#Pellonia

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

D-D-Darlings ! | Unit One/Digital Dolls | CH1 Battle of the Bands

When everyone enters the Arcade SEKAI, the most notable thing is the flashing lights from arcade cabinets. By the looks of things, the arcade cabinets, normally placed all about the room, have been pushed up against the walls. The lights on each screen flash in coordination, pulsing gently in shades of pink leading up to the stage. They continue to follow this pattern as the crowd settles in for the show

The stage is hidden behind sparkling pink curtains, covered in glitter and hand-embroidered with little stars and bows. With the overhead lights and the light patterns from the arcade cabinets, the curtains shimmer beautifully, befitting the dreamy nature of the arcade.

For a moment, the room is quiet, save for the various beeps and boops from the arcade cabinets and any hushed whispers from the audience. And then: the music starts. A backtrack some of you may recognize as "Darling Dance" by Kairiki Bear, and the curtains slide open to reveal a sparkling stage with the members of Unit 1 already in position.

Their outfits are reminiscent of the "Darling Dance" album art, but with personalized twist. They stray away from the jirei kei fashion and approach something more akin to jersey style idol outfits, with ruffled collars and Miku-like sleeves. Although as cute as ever, the members of the group look even cuter with makeup that truly highlights their features under the stage lights and dripping halos in their signature colors. Coattails hang down from their backs, swaying freely and reflecting the lights. 

The stage's floor lights up in beautiful pink and black lights, and the screen behind them lights up with a logo and name: Digital Dolls.

[Art by Faust, logo by Az]

(Lyric Assignments - Done by Lovely)

The group immediately begins to dance in an incredibly coordinated choreography to the beat of the song, and in perfect time, Hitome moves to the front to begin the song.

“‘My proof of existence—It’s love, it’s love,’ I spit out and yet-!!” Cute yet energetic sounding, Hitome stands proud in front of the stage. A hand placed on her chest, before she flashes a small peace sign. Confident, yet absolutely beaming as she steps to the beat of the song, holding the stage as the lead for a few moments.

As Hitome sings, the screen behind her flashes in a simple, but pretty 8bit pattern. The screens on the arcade cabinets flash along in the same pattern.

As soon as Hitome finishes her line, she spins with Lau Fei and he begins to sing the next line of the song, "Ahh, I don’t want to lie down and roll over, no way, no way. Pretty pretty, a diet day~" His voice, although perfectly in tune and cute enough, lacks any real talent. Inoffensive, but nothing particularly outstanding. That smile though…worthy of representing a true idol.

Lau Fei and Hitome begin to sing together, before swapping positions with Pellonia and Inazuma.

Pellonia takes center stage with a flourish, her husky voice ringing out for the audience to hear as she sings, “‘This lifeline is for love, it’s love’, I wail and yet-“

Her voice is nice, a deeper tone that contrasts the others. It’s nowhere near perfect, but clearly belongs to someone who’s practiced a lot to get a nice result. Even as she sings, her mouth doesn’t make any moves to smile- a clear sign of the pure focus she’s putting in as she twirls around Inazuma in trained steps.

Cutting right through Pellonia’s concentrated performance, Inazuma delivers her line with a cartoonish, pleading quality. “Ahh, I still just don't get it! Another lonely, lonely day of nonsense!” There’s certainly a strain as she makes a good effort to hit the rising pitch, but her enunciation is excellent. Her spare hand waves frantically as her body language matches the frustration her line calls for.

The group begins into the chorus together, swapping between singing together and giving solo lines. They dance together along to the beat of the music, with their movements suiting the lyrics. They move together in sync, clearly having worked hard as a team to master their routine in their limited time. The song doesn't have any instrumental breaks until the very end, so they're forced to sing and dance through the whole thing. And yet- the group doesn't seem to struggle. Well, between a trained idol, a dance mascot, and two very fit women, it seems possible.

After an energetic performance the song comes to an end, with the four striking a group pose with the final beat. They face the audience, breathing heavily, as the song comes to a close. They wait a few moments before moving.

Lau Fei stands up straight to bow and wave to the audience.

Hitome regains her composure, before giving a small nod and dip for a bow, before flashing double peace signs.

Following Lau Fei’s lead, Inazuma scampers over to her colleague’s side, putting a fist in the air and standing on one leg.

