#european wolf spider

[wooly-nooly]

European Wolf Spider!

Was on the wall of my house!

It's not the biggest I've seen but it's big enough to scare someone with arachnophobia! 😈

OMG WOLF SPIDERS ARE SO COOL

they are also terrifying, that leg to body ratio is unsettling, BUT SO COOL

I was curious as to whether or not there was a difference between wolf spider and European wolf spider and it turns out theres not, wolf spiders are just super common in alot of Europe

also, why do you sound like you’re about to put this in the pillow of someone with arachnophobia 🤨

[dougdimmadodo]

Fast Fauna Facts #29 - Tarantula Wolf Spider (Lycosa tarantula)

Family: Wolf Spider Family (Lycosidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Before the name "tarantula" became associated with the family of large, hairy spiders we know as tarantulas today it referred to this similar-looking but only distantly related southern European species, which is itself named after the town of Taranto, Italy, near which it is fairly common. Not unlike many true tarantulas Tarantula Wolf Spiders are solitary, nocturnal, ground-dwelling predators that spend the day sheltered in burrows and emerge at night to hunt, but unlike tarantulas and like other wolf spiders members of this species do not rely on ambushing or webbing to subdue prey and instead actively chase down smaller invertebrates. After constructing a burrow female Tarantula Wolf Spiders will often remain in the area around it for the rest of their lives, but males are nomadic and travel in search of females; after mating females carry their eggs in a silk sac on their abdomen, and continue to carry and protect their young for a short period after they have hatched.

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Image Source: Here

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[xptobie]

TW Arachnophobia

I have finished my assignment and I'm so happy, I wanna share it lol 🫶

[calochortus]

Sand Bear Spider (Arctosa perita) 1 of 3 by Will Atkins Via Flickr: another example of wonderful camouflage from the animal kingdom, this spider blends perfectly with the sand grains on heaths and dunes across Europe. A smaller relative of the impressive Northern Bear Spider (Arctosa cinerea).

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

There are two wolves inside me having a battle: one wolf that says I should make the mermaid form of a character into an interesting and in this case an extremely fitting animal (diving bell spider) and one that says I should listen to my heart anyway and make the mermaid form of a character my favourite aquatic invertebrate that’s also sort of sensible but not as much but it’s my favourite though (European crayfish)

[gemsofgreece]

What's the fauna of Greece like? I'm guessing there are a lot of reptiles and bovidae...

Bovidae not so much. Apart from the domestic ones of course which are plenty indeed, especially the goats, wild species of bovidae are only the alpine chamois and the endemic Cretan ibex. A notable yet domestic species is the water buffalo.

Other ungulates include the wild boar, the red deer, the fallow deer, and the roe deer. There are originally domestic horses which escaped or were abandoned by their owners and have now formed herds up in the mountains and have returned to a semi-wild state of being. There is also the Greek breed of the Skyrian horse, some small and delicate horses that are maybe slightly temperamental. Plenty of domestic donkeys and mules in Greece too.

A Cretan ibex and a Skyrian horse.

 In Greece there are also the European rabbit and the European hare, the southern white-breasted hedgehog and the northern white-breasted hedgehog, the European mole, some ten species of shrew and around thirty species of rodents  (squirrels,  dormice,  mice,  rats  and  voles).

There are about 36 species of bats. Larger, carnivorous mammals found in Greece include the European wildcat, the Balkan lynx, the red fox, the golden jackal, the grey wolf, the Eurasian brown bear, the introduced American mink, the least weasel, the European polecat, the marbled polecat, the beech marten, the European pine marten, the European badger and the Eurasian otter. There used to be Eurasian beavers in Greece but they have gone extinct from the region, however there are efforts to reintroduce the animal to the country. Greek seas are the most significant habitat of the severely endangered Mediterranean monk seal, the only seal in the Mediterranean sea, because this is where it reproduces, so there is a national marine park specifically for its protection. There are also 15 species of dolphins, whales and porpoises, including sperm whales and orcas. The dolphin is Greece's national animal.

Mediteranean monk seals.

The most populus large animal community in Greece is by far the avian fauna. There is a total of 478 bird species, so I am not going to list them all. Greece is a very good destination for bird watching. It is a remaining habitat for several birds that have started disappearing from the rest of Europe. Some of its most notable birds are the flamingos, the Dalmatian pelicans, several eagles and falcons and at least three species of large vultures.

