#I mostly know the names and what region of the world they're in

[healerqueen]

Here's another fun one: Find the US States Quiz (I got them all in less than two minutes, but I think it's a challenging quiz). And here's the countries quiz mentioned by OP. https://www.sporcle.com/games/g/world (It's a hard one.)

inspired by the quiz i saw for the countries!

take this quiz to see how many USA states you can name in 10 minutes, because i was curious to see if i still remembered. i got all but blanked on wyoming, maryland, and oklahoma. (and i only got nebraska, missouri, and mississippi in the last 10 seconds. when i blank out i BLANK out.)

[typingatlightspeed]

where do you get there being multiple teams from? and what kinds of different teams are there? i know we get a few glimpses, especially in the recent gala fic, but do you have any more details?

This chunk of dialogue right here! The Administrator has other teams! Named are Eschelon, Citadel, and Vanguard. And our boys are, of course

Who these teams are and what they do isn't specified, and yeah, they could be doing a ton of possible things for The Administrator, but for my purposes, I imagine they're also combatants in the Gravel War to some degree or another. Fortress are kind of the red-headed stepchildren of the whole affair, making them the ones who she lets has the most spotlight and the most PR, because they're idiots who she'd be happy to throw to the lions if she needed a scapegoat.

So likely the other teams cover other battlefields. There are SO MANY battlefields for the Gravel Wars, not all of them in New Mexico or the surrounding region. For the life of me I can't find a damn image rn but the spawn room at Coldfront has a world map with a bunch of dots on it that seem to correspond to Gravel War bases. I assume it's that and not Australium deposits considering the lack of many in Australia itself.

I was delighted by that line from Cheavy above too because in @unicornsandbutane's Creature Feature, she wrote there being multiple scouts for multiple teams, so it worked perfectly to stay in canon. :D

I don't have much in the way of concrete details, leaving it purposefully vague since it's beyond the scope of what Fortress deals with anyway. We know a few people on a few teams, like Aoife being the scout for Garrison, Octavio being scout for Redoubt, and Felix being scout for Battery, as well as Hanako being the spy for Battery. But that's it. Sascha Fleischer and her husband Konstantin Gurlukovich Borislav (Kage) are the medic and heavy respectively for Eschelon, though it's not mentioned in-text.

Generally the teams tend to follow themes, like Redoubt being mostly aquatic or amphibious specialists to handle water-focused battlefields. Battery operates in east Asia a lot.

I'm sorry I don't have a wealth of info dreamed up for that, but tbh I could keep coming up with stuff I'd never use forever otherwise, lol. Plus, it gives me a chance to randomly throw characters around if I need someone to work for BLU for something in the future. Or if someone wants to make an OC for something the write, yanno?

[arolegos]

@fiberturkey89 OK HI i love treating ninjago charactes like my oc so heres the umm explanation for my morro design!!! YAP SESSION under cut cause i dont wanna flood ppl with my yapping ...

ok so to me he was a member of the cloud kingdom!!! i know this is a somewhat popular headcanon although im not sure who first came up with it. i just wanted a reason to make him look cool at first

every different realm and region has a majority species . To me . i could go on and on about each one that i Made up but for now i will focus on the CK species (plus euphrasia for additional um. idk. context?)

idk what id call the species name. ill just call them Writers . for now. Ummm as u can see i believe that their species has a LOT of wings. like a whole bunch. each person can have up to like 3 colours for their wings, with white being the main one. the colours don't have meaning Yet but idk . they're mostly whatever colour i think fit best with their character .

they also got Eyes on their wings . this would be the tertiary colour (or the same colour as secondary) . they have a Lot of feathers on their body (neck-chest, arm-wrist, around knee-ankle). They also have . featheered tails . Ok that's about as much as ill detail for their species bc i do have madeup culture for them But i don't want this to turn into a 9 paragraph yap session . I will focus on morro now

MORRO FAKE LORE! WOOHOO!!

ok so in the world where hes my oc. he was a part of the writers of destiny (or rather one in training but he lived in the cloud kingdom nonetheless) . anyways . he didn't really like the life there bc he always wanted to be More than just a writer of destiny. he wanted to be there to experience the damn thing himself, but that obviously wasn't allowed in the cloud kingdom (bc . well. u can see that theyre kinda strict on their rules (one destiny one path sort of thing or whatever) . so he eventually gets kicked out after enough misdemeanours (so probably he misbehaved like One time) . anyways they bound him to a flightless life (bc . flying was . well. a pretty big thing in a community full of people who have wings all over their body) and exiled him to Ninjago .

he cant fly back home so he doesn't. not that he would anyway. this is why he keeps his wings folded/closed almost all the time. they do not serve any purpose. he would love to chop them off if he could

he makes a few friends on the streets but theyre hardly 'friends' in the natural sense of that word.

also. in a fucked up twist of the world, he ends up being the elemental master of wind.

(this ones connected to another thing i also made up but if the Ninjago writers get to forget things and make things up at random So Can I; anyways my point is that wojira was defeated by Nyad . who was one of the two elements that matched the um amulet thing. and since she transformed into the sea i cant imagine the first EM of wind was just like Oh well okay then i guess its all over. In my mind they became one with the wind too and was probably from an even higher plane than the cloud kingdom but their powers ended up there anyway . Taken by some. Freak.)

around this time is when he meets wu and stuff. u know everything that happens from here so i will not be retelling shit but i am sooo adamant on them Not being father and son sorry. or at the very least i think it was only one-sided . i think wu wanted company and morro reminded him of a younger version of his older brother . thought of him as a 'son' bc thats the only way he could really see him. whereas morro thought wu was some stinky old man who was nice. very nice and sweet to him. promised him a destiny bigger than himself. but not a father. what even is a father? he does not see that in wu sorry . tgey will never be father and son to me . that relationship dynamic is too simple for the complexity of their relationship

yeagh well wu 'lied' about his destiny (I mean . of cours i dont actually think that way. wu kind of Had no way to tell if he really was destined to be the green ninja although It is kinda Freaked up to suggest it to a like. 10 year old. i guess he did learn his lesson . ) and morro was like Fuck u i choose my own destiny . And left and died. ok yea this is all stuff u already knew

(also i imagine he went looking for FSM's tombstone (aka he was Really just looking for the realm crystal) so he could go back home . to rewrite his own destiny. to be like Yeah i actually AM the green ninja and you cant stop me.)

okkokokk this is a bit graphic cause. believe it or not. morro dies. so like. i will be describing that a little

annywaayyyysss morro goes to the cave of despair and. gets lost. falls a bunch. at some point he realises hes like completely lost as in like to the point of no return . and while hes panicking there are Fuckinf geysers gushing out and rumbling the damn ground. he falls but he doesn't die immediately. he breaks his wings first though. not that they would've helped him fly out. but im just explaining why his wings look so wilted and like theyre just 'hanging off' in his ghost design. its bc they r. those are broken wings that cannot move naturally . he cannot keep them folded bc they are broken

his cause of death was thirst . starvation was a factor too but like. thirst got his ass first (as it would anyone). he ripped his sleeves while venturing around the cave but he did use some to try and wrap around his wounds . didn't really Help tho cause he died anyway .

