#griffin nest

[metach]

With this modular caves battlemap pack you can start design your own caves for your party to go through! Does your heart desire twisting, winding halls? Do you desire a giant eagle nest hidden in a mountain cliff, or even a huge river filled with blood running through the ancient burial site of a dwarven king? All of this and more is possible with this pack! Battlemap properties: Grid: With and without 70x70px grid (standard Roll20 size) Versions: 6 normal/pit, 4 river water/blood, 4 river bridge/no bridge, 1 debris/no debris, 1 nest. Total: 52 maps

Proceeds go to my partner in the USA who just got told her cancer is back and thus will need chemo for the next 4 months. Every bit counts!

[apricot-sprites]

Running around with Emrys (@arisenreborn) because I missed him and Liùsaidh being silly

[vintagedreamsofsennett]

plot: When Louise's uncle participated in the peace mission, he left his little second cousin to the village judge (Frank Opperman). But later her uncle died on the voyage. The executor writes a letter to the judge, informing him that Louise will inherit the estate on the condition that she will take in and raise her late uncle's little second cousin. When Murray tries to get close to Louise for her inheritance, he realizes that he's not just getting a fortune, he's also getting a baggage.

Locations include Castle Rock Beach near Topanga Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway; Venice beach and pier. [Filmed 7/11/16-8/12/16; shown in U.S. theaters by mid September 1916]

-Walker, B.E., 2010, Mack Sennett's Fun Factory, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, p.335

[9pixeldreamzoneblog]

[zodgory]

Round 1, Match 12 of my Blank Check copycat poll

MM bracket explainer

Official Cronenberg v Forman poll

[burningwerewolfnight]

[monstersflashlight]

Chasing the bounty hunter (Day 5/8 of the 10k followers event)

Griffin x gn!reader || primal play, chasing, breeding, cum inflation, size difference || tw: kidnapping

When he captured you, you were surprised about it. You followed him for days, tracking all his movements, being on his tail until you were almost ready to catch it… But he got to you first. You weren’t expecting him to turn around and chase you down. And above all, you weren’t expecting the rush of adrenaline and heat that the chase gave you.

He captured you and brought you to his house in the mountains, you didn’t know what you were expecting but a cottage-core cabin with enough greenery to be a botanical garden wasn’t it. You were surprised about it, too. And what shocked you the most was how nice he was. He captured you because you were following him, because he knew there was a price on his head and you were a bounty hunter. He knew all of that, but instead of killing you on sight, he captured you to keep you around. It felt a bit insulting that he treated you almost like a pet… But it also made something inside of you burn hotter than the sun.

He insisted on you going away, but you didn’t want to. If you went back to the village, you would have to explain why the griffin wasn’t with you, how you let him escape… And someone else would end up trying to catch him. So you stayed. (You didn’t think too much about how it just felt right to be with him, how comfortable you were in his house…)

You spent there about two weeks by the time you wanted nothing else but to climb him like a tree. The house was immense, perfect for his big body but a bit difficult with your human size. He didn’t mind though, he helped you get everything, he cooked for you, and he let you his nest to sleep at night. It took you four days to convince him you should sleep in the nest together, there was enough space. If you woke up sprawled over him, it was just an unconscious thing… right?

But without realizing, feelings started to grow. You became tender of him, every little quirk he had made you melt inside, and you knew he felt the same way. He kept looking at you with fire in his eyes, but also with a fondness so deep that made your heart beat faster and faster.

It took you two a month to kiss for the first time. His beak was a weird feeling against your mouth, but in a way… it worked. It worked and it felt great and made you moan against him, your body melting as he grabbed your waist and pulled you up against his body. It was exhilarating.

“I want us to fuck,” you blurted as he took the weeds out of the garden. You were sitting in the shade because he was worried your fragile skin would get burned.

He didn’t even turn around to answer. “We can’t.”

But you weren’t having any of his nonsense. “Oh yes… Yes, we can. Definitely can. I want to. You want to. We can.” He turned around then, his eyes tracking your every movement as he checked for your reactions. You bet he was checking for your vitals signs with his super-senses.

“You are so tiny. I would break you,” he told you, his voice leaving no room for argument.

But if you were something was stubborn as fuck. “And I would say thank you after,” you teased, being more than okay with him squeezing you if that meant getting him to fuck you senseless. “Come on, dude, you want it. I want it. Let me have that good, good griffin dick.” You knew he would appreciate your bluntness, but also that it would make his proper self get all blush-y.

