#self brindle

[intriga-hounds]

REMBLE POUNCE

[chasing-faith-and-fate]

So can we get a back story or info on the other clans and how there daily life is? Like do they struggle with mistreatment from there leaders or other higher-ups in the clan or other clans?

I guess I can give you some? It's not really important to the story so why not

Wisteria:

They're the oldest of the clans, originally from another territory with other clans who were way too aggressive which is what drove them away. Half the cats split off to become Brindleclan.

They're very much known to be outrageously kind, which current deputy Windshade really hates, he's looking to change the clan image when he becomes leader.

Despite this- the clan was the first to start culling any cats that simply didn't age as they should, or otherwise acted out of character (some cats may have not have been Taken, but just had other problems. The clan did not stop to think about that.)

Applestar is the first leader that hasn't had any of the original founders in her family tree. She's an outsider, but she's very liked, even by her more power hungry deputy.

She's mates with the healer, which is why she made it legal for them to have families and relationships, this wasn't allowed in Wisteriaclan before her.

Windshade is part of a polycule with Sparkclan cats, Weeddash and Airdazzle. It's very much a secret even tho it wouldn't be too frowned upon.

Wisteriaclan are very much of the mindset that you can overthrow any leader that the majority doesn't like. It's expected.

Brindle:

They were hit the hardest by takers, the creatures took ⅔ of their population, and they're still struggling to build it up again.

They did however go to many lengths to ensure they only threw actual Takers into the rift, the process of weeding them out took a long time.

The current generation of power holders are quite generous, offering help where their clan didn't provide it in the past. They aren't exactly happy to do it, but they're desperate for allies.

They have a pretty bad habit of power imbalance which leads to infighting and conflict between the cats.

They're currently (as of moon 34 in game) that have Takers among them.

If any clan falls to anything that's not Takers, it's probably gonna be Brindleclan. They're sadly very accident prone and have no fucking self preservation.

Robinfleck is plotting murder very often. Take that as you will.

Spark:

The Sparks (as they currently are) was formed by a group of rogues that found the two others. The clan didn't like many of the rules and so have their own system.

For example, the clans name changes with the leader. The leader is also always related in some ways to the previous one. This is the nepotism clan everyone.

Sparkclan never had issues with Takers, no one knew why, but the Sparks were and still are very very arrogant about this fact.

Chasingclan is an offshoot of Sparkclan, and despite what Sparkstar says, they have never gotten along since the separation.

As you may have noticed, a lot of Sparkclan cats have scars across the bridge of their nose. This was a mark of disrespect, an old tradition to make those who break the laws or speak out against the leader and their family get marked. Now it's a cosmetic thing some just ask for.

They're the least liked of all the clans by the other clans.

Their healer recently committed a crime that led to a kit dying and has been exiled. She is roaming around unpunished.

[amber-tortoiseshell]

A, B, C, D, E - Cat vs Rabbit

My comparative cat and rabbit color genetics post

Wild type (black agouti) rabbit and cat

My color genetics interest started out with rabbits, and while I know much more about cats now, they'll always have a spot in my heart...

In this post I'll go through the most important color genes, although sometimes I'll make comparisons based on phenotypes too.

All the photos are from the Warren Photographic Image Library.

A. Agouti

Both species have the dominant agouti (A) and the recessive self or nonagouti (a) alleles.

Black self rabbit and cat

Beyond these, cats add the charcoal (Apb) from the leopard cat, while rabbits have the otter or tan allele (at).

B. Brown

Black (B) as wild type, chocolate (b) as variant for both, and an extra recessive allele for cats: cinnamon (bl).

C. Color restriction

The most dominant allele of the series is the full color (C) for both species.

In rabbits the next is dark chinchilla (cchd), this gives the chinchilla and related colorations. Phenotypically basically the equivalent of silver tabbies in cats, despite silver (I) being a different gene. Chinchilla doesn't show up meaningfully on solid rabbits, so there's no smoke there.

Silver tabby cat and chinchilla rabbit. These are genetically very different colors, but manifest similarly: the animal loses the yellow-red pigments, and keeps the black.

The next rabbit allele in order of dominance is the sable or light chinchilla (cchl) which can be interpreted as the equivalent of sepia/burmese (cb) in cats, although they probably aren't the same mutation, because like the dark chinchilla allele above, sable has "silvering" effect on agoutis. Their shared characteristics are the slightly darker extremities and the intermediate interaction with the point allele.

Sable rabbit and sepia (or possibly mink) cat

The colorpoint pattern is also present in both animals under the names siamese (cs) and himalayan (ch). It manifests as pale body with dark extremities.

Pointed cat and rabbit

Edit: unfortunately I made a mistake here: while the color of this rabbit is indeed called point, it's not himalayan, it's nonagouti+sable+red. A real black himalayan rabbit looks like this:

Note the red eyes of the rabbit and the blue eyes of the cat - both suggest depigmentation.

Cats have a rare extra allele called mocha (cm).

And lastly, albino (c) is also present in both.

D. Dilute

Pretty much the same both genetically and in look. Dense (D) is dominant, diluted (d) is recessive.

Diluted (blue self) rabbit and cat

E. Extension

The mutations of this gene can be grouped into two categories:

increase of function: overproduction of black pigments. The animal is dark, melanistic. Dominant alleles.

loss of function: underproduction of black pigments. The animal is yellow/red. Recessive alleles.

Rabbits have two dominant alleles in the first group: full extension or dominant black (Ed) and steel (Es); cats have none. (Although this group isn't absent from the cat family either: black jaguars for example have a dominant black mutation.)

