#flora organic frill leggings

[orangetintedglasses]

A man named Vash has one reoccurring dream: of deep, dark water and dozens and dozens of ghost-white hands; a pair of piercing, blue-green eyes that seem to tell him to go back to the water. Sometimes when he wakes up, he's standing at the edge of the water. Sometimes he's ankle-deep, the waves caressing his legs so softly and sea foam sticking to his skin. Someone he loved once told him to never go into the water... but the water seems to be calling him home.

"Plants" // "Angels" // "Heralds of Sin" are sea creatures that are regarded as either a horror story that people warn new sailors/pirates about (damned creatures that steal the faces of people who have drowned), or otherworldly gifts that can "bring back" loved ones. In reality, they're advanced forms of mystical flora that were never meant to be brought up from the deep ocean where the "origin forest" resides.

Some facts about the Plants:

"forests" have many names given by fanatics and skeptics alike-- the most common are "forest of the dead" (named for the fact that they're rumored to 'steal' faces of people who have died by drowning) and the "gardens of heaven" (named for their warm, welcoming atmosphere and 'angelic hum' that can be heard from within them)

all forms are bioluminescent past a certain depth; the deeper you go, the brighter they are

absorb remains of organic things for nourishment, including creatures that die near them; the blood of which is believed to be where the 'red' color at their bases/at the end of their 'petals' (and the 'stems' in their dormant form) comes from

they are not 'meant' to change form/'give birth'-- this is a result of them being moved and taking root outside the safety of the deep ocean. It's said no one knows what or who moved them.

what actually moved them and 'replanted' them is other sea creatures like mermaids and sirens-- taking pieces off the Plants for their light and warmth and discarding them when those things run out. Some bigger colonies plant forests close to their home location for ease of access

Plants remember, even in their 'dormant' state

they can take on many different genetic traits based on what they absorb. The smarter/more advanced the creature, the more the Plant changes

the more humanoid ones can detach themselves and feel a need to explore (especially if there's only one around on it's own; the more there are, the more regulated they are and can help keep each other in line via a hive mind-sort of thing, so long as they're in or around their original forest), and often end up washed up on shores; some can stay on land, but become frailer and prone to illness and die... or are killed by predators. the corpses deteriorate too quickly to be shown off or studied

ones with less frills/flippers/petals that look almost exactly like real people are just a rumor and do not exist

[sepublic]

Editaurus

         Meet Editaurus! She wields the Green Magestone, which imbues bolts of emerald lightning that can bring things to life, creating all manner of constructs. In particular, Editaurus uses this Magestone, which she has artfully incorporated into her body like many of her materials and ingredients, to create her chimeras.

         Editaurus once started off dirt-poor, with a struggling father. They worked together in a landfill, working with the refuse of society. But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure; There was quite a lot of dead meat and other biomass. Some bones and flesh, muscles and organs still decently intact. And Editaurus was always fascinated with anatomy. She devoured books that went into the makeup of all manner of flora and fauna, and she marveled at the artistry and efficiency of their forms.

         At first she stitched together parts to create skeletal art pieces; Then hodgepodge taxidermy. But it was only a matter of time before Ed became a Chimera Caster, and a prodigal one at that. With just a few discarded bits from a nearby butcher, she could create a living, breathing Chimera that obeyed her will.

         Editaurus used her chimeras to aid in her and her father’s work, making things much easier for the latter; On Ed’s end, they became much more difficult, but in a way thrilling and challenging. Now she began to experiment with lifeforms, combining different aspects and aesthetics to create beautiful and twisted creations.

         She garnered community attention, and picked up multiple jobs creating chimeras. From there, Editaurus became a rags to riches story, becoming a famed artist and celebrity. She started her own studio, moving out from her town, while sending money to her father who was able to retire in peace elsewhere.

         With various suppliers at her beck and call, Editaurus had all of the ingredients she needed to craft complex recipes, which she stored in her living cookbook. Many of the things in her studio were also chimeras; She became a master of life, often debuting her latest chimeras on the runway, posing them for magazines and photoshoots. Editaurus eventually modeled herself, and turned her magic onto herself, modifying her body as she replaced it with different parts. She too became a chimera.

         Her face? A repurposed, upside down squid; The tentacles as hair, the tip of the squid as her chin. An eye has been grafted on. Bat wings adorn both sides of her head, and grant Editaurus the hearing of these creatures. Her torso is a bee abdomen, with lungs at the front of her chest. Ed’s right arm is composed of large, writhing nematodes; The left is a raptor, with a modified spider replacing her left hand.

         This spider-hand can sprout webs that Editaurus uses to stitch together chimeras with near-invisible threads, thus leaving the marks of being artificial gone; This makes her chimeras seem seamless, more real, and this is part of Editaurus’ goal; To create creatures that feel like they could exist on their own. Chimeras indistinguishable from natural flora and fauna. And considering how bizarre the Monster Realm’s life can be, this is not difficult.

         Her skirt is a lizard’s frill and shrunken head; One leg is a goat’s to rapidly kick with, the other a grasshopper’s to leap. Little fins on her ankles can flutter like a hummingbird’s to grant flight. Four branches are angled and move like spider limbs on Editaurus’ back, allowing her to photosynthesize; They are wreathed in webs.

