#Toad and Frog ask too many questions

[markscherz]

This might be a weird question but I can't think of a better person to ask! My nibling recently came out as non-binary and wants to change their name, but they're struggling to find something they are happy with.

They were given a feminine name at birth and are currently using a masculine name, but aren't happy with either of them. Every human name that's suggested to them is either too masc, too femme, or has poor associations. However, they love frogs, so I wondered if that might be a solution.

I've tried to find frog names that might work as a human name, but so far I'm not having much luck. It's not allowed to start with R or J, and apparently it's not allowed to have an X in it because nibling thinks they're "not cool enough" to carry that off (I've tried explaining that they're wrong, but 16 year olds are very sensitive).

If this isn't too weird a question, can you think of any frog or toad names that might be manageable as human names? We live in the UK for reference

So many thanks for even reading this giant info dump 💕

Wow this is only the second time I have gotten to help find a name for a human. What an honour.

Okay firstly, sounds 100% like your nibling is cool enough to use an X (despite my current negative emotions associated with the letter due to the Elongated Muskrat), and there are some *amazing* names out there with X's in, so they should at least consider them. Scinax and Ixalus for instance are great. Ixalus has a fun history: originally it was coined as a replacement name for Orchestes, which wasn't available because there was already a beetle genus called Orchestes. But then it turned out that Ixalus was *also* not available, because the world's most beautiful antelope, the bongo, was already called Ixalus. Only, the bongo had already been called Tragelaphus. So now Ixalus isn't the name used for *any* animal. Ixalus is Greek, meaning 'bounding, springing, spry'. Also there are numerous other frog genera that use the ending -ixalus, such as Heterixalus, Micrixalus, etc.

But, taking the lack of X seriously, here are some other alternatives. I will avoid names that are derived from other people's names, and focus on names that have a neutral ring to my ear, and are also euphonious (nice to say or hear) and fewer than four syllables. I am also only considering genus names, because there are too many species names to choose from:

Acris — meaning sharp, sour, bitter, pungent, sharp, keen, acute, energetic, eager, etc. Technically this is the feminine version of the adjective; the neuter version is Acre, but I do not think anyone would read 'Acris' and immediately think either gender. It is supposed to be pronounced with a long a, as in 'hard', but a lot of people pronounce it with a hard a as in 'ace'. This name is most familiar to Americans, because Acris are cricket frogs, widespread in the US.

[Acris crepitans, src]

Mantis — of course, the genus Mantis was coined by Linnaeus in 1758, and so it is unambiguous that this is not a frog name. However, it is very often used as part of frog taxonomic names, such as Chiromantis, Boehmantis, Guibemantis, Gephyromantis, Phlyctimantis etc. Mantis is Greek (μάντης), and means oracle, prophet, soothsayer, seer, clairvoyant, or fortune teller. The name has the feminine gender in its language of origin, but that has no bearing on its use, which, barring the character in the Marvel movies, does not seem particularly gendered to me.

[Pristimantis cruentus, src]

Dasypops — simply a delightful name, but probably not neutral enough. I have not been able to figure out what the etymology is; it might be a play on Dasypus, the Greek word meaning 'rough-footed', which is a genus of armadillos. The frog is also spectacular, but there are no photos I can legally share on tumblr.

Kaloula — a euphonic name with an unclear meaning. Very round frogs. I love them.

[Kaloula pulchra, src]

Adelotus — means 'unseen'. These are 'tusked frogs'. Males have crazy extensions of lower jaw bones, and they fight with them.

[Adelotus brevis, src]

Taruga — a Sanskrit name meaning 'tree climber'. I fucking love this name, and the frogs are just *chef's kiss* POINTY, and have really committed to bold colours.

[Taruga eques, src]

EDIT: I have been informed that taruga means ‘blockhead’ or ‘numb skull’ in Spanish, so it might not be the best choice. Sorry!

If the nibling would like to check out a list of genera themselves, there is a tolerably complete list here.

I hope this helps!

[xjulixred45x]

Can i request the hexsquad with a reader like stolas from helluva boss?without all his creepy attitudes obviosly,a young noble that goes to hexside with an terrible parent and a very young fiance that is scared of,just some comfort to the reader with real friends(i cant imagine what would happen if stolas reader comes out as teenage parent💀but sure a loving one if u ask me)

Howdy! My límit is 4 characters, so i'm gonna pick up the ones i find more acurrante for this situation. Thanks for the Request ❤️(You didn't specify so i go for a Platonic one)

Hunter/Willow/ Amity x Stolas! Reader

Genre: headcanons

Reader: male

Warnings: Bad parents, Bad parenting, High espectetions, low self esteem, arranged marriege, i didn't use the case of the baby bc the guys have like 14 so no☠️, Reader has a Bad relationship with his "fiancee", Fluff.

Hunter Noceda

Hunter probably knew Stolas! reader when he joined the Hexquad or through Willow, because I don't see it as very likely that he had friends in the emperor's coven (I'll do a drabble about that one day).

to try new things (and be away from his fiancée) Stolas! reader decided to join the Flyer Derby team, which was a surprise in itself because he seemed like someone...very...weak, at least in Hunter's eyes.

but the demon quickly became almost the opposite, summoning monstrous specters with his haunted items and his book (grimoire?) and honestly left him in disrepair.

although Stolas!lector was definitely "weak" in other ways, mostly because he was so SOFT.

He had great destructive potential, yes, but when I got to talk to him, he was so damn nice that it was suspicious (to him).

At first Hunter pretended to be angry at the constant reader talk, but little by little he lets down his walls and joins in a little in their talks, especially if they have to do with magic.

Hunter has a LOT of questions about how Oracle magic works ESPECIALLY from Stolas' family! Reader, how do you see the future with such precision? How do you control so many monsters at the same time? they might even compare research notes :D

When Hunter comes into trust with the reader, it is quite easy for him to see through him and how things affect him. like the thing with his fiancée for example.

Now, Hunter, unlike the following cases, firmly believes that THE FIANCE is the problem of everything and is willing to go for blood (he's like, how dare you make my friend cry?)

Hunter PERSONALLY doesn't think it's appropriate for Stolas! Reader and his fiancée try to be friends, make things happen? Sure, but being friends after all the bad times they've been through? titan no...

As for the terrible father thing...he can relate...A LOT.

Similar to what he did with Gus, he would share his experience with the reader and try to make him feel better.

but MOST OF ALL he goes into big brother mode when the reader is around his father (Hunter would have an inhuman amount of BEEF on the man)

Hunter knows what it's like to be manipulated by the person who's SUPPOSED to take care of you and someone you ADMIRE on top of it, so if necessary he gives the reader a reality shock when they need it.

Does being like Stolas include being fluffy and like an Owl? If so, there is no WAY Hunter doesn't end up sleeping (whether on purpose or accidentally) on the reader's soft fur (he gets very embarrassed later)

I imagine Stolas! reader tends to be very VERY dense and Hunter would definitely make some harmless jokes about it (like when someone is BLATANTLY flirting with him and he's just like "do you know what the differences are between frogs and toads? :D")

Reader's gardening hobby definitely helps him serve as a matchmaker between Hunter and Willow, whether leaving them alone on purpose or leaving a nice atmosphere ;)

Despite this, Hunter definitely thinks that reader plants are a bit too nippy for his good 😅

Hunter doesn't understand much about Astronomy or how it relates to the Oracle, but he will happily listen to the reader talking about it and tries to listen and understand as best he can. instead the reader hears about his fixation on Lobos :D

When Hunter and Willow are together, Stolas! The reader becomes his third wheel, or rather, his "practice son" is quite funny.

In general you could say that Hunter is slightly more protective of Stolas! reader for his naivety and gullibility, but he does not believe that he is any less capable for that.

He is still a great friend to him :3

Willow Park

Willow knew a little about Stolas reader, precisely because of how relevant his family was and that apparently the boy would be in her same year.

low key, Willow was nervous about this news at first, she was afraid of running into Stolas! reader for fear that he would become a Bully on her similar to Amity and her group in the first season.

but one day she ended up drinking with Stolas! reader as he ran to class, both dropping several things.

To Willow's surprise, Reader was really friendly and apologized A LOT for bumping into her, helping her pick up the books while talking about how he was new and got lost easily and how his locker tried to eat his hand.

In addition, he was completely amazed when he saw the copies of Erbology books that Willow had for her plant class, and he began to ask her MANY questions.

