#fin fin plush pattern

[livinginteo]

Free simple Fin Fin plush pattern!

Having found the amazing blender plugin Seams to Sewing Pattern, I created a Fin Fin plush model in Blender with the intent to make it in real life (despite not having sewn anything since I was very little).

And... here he is! 100% hand sewn to the best of my newbie ability. I'm now releasing this pattern for free, hopeful to see more Fin Fin out in the world!

Download Link (Google Drive Folders)

Kofi donation link

Disclaimers under the break (Please read before sewing!):

I'd recommend machine sewing if you take this up yourself. Hand sewing requires a lot of patience, but it is very doable if it's your only option.

Some basic sewing knowledge is required as I can't provide a good guide for putting this guy together (I had to piece him together with some trial and error myself, using my own model as reference. Feel free to use it for reference yourself, too.

You will need at least half a meter of blue and white fabric for him. I used cuddle fleece. However, you can use whatever you like. You will also need something for his eyes, I used the traditional plastic safety eyes with a felt lining.

I've included two sizes in the download, I used the larger of the two, and printed on regular A4 paper, he comes out about a hand and a half tall and about a hand wide.

I can't provide too much help or support for the process, but you're free to ask me simple questions in DMs or on my Discord server. I can't guarantee I'll have an answer since I'm basically brand new with sewing and pattern making.

Good luck!

[fiendishartist2]

guess who just watched this years fourth of footwerk

[skygoldart]

Cod Grian Cosplay Build!

The fish man himself, season 10 Grian!

Reference Sketch

Some notes:

I always end up changing somethings from the reference when making the actual outfit, although I stayed pretty close it it this time.

I initially drew him with a handlebar mustache and goatee to mimic the whiskers of a fish, however I switched to a fluffier mustache beard to match the guy from Frozen.

I also opted for my turtleneck shirt over the red sweater+collar to go for more of a fisherman vibe

Since Grian is usually drawn with parrot wings, I wanted to call back to that with red yellow and blue feathers on the bobbers.

The tail and fins

I wanted to lean into the “fish”er man design and gave him fish fins and a tail.

It’s design is based on a cod fish with striped fins based on the feathers of an osprey

To make it, I drew the tail pattern on a large piece of paper, cut it out, cut each section out of the respective fabric times two, sewed the two sides together, and lastly filled it with a ton stuffing.

The tail is heavy, but it’s fun to wack people with it.

The fins for the arms and beanie are made in a similar way, each hand sewn onto the beanie/bracers once stuffed.

The Overalls

I had originally planned for him to be wearing waders, but wanted to make the outfit more wearable for everyday wear without overheating. So I opted for some brown corduroy overalls instead.

To add a “wet” look to each pant leg, I briefly dipped each one into some black fabric dye before rinsing and drying.

The green pixels on his skin look like they could be kelp or patches so I decided to go with the latter and dug through my scrap fabric to find these green pieces.

I embroidered the edge of each piece with a unique stitch and placed them randomly on each leg.

The snails!

Of course we can’t forget about the snails

There are three snails for this project with two more eventually on the way (a plush pink snail, and a plush brown snail).

I made the clay blue snail first with polymer and attached tie tacks to the underside so I can use it like a pin and stick it anywhere on my clothes.

Same goes for the pink worm snail which is also made of clay.

The blue plush snail is based on a pattern from Etsy by willowynn with some slight modifications, mainly to the eyes/feelers, and doubling the size.

Facial hair

This was one of the parts I was the most excited about for this cosplay and the only part I didn’t do myself. I commissioned @basic-amoeba to make a custom ventilated beard, styled and everything. This part turned out so good!

Some final notes for this project

This cosplay took from Feb 20 to March 15th to complete since I was so determined to finish it before Grian changed his skin. Haha look at me now. He still hasn’t changed it.

Not pictured (cause why can I only add 10 photos 😭) is the mending book with a fish hook I made using scrap faux leather, cardboard, and some cut printer paper. I painted in galactic the word mending and sprayed the whole thing in my “enchanting” spray paint (a blue to purple iridescent glitter spray paint)

A small fun backstory to the fishing rod:

My grandpa is an experienced fisherman and has dozens of fishing poles. When I talked about this project with him, he brought me out to his workshop and pulled down the dustiest fishing rod there. He told me he had fished this fishing rod from a lake one day with the line and bait still attached. Can’t get anymore accurate to Minecraft fishing than that lol.

