#snails against turtles?

[gioiaalbanoart]

Last line tag + 9 lines 9 people tag

(lucky you! 🤣)

Thank you to @wyked-ao3 (X) @illarian-rambling (X) and @the-letterbox-archives (X)

(As usual: random number of lines but last bit/line for real)

Wip "The scarred angel"

They ignore me completely which wouldn't be a problem per se if what these pricks are implying is going on in Herrera's office wouldn't annoy me so much.

I try to cut them out of my field of vision and perceptions, focusing on my breathing.

Focusing on dismantling that ball of feelings pinballing inside me right now.

Separating emotions from thoughts is still an ungrateful exercise but helps to feel in control.

Brings me face to face to a strange surge of protectiveness for .....that Ashley girl?

Because I'm sure about the topic of their conversation even if I can't figure out the words, and because at the very least I don't like the way they talk about her.

Regardless my suspicion that she probably wouldn't care less.

Let's tag (never pressure!) : @wyked-ao3 @the-golden-comet @fortunatetragedy @saturnine-saturneight

@authorcoledipalo

@cowboybrunch

@words-after-midnight

@aintgonnatakethis

@moltenwrites + open tag and a glass or whatever you want 🍻 🍻🍻 (yes, also water)

[instant-delusions]

hi!! could i request a smut of lazy, sleepy sex with xavier, but he goes So Excruciatingly Slow just to get back at you for all the times he's been teased? 🤲 slow and soft just feels so xavier-core to me but at the same time, his "and you're not worried about me retaliating?" line lives rent free in my mind i KNOW he'd go a step further and use it to tease back...

also out of curiosity- i noticed your recent fic titles and are you a moa..!!!! ((bc i needed to yell that xavier gives aaalllll the nap of a star vibes))

hi my sweet! this is an AMAZING request, tysm!! and yes, I'm a moa (beomgyu biased), xavier is so fairy of shampoo coded it's BAFFLING ⭐️💗

ᴘᴏᴘᴘɪɴ' ꜱᴛᴀʀ

xavier x afab! reader

cw: slow sex, teasing, p in v

༺☆༻

outside, the world was draped in dark indigo - it was quiet, most people were in their beds trying to get some sleep in for their next 9 to 5 shift. xavier was breathing heavily into your nape, his arm draped around your waist from behind. his pale hair tickled your naked shoulder, but the press of his warm, naked body against yours was so comfortable that you could've fallen asleep - were it not for his dick sliding into you languidly.

this is torture, you thought. xavier's cock was pushing into you so nicely, his tip kissing your hilt everytime he finally pressed his hips far enough, which was way less than what would've satisfied you. honestly, you were contemplating just closing your eyes and drifting off, but the hope of him quenching your need kept you awake. "...xavier. why." you whispered, and a quiet 'hm?' came as a response, his lips pressing to your shoulder.

"why are you going so slow?" you sighed, focusing on how you were able to feel every little vein, and every little pulse of his dick inside. he was dragging it along your walls at a snail's pace. hell, even a turtle could've made it from linkon to pluto by now. "dunno, maybe cause you were being unfair back on our mission." xavier shrugged, circling his finger on the plush of your thigh.

ah yes, the mission. he was talking about that one time you were assigned to a fancy dinner party and had to pick out clothes that fit the occasion.

"your ass looked so good in those pants I couldn't help myself!" you argued, which earned you a quiet chuckle. "thank you, but don't tease me too much. I'm not as aloof as you think." xavier pressed closer to you, biting the side of your neck and burying himself deeper inside, nudging your cervix. gently, he let his hands travel to the back of your knee, lifting up your leg for better access.

"I think it's time you realize that."

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

Following this dynamic from this Drabble I made

This is a draft, it’s not good or polished but here’s something

Pairing: Simon Ghost Riley x reader

Reader’s call sign is Stray

The air is chilly when Ghost steps outside of the pub. His breath barely shows through the mask covering his mouth as he held his hands inside of his pockets. His eyes scanned the dark street for you with urgency, ready to run after you in he needed to.

