#like seal fur or penguin feathers

[tenspontaneite]

Still figuring out how I want to draw slugcats, but I'm definitely going for Weird Mustelid vibes now. Have some Survivor 🙏

[tiktaaliker]

won't be your biggest transformation (but itll be the most difficult one yet)

[jaybug-jabbers]

Gen 3 Beta Pokemon 'Dex - Page 2

Part two is up! The first part is here.

Name: Mossmy [モスミー]

Type: Grass

Category: Water Moss

Height/Weight: 1', 11 lbs

Pokedex Entries:

It has moss growing on its body, which feels great to the touch. However, this moss absorbs energy, so it's advised not to touch it carelessly.

--

Commonly found in damp, shady places. It blooms beautiful yellow flowers, but they emit a foul, garbage-like smell.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: It attacks by releasing absorbed light and water, or by scattering moss from its body onto the ground to make it slippery. Its fur is fluffy and soft. It inhabits damp, shady areas. When its moss attaches to something, it drains its strength.

Evolution: Evolves into Kodomon

My Notes: To provide some context, moss balls are a popular 'pet' in Japan, which you keep in a tank of water. Thus the category 'water moss.'

Name: Kodomin [コドミン]

Type: Electric (previously Electric/Grass)

Category: Small Oni

Height/Weight: 3'3'', 82.7 lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Absorbs electricity using its horn, including from sources like household electrical outlets.

--

Appears at places struck by lightning. Its horn grow annually, and the larger it is, the more respect it gets from its peers.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: It loves chasing others (Onigokko, game of tag). It can produce a rythmic sound, like the beat of a drum. It is always found where lightning has struck. Its horn is said to regrow once a year. People in ancient times believed that lightning was a sign of a Kodomin being born.

Evolution: Evolves from Kodomon and into a final, undecided pokemon.

Signature Move Ideas:

'Drumbeat' - Produces a deep, resonating sound that greatly lowers the opponent’s defense.

'Lightning Strike' - During rain, receiving lightning increases its attack power. In sunny weather, it becomes a normal electric-type physical attack.

Other Moves: Vine Whip, Thunderbolt

Name: Poochi [プーチ]

Name: Kujatta [クジャッタ]

My Notes: Critiqued in the Gamefreak notes as being 'literally just a peacock' and it was requested that something special was done with the feathers. I love peafowl so it's a shame this pokemon wasn't refined.

Name: Shakokaku [シャコカク]

My Notes: This was replaced by Dusclops in the final version of the game. It's unclear whether Dusclops is a major reworking of this pokemon or simply was placed in its slot. The data for this pokemon have Ghost as the typing, Beckoning as the Category, and the same height/weight as Dusclops as well, so again, unclear if this data was originally for Shakokaku or if its data was being replaced with Dusclops.

Name: Penpin [ペンピン]

My Notes: Although this pokemon looks like a rubber chicken, it was intended to be a penguin, judging from the name. But even more interesting, its internal index number is right beside the internal index number for beta Spheal. Beta Spheal looks very close to the Spheal we know and love but it's gray instead of blue, making the leopard seal inspiration even clearer.

Now, this all makes it extremely likely that Penpin is meant to be a bowling ball pin, and Spheal was meant to be a bowling ball. Leopard seals hunt penguins in real life, so it makes sense. (Penpin even has the red stripe around his neck)

Quite frankly, that's fantastic. I saw somebody comment online (sorry, I don't remember who) that the wobbling walk of a penguin perhaps reminded someone of the way bowling ball pins wobble when you don't quite knock them over. It's an adorable idea.

Name: Lilibra [リリブラ]

My Notes: Seems to be inspired by a hummingbird. The tail appears to be a bookmark. A very under-appreciated beta design and one of my favorites.

Name: Flane [フラーネ]

Type: Grass/Psychic (formerly Grass)

Category: Flower

Height/Weight: 1'8'', 3.3lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Sticks its tail into the ground to absorb nutrients. Has very weak leg strength, allowing it to walk only 1 meter per day.

--

Has the ability to read human emotions. It is said to grow well and bloom beautiful flowers when raised by a person with a bright heart.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: A Pokémon that travels on the wind. It has a seed attached to its rear. It has no mouth, and it absorbs moisture from the ground by attaching its rear to the earth. Its leg strength is weak, so it can hardly walk. When on the ground, it sits sideways. It can read people's hearts.

Signature Move Ideas: Heal

My Notes: Plenty of other pokemon were critiqued as being "just a [insert animal or plant]" but here we have what looks like literally just a flower and it was scrapped relatively late? Really weird.

Name: Pyokko [ピヨッコ]

My Notes: This pokemon is a fascinating little mystery. It looks like a grub with its wormy backside, and combine that with its flower motif, and the fact its index number is right next to Ninfu, it seems like it was meant to evolve into Ninfu. But it also undeniably has some things in common with Torchic; its beak, the head feather design, its color, and its name. On Twitter, Lewtwo pointed out early Torchic designs had a name incredibly similar to this one's ('Fiyoko'). What's more, there's another beta pokemon that Pyokko might have evolved into, a chicken with some kind of citrus-fruit helmet named Kurumi.

However, there's no rule that says a pokemon can't have a complex story. Pyokko probably did inspire Torchic's design, but it probably originally was intended as something else. The Gamefreak critique notes included with this pokemon ask for a design that is 'more bug-like, more fantastical.' So I'm betting it originally was meant to evolve into Ninfu.

Name: Ninfu [ニンフ]

Gamefreak Notes: A Bug-type Pokémon that is a mix of hornet and wasp. It has three fan-like wings. No matter the situation, whether it's danger or good news, it never communicates with others.

My Notes: HRP notes this resembles Q-Bee from the Darkstalkers series. Perhaps it was cut because the resemblance was too close.

Name: Kurumi [クルミ]

My Notes: TCRF says that a pin cushion may have inspired the design. Tomatoes are a popular design for pin cusions, so an orange pin cusion isn't totally unreasonable I suppose.

Name: Plapass [プレパス]

Type: Flying (previously Ice/Flying)

Category: Sightseeing

Height/Weight: 6'7'', 242.5 lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Loves carrying people while flying. It flies silently, offering a perfect ride. When tired, it rests on the sea, floating and resting its wings.

