#because i am a huge nerd

[frogshunnedshadows]

Got my Japanese CD in the mail today, and I am delighted to find it's entirely covers of US early + mid 80's movie pop songs. Bonkers.

[hotmesscoaster]

So glad it’s pool season

[markscherz]

a person who named a genus, on tumblr

Actually, three genera, but Anilany and Nanohyla are not as catchy as Mini. A full list of the taxa I have described is available on my website. :)

[dustykneed]

Picture this; Bones holding Joanna, rocking her to sleep and the part in Beautiful Boy where it’s like “The monster's gone, He's on the run, And your daddy's here” is playing. :,)

Fatherhood gives you certain... skills. Coincidentally, this is also how Jim finds out that Bones sings.

:'))

[donovaneagle2098]

A Complete Encyclopedia of the Lore of Every Witcher School

This is a project I've been working on for a long time. The Witcher Schools in general have lore spread across 3 or 4 different sources, so it's very easy to find inaccurate details about each school due to a person only going off of one source without even knowing of the others. Hell, I've been guilty of this in the past. So I've gone out of my way to find every source available for the various Witcher Schools and compile it into one master post, mostly pulling from the standalone Gwent game, and the Witcher TRPG, as well as an email conversation I've had with the TRPG's writer, Cody Pondsmith. Without further ado, let's start out with the original school, the Order of Witchers.

Witcher schools are like the Clans of Skellige, subtly different, but largely united by their common ground, and that common ground is the Order of Witchers.

The Order of Witchers began as an experiment by the rogue mages Alzur and his mentor Cosimo Malaspina. They "recruited" tests subjects from orphanages, buying them from neglectful parents, or outright kidnapping street kids.

From Cosimo's Gwent Card:

"Children keep asking him for gifts. He doesn’t know why, but it really helps with finding subjects for his experiments."

The main goal of this project was to create an order of knights artificially mutated and imbued with extreme levels of magic to protect people from a world where, at the time, monsters were often literally around every corner.

The mutation experiments were grueling, and most early candidates died horribly, the girls especially, as the mutagenic compounds the mages were working with at the time were better suited for a boys physiology, and they quickly stopped trying to find a mixture that worked well with women, instead refining the more successful candidate pool to meet deadlines. Even with these refinements, however, the Witchers couldn't actually generate much in the way of magical power, at least not nearly as much as those funding the project had hoped for.

These early candidates were encouraged to stick to political neutrality, were told of their duty to protect the common people, and their sword instructor tried to encourage them to take on knightly virtues to live their lives by, though only a few candidates actually bought fully into these particular knightly ideals.

The school developed a training regimen that all later Witcher schools would put their own small twists on. They perfected the whirling sword style, practiced on the Pendulum and Gauntlet training courses. They learned the Witcher Sign magic, created by Cosimo. They were taught hunting and monster lore from experts hired from across the world, and master alchemists crafted the famous Witcher potions.

Ultimately, funding from this school would be pulled due to the Witcher candidates lack of truly powerful magic ability, and the order would start to fracture. Witchers dissatisfied with their lot in life after being forcibly mutated, and railing against the Order's enforced ideals began getting combatative with other Witchers over petty contracts. At this time, contracts were so plentiful that there was no real need to fight over them, but these dissident Witchers did so anyway out of a desire for autonomy and to be free of the Order's code, which they saw as having no practical purpose to prepare new Witchers for the road ahead, and hypocritical as it was forced on them by the mages who never cared for the Witcher's lives. This culminated in one such outspoken Witcher, Arnaghad, attacking another Witcher who poached a contract from him.

After being forced into the painful life of a Witcher, Arnaghad loathed anyone who imposed their will upon him, the Order and it's codes especially. He led an attack on the Order proper, aided by fellow Witchers who respected his defiance towards authority. Once they were beaten back, these dissidents fled to the Amell mountain range to start the next Witcher school, the School of the Bear.

The School of the Bear is one of the most misunderstood schools of them all, owing to the first major lore drop about them being largely in-universe rumors and conjecture surrounding the school, and as such I may need to go more in depth. The two major misconceptions stemming from this is the rumor about their armor, which claims that they don't bother dodging like the other Witchers and instead take blows head on (generally a bad idea, according to Geralt in the books), and the rumor about them attacking most Witchers they meet.

I contacted Cody Pondsmith, who wrote a great deal of this lore, and he mentioned that Bears do often threaten or even fight other Witchers, but in a very Skellige way, only to ward off the other Witcher from contracts they want. The Bears just want to live lives where they aren't commanded by others, and were trained especially brutally, and so will fight for what contracts they want. However they will NEVER kill another Witcher, just draw first blood (outside of duels to decide who runs the school, which occasionally turn deadly. It's unknown if Arnaghad has ever lost these duels) and if that other Witcher stands up to the Bear, they'll let them have the contract and if they meet up and work together enough even maybe become a lifelong friend.

