#my favorites are the raccoon and the elephant

[heckyeahponyscans]

imo some of these hit better than others (the monkey looks odd) but mostly I'm just glad to see that the WHOLE set of Care Bear Cousins is getting made. Even the pig!

I think this is another Chinese exclusive set, but might be Thailand. (Or both.)

[christanbrowneyedgirl]

In Colorado I once saw a lovely little fox trotting casually along the wall by the side of the road. Both of us heading to the same little expensive-not-worth-it CVS with its trash honey and good chapstick.

look at me. listen to me. this is directed at americans for the record. the reason you think North American animals are boring is because you live here. there are so many cool and beautiful animals here. we have beavers. we have wolves. we have moose. we have sea lions. we have armadillos. we have mountain lions. we have alligators. we have foxes. we have bighorn sheep. we have manatees. we have bears. we have ocelots. we have BISON. and that’s not even touching on the birds! or the turtles! or the snakes! we have amazing beautiful and diverse wildlife right here and it deserves to be appreciated and protected

[hecticelectron]

Hi, this is a big post about my new TTRPG, Defy the Gods, which I’m Kickstarting soon. It’s a queer sword & sorcery adventure-romance set in fantasy ancient Mesopotamia. I was inspired by Conan, Clash of the Titans (1981!) and Princess Mononoke. (I've also got a BlueSky megathread going about it.)

Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter launches!

Art by Thalie Shelen! @thalieshelen

(Btw hi I'm Chris, a queer, trans game designer in Columbus, Ohio. This will be my second published game. The first was a furry pack of nonsense called Raccoon Sky Pirates.)

Defy the Gods is sword & sorcery as a story game. My favorite PbtA games emulate specific stories and lead you to resonant emotional moments like you find in those stories. Here, I used PbtA to emulate sword & sorcery, with an emphasis on the romantic moments—but also plenty of metal 🤘. You use the flirtation mechanics (taken from Thirsty Sword Lesbians) to tempt, support, or thwart others. But then, you can roll too high (taken from Apocalypse Keys), where you get more than you bargained for. Like Conan running out of the Tower of the Elephant while it crumbles around him.

Also like Conan, you have a glorious destiny, but in this case it ain’t good. Rising to your most powerful self makes you monstrous, heralding your character’s end as a hero and their beginning as an NPC antagonist.

It’s a queer game. You can fall in love with anyone, or make them fall in love with you. But because the game is also about power, the gods and tyrants wait to stomp on you if your enticement falls flat. Like if you flirt with someone in the wrong neighborhood. Every character has their own arc, and one of the things I had the most fun with was making those feel like queer problems as well as ancient-world sword & sorcery problems.

Play a fierce Sword, chaos-loving Sorcerer, fugitive Revenant, mischievous Sailor, immortal-sworn Vessel, or wild-raised Wolfling. (All character portraits by Thalie Shelen @thalieshelen)

The Sword is big-hearted and violent. You have a move that lets you kill any human-sized mortal NPC within arm’s reach, without rolling, if you’re not already in combat. This always causes more problems than it solves.

While most players roll just 2d6 & add their stat, the Sorcerer casts spells by rolling a lot of dice & looking for patterns in them. If you can’t find any patterns, your sorcery runs amok. This chaos is kind of lovely. For instance, you're always changing your body—sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. But always gorgeous.

The Revenant is like Inanna, or if Eurydice made it out. They escaped the land of the dead. They aren’t who they were in their past life, nor who they were as a shade. They're still figuring out who they are now. Demons pursue them to claw them back to the Underworld.

The Sailor can call on a cast of past friends and lovers for help. They always have a plan, and an eye for the exit. One of their moves lets you fill in the map of the otherwise unknown world.

The Vessel is in love with a minor god. They channel their patron’s power by wounding themself, but their patron can also soothe their pain.

The Wolfling was raised by animals in the Wilds and is curious about the humans, but they belong in neither world. They're definitely the part most directly inspired by Princess Mononoke.

The World Forces are the antagonist. You build them at the table, in quick rounds of pick lists. They are:

The Pantheon: gods, goddesses, and demons. They make the rules, but maybe you can break them.

The City: tyrants, the wealthy, and others with the gods' blessing. They push you to the margins, but you can fight to be seen.

The Wilds: gigantic creatures and their trackless wilderness home. It's place of danger and new rules, but you'll probably break them.

The Shadow of Atlantis: long-gone elders. They dared to scorn the gods, and the Pantheon destroyed them for it, but through you they may live again.

Death: a hungry, totalitarian force. Its underground domain is the end for all mortals and the mockery of hope. But maybe you can return.

Art by Shan Bennion! @anonbeadraws

This was an intensely personal project, but it was too big for me to do by myself. Here are all the people who helped make it a reality:

Avery Alder: Design advisor

Basheer Ghouse: @basheerghouse Cultural consultant

Cat Tobin: Mentor https://www.pelgranepress.com

Cris Viana: Graphic designer & layout artist

Ezra Rose: Interior art

Kanesha Bryant: Interior art

Katrin Dirim: Interior art

Jaqueline Florencio: Cover art

Lyla Fujiwara: Developmental editor https://www.jarofeyes.com

Mary Verhoeven: Interior art

Omar Ramadan-Santiago: Cultural consultant

Rae Nedjadi: Developmental editor https://temporalhiccup.itch.io

Rue Dickey: @ilananight Copy editor

Sean D’souza: World-builder & writer https://linktr.ee/seandsouzax

Shan Bennion: Interior art

Thalie Shelen: Interior art

(art by Shan again! @anonbeadraws)

Thanks for reading! You can sign up at https://prelaunch.hecticelectron.com to know when the Kickstarter launches.

[braveasnouns]

ANIMAL ARMY BACKGROUND MEMBERS!!

this is not an exhaustive list and some of them i’m not sure of the names but i tried :D! all are up to interpretation as they are not listed on IMDB, credits or any official source as far as i can tell!

and this is really only focused on scenes from S1 as nobody apart from Bear, Tiger and Pony are shown very clearly past that (or shown uhh.. alive, anyways...)

in no particular order:

Flamingo! very prevalent and recognizable in and out of costume for their bright pink hair

Bluejay! they could be a different type of blue bird but they do look like a bluejay and i love that name! you can see them wearing denim on denim as a way to represent the blue even out of animal costume! very cool

and standing next to Bluejay in the main scenes is Leopard! shown clearly quite a bit compared to some others and i really love the commitment to this outfit its very awesome

Gazelle. they show up very briefly (only in this one shot clearly) but their look is one of my favorites for sure!! So cool and unique

a red bird, while most people connect the image of a red bird with Robins and Cardinals which it very well could be, with the darker red and dark beak i could also see them trying to be Tanager, Finch or Apapane bird. there's really no way to know if they were even given a specific bird type in production but those would be my guesses!

Elephant!! Im guessing it was just from using whatever resources around them but i really love how their ears look weathered, like an elephant who has been through battles as they have

i like to think this is Vulture!! and that’s so cool to me as a name and persona! it just started in my mind because they stand next to each other but i like to think that Vulture and Elephant are siblings and found the animal army together :))

Panda! the most prominently shown other than the main four, you see them in the very first shot of the animal army and they have watch over Jepp when he is tied up. it all makes me think they were a member earlier on and very trusted

Raccoon (left) and “Red” panda (right). Since we already know that there's for sure someone named just panda i would assume this character goes by red as a nickname even if their animal army name is officially Red Panda. I also thought it was funny how in the same scene Raccoon kept appearing and disappearing from the background on the tree ledge, im sure it was just a filming thing but so on brand of them tbh

i think this would be Orangutan! that name is seen one of the walls. they are one of the ones holding back daisys chains and are seen in the very first scene of the animal army as well.

I believe this is Bison! From what i could tell they are only shown in this shot in the background until they zoom over to Panda and i didnt see them in any scenes after that clearly. there is writing on one of the walls that says Bison and thats the only reason i don’t say Cow or Bull, still could be though! I wish we got to see more of them because its very cool

This should be Porcupine! They are hardly shown and it was hard to get a real picture of them. kinda interesting that we do have a porcupine hybrid child later on too, Porcupine you probably would have loved to meet Otto

i just started calling this Bird because i can’t figure out what type they are, and i think its kinda fun to think they were the first bird member (after flamingo) and just like birds generally :)

Zebra! shown prominently in the main scenes and one of the people given the responsibility of opening daisys containers doors. kinda terrifying outfit so good job Zebra

I think this is Peacock! they are quite literally shown for less than 2 seconds in all lol

slightly perplexing...Otter, Weasel, even Vole, Mink or Loris? lots of possibilities and im so not sure

Armadillo i'm pretty certain of! They are one of the ones holding daisy’s chains and I couldn't really figure out who they were in other scenes when they are not in their full outfit since their face is mostly covered 

I believe this is Hyena but its quite hard to say for certain, but it does say “heyena (do you see what i did there)” on the animal wall so i could totally see this being them! they also hold daisys chains

Rabbit! they're cool i'm very curious as to the materiel of their mask

Bobcat?

