My partner took one look at Yin, the penangalan...

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

More stuff!

 

An Ahool is a cryptid in the form of either a flying bat or flying primate depending on who you ask.

 

According to Makhina on the discord the two models on the special edition hanging tree are Wyrd's founders, Nathan and Eric.

 

Harold Tull is likely named after Walter Tull, the first Black military officer in the British Military.

 

The alternate Baby Cade is likely a subtle nod to the kids book "Where the Wild Things Are".  His posture is similar to that of main character and monsters within the story.

 

From Gencon we got a sneak peak at Sen.  She has an ability called "Aces and Eights".  This ability is another of many references to the infamous Dead Man's Hand.  The Dead Man's Hand is the poker hand Wild Bill Hickok had when he was shot in the back and killed.  The Aces and Eights were all allegedly clubs/spades.  The fifth card is unknown.

 

Edit:  Forgot one.  The Kurgan.  Kurgan is a name, but it is also more than that.  Cult classic movie Highlander had a villain called "The Kurgan", played by Clancy Brown.  Clancy is probably more famous as the voice actor for the money grabbing Mr. Crabs in Spongebob.

[Adran]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:11 PM, Brilliance Laced Whiskey said:

 

According to Makhina on the discord the two models on the special edition hanging tree are Wyrd's founders, Nathan and Eric

I still have the first edition cards that have Nathan and Eric's names on the cards.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

While Aunty Mel was whaling the entirety of my crew, I had plenty of time to ponder and realized the "Mel" portion of her name is in reference to Moby Dick's author, Herman Melville.  You think with that being my favorite book, I would have been able to recognize that sooner.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

It's that time again for more references.

 

Sir Vantes "Escar... go!" Is a reference to the French delicacy, escargo.  Escargo are snails dipped in Garlic.  It's actually quite good, so don't knock it until you try it.  I'm guessing the snail's name is "Escar".

 

Phionia Gage's "the Hero we deserve" is likely a reference to Comissioner Gordon's impassioned talk about Batman in the Dark Knight.

 

There is a special edition Waldo that has him on a Teddy Rug.  This is a reference to the body attached to the sexiest mustache of all time, Burt Reynolds.  There is a famous photo of him on a rug.

 

One of the metal gamin had a head that reminds me of a Kroot from 40k.

 

Alt Lenny Jones with his wrestling championship belt is based on John Cena holding his championship belt.  Thanks to Jesy Blue on the Discord for that.  It's not the first John Cena reference either, and hopefully not the last.

 

The name Ephraim comes from one of the 12 Ancient Jewish Tribes of Israel.

 

Onto some longshots:

The cigar smoking Alp from 2nd edition reminds me of the cigar chomping Pip the Troll from Marvel Comics.  Stupidest looking character ever, but hilariously entertaining. This could be by chance however.  But... given the cigar, mace, and clothing style, I think there's a decent chance it's partially inspired by him.

 

Speaking of poses I've sworn I've seen somewhere before, the alternate Bayou Gremlin might be an Elmer Fudd reference from Looney Tunes.

[SoylentRobot]

spotted Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myres in these gremlin zombies, then Brilliance Laced Whiskey informed me of the others: bucket head is Carrie, the miner is Harry Warden from My Bloody Valentine, and the zombie holding Ezekiel up is Jigsaw

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

New day new stuff.

 

A changeling in European folklore is an offspring of a fairy/elf that disguises itself as a human child.  There is also a movie with Angelina Jolie called Changeling.

 

And here I am forgetting about stuff with my girl Molly.  Lethe, from Lethe's Caress, is named after one of the Greek river's of the underworld.  This river is the river of Forgetfulness, and if you drink from it, you will forget everything.  Given her keyword is also "The Forgotten", I think this cultural reference speaks for itself.  Let us not forget her ability called "fading" as well.  

 

Also on Molly is the Gorgon's Influence.  A Gorgon in Greek myth is the creature type that Medusa is based on.  Medusa, for those who don't know, is a women who thought herself more beautiful than a god, and was transformed into a women with snakes in her hair.  A direct glimpse into her eyes would turn you to stone.  Given all these references, I think she might be the Gorgon's chosen champion, she just probably... you know... forgot about it.

 

With the new Ashes trailer we've glimpsed the names of a whole heap of new models.  Let's start with the Six Armed Six Shooter.  Dom on the discord noticed it was inspired by a puppet made by Andre Toulon during the second world war called, you guessed it, "The Six Armed Six Shooter".

