#climbing goat designs

[random-fandoms-xstitch]

Temperature Grid: 2024

The pattern is by Climbing Goat Designs, although I didn’t use their colors. I used the colors I've been using since 2018 just to be consistent. The fabric is 20 ct Lugana in the color Little Boy Blue by Zweigart.

Highs for December ranged from 15°F to 55°F

Lows ranged from 4°F to 45°F

Largest span: December 7 (High 50°F & Low 24°F) for 26 degrees

Smallest span: December 17 (High 39° & Low 33°) for 6 degrees

No, I don't live at O'Hare Int'l Airport. That's just the closest official weather station to me, yet it's still far enough away that I can't guarantee the temperature there is the same as in my town, so I didn't feel comfortable labeling it as the temperatures for my town.

[lilragekitten]

New year new WIP that may or may not be finished this year lol

Returning with:

Halloween Cats by: cottonartaushop on Etsy (it's not letting me add the link I'm sorry)

I had to take a break from this last fall after losing the best void boy Fury unexpectedly. I think it'll be a nice memory when it's done though.

And adding in Dragons: A Field Guide by Climbing Goat Designs. Check their site out for some really cool space themed projects as well!!

I hope the start of the year has been kind to everyone 🖤🥺

[solargeist]

There’s this character in Witch Hat Atelier, who has both his legs broken and was using a wheelchair, but his friends made him these magic crutches that help him levitate, walk, and fly with !

But I’m posting this because I just read this chapter and thought it’d be a cool design for Scar’s elytra !

[nasa]

NASA Inspires Your Crafty Creations for World Embroidery Day

It’s amazing what you can do with a little needle and thread! For #WorldEmbroideryDay, we asked what NASA imagery inspired you. You responded with a variety of embroidered creations, highlighting our different areas of study.

Here’s what we found:

Webb’s Carina Nebula

Wendy Edwards, a project coordinator with Earth Science Data Systems at NASA, created this embroidered piece inspired by Webb’s Carina Nebula image. Captured in infrared light, this image revealed for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth. Credit: Wendy Edwards, NASA. Pattern credit: Clare Bray, Climbing Goat Designs

Wendy Edwards, a project coordinator with Earth Science Data Systems at NASA, first learned cross stitch in middle school where she had to pick rotating electives and cross stitch/embroidery was one of the options.  “When I look up to the stars and think about how incredibly, incomprehensibly big it is out there in the universe, I’m reminded that the universe isn’t ‘out there’ at all. We’re in it,” she said. Her latest piece focused on Webb’s image release of the Carina Nebula. The image showcased the telescope’s ability to peer through cosmic dust, shedding new light on how stars form.

Ocean Color Imagery: Exploring the North Caspian Sea

Danielle Currie of Satellite Stitches created a piece inspired by the Caspian Sea, taken by NASA’s ocean color satellites. Credit: Danielle Currie/Satellite Stitches

Danielle Currie is an environmental professional who resides in New Brunswick, Canada. She began embroidering at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as a hobby to take her mind off the stress of the unknown. Danielle’s piece is titled “46.69, 50.43,” named after the coordinates of the area of the northern Caspian Sea captured by LandSat8 in 2019.

An image of the Caspian Sea captured by Landsat 8 in 2019. Credit: NASA

Two Hubble Images of the Pillars of Creation, 1995 and 2015

Melissa Cole of Star Stuff Stitching created an embroidery piece based on the Hubble image Pillars of Creation released in 1995. Credit: Melissa Cole, Star Stuff Stitching

Melissa Cole is an award-winning fiber artist from Philadelphia, PA, USA, inspired by the beauty and vastness of the universe. They began creating their own cross stitch patterns at 14, while living with their grandparents in rural Michigan, using colored pencils and graph paper.  The Pillars of Creation (Eagle Nebula, M16), released by the Hubble Telescope in 1995 when Melissa was just 11 years old, captured the imagination of a young person in a rural, religious setting, with limited access to science education.

Lauren Wright Vartanian of the shop Neurons and Nebulas created this piece inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope’s 2015 25th anniversary re-capture of the Pillars of Creation. Credit:  Lauren Wright Vartanian, Neurons and Nebulas

Lauren Wright Vartanian of Guelph, Ontario Canada considers herself a huge space nerd. She’s a multidisciplinary artist who took up hand sewing after the birth of her daughter. She’s currently working on the illustrations for a science themed alphabet book, made entirely out of textile art. It is being published by Firefly Books and comes out in the fall of 2024. Lauren said she was enamored by the original Pillars image released by Hubble in 1995. When Hubble released a higher resolution capture in 2015, she fell in love even further! This is her tribute to those well-known images.

James Webb Telescope Captures Pillars of Creation

Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art, created a rectangular version of Webb’s Pillars of Creation. Credit:  Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art

Darci Lenker of Norman, Oklahoma started embroidery in college more than 20 years ago, but mainly only used it as an embellishment for her other fiber works. In 2015, she started a daily embroidery project where she planned to do one one-inch circle of embroidery every day for a year.  She did a collection of miniature thread painted galaxies and nebulas for Science Museum Oklahoma in 2019. Lenker said she had previously embroidered the Hubble Telescope’s image of Pillars of Creation and was excited to see the new Webb Telescope image of the same thing. Lenker could not wait to stitch the same piece with bolder, more vivid colors.

Milky Way

Darci Lenker of Darci Lenker Art was inspired by NASA’s imaging of the Milky Way Galaxy. Credit: Darci Lenker

In this piece, Lenker became inspired by the Milky Way Galaxy, which is organized into spiral arms of giant stars that illuminate interstellar gas and dust. The Sun is in a finger called the Orion Spur.

The Cosmic Microwave Background

This image shows an embroidery design based on the cosmic microwave background, created by Jessica Campbell, who runs Astrostitches. Inside a tan wooden frame, a colorful oval is stitched onto a black background in shades of blue, green, yellow, and a little bit of red. Credit: Jessica Campbell/ Astrostitches

Jessica Campbell obtained her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Toronto studying interstellar dust and magnetic fields in the Milky Way Galaxy. Jessica promptly taught herself how to cross-stitch in March 2020 and has since enjoyed turning astronomical observations into realistic cross-stitches. Her piece was inspired by the cosmic microwave background, which displays the oldest light in the universe.