Obligatory cosplay photo:

[milk-sharks]

god i hope this won't be too confusing-- here's the seeker pillow/plush pattern (just a loose guide, plus the actual pattern!)

***attach the cockpit AFTER the body is stuffed instead!!! so, skip step 7 and do it last!***

- step 5 is optional!

the pattern should be printer-ready on 8.5x11 paper, but if tumblr eats the quality, then twitter will hopefully work!

seam allowance is already included (whoops), and the dotted lines show where you should be sewing

the grey (non-dotted) lines on the wings and cockpit are there as a reference, please don't cut them!

if your fabric has a right and wrong side, make sure to flip over the paper pattern when making the L vs R wings (and tail fins and wing details).

if the pile of your fabric faces one way, make sure that you pin the pattern accordingly!

if there's any errors, please let me know so i can correct them!

[spaceplush]

I’m bringing back my In the Hoop Sea Turtle plush pattern soon! It has a new shell design and bigger fins. The sewing pattern will be included too.

[charlieslowartsies]

FINISHED MY TOOTHLESS PLUSH!!

Materials, info and some comments under the RM!

Toothless' Pattern I purchased

Materials: 6 yards of black minky 1 yard red minky 5 yards of Poly-Fil extra loft medium quilt batting 18 oz of poly pellets (4 oz in each foot) 2 Mainstay firm bed pillows for stuffing 1 spool of purple thread for the top stitching details on his tail, hip and main wings 2.5 spools of black thread Dark green, lime green, goldenrod and light yellow embroidery floss black acrylic paint white fabric paint Velcro one very old, small and cranky sewing machine who somehow survived this ordeal several comfort shows, podcasts, and music to listen to

This was my winter break project! Granted I started bits and pieces of the process in early December, but once my two weeks off hit he really started getting worked on lol.

I know it's hard to tell from photos, but he is A BIG CHONGUS. Toothless is 5.5 feet from head to tail tip, and has a 9 foot wingspan. He weighs about 8 lbs.

He took about 60ish hours and was very complex. My budget was $200 and he came in at $202! That includes things like the bulldog clips that I bought when he was being pinned because the minky was so slippery! This cost EXcludes a sewing machine, or things like an embroidery ring which my mom had, so I was very lucky in several areas—but he still was not cheap, either by expense or by time and sweat/tears!

Of course, the minky was by far the most of the cost, coming in at $122. I’d say the batting would be next, but I waited and snagged a good deal at my local craft store and got the batting for $18. I HIGHLY recommend buying bed pillows. The original maker of the pattern used IKEA pillows I believe.

I increased his size by 20%, so I printed him at 120% and guesstimated on the minky amount. My WORST mistake was forgetting to mirror the WINGS, which meant I had to recut two of the four pieces of fabric. (I should have marked it on the pattern, which I did mark well for things like number count.) Had I not done this, I would have used a lot less minky. I bought 7 yards and only needed 5.5 before my error.

(Now I’ve got scraps and a whole yard left sitting there whispering that it wants to be made into a Krobus plushie…who seems much less of a hurdle than Toothless.)

I stuffed Toothy’s hip fins and tail fins with one layer of quilt batting. His wings however, are double layered with the batting for extra plush, warmth, and durability. His eyes are hand embroidered (my first time!) but stitched on with the machine. Toothless has poly pellets in his feet to help support his bulk, but most of his weight is in his body, hips and start of his tail so he actually sits up really well.

He was a huge labor of love for sure! The pattern was great, the instructions were…less great. But my mom helped me figure out a lot of the troubling bits. Some parts were easy to follow and others were basically "bing bong fuck ya life." Despite that, I do suggest this pattern. But this is definitely an intermediate or advanced pattern. They also sell the eyes for those that have access to an embroidery machine.

I followed the pattern closely as I desired. I did omit the back spikes on his rear legs, and I couldn’t embroider his lil nose by hand ^^; I also did not make his blue alpha fins because of expense and mistrust in my own skills...also, I kinda wanted HTTYD1 Toothless haha. I love the series as a whole but the og movie is literally one of the reasons I went to college, and it went into my thesis as well.

