#gray-legged partridge

[crypitd]

🎁 A Grey Partridge "on" a (young) Pear Tree for (The First Day Of) Christmas 🎄

»   Etsy  •  Various Links   «

© Harlen Chen

[outofangband]

Birds of Gondolin

Flora, fauna, geography and environment Masterlist

As always I included world building notes at the end so it’s not just a list of species

This will complete my list of birds of Nolofinwëan realms!

The Echoriath: Rufous-throated partridge, black winged kite, black woodpecker, wood grouse, white throated needletail, long created eagle (rare/migrarory), crested bunting, scarlet finch, griffon vulture, mountain hawk eagle, collared falconet, lesser kestrel, silver throated bushtit, alpine accentor, Tibetan snowcock

Tumladen: black grouse, corn crake, upland buzzard, stone curlew, kingbirds, gray, brown and woodchat shrikes, grasshopper warblers, yellowhammers, red footed falcons, long legged buzzard (during winter), steppe eagle, booted warbler, grey throated martin, barn swallow, western house martin, chukar (rare),

World building notes

Eagles of course are highly valued in Gondolin; both the great eagles and many “regular” species of eagles live in the Crissaegrim, the mountains were Thorondor had his eyries. Their images are frequent in mosaics, sculptures and architectural motifs. Steppe eagles, a relative of golden eagles, adorn columns in the great market.

Bird houses and roosts are common within the city. Many of these are elaborate and elegant works of architecture. Grass woven roofs are common, with the grass being from Tumladen

I’ve always liked the idea of passenger pigeons in Gondolin too though these are likely brought by the elves rather than native to the region. 

In addition to the houses of the wing and swallow, many minor houses have birds as their heraldic device (on that note, the swallow depicted is likely a barn swallow)

Birds are not eaten in Gondolin by Turgon and most of his direct followers. This is done as a devotional act to Manwë and Ulmo however it is not legally forbidden and species of grouse and pheasants are sometimes eaten especially at informal feasts

Scarlet finches are beloved for their beautiful colors and appear through elaborate embroidery on several festival outfits.

The languages of Gondolin adapt words for certain species of birds that are not found outside the realm

Silver pheasants are kept as companion birds in Gondolin. The practice is based on Sindarin aviculture

I mentioned this here but Húrin has a tattoo of an eagle originally based on something he saw in Gondolin

[archivist-crow]

On this day:

MOTHMAN

On November 15, 1966, in West Virginia, two couples were driving by an abandoned explosives factory when a seven-foot-tall, gray-skinned creature with folded wings began moving on humanlike legs toward them. Menacing red eyes stared out from a neckless head. Driver Roger Scarberry tromped on the gas and sped away. Undaunted, the demon flew beside the couple's car, gliding on ten-foot, batlike wings, at 99 mph (160 kph). Its high-pitched sounds sent shivers down the couples' spines. Investigating later, the police found only electrical interference on their radios. Media christened the character Mothman, after the popular comic-book character Batman. A second sighting was reported in the town that same night, and a third, from 62 miles (100 kilometers) away, in the country.

Building contractor Newell Partridge watched his television screen become covered with a herringbone pattern as a high-pitched revving noise erupted from the speakers. His dog, Bandit, began to go berserk. Partridge went outside. Pointing his flashlight in the direction of the barn, the man and the dog saw a large, looming figure with smoldering red eyes. Bandit bolted toward the beast while Partridge went for his gun. By the time the builder could bring himself to step outdoors again, all that remained of his pet were pawprints. "There were no other tracks," he said.

In November 1967, three people with a baby were returning to their car when the Mothman, wings wide, rose before them. Everyone hustled back to the house. The Mothman followed them as far as the porch and peered through the windows as they huddled together inside. The first people who saw the phenomenon in 1961 remained silent because the story was unbelievable.

The Mothman was featherless, and its wings never flapped; his face was never described, and he took off vertically "like a helicopter." Between 1966 and 1967, more than 100 people encountered the creature; many of them sought medical attention afterwards.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini, published by Weiser Books, 2009

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Warrior Cats Prefixes- P

I had a WC Name Generator on Perchance that I made but I don't seem to have access anymore, so I'm remaking it here as just a simple list. The definitions used are the ones that Clan cats have for those things, and thus are the origins of the names. Definitions used are whatever I found when I googled it.

Pale-: "[adj] light in color or having little color"

Pansy-: "[noun] a popular cultivated viola with flowers in rich colors, with both summer- and winter-flowering varieties"

Panther-: "[noun] a black leopard"

Panthercap-: "[noun] a species of fungus found in Eurasia with poisonous and psychoactive properties"

Parsley-: "[noun] a biennial plant with white flowers and aromatic leaves that are either crinkly or flat"

Parsnip-: "[noun] a long tapering cream-colored root with a sweet flavor; [noun] the widely cultivated Eurasian plant of the parsley family that yields the parsnip root"

Partridge-: "[noun] a short-tailed game bird with mainly brown plumage, native to Eurasia"

Patch-: "[noun] a part of something marked out from the rest by a particular characteristic"

Patched-: "[adj] having multiple patches"

Pea-: "[noun] a spherical green seed that is eaten as a vegetable or as a pulse when dried; [noun] the hardy Eurasian climbing plant which yields pods containing peas"

Peace-: "[noun] freedom from disturbance, aka tranquility"

Peach-: "[noun] a round stone fruit with juicy yellow flesh and downy pinkish-yellow skin; [noun] the tree which bears the peach fruit"

Peak-: "[noun] the pointed top of a mountain"

Pear-: "[noun] a yellowish- or brownish-green edible fruit that is typically narrow at the stalk and wider toward the base, with sweet, slightly gritty flesh; [noun] the tree which bears the pear fruit"

Pearl-: "[noun] a hard, lustrous spherical mass, typically white or bluish-gray, formed within the shell of a pearl oyster or other bivalve mollusk and highly prized as a gem"

Peat-: "[noun] a brown deposit resembling soil, formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter in the wet acidic conditions of bogs and fens"

Pebble-: "[noun] a small stone made smooth and round by the action of water or sand"

Peony-: "[noun] a herbaceous or shrubby plant of north temperate regions, which has long been cultivated for its showy flowers"

Pepper-: "[noun] a capsicum, especially a sweet pepper"

Perch-: "[noun] a common freshwater fish"

Peregrine-: "[noun] a powerful falcon found on most continents, breeding chiefly on mountains and coastal cliffs"

Periwinkle-: "[noun] an Old World plant with flat five-petaled, typically bluish flowers and glossy leaves"

Persimmon-: "[noun] an edible fruit that resembles a large tomato and has very sweet flesh; [noun] the tree which yields the persimmon fruit"

Petal-: "[noun] each of the segments of the corolla of a flower, which are modified leaves and are typically colored"

Petrel-: "[noun] a seabird related to the shearwaters, typically flying far from land"

Petunia-: "[noun] a plant of the nightshade family with brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers"

Pheasant-: "[noun] a large long-tailed game bird native to Asia, the male of which typically has very showy plumage"

Phlox-: "[noun] a North American plant that typically has dense clusters of colorful scented flowers, widely grown as a rock-garden or border plant"

Pigeon-: "[noun] a stout seed- or fruit-eating bird with a small head, short legs, and a cooing voice, typically having gray and white plumage"

Pike-: "[noun] a long-bodied predatory freshwater fish with a pointed snout and large teeth, of both North America and Eurasia"

Pine-: "[noun] an evergreen coniferous tree that has clusters of long needle-shaped leaves. Many kinds are grown for their soft timber"

Pink-: "[adj] of a color intermediate between red and white, as of coral or salmon; [noun] pink color, material, or pigment"

Pipit-: "[noun] a mainly ground-dwelling songbird of open country, typically having brown streaky plumage"

Plover-: "[noun] a short-billed gregarious wading bird, typically found by water but sometimes frequenting grassland, tundra, and mountains"

Plum-: "[noun] n oval fleshy fruit that is purple, reddish, or yellow when ripe and contains a flattish pointed pit; [noun] the deciduous tree that bears the plum"

Plume-: "[noun] a long, soft feather or arrangement of feathers used by a bird for display; [verb] spread out in a shape resembling a feather"

Poison-: "[noun] a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed"

Pollen-: "[noun] a fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or from a male cone"

Pond-: "[noun] a small body of still water formed naturally or by hollowing or embanking"

