#even evolves into its evolution that i like

[front-facing-pokemon]

[shannonsketches]

I'm sure it's been discussed at length already but I think it's easy to assume saiyans are strong so their genes are dominant but I (like to) think it's the opposite. It's interesting to think that the ecological nature of a saiyan is stealthy and invasive, and according to Jaco a saiyan invasion was going to be extra dangerous to earth because they look like earthlings (and a lot of other human-like races in the db universe) and one baby saiyan will easily go completely undetected until it starts the extermination process.

so it actually makes a lot of sense to me that a saiyan hybrid would take more physical traits from a local species, while maintaining the potential to house a saiyan's strength and inborn power over ki (which I think due to the story following a group of people who use it is a thing we often forgotten is a super rare and dangerous ability in that universe, and inborn/instinctive to a select few very powerful races). Could also be a fun way to explain why their tails can detach and grow back, since that may be the only real Tell.

because like yeah gohan and goten look like goku but they also look like chichi ykwim? trunks and bulla look like bulma. pan looks like videl. thoughts i chew on.

I also just find parasitism a real good meaty horror concept to put in my little 'this is why everyone's afraid of saiyans' headcanon file along with 'can see in the dark, biologically strategic energy consumption, can go long periods without food or rest' and of course the canonical 'surprise monkey werewolf kaiju'

[wiretism]

nobody does plot holes quite like pokemon

[borealing]

evolution is so fucked up like. every single mutation is random, animals dont decide "damn id like a longer neck" one of a herd suddenly gets a slightly longer neck due to a random genetic mutation (that in mammals occurs at an average rate of 2.2 × 10−9 per base pair per year. thats 0.000000002.2 mutations a year. "per base pair" makes it confusing but basically for every cell which has dna and replicates, for each of those base pairs, there is us a 2.2 × 10-9 chance of that base pair being different in the new cell) and for it to be passed on it cant be a somatic mutation (mutation in any cell that isnt a reproductive cell) it has to be a mutation that occurs during reproduction/crossing over or a mutation during production of new gametes (reproductive cells) AND it has to be a mutation that directly affects an exon (coding region of a gene, there are parts of genes called "introns" which are removed before the mRNA coding a protein starts to code that protein so a mutation in an intron does nothing) AND it has to be a significant enough benefit (or coincide with another generational event like a bottleneck) for that trait to spread to every single animal in the species (most mutations are neutral or negative). and there are other barriers like transposons (which can sometimes aid bigger evolutionary trait changes by inserting themselves into a region of a gene that would. e.g., suppress a protein coding region so suddenly that region is coding for a protein) AND genetic redundancy (organisms have multiple copies of the important genes so if one gets knocked out by a transposon or a scientist the organism can still grow and live) like. things still evolve???? in positive ways???? i cant express how wild that is to me. evolution.

[supahstarrr]

non-black people being so condescending to black people when it comes to the discussion of aave by using the fact language evolves as a way to disregard black people being hyper-aware of how the way aave is co-opted is an extension of racism is so funny because black people are well aware of that language evolves considering aave evolves itself. "rizz", "finna", and even "gyatt" to some extent are the most recent examples of aave evolving other than the general fact that aave is so varied and dependable on the region. but what do i, a black person, know about my own dialect i guess. what do i and most other black people who grow up with the dialect and witness how its perceived to & treated by society know about the difference between language evolution and language being co-opted i guess.

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

Hot take

Night furies are actually perfectly evolved for hunting and killing other dragons and the only reason they aren't a dragon-hunting species like the death song or deathgrippers are is because DreamWorks couldn't have their adorable main character dragon be a "cannibal"

(below I'm gonna try to summarize what we've figured out in a convo with friends on discord)

(also tw animal death via predator)

First of all yes I'm aware that pretty much every decision made about their design was with consideration of the effect it would make on human audiences but hear me out

Night furies are most iconically known as dive-bombers. They are built for speed, high maneuverability, night-time camouflage and for striking targets from above. If we remove human settlements out of the equation (which would not have existed long enough to actually influence night fury evolution, come on), what does that leave us with?

They aren't built for catching fish for sure, they aren't very hydrodynamic and their head is round, wide, and their teeth are dull. Honestly, the monstrous nightmare is much better suited for catching fish, with its long neck, almost pelican-like jaw and rhamphorhynchus teeth

Compare to

Yeah the jaws look kinda like a porpoise of some sort but for that the whole body would have to be a lot more aquatic imo. The light fury looks a lot closer to an aquatic diver, it has a sleeker body, rounded fins instead of spikes, and a long neck.

I don't really see them hunting land animals either, they just don't look like they're adapted for that minus the resemblance with large felines and even then, they're too large to effectively hunt in forests.

The one thing I can kinda imagine them hunting is large mainland megafauna, but we're working with a setting that takes place pretty much exclusively on islands. And overall, dragons are the only abundant species there with the exception of fish and human-bred sheep and chickens.

In general, night furies have duller teeth, smaller claws and are smaller than most dragons. Disregarding the movies making Toothless weirdly OP, a night fury would be disadvantaged against most dragons in a 1v1 fight and besides, it has four huge weak spots that would highly discourage it from a direct physical fight - the primary and secondary tail fins. One unlucky rip in the membrane and the night fury is fucked.

The night fury however noticeably resembles falcons, given their dive-bombing ability and high maneuverability.

Falcons too have smaller beaks and weaker claws compared to most birds of prey, and for that they compensate by simply picking up speed, balling up their talons and Punching. Really. Hard.

And they use that ability to kill other birds, even much larger ones, by knocking them right from the sky.

Here, the night fury's plasma blast works the same way as a falcon's punch. Dragons are fire-resistant, so what the plasma blast does is really just a densely packed bolt of energy that has the effect of either stunning or outright killing prey by damaging its spine. And what the plasma bolt doesn't do, rapid contact with the ground would finish. And if even that doesn't do it, the night fury's wide jaws and dull teeth are just fine for simply clamping around the unlucky dragon's neck and strangling it, like a lion or a pitbull.