--

Has a calm nature and avoids conflict. Its horn contains cells similar to a magnet, functioning like a compass.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: It loves flying leisurely through the sky. It enjoys carrying people on its back. Its main diet consists of marine microorganisms, which it swallows along with seawater using its large mouth. It lives on the sea. When resting, it floats on the water. However, it cannot swim.

My Notes: This would have been a cool HM user since it probably would have been able to use both Fly and Surf. Still, we have Pelipper for that, so I can't complain. Also, the design here is kinda too similar to Lapras in my opinion.

Name: Kajitto [カジット]

My Notes: TCRF speculates the name may be a combo of 'fruit' and 'rabbit' and this pokemon may be based on usagi-ringo, a method of cutting apples to make them look like a rabbit (which Victini is based on). It's a pretty compelling theory. There is a pokemon from Gold/Silver beta sprites that looks very similar to this guy:

Name: Raiou [ライオウ]

My Notes: Planned Manectric evolution.

Name: Berumuusu [ベルムース]

My Notes: A snowy pine tree, not sure what the yellow dots inside its arms are.

[springywinter]

Raise a Selkie | Birds of a Feather I

Who knew the solution to their clothing problem was that simple?

Below Alba (pompadour), Sepida (bandana or green hat), Seiuchi, Bel (yellow hair).

Reveal fics are so much fun. Thought about writing one with the Straw Hats but there's too many scenarios of how that might happen XD

Alba's ancestry was inspired by a certain Japanese folk story. Alba is the pompadour one because you can't tell me this guy doesn't care about fashion.

There's only about 10 or so crew members so far which is why Alba, Hakugan and Penguin are the only birds in the Hearts for now. That changes down the line.

If the Hearts can help Law’s surgery on Luffy and Jinbei, then damn straight that all of them know first aid (though sometimes might be too panicked to remember it), with some having bits of training in specific areas. Law’s an amazing doctor, and while he’ll keep his crew healthy, I think the conscientious part of him with all his contingency plans doesn’t want to leave his crew floundering in scenarios when he’s not available. Hence why some of them might be trained in certain medical skills (and with Alba, it's suturing).

I'm tempted to spew out all the lore I have for the selkies in this AU and the backgrounds I've created for each Heart Pirate (with selkie related stuff too) because I spend way too many hours on this AU, it's eating my soul XD Hopefully I managed to convey SOME of the background lore. Edit 17/1/24. In response to a comment; like how the minks in the real world are weasels but the Mink people consists of all sorts of furred species, the selkies are mostly ice-cold sea animals instead of just being seals. In verse, they're also called 'shorefolk' as mentioned in Before Minion Island of this AU. With Bel, I struggled what to name him for awhile, whether by his species or by his romaji, Beruuga. Then I realised Law, Jean Bart and Bepo don't fit the typical on-the-nose naming convention, and rolled with it XD Same with Alba. Yes, Alba does have a wide wingspan, befitting of his species.

[chromatic-lamina]

i’ve got a few picks for the fanfic writer asks if you’re up for it! totally up to you if you want to answer a few or all of them.

11, 58, 65, 71, 76, 91

thank you!! <3

Bepo's Fanfic Answers 3!

Thank you for dropping into Bepo's ask box! and your interest in my much acclaimed Bepo's Beptober!

It's so wonderful to get the recognition. No matter how many times I say NO GARCHU UNTIL YOU COMMENT the comments are few and far between (although, not as low as on Clione's fic, but he stole the idea from me, so that's fair, isn't it?!?). <-- That's called an Interrobang, or maybe the other way around, and No, Captain had to tell me, it doesn't mean sex between species...or in Wano prisons (*not a spoiler cos it's fiction!). Learn something new in Bepo fanfic world everyday! Now, onto your asks.

58. what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were writing it?

How deep penguins can dive and for how long, say, if they were an Emperor Penguin (not that there are any Emperors on our crew—and maybe only two leaders, if we're being honest) and, some can dive to about 565m which is deeper than the Tang usually goes!

Some hold their breath for just shy of thirty minutes too! So, if you needed to catch a bird, say, for sustenance purposes, considering that some Minks that might resemble polar bears can only dive to about 13 metres at a stretch and only hold their breath for a minute or two, it's best to nab those kinds of meaty birds on the surface. Purely for research purposes.

XrTEPppp <-- Sorry! I drooled on the keyboard and was just wiping it away. (I'm thinking of venturing into the gore genre, but I don' t know, I think that BBC documentaries might've already covered it).

65. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written? 

I don't really have a favourite but: Beptober Day 8: Mutual Mastication seemed to get a lot of attention! (Like cows do it, seems pretty common, and better than that regurgitation thing penguins have going on. But, y'know, different courses for different horses, I guess).

71. how do you balance writing and life? do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of writing you have to do? I find that if I get overwhelmed, I get the crew to drop me on some ice and I wait by a seal's breath hole, and I wait for them to poke their head through the ice, cute whiskers quivering, and, then, if I'm fast enough, I catch them and enjoy them à la sashimi style, but without the filleting and with all the fur. Crew tends to leave me alone for a while after that. My head's also wonderfully clear, and sometimes I can clack out 10,000 words without knocking over an ink pot once, or accidentally unplugging the word processor.

76. what is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

That they wear pink feathered coats.

OR, y'know, have bright red hair.

91. how has your writing style changed over the years?

I think I might be one of a kind and I'm thinking of patenting the Bepo Brand™

If you want to check out my previous answer, it's here! and here! and here!

6, 11 & 17 ; 58, 65, 71, 76, 91 answered.

Original post here.

[princedragonoverlord]

Thinking about wof dragons with alternate features now, kinda like the skywings with feathered wings.

Skywings: I love the feathered wing interpretation. But also thinking about them having beaks and maybe being completely feathered, the way dinosaurs have been refeathered! (Firescales being like Phoenixs?)

Mudwings: Maybe like gators and crocs they could be more flat and lower to the ground, not really fliers at all but they sure as hell can jump, wings help add a little air to it. Babies make chirping noises!!!

Sandwings: If they have scorpion tails already maybe they could be more scorpion like in other ways. More insect-ish scales and textures, extra legs???? Or pincher like talons at least if you can make it work. Some transparent scale colors like the clear scorpions. Definitely see them being more nocturnal too.

