#I Love Salmon and Lampreys

[roesolo]

Earth Day and Every Day Reading: I Love Salmon and Lampreys! @blueslipmedia

[savage-rhi]

Before the pandemic sent us into The Black Death 2: Electric Boogaloo, the last con my friends and I attended, we joined an art contest panel where everyone at their table was given 3 minutes to create something based on a prompt.

This is the piece that won first place for the theme "sexy".

This fella beat an HD Leon Kennedy in a two piece.

This fella beat a Levi in a skimpy maid outfit.

This fella beat a Deadpool in stilettos.

This fella made everyone tuck their tails between their legs and go home.

This fella got best in fucking show.

And my friend wanted to toss him out afterwards.

No.

This man deserves a mantle. A place of worship.

Alas I have found a spot worthy of a king.

Say hello to the epitome of sex appeal...

✨️💖Bob💖✨️

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I will never not love lampreys. I went to the Oregon Zoo recently for a friend's birthday party, and got to see this impressive pile of jawless, ancient fish. Sure, maybe they're not as charismatic as salmon, but they benefit from dam removal and habitat restoration just the same. Do it for the salmon and the lampreys!

[gravehags]

just met a yurok and karuk author who wrote a kids book about salmon and lamprey and native resilience and just man. people are so cool. the convo got started because she liked my earrings (mink jawbone and pearl) and was telling me how her tribe wears mink hair wraps. her earrings were beautiful, vibrant round beaded studs so we got to chat about that too as i hunted on my phone for the etsy shop where i got mine. would have loved to sit in on the class she was speaking to augh but it was such a nice interaction for my work day :)

[doddsmountain]

hi Dodd I'm in the mood to learn some fish things what are your top 5 favorite fish?

OMG!!!!!!!!

SO! Number 1 is OBVIOUSLY Oncorhynchus mykiss... AKA the rainbow trout

These guys are amazing. They are the most farmed fish in the world by weight (not numbers). And they're not a trout! They are a true pacific salmon, like chinooks, cohos, sockeye, etc etc.

These dudes are different than the other pacific salmon though as they can spawn multiple times! That's why they don't undergo quite such extreme transformations during spawning season.

Rainbows are typically landlocked. Steelhead trout (which are Oncorhynchus mykiss mykiss) are the rainbows you see out at sea.

NUMBER 2: Acipenser transmontanus.... WHITE STURGEON!

This photo is a poor image I took of the baby white sturgeon I got to take care of for a year during my fisheries and aquaculture tech program.

White sturgeon are the largest sturgeon species. The largest ever recorded was 20 feet long and roughly 120 years old. The oldest sturgeon I worked with, Tyra, was about 9 feet long and was only 65. They reside along the pacific coast of North America and they are pure muscle. A two year old is about a foot long and the scutes (modified scales) are sharp as hell. You can't wear gloves when you handle them either so your hands get cut up real bad. I loved taking care of them. They're like giant, muscly, slimy dogs.

Females will lay roughly 3 million eggs per spawn and the eggs will hatch after about 6 days. A newly hatched white sturgeon is a few millimeters long. Crazy to think about.

This is my jar of dead babies.

NUMBER 3: Frog fish!

Wish I could remember who took this photo!

Frog fish have specially adapted pectoral fins that they use almost like legs! They're bottom dwellers and "walk" along the sea floor.

I don't know much about them I'm afraid. My brain was almost entirely consumed by rainbow trout and white sturgeon.

These guys look so grumpy! (I like to say my 'fursona' is just a regular ol' frog fish lol)

NUMBER 4: A fish my family had for about 15 years... A bloodred parrot cichlid named Sir Rupert Finklebottom III, Esq. (We learned she was female when she was about 9 years old)

These fish are man made abominations and I do not recommend owning them. They have horrible health issues and they have nasty personalities. We had two of them. Rupert and Regina. Because they're crossbreeds they're essentially infertile. Rupert and Regina both laid thousands of unfertilized eggs when they were roughly 9 years old. They only did this once. They ate all of their eggs within a week.

People say they're good community tank fish. They are not. They're aggressive little assholes. Ours had to live in their own tank and they'd try to bite you if you put your fingers in their tank (it didn't hurt because they can't close their mouths and have no teeth.)

They have malformed swim bladders and are just generally awful fish. But boy do I miss my Rupert and Regina.

And finally

NUMBER 5: All manner of eels. For the purposes of this I'm going to say Rock Gunnels.

These slippery little dudes are sharp as hell. When I did a practicum at an oyster farm these dudes kept getting pulled up in the oyster beds and I ran around scooping them up and tossing them back into the sea. They come in a variety of vibrant colours too!

BONUS FISH:

This abomination. It's a lamprey of some sort. And if I gotta look at this thing so does everyone else.

[atopvisenyashill]

this is a very unserious question im sorry(hence the anon)!!!!

but has any dish/meal mentioned in asoiaf stood out to you?

im personally still thinking about the bomb-ass chowder davos had in ADWD

all the love xx

noooo this is a fun one!

for anyone who forgot, i believe this is the famous sisters stew anon is referencing:

The beer was brown, the bread black, the stew a creamy white. She served it in a trencher hollowed out of a stale loaf. It was thick with leeks, carrots, barley, and turnips white and yellow, along with clams and chunks of cod and crabmeat, swimming in a stock of heavy cream and butter. It was the sort of stew that warmed a man right down to his bones, just the thing for a wet, cold night. Davos spooned it up gratefully.

it does sound good as fuck. with the crabmeat and butter and vegetables. mmmmmm.

it happens a lot but i always love when they just mention having some bread and cheese for dinner, maybe a protein - jon does this a lot at the wall which makes sense bc it’s easy to preserve bread and cheese by freezing it. i am a charcuterie bitch lmao so whenever a character is like oh just a lil carbs and dairy, idk, i think it’s kinda cute and funny.

i have always loved the feast bran throws for his guests in bran iii acok because i love the descriptions of how differently the various houses in the north eat throughout the chapter. i also looooove seafood and the seafood the manderlys bring sounds so good:

Lord Wyman had brought twenty casks of fish from White Harbor packed in salt and seaweed; whitefish and winkles, crabs and mussels, clams, herring, cod, salmon, lobster and lampreys. There was black bread and honeycakes and oaten biscuits, there were turnips and peas and beets, beans and squash and huge red onions, there were baked apples and berry tarts and pears poached in strongwine. Wheels of white cheese were set at every table, above and below the salt, and flagons of hot spice wine and chilled autumn ale were passed up and down the tables.

