#Sun (Planet Dragons)

[theknucklehead]

It's been a while since I posted SkullGirls alts, so here are some for Beowulf (and yes it's ironic he's playable despite the game being called SkullGirls)

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Wolverine (Logan)

Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Yamcha

Incineroar

Captain Planet

Shrek

[bigfan1811]

shout out to fictional primates and primate-like beings

[sethfuss]

8/10/24 INKTOBER SUN

The prompt today was Sun. So zooming into the stars on the table is what I ended up going with

[dragon-inc]

[padmenaberriens]

things in star wars that we need to talk more about !! pt. 1

what about the tatooine culture? in mike chen's book, brotherhood, there is talk of the legend of the sun dragon that shmi told anakin. it reminds me of the countless other legends and myths that probably existed on this planet. many see tatooine as just a cradle of trade and slavery, but imagine the variety of cultures and peoples found there! the legend of the sun dragon is so important to anakin that it is a mainstay in his life. this makes me think of many headcanons!

do they have any mythological justification for the drought on the planet? two of moons and suns? why is the earth so arid? works and sketched poems? well, maybe we'll never know about it, but we can imagine.

[usagi-zakura]

Planet-noodles?

Planet-noodles!

They have no legs because they don't need those in space where there is no ground...they are ground. (At least some of them are...some are gas)

[sugarpopparty]

Astromancy ✨

[405blazeitt]

starting around 2nd grade or so, i came up with this fantasy world with fantasy animals that can all communicate with each other, and it gradually evolved folklore and a collection of gods that i never quite decided were real or not in-universe

a key figure in said folklore was the god of darkness and ice (and cold and death etc etc) who was stripped of her powers and sealed away by the other gods for being too destructive for a few centuries, gets released by her followers, and regains her powers by gaining the following of the daughter of the 2 most powerful gods, light and life (ie the manifestation of spring), who'd hidden her in a regular village because her physical form was the same species as that of the god of darkness n ice n stuff

i haven't actively worked on anything from this world in a good while, but it came back to me a few days ago and i had the thought that eventually the dark god has a conversation with the god of plague (who's actually the manifestation of entropy and much older than any of them thought) and realizes that she's not cold or darkness or whatever, she's not a destructive force or an absence, but a manifestation of the universe itself trying to reach equilibrium

so she starts to make peace with the other gods because she no longer sees them as competitors but as a part of herself, and she now knows that even without her intervention she'll outlast them and probably see other planets arise with their own gods and she'll outlast those too, until it's just her and entropy

[forestwhisper3]

Question for my DotS readers. Should I split “The Real World” into two chapters like it was split into two episodes, or should I cover everything in one big update? If I do the former, the chapter will be out soon (like, probably tonight or tomorrow), but if I do the latter, we can move on quicker. 

Just so you know, after I’m done with “The Real World,” what will follow is a non-canon related chapter (or two) that deals with the aftermath of these episodes as well as some more delightfully delectable deviation before we touch upon the content of the season three finale. There will be hurt, comfort, and some superhero cameos, oh my!

So...yeah? One big chapter, or two smaller ones? I’ll just roll with whatever you want me to do. :)

[prokopetz]

You know a lot about the cultural influences behind various aspects of D&D, so: do you know the origins of the thing in 3.5 where it seems like a main way they want you to play as a psionic warrior is to grow massive claws and get breath weapons? It's so specific and out of left field for a "warrior who uses the power of the mind" that I've always wondered.

Much of 3E's handling of psionics closely follows material presented in the 2E supplement The Complete Psionics Handbook, which, contra later editions' habit of treating psionics as a variant of wizardly magic, presents psionics as a totally separate and mutually incompatible thing. One feature of this treatment is psionics having its own distinct set of "schools", or disciplines: clairsentience, psychokinesis, psychometabolism, psychoportation, telepathy, and metapsionics.

The 3E psionic warrior stuff is a more or less direct port of the discipline of psychometabolism; I can only presume that this is because it's the most "fightery" of the Psionics Handbook disciplines, though I can't back that guess up. Apart from your cited examples, other psychometabolic powers presented here include self-healing; energy absorption; turning into animals, objects, or living shadows; wuxia-style "lightfoot" techniques; camouflage; shrinking or expanding; stretching one's limbs Mister Fantastic style; and others.