Seawings: Seawings with skin! Like porpoises! They don't have scales! They could also have blowholes instead of gills, so they can hold their breath for a long time instead. Different variations could be like whales and easily the largest type of dragons! Or alternatively if they do have scales or their are some that do, they wouldn't have legs and would be more like adapted fins for when they go on land if they even do at all.

Rainwings: Boa constrictor dragons essentially. Though they do have venom, they would have insane muscles and would be built for squeezing things to death. Although they are vegitarians it could be a recent development of their currently relaxed lifestyles. I also think maybe they wouldn't really fly and just be gliders cause the jungle is very hard to fly in at their size. Getting more creative with the chameleon scales aspect of them they could have long sticky tongues and eyes that move independently.

Icewings: They could have fur instead of scales or they could also be like seawings with skin since there are seals and other animals that live in cold temperatures without much fur. Or they could have feathers like penguins do! That's something I haven't seen anyone do! It would give them similarities to the Skywings!

Nightwings: Bat dragons but they also have echolocation which could play a part in their magical abilities somehow? Also they could be more vegitarian than Rainwings if they were bat-like, definitely smaller than most other tribes, maybe they'd eat bugs too.

I might do another one of these for Pantala dragons later! Tell me some cool wof dragon ideas!

[dsandrvk]

Friday, March 1 - Gold Bay and Godthul

It was our last day in South Georgia, and we woke (early) to gathering clouds. This morning we did a Zodiac tour of Gold Bay, and to be able to add a second activity today we had to start the first group at 6AM. We were in the second group, and didn't have to leave until about 7:15, but we were up and watching at dawn.

Gold Bay is a small area most of the way south on the east side of the island. Most of our stops have been more in the middle of the island, which is shaped like a long feather running northwest to southeast and curving out a bit in the middle to the northeast. Gold Bay is one of the best places to see Elephant seals, and there were plenty on the shore. According to earlier groups they had been a little active when they had been out, but by the time we saw them they were pretty inert, except for the occasional flipper throwing sand in the air. The shore was also almost solid King penguins - there is a huge colony here. Up in the tussock grass there is also a small colony of Gentoos, and one or two mixed with the larger Kings on the beach.

Just offshore there were lots of Giant-petrels, forming a sort of blockade. While it is unlikely they would attack a full-grown penguin, they are always on the lookout for a slow or weak bird, and an easy meal. As a result, the Kings were hesitant about wading out - they paddled around in the shallows a bit, but only a few ventured out and mostly underwater. The Petrels weren't bothered by our boats and swam right up to us, eyeing us with their blue-eyed stare. There is something a little prehistoric about them.

Out from shore there was a fog bank, and after our morning excursions we were soon engulfed as we went away from shore to avoid icebergs. Far enough out, the fog lightened a bit and we could see the mountaintops floating above a grey wall. We kept watching for birds and other critters, but there wasn't much to be seen. We watched as it rained fairly heavily during lunch.

Shortly after lunch we approached Godthul, our afternoon location, and the rain mostly stopped. This had been an iffy stop on our schedule because it can get clogged with icebergs and become inaccessible, but we were in luck. This was to be our last landing, and we had a limited area on shore to explore, since there was a Giant-petrel nest at one end and two enormous Elephant seals blocking the other direction. To maximize our time, they added a Zodiac cruise around the ice, and a shorter stay on land, and started with the first three groups. Before it was our turn, however, we felt the ship start the engines and move out away from this little bay. We were a little concerned that we might not get our excursion in, but the captain had wisely relocated the ship just outside the bay since one of the icebergs was drifting in and might have blocked our exit. A wise move. It turned out that we still were able to do both the ice cruise and the shore landing, but in reverse order.

On shore were the smallest fur seals pups we had yet seen, and they may not make it, since it is so late in the year. They grow fast if their mothers themselves feed well and can give them milk, but they aren't on their own for at least 4 months, and although this isn't Antarctica, winters here are extremely harsh. They are very playful, though, and exert a lot of energy running after each other on land and in the water. Every now and then they would get close to the Elephant seals and get a grunt and a lifted head from the larger animals.

Here the penguins were mostly Gentoos (we saw one Chinstrap), and we also saw them on most of the sloping bergs in the bay. Since the top of these bergs are mostly hard, slippery ice, they sometimes slide backwards, even with their sharp claws. One does have to wonder where they think they are going, since most of the time they seem to climb to the top only to turn around and head back down. Maybe they have a plan, or maybe they just like to keep moving.

I was on the last Zodiac back from the beach to the ship, and it started to rain lightly as we left shore, but by the time we neared the ship (it was about a 10 minute ride) it was pelting a hard rain in our faces. This is what I had expected South Georgia to be like, so we were very lucky with our weather.

We were lucky, too, in that we got in six activities in three days, three of them landings. Because of the changeable weather, the ice conditions, the potentially rough seas, and other unforeseeable issues like Avian flu, most ships here are lucky to get in 2-3 activities. The Seabourn Quest, a larger ship, was here about a week ago and wasn't able to do much because of the weather. This is a very special place, and I will forever remember yesterday as a highlight.

After we left Godthul we headed out to the east-northeast and we were completely enveloped in the clouds. We are still in the South Georgia wildlife zone tonight, so all the drapes are closed, but looking out forward between the blinds all we can see is fog and our searchlight aimed out in front, watching for bergs.

Tomorrow is the first of four sea days as we head towards Gough Island, just to the south and east of Tristan da Cunha proper. We will go forward a couple of time zones before we get there, and have lots of lectures and activities to keep us busy. And we look forward to reviewing pictures and thoughts of the Falklands and South Georgia before our next stop.

[pocketfullofvoices]

Drake brings no comfort to Marina as they return home. Not even silence is there to embrace the couple as the king penguin visible groans and winces at his injures whilst he carries his wife home. The sting from snow and ice that stains his feathers and beak are nonexistent compared to the annoying pulsing aches underneath his plumage.

But nothing is as bruised as the king penguin's ego. In what Drake would call  victory against such a large opponent as a leopard seal, he cannot boast nor rave about the winning as the concern and anger at his life mate distracts him.

