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chimachapterbooks · 3 months ago

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Small Packages

There are many things in this world that can be measured the length of a day, the number of lions in a pride, the distance from one end of a valley to the other. And then there are those things that cannot be measured, no matter how hard one tries... the courage in an animal's heart, the cleverness of his brain, or the daring of his spirit. Only through experience can one learn the true amount of each of these in any living creature.

- King LaGravis

"Muskrats?" exclaimed Laval, the Lion Prince, in disbelief. "Moles? Hedgehogs?"

"Yes," said LaGravis, king of the Lions, to his son. "And beavers and rabbits and mice, as well."

Laval shook his head. "You want me to go talk to all the small creatures in Chima and ask for their help in fighting the Crocodiles? You have to be joking, Dad!"

"I'm the king," LaGravis reminded him. "Kings do not joke. Very rarely, we may laugh at something, but only very rarely."

"The Crocodiles and their allies attacked us!" Laval said angrily. "They want control of the CHI that it is our duty to guard and distribute. We need powerful friends among the tribes to help us in this fight, and you're suggesting moles and mice?"

"All of the tribes have their role to play," LaGravis replied. "They may not all be as strong as the Gorillas or soar as high as the Eagles, but that does not mean they have no worth. Laval, as the future leader of the Lion Tribe, am trusting you to talk with them. Ask if they will be our allies in this fight. Explain that we need their help to defend Chima."

Laval sighed. "Fine, Dad. I'll go talk to them. For Chima."

But later, as Laval went to get his Speedor, he was still frustrated.

"What matters now is strength and speed and power," he muttered to himself. "That's all the Crocs understand, and that's what we need in allies."

Laval respected his father more than anyone. But. sometimes his dad's thinking was a little ... old-fashioned It was great to say that everyone had the same value, big or small. But in a fight, Laval would vote for "big" friends every time.

He climbed aboard his Speedor and raced off into the jungle. There were a lot of mice and moles to find.

Speaking to all of them would take all day. Laval grumbled.

He had made plans to practice fighting with Eris and Rogon that afternoon. Now he wouldn't be back in time.

As Laval sped deeper into the jungle, he began to calm down. Driving fast always made it easier for him to think. Soon he was zipping through trees and bushes far from the Lion Compound. It's very quiet out here, Laval thought to himself.

Too quiet...

Suddenly, four Crocodiles on Speedorz roared out at him from both sides!

"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of the Crocs snarled. "A Lion Prince deep in the jungle with no allies." Another Croc laughed. "How much CHI do you think a Lion Prince is worth?" he asked.

The first one revved his engine. "Let's take him to King Cragger and find out!"

Laval looked back and forth between the Crocodiles.

Escaping was going to be tricky, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It looked like he would get some practice-fighting in today after all!

"Sorry, mud-lovers," he said as he shot forward. "I've already got plans!"

The Crocs snarled and gunned their engines. "You can't get away from us, Lion!"

Soon they were hot on Laval's trail.

Laval raced his Speedor under a low branch, kicking up a cloud of dust as he flew.

"Take that, Swamp Boys!" he cried, shooting around a corner and out of sight.

But the Crocs weren't giving up that easily. The lead Croc motioned to his partners, and they split up to the left and right. When Laval looked back, all he could see was the cloud of dust he had made.

"Now, where did those mud-lovers go?" he said. Just then, one of the Crocs tore out of the bushes and charged at him from the right. Laval whipped his Speedor around.

But another Croc was already blocking that path, too. The two other Crocs closed in from the front and back. Laval was boxed in!

"Looks like we've made a Lion-sized trap," the lead Croc laughed.

Laval quickly looked all around him. The Crocs had him cornered . .. but not captured just yet.

"Here's a lesson for you," Laval said with a grin. "When you make a trap, always check it for escape routes first." Gunning his engine, Laval sped toward a flat, angled rock just in front of the lead Croc... and zoomed up it like a ramp, right over the Croc's head!

"Woo-hoo!" he cried, zooming off.

The Crocs growled. Now they were really angry. "Get him!" their leader shouted.

They chased Laval farther and farther into the jungle.

Soon, the trees and plants began to thin out, and the ground grew dusty. Laval realized he had never taken his Speedor out this far before. And a moment later, he remembered why. Up ahead, stretching as far as they eye could see, was the border of the desert. It was nothing but sand and dust and rocks.

Uh-oh, thought Laval, screeching his Speedor to a halt.

This is very bad.

If he turned back, he would have to fight the four Crocs. But if he went forward into the desert, his vehicle would stop working. Like all Speedorz, the wheel was made from an ancient stone powered by nature. In the barren desert, where no green plants grew, the machine wouldn't last long.