To quote Cody himself: "I like to think of the Witcher Order as a big family in which the Bear School is the blunt, no-nonsense brother. He can be prickly and a bit of a bully sometimes but he takes his job seriously and he can be a good drinking buddy if you get to know him. Not the friendliest of people but far from evil. If you stand up to him and show him you're not afraid of him, he'll respect you."

The other rumor is also an exaggeration. The Witcher TRPG mentions that the Bear armor was designed with flexibility in mind, and while they trained to take on weaker blows with their armor and "mastery of the Quen sign", they also trained how to move quickly in their armor if they needed to dodge a fatal blow. The Bears also still trained on the gauntlet and pendulum like the other schools. Cody Pondsmith also confirmed that the Bears are just as agile as the other Witchers.

The Bears' core philosophy is almost very Lambert like, viewing Witcher's work not as a duty, or knightly virtue, but as difficult, brutal work. The only reason they stick to this work is to do a job where no one else commands them and they're left in peace. They focus only on the practical aspects of their profession, and as such discourage their students from working together in training, since Witchers work alone. As Arnaghad said, "We pass through life alone, better get used to it!" As a result, Bears are very isolated, preferring their own company to that of other Witchers, and were encouraged to value their autonomy and self care above all else. The Bears' approach to teaching was embodied as "let them better themselves through practical, dangerous trials. Survival of the fittest", embodied by final trial, that involved climbing to the top of Mt. Gorgon and back, and any who died from the cold were left "as a sobering reminder of the dangers of their trade". This resulted in the students of the school seeing things in a very callous, survival of the fittest way. Be as strong as you can, and let the perils of Witcher training and life pick off those who can't keep up. As a result, the Bears were by far the smallest Witcher school.

Despite this, the TRPG has a list of random early training events Witchers from all schools can have, and Bears could sometimes make friends amongst their fellow witchers in training just like members of every other school.

Once the new Bear students left their keep of Haern Caduch, most wouldn't return to winter there, unlike the other schools. They developed a reputation as being terrible to fight, and for being firebrands, often speaking very bluntly and quick to anger no matter who they spoke to, authority included. One such Witcher, named Gerd, was asked by a Duchess to help kill her father. He insulted her so badly he got a warrant for his death placed on him, though all the peasants he met spoke rather highly of him. As a result, Bears found it easiest to make friends amongst the similarly minded Dwarves and Gnomes of the Amell mountains, and people of the Skellige Isles. According to Cody Pondsmith, this is the main reason the Bears stayed together as a group at all. They valued autonomy above all else and so long as they functioned as a Witcher school, they were left alone and no rulers would try and command them. They also largely take their ideals of free will and apply it to others, never seeking to rule over others. They simply wish to live their lives free.

One of the original Witchers to side with Arnaghad, Ivar Evil-Eye, had extra mutations done to him by the Order of Witchers during his trial, allowing him to see into other worlds. In these visions he saw the Wild Hunt rampaging across them, conquering them. Ivar became obsessed with stopping them, and tried to kill Arnaghad to take command and lead the Bear school against the Hunt. This failed, so he and his supporters left to form the Viper School.

The Witchers of the Viper school, based in Gorthur Gvaed, were said to be the most secretive, taking contracts as both assassins and witchers. They at first dedicated themselves finding a way to stop the Wild Hunt, amassing a massive library on the subject. Fighting with an unpredictable, ambushed based variant of the Witcher fighting style, Viper Witchers employed poisons, brewed by skilled Viper alchemists, on both their swords, and a dagger in their offhand, their biggest deviation from typical Witcher combat techniques.

Vipers, for an unknown reason, eventually forgot their purpose. In his time, Letho of Gullet could only guess at why the school had been founded. Instead, they became famous for their skill at political killings, dealing with the nobility of the southern countries before Nilfgaard had even become a large-scale power.

Viper students had a different type of trial, after more grueling than typical training. Instead of any physical task like the other schools, the Viper students were given a pet at their induction to the school. And to graduate, they simply had to hunt it down and kill it, showing their lack of mercy.

While most of those who supported Ivar followed him to the Viper school, one group broke off and west east, across the Korath desert, to Zerikania, founding the School of the Manticore.

The School of the Manticore was founded by the Witcher Iwan, from the School of the Bear, following Ivar's assassination attempt on Arnaghad. They got work in the Korath desert as caravan guards, earning the attention of the Zerrikanian Queen after a deadly battle with a manticore. The Queen sponsored the Witchers of the Manticore, making them the only school to be officially backed by any government. They were experts on potions and anti-toxins, a necessity of dealing with the poisonous creatures of the Korath desert.

A unique adaptation to the monsters of the desert also had Manticore Witchers employ shields into the whirling combat of their Witcher training. Given their extra support, the Manticores held two keeps, Behelt Nar and Bailsuf Alsarea, on opposite sides of the desert, so that they might better patrol and guard those within it.

The Manticore is the final school to come from the schism Arnaghad had led. The other voices of dissent against the ideals of the Order would soon hear of these new schools and decide to break off as well to form the School of the Cat.