What was Marina thinking? She's the smartest woman he's ever known. The quickest, fastest swimmer there is that can rival him. How did she not notice danger nearby? Was her love for rocks that consuming? What stupidity had came over his wife that left their marriage feeling stuck?

Drake didn't understand. His brain in a slight buzz as he snorts in frustration. He tries to come up with a idiotic excuse to erase the paranoia that his wife possibly lied and entered sea lion territory on purpose. For what reason? To leave? Their marriage is eternal. Divorce didn't exist in their world. Death was the only option and Drake didn't dare believe Marina is that weak.

When they arrive, a sharp inhale fills Drake's lungs with air and before he could demand his wife go to their bedroom to wait for him, Marina does so, obediently. Another odd result that left the king penguin narrowing his eyes and feathers puffing at his face. Then a scowl wrinkles at the corners of his beak when his wife slides to the rocky floor, laying there, and he's pushes the thoughts of how PATHETIC she appears there. Instead Drake goes to think about his parents and their marriage. How own his mother, an adelie penguin such as Marina, were not as resilient as king penguins were. Grey palms reach up to his face, rubbing down the feathers at his cheeks, wincing again at the wound.

Marina is strong but the entire attack and journey back exhausted her. That's it. Much like how his mother would be after her hunts gathering food. This isn't Marina's fault for doing what adelies couldn't help in themselves. Again he thinks about how he SHOULD'VE kept a better eye on his wife. Collect the rocks with her, besides her, carry the rocks for her. Drake would have to take all the blame had something actually happened to Marina. All the hard work and courting.

The entire rookery would banish him and spoil Marina's reputation of learning of her death if it had happened. His wife would be lumped in with that sorry excuse for a penguin HUBIE if it happened. Knowing that Drake had avoided such a foolish humiliating future and kept his wife's name respected, calms the king penguin.

Enough to bring him to his senses as he removes his tattered cape, kneeling down where Marina is, and puts it around her plump body. Thinking about this is too stupid right now. Drake needed to be the alpha and husband Marina needs and that means to make sure she's not freezing on the ground.

"Babe, baaaaby, don't do this."

Drake carefully situates his hands underneath his wife, lifting her as easy as before, and lays her at their nest. The cape looks ridiculous on Marina with it's tears and stains but it'll help with the warmth. Drake knows Marina has a quilt or two somewhere in their lair or he could dig up one of the old furs from his collection of victory kills. He wouldn't go looking for a blanket yet. All the king penguin needed is to make sure his wife is comfortable after this admitted failure.

"The floor is rocky and stupidly cold. It's uncomfortable Marina. USE. THE. NEST." A notable groan slips from his beak and Drake rubs Marina's shoulders, keeping his cape around her form. "I meant what I said earlier. You're safer where I can see you, precious. Except right now I need to get you something. I need you to stay here in this spot. In OUT bedroom. " A hand goes to grab underneath her beak, holding her chin in place to meet her green eyes. "I don't want to see you on the floor again. You'll FREEZE."

pocketfullofvoices​:

The king penguin watches, baffled when the adelie penguin collapses against his larger form, throwing herself around his lean waist and clinging to him as if he were to disappear from her gaze. Drake does not wince or grimace but he does frown, beak wrinkling and it’s in that moment he hisses in annoyance at the pain there. 

Drake wouldn’t voice it but he is relieved it’s only a bruised beak and not a bent beak. A bent beak he would be out of the hunting duties for the month and as much as the king penguin knows Marina is a perfect swimmer, elegant and skilled at the hunt as he is, he wouldn’t dare have his precious wife out there getting food for themselves all because he was stupid and let his beak bend or crack. There are worse things out there besides leopard seals and they were bigger, much more ruthless and dangerously wicked than he was.

The relief is hidden with arrogance, internally smug that he won the brawl against the leopard seal, and that Marina is safe and sound all because of it too. Maybe this would mean she would STOP these stupid antics of hers and learn to listen and stay home when he demanded it.

Drake feels in shift in Marina against his chest, peering down, disgruntled and unhappy by what he’s seeing before him. All these mixed emotions, all because of his beautiful wife Marina, is something he hadn’t expected when he chose her to be his life-mate. Any fairy-tale paradise Drake thought they would create at his snowy dark cave on their own ice island is starting to turn dizzy and confusing. Much like how the vision in his left eye is starting to feel right now. Did he get a black eye from the leopard too? 

“Marina. Stop crying. Now.” 

There is no comfort in Drake’s voice, replaced with exasperation and hidden strain. His hands squeeze her shoulders again, and in a grunt he bends down and PICKS her up against him, tearing her away from his middle, throwing his sniffling wife onto his shoulder. She’s light as fresh new snow in his arms no matter how bruised and battered he is and that is alone to fuel Drake that it’s smarter to take her home this way than risk the chance of her being snagged up by another predator. “We’re going home. I think WE have had enough sea glass or leopard seals or snow to last us the week.”

The headache pulses, his muscles burn, and the king penguin lets out a sharp hitched snort as he starts stomping towards the direction of their lair. Drake’s cape hardly moves behind him, the only piece of accessory he prides himself in, as the leopard seal had damaged it in the fight. It would be be heavy reminder of the day and that he would not let Marina out of his sights for MONTHS after this.

    Her upset does not wain, no matter how much she tries to calm herself. Her body shudders in a mixture of fear, relief and worry. And guilt. A lot of guilt. Drake was a barbaric bully but Marina never, ever wished any harm upon him. She sought freedom but not at his own expense. The king penguin wasn’t someone she necessarily… cared for. But he WAS her husband. And if he were to be permanently put on the side, or worse, because of her ignorance, then that was on her.

       And Marina couldn’t live with herself if that happened, no matter how much she despised Drake for whatever he did and how he acted or treated her. 

     His sharp command makes her flinch and she tightens herself, tensing at the harshness. His iciness is as bitter as the Arctic winds. Times like this she misses …. Oh, Hubie. His warmth. His comfort. His kindness. This was just another reminder Drake was the exact opposite of who she had longed for…. And it was who she was forever going to be stuck with. Penguins mate for life… Drake is her’s as much as she is his. Whether she likes it or not. 