In the second group we have lots of different alleles: harlequin or japanese brindle (ej) and red (e) for rabbits, and amber, russet and copal/serdolik for cats (but their red is a different gene!). These all give different reddish phenotypes.

Red rabbit and cat - same name, similar color, different genetics.

The orange gene of the cats is an entirely different matter, and it's just a funny coincidence that harlequin rabbits look so similar to tortie cats. Brindle in rabbits is its own allele, not just the phenotype of the heterozygotes, and it's not sex-linked. Buck rabbits can be harlequins just as easily as does.

Harlequin rabbit and tortoiseshell cat - similar look, different name, different genetics

To make everything even more complicated, the word "tortoiseshell" (or shortly "tort") is used in rabbit breeding too, but it means a completely different thing than in cats: a nonagouti red. I assume because a nonagouti red rabbit (just like to the genetically very similar nonagouti amber cat) is darker than the agouti counterpart, especially on the extremities.

Tortoiseshell rabbit and cat - same name, different look, different genetics: bunny is a recessive homozygote for not sex-linked red, kitten is a heterozygote for sex-linked red.

+1. White spotting

Rabbits have three different white spotting genes: blue-eyed white or viennese, english and dutch. The latter two are strongly linked, the crossing over is rare. It's suspected that all three patterns are caused by mutations on the KIT gene. KIT is also the gene where all the so far known cat white spotting alleles: dominant white, white spotting and white gloving were mapped to.

Black dutch rabbit and black bicolor cat. They are remarkably similar, aren't they?

Summary:

[randomcatgen]

Scarletkit is a chubby they-kit with dense, brindled tortoiseshell fur. They are 2 moons old. They have large, hazel eyes and an angular jaw. They are appreciative and spunky, but self-destructive. They're always playing hide-and-seek. They have some missing teeth.

[identifying-cat-phenotypes]

Heya! Found this kitty post, and I believe this could be possibly be a chimera?

https://www.tumblr.com/cute-catts/751427477461696512

This tortie does have plenty of white, but I would expect to see more brindling, you know? But the colors are so distinct!

Not looking for an ID, I just thought this would be interesting to share!

Here is the video in question that Anon linked!

While I do agree, the tortie should have more brindling, we shouldn't go calling every cat with some "strange patterns" chimeras. There are some basis for some arguments for certain cats, yes, but do not just immediately go "CHIMERA!" once you see a cat that doesn't have a perfect idea of what a gene should look like.

I can see an argument for chimerism, but you can't tell these things without a genetic test. Plus, brindling will appear more as the cat ages as they get more fur. That cat is around, what, 5-6 weeks?

I know you said you didn't want an ID but..

Black tortoiseshell self, low white.

[chirrups]

I would love to hear the reasoning for picks of dog breeds! As a fellow dog breed nerd I heavily agree with most of them, you did some really good character reads when choosing

i'd love to! but fair warning, it's gonna be a bit... long

Grian - Cairn Terrier (wheaten)

grian HAD to be some kind of dog from the hunting terrier family because they are small, stubborn, and persistent, which are distinctly grian traits in my opinion (also, he couldn't been from toy terrier groups because a tiny but driven working dog seems more his style than purse dog).

to fit my design of grian, the breed had to be short-legged with a longer/wispy coat and come in some sort of cream/wheaten color, which fit in well with the cairn. norwich terrier was also on the table but i like head and proportions of the cairn more.

Scar - Catahoula Leopard Dog (light red leopard)

i'll be so real, scar's breed is 50% a heart pick. scar is my favorite so i very shamelessly gave him the breed of my aunt's dog who is one of the best animals i've ever known. outside of that, catahoulas are kind of a multi-tool hunting dog and have this duality of being very intense on the field then switching to easygoing at home. i like that duality for scar as he's good at playing silly but has sharp moments of competency from time to time.

design-wise, i wanted scar's breed to be brindle, spotted, or some other busy whimsical pattern with short fur. also scar reads medium-large dog as he is on the more affable side and isn't small-dog-fierce like grian or joel are. and catahoulas have lovely leopard patterns with bright eyes and i went, how could i not give scar this one!

Mumbo - Standard Poodle (black & white)

the sky is blue and mumbo gets the poodle. poodles are highly intelligent sporting dogs but are known nowadays for their fanciness and also just terrible proneness to nervousness which are just very mumbo to me.

i needed a large breed of dog that could come in black and white, with some sort of varied fur length on the muzzle for that 'stache. poodles, with their silly haircuts, are the one dog that i think could genuinely rock a mustache mumbo-style

Jimmy - Beagle (lemon & white)

i explained a lot about my choice for jimmy here. but tldr, beagles are plucky, brash, and a bit foolish which are all very jimmy things to be. they are also known for baying which i think is a fun parallel to his entire canary thing going on.

the breed needed to be some form of tawny at a medium size (to pair with scott, tango, and marytn) with a short coat. more importantly the breed in my head had to have floppy ears. idk why call it a gut feeling.

Joel - Jack Russel Terrier (tricolor, broken coat)

i also explained about joel here but he is also deeply hunting terrier coded. joel is stubborn, energetic, and aggressive in way that is three steps north of the average life player so it felt natural to give him the Terror Terrier. he's also both doggedly independent yet attached to his people which is a very jack russel trait.

joel needed to be small, i'm not sorry, but with a more active frame. i also had preference to tricolor as the black-brown-white combo is something i use in my normal joel design too

Scott - Shetland Sheepdog "Sheltie" (blue merle & white)

scott's pick was more heavily reliant on coat color. i needed a long-hair medium sized breed that could come in blue merle or blue and white; which left collies, aussies, and shelties. i ended up going with shelties because of their disposition.

shelties have a tendency to be deeply loyal towards their family and distantly affable to outsiders which scott is. he also has this tendency towards earnest self-sacrifice and giving up when there's no way forward instead of holding on till the bitter end and most shelties i've met tend to give in gracefully rather than hold on to a fight they won't win.