Of course, that just kicks the can further down the road: if the 3E psionic warrior is a port of 2E's psychometabolism specialist, where the heck did 2E get the idea for the discipline of psychometabolism? The general idea of shape-shifting and fire-breathing and such being psychic powers that can be cultivated through mental discipline pops up in quite a few places, but we're looking for a specific constellation of tropes, not isolated instances of little bits and pieces of it.

The Complete Psionics Handbook helpfully includes a comprehensive bibliography of its inspirations (remember when Dungeons & Dragons used to have those?), though I'm unacquainted with most of the books it cites, so that's where my ability to help in this respect ends. I'll include a copy of that bibliography under the cut, though – maybe one of this blog's followers can point out which of its entries, if any, might be most directly informative.

Taken from page 113 ("Related Reading") of The Complete Psionics Handbook:

Fiction

Bester, Alfred; The Demolished Man, The Stars My Destination.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer; Darkover series: The Bloody Sun, Children of Hastur, Darkover Landfall, The Forbidden Tower, Hawkmistress!, The Heritage of Hastur, The Keeper's Price, The Planet Savers, Sharra's Exile, The Shattered Chain, The Spell Sword, Star of Danger, Stormqueen!, The Sword of Aldones, Thendara House, Two to Conquer, The Winds of Darkover, The World Wreckers.

Brunner, John; The Whole Man.

Del Rey, Lester; Pstalemate.

Henderson, Zenna; The People, The People: No Different, Holding Wonder.

Foster, Alan Dean; Flinx series.

King, Stephen; The Dead Zone.

Kurtz, Katherine; Deryni Rising, Deryni Checkmate, High Deryni.

May, Julian; Saga of the Pliocene Exile series: The Many-Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Non-Born King, The Adversary.

Nourse, Alan E.; Psi High and Others.

Pohl, Frederik; Drunkard's Walk.

Russell, Eric Frank; The Mindwarpers.

Robinson. Frank M.; The Power.

Schmitz, James H.; The Universe Against Her, The Lion Game, stories.

Simmons, Dan; Carrion Comfort.

Sturgeon, Theodore; The Synthetic Man.

Tucker, Wilson; Wild Talent.

Van Vogt, A.E.; Slan.

Zelazny, Roger; Creatures of Light and Darkness, The Dream Master, Lord of Light, lsle of the Dead, This Immortal, To Die in ltalbar.

Nonfiction

Brookesmith, Peter (ed.); Strange Talents, from the series "The Unexplained: Mysteries of Mind, Space, and Time;" Orbis Publishing, London, 1983.

Index of Possibilities: Energy and Power; Pantheon Books/Random House, New York, New York, 1974.

Mind Over Matter, Powers of Healing, Psychic Powers, Psychic Voyages, from the series "Mysteries of the Unknown;" Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1987.

Puharich, Andrija; Beyond Telepathy; Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1973.

Rhine, J.B.; The Reach of the Mind; William Sloane Associates, New York, New York, 1947.

[noahsresources]

DETAILS ABOUT OCS !

send an emoji/description of emoji to learn more about a writer's oc! many of these are taken from my munday asks meme, because i thought it would be fun to make a version for characters too! the prompts are categorized by emoji type and given descriptions in case anyone can't see the symbols. can be used for roleplayers and any general writers alike! for roleplayers, these can also be used for your interpretations of canon characters if you so desire as well!

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒. 💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? 🚗 CAR — does your oc have a driver's license? can they drive/operate any automobiles/machinery besides cars? ✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person? 🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? 💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings? 🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos? 📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)? 🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)? 🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities? 🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐒. 🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often? 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know. 💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits? 🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming? 🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does your oc know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use? 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday? 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends? 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal? 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature? 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school? 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening? 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒. ❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits? 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? 💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits? 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them? 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? 💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any? 💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside? 💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is your oc's ancestry/genetic background? 🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒. 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs? 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)? 🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc's favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)? 🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc's favorite ice cream flavor(s)? 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer? 🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch? 🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner? 🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc's favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink? ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. 😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life? 😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved? 🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms? 🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional? 🤓 SMILING FACE WITH GLASSES — is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy? 🤩 FACE WITH STARRY EYES — is your oc a planner, or are they more spontaneous in their actions? 😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool? 😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge? 😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

[lohotine]

▪︎ The Strange Thing About Mortality ▪︎

Ft: Longan Dragon, Shadow Milk Cookie, Pure Vanilla

Warnings: Longan's is pretty obsessed and can be seen as toxic and stalker like, at least in mindset. The other two are fairly normal.

