#please thylacine I cry for you

[oceanicscribbles]

Day 26 - Remove

The thylacine, and the things you wish you could fix.

[a-dragons-journal]

Long ask, feel free to skip.

Hi. If its okay with you, I really need some advice. You don't have to though, I think I'll be alright muddling my way through this myself if you're too busy.

To start off, I want to clarify that I have a Daemon, male, who I love with all my heart but who isn't me. I have had my Daemon for as long as I can remember but just realized today that I'm thylacinekin, or tasmanian-wolfkin, and had a mild panic attack over it before being directed here by a good friend/mutual of mine.

I discovered my otherkinness by finding some thylacine pride icons, remembering that they're extinct, and then being told by my Daemon that they can't be extinct, because I clearly exist. That's when I realised I'd spoken aloud to him and said "we're extinct" instead of "they're extinct", and I had to start crying because it clicked that my kind are gone from the natural world and we won't ever see them again. I will never know my kind beyond what they looked like. I don't even know if the sounds I make are correct.

I don't know what to do. I don't know what to feel beyond the heartbreak that I've carried with me my whole life but only just understood the reason for. I don't know how to reconcile the fact that my kind are gone gone gone while I'm here here here. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to feel like the last of a species. I don't want to be an endling.

Please. If you have any advice... What do I do?

I had to sit on this one for a couple of days trying to think of advice; unfortunately I still don't have much.

You have my deepest sympathies, anon; I've seen your posts in the tag and so you had them before you ever sent this ask. (I actually intended to reblog your Endling poem, both because I appreciate it a great deal and in the interest of signal boosting and raising the chances of another of your kind finding you, and it appears either Tumblr or my computer decided to burp and that never happened.) I know what it is to be (as far as I know) the only one of my species on this earth, but as far as I know my species lives on; it's not the same, I imagine.

I can say this: While I can't recall having met any other thylacines, I have met several members of other extinct species. Some of them might be able to give better advice than I, or at least be able to commiserate. It might be worth trying to find a paleotherian community - I know there was a paleotherian discord server going around a while back, though I've no idea where one might get an invite or whether it's still active - because even if they're not your kind, it may still give you some sense of community and some alleviation of the aloneness. (I have to imagine there's at least one other thylacine therian out there somewhere - but I can't in good conscience advise resting your hopes on finding them, because even if you do it may not be the connection you're looking for.) You may also be able to find some connection with close relatives or species with similar behavior, though I'm aware the species that look closest to thylacines behave very differently (y'all marsupial mammals and your weirdness (affectionate)). You are not fully alone, even if it's not the same.

Grief isn't easy for anyone. It processes differently for everyone. It's all right to grieve, and to allow yourself time for that. The loss may not be fresh, but your understanding of it is, and that's much the same for many people. You have to acknowledge it and breathe through it if you want to begin to heal from it - and you can heal, even if it seems impossible right now. The pain will ease, given time. You honor your People both by mourning their loss and by living the life you have now to its fullest as one of them.

I hope that gives you at least a place to start. (And, of course, if anyone has further advice for anon - or knows of that paleotherian server I vaguely remember or something similar - please feel free to add on in the notes, as always.) May you find peace, path, and People, in whatever order is best for you. <3

[banduckoot]

Thank you so much for the compliment!

So, you wanna know how the mutants react to becoming first time fathers? This sort of thing is very much up my alley, so this is gonna be a blast to write.

Before I get into each individual mutant, I'd like to note that because they are almost all different species, and evolved versions of said species at that, their babies might be born in ways far different than that of a human baby. So this might get a bit out there! Okay, here we go...

RIPPER ROO

When Ripper is told he's going to be a dad, he's stunned by the news, and for once, he's not laughing. For once, the mad kangaroo has a moment of lucidity. He leans onto his S/O, head on their shoulder, and starts crying a little. While he can't quite put it into words, he's unsure of the whole situation, even a bit afraid. How is someone as crazy as he is supposed to be a good parent? He doesn't want to hurt his baby with his antics.

Ripper voluntarily starts undergoing therapy again. As his sanity returns to him, he starts researching on how to be a good parent. He wants to make himself better, as well as knowledgeable, for the sake of his child.

By the time Ripper first meets the baby, he's no Dr. Roo, but he's just confident enough that he's got a handle on his sanity. His straitjacket is untied just long enough to let him hold the baby for the first – and hopefully not the last – time. He cries again as he holds the little bundle to his face, this time from happiness. He resists the urge to lick the baby out of affection, instead opting to nuzzle it gently.

