#The Monster From Swamp Lake

[thatsbelievable]

Meet Vivian Weems!

Did I mention that I had to create an entire slate* of imaginary monster movies for a movie studio that never existed, for my book, The Monstrous Adventures of Mummy Man and Waffles? Well, I did!

And here’s one of ’em! The above illustration by Robb Mommaerts features Vivian Weems, a champion swimmer-turned-actress who starred as the titular creature in The Monster From Swamp Lake.

I’m telling you, this book was a ridiculous amount of fun to write, and I’m hoping that you’ll all find it a ridiculous amount of fun to read! Click the book title above to get your own copy, or ask for it at your library!

*34 movies, to be exact. Enough that there’s an index at the back of the book.

[mommybard]

Remember. Its spooky season. So submissive or switchy cuties need a guide on how to stay completely safe with all those dangerous monsters roaming around.

That mansion at the top of the hill with the mysterious woman who's only seen at night? You can absolutely go there when your car randomly and totally accidentally breaks down on the road nearby. She's so kind, and will probably invite you in for a bite. In fact when you see her you should look deep into her eyes and listen to everything she tells you.

If youre wandering through the woods at night and feel a bit lost, don't freak out when you hear what seems to be howling. That's not a wolf silly, those are just dogs helping look for you. And if you hear something big moving towards you in the forest, your brain might pull a mean trick on you and make you think its some big monster. Dont fall for it. Its just your imagination, definently not a werewolf lost in a rut looking for a cutie to knot.

Needing some help but hearing some strange rumors about the "witch" in the swamp? Sweetie, people will make up the strangest stories. You can trust her, honest! Especially if she pours a little potion in your drinks to make you feel better. Its just to do what's best for you~

And I know some of you might've heard the local legends about the "mad scientist" on the outskirts of town who "graverobbed" and used the best parts of various people to create a monster and "play god". Or how she allegedly experimented with powers beyond our control calling upon beings from outside our reality in elaborate eldritch ritual experiments. But their lab has been abandoned for like, at least a few months. I'm sure its perfectly safe to wander through there to get into the spooky mood. Definently not going to find a few giant monsters with massive girlcocks looking to break in a new toy or trying to drag you to the scientist hidden in a secret lab in the basement for experiments. Completely sure of it.

And to reassure you, there are no creepy summer camps on the lake stalked by psycho killers who refuse to stay down. There are a few rumors about tentacle monsters in the water grabbing people and filling them with eggs, but like, why bother worrying about rumors without evidence? I'm sure its safe to keep swimming this time of year~

[alphynix]

Gaiasia jennyae was a tetrapodomorph – an amphibian-like relative of early tetrapods – that lived about 280 million years ago during the early Permian in what is now Namibia.

Although it's only known from incomplete skull and vertebral column material it probably looked quite similar to the colosteids, a closely-related group of tetrapodomorphs with elongated bodies and small limbs. If it had the same sort of body proportions as these relatives it would have been huge, the largest known stem-tetrapod at potentially around 4m long (~13').

It had a wide flat head with a short boxy snout, and large interlocking fangs on the roof of its mouth and at the front of its lower jaw. It would have been fully aquatic and probably not a particularly fast swimmer, instead likely being an ambush predator using suction from rapidly opening its jaws to pull prey into its mouth before clamping down with its fangs.

It's also notable for living considerably later than most other stem-tetrapods, and in an unexpected part of the world. While its close relatives are all known from the tropics of the Carboniferous, Gaiasia was in a location that was much closer to the South Pole during the early Permian (~55° S), inhabiting an immense freshwater lake in a rift valley with a cold-temperate climate.

Its presence in this habitat may suggest that other stem-tetrapod lineages survived and thrived in high latitudes for much longer than previously thought, while the true tetrapods were all diversifying nearer the equator – or it might represent a Paleozoic equivalent of Koolasuchus, an isolated straggler lurking in a cold refugium.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Marsicano, Claudia A., et al. "Giant stem tetrapod was apex predator in Gondwanan late Palaeozoic ice age." Nature (2024): 1-6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07572-0

Naish, Darren. "'The whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth.' Prehistoric swamp monster with toilet-seat head dug up in Namibia." Discover Wildlife, 3 Jul. 2024, https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/gaiasia-jennyae

Stollhofen, Harald, et al. "AAPG Studies in Geology# 46, Chapter 6: The Gai-As Lake System, Northern Namibia and Brazil." (2000): 87-108. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255979661_The_Gai-As_Lake_System_Northern_Namibia_and_Brazil

Wikipedia contributors. “Gai-As Formation.” Wikipedia, 8 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gai-As_Formation

Wikipedia contributors. “Gaiasia.” Wikipedia, 8 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaiasia

[matchingbatbites]

drag me under

Written for the @steddiemicrofic challenge prompt charm.

Word count: 548 | Rating: T | CW: creature!Eddie, possessive behavior, compulsion, ambiguous ending

I have written absolutely nothing in like. A solid two weeks. And then @sentient-trash mentions swamp monster Eddie, which makes me think of lake creature Eddie, and somewhere around working I actually managed to write something. So, thanks Simon. <3

Eddie's beloved is perfect. 

The human has been coming to the lakeside for years, and Eddie's been watching him for just as long, has seen how the sunsets make his skin glow and marveled at the way the moonshine turns his hair to strands of starlight. He's witnessed innumerable smiles and lilting words, none ever aimed at Eddie himself, and yet the boy charmed him regardless, he wrapped the creature around his finger simply by existing.

He brings with him waifish, ungrateful girls, ones who don't appreciate Eddie's beloved the way he does. It pleases him to see that they rarely repeat more than once or twice; each time his sweetheart returns he seems to have a new one with him, yet none who hold any true affection for him, who use him for their own gain before moving on.

There's a long stretch of time where it's the same girl, over and over, his darling always looking at her like she's something special. It makes jealousy curl in his stomach, bright and acidic; makes him want to pull the wretch into his lake, to drag her down so she'll never see the light of day again.

So Eddie's love understands exactly who he belongs to.

One night, unexpectedly, Eddie's beloved arrives alone. 

He shows up with his pretty face bruised and bloodied, and Eddie is instantly worried, finds himself swimming closer to the edge of the water, needing to assure himself that his sweetheart is okay.

