#ol' blue scales

[roostercrowned]

following someone's Rain Wilds liveblog and experiencing all over again my brain's first-glance interpretation of character names. That dragon and her keeper, you know, uh,

and

[marlynnofmany]

LOL yes. I saw a bluebelly lizard on my way into the house today. Flashed back to a childhood spent catching the little guys, along with alligator lizards, ringneck snakes, tadpoles, and anything else that probably wouldn't bite very hard.

I didn't chase it. But the knowledge of exactly how was ready and waiting.

I feel like any aliens that were prey at some point in evolution would have an odd fear of humans. Mostly cause they look like predators, act a bit like predators, and ARE predators. One perfect example is when we're focused on something like a mosquito that's been bugging us for a long time and we are just done.

Alien: "What. What..?"

Human: *HUNTING down a mosquito it saw*

Alien: ".... yeah I am really uncomfortable...."

Human: *quiet footsteps, pupils dialated, intense focus,*

Alien: *WAR FLASHBACKS*

Human: "Found you." *absolutely desimates the mosquito, squashing it into a million pieces as it's guts and various body parts liquidize into blood of the bloodthirsty, now stained on the palm of the human. A living being now reduced to a useless corpse as the human wipes the remains on their pants*

Alien: "I feel like I've just gained trauma."

[reasonsforhope]

Article

As he peered over a secluded cove off the coast of San Francisco, Gerry McChesney couldn’t believe the scene that was unfolding in front of him. 

Fur seal pups — hundreds of them — had taken over the inlet at the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and were bobbing on the surface of the water in a shiny, blubbery mass, likely hiding from great white sharks as they waited for their mothers to return from the sea to nurse. The sight wasn’t exactly unheard of — island biologists at Point Blue Conservation Science had first noticed the older seal pups using the cove as a covert hideout sometime last year, McChesney, a manager for the refuge, told SFGATE. But he was on the island one day in late October when biologist Jim Tietz delivered the news: The seals were back in full force, and in numbers they had never seen before. 

McChesney decided to go take a look for himself.

“I was amazed to see them all piled in there, getting tossed around like they were in a washing machine,” he told SFGATE in an email, adding that he counted 440 in all. “They looked pretty content and like they were having a good ol’ time.”

The video McChesney captured was shared by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on social media earlier this week, garnering thousands of comments on Instagram and Facebook, with users referring to the phenomenon as ���seal pup daycare” and “nature’s mosh pit.” 

To the biologists, it’s a sign of “a truly remarkable recovery.” 

The rookery’s history

The Farallon Islands host one of just two fur seal rookeries south of Alaska (the other being San Miguel Island in Santa Barbara County) after the species was completely wiped out from the area in the early 19th century. There was extensive seal hunting between about 1810 and 1838... In the first few years of widespread hunting, he estimates that over 150,000 fur seals were slaughtered (“The rookery must have been huge,” he noted) and soon, no fur seals could be found at the islands at all.

But large-scale market hunting came to an end by the mid-19th century, he said. In 1911, the United States signed the Northern Fur Seal Treaty, banning the hunting of marine mammals at sea. The Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits killing and disturbing animals including seals, was established in 1972, further aiding in the protection of the species. Two years later, 141 acres of the islands were designated the Farallon Wilderness and were closed to the public in an attempt to mitigate human disturbance so the seals could return and “breed unfettered,” McChesney said. Large breeding colonies still persisted on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and the Commander Islands off eastern Siberia, and in 1996, a female fur seal from a recovered colony on the Channel Islands made her way back to the Farallones, giving birth to the first fur seal pup there after more than 150 years of the species’ absence.

Since then, “the Farallon population has been growing rapidly,” McChesney said. Within 15 years, the local population had boomed to 476 individuals, Bay Nature reported in 2018. Initially, they clustered in one area on the west end of the islands — but now, they’re beginning to expand.

Pictured: A photo of a northern fur seal in Alaska.

A seal surge

Pupping season runs from June to August, with most of the seals born in July and remaining in the breeding colony for a few months before they are weaned, usually by the end of November. Then, the newly independent animals go out to sea on their own. 

Farallon Island biologists from Point Blue Conservation Science have been documenting the population, and this year recorded 2,133 fur seals in total, including 1,276 pups, which McChesney called “the highest pup count yet.” 

“Given that the entire colony can’t be seen, this was a minimal count and there were certainly many more,” he noted.

Pictured: The Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco.

Though Point Blue biologists have never documented white sharks feeding on fur seal pups (they typically go for juvenile northern elephant seals and sea lions) the “threat of shark attacks on the seal pups is certainly there and I’m sure the pups are aware of that,” McChesney said. “The cove where the video was taken provides a secluded spot to swim and play without worrying about the sharks.”

When the mothers return, they find their pups by using a distinctive call. But in the meantime, the pups seem not to mind the hours away in their secret hideout where they can splash and play to their hearts’ content.

“It was so much fun to watch,” McChesney said. “And knowing that the sight represents such an amazing comeback for their population made the sight mean so much more.”

-via SF Gate, December 23, 2024

[artbysconnor]

The DnD party from Wildlife SMP in Episode 1! I just couldn't help trying my hand at these designs, since it combines two of my favorite things currently (Dungeons and Dragons and the Life Series) . Lizzie - Goliath Champion Fighter

BigB - Halfling Circle of Dreams Druid

Ren - Fairy College of Lore Bard

Jimmy - Half-Elf Oath of Redemption (Or Oath of Glory?) Paladin

See below for design notes!

Lizzie:

I knew Lizzie would be a Goliath, and was torn between giving her a martial class or making her a War Cleric. In the end, party composition won out, and she ended up a Champion Fighter, but I kept the half skirt design from her cleric thumbnails and gave her a big ol' mace. Given her pink hair is so iconic I didn't want to go full bald, so I made her hair long along the scalp and tied into two buns and a ponytail (not realistic, but it works in the drawing so I'm sticking with it!). I tried to put butterfly wings in her tattoos by her eyes, and added some flowers to further the fairy vibes on her armor and bring in the light blues from her skin as well.

BigB:

I probably was the least sure about what race and class I wanted to go with for BigB. He fluctuated between a Twilight Cleric and a Druid, and between Gnome, Dwarf, and Halfling. I ended up going with a Halfling to match his easygoing attitude, and leaned into his association with the Pale Garden as perhaps a caretaker and watchful hand over the Fey-like landscape as a Dream Druid. I knew I wanted his staff to reflect that by containing a creaking heart, but I also made his armor woven bark from the exteriors of the black and white trees, with flickers of the orange creaking magic within it, and kept his palette somewhat subdued and faded compared to his more saturated normal palette.

Ren:

Our bard Ren is probably the least detailed here on account of scale, but I put just the same amount of thought into his clothes, too! I wanted to work in little details that make use of materials that would be big for his small racial size as a fairy, such as a button for a poleyn, sewing pins for tuning pegs on his lute, and oversized ribbon ties on his costume. The main costume (a doublet and flouncy pants) is inspired by flashy, slashed Renaissance fashions - I think they suit a bard with a bragadocious energy like Ren. I added a tiny 'wolf pelt' as a cape that was probably a rat or perhaps an ermine, and his sunglasses are cut and polished crystal.

