#lake sycamore

[birdingbasics]

obviously none of the pokemon leaks are canon. obviously. but i’m taking exactly two things away from the pokemon leaks and the pokemon company will have to pry my fingers off one by one to get them away from me

the arceus myth about how arceus is defeated by giratina and falls to earth as a woman and marries a man and they have twin daughters and then after they are born arceus ascends and leaves that man a single dad to raise their two half-god twins and when giratina comes back he tries to protect his daughters and dies in the process and they become palkia and dialga and defeat giratina and then arceus resurrects her dead husband into the lake spirits mesprit azelf and uxie. if you care about the lore of d/p/pt or pla this is so much to consider

after you save the world/win the championship professor sycamore gives you his cheeseburger

[uxbridge]

Autumn views from the lake 🍃🍂🍁

[101flavoursofweird]

Descole battled Loosha with his spectre robot because Loosha stood in his way of finding the Golden Garden and she was defending the town, but Des seems to take so much vicious joy out of attacking her…

You could chalk this up to Des’ hatred of all things Azran (Loosha could have been a creature from Azran times and she was born in the Golden Garden), but what if Des had another hatred— and fear… of the Loch Ness Monster?

What if a certain Scottish butler unintentionally instilled a fear in young Desmond with his bedtime stories— old folk tales of a beast in Loch Ness? Poor Des is so traumatised (though, of course, he never tells Raymond this!) that he almost bails on his plans when he gets to Misthallery and this GIANT LAKE MONSTER IS WAITING FOR HIM. It squares up to Des’ robot with a haunting wailing cry… (“EEEEEEEEEEE!”)

Des barely sleeps. He can still hear the monster in his dreams, long after he has fled from Misthallery. He wakes up on Ambrosia in a cold sweat. He is so relieved when he gets to Monte d’Or because it’s a desert, and there’s no way on Earth another Azran water cow could be here. Right? Right…?

But while he’s in Misthallery, Des steels himself— He needs to find Golden Garden before Targent!—and he goes out to face Nessie, and his childhood demons. Raymond will be so proud of him…

Raymond is, actually, horrified when he finds out what his disaster of a son has done.

“I may have lost the Golden Garden, but at least I vanquished the beast!”

“Well done, Master… but did you really need to put the poor creature through so much pain?”

“You don’t understand, Raymond— it was the Loch Ness Monster! The elusive monster from your stories that has terrified Britain for eons! We’re finally rid of it!”

“…”

“Desmond… You do know the Loch Ness Monster is a just a legend, don’t you?”

[rosielindy]

Drinking coffee, swinging by the lake in Michigan supported by this beauty 🥰

[oxtofmydcpth]

Sycamore shook her head, “no, I enjoy them. They offer me a lot of comfort. Admittedly it’s easy to forget other people have gone through-“ the same? No, it wasn’t the same as her pain, “-similar.” She considered her joining of the Listeners to be a good thing, offering her another set of likeminded people to spend her time with, but she knew the existence of that group wasn’t for the masses just yet. “Yes, just a few people around the Commune, people I normally wouldn’t have made time for but have now. It’s been helpful. And Sandra let me borrow some watercolours so I’ve been making paintings sometimes, which is also nice, paintings of some of mine and Clayton’s favourite spots. It feels like it’s all keeping him alive a little more.”

❝no need to apologize, it certainly shouldn't be seen as an obligation by any means.❞ if it was, mizhir felt it would be counterproductive to the purpose. he was certain kiara would agree with him on that point. ❝a good elsewhere? care to share? i do enjoy hearing good news.❞ especially when so much of his position was shrouded with taking in bad news, counseling through rough times, and hearing some people's darkest thoughts. miz tried to find the bright spots wherever he could and hold onto them to counter the darkness.

[scarecrow-collective]

Fucking fucking fucking ghouls with non ghouls/non human mates....(HEAVILY INSPIRED BY THE LAKE WIFE POSTS, I DON'T REMEMBER THE OG POSTER BUT THEM!!) But hear me out for the other ghouls rq.

Mountain with a wood nymph mate, he's so utterly in love with her and head over fucking heels. She calls him honeysuckle and her sycamore while she makes him feel so good, always taking her time with him.

Phantom with an Eldritch being mate, she's much older than him by hundreds of years but he doesn't mind. He's so obedient to her and always does everything she says, fucking into her like a desperate dog.

Dewdrop with a mate made of fire and brimstone, they'll burn at his skin in the best ways possible, he'll whine and cry while he bucks up for more always begging harshly while his thighs are shaking.

Swiss with a ghastly mate, she's so curious and cheeky and always sneaking up on him in the worst ways ever. He can't touch her but she can touch him and she makes sure to let him know, touching him in the most random of times for the purpose of teasing him.

[honeyspawn]

Silly Assorted Hatchetfield headcannons part 2.

Brooke and Trevor are best friends, and Brooke's family is Rudolph's host family.

Alice and Grace used to have play dates when they were younger, but it was more because their parents were friends, and they didn't really hang out other than that.

Sycamore is a Catholic school. They are very small, with an average of around 40-60 students per graduating class.

Paul delivered pizzas (canon) for 6 whole years. He started when he was 16, almost right after getting his driver's license, and continued through college. He started working for CCRP almost right out of college.

Even though their coffee is bad, Beanie's hot chocolate is surprisingly good (aside from the fact that they spit in it).

Bill got really into stress baking after the divorce. He has a sour dough starter he's really proud of.

Bill's ex-wife is a fairly successful freelance programmer. The fact that she makes more money than Bill was a big contributing factor to their custody arrangement.

When Peter was 7, the Spankoffski's were having a family beach day, and Ted tried to scare him by telling him there were sharks in the lake. Pete proceeded to go into detail about why it is scientifically impossible for there to be sharks in Lake Michigan and why he's an idiot for even suggesting such a thing.

The ages of Linda's kids (at the time of Honey Queen): Trent- 13, Seaton- 12, Jordan- 8, and River- 6 (canon)

Steph has been playing the bass since she was 15. She only really plays for herself, though.

Because Steph was born in October (canon), she has a big costume party for her birthday. It's the biggest Halloween party of the year.

