#I feel like owls are their own species separate from birds sometimes

[professionalbalbberer]

“Owls are a symbol of wisdom” Owls look so so stupid I’m sorry.

[kiveriah]

SW Daemons AU - MASTERPOST

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Jedi lore

The Jedi’s daemons settle later, their deep connection with the force lets them keep changing for longer It usually it’s towards the end of their time as Padawan, it’s part of their trials, it shows mastery of oneself.

Everyone, at the order, has flying daemons; insects, birds, flying mammals, although some exceptions exist.

It is not frowned upon, it only may complicate their efficiency on the field by the nature of their (current) missions.

Also because flying daemons have an easier time archiving endurance for long-distance separation. With meditation and the force, they can stand to be separated.

Yoda has a firefly, she can always light the way even in the deepest darkness.

Mace has a Vampire bat, everyone who has to debrief to the council swears she stares at them.

Sith lore

An important part of becoming Sith is severing your bond and reabsorb your daemon/soul by using an ancient dark ritual, it proves your commitment to the dark, and what better way to fill your anger but with an eternally open wound on your soul.

Sith have no preference of the species or kind for their daemons, they aren't there to stay.

The Chancellor's daemon is mute. A small scarab but it's not really his, he killed her a long time ago. By using the power from the dark side, Sidious severs a daemon from someone else and tethers them to himself, it's flimsy at best and needs to be replaced constantly but it keeps his cover.

Not all Sith attempt this or has this knowledge.

Maul and Savage weren't given a choice, they were forced to go through the ritual.

Count Dooku didn't go through it until AOTC, encouraged by his daemon, she told him to accomplish their goals and to never forget her, she was an Iberian Lynx.

Ventress still has her daemon, a Wyyschokk (spider). She would have never done the ritual, for the Nightsisters their daemons are sacred.

Misc

Clones don’t have daemons, the Senate uses this as justification to make/use them as an army. “They are sentient, yes but they don’t have souls like us”, is their reasoning to pass their war bills and treat them like an army.

Small daemons are preferred for space traveling purposes.

Daemons aren't usually bigger than their person, if they are it is mostly an inconvenience. When daemons present as big creatures, they do on a smaller scale than their "real" animal/creature inspiration.

Sapient creatures cant be daemons.

Daemons settle on their adolescence according to the species lifespan (ex. Yoda 900s vs Togrutas 90s).

Mandaolian daemon's use helmets/special garnmts too once they settle, children's daemons can show their face, since they are still shifting and cant hide their face with a helmet but they are naturally sneaky and shyer than regular daemons. For Mandalorians it is very upsetting having their soul out in the open because most cant wear an armor, so their daemons are usually small critters they can hide on a special compartment of their beskar armor.

Characters

Anakin Skywalker

Whilla

S: Female

Species: Starbird

RL: Phoenix

Many Jedi and the general public debated about what could she be, most agree it's some creature from the outer rim. Some of the most religious Jedi have their own theories. She inst sure about what she is, Whilla doesn't really care, although she believes that Starbirds are silly mythical creatures

She usually shifted into desert creatures and reptiles before settling

Settled at AOTC, when Anakin arrived at Tatooine to save his mother, it was the first time she had taken that form, not even she can explain why she choose that one

Friends with many, but if you provoke her, she will snarl back at you, an uncommon trait for a daemon

Always ready to fight, ride or die

Freely talks with Ahsoka, Obi-wan, Padme, the Chancellor (their daemons), and the 501st (although Palpatine's daemon feels off, she never talks)

Preens with attention but can be more serious than Anakin most of the time

Wants to cuddle with Ahsoka and Obi-wan daemons but knows she can't, so she is happy whenever they see Padme's, she loves to cuddle with him, she is clingy

They plan flight strategies together, she often demonstrates the logistics, she never crashes, she lands with style

According to the holograms when Anakin kneels before Sidious, his daemon looked a bit molt-y, and had some patches without feathers. This had previously happened soon after the Tusken massacre, Anakin believed it was because of the fight

At the fight at Mustafar, she let Obi-wan's daemon go once, she couldn't hurt her. Later when the duel was over and Whilla saw Obi-wan walk away, he didn't look back, she did

She got burnt by trying to pull Anakin away from the lava, her feathers caught fire and her soul lost hers

Starbird

Is Anakin the chosen one? we don't know, what we know is that he is always plagued with the conflict between light and dark so his daemon should represent that.

A Starbird in the Light is remade by fire, a Starbird in the Dark becomes the ashes themselves. They are deeply connected to the force and they are affected more deeply by it.

Dragons and Starbirds on canon have been described as living inside stars and are related to death, coincidence I think not.

If they had embraced the light his daemon would have been reborn on it, she would "be" a phoenix again but instead, she chose the dark too, to live and suffer, being "a" dragon was easier.

Obi-wan Kenobi

Vesper

S: Female

Species: Sonar Swallow

RL: Barn Swallow

Looking at SW canon trying to find a bird, I didn’t want a hawk or any big bird so the swallow was a perfect match

Flashy but elegant, small and fast, perfect for recon

Talks in the same accent

Sometimes talks with Anakin, mostly to tell him to be careful or scold him, she can’t stand his antics but worries for him

Always says “thanks” to Cody, when he brings back his tired idiot (affectionate) lightsaber

She had already settled by the time of TPM, she usually was small animals, so she could stay close, hidden on his clothes

Swallows usually represent hope, loyalty and mourning

Ahsoka Tano

Morai

S: Female

Species: Convor

RL: Northern Saw-whet Owl

Keeping her canon connection with a convor

In rare cases daemons can have the same sex as their pair, so we can keep Morai as a female

She usually preferred to shift into big predators to apparent strength before settling as a convor

Always tried to shift into the same creature as Anakin’s daemon, she never could. Copied Obi-wan’s Sonar swallow, once or twice.

Considers Anakin, his daemon and Rex her friends. Talks with them.

Her daemon had not settled when she was expelled, she did after Order 66

Owls usually represent intellect and wisdom

Padmé Amidala

Altos

S: Male

Species: White stag

RL: White fallow deer

Yes, he gets fancy outfits too, they are both divas. She has to dress him.

Padmé and her handmaiden's daemons talk with each other

They are comfortable with touching each other's daemons, they need it for the charade. Altos follows and interacts with the handmaiden that is playing Padmé's role.