The School of the Cat was founded out of a response to the hatred and distrust Witchers received. They desired to be seen in a better, more respectful light. Ironically, they would end up doing the opposite. The Cat School stole away with several of the mutagens needed to make more Witchers and headed to Ebbing, and Stygga Citadel, where they would begin to experiment on human-elf children in an attempt to perfect the mutations. Its possible that the mages at this time furthered experiments on making women Witchers, but this is not confirmed yet.

Attempting to make a name for themselves, the Cats hired themselves out as spies, assassins, and mercenaries, genuinely earning them some respect from common folk for killing bandits.

In their attempts to perfect the mutations and further dull the emotions of their Witchers, the Cat school experimented harshly on a group of children that resulted in the opposite, giving these Witchers hightened emotional responses instead. These students, cast aside and left for dead, fled into the arms of a group of elves, who agreed to support them if this branch of the Cat School supported the elves' fight for freedom.

This branch, led by Gezras of Leyda, attached itself to the Dyn Marv caravan and traveled the continent, lending their services mostly to those nonhumans who could pay, while the main Cats at Stygga ended up getting assaulted by angry royals incited by their political maneuvering. This left the Dyn Marv branch as the only functional element of the School of the Cat. These Cats would train students' agility in a light, fast Elven take on Witcher fighting style, and would train their balance by making students walk a tightrope, starting low to the ground at first, but getting higher and higher each attempt.

The Cat school's breaking of Witcher neutrality and reputation for bloodlust earned Witchers such a bad name that those in the Order who most cherished their old swordmaster's knightly virtues would leave to form the School of the Griffin.

The School of the Griffin, led by Erland of Larvik, wished to truly achieve the dream of the original Order, and Gryphon, the Order's sword instructor. They traveled north to Kaer y Saren, an old fortress the Order once used, and cleansed it of the spirits of those who died in the first Witcher mutations. From there, they began a Witcher school focused on respectability and honor, believing in their knightly duties. And it worked, somewhat. The Griffins were sometimes advisors to nobility, and seen as honorable, but the prejudice against Witchers would never leave, and most would never see a Griffin Witcher as anything more than a monster playing at being a knight.

These Witchers tried their best to cushion their students against the pain of their lives on the Witcher's path, and were more brotherly than the other schools, though their knightly virtues and brotherhood were oftentimes cold comfort to Griffin students.

From the Witcher TRPG Sourcebook:

"Witcher I knew couldn’t really remember much ‘bout his past. Heh, too young to really form a lotta memories when they took him to Kaer Y Seren. Told me that the memory he did have made the mutations easier. Poor bastard clung to a memory of his pa takin’ him on a horse for a ride in the fields. Don’t know why he chose that one. Probably the only normal memory he had."

The Griffins amassed a huge library of magical knowledge, though they could only push sign magic so far, and the books were likely wasted being in a Witcher library. The library held several incredibly famous tomes on magic within, and was the envy of full mages across the Northern Realms. Despite all their efforts, they never could achieve their goal of bringing about the Order of Witcher's vision. The Griffins even had their own breaches of Witcher tradition in pursuit of their knightly heroics. An often said mantra of the Griffin school in Gwent is "To slay dragons! Tis our knightly duty!" despite dragons being largely innocent, intelligent beings who mostly wish to be left in peace.

Code Pondsmith had this to say about the Griffins:

"The Griffins stuck to the knightly traditions that the original witcher order tried to uphold. As a result it's safe to say that the Griffin school taught that monsters were the enemy of mankind and must be defeated. I don't think they would all be blindly overzealous but they wouldn't have any qualms about slaying sapient monsters if they believed it was for the good of mankind. Similarly, it's likely that they would side with humans in any conflict between monsters and humans. In a way, the Griffins' knightly virtues made them easier to manipulate than the other witcher schools. They were bound to protect humanity and thus were more likely to be convinced to hunt a monster if a local noble or alderman claimed it would be for the good of the people. This is the case with the dragons. The kingdoms and jewelers guilds of the North convinced the Griffin School that dragons were a blight upon humanity and the Griffins started slaying dragons regardless of whether all of the dragons they slew deserved it. Additionally, the knightly values might make Griffin school witchers more likely to take pity on desperate humans and work for free."

Those few Witchers remaining in the Order by now traveled to northern Kaedwyn, and started a school based on their tempered, traditionalist, and realistic view on the Order's goals. They based themselves in Kaer Morhen and dubbed themselves the School of the Wolf.

The School of the Wolf is the most famous Witcher school, known for their professionalism and efficiency. They don't kill humans like the Viper or Cat. Aren't bold or brash like the Bear, or put Knightly virtues above Witcher ideals like the Griffin. I mean, anyone reading far this knows who the Wolf Witchers are, so I'm not going to get into to much detail. They're Geralt's school. Ciri's school. While the Griffins school wasted it's energy on trying to be what Witchers were supposed to be, the Wolf set its goals on being the best they realistically could be.

They took a balanced approached to Witcher life and as such trained Witchers who were the best adjusted out of the schools, with neither the Bear's harshness nor the Griffin's egocentrism. They perfected the Witcher's style of combat, refining their swordsmanship into an incredibly graceful dance. Combined with their professional attitude and teachings that allowed Wolf Witchers to adapt very well to most situations thrown at them, Wolf Witchers were lauded all across the Continent.

