#patchi dinosaur

[bestfictionaldinosaur]

Best Fictional Dinosaur Tournament: Ornithischian Bracket; Round 1D, Poll 8/8

[coeurify]

THE PERFECT PAIR 2;

ELLIE WILLIAMS

·˚ ༘ * “But don’t think we could help it, no"

pairing: bff!ellie williams x fem!reader. part one. summary: part TWO! you forgot to answer ellie, shes upset. you make up for it with a party, what could go wrong! wc 6.9k warnings: ig you could say slightly toxic friendship. ellies jealous. blink and you miss it jealous reader. almost.. sorta.. kinda kiss.. slight angst slight fluff.

You dreamt of the past a lot. Ever since you were little, more often than not, your dreams were much different than the other kids around you. When they spoke about their dreams of dragons and kings, you could only pipe in with the nostalgic nighttime story of your most recent favorite memory that played like a film reel while you slept.

Tonight, you dreamt of Ellie. You dreamt of your noses pressed to the glass of your parent’s car window, heads tucked side by side as you pulled up to a building. Large bulky letters read out the museum's name on a sign in the blue sky. The sky was always more blue in your dreams.

You had been twelve— just turning Thirteen, mere months into meeting. Ellie’s hair was always pulled back into a ponytail back then, strands of deep reddish brown hair peeking out of the hair elastics. Even now, with the muddy and watercolor-like painting of your dream, you could count the freckles on dream Ellie’s cheeks. It was your birthday, and you had been carted with Ellie to the museum near your house. A promise of a day full of Ellie laughing and tugging you around to explain the space section to you ensued.

You dreamt of Ellie’s slightly sweaty palm intertwined with your own as she pulled you around the crowded floors, gasping as she swore under her breath at every exciting exhibit. You would hush her each time, hitting her arm— just like you still did today.

You dreamt of your favorite exhibit. The one that made you love the stars so much. You had entered a dark room, only you and Ellie. Her voice was hushed as she pointed out different star patterns painted in glowing colors on the wall. That was the moment you knew you wanted Ellie to be your best friend.

You dreamt of the green Dinosaur plush Ellie had paid for with crumbled-up money in the back pocket of her jeans at the gift shop. The one she had shoved into your arms and exclaimed, “Happy Birthday!”

When you woke up, your face was pressed into that exact stuffed animal. Though the once soft fur was a bit rough now, almost seven years older, it was still more comfortable than the pillows below your head. It still held that sense of nostalgia you laid to rest every night that other options didn’t.

Your eyes squeeze before they open, arms reaching to pull the dinosaur against your chest instead. You imagine it’s just as new as it had been the day Ellie got it for you. You imagine the sky is as blue as it was in your dream, that you and El were still those carefree pre-teens. But then your alarm goes off.

Fucking Mondays. Blinking a few times to adjust to the light pouring into your eyes, you reach blindly for your phone. Fingers wrap around it a moment later, the bright screen causing another wave of blurriness to your sleepy eyes. Even through the patchy vision, it's clear that you have a few notifications.

From Ellie.

Multiple. From last night.

“Fuck,” you groan out loud this time, gaining the attention of Dina from across the room. She’s already sitting up, scribbling away in a notebook that you assume to be rushed classwork.

“You ok?”

A hand comes to wipe across your face, rubbing the skin of your cheek gently. Dina asking is sweet, but you struggle to answer honestly. “I'm good, yea. I just have to see Ellie.”

You’re up and out of bed before Dina can ask further questions, stomach turning as you look at your phone screen again. The three separate texts make you feel a little sick, especially the last one that came hours later— likely when Ellie was already frustrated.

It shouldn’t make you so queasy, something as simple as sleeping through texts. But it was Ellie. You never missed Ellie’s texts like that. Especially not her asking you to come over.

You trip over the small rug near your bed as you rush to the connected bathroom to change, earning a gasped laugh from your roommate.

“Jesus, slow down,” she calls to you through the shut bathroom door, but you’re too focused on the task currently at hand— pulling the shirt over your head without bumping into something else.

Dina watches your panicked-looking face as you step back out into the floor of your shared bedroom a few moments later, her lips pursing in confusion.

“Did Ellie die or something?” Dina jokes with curious seeming eyes, pressing her notebook closed. “You’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

You shake your head with a small half-assed smile, “No- I just uh- I forgot I promised to meet her this morning,” it seemed easier to lie than to admit your heart was in your throat because you slept through a movie invitation. Your hand goes for the sweatshirt bunched up on the floor, pressing your fingers into the cloth of the grey sleeves. It was a bit too warm to wear it, you know that, but there's a sense of comfort that soothes the aching in your stomach when it's pulled over your head, and you move to the door.

“Hey,” Dina pipes up as you step across the threshold, “Jesse and I are going to a friend’s tonight, Danny. He’s got some off campus apartment he’s having a little party at. Do you... Wanna come?” The question falls from Dina’s lips simply, her attention moving from your eyes to the top she's readjusts after a night of sleep. But the way her gaze flicks up a few times tells you that this was an important question for the brunette.

“On a Monday?”

“Oh!” your roommate’s nose crinkles as she mulls over the fact that yes-- it was in fact a Monday, which wasn't exactly the perfect day for a party. “Yea, I guess that’s not helping my case hm? I promise it won't be crazy. Dan’s friends are chill.”

You think about it for a second, shifting from one foot to another. It was a good opportunity to get closer to Dina. To maybe make some new friends you had come to have missing space for after Jade and you stopped talking, putting you down her and all her friends. But it was a Monday, and you definitely couldn’t have a hangover for your sociology lecture on Tuesday. Instead of pointing any of this out though, you find yourself instead asking...

“Can I bring Ellie?”

It seemed Dina was expecting this question, waving a hand your way. “Yea, I already told Jesse it’d be two people.” For some reason, that admission has your neck feeling a little hot. Your eyes find the wall to try and cover the awkward noise your throat makes.

“Ok.. yea, cool. I should be able to go. My last class is like three today.” Your feet bounce just lightly as you speak, which Dina notices.

Dina smiles, clapping her hands together. “Great. Now shoo before you start vibrating in your spot or something.”

You nod, offering another smile before your dash out into the hallway. Instead of turning and heading for Ellie’s dorm, you make a beeline for the elevator. It was early in the morning. Too early to show up pounding at Ellie’s door when she was likely grumpy from the sun and the previous night. No, you needed a peace offering.

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That peace offering came in the shape of slightly cold dorm cafeteria french toast and waffles, tucked into a styrofoam takeout box. It was Ellie’s favorite, but she always woke up too late for them. Stingy college kids always stole them all before the first 9 am classes even started.

You held the styrofoam in your free hand as you reached forward to knock at the door. Before you could, it flew open-- both you and the person at the door jumping. You are met with the sight of dark hair and wide blinking brown eyes. Rose. They smile apologetically at you, repeating your name and different versions of ‘sorry’ as they press past you to get through the door.

Ellie’s roommate was sweet, but they were always running around with something to do, so you didn’t see much of them. At this point, Rose didn’t even question why you were always at their dorm-- you probably spent more time there anyway.

Your eyes follow as Rose hurries down the hallway, a nice distraction to the shuffling you hear from inside the now open door. “Hello?” a groggy voice asks. It forces you to look back to the doorway, met with the sight of a very sleepy looking Ellie. Her arms are crossed over her comic teeshirt-clad chest, hair messy behind her ears. You find yourself focusing on the straight line her lips are pulled into, and then the crease in between her furrowed eyebrows. You wonder for a moment if pressing your thumb to it would smooth it out.

“Hi..” you try, blinking at her as both your bodies shift into the dorm.

For a moment, it’s silent. You look around the dimly lit dorm you had seen a hundred times, acting like it was a brand new vision so you didn’t have to look at Ellie. Eventually though, you suck in a breath.

“You totally ignored my te-”

“I didn't see your tex-”

The two sentences lap over each other in unison, messy and rushed. Both voices are cut short when the opposite peaks. You let Ellie finish first, your mouth sealed shut.

“You ignored me last night,” Ellie mumbles, stepping toward her side of the room. The posters that cover the corner near her bed are starting to peel at the sides a little, and you have to fight the urge to ask if she has tape. Now is definitely not the time.

“I was talking to Dina then fell asleep, didn't ignore you,” you correct your friend, footsteps following her own. You still grip the take-out box as you watch Ellie tug a hair tie off her desk, fingers (you oddly couldn’t look away from) pulling the hair up into the usual bun.

“It was like barely even six or something, but whatever, I get it, roommate shit,” Ellie muttered-- as if she didn't know the exact time you stopped answering. As if she hadn’t had a mini breakdown over having to watch a shitty action movie alone.

You find a slight flame of annoyance in your gut, mixing with the guilt already settling there. “Ellie, I was tired I fell asleep. I'm sorry.”

Ellie, stubborn as ever, shrugs. “Yea, it’s whatever.”

“Don’t be like that,” you whine, hand reaching to grab at her wrist. The touch burns, even more when she pulls it away.

“I’m not being like anything.”

You groan, and the childish urge to stomp comes to mind, but you ignore it. “You're being all.. passive-aggressive.”

“I’m not. I said it’s ok, peach. Just stop.”

The nickname is a blatant attempt to make her annoyed tone a little less severe, something to ease the growing tension. You would like to say it didn’t work, but it did. You and Ellie were much better at avoiding the issues than dealing with them. Usually, they were painted over with sweet nicknames or offers to go out and do something. It always worked. You relax slightly and hold out the box for Ellie to see.

“I brought a peace offering. Knew you’d be all grumpy.” you wave the food box a little, pressing it closer to her chest.

Ellie scoffs as she grabs the box and sits on her bed. “I am not grumpy,” she mutters with a very grumpy-looking frown.

You kick a dirty shirt away from her bed as you sit next to her, settling on the blanket and watching her open the box.

“Waffles.. fuck yea!” She grabbed the waffle with her hands, like there wasn't a fork right there with the box, and bit into it. It makes your lip curl a little, but morning Ellie was not someone to be messed with, so you say nothing. Instead, you look around the room, your fingers playing with the sleeve of your sweatshirt. Not sure what to say next, you lick your lips.

“Uh, good peace offering?” Ellie nods in response, swallowing a mouth full of lukewarm waffle before speaking.

“I’ll give it a 5.5/10.”

You make a shocked face, mouth dropping open. “A five? I fought off like three hungover guys for these!” you shove her shoulder, earning a grumble.

“Yea, and you made me watch a movie alone,” Ellie takes another bite of her waffle.

The light feeling that began to build had dropped as quickly as your heart, a lump in your throat. “Yea, my bad.”

Ellie looks at you, jade eyes moving around your face as she swallows. “ ‘m joking, thank you..” her tone is just a tad softer, but you still feel all too itchy now, an urge to get up and go settling over your frame.

You nod, a slightly fake raise of your lips attempting to comfort her as you stand, “I have to get ready for class, but uh, I sort of told Dina we’d go to a party...Would that be a better peace offering?”

“Its a mon-”

“I know, I know, but please, El, I really wanna get close with Dina,” your voice borders on a beg, fingers pinching at your sweatshirt. “Weren’t you the one who encouraged me to?”

Ellie sighs at that, shrugging her shoulders. “Yeah, I guess I was. Shit- fine. But my astronomy class gets out later than your English. I cant drive you.”

It made you want to smile, the way Ellie had already memorized both of your schedules. The earlier discomfort from her slight attitude melted away as something warmer bloomed in your stomach.

Maybe you and Ellie were a bit dramatic. You had been told that many times actually. The way you could get so upset at each other for something simple and yet still fall all over each other the moment something sweet happened. Sometimes you wonder if other friends have these turbulent of feelings for each other, but you ignore it with a nod. “That’s fine. I’ll catch a ride with Dina.”

Ellie turns her head momentarily, shrugging and covering a slightly noticeable pout with an awkward reach for the french toast in the takeout box. “Just text me the address.”

You nod, saluting Ellie as you step into the dorm door. “Will do.”

Ellie rolls her eyes and shoos you off, “Get going.”

“Bye, love you El!” you shout through the door. The loving words came easily, something you had said every so often ever since you two were younger. Ellie didn’t say it as much, but you didn’t mind.

“Bye, peach,” Ellie called, the nickname receiving an eye roll. One she couldn’t see this time.

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4:30 pm came too soon. By then, you were back at your dorm, shoving a stack of books on your already messy desk and flopping back on your bed.

“Who even has a party at 6 pm on a Monday?” you question your roommate, who was currently fixing the mascara she had applied. You words flow over the soft music Dina had turned on, a low hum from her desk.

“College students who have a slight alcohol dependency,” Dina shrugged.

“Fair enough,” you laugh, flipping onto your stomach to watch her walk around the orange-lit room. You hadn’t even begun to get up and get ready, focused instead on watching your roommate’s routine as she walked around.

“It's only gonna be like fifteen people or something,” Dina shrugs as she pulls out a chapstick tube, applying it over her lips.

“Hm..” you nod like that made it any better. Fifteen people you had probably never met before, when you were tired from classes. Yea. You would definitely need a drink.

Dina looked over at you, a grin spreading on her lips as she walked over to you, her fingers gripping your wrist. “Get up. Jesse’s gonna be here soon!”

“I don’t even know what to wear,” you whine, letting your roommate drag you into a sitting position as you meet her eyes. They narrow, and she tugs you again, this time to stand.