Falcon I like to think, also holding daisys chains

i am saying this is Crow because i really want it to be

thats pretty much all for S1 but there are also things on the walls like "killawhale" and a lion drawing which is probably from canon members not shown in their full animal army outfits as well!

[filledwithpotassium]

here’s some random sentences that i found that are pretty funny/interesting:


He excelled at firing people nicely.


She did a happy dance because all of the socks from the dryer matched.


He was the only member of the club who didn't like plum pudding.


He embraced his new life as an eggplant.


There were three sphered rocks congregating in a cubed room.


I want a giraffe, but I'm a turtle eating waffles.


She always had an interesting perspective on why the world must be flat.


Behind the window was a reflection that only instilled fear.


When she didn’t like a guy who was trying to pick her up, she started using sign language.


Eating eggs on Thursday for choir practice was recommended.


When he encountered maize for the first time, he thought it incredibly corny.


He had decided to accept his fate of accepting his fate.


I was fishing for compliments and accidentally caught a trout.


There was coal in his stocking and he was thrilled.


The pigs were insulted that they were named hamburgers.


She thought there'd be sufficient time if she hid her watch.


Kevin embraced his ability to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.


Being unacquainted with the chief raccoon was harming his prospects for promotion.


When he asked her favorite number, she answered without hesitation that it was diamonds.


I honestly find her about as intimidating as a basket of kittens.


They say people remember important moments in their life well, yet no one even remembers their own birth. (this one just made me question my whole life but i thought i’d put it here anyway just so you can feel the same)


There's an art to getting your way, and spitting olive pits across the table isn't it.


Iguanas were falling out of the trees.


Flesh-colored yoga pants were far worse than even he feared.


I was starting to worry that my pet turtle could tell what I was thinking.


It was the first time he had ever seen someone cook dinner on an elephant.

[silverhart-makes-art]

This week's Bestiary Posting is a whole menagerie of mammals. Again, labeled version and short descriptions of my thoughts below.

Shmeashagg - needed to be mottled, I also gave it giant claws on it's forepaws so it can "kill at a single bound". Trying to make it look like it could be the parent of a leopard while trying to make it less lion-like. Goggaerker - a bit more of a dynamic pose of it being stuck in a bush; saw-tooth horns, and big fuzzy ears. Brotkarske - a tiny goat with a markhor-style horn, and long legs Revklogwat - I decided to draw a bird since it's feathered and has wings, but I turned it's wings into forelegs. I also gave it ear tufts like a praire chicken, because they're one of my favorites. Shrobshong - was trying to think how horns are supposed to protect you from falling. I went with big curling ibex horns so the animal can never land on it's head and die. Rest of the animal was a combo of a bull and a takin, with a big nose to warm the air up in it's mountain home. Biklanokyo - this one really turned out looking like an alien. Went with a pose/body reminiscent of a horse. Since it needed to carry a huge horn it needed a think neck, and of course, elephant feet and a deer tail Nutogsheag - I don't know where I was going with this one. Just slapped all the mentioned features on it and gave it a long neck for fun. It's got weird protruding cheek bones like an entelodont, or a warthog, but I don't know why - that's just what I was feeling. Raenwegguk - when I thought of animals that embody wildness to me, especially those found in forests, I thought of wild boar and wolves. Smush the two together and add some extra tusks and you get this noble fellow. Klosweisht - originally meant it to be a sort of hyena-like beast, and some of that is still there, but the mention of horns made me redraw the head and legs as more gazelle-like. It's terrifying when it opens it's mouth and I love it. Kregichmon - pouring through the 'what animal groups haven't I drawn' I happened on 'giraffe-moose with bull horns'. Thokragosk - just a puny little friend. Based on a rodent, but the face turned out a little more like a raccoon, which is cute. Kamyaweneg - just a weird little mole. I had the marsupial mole in mind with their weird fleshy snout and sort of extended it into a helmet for this little guy. I know it doesn't have eyes, but I put a dot where I thought an eye would be, because otherwise it's hard to even figure out what this thing is. Moles are just weird. Extremely successful, but weird. Ghrastasag - so the rest of these are primates and I'm gonna be honest: I don't like drawing non-human primates. Even humans-primates tend to be low on the 'things i love to draw' list. So we're gonna have a lot of sketchy stuff heavily relying on references for these last critters. The lack of real description beyond 'ape' for these also is not helping. Ghrastasag is just a fuzzy baboon. Rigfengtog - another baboon, but this one's showing off it's fangs and is significantly less fuzzy. Ngibealgul - a shaggy gorilla creature. This one looks very thoughtful and solemn for some reason. Gerskatrea - these apes are said to have attractive faces, and the two most attractive primates I thought of off the top of my head, are the mandrill and the emperor tamarin. Hence, mandrill with a mustache. No one can resist a curly mustache. Maerdradli - I was pretty burned out at this point so... more of a doodle then anything, but it's an ape, and it's got a beard, and a fat tail, and I also gave it a droopy mustache because I felt bad for it.

[lovebirdgames]

I was poking around in our docs and found this really old one called "Fun Profiles." My eyes landed on Sabrina's favorite food being peanut butter cookies and I was like...here is some cute info that I don't think we shared before so I'll share it now! Because who wouldn't get excited to know that Sabrina's favorite food is peanut butter cookies?!

Victor Wiley Favorite Food: Espresso Coffee Favorite Animal: Eastern Raccoon

Bandit Favorite Food: Toasted Marshmallows Favorite Animal: Herself

Leon Tanner Favorite Food: Apple Dumplings Favorite Animal: Snowshoe Hare

Susie Favorite Food: Strawberry Cake Favorite Animal: African Elephant

Felicity St. Claire Favorite Food: Greek Salad Favorite Animal: Adelie Penguin

Marian Favorite Food: Pasta Primavera Favorite Animal: Morpho Butterfly

Alex Dang Favorite Food: Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets Favorite Animal: Capuchin Monkey

Aaron Pacé Favorite Food: Filet Mignon  Favorite Animal: Siberian Tiger

Olive Favorite Food: Sushi Favorite Animal: Great White Shark

Sabrina Favorite Food: Peanut Butter Cookies Favorite Animal: Gypsy Horse

Eugene Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers Favorite Animal: Koala

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DC Cinematic Universe - Creature Commandos: Part VI

Chapter Six:...Really, Weasel?

Long time no see, Tumblr! Been a minute, been busy since the new semester started, and I've got some time to get back into the swing of things. SO, without further ado...

Ah, Weasel. Now, here's a character I was never expecting to see adapted at all, nevertheless in LIVE ACTION of all things! So, before getting into the choice to use this character, let's talk about the episode that introduces his backstory in the DCU, Chasing Squirrels, AKA episode 4. Now, for the record, this is also a place where I COULD talk about the villains of the series, as this is where Circe's "plan" is fully revealed, but...nah. We'll wait until a later essay to fully litigate that mess. I have notes, I'll just say that.

But to get this out of the way, I actually like many of the changes to Weasel, and part of that is because I'm a sucker for the Tragic Clown trope. Y'know, the seeming comic relief or goofy character with an incredibly traumatic and horrid backstory? This is one of Gunn's favorite tropes, as Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy films have this type of story. Weasel is no exception here, as Gunn clearly loves this character, and gave him what is arguably THE MOST fucked-up backstory of all of the Commandos, and that's saying something. And is that a necessary change? I mean...let's start with the comic book version before getting into some spoiler territory, and addressing the elephant in the room, or the, uh, Weasel in the basement.

First appearing in 1985's The Fury of Firestorm #35 (not pictured above, this is #38), John Monroe was best known as a Firestorm villain. But even more than that, he was the rare villain of Martin Stein, one half of the Firestorm Matrix, and the brains of the operation. Anyway, Monroe and Stein were students together, and eventually became professors at the same school. However, Monroe was a jackass, as well as a sociopath, and was heavily disliked. Even as a student, his peers referred to him as a "weasel".

When several alumni of his old university became fellow professors at his current university, he felt threatened in terms of his job security. So, in a completely rational response, he leaned into his former sobriquet super-hard, and fashioned a weasel costume. With it, he became the villainous Weasel, and began to murder his colleagues one-by-one. When Stein eventually came on staff, he became Weasel's next target. That's right. Weasel became a serial killer...for tenure. Also, side-note, they try REALLY hard to make Weasel scary, both with writing and with narration ("...he's deadly as a weasel", "Night of the Weasel", "for the Weasel, murder is personal"), but like...his name is the Weasel. Oh, and also, he's a dude in a fursuit. He isn't scary, he's just an asshole.