What were the types of plants like? Do they have carnivorous plants? Can you see them? Can you feed them? Do they have species from all the islands? and the list goes on..

Willow was so stunned by all the questions and the fact that who she thought would be her worst nightmare turned out to be a super innocent kid that she almost forgot she had class.

After that, Stolas reader would spend his time looking for Willow to talk about plants, to his joy and Willow's dismay, who on the one hand couldn't say that he disliked reader, on the contrary, he was very sweet and friendly, but he feared this. It would end in him being swallowed.

But when he met his "fiancee" with certain frustration problems...

At first Willow tries to help Stolas reader hide, but eventually tries to get them on good terms at least.

If it works, great!

If it doesn't work and you still hate each other, well, you can try that plant that reader has been studying so much--

reader is very supportive of Willow with her grubgy Flyer career! He is going to encourage her with his carnivorous plants with signs to encourage her🤣

Willow helps with Stolas Reader Gardening Hobbies!, whether it's reminding him when to water the plants, helping him get rid of the weed that bites him, or even growing plants he wants when he's feeling especially down.

Stolas reader has even tried to use his Oracle magic to make Willow get better grades, sometimes it works and other times they spoil half their lives, at least they know they will be friends in 20 years!

Willow is very emotionally supportive of EVERYONE, this does not exclude Stolas! reader, not only with his complicated fiancée, but also with the fact that his father is a TERRIBLE role model and treats him TERRIBLE.

Willow has tried to suggest that the reader take two classes, both Oracle and Plants, but the reader is TOO afraid of her father to tell her that she doesn't want to study what he says, which leaves Willow quite sad.

One thing's for sure, there are sleepovers at the Park house! and definitely try to include the reader in plans with friends as much as possible.

just like Willow is a safe place for Reader, Reader is a safe place for Willow, they are each other's shoulders to cry on, in a way.

Reader is definitely the ultimate shipper Hunlow (although he threatened Hunter that if he did anything to Willow he would put a curse on her, tear her to pieces and feed it to his plants. Hunter understood).

Both can be terrifying when angry or using all their power, although they are usually rays of sunshine.

In short, two rays of sunshine that help each other to relate to the group (don't mess with them, they are much more dangerous than they look)💚

Amity Blight

ohhhhh boy, she understands ☠️

She probably know Stolas! reader thanks to his parents being friends and/or business colleagues, similar to Boscha's parents.

Odalia insisted that Amity try to be her friend so that she could improve her relationship with her family (a very important one among the covens, especially the Oracle's).

So Amity took note and prepared herself for a capricious and pedantic prince, similar to Boscha.

Imagine his surprise when Stolas! reader ended up being the complete opposite, someone very reserved, shy and wanting to make REAL friends.

If we talk about Amity from the first season, at first she had difficulty accepting Lector, precisely because of his reputation, but they found that they had several things in common.

books for example.

Amity ended up running into Reader several times in the library while working, mainly in the reptile and botany areas, which seemed strange since he was in Oracle classes.

They would end up having conversations about frogs and what they were like outside of the boiling islands, it turns out that the reader's family could use Oracle magic even in the human world, but he loves to see the "rare" specimens they had, like the opossums or giraffes.

Being the least mean to him, Reader spent his time stuck next to Amity, and she eventually warmed up to him and she would keep him company, even open up to him.

He definitely knows about her arranged marriage, and he didn't like how it scared him, he can bet that on a couple of occasions Amity threw her away with her abobinable.

(although I think it is not impossible for him to accept her as a friend of himself and the reader if he shows he really wants to change or at least try not to take out his frustration on the reader)

defends him when someone tries to take away from his abilities as a member of the Oracle, he's like "do you think you know more than HIM??" and it definitely gets into hands sometimes😅

Amity HATES the reader's father, she considers him to be even worse than ODALIA. What kind of father commits his 14-year-old son?? (she hopes he finds out that they have been engaged since they were 11😬) and can't stand the way he talks about his son . If I could, I would send you the Alador abobinables.

✨bonding through shitty parents ✨

She highly encourages reading hobbies, especially plants and reading, you can even read to the kids together!

she defends Stolas a lot! reader from her family when she has to see them, especially from her father, if she and the reader's fiancée get along at this point, they will most likely make an alliance to protect Reader.

Amity even tells him about Azura's books that she reads! and compare notes and drawings they make of the characters

Listen to any babbling or rant that the reader has to give, whether it be frogs, plants or prophecies he saw on his own in the stars, astronomy, etc. Even if she doesn't understand shit, she just nods and won't let anyone take away that beautiful moment from the reader.

Imagine Amity introducing Luz to the reader! she would be SO happy to see that they would both get along because they are "nerdy" in different ways, but that they complement each other well.

I think Amity is definitely rooting for Stolas! reader to confess directly if he has a crush, after all, he is cute, comes from a good family and has a big heart, who wouldn't want to be with him? It even helps you make a note!

She wants the reader to find REAL love and not be forced to have a partner for something like status.

She supports the reader all the way when she decides to reveal herself to her family, she knows how scary it is, so she even offers him not only a shoulder to cry on, but also to stay with her for a while.

She tells him how brave he was and how happy she is for him.

Overall, rich, misunderstood best friends who stick together 💜

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

Thanks for the Request ❤️

[newtsfrogstoads]

your username compels me to ask: favorite species each of frog, newt, and toad? any non-frog/newt/toad amphibians you particularly like?

my favorite frog is the golden mantella but honestly all the tiny brightly colored poisonous ones are delightful

These are such hard questions for me. There's so many species that deserve their own essays. I think I'll break this ask into several posts and answer each question over time because I could ramble about amphibians forever.

Let's start with frogs. My favorite frog would have to be Diane's bare-hearted glass frog AKA the Kermit frog:

I really really adore glass frogs. They're small, cute, and are fucking rad scientifically speaking. There's very few translucent land creatures because, unlike in the deep blue where light reflects very differently than in the air, it's hard to hide yourself and your innards (especially those bright red blood cells). But these little frogs with their semi-see-through tummies and limbs disappear to predators by making themselves look transparent:

These frogs are nocturnal too, so you would think they'd be more visible when they're asleep during the day when the light is brighter. Nope. They become more translucent by MOVING NEARLY 90% OF THEIR RED BLOOD CELLS INTO THEIR LIVER:

Glass frogs are so good at hiding that even their blood can hide. This if insane because it doesn't even cause blood clots. Scientists are trying to figure out how these frogs do it to see if they could solve clotting issues in humans with this same mechanism.

Of course, Diane's bare-hearted glass frog became my favorite of the glass frogs due to its resemblance to my childhood icon:

This unique frog species was discovered in Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica around April 2015 by researchers Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, and Robert Puschendorf from the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center. It was named after Kubicki's mom :)

It's discovery also caused such a huge stir on the internet that even Disney published a QA with Kermit talking about it. I think they scrubbed the video, but I did find some quotes from articles that I think are gold:

"The reason this new frog looks so much like me is that her mother and my mother are sisters. It’s a family resemblance.”

“Yes, we’re cousins. In fact, I’m related to every single frog in the world, and I’m close to most toads, too."

"Googly eyes run in our family."

"Shorten your name if you want to make it in show business. Maybe something catchy like Diane Glass or Kermina Kardashian."

"Being green is easy compared to being transparent. I thought that I blended in with so many other ordinary things. And that people tended to pass me over 'cause I wasn't standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky. But when you're transparent, folks really look right through you. It's almost like you're invisible… which might come in handy around Miss Piggy... I take it back. I want to be transparent."

[artigas]

okay so, it's been like two days but i am still thinking about the other night, when my partner and i got into a very heated showdown. and here's the thing, we don't argue. we live a very frog and toad existence. but i've been lucky enough to read and help as a beta for @saathi1013's just unreal, absolutely stunning upcoming MM fic and so my partner and i got to talking, as couples naturally do, about wether or not priests should be allowed to fuck.

"and here's the thing", i told them. "i think catholic priests would be a lot less demented if they were allowed to fuck. not totally! not totally! they're still bastards. but i think it would help."

