#aside from human and anima

[firestormmaidenanddragon]

Continued from HERE

@x-whiskeylullaby-x

“Huh, punishment?”

He may be the Emperor Vampire, but he wasn’t THAT kind of ruler of his people, he wasn’t sure who this person even was, usually, he’d have a scent to help discern between human, vampire, and other creatures.

“I...don’t work like that unless it’s something major, like causing problems between vampires and other races, I’m hoping that isn’t the case with you, right?”

[novankenn]

Lethal Display

The Mistralian Brown Wolves were the top non-grimm predator on Anima. Fast, strong, and intelligent, focusing on pack tactics to harry, corner and bring down prey much larger than themselves. Moving in family groups of six to twelve individuals, they roamed all of Anima.

Jaune's heart was slamming in his chest, as he backed away from the fanned out group of predators. They had been giving chase off and on for the last several hours. Jaune was tired, and his whole massive body screamed at him, his muscles ached, and he instinctively knew he was running on empty.

The wolves fanned out further. They knew by his scent that Jaunper was prey, but they were being extra cautious. Never having seen anything like Jaunper before.

Even in his fear addled mind, Jaunper was able to draw on Jaune's human intellect. He knew the danger, and could recognize what the pack was attempting to do, and if he wanted to survive he had to persuade them not to try.

Dropping his head low broght his impressive rack of antler's into play. Snorting, while also thumping the ground with his rear legs, Jaune put on a display the wolves had never seen before, and it caused them to back off.

Scouring and goring the ground before him, Jaune showed the apex predators that he was far from done, and was more than willing to fight. They backed off a little more. Jaunper knew it wasn't enough, he needed the to totally give up.

Rattling his antlers, Jaune snorted and then charged towards the left side of the group of wolves. Seeing their chance the right flank charged in, thinking the strange beast had finally made a mistake.

Jaune planted his forelimbs into the leaf strewn gully floor he had been chased into, and spun. Tossing his head to the side, his antler's powered by corded neck muscles slashed to the right catching two of the wolves in the face. But his rear half wasn't idle either.

With his front legs planted firmly Jaune kicked out with his insanely muscled read legs. One wolf behind him was caught on it's flank and thrown violently into a nearby tree, and fell limp to the ground after a sickening crack sundered the air.

The second wolf that had the unfortunate luck to be behind Jaunper barely avoided the fate of it's companion, but not entirely. Jaunper not only had powerful back legs and large feet to propel his bulk at insane speed... her also had razor like claws hidden just below the fluffiness of her toes.

The wolf yelp and limped away a vicious and deep set of gashes decorating it's body.

One of the wolves caught by Jaunper's antler's was bodily thrown a good ten feet into the air, only to crash to the gully floor and let out a pitiful whine. The second stumbled aside, one of it's eyes gouged out, ruining it's chances at succeeding in another hunt.

The rest of the small pack melted away. The wounded that could move limping off, the other one panting as its broken body slowly gave out.

With his ears twitching, and his nose shivering, Jaunper snorted again, before forcing his tired body to move off. He was tired, hungry and thirst... but it was only a few bounds away from the site of his most recent battle when his nose scented something strange... something that shouldn't be there, but also seemed familiar.

/==/

Because Jaunper has mule deer-ish style antlers I decided to use that as inspiration for this "encounter."

So this is my second "Wild Jaunper" short. My first is linked here: "Killer Rabbit"

If you want to know more about the "Hares Breadth AU" and "Jaunper" check out @pilot-boi. She has the answers if you have questions, and has a collection of artwork as well as other inspiring AU's to read about.

Thank you to @pilot-boi for being a good sport about me doing these shorts, and encouraging this second one.

Anyway Hope you enjoyed.

[quotedfictions]

Silver Lining

Synopsis: It had been thousands of years since that battle that killed Shirou and granted him immortality; the love of his life died in that battle. However, a miracle happened shortly after he awoke, but he was not there to witness it, and her certainly did not learn about it until Michiru arrived in Anima City.

Themes: Romance, Lost Love, Fluff, Angst, Happy Reunion, Married Reader, Timeskips

Warnings: Mentions Death, Mentions Violence, Depictions of Violence, Death and War, Profanity,

Word Count: 1,604

Edit: (Forgot word count)

Thousands of years ago, a war between beastmen and humans emerged in a small city where they once had peace, but suddenly fear and anger emerged in the humans. Caught in the fray of violence were a young Wolf and her husband; they had been separated in the chaos, and the young wolf had died hours before her husband; he soon was killed after seeing her body 20 feet away. He was shot with an arrow straight through his neck, while his wife was shot in the heart.

A phenomenon occurred, the blood of the entire village had gifted both with immortality, but only the husband woke; thinking she was still dead, he moved her to where she would have wanted to be in her last moments. She never wanted to be buried right after death. She wanted to spend at least a day in her bed before she was buried, allowing her body the last comforts of life before she moved on.

By the time the wife awoke, she, like her husband, was bewildered, finding herself with new powers and a star-shaped scar on her chest. She looked around the room, expecting to find her husband nursing her back to health, but all she could see was an empty room and hear nothing but the wind blowing through piles of corpses; now, by the time she had woken up, 10 years had passed, although faint she could pick up the smell of her husband, discovering that her smell had been heightened, she stood and embarked on a journey, that would not reunite her with her love until many centuries later . -✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-

Y/n sat on a boat with a mink and a very anxious tanuki, who seemed to be getting offended about being called a raccoon, Y/n could smell the human on her, but something was off since it wasn't leading anywhere. "ah, what did you say your name was again?" the smaller beastmen, still in beast form, addressed the paled skinned female with shoulder length H/c hair. Y/n did not want to reveal her identity to this girl because of her powers, but she had no other ideas. "My name is Y/n Ogami," The wolf huffed quietly and looked back out to the ocean, and the Tanuki finally shut up.

As the boat landed, Michiru disappeared into the festival, but Y/n stayed by the docks. She was scared. She hadn't been around this many beastmen in a very long time, but her anxiety lessened when she was told that no humans aside from Alan Sylvasta were present in the city. Soon a loud boom was heard from the festival, putting Y/n on alert as she began to sniff the air around her, looking for the origin of the sound. Y/n rushed off, seeing a collapsed billboard accompanied by a confused and scared crowd.