The night-time camouflage allows the night fury to soar for extended periods of time perfectly unnoticed in the night sky, and by the time it strikes, the dragon wouldn't even know what's coming.

Unless

Say the hunting night fury is aware of other dragons sleeping under the trees, as most dragons probably would at night (village raids aside, most dragons seem to be diurnal), so how does the night fury get them in position where it can use its signature attack? Well, there's That Iconic Screech Of Death. Since in the movies it tends to appear not just during dive-bombings but also when charging up a blast, I imagine it's something the night fury is able to control to some degree. So by simply fake-diving in close proximity to sleeping dragons, it can effectively terrify them into leaving their hideout and fly out into the open where it can easily take them out.

I dunno, the possibility of night furies as predators to other dragons just makes so much sense to me, I really don't know what other reasons there would be for them to evolve these particular adaptations.

And one more little headcanon to add to this whole rant - since night furies are significantly smaller and less equipped for dragon vs dragon fights and are primarily speed-based predators, I imagine there is this very likely scenario:

There is one dragon who resembles a hyena, a lil bit

Ok, rant over

[front-facing-pokemon]

[twerkyvulture]

btw you guys ever think about Shedinja? i didn't know this before i raised one but Shedinja is created (separated??) from Nincada/Ninjask with the same moveset, same personality... i took it to have its friendship evaluated and the woman in Verdanturf confirmed: my Shedinja knows me. it loves me. though seemingly just created, it has memories of me, and maybe even memories of being a Nincada.

and yet, Nincada's evolved form is standing right there next to Shedinja. Ninjask is the completed form, the imago, with that exact same love, those exact same memories. until that moment of evolution, the two were one Pokémon.

i can't stop wondering. what must that be like? what must it feel like, being the ghost of a living being? finding yourself empty, outside your biological body, but your body is still there and the one inhabiting it is still you? and what does Ninjask feel, seeing eyes peering out from the shell of its old form, and then finding that those eyes are its own?

[pillowbugs]

(from ingo's LA concept art)

thinking about gliscor and how it's the perfect ace for ingo in LA. it represents his past, those he's lost who were closest to him.

do you think gliscor's wide grin reminds him of home, a person, who would welcome him with the same?

would his gentle swaying in the breeze, its lilac and black form, its bright golden eyes, bring to mind a beloved partner who moved and looked so similar?

or perhaps it's in the feeling of earth shaking under his feet, familiar tracks in battle, and perhaps as gliscor shows off his prowess in battle, he blinks, and sees a mole with gleaming claws - or perhaps an imposing tusked dragon, instead.

his pincers bring to mind another with a tough rock shell, and his venom a bulky pokémon with similarly effective poisons. they're all at another station far away, but they live on in his new partner.

gliscor isn't a replacement for them, of course. it would be unwise to merely regard him as such. gliscor reflects the then, but just as important is the now, as its own pokémon, with his own role to play.

it's not surprising for ingo to have befriended a gliscor, given its natural habitat is his new workplace. it's also strong against his ward, sneasler; ground to counter her poison, flying against her fighting. that being poisoned actually heals gliscor rather than hurts, also helps massively.

gliscor's typing is ground and flying. it even fits him, no matter the time. spending most of his waking hours underground - as the wonderful, impressive machinery he barely remembers was built only to traverse great distances on land - and yet, having lofty ambitions to reach ever greater heights. it's in his name, even. or, now, the peaks of the coronet highlands, where heaven and earth meet.

gliscor uses a razor fang to evolve; theoretically, it doesn't need him to evolve, as many such specimens in the wild prove. that being said, to grow from a gligar when they first met, to a gliscor now, his partner relies on him, trusts him, to help him reach greater heights.

and in the same way, perhaps ingo relies on gliscor too. as a loyal friend in the present, and, deep down, a reminder of so many others to live for, to return to one day.

***

the doylist reason for gliscor being ingo's ace that i couldn't really fit into the narration above: gligar and sneasel were already considered counterparts previously, so new sneasel's evolution's warden getting gliscor makes sense.

gligar/gliscor have the same base stat total as sneasel/weavile (/sneasler by extension).

both gligar and sneasel are from generation 2, and gained their evolutions in generation 4 by holding similar items and evolving at night. (sneasler evolves in the day, but that merely shifts the duality, not discards it.)

in pokémon colosseum, both gligar and sneasel are obtained as shadow pokémon in the under subway.

and, on a similar note to the latter point: most likely a coincidence, but gliscor and chandelure were made available at the same time in SV, from the teal mask DLC.

[theemporium]

a luke blurb where him and his gf don't show much pda but quin and jack accidentally walk in on them making out? i feel like it would be really funny

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

You and Luke were never big on PDA. 

It wasn’t a conscious choice either of you really made. Truth being told, you never really noticed how ‘un-coupley’ the two of you acted until a friend had pointed it out to you somewhere in the first few weeks of college when they were shocked to learn that you and Luke were a couple. 

But it never bothered you. It wasn’t a big surprise considering the evolution of your relationship with Luke was something that changed gradually over time. You had been attached by the hip since day one, each other’s best friend for as long as anyone could remember. You were always together, always found together, would always be together. There was no one in this world that you would consider your bestest friend over Luke Hughes.

It just so happened that somewhere between the years of high school, that friendship evolved into something a little less platonic. But he was still your best friend. He would always be your best friend before he was your boyfriend. Neither of you acted differently after you got together because nothing in the relationship had really changed after the two of you confessed that night, except for the fact you just happened to make out with him as much as you laughed at the stupid jokes he told.

So even though you and Luke had been together as a couple for the better part of six years, you never really acted like one in front of people. 

Which is why Jack and Quinn tended to be so dramatic whenever the two of you did anything remotely coupley. 