And Pellonia places one hand to her chest as she does a half bow, using the other to hold up a finger heart for those watching.

Into his microphone, still slightly out of breath, Lau Fei exclaims, "Thank you so much! Everyone worked so hard! Thank you to Pellonia for moving and programming all of these arcade cabinet screens and the screen on stage, as well as making all of our cutie costumes. Thank you to Inazuma for working with Oscar to make the choreography for us. And a thank you to Hitome for doing everyone's hair and makeup! And thank you all for being such an AH-MAZING audience!"

Before Lau Fei can properly send everyone off, Pellonia slides up next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling coyly as she speaks. “And don’t forget to thank our little lamb for our accessories, dividing the lines, AND this beauuuuutiful curtain~ Please keep supporting all of us!”

Hitome giggles at her two unit-mates and the recognition they gave. How cute, how charming. “The idols about technology and just looking cute, that’s us-! Thank you for the spotlight, hehe-!!”

“We’re the Digidolls, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing yooooooou next time!” Inazuma whoops into her mic, letting the echo fade away to end the group’s performance.

[walpu]

Pellonia (About Dr Ratio): I always wondered why someone as intelligent as Dr Ratio never got accepted into the Genius Society. Sure, he may seem harsh but he means well. Not like those apathetic "geniuses".

Dr Ratio (About Pellonia): I swear that girl really ought to take better take care of herself. Work be damned, a healthy body and mind is more important than an unfinished manuscript.

Pellonia when added onto a team with Dr Ratio:

(squee) It's THE Dr Ratio in the flesh! I'm so honored to be fighting by your side, sir!

Dr Ratio when added onto a team with Pellonia:

Hmm. You seem to have gotten thinner. Have you been eating properly, Miss Pellonia?

He's stressing so much 😭

[victorysuite]

"Gh-"

Pellonia's eye twitches, her hand clutching at one of her necklaces. Red coats the visible heights of her cheeks, her body visibly shaking. All eyes on her. Is that really fine? Boring into her skull. If only she had a blindfold. If only she could go hide behind Ceres again, or simply leave. Her face burns, hotter than fire, with the judgmental gazes leveled at her. 

"You don't- Some claw marks? That's really the crux of your deduction. Well how about- about- this has so many stupid plot holes! You can't just jump to the end of a quest like this!"

[herpsandbirds]

Yellow Chequered Lancer (Plastingia pellonia), family Hesperiidae, Singapore

photograph by Michael Soh

[lydiahosek]

Reconnection

[My contribution to the @inklings-challenge Christmas challenge, and a follow-up to my 2022 story "Connection". Thank you for hosting and merry Christmas!]

“…Hi everyone. Merry Christmas! At least, it should be Christmas by the time you get this. Right now it’s November 15th.”

In fact, it was December 27th when Arlo Connors’ transmission reached his family back on Earth. The first days had been spent by the Connors with the vague concern for him that always regrew in the back of their minds between messages. In a consolatory sort of coincidence, though, it arrived smack in the middle of the annual Christmas party, and the entire extended family (minus two strep-stricken cousins at home in bed) gathered and hushed to hear his voice.

Ever the dutiful son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin, he first addressed the high points of the last transmission he received from them. He wished Jessamine well in her audition for the role of Claire in her school’s production of String Bean Salad Summer, complimenting the snippet of “One Tiny Seed” she had sung into the receiver. Jessamine shifted in her seat – she had ended up in the ensemble and was still a little stung about it. He advised Aunt Sybil on the glitch with her smart microwave that she had described. Sybil had to be stopped from bustling off to the kitchen to try the repair at that very moment. He congratulated Tim and Nadine on their one-year anniversary. They smiled and clasped hands – he would be an uncle in five months and didn’t even know it yet.

“Everything up here is going mostly according to plan. The biology team says the plants aren’t doing as well as they thought – something to do with the artificial atmosphere. But Alonzo and the rest of the techs’ gadgets are all working fine. A few might even get adapted for commercial sale…We passed Pellonia about a month ago. For once everyone just dropped what they were doing and stared. It looked like a big, cloudy orange. I tried to take a picture, but you know. It’s not the same.

