#Crystal Habitats

[deliciousobservationbird]

It's very funny to compare the treatment of pacifism in Hermitcraft and the Lifesteal SMP, especially when considering the stereotypes related to those SMPs.

Like if I made the average MCYT fan (who's not watched either) guess which series featured a long drawn-out roleplay arc of what it means to be a pacifist, whether being a pacifist means you need to take a passive role in what's going on around you, complemented by some gorgeous thematic builds and giant megafarms and what server had someone try to become a pacifist, on a whim for a vacation, before realising how much they actually enjoyed killing and then their arc revolved around the idea of killing as many things as possible, I think they'd just not believe me.

[circle-around-again]

"She glanced back to where she'd left Maul, but he had already vanished. She waited. Barely ten seconds later, Kilindi heard a horrific scream from atop the cliff." (Windham, 95).

Kilindi and her bestie the eldritch horror

[loreeebee]

Natural Crystals by Team Planting

Do you believe in the power of natural crystals? Have you ever heard of their power? I admit that, although I have heard the claims over the years, I’ve never paid much attention to them. Recently, I read about Team Planting and their efforts to improve our general and mental health as well as the environment. What do the two have in common? If your curiosity is piqued like mine was, read…

[hero-israel]

This is pseudoscience where it isn’t actively anti-science.

The pines planted in Israel are Aleppo pines, which are indigenous and have been recorded by observers for literally millennia.  Far from “devastating” native oaks and carobs and whatever, Israel planted tons of those varieties too.  And there can be no discussion of the well-being of Israeli forests without noting that Palestinian militants are highly proficient at arson and have practically made mountainous tire-fires their trademark.

As for the idea that the Zionists were “trying to create European-style forests” - the implication that the local environment was “normal” before they “changed” it is entirely a social construct reeking of unexamined privilege.  The Roman Empire massively deforested Israel along with the rest of the Mediterranean.  Our popular concept of the Middle East as a land of desert and scrubland is  artificial, but comes naturally to people who think the world began in like 1700.  

The Palestinian mountain gazelle is indeed endangered in Israel, and some of their populations are jeopardized by habitat and genetic fragmentation caused by the West Bank barriers.  However, the largest and most stable population of the species is found in the Golan Heights, where they roam freely without such barriers and have enjoyed a significant rebound in numbers now that they are no longer subject to hunting from Syria.  More importantly, the Palestinian mountain gazelle has already been wiped out in Egypt, and also in Syria and Jordan - perhaps some invisible Mossad agents went on safari?  The species was on the brink of extinction in Turkey, until it was quite accidentally saved when the Turkish military set up a no-man’s-land on the border with Syria in response to its civil war.    

It’s also worth noting that the first post in that Twitter thread (not screencapped onto the Tumblr post, hmm...) was Heron calling for BDS.  When Israel really is the only country in that region where forest cover is growing and where the mountain gazelles have any chance at survival, uh, why should we overthrow the government, again?  That would help the environment how, precisely?  The Kai Herons of the world would call that “greenwashing,” because they don’t actually give a shit about the environment, they just misappropriate journal-jargon to mask how ridiculous and unprincipled their accusations are.   

Last and least, the concept that “Palestinian liberation is a climate issue” is just a perfect crystallization, French waiter palm-kiss, of how lefty activists try to run in every direction at once and get nowhere.  Climate protection has failed because it requires the entire world to unfuck foundational problems in our economic, technological, and political lives - but Palestinian liberation is still a matter of a signature and a handshake, two parties looking at made-up lines on a very small map.  For white European activists to insist that Palestinians may only make progress if we first make progress on climate change just shows how they only see Palestinians as tools and symbols and not as people.  

CODA:

This is a case of me being ABSOLUTELY fucking petty enough to reconstruct and restart a post after someone blocked me and prevented reblogs of the original.

For more on the pseudoscience and anti-environmentalism of Palestine activists see lots of links here. For more on the actual environmental history and diversity of the region, see the tags.

[incorrect-deadboy-quotes]

Crystal: And here we see Edwin and Charles in their natural habitat. Texting each other variations of the word "garlic bread" to try to make each other laugh. Edwin: Gaelic bread. Charles: Grueling brad. Edwin: Ha ha, glamorous beans.

[buskingalbatross]

results of a quest to identify the cicada in dnp’s rodent boy summer instagram post

[video: an audio comparison of dan howell's mediterranean cicada imitation and two real cicada species from the med]

abstract: following a perceived dearth of interest in the cicada latched onto the wall in one photo of the ten in dan and phil’s most recent joint vacation instagram post, the authors of this post (buskingalbatross and an anon who instigated this quest) have endeavored to determine its identity at the species level. using resources such as naturalism networking site iNaturalist, various scientific research articles, a databank of Mediterranean cicada song audio files, and Dan’s imitation of cicada screams in the AmazingPhil video “How Phil Nearly Died,” we have concluded that the cicada is most likely an East Aegean cicada (Cicada mordoganensis). obtaining these results would have been impossible had we not received assistance from @/bitchslapblastoids, who generously provided the herein unnamed geographical location* of dan and phil’s summer rat and relaxation destination. I would also like to thank @/pierogish for providing feedback on comparisons of cicada audio files with Dan’s cicada noises.

[image: the individual in question]

methods, results, and conclusions below the cut.