[astra-ravana]

Working With Vepar

The Tempest's Whisper

Enn: "On Ca Vepar Ag Na"

Rank: Duchess

Colors: Green, teal, blue, yellow, black

Herbs: Mugwort, mandrake, lotus, water lily, sandalwood, jasmine, rose, palo santo, datura, bergamot, white pine, yarrow, albizia, butterfly pea flower, sycamore, marshmallow, cabbage, lemon balm, nightshade, dittany of Crete, hibiscus, ivy, lobelia, black copal, rowan, blackberry, balm of Gilead, aloe

Crystals: Chrysocolla, turquoise, larimar, amazonite, apatite, blue tiger's eye, serpentine, malachite, lazulite, blue chalcedony, prehnite, black amethyst, iolite, aquamarine, sapphire, blue kyanite, quartz en hydro, yellow jade, bumblebee bee jasper, black agate

Element: Water

Planet: Neptune, Venus

Zodiac: Pisces (Taurus)

Metal: Copper, tin

Tarot: Knight of Cups, 7 of Pentacles

Dates: May 11th - 21st

Day: Friday

Direction: North

Animals: Snakes, predatory fish, octopi

Domains: Deep, dark water, destruction, discord, upheaval, decay, overwhelm, descent, healing, safe passage, navigation, shelter, strategic thinking, cunning, masterful plots, great ideas, sea/water magick, baneful magick, divination, predicting the weather, weather magick, magickal waters, herbalism, biology/ecosystems

Offerings: Water from nature, herbs, mermaids, driftwood, compasses, spyglasses and other navigation tools, sea/lake/pond associated items, blood, fish, caviar

Sigil:

[spittyfishy]

If the Pokemon world had their own "Remnants of Despair", who do you think would be in it. (Junko somehow made a portal there or something.)

Buckle up fellas this is gonna be a long one

Ooo okay that’s a super interesting thing to think about! There’s a lot of things to consider when picking remnants in this sort of context (fighting tooth and nail against the instinct to just bonk my favs with the villain au bat but I shall resist!)

I think it’s important take how the Pokémon world works into account, like having Junko just physically torture someone into despair (think Chisa) wouldn’t fly, Pokémon’s ratings as a franchised wouldn’t allow it. So I’ve only picked characters who already had something that Junko could pull on to manipulate them into despair. I also tried to get at least one person from every region! I'm not 100% certain about some of these, so I’d definitely love to hear other people’s thoughts! (And let’s see if anyone can guess which character I had the most thoughts for lol)

Kanto:

Chloe: I think I’ve talked about Chloe’s villain au potential before, but at least during the early part of the Journeys anime she fairly closed off and distant, her dad paid more attention to Goh and Ash then to her, and there were loads of instances where he put his Pokémon work above her needs and family plans.

Jessibelle: Listen, Jessie and James are too whimsical for something like this but Jessibelle was already a physically abusive gold digger lol so I’m sure Junko would have something to work with there.

Johto:

Silver: Not only is his dad a globally wanted criminal, but he also abandoned Silver when he went into hiding (I think that’s the backstory at least), and Silver has a lot of dialogue about treating Pokémon only as tools. If being a strong trainer didn’t get Giovanni’s attention, then maybe being a Remnant would.

Clair: Okay I’m going to be honest, I realized there weren’t enough girls on the list and threw Clair on last minute, but she also is super annoying in the Johto games lol. Like come on I won the battle just give me the badge!!

Hoenn:

Courtney: So in the Pokémon Masters phone game there’s a bit where Courtney is shown to really believe in the Team Magma cause and really hates Team Aqua even after everything had been resolved at the end of ORAS, so I think Junko could get her that way. Have Courtney convinced that it’s her duty to keep Team Magma’s ideals alive even if the rest of the team forgot them.

Sinnoh:

Cyrus: Cyrus failed. All that effort to create his perfect world, catching the lake spirits, scaling Mount Corinette, he got so close— Just to have it all come crashing down at the last moment. His life’s work destroyed by some kid! He already had little to no patience for humanity, so thanks to Junko’s influence fine, he’ll make this world so unbearable to live in that people will beg him to create his perfect world at last.

Saturn: Saturn will follow Cyrus anywhere, both Pokémon Masters and the Chronicles of Arceus movie showed that if the Commanders are put in a situation without Cyrus they will go to any lengths to get him back. Saturn's devotion runs deep, so if Cyrus says despair is the answer then that’s what it’ll be.

Unova:

Roxy: I’ve got nothing to justify this one with other then Junko wanted an Ibuki replacement to preform silly little despair concerts and I needed someone to rep Unova.

Kalos:

Sycamore: I’m not the first person to say Sycamore and Lysander were in love if not in a full blown relationship when everything went down in Kalos. But Lysander died, crushed under the weapon he’d risked everything to restore. The longer Sycamore goes without him the more he notices the flaws in humanity Lysander was talking about. People are selfish and greedy, look at the state of the world! Professors in Paldea nearly caused an ecological nightmare! The president of the Galar region Pokémon league almost plunged the world into eternal darkness! Not to mention what the morons over in Hoenn tried to do. If even people that were supposed to be trustworthy were causing this much chaos then there was no hope for the rest of humanity. If he could just get Lysander back, just see him one more time— tell him he’d been right, Sycamore was sorry for not seeing it sooner, that he missed him, and that if he could go back he’d have never given those kids the Pokémon that he was ultimately defeated by. If he could just get him back— if there was just some way— like if there was a big, giant, ancient machine that was capable of bringing back the dead still sitting in pieces in Geosenge Town…

Alola:

Faba: Is anyone really surprised? Faba is a little weasel of a man and will jump ship to whoever currently holds the most power. He could be a Branch Chief again! Or even better, if he does a good enough job maybe Junko will give him the whole Aether Foundation as a reward! (She won’t, but the possibility would always be held over his head to keep him in line)

Hau: Okay but hear me out— in the Ultra games specifically Hau has a few interactions with Guzma where he taunts him about being in his grandpa’s shadow and never being able to prove himself as a strong trainer. Gladion’s dialogue reinforces this, that Hau is always too busy goofing off and never takes anything seriously. If Hau’s just stuck there, his friends surpacing him, his rivals surpacing him, the mantle of Kahuna an unattainable goal constantly hovering over him, all those expectations and the realization he’s never going to meet any of them— it might become too much to deal with.

Galar:

Rose: He was only trying to help! Why couldn’t anyone see that? Galar needed Eternatus and the dynamax particles it could make, Rose had been saving the world! They were all so ungrateful, locking him in jail for saving them, who do they think they are? He made this region into what it is today! Everyone relies on Macro Cosmos, and he ran the entire Pokémon league on top of that! That Leon would be nothing without him! It was a region of ungrateful brats. But even so, he’ll still keep working to ‘help’ them all again, you’re welcome.