AN: Yeah, I'm back. Happy Holidays, I guess. Don't expect more food. (But send more requests if you have them because if they're good, I'll prepare a feast.)

This is mainly my take on three different ways of experiencing mortality. One where it was always considered disgusting until they met you, another where they had always lived so close by it, yet never truely understood it until they met you, and the last where they had once lived through it, but had become so far detached from it until they were allowed to relive it through you.

Longan Dragon

As many would know, Longan Dragon hates mortals. No, perhaps "hates" is too calm of a description.

If they were given the chance, they would not hesitate to erase every mortal, along with the trace of them ever existing, off the face of the planet.

And it was true.

Keyword being: "was"

Truth be told, their will was not as strong as they had originally thought. Now, do not misunderstand; Longan Dragon has a very strong will. A will that they have harbored for many years now. This was the will to restore the world to how it had been originally: pure, untainted, ethereal, and untouched by the hands of mortals.

To Longan, there was nothing more repulsive than the existence of mortals.

How weak and corrupt they were.

Nothing more than a waste of time. A waste of space.

Or at least, most of them. There was one mortal who Longan did not mind co-existing with...

Yes, they admit, perhaps you were an exception that didn't quite deserve to be erased. Longan would tolerate you.

Oh, who am I kidding.

If anything were to ever happen to you, Longan would lose their touch with reality. They swear, nothing that exists in this filthy world is even deserving of basking in your presence. Not even themself.

Everything about you was practically holy. It is rather unfortunate that you had to be born a mortal.

To be mortal meant living with a title that will always be tainted.

But Longan could excuse it since everything else about you was something they revered as "something even the heavens would be envious of."

Now, Longan took great care with ensuring none of the other dragons found out about you.

The others weren't quite deserving of knowing about your existence. Not now, and most likely until the end of time.

Though Longan could not help but think about what might happen if you were to be associated with them.

Longan does not doubt the fact that they have enemies. If others were to find out that they cherished a mortal such as you...

Well, mortals were always quite fragile. It was not an idea that Longan enjoyed entertaining.

And besides, if you were to ever meet Longan, they were sure you would be displeased. After all, they had killed thousands of your kind already. Longan would not burden you with the memory of meeting someone like them.

And so, they would carefully watch over you instead.

Oh, how they lived for everything that you did. The way you carefully ran your fingers over the different flora. The way the sunlight bounced off your skin and how the sun's rays would refract in your eyes.

Longan swears you are some kind of angel who was gifted to the world. Your very being seemed like it was hand-sewn by the heavens.

You were perfect.

No. You are perfect. At least, as perfect as any mortal could be.

Longan couldn't even entertain the idea of locking you up somewhere since doing something like that would only darken your bright and ever-glowing light.

And it's not like they can't keep you safe as is. After all, they could easily watch over you from a distance with the help of their all-seeing eyes. Protecting you couldn't be easier.

And besides... Longan enjoyed seeing you act in a way that was perfectly mortal. Taking away your freedom would remove that aspect from you, and though they enjoyed the thought of you being freed from your mortal chains, being mortal was a key part of what made you divine.

Ah, now that they think of it, being divine and being mortal at the same time was very contradictory.

Oh well. To Longan, you were both and so much more all at the same time.

Shadow Milk

He had lived alongside mortals for a long time, having once been their promised savior alongside the other beasts.

Even if his more perfect years were a long time passed, he still remebers his time with them quite well.

Mortals were sporadic at times and still at others. Though, if you spend enough time living alongside them, you quickly learn how boring and predictable they really are.

To him, mortals were just more actors he could use in the play that was his life. Pawns on a chessboard. Puppets on a string.

With fear and a bit of deceit, you can get them to do whatever you want!

And for a long time, mortals proved that very idea. They were just so easy to control.

In truth, Shadow Milk never saw anything special about them. They would often speak or write about "the wonder of being mortal," yet no matter how hard he tried, he could never understand it.

