosaic Egg
- Catching the Light Egg
- Cloaked in Brilliance Egg
- Trundlebug Carapace Egg
- Give Us a Kiss Egg
- Dog Star Egg
- Edge of the Universe Egg
- Trouble with Tribbles Egg
- Combined Life Force Egg
- Golden Record Egg
- The Little Spaceship That Could Egg
Welcome to Hestiath and Talimoth's 2010 clutch!
It's taken us some time to get here, but here we finally are, and we are so excited to present the eggs to you at last. That being said, we have a few notes:
ICly, these are not the only eggs on the sands. There are 23 PC eggs, and nobody knows how many NPC eggs. There's no official count of how big each queen's clutch is since nobody knows whose eggs are whose or which mounds of sand have eggs under them, so everyone who tries to count is coming up with wildly different numbers. The Weyr will just have to wait until they hatch!
OOCly, all the eggs come from Talimoth and Hestiath's flight. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted egg descs. Our theme for this cycle was: Space.
Please click on the tabs to see each egg and description.
The USS Egg
Broad and practically a uniform gray, there isn't much to immediately distinguish this particular egg among its brethren. Dark speckles seem to be arrayed in some sort of pattern across the upper curves, strangely precise if rather indistinct. Minute pinpricks of white dot the shell in curvy rows, fading into nearly insubstantial swathes of pale silver. Soft, powder blues seem to cradle the ovoid's sturdy base like a set of glowing tubes, each curved about one side as if gently airbrushed to the surface.
Credit: Suian
Inspiration: It's impossible to think of space and not think of the highly successful Star Trek franchise. This egg isn't based on any particular starship, but on the idea of the vessels—I guess you could say it's a Generic class, crew complement of one. ;)
Whirling Wormhole Egg
Blue within blue within blue cascades in on itself in an endless fractal of color that ranges from deepest cerulean to light sapphire and pale, moonlit silver within dark chevrons of mercurial black. The luminous blue glow of frozen caverns and icebergs is repeated across the small sweep of this egg's leathery shell in an overlay of wavelets and water, making the colors beneath appear to shimmer and gleam with a cool inner fire. Hypnotic and alluring, the egg promises adventure and endless possibilities to anyone daring enough to impress its spirited occupant.
Credit: Nomi
Inspiration: Stargate's Wormhole blue, any season really from Stargate SG1 to Atlantis and Stargate Universe, depending on the dragonet. The image is all waves and liquid mercury.
I Admire Its Purity Egg
Hiding in plain sight, the inky oval is easily overlooked. Once attention is drawn to the ebony shell, however, it is difficult to unsee. Excessive shine gives this egg a constantly wet appearance, as light is greedily swallowed up by the ovoid until only murky reflections remain. Upon closer inspection, markings are revealed, the sharp geometric shapes breaking through in slate highlights. Wicked edges follow the curvature, wrapping possessively around this dark, seemingly harmless form. It's only a matter of time before eyes rake over the bright patch of ivory, as if fangs were bared upon the shell in hostility. From there, the designs become clear to form structural perfection.
Credit: Merci
Inspiration: Whaaat? Merci? Another Alien egg? …Yes. Yes, another Alien egg, because you can't have the egg/facehugger without having the big, bad drone. This egg is partly based off of Ash's description of the Alien, and things that I've noticed while watching the movie. There's no way I could take part in a space/sci-fi theme without mentioning these terrifying creatures. :)
Pic: http://th07.deviantart.net/fs39/300W/f/2008/342/b/b/Xenomorph_by_Kaikou_Hakuya.jpg
Seven Sisters Egg
Suspended in mellow shade, a faint cluster of pale blue rises from the eastern slope of the dusky egg. Each glimmer of topaz pinpricked in the darker haze blurs one into another, straining the eye to identify individual points of light among the tangled silver braid. Spun fine as a spider's web, nebulous dust sighs among the constellation as sea-green and flaxen streamers, murmurs of prior vibrancy now relegated to shades, before plunging back into the misty deep.
Credit: Eleni
Inspiration: The Pleiades have cultural significance worldwide; a sampling is represented here. The Celts associated the constellation with mourning and funerals as they rose in the eastern sky on the cross-quarter day between autumn equinox and winter solstace, a day devoted to remembering the dead. In Western astrology too they represent sorrow. It was also common practice for Native Americans and Greeks to measure keenness of vision by the number of stars a viewer could see among the Pleiades. Finally, I sampled from poetry that mentions the Pleiades:
And if longing seizes you for sailing the stormy seas,
when the Pleiades flee mighty Orion
and plunge into the misty deep
and all the gusty winds are raging,
then do not keep your ship on the wine-dark sea
but, as I bid you, remember to work the land.
