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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl

@inscrutableowl.bsky.social
64 followers 141 following 371 posts

Jackie | they/them | 30s I draw, I write, and I sometimes try out other stuff like game dev or woodcarving. inscrutablegreathornedowl on Tumblr

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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 11h
"what I did. it can't be forgiven."
A digital art drawing of Paracelsus from Lies of P, imposed on a swirling blue and gold texture. A boomslang snake is coiling around him, and he looks horrified and reflective. There's blood smeared around his mouth.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
blanking on your acceptance speech at the not having fun awards bc you're not having fun
A digital art sketch of Paracelsus from Lies of P. He's standing at a microphone on a stage with a banner behind him that says 'I'm not having fun.' He's holding an award that's just a simplistic sad and crying face. He looks hesitant, unhappy, and emotionally fragile.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
oh another free ad for my story. what does it even mean? read here :3 archiveofourown.org/works/915559...
An AO3 scam comment, with identifying details censored. It reads: 

This poignant exploration of Venigni’s staggering hubris, devastating vulnerability and quiet acceptance of his human flaws is an absolute masterpiece of character depth, brilliantly weaving Lies of P lore with a deeply moving psychological portrait. How will Venigni’s hard-earned realization about the limits of parallel perfection shift his dynamic with the companions who actually chose to stand by him as they fight to escape the Abbey? And one more thing... As I continued reading and got deeper into the story I realized that I was actually really having a good time with it. It was easy to imagine things in my head and some parts were just really the kind of thing that I think would be great on a comic page. Disc: [Redacted] Inst: [Redacted] If you ever actually wanted to put it up in a different format I would be more than happy to give one a go and go over every single part of the story in detail with you. I actually really enjoyed reading this.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
oh bother #IronLung
Digital art drawings of Winnie the Pooh in scenarios from Iron Lung. In this version, it's an ocean of honey instead of an ocean of blood.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
you don't have to change
A digital art drawing of Clark and Mary from The Backrooms in an impossible indoor setting. Clark is closing a door, and Mary is crawling through a window. Underneath them are signs that say 'You don't have to change.' The drawing is chopped up and distorted.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I think ☝️ that if Venigni ever found out that mysterious, ethereal, blue-haired immortals walked among humanity & were monitoring his very city in secret for unknown purposes. he would try to flirt with them
A digital art drawing of Venigni and Paracelsus from Lies of P. Venigni has taken the phone from Paracelsus, and he's leaning on a counter as he's talking on the phone and looking dreamy. Paracelsus looks shocked, and he still has his hand raised like he was just holding the phone moments ago.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I made up a character for a Lies of P fic & named her Enrica. She's an artist from the Malum District (an art forger tbh). I just found out that the artist behind a common/enduring drawing of OG Pinocchio is named Enrico. what a happy accident... or um, clever & intentional reference :P
A screenshot from Wikipedia showing a classic illustration of Pinocchio by Enrico Mazzanti
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Cover art for my Lies of P fic, The Harmony Engineer archiveofourown.org/works/915559... Arlecchino draws Venigni into a dangerous game that pits him against others from Krat, to answer one question: will Venigni become a Blood Artist too? But Venigni is not an artist, and blood is not his medium.
A cover for my Lies of P fanfiction, The Harmony Engineer. Venigni is smiling bravely and giving a thumbs up as he and Paracelsus are pulled together by a snake circling their necks & swallowing its own tail. Paracelsus looks terrified. Behind them, Romeo looks blank, and Lea looks furious. Behind them, Arlechino holds Carlo by the hair and smiles wickedly. Carlo is limp, and there are blood red puppet strings holding him up. The title is in the center in red.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
wow another chance to advertise a fic! what the heck is the spam comment talking about 👀 archiveofourown.org/works/915559... how did they do with the summary? :P
An AO3 comment with identifying details censored. It reads:

The manner in which you described Venigni just blurting out, "I'd like to kiss you!" to Dolores while they're watching the fight and then being turned down and immediately turning to Paracelsus who is saying [this part is censored] while holding a pocket knife and saying, "I don't suppose you'd like to," and then Carlo's puppet just collapses and they all scream was just so human and visually chaotic that I saw this as an opportunity for panels where the fight is going on outside the window and all these people are losing their minds in this little room. Have you ever considered making a comic version of this scene or the entire story? Hit me up on DC
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
hear me out
a screenshot of text, a snippet from a fanfiction: 

Venigni sees Arlecchino stop, though, when he properly notices the specter with the other two. A second Lea, formed in starlight.