With all Schools formed, the Golden Age of Witchers began, at first with the Bears and Griffins making peace. From Erland of Larvik's Journal (The TRPG's monster manual):

"Surprisingly enough the fracturing of the witcher order had lead to a more effective organization for us witchers. Spread across the Continent and each making more witchers independently, it was no longer the task of 60 or 70 witchers to patrol the entire Continent from Nilfgaard to Kovir. Each school patrolled their own path and when a Gryphon met with a Bear each knew they had their territory and any infighting wouldn’t be worth the bloodshed. We managed to broker peace and live as somewhat estranged brothers rather than bitter enemies"

Witchers at this time were seen largely as heroes, with their detractors' voices largely simmering underneath. With Witchers around to kill monsters, people felt safe and so ignored any misgivings they might have.

Witchers, no matter the school, aren't too dissimilar from each other, and so the Cintinent at large formed an overall opinion of the Witchers based on the traits they all shared. From the TRPG:

"In the heyday of witchers there were many many seperate schools, which all mutated new witchers and taught them the neccesary skills to hunt monsters and lift curses. While it’s generally agreed that there is a core set of skills required to a be a witcher, each school taught its students differently and focused on different aspects of witcher training. Thus, witchers from different schools often act differently and go about their jobs in similar but varied ways."

During this period, the Schools all would produce hundreds of Witchers (though at any given time, most schools had about 20 Witchers running the school, a handful of novices undergoing the trials, and around 30-50 Witchers on the path hunting monsters. This fluctuated from school to school. The Bear's brutal training resulted in the lowest number of Witchers amongst the schools, while the Wolves' prolific status and high success rates meant they took in more candidates and had more Witchers than the other schools), and each was their own person, With their own preferences and personality, despite the schools themselves having reputations for Witchers with only a few certain traits. For instance, the Bear Witcher Ivo of Belhaven fought like a Viper or Cat Witcher, but in personality was a perfect fit for the Bear School with how standoffish he could be. The schools kept to their own territory at first, but as time went on and contracts got ever more rare, these already thin lines fell apart and the schools stopped caring much about territories.

They also all customized their gear in different ways, usually keeping their gear in similar fashion to their school's, as its what they trained in an were used to. For example, Bear Witcher Junod of Belhaven wore what appears to be a set of Wolf School armor he had modified to fit Bear Witcher style.

Witchers also at this time experimented with signs. The Griffins obviously focused on making them more powerful, and the Bears pushed Quen to a level beyond any other school. But the most interesting case is that of Warrit, a blind Viper Witcher who used the lesser known Suppire sign as a form of echolocation.

The Golden age lasted for around 150-200 years or so, ending around 1160 when the monster populations had been hunted down enough that people's main concern stopped being the monsters, and became the Witchers themselves.

The Griffin School, refusing to share the knowledge of its library, was destroyed by jealous mages. A group of peasants and mages attacked the Wolves' keep out of nowhere. The Bears failed to destroy a powerful cabal of vampires and, when peasants rioted and came for their keep, chose to disband rather than engage in needless slaughter. The Cat's keep of Stygga is destroyed, but the Dyn Marv chapter may still be alive and well. The Manticore School failed to protect an important prince from a fire elemental, and so lost their funding and closed. The Viper refused to support the Nilfgaardian usurper and were destroyed.

If you've made it this far, holy shit, thank you! I hope you have a great day!

[greenfiend]

How BttF and Terminator Subtext Told Us How Important Will Is…

And how important Joyce and Hopper are in relation to Will.

Upon first glance, the BttF and Terminator references seen gratuitous and nostalgia bait but- they offer subtext that run a lot deeper than you might think.

First of all, both movies involve time travel and an important mother, father, and son dynamic.

For Back to the Future: Marty (son) travels back in time and tries to make sure his parents (George and Lorraine) get together. He has to really push George to ask Lorraine out. Now, thinking of the flayed Hopper theory- Will does the exact same thing as Marty! While Hopper is flayed by Will- he asks out Will’s mom. Will influenced him to do so!!! Don’t believe me? Well… remember the episode where Murray basically pushes them to have sex? By them I mean… Joyce and flayed Hopper (Will…). That’s the same episode Robin says “I’m pretty sure that mom wanted to bang her son” (her comment is about the movie BttF because Lorraine at one point “has the hots” for her son Marty.) Plus, Hopper refers to Murray as “Freud” (who is known for the Oedipus complex…)

Now for The Terminator references. The Russian man with the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator first encounters Hopper at Enzo’s where his “date” with Joyce was supposed to be at. It’s very suspicious that he happens to be there. If you’ve seen The Terminator, you’d know that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character’s goal is to kill John Connor (son)’s mother Sarah Connor (mother) before she gives birth to him. Kyle Reese (father) travels back in time to protect Sarah. So, I’m thinking this Russian man had the same goal- targeting Will’s mother, Joyce. Luckily Joyce stood Hopper up for their date and after Hopper and Murray managed to keep Joyce safe the entire time but OH BOY it’s suspicious.

