special thanks to youtuber callmehhaley for her video "SECRETS In The LANA LORE QUEST & Breakdown! *STORY EXPLAINED?* | Dress To Impress Halloween Update"
also thank you to youtuber izzzyzzz for her video "The Dress To Impress Horror ARG Explained"
For my thoughts on Nurse Julie from the Halloween Update, feel free to visit TopfSecret's Lana Lore Tag!
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Why Did Agamemnon Choose Lana?
At first, it's easy to say that Agamemnon symbolizes the predatory people in the fashion industry. The early Lana lore cements this interpretation. Agamemnon's minions exploited Lana's sickness, roping her into a job so she can pay her medical bills, before trapping her in the whole Awakening business.
But the Halloween Update reveal that Agamemnon may have caused Lana's illness in the first place is... wild. It doesn't undo the above interpretation, especially with the shadowy cult stuff. But why Lana? Why not take someone who's already got a terminal illness? There's plenty of desperate people to take advantage of in this age of capitalism.
The song "Temptation" may have the answers. It's reaching a little bit, but please bear with me!
Let me tell you a story of betrayal
Between two people unalike
There was a goddess, who was immortal
against a jealousy of a warrior
and when the time came for a judgement
There were more wrongs than a right
There was no solace, no immunity
banished from who he used to be
So, there's precedent in greek mythology of mortals being punished for wanting to surpass/being better than the gods, for example Arachne - being turned into a spider for defeating Athena in a weaving contest. There's also precedent of mortals being punished for cheating death (wanting immortality), as in the case of Sisyphus - doomed to push a boulder up a hill for eternity because he trapped Thanatos (personification of death) and prevented him from taking Sisyphus' soul.
So it's not a stretch to say that Agamemnon isn't a new figure. I can't say if he's literally mythological Agamemnon, but he could be? From wikipedia: "Agamemnon has slain an animal sacred to Artemis, and subsequently boasts that he is her equal in hunting."
ummm... yeah. That's punishment material, babey. A warrior (well, hunter) of sorts being jealous of Artemis' immortality... makes sense, but not quite.
Regardless, in my opinion, DTI Agamemnon is old enough to have been jealous of a goddess' immortality, trying to get it, and then being punished for it. I'm guessing his punishment is being denied a physical form, doomed to be a ghost forever (since he wants immortality so much). My rationale: he's seen as hallucinations and dark shadows in the Halloween Update, which is probably the earliest chronologically (since it talks about Lana's leaving her house and her hospital days).
He only got a physical form after sacrificing multiple souls (seen in the earlier updates), such as the Fortress Security Footage #1. It's not his "ultimate" form, though, which is why he keeps trying to get more sacrifices.
For the temptation in his heart
His life was doomed right from the start
He wanted more than what he got
But it was locked away
Well, duh. Immortality is locked away from mortals for a reason. If his life is "doomed from the start", it could be that DTI Agamemnon is based on (or is actually) mythological Agamemnon, where his entire family has been doomed due to the actions of his ancestor, Tantalus.
Obsessed with immortality
He wanted to live eternally
Wanted to make himself a God
and now he's locked away
This explains itself. He may have been locked away by the goddess that he was jealous of back in the first verse.
So he planned to sneak into the palace
and consume what wasn't his
he thought you made it, with all his malice
but he was caught in carelessness
"Sneak into the palace" could have not been literal, because I have no idea what the literal equivalent is. However, a palace and a fortress can be equated in some way - which may mean that he's creating The Fortress to consume what wasn't his (souls of the innocent).
How about "He thought you made it, with all his malice, but he was caught in carelessness."?
Well.
This is where my speculation goes to an unhinged place.
Ready? Of course you are.
So: I think Lana may have been related to whoever goddess punished Agamemnon in the first place. Whether she's the goddess' descendant, or a reincarnation, or simply an unlucky mortal chosen for a quest, Lana Dress to Impress may have divine purpose.
That's why Agamemnon chose Lana as his main collaborator/pawn instead of other terminally ill young women (or others whom he thinks is easily exploited). He wanted to get revenge on the goddess that punished him in the first place, so he took it out on Lana.
I think "he thought you made it, with all his malice" means that Agamemnon has the impression that Lana made it (the Fortress) for him.
"But he was caught in carelessness" because he assumed wrong. In truth, Lana made the whole thing to stop him - at least at first, before he started influencing her. In the previous updates, we see that Lana made the whole Saudade/Coterie thing to stop the Awakening. It could've been a prophecy, or something driven inside her because of her divine heritage. Her obsession with ancient Greek mythology could be explained by her unknowingly reaching for her birthright/quest hints/etc.. (Although, that goddess would not be Artemis, I think.)