Pony-: "[noun] a horse of a small breed"

Pool-: "[noun] a small area of still water, typically one formed naturally"

Poplar-: "[noun] a tall, fast-growing tree of north temperate regions"

Poppy-: "[noun] a herbaceous plant with showy flowers, milky sap, and rounded seed capsules"

Possum-: "[noun] a marsupial with a naked prehensile tail and opposable thumbs, an opossum"

Potato-: "[noun] a starchy plant tuber; [noun] the plant of the nightshade family that produces the potato tubers on underground runners"

Powder-: "[noun] fine, dry particles produced by the grinding, crushing, or disintegration of a solid substance; [noun] light, dry, newly fallen snow"

Prickle-: "[noun] a short, slender, sharp-pointed outgrowth on the bark or epidermis of a plant, a small thorn"

Primrose-: "[noun] a commonly cultivated plant of European woodlands that produces pale yellow flowers in the early spring; [noun] a pale yellow color"

Privet-: "[noun] a shrub of the olive family, with small white heavily scented flowers and poisonous black berries"

Promise-: "[noun] a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen; [verb] assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something, or undertake or declare that something will happen"

Proud-: "[noun] feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated; [noun] having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance"

Ptarmigan-: "[noun] a northern grouse of mountainous and Arctic regions, with feathered legs and feet and plumage that typically changes to white in winter"

Puddle-: "[noun] a small pool of liquid, especially of rainwater on the ground"

Puffball-: "[noun] a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area"

Pumpkin-: "[noun] a large rounded orange-yellow fruit with a thick rind, edible flesh, and many seeds; [noun] the plant of the gourd family that produces pumpkins, having tendrils and large lobed leaves"

Purple-: "[noun] a color intermediate between red and blue; [adj] of a color intermediate between red and blue"

[buttercup-draws44]

Night time for the Puppet AU Ensemble

Disclaimer: This is fanmade and not canon to Welcome Home. I do not work with Clown or the rest of the team. This is just a silly little crossover for fun.

I wanted to design pajamas for these guys.

Alvis, Mahira, Rubis, and Dylan are all from the comic CARDs, created by @arty-e

Welcome Home is created by partycoffin.

Image description for the first image: From left to right: Alvis, Mahira, Rubis, and Dylan from the WEBTOON comic CARDS. Alvis is sleeping next to Mahira, cuddling her with his hand on her leg. His puppet is a light pink with a pinky-red nose and blue eyelids. He wears muted pink socks with the heel and toe part being a very dark, muted mauve color. Mahira has her arm around Alvis and is looking down at him, smiling. She sits with her right leg crossed over her left. She wears an orange, button-down nightgown with yellow buttons, collar, and sleeve cuffs. The nightgown has a pocket with a red heart on it. She also wears coral colored house slippers. Rubis sits next to Mahira, smiling and chatting. He sits criss-cross applesauce style, with his left hand held up to imply he is gesturing as he talks. He has pajama shirt with a gold diamond pattern and solid gold pants. He has a yellow robe with cream trim and belt. Rubis also wears black house slippers. Dylan sits next to him with one knee up and being held by both hands. Dylan wears eyeglasses on his face and a light blue button up pajama shirt with a lapel collar and gray-blue buttons. The pants are the same color. He also wears light blue house slippers with a bright blue spade on the topline. They are all sitting on the second story of Poppy Partridge’s barn, with a wooden floor and pink wallpaper with a white stripe pattern.

Image description for second image: Same picture, but darker to signify that it’s night

[aa-koval-kury]

137) Rasy kur z Chin:

Anyi Grey

Baicheng You

Baier Buff

Baier Yellow

Bashing Long-tail

Beijing White

Beijing You

Bian

Bian – Nei-Mong

Chahua

Changshun Blue-eggshell

Chengkou Mountain

Chongren Partridge

Dagu

Daninghe

Dawei Shan Mini

Dehua Black

Dongxiang Green

Dong'an

Dulong

Dwarf Small Buff

Emei Black

Erh-Mei

Fuyun Black

Guangxi Black-bone

Guangxi Partridge

Guangxi Sanhuang

Guangyuan Gray

Guping

Gushi

Haidong

Henan Fighting

Hetian

Hetian Black

Hongshan

Hua-Tung

Huaibei Partridge

Huainan Sanhuang

Huaixiang

Huanglang

Huangshan Black

Huiyang Bearded

Jiangcun Buff

Jianghan

Jiangshan Silkie

Jingmen Black-feather and Blue-eggshell

Jingxin Buff

JingyangJingyuan

Jinhu Black-bone

Jining Bairi

Jinyang Silkie

Jiujin Yellow

Jiuyuan Black

Kangdar Buff

Kangle

Langshan

Langyu

Lanping Silkie

Liangshanya Ying

Lindian

Lingkun

Linnan Buff

Lintao

Liyang

Long-leg

Longsheng Feng

Lueyang

Luning

Lushi

Luxi Fighting

Luyuan

Macheng Blue-eggshell

Minqing Booted

Miyi

Muchuan Black Silkie

Nandanyao

New Langshan

New Pudong

New Yangzhou

Ningdu Sanhuang

Nixi

Pengxian Buff

Piao

Pudong

Qiandongnan Xiao Xiang

Qingyuan Partridge

Rugao Yellow

Shanbei

Shimian Caoke

Short-leg

Shouguang

Shuanglian

Silkie

Silkie – Ju-Chi

[kifu]

My little guys are starting to grow up. <3

So the raccoon that's been taking out my flock is caught. My wife wants to shoot him, so I wait for her to wake up, teach her gun safety, and then we shoot him dead. I think I'll keep his fur and keep it in my stash of to-do furs after a Dawn bath.

I haven't looked because I'm not messing with a live raccoon, but I'm pretty sure it's a mature male. It's big. Maybe it's what killed my gold laced pullet last year. Never caught whatever was killing my chicks, just kept it out of the pens.

Our candy corn polish are both dead. I think I have two eggs from the hen, the first of which I'm not even sure is fertilized because I JUST put them together. I can work with ONE candy corn, but that's going to be a LOT of luck.

The raccoon ripped her up. Just killed the cock and left him for dead. He doesn't even have any blood on him that I can see, just a lot of missing feathers. He was a very, VERY good boy. And that's nuts, from a polish. I am pissed.

It's a huge, huge relief to catch this fucker. I think it's big enough that it's the only one in the territory, but that doesn't mean I'll stop trapping.

I might be able to start planning for next year.

I'm officially pullorum certified as of today. I can buy my supply of antigen whenever I feel like it. I can NPIP my flock any time I want now. I do need to have a discussion with the wife about that, because in Michigan it's $300 just to the state to get registered with NPIP. Which I believe is the highest in the country. Neither of us are shipping this year, but I do want to be NPIP status by the time I can ship next year.

We have very frustrating turkeys that were very expensive and very rare. Most of the flock is Cgcg (gray?) or sweetgrass, and everything is penciled. So we have penciled sweetgrass, tigers, penciled fall fires - all various recessive reds, black, and slate based. We'd like to make some money back on them.

I have some cochin from competitive sources now. My black, blue, and mottled are fairly established. My chocolate project is mostly dead in water after my hen died. I have a chance at lavender. Well, I have hatchery stock lavender, too, but I'd like to not use them if I have the chance; I now have TWO split lavenders from the best lav breeder I know of in the country.

I have ONE mille project pullet. I wanted a cockerel, but whatever. She is the only one (of this color and project) that lived through the week where my babies were dying, but she's also the only one that met all the criteria: brown, feather legged (and footed!). The cockerel I had growing up was the "blue" and I really think that it WASN'T blue and that mossiness or whatever it was was going to end up roasting me. Plus, he was only feather shanked, so this pullet is so much nicer than he would have been. I have so many mottled blacks from her parents, and I think I'm at about a 4% brown feather legged hatch rate when it was supposed to be around ... 11%? So yay stats in my favor.

I have gold laced! I had ten shipped to me, nine lived. Two are cockerels, so seven are pullets. Nuts stats on that one. They're still young, as seen in picture, so I have noooo idea what I'm working with yet.