Jimmy:

Jimmy, our normal-sized normal man, was always a paladin in my mind. I wanted to put him in predominantly pretty heavy plate armor, almost like he's trying to protect himself at all costs, and pull in references to canaries and birds with the wing motif and feathered plume on the helmet and cloak clasp (and sword, which is now hidden behind BigB). The gold linear details both reinforce the pieces and provide a flash of yellow in his design to balance the cool blues and silvers, and his unpictured shield in my mind has the image of a great golden bird being pierced through the heart by an arrow or spear of some sort - a tragic house crest that Jimmy seeks to bring to glory.

[awkwardosthe3rd]

I love that animation of the tiger and fox ocs that you have for DnD! What are the two characters names? I wanna learn everything I can about them omg :0

Awe, thank you kindly!! ;; I will do my best to answer, pardon if any of this is confusing, I am a bit sleepy- /// Big ramble ahead, for I cherish this opportunity The tiger is actually not one, but based on a fishing cat, though I can see how the very broad face can be a bit confusing! Otherwise I have also drawn the fox with an actual tiger fella, but he is not the one featured in the animation. <:

The cat, lovingly going by the name of Vodnik, belongs to my friend, as far as I understand (given his backstory is partly kept secret from me) he is a retired pirate, now fisher, whose a bit grumpy toward the world and wizards (Because they are elitist?). Additionally big ol' communist, tho the pirate part may have already suggested that.

Adding this lovely height chart done by @rema-rin to show the characters, with her wizard being the lanky blue nerd to the right.

The fox, named Mishka, is my lil thief, accursed fey of sorts who eats shiny things, because she has some form of pocket dimension in her gullet. The DM very charitably granted me this infinite vault, knowing that my character would never let go of a single object that goes into it, so at this point they could have a dragons treasure in there and still refuse to spare a single copper coin. If its shiny, it goes down the hatch.

The two met up in the wilderness, because she wanted to eat the scales off of the fish that Vodnik caught. Because Mishka is so short, she was originally mistaken as a lost child, but no, she is just an adult discount fey in her late 20s that will crawl on all fours and chew on toxic metals with no second thought behind it, because her brain is made for consumption, not for the laws of nature. Vodnik remains as grumpy as ever, but has seemingly grown somewhat empathetic toward Mishka, supporting her little "fill the void with tiny shiny things" without quite knowing the full extent of it. He's been a big Mishka apologist. She would eat the stars if nobody stopped her, she got huge klepto itches for anything reflective enough to catch her attention.

And for reference, the animation in question for those who looked thru this and were wondering:

[holopossums]

I dmand EVERY picture of CJ you had drew!! Pretty please

Considering I'm super disorganized about my art and don't post everything I draw (sometimes it stays just in my server or among friends, or I just don't show anyone because it's unfinished/I'm unsatisfied), I'll have to find a lot of stuff that I've forgotten about.

Actually, I can just show some stuff that I *haven't* posted! (Everything else I ever have should be here.) Some of this stuff is Krow before I added the white hair because I didn't have that idea until around April.

^ Appropriately titled "Krow Smug Bitch". Everyone has fun with the cowboy AUs so why can't I?

^ He got nervous about seeing Usagi/Yukito I suppose

^ This one is interesting. Originally it was supposed to be just Krow as a magical boy, but then it turned into a bit of a mythology AU. He's the son of Yatagarasu the Three-Legged Crow from Shinto myth. Wasn't quite sure about everything... this was probably the result of watching too much Kamichama Karin as a kid lol

^ For fans of Transformers - TFP Optimus Prime with good ol' canon CJ! I feel like they would get along. Something about that red-and-blue leader drew him in I guess.

^ This was actually my first pass at an older version design of Krow. This was a complete piece too, but I was unsatisfied within a week or two. You can still see that I kept some things, notably the piercings, beard, and the idea of tattoos, as well as the Leo-inspired shoulder pads. The tattoo designs changed and so did the armor color, but it was an interesting first try at the older design.

^ A second attempt and older Krow, I was getting closer. (Still love the fashion on this though.)

^ The point I realized that I can't draw this man thin and have to start drawing him beefier and more filled out more consistently because it would be a crime against god or something. Was still finalizing his tattoos at this point and playing around with the idea of white hair. Considered the idea of the Hamato crest tattoo near his heart before nixing it because it's too cheesy and the Hamato tattoo is something a lot of people do for older/future character designs.

^ Ninpo weapon design for Older Krow! Yes he has a cyan scythe (really more of a kusarigama since it has a chain and weight at the end). Yes it's cool as fuck. No you can't touch it.

He's basically a reaper and it plays into his whole aesthetic as a crow, which symbolizes an omen of death. Crows are also often seen with scythe and scarecrow imagery because they're related to harvests.

I don't know why I never posted this, it *looks* finished... I think there was something off about the anatomy and I intended to fix it and then forgot and ugh. But anyway! There you go.

^ A height chart for younger Krow and Yukito that I never quite finished. But it's interesting to see them to the actual scale that I imagine them to be - Krow is 5'6", and Yukito's height is reversed since he's 6'5". Since both are around 19 when they meet, they're at their full adult heights here. Long live your short king!

^ Older Krow with lightning gloves. Which doesn't make sense actually because his gloves are electrical insulators to keep himself from getting zapped from one of his attacks. But who cares about that! It's cool!

^ Scythe sketch. Just trying to get a feel for the vibe of how he wields one. His cape/cloak plus the scythe probably gives opportunity for some really cool directional flow to occur.

^ Something I doodled just the other day. Old Krow but more cartoony and goofy. Love this silly guy!

I'm sure there's many more that I've missed, probably lots of half-finished sketches and doodles, but this is a lot of what I've found.

[little-robin-h00d]

Happy Halloween! :D a Halloween Town Ienzo for your viewing pleasure!

I was able to do art for the first time in years recently, and I absolutely WENT OFF! The muses put me in a headlock and didn't let me go until they were satisfied, so this boi got done just in time for Halloween!

The amount of detail i put into this guy is INSANE! But the glazing and light filters messed up the small details that were only really visible anyway at 800% zoom, so i'll be including those under the cut.

Embroidery

Almost every embroidered symbol is unique, only mirrored on the other side of the coat. From top to bottom: the Nobody symbol, the Heartless symbol, a symbol found in the old mansion in Traverse down combining the fleur-de-lis heart and a crown, the symbol of Ansem the Wise, the Kingdom Hearts symbol, a stylized rose, an eight pointed star, the player pin from The World Ends With you and the one from the sequel, a symbol found in Scala ad Caelum, a rounded star, a book, scales of justice, a beaker, Sephiroth's symbol with the wing inside the meteor, Shinra's logo, the buster sword from Final Fantasy 7, a chocobo, a cactuar, a moogle, fleur-de-lis, Red XIII, the Unversed symbol, Nobody symbol, Heartless symbol, Kingdom Hearts symbol, Roxas’ symbol, Eraqus’ symbol, numbers 1-14 in roman numerals.