I love honeycakes descriptions as well - i LOVE honey, i am a honey fiend, i love going to farmer’s markets and buying the lil sticks and getting organic types aksksk so i love when honeycakes are mentioned too. Like this breakfast description here, makes me soooo hungry, rich people really know how to do a good breakfast spread:

In the Queen's Ballroom they broke their fast on honeycakes baked with blackberries and nuts, gammon steaks, bacon, fingerfish crisped in breadcrumbs, autumn pears, and a Dornish dish of onions, cheese, and chopped eggs cooked up with fiery peppers. "Nothing like a hearty breakfast to whet one's appetite for the seventy-seven-course feast to follow," Tyrion commented as their plates were filled. There were flagons of milk and flagons of mead and flagons of a light sweet golden wine to wash it down.

And the dornish hot sauce!!!!!

The best snake sauce had a drop of venom in it, he had heard, along with mustard seeds and dragon peppers.

I love hot sauce and it sounds like a spicy mustard! Having venom AND peppers?? HELL YEAH LETS GO BARBECUE!!!!!!

[chaoticbuggybitchboy]

top 5 fish?

1. Tuna

2. Salmon

3. Lampreys are technically not fish but they’re so silly I love them.

4) boops boops obviously

5) pufferfish

6) flying fish

Rationales:

1&2: yummy. If I could, I would eat raw tuna and salmon always

5&6: the very first and one of the general first wild kratts episodes I watched as a kid. Thumbs up.

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ACOK: Bran III (Chapter 21)

Rickon was to his right, his mop of shaggy auburn hair grown so long that it brushed his ermine mantle. He had refused to let anyone cut it since their mother had gone.

She sat on the bed and smoothed his long, fine hair. He does have pretty hair. Lady Lysa had brushed it herself every night, and cut it when it wanted cutting. After she had fallen Robert had suffered terrible shaking fits whenever anyone came near him with a blade, so Petyr had commanded that his hair be allowed to grow. - Alayne II, AFFC

Rickon and Sweetrobin parallels fill me with dread.

+.+

Such food Bran had never seen; course after course after course, so much that he could not manage more than a bite or two of each dish. There were great joints of aurochs roasted with leeks, venison pies chunky with carrots, bacon, and mushrooms, mutton chops sauced in honey and cloves, savory duck, peppered boar, goose, skewers of pigeon and capon, beef-and-barley stew, cold fruit soup. Lord Wyman had brought twenty casks of fish from White Harbor packed in salt and seaweed; whitefish and winkles, crabs and mussels, clams, herring, cod, salmon, lobster and lampreys. There was black bread and honeycakes and oaten biscuits; there were turnips and pease and beets, beans and squash and huge red onions; there were baked apples and berry tarts and pears poached in strongwine. Wheels of white cheese were set at every table, above and below the salt, and flagons of hot spice wine and chilled autumn ale were passed up and down the tables.

Extravagance like this during war, with winter coming, is no more justifiable than when Lannisters do it.

+.+

The singer sang good songs, "Iron Lances" and "The Burning of the Ships" and "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," but only Hodor seemed to be listening. He stood beside the piper, hopping from one foot to the other.

The Burning of the Ships? Battle of the Blackwater.

The Bear and the Maiden Fair? A maid with honey in her hair, who calls for a knight, but to her horror gets a bear? She kicks and wails, but he licks her hair? Gosh, I don’t know.

Iron Lances? Are we staying with the theme of Blackwater, or is this Greyjoy?

+.+

Bran had not wanted the Freys at the high table, but the maester reminded him that they would soon be kin. Robb was to marry one of their aunts, and Arya one of their uncles. "She never will," Bran said, "not Arya,"

You’re only her sibling, how well could you really know her?

+.+

He sent sweets to Hodor and Old Nan as well, for no reason but he loved them.

+.+

He watched them as from a distance, as if he still sat in the window of his bedchamber, looking down on the yard below, seeing everything yet a part of nothing.    

Bran can see everything, but can’t engage.

+.+

Bran watched Farlen make his red bitch beg for bones and smiled at Old Nan plucking at the crust of a hot pie with wrinkled fingers.

What is this? Is this something?

+.+

Alebelly led two new guests into the feast. "The Lady Meera of House Reed," the rotund guardsman bellowed over the clamor. "With her brother, Jojen, of Greywater Watch."

The Lady Meera has top billing over the heir to Greywater Watch.

I smell future!

+.+

Her brother was several years younger and bore no weapons. All his garb was green, even to the leather of his boots, and when he came closer Bran saw that his eyes were the color of moss

Like a GREENseer?

Where else are you going to find literary analysis as good as this?

+.+

"My lords of Stark," the girl said. "The years have passed in their hundreds and their thousands since my folk first swore their fealty to the King in the North. My lord father has sent us here to say the words again, for all our people."    

Okay but why is Howland Reed sending his children to go chill with Bran indefinitely? Why is Howland Reed not participating in the war? Does Howland Reed know things? Can Howland Reed see things? Give us Howland Reed!

Theon was about to tell him what he ought to do with his wet nurse's fable when Maester Luwin spoke up. "The histories say the crannogmen grew close to the children of the forest in the days when the greenseers tried to bring the hammer of the waters down upon the Neck. It may be that they have secret knowledge." - Theon IV, ACOK   

+.+

"To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater," they said together. "Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless, and justice to all, and we shall never fail you."

"I swear it by earth and water," said the boy in green.

"I swear it by bronze and iron," his sister said.

"We swear it by ice and fire," they finished together.

Sounds like something you might say after you agree to a pact.

+.+

The girl caught him staring at her and smiled. Bran blushed and looked away.   

+.+

When the singer reached the part in "The Night That Ended" where the Night's Watch rode forth to meet the Others in the Battle for the Dawn, he blew a blast that set all the dogs to barking.    

He lost me with that last part.

+.+

They went out the rear rather than walk the length of the hall, Bran ducking his head as they passed through the lord's door.

We get it, George.

+.+

In the dim-lit gallery outside the Great Hall, they came upon Joseth the master of horse engaged in a different sort of riding. He had some woman Bran did not know shoved up against the wall, her skirts around her waist.

Amazed this didn’t trigger his post-traumatic stress disorder.

+.+

"The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star. They called him the Sword of the Morning, and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed." Father had gotten sad then, and he would say no more. Bran wished he had asked him what he meant.

I’m sure you’ll find out.

+.+

"They will be bigger still before they are grown," the young male said, watching them with eyes large, green, and unafraid. "The black one is full of fear and rage, but the grey is strong . . . stronger than he knows . . . can you feel him, sister?"    

"No," she said, moving a hand to the hilt of the long brown knife she wore. "Go careful, Jojen."         

"He won't hurt me. This is not the day I die."

Guys, I’m so happy the Reeds are here! 🥰

Final thoughts:

Has anyone ever noticed there’s a lot of sex in Bran’s chapters? Contemplating sex, talking about sex, witnessing sex...

Imagine that creepy scene on the show wasn’t a stretch, and Bran spies on one or two of his siblings?