Oleana: *holds up photos of Oleana and of Peko* Corporate needs you to find the difference between these two pictures. They’re the same picture.

Raihan: He had to beat him. If he just trained harder, more sandstorms, bigger dragons, if he wanted it more. Leon couldn’t be invincible, he couldn’t be, and Raihan would prove it. Turn all of Galar to a battle ground if he needed, but he was going to take down that champion once and for all.

Paldea:

Kieran: Again, no one’s surprised. Just take BB league champion Kieran and turn him up to 11, and boom. Remnant Kieran. He’s still on a hunt for a legendary Pokémon, if he can just find one of those then he’ll be strong enough to defeat anyone right!

Bonus, all the Team Star bosses: I’m thinking they’d be like the equivalent of the Warriors of Hope, not really part of the Remnants group but still very much in despair. I mean come on, a group of bullied teens like that, Junko would have a field day.

And there we go! 15 Remnants plus five Warriors of Hope! I thoroughly enjoyed this ask, I know some of the concepts were much more fleshed out then others, I almost went with Misty and Brock for Kanto (his parents abandoned him to raise all his younger siblings while being the city gym leader, and Misty was so stuck in her sister's shadow she ran away from home) but I just couldn’t do that to two of my childhood faves. (Pierce and Gladion also almost made the list).

[bonefall]

You've redid the lake before, so out of curiosity, if you could change anything about the forest territories, what would you change? I actually find the Clans MORE seperated at the forest because of the gorge, road, and river in the way. The only actual space debatable on who it belonged to was sunningrocks as far as I remember

I do have my changes for the Forest Territories too, but buddy, naaaah I have to fight you on the Forest being MORE separated. My brother in StarClan, the new map is full of lake.

They might have well just dropped a Windwaker-level speedrun breaking forcefield in the middle of everything. How can you have a border dispute over a LAKE? Are we walking on water now? Is Jesusclaw going to throw hands

Meanwhile at the Forest, the road was a passable but dangerous border with tunnels beneath. The river had stepping stones and the famous Sunningrocks. The gorge was next to a sliver of land that RiverClan would start dangerous fights near.

Any stealing on your land could be ANYONE. Who is stealing WindClan's rabbits? In the Lake, there's only two suspects, and it's unlikely that ThunderClan would go alllllll the way to the RiverClan side to steal. That's huge.

So changes to the Forest are much smaller. There's only one big change.

There is now a Mothermouth Moorland/Mothermouth Marshland, just above Carrionplace. It is a floodplain that Shadow and Wind had a massive war about. It is the best source of flax in miles.

Any retroactive mentions of random "pine" in ShadowClan are gone. It is a bog. The only pines there are yew, juniper, and scotch, with cedars being planted around Carrionplace to fight the smell.

There's a patch of new-growth, introduced sycamores. They replace the forest that burned down back in DOTC, and are in what-is-now ThunderClan territory. They're next to the hiking trail.

The bridge between RiverClan and ThunderClan is new. It wasn't there when Mapleshade fled.

There used to be five oaks at fourtrees. One caught blight and died within 5 years of SkyClan's exile, crushing Ripplestar.

And that's about it for physical changes. It doesn't need a ton of fixing imo.

[saltchurch]

so basically i wrap up jensen ackles in a chrysalis. hard shellac and green and we suspend it from a sycamore over a deep freshwater lake. its a beautiful day. and when he emerges as an insect with six segmented legs and an exoskeleton and compound eyes and wet papery wings (translucent with dew against the sun) the clouds will gather and it will start to rain. rapidly the water level rises, and his wings, still wet, flap pathetically. he strains to rise against the sudden onslaught. clinging to the low-hanging branch, the water begins to engulf his delicate wings. they float clear as a reflection on the surface of the water. gossamer. as the rain gets harder and deeper and colder and him and his branch are nearly completely covered, he thinks, I should have made more intelligent acting decisions on the CW's supernatural

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Fossil Novembirb 10: Bayou in the Badlands

Fluvioviridavis by @quetzalpali-art

Back to Eocene Ecosystems! One of the most famous Eocene fossil sites in the world is the Fossil Lake site of the Green River Formation, an ecosystem from Colorado in the United States. This ecosystem records the transition from the moist forested world of the early Eocene to the drier warm world of the mid-Eocene. The forests would begin to shrink back, the foliage would change, and so would the animals.

Fossil Lake records the start of that process! Sediment would regularly settle into this lake at periodic intervals, which then recorded the evolution of the lifeforms there over thousands of years. The forests were filled with sycamore trees and other broadleaf plants, as well as ferns.

Limnofregata by @iguanodont

Because the lake was so frequently filled with sediment, oxygen levels were low to nonexistent, preventing decomposers from living at the bottom of the lake. This lead to many different organisms being preserved nearly perfectly, including many gorgeous birds!

In fact, the Field Museum of Chicago - my home - has many of these wonderful fossils on display, and have fascinated me since childhood. So I'm going to break format a little here to showcase some of these fossils.

Cyrilavis, a Halcyornithid (Parrot-Passerine of Prey)

Fluvioviridavis, a Strisorian (like oilbirds or frogmouths)

Eofringillirostrum, a Passerine

Limnofregata, a Frigatebird in a Gull Niche

Nahmavis, a relative of shorebirds (Charadriiformes) or rails and cranes (Gruiformes)

An unnamed Anseriform, probably similar to Anachronornis

Celericolius, a mousebird

Zygodactylus, a stem-passerine

We see once again in this ecosystem - as we have in the others we've covered - the common theme of Avian evolution: the niches may stay the same, but the birds filling them will always change. We have Mousebirds perching in trees in North America, we have Frigatebirds filling the Gull niche, ducks wading around the lake like flamingos, and cousins of parrots/passerines hunting prey.

Presbyornis by @drawingwithdinosaurs

Other notable dinosaurs from this formation include Presbyornis, another one of those Flamingo-Ducks we've talked about like Teviornis and Conflicto; Gastornis because it was literally everywhere from the latest Paleocene through the early Eocene; Lithornithids like Pseudocrypturus because they were also everywhere; early landfowl like Gallinuloides; the cuckoo-roller Plesiocathartes; the ibis Vadaravis; and the turaco relative Foro. Once again, we see many tropical birds in places where they aren't today, due to the extensive warm climate of the Early Eocene.