         Being a celebrity, Editaurus was among the first of the Warlocks to be found by Majikus. There was discussion, and a bit of dispute regarding who would lead; Ed was impressed by Maj’s vision, but had plenty of constructive criticism to offer. Despite her eccentricities, Majikus was able to negotiate Editaurus’ loyalty and a lower place beneath her, but Ed will often suggest a dispute in leadership.

         Still, she is no backstabbing schemer, just someone very proud and confident; She was often belittled and seen as weird and lowly due to her social class and interests. So Editaurus had to believe in herself to survive and then succeed. And she can be quite the visionary, and offer some decent advice; But she can also suffer from tunnel vision as a result, not unlike Majikus. She believes all of the different aspects of the Monster Realm, its populations and species, can all come together like one massive chimera; Erm, not a literal one. Well, maybe…

         Unsurprisingly, Editaurus helps in calculating how to fuse the Magestones back together. Her own, the Green Magestone, has been used to up the production rate of her chimeras tenfold; Majikus finds them vital to creating an army that can help them take over the Monster Realm. Editaurus agrees, but gripes over this quantity over quality approach that Majikus insists upon; She is well aware that there is a quality to quantity in and of itself, but even so. She feels her vision is being compromised for factory production and standardization, when her chimeras were always meant to be an art form, an expression.

         Editaurus’ studio is covered in many webs, which she uses to wrap up and store the various ingredients she has; Others are kept in cauldrons. She can sprout webs from her back and summon ingredients upon them, from which to pluck from her ‘wings’ and craft into a chimera on the fly. Editaurus can switch out ingredients in her own body on a dime, and has experimented with many looks and forms for different environments and purposes.

         Editaurus wields other spells such as electrocution, using web threads to conduct her bolts; This can be used to jumpstart her chimeras or even allies, and her ingredients and understanding of anatomy make Ed a skilled healer. Infamously, she can charge her right hand’s Magestone to literally slap the life back into a person.

         Editaurus is in charge of chimera production; They act a major portion of the Warlocks’ armies, like Viracious’ undead being considered expendable from traditional conscripts. This makes the Warlocks more popular amongst subjects, who have to risk less in serving them. Ed’s creations are quite intelligent for chimeras, being able to wield weaponry; Editaurus can salvage brain chunks from dead warriors and use them to program her chimeras with their memories, knowledge, and skills. This can make some chimeras even more difficult to distinguish from sapients, which calls into question what is even the line between them…?

         If she isn’t imbuing life into that which has already lived and feasible of living again –ingredients too decayed are only for Viracious to control, not Editaurus- then she can imbue life into nonliving things such as the earth, water, even fire. This is the power of the Green Magestone, and she can mix this up with more traditional chimeras; These constructs, due to not being made of organic matter and functioning organs, do not have the staying power of proper chimeras and thus tend to fall apart beyond Editaurus’ range. This is another strength to her chimeras; Their longevity and ability to operate far from their creator. Being the sole source of a massive army, Editaurus’ eccentricities and pride often have to be humored for the cause’s sake. But she is also legitimately admired for her artistry and skill, too.

[tyrantisterror]

The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D: Entry Roundup

You’ve been patiently waiting for the results of the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D, and now... you have to wait a bit longer, but at least you’ve got an entry roundup with lots of sketches and a good bit of feedback for all the entrants!  My goal is to get the finalists illustrated in a week or two, and after that, the grand prize winner will be announced.  But, for now, the official entry roundup!  After the cut:

I should note that while I sketched these in the order they were submitted, my scanner saved the documents with random names, so they’re a bit jumbled.  You know, just in case you’re like me and would get confused noticing that it’s almost in chronological order but with some entries jumbled around.

@bugcthulhu’s Obsideban was designed as a counterpart to Rohobaron - the Black King to Rohobaron’s Red King, if you will.  Or, well, Black Queen in this case, as Obsideban also takes her personality from the “delinquent girl” archetype in Japanese media.  Bug’s designs always ooze personality, and I had a lot of fun translating this big, gnarly retrosaur into my own style.

@toothlessloveshiccup‘s Argonox is the first - but far from the last - monster in this breakdown that brings in a bit of fantasy influence to ATOM’s roster.  A golden-fleeced ram with a vicious streak, this sheep is both treasure and dragon at once.  And while it wasn’t written in the monster’s profile, given the Yamaneon-rich nature of its wool, Argonox might be able to replicate the healing power of the golden fleece too!  A very fun mammalian kaiju and excellent entry.

@highly-radioactive-nerd submitted Gunmetal Jeeves, a robot butler who can gigantomax temporarily create a holographic/hard light version of himself to fight kaiju.  That detail was a late revision added to the entry before the contest’s deadline, made after the creator realized that ATOM allows for some truly ludicrous bullshit, which is something everyone should exploit when making entries for this in my opinion.  Also, this is a robot butler who can size shift.  Revel in its awesome absurdity!