Sure, they could create things like music, and they could form relationships with each other, but so could he! What was so different about them besides the fact that they were weaker and dumber?

Shadow Milk just didn't know.

And trust me when I say that he wanted to know. He spent many, MANY nights in private trying to understand why so many of their stories were about the beauty of being mortal. It was the one thing mortals were better at than him...

Understanding what it meant to be mortal.

The scholarly part of him still desperately wanted to understand, but that small fragment of him had been so long burried that he just didn't really care anymore.

After all, what good would understanding mortals really even do for someone like him?

Now, Shadow Milk had basically given up on trying to understand. He simply chalked it up to them being confusing and spouting nonsense to try and feel more important.

I mean, how could there be beauty in being imperfect?

When he met you, he started to see that very beauty.

It all started when you quote on quote "went off script."

Shadow Milk had spent many years studying how mortals reacted to certain situations. Like I stated earlier, to him, they were nothing more than glorified puppets.

Sure, every once in a while, someone might deviate slightly from the expected path, but it all ended up in the same way.

That was what was so wonderful about you. You never did what he expected you to do. It was strange...

He probably shouldn't have cared as much as he did, but you were just so interesting!

He wanted to learn everything about you. And so he began to do just that.

At first, when he spent time with you, it was just out of curiosity. He'd act a certain way just to see your reaction to it.

In the end, you always ended up surprising him.

As he spent more time with you, he started to experience more things.

One of these examples was baking. It was so simple in concept that he never really thought much of it.

Sure, he knew about it. He knew about food, and he knew about flavor. It's not like he's never attempted activities such as eating or baking in his many years of living.

He never really needed any of it, but he tried anyway. And he understood the concept. Mortals bake food so they can eat it since they need the sustenance to survive.

It was so boring to him, until he tried it with you.

For some reason, trying it with you was different from the time he tried it by himself all of those years ago.

He couldn't really explain it. It was like you had given the activity a certain flare. Like... the activity now had a mortal's touch to it.

When he tried it all of those years ago, it consisted of calculations and reading. He assumed the task was tedious since eating was a necessity for mortals. Cooking was even a job for many, and jobs were often described as bothersome by many mortals.

So, when he saw you baking with a smile on your face, it confused him.

Was this really an activity that brought joy to people?

You just seemed so happy doing it... and for a moment, Shadow Milk was happy as well.

Oh, right, emotions.

He hated the way you made him feel sometimes. You did such simple things, things that held no meaning, yet they were so fascinating to him.

It didn't make sense. How could these simple actions catch his attention in the same way that a magnificent performance could?

As Shadow Milk spent more time with you, his understanding of mortals only became worse.

He thought mortals were predictable. You threw this into question.

He thought performing tasks that were nessecary to live was tedious. Sometimes, they were. Other times, they weren't.

Mortals were just so confusing!

Yet, the one thing that he understood was that he was happy doing these seemingly pointless things with you.

Perhaps that is what it meant to be mortal. To find joy and purpose in seemingly useless things.

If that is what it meant, then perhaps mortals weren't as bad as he thought.

Pure Vanilla

Pure Vanilla, though now akin to some sort of god, was once mortal.

He, too, once required nine hours of sleep each night. He, too, required three meals every day. He, too, required social interaction.

Yet, he had spent so many years not needing these things that he had grown detached from the ways a mortal would live.

After all, why would he waste time sleeping when he hardly needed it? There were other things that required his attention.

Sure, a nice rest every once in a while was fine, but he found himself doing that less and less....

Pure Vanilla just couldn't waste his time doing these activities when there were other things that needed his attention so much more.

Of course, he still understood social cues and whatnot, but it was different now than how it was then.

Then, he had empathy, and with that, he understood other people's emotions and reacted accordingly.

Now, he simply read people's expression and determined what to do from there. It was tuition more than anything.

Sure, the ways were similar, but it just wasn't the same.

He acted calm and happy around others because it's what gave the best results socially. Not because he particularly felt that way.

He lacked the warmth that being mortal once gave him simply because he didn't have the time to be mortal. It just wasn't necessary.

But, then he met you.

At first, the relationship between you was respectable. Nothing too personal, just professional.

