#Automaton Beetle

[the-astral-express-archive]

Honkai: Star Rail | Transparent Enemy Portraits: Jarilo-VI

Automaton Beetle

Automaton Spider

Automaton Hound

Auxiliary Robot Arm Unit

[beeapocalypse]

have maybe finalized a mijaal design. a bit too busy to add that extra pair of arms but thats made up for w her cute antennae

[professional-jaywalker]

Vermin

a short essay about being bug hearted, and killing bugs.

I think one of the most cruel thing to love might be invertebrates. Insects. Arachnid. Worms. Pest. With any other animal, it is seen as unreasonable to want to eradicate. Some insects do manage to earn human's favors, bees (but only the useful ones), moths and butterflies (but only the cute ones), and if you're facing a true bug lover, beetles and dragonflies and perhaps even spiders and centipedes and scorpions. But not all, and it's still simply reasonable, to hate even seeing them.

I've loved bugs since I was a kid. I think it felt wrong not to, because people didn't like them, and people didn't like me. I don't think I've ever understood what in how they move felt less alive for people than a puppy. Still now I love bugs. I love mosquitos and I love botflies and I love hornets and tiny annoying ants that crawl through the windows and cockroaches and the wasp that stung me on the thumb when I accidentally grabbed a stick she was resting on when I was 9.

You cannot possibly live a human life without killing countless things. It's impossible. The most vegan, most peaceful human, refusing to walk on grass to not harm the grasshopper that didn't jump fast enough, will not be able to live a life without killing an insect even accidentally. It's something I have thought about a lot overall. I'm not vegan. I've thought about it. It would make sense, I don't see a lot of difference between my own flesh and the flesh I eat. But somehow it feels even more insulting, to be something that kills, and to pretend I don't. I eat insects, too. I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly how I feel about it all.

Maybe it makes me an hypocrite, to be so perturbed about the way people treat insects when I still eat meat. But it's, I think, in the end, the fracture between someone seeing a dead cow, and a dead fly. Most people wouldn't have the courage to kill a cow. They would feel guilt. In fact, a lot of people already hide the fact that meat is flesh and is, strictly speaking, part of a cadaver. People who refuse to eat a fish with the head. Pork, not pig. Beef, not cow. I hate that too. But insects ? People kill a fly without even thinking about it. It's annoying, then it's dead. A dead fly doesn't elicit guilt.

People expect me to be the same. Even knowing I love insects, it's seen as amusing that I acknowledge them as more than a mindless automaton, and, if I can, if it costs me nothing, avoid killing them. I have killed countless insects. I've had to, purposefully, many many many times. But it is, in fact, killing. I just want to be allowed to recognize that.

I work in a lab, on ants. We dissected more than a hundred, ovaries, poison gland, brains, understanding how they work, how differentiation happens and how they communicate it. Reconstructing brains to evaluate changes in different structures, measuring how many proto-egg each individual has post-dissection and correlation to dominance, reading articles and articles about theory.

These specific ants like shallow humid grooves for their nest. Today we tested a large foraging arena, brightly lit for the cameras, dry, wide, open, empty. Ants panic after being picked up even with the least harmful tools we have. When in an unfamiliar space, we've had them in the past run until they died of exhaustion, unable to find the entry of the nest to hide. Two of them were placed in the foraging arena to test the cameras, test if we could read the tags they have on their back. Again and again, they like to follow the walls, possibly because it feels less exposed. And again and again, they stop, groom each other, and calm down if they meet, huddled into each other.

I can't claim to know what's going on in ants brain, whether they feel things similarly to us. But it's hard not to project.

Ant tagged 16, and ant tagged 12, close, unmoving.

[bunn-moss]

Core NPC lineup for the campaign i'm running currently

Crew of a giant beetle automaton :)

[hrodvitnon]

Don’t want to bother you with Godzilla stuff since you’re burnt out but did want to do one final (for now) “how would X kaiju fit into the Abraxasverse” thing. So here goes nothing:

Jet Jaguar: after APEX Cybernetics escapades in Hong Kong, many of their assets and technology was seized by Monarch. Amongst these assets were early designs for a humanoid robot. Engineer Goro Ibuki took particular interest in this design and, behind his employers back, began construction on a mechanical automaton designed to communicate with and care for Titans. He unveiled the project to Monarch’s directors in late 2023, alongside an advanced operating system known as PELOPS. Despite facing initial pushback from some members, Madison Russell in particular was enthusiastic about the project and vouched for him.

As the prototype was constructed, it would sent on a test run to the Hollow Earth. Intending for the robot to meet up with and attempt to communicate with Kong, it would be sidetracked turning its travel by an attack by Shimidah, knocking it into a repository of mysterious energy. While no serious damage would be sustained, Ibuki and his staff began to notice strange actions by JJ during subsequent trials. But they had not the slightest idea of just what was occurring.