The moonlight reflecting from the surface makes his darling look otherworldly, like he's something closer to Eddie's kind than the human he actually is. The desire to be nearer to him swells and crests, and Eddie needs him closer.

He starts with a hum, something gentle that floats over the top of the water and finds its way to the boy. Beautiful, warm eyes turn to find the source, and Eddie sings louder, the soft melody becoming words, and he can see the way his shoulders tense before they drop, slowing relaxing as he hears Eddie's call. 

The human walks over, the expression on his face dream-like as he steps into the water, as he wades in until he's submerged up to his chest. Only then does Eddie move closer. 

The world shakes as the creature touches him for the first time, as he cradles that beautiful, broken face in his hands.

"Oh you sweet, pretty thing. Who hurt you, darling?"

It takes the boy a moment to process, he blinks like he's fighting sleep and mutters "Billy. Was protecting the kids, needed to keep them safe."

So selfless is Eddie's beloved, the protector, the caretaker. 

He's going to get himself killed, and the creature can't stand for that.

"I'm sure you did well, sweetheart, but it's time to rest now, yeah?"

He blinks, confused. "Rest?"

"Yes, darling." 

Eddie leans in and presses their mouths together like he's watched the boy do dozens of times, and suddenly understands why the humans enjoy it, the tender intimacy of it. His darling looks dazed when Eddie pulls away, and doesn't fight when his hands are taken in two chilly, clawed ones. He follows dutifully as Eddie begins to step back, guiding them deeper into the water. 

"Just let me take care of you."

[bestiarium]

The Ushi-Oni [Japanese folklore, yokai]!

Japanese folklore has a rich repertoire of strange beasts, spirits and creatures. And as Japanese Yokai go, the Ushi-Oni is one of the older ones. Though usually depicted as a giant spider with the head of a bull, some sources portray it with a feline body, resembling a monstrous bull-headed tiger. Regardless of its appearance, the Ushi-Oni is a cruel and vicious creature that enjoys killing people. In some versions this monster makes its home on mountains or in forested areas, but usually it is an aquatic spook, living either in the sea or in freshwater rivers, lakes or swamps.

The Ushi-Oni is married to a different monster: the Nure-Onna. This female fiend resembles a large snake with a human head and arms. She is an aquatic creature and lives near shores and riverbanks.

The two monsters work together to ambush people, with each having a set role: first they wait on a shore or coast for someone to pass by. When they spot a lone traveller, the Nure-Onna transforms into a young human woman holding an infant. She then walks up to the intended victim and asks them to hold her baby, and if they do, she casually walks into the sea and disappears, leaving the victim confused and holding a baby.

Whether this baby is a sentient, separate entity or merely a magical illusion is unclear, but its weight magically increases when the victim is holding it. Eventually, the child is so heavy that the traveller is unable to move without dropping the infant. At this point, the bull-headed Ushi-Oni emerges from the sea and pounces on the unfortunate victim to devour its prey.

In the 14th century epic ‘Chronicle of Great Peace’, the hero Watanabe Tsuna faces and eventually defeats an Ushi-Oni.

Sources: Yoda, H. and Alt, M., 2016,  Japandemonium Illustrated: the Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama sekien. This work is a translation of the Gazu Hyakki Yagyo by Toriyama Sekien in the 18th century. Marks, A., 2023, Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings: Authentic Paintings and Prints of 100 Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Magicians, Tuttle Publishing, 240 pp., p. 122. (image source 1: Vongraven on Artstation) (image source 2: Bakemonozukushie, an Edo period scroll currently in possession of the Brigham Young University collection)

[skyward-floored]

Hello ! I wonder, do you have some good wild angst fics ?

Thank you !

Certainly! I’ve written a few myself, so here’s a mix of ones I’ve written and ones by other people.

I know there’s a lot of good Wild angst fics out there that I’m not aware of (and I’m sick today so I didn’t go looking too hard, I know there’s good ones I’ve read that I didn’t put here 😅), so if people have good ones to share please do!

And of course, mind the tags on all of these :)

By me:

Muffled screams/magical exhaustion — Wild gets Twilight’s shadow crystal inflicted on him against his will. Part 1 and part 2 (there’s an earlier part that doesn’t focus on Wild as well that’s here)

Collapse — Warriors and Wild get buried under a cave. Focused on Warriors but there’s plenty of Wild angst as well.

Make it stop — Wild gets cursed, and is forced to repeatedly relieve a twisted memory.

By others:

Air by enjolras_out — a spooky swamp and hallucinations Wild is not handling well. Nobody has a good time.

Beautiful teal flames by Mintyy_Fresh — Mipha’s grace angst, I like the description and effects of it on Wild here a lot.

What’s the opposite of tunnel vision? by enjolras_out — Wild and Hyrule go wandering. It doesn’t go well.

Taste of chaos by Lalalando — Wild gets a bonk on the head. Nice hurt/comfort.

Oranges and yellows by quirkle— Wild vs monsters and an icy lake. The icy lake does its best to win.

Kids protecting kids by quirkle — Wild and Legend attempt to escape from a cave-in.

[anomalous-writer]

our second character reveal for hysteriatale - the one and only...

sans undertale

some fun facts about sans:

-you can flirt with him, just as you can flirt with papyrus (fyi the date goes nowhere)

-he has Possibly Illegal Substances™ in his drawer

-he has a whopping total of 5 hp

-he's technically more powerful than classic sans, mainly because he cares less about hurting people nowadays, which lets him do more damage

-he is also more powerful the more drunk he is, but he's also in less control of his powers, hence he only gets SUPER drunk when he's alone or about to actually murder someone

-he can be fought alongside the rest of the ■■■■■■■■■■■ in the factory route

backstory beneath the cut!

when sans left papyrus, there was one area in the underground more isolated than the rest: the swamplands, a muddy and rainy area only inhabited by mosquitoes and weird swamp creatures. for sans, this was the perfect spot, since it was barely known by monsters.

soon after sans settled down, he met a swamp monster named gloob. gloob was a friendly slime that would often carry him across the lakes and help him get home when the swamplands were too flooded.

one day, however, gloob handed him a strange letter, supposedly from a group known as the "■■■■■■■■■■■". they invited him to a meeting in a place no one, not even sans knew about: Ebott Peaks.

in ebott peaks, sans ended up meeting his closest friends: sigea and ■■■■. he was able to reconnect with alphys and undyne again, and they helped him keep tabs on where his brother was, in case he needed to move. they were the only family that sans had at that point.

but they could never replace his brother.