“Did you put sunscreen on today?” 

Luke paused, pulling back and slowly blinking his eyes open to look at you with an incredulous look. “Why the hell are you thinking about sunscreen whilst making out with me?” 

“Because your skin feels really warm,” you retorted, unbothered by the way his lip jutted out with a small pout as you poked the reddening skin on his shoulder. The hiss he let out instantly made you snort. “Fucking knew it.”

“You were hogging the bottle,” Luke retorted, smacking your hand away when you tried to poke him again before it returned to its rightful place on your ass. 

“No, you were more focused on putting sunscreen on me to remember yourself,” you corrected with a smile.

“Yeah, well, you whine so much when you’re sunburnt,” Luke huffed, laughing a little when you lightly smacked his chest. “Kidding, babe, love you.” 

“Whatever,” you muttered as you leaned down, pressing your lips against his and letting out a content noise as he squeezed your ass, pulling you further onto his lap before he pushed his tongue into your mouth and—

“OH MY GOD, MY EYES! MY FUCKING EYES!” 

Luke let out a heavy sigh, his head falling against your shoulder as he grumbled under his breath. “Every fucking time.” 

“Gross, guys,” Quinn frowned at the sight of you two on the sunlounger whilst Jack dramatically continued to gag behind him. “So gross.” 

“What happened to the two of you doing a grocery run in the town?” You questioned, making no move to shift off your boyfriend’s lap, though his hands moved to rest on your waist now. 

“We did it and came back already to find you—” Jack paused, placing a hand on his chest as he shuddered. “Defiling the furniture.” 

“Drama queen,” Luke grumbled.

You snorted. “As if you didn’t do much worse three summers ago when I saw you and that girl on the boat—” 

Jack’s eyes widened. “LALALA! SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT!” 

Quinn whirled around to look at him with narrowed eyes. “What the fuck did you do on the boat?” 

Luke grinned, turning to look at you as his brothers continued to bicker in the background. “It’s kinda hot when you blackmail people.” 

You grinned back. “Yeah?” 

“Mhm.” 

You tucked your bottom lip between your teeth. “Wanna show me how hot? Preferably in a room with a lock so we don’t have to repeat of the other day.” 

Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Quinn should learn to knock. That is not our fault.”

.

[valdevia]

i’m very curious about the biology/biochemistry of Xipe Totec/Terry. how comparable are their cells and biochemical pathways to life on earth? would we even be able to recognize the same macromolecules like proteins and lipids or is it a totally different system altogether?

This is just my headcanon and not critical to the Xipe Totec series, but I like to think the original member of the Terry species (henceforth Grandterry) grew up in a very different planet with different evolutionary pressures.

Biochemistry of Terry

Chemically, it would use a lot of the same building blocks we do (and which we know to be fairly common throughout the universe). Sugars and their polymers, lipids, possibly something like proteins and DNA though ordered in different ways and with distinct mechanisms. Scientists may recognise the building blocks it uses, but they would need generations to begin to understand how it functions. Which is why people claiming “just develop a virus that kills it duh” are woefully mistaken!

Cellular Biology of Terry

Cellularly, to form something like a planet-wide superorganism, Grandterry would need a different way of forming multicellular organisms. Probably something similar to siphonophores, where multiple organisms combine and differentiate gaining different functions and eventually coalescing into different distributed organs. As it reaches a certain size it could also gain higher functions like a more integrated nervous tissue that could roughly coordinate the entire superorganism. This would be the result of many generations of evolution as fully planetary beings, learning to navigate through space and find new suitable planets.

Grandterry's Home

From these biological observations, we can venture a guess at the original planet where the ancestor Grandterry evolved (and eventually took over). It would probably have very stable and relatively unchanging conditions, favouring asexual reproduction. It would orbit a hot star (white or blue) that mostly emits in the higher ends of the light spectrum. That's why, instead of using a green pigment like chlorophyll to get energy from stars, it uses a red pigment derived from iron. This is why it needs to “eat” (AKA collide with) asteroids to replenish its iron supply.

These are just some quick nerdy thoughts, not quite relevant to the series where Earth becomes a Terryling, but it's still things I like to consider! I'm no expert on any of these topics, so I invite anyone who knows more than me to offer their thoughts!

[rassicas]

Something always bugged me about the fruits and vegetables in Alterna compared to the ones in the Greater Inkadian/Splatlandian region.

According to a page in the Splatoon artbook, fruits and veggies evolved/genetically mutated to resemble squids, (eg. Squid Fin Lemons, "Squiddage" (cabbage), Squid Leg Grapes, squidkin (pumpkin), Squiddymelon?) But then Tomatoes are JUST Tomatoes. No change in either appearance or name. And its known to the NSS that tomatoes were grown in human times accoring to one of Marie's lines reading "...they should've let tomatoes go extinct..." ("they" being the human occupants of Alterna ofc.)

Meaning 1: the Tomato plant and its fruit had been known to Inkfish before ROTM

And 2: Marie had to have tried them at some point and found out her distaste for them

So if that were the case.. why dont the Tomatoes have squid pun names/appearances if they were known to Inklings WAY before the discovery of Alterna? If they were always there, then wouldnt they be named with the same format as the rest? And have some unique feature that links it to Inkling appearance?

ah yes the fruits and vegetables page from the s1 artbook that everyone loves. this is the kind of shit that got me invested in splatoon's worldbuilding babyyyyyy

ok lemme pick apart your ask >According to a page in the Splatoon artbook, fruits and veggies evolved/genetically mutated to resemble squids The other very plausible option other than a natural evolution/mutation is that these plants were selectively bred to look squid shaped or to react with ink. This would make a lot of sense with the amount of plants that are unchanged. (like a lot of decorative/inedible plants look normal, and it seems like just some fruits and veggies are squid-shaped) This would fit with how humans selectively bred these very fruits and vegetables to be easier/better to eat in the first place.

to address the main question. if you have nothing but this crop of this page it looks like there's just. regular tomatoes. it might just be older concept art though, or rather the shape of the structure the tomatoes are in was more important than the fruit's design in those drawings. but right above this section, there is art for a squid-shaped tomato

and in the art of splatoon 2 it appears again, being called an ink tomato. (...next to a squiddymelon erroneously just called a watermelon)

the fun thing about these tomatoes is not only are they squid shaped, but they also react to ink color! they can be seen growing in kelp dome, the fruits change depending on team color.

