#also the description is absolutely awful i'll find it some time; its like he has 3 faces and they are chewing j.udas and two other guys

[darabeatha]

<- He is described to have a form closer in size to that of a ship than that of a man, and his spear closer to a tree than that of a regular weapon's size

[sancta-seraphina]

hello! been a bit obsessed with your art, and stories, for a while now (hope it hasn't come across as weird)!

a while ago you mentioned Davidson's Dictionary of Angels as a good source, but that you didn't agree with a few things. As someone who's had that book as reference for a bit now, I'm really curious as to which things?

Aw, thank you so much! <3 I hope to be able to release more things about them soon (I'll be very busy with the ballet this month and next month though).

About the Davidson book—don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE this book. It's literally one of my favorites! I use it all the time. But I've also had many moments where I simply was not pleased about the information given. I won't list everything, but here are some issues I've had:

One thing in particular made me question the accuracy of definitions to their sources. @/a-thenais and myself were talking about a particular angel name that barely had a description aside from (roughly) 'an angel belonging to the order of the Cherubim that occurs in the Book of the Angel Raziel' (Sepher Raziel), since she was thinking about using that name in her story.

...well I have translations of the Book of the Angel Raziel in multiple formats (physical book and ebooks) and even its alternate titles, so I decided to go see what it says because I'm an insane person who cross-references like that.

I could NOT find the name, and I spent hours trying to, and made multiple attempts on various days. I literally went through every spelling translation I could come up with regarding the name—because Hebrew & Aramaic letters don't match up well to English. I STILL have not found it.

So I don't really know where that leaves me, aside from asking questions about multiple books. Did my copies leave it out? Did someone translate it incorrectly? Did Davidson credit the wrong book? I checked everything he listed. I started to wonder if maybe I'm just really bad at finding information (I'm usually decent at it). And I'm still determined to find it eventually.

Another thing I remember being irked by was the lack of information regarding the names of Metatron. Davidson only lists the 76 names from the Sepher ha-Heshek, and does not include the 105 from 3 Enoch, which is what I was specifically hoping for when I looked up the names of Metatron in the book. He mentions that they are in 3 Enoch, and I have two translations of 3 Enoch, but I would really like to know more about them and was hoping for at least references to other commentary on them. So he definitely failed me on that.

I also don't really like that he said Lucifer is 'erroneously' equated with Satan, since in my opinion, that's up to what an individual wants to believe about him and which names an individual wants to ascribe to the devil. So I would have removed the word 'erroneously', since many people DO believe them to be the same, which to me is just as valid a belief as thinking they are different. And when it comes to beliefs, I'm a really big fan of letting people believe what they like and not pushing them one way or the other on the basis of 'facts' or 'mistranslation'.

Overall, I still LOVE the book and recommend it, and like any book, it has its flaws.

[brb-on-a-quest]

#i'll be honest that story is my only point of reference for Dante's inferno#so if you ever want to infodump about it I'd love to listen

^@igotthisaccountunderduress

Editing to add that: I did try to find your video but youtube told me it's not available :( :( :( :( (SIGH)

(I was kinda hoping someone would ask bc I do have a great idea for the fanfic plot and details I think) Disclaimer that things that seem to be fact are from my notes which means they are from the much beloved and awe/terror-inspiring Dr. V and I haven't done additional research. Also this infodump is as my beloved other english professor said is going to be like taking a motorcycle through an art gallery, so if you're interested, you should look for it :)

I actually really enjoyed reading Inferno (to be fair, I read it with one tab up and Sparknotes (my beloved) up on the other side so I could fully understand what was going on, but in comparison to the other epics/poetry that we've read in this course it's a lot more shorter and easier to understand as a translation? (this makes sense it's drastically more recent in comparison to Virgil or Homer).