[ninja-muse]

At last, a month where I feel like I read enough! The trick, clearly, was to pick up graphic novels and other very short things. Will this trend continue in November? Almost certainly not.

Followers might have seen my review for The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan last week but that's not actually my top read of the month. That honour goes to Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, which I got as an ARC from work, told myself I wouldn't read just yet, then promptly picked up after The Dollmakers and all but burned through. It's about the female authors we know Austen read and why they were bestsellers in their day but are barely known now, with all sorts of publishing and book industry history thrown in, along with a dose of memoir. Needless to say, I was the target audience and I've added a good handful of classics to my TBR. (It's out in February, in case you're interested.)

The rest of my top reads are there for just being solidly good. The Disappearing Spoon gave me all the fun science history I wanted. The Angel of Indian Lake gave me a good horror trilogy ending. The Tropic of Serpents gave me more Lady Trent adventures. And so on. I only really had two misses: The Aeronaut's Windlass, which felt very by-the-books epic fantasy without pushing boundaries, and Wordhunter, which I'm actively recommending people don't read. It was utterly average and kind of trying too hard to be edgy, and then it needlessly introduced sexual violence against women and children and handled both badly. How a book that lets a pedophile off with a warning got published in 2024, I will never understand.

In happier news, my book haul! Two books this month: Sorcery and Small Magics, sent by the publisher, and another volume of The Unwritten, meaning I only need to find one and I've got the full run. Hurray! (If you ever spot Vol. 9, folks, lemme know.)

All that reading means that I haven't done much writing. I need to get back to that, but at least I know what was blocking me and am working to rectify the situation. I am, however, starting to get seriously envious of authors who were able to write during the pandemic and are now getting those novels published. I stopped writing entirely for a year and a half, for various reasons, and now I feel like I've fallen behind.

Someday I might return to the Not-Quite-Urban Fantasy but I'm still too raw to handle the edits even now.

Oh, the worlds of might-have-been!

And now I've gone and left this on a down note. There'll be more positivity next month, I promise. In the meantime, here’s my list of everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf - Rebecca Romney

A rare book dealer explores the literary histories of Austen’s favourite female authors, and how they didn’t make the English canon the way Austen did. Out in February.

8/10

reading copy

The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean

An entertaining history of chemistry, atomic physics, and the elements of the periodic table.

8/10

library ebook

The Tropic of Serpents - Marie Brennan

Isabella Camherst travels south to Bayembe to study savannah dragons, but finds herself caught in politics and sent on a mission to the swamp of Mouleen.

7.5/10

African-coded secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (asexual)

library book

The Dollmakers - Lynn Buchanan

When Shean of Pearl receives, and refuses, an artisan dollmaker license, she sets off for a remote village to prove she and her dolls have what it takes to be guards against the Shod. If this means luring the monsters in, so be it.

7.5/10

reading copy

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones

Jade Daniels, now Proofrock’s history teacher, has put slasher cycles behind her. Except it’s looking like another one’s started anyway.

7.5/10

Blackfoot protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (sapphic), Black secondary characters

warning: blood, gore, death, murder

reading copy

Reluctant Immortals - Gwendolyn Kiste

Lucy Westrena and Bee Rochester are trying to get through the days in 1967 LA when their exes return in San Fransisco.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Jamaican-British secondary character

warning: abusive relationships

reading copy

Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle

After Misha refuses to kill off his queer leads for the season finale, he finds himself stalked by horror villains he created.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (bi, aroace), 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: death, murder, torture, homophobia, child abuse

library book

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7 - G. Willow Wilson with Mirka Andolfo (Illustrator), Takeshi Miyazawa (Illustrator)

Kamala Khan faces two difficult foes: gerrymandering and a sentient computer virus.

6.5/10

Pakistani-American protagonist, Muslim protagonist, Pakistani-American secondary characters, Muslim secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic), Black secondary character, secondary character with limb damage and a cane, Muslim author

warning: outing

off my TBR

Paladin’s Grace - T. Kingfisher

Stephen is a paladin whose god has died. Grace is a perfumer trying to keep her past buried. Witnesses to a failed assassination, they now must work together to navigate a world of intrigue, poisoners, and zealots. It’s a good thing they like each other.

6.5/10

off my TBR/ebook

Plain Jane and the Mermaid - Vera Brosgol

When Jane’s potential fiancé is kidnapped by a mermaid, she descends into the depths to rescue him even though she can never hope to compete with true waifish beauty.

7.5/10

warning: body shaming

library book

Sorcery and Small Magics - Maiga Doocy

Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm get along like oil and water—which makes it all the worse when Leo's hit with an illegal curse and they must work together to break it.

6.8/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 minor character (ungendered), minor character with dark skin, minor character who uses a cane

gifted by publisher

Dictionary of Fine Distinctions - Eli Bernstein

Illuminating and illustrated definitions of commonly confused words.

7/10

library book

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa

When Takako finds herself adrift in life, she accepts a room in her estranged uncle’s bookshop.

7/10

Japanese cast, Japanese author

library book

Wordhunter - Stella Sands

A spiky forensic linguistics student is tapped by her local PD to help find a kidnapped teen, but that brings up a missing person’s case from her own past. Too close, too soon.

2/10

Black secondary character

warning: drug use, alcohol abuse, rape and an odd attitude towards its aftermath, pedophiles given a pass

library book

Picture books

All the Books - Hayley Rocco

Piper loves books so much she takes her whole collection everywhere, but when her wagons tip over in the rain she discovers … the library!

9/10

DNF

The Aeronaut’s Windlass - Jim Butcher

The cold war between Spires Albion and Aurora is heating up, and something uncanny is showing itself. Caught in it all are Captain Grimm, late of the Predator, a handful of trainee guards, and a prince of cats.

library ebook

Currently reading

The Price of the Stars - Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald

When Beka’s politician mother is assassinated, her father gives her his warship in exchange for her tracking the assassins down. But when someone has it in for your family, sometimes one must take drastic measures.

off my TBR

The Empress Letters - Linda Rogers

A mother in the 1920s writes her life story in a series of letters to the daughter she’s searching for in China.