(shout out to @splatreference for always having the extremely specific ungoogleable screenshots i need) beyond that though it seems like non-ink tomatoes exist. represented as sculptures in salmonid territory+check the salad. these look like cherry tomatoes though

the species list has a section for plants too!

ok one last thing I didnt realize marie mentioned she wishes they let tomatoes go extinct in alterna. LOL. i think this is in reference to her news dialogue for kelp dome in s1:

Callie: 「そう言えば、じーちゃんが子供の時　トマトとか　無かったらしいよ！」 (Say, Gramps said that when he was little, tomatoes and such didn't even exist!) Marie: 「その時代に　生まれたかった…」 (I wish I was born back then...)

oh yeah wait this dialogue. what do you mean tomatoes didnt even exist. options: -cuttlefish is just lying to his grandkids (possible. old people will do that.) -food culture changed dramatically for the naturally carnivorous inkfish, and became more varied and veggie heavy in the past 100 or so years (also possible. and interesting)

this line of dialogue has crossed my mind before and now i subject you all to it too<3

[ohwaitimthewriter]

The Memory Keeper

Chapter 1 : List.

Pairing : Noa x human reader

Warning : A bit of mourning. Otherwise, all clear for this one!

Summarize (please I'm so bad at writing these!): A woman, allowed to live as long as the virus keeps running through her body, living on autopilot for 260 years, is going to see her life takes a new turn, finding hope in something that might come to put an end to her wandering.

Words : 3.2k

A/N : It has been a long time since I've written something and it feels pretty good to get back at it with this story! I hope you'll like it and do not hesitate to share your thoughts or like/reblog, it's always appreciated! As English isn't my native language, I'm sorry if you find mistakes or weird wording in there, let me know if you find some and I'll be glad to correct them!

Enjoy your reading 😊

The Memory Keeper masterlist.

It wasn't going to be a difficult day. The list was ready, the tasks the same as the day before and the day after. You had to go to the river: catch a fish, fill the flasks with fresh water, bathe… You had to get on your horse and on the way back, stop at the 16th tree on the right, get off, walk 30 steps and fill the bag with blackberries. You had to avoid the brambles and avoid tripping over the prominent root. Get back on the horse and ride home.

Prepare the fish: remove the head and tail, the skin, gut it and remove the bones, light a fire to cook it. Yes, evolution had done many things, but it must have missed the episode where it was necessary to improve the human digestive system. So the fish still had to be cooked.

The garden had to be tended. Over the years, it had evolved too. It had been a long time in the making. A vegetable garden, tomatoes, green beans and, you couldn't quite remember how, artichokes had found their place too. An apple tree was easy to grow. It took time, but it was easy. And then there was this little gem you'd stumbled upon one day: a rosebush. It was an important one. You had to take care of it too.

You always had to do something.

Your hands knew what to do and how to do it. Your legs took you where you needed to go, and at that particular moment, they had led you to your horse. You had to remove his saddle and bridle, check his hooves and remove any stones that might have got stuck on them. Run your hand over his belly to loosen the skin compressed by the girth. And don't forget to give him a drink. When it came to eating, he found everything on his own, except perhaps an apple, which you gave him from time to time to thank him for his help. He knew how to ask, too. In fact, he huffed and gave you a nudge.

Okay, an apple.

He followed you to the apple tree and you climbed onto his back. You could reach the branches, but it was always difficult to keep your balance. Especially when your right hip wasn't working properly. And you sighed. It really wasn't convenient.

You had to go on with the list, what was next?

“ Hearing my voice at least once and speaking so I don't forget.”

This was important. You had to remember how to speak. The world had forgotten, but you must not. You had no right to forget.

“Say something new.”

And you looked around.

“It's cloudy today.”

Which meant rain wasn't far off. Your horse was now grazing beside you.

“You should take shelter.”

You smile, you'd said one more sentence today. Your horse's ears twitched as if to say “I do what I want” and you shrugged. After all, he was the one to decide. But you didn't want to get wet in the rain. You patted his neck and went off to find shelter in your wooden hut.

You've lived here for a long time. A very long time. So long that you no longer needed a torch to light up the big room when night fell or when the clouds darkened the place. You knew exactly where the shaky table was, the armchair with its deformed, hollowed-out seat and even the little plastic pot you kept forgetting to put back on the table to avoid getting your feet caught in it. And despite the years, you never tripped over it.

You were right to come home. You'd just had time to put the water flasks and the cooked fish on the table when a torrent of water hit the floor. The end of the list would have to wait. The timing was perfect, as your stomach signaled that it was time to fill up, and the smell of the wood-fired fish made your mouth water.

Settling back in your armchair, you ate the fish, watching the rain fall against the hut's only window. Eating with your hands was no longer as disturbing as it had been at first. There were a lot of memories that had slipped away over time, but you almost smiled when you thought back to the embarrassment you'd felt the first time you'd had to eat like that. If you'd known back then where you'd end up…

A sigh.

Drops tumbled against the window and some seemed to challenge themselves to get to the bottom first. They were following the path traced by others before them, but obviously not all roads were good ones to take. Some raindrops went straight down, others tried to cut off their opponents' path, and still others weaved in and out to create their own path. Then a raindrop caught your eye. It seemed the most likely to win the mad race. It glided and slalomed proudly until it landed delicately on your windowsill, blending in with its sisters who had landed there before it.

You turned your eyes to the last piece of fish, which you brought to your mouth.