Laval would be stranded.

Laval looked behind him. The Crocs were gaining. He knew he was a good fighter, but four-to-one odds were enough to make him think twice. So he revved his engine and headed into the desert.

The vehicle managed to make it only a short distance before it sputtered and died. "I'm a sitting duck out here,' Laval said to himself. "I have to hide."

The Lion Prince quickly pushed his Speedor over a large sand dune and out of sight. Luckily, the wind behind him blew fresh sand over his tracks, covering them. Laval peeked over the mound to the edge of the desert.

The Crocodiles had just stopped at the border. They couldn't see Laval hidden behind the sand dune, and their leader was angry.

"Ga! Where did that Lion go?" he asked.

The others shook their heads. "Must have headed into the desert, boss."

All four Crocs gulped. They didn't want their Speedorz to die out as well. But they also didn't want the Lion Prince to slip from their claws.

"Maybe we should wait him out," one suggested. "In this heat, he won't last long."

"Or maybe he went back into the jungle?" another said. "I don't see any tracks."

Laval didn't wait to hear any more. He quietly slipped away, still out of view of the Crocs. His best bet was to try and sneak past his enemies in a little while, when they started to get bored. If they got hungry, they might even head back to the swamp. "I need to find shade," Laval said to himself. "If I'm going to save my strength, I can't let the hot sun get to me."

Laval started walking south. After a while, he became tired and thirsty. He was about to sit down and take a rest when heard a very small voice from below say, "Hey, watch where you're sitting!"

Laval stopped and looked down. There was a little desert mouse waving a tiny fist at him.

"You big guys think you can do whatever you want!" said the mouse. "Well, this is my property, right here, not yours."

"This is your property?" Laval asked, surprised.

"Where?" Laval looked left and right, but all he could see was sand.

"From that pebble over there," the mouse said pointing to the north. Then he pointed south. "Then all the way to that sand dune down there."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Laval apologized.

"It's okay," said the mouse. "Hey, you're a long way from home, aren't you? There aren't any Lions in the desert."

Laval explained why he was there. "I won't be staying any longer than I have to, but I had better find water pretty soon."

"Stick with me," the mouse said with a smile. "I know all the best places. My name is Alonz, by the way."

Alonz scampered off, with Laval following. After a few minutes, they came to an outcropping of rocks that provided cool shade from the desert sun.

"Thanks," said Laval. "I'll need to stay here a while: and wait out the Crocs."

"That might be hard," said Alonz, pointing past Laval.

The Lion turned to see that the four Crocs had advanced into the desert and were heading in his direction, though they hadn't spotted him yet.

"Show yourself, Lion!" one of them called. "You can't hide out here forever!"

Laval looked back down at the little mouse. "You'd better find a place to hide," he said to Alonz. "There's going to be a fight, and I don't want you to get hurt. You're too small to stand up to Crocs."

"Ha!" said Alonz. "You don't have to be big to win a fight... and sometimes you don't even need to fight to win. Those Crocodiles are in my territory now. I'll show you how to handle them!"

Before Laval could stop him, the mouse darted off toward the Crocodiles. "Wait!" cried Laval. "I'm coming with you!"

"You'll just get in the way," the mouse yelled backe cheerfully.

"Stop!" Laval said, using a hand to block the mouse's; path. "You can't take on four Crocs by yourself! You're just a mouse!"

"This is my home." Alonz puffed out his chest. "I'm going to defend it. Besides, did you ever stop to think that maybe around here, you're 'just' a Lion?"

While Laval was thinking about that, the mouse raced away. When Alonz was about ten feet from the Crocodiles, he started jumping up and down and waving his arms.

"Hey, Crocs!" he yelled. "What's big and dumb and smells of swamp? You guys!"

One of the Crocodiles glanced at another. "It's a mouse," he said.

"No kidding," said the other Croc.

"Should I step on him?"

"Nah, just let him squeak. It's good for a laugh."

But the Crocs weren't laughing for long. Alonz ran around them, insulting their looks, their intelligence, and their body odor. After a while, the Crocs started to get annoyed. They chased after him, and Alonz took off as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Alonz was fast, but the Crocs' big legs covered more ground. They were about to catch him! Laval sprang out to help his new friend when, suddenly, the four Crocs sank into the sand up to their waists!

Alonz stopped running. He turned around and laughed.

"See, Laval? I told you. They might be bigger and stronger but they don't know the desert. I do, especially where the patches of soft sand are."

Laval walked up to the four Crocs, chuckling. "Looks like you've been beaten ... by a mouse."