🇨🇦, Chinese secondary characters

warning: fetal remains, anti-Chinese racism

off my TBR

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 14 + 1 Yearly total: 106 Queer books: 3 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 9 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 0 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 3 Books hauled: 2 ARCs acquired: 3 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 1

January February March April May June July August September

[ratsoh-writes]

Hey y’all! Meet grimmtale! My newest au!

Grimmtale, like most of the other AUs was underground before the crash, but unlike most AUs, the monsters were very happy to be there!

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when drought dried up the surface leaving it uninhabitable, to save the underground lakes swamps and rivers, the monsters and witches of that world created a barrier protecting the underground from the heat above. Every entrance possible was sealed up and inside the earth developed a beautiful swamp like ecosystem where the people lived!

Over the years, monsters and humans alike developed and mutated to better fit their new home.

Humans, or the witches lost the color in their skin becoming a pale translucent blue-white color. Their hair thinned to the point where very few people grow any at all. And finally the witches of grimmtale have very poor eyesight, needing dark conditions to see at all, but have an amazing sense of hearing, touch and direction!

Every monster subspecies had changes too, each one unique to their respective subspecies. For example, goats have much thinner fur as well, and scaly hind legs as well as a snakelike tail. Slimes became extremely strong and are much larger than their counterparts with the ability to glow. And skeletons gained elongated forearms and prehensile tails as part of their mutations.

Monsters and the witches have lived in harmony for generations, with family covens ruling the roost underground. Humans from grimmtale have a longer lifespan due to generations of using magic. The typical witch from Grimmtale will have an average lifespan of 130 years, with the oldest (not soul bonded to a monster) living to 175. Half breeds and mages are very common as well making up a solid third of the AUs population.

The most lucrative business from the Grimms is potion making. These people will create concoctions that can have all kinds of temporary effects from painkillers, strengtheners, ones that change appearance, ones that have spell like effects, and even potions that can cause explosions!

After the crash, this au has been in charge of mapping the underground chambers of ebott. Around 3/4ths of waterfall in ebott contains the swampy terrain of the grimms old au, so the majority of their people decided to stay and settle underground. Many visit the surface though of course!

Between the 855 covens, they all voted and chose the Dreemur coven to appoint two representatives for the board of royals. After a month long series of trials, the twins, Gloom and Fog were chosen to take the vow with the rest of ebotts royals

Now meet the boys!

Thistle Wingdings: (Grimm sans)

Thistle is a stocky Grimm skeleton aged 58 and standing at 5’8 feet tall. He has a gim grey green magic and a very very deep voice with a gravely sound to it. By Grimm monster standards, he’s quite handsome but most surface skeletons would be nervous around him. He has a series of eyebrow piercings and one nose ridge stud

Thistle has a relaxed and calm personality. He loves to take life slowly, enjoying the little pleasures. He’s a huge cuddle bug, and affectionate with anyone who looks past his gruff face. Just a real sweetheart. If he isn’t smiling, he has a serious resting b*tch face. Despite his lazy attitude, he’s a very clean person and takes great pride in making his home pretty and nice smelling.

Thistle works with his parents growing various potion ingredients on their farm in waterfall. Most of the plants are pretty self sufficient leaving him and his family with a lot of free time. So to keep himself from getting too bored, he does a touch of mining on the side

Thistles magic weapon is a… pillow. Yes that’s right. It’s simply just a pillow conjured by magic. It’s very soft and comfy, and cooling! (And it can secretly cause cold damage if he wants it to)

Thistles secret ability is “early frost”. When he touches metal, stone and magic attacks, he can concentrate and freeze the objects through to shatter them, granted as long as they aren’t too big

Things he loves: cuddles, soft fluffy bedding, weirdly shaped rocks, toads and newts, the color navy blue, baked potatoes with tuna, herbal tea, Minecraft, making scented cleaning potions, pretty candles, echo flowers, goth music, human mythology

Yarrow Wingdings: (Grimm papyrus)

Yarrow is a crazy tall skeleton for grimmtale. He stands at 6’10, well above the average of 5’6. He is aged 49 and has a dull French grey magic. His voice is soft and low with a scratchy quality. He’s considered insanely handsome to other grimms but is a little creepy to surface skeletons.

Yarrow is a gentle giant. He moves carefully and with intention. He’s very meticulous about his actions, but doesn’t handle failure well when trying new things and can get frustrated easily. He has a keen sense of adventure and loves to explore. He’s a bit of a flirt and loves playful banter that doesn’t actually mean anything.

Yarrow works on his family’s potion ingredient farm. The plants are mostly self sufficient though leaving him and his family with a lot of free time. So to keep himself busy he also helps build passages underground for the miners.

Yarrows magic weapon is a grappling hook with four pointed ridges that clamp down when they hit anything! He has scary good aim with that thing!

His special ability is “frog hands”. Yarrow can stick to any surface and will scitter up walls and across ceilings as fast as if he was sprinting.

Things he loves: exploring new places, rock climbing, swimming, his pet toadstool bitty “warts”, the color blood red, classic horror movies, goth music, clams and mussels, herbal tea, Spider-Man, making strengthening potions, red roses.

Side characters

Gloom: Grimm Asgore, gloom is a grimm goat monster standing at 8’7. He has pitch black fur a deep red beard, white eyes and two small nub horns. He is a playful and gentle monster, but has a terrifying protective streak when pushed. He’s in charge of directing the mapping efforts of the underground and providing monthly updates of such. His twin sister and playful rival is Fog.

Fog: Grimm toriel, Fog is a Grimm goat monster standing at 8’7. She has a deep red fur, no beard and two large curled horns. Fog is a cheeky and mischievous monster. She has great skill in soothing tempers but is known to hold grudges herself lol. She is in charge of approving designs and locations for the underground highways and towns being built. Her twin brother and playful rival is Gloom.

Morticia Wingdings: formerly named Aster, she is the mother of thistle and yarrow. Morticia is a tall Grimm skeleton standing at 6’4 and has a dim grey magic. She’s considered bloody gorgeous by Grimm monster standards. A potion accident years ago left her with her neck permanently turned invisible giving her the appearance of a floating skull set atop her shoulders lol. Morticia is elegant and mischievous, loving a good laugh at some dark jokes. She loves her sons and is very grateful that they seem happy in ebott

Gomez Wingdings: the father of thistle and yarrow, Gomez is a large strong ogre mage with pitch black skin of ogre monsters, dull purple eyes, and no hair as is typical of the humans of his au. He is very happily soul bonded to Morticia. Gomez is a kind and goofy fellow who’s a total simp for his wife. He isn’t sure why his wife was so eager to take on the name Morticia after the crash, but he supports it. He loves his sons dearly.