The general mirroring stops here, and the symbols on the right are: a sun, moon, pentacle, meteor, hidden Mickey/lucky emblem, demon and angel wings on a heartless symbol representing Riku, sea salt ice cream and a thalassa shell for Xion, and Roxas’ symbol and a cut-off Oathkeeper keyblade.

On the inside of the coat’s embroidery are funny easter eggs to fill out the space because I ran out of ideas, from right to left: Sans, Loss.jpg, Amogus, Anarchy symbol, the cool S, the symbol for pi, Bill Cipher, Kirby, Ali from “Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun”, Elmo, a rat, a bat, the Palestinian flag and a watermelon (free Palestine!), two band-aids, the Pokémon type symbols for ghost psychic and dark-types, and the Genshin Impact element icons in order as they appear on the loading screen.

The text inside the Lexicon reads…

Page 1:

Once upon a time, a young boy became a prince. However, this story is not a fairytale…

This is a tragedy.

[This is the story of] Radiant Garden, and the [events that led to its] fall. It all began with [a man with amnesia, and a] series of experiments [by the apprentices of Ansem the Wise,] students of the Heart. [The amnesiac man, only remembering his name was Xehanort, was taken in by] Master Ansem.

… it is unclear when … point of no return.

Page 2: Little Ienzo rarely spoke, but [that certainly didn’t mean he] didn’t understand. The edge of the book reads: see every atrocity, hear every rumor, never shut up.

The rest is illegible.

Page 3: … Heartless because Xehanort had… body…

Page 4: Ignis Fatuus: fool’s fire, will-o-wisp. … illusion, delusion.

There is also text on all of the floating pages!

First floating page:

Design (and art) By: Little Robin Hood 1 Halloween Town Ienzo Wizard/Blue Mage + Will-O-Wisp Fanart encouraged, but please credit [the design]! I have lost so much sleep over this boi… Record: 22 hours awake TToTT

Second floating page:

I hereby relinquish my heart to Xehanort. In order to [successfully] achieve the goals of Organization XIII, I shall be given the number VI, and the title of Cloaked Schemer. I shall apprentice under lord Xemnas directly, and pledge loyalty to the Superior of the In-between. I shall don the cloak and a new name, and act as the Superior’s eyes and ears. None shall be above Xemnas, and my loyalty shall be his alone. Until our goals are finally achieved, my name shall be…

X Zexion

Third floating page: an abridged short version of the “Fresh Prince” theme song

Fourth floating page: T’was the Nightmare before Christmas And all through the streets, every monster was preparing for next Halloween! But good ol Jack had another idea - why not invite Sora and friends? And thus, Ienzo let his magic work, now ready for fun and festive fright! What fun forms might his friends take..?

Fifth floating page: dictionary definition of Wizard and its etymology

[synthetic-witch]

You Think a Little Bit of Hard Vacuum Will Be Enough?

There’s that tree outside the window again, drifting slowly into view. Ever since the dome over the park exploded (fortunately, it was fully evacuated before the catastrophic failure occurred), the station’s picked up a sort of miniature asteroid belt of random park-related detritus. Clumps of dirt forming nano-scale planetoids, partially-deconstructed benches, bits of pipework, plants. I even saw a red and white checked picnic blanket this morning.

But that big ol’ tree is particularly iconic, ripped unceremoniously from its roots by sudden vacuum. I can’t help but feel sorry for it. It arrived when the station was newly-built as a mere sprig of a sapling. But it grew mighty and strong as the station grew around. It was nurtured by generations of horticulturalists, loved by all who stood in its shade.

And now it floats serenely past my bedroom, frozen leaves glimmering in the harsh light of space, cold and alone. No more dogs will piss against its trunk. No more children will swing from those mighty branches,  no couples will carve their names into its bark--

Hang on.

Something catches my eye. Peering closer, I notice a flash of orange and a flash of blue tangled up in those branches. There’s something in there. No, someone-- two someones, in fact; I’m seeing a pair of environment suits.

The tree rotates slowly in its orbit of the station, and as it does, the pair comes into view. They’ve secured their tethers to a branch, and their helmets are pressed together, faces close. They’re holding hands, too.

As I watch, the orange one moves over to the main trunk, a multi-tool in hand. And they begin carving a pair of names into the trunk.

Well, bugger me. I’ve never been more glad to be wrong.

[jadetheblueartist]

SHARKIE QUESTIONS!!

Do they ever knock things over with their big ol tales?

Does April get to ride on them while they swim?

WOULD THE MUD DOGS BE TURTLES INSTEAD?

Are they mainly carnivorous?

Does Donnie ever just… run into walls? Like when he isn’t wearing glasses or contacts? (Idk it seems funny in my mind)

Okay that’s all for now :D

SHARKIE ANSWERS!

-Yep hahaha especially Leo bc his is so long. They don’t hit stuff in the lair too often unless people move things around bc those are some well adjusted sharkies, but on missions (think some closer areas like maybe Big Mamas hotel) they be knocking things down

-Yes of course ^^ Big sis gets her privileges

-Ok ok ok so I’m trying to use a sort of system for changing the species to keep things consistent (bc I really like that) and it’s more or less switching them from whatever animal category they are (mammal, reptile, bird, etc) to one more watery. So I’ll have to think of the mud dogs designs for specifically later but as an idea, Danny is a rat type thing I think so I’d change him to some sort of amphibian or reptile (potentially a turtle bc I DO want at least one turtle), and then Leonard- what is Leonard? Lemme look it up….. an ogre? Ok well apparently he’s an ogre so like maybe he’d be a mer ogre or something hahah idk the system is flexible, I do know tho that since Mickey is an eel he would be the end of the system and get changed into a mammal so yeah fun stuff

-Yep! Since all of their sharkness is struck carnivorous, they’re mainly carnivores. Other stuff still is good for them since they are part human but about 50% of their diet is meat. They might survive on less they would just see the consequences of less nutrition

-Oh even when he is wearing glasses or contacts that boy is just hitting walls. (Idk if it’s sharkly factual but just go with me ig hahaha) so they can’t see fine details or many colors naturally so there isn’t much Don can do to fix that with glasses so his detail perception is improved but the color blindness isn’t. That with his eyes not working great in the first place and his electromagnetic sensors being messed up, he’s struggling, that’s why most of his tech assists in that sort of thing: sensing his surroundings, navigating him, etc etc

(Oh and here’s a little scale of most to least visually impaired [this goes for both being able to see details and color, not electromagnetic sensing since everyone but Donnie is great on that]: Donnie, Raph, Leo, Mikey)

Oh and then also this makes their color coordination funny bc Donnie swears his favorite color is purple and only purple and he can tell but one time Leo replaced his things with blue and Don didn’t notice and was so mad when he found out

OKAY THESE WERE SO FUN THANK YOUUUUUUU

MASTERPOST

[adobe-outdesign]

Venonat line review if it hasn't been done yet?