I want to remake his prosthetic at some point when I have time and energy, but for now I’m pleased with 99% of him, especially since this is my first plushie I’ve ever made. I do not regret any of my personal changes and I’m totally in love with him.

[sea-salted-wolverine]

I'm violently obsessed with the salmon plushie, is there absolutely any way we could get even a very rough pattern? Like rough ideas of shapes/sizes/placements? It wouldn't have to be super detailed, or even complete, I'm mostly interested in how you did the head/jaw and fins. I would be willing to pay you for it. You are the BEST auntie ever!!!! 🐟💗

@benevolentbirdgal you asked something similar i just haven't got around to answering

I have had people in real life ask for a pattern of how I did this and unfortunately I don't even know how to read/follow a pattern much less write/arrange/format one. If you scroll back through my blog a bit you can find all the progress pictures, they should all be tagged with both #plushie and #neice creature.

I suppose if you wanted a write up of the process it would go something like this.

Step one, become intimately acquainted with fish. Be born in a place where a large chunk of the state charter is about fishing rights. Go to kindergarten in a place where they not only teach kids about every phase of the life cycle but also raise salmon fry in classroom aquariums. Catch and clean alot of fish, like alot, like get up into the thousands. Become so quick and efficient at cleaning fish that tourists stop to watch you and people ask for lessons and knife sharpening.

Step two, now that you have the anatomy of a salmon ingrained into the fibers of your soul, just, draw one in its entirety on the inside of a pair of jeans that never fit. Make it half size, for baby hands, about the size of a trout. I literally never put a ruler anywhere near this thing, but like, 12-14 inches tip to tail.

Step three, make the pectoral, pelvic, anal, and dorsal fins as well as the caudal fin(tail). Make vague plans about the adipose fin and then give up and ignore it because no one cares about the adipose fin, including the fish themselves. Turn all the fins right-side out and stitch their rays on, giving them a little bit of structure and shape. Get to the tail fin and realize you are not stitching 20 fin rays on there and find a happy medium between accuracy and ease.

Step four. Fuck. Fish are hollow. The whole point of cleaning a fish is to cut it into lots of little pieces, some of which you eat and some of which you discard, which is not something you want of a child's toy. You could. But you don't want whoever is cleaning up after this toddler to run around picking up lil fishy organs. Rethink the way you filet a fish. Cringe at the thought that the most efficient way to make this plush is the least efficient way to filet a fish.

The filets themselves are easy, or at least, they're easy if you've done step one. It's an oblong shape with the belly color stitched directly to the denim, about the width of a hand. The meat is a safety orange tee-shirt that is now a crop top (insert long rant about the correct color of sockeye salmon meat here. It should not be fucking pink. Do not let anyone tell you it should be pink.) Stitch everything inside out and turn the seams in, then stuff them with shredded tee-shirt scraps because batting and stuffing is for people who can plan projects before they do them.

Step five, carcass. The dorsal fin gets seamed between a pair of denim strips to make the back. The adipose fin is a useful reference point for the locations of everything else but I couldn't figure out how to get the seams to work the way I wanted them so I ignored the adipose fin. Rip. The meat color gets seamed to the back and then the belly color to make a funky looking tube shape with fins sticking out. There was some finagling to make the fins sit in the places I wanted them to but everything sits in a seam except the anal fin which was easy enough to shove in a dart.

Step six, fishheads. Uhh, okay, there's how I did it and then there's how I would do it again. What I did was make a head out of a single piece of denim with some darts to make it the shape I wanted. Then I made the gills a sort of half moon shaped pocket with a redish pink color and seamed the pectoral fins in where the red met the orange. The jaw was a stuffed tongue of material attached to the belly and inside of the mouth, which is when realized I forgot to stuff the body. I do like how I stuffed the body because I took 6 layers of tee-shirt material tacked together in the vague shape of a fish and crammed it inside so it laid flat. It held more structural shape without being rigid or puffy. If I could have remembered to do that before I stitched everything close it would have been ideal.

If I was gonna do it over I would have made the head hollow and lined it with the red gill color and made the jaw a continuation of the belly so there would be an opening all the way through. I would also add some gill frills and fill them with rigid plastic to maintain the structure. I would also rearrange the pectoral fins to seam them in right behind the gills rather than below them.

Eyeballs this time around were buttons and finding sew on eyeballs is harder than I thought it would be but thats the obvious upgrade.