They would soon find out. When the sub-terrain Titan Megalon was summoned to the service by a cultist, Jet Jaguar would unexpectedly take off from the facility in which it was stored. Despite attempts by Ibuki and his crew to recall the Mecha, they were unable to do so. Arriving in the Philippines to combat Megalon, JJ would put up a valiant fight, seemingly having a mind of its own. While it was unable to defeat the beetle-like monster by itself, it displayed another new ability, shifting in size. The timely arrival of Godzilla would soon lead to Megalon’s hasty retreat and Jet Jaguar would return to Monarch, completely of its own volition. Research by Ibuki and other scientists soon discovered the Hollow Earth energy had affected both the PELOPS system and JJ’s nanotechnology. A heated debate would occur amongst staff over the mecha could possibly now be sentient, particularly with its origins as a purely mechanical creation, unlike the mixture of biology and technology seen in Kiryu and Mechagodzilla.

The debate would soon be put to rest when Abraxas interacted with the mecha, which would eventually result in the mecha speaking directly to the staff as well as the Titans. For the first time a fully sentient artificial intelligence had been created, albeit accidentally. Those in Monarch are now grappling with this reality, while Jet Jaguar has began interacting with Titans on its own terms, particularly Abraxas, Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra, learning who it is and where it belongs in this new era of Gods and Monsters.

Zilla: unlike most Titans, Zilla is well and truly of the modern age. An ancient species of marine megafauna somewhat resembling iguanas, they would be exposed to large amounts of waste from French nuclear testing, mutating them from simple megafauna to titans. The initial progenitor of this new evolution would meet its end at the hands of G-Team after it attempted to nest in Sydney Harbour and attacked ships entering the port. One of its offspring would survive and emerge a few years later. With early sightings mistakingly identifying the young Titan as Godzilla, its emergence in New York City would see it recognized as a member of the same species as the Sydney creature. In homage to the initial reports misidentifying the beats as Godzilla, which had sent Monarch into a temporary panic, Rick Stanton would suggest the new Titan be classified as “Zilla”. Despite initial apprehension, the name would stay.

Headstrong and hotheaded, Zilla would soon encounter its namesake and attempt to battle the King of the Monsters. Despite being soundly defeated, Goji would sense much of himself in the young Titan and taking pity on him, offered to train him to be a better fighter. Zilla agreed and while he has made many attempts, he still has a hard time fitting in with the other Titans. Despite this, many of the younger titans have taken a liking to him and attempt to break his solemn exterior so that he may join them. Ladon in particular has taken to doing what he can to make Zilla soften up and become his friend. His father, despite the initial bad foot him and Zilla got off on, approves.

Amongst Monarch’s staff, Doctor Niko Tatopoulos has taken an interest in him and cares for him at the Monarch outpost near his home in Melbourne. Madison Russell also enjoys visiting the young titan, treating him almost like a pet. She particularly enjoys feeding him exotic fish as a treat. “He’s like a very large cat sometimes”.

King Caesar: Some titans are defenders of humanity. Some are protectors of specific sites or areas. King Caesar is both. When the Kingdom of Mu was first attacked by the spiteful Megalon, many of its residents fled in order to avoid the threat. Amongst those who attempted to escape was the islands High Priest, who eventually gave his life doing what he could to distract Megalon. Those who had fled would soon set up shop in Okinawa, where they began to build a new society. The priest would be revered and honored with a statue of a Shisa.

All would not stay peaceful for long those, as after a few years Megalon would find those who had fled the Kingdom he’d ravaged. During this attack, the Shisa statue miraculously began to animate and flight back against the massive monster. Driving Megalon back, he would chase him all the way to Mu, where he would force the bastard beetle to abandon the area he had called home for the last several years. Soon after, he would return to Okinawa and rest. Both Okinawa and Mu were now safe and able to rebuild.

Over the centuries, the statue would awaken multiple times to defend Okinawa from various titans which posed a threat. Many began to believe the spirit of the high priest which had gave his life so many years ago had someone been reincarnated into the strange entity. It soon gained a name, King Caesar, and took on a status as a sort of divine protector. Battling many threats throughout the ages, he would eventually be grievously wounded in a battle at Mount Aso and forced into slumber.

During the battle in Hong Kong, Monarch researchers observed a strange phenomenon occurring near Okinawa. It would soon be discovered that King Caesar had, after long last, finally been awakened. Unable to participate in the battle, he would soon be amongst those who challenged Abbadon’s attempted takeover of the ruined city. All was not well however, as the would he had sustained so many years ago still plagued him. After some thorough analysis, it was discovered that the wound could prove fatal if exasperated such as in battle, essentially forcing Caesar onto the sidelines.

All was not lost, as under advice from Mothra and Abraxas he has taken up the role of a teacher for several young titans, instructing them in the ways of fighting and in how to interact with humanity. Very rough around the edges and rather cranky, he nevertheless cares deeply about his allies and the little ones, seeing them as his responsibility perhaps more than any titan aside from the divine moth. Extremely spiritual, he is willing to join the fight should it be requested of him, even with the risk to his health. Should he perish in battle, he would be happy to have gone out defending those he cared for, though he’d never let you know it.