I have some surviving silver laced! Y'know, what I REALLY wanted from the hatchery. I have one surviving silver laced hen from the raccoon. I have two cockerels and one pullet from the hatchery. Again, no idea what I'm working with yet. But while the hen I have is very stiff in the tail, and her lacing is meh, she has some pretty decent structure to her body. I have no babies out of that hen yet this year. I think I'm giving her another couple weeks with my partridge boy before I switch her over to the red shouldered blue laced yellow cross cock. REALLY wanted a red shouldered yellow laced cockerel from her and the partridge, though. *pout*

I have no partridge offspring this year! They're doing horribly! But half the hens in that pen started sitting this week, so I'll see what they can do.

I have no laced project babies this year! Awesome! That's only a major inconvenience!

I have one chocolate mottled houdan that hatched. I'm pretty sure it's a pullet out of the blue that I killed after he attacked my face. I think I'll dismantle that pen pretty soon. I have some houdans I got from the hatchery, too, so I get to have choices for the houdan pen next year. They need to be bred a lot heavier than they currently are. They look like polish to me, and not even good ones at that.

I've made progress so far this year, but my hatches have been shiiiiiit, so not nearly as much progress as I would have liked. I don't want to hatch too late into the summer! I don't like fall babies.

[burstingstones]

Allegiances

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Pipestone Colony

Leader Piperhawk -- A ginger and brown molly with tattered ears and yellow eyes.

Second Stonesong -- A dark brown molly with teal eyes.

Historian Rootbuzzard -- A very pale golden-brown trans tom with splashes of white on his fur.

Healers Yarrowspeckle -- A very dark reddish-brown tabby molly with a spiky-furred tail. Yewleap -- A black and orange tabby trans molly with large pointed ears. Tansyfang -- A tiny gray-brown tabby molly.

Heart Keepers Flameheart -- A brown tabby molly with green eyes. Burningapple -- A light ginger and white trans tom. Blazemoth -- A bright ginger tabby tolly with tufted ears. Kindlingfeather -- A ginger colorpoint molly with hazel eyes.

Seed Sowers Sandshimmer -- A golden speckled molly with cobalt blue eyes. Mudstrawberry -- A handsome red tom with blue eyes. Dustantler -- A pale reddish-brown tom with a bent tail.

Trappers Runningthrush -- A gold and cream tabby tom with stormy teal eyes. Fogbreeze -- A long-legged orange tabby molly with enormous blue-green eyes (Nursing Cricket). Sunpounce -- A bright ginger tom with silver eyes. Talonsage -- A messy-furred golden tom. Sleekspring -- A short chestnut brown tabby molly. Snarlhound -- A creamy brown tom with tiny white dash on his chest.

Guards Shadeoat -- A brown and ginger tolly with big pale paws. Spottedswan -- A dark brown and cream molly with black stripes. Strikedeer -- A very dark brown and white tabby tom. Stonelake -- A tall crow-black molly.

Trainees Stoat -- A tortoiseshell tabby tom with a stumpy white tail. Chirp -- A nimble red molly with sky-blue eyes. Blossom -- A golden-brown tabby molly.

Kittens Cricket -- A sturdy ginger and white tabby tom.

Mentors Willowred -- A well-groomed rose-cream tolly with bright hazel-green eyes. Wingturtle -- An old golden tabby molly with a broken spine and purple eyes. Stemquail -- A mottled brown molly with blue eyes. Shimmergoose -- A white and brown tabby tom with an unusually long tail.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Cloudburst Colony

Leader Cloudmackerel -- A long-furred silver tabby tom with tufted ears.

Second Burstfern -- A white and grey tabby molly.

Historian Rootstride -- A silver colorpoint tabby molly with orange eyes.

Healers Fernrusset -- A blue-gray tabby trans tom with a black tail. Thistlefrost -- A silver colorpoint tabby trans molly. Brackenlight -- A gray and white tabby molly with black streaks in her fur. Ferncedar -- A blind tortoiseshell tom.

Divers Frostflurry -- A curly-furred, cream and gray tabby trans molly. Foamflutter -- A gray-brown tom with silver eyes. Streamplum -- A black and dark gray tabby tom with copper eyes. Currentbird -- A dark gray tabby molly with enormous blue-gray eyes.

Tempests Cloudwhisker -- A large sooty gray tabby trans tom with brown eyes. Stormharrier -- A Deaf silver and white molly with purple-grey eyes.

Trappers Crowstripe -- A smoky black tabby trans molly with a pale belly and one mismatched eyes. Jumpspider -- A strong creamy white tabby molly. Hopblizzard -- A light gray and brown tom with long, wild fur. Springelm -- A slim black and gray tabby molly. Brightjuniper -- A pure white tom with a dark muzzle.

Guards Strikeotter -- A light gray colorpoint tabby trans molly. Darkoak -- A heavily scarred black and orange molly with stormy purple-gray eyes (Nursing Petal & Partridge). Clawshiver -- A pale gray colorpoint tom with purple-gray eyes.

Trainees Mistle -- A scrappy silver colorpoint tabby tom with golden eyes. Pipit -- A grey molly with brown and white patches.

Kittens Petal -- A skinny brown tabby molly. Partridge -- A tall white and silver tabby tom.

Mentors Pathmoon -- A sleek pale pinkish-cream tom. Darkbadger -- A black and white tom with a missing eye.

•─────⋅☾ ☆ ❀•°•───────•

Other Characters

Wisp -- A scrappy white tom. Tomato -- A dull brown tabby molly with blue eyes. Honey -- A long-furred golden molly. Gene -- A small white and light brown trans tom. Luke -- A white and gray tabby tom with one missing eye. Myrtle -- A powerful ginger tom with mismatched eyes.

[strelles-universe]

Clan Names - Seed Birds

Bird: Used by all clans equally. A small or bouncy cat, whimsical and flighty.

Blackbird: A ShadowClan or a ThunderClan name. An all black cat, somewhat rare because of length.

Bunting: Used by all clans equally. A vibrant or elaborately colored cat.

Cardinal: Primarily a ThunderClan or a ShadowClan name. A mostly or completely red cat, a cat with a black mask over their eyes, noticeable or obnoxious.

Chaffinch: Used by all clans. An odd colored kit, a kit who is blue and ginger.

Chickadee, Tit: Used by all clans equally. A distinctively marked kit, someone with round or soft features, gentle.

Crow: Primarily a WindClan or ShadowClan name. A mostly or completely black cat, one who is agitating, good at finding clues.

Cuckoo: Used by all clans equally. A gray furred cat with white flecks, a cat with very long legs; aggressive and bold.

Dove: Primarily a ThunderClan name. A round and soft featured cat, one who is elegant and social; beautiful.

Finch: Used by all clans but ShadowClan. A brightly colored cat, someone who is yellow or red; distinctive and bold.

Grouse: Primarily a WindClan or a ThunderClan name. A black and brown cat, someone who is speckled with brown.

Hen: Primarily a WindClan or ThunderClan name. A dapple furred cat, a tortoiseshell; motherly or provider.

Hummingbird: Used by all clans but ShadowClan. A small or runty cat, someone with boundless energy or vigor, a vibrantly colored cat.

Jackdaw: Used by all clans equally. A dark gray or dark blue cat, someone who is intelligent or clever.

Jay: Primarily a ThunderClan name. A blue or brown kit, someone who is striking; headstrong and aggressive, stubborn.

Lark: Primarily a WindClan or ThunderClan name. A brown and white cat, someone who is graceful or skillful.

Magpie: Used by all clans equally. A black and white cat, someone who is craft and aggressive, fearsome.

Nightingale: Primarily a ThunderClan name. A sandy or reddish brown cat, someone who is private or secretive.

Nightjar: Primarily a ShadowClan name. A mottled or brindle coated cat, one who is brown; still and stern, a common title for border guards.

Oriole: Primarily a ThunderClan and RiverClan name. A vibrant and dark-highlighted cat, particularly of a ginger and black coloring; striking or noticeable.

Partridge: Primarily a WindClan name. A pale gray or brown striped cat, someone with soft fur.

Pheasant: Used by all clans equally. A brown or red furred cat with a shiny coat, bold or show-boating.

Pigeon: Used by all clans equally. A gray and blue furred cat, someone who is adaptable.

Ptarmigan: A rare name. A cat who is small and round, soft furred or gentle.

Quail: Primarily a ThunderClan or a WindClan name. A brown and white cat, a spotted pelt cat, someone with distinctive ear tufts.

Raven: Used by all clans. A mostly or fully black cat, a cat who is intelligent and mysterious, a messenger of Moonsoul.

