#circle of the land (arctic)

[he1ian]

started icebound and fak!!! it's so good

[bugpysforge]

When Snowbelle Village experiences blizzards, Hisuian Avalugg is summoned. Using his spear staff, he divides the wintry clouds.

Race: Saxam Class: Druid Subclass: Circle of Arctic Land Location: Snowbelle Alignment: Neutral Good

View the pokedex of all dungeon pokemon by following the link in the menu.

[muirneach]

do other countries have their own alternate lyrics to this land is your land or is it just canada that wanted to be different

[thekawaiifanart]

anyone else ever cringe enough to give their dnd characters an actual birthday? well...I am, and today (8/15/23) is it!

Happy Birthday, Snowstorm!

[viesetbanda]

Meet capechak! Everyone else in the party has made enemies and gotten in trouble w the law, but no one has beef w him since he’s always just “straight chillin”

[familythings]

Sommarøy: The World’s First Time-Free Zone

In 2019, the residents of Sommarøy, a small island in Northern Norway, made a bold decision: they would no longer keep time. Many citizens tucked their clocks away, dreaming of a life unbound by hours. Their goal? To declare Sommarøy as the world’s first “time-free zone.” A Unique Perspective on Time Situated above the Arctic Circle, Sommarøy is nicknamed the “Land of the Midnight Sun.” Here,…

[elbiotipo]

Some notes on worldbuilding with carnivorous cultures:

Animals feed more people than you think. You don't kill a cow for just one steak, this is a modern misconception since we're removed from the actual animals we eat our meat from; a single cow has several kilos of meat. In fact, slaughtering a single cow often means a feast time for possibly dozens of people. Every part of an animal can be used, and you can see this in cultures that live by ranching and transhumance.

Here, you should look at the Mongols and the people of the Eurasian Steppe, the people of the North American Plains, the people of the Pampas (fun fact; Buenos Aires was called the "carnivore city"), European and Asian cultures that practice transhumance, and those of the Arctic circle.

There are many ways to cook meat, but arguably, the most nutritious way to consume meat is in stew, as it allows you to consume all the fats of the animal and add other ingredients. In fact, mutton soup and stew historically was one of the basic meals for the for people in the Eurasian Steppe, who are one of the people with the highest meat consumption in the world.

Of course, meat spoils away easily. Fortunately, from jerky to cured meats, there are ways to prevent this. In pre-industrial and proto-industrial societies, salted meat was the main way of consumption and exporting meat. This makes salt even a more prized good.

Often, certain parts of animals like eyes, the liver, the testicles, the entrails, are considered not only cultural delicacies but as essential for vitamins and nutrients unavailable in environments such as the poles. The Inuit diet is a very strong example.

Pastures and agriculture have often competing dynamics. The lands that are ideal for mass pasture, that is, temperature wet grasslands, are also often ideal for agriculture. So pastoralism has often been in the margins of agrarian societies. This dynamic could be seen in the Americas. After the introduction of cattle and horses, the Pampas hosted semi-nomadic herdsmen, natives and criollo gauchos. The introduction of wire eventually reduced this open territory, converting it into intense agriculture, and traditional ranching was displaced to more "marginal" land less suitable for agriculture. Similar processes have happened all over the world.

This also brings an interesting question to explore. Agriculture is able to feed more people by density. What about species that DON'T do agriculture, because they're completely carnivorous? The use of what human civilization considers prime agricultural land will be different. They will be able to support much higher population densities than pastoralism.

Pastoral human populations have developed lactase persistance to be able to feed on dairy products even in adulthood. This mutation has happened all over the world, presumably with different origins. In any mammalian species that domesticates other mammals such a thing would be very common if not ubiqutous, as it massively expands the diet. Milk provides hydration, and cheese, yogurth and other such products allows long lasting food sources.

What about hunting? Early humans were apex predators and we are still ones today. However, humans can eat plants, which somewhat reduces the hunting pressure on fauna (though not the pressure of agrarian expansion which can be even worse). An exclusively carnivorous species (for example some kind of cat people) would have to develop very rigid and very complex cultural behavior of managing hunting, or else they would go extinct from hunger before even managing domestication. These cultural views towards hunting have also arosen in people all over the world, so you can get a sense of them by researching it.

It is possible for pastoral nomadic people, without any agriculture, to have cities? Of course. All nomadic peoples had amazing cultures and in Eurasia, they famously built empires. But they traded and entered conflicts with agrarian societies, too. They weren't isolated. Most of nomadic societies were defined by trade with settled ones.

The origin of human civilization and agriculture is still debated. It would be probably completely different for a non-human carnivorous society. One possible spark would be ritual meeting points (such as the historical Gobleki Tepe) or trade markets growing into permanent cities. But in general, pastoralism, hunting and ranching favors low-density populations that would be quite different.

Fishing, on the other hand, is a reliable source of protein and promotes settled cities. One can imagine acquaculture would be developed very early by a civilization hungry for protein.

Other possibilities of course are the raising of insects and mushrooms, both very uncommonly explored in fiction besides passing mentions.

Of course, most carnivorous species have some limited consumption of plant matter and many herbivores are oportunistic predators. The main thing to ask here is what the daily meal is here. For most human agrarian cultures, it's actually grain (this is where the word meal comes from). What about species that cannot live with a grain-based diet? You will find that many things people take for granted in agrarian society would be completely different.

As I always say: the most important question you can ask is "where does the food comes from?"

I hope you found these comments interesting and useful! I would love to do a better post once I'm able to replace my PC (yes, I wrote this all in a phone and I almost went insane). If you like what I write and would love to see more worldbuilding tips, consider tipping my ko-fi and checking my other posts. More elaborate posts on this and other subjects are coming.

[sixpennydame]

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞.

𝑳𝒆𝒗𝒊 𝑨𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 // .6k words

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: Possessive!Levi. Sexually explicit content - minors do not interact.

𝐀/𝐍: Written for this anon ask. Based on the song, R U Mine? by Arctic Monkeys

Captain Levi pisses you off.

How can he be sitting across the table from you, listening to Erwin go on and on about Survey Corps funding.

As if he hadn’t been fucking your brains out last night in this very room.

His eyes haven’t even glanced your way since you sat down. Had it all been just an elaborate dream?

No, you know for a fact it wasn’t. You have the kiss marks on your breasts to prove it.

Your mind wanders to the moments Levi had you spread out on this table, his tongue - walls, his magnificent tongue - drawing slow, lethargic circles around your throbbing clit. When you came the first time, he’d looked at you smugly.

“Such a dirty girl, letting me have my way with you here. Aren’t you afraid somebody will catch us?” He asked, undoing the belt of his pants.

“Aren’t you?”

“Not really.” He settled himself between your thighs. “And you’re not going anywhere until I’m completely satisfied.”

Now, sitting amongst your fellow Survey Corps members, that satisfaction feels like a distant memory.

“…Captain Levi, your report.” Erwin’s voice bellows through the meeting hall.

Levi’s chair scrapes across the floor and he stands. You allow your line of sight to flit towards him. His body weight shifts from one leg to the other and your eyes can’t help but move down the contours of his shirt to the waistband of his pants. Your mouth starts to water as you think about how it felt to have his cock in your mouth, his hand in your hair as he thrust a little deeper, seeing how much of him you could take.

“The thrust formation seemed to be effective—“

Wait…

What is Levi talking about?

“—during our last expedition. It allowed my squad and I to move in easily.”

You blink and take a breath. Now everything Levi says in that beautiful baritone voice of his is turning you on.

Get yourself together.

You spend the rest of the meeting looking everywhere but in Levi’s direction. The time drags on as each Squad Leader gives their report, and you begin to wish you could be anywhere else but this room with this man. When the meeting ends and the room is empty, you breathe a sigh of relief.

Until you hear the door close behind you.

“Are you trying to avoid me all day?” a familiar baritone voice asks.

You stand, determined to give him your most nonchalant face. “I should ask you that question. You didn’t look at me once during that meeting.”

Levi quickly closes the distance between you until you bump against the edge of the table. “What? Did you want me to take you again on this table in front of everyone? Such an exhibitionist.”

Just being this close to him again has your core throbbing. His hands land on either side of you, caging you between him and the table as he moves even closer, his lips brushing your earlobe.

“No…” you weakly answer, quickly turning to putty in his hands, “it’s just…”

All coherent thoughts leave you as he begins to pepper kisses along your neck, leaving you speechless.

“Do you want me to tell you that I haven’t stopped thinking about you since last night? That the meeting was torture because all I could see was you?” His hands move up the curves of your waist and he lets out a sigh. “I want to see the marks I made on you.”

Buttons and straps come undone as he releases your breasts. His eyes flash when he sees the purple bruises.

“Tell me, y/n,” his voice is a low growl that sends electricity through your whole body, “tell me you’re mine.”

Do you dare tell him that you’ve been his since the moment you first laid eyes on him? Do you confess that you’d given your body to him before his hands and lips had even claimed you?

Instead, you look deep into those silvery blue eyes and whisper -

“Yes…yes, Levi. I’m yours.”

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[wingsofmud]

The Star-Crossers

Doomed lovers my beloved. I want to make their relationship a lot more messy in my rewrite. So I want to make the shitty and good qualities between them a lot more even. I have so much to say about them so, without further ado:

Info + Heights Below:

Prince Arctic

Queen Diamond's only son and the betrothed of Duchess Snowflake, his life has been determined since before he was laid. Of course, the animus abilities were a bit of a surprise, but the possibility had already been accounted for. Such is the life of a drake in the Everfrost Palace. Arctic was prepared to live an uninteresting life as a fixture in Snowflake's household... until he met Foeslayer.

Big, bold, and a bit vulgar, she caught his eye immediately. Like most Icewings, Arctic had never seen a Nightwing before. She was incredible. Like something out of a fairytale. A knight with shining scales. She had so many stories of her home, of places and creatures he'd never seen and never would see. Arctic fell fast and fell hard in the month she was there.