Extra fucked up fake lore ? Writers have feathered tails that fall off to impending doom. as a final play on a destined fate (Dying!!!! LOL!!!!). so like days before morro dies the feathers of his tail fall off one by one until there are None left . if it makes it any better it doesn't hurt like a broken bone . just imagine if one day you woke up to your.? idk? leg gone? like it didn't hurt its just gone and you can feel that its gone but not the pain of the loss. if u get what i mean. or maybe thats not the right comparison. idk. your hair i guess?

. in his last moments his thoughts are not of any happy memories Because he straight up has none sorry gang i dont want him happy. Ok kidding im sure he thought of wu. im sure part of him wished wu had come after him. im sure a part of him wished he hadn't stepped into the cave. but i also Believe he probably welcomed death pretty nicely. with a warm hug and all. he probably leapt into that mfs arms.

anywaygsss . he gets sent to the cursed realm (Whicg is crazy im not going to lie but apparently he did a bunch of crazy shit while looking for the FSM's tomb so. maybe deserved. i dont know.) and the preeminent is like Yooo what is this freak doing here . Do my taxes. and morro is like Ok but u have to curse some realms. And the preeminent is like Yeah i already planned on doing that

also its only BC he went to the cursed realm that his wings are black in his ghost form!!! it looks more decayed and Cursed that way

ok yeah thats all the stuff i made up i think . unless i missed something. i dont think i did

also Lloyd would not have had his wings while he was being possessed . he only had like traces of them (ghost feathers would fall off his back when he moved but they weren't /actually/ there . it confused the fuck out of the ninja the first time. they were like Woah your voice got deeper. Why are you shedding feathers.)

morro is my favourite fucked up evil OC im so thankful they didn't give him a redemption arc thank yiu so much i love it when villains refuse to be redeemed even when given the chance im cheering adn clapping. morro never get revived. thank you.

[cirphu]

Hi! I'm a mostly quiet follower admirer of your blog and I have no idea why I followed you but I like your blog, lot's of diversity and queer "stuff" and I kind of love it (Okay I love it a lot) I'm anonymlous because I'm kind of old, but I wanted to let you know I saw a gif or a question list maybe about some series called "The Sign" and it looked interesting (like young me would have devoured it if it came out in her time) and so I thought what the heck I'll check it out.

I found it on youtube, watched all of the ones they had (up to episode 5) and am now hooked. Is there a place to watch this and others like it that supports the actors? I mean free is nice but it doesn't pay the actors. I did do some research but google isn't helpful when it comes to services from around the world (is anyone surprised? Sacrasm intended). I can probably only afford one? So I was thinking of doing iQIYI, but I'm not sure? Where do you watch your content mostly? OR do you have recommendations for subscriptions services that might be better?

Also, any other shows you recommend?

Sorry for so many questions in one, and please feel free to ignore, I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Hi nonnie! Thank you so much following my blog; I'm glad that you are enjoying the chaos and content!

If your goal is to support the actors, YouTube is the best place to watch The Sign and other queer (Thai) shows like it because the episodes are released on YouTube by the official productions house. For example, you have IdolFactory which is the official production house for The Sign.

Then you have GMMTV, one of the largest, most prolific producers of Thai BL on YouTube followed by Studio Wabi Sabi, MeMindY, and Mandee just to name a few.

There are also "smaller" production houses like Star Hunter Entertainment, Dee Hup House, Dược sĩ Tiến Entertainment (Vietnamese), STRONGBERRY (Korean) and VIBIE STUDiO, O2 Production (Vietnamese), and Oxin Films (Pinoy).

So to answer your question, I watch most of my content on YouTube. And since you're just getting started, you will find more than enough content to keep you entertained there. However, if you are truly in the market for a subscription service for bl/queer content, I would recommend GagaOOLala. iQIYI does have a few gems (KinnPorsche, Laws of Attraction, Dead Friend Forever (airing), Blueming, Sing My Crush, La Pluie etc.) and the uncut versions of a few shows (Love in the Air, Wedding Plan, Bed Friend, Pit Babe etc.), but in my opinion, you would definitely get more variety (in terms of regions and genres) and bang for your buck with GagaOOLala.

For a more in-depth analysis on streaming services, I recommend reading this post by @absolutebl as it can help you make a more informed decision regarding the streaming service that would be the best fit for you.

And for recommendations, I'll give you Bad Buddy, Only Friends, Not Me, Like in the Movies, GAP, Ghost Host Ghost House, Lovely Writer, Secret Crush on You, Be My Favorite, and Moonlight Chicken. You can find the descriptions here and they're all on YouTube!

Hope this helps and feel free to stop by if you have any other questions 💜

[pokemoncenter]

Introduction

Hello. My name is Sophora. I am a Pokemon veterinarian. I live in Unova, but at the time of this writing, I am beginning a temporary stay in Johto to assist with a research project.

My blog is mostly thoughts and discussions of Pokemon care and science, as well as what photos I wish to share.

I am a former member of Team Plasma. My duties were to care for Pokemon injured by human deeds, and assess whether they could be released into the wild. Though I was nothing more than a child in training at the time. I wish to be clear that I, along with most Team Plasma members you will ever encounter, were fooled by Ghetsis, and truly do wish for improving the lives of Pokemon.

My sole Pokemon is a Zorua named Beans. I have had her for many years, and she is my dear companion.

I am often told I have no sense of humor, so please do not expect much in the way of jokes or banter from me. I am also often called rude, or at the very least blunt.

I will speak often on Pokemon care, as mentioned. I will answer any questions on Pokemon care when I am able, though I am mostly only familiar with Pokemon of the Unova region, and some of the Kanjoh region. I also will often speak on the life of a veterinarian and what sort of things one is expected to do in this job.

The difference between a Pokemon veterinarian and a Pokemon Center, for the record, generally involves overall health versus injuries. If it was a problem or health issue that came from battle, you go to a Center. If it is an overall health issue that did not come from battling, go to a veterinarian. Generally, we will refer you to the other one if you got it wrong.

My hobbies are reading and photography. I have given lectures about Pokemon care at conferences before, and I enjoy trying new foods. I am something of a coffee enthusiast, as well.

Most people I mention on this blog, I will be changing their names. This includes myself- Rotomphones should not replace basic internet safety for you all. The main exceptions will be people on this site who use their real name, and people who are otherwise too famous that it would be pointless to try to change their name.

I look forward to pleasant conversations with you all.

//OOC under the cut!

Player is over 21.

All posts will be tagged with 'pkmn irl' and 'unreality'.

This is, obviously, a Pokemon IRL rp blog.

I intend to not get involved in high stakes with the possibly exception of Team Winter stuff, or things that otherwise catch my interest. Most of them will be assumed to not happen.