“The big news is that I actually took a spacewalk last week.” Arlo described the simple but urgent malfunction with the ship’s thruster that required his direct attention, the process of being dressed in the spacesuit, and the combination of wonder and dread that filled his heart as he moved along the edge of the ship, his tether to it, to humanity, no wider than a garden hose. Several of his audience hung on his every word with little technical understanding but agonized suspense, forgetting that the account itself was proof that his time outside the ship had ended without incident.

“It sounds silly, but I kept thinking of the first time I jumped off the diving board at Uncle Harold’s pool. The same sense of something exciting, somewhere new to explore, all by myself, but also having to be alert, not get lost in it or…disaster. I was talking about it with Val…that’s Valeria Munroe, if Mom still has the article with the group picture saved…What am I saying, of course she does.”

Hetta had already whipped out her comm pad, opened her “Saved” folder, and retrieved the news article announcing the mission with its accompanying photo of the entire crew. She hovered her cursor over a few different faces before a text box appeared over one with the title “Valeria Munroe” and a brief biography. She smiled to herself and nodded. “She’s pretty.”

“Mo-oomm!” Arlo’s siblings chorused on his behalf.

“Anyway, it got me thinking, and I know it’s really early to say this, but…this trip’s going to be my last.”

A wave of confused, dismayed whispers swept through the room, followed by one of harsh shushing.

“I…I had always thought about the things I had made that I was sending up there…up here…that something my hands had touched was going to be sent past other planets and asteroid fields and onto worlds I had never seen and couldn’t even imagine. And even more than the pay bump and the…I dunno, ‘prestige’ as opposed to being a ground guy, I wanted to see for myself what I was working for. And now I have. And it’s not like…I don’t regret it, but I know I can’t maintain it. Just like I couldn’t stay outside any longer than it took to do what I had to do. It was beautiful, I was closer to it all than I’ve ever been, but the connection back was so thin, just like…sorry, I…”

Here they heard an unintelligible voice in the background and Arlo’s, muffled, saying “No, I’m fine.”

Then his voice was clear again. “I, um…I really miss you. I guess, is the point. And the sky and the trees and…traffic and barbecue smoke and those crummy slushies from Burger Beanie.” He made a noise between a laugh and a shudder. “More than anyone else here does, or did, it seems. The ones who’ve made a career out of this. Maybe they were like this too their first time and just forgot, but…I don’t want to forget. So…yeah.”

Hetta could be heard sniffling off to the side. “Mom,” one of Arlo’s sisters cooed softly, placing a hand on her arm.

Arlo clapped his hands loudly. “So! Now that I know that, I am going to try to strengthen my connections to whoever and whatever I can up here. And you will hear about it all! Sorry this message is so short, but I promise the rest won’t be. ‘Cause when I’m back down there, for good…I don’t want to forget, either.”

He left them with a few more pleasantries, Christmas wishes, and words of love, and then the room was silent. It remained so for the better part of a minute, until Sybil offered to start slicing up the gingerbread cake.

Someone hit the “Play” icon on her comm pad, and peppy, harmonic voices resumed singing. Gradually new conversations began, and gradually they were about topics other than the absent son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle-to-be. He would hear all about them, though, in about two months. The best gift he could get, as he and those below continued the wait till the mission's end for the best gift he could give.

[wpristav]

Великобритания испытала лазерный БКО для авиации

Опытный БКО от Team Pellonia. Фото Минобороны ВеликобританииКоролевские ВВС Великобритании ищут новые способы защиты своих самолётов, вертолётов и БПЛА от ракет и других угроз. Несколько лет назад начались работы по новому решению этой проблемы — ст��ртовала разработка перспективного лазерного бортового комплекса обороны. Недавно это изделие...... Читать дальше »

[worldsandemanations]

Yellow Chequered Lancer (Plastingia pellonia), family Hesperiidae, Singapore

photograph by Michael Soh

[atozphantomsquadron]

Unit A13 - III

(cw: gore)

   The inspector picked up the ringing phone, her brow furrowing.  “Adamidis.”

   “Inspector, this is Pellonia in the lab.  We just got back the analysis on the sample you sent us.”

   Adamidis sat down, pulling a pad of paper out of a nearby desk drawer.  “Go ahead.”

   “Well, it’s kind of complicated.  Initially it was thought to be animal urine, but as we got deeper into the analysis we found that the ammonia content was inconsistent.”