The Crocs squirmed and glared at Laval. "We'll get you!" they snarled. "As soon as we get out of here."

Laval laughed. "I'd say the only thing you'll get is waist-deep in trouble when Cragger finds out about this."

All four Crocs gulped. They had wanted to please Cragger by capturing Laval. But the king wouldn't be happy to hear they'd been defeated by a mouse!

"So, this is what's going to happen," Laval continued,

"I'll help you out of that sand before you sink up to your snouts, and you'll go back to the swamp. In return, I won't tell your king about what happened here today. Deal?"

The Crocs grumbled a lot, but agreed.

With Alonz's help, Laval returned to the edge of the jungle and grabbed a long vine. He brought it back to where the Crocs were still stuck in the sand.

Then he tied the vine to one of the rocks and left it within reach of the Crocs. They would be able to use it to pull themselves out of the sand and make their way back to the swamp. But not before Laval and Alonz were long gone from the desert.

As the Crocs slowly pulled themselves free from the sand, Laval dragged his Speedor back to the edge of the jungle. Alonz went with him, perched on the seat. As soon as they were near the trees and plants, the engine roared to life. Startled, Alonz jumped onto Laval's shoulder.

"Why don't you come home with me?" Laval asked

“We could sure use your help defending the CHI against the Crocs. And I have to say I'm sorry to my dad—he was right about something, and I didn't see it until just now. I think he'd like to meet you."

"Will there be cheese?" asked Alonz.

"Probably," said Laval.

After a minute, Alonz said, "So, what do you have to apologize for?"

"Oh, I had this idea that only small things come in small packages," answered Laval. He smiled.

"Turns out I was wrong."

I tried putting a few of the photos together to make room for them. I tried not to do it for all of them to make it look a little nicer.

#Laval don’t insult hedgehogs you’ll piss off the ultimate life form #legends of chima #lego chima #chima #lego legends of chima #for chima #laval the lion #chima laval #lego chima laval #laval #lego #chima lagravis #lagravis the lion #lego chima lagravis #lego chima lions

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blacklegsanjiii · 1 year ago

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i think truly the most absurd parenting scenario we could put sanji in is with Real Pirate King Buggy 🦅🦅🦅🦅

Sanji would really suit that like. commedia dell’arte venetian theatre. Sanji would make a fine Arlecchino or Tartaglia (both lover roles, but Arlecchino or ‘the Harlequin’ is often a trickster character too)

Buggy would unironically be an incredible father tho. like. i am fully confident that there is nothing Buggy doesn’t excell in despite his pathetic soppy wet cat existence. He’s a COMPETENT soppy wet cat.

Sanji growing up as an acrobat in Buggy’s circus and getting doted on by all the crew oh ya know he’d love the dramatic flamboyance of it all.

Listen.

Listen, you're cooking. And it smells GREAT! But I think we need to adjust the seasoning a bit. Buggy managed to successfully hide in the East Blue and be forgotten from Roger's crew and all his adversaries. Like Buggy has to be running a network of some sort. He probably has informants in the New World ya know? For sure in the Grand Line.

I don't really fuck with Shuggy ATM(crossguild brain rot) but like also Buggy probably knows about Usopp and Luffy and that's part of why he signed the(forged) adoption papers. Sanji is also probably skilled with all sorts of weapons? His kitchen knives are not weapons but like he has a set of knives that are always hidden on him. He probably shows Usopp a bunch of spices and stuff that are good for bombs and Nami and Robin are confused about exactly how much in universe Shakespeare, albeit Robin is impressed. Luffy just knows but imagine Zoro finds out when the cook, who doesn't fight with his hands just swallows a Marines sword to distract them right before Luffy Gum Gum Pistols them.

Rayleigh talks more about Shanks and Sanji is just looking at his nails and briefly brings up Buggy. And Sanji can't help himself when he says "at least he's not a dead beat, he didn't abandon me" which makes Robin laugh and Luffy and Usopp ask what means and Sanji is like "you both haven't seen the Redhair crew since you were in the single digits, Buggy saw me at Baratie three weeks before you lot wrecked it and he would stop by every couple of weeks normally" And the crew is shook.

Like then Sanji just proudly showing everyone his photo of the Buggy Pirates, him, and Buggy in the adoption office and then again with just Buggy and Sanji and the paper and the jolly Roger. Rayleigh is having heart palpitations as Nami, Luffy, and Zoro scream at how lame his dad is and Sanji is like "oh you guys are the reason he's in Impel Down this makes sense" and Rayleigh is losing it. Shakky is laughing so hard. Rayleigh asks if anyone is planning to get Buggy out of prison and Sanji shrugs and says the lion is in charge now.