*the authors of this tumblr post would like to flaunt their scientific achievements unencumbered by potential discourses surrounding the unearthing of this location, and thus have chosen to omit its name from this post. the authors of this tumblr post nevertheless understand that the location can be discerned by those curious enough to discern it. the authors moreover state that they harbor no wish to compromise dan and phil’s privacy.  

methods and results

iNaturalist’s search feature was used to gain an awareness of what species of cicadas have been observed on the mediterrranean peninsula where dnp went on holiday. a spreadsheet was created to organize data such as cicada common names, scientific names, the number of observations for any given species, the reliability of those observations (that is, how likely the observer was to have correctly identified a cicada; a high quality identification is referred to on iNat as a research grade ID), the period of time in which a species is the densest in numbers (most prevalent in its aboveground habitat), appearance, and, finally, a link to an audio file containing each cicada species’ song. audio files were the last piece of data to be acquired, and so were added to the spreadsheet very last.

once a list of species had been determined and entered into the spreadsheet, we compared the appearences of each candidate cicada species to dnp’s instagram image. all in all, we looked at seven cicada species: the black sorrow cicada (Cicadatra atra), the ash cicada (Cicada orni), the common cicada (Lyristes plebejus), the red cicada (Cicada haematodes), the east aegean cicada (Cicada mordoganensis), the geminate cicada (Lyristes gemellus), and Cicada lodosi (a species name now possibly defunct but with 4 observations in the area of interest in the past five years).

[images: left - the east aegean cicada; right - the ash cicada]

then, I decided to read a truly excessive number of scientific research papers about cicadas in the mediterranean. why did I do this? besides reasons of entomology-associated passion (and legitimate professional interest), I did it because I learned that it turns out that basically, the aegean sea constitutes a “hot spot of cicada diversity,” with numerous species across different genera that nevertheless look—pretty much all the same! quite quickly, it became apparent that one blurry instagram image would be insufficient to determine the species. in fact, even if the image had been crystal clear, it wouldn’t have mattered. apparently, many cicadas of the eastern mediterranean are not morphologically distinct (meaning, again: some of them look identical) and what differentiates them is actually, primarily, their songs. they are “acoustically divergent,” with females being able to locate males of their own kind by their unique calls alone, not their looks. different species also tend to be distributed differently across this region, by which I mean some are only found on certain islands, or in certain areas of Italy, the Balkans, Greece, or Turkey, or Greece and Turkey, etc etc. I needed to read to form a better picture of all of this, essentially, and to gather clues.

[image: some of the papers I read]

after perusing all of this fascinating literature—and also squinting really hard at dnp’s picture and the photos of cicadas we had accumulated—I came to the conclusion that, most likely, the cicada was either Cicada orni, the ash cicada, or potentially more likely, Cicada mordoganensis, the east aegean cicada. both had three observations recorded in the region of interest (the most observations of any species), and both had the most similar coloration and patterning to dnp’s cicada. my predilection for the east aegean choice stemmed from two things: 1. the east aegean cicada observations were of a higher quality (research grade) than the ash cicada, and 2. the papers I had read were telling me that while east aegeans were prevalent along the entirety of the our region of interest, ash cicadas were more constrained, geographically, to northern Turkey and the Greek mainland. in fact, according to mediterranean cicada scientists, no ash cicadas had ever been found on islands as southeast as Samos and Ikaria, two islands relatively close to the peninsula where dnp’s cicada resides. this contradicted the observations on iNaturalist.

apparently, this difference in distribution has a lot to do with the tectonic and geographical history of the eastern mediterranean. where certain cicadas are today has a lot to do with where warm refuges from ancient glaciers existed thousands and millions of years ago (cicadas like the heat). also, and I should not necessarily subject you to this tangent, but did you know that about 5 million years ago the mediterranean sea simply gave up on existence for a little while? ... during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, the mediterranean simply stopped being a sea for a little while and almost dried up completely, allowing certain creatures that could not otherwise traverse an entire sea to disperse across it, except for where there is a huge ass canyon in the seafloor, and—

[images: highlighted, pertinent sections of papers discussing cicada distribution; relief map of the mediterranean seafloor]

anyway, what we were sorely missing at this stage were sound recordings of the cicadas. despite the evidence against the ash cicada, this cicada is still one of the most commonly found cicadas around the aegean sea. also, some of the studies I found were ten or more years old—who knows how climate change or other factors may have impacted the location of cicada populations since they were published.

while the audio of the cicadas outside in Phil’s video is poor, Dan does an imitation at 00:30 of what they’d been hearing during their trip. knowing Dan, this imitation is not merely a made-up, vaguely cicada-like noise, but an actually good approximation of the song that had been driving them crazy (this whole study mayhaps hinges on this lmao). if only we could uncover audio of these cicadas, maybe we could know for sure if this insect was of the ash or east aegean variety.

thankfully, at this point I was still reading papers. even more thankfully, the ten individuals who seemed to have cornered the market on mediterranean cicada studies since the 1970s made a website, and mentioned it in one of their papers. it is an exceptional, beautifully designed website called cicadasong.eu that evokes the ad-free, uncluttered, cozy and homemade feeling of the early noughties internet. it almost made me cry, and @/pierogish reported that seeing this website made her realize that in all these years recently spent online she had been choking, and only on cicadasong.eu was she finally able to breathe freely. on this website, there happen to be embedded YouTube videos of high quality audio recordings of all the european cicadas its creators have ever studied.

at last! comparisons of cicada songs to Dan commenced, and we were able to play the ash cicada’s sound alongside the east aegean’s and Dan’s. at the top of this post, you will find the compilation of these three sounds. here are the links to the original audio videos of the east aegean and ash cicada.

the main unit of sound—the chirp—of a cicada’s song is known scientifically as an “echeme”. in these audio files, you can perceive that, for the east aegean cicada, the duration of the echeme is longer, meaning the number of echemes per second is lower. this rhythm, and in general the structure of the east aegean cicada’s song was, in comparison to the ash cicada’s, deemed to the ear of all the authors and contributors definitively more similar to dan’s cicada song. thus, this final piece of evidence seemed to complement the rest of our data and confirm our initial assumption of the cicada’s identity.

conclusion

accumulated data has lent support to our hypothesis that the cicadas suffusing the atmosphere of dip and pip’s holiday resort with their ebullient, lascivious songs were east aegean cicadas.