Impulse - American Bulldog (brindle & white)

i wanted impulse to be a physically intimidating yet generally agreeable breed, which hits the mark for mastiff-types. american bulldogs are farm dogs that are both great guardians and very lovable which strikes me as an impulse sort of thing.

i was originally considering english bulldog but i wanted the breed to be firmly in large dog territory. english mastiff was also on the table and honestly either works well for him, but the tiebreaker is that the breed had to be not as tall as skizz’s and the higher white content in american bulldogs worked better design-wise.

Skizz - Bernese Mountain Dog (black, rust, & white)

prefacing this with the fact i probably know the LEAST about skizz, the breed had to be large and friendly while being relatively peppy? i guess that's how i'd say it. bernese mountain dogs kind of hit that mark, they are known for being calm but i've met a few that are on the more energetic side.

design-wise, the dog had to be larger than impulse's american bulldog and cleo's rottie with a luxurious black coat. great dane was in consideration but the face shape and very gentle nature of danes just didn't work for me. that and i wanted skizz to have the awesome fluffy fur as he deserves.

Tango - Podengo (fawn & white, wirehair coat)

tango is the one i'm most on the fence about. in many ways tango and his generally lively sort of attitude gives off terrier vibes but i could not find a breed of terrier that i liked design-wise. most terriers in the medium size range have folded ears and unless i wanted to crop them (which i am personally not a fan of) folded they'd have to stay. plus dipping into terriers, the most common tawny color is wheaten/cream which just would make tango look too alike to grian and martyn.

so i ended up going with podengo, a hound sight/scent mix with high activity and high intelligence to match tango's energy. i've not met a podengo in real life so it's hard to vouch for the breed, but they have a nice fawn and white color which in combo with a wispy wirehair coat kinda looks like flames. other breeds i might later retcon tango into are australian cattle dog, border collie, or a wirehair vizsla

Bdubs - Brussels Griffon (red, rough coat)

i met a griffon the other day and it struck me how bdubs-like the little guy actually was. griffons are spunky, little silly, and have that "gnaw at your ankles" energy that bdubs employs when he wants other to get out of his area.

the choice for griffon also came from their little beards which matched the fluffy/shaggy look i wanted for bdubs. plus the appeal of their red/belge coats is pretty high.

Etho - Keeshound (gray, cream, & black)

so etho needed to be some sort of spitz, as spitz are northern climate specialists and many breeds retain a more independent "wild-like" nature while being playful, intelligent, and affectionate family dogs. etho, the old minecraft player that he is, needed a dog that historically lived impressively but in modern times finds a place being just a silly guy.

it was between samoyed and keeshound because both historically were multi-purpose herding/hunting/hauling dogs that were bred into family pets. keeshound was the obvious winner because i've never seen a more etho-coded coat color.

Cleo - Rottweiler (black & rust, long haired)

for cleo, the breed had to be one with fighting/guarding history but not so intensely territorial to where the dog would be bad with small children. as much as cleo is lauded as a fighter in fandom spaces, she still soft in certain spots and i didn't want to land her with a breed that wouldn't make that exception, so i went with a rottie. rotties are intimidating guard dogs but notably they are amazing with small children and are great at knowing when to defend and when to be gentle.

design-wise her breed just had to be large, have red, and have thick fur. rottweiler, while fitting her great everywhere else, don't typically have that last trait as it's a rare recessive gene that was actively bred out of lines until recently. but i said, i liked rottie too much so i gave her longer fur anyways.

and done! i am currently working on the last set of 6, but i will update the reasoning here when i do just to keep my rambles at least a little contained. i hope any of this makes sense lmao

[felinefractious]

Glossary

#G: Number of generations removed from most recent outcross. Most often used in hybrid breeds to denote relatedness to most recent full wildcat ancestor but may also be used in outcross programs between fully domestic breeds.

Agouti: Ticked Tabby without residual markings, lacks banding on legs and tail.

Apricot: Cream Caramel.

BCR: Burmese Color Restriction, Sepia.

Blotched: Classic Tabby.

Blue Cream: Blue Tortoiseshell, Dilute Tortoiseshell.

Braided: Mackerel tabby affected by the bengal modifier gene, causes stripes to split vertically with a hollow center. May also be referred to as “candle flame.” Applicable to Toyger.

Bronze: Black Spotted Tabby. Applicable to Egyptian Mau.

Brown(1): Black-based Tabby. Followed by description of pattern type, i.e. Brown Classic Tabby.

Brown(2): Black Sepia, synonymous with “Sable.” May be followed by description of pattern, i.e. Brown Tortoiseshell. Applicable to Burmese.

Buff: Cream.

Caliby: Calico and tabby.

Calico: Tortoiseshell and White, ratio is loosely defined. Typically characterized by large patches of distinct color without brindling.

Cameo: Red/Cream Silver, Red/Cream Smoke. Followed by description of tabby type if known, i.e. Cameo Mackerel Tabby.

Champagne: Chocolate Mink or Chocolate Sepia.

Chestnut: Chocolate. May be stated on it’s own if self or followed by a description of pattern, i.e Chestnut Tortoiseshell. Applicable to Oriental breeds.

Chinchilla: Shell. Applicable to British breeds.

