#but instead of having wings they were like flying squirrels

[kagender]

i think they need a better name than lizardbirds, but for now, its lizardbird time

[impishtubist]

trick or treat

(this is painfully American and no I'm not taking any criticism about that because frankly I don't care)

---

“Daddy, when is Harry coming?”

Sirius glanced at the clock. “In one hour, bug.” 

“How long is that?”

“That’s as long as one nap.” 

Teddy pouted. “That’s a long time.” 

Sirius grinned. “It’s not that long, I promise. Do you have your costume laid out?”

“Yes!”

“And you’ve got your bucket?”

“Uh-huh.” 

“Where are your shoes?”

Teddy pointed at the door, where he had carefully placed his shoes. 

Sirius wiped his hands on a towel. “Do you want to go to the park while we wait?”

“Yeah!” 

The least Sirius could do, he figured, was to try to run off some of Teddy’s energy before letting Harry take him for the night. He bundled Teddy into his coat and whistled for the dogs. They came running, and Sirius clipped on their leashes.

“I wanna walk Bowie!” Teddy demanded, and Sirius handed over the red leash. He had had several stern talks with the dogs as Padfoot when Teddy was a baby, telling them how fragile a human child could be and how they weren’t ever to jump on, pull, or knock Teddy over. The lectures were probably unnecessary, as all his dogs were intelligent and well-behaved, but it made him feel better about the whole thing. Bowie was larger than Teddy, but he walked calmly down the street, not even running after a squirrel when it darted in front of him. 

They played for half an hour in the park before walking back. Well, Sirius and the dogs walked, while Teddy ran ahead of them. So much for burning off his energy. 

Harry was already waiting for them at the house when they returned, and Teddy shouted in excitement.

“Harry!”

“Hi, Teds.” Harry dropped into a crouch as Teddy ran at him, catching the boy in a hug. “Are you ready to go?”

“No! I need my costume!” 

“Let’s go put it on then, shall we?” Harry straightened. “Hi, Sirius.”

“Hi, love. Thanks for doing this.” 

“It’s no problem.” 

Teddy dragged Harry off to his room, chattering at him a mile a minute. Sirius’s heart swelled as he listened to his kids, to Harry’s questions and Teddy’s excited answers. He fed the dogs while Harry helped Teddy with his costume, and then finished cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. 

The doorbell rang, and he went to answer it. 

“‘Lo, you two,” he said, standing back to let Ron and Hermione in. “Teddy’s already got Harry captive.” 

Feet pounded down the hallway, and Teddy ran into the room. Or, rather, a pteranodon with Teddy’s face ran into the room.

“Ron!” he cheered. “Hermy!” 

“My goodness,” Hermione said, taking in the elaborate costume that Sirius had spent hours magicking into existence using some clothes Teddy had grown out of. “What kind of dinosaur are you?”

“Not a dinosaur,” Teddy said, sounding offended. “‘s a flying reptile, Hermy.” 

“And what’s it called, Teds?” Sirius prompted.

“A ter-an-don.” 

“Pteranodon,” Sirius said.

“That’s what I said!” 

They went outside so Teddy could stretch out the wings of his costume and Sirius could take pictures.  

“Alright, Tedster.” Sirius knelt in front of the little boy. “You have fun tonight, okay?” 

“I will.”

“Good. Can I give you a hug?”

Teddy allowed a hug and a kiss, and then he ran to Harry, taking his hand and tugging him down the street. 

***

Sirius never visited James and Lily’s graves on Halloween.

He visited the cottage instead. 

He knelt in the entryway where he had found James’s body. He climbed the stairs to the nursery where he had found Lily’s, where he had scooped a bleeding and sobbing Harry from the wreckage of his crib. He sat in the kitchen, where he’d spent countless afternoons having Sunday lunch with his best friends. He lingered in the living room, where he’d played with Harry on hands and knees while James watched fondly from the sofa. 

He wandered the cottage like a ghost, haunted by the lives that had never unfolded here, by all the futures they could have had. 

After, he returned home, lit a fire in the fireplace, and sat on the sofa with a glass of wine. The dogs joined him--Bowie draped across his lap, Sasha and Zephyr curled up on either side. Demeter wandered out of Teddy’s room and leaped on the back of the sofa, purring as she rubbed her head against Sirius’s cheek. It was the only day of the year she ever paid him any attention. 

By the time Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned with Teddy, Sirius had had a good cry, finished his wine, and made a batch of hot cocoa for everyone. Teddy was only wearing half his costume, and Harry carried the other half while Ron carried his candy bucket.

“Daddy, look what I got!” Teddy exclaimed, running up to Sirius. Sirius hoisted him onto his hip and inspected the bucket.

“Very nice, Teddy,” he said. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I wanna go again.”

“Next year, bug.” Sirius kissed his cheek and set him down again. "Let's get you some hot cocoa, you're freezing."

The kids then settled on the floor in the living room in a circle, Teddy on Harry’s lap. 

“Okay, Teds, let’s see what you got.”

Teddy upended the bucket on the floor, and sweets scattered everywhere. The dogs all lifted their heads, eyeing the sweets curiously. Sirius flicked his wand, and the candy all gathered in a neat pile.

“Three pieces only tonight, Teddy,” Sirius said. 

“Five?”

“Three.” 

“Four?”

Sirius dragged a hand down his face, trying to suppress a laugh. “Teddy.” 

“We can choose three,” Harry said. “Come on, Teds, we’ll help you pick out your three favorites. Then we’ll put the rest away for other special occasions. You remember how sick you got last year? That wasn’t any fun, was it?”

“No,” Teddy said sullenly. He heaved a great sigh. “Fine.” 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the next half hour sorting through Teddy’s candy with him, separating out the toys and trinkets that some houses had handed out instead, and discarding the candy Teddy wouldn’t eat. Sirius retreated to his study but left the door open, warmed by the joy emanating from the other room.

“Teddy, where did you get all this licorice?” Ron asked at one point, laughing. “You hate licorice. Here, we’ll throw them out--” 

“No, Ron! Those are for Daddy.” 

“Sirius does like licorice,” Hermione said, and Sirius could hear the shrug in her voice.

“Yeah, an’ Daddy’s sad. So he gets licorice.” 

There was a beat of silence, and then Harry said, “You think Daddy’s sad?”

“Yeah, Halloween makes ‘im sad,” Teddy said. He lowered his voice and added, “I think it’s ‘cause he’s scared of the costumes.” 

“Maybe you’re right, Teds. Why don’t you go give him his candy to make him feel better?”

“Okay!” Teddy scampered into the study, holding a handful of licorice. “Daddy, I have presents for you.” 

“Thank you, Teddy.” Sirius absolutely was not going to cry again. He pressed a kiss to the crown of Teddy’s head. “I feel better already. Why don’t you go eat your treats, and then have Harry help brush your teeth? It’s almost time for bed.” 

In the end, Ron helped Teddy with his bath, Harry brushed his teeth, and Hermione read him a bedtime story. Sirius almost felt guilty about letting the kids take over so much tonight, but Harry had given him a stern talking-to two years ago when Teddy first started trick or treating. For one night, he and his partners could handle Teddy while Sirius gave over to his grief. 

Teddy was half-asleep when Sirius went to say goodnight to him. Demeter was curled up at his side. She flicked her tail lazily when Sirius came into the room, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge him. 

“Good night, Teddy,” he whispered, drawing the dinosaur-patterned blankets up to Teddy’s shoulders. “I hope you had a good Halloween.” 

“Daddy,” Teddy said sleepily, “will you come next year?”

Sirius stroked Teddy’s curls. “You want me to come with you?”

“Mmhmm.” Teddy snuggled into his pillow. “You can dress up.”

“Oh? And what would I dress up as?”

Teddy blinked open his eyes and gave him a perfectly innocent look. “Stubby Boardman?”

Sirius huffed. “Your big brother has been putting ideas into your head again, I see.” 

He leaned down and kissed Teddy’s cheek. “Sure, baby. I’ll go with you next year.”

---

(Remus isn't in this because I didn't feel like writing him. He's probably dead, but you can imagine they're divorced and this is Sirius's week with Teddy if that makes you feel better. Also Harry is definitely dating both Ron and Hermione okay bye).

[marine-indie-gal]

Is anyone truly deeply aware of The Obscure Adaptation of "The Island of Dr. Moreau" but as a Kids Cartoon? I know that defiantly sounds a hell of a Crazy idea of wanting to Adapt an Sci-Fi Horror Adult Book into a Goofy Cartoon, but believe it or not, this One is not just your ordinary version.

So I've recently been watching a New Obscure Show from Canadian called "Spliced", which is a Semi-Adaptation of One of H.G. Wells' Novels that I've mentioned before, only instead of focusing on Vivisection, it focuses on the Society of Mutant Animal Mashup Hybrid Beasts. But in a Slice-of-Life way, not in a Dramatic tone like how the Book putted in.

Granted, I never really have read the Book before but the Cursed 90s Adaptation is the Only Version that I have seen (have not ever dared to wanting to look into the 30s or 70s one).

