#Definitely my favorite species of duck

[gettingacquaintedwiththesky]

This is me finally having the courage/internet/executive function to post my art, so enjoy this Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis). She's traced from my own photograph of a 3+ year old female.

[revelboo]

Has anyone told you today you are one of the best blogs to be found this side of the sun? Cause you sure as hell are. Also I cry every time at TFP Starscream being called a "turkey" cause omg he looks like one 😂 (thats also a nickname I got a lot as a kid xD A varient of "goober" lol) Also glad you are starting to upload some of these to Ao3 cause tumblr can be kinda hard to find things on xD especially with longer things. Also as a Optimus lad im falling over myself for you OP stuff, I eat everyting up between Op stuff and eagerly await TFA Op again (whenever you get the vibe to at least)

He’s definitely one of my favorite iterations of Optimus! Still serious, but not as jaded and so burned out, much more willing to smile still

Broken Heart Pt 3

TFA Optimus x Reader

• Always uncomfortable picking up and carrying Sari because of how fragile she is, you're no better. Can feel your heart beating against his servos, but where Sari is bold and fearless, you're less certain and almost timid in his hands. Glancing up at his face again and again as he carries you cradled to his chassis. Do you feel pressured to go with him? Is that it? He hadn't meant to make you feel like you had no choice. "Are you sure you don't need a human medic?" Reaching a servo to touch your forehead and the little cut there, he’s uncomfortably aware of the discolored spots appearing on your skin. Bruises Sari had called them and these are his fault. Unable to protect you from his own hands.

• Shaking your head, you're not sure if it's because he saved you from that other one or if it's his deep, soothing voice, but you feel safe with him. “You saved my life,” tell him, cautiously resting a palm against his chassis when he looks down at you. “I- thank you,” you finish awkwardly, hating how inadequate those words are. He could have saved himself, not risked his own life to try and protect you, a complete stranger not even his own species. He’d been hurt for you. And nothing you do can ever be enough to repay him for that.

• You’re thanking him? Don’t you realize Blitzwing only attacked because of him? If anything, you should hate him. He should be begging you to forgive him for endangering you, but the words fail him when you rest your head against his chassis. And you’re so small in his servos, warm and needing him in a way Sari rarely does with so many other protectors who are better at talking to her. Connecting and understanding her. “You never need to thank me for keeping you safe.” Aware of Bulkhead watching the interaction, he vents softly. Because no matter what he does, there’s always going to be that guilt that you were in danger because of him and he wants so bad to make it right.

• Relaxing into those big hands, exhaustion is all that’s left after the fear and adrenaline slip from you. Just want to curl up and rest. Maybe have a good cry somewhere safe. And even though you have no idea where he’s taking you, you’re strangely sure it is a safe place. That there’s nowhere safer than in his hands. When he approaches the old building, it doesn’t look that impressive as the green one slides open the big hangar style door so they both can duck inside. And then your heart is racing again. There’s more of them, see their optics widen when they spot you before a red and white one hurries over. From somewhere further inside the building, you can smell chili cooking and your stomach growls. “What happened?” The red and white one snarls as the big, green alien heads deeper into the building and you hear him talking to someone, saying, “You came back.”

• “The Decepticons happened,” he says, attention sliding from Ratchet to you as you try to hide your face against him as if uneasy with the other’s curiosity. “It’s alright. They’re friends,” he adds, trying to reassure you as you glance up at him. Looking to him for protection and it spreads warm through his spark. Wants to be worthy of your trust, to be your protector to make up for endangering you to begin with. Shifting you against him, he introduces himself and his fellow Autobots, smiling when you softly offer your own name.

Previous

Next

[nitewrighter]

Snow White and the Fae Co-Op

Part One: I Didn't Vote For You

Okay so like--

I get why people thought we were all dwarves. Or made us all dwarves. Something between that. Collaborative storytelling what have you. It makes things significantly simpler, and it's a much punchier title than "Snow White and the Troll, the Redcap, the Púca, and four gnomes." (Of course I get top billing--I was her favorite.) And, okay, yeah, none of us came up past Snow's ribcage. Understandable.

But still it's like one of those things you don't want to start correcting people on it because you know you're going to spend the rest of your life correcting and concordantly explaining shit to people. But now it's like, you're pissed when we are dwarves, you're pissed when we're not dwarves, seriously! Pick a lane!

But okay, it seems everyone's pissed about this right now, so let's get pedantic.

We aren't sexy fairies.

Okay I didn't start that out right.

I guess it's easiest to explain this as... think of the ocean. So like, there are the scary sexy fairies who have the whole Succession/Bridgerton/White Lotus Fae Court thing going and they turn you into a deer and hunt you for sport, that's the Deep End. Then you have humans. Humans, in this metaphor, are land.

Me and my guys? We're tide pools.

A lot of stories are all like "Ougggh the magic is dying from this world ouggghhh the old ruined kingdoms" but in my opinion I think that's overall a case of Immortals Being Very Weird About Change In General. Like the tide, magic in this world rises and falls, and in the course of that you end up with this kind of hardy subgroup of fae who can survive in both High-Fae and High-Human environments. We're kind of our own ecosystem, but we're also kind of intermediaries between the Deep End Fae Court and the humans. We actually tend to broker a lot of more like, working class deals between the magical world and the human world. Maybe we get compared to the mob a lot. Whatever.

I'm getting into the weeds. This story isn't about me and the guys. This is about our girl, Snow. And trust me, I'm old as balls so before you get all 'Oh, one girl and seven guys? wHAt waS gOinG oN tHeRE?" (And you're absolutely disgusting for that, by the way). You need to understand that, on a species level, Snow was basically like keeping a very beautiful (albeit kind of bossy) sentient duck in the house. We loved our beautiful sentient duck and were impressed by the many talents of the beautiful sentient duck. No one desired the beautiful sentient duck on a romantic or physical level because, one, romantic and sexual desire for our subgroup of fae is very tedious, nuanced, and species-specific, and two, she was a duck. I mean she wasn't a duck, she was a human, but for us that's basically like being a sentient duck. All of those shitty "One girl seven guys" jokes I can definitely say are a result of human projection. Like again, you need to understand that my guys and me have basically gone through Magic Carcinization.

Again, I'm getting into the weeds.

All you need to know about Snow is that she broke into our house, she scares the shit out of us, and we would kill for her.

Okay you should probably know more than that.

Okay, so remember like 12 seconds ago when I said me and my guys are more of the working-class brokers between humans and Fae? And remember that Deep End I mentioned earlier? So like, the Deep End does deal with humans, but that tilts heavily into the 'Royalty and Miracles' side of things. Swords in stones. Swords in lakes. A fish that gives you all of the cosmic secrets of the universe when you eat it. That kind of stuff. That's kind of where Snow came from. She's a Fae weapon forged in a human womb. Hence why she scared the shit out of us.

How do I start this properly?

Once upon a time there were three human kingdoms. An icy kingdom in the north, a temperate kingdom in the west, and a, let's be real, damp kingdom in the east. Icy Kingdom had a queen, a beautiful queen, and the Deep End of the Fae love beautiful things. Beautiful Queen wanted more, and she made a deal with the Deep End of the Fae. She gave them her heart, and they give her a mirror that gives her sight beyond sight, and she used that to conquer Damp Kingdom in the East. They fought, but she could predict every one of their strategies with her mirror, all she needed to do was ask the mirror what this general is doing, or that Lord is doing, and bing-bang-boom, she took Damp Kingdom in a matter of months. And for good measure she took their baby boy prince, a pretty but frankly useless boy who, as the years went on and he grew, she largely kept for cup-bearing and harp-playing and decoration and also threatening to cut the head off of if Damp Kingdom ever stepped out of line. Because Damp Kingdom loved their pretty pretty baby boy prince as the last remnant of their royal bloodline, they were now thoroughly cowed.

So now the Queen turned her eyes to the Temperate Kingdom.

And this is when the Deep End Fae were like, "Hey okay you've conquered a neighboring kingdom, which we don't super-care-about for nebulous Fae Reasons, but for equally nebulous Fae Reasons, we don't want you to conquer Temperate Kingdom."