[hutiapendra]

Denizens of The Sunken: Type Wheel, KEMC Diamond, and Habitats

Some researchers have asked what all the graphic icons in our encyclopedia entries mean. The following document should explain them all.

PART 1: THE TYPE WHEEL

The creatures populating the Sunken Island can be classified under ten (eleven) different Types, and five (six) different Cores. This diagram illustrates the relationships between Types and Cores.

The inner wheel contains Cores, the intrinsic origins of a creature. The outer wheel contains Types, the modes of a creature’s existence. Cores have certain Types associated with them, though a creature may deviate from these common links entirely.

Cores:

MUTANT: Life as we know it, twisting and accelerating beyond explanation.

UNDEAD: That which is no longer alive, echoes clinging to this world.

EGREGORE: Collective concepts brought to life, human ideas.

CRAFTED: That which was deliberately built, taking on life of its own.

HAZARD: Life inimical to other life, parasites, forces of nature.

Types:

VERMIN: Beasts. That which scurries, scratches, consumes. The rage of a thousand cornered rats.

WEED: That for which growth and movement are one and the same. Plants. Fungi. Sessile animals.

SHELL: Corporeal undead. Cadavers. Dust. Fossils. Rot. Food.

SOUL: Incorporeal undead. Ghosts, grudges, hauntings. Aftershocks of history.

RUMOR: Beings born from whispers. Legends. Cryptids. Bogeymen. Fear. Uncertainty given flesh.

DOGMA: Beings born from rules. Philosophy. Religion. Information. Code. Conviction given flesh.

MECH: Automata. Mechanical monsters free to self-replicate, free from their origins in human factories.

CHEM: Homunculi. Chemical processes running rampant. Water, salts, fuel, coarse stone, refined crystals.

PHYSIC: Forces of nature. Extreme heat and cold. Storms. Blunt impact. Distant stars. Disasters passively harmful to life.

PLAGUE: Invaders. Parasites. Infections. Consumers from within. Pestilence actively harmful to life.

Blank:

A Type and a Core at the same time, Blank is defined by absence. Some would call this a 'normal' or 'neutral' attribute, but there is nothing normal about a creature devoid of an identity. What little unites these Denizens involves empty vacuums, blistering cold, and unfilled vessels. Blank creatures are rare, and they tend to behave oddly when exposed to other life forms.

-----

PART 2: THE KEMC DIAMOND

Damage varieties:

All Denizens have the ability to inflict harm on others. That includes you, reader. Please familiarize yourself with the risks inherent to field research before going outside to catalogue the wildlife.

KINETIC: Harm inflicted with physical means, such as claws, fists, fangs, or infection. By far the simplest form of danger to understand, but no less deadly.

ENERGY: Harm inflicted by emitting high levels of energy through comparatively small amounts of mass. This may take the form of fire, electricity, radiation, among others.

COGNITIVE: Harm inflicted by assaulting the mind and senses. Creating illusions, manipulating emotions, and altering memories all fall under this category.

METAPHYSICAL: Harm inflicted by locally rewriting the rules of reality. What was fiction a moment ago is now a fact of life, and yesterday's laws of physics are today's fairy tales.

-----

PART 3: HABITATS

The icons above represent the various environments a Denizen may call home. The Sunken Island is very humid and situated well within the tropics, so many habitats such as deserts and glaciers have never been present here. Other icons may be added to the Denizen Encyclopedia if those presented are insufficient.

-----

That should cover everything, for now. If you have any other questions, please direct them my way!

-Dr. Calypso Ceiba, Postdoctoral ecologist for the Denizen Project

[dandysworldhcs]

LET US OUT OF THE CELLAR!!! We want to have lives!!!! Also I’d like some shrimpo hcs please

- 🌈🌸 anon, very much stuck in the basement

No.... you gotta stay in containment.... sorry bro...

Shrimpo... let's see here!

I like to imagine he's roughly based off of a Freshwater Dwarf Shrimp!

This species specifically, I believe, is called either the Crystal Red Shrimp or the Red Bee Shrimp!

2. Freshwater Dwarf Shrimp are most commonly omnivorous! Shrimpo seems like the type to stock up on a lot of protein. You see, I really like fish, so when I get the opportunity to be specific, I seize it! I'm aware Shrimpo is necessarily just a shrimp TAIL, but come on! You can't tell me this little guy wouldn't be an amazing fit for him!

3. Oxygen content and water being at the perfect balance is a really important survival requirement for shrimp, so I like to think he would routinely soak in water for a few hours before heading back out into the oxygen due to this important ratio. He probably denies wanting to go into the water because -- presumably, if non-mains have handlers -- his handler tells him to, and as we know, he is defiant and a hater, but he would actually enjoy the soak.

4. When he sees vegetation in water, like in aquariums, he likely feels oddly reminiscent with no real idea why -- and this is because a lot of the habitats shrimp are found in are filled with dense and diverse vegetation!

5. Shrimp typically have a keen sense of predator avoidance, and considering Shrimpo is a shrimp as well, I like to imagine that he has a very strong sense of what danger lurks nearby, almost like a spidey-sense of sorts!