Venom: Grimm muffet, venom is a small spider monster with a plum purple skin, thin black hair and adorable pale grey eyes. She’s aged 92 Venom is a close friend of thistle and yarrow and was their babysitter when she was younger. She is a popular potion maker specializing in potions aiming to help those with good hygiene. She buys most of her ingredients from the Wingding covens farm.

[evolutionsvoid]

I know I have said before that oceans get all the clout and legends when it comes to water bodies, with maybe swamps coming in at second place. There are many obvious reasons for that, but I want to remind folk that there can be fascinating and dangerous things lurking in any water body! Lakes were brought up in some previous entries, with mentions of the Glutwort and Berberoka being terrors found within. I mean, it could be said that lakes and ponds are just mini, salt-free oceans, and that the largest of these types can net the same horror stories and tales of mystery as the sea. But what about rivers? Certainly they deserve some mention as well! There are some neat things found in their depths and rapids! However, I feel the most I see on rivers and streams is them blocking paths and sweeping away fools who dare cross unprepared. The river is an obstacle, and less so a place of intrigue and discovery. What incredible legends are told about these water bodies? What tales of adventure and monsters are centered around such a location? None! None at all, and it is an absolute shame! (Bold claim for someone who doesn't read anything besides dusty tomes and research papers. Maybe one day you could stomach the idea of enjoying some different literature.) There is plenty to be found in these serpentine roads of water! Don't think the sea is the only one that has the monsters people crave! I know some folk in a certain region would happily inform you that the river can, indeed, harbor frightening beasts.

Below the white water and churning current, waiting in the dark muddy depths, is a great pale serpent. Its body can reach over three meters long, and its width is like that of a tree trunk. It has two powerful teeth that it uses as deadly weapons, dooming all it sinks them into. Now it may sound like a vicious viper, a truly monstrous water snake! However, this is no reptile! The beast I am describing is the Indus Worm, which is....well, a worm! And one of impressive size! The description I gave to you earlier was no lie, it is truly that big and it is a pale thing that lives in rivers. The two teeth I mentioned, which you probably envisioned as "fangs," are actually much thicker and broader. Like sharpened boards or a hefty beak, these nasty teeth are not known for venom but sheer strength. A single chomp can punch a hole through your body with ease, and bone turns to pathetic shards when met with this force. What a set of chompers! Wonder what they use those for?

In their early years, these hefty teeth are not really used for carnage. Their diet is mainly algae scrapped from rocks, eventually growing big enough to start gnawing on mussels and hard-shelled foods. At a small size, the teeth also serve as tools for carving holes and grooves into stone, which serve as a good place to hide from the current and predators. Though not big at devouring flesh at these stages, they are still capable of a nasty bite when threatened. Fishermen who haul one up from an accidental snag are sure to keep their fingers clear of their snapping jaws, lest they lose them. When the Indus Worm becomes an adult, that is when the diet gets more meaty. They are ambush hunters, slithering through the mud and murky water in search of prey. Shellfish are still on the menu, and help keep the belly full til something nice and big comes by for a drink. When a large animal stalks close to the water's edge, the Indus attacks. It bursts from the water and seeks to sink its massive teeth into the flesh of its victim. Unless the prey is quick to react and fast in movement, if the bite lands then it is typically over in an instant. Skulls are crushed, organs are punctured, and an entire limb may go missing if the assault misses its mark. Losing limbs and chunks of meat are the "lucky" option if you are able to move vitals out of range in time. Yes, dodging the bite entirely is preferable, but if you are being ambushed at such close range, you don't really get a say if that happens or not.

When the teeth latch on, prey is either dead or mortally wounded. From there, the Indus Worm drags them back into the river with it, where it may dine. With such powerful jaws, the Indus eats everything it can, gorging quickly before scavengers and unwanted guests show up for a free meal. If you are caught by an Indus Worm, just know that there will be nothing left to bury. Unless in your struggle it happens to lop off an arm and leave that behind at the scene. Due to bodies being reduced to paste in their jaws, some wonder how many disappearances near the river are from being washed away versus being taken by a worm. Honestly sounds like a scary story for the saplings already! Stay away from that river or else the worm will get ya! But in this case, the tale isn't a fictional one that conjures a boogeyman to be a stand-in for real life dangers. Seriously, don't go near the river because there actually is a worm!

Their presence makes these water bodies dangerous to those who live nearby, as any muddy shore could be hiding an Indus. They not only attack people, but are perfectly capable of dragging down camels and cows. So when your livestock or beasts of burden stop by for a drink, you have to be on your toes! You fail to secure the area and you could be losing an animal, or yourself! So to avoid this fate, folk will carry ropes with large hooks on the end, and throw them into the waters they wish to use. The movement may trigger an attack, or the barbs being pulled back to shore may snare a hiding worm. In most cases, the thrower will not have the strength to haul in such a catch, and merely cut the line to let the angered worm go. Its writhing and rage will spoil the hunt and make it leave, while also giving a brief window of safety for this section of water. It certainly isn't a perfect system, but I suppose it is the best they got at the moment. Nets are occasionally used, but that way is pretty costly as they are always torn to ribbons in the struggle. Some advice suggests seeking very shallow and clear waters, as it makes the worm easier to spot.

Now it may seem like people want nothing to do with these giant worms, avoiding them entirely. However, Indus Worms are actually hunted pretty frequently, as they fetch a high price! While the huge teeth may make fine trophies or carving material, what people actually want is their oil. What oil you ask? Well, you see, the Indus Worm is a pretty squishy soft thing, which makes it vulnerable to sharp rocks, toothy predators and parasites. So to protect itself, they possess bulbous glands running alongside their body that secretes an oil that coats their form. This oil easily survives water, is pretty bitter and is thick enough to ward off jagged points and hungry parasites. The coating is great for protection, but there is one detail that really gets people's attention: it is flammable.