Foro by @drawingwithdinosaurs

This swampy ecosystem was filled with large crocodile relatives, small mammals, the earliest known bats, giant lizards, and an alarming number of fish - making it one of the better known ecosystems of the early Paleogene. But the best known Paleogene fossil location is still to come...

Sources:

Grande, L. 2013. The Lost World of Fossil Lake: Snapshots from Deep Time. University of Chicago Press.

Mayr, 2022. Paleogene Fossil Birds, 2nd Edition. Springer Cham.

Mayr, 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance (TOPA Topics in Paleobiology). Wiley Blackwell.

[sinfulsalutations]

𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕒 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕝𝕪, 𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕘𝕠 ⋆*･ﾟ 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣

ᴘᴛ ɪ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴇ. ᴘᴛ ɪɪ ꜱᴛᴀᴠᴇ. ᴘᴛ ɪɪɪ ꜱᴛᴜᴅʏ. ᴘᴛ ɪᴠ ꜱɪɴ. ᴘᴛ ᴠ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ. ᴘᴛ ᴠɪ ꜱᴇɴᴅᴏꜰꜰ.

➼ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ ☆ ꜱᴇʀɢᴇᴀɴᴛ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

➼ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ ☆ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴇɴᴛᴀɴɢʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ꜰʟᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ꜰʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ ᴄᴏᴜɴꜱᴇʟᴏʀ.

➼ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ☆ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ ᴀᴜ, ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀ ᴡᴀʀꜱ ʀᴇꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ, ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ, (ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟ) ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ, ᴀᴡᴋᴡᴀʀᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ, ꜱᴋɪɴɴʏ ᴅɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ'ꜱ ᴠ-ʟɪɴᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇꜱ ᴀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ (ɴᴏᴛᴇ: ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴀɢꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ/ʙᴇ ᴀᴅᴊᴜꜱᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ)

➼ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ☆ 2.9ᴋ

➼ ᴘᴏᴠ ☆ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ

⋆ ★ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜰᴇꜱᴛᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɪɴ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ ɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ. ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪʀꜱᴛʏ ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ꜱɪᴍᴘꜱ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏʀᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʜʏᴘɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ/ʙʀᴀɪɴꜱᴛᴏʀᴍɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ, ʏ'ᴀʟʟ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ :) ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ!

⋆ ★ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀᴏ3 ⋆*･ﾟ ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ

“1!”

“2!”

“3!”

“4–”

Two people call the number out simultaneously, audible groans leaving multiple girls as they have to start over. Water ripples around you, hands in a steady grip around your oar as you watch your campers row their way across the lake in front of you. Your eyes flit to Omega leading the group with a bright, excitable stare, dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, a cap shielding her face from the glaring sun.

“It’s alright, everyone!” She beams, careening back and forth as she rows. “We can start over!”

With a smile, you nod and add,

“As long as we don’t fall too behind.” You gesture ahead of you, toward the obscured view of a cluster of canoes no doubt belonging to the Cedar cabin. At the mere mention of them, the girls groan and row faster; they don't wish to face the scrutiny they’d be subjugated to by those immature, adolescent boys.

Not that they weren’t all too dissimilar.

You could swear no matter how many times you’ll force them to clean up and clear the floors of the Maple Cabin, it’ll once again become a disheveled heap of clothes and personal belongings by the time it’s lights out. Omega began to help you lead, reminding them as they leave the bathroom not to leave all their possessions on the counter and shower rack and to toss their clothes in the laundry pile. 

She’s helpful, no doubt. You’ll have to ask Tech to promote her to CIT next year.

They start the game again.

“1!”

“...2!”

“3!”

“4!”

There’s a pause.

“5.”

“6!”

“7–”

“Oh, come on! ” Betty whines. You can’t help but giggle silently and look down so no one sees your smile.

It’s not long before you near the Cedar Cabin and hear their attempt at the game still going on. In the corner of your eye, Hannah gawks while Omega scrunches her nose.

“22!”

“23!”

“24!”

“25!”

“26–”

This time, when two people call out the same number simultaneously, just as Maple had done before, they only groan playfully and say confident affirmations of ‘we’ll get it next time,’ flashing a mischievous glint toward the girls. Omega tries to hide the grit of her teeth. You can tell she’s not pleased, however. 

But there’s no time to focus on that when you hear that husky voice.

"Having trouble?”

You look to your right, then immediately look away with instinct, hiding your widening eyes. 

He’s wearing a tank top.

Hunter is a new counselor this year. Alongside all of his brothers and sister, Omega, he’s already become a new favorite. Every night by the campfire once he’s finished leading the camp in songs, Cedar and Sycamore Cabin crowd around him, asking him to teach them guitar or how to carve wood as good as he does, where he gets his cool maroon-colored bandanas and the story behind his striking skeleton tattoo on one side of his body. Even the girls have begun fawning over him; Cilla and Betty frequently ask Omega questions about her older brother, not-so-discreetly calculating the age difference between them. The older girls in the Pine cabin don’t shy away from blatant flirting, always asking him for help to apply sunscreen before a day of swimming, twirling their hair as he tells them not to get in too much trouble.

He’s agreeable, he’s handsome, he’s incredibly good with kids; it seems as though the entire camp can’t help but swarm.

You, however? You can’t even look him in the eye.

If you did, you're pretty sure you would dissolve into a buzzing mess.

“Yeah, they haven’t made it past ten yet,” You tell him, readjusting your cap a little lower to bedim your face further. It’s not the sun that’s making your cheeks so hot.

“Hm.” It’s just a hum that comes out of his voice, rumbling his chest. You take another slow breath and begin rowing again. You call out to your girls, telling them to move forward now that you’ve caught up with the rest. As you follow behind, the looming shadow of Hunter’s figure remains on your right. He’s not looking in your direction, and you’re not so disillusioned to think otherwise, but you still feel passing looks, occasional yet piercing. Like he’s trying to pinpoint the features under your cap.

“Well, alright, Maple,” He says. “I see Crosshair by the shore with his boys. We shouldn’t keep `him waiting.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t,” You agree, silently exhaling darkly and rowing beside him in continued silence.

-

The hike takes longer than usual; between detours for campers to do their business awkwardly behind a tree and the younger boys straying from the group getting lost about halfway through, Crosshair is left almost ready to burst. The sight of him so irritated is amusing, no doubt, but you know not to even try to interact with him unless you want an arrow right between your eyes. Why he always carry his bow with him, you're still unsure.

“Alright, everyone, get out your jars,” You instruct the group after reaching the top of the hill, creating a circle in the clearing. The sky is still painted with passionate oranges and yellows, but in just a few minutes the sun will descend and what you’re waiting for shall appear.