Of course, he talks with Anakin and his daemon too

Whilla loves to attach pretty ribbons into his antlers, he loves it too

Keeping their relationship a secret gets even more ridiculous, how do you act like you haven't touched souls with someone?

Darth Vader

???

S: Female

Species: A shadow of herself

RL: Ashes

After Mustafar she can stay almost galaxies away from Vader now, their link is stretched thin now, this also helps Vader to keep her presence hidden

No, Vader doesn't go along with the ritual (see notes), keeps her hidden and away. Mostly in shame for his weakness, and for something more he can’t name

Either she cant talk or doesn't want to is up in the air, Vader hasn't heard her voice in years

Before she was always warm, now she can only yearn for it. She is a fire that aches to burn

Her relationship with Vader is icy, they are at war with each other

Most of her feathers are gone, only scales remain, she still has some feather patches around the scars.

She mostly stays hidden on Mustafar, she sometimes follows Vader in his endeavors. Pain and time have only made her dangerous

She lets Luke's daemon go on a fight, after finding out he is their son

She is onboard with killing Sidious since forever

When Vader is redeemed, Whilla feels something she thought she will never feel again, warmth

[cubeswhump]

Vampire Study: Physical Characteristics

Vampires take all shapes and forms across various forms of media. While many things vary, they all tend to share two common factors: vampires survive on blood (notable exception is the House of Night series but I don’t want to talk about that, okay?) and are largely nocturnal (notable exception is the titular Blade, but he’s chill). This would move them into the class of predators, and with no natural predators of their own, they would be classed as apex predators. I will be focusing on characteristics of various predatory land animals to see how a bipedal, humanoid mammal would adapt to a nocturnal life as a photophobic apex predator. This study will be split into eight labeled parts so feel free to skip around: sight, hearing, olfactory, dental, musculature, reproduction, digestion, and complexion.

Sight

In this study, sight is not only what we see but the structure of the eyeball and its placement that create and process the images we see. Look at the eyes of a predator and compare them to the eyes of its prey. You will see different placements (forward-facing versus sides), color, size, and pupil shapes. Even taking two different types of predators, like the small ambush predator versus large daytime predators, will present two very different sets of eyes. 

Placement: Herbivorous prey animals’ eyes will commonly be placed on the sides of their heads to watch for predators approaching from the sides AND back. Forward-facing eyes produce better depth perception which will aid in tracking and pursuing prey. This means vampires will have forward-facing eyes so no painful skull transformation is necessary. Plus that would look a bit odd.

Eye color: While eye color doesn't effect visual sharpness, it can effect comfort and clarity in different lighting. Higher concentration of melanin, or dark eyes, act as a built-in sun shade. Lower melanin, or light eyes, take in more light, but at the same time increase sensitivity. Blue eyes, having the lowest amount of melanin, are a bit too sensitive to light so you don't often see it in predators (unless you count my fifth grade bully), but you'll often see hunters with orange, yellow, or green eyes.

Eye size: Look at your cat. Do you see much white? And look how big those suckers are in that cute lil' face. Why is that? The reason might be surprising; eye size often correlates with maximum running speed. Fast animals, like cheetahs and even prey-animal horses, often have big eyes with more iris than sclera (whites) because this gives them better vision to avoid colliding with animals. Is your vampire inhumanly fast? Then I suggest increasing the eye size a bit.

Pupils: There are three main types of pupils, which are round, vertical, and horizontal. I'll start by saying your vampire does NOT have horizontal pupils. That's prey shit (I love you, goats). Round pupils are most commonly found in diurnal hunters, who often are at a greater distance from the ground and do not need to get as close to their prey do to features such as a jump, like lions, or who prey by exhausting victims, like great canines. However, you will see some round-eued nocturnal exceptions, like the aye-aye, which actually relies more on echolocation. A circular pupil, because of the way the muscle bunches, is the least effective at contracting, so this might give your vampire increased light sensitivity. Nocturnal hunters need pupils that can dilate A LOT to let in light in the dark, and slits are often used because of their effective contracting maneuver. You'll often see slitted pupils in ambush predators (i.e. predatorial animals who wait and catch their prey by surprise) too. These animals are often smaller and less-strong, which is the cause for this hunting style, but if your vampires hunt by ambushing prey, slits might be the way to go.

Pupil bonus: You'll often see pupils dilate when the animal (or even human) is really focusing on something, which can be adorable or super sinister. Watch this cat's eyes to see what I mean.

Color vision: Retinas have rods that process light and cones that process color. A nocturnal animal's retinas are almost entirely rods because color is less important when you're prowling in the dark. The effectranges from the world being comprised entirely of shades of grey to seeing dull and muted versions of the colors we see. Your vampire probably can't distinguish colors that well.

Reflection: Have you ever noticed a cat's eyes glowing in dim lighting? Many animals, especially nocturnal ones, have a layer of tissie behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light like a mirror. When light enters the eye, it's supposed to hit a photoreceptor that transfers information to the brain. However, it sometimes misses this photoreceptor, and as it is absolutely critical for the nocturnal animal to recieve that information to make sense of its environment, the tapetum lucidum offers a second chance by bouncing that light back to the receptor. Your vampire will probably benefit from such a function, and also it looks pretty killer. The amount of pigmentation will affect the color of the glowing effect and so will substances like zinc or riboflavin (vitamin B2) existing inside the tapetum lucidum. Cats will often have eyes that glow green, though Siamese cats' tend toward a yellow. Some animals' can even glow turquoise. Animals of the same breed with the same eye color can even produce different lights. Go wild with what color you make your vampire's eyes glow.

Conclusion: A vampire will have forward-facing eyes, typical of predators to aid in pursuing prey, with irises favoring lighter shades to take in more light in dim environments. Blue is the most sensitive to light and nocturnal predators tend to favor shades of orange, yellow, and green. Animals that run fast tend to have larger eyes to avoid obstacles, so your vampire's eye size will depend on their running speed. A layer of tissue called the tapetum lucidum will likely make your vampire's eyes glow in the dark, tending towards yellows and greens but other colors are possible. Color vision is reduced in nocturnal animals, so vampires will likely experience some form of color blindness. Pupils should be able to dilate considerably to take in more light in dim environments. Slitted pupils contract more to protect against light, so circular pupils will increase your vampire's sensitivity to light. Ambush predators tend to favor slitted pupils so if sneaking around is your vampire's style, they might have slits. It depends on how they process light and how they hunt.