Some notes on character canon!

Sapient Pokemon do not exist. There are rare exceptions, but they are extremely special and noteworthy. Pokemon intelligence varies, but generally they're animals. As a result, I would prefer not to interact with sapient Pokemon blogs, and if you do, Sophora will assume that you're a child roleplaying.

Legendary Pokemon are rare. The mainline games are canon but generally, Sophora doesn't know a lot of what happened. If it wasn't on the scale of Kyogre and Groudon, Sophora probably didn't hear about it! Sophora does not believe in a lot of legendary Pokemon as a result.

I do not do the whole 'magic anon' thing and such asks will be ignored.

Human-obtainable superpowers are Aura and psychic powers. That's about it. There are no other superpowers. Legendaries do not give children superpowers.

Legendaries may have been worshipped as gods but are not gods. There is no Arceus-based religion. People do not worship Arceus and do not treat it as the Christian god.

Most products that get parodied do not have the Pokemon parody names, and they just have the real world name. However, it is an in-universe meme to force Pokemon names into the product name, and that's why everyone has such differences (i.e. the proper name for the place is Starbucks, but some people call it Starlybucks and others call it Staryubucks, because it's a meme, not the real name.)

I want to avoid crossover stuff, it is not to my interest.

I want to try to keep to the tone of Pokemon as much as possible, so I'm going to be ignoring most things about murder and killing (unless it is a Cubone's mother).

Sophora can be, and often is, wrong about various subjects. However, she is a veterinarian and thus generally going to be correct about Pokemon care. Please do not show up to just correct me and claim my character doesn't know what she's talking about.

I try to avoid getting involved with the 'multiverse' stuff. As far as Sophora is concerned, there is only one reality, and it's hers. Please do not get deep into the weeds on that with her so I don't have to think about it too hard.

Animals exist! Pokemon are part of the ecosystem but normal animals exist, too. They just don't come up often because they aren't relevant.

Sorry if that sounds like too much stuff! I just wanted to be very clear from the outset.

EDIT:

If you are not someone already relevant about it, I will not acknowledge any asks where you try to prove legendary Pokemon. It's much funnier if Sophora refuses to believe in them. For understanding of the gag, please watch this video.

Sophora will not ever see or acknowledge a Legendary Pokemon outside of very specific circumstances. Please do not try to force the issue.

[elizmanderson]

what's your favorite kind of bird? how did you get into birdwatching? and what would edna & peter's favorite birds be?

okay well that first question is impossible because I love far too many birds 😅 but for the sake of the ask, let's go with a group, and let's make that group warblers

they're tiny, colorful songbirds and THE reason people come to my region from around the world in early May—you can spot up to 36 different species in a short amount of time in a relatively small area

here are some of my favorites

Blackburnian warbler

yellow warbler

cerulean warbler

black and white warbler

I got into birdwatching during a zoology I class almost 15 years ago! we mostly dissected invertebrates, but at the end of the semester we took a field trip to some nature trails and went birding as a class.

Edna would absolutely not know the types of birds at all, but she'd love any colorful bird and any bird with a pretty song. she'd call each one her favorite, and if called out, she'd go, "Well, then I guess that one's my favorite too!" she'd never remember their names, ever, but she could embroider them onto stuff like nobody's business.

Peter likes mourning doves

[exceedboundaries]

Probably one of the first things I've made for Apricity: two iterator OCS and a slugcat OC! Hidden Dreamer and Fourth Tide Dreaming are a few months old, while Rain on Dawn Glass is newer and from when I actually started thinking about the AU. Both are part of a local group somewhat adjacent to the canon group's, and they're both slight oddities when it comes to, well, being iterators.

Fourth Tide Dreaming and Rivulet are both connected within this AU; while Tide is a companion to Dreamer, Rivulet is a slugcat from Tide's original community with a thirst for adventure that Dreamer set out towards Unparalleled Innocence's can upon request.

Read more below; they're all characters near and dear to my heart. (Especially Tide!)

Hidden Dreamer (or Youngest Dreamer, which was their original name), is the youngest iterator of any known in the broader region. They were created as a last minute replacement for their can after its previous iterator, First Spring Risen, severely malfunctioned and had to be decommissioned. Dreamer's ancients loved them dearly in the short time they had with them.

They're still considered young by many iterators who know of them, barely set in the ways that other iterators had many cycles to develop. They spend less time on what their fellow iterators do and spends more time on understanding the flora and fauna--mostly fauna--of the world, as well as on their companion, Fourth Tide Dreaming. They're easily excitable and chatty, and prone to loneliness. The string of colored pearls around their body in this form makes up just a piece of their treasured collection and catalog of information and messages.

Fourth Tide Dreaming, a slugcat that stumbled into HD's can, eventually became their companion. Their internals have been severely modified since then, mostly synthetic with effort put into longevity of life and survivability. Tide needs little food to survive and is slipperier than most predators expect--and more durable to match--which has often made them the messenger of choice whenever communications are slipping. They're also from Rivulet's original community, as mentioned above!

Rain on Dawn Glass is perhaps one of the tallest iterators of the lot, and one from the last normal generation of iterators. Her can is specialized towards communications, and as the greatest hub of its kind in the area, connects many local groups and regions of iterators together. Her can serves as the basis for most forums and points of connection between iterators today, as the most polished communications hub of the ancients, and most of her duties revolve around its maintenance.

She's a busy iterator, as her body effectively routes all current communications to recipients. She's used to being ignored for who she is in favor of what she can do for others, although it grates on her, and it's most often just her local group that talks to her as an actual person. She has a fond spot for Dreamer--perhaps something more--because Dreamer has never treated her with any distance or unthinking manner.

Dreamer and Rain's local group has utilized the iterator-off-the-string technology to band together to maintain Rain's can, which often leaves them dealing with nearby local groups to source ever-scarcer and ever-particular materials. They have a small contract with SRS to obtain specific compounds that Spearmaster helps retrieve.

[anotherpokemontale]

So the post on Yuki's name practically confirms real world languages exists in this comic.

Are we going to see a Spanish speaking character?

How is language organized in this Universe? Are regions sections of a larger country? I mean I know it's implied Kalos and Galar are close to each other, and they're based on France and Britain respectively, but are countries named differently?

Even though Kanto is based off Japan, is English commonly spoken in that region? Is it very far away from Sinnoh? Makes sense that Akito would name his Froslass "Ice", since most wouldn't notice (except ol' Nagiza).

Am I thinking this too hard? Probably.

I’m so glad someone asked this so I could explain from the get go x3

Yes, there’s real life languages in this, and they do have the exact same names they have irl, but that’s mostly because I don’t want to rename them, nor lose what each region is based on, but! This doesn’t mean the real countries exist in this world.

Allow me to explain.

Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh are based on Japan, and therefore, Japanese is a first language there; same with all the other regions: French in Kalos, Spanish and Portuguese in Paldea, etc. For the canon of this comic, every single person on all regions also speak fluent English, take it as a universal language; and this is non other for the reason that I wanted to do this comic in English, simple as that ^^

I want to keep how pokemon always bases its regions on specific locations on earth, but treat them just how they do: is based on, has certain similitudes, but is still a fictional world. “It is based on japan but is not Japan.” Which is why sometimes you’ll see names based on the regions a character is from (Nagiza being from Kanto and Akito being from Sinnoh), but even then, you can see the mistake on Nagiza’s name: the real Japanese word and name is “Nagisa” with an “s”; I named her with a “z” by mistake years ago, and now decided to keep it as an example of my point exactly. And heck, I’m still gonna keep the names 4kids gave to other characters when bringing the anime to this sides, like “Gary Oak”.

As for if we’ll see a Spanish speaking character around, yeah, maybe :0 Spanish is my first language, and if there’s a language I’m confident in pulling up good enough is that one ^^ tho, it may be just secondary characters or… heh, ok, gonna keep this reply spoiler free.

As for the regions, I’m trying to stick to what we have seen so far: we know that Ash takes a plane to go from Kanto to Hoenn and Alola; while in-game, we can travel from Paldea to Kitakami (another clearly based on Japan) by freaking bus! You can’t travel from Spain to Japan by bus xD this gives me enough creative liberties to play with how far away each region is from one another; I don’t plan to make a full map of it, but only time will tell.

And to end this:

TL;DR: just like Pokemon, it’s based on real earth locations, but is still a fictional word. In the end, it’s all fiction.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

can you tell me about your oc cats 🥺

THE CATS MY BELOVEDS

technically i have like 7 cat ocs but i think everyone knows "the cats" specifically refers to these two. white/brown is feisha calico is fushia.

they are unrelated by blood!!!!!!! entirely!!!!!!!!!!

feisha's originally from the north west of the country fushia's from the south east. feisha ran away from home fushia went on a journey with their family's support. they met somewhere in the middle when they were around 12. feisha was really hesitant to open up at first but fushia's pretty warm & persistent & they ended up becoming friends.

they both may have had regional accents at the time but otherwise their speech patterns were what u'd expect from someone their age. that gradually changed over time they both have a rather odd manner of speaking now. which started as either of them saying phrases to entertain themself & the other picking it up & bc they spend so much time together it just evolved into this whole thing. they come across as rather formal at first until u really listen to what theyre saying & then u realize its the most casual statements ever in the most bizarre word choice for the situation. in eng this is mostly like what u'd expect from an incorrect period drama tea party scene. but its not act theyre just like that. as i was saying earlier im not sure how i want to handle it in jpn but i think having them use formal typically only written phrases might work. maybe. they're very playful tho despite seeming formal they'll both sneak in a meow or nya every once in a while. in eng they add "dear" before each other's names when they address or speak about each other. have not decided what jpn term i want to use yet.

i said they became friends as kids but their current relationship is undefined. up to interpretation. if u as the audience think theyre dating or married or should be ur free to feel so. if u think theyre just really good friends thats just as fine. the only term they claim is "partners" and thats not in a romantic way thats in an oc world specific way to describe the person u trust deeply & work well with on long journeys & during fights. the term is completely removed from romantic or sexual connotations. all that matters is knowing they are, at this point, so close to each other & find each other so important they would sacrifice their own morals if it meant saving the other. they are exceptionally close.

despite many of the kemonomimi ocs in oc world being deities or demigods neither of the cats are! theyre just normal people. that said a lot of the locals in their area dont believe that and call them the forest trickster gods. they both find that amusing.

they dont actually live in town they built a house in a tree below canopy level in one of the forests where the canopy is essentially a second ground. the nearest town(city?) it literally built on top of the tree canopy.

they have the white interior aesthetic going on. i cannot say minimalistic bc these two love to collect things. they have so many plushies in their room. so many. but white & silver is the main color scheme.

having opposite abilities is a coincidence but they both love that. they love to use it to trick & play pranks on people. feisha can control light & fushia can control darkness (not really shadow so much as the absence of light). scares the absolute shit out of anyone not expecting it but they dont mean any real harm unless u threaten them first. they just like playing.

fushia is naturally heterochromatic feisha is not. they wear one brown contact so they match with fushia.

i said their house's color scheme is white & silver but their fave colors are green (feisha) & pink (fushia). this is reflected more in their clothes then their other things however.

speaking of their clothes they both wear & look good in nearly anything but in particular fushia's black sweater they tie around their shoulders is a gift from feisha. likewise feisha's star necklace is a gift from fushia. neither Always have them on but they frequently do

they arent always together they're fine doing errands or outings separately but they like being together to meet up with friends and especially if they're going on a long trip. its fine to treat them as a package deal but they dont have codependency issues (boring)

related to the first point feisha is not in contact with their family since they left but fushia's checks in with them from time to time. feisha doesnt necessarily get along with fushia's family. usually its not a problem but prolonged stays will have them unusually moody. that said they still maintain the same odd speaking habit. IF feisha had to deal with their own family again that would probably be the only time they get so upset they drop the usual speaking habits and use more normal language. it would shock fushia so much to see they wouldnt know how to react in the moment.

theyre both good friends with viridia. feisha in particular sympathizes with her family problems. the three of them get together decently often

they are perhaps the most put together & functional of any of my ocs

[quillpokebiology]

What are some good starter pokemon that arent yknow. starters

10 Alternate Starter Pokemon

Note: A lot of first stage pokemon are good starter pokemon (I said a lot, not all of them). There are plenty of trainers around the world who have uncommon starters (my rival's starter was a sinistea and this kid at my school named Magnus had a ralts starter).

1. Pikachu

I'm sure we've all met someone who has/had Pikachu as their starter. But they're strong and friendly pokemon, making them perfect for beginner trainers.

2. Eevee

Another popular non-starter starter. They're easiy to care for and can adapt to practically any situation, which is perfect.

3. Pawmi

Mostly for kids in Paldea. Since Pawmi can be found near Mesagoza (capital of Paldea for those who don't know) and evolve into strong pokemon, they're really common and popular for beginner trainers.

4. Zigzagoon

Really common first pokemon for trainers in Hoenn and Galar. The Galar ones are a bit harder to train, due to their nature, but they're still really popular.

5. Rookidee

Considering how they're found literally everywhere in Galar, they end up being a lot of trainers first pokemon.

6. Yamper

A lot of people in Galar have Yamper, and they end up being really common starters because of that.

7. Vulpix

Both of then are good alternate starters, as they're generally calm and easy to care for.

8. Rockruff

Really common for people in Alola. They're also great pets.

9. Oddish

Being grass types, they're very common and popular starters in the Kanto region.

10. Nacli

A bit of a controversial one, as some trainers say they're creepy. But Nacli are good starters because they're small and easy to care for.