Y/n started running around calming people down, worried for the place she wished to call home, where she wanted to base the operations of her search. Over the centuries, Y/n had never stopped looking for her husband, with the slight hope in her heart that he was blessed with the same miracle she was; after all, how else did she end up in the one place she wanted to rest in after death. Although the chaotic evening had delayed her search, she would never run out of time to find him if he was still alive.

-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-

After spending the night with the mink who owned the boat, she headed straight for the Mayor, hoping to gain an audience with her and the Mayor would have information about her husband. She had the luck of filling out a citizenship form before arriving. Unfortunately, she still had to watch others fighting over petty crap in city hall. They were already fighting when she came, but she was so distracted that she didn't notice the familiar scent leaving the building.

As she enters the Mayor's office, guided by a security officer, she looks around curiously before stopping a small distance from the desk. "Uh…" While Y/n was looking for the words to greet herself, the Mayor turned to look at her and smiled softly. "You must be the beastmen who arrived during the festival last night; such a terrible incident must have dampened your mood; how can I help you?" Y/ smiles softly; unlike her husband, she had become shyer over time. Although just as serious as he was, she still had trouble talking to new people.

"I'm looking for my husband, I lost him a long time ago, and I was wondering if you would have any information on him? His name is Shirou Ogami" Mayor Rose lifted an eyebrow in surprise, so this was Shirous infamous wife that he refused to talk about. "Although I cannot give you much, I would suggest heading to the Beast Co-op until you can find a place to settle down; the people there are wonderful and full of surprises; I hope this aids in your search," Y/n smiles brightly, although it wasn't much it was a start.

Wandering through the city, Y/n buys some pastries as she heads toward her new destination and soon-to-be temporary home. The smell of food always made her hungry, and considering the poor girl hadn't had a proper meal in about a month, she thought it would be best to treat herself to finding a somewhat reliable lead to finding her husband.

Y/n walks up to the lovely building, reading beastmen co-op in finely printed letters, and enters, immediately being greeted by a happy couple who had received word of her arrival; Y/n was surprised at how fast word spread to people if it concerned the Mayor or new beastmen. The nice woman, Melissa, offered her a nice meal while they waited for the other two residents to show up, wanting to ensure there would be no conflicts in sleeping arrangements. Y/n smiled up at Melissa and asked if she could find a place to read, and Melissa took her to a room filled with books, an office that, when Y/n entered, smelled incredibly familiar, like she had encountered the scent before.

-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-✧-✦-

Hours had passed, and Y/n had fallen asleep sitting next to a bookshelf, a book lying open in her lap and her head leaning off to the side. The door to the office opened, and in walked a tall man with white hair, a black collar, and a small crow on his shoulder. Adjusting his gloves and removing his coat before noticing a new smell in his office. Melissa did say they had a new resident. He looked around and saw a more petite figure, about two inches shorter than she was, sleeping with a book. The male placed his coat on his chair and walked up the steps to the second-level shelves.

As the male approached the sleeping figure, her physical appearance shocked him. She looked a lot like his wife, with a modern clothing taste. He gently picked up the female, causing her slumbered state to stir, the book hitting the floor quite loudly. She stretched her arms before rubbing her eyes and squinting at the person holding her above the ground. Unable to identify who was holding her, she sniffed before jumping out of the man's arms, tears forming in her eyes.

Shirou was really confused; why was this woman crying at the sight of him, and why did she look so shocked by his scent, Y/n squats to the ground and started rubbing her eyes and calming herself down. She hiccups and rubs her cheeks before standing back up and walking up to Shirou, placing her forehead against his chest, giggling softly, "I found you…" although quiet, it was picked up by Shirou's ears, confused he gently grabs her shoulders and pulls her away from his chest to get a good look at her.

Surprised by his reaction, Y/n tilted her head slightly to the right, curious about what he was doing. The taller male inspected her face; of course, he hadn't recognized her right away, it had been hundreds of years, and at the time, they didn't have the technology to produce photos. "Shirou???" Y/n was concerned about her husband's failure to recognize her. Shirous eyes went wide when she said his name. That's what made the whole thing click in his memory.

Shirou hugged her tight and buried his face in her hair. "How?" his voice was quiet as she hugged back. "I was granted the same things you were… it took me so long to find you…" Melissa opened the office door to check up on Y/n before noticing the two in a loving hug before closing the door quietly to leave them be. The two pulled apart and placed their foreheads against each other "You know, it was courageous of the mayor to not tell me you live here" Y/n smiled up at Shirou as he rolled his eyes and picked her up, heading towards his room so he and his wife couple could get their rest "Mayor Rose has her ways, maybe she wished for you to be surprised."

Placing Y/n down in the bed, he sat down next to her and introduced her to Kuro as they caught up on hundreds of years apart from each other, and for once, Shirou found a silver lining to being the silver wolf, that being his wife turned out to be alive and that she's been looking for him all these years. That night they fell asleep next to each other for the first time in centuries, reunited.

End.

[frauleindermorgen]

Whatever that noise is, it definitely is a human one, and it definitely has the same amount of syllables as Mi-ca-iah, rendering it about a hiar away from truly unintelligible. Source of it, of course, is one Edward of Nevassa running up to said maiden, a truly unholy quantity of biscuit sticks with various flavors of glazing stuffed into his mouth.

He's obviously about to say something, and then obviously realises in that moment that this is a very bad state to attempt to say much of anything in.

"Ouaouueeeaheoupheh!" Comes a profoundly muffled but profoundly triumphant... What is that noise, anyways?

At any rate, goddess knows what that means. Judging by the enthusiastic pointing at the mass of pocky, probably something like 'look at how many i can fit'? Hard to tell for sure, though.

... Maybe that's the right idea, though, because he's produced a box of them with a flourish...

And is now gently finagling more into the stack...

(This situation aside, he also brought a box of strawberry-flavored ones for her, too.)

She has procured a box of the pocky candy just as her classmates have but despite the help of Yunaka she still is not quite sure how the meaning of the food combines into the meaning for this holiday; still, the biscuits are pleasant enough and they go well with her tea so she certainly does not mind keeping them on her.It has been a good day spent with friends, and perhaps next year she will find out —

Alright, she is certain that is not the way one should be celebrating!!