"are you insane?", my partner asked. "you cannot tell me that you're getting messages from a fictional man in the sky if you're busting a nut before mass"

"you're making it sound like sex and spirituality can't go together! what is this, the crucible? god wants us to fuck! what did he tell adam? he said "it is not good for man to be alone" and then he created eve and then he said "go forth and suck and fuck!' that's literally in the bible!!"

and then my dastardly, kicked-out-of-CDC-for-asking-too-many-questions partner did the most catholic (derogatory) thing possible. they said: "yeah, well, you think a man who wears jeans to church and plays electric guitar for jesus can be a pastor!"

and okay. okay. i had to hand it to them. that is very true, the path out of protestant hell (evangelicalism) is paved in fatal doses of cringe. but, you know what, i don't really care either way. it doesn't matter. it was just a silly, fun little conversation.

so, anyways, i'm going to nail 95 complaints to our front door for my beloved to see when they come home.

[c00kietin]

FOR YOUR ASK GAME!! 1, 2, 12, 16(list them if you need to), 17, 20, 18 *Disappears gaster style*

ASDFGHSDFG TYYY!!!

1 - Fandoms I am currently obsessed with: Utdr and Utmv (kinda obvious by my blog lol) Cookie Run, Spy x Family and kinda Monkie KId!!

2 - How many fandoms I'm in: Uuuh- *counts with fingers* I thiiink...around 15?

12 - Have I ever cosplayed: Well, kiiiinda- for one year in primary (I think it's called elementary in America?) school, I dressed up as Monster from FNF, which looks like this:

I'm pretty sure I still have the mask 😀

16 - Any characters that I think that I simp for/find hot:

OH LORD THE EMBARASSING QUESTION Mind you I'm not too popular of a blog so it isn't as bad :'D

Just to list a few (that I think are pretty/good-looking):

Mitsuri Kanroji

Senjuro Rengoku

Queen (Deltarune)

Reagan Ridley

Tbh most of the characters from Monster Prom looking really pretty lmao

Jessie and James (Pokémon)

Mr. Compress (mha)

Aaand I'm too nervous to say more ;v;

17 - What do you think about shipping: I'm cool with it, I tend to ship more canon stuff (with some exceptions) but as long as it's not problematic or weird/gross I'm cool with it :D

18 - I ship a few people, but my faves have to be Lumity, Huntlow, Raeda (these 3 from TOH), MetaKaard (the fanart has swayed me lol), Noelle x Susie, and Stripes on Stripes from Centaurworld. I ship a few more stuff, but those are the main ones :D

20 - Hot takes: Okay, this is to do with Amphibia- nothing against the main 3 (Anne, Sasha and Marcy) but I think the other characters of the show deserve some love and attention. I mean, when I search up fanart of Amphibia on Pinterest, the majority of it is the main three. MORE FROGS, TOADS N NEWTS!! >:DD

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

How do all the Med Cats get along? Aside from uh, well I doubt Runningbird is too excited to talk to any of them.

This ask has been sitting in my inbox for over

a

YEAR

I remember that it was sent while I was doing those "ask a character and have them respond in drawing form" because that's what I was gonna do with this ask, and that's why it was taking so damn long to answer

but I'm in my second year of university now, so chances are I'm not gonna have the chance to draw the answer as I've been hoping to do since *checks notes* MAY OF 2022.

So let's just answer it now, shall we?

(I SUSPECT that the person who sent this is someone still following the blog 00 so hopefully they can see their question go answered at last!)

The Medicine cat Community in The Place of No Stars

Many would at first think that no one helped anyone but themself in the Dark Forest, and they're partly right.

Why do medicine cats get together?

Well, that could be for many reasons. They genuinely enjoy the company, they're with someone they can relate to, they enjoyed healing in life and still do, they want to be special, or maybe they just like to help with herbs so that they can stave off their own boredom.

Individually, it's the same as in life--everyone with proper med cat training knows everything that a medicine cat should know.

In groups, particularly in the med cat community, tasks are more divided by skill.

Fleathistle, for example, is a wonderful healer, but even more than that he's great at growing plants. He's responsible for at least 80% of the herbs that grew and can be useful in the Dark Forest. He, with the help of his mate and close friends, created the 'Dark Garden,' where a field-full of different herbs and medicines grow, many of which unheard of in life, as Fleathistle experimented with them, creating some herbs from scratch.

Now, Fleathistle is still a medicine cat. If you need healing, you can go to him as much as you can go to anyone. But if you need particular herbs, it's better to go to him above anyone else. (This is in a similar sense of 'all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads' if that makes sense?)

++

Myrtlewing is another case of 'the best one to go to in a certain situation.'

True, Myrtlewing would also be the scariest one to go to, as in life he experimented with his patients, putting their lives and health at grave risk for his own curiosity and entertainment, but it's due to these experiments and others he performed on cats that makes him so useful.

Myrtlewing would tear cats open and apart and test out how to keep them alive for as long as he wished in spite of their horrible injuries. Because of this, if a cat were to receive a horrible injury, he's the best healer to go to because of his knowledge of how to keep the cat alive.

In simpler terms, he's the "surgeon" of the group, the only one able to heal a cat's torn up insides--though he's nowhere near as talented as human surgeons.

He's the one to go to if someone is in grave trouble and / or if someone has a particularly horrible injury.

++

Shiverrose's talents as a healer lies most notably in how she cures sickness.

Like all medicine cats, she's great at healing wounds, but illness is where her skills really show.

She has great memory and fantastic critical thinking skills, which allows her to come to a diagnostic conclusion much quicker than other medicine cats.

She only needs to hear a list of your symptoms to figure out in a matter of seconds what is wrong with you and what may be best to heal you with (she may also go to Fleathistle for the second part, as he knows more about the Dark herbs than anyone else).

She would probably be just as good with wounds if such injuries were troubling to figure out too. It's tricky to figure out why someone may have a dry throat and bellyache, it's rather easy to see why their leg was broken.

----

There are also those who were medicine cats in life but no longer wish to heal, and therefore do not count as part of this Medicine Cat Club.

Sageleaf, for example, would very much like for everyone to leave her alone forever, thank you.

=========

@ambitiousauthor @frightnightindustries @starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood @liberhoe

[mygeekcorner]

"Let's get personal" asks: 2, 17, 23, 44, 45, 64 (🥺), 72, 80, 90, 92, and a freebie (answer one question you wish I'd asked)

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

I feel like you're supposed to say a celebrity but I think I would just like to meet any of my friends that live too far away ^^;

17: What was the last lie you told?

not sure about an outright lie, cause I'm lousy at those, but I was being purposefully vague when I made bf catch up on the Oshi no Ko manga so as not to spoil anything?

23: How do you vent your anger?

I scream. Depending on what I'm angry about baking might also be involved because lord knows whisking for a fluffy sponge will get all your violent needs out

44: What was the last film you saw?

The Menu when I visited @hobbitsus last week, I can see the appeal even if we weren't blown away

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Probably when I fractured my arm at 17. We were jumping and me and the horse had different opinions about which way to go after landing, and suddenly there was a fence and I was on the ground ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

64: Where is your best friend?

here <3

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) yes, some people for sure but I doubt I'd tell "everyone", that seems like either too much work or no work at all (eg instagram post, which would just be sucky) and I don't want that. But the people I know would be affected? yes. b) I guess I'd try to see as many friends as possible in the time I have if I'm still feeling physically functional, but I don't know any particular activities I would do ^^; c) to an extent? I guess growing up suicidal makes the idea of leaving less scary, but it's not as if I would Like the thought any more because of it now. I quite enjoy this life of mine I've built these days.

80: What size shoes do you wear?

41, which is a reasonable size now that I'm fully grown but being a little squirt who hadn't had my last growth spurt at 11 it was humiliating and I looked like an L

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

they are obviously there to guard me, I fall back asleep knowing I am safe for now

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

I think would like to relive one of the sleepovers from when I was in middle school. Not because those are the best bits of my life, but I miss those people. And there was something very good about being 14 and sneaking out through the window in the middle of the night to go to a playground when we were all sugar high, or waking up to the rain on the windows and a friend making up a song about "a frog-man~~ who really was a toad-woman~~ and looking for their lilypad~~", or just falling asleep in a big pile on a too-small bed after watching movies <3

Frrebie: 3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

She lays her clutch, the many eggs of a very successful huntress.

I don't know this book or what it's about but it seemed like a fun question to check. It's one of Magnus sci-fi books.

[xknivesandpensx]

First Impressions

Summary: Just a little something I wrote of what could have been Hermione and Draco’s first meeting on the train. It’s not very long but I hope anyone interested in reading it enjoys this one-shot. It’s my first prequel out of three to the actual story I’ll be writing, which I will get to eventually.