     Her crying doesn’t cease as she’s lifted and thrown over his shoulder. But instead silences to a quieted mourning. For Hubie. For her own selfishness and the freedom she will never obtain. She looks at the icy ground and tears fall from her cheeks silently onto the snow below his feet. The silence is needed. For both of them. Marina sniffles but doesn’t make any other note of her feelings. She doesn’t beg. She doesn’t tell him that she’s sorry. She’s just… quiet.

    Maybe when she’s better she can fix his cape….

    For now, she lays limp and compliant. Just like Drake would wish her to be…..

   Once they arrived back to his lair, Marina was dropped onto her feet and before Drake could yell at her to do anything else, she went sullenly to their room. Marina sat at the edge of the nest she refused to sleep in, staring inside of it. Before sliding off of the edge and onto the rocky floor below. She feels numb and cold. But soon she’ll have to gather herself together and find a way to calm and help Drake, to repay him for what she did. Now and forever…

       He didn’t like her saying sorry but she wasn’t going to stop. Not until things were right.

[ink-the-artist]

leopard seal :)

[montereybayaquarium]

“oh you like my quarantine molt awww yay thanks yeah just trying a little something new u kno“

- Bee the African penguin being all that she can be through a recent wholesale changing of plumage via her yearly catastrophic molt

Fun Fact Friday: “Catastrophic molt” refers to losing all of one’s fur or feathers in one go (like with elephant seals or penguins) instead of a constant shedding of older insulation like with sea otters!

[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #137

Brought to you by a marine biologist and some very nice waddle-babies...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

So, I covered sea birds in general when I spoke about Gulliver/Gullivarrr. They are a fascinating group of birds that have members in the following Orders:  Procellariiformes (albatross, petrels, and friends), Pelecaniformes (pelicans), Suliformes (gannets, cormorants, and friends), Phaethontiformes (the tropicbirds), and very specific families within Charadriiformes, such as the gulls of Laridae.

All of them make the ocean their home, flying over the vast seas, using their very acute senses of sight and smell to find meals in the endless blue. They all, can drink saltwater safely, all of them finding some way to get water in their very salty habitat through convergent evolution. Many of them are great swimmers as well, diving to depth to catch a meal. Then there are penguins, in Order  Sphenisciformes, who take the sea bird life and take it many, many steps further.

The penguin villagers are frickin’ adorable. There are 13 of them in the game, many of which don’t represent any particular penguin species, although Tex is definitely an African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), while Hopper is some kind of crested penguin in genus Eudyptes.

By Thomas Mattern - en:Image:SnaresPenguin (Mattern) large.jpg, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2427527

Anyway, yeah, penguins take living at sea to the extreme. Unlike all other sea birds that fly over the oceans, penguins gave up flying completely. They are totally flightless, adapting their wings into flippers for swimming. Like other water-bound birds, you’ll notice their legs are situated very far back on their bodies, giving them a more stream-lined shape. This helps in swimming, but it’s kind of a bitch on land, so you’ll notice most water birds and water fowl, like ducks, waddle awkwardly. In the water, they’re graceful af, though. Gentoo penguins are the fastest swimming bird, reaching speeds of 22 mph (36 kph) and the emperor penguin is the deepest diving bird, diving to depths of 1800 feet (550 m) to find food. They are mostly all small-fish eaters, pursuing their prey underwater. Unfortunately, penguins have many predators of their own, including sea lions, fur seals, leopard seals, orcas, and sharks. Being vigilante often means that penguins only enter the water to feed and avoid it otherwise. However, young penguins can be taken by land-based predators, too, as well as other seabirds, like skuas. 

The ocean is a pretty cold place and water generally saps warmth. Penguins are very insulated against the cold with thick feathers designed to trap warm air against the body, with Antarctic species, like the emperor, having thick layers of fat to keep even more toasty. But, please note! NOT ALL PENGUINS LIVE AT THE POLE. In fact, most species live in temperate climates along the shores of New Zealand and Africa. Penguins also ONLY occur in the Southern Hemisphere - you will never see a penguin in the Arctic! (So, all of those Coca Cola commercials of Polar Bears and Penguins sharing a coke? INACCURATE. I demand more ecologically accurate advertising gdi...it does actually irk me lmao) 

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no? 

[wafflesrock16]

It’s Mer-May! Turian Mermaids, anyone?

I’m back on my bull-shit and working on the sequel to Fathomless Depths. I’m nowhere near ready to publish anything, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share something for this month. So here’s a snippet from the first chapter:

The volus were penguin herders who split their time between the glacier choked ocean and snow strewn shores. They flourished in the near permanent freeze, bundled in feathers, skins, and furs, as at home beneath the waves as the flocks they attended.

Their seas were too cold for permanent merian outposts. During the summer when the ice pack retreated, scouts would investigate and report any changes or resources of note. But they always returned before the biting jaws of fall, with ice nipping at their tail fins. 

It was considered the worst assignment in the merian military. No matter how intense the sun’s rays the waves always retained an uncomfortable chill. 

Now, despite his heightened station in the world, Garrus found himself swimming the frigid waters with an envoy of merian scholars and soldiers. An aggrieved growl stuttered in his chest. Whatever the volus herders had found had better be worth this trip, he thought irritably. 

The Normandy had been forced to turn back by heavy ice flows. Not built to sustain bludgeoning or gouging by glaciers, their merian escort had pressed on alone. 

“This water is disgusting,” an older merian commented. “What’s the human phrase? A frozen hell-hole?” 

Garrus hummed in annoyance. Lorik Qui’in had proven to be an invaluable asset when it came to negotiation with pirates or patrol discipline. The amber eyed merian was, however, a man accustomed to certain luxuries. Warm, tropical waters being one of those. 

“Do you think it’ll be colder near the island?” Lorik wondered aloud, adjusting his own fur seal cape. “I cannot imagine bare rock holding much warmth.”

“Quiet, Qui’in.” Garrus admonished subvocally. The old man’s bitching was starting to rub off on the rest of the envoy and the last thing he wanted was to listen to muttered complaints the rest of the way to the volus capital. 

Thankfully, Lorik kept his mouth shut and after what felt like a lifetime of plowing through the heavy waters, the rocky sea floor rolled up beneath them. Their arrival was heralded by the squawks and cries of thousands of penguins, their sleek, black and white bodies leaving trails of bubbles in their wake as they soared beneath the surf. 