He found you leaning against the wall of a building a few feet away.

You’re swaying against the wall, a testament to how much you’ve drank tonight, while you stuff your hands in the jumper that you were warned was too thin for a night like this. Your eyes were closed as you leaned your head back against the wall, your eyebrows knitted together.

Ghost can only stare at you as the street lights above cast a warm glow over you. You look almost pitiful, standing alone near black out drunk as you go ignored by everyone who walks by you but your CO. It was almost striking about the fact that you were living up to your callsign.

Stray. Unwanted, thrown to the streets, ignored, abandoned.

It’s not his business.

Whatever happened in the pub to make you run out is not his business and yet he can’t make himself walk back inside. The thought of leaving you out here made his chest ache, he couldn’t imagine doing that to you even though most of the time he’d much rather be with anyone else but you.

It’s not his business.

His feet carry him towards you without him even thinking and before he knows it, he’s towering over you. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw a few tears run down your cheeks before you sloppily wiped them away.

It took you a moment to open your eyes and yours met his, he expected you to give him a glare. Instead you just blinked away the tears, trying to hide the pain hidden within them before you looked back towards the street.

“Ghost.” Your words were slurred but your voice was shaky and it made him swallow hard.

“Alright?”

You sniffled and wiped any remaining tears from your eyes as you nodded. You let out a shaky breath, puffs of steam disappearing into the air, as you shook slightly.

“Yeah,” You sighed and pulled your arms closer to yourself. “Cold.”

“Told you to bring a heavier jumper.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he spoke to you and you let out a dry scoff.

“Yeah…”

Ghost had never seen you so…small before. It was a stark contrast to the personality you often showed him when the two of you would get into it and fight with each other. There was no sharp look in your eyes, there was no snappy remark or any kind of attitude.

You looked like you wanted to hide, like you were prepared to run away instead of attack like you normally did. You looked helpless, scared, vulnerable.

He felt a pit form in his stomach and he couldn’t help but look away from you for a moment as shame washed over him.

“I’ll take you back to base.” He offered but you shook your head.

“You don’t have to ruin your fun for me.” You tried to argue but he ignored you.

He knelt down so you could climb into his back

“Ghost-“

“Get on or I’m leaving you here.”

It was an empty threat. He’d never leave you alone when you were in a vulnerable state like this or even if you were sober. He didn’t trust anyone to be kind to you at any hour of the night even if he knew you could handle yourself better than most.

You climbed onto his back rather haphazardly, unable to get your bearings as you wrapped your arms around his neck and rested your legs around his hips. You held onto him tightly as he stood up and began to walk back towards the base, holding onto you securely.

“Tell you a joke.” He began but you were silent. “A turtle is crossing the road when he’s mugged by two snails. When the police ask him what happened, the shaken turtle replies, “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

You stifled a laugh and he felt the corner of his lips twitch when he felt you hide your face in his shoulder.

“How do ghosts stay in shape?”

“How?”

“They exorcise.”

You giggled and pressed yourself further into his back, causing him to tighten his hold on your knees. You leaned your head against his and he swallowed hard at the contact. He had to remind himself that you were drunk, that you were probably unable to remember just how much you didn’t like him in a normal setting.

“We could do this all night.”

“I don’t think I’d survive.”

“You’re warm. I thought ghosts were supposed to be cold.”

“Poor joke, you could do better.”

A/N: yeah this was meant to be something but it never came to be. Maybe another time

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Insectiride

Debut: Mario Party 6

Mario and friends get up to all sorts of shenanigans! Many of these are dangerous shenanigans, and I would prefer not to get involved with them. If I were to fall in lava or be hit by a barrage of hammers thrown by a turtle, I would Die! I lament this fact, but I am no scrimblo. However, some of the antics are good safe fun, and that includes the act of racing in funny bug-shaped vehicles! I wish I could do that in real life!