“Just wear that! Well, take off the sweatshirt but jeans and a shirt is fine. That’s what I'm wearing.” Dina shrugs as she lets her fingers reach for the bottom of your sweatshirt, the pout never leaving your lips. You didn’t want to remove it, but she urged you to with a friendly tug.

“C'mon, show me your closet. I’ll help you pick a shirt.”

﹒ ♡₊˚﹕﹒₊﹕﹒₊˚

When you got into the back of Jesse’s car, you completely shut down. Your lips were shut so long you swore they may have stuck together. He was friendly, sure! He cracked jokes you betted Ellie would laugh at, he complimented Dina’s outfit as soon as you got in the car, and grinned when you introduced yourself. But you had taken more than a week to openly speak to your roommate, so her boyfriend wasn’t exactly the easiest to chat to.

Dina didn’t mind, making sure to include you every now and again in whatever conversation the two had going, smiling back at you from the passenger seat as you pressed into the black cushion of Jesse’s car. You found yourself staring out the window, eyes flitting over each street lamp they passed, watching as the sky dimmed just lightly as the minutes seemed to drag by.

Eventually, the car stopped outside an apartment complex, and you peered through the glass at the tall buildings. Jesse pulled the keys from the car as he rushed out and around the other side. It was too late for what he was planning, Dina opening the door right as he reached for it, in turn smacking the metal door right in the stomach and face.

“Ow! Babe!”

Dina covered her mouth with a hand, a muffled snicker only slightly concealed. “Why the fuck did you run into the door?”

Jesse looked at his girlfriend incredulously, rubbing his sore nose, “I was trying to be a gentleman!”

“Since when were you a gentleman?” Dina questioned as she stepped out of the car; you only a moment behind as your feet found the gravel under you.

Jesse calls your name, eyes directed at you. “C’mon. Back me up. You saw me going to open the door right?”

Your nose scrunched, lips parting for the first time in too long, “I kinda did, yea..”

The boy makes a quick motion with his hands to say ‘see?’, Dina shakes her head as she steps back, arm looping yours. The touch makes you stiffen a bit, but Dina’s always warm smile calms you.

“Stop using my roommate in your little lies,” she muttered, though the smile never faltered as you walked up to a ground-floor apartment door. Jesse mumbles a few nonserious complaints as he knocks at the wooden door.

It opens quickly, a ginger guy who seemed about your age answering, cheeks full of freckles raising into a smile. It makes you wonder when Ellie will be here.

“Dee! Jesse!” The boy greets, eyes finding yours, “Oh and Dee’s roommate!”

Dina rolls her eyes as she pulls you inside the cooled apartment, your skin pricking slightly. At least it wasn’t humid like all those frat parties Jade brought you to. You still find yourself wishing you had your sweatshirt, though. “She's got a name, Danny..” your roommate chastises before introducing you two.

“Her friend’s coming later,” Dina explains as she leads you into a living room that looks much too small to house fifteen or so tipsy college students. You guess the attached kitchen will act as more space, with a few plates of snacks and bottles already stacked on the island.

You let the conversation that begins between the three friends about when everyone will be here filter out as you explore the area with your eyes. A couch and a few seats... you could probably hide away on one of those..

Your plan to avoid human contact is quickly ended when Jesse shoves a glass in front of your face, “Drink?”

Your fingers wrap around the glass without a second thought. Alcohol was your friend tonight, the only one until Ellie arrived. Usually, the only two things that could make you talkative, you had to settle for it. “Thanks,” you mumble, groaning as the taste of Titos with too little coke finds your throat.

Ok, you could do this.

﹒ ♡₊˚﹕﹒₊﹕﹒₊˚

Ellie couldn’t decide what flannel to wear. Maybe that sounds crazy. It’s a flannel, not a suit— for some small get-together. But she wondered which you would recognize first. Not that she cared about you liking her clothes or anything.

This indecision is what got her in the current situation, sitting outside the address you had given with two flannels in her hand.

Her car was cold, and the wifepleaser she wore without any coverage didn’t exactly stop the goosebumps from finding her skin. A scowl came to her face as she inspected the brown and blue shirts.

“Fuck it,” she groaned, tossing both options into her passenger side as she instead leaned over to the back, grabbing the black sweatshirt she’d worn to classes today. Ellie brought it to her nose, checking it didn’t smell or anything— and shrugged. “Good enough,” she muttered to herself before pulling it on and leaving the car.

It felt odd, to be walking up to a door she didn’t know, especially without you. She may be constantly telling you to put yourself out there, but Ellie was just a big hypocrite. It’s not like she really did anything totally spontaneous either, aside from a few club outings or drunk hookups. She had s lot to say about you putting yourself out here, but here she was, playing nervously with her fingers outside a party.

One quick check of the two of your texts confirmed the metal letters next to the door were correct, so she knocked rather harshly.

Immediately Ellie regretted that, cheeks pink as she pulled the hand away. There's a chorus of voices and shuffling behind the wood, and Ellie finds herself searching for yours.

Instead, a taller man opens the door, black hair messy, cheeks slightly flushed from what Ellie assumes to be drinks.

“Hey, uh—“ his head turns, searching behind him. Ellie thinks she may slam her head on the wall right then, embarrassed by the obvious fact this guy had no fucking clue who Ellie was.

The embarrassment from this didn’t last long; the man stepped to the side slightly as a booming voice interrupted them. This embarrassment cut much deeper into Ellie’s stomach. It painted her cheeks bright red.

“ELLIEEEE!” a voice shouts. She finds you, eyes wide and smile on your face as you open your arms. Oh you are so fucking drunk, aren’t you? You rush toward the auburn-haired girl, wrapping her into a tight hug, your arms pressing around her in a way that had her cursing her family for passing over the wobbly knees over pretty girls gene.

God, she has got to stop calling you pretty.

Ellie stumbles back with the force of your attack, patting your back awkwardly as her chin juts down to your shoulder.

Ellie's eyes meet the black-haired guy again, “She drunk?” she asks as you sway the both of you. The way you shove her chest and scoff gives her an answer. You only got offended at the accusation when you were drunk.

“I am not drunk! Just a little tipsy.”

The guy behind you makes a ’so so’ motion with his hand, drawing a grin out of Ellie.

“Righttt..” Ellie nods, letting you unwrap yourself from her. She watches as your head turns, “Oh! Ellie, this is Jesse, Dina’s boyfriend.. Jesse, this is Ellie,” you make a few awkward looks between the two, huffing.

Jesse smiles at Ellie, nodding his head to the hall. “I’ll meet you two in the living room!”

“Yea, yea sure,” Ellie nods and smiles the best she can manage when you trip over your feet back into her. The annoyance that had layered her being earlier in the morning was steadily decreasing as your eyelashes fluttered, staring at you. How could she stay angry at you for .. ‘missing’.. her texts when you looked so pr—

So nice.

“They’re so cool, El,” you whispered to her, hand finding her arm. You had a tendency of becoming touchy when you got a drink or two in you, and usually that affected Ellie, the one closest to you most times. “Yea?” she asks in response

It wasn’t like Ellie minded it. If anything, she would rather it be here you got all.. grabby with. A memory of you clinging to Jade a few times last year came to the forefront of Ellie’s ever-moving mind, making bile rise in her throat. Instead of thinking about why, she just bumped your shoulder, eyeing the shirt you wore. It wasn’t your usual style, nor a shirt she had seen you wear before. You seemed to notice Ellie’s gaze, clapping a hand on the red fabric.

“It’s Dina’s,” you explain, leading Ellie into a now slightly stuffy living room. The porch door was open now. A few people squished into the small outdoor space, and a few others in the kitchen. Though the main group was all huddled on the couches, chatting and laughing in a way that seemed much too close for Ellie and you to interrupt.

Even in your tipsy state, Ellie felt you shy away slightly, until Dina’s head popped up from a seat and grinned. “Over there,” you hum— again dragging Ellie with you.

Ellie kind of knew Dina. In a ‘I have a class or two with you and we have smiled at each other in the dorm hallway’ sort of way, due only to the shared face they both knew— you. Dina seemed sweet enough, even if you hadn’t yet babbled about that to Ellie.

Dina seemed nice, so Ellie shouldn’t feel a swoop in her stomach when you returned the smile to your roommate, but she did. The feeling bubbles in Ellie’s throat for only a moment before she swallows it down with a huff as you pull her to sit on her couch.

“Hey, Ellie,” Dina greets the girl when the two of you sit, her mouth then coming to wrap around the cup in her hand.

“Hey, Dina,” Ellie nods her head, looking around at the group.

You pipe in before the silence can get too awkward, a grin lacing your pretty lips. “Dina and Jesse were arguing over what movie to watch b’fore you got here,” you explain, head leaning toward Ellie’s shoulder. She moves it before your cheek can find the sweatshirt clad skin, a frown replacing the curl of your lips.

Dina uses this as an opportunity to delve right back into what seemed to be a half hearted argument, head shaking. “He wants to watch Jurassic Park for the like fifteenth fucking time,” she glared at Jesse, who Ellie could guess was her boyfriend.

“Hey,” Ellie butts in, “Jurassic Park is good.”

“Thank you!” Jesse shouts. “Someone with good fucking taste!”

Dina scoffed, “Maybe the first time, not the fifteenth. I said we should watch a horror movie,” the ponytail-wearing girl explained. Ellie is listening to the argument, sure, but she’s mainly focused on how your cheeks raise a bit every time either of the couple says something funny.

“Ellie,” a voice calls the girl out of her little daze, green eyes finding the lips that had asked the question, Dina’s.

“Huh?”

“I asked what your favorite movie is. Jesse thinks you must have great taste since you like Jurassic Park.”

“Shawshank Redemption,” Ellie says without thinking— the answer she always gave when people asked.

You make a noise beside her, shaking your head quickly. “Oh fuck off Ellie,” your eyes find Dina and Jesse, “She’s totally lying. Just saying that ‘cuz Joel likes it, and it’s not lame.”

The couple doesn’t question who Joel is, but the little comment has Ellie biting her lip in embarrassment.

“Her favorite movie is like—the Star Wars prequels,” you continue.

“they are not!” Ellie quickly shouts, shoving you. Dina smiles a little at the act, sharing a glance with Jesse that has Ellie looking a little flushed.

“You’re just saying that because I told you It was one of the movies that made me gay,” Ellie accuses, making you roll your eyes.

“You made me watch that shit every Friday for like two years cause of Padme. Think we’ve watched shawshank like once. And it was with Joel.”

“Oooh, your girl’s calling you a liar,” Jesse whistled, leaning forward from his place perched on the side of the couch.

Your girl. The words wrap around Ellie’s throat in a way that makes it hard to breathe, nails of each syllable digging into the freckles in her neck.

Don't go there.

“She thinks I lie about everything, worst friend ever,” Ellie sighs, the friend part coming out a little too forced.

“I am the best friend ever,” you shake your head, “You just lie a lot.”

“I’ve never lied in my whole life!”

Ellie is met with a harsh pinch on her arm, yelping as she feels the burn. “Ow!”

You stick your tongue out childishly, leaning into Dina to protect yourself when Ellie’s hand reaches out to punch you.

The fight is interrupted when a new person joins the group, ginger and tall. “We’re playing spin the bottle,” he points to the group forming on the carpet, Ellie’s nose tilting up a bit. Spin the bottle, really?

“Lameee,” Dina calls, arms wrapping around you as you gasp.

“Wait, no, that sounds fun! We should play!” you say, shocking both Ellie and Dina.

“We need to get vodka in you more often,” Dina claps your shoulder and raises into a more proper position. Ellie has to bite back an annoyed scoff. You definitely didn't need to be like this more often.

Sure, Ellie wanted you to find more comfort in being outgoing, but she didn’t want you to find that in the bottom of a cup of vodka and coke.

“El, play with us?” you question, eyeing the freckled face.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” She agrees, though it’s mostly so she can sit next to you and maybe mind-control the bottle to steer clear of your direction.

All three of you, followed by Jesse and then the ginger, stand and make your way to the smaller group on the ground. The ginger introduces them all, But Ellie isn't paying much mind. Instead, she focuses on getting you to sit without stumbling.

“How much vodka did you have, peach?” she mumbles against your ear so no one else can hear.

“Uh, like two mixed drinks? I'm fine, just overtired.” You push off her accusations of being drunk again, grinning lightly at her as if it would prove you were sober somehow.

Ellie doesn't respond, eyeing Dina as she takes the spot next to you on the other side, and then Jesse next to her. She was surprised the couple was playing, but the way Dina made an ‘Im watching you’ motion to Jesse told her enough they weren't taking the game too seriously.

It made her a bit jealous, how comfortable and.. not possessive a couple like that could be with each other. Yet here she was, a sick stomach just from the thought of a girl that was only her friend kissing someone. She needed to get a fucking grip.

“Ok, who first?” a brunette girl across from Ellie asks, eyeing the empty beer bottle in the middle. The ginger volunteered, and Ellie clocked out again.

She had no interest in watching a bunch of straight people kiss each other drunkenly, instead eyeing the posters and paintings on the living room walls. She took a few photos of space she recognized, and some movie posters that looked like they were from the 80’s. Whoever lived here seemed to have good taste. Ellie eyed the group curiously, wondering who it may be.

About five minutes later, Ellie returned to earth when someone said your name. “You wanna go next?” The ginger man asked, to which you nodded— thought a little less enthusiastically now. Maybe the vodka had begun to sweat its way out of you, or maybe watching a bunch of people kiss before now had made you a little less excited. Ellie couldn't be sure which.