The water smelled like guano and Garrus watched Lorik gag in revulsion as a passing penguin shit right next to him. Where was the fucking volus chieftain they were meeting? Garrus felt like he wanted to crawl out of his plates.

Up ahead, the squat, round forms of the volus finally bobbed into view. They were heavily layered in penguin pelts, heads adorned with crowns made from seashells and brightly polished stones. Garrus could barely make out the bulbous, yellow eyes from beneath their trappings when the most ornately decorated of the bunch swam up to him. 

“Tsk,” the chieftain slurped. “Greetings Palaven clan. I am Din Korlack, leader of the majestic Irune tribe.” He gestured stubby fingers bound in kelp at the other volus behind him. “Welcome to our shores. Your haste in this matter is most appreciated.”

[gior22art]

Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus Mendiculus

Threats: Natural threats are by land snakes, owls and hawks and by sea sharks, fur seals and sea lions. Getting unintentionally caught up in fishing nets Introduction of cats and rats by humans which attack adult penguins and eggs Avian malaria which is carried by mosquitoes and was brought to the Galapagos by humans El Niño which directly affects their reproduction by reducing the availability of food and causes a large portion of the population to starve and die. Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme El Niño events, making it harder for the Galapagos penguin to recover from the events Plastic pollution can cause them to suffocate from being strangled from plastic debris such as six pack rings or plastic ropes from boats What is El Niño? It is a ocean and atmospheric interaction which causes a periodic warming of the sea surface temperatures most likely occurring during the winter season and lasting anywhere from 6 to 12 months.

Cool Facts: It is the only penguin found north of the equator Is one of the smallest penguins in the world they live in crevices in coastal lava and caves Galapagos penguins mate for life have just one partner and can breed 2 to 3 times a year They have adapted some behaviours to try to keep themselves cool from the heat: standing with the flippers extended panting seeking shade and also have had some feather changes and have bald spots on their faces to help release heat.

[elsquibbonator]

Ecosystem Spotlight: Antarctic Seas

Desolate Antarctica is the most uninhabited continent on Earth. Its barren ice fields are home to no large land animals and no plants. Those creatures that do inhabit the Antarctic continent, such as penguins and seals, depend on the ocean for sustenance, and it is in the ocean that the majority of Antarctic life is to be found. Unlike the Arctic, Antarctica is a solid landmass surrounded by ocean, albeit one divided into many large sub-continents. These are joined by huge ice sheets, underneath which dwells an ecosystem unlike anything else in the world. The near-freezing temperatures of Antarctica's waters have forced many animals to evolve special strategies to cope with the cold. Whales and seals all have a thick layer of fat under their skin called blubber, while penguins have densely packed feathers that trap air and serve as a sort of "bubble-wrap" to keep out the cold (polar bears and sea otters, which live in the Arctic, have fur that does the same thing). Creatures that stay in the cold ocean their whole lives have even more unique ways of surviving the cold. Many fish that live in Antarctica produce a naturally occurring antifreeze chemical in their blood to prevent it from freezing. These fish all belong to a single group, the icefishes, or Notothenioidei, which have come to be the dominant fish in the seas of Antarctica. However, they are by no means the only animals living there. The clear, oxygen-rich water of the Antarctic ocean encourages invertebrates to grow to gigantic sizes. Giant starfish, over a foot across, swarm around holes in the ice, scavenging on scraps left by penguins and seals, and searching for dead fish and crustaceans. Isopods the size of mice--distant relatives of the familiar garden pillbug-- crawl along the seabed, eating whatever detritus they can find. These creatures are preyed on by other invertebrates, such as octopuses, which in turn are eaten by fish and by seals and whales. Even the smaller invertebrates are remarkable, including the only species of sea anemone to grow on icebergs. The very largest of Antarctica's giant invertebrates--and the largest invertebrate on the planet-- is the colossal squid, which can grow up to forty feet in length and weigh in at half a ton. Never seen alive until 2007, the colossal squid has the largest eyes of any animal, measuring 11 inches across. Its tentacles are tipped with sharp hooks instead of suckers, which it uses to seize prey. While a great deal of ink has justifiably been spilled over the melting of Antarctica's icecap, less attention has been paid to the threat faced by its marine ecosystem. As the planet is warmed, this ecosystem, adapted as it is to life in subzero temperatures, will be in grave danger.

Unique sea creatures like this jellyfish inhabit the cold ocean surrounding Antarctica. But as the icecaps melt and the oceans are warmed, how safe is their home?

[theamericangirlscout]

Animal Habitats Badge

Purpose: Once you complete this badge you will know more about animals and how to protect their homes

Requirement 1: Find out about wild animals

Choices:

Observe a pet or tame animal for at least 15 minutes.  Write three things about how it behaves.  Then watch a show about an animal related to the one you observed.  (If you watched a dog, you might watch a show about wolves.) Which behaviors do the wild and tame animal share? Which are different?

Make a skit or puppet show about the wild animals at a campground or on the trail. Include what to do if you encounter them so that both you and the animals stay safe!

List wild animals near your home meeting place, or school. Survey the area with an adult and your Junior friends. Then pick three animals you saw and learn more about each one. Why do they live here? Do they interact with humans?

Requirement 2: Investigate an animal habitat

Choices:

Visit a zoo or animal sanctuary. When there, choose a particular habitat, like a beach, jungle, or desert. With help from the staff answer these questions for each of five animals that live in that habitat.

In what country is the animal naturally found?

How does its fur or skin help the animal live in this habitat?

How does it stay clean?  

How does it get around in this habitat?

What kind of food can it find in this habitat?

Explore an animal habitat near where you live. It could be part of a park, forest, beach, or desert. Figure out what the animals you see have in common. First, make a list of each one’s features. Circle the things the animals share, then, trade ideas about why they have each feature with your friends. Some features you might list: type of fur or skin, paw, tail, coloring, kinds of legs, mouth, and ears.

Make a habitat collage. Scientists use habitats to group animals by things they all share. Cut out 15 – 20 pictures of wild animals from old magazines. Group the animal by habitat. Then group them by how they look, how they move, or how they bear their young. Did your groups change? Discuss the groupings with your Junior friends - and make up ways to groups animals.