And then after the time skip to the forming of the crossguild everyone keeps shitting on. Like imagine Mihawk and Croc walking into Buggy's tent and seeing Black Leg Sanji as a child in full clown get up sitting on his own head in a photo and next to it is the adoption photo. When they ask Buggy about it hes just like "oh yeah, I adopted him at ten. Saw him all the time after he started at Baratie. Unfortunate he's not out of his civilian phase yet." And Croc and Mihawk are reeling. "Then again I think having to relive his trauma in Germa and with Big Mom probably didn't help, oh well. I'll talk to him about it when I see him."

When they see each other is some meeting between the Hats, the Guild and Redhair Pirates Luffy and Usopp are really happy to see their dad's. Sanji is probably being passed around by Buggy's crew and petting Richie who has him pinned to the ground and Crocodile is groaning that the clown's kid did the whole Mr. Prince thing and Shanks is confused because "you didn't tell me you had a brat?"

"well I legally adopted him eleven years ago and when Garp found out he said I was a better dad than you and Roger and Rayleigh so."

#black leg sanji #buggy the clown #silvers rayleigh #clown!sanji #these are going off the fuxking rails recently jfc #i love it #vinsmoke sanji #answers #cross guild

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sbk-zgvlt · 2 years ago

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1. I’m honestly impressed about how you two made a whole ass fan fiction which I heavily enjoy with just a simple question

2. I’m hoping onto that Peter Pan idea train

3. This random idea which has less Angst. Basically one day at NRC, all the main cast suddenly get transported into to a story book where they get each character is transported into a different story that best matches there personalities(or in author sense what there character was inspired by), so when the Diasomnia group get transported to the story of sleeping beauty, the can’t find Sebek anywhere. Meanwhile, Sebek is wondering where the hell everyone is and why he’s on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, where’s there’s apparently pirate ships. (I also imagine sense Sebek is half crocodile fea he has a crocodile tail which can disappear and reappear)

1. We're just that cool

2. I think i need to make a tag for that now...

3. IM SO INSANE ABOUT THIS

They probably messed around with this cursed storybook that Crowley keeps in his office and now they suffer the consequences.

The thing is though that they have to complete each story by their order in the book to actually progress. So, we start with Alice in Wonderland where Heartslabyul is stuck in. The further down the story is in the book (First story = Alice in Wonderland, last story = Sleeping Beauty), the longer the dorm has been inside.

For example, Heartslabyul have only been stuck for a day. Savanaclaw for a week. Octavinelle for a month, etc.

The basics of how this works is that while the first story is being played out, the others haven't even started yet. They're basically on pause. It's like Heartslabyul is trying to finish the story in a day while Savanaclaw is stuck inside the story 1 week before the events actually happen.

When Heartslabyul finish their story, they get transported to the Lion King and meet with Savanaclaw. They finish the story, then meet with Octavinelle in Little Mermaid, so on and so forth.

They eventually reach the Sleeping Beauty, only to be met with a frantic Diasomnia who have been stuck in the story for 5 months (They don't age or something by the way...when they return to the real world they've only been gone for a minute).

Turns out they have NOT seen Sebek at all, and Silver is in a FRENZY. Malleus is starting to embrace his villain role a bit too well in the story, and Lilia has practically reverted back to his old war veteran days.

The cast finally snap them out of it when they're able to finish the story, and Riddle suggests that maybe Sebek wasn't affected by the storybook for some reason? Or they'll be able to find him once they reach the true end of the book.

So, the true characters of thr story finally manifest so Diasomnia can just watch things play out with the rest of the cast as well.

They watch Aurora get married, some get a bit teary-eyed while Leona and Malleus argue over the color of her dress, then all they have to do now is wait for the end of the story-

Everyone gets transported to a room. The Darlings' room. Everyone freaks out because WHAT THE FUCK I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO HOME???

Diasomnia are inconsolable because they think that Sebek was left behind in the Sleeping Beauty story and will be stuck there forever and are continuously trying to find ways to go back-

"Uh, you guys aren't Wendy." Everyone turns towards the window. Peter Pan, in all his glory, was sitting by the windowsill with his arms crossed. He thinks that they broke in and is prepared to beat their asses until Jack and Trey explain their situation.

Peter hears about this Sebek guy and goes "Oh! You mean ole' croc? I know where he is!" Diasomnia pause and then immediately start screaming at him to bring them to him.

A few pixie dust later (courtesy of a disgruntled Tinkerbell), they're flying over Neverland. Peter is about to introduce them to the lost boys only for the sound of a cannon to interrupt him.