And the Queen was like, "Whatever."

And the Deep End Fae were like "Okay, then here's the part where we use that previous thing you gave us against you." And they tried to use her heart against her, but basically the Queen used the Mirror to circumvent the heart magic through a whole bunch of... jury-rigged alchemy shit? I don't know. This stuff was already way out of my pay grade. But what I do know is, the Deep End Fae realized they couldn't use the Evil Queen's previous deal as a failsafe against her, so they needed a new approach to stop her.

Temperate Kingdom was ruled by a kind king and queen. They also didn't want to be conquered, but things weren't looking good. Their capital city was under siege. The Kind Queen was pregnant and ready to pop--scratch that, currently popping. The king was mortally wounded while defending said Capital City. They dragged the mortally wounded king back to the bailey and he's all delirious ranting about his wife and the not-yet baby.

And then a figure in a mossy cloak appeared. They loomed over the mortally wounded king and they said very gently "Your blood will outlast you. Do you permit our assistance in this? Do you permit the cost?"

And the king was dying and he only understood like 40% of what was going on right now. He knew what was talking to him right now wasn't human. He knew you don't refuse a gift from the Fae. And he knew he was kind of safely in the 'fucked-up miracle' territory of Fae gifts though he didn't really understand the full extent of what that meant (and that's fair--no one does). He kind of assumed it would just be his own life as the cost of whatever the hell was happening here. So he's bleeding out and he nods. "If it will preserve the Kingdom," he says, "If it will save our child."

So we cut to the queen. The royal birthing is... okay it's going rough. Giving birth under siege will do that to you. In ideal circumstances you would have this hardcore butch midwife stick most of her forearm up the birth canal to reposition the baby and both the mother and child would live but... you didn't have that here. Instead, once more, the figure in the mossy cloak loomed over the Queen as she screamed through agonizing contraction after contraction. They touched two fingers to the queen's forehead and they gave her a flood of visions. Snow. Fire. Blood. Blackened earth. A little sapling growing from the body of a great and noble felled tree. And she looked to the figure in the mossy cloak. And she saw their face was kind.

The kind queen died in childbirth as the Evil Queen's forces overtook the capital city. The king was dead before he knew what deal he had made. The Evil Queen and her troops marched into the grand hall, only to see a figure in a mossy cloak seated on a little stool next to a wooden bassinet. The Evil Queen made that anime villain snort-scoff sound.

"So kind of you to offer your blessing in my victory," she said.

"This is not a blessing we offer," said the figure in a mossy cloak, "You have abused the gift given in our previous trade. The trust between us is breached. We now give you back that which you gave us. All you have won for yourself will rot. And as with all rot, new and rightful life will spring from it."

And the Evil Queen almost laughed at this at first, again, like "Whatever," but then after a few seconds she begins to do the math. In exchange for a mirror that gave her sight beyond sight, she gave the fae her heart, and then she jury-rigged a whole bunch of magical alchemical bullshit to protect herself from basically being shackled to the fae's will through her heart, because hey, if you can, that's what you do.

But what happens if your heart is no longer your heart?

What happens if the Fae bind your heart to someone else?

What happens if your heart is now wrapped in different royal blood from the kingdom the Fae told you specifically you're not supposed to conquer?

And that was Snow.

The most beautiful, weirdest, most uncanny-ass baby you've ever seen. AND she had that weird undercooked look all human babies have. A semi-formed little beast. Can you imagine looking at an infant and knowing it's going to burn down everything you've ever built? Can you imagine knowing that trying to smother this threat in its crib will burn everything down, too?

But you think, "It's okay. I can manage this. Plants can be molded in to bonsai and topiary. I can shape this to suit my needs, too. It just takes care. It just takes maintenance."

And that's when Evil Queen declares, "As a symbol of healing between our kingdoms, I will raise this child as my own." And she gives a sharp glance to the figure in the mossy cloak, and they give an assenting motion with their... probably head? Probably.

And she awkwardly takes up the baby in the crook of her arm. Wow awesome, she already has an amazing propaganda tool. There's no way this is going to backfire on her in like... 17 or 18 years.

Except you know it will. Because this is the "Fucked up miracles" side of shit we're talking about. And the Evil Queen is not on the side of miracles.

Fucking hell, that's all a mouthful, and Snow hasn't even met us yet! Look, I'm gonna take a smoke break and I'll get back to you in a minute, okay?

[that1valiantcougar]

Prompt #4 for the Kakairu Maze Challenge 2024

✅BOTW AU

This one is definitely a niche, but Breath of the Wild is one of my all-time favorite games! I've actually written a little story to go along with the piece, which I will paste down here;

In this moment, there is nothing else but the cool, undulating water over his skin and the fresh taste of the nature-rich air. This pool is deep enough to swim in comfortably, even at his six foot stature, and more or less isolated from the rest of the bustling Zora’s domain. As of late, several refugees have been seeking asylum behind their waterfalls. That in it of itself isn’t bad. In fact, Iruka is happy that other species trust the Zora so much that they are willing to come to them at their most vulnerable. No, that’s not the issue.

The issue is how loud it is on an almost constant basis. Zora’s domain is all slick stone and crystalline structures, so every sound, every splash, echoes and bounces throughout the entire palace. Iruka himself is a loud individual. But that’s only when he has to be! Which has been all the more frequent nowadays. His throat is sore, his nerves are shot and he really just wanted to take the time to retreat from that busy environment and relax, ignoring the fact that a war is brewing.

He swims around in the pool for what feels like hours, diving under and searching the mucky bed and closely examining the wildlife who come to drink. He’d even managed to see a Blupee with his stealth. The sunlight dapples the surface of the water in spots of white and pale yellow, the beginnings of high morning light. Iruka floats on his back and stares at those gaps in the trees, squinting.

A glint, near the edge of the pond catches his eye. It's a flare, much brighter than the other beams of light, and he curiously swims closer to the source. When he gets close enough, the glare diminishes. Among the gently flowing algae and plant life rests a long blade. The hilt is resting downwards, which is odd. If someone had thrown the sword, you’d think it would’ve fallen hilt up, since the blade is heavier.

Iruka gingerly picks it up, and is surprised by how heavy it is. Whoever dropped this must be impressively strong– it’s a one-handed sword. The engravings are hidden by muck and what appears to be blood, coagulated around the steel. What can be made out is the unmistakable insignia of the crying Sheikah eye.

Dread fills Iruka’s stomach. If a Sheikah had been taken out this close to the Zora domain, is this zone perhaps more dangerous than he’d thought? But no, that wouldn’t make sense either. The wildlife in this part appears so serene and peaceful. If Bokoblins or Lizalfos were around, they wouldn’t be here.

A look ahead and Iruka notices that this pond isn’t actually a pond. It’s part of a stream, one that continues mostly underground, but pokes above the surface further into the forest. With a steadying breath, Iruka climbs out of his safe haven, sword laid on the surface, and follows the stream. The first few paces, nothing is noticeably amiss. The water underfoot is clearly spring-fed, chilly, and downright freezing to non-Zora. But as he continues his short journey, he notices bits of fabric. And then marks in the trees. And then, eventually, blood. Smeared on trunks, puddled along the stream, barely distinguishable from the dark dirt, but unmistakably tangy in the air.

The stream unexpectedly opens up into another pool, this one possibly even deeper and wider than the one Iruka had been in. He has to duck under tree branches to get to it. And that’s where he finds him.

A Sheikah soldier, face down in the water, half-submerged and staining the water a dark wine. Without rational thought, Iruka jumps into the water and grabs the sinking soldier. Iruka’s entire hand wraps around his bicep easily, and he flips him over. The man’s face is ashen, and the characteristic mask is in tatters, barely clinging to his face. With it soaked through, the man couldn’t have had an easy time breathing. Iruka sends a brief apology to the man, even muttering one, before slipping the mask down to pool around his neck along with the remaining wraps. His face is beautiful and elegant, and if he hadn’t been wearing the Sheikah armor, Iruka would probably assume he was royalty of some kind. He certainly looks like it.

Get it together Iruka! This man is dying!