Megalon: Scheming, brutish, and unfortunately rather stupid, Megalon is best described as perhaps the Titan community’s biggest annoyance. Once worshipped as a god by an advanced civilization, his own childlike petulance resulted in the destruction of much of his followers and his home. Desiring a new abode, he would go on a crusade in which he attempted to conquer many places, seeking out civilizations which were similarly advanced as his had been. Despite initially conquering Mu, he would soon be driven from it by King Caesar and Manda, leading him to seek out alternatives. At every turn however, he would find himself encountering opposition, as he constantly attempted to encroach on the territory of other titans. Eventually he would be knocked out by Mothra, Anguirus, and Godzilla, slumbering for Millenia.

Sometime after the Many Crisis, Megalon would once again awaken and venture to the outside world again. After a chance encounter with Mandazawa and Rodan, he would lay low for a few years until being summoned by a cult descended from his old worshippers. Facing Jet Jaguar and Godzilla, he soon retreated and instead wandered aimlessly, eventually settling on Sollgel Island in an uneasy truce with Kumonga and Kamacuras.

Despite his aggressive and rather unpleasant personality, Megalon does have a softer side to him. After his brother disappeared eons ago, he has silently mourned him ever since. Upon the arrival of Gigan’s fleet to Earth, he would discover that his brother had long since been inducted into the abhorrent admirals ranks. Seeking to free his beloved sibling, he has secretly assisted the other Titans in driving back Gigan’s forces, choosing not to draw attention to himself due to his past transgressions.

Servum: The Servum are an odd bunch. Even by Titan standards they are unique, as they are plant-like organisms that are closely related to reptiles and have large wings. They can best be described as “Skullcrawlers that can fly”, being rather feral and chaotic. Incredibly difficult to reason with, Monarch’s mech division is often tasked with dealing with them. Oddly enough, they seem to have an affinity for Madison Russell. As to why this is the case is anyone guess, but ancient cave paintings to point to the Servum submitting to a large reptilian/plant titan with buds which resemble roses.

Salunga: One of the inspirations for the Oni of Japanese mythology, Salunga is amongst the nastiest of the Titans. Cruel and malevolent, he was amongst the few titans who killed simply for pleasure. He wreaked terror across Japan, devouring thousands and destroying many locales. This would eventually come to an end however, at the hands of King Caesar. The defender titan would battle Salunga fiercely near Mount Aso, eventually winning the battle after wounding him following an eruption. Despite this, Salunga was able to somewhat get the last laugh, as he managed to leave a deep wound in Caesar’s chest, forcing him to retreat and go into suspended animation.

Unlike many Titans, Monarch was entirely unwarranted of his whereabouts for many years. Since the Mass Awakening however, Salunga has set up shop in Mumbai, seemingly laying dormant beneath the city. With a Monarch outpost now constructed on the site, some staff members believe that the barbaric brute is not actually dormant, but is simply biding its time.

Ookondoru: a titan in name only, Ookondoru is a member of a species of condor like megafauna native to Leichi Island. Exposed to toxic waste, he would soon mutate and gain increased intelligence as well as becoming quite large. Despite this, he gained no abilities and is essentially just a giant sized condor. He once made the mistake of attempting to attack Godzilla and nearly paid for it with his life. Ebirah, who often roams near the island, finds him amusing and does his best to antagonize the large bird.

Kamanaga, Hanenga, & Zenbunga: Millenia ago, Sollgel Island was home to a cult which worshipped the gigantic Kumonga. The isle of the spider Titan would see prosperity and growth for quite some time. Not just for its people, but for its Titan protector too. Kumonga would give birth to a trio of children. Kamanga, the eldest and heir, was fiery and stalwart and was held in great respect as her mother’s successor. Hanenga, the middle child, was shy and reserved, but very close with her elder sister and became seen as a sort of leader fertility goddess by the islands people. By contrast the youngest, Zenbunga, was rebellious and troublesome, considered a god of mischief by the people of the island. Regardless of their differences, Kumonga loved her children and the island’s prosperity would continue for decades to come. It was, however, not to last.

Abbadon, a titan infamous for encroaching on territory not his own, would eventually emerge into Sollgel Island and attempt to claim it for himself. Using his parasitic drones, he would consume and control the islands people, wiping them out. Kumonga and her children fought bravely, but were soon overwhelmed. Desperate to protect their mother, the triplets would battle fiercely, before falling one by one to Abbadon’s parasitic control. With her home in tatters and her children under her enemies thrall, Kumonga was forced to slay her offspring during the battle. After driving Abbadon off, she would take their bodies and bury them beneath large constructs of webbing, mourning them for some time before entering hibernation. Unbeknownst to her however, the parasitic spawn within her children was only dormant, not dead.