So far, the only buildup of trying another Foreign Show but this time from Canada (Which I have seen Many Canadian Shows in My Childhood like with "Ruby Gloom" or the more famous, EEnE or G4's MLP), & despite Me having a more deep touch on Japan, Russia, French, or Ireland (cough, cough, which I am attached to my Most Favorite Foreign Film studios from each of there's, cough), I'm always more open-minded to Other Foreign Animated Media from a Different Country. Which inspired Me to take my own Redesign Trip on the Spliced cast, if they looked more Different or at least Realistically Accurate to their Animal Mashup species while also mixing both the Show and My Own Artstyle.

I was originally going to neglect Compuhorse since I couldn't afford on what to do with Him to Re-design him since I had no idea on how to do a Personal Interpretation Mashup between an Animal with Electronic (let alone have a Horse be implanted with Technology since the Animal Mashups between Two or More Beasts were way easier) but then I instantly did figure out something on how to do by just turning the tables around and have Him in a Wheel Chair with No Legs (as a callback to his own Inspiration since he's a Stephen Hawking based-parody). I dunno, chances are, I just didn't want to leave him out since he's one of the Show's Main Characters.

Princess Pony Apehands was honestly my Most Favorite out of the Redesigns, while her looks may have been based off of the Stereotypical Girly-Girl Pony type, I wanted to redesign her by adding some adjustments to make it more "Modern-like" (inspired by Horseland).

Two-Legs Joe was obviously a twist (I know as to why he is called by that) but since I've "swapped" Compuhorse and Joe in this, I'd figure why not five Joe some Feathers (more as Wings than just Arms) so I guess you could at least say that he's now "Armed-Winged Two-Legs Joe"?, "Winged-Two-Legs Joe"? I just thought maybe a Flying Rhinoceros with Wings would be pretty funny if you're back or your tail is attached to a Bird (though he would pretty much still use his own Legs for Hands).

The Rest of Them were easier since you could obviously tell for Which Character they had More than just One Species being a Mashup of (minus Patricia since she's already an Animal Mashup Born, a Platypus (Duck-Beaver)), but Peri and Fuzzy were very hard, I know Peri is supposed to be Half Octo Half Cat or Fox but to Me, he looked more like a Squirrel so I made him into a Flying Squirrel/Cuttlefish mashup but for Fuzzy, considering that his Mashup Species is nowhere confirmed, I had to do my best coming up with the best instinct of Two Rodent Species of Animal as I theorized Fuzzy to be an Mashup of Two Rodents combined (A Bunny and An Albino Possum or a Rat).

Spliced (c) Nelvana

Redesigns of the Spliced Characters (c) Me

[blizzardstarx]

Pontalo AU Masterlist

LightningWings full information!

LightningWings, also known as mountain, storm, or lightning dragons to humans, are the ancestors of the SkyWings and are one of the seven tribes inhabiting Pontalo, residing in the mountains in the lower “wing” of Pontalo. They are currently ruled by Queen Hurricane.

Description:

LightningWings have scales varying in blue to gray shades, like a stormcloud. Some might also have purplish scales as well, which is uncommon. They typically have blue, yellow, orange, or amber eyes, and have “jewel-hard” scales. LightningWings also have the second largest wings of any tribe, bested by the FireWings, and have long, curved horns. They have thin and long snouts with an enormous nose-spike that acts like a lightning rod, which are small when they are dragonets, but grow over time, and an extra horn on their jaw. They have sharp, yellowish white spikes running down from their head to tail, which have spikes ending in sharp tips. LightningWing eggs are various shades of gray with white streaks.

Diet:

LightningWings eat hawks, eagles, squirrels, mountain goats, sheep, foxes, deer, cows, bobcats, lynx, pigs, rodents, cougars, rabbits, and other birds of prey. They can also feed off of electricity.

Abilities:

LightningWings are the fastest of any dragon tribe, not just in flying, due to their gigantic wings and endurance, but also on the ground. They learn to fly at a young age and are able to manipulate electricity, breathe fire, as well as swim fairly well. LightningWings can also withstand extremely bright light.

Some LightningWings can be born with a condition called lightningscales, where their scales are powered by electricity, and they shock to the touch. The scales are always charged, and LightningWings with them cannot ‘turn them off’, causing issues when swimming and when there’s rain, causing electrocution and sparks. Earlier in LightningWing history, they killed these dragonets to prevent them from suffering, and the danger of lightningscales, but in the modern times they were taught how to control and even use it to their advantage.

The large nose-horn on LightningWings allows them to ‘power-up’ and charge, storing the electricity in the nose-horn until further use. The spikes along their back crackle with electricity and signal how much they have stored, with the more spikes crackling, the more electricity the LightningWing has in power. LightningWings are taught to conserve at least some, and if none of the spikes, including the nose-horn, are crackling, they are most likely dead.

Animus magic:

LightningWings had animus magic at one point, however, they killed them like lightningscales. They haven’t had an animus dragon in centuries.

Society:

LightningWings are seen as quick-witted, sarcastic, short-tempered, and grumpy by the other tribes. Some have been described as calm but then having their personalities completely flipped, like the calm before a storm. Despite this, LightningWings are festive dragons, loving music and dancing, and have bands that perform at celebrations.

LightningWings will gather outside in the midst of a lightning storm to charge up their electricity. There is a ceremony for young dragonets for their first lightning strike to charge their nose-horn. They also fight with their horns and defend eggs and young dragonets. The bigger the horn, the higher their status. If their horn is removed or broken, they are shamed upon, and their powers are weakened.

There is a tradition of their burial system where LightningWings go to the highest peak of the mountains during a thunderstorm and let the deceased dragon’s body, wrapped in cloth or silk, get struck by lightning. LightningWings then set the body on fire to let the dragon’s spirit fly free to reincarnate into a LightningWing instead of the other tribes. The FireWings have a ceremony just like this as well, but more similar to the SkyWings. This was passed down from the LightningWings and SkyWings’ common ancestor to their descendants, then the SkyWings.

LightningWings tend to use their electricity more than their fire, but if they are out of electricity, they will use the latter. They will also use their spiky tails and wings.

The tribe isn’t taking part in the BloodWing War, however, they will attack them if they encroach on their territory, as the BloodWings have conquered most of their neighbors, the LightWings. Scouts and guards are on the lookout of any impending attack.

A few LightningWings have fled to the unknown land Queen Paradox of the ShapeWings went to, and are shamed for leaving their tribe.

Names:

LightningWing names are usually after natural disasters or storms related to the sky (like Tornado, Hurricane, Thunderstorm, Storm) and can also be named after lightning-related words (such as Spark, Voltage, Bolt). They can be named after mountain-dwelling creatures or birds as well (such as Thrush, Plover, Falcon)

Trivia:

LightningWings were originally called ThunderWings, or it was a typo.

There was also another tribe similar to the LightningWings, called AirWings, which were based on the Pokemon Altaria, and were cloud-like and fluffy.

LightningWing electricity is at least 300 million volts, like a typical lightning bolt.

They are slightly based on rhinos, or at least, their nose horns.

LightningWings and FireWings share a common ancestor, which came to Pontalo after the Lightbringer era and separated into those two tribes.

All LightningWings had lightningscales before, but it was changed.

[e04kj0125]

Crack fic/drabble

A scenario wherein Xavier does not end up in the earth of the past but rather a strange world where the elements almost seemed to be alive. . . and is that jelly moving?

genshin x love and deepspace crossover au

word count: 1273

Xavier hissed through his teeth as he slowly gained consciousness His body tensed as he grabbed his sword and took in his surroundings.

A verdant and lively land brimming with life. He knew looks could be deceiving but waking in such a land a contrast to his own decaying world was rather. . . odd.

At the thought of his homeland images of her flashed through his mind.

He needed to get up and possibly find the rest of his crew. Xavier had a promise to fulfill, he would be damned to give up now. It seemed he woke up in a clearing of sorts. Above the skies were white birds leisurely flying, the leaves rustled as birds chirped, and on the ground, a squirrel seeing his figure ran in the other direction. It seemed like this world's flora and fauna was not too far off from his home. Yet there were no signs of his ship or his crew. The place where he woke up provided no clue how he ended up there just a patch of grass.

As he scouted his surroundings he noted what looks like to be some sort of structure from the distance. It likely meant there were people nearby, it could help him to gather information on where he was but where there were people there was also danger. There was no telling what they would do to him, a stranger such as him.

With no other clues about where to go Xavier marched towards the structure, soon it became evident it was a stone statue. In the middle of a lake stood a man or a woman clothed in robes with wings holding a smoothed round stone with no markings. The statue was old showing its age with cracks yet it was well taken care of with no moss or other coverings.

A familiar sound of footsteps came from the back and he swung his sword in stance watching his assailant, who looked at him with wide eyes. In one hand the person held a lyre and the other was open showing off his palm.

"Woah! Easy there, outlander, I did not come with harm."

The young man continued to have his one free hand open, recognizing the universal sign of peace he sheathed his sword.

"Apologies I was startled," his voice was a bit dry, how long was he unconscious?

The young man laughed reminding Xavier of the sounds of wind chimes.

"It is alright with the way you landed here anyone would be startled."

Xavier narrowed his eyes his grip on the handle of his sword tightening.

"Ohh pardon me I must have startled you again," he waved his free hand," A while back I saw a shooting star landing near Starfell Lake, being curious I followed the trail but instead of a meteor crater I found a strange sleeping man," he says and points at Xavier.

"I had actually bought some first aid kid," he shakes the backpack on his shoulder, "but when I returned the strange man was totally gone."