COI: Coefficient of Inbreeding:

Ebony: Black. May be stated on it’s own if self or followed by a description of pattern, i.e Ebony Spotted Tabby. Applicable to Oriental breeds.

EG: Early Generation. Hybrid breed with recent wildcat ancestry, cannot be registered and shown as their breed but rather as foundation or breeding stock.

F1: Fillial Generation, first generation offspring of an immediate outcross. Most often used in hybrid breeds to denote one parent is a full wildcat but may also be used in outcross programs between fully domestic breeds.

F#: Synonymous with #G. Incorrect application due to poor understanding of what a filial generation is or what F stands for.

FEX: Full Expression, no color restriction gene.

Flame: Red-based color restriction. Applicable to the colorpoint, mink and sepia patterns.

Ghost Tabby: Residual tabby pattern on a non-agouti/solid cat.

Ginger: Red.

Gold: Cinnamon. Unrelated to wide band golden. Applicable to Australian Mist.

Gray: Blue.

HP: High Percentage. Hybrid breed with high percentage of wildcat ancestry, often achieved by breeding an F1 back to a wildcat.

IC: Inbreed Coefficient.

Lavender: Lilac. May be stated on it’s own if self or followed by a description of pattern, i.e Lavender Classic Tabby. Applicable to Oriental breeds.

Lynx: Tabby with color restriction. Applicable to the colorpoint, mink and sepia patterns but most often used alongside colorpoint.

Marbled(1): Classic Tabby.

Marbled(2): Classic tabby affected by the bengal modifier gene, results in dark-outlined blotches with paler colors in the center. Pattern is oftentimes more chaotic than the typical classic tabby. Applicable to Bengal.

Marbled(3): Classic tabby with pronounced ticking throughout the pattern. Applicable to Australian Mist.

Mauve: Fawn Caramel.

McTabby: Mackerel Tabby.

Melanistic: Black Solid. Applicable to Bengal.

Natural: Black Mink, Seal Mink.

Odd-eyed: Heterochromia.

Orange: Red.

Patched: Tortoiseshell Tabby, Torbie. Followed by description of tabby type if known, i.e. Patched Classic.

Peach: Fawn. Applicable to Australian Mist.

Platinum: Lilac Mink or Lilac Sepia.

Red: Cinnamon-based with high-rufousing giving a warm orange appearance, synonymous with sorrel. Unrelated to sex-linked red.

Rosetted: Spotted tabby affected by the bengal modifier gene, results in larger spots with hollow centers of color distinct from the base coat. Applicable to Bengal.

Ruddy: Black-based Agouti with high rufousing giving an auburn appearance. Synonymous with “Usual.” Applicable to Abyssinian and Somali.

Sable: Black Sepia, Seal Sepia. May be followed by description of pattern, i.e. Sable Tortoiseshell.

SBT: Stud Book Tradition. Hybrid breed at least 4 generations removed from most recent wild ancestor, largely considered domestic and can be registered and shown as their breed.

Seal: Black-based color restriction. Applicable to the colorpoint, mink and sepia patterns.

Servaline: Ticked tabby pattern present in breeds with wildcat ancestry, possible influence from bengal modifier gene. Results in a speckled appearance intermediate between spotted and ticked.

Sorrel: Cinnamon-based Agouti with high-rufousing giving a warm orange appearance. Also known as “Red” in applicable breeds.

Snow: Colorpoint, mink or sepia color restriction. Applicable to Bengal.

Sparbled: Tabby pattern that displays characteristics of rosetted and marbled patterning, these cats are genetically and registered as spotted. Applicable to Bengal.

Taupe: Blue Caramel.

Tawny: Black-based Tabby. May or may not be followed by description of pattern type as it is often used in breeds with one accepted pattern.

Tipped: Shaded. Applicable to British breeds.

Torbico: Tortoiseshell tabby calico.

Torbie: Tortoiseshell tabby.

Tortie: Tortoiseshell.

Usual: Black-based Agouti, may display higher degree of rufousing than typical. Traditional color of applicable breeds. Less saturated version of “Ruddy.” Applicable to Abyssinian and Somali.

[tma-entity-song-poll]

Battle of the Fear Bands B2R5: The Corruption

Spiral of Ants:

“hnnrgrh ant time. Welcome to the ant hive mind!!!! Who are you? Lmao you’ve never been anyone before Ant Time, silly!! Sharing a collective consciousness with thousands of squirming critters!!!!!!! (also remember the ant exterminator guy episodes played by gunpowder Tim? yeah)”

Thermodynamic Lawyer:

““Disease is her primary language” - every line of this is filled with rot and disease and bugs and it’s 100% corruption.”

Lyrics below the line!

Spiral of Ants:

Over and over  The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony Consuming the colony The Circle rules your life Chop, chop! Don't want to be late Lift up and carry your weight You've got no choice but to dance in a spiral of ants True bugs might laugh in your face Don't fret, you're leading the race Don't let the bastards step on your hands in a spiral of ants You can't remember where you came from (In a spiral of ants) You can't remember where you're going (In a spiral of ants) You can't remember knowing You are one ant Over, it's over The pheromones, the self-avoiding odyssey Consuming the colony The Circle rules your life Now, now! Don't run out of breath Don't feel surrounded by death, no Take the wheel, this could be your chance, in a spiral of ants False bugs, you'll soon be alone See how they drop like a stone You're free now forever to dance in a spiral of ants Now you remember where you came from (From a spiral of ants) Now you remember where you're going (To a spiral of ants) You've got to keep it flowing You are one ant (Over, over, over) Over and over The pheromones, the overwhelming harmony Consuming the colony Creating its own gravity Before we knew it we became a hurricane And the bugs who laughed got blown away As we proclaimed: The Circle rules your life

Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq, G.F.D:

(I hold myself in contempt) Tearing the hair off a black baboon's skull Here's a bitch with some four-thousand names Vomiting lies through her theremin throat As some businessmen pick at her brains Pulls back skinny lips to reveal a proboscis Seems Seth Brindle's at it again Tears pages from spines as she judges the cover And shamelessly spoils the end Blood vessels drying and curling inside are Unfurling from out of her wrists Well, she wrings out a snake and collects all its poison Intending to learn it to hiss Foams at the mouth with a head full of acid And giving some poor illness the blame Knocking the pieces the fuck off the chessboard Insisting that she's won the game So all that I see absolute entropy As the chemical bonds fall apart Well, it seems she broke me But I swear she could not break my heart She could not break my heart, oh lord Makes up excuses for throbbing black bruises And uses them to her advantage Never came down from her last trip, oh Jesus Disease is her primary language Garbled and gruesome, her words so absurd Like a herd of transmissions from Apollo 13 No apology, I request misery So no rest 'til I've twisted her chest round my knee So squeal like a trolley wheel, cry like a baby With autism strapped to a ceiling fan Soil your visage with mucus and twisting of features unable to stand Buckle your knees looking up at me And beg me to spare thee the back of my hand For the sake of humanity, die of your blight We're blessed, you're barren as Mojave sands So all that I see absolute entropy As the chemical bonds fall apart Well, it seems she broke me But I swear she could not break my heart, whoa Now all that I see absolute entropy As the chemical bonds fall apart Well, it seems she broke me But I swear, she can go fucking die (kill yourself) You can go fucking die (kill yourself) Go fucking die (kill yourself) Kill yourself and go die

[brownie-gives-cats]

could i possibly get a cat too if thats ok..

You can always have a cat! And now that it’s halloween, I’ll be giving out a collection of black/red torties to celebrate the spooky day! 54 - Common

Chestnutnudge (she/her) is a black/red brindled tortoiseshell molly with yellow eyes. Her dark fur is streaked with fiery oranges and yellows. A red tabby patch lies over her left shoulder, larger than the other brindled markings. White marks her front left leg in spots and streaks, as well as coating her chest and stomach is snowy white. A set of symmetrical scars mark both her flanks, evidence of almost being carried away by a hawk when she was a young warrior. Chestnutnudge is a tiny cat with a short stride, easily left behind on patrols with taller warriors present. She prefers to hunt alone.

Chestnutnudge was not born stubborn or independent, but she learned quickly. After almost being taken by a hawk, she realized that her friends were only the fairweather sort, ones that didn’t visit her while she was in the healer’s den and that left her behind during her long moons of recovery. She had enough pride and self-respect that she didn’t beg for their attention and instead vowed that she would always be enough for herself. Her injury also left Chestnutnudge with a healthy dose of caution, her senses honed for detecting danger, and though she prefers to spend the days hunting alone, she knows exactly where she can walk safely and when she needs to retreat. Chestnutnudge is hard to approach, as she rarely goes on patrols with others and has little opportunity to make small talk with her Clanmates, and so many cats in her Clan would be surprised that this small molly has a lot of spunk: with biting humor, alluring confidence, and genuine compliments, she’d be one of the more popular cats in the Clan if her peers’ envy hadn’t shattered her trust in friends.

[sapphic-outlaw]

Took my many spouses and their horses (Sadie and Bob, Charles and Taima, Dutch and The Count, Javier and Boaz, plus Arthur; I put Arthur on my brindle Arabian Johnny because that's who he rode for my story playthrough before I stupidly played the last Hamish mission).

This is self care, I will hear no different. I needed cheering up, and they were there for me. They can't make me feel like shit if I don't want them to!

I have video ideas for TikTok that will be pulled from the videos I got of these shenanigans, but if I had to guess it's probably at least 2 hours of recording. I'll get to it eventually I'm sure! Maybe tomorrow, my 3D printer is active and I'm just busy watching it, I've found I really don't like to be distracted by RDO while I'm babysitting a 32 hour print lmao

[intriga-hounds]

Are you gonna leave a five star review on that pregnancy spell on Amazon now that the Sauce is pergnate?

i really should, especially considering how psychically active these puppies are…they are already dreamwalking.

[snailarts]

OKAY SO HERES MORE CATS + UPDATED MY ORIGINAL POST

I have so much lore with this AU hehehe. Most of them have very specific breeds too :3 Webber/Spiderpaw is a black persian, Wurt/Gillpaw is a dilute calico (Trans Rights), Wendy/Petalpaw is an ocicat, Wilson/Brightstar is a sealpoint ragdoll, Maxwell/Darkstar is an oriental shorthair, Wortox/Redskip is a somali cat, WX-78/Beespark is a bengal, Wigfrid/Featherstrike is a mainecoon, Willow/Flamedance is a brindle calico, and Charlie/Roseshade is a tortie and white calico. Winona is the only one so far without a specific breed, I just wanted her to be brown and speckled like her sister :)

I'm sure I'll make more, I have everything written out hehe. (Also forgot to mention in my last post that I intended on Gillpaw to eventually become the deputy as well, and Petalpaw is "self taught", guided by her family's teachings from before Darkstar convinced her to join and spirits guiding her.

[merrilark]

I was going to write a big post detailing my thoughts about the finale and the first refresh!DW season now that it's done, but most of it is critique and I fear I'll just sound too complainy when I did in fact have fun with it. I just. Have a lot of gripes about a lot of the choices and those are easier to talk about than gushing about how much I loved xyz lmao

At the same time, though, I'm also kind of dying to know if anyone feels the same gsklgsk but I'll refrain.