Pirates are invading the island once more, and the cast are quick to defend themselves. They can't seem to get a single hit on Captain Hook though, mostly because of fairy tale laws or whatever.

They're in a bit of a disadvantage, and even Peter is getting restless-

Tick.

Tock.

Captain Hook goes pale, as well as the rest of his crew. NRC look confused only for a familiar voice to ring throughout the fight: "ARE YOU BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND, CAPTAIN?" It's Sebek!

Except he looks...different. Not different in the way that Rook now has black hair for whatever reason, nor different by the fact that Lilia's hair is long again.

This Sebek looks older. Not too old, but there are key differences. His usual round ears are now a bit pointed, his hair past his shoulders. He's wearing something wildly different- there's no trace of his uniform.

Instead, an old, raggy pirate's cloak hangs off his shoulders that just serves to make him look more intimidating. And uh the rest of his clothes are the ones that Will Stetson is wearing in his cover of Shinunoga E-wa with black pants LOOK MAN im writing this in my notes app offline.

His magestone is no longer placed in a pen, rather it hangs off his ear as an earring.

The biggest change however is the scales and tail...as well as the ticking face of a clock that replaces his right eye.

Hook's crew are quick to retreat, not before Sebek can suddenly jump into their ship though. The cast watch Sebek raise Hook up by the scruff of his neck, and with a flick of his wrist, his claws retract.

"P-please!" Hook pleads. "Have mercy!" Sebek smiles. "I'm true to my word, Captain." And promptly slices his hand off.

He jumps off the ship with Hook's hand, Peter quick to catch him as they ignore Hook's frantic screams. Blood trickles down his claws, and once they reach solid ground, Peter puts Sebek down.

Sebek throws the hand into the sand, and with a single kick, sends it flying into the ocean. Right on time, a crocodile jumps from the water and catches it into its mouth, before retreating back into the water.

"That was so cool!" Peter exclaims from behind him with childlike wonder. Sebek doesn't react, only sighing, "HUMAN, JUST BECAUSE IVE BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR DOESNT MEAN ILL BE HERE FOREVER. SOONER OR LATER, YOU WILL NEED TO FACE THE CAPTAIN BY YOURSE-"

He turns around to continue to berate Peter, only to pause when he sees the mildly injured forms of the NRC cast.

"...PETER WHAT THE FUCK"

#fuck you this is an au now #storybook madness au #sebek zigvolt #twisted wonderland #twst #twst sebek #sebek twisted wonderland #twst sebek zigvolt #diasomnia #my asks!

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arminreindl · 2 years ago

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Paludirex: Life of the Swamp King

Having gotten the long taxonomic history of Pallimnarchus and Paludirex out of the way (see here), lets talk more about the animal itself.

As far as we know at this point in time, Paludirex was the last of the large semi-aquatic mekosuchines and the largest members of this group had ever gotten. Whereas the cleaver-headed Baru dominated the waterways of the Oligocene and Miocene, Paludirex lived from the Pliocene and Pleistocene. There is some division between the species tho as it appears. Given the ambiguity around the origin of some Paludirex vincenti specimens, this species is currently only known from the Pliocene, whereas Paludirex gracilis is currently only known from the Pleistocene. There may also be a third species from the same region as Paludirex vincenti.

Comparisson between Paludirex gracilis (left) and Paludirex vincenti (right)

Anatomically, Paludirex has a pretty easily recognizable animal. Unlike Baru, with its short, triangular skull, Paludirex had a head that was almost rectangular when viewed from above, about half as wide as long and comparably flat. Mind you the skull can still be pretty deep, especially in Paludirex vincenti, but the proportions still highlight how wide it is most of all. In both robustness and skull width, Paludirex far exceeds what is known in modern saltwater crocodiles, which likely fill a similar niche.

Left: Skull reconstruction of Paludirex vincenti. Right: Life reconstruction of Paludirex (Nellie Pease)

As said before, Paludirex represents the biggest mekosuchine. At a minimum length of 4 meters, it already rivals many of today's crocodiles and Baru, and that's just the smaller ones. Large individuals of Paludirex vincenti probably got much larger, 5 meters and more further drawing parallels to todays salties.

A size comparisson between Steve Irwin and both species of Paludirex

Now while the description is pretty sound on account of recent work by Ristevski and co., the ecology is a different matter. A lot of work was published back when Pallimnarchus was still a thing, so trying to separate what and what isn't applicable these days is a bit of a challenge.

On the most simple level, Paludirex was a generalist semi-aquatic ambush hunter. It's skull, tho incredibly robust and wide, shows no peculiar adaptations like long slender jaws so its obviously not a specialist. It's semi-aquatic because the nostrils and eyes face up so that they would peer out from the water while the rest of the body remained submerged. And these last two together basically suggest ambush-hunting.