Robin: Primarily a ThunderClan name. A brown or tan furred cat, someone who is simultaneous average and common.

Rook: Primarily a WindClan or a ShadowClan name. A mostly or completely black furred cat, someone missing patches of fur, a clever cat.

Sparrow: Used by all clans equally. A brown and tan cat, small but determined; one who is loud or awakens early

Shrike: Used by all clans equally. A cat who is small and lanky, dangerous in battle.

Starling: Primarily a ThunderClan or New SkyClan name. A dark furred cat with a light speckled body, someone who talks or sings a lot, a gossiper.

Swallow: Primarily a RiverClan, ThunderClan or New SkyClan name. A vibrant or distinctively colored kit, someone sure-footed and skillful.

Thrush: Primarily a ThunderClan name. A brown and white cat, someone who is speckled in some way, loyal and devoted.

Warbler: Used by all clans equally. A vibrant yellow or golden furred kit, someone talkative and good singer.

Wagtail: Primarily a WindClan name. A black and white or a gray and white kit, someone who is talkative or smart.

Wren: Primarily a WindClan and ThunderClan name. A mostly or completely brown cat, someone who speaks and moves quickly.

[moths-wc-aus]

Prefix Meanings - P

Pale - “Light in color or having little color.” A pale cat; A light-furred cat

Pansy - “A popular viola with flowers in rich colors, with both summer- and winter-flowering varieties.” A small cat; A cat with bright fur; A cheerful cat; A gentle cat; A flexible cat; A kind cat

Panther - “A black leopard.” A large cat; A black cat; A strong cat; A noble cat

Parsley - “A biennial plant with white flowers and aromatic leaves that are either crinkly or flat.” A thick-furred cat; A tall cat; A calm cat; A soothing cat

Parsnip - “A long tapering cream-colored root with a sweet flavor.” A pale cat; A cream cat; A cat with long limbs; A sweet cat; A friendly cat

Partridge - “A short-tailed game bird with mainly brown plumage.” A brown cat; A grey cat; A tabby cat; A cat with a short tail

Passerine - “A large order of birds distinguished by feet that are adapted for perching, including all songbirds.” A vocal cat; A balanced cat; A cat who is musically gifted

Patch - “A part of something marked out from the rest.” A cat with patched fur patterns

Pea - “The hardy Eurasian climbing plant which yields pods containing peas ; Used in names of plants or seeds that are similar or related to the pea, e.g. chickpea, sweet pea.” A hardy cat; A small cat

Peach - “A round stone fruit with juicy yellow flesh and downy pinkish-yellow skin.” A brown cat; A yellow cat; A soft-furred cat; A sweet cat; A kind cat; A sturdy cat

Peak - “The pointed top of a mountain.” A spiky-furred cat; An energetic cat; A cat with immense stamina; A cat who is prone to wandering; An adventurous cat

Pear - “A yellowish- or brownish-green edible fruit that is typically narrow at the stalk and wider toward the base, with sweet, slightly gritty flesh.” A brown cat; A yellow cat; A sweet cat; A coarse-furred cat; A sturdy cat

Pearl - “A hard, lustrous spherical mass, typically white or bluish-gray, formed within the shell of a pearl oyster or other bivalve mollusk.” A white cat; A pale cat; A cat with sleek fur; A cat with glossy / shiny fur; An attractive cat

Pebble - “A small stone made smooth and round by the action of water or sand.” A small cat; A grey cat; A white cat; A blue cat; A black cat; A determined cat; A firm cat

Peeper - “A small tree frog that has brownish-gray skin with a dark cross on the back, the males of which sing in early spring.” A small cat; A brown cat; A grey cat; A tabby; A long-legged cat; A vocal cat; A musically gifted cat

Pelican - “A large waterbird with a long bill, an extensible throat pouch for scooping up fish, and mainly white or gray plumage.” A large cat; A white cat; A grey cat; A white and black cat; A calm cat; A social cat; A scavenger

Peony - “An herbaceous or shrubby plant of temperate regions with showy flowers.” A white cat; A red cat; A thick-furred cat; A soft-furred cat; A gentle cat

Pepper - “A capsicum, especially a sweet pepper.” A yellow cat; A red cat; An orange cat; A brown cat; A temperamental cat; An aggressive cat

Perch - “An edible freshwater fish with a high spiny dorsal fin, dark vertical bars on the body, and orange lower fins.” A yellow cat; A pale cat with dark stripes; A skilled swimmer

Peregrine - “A powerful falcon found on most continents, breeding chiefly on mountains and coastal cliffs.” A grey cat; A grey and white cat; A tabby; A skilled hunter; A powerful cat; A cat with good eyesight

Periwinkle - “A flower with flat five-petaled typically bluish flowers and glossy leaves.” A blue cat; A grey cat; A black cat; A white cat; A glossy-furred cat; A delicate cat; A small cat

Petal - “Each of the segments of the corolla of a flower, which are modified leaves and are typically colored.” A gentle cat; A graceful cat; A delicate cat; An elegant cat; An attractive cat; A soothing cat

Petrel - “A seabird related to the shearwaters, typically flying far from land.” A brown cat; A grey cat; A black cat; A brown and white cat; A grey and white cat; A black and white cat; A swift cat; A skilled fisher

Petunia - “A plant of the nightshade family with brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers.” A gentle cat; A bright-furred cat; A cheerful cat; A flexible cat

Pheasant - “A large long-tailed game bird, the male of which typically has very showy plumage.” A brown cat; A red cat; A long-furred cat; A bold cat; A cat with glossy / shiny fur; A cat with a particularly long tail

Pickerel - “An easy-to-grow pond plant found in shallow, quiet waters.  It has purple hyacinth-like flowers and attracts waterfowl and dragonflies.” A small cat; A black cat; A blue cat; A gentle cat; A delicate cat

Pigeon - “A stout bird with a small head, short legs, and a cooing voice, typically having gray and white plumage.” A grey cat; A grey and white cat; A cat with glossy / shiny fur; A clever cat; An adaptable cat

Pike - “A long-bodied predatory freshwater fish with a pointed snout and large teeth.” A large cat; An aggressive cat; A cat with white spots

Pine - “An evergreen coniferous tree that has clusters of long needle-shaped leaves.” A red cat; A brown cat; A reddish-brown cat; A cat with spiky fur; A sturdy cat; A defensive cat

Pink - “Of a color intermediate between red and white.” A pinkish cat; A cheerful cat

Pipit - “A ground-dwelling songbird of open country, typically having brown streaky plumage.” A small cat; A brown cat; A tabby; A vocal cat; A musically gifted cat

Pitch - “Completely dark; as black as pitch.” A black cat

Plover - “A short-billed wading bird, typically found by water.” A small cat; A grey cat; A black cat; A dark cat with a white belly; An agile cat; A cat with quick reflexes; A curious cat

Plum - “An oval fleshy fruit that is purple, reddish, or yellow when ripe and contains a flattish pointed pit ; The deciduous tree that bears the plum.” A red cat; A yellow cat; A black cat; A dark-furred cat; A sweet cat; A kind cat

Poison - “A substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.” An intimidating cat; An aggressive cat; A temperamental cat

Pollen - “A fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower.” A very small cat; A yellow cat; A fidgety cat; A cat who is prone to wandering

Pond - “A small body of still water.” A grey cat; A white cat; A black cat; A blue cat; A calm cat

Pool - “A small area of still water.” A grey cat; A white cat; A black cat; A blue cat; A gentle cat; A wise cat

Poplar - “A tall, fast-growing tree of northern temperate regions.” A grey cat; A yellow cat; A tall cat; A slender cat; A firm cat

Poppy - “An herbaceous plant with showy flowers, milky sap, and rounded seed capsules.” A red cat; A sleepy cat; A cheerful cat; An attractive cat; A gentle cat; A soothing cat

Possom - “A marsupial with a naked prehensile tail and hind feet with an opposable thumb.” A grey cat; A cat with round ears; A skilled tunneler; A skilled climber; A nervous cat

Posy - “A small bunch of flowers.” A spotted cat; A dappled cat; A calico cat; A small cat

Pounce - “To spring or swoop suddenly so as to catch prey.” An energetic cat; A skilled hunter; A quiet / sneaky cat

Prickle - “A short, slender, sharp-pointed outgrowth on the outside of a plant; a small thorn.” A small cat; A cat with spiky fur; A defensive cat; A sharp-tongued cat

Primrose - “A common woodland plant that produces pale yellow flowers in the early spring.” A yellow cat; A red cat; A white cat; A pale cat; An attractive cat; A gentle cat; A small cat; A cheerful cat; A social cat

Puddle - “A small pool of liquid, especially of rainwater, on the ground.” A grey cat; A white cat; A black cat; A blue cat; A gentle cat; A curious cat

Puffin - “A hole-nesting seabird, with a large head and a massive, brightly colored triangular bill.” A black and white cat; A tortoiseshell with small orange patches; A curious cat; A friendly cat; A social cat; A skilled swimmer

Pumpkin - “A large rounded orange-yellow fruit with a thick rind, edible flesh, and many seeds.” An orange cat; A resilient cat; A cheerful cat; A thick-furred cat

Purple - “A color intermediate between red and blue.” A white cat; A grey cat; A black cat

[outofangband]

Hey, I hope you’re well! I was wondering if you have any hcs on the environment/ flora and fauna of Himlad? Or if you already posted about it and I just didn’t see it 😅 thank you!