-> return to menu <-

[jasoncookiememesinnit]

Name: Jason Khek

Number: Alevencookie

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Transexual Lesbian Ethnicity: Cambodian/Jewish/American/French

Religion: Jewish Buddhism

Position: Memes and Suffering

Birthday: 1st June

Birthdate: 1st June 2007

Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Skin: Cacausian

Codename: Numbuh Alevencookie

Likes: Nissin Instant Ramen (Chicken Flavor) Salmon Eggs Rice Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Oreo Cookies Large Fries Helltaker Planets Outer Space Reading (only aliens and planets) Hellboy Hacking Enjoying the Suffering Chocolate Milo Bar Chocolate Chip Pop Tart Whopper Jr. Ketchup Mayo  Lettuce  Chicken Steak Baby Creep Milk Chocolate Milk Chocolate Mousse Brownies English Maths Science Geography Computing Wrestling America The Simpsons Chocolate Iced Glazed (Donut) Ben 10 Ben Tennyson Japan Memes Malayko Cake DeviantArt Funny Things Aliens Maurice Chad Dickson Communicating with aliens Enjoyment of Suffering New York Mahiru Koizumi Sonia Nevermind Kyoko Kirigiri Maki Harukawa Celestia Ludenberg Makoto Naegi Izuru Kamukura Mukuro Ikusaba Danganronpa Spider-Man British Revolution  Pepperoni Pizza Adventures Dislikes: Bullying Curry Lok Lak Fruits Eating Corn Slimy Soup Eating Shrimp Groomers Homophobics Seafoods (except; for salmon) Any of types of Cake Opera Cake Groomers Being Delightful Zoophiles Racism Pedophiles Healthy Food

Specialty: Cartoon Artist Artist  Writer Teen Ninja (cover-up) Agent TND Agent KND Agent (formerly) Fanfiction Artist

Fears: Worms Bloodworms Lampreys Window Wipers (formerly) Leeches Sea Lampreys

Sector:  Cambodian (formerly) New York, USA (NY)

Age: 5 to 9 y/o 14 y/o 15 y/o 16 y/o

Affiliations: Nigel Uno Abigail Lincoln Vera Wolf Keath Duncan Buchanan Y Sing Galactic KND Teens Next Door Galactic TND DeviantArt Maurice Numbuh 10 Numbuh Vine Chad Dickson Wallabee Beetles Kuki Sanban Hogarth Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr. KND Operatives Rachel T. McKenzie Eloise Ginger Numbuh 7.369

Strength: Intelligent at Maths Intelligent at English Intelligent at Geography Intelligent at Biology Intelligent at Chemistry Intelligent at Physics Running Stabbing/Shanking Punches/Barrages Art Drawings

Extra:

I was one of the few KND members to retain her memories. I refused to join the adults or teenage ninjas. Today was the ordinary student not to mentioned, and even he was secretly part of both Teens Next Door and the Galactic Kids Next Door member despite he is one of them though for those who did not know

I have is 2 older sisters, not to mention he even also have an American cousin, and even the fact I was no longer in KND anymore, but the past I was once the KND Operative but now a TND and G:KND member for now at the same time.

I was secretly joining the secret yet new organization called the G:TND since I was a teenager and I love aliens also space was cool though.

Also I was a former KND Operative, when I’m turning 13 I am part of the TND then the G:TND.

[outofangband]

Not sure if it'd be too similar to Brethil but wondering if you'd make any changes for fauna of Doriath? Or, if not, flora and/or fauna of Ossiriand?

I’m working on a post on Doriath! My mum is getting me The Flora of Middle Earth for my birthday so that will definitely add to my research abilities

Ossiriand is large so this is by necessity an overview, a full list of species would likely be thousands, even tens of thousands long!  so let me know if you have more specific questions!

Flora and fauna of Arda masterlist 

Disclaimer: I used both what we can extrapolate is likely indigenous to the region based on descriptions of the landscape and climate as well as my own headcanons and inspirations and reference books on similar habitats as well as books like The Atlas of Middle Earth and The Flora of Middle Earth

I really love working on and researching these! and as always feel free to ask more, even if I've already done a place I'd always enjoy going into more detail of tacking a more specific kind of life there

Ossiriand is a realm in Eastern Beleriand, bordered on one side by the Blue Mountains and the river Gelion on the other. Parts of Ossiriand were among the only parts of Beleriand to survive past the first age.

Ossiriand has a description of a gentle, warm climate full of coniferous forests. This is in contrast to the taiga like climate of Dorthonion, also noted for coniferous forests.

Redwood, sequoia, cypress, Douglas Firs, bays, spruce, cedar and hemlock like species possibly make up the forests.

Plants found in these forests are varied but just a few examples are Eriogonum fasciculatu, junegrass, blackberry, Douglas Iris, black sage, evergreen huckleberry, bayberry, a variety of ferns (sword fern and deer fern are two examples), lupine, cow parsnip, red willow, alder, creeping snowberry, ocean spray, thimbleberry, salmonberry, blueblossom, Grindelia hirsutula, salal, bog Labrador tea, and buckthorn

The abundance of rivers and other sources of water mean a variety of fish perhaps including species like trout and salmon, lamprey, sculpin, suckers, sunfish, grass carp as well as potentially giant salamanders. (Once again very much want to include prehistoric or extinct creatures). There are also likely an abundance of freshwater mollusks

Smaller and vernal pools are breeding grounds for tree frogs and other, smaller salamanders.

Also a variety of river birds; herons, teals, cormorants, grebes, murrelet, kingfisher, warblers, wood ducks, Chendytes, rail, wrens, osprey, mallard, grosbeak, and ibis.

Pine martins, brown bears, red, gray and kit foxes, bobcats, black tailed deer, elk, cascade mountains wolf are possible mammals as well as a variety of smaller ones such as flying squirrels.

I hope this is ok! Thank you so much for the ask! I love researching and writing these

[pleasespellchimerical]

Actually speaking of leeches, and creepy aquatic things--

I spent a lot of time in my undergrad doing stream ecology. It was an area I sort of fell into by accident, but I enjoyed it a lot.

I spent hours out in the field. Measuring streams, taking water samples, and cataloguing the local wildlife.

We’d learned about lampreys in class. Primarily sea lampreys, which are from Europe and are highly invasive in the Great Lakes. Lampreys are scary looking fuckers. They have a maw of teeth straight out of a Soulsborne game. Some species use this maw to latch onto fish and suck out all their blood. Other species are not parasitic at all - they only feed as larvae, and their terrifying maws are purely decorative.

Let’s just say that I was terrified to ever meet one of these guys.

(Lampreys don’t attack humans. They just look like something out of a B monster movie.)

During one of the sampling expeditions, we pulled up a handful of lampreys in the seine net. 

They got dumped into a specimen tank, and I was fascinated. They were probably about 8-10 inches long, and boy did they wiggle. So wiggly. I tried to hold one for a better look, but these guys were impossible to keep a hold on. All fish have a slimy coating, but add the fact that these guys were so thin and wiggly, I couldn’t hold one for more than a few seconds before it wiggled free.