“Edward!” She calls back, attempting to hiding her worry and probably failing horribly; her healing magic, seidr or not, was decidedly not made for incidents of choking.

Oh, why had she decided on a Fire focus rather than Ice? She was better with Anima magic generally now so if she could just freeze the entire monstrosity Edward was currently trying to go through before…

Oh, he… he certainly wasn’t making sense with words but he was in fact eating through them. Micaiah can hardly look away.

“No, absolutely not! I am confiscating these!” Micaiah decides once the box comes out (strawberry, her favorite; the betrayal was twice the pain). “Please sit down and drink something. How on earth did you get all – agh, nevermind, drink drink!”

[runawaycarouselhorse]

My dad knew a man with a fruit-bearing tree (I think a date palm but I'm not sure), he wouldn't allow my dad to eat of the dates he gave to him near it--he insisted he go out of earshot or it won't bear fruit.

Plants can feel things like fear, we just still don't understand how, aside from using scents (the freshly-mowed gras smell people enjoy is a distress signal! ... plants produce it if you play the sound of a catterpillar munching leaves! They can hear and feel fear and warn other plants about it!).

The old theory that the mimosa pudica's receptors get overwhelmed if you stroke its leaves too many times and that's why it stops closing its leaves, so don't do it or you'll hinder it from being able to protect itself... turned out to be false! it simply becomes aware that you are not a threat and stops closing its leaves for you, but if subjected to another, new/unfamiliar sensation, it closes its leaves again!

They tested this by having some kind of robotic arm drop a potted plant briefly, then stopping it. It panicked at first, then, once it realized it would safely stop falling after a few goes, it stopped reacting.

Plants are alive. Every creature around us is alive. We are all capable of feeling. All life feeds on other life. We might not understand, right now, how a plant feels or learns, because they are so different from us humans and from animals, which are much more alike, but they too feel.

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 3rd ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 |

i love how its samatoki who tsks when ichiro talks, they never stop and i love it fuugen looking dude still has a great design love the fact that they kept the Ramuda is scared of ghosts plotline ww TBH is a silly name DJ or not, but it does tie in some ARB lore eyyy joint mission! does that mean that nagoya and oosaka will be enemies? might be and interesting naughty busters and MCD interactions OFC theres gonna be some good good ichiro/kuko and samatoki/sasara KUKOOO I LOVE YOU the kinshachi! love those little dudes, they're tiger-headed dolphins lol JYUSHIIII you chuuni dork i love your flowery wordss Mr. Kuko wwwwwwww nooo amandaaaa so ripped up oh more visual kei!! i am so happyyy www this villain is so silly i love silly villains. how unfortunate that they'll be plot slaves but they genuinely had something fun going on awww look a kuko being silly and amagani being a silly lawyer LETS GOOO JAKUHITOOO eyyyyy lets go grandmaaaa the MVP of repairing Ichikuko relationship lets gooo naughty butters!!!!! i love themmmm were they also a influence ichiro to get onto the right track? thats sweet ofc they had to tie in different characters together still love that sun shadowing them the moment they talk about the villains the squeakkkkkkkkkkk amanda thats so cuuteeeeee awww no magical girl transformation? rip -

Damn the imagery on this MV goes super hard i love the non-traditional stuff you'll find scattered around at a glance the ones i spot are: buhddist funeral rites with from, what i can count 39 candles which can mean thank you… those funeral flowers look like white chrysanthemums (grief, honesty, truth which the later two may be nods to the fact that they're not in their right minds), pink, and purple carnations which symbolize capaciousness and unpredictability Kuko also references gokurakujoudo which is the most well known higher buddhist celestial land known as the land of bliss so basically he's saying that he's so hot shit that he'll reincarnate into the holiest of holy lands Ragnarok is the end of the known gods according to nordic mythology aside from like. two gods and two humans which means either Jyushi is a ghost as shown in the scene or he's just that cool and survived Kuko's second verse is a reference to old paintings that depicted monks training their spiritual disciplines by mountainsides. if you're an old soul like me, think Libra Dohko's Mnt. Roshi Hitoya's second rap scene is mimicking an egyptian depiction of a weighing of the heart, specifically it seems to be parodying the scene found in the Papyrus of Hunefer. interestingly, the three opponents are on the side in which the feather of maat is commonly depicted on, the thing which the heart is weighed against while Amanda is the heart Hitoya and Kuko's spots on the papyrus is where anubis would be, setting them as the judges who preside over this battle. Jyushi is also sitting where Ammit, the devour of the dead, would be depicted sitting. Ammit is also a goddess, which is fun Given the red moon behind him, Jyushi also plays at a fallen angel The chorus' first scene is another very famous generic buhdist scene. while i don't think it references anything specifically, the three sitting on lotus flowers and the bodhi tree's in the back implies that they are buddah. like no joke, they are actually buddha don't know if this is actually a reference, but the red hell-like place that the three find themselves in might be Sañjīva, one of the buddhist naraka's where those who are reincarnated there are born fully grown and are attacked by other people and monsters return of the kinshachi! kaleidoscopic imagery which is also heavily associated with buddhist imagery That ending is a reference to the spider's thread by ryunosuke akutaguwa! you might remember it if you've played Danganronpa V3 but its a story about a man trying to escape from hell from a spider thread but ultimately falls back into hell because of his greed - that Obaaachannnn is so cute. and the bait and switch was so silly Kuko as always is just the absolute star of the show even if the spotlight isn't on him Huh???? Are Doppo and Hifumi okay???? Please??? you can't just cliffhang that???? how dareeee

Badass Temple endingg lets gooooo Kuko verson is so cute!!! that illust tooo Jyushi is just so stylish and silly, treading that fine line. also is that just water in his champagne glass www this is such a fun ending version i love it. Its just a lot warmer and more comforting in my opinion, super sweet and heartwarming. a lot more electric guitar as well

I'm so glad for their first feature episode I really enjoyed BAT! The song was such a banger and the imagery along with it so evocative. I really liked the episode how it brought everyone together for a chaotic jaunt. I hope next week with dotsuhompo will be just as silly

[earthling-wolf]