 

There is artwork of Ella Mae Chesterfield from TTB, and it loosely resembles famous trick shooter Annie Oakley.  She was very famous back in the day and a star attraction of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.

 

One of the new models is called "Dapperlings".  Swarmlord1231 on the discord mentioned that this is the name of a type of mushroom.

 

Another listed model is the Syzgi Sisters. Syzgy tends to be two entities either in conjunction or opposition to one another.  

 

Lastly, there used to be a Ask A Gremlin segment in some of Wyrd's releases.  In one, someone asks a Gremlin "What is best in life?"  This reference is two-fold.  It first is a reference to Arnold Schwarzenneger classic movie, Conan the Barbarian.  The infamous response is an alleged quote from failed humanitarian, Genghis Khan.  Genghis Khan conquered the largest amount of land by any single ruler in history.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

With Ashes we got tons of new references!  Well, actually, most the ones I am posting today are about older things in the game.  I have yet to comb over all the new cards.

 

Nephilim are a Bible reference to what are considered to be giants.  Their names translate as "The Fallen Ones".  They were wiped out by God.

 

Thank otakunationaz for this one on the Discord.  Gwyll is named after the Welsh form of hag/witch.  Pretty sure Aeslin is also Welsh/Celtic.

 

Domingo Montoya's name is eerily similar to Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride.  Inigo is a legendary swordsman in search of the six fingered man who killed his father.

 

Jesy Blue on the Discord also noticed Avel Ortega looks similar to American musician, Hank Williams Jr.

 

The Bad Omen resembles the Jackal Anubis from Egyptian Mythology (god of funerary practices and guide of the underworld).  But wait, there's more!  His ability, Even Death May Die is a reference to an HP Lovecraft Quote: "That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die".  Edit:  I also forgot, but he also is reminiscent of the Wolf in Puss in Boots:  the Last Wish.  In the movie, a wolf personification of death is seeking to take the last of Puss in Boots nine lives.

 

Speaking of HP Lovecraft, the Hungering Darkness and the Oblivion keyword are what might be called "Lovecraftian" in their design.

 

Vernon and Welles have a trigger called "Rocket Man".  This is likely a reference to Elton John's famous song of the same name.

 

The name of Lulitu is considered to be a variation of the name Lilith.  Lilith, for those who don't remember, is in some Abrahamic Faith's the first wife of Adam, the first man.  She didn't want to submit to him and was banished from the Garden of Eden.

 

The card for Mossbeard is finally out, and he is definitely holding a bottle that is a reference to Wilson, the volleyball befriended by Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.  Going through his triggers, one is called "This is for Rumsen", presumably because Rumsen is the Rum Bottle he drew the face on.

 

Mr. Mordrake pulls his name from Edward Mordrake.  Edward Mordrake is an urban legend about a child with a face growing on the backside of his head.  

 

Hard Stop Herbert has a trigger called 88 Miles an Hour.  This is a reference to the Christopher Lloyd/Michael J Fox movie Back to the Future.  In the movie, the scientist Doc Brown converts his Delorian car into a time machine.  When the car hits 88 miles per hour it jumps through time.  Hard Stop Herbet's name is also a reference to something, but I haven't quite figured out what it is yet.  I am inclined to think Herby the Love Bug, a talking Volkswagen Beatle (car).  Take that one with a dose of salt.

 

Onto the longshots.  Leech King seems to be a bit of a pun.  Could be a reference to the Witch King (Lord of the Ring), or the Lich King from World of Warcraft.  From the design of his mask, I am inclined to say the later.

 

Another Longshot, Samael Hopkins might also be a reference to Anthony Hopkins, who played Vampire Hunter Van Hellsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula (as well as a billion other amazing characters).  

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Erymanthean Boar pulls it's name from Greek Myth.  In one of the labor's of Hercules, he had to capture the Erymanthean Boar and bring it to Myceanae.  My buddy also thinks it pulls from the pig god from the start of Princess Mononoke, but I am less sure of that one.

Gretchen Janus, head of the Explorers Society, pulls her last name from the Roman god Janus, who had two faces.

 

Surveyor's have a trigger called Pythagorean  Quake.  Pythagorean is named after Greek Mathematician Pythagoras, who came up with, you guessed it, the Pythagorean Theorem.  He is famously fond of triangles.