Hearing

We often see vampires with pointed ears in fiction and while that probably takes basis from a vampire's association with bats, there may be an evolutionary benefit for vampires having pointed ears. There are other external ear structures that may make sense for your vampire, but much will be influenced by your narrative.

External ears in many mammalian species, especially prey, can swivel or rotate at least partially. This allows them to pinpoint the direction a noise is coming from. You might be looking for a different mobility in the predatory vampire; asymmetrical hearing is very common in nocturnal species; they will hear separately by tilting one ear forward and one back to hear noises in different directions. Consider a new vampire who can't fully control the movement of their ears.

Predators' ears tend to point forward to aid in pursuing prey.

Cupped external ears take in more sound and are common in nocturnal species, including those that use echolocation. Consider this as a possibility for your vamp, but it is not a necessity.

Some nocturnal animals (and even some blind or visually impaired humans) value hearing over sight and will use echolocation. They will produce a high pitched sound wave with their mouth, or click their tongue (seen in visually impaired humans), which will bounce off of objects to make them aware of their surroundings. They can even tell how big or small the object is with larger things giving off a high intensity and smaller things giving off a low intensity.

Pointed ears don't necessarily hear better, but they can pick up more frequencies than non-pointed ears. They are also more sensitive to changes in air movement and temperature, so they may be able to sense changes in weather before a visual effect is produced.

My vampires hunt on the ground and can't fly, but I have seen flying vampires in some media. If your vampires can fly, take a look at birds of prey; their ear structures allow amazing precision even in flight. Owls tend to have outer ears that are fixed yet asymmetrical. One ear is set forward and one is set back, with the left ear picking up sounds from below while the right picks up sounds from above.

Conclusion: Asymmetrical hearing, which is common in nocturnal animals, will benefit a vampire. Ears will likely point forward. Ears may be cupped to take in more noises or pointed to hear more frequency and sense changes in weather. Consider echolocation if your vampire depends on hearing over sight, and if your vampire can fly, one ear may be positioned forward and one may be positioned back to hear noises above and below.

Olfactory

Sense of smell is very advanced in most mammals, though we humans depend more on sight. I myself have lived with ferrets for five years and I'm what the kids would xall "nose blind". But unlike their human counterparts, vampires typically have a great sense of smell in fiction. They smell your paper cut and they're coming for you. Nocturnal anumals very commonly have a keen sense of smell because of their limited sight.

Animals that rely mostly on smell to hunt their prey are called olfactory predators. You might think that on a windless day, a predator can just follow the smell of a gory carcass, but actually, molecules that carry odors have a tendency to get displaced on a horizontal axis (notice how you can smell that cat box EVERYWHERE?), so the process of zeroing in on the source is a bit trickier. Without wind, it spreads out in a smelly radius and is strongest in the center. The smell is all around inside the radius so it's still hard to figure out where to go. It's actually easier to hunt on a windy day because of the way wind changes the shape of that odor cloud; strong wind means the plume is narrow and directional. If your vampire relies heavily on smell, windy nights are preferable.

Nocturnal animals actually rely more heavily on smell than diurnal animals. A raccoon or fox's sense of smell is as strong as our sight (well, in theory. My glasses would be an inch thick if I didn't pay for compression). This allows them to smell food up to several miles away.

It all depends on how you write your vampires. I can see reasons for your vampire to rely on hearin, rely on knowledge of human behaviors, rely on smell. Your vampire probably knows where humans frequent. However, an advanced sense of smell might allow them to catch humans that are out alone or be sure that their meal is not diseased.

The nose isn't the only structure that smell relies on. Have you ever seen an animal pull back its lips in a sort of grimace? It is actually increasing the intensity of an odor reaching an organ at the roof of its mouth called Jacobson's organ.

Conclusion: Again, it depends on the narrative you create. Does your vampire depend heavily on smell, or more on hearing? Your vampire may have a very advanced sense of smell but hunting prey using your nose has its complications. Pinpointing the sourse of the smell isn't as simple as it sounds. Or, your vampire might not even need to be able to sniff out prey depending on how you write them. Do some thinking. Whatever way you write them, you're not incorrect.

Dental

When we think of vampires, we think of fangs. Sometimes those fangs are retractable, sometimes they're permanent fixtures in the mouth. But what would be most beneficial to a mammal that survives on a liquid diet?

Most similar mammal to vampires in terms of diet is the vampire bat. There are actually three species of vampire bats: the common vampire bat, the hairy-legged vampire bat, and the white-winged fampire bat. All are adorable and have teeth suited to an entirely liquid diet. Few teeth in their heads and all teeth are sharp. No molars are needed to grind food, no incisors to cut food; all canines.

A key difference between vampire bats and vampire hominids is that vampire bats are small and only need a quick nip. Vampires are as large as humans and need at least a few pints, even litres or more a day. Thay means they need to be feeding for more than a few moments. Prey will likely struggle, so vampires need something that will keep their prey from escaping mid-feed. I propose two solutions, the first being a number of needle-like teeth of varying sizes that pierce far into the flesh abd hold the prey in place, as seen below.

Another possibility is a type of paralytic neurotoxin the vampire injects while feeding. The potency of the neurotoxin affects the aftermath. A mild one with effects that are only temporary might leave the prey still able to move very slightly, but struggle is limited greatly. A stronger one causing full-body paralysis could very possibly cause respiratory distress when the chest muscles are paralyzed as well. May numb pain or be excruciating.

Another interesting thing about vampire bats is within their saliva. Vampire bat saliva contains an enzyme that prevents the prey's blood from clotting to keep it flowing right into its mouth. Vampires would benefit from this adaptation.

Conclusion: There are two paths you can take when you go with vampire mouths. If the technique is to hold the victim in place, dental features may be very visibly inhuman with a number of needle-like teeth that pierce the skin like a bear trap. If you want your vampire to have a less freaky mouth or perhaps make them a larger threat, they might naturally inject a neurotoxin into the prey while eating. This neurotoxin attacks the nervous system and causes either partial or full paralysis. Potency will gave different effects. An enzyme within the saliva that prevents blood from clotting may also aid in feeding.