Though there is a snail among these insects, for the sake of simplicity, I will call all these creatures Bugs. I usually reserve that term for arthropods, but I don't feel like saying "creepy-crawlies" a bunch of times in this post like some kind of Talking Flower. So Bugs. There are some people who'd call a snail a bug without even a disclaimer! Can you imagine that?

Players begin Insectiride by choosing their vehicle out of the four unique options! I think I played this minigame once and I THINK I used the grasshopper. I think it still might be my favorite! I'm sorry to this snail, but I don't like it much. It looks like pizza, and I like pizza a lot- I regularly observe #pizzafriday- but it's just not the sort of thing I'd like a snail's skin to remind me of.

Each of these bugs has its own control scheme! The player on the ladybug must press the indicated button ten times quickly to make it crawl forward a bit. The player on the grasshopper must press a sequence of various buttons to make it hop forward a few times. The player on the stag beetle must press each indicated button that appears one at a time, each press making it push along a bit. And finally, the player on the snail must press A when its body extends fully to make it pull the shell along behind.

When playing this with humans, there is probably no one Best Bug to reliably choose, since human reaction time must be taken into account. If playing against ambitious robots, however, there is absolutely an imbalance! In tool-assisted speedruns, Grasshopper is the winner, followed by Ladybug, Stag Beetle, and poor Snail in last...

Mario Party 6 is a Koopa Kid Game! And there is official art of him riding the funny ladybug mechanism! I'm glad he got to have fun here. We all know he isn't having fun where he is now... in the Purgatory Zone... poor kid. Oh well! That's life!

Those were the only four bug vehicles present in Insectiride, but in Mario Party 3's Ridiculous Relay, there was another! Way before all the rest! Here we have a Skeeter-inspired contraption, allowing the operator to maneuver across the surface of the water! I think this would be the main mode of transportation in Wet-Dry World, for those who are not already Skeeters. Between being a mecharthropod and having a strange control scheme that must be displayed to the player, I would not at all be surprised if this was an inspiration for Insectiride!

Now don't think you're getting out of this post without some real Bug Facts! Humans, of course, are much too large to ride on a bug. To be small enough to ride a bug, you would have to be a bug yourself. And some bugs do indeed do this! This is phoresy, the interaction in which one animal will latch onto another animal for the purpose of travel. Usually, the hitchhiker will be a tiny arachnid such as a mite (including ticks), or my favorite arachnid, a pseudoscorpion!

Phoresy is EXTREMELY funny to me. A teensy little critter will just grab onto the leg of a fly or something, and away they will go! Hang on tight! This is a type of symbiosis known as commensalism, where one organism (in this case, the one hanging on) benefits, while the other (the host) is largely unaffected. Humans riding horses is another example of phoresy! A human can be like a mite sometimes. Ok, see you later! *grabs onto a hoverfly's leg and flies away*

[dickinfectionbez]

100% inspired by this gifset.

They were late and it wasn't Marc's fault.

It wasn't Valentino's fault either, they had just gotten late because of terrible traffic. The whole way Marc listened as Vale joked that his yamaha from his MotoGP days would have gotten them to the track fast enough. Marc didn't have the heart to tell Vale that the traffic was too packed for a scooter to pass through let alone a motorbike. They drove at a snail's pace, Valentino's hand resting on Marc's thigh, rubbing circles into his skin.

"I'll have to change when we get there," Vale complained as they neared the track. Marc leaned between the front seats, unzipping the bag full of his racing gear as Valentino smacked his ass. Marc yelped, settling back in his seat as Vale pulled into the carpark. Marc opened his side door, not getting out but watching his lover strip. It reminded him of when they were younger, both racing against each other. Marc looked at the turtle tattoo decorating his hip, trying not to laugh. He has been eye level to that turtle many times in his life. He would be on his knees and that turtle would be staring at him.