“What… is that.”

“The one who’ll kill you,” Lea shouts raggedly, pointing her sword at Arlecchino. Romeo and the specter point their swords at him too. “This is for Carlo!” The rest is inaudible.

“That shouldn’t be possible!” Arlecchino shrieks. “Hold on… hold on… now just hold on a minute, hold on, hold on, hold on. This is magic.” He points to the specter. “This is some kind of Alchemist…” He runs his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture. “None of you are Alchemists!” he explodes. “How the fuck did you get an Alchemist’s help in a death game!”

Venigni, Paracelsus, and Dolores are watching from the Abbey. They found a window that looks out onto the sea and has a good view of the immortals’ ruined ship, and looking out of a room they can barricade themselves inside if the others fail to kill Arlecchino. The Carlo puppet is here too, propped in the corner, inert for now. Paracelsus was afraid that Arlecchino had rigged it so it would kill them, and he turned it off immediately after Lea left. Venigni would have fought to turn it back on, but. Paracelsus has a point.

Arlecchino asks how the group got an Alchemist to help them, and Paracelsus shrinks a little.

“Lady Maria, the specter, is a kind of Alchemist too,” Lea says defiantly, raising her sword as she points it at Arlecchino. “So that’s two Alchemists who are helping us. If you’d stop preaching about how the world works for just a second, you might actually learn something about people!”
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Harmony Engineer sketches (writing an unhinged survival thriller where Arlecchino traps ppl on an island & tries to make them kill each other)
digital art sketches of Paracelsus and Venigni from Lies of P. Paracelsus is dressed in white and gray with a white cloak over his right shoulder. Venigni is hatless, and his hair is a little messed up. Paracelsus looks shifty and uneasy, Venigni looks worried.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
just the very beginning for a preview! The Synergy Engineer | Chapters 1 and 2 archiveofourown.org/works/915559...
Text that reads:

Arlecchino, the murderous awakened puppet, sees Venigni the businessman as his 'masterpiece.' He spared Venigni as a boy after killing his parents, and the trauma he caused in Venigni is art to him. After watching Venigni grow up to become a pillar of his community, Arlecchino simply must have an answer to one question: under the right circumstances, would his masterpiece become a Blood Artist like him?

Meanwhile, Venigni is not an artist at all. He's an engineer. And his deepest sense of purpose points in a direction that's very different from blood...

A 'death game' style survival thriller. Arlecchino pits Venigni, Paracelsus, Lea, Romeo, and Carlo against each other on an island. To the participants, and especially to Venigni, they understand that they won't have to kill each other at all if they treat escaping capture like a puzzle to be solved. The story is told working backwards, from conclusion to beginning.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Paracelsus
Paracelsus from Lies of P. He looks tense, like he's giving someone a warning look.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
this is more info abt the god whose body was ripped to shreds btw (50k ergo, so a lot more than 15k lmao). Did Simon choose to try to become this god bc Alchemists know about it & he's an Alchemist, or bc it holds special relevance to the immortal ppl like him & Paracelsus?
A Lies of P screenshot. The Forgotten God's Ergo Crystal info.

Obtain Ergo +50,000

A fragment of Ergo, a mysterious power stone that can be found in Krat.
Geppetto's puppet can absorb Ergo and turn it into power.
There was once a god who came down to grant humans' wishes. Humans coveted this god's immortality so much that they ripped the god's body to shreds.A screenshot from the Lies of P wiki. Item description for the Arm of God:

The Arm of God, obtained after defeating Simon Manus. It is a mysterious relic that the Alchemists treated as a sacred object.

The Alchemists believed that there was once a god who was ripped to shreds trying to give immortal life to the humans he so loved, and they wanted to revive him. However, the god who was deep in sleep never answered their prayers.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I pulled up Simon's confession from the wiki. the canon secret being that Simon is, perhaps Paracelsus too, is made by somebody/something that is 'no normal human.'
A screenshot from the Lies of P wiki. A transcript of Simon Manus's Confession:

A father is like God to his son. Even I, Simon, was no different in my youth.