 

In one of the older stories is Old Hob, who is getting an upcoming model.  In the story, a name competition takes place where people get to decide the name of the corpse picker.  One of the names is Plaguey McPlagueface.  This is a reference an instance where the British Government decided to let the internet come up with the name for a research vessel.  The internet, in it's infinite wisdom, selected the name Boaty McBoatface.

 

Anya Lycarayen's last name comes from Licarayen, which means "Stone Flower" in Mapuche (South American tribe).

 

Onto the longshots:

The Rocketeer's likely pull their name from a comic of the same name.  In the 90's, Disney made a movie of the Rocketeer.  While he's clearly very distinct, the Captain also reminds me of the Rocketeer character.  That is easily just by chance though.

 

Ceddra reminds me of John Carpenters "The Thing".  Could just be me though.  Keep yourself at arms length from that one.

 

 

[KlausFischer]

On 11/3/2022 at 5:38 PM, Brilliance Laced Whiskey said:

Zipp is also a reference to old serial TV/radio show villains from the like of Buck Rodgers and Flash Gordon. 

Could also be Spacemam Spiff from Calvin and Hobbes.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Zipp does remind me of Spaceman Spiff.  I also think there is a bit of Zapp Brannigan from Futurama, but that could just be me seeing what I want to see.

 

According to Defective Dice, Bashe is named after a Chinese giant alligator that could eat Elephants.

 

The Black Spot upgrade is a reference to Treasure Island.  A Black Spot marks a man for death.

 

Host Ducat's demon umbrella is a reference to the kosa-obake, a Japanese oni.

 

Fluffernutter is named after a sandwich consisting of bread, peanut butter, and marshmallow cream.

 

Photon Cosmonaut on the Discord says the Hush box is a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the episode called Hush.

 

The Resurrectionists are partially named after the Resurrection Men.  Resurrection Men were people who dug up dead bodies and sold them on the black market, typically to universities for study.

 

Lastly we have Toast.  Toast contains several Mad Max Fury Road references.  Driving the model is a gremlin based on Furiosa, including her shaved head and robotic arm.  On the back in red is guitar wielding the Doof Warrior, who was Immortan Joe's (the villain of Fury Road) equivalent of a Drummer Boy from wars long past.  Think of the Drummer Boy's that would accompany men into battle.

Today's longshot is Drumstick.  Drumstick is vaguely reminiscent of the Road Warrior's (Mad Max 2) copter pilot.  The same actor also shows up as a separate character in Beyond Thunderdome.  

 

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Alright, you know the drill by now.

 

K.O.T.O is named after a Japanese musical instrument called... koto.  Thanks to Danger Planet for that one.

 

Swine Twirler's are based on the bizarre marketing tactic of the Sign Twirler here in the United States.

 

Hoochdini's "Hypno toad" trigger is based on the hypnotoad from Futurama.  It's a toad that does exactly what it says on the tin, it hypnotizes you.

 

Hopscotch's "Taste the Rainbow" is based on the Skittle's marketing quote "Taste the Rainbow".  Skittles are multi-colored fruit flavored candy.

 

Hopscotch also has Mithridatism.  Mithridates was a Greek ruler who gave himself small amounts of poison in order to develop an immunity to it.  Incidentally when the Romans came for him, he drank a bunch of his poison to kill himself but was immune due to his habits.

 

Did I mention Habber-dasher's already?  Either way they are named after haberdashery's.  They were essentially clothing store's in the Old West.

 

If it wasn't obvious, the Shadowlark and Blackbirds are named after... well birds.

 

Arun Rajput, particularly the Rajput part, is based on a group of castes in India.  It is often associated with Warriors.  Similarly, his demise ability, "I didn't hear a bell" is a common phrase in western media.  Typically it's when someone is getting beat up/knocked down in a fight, but they get back up saying the titular quote.  It also makes me think of the South Park episode where Randy Marsh goes around picking fights at his son's baseball games.

 

Suzaku is names after an Asian firebird.  Kind of like a Phoenix.

 

This whole time I've forgot about Wyrd trees.  Wyrd is the Norse Goddess of Fate.  There are also Wyrd Tree's that have spiritual powers.

 

The Hog-Oil Salesman is based on the Snake Oil Salesman from the days of the Wild West.  Snake oil in those days had many medicinal purposes.  It was lucrative enough that many scammers began to flood the market.  The term became associated with swindlers who would go from town to town selling false snake oil.

 

Today's first longshot is the humble newsie #3.  He resembles the stereotypical "Tiny Tim" from the Christmas Carol.

