So what would a midnight spore-eater look like?

[Koloss17]

So we have a very basic concept of spore eaters. Spores form a symbiotic relationship with the host, where they protect them in exchange for an ever increasing amount of water.

However, midnight spores are much different. The Luhel bond with them are complex, and they seem to have some amount of mind of their own. Would it be a Venom-like situation?

And I apologize if this question has been asked before. It just seems to be an interesting premise.

 

[alder24]

13 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

So we have a very basic concept of spore eaters. Spores form a symbiotic relationship with the host, where they protect them in exchange for an ever increasing amount of water.

However, midnight spores are much different. The Luhel bond with them are complex, and they seem to have some amount of mind of their own. Would it be a Venom-like situation?

And I apologize if this question has been asked before. It just seems to be an interesting premise.

That's probably a bit too big. Crow isn't overgrown by vines, she just popped a little one from her face to stop a bullet. A Midnight Spore Eater would likely just sweat a little Midnight Essence that would do the same. It doesn't have to be in the shape of a living thing.

[Koloss17]

24 minutes ago, alder24 said:

That's probably a bit too big. Crow isn't overgrown by vines, she just popped a little one from her face to stop a bullet. A Midnight Spore Eater would likely just sweat a little Midnight Essence that would do the same. It doesn't have to be in the shape of a living thing.

Well, I meant venom as in a talking and probably bad influence compatriot, not big fella. 

[alder24]

19 minutes ago, Koloss17 said:

Well, I meant venom as in a talking and probably bad influence compatriot, not big fella. 

The Essence doesn't have to be actively controlled, it can follow commands and it has some intelligence. It wouldn't be like Tress controlling the rat-Essence, it would show up driven by the command to protect the Spore Eater from any harm and then just disappear. The Spore Eater would be unaffected unless he would want to control it directly, but Crow can't control her vines, so I doubt the Midnight Spore Eater can control their Essences spawn to protect them. Overall I don't think this would mentally influence them in any way.

[Argenti]

It would be incredibly creepy, though.

[Koloss17]

9 minutes ago, Argenti said:

It would be incredibly creepy, though.

hehe yeah. My thought is that given that midnight essences seem to be much more intelligent than other spores, you could collaborate with them to allow them to do more than simply protect you. Perhaps sharp but brittle swords/claws, or summoning spy goop in a similar way to harnessing them normally. And yes, nightmare goop potential is high.

[Argenti]

Just now, Koloss17 said:

hehe yeah. My thought is that given that midnight essences seem to be much more intelligent than other spores, you could collaborate with them to allow them to do more than simply protect you. Perhaps sharp but brittle swords/claws, or summoning spy goop in a similar way to harnessing them normally. And yes, nightmare goop potential is high.

I was more talking about the oil oozing from your eyes and mouth, unable to see, unable to breathe. Billie Eilish style. 

[Koloss17]

11 minutes ago, Argenti said:

I was more talking about the oil oozing from your eyes and mouth, unable to see, unable to breathe. Billie Eilish style. 

Oh you're saying that that would be the fate of someone trying to cause harm to a midnight essence spore-eater?

[alder24]

1 hour ago, Koloss17 said:

hehe yeah. My thought is that given that midnight essences seem to be much more intelligent than other spores, you could collaborate with them to allow them to do more than simply protect you. Perhaps sharp but brittle swords/claws, or summoning spy goop in a similar way to harnessing them normally. And yes, nightmare goop potential is high.

I don't think so. Crow can't control vines or make them grow in one direction, I doubt you would have that kind of control over Midnight Essence. Maybe once they pop out to defend you, you might be able to establish Luhel Bond, but you probably can't just summon them on command.

Spore Eaters have a parasite in them, it's not a beneficial power, it is feeding on them until they die and the bare minimum they get in return is saving their lives from direct harm - just to keep them alive and feed on their water longer. They are not like Aetherbound, they can't control it.

[Koloss17]

35 minutes ago, alder24 said:

I don't think so. Crow can't control vines or make them grow in one direction, I doubt you would have that kind of control over Midnight Essence. Maybe once they pop out to defend you, you might be able to establish Luhel Bond, but you probably can't just summon them on command.

Spore Eaters have a parasite in them, it's not a beneficial power, it is feeding on them until they die and the bare minimum they get in return is saving their lives from direct harm - just to keep them alive and feed on their water longer. They are not like Aetherbound, they can't control it.

Whell yeah, but it’s clear midnight essence is much weirder than any other spore, with a level of intelligence that other spores don’t seem to have. How would that work with a spore-eater? I don’t know. But I imagine it would be different than Crow’s affliction.

[alder24]

1 minute ago, Koloss17 said:

Whell yeah, but it’s clear midnight essence is much weirder than any other spore, with a level of intelligence that other spores don’t seem to have. How would that work with a spore-eater? I don’t know. But I imagine it would be different than Crow’s affliction.

Maybe they are already bound to the Midnight Aethers and thus controlled by them to protect and can't do anything on their own, nor can be persuaded to form another bond? Just because they have some basic intelligence doesn't mean they are self-aware.