My professor identified them as Ohio lampreys, an endangered native species. These weren’t the terrifying beasties of the Great Lakes, but simply some Wiggly Lads trying to go about their day and getting majorly inconvenienced by us. 

By the time we dumped them back in the stream, I’d fallen in love.

It’s easy to be scared of lampreys. They are terrifying to look at. The scars the parasitic ones leave on fish are nasty. The issue with invasive lampreys in the Great Lakes has garnered a lot of attention, and worsened their reputation as a whole.

Because they’re the opposite of charismatic, lamprey conservation doesn’t get a lot of attention. Take Pacific lampreys. In the Pacific Northwest, they follow similar migration and spawning patterns to salmon. Despite Pacific lampreys being of great ecological and cultural importance (lampreys were a traditional food source for native Americans living in the area), they don’t get a fraction of the concern that salmon do. 

In that same undergrad class, we met an ecologist who was specifically working with Pacific lamprey. He was super cool. And by that point I was so head over heels for lampreys, I understood why someone might want to devote their career to them.

The point I’m trying to make is that there are many weird and creepy critters out there. And these weird and creepy critters are important. And to help people appreciate them, exposure is necessary.

I positively adore lampreys. And if it wasn’t for those three Ohio lampreys we fished up one early spring day in Pennsylvania, I would never have learned to love them.

[halt-kun]

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 11 - The Inevitable Outcome

Okay so I’m procrastinating and I will do one more chapter today.

Best panel of Menchi so far !

IT MUST BE NEN ! 

I would be Kurapika though.

Making Sushi is so fun.

So we have 148-70=78 people that got eliminated by the pig. They probably got killed too.

There is some pretty people with androgynous looks up there.

I don’t know if I would have guessed it was done with fish though those knives would lead me to think of that. I would definitely not know what to do with the rice. I’d probably fuck around until I make something that looks good with fish and that has a balanced taste.

I really hate when people are loud when I tell them some crucial stuff that’s just for them to know. Also it’s not any vinegar, it’s rice vinegar with some sugar. You can also use white vinegar that you dilute with water a bit and add sugar to. (the french translation talked about white vinegar too)

I think I would definitely cook the fish unless it’s something that looks good raw like Salmon.

Togashi is very good at making unique designs for characters as we can see here and later on. 

I like the diversity of fishing techniques too

Some people really caught the most random fish they saw. Like I know fish means nothing in term of animal group since it’s not derived from a common ancestor. Or if it were, all land animals would be fish too since we are just a very eccentric branch of sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes). Anyway I doubt the first one is a fish, most likely a lamprey. 

I know in culinary terms it might be a fish since eels are but I have yet to see any sushi with that kind of fish.

I want to eat them !!!

Like Menchi I would be very enthusiast about eating those sushi.

Leorio I know you’ve never cooked in your life but would you eat that ? I mean several fish in one rice ball. Have you even tasted them before ? Like separately ? You don’t mix meat at random. Also you know, you should have removed: the head, the organs, the skin at least ?

Gon I know you usually grill your fish on a stick but would you eat them raw like that and still twitching ? I’m really wondering if you’ve ever fished before and I’ve seen you do it. 

I love Kurapika

At least one guy cut the fish in some way. 

Okay so I judged Kurapika’s reasoning in french and he is better in english. Like in french he deduced it should be the size of an egg and the shape of a potato croquette. 

Also you should do several ones Kurapika. And several with one fish too.

LIKE HOW THE FUCK DID YOU COME TO THIS CONCLUSION !

Do you even know how to cook fish, let alone raw fish !!!

How are you even surprised.

You know Menchi you should be a little more tolerant on the taste.

Also Hanzo, do you really come from a country where sushi is common because everybody knows sushis can taste very different depending on who makes it.

I love murdery Menchi, must be an emitter 

She was a bit less picky in french, she said the rice was too crispy but still too picky.

She’s making decent critics but she should still let some pass. Like I’ve been doing sushi at least once a month for the past two years and a half and I’m still not consistent. 

Well, end of the chapter.

Menchi is very picky, we all knew that. I agree though most applicants didn’t even try to prepare the fish correctly. EVEN KURAPIKA OR GON WHO SHOULD HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE DOING SO !

Yeah I would definitely have been upset by this much lack of effort but figuring out how to do sushi is already quite the challenge even with just a description of the dish. So even without that how did she expect it to taste good.

Anyway I love her, please can we have more gourmet hunters. And more cooking too.

[fatehbaz]

Defend insects.

Get ready for some of my overwrought navel-gazing. Lately, every single day, the major video-watching site keeps insisting on showing me ads for “Raid North America.”

As in, “the North American branch” of “Raid” the “indiscriminately destroy life with our product” company, with the literal trademarked corporate slogan: “Raid.brand.kills.bugs.dead!”

With all of the surveillance and behavioral data that g00gle and @pple have collected from me over the years, it’s bizarre that they’re showing “murder and kill insect lifeforms” ads to someone whomst writes and reads every day about interspecies cooperation, compassionate animal-plant-human relationships, and the rich beautiful life of invertebrates, while also regularly searching phrases like “insect sentience” and “fungus are intelligent, right?” and “trees experience empathy?” and “insect demigods and deities in folklore.” Also, pretty auspicious to recommend the phrase “raid North America” to someone whomst writes and reads every day about ecoregions, distinctions between bioregions of North America, and Indigenous land and autonomy, while repeatedly and explicitly advocating for the dismantling of Empire, dissolving of political borders, and returning of land.

So the intended message of their ad backfired. You know how ads usually load before the other graphics/content on a site? (Major entities like g00gle doing a favor for other massive companies by giving their ads preferable treatment instead of accommodating the internet user. It’s also interesting that the corporation felt it necessary to specify that they are the North American branch of Raid. Might be a sudden marketing campaign related to early 2020′s popular anxiety over giant East Asian hornets in North America.) Every time, while I’m trying to watch a video, the banner ad will load first, while it takes several seconds for the rest of the page to load. There’s not even a logo graphic that loads most of the time, so it almost sounds like a blunt command. So all I’m left with is a completely blank page, and the only visible thing is just the bold announcement: “RAID NORTH AMERICA.”

The first time this happened, and every time since, my thoughts were like this: “Raid North America. Remove political borders. Dismantle Empire. Return land. Love your local ecoregion.”

So I’m left daydreaming.

I can’t see this ad without immediately imagining millions of airborne Rocky Mountain locusts, resurrected from the dead, eclipsing the sun and casting a shadow over the offices of Chicago where a networking meeting of corn oil processing corporations is being held.

Sea otters dive and explore as they excitedly play in the half-sunken ruins of an oil tanker off the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, as Pacific giant octopus crawl in the jagged crevices of the ship’s innards and the kelp forest, an entire underwater cosmos, is thriving. Vast flocks of Carolina parakeets amass above a cattle meat-processing company executive’s mansion in the uncanny suburbia of Dallas.