Uhhh main things to note is Dante's Absolutely A Petty Italian who was exiled by Florence for being in the Wrong Political Party at the time (RIP Guelphs) and he took that so well (not at all) and started ripping on every Florentine political opponent who he hated. Like it is a spiritual commentary that's been highly influential in our cultural depections (although not doctrine), its also the rage of a middle-aged Italian Man who had survived many things. Fun Fact, after Florence Banished him under threat of death, his body was hidden under a staircase in a Franciscan(?) monestary for over 2 centuries bc Florence hated him that much. Then Florence tried to ask for his body back and Ravenna (where he's buried) said "no, you literally didn't want him, he's ours now."

So some of the things that I find Cool about Dante's Inferno are:

We get up close and personal with the sinners and find out exactly what they did to deserve hell. For example, Dante (the mc) and Virgil (his guide) talk with a lot of the sinners and find out "ok yeh this is what you did" and Dante (the mc) actually faints twice during this part of the epic trilogy bc some of these Sinners are not so different from himself. Which, IMO, feels like that needed to be emphasized. Because at least where I'm at, people seem to consider everyone in hell as monsters and that doesn't seem to be the Christian attitude to have? Like "Love everyone as I have loved you" includes people in Hell and Satan (this doesn't mean treat them good, it just means don't be a jerk and memento mori). Dante (the mc) Kinda Conveniently forgets this fact when he, as an alive person, starts blindly attacking other damned souls who he was enemies with pre-trip to hell.

Secondly, the punishments in hell are *very* physical. Like Dante (the author) fully ensures that you have full description with all of the senses and more. Things stink, things feel gross, things are bleeding constantly, things look scary, like all of the senses are engaged (part of the reason why I think it got popular and an interpretation of hell bc engaging all of the senses meant it caught a lot of reader and poetic imagination that probably scared a lot of ppl when reading), but when you go through Purgatory (which I read once in high school, so yay that's coming in handy), all of your senses start getting used less and less as you go through the levels. Like by the time you get to Paradise the only senses Dante uses is are sight and hearing. There's no smell, there's no touch, there's no taste. Which is an interesting take that probably has philosophical implications about how we need seeing and hearing to bass on beliefs and Dante (the mc) is supposed to be having a vision so those are the only two requirements.

Thirdly, I find it really beautiful that Inferno and Purgatory are inverses of each other. Because Inferno is set up so that it's an inverted cone with the layers getting smaller and smaller as their are fewer people committing more grievous of sins (there are just three people in the deepest depths of hell). And Purgatory is a mountain where there are also fewer people as you go up and get closer to heaven. It's poetic. Like of course those two things are Complementary of each other because one is showing the Divine Justice and the Other is showing Divine Mercy in Dante's mind. Idk, cool worldbuilding detail man, idk what people want from me.

Dante also was very particular with detail sometimes and not with others: so there are 100 cantos (chapters) in all of the divine comedy, Hell has 34 (bc its imperfect) and both Purgatory and Heaven both have 33. Because he was a poet he did all of this in a tertia rima style so ABA BCB CDC which is not easy. But then, again, he's a little bit random with the people he puts in hell vs heaven vs purgatory? Like Virgil, his guide, is technically a citizen of Limbo (one of the circles of hell), because he doesn't think he ever was a "Christian before Christ" like other people did. But then there were other Roman poets that he puts in purgatory Because "Oh they were absolutely Secret Christians" Like, they were living in the time of Emperor Nero where Christians were being fed to wild animals and being live human torches, I don't think there were many people would've wanted to secretly practice Christianity at that point unless they fully believed it. I mean, is it possible, yes? Likely, nah. But you can definitely tell (especially with anything related to Florence) that his moral placements are based on Vibes.

Pros: I get to write fan fiction of Dante's Inferno for one of my projects for English.

Cons: My Scary Russian Prof who is Crazy Talented has to read my fan fiction of Dante's Inferno.

[disapoitment]

Am I about to overanalyse another throwaway gag? Absolutely! This time it's from the classic season one episode, Napoleon Brainaparte.

So, towards the very end of this episode, our poor, beloved mice are about to meet their tragic end. They're threateningly informed that an afterlife awaits them, and as they cower in what they believe to be their final moments, the viewers are given a glimpse into their heads...specifically, what they each imagine heaven to be like. This scene surprised me on my first watch, because it was pretty unexpected. And surprisingly...sweet?