He looked so flustered that you wanted to giggle. “You were sent to capture me.” Well, he had a point there, but at the moment you wanted nothing else but to be chased. And to be captured.

“But you captured me first. And now I don’t want to capture you anymore, I like you… I- I might love you,” you confessed, your heart beating fast. His face was unreadable, but you didn’t leave him room to say anything before you continued talking. “And I want to fuck you until we are both breathing hard and covered in fluids.”

“That- That sounds disgusting,” he said in a joking tone.

“Stop being a lying liar who lies. Don’t you want me?” You asked, analyzing his body for any response to that question. He nodded intensely, his big body moving with the inertia. You giggled and nodded, too. “Have me, then.”

He was doing the freaky vital signs again to look for some kind of signal that you were lying, when he didn’t find any, he asked: “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t look that convinced, always worried about your humanity. “But what if…” You didn’t let him finish that thought.

“I’m gonna stop you right there. I’m gonna run, and you are gonna chase me, and when you get me, I hope to be pounded into the ground until I’m full of cum and my legs don’t function anymore.” His face was like a poem, a filthy, filthy poem. You could see his nostrils dilating as he imagined the picture you just formed for him. You were so ready to be fucked senseless. “Okay?” You asked again, wanting to make sure he wanted it as much as you did.

“Yes.” He agreed, his eyes burning with desire. “Now run.” His growl was enough to send hot lava through your veins, excitement and arousal filling your insides until you were trembling as you bolted from there.

You ran through the forest like a soul followed by the devil. First you couldn’t hear a single noise over your heartbeat, but as the house disappeared in the distance, the forest around you became alive. You could feel everything. The sound of little animals, the sound of the breeze moving the leaves and the flowers, the smell of dirt and spring in the air… and the metallic taste of your fear and arousal. You knew he was behind you, you could feel him following you but couldn’t see him. The excitement of the chase was making you all kinds of turned on.

Your heart was beating so hard you feared he could hear it, he probably could. And you knew his scenting was a lot better, so he could probably track you just by arousal alone. You were so horny at the moment that you could scream.

“I can smell your arousal, smells like honey.” You could hear him inhale behind you, growling at every intake of breath. “You want to be caught that bad?” His voice was teasing, like nothing you’d heard before. He was always so proper… But right then he sounded like sex and wildness, and that made you even hotter.

You kept running, but you didn’t get too far. When he caught you, he pushed you to the ground, his big body covering you. His breathing was labored behind you, and you smirked, knowing he was as affected as you with your little chase-scene. He ripped your clothes off and you groaned, mourning the lose of your shirt and pants for a total of three seconds before you felt the tip of his dick against your hole and you cried out.

He pinned you to the ground and started entering you, bit by bit until he was settled so deep inside you could feel him at the back of your throat. So big, so wild. “You okay?” He whispered, always the gentleman.

“Yes. Fuck me.” He didn’t have to be told twice.

He fucked you like a madman, in and out at the speed of light as he grunted and growled and went feral over you. Telling you how good your hole felt, how amazing you were and how glad he was he captured you that day. You were dizzy with desire and pleasure.

He made you come twice before he came inside of you, just like you asked. You knew it would be a lot, but you weren’t expecting the sheer amount of cum… He filled you until your stomach was bloated and you were a messy drooling body over the forest floor. You were drunk on his cum, and you didn't want to analyze how much of a cum-slut you discovered you were in that exact second.

He didn’t pull out. His dick still hard was nested inside of you as he breathed hard against your ear and you whimpered. Your stomach felt too big, your hole too raw… But that didn’t stop him from fucking you full over again, making you cum twice more in the process, the filthy sounds of his cum dripping around his dick were exhilarating.

And when he said: “I might love you, too.” Your world shattered into a million pieces once again.

[whiteraven90]

Your take on griffins is so cool 👀 Do you have worldbuilding notes somewhere? Like what their dynamic is with humans, or what their habitats and habits usually are? I’d love to know more about them!

Hey, thanks for asking! I actually had written a little species description for them, but I shelved it until I draw illustrations for it. However I might as well post it now with less relevant pictures. Who knows when would I get around to drawing those illustrations. First of all... there are no gryphons on Tetra. No mortal ones, just spirits.

Spirits were created by the gods to be sentient blueprints for species. Flora & fauna were created out of chosen spirits (e.g. polar bear, barn owl), and the leftovers were repurposed (e.g. great horned gryphon, common pegasus).