Ripper continues therapy long after the baby arrives, never wanting to go back to the way he was before. He's going to be a good dad, no matter how much work it takes. And one day soon, that straitjacket is coming off completely so he can hold his baby properly.

KOALA KONG

Kong doesn't believe it at first when he's told he's going to be a father. He thinks S/O is joking with him. But when it finally sinks in, he's excited at the news! He gives S/O a big hug and a kiss, and swears he's going to be the best dad ever!

Kong bends over backwards preparing for the baby's arrival, and taking care of and pampering his S/O. It's exhausting, but it turns out to be worth it once the baby is born.

Kong is emotional about the birth of his child, more than he's ever been in his life, and after he gets the tears out his system, he happily shows the baby off to everyone else. He's proud, he's happy, and he's going to give his kid the best life he can offer it. With lots and lots of piggyback rides included.

PINSTRIPE

Pinstripe is blown away by the news that he's gonna be a dad. He cheers, he jumps up and down with joy, he nearly fires victory rounds from his gun before deciding that's too risky for once. He showers his S/O with kisses and tells them he's gonna make sure their baby has the best, happiest life imaginable. He's beyond excited, and quite pleased with himself that he got S/O pregnant.

Pinstripe holds a party to announce the pregnancy, and pretty much everyone he knows is invited, including all his henchmen, who are almost as excited as he is! They congratulate their boss and S/O, and start placing bets on the baby's gender.

Pinstripe goes all out in preparation for the baby's arrival, spending money on the best baby supplies he can afford. Everything is designer and top of the line. He also has his henchmen build a nursery, yelling at them for getting even the slightest thing wrong; it has to be perfect for his child!

When the baby arrives, Pinstripe is more emotional than he's ever been in his whole life. He coos over the baby, kisses their forehead, and even tries singing softly to them in both English and Italian. He's overjoyed, and he proudly shows the baby off to everyone. He and his henchmen share cigars in celebration of the baby's arrival, being careful not to smoke anywhere near the baby, of course.

KOMODO JOE

Komodo Joe discovers he's going to be a dad when his S/O shows him an egg they've laid, or perhaps a whole clutch of them, up to 30 at most! Either way, Joe is shocked, but happy! He gives his S/O lots of affection before turning his attention to the egg(s) and talking to it/them softly, saying hello to his child/children for the first time and telling them he loves them already.

Joe secures as many baby supplies as he can find, and helps his S/O by helping them make a better nest, as well as taking turns incubating the egg(s) over the coming weeks. Incubating the egg(s) is kind of boring and tedious – not to mention hard on Joe's spine – but fortunately, Joe has books to read, soft music to listen to, and his phone to browse the internet.

When the egg(s) hatch, Joe is a very proud and happy daddy... but because Komodo dragon babies are natural-born climbers from birth, taking care of one or more is truly exhausting. He has to recruit Moe to help him out once in a while, which thankfully Moe is happy to do.

KOMODO MOE

Moe's experience with becoming a father is more or less the same as Joe's. He's happy, celebrating the news much more loudly than Joe with his baby/babies. He is more meticulous about preparing for his babies, his parental instincts coming in full swing! And he's very, VERY careful about incubating the egg(s), since he's kinda heavy. If he's truly paranoid, he might have to resort to using blankets instead.

When Moe's babies are born, he gushes over them and snuggles them and basically acts like a huge teddy bear towards them. Moe is, surprisingly, a natural with babies, and has far less trouble with his kids than Joe does with his.

TINY TIGER

Being the only thylacine left, Tiny never thought he'd end up becoming a dad. So when his S/O tells him the big news? His jaw drops. He stares into space, trying to process this information. Then, he cries. He's happy. He's never been this happy in his whole life. When he stops crying, he hugs S/O and snuggles them, purring away happily.

After that, Tiny becomes very, VERY protective of S/O while they're pregnant. He doesn't want to leave them out of his sight because of the baby. He growls when people get too close; he even tries to bite once in a while. S/O often has to tell him to calm down and reassure him that it's safe.

Tiny tries to read up on parenting, but his limited smarts make it difficult. He instead opts to take parenting classes, and though he suffers some difficulties – and a few temper tantrums – he gets better with practice. He becomes a favorite among his female classmates, impressed by how devoted he is.

Finally, the baby is born. Tiny can't believe how... well, TINY the baby is! He's so incredibly gentle with his new child that it's a sight to behold. He becomes the most doting father ever, taking care of them, playing peekaboo with them, singing to them... and being very protective of them, threatening to snap at anyone he deems a threat. He can't wait for the baby to grow older, because he wants to teach them how to be big, strong, and dangerous like he is!