I think Lana made all that stuff to stop him and the Awakening as soon as she left the hospital. She thought she was free! She wants to, has to, fight back against him!
But of course, Agamemnon is still stalking her, waiting until the right time to influence her again, to make her work for him instead.
now the time came for a judgement
and he pleaded for his life
he would be banished, and stay immortal
if only he sacrificed a few souls
The problem is, I still don't really know how these lines fit. "Stay immortal if only he sacrificed a few souls" wouldn't make sense if the gods didn't want him to be immortal as more than an incorporeal shadow/hallucination.
Maybe he knew, somehow, that he had to sacrifice a few souls to become immortal (not only tangible, but also having an Ultimate Form through the Awakening)? Did he know that innately? Or did someone else, a greater force, tell him? I really don't know. We probably need more information.
If you're a bigger Greek mythology nerd than we are (which is probably the case - do let us know if I missed some important part of the Agamemnon mythological lore.)
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a Cult of the Lamb fanfiction by nachrichtenDance (TopfSecret)
This fic is also posted on AO3 with the same title. Divider made by me, free to use with credit.
Length: 409 words
Warning: brief mentions of canon-typical blood and death.
Weakness begs exploitation. By the providence of the One Who Waits, thrumming within the Red Crown, the Lamb sees them all.
The air in Darkwood is thick with blood and rot. Yet the air feels different in this room - not only from the crackling scent of burning flames, but also the scent of something heavy, drawing down the Lamb like a physical burden. Is it just the Red Crown sitting upon their brows, or something else, they wonder?
Their body almost sags from the weight - grief for their fellow lambs, for a normal life they have to shed away, and all those lives they had ended almost too easily-
The duck, Clauneck, whose feathers are as red as the embers on the corner of his room, has a voice that sounds like a dim glimmer in the night, like the stars and moon hanging on the branches of the woods - even when the sun sits high in the sky above. He speaks of the inevitability of fate, of power the Lamb will wield - or have always had the potential to wield?
That's too much, almost too much, for someone who has just given up their life less than an hour prior. But the One Who Waits has chosen them. Them. They can't be weak.
Not anymore.
Choking back the urge to scream, the Lamb reads the cards Clauneck draws: Telescope, which is just what it looks like... and True Sight, which stares at them, like the red eye of their Crown. Unblinking. Unyielding. Powerful.
The eye of their new master below.
The Lamb draws the True Sight - or maybe they were drawn to it.
Weakness begs exploitation.
They give Clauneck a nod of gratitude and go back to their crusade.
Weakness , the Lamb muses, What does the One Who Waits see in me, other than weakness to be exploited?
Weakness is what has defined them their entire life. They let their family sacrifice themselves to the Bishops. Let their neighbors take the fall. Let themself be pushed around like the frail sacrificial beast they are. One by one, the stronger lambs fell.
They almost can't believe it when they come across the cloaked cultists in the next clearing. A rickety knee, hidden by the folds of their robes, glows red. An unprotected back beckons them to strike. A messy formation, easy to break. So many lives, so easy to take.
By the providence of the One Who Waits, True Sight thrumming within the Red Crown, his chosen Vessel sees them all-
Weakness begs exploitation. It doesn't have to be yours.
End Notes: Thank you so much for reading! This game is very special for me. The tarot cards - and even the items' - flavor texts are so delightfully fascinating, implying a lot about this world. I wanted to write something in its wonderfully, adorably dark universe. I would love to know what you think ā¤ļø
Dress to Impress Lana Lore: Thoughts on Nurse Julie
Post Date: 1 November 2024
with special thanks to youtuber callmehhaley for her video "SECRETS In The LANA LORE QUEST & Breakdown! *STORY EXPLAINED?* | Dress To Impress Halloween Update"
warning: discussion of ableism, mythology, and death
so, ummm........ Lana Dress To Impress was a Greek Mythology nerd.... umm... you think she'd play Hades Game? You think she'd main Aegis since it's an in-game item?
Despite our liking Hades Game, we ourselves are not nerds for ancient greek mythology (currently obsessed with Japanese myths atm) so please pardon any inaccuracies.
The (Possibly Romantic) Tragedy of Nurse Julie
ANYWAY, in all seriousness... Julie didn't just pity Lana, she relates greatly to Lana due to their similar ages (teen to young adult - they're there for a year).
But most importantly, Julie also was a genuine friend to Lana (maybe she even had a crush on her*) - her constantly going against hospital rules to sneak in cookies into Lana's room, had a picture of her and Lana in her office, and even bring flowers (anemone, to be exact) to let Lana experience the spring outside.