In addition to the whole range of shapes/forms spirits were designed to take as part of nature, they also had their would-be behavioral patterns pre-set into them. So now lets see how the Great Horned Gryphons would have lived!

Great horned gryphons (also simply referred to as 'griffins' from now on) are sexually dimorphic, and live in pairs. They are very resource-conscious - individuals not raised properly may hunt their food sources to extinction, after which they either starve to death or get themselves killed while ravaging the animals of other griffins or humans. Each pair oversees a vast territory filled with wild herd animals. They engage in several behaviors that are basically animal husbandry. They will protect their herds from other predators and even natural disasters. They will herd their animals toward quality food. They can recognize juveniles of many species - humans included -, and will not eat them. They sometimes raise the abandoned offspring of other species, not because they plan to eat them, but because they get a kick out of it. They don't hunt, per se. They hit up one of their herds, select a specimen, and carry it home for lunch. They like to construct their nests atop cliffs and similar high points overlooking their territory.

Their relationship with people is complex (and hypothetical, as is everything else), since people may want to claim the same lands for the same purposes. But typically if they saw a lone human child, just waltzing around on their territory, they'd pick it up and put it down near adult humans. Solitary adult people tend to be safe as well for different reasons. The staple of griffins is large animals, and they like to conserve their energy. Normally they won't get up for 1 lone human nugget.

If an adult pair spots an unrelated juvenile griffin on their turf, they leave it alone, but they don't tolerate mature trespassers or other pairs. They are hostile to all other species of gryphon. Given the opportunity, they will kill and eat them. Great horned gryphons are viviparous and give birth to 1 chick at a time which stays with the parents for several years to learn some manners. Mostly moderation, recognizing important animal species, and caring for their animals. Their lifespan is 40-70 years.

And that's more or less it. At present, great horned gryphons are not plural. There's just one spirit, Griffin, representing the whole species, either until the heat death of the universe or until he bites the dust. Spirits are shapeshifters with a range of native forms as opposed to one original form. They have some rules among them on etiquette, such as when is it ok to take the form of another spirit. Griffin mostly uses his adult male form, and lets Phoenix take his adult female one.

Several of his species' characteristics can be felt in his personality - excels at relaxing, hard to anger or scare, won't hurt kids or pets and is good with them, extraverted, resource-conscious, enjoys having vast lands. His relationship with humans is... complicated. Nowadays he kinda pretends to be a pet at the palace of the emperor of the Karkian Empire, and is banned from or unwelcome in several other countries. Sorcerers summon him sometimes, but the jolly fucker usually charges by the hour for his spirit-y services, and may even screw the summoners over if he doesn't like them.

[thekrows-nest]

Can confirm it’s something we’ve discussed!

Krow would happily ramble about birds to Griffin and tell him his favorite bird watching spots and love to see his photos! Krow would share his own artworks in turn!

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Griffin goes to Krow for uhh... cleaning advice let’s say.

Also let’s be real they’d probably also discuss yan tips

What other VN yans do you think Griffin would get along with?

Not a VN yan, but Krow's creator and I talked a bit about them bonding platonically over their love of birds haha, so I'd say him.

In regards to the other ones, I think he'd be friendly with Keith from Duality. They're both pretty easy-going.

I don't think he'd mesh well with Ren from 14DWY, but they have the height solidarity thing going on, so it's hard to say.

He might get along with Eddie from Hot Killer Babes/xoxoalette because, again, easy-going and relaxed personality.

He would definitely get along with Diva because she's so bubbly. He might even do a modeling session with both twins just to expand his portfolio.

He might be uncomfortable around Fone from Honey Hotline, mostly because Fone is pretty quiet and doesn't speak much. Griffin doesn't have trouble keeping up conversation, but it just might get uncomfortable haha.

Those are the ones off the top of my head tbh.

[mossymandibles]

Decided to finally post Durja’s new new look. I feel happy with her now.

I think I already said this but as far as taxonomy goes she’s from the same family(?) as Kraw’s father (who’s also getting a new look); Furies. Her sub species name is ‘Ashen Fury’.

She’s very outdoorsy and knows the lay of Tattered Wing island like the back of her hand. Whenever Gen has to stay behind on the island she’ll often go on what she calls ‘expeditions’ with Durja. Durja’s very strict about staying hydrated and wearing proper clothing though, as well as respecting the albatross griffin’s nesting areas. She likes to drive her old truck around the island as well :]

She often goes to shows with Gastrix and Ari on the mainland, since Gastrix works as a bouncer for a popular bar on the west end of Marrowtide. It often hosts different local metal bands.