Once Firestorm defeated the insane professor, Monroe was sent to Belle Reve, where he was made a member of the Suicide Squad under Amanda Waller. In this run for the Suicide Squad, though, writer John Ostrander obviously never read the original Firestorm stories with the Weasel as a villain. Now, somehow, he'd completely devolved from being a physics professor who killed out of his own delusions and insecurity, into...well, a weasel-man. He speaks far more primitively, he's now a bloodthirsty murderer who only cares about meat and flesh, and maybe...an actual lycanthrope instead of a guy in a costume? Yeah, Ostrander DID NOT care about the original story, and it looks like DC editorial just gave him a character to use as cannon fodder.

And, yeah, I mean that, because after the group gets through most of their mission, Rick Flag, while corrupted by the helmet of the Thinker (just...don't ask), kills Weasel with a blast, and he'd stay dead. This is a character who wouldn't appear again until Blackest Night, as a zombie, and then would be reborn in the New 52...twice?

The first iteration of Weasel, John Monroe once again, is introduced in the...controversial universe-wide event, Forever Evil, during the New 52 era. In this event, supervillain take over the planet with the help of the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3. And Weasel...is there. I mean, look at the page above. Outside of a cameo appearance in the first issue of the storyline, he appears once in a spin-off story, only to die, uh...IMMEDIATELY. So, don't know his name, don't know if he's a guy or a weasel-guy, don't know anything. And every other appearance of the character from then on is either his ghost, or literally just James Gunn's version.

There actually was a second Weasel, introduced as a Batgirl villain. One of the original henchmen employed by the Joker, Daniel Weaver has there when the clown shot Barbara Gordon through the spine in The Killing Joke. He actually called 9-1-1 to alert the police of the event, making him somewhat sympathetic. Still a career criminal, he went to work for Evan Douglas, a corrupt cop in the GCPD known as the supervillain the Grotesque. In the process, he ended up betraying his employer again, and was killed one issue after being introduced. So, yeah, if you choose the name "Weasel" in the DC Universe, get ready to die pretty fast.

And maybe that's why Gunn chose Weasel. Speaking of...

Weasel Stomping Day

Gunn obviously chose Weasel for Creature Commandos because he had the character in The Suicide Squad. And, while the character certainly has some minor history with the group (literally one issue ever as a living character), it's definitely a choice. It's also obvious that Gunn also ignored the Firestorm issues, as this is clearly not a man in a weasel costume. It's possible that there'll be a tie when we actually learn Weasel's origin in the future, but we'll have to wait and see on that front. His name is John, of course, but that's short for John DOE, not John Monroe.

Now, the character became memorable in The Suicide Squad, of course, but he was treated entirely as a joke, down to getting his own funny-silly post-credits scene. In fact, they use that scene to confirm that The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos DO take place in the same universe. Oh, and yes, I saw that interview where Gunn said not all of The Suicide Squad is necessarily canon, but I don't believe that for a second. Anyway, Weasel in the film is genuinely VERY funny, but isn't much else. Sean Gunn, of course, performs the character via motion capture as a crazy, gangly, kinda-gross weirdo, and it's SO effective, that Gunn used the popularity of the character to promote Creature Commandos. And there, he revealed the tragic truth. Remember that throwaway line about Weasel in the movie about the kids he killed? Well...

A quick personal note about me and my preferences: I hate tragedy for the sake of tragedy in storytelling. I find it a kind of lazy plot device to motivate a character purely through some grimdark shit that happened in the backstory. It works when used correctly and somewhat sparingly, but not constantly. And there are some forms of tragedy that are really shitty, and if you've ever read or seen badly-written stuff that features any woman ever, there's at least one trope that's terribly overused in fiction. Not gonna list it here to avoid triggering people unnecessarily. But, OK, is Weasel's tragedy worth including, and actually adding to the character's backstory?

Yes. At least, I think so. Look, Weasel's comic book origins are so shit, that the comics basically abandoned them after a single story. A serial killer murdering for tenure? Nah. An anthropoid weasel of as-to-yet undetermined origin who tried and failed to help a group of schoolchildren, only to be blamed for their murder with no way to defend himself? Now, that's...that's interesting. It's also especially interesting because it's not actually his origin story, it's just the reason why he's been convicted, despite the work of...Elizabeth Bates? Whoa, OK, that's the DEEPEST cut of deep cuts there. Elizabeth Bates, AKA Betty Bates, had her own comic book run in Quality Comics in the '40s. Ran for 10 years, over 61 issues, but she's been essentially banished to the completely forgotten pile for 75 years! So, OK, credit where credit is due, Gunn.

Anyway, back to Weasel. John's backstory here is very dramatic and well-told, going from a group of kids playing with their new weird animal friend, ET-style, to a...mildly comedic set-up where they accidentally set a basement on fire. Turns from comedy to tragedy INCREDIBLY quick, though, as these children all die, some with Weasel watching and attempting to save them. Watching him try to help, only to be shot and blamed for the event is genuinely very sad, and also creates an important distinction between member of the Creature Commandos and members of the Suicide Squad.

Monsters are born from tragedy, criminals are (at least in many cases) born from choice and circumstance. That's generalizing heavily in the latter case, but we're talking comic book characters, and I'm focusing on a wereweasel. Cut me a little slack here. Point is, something Creature Commandos does well is show the tragedy behind these characters. What it does somewhat poorly is justify their incarceration by Waller and Belle Reve. That's a Suicide Squad thing, not a CC thing. But with Weasel, that's done fairly well here.

At this point, of course, I've given enough praise to Gunn's portrayal of a seeming joke character, so we now need to ask the most important question: ...Weasel? Really? That's the character we're putting in the Creature Commandos? Or even the Suicide Squad? WEASEL?

Look, in case you haven't noticed, even DC doesn't care about this guy, AT ALL! He pops up every now and again, only to constantly die! And hell, he was turned from a dude in a suit into an actual weasel-man ACCIDENTALLY because the writers didn't care! I suppose it is nice that Gunn took and rehabilitated this lost and abandoned character, and I honestly am interested in seeing where he goes with it, but...Weasel? Surely there were other choices. The Suicide Squad can keep him, he makes a little more sense there. But he's mostly in Creature Commandos, it would seem, because of his appearance and popularity in that film. It's establishing another tie to that movie, making it even more a part of the DCU. And since that's expressly what we're trying to AVOID...let's reconsider.

Weasel is, obviously, meant to represent the werewolf character of the group. In DC, to be fair, there are very few interesting werewolves. They certainly exist, but none are really main characters that people remember today. But, as I've done previously, I'll present two choices for my iteration of the Creature Commandos, one by-the-books and one more creative. The only requirements here are that they are or once were human, with the ability to turn into an anthropoid mammalian carnivore, or having been made that way and being unable to turn back. Broad, I know, but the distinction is important. Their origin can remain shrouded, as it is with Weasel, but they need to have an origin that make them a lycanthrope canonically. And so, without further ado, let's get to my Weasel replacements.

The Purist Choice: Scratch (Zachary Griffith)

Gunn had the right instinct in terms of reinvention, so I propose another reinvention that folds in two separate characters, while also establishing tie to two separate versions of the Creature Commandos (and maybe hinting at a hidden past). So, may I present to you a completely forgotten character: Scratch. Yeah, uh, this is also kind of a nothing character, to the point where I gave him a last name. In the comics, he's just Zack. Zack is a teenaged werewolf, plain and simple. In the 5-issue comic book series in which he originates (and never leaves), he's a kid from the South with an unusual deformity: a large deformed finger. On his fifteenth birthday, it grows and the deformity spreads, only for it to fully blossom into what it really is: lycanthropy. Zack's a werewolf, plain and simple.

In his series, he befriends (and falls in love with, of course) a young woman named Sage with her own "deformity": periocular asymmetry, meaning that one eye is significantly higher than the other. That's the result of a nuclear blast that deformed many of the people of her town, Orangewood, especially the children. A little girl staying with her is kidnapped by a monster, the Ourobouros, and Scratch is the one to save her? But without revealing the ending to the story, the actual monster is prejudice. It's a whole thing, and an interesting read...but not hard to see why this is a forgotten story. I enjoyed it, but The Long Halloween it is not, even with the appearance of special guest (and kind of narrator), Batman. What all this means is, Scratch is a good candidate for a reboot and revitalization, but the story is a good basis for the flashback. As for the other character, and the origin of the new last name I've given Zack...