Xavier blinked the hand on his hilt less tense,carefully he removed his grip.

"I see I must have startled you as well, apologies."

The green-clad man shook his hand as if waving away his concern.

"Never mind outlander-"

"Venti where are you?!"

A man dressed in black with a vivid red mane of hair came out of the forest and that is how Xavier got acquainted with Venti the bard and Diluc the winery owner. An odd bunch and a strange combination, from what he could gather from the clothes they were wearing to their occupation this land seemed primitive and behind on technology compared to Philos, yet the first aid kid was well put together and clean. The two strangers oddly did not ask how and why Xiaver was here, which raised some of his concerns but for now, he would follow and see where it goes

They arrived at the stone bridge pigeons flying away as carts and horses traveled from one side to the other. The bridge led to the entrance of the city called Mondstadt.

Xavier was left behind with Venti as Diluc talked to the guards. Venti laughed and patted him on his back. He must have noticed Xavier's tenseness. It wasn't too long before Diluc came back and they were able to enter the city, Xavier had to wonder if it was this easy to enter a guarded city with no identification or that Diluc had that much influence.

The city itself reminded him of paintings and pictures he had seen in history books. People dressed in a similar manner that was mentioned in the same books, they looked carefree and happy not a single worry that their land might wither and die out someday.

"we will take you to the church they have rooms for travelers that have nowhere to go and don't worry it is very nice there and the people working there are kind as well!" the bard chirped, boasting about it proudly.

With that Xavier was taken further north of the city and a giant winged stone statue stood in the plaza with who he assumed was the same winged deity he saw at the lake.

Before he knew it he was at the church entrance and the sky was turning darker. Venti spoke with some nuns who looked at Xavier with pity that almost made him look away from their eyes for..

"I will have to leave now there is some business I have to take care of, Venti will meet you in the morning."

"Hehe, going already master Diluc? Don't worry Xavier we won't just ditch you off see you in the morning I also got some work to do."

The two left shortly after that. Xavier was escorted to a modest rustic-looking room yet it was clean and he could tell the linen was fresh.

Xavier sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

He would love nothing more than to hit his head against the bed and let sleep take over his mind, yet his body was too jittery. Where was he? Where were his crew members what happened to the ship? His circumstances were too strange and his memories before he woke up were hazy at best.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock.

He rose up and carefully opened the door a hand at the hilt of his sword.

There, at the door was her.

His star.

.

.

.

.

.

With a tray in hand, she stood there in the nun's attire, not looking out of place in the church walls.

"The other nuns told me to deliver your meal you must have had a rough trip from what I heard."

Her voice was like heaven itself he wanted to say something, anything, or perhaps he wanted to run and hug her breathing in her scent to commit to memory. It has been far too long since he had seen or been near her presence.

"Y-yes thank you," he hated how he stammered his words out.

She casually went inside of his room and he stepped back to make room for her. She put the tray on the wooden desk and smiled.

"I hope you enjoy your meal and get some rest."

Xavier was dumbfounded unable to say anything before she could leave he had to say something.

"Wait," he took a breath.

"Yes?"

She paused mid-step her beautiful smile still on her face.

"Can I ask for your name?" he hated how low his voice got and rubbed at his neck.

"it is Semiramis, pleased to meet you."

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #6

Department of Magical Violations, here we go!

"With a pair quite strange!" Got it, got it.

Ooh, this title card implies Jorgen~!

SLKDJF, did Wanda become a seahorse immediately after they were complaining they spent so long as fish last episode?

Whoa, we're already 100 wishes forward in the future? That leaves a lot of wiggle room. Show me the moon phase; you know you want to...

Yep, she likes the fish guy from the theme. His name is Kennueth.

That cat photo is driving me up the wall. Is it Mittens, who hangs around Dinkleberg? I really feel like I've seen this cat...

Oh, Jorgen's gotten older! As he should have, I suppose, though you wouldn't think this would have been such a significant time jump for him. I'm not sure I love it.

sdfklj, I'm glad we're sticking with "Jorgen is in charge of godparents." Like... that man has no legal rights to Fairy World. He's over godparents and that has always kinda been his thing.

His braces are too big...

I'm glad SOMEONE here is yelling at them for not filing godparent paperwork. You sniped someone else's godkid assignment, you dummies!!

Wish Inspection! It's back! THE DMV! It's also back?? ... With fewer flying cars this time, but... wow. Didn't expect that one.

"Tedious structure and drab settings is my happy place" - Hazel, I know a race of magical beings you would love to hang out with.

I'm glad "I wish he had a trampoline instead" [of a parachute] turned out exactly the way I envisioned.

Jorgen has not changed at all, and he still loves dancing with bright lights around. I support him. I feel like they've not emphasized his sliced-off wings to new viewers, though.

Cookie: I know what you want. Hazel, who did not want a car:

I see where this is going.

Cosmo's cute pocket <3

Teacher's Pal

Nottttt sure it was a great idea to make one character's whole personality saying "Football," but let's see where it's going.

Aw, I like that Hazel's school has squirrels as a mascot since Timmy had the Squirrely Scouts.

... huh? was that Timmy?

Cosmo: Does she not know how a door works?

Tough talk for Fairies who like poofing doors away.

She likes mushrooms and anime... What a combo.

Having Dimmy as a nickname for the Dimmadomes is really gonna throw me off (Sounds like "Timmy").

Oof, did she wish for all the teachers to like her? And does that make the lady who doesn't like her... the principal? (Yes)

Wow, we are on a streak of brown and orange eyes. Who knew they were all hiding in Dimmadelphia?

... Is that Grey DeLisle / Grey Griffin voicing the principal? (It is!)

His shades are too big...

This is an attack against me specifically.

OKAY I thought I was going crazy during the quick glances earlier, but YES, that IS Timmy as the mascot! Oh, RIP...

He haunts history even when he's gone, as he should.

Bigfoot Club sounds like something Hazel's dad would want her to sign up for.

Okay, so it's end of 5th grade, so she's 10-turning-11?

OH, Wanda just called Hazel "squirt..." It's so similar to "sport." That's cute.

???

Where is Dev? Where is he?

Forget Dev- What is up with this kid?

Dev is running around somewhere, unsupervised. He just dipped out halfway through the episode. There were no teachers to make him stay and he's rich. I expect no less.

A little less upbeat and dramatic than the debut episode, but that's not a surprise. I'd say it fits the theme of the old show really well. I look forward to more, though I do think Jorgen's appearance wasn't pushed as far as it could've been. On the other hand, it's perfectly in character that he doesn't want to spook Hazel as much as he wants to spook Cosmo and Wanda.

Got through a bit faster than expected, so maybe a little more watching.

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

For want of a flower

Iz came upon the spirit-vale to find it destroyed. The wooden tree houses were burned to a crisp, and ectoplasm, flesh of the twice-dead, soaked the soft grass. The reek of war, death and fire made her sick. 

It was obvious, she realised, that the Godhuntress had no plans to enslave the spirits. She wanted them all dead. Their corpses, translucent and childlike, piled up in corners, lovers clutching each other as they were massacred, warriors standing guard over the weak and innocent.

She stood in the clearing, the only soul save for a lone squirrel. The smouldering ruins seemed to mock her, laughing at her incompetence. What if she had come a week earlier? What if she had not dallied, had not gotten lost in the dense woods where the spirits made their home?

The spirits were a secretive group, lurking within the trees of the Celitane Forest. They had no love of humans, but neither did they care for the Gods. Yet Iz knew, deep in her bones, that the Godhuntress would come for them next.

And she has been right. Too right. Iz's fingers hunted for the thrill of magic amongst the masses of wrecked souls, the tell of a surviving spirit. "Damn it all," she muttered angrily. "Is anyone out there?

"Leave us be!" The shout was a boy's, defiant and terrified. Iz turned, ready to yell a reassurance, but a thought struck her.

What if the child was not yelling at her? The corpses were so fresh — Was the Godhuntress still there?

The notion struck fear in her heart. Her mot- mortal enemy, lurking just inches away from her. Iz crept towards the voice, pulling out her fateful arrow and slotting it into the shelf of her bow. 

She rounded a corner to find two children clutching each other, a boy and a girl, skin as translucent as frosted glass. The girl was a ghost, doomed as a child to never grow to adulthood. The boy, she suspected, was a spirit. 

He certainly was spirited, holding himself to the fore to protect his friend. His pale eyes held the same ferocity that possessed trapped rodents, and his lips were pulled back to reveal sharp canines. They were caught in a cage of fire, unable to flee without being burnt to a crisp. "Back off! Do you not know who I am? I am the ruler of this clan, and you have intruded upon my territory," he yelled in futile rage.

"I am not here for you, fool boy," the Godhuntress laughed. She loomed over them, blood-red braids whipping in the air, wings spread like a harpy death-bringer. "Surrender the girl, and I shall let you live."

"She is my vassal, and I am soul-sworn to defend her! You will have to kill me before I allow you to take her," he snapped back.

"She is the Goddess of Dreams, boy, and a being infinitely more powerful than you. Did you know that, when you took her in? She lied to you and used you," The Godhuntress told him mockingly. "Did you know that you were nothing more than a scrap compared to her glory? A wingless fly to her eagle?"

From the look of anguish on his face, the spirit boy did not know. He looked at the girl in betrayal. She shook her head frantically, hissing something to him, trying to pull herself away from his desperate clinging. Iz drew her now back, aiming carefully at the Godhuntress.