She also introduces Gen to a lot of music she likes. She feels it helps Gen with the “excessive energy” she sees her have sometimes.

[sinful-lanterns]

i imagine researcher introducing new monsters to the team as you would do with pets... letting them sniff each other through the door first and all 😭

also while they're obviously mostly there for the researcher, i'd like to consider some of the team develop some sort of coexistence over the time spent together, even if they claim they can't stand the others. like, the monsters with fluff silently accepting the bird ones plucking their loose fur to add to their nests—

Something about the monster girls sniffing each other to get used to each other’s prescience is ascending me. Now I’m imagining monsters like Sphinx! Stargazer and Nekomata! Angell just circling each other and leaning in to sniff each other’s necks so they don’t kill each other lmao 😭😭

Anywho, I do agree that while some of the monsters have formed rivalries with each other over the Researcher, a lot of them have managed to bond. For example, I can see Vampire! Cassia bonding with Alraune! Coquelic quite easily because Coquelic smells very good. For more coexistence relationships, I can see someone like Lamia! Serpent snuggling up with Dragon! Ignis often because her body temperature is naturally very warm. And perhaps Griffin! Langley works well with Gorgon! Chelsea as Chelsea turns living things into gem statues (like bugs) and Langley likes to add them to her nest because they’re shiny.

Of course, I also really like your idea of some of the monsters with fur just casually allowing the bird monsters to pluck out their fur for their nests. Can you imagine someone like Weredog! Rahu just sitting with a stoic expression on her face, all the while Tengu! Raven is hopping around her and gently pulling small tufts of fur from her tail? 😅

[vintagedreamsofsennett]

The Feathered Nest (1916, F.C. Griffin) Part 2

This story compares this child to a baby bird and also compares the home would be good for her to grow up in to the feathered nest.

Louise, Charlie Murray, and Louise's father are now wealthy and live in a large and luxurious mansion. Wayland Trask goes to visit the family, but Murray, now rich, pretends to not know Wayland, who almost ruined his fate.

"Your underwear! (whispers)"

"This is the latest fashion."

Meanwhile, the party invitees arrive and the party begins. Louise's adoptive daughter has fun surprising the adults by covering Wayland's dog with a rug made of leopard skin.

(why i love that girl who wears pants under the skirt)

Wayland hits Harry Booker on the head with a ball by mistake during the cricket game in the garden. And Murray treats Wayland roughly after his dog pulls off Louise's skirt in front of the party guests. An angry Booker and a hurt Wayland go fishing together. When the party invitees leave, Louise and Murray go swimming together.

Murray wants to get rid of Booker and Wayland, so he installs an auto-start device(self-starter) in the gas tank of the boat the two are planning to ride. However, Louise's curious adoptive daughter gets on this boat and the boat starts on its own. At that time, the judge(Opperman. the little girl's former guardian) appears on the beach and discovers the girl on the boat. Wayland, Booker, Murray and Louise also discovers the girl on the boat and each go to rescue the child in their own way.

The little girl's small dog, who was with her on the dock, goes to ask Wayland's big dog for help. Louise and Murray go to rescue the child by the boat. Wayland and Booker go to rescue her by the jet coaster. Louise, who was on the boat with Murray, falls into the water while standing on the boat, then Wayland jumps off the roller coaster to save her.

Meanwhile, Louise's adoptive daughter jumps into the sea from the boat then Wayland's dog saves her by swimming.

Murray also fell into the sea and was on a nearby rock, but when the rock collided with the speedy boat the little girl was riding, Murray flew into the air, spun around, and was buried in the sand.

[frownyalfred]

All it took was to one anon to say something about cryptid Hal but make it batlantern and now the batlantern people SHALL be fed! Have some crumbs my children(dw i didn't forget superbatlantern).

Honestly i love this idea that him turning into a alien makes him even more pretty— ethereal, even shall i dare say —on others eyes but to those with keen eyes, while they do agree with the others.. they are worried, because his nervous system is all screw over and god is that person worried. And i bet he sometimes feels immense pain from it, and his hands probably don't work those times, like a Bad Hand Day™ y'know?