So yeah they’re really pushing this mother, father and son dynamic…

[kaiserouo]

wip

i like that side look eye too much i need to spread this to the world

[the-cu-genswap-au]

hey hey, welcome to the first official post on this blog!

First order of business: updated refs for the cast! Starting with what I've been calling the "Main Quintet," or just the core cast of kid characters. I'll be posting a couple more of these bios to tide everyone over while I plan out the next comic.

Massive dump of information incoming:

- Ben Krupp takes the main character spot for this AU. Like mainverse Krupp, he's kind of grouchy and impatient and likes to stick to the rules, but there's meant to be a feeling of.... performance to it in this AU. He's had to take on a lot of new responsibilities in the family after losing his dad a few months ago and it's resulted in him feeling like he has to give up his childhood and be Mature™ now. The kid's stressed.

- Despite this, though, he still secretly holds on to his love of the Captain Underpants comics. He sees the fictional hero as a role model of sorts, the kind of person he wants to aspire to be. His attempts to be that kind of person, though, usually tend to fall a little flat....

- Design note: Ben's main color motif is green, but the bits of red are there as a nod to Cap's color motif. Ben may not actually be Cap in this AU, but I still wanted there to be a physical link between the two.

- Jasper Krupp is Ben's younger brother, the middle child of the Krupp family, and the glue that holds this whole group together. Unlike his brother, Jasper is a lot more open and friendly, and a lot more trusting and empathetic. He's a sweet kid, but like his brother, there's a hint of performance to his behavior, too.....

- Design note: the majority of Jasper's character in this AU is based off of my personal headcanons for Jasper, since he's pretty much a blank slate of a character otherwise. Canon is but putty in my hands etc. etc.

- Toilette Ree and his younger brother Lavatore are the new kids in town, having moved from Quebec to Piqua over the summer. It's been.... hard adjusting to the move. The other kids at Jerome Horwitz haven't exactly been making it easy for them, either. But hey, that's why they've got each other!

- Toilette is the more rowdy and confrontational of the two, but mostly when it comes to defending his brother. When he cools off he likes to put on this snarky, cooler-than-you attitude to make himself seem more formidable than his tiny frame would suggest. It.... doesn't really work all that well.

- In his spare time, he has a budding interest in engineering

- Lavatore, by contrast, comes off as the more timid, less aggressive brother, but that's only because he has a tendency to fall back on Toilette whenever the two of them are in trouble. When he's not struggling to survive third grade, Lavatore's actually a pretty nice, chill kid, with a surprising rebellious streak to his personality that comes out whenever he's emboldened enough.

- Design note: Toilette and Lavatore have the same color motifs as Ben and Jasper (green/blue). This is only partially accidental on my part.

- Design note: Toilette's hair curl is essential

- Edith (they never caught her last name) rounds out the core cast as Ben and Jasper's closest (and only) friend. A quiet, painfully shy girl, Edith has a hard time fitting in with the other kids at Jerome Horwitz Elementary, not that she isn't trying. Sometimes she can't help but think that the other kids can just tell that she's different, somehow....

- In her free time, Edith has a huge passion for baking. She likes to share whatever she makes at home with Ben and Jasper, her self-proclaimed biggest fans.

- Design note: Edith's color palette is an inversion of her mainverse counterpart's colors—mainly yellow with red highlights instead of mainly red with yellow highlights

[homoeroticgrappling]

Via Lou Lou's instagram story on 04/09/24

[natasha-in-space]

So. Warriors AU for Saeyoung and his MC.

*pulls up a chair* 😻

Ohohoho, you have come to the right place for that particular brainrot! I had my own warrior cats au for mm for several years now, I just never really shared it 'cause it's super self-indulgent and I suck at writing cats interacting with each other organically. So! Gonna share the basics of my storyline, and how it could go, as well as introduce you to our lovable cast in their kitty forms.

I honestly see the story playing out similarly to the very first arc of warriors cats, as in, mc is an outsider that gets thrust into the clanlife and has to figure themselves out as they adjust to this change. It also allows for the reader to really immerse themselves into the story without feeling confused since you're experiencing this new world together with the protagonist! If we're talking romance with Saeyoung-kitty, a kittypet mc is a very neat idea! It gives a very fun contrast to these two as they slowly get to know each other throughout the story. Saeyoung had a rough life... the scars on his fluffy red pelt are a good proof of that. But mc? They've lived their entire life up until this point being loved and pampered by their two-legs. Still, they've always dreamed of something more... like a prophesy they had to fulfill. And the kindness their two-legs have given them became the reason behind mc's determination to see good in every cat they meet.