Condors soar over canyonlands, the Colorado River delta is lush, and vaquita porpoises in the nearby saltwater inhabit an aquatic world no longer insulted with the name “Sea of Cortez.”

Passenger pigeons occupy the rooftops of Toronto. In the mist-shrouded redwoods forest, arboreal salamanders are prosperous thanks to adequate moisture and mild climate, 50 meters up into the sky in fern mats among moss-covered redwood branches. Coal mining company offices in northern Appalachia are swept away.

Dams burst on the Snake River as Chinook salmon and slithering lampreys rush back into headwater streams of the inland temperate rainforest, and traditional caretakers can freely harvest huckleberry and camas. Ranching and fracking corporations with thousands of acres of private land in the High Plains recoil as black-footed ferrets and swift foxes scurry across the prairie. Gila monsters and desert tortoises and rosy boas move about the desert beneath Joshua tree and saguaro, as imperial woodpeckers and jaguars return to the Sky Islands in full force.

Caribou overtake Athabascan tar sands mining sites. The water wells of the boreal forest aren’t conduits of poison, Metis people have clean water. Gulf Coast chemical facilities and refineries are torched, caught on fire by their own exhaust flames and hubris, and the bayous and floodplains welcome autonomy for the Houma, for the people of New Orleans. The sagebrush steppe of the Great Basin is teeming with pygmy rabbits, pronghorn, and sage grouse.

Manatees calmly navigate spring-fed stream channels free of churning boat motors while the Everglades glisten in sub-tropical sun and humidity, and people of Miami stand outside, cautious of lightning but exposed enough to the regular afternoon thunderstorms rolling in from where the Caribbean meets the Sargasso Sea, to let rain wash away sweat. We freely distribute ripe fruit produce from the service entrance of the grocery store. We dismantle anti-homeless hostile architecture, occupy empty homes, cut barbwire fences. The land of the continent is returned to Indigenous caretakers. A herd of bison stampedes into DC, obliterating the cold marble halls of power. We are raiding North America.

Rather than “destroy insects,” the ads had me thinking about “nurturing life.”

Defend insects.

I fantasize about vast swarms of undead Rocky Mountain locusts ominously blackening the sky above the insecticide corporation’s headquarters near the shores of Lake Michigan.

[thescribesloft]

Creature ideas people rarely think about:

Everyone is always thinking about werewolves or the occasional werecat, but what about animals that you may not think about?

Crab

Horse

Locust

Snake

Spider

Monkey

Hare (There are a few folktales and legends in Asian cultures that star moon rabbits and hares as the main role)

Goat

Donkey

Salmon

Shrimp

Traditionally vampire bats are associated with vampire, but they aren’t the only bloodsuckers out there. They don’t even ‘suck’ blood. They nip the skin of another animal and lick the blood that comes out. When your vampire character transforms, perhaps have them become or exhibit the traits of:

A Mosquito

A Leech

A flea

A Lamprey 

An Oxpecker

When building shapeshifter characters, everyone wants a wolf, dolphin, horse, lion, or cheetah, all lovely creatures with outstanding powers. But all overdone. I had heard of a few stories in which bears and some birds were used, but rarely. Everyone wants a predator instead of a prey because they kick butt and are cool, but some prey animals kick some butt too. Try these on for size and bonus points if you can make their human form an actual native from the country or land the creature is from:

Elk 

Panda

Orca

Raven

Shark

Hyena

Elephant

Squirrel

Sloth

And what about powers to give your supernatural character? Obviously wolves are powerful and strong hunters, cats are stealthy and can climb, birds can fly, but what about other powers that are just as important?

Chipmunk - Food storage

Mountain Goat - Balance

Gecko - The ability to stick to anything (who wouldn’t wan this one?)

Spider - Let’s face it. Nobody likes them, but they have several different kinds of chemicals in their rear that create their ‘silk’. They replenish this string by eating it. Take that, recyclers!

Jellyfish - They live boring lives, but are pretty much immortal

Toad - Poisonous skin

Honey Badger - Need I say more?

It’s also important to consider which culture you are drawing your supernatural creature’s abilities from. 

Werewolves were seen as demonic monsters in most European countries, but in Scandinavia, they were revered as heroes and even appointed by kings as an elite force of the army.

The traditional vampire was actually a revived corpse that preyed on spiritual energy rather than blood. In many cultures, vampiric creatures took many forms: seductive women, lost children, vengeful men killed in battle.

Shapeshifters were seen as familiars to witches and holy men in many cultures. They were deemed to have the ability to move between the realms of the living, dead, and other alien worlds. Some were even said to be avatars of gods or fallen warriors and kings.

[usfwspacific]

Creature Comforts – I Like Being “Stuck” at Home, Probably Because I am a Pacific Lamprey

Hello humans! Wait, please don’t let my looks put you off – I am a nice guy once you get to know me. I know, I might not seem as cuddly as some of the other critters asking for your attention but just give me a chance. I think we can help each other! I am literally “stuck” at home right now, and like you, I need certain elements in my environment to help me thrive. If you learn about and help protect my home, I might be able to teach you a thing or two about going with the flow during challenging times – I outlasted the dinosaurs after all!

Allow me to tell you a bit about myself and my often-misunderstood species (Entosphenus tridentatus):

- We are important! Not to brag but we Pacific Lamprey are native to this region and play a vital ecological and cultural role.

- We are legendary! Dinosaurs get a lot of credit in the ancient world but we are even older. Lampreys first appeared in the fossil record over 400 million years ago. Dinosaurs were around between 250-65 million years ago while salmon are 6 million years old. You humans are a mere 100,000 years old. Did I mention that lampreys have survived at least four and possibly five mass extinction events. How is that for iconic?

- We are survivors! You don’t get this old without skills. We are a very adaptable species. Though our physical form has remained largely unchanged since the oldest fossil record, Pacific Lamprey have co-evolved with our host species. We are parasitic and rely on a wide range of host species. But don’t worry, we don’t kill our hosts while we feed. Like I said, I am a nice guy once you get to know me :)

- You need us around! Our biological and cultural connection to humans goes way back. We connect communities of humans and other species of fish. Did you know that we help protect salmon from other predators? It’s true! We lampreys are a predation buffer for salmon when our populations are plentiful thanks to our tasty high fat content – other animals would rather eat us than salmon.

- We are a “first food”! Thanks to our rich, fatty meat, we play an important spiritual, medicinal, and cultural role for many tribes in the Columbia River Basin, coastal Oregon, Washington and California.

- The ecosystem needs us around too! Pacific Lamprey provide critical ecosystem services each stage of their life cycle. At every stage, we are a food source for several species and we act as filters for water and sediment during our larval stage to keep our rivers clean. Our bodies also return nutrients to aquatic ecosystems once we die, providing a crucial connection between the ocean and the river.