So hard in fact, that on the eve of his 20th hatchday, his wedding, and the night Foeslayer was to return home, he fled to her quarters and professed his love and intention to run away with her. Things escalated very quickly from there. There were dragons chasing them. Someone grabbed him. There was a scuffle but...well... Icewings, upper circle Icewings at least, don't feel the cold. But there was suddenly blue on his scales and he felt its chill. He'd never seen a body before.

They married that same year. Arctic did not expect to be so...alone. A prince has more allies than friends, but at least he was surrounded by dragons like him. He didn't understand the way Nightwings spoke, their differing formalities, their jokes, their gods, their stories, their food, their...anything really. Not to mention their spirit-forsaken sleeping schedule. Sleep deprivation has become a constant in his life, especially after the dragonets were born.

On top of that, Foeslayer was around less and less often as things escalated between the Nightwings and Icewings into full-scale war. Arctic was often left to care for the dragonets on his own while also having to navigate the Nightwing Court by himself, which was a different beast entirely than the Icewing Court. While Prudence is often there, she doesn't exactly have his best interests in mind. He has little authority in the decisions made surrounding his children.

He doesn't quite regret leaving his mother's Queendom, especially after she attempts to assassinate him, but he does wish he'd done things differently.

.

Foeslayer

So Foeslayer fell for the elegant little Icewing prince like some sap in a dragonet's romance scroll. Sue her. But, truth be told, Foeslayer had no real intention of marrying Prince Arctic when she first met him. It simply couldn't work. They could have a bit of fun, but she would have to return to her Queendom and he'd be married within Oracle's blink.

Safe to say that having the prince barge into her room the night before his wedding day wanting to elope with her then having to suddenly flee under threat of death for kidnapping a royal thus ruining months of careful negotiations was not exactly on her year's bingo card. It is unclear whether or not Foeslayer would've married Arctic were their situations different. As it were, she could not simply leave him to fend for himself in a foreign land. She loves him, truly, but it would be a lie to say the marriage wasn't at least partially out of obligation.

Yes, perhaps Arctic does have a point that she tends to ignore issues, especially those in the household, but she does not want to return from a bloody, death-ridden battlefield to problems at home as well. She doesn't exactly get to spend much time with her dragonets. And for Imperial's sake, he could stand to lighten up a little. He's not in the court 24/7, he doesn't need to act like it.

While Arctic generally isn't shy making it known when he has an issue with something, Foeslayer tends to keep it all in. She treats personal problems like they'll go away if you ignore them, but of course this only lets them build and fester. Spending days, weeks, or even months at a time on the battlefield does not help. She has... so many feelings about this whole situation, about Arctic, about this war, about her family, but she's unwilling to examine any of them. She's afraid of what she might find if she does.

That isn't to say their relationship is all bad, much of it isn't, but they do seem to be fighting more and more as the children grow.

.

Height Comparison:

Foeslayer is very big for a Nightwing. Upper Circle Icewings tend to be taller while Nightwings tend to be larger.

Male and female Nightwings are about the same size while male Icewings tend to be smaller than females.

Foeslayer and Arctic are about 2 years apart in age. Foeslayer is older.

[1800titz]

BEWARE THE WATER | merman/siren!Harry x reader

You’ll never forget it— the time when you suggested an outing. You were sitting around in your room with beer bottles on the off hours, you on your twin-sized mattress with your knees tucked to your chest. Skinny dipping. Like a kidhood pastime under the coat of nightfall. A fuddled proposal off your liquified tongue, spurned by the alcohol simmering your veins. You regretted it the moment it slinked from your mouth (the moment the weight of the silence lodged in the rational part of your brain, clinging through insobriety), but you doubled down. “…You’re crazy, rookie,” you remember one told you, eyes listing to the side, over the rubescent smear across the bridge of his nose. “Why not?” Curse of the North Shore, they called it. Call it. An urban legend— but the circles of their eyes shrink into the framing of white when they tell the story of men strewn across the coastline. Skins. Sapped down to the marrow, hollowed bones marred with scrapes, littered across the beach, the patch of rock shed off the cliffside. Spread all over. Eaten from the inside. A fable for grown men to chase, like a monster hiding in the coal-dark nooks under their cots. You stuck the lip of the beer bottle to your mouth and rolled your misty eyes. “Bullshit.”

preview

Your self-preservation scratches up, from beneath the surface of the sea’s hymn settling into your bones. Wrong. Dangerous. Go back. It carves a nick, like a scrape from under a layer of ice across the arctic pelagic, and fractures your mindless audacity. Your foolish gall. Leaves you blinking like you’re batting a haze of smoke off with your lashes, out on the rocks with your lantern swinging in your hand. 

It hits you all at once. Anxiety like storm surge. The sense of impending doom makes your throat tight when you swallow. Dry. What are you doing? Clotting up your lungs, waves slamming against the rocks you’ve trekked. The foundation under you quakes with the hairline fracture of your risk, and something tacky oozes in. Fear. Instinct. The consequence of your recklessness—

A moment too late. Moments. A moment too stupid, too uncalculated, too rash. Ill-advised, when you left the base and stepped out from behind the barricade of the dunes. You take slow, cautious steps back into the direction of the sand across the slippery eigengrau, shaking. Stupid, stupid— counting your steps, reaching for the stretch of land out of fingertip’s length.

(And really, there’s only so long you can dangle a filet out in front of an animal before it breaks and bites. Only so long you can lure something from the sea with a soft, fleshy silhouette over the surface of the water.)

The ocean is humming. Singing. Like it’s lapping in an echo of the word that shatters the calm of the reticence— “Soldier.”

Not quite a bark. No ire. But it’s louder than the water and makes your heart lurch to your throat when your head snaps over your shoulder. Your balance is threadbare, and the plummet of your stomach makes the string ripple. Your heel nearly slips across the jagged stone—

(Not rookie. Soldier. Shedding the moniker feels like molting a worn, second skin that’s started to crackle across the stretch of your appendages.)

Hindsight laughs at your irreparable, full fledged stupidity— you, ignoring every warning they handed out to you in the cup of their palm. 

(You were supposed to cradle them close, heed like the signs told you.)

Your unease is a vicious pulse across your throat, roaring in your ears, mottling the perfect tempo of the waves, when the lantern between your fingers sways to the craggy patch behind you, where you once stood. It casts ochreous light across the slippery tar-black of the stones. 

There’s a man in the water. Your lungs squeeze. Caught. Stuck. In stasis. 

Wet skin. Slippery, slick. Burnt orange catching on sinews, even with a patch of jagged stones between you, emphasizing your distance. 

You’ve never believed in fairy tales, not as a child. Not now. Never chased legends, and myths, imaginary friends and monsters under your bed. But something unspools inside of you. Unfurls in the pit of your belly. Instinctual. Like a sixth sense to save your skin. You still have a chance, a distance, muffled echo behind your skull hisses, you still—

But you’re glued onto the stone. Stagnant. Stalemating, with a chill stinging like shards across your veins, nausea lingering from the sharp bludgeon of being swung off kilter. 

A deer caught in headlights. 

(Game, staring across the plain at the looming predator.)

Fear tastes like heme and crushed ice. Your emotions are a farrago— terror, confusion, apprehension.

Dread. 

“You’re a soldier,” he asks— tells you, it feels like a statement— over the roaring sea, cadence honey smooth. Molasses heavy. A treacle across your ears that ghosts and melts across your earlobes. The scruff of your neck, where the peach fuzz bristles at attention. “Aren’t you?”

Your tongue feels stuck to the roof of your mouth. Bloated up in your mouth. From this distance, you can’t make out his face. Not the details— only the shape, and his gaze. Liquified tar. Glinting, coruscating like the peaks of the waves. 

Uncanny. Wrong. The echo of an urban legend— a mystical beast waiting to swallow you whole. 

You should run. Sprint across the rocks, let adrenaline aid in your coordination and pray for the best—

But you're stuck. Your brows notched, your ribcage rattling with your heart bursting behind it. Bounding, in place of your stubborn feet. 

“You— you’re not supposed to be out here,” you bluster. Ever the pedant (as if you are, mouthy, little hypocrite). Shoulders rigid like the stretch of nightfall limestone, chin high in your wavering merit. A soldier— a mask you wear as a cloak that can’t hide the quake in your fingers, and the burnt orange off the lantern jumps across the waves. 

It all feels pointless. Otiose— there is no warranted explanation when the unimaginable, unforeseen myth, blurs with reality and crumbles your expectations (your rationale) out from under you. 

His arms stretch across the stone. Lax. Languorous. The delineation of ease— and you can’t stop your eyes from roving across the breadth of his shoulders, the heft, the way the musculature there flexes when he moves. The way the water sticks to his skin. Glimmering obsidian roams you. Wanders. Strays. Drifts. Across every inch, every piece. Assessing. Contemplating. Absorbing.

“Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” he says, instead of answering you. 

The purr stuns you. Weaves across your logic, the congeries of your emotions— the fear— in ropework. Ties to an anchor, lugging you, luring you to drift further from the coastline, closer to him. Sediment from the ocean floor dredged under your feet when they nearly shuffle forward over the stone. 

The words sound wrong. Hungry. Like an omen— and the paradox of them, their tone, against your crumbling mettle, jars you back into survival-mode. Your head feels heavy. Clogged. Wading through a mist you can barely shake off—

“How did you get here?” you demand. Your teeth feel tight.

In the lack of immediate response, you know he’s staring at you. Inkblots roaming across your shape like the eyes of a carnivore over a meal. Incisors aching. It spills your resolve across your shoulders. A wave laps across your toes. He hums.