Dalmatian pelican, flamingo and vulture of Greece.

Now the reptiles, I don't know if they are considered many, more like so-so. There are 76 species of reptiles in Greece, most of them lizards but a lot of snakes as well. There are also three species of sea turtles and six more species of tortoises and pond turtles, including the endangered Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle which also reproduces almost exclusively in Greece so we have another national marine park for the protection of this turtle. Notable is the presence of two species of chameleons. In Greece, only the vipers are dangerous snakes. There are five species of vipers in the country, including the endemic Milos viper.

The characteristically brown Milos viper, the Mediterranean chameleon and the loggerhead sea turtle.

There are 26 species of amphibians, mostly frogs but several salamanders as well. Three of them are endemic; the Karpathos frog, the Cretan frog and the Karpathos salamander.

On the other hand, there are several freshwater fishes, namely around 160 species, of which at least 18 are endemic plus the entire Tropidophoxinellus genus which is also endemic in the country.

There are about 1101 species of insects and 145 species of arachnids. Arachnids present in Greece include the scorpion, the Mediterranean black widow and the Mediterranean recluse (brown spider), those three being the venomous ones that can be a danger to humans. There are tarantulas in Greece as well, but not any dangerous species. It's important to note that both in the arachnid case and in the vipers' case, they are generally not aggressive and reports of dangerous bites / stings are extremely super rare. Same with the orcas. They don't approach the shores and humans. Same with the brown bears. They don't attack humans. Sometimes they get into the villages of Grevena to find food and people stay inside their houses but I don' t think there's ever been an attack actually.

As for marine fishes, I couldn't find a conclusive source on how many they can possibly be but they are a lot obviously. There are sharks in Greece, including large ones, including actually the occasional passing by of the great white shark but they stay way in the open. There's never been any report of a healthy white shark nearing shallow waters and populated coastal places. On the contrary, dolphins show up all the time, it's always so exciting to see them. And the seals rarely even lounge on the beaches next to swimmers. Back to the fish, there are rays but also haven't heard anything happening. On the contrary, more frequent are the incidents of stepping on a scorpaena fish and that hurts like hell. There are also venomous jellyfish in Greece that present a danger, however I don't think they are dangerous for a human's life. But it will need a visit to the hospital. Here I won't talk about the incredibly stupid decision I made once that resulted in a large jellyfish lying flat on my face. Thankfully it was a saloufa, which is not venomous, because if it was I would probably be before Saint Peter's Gates now after such a full face contact. The TERROR of seeing a jellyfish lying flat on your face though...

[aaronsrpgs]

"Ancient World Fantasy" Reading List

(A little context to start. If you just want book recs, scroll on down to the first image.)

As I’ve been getting into RuneQuest (Wikipedia link), one striking component of the culture and community surrounding the game is that they’re very into the lore of its fictional world, Glorantha. I’m saying this as a comparison to a game like D&D, where the game is spread across tons of settings with no real sense of obligation to keep things in line with earlier editions.

Glorantha’s canon and worldbuilding has been going on since it was published in 1978 without, as far as I can tell, any big reboots. Which means that, unlike D&D, where people are bringing in all kinds of influences and doing direct adaptions of Jane Austen books and whatever, the RuneQuest game remains pretty tightly tied to the original setting. (There have been some exceptions. But not many!)

But since I run games for people who have ADHD or aren’t interested in studying up, I’ve been looking at all kinds of inspiration to drop into the game. Here are 20 novels that are roughly “ancient world” or “Bronze Age” like RuneQuest and deal with people interacting with strange gods, tight communities, and a world without fast overland travel or transferal of information.

I’m presenting them alphabetically by author’s last name.

The Brazen Gambit, Cinnabar Shadows, The Rise and Fall of a Dragon King by Lynn Abbey

I'm sorry for starting this post off with licensed RPG novels, but these are good! And I don't mean "good for licensed RPG novels." I've read tons of them, and most are so bad! But these are actually fun. Good character development in a sword-and-sorcery world. It's also an ecological apocalypse world, with godlike beings oppressing common folks, leading to a lack of technological advancement and knowledge of the past.

The Long Ships by Frans G. Bentsson

Written in the 1940s as a series of novellas, these stories take you on a tour of the Viking-era world, from Europe to the Middle East and beyond. Like a bunch of books on this list, this places them post-Bronze Age, so they're not officially "ancient world." But it gives a big spread of cultures, from the more clan-based Vikings to the bustling metropolises of Turkey. And it doesn't place any of them on any kind of linear advancement scale or whatever other gross way people "rate" cultures.