“Remember, be careful once you do catch them,” Hunter reminds everyone. Your eyes can’t help but flicker in his direction; it’s instinct to look at whoever’s talking; with Hunter, you've still yet to learn not to. “Don’t shake the jar too hard, don’t cover the airholes, and remember to let them out before we all leave. Understood?”

“Yes, Hunter!”

The yellows and oranges slowly darken as the night arrives promptly, blanketing you all in darkness. Until, only a few moments later, there is a small blink of lime. Then another. Then five. All around you, do the fireflies beacon your spot, fluttering around you in swarms. There are awes, mostly from the girls as the boys mutter emasculated versions of reverence, which you can’t deny makes you laugh.

With the twinkles of lights wrapped around you, you slowly open your jar to catch a few effortlessly. Betty turns your way, astonished, which seems to attract the attention of Cilla and Hilary as well.

“How did you do it so easily?” Hilary asks.

You grin, looking down at your jaw with a soft look of humility.

“I did this all the time when I was your age,” You explain. “And a lot more times after that. Practice.”

Their mouths form tiny o-shapes and they nod, quickly going to try and catch a few themselves.

“Where did Omega run off to?” You say them before you lose their attention.

Kayla points to where Crosshair stands stiffly. 

“With her brother. I think she’s trying to get him to do it too.”

You look over as the girls skitter off. Omega still has that sweet smile of hers as she holds up his wrists in a tight grip, mouth moving to tell him what no doubt is an encouragement to try himself. Crosshair still has a frown on his face but does as she says, and his face slowly softens when he catches one without any hesitation with just his hand.

"Good job!" She cheers, before calling out, "Hunter, look! Crosshair caught one!"

The firefly flickers in his palm, the lime seeping through the small air holes between his fingers.

"Wasn't too bad, right?" Omega tilts her head, smiling as she watches Crosshair's expression play out. His eyes remain glued to his hand.

"It wasn't," He responds.

It’s not very long before he lets it go.

It gives you time to look back down at your jaw, lifting it up to your face. You tilt your head in fascination, and you don't even realize the smile creeping up on you until your cheeks begin to hurt a little.

“Having’ a good time?”

Your heart leaps, then your instinct does that stupid thing again and turns to the sound of Hunter’s voice (How do you forget that he’s still attached to that gorgeous body?). You look back instantly.

“I am,” You mutter, looking up to see the fireflies flit through the night. Striking against the navy sky, they still don’t manage to brighten the night enough for you to get a clear view of anyone’s face. Hunter included. At least that makes this easier.

“Your girls seem to be having fun.”

Even in the darkness, the fleeting lights manage to give you a sight of Hannah catching her first firefly, smiling proudly before turning to show the others.

“Yeah, they are,” You let yourself smile as well. A familiar shiver rushes through you with a feeling of a stare dancing feather-light over your skin. This time, you’re not disillusioned at all; Hunter’s eyes are on you. That’s definitely not nerve-wracking at all.

“Looks like they have a lot of fun with you,” He continues. You instinctively, foolishly, turn his direction and just manage to see the faded view of his profile while he talks. He turns to you. You stare at his nose instead of even trying to make eye contact.

“Really?” Your voice comes out softer, weaker than you expect. You wince internally in embarrassment.

Hunter nods, and in your foggy view, his lips seem to curve up in what looks like a grin.

“I’ve seen you with them,” The mere idea of what that connotates makes you take a deep breath and bite your lip. At all costs, you make sure not to do anything crass. “They connect with you a lot. Especially Omega.”

Your body relaxes. You’d prefer not to use the word soften just yet, lest you wanted to feel so pliant to even the merest compliment.

“She’s a great kid.”

“She is,” He responds. There’s a pause; you expect the conversation to end, but then he starts talking again. Hunter hisses in another breath. “You know… Omega doesn’t exactly have a real woman, er, influence in her life.”

You tilt your head, eyebrows knitted. It begs a silent question that Hunter seems to pick up on.

“Yeah, it’s just me and my brothers and her,” A noise slips out of you, something bordering on an empathetic coo, though it inevitably sounds just like a hum. “So… you’ve been a great influence.”

Your lips part delicately, suddenly so unbearably soft.

“Really?” You repeat. It seems your vocabulary doesn’t expand more than 3 words when talking to Hunter.

He nods, then leans in. You almost pull away in your flushed surprise.

“Don’t tell her I said this…” He whispers. The way his voice rasps and holds onto his words so quietly makes you want to feel his voice even closer, straight in your ear. You don’t inch further. “...But she says you’re like the sister she never had.”

The admittance is intimate, you realize once he finishes his sentence. A sweet little secret between you two, and suddenly, you’re smiling like a damn near fool.

“That’s very nice to hear,” You say, feeling your cheeks burn a little hotter when Hunter grins back. “Thank you for telling me that.”

He tilts his chin down as a way of acknowledgment.

“`Of course, Maple.”

Before anything else can be said, Wesley runs up to the two of you, gripping Hunter’s bicep and shaking it furiously.

“Owen smushed one of the fireflies!” He says in distress, eyes wide as he points over to where the other boys are staring in horror at Owen’s palm. Hunter turns to you immediately before responding to him.

“Gotta deal with this,” He says in a mutter, just low enough so Wesley doesn’t hear. “It was nice talking to you.”

You blink, adjusting to the sudden change in atmosphere.

“Yeah, yeah,” You stammer. “Real nice.”

Those eyes you can’t seem to look into give you another look before he leaves you with sweaty palms, gripping your jar like a madman.

-

At the bonfire later that night, you don’t dare to look up from your feet.

Somehow, talking to Hunter has made your silly little infatuation even worse. You’ve seen the way he attentively focuses in on whoever he’s talking to, giving them his full attention to make them feel listened to and special; to finally receive such attention has made you positively giddy. Panicked, but giddy nonetheless.

Around the campfire, you hum softly to the tune he leads the group in while your cabin belts proudly.

Hunter has a very nice singing voice; you discover this the first week when he first offered up his skills to lead the camp in songs and games every night.

You almost looked into his eyes then that first time, watching him strum simple chords on his guitar, singing simple camp songs in the most gruff, lovely voice, and encouraging others to join. But that was a while ago. Now fear stops you from getting close to that ever again.

Like last time, the Pine cabin immediately surrounds him, perfectly poised postures and smiles put on for his viewing pleasure.