Right. Iruka carefully swims out of the pool backwards, guiding the body in front of him. He makes sure to use one hand to hold the man’s face above water, even though there’s a probable chance the man’s lungs are already full of water. The clouds of blood following from the body nearly choke Iruka, gills quivering in rejection.

On the surface, Iruka situates the man on his back, and no longer hidden by the cloudy plant matter, Iruka can see just how many injuries the man has sustained. His gut is nearly torn open by a deep gash, and several lacerations decorate his limbs, and there’s a deep bruise blossoming on his temple underneath his plastered bangs.

If this man wasn’t going to die from water inhalation, he was definitely going to die of blood loss. Hopefully the water was cold enough to staunch most of the blood flow. If only Princess Tsunade was back in the domain…

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Iruka will just have to make-do with the low-level healing ability he had. It’s not the best, not even particularly good, and he isn’t sure how a Hylian’s body will react to the magic, but he has to at least try.

He takes a breath and holds his hands over the large gash in the man’s torso. That one is most pressing, and will take a large portion of Iruka’s magic, he can feel it. Regardless, Iruka pushes his energy forwards, and feels as the man’s own aura tentatively retreats for a moment before brushing against Iruka’s own. The invisible tendrils curl around Iruka’s magic, and the experience is edging on the side of intimate. It's a feeling Iruka has never felt before, like someone reaching back to touch his very soul. The man’s magic is so strong, unlike most Hylians. And it sparks as if in slow motion, like sun flares jumping away from the sun and into the abyss of space.

Suddenly, like the punch of a rainbow shrimp, their magic interlocks together, and Iruka is nearly pulled downwards with the force that the man’s energy yanks his own into his body. The gash on his stomach closes up before his very eyes, and his still chest begins spasming. Water trickles out of the corner of his mouth.

Ah, his lungs were probably still full of water. Iruka leaves one hand hovering above the man’s chest, not wanting to break this strange, deep connection– one much too intimate for strangers, but that’s something Iruka will ponder later, when this man isn’t about to succumb– and uses the other to push the man onto his side.

The man gags and water comes gushing out of his mouth and nose. Several heaves later, and the man stills, with what Iruka can only guess to be his entire lung capacity worth of water coloring the soil in front of him dark. Sluggishly, the man turns his trembling head to look up at Iruka.

Their eyes meet, two yellow, one dark gray, the other a shocking red, and a shiver races up Iruka’s spine. Moments pass, and they stare at each other, meanwhile, more of Iruka’s magic is flowing into the man, and in turn, trickles of the man’s magic make their way into his system. Everything stops when the man rolls back onto his back and passes out. Their connection is severed and Iruka falls backwards, away from the man, gills heaving with fatigue and shock.

What was that?

[galaxies-and-gore]

Twst OC Bio: Victor Callahan

Time for some more RSA ocs! I've been stuck on this one for a while because I couldn't come up with a name I was happy with. I might change it in the future.

Basics:

Name: Victor Callahan

Birthday: June 12th

Age: 18

Dominant Hand: Right

Unique Magic: Hindsight (He can briefly see into the immediate future. The catch is that the more this is used, the more unreliable it becomes due to all the possible futures blending together.)

School:

Grade: 3rd year

Club: Fencing

Best Subject: History

Preferences:

Hobbies: Collecting knives, testing random potions

Pet Peeves: His intrusive thoughts

Favorite Food: Lemon cake

Least Favorite Food: Onions

Talent: Can tell the difference between almost identical shades of a color

Misc:

Species: Human

Based On: The White Queen

Likes: Ducks, plushies

Dislikes: Dogs, overwhelming smells

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Aroace

Hair: White

Eyes: Greenish brown

Rambling:

Okay this is going to be a long ramble because I have a lot to say. This was another of my very early twst oc ideas that I never did anything with at first. I think around a year ago, I saw that an artist that I admire draw their version of the white queen in twst and I had to try to make a character from the same inspiration. The reason that I'm still not happy with his name is just that I put a lot of thought and meaning / symbolism into my characters' names. I wanted his initials to be "V" and "C" because of the vorpal sword and because of Lewis Carroll. This was the best combination that I've come up with so far, but I'll almost definitely change it if I think of something better. The vorpal sword is also the inspiration behind Victor enjoying collecting knives, and the scene in the 2010 movie where the white queen makes a potion to return Alice to normal size is the inspiration behind the random potion making and testing. Except Victor has no method behind the madness. He just throws whatever he has into a caldron and so be whatever happens. He lost his right arm in an accident when he was very little and has a prosthetic arm that looks like blue and white porcelain (I'm going to add an image of what I mean at the end). Victor is also albino. I have a hair style that I think suits him, but I have no idea what it's called. I'll put this first in the images, and I'd be grateful if someone could tell me what it's called. I'm trying to learn about black hair and hairstyles so I can properly draw some of my characters, but I'm still far from knowledgeable. As far as clothing ideas go, I really want to lean in to the impractical doll clothes vibe with his dorm leader outfit, there's also a little bit of a carnival vibe but Idk how to properly express what I mean. I found an image of doll shoes on Pinterest while looking for inspiration and I love them so much and I'm definitely making the part of his outfit. The heel of the shoe is an hourglass and I'm so obsessed with that design. Well I though that I'd have more time to talk, but I don't so I'm cutting myself off here.

Here's the hairstyle, porcelain, and doll shoes I was talking about (all of these are from Pinterest):

[yourbestpalpercy]

I barely know anything about this game so please just humor me and let me tell you about my headcanons.

Duck Shuffler is a biter/has been tempted into biting someone at least once. Those teeth are too sharp to have not bitten someone even once!!

Flint likes reading from time to time, he’s just usually busy with his job.

Chip sounds like Red Guy. …He reminds me of him if it wasn’t obvious.

Thinker (I think his name is??) corrects people constantly. Just a good ol’

“Dolphins are so cute! Definitely my favorite species!”

“Erm, actually, Dolphins are menaces of the sea. They [goes off on explaining all the horrid things dolphins do].”

Humans can slip into ToonTown (resulting in them becoming a toon or a cog) and this comes from a time when I was younger where I could’ve sworn that the dialogue for ToonTown’s tutorial alluded to your character being from somewhere else. I think I was 13 when I saw it and I’m notorious for having bad memory but oh well, this is my headcanon.

I know I had one for Misty but I completely forgot what it was. I am sorry- to make up for it, I’m saying now that Misty has one of my all time favorite designs out of the cogs.

Whenever someone tries to swear, it’ll be replaced by another word.

Ex. “You’re a piece of ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ crap.”

[madmachaca]

Part 2 of these PKNA fanfiction (feat mostly Lyla and Camera 9) that apparently I can't stop writing

Here is part 1, if you are interested.

And here is the one that started this, and that goes chronologically after this one.

I am writing this because I love the potential friendship between Camera 9 and Lyla and wanted to explore that. This one got long, so I haven't written all the ideas I have... a part three may be posted one of these days

Hope you enjoy reading!

1.

Since she was already at Time 0 for a mission report and a check up, she might as well dwell on the archives.

Information about every single person, both android and biological, was registered there. If there was somewhere to look, it was definitely this place.

The question was no longer "what's his name?" but "who is he?"

Now, was it easier just to ask him? Yes...and no. Lyla liked her workmate, but the fact that he was able to follow her twice without her noticing made her proceed with caution.

She typed the name "Stefan Vladuck, 20th century. " ... oh... there it was... it only took a while.

Feeling a little nervous, she opened the file and read.

Name: Vladuck, Stefan

Type: Biological

Species: Duck

Place of birth: Bulgaria (officially)

Nationality: Not found

...what?

"What do you mean not found?" said Lyla softly with a hint of annoyance. She kept reading

Job: War/hotspot journalist. Vanished from the public eye for years. Television

Cause of death:

And Lyla closed the file abruptly. If she kept reading, she would learn more about ....her friend, but she wouldn't dare to keep going.

The bad side of Time 0 is that everyone you know is simultaneously dead and alive or might as well be.

With a heavy sigh, she left the archives and prepare to head back to Duckburg.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.

Since she couldn't get the information she wanted back in Time 0, Lyla decided to consult more traditional sources

"Angus, does the name Stefan Vladuck ring a bell?"