Guts were just a simple blob hand-sewn on, but with a bit more planning, I could actually do a digestive tract gas bladder, liver and roe sac. If I was gonna get that in depth I would rearrange the piecing order to have correctly fileted belly, so it would better explain how to harvest roe and belly meat. Plus as long as I was planning things rather than just slapping things together I would do some quick machine embroidery for muscle separations and a midline on the scales, mostly to make it pretty but also as a reference and indication of musculature.

Oh. Step six, the damn Velcro. Every craft store in Alaska is out of Velcro at the moment. Okay, maybe not every single one but all of them in between Fairbanks and Anchorage. And Home Depot. I found the stuff to stick on walls at Lowes which did not work nearly as well as I hoped it would. I had to force the needle through by bracing it against the floor and forcing the plush down on top of it. Forget a thimble, I was considering pliers. I was rushing (and also finishing it at my moms house) by the time I got to this part but I would get more creative and cut it into a shape more reminiscent of a spine next time.

I was gonna vacuum pack it before I wrapped it as a present because it would have been hilarious but I was slapping wrapping paper on while getting squawked at about being late, so we can all mourn the joke that never got the chance to land.

In conclusion, winging it gets you some crazy places and wild results but there are trade offs to careening speed, mostly in missed opportunities. But if you have a lot of pre-existing knowledge like general understanding of how seams work and also how fish work, you can pad out a lot of the inevitable fuck ups. If you are just jumping into raw dog a plushy pattern, I recommend starting out with something you are innately familiar with, rather than something that strikes you as cool.

[thelaughingmerman]

This is very slow going but here's a wip. I've uuu never made a plush before but I'm trying so hard. The strip of fabric is just there to get an idea of what it'll look like when I get his tie made. No arms or legs yet and the fins are just pinned on right now I'm redoing them with the fabric behind. Im pretty happy with how the curled angler came out it was a shot in the dark with the pattern I came up with for it. He's got a hole in his nose I'll fix it.

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 50, 13 décembre 1902, Paris. Toilette de visite pour jeune femme ou dame d'un certain âge. Bibliothèque nationale de France

Cette robe est en zibeline mélangée à carreaux fondus.

La jupe s'orne au bas de trois volants pèlerine.

Le corsage-blouse est à plis fins; la manche chemisette un peu ample.

Joli vêtement étole en peluche loutre, encadré d'un biais de satin et d'une sorte de longue frange en mongolie.

Au bas des pans, jolis motifs de passementerie avec gros glands de soie; agrafe de passementerie.

Manchon rond en mongolie.

Matériaux: 7 mètres de zibeline.

Pour le vêtement, 2m,50 de peluche.

Toquet de velours miroir bronze à pans retombant sur la nuque.

Grand couteau piqué sous un cabochon.

Nœuds et choux de satin vert, à gauche.

—

This dress is in sable mixed with fused checks.

The skirt is adorned at the bottom with three pelerine ruffles.

The bodice-blouse has fine pleats; the slightly loose shirt sleeve.

Pretty otter plush stole vêtement, framed with a satin bias and a sort of long Mongolian fringe.

At the bottom of the panels, pretty trimmings patterns with large silk tassels; trimmings clip.

Round sleeve in Mongolia.

Materials: 7 meters of sable.

For clothing, 2m.50 of plush.

Bronze mirrored velvet toquet with sides falling on the nape of the neck.

Large knife stuck under a cabochon.

Bows and bows of green satin, left.

[dashi-inu]

eridan ampora from homestuck 🫧 he was my first favorite and still is from the cast ♡ i know, i know, he is one way in canon, but i wanted to have fun with this sea dweller and make him to my image. like all of my faves *babygirlifies eridan

rewrote the info on eridan's reference sheet under the cut 🌊 this design features nsfw content! 🔞

ERIDAN AMPORA (VIOLET BLOOD, SEAHORSE)

6'9 ft (205.74 cm)

CAPE. Made of silk. Has intricate patterns on the inside. Accompanied by cloak chain.

GLASSES. Matte violet. Near-sighted. With or without glasses he always has excellent aim.

JEWELRY. Wears too many to count. Worn all over his body. Jewelry can change though always wears a necklace with star sign.

ATTIRE. Top is translucent. Some parts are opaque. High-waisted pants with blue, sheeny stripes as pattern. Thigh-high boots!! Will wear footwear with heels even if he's a 6'9 ft goddess- Becomes 7ft in heels.