   “Really?”

   “A little further analysis showed us our error.  Turns out, it is some kind of bodily fluid, it smells like ammonia like urine does, but it acts a lot like blood.”

   Adamidis pushed some stray strings of hair out of her face.  “Blood?  How?  It was colorless and smelled horrible.”

   “We’re trying to figure that one out ourselves.  You said you found this where?”

   She cleared her throat.  “About three meters into the Cave of the Apocalypse.”

   She could hear some discussion on the other end of the line, hushed and quick.  Pellonia returned after a minute.  “We’re checking right now the effects of it in a closed area on a living being, but in the meantime we’d recommend not going back in, at least at present.”

   At this, Adamidis grumbled.  “All right.  We’re supposed to have some foreign investigators arriving today, should I give them the same information?”

   “Probably.”

   “Understood.  Thanks, Nico, I owe you dinner sometime.”  She hung up the phone, just as her superior entered the office.  She stood up to greet him.

   “Callista, we have guests.  I need you now.”

   “Coming!”  She jogged around her desk and to her superior’s side, escorting him out of the office.

   The two Greek investigators made their way into the lobby of the justice building greeted at the elevator door by sheer faces of marble running along the room’s length.  Breaking up the marble was a small group of four people, looking very American.  They approached the group carefully, but the chief inspector seemed more eager to greet them.

   “Good afternoon, welcome to Athens!  I am Chief Inspector Paul Enkios.”  He extended his hand to the first man, a slender, young man with blond hair and deep blue eyes, who turned and shook it.

   “Pleased to meet you.”  The man pulled out his wallet, flashing an ID and a badge.  “Agent Vance Rollins, FBI.”  He motioned behind him to the others, who did likewise.

   The second agent, another man with olive-colored skin and slightly shorter than Rollins, introduced himself with a deep, guttural voice.  “Agent Orson Hyde.”

   The third agent came up in the line, a slim woman with long hair, in a pantsuit.  “Agent Irene Patterson.”

   The fourth woman, a middle-aged government servant, grasped Enkios’ hand enthusiastically.  “And I’m Polly Hurvielle, from the embassy.  Pleased to meet you and we hope we can be of some help to you on this.”

   Enkios nodded.  “Indeed, I do, as well.  This is the head investigator on the case, Inspector Callista Adamidis.”

   The chief nudged Adamidis forward.  She shook Hurvielle’s hand, noting that there was an odd texture to it.  Was that fur?

   “We’d like to see what you currently have on the case, if possible.”

   Rollins’ voice interjected Adamidis’ thoughts.  She released Hurvielle’s hand, turning toward the agents.  “Of course.  This way, please.”

   The inspector led the four Americans out of the lobby.  Patterson looked behind her briefly before entering the elevator with the rest.

   A knock on the door interrupted Yardley as he worked through a pile of paperwork.  The admiral looked up.  “Enter.”

   The door opened to Yardley’s secretary, holding a clipboard.  “Admiral, the new lab tech you asked for is here.”

   “Good, send him in.”

   The secretary backed up away from the opening, to allow a slender young man entry into the office.  He wore a wrinkled, featureless suit and a pair of sunglasses, nearly obscured by his long, white hair.  He stood in front of Yardley, his hands in his pockets.

   “Sir, you called for me?”

   The admiral waved his secretary out of the office, the door closing behind her.  He turned his attention to the lab tech.  “I did, son.  And you are …?”

   The tech chuckled.  “Sorry, I’m bad with introductions.  Gabriel Francis, I just started in the lab a week ago.”  He extended his hand.

   Yardley chuckled as he took the young man’s hand.  “I see.  I also understand that when I asked for a dedicated tech, you were the first to step up.  I’m just curious as to why.”

   “Family history, sir.  Oh, and please, call me Gabe.”

   Yardley stood up, moving to one side of his office where a small coffee maker sat.  “All right then, Gabe it is.  How do you take your coffee, son?”

   Gabe smirked.  “Any way I can get it, just keep it coming.”

   The admiral poured two cups, handing one to Gabe.  “All right, you have my attention.  What kind of family has a history with my team?”

   The young tech sipped on the beverage.  “With the Sharpes.  An uncle of mine was a handler for Guardsmen going way back.”