 

Next longshot is Drumstick's "Falling Skies".  It might be a reference to the Chicken Little tale where Chicken Little proclaims "The Sky is Falling!"  It causes mass hysteria, when in reality there was no emergency.

[Maniacal_cackle]

At this point could a mod like @Adran move this to general? Not quite a resser specific one now!

[Adran]

Can do.

I would say a haberdashery is a type of shop that sells fabrics and sewing stuff, and they are still around now as well as existing before the old West. 

 

I assume " I didn't hear a bell" is related to carrying on until the referee stops it, the bell makes me think of boxing, but football often tells people to "play to the whistle". 

I think shadow lark and black birds are named after gangs of street urchins, but I can't say why I think that.  

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Somehow it never occurred to me to post that people might not be aware of a boxing match bell ringing.  Thanks, Adran.

 

Another thing I feel stupid for not noticing is the Down With the Sickness upgrade from Silas.  It comes from a song by Disturbed of the same name.  Thanks to Danger Planet for that.

 

Popcorn Turner pulls his name from Popcorn Sutton, a famous moonshiner.  Thanks to Oktakunation from the Discord for that.

 

The new Stab it Rabbit (Lone Samurai Easter alt) is going to remind a lot of western comic readers of Usagi Yojimbo comics.  I'm guessing the Usagi portion of the name comes from Uesugi Kenshin, a powerful Daimyo from the Sengoku Jidai period.  The Yojimbo portion of his name comes from Yojimbo, a movie from Akira Kurosawa.  Kurosawa was heavily inspired by John Ford Western Movies (and many of his Samurai movies feel straight up like westerns).  Sergio Leone, a Italian director, basically copied the whole movie shot for shot with a Fistful of Dollars (the first of the Man With No Name Trilogy of movies).  Clint Eastwood would go on to star and direct Unforgiven, on of the greatest deconstructions of a Western to ever exist.  This led to Japanese remake of the movie starring Ken Watanabe.  It's a vicious circle of Samurai and Cowboys!

 

Squish and Squashes "Kissed by a Prince" is a reference to old western fairytales where a princess who is asleep/transformed must be kissed by their true love in order to wake up/transform back into themselves.

 

Bookkeeper has an action called "Book Worm".  This originally comes from worms that use to eat pages of books in libraries.  It eventually came to mean someone who reads a lot of books.

 

Linh Ly's ability, Jump off the page, is a reference to a story so well written, it's like the characters are real.  They, jump off the page so to speak.  Similarly, her Killer Late Fee's is a reference to turning in a library book late and getting charged for it.

 

The new Alphonse Alt looks like he's read one too many Hulk comics.  

 

Today's longshot:  The female drudge reminds me of the iconic American symbol, Rosie the Riveter.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Alright, here we go.

 

In the new Ressur starter is a model named Oskar.  He resembles Swamp Thing/Man Thing from DC/Marvel comics.

 

Batsch and Amalie from the Ressur starter are named after August Batsch, who was a German expert on mushrooms from the 18th Centrury.  Thanks to Roo on the Discord for that.  It's unlikely, but Amalie reminds me of a French Movie of the same name.

 

Doc Mitchell has the same name as a Doctor at the start of Fallout New Vegas.

 

Parker 2 has an a trigger called the Good, the Bad, and the Broken.  It is the 8th million reference to, you guessed it, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" from Sergio Leone.

 

The Tri Chi keyword is a multi-layered reference.  First, it is a pun on Thai Chi.  Chi, is also the Roman name for the letter X.  XXX was used to mark the strength of beers, XXX being the strongest possible.  Thanks to Roman and EllYeahBrother on the Discord for that

 

Nellie's "Fake News" trigger was a term popularized around the time of the 2016 US presidential election.  It has been common in the American vernacular ever since.

 

Today's longshot is the Propagandist.  He reminds me of Howard Beale from the 1976 movie "The Network".  In the movie, tv anchor Howard Beale has one of the, if not the, most famous rants in movie history.  His rant/mental breakdown is broadcasted all over, causing his tv station's failing ratings to skyrocket.

 

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Shen Long is named after Shen Long, a mythical Chinese Dragon.

 

Herbert Kitchener is also named after... Herbert Kitchener.  Herbert was famous for his campaigns in Africa.  Sorry, I don't remember who pointed this one out on the Discord.

 

Kythera is likely named after the Antikythera Mechanism.  The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek analogue computer used to predict the behavior of celestial bodies like the planets.