The full-sky image of the temperature fluctuations (shown as color differences) in the cosmic microwave background, made from nine years of WMAP observations. These are the seeds of galaxies, from a time when the universe was under 400,000 years old. Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team

GISSTEMP: NASA’s Yearly Temperature Release

Katy Mersmann, a NASA social media specialist, created this embroidered piece based on NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) global annual temperature record. Earth’s average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record. Credit: Katy Mersmann, NASA

Katy Mersmann is a social media specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She started embroidering when she was in graduate school. Many of her pieces are inspired by her work as a communicator. With climate data in particular, she was inspired by the researchers who are doing the work to understand how the planet is changing. The GISTEMP piece above is based on a data visualization of 2020 global temperature anomalies, still currently tied for the warmest year on record.

In addition to embroidery, NASA continues to inspire art in all forms. Check out other creative takes with Landsat Crafts and the James Webb Space telescope public art gallery.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[gurggggleburgle]

As a former horse girl I love the Binghorses drawn by @meltedmush because every weird and cryptid suggestion and art of them just existing makes me stop and go: no wait horses will just do that. Horses are so weird. Horse behavior is so much

Horses will just stare at you through a window and if they're smart they can figure out certain doors. There is a specific kind of surreal of watching a horse walk into your house that is both very cute and cursed. SQQ could totally wake up to a Binghorse having broken into his house and staring at him

Horses also are weird and poorly designed biologically so if they sit for too long they can actually crush their organs and won't be able to stand up again. So I can see SQQ fretting over a bingfoal and asking if they're okay. Also they don't have the ability to sense being full. It is completely possible for a horse to eat too much and die. So again fretting mother hen SQQ planning special Binghorse diet only for Binghorse to come back and drop a dead bird in front of him.

It is completely plausible that SQQ can look up one day and see a binghorse sitting in a tree. Both cows and horses will climb trees. Goats too. I don't know why. They just will. The horse loose in a hospital bit is funny because horses on their own will just do that. They do just end up in places. It feels absurd but it's true. Getting jumped scared by a Binghorse totally believable.

Imagine that SQQ sees a Binghorse with a broken leg! The death knell of any normal horse. He can frett over those beautiful terribly designed legs as Binghorse is kept suspended in a swing thing.

And then the moment you combine omnivore snatch hunter it gets even funnier because I'm certain a real horse would if it could. The fact that people are in any way convinced horses are just cute and sweet and not weird terrifying little horrors of biology will never not be funny.

[melikedraw]

Raian Kure

Species: chimera

- Part lion (albino), part goat, part coral snake

- Goat eyes that dilate like a cats. Freaks the fuck out of everyone even those in his own family

- Kure Family does have some contact with humans, mostly to make deals to go kill people. Raian is never hired because, first of all, he does not kill with pinpoint precison. Secondly, he thinks of humans as lower than him and REFUSE to make deals with such lesser beings

- also he'll eat them straight up. Not before toying with them till they're dead though (actually shows no mercy to humans, refuses to even acknowledge them)

- Keeps fucking with Ohma, would like to kill him but just hasn't managed it yet... and damn lizard is getting better (much to his dismay/annoyance)

- carnivorous, not because he's unable to eat veggies but because he outright refuses

- very good at jumping, climbing

- the kure clan chimeras gain different animal traits/features via cross breeding with different species (the more unique features achieved in the children the better)

@randomfanner helped me with the design and a lot of the facts!!1!!1

More here

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Rocky Wrench

Debut: Super Mario Bros. 3

Get a load of this guy! A recurring enemy, debuting in one of the most beloved games, and major enough to even get a LEGO version... and he's over here as if he's Weird. Well he is! Weird is relative! You might think a goat is a normal animal, but if you do, you have clearly forgotten that they effortlessly climb trees and steep slopes, with hooves. Weird is all around us, and if you find yourself growing jaded to it, remember a Fun Fact to mentally slap some sense back into yourself.

Rocky Wrench is not rocky, and he is not a wrench, either! He is manholey and throws wrenches. On first glance, he looks like a turtley mole, but we are commonly assured that he is ACTUALLY a moley turtle. Strange! This is not a mere mole with a shell, this is a turtle with a cartilaginous nose and teeth and presumably fur. Even if he is truly a turtle, the design is pleasantly mole-like, with the claws, snout, and teeth! This is a guy who would love to bite an earthworm, and who would be very good at it. He would NOT eat a vegetable.

Huhwhuh! What's going on! They turned Rocky Wrench into a guy who would eat a vegetable, and relish every nibble! One of the most egregious parts of New Super Mario Bros. Wii's new standardized art direction is that Rocky Wrench's original design was just entirely lost. This is, obviously, just Monty Mole wearing goggles! And I like Monty Mole, but when I am in the mood for Monty Mole, I can look at Monty Mole. This is not even a turtle by ANY measure now. It's almost a cruel joke now, having a rodent enemy with "mole" in its name, and redesigning the actually mole-looking enemy to be an identical rodent. Gophers and moles can coexist! We all dig for our own reasons. Isn't that something to celebrate? We would, at least, get a true talpid later in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

But some never gave up hope. Remember this? Have you seen this? It's good. It's Super Mario Odyssey concept art for the Broodals, if they were to use existing enemy species for the characters! Even in the middle of the Rocky Rodent Era, there were people at Nintendo who thought, "let's use the old Rocky Wrench design again". Here, Rango would have been a tall Rench (Rocky + Wrench. I know it doesn't really work. Sorry) wearing a spiky squash for a hat! Not very fashionable, but bold. And certainly easier to wear than a whole manhole cover! Rocky Wrench would continue to be portrayed as a rodent for years, including in Mario Kart Tour, where he even got a Mii costume! Was this all a ploy to become marketable?