Let's start off with Brain's idea of heaven, which is shown first.

Right off the bat we have him surrounded by a chorus of Pinky angels. This is one of the rebuttals I have for people who doubt Brain cares about Pinky...I mean, if I didn't like someone, I definitely wouldn't include them in my idealised afterlife, nevermind multiple versions of them!

Uh, I digress. The thing I actually want to draw attention to here is the fact that Brain actively desires Pinky in his life (or, afterlife, in this case) and can't imagine existing, in any form, without him. We've seen it time and time again, from the episode "Snowball" to that one story from the comics, but this is one of the earliest, most apparent instances of it in the show. This scene alone proves to the audience that Brain isn't using Pinky to reach his goals, but genuinely sees him as a friend and a companion. And maybe there's an unhealthy splash of codependancy in there.

To take this a step further, an afterlife is commonly portrayed as a sort of perfect world; a place of eternal happiness, even. It's safe to assume from this daydream that Brain subconsciously associates Pinky with the same joy and contentment associated with heaven. We can even interpret this scene as Brain viewing Pinky as an angel, which is not only heart-wrenchingly sweet, but makes a fair bit of sense, all things considered.

After all, though Brain himself tends to shy away from explicit displays of emotions and empathy, he's been established to admire these traits in others. In "TV or not TV", he claims to find Princess Diana (who was well-known for her activism) attractive, and he repeatedly praises Pinky's kind nature throughout the series, even when it directly interferes with a plan. He even sabotages his own plots when Pinky objects for moral reasons, eg "Inherit The Wheeze", and then there's the iconic instance of him DESTROYING his own machinery after tearing up over Pinky's Christmas letter. I believe this is why Pinky is an angel in Brain's eyes: he's compassionate, he's pure-hearted, and he's innocent. Well, innocent in the sense of intention, at least. Pinky represents all the things Brain is too afraid to be himself, lest morality get in the way of his goals.

On top of that, Pinky always stays by Brain's side. He's the only person/mouse who has never left him, hurt him, or betrayed him. It's natural that someone so lonely, cynical and self-loathing as Brain would view his polar opposite as a literal angel...or, even more impactfully, a full chorus of them. Of course Brain's idealised heaven has himself as an angel too, but I'd say that's either his ego coming into play (he's both self-hating and conceited) or just to serve as a visual signifier that he's...um, dead. The flock of Pinky angels is what I'm focusing on here, because the sheer amount of them in comparison to Brain highlights them in this miniature megalomaniac's reverie. And also because it's more interesting to take the analysis in this direction! ♡

Honestly, there's not quite as much I can say about this segment of the scene. Brain is on a throne, so presumably he's imagining himself ruling...heaven? Good for you, Brain!

It's very in-character for Brain to put himself as the centrepiece of his ideal afterlife, and as much as I love this little guy, the angel imagery is obviously ironic. Whether intentional or not, this can be connected to his egotism, as well as his belief that everything he does, no matter how severe or morally corrupt, can be justified by the end goal of ruling Earth and making it a better place. I don't believe that Brain genuinely sees himself as an angel when it comes to his purity, but rather that he thinks all his sins can be forgiven if/when he becomes the "benevolent dictator" (his words, not mine) of the planet...or maybe that's just what he tells himself to be able to sleep at night.

He looks noticeably very content and calm as an angel. I would go off on a tangent about how this is a version of Brain who is finally freed from the burden of his never-ending cycle of failure, and that this suggests that he needs to break out of his world domination obsession to ever be truly happy, but...I'll spare you.

Oh, Pinky. Poor, poor Pinky. He's so selfless that it stings :(

It says a painful amount that in his idea of heaven...he's not even in it. I don't think he hates himself, yet he's so good-natured that he ends up neglecting his own desires for the sake of others. In this scene, he has literally forgotten to include himself in his own idealised world. I hate to say this, but this could be a result of his codependent relationship with Brain. He's so focused on Brain's happiness and goals that his life almost revolves around him at this point, and as I mentioned before, they fall apart without eachother. Pinky pours his heart and soul into helping Brain, partly because he genuinely believes Brain will make the world a better place, and partly because he'd do almost anything for Brain's sake. His love for Brain is so strong that he's the focus of Pinky's own paradise.