The way we're revitalizing Zack is by making him the great-grandson of Private Warren Griffith, AKA Wolfpack. Now, I'll get into how we're incorporating the original Creature Commandos, but make no mistake, ALL of them exited in my DCU. Griffith is also getting a little bit of a makeover, becoming an actual afflicted werewolf, rather than being transformed into an artificial werewolf. That may, we can incorporate this as a genetically-inherited condition, and have it get passed down to Zack. However, it'll skip a couple of generations, and his cousin, Wanda Griffith (oh, look, another comic book connection) will also have this condition, which will be a point for Zack to discover later on.

The events of Scratch will have occurred, but heavily altered. No Batman, and a lot more justice for the townsfolk at the end of the story, and making Griffith an actual killer, meaning that his inclusion in the team is...controversial, to say the least. In a real sense, he is monstrous, without being an actual monster. And his connection with Sage gives him some vulnerability, as does his role in protecting his community. Also, we're aging him up by a couple of years, so that his enlistment in the Commandos is done in order to get him back to Sage and their child, as-of-yet-unnamed, as well as the community they protect.

There's more development needed there, but this is a unique character that allows us to tie in the original Creature Commandos as well. However, I'd be lying if I said this would be a popular character, but...I mean, it's about as good as Weasel, let's be honest. Just depends on how he's portrayed. So, what about the creative choice?

Intermission: Therianthropy

So here's the thing: of all the therianthropes that Gunn had to choose from, especially the criminals...he chose Weasel? REALLY?!? There are a lot of characters that transform into animal form outside of wolves, which is why I made that distinction above, and Gunn chose the dude affiliated with weasels. I like mustelids, and I like weasels, I really do. But, like, even within Firestorm's rogues gallery, there's an ACTUAL therianthrope called Hyena, and they ALSO need a revamp in their backstory! Why Weasel and not Hyena?

But just to get to the short point here, there's a massive catalog of characters with beast-forms to choose from. Here's a somewhat messy list of them, and I'll narrow those down to some valid candidates here.

Anthony Lupus AKA Werewolf is, of course, an actual werewolf. But, he's another scientific and artificial werewolf over a supernatural one, and I'm actually aiming for either supernatural or genetic with this choice, so Anthony's out.

Apex Ava, Beast Boy, and the more recent Beast Girl are neat, but either require a bit too much explanation, or are characters that don't fit with the Creature Commandos, either because they're unrepentant criminals, or should be with other groups like the Doom Patrol.

Barbara Ann Minerva AKA Cheetah is a magically-transformed cheetah-woman, yes...but is WAY too high-profile for this team, not to mention too villainous. Sure, her morality is more flexible than some, but no, she's a bit too much for this group (even if I did use her as the image above). That's also gonna go for other therianthropic Cheetah, Sebastian Ballesteros, since that also requires some background information. Still, that one's lightly tempting, not gonna lie.

Boy oh boy, is Man-Bat AKA Kirk Langstrom incredibly tempting. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Gunn himself wanted to throw Man-Bat into the team, because he's genuinely quite a good choice for the Creature Commandos. However, there are definitely a few reasons for excluding him in this team. For example...well, technically...wait. Shit.

The Creative Choice: Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom)

OK, it's honestly hard to call this the "creative" choice, but goddamn if this doesn't feel like the right one. I tried, I promise you, I really tried to justify a choice better than this one. For a minute there, I was going for Samuel Register, the supervillain known as the Zookeeper, because he was a black slate character with ties to Beast Boy and potential ties to other characters, allowing the universe to be built out further. Plus, he had the ability to turn into other animals like Beast Boy can, thanks to self-experimentation, making him a versatile choice for a therianthrope team member. But, uh...that's basically just Man-Bat with extra steps, isn't it?

OK, introductions for the unaffiliated! Kirk Langstrom was a scientist with the goal of curing deafness by using experimental serum from bats, which use echolocation and have excellent hearing. Going deaf himself, he tested the serum he developed on himself, like you do if you're a comic book mad scientist. In the process, he became a werewolf-like humanoid bat creature, uncontrolled and rampaging as an enemy of Batman off-and-on. He's a typical tortured soul, trying to cure himself and battling with his animalistic urges. In other words, he's a werebat, without the lunar cycle issues in your classic werewolves. Alternatively, he's a Jekyll-and-Hyde character, but his Hyde can fly and occasionally drinks blood (depending on the incarnation). Either way, he's a seminal Batman villain/ally, and quite literally the first villain used by Batman: The Animated Series.

I love Man-Bat, and he's an excellent choice for the Creature Commandos, for multiple reasons. Not only does he fulfill the werewolf role, but he also fulfills the role of the vampire if you choose to use that iteration of the character. Not only that, but if you want to go with Gunn's tragic backstory route, this is an easy character to do that with. Hell, look no further than the version of the character in Batman: Arkham Knight for an excellent tragic Langstrom. Bringing in his wife, Francine, is a pretty solid way to do this. And...actually, that's basically exactly what Gunn did with Doctor Phosphorus. Tragic doctor, transformed into a monster as a result of work that was supposed to be beneficial, becomes a villain of Batman after said tragedy. Yeah, Langstrom here is basically Weasel and Phosphorus combined, so...why didn't Gunn use this guy? No, really, why not?

Well, uh, according to Gunn...it's because he wanted to use Weasel. Yeah. Surprise.

Gunn stated, and I quote:

I definitely considered Wolfpack, and, especially, Man-Bat (one of my faves). But I knew I wanted to tell Weasel’s story so it felt like too many rabid and fuzzy characters.

And that's fair, honestly, but given Weasel vs. Kirk Langstrom (or Phosphorus vs. Langstrom, actually), I choose Langstrom literally every time. Not only is he a prominent fan-favorite character that could really help establish the Batman corner of the DCU (like Phosphorus did), but he's also a scientist who can establish ties with a bunch of other characters; he's a guy that could easily get a spin-off special or miniseries all on his own; and maybe most importantly, he's not necessarily a villain. He's an incredibly complex character with his own agency and life, and would be an asset for the Creature Commandos as a team. And honestly, I don't even think he should be a second season character; bring him in for the first, then spin him off. The potential here is crazy, and it's a shame it was unexplored.

So, how would I run Langstrom if I had my Creature Commandos series? I mean, essentially as I said, with a few modifications. For instance, the whole "fix deafness" thing is and always has been terribly ill-informed and kinda dumb from a scientific standpoint. So, what if there's another bat-related trait that can be useful for Langstrom's purposes? For example...their absolutely insane immunities. Bats are both viral reservoirs and nearly cancer-proof, meaning that integrating elements of their genome into the human genome would be, honestly, quite valuable if it were possible. And this is a comic book universe, so...why not?

I'd love to explain my idea for Man-Bat fully, but...this post is getting long. So, I'll just throw in a short list of the characters I would involve with his story. Emile Dorian, Abel Cuvier, Achilles Milo, Anthony Lupus, Mark Logan, Samuel Register, Katherine Viverrida, Samuel March, Francine Langstrom, Aaron Langstrom, Warren Lawford, Armand Lydecker, Gunther Hardwicke, and Batman. And honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm low-balling it. If anybody is interested in hearing my full ideas for the character, let me know (maybe I'll make another post about it). However, like I said, this post is getting pretty long already.

Let's just say that Kirk will come to the Creature Commandos looking for redemption, seeing himself as a monster (rightfully so, based on his backstory I have plotted out in my head), and requisitioned by the government with this goal in mind. He'll struggle to release his chiropteran other-half, and when he does, it's an additional struggle to subdue it with the help of medication. When the Man-Bat is released, though, it is incredibly valuable and somewhat uncontrollable, but also DEFINITELY scary enough to work for the team as intended. By the end of the series, the two halves will become closer to being whole, and experimental treatments will give Kirk limited control when in Man-Bat form. Limited control. That's the sort of thing to come in a spin-off, or in a second season if Kirk isn't popular enough.

And with that, we close this chapter, for now. Lemme know if you're interested in any further ideas about Man-Bat that I may have. Next time, we move on to...oh, right. This one's gonna be an overhaul, which is controversial because this was a REALLY popular character. But yeah...let's talk Doctor Phosphorus.

See you next time (maybe, no pressure)!