But then, something happened.

Last year, we received the trailer for the final wave of the The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Game For Nintendo Switch Systems' Booster Course Pass DLC Content. And we all noticed something strange. Something different.

Holy moley! The guy in that hole looks moley! Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, Rocky Wrench was re-redesigned, now resembling the one that I assume people in 1988 fell in love with. I don't know. I wasn't there. But wow! We don't know why they decided to do this, but we're all happy they did! More visual variety in enemies is always better than less! It's especially weird considering the very same track in Tour had the Monty-like design, but I'm not complaining, I'm celebrating!

Looking at Super Mario Party Jamboree, it's clear that, at least for now, Mole-Like Rocky Wrench is here to stay. And hooray for that. Cheers, even. He completely changed his presentation for mass appeal, and now he's going back to being himself, unashamed! Be like Rocky Wrench! Express yourself while simultaneously hiding in a hole.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: 5 Symbols

for your next poem/story (pt. 3)

CAULDRON

In understanding symbols, sometimes it is useful to simply look at the shape and see what it resembles.

The traditional cauldron represents nothing so much as the belly of a pregnant woman and, unsurprisingly, it is an important female symbol all over the world.

The circular shape of the cauldron gives another clue; the circle is a symbol of never-ending life and regeneration, and these themes recur repeatedly in stories containing cauldron symbolism.

The way the cauldron is used also gives a hint about its symbolic meaning.

Things are put into the cauldron, heated, and something different is taken out; the basic ingredients are transformed.

Therefore, the cauldron also symbolizes germination and transformation.

Traditionally, cauldrons have three legs:

The number 3 in this instance represents the triple aspect of the Great Goddess, or the three fates.

Shakespeare alludes to this when the three Weird Sisters—arguably the most famous witches in literature—cook up trouble at the beginning of Macbeth.

In pre-Christian literature, countless legends feature magical cauldrons, and it may be because of this that the cauldron has its witchy associations.

Celtic tales tell of cauldrons that contain an unending supply of food or of knowledge.

The dead are frequently thrown into a magical Cauldron of Rebirth and climb out the next day, alive once more.

Mythical warriors and heroes who died in battle are restored to life in this way.

Ceridwen (one of the most powerful witches in all of Celtic mythology and is typically depicted as simultaneously a mother and a wise woman) had a cauldron full of inspiration and magical powers.

In India, a magic life-giving food, called Soma, was brewed in three huge bottomless cauldrons.

In Greece, there are tales in which an ordeal of initiation involves the person boiling in a cauldron, but after the rite, the initiate emerges with magical powers, including the gift of immortality.

CHNOUBIS

The Chnoubis is a hybrid creature, with the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent.

It was carved onto stones for use as an amulet, providing protection against poisons in particular.

Amulets featuring the Chnoubis date back to the first century and it is supposed that this odd-looking creature may be related to Abraxas, whose image was used in a similar way.

CLADDAGH

The Claddagh is a popular symbol, often incorporated into the design of rings.

Traditionally used as a wedding ring, it is so-called because it was originally made in a Galway fishing village of the same name in 17th century Ireland.

However, the elements of the design are much older, stretching back into pre-Christian Celtic history.

The Romans had a popular ring design, the Fede, which featured clasped hands.

“Fede” means “fidelity.”

The Claddagh symbol features a heart held by a pair of hands.

A crown usually surmounts the heart.

These features represent love, friendship, and loyalty.

CORNUCOPIA

Also called the Horn of Plenty, the cornucopia is often depicted in paintings and on friezes where it symbolizes the notion of boundless abundance, as flowers, fruits, sheaves of wheat, and other produce spill out of a hollow horn or a twisting basket woven in the shape of the horn.

The origin of the cornucopia is found in the Greek myth of Amalthea.

Amalthea fed the infant Zeus a drink of goat’s milk and was given the brimming goat’s horn as a reward.

Sometimes the infant Zeus is depicted being fed the milk from the horn itself.

The Cornucopia, as a symbol of a bounteous harvest, is also associated with Ceres, the Goddess of corn, and also with Fortuna, Goddess of good fortune.

CROSSROADS

In fairy stories and myths, it is often at the crossroads where mischief awaits, usually in the form of other-worldly spirits.

Effectively, the crossroads symbolizes the intersection of two paths, making four potential routes, and a place where a decision must be made, not only practically, but metaphorically too.

The X of the crossroads marks a spot where two worlds meet.

The origins of this story go back to African folklore, where a deity called Esu was the guardian of the crossroads.

When Christianity took over, these old Gods were, quite literally, demonized, and Esu was transformed into the Devil.

Hecate, too, personified as the Queen of the Witches, was called the Goddess of the Crossroads.

In Celtic mythology, corpses belonging to those considered “unholy” were buried at crossroads in order to prevent them coming back to life and because the crossroads was a Gate to the Otherworld. Gibbets were placed at crossroads for the same reason.

Source ⚜ More: On Symbols ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[gingermintpepper]

Day 2: Hyacinthus

Interpretation notes and trivia below the cut!

Designing Hyacinthus as well as deciding on a personality for him was one of the first big problem I had to solve when the topic of a retelling came up. In most texts, he exists to be loved and then to die and even then, the focus of his death is not his own but rather on Apollo, the one who loses him. General modernised interpretations of him likewise tend to make him agreeable and inoffensive, the sort of character who is likeable and upright but never challenging or ornery. I didn't like any of those options, so I instead decided to build my Hyacinthus from the ground up - for better or for worse. His red hair is his most striking feature, it is his mother's divine hair colour and he is the only one of her children to have inherited it. Similarly, Hyacinthus is the only one of his mother's children to inherit her magic. While some of his siblings were born with a few passive gifts from their mother (Argalus' 'perfect' memory and Polyboea's affinity for mental calculations and projections, for example) Hyacinthus was born with a talent for sealing and warding magic and thusly, much of his life has been shaped by the pursuit of knowledge and his wish to use his talents to better his kingdom. Much of his good-nature and zeal for life and learning is destroyed by the circumstances of his death and entombment. When he is revived, he is angry, lost, devoid of most of his memories and desperate to fill the missing gaps of his soul. He's selfish and snappish, hurt and desperate to hurt others but, most importantly, he is searching. When he is revived, all the world has heard his story but he is not apart of it. They do not remember Hyacinthus, the mage-prince of Amyclae or Hyacinthus, the teacher of men. They do not speak of Hyacinthus, who charmed the gods for their knowledge or Hyacinthus whose beauty was bested only by his wit - they speak of Apollo and his lost love, Apollo and his grief, Hyacinthus, the lover of the Radiant. One can only hope that he will find whatever it is he is looking for on this journey.