Willis and Molnar also made comparissons between Paludirex skulls (or rather skulls now recognized as such) and Mugger crocodiles. All in all this suggests that its diet could have ranged from turtles to aquatic birds to large mammals (so the typical croc range really). They also infer that it may have had similar habitat preferences, being found in marshes, swamps, rivers, lakes, anywhere theres freshwater really. One exception may be that some researchers have argued that Paludirex was avoiding saltwater and brackish water, which eventually could have factored into its extinction once inland waterways in Queensland dissappeared.

Top: Eastern Sahul megafauna, the foreground features Paludirex about to ambush a giant kangaroo (Ryan Bargiel, Vlad Konstantinov, Andrey Atuchin & Scott Hocknull) Bottom left: Paludirex vincenti (Diego Ortega Anatol) Bottom right: An unforunate Paludirex being attacked by a marsupial lion (Joschua Knüppe)

As with many crocs, its pretty likely that individuals were hostile towards each other at certain times, perhaps during territorial disputes or in the mating season. Now this one's a bit of a more ambiguous one regarding the assignment of the fossils. Fossils of leg material show clear bite marks, HOWEVER, the fossils were assigned to Pallimnarchus purely on the basis that they don't appear to have belonged to a terrestrial animal (as often inferred for Quinkana) nor to a modern croc. Based on this, the material was assumed to have been that of Pallimnarchus without much else to back it up. Now that Pallimnarchus is no more, it is reasonable to assume that it may be Paludirex but then again, it could also be an entirely different animal. Only way to tell would be to find Paludirex fossils with leg fossils attached.

This does bring up the interesting discussion, what crocs did coexist with Paludirex? Well there's a couple. As just mentioned, there's Quinkana, which I'll research more in depth later, but for now it's commonly assumed to be more terrestrial than other mekosuchines. There's the Darling Downs form, which lived around the same time as Paludirex vincenti in Queensland and may be a third species of this taxon. Gunggamarandu is another animal from this region, tho much as with Paludirex its not entirely clear if its Pliocene or Pleistocene. More certain is the fact that during the Pleiostocene, Paludirex gracilis coexisted with freshwater crocodiles in the Riversleigh WHA. Finally, there's indetermined species of crocodiles that date as far back as the Pliocene. Historically, they've been regarded as salties, but more recently it's though that they were a different species entirely and that salties only moved in recently, possibly after Paludirex went extinct and the niche of large semi-aquatic predator was free.

Top left: Quinkana faces off against Megalania (Hodari Nundu) Top right: A freshwater crocodile running (Brandon Sideleau) Bottom: Gunggamarandu, a relative of today's gharials (Eleanor Pease)

By this point I've basically already given away the reason why Paludirex is no more. With mekosuchines already taking a massive hit during the late Miocene, the group was not at its peak when Paludirex came around. And things were not getting any better as Australia grew more and more arid, river systems disappearing, freshwater drying up and the habitat of these animals shrinking bit by bit. Paludirex, presumably staying clear of coastal waters, was hit hard by these events and eventually it was just too much. And once it was out, saltwater crocodiles moved in, leading into the modern day.

#paludirex #pallimnarchus #palaeoblr #pliocene #pleistocene #australia #paleontology #prehistory #crocodile #croc #crocodilia #mekosuchinae #gunggamarandu #paludirex vincenti #paludirex gracilis #quinkana

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spinnysocks · 9 months ago

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i am 100% sure it won't happen but if we got a pua cameo in the mufasa movie i think i could die happy

#/silly pos #give the crocodiles speaking lines 😔🙏🙏#for ME #and nikki :]#for us #the croc fans #if there is lines for the crocs watch me and nikki make lore for them hfgdjjdb /pos #god i wish #spinny rambles #mufasa the lion king #mufasa movie #the lion king #the lion king thoughts

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devilsrecreation · 18 days ago

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TLK/TLG OC concepts that should be a thing/we should see more of

A black lion. Like all black. Exactly like this

They’re like that cuz of a genetic mutation and it apparently makes them better at camouflage and the ability to absorb more heat and it’s frickin awesome. Also rare creatures

A maned lioness and/or a maneless lion cuz we need to appreciate them more often

I know I’ve posted about this before but a hyena based on Two-Wheel Drive. We love disabled representation

Could we have more honey badger characters, actually? There’s a lot of potential there

Different species of hyenas, mainly striped and brown. We always see spotted hyenas and even aardwolves in TLG. It’s time to give the other two some spotlight