You took one last look out the window, and that's when you caught sight of it.

A shadow.

A shadow had just moved past your window. The rain kept on pounding against it and you could see the trees in the distance stirring in the wind, and you were sure you saw the shadow moving, quickly to the right, but the shadow was gone. There were only raindrops, only the wind, and you could even hear the dull roar of an incipient thunderstorm.

A deep breath. You had to.

Then a sigh.

The rain and wind must have played a trick on you. If the storm picked up, you definitely wouldn't be able to finish your outdoor to-do list. But that didn't matter, there was still plenty to do inside.

First you had to tidy up. Keeping the interior clean and tidy was important, so you couldn't leave the water bottles on the table. You grabbed them and stepped over the little plastic pot that stood between the table and what you could call a kitchen. At least, that's what you would have called this part of the hut back in the day, because there was only a broken sink and a cupboard without a door. You passed the front door and it rattled against the latch in the wind. You had managed to install a branch across the door, allowing you to keep it closed in bad weather. However, as it didn't close very well, the wind always managed to rattle it between the branch and the latch. But you got used to the noise. So you walked past the shaky door to put the water bottles in the cupboard, and when you heard a suspicious rustling sound, you jumped, staring at the door.

You frowned at the unusual sound. You had been holding your breath, but the wind suddenly whistled through the doorframe, which was sorely lacking in hermetic seals. So you breathed out, taking a calmer breath. The wind. Mother Nature was definitely testing your nerves tonight.

Well, you still had to change your clothes. Night was coming on and you couldn't possibly sleep in your day clothes. You stepped over the little plastic pot again and made your way to the wooden chest beside the fireplace to find a t-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts with a hole in the left knee. Maybe one day you'd find a stray piece of fabric while walking through the forest, so you could mend it. But you hadn't yet got to the list asking you to explore the surrounding area.

There were 7 lists divided into 4 sections, themselves arranged in 12 categories. It was your way of keeping track of time. You no longer counted the days, let alone the years; you'd long since lost the very notion of time. But to grow crops, harvest the fruits of the forest and simply follow nature's millimetric events and be able to anticipate them, you needed a reference point. The lists, though mostly identical, were that reference point. Hanging on the wall with pieces of wood you'd carved yourself, they determined your days and the things you had to do.

You didn't really know when or how you'd started making these lists. But judging by the ink, half washed away by the years - some of the lists had even gone back to being blank - it must have been a long time ago.

You put the current day's list back in its place. Tomorrow, you'd have to complete it while carrying out the next one. But there was one more thing you needed to do indoors before settling into your armchair for the night. One last important thing.

From the chest, you took out a picture frame. The corners were worn, the wood had crumbled and you had to handle it carefully to avoid getting splinters in your hands. You set the frame down on the floor by the fireplace, knelt in front of it and reached into the jar on your right to pick a rose petal, which you placed carefully in the right-hand corner of the frame.

You struggled to swallow.

That's where it always got complicated.

Once again, you reached into the jar and pulled out 7 petals. You always needed 7 petals. You placed 6 of them in a circle on the dry twigs in the fireplace and began humming a song whose words you'd long since forgotten. But you remembered the feeling. You felt a lump in your throat, and you often wondered how you managed to keep the song going.

You hummed, and on the last petal, with the help of a needle, you delicately traced his initials. You had to be careful not to press too hard, you shouldn't pierce the petal, just brush against it enough to see, if you concentrated hard enough, the outline of the letter you were drawing. You also had to blink a few times to see clearly what you were doing. It was important to get it right. Once you'd written the letter on the petal, you laid it at the center of the circle.

It was always at this moment that your hands shook. You needed a moment. Just a bit of time.

You had to wipe your hands over your eyes, the most important thing was to handle the two flints on the floor with care. Your hands had to be steady, not shaking. You interrupted the song to get your breathing under control.

Inhale.

Breathe out.

Grab the flints.

Inhale.

Exhale.

A sharp stroke.

The clatter of the stone threw sparks onto the pile of twigs and a flame sprang up. You started humming again as the fire slowly consumed the wood until it reached the petals of the circle.

A tear.

The fire continued to progress and you stared desperately at the petal in the center, quickly ridding yourself of the tears that were blurring your vision. The flame touched the edge of the petal and you watched the letter “C” burn away and disappear into the ashes.

The flame faded as the twigs gradually disappeared and, once gone, you slipped the petal on the frame back into its jar.

Now you had to put the frame away. Your fingers brushed the edge of the picture inside of it. Despite the years, you had managed, by some miracle, to keep the photograph almost undamaged. At least, sufficiently intact that you could still distinguish the shape of an ape in the center of the picture, despite the cracks.

He was a force of nature. You had taken this photo on a December day, you still knew because you could still discern the white flakes clinging to his dark fur. Back then, you loved taking pictures.

What did they call you again?

The memory keeper.

Even after all this time, it still made you smile. You gently squeezed the frame between your fingers, keeping it balanced on the knees you'd just tucked in towards you. This way, he was a little closer to you.

You made an extra effort to remember the day. He was standing high enough to see everyone around him. He must have been talking about something important; he always had that powerful, soul-piercing stare when he was saying something important. But he always looked…

“Grumpy.”

You concluded your thought in a whisper that knotted your throat. Grumpy. You almost expected to hear him growl, his ego bruised, every time you reminded him that he was sometimes a little too grumpy. “Grumpy because a lot on my shoulders,” he'd snap back at you. “No, grumpy because you're old” you'd always reply, your eyes always playful. And you were the only one who could say such a thing, with the only result being an amused snore coming from him.

And you felt yourself take a deep breath. Of all the pictures you'd taken, this was the last one you had left. You had to put the frame back in the chest, so your fingers tightened even more around the wood. Your head tilted slightly forward, closing your eyes as the wood touched your forehead.

Tonight was difficult.