“How’d you get so good?” A girl named Sherine asks while leaning in, reaching out to run her fingers over the guitar strings. Hunter tenses. At least that’s what it looks like to you.

”Practice,” He answers bluntly, before continuing to answer each of their questions.

Pine’s counselor, Mona, walks up beside you with a chuckle.

”Those girls…” She sighs, shaking her head softly. “Don’t they realize how much older he is compared to them? Don't most of them have boyfriends anyway?”

You giggle and nod along with her observations, trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on you recurring as Hunter’s gaze wanders.

As the girls finally get ready for bed, combing their hair and changing into their pajamas, someone tugs at your sleeve, once twice, five times. You turn, looking down at Omega's wide, doe-eyes.

“Something wrong?” You ask.

Her eyes search yours, frantic.

“...I think I forgot my book down by the lake.”

You huff, almost surprised by her audacity. 

“Can’t you just wait until the morning?” You offer instead.

Omega shakes her head, a frown on her lips.

“I can’t go to sleep without reading!” She insists. You arch your eyebrows and place your free hand on your hip, but she doesn’t budge. You sigh.

“Fine,” You say, kneeling to mutter quietly, “You’re in charge if anything goes wrong while I’m getting it. If Tech comes by for lights-out inspection, tell him I’m in the bathroom. Got it?”

Omega nods, saluting with a grin.

“On it!” She says, then adds graciously, “Thank you so much .”

It’s hard not to let yourself smile a little at her before leaving through the door, quietly creeping down to the lake. 

The crickets chirping is a nice little sound to keep yourself grounded in the darkness. It might've been wiser to bring a flashlight, you realize, but it isn't that long of a walk anyway. You listen to the sound of your own steps and watch the rustling of leaves overhead, the moonlight peaking through and illuminating the path ahead of you. In the distance, that same flickering of fireflies from the top of the hiking trail gives you a little, just a little more sight to make your way down the steep path and to the shore of the lake.

Your eyes dart around the dock, looking for Omega’s book. You’re unsure what it looks like; you probably should’ve asked her. You slowly walk closer, ensuring that your feet don’t crunch a leaf or snap a twig, before creeping up where the water meets the rocks. A heap of clothes is laid there, messily thrown on top of each other. 

That’s strange. And highly unlikely that someone just forgot their clothes at the lake and returned to camp bare.

The water ripples slowly, and a figure moves languidly under the break. The large rock to your right suddenly becomes the perfect spot to perch behind as you watch whatever is swimming around.

You take another look at the pile of clothes. Under what seems like regular jean shorts, a slip of red peaks through and meets the ground. Squinting your eyes, you almost gasp when you realize what it is. 

Hunter’s bandana.

Suddenly, something bursts out of the water. You almost squeak in your shock, but keep silent. Only your eyes slowly peak over the rock as you see long, dark hair flip backward in a spray of water, a broad chest taking a large breath of fresh air, just going to its hips before slowly shifting back down into the water. You only see that prominent V-Line for just a few moments, a split second of vulnerability Hunter doesn’t even know he’s exposing, for you to gasp so, so silently into your chest.

He’s naked.

Holy shit, he’s naked.

And he looks damn good too.

He slowly moves around in the water, head leaned back as he relaxes, barely letting his hips reach the surface. This is not good, this is an absolute violation of his privacy, why the fuck can’t you look away?

You force yourself to, however, once he looks as though he’s about to leave. His strong arms reach to hold his hair back from his face, wringing it, and you make your run for it, having little regard for making more noise than you did when you first arrived.

Panting and disheveled, face and ears red, you return to your cabin.

“Did you find my book?” Omega asks once you come through the door.

“Couldn’t,” You answer, automatically and robotically, before hiding your face in your pillow and suppressing a scream.

tags: @starstofillmydream @pb-jellybeans @corrieguards @badbatchbabe @ladytano420 @jediknightjana @sleepycreativewriter @shinyshayminflower @thebahdbitch @secondaryrealm @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @kimiheartblade @followthepurrgil @wolffegirlsunite @multi-fan-dom-madness @moonlightwarriorqueen @starrylothcat @blueink-bluesoul @aconstructofamind @padawancat97 @littlemissmanga @starqueensthings @anxiouspineapple99 @freesia-writes @wings-and-beskar @clio3kantarella @secretthegriffin @idontgetanysleep @523rdrebel @dystopicjumpsuit @mandos-mind-trick @ladyzirkonia

[otussketching]

Fossil Novembirb: Day 10 - Bayou in the Badlands

The modern landscape of the American west is but a far cry from its past. Early Eocene Green River formation preserves an incredible snapshot of time 50 million years ago. The locality of these fossils was once a huge lake system bordered by forests of sycamore and palmettos, and teeming with animals of all kinds, including birds, which were in the middle of an enormous radiation of forms.

Calciavis: A palaeognath which was a member of the lithornithids. Like them, it fed on insects from the forest floor and was a powerful flier. Some fossils preserve colour pigments of its feathers, suggesting this bird was a glossy black.

Limnofregata: The earliest known frigatebird that flew over the water just as its aeronaut descendants. Like modern frigates, it plucked prey from the water and the shorelines of the lake system.

Plesiocathartes: A bizarre bird that has had a complicated history. Now we know that it was an early relative of the cuckoo-roller from Madagascar and probably lived a similar lifestyle.

Celericolius: An early member of the mousebird family that had long wings and even longer tail. It may have flown at high speed through the forests.

Foro: This american bird is in fact an early member of turacos, birds which are unique to Africa today. Like them, it mostly fed on soft fruit.

Prefica: A strange bird who'se closest living relative is the oilbird of South America, which is a nocturnal frugivore. It could be that this ancient relative lived in a similar way.

Nahmavis: An early member of the shorebird family known from a spectacular fossil that preserves feathers.

Gallinuloides: The earliest known true galliform, this small fowl was among the early ancestors of guans, quails, turkeys and grouse.

Presbyornis: A widespread wading waterfowl related to ducks and geese. Sometimes called the flamingo-duck, it used its flat bill to filter its food, and may have nested in colonies like flamingos.

[labselkie]

pokémon au drabble….. i’ve been having some thoughts

around 1900 words!

An Eelektross sinks its head back into the murky water of the Kalosian sewer. It wasn’t the best place to swim, but it was somewhere, and its slick green skin blended in perfectly with the algae.

It saw its target, and it had to go back and report.