Following Mechagodzilla’s emergence, Hong Kong would be left in tatters. With Abbadon attempting to claim the area for himself, he would summon all those whose bodies remained under his sway, including the three children of the Great Spider. Kumonga has now joined Kong, Abraxas, and other titans to combat Abaddon, hoping desperately that she can somehow restore her long lost children.

Zone Fighter: deep in the centermost regions of space lies the world known as Heiwa. This world was once held in the hands of Garoga, becoming their earliest colony used for genetic experiments known as Terror Beasts. After centuries of oppression, a resistance began to form against their rulers, lead by heroes known only as The Fighters. It would take years, but the Garoga would be driven from Heiwa and its people would become known throughout the galaxy as ambassadors as peace, with the leaders of the resistance fading into myth and legend. Millenia of general prosperity lasted, until two creatures suddenly attacked. A golden hydra and a cybernetic psychopath. The people of Heiwa would fight valiantly, though they lacked the ability to do much. After the initial attacks, they received a message, echoing in the voice of their old oppressors. “We are the Makers and you will submit or die”.

Panic set in. The Garoga had returned with two beings of great destruction under their control. A member of the Zone family, a young man named Ryusei, would discover that his family had been descended from one of The Fighters and uncovered three old devices used by the heroes of legend. He would use these devices to become Zone Fighter, a warrior capable of battling these titanic terrors on even footing. Despite suffering a loss in their initial battle, Ryusei would manage to push back against the Garoga and their two monstrous creations. Unfortunately, it was not to last.

The Garoga soon returned with both creations and an entire armada of Terror Beasts, laying waste to the planet. As Zone Fighter, Ryusei attempted to fight them off. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to stop all of the monstrous menagerie and was heavily wounded. With the planet falling, his family would place him in a spacecraft known as Smokey, alongside his sister and younger brother, and send them as far away as possible, hoping to preserve at least something of their people. However the Garoga would send their golden terror after the craft and damage it, which would cause it to eventually crash on a planet in the Milky Way, millions of light years away. As Heiwa was reduced to ash and molten rock, its people would somewhat get the last laugh. The hydra the Garoga had used to lead the attacks would soon turn against them and reduce most of them to extinction, just as they had done to the planet.

Ryusei and his family would land on the island that would become Japan, staying in stasis for billions of years. This would all change in 2019, when the familiar cry of a golden terror would awaken Ryusei from his slumber. Learning about humanity and taking on the identity of Hikaru Sakimori, Ryusei secretly battled Many instances in 2020 and has joined Monarch as a low level employee. He seeks to learn more about Earth’s titans and whether they are a threat, particularly Abraxas and Godzilla, as well as finding a way to awaken his siblings from stasis.

Well hope you enjoyed these. Went with the few remaining film ones and some more obscure ones (Salunga and the trio are from Singular Point, Servum from the anime trilogy, Zone Fighter from his show, etc) to develop some stuff. I completely understand the Godzilla burnout and I’m happy you’ve found a fun outlet for your boundless creativity in Signalis. Really hoping I can play the game soon as your posting about it has sold me on it. Hope you’re doing well and stay awesome.

Holy crap, lookit 'em all! Good to see King Caesar enter the mix, interesting take on Jet Jaguar, a different interpretation of Megalon; the only one I'm not so sure about is Zone Fighter, since if the Garoga are the Makers then it contradicts with AbraxasVerse canon (Ghidorah destroying them immediately after exterminating its first planet, unless Heiwa was that first planet). But that aside, these are pretty cool!

Oh wow, and if you do play SIGNALIS then I hope you enjoy it! And I hope to god my constant Signalposting won't turn into Hype Aversion, because that's happened to me before!

[elfmoon3]

A Shadowy Mist Chapter 17 (Transformers Animated story)

Pairings: Prowl x Oc and Bumblebee x Oc

Summary: After watching a TV show about weird antiques and strange objects. Shadow Mist might find something interesting.

Location: in uptown Detroit.

"Who would've thought that this place was a warehouse and an oddity shop." Bumblebee said as he, Meagan, Sari,PixelSpark, Prowl, and Shadow Mist made it to the shop that was on TV the other day. "Mr. Poe, thank you so much for letting the bots in your shop." Sari said. Mr. Poe is a bizarre looking man. With creaking old bones and a lazy eye. "Oh, think nothing of it, Ms. Sumdac, I'm glad to see anyone who's fascinated in the odd things in life." Bumblebee looked at the old antique car parts while PixelSpark looked at the medical stuff. Prowl noticed the old earth swords that were smaller than his processors. To be honest, they're like butter knives to him. Meagan looked at the wet specimens, especially the preserved rattlesnake in a jar. "Hmm, I can probably buy this for myself." She said, Sari then sees an old vintage automaton girl. She felt a connection with her. "I should get this!" She said, "I've always wanted a sister." She added, Shadow Mist saw the elephant skull from the TV show, "Ah, interested in the elephant skull I see." Mr. Poe said. "Yeah, I saw it on your TV show the other day." She said, as Prowl came by next to her. "Mr. Poe, was this specimen humanely sourced?" He asked. "Why yes, poaching is illegal, and this female Indian elephant skull was given to me from the Detroit zoo. She died of natural causes." Mr. Poe answered. "I assured that I would never let a harmed specimen in my shop." He added. Sari flew up to see the skull with her jetpack. "I'll buy it for you, if you want, Shadow Mist?" She asked, "Are you sure?" Shadow Mist asked back. "My dad said I could." Sari answered. "Ok." Shadow Mist said.