[cemetery-irises]

so one of the most important aspects of ithaqua is his anger. anger at the atrocities committed against him and his mother, anger at the world for letting it happen, hell, even some anger with himself for sharing a face with his mother's captor and tormentor. his only outlet for this anger is through hunting down "trespassers" in the woods to protect his mother. ithaqua is filled with this... i can only describe it as a simmering hatred for humanity, who took his mother from him, and the gods who they claim commanded them to do so.

this anger also manifests itself in a sorta gleeful sadism, especially towards perceived threats / evil. this is mostly showcased in morningstar, which i've talked at length about being his power fantasy and what he wishes he could be, but it's also very much clear in other ways with him — his smile, while adorable, is also... worrying, considering what he does in-game. he laughs both after literally just slaughtering a traveller in his trailer and in-game when pursuing / striking survivors. while i believe that, initially, nathaniel's murder was more of a necessary evil, committed solely to keep his mother safe, i'm sure later on down the line — especially with his declining mental state — ithaqua began taking more joy in the pain he inflicts.

ithaqua's mental state is. very much all over the place. his age when everything happened isn't clear, but he looks pretty fucking young in his trailer, and most people i've spoken with agree that he was about 16 - 17 (he's described as a young adult at the time the game takes place; i personally hc him as abt 19 but i know most people hc him to be in his early to mid twenties). going through such a significant and traumatising event at such a young age is bound to fuck someone up; ithaqua was very much forced to grow up very quickly, especially now that he needs to look after / feed / care for his mother. i think he still holds onto some childishness and sees things in a very black-and-white way — "they're" evil and he and his mother are good — but that's mostly hc-based and because i think it's interesting to write. but he still has to remain mature; he's the sole provider, he's taking care of his mother now. he has to keep his wits about him because if he can't care for her, who can?

ithaqua had a very non-traditional upbringing. it was just him and his mother in the woods; he wasn't exactly taught how to be a people person. as a result, he likely struggles with social interaction and probably isn't too talkative. i'm of the opinion that he mostly just stares ominously and lurks at the edges of the room; i've seen a lot of people with the same idea, but i can't be too sure if it's like. common or not lmao. ithaqua wouldn't necessarily be aggressive — at least, not outside of matches — but he's certainly not friendly.

one more important thing is his name. ithaqua. in lovecraftian mythology, ithaqua is feared mostly throughout northern regions, mainly russia and canada. he's... basically a big scary monster that eats people. humans leave him sacrifices not out of worship, but out of appeasement, in hopes that he won't eat them. in his trailer, the place he lives is shown to be very cold and snowy — mythology ithaqua's hunting grounds — and there is a specific callout to the plateau of leng, a cold, arid region that, in the thing that walked on the wind (ithaqua's debut story), ithaqua is sighted in. it's my belief that ithaqua, growing up, was told stories about this wind-walker, this monster that had the people of the surrounding villages terrified. so when it came time to shed his humanity so that he'd be a feared hunter and not some scared boy lashing out... of course the new name he chooses is that of the being that has the humans who know of him fucking terrified. of course he would want to emulate that being. at the end of the day, ithaqua wants to be feared; he wants to scare humans away from his home, keep his mother safe, and kill any that dare to stray too close.

sorry if that came off kinda ramble-y at the end!! i definitely have a lot of thoughts on itha but idk if all of them came through properly </3 definitely down to answer any questions (and feel free to talk to @sunset-of-the-void about him too; he's the whole reason i like itha in the first place!!)

oh this is delicious actually i’ll get back to this in a bit once i’ve fully processed it but. good lord /pos

[ruvviks]

two weeks ago the rome edit u made at some point just appeared in my head for unknown reason and i was like "ough i hope casey gets his laptop soon maybe we'll hear more about it" NCNNCNCNCN

HEHE now that i have my laptop again and have sorted out my files (mostly) i finally have more to say about the universe >:^)

obscura is a project i'm working on together with @mojaves because we're insane and do everything together all the fucking time sorry about that. it takes place in a universe in which concepts like angels and demons exist, but as otherworldly beings rather than their religious counterparts :]

the world order consists of the three evils and the forces of good, though they've been labeled as such within the earthly realm because they don't really know the concepts of "good" and "evil" as we know it. they're also very much not good or evil but. well. humans love labeling things as good or evil. but looking at their actual portfolios you will notice they all have the same level of self-interest and care very little about humankind as a whole

the three evils are the brothers lucifer, behemoth, and leviathan, and the forces of good are known as the otherworldy entities we call angels. the brothers all rule over a domain, and angels fill in the gaps and spaces between these domains, to maintain the balance in the world. that is mainly what "forces of good" refers to; they do what needs to be done to keep the world from crumbling, but the domains they rule over can be anything and their methods are by no means pure

lucifer's domain consists of death, the veil, otherworldly corruption, and shadows. he rules over that what we cannot perceive directly, but know is there. lucifer leads an army of demons, who prey on humanity's weaknesses and desires to strike deals and/or gain access to the earthly realm. at the core, lucifer rules over desire

lucifer's influence is seen in life and death, ghosts, demons, hauntings, and possessions. he manifests in eclipses, red nights, and wildfires

lucifer's demons can be summoned to make deals with. alternatively, lower ranked demons lurk in the shadows on the earthly realm waiting for a chance to take control of a vessel or a host

behemoth's domain consists of pestilence, the lithosphere, and the geosphere. he rules over the earthly realm, the tangible. behemoth manifests in the eyes of the beast, takes root in that what can be corrupted, and corrupts until he consumes until only bones remain. at the core, behemoth rules over consumption

behemoth's influence is seen in disease, cannibalism, and night terrors. he manifests in traveling night hounds, and the final stages of transformation of a victim of noxbane

behemoth's night hounds travel the night sky, a bad omen for anyone who spots them. the fungus noxbane brings forth a terrible disease holding the same name, which can affect any living organism to the point of corruption and consumption

leviathan's domain consists of war, famine, the ocean, arctic regions, and outer space. he rules over the vastness of the universe, and all concepts too large for humanity to fully comprehend. leviathan lays dormant in outer space, but awakens within souls lost in the open, or lost within themselves. at the core, leviathan rules over oblivion

leviathan's influence is seen in warfare, power imbalance, space sickness, and eldritch madness. he manifests in extraterrestrial storms, and hallucinations caused by leviathan's madness

leviathan's visions and glimpses of the empty earth haunt the ones lost at sea, in space, or in war or madness. he spawns tangible visages through an individual's own paranoia, and collects the minds of those who let themselves be persuaded by the promise of answers

obviously people living in this universe do not know about all of this lore, but there are plenty of them who have either been exposed to any of these concepts or have dedicated their lives to trying to unravel the truth. it's set in the second half of the 20th century with an earthly realm that is similar to ours but with adjusted levels of technology and (priorities in) travel, and follows several separate but intertwined storylines to show some interesting cases of the influences of the three evils :] below a list of the current characters we have for the universe!