Ellie watches as your fingers wrap around the bottle, shaking enough that only she would really notice. The girl thinks she may actually pass out from how hard she holds her breath.

When it begins to slow down, it’s almost right back to yourself, and Ellie starts to think she actually can mind control things. But instead, almost worse than it landing on anyone else, it lands right on her.

Everyone around you two whoops, and she can hear Dina’s voice carrying over everyone else’s.

It’s probably a little funny to look at the two reactions. Your face pulled into a shit-eating grin, puckering your lips and pressing your hands to the ground so you could lean closer. And then Ellie’s, face dropped like she had seen a ghost of a loser lesbian’s past.

Honestly, Ellie did—the ghost of a particular memory from her fifteenth year.

You lean in, nose brushing Ellie’s. Her ears go deaf, ringing as your breath puffs against her shaking lips. Right as they begin to touch, a fire rips between the small space of air there. A fire that has Ellie almost yelping out loud, pulling right back before she can taste the vanilla bean of your chapstick flavor.

“Hey!” you cry out, obviously not taking this as seriously as Ellie. No, you seemed more annoyed that she ruined the game. But she was pressing her fingers into the floor, burning from the way it hurt the flesh there to stop the hammering in her chest.

This was a totally normal reaction, Ellie decided, definitely.

“You ruined the game!” you cry, shoving Ellie’s shoulder enough to have her blinking quickly.

Dina shoves a shot glass in front of Ellie’s face before she can settle the heartbeat in her ears.

“You pussy out, you drink,” the brunette singsongs.

“I’m driving,” Ellie turns her head, standing up. Your eyes follow her, burning into the side of her cheek as she wipes sweaty palms on her jeans.

The mood dampens, but only for you and Ellie. The rest of the group goes back to playing. Ellie knows by the gasp that wafts through her pounding eardrums as she begins to walk away.

Soon, the stomping footsteps of your tipsy self follow behind. “El,” you whisper yell, grasping her arm. This time, Ellie lets you.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” You ask, eyes searching the red-tinted freckles on her face. “I didn’t mean to. It was just a game. I'm just trying to impre—”

“It’s fine,” Ellie assures you, faking the best smile she can. It should be honest; she has no reason to be upset right now. But she is. Her chest aches with the urge to go back in time and just let you do it.

“I'm just really tired, not in the partying mood.”

“Then let's go home,” you say quickly, probably searching to ease the discomfort Ellie knows she’s radiating. “I’ll stay at your dorm tonight, ok?”

God, Ellie’s such a fucking goner.

“Yea, ok. You’re definitely drunk anyway.”

“I am not!” you pout, releasing Ellie from your bruising grip. “Let me go tell Dina, I’ll be back.”

Ellie watches as you trip a bit over your feet, a habit you really need to shake, and sighs.

The silent show is not long-lasting, the brunette from the circle earlier arriving at Ellie’s side. She had kind eyes, and a bottle of water in her hand.

“Hey, it’s Ellie right?” she asks. Ellie finds herself watching the blue in her eyes.

“Yea,” Ellie nodded.

“You taking her home?” the girl asks again, in reference to you. She hands the water bottle to Ellie. “Give her this, don’t think she’s had any.”

Ellie grips the water bottle, squeezing it a bit. “Uh, thanks.”

“No problem,” she grins, one almost like yours. “My roommate’s always throwing these things and then never giving people water,” the blue eyes roll.

Ellie perked up at that, “You live here?” She thinks again of the space decorations in the living room.

“Yeah!” the brunette smiles again, “Me and Danny. I'm Luna,” she explains.

“Oh shit, wait,” Ellie’s eyebrows furrow together, “Luna..” something clicks in the green-eyed girl’s mind. “We have that physics class together, don’t we?

Luna seemed a little flushed, “Oh.. y-yea-”

The rest of her sentence falls on deaf ears when you trample into the hallway again, all senses only honing in on you, like usual. You seem to pause for a moment, eyeing the two others in the hallway.

But soon, you’re moving right by Luna, arm wrapping around Ellie’s. “Told Dina, all good to go,” you wipe a hand over your face with a little dramatized yawn.

“Thank Luna,” Ellie says again before she grabs you right back, leading you out the front door.

“You have got to stop drinking vodka. You know how you get,” Ellie mutters against you when the cool night air hits her already raised skin.

“I wanted to have fun!”

“Yea, good luck with fun tomorrow at your lecture.”

“Skippingggg it,” you mumble as Ellie ushers you into the passenger seat, the door squeaking like usual. Your ass lifts to grab the two shirts under it. “Why are there flannels in here?”

“Uh—” Ellie flushes, “I dunno.” She shuts your door before getting into her own side.

“Mm..” you sigh, already pressing your cheek to the cold glass of her window. “Who was that girl you were talking to?” you ask as the purr of the engine starts. Ellie throws the water bottle in your lap.

“A classmate, drink that.”

You look at Ellie for a moment, and Ellie stares right back. “.. Ok.”

﹒ ♡₊˚﹕﹒₊﹕﹒₊˚

“Shhh,” Ellie mutters, ushering you through the dark dorm hallway. “Can I wear your bear shirt? The super oversized one?” you babble, knocking yourself into Ellie’s door with a yelp.

“You’re such a fucking dumbass,” Ellie snickers, making quick work of unlocking the door while you nurse the bump on your head.

“Shhhh!” you mock her, flipping the light switch of her dorm on. Your finger presses to your lip in a quiet motion, kicking your shoes off. Rose wasn't here, as usual.

Ellie’s throwing the shirt with a cartoon bear at you before you lift yourself back up, and you happily tug Dina’s shirt off. Ellie is flipping away before the fire in her chest can return, throwing a pair of sweatpants behind her head so she doesn’t have to look.

“Ow!” you cry, probably from a large jumble of grey fabric hitting you.

Ellie pulls off her sweatshirt and changes her jeans for some shorts, counting to sixty before she turns around. Just to be safe.

You were already lying in her bed, pressing on the right side near the wall, eyes fluttering shut.

Ellie watches you for a moment, watches how your fingers grip at one of the blankets on her bed, thumb rubbing over it. She noticed the self-soothing motion of that years ago, how you always rubbed something between your fingers. The sleeve of your shirt, a pillow corner, a blanket. Sometimes, Ellie wishes it was her arm you did it to instead.

Don't go there.

The light flicks off, drowning the room in only the hue that came from the little pink nightlight on her roommate’s side of the dorm. Ellie is sleepily making her way to the bed, eyes catching on your now sleeping figure.

Alcohol also made you sleep really fucking easy. Ellie learned that prom night when you fell asleep in the car to the afterparty.

She watches how your lips part slightly as you breathe, and swears out loud. “Fuck.”

Ellie is so fucked. She wanted to snap her fingers and get a do-over. Wanted to be back in that loud house, back to smelling the vodka on your breath as you leaned in. She wanted to try again.

But she can’t, and she shouldn’t. So she climbs into bed next to you, pulls the blanket from between your thumb, and lets you shift, turning in bed to face the wall. She lays the blanket over you and sucks in a shaky breath.

She watches your back and presses her eyes closed to try and remove the overwhelming vision of you that invades every single one of her waking moments. And the ones after that.

Ellie falls asleep watching your back, and wonders if that’s all she will ever get.

series taglist: @darlingmisa @saintels @totheblood @elliewill @rxllingstones @elliesflower @hrtsellie @ellieluhme @darlingmisa @liabadoobee @muthafuckingstargirl @ribbonsouls @cretaceouss @bambiesfics @sl4t22 @callmekittenandyourmajesty @waywardpiratebird @starfaegirl @romantic-slaps-on-the-asss @haiixo @arcaneangstenjoyer @catkirkfan @lvrellie @gimalo135 @oatmilkchaii @corpsebridenightamare @oggystine93 @eddies-bat-tattoos @belliesgf @simiinthemirror @els-heart @iloverue @zourqz @ellitelesbo @bae-o-clock @elliesgff @gumdropkoo @sawaagyapong @gold-dustwomxn @jajsnjz @sleepyangelkami

[i-draws-dinosaurs]

one thing that annoys me about jw is that it popularized the idea of ceratopsians with holes in their frills

those were ripped right off patchi the pachyrhinosaurus from walking with dinosaurs 3d

who specifically looks that way because of an *injury*

New Jurassic World dinosaur designs have had some good ones in there but oh man have there been some dire misses and the Sinoceratops is absolutely one of them

It's just,,,, ugly. The body is inexplicably shaped almost exactly like a rhinoceros which isn't even an issue that other JW ceratopsians have as much as this guy. The head is misshapen, the feet are wrong, the tail is huge for some reason. And yeah, The Frill Holes, which become even weirder given that the Sinoceratops seems to have replaced a previous design for Pachyrhinosaurus that didn't even have the frill holes?

Overall I just find it an unpleasant and uninteresting-looking animal. Which like, as far as I'm aware that seems to be a consensus even among JW fans so nobody's really big into this guy.

Ripping into bad JW designs is kinda old hat at this point and it just makes me grumpy so I'm not gonna do any more of them, but the Sinoceratops really does epitomise the laziness at the centre of the worst designs in the series. Unlike something like the Therizinosaurus or Oviraptor, it's clearly just made by people who didn't know what ceratopsians look like and didn't care enough to figure it out. Which is basically inevitable in a big dinosaur movie but it's still disappointing.

As such, I have drawn my own Sinoceratops! Note the smaller frill, bigger head, short tail and non-rhino-looking body and legs and feet!

Also amusingly Jurassic World Evolution later introduced an official Pachyrhinosaurus and they look way nicer!

[amywhereyouwant]

Some TOH HCs I wanted to share

There are a LOT of them, so They're under the read more for your scrolling convenience

Luz

-Uses She/They pronouns

-Would watch the entirety of Sword Art Online just to be able to shit on it properly

-Eats way too much Shredded Cheese even though she’s Lactose Intolerant

-Has made a Your mom joke to Willow only to remember she doesn’t have one

-Mains King in Tekken and made a custom attire trying to make it look like the other King

-Screenpeeks religiously in Split Screen Multiplayer

-Predicted Hecazura 2 books into the series, still won’t shut up about it

-Relatively known Digital Artist, her blog probably took off when she started making art of the Demon Realm 

-Hates baking

-Helps Amity bake out of the kindness of her heart(Also seeing Amity enjoying herself is really nice)

-Had a cold once, hasn’t had a Human Realm illness since

-Has SH scars from her depressed period back in the human realm(S3E1), still ashamed over them

-Quotes Memes constantly, only Hunter understands what she’s talking about

-Cracked a rib tripping on a rug on her way to bed

Amity

-Absolutely hates Bugs, like, genuinely despises them

-Does not know how computers work, but still tries to use Luz’s laptop to look up date ideas

-Can and will dress as the most stereotypical Witch ever

-Adopted(All 3 Blight Kids are in my HC)

-Likes to bake

-Does not know how to bake

-Gets sick constantly

-Works out a lot so she can help out with rebuilding the Isles(and also a little bit for Luz)

-Used to apologise a lot for minor things(Pre-timeskip)

-REALLY Bummed she didn’t get to see Titan Luz

-Watched the barbie movie the same day Gus watched Oppenheimer

Gus

-Goes nonverbal when stressed out, uses Illusions and his palisman to communicate

-Cried for hours when he finished the last Cosmic Frontier book, even though it was a happy ending

-Likes the idea of Professional Wrestling, but wishes the fights were to the death

-Quotes Cosmic Frontier as a Vocal Stim

-Dramatically perishes in Matt’s arms on the regular

-Headcanons O'Bayley to look exactly like Hunter just for the memes

-Thinks Human 2D Animation is the most beautiful thing to have ever been created

-Watched Across the Spider-Verse and Begged for Luz to draw a Spider-Suit for him, she did one for everyone

-Got really jealous when everyone else got flapjack tattoos, then he realised he could just make one of his own with an Illusion

-Got insanely mad when he learned about Human Discrimination(“How can you hate someone for something they can’t change? That’s ridiculous!”)

-Watched Oppenheimer the same day Amity and Hunter watched the Barbie Movie

Hunter

-LOVES Dino Nuggies

-Didn’t know Dinosaurs were real for a while until Luz showed them to him, Velociraptors are his favourite because “They’re like Wolves but Lizards!” (They’re not)

-Has a tumblr account where he posts about Wolves, Luz is his only follower

-Definitely has a Fursona

-Kicks Luz’s ass at most video games, except for Halo 2 specifically(I wonder why)

-”Will you go out with me?” “Hunter we’ve been dating for a year” “Oh.”