Indus oil burns intensely, creating a potent flame that sears through anything caught in it. Due to the oily nature, it clings to people, armor and siege weapons, and is even capable of surviving water! The flames cannot be doused with water, they must be smothered, making them very hard to snuff out during battle or chaotic situations. This makes it a highly prized substance for war, sabotage and arson. Indus Worms are caught, killed and strung up above clay vessels, so that they can catch every drop of oil that falls from their sliced bodies. The demand and difficulty in obtaining this oil makes it very expensive, said to only be affordable for royalty and nobles. This oil also gives the Indus Worm a fatal weakness: stick it with flame and the whole beast will go up like dry tinder! However, this obviously consumes the oil, which renders the whole hunt pointless. With how much hypothetical money goes up in smoke when you burn one of these worms, I think folk may throw you in the river with the dying serpent in anger if you choose this method.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

[jerseydeanne]

Hi

Hey Deanne,

Good to hear you are back and have bought a place. There is someone I checki n with on youtube who lives not far from Hudson. I believe she lives in Springhill. She does new, prepping, and canning videos. Maybe you can get in touch and help each other. https://m.youtube.com/@abgprepping

Awesome, awesome! That’s what I’ve been doing nonstop youtube videos. She lives up in Hudson which is about several hours away from me but I recognize the accent! 

We were going to move there until we got the monthly mortgage bill and that lake was a swamp! Frierson Lake look it up. 

The husband didn’t take the transfer so were still in SWF but we are moving to the woods of Punta Gorda. I know hurricane alley, but we are outside the flood zone and 10 minutes from the airport. 

Milton the Monster scared the crap out of us. the back end of the storm produced  some wicked tornados. Most might have seen the destruction it did a couple of miles from us. Newer double wides were turned upside down. 

We have never had a hurricane go from West to East, never like that. Put your tin foil hats on, I think it was manmade. 

Our little house was breathing, yep in and out, Oh crap on cracker. At least 20 homes lost carports. We decided to stop rolling the dice and moving to a nice block and stucco home. It’s like the three little pigs, huff and puff and it won’t move. I’m prepped and we’ll transfer my plants to it’s new location. 

I refuse the narrative of the Great Reset and I’m glad that the Nazi Klaus Schwab retired. Build Back Better or what has been is all a corporate communism talking point.  These butt heads couldn’t do this without our 401k money. 

We are not out of woods yet until Trump wins.  He’s not a fascist or nazi, he doesn’t believe or even read the project whatever the lefty loons are talking about. You want to kill your baby that’s your choice, but there are more options out there. 

Hang in there we are just getting started. The lefty loons know Trump is going to win they plan on using the military on US soil. 

It’s really great to hear from you, Love you guys! 

[witchyfashion]

Meet the monsters in our midst, from bigfoot to Mothman and beyond! Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures and investigates the ways in which communities embrace and celebrate their local cryptids. Readers will learn about:   • Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens • Nain Rouge of Michigan, a fierce red goblin that has been spotted before every major city disaster in Detroit • Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia • Lizard Man of South Carolina, a reptilian mutant that attacked a teenager in the summer of 1988 • Glocester Ghoul of Rhode Island, a fire-breathing dragon that guards a hoard of pirate treasure • And many more!   Whether you believe in bigfoot or not, this fully illustrated compendium is a fun, frightening, fascinating tour through American folklore and history, exploring the stories we tell about monsters and what those stories say about us.

https://amzn.to/3PSMUVE

[popculturelib]

Haunted States of America: Oregon

Oregon's Ghosts & Monsters (1983) by Mike Helm

In Wallowa County they talk about a monster "as long as a rowboat" with "a head like a hog's head", and "eyes about 14 inches apart", that lives in Wallowa Lake. Near La Grande, in an old hotel, a piano plays and a woman screams in the night--but, except for the listener, the hotel is empty. In the attic of a lovely old house on Heceta Head, just above the pounding Pacific, Rue, an old lady in an old-fashioned dress, floats, legless, toward a terrified workman. Near Albany, a tall, shaggy creature rises from a swamp and lopes down the road beside a mint truck, peering curiously through the driver's window, and staying alongside the truck at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. These are ghosts and monsters in Oregon, and this is a collection of stories about them.

Other books about ghosts and creatures in Oregon include:

Ghosts and Strange Critters of Washington and Oregon (1999) by Jefferson Davis

Ghost Stories of Oregon (2001) by Susan Smitten

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[pianocat939]

Eaten Little Bird

Tw: mentions of murder, drowning, manipulation, provoking, lying, taunting, gaslighting I think

Okay so I’ve been researching for mythology. I’m always looking for things from different cultures that like isn’t commonly talked about, just simply because I think it’s fun.

This character is based off the myth of Ninki Nanka from West Africa. There’s quite a few depictions of it, such as having a giraffe neck and head, but crocodile body. But I’m going off a 2006 interview data where the people describe it as something similar to that of a Chinese dragon. Except that it has 3 horns and doesn’t fly. It roams swamps and rivers of Southern Gambia. Apparently, it has a fatal stare similar to Medusa. Except you die, not turn into stone.

Here’s the Wiki link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninki_Nanka

Anyway, time to start writing!

MC first meets this monstrous person campus’ nearby lake. There’s quite a few bench to watch the birds and animals.

One night MC just sits there watching the animals. They’re really stressed over a few exams coming up. They’re trying to plan how they’ll study and what times they’ll study each subject.

They start to mumble to themselves what assignments they need to review and what things they need to ask for help on. When suddenly, a splash echoes through the night.

They flinch whilst they’re seated on the bench. They see a guy. He has 3 horns heading backwards in waves. Yellow eyes covered in shades peek through the twists that cover most of his forehead.

“Stop mumblin’ about school bro, makes me feel so icky. Ain’t nobody wanna hear that.” He makes a dramatic frown before grinning.

“What’s got you so up tight huh?”

MC stares at him. Not knowing how to react for a minute. They are a human after all. A rare thing amongst the university students. They notice his dark teal scales. A reptilian it seemed.

“…uh…I just have a few exams..” They spoke hesitantly. He looked so menacing with his claws just scraping the lake shore like that.

“Oh I see. Sucks man. What’s your name?” His sharp fangs gleamed in the moonlight, giving him more of an ominous presence.

“MC.”

“Are you a human? I hardly ever see those guys.” His eyes trail all over you. Like he had no shame over the fact he’s literally staring at you.

“Yeah I am. What are you?” MC asks, fidgeting with their coat zipper.