Venonat is honestly a pretty underrated Pokemon. I really like how it's a bug-type, but it's an ambiguous little ball of fur with compound eyes and antennae instead of a specific kind of insect. On top of that, it's pretty cute despite the non-conventional design, what with its little hands and big 'ol eyes. The colors are also nice, contrasting bright pink accents with a dark purple base. No complaints here.

I don't know why, but a lot of butterfly and moth Pokemon tend to be pretty bland with only a few exceptions, and unfortunately Venomoth isn't one of them. What made Venonat unique in my eyes was the simple abstract design—so when it evolves into a fairly normal moth, it looses most of the interest it had and doesn't really replace it with anything notable. It is known for scattering poison with its scales, which is interesting, but that doesn't factor into the design—in fact, nothing in the design really even suggests it's a poision-type.

There's a common conspiracy theory that Venomoth and Butterfree were switched during Gen 1's development. For the record, the entire Caterpie line have correctly numbered internal IDs, pointing to them being added all at once; however, they could've always been switched back when they were designed on paper, long before they were programmed into the game.

That said, a lot of Gen 1 designs do just share similar elements. I do think that it's entirely possible that the similarities are just sheer coincidence; like, just look at Dragonite and Charizard sharing the same color palette, or how many lines have the exact same eye shape. Don't get me wrong, we can't know for certain either way; but I do find it annoying how people insist that the lines had to have been swapped, which shows very little understanding of Gen 1's development, especially when it's argued that the switch was somehow accidental.

(If you really want to make things confusing: Venonat's sprite was downscaled at some point, indicating that it originally wasn't even supposed to evolve. Also, some early Venomoth art shows it being blue with multiple yellow spots on its wings.)

ANYWAY, I only point this out because A) people will bring it up if I don't, and B) regardless if the theory is true or not, Venonat and Venomoth have a lot more in common than people seem to realize. The long fur off of Venonat's head becomes the spikes on Venomoth's head, the hands are still clutched to the abdomen, they both have fangs, and they're both furry. I don't think that Venomoth doesn't fit as Venomoth's evolution or anything; I just think Venomoth is merely boring compared to it.

Overall, Venonat's pretty solid, but Venomoth is relatively boring—I think the best thing that could be done for this line is regionals. I'd almost suggest just doing what Galarian Meowth does by making a regional Venonat that keeps with the more unique body shape; though then again, I'd feel kind of bad if Venonat got forgotten. Regardless, this line definitely feels like it could be revisited to make it more memorable.

[peaches2217]

Traduzione Non Necessarie

*Sequel of sorts to Traduzione, Per Favore?. Y'all are gonna want Google Translate/DeepL/your translation service of choice on hand for this one.