Flora, fauna, environment and geography of Arda

note: I did most of this when I was sick so it’s shorter than some of my others but I will go back and edit it to add more 

Himlad was a realm in Eastern Beleriand, bordered on the West by the river Aros and on the East, its tributary, Celon. It means ‘cool plain’ in Sindarin and was described simply as a cold region, likely due to its proximity to the March and thus to the Iron Mountains, the cold fronts of which extend throughout the surrounding regions. 

We have little information on environment other than the description of cold but some speculation can be done due to the habitat and through looking at similar real habitats, mostly in Northern Europe and temperate parts of Asia as well as parts of North America which Tolkien was inspired by the prairies in (source: The Flora of Middle Earth)

Himlad might also be described as a steppe, that is, an ecoregion of plains and grasslands where the only trees grow near rivers or lakes. Himlad specifically would be a cold steppe and shrub steppe. 

The region is likely semi arid with especially dry summers and a short rainy season of intermittent showers following the end of the winter.

The actual grasslands are likely made up of a variety of species such as crested wheatgrass, junegrasses, wiregrass, feather grasses, and melic grasses.  Shrubs are more common in the hilly parts towards the North; silver berry, violet willow, sage brush and bitter brush, rowan and mountain ashes, smallflower tamarisk,  others that grow in cooler but semi arid conditions.  Other flowers and herbaceous plants grow throughout the plains as well like golden rod and aster, greater wormwood, fringed sage brush,  a variety of daisy species Quaking aspen can be found by the rivers in small groves of two to three trees and solitary in the hills. 

There are few trees so the birds here are mostly game birds and ones that nest on the ground including perhaps a species of burrowing owl. Hazel and black grouse, common quail, red legged partridge, Asian gray partridge, black billed caper and common pheasants are some examples.  There are also other birds of prey who fly and hunt over the plains even if they don’t nest in them. This might include osprey closer to the rivers, common and uplands buzzard, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, hen harriers, and possibly golden eagles. 

Common shrews, steppe lemming, greater and lesser white toed shrews, common rabbits and hares, ground squirrels, social voles, field mice, corsac fox, steppe cat and species like both European and Asian badgers make up the smaller mammals of the region. 

Reindeer, Eld’s deer, pronghorn, wild horses (such as the tahki) , goa, and saiga antelope as well as larger species of antelope not found in the world today roam the grasslands of Himlad and Lothlann, grazing and eating fruits and leaves from the shrubs and herbs. 

I personally enjoy the headcanon that prehistoric (in today’s world) bear species occasionally ventured into the plains of East Beleriand to hunt.

As for the rivers those would likely have to be their own posts if there’s interest? I just don’t want to condense too much all these beautiful regions

[sepdet]

I just realized I didn't post any photos from my Adventure last week in the Year of Our Clusterfuck 2020.

My mom's been depressed and afraid she'd never see me again. To avoid the plague, I drove across the Mojave Desert to meet my parents in Utah, camping outside a ghost town where I had access to a well-ventilated outdoor restroom, setting up and taking down my tent in 100º+ heat.

Along the way, with one bar of signal in the middle of nowhere, I was donating to DITCH MITCH OR DIE TRYING in honor of RBG and writing senators and agitating, because everything happens so much.

My 16-year-old Prius makes the 4000-fit climb of the Cajon Pass in the San Bernadino Mountains, the first (and not the highest) pass on this adventure, almost up from sea level.

Not sunset. This was sunny southern California at 4PM, normally blue sky, bright and cloudless. The Bobcat Fire was off to the north.

Below: Camping in the desert outside of Barstow. Here's how to spend the night on the road without fear of catching covid in a hotel. Car tent!

Put the back seats down, hatchback up, spreead out a camping mattress, and it's a lot better than sleeping on the ground.

Also note air purifier. It was a little less smokey in the morning, so I unzipped the windows, but I had them sealed during the night. (I could still hear a great-horned owl). The campground had an electric hookup, so I ran an extension cord into my car.

Chukars! These wild desert partridges were circling my campsite up on the ridges, chucking at me, but they kept running out of sight every time I tried to photograph them.

Did I mention there was an electric hookup (that ugly gray box)? Guess what I put in the freezer I usually use for cold compresses for my arthritic joints. The smoke makes it look like a partial eclipse, but it was still 102º.

Moving on. Pausing at a rest stop to stretch my legs. Old volcanic cinder cones erupting through what used to be river and lake sediment before the Mojave dried up. Even in the haze, I love the desert.

Success! Driving 400 miles, escaping the smoke at last, I avoided any human contact until I reached my parents!

Who are privileged white boomers who bought a condo on a golf course (at least it's recycled water); why yes I am embarrassed, but there it is.

(St George Trip 2020, 1 of 3)

[lycorogue]

Perfect Doesn’t Need to be Perfect: Chapter 2

I miss these early chapters. They were easy. They were small. They were still relatively light-hearted. Then chapter 5 happened and I’ve completely lost this project down an angsty rabbit hole. 0.o I’ll try to get that sorted out in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, enjoy one of the short, fluffy chapters.

**Contains Spoilers for Taurus Pixie’s story Twelve Days of Chatmas**

Summary: Chat Noir has run into a long streak of poor luck, all in an attempt to give Ladybug the perfect Christmas gift. Little does he know, his first try was already perfect in Ladybug’s eyes. Now it’s her turn to try to navigate around Chat Noir’s failed attempts in her own pursuit to find something equally fantastic for him. **A Switched-POV Unofficial Companion Story to Twelve Days of Chatmas by @thetauruspixie​**

Rating: General Audience

Chapter Word Count: 1733

Story Total Word Count: 37,973

Status: chapter 2 of 12; complete

**For reals, if you haven’t read Twelve Days of Chatmas yet, read that first so my story doesn’t spoil anything for you. It’s cool. This story will still be here when you get back. ;) **

See below for chapter 2, or find this story over on AO3, on FFN, or on DA. 

CHAPTER 2:

The little pear tree sculpture was worse off than Marinette gave it credit, but it wasn't completely irreparable. She had taken stock of the damage the night before, and made a point of picking up the necessary supplies after school. Now it was time to get to work.

Too much of the foam base was chipped away when the card stock truck was ripped out of it, so she started off with replacing that. Then she carefully bent the trunk back so it was flat. The bad bend left a scarring crease in the base of the trunk, bit it actually looked good. Most trees had some sort of scarring in their bark. Using tracing paper to make a pattern, Marinette cut out two slightly smaller versions of Chat Noir's trunk from more card stock. Doubling up her own tree trunks, she glued them to the back of Chat Noir's to reinforce it. Finally, she made it 3D by adding a support branch of roots off the back. Resting the tree on her desk, it stood perfectly straight on it's own; no foam required.

Confident it was now sturdy enough for the weight of the filled in branches, Marinette got to work on fixing everything else. Using a decorative hole punch, she created a small confetti pile of green almond-shaped leaves out of construction paper. She then laid them out on parchment paper, and sprayed them down with adhesive before taking a deep breath.

“He's lucky I like him.” Through gritted teeth she started shaking the green glitter onto the sticky green leaves. She kept it as close to the project as she could, and she tried to stop once the leaves were properly coated without having too much excess. With any luck, she'd only find glitter for the next week or so.