*Re: Julie having a crush on Lana comes from the flower symbolism of anemone flowers. This is just from a cursory search - Aphrodite (the goddess) fell in love with a mortal man, Adonis, and when Adonis died, her tears that fell into his body grew anemone flowers. Thus, anemone became a symbol of tragic love/romance.
It can be mapped easily: Julie as Aphrodite, and Lana as Adonis. They can never be together, since Lana is doomed by Agamemnon. Lana, who's been dealing with Agamemnon for a while at this point, knows that he's causing Julie to hallucinate and get physically sick because she dares to help Lana.
So Lana told Julie to get out as soon as she saw Julie change. But Julie, being a nurse, probably didn't believe in ominous, vague warnings of a patient - and ableism (both internalized and in the medical field) makes her hesitant to leave.
After all, hallucinations are "crazy". While Lana is "crazy", she is "getting better". So, Julie herself fears telling others about her own hallucinations due to the stigma - if she's found out as having hallucinations, she could lose her job. She also doesn't want to "make her friend crazy again" ("I don't want to jeopardize her [Lana's] progress"), not knowing that the hallucinations of the two girls came from the same person.
(Lana knew. That's why their love is tragic.)
Not to mention, Agamemnon is influencing Julie into thinking that Lana doesn't care about her (the tape has Julie insult Lana - "obsessively reading those stupid mythology books" and thinking that Lana didn't have her best interests in mind - "Lana told me I should quit. She must be jealous of me. I don't believe her when she says she cares about me.")
Julie then said, "I'm always angry. I look and smell different. I don't know what's happening to me. But I'm scared."
Just when Julie is at the peak of vulnerability, Agamemnon reveals himself to not be a mere hallucination after all, and threatens her into compliance: "He said that he's going to make me suffer, and it's Lana's fault."
And the tape ends with this:
"It's not my fault for loving her. Lana was right this entire time. She was never crazy. But she's gone now - she's free!
If me turning into a monster will satisfy him, and protect her, then so be it. I'm sorry Lana. I promised I'd come visit you after you got out.
He said if I give into it, he'll leave you alone. I have to protect you, Lana. I hope one day, you'll forgive me."
Agamemnon is using classic abuse tactics - isolating Lana from allies (her parents, Nurse Julie) here.
But... youtuber callmehhaley still had one question: why Lana?
That, my dear readers, will be answered in my next post...
Thinking of 'Boons of Hypnos' - maybe something like 'Power Nap' that makes you have a burst of power after standing still for a few seconds, like one of the sequel's boons, or maybe if you get stunned?
A status effect that makes enemies tired (not attack you for a few seconds)? but that's the same as Nyx's status effect, hm... Or maybe 'Knock Out', which makes enemies die after being attacked until they have low health? but that's literally just a Demeter boon... damn xD
there also has to be a funny jester boon ok please i love hypnos <3333333
'Boons of Thanatos' - 'Death Sentence' maybe gives Zagreus' cast the power of Thanatos, i.e. the power to kill enemies instantly after a long delay? but that's just. a companion power. xp Maybe I should make his cast entrap enemies like Melinoe?
'Peaceful Passing' - you can't die from an enemy, only from traps? Sounds hilarious xD
Pretty funny if his status effect is called 'Demise' or 'Mortality' or something :p
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
(Plain text: Last Date of Eighth Grade)
JADE: (looks down, her voice small) If that went wellā¦ if Vriska actually liked me instead of just being a jerk because she hates meā¦ what about our faith? What ifā¦ what if weāll go to hell?
DAVE: (deadpan) Iād say sitting next to Vriska for the entirety of a semester is already like being tortured in hell.
JADE: (mock scandalized) Dave!
Happy Homestuck Secret Santa 2024, have a wonderful New Year 2025, @tehstripe, and we hope you enjoy this Dave ā¤ļø Jade ā ļø Vriska middle school humanstuck AU fic! :D
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Hello! We use the royal we (1st person) and plural they (3rd person) pronouns.
We prefer not to be called with gendered terms, including slang/meme ones like dude/girlie/guy/king/queen. Thank you!
Our Pathologic sideblog is @thanathicca. Our Telegram page is also named thanathicca.
Enjoy your stay!
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Art tag: #rr.art
It is always okay to tag our art tag as me/kin/id/self-shipping/whatever floats your boat.
Also, we don't know common fanon, or don't adhere to it if we do.
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We tag our own work with the full name of the media, and others' work with abbreviations.