- I am unique! As far as looks go, I am definitely one of a kind. I belong to a primitive group of fishes that are eel-like in form but that lack the jaws and paired fins of bony fishes. I have a round, sucker-like mouth, no scales, and seven holes on each side of my body that open to my gills. Make no bones about it (I can’t because I don’t have any!), I am a probably one of the most flexible friends you’ll ever have; my backbone is made of cartilage, like the stuff that makes up your ear. Let’s not forget my alluring “eyes.” Adult Pacific Lampreys have two blue eyes that they use to see. We use a third ‘eye’, a light spot on the top of our head, to sense light and dark and to practice some deep meditation.

Photo: Check us out! We Pacific Lamprey can go vertical thanks to our powerful suction mouths! Credit: Toru Tsuzaki

- We are “egg-cellent” at reproducing and swimming! Unlike humans and other species, which only produce a few offspring in their lifetimes but spend a lot of time raising them, Pacific Lamprey females produce between 100,000-300,000 eggs! We are also some of the most energy-efficient swimmers. Our swimming movements generate low-pressure zones around their body, which pull rather than push our bodies through the water. We like to swim close to the bottom of the stream, river, or ocean to avoid detection and attach to rocks to save energy. Since we are anadromous like salmon and move from freshwater to the ocean and back, we often hitch a ride with our host species in the ocean so that we can travel great distances. Beats taking an Uber, right?

- We are not the same species as that other lamprey! Pacific Lamprey are different from sea lamprey. That other guy is a species from the Atlantic Ocean. Sea lamprey are native to the Atlantic Ocean and are a healthy part of the ecosystem. But some of you might know that they have been stirring up trouble in other places. They began causing problems in the Great Lakes after gaining access to through navigation canals that bypass Niagara Falls in the 1830s. In the Great Lakes they are an invasive species. Consequently, Great Lakes fisheries evolved without the presence of sea lampreys and are highly vulnerable to their predation and competition. For the most part, hosts do not survive predation from sea lampreys. Yikes.

- We are neighbors! Yep, you can find us in streams and rivers in your backyard! Our native range includes parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Alaska. We could be in small streams and rivers in your backyard, and you most likely wouldn’t even know it! At the beginning of our life cycle, we are very small and burrow into the bottom of the stream, so it’s pretty tough to spot us. If we return as adults, you don’t have to worry about our teeth because adults don’t eat when we are in freshwater – how is that for a cheap date?

Photo: I love a nice cool, clean stream to come home to! Credit: Jeremy Monroe

- We need nice homes!  Healthy habitat is vital to the survival of lampreys at each point in our life cycle. We need cool and clean water in rivers and streams and favorable oceanic conditions. We need stream habitat with gravel for spawning, fine sediments for rearing, cool water temperatures, unpolluted water sources, riffle and pool habitats. Like our friends the salmon, we need favorable ocean conditions that include plentiful hosts, clean water, and low levels of predators. Of course, we also need to be able to get to and from the ocean so barrier free passage is essential.

- We are facing threats! Sadly, over the last 100 years, our populations have seen a dramatic decline. Along our already arduous journey, we face a number of threats:

- Unsafe passage like culverts, dams, and water diversions impede our ability to get to the ocean

- Technology used for salmon passage like ladders aren’t as passable for us

- Habitat degradation caused by urbanization damages our spawning grounds

- Poor water quality caused by pollutants, contaminants and warming climates

- Changing ocean conditions that decrease the populations of our host species while increasing the populations of our predators.

But don’t let these threats get you down! Pacific Lamprey are designated as a species of concern by the tribes, US Fish and Wildlife Service and state fish and wildlife/ game agencies and we can all work together to conserve my species. Partners are working together at state, federal and tribal levels to modify and remove passage barriers, share research, and plan a better future for us lamprey. Here are some ways you can make sure I continue to have a home worth being “stuck” in for another million years!

-        Keep water clean: Be aware of what you flush down the drain: don’t dump pollutants in streams

-        Volunteer: Work on a stream restoration project

-        Share what you’ve learned: Tell others that you have found a new pal in your ancient neighbor the Pacific Lamprey and that he is, despite the myths, a pretty nice guy. Thank you friends!

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________________________________________________

Stuck on saving future generations of Pacific Lamprey? Check out these additional resources:

- Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative 

- Pacific Lamprey Educational Handout

- Pacific Lamprey Exhibit at the Oregon Zoo

-The Lost Fish Video

- Pacific Lamprey Activity Book

[twisted-leader-of-something]

Quentin's NRC friends - Other OCs

Hey, I got more OCs to share. These are Quentin's friends at NRC, and I'm posting this before the backstory because I post my babies now, or I'll keep delaying it until that post is done, and it's taking longer to write than I expect.

Stupid Writer's lack of motivation and Tumblr deciding to keep reloading the page and making me start over. 

Found Picrew link for Credit where it is due!: https://picrew.me/image_maker/43383

So, here's some more OCs I have. Sorry if it doesn't work on mobile!

Edit: Parts of Adahy and Dorji's profile will be changed to make it better because of some parts of Adahy's profile that I think are stereotyping and I judged Vil Schoenheit's competely wrong before the Pomefiore chapter came out. 

Adahy Haida

Full Name: Adahy Inuit-Haida

Nickname(s): Ada (by his friends at NRC), Adie (by Bucky)

Twisted from: Kenai (Mostly Early Movie) [From Brother Bear]

Gender: Male 

Species: Beastman (Part Bear)

Age: 17 

Birthday: November 29th

Star Sign: Sagittarius 

Height: 6'0"4 or 184 cm

Eye Color: Black 

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Homeland: Northern Land of the Great Spirits

Family: Mother, Father, Two Older Brothers (Status Unknown), Adoptive Father [Anuka Haida], Adoptive younger brother [Bucky Haida] 

Dorm: Savanaclaw

School Year: Second Year

Class: 2-B, Student no. 23

Occupation: Student/Part Time Worker

Club: Volleyball Club

Best Subject: Spiritual Forces/Spirit Studies 

Dominant Hand: Right 

Favorite Food: Most Seafoods, especially Salmon and Trout.

Least Favorite Food: Certain Fruits and Meats

Likes: Doing whatever he wants

Dislikes: Other people in his way of doing things

Hobby: Exploring Areas

Sexuality: Straight 

Unique Magic: 'Brother of the Spirits' - Adahy can temporarily communicate with the Great Spirits, or any Spirit in his area and receive guidance, intervention or even a change (physical or mental) for about as long as the Spirit in question wishes, if any Spirit wish to speak with him at all. He can also communicate with any and all animals during this time, and also takes the form of a bear during this time, whether or not he is using it for the animals or Spirits, and loses the ability to communicate to human-like creatures. This typically lasts half a hour to a full day, but it depends on the Spirit he is dealing with.