As the leaves dried she got to work on reinforcing the partridge so its chubby little head wouldn't bend forward from the weight of the wooden beak and note.

The note. Forgetting what she was doing, Marinette gently pushed the clothespin open and released the torn note from the bird's grip. Folded over, the little note was barely larger than a postage stamp. Carefully opening it, Marinette was greeted by tiny but elegant writing; far fancier than she imagined Chat Noir's handwriting to be.

“Wishing the most amazing girl in the world the greatest of Christmases,” Marinette read the note aloud to Tikki. It was signed with a little heart drawn with red ink, and a paw print colored in with green ink. Giggling a little to herself, Marinette tore off two small strips of tape and patched up the tear running through the center of the message. She then tore off one more piece of tape. Flipping through to the next blank page of her diary, she taped the note to the bottom corner. A smile stretched across her face as she rested her palm against Chat Noir's tiny Christmas card.

After taking a beat, she closed up her diary and locked it away in its box. Rolling her shoulders, Marinette got back to work on firming up the partridge and touching up the coloring Chat Noir had done on the bird.

She let all the components dry while she had dinner, but instantly went back to work once she was done. First up was carefully gluing the leaves into place. Her new ones weren't nearly as drenched in glitter, and the shade of glitter was slightly lighter, but the two-toned leaves added a nice dimension to the piece.

She took a homework break while the leaves dried completely, then it was back to work to add on the pears and – she couldn't believe she followed through with it – the heart decorations. She managed to tuck the corners of the pears and hearts between some of the leaves to add more depth to the tree and make the fruit and ornaments look like they were actually nestled inside the tree branches.

As she waited for the tree to dry one last time so she could add the bird back onto its perch, Marinette started up a list; instantly and a bit frustratingly crossing off each item the moment she wrote it down.

She needed to come up with the perfect gift for Chat Noir. He seemed so hurt about his present, and he had put so much pressure on himself to get her the perfect thing that she couldn't fall short in doing the same. He was more precious to her than he realized, and this was her chance to make sure he knew that. She was stumped on what to do though.

Scarves, hats, mittens, shirts, vests, necklaces, earrings, pins; everything Marinette came up with wouldn't work. She was a fashion designer; her default gift for everyone was a piece of clothing or an accessory. None of it was a good idea. Her silly kitty would most likely be too excited about her gifting him something to remember to not wear it as a civilian. Then she could possibly run into him, and see him wearing the gift she made for Chat Noir, and then she'd know his identity, and-

She shook her head to try to get out of the spiral. Even if he was disciplined enough to not wear anything she gifted him while in his civilian form, it wasn't like he could really wear any of it while powered up either. Which meant, either he had to wear it alone in his house and nowhere else, or he'd never use it. That wouldn't work at all.

Blanket? Marinette tapped on the word, circling it a couple of times. That could be the best option for her. People rarely take blankets out of their rooms anyway, so he could use it without her seeing. Plus, it was always comforting to just curl up under a warm and semi-heavy blanket during chilly winter nights. Was it special enough for him, though? Would she have time to make him one? What design should she use for the blanket? Something not too obvious, in case he wanted to use the blanket in communal rooms in his home.

Looking out her window, Marinette knew she needed inspiration. It was time to go to her well.

“Tikki, spots on!”

Less than ten minutes later, Ladybug landed atop an apartment building just four blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. It wasn't the Trocadéro, but unfortunately the park was swarming with tourists this time of year, and she just needed some time to sit and think. It wasn't the same view that usually amazed her no matter how often she saw it, but the Seine still sparkled under the lights of Paris to her left, and the Eiffel Tower still spired before her on the other side of the river.

The sun was sinking below the horizon past the Eiffel Tower, and it cast a purple and deep magenta glow within the overcast sky. Curling up into a ball, Ladybug sat on the roof with her knees pressed against her chest and her chin resting between them. The lights running up the Eiffel Tower turned on in the twilight, and the whole of Paris joined suit. The yellows, blues, oranges, and Christmas reds and greens created a sea of lights below her. It was calming, welcoming, and inspiring.

Warmed by how serene her city looked, Ladybug uncurled. Dangling her legs over the ledge of the roof, she leaned back and admired the Eiffel Tower as it sliced through the cotton candy clouds.

The clouds are kind of blanketing the sky. Could I make something that looks like Paris on a winter's night for Chat Noir? She hummed softly as she pondered how she'd be able to execute something like that. She really fell into the zone as she meditated to the arrhythmic clicking of her swinging feet gently tapping against the side of the building. She could do a gradient fabric, and a quilted stitch so there were pockets of fill to mimic clouds. She could even purposefully avoid a symmetric square quilted look, instead pocketing the fill within a quilt of cloud shapes.

A duet of cooing pulled her attention from her designing. The flapping of wings grew louder, and two pigeons flew straight for her. She flinched and leaned slightly out of the way as they buzzed past her, close enough for her to notice their orange turtle-shell patterned wings and brown-gray bodies. Whatever they were, they weren't regular pigeons. A moment later, she registered that both birds had something gripped within their toes. One was carrying a trio of red roses. Its partner had a handmade card wrinkling slightly in its grip.

Homing pigeons? That didn't quite feel right to Ladybug either, but the duo seemed to be on a mission, so she mentally wished them save travels and hoped they found who they were looking for.

It seemed weird though. Even with Mr. Ramier in Paris, Ladybug didn't recall ever seeing anyone use homing pigeons before. She scanned the rooftops, trying to see who might have released the birds.

Nothing. There was no one on the rooftops nearby. No one on balconies. At first Ladybug was just curious as to who is using the skilled but archaic method of communication, especially with regards to sending what looked like a very romantic Christmas gift. However, after spying not a single soul in the area, it became an intriguing mystery she was itching to uncover.

She wandered her rooftop to try to get a better view, but there were still no clues anywhere. It was like the birds simply appeared. After a couple minutes, Ladybug decided that was a good enough explanation for her. They appeared from nowhere, and vanished to the horizon. They were an enigmatic package carrying a sweet gift for someone. A beautiful mystery of life not meant to be solved.

With a satisfied shrug, Ladybug headed back home, her head filled with fantasies of Adrien sending the pair of birds to her, and the card being a love letter. She giggled at the elation she'd feel if that were true, as well as the insanity of such a thing happening.

Imagine, Adrien Agreste sending Marinette Dupain-Cheng a pair of birds holding a Christmas gift and a declaration of love. A girl could dream.

Thank you for reading. Read Next Chapter

Read from the beginning: Chapter 1

Please let me know if you want me to add you to the tag list.

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

[grump-the-deer]

just a little cat design tutorial/exercise by yours truly

as someone who frequently watches animation and art on places like youtube cough warriors cough, I love seeing interesting character designs. we always need more diversity in design, so I was hoping this could be a helpful little guide for people looking to improve and practice how they draw cats.

to start, here’s the most-needed design tip, imo:

if you take away the colors, you should be able to identify the character.

too often characters, especially animals, have same-face syndrome - where every character looks the same apart from their colors/markings. this is fine for beginners, but if you’re looking to take your art to the next level, you should be looking to diversify your designs.

so if you’re interested in some practice, let’s have a go!

1. download/save this base (free! use it as you please with credit):

this base will serve as an average cat reference. smooth fur, not too stocky or slim, no add-ons or anything interesting. just an average cat.

2. open it in your preferred art program (it’s a transparent .png, so it should be usable pretty much anywhere! you can/should size it up on a bigger canvas, the quality won’t matter since you’ll be drawing over it anyway).

3. make a copy of the layer.

4. turn down the opacity of the first layer to about 30%. you want to be able to see it, but not enough that it will distract you from your working layer.

5. switch to the second layer. this is when you’ll start erasing areas where you want your character to have differences from the average cat.

for example, I’m going to use my design for Rum Tum Tugger (from Cats [the musical], who has a very distinct silhouette. I want to use his costume design and actor as a reference for his attributes, so I’m going to make him slimmer in the middle (I love you John Partridge), keep him smooth for the most part, and leave room for some serious tufts around the head and tail. his eye shape is also going to change, and his expression. [see above]

6. alright, now comes the fun part! on a new layer, start drawing everything and building up your character! the bottom layer will serve as a guide for you so you can keep an eye on anatomical changes as you go.

some tips: - don’t be afraid of big shapes! - add some flair in the expression! - try some things, and if you aren’t sure if they look good, save that layer, make it transparent, and try again on a new layer, then compare the two to see which you like more. - think about your character’s personality as you draw: are they cold? use more smooth and/or angular shapes. are they flamboyant? poof them out more, like good ol’ Tugger here. are they friendly and lovable? try some rounder and fuzzier stuff. associations and shape can take a design to the next level.