Back at the Hideout

As Prowl, Shadow Mist, Bumblebee, PixelSpark, Sari, and Meagan return, they are greeted by Sari's father. "So, how was Mr. Poe?" He said, "He's doing fine." Sari answered, "I bought Shadow Mist an elephant skull." She added. Bumblebee was holding the said skull and set it down gently. "This trip reminds me of going to the scrapyard on Cybertron." Shadow Mist said, walking by. Bumblebee shudders. "No offense, Shadow Mist, but the scrapyard always creeped me the frag out." He said, "Well, I'm not scared of scraplets." She said, "scraplets?" Meagan asked, "A metal eating pest on Cybertron. They are a nuisance." Ratchet said, coming to see their oddity shop haul with the others. "I got a snake in a jar." Meagan said. "It's an eastern diamond back rattlesnake. Reminds me of my home in Texas." She added. Chris looked at it. "Nice fined, kiddo." He said. "I found this old hood for a Volkswagen beetle." Bumblebee said. Prowl and PixelSpark were the only ones who didn't have anything. "I didn't get anything from there cause it was weird in there." PixelSpark said, Prowl just stayed silent. He understood that the taxidermy, wet specimens, and skulls of animals were humanely sourced. He just didn't feel comfortable getting something like that. But he's glad Shadow Mist is happy. Issac went towards his daughter, "And what did you get, Sari?" He asked. She showed him the automaton girl doll. "I was thinking about what it'd be like to have a sister." She said. "Well, I was thinking of adopting a sibling for you, but I got so busy that I forgot." Issac explained. "Oh." Sari said sadly. Meagan looked at the poor cyber-organic girl. Then she thought of something, "You know Sari, since you're part Cybertronian, wouldn't you like two big sisters instead of one little one instead?" She said, looking at Shadow Mist and PixelSpark. "Besides, the Autobots are also like big brothers to you, in a way." She said. "I guess you're right, Meagan. But they won't be on earth for long, you know." Sari said. "Trust me, Sari, no matter how far they are, they'll always be your family." Meagan said. Sari smiled softly and hugged Meagan. "Thanks for reminding me that, Meagan." She said.

Somewhere on the outskirts of town

The decepticons are in their lair planning a strategic plan to get to the energon scientist's notes. All they've been doing was spying on them. "Ugh, when are we going to attack? This is getting boring." BreakDown said, Lugnut growled at the young con. "You wait for Megatron to come up with a plan!" He yelled. "Look, Lugnut, we've been trying everything to get to those notes. On Cybertron and on this organic filled planet. But if Lord Megatron has a plan, I'll try to be patient." BrakeDown said calmly as he could. Then, the sound of a muscle car engine is heard. "And the Bounty Hunter decided to grace us with his presence. Where have you been, LockDown?" Black Arachnia said angrily. "Out." He said as he transformed into his robot mode. "Strange how you only go out whenever we're trying to make a plan." Blitzwing said before switching to his aggressive personality, "You should at least let us know what you are doing!!" He yelled. "Relax, I was doing an old friend of mine a favor." He said

To be continued...

[traincarsandstars]

//Misha turning everything into a clock though. Illumination Dragon Fish, Automaton Beetle, Auxiliary Robot Arm Unit— you name it!

Every so often you can see him lug, or try to lug, one of these guys through the Express back to his room.

Express Crew: Misha...What'cha got there? Misha, holding a robot arm and a smoothy: ....A smoothy?

[grimkkr]

MONTHLY REPORT: MARCH

activity check: passed.

obtained:

1 skill point ( activity ) 1 skill point ( battle of the eagle & lion ) goddess's favor ( battle of the eagle & lion ) broken automaton beetles ( missing 1 )

[anonofseasons]

Can you describe what Howie’s room looks like?