DINGODILE

Dingodile is incredibly shocked when he's told he's gonna be a dad. This is because he's not an ordinary mutant; he's a hybrid of two very different animals, so he was certain that he'd be sterile or something, you know, like a mule? However, when it's confirmed that he is in fact capable of having kids, he gets worried. What is this baby going to be like? What if it isn't healthy? What if he's not a good dad? He never expected to become a father, so the thought of raising a family never crossed his mind.

Dingodile spends a good deal of his S/O's pregnancy scared to death of what the future is going to bring. It's only when S/O sits him down and talks to him that he reveals the full extent of his fears. It takes a lot of reassuring, but in the end, Dingodile agrees to take it easy and not let his worries get to him. Whatever happens, happens. The rest of the pregnancy is spent doing preparations and research, as well as taking care of S/O.

When the baby finally arrives, happy and healthy, Dingodile is beyond relieved.  He can't believe this is real. He can't believe he's a dad now! He's so happy! He's so proud!  He eagerly shows off his baby to everyone. It's the most excited anyone's ever seen him, and it's a little jarring to those who know him. But Dingodile doesn't care. He spends a lot of time bonding with his new baby, taking them on his usual activities to teach them everything he knows about being a dingodile. He's protective of the little tyke, threatening to roast anyone who tries to hurt them. This baby is now the most important thing in the world to him. God help anyone who comes between them.

[denu-rising]

So I had a dream...

About Flight Rising, yes! I dreamt FR announted they would implement mutations. But not breed mutations, extra gills or wings or anything. No, they were gene mutations. It was basically FR staff getting sick of never seeming to please with their new genes, so each gene got three additional mutations that addressed all the things we were unhappy with. Like, Vipera got a version that didn’t have the Hypnotic pattern, Thylacine and Okapi without the gradients, Jaguar/Rossette/Tiger/etc with different patterns and pattern sizes, Petals/Butterfly/Skink/etc with different accent colours, a shiny and a muted Irishim, and so on. It was SUCH a good feature and everyone was super happy for two seconds, until they realised that any gene mutation could pop out of a nest and only gene scrolls would allow you to choose the mutation, so breeding projects were even more of a pain. Other than that, people rejoiced.

Now, because all my dreams need a sense of fear and dread, FR made the announcement less than a week in advance and appointed me of all people to draw all the gene mutations. On day one, my arm broke off, and by the time the deadline rolled around, I had a brush in my mouth and was painting on the computer screen, crying my eyes out. But other than that, I thought the basic idea of it was pretty neat! I’d post an official suggestion if the Suggestions forum didn’t scare me. ^^;

[arcanestarseeker]

Lair/Lore review for @chocolidragons on Fr!

As one does, I started with the first dragon in your lair and wow, what a fancy progen!! oh, that 2015 me had good taste in colors.... as good taste as you did haha. He’s a coatl! He’s so cute! and he’s clearly very, very loved. It’s pretty rare to see a non clan elader in the first lair slot, but he’s so sweet he deserves it 100% I really like his lore, though there are so many mentions of other dragons I feel like I’d have to read every one to fully understand it. I also like that he’s had a lot of mates, he seems kinda flighty. Also I love his art and his lore tie in apparel. What a sweet pea!

Next, I went over to Charoite, cause I see a spell scroll and i zoom right in. And he’s got an arcnae sprite, too! and that super cute accent I’ve seen! What  ahandsome and spoiled arcane bo- of wait. thsoe are lightning eyes haha. The struggle of many a gen 1 collector... His lore may be short, but its nice! I’d love to hear more deets about hsi relationship with Iolite, as well as the arcane clan where he got the sprite! that sounds ripe for cross lore oppertunities! :0 ahh I also love all the art you’ve got, its all soooo nice... these dragosn are very loved by you, and also now by me.

Next, I went to check out Sugilite!! I also have a purple/lav double gen one (she even used to be cry face! tho she’s cry/butt now) And he’s really rocking those silks hat match his gem bond- he’s stunning! I dig the accent, too. I love his lore- he’s just a chill dude. I’d love to know why he became like this- is it in his nature to be passive, or did something happen to make him stop caring about things as deeply?

oh man you have so many dragons that match my aesthetic im just heart eyes at them. Constallation really caugh my eye, I’ve never even seen a dragon like that before! Like, I’m sure there are some, but she’s so unique looking, and she really does look like constallations! and those night sky silks were practically made for her... plus that subtle accent is A+++ I love her lore, too. I honestly can’t think of a single thing I’d change about it- it’s simple but very sweet, and I love her so much.... please send her my unending adoration

Naturally, I had to go check out her sister next! Wow, their aesthetics are super different! Celeste is very pretty too tho, and I adore that familiar match! Those glowing claw tips are also really nice, they go great with the carmine thylacine. The lore is very matchy, of course, but her individual piece is really nice too! What a good pair of sisters who I love.