Lucielle Lakes was staring dead straight at her partner Dewott. It stands between her legs, looking right up at her as she sits on the Lumiose street bench. The tree above them casts the already teal otter into a more greenish shade, and it blinks a few times, all before a smile spreads on its snout.

Lucy had blinked first, she lost the game. She a back with her own smile, beginning to laugh. “I’m sorry, buddy!” She chuckled, before helping it hop up to her side.

Dewott grabs onto the shoulder of her sweater vest, its little claws digging into the soft, flower patterned yarn. She had turned her head to rummage through her messenger bag, before pulling out what looked like a small lunch box.

She opened it, and there was Dewott’s prize! Next to a slew of berries were a few Poké Puffs, two matcha and one mocha. The chocolate one was decorated with cream and sprinkles, and Dewott almost immediately grabbed at it.

“Woah! Hey- Slow down!” Lucielle scolds, putting her hand in front of his paws. Her partner scowls, before flexing its claws as she slowly and purposely takes the puff out slowly.

The moment she placed it in his outstretched paws, the dessert was gone in seconds. She smiled, why wouldn’t she? Living in Lumiose city had its cons, but the atmosphere was far from one of those. People of all sorts were walking by, some of their Pokémon tagging along. Colorful buildings towered over the streets, bustling shops lining the floors. The sky was clear, the breeze was cool, everything was perfect.

But there was so, so much more going on. Team Flare failed their mission, Lysandre went missing, they never even properly established themselves. All due to another company rising, Alchemax. They tried to keep their name in good faith, no ideals for wiping out the world, nor irreversible climate change. Just looking into harnessing the natural powers of Pokémon, for the “betterment of humanity,” and… Something else. Something only the Kingpin and a few higher admins knew the full extent of.

An older woman stands less than a block away, her back against a tree that stands as a gateway to one of many labyrinthine alleyways. She stands out among most people, big curly brown hair tied up into a bun, a paisley patterned scarf over a two toned dress, all tied together with a crisp white lab coat. It billows behind her, its vent cut and decorated with a green satin lining. She steps forward, slithering between pedestrians in silence.

Lucielle had perked up, and turned her head when she saw the woman approach. She gave a smile, just thinking the scientist would walk past, even when Dewott flattened its ears in frustration. But she seems a bit worried when the other slows.

“Do I know you?” The older woman says mid-stride, one of her gloved hands tracing the top of the bench.

Lucy just blinked a few times and turned where she sat, as if it took her a second to process an answer. “Me? I’m not sure how anyone could recognize me,” She stammers. “I mean, I was in one of those videos with Sycamore,”

The scientist practically glares down at Lucy, one of her brows rising as her lips curl. “That’s it! Thaaat’s it,” She says, drumming her fingers on the bench before looking down to Dewott instead. The otter’s snout had shifted into a snarl, and Lucielle follows Olivia’s gaze to it. “Lucy, right?”

“Oh! Don’t mind him,” She says quickly, wrapping her arms around him as if he were just a large plush toy. “But yes, yes that’s me! Wait, you were at the lab too, right?”

“Doctor Olivia Octavius, and yes,” She answers, extending a hand to shake. Lucy takes it quickly, a sweet smile on her face.

“A doctor? It’s such a pleasure to meet you! I really wanted to say something to you last weekend, you spoke to the professor, right? Did he give me a good name?”

Olivia has to hold back a small chuckle, and her steely gaze softens as they shake hands. “Come on, the pleasure is all mine. You should’ve heard his praise. For a researcher like myself, it’s always wonderful to see an up and coming graduate.”

Olivia lets go first, and while Lucy seems reluctant, she does as well. Her eyes are locked on the other woman, her sharp features, those striking eyes framed by a large pair of glasses. She has to snap herself out of it once Olivia speaks again.

“Have you been enjoying your research? And how have you been getting by?”

Clearly, the question shocked Lucy, coming from a near stranger.. But Olivia was close to Sycamore, it wasn’t too out of the blue. “Oh! Well, I’ve got a position at a boutique on my street, and, genuinely,” She leans back a bit, “And my research? Wow, just, I could never be happier in a position. There’s something so reassuring seeing just how connected these little guys are to nature, like us connecting to them can bring us closer to, well, everything.”

The doctor nods a few times, before rounding the bench. Her gaze was soft, she’d never seen someone else with such a bright view of the world, and as Lucy pats the Dewott, she can’t help but smile. Lucielle’s partner Pokémon does not seem to appreciate the movement, as the claws of one paw tap the pale pink scallop at his hip. She frowns faintly, and pulls the little guy over her lap and to the other side.

Olivia nods down to the bench, a silent gesture of “May I?” And just as anyone would expect, Lucielle nods quickly and moves her bag. The doctor hums when she flattens her dress to sit, and she smiles at Lucy when she fixes the back of her lab coat.

She opens her mouth to speak, before her eyes widen a little, and she looks away to Prism Tower. If she wanted to do her job, to be “evil”, now was the time. As it grew, Alchemax would need more associates, and as the head scientist, Olivia felt that it was her responsibility. Yet this was the first time she ever felt conflicted. She drapes her arm over the back of the bench, her lips pursing as she thinks. Should she just go out and say it? Invite the lady to the lab, try to employ her right there? But it was odd, she wasn’t used to liking someone… Especially not this quickly, she didn’t want to be horribly blunt about her motives.

She shakes her head, almost unnoticeably, but the faint movement causes Lucy to look back and notice a few strands of violet in that bundle of hair. She crosses her legs and looks over to Lucy.

After a tense moment, Lucielle is the one to talk, her eyes on Dewott, who had been snuggling up into her arm. “Well… How’s your work?”

Olivia’s eyes widen, she was usually the interrogator. She sits up and kicks her boot a little. “It’s good, it’s all good. Not sure why you’d be wondering though.”

Lucielle shrugs. “It’s a neat place, once I get my coastal Pokédex more fleshed out, I’d like to look into working there.”

“Coastal? Why not central first? Are you a beach girl?” Olivia turns to face Lucy more, barely leaning closer to rest under the shade of the tree. She didn’t choose to pry into Lucy’s future, there was a genuine sense of wonder in her voice.

“You can say that, the first Pokémon I ever met was a Corsola… The sweetest little staghorn morph, I think I was five? Not sure, but since then I adored water types.”

Olivia nodded along, nonchalantly fiddling with her gloves. “That’s actually very nice.” She says quietly, before turning to Dewott. “And this darling? How in the world did you come across a shiny?”