Marc leaned forwards, running a hand down Vale's abs, landing on the turtle, caressing it. Valentino tugged his legs through his race suit, not pulling it up fully, curious to see what Marc was planning. "Are we alone?" He asked, pulling Vale in by the front of his shirt. Vale looked around, the blood rushing between his legs as he had an idea of what they could do. "Yeah we're alone." He said leaning down and holding Marc's neck, kissing him with passion. Marc cupped Valentino through his fireproofs, running his thumb over the mound. Vale groaned into his mouth, "we don't have much time." Marc said, pushing Vale away from him as he kneeled on the ground. Valentino paused his attempt to get back between Marc's legs, a dumbfounded look on his face. "Do you want a blowjob or not?" Marc asked, shimmying Vale's bottoms down. Valentino nodded, mouth wide open.

Marc giggled into Vale's thigh, trying to be quieter. Vale leaned down, kissing his partner before standing back up, adjusting his compression shirt as Marc placed a kiss to the underside of his dick. Valentino but his lip, biting back a moan, not wanting his sounds of pleasure to be echoed around the carpark. He held the back of Vale's thighs with one hand, the other cupping his balls. Marc kissed all up the underside of Vale's cock, just resting his lips around the head.

Valentino looked down to see Marc looking up at him through his lashes, lips pursed around him. "Marc, amore are you going to make me take charge?" Marc winked at him, not moving a muscle. Valentino held the back of his head, thrusting forwards. "Huh you like me using you like this don't you?" He said, each word punctuated by a half grunt half moan. "It's like you want someone to see you like this. A common whore on your knees." Marc hummed, tears coming down his face as Valentino thrusted harder, head thrown back as he got closer. Vale wanted to pull out, slap his dick on Marc's cheeks and cover his beautiful face with cum. But they were due in front of cameras soon, so he continued thrusting harder until he came down Marc's throat, a gutteral whine escaping his lips.

Breathing heavily, Valentino pulled out of Marc's mouth, pulling his race suit up fully and sitting down in the car. Marc got up, wiping his face as he kissed Vale on the mouth. "Shit dolcezza I wasn't too rough was I ?" He asked, wiping the tears off Marc's cheeks. Marc shook his head, voice a little horse. "No, not rough." Vale laughed at his stubbornness, kissing his again as he stood up, locking the car.

They made their way out the carpark, a smug look on Valentino's face as he looked at Marc's puffy lips. The pair left, completely unaware that Jenson Button had been in the carpark as well, too embarrassed to make his presence known.

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Results of Round 1

Long post, many stats.

The three biggest landslides were Opiliones (daddy longlegs) beating Parasitiformes (ticks) (87.89%, 334 to 46 votes), Terebellida (Pompeii worms) beating Scolecida (bamboo worms) (88.94%, 193 to 24 votes), and Hemiptera (true bugs) beating Phthiraptera (lice) (91.04%, 19 to 193 votes).

The three closest matches were Perissodactyla (horses and rhinos) beating Pholidota (pangolins) (50.6%, 747 to 765 votes), Caniformia (canines, bears, foxes...) beating Feliformia (felines, mongooses...) (50.28%, 538 to 532 votes), and Struthioniformes (ostriches) and Rheiformes (rheas) tying (50%, 144 to 144 votes).

To break the tie, I will discount my own vote (for Struthioniformes), so Rheiformes win.

Interesting that the top 3 landslides were all invertebrates (actually all top 7), while the 3 closest matches were all between Chordates (actually 4).

The average winning percent was 67.10% for all matches, and was 71.28% between non-chordates and 62.91% between chordates. So the chordate matches were closer in general.

As you may have guessed from the biggest landslides, parasites fared quite poorly. While the bracket started with 9 primarily parasitic clades, only 3 made it to this round (Hirudinea [leeches], Eucestoda [tapeworms], D. medinensis [nematode]) and all three were against other parasites.