rome solomon is an astronomer and professor at the obscurus academy in crescent hill, washington. he is one of the brightest minds of his generation with several books to his name, and he is famous for his empty earth theory which he has so far spent his entire life trying to prove. the reason for this is that his sister, a world famous astronaut, went missing (not died; went missing) in outer space on a very important mission when rome was still young; the empty earth theory would prove that she and her crew are still out there, and looking for a way to get back into their own dimension

judah solomon is rome's older sister and was the world's youngest and brightest astronaut. she was only 24 when she and her crew went missing in outer space, and her current whereabouts remain unknown to this day, 18 years later

clyde morris (belongs to mojaves) is a repair technician who works at the obscurus academy and he is rome's best friend. since computers are still pretty rare but insanely powerful devices in this universe, it is very special that morris owns his own computer; and even more special that an angel has found its home within, and sometimes communicates with him

clarence rojas is a psychic operating in the south of the united states. she lost her vision in an encounter with an angel, the warning she received so powerful it robbed her of her eyesight; and in return, the angel granted her with her psychic powers, which she uses to assist people in dealing with ghost infestations, and sometimes even demonic cases

eleanor constantine (belongs to mojaves) is a preacher and demonologist active in the south and on the east coast of the united states, traveling around by train with her brother victor to help people in need. the spark of community she holds within is powerful enough to gift her near-psychic abilities and a strong intuition, which is essential in her line of work

victor constantine (belongs to mojaves) travels around with his sister as her assistant, operating all cameras and other technology needed for their investigations into demonic cases, and for exorcisms. where his sister found her voice speaking to the crowds to build a community, victor lost his own ability to speak, and he prefers to remain in the background letting his sister deal with public affairs

lazarus reeves is another world famous demonologist operating in saint-dominic, louisiana, who is trying to uphold the legacy of his late wife, who he used to hunt down demons with. without his wife's higher position in society to protect him, he is not as loved among the public as she was, coming from a family with a bad history; but he has not given up on what he does best, knowing that there are still folks out there who need his help

eve lynch is a nun and herbalist residing in a convent near saint-dominic. she is doing research into the fungus known as noxbane and its effects on living organisms, and through her research she is exposed to behemoth's domain and the terrible disease the fungus brings, which leads to an outbreak of ghouls within the walls of the convent

anatoly dorokhin is a cosmonaut sent into orbit around the moon with his crew to investigate a series of strange sightings on the moon's surface. something terrible happened on their ship, and anatoly ends up as only survivor of his own crew with what remains of the rescue crew in the obscurus academy to figure out what truly happened up there

quincy jackson (belongs to mojaves) is an astronaut who on his way back to earth ended up losing most of his crew in an emergency rescue mission, and ends up in the obscurus academy with anatoly dorokhin and two other survivors of quincy's own crew; however, the two others are alive but unresponsive, not reacting to any triggers from the outside world and seemingly trapped within their own mind. quincy and anatoly grow close over time while anatoly pushes everyone else away, and quincy soon seems to be the only one who can figure out what truly happened when they were in outer space

mary schlachter is a surgeon in the south of the united states, famous for his exceptionally precise work and portfolio of rather unusual cases. when clarence rojas' daughter grendel is born inside out, mary is the one to put her back together in the way she is meant to be, but the procedure leaves a mark on him that soon enough attracts the attention of otherworldly beings

[human-blob-nessie]

thoughts about music in video games

and why i keep coming back to World of Warcraft

Video game music has always been something that interests me a lot. My first "grown up" video games were Heroes of Might & Magic 2 and World of Warcraft, two games where the music is insanely iconic and a big part of why i like these games.

HoMM2 has a very "usual" approach to music, as in - you're in a city, you have city music, you're in a battle you have battle music, you're on the campaign map on grasslands you have grasslands music. At the time dynamic music wasn't really figured out but the way the game is built makes it very easy to always have situationally adapted music. It just happened to have super iconic music (as does the rest of the series) which stuck with me and you should check it out if you don't know what i'm talking about.

Now World of Warcraft (especially in its early days) has a very specific approach.

Music is only ever bound to the place you're in. It never has anything to do with what you're doing, except for the fact that what you're doing is usually linked to the place you're in. (It's gonna make sense don't worry)

If you go to a big city like Stormwind, you get this huge and beautiful city encased in the mountains, with huge fortifications at the gates, statues, etc, and you're greeted with very epic music with choirs, which kinda settles down into a more calm and steady rhythm as you get into the city itself. That just happens because you walk through it, but it conveys the vibe of the city extremely well.

Now let's say you go to Redridge mountains. It's a human controlled area but only in name - the small town is encircled by enemies who are waiting for something to attack and burn it to the ground. You still get a very... relaxing music in most of the region. The same as the mostly under control forest near it. Because the enemies are not what defines the area : it's beautiful, with a calm lake (called "Lake Everstill") and impressive landscapes. Even the ruined fort occupied by invading orcs participates to that calm view.

But as you go in the fort itself, the music gets more somber. Still very calm, as the enemies are there, but not currently attacking, but you know there is a threat residing there. And if you go and fight the orcs there... the music doesn't care. What you're doing, going and fight the orcs, is treated by not even treating it as something that happens.

And that. That creates something in my opinion. You're not part of a huge operation to uproot the orcs that have conquered the land, what you're doing is part of the landscape. It's expected. It's.... banal, in a way. Yeah, there are going to be adventurers trying to help out, fight the foes that set foot in there, but it's not really worth putting a fanfare for them. A lot of them are going to die trying anyway, so why bother ?

Now sometimes the music "cares". When you go way north, into the Scarlet Monastery, filled with people who would kill anyone to make sure they're not going to help the undead who destroyed their kingdom, to the point of attacking even old allies on sight.

The music is mostly there to set a tone for the place, you get a mix of holy and eerie vibe (since the scarlet crusader's behaviour is very uncanny compared to the rest of the world, you kind of share a goal but they relentlessly try to kill you), but it's not combat music even though you are here specifically to fight and kill them. It's describing the place. Until you get to the library, and the room where the arcanist stands. The music suddenly gets more martial, it suddenly acknowledges the situation : you are a party of 5 adventurers (levels 30-35 out of the 60 in the beginning, so halfway through the journey) going through incredibly dangerous areas and fighting impressive foes. Whether you're winning or not, the music doesn't care, you might as well all die there if you're not careful. But the thing is... it starts treating you as the heroes you're progressively becoming.

This is one of the most flagrant examples, but the game does that more and more, especially in dungeons, as you're progressing through higher levelled areas.

The music is still mainly there to describe the place and include you as part of the landscape, but when you go for especially impressive deeds like in dungeons or raids, the music is there to acknowledge that. When you get into Molten Core, the first 40-men raid in the game, the music is epic all the way through, giving you what could the most be described as "combat music" in vanilla wow. And in a game that mostly doesn't do that, it really stands out. It's not the most epic battle music ever by itself, but the simple fact that is IS that makes it infinitely more epic.