A crocodile based on Gustave. I have this idea that his legacy left an impact on all the crocs in the Pridelands and the mere mention of his name makes them freeze. Could honestly be a “we don’t talk about Bruno” situation

Secretary birds. No idea why they haven’t shown up in TLG

Shoebill storks. Same thing as above

Gharial representation. I’d love to see them live in a lake or river at the Tree of Life considering they’re endangered. It’d be cool to see a crocodilian who isn’t and was never an antagonist for once (other than Pua)

Dwarf crocodiles and pygmy hippos cuz they’re downright adorable

More monitor lizard representation. I’ll even go for an Asian water monitor cuz why not

And my personal favorite: has anyone made a lion character based on Scarface? I’m not talking about the drug lord, I’m talking about this legend

He was THE lion king. Amazing hunting skills, family lion, and apparently had been ruling since 2007. He was said to have killed like 400 hyenas, drove adult crocodiles away, and defeated a full grown hippo in a one on one battle

A lion with a scar isn’t original but holy shit would his character be cool as hell

#that’s all i got for now #feel free to use any of these #that’s what i made them for #just me rambling #tempted to do something with the scarface one but i have too many tlg ocs already #oc ideas #the lion king #the lion guard

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bloodmoon24 · 9 months ago

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do you know any cool zoology facts?

You might wanna sit down and have a snack for this

• That in lemur society, female lemurs are always the boss of the family (girl power)

• Red pandas aren’t related to anybody. They’re in their own family (and to anyone who says that red pandas are related to the giant pandas, they’re not related. Just because they have “panda” in the name, doesn’t mean that they’re related)

• In some birds, like a hummingbird, males are always a brighter color to attract mates, while the females are duller so that they can camouflage themselves to protect their nests

• There’s a cool lemur called an aye-aye that has a special long and skinny finger that they use to knock on wood on branches for echolocating any prey like maggots or other grub (try getting flipped off by them)

• A woodpecker’s tongue is SO long, it wraps around their skull (look it up. I’m not joking)

• A warthog and use their face as a shield to block off an entrance of their borrow, so that predators like lions can’t get through

• There’s a jellyfish called the immortal jellyfish that can live forever by turning itself back into a baby and repeats its whole life cycle

• As far as most people know, lions are the only wild cats that lives in a big social group

• Coyotes are very adaptable. They can adapt in any environment likes cities, the desert, the arctic, and in the forest

• Crocs, gators, and king cobras are cannibals

• Like with the lemurs (kinda), female praying mantis are VERY larger than the males, and since they’re bigger, they’re way too heavy and the males have the ability to fly. And they both eat their prey head first. Same goes to the females after they mated with the males

• To anybody that didn’t know, a narwhal’s horn is actually a tusk, like an elephant or a warthog

• All raptors are closely related to the dinosaurs

* Gars specifically have been around since the dinosaurs

And that’s all the zoology facts that I have for you. I’ll let you know if I have some more awesome and cool facts about animals

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jayietheriverwarrior · 9 months ago

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First: LINK

Previous: LINK

Next: Coming soon?

Here's the next part of my story of Sarafina and her friendship with (and mutual unacknowledged love for) Zira! I might make more, I have some vague ideas of where I might take this during Scar's reign, but nothing concrete yet, we'll see.

The drawing is all mine this time, including the background (though I did trace Sarafina's head again a bit from a screenshot from the movie, she's just so hard to get right). I had a lot of fun with the water effects and lighting for this one. The lightning is meant to be a screen divider, showing two panels, one of Zira, one of Sarafina, hopefully that comes across well enough in the drawing.

~-~-~

Sarafina eventually marries her betrothed, fellow guard member Kimbia, and the pair have a daughter, Nala. While not remotely attracted to each other, they’re good friends and never blame each other for the lack of attraction or lack of choice about marrying each other. They do their best to make it easier on each other, but it’s still less than ideal. Kimbia is actually in love another lioness in the pride, a huntress named Sema, but Sema isn't much of a fighter and Shari wants strong warriors bred for her war against the Pride Lands, which is why she paired Kimbia with Sarafina instead.

Kimbia is open about his situation with Sema to Sarafina from the start, and she is fine with them continuing their relationship, so long as they're careful not to be caught. They're not careful enough to avoid Sema becoming pregnant, however, and she gives birth to a boy named Tojo shortly before Nala's birth. Shari doesn't seem to suspect anything, but it has all three lions on edge nonetheless.