Part One: Introduction and Adaptation Part Two: The Original Creature Commandos Part Three: Amanda Waller and Rick Flag, Sr. Part Four: The Frankensteins Part Five: G.I. Robot Part Six: Weasel Part Seven: Doctor Phosphorus

[waspstar]

tagged by @/underthewirez, tyyyy!!!! What’s the origin of your blog title? i dont have one, but the first line in my bio is a lyric from the song river of orchids by xtc, my favorite band

OTP(s) + ship names: sanuso and tomdoc and me+the doctor hehehehehghghgh

Favorite color: yellow navy blue and um chartreuse

Favorite game: phantasmagoria 2: a puzzle of flesh

Song stuck in your head: im listening to something as i type this so i cant really say. but im listening to psycho surrender by rupert hine

Weirdest habit/trait?: having a hard time thinking of one that isnt tmi lol. pulling off the little plastic rims on plastic bottles and chewing them maybe.

Hobbies: collecting records....fashion... id say drawing but drawing is very serious to me. and its all i do most of the time.

If you work, what's your profession?: chronically unemployed. im 20 and my parents still havent taken me to get an id.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?: record store cashier. or a roadie, lol

Something you're good at: ummm typing fast? fixing tech issues?

Something you're bad at: cleaning and keeping habits lol

Something you love: being obsessed with something. and eating out (LIKE AT RESTAURANTS)

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: star trek one piece xtc

Something you hate: feeling like theres something tense going on between the people around you, like you missed an argument

Something you collect: vintage records

Something you forget: putting away food im done with

What's your love language?: idk, not mentally well enough yet

Favorite movie/show?: star trek voyager is my favorite show. better off dead is my favorite movie

Favorite food: mozzarella sticks with ranch

Favorite animals: raccoons, giraffes, elephants

What were you like as a child?: weird creepy and impulsive

Favorite subject in school: science

Least favorite subject in school: math

What's your best character trait?: loyal?

What's your worst character trait?: easy to anger

If you could change any detail about your day, what would it be?: this day specifically? i wish i didnt stay up all night and slept at 5am like i said i would.

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?: peter tork.

Recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!): its very very nasty and randy. discipline by ultradiplr on ao3. its a sigma/reader. sigma is a character from overwatch. i still love the character, but i really dont care for overwatch anymore. and usually i dont think of sigma anymore when i read it. but i return to it semi often. i tag anyone who wants to do it. i mean it! please if you want to do it! none of my friends are active on tumblr anymore so i really dont have anyone to tag. frown.

[jessiarts]

Mobile-Friendly DarkArtober 2023 list

Made this to help my Pinned Masterlist pages be accessible on mobile. Placing under cut for now to spare my follower's dashes lol

[Currently work in progress- I have them queued them up so as not to spam you guys with them all at once. I'll update this as they come in]

All the drawings I created for DarkArtober 2023 using DarkArts by Racine's list. Few of my favorites include; Mermaid Raccoon, Eyeball Octopus, and Noodle Deer.

Noodle Deer - just a long boi

Eyeball Octopus - just what it says on the tin

Cog Frog -

Duck Elephant - weird little fellow

Swamp Cat - he's adorable when he sleeps!

Glamour Serpent - A sparkly snek in a lovely hat

Teeth Worm - On the bright side, he's got a lovely smile

Poison Ivy Axolotl -

Jelly Turtle - He's somehow jelly and hard... You can see his skelly

Candle Crocodile - A croc made of candles

Rabbit Tiger - he's cute!

Mermaid Raccoon - the trash-pandaiest of mermaids, sitting in a swamp

Mushroom Monkey - a cute tiny monkey that disguises himself among the mushrooms!

Anglerfish Chihuahua - nightmare fuel. just a horror of a little guy

Industrial Crab -

[fairycosmos]

your opinion on meeeee :3 (joking) actually give me your opinion on your favorite animal and why. also give me your opinion on like... religion. :) have a good day btw!!!

you: beautiful awesome amazing cool blogger of all time intelligent fun my friend in my phone <3 animal: OK there's soooo many because obviously i love cats and dogs and rabbits and hamsters but i also love elephants and tigers and monkeys and pretty much any animal all for different reasons. i also love the sloth, seal and raccoon. religion is umm tricky to the say the least because there's sooooo much nuance there. very very broadly speaking i appreciate religion and what it does for so many people however i find it extremely difficult to reconcile the ideals of a number of organised religions with the health and safety and happiness of soooo many communities i care about and am a part of myself. and just knowing and loving people who grew up in those environments and seeing the damage caused........let's just say personally i am so so so glad i was able to grow up without any religion overtly pushed onto me. for real. have a good day too angel <3

[doubleddenden]

Regional specific pokemon (types and order not yet decided, can change on a whim)

huge list under cut. Just a list, no names either, just mainly ideas for me to reference later

Main Dex: Gulrimi? Sorigul? I'm thinking Sorigul as the Tauraro rename. Anyway, the region is the Gulf Coast of the USA, ranging from MS, Louisiana, a small portion of Texas, Alabama, and Florida. The dex is meant to be representative of the culture of my area while taking into account personal favorites AND other animals commonly found here. A LOT are found in my own yard, actually. The main outliers are the starters, which are to be a bit weird as they are both aliens from outer space and aliens from the region itself. The map itself would be based on the gulf coast tastes but upside down and with various exagerations, reimaginings, or redesigns, and you'd be able to go to a gym of each and every type- only requiring 2 mandatory gyms to beat (your first being Normal and your last being mixed). Story is a mixture of a gym challenge, stopping the evil team, aliens, temples, and other mysteries. You and your best friend are ordinary kids about to graduate from school, and you both promised each other years ago that one of you would become the champion to put your home town on the map. What should have been a fun adventure through several sub regions turns into a series of conspiracies as you work to uncover a plot from an evil team seeking to retake the region after failing to establish their regime years ago and after their "champion" lost, aliens invading, the re-emergence of long lost temples and ruins, portals opening to strange places, and drama, drama, drama. From farm kid to the hope of the world, can you save the home and friends you love dearly?

Names and types not decided yet, but the ideas are here.

Grass

Grass steel

Grass steel- probably rhinoceros beetle

Fire

Fire

Fire fairy- either a flaming bat or a leopard frog with a cheetah's body plan

Water

Water

Water dragon- either a blue sea dragon and sea bunny combo or some sort of crab. Unsure yet

Wasp baby

Wasp nest

Red wasp

Dirt dobber wasp

Yellow jacket wasp

Bird

Bird

Bird

Chihuahua (3 variants)

Raccoon

Raccoon 2

Psychic cat ringtail

Psychic cat 2

Psychic cat 3

Cotton mouth

Cotton mouth 2

Cotton mouth 3

Possum (plus schooling form)

Box turtle

Box turtle

Box turtle

Pup

Ice pup

Electric pup

Fighting pup

Shrimp

Crayfish

Lobster

Dragon baby

Steel dragon

Fighting dragon

Ghost dragon

Lab puppy

Water lab

Goldie puppy

Fire golden retriever

Crane bird

Teacup pig

Pink Pig

Fairy flying domesticated pig

Mud pig

Wild boar

Deer

Deer 2

Deer 3

Catfish

Tiger shark

Brahma bull 1

Bull 2

Mule

Chick in an egg

Chicken fire flying

Chicken fighting flying

Chicken dark flying

Beagle

Fire ant 1

Fire ant 2

Spider lily 1

Spider lily 2

Fire rock fossil 1

Fossil 2

Triceratops fossil 1

2

Sky whale fossil

Fire dragon 1

Fire dragon 2

Fire dragon 3

Wood waifu 1

2

3

Rv tortoise

Garden snake

Field mouse

Field rat

Chipmunk

Bulldog 1 mascot

2

Eagle 1 mecha mascot

2

Black bear 1 mascot

Black bear 2

Tiger 1 mecha mascot

2

Elephant 1 mecha mascot

2

Wolf mecha 1 mascot

2

Gator 1 mascot

Gator 2

Dolphin 1 mascot

Orca 2

Bobcat 1

Cougar 2a mascot

Panther 2b mascot

Blue gaucus 1 or crab guy 1

2

3

Moth

Moth 2

Fire fly

Fire fly 2

Frog

Bull frog 2

Cow ant 1

Cow ant 2

Horse fly 1

Horse fly 2

Wolf spider 1

Wolf spider 2

Wolf spider 3

Bees and swarming form

Worm

Worm 2

Alaskam bull worm 3

Porcupine 1

Porc2

Duckling 1

Duck 2 a flying water

Duck 2 b dark water

Rattle snake

Hamster

Atv 3 wheel

Atv 4 wheel bull

Sax monster

Drum monster

Fox fighter 1 evolves via armor section

Mail carrier bug

Forest Dino 1

2

3 with mushrooms

Mosquito 1

2

3

Drill 1

2

3

Pika clone

Rabbit

Jackelope 2

Flying jackelope 3

Armadillo 1

2

Rocket bird

Electric steel cyber guy

2

3

Alien monster pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Ghost dark pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Rougarou of the bayou