PvP battleground are also a place where this happens, and you can start doing that extremely early in the game, but that kind of battle music always has a darker tone. It doesn't glorify you, the people who fight in a war, or the fight itself. You're in a gritty, dangerous fight against people who hate you and who you hate, and that's just how it is. You're not a hero by fighting the other faction, you're just participating in this war that, in a lot of ways, is described as not making sense by the NPCs and the quests.

All of this. This feeling of "here's a world. It has tons of intricate storylines, factions fighting each other, trying to survive... and you happen to be in it" of the first era of WoW (which evolved a lot as time passed, in a very straightforward way where you now are THE hero who solves everything, simply because the game is 20 years old and you could very well still be playing on that character you had back then and done literally everything), you're just one of the many adventurers out there. You might make it through and become a hero, or not. It's not your story. You're part of a much bigger story, one that describes an entire world (and the game very much lives up to its name in that way). That is, most likely, the reason why i always end up wanting to go back to this game.

And i don't really like the more recent content, especially since it's filled with mechanics intending to keep you in the game for as long as possible to do stuff that's as pointless as possible. The world it describes, i usually still like (with exceptions but as a rule of thumb I still do). So i keep coming back and starting the journey from stratch on private servers. And I love it every time.

[myfirstbreakcharacter]

I enjoy the Histories in BREAK!! being a mix of lifestyles. The last edition of D&D is probably the game most people have played that involved some kind of history/background mechanic, although I think we can all name some games where that's a much bigger factor. I think something that got missed in the way people treated those was that the initial PHB offerings were effectively all reasons one might travel. Even the Hermit: they lived a secluded live, discovered some secret or insight, and are out in the world now spreading that around. Over time this remained mostly true even if the became more tied to specific careers and experiences, a mix of superhero origin story and CV. In a world where you're constantly beset by giant beasts, ghoulies, magic monsters etc, the average NPC leads their life in one place.... content with their lot and awaiting a wandering party to fix their problems. When the world is wild, civilization is small. BREAK!!, on the other hand, is not terribly wild at all. There are places OF wildness, and places where time has gouged deep wounds into the world, but the world is largely known and "mapped" such that there are few places to leave blank for "here be dragons." Indeed, BREAK!!'s map indicates explicitly where there WERE dragons... What great nations and city-states exist do so with something approaching a modern awareness of one another that recalls at least the European colonial era if not late Victorian explorer accounts. Folks in Berry Town may have heard that the junkers of Stahlfield eat babies but they know where they are and what their overall deal is apart from those rumors, at least. One scholar of ancient culture I read in college had a definition of civilization as the point where a shared language is adopted, and since Low Speech is baked into the Outer World and spoken by all sapient things one could argue for BREAK!! being among the most civilized and connected fantasy settings on the market....

The Histories on offer do have some typical genre conventions (e.g. Knight Errant, Street Rat) but they're typically very specific and very tied to the demands and expectations of their associated regions. Some denote training, some denote upbringing, and some denote circumstances, but whereas I think a lot of D&D5's Background were designed from the perspective of "Why have you found yourself on the road in an adventuring party?" as if being "an adventurer" is something you can just fall into, BREAK!!'s Histories seem more designed around what your character would be doing if they weren't ON AN ADVENTURE. Tom Hanks used to be a teacher in Saving Private Ryan and that does inform his character and his behavior when you know that, but it's wildly different from how everyone in his command pictures him. He's on an adventure because of a convergence of unique circumstances, some of which arose our of necessity and some of which seem almost contrived against him. He's going to go back there some day, just like Gonzo the Great. There are others in his company who feel differently, who can't wait to leave their old life behind and use the money and experience from their military service as a launchpad into something new, something better than the circumstances they left behind.

That's because the Histories in BREAK!! represent a choice. There are some folks bopping around doing good deeds because it's what they've run towards, and there are others for whom these wonders and horrors are only something to run THROUGH. Sometimes the choices are easier than others: someone devoted to "vanquishing all evil" after a life of pious service will find being a vagabond savior a smooth, imperceptible transition. A merchant or craftsman might easily find opportunities to ply their trade during travels, or might commit to this new way of life precisely because of the opportunities it affords them for when they elect to walk away. That's life, though: depending upon our circumstances and resources, some lifestyles might make some choices easier or much much harder depending on the person.

But it is a choice. That's why they're Histories and not Backgrounds. Do you long for the Shire and wish you'd never left, or do you embrace the riches and spectacle that you've found walking man's road: your past or your present? Known or unknown? You have to reconcile it somehow to have any future worth speaking about at all.

[varietyacademy]

Hey there New Students!

Welcome to Variety Academy, where both students and teacher Can Study and learn about the World Wide Creature known As... pokemon!

The Academy is In the Region of Lachian! A Wide Island far from The other regions and Hope to all sort of Pokemon from Kanto to Paldean. That's why It's the perfect place to study Pokemon!

Let me introduce Myself, My Name is Lisa and I'm the Principal of this lovely Academy! there might be a few Teachers and Staff but Our top tier are called 'Mentor' Here! And they're around 9 Mentor in this Academy (including me), Each Mentor Have different speciality And Depending on the students choice of Passion they will be Put under Different Mentors to help the students grow to becoming An excellent Trainer in their fields.

I'll introduce Them to you right Away!

Before I Introduced the Mentors I'd like to introduce Professor Anthony! He's the Professor Specialist in Pokemon Behavior and Nature, He's the One that'll give New students their very first pokemon! He's quite busy though so dont bother him unless it's really important.

Anyway...

Our Number One is Kheara, She's an Adventure Type of Mentor, for Those who wants to explore the world and Be Free like the wind then she's your Best Picked of Mentor. Although you'll rarely see her around and she rarely Teach her class or the students under her care... Hehe

Our Second is Kasory, He's The Research Mentor, Focused on Research and Pokemon Development in scientific and or Supernatural Occurrence! He's Quite approachable and most students adored him because of His Charismatic Energy and How Friendly he is... Although Dont be around him when Anthony is around because that Pacifist And friendly attitude of Kasory will be flip upside down once he and Anthony See each other... The two gets quite violence...

Our third Is Antonio, He's Our Current Region Champion and He's a Mentor in the Academy too! He's a Battle Mentor, He doesn't speak much... And tends to write what he's saying instead of Speaking, he's quite an introvert so he tends to be distance from his student, If you want to know where Kheara is... he's the Right guy to ask... If you can even talk to him that is-

Of course I already Introduce you to me, I'm Lisa! I am the Hatcher Mentor, I focused on Pokemon Eggs and Their Progress, You need quite a passion to be able to Wait fpr an egg to hatch! But once it does it's definitely worth it.

Then we Have Tyson or well known as Tosya, He's The Medical Mentor, Head of the Pokecenter in the Academy and In the whole Region, He's Quite easy to talk too and very chsrming but Dont get too attached... He's a Wolf in sheep clothing.