Stuff I DID like though:

Sutekh's design was so cool and I want to pet him and kiss his horrible snoot, I don't care if he's evil.

I'm still obsessed with "Carol of the Bells" being used as Ruby's theme, kind of, because that has always been my most favorite Christmas carol.

Fifteen's characterization was really good in the finale. I liked him a lot and feel he really fell into his Doctor role.

Mel!!! I just love her. No notes.

The scene with the woman and her Brindle Dee made me cry, actually. I loved that whole little moment. It was nice to see the Doctor sit with someone and just sort of... Be, in a compassionate way. The scene wasn't necessary, but it was there, and it was sweet and good and kind and very much the Doctor.

Ncuti's screaming. Hoooh. The acting there was solid.

I love the Doctor being more self-aware of his cruelty.

Weaponizing the TARDIS was a cool move and I think we should hurt her more.

The Doctor kissing the TARDIS was also really fantastic. 11/10, love seeing him treat her like a living thing.

OOD MENTION. Made my evening tbh sgkslkg

The Memory of the TARDIS was a super fun set and I loved it. I'll probably go back just to stare really hard and see what easter eggs I can find.

Overall, "Space Babies" is unironically still my favorite episode of the season next to "Church On Ruby Road". I feel that probably says a lot about how I felt about the season as a whole gkslkg but. I do really think "Space Babies" has a lot of nice moments and I hope we get more like it.

[thebookofjubilations]

The Voice

How did you find your voice?

That’s one of the big questions folks ask me about my songs. When did you know you were writing with your authentic self, singing with your authentic voice? I suppose that this question could be about how I learned to sing, but I don’t think that’s what folks are usually asking. What people want to know is, how do I hear the voice that tells me what to write?

Voices, the ones in our heads that guide us through our days and nights, are invaluable to us in many, many ways. There’s the inner voice that guides us through cooking an old family recipe, for instance. Another voice tells us when it’s time to get up from writing and make the kids lunches in the morning before school. That one is talking to me now, as I write, in fact. There’s the inner voice that tells us we should call our friends, another voice that tells us we should be exercising. After years and years of playing shows, I have a voice that tells my body, every afternoon, that it’s time to go to soundcheck, whether or not I have a show that night. Then, there are the weird, dislocated voices that sometimes seem like ghosts and feel like lost angels who call out unexpectedly for help or suggest bizarre conduct. I’m sure that if you think about it, you can identify at least twenty different voices carrying on in your head at any one time.

I’ve come to think of my own artistic voice as something akin to starlight. Day or night, starlight is always present, but I can’t approach it. Starlight has to come to me. And no matter what I’m doing, I know that the starlight is there, perpetually raining down on me in perplexing rays of clarity and nonsense.

Saw you standing by a golden wall Your brindled skins, your bergamot

I remember hearing these words in my head the last time we played the Beacon in New York. I was sitting on the big, fancy steps in the lobby, waiting for soundcheck. The voice was very clear, but those two lines were all it said. A long time ago, I would probably have let it go by me, but over time I’ve realized that that snippets like this make me happier by helping me to cultivate a sense of beauty in the world around me. I didn’t know what those words the voice had spoken meant, yet, but I knew that I didn’t want to forget them.

This is where I arrive at the most important piece of advice I can offer about hearing that inner, artistic voice:

Write down what your voice is saying.

It doesn’t have to be a sonnet or a thesis or a concerto. It can be a single word, a single line, a single concept, but if you don’t write it down, if you don’t get some record of it, you are denying that voice its reason for being.

Think about it this way: our inner voices constantly bring new things into reality. They constantly change and rearrange the physical nature of things, all around us. Your inner, artistic, voice has this power, as well, but not if you don’t bring what it tells you physically into the world, first.

I’m not going tell you how to get those ideas down, because I don’t care how you do it. I’ve written on the backs of pizza boxes, in nice, leather, journals and spiral-bound notebooks. These days, I write a huge amount on my phone. I don’t care if it’s not romantic. The ideas are more important than the aesthetics. Plus, on my phone I can record all kinds of little musical ideas, which works well for me. Your way might be completely different. None of that matters so much as giving credence to that inner, artistic, voice of yours by taking the moment you need to bring it into being. It might take ten seconds to make a note. That’s enough. You’ve hauled the mysterious chest up out of the waves and onto the beach, you can figure out what’s inside once you’ve caught your breath.

A couple of years later, deep in the heart of the pandemic, I returned to the phrase I’d first heard about brindled skins and bergamot, back on the steps of the Beacon. To my surprise, locked inside those few words was an entire, mysterious song called “Black Crown,” that I ended up recording for Spectral Lines. None of it would have happened if I hadn’t caught that first phrase spoken to me by the voice.

I’ve made a lot of records and written some novels, and over the years I’ve come to recognize this voice well, but I believe wholeheartedly that all of us human beings have it, whether or not we choose to hearken to it.

Your inner, artistic voice is there, I’m confident. It may be fragile as starlight, it may sound as fleeting and chaotic as a gust of wind, but it’s saying something to you and you alone. A tiny idea or an earth-shattering one, only you can bring it into the world, and you can only do that if you write it down.

[strelles-universe]

The Canine Republics - Naming Conventions

Contrary to names within the Greenwood Prides or even the Sky Kingdoms, canine dominant societies in general offer more agency and self-determination when it comes to their names.

In particular, the Canine Republics have a system of placeholder names that are given to them before they become adults and choose their proper names for themselves as they join pack society.