Sure! Howie's got some hand-me-downs with furniture, same as Beau. He has Graham's old desk, when his daddy decided for a fancy upgrade (and they had space for it). Howie doesn't exactly mind, although he doesn't know that some of his items are from Shannon and Sophronia. He has Shannon's old bed and doesn't know this. It was sanded, and he chose the varnish. Howie shares something with Graham in that he loves a good wood stain. Something that accentuates and appreciates the tree that got cut down for his furniture. Howie loves trees. He loves them best when they're still rooted in the ground, thriving. So when they're parts of furniture, that's sacred. That tree was sacrificed and must be taken care of for generations. So nothing is covered in paint. His room is very dark in comparison to El's. The desk is less organized. Howie tosses a lot of his tools in a drawer without organizing them. The top of his desk is a bit messy too. He usually uses the lamp from his nightstand at his desk, since they're next to one another. The chair at his desk is the one that matches the desk, reupholstered with red velvet from its original deep green when it was Graham's. Bedding is usually a variety of dark red. I imagine he has a lot of burgundy sheets. His top quilt/bedspread is yellows/oranges/creams. He has a handful of wool blankets, usually patchwork in reds, dark oranges, and browns. He doesn't sleep with a stuffed animal (anymore) because he thinks he has outgrown them and doesn't want to seem childish. That said, he never could part with the little sheep and goat plushies that now sit on his bookshelf. He has a few other toys and trinkets on his shelves, just like El. Little automatons (of simple nature), figurines, and a wax sculpture of an apple tree. The books on his shelves are a mix of nonfiction and fiction, but he has only finished most of the nonfiction ones. He could probably tell you the endings of the storybooks he didn't properly finish, though. Unlike El, who has a closet, he has a wardrobe for his clothing. It has two doors to open it, and three narrow drawers at the bottom. He also has a small dresser--also formerly Shannon's. A couple of framed photos of him and his brothers sits atop the dresser. His rug is decorative and worn out, an old rug of Vivian's. It's an antique and extremely fancy, but Howie takes good care of things so he got to keep it. It's a faded red almost orange now, from age, with some pale peach color along the edges. Patterned. Howie has a single bedside table, which holds a lamp--simple wood with a beige shade--and a clay pot he made filled with various seeds from trees he has collected. It has a drawer full of bookmarks. Vivian made him thin fabric bookmarks that are like quilts in how they're stitched, all in the shapes of various tree leaves. Howie has lots of crates and containers beneath his bed. Nothing can lurk under there if it's full, right? Some spare blankets, old toys he has denied but won't throw away for sentimental reasons, souvenirs from the various places they've lived, etc. On the wall, he has a couple of forest paintings. He didn't make them. One is actually Graham's work, the other was purchased as a birthday present. And scattered across nearly every surface, from desk to dresser to bookcase, you'll find a lot of beetle figurines made of wood, metal, fabric. Beetles everywhere. He loves big beetles, like the kind you can find in the trees in Animal Crossing during summer. (Hercules, Goliath, Long-Horned, Scarabs...)

[theglitchos]

the first dnd character i truly got to play was this human wizard (named thaddeus grimdel) who, due to a transmutation spell gone wrong, got horribly transformed into this grotesque human/tabaxi crossover, sort of along the lines of a werewolf stuck mid-transformation (but cat). i don't remember if i got to fully explore the theme of being a "monster" and whether thaddeus wanted to return to his human form or became accepting of his new form, or even what the npcs in the world thought of him

my second long lived dnd character was an older elven wizard who was obsessed with the stars and what lay beyond them. his actual name i don't remember, but i nicknamed him atlas. 'twas more for a small group with friends, and we had a choice of adventuring commissions each week with a rotating dm. never got too deep into his background.

i also had a fighter at some point whom i don't remember anything about other than his outfit being inspired by a cirque du soleil performer, and a tiefling bard named aria who i used for some dnd adventure league stuff, but it turns out i did not enjoy playing that class. plus the local annual convention that did adventure league stuff stopped being run, so i never played her beyond a couple games.

then i made an automaton magus for a pathfinder outlaws of alkenstar campaign that never got off the ground. his name was job (named after the biblical figure who lost a lot of shit due to god and the devil playing games, and also a pun on him trying to figure out what his past life was), and it was intended to be a sort of frankenstein/pinocchio duo with another player's frog character. i am v disappointed i never got to play him and explore the themes of "coming back to life wrong"/"what it means to be alive"/"finding your purpose" - we had intended for job to be a broken clockwork automaton whom the frog had found and pieced back together, and job had come to life a la "i'm a real boy" but without his memory.

and now for starfinder society i have a nuar mechanic named festus (yes, it's latin for happy, that's intentional), who i'm headcanoning as being a teen figuring out who they are and what his place in the world is (and sometimes being a bit of an ass about it, as they should).

i also have a small fungal leshi for pathfinder society, named moxi (i stole this from online forums, it's short for amoxicillin), who likes poking dead things with sticks. they have a beetle, who she calls twig. just a little girl-shaped nature spirit out exploring the world with their friend :)

[dasniichts-a]

“Added it?” That part admittedly caught Welt’s interest. A stylization choice versus capturing the actual building itself? Or maybe at some point in the past the theater actually did have a dome of the sorts... fragmentum echo? 

Honestly, it was an interesting theory to try and ponder out artistic intention. 

“Mm... maybe in the future a dome should be considered. Typically, they carry acoustic rather well in theater and music performances.” Just an idle note as he followed along, noting a few other paintings along the way. Likely the same artist, going by the style. “Aah--that is...” 