Some fun trivia:

Youngest son in a family of seven, his magic was the catalyst for Clio revealing her true identity as a Muse to her children.

Actually prefers to be called 'Hyacinth' but has made peace with people ignoring his wishes and just calling him Hyacinthus out of habit or formality.

Has an intense resting bitch face and struggles with visibly expressing happiness or sadness. This is also a trait he shares with his mother, though his older sister Hegesandre also shares this feature. Cynortas was technically a part of the resting bitch face club but he practiced smiling and looking cheery so much as a child that now has the opposite problem where he can smile through anything, even pain or anger.

Left home when he was 10 to study at the Parnassus Institute for Gifted Children. The Institute specialises in training the children of the Muses, but occasionally it will take in normal people who show great promise. Hector, who becomes quite close to Hyacinth during their tenure together, was one of those people.

Was recognised by Apollo himself at his graduation and was gifted a laurel wreath. Apollo declared him the Shepherd Laureate which made Hyacinth the third Laureate alive at that time - a status shared only by Orpheus, the Poet Laureate and Asclepius, the Doctor Laureate.

Despite his title, is atrocious with animals and genuinely despises both sheep and goats. Has a mild phobia of goats in particular due to a traumatic incident when he was first climbing the mountain where a particular wild goat absolutely terrorised him. Along with following him for days, it would eat anything he left unattended and even bit and headbutted him numerous times when he would try to wrestle his food back from it. He was so bothered by the title in fact, that he asked Apollo if the designation was a joke at his expense. Apollo never denied that it was a joke but he never confirmed it either.

Exceptional hunter but prefers trapping to hunting by dog or arrow. Has never been one for weapons and much rather prefers to fight bare handed if the occasion arises.

Despite his laurel wreath being such a precious object, Hyacinth has never properly worn it. He wore them around his left bicep after obtaining them and when Polyboea contracted phthisis and needed comforting, he gave them to her as an object that would give her strength. Polyboea was buried with his laurels so he never got the chance to wear the wreath on his head.

His favourite colour is a dark oak brown and his favourite hobby is reading. His favourite food is fish roasted by a river and shared with people he loves. He died at 28 on the first day of Karneios.

[elbdot]

Here comes another fakemon line! SPLIT EVO once again because I'm a sucker for those :DD I've gotta be honest - I'm not much of a fan of Galarian Rapidash, I was hoping for something a bit more mystical-feeling, but I also didn't feel like doing a redesign of the regionals…so I decided to make my own Unicorns instead!

MOOMBLE (Moon/Nimble) - Fairy/Normal type STELLAROG (Stella = Star / Jednorog = Unicorn) - Fairy/Steel type CLIIMOROG (Climb/Jednorog) - Rock/Fairy type

Stellarog and Climorog are supposed to showcase the past and the present takes on Unicorns, while still both bearing common traditional traits such as the cloven hooves in their design. Climorog is inspired by medieval goat-like depictions of Unicorns while Stellarog is inspired by our modern picture of Unicorns! Moomble's name is also a bit of an homage to the Moomins, as its face reminded me a lot of the Moomin trolls :D

Here's the family alltogether!

This post was available early on Patreon Thanks for your support!!

[kelpcheep]

some fakemon starters i made teehee! pokedex entries and stuff below :] Who would you choose?

Tanootlet - Leaf Mask Pokemon - Grass Type

Etymology: Tanuki + raccoon + nutlet (a small nut or seed)

Dex: Long ago, these pokemon were considered pests and driven away into hiding. Because of their rarity today, some say coming across a Tanootlet brings good luck. Tanootlets are too curious for their own good, sometimes getting into trouble.

Sparkid - Goat Pokemon - Fire Type

Etymology: Spark or spar + kid (baby goat)

Dex: Sparkid’s hooves and horns often light up red hot, casting fiery sparks in the air when climbing cliffs or headbutting trees. It loves play fighting with others of its kind, the clashing of their horns can make a beautiful light show of flames.

Skipalisk - Bubble Lizard Pokemon - Water Type

Etymology: Skip or skipper + pal + basilisk 

Dex: Skipalisk is determined and focused when it comes to running and leaping, yet it is cautious when it comes to its safety, forming a goggle-like water bubble to protect its eyes. It runs through the water of ponds and shallow beaches to strengthen its little legs.

I thought this would be a quick and easy thing but designing them took like.. a few weeks.. (turns into a roach and skuttles away)

[gamerbearmira]

Wish???? WHATTTTT

So this is different from my usual content but I randomly wrote this??? Very short snippet last night and did the drawing this morning.

Mostly got to do with the rewrite I wanna do; Asha's childhood would be a lot more relevant, especially her father. Like he was barely mentioned in the movie, and I understand he was dead and all, but dang, barely even a name drop is CRAZY

any uhhhhh have fun reading ig idk

—————

Asha sat on the large tree, its branches knarled and aged as she gazed out at the vast ocean. She looked upwards, the stars twinkling high above her. She remembered when her papa would sit next to her, singing and telling stories about the stars and wishes.

Wishes.

She never really knew what her wish was. Not really. But now that she was 13, and everything had changed so much in only a year...she knew what she wanted it to be.

But she knew it'd never be granted.

Never in the history of Rosas was a wish like it granted. To bring someone back from the dead. Sure, King Magnifico was powerful, but even Asha had her doubts abiut a wish like that.