Okay but let's lighten up the mood a bit or else this will get depressing: Griffin Hal causing chaos by getting the zoomies and stealing trinkets from other people in the Watchtower; Oh does your weapon or something else of yours either shine or reflects light? Well guess what, now it's in Hal's nest lol

Bruce, watching Hal freak out on the Watchtower: are you gonna do something about that?

Clark, head in hands: because I’m an alien?

Bruce:

Clark:

Bruce:

Clark, turning around: Hal, put the newbie down, he doesn’t understand that language and you’re scaring him—

[thatwildnya]

venti when griffin wifey disappears to nest

The anemo archon is freaking out after his wife has suddenly vanished without a trace. After hours of searching with the help of the Favonius Knights and Diluc he discovers she has made a nest in Dvalin's home to lay a clutch of eggs.

TW: none

notes: the format this is written in what we've named a headcanon drabble mix. it will start with hcs and have a drabble at the end or multiple sprinkled throughout it. these will be tagged as headcanon drabble mix, hc drabble mix, or [fandom]hcdm.

chitters and nickers

Wild: I've started playing genshin recently and it's been on my mind a lot. Decided to write somethin' on a whim. Might make more with the same prompt if this one gets a lot of attention.

nya: i wanna squish venti's cheeks

wifey's bird cat mix

european wildcat, white dove, 7 eggs

very likely this was not planned, Venti’s alcoholic tendencies often cause him to forget protection so it was only a matter of time it caught up to him

unexpected pregnancies with female griffins can be absolutely heart attack inducing due to their instincts kicking in immediately once their body realizes what’s happening. bird brains go into maximum overdrive and once it decides where it wants to nest they’re making a beeline to claim said spot and going builder mode asap.

so imagine the archon’s panic when you’re nowhere to be found after being sick and acting weird all week. poor guy is zooming all over the city alongside the knights and Diluc to find you. once he’s combed through the city he uses his godly powers to call for Dvalin’s assistance. but there’s no answer.

Equation: wifey acting odd + wifey missing + dragon friend not responding. Conclusion: something very bad happened. Solution: it is time to panic at the anemo.

shouts at some random pedestrian passing by to gather the knights and meet him at the lair. unfortunately he mistook the stranger as a knight them self due to wearing similar clothes. and on top of that this person was a foreigner. but he’s gone before the misunderstanding can be cleared. now hubby is thought to be missing. what an eventful day for Mondstadt.

creates a crater when he lands outside his friends home. said friend sticks his head out from the crumbling tower with blurry eyes. what was all this racket for? this is the second time he’s been so rudely awoken today! bro already lost hours of sleep from his wife barging in at 1AM to nest and lay eggs. wifey did what now.

the dragon’s grumpiness dissolves once the situation has been cleared. in fact he was laughing in the end. the image of a large number of humans scurrying around in search of a god’s wife thinking the worst when in actuality she’s enjoying baby time in arguably the safest place in the nation is hilarious!

but that’s not important right now you laid eggies sired by him he’s gonna be a dad! this twink of a god can’t contain his excitement. how many did you lay? when will they hatch? how big are they? have they developed enough to be able to hear his voice? can he hold them? too bad you can’t answer, doves can’t mimic sounds and you aren’t reverting back to human for a while.

has no problem with you nesting in Dvalin’s home. in fact he’s all for it. very few humans and monsters dare to intrude on the territory of the anemo dragon once called Storm Terror. no worries here! so long you had no issues he’d stand by your decision, y’know what they say, a mother knows best!

you are never left alone Venti makes sure there’s always one person he trusts to watch over you and your growing kids. if he could he’d be right there in the nest with his family 24/7. the issue is, however, that you’re the breadwinner of the family. and griffin moms to be won’t leave the eggs alone until they’ve hatched. not for food, water, nothing. avian feline mom’s have wills of steel.

it isn’t long before Venti realizes the problem. kids are not cheap to raise. (especially in this economy) so for the first time in history, the anemo archon begins the treacherous and traumatizing journey of job hunting. it was a grueling quest, one of hardships and difficulty like no other. his confidence and ego took many serious blows, wounds inflicted upon them so deep it was feared he might never recover. there were plenty of times he almost gave up, but he persevered! his family was counting on him, he couldn’t give up. and with the power of love and friendship, he was able to slay- jk he just became a part time knight and takes on quick jobs spread across his nation.

this is quite the change to his usual routine but it’s all worth it. every time he returns to his recently grown family is all the motivation he needs. can’t wait for the day he’ll be greeted by a chorus of chirps after a long day of work.