-Hesiod, Works and Days, 618-23
Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising through the mellow shade,
Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies tangled in a silver braid.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson, Locksley Hall, 9-10.
Finally, here's a lovely picture of the nebulous dust in the cluster:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pleiades_Spitzer_big.jpg
And another one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reflection_nebula_IC_349_near_Merope.jpg
Birth of a Universe Egg
This egg is blacker than the very blackest of between, only a shadow against the tawny color of the sand that surrounds it. It seems impossible that even the heat of the Hatching Grounds could keep this egg warm, so deep is the vastness of unfilled space that stretches from end to end, but a spark has kindled somewhere far off in the darkness, a flicker of light grown nearly to an ember on a fragile shell that holds close the promise that light and warmth and life may yet come.
Credit: Imogen
Evil Overlord from Far, Far, Far Away Egg
Cataclysmic wars rage across a bulbous, depthless black night. The twinkle of stars, made faint by an unseen yet oppressive force, pales in comparison to the brilliant glow of crimson and magenta upon the peak of what can only be a vessel of Ultimate Doom. Cloudy wisps of crimson continue on down angular sides, vaguely forming something triangular shaped. But upon closer inspection, the definition of shadows and the play of light reveal a three-dimensional object made even more mysterious by the alienish patterning decorating it.
Credit: Cabrien
Inspiration: The idea of an egg inspired by an Evil Overlord was just too promising to pass up. Unfortunately there was a surprising lack of good images of Evil Overlord spaceships, but this one semi sort of fit the bill. On to the inspiration: Mostly b-list movies, because the Evil Overlords are always so over the top it's laughable. The general idea has always been something distant and oppressive and I thought that that might make for an interesting contrast.
Pic: http://www.knightmanproductions.com/Online%20Pics/Free%20pics/Alien%20Mother%20Ship.jpg
Cat's Eye Egg
The surface of this egg shimmers, the colours static yet fluid, translucent yet not giving through to the shell beneath. Where the circumference is widest, a tiny bubble of bright white all but glows, knots of shocking lilac surrounding it. From the centre, hungry jets of blood-red shoot out to scarlet, edged by explosions in lemon that arc around the egg until its very tip, dissolving into magical puffs of not-quite green.
Credit: Iona
Inspiration: The Cat's Eye Nebula is found in the constellation Draco, the dragon. It's one of the prettiest nebulae out there!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NGC6543.jpg
Solar Eclipse Egg
The thinnest plumes of harvest gold burn brightly only across the far edge of this large egg, searing the shell with a corona of coruscate colors. The brilliant crown of fire bleeds to crimson before being completely devoured by the greedy darkness that claims the rest of the egg for its own; shadows seethe and ripple, black within black, leaving no room for any other color to break across the eclipse.
Credit: Nomi
Inspiration: Solar eclipse, all fire and plumes of gold and crimson. I love that eclipses are rare and spectacular, full of myth and power, just like any dragon egg should be.
Dread and Nausea Egg
Twisted color 'ropes' of inky black and silver cascade in an ever widening arc from top to bottom of this egg. The inky black tones arch from side to center, creating a v shape that frames a swath of putrid celery and asparagus green hues. Sadly, even those can't be very pretty, they are wrinkled and puckered like something old that really needs some lotion.
Credit: Trillian
Inspiration: The black dreadlocks of the Predators and their beautiful green skin! It just seemed appropriate to go along with the Alien egg.
Pics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator_(film)
http://www.afhub.com/images/hottoys/avp/avpr_predator_4.jpg
Clowning Around Egg
A crazed explosion of color soaks this egg, leaving patches of white here and there that are disturbingly reminiscent of a humans face. As though some demented hand found inspiration in that resemblance, braided tendrils of red adorn the topmost sides of the egg in mimicry of a crazy man's 'do. Electric blue flames surround pockets of black where eyes might otherwise rest, spilling down upon a set of killer cheekbones while a splash of red and yellow adorn what can only be a round nose. Were this little gem not already disturbing enough, the lower half is split wide under the impression of a toothy macabre grin where inked lines of electric blue paint thin lips.
Credit: Cabrien
Inspiration: Arelle brought up the subject of scary movies, in particular the gem that inspired this egg. This led me to googling it for more info where I came across this picture (which I think speaks for itself!) If not, the title of the movie is enough to inspire fear (Fear!): Killer Clowns from Outer Space.