Fi: The Myth of the Sacred Life

Fi's spiritual experience is called Edin and is described more fully on this page. As a psychological archetype, Edin appears as a prince or princess: a virgin, a siren, or a fairy. In symbolic form, it is depicted as a red rose, a seed, the moon, or the womb. Fi is the most archetypal female of all the functions, imbuing individuals with a passive personality. Hence, the Edin myth generates an impulse to fully embody Anima's form and become a "woman" to the world. However, the Edin myth goes beyond the energy embedded in biological sex. It adds a separate archetypal magic aside from the femininity available to most women, which traces its roots to the spirit of Gaia or the Mother Goddess. Edin is the protector of the life principle and often takes the form of a spiritual guardian of animals, rivers, lakes, and forests. Edin appears in folklore as sprites or spirits, each of which protects their cherished plot of nature in the same manner as Fi protects the boundaries of its prized identity. However, as the feminine archetype also possesses two sides, Edin can lead to a spirit of enticement where the myth holder becomes an elusive and seductive femme fatale, a nymph or succubus. In this form, Edin wishes to be coveted like a princess and enjoys the adulation of her suitors and the protection of her dedicated knight or King. The secret hope for this expression of Edin is to secure the eternal devotion of her masculine champion – wishing to be adored and prized above all else and all others for her unique identity.

The Fairy

When the Edin myth is in its light form, the princess or fairy is a pure and seelie agent of nature that bestows life, vitality, and healing to all beings with unconditional love. We see this embodied perfectly by Snow White, who surrounds herself with every forest creature, befriending them but also being capable of enlisting their help. The light Edin spirit can often communicate verbally or empathically with animals, generate flora from the ground, and speak directly with the trees. One expression of this is seen in Disney's adaptation of Pocahontas, who spoke with Grandmother Willow, and another can be seen in the elves of Tolkien's mythology, who gave trees the ability to speak. However, another manifestation is found in Cameron's Avatar mythology through the Navi's connection to the Mother Goddess through a fibrous mental interlink that acts as a communication portal. The primary motif of the light Edin myth is that "nature has a voice" and a pulse, which can be accessed if we listen earnestly. This myth is the anthropomorphization of the qualities of the emotional register, which directly links one's primacy and the primacy of Gaia and the cosmos. Edin is the emissary for Gaia, its spokeswoman, and the bringer of its desires to the rest of the human world.

The Witch

As with all myths, Edin possesses an inverted and darker incarnation, commonly depicted as evil or Unseelie fairy. At other times, it manifests as a demon or a witch who casts hexes on unsuspecting passersby. The character of the dark Edin archetype is envious, jealous, vile, and foul. It delights in seeing the tainting of purity more than it delights in causing death. The primary motif of this archetype is "corruption," as it wishes powerfully to sully the hearts of others and bring them into the shadows. The mythical motif of the witch casting hexes and jinxes is a psychological metaphor for how unseelie Fi radiates foul intentions, wishes, and slander in the direction of others. We see this myth embodied clearly in Theodor Geisel's The Grinch, who is himself an Unseelie fairy jealous of the Whoville fairies and intent to destroy their haven by disenchanting them towards the spirit of goodness. We see it again in Tolkien's mythology in the form of Gollum --the corrupted heart-- and more powerfully in the One Ring itself, representing the epitome of malice which Frodo as the light Edin must not be sullied by. We see it in Maleficent, who laid an evil curse over Aurora upon appearing at her ceremony. Once again, we see that the dark Edin wishes not necessarily for death upon its victims but for their suffering and fall out of innocence, making it primarily an ethical drama that motivates its action. This same mythical duality will exist in every Fi user's heart as they struggle with becoming embittered by the true suffering and cruelty of reality or remaining a transparent and open channel despite all the horror accompanying the experience of life.

[utouchmycookie]

I was briefly considering redoing a very old Percy Jackson fic I found that was terribly written but had a great plot. It was my own, to clarify, and from the era of Wattpad that was filled with ---line breaks--- and naming these dots: •. The era that I remember for having an account called Leo and the Whale Watchers that would call out, "WHALE" in the comments whenever this -_- emoticon showed up in a fic they were reading.

Anyways. This fic was probably eight-ish years old, and since then I have learned many things. I am using that knowledge here. FYI: I am not assuming anyone here doesn't know biology, I am just putting it here so anyone who doesn't has access to it without research.

Taxonomical Ranks are used to assess relatedness and group species together. From most vague to most specific we have: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Scientific names are always Genus species. For reference, the taxonomy of a human is Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, Primate, Hominidae, Homo sapien.

This is all to say, I have officially made a list of what Oceanic Animals would actually be the equivalent of, based on behavior and phylogeny (def.: relatedness of distant species based on most recent common ancestor), as someone studying to become an ethologist (def.: a scientist who studies animal behavior) and mammalogist (def.: a scientist who studies mammals). Gotta be flexible in this career field, Individuals.

Without further ado:

Dogs - Pinnipeds! Seals/Sea Lion/Walruses

Phylogeny: Like all marine mammals, Pinnipeds shared a land mammal ancestor that went back into the water. Pinnipeds are thought to share an ancestral species in the Carnivora order that diverged into modern day weasel-like creatures aside from the Pinnipeds.

Behavior: Pinnipeds have been used to help with an assortment of tasks for generations. Although they've never been tamed (def.: consistently willing to work with humans) in any larger amount than small, captive populations (def.: a group of individuals of the same species generally isolated from others of the species for whatever reason), they've shown willingness to work with humans and intelligence akin to that of their fellow "higher order" carnivorous mammals like dogs. However, they are more social than cats or bears.

Cats - Octopi

Phylogeny: These guys are very distantly related. Very distantly related. They only share a Kingdom - Animalia. However, octopi being invertebrates hardly makes them unintelligent.

Behavior: All types of cats are related at the Family level, and although we're mainly focusing on Felis catus - the domesticated cat - all cats are pretty behaviorally similar. They're mostly independent (although Felis catus, like all other cats, will often have overlapping territory - but territory differs wildly from home range despite their interchangeable usage by media - and lions lives in prides), they love boxes, they are attracted to catnip, and they're aggressive ambush predators. Octopi are individualistic, will fit through anything bigger than their beak, love to mess with humans, and are aggressive predators.