Tales of Nevèrÿon and Neveryóna by Samuel R. Delany

The master of weird sci-fi and gay historical novels, Chip Delany also wrote a fantasy epic. And it rules! Set on pre-historical(ish) Earth, these books describe the stories that maybe inform the myths we tell today? Dragons and slave revolts! A sort of "What if Game of Thrones was good?" series. Lots of good stuff about how people learn and how understanding expands.

I'm not listing the third book only because it's also a historical look at New York during the AIDS epidemic. It's an amazing book! But it strays from the "ancient world" aesthetic.

Baudolino by Umberto Eco

Another novel expressly set after the Bronze Age (this one starts in the 12th century). BUT it's about Medieval people's interaction with the knowledge they inherited from the past, specifically the myth of Prester John and the works of Herodotus.

I think I keep putting books like this on the list because roleplaying in a fantastical ancient world is not too far off from how Medieval people might have worshipped and referenced works from ancient Rome and non-European places.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf and Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

One of our best living writers! These are fantasy novels expressly set in a fantastical version of ancient/Medieval Africa. The books explore the same events from multiple points of view and are full of cool magic, awesome spirit combat, and a vast number of places and cultures that actively deconstructs most games's portrayal of fantasy Africa as a homogeneous place.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth

I think Kingsnorth has been outted as a sort of eco-fascist? I totally believe it, so feel free to skip this one. It's a historical novel set in England in 1066, as the Normans invade from France. It's written in a faux Middle English language and focuses on the lower classes and how they try to resist the invasion. A good reminder that "Medieval culture" (and especially the Renaissance as a time that "culture advanced") is often based on certain classes of society, such as rich people and/or men.

Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness

Speaking of how class intersects with technological advancement, this book is set in the 18th century, but it focuses on Iceland at a time when it was ruled by Denmark, and the lower classes there were under an enforced poverty. It's a book about how a rich Icelander was trying to recover the stories of his people in order to create a sense of national identity and resistance. But it's also a story about how a destitute man acts like a total weirdo when he's not allowed to fish in his own waters and is cut off from understanding his place in history.

The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie

A big part of RuneQuest is people interacting with and enacting their gods. That's what this book is about! And it's about the strange vertigo that comes to people when they try to interact with the impossible timelines that gods exist on. Very good stuff.

Night's Master and Death's Master by Tanith Lee

Ostensibly set on Earth back when it was flat and demons roamed the world, which is basically RuneQuest. Sort of like a series of hornier, gay bibles? With lots of gender fuckery, fun sex, and cool monsters.

Circe by Madeline Miller

The story of the witch from The Odyssey, told from her point of view. Beautiful prose, tragic and beautiful characters, and a great share of mythical strangeness. Perfect if you want to learn how to run NPCs that are adversaries without being shallowly evil.

Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

Semi-Medieval again, but low class and vague enough that it could exist throughout ancient history. The daughter of a robber grows up in a tower full of robbers and generally has a wonderful time. Lots of weird monsters live in the woods, and there's a great starcrossed romance with someone from a rival robber gang. Perfect inspiration if you're running some cattle-raiding runs in RuneQuest; this is how to make robbers fun and sympathetic.

Read the book, watch the 1984 Swedish movie (which includes a great comedic scene of full-frontal dudity), and then watch the Studio Ghibli series.

A Stranger in Olondria and The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar

Set in a world of pepper farmers and religious fanatics who worship a mysterious inscribed stone, these books do a great job of showing how people might interact with religion, rival cults, and mystery rites. It also portrays literacy and learning to read in places where it's gated behind social gatekeeping. And once again, the prose is beautiful.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola

The first African novel published in English outside of Africa, The Palm-Wine Drinkard is a funny, hallucinogenic story about getting drunk, stumbling through weird landscapes, and encountering fantastical spirits and people.

Tutuola also wrote My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, the inspiration for the famous(?) David Byrne/Brian Eno album. I haven't read it yet, but I'm keeping an eye out!

The Green Pearl by Jack Vance

This is a sequel to Lyonesse, which I haven't read because I love staring in the middle of things. Set around a mythical British Isles when Atlantis was still above the sea and part of the group of islands. Some great wizard shit, warring clans, romance, and a wizard whose name is fucking Shimrod (in case you need more convincing).