[Treamayne]

4 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

Well yeah, but it’s clear midnight essence is much weirder than any other spore

That seems to be a fairly strong assumption for only having seen barely half of the Spores (or less if Bone Spore is not White Sand)

[Koloss17]

14 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

That seems to be a fairly strong assumption for only having seen barely half of the Spores (or less if Bone Spore is not White Sand)

Whell yeah. But from what we have seen, Midnight Essence is by far the most complex. Automatically forming a Luhel bond and having at least some form of basic consciousness/intelligence is something we have not seen in any other spore thus far. Hence why I made this post and not one about Zephyr spore-eaters, for example.

But you are right that I have made a bit of a generalization :P.

Edited January 18 by Koloss17

[alder24]

12 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

Whell yeah. But from what we have seen, Midnight Essence is by far the most complex. Automatically forming a Luhel bond and having at least some form of basic consciousness/intelligence is something we have not seen in any other spore thus far. Hence why I made this post and not one about Zephyr spore-eaters, for example.

Other spores do something similar but on a smaller scale, they form Connection and Tress could feel them, ch 41:

Quote

When she’d used the midnight spores, she’d been attached to the creation. Curiously, she felt something similar at that moment with the vine. A Connection. She thought she could feel it searching. It was empty, but looking. Wanting.

 

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

On 1/14/2024 at 7:17 PM, Koloss17 said:

So we have a very basic concept of spore eaters. Spores form a symbiotic relationship with the host, where they protect them in exchange for an ever increasing amount of water.

However, midnight spores are much different. The Luhel bond with them are complex, and they seem to have some amount of mind of their own. Would it be a Venom-like situation?

And I apologize if this question has been asked before. It just seems to be an interesting premise.

 

This is what I was picturing, although for more as a use for an Aetherbound than a spore eater specifically. Although I guess thematically a spore eater probably fits better. 

I guess we don't have a ton of evidence for this but my headcannon is that the primal aethers would try to protect their aetherbound as well. Perhaps an Aetherbound could maintain a small portion of the aether to watch their back?  

[Koloss17]

18 minutes ago, Tamriel Wolfsbaine said:

This is what I was picturing, although for more as a use for an Aetherbound than a spore eater specifically. Although I guess thematically a spore eater probably fits better. 

I guess we don't have a ton of evidence for this but my headcannon is that the primal aethers would try to protect their aetherbound as well. Perhaps an Aetherbound could maintain a small portion of the aether to watch their back?  

I suppose we'll just have to find out!

 

On a similar note, how exactly is the process painful? I assumed it was due to a slow buildup of spores inside the host. However, would that make some spores more painful to be bound to than others? I would imagine something like crimson spores would be much more painful than zephyr spores. I would also think midnight spores would be less painful in that regard, as it would just be a buildup of goop inside you. Now, is it still painful and eventually deadly? Certainly. Just, perhaps, less deadly than crimson spores.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

22 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

I suppose we'll just have to find out!

 

On a similar note, how exactly is the process painful? I assumed it was due to a slow buildup of spores inside the host. However, would that make some spores more painful to be bound to than others? I would imagine something like crimson spores would be much more painful than zephyr spores. I would also think midnight spores would be less painful in that regard, as it would just be a buildup of goop inside you. Now, is it still painful and eventually deadly? Certainly. Just, perhaps, less deadly than crimson spores.

Yeah I assume that the pain is more associated with the displacement of tissue. Something fluid would probably be less painful than a bunch of spikes or vines growing. 

It does make me curious how Zephyr might work. More likelihood of air embolism? Subq emphysema and the rice crispy skin?  

[Colors]

On 1/17/2024 at 3:40 PM, Koloss17 said:

Whell yeah, but it’s clear midnight essence is much weirder than any other spore, with a level of intelligence that other spores don’t seem to have. How would that work with a spore-eater? I don’t know. But I imagine it would be different than Crow’s affliction.

I wouldn't say that Midnight Spores inherently have more intelligence than other spores, they just have the ability for the user to imprint commands upon them through intent. I wouldn't call that intelligence per se, any intelligence given to Midnight Spores seems to come from the person they have bonded with. That said I don't think we've seen anything or heard anything about what would happen to midnight essence created by random rainfall with no intelligent life nearby to potentially bond. 

[Etedbert]

On 1/15/2024 at 10:42 AM, alder24 said:

 Crow can't control her vines, so I doubt the Midnight Spore Eater can control their Essences spawn to protect them. Overall I don't think this would mentally influence them in any way.

It’s possible that the nature of Midnight Spores might allow the spore-eater to control their spawn. 
 

Quote

When she’d used the midnight spores, she’d been attached to the creation. Curiously, she felt something similar at that moment with the vine. A Connection. She thought she could feel it searching. It was empty, but looking. Wanting.

We see regular use of spores has a level of connection, but not anything close to midnight essence. A spore-eater might be able to form a second bond to control the spawn, in additional to their existing bond with the spores.