“Givin’ me a fuckin’ toothache, just looking at you,” he murmurs. A sawtooth dodge around your questions, the anger that bubbles off you in a broken defense mechanism— a vicious cat baring its teeth, swiping out with its little claws, backed into a corner. 

[naoutchi]

❅blood and Snow❆

Summary: Elin Piltto; a reindeer keeper, lives in North Sweden. But her world turns upside down when a predator trespasses her territory.

P.s, the backstory of my Human OC.

P.S I KNOW I SPELLED BLOOD WRONG I AM TOO LAZY TO FIX IT

"The wolverine is born knowing it is a predator. Reindeer understand they are prey. Humans are one of the few animals on Earth capable of choice."

In the vacuum of space, an unknown ship glided toward the blue-green planet. Its three-man crew stood at the panoramic window of the cockpit, observing their hunting ground. One of them, the pilot, steered toward Earth's northern latitudes, specifically the Scandinavian Peninsula, just above the Arctic Circle.

❅ ❆

A strange thundering sound caused Elin Piltto to look up at the clear blue sky. Her little Lappish herding dog, Nina, followed suit, barking wildly.

"Nina!"

Elin shouted at her dog, noticing a few gray clouds slowly drifting across the morning sky, while a distant wall of clouds signaled an approaching storm. However, it was far too cold at this time of year for there to be thunder.

"Maybe it was just a snow slide somewhere,"

Elin thought as she donned her helmet, mounted her snowmobile, and started it. The comforting scent of petrol filled her nostrils. She glanced back at her reindeer, which had galloped away. They had weathered storms before, and she planned to check on them at lunchtime. For now, though, she wanted to head home and have breakfast.

Elin turned the snowmobile around and sped off down the trail. Nina joyfully ran behind as they navigated the snowy landscape. The snow sparkled like a thousand stars, and the snowmobile's engine echoed across the vast, white expanse.

She drove out over the frozen lake in front of her cabin. "Cabin" was perhaps an exaggeration; it was more of a dilapidated shack built by her grandfather. No wonder it looked so shabby—his blood alcohol level had never been 0.0‰.

Elin slowed her vehicle beside the cabin and hopped off, her boot-clad feet sinking into the snow. She muttered a few curses while trudging into the warmth of the small building.

Nina was right on her heels, quickly following her inside.

Elin kicked off her boots and removed her helmet. Her tangled blonde hair resembled a bird's nest. But she brushed it off, walking into the kitchen while shedding her outer layers. She poured herself a lukewarm cup of coffee and wedged a lump of loose tobacco under her lip—breakfast was served.

Elin didn’t even want to check her pantry for food; she knew she would only find instant noodles, frozen pizzas, and Gorbys. The only decent items in there were her tins of tobacco and shelves filled with Norrlands Guld and Red Bull.

But those would have to wait until later tonight. She peeked at the clock—08:48.

It felt wonderful to not have to adhere to a work schedule. Elin was content as a reindeer herder—she had no other choice. As far as she knew, she was her father's only child, and he was dead now, leaving her responsible for the animals and the land.

At least she had Nina to help her, the best herding dog she'd ever seen and also a pretty good hunting companion.

Now, the medium-sized black-and-brown female dog perched at Elin's side, gazing up at her owner with the saddest brown eyes, whining for treats. Elin sighed and pulled a handful of dog snacks from a bag on the counter, tossing them across the wooden floor.

Nina scampered around eagerly, devouring the treats, while Elin made her way to the living area—which was little more than a worn-out couch in the kitchen corner. At least she had a cheap but functional second-hand flat-screen TV. Plus, she had Netflix—perfect for hunkering down during a snowstorm. However, the satellite dish was bound to get blown away, so she made a point to download a few movies and find some mindless series to binge.

Only halfway through an episode, she dozed off on the ugly leather couch.

❅ ❆

On the other side of the mountain, the ship had landed between two peaks, hidden among treacherous rocky terrain. The predators emerged from their den and began their hunt through the frozen mountain landscape and valley. Their advanced technology rendered them like frost-covered phantoms gliding across the snow. At this point, the sky had turned overcast, and the temperature dropped further with each passing hour.

But these extraterrestrial hunters were well-prepared; their armor was insulated and fur-clad, combined with temperature-regulating body suits. The instant a snowflake touched their skin, it melted away.

They had been following a blood trail for some time, setting traps along their path. They planned on staying for a few weeks, so it was wise to lay the groundwork early.

The youngest and most eager of the three predators led the way, excited to prove his skills to his brothers. Although they were slower, they growled at him when he wandered too far ahead. But he pressed on, eagerly following the animal trail that wound down a birch-covered mountainside.

Fascinated by the unfamiliar surroundings, the young hunter didn’t realize that the blood trail had ended until his foot became warm and wet. Looking down, he discovered he had stepped in a reindeer carcass.

A low growl from a nearby tree made the hunter look up just as a small furry creature leaped down toward him. In a reflex, he swatted the wild animal away, sending its small brown body tumbling into the bloody snow. For a brief moment, it lay still.

The young predator curiously approached the small animal, intrigued by how something so tiny could kill and drag off something so large.

As he gently prodded its soft body with his foot, it suddenly sprang to life, crawling up the invisible hunter's leg. Before he could react, the creature—a wolverine—had found an exposed area on his waist and sunk its powerful jaws into his side. The hunter grabbed the small animal, easily tearing it away. This time, however, he hurled it to the ground with such force that a sickening crunch of breaking bones echoed, followed by a loud whine as he slammed his heavy foot down upon the wolverine's small head.

This time, it did not move, and the young hunter exhaled in relief. But a sharp pain surged through his body from where the wolverine had bitten him. It burned terribly and began to itch. How embarrassing—what would his older brothers say?

Angrily, the hunter kicked the bloody little wolverine's body before turning to rejoin his hunting companions.

❅ ❆

Elin was jolted awake by Nina's sharp barking.

"Damn it, dog..."

Elin groaned, lazily withdrawing the tobacco from under her lip and wiping it into her coffee cup. She heaved herself off the couch and yawned. Who needed an alarm clock when you had a dog that barked when it was time to go out?

Elin grabbed the cold coffee mug and gulped the last of the bitter liquid.

She glanced at her phone—10:23. Elin peered out the window and saw that heavy snow had begun falling. Quickly and clumsily, Elin dashed around, putting on her outer layers while Nina whimpered and barked.

"Alright, that's enough, girl."

Elin opened the front door. Nina shot out like a bullet, running around as Elin retrieved a brush. She began to clear the snow off the snowmobile. Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she answered, puzzled. It was her neighbor, Janne, who lived across the lake. He likely needed help lifting something or the like.

"Hey, Elin."

Right away, Elin could hear something was off in his voice.

"Hey, Janne, has something happened?"

Elin asked anxiously. Janne was silent for a moment.

"Yeah... I was out looking for a wolverine that attacked my reindeer. Then I found a reindeer carcass. It was one of yours."

Janne explained tensely. Elin sensed there was more he wanted to say, but she felt overwhelmed.

"But damn it, I'm coming over so you can show me."

Elin said, not giving him a chance to respond before hanging up. She revved up the snowmobile, grabbed her helmet and hunting rifle, and shoved a packet of ammunition into her pocket. This wolverine was going to taste gunpowder. Elin dashed outside to her snowmobile and accelerated off, with Nina sprinting a few meters behind. It didn't take her long to reach Janne’s cabin, and she jumped off the vehicle. Elin hurried toward his door and knocked.

A startled Janne opened the door, peering out. He was an old, overweight, bald man—stingy but friendly.

"Good God, what’s wrong?"

Elin asked, puzzled, and Janne suddenly pulled her inside the cabin. Before Elin could protest, he began to speak rapidly and incoherently. Elin grasped his shoulders, shaking the anxious man.

"Calm down!"

Elin said, releasing the older man. Janne clenched his jaw and rubbed his bald head.

"Elin, you can't go out there again! The devil is on the mountain!"

Janne said frantically, and Elin looked at him, confused.

"All my reindeer—they're dead or have run far up into the mountains."

Janne groaned, and Elin could see in his eyes that he wasn't lying. But she didn’t want to believe it; the old man must have been drinking. Wait, what about her reindeer? Elin jolted and, without a word, turned on her heel and dashed back toward her snowmobile. She heard Janne calling after her, but she couldn’t care less. Barely managing to mount her snowmobile, she gunned the engine.

Even though she drove much faster than legally allowed, it felt agonizingly slow. She didn’t slow down as she approached the hill where she usually parked, resulting in her needing to slam on the brakes as she reached the top.

The sight before her made Elin freeze. Her stomach twisted, and a lump formed in her throat as she took in the entire scene. The field was coated in white snow, now stained red with the blood of her reindeer, scattered like grotesque artworks across the landscape.

Nina caught up to her, panting heavily after the run. Elin shakily dismounted from the snowmobile, almost falling off it. She rushed down the hill, tumbled through the snow, and Nina barked desperately, following her as Elin ran towards the bloody field.

The closer she got, the stronger the smell of death became. Elin's heart raced, and her stomach twisted tighter. So tightly that the contents began to rise. Elin ripped off her helmet and vomited. The sour taste of coffee and stomach acid flooded her mouth, and she gagged. Tears filled her eyes as she wiped them away with her sleeve.

Elin's whole body shook, and she felt another wave of nausea but swallowed it back.

Gasping, she trudged through the bloodied snow. It felt surreal, the world spinning as she passed the carcasses of her animals—the ones that had sustained her, the ones she had cared for her entire life—now dead. Everything was so macabre, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she noticed that some of the reindeer were still half-alive.

Elin couldn't bear to watch them suffer. She pulled the rifle from her back. In shock, she approached the guilt-ridden animals and shot them so they wouldn't endure any more pain.

The shots echoed through the desolate mountain, and after the last shot rang out, Elin stood gazing at the lifeless reindeer before her. She was splattered with blood. Breathing slowly, she wiped away the remnants of tears and snot once more.