Similarly to the casual story in mm, mc gets lured into the forest by a mysterious white tomcat... promising them a life of excitement and adventure. But, as they walk further and further into the dense forest, it becomes harder and harder to make out their surroundings, and it doesn't take long for the unknown cat to seemingly disappear into the darkness like a ghost (which is rather impressive considering his white pelt). Mc is left scared and lost, surrounded by unfamiliar scents and sounds. It's hard to know your way around the forest! Warrior apprentices take moons to learn that skill. They stumble through the forest underbrush, meowing for the white tomcat to come back, but oh no! It looks like they stumbled right into a fox den! It's a good thing their horrified yowl attracts the attention of the nearby patrol. A flash of red flashes before mc's eyes and suddenly there's another cat! They throw themselves fiercely at the fox, clawing at its muzzle until it gives up and scatters away, yapping and tucking its tail in between its legs. And wouldn't you know, that's none other than Saeyoung! Long story short, that's how mc ends up in Sunclan (RFA). While it's rare to accept a kittypet into a clan... they do need more warriors in their ranks to keep themselves safe and fed. Besides, it seems like their leader is rather adamant on mc becoming their newest member. I wonder why...?

With that small intro into the story out of the way, here is our entire gang and their respective descriptions! I already have saved up cats I use for them in clangen, so I will use them as an example of their appearance. If any of you are interested in playing with your own warriors cats clans, check out an amazing fanmade game project by @/officialclangen!

Saeyoung:

Saeyoung is the deputy of Sunclan named Swiftclaw, honoring his high skill in battle and his deep loyalty to his clan. Oddly enough, while every cat in the clan respects him deeply, he doesn't seem that eager to become leader one day. In fact, he tends to keep a very low profile at gatherings, sitting tucked away in the shadows and grooming his pelt, as if he's trying to hide his appearance from other cats as much as possible. Rumors say that the only reason Swiftclaw has become deputy of Sunclan in the first place is because of a grave secret he and his leader share. What is that secret, you may ask? Who knows. Swiftclaw is a mysterious cat without any known blood relatives, although he considers his leader to be his adoptive father.

Yoosung:

Yoosung is a young medicine cat named Cloverberry after his boundless energy and willingness to help every cat in need. He had to become a full medicine cat without fully completing his training once his former mentor, who had also been his beloved cousin, mysteriously disappeared. Cloverberry is a bit clumsy on his paws, but he is determined to keep his clan safe and healthy. It's what his mentor would have wanted for them... So, despite his grudge against their apathetic leader, he does his best to honor his mentor's legacy and tend to every cat in need with all the care they deserve. He's one of the first cats to fully accept mc into the clan and he's eager to help them adjust, as well as teach them about the nature of Starclan.

Zen:

Zen is a beautiful tomcat named Echoblossom, honoring his charisma and determination. He's a well-trained warrior who has joined Sunclan after escaping from his cruel two-legs in his former home. Despite being a kittypet, his skills in hunting and battle are undeniable and he has earned himself a respectable reputation both among his classmates as well as in other clans. He has been suggested for the role of the deputy once, but he denied it, stating that he couldn't imagine anyone protecting their clan better than Swiftclaw. Echoblossom is warm and friendly towards mc once they join the clan, since they both come from a past of kittypet life, although their experiences are quite different. He's a charismatic and flirty tomcat who can easily fool any opponent with a sway of his tail and a quiet purr that will leave his rival utterly flabbergasted.

Jaehee:

Jaehee is a diligent warrior named Featherbreeze after her coolheadedness in the face of danger and her responsible approach to her duties. She's often the voice of reason amidst a recent conflict and she keeps a close eye on the state of the camp, making sure that everything's in order. It'll take her some time to warm up to mc, as she doesn't believe that a coddled kittypet like them will even survive the next Leaf Bare, but once she sees how much more livelier her clanmates have become with their arrival... she'll keep an open mind. She's also the one tasked with mentoring mc through their adjustment to their new clan life, as she's a naturally great teacher and has a very patient attitude. Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you, though. She's one of the fiercest warriors in battle, and once took on a badger solo!

Jumin:

Jumin is a respectable mediator named Crowfur, honoring his intelligence and devotion to his clan. In case this sounds confusing, mediator is a fairly new role cats can take up in the clans in the newest arcs! Mediators are tasked with solving disagreements, disputes and unjust situations between other cats, regardless whether these are happening between their own clanmates, or with other clans. In other words, mediator is a role that takes responsibility on keeping the clan just and peaceful. Although, the last few moons, Crowfur took on a far more important role in his clan. Ever since the disappearance of their former medicine cat, who has also been their leader's beloved mate, Crowfur acts as a temporary leader figure in the clan, both because he wants their leader to grieve in peace and because he doesn't want to see his clan in disarray. He's a very responsible and coolheaded cat who will ensure his clan's safety no matter what. While he may come off as cold, he's fiercely loyal and is willing to lend a paw to any cat who, in his eyes, needs to be reassured.