 

And we have the new effigy box set coming out!

 

Each is a reference to something:

Kid Tut is named after Egyptian boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun.  Howard Carter opened the tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1923.  Tut was an all but forgotten Pharaoh up until that point, and became the most famous Pharaoh of all after the discovery.

 

Toad Tyke is a reference to HP Lovecraft, and the Shadow Over Innsmouth.  The sign, while not fully readable, has a clear "mouth" at the end of it.  Many of Lovecraft's monsters are inspired by water creatures.

 

The Moth Munchkin is a reference to the Mothman, a strange winged humanoid creature allegedly seen at Point Pleasant Virginia in 1966.

The Headless Halfling is a reference to the Story of Sleepy Hollow.  In the story, Ichabod Crane is pursued by a Headless Horseman carrying a pumpkin head.

 

Mini Merlin is based on Merlin from Arthurian Legend.  Merlin is the wise wizard who acts as a mentor to the often short sighted King Arthur.

 

The Creepie Crawlie is probably the most difficult one to figure out.  There was a toy, and later a movie about Creepy Crawlers.  However, this one appears to be a zombie.  I imagine it's a reference to something specific beyond that, but I am not entirely sure what.

 

The Pint-Size Poltergeist isn't a reference to the movie Poltergeist, but rather the Japanese movie "The Ring".  In the movie there is a video tape where if you watch it, you will die in seven days.  A creepy girl with long hair covering her face crawls out of various places like wells.

 

And lastly we have my favorite, the Ghoul Getter.  The Ghoul Getter is based on the 1984 classic movie Ghostbusters.  The model is using the iconic "proton pack" (or whatever the Malifaux equivalent would be) to suck in Slim... Waldo, Wyrd's lovable mascot.

 

 

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

In Som'er's art, the medal he wears is based on the Victoria Cross from the British Military.  It has French trappings for some reason.

 

Nekima's living blade Lorelei (which is also the name the Nekima/Lilith's mother) is named after a German legend of a woman who threw herself in the Rhine and turned into a siren or sorts.

 

Ithanna's blade, Desmonia, appears to be named after a rock band.

 

And the end of this one is a correction.  Vernon and Welles are named after Australian actor Vernon Wells.  Vernon played Wez in Mad Max 2 the Road Warrior.  He is Lord Hughmoungus' lead Henchmen with the mohawk.  He was also in Weird Science and the main villain in Commando.

 

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

You would have thought I'd have run out of things to point out by now...

 

Lord Porkin's on the Discord pointed out how the Flying Pigs trigger "Into Spaaace!" is a slight play on the Muppets skit "Pigs in Spaaaace!"

 

Archie's Iconic "I scream, you scream" is based on the marketing tactic in the US of "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream".  For the non-native English speakers, it is a pun on "ice cream".

 

Beardmini on the Discord pointed out that "Widdenshin" on the Alleyway Echo was a term to describe "counterclockwise" before clocks were invented.  It is also considered to be unlucky.

 

The Guild is heavily reminiscent of the British East India Company.  A company that became so powerful they created their own armed forces and influenced global politics.

 

These last two are a bit of an expansion on things said before.  Harold Tull is named after Walter Tull, the first colored officer in the British Military.  His cat, Walter, has the first name of that officer.

 

Similarly, we have John Watson, friend and confidante of Sherlock Holmes.   He has a dog named Frederick.  Fredrick is named after Fredrick Sherlock, an author.  Wyrd loves going deep with their references.

 

 

[Da Git]

On 6/2/2024 at 3:53 PM, Brilliance Laced Whiskey said:

And the end of this one is a correction.  Vernon and Welles are named after Australian actor Vernon Wells.  Vernon played Wez in Mad Max 2 the Road Warrior.  He is Lord Hughmoungus' lead Henchmen with the mohawk.  He was also in Weird Science and the main villain in Commando.

I always thought they were named after the authors Jules Vern and George Orwell...

[trikk]

12 minutes ago, Da Git said:

I always thought they were named after the authors Jules Vern and George Orwell...

George Orwell or H.G.Wells? 😮

[Da Git]

3 hours ago, trikk said:

George Orwell or H.G.Wells? 😮

Yup... brain fade on my part! Close enough!

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

I had put Jules Vern and Orson Wells originally (but yes, HG Wells makes much more sense than Orson).

 

Yeah, its probably those, but when you have an actor with the actual name (and several references to the most famous franchise he's in), it was hard for me not to pivot towards that.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

Rougarou are a creature with a human body, but a wolf head.  Similar to Werewolves.