His face hardened. "I did not know, and I do not care. She is my vassal. I am sworn to protect her, in sickness or in health, in power or in weakness, in life or in death! You will have to claw my cold, dead, broken body from hers!" His voice cracked at that last sentence. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "I, too, am a god. Will you not take me instead?"

"Stupid, stupid weakling of a boy. You're not even worth the blade I would kill you with. I might let you live, as an example of what happens to those who disobey me. Step aside now, and live. Or die like the rat you are," the Godhuntress warned, raising her sword.

"Hans! Let me go! Listen, it's okay," the girl murmured. "It'll be okay. You helped me all those years, Hans-el. You took me in, a strange ghost arriving on your doorstep one day. You gave me a life worth living. Consider this the repayment of my fealty." She hugged him tightly, and pulled herself away.

"Don't you dare!" The boy clawed at her desperately. "Berry, as your liege, I demand you stay here! You saved my life all those years ago. 'Tis I who owe you the world, and I will repay my debts, no matter the cost." Iz took a deep breath, steadying her aim. She only had one chance at it.

"She will kill you," the girl said with grim certainty. "And then she will take me and kill me too. And I will not allow that to happen, because I-"

Iz loosed her arrow, and it slammed into the Godhuntress' head. Blood blossomed from the wound, and she fell to her knees. For a moment, Iz could almost believe that she had felled the Godhuntress. 

Then she turned around. "You," she snarled, the word filled with ire. "You have challenged time and time again. You truly think yourself capable of stopping me with a mere arrow? You are a fool, then, as well as a traitor." Her eyes, red like glowing ash, gleamed with bloodlust. 

"Mother," Iz said, spitting the words out like a curse, "It is you who are the fool, and the traitor. Look at what you are doing. Our people were made to protect others. They are children, Mother. Children. Does that word not mean anything to you?"

The Godhuntress regarded her with cold fury. "They are a goddess and her servant," she replied, ignoring the boy's yelp of indignance. "And they are standing in the way of our liberation. For millennia, our people have been enslaved by these _gods_, and the other immortals have turned a blind eye. They sang songs in our praise, pretending that we were selfless philanthropists, rather than tormented slaves. Angels, they called us, and feigned ignorance to our agony. Is it not fair that we get revenge, daughter?"

Iz looked away, unable to respond. "They tore your wings away for befriending a Fae, daughter. They corrupted your soul and threw you down to mortality. How could you still support these monsters that style themselves deities? Is it not fair for our people to be free, and for them to be subjugated?" 

That Iz had an answer to. "No, Mother. The blood of innocents will not heal the wounds we have been dealt. Massacre will not return me my wings. Revenge will not bring peace to those who have suffered." 

"They treated us like animals! They ripped every hope and dream out of our people and played with us like toys! I will not rest— I will never rest until my people are restored to their former glory. I will never rest until I have made them pay for every indignity we suffered. I will never rest until every being that has wronged us has felt our pain," she said, daring Iz to defy her.

Iz stared at her with pity. "Mother, the gods are all dead. The Fae have fallen. The Spirits are shattered and scattered. Everyone who has harmed our people is long gone. Let Vengeance leave you. You have achieved your goal, and none will ever seek to harm our people again." She reached out with one hand.

"No! My work is not done. I must build a Haven for the Angels, and then I must secure it," the Godhuntress said, wenching herself away from Iz.

"Mother," Iz said, patience seeping out of her body, leaving sick, pained sadness in its wake. "You will build Heaven for our people out of the blood of others. You will secure it in the screams and deaths of the innocent, Mother. And they will remember you as a monster. Does it not concern you that they call you the Godhuntress, rather than the Guardian Angel?"

The Godhuntress paused, and Iz knew she had found a weak point. "They see your reign as drenched in blood, a mere continuation of the evils the gods perpetrated. The only way to stop this cycle is to find peace. You need to stop," Iz said. " 'Tis not too late, Mother. Take my hand, and we can make this better."

They looked into each other's eyes, and for a heartbeat Iz believed that it would all work out. Then the Godhuntress turned away. "My name is Ina. Do not call me your mother again, Isobel, for no daughter of mine would stand between me and a better world for mine."

Iz's breath caught in her throat. "Mo- Ina, please, do not do this. Your hands are already steeped in blood. Do not steel your heart in ice."

The Godhuntress laughed. "My heart? Ice? I have no heart, girl. You ripped it out of my chest when you turned on me. Now, put that bow down and leave, and pray I do not hunt you."

Iz did not move. "I will not move, Godhuntress," she said, though her heart ached. "I have a duty to fulfil."

"A duty to who? It certainly was not to the one who birthed you," Ina scoffed.

"Indeed, it was to my mother," Iz said. "To the woman who defended the innocent, who did not blame children for the cruelty of their predecessors. To the hero of the Celestials. I swore to her that if she ever lost sight of her path, I would bring her back to the light, and uphold her wish to protect the innocent." She took a deep breath and pulled out a sword from her belt. "And if my words will not sway you, perhaps my blade will." 

The weapon was a falchion, crafted from the metal of the Void, sharp enough to carve through steel and immune to magic. It was Iz's last hope of dissuading the Godhuntress, obtained at great cost. 

"So you show your true colours," the Godhuntress snarled. "Brute." Her sword was out of its sheath in a heartbeat, and the duel was on.

Behind them, completely unnoticed, the girl said, "I love thee, Hans. And that is why I cannot let you sacrifice yourself for naught." Gently, she pressed two fingers to his forehead. "Sleep, my liege. Let at least one of us live happily ever after." As the boy slumped, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "May you come to rule the world someday."

She got to her feet unsteadily, watching the duel in front of her. Iz was fast, faster than she thought possible, but the Godhuntress had parried every attack and then some. It was going to come down to who was willing to kill the other, she realised sadly. And the Godhuntress would kill anyone.

"Godhuntress! Let us settle our dispute like warriors. Face me in single combat!" The words escaped her lips in a yell.

The Godhuntress spun around, deflecting a final blow from Iz, then disengaging. Her lips spread into a grim smile. "So, you will die honourably, little goddess? Very well, then." With a flick of her wrist, the flames were dispelled, and the girl stepped through. 

She was small, and scared, but she knew what she had to do. Berry fetched a stick, just big enough for her to wield. She shook so much she could barely stand. "Ready," she said, though she was not.

The Godhuntress grinned. "Then it is time for you to die," she told the girl. 

This was less of a battle and more of a massacre. Iz could not stand by and watch the girl's painful attempts to ward off the Godhuntress' attacks. She was playing with the girl, Iz thought. She was distracted, overconfident. Iz had a shot at it. This time, she could not hesitate. This time, she could not pull her punch.

Iz gripped her falchion with white knuckles, waiting for the Godhuntress to turn her back to her. Then she charged. Her feet hit the floor silently, the world holding its breath as time tiptoed around that fateful moment. 

Quick as a flash, the Godhuntress' blade embedded itself in Iz's chest. "Fool girl," she said. "You thought I did not know you would try this?" Iz let out a choking rattle and spat out a thick clot of blood. "Any last words for me?"

Iz met her mother's gaze, held it with impenetrable emotion. "Forgive me, mother, for failing in my duty," she croaked, not bothering to push her guts back into her body. Blood pooled around her body. With her last breath, wracked with incredible agony, she said, "I wish I could have saved you."

The Godhuntress watched the lifeblood seep out of her dispassionately. As Iz let out a final sigh, she leaned down and retrieved her sword. Turning to the girl, she said, "Shall we continue?"

The girl stared at her in horror. "She was your daughter. Why would you kill her?" Her voice quavered.

"I killed her because she stood in my way," the Godhuntress said. "Just as I will kill you."

"And that's it? You will kill me simply because I was born into power? Though I have harmed none?" The girl clenched her twig-staff to her chest. "You're scum, Godhuntress. Worse than the beings you hunt."

"I have given you exactly what you gave me: the smallest of mercies. I will let your little boy live, and I will grant you a quick death, for you have not harmed me or mine," the Godhuntress said coldly. She raised her sword.

The girl turned to the boy, who slept peacefully. "You promise not to hurt him?"

"Yes."

"Alright then," she said, not turning around. "Can you do it without telling me? I- I do not think I can…" She trailed off, unsure. "I am scared. I have died once, when I thought the world would never be kind or warm. Then I was proven wrong. I… I love, loved, will always love this life. I do not wish to lose it. I am not ready to die." 

She began to turn around, then stopped herself. "Are you still there? Are you listening? Will it hurt?"

The Godhuntress said nothing, only sweeped her sword in a powerful arc.

[atheostic]

How to tell someone you know nothing about evolution without saying you know nothing about evolution (4/?)

"There are no transitional fossils!"

=-=-=-=

Tiktaalik - A fish with developing legs. Also appearance of ribs and neck.

Odontochelys Semitestacea— Partial formation of a turtle shell, showing how the hard underbelly, or plastron, formed first.

Archeopteryx

It’s the quintessential transitional fossil, which we have known about for 159 years as of 2019.

Archeopteryx is a stage in bird evolution after avian dinosaurs like t-rex and velociraptor evolved downy feathers and after they had developed true feathers, but before avian dinosaurs developed true flight. 