Those are my 20 novel recommendations! I'm gonna come back to add some nonfiction, comics, and myth resources for running games in fantastical ancient worlds. You can read SpeedRune, my ancient fantasy game, here.

[rggtattoos]

Are there any that could be used by husband and wife for example dragon and phoenix? Also are spiders ever used? Or wolves?

The dragon and the vermillion bird are associated with masculine and feminine, so they make an excellent pairing for a couple! They complement one another in a lot of ways. I go into detail about the celestial symbols, including Dragon and Vermillion Bird HERE

(note that while some sources will translate the vermillion bird as a pheonix or "chinese pheonix", they are different creatures. Phoenixes are Greecian, and while both are associated with fire, and the cycles of life and death, the vermillion bird lacks the power of rebirth that defines a pheonix. This could just be me being pendantic, since the same could be said of the Ryuu/Long vs the western europian "dragon." It's just as a mythology buff I think it's an important distinction, especially if we are talking about depicting creatures in art.)

You can also look into the many myths and folk tales about love from Japan. There are many. One with a lot of symbolism and imagery is the story of Orihime (the weaver princess) and Hikoboshi (a cow hearder), two lovers that were seperated by their godly parents after they neglected their jobs, distracted by their love. They were placed as stars on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Once a year they reunite when a flock of magpies forms a bridge for them to cross and reunite on the 7th day of the 7th month.

As for spiders and wolves: yes and yes! Both crop up in Japanese folklore quite a bit. Spiders are often associated with seductive women, though there are a few straightforward spider monsters, like the Ushi-oni.

Japanese wolves are near extiction today, but they were once worshiped like many other animals. Japanese wolf species are much smaller than American and European species, and so were less of a threat and more helpful pest control. Some myths still depict them as potentially viscious, like the Senbiki Okami, a pack of 100 intellegent wolves that will form a ladder to catch prey from the trees. Like foxes, cats, and tanuki, wolves could be shape-shifters. They could be protectors or attackers; good luck or harbingers of death.

As always I recomend yokai.com and ukiyo-e.org for researching creatures and designs. They are fantastic, searchable resources that are very accessible to an english-speaking researcher. (not all my resources are! it's a pain!)

[poorly-drawn-cryptids-homestuck]

Bestiary

John Egbert -> Púca or pooka, is a creature of Celtic folklore, are Fae tricksters and shapeshifters, who take the appearances of horses, goats, cats, dogs, and hares. They can also take a human form, which includes various animal features, such as ears or a tail.

Rose Lalonde -> Eldritch / Warlock, A being that is strange or unnatural especially in a way that inspires fear : weird, eerie. As well as a warlock, one who also practices magic, power fulled by an outside source.

Dave Strider -> Harpy In Greek and Roman mythology, is a half-human and half-bird. Often sirens look harpies and are conflated. So for this au, this harpy is able to sing songs to lure prey.

Jade Harley -> Werewolf or lycanthrope, in folklore, can shape-shift into a wolf (or wolf-like creature), on the night of a full moon. Jade is also a Witch, a woman who practices magic.

Jane Crocker -> Faerie, Fae, or sprite in Celtic Folklore, is a creature with metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities. and a penchant for trickery

Roxy Lalonde -> Wizard Tressym is a cat-like Monstrosity and a practitioner of magic.

Dirk Strider -> Dullahan in Irish folklore, is depicted as a headless rider on a black horse, who carries his own head. often seen as a symbol of death.

Jake English -> Bigfoot or Sasquatch, in American and Canadian folklore, is a large and hairy human-like mythical cryptid alleged to inhabit forests in North America.

Aradia Megido -> Mothra, a Japanese based Kaiju depicted as a large moth. To be conflated with Mothman, a West Virginian cryptid, for the sake of this au. Currently a Ghost, a spirit of the dead that can appear to the living.

Tavros Nitram -> Minotaur, in Greek mythology, is a creature portrayed with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man.

Sollux Captor -> Cross roads Demon, found in several folklore, religion, and literature, are often malevolent supernatural entities, who collect souls.

Karkat Vantas -> Cherub Angel, in religion, is an unearthly being. For this au they are similar to cupid. Winged beings who match make. please note that this au will NOT be referencing christianity heavily for this.

Nepeta Leijon -> Nekomata, in Japanese folklore, are a type of yokai, depicted as a shapeshifting cat with two tails. while they can take any form, they will always have the tails.