7. delete the bottom layer and make some final touch-ups on your design. you’ll most likely want to draw a new layer over it to make sure everything is smooth. the lineart should be fairly clean and easy to see. (mine here is a little sketchy but that’s ok)

8. now it’s time to add color!

remember some basics: - don’t oversaturate - if you want, say, gold, tone it down to a more muted gold. same goes for any color. you’ll thank me later. - pick complementary colors. there’s all kinds of color guides for this with a quick google search. - never use straight black (except for lineart). always go to a different color as the base and pick a shade that’s a very dark version of it. for example, for a black cat I’d use a dark, desaturated blue that’s almost gray. it looks like black, but brings more life to the design. - less is more with markings. Tugger may be a bad example, because I wanted to get him similar to the pretty elaborate costume; but you don’t have to put a million bells and whistles on your design to make it interesting and good. simple is often better, as it’s more memorable and easier to look at, as well as easier to draw (especially if you’re animating, oh boy). - with more complex designs, like Tugger and his spots, it helps to have something that brings out the expression and face. in this case I used white (well, off-white) around his eyes and mouth, so your eye goes straight to it and can pick out his facial details better.

and that’s all folks!

for reference, here’s another design I did using the same method and base:

for Mr. Mistoffelees, I slimmed him up a lot more in the middle and legs, gave him some little tufties, and went for shorter, more equidistant triangular ears to pull off his original costume design. I also copied some of the makeup design around his eyes, giving a more pronounced expression. (it really helps that people have already designed the costumes to stand out well at a distance).

don’t be afraid to play around! that’s the fun of it, and no matter how many designs you scrap, you’ll be building your skills just doing it. tracing and re-tracing is the #1 best way to learn art - so long as you don’t present it as your own original work, of course c;

so go ahead and have some fun with it! feel free to tag me in any designs you make, I’d love to see them!

[prairiesongserial]

8.4

Friday rolled out of bed only when her bladder absolutely insisted it was time to wake up. The sun was high in the sky, now, and the little hotel room was swelteringly hot - her fault for not closing the blinds properly.

Friday stumbled into her dirty travelling clothes, carrying an only slightly cleaner outfit under her arm with her out into the hall. The guests of the hotel all shared a bathroom, and it was blessedly empty at present. Friday locked the door and set to work.

The shower was pure heaven. The water was cold, and she was shivering by the end of it, but sitting in the tub, watching the layers of dirt run down her legs as she attacked every inch of herself with a washcloth, that was more satisfying than an ice cold Moscow Mule on the back patio of the Ace in the middle of June.

Once she was clean, Friday dragged her travelling clothes into the tub with her, decorum be damned, and wrung the dirt and sweat out of them under the water. Her only other outfit could have used a wash, too, but it would have to suffice. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should wash Val’s things, while she was at it. She’d rather do his laundry than follow up on whatever hare-brained small town apple thief adventure she had set him to. Did she feel a little bad about that? Maybe. Doing his laundry might make up for it. Making him blush when she told him she’d washed his underthings was a definite plus, too.

Friday recovered her straight razor from her bundle of clothes and set to work on her face, going over it three times before she was satisfied. Then she put on her makeup. She’d had to make what she had, after the Macomber debacle, and the materials to be found on the road had not been ideal. When they had stopped to buy new bedrolls and fuel up the bike, she may have diverted a small portion of the Macomber money toward oil and pigment. What Val didn’t know wouldn’t kill him.

Friday made faces at herself in the mirror, scrutinizing the rouge on her cheeks and the maroon gloss on her lips. Good enough. She attacked her hair, next. It was at such an awkward stage, and she missed having her powder blue wig. Like the rouge and the lip pigment, the wig put another layer of distance between the world and herself. Not having it was like walking around without a shirt on.

Fortunately, Friday had some experience.

She finally dressed, in a sensible yellow button-down shirt and skin-hugging denim. She straightened her back and gave herself one last look in the mirror. She looked the same. She had expected herself to look changed, somehow, as the ache of what she had been through these past few days began to creep up on her. Leaving her home behind. The mutie blood on her hands, her arms and legs and heart buckling under the strain of throwing bodies into a truck - performing that morbid burlesque for her and Val’s lives. Being chased through the Colorado woods under threat of being torn apart.

Friday gave herself a little smile in the mirror, almost hesitant, almost like she expected a gaunt and ghoulish version of herself to smile back at her. But it was just her own face. She sighed and gathered up her wet clothes. There was sure to be a clothesline she could put to use.

She found one, sure enough, and after she had thrown her own clothes over the line, she went back for Val’s. The black shirt and slacks brightened under the water - they’d been nearly gray with dirt. She washed off his white priest collar for good measure, a little surprised he wasn’t wearing it today.

In no time, his clothes were waving like flags in the wind, side by side her own. She spared a moment to admire the sight, not really sure why it gave her such satisfaction. She let herself back inside the Grand Hotel via the back door, eyes adjusting to the dim hallway. Friday paused outside the door to her room. She was running out of excuses. She should really catch up to Val.

Friday sauntered past the bar, toward the front door - but paused. Miss Ueno was sitting in one of the chairs by the bookshelf, her feet propped up on the little coffee table. She was reading a newspaper, drinking from a steaming mug. Friday could smell it from across the room - rich coffee.

Ueno looked up at her as she approached, politely folding her newspaper. Friday gave her a crooked smile.

“You have to tell me where you found a cup of coffee,” Friday said, taking the seat across from her.

“I’m afraid it’s your turn to buy me a drink, so you’re out of luck.” Ueno raised her eyebrows, a bright red-painted lip quirking up in amusement. She paused for a moment, looking Friday up and down. Friday hoped her rouge hid the natural flush creeping onto her cheeks. “You aren’t as much of a mess as I thought you were.”

That surprised a laugh out of Friday.

“Does that mean I have another chance?”

“I’m thinking about being capricious,” Ueno said mysteriously. “After I finish my coffee.”

She disappeared behind her newspaper again. Weird. Friday got up from her seat and slowly paced the foyer, taking it in, considering her options. Andy was nowhere to be seen; she probably had more important things to do than man the front desk all morning. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind if Friday and Val were a little free with their interpretation of “one night.”

Friday glanced back to Ueno. She couldn’t tell if she was meant to wait on her, which was probably Ueno’s intention. But the guilt of leaving Val to do all the unpleasant work was beginning to mount, even though she’d done his laundry. How unfair was that?

“If you’re still feeling capricious, I’ll be out finding apple thieves,” Friday called over to Ueno.

“Fun,” Ueno muttered into her paper.

Friday strolled down main street, taking in the town. It was a lot bigger than it had first appeared, last night. There were more people out of the house, so many of them that the wide street was packed tight. A market had sprung up while Friday was sleeping, and the town bustled with buyers and sellers, as well as craftsmen working in the open air, close enough to the action to gossip while they wove baskets out of prairie grass or whittled apple wood into bowls and cups and knife handles.

They were all mutants. Every person in the crowd had something not quite typical about them, from extra eyes to extra fingers to starburst pupils set in alarming, lime rind green eyes. It was a shock, like a cold bucket of water poured over Friday’s head. No, cold showers she was used to - this was something she had never seen before. She’d had no idea she and Val were stopped in a mutant colony. Friday got out of the way of a donkey cart, squeezing between a stall selling corn and a stall offering to grill the corn you bought right in front of you for only an extra three pennies.

Andy hadn’t been mutated, though, Friday argued to herself - but, then again, would she have known? She hadn’t known about Val. She sometimes forgot he was mutated at all - well, not that she forgot, exactly, but just twenty minutes ago she had done his laundry without even thinking that the bandages he used to bind his stomach were missing. They must be filthy.

Mutants back home weren’t like this. They… well, they didn’t walk with such confidence. They were used to being drops of oil in the bowl of vinegar that was Vegas. Just passing through, rarely finding a place to belong, unless they could play off their mutation as exotic, or they could hide it when they knew people like Fig would be at a party.