Overly ornate! Loves being fashionable ♡

---

EARS. Fin-like. Can droop or flare.

NO GRUBSCARS! Sea dwellers are not born from Mothergrub.

BIOLOGY. Violet bloods are seahorse-like trolls. They come in different variations; Stallion, Deviant, and Pearl. Eridan is a pearl variant. Typically pearls belong to the Condesce as they are the only ones that can produce an heir for the Fuchsia caste. Condesce can impregnate them for a litter of violetbloods or one Fuchsia heir.

CORONET, GILLS, WEBBED FINGERS, LUMINESCENT JOINTS

EYES. Big-doe eyes.

BODY. 'Amphora-shaped'. Big bust, slender waist. Refined legs.

POUCH. Very plush tummy. Softest part of the body.

'CLIT' FIN. A little fin that advertises where the oyster is :) Yes, it is also erogenous on its own.

GENDER DIFFERENCES. Violetbloods are male sea dwellers. Their counterpart, Fuchsiabloods, are female. Like real-life seahorses, it's the male sea dwellers that give birth.

---

FIN SPINE. Violet and semi-transparent. Soft and bendable. Divided into three parts; head fin, spine, and dorsal fin. Begins at the crown of the head, and ends at the tailbone. All fins trill when excited or emotional, including gills, ears, and clit fin.

LUMINESCENT BACKSIDE. Glittery spine, back, butt, and back of legs.

BIRTHMARK. Constellation of Aquarius resides on his back.

BLOOD. As Gamzee the potion merchant put it, 'This violet potion is to be imbibed by anyone who wants to exhibit unabated lust for all they encounter.'

Violetbloods have a high libido and are hypersexual as a species.

For this reason, the body of a pearl has features meant to attract a partner or the Condesce to be satiated from this lust. (Big doe eyes, unique body, clit fin, luminescent body parts.)

---

OUTFITS

WITHOUT CAPE ♡ JEWELRY ONLY

Can wear the jewelry in different spots and ways. This is just an example of how much he wears as one of the highest members of the aristocracy.

[raincloudfox]

I was asked for a tutorial for the plushies I made. I haven't actually done a tutorial before so it's quite messy and the explanation may be confusing. Definitely message me if you need some help, I'll try my best to explain.

I decided to make a simplified version of my sunfish plush as I thought it would be much faster (I didn't learn my lesson) but it should be a good base that you can add onto. I also added some notes on where you can do additional steps so that the Sunfish looks more like the one I made.

Materials you'll need:

- Felt

- Needle and sewing thread

- (Optional) Plastic eyes

Start off by drawing how you want your Sunfish to look like. This will become your pattern

Cut out your Sunfish drawing and split them into its different body parts. Separate it into its main body, its fins and its tail (and optional its mouth)

Using your pattern, cut your felt pieces. For this simplified sunfish, you should have:

- 2 main body

- 2 dorsal fin

- 2 pectoral fin

- 1 tail fin

- (Optional) 1 Mouth

For the dorsal fins and tail fin, make sure to leave some extra fabric as seam allowance as it's going to be sandwiched between the main body and it also helps with aligning the fins to the body.

**If you are making it at a bigger scale, you may want to double every part except the main body and mouth. Sewing 2 pieces of the same part together will strengthen your pieces and give it a nicer look.

Optionally, if your design calls for it, add the white belly to your sunfish by whip stitching it on top of your main body piece OR if you want the body to lay much flatter instead of bulging out due to the double layer of felt, cut off a bit of the main body piece in the shape and size of your belly piece and then stitch both pieces together.

Add your eyes. You either use plastic eyes or sew/glue on some felt eyes. Add any facial details that you may want now.

Sandwich your fins and mouth pieces between both main body pieces. You use some glue to temporarily hold the pieces in place. Blanket stitch your way around the body, changing to a whip stitch around the areas where the fins are being joint and changing back to a blanket stitch in areas without any fins being joint.

Leave a small opening to stuff your plush before closing it with a blanket stitch

Whip stitch the pectoral fin onto the body

And it's done! You now have your very own Sunfish plush

As for the squid plush, it's actually a modified pattern. The original pattern can be found on YouTube under the creator @PeachesNPlushies. Check them out! If you have any questions, feel free to message me :D

And if you do make your very own Sunfish, do send them to me, I'd love to see it

[rosie-toast]

does any finfin heads know if there is a sewing pattern to make a fin fin plush?