Placeholder/Pup Names

Pup names aren't meant to be kept long-term, more of a stand-in while a pup grows and comes into themselves. Most members of the republics find it deeply presumptuous and overbearing to place a name upon their pups - as if it's determining their fate. This paired with the original republics being in hard to thrive in places meant that adult members were more inclined to offer temporary names.

Pup names are primarily given out based on shallow, surface level traits shown by pups not long after they're born. Often these traits refer to their physical appearance - fur color, birth size - or behavior - such as vocality or liveliness. Given that these names aren't permanent, it's not uncommon for multiple pups within the republic to share the same pup-names.

Squeal, Yip, Yap, Whine, Whimper, Bark - talkative or noisy, lively with good vocals Squirm, Wiggle, Tumble, Bounce - lively or very active, one that walks early Growl, Whine, Huff - a pup with serious attitude or personality Heavy, Lofty - a very large pup Small, Little, Scrawny - a runt, the smallest in a litter, sometimes sickly Blue, Silver, Brindle, Brown - all referring to the fur color of a pup

Adult/Dedication Names

As Rookies settle into their ranks, adjusting to becoming proper members of society permitted to vote and contribute, they will be welcomed officially as adults into the pack by their chosen names. These names are referred to in the republics as "dedication names" as the goal for every member of the republic should be to better themselves and hone a specific trait in honor of the Howls.

Members are recommended to be thinking about their names long before their choosing and to be very careful about the category they choose to brand upon themselves. When someone from the republics hears your name, you're also inadvertently telling them what traits you shall be striving to embody for the rest of your life. Setting too lofty a goal by choose too 'grand' a name can result in serious struggles for members to live up to their traits - and those who cannot meet standards essentially set for themselves are often viewed as untrustworthy and pathetic.

The Moon -> Luna, Moonlight, Moonshine, Dusk, Nightfall, Eve The Sun -> Daylight, Sunbeam, Luminosity, Aurora, Morning, Dawn The Plantmaker -> Blossom, Rose, Iris, Briar, Sapling, Bushberry The Sea Lord -> Aqua, Shore, Loch, Coast, Cliff, Alp, Ridge, Peak The Warden -> Breeze, Zephyr, Airstream, Specter, Phantom, Ghost

It is possible for a member to officially change their names within the republic albeit it's rare considering that such an act is synonymous with changing the entire direction of your life. Though it's not a mandate, it's generally expected that when you choose a new name, you are choosing from a different pool of names. This is because through whatever you've done to deem a name-change necessary, you've dishonored the Howl you were previously representing.

The only exception to this during situations of great uproar that fundamentally change who a creature is and thus, can make it impossible to fulfill the promise of their original name. In this form, taking a new name is said to be the most respectful thing you can do - stepping back and finding a 'true' self. Some may even hold symbolic death ceremonies for their old selves to truly solidify the change to being a new person.

Leadership/Trait Names

While general members of the republic often take on nouns that are related to their specific Howl, the alpha pair of each republic takes on a more direct name scheme. Leaders take on adjectives directly from the domains of their specific Howl, announcing to all what they will strive to be as a leader.

Leaders are thus held to supremely high standards regarding their ability to live up to their names. Major backlash can break out over the alpha pair even slightly deviating from the name they've chosen for themselves. It's not uncommon for some alphas to carefully monitor the way the pack is being led and approves of being led and choosing a trait falls most comfortably into these two worlds.

Examples - Courage, Dauntless, Resilience, Piety, Honesty, Composure, Vigor, Dignity, Endurance, Relic

[oddnub-eye]

Fanservant: Bellerophon (Rider)

Picture Made in This: https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/19158 Picrew

Bellerophon

Class: Rider

True Name: Bellerophon

Gender: Male

Source: Greek Mythology

Region: Corinth

Alignment: Neutral Good

Height: 6’1

Weight: 177lbs

Voice Claim: Masakazu Morita

Parameters

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: C

Noble Phantasm: A++

Luck: E

Class Skills

Riding EX

An interesting version of the Riding Skill. Whereas typically when Riding Skill rises in rank, it translates into the ability to ride more things, Bellerophon’s Riding skill represents the ability to ride a singular creature to absolute perfection. Pegasus is typically a kind creature, who typically needs to Noble Phantasm [Bellerophon: Brindle of Chivalry] to rouse its fighting spirit. The man who bears the Noble Phantasm’s name can rouse Pegasus’ fighting spirit entirely on his own, and instead uses the brindle to increase the sync between rider and mount from 95% to 100%.

Magic Resistance C

Bellerophon’s magic resistance makes him immune to magecraft with a chant of less than two verses. Any magecraft that is weaker than Greater Magecraft or Greater Rituals will not work on him.

Personal Skills

Divinity D

Bellerophon is the son of Poseidon, but the arrogance he shows in regards to the Gods forced the rank of Bellerophon’s Divinity into a paltry D Rank. If brought up to Bellerophon, he’ll laugh it off and make a wisecrack about if this is supposed to be punishment for his arrogance, “It’s a damn shitty one.”

Tactics B+ (Anti-Monster)

There were two critical factors in the defeat of the Greater Chimera; Pegasus and Bellerophon’s clever strategy to turn the beast's own fire breath against it. Bellerophon’s ability to create strategies suited to beat his opponents handily increases against beast-like or monstrous opponents.

Bravery B+

A skill representing Bellerophon’s unshakeable faith in he and Pegasus’ ability. They faced down multiple challenges without hesitating, and only failed once. It makes Bellerophon immune to mental interference, and increases his melee damage.