Ultranerd submitted Rajasaurus, a dimetrodon-like synapsid kaiju with electric powers.  His origin specifies that the electric powers are a result of the volatile nature of the Yamaneon deposits he mutated under, which is an interesting idea.  That’s another theme that cropped up a lot in this contest’s entries, actually - people really wanted to play with what Yamaneon can do.

Case in point, @polygonfighter’s Yamaneolith takes the Monolith Monsters homage at the heart of Yamaneon even more apparent.  I like the implication that there is a second mineral-based lifeform at the root of this Yamaneon cluster’s anomalous behavior - a parasite, perhaps?  It brings up some interesting possibilities.

@ariccio50 submitted Kukulkuzana, and damn is this a cool spin on the body plan of my martians.  I made a few changes here and there (splitting its tail into two is probably the biggest one), but tried to keep true to the original design, because holy hell is it gorgeous.  The idea that this is a mountain-dwelling creature is really intriguing to me, as it looks like a sea creature, but at the same time, that flexible and low-slung build WOULD work pretty well in mountains, and it’s just the right mix of plausible weirdness that makes for a fun alien design.

@akitymh submitted Aramzados, a Venusian monster that’s basically an organic hot rod car.  I like the idea of organic machinery being the gimmick for Venusian kaiju, and Aramzado’s does it subtly enough to not feel like that gimmick is the sole thing going for it.  I especially love this monster’s stange, apparently mouth-less blade-beaked face.

@virovac submitted Rurzar and Zar Rider, a Beyonder kaiju and mecha (respecitvely) that were both modified and repurposed by humans reverse engineering Beyonder technology to make, like, a motorcycle-saurus essentially.  It is a delightfully absurd concept, and a very, very detailed one (13 pages of description).  There’s a dark undercurrent beneath the sillyness, though, as this pair show that humanity might still be following the same path as the Beyonders before them.

@dinosaurana brings us Krangor, a humanoid monstrosity of living kelp!  The goal here was to create a Jack Kirby-esque monster dude, complete with the gibberish name and all.  He’s also made out of kelp, which feels very classic 1950′s monster-y despite me not being able to think of any monsters that were explicitly made of kelp.  I love him.

@kiryuthechimera submitted Genkakurah, a psychic retrosaur with some draconic features.  Though his substantial powerset is probably the biggest distinguishing feature of this kaiju (given that most ATOM kaiju pretty much have the same standard powers), what really draws me to him is that reptilian pseudo-beard.  It’s just a fun detail!

@glarnboudin submits Tiratola, and see, there’s that fantasy influence again!  Even more explicitly dragon-y than Kraydi, Tiratola still manages to toe the line between sci-fi and fantasy enough to fit ATOM as is while still cementing its ties to my own slice of fantasy fiction.  Man it’s good I’m doing a Midgaheim book next, huh?

@dragonzzilla submitted Scuttlebutt/Argonautilus, a hermit crab kaiju who lives in/with a hollowed out mecha.  That’s a twist I can’t recall ever hearing before, and the idea of a kaiju and a mecha having an equal partnership that doesn’t involve one being grafted to the other is really intriguing to me.  A very unique concept!

@evolutionsvoid submitted Fleagor, an enormous flea who has no idea what to do with itself now that there’s no creature large enough for it to parasitize.  I love that concept - it takes the core idea of the giant bug kaiju archetype (i.e. unsettling the audience by showing how terrifying small, “insignificant” creatures would be if our sizes were reversed) and really turns it on its head.  The name also plays on the Universal Monsters, who were a huge part of 1950′s pop culture thanks to their movies being re-released in that era, so all and all this one is very on brand for ATOM!

@skarmorysilver submitted Lilacorn, another entry that plays up that Midgaheim/ATOM connection.  Reinterpreting the mythological unicorn as an Cenozoic wooly rhinoceros-inspired monster gives it a very unique look, both in ATOM and in the general world of unicorns, and she has a bad-girl with a heart of gold personality to boot!

dracosaurus-rex submitted Florasaura, a two-headed plant/retrosaur hybrid monster.  I love me some plant monsters, I love me some retrosaurs, and I love me some rhyming the word “flora” with other words that contain similar vowell sounds, so this one has me written all over it!

@downtofragglerock submitted Sauroguana, a delightfully odd flying retrosaur.  There’s a great deal of charm to the original illustration that this sketch doesn’t quite capture - it’s a deceptively simple design with a lot of personality in it, and with those unique leg-wings it really doesn’t need a whole lot of frills to stand out.

Draxi submitted Brakan, an unimpressive burrowing retrosaur kaiju whose mastery of illusions allows it to convince other kaiju it’s actually a big, super-powerful badass that’s the ultimate fighter in the universe.  It’s a delightful parody of the concept of a fan self-insert god-mode character, with a really fun story built into it to boot!