The biggest landslide among Mammals was Didelphidae (possums) beating Hyracoidea (dassies) (80.26%)

The biggest landslide among Birds was Columbiformes (pigeons and doves) beating (flamingos) (72.34%)

The biggest landslide among Non-Avian Reptiles was Serpentes (snakes) beating Rhynchocephalia (tuatara) (60.60%). The closest match among Reptiles was Iguania (iguanas, chameleons...) beating Anguimorpha (Komodo dragon) (51.09%)

The biggest landslide among Cartilaginous Fish was Myliobatiformes (stingrays) beating Rajiformes (skates) (81.20%). The closest match was Rhinopristiformes (shovelnose ray, sawfish...) beating Torpediniformes (electric rays) (51.44%)

The biggest landslide among Bony Fish (and Chordates in general) was Osteoglossiformes (African Knifefish) beating Hiodontiformes (mooneyes) (84.71%). The closest match was Toxotidae (archerfish) beating Istiophoriformes (swordfish) (50.64%).

The biggest landslide among Echinoderms was Asteroids (starfish) beating Peripodida (sea daisies) (82.95%). The closest match was Echinacea (sea urchins) beating Gnathostomata (sand dollars) (55.38%).

The closest match among Annelids was Eunicida (eg. Bobbit worm) beating Phyllodocida (eg. Gossamer worm) (54.38%)

The biggest landslide among Gastropods was Neomphalida (volcano snails) beating Umbraculoidea (false limpets) (86.67%). The closest was Conidae (cone snails) beating Strombidae (conches) (51.39%)

The biggest landslide among Cephalopods was Sepiida (cuttlefish) beating Spirulida (Ram's horn squid) (77.53%). The closest match was Oegopsida (glass squid, giant squid...) beating Myopsida (European squid, reef squid...) (61.9%).

The biggest landslide among other molluscs was Polyplacophora (chitons) beating Scaphopoda (Tusk Shells) (84.35%). The closest was Heterodonta (edible clams) beating Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) (52.08%)

The closest match among Insects was Mantodea (mantises) beating Blattodea (roaches and termites) (72.9%). Interestingly still a pretty big landslide.

The biggest landslide among Crustaceans was Thecostraca (barnacles) beating Tantulocarida (parasites of crustaceans) (83.33%). The closest match was Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp) beating Copepods (56.54%)

The closest match among Invertibrates was Eucestoda (tapeworms) beating Amphilinidea (parasites of turtles) (50.65%).

Round 2 starts tomorrow!

[nightjarring]

what do thrones eat? the big ones look like they take a lot of feeding. do the bird body ones eat bird food?

Thrones do, in fact, eat a lot. It depends a lot on their bodies, but most are largely omnivorous. Since being able to stomach a greater variety of foods means more things are then available to stomach. Throne bodies are also largely cosmetic, so they might not need to eat like the animal they most closely resemble. The Thrones of Sevab House have serpentine bodies, but don't eat all that differently than the beast-footed Thrones. The body-shape they have does usually come with practical concerns that influence things like diet, though. The beast-footed houses, take Dedēsne House as a good example, eat more wild game than the serpentine Thrones of Sevab House, because there's more of a culture of nobles going on hunts there, while Sevab's Thrones are more expected to drape themselves elegantly about and have clever things to say. They still might be designed with dietary preferences for cultural reasons, i.e., a house that follows a branch of religion that practices vegetarianism not being capable of eating anything other than plants - which is also in line with the fact that Thrones are held by their communities to higher standards of religious conformity, they are Holy Beasts after all. This mostly applies to Thrones with ruminant-like bodies, where the herbivory is symbolically significant. This would also come with the expected Ruminant Issues, though, so that's a thing.

The Lujnola Thrones are an interesting case, however, because their bodies are designed to be more practical than average, and some of the restrictions of real birds also extend to them. You won't find any adapted to eat leaves (no stinky hoatzin Thrones alas). The Lujnola Thrones eat fruit more than anything else. It makes up probably 70 or 80% of their diets, with some meat thrown in. The meat is quite varied, though. They do hunt and especially trap wild game, but like to eat animals - lizards, turtles, frogs, insects, and smaller mammals like rodents and tiny forest deer. They do have some livestock, big meaty snails, and certain woodboring insects with large grubs are generally popular in the eastern empire. The most unique livestock Lujnola has is a species of arboreal, golden-furred rodent that's often eaten on special occasions. There are quite a lot of spiritual cleanliness practices around hunting and the use of weapons specifically, which is actually a bit of a point of prejudice the Throne-Lords of the region have against their non Throne subjects, who hunt game like deer, boars, and forest cattle. None of the Thrones ever hunt large game, and they don't eat bird meat out of principle, at least not in Lujnola Province, traveling Thrones of the house wouldn't always turn bird meat down, fowl just arent hunted or kept as livestock back home. That isn't because "it's cannibalism", they just have a huge respect and reverence for birds in general. They do like eggs, though. A lot of rituals and "magical" practices involve eating bird eggs, and different species of bird are said to embue their eggs with different properties - cleverness from a Jay, bravery from a hornbill, love from a parrot, etc.