What I find significant is Brain taking the role of every single angel in the fantasy. He's portrayed as a sweet and wholesome creature wearing a cute smile, a stark contrast to reality. Even just him being an angel in the first place implies that this is how Pinky sees him. A big part of the latter's motivation to help Brain take over the world, though scarcely mentioned in the show itself, is so it can become a happier, nicer place for everyone. As a determined optimist, Pinky shares the desire to improve the Earth, and so views Brain as a sort of hero, someone surely worthy of a halo and wings.

His view of Brain as a good person can be explained further when we consider that he doesn't mind being bopped (and in some interpretations, downright enjoys it), can shrug off any verbal abuse, and clings onto any snippets of warmth he receives from Brain. The things others would raise their eyebrows at are things Pinky ignores or adores. I think it's safe to say that, overall, Pinky is the type to focus on his friend's positive traits and simply ignore most of the negatives, as seen in "Pinky's Plan" when he gives an extremely sugarcoated description of Brain to the world leaders. Because of all this, in Pinky's mind, Brain truly is an angel. It's bittersweet, really.

And here we have it again. Brain on the throne, ruling. This is all Pinky truly wants—for his friend to be happy, fulfilled and at peace, making whatever world he may rule a better place. There's not an awful lot more to say now, since this is just a repeat of the scene from Brain's fantasy, but I think that's the most heartwarming part. These two mice are working towards the exact same goal, and yet their reasons for doing so are quite different: Brain to rule the world, Pinky to make his friend smile. It's almost poetic in its simplistic beauty. The voice actors said it best when they described the show as a "desperate love story", and the little scenes like this only prove that to me.

Welp, that's all I have to say for now! I haven't reached this hard since I tried to get to the chromatica oreos on the top shelf in Tesco. But this was fun, anyway! Thank you ever so much for reading :'D Your patience must be incredible! 💕

[angloie]

Rivals. Nothing more. (1/2)

> Percy is annoyed on how Annabeth always was. Her passion to win, to suceed, to be better than him. He hates that. It's totally not hot, or whatever.

> Warnings: swearing and kinda (?) suggestive undertones, my writing

> Genre: fluff, mutual pinning, Percy having a huge fat crush on Annabeth.

You can find the second part here!

Percy wasn't very fond of smartasses who talked back.

I mean, who wouldn't? They were truly insufferable; acting like they knew everything and spat out facts here and there, all high and mighty.

Annabeth fit that description perfectly.

She's such a stuck up nerd; always beating his spot just opened place higher than him. When they spar, Percy can't help but feel a overwhelming urge pushing him to win. Annabeth struck back with the same passion, every strike, slash, push, thrust, holds her need for victory.

And when Percy does win after a long match? It feels amazing. The refreshing mood when you get exactly what you want- for once beating enemy number one. Annabeth shakes hands with him after and it infuriates him all over again. Why can't she feel more embarassed? Devestated? Shame? She walks away from the training arena calmly like she won over him.

Oh, Annabeth does feel embarassed. Devestated, too. But the look in Percy's eyes when she acts all stoic- seated stop her high horse- is simply electrifying. No better feeling than antagonizing your rivals, right?

They first meet at twelve. Both still young and insufferable, being the natural rivals they were. After all, their godly parents were two of the biggest rivals between one another: Athena and Posiedon.

Then they’re thirteen. Rivals, yes, but they can get along better now. Much better, in fact. Annabeth just feels the tiniest bit of attraction. It's just platonic. That's what she likes to tell herself, really.

Fourteen and Percy and her still bickering and arguing like usual. They can respect each other's boundaries still, all while they make crude jokes about the other. People say that they might be best friends, but the two of them shoot their ideas out of their heads. Who would wan't to be friends with that loser, anyways?