Kanaya Maryam -> Vampire, in European folklore, are undead humanoid creatures that subsists by feeding on the blood of the living. often able to shapeshift into a bat. and unable to go out in the sun.

Terezi Pyrope -> Dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. This one is a western dragon, often depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire.

Vriska Serket -> Arachne / Jorōgumo. In Greek myth, Arachne is a woman turned into a spider by Athena. In Japanese myth, Jorōgumo are often yokai of a half woman half spider. please note Vriska is not a yokai nor is she Arachne... she is simply a half woman have spider creature, likened to these two examples.

Equius Zahhak -> Centaur, in Greek mythology, is a creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse

Gamzee Makara -> The bogeyman is a creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances but they are most commonly depicted as masculine or androgynous monsters. In this case, they look like a clown.

Eridan Ampora -> Selkie, in Celtic and Norse mythologies, are creatures that can shapeshift between seal and human forms. For this au, Eridan is part seahorse instead, and often takes the form of a elf instead.

Feferi Peixes -> Leviathan. A very large sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. Feferi is also likened to a mermaid / siren, when not the size of 10 whales.

[fangswbenefits]

So, some spider sex facts!

The biggest one is that all things considered, being a male spider kinda sucks for most species. Their lives consist of desperately try to fuck, and then die pretty soon after. (Sometimes the female they just mated with just straight up eats them. It's not super common though. Also the size of male vs female is absurd. The guys are so tiny)

Courting rituals vary between species, so you'll have orb weavers who pluck and tap rhythmically on the webs in an attempt to indicate a. That they're not prey and b. Try to get the female to accept them. If successful the male will pat and stroke the female before sex. Wolf and jumping spiders rely on sight and will wave their pedipalps (the organ male spiders use to initiate sex) in a sort of dance to see if the female is interested. The european nursery spider will actually search out a female, go and catch a fly (or sometimes grab a pebble) wrap it in silk and present it to her so he can have sex while she's eating.

Female spiders actually have spots inside their body for storing sperm, so they actively get to choose which partner gets to fertilize their eggs. Multiple partners common, though some females simply have sex with the same mate repeatedly. Some species will actually make noises while having sex if the male is doing something she doesn't like, and he'll respond to it eagerly since it ups the odds of being chosen as sire to the spiderlings.

Going back to the orb weaver family specifically for a moment, sometimes the silk threads of a web is infused with pheromones from the female that gives wandering males an idea of her health and maturity.

Uh, there are more facts but I'm v tired and need to sleep dkfkdkwjjfj

Thank you so much for your service, my friend 👀📝

[edennill-archived]

RoP S2E1 reactions:

Why is Sauron already pretty? What does he even need that for with orcs? I doubt he's that interested in good looks when he's not trying to trick elves or men.

Okay... that speech is ridiculous; what is he even trying to convince the orcs of? Although I guess they did serve morgoth under duress so maybe he does need to gain either their confidence or fear.

The speech makes a poor impression overall. Neither intimidating nor frightening, makes a B-movie impression.

"Many of you will die" xd

Sauron combing his hair back though lollll

Why, oh why is Sauron kneeling!!!?? This is not an European monarchy. That orc is no one to him.

I will admit that the setting of this conversation in the Forodwaith is logical. Figures the remnants of Morgoth's armies might be lying low in the North.

Ides of March!

Oopsie. Now he desintegrated.

What would Sauron even need to have blood for?

"What's that" "Probably the Watcher in the Water (wrong but nvm)" "Phew I thought it was a spider" "I'd prefer a spider" "Maybe you're right"

"I've done evil." Oh wow. Genius, are you.

You wouldn't be that understanding if you knew it was Sauron lol.

Chosing good /s

Lil bro: Did they just gallop all the way from Eregion??

Not-gil-galad my beloathed

"archhhh" lol :/

"Last leaf will fall" bullshit

Poor attempt of paralleling Elwing imo, but kudos for trying .

Sauron caught by orcs? Ridiculous, but good riddance at least.

Are you Moses or something

"There is some evil upon this land that fools our path." Or you're just bad at finding one. "Panic is the fools meal..." (Who just brought up some mysterious evil? The full quote is ridiculous btw.)

You don't have to eat — ah, okay. The wolf trick is smart enough.

Cirdan isn't half-bad. For once.

"You do your father proud" 🥲

Eeesh the wandering song was integrated into the plot so clumsily...