Through circumstances, no matter what those may be, you too became closer. You spent more time with each other.

And sure, Pure Vanilla spent time with the other ancients as well, but it was different with you. They weren't mortal anymore. They were much more like him.

You, unlike them, were fully mortal. This meant you spent time doing regular, ordinary, mortal things.

As a result, Pure Vanilla was often roped into doing these things with you.

It was strange. He had done these things thousands of times in the past... yet now they were so alien to him.

Despite this, the actions held a certain warmth to them. A warmth Pure Vanilla had not felt in a long time.

It was all so nostalgic to him. He never realized just how much he missed being mortal.

This feeling... was so familiar yet so forieng all at the same time.

But he wouldn't trade the feeling for the world.

As he spent more of his time with you, he remembered the joys of being mortal.

The smile he once wore as a habit had now become genuine.

He must thank you for allowing him to relive this feeling once more.

A feeling he once knew so well.

A feeling he didn't know was possible to forget until you forced him to remember it.

It was strange. He hadn't even realized he had forgotten it.

[n0tamused]

HSR/Genshin characters as dragons

A/n: I feel like this is a bit shorter than my usual dragon posts, I apologize for that. But I also have to say (for my sake at least) that these images of dragons aren't what my finished art looks like. At best I'd call them colored sketches, so please - if you're interested in my finished works, check out my instagram as I have way more concrete examples of my art! <3 Thank you. And if anyone is interested in a c0mission, you can feel free to check the carrd link in bio! They are still open!

Contents: Jing Yuan, Capitano and Aventurine as dragons, x reader, gn reader, tinge of angst, headcanons

Jing Yuan:

-Jing Yuan, although looking really fluffy and soft as he does, is a formidable warrior. He didn’t get to be a General for nothing at all

-His fur does hide a lot away and it does give him a rather gentle appearance, making him a bit easier to approach than your regular dragon. His species specifically wasn’t made for war but rather for more endurance and some more milder things, but Jing Yuan excels in all aspects of his kind and has proven himself worthy of his station during the wars and during more diplomatic events.

-It goes without saying, but this guy is cunning, he has his brains about himself and knows how to play an opponent where necessary, although he does prefer more honorable approaches and would never do anything purely “evil”

-Some wonder how he hasn’t turned brown from how much he loves to bask in the sun in his dragon form. And oftentimes it has happened when someone went to check on him and he was just knocked out in a nap coma, not laying in any shade, just all sun. If he was in his human form he would have been burnt to a crisp

-But there’s something about Jing Yuan’s dragon form that is rather comforting, to both you and honestly anyone else. Everyone knows stories of old kings and leaders of planets and countries that are described as these powerful and frightening individuals that hid their softness for special people in their hearts. Jing Yuan, although powerful, does not evoke fear in his people like those kings from the stories do. His presence does command respect, yes, but people can approach him and talk to him just fine, without any unwarranted fear that he’d reprimand them or punish them for saying anything he may dislike.

-He has a lot of patience with people in general, and all diplomatic meetings he attends go by smoothly

-Jing Yuan doesn’t shy from his dragon form at all, and at times he prefers it when the sun is not as strong, so he can soak up every single ray of sun he possibly can. He has quite the bit yard so he doesn’t lack space either

-Loves to see you cuddle him. Since he is quite big, he does tend to not move much if you decide to hop onto him while he’s sleeping and cuddle him, just in case you find yourself under his claws by some chance. He doesn’t want to crush you. Other times he is rather playful, gentle all throughout, as he picks you up or nudges you with his head. Once he smacked you with that big tail of his, and although it looks mad fluffy that thing does have weight to it alright.. you were knocked into the grass bro

-Older age has turned some of his coat a darker shade and some of those spots also came in later in his life. It is something he doesn’t mind, he is quite fond of his spots

-He lets you do his hair or help him with his armor in dragon form. There are always those small and annoying clasps that are bothersome to put on so he entrusts them to you

-Some of the armor does hide scars from his past battles, but so does his big thick mane. That’s also some of the reasons why people think he doesn’t do much fighting since he always looks so well put together and “clean”(no visible scars) both in human form and in dragon form

-He is also very clean btw, smells fresh. Chef kiss

Capitano:

-His name has only existed in rumors and legends for centuries, and he has long since become some sort of  ghost tale. Some believe this dragon exists, some don’t, some use the stories to scare their children with, others laugh about it..etc

-No one doubts Capitano, the strongest man alive, the first of the Fatui exists, but the question of his dragon form is another matter. Many don’t even believe those are one and the  same, due to the lack of all the proof that the two are correlated 

-Capitano has never admitted to anything either to anyone outside of this Fatui fold, and he never truly had the need to take the form of the ice beast. He is the strongest man in Teyvat, he can do everything in this form without causing too much of a ruckus, he doesn’t need a dragon to wreck more havoc and cause more of a scene yk

-Although in his battle against Mavuika… maybe they both let out their beastly forms yk and they just duked it out a bit until both sustained damage and that fog curtain was blown over them and they retreated

-In his dragon form he is quite cold to the touch, it’s almost like he doesn’t produce much heat at all, and although his breath sometimes smokes and fogs from his nostrils, his scales are never warm. 

-His scales are dense and thick, made for protection and endurance, but they do hinder some of his ability to be flexible

-Don’t be fooled though, although he isn’t the most flexible or speedy dragon around, he is a killer tank, a machine. His claws and teeth can pierce anything and everything, and that tail of his is also something to be wary off. Even if he has his back turned to you that tail seems to possess a mind of its own and lashes about to protect him if someone tries an attack from behind (side note: inspired by an iguanodon, specifically that big claw on his front legs)

-Ice powers of course, he can freeze the ground underneath him and summon ice projectiles, as if he wasn’t a battle beast already 

-This form is quite rare to see, and for a long, long time his darling didn’t even know about it until that battle with Mavuika that brought it out of him

-It was nothing to scoff at or turn your head from. You were worried for him when you heard he was injured, and to know he had pushed himself into his dragon form also speaks great volumes of the intensity of the battle itself

-He doesn’t see it as important even after you expressed your concerns and bafflement after having found out. He just sort of shrugs it off. No big deal 

-His wings look quite heavy, and they are, so he does require quite the run up to take to the skies

-In human form he does have some scales on him, so if you’re cuddled up to him at night you can feel them under your fingertips. Capitano is quite open to your touches, rather relaxed after being with you for so long and these days, your touches often lull him to sleep. He sleeps on his back and sleeps like a log. He usually has an arm around you and the scales on his chest and arms are free to be examined by you

-He is quite scarred, and Capitano is not opposed to telling you how he got which scar. His way of storytelling isn’t exactly rich, it’s straight to the point but not boring

-Sometimes he leaves his tail around when he goes back to his human form, but only if he knows no one will see him, except you. 

Aventurine:

-Although the smallest in the list today, and a smaller stature for his species in general, Aventurine’s strength lies in his head. Due to the rough past he preserved through with luck and cunning, he knows what the world is like and how it operates

-Most people base their judgment on visuals and vocal tones, so Aventurine has gained quite the rep for being flamboyant and extra. Just like he wears so many fancy layers and clothes in his human form, he adorns his dragon form in pretty pearls, gold, rings, scarves, fluff..etc. Everything to show this image of confidence and maybe a bit of cockiness and arrogance

-As the money goat of the IPC, he has to look the part too, no?

-As mentioned before, he knows what a lot of people look at and what they look for, and due to the smaller size of his dragon he is able to walk through most places in that form too, bringing more attention to himself and more opportunities too.

-Of course he has had his fair share of insults directed at him, both in human and dragon form, but he tries not to let it ever show. The dragon form does tend to ward off any truly malicious individuals though, and his status as a Stoneheart has granted him a fair share of protection as well. Not many would dare to strike a Stoneheart.

-By nature he is quite colorful, additionally Aventurine also takes great care and hygiene of his looks. I mean dude probably has his own perfume brand along some others, he smells good and does leave a lasting impression overall

-The only thing he wishes he could get rid of is that branding on his neck. It is there no matter what shape he takes and it is glaringly obvious to anyone that looks at him. He can hide his eyes, but he can’t hide the red letters on his neck that the feathers or his collar fail to cover up. Even after so many years after it happened, the feathers in that spot of his neck never grew back, the tissue being far too scarred to allow any new growth.