But even then, she was sure her father wouldn't want that. Certainly not her mama or Saba. No, he'd want her to move on and be happy. He always talked avout how she should have a wish, a dream, and hold onto it tight.

She looked down at her hands. She fiddled with her curls before sighing and leaning back and looking up at the sky again. "Star light, star bright..." She hummed softly. Her eyes scanned the sky before they landed on a star that twinkled a little brighter than the others. "First star I see tonight,"

Asha stood, carefully keeping her balance as she walked along the branches, climbing higher. "I wish I may, I wish I might," she grunted, pulling her self up onto one of the higher branches. "Have this wish I wish tonight."

She stared at the star for a long time. Closing her eyes, she whispered something. Something on shr and the star above could hear. When she opened them, she swore the star shone beighter, just for a flicker of a second. She blinked, her hands gripping the bark and she leaned closer. Her lips parted as she gasped softly. But before she could say or do anything further, she heard bleating from below. She dropped down on the branch, leaning over the edge.

"Valentina! How did you get out if the barn?" Asha wuickly climbed down, her attention from the star distracted—but not forgotten. Once down on the ground, she picked up the goat, nuzzling her surprisingly soft but dense mohair. "Your getting big! Soon I won't be able to pick you up anymore," she laughed. It was true. Valentina's back hooves were nearly touching the ground now.

Valentina let out another bleat, nudging Asha before the girl let her down. "You always know how to find me. Of course, I'm always at the same placed," she said, walking off, with the goat trotting after her after munching at rhe small flowers that dotted the grass. As she walked, she glanced back at the star. It looked normal again. But for some reason, deep down, she knew it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. She could feel it, deep in her heart.

She sighed, walking down the path back to the village and to her house. It was late. Valentina walked beside her, her long, droooy ears flicking absently. Asha suddenly turned to her companion. "You know. One day, I'm gonna be a great wizard like King Magnifico," she bent down, picking up a long stick resembling a staff. She twirled, waving it around. "Just imagine. Me, Asha, weilding magic and making everyone's wish come true!" She laughed, turned to Valentina, who was watching her while lazily chewing on some grass.

With a soft sigh, she continued walked, her homey cottage coming into view. Valentina had already begun walking back to her pen, but Asha lingered outside her door, looking up st the sky one last time. "I swear it. I'll grant everyone's wish."

—————

Asha's young teen design keeps changing 🌚 not by much. Pretty similar to her kid design, idk.

[kamidukki]

[AKNK] if one of the butlers turns out to be the traitor...?

Tidbits and brain-rots, if nothing else...

‼️⚠️Spoiler warning⚠️‼️

Contains information from the latest update from main story episodes and some event stories, as well as subjective opinions. Proceed at your own risks.

Also, this article isn't written in a properly ordered structure whatsoever 🙇

A traitor's presence has long been speculated within the aknk fandom; casting one of the butlers as the designated leaker of information to a third party.

So, the angels, not the nobles?

The most recent update sheds some light on two things: 1) who the possible traitor could be, and 2) to whom this traitor works for.

We've been given a lucid answer to the latter: the sentient/intelligent angels. It was revealed that 'the traitor' reports directly to Cherubim, whereupon the angel pointed out how it must have been tough for the traitor to have to 'climb up' every time they communicated, hinting heavily at the location of information exchange to be one of the ancient towers.

Too early to tell it seems. Who knows if this traitor works exclusively for one party? (Apart from the dev, obviously)

As for the traitor's identity itself... While nothing definitive has yet to be imparted, some people (whose posts made their way on my Twitter feed anyway) seem on the opinion that it's certain that the traitor won't be any of the butlers. The target of suspicion now moves on to the newly introduced character ゴート aka Goat, if you like. Although a thematically consistent name, it still gives us nothing deeper to dig at this point. He is introduced as a post office worker with loud, exuberant qualities while possessing massive, unconcealed admiration for the devil butlers (to the point of being a fan).

[On a related note, the event 郵便局の贈り物/Yuubinkyoku no Okurimono is the one where Goat's superior plays a central role... it seems. I haven't read the story yet so I can't talk in length about it 😅]

Anyway, here's a quick list of what might be points of interest:

The traitor, whose existence having been confirmed, having to climb up (Cherubim made a passing remark : 'if only you could fly, you would easily make it to the top where we are' with the top part put on an emphasis in-game). The traitor speaks to Cherubim using polite speech.

The appearance of Goat, a post man who'll be in charge of delivery to the Devil's Palace. High in spirit, showing a favourable attitude towards demon butlers.

The rumoured assassin of the underworld, objective/identity: unclear. Finlay passes the information to Lucas.

Spoiler; on a related note with the point above, Nac was born into a family of professional assassins and trained from a very young age to be one. Hanamaru, as pointed out by Nac, was a former bounty hunter. I've done some translation on both, feel free to rummage around my aknk tag. Another point of interest on Nac and Hanamaru's relationship lies on the 6th chapter of event 水流の唄/Song of the Water Dragon.

While suspicion on the butlers is being temporarily cast aside, there's this interesting scene where Nac, while on night patrol duty with Shiro, senses someone's presence only to stumble upon Hanamaru, who claims he's there because he sees the grave look on Nac and Shiro's faces on the way back from the kitchen (might be wrong, but that's how I recall the scene goes for now). Nac makes a comment on how good Hanamaru is in erasing his presence (as expected of a bounty hunter), to which Hanamaru replies it might be courtesy of him doing that to avoid day-to-day work. The question is, why isn't Hanamaru sensing the presence of the intruder when Nac does? Is it simply because he arrives later on the scene? Or could it be that Hanamaru is...? (No, not likely)

Nac is noted to go on a long period of absence from the manor, exactly like the Twitter post's preview hinted, to look into the matter of this so-called assassin of the underworld. When asked if there are some letters of correspondence from Nac, Goat says, no, there isn't. If Goat isn't a target of suspicion, that'll be all there is to that scene. Otherwise, might he be an interceptor of correspondence? Let's see where the next update will take us...