Musculature

We often picture vampires as slight in build yet possessing superhuman strength and speed. Stick with me and don't google "vampire muscle growth". Just don't. You'll find horny deviantartists. A strong and/or fast mammalian species is going to have a physique that supports this.

Speedy vamps: When you think of fast animals, your mindight go to a cheetah. Well a cheetah can reach a top speed of 113kph (70mph), the world's largest goose can fly at 142kph (88mph). That's not really relevant but I'm terrified and needed to tell someone. When looking at fast-running animals, let's look at the cheetah, longhorn antelope, wildebeest, and brown hare - in that order. I've put a visual reference below. Three of these are prey animals and one us a predator, all have different survival techniques, but they have similar physiques, you see? More lean than muscular with long legs.

Animals and humans alike tend to be more speed or more strength. A runner might be able to put up a fight, but running is its main defense or hunting technique (or Olympic skillset). Some can run for longer at a slower pace and tire out their prey. Some run very fast but lack endurance. You'll never outrun a housecat, but humans are built for endurance, so when chasing a naughty runaway cat you're supposed to walk briskly and wait for it to tire out. How does your vampire hunt?

Have you ever seen the charts comparing different athletes? Compare wrestlers Brandon Slay and Rulon Gardner in image one to sprint and longjumper Aimee Mullins and long-distance runner Deena Drossin in image three, marathoners John Kagwe and Joseph Chebet in image five. The wrestlers, based on strength and ability to chase, are broad and bulky while the ones based on speed and/or endurance in running are slim and long-limbed. Runners are rarely super muscular while strength-based musculature tends to be less defined and more bulky compared to bodybuilders whose focus is physique rather than strength. Consider builds when considering your vampire's strength and speed.

Conclusion: Your vampire probably has one main way of hunting. Following and tiring out their prey, ambush attacks that require speed and sneakiness, sprinting after a slower prey, or overpowering the prey when they catch it. Your vampire's physique will depend on its hunting style; runners are slim and long-limbed while fighters have less-defined bulky muscles.

Reproduction

It's generally accepted that vampires "reproduce" by spreading the virus. What happens to human reproduction organs? How is the virus spread?

Reproductive organs: With no use, reproductive organs may atrophy. Testes recede, erectile dysfunction is permanent, sperm and eggs die, ovaries shrivel, menstruation stops entirely (please turn me). It is completely impossible for a vampire to get pregnant or impregnate someone and sexual pleasure is probably reduced or nonexistent.

Hormonal: With atrophied testes abd ovaries, production of sex hormones is extremely limited if not entirely halted. Like children, an AFAB and AMAB vampire will have nearly equal levels of testosterone and estrogen. Facial, pubic, and underarm hair may fall out. Male and female pattern baldness may go away (in some narratives, vampires are fully harless, making fe/male pattern baldness a human peoblem). Body hair is thinner and more sparse, if present. Breast volume is reduced but not fully removed.

AMAB versus AFAB vamps: Vampires will have few, if any, sexual differences besides things like height and bone structure left over from humanity. No difference in strength or ability. Vampires are super equal. Down with sexism.

Spread of vampirism: There are multiple routes you can take with this. It may be carried in the saliva like rabies, infecting at first bite. Some writers, like Anne Rice in her Vampire Chronicles and @/breebird33's awesome Patrik the Vampire, have a sort of blood swap. After the vampire bites the intended target, the target is made to ingest the vampire's blood. Or instead of a paralytic neurotoxin, the vampire's fangs could contain a liquid virus injected into the victim.

Conclusion: Vampires do not reproduce; they infect. Sexual functions are halted, causing infertility and changes in physical characteristics. Testosterone and estrogen even out and AMAB and AFAB vampires have little difference. Instead of reproducing sexually, more vampires are created via spread of the vampiric infection. There are several ways a vampire may spread the virus; through presense in saliva, blood transfers, or infectious venom in their fangs.

Digestion

With vampires being predators, you might think to look at a carnivor's digestive tract. However, carnivores tend to ingest meat while vampires survive on a fully liquid fiet. The focus should be on the hematophagous animals, or animals that consume blood.

A female vampire bat can consume half her weight in blood in a single feeding. It's up to the author how much a vampire should consume. In aome narratives, vampires only need a few ounces at a time. Others, litres. Sometimes more than that. Figure out how much your vampire needs to consume. Does the prey need to die to feed the vampire?

If a vampire drains an entire human in one day, don't you dare tell me they stat a skinny little twig. That's five to eight litres consumed. Where does it all go to? Your vampire should plump up a little at least temporarily. Doesn't need to mean your vampire turns into a sphere like a bedbug blowing up after a feed, but a little bloating would make sense until they've digested it.

Vampire bats' (I'm so sorry I keep talking about vampire bats but I won't stop) stomachs and intestines absorb the water which is quickly transported to the kidneys and bladder. A vampire, too, will likely need to urinate briefly after feeding.

A vampire, living on a fully liquid diet, will have no need to defecate. The colon will atrophy into a vestigial organ that's just kinda there.

Having a big meal, a vampire will need some time to digest. They'll settle down for the day and digest the blood, sans water.

Biology creates a natural protection against pathogens in ingested blood. Or not, if you want a vampire sickfic.

Blood is full of proteins and lipids. Vampires should probably stay away from human food but if they want to chance it, they'd best stick to food high in protein and fats, which their bodies are more used to. Put down that milkshake or you'll regret it. A glass of water won't hurt, maybe they can even have a few bites of steak, but too much sugar or fiber and their body will do its best to expel it to prevent injury via regurgitation.

Conclusion: A vampire's digestive system must adapt to an entirely liquid diet. Function of the colon is lost as vampires will excrete solely through urination, particularly shortly after a meal. Depending on how much a vampire consumes in one feeding, bloating and a long digestion may follow. A natural protection against bloodborne pathogens may or may not be present. Human food should be avoided but foods high in fat and proteins and low in fiber and sigar may not cause TOO MUCH trouble.