-It is the only thing he  could visibly react to when in the presence of someone else. He may huff and puff, try and jest about it before switching topics

-No matter how much he takes care of himself though, he’ll never be able to wash off the blood of his skin and feathers, the blood of his people that died while he survived, then the blood of the master that abused him and kept him chained up.

-His feathers may look glossy, clean, pristine, but if it were up to him, he’d pluck them all out

-In private, if you catch him before he reverts back to his human form, he tends to not let you touch him

-He makes some excuses, that his feathers are too oily, or that they don’t smell good, or that they’re too rough and this and that, and he just goes back to his human form before you can protest against it

-If you really insist he will agree on gifting you a couple of his feathers for keepsake, your pick too. You can use it as an accessory, or maybe house decor - sell it if you want to, he doesn’t mind what you do with it

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

Tags: @moonlitreveri3 @lexidraws @drowning-in-cabbages @creationsabyss @grimulf-of-the-wilderness @st4rrl1ghtwastaken @the-inquisitive-constellation @voiddance @the-bilkush @fictionally-attached @cheese-enjoyer9471

[opbackgrounds]

I think Luffy is the only person on the planet with the lateral thinking skills required to mistake the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon for the sun symbol of the fishman pirates.

[thecupidwitch]

Elements And Their Correspondences

Earth

Direction: North

Time: Midnight

Season: Winter

Color: Green, brown

Zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Ruling planets: Venus and Saturn

Tarot Cards: Pentacles, Coins

Tools: Pentacle, salt, stones, dirt, crystals, wood, flowers

Cystals: Emerald, Jet, tourmaline, quartz, onyx, azurite, amethyst, jasper, peridot, granite.

Animals: gopher, bear, wolf, ant, horse, stag, deer, dog, cow, bull, bison, snake, worms, moles, voles, grubs

Herbs: Oak, cedar, cypress, honeysuckle, ivy, primrose, sage, grains, patchouli, nuts, magnolia, comfrey, vetivert, moss, lilac, lichen, roots, barley, alfalfa, corn, rice.

Rules: Grounding, strength, healing, success, stability, sturdiness, steadfastness, foundations, empathy, fertility, death, rebirth, wisdom, nature, animals, plants, money, prosperity.

Water

Direction: West

Time: Dusk

Season: Fall

Color: Blue, Indigo, Sliver

Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Ruling planets: Moon, Neptune, Pluto

Tarot Cards: Cups

Tools: Ocean, sea glass, cup, bowl, seaweed, hag stones, cauldron

Cystals: Moonstone, pearl, silver, aquamarine, amethyst, blue tourmaline, lapis lazuli, fluorite, coral, blue topaz, beryl, opal, coral

Animals: fish, snake, frog, crab, lobster, eel, shark, dragonfly, seahorse, dolphin, sea otter, seal, whale, alligator, crocodile, beaver, octopus, penguin, salamander, turtle, starfish, koi, coral, barnacle, manta ray, manatee, jellyfish, nautilus, heron, duck, geese, crane, swan, water birds, ammonite, dragons, serpents

Herbs: seaweed, aloe, fern, water lily, lotus, moss, willow, gardenia, apple, catnip, chamomile, cattail, lettuce, kelp, birch, cabbage, coconut, cucumber, comfrey, eucalyptus, gourd, geranium, grape, licorice, lilac, pear, strawberry, tomato

Rules: emotion, intuition, psychic abilities, love, unconscious mind, fertility, self-healing, reflection, lunar energy, deep feelings, curses, death

Fire

Direction: South

Time: Noon

Season: Summer

Color: Red, Orange

Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Ruling planets: Sun, Mars

Tarot Cards: Wands or Swords (depends on belief system)

Tools: Athame, candles, swords, wands, dagger, lamp, flame

Cystals: Carnelian, red jasper, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, agate, rhodochrosite, gold, pyrite, brass, fire opal, lavastone, tiger's eye

Animals: Lion, snake, coyote, fox, ladybug, bee, shark, scorpion, horse, mantis, tiger

Herbs: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, basil, cacti, marigold, chilis, garlic, mustard, nettle, onion, heliotrope, hibiscus, juniper, lime, orange, red pepper, poppies, thistle, coffee, jalapenos, lemon, cumin, saffron, coriander