That's all for now, I think.

Like others, I think the possibility of a butler being a traitor has been greatly diminished with this most recent update. Even so, I'm not completely taking it out of the realm of possibilities yet. At the same time, I'm not even sure if I'd like the prospect of having my heart torn apart at the impending angst if one of them does turn out to be a backstabber. I can think of several routes in which the direction of the story may unfold; they're not pretty 😭

[r0tting-rat]

DCA PROMPTOBER 2024

I'm finally not sick anymore! Yeppee! Enjoy some fluff now (btw this Moon can be interpreted as an android or as a human, idk you choose, I just wanted to write something with the human design I made for him)

Day 12 - Carousel

Pairing: Human/Android!Moon x GN reader Warning: None Words: 2700+ Summary: Moon asked you out on a date (u lucky bastard)

The night breeze was cold as ice, it froze the blood in your veins and made you violently shiver in your winter coat, but despite the polar temperature your heart had never felt warmer. Moon had asked you to go on a date with him and for the last 3 hours you had been roaming around aimlessly in your house, trembling with excitement, struggling to find the right outfit, the right accessories, the right words to speak and thank him. You had gotten ready very early and ended up having to wait for the hour to pass with nothing to do, staring at your TV without actually looking at any of the movies that were being broadcasted in occasion for the winter holidays, so at some point you decided to simply get out and wait for your date outside your house. Bad mistake, considering the temperature outside, but at least you were going to see him as soon as his car pulled up into your driveway. 

The night had long befallen the small town, everyone was cuddled cozily in their homes and no sound could be heard in the streets except for the rumblings of the few cars that still wandered deep into the evening. Hurricane had never been famous for its events, there was just one mall and a kids playground, so you weren’t sure where Moon was going to take you. He was a bizarre guy, so you couldn’t really rule out any possibility. He had told you about some of the excursions he had come with his brother and they did the weirdest things, from going climbing with goats on a random Tuesday to visiting a museum on the history of Monopoly the day after. 

You looked at your watch; it was around midnight, so Moon was about to come in… half an hour. Shit, the guy also gave you the weirdest hours to meet up. He was a night owl, so you’d wake up in the morning to go to work with fresh memes he had sent to you during the night. 

With your big surprise a car suddenly stopped right in front of your driveway, loudly breaking like the driver had almost missed the house, and an absolutely adorable Moon came out in a hurry. Seeing you, his eyes widened in surprise. 

-Shit, I’m… Hi! W-Why are you already outside?!- he asked, breathing heavily. He was dressed in dark cargo jeans, a button up covered in stars of many shapes and sizes and a long winter coat. With it he was wearing a black belt to accentuate his nice waist, his usual beanie and a dark blue scarf. You noticed he was hiding something behind his back. 

-Hi, I… I was getting bored waiting inside,- you smiled, walking closer to him, -Hope you don’t mind.-

-N-No! No, absolutely not, it’s just that you must be freezing!- one of his hands came to grab one of yours, attempting to warm your cold fingers, while the other stayed behind his back. What was he hiding you didn’t know, but you suddenly wanted to thank the weather because Moon had never looked so beautiful. His nose was red, just like his cheeks, and his eyes looked bright in the night. You observed the few freckles that dusted his nose—Moon’s skin was dark, but almost half of his face was as white as milk due to the vitiligo, so you could make out some of the dots that you always dreamed of kissing on his beautiful face.

-You look amazing,- he whispered, pulling you close to his body, and you would have complimented him back if he hadn’t interrupted you, -I came early because I wanted to surprise you.-

-Really?- you giggled, throwing your arms behind his neck and brushing your nose against his.

-Yes. my plan was to sneak to your door, ring your doorbell,- his breath was hot on your lips, ghosting over your skin, temping as ever, -Then sneak away before you could open.-

-Why?- you asked, confused but intrigued.

-So I could get in through a window or something while you were distracted,- he replied, -You know, like people do in movies.-

-You mean like serial killers do?- you laughed, parting enough from his hug so you could look as his smile, -Like fucking Ghostface or something? Am I going out with a psycho?-

-Oh, no, Comet! I’m actually a very romantic person,- he said, revealing what he was hiding behind his back; a bouquet of blue, purple and white moonflowers. 

-Y-You’re not serious!- you gasped, looking at the flowers presented in front of you, -You didn’t…!-

-I did,- he said with a sly smile, looking proud of himself, -Now, what’s your favorite scary movie?-

Moon tried to kiss you but you swiftly pulled away, laughing, running away from him and to his car. He tried to follow, but almost slipped on the frozen grass of your yard. 

-Careful!- you laughed, getting into the passenger seat of his car, -The flowers will have to wait before I put them in a vase, I want to know what you have set up for me.-

-Oh, I promise you will like it,- he said, finally regaining his balance enough to wobble to the car and slip in, -It’s a beautiful place, I discovered it last week.-  

-Are you gonna tell me anything else?- you asked, leaning closer to tease him, but this time he was the one to push you away. 

-Nope, stay put and behave now, you animal.- 

☆

The gates of the abandoned amusement park were rusty, bent and old, looking like relics of an old and forgotten time, when joy and laughs were the norm in that damned city. Now very few people lived in Hurricane, but you and Moon still managed to cut out a piece for you to live in and have fun, away from the problems of daily life. You have had a crush on him for months, never gaining enough courage to turn your friendly teasing and flirting into a reality, but one day he had surprised you first, asking you to go on a date with him. If you hadn’t known him for almost a year already, you would have never accepted meeting someone at midnight and following them into an unspecified second location, but Moon… was Moon, and he and his brother were the most amazing people you had ever met. 

You stared up at the gates, which were already open and inviting you to come in, feeling both amazed and a little scared. You turned to look at Moon.