Horses - Whales

Phylogeny: These guys are probably way more related than you realized. Both are mammals, and although they are different Orders, that's more a matter of evolution than lack of relatedness. The most recent true terrestrial ancestor of all modern whale species (which, btw, include both baleen - Sub-Order: Mysticete - and toothed whales - Sub-Order: Odontocete -, and the Odontocete Family of Dolphins - Delphinidae - include Orcas/Killer Whales) was an Artiodactyla, which is the still existent Order horses (Family: Equidae) fall under.

Behavior: Horses have very high emotional intelligence and a distinct hierarchical system due to their very sociable nature that's incredibly similar to whales. For one, both species are matriarchal - or led by elder females - and both have a distinct male leader who seems to be in charge of breeding (in general. Animal groups tend to be far more complex than people give them credit for). Both tend to be migratory.

Birds - Turtles

Phylogeny: I'm going to blow. Your. Minds. Based on genetic comparisons... There is actually only one marine species on here more closely related than these two. Genetic comparisons have shown that scientists made a crazy mistake due to basing phylogeny in phenotypes (def.: physical appearance). The fossil record indicates after amphibians came lizards, and snakes are variations of lizards that have slowly speciated in their own direction. Meanwhile, turtles (including tortoises - all tortoises are turtles, not all turtles are tortoises) and crocodiles/alligators/caimans speciated in another direction, with a more recent common ancestor to bird than to lizards.

Behavior: I've never owned a bird, but I know a bit about them. However, no one has studied sea turtle behavior outside of egg-laying much yet, but I can see a sea turtle having a likeness to them.

Reptiles - Fish

Phylogeny: We just covered Bird/Reptile relatedness, and while we're going backwards here... Fish are more related to reptiles than sharks.

Behavior: I imagine owning a fish in the sea is rather like owning a reptile on land. Especially since while most of my icthy-based knowledge is freshwater, I do know there are a species of fish found in coral reefs who farm, and reptiles just give me a similar vibe.

Ferrets - Otters

Phylogeny: Full-disclosure, these guys are super related. Both are in the Family Mustelidae, and in the Sub-Family of weasels. By taxonomic standards, their relatedness is akin to that of a human and gorilla, or dog and wolf. Btw, they are thought to share a more recent common ancestor with Pinnipeds than bears, but because they both evolved from that common ancestor that is thought to still be in a more bear-like form, we leave it at that.

Behavior: Otters and ferrets are similar in the ways dogs and wolves are similar.

Goats - Sharks

Phylogeny: Okay. They're more related than cats and octopi at least?

Behavior: Everyone calls sharks sea-puppies, but like... Goats are very puppy-like. Can confirm, 10/10. I stand by my decision here.

Cows - Sting- and Manta Rays

Phylogeny: See above.

Behavior: Cows are grass puppies, especially when they're calves. They hang out, love scratches...

A Phylogenetic Tree I drew to show relatedness:

[misscrazyfangirl321]

January 2023 Media Recap

I don’t know if I’m going to do this every month, but I thought I’d do a recap of all the things I’ve watched and read in January, and share a few thoughts on some of them. 

Movies Watched: 

1. Star Wars VI 

Technically this one was a rewatch, but it was still a very fun time. 

2. Barbie Princess and the Pauper

Also technically a rewatch, but I haven’t watched it in more than 10 years, so I didn’t remember a lot of it. Very cute movie, though.

3. Fellowship of the Ring

Yes, I finally watched it. Yes, I loved it. Yes, whenever I saw memes of this before watching it, I thought Aragorn and Boromir (and I think Faramir, though I haven’t met him yet) were the same person.

4. Absolute Zero

Cheesy disaster movie, with a clear message of “We have to try to save everyone. Yes, even the rude and selfish businessman nobody likes. Because it’s the right thing to do, we must fight tooth and nail for him like we would anyone else.” And also family. Will I rewatch it? Probably not, but still a good time.

5. Disaster Zone: New York

“Hey, there’s suddenly a volcano under New York, and also humans made it, and also Abby from Sanctuary talks like a mobster from the 40s for no apparent reason.” Fun time, though I could have done without the one super gory scene early on where everyone was being affected by the water.

6. Curse of King Tut’s Tomb

This seemed to be two movies? Or two in one? I’m a little confused, but I’ll just count it as one. Not really a fan of the “gods and demons” storyline, and I probably won’t rewatch it, but I have to admit that it looked like a fun movie. Like, every single actor seemed to be having the time of their lives. 

Books Finished:

1. 60 Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Most of this was pretty standard stuff, and some of the psychology didn’t really sound right, but some of it was helpful! 

2. To Kill A Mockingbird 

Wow. Definitely not what I was expecting, and a very interesting read, for sure. 

3. A Voice in the Wind 

Francine River’s style gives me mixed feelings-there’s a fine line between portraying sin to make a point and taking it too far, and she walks that line a lot-but it’s a really well done story, and a compelling cast of characters. Not a fan of Marcus in this book, but don’t worry, there’s book 2. 

4. The Mistletoe Favor

Standard Hallmark-style love story, very cute. All of the characters are way too emotionally aware, but it literally brought me to tears, so, hey, it works. 

5. Unveiled 

Not my favorite of the Lineage of Grace novellas, but it’s objectively as good as them. It just hurts so much to read. It’s the story of Tamar, and the poor girl goes through so much in it.

6. Unafraid

The story of Mary. A really impressive book in the Lineage of Grace series, and really interesting. Very intense. Also, fair warning to my Catholic friends (beloved), it definitely ends on a firm note of... Taking the side against Catholicism. On another note, Joseph is such an interesting character in it!

7. Be The Boss of Your Stuff

A book for kids about organization, cleaning, tidying, and sorting. We don’t need to talk about how helpful it was for me, an adult. (Very)

8. An Echo in the Darkness

The sequel to Voice in the Wind, and personally, I like it a little bit more. It introduces a few new characters that I really like, and Marcus wins me over, though I’m still a bit annoyed by some of the stuff he pulled in the first book. Still, a really satisfying conclusion to quite a few storylines, while leaving a few from Book 1 open for Book 3.

9. From Lost to Found 

Nonfiction book about perfectionism that punched me in the face. Repeatedly. Excellent book. Trigger warning for stories involving miscarriage if you read it, though. 