[lazypanartist]

Anyone heard of a bat ray? Because I have, and so I made them into a plush.

This is just the prototype - once I've fixed the pattern a little and made one that's not overstuffed, I plan on making it so the fins/wings close like a bat, and they can hang on things with the tail. Just a concept still, but I'll get there ^-^

[strelles-universe]

Greenwood Faction Cards - The Stormborn

The Stormborn have always been regarded as the most unusual and strangest looking creatures of the forest with their long, plush tails and short but feathery ears. Compared to the other factions, it wouldn’t be hard to mistake them for being near completely defenseless with their fluffy tails and thick coats without horns or fins. The enemy who makes this mistake however will come to immensely regret it - for mixed within their long coats, sukeme of the Stormborn have long barbed quills that lay calmly against their skin. When feeling threatened, it’s not just their hackles that raise but these pointy, painful defenses.

These long quills start just before their hindlegs forming a sort of cloak over their rump, blanketing the top of their tails. Speaking of their tails, though plush and fluff; the underside of around half-way down is also laced in sharp quills and woe-betide any attacker who makes the mistake of trying to grab them by it. It’s recommended that if you are speared by their quills that you wait until a trained mender can attend to you and the subsequent bleeding.

Quills aside, the Stormborn tend to be various kinds of tabbies that hide them well in their dense forest homes. Tortoiseshells are equally common, finding their best luck when the leaves drop from the trees - their dappled pelts matching the fallen leaves sprinkling the forest floor. They sport powerful, muscular builds, large paws and broad faces - there are often whispers that due their founder showing the most repentance for The Spilling, the Souls were kinder to the Stormborn and left some of their Ancient power within them giving them more lion-like features.

--

Common Patterns - Mackerel/Ticked Tabbies, Tortoiseshells

Common Colors - Red, Brown, Black, Gold

-

Uncommon Patterns - Spotted/Classic Tabby, Torbie

Uncommon Colors - White, Silver, Ruddy

-

Rare Patterns - Colorpoint

Rare Colors - Cream, Blue (Cool Gray)

--

OVERALL TERRITORY

The Stormborn are settled in the primarily deciduous part of the Greenwood Canopy - while there are evergreen trees scattered throughout the forest, they are primarily found further north-west than the others. They are unanimously agreed to have the most frustrating territory for a newcomer to navigate - the ground level is completely covered with brackens and bushes, thick layers of moss coating the barks of trees and the twisting roots of their oaks. The branches are mostly interlocking, ensuring the ground is dappled with sunlight throughout the day; enhancing the camouflage provided by tortoiseshell pelts.

Though visitors complain about the confusion turning them in circles, the Stormborn themselves can easily navigate their territory. From early training, cadets are brought through a series of routes to different important locations in their territory that escalates into leaving the cadet in specific locations with orders to get as quickly to a different location as possible. By the time a legionary earns their true name, they’ve mastered and memorized every leaf and bramble in their forest. 

They proudly boast that their territory always looks gorgeous - in makiim (summer), the branches are a vibrant green with beautiful blossoming flowers and juicy fruits; in ahaliim (autumn) the ground is dappled in leaves of many colors - gold, red, orange and brown; in ilkiim (spring) the buds wave in the wind as freshly born animals scamper about their territory, little puddles of water twinkling in the sunlight. Even dahiim is beautiful - the ground sparking with white snow, icicles dangling from branches and frozen bonds providing windows into the waters. 

Notable Landmarks:

The Old Basin - An old hollow full of soft, warm pink-ish red sand that used to be filled with water once upon a time when the river was wider. Eventually the water drained away leaving the smoothed sand and silt from the river. The Stormborn have many theories about the Old Basin - some say that Sunsoul dried up half of the river and Treesoul took what remained and used it to nurture the surrounding trees given how rich and tall the trees around the Basin are. Others say Riversoul reached down and rerouted the river like he did with the part around the Suncairn.