Complexion

Vampires are just pale, right? That might work, in theory, if vampirism was only found in European and certain Asian populations, but that wouldn't make any sense. If your dark-skinned vampire turns white I'm out. Not only is that bad science, but it's pretty racist. So what can we do about complexion to keep our undead from looking too lively?

One tumblr user based the change in skin color that affects vampires on livor mortis, or the blueish-purple color seen in dead bodies when there is no circulation, allowing blood to pool.

If you've looked at artistic tutorials, you may have noticed a lot of talk about undertones. Check out this tutorial on skin bases and undertones for a general idea of what I'm talking about. Consider leaving the base skin color the same and changing the undertone to something like blue or grey to give the skin an unnatural coloration without changing it entirely - and do NOT only do this for your dark-skinned characters. You can't have a greyish dark-skinned vampire and then a perfectly normal pretty caucasian character with rosy cheeks or you're uninvited to my birthday party.

Conclusion: Vampires are associated with paleness, but that excludes or whitewashes dark-skinned characters, which is not cool. And also turning your black characters caucasian makes no sense?? But there are two ways I've highlighted to help your vampires look a bit less lively without being racist. You can base the palor off of livor mortis, or the blueish-purple discoloration of skin found in corpses, or you can keep the base skin tone based on pigmentation while changing the undertone to something a bit less lively.

[sharktoraptor]

Survivor Daemons

Here’s a whole bunch of blabber that no one asked for about my Dbd daemon AU, featuring the reasoning behind the forms of the survivor’s daemons and a little about their personalities. Why? Because I can and I felt like typing a whole bunch of stuff that no one will read

There are a lot of additional rules and complications for daemons in trials, and I’m probably going to make a separate post both for that and for the Killer’s daemons (or... current lack thereof), because this got VERY long.

And before we get started, here’s a plug for my currently abandoned fic playing with this concept. Ima get back to it at some point.

First off, I had some limits for survivor forms. Their daemons have to be small, and easy to carry around in a trial. Most of them ended up being birds, with a couple of exceptions. Also, only a couple of the names mean anything- I got almost all of them from a fantasy name generator and just picked one that sounded nice.

Dwight and Zefrita

Zefrita (Zeffie) is a mourning dove, and I chose her form for a couple of reasons. Mourning doves are entirely defenseless against their predators (except for natural camouflage) and are therefore very flighty, anxious birds. They are also known for forming close, lifelong pair-bonds, and since Dwight’s perks are all about teamwork and literal bonds between survivors, that seemed to resonate with him.

Zefrita is a very quiet daemon, and only talks to the other survivor’s daemons (and Dwight, of course). While Dwight stammers and hesitates a lot when he’s flustered or anxious, Zefrita only talks when they have enough conviction about something that she can articulate it clearly. So, it’s a pretty big deal if she says something important- it usually means that it is.

Meg and Skiflit

Skiflit (Skif) is a northern goshawk. I used this analysis to come up with his form, mostly because of the interpretations of loyalty, determination/being goal-driven, and assertiveness, which I all think fit with Meg- or at least, my version of Meg, who’s caring but a bit of a hothead.

Skif talks about as much as Meg does, which is quite a lot, especially in fireside arguments. He’s also the most likely to get physical with the other daemons, whether aggressively or for support/comfort.

Jake and Dancha

Dancha (Dawn) is a raccoon, which I just love for Jake for so many reasons and I was so happy that the form analysis worked out. It really boils down to what he said in the actual fic- they’re highly adaptable/resourceful, conflict-avoidant, and independent animals. Their also curious but in a killed-the-cat sort of way, which seems true to Jake’s character to me.

Dawn tends to let Jake do most of the talking, and really only interacts with the original four survivors daemons, sometimes including Nea and Laurie’s daes if she feels up to it. She and Jake are pretty slow to trust, and even though they feel perfectly comfortable around all the survivors (though they clash with Ace) Dawn keeps her interactions to a minimum to stay in her comfort zone. They don’t have much of any comfort left, after all.

Claudette and Laefertes

Laefertes (Laef) is a barn owl, and I actually think I named him after Laertes from Hamlet for some reason? I think I just had the name stuck in my head, no significance to it. The two traits that really stuck out to me for his form were barn owls having a surprising amount of foresight in caching their extra food and their egg care habits, and the analysis I read also listed owls as being very perceptive, for obvious reasons, which fits well with Claudette’s Empathy (perk and trait) to me.

Claudette and Laef are kind of the greeters of the group, so when someone new shows up at the campfire they do all the explaining and “welcome to a Bad Time” talk. Claudette tends to say more comforting things than hard truths, and Laef compliments her by being the opposite- almost anything out of his mouth is what needs to be said, not necessarily what people want to hear.

Nea and Bayonai

Bayonai (Bayo) is a Siamese cat and listen I have a lot of reasons for it. He’s a cat for obvious reasons- Baker literally describes Nea as catlike in the journal entry- as well as cats being generally friendly, but independent for the most part. Siamese cats in particular are known for being loud attention seekers like no other, and we know that Nea was the epitome of Rebellious Teen (tm) in her day. They also tend to be curious (again, in a killed-the-cat sort of way).

Bayo is my favorite daemon of the bunch, probably because I started writing him first. He and Nea are less counterparts of one another than they are the same person divided into two parts. Bayo has a little more of their caution, but he’s like the friend who is saying “this is a terrible idea, oh my god” while filming it. They have street smarts more than school smarts, but Bayo has a little bit of an edge on Nea when it comes to critical thinking.

Laurie and Aurelio

Aurelio (Ori, which accidentally means they’re Laurie and Ori) is a European robin. His name comes from the Latin word for golden. His form was really hard to find, mostly because the original survivors have just a few canon character traits, whereas Laurie Strode has a whole franchise worth of characterization to sort through. I ended up just using Halloween I and II for my form finding. I used this analysis for Aurelio and I don’t have much to say about it, other than I was relieved to finally find a form that fit.

Aurelio and Laurie are Survivors (tm) in the truest sense of the word, so in my ‘verse they’re kind of dry and cynical. Aurelio tends not to talk very much, and when he does he often says things that are too dark for the conversation he’s contributing to, and is reprimanded by Laurie. They had a perfectly normal human-daemon bond before Myers, but it changed after, and they were never the same.