10. Trade Your Cares for Calm 

A practical look at the best ways to set worry aside. Short and sweet.

TV Show Episodes Watched: 

1-12. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland 1x02-1x13 

I’ve already rambled about this a lot, but it was such a sweet fairytale story, and I really enjoyed it!

13-14. Spiderman: The New Animated Series 1x07-1x08

I don’t really watch this one often, but it’s good for if I don’t have much time to watch anything, or I’ve watched something scarier than expected and need to unwind. I’d enjoy it more with like. 80% less relationship drama, though.

15. Dollhouse 1x01

Just watched the first episode of this, and I’m kind of on the fence. It depends on how it’s done, I suppose, and how it holds up, content-wise. We shall see. It’s a super interesting concept, though. 

-

Best movie watched in January: Fellowship of the Rings

Best book finished in January: An Echo in the Darkness, though From Lost to Found gets a really close second

Best TV show watched in January: OUAT in Wonderland

-

On a final note, here are all the fics I posted in January:

1. A Wonder to See (Sanctuary, Emotional Compass mermaid AU ficlet)

2. I Never Dreamed of This (Timeless, Garcy nightmare fic)

3. The Perils of Normalcy (Sanctuary, Magnitt domestic fluff AU ficlet) 

4. All in a Day’s Work (Sanctuary, Will and Helen friendship, mild whump)

5. How We Move On (Sanctuary/Timeless crossover, Helen and Garcia interaction, time travel ficlet)

6. Inevitable (Timeless, Wyjess whump fic)

7. A Helping Hand (Sanctuary, Emotional Compass whump/caretaking fic with lots of hair brushing)

[jaimendonsa]

Studies on the book  PSYCHOLOGY OF THE UNCONSCIOUS, Carl Gustav Jung

Ah, you are interested in "Unconscious Psychology" by Carl Gustav Jung! It is a fundamental work for wanting to delve deeper into analytical psychology.

This book, published for the first time in 1916, marks a breaking point for Jung with Freud's psychoanalysis, as he maintains a close relationship. Jung disagreed on some points with Freudian theory, mainly with the emphasis placed on sexuality as the main driving force of the psyche.

In "Psicologia do Unconsciente", Jung presents his own ideas about the unconscious, exploring concepts such as:

Personal unconscious: Contém as repressed and isolated experiences of the individual. It is like a repository of complexes, which are sets of ideas and emotions charged with psychic energy.

Collective unconscious: Here is Jung's great contribution! It proposes the existence of an unconscious shared by all humanity, composed of archetypes, which are only universal images and symbols present in myths, dreams and religions. Some examples of archetypes are Persona, Shadow, Anima and Animus.

Jung's work is complex and rich in details. He delves into the analysis of dreams, myths and symbols, seeking to understand the human psyche in its entirety. "Unconscious Psychology" is an invitation to a deep journey into the interior of oneself and human culture.

To help you delve deeper, don't be afraid, some tips:

Read the book carefully: Jung's language can be a little dense, so set aside time to really understand the ideas. Look for other works by Jung: "O Eu e o Inconsciente" and "Aion" are the best options to continue your studies.

Explore the concepts of archetypes and complexes: They are based on Jungian psychology and will help you better understand yourself and the world around you.

Consider Jungian analysis: If you identify with Jung's ideas, you may benefit from therapy with a Jungian analyst.

Name-I know that "Psicologia do Unconsciente" is just an entry portal to the vast universe of Jungian psychology. I hope you enjoy reading and are inspired by Jung's ideas!

[kornstreifs-storys]

AoR, Chapter 3, Prelude

A strange Pokemon walked across a clearing in an alien looking forest. Gray, orange and purple leafs crackled in the breeze and the sky above was a sea of stars, even though it seemed to be daytime. At the very least the clearing was illuminated like you expect on a nice summer day. Wispy incorporeal beings rushed past the Pokemon as it continued it’s walk through the strangely beautiful landscape.

This strange place was part of the extensive forests of the Ethereal and the Pokemon in question was an Ethereon, one of the few living beings capable of crossing over into the Ethereal without dying in the process. The wispy spirits didn’t seem to mind the living intruder in their realm, still the Ethereon knew someone followed her.

The Pokemon looked behind them and sighed. “I know you’re there.” she said, “please come out already.” She was annoyed by her pursuer, why couldn’t they just come out and talk to her if they wanted something so bad. There was movement in the underbrush and then finally a big Meowscarada stepped onto the clearing, though it had the color of dead leafs and multiple holes in the leafs on it’s back. It was Zero, the first Reaper and technically her boss.

The Ethereon smiled slightly, “Well?” she asked, “What’s so important that you came to see me yourself?” Zero looked at her with a skeptical gaze, “I thought you’d be more scared to face me, I know what you and your partner did.” Now she was nervous, “You’re referring to what happened with Seraphore, right.” Zero nodded, “You know my stance on bringing anyone back from the dead.” he said.

The Ethereon nodded, “I know, but you couldn’t seriously expect me to interfere in this matter. That Pokemon, she …” Zero interrupted her, “I’m aware. I already gave Seraphore an earful about this, just don’t do it again. It’s against the cycle and with Anima currently missing we can’t risk destabilizing the world any further.” She bowed her head in agreement.

Zero sighed, “Well that aside, I didn’t come here to scold you. I actually need you to do something for me.” The Ethereon perked up, she knew that Zero would never come here just to yell at her, so she had expected her to have a job for her, but what could that be that she couldn’t just do herself? Zero sat down, “It’s about Azazels Champion,” she began to explain, “Seraphore received a prophecy and he is an Important part, it seems.”

The Ethereon understood, “You want me to look for him? I thought he disappeared just like the other humans.” “Many Pokemon think that,” Zero replied, “but he is still alive that much I know. Though I heard he’s no longer a human, so keep that in mind,” The Ethereon bowed, she knew why he wanted her to look for the Champion. With Anima gone Zero was the acting god of death, he couldn’t neglect his duties for long.

“I see,” she said, “Do you have any clues on where to look for him?” Zero nodded and grabbed a bag they carried, “I managed to gather that he seems to be hiding in a divine sanctuary, which would make sense since that’s part of his patrons domain.” they gave the Ethereon the bag, “I’ve prepared a map with all known rifts in Hisui, as that’s were he was supposedly last seen.”