The kiwi raised his eyes from his notes to see the young reporter looking at him with curious eyes

"What? Is the youth suddenly interested in the classics?

Lyla didn't respond. Angus stood, for he was leaving, and elaborate as he put on his coat

"If you are trying to contact him, stop losing your time. He was a great one but disappeared one day just like that. He's probably dead"

"So I guess asking him to work with us would be impossible, then?" Said Lyla as she smiled sweetly

"Why would someone like him work with us? Hey! You! Stop losing time and come! There is news to report!" And he dragged Camera 9 out of the office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.

It had been a while since she was on the last level of Ducklair Tower. She liked visiting PK even if it was for a "professional" reason. But going on missions with him was fun too, even if dangerous.

"PK will be here soon," ONE said, interrupting the peaceful silence that had been taking over of the area before. "Would you care of tea? A magazine? A piece of cake?"

"That's ok, ONE" she said with a smile " I enjoy just walking around."

And as soon as she had said this, she stopped. Something had caught her eye: a picture of her hero friend pinned on a board. His pose was heroic, his cape fell graciousy, and his expression was determined and strong. She couldn't recognize the background, but that was of minor importance. The lighting was weirdly warm.

"All right!" Said Donald as he entered the room "it was hard, but Uncle Scrooge won't force me to go to the dying lakes of whatever-they-might-be to help him with yet another one of his adventures, so we are free to go, Lyla... Lyla?"

"Ah? ....oh, sorry. I was looking at this picture of yours"

And Donald came closer to see which one she was talking about

"Ah, yeah" he said with a big, bright smile "that one is my favorite! I look so cool and handsome!"

"Not an easy feat, but it was posible!" Commented ONE, another playful teasing among friends that Donald didn't appreciate that much

"It's a great photo" said Lyla as she looked for details more closely

"Well" answer Donald and he almost sounded proud "he is a great photographer"

"Who?"

"Stefan" he replied casually.

Silence, not awkward or cold, but the kind that comes when your brain refuses to accept what it just heard

"Who did you say?"

Donald glaced over her noticing something was ... odd...

"Stefan...Vladuck"

"You know him?"

"Well, you can say so, we meet once and he took those" he said pointing at all the photos in the board "he helped me trick Angus Fangus, and he really seem to enjo..."

"Tell me about him" interrupt her soflty, clearly she wasn't really listening

"Huh?"

"Eh?" Lyla suddenly realized the slightly concerned looks Donald was giving her.

"I...I mean, this picture is so good it just made me wonder about the person who took it"

ONE came to break the awkwardness

"As far as we know," he said, "Vladuck used to be a photojournalist who specialized in potentially dangerous jobs"

"You mean...?"

"War." Said Donald "Though sometimes he was sent to guerrillas or natural disaster sites... of course, he did other types of photojournalism..."

Lyla took another photo in her hands. The whole situation felt surreal. Every piece of new information she collected on him made things simultaneously clearer and more confusing

"Is he well known?"

"Yeah!" answer Donald way to quickly "if you are familiar with the field, I guess"

Lyla looked even more into the pictures, without realizing a soft smile appeared on her face

"He is talented" she said almost in a whisper. "Why did he stop?"

"I don't know. You can just go an ask him"

She turned confused at the heroe

"Huh?"

"If you are suddenly so curious about him, it's because you know" he said, shrugging

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.

"Lyla? What are you doing here? I thought I asked you to cover the accident on 4th street"

Her slightly annoyed boss was infront of her, waiting for an answer

"Sorry, Dan. I'll be on my way," she replied with a sweet voice."I am just waiting for Camera 9"

"Oh, Angus took him earlier for his own scoop," interrupted Mike on the other side of the room. "He said that, since he is smaller, he can fit anywhere easily"

A weird silence fell. How do you even respond to that?

Dan sighed

"Just take any other camera man"

"Yes, Dan"

And so she left. It has been three days since she had talked to him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5.

Two more days passed until she was able to work with him.

As she waited for him on the car, she wondered how to start the conversation. There were still so many unanswered questions, but she didn't want to make things weird. He was a workmate she actually liked spending time with. She did want him to cut her off in anyway.

Soon, he got in the car. She thought some more of the best way to start: Should she use his name? Should she call him Nine still? Does she even want to explain what happened? Does he...?

"What's the organization?"

Oh well, she didn't thought of starting there

"Come again?"

"You asked me if I was with the organization. Back at the warehouse..."

Lyla considered her answer. Whatever happened to whatever you are doing, it's not my business, Miss Lay?

"Let's just say I don't like them very much" she decided ambiguity was her best card right now

"Are you in trouble?"

His voice was serious and a little concerned. She needed him not to worry

"Ah? No, it's all right, ...Stefan..."

He huffed, amused, and shook his head

"It's a nice name," she added

"Thank you"

He fastened his seat belt and laid back on his seat

"Ok, let's go!" he said happily, and Lyla just drove off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6.

"Should I keep calling you Nine, or...?"

The atmosphere in the room was peaceful and even relaxing, if you ignored the multiple papers scattered around and the whiteboard with a huge question mark

"I guess you can use either." he answered "As long as you don't use my real name around others... now, where would the owner of a fraudulent beauty clinic go"

Researching for a scoop could get as intense and draining as any police investigation. But Lyla discovered he was a fun fellow journalist to be around

"Mouseton," she pointed out. "According to this, she recently brought property there... Why not around others? Are you hiding or something?

"I'm just extremely introverted... If she wanted to hide, why Mouseton? Why go to a place where people may look first, based on her purchase record. Maybe she is still in Duckburg"

"You're probably right. The police would looked on her newly brought properties first and by the time they get the authorization to enter the city, she would be long gone" she said taking notes on the board "is it ok if I call you Nine most of the time?"

She didn't say it, but his real name felt a little too intimate at the moment

"Yeah, you can call me Nine, or Stefan, or whatever you feel comfortable with. You're the only one who calls me just "nine" and to be honest, I like the nickname...Lyla, look at this..." and he showed her a picture. At the back, they could barely make the form of a tall, purplish figure

"That looks Evronian" said Lyla in a surprised, breathy voice. "Was the clinic just an Alien hideout?"

"Someone better call PK"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyla had been looking through boxes and boxes of past newspapers. She was assigned to write a column on the story of Cornelius Coot for the city's anniversary, and she had a lot of reading to do

"You do it! Since you were born in Duckburg! it would be easy!" Had said Angus, who had rejected the project since he arrived in Duckburg relatively not long ago. So there was Lyla, looking for information. She did really mind it. She actually liked when things got more mundane and peaceful

"I found another newspaper from the 50s that might help you," said Camera 9, who had been helping her on the project. "I'll leave it on your desk along with the others"

"Thanks for your help," she said without taking the eyes off the box she was looking on. " You're a life saver, Stefan"

And she turned around only to be face to face with someone unexpected. She almost dropped the recently found newspaper on the ground

"Wrong name, actually, but I take the compliment, I guess"

"Ziggy!" Exclaimed Lyla "I wasn't expecting you here"

"Just came to drop a box of old tapes. Sorry if I scared you"

"No, no, it's all fine, I..." She looked around and noticed her quiet friend wasn't in the room anymore. "...I thought I was alone"

Ziggy gave her a strange look, as if he was trying to decipher a puzzle or something

"Ok, Miss Lay, I will leave you to work in peace" he said brightly after a brief moment, and he intended to leave the room. "Just out of curiosity, who is Stefan?"

"Huh? No one... I mean...that's how I call the potted cactus over there" and she pointed at a small plant that was quielty resting on a shelf. Ziggy looked at it as if he was studying it

"Seems like a nice little fella" he said. Camera 9 was coming in just then. "I'll leave you alone, Miss Lay. Good luck with the column....Hey, Camera 9! See you around, man"

And so he was gone to do this own job.

Camera 9 saw him go in silence before speaking

"Lyla, Dan sent me to work with Mike. Would you mind if I...?"

"No at all, Nine! I'll manage here. Don't worry. " it wasn't like she strictly needed him to help her anyway, but she did like the company.