Big foot

River mermaid

Drakameha

Calistaris

Titanigon

Dragon mom

Regional Variants, convergents, and cross Gen evos

Rookidee

Corvisquire

Corvilich rock flying

Growlithe water

Arcanine water ice

Phanby fire ground

Donphan

Monster truck elephant

Hoothoot ice flying

Noctowl ice psychic

Mudbray

Mudsdale grass dark

Ponyta fairy flying

Rapidash

Regional eevee

Ghost

Poison

Steel

Dragon

Bug

Normal

Pichu

Pikachu

Raichu dark

Fossil lapras convergent 1

2

Ground steel chikorita

Bayleef

Meganium

Electric psychic cyndaquil

Quilava

Typhlosion

Fighting ice totodile

Croconaw

Feraligatr

Fire ground bulbasaur

Ivysaur

Venusaur

Water poison charmander

Charmeleon

Charizard (Geyzard)

Grass squirtle 1

Wartortle

Fairy blastoise

Rock treeko

Grovyle

Rock ice sceptile stego

Poison torchic

Combusken

Poison flying blaziken

Ghost mudkip

Marshtomp

Swampert

Dragon snivy

Dragon flying Servine

Serperior

Ice ghost tepig

Pignite

Emboar

Fighting oshawott

Fighting steel Dewott

Samurott

Rowlet

Dartrix

Decidueye

Shared Heracross and Pinsir pre evo

Heracross

Pinsir (armor evo shared)

Dratini

Dragonair

Dragon/Fairy Dragonite

Yanma bug flying

Yanmega bug steel

Meowth rock

Persian rock cougar

Evo rock

Scyther bug dragon

Incyzor bug rock

Lazor bug electric

Magikarp ghost

Gyarados ghost/rock

Cyclizar pre evo

Cyclizar

Cyclizar MODERN motorcycle evo, Dragon/Steel, black harley

Varoom

Revavroom

Tractor Revavroom evo

Whimpod fire/bug

Golisopod fire/bug

dark fighting Mankey

primeape

regional fighting ralts

kirlia

regional female exclusive fighting steel evo

Tauros, Miltank, and Bouffalant preevo

Tauros

Miltank

Bouffalant

Ghost Steel Riolu

Lucario

Fire Electric Zorua

Zoroark

Sunkern

Sunflora

Sunflora evolution Grass/Fire

Salandit ice/electric

Male Salandit exclusive evo

Fairy Flying Zubat

Golbat

Globat cross regional evo

Returning non special Pokemon- as in non armor evolving, non regional variant, and non cross gen evolving of any kind in the main story.

Deerling

Sawsbuck

Spoink

Grumpig

Swinub

Piloswine

Mamoswine

Pidgey

Pidgeotto

Pidgeot

Orthworm

LeChonk

Oinkologne

Aron

Lairon

Aggron

Shroomish

Breloom

Paras

Parasect

Foongus

Amoongus

Morelull

Shiinotic

Blipbug

Dottler

Orbeetle

Ledyba

Ledian

Poliwag

Poliwhirl

Poliwrath

Politoed

Tympole

Palpitoad

Seismitoad

Croagunk

Toxicroak

Tadbulb

Bellibolt

Mareep

Flaafy

Ampharos

Wooloo

Dubwool

Cottonee

Whimsicott

Vullaby

Mandibuzz

Rufflet

Braviary

Ekans

Arbok

Seviper

Wurmple

Silcoon

Beautifly

Cascoon

Dustox

Caterpie

Metapod

Butterfree

Weedle

Kakuna

Beedril

Trubbish

Garbodor

Grimer

Muk

Koffing

Weezing

Feebas

Milotic

Wooper

Quagsire

Chewtle

Drednaw

Lotad

Lombre

Ludicolo

Mantyke

Mantine

Finizen

Palafin

Ghastly

Haunter

Gengar

Shellos

Gastrodon

Goomy

Sliggo (hisuian)

Goodra (hisuian, it just works somehow)

Phantump

Trevenent

Pumpkaboo

Gourgeist

Lilipup

Herdier

Stoutland

Houndour

Houndoom

Eelektrike

Manectric

Rockruff

Lycanroc

Glameow

Purrugly

Skitty

Delcatty

Murkrow

Honchkrow

Misdreavus

Mismagius

Flabebe

Floette

Florges

Cleffa

Clefairy

Clefable

Igglybuff

Jigglypuff

Wigglytuff

Bunneary

Lopunny

Bunnelby

Diggersby

Drillbur

Excadrill

Barboach

Whiscash

Basculine

Basculegion

Staryu

Starmie

Bidoof

Bibarel

Rattata

Ratticate

Sentret

Furret

Applin

Flapple

Appletun

Dipplin

Hydrapple

Stantler

Wyrdeer

Woobat

Swoobat

Farfetch'd

Armor evos- This region's gimmick. Pokemon can be given a fragment of armor to soft "evolve" into a new form that any of the line can access, and it can be undone to go back to the older form. While Armor Evolved, no EXP is gained until disengaged, and the states are basically redistributed from the BST of either its current evolved form or the next in line. While Armor Evolved, the Pokemon can learn moves based on the new types gained via TM or what it would have learned via that level (can be relearned). When disengaged, the moves are forgotten. Based on Armor Digivolving in case it's not obvious. Example: Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu can all evolve into the same Armor Evolutions. If Pichu, it has Pikachu's BST, if Pikachu, Raichu's. Raichu's remains the same. With the exception of the COSMIC armors, which is a story locked armor, all the armors have the same BST as their strongest forms. It's not quite Mega or regular evolving so much as it is a new form.

Grass/bug Hercules beetle

Steel/bug rhino armor knight

Grass/COSMIC golden armor

Fire/Poison bipedal cheetah frog with a horn

Fairy/poison frog mage

Fire/COSMIC golden armor

Water/ice

Dragon/ice

Water/COSMIC

Rolycoly fire rock train snake

Shared Heracross and Pinsir armor evolution, bug/steel

Corvimage grass/flying

Pikachu armor 1: Denkichu Electric/Steel

Armor 2: flying jetpack robo guy, electric flying

Armor 3: gorochu, electric/dragon

Kirin horse, Fairy Fire

Kelpy horse Grass Water

Fighting centaur

Armored dragonair evo, dragon

Ice fighting fox

Fire fighting fox

Mewtwo armor 1 psychic/dark

Mewtwo 2 psychic/steel- Both only found after finding a hidden Rocket base in the middle of nowhere.

Dlc: Parts 1 and 2 can be completed in any order, but you should do all of part 1 in one sitting and 2 in another, and both can be completed before the main story, although it is reccomended you do both after. 3 can only be unlocked after beating the main story and both prior DLC's, and the final part after all the above. During each part, it is reccomended that you start with a new team- in part 3, it is mandatory. You should pick a starter and catch a team as if you're exploring a new region, although they will be sort of a "diet" region equivalent like Kitakami or Blueberry Academy.

Pt 1: Japanese abroad: a region loosely based on a reimagined areas maybe already represented in the games, such as Shibuya, Tokyo, Kyoto, and various shrines, forests, rivers, and even a beach. Can be reached as soon as you earn your 8th badge. Meant to be a summer abroad type program where you're being shown artificial armors and investigating traces of alien presences. You're given tickets to come with your rival and his girlfriend after they received one too many. Starters are 2 stage callbacks to the supposed concepts of the Kanto starters- similar in a way to how Unova did Golem/Gigalith, Sawk and Throh/Hitmonchan/lee, etc. Each area will have its own sizeable dex of new and old Pokemon. Below will simply be the newer ones.

Tree frog 1

2

Fire lizard 1

2

Sea turtle 1

2

Robo dog 1

2

3

Ancient Shiba line 1

2

3

Kaiju pseudo legendary dino 1

2

3

Kaiju moth pseudo legendary 1

2

3

Rotom drone

Cleffa ghost psychic

Clefairy ghost psychic

Clefable ghost psychic

Ghastly Fairy electric

Haunter Fairy electric

Gengar Fairy electric

Solar eclipse wolf legendary

Lunar eclipse orochi legendary

Chishio (evolution mythical)

Armor for og Meganium line- Grass/rock stego

Typhlosion- wolf-like fire/fairy

Flying mecha gator serpent for feraligatr line water/steel

Tyranitar armor evo

Hydreigon armor evo

Volcarona armor evo

DLC 2: Bahamas based area off the north east coast of the region. Meant to be a summer getaway for you to relax and unwind, but things get trippy when ships and people go missing in the night, and the stories and sightings of some sort of monster deeper in the sea attracts attention. Aliens, perhaps. The area is also just a taste and not representative of the full potential of a fully fledged Bahamas based region. Starters are based on common animals one could find on a Beach or ocean based region, and indicative of its soon to be full regional status. more will be added eventually, dex will be a mix of land animals with the abundant sea life or otherwise.