The ripe age of fifteen. Same old Percy, and same old Annabeth. They grow stronger together, and even more stronger as they progress. It's such a heartwarming thing to watch. Annabeth becomes more aware of how Percy looks. His apearance. Once a couple inches shorter than her becomes level-height. And then Percy has the audacity to grow taller than her. 

He likes to tease Annabeth about it. Holding books above her head, or anything he can grab that's hers. It's more blood-boiling when you remember the fact that people in ancient Greece associated height with power. Percy? Have more power than her? Unaceptable.

Percy on the flip side becomes more aware of how his endearing his rival becomes. Annabeth puts him in awe sometimes, incredibly witty and smart. But the snobbish attitude from her makes him want to gag. Maybe not as much as it did in the past other years. Annabeth, (as much as he hates to admit it) is someone he can trust. After years of being partners in both battle and else, that was expected. Percy still can't trust Annabeth with his blue cookies though.

Sixteen, finally. A confusing year for Percy. It becomes a growing problem for Percy when his heart beats erratically when Annabeth is near. Her shampoo smells so heavenly from where he's sitting, which is at the end of her bed. Annabeth sits crossed legged from him, flicking the pages of a book. Percy just saw the lights on from her cabin and crawled through the window. That would make her annoyed, right? No other reason; just to annoy her. Totally not because he wants to see her again.

Annabeth doesn't have the slightest clue in her mind about why she let him in. Or why he opted to sit on her bed directly, instead of sitting on one of the very comfortable seats in the large room. Annabeth doesn't complain. The cabin is empty; her other guests singing along at the campfire or elsewhere. 

Percy gets up wordlessly as Annabeth continues to stare at her book. Words are flowing through, forming, but she can't seem to focus to comprehend the book.

She notices his arrival when the bed dips with his weight. Percy has a blob of water in mid-air, floating just above the palm of his hand.

“You better not get that on my bed,” Annabeth chides, “Or I'll make sure to kill you.”

“Really now?” Percy makes the water floating towards her, threatening to soak her face. It stops inches before her- stopping from wetting her clothes along with it. She doesn't flinch.

Annabeth gives a sticky sweet smile, but her eyes say otherwise. Something along the lines of 'You better be digging up your grave now'. Percy flinches back in surprise, hands braced in a defensive position. The water shifts and floats back to him... to only float around the room aimlessly.

It's times like this when he feels truly at peace. The air is tense, sure, but he feels calmer than ever before. It's liberating.

The water leaks a bit from the moving. Annabeth is amazed how it moves so effortlessly. It's Percy moving it, but that didn't matter. Sometimes Annabeth wished she had powers... Her smarts and wits were amazing, but she felt that she could achieve even more if she had them. It's a painful thought.

Percy sits back on her bed, staring at the white celling. Different coloured sticky notes and red strings are hooked together by flimsy thumb tacks. Talk about being a nerd.

Both lost in their thoughts and a good book, the water comes back around the room to splash on-

Just fucking peachy.

On Annabeth.

“Percy!” She screeches, hair damp with liquid and some finding it's way on her white shirt. Due to the thin fabric and cool water, he shirt becomes a little more. How do you put it? transparent. Translucent.

“Oh shit-” Percy jerks upwards, moving his hands around frantically. If he stares any longer, he might become more aware of the now visible uhm- undergarments. He also might notice that they are blue, his favourite colour, and how it looks so fucking good on her. 

Okay, he's noticed all of that in a matter of seconds.

“Quit staring!” Annabeth protests more, as Percy gets up to face the wall and cover his eyes. 

“I didn't mean to!” He says, still facing away from her. “I-it was a accident!” I swear!”

“Quit you're blubbering and get out!”

“Sorry!” Percy says again, and again. “I’m really sorry!” Until he finds his way to the large mahogany door and steps out.

“I- uh-" He tries to reasonate, tries to make up with her. But it's quickly shut off when Annabeth slams the door in his face. Leaving a very stuttering and blushing Percy.

Seventeen. It's a dreadful year for the two of them.