There's Also Taylor, She's the Fashion Mentor, Is it different from a Coordinator Mentor? It is! Because Fashion Study in the Academy focus on MAKING a Fashion instead of Performing, They're more of a Model designers. She Gave out Wine aunt Energy and It seems like the student likes her lol

We Have... Masuyo, The Coordinator-Performer Mentor, Mostly exclusive for Women but in Lachian any genders can be a coordinator or performer! Masuyo is An Idol Icon in our Region... So dont be surprised if you see her walking down a Red Carpet With a bunch of paparazi.

There's Raice, He's The Cooking Mentor, He's quite sensitive about food and he always have high expectations for his student to Make sure the food they Made is actually edible and not... Crawling out of the pan

And Last but not Least Azrae, she's the Tamer Mentor, If you're looking for to be a Tamer... She's the right mentor for you, she's the youngest out of all of us yet she's the most dedicated to her job! But dont spook her she's quite timid.

Each Mentors hold Maximum 10 students and let the rest Be handles by the other regular Teachers, And Each New Students gets to choose the mentor they want... It's just depending on if the mentor accept them Or not if not we'll they'll be Handed down to the Normal Teachers.

Now that the introduction is Over, I'd like to thank you for Visiting our Academy I hope to see you soon! There will be a lot more to this! So just keep an eye open :)

-Lisa

Author need to stop being lazy and start drawing

Author's Commission

[bonefall]

I translated some of my Warrior OCs a bit ago! Four of them are part of one family, and the other is my tabaxi ranger with a warrior's name! I don't know if they're correct, but I wanted to give it a shot!

Clovershine - Glemshem (Her name ended up super cute to say! She's the Mi of Cricket and Fawn!)

Alderpelt - Reykossaborrl (There wasn't a word specifically for Alder, so I combined red and tree! This guy is Clover's mate and the very involved Ba of Cricket and Fawn!)

Fawnfrost - Myaachiki (Myaa sounded cuter than Mween, so I used that instead! Fawny is my main girl I rped and invested a lot of trauma in! :D)

Cricketcall - ???ayeo (Sadly no word for cricket, and I couldn't find words to combine for it. Maybe bell and bug? Idk, I just think this guy is neat! He and his dad and Fawn's mentor all die in a terrible sickness, hence her trauma! :DD)

Emberstrike - Kipkubo (A bit of a stim of a name, tbh. She's the ranger, I love her so much and I wish her campaign didn't fall through...)

CRICKET TIME.

So the first thing to know here is that the Clan cat idea of crickets may be somewhat different to your own.

If you're American, you may have a distinction in your mind that a cricket is usually a singing, hopping bug with a more rounded head, where grasshoppers are longer and more locust-shaped. That isn't the case in this part of Britan/Albion. In fact, grasshoppers are the ones better known for their singing abilities.

See this?

This is a house cricket. They're very rare in this region, and mostly live in human houses, as the name implies. Clan cats do not have a word for these.

THIS is what they're imagining when they hear the word cricket;

This green, stout, long-legged insect is called a Speckled Bush-Cricket. They have three species of bush-cricket and five species of hopper.

Generic terms;

Bush-cricket (generic) = Pwoi Named for the sound they make while jumping, as opposed to how hoppers are named for the song. Sometimes gets applied to other rounded, hopping insects, like fleas.

Hopper (generic) = Chrriga Long, powerful insects with loud chirping wails that they make by rubbing their legs against themselves. Found on the ground and in grass, unlike bush-crickets which are usually arboreal.

Popper (a hopping insect suitable for eating) = Arroi Subjective, WindClan tends to use this as a generic for both hoppers and bush-crickets, ShadowClan applies it to all big ones, RiverClan and ThunderClan don't use it at all (except Sorreltail who uses it for any hoppers she's caught and plans to eat).

Hopper Poppers = Pwoi k'sirArroi A WindClan dish. Mashed, breaded-and-egged, deep fried cricket balls. Related to grubcakes, but these INCLUDE breadcrumbs for a crunch. Kind of unhealthy, but a good source of fat which is otherwise lacking in the WindClan diet.

Specific species;

For funsies I'm going to give them a culinary rating, maximum of four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I'm being possessed by the spirit of BB!Sorreltail lmao.

Roesel's bush-cricket (Roeseliana roeselii) = I'ri'r THE undeniable sound of summer, buzzing long and loud when it gets hot. This animal is the most uncanny mix between a hopper and a bushcricket and has a distinctive sound, so it's rarely referred to with a generic title. ⭐⭐⭐ It is also large and meaty. Best of both worlds, right here. Most palatable bush-cricket.

Speckled bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima) = Rr'ik Though its cry is delicate and high-pitched like a bat, it's noteworthy for being the only one in this family that sings mutually. Female crickets return a song to a male they like. ⭐⭐ They're small, but gooey. WindClan sometimes skips mashing them because they're SO leggy, they prefer to just pull the bits off and eat the body. Like a gusher. But that's so much effort, you know?

Drumming Katydid (Meconema thalassinum) = Kugr Has a low, almost threatening grinding noise, which is fitting because it is an active predator. The only one in this list. It kills and eats caterpillars and other invertebrates, but that's not all. It's also a host for a horrible parasite that forces it to run towards water at the end of its life, drowning the animal before bursting out of its body. ⭐ Tastes awful. Possessed by worms. All legs and no meat. Only ShadowClan would eat something like this.

Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus) = Gyig WindClan's bread-and-butter, one of the most common insects they need to eat to keep their coats healthy. Has a chirping song instead of a drawn-out one. HATES wetness and is best found where the gorse is dead and dry. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A favorite for a reason. It's abundant, it's meaty, it's large. It can even be purple.

Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus) = F'fir Green with thick black bars on its abdomen, with a harsh, fluttering song. Tends to find a high pedestal before playing its song, as if it's trying to get in front of an audience. ⭐⭐⭐ Has more crunch than meat, with big wings that can get in the way, but still a hopper which is pretty delicious.

Slender grouse locust (Tetrix subulata) = Sswoi Dull brown thing that doesn't even sing. Has a dumb little wiggle-dance instead. Loves streams and lidos and is the hopper that RiverClan cats see most often. ⭐ No wonder RiverClan doesn't eat bugs.

Meadow Grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus) = Shriga Some of them can look deceptively like a f'fir with the green bodies and barring, but listen. Listen. Its song is TOTALLY different, more of a shakey-shake kind of rattle. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ And Sorreltail will GO TO BAT for how delicious they are. Don't be fooled. This is grasshopper ambrosia. Tiny wings, lots of crunch, a nice flavor. ABSOLUTE delicacy.

Groundhopper (Tetrix undulata) = Wariga A plump, brown grasshopper that eats moss and algae, preferring wet environments with drier areas to retreat to. ⭐⭐⭐??? Data needed. ShadowClan cats kept SWEARING to Sorreltail that these are actually the best, most delicious poppers out there. But she's never had one so she can't attest to it... yet. It's hard to imagine anything can taste better than a honey-roasted shriga. She doubts it tbh.