You took another deep breath, and before the knot in your throat hurt too much, you straightened up and went to put the frame in the chest.

“Caesar, tonight is really difficult,” you whispered, watching the shadow of the lid close over the frame.

------------

It had been a restless night. When your eyes opened the next morning, they felt heavy and swollen, and you found yourself rubbing your eyes to try and make the heaviness go away.

Today, there was much to do. After changing from your night clothes to your day ones, you removed the branch blocking the door and let the sun shine in, warming your skin. The fresh early-morning air caressed your skin and you took a few seconds to smell the distinctive light scent that follows a thunderstorm.

No sooner had you taken a few steps forward than your feet bumped into something hard, causing you to lose your balance. In a fraction of a second, you found yourself on your butt on the ground, a stabbing pain in your right hip that had failed to move to stop you from falling.

“Ouch!” was the only thing that slipped out of your mouth.

You straightened up slightly, remaining seated in the grass, to see what had caused your fall and a pile of apples laid exactly under the wobbly small porch that covered your front door.

God, what a dummy not to have put that away last night. You thought to yourself, looking down at your hands full of dirt. You'd have to go to the river to clean it up, and now you'd just have to take your night clothes with you because you'd also have to wash the ones you were wearing-the mud from the storm must have dirtied your current clothes.

A pile of apples. You thought as you rubbed your hands together.

A pile of apples. You glanced at your right hip. Pfft, if you'd made Caesar break it to put it back in its place, you'd never have fallen today. In fact, you'd have avoided more than one fall.

All because of a misplaced pile of apples.

A pile of misplaced apples.

And like a light bulb switching on, your gaze suddenly fell on those apples that actually had nothing to do there. You hadn't gathered them the day before.

Then you heard it. A muffled purr came gently from behind you. Surely you should have turned around, stood up and dealt with it, but you'd found yourself rooted to the spot, eyes glued to those apples, waiting as an orangutan appeared in your field of vision.

And you refused to look at him, your hands balled into fists to keep them from shaking. You weren't afraid. No. But for some obscure reason, your brain had simply decided to freeze.

The orangutan once again let out a rumble, softer this time, and held out his hand to you.

“I'll help.”

His voice made you blink several times. You did your best to snap out of your stupor, but this time your eyes agreed to look at him, and the orangutan seemed delighted.

Just one more moment. It took another second, just one, to see your hand slip into his and before you knew it, you were back on your feet.

“Raka, we must go.”

The second voice surprised you a little. It sounded familiar and your eyes fell on a chimpanzee, a little further away, who had just finished saddling a horse. You frowned, your horse? You were trying to determine whether it was really yours, but the distance didn't allow you to be sure. There was only one way to find out.

So you whistled.

The horse shook its head and the chimpanzee didn't have time to grab the reins before your horse galloped off to meet you. They were going to take your horse… in exchange for a stack of apples?

You grabbed the reins and stroked the horse's neck as he snorted. He chewed the bit and blew heavily through his nostrils.

For a fraction of a second, you forgot about the two large apes who, from the sounds they were making, weren't particularly happy to have lost a chance of obtaining a second means of locomotion: in your peripheral vision, you could see another horse quietly grazing.

Your hands still knew what to do, and it didn't take you long to remove the bridle and bit from your horse's mouth.

“He doesn't like it.” you said simply.

And only silence answered you, so you showed the bridle to the two apes.

“The bit, he doesn't like it, he's not used to it.”

Your answer didn't seem to convince them. They stared at you, dumbstruck, and if you paid close enough attention, you could almost see their mouths hanging wide open. And that left you bewildered. What didn't they understand? You'd heard them talking, so that certainly wasn't the problem.

“You can't take my horse.” You went on, starting to remove the saddle.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that they were staring at you as if you'd just landed from the sky.

“If you want a horse, there's a wild herd to the south, past the river.” And you pointed in the right direction.

They remained silent as tombs, but the chimpanzee followed the direction you pointed with his eyes.

“Just be careful, the group's stallion isn't very friendly.” You thought it important to tell him.

Your gaze fell back on them and the orangutan, Raka, if you'd heard correctly, hadn't moved a muscle. The chimpanzee, on the other hand, was staring at you thoughtfully, as if he was trying to put together a puzzle with a missing piece. He then moved towards you inquisitively, perhaps, confused?

“Echo, speak?”

It was certainly the most surprising sentence you'd ever heard in your life.

[sulkingheichou012]

Into the Dungeon with You

Pairing: Jinwoo x Reader

Genre: RomCom, Action, Future Smut

Warning: Description of violence and profanity.

Summary: Jinwoo frowned as a new system notification appeared before him.

[Special Reward Successfully Claimed.]

Author's note: I'm happy that some of you are enjoying my silly work! Yes, if you're asking to be tagged—sure! 😊

Chapter 6

Jinwoo took a step forward. The battered boss, still recovering from Y/N’ unexpected punch, growled low in its throat. But it was slow now. Sloppy. The perfect opening.

Jinwoo took charge again, moving with new focus. His shadows rallied under the boost from Y/N. Bellion sliced through the boss monster’s legs. Beru tore into its throat. Tank pounced, pinning it down, while Tusk finished with a barrage of spells.

With a swift motion, Jinwoo’s dagger cut through the air. “Perish”

Finally, the boss monster collapsed, shuddering, and dissolved into shadows.

The dungeon was silent.

Except for Y/N, still staring at her fist.

Jinwoo exhaled and turned his attention to the System Notifications floating in front of him. His eyes flicked from one glowing window to another, carefully analyzing the data.

⟪ SPECIAL REWARD UNLOCKED: Y/N ⟫ ⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Shadow Resonance: Ability to amplify and evolve the Shadow Monarch's summoned forces through emotional command. Buffs and evolution can be triggered without direct contact.