"All right then, see you around Lyla" he said. Then he turned to the cactus "bye, Stefan"

And so he left.

End of part 2

I am slightly sorry these bits got long... :D.

I plan keep them coming

[hazbinsponsoredbyvee]

Lucifer you love ducks but what’s your thoughts on geese, also have you ever heard of the mandarin duck its a colorful and exotic duck species native to East Asia. The males are known for their vibrant plumage, featuring bright orange, blue, and green feathers.

They look so pretty I hope someone shows you a picture of them

"I have seen mandarin ducks - they're gorgeous! My personal favorite are crested ducks, though - their little afros are so cute!"

"Geese, though... look, I made the duck first! And then Gabriel thought he could 'make it better'! And he was wrong. Ducks are definitely better than geese."

[paperbacksandpetticoats]

✧Review✧

Vampire Hunter D, Volume 1 by Hideyuki Kikuchi

Rating… 5/5 Genre… Fantasy, Sci-Fi

I considered creating a single post that contained my thoughts on the entire series, and then the individual books of the Vampire Hunter D series. Which is what I’m currently working on for the Twilight Saga. (Though I've hit a wall writing that one.) But, after remembering that there’s, like, 30 volumes? I decided individual posts for this series would be okay.

It’s actually the 42nd anniversary of the series as I’m writing this. Which is a little insane for me to consider, a series that’s been running for almost double my lifetime. And I found this series firstly through a ‘free’ screening of the second movie. (I say free in quotes because I was at a convention, which you have to pay to attend. But the movie itself was free to watch for those attending.) I didn’t even watch the entire movie, I had just ducked into the room for the last twenty minutes while waiting for a friend’s panel to finish. But that was really all it took. And, later that day, when I mentioned to a friend that I had enjoyed what I’d seen of the movie, they’d excitedly told me that their girlfriend cosplays and reads the books. (I am now constantly in these friend’s messages to talk about this series as I make my way through the volumes.) Add in the fact that the dramatized audiobooks are available online through my library? 

Let’s just say that I am entirely enamoured with this series. And this story is possibly the best way to get a reader invested in the world and the main character, D. 

Volume 1 follows the titular character D, as well as a pair of siblings, Doris and Dan Lang, who hire the hunter. Doris has fallen prey to a vampire nobleman, who plans to make her his bride. And so the siblings hire D, who accepts the job for well below market value of his services, to protect her. And, in a common theme of my favorite novels, the characters were my favorite part. Doris Lang was the best choice to have the role of Secondary Main, as she is a likable enough character for the reader to attach themselves to. Personally, I enjoy a good evil vampire. And the nobleman's daughter, Larmica, was that character for me. Though, I would not call her a true evil character. (The running theme of these books seem to be that it does not matter the species. That vampires and humans can be as equally horrible but also equally generous and kind.) In all, I so thoroughly enjoyed volume 1 that I immediately pre-downloaded the second before I had even completed it. 

And I would like to give a special appreciation for the audiobook that I listened to. It had a full cast to voice the characters, and I think that it definitely boosted the already enjoyable story to another height. And I am excited for the publisher to finish adapting the rest of the volumes.

[graziadiocenterilpostino]

Alumni Spotlight: Alessandra Balzani

1. You are from Forlì. Can you tell us a little bit about your hometown and what makes it special? What do you miss the most?

Several years ago, I was told by an American student who was studying in Forlì that my hometown is part of a quest in the videogame Assassin’s Creed 2, and since then I always start with that little fun fact whenever I’m asked where I’m from. It works surprisingly well! As someone who was born and raised there, this is extremely funny, because Forlì is actually known for several historical reasons: Caterina Sforza, Dante, and Mussolini, for example, all have ties to my hometown. Piazza Saffi, the main and incredibly beautiful city square, is more than a thousand years old, and every time the city embarks on any type of public works they inevitably stumble upon some ancient Roman finds. The historical city center is definitely one of my favorite things about Forlì: the piazzas with the weekly open-air market, the colorful buildings, the San Domenico Museum, the public park where you can feed ducks, my old high school, even the dreadful sanpietrini (cobblestones). It’s a city that feels small enough to be able to travel on foot or by bike, but also continuously expanding and well connected to anything you might need. You can get to Bologna in less than an hour, the beach in about 45 minutes, the mountains are less than 2 hours away,  and you can even cross the border into another country in about an hour, as San Marino is very close too! Is this starting to sound like an ad? Ha. Locals have plenty to complain about Forlì too, but from the perspective of an expat, it is a lovely town. I mostly miss its vibrant colors and the food, obviously.

2. For the past 2 years you have been working for the Clorinda Donato Center for Global Romance Languages and Translation Studies. What kind of work do you do there?

I’m the Instructional Program Coordinator for the Clorinda Donato Center. I assist the Director, Dr. Clorinda Donato, and Associate Director, Manuel Romero, with various tasks such as creating new Translation classes (for example Audiovisual Translation and Localization), organizing guest lectures (in February 2023 we had Dr. Diana Roig Sanz from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya come to teach three lectures on Digital Humanities), coordinating events and conferences (we had a Translation panel at the 57th Comparative World Literature Conference), and editing our translation journal, Translation Becomes Eclectic. Since last year we have been translating articles and books from Italian into English as part of different collaborations with Italian university professors. The Center is a great institution within CSULB, as our goal is to establish our campus as one of the main points of reference for Translation Studies in California (and hopefully at some point in the whole Nation!).

I am also a lecturer of Translation Studies, I have taught TRST 201—Meaning in Transit; TRST 301—Ethics, Theory, and Practice; ITAL 460—Exploring Italian Translation; FREN 460—The Art of Translation; FREN 316—Introduction to Inverse Translation English-French. This coming Fall I’ll be teaching TRST 201 and FREN 315—Intro to Direct Translation French-English.

3. Can you tell us more about Translation Becomes Eclectic? What is a translation journal?

Translation Becomes Eclectic is a journal of Translation and Intercomprehension Studies that features work done by our translation students at CSULB! Its first volume was published in 2019, its second volume in 2021, and the third is currently in the works. This publication not only displays the incredible achievements of the students who take our classes, such as RGR 603—Theory and Practice of Literary Translation, FREN 460, and ITAL 460, but it also shows the professionalizing and hands-on qualities of our teaching. Students can indicate their entry into this journal on their resumes as a first experience translating. The journal is not language specific, as we offer multiple classes that are open to multiple language pairs, and we pride ourselves in favoring the exploration of Translation Studies to students of all majors. Students can choose different text types as well, which they translate and get corrected by their professors during the course of the semester, and ultimately the Donato Center acts as the editing team to prepare these texts for publication. We still have copies of Vol.2 available, if anyone should be interested, they can email me at Alessandra.balzani@csulb.edu to get a free copy.

4. How is teaching translation compared to a foreign language? Is there a lot of overlap? Are there any interesting challenges you face in teaching one compared to the other?

Teaching translation is very different compared to teaching a foreign language because translation does not solely happen on a purely linguistic level, but on cultural, historical, and semantical levels too. Students of translation should be already quite fluent in the languages they work with, but they must acquire an ethnorelative and critical perspective when approaching a text. TRST 301, our introductory class, focuses on translation theory and aims at making students understand how to read a source text and think critically about how to convert it to their target language. I’ve taught language classes for all levels—English to ages from kindergarten to high school, Italian to college level students—and I have always focused on making the main grammar elements needed to ensure communication easily understandable and usable. The goal in most language classes—at the 100/200 level at least—should be communication, so students will have a more superficial understanding of the language, while in translation classes they will have to dig very deep. The main challenge when it comes to teaching translation is making people understand the difference between word-for-word and sense-for-sense translation, and that there are no absolutes when it comes to this discipline, which can be frustrating. I won’t say that literal translation is always wrong, or that machine translation should never be used, but students have to learn how to use these strategies and tools, and oftentimes they think they know already.