6. He probably doesn't ACTUALLY hate everyone and everything -- I've seen a lot of neurodivergent Shrimpo headcanons and honestly, I agree. He likely doesn't know how to properly regulate his own emotions or how to express them properly, and I presume he's constantly wondering how and why he manages to be so angered, irritated, or agitated all the time.

7. ^^ Continuation, he also may just have his guard up due to some kind of trauma or unknown reason as well. It's common to lash out at others due to your walls being too far up! He's learning to lower them still... be patient...

8. Hi. This little shrimp guy is so neat to me. Ignore my essay!

[madelynhimegami]

Schezo Wegey Guide

Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that these summations are based on my understanding of the characters, and what I've observed of them within the games. Sometimes, that comes with a little bit of extra analysis and headcanons, which are inherently interpretive. Those headcanons are not to be taken as the Absolute Authority on the characters. These entire guides are not meant to be Absolute Authority. They're about giving a good look at the characters as they're shown to us, based on what I know.

Also, follow-up questions are always welcome.

That out the way,

Schezo Wegey is motivited entirely by a never-ending desire to gain more power. So he says.

First thing's first, let's discuss his accidental double-entendre's. While it's extremely tempting to try to force as many of them as possible in his dialogue (I know I've been guilty of it), he doesn't make those slips that often.

Generally, his freudian slips happen when he's excited, flustered, or irritated. Or in other words, when he's not taking the time to actually think about the words he's saying.

(He is, after all, trying to break the habit) (via practicing his speech to a handmade doll) (that he made himself)

The slip-ups are of greatest effect when he forgets to say a word, or says the right words in the wrong order, or mispronounces something (as opposed to, for instance, saying the word "come" with weird emphasis)

One good example that actually comes from Puzzle Pop (despite how he is in the rest of the game): "If you don't feel capable of doing this yourself, I'd be happy to play with [Carbuncle] myself for this next match."

Most importantly, it's unintentional. That's the whole point.

Amitie (and perhaps Lidelle) doesn't know what the word "creeper" means, but since Arle calls Schezo a creeper, she does too. It's more of an affectionate nickname than an insult, coming from her

Schezo's age is unknown. Granted, most of the cast's exact age is unknown, but Schezo stands out in that there's not a clear frame of reference of how old he is beyond "older than 14 and younger than Satan," which encompasses a rather wide range of possible ages.

Other characters usually address him as a young man-- which is noteworthy, since Satan looks like a young man but is immediately pegged as a geezer.

(Personally, I read him as in his early- to mid-twenties)

A fairly common interpretation (at least in my circles) of his history is that Schezo's mind/personality was corrupted as part of the process of inheriting the power and title of Dark Mage from Runelord.

This corrupted Schezo was the one Arle met at the start of Madou 2: Schezo with a body count, Schezo with minions, Schezo looking to abduct and murder others for the sake of harvesting their magic from them.

This interpretation continues that, thanks to his interactions with the core Madou cast, Schezo eventually overcame the corruption, resulting in the Dark Mage we know now.

Either way, it's a fact that he's not quite the edgey boy he used to be, and is aware of that fact.

He is still interested in becoming powerful, but is significantly less inclined to taking power by force, preferring to instead earn or win it.

But more than that, what he really wants is a life of peace and quiet. He will never get it.

And even more than that, he wants to keep close to Arle, Rulue, Witch, and (to an extent) Satan.

He once admitted to Arle that he needs her in his life. Arle just assumed he was trying to say "I want your power" again.

Perhaps he is scared of succumbing to corruption again in their abscence?

Schezo's preferred habitat is cave.

The cave in Primp Town that he's squatting in is one that used to be frequented by Klug (as seen in Fever 1). It's full of crystals that can be used for magic.

Despite living in a cave, he's still able to cook and bake as he feels a need to. How he manages it is an excellent question.

He adores cuteness and cute critters, but tries to not let it show around others. Acorn frogs, onion pixies, Carbuncle (sometimes), fish-mode Salde, palm-sized elephants, and Amitie's hat (with or without its power) are known subjects that endear him.

He and Witch are close, especially after Schezo saved her grandmother. And then declined to steal her magic immediately afterwords because of her weakened state.

They tend to bicker and/or try to exploit each other when they do bump into each other, however.

Schezo is analytical and observant, able to get accurate reads on people he spends time around when he cares to. It was he that figured out Ringo's fear of ghosts had nothing to do with them being "unscientific."

He also has powerful magic sensing ability, able to accurately detect how much magic power someone or something has on sight.

He can also determine the source of ongoing magical effects, if he's familiar with said sources.

He is able to communicate telepathically with the Dark Sword, though how often they communicate is unknown.

He's only ever silly as a means to an end. Anything beyond that is either an accident or concentrated sarcasm. Usually he has no patience for shenanigans, especially from other people.

He's not very patient about being around other people in general. This is a result of both introversion and social awkwardness (he does not know how to respond to positive interaction in the slightest).

The most likely of the regular cast to complain about the damn kids today (without being one of the damn kids himself).

[greenwitchcrafts]

Mugwort

Artemisia Vulgaris

Known as: Artemis herb, artemisia, artemisia herb, cingulum sancti johannis, felon herb, muggons, naughty man, old man, old uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco & St.John plant

Related plants: A member of the daisy family Asteraceae that consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within it such as chamomile, coneflowers, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, goldenrod, lettuce, marigold & sunflower

Parts used: Leaves & flowers

Habitat & cultivation: Common mugwort is native to Europe and Eastern Asia. Mugwort was brought into North America as early as the 1600’s for medicinal purposes. It spread throughout the Northeastern U.S. as a contaminant on ships and nurseries.