Hermione transferred from one compartment to the next, her small body unaffected by the continuous movement of the train. No matter how many of her new fellow students she asked, none in question saw a little toad jumping down the corridor. She thought maybe Trevor found his way into a hiding spot or perhaps he remained on the move.

She came across an open door (having just witnessed two boys exit) to find a single child sitting in place. He had white blond hair, sleeked back providing a full view of his pale face, so very different from her bushy brown waves which fell past her shoulders and bangs cut to meet her brows.

Being an eleven-year-old girl, she didn’t think too much about boys or crushes for that matter. How could she when at this very moment they were on their way to Hogwarts? Yet at first glance she felt a slight flutter in her chest and an unusual desire to simply keep her gaze on the profile of his face.

Then he abruptly turned as if finally noticing her there and she caught sight of his eyes. The pair piercing blue in color, holding a light gray pigment to them.

“What are you starring at?” His tone came out a bit harsh, yet it didn’t completely shatter her overall insight to her own feelings.

Instead, her cheeks flushed a shade of pink.

“I was wondering if you’ve seen a toad? Someone I’m sitting with lost him,” Hermione replied, remembering her original goal, which would, admittedly, be easier to maintain if she didn’t feel so warm all the sudden.

“No. Who’d be stupid enough to lose their frog?” Draco shook his head. He began to wonder where Crabbe and Goyle wandered off to. However, he did take note of her rather bossy manner of voice.

“Toad,” she corrected, inclining of her head. “What are those?” Her sight fixated on a small box he held in his hands, his fingers resting below the name.

Hermione felt a swell of excitement. “Oh wait, I’ve heard about them. They’re supposed to taste just like real fruit. Sounds a bit odd, but then again, I thought the same about Chocolate Frogs.”

“Bit strange you never had any before,” Draco said. He almost asked if her mom and dad were both Muggles, it would explain her curiosity. Yet, the words never made it out. She spoke too quickly.

“My parents don’t let me eat very much candy.” Hermione considered commenting on how they held the same occupation as dentists, only to think better of it. Not due to embarrassment, of course. She simply yearned to talk about magic. And maybe know more about him. “Why not eat the real thing rather than something similar?”

“The trolley's not going to sell actual apples,” he scoffed. For whatever reason, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and extended his arm instead. “You can try a couple, if you want?”

Hermione silently took the invitation and sat next to him, not even hesitating on the account of the other side being so full of wrappers and various sweets.

Blue and green stripped material surrounded them, dipping with her added weight, making her more aware of how close they were to one another. He didn’t appear taken aback by her promptness to be near him, probably thinking nothing of it.

The smell hit her first, the aroma both sweet and slightly pungent. Upon that instant, Hermione’s eyes met Draco’s again. She found it possible to get lost in them, to think, perhaps for a moment, he thought the same given how his countenance changed a fraction.

But how foolish. Allowing a fleeting moment to define a permanent sense of equal attraction.

They were only children.

Did his tactful curtness mean nothing against the slight glimpse of his softer demeanor?

Hermione reached into the box and pulled out a few round shaped candies. Two yellow, a red and green. She placed them in her mouth, pleasantly surprised by their crisp flavor.

“It’s as if I’m biting into an actual apple,” she admitted in awe. Hermione wished she bought her own rather than those beans, which were interesting to say the least.

“Of course, it would.” It was a predictably sharp response. “My father gave me enough money to buy whatever I wanted.” He paused for a second as if mulling something over in his mind. “You can have the rest if you like them all that much.”

“Well, they are really good.” She accepted them a bit reluctantly prior to standing and drawing away from him. The back of her heel hit the frame of the door once on her feet. If she ever believed herself to be subtle or graceful, neither remained now.

Hermione cleared her throat. “I should probably keep looking.” Gaining a few steps of space, she managed a proper breath, feeling quite more herself. “Oh, and we’re nearly there so you might want to fix your tie. It’s a tad crooked. I most certainly wouldn’t think well of myself if I walked into school without taking notice. First impressions matter a great deal, you know?”

“As if I need to worry.” He was a Malfoy, after all. Still, he took a moment to adjust the strip of fabric, tugging it in place.

The following smile he gave was slight, a thin upturn of his lips, however present.

Hermione took note of it, her emotions in quite a whirlwind. But honestly, she wouldn’t wish to quell them if possible.

She disappeared from view, happy for the half box of candy and meeting of the blond-haired boy. Remembering as she walked away…

She forgot to ask his name.

[hey-its-cweepy]

Yo Haven’t done one of These in a long time so

What would you Characters think of Hiroyuki and Joren

TWO CHARACTERS-

Oh man- extra long post today huh-

I'll separate them by colors!

Hiroyuki Jira

•Cweepy might be a bit nervous at first, but otherwise not that bad! Might be a teeny tiny bit grossed out by the mucus since its not her own from her squid form

•Cho-Hee doesn't mind the mucus at all and wouldnt really think much of it, but questions the spider grudge

•Dallas is a NO because he thinks he's gross😔✌️

•You will catch Salvatore and Vincenzo doing the confused head tilt thing seeing their shoes-

•Out of coincidence, you're the same height as Momo! Meaning that, even tho she's still a bit nervous, she'll likely stick around! Also I just imagine-

Hiroyuki: Im so sorry about that, I can clean it o-

Momo, using the petals of her flower tongue to scrape it off:

•Dell is very curious about him! Especially about how he became an Ogama and what its like-

•Faust is choosing death by accidently zapping him if he comes too close (more likely to happen if he's wet

•HEXTIAN IS A BIG NO NO, he's not bad! He just cant touch water ever

•Benibara is a no because she's literally the worst

•Kenzo is a no because he's the type that asks too many questions, man doesnt even know what a toad is

•VENUS IS A FROG BUT I CAN TOTALLY SEE THEM BEING FRIENDS

•Marinus is a GIANT no because he doesnt stop at just eating people💀 (he does try very hard to not reach that point tho! Also he'd probably think Mari tastes salty)

•Kumo: "Ew no"

•Aotome's more confused if anything, definitely performing various scans and perplexed if he uses slang- you just see the loading icons in her eyes if they goe "Baee<3"

•Banji probably thinks some of the bug items are a bit strange but not as bad as eating literal inedible items (cue Hextian eating glue-)

•Kamïk thinks its interesting that he doesnt remember his past life

•Clover's the type that goes "Eeeewwww!!!" At the mucus but isnt too mad about it

•Avery thinks its disgusting-

•Jolie is the type to collect the mucus on her clothes and make it someone else's problem

•Everyday Roan think's he's freaking dreaming and a human talking demon toad doesnt help (probably mistakenly calls him a frog sometimes)

•Pepper is a NO

•Wolfo's perplexed by the mucus issue if anything-

•Creek will be VERY mad if it gets on any dolls but otherwise pretty chill and even slightly teases him a bit

•Poppet does exaggerated gagging if you put the bug food items near him, he's just messing around though!

•Seine says your bug crimes are unforgivable

•I imagine if he did use his UM on Toma, he'd turn into a little toad plush

•Vysio's a bit nervous, but that's okay! She'll get used to them, especially if they meet Yuto first!

•He is going to learn real soon that sometimes Yuto needs to shut up💀

•Astoria probably doesnt even know what a toad is either let alone the difference between a toad and a frog

•Elbarnes is just gonna consistently clean him anytime they meet- mucus on his clothes? Cleaning this instant!... Sure, he does this with his mouth/spit, but at least it's more like cleaning product than human spit-

•Chepi probably facing the consequences of "Dont give him spicy food"😔✌️

•Amos is a NO, he's not one of those people that like toads/frogs/slimy animals in general and also probably thinks he's gross

•Enid is not as mean, but considers the mucus a bit strange

•Lorien questions how his skin makes the mucus in the first place, but otherwise is more baffled at some of the bug dishes-

•Jessica is a NO, probably pokes at the fact that his clothes are customized when it comes to his legs

•Oceana cannot tell the difference between a toad or a frog either, but it doesnt matter because she thinks they're both adorable! Although she'd be a bit concerned about the bug eating habits

•Indira would be interested to try the bug dishes herself, but a bit nervous to-

•Torimiya thinks hating things spitefully is kinda stupid, just enjoy yourself✨

•Asahise probably introduces them to Oceana! But just leave the sweaters and plushies away from the mucus or there's gonna be a problem

•Tokki's a bit lost on certain things, but otherwise doesnt really mind them

•Kuru would say he's gross but doesnt actually mean it

•If he doesnt remember, Yaku will find a way to find out- Will he be okay wih what he finds? Undecided-

•Jaiden would mistake the bug catching thing as something cute until someone explains "Literally do not tell him where Theodore is"

•Mindel is a little caught off guard by the slang terms but I can see Mindel just vibing with him while drinking his boiling hot coffee

•Frey questions if the mucus is toxic or not the first time, but would be very hesitant to try the bug dishes so they'll stick to gifting cream donuts

•Sylvester and Kendall are also a bit lost on the spider grudge but whatever, that's your deal✨

•Mao and Midge are going to punch them if they catch them eating bugs

•Cherokee thinks he's a bit strange in general as if he himself isnt a big dork lmao

•If he can turn into a small toad, I can see Shiloh gently holding him in his hands and being more open to talking but talking to a giant toad is also ok!