Singularly Sentient Egg
There's something odd about this small, roundish egg with its ink-black shell and reflective surface. Save for a thin band of silver that fits neatly about its edges and curves, it might as well be some large, onyx marble—but since when do marbles seem to have eyes? Or to be more precise, a single eye. Smack dab in the middle, cloudy crimson and a sharp yellow create perfectly concentric circles in the darkness, appearing, even at a distance, much like a pupil within an iris.
Credit: Suian
Inspiration: From Wikipedia — "HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is an artificial intelligence which interacts with the crew, usually represented only as a red television camera 'eye' that can be seen throughout Discovery." Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey was a fascinating, if chilling read. While I've never seen the film, I like the images I've seen of how they've portrayed HAL, so that's ultimately what this egg and its description are based on.
Bringer of Jollity Egg
Large, heavy, rounded, this giant of an egg has also one of the most complex of patterns. Not-quite woodcut, neither stormcloud, the mixed sworls of sandy ochre, russet and rust somehow delineate into bands of glass-blown complexity, myriad ribbons of desert, waves, ridges and oil. Concentric ovals spatter at random, blazing blemishes that highlight rather than detract, the largest a beauty-spot dragon's eye of yellow whirling to brick-red.
Credit: Iona
Inspiration: The planet Jupiter - bringer of Jollity as so named in Holst's Planets Suite.
The Divine Mosaic Egg
This is merely an egg, more oblong then round in nature and pocked by a dimpled, rough texture. Its colors are simple but the picture they paint captures the very essence of untouched divinity. Pale red swirls a vaporous halo along the fringes, forcing at bay the cold, pinprick-dappled black that gives night its meaning. At its soul, consuming its center, is an explosion of heaven's light, a ghostly mixture of silvers and golds, accented by blazing white speckles. A haunting source of heat and fire, of new life and chaotic beginnings, one would have to gaze up at a clear night sky and look beyond the edges of imagination's eye to capture the distant beauty represented upon this delicate shell.
Credit: Wehlim
Inspiration: I've always held a fascination with space and anything to do with it. With images like this, who can blame me? It is truly amazing that we get to view the birth of something so spectacular, so very far away. Its likewise bittersweet, because we'll never get to see something like this with our unaided eyes. All we have is a picture.
Catching the Light Egg
The grandeur of the night sky converges upon the round surface of this large egg; from the darkest of navy to the palest of baby blue, they wrap around the curved sides and flow down peaked dome to round base. A spotlight of pitch black gathers in the center, forming a perfect orb of inky night. Not to be held back, a glowing force resonates from behind the darkness. Streaks of pure white and dazzling silver shoot out like wings on a bird, curving gracefully to catch the wind.
Credit: Cabrien
Inspiration: The picture really says it all. It's a beautiful, awe inspiring sight.
Cloaked in Brilliance Egg
A swirl of glittering ice and cold dust overtakes this egg's shell, cloaking its rather ordinary exterior in a thin veil of glamour that aims to bewitch with its unworldly glow. The spirals great arms are studded with gleaming ruby and glowing rose, with a pearly center that holds it all together though it can't quite contain the wisps of fog that seem to drift away with every movement.
Credit: Imogen
Trundlebug Carapace Egg
Raw umber's kiss envelops this egg from top to bottom. Rib-like striations extend lengthwise, with dark, dusky shadows in between, exaggerating the appearance of hollow spaces. Mottled chocolate brown creates a spotted, animal-like pattern along the left and right sides. Lighter, cream tones along the outer perimeter glisten and flow, creating the illusion of being slimy and wet.
Credit: Trillian
Inspiration: "I likes to eat people from other planets. Especially y'all. I likes to eat you with my little mouth too. Get back inside me, little mouth!" Actually, this egg is more inspired by the aliens from the Alien Trilogy of movies rather than the Family Guy parody but I can't say that didn't influence my choice at all. The design of the endoparasitoid critters in that film is fascinating, in sort of a horrifying way and I think would make a very interesting looking egg. I'd also like to think that a dragon hatching out of an egg might sometimes even resemble a chest-burster.
Pics: http://www.stampede-entertainment.com/monstermakers/wallpaper/wp-alien-1-l.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(Alien_franchise)
Give Us a Kiss Egg
So perfect in it's shape, the ovoid looks to be the work of a master glass-smith, mottled shell clouded with an ever present blue frost. While the outer curves interchange between cool ice and a sickly green, a murkiness taints the center of this egg. The shape curls in on itself, neutrality broken up by a faceted surface, making little sense of the clouded swirl. Even the dimmest light source is destined to trickle over the crystallized planes, hues shifting in a jolt of squirming, otherworldly life. At the very top, there are flaws in an otherwise ideal design. Jagged marks crisscross, the illusion of deep cracks within the solid structure somewhat worrisome; threatening to peel open at the slightest provocation.