Requirement 3: Create an animal home

Choices:

Check out baby-animal habitats. Find out how different animal parents care for their babies and make “homes” for them. You could read about how Emperor penguins hold a chick under a special flap in chilly Antarctic temperatures or how an orangutan mother builds new nests for her and her baby every day. Draw or paint a picture of your favorite animal pair 

Make your own animal house. Meerkats live in large underground burrows with several entrances. Beavers make dome-shaped homes called lodges with branches and mud – and they usually have an underwater entrance. Research these animal homes and try sketching your own meerkat burrow or building your own beaver lodge from sticks and mud. Share your “home” with others and explain how and why it works.

Insulate your own “nest.” Many animals use insulation to keep their homes cool in hot temperatures or warm in the cold. They may line a next with feathers or burrow into snow or mud to hold in body heat. Try this experiment: 

Mix a package of Jell-O. Before it sets, put part of the liquid into a small container with a lid or sealed top, like a baby food jar or resealable plastic bag. Pour the rest into a mixing bowl. 

��Insulate the small container the way an animal might insulate its nest. You could bury the container in leaves and sticks in the yard or use materials in your house, like socks, to burrow it. 

 Keep the container in its warm, insulated place while the mixing bowl with the rest of the Jell-O stays out in the air – in the same area as your “nest” container. 

 When the bowl of Jell-O has set (gotten firm), uncover and check your “nest.” If it’s still liquid, you’ll know your insulation would have kept the animals inside warm. If it set, try building your animal home again! 

 Share what happened with your Junior friends, and talk about the “warmest” nest designs. What made them work well? What materials didn’t work as well? 

Requirement 4: Explore endangered habitats

When the animals no longer have their habitat, they have to adapt to a new place to live. Some animals can’t change, and end up becoming endangered. Answer these questions about one of the endangered animal habitats below. 

Why is it in danger?

What is happening to the animals? 

What are people doing to help the habitat? 

Are the animals able to adapt? 

Choices: 

The Arctic Circle

The Gulf of Mexico

The Amazon Rainforest

Requirement 5: Help protect animal habitats

Choices:

Wildlife awareness party. Choose an endangered animal. Dress up like the animal for a party with your Junior friends and tell your story: where you live, why your home is endangered, and how others can help. If there’s an organization that protects your habitat, share its name and mission. It’s a party because it’s positive: The more you know about how to help, the more you can do! 

Create a background habitat. Get permission from your family to make a habitat in your yard, or ask a school, neighbor or someone who owns land nearby to allow you to create one. Research and then carry out a landscape plan that is best for wildlife in the area. Record the wildlife you attract and their behavior. (The Audubon Society has some good resources to get you started.) 

Help clean up an animal habitat. Many times trash and litter destroy animal habitats and harm animal. With your Girl Scout sisters ask an expert to recommend an area that needs cleaning – woods, stream, beach, city park. Get permission to spend a few hours making it nicer for our animal friends. 

[lochdandloaded]

From Me To You (Oneshot)

Rating: T Pairing(s): McCree/Hanzo (McHanzo) Warnings/Triggers: Animal death(s), mentions of blood, mild swearing Notes: Mermaid AU, Mermaid!McCree, Human!Hanzo, guess who’s the furry Summary: A misunderstanding between species leads to a surprising show of feelings and opens a certain archer’s eyes to what their unusual connection could mean.

A fic for @kannibal‘s MerCree AU over on Twitter (go check it out for more info and art!!) <3 And some writing practice for me should I ever open writing commissions.

AO3 || Twitter || Ko-Fi || Storenvy

Read below the cut

The penguins had only been the beginning of the madness.

Not long after meeting the mer-creature (merman? Mer-seal? Mer-Flirts-A-Lot?) Jesse, Hanzo had opened the door to his lone outpost cabin and was welcomed by a bleeding, barely alive Adélie penguin. Once he’d swallowed down the panic and grabbed the bird in a towel, he rushed it to the Ecopoint main base and gave it to someone with basic first aid knowledge.

His colleagues questioned him end to end and all he could divulge was that he had no clue about anything (never before had that been more true than it was now). They dropped it soon enough and before long, Hanzo forgot about the incident entirely.

Then he had a very dead, torn up toothfish dumped on his doorstep that left him all the more confused.

(How the fuck had a toothfish gotten out of the northern fisheries?!)

By the time the fifth dead and de-feathered Chinstrap penguin greeted him at his door, Hanzo had enough and stormed out to investigate the source, bow and quiver across his back (should he feel like indulging his trigger finger). The trail of blood led him to the rocky beach where he knew Jesse’s beloved walruses sunned themselves, though this early in the morning it was barren except, speak of the devil…

“If it ain’t the most handsome whaler son t’ step foot on this beach,” Jesse announced from his spot in the shallow waves, fins slapping against the water as he preened and smirked.

Hanzo glared.

“What the hell have you been doing?”

Hanzo crossed his arms as he marched over, holding back a shiver against the harsh coastal breeze and keeping his gaze solely on Jesse’s face, no lower no matter how tempting it was to appreciate the mer’s humanoid half.

He stopped once he was close enough to smack the coral hat off Jesse’s smug head and kept glaring as the mer fumbled to catch it.

“Hey—!”

“I know it’s you who’s been leaving dead penguins at my cabin, Jesse.” Hanzo scoffed and put his hands on his hips, scowling as Jesse put his hat back on and pushed himself up to eye level.

“Darlin’, I’m just helping—”

“How?”

Hanzo took a breath and blinked, flushing at how close Jesse leaned in. He pulled back enough to keep the red away from the mer’s inquisitive stare and pulled his hood over his freezing ears, then rubbed his arms quickly. Jesse watched carefully.

“Han, don’t think I ain’t noticed that ya don’t have food at your home,” Jesse started, voice soft enough Hanzo felt it rather than heard it, even with the gap between them. “It ain’t nothing to be ‘shamed of, hell it took Papá years to stop me from expectin’ bucket scraps an’ even longer to get me huntin’ on my own—”

Wait, what?

Hunting? “That’s what this is about?”

“Yeah, darlin’?”