-Are you serious?- you asked, still holding on your bouquet like an anchor, -What if there’s someone else inside?!-

There could be all kinds of dangerous people hiding in there, the whole park had fallen into ruin more than a decade before and even the cops didn’t come to check anymore, it was completely abandoned. People weren’t even the biggest problem! You looked through the bars of the gate, at the old mirror maze, at the haunted house and ferris wheel, thinking about all the things that could break, fall, and injure…

-Hey,- Moon hugged you from behind, bringing you away from your thoughts, -There’s nothing you have to worry about, this place has been forgotten by almost anyone, not even junkies come here. Also, we don’t care about any of those stupid places right now, because our aim is…-

One of his hands held one of yours and brought it up in front of your eyes, proceeding to use your finger to point to a place far on your right. Detached from all the rest, almost alone in all of its glory, stood the most beautiful vintage carousel you had ever seen in your life. 

-Right there,- said Moon, -That’s where we’ll go.-

You gasped, beginning to walk towards it, but the man behind you stopped you before you could take another step. He tugged you by the sleeve of your jacket, pulling you back into his warm and welcoming arms. 

-Don’t you forget something?- he said, pointing at his lips, -Like showing your gratitude to a certain someone?-

Smirking, you got on your tiptoes so your lips could brush against his, chapped in the cold night air. You were still trembling, but not for the cold. 

-I’ll consider if I should thank you after the end of this date,- you whispered, -Promise.-

Letting you go, Moon threw his head back and laughed loudly. Between you and him things had always been in that way, and honestly, you wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. The constant banter kept your heart ablaze 24/7, making you burn even hotter for him every day.

Hurrying down the paved street of the abandoned park, you slid past old ticket booths, food stalls and random attractions, ignoring everything and focusing on the carousel only. Your eyes didn’t leave it for one second, and the closer you got the more you fell in love with it. The carousel was much bigger than you had first imagined; silver and blue, covered in tinted glass and beautiful vintage decoration, with pictures of animals, children and jesters running and dancing around with joy. The colors had long faded, the blue had taken a more cerulean tint and many of the glasses were shattered or rusted, but it all added to his magnificent aura. The carousel had two floors; a lower one, with white and black horses towing large and luxurious chariots, and a higher one which you could get access by a flight of stairs. Up you saw cats, fishes and bunnies of the same size as the horses. 

-Moon, this…- you gawked at the spectacle before you, mesmerized, -This is beautiful!-

-I had a very similar reaction the first time I had seen it,- Moon smiled, looking down at you, -It truly is the most beautiful thing in existence, yeah?-

His eyes were soft, gentle, full of love. With their heat you feared they were going to melt your heart and turn it into a puddle of indistinguishable mass at the bottom of your stomach, so you turned your head away. In response, one of Moon’s hands sneaked up to your head and ruffled your hair, ruining the lovely moment, because of course he had to do something like that.

-Go and choose a horse, okay? The most beautiful one,- he nodded towards the carousel, -I’ll join you in just a second.- 

For a second you wondered what he was planning to do, but excitement quickly distracted you from your previous thoughts and brought you back to the sight before your eyes. Giggling, you did as Moon had asked, jumping on the carousel and looking at each of the animals, admiring their faded mane and missing ears. With their peeled eyes the horses looked rather creepy, they made you feel like they were staring directly at you, but for some reason you didn’t feel scared. It could be that Moon was close to you, so you had nothing to fear about, but their bared teeth looked more like smiles under the moonlit sky rather than grins. 

You found a big horse with a beautiful dappled cloak, black and white, and when you looked into its eyes you saw that his muzzle had survived the challenges of the winds and rain, proudly showing smart and shining eyes which held a kind and joyful expression. You decided that this mightful steed was going to be your ride for the night, so you hopped on, making sure that your jacket covered your freezing ass before checking your bouquet of flowers. Everything seemed still in order, so you patiently waited for Moon, who was nowhere in sight. 

Turning around, you looked behind you and even up at the second floor of the carousel, but the dark-skinned man was nowhere to be seen. Worried, you began to call his name, but no answer followed. Right as your heart was beginning to grow filled with fear and you decided to jump down the fake horse to go look for him, the lights of the carousel flickered to life around you and a distorted music began to play from the speakers. Startled, your head snapped from one side to the other, trying to make out what was happening, but then the ride began to move under you and you screamed. Your feet lost footing as the horse went up, into the air, before slowly beginning a gradual descent towards the ground. The entire ride was moving, humming a gentle and festive motif in a voice which hadn’t been used in many years, and while some of the light bulbs decorating the carousel had stopped working, most were in good enough conditions to blind you, searing a shadow into your retina.

-Do you like it?- screamed Moon, who was looking at you from the ground, pleased.

-You bastard!- you yelled back, -Come here right now!-

What the fuck had he done?! The man jumped onto the moving carousel and began to move through the animated animals, dodging hooves and tails, slowly making his way to you with a wide grin on his face.

-Did you do this?- you asked as soon as he was close enough so you didn’t have to scream over the music. Moon nodded, and you swore you would have slapped and kissed him at the same time, hadn’t you been holding on the plastic ears of your horse. -How?! How did you…?-

You couldn’t form coherent sentences anymore, that man had just killed your brain and turned it into soup, nothing you could say would have conveyed every emotion you felt in that moment.

-I found a way yo restart it just yesterday,- explained Moon, hanging from the pole attached to your horse’s back for support, -The moment I learned it could still sing, I thought it was finally worthy enough for you to see.-

A smile opened on your lips and you had to fight back some tears, but you still managed to speak. 

-I would have loved it anyway.-

-I know, but I want only the best for my Comet.- Moon’s hand rested on your cheek, pulling your face closer to his, -I would bring this entire park back to life if you just told me to do so.-

The night was cold, the horse you were sitting on was cold, but your face and hands were feverish. Even Moon’s skin, which was usually freezing for your standards, felt hot under your fingertips when you brought him closer as well. You kissed his lips, lulled by the gentle movements of the carousel, and enjoyed the music surrounding you like a blanket. Moon’s lips felt right on yours, tasted right, like they belonged on yours, so when you had to pull away to breath you felt the immediate urge to kiss him once more.