-Thinks Huggbees’ How it’s actually made videos are 100% Legit and honest

-Made Willow a Flower Shirt to match his Wolf Shirt

-Wears Willow’s Flower Shirt he made

-Imagine Dragons is his favourite band

-Has Epilepsy

-Steals Willow’s dresses sometimes

-Found Nicole Coenen on YouTube, showed her to luz “She looks kinda like Amity!”(Nobody else sees the resemblance)

-Probably plays a LOT of Roblox

-Watched the Barbie Movie with Amity(Luz forced him to)

-Has seen every single vine there is(Thank the Titan for Vine Compilations on YouTube)

-Any kind of facial hair he grows is really patchy so he just goes clean shaven for convenience

-Snuck food during TtT even though he was 100% allowed to eat normally

-Bananas do exist in the Demon Realm, Hunter has just never learned that they do

-Gets visits from the Spirits of the other Golden Guards in his dreams

Willow

-Tackled someone to the ground when they only slightly bumped into Hunter(We stan a protective queen)

-Feeds her palisman doggie treats, nobody knows why

-Filled Camila’s entire back garden with way too many plants during TtT, they’re still there despite not being watered for a while

-Made a Garland made of both Demon and Human Realm plants for Hunter on their anniversary

-Has no real idol/role model

-Happily Listens to everyone else ramble about their interests

-Wears Hunter’s Wolf Shirt

-Calls Hunter “Hun” as a short for his name, started doing it even more after she figured out what it actually meant

-Pranks people she doesn’t like by putting giant Grape Vines around their house

-Held a presentation about plant care for the Gravesfield Gardener Society

-Thinks most Human Sports are boring(Except for Hockey and Roller Derby)

Vee

-Pulls off some crazy ass cosplays

-Knows how to drive Camila’s car perfectly, still has no idea how it actually works though

-Laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe first time she heard Metal Pipe Fall Sound Effect

-Considers Luz to be her Sister, Camila burst into tears and hugged her when she called Luz “Big Sis” in front of her for the first time

-Plays Minecraft on Camila’s home PC, has spent tons of time on Hypixel and built a little shrine for the other basilisks on a private world

-Takes after Luz in a lot of ways

-Is way better at Spanish than Luz, flexes about it constantly(Nobody really cares)

-Had no idea how to tell Masha she was a Basilisk when they confessed to her(Masha knew long before she told them)

-Is really cuddly in Basilisk form, not so much when shapeshifted(“I don’t really feel like it’s myself”)

-Her first kiss with Masha was really awkward, she apologised like 45 times and cried because it wasn’t good

-Steven Universe is a canon IP in the universe, so she got really confused when Amethyst sounded EXACTLY like her

I have no idea why I made this

[offsidekineticist]

New breakup arc chapter!

CW: aftermath of torture, description of injuries, gore, monster, dark and cluttered claustrophobic space.

Brastlewark's Official Dinosaur Skeleton Day

You really hate Qweck right now.

She hasn't done anything wrong, of course, which is the problem. For once, she was a complete badass. Two people went into that room, and only one came out covered in blood and viscera to toss a signifer's mask at Thay's feet and reassure him he was safe for the first time in weeks. She was perfect, except that you had wanted to rescue Thay like a fucking white knight from a fairytale and sweep him off his feet and–

Which is fucking stupid, of course–first thing the guy says to you is "are you happy now, Gilly?" Last time you saw him he said he'd fucking kill you if he ever saw you again. But somehow you thought he'd be happy to see you? That he'd see you as his hero sweeping in to save the day? That he'd, what, apologize for treating you that way, for misjudging you somehow? Fuck no. Thay fucking hates you now. Of course it's his fucking daughter that saves the day. And you're a piece of shit for being jealous of his fucking daughter. 

Neither of them say a word to you. You're a third fucking wheel in the middle of what was supposed to be your operation. But your plan nearly got you all killed, so it's probably fair that they're ignoring you. 

The three of you make it to the top of the stairs, and Qweck opens the door. You all squint in the suddenly overwhelmingly bright light, but your eyes adjust quickly, and now, finally able to see him properly, you're struck by how terrible Thay looks. At some point they must have taken his shirt–you suspect you'll find his back covered in lashmarks–which makes it impossible to miss how thin he is. He's lost weight–a lot of weight, which is concerning because there was never much of him to begin with. You can tell from how his veins protrude from his skin that he's dehydrated. His face is gaunt, his eyes sunken in. On his right cheek you see slashed flesh that's healed oddly, like it was never treated, and has stitched itself back together as best it can into what will soon be a mess of jagged scars. You suppress a shudder at the thought of how many times screaming must have reopened those wounds. He's grown a sad, patchy, not-worthy-of-the-name beard on his chin, which explains why he was always so careful to keep himself clean shaven. 

"Giliys!" Qweck hisses, interrupting your assessment of Thay's appearance. "What now?"

"Why the fuck would I know?" You demand.

"You're the subject matter expert here!"

"Yeah, and my subject matter expertise are telling me that we're trapped in a fucking hellknight citadel with no weapons, no getaway driver, no idea how this fucking place is even laid out, so we're fucking screwed. So why don't you see if your path to perfection doesn't have a detour through a secret tunnel or some shit?" you snap.

"Shhhh!" Thay hisses, waving his hands. He struggles to get more words out, but you already hear what he hears–someone's coming. You push him down the corridor away from the sound, careful not to touch his wounds, barely able to keep from shivering because your hand is on his back with nothing between his skin and yours.

"Where are you going?!" Qweck demands, half jogging after you.

"Away from here!" You snap, and then abruptly stop, putting your arm in front of Thay to stop him. He hunches over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath–of course he does, they haven't been feeding him. "Shit," you say.

Right in front of you, the left wall of the corridor disappears, granting you full view of the training grounds–and, if you continue, granting the knights in the training grounds full view of you.

You frantically look for a solution. To the right–there's a door to your right. You try the knob. It's locked. You take out your set of lockpicks.

"Where were you hiding those?" Qweck demands.

"Shut up and keep watch!" It's a tricky lock. There's magic involved, much to your chagrin. You can break it, but that would mean using–

"Halt!" Your pursuers are finally within sight. With a primal growl, you summon hellfire and burn away the magic holding the door shut, wincing as it burns through the wrappings protecting your hands, still healing from the last time you used it. Before it can consume anything else you call back the hellfire. It settles in your chest, uncomfortably warm. 

That's the trouble with hellfire. It won't return to hell empty handed. You'll have to damn a soul before the day is out.

You ignore the questioning look Qweck gives you as you open the door. She pulls Thay's arm over her shoulder and half drags him through the door, managing to give you a side eye as she passes. Again, you ignore her as you follow and slam the door behind you.

You are almost too eager to escape your pursuers to be dismayed when you realize the door leads to another set of stairs spiraling deeper into the earth. You hear Thay desperately trying to catch his breath, see his feet stumble and skip steps, Qweck's iron grip the only thing keeping him from tumbling down the stairs. You hear the knights behind you shouting.

At the bottom of the stairs is some kind of storeroom. It reminds you of Thay's attic, but huge. Aisles of shelves turned into tunnels of clutter, so narrow that surely tallfolk weren't expected to traverse them, magical lights casting pale blue light as far as they could before the shadows cast by the clutter snuffed out the light. And the clutter itself–

Mummified body parts. Cursed looking wands. Books with covers made of tanned human faces.

"What the fuck," Qweck breathes, even her composure breaking at the miasma of cursed magic she could surely sense.

"Less horror, more hiding! And don't touch anything!" You exclaim, pushing Qweck forward. She says a quick prayer, and a mote of light appears in her left hand. You're almost able to run through the tunnels of stuff, being careful not to touch any of the obviously cursed artifacts, eventually pulling your charges into a nook made by stacks of books and crates next to a shelf where the ambient magic felt less dangerous.

"Cover the light but keep it handy in case we have to run," you whisper to Qweck. "And for the love of the gods, don't touch–"

"Qweck!" Thay interrupts excitedly with more energy than you'd expect given how much he's been gasping. You turn to see him taking something off the shelf behind you.

"Thay–no–!"

"It's the biggenlil bag!" he whispers gleefully, holding up his mother's bag. It's an old and faded canvas satchel, lovingly mended with little happy little embroidered bees and spiders and beetles. "I thought–you can't track it, see–anti-scrying charms because mother–well, mother was a monster hunter, you see, and–" he stops suddenly, looking at the stack of books you had taken shelter by. "My books! Not all of them–I mean, I think all my books are here but–so many books–new books!"

And then he opens the bag and starts pulling it upside down over a stack of books. Because half-starved, bloodied, wheezing and running for his life through a vault of extremely cursed shit, obviously Thay's top priority would be getting new books.  

Qweck starts desperately trying to convince him to stop, but your mind has begun turning. If you've stumbled across Thay's things, that means this isn't a mere vault of cursed things. You've discovered the evidence rooms of the Order of the Rack. This is where they hide the shit too scary to leave in public but too important to burn on the pyre. Like Thay's books, apparently.

Gods, these assholes' priorities are fucked.

But if the shit down here is evidence, there is probably something you could use. Something that could perform violence on the scale of killing the half dozen hellknights you can hear carefully clanking through the aisles, but that could do that without also unleashing a small apocalypse. Something that's cursed, but only a little cursed. Or maybe just enchanted, like Thay's bag.

You let some of the fire in your chest flow into your right hand–not so much that it burns, but enough that your hand glows as you ignore the pain of burning fire under your skin. You inspect the shelf behind you, reaching out with your sense of magic as you visually inspect the contents. You recognize some of it–uniforms almost certainly taken from the corpses of Reclamationists; holy weapons and armor blessed by Iomedae; letters and books of ciphers and maps. It seems that there is some sort of system to how this mess is organized after all, and the idiots think Thay's in league with those jumped up altar boys. And of course none of the fuckers they took this shit from used daggers or hand crossbows or anything you'd find fucking useful. 

You're going to have to venture farther afield, back into that cloud of cursed magic, away from the oasis of holy magic the Reclamation armor created. Pressing your lips together you turn to Qweck, still trying to convince Thay to stop gleefully collecting new books.

"Stay here. I need to check something."

"No–don't split up! That's a terrible idea!" You hear her whisper loudly as you ignore her and continue your search. Away from the Iomedaean collection, the magic is heavier, like a cloud of thick smoke. So much potent magic you don't dare touch because you don't know what it will do to you. You search for something weaker– something that might let you figure out what it is before it eats your soul.

You stop at a small crate, locked with magic. The magic is potent, the arcane equivalent of wrapping chains around a chest, but you don't sense anything inside. You reach out with your glowing right hand and let your fire burn away the arcane lock. You ignore the wrath of hell roiling inside you, demanding satisfaction, and open the crate.

It looks like a small model of a dinosaur skeleton. It barely comes up to half your height, bones and skull made of what looks like clay, hooked together with little metal wires that seem to have been baked into the clay bones. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to see on Thay's desk in the library right before he explains matter-of-factly that it is Brastlewark's Official Dinosaur Skeleton Day and that, yes, that is a real holiday celebrated in Brastlewark for the past three hours because one of his kids adores dinosaurs and another loves bones and another loves sculptures. But there is something peculiar about it. It doesn't feel magical, but it doesn't quite feel mundane, either.

It's only one you see tiny ribbons of flame trying to escape through your fingers towards the skeleton that you realize what it is. This is a golem, or the skeleton of one, currently dormant, but very hungry. When activated, it would call nearby magical artifacts to itself and use them as flesh and fuel. You're not entirely sure why someone would want a golem that indiscriminately eats any nearby magic items, but you do know that such a device activated here, in a vault of cursed magic, would be pure chaos. 

Right now you could use a little chaos.

You take the skeleton out of the crate with your left hand, careful to keep the burning hellfire of your right hand away until you're ready. You briefly think of Thay, so happy to be reunited with his mother's bag. The anti-scrying enchantments Thay had mentioned should protect it from the golem's notice and, therefore, its appetite. If it doesn't, well, hopefully it will at least buy you time to get him somewhere he can mourn its loss in safety.

You take a deep breath and then let it have the hellfire it has been trying to drink from your fingers. Fire begins to swirl in its ribs and its skull like you imagine a soul might, and the skeleton begins to move. You hear the crates around you begin to rattle, and you cut off the flow of hellfire and run.

You rush back to the nook as quickly as you can. "Run!" You shout. A swarm of holy longswords flies off the shelves above your heads, missing you only because of your small stature.

"What did you do?!" Qweck demands.

"No time, just run!" You grab both gnomes by the shoulder with either hand, pushing them down the aisle as fast as you can as the shelves and boxes begin rattling. You hear the breaking of glass and cracking of wood as crates and trunks and cases cannot contain the magic within. Enchanted stones, cursed jewelry, blessed weapons–all manner of magical items–burst from containment towards the strange skeleton you activated. You are barely able to escape from the aisle in time for the shelves to crash down as its contents explode towards the rapidly self-assembling monstrosity you've unleashed. 

The golem's reach extends outward, tremors spreading through the library and the ground itself begins to shake under the sheer force of hundreds of magical artifacts dragging themselves across the room to sate the beast's hunger. You push your gnomes under a table pressed against the wall that seems unaffected by the madness–just an old table holding some old books and a crate of mundane items–sheltering there while the creature takes shape and the knights begin to shout.

"What did you do?!" Qweck repeats, shielding Thay with her body and straining to be heard over the roar of a hundred cursed objects joining themselves into one.

"Watch!" You shout back, pointing at the scene unfolding: shelves falling, crates cracking, things breaking, hellknights screaming, and a dark figure taking shape at the center of it all. The creature roars, standing on two legs, a tail sweeping out and crashing into hellknights unfortunate enough to find themselves in its path.

"And this accomplishes what, exactly?!" Qweck demands. The golem snaps its jaws at a hellknight. Its teeth, an array of magical daggers and shortswords, punch through the knight's armor like foil as it shakes its head like a dog with a ragdoll before tossing its toy aside and snapping at another knight. This one jumps back quickly enough that the golem's teeth only slice her neck. Her body falls while the golem keeps her head.