Nina had been sniffing around throughout the entire ordeal and now returned to Elin's side.

The dog nudged Elin's bloodied hand gently, prompting her to sob and cradle her loyal friend’s head. An emptiness began to envelop the multitude of emotions Elin felt.

"What should I do now, Nina?"

Elin cried, squatting down to embrace her furry friend. It was as if Nina understood, for the dog whined sympathetically. The falling snowflakes seemed to try to conceal this nightmarish scene. Elin felt the sharp wind biting at her back and took a trembling breath. She couldn’t sit here and cry like a child.

So she stood up, hefted the rifle onto her back, and began striding briskly toward the snowmobile. As she walked, her mind raced with thoughts of what to do next. Someone—or something—must have caused all this destruction. But Elin had no enemies, and no wolverine could inflict this much devastation.

On her way, she grabbed her helmet, and when she reached the snowmobile, she turned to take one last look at the crimson field.

One thought dominated her mind: whoever had done this would pay. She put on the helmet and mounted the snowmobile, fueled by a growing anger as she sped toward her cabin.

Meanwhile, Elin contemplated what she would need for the hunt ahead.

❅ ❆

After the young hunter had been bitten, he began to act strangely. Upon reuniting with his brothers, he exhibited alarming symptoms. Yet, this was his first real hunt, and he insisted they continue. His brothers were worried, thinking their little brother was just stressed.

But the more time passed, the weirder his behavior became. He grew disoriented and aggressive. When they tried to persuade him to return to the ship, the young hunter had shouted at them before running off.

They let him be and continued to set traps and explore.

However, upon discovering a group of slaughtered reindeer, they became alarmed. Hearing the sounds of gunfire escalated their concerns, and they began searching for him.

When they reached the site, they stood in shock, gazing at the mass slaughter. They realized this was their brother’s doing. There was no honor in such killing; these animals were harmless and offered no resistance beyond fleeing.

Now it was serious. They had to find their little brother before he caused more chaos.

Furthermore, the weather had not improved.

❅ ❆

Elin burst through the cabin door and rushed inside. She quickly gathered everything she needed for hunting in a snowstorm. She had the right clothes but added a balaclava and ushanka, donning snowshoes and grabbing trekking poles. She packed her hunting bag, which already contained a first-aid kit, knife, dog treats, emergency blanket, GPS, binoculars, water bottle, headlamp, and additional ammunition.

Stepping outside again, the snowstorm had intensified, set to worsen. But Elin didn’t care. She was driven by a desire to kill. She quickly glanced at Nina, considering leaving the dog behind, but Nina met her gaze with determination. The dog was ready, too.

"Let’s go, girl," Elin said firmly as they ventured into the wilderness. The wind howled, and heavy snowflakes fell thickly, reducing visibility. Elin could barely make out the silhouettes of mountains rising in the distance as she crossed the frozen lake.

Taking the snowmobile would have been a bad idea, as its noise would alert anyone within a ten-kilometer radius of her approach. She glided over the snow easily thanks to her snowshoes, but even beneath the balaclava, the cold bit her face.

Nina trotted bravely alongside her, facing the wind.

Elin aimed for the slaughter site, searching for clues of the perpetrator. She had grown up in these woods and knew every tree and stump. While she had seen tracks from bears, wolves, wolverines, and lynxes, she knew none of them could have killed so many reindeer in such a short time. Whatever it was, it had to be human, or as Janne said… the devil itself.

A shiver crawled up her spine.

She was halfway across the lake when Nina halted. The dog's body tensed, and her pointed ears perked up like antennas. Elin paused and listened, but all she could hear was the wind howling.

Nina turned toward the treeline at the lake's edge and started to walk, then sprinted towards the shore. Elin trusted her dog and followed.

Nina led them deeper into the frozen birch forest, and Elin patiently waited as the dog stopped to sniff. Then Nina hesitated again and buried her nose into the snow. Elin stepped forward to see what the dog was focused on. What she discovered was a patch of green snow. She bent down and picked it up; it was sticky, resembling blood, and bore a sweet aroma.

"What the hell…"

Elin murmured, but she continued to follow her relentless hunting companion. Darkness had already begun to creep in, and shadows moved closer. Elin knew the forest was quiet due to the storm, but her unease only intensified. She fished out her headlamp and secured it to her head. The light barely pierced through the snowy haze, but her primary focus was to keep track of Nina.

Their search continued for a quarter of an hour, though it felt like an eternity due to the cold and darkness. Yet, Elin was prepared to search for days to find the monster.

Once again, Nina hesitated. This time it felt different. The dog looked up at a cliffside, and Elin noticed the hair on Nina's back standing on end as she leaned forward. The dog’s ears were erect, and her tail was rigid. Elin stood still at the edge of the woods, cautiously drawing her rifle from her back as Nina began to growl deeply.

Elin disengaged the safety and slowly scanned the cliffside. The poor visibility made it difficult to see, so she squinted her blue eyes. She detected a strange shape contrasting against the rocky mountain and snow—it bulged slightly and shimmered.

Just then, the shimmer broke, and a figure emerged, causing Nina to bark frantically. Elin and her dog were in sync; Elin squeezed off a shot, and Nina rushed toward the creature. The bullet struck its arm, spraying a green liquid, and the being let out a roar. Nina was halfway there when it suddenly jumped from the cliff, landing between Elin and her dog.

Elin's headlamp illuminated the figure just as she realized it resembled a human but was much larger and taller. She had little time to absorb the sight before it lunged toward her. Adrenaline surged through her body—fight or flight? Fight. Elin fired another shot, hitting it somewhere in the midsection. It slowed, giving Elin time to draw her knife and kick off her cumbersome snowshoes.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward, letting out a primal scream, which startled the creature into stopping—seemingly astonished.

"I will fucking kill you!"

Elin yelled, and the creature began to circle her slowly. She mirrored its movements, growls and unsettling clicks emanating from the monster while Elin breathed heavily like a cornered animal.

In a dance of sorts, the creature attacked, but Elin jumped to the side, discovering a sharp pain spreading from a cut it inflicted on her side with some kind of blade.

Thinking quickly, she charged forward and leapt onto its back.

It thrashed beneath her while Elin wildly slashed with her knife, not fully aware of where she struck. She felt a thrill upon realizing she was injuring it, seeing green blood spray from her strikes.

Suddenly, the creature threw itself to the ground, pinning Elin between its weight and the snow. Something inside her snapped, and the air was forced from her lungs. Elin screamed, though only a strangled sound emerged. She gasped for breath as the monster lifted itself, realizing it had merely repositioned.

They locked eyes, and her headlamp illuminated a long, metallic face like a mask surrounded by tangled black curls. Elin shuddered as she heard it emit a malicious laugh while reaching for her face with claw-like hands. She had lost her knife and had no chance to shoot.

Elin was sure she would die when Nina suddenly leapt onto the creature, furiously biting and tugging at its curls. The beast bent down, attempting to shake off her companion.

Elin scrambled backward, grabbing her rifle. She quickly fired a shot that struck the creature directly in the face. It fell, but Elin didn’t want to wait to confirm if it was dead.

"Nina, come!"

She shouted, urging her dog to return as she dashed back the way they’d come. She heard Nina panting behind her as she ran through the forest, finally reaching the lake. Thanks to adrenaline, she had the strength to sprint back to her cabin. She fought against the fierce wind and snow that stung her eyes. But Elin didn’t care and burst into the cabin with Nina.

She locked the door behind her and leaned against it as she slid down to the floor. She removed her hat and balaclava, breathing heavily as pain coursed through her body—reminding her of the deep wound in her side and the fractured ribs.

"Damn it!"

Elin groaned as Nina pressed against her. She hugged her dog tightly, lifting her into her arms and burying her face in the dog’s furry neck. Elin sobbed quietly as Nina licked away her tears. Elin managed a weak smile, ruffling the fur of her beloved companion.

"We made it..."

She murmured to Nina, cupping the dog’s face to shower her with kisses. She glanced at the clock: 12:30. So much had happened since she had awoken on the couch, and now she sat in disbelief. The pain from her injuries reminded her she couldn't remain here, immobilized.

With a groan, she pushed herself up, wincing at the pain. Nina followed her anxiously as Elin moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She grabbed a Red Bull and tucked some tobacco under her lip. Stripping off her clothes down to her underwear, she headed to the bathroom with a Red Bull and the first-aid kit.

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, Elin noticed she was relatively strong, with defined muscles. Examining the wound on her side, she observed two deep lacerations on her right side. Gently, she began cleaning the wound with saline, wincing as it stung. Next, she bandaged it as well as she could. For the broken ribs, there wasn’t much she could do except wrap an ice pack around them and take some ibuprofen.

When she finished, she downed the Red Bull and fed Nina. It felt surreal to engage in such normal activities after experiencing horrors. Elin laid down in her bed and stared up at the wooden ceiling. What had just happened? She didn’t want to dwell on whether she had killed the creature or not—she had shot it in the head! It had to be dead, right?

The sound of a snowmobile made Elin sit up. It must be Janne. She managed to pull on her jacket just as she heard knocking on the door. Elin unlocked it and cautiously looked outside. A cold breeze hit her face, causing her to shiver.

There stood hefty Janne, embarrassment flooding his face as he took in Elin's attire—just a jacket and underwear. Elin let out a short laugh.

"Hello,"

she said with a sigh as Janne opened his mouth only to be abruptly lifted off the ground by something on the roof. Elin stumbled backward in shock, hearing Janne’s short scream followed by a grotesque, wet thud that silenced his voice. She flinched as his now headless body thudded back to the ground.

Elin gasped, trying to regain her composure as she aimed to shut the door. Just before she could reach the handle, that creature leaped from the roof, landing in front of her.