Plant type: Perennial

Region: 3-8

Harvest: The flowering tops of mugwort should be collected once they bloom or right before the blooms open. The leaves of mugwort plants should be collected before the plant flowers. Older leaves & flowers are significantly more bitter

Planting tips: Mugwort seeds can benefit from a special 1 to 2 week treatment called cold moist stratification prior to planting them & need cold weather to break down germination inhibitors. The seeds require light to germinate, so be careful not to cover them when planting. Mugwort does not like to be overwatered & is very drought tolerant. It is also an invasive weed & best kept in a container.

Medicinal information: Historically mugwort has been used in traditional systems of medicine in different parts of the world. Today, mugwort taken orally is promoted for digestive problems, irregular menstruation, and high blood pressure. It is also promoted as a sedative, laxative, anti-inflammatory & liver tonic. Mugwort lotion applied topically can aid in itching caused by hypertrophic scars & When being smoked, it exhibits mild intoxicating properties & strong relaxing properties.

Cautions: Mugwort should not be taken by pregnant people because it may start menstruation and cause the uterus to contract. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use mugwort while chestfeeding. Mugwort might cause an allergic reaction in people with pollen sensitivities

Magickal Properties

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus & Neptune

Element: Earth

Deities: Aida Wedo, Artemis, Diana, Isis, Lakshimi & St.John

Magickal uses:

•Place under your pillow to bringing peaceful sleep, prophetic dreams & aid in astral travel

• Add to incense for cleansing and clearing energy

• Place around scrying tools to increase their energy

• Add to herbal smoke blends to stimulate lucid dreaming, astral travel & visualization

• Make an infusion of mugwort to wash magic mirrors and crystal balls to aid in physic workings

• Burn with Sandalwood or wormwood for scrying rituals

• Carry in a satchets for protection and increasing lust, fertility & preventing back pain

• Throw mugwort in a fire during Midsummer for protection for the following year

• Keep under your doorstep to keep annoying visitors away

• Use in tea before bed to encourage lucid dreaming

• Hang mugwort over or on a door to keep unwelcome energies from passing through

• During a storm or when your life feels threatened by impending dangers, toss into your hearth fire or cauldron to keep you safe

•Wash your hands with a mugwort infusion to increase energy flow before tarot or pendulum readings

Sources:

Farmersalmanac.com

The Herbal Alchemist Handbook by Karen Harrison

The Book of Flower Spells by Cheralyn Darcey

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic by John Michael Greer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

Wikipedia

[zoomzooml]

Concept doodles of The Nine Realms dragons because I fell into spiral with those lmao. I have no idea what to do with Feather so I'm ruling her out for now lmao.

I feel that one of the main problems with D:TNR is that this original dragons are done in one style, dragons from previous series are done in another style and dragons from yet another (Bubblehorn is from some series for really young kids from what I know) are done in yet another style and the creators lump it all together.

And the fact that I'm not fond of The Nine Realms artstyle at all is a private opinion. Mine doesn't rally fit HTTYD universe either but I think it's not hard to translate these design so I hope it works anyway lol

Most important text from pics under the cut:

WU 'N' WEI

I feel like two heads don't work for that dragon but I tried to roll with that.

I give them spinosaurous-like snouts bcuz I wanted to keep it round but non-deformed lookin' (lmao).

Catfish-like whiskers on both jaws and in front of eyes.

Knee bends forwards now (why do they bend backwards in canon design??? I don't understand)

More Zippleback-like legs and body.

I hate their colors and tried to improve it but my brain can't do colors either ಥ_ಥ I feel like it all crashes together...

Personal note: I don't like designs of animals who have colors 50/50 at all but I want them to be recognizable. Color pattern like this feel super unnatural unless it's mutation. Like those birds or butterflies who are half male, half female. It's also my personal headcanon for these two lol

I don't like pattern of their wings bit idk what to give them. I just don't want wings to be solid but different than body color, it just looks kinda awkward??

PLOWHORN

In my opinion, because only her wings are covered in armor they look out of place. Rumblehorns' armor looked more conected to it, because head also looked hard/armored. So I tried to connect her armor to her body a bit more

Horn is no longer made of crystal.

She doesn't grow crystals. Crystals grow on her because of her natural habitat

I give her a bit smaller head

Details of her unique wings. They are still made of skin and bones but folds in more bug-like style

BUBBLEHORN

Bodytype similiar to Terrible Terrors, maybe a bit shorter.

Horns like those of Deadly Nadder.

Eyes like parrots'. Idk why lol

Spikes and scales on legs and tail similiar to those of Night Fury

[sokoneedsagun]

Batfamily mer au

Bruce - Tiger shark

Tiger sharks are generally a solitary species, the coloring fits him (usually grey with darker grey stripes, although the stripes fade as they get older), they’re one of the largest species of shark and just like have you seen Bruce?

Kate - Stingray

Stingrays are actually the closest relatives to sharks, so since Kate is Bruce’s cousin I think it would make sense for her to be something similarly related to sharks while not being a shark herself. Some stingrays have specialized jaws that allow them to crush sculls, and I think that sounds cool for one thing and for another could be kind of fitting considering that Kate has killed. Some stingrays are also able to change color over the course of a few days to adapt to their habitats, so I kind of imagine Kate being a brownish red color or a dark grey, stingrays also tend to be non-aggressive to humans until they’re threatened

Dick - Redtoothed Triggerfish

So first of all the coloring was enough. But these fish also always seem to be grinning which exposes their red teeth, similar to how child Dick would fucking laugh during fights and stuff, something that should be cute but is a little objectively terrifying. They’re also more peaceful than other triggerfish but can become more violent/aggressive with age, they have a special swimming style because of the shape of their fins, many of them are solitary but some of them stay in groups