(Current Trigger: Emotional intensity and focused attention on the shadow in question.) ⟫

⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Combat Synchronization: Temporarily synchronizes the user’s entire physical, magical, and combat instincts with the Shadow Monarch. Grants access to abilities, combat reflexes, and stats at the Monarch’s current level.

(Current Trigger: Triggered by protective instincts or threat response. Control can be mastered over time.) ⟫

⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Shadow Manifestation: Can manifest the will and combat essence of fallen warriors not yet turned into shadows. Summons display peak strength and combat mastery.

(Current Trigger: Pending… Skill locked.) ⟫

Jinwoo sighed, a smirk tugging at his lips. “She really is something.”

He remembered when he first claimed her as a reward, standing in that cave wondering if the system had scammed him. A clueless woman in shorts and a loose shirt was not what he expected from a ‘special reward’.

And yet— Now, here she was. Upgrading his army, punching monsters through dungeon walls, and accidentally unlocking skills he hadn’t even dreamed of.

Jinwoo shook his head, amused. “System, you sneaky bastard.”

Y/N, still marveling at the size of Beru’s claws nearby, was startled when Jinwoo called her over. “Y/N.” “Huh? Yes, boss—I mean, Jinwoo?” She scrambled over, wiping imaginary dust off her hands. “Sit.” He gestured to a rock. She plopped down without argument.

Jinwoo crossed his arms, staring at her like a teacher about to explain quantum physics to a student who just learned basic math.

Jinwoo pointed at Igris, who stood tall nearby, his newly upgraded form gleaming in the dim dungeon light. “When you cheered for Igris earlier, you evolved him. Made him stronger without touching him.” Y/N’ mouth fell open. “I did that?” Jinwoo nodded. “You also knocked out a high-tier monster back when we first met.” Her expression shifted from awe to disbelief. Y/N looked at her hands like they had secret nuclear codes embedded in the fingertips. “Oh my god…” “Yeah, I panicked!” she huffed, crossing her arms. “Exactly. That panic triggered Combat Synchronization.”

Y/N squinted. “So… if I get scared, I become strong?” Jinwoo shrugged. “Fear, instinct, emotions—maybe at will, it’s complicated. But yes, you sync with me. My stats become your stats.” Y/N sat there for a moment, then broke into a slow grin. Jinwoo laughed quietly under his breath. “I almost thought you were a scam.” “HEY!” Y/N smacked his arm. “But now,” he continued, smirking at her outrage, “you’re one of the best things to happen to my army.”

Y/N glowed at the praise but tried to play it cool. “Oh, you know… I aim to please.” Jinwoo stood, offering his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s see how much more we can unlock.” Y/N grabbed his hand, standing up with a grin. “Let’s go, boss!” Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting paid.” She shrugged. “Fine, but I want snacks after this.” “Deal.”

Y/N wasn’t done. “And if I synchronize with you, I can totally copy your cool moves, right? I can, like, do those shadow teleports, and the dagger flips, and maybe even the brooding stare!” She immediately attempted the brooding stare. It looked more like she needed to sneeze.

Jinwoo watched in silence.

After clearing the dungeon, Jinwoo finally called it a day. Y/N was still buzzing with energy, practically skipping beside him as they exited the gate.

She was mid-ramble, waving her arms around. “—wait! Did you see me ran so fast to punch that terrifying boss? Olympic level! I deserve a medal! Or, like, I dunno, at least a chocolate bar.”

Jinwoo glanced sideways at her. “…Ice cream.”

Y/N froze mid-step. “What?”

He kept walking. “You want ice cream?” “Are you serious?!” She practically tripped over her own feet catching up to him. “Sung Jinwoo… is treating me… to ice cream?!”

Jinwoo’s expression didn’t change, but he tilted his head in that subtle way. “You’ve been… less useless today,” he said flatly. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She clutched her chest dramatically.

They found a small street vendor not far from the raid site. Jinwoo handed over some cash without much thought, and the vendor—clearly recognizing him—stared in awe as Korea’s strongest hunter bought two cones like it was totally normal.

Y/N picked the most colorful one. Rainbow sprinkles. Chocolate chips. Something that sparkled. Jinwoo took plain vanilla. Classic.

She looked at his cone, then hers. “Boring choice for a Monarch of Shadows.” Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. “I don’t need sprinkles to be strong.”

Y/N grinned and bumped her cone gently against his like a toast. “To surviving another day!” “…To surviving,” he agreed, taking a slow bite like it was a combat exercise.

That night, Jinwoo finally allowed himself some rest.

For once, Y/N wasn’t bribing his shadows to evolve in exchange for favors. Definitely not. Especially not Igris—he already evolved! No, Y/N was more like… collecting debts. And right now, she was cashing in by ordering Igris to sit still while she braided his hair antenna and tied a cute little ribbon at the end.

Jinwoo let out an exhausted sighed and went to his room.

He closed his eyes.

And he dreamed.

He stood in a vast, endless space of darkness. Not his shadow world—something older. Colder. He recognized it. The place where Ashborn once reigned. Where he had spoken to Jinwoo for the first time.

And there, ahead of him… Ashborn stood.

But this time, Jinwoo wasn’t alone. A figure appeared next to him. Small compared to the massive shadow monarch… but standing without fear. Y/N.

She was staring straight at Ashborn. And Ashborn… Ashborn was nodding at her. Like he had chosen her. Like he was pleased.

A voice echoed in Jinwoo’s head.

“The successor… must not stand alone.” “The monarch must have an anchor.” “She is the anchor.”

And then Jinwoo’s shadows appeared around them—an endless army—but they weren’t looking at Jinwoo.

They bowed to Y/N.

Jinwoo sat bolt upright in bed. He was sweating. He checked his system. Nothing. Checked his shadows. Still there. But there was… something.

He summoned Bellion.

Bellion appeared, kneeling immediately. “My Liege.”

“What did you find?” Jinwoo asked. His voice was tight. Bellion lowered his head. “The reward… the woman. She was chosen by Ashborn.” “…What?” Jinwoo’s pulse pounded in his ears. “Before his fall, our king chose her. As a safeguard. In case his successor failed… or stood alone.”