   Yardley nodded.  “Impressive.  Also that you know about the Guardsman.  I’m sure you’ve been briefed on our folks, right?”

   “I have, and I have some pertinent information for you on their current mission, about Patmos.”

   Yardley’s look became instantly serious.  “I wish you’d have told me before I sent them.”

   “I would have, had I known they would be going.”

   The admiral sighed.  “Well, what is it?”

   Gabe took off his sunglasses, revealing milky white eyes surrounded by strange, circuit-like markings.  “The danger in the cave at Patmos must be brought out into the light.  It cannot be destroyed on holy ground; it only draws more power from it.”

   Yardley set down his coffee cup.  “And the deaths?  Is this same danger responsible?”

   Gabe nodded.  “By feeding on living flesh, it grows in strength and becomes more difficult to remove from the cave.  They will not be able to force it out, only try to cajole it to leave on its own power.”

   The admiral nodded.  “All right.  At the first opportunity, I’ll get word out to Sharpe and his team.  In the meantime, head back to the labs and track them.  Dismissed.”

   The tech nodded, putting his sunglasses back on.  “God will be with them, sir.”  He turned and left.

   The small group made their way along a rugged trail to the mouth of the cave, making slow progress so as to assure their footing at every step.  Adamidis and another monk took the lead, guiding the group toward their destination. 

   At once, the group stopped when the inspector put up her hand.  “Here is the Cave.  Please be advised, you are on holy ground and the monastery expects you to respect this.”

   From the back of the group Hurvielle started to grumble, only to be stopped by Hyde placing a hand over her mouth.  Rollins made his way to Adamidis and the monk, Patterson in tow.

   “Thank you, inspector.  If you don’t mind, we’d like a moment to ourselves in the cave.”

   The inspector narrowed her eyes.  “I should warn you, our lab analyzed a substance we found in there and is asking that I tell you not to go in unprotected.  There may be chemical residue inside.”

   Rollins laid his hand on his thigh.  “I’ll take my chances, inspector.  Guys, come on.”

   The group of Americans made their way into the Cave, swallowed into its shadows.  Adamidis came up next to the monk.

   “Keep an eye on them.  I’m not sure about these people.”

   The monk nodded.  Adamidis made her way back to the monastery.

   Out of sight of the constructed entryway, “Rollins” turned to his team.  “Okay guys, the coast is clear.  Let’s get comfy and check the place out.”

   “Patterson” and “Hyde” nodded, bringing their watches up before their faces and pushing the buttons.  The façades of the FBI made way for the realities, as “Hyde” shrunk down into Cyrus and “Patterson” shifted to become Ariel.  At once, Ariel was along a side wall, running her hand along its length.

   “Rollins” disappeared and became Ken, who walked to Ariel’s side.  “What is it?”

   She closed her eyes briefly.  “I sense death here.  It hangs around us.”

   “Great, she’s going all Miss Cleo on us now.”  “Hurvielle” crunched her watch button, splitting into Kitty, who was crouching on her haunches in an instant.  “You don’t need to be psychic to feel something wrong with this place.”

   Ariel rolled her one human eye.  “I’m not, I can just feel …”

   Ken put a hand on her shoulder.  “It’s all right.  Come on, the inspector said the hand came from further along.”

   The group slowly made their way along the wall Ariel had touched.  They found the prayer railing: Cyrus placed his hands on it, closing his eyes.  The glow emanating from his hands was weak.

   “What is it?”  Kitty came up right behind the short wizard.

   “Don’t know, really.  My powers are hugely limited in places like this, but I can still detect some of what happened.  There’s a bit of a memory to this railing.”

   The rest of the team collected around Cyrus.  Ariel, behind Kitty, looked over the group rather than huddling with them.

   “There was struggle … confusion … an attempt to offer peace …”

   “Do you hear that?”

   Ariel’s words prompted Cyrus to release the railing.  He looked up at the dragon woman.  “Hear what?”

   “I hear it too.”  Ken turned around, looking toward the darkened end of the cave.  “Hello?  Is someone there?”

   The sound became clearer, a dull, guttural growl which seemed to approach.  The air in the cave became warmer.

  “Come forth and face oblivion!”

   Kitty growled back.  “You think?  I wouldn’t bet on it!”