-Do I have to make a miracle of engineering every time I want a kiss from you?- Moon asked, breathing heavily after the long kiss, ruining the perfect moment with another one of his dumb jokes, -Because, I mean, it’s not as easy as I made it out to be! It took me a lot, you know?-

-Oh, shut the fuck up, please!- you laughed, grabbing his scarf and pretending to tighten it around his throat. 

-Make me,- he teased, grabbing the back of your head and pulling you in another kiss. 

The carousel must have finished its ride, because the horse both of you had been holding on slowly began to stop moving and the platform under your feet came to a stop, but the lights and the music only dimmed. 

The entire park was quiet, lonely, but your little carousel was as good as new. On it, you and Moon hummed its music and danced to the rhythm, holding one in the arms of the other, with your head resting on his chest and his hands around your waist. You danced on the still carousel, forgetting the world outside, only conscious of the present you were holding in your hands, living in the moment like the night could never turn to day. 

When you were with Moon, at least, the nights would always be endless, like a never ending dream, like his sole presence could make you fall into a coma and bring you into a land of love and beauty. Moon was your personal Morpheus, your Sandman, and you loved him more than anything in this wretched earth.

[thorough-witness-enjoyer]

thoughts on nezarec .....

Greetings!!! I need him to keep his freaky hand feet away from me, I am so disturbed by them☺️!!!

But thank you for the message!!

To be completely honest, I think about Nezarec 24/7 just because of how intriguing the concept of his character is! Not only do I find his design to be very interesting and eye catching (I’m free tonight Nezarec), I’m forever in a perpetual state of hunger for lore about him!

You‘re telling me the Final God of Pain is a disciple of an entity who wishes to end all pain because he wants the „fullest gamut of existence“? How did he even get into the Witness‘ clutches and how did it justify having such a sadist as a disciple? What was the relationship between the two like?

He‘s from an unknown species, but can never truly die and was remade by the Witness‘ hands? Tell me more!! How does he possess such powers?!

I am so starved for Nezarec lore and I cannot WAIT to receive more once we start dealing with Misraaks‘ situation, hopefully getting his origins like we did Rhulk. I completely understand that he was not the main focus in Lightfall, but I’m climbing my walls at the fact that Bungie would release such a long awaited and theorized character just for us to have to wait so long for a follow up!!

Bungie drop more Collapse lore that focuses on Nezarec being killed and the Witness losing the Veil and my life is yours, I’m so hungry.

As for his personality, what a guy!!! I have a plethora of headcanons about him, but I like to imagine just how far his tendency to be a sadistic nuisance can go! I make him torture the Witness‘ patience in my head as karma for all it has done and I often wonder if he has an underlying philosophy to his actions! Maybe his love of pain and mastery of nightmares is related to the species he comes from, who knows!

Overall, freaky guy who should be even freakier and is in dire need of more lore! I love you Nezarec, stay freaky, and never improve as a person because you are so funny as is!

Also a little headcanon drop, I think Nez would be very fond of goats as I imagine he finds their horns to be charming (like his) and he often gets them as sacrifices from his human acolytes! In my head, he has a pet goat he treats as his baby (much to the dismay of the Witness who finds his sentimentality towards the thing frivolous)! I love making that guy do silly things.

Love the glasses and gold chain by the way.

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

heyo! i was wondering, do you have any general guidelines or tips on how to make goatfolk/goat-like humanoids? like, things that based on your judgement should be essential to their physiology and/or society. your opinion is highly appreciated and valued! ^^

sure! I'm going with a really standard domestic goat as reference here, but there are many breeds of goat with their own distinct features, so don't take this as the only way to design goat people. some goat breeds don't really have horns or the little beard, or they have floppy ears instead of tall ones, etc. sheep and goats are also very closely related and have a lot of features in common! sometimes what you think is a photo of a goat is actually a breed of sheep! So you kind of have to decide which specific goats you want to use as a reference point.

image description: faded photos of a goat and some close ups on a goat's face and hoof, all outlined in red. notes on the photos point out specific features. horns, short body, horizontal pupils, cleft lip, and even toed hooves. end description.)

I think the facial features here are probably the most important to keep in mind, as they'll be the same for any goat breed. they all have eyes with horizontal pupils and they all have that upper lip with the cleft. I tried to look up another word for that, because cleft lip also refers to a congenital condition in humans and animals where there's a split in the upper lip and possible the palate of the mouth. a lot of animals like goats and rabbits and cats have this sort of line dividing their upper lip into two parts. it's also called a philitrum, but we use that word for the dip between a human lip and nose as well. unfortunately an internet search for "what do you call it when animals have that separated lip thing going on" mostly turned up information on the congenital condition and how to treat it in livestock and pets. so i don't know if there's a better term for it other than a cleft lip. either way, it is a very recognizable feature on goats and I think it helps make a goat humanoid look more goat-like.

(image description: sketches of an anthropomorphic goat, with a close up on their face. They are short and chubby. end description.)

This is a design that leans heavier on the goat features, but you can go for something more humanoid, like a satyr. depends on what your end goal is for the design!

as for their social and cultural aspects, here's a couple of articles on goat behaviors:

article 1

article 2

important details to keep in mind:

goats are foragers, they wander around to find food and they're well known to have very broad diets, including the ability to eat some things other animals avoid, like tough thorny vines.

goats tend to have a lead female, also known as a doe, guiding the herd. a lead male, known as a buck, will usually bring up the rear. the lead female makes decisions about where the herd will go, the lead male guards the back and is very defensive.

a herd of goats usually has a hierarchy going on and they will defend their own places in that hierarchy. age, sex, and horn size are common determining factors.

goats are climbers, and they'll climb anything including each other. baby goats are especially active about this.

goats headbutt each other for various reasons. this includes establishment of hierarchy, defense, and play.

so goat people might have a matriarchal system, with males as guards while females are guides. they may have a culture centered on fighting as a form of social communication and entertainment. they could be nomadic as well. their dance style is probably very acrobatic, jumpy, and reflective of their fighting style.

those are just a handful of ideas off the top of my head! i hope it's helpful and i wish you luck and fun as you design your goat folk!