when he isn’t working he’s always near the nest, if he isn’t in it. and more likely than not he’s by a fire cooking up something for you to eat. he’s glad you’ll eat if food is in reach. man’s on his way to becoming a 5 star chef with how much he’s expanding his culinary skills.

when is baby time? it’s always baby time in this house. and everyone is invited to baby time. can’t help but squeal internally whenever you get excited at visitors. leaving the nest just to gently tug them over so they could see the eggs will always be the cutest thing you’ll do to him. how can he not smile when your feathered face shines with pride everytime you present his kids?

finally, the day comes. he’s in the middle of aiding Diluc unload supplies for Angel’s Share when the Mondstadt citizens are given a heart attack by Dvalin suddenly swooping overhead shouting for him to get his butt back to you. get ready folks, it’s time for round 2 of panic at the anemo!

adding a new crater in Dvalin's lawn he runs to your side with heaving lungs all winded and worried. but you seem completely fine? and so do the babies, albeit one is shivering from the chillness of the ruins and being wet having just hatched… wait a minute-

Did you really have to disappear like that? Especially since you’ve been acting strange the past week?

Your side of the bed was cold when he woke up and he thought you had already left for work. The day goes on as normal, some bard performances here, archon duties there, wine shenanigans, nothing out of the ordinary. Until your boss shows up demanding to know where you are just as he was about to take a post lunch nap.

Okay, there’s no need to panic yet. Maybe your boss forgot you weren’t supposed to be in today? Nope, it’s the middle of the week. Maybe you were late getting back from lunch? What do you mean you haven’t been in all day. Were you scheduled to work offsite? No? Okay, now it's time to panic.

He’s fearing the worst as he and the others search for you. His true identity may be a secret to most but that unfortunately wasn’t true for a certain large powerful group that had already stolen from him twice. He hopes this isn’t their doing.

Thankfully the search doesn’t last long. Once the city has been combed through he flies off to get help from Dvalin. His friend can’t help but laugh when told what was going on. That’s when it’s revealed you’ve been in his lair the whole time.

Just as the dragon said, you’ve taken residence in his lair. Showing up in the middle of the night without warning to build a nest. So that’s where all the missing clothes, blankets, and pillows went. Used as cushions for the nest you’ve built in the middle of the night. The nest, might I add, looks very comfortable. Your loafing self emits a blissful aura, wings drooping lazily at your side and talons tucked under your chest.

Doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Opts for a third option to beeline to you for a hug. But there will be no hugs for him. Dvalin manages to grab him before he can take a few steps.

“I would advise against this approach, Barbatos.” the anemo dragon warns while the archon flails in his talons whining, “less you desire a delay in meeting your offspring.”

The bard freezes at his words. Offspring? Does he mean you were…?

Venti is plopped down a few steps away from you, this time waiting for your acknowledgement before coming close. You are more than happy to have him there. Thank you Dvalin for intercepting, you’d be on guard if you’d seen your husband suddenly running full speed at you.

You raise your wings slightly, doing mini flaps as you call out to him in your beautiful avian voice with enthusiasm. You are practically vibrating in excitement as your mate comes to join you in your nest made of natural and man made materials. The same could be said for him.

“Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see!” Venti claps impatiently, ready to see the incubating life underneath your feathers. His eyes somehow manage to get even wider as you sit up. You puff up your chest feathers, head raised high with pride as you reveal the seven eggs you’d laid hours ago.

Venti’s eyes are sparkling with happy tears. Head in hands as he leans forward on his elbows, he studies his growing babies in awe. It pleased him to no end that the shells were decorated in the colors of anemo. If that didn’t scream who sired these eggs then he didn’t know what would.

Hand slightly reaching out, he had intended to wait for the okay like before. But you were offended he had the audacity to think he had to get permission to touch what he had helped to create. And you were going to make your feelings very clear.

Without warning you lunge forward. Small beak clamping on his shirt to jerk him over the edge. The bard lets out a startled yelp, face planting into your wing. Despite being a combination of smaller species of the feline and avian family, you were still quite strong.

“Ow ow ow, was that really necessary love dove?” He rubs his nose. Beak snaps are your reply, pouting at him to hurry up. Your impatience was so great he was denied the option to shake out his hat of feathers and twigs, getting robbed of his head wear. Okay he gets the memo sheesh!