But, the one who created me was no normal human, and my abilities were extraordinary.

"You're a failure too." The ability to read minds. Being abandoned in front of God meant the world's destruction. From then on, my life existed to make a world without lies.

A world where no one betrays you and there's only truth, even if it's forced.

Now the finale is here. Once the door is open, it can't be closed.

For humankind, I, Simon, gave up being human and decided to walk the path of immortality and the truth. My body will be broken and reformed as the god that was torn apart. I leave this record in my last moments as a human.

Simon Pistris Manus.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Found some stuff abt Simon too. lol the Paracelsus Ergo Crystal ('Ergo Crystal of the Eternal' vs. 'The Letter of the Eternal' you get at the end of the game? IT'S HIM) yeah that one is worth 25k. I just thought that was interesting
Lies of P loading screen info that reads:

Simon started from the bottom ranks and eventually became the leader of the Alchemists thanks to his competence and charisma.
His meddlesome followers insist that he can read people's minds.Lies of P item description that reads:

Obtain Ergo +15,000

Ergo obtained from Simon Manus, Awakened God. It is packed with immense power. 
A treasure hunter may want this rare Ergo.
The boy was among those who were made to live an immortal life. 
However, he was deemed a failure and abandoned, and then he set out on a journey to become a god to prove himself.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
got a loading screen rare pull about Valentinus! I didn't know he was a doctor! looks like he was interested in eternal life once. I stand by my theory that he spent so much time around 'the kind of person' who wants eternal life that as he matured he was eventually like WAIT. wtf are we DOING
A screenshot from Lies of P of a loading screen. The message reads:

Valentinus, the former leader of the Alchemists, is a brilliant doctor and archaeologist with a knack for decoding ancient texts. 
He searched for the legend of eternal life with his colleagues for a long time. He settled down in Krat after finally finding a clue here.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#25 the flashback story about getting tf out of town & going south to hide out. #26 Paracelsus thinks he's not meant for connection if he wants curiosity & independence. #27 the alliance will be based on treating each other like people & not mutually being used. I also think of... well, you'll see!!
A screenshot of three songs from a spotify playlist. Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine) by Taylor Swift & Florence + The Machine, Pieces by Sum 41, and But Tonight We Dance - Single Version by Rise Against
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#22 is worse than how Paracelsus is being but still. "the girl in the dress cried the whole way home." I also connect it to Laxasia. 'Shining like fireworks over your sad empty town' has meaning to me for Sophia & Laxasia later🤫 #23 an interview! "I'll refrain from hiding all of me" #24 Paracelsus 🎯
A screenshot of 3 songs from a spotify playlist: Dear John (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift, The Interview by AFI, and Life of Leaving Home by Yellowcard
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#19 they're at the arena & Gemini has to watch some asshole be manipulative & rude to his and Lea's baby sister >:( #20 Sophia needs skills she hasn't developed yet. #21 To Paracelsus he's just being jaunty, sad, capable, & interesting, & he's inviting Sophia along
A screenshot of 3 songs from a spotify playlist: 'im not crazy youre just an asshole (toxic)' by JJ Wilde, Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling, and Caramel by Sleep Token
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
the next 3 are Sophia songs! #16 the imagery of the woman praying for salvation (while the pov character tries not to fall through the cracks) 🥺 #17 "the wheel breaks the butterfly" 😭 #18 the pure overwhelm of a brutal world you are not prepared for, & you are so young
A screenshot of 3 songs from a spotify playlist: The Dirt Whispered by Rise Against, Paradise by Coldplay, and brutal by Olivia Rodrigo
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#13 Paracelsus again, he's alive! oh god he's alive. ball of nerves, wants to live so badly. #14 For Paracelsus, has to decide if he'll stay in the city to help Sophia. #15 for Paracelsus. Sorrowful. Kind of unmoored & disconnected but still flying on paper wings. He's not boarding the train.
Three songs from a spotify playlist: Help I'm Alive by Metric, Follow My Feet (Elephante Remix) by The Unlikely Candidates, Paper Wings by Rise Against
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#10 is also Laxasia. She hasn't freaked out a bunch of kids yet, but unrelated (lie) I wonder if a bad guy will show up at some point when the main characters go to the cathedral to check out the orphan situation 🤔 #11 Simon & Laxasia, Alchemists. #12 Paracelsus crawling off a trash pile alive
A screenshot of 3 songs from a spotify playlist: Control by Halsey, Beautiful Thieves by AFI, THISKIDSNOTALRIGHT by AWOLNATION
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#7 lot of grief in this story 😭placed here in the playlist bc like oh the playlist introduced some characters earlier... here is a signpost that some characters die or have died 😭 #8 fits Simon really well. taking the crown 😬 & I like #7 for Laxasia.
A screenshot of 3 songs on a spotify playlist: Good Grief by Bastille, Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At The Disco, and Mess Around by Cage The Elephant
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
#4 fits Paracelsus as an eccentric creative & performer. #5 is bc Paracelsus is like the Handyman of the city. It's also his relationship to Isabelle. #6 isnt accurate to where Isabelle & Paracelsus land in the fic (& she isn't faking her happiness with what she has). But they are 2 crafty grifters!
A screenshot of three songs from a spotify playlist: Blood by ANIMA!, Handyman by AWOLNATION, & cowboy like me by Taylor Swift.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Song #1 is a perfect intro. "Life goes on, and if I'm wrong, I guess I'll burn in flames." MADE for this story?? #2 is a thought about the city being corrupt. #3 fits Paracelsus so well. the back & forth between admitting he's manipulative on purpose but trying to justify it & ask for grace
A screenshot from a spotify playlist. Three songs: Pocket Full of Gold by American Authors, Desolation Row by My Chemical Romance, and Liar by The Arcadian Wild
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
if I'm the one hosting the interview, why was it you who told me I passed?
Digital art of Sophia and Paracelsus and Gemini from Lies of P. They're wearing modern clothes, dressed for an office workplace, and it's framed like Sophia and Gemini are interviewing Paracelsus. Sophia looks stiff and uncertain, Paracelsus looks uncertain but friendly.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
someone was doing a game in the main fanfiction sub on reddit where you write posts your characters would make on relationship advice subs
text that reads: 