Credit: Merci
Inspiration: I may not know a lot about space, but I know what I like! And that's Aliens! Or in this case, the eggs from Alien. The scene where Kane first comes across them and sees something squirming inside is one of the best, in my opinion. But hopefully this clutch will have only slimy dragonets, instead of slimy facehuggers.
Pic: http://www.anchorpointessays.com/Nostromo/nost_images/Egg_Nost014.jpg
Dog Star Egg
Brighter than bright, white-hot and shimmering, when not buried in the sand this egg dazzles, diffraction spikes slanting jewel-like out to the very tip, slicing across concentric rings of every shade of blue. The slightest tinge of mauve pervades the blackness barely visible behind the light. A tiny but no less shining dot would traverse around the flattened base, if it could.
Credit: Iona
Inspiration: The binary star system of Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky.
Pic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sirius_A_and_B_Hubble_photo.jpg
Edge of the Universe Egg
Colors expand along the edges of this egg in rippling layers of luminous color, faint at some angles and vibrant and alive from a different glance. There's no definition to the subtle shifts from blue to green, green to gold, and gold to copper and bronze before feathering out to cinnabar and mud where blue starts the rainbow all over again. Starlight sparkles faintly in the background, light motes of silver hidden and revealed with a turn of the head or a blink of the eye as galaxies form and then disintegrate into the overall shadowing of this dark egg.
Credit: Nomi
Inspiration: Generic space really, the vast emptiness of the void that reveals itself to be full of light and color if you stand back far enough to see the beauty of the whole. Close up the egg is blacker than it is colored, but touch it and color seems to liquify beneath the touch of the Candidates, like a mood ring.
Trouble with Tribbles Egg
Up close, the dappled surface of this egg is hazy and unfocused, with blurs of white and gray mixing together, forming one large smear of those dullish colors. To say the least the effect is truly unimpressive and perhaps even off-putting. Yet from afar one might gain the impression of a massive ball of salt-and-pepper speckled spikey fur.
Credit: Cabrien
Inspiration: You said space, aliens and well… Tribbles are spacey and alieny. They're also a staple of Star Trek (http://connceliac.tripod.com/our.htm), which is very spacey. Plus, who can't but help like a Tribble?
Combined Life Force Egg
A translucent sheen envelops the body of this ovoid. Tricks of the light may lead the viewer to believe it is actually see through, yet, not quite. The most prominent features about the shell are the intermittent honeycomb-shaped splashes of lemon yellow, surrounded by eggplant purple borders. Chartreuse 'eyes' slash their way across the top of the shell, giving the egg an ever vigilant demeanor.
Credit: Trillian
Inspiration: The Sym-Bionic Titan from the Cartoon Network animated series called Sym-Bionic Titan. Basically this alien planet called Galaluna comes under attack, and the princess, a soldier and robot caretaker flee to Earth to escape their planet's enemies. They each have robot armor sets, which, when combined together with "heart body and mind" become the Sym-Bionic Titan. It is basically a partial ripoff of Voltron, but I'm a big fan of Tara Strong as well as the series creator, Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack), and the series has enough good writing and plot twists to be enjoyable.
Pics: http://tvmedia.ign.com/tv/image/article/110/1107443/sym-bionic-titan-20100720062143039_640w.jpg
http://www.ambienceofmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/sym-bionic-titan1.jpg
Golden Record Egg
From a distance it seems plain, nothing but a brassy sheen to a coppery surface, it's only up close the tiny grooves become apparent, circling every last inch of this egg. And closer there's more, tiny hieroglyphs and straight-point-etched lines, higgledy-piggeldy geometric figures carving out maps of information in a language all their own.
Credit: Iona
Inspiration: The Golden Record was included on the Voyager 2 probe as a sample of earth and human life to any space-faring alien that may come across it. Clearly it conveniently crash-landed in our hatching grounds!
The Little Spaceship That Could Egg
This little egg seems more structurally sound than its siblings despite its small size, for a complicated blueprint of steel rods and iron bars has been imprinted across its shell, overlaid all by a thin layer of aluminum that may once have been shiny. Now its silver is rather tarnished by space dust and galaxy flotsam, worn by time and sheer distance traveled, with every light-year evident in dings and dents across its nose, but happy yet from tail to tip for its journey has finally come to a close.
Credit: Imogen