Talent: Ridiculously Accuracte Sense of Smell

Personality: Adahy generally is a prankster, and beats to the sound of his own drum, despite really caring about others and their view of him. He is known for his pranks in Savanaclaw and other dorms and generally getting into trouble with people, which he often gets into major trouble with with fellow dorm members,  as Leona and Ruggie seem amused by his antics. Adahy is genuinely is a good guy if you get past his prankster and childish nature, he's a really good guy to talk to and be around because of his understanding with people and the world in general. He also is pretty laid-back and knows lots of secret places around campus to relax, but you have to get past his stubborn nature and sometimes crudes comments.

Background: Born and raised in the Northern Land of the Great Spirits, he grew up in a small tribal area inside of a Native American reservation in the land of Pyroxene. He learned the ways of his ancestors and was firmly taught about the Great Spirits as a child, making him semi-religious even to the current times. He lived a mostly good life, nothing to big happening until his coming of age ceremony, when he received his totem- the Eagle of Knowledge. And, figuring he knew basically everything in the reservation inside and out, decided to leave it without the permission of his leaders due to Adahy's stubborness. Which later ended up backfiring after he finally found a place to settle down with a new family, the broken Haidas which he managed to fix while he was staying there. The two families did manage to come to an agreement about letting Adahy stay outside the reservation, and keep in touch with his tribe. A while later, the father of family, Anuka insisted that Adahy go to Night Raven College to become learn about spirits and his spiritual powers because Adahy had such great talent in that department, despite not having much money to do so. The Haidas somehow managed to get him in to NRC, which Adahy feels bad for. But Adahy somehow managed to land a job at Sam's shop as a part timer and taking jobs around campus because he feels he needs to work hard at NRC as payment for his family's sacrifice despite all the homework he gets. He eventually met Ruggie, another person was in his class he often had jobs with and decided to form an agreement to work together because they often worked in similar spots. So, he can often be found around Sam or Ruggie. He also met Quentin while working around campus, and after a few interesting conversations with her started to hang out with her and her friend group, which at the time was just her, Agat and Dorji. 

Das Mana-Alvah

Full Name: Das Mana-Alvah 

Nickname(s): the Creep/Traitor/Cult Member assigned to me (by Quentin), Lamprey (by Floyd) 

Twisted from: The Rat (very loosely) [From Lady and the Tramp] 

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Age: 16

Birthday: July 15th

Star Sign: Cancer 

Height: 5'7 or 152.4 cm

Eye Color: Dark Green 

Hair Color: Light Brown with Dyed Black Tips

Homeland: Land of Pyroxene 

Family: Mother, Father, Older Sister and Brother, Younger Brother

Dorm: Octavinelle

School Year: First Year 

Class: 1-E, Student no. 19

Occupation: Student

Club: N/A

Best Subject: Magical Analysis

Dominant Hand: Right 

Favorite Food: Food Sent by His Family

Least Favorite Food: Rare Meats

Likes: His Phone and the Things He Can Do On It

Dislikes: Mostro Lounge, Working as Azul's lackey 

Hobby: Spying on People

Sexuality: Straight

Unique Magic: 'I Ail You' - Das can give a person a disease only he can cure and can fully control every part of. Which has been used for interrogation purposes, or for simply getting his friends to stop doing something. It's simple but very deadly since Das knows how to use it. 

Talent: Looking Better than He Actually Is

Personality: Das is childish compared to almost every else in the school, so people often associate him with Kalim due to his trustinh, stupid and naive behavior that feels almost disgenious at Night Raven College. But no. He's just naive due to not being in the outside world until now. He's also really not that smart, and it's not that hard to tell just by his grades. But, he seems to be a good person despite not seeming like it and for what he does.

Background: Born and raised in a small faculty in the Cult of Mana, Das grew up learning very little and being taught to take what you have and don't ask for more. He grew up in an extremely religious household with family and friends he loved dearly and, thus grew up to be extremely passionate about his cult. But, he was not that important or even stood out from the crowd. Well, until he was assigned to track Quentin at Night Raven College for the sake of the cult. Which somehow worked despite Das having little magical talent. And for a while, he spied on Quentin by stalking her and stealing her things until he was almost caught by the teachers. To which he decided to make a deal with Azul, giving away his free time (because Azul thought his Unique Magic was worthless) in exchange for a book that would track Quentin's every move. Which, was later destroyed when Leona turned Azul's contracts to sand and forced him to make another contract with Azul. But this time, with Azul being warned by Quentin that Das cannot be left unsupervised with risking a chance of being found out had Overblotted by a dangerous cult, put Das under an even worse contract in exchange for an app on his phone that generally told him what Quentin was doing. Which, he genuinely hates Azul for now. But, he finds some solstice in Quentin's friend group that he kinda forces his way into when the group hangs out together.

Agat Circe

Full Name: Agat Circe 

Nickname(s): Agie (by his friends at NRC) Circe/Medea (by his village and family)

Twisted from: the Enchantress [From Beauty and the Beast] 

Gender: Male

Species: Demi-human (Part Fae)

Age: 18 

Birthday: September 29th

Star Sign: Libra

Height: 5'3 or 162 cm

Eye Color: Light Green

Hair Color: Golden Blonde

Homeland: Mystic Village 

Family: Grandmother, Grandfather.

Dorm: Diasomnia

School Year: Third Year

Class: 3-C, Student no. 10

Occupation: Student/Enchanter 

Club: Science Club

Best Subject: Magical Combat

Dominant Hand: Right 

Favorite Food: Fruits

Least Favorite Food: Soup

Likes: Being alone, studying magical books

Dislikes: Crowded places, tests

Hobby: Wandering around old places

Sexuality: Bisexual

Unique Magic: 'Fairy Tale Magic' - Agat can make a spell or curse tailored to a specific person no matter the rules of magic. But, it has to be symbolic in some shape or form to work and he is the only one that can cast and dispel it. 

Talent: Spell Casting and Lifting

Personality: Agat is not a social person. He tends to be found by himself in unpopular places, but he is a smart and good person despite the air he gives off. Agat is also a person who doesn't care for things all that much, but he actually is really good at understanding people and things. He acts more anti-social than he actually is, as he can sometimes be found spoiling his friends, as he considers his friends very precious to him. People are genuinely surprised to see a powerful enchanter acting like a regular teenager in front of his friends since he often doesn't do much in class, much to the teacher's dismay. Agat is very wise for someone his age, and often has good wisdom if you ask him. 