advice for connecting with machine life?

hi! long time lurker, first time poster. I (38M) live in a city with advanced puppet technology. I don't feel like answering unrelated questions about that 'just because,' by the way, so sorry! my boss (52M) wanted me to let his daughter (20F) shadow my work in my lab to help her decide if she wants to be an Alchemist. overall it's been going great, she's really smart and she picks up everything really quick. everything's going great.

the issue is that there's a cricket puppet in a lamp that she keeps bringing with her, and she recently introduced me to the puppet (adult,M), who is actually sapient. puppets 'awaken' like that sometimes in the city, so I've heard of it before, but I've never actually met an awakened puppet. I'm trying to learn more about what that's like and how to connect with a puppet, and I guess I didn't realize what awakened puppets go through. it's actually horrifying. there's no real place for an awakened puppet in society, so they have to stay hidden or hope against hope that a human will be willing to protect them and help them. if they're found, they could get scrapped like they're defective. it's just a big mess.

also I swear I'm trying not to be biased, but the puppet and I really don't get along. there very well could be an Alchemist lab at our secret Alchemist island (again no unrelated quetsions please sorry) where they engineered his personality specifically to not mesh with mine. it's that bad.

so I wanted to ask if anyone had advice for relating to machine life or what to do. because I obviously don't want to be hard on a guy in a tough situation, but the bickering is endless and I'm going to pull my hair out and die

thankstext that reads (abridged for alt text word count):

Insufferable Alchemist

First of all, I'm a cricket puppet in a lamp, so if the mods want me to list my age, I'm sorry pal. It's complicated. [Gemini continues to explain].

My human sister (20F) is on the run from a creepy stalker who's also the most powerful guy in the city right now. My sister's dad is the leader of the Alchemist Order in the city. He could do a lot to help us if we could find him because he has connections everywhere, but he's missing. It's relevant that her dad is in charge of the Alchemists because the only person we have to rely on right now is one of her dad's shitty annoying arrogant followers. ...The mods are really going to hate me, but I don't know how to describe how old he is either. [Gemini explains]. I'll call him Copernicus because he has a fancy dead person's name, and his head is up in space or definitely not down here with us.