Ace and Kesina

Kesina (Kess or occasionally Kesi) is an American bullfrog. She’s the only reptile form among the survivors. I’m honestly not even going to say anything else about her form, just link to the analysis because IMO it’s so Ace it hurts. Laid-back is the main trait that I like that I don’t see listed as a major point in the analysis, but frogs are chill as fuck.

Kesina says all the sarcastic and biting things that Ace doesn’t, but in a dismissively calm way that gets a rise out of whoever she’s said it to. Not that he wouldn’t, it’s just funnier if she calls Jake a dumbass in Argentine Spanish than if he does. She and Ace talk to each other almost exclusively in that dialect when they’re being snarky or sarcastic, even if they’re doing the “what do you want to have for dinner!?” routine, because no one can understand what they’re saying and it pisses everyone else off.

Bill and Portril

Portril (no nickname) is a summer tanager, a kind of smallish songbird. Frankly there’s not very much personality lore for Bill out there, even in what Left 4 Dead stuff I tried to dig up, so I went with my personal HC’s for him- grumpy and quiet but altruistic and perceptive old man. Here’s the analysis if anyone is actually reading this, but this is more for my own benefit let’s be real. There’s not a ton of real solid behavior for summer tanagers, but I liked what this person wrote so I went with it.

Bill is quiet and Portril is quieter. Bill contributes a few sentences to the conversation at the campfire every now and then, but the majority of the survivors have never heard Portril say a word.

Feng and Maeslin

Maeslin (Maes) is a numbat (google it), and tbh I should have picked a Chinese-sounding name for him, but I’m too attached to Feng having a daemon she calls Mace to change it. I’d never heard of a numbat before form finding for Feng, but I love how well the weird little things fit with her character. Numbats are specialized eaters and ONLY eat termites. They have to eat 20,000 of the things a day to stay alive. What I get out of that is that the are specialized/single-focus type people, like Feng and her gaming, and work really fucking hard to be good/keep at it.

I haven’t done a lot of thinking about Maes’ personality. I think he and Feng are a Chaotic Neutral disaster duo. He’s a very mobile daemon and tends to climb all over Feng, never staying in one place for too long- it’s a habit he learned very quickly to not bring into trials.

David and Ezriana

Ezriana (Ez) is a magnificent frigatebird and it’s SUCH a shame that she’s not male, because the main reason I picked that form for David is because of the absolute pompous showoffs that male frigatebirds are with that throat pouch of theirs. Frigatebirds are also known for being opportunistically aggressive and basically getting into fights with other species of coastal birds to steal their catches. There’s some more, non-fighty traits that made me decide on frigatebird for Ezriana, but those are really the two main reasons I picked it.

Ezriana is kinda the “kick his ass baby I got yo flower” of the pair, and she always tends to kind of stay out of the thick of it, circling overhead and yelling out insults and encouragement. Her actual personality is pretty laid back when not in conflict mode, and she’s pretty good for conversation around the campfire. Her way of talking is a little more... coherent.. than David, who’s excitable and can get a little carried away.

Quentin and Nynta

Nynta (Nyn, pronounced Nihn) is an earwig. Earwigs are tough little insects and are very adaptable and actually protect their eggs and then care for their young, showing a lot of duty and dedication. I think that fits with what I managed to gather of Quentin’s role in NoES 2010, which I haven’t actually watched. Additionally, fitting into the daemonverse, earwigs are very small, and Quentin keeps Nynta in a lanyard, so that Freddy and no one else has any possible access to touching her.

Nynta never talks, period. No one knows what her and Quentin’s relationship is like, taking into consideration Laurie and Aurelio’s slightly trauma-damaged bond, but everyone knows that Nynta probably doesn’t trust anyone. They’ve never seen her outside of her clear plastic lanyard, which locks from the inside with a one digit combination that only Nynta can open. I imagine she probably settled during the events of NoES 2010.

Tapp and Soliel

Soliel (Sol) is a Florida scrub jay. Scrub jays are committed birds, both to their mates and their territory, and keen and clever observers of what happens in their area and to their things (food caches and stuff). These to me seem like good traits to match a detective’s personality. These birds are also highly specialized to their environment, though, and are unadaptable- that combination of traits makes sense, because Tapp became borderline obsessed with the Saw case in his lore.

Soliel is as focused as her human is, and accepts facts and information readily. Being older than most of the others, she tends not to talk too much unless they’re having an interesting discussion, rather than a time-killing or social conversation.

Kate and Torelian

Torelian (Tori) is a fennec fox. Fennec foxes are super extroverted and sociable animals, and tough critters that are well adapted for going long periods of time without commodities, but not without other people around them. Kate traveled a lot for her music career, but she seems to me like a caring and outgoing person that really connected with her fans. He also matches her aesthetic, and is a cute/attractive form- perfect for a performer’s daemon.

Torelian is as much of a performer as Kate. He can’t play and instrument, but they can sing duets and are, of course, completely in sync at all times. It’s great for cheering up the campfire after rough trials and moments of (extra) hopelessness. He’s a good ear to talk to and offers wholesome advice.

Adam and Samia

Samia (no nickname) is a northern cardinal. I chose the form this morning and frankly I’m tired of resummarizing bird analyses at this point, so here ya go.

I’ve done no character exploration for Samia yet, might edit this when/if I come up with some more for her. Most of the daemons outside the first five or six I’ve done more developing here than otherwise, so we’ll see!

If you got this far you’re my new favorite human, and thank you for listening to my impassioned rambling about my two current hyperfixations mashed into one <3

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 3 Easter Eggs Explained

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This STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN article contains spoilers.

“The Heiress” introduces several characters from other parts of the Star Wars saga to The Mandalorian, including two from The Clone Wars that will make fans jump in excitement. Din Djarin also meets another group of Mandalorians, one quite different to the tribe that raised him.

There’s also a heist on an Imperial cruise that, as per usual, doesn’t go quite as planned. But at the other end of the mission is a clue as to where Mando and Baby Yoda have to go next on their quest to find those “ancient sorcerers” known as the Jedi.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Background characters, dialogue, and the main story itself are all rich with connections to other parts of the saga in this action-heavy entry. Here are all of the Star Wars easter eggs and references we found in Chapter 11:

Bo-Katan Kryze

Bo-Katan might as well have walked right out of The Clone Wars and Rebels, as Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff finally makes her Star Wars live-action debut. Wearing her distinctive owl-eye helmet, she’s the leader of the Nite Owls, a militant Mandalorian faction bent on taking back Mandalore from the Empire.