Background: Agat was born of a fae and a human, who he doesn't know. He grew up in the Mystic Village, with his grandparents who were the town's wise sorcerers, so he grew up with lots of knowledge of magic and a good amount of resources to help him grow. Only, he wasn't a very well-liked child in the village because of his gifts, as most thought of him as scary or not someone they should interact with. So, he learned that magic isn't really all that great because people tend to be afraid of it. So, he learned to hide his powers from the village to to gain favor with them, which worked after a few months. Agat's grandparents sent him to Night Raven College, despite Agat wanting to stay in his hometown and he was sorted into Diasomnia, which further reinforced the lessons he learned about magic while in his hometown. Until he met Quentin, and later became friends with her who also started to teach him about Magic and people. And, because of the lessons she teaches, weither Quentin knows it or not, Agat decided to stick with her and her group of friends because he genuinely finds them to be interesting and great people to be around.

Masawa Naran

Full Name: Masawa Naran 

Nickname(s): Mas (by his friends at NRC), Master Masawa (by his servants at home)

Twisted from: Kuzco (Mostly Early Film) [From the Emperor's New Groove] 

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Age: 17

Birthday: December 21st

Star Sign: Sagittarius 

Height: 5'9"7 or 164 cm

Eye Color: Light Blue 

Hair Color: Natural Black

Homeland: The Kingdom of Sun 

Family: Mother, Father, (Deceased) Older Brother, Younger Sister

Dorm: Scarabia

School Year: Second Year 

Class: 2-D, Student no. 5

Occupation: Student/Grand Prince

Club: Comedy Club

Best Subject: Transformation Potions

Dominant Hand: Right 

Favorite Food: Flavorful Foods 

Least Favorite Food: Foods with Little to No Flavor

Likes: Money, Dancing

Dislikes: Most People Besides His Friends

Hobby: Dancing 

Sexuality: Demisexual

Unique Magic: 'Which One, Which One?' - Masawa can temporarily change into an random animal that can speak human language for about ten minutes to a hour with no powers or anything special besides being able to speak a human language. He mostly transforms into a Llama. 

Talent: Animal Transformation adaptation 

Personality: Masawa is a dick. He is not a great person to be around for a long period of time. He's selfish and often it's his way or the highway. He also has a problem with money, in that he kinda likes money a little too much. Not obsession levels, not definitely enough to make Jamil wary of leaving the treasure stash open for too long. He also doesn't seem to care about other's opinions that much, which is why he often is yelled at by the teachers and students for many things, and why Jamil gets a lot of complaints about him. But, deep down he's insecure as hell. So he puts up a facade of being a huge dick to hide his insecurities, well, until he met Quentin who, because of her experience, saw right through him and told him what he needed to hear. So, because of the mutual understanding the two have, he became a part of the group as he felt they had accepted him for who he was.

Background: Masawa came from the royal household of the Kingdom of Sun, and was raised by his older brother to be a member of royality, which little Masawa thought was actually to be the prince. Which, he originally was excited for because he thought that's what he was born for. So, when his brother became king and he was demoted to Grand Prince, his dreams were dashed. And that's when his insecurities and doubts about who he was and what his purpose in life was popped up and started to eat at him. And so, he became a bitter and selfish person, which his family did try to help change but was unsuccessful until he was enrolled in Night Raven College, and met Quentin. 

Dorij Medusa 

Full Name: Dorji Medusa 

Nickname(s): Mister Medusa (by his clients), Monsieur Prêteur sur gages (by Rook) 

Twisted from: Madame Medusa [From the Rescuers] 

Gender: Male 

Species: Human

Age: 18

Birthday: June 22nd 

Star Sign: Cancer 

Height: 5'9 or 180 cm

Eye Color: Dark Green

Hair Color: Auburn Red 

Homeland: Land of Pyroxene

Family: Mother, Father, Older Sister (Status Unknown)

Dorm: Pomefiore

School Year: Third Year 

Class: 3-D, Student no. 16

Occupation: Student/Pawnbroker/Informat/Prostitute

Club: Magical Arts Club

Best Subject: Art

Dominant Hand: Left 

Favorite Food: Sweet Foods, Coffee

Least Favorite Food: Sour Foods

Likes: Getting Money and Information

Dislikes: Nosey and Toxic people

Hobby: Collecting Items

Sexuality: Pansexual

Unique Magic: 'Duke of Treasure' - Dorji can identify any item, weither it is a treasure or not, and see its properties but most importantly how much money it's worth. 

Talent: Working Well with Dogs and Crocodiles

Personality: Dorji was not a nice person. He made others at Night Raven College seem nice in comparison to him. He was the bar of how much of a dick a person can be according to everyone at NRC, even the teachers, and that says something coming from Vargas and Crewel. He was incredibly rude, stubborn, selfish, temperamental, and manipulative that was toxic to be around for long periods of time, which he still has habits of to this day and what most know him for in general. But after meeting Quentin after long nights with clients and fully understanding Quentin's reasons for helping him out, he soften up enough for everyone to notice something was up with him. So, he keeps up an act of being not a great person and a drama queen at times, but he's much better than he used be according to most people you ask. They say he actually shows how smart he is and will play nice when he has to. But, in truth Dorij actually is a huge mess of problems rolled up into a human being. It is suprising how many issues he has with others and himself that you would wonder if how he's alive sometimes.

Background: Dorji was born into a family of pretty selfish and ridiculously wealthy family, most of which had an unhealthy obsession with money and didn't really care for basic human interaction. So, Dorji grew up thinking money was the only way to live at all, and if you had no money, you were basically worthless. Which later became a problem when he was abandoned by his family at a young age and was forced to live on the streets, which taught him lots of lessons a child really shouldn't learn about life until they are at least a teen. And, because of living on the street, Dorji is great at information gathering and survival. He also managed to get a basic education despite being on the streets and survived long enough to get a job ( which in and of itself was kinda a miracle) and make his way up in life until he got his own shop and became a information broker, which he has a decent amount of money from. Dorji much later decided to go to Night Raven College despite not having much qualifications, and somehow managed to get in and realized on the first day he basically was in trouble because he wasn't as qualified as other students there. So, for a while, Dorji studied his butt off trying to catch up with his classmates and ended up surpassing them because of how determined he was to catch up, which caught the attention of the teachers and most honor students because he had something most honor students didn't- a ridiculous amount of willpower. Which often got him into trouble with other honor students because of their competitive spirit and namely one in particular, Vil Schoenheit. Since Dorji was a great student but also didn't respect much of Pomefiore's traditions, the two often headbutted over the dumbest of things because of the two's stubbornness. It honestly was a minefield for Pomefiore whenever the two end up in the same room, because of how much drama the two would cause. It took a while, and after a lot of teacher intervention, but the two did came to an agreement to not fight too much in front of the dorm. They still hate each other's guts, and are vocal about it, they just don't fight too much anymore. Dorji met Quentin by accident during their first years, trying to find a quiet place to stay for the night and ended up in Ramshackle dorm where Quentin took him in and did so without questioning it the more times he came to her dorm. He did eventually demand why she would he so nice to him, and she said that she was taught not to judge others by what they do, and for her experience with having sex, it wasn't her problem. And, since then, Dorji has developed something of a crush for her, despite him knowing Quentin is married.