The Neutral Stretch - A large stretch of fertile territory popular with prey of all kind. Politically the land belongs to the Shining Sun - lost during The Raids started by The Mad Storm - and is frequently used to train squires and as a dumping ground for excess seed. The scarred trees mark the divide between the Stretch and solid Shining Sun Territory. This little bit of land has saved the Stormborn many times over during hard times as the dumping of seeds keeps prey animals coming back even during the snow-season.

The Suncairn - A massive collecting of rock outcroppings that are surrounded by a well-drained patch of land on the edge of the deciduous forest that led out to the main river. It seems like the rocks were once large buried deep beneath the river and for whatever reason, were pushed to the surface before being smoothed down by the river’s current. For a long time, the river flowed around the Suncairn preventing anyone but the swimming Shorerisen from accessing it but then slowly, over-time the river-rerouted. The Suncairn has been a place of bloodshed, outrage and conflict ever since as the Stormborn and the Shorerisen fight over the valuable land.

The Boa’s Sarsen - A large collection of somewhat jagged rocks slated together in a way that resembles a coiled snake, creating a series of nooks and hidey-holes that are inhabited by largest collection of blackwhips. The Sarsen is religously significant to the Fennyield, though because it was a Storm cat that was their goddess Hakassebera’s friend; the Storms retain the territory on their own land. Occasionally there have been conversations about officially handing the location over but it remains a popular spot for Fenns and Storms to speak with each other peacefully, especially as cadets.

The Deer Trail - A long since trotted down section of territory that marks the border between the Fennyield and the Stormborn. Deer and wild-boar and even wild horses have long-since trampled the grasses down into a firm trail of dirt, pressing the pebbles and stones deeper into the earth. Almost nothing grows on the trail anymore both because of how long it’s been used but also because the Storms and the Fenns both made dedicated efforts to maintain the easily seen border. The Deer Trail is a dangerous place in ilkiim (when the wild boar return and hae their piglets, becoming hostile to everything with a pulse) and in ahaliim (when stags are in rut and begin fighting each other).

Temekur’s Oak - The tallest stretching oak-tree in the Storm’s territory that hosts a permanent owl’s nest. Generation after generation of owl has been raised in and buried around that tree all stemming from the first, very intelligent owl to scamper from its branches. Said to be the home of Temekur, the owl who saved the Stormborn from a truly terrible famine and the place where the fallen owl was buried and made a god. The Stormborn occasionally leave offerings of prey at the base of the tree that the owls have come to accept, and the hunters are all taught a special tune to use in dahiim that signals to the owls that their cat friends need their help once more.

The Prisoner’s Barracks - An open clearing in Stormborn territory that brushes against firmly packed and dense soil guarded very heavily by the thickest thorns and brambles the forest has to offer. It’s a well-defended and hard to access place - which of course is exactly why the Storms have turned it into a prison. Proponents of mercy and firmly against executions, the Stormborn are the only faction to regularly keep prisoners enclosed within their territory and are the only faction period to have a set of regulations dedicated to managing them. Even those who’ve been imprisoned in the barracks don’t know where it is in Stormborn territory as they are usually blindfolded in some way when they’re led out. To the outside, it appears to be the average tangle of plants, brackens and vines.

Treesoul’s Ravine - A sloped valley sort of area surrounded by some of the strongest, healthiest looking trees in the forest that opens out into a little meadow type area. The largest stream in Stormborn territory runs through the Ravine, creating a little pond against a hilly-edge; the area littered with brilliant green brush and a variety of berries. Treesoul’s Ravine is the most popular burial location for the Stormborn, a vast majority of the faction have requests to specifically be buried in special locations of the Ravine. A series of totems line the Ravine - one made to honor each of the Souls where Storms can leave offerings of flowers, prey-bones and even trophies for the Souls to judge. 

PREY, PREDATORS AND HERBS

Common Prey - Gray squirrel, cottontails, deer mouse, red squirrel, chipmunk, woodrats, mourning dove, chickadee, bluejay, robin, sparrow, wrens, waxwings

Uncommon - wild turkey, opossums, porcupine, pine vole, common garter, cormorant, tern, sandpipers, wood frog, minnow

Rare - White-Tail yearlings, trout, carp

Forbidden - Cardinals

-

Common Herbs - 

Uncommon Herbs - 

Rare Herbs - 

-

Minor Dangers - Striped skunk

Medium Dangers - Short-Tailed Weasel, copperheads

Severe Dangers - Black bears, wild boar, White-Tailed Stag, Blackwhips, Timber Rattlesnake

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BATTLE TACTICS

Contrary to what many will say, they don’t love battle nor are they battle-hungry, their warnings and cautions are just that - warnings though the other factions have been known to take them as challenges.