AO3 link!

~~~

Peach pulled in a deep, steady breath, slowing and finally stopping the transfer of her magic. Five seconds. That seemed like a good number, nice and round. Her heart fluttered nervously as she withdrew her hand from Mario’s brow, waiting for a response.

She knew exactly how much magic it took to send him into a deep slumber. Anything before that point was merely guesswork. She could only hope she had guessed correctly.

At present, she didn’t put too much stake into that hope. Mario’s eyes wouldn’t open all the way, it seemed, no matter how hard he tried, and his pupils were blown so wide she could hardly see the blues of his irises. Perhaps the five seconds had still been too much.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

It took him a few moments to respond, his head lolling back and forth as he thought. “Hmm… kinda like…” He exhaled sharply, the rest of his body going into an unsteady sway. “Feel kinda like a big ole’... wet spaghetti noodle, maybe… all dizzy ‘n’... phew…”

Peach rushed to steady him before he lost his balance, planting her feet firmly into the ground so he wouldn’t immediately knock her over if that came to pass.

Too much. She would know to reign it in even further next time.

Still, as she helped him to the ground, he seemed perfectly content. He sprawled out in the fresh summer grass with his arms spread, basking in the sunlight like a photosynthesizing plant.

“Mm.” He nuzzled his cheek into a patch of grass beneath him. “Soft.”

The sight drew a fond, amused smile from Peach, and she made herself comfortable beside him. 

This had become a ritual of sorts, one of their many excuses to extend their time in each other’s company. It began as a random suggestion as they chatted one day while awaiting a tardy diplomat, one that hadn’t been entirely serious: Peach’s magic could touch both the body and the mind. She had become skilled in healing, practicing on her own scrapes and bruises as far back as early childhood. Broken skin now mended instantly beneath her touch, and, with a greater deal of effort, she could even reverse infections and heal broken bones.

Her ability to manipulate the mind — or, rather, the sheer scale of that power, the tales of predecessors who had corrupted themselves beyond redemption through its abuse — terrified her. She had distanced herself from that power in response. But it still lay deep within her, whether she wanted it to or not, and the realization that she didn’t even know how to wield it scared her almost as much.

Having confided this in Mario, he had in turn offered himself as a test subject (a “geh-knee-pig,” specifically, some charming otherworldly colloquialism meaning roughly the same thing). Peach had laughed it off, at least until he brought it up again of his own volition the next time they were together.

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” she had confessed.

“You could try shutting my brain off,” he had suggested back. “And hey! You wouldn’t even have to worry about putting me into a coma, because you could reverse that pretty easily, right?”

He had found his joke quite funny, so she never had the heart to admit she had spent his first slumbering spell obsessively checking his pulse in response. Just in case.

Mercifully it never came to that. She learned to bring him rest with increasing care, and she learned further that the sight of Mario sound asleep, all of his cares far from his mind, was among her favorite sights in the world.

Inducing sleep had become second nature to her. She wanted to practice further control, hone the fine motor skills of her greater magic. So today, she had asked to put Mario into a trance rather than full sleep, and he had happily agreed.

He would be getting sleep anyway, so it seemed.

“Forgive me,” Peach said, slipping off her high heels and setting them to her far side. He was right. The grass was lovely and soft beneath her soles.

“Huh?” was Mario’s well thought-out response.

“It was too much.”

He stretched his arms high above his head, his back arching from the force of it. “‘S’okay, Princess.” He paused to yawn noisily before continuing. “Today, I take a nap! Tomorrow we try again. I win either way!” 

Always looking on the bright side. She expected nothing less from him.

She watched him as he made himself comfortable, drinking in every little detail. The pale freckles dotting his tanned skin which she had committed to memory like a star map, the single gray hair in his mustache, his unruly curls exposed from beneath his cap, which had fallen halfway off and was pinned beneath his head. The gentle arch of his thick eyebrows, the thin lines beneath his eyes… lines that were darker and more pronounced than usual, she noticed now.

Peach sighed to herself, fighting against the temptation to run a hand through his dark locks. Perhaps her slip-up was fortuitous after all. 

It hadn’t come out of nowhere, Mario’s suggestion that she practice by putting him to sleep. When he wasn’t a beacon of unbridled energy, he was curled up someplace high off the ground, snoozing away. Peach always found it cute, his unabashed fondness for napping. But the more they got to know each other, the more hours they spent in aimless conversation, she had discovered it was no mere quirk. He hadn’t told anyone that he struggled to sleep at night. At least not until he told her.

He would never admit the extent of it to her. He didn’t necessarily hide or deny it, the fact that he wrestled with his own thoughts and memories more often than he cared to admit, the fact that he lived in understated but constant fear of being unavailable to protect those he was charged to protect, the fact that, when he did find sleep on his own, it was often unsteady and filled with nightmares. But he wouldn’t say any of this outright.

In learning to control her magic, Peach could help him. She could give him reprieve where he might not normally have such a luxury. But she wanted to do more. He was her dearest friend, and she loved him as such and far beyond, and she wished more than anything to be a pillar of support for him when he couldn’t support himself. After all, she knew better than to assume him invincible. He was only human.

But he refused to take her up on the offer. His burdens weren’t hers to bear, he would insist. “Not your fault I’ve got too many thoughts bouncing around this big head!” And then he’d tapped his knuckles to his head for emphasis, giving her a cheeky smile. She didn’t find it quite so amusing.

It baffled Peach. He trusted her with the control of his very mind, yet even now she hadn’t earned his full vulnerability. More than once she had wondered if his volunteerism was an invitation, or a request of sorts. Did he want her to know of these things? Did he merely have trouble articulating them? “He’s not always the best with words, you know,” Luigi had said time and again.

It would be so easy. With a single touch, she could know it all. She could see his emotional scars, the images that haunted him most, his deepest, most locked-away secrets. He wouldn’t have to tell her anything; she could just know. How deeply into his mind was she welcome to dig?

That was a line Peach refused to cross, or even entertain with any great gravity, until she was given express permission. And right now, her only permissions were to aid him in rest. She swallowed and wet her lips. 

“May I?” She extended her hand to Mario once more, hoping the gesture was clear enough in his hazy state of mind. He peered up at her through heavy lids, but he nodded without hesitation, letting those lids fall shut as she touched his forehead.

Brushing his curls from his face, she closed her eyes, conjured her chosen thoughts, and let the images flow from her fingertips into his subconscious.

Normally she waited until he was asleep to do this part. Once slumber claimed him, she would fill his head with scenes of softness and warmth, vague but peaceful images that might trigger pleasant dreams. But what was the harm in getting an early start? He’d be out cold in five minutes tops anyway.

Today she transferred to him something a bit more specific: memories of their afternoons in her private garden, sharing cakes and tarts and chatting until the light faded from the sky. It was… selfish, perhaps, her hope that he might dream of her. But more than once he had told her that their shared time together meant the world to him. Such memories would no doubt bring him the most serene sleep.

Selfish urges were okay if they aided someone else too. That was her own unsteady justification.

Within moments, a smile spread across Mario’s face. “Ahh…” He turned his head in the direction of her touch, and she followed it, tapering the flow of memories and cupping his cheek. His skin was warm against her palm, the heat permeating her silken gloves. His Firebrand made his body temperature unnaturally high, he had once explained, though rarely did she get to feel the evidence for herself.

How often had she dreamed of cupping his cheek just like this, feeling him blush beneath her? How often did she use sleep as an excuse to escape into a world of fantasy, one in which he loved her just as fiercely as she loved him?

A chuckle jolted Peach back into reality. “W-what?” she asked, cautiously drawing her hand away. A wave of paranoia flooded her when Mario didn’t answer, just laughed some more.