•Charlene is fairly certain she's probably seen em somewhere but doesn't know from where, if she has context though, she's probably the type to purposefully tell the wrong directions

•Deedee: "Fine! I don't like you either! You slimy, bumpy, hideous thing! Hmph!" Girlie didnt even start anything yet and they dont like her💀

•Janus and "Dolly" are a NO

•Birsha questions if she squeezes him, will mucus come pouring out?

•Lucinda probably thinks he's a tiny bit gross and apologizes

•Panko would cry if you ate specific bugs in front of her (and is DEFINITELY not ratting out Theodore, with or without context)

•Pattie is very confused by the slang terms and eating bugs habit, but otherwise doesnt mind him

•Canela is staying away because she doesnt wanna poison anybody

-----------------------------------------

Joren Tsuchigumo

•Oh boy with this context to the story, every single positive interaction you built with Cweepy is falling apart in seconds-

•Cho-Hee expresses his condolences for the loss of his family

•Dallas is TERRIFIED of bugs and spiders are no exception

•Salvatore and Vincenzo are probably going to jump Hiroyuki after this so maybe its best to not tell them-

•Congratulations! Momo is once again terrified of everyone-

•Dell also expresses condolences for the loss but it also makes them question a few things, overall, still very curious and interested about them!

•Faust might accidently zap him at some point if he doesnt tease him first💀

•Hextian is a BIG no-no! Maybe dont casually sit down and talk to the guy that is literally poisonous to almost everyone

•I think its clear Benibara, Janus, "Dolly", Canela and Pepper are a NO (The first 3 are pricks, Canela's just trying to keep students safe and Pepper's paranoid)

•Kenzo shrieks seeing he's a spider before chilling out

•Venus,,, is,,, a frog,,,,,, does that cound as part of his grudge? If so, Venus would be confused by it before being given context and completely understands

•MARINUS IS A NO-

•Kumo, Lucinda and Tokki are only a no bcs spiders make them a bit nervous

•Aotome is still interested in his anatomy but also very confused of their strange arguing (both of them)

•Banji isnt sharing no damn sweets with him but might poke fun at the extra weight

•Kamïk questions why he doesnt just kill Hiroyuki, I mean c'mon, there'd be no more arguing if he's dead, right?

•Clover SHRIEKS because spider

•Avery questions why not change schools

•Jolie questions how the hell Hiroyuki even got away with it💀

•Roan hates it here-

•Wolfo ABSOLUTELY will not stand for family murder, he may have shitty parents but he could never stand someone doing something to his siblings and to hear what he did to Joren? Man is seeing red.

•Creek will at least try to stop Wolfo with Poppet's support like "A-At least wait until after school hours!"

•Poppet would be mad too, but focuses on trying to not let his brother wreck the whole school looking for him💀

•Seine and Joren could probably be spider buddies!

•Why do I have the feeling he just sees Toma get hurt but Hiro feels it instead and gets an idea-

•Vysio is a bit nervous, especially by the serious attitude

•Yuto probably explains that Vysio's just nervous due to her giant size and probably risking hurting someone, but assures him its not his fault!

•Astoria is a no because crown (DONT PUT IT ON)

•Elbarnes needs him to pass the clean check anytime they meet- even if its just for a minute-

•Chepi is concerned the giant toad situation might happen again but isnt limited to a spider clan, she expresses her condolences for the loss though

•Amos would probably also think he's nasty at first

•Enid instinctively picks up a shoe before dropping it, apologizing and explaining she just got used to doing it-

•Lorien is OUT because he's afraid but would rather spend a day with Joren than Amos (absolutely terrified of cats)

•Jessica is OUT because she body shames

•Oceana and Asahise would cry if he explained hy he hates Hiroyuki

•Does Indira even count in the frog grudge? She isnt one but her tongue is similar-

•When Torimiya grasps the situation, she's very upset and concerned, also expresses her condolences

•Kuru thinks him being a spider is neat and "Much better than that slimy old toad... But dont think just cause I like you a little bit means I care!"

•Ah yes, Yaku found out the truth this way huh... He's both interested and upset in the story-

•Jaiden is very upset and expresses condolences for his losses, might even try to offer some comfort maybe even sweets

•Mindel asks if he specifically means Hiroyuki Jira because he almost couldnt believe it! Also expresses concern and condolences and limits contact with him

•Frey is absolutely horrified at the news and is very concerned and upset, well at least its new news to them since they had no context but shh

•Sylvester and Kendall at least finally understand the grudges now... But Syk suggests death to fix it and Kendall suggests just avoiding each other

•Mao and Midge are still throwing hands, but this time Mao's also throwing them at Hiroyuki and Midge just really likes bugs (NOT in a way to eat them)

•Cherokee's finally stringing the story together and asks how you get turned into an Ogama in the first place-

•Shiloh probably vented to him if he can shift into a spider and AGAIN thought fir it for the rest of his life

•Charlene is devastated and very sympathetic about the confession, she knows what its like to lose someone but to lose almost an entire family in a day just makes her heartbroken...

•Deedee: "... Out of all the people that fight me, you're the only one who's not that bad"

•Birsha questioning his butt/abdomen

•You'd think Panko is crying bcs he's a spider but you're WRONG, she feels like she's doing something terrible by spending time with Hiroyuki but tbh doesnt wanna upset either of em, very apologetic and upset

•Pattie tries to stay out of their discussions/arguments and whatever they're doing

[angrenwen]

One question often asked when talking about dwarves is… “what did they eat under their mountain?”

Well we know dwarves – especially in times of great riches – traded large quantities of food with men.  To quote Thorin Oakenshield: “we never bothered to grow or find food ourselves” (-p28 – The Hobbit).  To sustain a large population of dwarves however ocasional trade of food from the surface wouldn’t have been enough to prevent mass starvation underground.   Which brings us to the question, what is there too eat in dark places of the world ?

Firstly we need to get a bit of an idea of how many dwarves we are feeding.  At the end of the Third age dwarven numbers were on the decline, but judging by the dwarven armies, the fact that 1/3 is female and dwarves aren’t exactly rabbits when it comes to reproducing, numbers couldn’t have been much higher then 15.000 at any given time. Let’s take the Lonely Mountain in 2760 of the Third Age, some ten years before Smaug attacked… The Halls of the Lonely Mountain would have been bursting with dwarven life, likely up to 8.000 dwarves around this time.   So this amount of dwarves isn’t fed by the occasional food trade with the men, nor by the stray bat… it would take a food industry to keep them alive and thriving.

If we consider healthy dwarven males and women would eat about 1100 grams a day,  And we take into account a population of 8.000, we need just over 3 million kilo’s (6,6 million Lbs) of food per year.  If dwarves would rely on trade to feed their own then they would need about 13.000 wagons (230kg a piece) fully loaded with food each year, or about 35 a day.  So, I believe it is safe to say there is no way Dale and the surrounding region could have sustained the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain.

This creates a major challenge you might think… where do the dwarves find over 3 million kilo’s of food under a mountain ? Is it even possible ?

Yes, it is… let me tell you how.