Rules: Energy, will, destruction, strength, courage, power, passion, lust, sexuality, anger, war, new beginnings, protection, loyalty, transformation, action, movement, achievement, creativity, desire, willpower

Air

Direction: East

Time: Down

Season: Spring

Color: Yellow, gold, white, light blue, pastels

Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Ruling planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus

Tarot Cards: Wands

Tools: Feather, wand, staff, incense, broom, bell, sword, pen

Cystals: Amber, topaz, citrine, jasper, agate, pumice, alexandrite, amethyst, fluorite, mica, clear quartz

Animals: Birds, flying insects, spiders, bats

Herbs: Bergamot, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, sage, dandelion, bluebell, clover, frankincense, primrose, lemongrass, pine, aspen, yarrow, violets, vervain, myrrh, dill, anise, aspen

Rules: Intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, logic, thought, communication, truth, inspiration, intuition, memory, creativity

Tip jar

[comicaurora]

hi red!! i'm doing an analysis of sun wukong's (and journey to the west in general's) impact on modern culture for my world mythology final, and for some reason i'm having a hard time finding sources. is there anything you can recommend?

The fact that Journey to the West has contributed an enormous number of tropes to modern media is very clear when the media in question is examined, but I don't know of a specific secondary source that's already done that analysis for you. However, this IS a very good excuse for you to plow through a metric buttload of shonen manga, since the lineage is basically Sun Wukong -> Son Goku -> like a solid third of all shonen action heroes written in the last forty years.

Dragon Ball kicks things off:

Started in 1984 and almost unquestionably the most influential manga ever made. Its first arc features the weird super-strong monkey-kid Son Goku - which is just the japanese pronunciation of the characters of Sun Wukong's name - meeting up with a wacky crew of thinly-veiled expys of the Journey to the West crew, with teen inventor Bulma filling the role of Tripitaka, Oolong the pig-man filling Zhu Bajie's role and Yamcha the desert-based bandit as Sha Wujing.

Hijinks ensue, and while the story drifts pretty far from Journey to the West's original plot, it actually stays pretty solidly referential in weirdly unexpected ways. Several the villains of the week are JttW references, and even the later appearance of three more Saiyans lines up with the surprise reveal of three more Wukong-like mystical apes in the original story.

The connection between Dragon Ball and JttW is very unsubtle and a frequent reference in the chapter covers and supplemental art.

Not every subsequent JttW reference is the result of Dragon Ball popularizing it or anything, since it was already enormously popular, but I think it's pretty hard to extricate Dragon Ball's influence on anime and manga from the original influence of Journey to the West itself.

One way that a distinction can be drawn is in the differences in characterization between Goku and Sun Wukong himself. A lot of the next generation of shonen protagonists were kind of Goku-alikes - pure-hearted dumbasses who only care for the three Fs: Food, Fighting and Friendship.

But the original characterization of Sun Wukong is not really all that similar. He's a trickster, sure, but he's far from a young, friendship-motivated goober. He's profoundly intelligent, pretty much the most well-educated entity on the planet, and routinely brings up that he's centuries older than most of his peers. The Goku-alikes from the later decades of shonen anime are tellingly far-removed from that original characterization. So you get characters based on Goku's cheerful idiocy, but it's just a small subset of the broader influence of Journey to the West on the space of literature.

In general, Journey to the West frequently shows up in very small, bite-sized tropes in other stories. It's less "this is wholly based on Journey to the West" and more "oh, I know where they maybe got this idea/aesthetic/power/weapon/villain of the week from." There are way too many to list, but some of the ones that tend to jump out at me are-

Sneaky characters with monkey motifs:

Tricksy, highly mobile characters who fight with a staff:

Characters afflicted with a magical restraint artifact that allows a much weaker character to stop them from misbehaving:

Specific esoteric weapons, eg. magical fans, rakes, gourds, namedropping The Sword of Seven Stars, etc.

Villains with prominent ox or pig design motifs:

Characters whose primary combat strat is just making Shitloads Of Disposable Copies Of Themselves:

Honestly it just keeps going like this. It's kinda everywhere. Finding the JttW in things is my favorite conspiracy theory rabbit hole because it's 100% harmless and more often than not completely correct.