The mer thought he couldn’t hunt? Him - Shimada Hanzo, raised in a family infamous for whaling and killing - couldn’t hunt for himself on this patch of melting ice? That he needed help from someone who wasn’t even human—

Hanzo felt his ire and pride flair as he buried his face into his palm, grinding his teeth and barely resisting the urge to growl at the absurdity of it all. It would be easy, so so easy to snap and never look back, unleash his irritation on someone who…

Who wasn’t human.

What did Jesse know of cafeterias, mess halls, refrigerators, bento boxes and leftovers in tupperware? Sea leopards were solitary creatures  by nature, fending for themselves from a young age with no thought to how any others survived. Sure, Jesse wasn’t the same, but it was enough to give Hanzo pause.

It wasn’t Jesse’s fault, he wasn’t to blame.

A loud squawk brought Hanzo to full attention, glancing over his shoulder. An albatross was hopping across the rocks some distance away, plucking washed up krill and crabs from the sandy gaps.

Jesse peered with him, raising an eyebrow into that mess he dared to call hair, curiosity crinkling the corner of his eyes, dark skin glistening with salt that dried out his mouth at the thought of his taste—

A snap of his wrist brought his bow into grip, arrow loaded and flying before he had a chance to let go of his breathe.

The arrow burst through the bird’s head in silence, pinned to the uneven ground without so much as a twitch in the legs.

Hanzo smirked and looked back at Jesse, pride practically glowing from his very being. The mer was staring wide, pupils blown to hide every trace of brown, hand and claw hung uselessly in midair and his mouth was agape, showing off his sharp teeth. What really caught his eye was the bright blush all over his face, neck, creeping down to his generous chest, highlighting the freckles and faint scars peppered over his skin.

A low chittering slipped past Jesse’s loose lips and he didn’t stop staring, though his tail thumped against the waves and his powerful muscles tightened under the blubber. He was full of rightful fear, awe and something else entirely that Hanzo didn’t recognise on his particular face.

Hanzo cleared his throat and shouldered his bow. Jesse didn’t budge.

“I can hunt perfectly fine myself.” He reached out and pushed the mer’s mouth shut, flicking his bright nose before turning away to fetch his arrow.

The gaze burnt into his back the entire time, even as he left the beach and returned home.

0XX0

Hanzo didn’t really see Jesse again for a while after the confrontation on the beach. February rolled into March, then April, and the most Hanzo saw of him was a startled jump into the nearest body of water when their eyes met (he thought he’d spotted the mer when the elephant seals came on land to molt, but nothing came of it).

Well, the dead penguins and (possibly) stolen fish at his doorstep had stopped for good.

But Hanzo found himself missing Jesse’s company. As strange and annoying he could be sometimes, his visits brought joy to this new life of Hanzo’s that his colleagues couldn’t compare to. For another species, Jesse was surprisingly easy to get along with, most days.

So of course, the morning Hanzo decided to catch the mer, Jesse came to him instead.

He opened the door to his cabin to find the mer standing too closely to the frame, hands behind his back and face caught in the headlights. Hanzo froze, blinking as he took in the sight. Jesse worked his jaw, no words coming out despite it.   

“Jesse,” Hanzo started, looking around in lieu of having to face those shying browns. “What… are you doing here?”

‘Smooth, Hanzo. Very smooth.’

Jesse cleared his throat and shifted on his fins, looking all for the world like he wanted to be somewhere else. The thought made Hanzo frown and crease his brow; what had changed?

“Hey, darlin’.” He rolled his shoulders, still hiding his hands. Hanzo stayed in his spot. “Sorry I ain’t been ‘round, I’ve been busy an’ didn’t wanna spoil it.”

Hanzo quirked an eyebrow up, narrowing his eyes. “Spoil what?”

Jesse opened his mouth but quickly shut it and straightened up, a smile growing and sparking his eyes. Hanzo watched as he clapped his fins together and held out his arms, presenting a folded up… cloth?

Jesse nudged it into his arms, smirk forming in the quirk of his lips and beard. “Take a look, angelfish.”

Hanzo blinked at the nickname but set it aside for later discussion as he unraveled the fabric in his arms. He held it out in front of him and his jaw went slack at the sight he beheld.

A thick blanket of fur dropped out onto the ground, soft against his fingers, and woven into the outer coat were layers of shining feathers; black to grey to white to orange, blending in seamlessly with each other and the dark fur. Hanzo ran a hand down them, breath hitching at the silky texture and how his fingers sank into them, spreading warmth up his arm.

Hanzo broke away to stare at Jesse, feeling that warmth creep over his face but finding no room to care about it underneath the overwhelming tenderness threatening to make his heart swell out of his chest. He breathed carefully and swallowed.

“You made this…?”

Jesse chuckled and took off his hat to run his hand through his hair, the dry salt catching in the high sunlight and bringing back not-so-innocent thoughts of the mer’s taste. Hanzo didn’t banish it, knowing he was already red enough to be able to deny anything.

(He didn’t want to.)

“I know it’s a couple months late t’ give it to ya, but I still want you to have it, Han.” Jesse shuffled closer, pulling the shawl off the ground to press against Hanzo’s chest. “Try it on.”

Hanzo nodded, adjusted his hold and threw it around his shoulders, wrapping it tightly around himself. A wave of heat enveloped him, even as the April breeze turned his legs to ice, and he let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes. He brought it in closer, digging his hands into the softness and reveling in the rare comfort it brought him.

He smiled at Jesse, only a small thing not as sharp as his usual snark and wit, but it might as well have shined brighter than the sun if Jesse’s wide grin was anything to go by. He chittered again and whistled, making Hanzo laugh quietly.

“Thank you, Jesse. I love it.”

“Really?” Jesse lit up and Hanzo nodded, keeping his chuckles to himself.

He picked up his travel pack and locked his cabin door, watching Jesse all the while as he seemed to bounce and flash his teeth with little care to who saw. Hanzo headed off at a lackadaisical pace, smile still present.

“Walk with me to the docks?”

As they walked, one poised and the other cumbersome, Hanzo’s thoughts drifted off as he allowed himself this joy of being with someone like Jesse. Someone with qualities he hadn’t the courage to name or admit he admired yet.

He should get him a gift as well…