First thing you need to know is that bats are the corner stone of the dwarven food-pyramid.  Bats are not just hunted on by chance, in order to sustain a dwarven population of several thousands, dwarven cities would have had several dozens of bat farms.  Bats aren’t just usefull for their meat, in fact they would have been mainly used for their sh… uhm.. their droppings (guano).  Yes you read it correctly, their droppings… which would have provided nutrition for a whole foodchain.  The guano is food to countless creatures, including flies, beetles, bugs, millipedes, springtails, cockroaches, worms, mites and moths. These animals are in turn fed upon by the cave crickets, centipedes, scorpions, whip scorpions and spiders. And these provide food for small mammals (rats, cavemice), cavecrabs, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes and turtles.  The dwarves would have farmed many of these animals, sometimes growing them by the millions or billions, either as a direct food source or as food for the dozens of fish, frog and turtle farms found under the dwarven mountains.    Bats even provide milk, indeed… bat milk… not going into the details on how they were milked, but trust me, it is possible.

Now in most temperate caves – climates found in most of dwarven caves of Middle Earth – dwarves run into the problem that it is too cold to support the amount of fauna needed to support their population.  In order to sustain large amounts of life in caves, the micro climate inside the mountain needs to be warmer, verging on tropical.  This allows the bats to breed faster, providing more droppings, which in turn allows the insect population to boom – ensuring a steady food supply for the fish and bat farms under the mountain.

Even in the colder subarctic climates of the Grey Mountains dwarves managed to create different inner climates in their Halls that allowed to sustain the food sources of their population.  This is done mainly through creating lava chambers deep in the heart of the mountain and creating steam channels that lead to the various halls in the mountain.     Their adapted mountain microclimate would have also provided for quite a few natural salt caves, which isn’t only handy for seasoning or keeping food.  In case you believe living underground would be tremendously unhealthy… in our modern times people pay hundreds of dollars to spend a few hours in fake salt caves.

Also, their mirror systems allowed them to channel natural sunlight from openings in the mountain sides to every corner of the underground mountain, even allowing them to grow some vegetables (potatoes and carrots), northern grains and berries deep inside the mountain.

With all of the above in mind, the Lonely Mountain dwarves in our example would have been eating the following over the course of a year (some examples of dishes added there too – by the way these dishes actually exist – so for the squeemish… you’ve been warned)

* 1.190.000 kilo’s of batmeat (crispy fried batwings, batsoup)

* 1.120.000 kilo’s of fish and crab (boiled cavecrabs, cavefish cassarole)

* 146.000 liters of fishoil

* 890.000 kilo’s of bugs (crickets on a stick, cheesy beetle dip, millipede-paté)

* 657.000 kilo’s of snakemeat (snake hotpot)

* 340.000 kilo’s of spiders (fried spiders)

* 124.000 kilo’s of turtlemeat (turtle stew)

* 216.000 liters of batmilk – you would need to milk about 5800 bats for that each day – but still possible though

* 450.000 kilo’s of vegetables (rootpuree, cavepotato soup)

* 235.000 kilo’s of scorpionmeat (scorpion kebab)

* 389.000 loaves of bread

as you can see, no shortage of food in the mountain  

[the-braided-one]

The saying went that your life flashed before your eyes when you died.

That was true.

She had seen it all in stunning detail when the runaway cart hit her.

What most of the world didn’t know was that there was an encore when you came back again.

Evelyn Harper was in a unique position to empirically confirm both. She would also say that the “coming back” version was much more leisurely.

Evie had been a normal girl from a normal little village in the mountains. Like all normal children she was driven by insatiable curiosity and guided by a lack of normal adult inhibitions. That is, to say, she asked a lot of questions.

When the adults around her wouldn’t, or couldn’t, give a satisfactory answer, Evie set out to resolve the question herself. This was why, when the wizard came to the village, she had no qualms asking him “why”, “how”, and “what do you mean”. Perhaps this would not have caused more than some frustration on the wizard’s part, but Evie also had the abysmal commonsense to correct him. Not because she was wrong—the world really was round like an apple and salamanders were really just little amphibians like frogs—but because its bad form to cross a wizard.

They can curse you.

And that’s what he did. With a good bit of chanting and some impressive hand waving, he cursed her that every time she said something disagreeable a frog would fall from her mouth. (It was meant to be a much more potent curse involving fiery salamanders, to make a point, but he was a cheap wizard and only had imitation eye of newt. Toad or frog eyes work just fine because magic knows they’re close enough.)

Unfortunately, the curse stuck. At first Evie did her best to power through it, she could get five words in before another frog dropped, but she rarely won any arguments on account of her opponents forfeiting to find a bucket.

For the first month or so the village dined well on frog legs.

But you also don’t make many friends if you spit toads at them when they say it is half-past noon and you correct them that it’s a quarter-of. So she started learning how to turn her statements into questions and keeping her more revolutionary ideas to herself.

Of course, once she was old enough, there were plenty of boys in the village happy to have a wife that never disagreed. Evie wanted to be a scientist, like the ones that surrounded themselves with book and alembics in the city.

So, when the burgeoning plague of cane toads made the village largely uninhabitable, she took the opportunity to make her dream a reality.

At first it was fairly easy, she could write her opinions well enough and starting small got her some recognition among the inspiring scientists. What she didn’t account for was needing to debate her ideas. A couple dozen green and warty interruptions were all it took to dash her hopes. Evie turned to transcribing the works of other, free-tongued scientists to earn her living. The amount of inaccuracies and errors nearly drove her mad.

She might have to give up a life of science all together.

Then she was hired to copy the works of a young scientist that the rest of the community called “mad”. She sympathized with him in this regard. And she discovered that his ideas were not so far off from her own. When she returned to copy to him with a few corrections carefully coached in questions, she found herself wrapped in a conversation where not a single frog dropped from her lips. She hardly even had to twist her few points of disagreement into suggestions.

He was also kind and considerate and attractive in a wet mop sort of way. Evie agreed to marry him three months later and they moved to his tower at the edge of the city.

That was another plus; he had inherited a lot of money and a tower of equipment from an uncle who experimented with homunculi or something. Soon she was back to her studies and guiding her husband on his. Of course, he had plenty of good ideas of his own but she wanted some of her ideas published too. It worked better if he thought they were his.

Over the years, the wading bird population in the nearby pond diminished as the amphibian population received fewer additions, and they reached an easy marital harmony. They also never ran out of imitation eye of newt, but Evie’s husband wasn’t very attentive to such details.

She was out to buy new socks and a replacement for the carboy the cat had knocked over when it happened. Her thoughts were preoccupied on the latest astronomical observations and she never heard the screams and clatter until the horses swerved to avoid her. They just managed it, the cart full of logs didn’t.

There wasn’t much else after that until the play of her life creeped back onto stage. She woke up on the cold slab in her husband’s laboratory, the last tingles of electricity in her fingers and the taste of sulfur on her tongue. Her husband threw his arms around her, tears in his eyes, and she started crying too.

Being dead and then alive again was odd, largely because it was so easy to settle back into her everyday routine. Really like she had taken a good long nap. If she noticed in those first blissful weeks that sometimes her husband stared at her with a strange, uncomfortable look, well she pretended not to notice. She had been dead after all—though she felt quite alright and was quick to praise him on his work—and that was something that took time coming to terms with.

Evie didn’t notice when it happened.

They were talking about the methods he had used to bring her back. There were hundreds of failed experiments, and they were trying to work out what was wrong about each one.

“The recipe wasn’t clear on the type of amphibian to use,” he was saying, “so I started with the larger members of the family and worked my way from there. Turtle was a complete failure.”

“Of course it was,” she said, “turtles aren’t amphibians.”

“Yes, they are,” he said reflexively, still staring at the papers on the table.

“No,” she continued, “they’re reptiles.”

He stared at her then. Like something was wrong. Not her answer, but her.

Then she realized: there was no frog or toad hopping on the table between them.

There isn’t a curse that lasts beyond death.

the "came back wrong" trope except like... they didnt. like this mad scientists wife died, and so he studied necromancy, brought her back, and she came back and it all worked. like she came back exactly the same as she was before with literally no difference. but the scientist guy is like "oh no... what have i done.... shes Different now!!!! she came back Wrong!!!!" and shes just like. chilling. reading a book. cooking dinner. shes just so so normal but in the guys mind hes like "oh shes soooo weird" but shes just normal

[virtuissimo]

Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop: Ch. 12

Previously on:

Roost is a-buzz with gossip about the events from the Tent of Living Stories. Rabbit bookseller Espuma is forced to endure a bad sales pitch (lol). Nikki came in and revealed her intentions to leave Roost for good and move somewhere in the middle course. Mr. Down explained Roost's lack of academic excellence. Espuma spent all their hard-earned money at Roost's shops. Basically, a lot of small things.