“‘Il mio amico Mario è tondo e peloso,'” he said, and the paranoia lifted at once.

“‘Come una pesca,’” she finished. She hadn’t accidentally broadcast her selfish thoughts to his subconscious, she realized with no shortage of relief. He was remembering.

“Ah, brava, principessa!” He pressed his thumb to his index and middle fingers, his hand bouncing with each upward lilt in intonation. “Il tuo accento migliora di giorno in giorno.”

Peach couldn’t help but giggle with him. “Grazie,” she said, though she hadn’t understood most of the last part. Of all the memories he chose to cling to in his state of near-sleep, he chose the time she had accidentally and all too casually slighted him? (To be fair, it was quite funny, yes, but still.)

Reluctantly, she withdrew her touch once more, watching as he relaxed in the embrace of pleasant memories. The dark shadows beneath his eyes seemed to lighten, though whether this image was real or imagined she couldn’t say for sure.

Peach swallowed again. Her throat felt tight. These shared moments helped ease whatever struggles weighed him down, and for that she was grateful. But why couldn’t he bring those struggles to her before they robbed him of sleep? Why couldn’t he let the world fall from his shoulders long enough to entrust some of that weight to her?

“Mario?”

“Mm?”

She wrung her hands together, making her best effort to separate familiar sounds into still-new words. “Sai che puoi… dirmi… qualsiasi cosa,” she managed at last. You know you can tell me anything.

Mario’s face lit up in recognition, and she couldn’t help but be proud of herself. She’d never said it aloud herself before. It was always him saying it to her during their informal Italian lessons, encouraging her past her embarrassment, egging her on to ask questions no matter how silly she feared they might be.

“Oh, dai, sai che puoi dirmi qualsiasi cosa,” he’d say, nudging her if he was near enough, equal parts teasing and sincere. “Lo so,” she had learned to say in response, nudging him back if she was able.

Maybe she could get through to him this way, speaking to him in his native tongue when he was too tired to put up his guard. Maybe he would give her a “Lo so” of his own, and maybe, just maybe, he would follow through.

But that wasn’t the response Mario gave her. “Mm… davvero?” he said instead, his voice quiet with what Peach presumed was encroaching slumber. “E se ti dicessi che sei il mio sole e stelle? Non ti sconvolgerebbe?”

A few moments passed in silence. Peach didn’t recall practicing any phrase set resembling this. Yet he was looking up at her, fixedly, as though he were expecting an answer to whatever question he had just posed.

There was something… oddly sad in his expression. He didn’t seem distraught, and no tears welled in the corners of his eyes, but his usual cheer was muddied with a sort of melancholy.

She didn’t like this feeling. She didn’t like seeing him like this. Her stomach turned and leapt painfully, as though urging her to do something.

“...Mind repeating that?”

Mario didn’t repeat himself. He redirected his eyes upward, focusing that sad smile on the sky above them, and Peach followed his gaze, a bit miffed. A fluffy cloud passed overhead amidst more modest and wispy offerings. It looked rather like a Jammyfish.

“Peach,” he said after a moment of silent contemplation, and that caught her attention, because she was never Peach. Even when he stood at her side as her trusted guard, even when he took her hands and pulled her from the castle grounds, urging her to follow him to some great sight waiting for her in town, even when they walked privately through rolling fields and let their shared presence ease countless unvoiced burdens, she was always Princess. Sometimes Principessa, rarely Your Highness, but never Peach. 

She wanted desperately to hear her name on his voice again.

Closing his eyes, Mario laughed, that giddy, sleepy laugh she knew she could never get enough of, and granted her wish. “Oh, Peach,” he repeated, his coherency rapidly slipping away, “there’s so much I want to tell you.”

That deep and unidentifiable sadness deepend in Peach’s gut. “Then why not tell me?” She startled at the desperation that leaked into her tone, clearing her throat in impulse and praying he hadn’t heard it. Why not trust me when you’re awake as much as you trust me when you’re asleep?

“Mi perdonerei mai,” he slurred.

“Mario, I don’t know what you’re saying.”

He hummed a torpid apology, folding his arms beneath his head. “Well,” he rephrased, “I’m just… I dunno. You know? I am. And that’s not…” He shrugged. “And then you… you’re…” 

“I’m…?” Peach pressed, fearing she already knew the answer. You’re a princess. That was one of his very few quirks that frustrated her. Never mind that he was only human, and never mind that she was his best friend. She was a princess, and he was a hero, and it was his sacred duty to internalize anything he feared might burden her, no matter how desperately she wished he would lean on her, be vulnerable with her, trust in her.

His answer was buried beneath a yawn, so quiet she almost didn’t catch it: “You’re everything.” 

Birdsong and the distant chatter of groundskeepers carried the silence that ensued.

You’re everything. Those two words swirled around Peach’s brain in a dizzying cyclone. What did that mean? You’re everything, a ruler and a leader and a friend, and I could never bother you with my own problems ? You’re already doing everything you can and telling you about the things you have no sway over just isn’t worth it ?

“You’re everything,” he might say one quiet evening, somewhere in the midst of soft kisses and tender touches, and she would tell him then that he was her everything too.

Peach clenched her teeth. 

She had found the courage just a few weeks earlier to ask how one might express love in his native tongue, “like I might say to Toadsworth or you might say to Luigi.”

She hadn’t expected to learn that there was more than one way to say it. “Ti voglio bene,” he told her. “That’s how I’d say it to Luigi or to Toad — or to you!”

And how would your mother have said it to your father? How would I say it to you ? Peach couldn’t even begin to amass that sort of courage.

Mario lay still beside her, his chest rising and falling evenly. Her fingers twitched.

She could dig as deeply as she liked. She could see his every thought and he wouldn’t know, so long as he didn’t wake. She could finally know those things he refused to tell her, she could know his struggles intimately, she could finally begin formulating ways to really and truly help him.

At the very least, she could see for herself what dreams ran through his head at the moment. Was he dreaming of her, just as she dreamed each night of him?

…Perhaps she could sway his mind far deeper still. Perhaps she could make him…

Balling her hands into fists, Peach sighed, laying back in the grass. She understood now more than ever how her predecessors had so easily become drunk on this power. But she wasn’t her predecessors. And she wouldn’t betray what trust Mario had freely given her.

Sei il mio tutto.

Maybe one day she could say as much. Maybe one day she would stop creating fantastical scenarios in her head, and she would stop wanting more than she was already blessed with, and she would stop being so selfish and be content with meeting Mario where he was rather than wishing for more, more, more.

Maybe she could say it then, when she truly deserved to.

[aurora-the-kunoichi]

Training

I'm updating my Masterlist and Tumblr must have eaten this one. So I'm posting it again.

You were angry, seething mad. The ol’ leader in blue had offered up to train you which you accepted excitedly, anything to get close to the illusive Leonardo. But now you could tell Mr. blue eyes was holding back with your training. Week after week you had gone through his program, working your ass off to perfect his lessons until you could barely stand. Leaving you sweating, straining nearly drenched as he worked you to the bone. But now as the hard stuff began to emerge you could tell Leo was holding his punches, maybe even acting a little different. He was watching you more closely scrutinizing your form? Was that look of disapproval, did he not think you could handle this? Fuck that, you had earned the right.

“Watch your form.” Leo scolded blocking a high kick with his right hand catching your ankle in his grasp. “They round house was a bit sloppy.” With a huff Leo pushed releasing you.

You used the motion to your advantage and spun again your foot nearly reaching his face. Leo barely moved out the way in time, that was a slight ego boost.

“Better, keep that leg straight.” One foot swung behind him and you watched as the muscles in his thighs bunch poised for attack. He came at you this time, practice swords brandished in each heavy fist.

Per his hallmark Leonardo was quick and that nice sheen of sweat glistening over his scaled biceps was just a little too distracting let alone the sight of those dense thigh muscles straining with his pant legs. He lunged and you parried just in time leaning back avoiding the hit. Pivoting on the ball of your heal you came back around finding Leo at the ready weapon descending for a strike. As it connected you could tell he pulled back just a little so the blunt of the blade only made soft contact with your arm. That was it, you were never going to progress if he kept holding back.