Last, I went to check out cottoncandy!! you may say he’s an unlucky boy but his colors are marvelous! I’d die for a bday dragon with those colors tbh. Though I know the many, many scatterscrolls probably make him seem more painful to you than he is to me. That familiar match is once again, stunning, most of your dragons seem to have quite nice familiar matches!! which is always impressive. I’m digging the cloak and scarf combo too, he just looks like a cool guy. Like the kind of dude you’d want to hang out with. I really like the eyes, too, they stand out but are a close match to that mist spinner. What a handsome dude- thsoe scatters were worth it!!

Your lair is great, you’ve got a few stand out aesthetics but I’m especially in love with your pastels, and just all those stunning gen 1s clearly had a lot of time and dragon cash put into them- everything about it is fantastic!!

[banduckoot]

Anon, you have no idea how excited I got when you sent me this! I am just sorry it took me so long to get to answering this; I knew that it was going to take me a bit of time to answer and needed to be in the right mindset to think it all through.

Okay, so I'm assuming you mean mutant henchmen specifically, right, and not the bandicoots? Let me see...

Let's start with Ripper Roo, just to the get the obvious silliness out of the way. I don't know if he's sane enough to maintain any sort of romantic relationship, but assuming he is? There's only one way he's gonna pop the question to his S/O. He somehow arranges a nice, romantic dinner, just for the two of them, and at just the right moment, he literally coughs up the ring. He then picks it up in his teeth and holds it up to his S/O, looking up at them pleadingly with puppy eyes. If his S/O has it in them to say yes, Ripper happily uses his mouth to slip the ring on their finger before hopping around with glee, cackling with mad laughter.

Koala Kong is a tough one... we don't know much about his personality save for the fact he's meant to be a parody of Sylvester Stallone, down to the same speech impediment. So, if he's gonna propose to his S/O, I imagine he might try to impress his S/O first with some feat of physical strength, something he's going to heavily publicize so that he has an audience. It might be a fight against a strong opponent, or running a certain distance within a time limit... something that Kong is certain is going to wow his S/O.

So he does whatever it is, tons of people watching along with the S/O, and he succeeds. Everyone's cheering, news cameras show up, and when an interviewer approaches Kong, he takes the opportunity to explain he did it all for his S/O... and then pops the question to them on air. When S/O says yes, Kong has just enough strength left in him to pick up his S/O and lift them up, maybe even twirl them around, in happiness. Then he puts them back down and they spend the rest of the day together, celebrating quietly with a well-earned rest for Kong.

Pinstripe Potoroo popping the question to his S/O is a HUGE freakin' deal, and all of his henchmen know it. He's got everything planned to a T-- dinner has been reserved at the best restaurant he can afford, he's had his best suit dry cleaned, and he's bought the most beautiful ring he can find. Whether his S/O is male or female, that ring is gonna have diamonds in it, and LOTS of them. Big ones, too! Pinstripelli Potorotti spares no expense whatsoever when it comes to the love of his life.

He takes his S/O to dinner, and makes sure they get at least one dance in. He pulls out ALL of his best dance moves, too. He's smoother that night than he's ever been, or so it seems; he's actually super-nervous, but he's careful not to let it show (too much). He downs a glass of wine before he finally works up the nerve to pop the question. When his S/O says yes, he's super happy, and practically smothers his S/O with kisses before he remembers to put the ring on them.

His henchmen clap, cry, and congratulate their boss. I'd like to think that after the wedding, Pinstripe's S/O becomes a second boss to his henchmen. Like, if S/O is a female, she gets a nickname like “Mrs. Boss” or something. I think that'd be cute!

Tiny Tiger, as ferocious as he is, has the capacity to be a total sweetheart when he wants to be. While I can't imagine what sort of person Tiny would date, I think he'd be the most loyal and thoughtful boyfriend imaginable to his S/O. He would be super-nervous about popping the question; it would be one of the few times Tiny would be scared about anything. He is so afraid his S/O will say no for one reason or another; maybe it's too soon to ask, maybe his S/O isn't the marrying type, it could be any reason at all. Tiny has a ring ready and is bracing himself for failure. He just gets his S/O alone, mutters that he wants to ask them something, holds out the ring and looks away pathetically as he practically shouts, “PLEASE MARRY TINY, PLEASE SAY YES, PLEASE DON'T REJECT TINY, TINY WORK VERY HARD FOR RING!”.