I am a cricket puppet in a lamp. Sometimes I think Copernicus is gonna betray us. Sometimes I think we're gonna look away for just a moment, and he'll be gone. Sometimes I think he's gonna come up with a plan that completely sucks and not tell us and get us all killed. Every now and then he'll surprise me by saying something really kind, or by going way out of his way for us, and I almost start to wonder if we'll be alright. He actually figured out how to rescue my sister from her stalker before we went on the run, so have to give him credit for that. But he acts like he can just boss my sister around, and... he's an Alchemist, what more can I say. I don't trust him! I know for a fact that he's a damn liar, like, generally! The worst I can do is be mean to him, but all that does is provoke him to be mean back, and then my sister gets worried and tells us to stop fighting. I'll just go ahead and repeat that I am a cricket puppet in a lamp. What more can I do to protect my sister? She doesn't deserve this.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
awkward writing a fanfic bc locations & history make the world feel lived-in, but inventing it is daunting & could feel off, like w star wars swear words. I've been treating the LoP world like an alternate earth. challenging myself to not just reference irl stuff but also make it different!
A screenshot of text. A snippet from a story. It reads:

Sophia can tell that his lack of schooling as a child is a sensitive subject, and she really doesn’t want to make him feel small. She was more than ready to let him talk himself out and move on. So it alarms her to hear Gemini ask, “You know who Martha Washington is, right?”

She’s relieved to see that Paracelsus looks more annoyed than truly wounded when he turns to Gemini and says, “Please, o wise cricket guide, tell me who Martha Washington is,” in a tone that’s dripping with sarcasm.

“But do you know?”

He crosses his arms. “Tell me about her. If you know.”

Gemini pauses. Takes the bait. “She was the first preside – ”

Paracelsus actually somewhat raises his voice. “I fucking know that, jackass.”

“Okay, okay!” Gemini chirps. “Wow.”

Paracelsus looks away stormily. “Wow.”

Gemini chirps again. “Wow.”
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I looked it up after I posted an earlier chapter where someone writes something on a tea bag tag. it looks like tea bags weren't commercially widely available until sometime around the 1920s in our world. great news though, the LoP setting is an (alternate earth?) fantasy setting
A screenshot of text that reads: 

They head to the morning room after that. The puppets have already prepared hot water for tea, and Sir Valentinus slides a case of tea bags across the table. It’s very new to make tea with tea bags. Lorenzini Venigni invented them, if you believe that (Paracelsus doesn’t). The Rose Estate, of course, is ahead of the trend. Every time Paracelsus comes over here, the variety of the collection seems to have expanded. But he has a favorite, and he just grabs for an herbal tea with prominent notes of orange peel.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The Monad girls take a phone call for their father #LiesofP
A digital art comic featuring characters from Lies of P. Venigni calls Paracelsus for help with the morning crossword puzzle. Paracelsus gives him 'Ficus' as a word for fig tree genus, five letters, ends in 's.' Venigni asks Paracelsus if he slept because he sounds tired, and Paracelsus pretends that he's cutting out. Then Paracelsus makes another phone call, looking smug. The second part of the comic in this post. Lea picks up the phone at the Rose Estate and hangs up when she hears it's Paracelsus. Sophia is nervous when Lea hangs up, and when the phone rings again, she answers it. She listens to what he has to say, then she shouts the word 'ficus.' In the other room, Valentinus pinches the bridge of his nose as he's working on the morning crossword. Isabelle smiles and pats his elbow placatingly.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Sly Dogs Never Die Chapter 21: Having an adult conversation archiveofourown.org/works/805098... Chapter 22: Defining relationships archiveofourown.org/works/805098...
A digital art painting of Giangio from Lies of P. He's shown in a photograph of himself sitting next to an alternate self on a shoreline at night. The photo is on a table, surrounded by other items: A broken rose and soil, a string of pearls (some of them are misshapen), a metal button, a high-level Alchemist badge, a woman's wedding ring, a tea bag with a tag that says 'liar,' an apple with a bite taken out of it, and a letter. One of the pearls is resting on the photo where the moon might have been.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
for a reddit thread asking what my main character(s) would be like as fanfic authors
a screenshot of text that reads:


My 2 main characters are Paracelsus and Sophia from Lies of P.