You mustered the last of your strength gripping your own practice blade and spun up at him surprising the terrapin. Leo stepped back just avoiding the blade but as you landed your foot came out from under you, swiping at his feet. The momentum caught behind his ankle and the behemoth went down with a heavy thud. You were on him in seconds pressing the wooded blade to his cardioid artery. Straddling those hips you crouched down finding Leonardo just as equally out of breath as you, but you wouldn’t let the warm fan of his breath spiced with tea distract you further. Well not any more than it already was.

That expansive chest was heaving, lips parted as he took in big gulps of air……focus. “You’re holding back.” You growled into his ear.

“I am doing no such thing.”

“Bullshit, you’re telling me, you, the great Leonardo, master of all that is ninjutsu couldn’t counter my last move? I was able to take you down, a novice without any resistance?” As you pulled back from his ear you could see Leo’s pupils had dilated virtually covering the bright blue of his irises. “Plus you’re holding your punches. That earlier blow should have hurt, you barely touched my arm.”

He was quiet for a second as if gathering his thoughts, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Fuckin stop that. I’m not fragile like a piece of glass, I want this training, I have wanted this from you for quite a while.” Slowly you lowered your blade and rested your bottom on the boney plates of his plastron. That’s when you felt the slight shutter from the mutant below you. What was that about?

“I …I know you’re not fragile but I am much stronger than you are, I’m a mutant remember?” he was beginning to get a little….frustrated or flustered? “If I’m not careful I could break a bone, render you unconscious..I.. I am the sensei in this dojo, do not question my….” Without warning Leonardo sat up which in turn slid you back until your backside made contact with his crotch. And that’s when you felt it, the unmistakable swell between his legs. It moved between your cheeks and slipped further until it was nestled along your clothed core.

Trying your damnedest to ignore the sudden flair of heat pooling where you were connected and stay the course remaining angry at the mutant you choked a little on your determination. “I trust you; I know you won’t hurt me but I can’t get better if you don’t allow me the full training. Would you hold back for Raphael?”

“You and Raphael are not the same.”

“I’m aware of that fact but I don’t want you using kid gloves when you handle me. I can take more then you know.” You rested your hands on his chest hoping not to gain anymore friction, it was already torture not rocking against him. Why was it so fucking hot in here all of a sudden? Your tongue came out moistening your lips and to your surprise his blue eyes followed the motion.

“I’m afraid to see how much you can take.” All of a sudden the anxiousness in his voice was gone leaving a dark whisper.

“Why?”

“Because……..”

“Leo?”

Leo made the mistake of shifting under you to adjust his hands. That sent the now growing bulge up parting your lips to rub along your core. That alone made both of your breaths hitch. Your mouth opened in a slight gasp and his gazed moved to your lips again, tongue coming forth to wet his own. Eyes then locked and as if an unspoken agreement passed between you both, you each moved with ferocity as your mouths collided.

Your arms went around his neck while his secured around your waist all the while pressing you down further on his swelling erection. Mouths opened as tongues moved to taste the other, it was beautiful chaos. With each reengage of your lip’s desperation became the forefront in your mind. You didn’t care how fast this was moving. You’ve had a thing for the Leonardo since they day you met them and from how hard he was pushing you down on his cock it was delightfully apparent he had a thing for you as well.

With a wet pop Leo’s mouth tore from yours only to reconnect with the soft flesh of your throat nipping and biting combined with rough sounds coming from his chest. As he descended you tore at your own top and sports bra pulling them from your body to give him access. The next sound from his throat made your gut clench with unbridled need. It was a deep guttural sound vibrating though his chest into yours. You had never heard him make that sound before and it was glorious, you would make it your life mission to make him do that again and again.

His wide mouth latched onto one heaving breast before moving to the next mouthing at the plump mound like a man unhinged.

Needing the friction, you began to rock your hips mewling softly at the intense attention from the usually stoic leader. You were so turned on at that moment you could have cum just like this. When he started to tilt his hips with you his name began to fall like rain as his mouth continued its delicious assault.

After a few minutes you had, had quiet enough of this and wanted….no needed things to move along. You both were adults and obviously wanting the same thing. Unlatching your arms from around his broad shoulders your hand ventured south for the warm treat Leo had been teasing you with. Rising a little from your perch you pulled at the elastic of his workout pants and your digits slipped below the fabric finding your very large and throbbing prize. As your fingers engulfed the wide girth Leonardo moaned at the touch rocking into your grip.

Leo’s mouth came free with a wet pop and leaned back watching you stroke him slipping the head of his cock through your fist with each downstroke. The rare whispered ‘fuck’ only added to the thrill of manhandling the leader.

By now you were writhing in agony at the sight of him, your body clenching for the heat of it, the stretch it would no doubt cause. Releasing the hard flesh, you managed to rid yourself of your pants and underwear in record time and straddled Leonardo’s hips with haste.

With shaky hands Leo held himself at the base of his cock and aimed for its target. You steadied yourself watching Leo try to regulate his breathing while he watched the helm disappear. With sweet desperation you lowered yourself onto the dipping heat holding eye contact as every inch climbed home with a burning stretch.

As your body took the last of him Leo’s mouth dropped open and a low vibrating rumble louder than before emitted from deep within his chest. His hands moved to your hips making sure you took everything he had to offer as you whimpered and whined until your backside met his pelvis.

You quickly tried to rise up but his hands held fast watching your face, memorizing the expression of pure bliss as every inch of him was buried in your body. Your cheeks were flush with pink, lips plump from his kiss  and the length that was currently taking up all the space in your gut was driving you mad.

“Leo…..”

“My full name.” he growled gently into your ear tilting his hips to press against your cervix.

“Leonardo..oooo.oh!”

“Again.”

“F.u..ck…. Le..Leonardo..”

At that moment Leo’s hands released their hold but his warm palms stayed connected with your hips allowing you to finally rise. The friction on the first withdrawal was heavenly, Leo assisted watching your face contort in sweet bliss before sheathing himself once more in your warmth. You slipped one arm around his shoulder while the other hand gripped at the top of his plastron and you started your ride.

Even though with your previous work out the strength in your thighs allowed you smooth movement as you rode his cock. Up, down, each downward drive filling you up, until there was no space left for him to invade. The feeling was intense and overwhelming but in a good way, even his smell heighted your senses. Your hips moved tilting forward making sure the tip of him drug across the top of your cunt igniting the beginnings of your climax.

The blue of his eyes were flooded with black focused on nothing but you, he helped as you rode him lifting and pulling you back down. As the heat between you rose his left hand cupped the back of your skull pulling you into a kiss, hot, searing, stealing the last bit of sanity you had. His tongue invaded the heat of your mouth growling as he swiped at the muscle within. He quickly swallowed the moans you gave.  

Your speed increased virtually slamming down diving you both towards your end and you could hear Leo becoming more vocal. His teeth clenched as his hips started to drive up. Then suddenly you were lifted off the floor, the leader never missing a beat and you were roughly pressed up against the dojo wall.   

Your legs went instinctively around his waist crying out as Leonardo drove into you with determination. The angle was mind numbing and you were sent over the edge in a soundless shriek. He watched you come undone keeping eye contact the entire time.

“That’s right.” He growled continuing to rut into you ruthlessly. “Cum for your sensei.”

He worked you through your first orgasm to the steady climb to the next whispering fifthly things in your ear.

“I’m going to make you so messy inside. Ruin you for all other men.”

“Jesus Leo!”