Grass beach pig

2

3

flashy fire bird

2

3

water slug

2

3

normal iguana

Flamigo

Flamigo evo

lion fish convergent shinx

lion fish evo luxio

lion fish evo luxray poison/dark

chatot

chatot evo

literal parrot fish psychic/grass

2

3

Rock Krabby

Rock Kingler

Lilzuli lapras pre evo

Regional Lapras water/Psychic

Elgyem

Beeheeyem

HR Giger ALIENS inspired evo Psychic/Dark

regional carvanha water/dragon

regional sharpedo

cross convergent species garchomp/SHARchomp water/dragon

ghost ship sea dragon dlc legendary

convergent luxray line armor evo

convergent garchomp/sharpedo line armor evo

DLC 3: Legends: Yesterday Interference The bad guy you once fought and beat at this point decides that if he can't conquer the region in THIS era, he'll simply do it in the past with the help of his ancestor. You follow him to Sorigul roughly 200 years in the past with the help of a strange Celebi, in the midst of the war that almost tore the region apart long ago. Starters are Chespin, Fuecoco, and Sobble, based on how the southern US had a large hand from France and Spain in being colonized as well as Britain. All three receive new evolutions after their base forms.

Chespin

new evo 1

Grass/rock Pangolin 2

Fuecoco

new evo 1

Fire/fairy butterfly gator 2

Sobble

new evo 1

fixed giant cool water lizard guy 2

Munchlax

Snorlax ice

Dodolo

regional Doduo

Regional Dodrio

Woobat

Swoobat

Swoobat psychic/dark evo

Durant

Durant evolution swarm

Heatmor

Heatmor flaming spikes evo

Clauncher

Klawitzer

Klawitzer cannon armada evo

Regional Remoraid

Regional Octillery, both based on old weapons

Phantump

Trevenent

Haunted forest with eyes glaring evolution

Murkrow

Honchkrow

Convergent Gmax Corviknight style evolution to Honchkrow, summons a horde of crows around it

Teddiursa regional

Ursaring

Headless horse duo a

Headless horse duo b

Pumpkin headed Calyrex convergent legendary (can merge with one of the two)

Pascagoula River Monster

Piasa bird

Alien convergent Xerneas, the nightmare and darkness of nature

Alien convergent Yveltal, the mercy of death for the deathless

Alien convergent Zygarde, sends drones across the land to take it over

Forbidden alien dragon, created on the spot with DNA from the above

Tribal Celebi

Paradox Celebi Past

Paradox Celebi Future

Armor form Chespin line, becomes gigantic echidna with cannon spikes

Armor form Fuecoco line, becomes gallopping armored gator

Armor form Sobble line, becomes armored sea serpent

Armored COSMIC Alien Dragon

Final Story: Only unlocked after completing everything else.

World Turtle Mythical the size of the moon crashing down

[wqbytop100]