@quinnred submitted O.N.I.A.C., a mysterious cocooned kaiju whose chrysalis has been turned into an organic computer of sorts by the people studying it, and seems to possess a fairly advanced intelligence for a kaiju.  It’s a really bizarre and ominous idea, with built in intrigue given how vague its nature is.  Is it just a kaijufied butterfly/moth who got stuck mid transformation?  A relative of the Mothmanuds?  Something else, perhaps equally alien?  Good story potential here.

shadyserpent submitted Vespilitor, a bat/retrosaur hybrid made by the nefarious Spooks Organization.  A mercurial prankster whose tendency to stir up trouble never crosses the line into maliciousness, he’s the kind of monster who would make a great foil to a lot of ATOM’s cast.  I’d especially like to see him in a prank off with Ahuul - it’d be like Bugs Bunny fighting Daffy Duck, but on a kaiju scale.

@multiversefan submitted the Yamaneon King, a nomadic kaiju whose refusal to settle down causes problems as he stirs up trouble at kaiju sanctuaries all over the globe by showing up unannounced and stirring up the locals.  He was basically designed to be a monster that the kaiju sanctuary initiative would struggle to deal with, which is a good idea for a post-ATOM Volume 2 story conflict.

Sir K submitted Jadeera, a kirin kaiju that can actually forcibly convert most of its body to Yamaneon to enter a dormant, statue-like state in a loose homage to King Shisa.  Though the fantasy elements are far more present than I usually prefer for ATOM kaiju, I think it should be noted they’re pushed that far for a purpose - a theme in Jadeera’s entry, which continues where its creator left off with their submission to the previous ATOM create a kaiju contest (Yokaigon), is that the world of kaiju is more complicated and challenging than many are willing to accept, which is a theme in ATOM itself.  Yokaigon’s more supernatural/occult powers are based on the ghost parascience of my setting, which ATOM has delved into a bit (Pathogen being the big example), so it’s not as out of left field as some might think.

@cerothenull​ brings us our final entry (unless some got lost thanks to tumblr’s shitty tagging system), the flying spider Naeranti.  She’s a kaiju spider who uses silk to make complicate hot-air balloons, more or less, and that’s just delightful.  ATOM could always use more spider-monsters, and with a really unique gimmick backing up a wonderfully distinct look, Naeranti is sure to stand out among her fellow giant arachnids.

Well, that’s the roundup!  In a week (or two, depending on how much my hand cramps) we’ll have the five finalists, and sometime after that, the grand prize winner!

[drops-of-moonlights]

“Magic (Winx,) Silvestrix!”

I’m getting close to finishing the 6.5 summary so might as well release the S7 form by now, Silvestrix! for those that don’t know, Silvestrix is my heavily modified version of Butterflix. Also Bloom can use some of her canon blue color. as a treat.

Anyways, the earning of Silvestrix is always... strange. One obtains it by either mimicking a Magic Animal during a harsh situation (as in relying on their natural survival instincts and nothing more) or by establishing some sort of “familiar” connection with a Magic Animal that matches their established source or their personality. If the form is obtained in the first way, the animal your form is based off of depends on your source, your realm and how well it matches to a native animal. If it’s obtained in the second way, as recommended by the Grimoire of Sources, the form is based off that animal specifically. Animal-source Magi who specialize in a specific creature (such as insects or mammals or what have you), if they were to obtain the form in the first place, are guaranteed to have the animal that matches their specialization (see also Mandragora and Rodolfo). All of the Winx plus Roxy earned it the first way.

Silvestrix also grants the user different attributes of said animal physically, limiting itself to horns, ears and tails to keep their still mostly humanoid form. As for the girls’s animal inspiration!

Musa’s form is based off the Melodian Arpeggio Sharks, a species of shark known for their fins that produce a sort of “melody” used to calm prey for their consumption. They’re based off physically after great whites but act more like nurse sharks, being nocturnal and sedentary.

Stella’s is modeled after the Cosmic Sea Otter, a species of sea otter native to Solaria who’s fur sparkles and glistens like the night starry sky, hence their name. They have a bioluminicent star-shaped lure in their tail, similar to anglerfish, which they use to blind their prey or otherwise distract them.

Tecna’s mimics the Stormdeer, a native of Zenith whose “wool” seems to act as both organic cloth and some sort of mineral, as it can be used in soldering and are kept for that purpose. Their antlers resemble lightning bolts and use them to detect incoming thunderstorms.

Bloom’s after the Dominian Molten Salamander, a reptile who can generate heat and fire that was used a lot as pets for smiths and just to keep warm, as well as used as cooking aids. There are three known species, the Dominian one, the Hoggarish one (which is orange and has larger horns), and the Esperian one (which is green and has larger neck frills).

Flora’s form is based after the Lynphean Megafloral Hummingbird, a massive (read: the size of an ostrich if you don’t count the legs) hummingbird that feeds off Lynphea’s megaflora. They are a protected species as the Primaverian War damaged most of their habitat, and their population was greatly diminished.

Aisha’s form is based off the purple-footed beach platypus, a species of platypus that burrows itself in the sand, camouflaging itself to then “shoot” a burst of high-pressure water to its crustracean prey, most of the time killing it instantly, other times incapacitating them with the shock long enough for it to dive in. (yes I based off a crab for that quality what about it)

Lastly (and sadly without a drawing), Roxy’s form is unique in that it’s based off an extinct Earth species - the Gale Birdwing, a giant butterfly whose wings could generate small breezes, which they used to ward off predators.