She heard Nina barking and howling. Elin screamed, quickly retreating into the cabin's kitchen. Panic surged within her as she searched for a weapon. The first thing she grabbed was a knife from the kitchen counter.

She seized it just as the creature bent down, trying to enter the cabin. Its height forced it to crouch to avoid hitting the ceiling. Its massive body filled the hallway. For the first time, Elin got a clear look at the creature’s face.

It was horrific—sunken eyes in an elongated skull, a mouth like that of a spider, with frothy bubbles rising from its throat. Its jaws clicked oddly as it vibrated in her direction. Nina launched herself at the monster.

"NINA, NO!"

Elin screamed, witnessing her brave dog jump at the creature and bite into its arm. The beast hissed, seizing the dog and flinging her out through the kitchen window. The creature let out a hoarse roar and rushed toward Elin. She screamed back. With nothing left to lose, she charged at it with a knife raised. The monster grabbed her arm and slammed her down with its other hand.

Elin’s head spun, and she saw it bending down to look at her. Acting quickly, she kicked the monster in its head.

It bought her a second to sit up and swiftly crawl between its legs. She came up behind it, gripping her rifle.

She managed to turn around just as the creature pivoted to crush her with its foot.

Elin barely rolled away before its massive foot slammed down beside her. But she couldn’t react quickly enough to dodge the creature’s kick. Elin was hurled out through the door and landed hard in the snow. The biting cold stung against her bare legs, causing her to gasp. Blood filled her mouth, and Elin coughed as she struggled to sit up.

The monster moved toward her, and she could see its intent to kill.

She fumbled for her weapon, desperate to shoot, but her hands felt frozen.

Then, in her peripheral vision, Elin spotted Nina limping around the corner. The dog reacted instantly, charging once more at the monster.

This gave Elin the moment she needed to aim, and she fired a shot that struck the creature squarely in the chest. It released the dog, falling backward. Elin watched in horror as it thrashed, emitting wet, choking noises.

She stared in disbelief as Nina struggled onward toward her.

Elin rushed to grab her friend and held her tightly. It was then she felt Nina’s warm blood soaking into her clothes. Elin looked down, feeling a knot in her stomach. The creature had stabbed Nina multiple times. Tears filled her eyes as she realized Nina’s breaths were becoming labored. The dog looked up at her with love.

"No... Nina..."

Elin sobbed, opening her jacket to hold her beloved companion close. She felt the warmth of Nina’s blood trickling down her torso. Elin sat there for several minutes, ignoring the biting cold. She gently rocked back and forth as she cried. Everything hurt—she was sad, angry, and confused. A delicate layer of snowflakes fell as Elin heard footsteps crunching in the snow.

Slowly, she turned and saw two tall silhouettes emerging from the snowy mist. They resembled the creature she had just slain. She sobbed, not caring whether they had come to kill her. She had no one left to live for. The reindeer were dead; Nina was dying. All that remained was this ugly cabin.

Elin wasn’t afraid as they approached her, and she rose cautiously, still holding Nina.

The two creatures paused briefly. Elin glared at them coldly.

They drew nearer, and she could see they were even larger than the one she had just killed. But Elin no longer had the strength to fight. They could kill her if they wanted, but they didn’t act violently and simply walked past her. Elin observed as the two beings examined their fallen comrade.

They studied the body for a while, focusing on its wrist.

Elin felt helpless, merely watching.

After a moment, they straightened up, and she heard a beeping noise emanating from the dead monster's wrist gauntlet. The duo beckoned for her to follow.

They began to run, and Elin followed. They sprinted away from the cabin and the lake, down a slope, and towards a cluster of large boulders. Elin’s feet felt like ice cubes, and she winced as the pain in her injuries grew sharper with each step. Furthermore, she struggled to carry Nina’s lifeless body while running. Elin barely managed to hide behind the stone blocks just as the sound of an ear-splitting explosion echoed across the mountains and the ground trembled. Elin fell against the stone as she covered her ears.

She screamed but could not overpower the blast. A cloud of snow and debris enveloped her, and a brilliant blue light illuminated everything.

Within moments, it was over. However, the ringing in Elin's ears persisted as she rapidly hyperventilated. Confused, she looked at the two strange beings beside her. They sat silently, seemingly indifferent to the chaos unfolding. It was hard to tell since they wore those masks.

Desire for answers compelled Elin to stare desperately at them, but the two stood up, dusted off the snow, and moved on. Elin felt even more bewildered, following their lead and turning to gaze over the landscape, realizing all the trees had been blown away. The ground was charred and blackened while the remaining snow was filthy.

The air mixed smoke and snow, causing Elin to cough.

She turned to look at the alien pair.

The silence was pregnant with tension, and Elin could no longer hold her tongue.

"What are you?"

She asked, feeling foolish—how could she know they comprehended her language?

"Predators."

One of them responded in a deep, robotic voice. Elin couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, to scream or stay quiet. All she knew was that one of their kind had utterly destroyed her life. Angrily, Elin began to rant about their role in her downfall and how much she hated them. Yet the aliens stood there, completely apathetic.

Her furious monologue was interrupted when one of the predators said,

"You will come with us."

❅ ❆

[bugpysforge]

To protect himself from the bitter cold, Piloswine envelops himself in heavy furs. He has no trouble on the ice, but he travels gently.

Race: Porcein Class: Druid Subclass: Circle of Arctic Land Location: Snowbelle Alignment: Neutral Good

View the pokedex of all dungeon pokemon on the Bugpy's Forge website.

[xhxhxhx]

Let's write something today.

I.

I came to the United States a few years ago to live with my partner. I know little of the country. To me, it's still a vast, foreign place.

Its states, represented in its upper house, span lands from the Arctic Circle to points four degrees south of the Tropic of Cancer.

The states themselves are vast. It's the stuff of popular song. The spacious skies, mountain majesties, redwood forests and Gulf Stream waters, this land from sea to shining sea.

Its territories, where its Constitution does not apply of its own force, extend to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, where the United States acquired its unincorporated overseas territories.

These territories extend past the 64th meridian west in the Caribbean, points parallel with Bermuda, and past the 144th meridian east, points parallel with Hokkaido.

These territories are entirely south of the contiguous United States, and extend to the 14th parallel south, past the equator, to points parallel with Angola and Mozambique.

But most Americans don't think much about the territories.

The territories, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, are usually set aside.

The United States tends to set them aside too.

II.

The territories of the United States aren't represented in its constitutional government. There's a straightforward reason for that: The Constitution defines its government in terms of the States.

The House consists of representatives "apportioned among the several States," U.S. Const. art. I, § 2, cl. 3; cf. id. amend. XIV, § 2, elected "by the People of the several States." Id. cl. 1.

The Senate consists of "two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof," id. amend. XVII, cl. 1, and the President is elected by electors appointed by "[e]ach State." Id. art. II, § 1, cl. 2.

Together, these three persons, the House, Senate, and President, have the whole legislative and executive power of the United States. Id. art. I, § 1; id. art. II, § 1, cl. 1.

They're chosen from the States, "by the People of the several States;" "from each State, elected by the people thereof;" and electors from "[e]ach State"—and no one else. States only.

And territories aren't states.

III.

The territories aren't protected by the Constitution either.

Under current precedent, the Constitution does not extend to what we call the "unincorporated territories." See generally United States v. Vaello Madero, 596 U.S. 159, 180ff. (2022) (Gorsuch, J., concurring). The United States extends its benefits to the territories by grace, not compulsion.

For example, people born in Puerto Rico are United States citizens by birth. But they're citizens only by virtue of congressional acts, not the Constitution. Even though they should be United States citizens by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Under the Citizenship Clause, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

To all appearances, Puerto Rico is "in the United States." Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and under the United States. The territory and people of Puerto Rico are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

That means that any person born or naturalized in Puerto Rico, not otherwise outside the jurisdiction of the United States, must be a citizen of the United States, simply by virtue of the Constitution and its Citizenship Clause.

That's consistent with the law of the United States, Under current law, "a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof," is a national and a citizen of the United States at birth. 8 U.S.C. § 1401(a).

And Puerto Rico is "in the United States." It tells us that "United States" here "means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island." § 1101(38).

That means that any person born or naturalized in Puerto Rico, not otherwise outside the jurisdiction of the United States, must be a citizen of the United States, simply by virtue of the Constitution and its Citizenship Clause.

But under current precedent, that's not so. The Fourteenth Amendment doesn't apply to Puerto Rico. Nor do most of the other bits of the Constitution.

Because it's not "in the United States."

IV.

Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris 1898, 30 Stat. 1754. Under its terms, those who remained in Puerto Rico became United States nationals by default. Congress would determine their rights and status. Id. at 1759.

When Congress established a civil government for Puerto Rico, it deemed its residents "citizens of Porto Rico, and as such entitled to the protection of the United States." 31 Stat. 77, 79.

That suggested that citizens of Puerto Rico were at least nationals of the United States. As nationals, they would owe the United States allegiance and the United States would owe them protection. But not necessarily more than that.

The Supreme Court confirmed that reading in Gonzales v. Williams, 192 U.S. 1 (1904). The citizens of Puerto Rico were "nonaliens," putting them beyond the power of immigration control, permitting them to travel without exclusion, parole, or removal.

But not citizens of the United States. That only happened when Congress made them citizens.

That's what Congress did in March 1917, when it made any citizen of Puerto Rico a citizen of the United States, and anyone born there a citizen of the United States. 39 Stat. 951, 953. That's the predecessor of the current provisions. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1401(a), 1101(38).

But anyone else? Anyone born in American Samoa, a territory of the United States, but not part of the "United States" defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(38)? Not a citizen.

Current law makes people born in American Samoa "nationals, but not citizens." 8 U.S.C. §§ 1408, 1101(29). And the courts, content to see the territories as places not "in the United States," have sustained that law. Fitisemanu v. United States, 1 F.4th 862 (10th Cir. 2021); Tuaua v. United States, 788 F.3d 300 (D.C. Cir. 2015).