 

Misaki has a trigger, "You are already dead."  This is a reference to Fist of the North Star, when the main character the main character punches people so hard they explode.  He has a tendency to say that just before they do.

 

One of the steamfitters resembles Howard Hughes.  He was a famous playboy and aerospace engineer.  He also went crazy and locked himself away in a room.  He served as the inspiration for Tony Stark.  He also funded a film that brought John Wayne into a desert for a film that was previous used for atomic bomb testing.  The leftover radiation is believed to have killed a significant portion of the cast and crew.

 

Ella Mae is an heir of the Chesterfield family.  This is likely a nod to famous gun families in the US, like the Winchesters.  Fun, but not so fun fact, one of the heirs of the Winchester family was so worried that the people killed by her families weapons would haunt her, she built a mansion designed to confuse ghosts out to haunt her.  As a result her mansion had hallways to nowhere, rooms with furniture attached to the ceiling, and numerous other oddities.  It still exists today, so look that one up.

 

Update:  She has a Chesterfield 1879.  Is there a Winchester 1879, well yes, but that is only slightly what it is a callout to.  The years are quite famous when it comes to collectors.  The most sought after rare Winchester is the 1873.

 

Darksightblind on the discord pointed out that the "Feed me" trigger on the botanist is a reference to the Little Shop of Horrors.  In the musical, Audrey 2, an alien plant, gains a taste for human flesh, prompting him to ask Seymour to "Feed me".

 

Gremlin Crier's have a trigger called "For the Greater Good".  The philosophical idea was brought forth by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in the 19th Century.  It's become more popular in recent time due to factions like the Tau in 40k, whose most famous catchphrase/rallying cry is "For the Greater Good".  It is also famously in the Edgar Wright action movie parody "Hot Fuzz" (my personal favorite of the Cornetto Trilogy).

 

While Bandidos are a reference to a Mexican outlaws, the Bandidos are also a famous biker gang in the United States.  I had forgotten about it until I saw one with his colors on my drive home from work.   I wouldn't really count that one as a reference though.

 

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

One of the Dead Dandy's resembles Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, world famous detective of Murder on the Orient Express and Murder on the Nile.

 

The Lucky Effigy has tons of little western/european "lucky charms".  This includes dice, rabbit's feet, horseshoes, 4 leaf clover, and the ace of spades.

 

A new model at Gencon, which resembles the upcoming Effigy box, is based on Beetlejuice.  He has the pinstripe suit, and sandworm from the movie.  The pose also resembles the one from the 1980's movies poster.   The movie is a Tim Burton Classic, starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, and Catharine O'Heara.

 

Zoriada's name means captivating or well spoken.  The name has Arabic/Spanish roots.

 

On the topic of Zoraida, "wagna" is a form of Voodoo sorcery.

 

Expanding on somethings from earlier.   Dreamer is inspired by an American comic by WInsor McCay, Nemo in Slumberland, which started in 1905.  The comic has an extremely surreal vibe, and the art is very out there.  The art always reminded me of stylized French posters of the time.  The art is some of the most striking stuff you'll see, so I recommend you look into this one.  There is also a really well animated movie from the 1980's.

 

On the topic of Dreamer, in the art for Dreamer 2 his feet are made of sand, implying he is the Sandman.  I imagine this one has less to do with Neil Gaiman's fantastic run of Sandman comics, also of some of the most beautiful and striking art you'll see.  But rather, I feel like this is more of a throwback to ETA Hoffman, who popularized the more modern take on the Sandman.  The Sandman goes back into Scandinavian folklore, who would sprinkle sand on children so they fall asleep.   Those weird "eye boogers" you get are supposed to be from the Sandman himself.

[Brilliance Laced Whiskey]

I completely forgot about the new Linh Ly Nightmare box!

 

The new box is based tales of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

 

Ms. Malice has a name that's a play on Alice.  I also can't help but feel like some of American McGee's Alice video game series played some inspiration (it was a videogame adaptation that takes on a more nightmarish approach to the classic tale).

 

Many of the characters from the book show up, like the Mad Hatter.

 

Other include the Queen of Heart's head, who famously shouts "Off with her head".

 

The Queen or Hearts cards show up.

 

The White Rabbit also shows up, who the White Rabbit Co. also likely get their name from.

 

The Gryphon, Catepillar, and Cat are also  characters in the tale.