He hoisted you a little higher taking your right leg up changing the angle again creating a direct hit. Your back arched clawing at his shoulders as your second climax hit you like a freight train out of nowhere. With a strangled grunt Leo lunged forward teeth clamping down on your throat and with three more drives of his hips he reached his peak. The heat of his release flooded your inside washing the walls of your womb in hot jets of Leo’s cum. His hips continued to rock into you making sure every drop of his essence wasn’t wasted finding its home inside your body.

As the flood of endorphins ebbed you felt his teeth release but his cock remained locked against you. Even now you could feel the final dredges of his climax throbbing into your heat. You tried to calm your heart but still being so close to Leonardo finally coming to terms with how you felt for him gave you no reprieve. Either way, you weren’t about to complain as his lips ran long your clavicle.

Finally Leo broke the silence, “How long?”

Running your fingers along his bald crown you let out a heavy sigh, “Almost a year now. I mean I’ve always thought you were handsome but once I was invited down to your home, really seeing who you were I knew I was in trouble. And when you started training me the feelings I had only got stronger. I’m surprised I was able to keep my hands off you for so long.”

You both shared a quiet chuckle as he finally disengaged and grabbed a towel getting to his knees to clean you up.

“You?” you finally asked in a shaky whisper.

“Since the first day I laid eyes on you. I knew then and there I was going to try and make you mine.”

[carrion-art]

501st cross stitch patterns available!

another couple days and I'll have the last set up, and boy howdy, it's a doozy! (it's all of them. it's every single helmet pattern I've done)

[shalpilot]

next up: normal clothes. i promise. i promise i promise i p

silly notes on the armor below!

GODDDDDD i haven’t designed armor since like. 2020 but i used to do it like, every day back in middle school. how far I have fallen. anyways there’s a big ol heart motif bc she is Full Of Love. and also it made designing all the separate parts easier. there’s a lot of inspo from different sets i just pulled off eorzea collection bc i don’t have any specific idea about where she *got* the armor and it… doesn’t really matter. the scale mail is kinda for ironic purposes- kinda raises an eyebrow about the whole “no, im not a dragon” thing. like not ACTUALLY but that’s what I was thinking when i drew it lol. the tattered skirt thing was specifically inspired by Sidurgu’s scuffed up chainmail because he’s cool and i like him. it was really hard coloring it because i didn’t want to just make it all black and bc she’s already blue it was difficult finding colors that’d go well. i think it turned out nice! anyways, now to make her some casual clothes!

[flambo19]

I've been really into Baldur's Gate 3 for the past week so now you get my Tav. They're based off my oc Argo but older, bluer, and tief-ier

Character/design notes below if ya interested

They're just a good guy trying their best. On the party scale between "oh god what is wrong with you" and "perfectly well adjusted" they are a solid "needs therapy. but like, not urgently"

They're really not sure how they ended up the leader here, but they'll do it (and be stressed about it)

Just wants to get home and back to their family

Doesn't trust any higher power telling them they can fix the tadpole (mostly Raphael and the Dream Guardian) Also refuses to eat the worms

I had to give them big ol' ears. It's important

Its fun to think of how to translate Argo's backstory into DnD lore. Although not having a totally concrete background makes it a little hard. whoops

OC!Argo has some dragon stuff going on so blue draconic sorcerer would be more fitting but also I liked the look of storm sorcerer way more. Maybe their family line is some sort of magic creature nightmare

To commit to the lightning/storm theme I'm mostly picking lightning/thunder/ice spells even if its probably suboptimal

Here's them in-game. Curse of the body types they are too buff

[tealmaskmybeloved]

So when thinking about Kieran's corrupted team, I was trying to see more abstract thoughts, basically the inner desires of his pokemon being brought to life. As well as other things. SO :

Shiftry, The Ruthless Avian (Poison/Flying) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Wind Rider) (Moves: Poison Jab, Brave Bird, Tailwind, Sucker Punch) (Item: Black Sludge) (Nature: Adamant) (Perfect IVs) (EV spread: 252 Att, 252 Speed, 4 Sp.Def) (Desire: Wants to be able to fly again)(<-Based on its Kitakami dex entry where it states that Shiftry in a legend was a bird who had its beak and wings replaced)

Poliwrath, The Savage Amphibian (Poison/Ground) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Storm Drain) (Moves: Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Scald, Shadow Ball) (Item: Life Orb) (Nature: Modest) (Perfect IVs) (EV spread: 252 Sp.Att, 252 Defense, 4 Sp.Def) (Desire: Wants to be able to battle on land longer)(<-It's still a tadpole, so I don't think it lasts longer on land than Politoad)

Krookadile, The Patient Gharial (Poison/Water) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Opportunist) (Moves: Gunk Shot, Liquidation, Earthquake, Swords Dance) (Item: Sitrus Berry) (Nature: Adamant) (Perfect IVs) (EV spread: 252 Att, 252 Speed, 4 Def) (Desire: Wants to be able to swim without taking damage)(<-It's a crocodile, need I say more?)

Runerigus, The Chaotic Serpent (Poison/Dragon) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Merciless) (Moves: Sludge Wave, Dragon Pulse, Scale Shot, Crunch) (Item: Salac Berry) (Nature: Rash) (Perfect IVs) (EV Spread: 252 Att, 252 Sp.Att, 4 Spd) (Desire: The spirit wants to take control of the stone slab) (<-Galarian Yamask's dex entries talk about how the spirit's vitality or something is getting drained and later controlled by the slab, so, the slab most likely takes control of Runerigus but the spirit is still there and now wants payback. Also references Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos who's a serpent and a serpent painting is carved into the slab)

Hydrapple, The Satanic Overlord (Poison/Dark) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Parental Bond) (Moves: Sludge Wave, Dark Pulse, Fickle Beam, Trick Room) (Item: Leftovers) (Nature: Quiet) (Perfect IVs) (EV Spread: 252 Sp.Att, 252 Def, 4 Sp.Def) (Desire: Wants to become more intimidating and scary) (<-References how Satan in the bible, Satan, disguises as a snake, tricks Adam and Eve to eat an apple in the garden. So, I had to reference something demonic to a corrupted Hydrapple)

Ogerpon, The Tragic Victim (Poison/Grass) (Ability: Toxic Chain + Defiant + Mold Breaker + Water Absorb + Strudy) (Item: Toxic chained Mask(Corrupted Teal Mask)) (Nature: Quiet) (Moves: Ivy Cudgel, Horn Leech, Spikey Shield, Swords Dance) (Perfect IVs) (EV Spread: 252 Att, 252 Spd, 4 Sp.Def) (Desire: Wants to have the power to protect its friends) (<-References all of Ogerpon's masks, also, she is forced, you'll see soon ;) (And as for the other masks, you'll see in a bit)

Well I took the fun liberty of drawing these guys based on your ideas! And also because I was not proud of my previous designs

Here's Shiftry, except now he's BIRB

I changed their fans to actual wings but also gave him a kind of retractable leaf blade that Shiftry can use to strike opponents. I still kept some of the wood elements just for fun.

Here's Poliwrath!

I wanted to make it more frog-like (hence the webbed feet) and since it wanted to battle longer on land, I also took a page out of Machoke's Dex entry where its muscles are splitting open due to its strength.

Good ol Krookodile! Except now he swim

I gave this boy some fins, a nice blue covering, and a tail for efficient for swimming. I also gave him some glowy spots for when he's under da water and needs to see

Here's Runerigus!

I took some creative liberties with this one, and eventually decided to have the spirit emerge from the slab as its the one in control now. Since the pattern on the slab is a snake creature, I made the spirit into a snake! I also made the pattern on the slab darker and less vibrant, since the spirit is out and doing his own thing, but if it were to go back to the slab, it would glow again

The boy himself, Hydrapple!

I was REALLY torn on whether or not to keep the Toxic Chain as its neck, but eventually decided to just have it as a scarf. As for the tail, I was inspired by the whole Garden of Eden thing and made the tail longer with a vine and an apple. The tail part was partly inspired by 9's creature the Seamstress (where it lures victims with the thing attached to its tail and then attacks with the rest of its body.)

Now for Ogerpon!

I just altered her cloak/arms thing to be Pecharunt/Dokutaro's colors and made her eyes soulless and empty. I also made her tip of hair/fur(?) down and limp as she's probably very upset to be controlled by the evil peach gremlin.

Teal Mask version:

Made the Teal Mask similar to Pecharunt/Dokutaro while having some differences.

I didn't do the other masks yet, as I still need to work on designs for them

But yeah, those are my designs based on your ideas! What do you think?