Welt stopped in front of the first of the automaton displays, eyeing the stoplight front with genuine curiosity. “The beetle model, correct?”  

A curious little thing it was—at least in book, anyways. He seemed to scrutinize the casing just a bit, a specific automation in his head already in motion dissecting the seeming outward appearance with joint functionality. “I’m guessing the red/green stoplights help with ensuring there’s no traffic jams on minecart rails?” 

It at least made sense in his head. 

At least they could agree to disagree. Though Sampo did wish the other could be a bit more firm! The Fool sighs, parents are always too soft on their children. He was grateful his child caring days were over. Though it would seem he did inadvertently adopt the Nameless.

His thoughts are cut off as he gets called out. “Oh! Good eye, Mr. Yang!” Sampo swaggers his way over, smiling as a good guide should as he comes closer to the painting. The gold on the Golden Theater is striking. It pops out against the blue sky in the background. “This is a commissioned piece. Mr. Uldan, the curator at this fine establishment, managed to get our very own Rebini to do this for the museum! He's quite famous for his art pieces though he did have a small stint as a singer.”

To this he snickers. “Let's say his true calling is with a paint brush rather than being a songbird. As for the dome on top…” Sampo shrugged hard. “I tried to ask him why he added that and went on a tirade about being a suffering artist. So I left it be. We'll be seeing more of his work as we continue the tour.”

He looks around, and takes a step towards the right. “If I recall, the automatons are over this way. But if you want to wander around, by all means. Explore to your heart's content Mr. Yang.”

[odysseywritings]

Received What Was Given - Day of the Insects

(tw, animal cruelty / death, emetophobia)

The life of insects is a battlefield every day. Simple lives cut down by the curiosity of the child, the frustration of the bullied, the detached trap of starvation, the inhalation of the chemical, the burning of the magnifying glass.

They do not have faces that beckon empathy nor the low numbers that beckon protection. They are squished by accident or with purpose. Infestation wielding the poison dipped swords attached to abdomen are no match for a flyswatter. The impervious cockroach causing disease and dying by a crunching shoe. To survive is to live as a group, not alone.

Yet pain and death come for every being no matter how small or alien. The slaughterhouse exists for every insect who lives under the thumb of humanity.

People woke up one day without any insect scrounging for food, rotting away house wood, sucking blood, destroying clothes, infecting the vulnerable. It was a peaceful life for the domestic dweller.

Until the birds and frogs found themselves weak without food. Their deaths led to further deaths as the food chain broke and reformed into a hydra of fragments transforming into a cluster of chaos. Everything could eat everything. Man himself was not immune to the hunger of beasts.

His empathy smothered by the killing of creatures with eyes, pleasing noises, animated movements, visible curiosity, and blood. Until he was all alone in the world. How quiet it was until man hungered for man for protein.

Ravaged by dumbfounded killing, the sun was blotted out, and a blackening covered in the sky. Humans heard a buzzing noise coming closer. The same forgotten insects of yesterday returned with the sizes of the recently extinct whale. Their indecipherable expressions, wild antenna, and erratic movements startled everyone into frozen panic.

The insect gods took their pick of any human to eat. But some were not content. A bombardier beetle dissolving a family. A praying mantis pulling apart a man limb from limb. A wasp laying her eggs in another. Others merely squished by accident or with purpose.

Only several cadres of humanity were saved and protected by the living automatons, corraled like cattle into peaceful nature or in contained fences, living in anxiety if these monstrosities should ever change their mind and kill them for any reason they could not fathom. Such is the battlefield of humanity every day from now on.

[neon-flamingo]

Musical Automaton "Clown Sur La Lune" (Clown On The Moon) 

Made by Roullet and Decamps, French, Late 19th Century.

Depicting a winged clown teasing a papier-mâché full moon with a beetle on a string. The clown nods his head and flutters his wings as he lowers the beetle in front of the moon's nose, causing him to cross his eyes and stick out his tongue in confusion! – The moon was a popular motif for automata-makers at the end of the 19th century, but the "Clown sur la Lune" by Roullet and Decamps and the "Lune Fin de Siècle" by Vichy were the most famous examples of automata featuring the full moon as a human face. This iconic image may have been the inspiration for George Méliès's silent film "Voyage dans la Lune" (1902), where the moon is depicted in the same way. 

[quinncy]

Second part of the long sona timeline. Not 100% chronological as I wanted side-by-sides! ICU and Komo are my main 2 these days

Character: Quinncy, Apophis, ICU, Atlas, Komorebi

[soniclozdplove]

Legend had a ton of spells himself in the form of his medallions, three of which are screen wipes with a heavy cost to magic, various magical rings, and of course... the bracelet that let's him turn into an invulnerable painting. All of then also know several sacred songs, the mermaid tail and flippers for maneuvering in water, the titans gloves and other strength enhancing items, hammers of all sorts, multiple magical instruments to go with those songs, Roc's Feather and Roc's Capes, the ability to understand all sorts of animals and spirits, etc.