It becomes painfully clear why Percy had been a blushing, embarrassing mess around Annabeth. Clear on why he feels like he's on cloud nine when she pins him down in the sparing arena. And incredibly clear why Percy thinks about her eyes, her smile, her everything. Even the random facts he always thought was annoying and stupid leave marks on his brain. 

The oblivious son of Poseidon denies his feelings. Just some rivalry feelings! Some of which include him wanting to kiss Annabeth so bad sometimes, or even wanting to hold hands while walking along the sand. Maybe he does have the occasional dream of some less than appropriate things. Percy's rather embarassed about that.

It's when Grover, his reliable and trustworthy best friend finally makes him realize his true feelings. Ones hidden layers of sarcasm and sharp jokes.

“You think about her twenty four seven,” Grover starts, leaning back on the thick trunk of the oak tree. Percy had just came to him mid-spar to tell him how Annabeth was absolutely destroying him.

“And you also blab about her nonstop. I dunno dude, that sounds like a crush to me.” Grover sighs heavily. Percy blinks once. Then twice. And then three times.

“Do you get jealous when you see her with someone else?”

“Yeah! It's sickening! I feel all weird and stuff, so I-”

“You have a crush~” Grover teases.

“No? I think it's just-"

“Its a crush, Percy. You're so oblivious that it'll never progress more than that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Percy scowls at him. A bead of sweat trails down his forehead, caused from the hours of training.

“It means you have to confess.” Grover simply states, getting up. His hooves clomp down on the hard-packed earth as he trails away. “You gotta do it sooner or later, before someone else does it!”

That thought makes bile rise in his stomach. Annabeth? Go out with someone's else? Other than him? No way. Negatory.

But what if she declines? Annabeth is completely free to do that; but Percy would probably die of heartbreak. And if she started to date someone? Percy would explode.

It's settled, then.

He's going to confess.

-

- a/n:

(re-uploaded to fix some mistakes, lol)

[fangirlforlife97]

My ACOTAR Fan Cast/ Dream Cast - Part 1:

Before I start I should go ahead and point out that yes, I know alot of the male actors are older than the female ones, but it just seems easier to find and envision the actresses suited for the female characters. But who happen to be younger then the male characters, and i know to some it might seem weird having younger actresses in their twenties to late twenties and guys in their thirties to late thirties. There's not a whole lot of twenty something or late twenty year old guys that come to mind that would fit the character description or personality for the male characters. I'm just going by who I think suits the characters best and who I would really like to see play these characters! So try not to judge me too harshly lol 😅😂

Also I feel horrible for how awful the fandom has treated Danielle Rose Russell!! It makes the whole fandom look bad in a sense and its a shameful feeling. I would never bully or harass someone whether that be online or in person, it's a terrible thing to do. I'll admit though I'm not the biggest fan of her, as Hope Mikkelsen anyways. Well that might not be true, I can't really say I like or dislike someone as a character when I haven't even seen Legacies.

Just random clips from time to time. The clips I did see was pretty cringe, then again the CW is known for cringey shows. Even though I haven't really seen it, what I have I'm not a fan but that doesn't mean I hate or dislike the actresses. I do think she has alot of potential and is very beautiful, I just don't think the Hope character was for her. I could've seen her as Feyre though, she's lovely. What I'm poorly trying to say is the hate towards her was very uncalled for and she deserves a ton of apologies, the fandom needs to do and be better!!!! I wish I could give her a hug.

Anyways though, not that anyone cares lol but here's my fan/dreamcast for ACOTAR!!!!

Feyre Archeron:

Saoirse Ronan - (She's personally my top favorite choice for Feyre.)

OR . . . . . .

Kathryn Love Newton (My second top choice!)

Nesta Archeron:

Jennifer Lawrence - She's one of my favorite choices for Nesta, I can really see her as the oldest Archeron sister. She's gorgeous but also seems intimidating!!

OR . . . . . .

Sophie Turner - I can also see her as Nesta.

Elain Archeron: I have a very special place in my heart for Elain, she's lovely and precious and gets a lot of hate for her femininity. Reminds me a lot of Sansa Stark and I'm very protective of her. Might be strange to say because we've never gotten a POV from her but she's my favorite Archeron sister. Don't get me wrong, I love Feyre and Nesta too but Elain's my girl and needs to be protected at all costs.