Barbara - Crystal Jelly

They’re a species of jellyfish create a green fluorescent protein and two different bioluminescent proteins which causes its green-blue coloring (I’m colorblind, that’s how I saw it described), they’re almost entirely transparent and colorless, these jellyfish were the reason a 2008 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded, one of the main reasons I picked jellyfish for Barbra though is that jellyfish don’t swim in a traditional way. The only way a jellyfish can swim is by squeezing the top of their body (the bell) and ejecting water in the opposite direction to push themselves forward, and even with that they’re some of the most efficient swimmers in the entire ocean. And idk, I really like the fact that when dc actually let Barbra be disabled they gave her actual limitations but she still found ways to work with them and still be herself, so in an au like this where it would realistically be a bit harder for her then other batfamily members it kinda made sense to me

Jason - red-tailed black shark

So these actually aren’t sharks at all they’re closer related to carp, but they’re extremely small (Robin!jason?) around 6 inches (16 cm), they’re very territorial and harass other fish when they enter their territory, juveniles tend to be calmer then adults

Cass - Blacktip reef shark

Genuinely one of my favorite sharks. So usually blacktip reef sharks are fairly skittish and avoid humans, but when humans wade into the water near them they do bite, they can be found up to 75 meters deep but usually stay in shallow waters, they’re generally a smaller species of shark and fall prey to things like tiger sharks, but they’re still an apex predator.

Tim - sockeye salmon

They’re a type of mainly red but also green salmon, they can be anywhere from 2 feet long to 2 foot 9, most sockeye salmon start out in freshwater as children before going to the ocean, then once again returning to freshwater as adults (so maybe Tim meeting the rest of the batfamily while going to the ocean and just staying)

Stephanie - Purple Tang

Just the color was enough to pick this for Steph, but some other reasons: younger purple tang are described as “cryptic” and tend to hide a lot which reminds me of the very beginnings of spoiler, while they can be generally peaceful others can be aggressive and territorial, and they’re very active fish

Duke - Pacific sea nettle

It was so hard to find a bioluminescent yellow jellyfish./lh they have a golden bell (kind of like the head) and can grow to be up to a meter, their carnivorous and use their tentacles and toxins to find food, and produce bioluminescent glow that lights up their tenticals

Damian - Spiny Dogfish

So despite the name this is actually a type of shark (I thought it would make sense for Damian to be a shark since Bruce is), they have two spines and there’s actually a comic series that gave Damian a replacement spine (we don’t talk about why. I’m only using the information for my benefit.), the spines are used defensively and they can arch their backs to pierce whatever is holding them and also make a venom, they hunt in packs up to a thousand and are very aggressive hunters (league maybe?)

I’m not actually (probably) writing a fic or anything about this, but if you are, feel free to use some of these!

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Dratini, perhaps? I love that blue noodle...!

Unlike many dragon-type pokémon, keeping a dratini as a pet is feasible. Maybe not recommended for beginners, and most certainly far from convenient, but possible. That is, if you possibly have the space!

While they are pretty thin with their worm-like physique, dratini can get pretty dang long. On average, fully-grown dratini average at nearly six feet, but some have been said to surpass that by another half foot if properly cared for (FireRed). This would certainly be something that many pet owners would have to adapt to, but many people care for large snakes with little problem, and dratini could most likely make themselves comfortable coiled up in whatever space is available to them. Thankfully, these pokémon are quite light and not very strong (Ultra Sun), so handling them isn’t too much of a challenge outside of volume.

Here’s the thing though: the habitats that wild dratini make their homes in aren’t very easy to replicate in the home, which makes this a pokémon with some pretty rough ease-of-care. Wild dratini make their home beneath rapidly-flowing waterfalls in order to protect them from predators while they grow (Crystal). I will point out, however, that a normal pool of water might suffice if the dratini feels safe and secure. Regardless, you will need to invest in a watery habitat for your dratini to spend at least some of their time in, which could be cost-prohibitive for owners who don’t already have such a resource on-hand. As a note: handling a dratini in the water is much more difficult then on land due to their impressive swimming strength, besting fishermen for hours in the wild (Moon), so you will definitely want to invest in training for if you need to move your dratini out of this area for whatever reason.

If you are one who is grossed out by animals that shed their skin, you’ll definitely want to look elsewhere. As the first stage of a three-part evolution line, dratini lifestyle is all based around growth: a healthy, growing dratini will be filled with energy and will shed their skin entirely numerous times in their life, or even nearly on a daily basis (Silver, Gold, Ultra Moon). Despite the energy building up within them, driving their growth, dratini live a very low-key lifestyle. They aren’t picky about their food, and spend most of their time quietly going about their day (Ultra Sun). If you’re looking for a playful, personable pokémon, a dratini might not be for you, but those who enjoy the presence of their pet with no action-oriented strings attached may find them a lovely companion.

Thankfully, living such a low-key lifestyle, dratini aren’t very aggressive. This is critical considering some of the concerning moves that they can use. From paralyzing rays like Thunder Wave to draconic maneuvers like Dragon Rush and Outrage, dratini can really pack a punch. Safely keeping a dratini would require a keen awareness of their mood and body language, especially when in the water with them.

Overall, keeping a dratini could be entirely feasible for someone experienced with high-maintenance, high cost pets. Experts in handling dragon-types would find dratini a breeze, while newbie owners may struggle to meet their needs and may find themselves in danger if their pet ever lashes out. I will leave the pet-worthiness of this species to the potential owner’s discretion.