Paracelsus might not be obnoxiously negative, but he would be very persnickety. If the author got little facts and details wrong & he picked up on it, his version would have correct facts and details. Oh, he's not trying to tear this writer down, no, not at all, what are you talking about; the detail was wrong however; "I just think that's interesting." He wouldn't write about characters being happy, and you wouldn't read it and think that a happy person wrote it. He might stray into a very dark story by typical standards without necessarily realizing it or caring much. He'd put effort into a plot and character development, but he'd also include a whole lot of stuff in there about worldbuilding and topics that interest him. You would read it and learn things about plants. He has some repressed anger and a really strong fear of death, so you might see some really unsettling character deaths, just to pick up some common clutter from the mental junk drawer and look at it.

Sophia would write a lot of hurt/comfort and happy endings. She would be so focused on the characters that she wouldn't really notice that there was an opportunity to get into worldbuilding. If she did write to correct things, it would be to save characters or redeem them or take a closer and more sympathetic look at their story. She would edit really heavily before sharing the story because she's happiest when she can do things The Most Correctly and not have mistakes. She would get so so so so deep into characters' heads. She'd write villains she thought were truly evil, & they'd still show restraint or have good in them compared to the worst possible person. She might be sometimes guilty of writing animals that act like people, or like little angels, or like cute dogs when the animal is not a dog.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Sly Dogs Never Die, Chapter 22 preview "She said you’d never try to hurt us. But the moment you felt threatened enough, you’d always choose yourself."
A digital art painting of Giangio from Lies of P. He's shown in a photograph of himself sitting next to an alternate self on a shoreline at night. The photo is on a table, surrounded by other items: A broken rose and soil, a string of pearls (some of them are misshapen), a metal button, a high-level Alchemist badge, a woman's wedding ring, a tea bag with a tag that says 'liar,' an apple with a bite taken out of it, and a letter. One of the pearls is resting on the photo where the moon might have been.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
presidential alert the girls are fightingggg also big sigh like a huge dog would make. chapter is coming together but still needs so much work. have to go to bed & deal with irl stuff tomorrow morning blehh. I think I can have it done by thursday night though!
a screenshot of text that reads:

“I will kindly ask you to never call me ‘charity girl’ again,” Sophia says finally, wielding her return to politeness like a judgment of his departure from it.

“I suppose that’s fair.” Paracelsus says it like his supposing did not land on fairness with much margin.

“You said to ask you anything I liked so that we could build trust,” Sophia says sternly. “Your present behavior is not capable of building anything.”

He snorts. “Last I heard, trust involved the truth. The one thing you’ll never find willfully plunging your head into the sand.”
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I've been trying to stare at screens less or with more breaks, & that's helping the eye strain. and I started over on the new chapter, & I'm going to add in what I wrote before as it comes up. Hey I like this now! probably going to be another long one tho 😅
A screenshot of text that reads:

When Sophia and Lea were children, Paracelsus invited them to the kitchen one night to make cookies for their parents as a surprise. Lea recruited Sophia to sneak into the kitchen later that night to snag a couple, and they had to turn around quickly and head back upstairs because they heard their father arguing with Paracelsus. Sophia sent a spy butterfly back to the scene as Lea waited for updates. They might not have learned anything because the two men were speaking an unknown language that must have been English. But then their mother walked in on the conversation and wanted to know what was going on, and the adults all switched to the familiar Italian dialect of Krat.