“I’m a Ninki Nanka. Swamp monster basically. Lethal eyes man.” He pushes up his shades. His eyes glow through the shades. But it seemed the shades blocked the lethal part of his gaze.

“Ah- I still don’t know your name.” MC doesn’t why they’re continuing to ask him these questions. But they couldn’t stop. They were curious.

“Hiɛi Enyɔ.” He spoke, his tongue sticking out a bit. It was a forked tongue like a snake.

“What?” MC tilts their head a bit, not recognizing the sounds.

“Just call me Enyo. It’s easier.” He bluntly stated.

“Ah okay. What are you doing out here? Swimming?” MC questions, kicking the dirt lightly with their foot.

“Yeah. Just relaxin’.” He nods propping his head with his head. “Shouldn’t you be studying now? You blabbering about studying math or something at 9:30 or somethin’.”

MC straightens up. Remembering the reason they were even at the lake in the first place. “Right! Well, it was nice meeting you!” They quickly stand and start walking back to their dorm.

Enyo smirks, flipping up his shades. He slaps his tail against the surface of the water, splashing the liquid. “I think I found myself a new little bird to feed on.”

——————————————————

Enyo is on the swim team! He’s really fast and super confident. So he naturally succeeds.

He’s pretty popular with the sea creatures…but also not. You either love him or hate him.

He’s super chill, but likes to taunt people to play with them. Especially if he wants to provoke his enemies.

He becomes interested in MC when he notices how they clueless they are to their surroundings. How literally he could bite their head off in an instant if he wanted to.

But also, he likes how nervous they seem to be around him. It makes him feel attractive (more like MC is slightly uncomfortable from his aura).

He’s not possessive. In fact he likes playing with his rivals. But, he’s the kind of guy to play with his food before making a lethal move. He’ll provoke his enemies, saying he’s been in MC’s room. How he’s able to touch their hand whenever.

Then, he just simply says something like, “I lied” or “Just kidding, I did more.”

On the other side, he’ll tell MC who’s not fun to hang out with to keep them away from his rivals.

As a Yan, he likes to show off the fact that MC is his. In a lot of ways. One of favourites being grooming them. Similar to that of a cat. Not their hair, but maybe their cheek or something. MC can be put off by it sometimes.

He can be manipulative, in a way that he tries to make MC unsure of their ability to make decisions. So that they’ll ask for his help when making them.

He’s not a constant snuggles kind of monster. No he likes really tight hugs before taking a nibble.

Will he murder? Yes. With his eyes if they work on the monster. If not he tries to ruin their reputation or drown them.

“Baby, are you sure you should be hanging out with that guy? He’s kinda mean.”

——————————————————

(Did I bullshit this while being sleepy? Absolutely. So obviously unedited.)

This was just a general first interaction + character basis

This one was pretty fun! I think I’ll do a Korean or Chinese myth next.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

- Celina

[wyverewings]

Knucker (Lindworm felpalus)

Habitat: swamps, lakes

Size: 10 feet long

Coloration: dull green, brown

Diet: rabbits, waterfowl, fish, carrion

Magical Abilities: toxic breath, acceleration of plant growth, toxin removal

So Smaugust is here, and I do not have the energy to draw for the entire month. I still want to participate in it, and I thought of the perfect plan for it!

So I haven’t really discussed it much here, but I’ve been planning out a fantasy setting and story in my head. I’m calling the planned story “Misadventures In Monstrology”.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been deeply enamored with zoology, so I feel the fantasy story I am going to tell should have zoology as its heart, like how language is the heart of Middle Earth. It’s somewhat disheartening how uncommon fantasy biology is as a trope. So someone has to step in, and I’m gonna be that someone!

Some major inspirations for this setting are the Dragonology and Monstrology books, the Flight of Dragons movie, @tyrantisterror’s Midgaheim Bestiary, and @draconesmundi. (I think you’d both like to see this!)

So in this universe, monsters such as dragons exist due to magic. While magic doesn’t allow for too much craziness (there won’t be much fairytale logic), it does allow monsters to gain mutations that would be strange or impossible otherwise, and also allows them to locally control the elements.

Dragons are squamates (having evolved from monitor lizards), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any hybrids. Chimeras also exist in this universe, basically through a fantasy version of horizontal gene transfer, which is a real thing with some rotifers! I am planning to make them kinda rare, because I mainly want to do it with creatures that make the most sense (and are more interesting to me) as chimeras, like griffins, pegasi, and some dragons I’ll end up drawing eventually…

Also, I felt I should talk about this dragon. A knucker in English folklore is a sort of water dragon, but unlike sea serpents, they dwell in freshwater “knuckerholes” rather than the ocean. They’ve got a lot in common with wyrms like the Lambton Worm and Hydra in folklore, with how they’re aquatic serpents. So they’re more like lindworms in appearance, rather than the more common modern portrayal of them having four legs.

Design wise, they’re very much based on crocodilians with their heads and back spikes, since they are swamp dwelling reptiles. They’ve also got some amphisbaenian in them, which is kinda inevitable considering their body plan. Also, they’ve got barbels like a fish to kinda add to the swamp creature aesthetic. Poison breath seemed like a given, the magic over plants is due to them probably living in more lush areas, and I like the idea of their body kinda absorbing the toxins they breathe out, keeping their environment healthy.

If you wanna keep up with these posts, click my #field guide to dragons tag which will update throughout the month! Or follow me, if you'd like.

Next ->

[pokemoncaretips]

On the extinction of Hisiuan forms: An essay by Professor Ridgemond Alder, 1965

[Note from the OP: this essay was written long before the recent space time distortions began reintroducing the Hisiuan forms. I found it in an old magazine and thought you'd find it interesting.]

Pokemon! They live with us, work with us, battle with us. Our lives are defined by these strange and often mysterious creatures. But especially in Sinnoh, this was not always the case. Once they were creatures we regarded with fear and uncertainty, monsters in the dark. Until the invention of the pokeball, when capturing and interacting with them became much simpler, many people in the past lived in dread of them.

This may in part also have been due to the climate in that time, which was far harsher. The summers were short and the winters long and deeply bitter. Food was often hard to come by, and there was much competition.

This harsh climate influenced the development of strange new forms of pokemon that no longer exist today. The development and later extinction of these forms is a fascinating subject.