Blood running from between its teeth and down its jaw made of amulets and jewels, the golem freezes, as if it has heard a distant sound. It stands a moment like a prairie dog tasting the wind before letting out a terrifying roar and charging, magic items still chasing it like a comet's tail. It lowers its armor-laden head and hits the wall with an earth shattering crash. The wall cracks and the rock behind it splits as the golem crashes through the earth leaving a tunnel in its wake.

You smirk at Qweck. "After you, princess."

"You want us to follow that thing?! Did you see what it did to those hellknights?"

"Would you rather stay here?"

She almost says yes, but just before she can you both hear the sound of clanking armor and concerned shouts as more hellknights rush down the stairs. She growls in frustration. "You are the worst subject matter expert!" she hisses at you as she hurries into the tunnel. You just help Thay to his feet and chuckle, still smirking–until Thay roughly brushes your grip off his shoulder.

Right. He still hates you. A cursed chaos golem won't change that.

He almost trips rushing to catch up with Qweck–rushing to get away from you. She puts an arm over his shoulder and leads him forward into the dark as he leans into her, accepting her support without a second thought.

You know you're only proving him right, but you can't help it–you really hate Qweck right now.

[misterah13]

All SpongeBob characters

SpongeBob SquarePants

Gary The Snail

Shelley The Scallop

Patrick Star

Squidward Tentacles

Sandy Cheeks

Mr Eugene H Krabs

Sheldon J Plankton

Karen Plankton

Mrs Penelope Puff

Pearl Krabs

Larry The Lobster

The Flying Dutchman

King Neptune

Queen Amphitrite

Triton

Princess Mindy

Jody

King Neptune’s Mother

Mermaid Man

Barnacle Boy

Pyrite Ponderer

Miss Appear

The Elastic Waistband

Captain Magma

The Quickster

Madame Kassandra

Madame Hagfish

Squilvia

Squidette

Squidina Star

Bunny Star

Cecil Star

Herb Star

Margie Star

Grand Pat

Uncle GrandPat

Inga Star

Ed Star

Sam Star

Silly Star

Confused Star

Hungry Star

Janet Star

Marty Star

Patrick Nonstar

Ice Cream King

P-1000

Elephant Snail

Moose Snail

Squilliam Fancyson

Ma Cheeks

Pa Cheeks

Granny Cheeks

Randy Cheeks

Rowdy Cheeks

Rosie Cheeks

Sparky

Sue Nahmee

Cuda

Kyle

Phoebe

Rattlesnakes

Man Ray

Dirty Bubble

Harold SquarePants

Margaret SquarePants

Grandma SquarePants

Grandpa SquarePants

Todd SquarePants

SpongeBox

SpongeBox’s Holographic Doorman

Burger Beard

Prawn

Craig Mammalton

Rosy Cheeks

Macadamia

Pistachio

Hazelnut

Kenny The Cat

Regigilled The Octopus

Wise Kraken

Krakens

Goth Whale

Doctor Marmalade

Professor Percy

Lord Reginald

Atomic Flounder

Jumbo Shrimp

Sinister Slug

The Octopus King

The Moth

Breakfast Monster

Kelp Thing

DoodleBob

Clam Head Candy Cad

Jeff Tentacles

Kevin C Cucumber

Gordon Plankton

Cletus Plankton

Mama Plankton

Plankton 2.0

Betsy Krabs

Redbeard Krabs

Mr Doodles The Worm

Krabs Senior

Mrs Tentacles

Granny Tentacles

Jeff Tentacles

Plankton’s Ancestors, Cousins and Family

Granny Plankton

Spot The Amoeba

Chip Plankton

Lighthouse Louie

Otto

King Poseidon

Sage

Tony The Sea Turtle

Sea Turtles

Anchor Man

Buford

Cletus

Luther

Wonder Whale

Robot Mantis

King Jellyfish

Queen Jellyfish

Jellyfish

Blue Crested Blaster Jellyfish

Speckled Squirter Jellyfish

Two Fisted Jumper Jellyfish

Gold Throated Singer Jellyfish

No Name/Friend The Blue Jellyfish

Ol Bessy The Jellyfish

Dopey Dick The White Jellyfish

Firejellies

Jellybee

Bat Jellyfish

Moon Jellyfish

Jelliens

Jellien Leader

Seahorses

Sea Urchins

Clamu

Jennifer The Sea Anemone

Comb Jelly

Stingray

Stan The Manta Ray

Gulper Eel

Wormy

Professor Percy

Dr Marmalade

Lord Reginald

Fuzzy Acorns

Mystery The Seahorse

Sea Whelks

Sea Snails

Miss Marigold The Sea Snail

Penny Pinchers

Alaskan Bull Worm

The Sneaky Hermit

Hermit Crabs

Yeti Crabs

Federico The Waiter

Shrimp

Brine Shrimp/Sea Monkeys

Johnny Krill

Krill

Snellie

Sea Slug

Leech

Eel

Stanley S SquarePants

Captain Blue SquarePants

BlackJack SquarePants

Bubbles The Talking Dolphin

Janitor Bots

Ancient Warrior

Manatees/Sea Cows

Earless Seals

Bubble Buddy

Squidabeth

Clams

Scallops

Black Scallops

Karen Plankton 2.0

E.M.I.LP.

Fredrick

Abominable Snow Mollusk

Mermaid Teenager 1

Mermaid Teenager 2

Mermaid Teenager 3

Mermaid Teenager 4

Mermaid Teenager 5

Mermaid Teenager Incidentals

Mermaid 1 (The Cosmic Shake)

Mermaid 2 (The Cosmic Shake)

Mermaid 3 (The Cosmic Shake)

Sir Urchin

Snail Fail

Tooth Fairy (Character)

Narlene Narwhal

Nobbert Nobby Narwhal

WillyBob The Narwhal

Ma Narwhal

Pa Narwhal

Mr Eugene Krabs’s Three Nephews

Noseferatu

Kidferatu

Captain Of The Sea Ship Atlantis

Lord Royal Highness

Atlantean Royal Guards

Nando

Worm Hogs

Rolly The Dinosaur

Dinosaurs

Sea Dinosaurs

Sea Tigers

Sea Elephants

Sea Cows

Lucky The Sea Cow

Bessie

Sea Giraffes

Sea Bunnies

Sea Bears

Sea Spiders

Sea Chimps

Sea Monkeys

Sea Rhinoceroses

Sea Baboons

Sea Hippos

Sea Snakes

Sea Mules

Sewer Snake

Sea Monsters

Sea Monster

Fifi The Worm

Robot (Character)

Worms

Spotted Glistening Meadow Worms

Mrs Wormsley

Wormsley Children

Earworm

Peanut Worms

Nematodes

Rex The Worm

JK

Atlantean Citizens

The Greek Chorus

French Narrator

Goofy Goober

Mayhem Machine

Mr Sun

Patchy The Pirate

Potty The Parrot

Stephen Hillenburg

[mrultra100]

Ultra's Ramblings- The WWD '13 Retrospective

“Every fossil tells a story… even if said story is a bunch of jumbled-up nonsense”

As hard as it is to believe it, this month marks the 10 year anniversary of the Walking with Dinosaurs movie, which originally came out in theaters all the way back in 2013. I’m just as shocked as you all that this damn thing’s been around for an entire decade now, but nonetheless, I feel like a quick article is in order to describe some of my personal thoughts on the movie, and how it could’ve been great.

For those who don’t have context for this mini-retrospective, along with the film in question, this was a movie adaptation of the much beloved Walking with Dinosaurs mini-series made by the BBC. The documentary set out to show off the lives of dinosaurs, along with the other animals that they shared the world with during the time. Unlike later nature documentaries like the Planet Earth series, which focus on various scenes of different animals living in the same type of habitat (Deserts, Islands, etc), WWD’s episodes respectively set themselves in a single location, with the focus being on a central animal. New Blood focused on Coelophysis in Arizona during the Late Triassic, Cruel Sea showing off Ophthalmosaurus living on the Jurassic islands that would one day become Europe, Death of a Dynasty being focused on T. Rex in Hell Creek before the KT extinction, etc.  While the science behind this show hasn’t aged well during the nearly 25 years since its release (coughcough150tonLiopleurodoncoughcough), the storytelling present throughout the 6 episodes were beautifully crafted. And that aspect of the franchise stuck around for the various sequels and spin-offs that would follow in the years since. This thing even got a stage show for Darwin’s sake! It’s safe to say that, as the first big paleo-documentary to come out after Jurassic Park, WWD has left a pretty big impact for paleomedia as a whole, one that we’re still feeling to this very day.

With all of that said… where the hell did the movie go wrong? To answer that question, some history is needed. Back when this film was first announced, the plan was for the movie to have no dialogue (aside from the narrator, obviously). It would’ve been like a theatrical version of the original show, if it wasn’t for the hivemind of brainless, money-grubbing executives at Fox, who saw the movie in its early stages and thought “Hey, why not add in a bunch of unnecessary voice overs, dumb jokes, and pointless pop songs into this film?” It felt like they were trying to cash off of The Land Before Time, despite that franchise being a zombie begging to go extinct at that point. And thus, that’s how this film was hijacked to be nothing more than brainless nonsense aimed at little kids. That just not only feels disrespectful at the franchise as a whole, but it’s also disrespectful towards children. I, along with many others, grew up with the original series growing up, and they had things like a pair of cynodonts eating their own babies, the Liopleurodon suffocating under his own weight on a beach, a recently-hatched Gastornis being eaten alive by a swarm of giant ants, the gorganopid’s mummified corpse during the early Permian segment in Monsters, Chased by Sea Monsters ending with an entire horde of mosasaurs converging on the Ancient Mariner (And possibly devouring Nigel Marven and his crew), among other things. Yes, this movie had a few frightful moments, with the biggest being the forest fire scene, along with Patchi and Scowler watching their own father get killed off by one of the Gorgosaurus during the aforementioned fire (And that scene didn’t felt forced), but a good portion of the time, it’s just unfunny jokes and pop songs.

With all of that said, while much of the film reeks of suck, there are some good things to be had here. Firstly, the animation. As much as I wished they used props and puppets like in the original show, the animation still holds up well even after 10 years. The dinosaurs blend with the live-action environments, and for the most part, they still hold up with scientific accuracy. Another point to bring up is the setting that this movie takes place in. Keeping up with the tradition of the franchise showing lesser-known animals and ecosystems, this film is set in Alaska, 70 million years in the Late Cretaceous. During this time in Earth’s history, the dinosaurs that lived here had to deal with long summers, where the sun didn’t set for months. On the opposite side of that, the winters that followed were freezing, with the moon looming over the dinosaurs’ heads for an equally long time. It was a tough place to live, and the dinosaurs who lived there adapted to live in the cold. Not only are species like Pachyrhinosaurus, Gorgosaurus (which was renamed as the more-fitting Nanuqsaurus in the Prehistoric Planet re-cut), Edmontosaurus, Edmontonia, Chirostenotes, and more were showed in the film, they looked gorgeous with their designs.

And as much as this film’s humor is child-friendly to an excessive degree, I do have to admit that I liked Alex a good bit. Don’t get me wrong, a good portion of his jokes are some of the lowest common denominators I’ve seen in a film, he still had my interest a good bit. The scene where he helps Patchi realize that living for something he loves is better than dying in vain was one of the few times where the film felt genuine and not-forced. If the dialogue wasn’t so riddled with brain dead humor and had a vibe more like a mix of both the original show and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, I certainly would’ve liked it more. Back to Alex for a bit, my final comment about him is how I feel he might actually be a sort of god…

…I know you’re about to laugh at me for saying that one of the characters in a bastardized movie adaptation of a beloved paleodoc is a god, but hear me out a bit. At the start of the film, he telepathy talked to some kid in the modern world as a crow, morphed into an Alexornis and flew off into the Cretaceous somehow, is able to break the 4th wall multiple times, was somehow able to rewind footage of the film itself, even fade out of existence at the end of the film. I might be crazy for this, but Alex might be some sort of all-powerful, telepathic bird god. How else can he talk without his beak moving? That right there is the magic of a literal deity, and we should've all realized this back in 2013 and given him the respect he deserved! THE TRUTH NEEDS TO BE MADE!