Haley Lu Richardson - She's my top favorite choice as Elain. She radiates Elain energy and is literally the embodiment of Elain. And that damn smile . . . . wow. She's perfect!!

But I could also see . . . . . .

Florence Pugh as Elain too, she would be another great choice!! But Haley Lu Richardson will always be my top choice.

Papa Archeron:

Robert Carlyle - I've seen Once Upon A Time way before I ever read ACOTAR but for some reason Robert was always who I kind of imagined to play Feyre, Nesta, and Elain's father!? His character in OUAT before he was Rumplestiltskin gives me hella papa Archeron vibes.

Tamlin:

Chris Hemsworth - He's absolutely perfect for Tamlin!! Well that and no one else really came to mind.

To be continued . . . . .

[feathers-scales-and-tails]

Lately I've seen a lot of posts talking about the environmental impact pet cats can have. And while this is absolutely excellent that awareness is finally being brought, I have yet to see a single discussion about pet dogs. Many don't know but they can be just as destructive as cats if allowed to wander unchecked! I'd really appreciate if you could take the time to read this or share it please! So cheers, I'll try not to drag this out too long.

Dogs just like cats, massacre animals simply because of instincts, they're bored, or because it's just fun to kill. Despite it being illegal in Queensland, Australia where I live to allow a dog to leave its property unsupervised, it is common place to see it happen anyway. Local councils are slack with pet cats and dogs so even if their wandering is reported often no punishments are enforced upon owners. Majority know how harmful a single cat can be; my backyard population of Eastern Water Dragons (5 adults, estimated 13 babies) was slaughtered by my neighbours cat. That damage has never reversed and to this day, roughly 8 years after, I have never seen another Water Dragon in my yard. Yet mention a dog and people will bite your head off with "dogs are angels" and "my dog would never kill"

We don't often hear about dogs killing wildlife although it does happen, considering they don't drag the kills back home likes cats do. Often dead possums and kangaroos will be abandoned wherever the dog killed them, unbeknownst to the owners. However what we do hear about commonly, is livestock.

Ask any farmer in Australia and they will tell you that they've had stock massacred by dogs, occasionally feral but usually pets. Feral dogs don't like light and are usually smart enough not to jump into a paddock where they'll be trapped and prone to discovery by humans. Pet dogs don't have this fear, and are often found covered in blood and gore surrounded by bodies.

Here are some of the stories I was told just from last year. Warning I have included very graphic descriptions so if you don't want to read feel free to skip. I'll summarise at the very end of this post how many stock died for you without the details.

12+ sheep (he stopped counting it was too distressing for him but estimate is around the 20 mark) attacked by dogs. 5 were still alive when he found them, 2 passed away as he went to get his knife. He had to finish 3 off. He doesn't know what time they were attacked but considering most of the blood was dry it was likely many, many hours ago. The dog wasn't caught but it was likely a pet one considering none of the carcasses were consumed at all and the owner lives close to both a university and a town where there are many pet dogs.

23 sheep including lambs and pregnant ewes massacred by two pet dogs. 11 were still alive when found and most needed to be finished off. These dogs had obviously taken great joy in chasing the sheep since all injuries sustained were to the rear with absolutely no scratch on the front end of the sheep. It's likely they chased them, grabbed them and pulled them down, them let them back up and repeated until the sheep collapsed from blood loss and exhaustion. Several of the sheep were missing the tendons in their legs and these tendons were found flung across the paddocks. The two dogs responsible were found on the property, they were playing with a deceased lamb. Throwing it in the air and shaking it. When they caught sight of the farmer approaching them they ran over for pats. I'm unsure what happened to the dogs? I believe the farmer found their owner and gave them a serving but allowed the dogs to live.