[noblecrumpet-dorkvision]

Fantastic Flora/Fauna for D&D

D&D games don’t have nearly enough mundane fantasy creatures. Everything needs to either be useful or dangerous for people to care about it! To remedy this, I've created a bunch of fantasy creatures and plants that sprinkle into your campaign to create amazing and slightly alien environments. 

These are inspired by settings like Pandora in Avatar, or the world of the Dark Crystal, where everything seems to teem with movement and sound and luminescence. Most of these creatures and plants are almost entirely harmless but can make a setting unique by inserting just one or two into your world.

Feel free to steal these or let them inspire you to create your own wacky or weird minor plants and animals.

Fantasy Fauna

Balloonfrogs: These frogs inflate pouches in their bodies with air, making themselves rather buoyant. They then leap from trees and spread their large webbed legs and toes to glide through the air. They usually come in bright colors to look like other poisonous frogs, but are actually harmless. Their ability to quickly escape danger is their primary means of avoiding predation.

Cave Barnacle: Cave barnacles can be found in neglected dungeons filled with moisture. They resemble regular barnacles in most ways; clinging to walls and ceilings protected with a hard shell 1-2 inches in diameter. This shell is wider than it is tall and spirals inward towards a central node covered in a hard membrane. The barnacles feed on many things that are considered poisonous or toxic to other creatures. When such a substance floats nearby, they open up their central node and unfurl a frilled fan that twitches in the air to gather the nutrients. Wary adventurers know when cave barnacles are waving their fan it means something dangerous could be in the air. The barnacle’s fan is rather beautiful and comes in bright colors often not visible in the darkness of its home. Some varieties of cave barnacle have a glowing fan.

Floraflies: These insects have many wings and false wings that give them the appearance of a large orchid or other such showy and colorful flower. While at rest, it is nearly indistinguishable from a flower but its true nature can be determined with careful inspection or knowledge of the true flower it mimics. There are many different types of floraflies, each looking like a different flower. Some use their feature to hide from predators while others use it to hide and wait for a pollinating bug to come by. Such floraflies will ambush their prey this way and lay their eggs in them; a gruesome tactic for such a beautiful creature.

Ganglers: These creatures look like large long-leg spiders, but with only three limbs protruding from their fist-sized body. With their legs, they are about 3 feet in diameter when viewed from above. They can climb some sheer walls, but are clumsy and have a hard time on ceilings. Their uneven number of limbs makes them move awkwardly as they scramble away from predators. Despite their slightly scary appearance, they are herbivores and only feed on plants that are common underground and in swamps. They are easily startled by light and will scuttle away from torches or magical light that finds its way into their habitat. The creatures are far from solitary and often gather in colonies ranging from 20 to 100 creatures.

Giant Glow Worm: Like a regular glow worm, these creatures create strands of sticky silk covered in glowing beads of saliva to entrance and ensnare prey. These worms can grow up to one foot in length compared to their smaller counterparts. They feed on Tiny creatures like bats and birds that they catch on their strands, in addition to insects. If a Small or larger creature is caught on a strand, it will usually snap and just stick to the creature causing a mild annoyance. Even if the strand doesn’t break, the worm will know if a creature is too big for it to eat by the vibrations on the silk, and will stay put if it’s too large.

Lightsteel Mites: These insects are very tiny, enough to drift through the air on the slightest breeze. They cling to dungeon and cave walls and eat dust particles. They are a relatively unassuming creature until they come into contact with metals. The mites produce a natural light when touched by a conductor. This light comes in a variety of colors but tends to be one color in particular regions. The mites are only really noticeable when they gather in large colonies and drift onto creatures to feast on the dust covering them. Creatures wearing armor or wielding unsheathed weapons while covered in large numbers of lightsteel mites shed dim light in a 10-foot radius. Trying to wipe away the mites squishes them and spreads their light-shedding blood over the surface they were on. This doesn’t put out the light. The only sure way to get them off and prevent their light is by washing them off with water.

Magma Slug: This 8-10 inch creature looks like a sea slug glowing orange like a candle. It has red frilly feelers going down its back that seem to sway back and forth as it creeps its way along. It can cling to sheer surfaces unless they are slippery with liquid like water or oil. The slug eats iron that it heats up within its body, giving off its orange glow. When frightened, it expels the smelted contents of its stomach quickly, leaving a small red-hot ingot of steel behind. While its predators go after the glowing iron waste, it crawls away, no longer glowing until it eats more iron to digest. The slug dwells in subterranean areas and can survive in an around volcanoes. The creature is immune to fire damage and touching one deals 1 fire damage with each round of contact. Magma slugs do not gather in large groups unless it has no natural predators nearby. Salamanders and other fire creatures prefer their taste.

Marble Glob: These 2-foot diameter oozes look like they are made of polished marble with shifting veins of color including black, white, gray, red, or gray-green depending on its diet. That diet consists of stone and minerals that it breaks down with its unique acid. This acid does not harm organic material, but it is so weak that the glob has little use for industrious creatures. It takes days to eat through even an inch of stone. The glob is harmless and slow-moving, but many of them beneath a foundation can serve a threat to its structure.