  “Tiger of Durga, you have no power here!  Come forth and meet your fate!”

   “Oh, that does it!”  Kitty screeched, yanking a pistol she had holstered at the small of her back out and racing into the darkness.  Ken tried to grab her arm to stop her, but only caught air.

   “Kitty, no!  Aw, God … come on, guys, we need to keep her from getting killed.”

   The team assembled quickly, pursuing the cat woman as she leaped animal-like from wall to wall, speeding up even as her teammates picked up their pace.  Three gunshots and a yelp came from the darkness as they held up their pursuit.

   “Kitty!”  Cyrus spotted a dark figure which appeared to be the cat woman.  He ran up to her, only to discover that the figure was motionless, standing upright, her hand holding her stomach.  Smacking sounds came from within the darkness, as Kitty dropped to her knees.

   Cyrus and Ken were at either side of her, trying to hold her upright.  She looked around her in a daze, then down at her stomach.

   “Crap … I think it’s worse than we think.”

   She started shaking, falling backward into Ariel’s arms.  The dragon woman held the unconscious cat woman, pulling her back from the scene.  Ken and Cyrus, meanwhile, remained at the front, setting their feet and preparing to fight.

   “Come out!  This is holy ground, you are not welcome here!”

   The growl came again.  This time, though, the two men could understand its words. 

“Holy … ground?  No holiness … no peace … only death and oblivion.”

   Cyrus narrowed his eyes.  “Who are you?  Identify yourself!”

   Another growl. 

“I am apocalypse … I am damnation …”

   “Great, just another friendly neighbor.”  Ken rolled his eyes, reaching for the Sword.  He suddenly felt his hand slapped away from his weapon.

  “You Guardsman … you will not fight me here … you cannot fight me, defeat me …”

   “Then I guess I’ll have to!”  Cyrus set his shoulders and his stance, attempting to power up a spell.

   Dark, brooding laughter. 

“Fool.  No magic in this place … I am the consumer of magic … killer of Guardsmen … taker of souls …”

   “Guys, she’s not breathing!”

   Ken and Cyrus instantly turned back toward Ariel, who knelt behind Kitty.  Without her hand before her stomach, the men could now see the grievous nature of her wound: much of the flesh of her stomach was torn away in a pattern which looked like an animal had taken a bite out of her.  Cyrus clapped his hands together, rubbing them in an attempt to kick-start his powers.  Ken held his face to Kitty’s, giving her rescue breaths.

   Ariel looked into the darkness, her eyes narrowing tightly.  At once, the darkness lashed out toward her, making her jump backward.

  “Dragon … destroyer …”

   She crawled backward briefly then reached forward to clutch Kitty by the shoulders.  Pulling the cat woman close to her, she clenched the muscles of her back, forcing wings and a painful whimper to sprout from her.  Flapping the wings experimentally in the tight cavern, she turned and took to the air.

   “Ariel, wait!  Stop!”  Ken’s voice calling behind her faded as she carried her fallen teammate out of the cave.

   Adamidis stood at the doorstep of the monastery, a cigarette in her mouth.  She casually looked around at the evening traffic, light and intermittent.  The fading light drew her eyes to the sunset.

   A shadow streaked past, arcing through the sky.  The cigarette fell from Adamidis’ lips.  “What the hell …?”  The darkened figure, backlit by the sunset, flapped enormous wings but appeared human-like in form.  It carried a large mass in its arms as it flew at an astounding speed. 

   The inspector’s eyes refused to pull away from the sight until she was bumped from behind.  She looked behind her to see an unfamiliar blond man carrying a sword on his hip.

   “Inspector, we need to go, now.”

   “What?  Why?  Who …?”  The newcomer had Rollins’ voice.  He was quickly joined by a very small, wrinkled and muscular man.

   “We need to hurry, Ken, there’s no telling how much time we’ve got to save Kitty.  For all we know she might be dead already.”

   Adamidis looked down, stunned.  “Hyde?”  She looked up at Ken.  “Rollins?”

   “Sorry, Inspector, that was a necessary deception.  We need you to follow our teammate, we don’t know where she’s going and she’s carrying our injured fourth.”  Ken grabbed Adamidis by the elbow.  “Come on, we need to go!”

   “All right, hold on a moment.”  The inspector crushed her cigarette under her heel, leading the way back to her car.