5. Is there any advice you have for someone visiting Italy? What are the must-see locations?

What’s great about Italy is that you don’t need to visit the big cities to have an amazing vacation. Any town will have amazing food, lovely people, and plenty of history to show! I could talk a lot about what to see in Italy, but I’ll stick to my main recommendations: I love Rome. Walking down the street in between the Fori Imperiali and the Colosseo gives me chills every time, I love feeling surrounded by history. Just outside the city, i Castelli Romani also provide great spots for strolling, wine tasting, and eating. Another great city is Florence, which I call “the unofficial American colony” because in the city center only English is spoken, and a lot of people have an American accent. The architecture and art of Florence, however, are amazing. It is also very walkable, and you can get there by train and see a lot of it in a day. The Duomo and Palazzo Pitti’s gardens are must-see. Now my advice would be to not do all the major cities in one go, but to enjoy the smaller Italian realities. If you want to go to Florence, rent a car and see more of the Tuscan countryside. If you land in Milan, Bergamo and Cremona are two beautiful cities very close to it. The trains don’t always run on time, but you can go everywhere with them. Lastly: eat. Everything. Don’t worry about the scales or your ideal beach body, the food is divine (and healthier than here).

[voidfishing]

what was your favorite part of stolen century & what was your favorite funny bit they did & if the seven birds were actual birds what birds do you think they would be?

OKAY LOVE THIS ASK BC I AM SUPER INTO ORNITHOLOGY AND THINK ABOUT THE SEVEN BIRDS CONSTANTLY… literally I have a draft abt what birds they would be saved on my phone

but okay first I honestly do think my favorite part in the stolen century is the best day ever. I’m biased bc I love Taako & Lup so much but it’s just so incredibly sweet the way he plans an entire day of things he knows Lup will love… but also because it’s one of the few times we really see Taako scared. him being terrified when Lup tells him that she’s going to become a lich…. it’s this moment of vulnerability that no one but the audience gets so see. the way Taako doesn’t express how worried he is to ensure that he’s not preventing Lup from doing what she believes is the right thing to do even though he’s scared for her…. combined with “because you are my heart”….. oh that just takes me out

my fav funny bit is a really really hard choice bc so many bits just kill me BUT. the one scene that always gets me is during the eleventh hour when Taako is just shoveling diamonds into his bag and Magnus yells from across the room “Taako!! what the fuck!!!” the delivery of that line is so good

OKAY THEN.. ALRIGHT MY SEVEN BIRD HEADCANONS.

Magnus is a Golden Eagle. hands down. I think it’s usually a safe bet to portray a fighter character as a bird of prey, but also I just feel like it fits him because they’re such dynamic birds and he is proficient in like everything. also they usually mate long-term or for life and like…. Magnus’ devotion to Julia and the fact he never even considered being with someone else certainly fits with that.

Merle is a gray morph Eastern Screech Owl. of course because he chose an owl as his animal during petals to the metal, but also because it feels really fitting for him to be this small bird of prey. Because they’re so little and nocturnal, they tend to not be sighted often, but they’re really strong and fierce little birds despite their stature. I feel like that can relate to Merle being kind of treated like he’s rarely a help, even though he ends up being the one to save the others decently often.

Taako & Lup are Resplendent Quetzals. I‘ve definitely seen other people make this take I promise I know I’m not the first bc of the obvious use of “resplendent” but speaking as a bird enthusiast, Taako and Lup are sooooo Trogoniformes to me. the twins are supposed to be incredibly beautiful in a stand-out way, so making them incredibly flashy tropical birds that most people never get to see in person seems fitting to me. PLUS I think it’s very fun when people draw Taako with long hair and Lup with short hair, and that little detail translates well with the dimorphism in quetzal tail length.

Barry is a Blue-winged Teal to me. partially because I think it’s funny to make the guy who couldn’t swim a duck but also I do feel like it fits him to be a species that doesn’t stand out much - he’s kind of just a guy. like he’s this incredibly powerful magic user and a lich and insanely intelligent, but he also is just a normal guy <3 so him being a decently common migratory duck is fitting, I think. plus the large blue patch on the wings of the males…. bluejeanscore

Davenport has got to be a Barn Swallow. given his role as IPRE captain and his life sailing in imbalance, it’s really fitting for him to be a swallow, as sailors historically got tattoos of them to represent the distance they’d traveled and act as a sort of good luck charm for a safe journey home. + they are seriously just little guys :)

Lucretia would deffo be a Common Loon. so often in art they’re depicted as solitary/sad because of the way their cry sounds but they do travel together, they’re very social birds! I feel like that perception vs reality of their isolation really fits with Lucretia, given that we start the series thinking she’s this mysterious figure who doesn’t even share her name with the boys, but she turns out to be one of the people who loves them most. also, Common Loons are fiercely protective, and I think that fits well with Lucretia’s attempt to cut The Hunger off from their plane

[bunnnali]

some anime or manga recs? please?

!! sure thing! it kinda depends what you're looking for but here's a few favorites of mine!! I’m gonna assume since my account is practically just talentless nana you’ve already read/watched it, but if you haven’t that’s definitely my biggest recommendation! 

if ur looking for smth sad!! 

princess tutu (anime) - a magical girl story about a duck who becomes a human girl and then a magical girl. she's trying to bring back pieces of her emotionless crushes heart, which seems innocent enough, but the story turns into a desperate attempt to find a happy ending in a world literally created to prevent one. it's really sad and cute and a big favorite of mine, and the end of it had me bawling 😭

land of the lustrous (manga) - a story about a gem-person named phos who lives in a world where their kind is at risk of being shattered and turned into jewelry by another species called the lunarians. it takes a while before the series really takes a dark term, but once it happens it really happens. reading it invoked a sense of dread in me nothing else has ever given me, and I really can't stress enough how good and depressing this manga is 😭 I suggest u watch the anime first and then read the manga! anime leaves off at around chapter 30 i think. this also had me bawling when I caught up to it. on call, with my friend 😭 very embarrassing

madoka magica - this one’s really popular so I think you’ve already heard of it, but it puts a spin on the usual magical girl trope, making it dark and depressing. they’re making a new movie, so if you haven’t watched it, this is a great time to get into it! it’s also very gay. MSJDKDJ it’s really good and sad and the characters are all incredible. there’s lots of hidden symbolism and meaning, and lots of foreshadow, so even rewatching it you’ll always find something new to enjoy <3

toilet bound hanako kun - this one’s also really popular so you’ve probably also already heard of it, but if you haven’t: the show follows a girl named nene yashiro, a hopeless romantic with a crush on a boy. she hears a rumor about a ghost named hanako, who grants wishes, and follows the steps to summon him. some things happen, and she ends up taking a job as his assistant, helping him to defeat magical apparitions in order to keep the school safe. it sounds simple, but it actually gets really, really sad and the story is really good </3 I’m not sure what they could possibly do for an ending on this one that would be 100% happy. it’s good! i really suggest it.

the promised neverland - season one of the anime is incredible, from there I’d say you should swap to the manga bc s2 does an awful job covering it. It’s a story about orphan kids who find out the orphanage they’ve been living at is actually a farm to make smart human kids to feed to monstrous demons. the manga goes downhill a little at the end, but it’s still a pretty nice read and it’s really, really good for a while

magia record - a spin-off anime to Madoka magica, set in an alternate universe. this one’s very sad too, and introduces a lot of new characters, while bringing back the old, iconic ones from the original pmmm. it’s based on a game, and the anime ending differs from the games </333 the ending for the game is actually happy though and the anime is,,sadder but still nicer than pmmm. i think this one is a good one if you like sad content, but still want to see the characters happy in the end. and all the original Madoka magica cast live! so!!! 

school live - I REALLY DONT WANT TO SAY WHAT THIS ONES ABT BC LIKE the twist at the end is so good so it’s better to just go in blind but this anime is really really good and very very sad, but the ending is hopeful!! so!!! the manga is pretty good too, and it’s completed, but I feel like the anime is a lot more enjoyable 

if ur looking for smth a little happier !!