Mortar Worm: A mortar worm is an 8-inch long worm only an inch in diameter. It isn’t a particularly remarkable creature, only colored in russet brown. However, it creates spectacular designs. The mortar worm feeds on stone and excretes a natural mortar as waste. As it travels along cavern and dungeon walls, floors, and ceilings, it creates tunnels and ribs in the stone. With enough worms and enough time, the area can take on the porous looking texture of sponge or dried coral, despite actually being made of natural cement.

Prismapods: These creatures look like enlarged pill bugs, about one foot in length. They have the distinctive feature of changing the color of the exoskeleton on their back to match their surroundings. When frightened or when trying to attract a mate, the isopods instead create vibrant colors that alternate down their back segments like a rainbow. These colors glow, producing dim light out to a mere 5 feet. Prismapods live in woodlands in and around fallen trees; the bigger the better. They eat the wood as it decays, leaving trails in the wood that look like they could have been caused by worms.

Skyswimmer Eels: Often found in jungles with moist and warm climates, skyswimmer eels look like flat wavy ribbons undulating up and down as they fly through the trees below the canopy. They range from white to pale blue in color and can reach up to 10 feet long. Their main body is about 4 inches wide and 1 inch high, with the rest of their apparent form comprised of 2 fins that span their body’s length, each extending out to 10 inches. At rest, they cling to trees with their bodies spiraling down the trunk’s length. Some varieties can change color to blend in with trees and leaves, and others have spined rays on their fins. Jungle denizens hunt these beautiful creatures and adorn their clothes with their colorful fins. Other cultures consider the creatures sacred and consider slaying them taboo.

Sleep Geckos: This tiny pink and purple gecko’s skin is poisonous to smaller predators, but to humanoids it is not potent enough to cause harm. However, the poison is a mild anesthetic for them, and can cause mild numbness and drowsiness in Small or Medium creatures. Those that are aware of these properties can gain advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to treat painful wounds. Those who come into contact with the poison must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or gain disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks for 10 minutes. Tiny or smaller creatures that fail this saving throw instead take 2d4 poison damage and fall unconscious for 1 hour.

Spectral Terrazoa: This creature looks like a translucent, glowing hydrozoa about the size of one’s fist that roams dark wilderness regions rather than the water. Although called spectral, the terrazoa are quite corporeal albeit ghostly-looking. The creature feeds on airborne nutrients spread by other plants, using its thin tendrils to draw them into its mouth. Spectral terrazoa gather in clusters wherever the air is dense with pollen or fertile scents, slowly climbing trees and boulders to get the best position. They do have a poisonous sting, so they are not entirely harmless, but it only deals 1 poison damage to creatures that touch it. Spectral terrazoa shed dim light out to 10 feet.

Starbugs: These beetles create globes of saliva that they fill with air, then they seal them off and get carried away by the slightest breeze. Starbugs are far from subtle. They can also glow like a firefly. This gives off some heat and lets their saliva-sphere float with a bit of control. The light fills the globe like a lantern, making it seem like a will-o-the-wisp from afar. These creatures inhabit dusky swamps and use their odd form of locomotion to find suitable mates and avoid waterborne predators in the swampy waters where they lay eggs.

Tile Scuttler: Tile scuttlers are land-dwelling crustaceans or possibly insects that dig beneath tiles and stones in subterranean dungeons, hiding beneath them much like a hermit crab hides in a discarded shell. Tile scuttlers can get fairly large, about 5-6 feet in width and length but only about 2 feet tall. They have many powerful legs to hold up the stone that rests on its back, and usually the weight of a Medium creature that stands upon it. Their claws and mouth are too small to do significant damage, using them to feed on insects, small particles, or even tiny vermin. The scuttlers can feel creatures approaching using tremorsense, out to about 15 feet. It tries to hide form larger creatures, but if someone steps on it the scuttler will lift it up and try to move away. In moist places with lots of nutrients, a whole colony can gather in a dungeon’s room, causing an unsettling but usually harmless encounter for adventurers.

Fantasy Flora

Brushgrass: Brushgrass looks like natural grass with frilled tips that grow up to 4 feet in height. They have a peculiar tendency to be attracted to movement and will brush up onto creatures moving near it. Some believe it is to help spread their seeds or to pick up pollen from passing creatures. It is otherwise harmless.

Coilies: This plant looks like a simple, albeit large, teal fern that curls up when creatures come within 5 feet of them. They stay coiled for about 30 minutes, making it easy to tell if a creature has passed by recently.

Dancing Lilies: These white flowers dangle from thin vines that hang from tall trees. Their petals are narrow then fan outward and flop under their weight. The lilies compress their vines to rise and fall to catch sun peeking through the canopy, which often gives them the appearance of dancing.

Dice Plant: The dice plant is an unassuming leafy weed that creates a large, translucent blue seed pod filled largely with air and large loose seeds. When creatures come close to it, the plant shakes to rattle the pod to scare them away, making a sound like dice being shaken in a cup. The plant is otherwise unremarkable.