[daedricsnakes]

Finally threw this together tonight. Mostly, anyway; I’ll be throwing a couple plants in later. I’m super happy with how it turned out! Sithis seems indifferent. 

I finally feel like I have the energy to finish all these projects I have, so I’ll be working on enclosure revamps for everyone this week. Vaermina’s next :)

[thehellcatcroons]

Catria's Weapons 

(All drawn by me except for the picture of the gun, of course)

Devil Arms= Demonic Weapons

Divine Arms = Holy Weapons passed down from her mother’s side of the family.

1.) Pellonia - Divine Arm - Shield

Pellonia is a holy shield that can be wielded as a strap shield, or a punch shield. She protects her user from their enemies by creating a small field of holy light around them, which drives off unholy and demonic forces.

2.) Earendil - Divine Arm - Bow

A holy bow that has the power to smite evil. It possesses a gem that is said to be the "light of humanity." Any arrow that passes through the gem shall contain the power to smite evil, and will always strike its target. (Yes, this is a reference to the Light of Earendil from LOTR.)

3.) Bloodlust - Devil Arm - Great Sword

Once the sword of Modeus, it has the power to strike down a hundred demons with one stroke. Over time, it's silver has changed to red due to the sheer amount of demonic blood it has absorbed.

4.) The Dutchman - Devil Arm - One Handed Cutlass

The Dutchman is Catria's custom made cutlass. While she's strong enough to wield Bloodlust with one hand, she finds it clunky and awkward. She enjoys using her shield far too much, and decides to get a one handed sword made to use when she's got her shield. She imbues it with demonic energy after it is made.

5.) Bonnie - Normal Glock 22

Catria's Glock 22 issued to her by the Port Prince P.D. Nothing special, except for the custom details she has added when she makes Liuetenant. Named after one of Catria's favorite pirates, Anne Bonney.

Abilities:

Catria has superhuman speed and strength, even in her human form. She has a Devil Trigger that looks similar to her fathers form, looking like a metal gargoyle with piercing gold eyes. She retains her human hair even in her DT form, but has pointed ears and teeth like her father. Her already long and pointed nails grow even longer, and she is able to use them as a weapon as well. 

She is able to imbue regular objects with demonic energy, turning them into Devil Arms. (Which she ends up doing with her cutlass and her glock.) 

Catria is an incredibly skilled archer and can summon spectral arrows in battle.

She can tap into divine magic, but it takes a lot of her energy and concentration to do it due to her demonic blood. When she does tap into it, she can smite on a small level, preform some small scale healing, and do small amounts of miracle working. ( Making her coffee hot again after it goes cold, turning water into wine, small stuff like that. )

[thatringboy]

Okay, Ruby and Yang are legacies of Mars (and Yang Trivia), Blake is Mercury and Weiss is Aquilio

what about jnpr and other main character's godly parents/ancestry

Jaune is the son of Sol Apollo

Pyrrha is the daughter of Vulcan, but she also is a legacy of Victoria

Nora is a legacy of Jupiter

Ren is a legacy of Pellonia

Sun is the son of Apollo and a legacy of Pan

Neptune is a legacy of Thor

Nolan is the son of Palioxis

Arslan is a legacy of Tyr

Qrow and Raven are children of Trivia

Velvet is a legacy of Faunus and Saturn

Mercury is the son of Nemesis

Emerald is the daughter of Fraus

Adam follows the path of Set and is a legacy of Faunus

Winter follows the path of Shu

Ilia is a legacy of Pan

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

Is It Wrong to Grieve Over My Unhappiness? | Pellonia | 1.3 | RE: Hitome

So that's it, huh?

In all honesty, Pellonia's not a very smart woman. This whole time, during the investigation and more, she's had almost no idea what was going on. All through the investigation, all through the trial, all she's ever been capable of thinking- I'm so scared. I just want to hide from everything.

There is no hiding from this, though. She can't run away from the facts- Hitome killed someone.

It was an accident. But someone is dead. It wasn't on purpose. But someone she's been sleeping in the same room as for days is a murderer.

It's so hard to decide what to feel, when she's never known what to feel about anything. She just wants to cover her ears and close her eyes. Her hand slips under her mask, rubbing at her face as the sobs she's been failing to bite back this whole time intensify.