And I don't know much about the United States, but.

That just seems wrong to me.

[transformers-nerd-13]

Hi everyone! This is my analysis of Fire in the Sky. Sorry this took so long; my life has been kind of hectic for the last few days, but I finally found the time to sit down and analyze this episode, so without further ado, let's get into it!

We open on a shot of the Ark and the surrounding desert covered in snow--like, a LOT of snow. And pine trees. Aren't they in a desert--where did the pine trees come from?? Also why is the snow going up??

The snow gets fixed in the next shot where Spike—who has winter clothes for some reason—finds a giant snowman and comments that it's the biggest snowman he's ever seen. The snowman is actually just Jazz covered in snow. (How long was he standing out there??)

There are snow many (couldn't resist) snow puns in the first few minutes of this episode and I love it so much.

The bots have a snowball fight and Spike warns Ratchet about Bee, who's about to throw a snowball at the medic, but instead throws the snowball at Spike for ratting on him. Spike falls and tumbles down a hill (where did that hill come from--) and the snow builds up around him as he rolls down making him a giant snowball--big enough to somehow swallow Ratchet, Hound, and Cliffjumper and take them with him (how did that much snow build up around him in 2 seconds--) but the snowball falls apart soon after. Spike laughs and says he can't believe he's in a snowball fight in July in the middle of the desert.

Optimus (who's inside the Ark) is worried about this snow and asks Teletraan for a worldwide weather report. Teletraan reports that the temperatures worldwide are 40 degrees below normal and dropping rapidly; the planet is freezing. I'm not sure if that's how that works Teletraan but, okay. For the sake of this episode working I will suspend my disbelief.

Optimus says that the heat energy from Earth's core is somehow being drained away, and Gears says that it must be the cons. 

Cut to what is presumably the arctic where we see an explosion followed by a green crystal pushing its way out of the ground. Pan over to Skywarp who tells someone to add a new part to...something.

Reflector puts this...thing (I genuinely have no idea what this is; I'm gonna chalk it up to Cybertronian tech) into the side of the green crystal, which they're apparently using to siphon energy from the earth’s core to make energon cubes. Starscream tells Megatron that all is proceeding on schedule; locating the crystal shaft that led to the earth's core was the hard part, but pumping the heat energy out is simplicity itself.

It is getting harder to suspend my disbelief here.

Megatron says that soon Earth will freeze and the Decepticons will return to Cybertron with enough energon to conquer the universe.

Cut to Rumble who is currently using his pile drivers on a wall of ice (for some reason; legitimately no idea why he's doing this) but the ice isn't breaking. Skywarp (who's appeared from the void) shows up and mocks Rumble for not being able to break the ice. Rumble hits the ice wall again and this time it breaks, but it causes a small avalanche that sends Rumble running (an extremely goofy run I must add) and lands Skywarp flat on his aft. Rumble spots something in the newly uncovered ice. Starscream shows up and asks them why they're just sitting around, and Skywarp tells him they found something in the ice. Megatron (appearing from the void) says he wants a clearer look of what's in the ice, and Starscream promises him that he'll have it. After some more digging, they discover that it's a "Robot of unknown classification" (the word Cybertronian didn't exist yet) and that with his size and probable strength, he'd make an excellent Decepticon. 

Cut to the Ark where Teletraan reports of an abnormally large energy expenditure in the arctic circle. On the video feed provided by the sky spy, Spike notices the green crystal sticking up out of the ground. Jazz suggests that maybe it's some kind of natural phenomenon, but Teletraan tells them that Decepticon activity has been sighted. Optimus says "If we don't stop Megatron and his bunch, earth is doomed. Autobots, transform and roll out!" I'm sorry, Megatron and his bunch??? What is that phrasing lol?? Also, how are y'all gonna drive to the arctic???

Cut to the cons who've gotten the unknown bot out of the ice and are currently trying to fix it. Thundercracker comments that "Whatever it is, being on ice kept it fresh." Sir. This is a Cybertronian?? And y'all were dead for 4 million years just sitting in a ship and I don't see you decaying.

Soundwave (who's also there) hits the bot with 50,000 volts to try to reactivate his impulse center and memory monitor (whatever those are) but it doesn't work. Megatron asks Starscream "Why are you so concerned about this creature?"

I've said it before but I'll say it again, this is a Cybertronian!! Why are they talking like they've discovered a woolly mammoth or a mermaid or something?? Like Thundercracker could've said "Whoever this is, being on ice kept them fresh." It still wouldn't have made sense but it'd be more polite at least. And I understand that the word Cybertronian didn’t exist yet but Megatron could've asked Starscream "Why are you so concerned for this bot?" It would've made more sense.

Starscream says he's concerned because he knew this bot once a long time ago, back on Cybertron. Soundwave gives Skyfire one million volts to reactivate his impulse center and memory monitor and it works. Megatron seems surprised that Starscream had friends before the war--or just friends, period.

Starscream explains that the bot's name is Skyfire. He and Skyfire were both explorers, and they left Cybertron together just before the con's final falling out with the Autobots (whatever that means) and went to explore what was an uncharted planet at the time; Earth. Despite the fact that they detected no intelligent life on the planet, Skyfire insisted that they look closer. A polar windstorm kicked up and the two were separated. "I circled half the globe looking for him, but he was gone." Starscream says.

For everyone who's confused about why a good amount of people in the fandom ship these two, this is why. But I do have to question a few things here; just half the globe? Also how did you know what a polar windstorm was; you don't have snow or polar winds on Cybertron?? And you two flew to earth in your alt modes; earth CAN'T be that far from Cybetron; why don't the cons just use their built-in flight capabilities to go back to Cybertron??

Skyfire wakes up and asks what happened. He sees Starscream and figures that Starscream must've rescued him and he asks where they are. Starscream explains that they're on Earth, the planet where Skyfire crashed. Megatron introduces himself and tells Skyfire that they're on this planet to collect the energy needed to revive Cybertron and conquer the universe, and the Autobots are their enemies.

Cut to the bots who have somehow driven to the arctic circle (my ability to suspend my disbelief is seriously dwindling) where Spike points out the Aurora Borealis to Optimus who says that it's very pleasing to his optic sensors (sir you're a truck how can you see anything right now; or are you just pretending you can see this—). 

Cut to the cons where Skyfire has been given a Decepticon insignia. This is also the one time we see the Decepticons have a salute (seen above). Megatron instructs Starscream to put Skyfire on guard patrol and leaves. Skyfire asks Starscream if he's happier being a warrior than a scientist, and Starscream tells him yes, he does; it's much more exciting. He tells him that one day he'll be the leader of the Decepticons, and when that day comes, Skyfire will be his second in command. Skyfire tells him that he's grateful to him for freeing him, so he'll try to bring him credit.

Not going to lie, this scene kind of breaks my heart. Skyfire’s just woken up after who knows how many millions of years on a world that isn't his own, and the one shred of familiarity he has is Starscream, who's no longer the same bot he once knew in the slightest, but despite that, Skyfire still wants to hang on to the one piece of his old life that he has left and is willing to go pretty far to hang onto it. 

Cut to a little later with Skyfire on guard duty. He sees the Autobots in their alt modes approaching, and says "It seems the time has come for me to make the change from science to war." This line hit me so much harder than I expected it to. Skyfire is changing everything about himself for the sake of staying close to Starscream. Don't mind me I'm just gonna go scream into a pillow for a sec.

The bots near Skyfire and Spike says "Prime, what is that?" as he sees the giant bot.

Again. Cybertronian.

The bots transform and Skyfire (having heard Optimus call the bots Autobots) declares that they must be destroyed. Skyfire fires at the bots a couple of times and misses, but it's enough to send Ironhide face-planting into the snow.

Spike and Sparkplug (who's also here) try to run but trip on...something (snow I guess) and Spike ends up slipping into a patch of ocean that's there for some reason and calls to his dad for help (he's completely fine five seconds later so we won't talk about it). Sparkplug pulls Spike back up onto the ice as Skyfire fires again, this time separating the humans from land. Spike yells to the bots for help to get back to land. Skyfire hears them and goes to investigate and try to communicate with them (showing he's still a scientist at heart, er, spark) despite the fact that the other Autobots are still shooting at him but since they have the aim of Stormtroopers, he'll be fine.

Skyfire picks up the two humans who struggle in his grasp and call for help. He asks them why they're so frightened; he won't harm them. Spike asks why he's wearing the Decepticon logo (to be with Starscream) and Skyfire answers that only the evil Autobots need fear him, which isn't really an answer. It just sounds like the continuation of his previous line that was spaced out weird. Spike tells him that the Autobots are good; that they're fighting to protect earth and all the humans on it; that the Decepticons are the real monsters. Skyfire says that that can't be right, and he'll prove they're not evil; he'll take them to Megatron.

Yeah there's no way that could go wrong.

The autobots just kinda watch Skyfire walk away since they can't fire on him because they might hit the humans. 

Cut to a little later with the cons with Skyfire peering into the ice cave looking very polite as Megatron commends him for a job well done and says that the two Autobot sympathizers may prove useful. He tells Starscream (who's holding the humans now) to deal with the two. Starscream sort of tosses Spike and Sparkplug and the two tumble a few times before hitting the wall. Starscream uses his blaster to melt the ice above the humans to make a sort of makeshift cage that the two could easily get out of if they wanted but nope. Skyfire says that he promised the humans that no harm would come to them; that this is wrong; Megatron tells him he overstepped his authority. Starscream asks Skyfire who he is to promise safety to their enemies. Skyfire says that they're not his enemies; they're his friends. He tries to reach into the ice cave to grab them, but Starscream tells him not to interfere as he shoots Skyfire's hand. He tells Skyfire that the humans are insignificant, and that once they cease to be useful, they'll be terminated. 