Jihyun:

Jihyun is the current leader of Sunclan named Miststar after his caring nature and close connection to Starclan. Formerly, he was known as a just and kind leader who was always involved in his clanmate's affairs and kept a good peace between other clans, no matter how tough the seasons would get. However, after the disappearance of his beloved mate and an unfortunate accident that left his eyesight forever damaged, he's been spending most of his time either curled up in his den or wandering the territory where no one can guess where he is. This left Sunclan feeling distant and disappointed in their leader, although there are many cats who still keep their faith in Miststar and his abilities. Miststar was formerly a kittypet, just like mc and Echoblossom, which is why he is so willing to give a chance to other cats who want to escape from their former lives. Not much is known about this cat, and those who are still close to him, refuse to share any of his secrets. There are rumors that Miststar had made enemies with a vicious group of rogues who are planning on attacking the clans... But, that sounds like nothing but mousedung, right? And are those burn marks on his pawpads? What could have caused those to appear?

Rika:

Rika is the leader of an outsider clan by the name of 'Moonclan'. Although she calls herself a leader, she hasn't been granted her 9 lives by Starclan, and her clan is not considered as an accepted part of the rest of the clans. She named herself Duskstar, promising to the inky sky above that her rule will bring an end to the scorching sun that only hurts the lives of countless of innocent cats. Formerly a medicine cat of another clan, she has been tormented all of her life by being rejected by Starclan. Despite her willingness to help those in need, Starclan denied her time and time again, refusing to communicate with her and not granting her any visions a proper medicine cat is supposed to experience. She's been ostracized from her former clan for her refusal to give up her medicine cat position, and that's how she first met Miststar... a cat she eventually fell in love with. She became a well-loved medicine cat in Sunclan despite her inability to communicate with Starclan. Still, her resentment for the starry cats above continued to grow overtime, until it started to harm her relationship with Miststar. She was envious of him. He was blessed by Starclan from kithood, often telling her stories of his wonderful endeavors with their ancestors. It wasn't fair. Nobody knows what happened between these two mates... However, Duskstar holds no love for Miststar any longer. Her goal is to free the clans from the cruel paws of Starclan and the rules they install onto every kit being born inside any of the clans. Moonclan consists of rogues, former kittypets, abandoned kits, ostracized warriors and loners - those who are rejected and shunned by Starclan as undeserving of their blessings, just like Duskstar once was. But, while her goal is righteous... is truly the right thing to do?

Saeran (Unknown):

Saeran is the second cat in command of Moonclan, a small scrawny tomcat named Tatteredheart, a name given to him by Duskstar herself to always remind him of the way his destiny wronged him. He's a battered and heavily scarred tomcat who's fiercely loyal to his leader. He's the one that leads mc into Sunclan's territory and he is going to keep an eye on them throughout their stay. Tatteredheart will visit mc in late hours of the night, learning about any important affairs inside of the clan and instructing them on what to do next. It's easy to convince an oblivious kittypet with a heart of gold that they're doing a good thing, and it's not like he's lying to them! But, he has a personal grudge against Swiftclaw and Miststar... and he is not going to be pleased to find that his pawn seems to be courting that traitorous deputy of Sunclan. But, why does he hate Swiftclaw this much? And where did he get all of these horrible scars? Mc will have to find that out themselves. A horrible secret is brewing right underneath their nose, they just have to put the clues together and find it.

Vanderwood:

Vanderwood is a battlescarred rogue named Boulder. They seem to be very well acquainted with Swiftclaw for some reason, to the point where the deputy of Sunclan won't mind them strolling through the territory of his clan and snacking on a squirrel or two. These two will meet up occasionally where none of the other clanmates are there to see them... But, nobody knows why. Boulder is a very skilled and smart fighter, though, and their claws will definitely come in handy once the peaceful clan life that Sunclan has established for itself will inevitably be put in danger. (Couldn't put a pic for them 'cause of tumblr's limit for pics but Vandy is a large dark brown tabby!) 

Bonus round for my oc's, 'cause hey, if I'm going all in, why hold back!? :D

Natasha:

Natasha is a former loner named Flowerpelt. She takes on a role that is similar to a traditional medicine cat in Moonclan, although she does her best to follow the strict rules of Duskstar and not mention a thing about Starclan or medicine cats. She is someone who lacks skills or determination in battle, but is quick on her paws and observant enough to notice any cat limping or hissing in pain after an intense sparring session. Her knowledge in herbs is completely self-taught, and she has no concrete knowledge on the traditional clan life, or why is it as bad as Duskstar says... Although, secretly, she wishes things could be more peaceful, so that no cat had to be hurt, even if it's for the greater good. Especially as she applies a new compression made up of bindwind onto Tatteredheart's flank, purring softly to ease his pain. She could be a good ally for mc, should they ever meet.

Chaewon:

Chaewon is a fierce battlescarred cat named Smokefur, a name she chose for herself after successfully defeating a fox solo to prove herself. She's a former rogue who has met Duskstar back when she was still Sunclan's medicine cat. She's an experienced and vicious battle cat who's loyal to Duskstar almost to a fault. She's often the one cat tasked with dirty work like punishing traitors or training new recruits. While it may seem like there's nothing to her but sharp claws and fangs, it's only once the night falls and the rest of their members are tucked neatly in their respective nests, when Smokefur can be seen curled up protectively around Duskstar, licking her golden fur clean and purring so loud almost her whole body vibrates.