As a bit of a post-ranking note, though: adopting a dratini is notoriously difficult and expensive, which may also be a good reason to look at other species first. Dratini are so exceptionally rare, earning them the nickname of “Mirage Pokémon” due to their low numbers (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum) cause by both their limited habitats and the financial value of their shed skins (Sun).

[proton-wobbler]

Great Backyard Bird Off - Europe (poll 8)

Bird Info & Submission Reasons

Common Wood-pigeon (Columba palumbus)

"coo COO coo. coo coo.COO COO COO! Coo coo."

"COO COO COO! Coo coo."

Distinctive, large bulky gray pigeon with a pale neck patch (lacking on juvenile in late summer–autumn). Neck patch is large and white throughout majority of range, but birds in Azores, Madeira, and much of western Asia have smaller, tan-colored patches. Bold white wing band striking in flight; tail broadly tipped black. Inhabits wooded and semiopen habitats, including towns and gardens. Forms flocks, especially in winter. Often rather unaware, and frequently crashes noisily and clumsily out of hedges and bushes. Display flight consists of a flap-flap-flap climb followed by a descending glide. Gives a low, throaty series of coos: “hrrruu-hoo-who-who.” (eBird)

also found in: portions of western Asia and north Africa

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

"Such a colorful fellow, I especially love the vivid yellow streak on their wings"

"because they're colourful"

"they are cute and funny"

"They're little guys who fly around and sit on the TB aerials and they sound so beautiful, they make me think of magical crystals"

also found in: northern Africa, portions of the Americas, and Oceania

Image Sources: Pigeon (James Kennerley), Goldfinch (David Irving)

Areas which are italicized represent the non-native range of the species. Whether introduced on purpose on or accident, these species may have become invasive in this range. Despite their potential impact on native wildlife, please do not leave disparaging comments on these polls. Their purpose is to celebrate people's love of these species.

[crystal-moon-101]

Species: Semiesis Homeplanet: Gathmadiemperuidhiopazai Life-Span: 300 - 450 Habitat: Mountains, Caves, Valleys, Oceans, Lakes Diet: Mana/Photosynthesis Breeding: Magical Reproduction

Sexual Dimorphism: Due to their shapeshifting abilities, a semiesis’s body can look however they want. Some stick to a base design for the rest of their lives, while others are constantly changing up their looks. However, their eye shards can’t be morphed, with females having four and males having three.

Males are white/greyish in colour, while females come in soft colours of any kind. Children are born living in a geode like rock until they are big enough to leave.

Behaviour/Bio: The Semiesis come from a rather complicated background regarding their homeworld, Gathmadiemperuidhiopazai, in that it is both socially and literally fractured. Many years ago there were three siblings, Iomddan the oldest, Pedtroi the middle, and Aztpo the youngest. The three had apparently united their world and created quite the progression in the realm of magic to help build up their land, even historical records on other planets mention the kind of power that backed up this species once.

However, things changed when the siblings apparently had a falling out of some kind, one that led to a drastic and destruction war, splitting the world into three factions. The modern day Semiesis do not know why such an event transpired, calling it the War Of Zuiveren, and many records of what transpired have been lost to time. Any person you ask has a different tale to tell on what they think happened between the three siblings, and how it all ended, for no one was there to witness what became of the three rulers, or at least survived to tell the tale. The last known whereabouts of the three was them confronting each other in a last ditch effort to finally figure out who was coming out on top with their goals and ideals.

Next thing anyone knew, a massive mana snap in reality was caused, magic twisting the planet before breaking it into pieces, only able to stay closely floating to each other thanks to the inhabitants using magic to mend what they could. Now Gathmadiemperuidhiopazai is broken chunks floating around what they call the Nova Geode, the centre of the planet that has been corrupted by whatever the siblings did during their fight. It’s a location no one can go too, due to how unstable reality is within it. Theories suggest you wouldn’t die, but you would be subjected to a life of chaos as the world around you always shifted and never stopped being so loud.

The legacy of the siblings has lived on though, mostly due to people still fighting over what each one believed in, concluding to their own stories on what happened. Followers of Iomddan present a path of order, as he had been a very scholarly man who seeked to rule his land under one title, listing out many strict rules to abide by to keep everyone safe. Followers of Pedtroi present a path of hunting, as she intended to take her people across the galaxy to branch out and create new colonies, forming many groups under one banner. Followers of Aztpo present a path of recreation, as he believed their people should explore a world of culture and arts, and a more carefree life that embraced the unknown and chaos. There are many other groups as well that follow their own path away from the siblings, but these three groups dominate Gathmadiemperuidhiopazai.

Because of how the planet looks and how the locals behave, not many like to visit them, but talking to them outside of Gathmadiemperuidhiopazai can be nice. There have been plenty who left their homeworld due to the state of it, so it is not a strange sight to see one wandering about on space stations, often taking a spiritual journey to make sense of who they are, and who their people are.

Abilities:

Crystal Shapeshifting - The Semiesis can freely manipulate and shapeshift their body to have any proportion they desire, whether that is to have five legs, a crown like pattern of crystals, or spiky beyond belief. It’s not common for two Semiesis to look exactly the same. They do have limitations with sizing, but it is incredible the kind of designs they can come up with.

Magic User - They have natural magic within their body, and thus are able to be spellcasters and sense mana around them. How strong they are as a spellcaster though is highly dependent on the individual, and not everyone is a golden protege of magic.

Crystal Body - They are made of a high durable crystal substance that is very hard to break. It can also be very sharp, many able to use their bodies like blades.

Multi-Directional Vision - They are able to float their eyes around in a manner that lets them see in different directions at the same time. It’s natural for them to shift around an eye or two when having a conversation with someone.