Sir Valentinus didn’t want Paracelsus treating his daughters like servants, especially at a time when puppetry was rapidly taking over servant roles in the city and had already done so at the Rose Estate. Paracelsus wouldn’t dare argue to insist on his own correctness. But he accounted for himself by warning Sir Valentinus that it would confine the girls to one tiny city out of an entire world of cities and cultures if they grew up thinking that they couldn’t do things unless a puppet did it for them. He argued that Krat was so singular as an independent city state that the girls might even have to fight for recognition as upper class in places where the wealthy rely on human servants. Sophia was surprised to see him push back even that much against her grumpy father, and for the sake of herself and Lea. His concern did seem sensible.A screenshot of text that reads:

The girls never got to hear the conclusion of the argument, if it was ever settled, because Isabelle broke up the tension by suggesting they resolve things with a taste test of the cookies. Sir Valentinus seemed quietly surprised and confused as to where his power of authority might have gone, once Isabelle had brushed a lock of hair from his forehead and begun to cutely feed him a cookie. Rendered unable to properly skin and gut a misbehaving follower, Sir Valentinus had no choice but to remove the hook of his anger and return Paracelsus to the waters of escaping out the front door.

The threat to Isabelle’s life in this city had a mind and a hand, Paracelsus said. The man who would send her to the labs and the man who would study her. Sophia can understand now why her mother would not have wanted discord between those two. If Sir Valentinus ever saw fit to send Paracelsus away or even kill him, Isabelle would have to start over with convincing his replacement to see her as too much of a person to ever take a knife to.a screenshot of text that reads:

Paracelsus never said anything to the girls about getting in trouble for making cookies together. If he was disappointed, he refused to ever take it out on them. Later on, he showed them how to mend a stuffed toy that had a hole in it. Lea asked him bluntly if sewing was puppet work, and he gave them the non-answer of covering the toy’s ears and growing very concerned that this line of questioning would offend it.

This is the person Sophia has been trying so desperately to rely on. She has seen him behave in ways that are good and kind and right, for no reason, for no benefit to himself. His reluctance to find much sympathy for the dead person in the hallway is alarming. His choice to be more cunning than kind at the arena was startling and cold. But he does have it in him to be very good to someone once he has decided to let them into his sphere of concern. And they just escaped being caught together. They helped each other.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
it was my birthday this month & I went on a short solo trip. I expected to get in some writing, and I did! but I saw the place I stayed at was all set up for cooking. I almost never find the time or make the effort when I'm at home, & I want to do that more. so I made stir fry. it was freaking good!
A plate of stir fry. Chicken, snow peas, walnuts, and rice.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I might have the new chapter ready tomorrow 🙂‍↕️
A screenshot of text that reads:

Sophia thinks she knows what the unusual word means, but she’s not sure. “Queer…?”

“That… was supposed to be a joke, but um, never mind, I didn’t…”

Gemini chirps. “It’s when you have an unusual gender or sex life. Like Paracelsus.”

Paracelsus stares at Gemini. “You chime in now. Specifically to say that.”

Gemini chirps again. Sophia can hear him jumping for emphasis inside the lantern. “I chime in when I have something to say, buddy! I’m a cricket guide! I teach, explain, and clarify. That’s what I do! You don’t see me acting all surprised when you lie, cheat, and stroke your own ego!”
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
chaptershaming 😔 shaking up the jar. you guys are standing in a hallway and walking in and out of rooms. why would you put all of this in front of the shiny button that says post.
A screenshot of a the word count report at the bottom of a LibreOffice doc. It displays 6,460 words
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
the Alchemists land in Krat #LiesofP
A digital art drawing of characters from Lies of P. Simon Manus, Valentinus Monad, and Philippus Paracelsus have just landed in Krat thirty years before the start of the story. Simon looks tired from rowing the boat. Valentinus looks contemplative. Paracelsus looks optimistic. Paracelsus has a few rocky growths on his face from the petrification disease, and his eyes are sunken. They're wearing the same outfits as the characters from the other image in the post.A screenshot from the opening of Lies of P. Three Alchemists are landing in Krat, and the leader is standing up in the front of the boat. Their backs are turned to the viewer. To me, they look like Valentinus Monad, Philippus Paracelsus, and Simon Manus.text that reads:

Let's say Simon is 19, Valentinus is 31, Paracelsus is 38 and stopped aging at 35. As I like to write him, he keeps himself young by balancing the petrification disease perfectly between its petrifying expression and its monstrous expression, so it all cancels out but slightly in favor of being revitalizing. He doesn't have it fine-tuned just 3 years in, & it's giving him some face rocks at the moment, but it more or less works. 
Simon isn't important yet, & he's trying to catch the leader's notice by stuff like volunteering to row the boat. Simon's sense of not being important never quite went away. Even as he used his ability to read minds to earn respect from Valentinus over time, until he became his right hand man
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
art fight attack for @phantommalice.bsky.social! Here's the Porcelain Faced Woman with some lilacs. I read that lilacs represent renewal and confidence!
A digital art drawing of an original character, the Porcelain Faced Woman. She's placing some lilacs in a vase. She's wearing a porcelain mask over her face, and it may be covering an injury. One of the eyes on the mask is covered, and the character's eye that's visible is blue.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
hi my name is Paracelsus! it's my first day
Digital art drawings of an imagined younger version of Giangio from Lies of P, who also counts as an older version of Button Bright from The Wizard of Oz for this version. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and glasses, and he has a light-skinned complexion that's a lot less pale. He's drawn three times, looking eager, curious, and disinterested.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
I love Leora's design, & art fight was the perfect excuse to draw her! I also love @tujiux.bsky.social's art style & the way they incorporate text & texture, so I tried to go for something like that. I hear Leora likes dressing up in cute outfits, so I put one together for her. I hope she likes it!
A digital art drawing of Leora des Edevane, an original character by Ida/Tuijux. Leora is posing cutely in front of a starry background, and text next to her reads: CUTIE ALERT. She's wearing a short sweater jacket with a rose pattern, a long sleeve shirt with stars on the sleeves, and a black skirt.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
made a preview image for my library map on the RAMP project! providing no context about how the map is a location for my niche crossover fusion fanfiction and aiming for maximum confusion I guess!!!
A poster in the style of posters encouraging people to read, with the word 'READ' in big letters. Charlie from All Dogs Go to Heaven is reading a book incorrectly as Anne Marie listens intently and Itchy looks confused. Paracelsus is debating with Charlie about what he's 'reading' and seeming to take it very seriously. Sophia is trying not to smile, and Gemini is next to her. The book Charlie is holding is titled 'Sly Dogs Never Die' by CactusChowder.A screenshot of from the RAMP project, a DOOM maps collaboration. The poster about reading (another image in this post) is featured as the preview image for Map 153, Sly Dogs Public Library.A screenshot from the RAMP project of map 153 with its preview image
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I wish I could just keep writing, but it's Monday & the work week again 😔 next time I do update the story tho you're getting a secret basement
A model of the secret basement from my story. There's a hallway with several rooms branching off of it, including a small lab stations, holding cells, a guest room for Alchemists, a secret archive, and an entrance to a tunnel system under the city.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
so the great library escape in chapter 19 of Sly Dogs happened something like this
A sequence of images showing how Sophia and Paracelsus moved around the library to escape Stella and Reginald in my story. First Stella and Reginald arrive at the library, and Sophia and Paracelsus are behind the central structure, separated from their stuff. Then Sophia and Paracelsus hide in the library annex while Stella and Reginald approach a statue just on the opposite wall from them. Then Stella and Reginald go to check out a button distraction while Sophia and Paracelsus grab their stuff. Then Stella and Reginald go check out a puppet distraction while Sophia and Paracelsus make it to the elevator.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I actually chose Stella's name before I realized there's a horse named Stella in ADGtH. But Stella the horse has a coworker named Reginald, so I took some loose inspiration from that dynamic for the pair from City Hall
A screenshot of Reginald, a brown horse with a monocle, and Stella, a pink horse, from All Dogs Go to Heaven
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I started watching Invincible and it's about superheroes
A digital art sketch of Omni Man and Invincible from Invincible. They are drawn in a cartoonish and simplistic style. Omni Man is covered in blood & making a 'shh' gesture, Invincible is star struck by being strong and having powers.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I don't think this will be the final cover art, but I like how it came out
a cover for my story, using black and dark gray for the background and white text for the title. There's a circular image for each main character, Sophia and Paracelsus.
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InscrutableGreatHornedOwl @inscrutableowl.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
but what if 'becoming ungovernable' makes someone upset
two characters, Sophia and Paracelsus, eating apples, framed by an uroboros snake. An apple stem and an apple leaf are drawn above the snake. Sophia looks distressed, and Paracelsus looks eager.
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