#really just a bare chest

[averagepsychouser]

Cain is eating like Mickey Mouse when he had to eat that bean

[serpentface]

A braithuvi horse at rest under the close protection and watchful, scary, pale-eyed gaze of her herd's guardian, a dírgrahdain. Both are landraces developed within the Highlands. The ancestors of braithuvi (and other Highlands native horses) were brought overseas by the ancestors of the Hill Tribes, while the dogs were obtained from native livestock guardian landraces used by proto-Wardi tribes. Each have become distinct over their centuries of living in the Highlands, and dírgrahdain are have a particularly unique place in the cultural schema.

Braithuvi are a woolly horse breed (and one of many, wool horses are widespread, second only to camala in value for textiles) that are also somewhat specialized for milk production. Their meat is relatively poor (other horses are preferred), but they produce high yields of milk and thick, continuous growths of wool.

Horses are not as culturally significant as cattle to most in the Highlands, but are still highly valued animals that are critical to subsistence. Few plant-based textiles can be produced in the Highlands, and almost all in the region are made with braithuvi wool. They can eat a greater variety of forage than cattle, more efficiently converting energy intake from pastures into milk and wool. Their milk is considered to be the very best of all livestock, and is usually what is used to make the prized murre beverage.

Dogs have a very small specific place in the cultures of the Hill Tribes as utilitarian working animals (specifically for livestock and occasionally as home/village guardians), and rarely ever fill other functions. The practice of keeping dogs purely for companionship is virtually nonexistent (though affectionate bonds between people and their herding or household guard dogs will be fairly common), and their meat is considered worthless. Most dogs are not elevated within the cultural schema, and tend to be merely appreciated as useful, loyal animals. Livestock guardian dogs are an exception to this, and tend to be of more significant cultural import. They are animals that exist to protect the herds on which all subsistence depends, and thus have an elevated cultural status and roles in religion and folklore as uniquely protective entities.

Dírgrahdain are the key livestock guardian dogs in the region, and the only natively developed LGD. Their name means 'lion dog', both in reference to their maned appearance and their ability to fend off and even kill the largest of predators. The dogs are characterized by tall, long-legged builds, deep chests, a curly tail, thick hair (and a thicker winter coat), and a shaggy mane. Their bodies tend to be thinner and lankier than their fur coat suggests, but still well-muscled and powerful. Their coloration can vary wildly, but a black mask with a brown or reddish body like this is most typical. Unnerving, pale eyes are prized in these dogs, with the belief that they not only intimidate predators but are uniquely potent at fending off malicious spirits.

The dog's exclusive function is to protect livestock. They are used primarily for the defense of horses, which are small and very vulnerable to predators (lions, hyenas, king hyena, wild dogs, jackals, nechoi, and even eagles can be threats), though some dogs will usually be posted up with cattle herds to deter raiders.

Pups are most commonly born in the field among their herds. They will be carried in their master's coat while still nursing, but will be allowed to join their mother in her duties from the moment they are strong enough to follow. Dírgrahdain live with their herds day and night. Most will never see the inside of a home, and most seem to prefer it that way. They form close and protective bonds with their charges, and will thoroughly integrate themselves into the social fabric of the herd.

These dogs are not human-oriented, and will usually only form bonds with people that they have imprinted on as puppies (and will merely be cool and polite to those met later in life). They are highly aggressive towards strangers, and introductions must be done incrementally and with great care. This is desirable, as this trait makes them an excellent line of defense against livestock raids. Their loud, booming barks can alert of intruders from a great distance, and they can often successfully intimidate khait, causing some mounted raids to end in humiliating failure. Dírgrahdain are often killed in raids, either to fend off the attacking dog or to silence it before its master can be alerted. This is not outright dishonorable, but not something one will be commended for. Cattle raiding culture here values swiftness, stealth, and strategy- such smash and grab tactics are seen as brutish (and will often result in harsher retribution).

Like most LGDs, they primarily defend their herds by displays of aggression and power, using their loud bark, fearsome growl, and powerful bodies to chase and intimidate predators away without physical contact. Even so, it is necessary for all working dírgrahdain to be willing and able to physically confront predators when necessary. A well-trained, well-bonded dog will defend their herds with their very life, and is often effective in combat against even very large wild predators. Their dense ‘manes’ offer a degree of protection from wounds to the throat, and may be supplemented with spiked collars.

If a mother dog kills a predator, it is often customary to open the carcass and lead her puppies to feed on it. This is thought to teach the pups to be fearless against their enemies, and that they will grow up to be uniquely powerful and brave adults. Pups are given names upon reaching adult size, and ones who have consumed the flesh of predators will get unique names related to their mother's kill, or epithets as supplements to a given name (the exact details of this practice culturally varies). One might encounter dogs in the Highlands named things like Lionsbane, Hyena-killer, She Who Bites Jackals, Lion-Fed Shaggy (Lion-Fed being the honorable epithet, Shaggy being the dog's name, possibly given by a very small child)

The mere gaze of a dírgrahdain is said to fend off malicious spirits, and their thundering bark can scare away even the most dangerous of mountain devils. Their shed hair is needle felted into little dolls (usually into the form of dogs themselves) and placed into the cradles of infants and worn as charms by children to protect them from harm (both mundane and supernatural). Manes taken from dead dírgrahdain have uses among some of the Hill Tribes, and are typically only allowed to be used by their masters (unless recieved as a gift). The most prominent usages are being worn to fend off evil spirits and predators while traveling alone, and some traditions involve placing the manes around the necks or across the bellies of women in labor as a means of spiritual protection for mother and child during birth.