Tiny's S/O has to reassure Tiny and calm his nerves a bit before accepting the proposal. Tiny is so happy that he jumps for joy... and nearly loses the ring! Fortunately, he grabs it in time and oh so delicately slips it onto S/O's finger. Tiny cheers and gives a celebratory howl before taking S/O into his arms and snuggling them for the rest of the day, purring happily. Do thylacines purr? Well, Tiny does. So there.

The Komodo Brothers, Joe and Moe, are komodo dragons. It is because of their species that Joe and Moe aren't exactly the “til death do us part” types. It would have to take someone extremely special to make them want to get married at all. That being said, the way they'd each go about proposing isn't too different from one another. For them, most of the effort would go into finding the biggest diamond possible for a ring they would have customized themselves. And by finding a diamond, I mean literally going on a treasure hunt for it and stealing it. Heaven forbid the two brothers both want to propose to their S/Os at the same time, then they'd both be competing heavily for the same diamond.

At any rate, Komodo Joe has more finesse and style than his brother, and would be quicker at finding a diamond. The ring he fashions it into has a very mystical design that clearly says it's from him. Then comes the asking part. He takes his S/O somewhere private and off-the-beaten path, somewhere beautiful, like... maybe a cave full of shining crystals, or a garden full of rare flowers. He's almost business-like about asking, even as he gets on one knee and presents the ring, though it's mostly a mask for how nervous he is. Said mask might start to break if S/O takes too long to answer (perhaps from gawking at the size of the diamond!?). When they finally do and say yes, Joe is incredibly relieved and laughs happily. He slips the ring on S/O's finger and holds their hands, gazing into their eyes, and smiling. He's pleased. He knows he's made the right choice. All that treasure hunting was completely worth it.

Komodo Moe is a bit more clumsy and not quite as smart as his brother. He'd take longer to find a diamond than Joe would, and if Joe found a diamond for his own S/O first, Moe would want to find one that's even bigger. And should he fail to find a bigger one? He's going to steal Joe's diamond. Wherever the diamond comes from, Moe would present it to his S/O in a place that's big and grand, but very gorgeous... like maybe a palace or an exotic resort he's decided to break into for the occasion? Something like that. He's not quite as elegant about the affair as Joe might be, but he still he tries, going on one knee and asking with a sheepish smile on his face. When his S/O accepts, he hugs and kisses them before slipping the ring on them. Moe then drags his S/O off for a full day of celebration.

Dingodile has always been beloved for being one of the cooler, more badass mutants. However, he's not feeling particularly cool or badass now that he's decided to propose to his S/O. The truth is, he couldn't be more nervous. Getting the ring size? That was almost impossible. Finding the perfect ring? He nearly burnt down multiple jewelry stores during his search out of sheer anxiety. Setting up the perfect romantic dinner to pop the question? SO. MUCH. REHEARSAL.

He's trying to play it smooth throughout the dinner, stealthily patting at the ring box in his pants pocket just to remind himself that it's still there. Eventually, the suave front he's put on starts to break down as his anxiety continues to mount. His S/O asks him if he's okay. Dingodile assures them everything's fine. But then, as all things usually do, some tiny thing goes wrong. Dingodile flips. He breaks out his flamethrower in an attempt to correct whatever tiny thing it was, but then his S/O snaps him out of it, trying to calm him down. Dingodile groans and apologizes.

“Sorry, love. I was trying to make sure tonight was perfect, but I went an' screwed it up anyway.”

S/O asks Dingodile what was supposed to be so special about this specific evening.

Dingodile sheepishly pulls out the ring box and pushes it towards S/O. “That's what... I understand if ya wanna say no...”

S/O opens the ring box, and their jaw drops at the sight of the ring. They start to cry and tell Dingodile their answer is yes, wrapping him in a huge hug. Dingodile, relieved, returns the hug and nuzzles his S/O with his snout.

“Aw, come on, don't cry. You're gonna make ME cry. Big tough guy like me has a reputation to keep!”

In all seriousness, though, he's very happy. He puts the ring on his S/O and spends the rest of the evening celebrating with them, grateful that everything went just fine, even if it wasn't perfect. He'll be bragging to everyone about his engagement later, and about his wonderful S/O.