Fairy Nest: This large flower is about 6 inches in diameter and has yellow or white petals with dark speckles. Its unusual feature is the translucent bright vermilion spheres at the center of the flower that it holds like a cup. These spheres are as small as beads and resemble caviar. The flower is named for these “fairy eggs,” despite the fact that no known fey actually lays eggs. The spheres contain seeds, and creatures that eat them are sure to spread them somewhere. The spheres are rubbery and both taste and smell awful. Strangely enough, orc and half-orc pallets actually enjoy the stuff.

Filigree Plant: The filigree plant has evolved to look like stone, steel, or precious metals despite being as soft and delicate as a regular flowers and leaves. They do so mainly to avoid notice by herbivores that wish to end their long lives. They tend to thrive in man-made dungeons where they simply look like a part of the architecture. When they need to spread seeds, they produce brightly colored fruit that eventually drops to the ground to be eaten by creatures. The fruit is not poisonous and is considered a rare delicacy, so adventurers that find a piece of floral masonry sprouting fruit would best grab it and sell it to the local fruit merchant.

Fountain Coral: This coral has evolved to survive on coasts and strangely above the water. Although made of a colony of hundreds of smaller yellow and pink creatures, its main structure looks like a cluster of seven or so 3-4 foot tubes standing vertically out of the water. As long as it rises out from a reliable source of water filled with nutrients, it can survive by drawing the water up through its tubed form and squirting it out the top of its tube. This method of feeding gives the fountain coral its name. Some are constantly spitting water, while others do so intermittently. Dead fountain coral no longer does squirts water and turns white and hard as stone. Some intelligent creatures use dead fountain coral as natural tubing over short distances.

Rolling Mossball: This creature ranges from 3 to 6 inches in diameter and is made of soft green scraggly plantlife. The mossball’s main form of locomotion is rolling by spinning a water-filled plant organ in the center of its form. It tumbles along the ground, seeking puddles or other bodies of water to rest in or deposit seeds. It is easily startled and its first instinct is to flee. Dead mossballs turn brown and dry out, and are often picked up by gusts of wind.

Shy Ladies: These large plants have giant, 4-foot petals that come in reds, pinks, and violets. When a creature comes within 20 feet of the plant, it curls up its petals into a 4-foot tall, half-foot thin green-white column curving under its own weight. Fey creatures seem to be able to not cause shy ladies to hide their petals, so sprites and other small fey tend to hide their treasures within their petals.

Windstrands: This plant is a vine with red arrowhead-shaped leaves that are always twisted and wavy. Windstrands grow on trees and boulders in hilly or mountainous regions where it can get lots of wind at its height. Without sensing any wind, its seeds simply refuse to grow. The reason for this is how it spreads its seeds: the vine grows several maroon pods that burst in autumn. Inside the pod is a thin, 2-foot long black strand with white puffs at regular intervals. The puffs are like dandelion seeds and separate from the strand when caught by a strong enough wind. Then they float away to grow elsewhere. When the season is right, these puffed strands can be seen waving off of the vines while more white puffs linger in the winds like cherry blossoms.

[lenaglittleus]

Vancouver + Whistler, British Columbia Travel Guide

It’s been a while since I shared a travel guide around here. I believe Grand Cayman was the last one in January. There’s certainly been no shortage of travel since then, but lately I just haven’t felt aligned to make travel guides out of each trip. Truthfully, I’ve found it challenging to balance both being in the moment while travelling and also capturing the experience for you. I love being able to share my best tips, but lugging around multiple cameras, capturing pretty pictures, filming videos and asking C to be my personal photographer isn’t always the most conducive to being present. It’s a fine line to walk…

That being said, I’m also learning that maybe, just maybe, I’m putting too much pressure on myself. I don’t need to have a video with every travel guide. I don’t need to take every picture with my gigantic professional camera. I don’t need to capture every single moment. That’s what my trip to British Columbia taught me – that sometimes we aren’t the best judge of what we need.

So I packed up all my gear for my trip to Vancouver and Whistler and decided to just let my alignment dictate what felt right, rather than try to get in alignment with what my brain told me was right. In the end I had such an incredible trip where I came home with memories to share with you guys and memories just for me. It just feels so right.

I captured some on my phone, some on my camera and decided to leave the vlogging camera in the comfort of my suitcase. I’m on a bit of a hiatus right now from video (I’ll be back after the wedding!) and honestly, I’m glad I didn’t film at all this trip. Though to be fair I did take about 100 snapchat videos of C with his baby cousin that make my heart swell and my ovaries ache (sorry it’s the truth) that I’m saving just for me. They’re sooooo cute.

The original reason for the trip was a conference in Whistler and then C and I extended our stay and spent a few days in Vancouver to see his family and hang with friends. I had never been to BC which is both embarrassing as a born-and-raised Canadian and legitimately made me feel like I was missing out on a part of the world that I knew I would love. I was right. Vancouver and Whistler are AMAZING, and I actually cannot wait to back.

But with that, let’s jump into the British Columbia Travel Guide…

WHERE WE STAYED

Whistler

The Four Seasons Whistler – truthfully C and I never would have spent the money on this ourselves, but the conference put us up here and we definitely weren’t complaining! Understandably, the amenities were amazing and we totally made ourselves home at the spa and outdoor pools and hot tubs.