Magic Bounce - With the right training, they have the ability to reflect magic back at people with the use of their crystals and own mana to act like a mirror. Though they are not immune to magic, and it is a skill that can be fumbled.

Oxygen Independence - They do not require air, and thus can live or wander environments that most others would require oxygen to breathe in, such as underwater or space.

Regeneration - While not instant, they can heal on their own over time. Though there have been cases where very severe breaks and cracks may not grow back cleanly.

Weaknesses: They have a limit to how far parts of them can float away from them, and aren’t able to fire off crystals like a projectile. People have been able to steal their eyes to blind them during fights. Depending how complex a shape is they wish to take, it may take time or some thinking to get right. Anti-magic can harm them or work against their spells. If their mana is being taken away, their bodies will start to malfunction.

[insert-something-funy-here]

MUEHEHEHE >:)

CHAT IT'S SILLIES TIME!!!!

For those who didn't see before I deleted it, sometime ago, I made a post about an idea for an AU I have where Biograft is sentient enough for Medkit leaving Blackrock to affect him (and on top of that, that's how he discovers his own sentience). I spent a couple hours writing cus I got inspired! Biograft doesn't yet realize he's sentient, so I think (if people like thus enough) I'll make a pt2 to this cus I have ideas for where this could go!! (Tbh, I'll probably do it regardless of if people like it or not, but still!!!)

Edit: Am in fact making this a series

This is the start || Part 2

An error. A simple miscalculation. Making breakfast for two, when there was only one here who could eat. Opening the door to an empty, and uncharacteristically clear room. No phighter for me to wake. Green flowers at the bedside now wilting from missing… from his absence. It was odd how he would “heal,” them every other morning. I don't have such an ability, being created for the opposite of healing. Most iterations of me anyway.

I should throw those away before they begin to rot. It’s been a week now. Or I could leave them. Perhaps after such long-term exposure to his crystal, they will last longer than regular flowers. That’s all this is, testing a hypothesis. I can leave them a little longer, just to see the results.

New connections have started forming in my programming. One of me was out collecting materials for Subspace, and I saw those flowers again. When I saw them, what came to mind wasn’t any data about it, not its place of origin, ideal habitat, or its potential uses, but the memory of seeing Medkit reverse the effects of time on the ones he kept. Yet another odd error.

I asked Subspace to help me troubleshoot these recent errors. We came to the same conclusion of there being something in my software. He checked, said that my algorithms had been evolving rapidly and creating a new type of data, which could have been overwhelming the system and causing these errors. But what caused that spike in complexity? The only thing to have changed recently outside of myself is that his presence is no longer here. Subspace hasn’t given me any new updates, and such drastic change has never happened without Subspace’s intervention before. There is no reason for me to have change unless my creator requests it or it is within his benefit for me to do so on my own time. This isn’t benefiting anyone, so why is it happening? And why didn’t Subspace fix me?

He said even though he himself had no idea of the catalyst of these changes, with refinement, they gave the opportunity to lead wonderful new breakthroughs. Yet I find myself still unable to understand, which only in turn creates further lack of understanding. How am I unable to see what it is my creator wants from me? Why don’t I understand the results he wishes for?

Why do I ask and hesitate now instead of proceeding onward as I always have?

What makes life?

The definition I was programmed with was, “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.”

Am I alive?

I fit 2.5 of the important descriptors. I have the capacity for artificial change and growth (but it is not continual) and functional activity. I have the ability to die. To its simplest point, is living not just the absence of death?

Perhaps I mean to ask if I have sentience?

Is there a difference between chemical and code if they both have the potential to react irrationally to stimulus, be it internal or external?

Could this metal exterior be made metaphorical flesh?

One of me was out at the Crossroads today. I saw him, yet I did not attack. He is a wanted traitor, and I had the opportunity to pursue him, yet I didn’t. He saw me, and he didn’t run, even though he should have.

When I saw him, I thought of those flowers again. It’s been a month now. They’ve dried out but haven’t rotted yet. I should’ve thrown those away the same way I should’ve gone after him, without hesitation.

For some reason, part of me wanted to follow him, not to bring him back, but to see how he is now. Perhaps he would be able to explain why I’ve changed. What a strange hypothesis. Perhaps one worth further investigation.

It’s happened a few more times now. It’s been 4 months since his leave. Every time I see him, I act as though I haven't. I believe he’s caught on that I do it on purpose. I don’t know why I have this inability to approach him first. I think this “test” ends here. How unsatisfactory, with no results to show for it.

Is this cowardice? I think I better understand the concept outside of its definition now.

He stopped me as I went to leave this time. He pulled me aside into a nearby alley. Why? We stared at one another in an uncomfortable silence. Could silence be comfortable?

He asked me what I was doing. I asked him to clarify. He asked why I hadn’t been trying to go after him whenever Subspace wasn't around. I had no response. I moved on and told him something within me changed, but I couldn’t figure out what. He seemed confused but told me to continue. I told him about the errors, some of my questions, and about the flowers.

Something in the way he looked at me changed. He understood something about me that I did not. I couldn’t recognize what it was he held towards me with his gaze, but he stepped closer, and I let him

Innocent hands, covered in blood, not mine or its own, that wished to hold onto me. Sorrow grips us both.

I flew away to a false sky before my wings could be fully clipped, but left you, a fish in a bird cage. I can't take you to the water, but let me bring you drops of the sea.

“Even you need to rest and grieve… I missed you too.”

New ideas I had yet to understand.

I felt his arms wrap around me and an intense sensation rushed through me, it wore at me, as the waves do to a coastline, until I was left with nothing but the soothing sounds of the ocean.