-

Also, because Throne bodies are so large, the mouth of their "head"/human portion is not adequate to feed them, which is why most Thrones have secondary, more proportionate mouths. Have an old doodle of a guy having a snack.

[dougdimmadodo]

Acute Bladder Snail (Physella acuta)

Family: Bladder Snail Family (Physidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A common resident of ponds, lakes and streams across much of Europe and North America, the Acute Bladder Snail spends the vast majority of its life underwater but can only extract oxygen from air, so must regularly climb to the surface to re-fill an air-filled bladder within its shell (earning it its name.) Hardy and fecund, members of this species feed on aquatic plants, algae and detritus and rely on their curled shells for protection against their many predators, which include numerous small fish, freshwater turtles, non-parasitic leeches and larger carnivorous snails - should a predator grasp or bite them, Acute Bladder Snails are capable of using a unique muscle to furiously waggle their shell in an attempt to shake them off before detaching from the surface they are attached to and attempting to sink to safety. Like most gastropods Acute Bladder Snails are hermaphrodites (with every individual producing both sperm and eggs) and are capable of fertilizing their own eggs, although where possible they show a preference for mating with other members of their species instead (likely because self-fertilization reduces the health and fitness of offspring due to a lack of genetic diversity.) Following mating, members of this species lay dense clusters of tiny eggs covered by protective gelatinous sacs, which they typically attach to the stems or leaves of aquatic vegetation.

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

Image Source: Here

[pianocat939]

Random idea that torments me for a long time.

What do you think the stages of the Yandere!Turtles obsession with the villain reader, the relationship with which is something like "my most nemesis who has become an important part of my life" will be like?(I apologize in advance for errors in the text, English is not my native language.)

Somehow I feel like Mike's obsession will start with admiring the villain's fighting style. Eventually Mike will think that reader is perfect and that his will help him achieve enlightenment.

He will try to repeat all his habits, tastes, etc. If the reader jokingly says some kind of game like

- I'm sure that if you fight with pedicure scissors, then it will be more interesting to fight with you! - he will seriously think and try use scissors in combat.

Donnie's obsession may start with hatred and mutual respect for each other. Both Donnie and reader love technology and actively use it in combat.

It's possible that one of them always offers to go over to their side, and the other always refuses, which makes the fights more like "who will make more arguments in favor of going over to their side." Maybe Donnie somehow understands that he wants to manage someone who is almost on an equal footing with him? Or does he just want to make sure that someone, shall we say, who knows a lot about him, will not be so dangerous to him?

Perhaps the relationship between Leo and reader will be tied to understanding each other?

They both have a similar personality, a similar sense of humor, and the problems are similar. Perhaps Leo will try to mold a perfect self out of reader? Perhaps he will use dirty tricks, manipulations, etc.

Raf is a little more difficult. Maybe reader just might be someone that Raph likes to fight in a friendly way. Or some other reason, darker, that Raph is trying to forget about in every possible way...?

The beginning of his obsession may be an emotional attachment to the reader, which may begin quite harmlessly (as concern for the state of the reader). But after some incident, he decided to protect the reader with radical methods?

(I know this has been sitting for a few weeks in my inbox- but again- my life went from turbo blast to slow snail 60 times in a span of 2 weeks-)

Tw: be cautious, there's nothing explicitly triggering I don't think, but please read with caution

I personally would say that Mikey would become obsessed through either learning about nemesis MC's backstory or perhaps just emotions and thoughts in general? Like he's a highly empathetic person for the most part, and like with Draxum, if he has a reason to care he will.