zombieland saga - a story about 7 zombie girls from different eras trying to form an idol group! it’s so well written and so nice to watch, it can be really, really sad or really, really funny 😭 it’s a great anime and all the characters in it are very lovable <3 it also has a canon trans girl! as one of the main zombie girls! so it’s very neat. It’s one of my all time favorite animes and it’s a lot of fun

bocchi the rock! - an anime about an introverted girl with social anxiety who wants to start a band, but doesn’t know how to talk to people. it’s super funny and super sweet, and at least in my case really relatable <3 the show does all kinds of really neat things, switching to stop motion, 3d, live action, etc, and the characters are all great. it’s a really creative show and it handles social anxiety in a much more realistic and relatable way than most other shows like this do. 

spy x family - a very cute and funny manga/anime about a spy named loid who needs to make a fake family in order to complete his new mission of investigating a very prestigious school. he adopts a girl, named Anya, and gains a fake wife named yor. but apparently anya has the ability to read minds, and yor is secretly an assassin. nobody knows each other’s secret identities, except for anya, who knows bc she can read their minds, and they continue to live together for different reasons, as they slowly grow attached to each other and become a real family

brand new animal - a studio trigger anime about an anthropomorphic tanuki girl, called a beastman, named michiru, who used to be human. she moves into a town consisted exclusively with beastman, and tries to discover just what happened to her to become one, and where her best friend who went missing is </3 this one isn’t a slice of life, it’s more of an action show ?? but it’s really good, the animation is lovely and the art and colors are really pretty and cute <3 it’s a really good anime and it’s only 12 episodes, so it’s a quick watch!!

[ravioliet]

@magical-dying-human replying in a reblog but okie!!!! :3

Olive's is an olive flycatcher because of her name of course, but my fun fact is that she was the one who started the whole thing because i remembered that they share a name and wanted to do something with it and now here we are!

Otto's bird is a cockatiel because they're very silly and friendly little guys and it felt fitting. he is also one of three parrots with the other two being Todd and Noisemaker which i think is silly

Oscar is a woodpecker finch because they're a species of bird that is known to make tools out of sticks! which i thought was cool because gadgets and stuff

Ms. O is a kookaburra because they can be VERY loud when they want to be

Olympia is an anna's hummingbird because hummingbird felt very fitting for her since they're colorful and energetic and shiny and stuff, she's specifically an anna's hummingbird because of her actress's name being Anna and also because they have a bright pink face and throat marking (which is called a gorget btw) and pink is kind of an Olympia color to me

Otis is a wood duck because. ducks. but the reason why wood duck in particular is because aren't really immediately recognizable as a traditional duck especially just by the wings. wood ducks are very colorful btw they're cool, but also this creates a contrast between him and the ducks he used to live with since they're white domestic ducks. also bonus fun fact his blue and brown feathers match with Ms. O and he has some iridescent green feathers that match with Olympia :)

Oona is a crow because they're also very silly animals actually, but on top of that they're also quite smart and also build and use tools!

Ocean is a puffin because they're a seabird and like. ocean. you get the joke here. also i just like them

Orchid is a secretary bird because they remind me of raptor dinosaurs!

Octavia is an american robin because they're cheerful little guys and it felt fitting for her

Oz is a potoo because they're crazy good at camouflage actually it's pretty cool

ok so minor disclaimer actually i haven't watched OSMU. i do think Orla is cool though and her being a ptarmigan was a discord suggestion actually! fun fact though they change color with the seasons from specked brown in the summer to solid white in the winter and a mixture of the two during spring and fall!

i don't think i need to explain Dr. O tbh, she and Olympia are in the hummingbird club together though. Oksana is also pretty self-explanatory

Obfusco is a flamingo because if i remember correctly he has a line that mentions them at some point? and also they're just kind of weird and funky birds honestly

Ohlm is a pigeon because everyone thinks they're stupid but studies have shown they're actually quite smart! fun fact they're better at multitasking than humans are. also because of Alan the singing pigeon from that one episode

Todd's bird assignment is one of my favorites actually because i think it fits him perfectly but kea parrots are colorful, very smart but also mischievous, and known to cause problems and chaos (such as stealing and destroying things etc) just for fun, and they're also very difficult to keep in captivity because if they don't have enough enrichment they'll get bored and start causing problems on purpose to entertain themselves which in the context of odd squad definitely sounds familiar

Jamie Jam is a strawberry finch because i thought it would be funny. strawberry jam if you will

Noisemaker is a cockatoo because they're very noisy birds that can mimic sounds! i think he can imitate musical instrument noises probably

and lastly Mister Lightning is a lightning bird because of the name and also because the real life ones look really goofy

might as well post this separately too but here's my whole list of bird assignments for the wings au! some of the reasons are more literal than others but they all have them, might elaborate on some of them later in a reblog or something because i really like talking about them :)

also i am taking suggestions for any characters who aren't on this list because i forget about a lot of them and also i really like picking out cool birds for them

[duckprintspress]

Contributor Spotlights: Lacey Hays and M. K. Mads

Welcome to She Wears the Midnight Crown and He Bears the Cape of Stars, two brand-new anthologies that share a common theme – masquerades – but tell different types of stories – wlw in She Wears the Midnight Crown and mlm in He Bears the Cape of Stars. These collections are the latest titles from Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher founded by fans to publish original works by fan creators, and they’re crowdfunding NOW, only on Seed & Spark!

Curious about the collections? Well, here’s a sneak peek of the works of two of our creators!

She Wears the Midnight Crown Contributor Spotlight: Lacey Hays

Biography: When Lacey isn’t dreaming of the stars or magical worlds, she can be found stomping around in the wild areas of Northern Oregon with her wife and son, or sipping on a coffee with her trusty notebook and fountain pens. Her writing journey began in the Star Trek: Voyager fandom and has continued for over two decades. At the moment, she’s plugging away at her first novel—a world that’s taken twenty years to come to life. Lacey is eager to continue sharing diverse stories set in dark, but hopeful, worlds.

Links: Tumblr | Instagram | Twitter | Royal Road | Wattpad

Story Title: Facets

Teaser:

“These are far from simple.” The woman picked up a mask of shimmering emerald with golden feathers and faceted obsidian jewels bordering it. From the top hung a veil of Xxisan silk lace (Demi had sewn it herself in the floral patterns of the Naysan people). It’d taken a few weeks to complete the mask, and it was one of Demi’s favorite pieces. “You might not be the best diplomat, but you’re a wonderful artist. This has tech built in?”

“Yes. The sparkles on the veil are nano holo-projectors. When you wear the veil, each nano holo project a single pixel. Working together, they can change your appearance; you can give the impression of being a fairy, or that you’re glowing from within, or enhance your cosmetics – or make you look like you’re wearing them when you’re not. You can even appear to be another species, though I encourage my clients to present as mythological beings over known beings.” Was she talking too fast? Going on too much? “It’s fully adaptable to movement, too. You could perform an entire ballet and the image would shift and move with you and your facial expressions.”

The woman’s eyes lit up with the flames of an active imagination, and a smile tugged at the corner of her full and very pink lips. A thrill bolted through Demi’s heart, straight down into her stomach. It had to be the thought of selling such a treasured piece, right? She definitely wasn’t experiencing another lightning attachment to a one-off customer at the sector’s largest craft fair. That never ended well.

He Bears the Cape of Stars Contributor Spotlight: M. K. Mads

Biography: M. K. Mads has been writing stories since she was seven years old. While she is most prolific in fanfiction and has works scattered among more than a dozen fandoms, she has been making strides into original fiction. Her favorite genre to read is romance. When she isn’t reading, writing, or falling headfirst into a new fandom, she can be found baking, walking, doting on her niblings, or playing Pokemon Go.

Story Title: The Date & Dasher

Teaser:

If only he had some way of making this whole process go faster so he’d have some hope of making progress. Like…go on a dozen dates every day—maybe even twice that. Be have to be on every single dating app in the area and have a dozen profiles on each one. He’d have to—

Theo stopped and raised his head, blinking vacantly at the movie posters on either side of his lone bedroom window. 

Who said he couldn’t? 

People would see what they wanted to see. There was no reason itthat wouldn’t apply to online pictures, too. It’d probably be the fastest way to clear out a ton of people. 

He fumbled for his phone and called Brian. 

Brian picked up on the first ring. “Hey, man, what’s—” 

“I have an idea,” Theo cut in. “And I’m going to need your help.” 