Nori has a good actress but I hate the Harfoot plotline.

Don't bastardise the words of Galadriel's song :(((

The elves have neat clothes though. Except the strange veiled women.

WHY is the tree glowing??? I don't think I have to explain why this is so weird in this context.

Phew, it stopped.

Is Mirdania even a plausible female elvish name? Seems like Mirdan with a weird ending.

[absoluteocellibehavior]

The Web Avatars and Their Corresponding Spiders

This is an idea I came up a little bit ago when scrolling through the TMA wiki. So, many of the canon Web avatars are already associated with certain spiders like Annabelle Cane as the Black Widow or Raymond Fielding's episode being called "Recluse" for a Brown Recluse. So, what if each Web avatar (and some specially marked non-Web Avatars) each had a spider associated with them. These spiders manifest in places that the avatar wants them to be and gives them a general sense of what is going on in the room that they are in. The more advanced avatars will be able to control them more and take in more information from their spiders. Here is the list so far (I will avoid putting pictures up for those with arachnophobia, but I do recommend looking them up as they are all so cool): Orion Cerebri - Pretty Orb Weaver Thea Brooks - Sheepy Jumping Spider Barnabas Lukas-Bennett - Regal Jumping Spider. Manphy Lukas-Bennett - Tiny Blue-Faced Peacock Jumping Spider. Cillian Fanshawe Callaghan - European Nursery Web Spider Dr. Jonathan Callaghan Fanshawe - Skeletorus Peacock Jumping Spider Father Ignis Callaghan - Cross Orb Weaver Father Edwin Burroughs - St. Andrew’s Cross Spider Adonis - Dancing White Lady Spider Venari - Huntsman Spider Annabelle Cane - Black Widow Raymond Fielding - Brown Recluse Jasper Alder - Ant-Mimicking Jumping Spider Nell Keelin - Peacock Jumping Spider John Doe - Sparklemuffin Peacock Jumping Spider Arthur Lester - Bunny Harvestman Charlie Dowd Detective Noel Finley - Tuxedo Wolf Spider Kayne - Long Horned Orb Weaver

As always, I would love to talk about the relation of these spiders to these characters. If you want more of the funky things me and my friends have added to the TMA universe (and other podcasts as well), please check out the tag #ocelli expansion pack !

[imthepunchlord]

And the swallowtail won by a hair! So how do you feel about the swallowtail winning?

Yeah it came so close for a while, didn't it? Like, from peeking at the poll, the swallowtail was popular and in the lead for a while, then axolotl design gained traction, and then the papillon rose in votes too. It did get really close for a while, and I was worried there was going to be a tie or 3 way tie.

But I am happy with the swallowtail design winning, honestly, the 3 most popular picks were the ones I liked the most for the butterfly animula, and I was struggling to decided so that's why I did the poll.

And I'm glad others really liked them too.

But I am just really happy to have a definitive base for the butterfly animula to work off of. And swallowtail is a good one! It's an actual butterfly breed that gives me a lot of options for color ideas and wing designs, which I will for sure be experimenting with the wings more as this was more a rough draft.

And for the other most popular takes, I will try to incorporate them a little as I do like them. I have an idea for a firefly animula I haven't started designing yet, so the axolotl could may be a starting base for it, just got to tweak the wings to not be so butterfly themed. I also wouldn't mind trying to design a salamander animula so it could also go there, and could even creatively keep the wings as in European myth, the salamander is a fire fairy (probably won't but could be fun to consider).

While I couldn't exactly do the papillon design as that would be butterfly exclusive given it's name means butterfly, I did have a thought to literally play off wolf spider for the spider animula and a canine could be kept in for the bugs/arachnids.

Either way, thank you everyone for voting in the poll and helping me settle on a design, it was a big help.

[basaltbutch]

You mentioned that you've pulled counts spiders out of your hair. Any highlights? Any tips for spider removed technique?

yeah bc i insist on having long and curly hair despite being an outdoor worker so shit's always getting in my hair, especially during any overnight trips where im sleeping outdoors. usually its leaves/twigs/moss/bits of desert but living things also often wind up in there!! having long hair is an excellent shield against mosquitoes and biting flies so those end up in there the most often + it makes it really easy to kill them.

as for highlights, jumping spiders are always a pleasant treat to find, and ive had one or two really big wolf spiders. last trail i worked on i had a snakefly with really pretty iridescent wings! top one ever has been a european praying mantis, i love those guys a lot and it was funny to look over and see one chilling in my hair.

as for spider hair removal—or handling in general—something to keep in mind is that we are many magnitudes bigger than spiders—our bodies are whole landscapes compared to theirs, and imagine if the mountains started moving to pick you up or swat at you. you really want to go slow and methodical with any small critter, with no sudden movements. if they're tangled in my hair i like to use one hand to cup them gently & prevent them from jumping or skittering off and making things worse, and then another to untangle them.