"H-hito- Hitome. It's not f-fair- I can't- H-how can I vote fo- or you?"

Nights spent playing games, adventures through arcade cabinets. Is she supposed to be able to look past that because of this crime? She can't ignore what was done, but she can't ignore her feelings about Hitome so easily either.

Friend... was she a friend? Is she even allowed to grieve a friend if she's a killer? Everyone spewing cruel words, will they even let her say anything to comfort her before she goes?

"I'm so- so sorry you we- were so scared. If I ha- ad known I- I would have loved to b-be there for you... you should- shouldn't have had to f-fear that all alone..."

It's so unfair of her to be the one crying her eyes out. Her voice is going hoarse from the effort, but she's not even the one on death row. She's losing a friend, but her friend is losing her life.

It's all pressing down on her, and she puts her head down on the podium, hiding inside her arms. There's nothing else to say. It would be its own crime to try to put anything else in the world when nothing she says matters at all.

It's ending soon anyway. Maybe if she just hides away it'll all be over sooner.

[walpu]

Pellonia's father and paternal aunt are massive narcissists. They're obsessed with keeping up with trends and looking their very best because they hated feeling inferior to anyone, including her and her mother. This is why they felt upstaged when she rose to fame despite having a "boring" job.

Her aunt is notorious for her incredibly tacky and flashy wardrobe that made her look like an overdecorated Christmas tree.

Her and her mom, Valencia, always thought they were super cringey and immature.

Everywhere they go, her father and aunt are seen as laughingstocks.

Fortunately, her parents are divorced, so they doesn't have to see those two clowns ever again.

Thanks god they are divorced it sounds like a nightmare 😭

[houseplantguru]

Love this Pellonia pulchra climbing up a bromeliad leaf, growing @belleislestatepark in the conservatory. It is planted with another creeping plant (the ground covers of the tropics) Pilea libanensis (glauca). They look good together don't you think? These plants would work well as under plantings in your large potted trees. Have you done that? . . #publicgarden #statepark #goodideas #houseplanthelp #houseplant #indoorplants #urbanjungle #tropicalgroundcovers #bhghome #plantsmakepeoplehappy https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx2X1D3F4b1/?igshid=fijmbq7hdt64

[vineyard-floors]

COREtec Stone will give your bathroom a cool look, while feeling warmer on your bare feet. - Featured Style: Pellonia (COREtec Stone) @VINEYARD.FLOORS ​. ​. ​. ​#flooring #flooringsolutions #newflooring #luxuryflooring #lvtflooring #vinylflooring #flooringinstallation #flooringdesign #engineeredflooring #flooringinspiration #flooringideas #flooringcompany #flooringexperts #instadesign #homes #homedecor #decor #homeanddesign #flooring #floormakeover #luxury #waterproof #petproof #scratchresistant #innovation #durable #COREtecStone #warmfloors #bathroomfloors (at Elk Grove, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Bq_iontRE/?igshid=cnbyetj1h1fp

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

How Long Have I Been Up? | Pellonia | 1.2 | RE: Erika, Lau Fei

Oh G-d, things aren't looking good. Why is it that when it all comes down, eyes are turning toward Pellonia's unit mates? Even if she's still hicupping and whimpering at her podium, she has to say something in her group mates defense. Right?

"H-hey, w-w-w-wait! It cou- couldn't be... couldn't be Inazuma or Hi-hitome, right? Because... because when our unit w-went to a video game, Inazuma was h-helping a stranger... and Hitome g-got us out of some vines even though she r-r-really wanted to leave us and g-get treasure instead... and we had to ask her to save us-"

She's kind of losing her train of thought here. But it can't be Hitome. Right?

"A-and if we're saying... Dahlia f-fell on the cymbal... like she got kicked? Inazuma probably c-couldn't kick her over, but... o-oh..."

A horrible realization seems to wash over her, her hand flying to where her mouth should be. That all has to be a coincidence, right?

"B-but- neither of them are like that! Th-they both- th-they... they aren't cowards! Zuma is r-really brave, and- and-"

More sobs rip themselves from Pellonia, her voice going raw from the effort.

"Just say you d-didn't do it Hitome! It c-couldn't ha- ave been you! You- you- you- you have to have something!"