3 calves attacked by dog/s. Culprits weren't caught so this one could have been feral, but considering nothing was eaten again doesn't seem likely. 2 of the calves were found deceased, one with chunks taken from both sides so big you could stick your fist inside apparently. The other one was missing her ears and tail but had no other visible injuries asides from tears at her heels. She likely died from shock. The 3rd calf was found still alive, lying on its side with its intestines hanging out. The dogs had crippled its back legs so it couldn't stand or run and then torn open its stomach. It appears that they may have been going to eat the organs but were disturbed or scared off? This calf was shot.

7 sheep killed, 3 pregnant ewes and 2 lambs. I wasn't given details of how they died, or if any were found still alive, however I was told something which is incredibly upsetting. The dog that did this was their own. She was their pet German shepherd who had previously chased sheep but never attacked them. They rehomed her somewhere without other animals.

37 chickens. Once again no details but it was the neighbours pet dogs.

An alpaca who was guarding his herd of sheep died valiantly defending them from two dogs.

Somebody's entire flock of 10 sheep. They'd not long gotten them and since they were pets they were obviously crushed. Dog wasn't caught but was likely another pet considering the lambs bodies appeared to have been shaken around like toys.

That was all during 2018, last year. Please note that if vet treatment was feasible, a lot of these animals would have received it. Their conditions were so poor that there would've been nothing a vet could do asides from euthanasia. Although vet euthanasia is more humane and nicer than a slit throat or bullet through the skull, rural vets often aren't nearby so can take several hours to arrive. Although some cases would come down to money (a vet callout fee is around 100-200 bucks) majority were because these people didn't want to leave their stock in pain while they waited for vets to arrive (they likely would have died before the vet arrived anyway). So please don't come at me about how them putting their stock out of their misery is abuse or anything like that because it's an awful thing to go through and was not a decision made lightly.

All of this I only know from talking directly to the farmers (I'm involved in agricultural shows particularly the sheep and poultry sectors). Two of those people I mentioned are friends of mine. I had SEEN that first examples sheep on the Friday. He'd taken me down and showed me all of them. By the Monday, I think it was? Over half of them were gone. There was one little girl I fell in love with and joked about taking home with me. It crushed me finding out she was one of the ones he had to finish off, left there god knows how long in agony. I'll attach a photo of her because she deserves remembering.

That's livestock, I dread to think what dogs are doing to our local wildlife. Here are a couple cases I've heard about this year for wildlife. Descriptions are brief and not gory.

Pet dog killed a blue tongue lizard found in their yard. She also maimed another one which they got off her and took to the vets (likely euthanised)

Pet dog jumped and pulled a Ringtail possum out of a tree on an early morning walk. Owner got the possum away from it but she was pretty maimed, she was euthanised at the vets.

Pet dog kills big Brushtail possum it found crossing through the yard at night.

Pet dog on a walk takes off on owner chasing a wallaby. Leash wasn't securely being held so is pulled from the owners hand and the dog runs off into bushland after the wallaby. He came back after 10-15 minutes of calling him, muzzle covered in blood. It's unknown what happened to the wallaby.

Oh so many snakes killed by dogs.... people like to brag about their dogs killing snakes so I've probably got 30 stories of this for you. "He was guarding his family like a good boy" "only good snake is a dead snake and (dogs name) here knows it!" "Better the snake than me" "one less snake! I think that's celebration. I hope he gets more"

That last one in particular makes me incredibly angry. Vast majority of snake bites are because people either try to catch or kill the snake, if left alone we wouldn't have as many 'vicious snake attacks' as we do. Many dogs die annually or require antivenon due to being bit while mauling snakes. It's not that hard to train a dog not to touch wildlife.

I think it's great we're becoming more aware of the environmental impact cats have, and are hopefully becoming more responsible cat owners. However education also needs to be raised on how destructive dogs can be. We need to ensure that we're responsible owners and do everything we can to minimise the impact our pets have on both wildlife, and other people's pets.

Livestock summary: 12+ sheep killed, 23 sheep killed, 3 calves killed, 7 sheep killed, 37 chickens killed, 1 alpaca killed, 10 sheep killed. And not a single one was eaten, simply killed for sport.

Here's that gorgeous girl I said I'd attach a photo of, may she rest easy now.