Vancouver 

The Georgian Court Hotel*- we booked our hotel last minute on a really good deal through Hotel Tonight. The hotel was in a great location near Yaletown, had perfect amenities and was a great place to crash if you aren’t looking for any over-the-top frills.

*We’ve gotten some amazing deals on hotels (up to 60% off!) through Hotel Tonight and if you want to save $25 off your first trip with them, use the code DKUGELMASS when signing up.

WHAT WE DID

Whistler

Ski Whistler – yup definitely didn’t ski, but I wasn’t going to write a Whistler Travel Guide and not include skiing. C has skied there are few times and says it’s amazing, but being dropped off on the top of a mountain and told to slide down to the bottom is not my version of a good time.

Head to the Spa – Now this is my version of a good time. The conference actually had a morning at the Spa Scandinave but yo’ girl was late to arrive and it got totally booked up. I’ve heard it’s incredible and based on the other Scandinave spas I’ve been to in Canada, I’m sure it’s amazing. We did however enjoy the Spa at the Four Seasons and I’m definitely not complaining about that one…

Visit the Olympic Village – There’s a bunch of little shops in the courtyard and it’s fun to see the olympic rings and the amazing views of Blackcomb.

Walk around the Village – Admittedly the village is a bit kitchy, but there’s also lots of shops you can visit and restaurants for your Apres Ski.

Vancouver

Granville Island – We loved our little excursion to Granville Island! Visit the food market, the little artisan shops and just wander around the island for a few hours. We took the ferry since we thought it would be fun, but you can also access it by car or public transit.

Walk Around Stanley Park – Stanley Park is actually amazing! For one, all the trails make you feel like you’re in the middle of the wilderness, not the city and it also showcases the amazing flora and fauna of the PNW. I could have spent 3 days in there.

Vancouver Seawall – Lots of people recommended running or biking the seawall but due to the fact that I hate biking and it called for rain, we opted to walk. Good choice! We started at English Bay and walked along to Third Beach before weaving through Stanley Park. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon!

WHERE WE ATE

Whistler

The Green Moustache – The token healthy juice bar in Whistler. The food is delicious, quick and perfect if you want to top up on your green juice or kombucha. I had the kitchari upon suggestion and it was SO GOOD. My only regret is not buying dessert.

Sidecut – This is the restaurant at the Four Seasons and truly it’s delicious. I would recommend asking to eat in the lounge so you don’t spend an arm and a leg on your meal. Still not cheap but the quality is there and the service is amazing.

Naked Sprout – Similar to The Green Moustache, Naked Sprout has your organic, healthy fare but this time I didn’t forgot to grab dessert. The Mint, Goji and Spirulina bar was INSANE. A great place to stop for smoothies or a quick bite to eat too.

Araxi – Happy hour oysters. Need I say more?

Mongolie Grill – I think this might be a chain, but if you’re looking to top a plate full of veggies and pick your own flavor, this place is for you! We stumbled upon it for lunch and it was perfect and affordable.

Vancouver

*The food in Van was INSANE. Seriously so good. We ate in with C’s cousins one night but otherwise, basically just ate out our whole trip. If your only reason for visiting Vancouver is the food, you’ve made a good decision.

Chambar – two big realizations, brunch and donuts are HUGE in Vancouver. We couldn’t get into Medina or Jam Bar but it was a blessing in disguise because Chambar was incredible and the brunch was to-die-for. Also if someone could please explain why every restaurant in Van serves donuts, that would be helpful!

Beach Bay Cafe – This was the perfect place to stumble upon after our walk through Stanley Park. We ordered a bunch of the Happy Hour appetizers and some beer and everything was fresh and delicious. Highly recommend!

Yaletown Distillery – The cocktails here were SO GOOD. It’s pricey and definitely trendy but if you’re looking for a great place to grab drinks, go here!

Minami – One of the best meals of my life (not hyperbole). The sushi here is incredible. Get the Salmon Oshi Sushi and then order it at least 3 more times. My only regret is not eating every meal here!

A few other random things…

-There is no Uber/Lyft in Vancouver – Yes, it drove me crazy. Yes, you will spend way too much on cabs. Yes, they take credit cards. PHEW.

-There is a bus that takes you directly from the Vancouver airport to Whistler. It’s about $60 each way. We had a shuttle through our conference, but C took it on the way up and said it was easy. You just pick it up from International Departures.

-Bring a rain coat. It rains A LOT. Most hotels will offer umbrellas but if umbrellas aren’t your thing make sure you have your rain coat.

-We only had 48 hours in Vancouver so if you have more time, I’d suggest getting out of the city to do some hikes, but since we didn’t have that kind of time we decided to eat instead!

-You will have the best time! Honestly, Vancouver and BC in general blew me away. I loved it and can’t wait to go back!

Have you ever been to BC? Where should I travel to next with my slightly less pressure-filled attitude;) ?

The post Vancouver + Whistler, British Columbia Travel Guide appeared first on The Healthy Maven.

from News About Health https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2018/04/british-columbia-travel-guide.html

[classysandwichcollection-world]

St. John Collection Jacket, Tunic & Skirt

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