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

*

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[idontblushsrry]

Uhh may I make a request for Ouran High School Host club? Just a headcanon for how the host would react to meeting someone how is a big time animal lover. (Like they pretty much live there life like the Irwin family)

A/N: I was thinking about how I’d write this and my brain just went ‘they lost their shit at the sight of instant coffee’, so uhh I hope this is to your liking. I tried to get as much animal variety as I could even though I didn’t really touch on marine animals that much)

Warnings: Like 2 swear words (pinky promise), slight drug mention(literally so small you might not even notice it), spoilers (minor) for Tamaki’s mom

Word Count: 1292

General

So this is under the assumption that like the Irwin family, Reader (or their family) has access to a wide variety of animals (from domestic to wild)

All of them respect the passion you have for animals

While they all might have various feelings on animals (see below), they can’t deny that you truly do love animals

Your family’s sanctuary focuses on healing injured animals and rehabilitating them so they can go back into the wild

Of course, your family has many sanctuaries around the world and some focus more on conservation while others focus on research

The one closest to the school focuses mainly on conservation and as such, is massive and functions like a zoo ( in terms of having people come in and see the animals)

Anyways, the host club is very supportive and often helps you with organizing donation events

Oftentimes, your family will collaborate with them and allow them to rent out parts of the conservation center for events

Aside from the conservation center though, your family owns a few ranches and farms (not for commercial profit, although yall have sold a few animals)

The farms and ranches are relatively small scale but they make great venues for the host club and a great place for getaways/vacations

Your main house is where you keep most of your favorite animals

You have an aviary attached to your room (connected through a hallway that connects to your room) as well as a butterfly garden in the backyard

You also have an aquarium tank, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 snake, and a hamster that visits on weekends

You had to be stopped at some point

Tamaki

Tamaki loves animals

He was never really around animals growing up because of how sensitive his mom’s immune system is

So when he sees that you’re an animal person, he’s super excited

Like this man is already planning playdates between Antoinette and your pets/animals

You love his enthusiasm, just one small problem

It’s a little too much enthusiasm

Yes the animals are well trained, but how would you react if a 6′0 giant with long arms came barreling towards you screaming showing its teeth?

So yeah, Tamaki tends to set the animals off/ make them nervous

Because of that he’s only allowed around certain animals (ex. certain monkeys, certain birds, etc.)

He’s happy that he’s allowed around some animals but he still pouts every time there’s an animal he can’t be around

Kyoya

This man

Kyoya does not fuck with animals. Like at all

The first time the host club went to your house, you were holding a hamster and Kyoya moved back about 10 feet

When you asked him what was wrong, he just said “Rats are carriers of many of the most deadly diseases”

You told him that you were holding a hamster and that while hamsters were rodents, the worst he’d get sick with would be salmonella

He doesn’t believe you, but yeah sure whatever

For Kyoya it just gets worse after that

The first time he sees you holding a tarantula, he loses his shit

“Look how cute it is Kyoya!”

“Get that vermin away from me!”

I could go on and on about how much Kyoya doesn’t like animals (even domestic ones like cats and dogs)

He hates going to your house, but he often has to go there in order to set up events for the host club, what a nightmare

While he doesn’t care for animals, the business side of his brain can’t help but think of a marketing opportunity

Mori

Is one of two hosts that are going to be chill about it

He doesn’t feel one way or the other about animals and thinks it’s cool that you’re interested in them

Only thing is; if Honey’s afraid of your animals, he will have to ask you to leave he won’t hesitate to step in “harm’s” way

Surprisingly though, that actually makes him the chillest with your animals

Much to your surprise (and Tamaki’s sorrow), the animals love him

He just has this calming vibe that sets the animals at ease

It also helps that he smells nice and is super tall

For most of them it’s like sitting on a giant tree

He’s not really complaining though, it makes his job of protecting Honey that much easier

Honey

Oh boy

He might actually be the worst with animals

It’s not even an issue of being unable to defend against aggressive animals (Honey could probably solo a grizzly bear)

It’s just he has a very strict “cute” animal policy that changes wildly depending on his mood, the temperature, the angle of the wind, the humidity, etc.

He’s very bougie when it comes to what animals he will tolerate and what animals he will refuse to see

The general safe choices are rabbits (especially bunnies), kittens, cows, tits (the bird species), and baby animals of almost every domestic mammal species)

Him and the hamster you see on weekends are best friends

Also, you have had issues with him trying to feed the animals sweets

Explaining to Honey why rabbits can’t have carrot cake was not an easy conversation, nor was it one you thought you’d need to have

Because of how specific he is about what animals he finds cute, you likened him to a crocodile (because of how sensitive they are to temp. changes in egg)

Needless to say...he was not pleased

Hikaru

So him and Kaoru don’t really care for animals but they try to relate to you in somewhat similar but different ways

Hikaru is always trying to get you to do/recreate stunts with the animals

“Hey Y/N, we should-”

“No Hikaru”

“You don’t even know what I was gonna say”

“No you cannot use the dolphins for hoop tricks, no you cannot teach the gorillas how to roll blunts, no you cannot “bribe” the koalas with eucalyptus...”

Yeah he’s a menace

It’s mostly all in good fun though

Hikaru doesn’t really care for animals but he does find it hilarious that the animals like him more than Tamaki

Also, completely random but Hikaru definitely send you those “horse-sized duck vs duck sized horses” memes

Kaoru

Kaoru also tries to use animals on the internet to relate to you, but he’s a lot tamer than Kaoru

Kaoru is kind of like the parent who learns one thing you like and is like “that’s your entire personality right?”

Poor bby is trying his best

Anyways, whereas Hikaru tries to recreate memes, Kaoru sends you them

They range in quality and format; from top text, bottom text to “is this a ____”

At least once a day, Kaoru will send you a meme or picture of an animal with a caption that says ‘this reminded me of u :)’

It’s so endearing that you can’t even be mad about it

Haruhi

Is the only other one who’s kind of cool about the whole thing

She’s really only been around animals in the park or the occasional pet store

Growing up, she didn’t really have the time (or money) to go to the zoo, that and the fact that Ranka doesn’t care at all for animals (she thinks they’re weird and gross)

When Tamaki hears this, he works himself up into a frenzy, torn that his “daughter” has never been to a zoo (even tho he hasn’t either)

But she likes the fact that you’re so passionate about animals

At heart, she’s a scholar, so she loves learning new things she didn’t know before, she could spend all day just listening to you talk about animals

Not to mention the fact that you’re basically giving her a free informational tour  every time you see an animal

[ducktracy]

Prehistoric Porky is a fascinating short because it came out the same year as Disney’s Fantasia, which has a dinosaur-themed segment (some of the same species can be found in both) and comparing their takes on dinosaurs is really fascinating. I wonder if Clampett’s portrayal of the Tyrannosaurus rex as a snivelling, easily-disposed-of coward was making fun of how Disney’s tyrannosaur (which he might’ve known about from promotional material) was portrayed as an invincible menacing threat.

I LOVE Prehistoric Porky!! i think it’s one of the last truly great B&W Clampett Porkys and certainly packs everything i love about Clampett’s early pig into one short: naive, funny, and at times condescending but from a place of innocence which makes it funnier. John Carey’s sequence of Porky hunting the leopard kitten is one of my favorites examples of his work, i’m actually surprised i haven’t posted the whole thing (will rectify that shortly)

YOU MAKE A REALLY INTERESTING POINT THOUGH YEAH!! the dinosaur designs are a lot of fun… Warners was certainly no stranger to taking aim at Disney, and Clampett ESPECIALLY has a lot of Disney references—considering he just appropriates Dopey’s gallop from the Heigh Ho sequence in Snow White with Daffy in The Daffy Doc, i definitely wouldn’t be surprised. this is pure speculation too, but i’m sure a part of it could have been to refute the cheesiness of Chuck Jones’ dinosaur in Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur—both shorts have a dinosaur serving as a dog named “Fido”; Jones’ Fido is cute, Clampett’s (or, rather, Porky’s) is ginormous and his tail wagging prompts an earthquake with rocks falling on the heads of dinosaurs LMAO. definitely a contrast