The remainder of the evening is spent snuggled in the nest. Songs of humans and birds are heard late into the night, the voice of a dragon chiming in at times. Peace befalls the land of anemo.

Until it’s shattered by a frantic legion of knights still searching for their god and his wife hours later.

~ time skip yay ~

Venti sobs, clutching his bundle of joy to his chest. It had been nearly half an hour since his firstborn had entered the world yet somehow the tears kept flowing. No matter how hard he tried, the tears wouldn’t halt. But could you really blame him?

“You’re going to hyperventilate at this rate. It’s a wonder you haven’t already.”

“I-I-I *sniffle* can’t h-hel- *sob* help i-it!” he hugs his firstborn closer, blurry gaze never leaving his child’s face. “Sh-she-she’s *hiccup* s-so beau- *sniffle* beautiful!” the dragon rolled his eyes. How much longer did he have to listen to his crying?

“Get a hold of yourself. Your hatchlings won’t benefit if both parents are unable to assist due to being unconscious.”

Venti gives a final sniffle before tilting his head up in an attempt to stop the tears. He blinks rapidly, steadying his breath. A quick wipe of the sleeve and it’s back to staring.

He wanted to see every little thing she did. His perfect little feathered treasure.

The hatchling had somehow managed to sleep through his whole cry fest. Cozily wrapped in a quilt and blissfully resting from her first big hurdle. Not even a day old and she had already passed the most important milestone of her life, breaking the shell that had protected her as she grew.

He quickly wiped his eyes again. He’d cried enough today.

Suddenly she yawned, beak opening wide and talons outstretching. Eyes blinking open, she looks up at her father’s puffy face. Venti smiles warmly at her, his own eyes giving her loving slow blinks. His daughter returns the gesture.

She begins to wiggle in his hold, talons reaching to grip his shirt in an attempt to pull herself closer to his face. To save his daughter the trouble he lifts her closer. He chuckles as he nuzzles her face, her curious sniffs ticking.

“Hello, little one,” he whispers quietly, planting a kiss on her forehead, “the winds welcome you into the world.”

[vintagerpg]

The other Midkemia Press publication I was missing was Heart of the Sunken Lands (1983), which is, I think, the company’s final offering. That’s a damn shame.

This is a pretty vast wilderness setting, ripe for exploration. The earlier companion book, Jonril: Gateway to the Sunken Lands, was designed as a hub from which expeditions depart and the prosperity of the city implied a great amount of wealth that was awaiting extraction from the jungle. And its true — gemstones, exotic wood, animal specimens, honey and more await explorers, as do a plethora of creature and mysterious tribal groups.

The Sunken Lands are dense, magically mutable jungle and the book basically takes the random tables of Midkemia’s city projects and applies them to a jungle hex crawl. A few bespoke locations are included in the mix, including the temple complex of the antagonistic People of the Pit (who created headless zombie thralls by feeding heads to their god), but for the most part, you’re rolling on nested tables several times to find out what exactly the players have come across. There’s a frankly massive number of possible encounters. Lots involve monsters and combat. Others are more tranquil, like encountering the peculiar species of butterflies. Oh, and the four-armed, purple ogres are just called Purples, which I love.

A lot of the richness of this book is down to its author, Rudy Kraft, who notably worked on both Griffin Mountain and Snake Pipe Hollow for Chaosium (and precious little else, alas). There isn’t quite the level of mystery or social interaction as, say Griffin Mountain, but there is more to work with here than your average hexcrawl. I really like the number of commercial activities players are offered (even if they are, you know, destructively capitalistic). Logging and mining seem like fun logistical problems in this environment, instead of a slog. And those activities will inevitably put players in contact (and at odds) with the locals. From there, hijinx. Its a good formula.

[guyyurienjoyer]

the aerial births thing in dwarf fortress:

babies can't walk or fly or whatever

birds reproduce by going into a nest box and laying an egg, which later hatches into a baby bird. the baby's in the nest so it doesn't matter that it can't fly, it's safe

mammals reproduce by just getting magically pregnant and then suddenly dropping a baby out of them while they go about their business. they're on the ground and now the baby's also on the ground, everything's fine

griffins sometimes generate. griffins are mammals but they fly. due to being mammals they follow rule 3 and babies just randomly drop out sometimes. but they fly so sometimes babies randomly drop out in midair, due to rule 1 the babies can't fly and plummet to their immediate doom

dwarf fortress!!

I see I see that's a lot less horrific in context!!