[variksenpesa]

SUFFER DOES THE WOLF, CRAWLING TO THEE

Variksenpesä

Welcome to the crow's nest. I'm a Finnish pagan and shapeshifter. Call me Varis or Crow!

Basically DNI if you're easily creeped out, but also don't interact if you're a creep, and no Endos. I'm not offended if you block me.

I'm a side blog for @koirankusema666 and I'm going to talk about the more darker and uglier side of my nonhumanity on here. Beware, I talk about spiders and other bugs, and some unpopular food instincts as well.

My pronouns are she/it.

Kins:

- Arachnids, especially black widow spiders and scorpions.

- Bugs in general.

- Corvids, especially hooded crows.

- Snakes, especially common european adders.

- Scary and Eldritch horror goats and sheep.

- Black or melanistic animals in general.

These are animals that can mentally, emotionally and physically represent me. My mascot is Mephala, an evil goddess from the Elder Scrolls series. I like goth aesthetics. I am a crafter by heart. I like taxidermy, bones, magic and the metaphysical world. I believe I'm some sort of a hiisi, or evil Finnish spirit.

Tags list:

Spiders, Arachnids, bugkin, tw spider, tw scorpion etc...

I can also tag about random things like blood, bones, taxidermy, wet specimens, dead bugs and animals!!

Decay, mushrooms, honeycombs may also get brought up. As well as

Darkness, death and satanism and such.

Physical nonhumanity

Please do NOT reality check me. Engaging in my delusions will not led to any harm. I have frequent contact with healthcare professionals.

[serpentface]

What is the purpose of this world building project? For funs or like a book? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fantasy book based in a world that’s so culture based that it feels real, one’s based in like old traditional medieval times. That don’t follow typical European type of fantasy. If you get what I mean.

It’s mostly for fun. There is a core story ‘Blightseed’ that I briefly attempted to make a comic of but is now unlikely to exist in that form if at all. There’s also two side stories, one of which I am attempting to write into a finished project. I don’t have a name but it’s kind of a prequel to blightseed.

It’s about Wardi empire internal politics, a previous Odomache (a high ranking general and religious figure, considered an avatar of God) is captured, desecrated and killed by North Finns struggling against Wardi imperial rule. After this happens, the rainy seasons fail for 7 years, the longest drought in memory. This is seen in Wardin as God’s connection to the empire and the earth being severed. A bunch of monks and soldiers are sent on a pilgrimage to sacrifice seven great beasts at the supposed site of creation to bring back God and Its Odomache avatar.

It’s functionally a road trip comedy.

———

Also there’s PLENTY of authors and artists making fantasy and worldbuilding projects that arent just medieval europe or Tolkien, though not nearly enough penetrate the mainstream. Definitely worth expanding your horizons!

One series I read this year and really like is Marlon James’ Dark Star trilogy (Black Leopard Red Wolf, Moon Witch Spider King are out as of now). It’s kind of hard to give a summary of but its a dense dreamlike quest narrative (kind of) against a backdrop of political conflict in two warring kingdoms. It’s setting is based around the pre-colonial African continent and a variety of its folklore. Each book tells part of the same story from a different perspective without feeling repetitive, and both have unreliable narrators in a way that I think is interesting and makes them complement each other effectively. Though fyi read a content warning guide if you have basically any common violence/abuse triggers (especially for BLRW). It’s very brutal.

Also recently read ‘She Who Became the Sun’ by Shelly Parker-Chan, which is more historical fiction than fantasy (outside of a few very lite magical elements) but worth mentioning. It’s about the rise of the Hongwu Emperor, who in this story was born a girl and assumes her brother’s identity and fate upon his death.

These are both history based fantasy but theres also authors who are doing the same kind of thing as me where there’s no direct 1:1 historical basis for the cultures and settings. Can’t think of anything published off the top of my head but it absolutely exists.

Edit: this seems potentially promising for non-western fantasy recs