While velociraptor feathers were too fine and the wrong shape for helping it to fly (likely serving mostly as an extra source of warmth), Archeopteryx had proper flight feathers. However, its bones were still too dense for true flight, meaning it was more of a glider than an actual flier. 

Its forelimbs were a bit of a midway point between what you’d call a wing and an arm, with an elongated thumb-claw combo rather similar to that found in the wings of bats, which it used as tiny grappling hooks to climb up trees before gliding to lower heights when hunting or escaping a predator, much like how flying squirrels do today.

Anchiornis

Anchiornis is at the point in the transition where it’s hard to decide whether it falls in the bird or dinosaur side of the fence:

It has wings, but they’re symmetrical and rounded, probably not used for flight but instead are used to keep warm, for mating displays, and gliding. Its legs are more like that of other-bird-like dinos, but like birds and unlike bird-like dinos, Anchiornis had arms nearly the same length as the hind legs.

Its spine connects at the back of the skull instead of at the base like in birds, but it had flexible wrists, which is more a bird thing. It had a mostly bony tail, but also had primary and secondary contour feathers on both arms, legs, toes, and wrists.

[rjzimmerman]

A short video from one of the feeders in our yard. We spend a lot of time just watching the birds eat, spat, yell at us to bring more seed, coexist with the squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks, scoot quickly away from the hawks and the fox, bathe in the bird bath....just being birds.

Excerpt from this story from Earth Island Journal:

I’m always looking for birds. In summer, I drift to sleep to the coos of mourning doves and wake to the acrobatic melodies of sparrows. A bald eagle whinnies in a tree outside my apartment drawing me out for an afternoon walk. At the Willamette River nearby, mallard ducks fly in couplets, chirping as they pass. Ospreys circle overhead or fold their wings to drop on an unsuspecting fish. A chickadee calls from a hiding place in a sweetly blooming locust tree.

But as much as I delight in birds, I find that I don’t like birding, at least not as it’s practiced today. If I were concerned only with checking off the species I’d seen on a growing list, these local sightings would be unhelpful, boring even, compared to the thrill of spotting a “rare” find. I delight in the familiar cast of animal characters near my home. I’m not collecting anything; I’m greeting neighbors.

My local wildlife society, like many, offers outings where you can drive an hour or more with a group of people to see shorebirds or forest owls. You can go farther yet, to other countries, to see tropical birds or island birds or European birds. And while such excursions can sometimes lead people into a love of nature, it’s a kind of collecting that often feels like a video game, where people jockey on apps like eBird for the longest sighting lists and the highest scores. There are worse reasons to travel than to go in search of birds, but better ways to connect with other species.

“Birds are among the most noticed of animals,” writes Joan E. Strassmann, in her avian ode, Slow Birding, “but that notice seldom goes beyond identifying and listing.” What would it look like if people spent more time at their home bird feeders, in their neighborhoods, or at nearby parks, getting to know these beings more deeply?

A year ago, for instance, I noticed that three neighborhood crows came to my yard at the same time each day, trundling in to drink from a water bowl left out for the dogs. By observing them regularly I learned that the local crows appeared more often in the summer, during nesting season, when they would mob away hawks and other predators. In the winter, I watched crows join together in the sky at dusk to commute to a large communal roost downtown. I put this together as part of a pattern — crows nesting in the suburbs in spring and early summer, then meeting up downtown when the winter came and they were less territorial.

If I hadn’t stopped to wonder about those three crows, I wouldn’t have learned any of this. And that goes for other bird species, too. I think of this as bird knowing instead of bird watching. I now know that when I hear one cedar waxwing, I should search for a nearby tree, heavy with fruit, and look up. Yellow-brown, except for black eye masks and a splash of red and bright yellow on their wings and tails, the waxwings feed in groups, appearing to share in a ripe harvest meal before moving on. I know the difference between the acrobatic flight of a hummingbird chasing off a rival and the dive-bomb display males do to impress potential mates.

Our greatest strength as humans is our curiosity. Our urge to possess things — to hoard even bird sightings — is one of our worst. Slowing down rewards our curiosity about the natural world by letting us have a relationship with it. We become part of the community of wild species around us, not just spectators.

[pokemonbiologyirlthetabletop]

Emolga

Emolga (#587)

Volansciurus electrisciurus

General Information: The flying squirrel Pokémon! These adorable rodents are found the world over on most continents except Antarctica and Australia (I’m sure there’s a sugar glider Pokémon over there).

Emolga’s are non-evolving Pokémon. The adults average in at 1’4 feet tall (0.4 M) and 11 pounds (5 kg).

Habitat: Emolga like living in Pikipek treeholes (or other tree burrows), and can be found anywhere where there are trees. They’re not as common as seeing squirrels or rabbits in our world, but still reasonably common, and their rarity falls under the category of, “Have you ever gone outside?” They can live in just about any type of forest as long as they can get enough food and shelter. In urban areas, Emolgas have been seen making nests atop tall buildings, and can sometimes be seen gliding from skyscraper to skyscraper.

Life Cycles: Emolgas reproduce once a year, laying eggs of 4-6 per clutch. Babies are subject to predation, and adults are sometimes prey to Manectrics, Boltunds, Ariadoses, or Galvantulas. Mating season occurs in the Fall, when the Emolgas will pair up for the winter for mutual warmth and nest defense, the in the Spring their eggs appear, and the babies hatch in summer. In the wild, Emolgas live an average of six years (if they reach adulthood), but in captivity they have been known to live as long as 40 years. They do not mate for life as a rule, but sometimes two (or three) Emolga will mate for more than one breeding season. Mating For Life has only been seen in captivity.

Behavior: Emolgas are shy, finicky, and evasive creatures. They may be found with some ease with enough time spent outdoors, but they are not easy to get into a battle with, and are in fact highly effective at evading the challenges of would-be battlers. In captivity they can be difficult to please, needing plenty of room and tall structures to jump from, and of course lots of food.

Flight: Emolga do not “fly” in the sense of powered flight in the bird or bug sense of it, but instead they glide through a combination of their membranous wings and the electricity that they release during flight. This electricity functions both as a way to help release stored electrical build up, and also provides the secondary effect of interacting with the earth’s magnetic field to a create a secondary lift through magnetism, thus allowing the Emolga to remain gliding even when gravity should have pulled them down already. However, this effect will only give them about three feet of airlift. Some scientists want to call this a different type of powered flight outside of what is seen in birds and bugs because the magnetism is powered by the Emolga itself and functionally serves as a weaker flight, but this is a hotly debated subject.

Diet: Emolga love to eat berries! They will roast berries (and bugs!) with the electricity stored in their cheek pouches, and eat them. In fact, they have been known to eat so many berries and stuff so many into their cheeks at once, that they’ve been unable to glide! Few other Pokémon will try bother an Emolga for its food, given the whole “they use electricity to fly,” but this sure hasn’t stopped Pachirisus and even a particularly greedy Skwovet from trying!

Conservation: Least Concern, but may be locally threatened or endangered in some parts of the world due to extensive logging. In these places, some cities have made an effort to introduce Emolgas to their skyscraper scene, in the hopes that they’ll establish a population there.

Relationship with Humans: Emolgas are creatures of the forest often included in old fairytales and children’s books, due to their cute but elusive nature. They have never been a particularly useful source of food, nor were they ever domesticated. At times they can be nuisances to berry and fruit crops, but not anymore obnoxious than squirrels are to us in our world. They have always simply existed, and folks have been fascinated by them for generations.

In the modern world, they’ve become symbols of whimsical forests. In cities where they have made new homes for themselves, most folks aren’t even aware of their presence. Its considered an astounding feat, a status symbol if you will, to have caught an Emolga for yourself—at least to younger trainers, though plenty of older trainers will marvel a bit at the capture, too!