A mother with a baby strapped to her chest stopped at the corn stall, then had the stall next door roast up a few cobs for an early lunch. The street smelled like food, as lunchtime vendors started up their grills. Sizzling wild hen and syrupy grilled apple, charred soupy tomatoes… Friday’s mouth was watering.

“Good morning,” Friday said to the mother, politely. The mother nodded. The baby turned to look at her with big eyes that drank Friday’s face in like dry soil drinks in rain. Its eyes had two black pupils each, floating in pale pink irises. It put its whole fist in its mouth and sucked it intently, still staring at Friday.

Friday’s stomach growled again, and she gave the mother an embarrassed smile, before ducking past her and rejoining the busy street. Food. She needed money, if she was going to have food.

Well.

She knew how to get money.

Making money and getting money were two different things, in Friday’s book. What Val was doing off in some apple orchard was making money. What Friday was doing, that was getting money. Lunch was the perfect time for this one, though it had been a lot less heartbreaking to pull off in her street days, when the only clothes she’d had to spoil were costumes swiped from the nightclubs and theaters too cheap to have good locks. Goodbye, yellow shirt.

Friday flipped through her map as she walked, keeping one eye peeled for a good mark. It had to be a man who didn’t know the value of women’s clothes, who was a little older, or less attractive than average, who wouldn’t be used to getting much female attention. And he had to have money.

Friday cocked her hip cutely to one side, biting her lip as she pretended to study her map. She didn’t have to wait too long before she found her mark. He looked about fifty, and she watched him get out his wallet to pay for some sort of saucy partridge and apple tart, wrapped up in paper. He ate as he walked, and he walked quickly, like he had somewhere to be. Perfect. Friday looked down at her map and stepped into his path.

She hissed as steaming hot syrup and chicken juices soaked through her shirt, and the tears in the corners of her eyes were real as she swore and ripped open her buttons, struggling to get the burning hot fabric away from her skin.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” she wailed, loud enough to attract attention from other onlookers. Her shirt clung to her by the last few buttons, her brassiere and stinging red chest on full view.

The man looked horrified.

“My dear, I’m terribly sorry - ” he began, eyes searching for a sign of what he should do.

Friday covered her chest with her hands in pretend modesty, lower lip wobbling.

“It’s my fault, it’s my fault,” she said. “Oh, my mother’s going to kill me. I don’t know what I’ll tell her,” she said, becoming more hysterical with every word. “I come up north looking for honest work, and my first day - my family saved for a month so I’d have something respectable to wear - It’ll be soiled for good, now, and I won’t be fit to be seen, and I’ll have to till fields - ”

“W...well, that’s respectable work, young lady.”

“- And my hands will grow calloused, and my marriage prospects back home will turn their backs on me as sure as my prospects of lady-like employ, and I - and I was the last hope of my mother, and all, to make some money for the family, before my five younger sisters starve.”

The man swished his long cow-like tail anxiously. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice.

“Now, are you from one of them, ah, them somewhat backwards thinking towns, as far as a woman’s place is concerned?”

Friday looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, letting one run down her cheek.

“Well - well, let’s not make a scene in the public square, dear. It should be cool, now, and you can cover yourself…” The man held his hands unhelpfully in front of her chest, as if to guard her from public view. Friday very slowly shrugged her shirt back on, buttoning it wrong, and sniffling.

“How much was your shirt, dear?” the man asked, hesitantly.

“Fifty Texas silver,” Friday chirped.

“Fifty - ”

“But I suppose I could find something just to cover myself for… for twenty.” Friday let out a shuddering sob. “Anything would be better than the flour sacks mother would dress us in, even far past the time when it’s appropriate for a woman…”

The man was caving, flushed up to his ears at the thought of an attractive girl wearing nothing but a scandalously short flour-sack dress.

“Here, dear, I have fifteen, but it’s really all I can spare for you, at least without talking to my wife.” The man pressed fifteen silver into Friday’s palm, giving her hand a tight squeeze. “If you don’t find work soon, come down to the mill, we’re a touch far from the town proper, but it’s the north road, there. My wife always has mending…”

He trailed off and gave her a weak smile before hurrying away.

Friday smiled down at the coins in her hand.

“I saw that,” came a voice from behind.

Friday whirled around. Ueno was smirking at her. As soon as Friday acknowledged her, Ueno abandoned the wall she was leaning against and came over.

“Your shirt is buttoned wrong,” she said.

“Oh, look at that, so it is,” Friday said, quickly pocketing the money. Before she knew what was happening, Ueno was inches away, unbuttoning and re-buttoning her shirt.

“There. All better.” Ueno’s eyes twinkled at her in amusement. “Lunch?”

8.3 || 8.5

[baseballr00ks-moved]

Almighty List of Prefixes and Suffixes

Prefixes

Acorn Adder Alder Anemone Apple Apricot Ash Aspen Avocet Badger Bark Bat Bear Beaver Bee Beech Beetle Berry Birch Black Blackthorn Blaze Blizzard Blossom Blue Bluebell Blueberry Boar Box Bracken Bramble Brambling Branch Breeze Briar Bright Broken Brown Buckthorn Bumble Burr Campion Cardinal Carp Cedar Cherry Chestnut Chive Cinder Claw Cloud Clover Coati Conifer Coot Copper Cowslip Crab Crake Creek Crooked Crow Cuckoo Curl Curlew Curly Currant Cypress Daisy Dandelion Dapple Dappled Dark Dawn Day Deer Dew Doe Dove Downy Duck Dusk Dust Eagle Ebony Echo Eel Elder Elm Ember Evening Falcon Fallow Fawn Feather Fern Fig Finch Fir Fire Flame Flare Flash Flint Fog Fox Foxglove(?) Freckle Frog Frond Frost Furze Fuzzy Goat Golden Goose Gorse Grape Grass Gravel Gray Grouse Gull Hail Half Hare Harrier Hawk Hawthorn Hazel Heather Hedgehog Heron Hickory Holly Honey Honeysuckle(?) Hop Hornet Hound Ice Ivy Jackdaw Jay Juniper Kestrel Kink Kite Kiwi Lake Larch Lark Lavender Leaf Leopard Lichen Lightning Lily Lime Linnet Lion Little Lizard Log Long Loon Magpie Mallow Maple Marigold Marsh Marten Meadow Milk Mink Minnow Mint Mist Mistle Misty Mole Morning Moss Moth Mottle Mottled Mouse Mud Mulberry Nettle Night Nut Nuthatch Oak Olive One Orchid Otter Owl Oxlip Pale Parsley Partridge Patch Pear Pebble Pecan Perch Petal Pigeon Pike Pine Pipit Plum Poplar Porcupine Primrose Quail Rabbit Rabbit Raccoon Ragged Rain Ramson Rat Raven Red Reed Ripple Robin Rock Rook Rose Rowan Rubble Running Rush Russet Rye Sage Sand Scorch Seal Sedge Seed Shade Sheep Shell Shrew Silver Slate Sleek Sloe Slug Small Smoke Snail Snow Snowdrop(?) Sorrel Spark Sparrow Speckle Spider Spindle Splash Spot Stag Starling Stoat Stone Storm Stream Stumpy Sun Swallow Sweet Tall Talon Tangle Tansy Tawny Thistle Thorn Thrush Tiger Timber Tiny Toad Torrent Trout Turtle Twig Twilight Vine Viper Vixen Vole Walnut Warbler Wasp Wave Weasel Web Weed Whinchat White Widow Wild Willow Wolf Wooly Wren Wren Yarrow Yew

Suffixes

Bark Bee Belly Berry Bird Blaze Branch Breeze Bright Brook Burr Bush Call Catcher Claw Cloud Creek Dapple Dawn Dusk Dust Ear Eye Face Fall Fang Feather Fern Fin Fire Fish Flame Flight Flower Fog Foot Fox Frost Fur Gaze Gorse Hawk Heart Jaw Leaf Leap Leg Light Mask Mist Mist Mouse Nose Oak Pad Patch Pelt Petal Pool Poppy Pounce Puddle Ripple Runner Scar Seed Shade Shine Sight Skip Sky Snout Snow Song Speck Speckle Spots Spring Stalk Stem Step Stone Storm Stream Strike Stripe Tail Talon Thistle Thorn Throat Toe Toes Tooth Tuft Watcher Water Whisker Whisper Willow Wind Wing

A list compiled by myself and @beejeans