Cut over to the bots who've found the con's ice cave. They drive into the cave in their alt modes, but Gears stops just before entering, causing Hound, Ratchet and Ironhide to have to stop behind him. Hound tells Gears to move it, but Gears tells him he's got a feeling they're about to fall right into a trap. Right after he says that, the ice breaks below them and they fall into the caves below. Hound leads the way to find Spike and Sparkplug.

There is no trap by the way so I guess your sensors are off Gears.

Meanwhile, Bee tells Optimus that there's no sign of the four who fell through the ice and suggests that they could be lost. CliffJumper hears Spike calling for help (he seems to do that a lot) and goes to find him.

He finds the humans remarkably quickly and uses the defrost cycle on his blaster (apparently it has that) to free them from their icy prison cell. Jazz, Bee, and Optimus show up and now all they have to do is find the other four.

Cut to said other four finding Reflector who's still got that thing plugged into the crystal (has he just been standing here the whole time??) and figure out what the con's plan was. Gears says that they should get out of there and find Optimus before the cons find them. Megatron and Starscream appear from the void to restate their plan of getting energon, leaving the dead world of earth behind them, yada yada yada, and Megatron spots the four Autobots and gives the order to seize them. Skywarp and Thundercracker trap (sort of--they could easily get out of this) the bots and Megatron tells them to dispose of them immediately, which Starscream eagerly says he'll do with pleasure. Megatron tells Soundwave (who's also there) to check the tunnels for any other autobots, but Soundwave sends Ravage to go check the tunnels instead. 

Cut to the humans, Optimus, Bee, Cliff and Jazz walking through the tunnels. "We've been searching these tunnels for astro-minutes, and still no Ironhide! Maybe we oughta split up." Jazz says. How long is an astro-minute?? And it's not just Ironhide missing dude, Ratchet, Hound and Gears are too. It would've been better if he'd said "...and still no sign of the others!..." instead.

Bee suggests that they double back but Optimus tells them to stick to the pre-arranged search pattern. Cliffjumper tells Optimus that that'll take too long and runs ahead a few feet, only to be tackled by Ravage. Optimus shoots Ravage and they all transform and roll out with Ravage tailing them. When the bots get some distance between them and Ravage, Bee stops and transforms, shooting at the roof of the cave, causing a blockade of ice to come down in front of Ravage and block his path. 

Cut to Ratchet, Hound, Gears and Ironhide aboveground near the green crystal with Skyfire and Starscream standing in front of them. Starscream comments that Skyfire's years in the ice diminished his loyalty, but because of their old friendship, he would give Skyfire the pleasure of melting down these Autobots. "But I'm a scientist--not an executioner!" Skyfire protests. "I am your superior! I order you to terminate them!" Starscream shouts at him. "No. I will not. They have done no wrong." Skyfire says firmly. "But you have! Traitor!" Starscream screeches before he shoots Skyfire.

...I have never wanted to kick Starscream's aft more. I cannot properly express how much I would like to hit him with a chair. This moment right here is where Skyfire realizes that the Starscream he knew is gone, and he's never coming back. Starscream is going too far and Skyfire is finally drawing the line because he isn't going to sacrifice his morals for the monster his friend has become, when this monster has sacrificed nothing for him. Even the Autobots are in shock when Starscream shoots Skyfire. ...I'm gonna go scream into a pillow again real quick. 

Starscream shoots the green crystal behind the autobots that causes an explosion that breaks the bots into a million pieces and somehow doesn't affect the crystal even a little bit. Starscream laughs victoriously before he turns his attention to Skyfire. "As for you Skyfire, consider yourself fortunate that you did not end up like your friends." Starscream sneers before he steps Skyfire in the most awkward fashion I have ever witnessed.

Also the Autobots are completely fine; them being broken into a million pieces was one of Hound's holograms. Skyfire asks how they're okay, and Ratchet explains it to him. Skyfire is relieved that they're okay, but Hound is a bit worried about Skyfire. They get Skyfire behind some cover (aka a giant snow drift) and Ratchet begins patching him up.

Optimus and that group of bots/humans have appeared from the void and Optimus asks how Skyfire is. Ratchet reports that Skyfire was badly damaged and isn't looking too good. Cliffjumper doesn't understand why they're fixing a Decepticon; Hound tells him that Skyfire tried to save them; "And Starscream blasted him for it!" Ratchet adds, sounding furious.

The fact that the Autobots, who have no backstory on Starscream and Skyfire, are angry with Starscream for shooting someone they perceived to be a friend of his speaks volumes to me. Maybe the Autobots have been betrayed like that, and know how it feels to be in Skyfire's position. 

Ratchet announces that he's done all that he can for Skyfire, and that now it was a matter of time and luck.

Cut to Laserbeak who's apparently been watching all this go down and sends a message to Megatron in what I can only assume to be Cybertronian morse code. Cut to Megatron who's admiring an energon cube when he gets Laserbeak's message. He gets angry and throws the cube at Starscream, the cube hitting Starscream in the head. He tells Starscream that he failed to get rid of the autobots, and Starscream realizes that Hound's holograms tricked him. Megatron says that they won’t be tricked a second time and orders the Decepticons to attack but only the seekers go to attack.

The seekers go aboveground and start raining bombs down on the Autobots.

Ratchet tries to wake up Skyfire, telling him that he won't leave him here. (...God I love Ratchet.)

The Seekers and the Autobots exchange fire, Skywarp and Thundercracker crash into the ocean, and Megatron shows up. Optimus and Megatron both break a chunk off of the giant green crystal and use them as weapons as they duke it out. Optimus beats Megatron, but when Skyfire shows up, Megatron believes that he has the upper hand, ordering Skyfire to destroy Optimus. This implies that he didn't know about Starscream shooting Skyfire and leaving him for dead. Maybe Starscream dodged a bullet there. 

Skyfire tells Megatron that he takes no orders from him as he removes his Decepticon logo and replaces it with an Autobot one that he pulled from the void as he declares that he's an autobot. He yeets Megatron into the nearest ice dune and the Reflector triplets attack him in pyramid formation (what did they think that was gonna do??) and Skyfire just kinda shoves them to the side. Starscream shoots at Skyfire telling him that he's through. Skyfire transforms and goes after Starscream, talking about evening the score as the humans cheer for him from the ground.

Starscream demands that Skyfire show himself even though Skyfire is literally right above him (again I must ask where the fuck their eyes are when they're in their alt modes-) before Skyfire reveals himself. Starscream promises Skyfire that he will pay for his treachery. The two crash into each other; Starscream lands unceremoniously in a snow drift and the Autobots cheer for Skyfire until Ratchet points out that Skyfire is losing altitude fast.

Skyfire shoots...something and re-buries the green crystal the cons were using to siphon energy from the earth's core, but Skyfire is buried with it. The Autobots think that Skyfire is dead; he risked everything to save earth--the energy drain has stopped, the earth will warm up again, and the cons have been defeated. Optimus tells Spike that "He won't be forgotten Spike, he will live forever, so long as freedom exists. We will remember you, Skyfire." "We will remember." The other Autobots echo solemnly. 

....my heart hurts. This scene packs such an emotional punch I can't put it into words. This whole episode does. It's one that resonates with me because I've been in a similar, albeit much less dramatic, situation to Skyfire. It's one I think could resonate with a lot of people. Through the entire last half of this episode, I just wanted to punch Starscream and I have never wanted to punch him more than when I was watching this--I really hated him in this episode which is something the episode did really well. And it gives you room to wonder what Starscream was like before the war; before Skyfire went missing. Honestly I think this just made it to my top three favorite G1 episodes. 

Anyways, I'll be putting up a poll soon after I post this so you guys can vote on if you want me to analyze more of season one or move on to season two. I hope this was enjoyable! :) 

[fatorangepoo]

Wriothesley Teaches You How to Fight Like A Pro

"First things first... fix that attitude of yours," Wriothesley grumbled, clad in his long-sleeved dress shirt, fitted pants and mechanical gauntlets. Slicking his hair back with both hands over his head, he groaned, "You don't even want to do this properly. Are you just here for me or what?"

Upon hearing that, your jokester ass laughed out loud and you clutched your clenched stomach bending over in joy. Wiping a tear from your eye, you muse, "Well what if I was?" and continued giggling with your feet circling in arcs like a dying roach.

Let's just say some people have a different sense of humour. You weren't even surprised when you lightly peeked with one eye at Wriothesley to find him glaring daggers at you with those striking eyes of his, because he has never appreciated your skibidi toilet jokes.

Even you knew his limits, and you didn't know him well. Just well enough to share drinks and inside jokes. For you, well was quality time and bouts of intimate touches. So no, you didn't know him well. You got up and sprung back into action, picking up some Gintama move you saw Chinese grandmothers do in Tai Chi. Hands in karate chop motion, you tornadoed to his direction and landed a foot directly in front of him, hand positioned directly before his nose.

Wriothesley scrunched up his nose and forced out a reluctant "Better, I guess," and lowered his head. Addled and confused, you tilted your neck to your side in a classic WHAT?! pose, then you heard a chuckle from somewhere around the room. Looking around, you said, "Well, I never knew you invited some others to our practises."

When he didn't respond, you turned back to him kneeling on the floor, gorgeous di-coloured hair sprawling out from his scalp. You squat with your legs open like a frog or sneaky spider in front of him, leggings stretching against your calf. Looking down at him, you saw a glimpse of his canine tooth revealed by a devilish grin. He looked up at you and laughed at your face, eyes closed all the way through in a joyful daze.

Sobering up, he projected with a husky voice, "So funny, are we?" and you could swear his Arctic glacier eyes thundered periodically, letting you in a world of dark, deep sea typhoons. "Let's see what happens when you face real danger. You think they would loosen their grip because you said something that started with ski, ended with di and rhymed with clinically? I'd like you see you £#¢¥ing try," he threatened gloomily, advancing onto you with a fat forearm.