Dewott perked up when he heard his name, and Olivia smiled when she saw the otter peek his head over Lucielle’s shoulder. “This little buddy? His egg was a gift from my grandparents, they helped run the daycare down by Camphrier. The original owner moved to Paldea, left a few eggs and a few hundred dollars, guess they didn’t know what was in them.”

As Lucy spoke, her partner sniffed at the air, at the faint metallic smell around Olivia. He steps forward, placing his little paws on one of Lucy’s thighs, leaning closer to the doctor like a curious kitten. Olivia reaches out her hand, barely extending a finger for the Pokémon to sniff it. Lucy laughs a little, and her smile brightens when Dewott actually climbs over her lap to get closer.

“I’m impressed you recognized him! Was it the shells?” Lucy chimes.

“Not really, just the fur,” Olivia answers calmly, before gently stroking the otter’s furry cheek. “I have a shiny partner of my own, it’s beautiful how different each individual can be.”

“You do?! How’d you find them?”

Olivia laughs along, it had been a bit since she actually talked to anyone. “I was around your age, a bit younger, but just out of general college. The lab I interned at was testing the potential of electric types as a power source, and it just so happened that one of them was just a little bit darker than the rest.”

Thankfully, Dewott was warming up to his new friend, and Lucielle tapped her leg on the pavement as she watched the two. She didn’t have anywhere to be that morning, and had no idea where the time went. Not that she was complaining.

“It’s so interesting, isn’t it?” Lucy says after a few seconds of quietly observing.

“I know I’m supposed to ask, so I’ll give you this.. What’s interesting?” Olivia snickers, her eyes narrowing a little.

“How different everyone is, everything. And we all fit in even if we think we don’t.”

The doctor blinks a few times, wiping that smug look off her face. The last thing she expected to hear was this girl spit out some philosophical nonsense, but she nodded, and played along. “And just how do we fit in?”

“We fit together, you helped me have something to do this morning, you gave Dewott those ear scratches he’d been begging for.” The otter makes a small chittering sound as Olivia shifts. “You sounded interested in me, and this was our chance to meet. I’m just glad we took it.”

The doctor brought her hand back, causing Dewott to open his eyes and sit back down on the bench, his tail swishing. “Huh…” She leans her head back, looking into the stark blue sky as her hair cascaded over her back. Although she couldn’t truly forget, her mind was off work for the first time in weeks. “That’s sweet, Lucy. You’re sweet.”

They both smiled, and when Olivia straightened back up, Lucielle responded. “Says you!”

[magikzeller]

⌜ sadie stanley, cis woman, she/her, ⌟  welcome back to hogwarts, ROSE ZELLER ! according to your file, you’re a TWENTY ONE year old PUREBLOOD. as i’m sure you remember, last spring had its challenges, but i’m confident you’ll take your studies more seriously this year. as a THIRD year HUFFLEPUFF, focusing on ANCIENT RUNES AND MAGICAL LINGUISTICS, you’ve got a lot on your plate. our records show that you're FEARLESS and WITTY however, they seem to have left off that you're ALTRUISTIC and STUBBORN. if i’m correct, you’re siding with THE LIGHT, which makes sense considering you’re known around the castle for never wearing the same coloured ribbons in her hair two days in a row, sleeping better during a storm than in the silence, cozy sweaters to fight off the cold. let’s hope you make it through the year in one piece.

BASICS

name - rose orla zeller

dob - august 17th

hometown - cobh, ireland

zodiac sign - leo

sexuality - bisexual

moral alignment - chaotic neutral

languages spoken: english, gaelic, latin & ancient latin (learning both), sign language

RELATIONSHIPS

sean zeller ( father, alive )

aoife zeller ( mother, deceased )

tbd zeller ( older brother, alive )

tbd

STUDENT FILE

blood status - pureblood

hogwarts house - hufflepuff

quidditch position - chaser

wand - sycamore wood, unicorn hair core, 11 1/2”

patronus - lynx

boggart - her deceased uncle’s reanimated self, after being attacked

amortentia - tba

clubs - astronomy, dueling & chess

HISTORY

It was a stormy night, so the story her mother told always started, the sea was rougher than the likes we’d seen in years, lightning crackling in the sky. That’s what it was like the night Rose Zeller was born. She came into the world with an entrance, and she’s never quite stopped making one either.

It was easy enough to get lost in the rolling hills of Ireland’s picturesque countryside, the young girl bribing her parents to take her to the mountains whenever possible. Any issues she was facing, whether they be school related or at home, seemed to melt away with the fresh air and search for a foothold in the craggy cliffside. Life seemed better, easier, when she could escape to any place without walls.

Her parents, for all the generations of witches and warlocks that came before them, never made magic a huge deal in the family dynamic. It was just, there. Using a spell or potion for menial tasks or ailments was as normal in the Zeller home as it was to breath. They turned to natural remedies before store bought, leading Rosie to gain a knowledge of the flora and fauna growing around her. They'd take her to trips to see the Quidditch tournaments, making a vacation of it, which developed a love for the sport despite the girl growing up among muggles for the most part.

When she got her letter for Hogwarts, her parents were ecstatic. Currently, Rose is enjoying her third year in Hufflepuff house and couldn't be happier. She loves her studies and, for the most part, enjoys the school...if you don't mind the occasional troll rumor or the fact one of the popular students was killed. She keeps herself busy with her school work, and her numerous clubs - astronomy, dueling and wizard's chess. Not to mention being a chaser for quidditch, a fact that her family is fairly proud of.

AESTHETICS & PERSONALITY

uses sweetheart condescendingly & idiot affectionately, can and will hike until her legs feel like jelly because her mind isn't yet clear enough for her liking, skipping stones across a glassy lake, bringing a steaming cup of tea up to a tower for some time to herself, the heat in your cheeks when you're at the pub with your friends, cozy sweaters to fight off the cold, the badger tattoo on her shoulder blade only a few know about, keeping her wand in the messy bun, an agate pendant that never seems to leave her neck, nose scrunches whenever she laughs for real, soft perfume lingering behind, sunsets over sunrises, the fire crackling whilst laying on a rug near by

She's always had a laidback spunk about her. More than happy to take a backseat when someone more outgoing takes the lead, but will step up into a reluctant leadership role if no one else will. The 'Flirty Mom Friend' to a fold, if you're doing shots she'll do them with you...but also gently suggest water when she's concerned about you. Also will be your wingwoman immediately, or 'fake date' to stay off any creeps. Bakes & cooks to show she cares, will lend you her oversized sweaters...and happily steal yours too.