The Hill Tribes and Wardi both identify the same constellation along the ecliptic as a dog. In the case of the former, this stellar dog is identified as Mak-Urudain, a gigantic dírgrahdain with fur the color of flame and eyes as bright as stars, who is the eternal guardian of the Celestial Fields. He allows the souls of the worthy dead to pass into the afterlife and for esteemed ancestors to descend back to the land to guide the living, while preventing malicious spirits, devils, and the dishonored dead from entry.

One Bernike tale describes her attempting to fly into the Celestial Fields to steal the heavenly cattle who graze there. She took the form of a golden eagle, pretending to be an ancestor returning from a sojourn to the world of the living in order to get past the guardian hound. Mak-Urudain was not fooled for long, and led her on a long chase through the night sky before capturing her and hurling her out of the Celestial Fields.

She was never able to even touch the ground of the Fields (much less take any cattle), but had just enough time to take a single seed of heavenly grass in her beak. She returned to her mountain (missing most of her tail feathers and much of her pride) and planted the grass in her then-barren slopes. This is why the grass on Bernike's mountain is so tall and abundant and why cattle there grow so fat and healthy, like all cattle will in the afterlife. The howling winds heard from the mountaintops are playfully suggested to be the barks and howls of Mak-Urudain, calling down from the heavens to keep the witch grounded in the world of the living.

[pespillo]

they did say the easiest way thru a guy´s heart is thru the stomach

[friendlyengie]

Been on an art standstill lately but here’s some women that I’ve been workin on while trying to update all my fem merc designs ^_^

[kindahoping4forever]

📸: Rich Fury for Madison Square Garden

[danmeichael]

hey not a fetish anon here like those other weirdos. heres one for you, ahem. what is sy and sj's respective favorite game at an arcade and how often is yqy carpooling them there?

the fact that you went out of your way to assert that this isn't fetish-related immediately makes me more suspicious that this is a fetish thing

sj can obviously drive himself because he'd absolutely hate to be truly reliant on anyone, but since they're presumably on good terms he might ask yqy to chauffeur so his pet service top can feel useful.

i honestly am not sure what sj's favorite game at an arcade would be, partly because i've never been to an arcade and don't have a good idea of what all goes on, and partly because sj is just so suited to universes where you can kill things recreationally that i'm not sure playing pacman would be enough for him.

two player games have the appeal of competition so i think he would maybe enjoy playing air hockey or the fighting games with sy (or yqy, if he joins in). the rush of obliterating a rival would be the only thing at the arcade for him. i think he would be exceptionally good at crane games, because the crane machine would be scared of him.

sy is the right kind of insane to be really into maimai or ddr-style games if he has the energy/mobility for it. he's one of those people who grabs the bar.

otherwise i think he'd probably enjoy other less physically intensive timing or strategy-based games as opposed to anything based on luck. votes are out on if he'd actually be good at it or not.

i think yqy is also a ddr guy because an addiction to dancepad games is the closest thing you can get to whatever xuan su does to him. also the gapmoe of extremely tall handsome guy in a full suit doing his little dancepad shit.

[smol-bean-of-the-smols]

y'know what, something i'm actually really mad about (specifically in the bsd fandom, i haven't really looked at the wikis for other fandoms) is how when a character dies, even temporarily, the "is"s become "was"s in their wiki page like immediately. like. isn't the status thing about whether or not they're alive hidden for a reason? can we not spoil people please? this isn't a case of a real person dying, this is a character and those are spoilers.

it also just looks so weird talking about a fictional character like that in a wiki. idk, they still "are" things, because they're not dead to everybody. because 1) there are people who haven't caught up with canon, 2) there are people ignoring it and 3) in some cases its questionable if they're even dead in the first place

this is something i see specifically on the bsd wiki and it just. pisses me off. like. can we cool it with that please.

[greasydumbfuck]

watched the 2004 punisher movie yesterday with pixie and honestly i had fun 👍 some stuff was good some stuff was eh some completely irrelevant stuff made me mildly annoyed. but most of all it was funny and they had frank hang around with his tits out for multiple scenes so i mean how could i not have a great time tbh

[clits-and-clips]

Spiralling AGAIN would you believe it

[nayeliq1]

June 9th, prompt: Cowboy Boots

"Come on out, Cas!"

"Do I really have to?"

Cas' grumbled reply was muffled by the closed bathroom door between them.

"What? You sayin' you don't like the gift I got you? Don't be a baby, lemme see!"

The door opened, and out came Cas, visibly grumpy Angel of the Lord, dressed in his usual shirt and pants and- Dean's mouth fucking watered at the sight - a pair of brand new cowboy boots.

"I look ridiculous", Cas stated, squinting down at his feet in affront.

"You look-" Dean swallowed. Hot as Hell.

He could see the moment Cas picked up on the way Dean was staring at him, the tiniest of smiles forming at the corner of the angel's mouth and softening the annoyed crease in his brow.

Cas gave him a fond eye-roll, sighing theatrically.

"The things I do for love", he muttered, making Dean grin.

"Alright, Jaime Lannister." Dean crossed the distance between them, arms circling around Cas' waist. "Whine all you like, but those stay on."

For @starcrosseddeancas Dreamy Drabbles

[cosmogyros]

.

[4giorno]

someone has to physically restrain me im taking too many screenshots i love everything abt this scene

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

[sysig]

This is a very serious story about a man named Stanley (Patreon)

[thegreenleavesofspringinsunlight]

*Long Haul comes up in my recommended* Me: Oh hm, I should be able to listen to this just fine as long as I don't watch the video- *clicks* *First two seconds of music starts* Me: Oh I am Not Okay.