[mamasplat]

I’ve vaguely explained my break down of the kalos protags ages (and while I could talk about that more) I wanna talk about zinnia because I have a lot of thoughts about her!

I’ve spent years of my life focused on storytelling both visually and verbally, specifically written and drawn character designs and the art of “show don’t tell” so I think that gives me enough insight to be the one deciphering character ages-

Okay starting first with her visuals, zinnia has a very mature build by proportions alone, she has sharp facial features, firm toned body (you can literally see that through her shirt, which is skin tight and tied on) she’s undoubtedly muscular partially through her upbringing, but it’s important to remember muscle gains come with age. You will not see a 12 year old with abs and jacked forearms because a young child/teen body can not gain that kind of muscle. A toned body indicates muscle gain especially in AFAB individuals as there’s a lack of testosterone to aid in the process of bulking up. And zinnia leads a rather off the grid lifestyle already so an enhanced workout routine is out of the question. Her build alone indicates late teens to early adulthood.

Dialogue, there’s dialogue that refers to zinnia as a teenager. But there is also dialogue of a team magma grunt saying she’s totally his type. If they’re comfortable having implied adults hit on her I feel it’s safe to assume we can cut her down into the 18-19 bracket.

Storyline, zinnias story is not a tale you write a young child into. Her story is filled with heartbreak and not just acceptance of her own mortality, but also facing her willingness to die in order to save the world. She was raised into a suicidal duty and she’s come to terms with a young death. Most writers (especially gamefreak who makes games for children) tend to avoid child death as to not upset parents and players. Another part of her story is the fact she gets a job working under team magma/aqua depending on your version, and while I wouldn’t say it’s out of they’re brand to work with younger teens in team aqua- team magma would not hire a 15 year old into a high tech eco terrorist team of geologists and scientists. Meaning she must be old enough for them to think she’s responsible in the field.

Lastly, I placed Calem and Serena at the age of 18 as they didn’t have an appearance that (in my opinion) warranted me putting them at the age of 19. When I put zinnia next to Calem and Serena I see that (in my opinion) she looks older than them both. Therefore my final thought is that lorekeeper zinnia from pokemon omega ruby and alpha sapphire, is 19 years old.

Thank you for coming to my autistic TED talk

[beautifulsavagegarden]

//In the spirit of Halloween, here is a photo of my spooky storytelling set up last night, a photo of me in my Lestat cosplay and Armand cosplay.

[ectoplasmer]

y'all ever feel so much love for your f/o that you just get moved to literal tears or am i just a mess

[playertwotails]

So was finally able to watch Sonic prime today and I have so many words after the first watch.

Gonna put it all under the cut so spoilers for Sonic Prime below.

So I love Nine so much. He is gonna be probably one of the best characters in this show, in my opinion.

Just he's been through so much with no one caring about him at all. I like that he's just a very selfish character but in an understandable way. Why would he stay and help these people he's never met, no one ever bothered to ever help him so why would/should he help them. So yeah of course he's not gonna care to help the resistance they never did anything for him.

He only cares about Sonic who is the first person in his entire life to ever be kind to him. Nine has an immediate attachment to Sonic, despite him saying otherwise that they aren't friends, but actions speak louder than words there buddy-o. Like you literally wanted to start a new world with just the two of you my guy.

I see people thinking that Nine thinks Sonic abandoned him there at the end, and I think he does a little bit but not 100%. In that he's not gonna just betray Sonic since Sonic didn't save him. Nine is smart he knows Sonic keeps randomly traversing the Shatterverse thing area and has the same energy signal. Once Sonic is able to explain "oh I was going towards you but then got booted into the in-between" Nine will probable be like "oh that tracks based on my calculations" (in my mind I want it to go like this at least, plus I hate plots with the "oh you left me so I will betray you" when literally it was out of the other persons control to leave them, idk I just really am not a fan of that kind of plot line).

Also Nine still made sure that he gave the Eggman quintuplets a reason not to kill Sonic. I think once Nine realizes they can't find Sonic in that reality he'll put two and two together of what happened.

Also also can we talk about how Nine was literally smarter than all 5 Eggmans put together. He hacked their computers, overrode Rusty Rose, and figured out how to traverse the Shatterverse in a few weeks with the shard that the human forms of Eggsecute couldn't figure out when they literally had it for seemingly years. Nine just Legally Blond "what like it's hard" the Eggmans so bad.

Side note, can we just talk about how in almost every single world Sonic's first response is "I need to find Tails!!" He needs Tails to figure out what going on and how to fix it but also that's his best friend and little brother, new situation find the person he trusts the most first. Him saving Mangey Tails when he first got to the jungle world was just so adorable he was so worried about him.

There's so much with this show I wanna talk about but I'm real tired.

Let me know what ya'll think of of Sonic Prime and/or Nine.

[xenolinguistics-department]

just asked a guy i've been mutually crushing on for over a year when he will ask me out on a date and his face literally went 😳

[queenlucythevaliant]

I'm watching Star Wars with my roommate, she hasn't seen any of it and she is completely unspoiled I am LIVING