Her return on the show, after earning the Darksaber and the title of Mand’alor on Rebels, makes a lot of sense. Not only is she one of the most important members of Mando’s people but she also has a direct tie to one of the key MacGuffins in the series: the legendary Mandalorian blade that the evil Moff Gideon now wields against his enemies. At some point between Rebels and The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan lost the Darksaber and it’s made clear in “The Heiress” that she wants it back.

Bo-Katan is also one of the few Mandalorians left who actually remembers the Jedi and knows one personally. It’s easy for Bo-Katan to point to Ahsoka Tano’s location because they’re friends going all the way back to the end of the Clone Wars and the Siege of Mandalore. She brings a lot of history to the table and it’ll be interesting to see how her return will continue to affect the show going forward.

Ahsoka Tano

While we don’t Ahsoka in the flesh, “The Mandalorian” confirms with a brief mention from Bo-Katan what we’ve known for months: the fan-favorite Jedi hero is about to make her live-action debut. Anakin Skywalker’s former padawan learner, and one of the stars of The Clone Wars, is a staple of Star Wars animation.

What you need to know about her is that she left the Jedi Order before the end of the Clone Wars in opposition to a Jedi Council decision but still dedicated her life to doing good and using the Force. She fought alongside the Rebellion in the early days of the war against the Empire and even dueled her former master, now Darth Vader, years after they’d parted ways.

In the next few weeks, we’ll likely learn more about where she’s been since we last saw her in Rebels. Read more about her return here.

Nite Owls, Death Watch, and the Children of the Watch

Bo-Katan’s squad, the Nite Owls, are elite Mandalorian commandos who teamed up with the Darth Maul-allied extremist group Death Watch to wrestle control of their home planet from Bo-Katan’s own sister, Duchess Satine, who led the planet as a pacifist society after centuries warring. After Maul killed Satine and took over the planet for himself, and then the planet rapidly changed hands from his gang to the Republic to the Empire, the Nite Owls split up, with some working on each side.

The Nite Owls are now opposed to the Empire, which at some point obliterated Mandalorian society on the planet during a Great Purge, leaving what’s left of Bo-Katan’s people scattered. But the Nite Owls seek to change all that by taking back Mandalore and restoring the planet to its former glory.

– Death Watch itself is a separate Mandalorian faction, sometimes allies and sometimes enemies of the Nite Owls but also devoted to restoring Mandalore’s warrior heritage in opposition to Satine. Former Maul lieutenant Pre Vizsla ran Death Watch before he was killed by the former Sith lord in his quest to take over the Mandalorians.

Din Djarin’s faction is revealed to be known to other Mandalorians as “Children of the Watch.” While the exact connection to Death Watch is unclear, the presence of a man named Paz Vizsla in this faction and Bo-Katan’s definition of them as religious zealots suggest they are what the name suggests: an offshoot of Death Watch in one way or another. It’s actually Death Watch warriors who saved Din during the Clone Wars.

You can read way more about Mandalorian culture here.

Alien Races

– Trask is a watery moon that suits aquatic species quite well. The port is populated by Mon Calamari (made famous by the late Admiral Ackbar), Quarren (which also debuted in Return of the Jedi), and the unnamed frog-like species introduced in “The Passenger.” Both Mon Calamari and Quarren come from the planet Mon Cala, where they uneasily share the waters.

– Episode 3 reveals Frog Lady’s husband, credited as “Frog Man!” One of their eggs hatches, revealing, unsurprisingly, a tadpole. We can only assume its name is Frog Baby.

Trask and Corvus

– This is the first appearance of the estuary moon of Trask. The walker in the port seems to be a peacetime derivation of the same basic four-legged body plan as the AT-ATs from The Empire Strikes Back. Such a neat detail.

– Bo-Katan tells Mando he can find Ahsoka Tano in the city of Calodan on the forest planet Corvus. This is the first mention of that planet anywhere in the franchise. In the real world, Corvus is the genus of birds to which crows belong.

The Empire

– The Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser, which the Mandalorians attempt to capture, is a common ship throughout the Prequel and Original Trilogies era. While Gozanti-class cruiser first appeared in the background of The Phantom Menace, the ship was more often used in The Clone Wars and Rebels and also appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Surprisingly, it’s not among the Republic ships in the final space battle in The Rise of Skywalker.

– The alarm that blares within the cruiser is likely familiar to Original Trilogy fans, as the same sound effect was used throughout.

Callbacks and Cameos

– Mando’s line, “You’re changing the terms of the deal” to Bo-Katan matches Lando’s disbelieving plea to Darth Vader when the Imperials decide to take over Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back.

– One of Bo-Katan’s fellow Nite Owls, the formidable warrior Koska Reeves, is played by Mercedes Varnado, better known the professional wrestler Sasha Banks from WWE. Read more about Koska here.

– The other Nite Owl is played by Simon Kassianides (Agents of S.H.I. E.L D.). His character’s name is Axe Woves (!!!). While this isn’t confirmed, I have a feeling executive producer Dave Filoni, with his love for wolves and weird monikers (remember, he plays the X-Wing pilot “Trapper Wolf”), is behind this character’s name.

– Titus Welliver (Deadwood, Lost) plays the unnamed Imperial captain.

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[gogocrazygo]

With my continues growing interest in health and well being through plant based nutrition, natural word and effects we as humans have on it, I question my own consumption choices (that is all my buying behaviours not just food) every times I think I NEED something.

On regular bases we face habitual buying scenarios such as family food shopping, being sucked into fast fashion shopping spree, or even investing in high value goods such as technology and cars. In MEDC we are so lucky and privileged to have all of these choices and alternatives. Right now, on the other side of the spectrum someone is struggling to survive and support their family life.

WE, supposedly highly intellectual species, can distinguish between what’s wrong or right. We take the initiatives in inventions to make our quality of life and health better through science and technology, we take leisure in education, exploration, adventure, love, compassion and sometimes risk. Of course our desires change with age, but what stays consistent is the ability to love and share ourselves with community around us. What we don’t always consider is that our communities involves more than just our own species.