The Ethereon grabbed the bag and with a bit of difficulty managed to shoulder it. “Thanks, was that all or is there more I should know.” Zero shook her head, “That’s all I know about the champion.” she said, “Just one more thing. The one Seraphore revived is also looking for the last Human, if you find them before them I want you to guide them to him. … It could be crucial for the prophecy.”

The Ethereon paused, “But…, how am I meant to find them? You know I searched for her for a long time but we never managed to cross paths.” she cloud feel tears creeping up. It had been so long. Zero interrupted her thoughts, “She is supposed to be dead and currently lives on the time of another. You are a reaper yourself, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding her if you want.”

Then Zero got up and before the Ethereon could say another word he had vanished into thin air. She gazed upon the spot were he had been, stunned. She felt ecstatic, she could do it, finally she could see her child again. She turned around to head for the next Spirit Vortex to take her back to the material. There was a lot of work to be done.

================================================

Start / previous / next (Cover ch. 3)

And were back. I decided to give each chapter a little prelude from now on. It'll be posted before the cover of the chapter and so the chapters name is not jet disclosed.

I'll post the cover here in a few days so stay tuned.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed todays update. We get to meet some new faces, though is one of the charakter really new?

Well you'll find out soon enough. See you next time.

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 15 Part 11: More legendary weapons

Pour one out for Marisa

Ephraim and Eirika are finally able to talk properly. Ephraim tells Eirika she did well. :)

It turns out Eirika got the Sacred Twins (weapons) that were in Jehana. The "ice sword" Aud-moo-rah, and the "wind blade" Excalibur.

The "ice sword" is actually called Audhulma in English, and the "wind blade" is not literally a blade, it's an Anima Tome.

It turns out that the queen of Jehana has passed away already. If you do Eirika's route, you get to see more of what happened in Jehana.

L'Arachel suggests that we take some time to update each other on what we've seen happening on our respective journeys.

Here's the Audhulma. It's an S rank sword, so I actually don't have anyone who can use it right now. Probably Eirika can get to S rank, and Gerik should be able to as well. But maybe I can also focus on using swords more with Franz or Cormag? There are plenty of options, but each character can only S rank one weapon type, and there is only one S rank weapon for each type, so it's worth thinking about who should go for what.

Aside from it's very nice stats, the Audhulma also gives the user +5 resistance.

Excalibur is an S rank Anima Tome, so this will probably end up being Lute's personal weapon since L'Arachel is the only other Anima user, and she may not get to S rank.

Like the Audhulma, it's also got very nice stats, and adds 5 speed to the user, which can almost make up for the weight, which will slow Lute down by 7. Though I'm thinking I might still go and use the body ring on her, in which case the +5 speed will perfectly cancel out the speed loss from the weight.

These four lords gather (though maybe everyone else is in the room too, just off screen) and Ephraim suggests that they make introductions since not everyone knows each other.

Ephraim starts the summaries of what they've been doing and he sets up a hard act to follow. He announces that he and his army have toppled the emperor and says that, while there may still be pockets of resistance, they have basically ended the war with the Grado Empire.

Ephraim relates what he learned from Knoll about the Demon Stone, and how the emperor was actually already dead and only moving due to the power of the stone.

He then reveals that Lyon seems to be the brains behind all of this.

Eirika is shocked and can't seem to accept this. She reminds Ephraim that Lyon is an old, childhood friend.

Eirika relates how she also encountered Lyon in Jehana, and how he said that he was still friends with Eirika and Ephraim.

Ephraim tells everyone about his experience meeting Lyon, and how he seemed almost not human. He also tells about how Lyon claimed that his friendship with them was all part of his plot to invade Renais.

L'Arachel warns about the power of the stones, including the one that Lyon presumably has, but she also recognizes them as a potential key to defeating the Demon King. Innes points out that three of them have been destroyed already, but Ephraim is confident that the one in Renais is still intact, and he suggests traveling back to Renais.

Saleh also finally meets up with Myrrh after crossing the continent trying to find her. We see more of his story in Eirika's route, but he comes from a village that reveres the dragon people, and he considers it his duty to make sure Myrrh is safe.

Next time: You can never go home

[etruatcaelum]

🍁 + /chinhands/ hi, which fairy tales are written by Salem?

“I do not,” she says, silk-soft, “…think highly of fairytale.” The question is not uncommon. Salem doesn’t like it, but she can allow that, having been made aware of Ozma’s fanatic control over the development of popular folklore, it is only natural to wonder about hers; so she does make an effort to conceal her impatience with the subject. Flatly, she adds: “That was always more Ozma’s purview. All the more so now. Truth—” A venomous smile. “—is the greatest threat to their design.”

That is not to say she’s made no contribution. Disinterest in strategic manipulation of folklore aside: she is hardly exempt from the desire to tell stories, and in times past—well.

It is just rather painful to think about.

Her mouth presses into a tight, unhappy line. “The… Gift of the Moon,” she murmurs, “has its roots in a story I used to tell. Some of the oral traditions of fauni in southeastern Anima date as far back as my presence among them, although the modern endeavor of assimilation with humans has… diluted that influence.” A thin sigh. Dismally, “Esoteric texts of unknown origin are usually mine. Ozma never did have much respect for occult pursuits; easier to maneuver where they do not think to look.”

She smiles, sly.

“But I do not write fairytales, no. Fairytales are the stories people tell each other about me; I am not their girl in the tower.”

[horizonboundtrainer]

@savior-of-humanity X

"Yeah."

May sighs, shuting the old dog eared psychology textbook she'd been reading aloud from. She gives it a quick pat before setting it aside.

"Yeah, I get it. Been doing that since I was twelve. There's probably some adaptational psychology mumbo jumbo in there, to explain it all in therr but that ain't too important, eh?"

She has learned to bear the guilt without being dragged down by the weight of the dead. She'd found that keeping her mind occupied had helped when even half a dozen League issues therapists hadn't. There were always tournaments to prepare for, legal documents to read through and errands to run. Anything to keep her from burning down Devon HQ and gutting that decrepit old worm years ahead of her schedule. Steven—her Steven—has always found ever more inventive ways to make her useful around Evergrande.