Classification: Emolga is in a genus to itself. Its scientific name Volansciurus electrisciurus means “flying squirrel electric squirrel” or “flying electric squirrel.” It is distantly related to the other electric rodents.

~~~~~~~~

Hey guess what, if you like my stuff, this is my website where you can find other Pokémon I've written on and more information about the game that I’m slowly making! Check it out! I write books sometimes too.

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

Hear me out, this is a far stretched idea. what if we get Johto remakes, but we get the unreleased Spaceworld demo Pokemon to fill the Johto dex.

Make the Johto Pokemon, MORE available in Johto instead of locking them to National Dex.

Increase the wild Pokemon level's in Kanto because mind you, those level gaps were abysmal.

The idea is how many Pokemon in the Johto dex from Johto is available.

So we can maybe have a few pokemon that evolved or had recently gotten a new typing in Gen 2 still be available in Gen 2, the Baby Pokemon who were available in Gen 2 as well So we'd get

Scyther, Onix, Magnemite,, Bellsprout (because of the Tower) Pikachu, Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Zubat, Golbat, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Slowpoke, Slowbro, Eevee, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Magmar, Electabuzz, Jynx, Oddish, Chansey, Porygon, Horsea, Seadra, I'll still leave in Magikarp for the Red Gyarados. and Dragonite (Because Lance and Claire has that line tho one uses Dragonairs but you get the picture.) and the fossils, I'll leave in Gengar line.

So the Dex is around 154 (Celebi is still a Johto mon) and still has some Kanto mon's. but if we split them we'd also get 47 Kanto Pokemon!

now to make sure this Johto dex is still a Johto Dex, is 107 Johto Pokemon now let's rank up that number.

We need the scrapped solo pokemon that was attached to Slowbro, make it a Water/Steel type.

the unreleased "branch" evolution of Weepinbell. it still a Grass/Poison

the Seal with a fireball. I like to see it being a mirror of Seel.

we need Kotora and Raitora they're cute electric types.

Norowara and Kyonpan these two would be fun for Morty being a Ghost type gym leader as he doesn't really use ANY Johto pokemon the first time not even a Misdreavus! also, GIVE HIM A MISDREAVUS!

Urufuman and Waaurufu, they're actually cute looking Yeti? I see a yeti in it, and it's an Ice type, so Pryce would definitely have these.

I also would like to add the unreleased 2 Starters making them become freely available but but! there's a better idea, if you visit Celebi's shrine there should be a Kimono wearing NPC who often visits the Ilex Forest Shrine and they simply challenge you with both of these Pokemon, and then they exclaim that after the battle they give you a choice of the 2 pokemon saying that " They're old Pokemon I've recently found, and I assure you would want to show them the world outside of my home, I'll give you a choice. The Fire Bear (Honooguma) or The Mystery Water Pokemon (Kurusu). " but there will be a reward where if you're a champion and you come back to the shrine, you will find a Pokeball, of the other Pokemon that you didn't choose but the NPC is gone, we won't know where they went.

These can be bred for multiples but this is to show us not only a little nod to the demo, but they're returning.

And if we go this route if we have a Chikorita line, and we visit the shrine with it, we get an event where Chikorita finds a mysterious Pokeball that has a Hanamogura. (the demo version before it was changed to be Bayleef) but it get's a second evolution since it will have around 415 BST, I know it's a little too high, but let me explain the evolution will have 552 BST.

Okay without counting the Kanto Pokedex that's still involved is 124 (even though Weepinbell branched evolution is a maybe but if we dont count it, its 123.)

the Pokedex now has 171 Pokemon in Johto when we add back the Kanto Pokemon.

Unless I miscounted so maybe around 170-174.

Edit!!!

there was more Pokemon that were cut I may of skipped over, so back at 124 Johto Pokedex.

So we have a ghost pokemon with a Hitaikakushi this one could represent well enough in Johto

A ball looking rabbit? could be interesting,

Gargoyle

the Drill looking Squid,

A literal Squirrel Ninja

the flaming Tanuki

there's a odd looking skeleton Pokemon so I guess we can have it as an "exclusively" rare fossil Johto Pokemon.

a Pokemon that is apparently a Flying Fish but with bird wings and legs.

the Scarecrow pokemon, I would like to say it scares off or taunts Murkrows.

a plant pokemon that's a ball? then it says here to evolve to Ball Sprout, with branched evolutions?

so 136 Johto Pokemon, add that, now we have 183 of a completed Dex, not counting Kanto if we didn't unlock Kanto, with Kanto unlocked

[lovevalley45]

#fictober23 day eleven

"You lost it. Well, we lost it."

original fiction (dungeons and dragons)

word count: 975

Many wondered how someone who was built as large and sturdy as the tree he was born from could make such an effective rogue. Darius’ answer for them was fairly simple - his first lessons in stealth had been trailing after his mother on her hunts. He had learned to make his footfalls light, to know the best shadows and nooks to find and stake out his prey. Even when fighting the great Kentimane, he had evaded his hits simply by slipping in and out of the abandoned buildings of Mytros. 

Although that battle had been the last big fight Darius had aimed his bow in for years, his stealth skills were not getting rusty. Well, not completely.  

In the thickets of the Old Woods, Darius crept towards a hare as it ate. His feet made no sound amongst the fallen leaves. Sarissa had asked him if he wanted her to craft his a cloak of elvenkind and he had refused, taking her up on her offer of a pair of silver bracers of archery instead. Underneath the deep purple fabric of his ordinary cloak, the thin threads of sunlight didn’t catch against the heart-shaped engravings, letting him blend further into the darkness of the forest. 

However, they did glint against a pair of silver dragon wings, coming in from behind him to try to take a dive at the hare. Olea’s swoop was met with disappointment, as the hare heard the rush of wind and scampered off. The wyrmling barely stopped herself from tumbling amongst the leaves, claws digging into the earth. 

“You lost it,” Darius said. “Well, we lost it.”

“Me? I’m not your tracking dragon,” Olea said. The dragon had grown substantially since he’d first been gifted her from Vallus. She could no longer drape herself around his shoulders, though she had tried for as long as she could until she nearly broken his back. 

“Then my training isn’t paying off.” 

She snorted, cold air blasting out of her nostrils. “You just don’t give me enough incentive.” 

“Incentive?” Darius asked. “What, letting you eat our dinner?”

Olea placed her front claws against one of the trees and stretched her back like a cat. “Exactly.”

He rubbed one of her ebony horns. “Let’s go back to the cottage and see if any of my sycophants are around, huh?

She grinned, sharp teeth peaking from her maws. “Wanna race?”

“That’s not fair, you’ll just beat me,” Darius said, slightly whining. 

Still grinning, she flew up to the lowest branch of the tree. “And you’re supposed to be one of the new Dragonlords.” With that, she launched herself into flight. 

“Fine. If that’s how it’s gonna be.” 

Darius shouldered his bow and started off in a sprint. He was swift when required of him, but by the time he lost sight of Olea, he had to stop to catch his breath. He adjusted his cloak, making sure the heart shaped pin was still in place, and hurried back to his cottage. 

Olea was already in her spot atop the roof when he arrived, tail dangling off the edge. 

“There you are, slowpoke,” she hissed in Draconic. 

“You know I’m a hiding rogue, not a running rogue,” he replied back. The sounds of Draconic were still hard for him to twist his tongue around, but Olea liked to make sure he kept with it. Just as he did with her Sylvan, switching to his native tongue to ask, “Percy didn’t get in, did he?”

“It’s 2 PM,” she replied, not missing a beat. “That’s way too late for him to be stumbling in.”

Darius wasn’t so sure about that, but he opened the door to find it empty. “Thank Vallus,” he muttered. 

Olea landed onto the ground beside him. “Isn’t it weird to still say prayers to your friend’s wife?”

He scrunched his nose. “Don’t remind me.” Turning to her, he said, “Go find yourself some squirrels or something to torment.”

“I’m above tormenting squirrels, thank you very much,” she said. “But if you want some peace, you can have it.”

Darius watched her fly back up to the roof, then launch herself into one of the trees surrounding his cottage. He knew that forests weren’t where silver dragons chose to dwell, but Olea had made herself comfortable.

He went inside, ready to close the door, when another dryad came running from the woods. It was hard to tell a dryad’s age, but she looked young, not fully mature. She stopped in front of his door, out of breath. “A letter. Someone sent you a letter, Captain Darius.”

He bit his tongue on correcting her as he took it. “Thanks. Who’s it from?”

“Another nymph. Oread.”

Darius turned it over to read the back. In fact, it was addressed to “Captain Darius”, but he knew the name of the sender. “Echo,” he muttered. “I wondered when we’d meet.” He looked back up at the dryad. “Would you like to come in for some water or tea or something?”

“I’d be honored, but I have to pass. I have to get back to the village.”

“Right,” he said. “Hold on a sec.” He dipped back inside, setting the letter down and pulling out the chest from under his bed. Darius opened it and pulled out a few gold pieces before he shoved it back. He went back to the door and held out the gold. “Here you go.”

The dryad’s eyes nearly popped out of her hand. “Oh, Captain, it’s too much.”

“Take it,” he said. “You came all the way out here.”

She accepted the gold, holding it close to her chest. “Thank you,” she said, still breathless but with joy. 

As he shut the door, Darius grabbed the dagger from his side and cut the envelope open.

Finally, some fun. Time to go back on the hunt.

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Find the word!

I was tagged by both @kittensartswriting and @winterandwords, so I supposed I might just do them together!

My words to find were: cat, wound, hazy and wrong fight, fear, fly, and flow

Tagging! @mjjune, @sleepyowlwrites, @knmartinshouldbewriting, @magic-is-something-we-create, @agrimedena-drax

If you want to play go find the words Slam, House, Desk, and Silk

Cat (Couldn't find it or any variations)

Wound

Fiadris was more like a wild imp, and treated as such. The human called himself Bran, and had given her enough reason to think that he was different. Bran had found her after she’d been wounded, had dragged her back to his cabin near the edge of the woods and nursed her human side back to health. He hadn’t fought her when she ran out into the woods, and had been bringing food and drink out to her since she did so. He’d done nothing but be kind to her, and she was starting to like it.

Hazy: Nope, but I had Fog:

My coat added a sloppy circle around the coat rack as I slung it into place, hanging the squirrels above it and sliding my rifle against the doorframe. I nabbed a dirty towel from a nearby chair and wiped down, squeezing the rest of the rain from my black hair. The sun finally rose outside the window, golden light catching in the thick fog. I could barely see the street below. I switched on the nearby radio and began to change.

Wrong

“Bran!” the one in the lead called out again. Fiadris could just hear him above the rain. He had a different accent than Bran. “What’s this you called us about? Another little experiment gone wrong?”

Fight

She grabbed his arm and pulled back. “You can’t!” she hissed. “You promised not to use it!!” He shook her off, waving the gargoyle forward. It growled, but William gave a command word and it began to move. “I have to.” he said. “I’m not strong enough to fight that many mages of that level. I’ll need help.”

Fear

Steal some clothes. Ride out east. Survive without a reputation of fear to lean on, use her money in such a way the secure necessary supplies but without raising suspicion. Somehow keep small feral possibly-not-quite-all-human child alive until she was old enough to do so herself. That one was probably the hardest on the list. She wasn’t exactly the most motherly type. Then again, her own mother hadn’t exactly been the most tender and Jo had survived this long. She could at least do as good as her own parents, she was fairly sure of that.

Fly

The child screamed. The blanket was in his claws. A vine whipped out, wrapped around his ankle. Tethered him to the ground. Another yanked the blanket from his claws. Another wrapped around his waist, another around his chest and his wings. He couldn’t fly anymore, struggling as her vines held him in the air. Lifted him up. Slammed him back into the ground.

Flow

She grunted, waved at the breeze and disrupted its flow for a second, scattering the small form of wind around her. “It’s Fiadris,” she said. “And my father was–” she hesitated. Taeda had warned her against telling strange sprites about her heritage. She still wasn’t sure why, but both her parents had been firm on this. Unless it was a sprite or a human that they knew, she was not to speak of the fact that her mother was a sprite and her father was a human mage. So instead, she said, “my father was fine with me talking to humans, even mages. Besides, this is the first time you’ve come and spoken with me, while he has come to try and speak to me every day. Why should I believe you and not he?”

Thanks! ❤😁

[pumpkaaboo]

Elden Ring Daemon AU

just covers the main gods and demigods, under a cut because this is so long. might do some of the other characters later.

Marika: Maliketh originally settled as a bearded vulture. When Marika was chosen as the vassal of the greater will, it transformed him into a noble half-wolf, stripping him of his wings and granting him the ability to stray much farther from her. After all, what use would a queen of a kingdom of eternal life have for a creature that feasts on death?

Godfrey: Serosh the lion had always been his better half. By destroying Serosh's body in order for him to exist as a spirit, they hoped to bind themselves closer together, and exist as something approaching a measured unity.

Godwyn: His daemon settled as a massive golden eagle. Though he never knew it, his mother saw an echo of Maliketh's former self in her. They dreamed of the day she would be able to fly free, without the shadow of politics or war to threaten her. That day would never come, however, as she collapsed into dust the instant destined death touched his flesh.

The Omen Twins: Omens are born without daemons. It is thought by some scholars that their horns are the vessels for their souls instead. But they never experienced the childhood loneliness that plagues most daemonless; they had each other, after all, and thus never sought substitutes. True isolation was something they would only learn as adults.

Rennala: Her daemon is a magnificent blue peacock, whose markings are a striking moon-silver rather than gray. He had always been proud of his form, but eventually fell silent after Radagon's departure. He eventually asked to be reborn, and never reemerged from the amber egg.

Radagon: Brought a red wolf to Liurnia with him, and claimed it to be his daemon. Despite that, no one has ever heard it speak. He left it behind when he departed. Most are satisfied with the explanation that his ability to distance himself with it is the same magic that Marika uses to send Maliketh far away, but others aren't so sure.

Ranni: She was chosen by the Greater Will at birth, and thus Blaidd was trapped in half-wolf form from that very moment, never having the chance to experiment with what could have been possible. They don't know what he would have settled as had he been free of the Greater Will's influence, but Ranni secretly hopes he would have been something with wings.

Radahn: Leonard chose to settle as a horse, as both he and Radahn adored the image of themselves charging into battle together. This act of shortsightedness and ignorance of Radahn's eventual size ended up merely propelling their legend to even greater heights, and defining Radahn's mastery of gravity magic as a story of cleverness and overcoming adversity.

Rykard: His daemon was originally a clever opossum. She was consumed by the god-devouring serpent alongside him, but her face never appeared in its scales.

Malenia: Although she and her brother were both empyreans, the greater will waited to bestow its gifts on their daemons; it already had Ranni and Marika, and would come for them only if necessary. Malenia's daemon settled as a scarlet butterfly, a living reminder of her curse. Still, the strength of the wings she gained from mastering the blade more than made up for the fragility of her daemon's.

Miquella: As part of his curse, his daemon was doomed to never settle. But she often liked to stay the form of a red squirrel for days on end, pretending at reaching a state she couldn't.

[grapecaseschoices]

Band name, albums, and persona for all of your infamous mcs!! (Or whoever you’d like!!!)

Band name: How did they and the others come up with the band name? Has the name changed since it was founded?

I answered Lala here and Ori here.

Alana: Promised Promises.

Because I like pain, I feel the band name started with Alana and Seven. Essentially, just two young kids promising to be best friends forever (punctuated with their pinkies locked and kissing the other's thumb). Maybe they used to say cute things to each other like: 'Promisies?' (Alana probably started it and Seven fondly, exasperatedly, laughingly jumped into it because it made Alana laugh in turn) 'Are you a promiser?' Or 'I promised promised'. And so the band name came to be. Alana would rather die than change it.

Bethany Josnel: The Notations

No. I feel BJ's band name started the same reason I picked it oocly. It made me think of the Temptations, he's an r&b dude, and he plays the piano, lol.

I imagine people church probably played a lot of soul and OG R&B. Little Seven and BJ walking home from BJ's choir practice (that Seven hung around at) singing 'My Girl' to each other (not yet realizing my girl would mean my guy/my boy in about ten years). I think originally they had considered something more homage like, maybe something similar to the Ruinations (sounds pretty metal) or the Inclinations (they found a thesaurus) -- but maybe the wording 'musical notation' came up in a conversation, or they overheard it, and they looked at each other and new. And so it stuck.

Hiyam: The Vespas.

Yes. And surprisingly it was NOT after Seven left. Very early on the were known as Brimstones (aka Gonepteryx rhamni); Rown and Seven's urge to satisfy Hiyam's obsession with all flying/winged beings and still sound cool (she would rather die than admit it, but Hiyam thinks maybe it's a good thing they didn't go with Flying Squirrels). But it didn't last too long. Partially because people kept getting disappointed at a pop group called Brimstones and partially because people started calling Hiyam Bitches (instead of witch) and Brimstone .... and Seven couldn't fight everyone who insulted her girlfriend, so.

Albums: What are some of the albums the band has released? Are they a consistent style? What themes did they explore?

(Really making me dig up and ponder my notes huh? ;-P)

Lala

First EP was Pitchforks & Torches, First Album Here Kitty Kitty. P&T was really just a sample of sound. It was eclectic but not messy; it was eclectic in the sense that it was a nod to their origins and each song focused on two or more different band members' strengths. But the flow was good and the song titles followed the band theme. I think the best way to call it was alternate but the folk influences were there.

Then Here Kitty Kitty came out and though it was still alternative, still a bit folky, it veered hard into more an alternative hip hop sound. Though, the genre was different, the base was the same. You can definitely see that highlighting various band members vibe, still feel that twang, and that adventerous yet rebelliously nonchalant (nonchalantly rebellious) vibe of the EP. Their second album self titled DramaWh*re is another turn, away from the alternative and more folk, more twang, more southern. It focuses a bit more on Lala's vocals but not enough to push the band into acoustics land -- they've always been about supporting the group/doing what's best for it. It is a surprise but it's not a surprise.

As stated, there's a rebellious edge to a lot of DramaWh*re's songs. It is about making trouble and having fun, but not letting that overtake you. In the same name of having trouble and making fun, they like to dive into some ~sexiness~. Maybe a bit of spicy, a dip of romance. You can't fuck around without some fucking, after all. So DramaWhore's stuff (as the name implies) tends to be explicit.

Ori

Gains genre/vibe, as I like to term it is, Gympop or Himbro Punk Rock (aka synthpop). And though they've definitely touched into other genres (eletronic, indie pop/rock, pop punk etc), that's their heart. Whether they're singing about summertime sunshine, video games, doing reps, or badly flirting with people at a club, that's the base of their sound -- synthpop ........ and making sure people are having fun. While Lala's fun energy tends to read more let's bungee jump the grand canyon or yolo, let's go on stage half drunk and sing about our ex (daring, messy, a touch cocky); Ori's fun is more bonfire turn beach rave -- do a keg stand and pull out the glowsticks. It's silly, it's goofy, and it's energetic. Honestly, that's not just their vibe but also what they sing about (they probably have a song called glowstick ....)

A lot of their songs is about being down on your luck but still pushing through it: appreciate life, your loved ones, and everything in between. Maybe you're a loser but at least you're still living, dude.

Persona: How does their day-to-day personality compare to their on-stage persona?

Hiyam

Hiyam very much gives off the 'I'm the bitch you married' vibes (never seen gone girl, going off the gifs). And that is just a correct estimation of her personality. She might actually worse off stage? Like ruder. Because you want to beguile them on stage, right? On stage Hiyam is look at the sway of my hips, the turn of my hands, listen to my powerful vocals -- I make you want to come and go. Off stage Hiyam is MOVE BITCH GET OUT THE WAY.