The Stormborn prefer to end battles as quickly as possible, minimizing the amount of suffering either side goes through and as such, typically target who they deem to be battle-leaders and second in commands. Demoralizing the enemy is plays along well with this trait of theirs - a signature tactic of theirs are Brush Rushes. The thick, dense brush of their territory can safely hide even the largest of their legionaries well enough that a patrol of Stormborn cats can follow invaders for hours without the invaders themselves noticing.

Naturally this has been worked into a battle advantage. When the Stormborn feel that a patrol has overstayed their welcome, they rush from the bushes and attack hard and fast with the goal of disorienting their enemy before retreating as quickly as they arrived. The break in attack is an offering - telling the enemy to return to where they came from. If this offerring is not respected, they will be rushed again - this time with the intent of dealing painful, lasting injuries. The rushes will continue until the enemy retreats or until the Storms declare an outright battle and summon reinforcements. 

Recognizable Tactics:

Tail Tucking - The Stormborn have sharp, painful barbed quills lining their hindquarters and tails. When an enemy attempts to attack them from behind, they tuck the soft underside of their tails to their bellies and bristle their spines; impaling those who would attempt an ambush

Land Grapple - It’s rare that someone wants to keep their enemy close-by hence this being a very recognizable Stormborn tactic. Grasping the opponent by their shoulders either from above or below, hold tight; forcing them to either rip their fur free or stay for a pummeling. They will snap at their enemy’s face and ears while using their hindlegs to shred them. The enemy is only released when they express surrender.

CULTURAL VALUES

> The Maternal Bond should always be respected and harshly punished if ever abused

> There is incredible bravery in honesty - a legionary should always be confident in their actions; regardless of the consequences

> Though there are four factions, there is only one Empire and when one is in need; the other three should be honor-bound to assist

HOLIDAYS

The Last Snow - 

QUIRKS

A legionary having relations within another faction will say they’re ‘patrolling’ as a way of being discreet about their relationship. It’s more noticeable if the reasoning is claimed after high-sun, when the Storms are mostly at rest

Though barracks tasks are common punishments for misbehaving cubs, any of them can be picked up by anyone. Cubs who take a liking to a specific task are encouraged to keep at it.

Temekur’s Oak has a series of increasingly higher notches from cadets challenging each other to climb. Legionaries will brag moons after promotions about taking the highest marks

The Stormborn tend to come out during rainstorms to let a few drops of water hit them. It’s said that you can receive omens from the blurry vision granted when rain hits your face

The Storms are the closest to omnivorous as you get in the Empire, it’s not uncommon to catch them snacking on berries of all sorts throughout the day; preserving prey for actual meals

[wily-one24]

Assuming you do some deep dive research when writing fanfic, what's the weirdest thing you've looked up for: Wicked Game, Foolish Game, and DD5?

@dahllaz

Well, Wicked Game and Foolish Game are easy answers for this. I haven't done much google searching for these fics, other than rewatching/pausing/transcribing the specific episodes that I was writing about (at least, not that I can remember) to make sure I got details correct.

For D5? I have googled some shit.

I have googled the city streets to make sure there was a Target near the fictitious address of the SVU Mercy Hospital.

I have googled the American Museum of Natural History (including floor plans and exhibits), and had these open as I was writing the chapter.

I have googled realistic looking blue whale plush toys (and found the specific one from AMNH that Fin would have bought).

I have googled the weather patterns in the Appalachians near Shanendoah for May/June/July 2013, just so I can write technically correct flashbacks.

I have googled the healing rate of different degree levels of burns.

I have googled the healing rate and proper treatment of different broken bones.

I have googled the US equivalent of snack candy that might be used in the same context as Maltesers (because you poor, unfortunate souls are denied these beautiful things) and then was not interested in any of these and just went with M&Ms as a safe bet.

And most of these Google deep dive searches have been done for throwaway lines that nobody would even pay attention to in the fic itself.

But *I* know it's technically correct.

[surskip]

this is untested and i will probably make adjustments to it so . be warned it is not final. if i get around to making a final version i will post it, but as of right now: fin fin speculative plush pattern....