You hastily avoided his arm by holding it back with both hands, but you never really won over the gymbros in arm wrestling, so you got overpowered instead. He locked his arm under your neck, lifting you up so your toes were dreaming of touching land, which never happened considering you were taller than the average population. His shirt sleeve was so distracting because it smelled like your cousin's detergent and made you wish you had money to afford laundry that was more than just rinsing fabric with water.

You felt like Loki being held by his neck by Thor, albeit being the superior brother in the situation. In every situation, actually. Loki just suited you better. Pranksters have your whole heart.

You snuck your hands under his arm and pushed outward with all your might, and he was still unyielding. Bruh, at this point you just gotta turn around and start pushing his chest away from you. That'd be more effective, right? Whose chest can withstand brute force? Well, not yours, to be frank. You can't even wrestle your cousin.

"LET ME... THE £@#& GO!" you yelled with your back against his locked hands in a smooth manoeuvre, and tried to push at his chest. Ew, this feels like molestation. Who cared about molestation when your life was being threatened by a raider!!! You don't care anymore, you went from poking his chest playfully to shoving the hell out of his dress shirt, and he stumbled, hands losing their grip.

Like a proud hen, you stood arms akimbo, head inclined as you stared Wrio down. Oh my effing god. He surged and started CHARGING at you!!! He threw himself on you like on those WWE Superslams and you flew with your back sliding on the floor. His arms were around you, then you realised they weren't around you as much as they were wrapped around an actual dagger. Oh archons!

If you were wrong in the head, you would think this was fun and mentally stimulating. It was a bit exhilarating, but you were fearing for your life here. Mr Puppy here looks like he would actually kill you here and now for saying skibidi toilet during a company dinner 3 weeks ago. Deeply stashed anger, am I right? Poor pup doesn't have an outlet to release stress, so he keeps it all pent up and explodes on you for a tiny joke consisting of toilet...

His knee kneeling in the space between your thighs, he seemed chivalrous and angelic and deadly. The light shining on him from his table lamp just further intensified the dark side of his face, unilluminated by anything. That pretty much sums up your first impression of him. Dark, sepulchral and a pain to be with. Now, you're wrong. This is fun.

"Alright, yes yes, I'm afraid I'm deeply invested now, Your Grace. Continue," you chirped happily from your position under the Duke's glinting knife. If you stole a jewel from the hilt now, would he realise? You were quite good at this gemstone side hustle of yours.

"Second of all, do not let yourself be vulnerable," he gritted his teeth and you wanted to caress his neck just right above your collarbone. "Well, I don't. I never open up to people! I consider it one of my great strengths-" you got cut off by his bejeweled dagger pinning itself on the fabric of your tank top like a dart pinned to a dartboard.

"Not what I meant," he offered, "but thanks for the invitation." Then he lifted a hand and punched you on your good side. Alas, no more side profile selfies!

You grabbed the gloved hand that was about to go for a second round of punching you with one determined fist of yours, unyielding in your grip. You observe Wriothesley's amusement, his face on top of you taunting. God, his lifted lips are so distracting in their angles, sharp at all the right places. Dangerous men should not have smiles more perilous than their charm.

Despite that, you shook him with your hand guiding him in the direction you wanted to go - in this situation you wanted him the floor where you previously were. Locking your elbow around his dangerous arm, you channeled enough strength to pull him down on the floor beside you. After the satisfying thud of your bully/mentor's back hitting the floor (his tough back muscles are probably fine), you swiftly roll yourself on top of him, legs clamped around both of his. Tank top strap slowly sliding down your shoulder, you dislodge the dagger on the floor and rest your elbows on the sides of his face. Curling his hair on the dagger's pointy edge, you look down, half-lidded, on his tired blue eyes and sadistically remarked, "Any tips for ending someone with a dagger?"

[leafnighthybridwolfsbane]

Icewing Headcanons

(Info below the cut)

OK. FINALLY GETTING TO THESE AGAIN. I got the motivation when going back to working on designs for horror movie villains (+the Final Girl). I greatly apologize about not getting these done sooner. Hopefully you all enjoy these last 5 headcanons and the designs. As a fair warning two of them look a lot like their canon designs. I will explain more in those posts specifically.

Tribe Headcanons

Icewings have icicle like spikes along their neck that work similarly to a North American porcupine's quills. Meaning that they're loosely attached. Though, they can still pierce another dragon. These quills have tiny little barbs that keep the quills stuck. This makes it extremely hard and extremely painful to take the spikes out of another dragon.

Their horns branch similarly to an elk's or caribou's antlers as one of the very few ways you can rise in the ranks is by fighting for dominance. Normally this is one by the matriarch of the family.

Their ears are made of a thicker layer of skin and have a thin layer of muscle around the middle sections of the ear. Meaning that their ears can do a lot more movement than other dragons. Though it also means that this muscle can easily be torn if not careful. Much like the human eyelid.

The thick skin goes along with their wing membranes. This makes them one of the loudest flyers besides Hivewings.

Icewings can be under the arctic waters for around an hour, their nostrils working a lot like a seal's nostrils or a marine mammal's blowhole.

Fur covers the entirety of an Icewing's body to help keep them warm in the frozen lands they inhabit. Some Icewings end up sharing patters with arctic animals such as arctic hares or lynx.

Though, patterns seem to be extremely looked down upon. Typically being considered an impurity in the ice nests the young hatched from. The only accepted pattern is a darker gradient going into a lighter gradient. It's only been in the most recent ruler's time as queen that this belief has been slowly worked on unlearning.

Most Icewings have some form of gradient on the top of their wings while the bottom is the lightest color on their body.

Icewings are well known for being pursuit predators, having the most stamina when they run out of all of the tribes. Most of the time prey is caught in a group with a leader of the hunt.

These hunting groups works similarly to a pack of wolves as they are all the same rank. One is considered the "Alpha", or leader, of the group and another is considered the "Beta", or second in command, of the group to keep things organized. Alphas and betas are considered responsible for the lives and performance of their group, meaning they can get put into a lower circle if their efforts are not good enough.

There is a rare coloration morph an Icewing can get called Auroran. It is considered a version of melanistic where the coloration on an Icewing match up colors to the northern lights. This means they can end up being colored to any color of the aurora.

Environment also dictates coloration. Closer to a forest most of the time will cause them to look more green. Closer to an ocean would bring out more of a blue coloration. Closer to the sky means either a more purple or pink-ish coloration. Barren icelands or ground level of the palace will grant a teal-ish coloration. Sometimes this is a great indication of which rank they came from.

Icewings are considered the second grumpiest tribe while also being the coldest. Unlike skywings that seem angry or easily annoyed, Icewings tend to be arrogant, cold, or conniving with their grumpiness. Some believe it's due to their close-mindedness.

Icewings have the opposite to an ancient sandwing's fire scales. This cold is the only thing that can combat a skywing's fire scales, and even potentially freeze them with frost bite. Most Icewings, though, only have a chill that come off of them naturally and isn't enough to combat a fire scales skywing.

Icewings are also well known for holding festivals, but most of the time it is only rumored as no one is able to cross into their border to really get the full story.

If an Icewing were to be a hybrid of any sort, their blood will come out as a bluish tinted purple color. This can cause their coloration to have purple coloration, especially in the spikes, horns, and face.

Icewings aren't as quick to anger as Seawings, but they are more ruthless. Their loyalty to their queen is unmatched though. This is due to how their society works and has been for many generations.

An Icewing will almost always think about everything they do and the outcomes due to how their society is and how brutal it is when looking at their strict rules.

Lore Headcanons

Icewing society was one of the first societies to exist. First it was made of militant group, then they had kings until their society started becoming matriarchal. Their society eventually being lead by females or fem presenting (transfem and fem nonbinary individuals specifically) individuals.

It is said that they're the first tribe to have an animus dragon. Meaning that they're the first to control it and learned how to "properly" keep them from becoming murderers.

Family groups are not too important in Icewing society due to their use of the circles and the gift of order. Families can be separated at any point, typically when the dragonets become adults and either move up or down in the ranks.

Icewings have communal homes for dragonets in different circles that work similarly to private schools. These communal homes are meant to provide dragonets their best chances at rising in the ranks. Though, not all do. Normally being rare (much like a lower grade school in the US) as they don't always have the resources.

It is Considered an honor for lower ranked Icewings to be called out to a war as it means that if they come back with enough kills, they can potentially come back with a higher rank. Though these opportunities are far and few in between.

Their festivals are normally to celebrate the northern lights. It is said that during the great battle between the Icewings and Nightwings, and Auroran Icewing went into battle and slaugtered tens of hundreds of them in a week on their own. Eventually dying and ending the war temporarily. Eventually dying the night where the northern lights came out. There are also festivals similar to yule as it is culturally believed the first Icewings didn't have their current resistance to the cold.

Most Frost scales Icewings were killed during the animus scare. Though not all were killed and aren't considered as dangerous as an animus. Though, they are looked down upon until recent wars that they were cast into to try to combat sandwings and skywings.

Current exports of the Icewings are pelts and taxidermy due to their knowledge on how to properly take care of the hide and bones. Though, some tend to export lumber and delicacies only in the Ice Kingdom.

Drawing Inspirations

Turkish Angoras were the cat species I took some inspiration from for the body typing.

"Till I Collapse" by Eminem was great inspiration for drawing, but I imagine any militaristic beat will work for Icewings due to the militaristic society I see them having.

Used a lynx for the patterns on this one. Plus the idea of when you pick up snow while the temperature warms gave me the idea of "impurities" patterns imply to their society.

Basically they're giant antlered penguins when they swim, which is why they have counter shading as well

Wings of Fire Headcanon Lists

Mudwings

Leafwings

Hivewings

Silkwings