May's gaze drifts from the boy to the cups of tea in front of them, already lukewarm. She absentmindedly taps her fingers against her's, pouring just an iota of her own anima into the tea until it was steaming once more. Then, on a whim, she gave the small cloud of steam a soft blow, willing it to take the shape of her Dustox. The tiny wisp of a moth drifts towards Steven, lasting long enough to land on his nose for a few seconds before dissolving back into the air.

"Your friends are still around to make amends with and—That's what matters."

That's more than could be said of those she'd failed.

[player-1]

Small reblog to add in a earlier post I made on the introductory info in Micromon explaining a bunch of things for the ending (mostly in hindsight), but the longer version is this (with obvious spoilers below):

-The main "antagonist" to the Micromon story (and title 'mon) is Vaithe, the Colossus of Light, and more commonly known as Vados after being reverse-ported into the real world and getting a major upgrade in Nexomon Extinction. He also has four siblings (Anima, Agita, Gurgita, and Fulmina) that get brought back post-Abyssal storyline for better and worse depending on other people's reactions.

-While a good chunk of characters are aware that Pixekai is a digital world (to certain degrees), it's better explained in N1 that (Project) Pixekai was a bunker program for humans to live in a simulated world w. fake Nexomon/Micromon in the extremely likely chance that Omnicron is revived and causes another apocalypse but was scrapped due to unforseen circumstances...Also Omnicron's face is on every health center and is called a blue fox, so that's kinda funny.

-The only real people that know that it's a doomsday bunker are the Legion members (Slider, Lethar, Moonborn, and Jade) since they were the beta testers of the Pixekai program, but lost their memories of the outside world due to time or memory manipulation from Black Root (more specifically the leader Leah). Also it's heavily implied/confirmed(?) that they're ghosts in the system due to their real bodies dying sometime after being ported in, so it's not like they can go back even if they wanted too :')

-And speaking of unforeseen circumstances, the reason why Pixekai went bust, both figuratively and literally, is because of Malk; the laid-back and carefree scientist the player meets at the very beginning to teach you the ways of being a Micromon tamer with his robot assistant B002 (I like to call him Boot btw :). So while the player goes all the way to the right and battles the Legion, defeat Black Root, and learn the truth of Vaithe's role in Growtown/Ground Zero's destruction (all on Malk's recommendation btw), the main twist is eventually revealed (if his thinly veiled jokes weren't obvious): Malk was playing you the whole time and was self-aware some time before the main story (as well as Leah since they were scientist work partners); both destroying Growtown to try and break into the real world and just pins the blame on Vaithe for naturally lashing out when his tamer gets killed in the crossfire, and with Leah eventually creating Black Root to find someway to live alongside humans/organics and to give her son Zeth a better life outside of being a S-Rank Tamer (which Malk hates for obvious reasons). And after gathering up enough power to punch another hole into the digital universe (which canonically wipes out half of Pixekai's population btw) and siccs his newest robot meat-shield B003 (heh) on his newly-betrayed pawn, he escapes into the real world to enact his vengeance on the ones who made him live this unjust life...And then he meets Metta.

[On a semi-related note, I'm all for Metta just having a jacket in a similar color scheme to Malk's old lab coat (Omnicron patch and hood aside) and he wears it incorrectly as a sign of respect for the mentor teaching him his genocidal ways and getting the upper hand as NexoLord...Not that he's going to admit it to his face, but it's the thought that counts.]

Be me, just looking through some micromon play throughs quickly to see if the CHAOS siblings talk at all so I can act appropriately and approach them as I should

Nd then, I, on a random video, stumble across a dude with like, ya know which shade of blue hair.

According to a friend who has played Micromon this is just, a random overseer(or the micromon equivalent), but like:

Confusion??

Do you guys see it? I mean, he says like surfer slang and things like 'yo' but like-

THE NECKLACE?? With 6 golden things and a blue shell?? Kjwkiwjddje

What were the (in universe) micromon scientists on??

And he also has like, googles like Sols does. Im-

Apparently this is just some dude but I *guess* I know where Merida got her surfing from??

[decayingblorg]

10/1/2023

PATCH DAY WAHOOOOO! I was so excited and now it’s done I am like… eh. It wasn’t the best patch in the world, but it’s interesting to see where the story is going now. After introducing a baddie from one of the old FF games and I wonder how much his story is going to be reflected from his game. Either way, it’s good that they’re taking lots of references from the older FF games, but there isn’t many for 10 which is my favourite of all the FF games! They’ve used two of the aeons from it (Anima and Yojimbo) and even then it wasn’t the best in the world. But all is not lost. I have loads of other things to do ingame which’ll keep me going. Now sure how long for though because most stuff can be done in a day, even when I was taking breaks! But there is still the big 24 man raid to do and am saving that for the weekend when my friends I play XIV with and we are all gonna do it together. But other than that, I do have some more classes that want for levelling, but I just honestly can’t be asked, not at the moment anyway… EFFORT!

The bloke who got murdered not far from where I live. They spoke to the dog walker that found the humans remains. Dog went into the water and didn’t fetch his ball, instead he got a humans pelvis! Atleast the doggo got a bone. Joking aside though, mental how some people are. Going with the family out on a dog walk, minding their own business and hello dog finds a human pelvis! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE EVERYONE. But the dog also found a second body part. So just knowing that the poor guy who got murdered had been cut up and chucked into a pond. What the actual fuck is going on! They’ve arrested and charged a man with the murder anyway, which is great. Most pleased about that one. Sick bastard though.

Nothing else much really happened today. My buying spree has luckily come to an end, especially with all the different copies of FFXIV I’ve purchased. I am trying to expand my collection, that is all. I got a few different things on the way. But nothing which is super strange or incredibly interesting. Did upload today though, so that is good. Posted about my tin I purchased. I brought it for more than I should’ve, but I hadn’t seen it before and I was interested because of that. I really like the odd, bizarre and damn right strange items. Ones that most people would overlook. They are usually my main focus! I am super knowledgeable about FF stuff bordering on the obsessive. (It’s the Autism which makes me like this I swear xD).

Just another day. Sitting infront of my PlayStation and just playing one of my favourite games ever. So all in all, another standard day. Although a slight elevation in happiness, I have had more fun today than I’ve had recently! It’s past midnight so that means sleep! Peace out y’all!