Charisma D-

Bellerophon was never a leader of people, fighting solely alongside Pegasus in most instances. However, Bellerophon always had an undeniable charm to him, his self-confidence and charming nature convincing people to admire him, to give him second chances, to place their faith in him. So while its rank may be low, it is nonetheless effective in its own way.

Noble Phantasms

[Bellerophon Kometes: May We Fly Ever Higher]Rank: A+ -> A++

Classification: Anti-Self - Anti-Army

A Noble Phantasm that can be used in two ways. The basic use of Bellerophon Kometes is the “basic” use of the Noble Phantasm, mimicking the effects of [Bellerophon: Brindle of Chivalry] -  a powerful attack wherein the user and Pegasus dives towards the opponent and deals massive damage. 

The true form of Bellerophon Kometes, however, is an enhanced version of that dive. It transforms the concept of “Bellerophon’s Hubris” into an attack, weaponizing the very thing that ended the hero’s life. Rider and Mount turn into a shooting star of pure fire, crashing into the opponent with force far surpassing the original form of the dive, as it becomes an attack that damages not only the “form” of the target, but the “spirit” as well. However, this enhanced power comes at a cost, as Bellerophon will die once the Noble Phantasm is used, leaving behind only Pegasus, who is likely to choose to fade away with his master.

Personality

An arrogant hotshot who thinks he can handle any problem thrown his way and that he’ll always win. Bellerophon believes that the best solution to every problem is to face it head on and with gusto. Strategy is fine, but one should never allow themselves to be constrained by that.

Rather than being a “reliable” big brother type, Bellerophon could be described as an “admirable” big brother type, whose extreme confidence and daring causes those he takes under his wing to believe in him as strongly as he believes in himself, and to believe in themselves just as much.

Bellerophon has something of a dislike for the Gods, citing their distance in regards to the mortals they rule over. 

Motive and Attitude towards Master

Bellerophon views his master as a follower or a little brother, depending on the Master. He views them as someone that should be able to rely on him, and that he should be able to live up to their expectations, and inspire them to reach ever greater heights. If his master is of an underhanded nature, Bellerophon won’t be able to respect them, and his loyalty and determination to meet their expectation and inspire them will falter.

Bellerophon seeks to claim the Holy Grail because he sees the chance to battle other heroes and face new challenges to drive himself to ever greater heights. He’s admittedly not sure what he would do with the Grail once he obtained it, but he fights with overwhelming determination to reach it.

Speech Examples

“Rider Class Servant, Bellerophon. And this is my best friend, Pegasus. With us at your side, there’s no height you can’t reach!”

“There’s no limit to the heights we can reach! And if we crash and burn, we’ll pick ourselves up and do it again!”

“Make sure that you believe in yourself just as much as you believe in me, got it Master?”

“Higher! Higher! Higher and Higher we go! Let’s soar as high as we can so that even if we crash, we’ll be the most spectacular of them all! BELLEROPHON KOMETES!”

Historical Depiction

A son of Poseidon in Greek Mythology, Bellerophon began his legend when he accidentally killed his own brother, and was sent to King Proteus in order to receive purification. While there, the king’s wife attempted to seduce Bellerophon, and when he rejected her, she told the king he had tried to seduce her instead. So, King Proteus sent Bellerophon to King Iobates of Lycia with secret orders to kill him. However, by the time King Iobates discovered the orders, he had already accepted Bellerophon as his guest. Given hospitality was one of the personal realms of Zeus himself, Iobates wished to avoid personally killing Bellerophon, instead resolving to get the young man killed through a quest. So, he sent the young man to kill the vicious Great Chimera.

Bellerophon rashly accepted this quest, in spite of lacking a method to fight the best. On his way to the location, Bellerophon slept next to a spring created by Pegasus, and Athena appeared to him in a dream, giving him the bit and brindle needed to control Pegasus.

So, Bellerophon approached Pegasus and tamed the great Phantasmal Beast, and in doing so, gained a lifelong companion.

Together, Bellerophon and Pegasus defeated the Great Chimera, the Amazons, and whatever other task King Iobates set before them. Eventually, King Iobates gave up in his attempts to slay Bellerophon, reasoning that someone with Bellerophon’s success had to have the gods on their side. He made Bellerophon his heir and married him to his daughter.

However, eventually Bellerophon grew disillusioned with the gods seeing the disparity between the blessings given to some, the curses given to others, and the world in between. Seeking answers for these questions, Bellerophon attempted to fly to Olympus to confront the Olympians personally. This act of hubris led to him being struck off Pegasus, falling to his death.

Relationships

Medusa (All of Them)

Bellerophon avoids Medusa. He claims it to only be natural.

“Come on. Medusa’s like, Pegasus’ mom, yeah? In all past and future, a universal constant has been that introducing your best friend your mom doesn’t approve of to her is the world’s most awkward experience. I’m not gonna put Pegasus through that!”

You wonder if Bellerophon is exaggerating, but then you notice that most of the Medusa tend to gaze at Bellerophon on a variation of suspicion to disgust, and wonder if the heroic spirit may actually be more observant than you.

Jason

The leader of the Argonauts and a hero of the previous generation. Jason finds Bellerophon monstrously annoying, and way too loud. Bellerophon, for his part, seems to refuse to improve Jason’s opinion of him, going out of his way to be even louder around the captain.

William Shakespeare

They have a relationship that is not unlike two sitcom characters, trading barbs and getting on each other’s nerves with their mere presence, but constantly hanging out anyway.

Thus is the nature of a man who loves tragedy and a man who stubbornly denies it as his genre.

Final Note

Perhaps think of him as Gingka Hagane if he were the protagonist of Gurren Lagann rather than Beyblade Metal Fight