Amen, sorry for all of that. I went a bit crazy back there. Getting back to the topic at hand, those are my thoughts on Walking with Dinosaurs 2013; A film based on one of the most legendary paleomedia franchises, but was ultimately wasted potential by out-of-touch parasite executives. They went and turned the WWD brand into a laughing stock, and it still stings to this day. All of this makes me appreciate modern paleodocs like Prehistoric Planet and even Life on Our Planet from Netflix even more. At least they both had visions that weren’t dabbled with alot. All of this were my personal thoughts on the movie, so if you want more in-depth looks into the movie and its history, check out the videos made by Kody Cook and Rickraptor105, along with the Letterboxd review made by IsaiahCTorre. They all made great reviews discussing what went wrong with this fossil. Oh, and speaking of fossils…

Ę̴̘̖͎͇̹̲͇̱̞͇̺̫͎̲̟͖̰͚̰̰̥͈̣͔̰̬̹͔̥͙͋̀̊̌̎̈́̋͛̊̓̂͛́͒͛͑̉͛͒̑̂̉͛̀͆̀̀̾͗̄̈́͛͋̈́̆̊̌̂͐̈́͆͌͊̕̚͠͠͝͝͝ͅͅͅV̷̧̢̢̨̧̡̢̛̛̟͇̘͔̣̭̤̰̠͖͚̝̲̳͚̹̖͍̖̮͇̞͈̺̝̹͔̻͚͚̠͈̥͕̠̱̤̦͍̺͐̏͝ͅͅȨ̴̡̛̯̘̟̯̙͍̖͔̯̰̭̬͍̯̮̗̞̣͕͔̮̦͚͖̰̱̼̺̖̲̻̪̹͈̫̤̭̙̠͓̦̬͎̩̉̎̿̂̉̏́͒̅̅̒͋̑̇͊̈́̈́͋̒̌̓̕̚͜͜͝R̷̡̡̨̡̖̠͓̼̪̖̗͎̝̱͍͚̼̱͖̩̖̻̠̝͍̗͈͕̘̹̼͕̲̦̞̩̘̱̭͇̪͖̗̫̤͇̰̳̊̋̀͜Y̸̨̨͓̘̯̖̰͎͇̙͕̓̆̓̈́̂̽̌͜ ̶̡̧̡̡͉̙̠̯̳̥̗̲͙̲̲͎͉͚̱̼̹̯͇̱͙̹̫̘̺̗̤͉͍̙͕͚͍̂̾̔͒͒̈́̕̚͜͠F̸̯̜̞̮̪͉̲̟̯̗̹͕̝͖̜̳̼̠̳̰̖̆̔͗͒̂̌̀͌͘͝ͅͅǪ̸̢̧͓̰͔͖̞̙̮̳̗̠͚̼͇͎̮̪̥͉̬̰͉͕̙̲̹̤̤͔͚̦̫̮̪̳̻͖̦͌̀̍̿͒͗͜͝Ş̴̥̻͖̬̣̬͖̜̹͚͎̘͕̞̪̎̎̎͝S̴̢̡̯̲͔̙̥̱̮̘̣͎̣̖͕͈̥̪͈͉͎̮̼̦̣͍̫̜̈́̇͒̈́͛̆͗̒̔͑̀̈́̎͌̿͒̿̽̊̌̈́͐̈́̈́̒͑̈́͗̈́̈̿̈́͛̋̊͋̇̀̚͘̕̚͘͘͜͝͝I̵̡̛̠̿́̀̄͒̎̑͂̑͆͊̀̾̏̚͝͠L̷̡̢͎̘͈̥̲̄̎̆̀̓̿̔̋͛͐̓̚̚ͅ ̶̨̢̡̨̛̛͔̱̬̱̙͓̫̦̦̹̬̠̞̻̻͈̝̰͔͇̙̦̥̫̰̠͉͎̩̦̱̠̼̪͆̄̓̇͌̎̍̿̈́̂̎̄̀͆̓͒̽̒͌̄͛̅́͊̉̾͂͜͝͝T̷̡͓̤͙̺̖̻͎͓̭̠̤̄̑͒͐͊̊̃̂̐̑͋̅̄͋̐̓̊̿̎̋́̈́͌̈́̈́̆̎͐̅̓̓́́̅͋̾͋̈́̄͒̏̈́̏̚͘͝͠͝Ȩ̵̢̨̧̨̛͙̪̹͔̗̣͚̺̠̲̖̪̤͙̩̟̠̳̱͖͚̳͗̊̂̒̿̒̂̃̾́͛͋͆̾̊̐̓̃͋̃̅̐̓̍̃̀̒͌̆͗̐̒̆̄͋̄͂̓̂̅̎̀̚͘̕̚͘͜͝͝ͅL̵̢̛̜̯͈̮̎̽̆̎̑̒͑͋̽̀̈́́͛̌̊̂̉͆̓̈́͆̀́͂̇͐̅̉̈̋̓̿̆̔́͑̈́̾̆̈́͐́̇̽̎̽̒͘͠ͅĻ̶̨̨̡̢̧̡̧̛̛̱͇̥͙̬̦̪̪̥̼͔͔̰̻̥̠̲̹̳̗̗̪͇̲̗̞̜̤̘̟̙͉͎̱̬̥͗̈́́̐̑̓̀̀̆̆̈́̒̊̊̒̈́̀͂̅̋̈́̄́͒̉́̃̾̆̈̓̈́͑̆͋̋͝͝ͅŞ̸̨̢͖̙̩��͇̞̞̳̅͆̄̃̍̍́͛̈̎͋͌̇̍̊̍̋̑̋͘ ̶͔̹͇̠͈̠̭̑̄̇̔͛͌̈̉̔͒̄̚͝͠͠͝Ȁ̸̧̡̧̛̙̘̞̦̫̤͕̰͓̙̱̗͎͕̝͋̾̇̈́̄̃̓̓̈́̔̀̄̓͆̕̚͜͜͠͝͝ͅ ̶̨̢̡̢͔̦̖̪̱̥̣̭̝̥͙̱̝͇̦̠͆͋̀̊̚S̵̡̖̙̟̻͙͕̖͕̙̣̻̩͚̥̼̪̞̈̓̆̑͋̅͑̃̍ͅŢ̴̧̨̧̢̧̛̛̛̠̮̙̪̯̱̳̗͙̣͔͉̳̟̳͈̝̻͕̼̬̱͕͎̤̼͔̖̳̄̾̓́̓͆̐̇͗̈͗͛͒͂̊̈́̍̇̄̊͌͜͠͠͝͝Ô̸̙̥̦̍̇͌̈́̑̅͂̋̎͆͂͛̎̊̇̽̊̆̿͠͝͝͝Ŗ̶̢̛̘̜͕͉̹͕͎͎̹̯͈̤̼̲͈̪͉͆̆̽̅̑̑͒̓̈́̽̽͐͆̽̀͂̋̒͌͛͗̂̔͌̀͋̈́̏̋͌̆̀̚̕͘͘͝͝͝ͅͅỶ̷̧̡̛̫͕̳̼̘̗̝̭͓̪̦̝̗̱̗̞̦͓̻̝͖̻̰͈͉͉̼͚̘̗̬͈͙̔̎̈́̅̂͗̌̑̌̌͂́̐̐̉̑͗͂̑͛̏͒͋̄́̓̾͊̾̊̅̍͆͒͋͗̕̕ͅͅ

[oberthinkin]

Going to a toy store with Mammon.

He takes you to a toy store in the human realm, since demonic toys may be a bit intense for you/not safe. Plus, if there’s one thing the human realm does better, it’s making toys that don’t have curses on them.

So you’re at the store, and he’s walking you through the isles, asking if you what this doll, if you want a baby alive toy, this plastic fashion doll, these baby dolls, stuffed animal dolls, any kind of doll.

And you say no.

Which confuses him—- what human doesn’t like dolls? Humans LOVE taking care of things, humans specialize in taking care of non-people! A doll should be right up your instinctual alley!

So you take his hand and tug Mammon towards the Dinosaur toy isle. You grab a battery powered mask that mouths with your mouth and makes roars, raptor claw gloves, and dino egg hatch water soakies.

And you say you want the dinosaur toys because Mammon, in his true demon form, with no glamour at all, looks like a huge allosaurus with patchy raptor feathers and pterodactyl wings! Your daddy is a dino, and that’s the kinda toys you want!

Mammon makes a squeak before maxing out his credit card buying every single dinosaur toy the store has!

[bubacorn]

if you get this, answer with three random facts about yourself and send it to the last seven blogs in your notifs! anon or not, doesn’t matter, let’s get to know the person behind the blog <3

Oh, this is hard. Let's see.

I know a little German, which is funny, since I took the subject for more than a decade, but teachers were so crappy I never tried a language exam.

Once I died my hair bright pink and purple and my math teacher asked if I was having a crisis, in front of the whole class. She had a patchy brown paint-job, so really, she should have asked her hairdresser that.

Despite not knowing a lot about dinosaurs, I have a ton of dino-related trinkets, (squishy toys, hairbands, pillowcases), so I may project that I'm a dino-nerd but am actually afraid of someone asking me for my favorite dinosaur, cause I don't have one and am terribly uninformed about the different types beside the really 'common' ones.

Thank you for the ask, have a lovely day! 💖

[appears]

25th Anniversary

Ami Suzuki: SA (1999.03.25)

Like clockwork, as soon as Tetsuya Komuro got bored with his latest protege, he moved on to the next one. In 1998, he hopped from Tomomi Kahala to Ami Suzuki, who made her debut in July of that year with the single "love the island." She released five more singles after that until finally dropping her debut studio album SA in March of 1999.

Despite a public weary with his trademark style, now done to death with artists like hitomi, Tomomi, and Namie, not to mention his other projects like dos and globe, TK doubled down on his signature sound, particularly on the opening track "nothing without you": the keyboards, the synths, the funky rhythm and background vocals. Longtime collaborator Cozy Kubo's arrangement brings it all to a satisfying wistful lead-in to the second track. Anyone not already a fan can stop right there.

In terms of numbers, this album did really well for a debut, as expectations were high to for TK's next "It" girl, but in terms of quality, the music couldn't be a better representation of how dull, hackneyed, and by-the-numbers his music had become by then. The album still pulls out some solid songs that remind me how fun TK was at his best, songs like "alone in my room" and "white key" that do a great job of taking you back to J-pop circa 1996. But there are too many lazy melodies that don't get rounded out by the high-quality production we had come to expect. Mentally, I think TK was done with J-pop and ready to board the electric train right on out to Cyber TRANCE compilation town (you can especially hear this on the outlier "all night long," a sonic precursor to a song like "try this shoot," which he would write and release with globe two years later). He just couldn't compete with the rise in R&B and hip-pop that was beginning to sweep the charts with artists like Hikaru Utada and Mai Kuraki. It doesn't help that Ami Suzuki, like so many of the women he wrote music for, wasn't a good singer. Not as bad as Tomomi Kahala, and sufficient for the music we're dealing with, but noticeably patchy in places, and downright bad in others.

I sound really sour about this album, an album that for all my whining went #1 and ended up being the ninth best-selling album in Japan that year. To be honest, I still have a soft spot for this one, because it really sounds like TK is struggling to recapture a kind of magic that came so easily for him half a decade ago. There are parts of this that take you back to hitomi's early albums, and yet, the fight never stops being audible.

I still get nostalgic hearing TK's brand of 90s J-pop, and while there are still some good songs on here, I can objectively see that this was the last feeble roar of a dying dinosaur. It also really tells you nothing about Ami Suzuki as a person or performer, as she had both the good luck and misfortune to work with a producer so big, that it would take several more years for her to develop a light outside of his shadow. In many ways, she never did, as she always seemed to be at her best working under names as big as Yasutaka Nakata, RAM RIDER, and the others who featured on her best albums to date. In a really sad twist, the only way people got to know her as a person outside of music was during the scandal that followed her lawsuit against her management company. But that was years later. In 1999, while it may not have been fresh for any one else, it must have all still been new and exciting for her to get the chance to debut with a legend in the industry, and that hope and enthusiasm still shines through, albeit not easily, on SA.

Catalog Number: AICT-1050

[i-am-become-a-name]

December 7.  If you want to know a place, know their stories. 

The Doctor had been gone for over a week now, whatever a week was in this weird place, and she’d knocked at every door in the town, but no one admitted to seeing a short man with a silly accent. She’d seen these banners before, and since they seemed to change every day and night cycle, the repetition must mean it had been a set number of days for them, she could work that much out. She'd tried drinking at the pub with them, but it seemed no one talked in there, just drank their gross drinks in silence and left. Hang on, she hadn't been taking communion or something, had she? Nah, there'd been no bread, body of Christ or whatever it was meant to be. It had always grossed her out a little, drinking blood and eating flesh. Whatever they were drinking could be, she guessed, certainly tasted naff enough. 

But anyway, she shook herself back into concentration. The Doctor. Tapped her nose, and went out in the night to visit an old friend, telling her it would be of no interest. Then, when she awoke after sitting up waiting for him, it was full morning and he wasn't back. She'd think he had ditched her- he wouldn't, he never promised, but she knew he wasn't like that - and anyway,  the TARDIS was still tucked away where they had first landed, and he couldn't leave without that. He wasn't dead either, she'd know if he was, no need telling. So he was somewhere here. The pub? church? was no help, so where else could she get stories? A school? She hadn't seen any sprog about, and that was a bit weird too, now she thought about it. No kids, no proper pubs or beers, why had the Doctor wanted to visit again? 

God, how could she be so stupid? She hadn’t hung out there when she was a kid, but sort of remembered one at her school, a patchy little room with battered books where the social workers talked to her with such sickeningly nice smiles. But it was exactly the dusty kind of place the Doctor would go. Probably even call the books his friends, the weirdo, she thought fondly. The streets were busy, dusty and hot, banners for the day flapping in the too-hot breeze, but they were alongside differently patterned ones, decorated with shiny symbols. Maybe it was a new month too, or some kind of holiday? But hang on, it hadn't rained for a whole week, or whatever they were calling it, and maybe it was just summer, but even then good luck for a whole five days without it raining back where she grew up. Still, it was well weird.

She’d seen some bigger buildings while she was wandering around, even gone into what might’ve been a museum, but there weren’t even dinosaur bones to be seen. If they had dinosaurs here. But she’d skirted the other ones, could be government buildings and they were no fun unless she got to blow them up, but one of them could easily be a library. She navigated her way back through the streets, and ah-hah, it was! Even a display up in the front, screwy letters that twisted and curled when she tried to read them, TARDIS not letting her. So much for a library, full of books she couldn’t read. Not that she really wanted to anyway, resisting the urge to kick petulantly at the base of the display. She flicked open one of the thinner ones, trying not to chunder all over the wriggling letters, and flicked through looking for pictures.  