Communities, populations and organisms

Biologically speaking a community consists of many different groups of organisms divided into populations e.g. in our neighbourhood organisms would be us the humans, populations are groups of organisms of the same species like us and neighbours, and communities are us, foxes, hedgehogs, trees, birds etc. We all have to learn how to coexist to insure a happy and striving community. When there is a fall in one population group like foxes being hunted and killed, we are facing increase in rodents and pests populations, which as a result can have a possible effect on livestock numbers, which effects businesses etc. We call this disruption in equilibrium of the community.

It is really important that we all identify our own communities, and what part the different populations and individual organisms play in it to insure there is a healthy balance. We as humans, in the end, pay a very important role in all of this since we are the the leaders of the communities, write policies, laws and regulations that structure life itself. Plants and animals have NO voice, so we have the obligation to speak for them in fair manner that is in their best interest. Sometimes it is not well received within the government, so we need more animal and environmental activists or public figures to push for the change and bring as much peace to our communities and even ecosystems as possible.

On the other hand, WE as individuals are very much in complete power of our own actions, so changes to how we live and how we treat nature effect how the community grows and thrives collectively. It is also all about education and sharing stories and ambitions with others, so that these can become other individuals ambition and stories, inspiring generations to come.

It sounds like an amazing and simple idea, but it’s very challenging to execution. Some individuals have strong opinions against specific organisms within the community, so do we dare to try and challenge their believes and opinions? No. We have to have conversations rather than strong debates. We want to open peoples’ minds, not scare them into the corner where they feel either alienated, threatened or angry. These feelings will never help bring change.

This is something I have noticed being done a bit in vegan community. I completely understand the passion these activists have towards saving as many sentient beings as they can, but the language used towards some none-vegans seems a bit strong and negative. I have heard from a few people that this kind of behaviour does not portraits veganism as a piece seeking move, but rebellion. In the end, it is our right to voice our opinions, which is complete fair for everyone to do, but it’s important we consider people we speak to first and adapt our language to get them to see out point.

Sentient Beings

Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and some indigenous tribes portrait some if not all animals as sentient beings or even holy, respecting and sometimes worshipping them, forbidding animal consumption to some extent.

So what do we classify as sentient beings?

Till not long ago a lot of communities have believed that none human animals, just like plants, don’t experience and don’t poses the same neurological build as we do, meaning they can’t experience life, love and even pain in the same way we do, right? It has now been scientifically proven that this perception was wrong.

On July the 7th 2012, The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness was announced, explaining that none human animals posses the “neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states” making them capable to make intentional decision (click here to read the statement). Animals including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses possess neurological structure much like humans, which generates consciousness and awareness just like we do. This indicates that they feel emotions and physical sensations like we do, to some extent.

We have seen evidence of this many times during recent history. Animals such as elephants rush to help when the younger members of the heard are in distress (video here). They also come back to mourning sites where their friends and families have passed on, and grieve for them which is one of the most emotional things I have even came across (video here). We also see animals like some species of eagles, penguins, albatross, beavers, barn owls, sea horses, lovebirds, grey wolfs, puffins, some lizards and many more, pair for life in true love courtship, just like some humans. Whales and dolphins exhibits high levels of social behaviours such as hunting, playing together, interacting with humans and sometimes even take part in sexual interactions not only for reproduction purposes, but for pure pleasure, just like us.

What we witness more and more, even with domestic and farm animals, is their ability to understand relationship they have with humans, and how they learn to adapt and coexist with us. They are happy when we feed them or when we play with them, but they also show distress when we hurt them or take their babies straight after birth and kill them to take their milk, which is something that’s practised on may dairy farms in UK and all around the world.

I think to summarise the above point, let’s stay COMPASSIONATE 🙂 We can collectively make change by expressing our understanding of the environmental and injustice issues, continue having discussions about them, and sometimes even ask for help if the path to change is not so clear.

I always like to think, you can start with small alterations to our recurring habits made over the years, step out of your comfort zone and try new things if you believe that’s the step in the right direction. These could be:

Starting to separate recycling better. Make sure to check your local council for their specific recycling instructions.

Re-use containers to store food. You can use these to meal prep for the week and freeze, or store dry products such as pasta ad beans from zero waste shops or when you buy in bulk. 

Buy less plastic. Check your local farmers markets for fresh produce.

Cook fresh food. It’s better for your health and environment. Think long term. 

Make things you buy last longer (clothes, tech etc). You don’t need a new phone or a car every year, or sell on if you can. 

Reduce your meat and animals product consumption, or buy from organic farms. The pain these animals experience, we can’t even comprehend. This doesn’t need to happen. I would really recommend everyone to check out video of Oscar winning actor Joaquin Phoenix as the dedicates his Actor of the Year speech towards raising awareness on animal rights. You might have seen it already, and I know I found it really inspiring.

When you see litter on the ground not too far from a bin or somewhere in nature, why not pick it up if you can and bin it. This could potentially stop it from getting into a canal or a river and into the sea.

Appreciate natural world in your local community. You never know, you might notice a Robin nesting somewhere close. How cute would that be.

Leave vegetable food scraps in the garden for small animals to munch on or maybe make your own composting bin for some high quality fertiliser.

Psychologically speaking, when you make these small changes and start practising them on regular bases, you feel better every day. I think it almost feels like experiencing a new purpose in life which is making change that’s bigger than you and your immediate needs.

Remember, SMALL CHANGES MATTER AND NO ONE IS PERFECT. If you are trying and failing, don’t put yourself down. I think one of the best qualities of human species is communication and understanding one others. We are all in different life situation. One shoe does not fit all when it comes to environmental footprint. It is important to see what information and resources are out there, test what works for you and your family, and see what changes you can adapt to make a long lasting difference in your community.

STAY INSPIRED AND INSPIRE OTHERS

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Other links:

Animals being declared as Sentient Beings

The balance of Nature and Human impact

Animals, Ethics and Trade: The Challenge of Animal Sentience

Animals and World Religions 

Yes, animals think and feel

Rise of Ethical Milk

Voice for the voiceless - "Joaquin Phoenix" inspired post With my continues growing interest in health and well being through plant based nutrition, natural word and effects we as humans have on it, I question my own consumption choices (that is all my buying behaviours not just food) every times I think I NEED something.