DAY TWO OF BUSK: Hearing from old friends

Weather: J, K (Hail all day)

The day came up dreary, odd for so late in Bloom. The days are getting longer and warmer, so a little cloud cover once in a while isn't too bad. The white sky and hail do mean, however, that the customer base was rather thin.

I took advantage of the quiet to make myself tea, have a seat and think. I reflected on what happened that night by the River with my cloaked figure and the child. In the flurry of activity, I heard many rumors of the tale, mainly from people who hadn't even been present. Most thought he was to blame, and more than one person attributed the child's rescue solely to Rex.

Clearly the cloaked animal saved the kid. But it still left me with questions. How did he discover the child? Why were the children being called to the water? Why did the cloaked animal need the book on the Deluge?

My first customer of the day was very happy and seemed almost excited about the change in the weather.

"Do you think Brimming is coming?" he asked earnestly. "I don't like it on the River after all... This is my first year here and I'm ready for it to be over!"

"Well, it sure isn't for everyone. I'm just getting my footing myself," I smiled. "I gotta say, though... There's still a whole month left before Brimming comes. It's only just about to be Burn." He laughed at that, and asked for his book of poetry. I recommended a great collection I first heard about in Rueberry.

A small badger woman (small for a badger anyway) came in later, looking for a book on art and design. She told me she was a weaver and in particular made rugs with beautiful designs. She gained inspiration by looking at art from other creators and artisans. She was very charming and I asked if I could buy a rug from her someday.

I began to oil the till and the clockwork, both to keep busy and because I hadn't done it in a while. A young couple came in, giggling and in love. One was a frog and the other a toad, both women. They whispered to each other and ducked into an aisle to conspire. I could tell instantly, though, it may not have been obvious, that they were in love. I became wistful, remembering my past romances. People from back home, and the handful on the River.

It was easy for me to jump into intimate relationships, but much less so for me to truly build a connection, to let myself be carried away by emotion. I became lonesome and resolved to write to some of the people of other villages.

The turtle salesman came back in.

"Oh, why, hello! How are you today, little lady?"

"I'm still not a lady."

"Oh, that's right! Well, I'm Vinny the Man, and I've got a deal for you!"

I sighed.

"Right here, if you'll look at this invention from the top engineers in Thistle Down university, an automatic tomato-slicer!"

"Autom-"

"Yes! As you can see, any salad you make will be instantly elevated by completely uniform tomato slices, and what's more, it takes no time at all! If you will just lend me a tomato, I can demonstrate for you."

"I don't have any tomatoes."

As with the time before, my gentle refusal seemed to take all the wind out of his sails. He tried to keep going for a minute before resigning and leaving once more.

Other than these few, It was mostly empty. A few people stuck their heads in, a few made purchases, but it was by no means a full day.

Ava Bird came later in the evening, and I was surprised to see her since she'd told me riverstriders tended to travel most of the year round.

"I'm assigned with Roost-duty during the end of Bloom!" she answered. "Since this town has no post office, I deliver letters and packages and then wait a few days for them to send outgoing mail. It gives me a break, too."

"Well, what brings you here to the shop?"

"You've got a letter from Rueberry!"

It was from Goz, the teen echidna at the music night on my last day in Rueberry!

"Dear Mx. Espuma,

I wanted to write to you because we only got to meet a few times when you came to town. I didn't really get to tell you everything I felt, so I put it here. My family is pretty big and they are busy with everyone else. I'm the oldest and my best friend frowned in the River last Brimming, so I've had a lot going on in my head lately. The music night made me remember that other people are alive and looking for peace in their hearts. Please write me back, because you are my hero for bringing this to my life. I'm going to put on music nights of my own, although it won't be as good without you.

-Goz"

I was touched to hear from them and to learn about their struggles. I decided to write back and I put some cheesy parsnips to cook to have with Ava between writing my letter. While they baked, I wrote to Goz, thanking them for their letter and encouraging them in their music journey. I recommended they ask Jamie for help, since he helped me so much with the first one.

This was also my first time making a proper meal on the River. I had all the ingredients, and the flavor seemed to be good, but cosmetically my cheesy parsnips definitely left a lot to be desired.

Ava was pleased to wait, since she typically was in quite a hurry.

We were eating and chatting when the topic came back around to Ava's family back in Thistle Down. Her daughter, Pluma, was 6 years old, and Ava always struggled with motherhood.

"My wife is Cindy Diver," she told me, "and we met when I was starting my career in Port Imes. She's from Thistle Down originally, but I'm a portie. Anyways, she loved our nomadic lifestyle for the longest time, until she wanted kids. Well, I was head over heels for her, I mean, just twitterpated. So I agreed to settle down in Thistle Down. Could not be farther from Port Imes, but I'm a riverstrider, so what's distance to me?

"I was off work and she was fishing for a while, but sedentary life was killing me, so I started work again when Pluma was three." Ava sighed. "You know, I wanted a family with Cindy. I was a wife more than I am a mother. But Cindy is a mother more than a wife. So I feel like I'm letting her down, and Pluma at the same time."

I decided to tell her about my parents. They split up when I was young. Both of them were more husband-wife than they were father-mother. So when they split up, it was like the family had simply dissolved. They tried to go back to their lives before each other, except now suddenly I existed. And so I went to live with my grandmother.

Ava teared up a little and said Pluma means so much to her, and she's putting all her spare energy into being a good mother for her.

It was an invigorating chat! I asked her to stick around, and I wrote another letter to Ebenezer, to maintain contact with someone.

I wrote:

"Hello, Ebenezer! I'm writing from Roost, just one town over. Things are busy here, though the cliques and secretiveness is definitely in full force." I described what happened with the child in the River. "How are things for you, dear friend? Tell me about your life, your friends, your work. I hope we meet again soon." I thanked Ava for her patience, and she thanked me for the meal, and she flew off into the rain with two letters in tow.

Inventory: 449 Till: 278 Customers: 44

[skyheld]

2 & 37 for lethe!

TAV BANTER AND DIALOGUE | ACCEPTING

2. Spam clicking on them too many times

"Enough with this nonsense!" "Well? What do you want?" "'Lethe, do this! Lethe, do that!' Hells, you're worse than... *grumbles*"

37. How would they respond to a player character prompting them with, “Tell me about yourself”?

LOW APPROVAL Tell me about yourself ➤ *scoffs* I fail to see the point in that. 1. We're traveling together. We should get to know each other. ➤ You know my name. That's enough. 2. Fine. Lets discuss something else. ➤ Or let's discuss nothing at all.

NEUTRAL APPROVAL Tell me about yourself ➤ Why? What would you want to know? 1. We're traveling together. We should get to know each other. ➤ Should we? What could you possibly want to know? you have the option to ask her the same questions as if her approval is high, but her answers will be very vague. 2. Fine. Lets discuss something else.➤ Very well.

HIGH APPROVAL Tell me about yourself ➤ About myself? I don't... what would you like to know? 1. Tell me something that makes you happy. ➤ You should know by now being happy isn't really my thing. *laughs, clears throat* I, uh... I've always been fond of frogs. I used to scoop up their eggs and keep them in jars when I was little, but I wasn't great at taking care of them.... but once, when I had my own place, I found a cluster in a pond that was drying up, so I put them in a large bucket and got them to hatch. So many little frogs, hopping around the place... I think that made me happy to see. 2. Tell me something funny about yourself. ➤ Funny? What, like an embarrassing story? Bold of you to assume I've ever embarrassed myself. I suppose there was the one time a young man came by my house asking for a potion that would make him, ah... last longer... and I didn't know what he meant. He had to explain it to me. In detail. I was so humiliated I had to turn him into a toad, and I guess he's still hopping around near my house if no one's stepped on him yet... what, not funny? 3. Tell me something you've never told anyone else. ➤ *small laugh* Considering I never tell anyone anything if I can help it, that could take a while.

[parksaversnews]

The Hidden Secrets of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Pet Cemetery

The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park is one of the most iconic and beloved dark rides ever created. Since opening in 1969, it has entertained and spooked millions of guests with its ghostly inhabitants and imaginative scenes. But hidden away outside this popular attraction is a lesser-known feature - the Haunted Mansion pet cemetery. History of the Pet Cemetery The pet cemetery first appeared in the early 1980s on the west side of the Haunted Mansion building. It was only visible to guests using the wheelchair-accessible side entrance and remained a hidden gem seen by few. According to legend, the cemetery was conceived by Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine, daughter of Madame Leota actress Leota Toombs. In 1993, an additional pet cemetery was installed along the main ride queue where more guests could enjoy it. Over time, the original cemetery became even more secluded as the newer one gained popularity. Today, the status of this secret graveyard accessible only to Disney cast members remains a mystery - some say it's been removed, while others claim it can still be found with a helpful cast member's guidance.