“What the-” and someone loudly hushed her, but she was already dumping the book back on the stand, running for- she didn’t know where, wherever they kept human sacrifices, according to the book. Bloody hell, he would, wouldn’t he? No one better at stumbling into stupid things like human sacrifices than the Doctor, and he wasn’t even human! Not that they were here either, but she could recognise what was going on from pictures. As soon as she was free, they were absolutely blowing those stupid government buildings and whoever thought it was okay to sacrifice her- her best friend, right up. Know their stories, whatever. They’d get a new bloody story after this.

[bestfictionaldinosaur]

Brackets Are Here! (Repost)

I made a pretty significant oversight in my last version of this post; I had to make a few more cuts to the lineup, but it should be good to go now! The final (hopefully for real this time) list can be found here!

If you submitted a candidate please verify that the image and name that I used are correct and suitable!!!! (Ctrl+F is your friend!)

If you find a mistake please let me know, and I will either explain or correct it. Additionally, you are welcome to suggest a replacement image of OFFICIAL art!

I will leave it open for a week or so for everyone to review, after which voting will begin and everything will be locked in! So verify that everything looks good with your candidates, reblog if you haven't yet, and get ready to vote!

Oh, and blacklist "saurnament promotion" if you don't want to see repeated reblogs from me!

Text version of bracket lineup under the cut (it's a lot!):

----------------

Ornithischian Bracket (Round 1)

Ulti [One Piece] Styraco [Dinosaucers]

Pepperoni [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Tri-Tip [Skylanders]

Horrorsteed Iguanadon [Dinosaur Arcade] Sabersaurus [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Bix [Dinotopia] Bastiodon [Pokemon]

Spike [Extreme Dinosaurs] Parry [Parry and Carney]

Heavy Tank [Final Fantasy] Territorial Hammerskull [Magic the Gathering]

Rampardos [Pokemon] Gwangi [Valley of Gwangi]

Corythosaurus [Paleo Pines] Iguanador [Flight Rising]

Parasaurmon [Digimon] Tricky the Triceratops [Donkey Kong]

Pachy Zord [Power Rangers] Gulp [Spyro the Dragon]

Zog [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Scrut [Banjo-Kazooie]

Tricky [Star Fox] Slug [Transformers]

Scrit [Banjo-Kazooie] Tootsie the Triceratops [Duck Tales]

Boulder [Transformers] Hypsilophodon [The Dinosaur's Diary]

Tricero [Dinosaucers] Dimitri [The Legend of Zelda]

Aladar [Dinosaur (2000)] Parasaurzord [Power Rangers]

Green Torch [DC] Reese [Dinosaurs for Hire]

Craig [Dinosaur Office] Tortoceratops [Dragon Quest]

Trixie [Toy Story] Monochromon [Digimon]

Ducky [Land Before Time] Lambeo [Fossil Fighters]

Lady Margaret [Jurassic Park] Paris [Dinosaur King]

Woog [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story] Aggron [Pokemon]

Nizbel [Chrono Trigger] Reptil [Marvel]

Armadon [Primal Rage] Chomp [Dinosaur King]

Styracavus [Flight Rising] Riff [Barney]

Triceratops [Dinotopia] Renzor [Super Mario]

Lucky [Paleo Pines] Guiledart [Transformers]

Bakhita [Jurassic Park] Ouranosaurus [Paleo Pines]

Gatling Gun Dino [Spyro the Dragon] BJ [Barney]

Old Buck [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria] Trizaur [Bakugan]

Drip [Tyrannosaurus Drip] Eema [Dinosaur (2000)]

Patchi [Walking With Dinosaurs] Zalmoxes [Prehistoric Planet]

Trixie [Night at the Museum] Scrat [Banjo-Kazooie]

Theo the Triceratops [Prehistoric Park] Psittacosaurus [Paleo Pines]

Babycerasaurus [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Quackpot [Dinosaucers]

Armored Kincaller [Magic the Gathering] Ardun [Xenoblade]

King Dodongo [The Legend of Zelda] Scrotty [Banjo-Kazooie]

Maisuke [Doraemon] Jurrac Iguanon [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Nasaur [Fossil Fighters] Triceratops Dinozord [Power Rangers]

Rodger Blair [Dino Squad] Dweeb [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story]

Triceratops [Dinosaur Arcade] Rhenoplos [Monster Hunter]

Salada [Fossil Fighters] Kestodon [Monster Hunter]

"Triceratops" [Simba the King Lion] Baby Bop [Barney]

Wonderdon [DC] Cera [Land Before Time]

Pervatasaurus Leeri [The Onion] Treyzer [Bakugan]

Professor Steg [Fortunately, the Milk] Aptonoth [Monster Hunter]

Wuerhosaurus [Paleo Pines] Stego Cyber [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Url [Dinosaur (2000)] Darkyloseid [DC]

Ankylo Hammer Zord [Power Rangers] Snowflake Stegosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Umasou [You Are Umasou] Bellowing Aegisaur [Magic the Gathering]

Scelidosaurus [Paleo Pines] Ankylomon [Digimon]

Stegmutt [Darkwing Duck] Stego [Dinosaucers]

Dromosaur [Magic the Gathering] Stegosaurus [Fantasia]

Stego Spike Zord [Power Rangers] Hard Rock [Extreme Dinosaurs]

Anguirus [Toho/Monsterverse] Bargasaurus [Banjo-Kazooie]

Lowjaw Minmi [Flight Rising] Ankylo [Dinosaucers]

Chase [Transformers] Bumpy [Jurassic Park]

Saberback [Transformers] Tank [Dinosaur King]

Stegz [Extreme Dinosaurs] Spike [Land Before Time]

Lorenzo [Dinosaurs for Hire] Dorothy the Dinosaur [The Wiggles]

Apceros [Monster Hunter] Slobber Tooth [Skylanders]

Stogg [My Singing Monster] Stegomon [Digimon]

Snarl [Transformers] Dazzle [Dazzle the Dinosaur]

Erwin Caruso [Dino Squad] Black Stego [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

----------------

Saurischian Bracket (Round 1)

Jurrac Guiaba [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Stegosaurus [asdfmovie]

Jurrac Brachis [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Mechazaurus [Mega Man]

Borun-tosaurus [Kirby] Chomposaur [Earthbound]

Meganium [Pokemon] Denver [Denver, the Last Dinosaur]

Titanus [Power Rangers] Alpha [Dinosaur Planet]

Heatwave [Transformers] Molly [The Amazing World of Gumball]

Chomby [Neopets] Infected Argentinosaurus [Primal]

Kommo-o [Pokemon] Littlefoot [Land Before Time]

Magmasaur [Magic the Gathering] UltimateBrachiomon [Digimon]

Sauropod Brachion [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Diplodocus [Walking With Dinosaurs]

Larinoth [Monster Hunter] Beylene [Dinosaur (2000)]

Queen [One Piece] Todd [Dinosaur Office]

Bob [Dinosaur Bob] Arlo [The Good Dinosaur]

Dino [The Flintstones] Bronto Thunder [Dinosaucers]

Gertie the Dinosaur [Gertie the Dinosaur] Aurorus [Pokemon]

Dippy [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles] Ultimate Humungousaur [Ben 10]

Yobby [Tumblr User @iguanamouth's Dream] Tropius [Pokemon]

Dippy [Banjo-Kazooie] Brachiosaur [Final Fantasy]

Humungousaur [Ben 10] Frigi [Fossil Fighters]

Supersaur [DC] The Dinosaur [Danny and the Dinosaur]

Millesaur [Xenoblade] Sludge [Transformers]

Firecracker [Jurassic Park] Slog [Transformers]

Dink [Dink the Little Dinosaur] Brachio [Dinosaucers]

Wetnosaur [Earthbound] Isisaurus [Prehistoric Planet]

Jurrac Gallim [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Scorn [Transformers]

Duna [Fossil Fighters] Jokerzard [DC]

Yoshi Kid [Super Mario] Zuum [Monster Rancher]

Jurrac Spinos [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Flashraptor [DC]

Fiona Flagstaff [Dino Squad] Etali, Primal Conqueror [Magic the Gathering]

Blue [Jurassic Park] Rudy [Ice Age]

Doug Jones [The Velocipastor] Avinychus [Dinosaur Simulator]

Souleating Oviraptor [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Anchovy [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

Compsognathus [Paleo Pines] Mr. Conductor [Dinosaur Train]

Page One [One Piece] Cyber Gallimimus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Jurrac Stauriko [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Birdetta [Super Mario]

Indoraptor [Jurassic Park] Amped Raptor [Magic the Gathering]

Aquanyx [DC] Spino Zord [Power Rangers]

Yoshi [Super Mario] Ozzy and Strut [Land Before Time]

Voodoo Microraptor [Dinosaur Arcade] Raptor Red [Raptor Red]

Utahraptor [Quantz Comics] Spinosaurus [Jurassic Park]

Dr. Dinosaur [Atomic Robo] Gunfighter Dino [Spyro the Dragon]

Spinoraptor [Jurassic Park] Mutant Niptor [Neopets]

Dromiceiomimus [Quantz Comics] Tzitzi-Ya-Ku [Monster Hunter]

Chaos Therizinosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade] Diego Brando [JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure]

Sunrise Troodo [Flight Rising] Mononykus [Prehistoric Planet]

Old Lace [Marvel] Mr. Robustus [Reverse Jurassic Park]

Great Wroggi [Monster Hunter] Talon [Primal Rage]

Dinobot [Transformers] Smoking Utahraptor [Walking With Dinosaurs]

Spinomon [Digimon] White Tip [Dinosaur Planet]

The Raptor [Toronto Raptors] Kyraptor [Coromon]

Spino [Fossil Fighters] Jellysaur [Cookie Run]

The Big One / Clever Girl [Jurassic Park] Pantalaza [Magic the Gathering]

Skateboarding Coelophysis [Walking With Dinosaurs] Hook [Bakugan]

Helovolk [Nexomon] Riptor [Killer Instinct]

Tree Creeper [Primeval] Menou [Naruto]

Mr. Pilkington [The Critic] TNT Dino [Spyro the Dragon]

Great Izuchi [Monster Hunter] Night Feeder [Primal]

Jurrac Giganoto [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Alex [Tekken]

Chaos, Limbo, and Grim [Jurassic Park] Jurrac Herra [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Emperor Hugo Khan [Dinotopia] Princess Dei [Dinosaucers]

Deinocheirus [Prehistoric Planet] Rhedosaurus [The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]

Therizinosaurus [Paleo Pines] Burnsaurus [Princess Connect Re:Dive!]

Spiny [Dinosaur King] Seikret [Monster Hunter]

Pod [Dinosaur Planet] Black Veloci [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

----------------

T-Rex and Friends Bracket (Round 1)

Ultimate Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Geno Breaker [Zoids]

Anjanath [Monster Hunter] Dino-Rang [Skylanders]

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Lava Lizard [Spyro the Dragon]

Burn Dinorex [Mega Man] Giganta [DC]

Tyranno Infinity [Yu-Gi-Oh!] Toro [Jurassic Park]

Carney [Parry and Carney] SkullGreymon [Digimon]

Tyrannosaurus Dinozord [Power Rangers] Chote [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

D-Rex [Kirby] Tyrantrum [Pokemon]

Dino [Monster Rancher] Devil Dinosaur [Marvel]

Traumador the Tyrannosaur [The Tyrannosaur Chronicles] Hank [Prehistoric Planet]

Indominus Rex [Jurassic Park] T-Rex [Google Dino Run]

Tyrannomon [Digimon] Rockstar [Inazuma Eleven]

Tyranniqueen [Persona] Heart [You Are Umasou]

T-Rox [My Singing Monster] Roberta/Rexy [Jurassic Park]

Buddy [Dinosaur Train] Doodle Beast Tyranno [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Mechagodzilla [Toho/Monsterverse] Scorpius Rex [Jurassic Park]

Dino Agito [Beyblade] Atrocitaurus [DC]

Archie [Dinosaurs for Hire] T-Rex [Astrobot]

Bonehead [Dinosaucers] Fang [Primal]

Tyrano [Chrono Cross] Tyrranax [Magic the Gathering]

Greymon [Digimon] Jurrac Titano [Yu-Gi-Oh!]