WQBY

Top 150 for the week ending May 5, 2024

Lighter --Galantis, David Guetta, 5 Seconds of Summer -6

Sleep Tonight (This Is The Life) --Switch Disco, R3HAB, Sam Feldt -4

Love & Pain --Enrique Iglesias -7

What If We Met --Ali Gatie -3

Jet Plane --R3HAB, VIZE, JP Cooper -2

Beat of Your Love --Ownboss, LAWRENT feat/Ekko -15

Weight of the World --Bonnie X Clyde -1

Kissing Strangers --USHER -5

Make Me Your Mrs. --Mae Stephens -8

Young & Foolish --Loud Luxury, Two Friends -9

Without You --Disco Fries, Lavish Life -14

Heaven Or Not --Diplo, Riva Starr, Kareem Lomax -20

Before You Go --Seeb -11

Reckless Child --Milky Chance -10

Buscando Money --TWENTY-SIX, Tayson Kryss -89

Fallin Luv --Gordo, Jeria -65

Electricity --FAST BOY, R3HAB -31

Outlaw Love --Brooke Eden (Dave Aude Remix) -21

When I Wake Up --Lucas& Steve, Skinny Days -12

Low Again --Bakermat -13

Hell Together --David Archuleta -22

One, Two & 3 --Galantis -23

Feel This Way --Victoria Nadine, R3HAB -16

Monster --A7S, ALOK -18

The Afterhours --Kyle Watson -28

Lonely Dancers --Conan Gray -19

Slide Out --Life on Planets -24

Waterslides --Tiesto, Rudimental, Absolutely -17

The Moves --NEIKED, Muni Long, Nile Rodgers -29

Cutting Loose --Disco Lines, J. Worra, Anabel Englund -27

Save You A Seat --Alex Warren -32

Never Be Friends --Jost, Minogue -26

Anyone --Morgan Page -30

She's On My Mind --Romy -25

Houdini --Dua Lipa -35

One On One --Robin Schulz, Oaks, Topic -34

Lil Tune --Gus Dapperton, Electric Guest -36

Addicted --ZERB, The Chainsmokers feat/INK -71

Take A Moment --ATB, David Frank -39

Mas Qua Nada --Oliver Heldens, Ian Asher, Sergio Mendez -40

Don't You Cry --Sunday Scaries, Discrete -41

My Body --Illusionize, Y&M -128

Underwater --Dubvision, Afrojack -60

Public --Mike. -52

Love Me --INNA -111

Loose Ends --Lucas Estrada, Syn Cole -46

Come With Me --Claptone -58

Monster --Don Diablo, Felix Jaehn -33

Do You Feel It --VAMERO, Cyril M. Mougleta -45

We Ain't Good At Breaking Up --Brothers Osborne -50

Home --CamelPhatt, RHODE (Vintage Culture Remix) -47

Trimuph --Bishop Briggs -38

Dirty Desire --Vicetone -37

Weak --Vintage Culture, Maverick Sabre, Tom Breu -42

Murder on the Dancefloor --Sophie Ellis-Bextor -44

Everyone Knows I'm High --SHAED -48

Raccoons --Caravan Palace -64

Fantasy --Cosmo's Midnight feat/Frank Moody -51

Anthem --Diplo, Shram, Pony - 109

***Glad I Found You --Elderbrook & George Fitzgerald -(new)

Forever (Stay Like This) --Armin Van Buuren -49

Give Me --Will Clarke, BURNS -61

Soultrain --Triplism, Nandu, Radeckt -54

What Do You Do For A Living? I Do My Best -Iamnotshane, EMME -53

Good For You --Dimitri Vegas, Chapter & Verse, Goodboys -55

In Your Arms --Jess Bays, Jem Cooke -56

You Know It --Gorgon City -59

I Don't Wanna Worry --NEEDTOBREATHE -62

Undone --Forest Blakk -91

Enhancer --Northeast Party House -67

Yellow --Jxdn -98

Same Drunk --Walker Hayes -66

Eat The Bass --John Summit -93

Karma --JoJo Siwa -68

Never Ending Song --Conan Gray -86

The Weekend --Anti-Up -90

In The Cards --Jamie Miller -87

Lil Freak --bbno$ -88

Nothing Ever Changes --Vintage Culture, MAGNUS -126

Wish I Never Felt --Nate Smith 97

Business As Usual --Eliza Rose, MJ Cole (Night Shift Mix) -69

Good As It Gets --Blanco Brown -72

Shipwreck --Mount Kimble -43

Fire --Alan Walker, YUQI, JVKE, (G)I-DLE -63

Lie To Me --Jubel, KIDDO -70

Kettle's Up --Mahmut Orhan, Axelax, Botin -74

Eyes Closed --Imagine Dragons -75

Mine --Michael Gerow -80

Keep Your Head Up --We Are Messengers -84

I Hate You In The Morning --Otha -85

20 Something --Jessica Baio -94

Sweet Love --Myles Smith -95

Dance Alone --SIA feat/Kylie Minogue (Offenbach Remix) -148

***Illusion --Dua Lipa -(new)

Lead Me On --Fletcher -57

Bad Blood --Theresa Rex -76

Out Loud --Cage The Elephant -77

Higher Ground --Purple Disco Machine, Roosevelt -125

Everything You Do --AFRONKI, Afrojack, Steve Aoki, Aviella -112

Regret The Morning --SILK, Mali-Koa -110

My Favorite Drug --Justin Timberlake -121

Without Your Love --Deorro, TELYKAST, Catello -122

Level Up --Wolfgang Gartner, Scrufizzeer -92

Some Kind Of Static --Neil Francis, Alan Braxe -83

Lose Control --Teddy Swims -78

Me Voy Acostumbrando -Enrique Iglesias -96

Can't Stop Us --Regard -99

Human Nature --Yot Club -101

Yes, An? --Ariana Grande -79

Kill Anyone --Two Feet, Ari Abdul -106

Can I Have This Groove --Kenyon Dixon -123

Outside Of Love --Becky Hill -125

Me Before You --Bleachers -108

Spicy Margarita --Jason Derulo, Michael Buble -81

Mr. Useless --Shygirl, SG Lewis -82

I Got Time --Brittney Spencer -100

Close Your Eyes --Lucas Estrada -102

Better Me --Michael Schulte, R3HAB -150

You're Hired --NEIKED, Ayra Starr -103

Texas Hold 'Em --Beyonce -105

Graveyard --A R I Z O N A (Shoffy Remix) -104

It's Love (If We Get It Right) --Anthony Russo -107

Premedicated --FETISH -141

Good In Goodbye --Frank Walker, Trivecta -142

Whatever --KYGO feat/Ava Max -149

Say It Right --Dubdogs, Farfetch'd -120

ADHD --Mae Stephens -118

Dreams --Ali Farben, Maurice Lessing, Emma Wells -127

Kiss Me Better --Julie Bergan -119

Feels Like Us --GT_OFICE, ALWZ SNNY, Robbie Rosen -117

Both --Tiesto, 21 Savage, BIA -115

Flex --Tony Dark Eyes -116

All Fckd Up --Kapuzen -114

One On One --The Knocks, Sofi Tukker -113

Beautiful Things --Benson Boone -129

Life Goes On --HU -140

Never Be Lonely --Jax Jones, Zoe Wees -144

Rusty --Layto -130

Progressive Heart --Pat Premier (Dave Aude Remix) -131 >>>

Diamond Therapy --Diplo, Walker & Royce, Channel Tres -132 >>>

Dizzy --Sick Individuals, LOUI LANE -133 >>>

Heart Still Beating --Nathan Dawe, Bebe Rexha -134 >>>

Cutting Through The Country --Medium Build -135 >>>

She --Karin Ann (Benny Benassi Remix) -136 >>

Fire In The Soul --Yulia Niko, Carn Crua -137 >>>

Need Your Love --Ikay Sencan, KALUMA, Adam Woods -138 :>>>

Next Years Light --Elliot Moss -139 >>>

Broken By You --Alexander Stewart -143 >>>

Gravity --Matt Hansen -145 >>>

***End Of Time --Lucas & Steve, LAWRENT, Jordan Shaw -(new)

***3 New on the Chart this week 5.5.24 #60 Glad I Found You #94 Illusion $150 End Of Time

[bethestaryouareradio]

Garden Trends 2024 Part 2

Sometimes in the winds of change, we find our true direction. 

~ Source Unknown

Thus far, January has indeed been a windy month. Optimism is my true direction.

The vernal equinox is still two months away, yet my jonquils are already perfuming my landscape. Daffodils are a symbol of rebirth and usually begin to bloom in March. All jonquils are daffodils (Narcissus jonquilla), yet not all daffodils are jonquils. Since winter is my least favorite season, my optimism soars as I stroll through my garden witnessing these adaptable narcissi stretching their yellow and cream petals to the sky whilst most of my garden sleeps.

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My bright pink Bergenia with large, glossy leaves that resemble elephant ears has been blooming for over a month, lining the edges of beds in front of the privets and along the lawn. I count on Bergenia to brighten the garden throughout the drabness of winter. Bergenia is easy to propagate by dividing the roots. Bergenia’s unflattering name is “pig squeak” because of the sound the leaves make when rubbed together.

The 2024 Garden Media Garden Trends Report shares information to enhance garden customer experiences and shape winning new products. The theme for 2024 is Eco-Optimism. The growing awareness of our global climate’s volatility has increased the number of people planting for pollinators. Without birds, butterflies, bats, bees, and other pollinators, we wouldn’t have the foods, medicines, beverages, or spices that we need for healthy living. Since pollinator populations have been declining, we must plant to improve their habitat, refrain from using pesticides, and explore methods to be organic. Since 2019, the number of people purchasing native plants has doubled. Native plants are specimens that are region-specific, and adaptable to the soil and climate where they naturally grow. We must also garden for wildlife to ensure the viability of our landscapes. One of my apple trees supplies late-harvest tasty treats not only for my family and friends, but also for the birds, bees, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, rabbits, and other creatures that frequent the orchard.

The United Nations projects that by the year 2050, 89% of people will be living in urban areas. Container gardening increased by 200% in 2022 and as people move to smaller spaces, demand for container gardening will continue. Bring a pot of amaryllis into the house and watch the blooms unfold.

Hanging gardens will be a trend for 2024 while edible gardens are all the rage. In addition to herbs and vegetables, I am cultivating mustard greens which are harvested young to be added to salads or steamed as a vegetable

.Trees of the future is a theme as we save our vital canopies. As people learn more about the benefits of trees, they will want to plant specimens that will enhance their spaces while also providing shade for humans and a habitat for wildlife. Trees will be up-lit to add drama to the night garden. In the past few months, I have reinstated landscape lighting to showcase the architecture of my trees. A favorite tree for our environment is the crape myrtle. Crape myrtles offer four seasons of splendor, including breathtaking bark in winter. Birds and hummingbirds flock to my trees.

By reusing and repurposing many home products, we will neutralize our carbon footprints. The vivid, wild, and powerful color of the year is called cyber lime. This is a hyper-bright green that signifies the connection between nature and technology.

I see it in the new leaves on my sage plants, and naturally on my lemon and lime trees.  According to the Garden Trends Report, cyber lime is gender-inclusive, fashionable, and complements most colors. It looks terrific in combination with purple, pink, orange, yellow, white, and other neon. The color “green” echoes nature and will continue to work in harmony with interior décor, stimulating and energizing our body, mind, and spirit. You’ll find this bold lime hue in many indoor and outdoor plants including hellebores, heuchera, spirea, echinacea, hydrangea, zinnia, pothos, philodendron, lemongrass, mint, coleus, potato vine, and many more.

Though its bracts are a gorgeous lime green, one plant that I don’t recommend because it is terribly invasive is euphorbia, also called leafy spurge. Its root system spreads rapidly and produces a chemical that stops other plants from growing. The leaf’s milky juice irritates the skin. Leafy spurge was introduced from Europe as a garden plant, but it has now escaped into hills, fields, roadsides, and my orchard. What began with a single specimen in my landscape exploded to cover a hillside and kill the growing natives. I have been working to eradicate it from my land for at least two decades. It is a noxious weed to be avoided.

Let’s be eco-optimists in 2024 and assist the winds of change to help us find our true direction.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.

Read Lamorinda Weekly: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1724/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-2024-Garden-Trends-Part-2.html

Press Pass: https://www.vapresspass.com/2024/01/18/2024-garden-trends-part-2/

For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her newest children’s picture book, Family Forever, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available now at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store. Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures. Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com  

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[babydollss]

62!

62: What’s your favourite animal?

as an animal lover, it's impossible to pick just one! some of my favorites include opossums, frogs (white's tree frogs and glass frogs!!), raccoons, salt marsh harvest mice, and elephant shrews!

[fransharp]

Tagged by @pretzelcoatll

Relationship: Married (to a dude who constantly mocks tumblr)

Song stuck in my head: country roads (just got back from camping in West Virginia, this is not my norm)

Favorite colors: mint green and purple

Last song I listened to: Aberdeen by Cage the Elephant (came on when I turned on my car, last song I picked and listened to all of was probably something by Lizzo or flying raccoon suit)

Dream trip: camping with grown up ladies as a book vacay. We set up a Glamping camp site, and just read around a campfire all weekend. I want to travel the world but what I really need right now is some relaxation.

Last thing I googled: local library events. We are library addicts but it’s nice when I can take the kids to something fun and not just terrorize the librarians.

@half-panda22 @bitchqueenofthebitchsquad

@daydreamindenim

tagged by @eluvion

relationship status: I have a boyfriend :-)

song stuck in my head: simultaneously dial drunk by noah kahan and easier by noah kahan

favorite color: uhhhhhhhhhh green? purple? black? idk man all colors can be beautiful on a paint palette

three favorite foods: creme bruleé, arroz chaufa but specifically from this one peruvian place near my house, boba tea

last song i listened to: fools by troye sivan

dream trip: idk. anyplace with friends

last thing i googled: “but i can’t stay here so what the hell am i supposed to do” crane wives (to figure out which song was stuck in my head)

tagging: @fartingkitty07 @siracethegreat @theonlybelovedfrog @ambisinistous-blog