Memorials to Ghostly Pets The Haunted Mansion pet cemetery features whimsical headstones remembering deceased animal companions of the mansion's residents. Each statue and inscription adds humor and personality to furry residents, like: Stripey the Skunk: "You may be departed, but your presence will always linger on" Bully the Frog: "You didn't drink, you didn't smoke, I just can't figure what made you croak" Big Jake the Dog: "Chased a toad down a well, was his one mistake" Miss Kitty the Cat: "After losing eight lives you still had no fear"There's also a memorial for all pets without marked graves, and statues of a squirrel, rabbit, fish, rat, spider, and snake on the queue's brick facade. Design Details & Hidden Magic Subtle details throughout the pet cemetery reinforce its imaginative storytelling. Lily pads surround the tombstone of a frog named Old Flybait "who croaked," while a skunk's marker is edged with flowers known for their own skunky scent. And in true Disney fashion, there's hidden magic here too. Cast members report the planter in the cemetery's center mysteriously topples over at night - could playful spirits be to blame? The memorial to Miss Kitty the cat even suggests one of her nine lives remains...perhaps her ghost still lurks about! Continuing a Legacy While the ultimate fate of the original hidden pet cemetery by the Haunted Mansion is unknown, its legacy continues to delight Disney guests. The tributes to beloved animal companions in the ride's queue keep their stories alive and remain a highlight for many park visitors. It's a testament to the imaginative storytelling and attention to detail that make Disney Parks so special. Just like the mansion itself, the pet cemetery stands the test of time by blending humor, heart, and a little haunting fun. So next time you're waiting in line to hitch a ride with the Haunted Mansion's happy haunts, keep an eye out for these tributes to long-gone pets. You never know what magical surprises or ghostly activity you might encounter!

Frequently Asked Questions What is the history behind the pet cemetery? The original pet cemetery first appeared in the early 1980s on the west side of the Haunted Mansion, conceived by Imagineer Kim Irvine. In 1993, a second pet cemetery was added along the ride's main queue. The status of the original hidden cemetery today remains a mystery. What kinds of pets are featured in the cemetery? Whimsical headstones remember deceased pets like Stripey the skunk, Bully the frog, Big Jake the dog, Miss Kitty the cat, and more. Statues on the queue's facade also depict a fish, rat, spider, snake and other animals. Are there any secrets or hidden details in the cemetery? Yes! Cast members report the planter frequently topples over mysteriously at night, which could be the work of ghostly pets. Miss Kitty's epitaph also suggests she has one life remaining, and may still lurk around the Haunted Mansion! Why does the pet cemetery matter? It continues the storytelling and rich detail of the Haunted Mansion through humor and heart. The pet cemetery adds magic and personality that delights guests and keeps this classic Disney ride engaging over 50 years since its debut. Could the original pet cemetery still exist somewhere? Potentially! Some claim it remains hidden from guests and accessible only by Disney cast members. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but the cemetery's legacy lives on through the tributes added outside the ride.

The hidden secrets of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion extend beyond the ride itself to features like the whimsical pet cemetery. Though its original west side location remains elusive, the newer memorials delight riders with humor and heart. The cemetery tributes let imaginations run wild with stories of bully frogs, departed skunks, and ghosts of pets past. Its little details and legends feel quintessentially Disney - fun, playful, and forever fascinating. For over 30 years, this graveyard has kept delightful pet tales alive for Mansion fans. Even as rides evolve, it stands the test of time as a highlight for those in the know. The pets may be departed, but their magical spirit endures. Read the full article

[forgive-me-your-highness]

What do questions taste like?

Hnnggggg chicken friend rice

You know what fuck it I’m leaving that there XD

—

1. What's your favorite constellation?

- Big Dipper & Little Dipper

2. Do you prefer tea,coffee or hot chocolate?

- Hot Cocoa & Tea

3. What's your favorite mythical creature?

- Dragons.

4. Which type of weather do you feel most comfortable in?

- Cold weather, max at 65F

5. Do you have any hobbies? If so,what?

- Play LoZ games & Digital Art

6. Favorite fruit?

- Pears!

7. What's a song that makes you happy?

- Wanna Go Out by American Authors

8. Puppies or kittens?

- Kittens

9. What's your favorite holiday and why? How do you celebrate it?

- Halloween. The typical dress up and host a Halloween party every year.

10. Daytime or nighttime? Which do you prefer?

- Night time.

11. Do you collect anything? What?

- Not really, have a small Amiibo collection but that’s it.

12. Museums or carnivals?

- Carnivals.

13. Hugs or kisses?

- Both, please.

14. What's your favorite season?

- Fall

15. What's a topic that fascinates you?

- Drug Distribution & The Bubonic Plague

16. Claude Monet or Vincent Van Gogh?

- Van Gogh

17. What's your favorite book?

- We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

18. Which genre of movies/shows is your favorite to watch?

- Adventure & Comedy

19. Who is your favorite historical figure and why?

- None really, I don’t know any names off the top of my head.

20. Which color best represents you?

- Probably a Blue or Purple

21. Do you believe in the paranormal?

- Yes.

22. What's your all time favorite song?

- You Are My Sunshine

23. What's your favorite perfume scent to wear?

- Don’t wear perfume regularly enough to know.

24. What are your religious beliefs?

- Religious Trauma, enough said.

25. Paintings or sculptures?

- Paintings

26. What's your favorite word?

- Ironically enough, it’s Favorite

27. Who do you love most in your life?

- All jokes aside, my cat, and my closest friend Lullaby

28. Do you believe in soulmates?

- Yes, platonic and romantic

29. Who is your favorite fictional character?

- Skyward Sword Link & Wind Waker Link

30. What's your favorite musical?

- Don’t necessarily like musicals.

[forgive-me-your-highness]

Now what are you supposed to do with questions? Eat them? No... Hug them? No... Hmm...

1. Do you believe in ghosts, at all? Have you ever seen one?

• I do, thankfully never seen one

2. What’s the furthest away you’ve ever been from civilization?

• Middle of the fucking desert

3. What’s the furthest away you’ve ever been from another person?

• Not too far if we’re considering random strangers passing by occasionally

4. How far away you have to go to be truly alone? Is that even possible?

• I’d say maybe the middle of a national park

5. Have you experienced sleep paralysis?

• Thank fuck no

6. Do you live somewhere with a history of hauntings or unexplained events?

• No. Some close family owns property that was bought just after a murder.

7. What’s the most unexplained thing that has ever happened to you?

• Occasional childhood memories of my family and I walking at night away from a place we lived with the intention to not go back despite being told that never happened.

8. What’s the creepiest time of day?

• Any time during the dead of night. Too dark to see properly and no one is out and about.

9. Where’s the creepiest place you have ever been?

• Hiking trails at night. That or wide open land and a vehicle with no headlights.

10. Do you believe in any sort of cryptid? Loch Ness Monster, w******, Kraken, jersey devil, etc.?

• Considering I quickly took out a name, yes there are two that I’m utterly terrified of.

11. If you hike or spend a lot of time in nature, what’s the scariest thing you’ve seen or heard?

• Nothing too out of the blue, a few ghost towns here and there and a general feeling of being watched.

12. What’s the scariest true story you know?

13. Do you believe in demons/angels of any form?

• Yes.

14. Do you know someone who has gone missing?

• Thankfully not a true missing persons case that I know of, they just left one day (I think so?) but didn’t have any contact with them so I don’t know where they are lmao.

15. What was your childhood monster or fear, if you had one?

• I was always afraid of a man in my room trying to hurt me.

16. Are you scared of the dark?

• Extremely so.

17. What’s your local cryptid/myth/horror story? What do the kids of your neighborhood whisper about?

• A woman who drowned her children and immediately regretted it, so she walks along the dried riverbed wailing

18. Are you superstitious about anything?

• A few things.

19. Given the choice, would you become something inhuman? Vampire, werewolf, whatever.

• Not quite sure. Something that lays dormant for thousands of years sounds ideal.

20. Do you think there are things science can’t explain?

• Given time I’m sure there will be a lot more explanation.