Broken Jaw [Dinosaur Revolution] Matilda the T-Rex [Prehistoric Park]

Taurox [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria] Chomper [Land Before Time]

Little Das [Dinosaur Planet] Afsan [The Quintaglio Ascension]

Ace [Dinosaur King] Reptar [Rugrats]

MetalGreymon (Virus) [Digimon] Rex [We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story]

Magnificent Digalus [Xenoblade] RustTyrannomon [Digimon]

Trypticon [Transformers] Megavore [Dinosaur Simulator]

T-Rex in F-14 [Calvin and Hobbes] Rex [Toy Story]

Rosie [Neopets] Colossal Dreadmaw [Magic the Gathering]

Igno [Fossil Fighters] Tyrannosaur [Final Fantasy]

Mr. Patch [Banjo-Kazooie] Freezy Rex [Kirby]

Chopper [Skylanders] T-Rex [Tomb Raider]

T-Rex [Doraemon] Carnozord [Power Rangers]

Grimlock [Transformers] Diablo [Primal Rage]

Tyregg [Nexomon] Vastatosaurus rex [King Kong]

Tina Rex [The Amazing World of Gumball] Black Tyrrano [Chrono Trigger]

Goodsie [Dinosaurchestra] Ferocisaurus [Dragonball]

Speckles [Speckles the Tarbosaurus] Rolf Maxwell [Dino Squad]

Allo [Dinosaucers] FrostBaron Tyrannosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Gorosaurus [Toho/Monsterverse] Iris [Overlord]

Rankar Dragon [Xenogears] Agumon [Digimon]

El Dinosaurio Anacleto [31 Minutos] Godzilla [Toho/Monsterverse]

Skeleton Rex [Castlevania] T-Bone [Extreme Dinosaurs]

Cyclops [Dino Crisis] Deviljho [Monster Hunter]

Bat Walker [DC] Guilmon [Digimon]

Vampire T-Rex [With Animation You Can!] Speega [Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles]

T-Rex [Super Mario] Barney [Barney]

Rexy [Night at the Museum] General Scales [Star Fox]

X Drake [One Piece] Sharptooth [Land Before Time]

Torakor [Neopets] Baby [Dinosaurs]

Carnotaurs [Dinosaur (2000)] Momma Dino [Ice Age]

T-Rex [Quantz Comics] Trox [Bakugan]

Albino Terror [Dinosaur Simulator] Gergoth [Castlevania]

Galem Darkhand [Neopets] Odo [Live A Live]

Tyrannomon X [Digimon] T-Rex [Fantasia]

Bio Rex [F-Zero] Gon [Gon]

Tiny [Meet the Robinsons] T-Rex [Xiaolin Showdown]

Theodore Rex [Theodore Rex] Baby T [Crash Bandicoot]

Hauzer [Red Earth] Stumpy [Dinosaur Revolution]

Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria [Ben 10] Cosmic Allosaurus [Dinosaur Arcade]

Terry [Dinosaur King] Taurox's Carnotaurus [Deadsound's Dinosauria/Sauria]

Quincy (Dream) [Foxtrot] Quantasaurus Rex [Power Rangers]

Mecha Drago [Earthbound] Tinkerbelle [Dinosaur Revolution]

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: How Fast Did T. rex Run?: Unsolved Questions from the Frontiers of Dinosaur Science Author: David Hone Genre/s: nonfiction, science, paleontology Content/Trigger Warnings: none that I could tell Summary (from publisher website):  In just the past twenty years, we have learned more about dinosaurs than we did in the previous two centuries. This book describes the extraordinary advances in palaeontology that are beginning to solve many of the mysteries surrounding these marvelous prehistoric creatures, from their ways of communicating to their mating habits, the color of their skin, their migration patterns and extinction. How did dinosaurs rear their young? What did they eat? What did T. rex actually do with those tiny arms? David Hone draws on his own discoveries at the forefront of dinosaur science to illuminate these and other questions. Each chapter in this lively and informative book covers a key topic in dinosaur science, such as origins, diversity, evolution, habitats, anatomy, behaviour, ecology and dinosaur descendants—the birds. For each topic, Hone discusses the history of what palaeontologists thought in the past, the new insights we are gleaning from recent fossil finds and the latest technologies and the gaps in our knowledge that still remain. He shares his own predictions about the research areas that may produce the next big ideas in dinosaur science and addresses the unknowns we may never solve. How Fast Did T. rex Run? reveals everything we now know about dinosaurs—and everything we don’t—and charts thrilling new directions for tomorrow’s generation of dinosaur scientists.

Buy Here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9780691242521/how-fast-did-t-rex-run Spoiler-Free Review: So: about this book. I was actually looking for Hone’s The Future of Dinosaurs after I heard about it on the Terrible Lizards podcast, which Hone cohosts with Iszi Lawrence. Did not know it had been retitled to How Fast did T. rex Run? for the US release, and so got mixed up and got it much later than I’d like. Still, I did get it (eventually), and after some huffing and wishing that publishers wouldn’t DO that (retitling books I mean), I got stuck in.

(Also I like the UK cover much better. No offense to the designers of the US cover, but I like the dark blue and gold of the UK cover more. Also I like stegosaurus more than T. rex.)

Fortunately the contents of the book itself are the same as the UK one (by which I mean, it’s all UK spelling), so it’s really just me and my personal sense of aesthetics and my frustration at the retitling thing talking here lol Anyway... Well. It’s not BAD, per se. Just not quite as fun as I imagined it’d be, given what I knew of Hone from the podcast. And Hone does a pretty decent job of covering the things we do know about dinosaurs, and the things we don’t actually know about dinosaurs, and where things might go in the future given what the field of paleontology looks like vis-a-vis other developments in science and technology, as well as the overall socio-political-economic trajectory of the world at large (because what happens in the world at large has an enormous effect on what happens in scientific fields, and let’s not pretend it’s not true). What I found interesting was that the questions that seem hardest to answer are what I’d call “kid questions”: the kind of thing a dino-obsessed seven- or eight-year-old might ask. Things like “What color were dinosaurs?” or “What was the biggest dinosaur EVER?” And it’s personally amusing to me that a child would put forward questions that would make a paleontologist break out in cold sweats or give them war-flashbacks, but at the same time that makes a whole lot of sense. There’s just SO MUCH STUFF we still don’t know about dinosaurs given the extreme patchiness of the fossil record, plus limitations both inside and outside the field. Paleontologists might have a decent idea of how dinosaurs moved (biomechanics being, apparently, a rapidly-expanding field in paleontology), but things as basic as knowing the colors dinosaurs came in are immensely hard to answer. But that being said, Hone notes that there will come a time when even those hard questions will have answers - if not definitive ones, then reasonably logical best guesses. It’s really a matter of locating the right finds; channeling resources to the right places; technology advancing to a point where it can be used to bring up new information; and researchers deciding to spend time and effort on the right things. Hone also points out that things are getting harder because of budget cuts, and that some necessary parts of paleontology are not as glamorous and therefore not getting the time and energy from researchers they deserve (he names anatomy, specifically, as one such field), but that overall, the future has immense potential.  So: overall, I’d call this a worthwhile read, but I think I stuck with it because I encountered Hone first on the podcast, and was willing to give it a shot. YMMV if this is your first encounter with his work. 

Rating: three theropod claws

[potionpeddlerpatchy]

Patchy I’m in LOVE with this game!!! So unique!!!!

For the slumber party, I will be bringing Mr Sebek Zigvolt, my cutie patootie, and I will also bring a copy of Jurassic Park: the best movie of all time!

I just hope Sebek will be comfy! Though, I'm sure he would be if he's snuggled close to you!! And I knew you were going to say, Jurassic Park! I JUST KNEW IT! Suppose we can enjoy some dinosaurs together 💛💛

So hurry up and get changed!! I'll give ya your snack and teddy when you get back 💛

come join my cozy fort~ 🔮

[squids-comics]

Hey remember when I said I'd post writing yesterday? I forgot about Full Comic Friday. So here it is now!! Here's Dual Identity Dysphoria!

Lewis was an average man on a good day. On an average day, he was slightly below average. He was weak looking and rather scrawny. He was the kind of guy who never put any care into his appearance. He had tangled, greasy hair and wore nothing but graphic t-shirts underneath oversized hoodies. He was the kind of guy who stayed up late in the night and slept till noon. He had very few friends, very solitary hobbies, and didn't know how to talk to women to save his life. He also had a deep secret he kept closely guarded. 

Each afternoon, he'd crawl out of bed, directly into the bathroom. He'd shower and shave and moisturize, all while trying to avoid looking in the mirror. He didn't like the thing that looked back at him. He didn't like the shape of its cheekbones, or how sharp its jaw was, or the lump in its throat. They didn't look right to him. They didn't fee right. He'd walk away looking rather patchy and spotty, as it's hard to shave without a mirror.

After that, he'd move back to his room to get dressed. He'd pull a shirt and a pair of jogging pants out of his clean-ish pile in the center of the floor. He'd grab one of his two black hoodies from the closet and throw it over top. The whole outfit probably needed a wash, but he wasn't going to leave the house today so it was fine. He made sure not to open his closet too wide when doing this. He didn't want to see what was inside. It wasn't time yet.

Lewis worked a nice remote job, meaning he'd get to lounge around on the couch while typing out some writeups or filing some digital paperwork or whatever else his boss emailed him to do. It was easy, it paid well, and he didn't have to talk to anyone. It wasn't very fulfilling, but he liked it. 

On his lunch break, he'd throw open the pantry and pull whatever he could find out. Macaroni, instant ramen, canned soup. Nothing was too high class for him (unless it took more than fifteen minutes to make)!

When his half hour lunch was over, he'd come back to find a new email from his boss with a new menial task for him to do. Which he would, without fail. He was a star employee, just as long as he didn't have to send any emails of his own. 

When he finally clocked out, he'd crack open his freezer and find something to have for dinner. His favourites included frozen pizza, frozen lasagna, and dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. Sometimes, if he was feeling particularly adventurous, he'd try to make something more complex, like scrambled eggs. It didn't work out well most times, as he struggled with cracking eggs. They were so small and delicate, requiring the perfect application of force to crack the shell. Without enough force, their shell remains unharmed, leaving the egg relatively unchanged. Too much force would shatter the shell, destroying the egg and the nice comfortable life it had worked so hard to achieve. He didn't like when he tried too much force. It scared him. 

After dinner, he would jump back on the couch and flick on Supernova, his favourite sci-fi show. He liked seeing all the colourful alien worlds, and all the equally colourful people living on them. He'd typically watch for at least three hours, catching the newest episodes or watching reruns if there weren't any new ones out yet. Lewis had seen the reruns a thousand times already. But there was nothing wrong with watching them again. They made him feel comfortable. And he loved staying in his comfort zone, at least until his show was done anyways.

After he had his sci-fi fix for the day, Lewis would go back to his room and open his closet. It was time. The closet was originally designed to be a reach in closet, and still looked like one from the outside, but Lewis had refurbished it to be a walk in. Just behind the door was a rack of shirts and sweaters, hiding the deeper reaches of the closet. Lewis would brush them too the side and walk in. He'd quickly and quietly close the door behind him. He lived alone, but he still felt weird going in a secret closet with an open door. 

Inside the closet sat a mannequin torso and a separate mannequin head beneath a bright spot light. It proudly displayed what appeared to be a padded leotard made of rugged leather. The pads were especially thick in the hips and the chest, making them look particularly round. It was a maroon colour, with very bright red lace around the edges. In the center was a bright red spider web, stitched elegantly into the outfit. Even though it had been hand made and hand stitched, the leotard looked professionally done. On the head was a wig with shoulder length hair, a pretty bubblegum pink colour. The mannequins sat atop a chest of drawers and across from a rather large mirror. The spotlight showered the whole scene in a golden light, amplified by the mirror. 

Lewis ripped off his greasy clothes, throwing them in a heap on the floor. He couldn't get them off fast enough. He hated them. He avoided the mirror at all costs. He couldn't look in it yet. The reflected light from the mirror cast Lewis' shadow against the wall. He didn't like it's outline. 

He walked over to the chest of drawers and opened the top drawer. Inside were an assortment of medical supplies. A first aid kit sat open next to rolls of gauze, an alcohol based disinfectant, and way more rolls of medical tape than any normal person would need. Lewis grabbed one of the rolls and shut the drawer. Slowly and carefully, Lewis reached down to what was between his legs, tucking it back and taping it in place. When he was done, he returned the tape to the first drawer, before opening the second and retrieving a pair of pink leggings. Lewis slowly put them on, one leg after the other, ensuring they were on tight and flat. He put on a thin and breathable tank top shirt, made of nylon. He slowly lifted the leotard off the mannequin before slipping it over his shirt. It felt nice. Tight in all the right spots, with just the right amount of padding to sit on his frame.

The shadow on the wall was no longer as harsh. It seemed much rounder, with wider hips and a thinner waist. Lewis liked it, but they still wouldn't look in the mirror. They still weren't ready. 

Lewis opened the second drawer again. They pulled out a pair of fingerless red fishnet arm sleeves and slid their arms inside. Finally, they placed the wig on their head and turned to look in the mirror.

This was her favourite part. She loved the big reveal every time she saw it. Her hair was stunning, flowing down the sides of her head and resting softly on her bare shoulders. Her suit looked wonderful, giving her the hips and chest she desperately wished she was born with. Lewis was no longer in the room. He was gone. He had been replaced with The Seamstress. And it was time for her to go out on patrol.

There it is! I hope you liked it! Today's comic strip will be moved to tomorrow and Science Sunday will be swapped with a poll about writing. Hopefully next week will be back to normal schedule!

[mrmossmichael]

It's been 10 years since Walking with Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie came out in December-20-2013 and I have to be honest with y'all: it's totally a good movie I've ever watched, I don't care what the haters think and it was titled after the same name of BBC's 1999 TV series called "Walking with Dinosaurs". You might think that it's gonna be about either the terrifying Tyrannosaurus or the gentle Giraffatitan and you'd be wrong about that. It's about during the Cretaceous Period in prehistoric Alaska while Alex the Alexornis (John Leguizamo) was telling the story, Patchi the Pachyrhinosaurus (Justin Long) is the smallest of the herd and his runt status means he must use his wits rather than strength to compete for food with his larger brothers and sisters, particularly Scowler (Skyler Stone). Scowler may be a secondary villain, but the real villain is Gorgon the Gorgosaurus which is related to the Tyrannosaurus. The human characters, however, are Uncle Zack (Karl Urba), his nephew Ricky (Charlie Rowe) and his niece Jade (Angourie Rice) who were on the fossil hunt in Alaska while Ricky and Jade's parents were on a trip to Europe.