For most, the reason for their disappearance was quite simple. A slow steady process of gradual climate change rendered them needless. Around the publication of the first pokedex, temperature records were already indicating a slight but steady increase in local temperatures.

The noble and beautiful wyrdeer was among these climate casualties. Its dense coat of fur kept it warm in the thick snow, but it struggled in warm temperatures. As the snowline retreated, it became a better use of resources for stantler to remain unevolved.

Ursaluna went the same way. Warmer temperatures slowly dried up some of the swamps it lived in, making it harder to seek out the peat that fuelled its evolution. The encroaching forests, however, were perfect ursaring territory, and this later evolution stage was left behind.

Liligant was adapted to glide on iced over lakes. As temperatures warmed and sunlight became more available, these locations became less available. Though it might have gone extinct due to habitat loss, the liligant was thrown an unexpected lifeline. As humans became more trusting, a few petilils were taken to Unova by traders. In the warmer location, it evolved in a new, unexpected way, and was able to find a niche for itself.

Melting snow means more water, and the iron rich water of ancient Hisui became more diluted, leading to the softer goodra variant of modern times. In Sinnoh, this led to it becoming more vulnerable, and as such it is not found here today.

The ancient growlithe carried a stone typing as well, caused by the then-frequent volcanic activity at the time, as well as a thick, dense coat to guard against cold snaps. As this died off, the growlithe adapted to the change, a process aided by domestication as the Sinnoh people, warming up to pokemon, realized growlithe were a particularly devoted partner.

With the retreating snowline, many ice types found their homes smaller. The placid and docile Hisiuan avalugg in particular struggled with the lack of space, and slowly faded away. Some may have migrated to other places, as avalugg in Kalos and Paldea occasionally are seen with slight Hisuian features.

With the warming of the waters, many water types found lives easier. Basculegion was said to take on the spirits of the basculin that failed their harsh journey upstream. As this became a simpler task, the basculegion became rarer and rarer, fading from the records as its species thrived. However, changing river routes meant the basculin gradually adjusted its habitat, and it is now very rarely found in Sinnoh.

Warmer waters meant more food, and the local quilfish needed to rely on its poison less, slowly become, if not less aggressive, than at least less actively dangerous. The overquil, however, faded into ancient legend.

Voltorb is a strange case. The pokemon had always been a mimic, hiding amongst apricorn fruits, but as pokeballs modernised, over time the voltorb changed with it. This is the only Hisuian form that can sometimes rarely be found today in deep forests, still lurking in the branches of ancient apricorn trees.

The braviary is an interesting case. An all male pokemon, it relied on females of the same egg group to pass on its line. A small population is believed to have been blown over in a storm into the high mountain areas. Though it readily adapted to the harsh cold, its options were limited. It was already in decline when the pokedex was published, and is believed to have gone extinct in the wild soon after soon after.

Of all of these pokemon, perhaps the closest to a true extinction was the sad case of the Hisuian sneasel. Described as mischievous but shy, this little pokemon lived quiet lives on the high mountains. When people became more adapted to pokemon, there was of course, early trading, even if said trade relied on ships. However, we didn't know at the time the potential risks involved in bringing new pokemon to other environments. This was a lesson the Johtonian sneasel would teach us harshly. Aggressive and pushy, it simply outcompeted the native variant. Though some modern sneasels occasionally show markings indicating cross breeding took place, the Hisuian sneasel only exists in a few taxidermized specimens. Though now we understand and try to be much more careful with our trading, we paid a high price for it.

A strange extinction was the matter of the kleavor. A sub-evolution of the scyther, it required a particular mineral called black augerite. As development expanded, people realized that kleavor made excellent lumberjacks, and demand for this mineral spiked. However, it was never common, and gradually ran out. The only black augerite remaining is a shard weighing 18 grams. A scyther needed at least a pound of it to evolve. The kleavor line became functionally extinct despite the many specimens roaming logging camps, a pokemon line in hospice care, beloved by the logging workers it lived with and yet inexorably doomed. The last one, a male by the name of chippy, passed away in 1905 in his sleep, having lived nearly ten years past his species average lifetime.

A number of old starter pokemon also found their way there, though these are now no longer found in the wild.

The samurott was changed by the harsh environments, becoming colder and more ruthless. As temperatures warmed and water types became more common, it was out-competed. And as people began to look for native water types to use as a starter, it fell out of fashion as piplup became the main water type for young children.

The decidueye is a slightly more mysterious case. It's hypothesised that it shifted from ghost to fighting as its secondary typing due to the different foliage. Though it could fade into the dense greenery of Alola, the autumn leaves made the Alolan form stand out. It became a better strategy to shift to an autumnal palette and be more willing to stand your ground against the myriad aggressors. The decidueye never really thrived in Sinnoh. At heart it was always a more tropical pokemon, and though there were reports of the odd ancient decidueye roaming the Sinnoh woods like ancient ronin, these reports gradually faded, the last confirmed one in 1942 of a rather elderly one seen on a nature hike.

Typhlosion was a stark contrast to other pokemon of the time, being known and trusted by humans even in those backwards times. It was common to find them in temples and graveyards. Ancient writings describe it as "A beaste moste melancholic in nature, walking the steppes of the ancient rites with moste infinite grace and care." The Hisiuan typhlosion was somewhat coddled compared to most, adapted to a life in warm temples. As the ancient Celestica people faded from history, it struggled on for some time in the care of local tribes, but ultimately its elderly became too many and its hatchlings too few to sustain the population. The Johto typlosion, meanwhile, being often kept for battling, remained close to the original wild form, and thrived.

Of all the pokemon of ancient Sinnoh, none was more notorious than the ancient zoroark. And here I may sound strange, but their extinction was a blessing. Zoroark were born of malice. Every time one starved in the cold, every time a zorua pup was caught in the garden and killed by panicked locals, every rock thrown and torch lit, a zoroark was born. They were a living indictment of our ancient sins. As time went on and we learned and grew, the population of zoroarks began to dwindle, hate and malice fading slowly as the world turned on. Such bitterness was what was binding them to this earth. It is believed that within a century of the publication of the first pokedex, the Hisuian zoroark was extinct, free of the anger and grief that kept them walking the earth. Their extinction brought about the end of the dark ages, the end of a time when pokemon were monsters living on the fringes. As we walked forwards to the future, some things were left behind.

For worse and for better.