Man, IDK. I'm tired. Personally I don't see them as overly too different. Hiyam struts on stage because she's just as arrogant off. She takes center and allures with her powerful vocals, and she's someone who will tell you what she feels (except if you're Orion) off stage. And because she knows she's the star. All eyes remain on her -- for better and for worse. She's audacious on and off. And she's definitely still a fashionista.

Actually, though, after doing this I really do think she's NICER on stage qwert lmao.

[neopronouns-in-action]

039: You Are What Eats You

Neopronouns: sie/sir/siris which follow the same rules as it/its/itself

Replace it with sie

Replace its with sir

Replace itself with siris

EX:

"It is going to adopt a new puppy soon, as soon as it gets a fence set up around its yard so the puppy can go outside without it having to walk it. Its uncle is going to help set up the fence, since he has a set of power tools he's letting it use, since it lost its. It's going to buy toys and train the puppy itself. "

Becomes:

"Sie is going to adopt a new puppy soon, as soon as sie gets a fence set up around sir yard so the puppy can go outside without sie having to walk it. Sir uncle is going to help set up the fence, since he has a set of power tools he's letting sie use, since sie lost sir. Sie's going to buy toys and train the puppy siris."

= = =

They say you are what eats you.

Comet could remember the last time sie'd seen sir wolf family. It had been a warm spring day, and sir light parent, Squirrel, had just returned home from a successful hunt, but moving painfully from a mysterious injury to its side.

Comet had been tumbling through the grass, chasing a cricket. Raindrop and Aurora were on the other side of the den with their dark parent, Lightning, when Squirrel appeared in the distance, trotting down the hill into their little valley.

Sie had been excited to see it, and even more excited by the food it brought, and had been about to run up to greet it.

Then a shadow had passed by overhead. Squirrel, panic clear in its voice, had barked frantically, “Get in the den!”

Comet had seen Lightning grab Raindrop, who was too weak to move on their own, with Aurora huddling under zeir legs.

Squirrel was running towards Comet, but Comet was stricken by the first real terror sie had ever felt. This was the first threat sie had ever had to face, and all sir instincts were on fire. Sie hadn't been able to think clearly - - if sie had, sie would have run for Squirrel, to shelter under its legs like sir siblings were with Lightning, or sie would have run for the den, with its dark, warm embrace offering shelter from any harm.

But panic didn't listen to reason, and instead of running towards safety, Comet had found siris heading in the exact opposite direction - - right into the middle of the clearing, where there were no trees or parents or dens to offer protection.

Comet had heard sir parents shouting sir name, then...

Sie didn't remember anything else after that, until sie found siris enclosed in a warm, dark space. It was comforting, and sie didn't know how long sie just stayed there, almost asleep, but eventually, the urge to move began to make itself known, and the next thing sie could remember clearly, there was light, the sky overhead, and sir eagle parents were cooing over sie and welcoming sie to the world.

This time, sie had no siblings. Sie was the only chick in the nest, and, high up on the mountain side, there were no predators to watch for. The only eagles that approached were sir parents, Syssorie and Kiyavali. Sir name was not Comet anymore, it was Kiyarorie.

Kiyarorie was always safe in the nest. Sie was a golden eagle now, and nothing would be brave enough to hunt sir, not when one of sir parents was close by at all times while the other left to hunt. Not even other eagles dared to encroach upon sir parent's territory, and Kiyarorie, as the only chick, was well fed and well cared for. Sie never knew a moment of hunger or want.

Eventually it was sir turn to spread sir new wings and learn to fly, and a sudden gust of wind helped speed things along more abruptly than sie would have chosen otherwise.

It was a harrowing tumble out of the nest and into the open air, but it was a long way to fall, and Kiyarorie managed to get sir wings under control quickly, turning the out of control fall into a shaky glide with only a little trouble, though sir heart was racing in sir chest.

Syssorie took to the air and flew next to sie, offering encouragement and praise, and guiding sie down to a lower point on the rocky cliff where sie landed without falling off again.

After that, it felt like everything sped by quickly, with sir mastery over sir wings and the wind growing every time sie went out into the open air.

Once sir wings were steady enough, Kiyarorie's parents took sie out on a circuit around their whole territory, showing sie what sie would need to look for when establishing sir own, showing sie how to hunt, when to know to give up.

They brought sie to an open area, with a pile of rocks emerging from the ground in the middle, and a small line of trees on one side. There was a pack of wolves dozing around the rocks.

Kiyavali tilted one of awu wings down at the pack to draw Kiyarorie's attention to it, and said, “This is where my father caught a wolf cub for me when I was almost ready for my first flight. He brought it to me as a gift. I tried to bring you one, to continue the tradition, but they're clever, and I can never get close enough now. There, you see? They've spotted us.”

Kiyarorie looked, and saw that most of the bigger wolves had gotten to their feet, and, almost hidden beneath the bigger ones, Kiyarorie could just make out the smaller bodies of wolf pups being herded back towards the rocks. To the entrance of the den.

It was a sudden shock to recognize where sie was, looking at it from so far above rather than at the ground level, but no, this was where sie had been born in sir last life. These were the rocks that hid the den, those were the trees sie had spent so often playing under, and this - -

The sound rose up, clear and physical, like a new type of wind under sir wings.

This was the howl of Squirrel, one of sir wolf parents, rising up into the sky from below, strong and bold and filled with warning.

Kiyarorie looked down, and saw the familiar shape of what had once been sir parent, standing now on top of the rocks, looking up to meet sir gaze, tail held high, confidant and angry. It thought they were here to hunt the pups that were now safely ensconced inside the den, the other bigger wolves standing at the entrance to make sure none of them came out until it was safe.

And - -

Kiyarorie had to circle back around to get another look at two of those almost-adults.

Both of them had black fur, and sie didn't recognize the coat patterns. Neither of them were Lightning, sir other wolf parent, but something about them...

And then sie realized, these were sir siblings, grown up more than sie'd ever gotten to be as a wolf. This was Raindrop and Aurora, sir siblings, standing guard over the newest members of their pack, the pack sie had been born into, but never gotten the chance to grow up in.

Squirrel howled again, and this time Raindrop and Aurora joined in. Kiyarorie couldn't hear anything sie recognized in their howls, they were nothing like the squeaky, faltering puppy-howls sie'd heard from them in sir last life.

And, behind them all in the distance, came a faint answering howl, and this one was as familiar to sie as Squirrel's. It was Lightning, sir other wolf parent, probably returning from a hunting trip.

What could Kiyarorie do to communicate who sie was? Even if sie tried to speak to them, they wouldn't understand. Golden eagles couldn't make the same sounds as a wolf, and nothing about body language would match. If sie landed to try and tell them, sie would probably be ripped to pieces, thinking sie was trying to kill the newest puppies. Sir younger siblings.

No, sie couldn't land. Couldn't call down, they wouldn't understand.

But maybe sie could bring them a gift, just as a farewell. A thank you, for everything they'd done for sie while sie was a wolf.

Kiyarorie told sir parents sie wanted to fly on sir own for a while, and, sharing a glance, they told sir to be careful, and turned to head back to the nest. The sun would be starting to set soon, and the lighting would be too dim to see by.

This would be Kiyarorie's first hunt on sir own, and sie was going to dedicate it to sir past life.

The hare sie found an hour later stood out strongly against the grass, still holding onto its white winter coat long past when it should have shed it. Kiyarorie hit it dead-on, and killed it before sie was even in the air again, carrying it in sir talons. It probably hadn't even known it was in danger.

Sie carried sir kill back to the last home sie'd had, and made sure to call out before sie got too close, so they'd have warning. Squirrel, as before, was the first to spot sie, and it whuffed a sharp warning. Again, the cubs ran for the den, with bigger wolves running to fetch those further away, and standing over the entrance to protect them. Lightning was here this time, and Kiyarorie could feel zeir eyes burning into sir feathers as sie spiraled slowly overhead, still clutching the hare.

Knowing they didn't understand the words, but wanting to say them anyways, Kiyarorie waited until all the the pups were safely in the den, then called down, “I know you don't understand me, but I wanted to thank you. I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was taken from you, but I'm so glad Raindrop and Aurora survived. I hope my new siblings grow up to be just as strong and brave as you are, my first parents.”

Sie circled lower, still making sure to keep a safe distance above Lightning, who had taken the spot on the top of the rock pile this time. Kiyarorie hadn't had time to learn how high wolves could jump, but sie was not going to find out the hard way.

Once sie was low enough that sir next move would be unmistakable in its purposefulness, sie turned to fly over the area in front of the den, and dropped the dead hare.

It landed with a thud a wingspan in front of Squirrel, who only took its eyes off of Kiyarorie long enough to track the hare's fall. When it looked back up at sie, its expression had lost some of its fierceness, and gained some puzzlement in its place.

Squirrel tilted its head to one side, and its tail, before held straight up, was allowed to wave from side to side, almost questioningly.

Kiyarorie didn't know how to respond in any way sir old parent would understand, so sie simply called out again, “I hope it helps.” and made sure that when sie angled sir wings again, it was with the clear purpose of flying straight away in a direction sir old family would be able to see in, so they would know it wasn't a trap.

By the time sie got back to the nest, the sun had almost completely set, burning the sky orange above the horizon. Sie had caught another hare to share with sir parents, and after eating it, Kiyarorie fell asleep in the nest next to sir parents, knowing that soon enough, it would be sir turn to fly off on sir own to establish sir own territory and find sir own mate.

But for now, sleep called, and all sie had to do was dream of running on all fours as a wolf, then spreading sir golden wings and jumping up to play in the wind as seamlessly as breathing.