But even more than worrying over Shari discovering what they're up to, the birth of these cubs changes everything for these three lions. Suddenly, it’s not enough to just go along with their pride’s cruel way of life anymore. It's not enough to argue with Ziara over the state of the pride but not do much else to change things and just hope for them to get better. Now, there’s something precious to protect, something worth fighting for a better future for. They soon decide they can no longer stay in a pride so determined to make vicious killers out of their precious cubs. They must escape - they must run away to the Pridelands and beg King Mufasa for shelter, and hope he's not the vicious throne-stealer Shari has painted him and his father as all of these seasons.

Sarafina hates the thought of abandoning Ziara, but after so many arguments on the subject, she knows Ziara would never leave her mother’s pride. When the cubs are toddlers, Sarafina, Kimbia, and Sema finally make a break for it one night when a fierce storm hits, with the hope that the rain will wash away their scent and the thunder will cover any sound of their escape. But they get unlucky when a scout spots them leaving. Ziara is in shock that her best friend would try to leave, but Shari is furious. Not only are members of her guard abandoning their post by trying to leave, but they are stealing cubs from the pride, future warriors in their battle against the Pride Lands. This cannot be allowed. The only solution is the death of the traitors, and the recovery of the cubs. Ziara is desperate to stop her friend and stop her mother from killing her, but she hardly knows how she's going to manage it, she just knows she has to join the effort to recover the cubs and hope to find a way to stop all of this before her beloved Sarafina gets killed.

A chase ensues, and the three deserters end up being driven to the river gorge that divides the Outlands from the Pridelands (where Kiara and Kovu nearly got eaten by crocs in the second movie). Ziara manages to catch up with Sema and wrests Tojo from her grasp - to her shock, her beloved Sarafina turns on her and attacks, tearing her ear to make her let go and take the cub back from her. The lionesses and their cubs manage to make it across the tree bridge to the other side with only a few of the pride making it across while in pursuit of them.

When Kimbia attempts to follow, however, a furious Shari attacks him. With the queen furiously trying to tear into him and holding him back from reaching the other side, and the rest of the pride ready to cross the bridge and pursue his mates and their cubs, Kimbia makes a heart-breaking choice - he jostles the tree bridge in a way that dislodges it from one bank, cutting off access from either side and sending both himself and Shari falling to their deaths in the churning river below.

For a moment, every lion is stunned into silence. The Outlanders have lost their queen, Ziara has lost her mother, Sema has lost her beloved mate, and Sarafina has lost a dear friend and the father of her daughter - and, unbeknownst to her, to the son she is carrying and will deliver in a few months, a son she will call Mheetu. Two of Shari's pride stand on the Prideland's side of the gorge with Sarafina and Sema - Princess Dunia, the heir to her mother’s throne, and her mate Tumbili, the guard's Keenest of Sight. As the Outlanders get over their shock at Shari's death, they begin calling for Dunia and Tumbili to seize Sarafina and Sema, to kill the traitorous lionesses and bring the cubs the long way around the gorge to the Outlands once more.

But Dunia hesitates. She is not like Ziara. She never bought into her mother's hatred of the Pridelands. All she wants is a peaceful life and freedom from her mother's harsh treatment. And now, she has this one chance, this one shining chance, to break away from that life forever. With a glance at her mate to confirm his support, she turns away from her pride and joins Sarafina and Sema, and as the Outlanders shriek their outrage behind them, all four lions set off for Pride Rock. But before leaving, Sarafina turns back, just once, to meet the furious, hurt, hate-filled glare of Ziara.

So in the drawing we see one last look between these two friends, who once loved each other so fiercely, who still feel that love, only to have it soured by hurt and loss and betrayal. Sarafina, now safe in the Pridelands with her daughter safe in her grasp, looking sadly across the river at the lioness who had once been her whole world - but she has a new world now, and as much as leaving Zira and hurting her in this way tears at her heart, she can’t regret it, and she won’t let it destroy her. The rain washes away her guard symbol, symbolizing her leaving the Guard, and her life in the Outlands, behind.

Ziara looks across at the lioness she had trusted more than any other, who she’d thought would always be by her side, and who had betrayed her in the worst way she could ever imagine. Not only did she permanently scar her ear, but her mother is dead because of her, and her sister abandoned and betrayed her because of Sarafina’s example. She had gone after Sarafina to try and save her from her own foolishness, only for Sarafina to take away everything she'd loved. Ziara has nothing left now but her rage, and the hate steadily growing in her heart. With her sister and mother gone, she is now the new queen of the Outlands, and just as her mother did before her, she takes a new name to fit that new role - she is no longer Ziara, a traveler to a sacred place, but Zira, hatred for her enemies. And she will make those enemies pay for every bit of her suffering - starting with Sarafina.

#The Lion King #TLK #The Lion King 2 #TLK 2 #The Lion Guard #Sarafina #Zira #Nala

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