Jinwoo exhaled slowly, piecing it together. Ashborn had made preparations beyond just him.

Bellion’s next words were heavier still. “She holds potential not even you have yet unlocked. But she is… untrained. Untested.”

Jinwoo rubbed his face. Great. Perfect. His “special reward” wasn’t just a clueless fangirl —she was a living contingency plan. A wild card. And she had zero idea about it.

He found her in the kitchen the next morning. She was pouring cereal into a bowl, casually humming the Attack on Titan theme under her breath. But then—she couldn’t hold it back anymore. The hype hit her like a titan charging the wall. She dropped her spoon with a dramatic clatter, slammed her fist over her chest in a perfect Scout Regiment salute, and shouted at full volume, “Sasageyo! Sasageyo! Shinzou wo sasageyo!”

Jinwoo stared at her for a long moment. This was the person Ashborn had chosen. This was his… anchor?

Y/N looked up. “Morning! Want cereal?”

Jinwoo kept staring. Y/N tilted her head. “Uh… you okay?”

He finally sighed and turned away. “Fine. Cereal.”

She smiled brightly and handed him a bowl like they were two roommates, not a Monarch and a supposed cosmic contingency plan.

She doesn’t know. She has no idea. She thinks this is just some adventure or dream or… something. Ashborn picked her. As a safeguard. A partner? And she’s over there dunking Choco Pebbles into milk like it’s the best thing in the world.

Jinwoo ate his cereal in silence.

Beru materialized in the shadows behind him. “My Liege. Shall we inform the young lady of her destiny?”

Jinwoo took a long bite of cereal. Chewed. Swallowed. “No.”

Beru tilted his head.

“Not yet,” Jinwoo added. “She’s not ready. And neither am I.”

<< Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 >>

Tag requests: @kisssleeping; @catsf0rlife707; @aorifukuzawa; @joannthebish; @ojog404; @tanspostsblog; @snowy-violet

[pkmn-rainbow-gray]

Eevee Poll: Which eeveelution would you pick?

Size comparison/bonus info beneath poll! For shiny versions, click here!

Size comparison - Bansheeon is the size of regular Eevee, Lanteon gets smaller upon evolution.

Fun "Facts"!

🪽 Aveon hunts like an arctic fox, but in the clouds instead of snow! It leaps into the sky, then pounces into clouds where it locates bird pokemon with its excellent hearing! Eevee gains this form by leveling up while holding the Flying Gem.

👻 Bansheeon with the Soundproof ability can use Perish Song and not get affected (this got patched out but I patch it back in 😈). Eevee gains this form by fainting while holding a Reaper Cloth - spooooky!

🪨 Eevee gains the ability to learn Ancient Power via TM, allowing it to evolve into this ancient form! With its powerful tail, Bludgeeon punches into the ground to pull up stones it uses as weapons - hammers, shields, and even projectiles!

🐉 Eevee becomes Drakeon after leveling up while holding the Dragon Scale. It is the largest eeveelution, full of boundless energy and a magpie-like desire to collect shiny things. Drakeon's purr soothes dragon-types, making it great for aspiring dragon trainers.

🐇 Eevee becomes Dusteon after leveling up while holding Stardust. Capable of burrowing rapidly and kicking up dust to blind opponents, Dusteon is a much trickier opponent than one might expect from its cute looks.

✊ Eevee transforms into Guardeeon after learning Detect or Double Kick via egg move/TM alongside high friendship. It controls its scarf-like appendages to attack from afar and manipulate objects, similar to Sylveon. Rather than fairy magic, it can sense and manipulate aura like Lucario.

🦋 Eevee becomes Lanteon after leveling up while holding a Bug Gem. Lanteon is part luna moth, part firefly. It can detach and control the glowing lights on its mane to lure prey or confuse a foe! Lanteon is even smaller than Eevee.

🧬 Mutateon was created when Eevee was exposed to a chemical called Mutagen E - formed from the DNA of Eevee, Umbreon, Espeon, Flareon, Drakeon, Lanteon, and Human. Ruthlessly intelligent hunters, Mutateon can alter its venom on the fly to be more effective against its foe, and some are known to mutate themselves into new types for a better matchup (Protean would lose its nerf for this generation 😈).

🤖 Titaneon was created in response to a rampaging giant Mutateon. In order to resist venom, recovered alien technology was used to outfit Eevee with cybernetic armor. After growing to giant size and defeating it in battle, Titaneon gained Mutateon's respect and the two became friends. Titaneon is inspired by Ultraseven, whose capsule monsters inspired Pokemon.

Hopefully you enjoyed at least one of these pocket monster ideas! Have a great day! ❤️

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Hi would it be okay if i asked you why you detest richard dawkins?? Cause i also hate him to pieces and would like to share some indulgent hatered of this fucking old ass shit man. Please go off

I mean, to go FULLY into it would require me to write an entire essay, and I just don't want to?

But the short version is

antitheism is cultural genocide and patently bullshit

focusing on genes rather than the whole organism in evolution is patently ridiculous when the minimum unit of evolution is the *population*, not the gene

in fact, when you realize the minimum unit is the population rather than the gene, you see that altruism and social behavior are very beneficial, even across species (see: symbiosis), and "selfishness" "red in tooth and claw" "law of the jungle" are just bullshit things some people made up to justify their crappy behavior (re: racism. their crappy behavior was racism.)

IQ and intelligence are smoke and mirrors we invented to convince ourselves we're more evolved than other animals (we're not, and every organisms has the intelligence it needs for its environment, adapted for its ecology, and that means that a diversity of intelligences is actually a good thing like diversity of anything is a good thing)

the man is a eugenecist and that speaks for itself

I hate him, and I hate that we live in a world where he is still alive and Stephen Jay Gould is dead, zichrono livracha