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Pathologic Projects
#Pathostuck - A Homestuck x Pathologic crossover, only art and story notes, not a fic. The Bachelor, a disgraced jadeblood with ambitions to defeat Death for his fellow landdwellers, visits the Gorkhon Colony to find a famous tealblood who has lived a seadweller's lifespan. And the rest? You'll have to find out here! (SLOW UPDATES) - AO3 Link
#ISMIE - A 22nd century Thanatica AU where Daniil Dankovsky led the AVA (Ad Vitam Aeternam) Project, the first successful mind-uploading technology ever. (CURRENTLY WRITTEN) - AO3 Link
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Homestuck Projects
#Seapunkification - A character-driven, no game, Hemospectrum Shift (Bloodswap) AU where only the descendants are swapped fully, and the ancestors are swapped into the role of the canon ancestors. (For example, this AU has a pure swapped Karkat Ampora whose ancestor is Kankri Ampora swapped Dualscar-ways). Featuring: queerness and disability stuff and a lot of messy relationships, platonic or otherwise. (CURRENTLY WRITTEN) - AO3 Link
#Knight of Bloody Hell - Karkat Vantas was raised in seclusion by the Signlessā followers into a symbol of rebellion, becoming a socially inept teenager with too many powers to juggle. Also sheās a trans girl. Surely feeling like the āwrongā gender and having candy-red blood is totally fine in this dandy Alternian society. (INDEFINITE HIATUS) - AO3 Link
#Homestuck Secret Santa - an annual Homestuck fandom exchange for creative works.
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2024: Tumblr | Archive of Our Own
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#LHSS AU - (aka: āLittle Homeworld Sinestro Societyā) After the Gempire is reformed, Lapis runs an Al Sinestro fan club, which no one is interested in... until an estranged Peridot pays the lonely club a visit. (INDEFINITE HIATUS) - AO3 Link
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#Chthonic Boons - Hades Game fan edit where the chthonic gods give Zagreus boons, inspired by our dream of modding the game.
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#Closet Cosplay - cosplays with articles from our own closet.
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copied from Seapunkification #9, The Pale Thread of Fateās end notes here: archiveofourown (dot) org (slash) works (slash) 38556432 - edited to explain more!
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Now that the 9th story is done with, I have to say something regarding the next update: it wonāt be coming next week. Heck, it might not be coming next month. Why? Because the next installments are gonna be really ambitious - the 10th, 11th, and 12th story will be a whole arc. Yes! A whole three stories surrounding Karkat Amporaās recruitment! :D
But itās not only Karkat who gets the spotlight - Eridan Vantas, as the Revolutionās recruiter, will get a huge role not limited to being the POV character, especially in #10 and #12!
The very next story, #10, would be an Eridan Vantas-centric story where he investigates a āmysteryā and entangles himself with Karkat Ampora for the first time. It has three chapters planned. Iāve finished Chapter 1, which has 3,000-ish words. If the other two chapters will be of equal length to the first, youāll get a 9,000-word fun romp with seadwellers, underwater awesomeness (one of my favorite things to write, btw), Alternian worldbuilding, Eridan-Terezi friendship (>w< !!!!!!), and Karkat being an edgelord!
#11, working title "The Seadweller's Pill-Grimage", is spoilers - just know it's Karkat-centric and we're starting to touch on the darker themes of the series. Partly, it will concern spirituality in this scrambled Alternia, as well as their treatment of people with chronic illnesses/pain/disabilities. It will also concern the Violetbloodsā extreme privilege under Damara Peixesā rule.
#12, which has the working title "Recruit the Desperate Seadweller", is even longer than #10. The story will deal with Karkatās actual recruitment into the ragtag band of rebels that would later investigate Nepeta Pyrope in Under Their Purrview. Itās going to have three chapters with plenty of Eridan-Karkat interactions, Alternian caste differences, and a look at what life is like for them (and sprinkles of Erikar ship tease if thatās your thing).
Iāve written a huge chunk - itās almost 11,000 words, and itās not even finished yet! However, itās very rough and definitely needs a huge overhaul, so donāt be surprised if it ends up shorter!
(Yes, I definitely want to come back to recruitment stories after #12! What I have in mind isā¦ there isnāt actually any ārecruitmentā involved for Terezi Leijon. Ey has been friends with Eridan for a long time and they have the same political views, so itās natural for them to just join forces.
What Iām most interested in getting into is 1. Sollux and Nepetaās story, continuing Under Their Purrview, as well as 2. Vriska Nitramās grifter gigs causing her to gain infamy despite Tavros Serketās protection/patronage.)
Manā¦ remember back in The Princessā Imperial Decree when I said āSeapunkification will be short and I have no lofty plans for itā? Look how the tables have turned! xD