Pretty sure it's canon Wind can see ghosts, Wild probably has the Champion powers and maybe gonna have a few of his Zonai abilities too from TOTK so add magic to his revenue. Four shares a lot of skills with Legend but they also have their ability to shrink and split as well as each of Four's colors generally having their own strengths and abilities. Let's not forget the Four Sword was originally called the Elemental Sword and forged with four different elements. Sky's skyward strike tends to be a rarely but it's an ability the Master Sword has seemed to have always have in come capacity since going all the way back to the very first Zelda game sword lazers were a thing. Plus his various items like the beetle for scouting and the whip.

Physically Twilight may be tbe strongest physically but let's not forget that Time is carrying a giant sword designed for a giant goron and Sky LITERALLY picked up a gigantic Saber and used it to break apart an ancient automatons arm and chest cage to get at so weird heart thing. The thong was twice his size! And that's without power boosting items.

Their brains, all of these biys except for Warriors had dealt with dungeons and puzzles that would boggle the average mind

Speedrunning Update Part 8 Dawn, before a new page hits me! Part 2

You weren’t so sure last night buddy

(Twilight the night before: I regret this! This will lead to Time becoming a restless spirit! And there is so much to still do with The Resistance!

Twilight now: i’ll fuckin’ do it again)

And half of them agreeing with this dumbass, love them all!

Except Warriors of course, and he is right. Twilight going full solo mission makes it harder for everyone, more so for the captain. Everyone saying Wars is mad at Wild, but consider, Twilight has been stepping on his nerves a lot lately.

Did everyone?

I know there is a game reference here! Sadly I have jet to start their games. If someone knew of what enemies Hyrule and Legend are talking about pls tell me, would love to know.

Another thing, as well as Warriors showing more his role as captain, Legend will show more signs that he is a veteran! Would love to see Wars and Leg’s dynamic develop to one where both work to strategize and place the chain in ways to win a battle.

I already made a Theory about where Dark Link went after he opened a new gate. So going with what Hyrule says about it still finding them, the next gate will lead them to Twilight’s era, maybe even a time before he becomes a hero?

Actually, yes Four is right. No one has been thrown out of a cliff or set on fire till know.

(Game reference to Four Sword Adventure, were mercy is a choice and no one takes it)

The importance lies in widespread damage!

(For Items we have:

Fire Rod’s and Ice Rod’s

Cane of Somaria, Cane of Byrna and Cane of Pacci

Boomerang’s of all types

Clawshots and Hookshots of all types

Twilight and Warriors Ball and Chain

Four and Sky’s Gust Jar

Four’s Remote bombs

For Spells we have:

Hyrule’s fire and thunder spell

Time’s fire spell (Din’s fire) and the song of storms

Wind’s Wind Waker, controlling the Wind

Let me know if I forgot something. It’s clear that they need to work on teamwork or FSA will repeat itself…)

Seams like not even Hyrule likes his games :(

See you all on Part 3

[countslimeula]

D&D NPC ADOPTS OPEN FOR SALE!!!!

Some D&D NPC designs who need a loving home! 

The following are up for sale: 

Priestess: 85$ USD

Beetle Rider: 100$ USD

Automaton: 130$ USD 

First come first serve! PM me here if you are interested in buying one of these designs!  All payments are through PayPal.  

Terms and Conditions apply and are as follows: 

Buyers will pay the Artist upfront, in whole, before the Artist sends them the full resolution jpeg/png file of their purchase of their Adopt. 

These Adopts are for personal use only and are not permitted for resale, commercial use or monetization. 

Buyers are permitted to utilize these Adopts for any non-commercial purposes as they see fit. The Buyer is permitted to commission other artists to create additional artwork, reference sheets, costume changes, illustration, character art, etc for the Adopt they purchase.

These Adopts will not be used for N//F//T/s, cr*pto//curency or sold on a bl*ck//chain.

The Artist retains Copyright to all Adopts and is permitted to utilize them in their portfolio and in samples of their work.

The Buyer is permitted to post their Adopt where they desire except for websites that utilize bl*ck//chain and are platforms for cr*pto//currency and N/F//Ts.

I also currently have regular commissions open.  Information and rates can be found here.  I also have a ko-fi and a Patreon if you can’t commission me right now but still want to support me and my work. 

[ Image I.D : A posting showcasing three character designs up for adoption.

The first Adopt is a priestess in a long red robe, hat and black mask with intricate holes in it.  They are swinging a thurible on a chain and there is incense smoke coming from it.  

The second Adopt is a halfling riding on a flying beetle.  The halfling is wearing a beetle carapace as armor and holding a beetle horn as a spear. 

The third Adopt  is an automaton designed to look like a mermaid playing a harp.  It is on an ornate stand made of stone and enamel carved to look like ocean waves.  The automaton is plated in porcelain with intricate designs painted on it.  It has four arms, each one plucking at the harp. 

Image I.D ends ]