Donnie, I agree with your thoughts. I say he wants to AT LEAST be of equal standing. But he would like it if he had one point to be above. Whether it's literally one win against you or whatever.

With Leo, I present an idea: him and MC have a- unstated rivalry of defeating one another mentally- or perhaps even just betrayals idfk. In short, just a "who will break each other first", and let me say, Leo is confident he will win in the end.

Raph- I agree 100%. Like, he's just clingy and wants some attention- especially parental-like attention.

[healing-fire--rewrite]

Shadow Sect Culture

Values--

Stealth, Observation, Loyalty, Privacy, The ability to keep a secret

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Religious & Political Beliefs--

Shadow Sect traditionally has female leaders due to the fact that the Shadow Star, founder of the Sect, was a she-cat. It's unusual for a non-female cat to be leader, but it can happen- an exception might be made if the cat is Blessed, particularly by the Shadow Star.

Shadow Sect cats tend to settle their arguments and disagreements by sparring. It's not uncommon for a pair of apprentices to suddenly start to tussle, or for a group of warriors to start snapping their teeth at each other. When cats from other Sects witness this, they're usually taken aback, and see the behavior as cruel and barbaric, and often question whether anyone in Shadow Sect actually likes each other. The sparring is always done in good faith, though, and (usually) no one holds any grudges when they lose. The biggest rule in this mock-fighting is not to draw blood- anyone who does automatically loses.

Shadow Sect is the most open to taking in wanderers and loners as Sectmates. They understand better than the other Sects how rough life can be, although this may be because of how many of them were once rogues themselves. They’re of the belief that loyalty is more important than bloodlines, and being Sectborn makes you no better or worse than a non-Sectborn.

Shadow Sect is the most lax about the code, likely because of how many former rogues there are. While some rules are definitely important and are drilled into new members' heads, it’s super common for a Shadow Sect cat to be an atheist, or even occasionally for an advisor to have children.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Physical Traits--

Because of the amount of strays they take in, Shadow Sect has the least consistency in body type and pelt colour among the four Sects, although most members tend to have darker fur.

Dark fur is very attractive here, particularly an all-black cat. If you're born as a solid black cat in the Shadow Sect, then you've got it made in the shade (hahahaha).

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Territory & Landmarks--

A thick marshland with tall pine trees. There are a few rocky areas towards the mountains that border their territory to the northeast. There’s hardly any grass on Shadow Sect territory- the ground is mostly muddy or watery.

The Carrion Place - A filthy, diseased place filled with rats. It’s believed to be a cursed place, and anyone who steps paw here will get sick and die within days.

The Burnt Sycamore - An ancient tree struck by lightning a long time ago. Apprentices train here to stalk and hunt.

The Lion Skull - A large ancient skull that sticks out of the mud. It’s believed that a lion once died here, and the skull is all the remains. It’s said that if you sleep inside it, its spirit will protect you.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Camp--

A dark, well-concealed hollow surrounded by prickly brambles with a thin, rocky path leading inside. The camp is one of the few places on the territory with completely dry land.

The leader’s den is a dug out hollow beneath the roots of a giant oak tree. It's warm and cozy, with naturally growing moss on the ceiling keeping the den soft.

The warrior’s den is under a bramble bush, lined with pine needles and moss inside.

Two large, smooth rocks propped up against each other form the healer’s den, and sick cats sleep in the ferns surrounding it. Reeds and brambles are woven into a mesh propped up against the opening that keeps the rain and cold out.

The nursery is a dip in the ground hidden by a thorn bush. Next to it is the apprentice’s den, a hollowed out tree trunk.

An organized pile of roots and branches with mud and swamp grasses woven in makes up the elder’s den.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Prey--

Tadpoles

Frogs

Lizards

Duck eggs

Opossums

Beetles

Turtles

Turtle eggs

Snails

Mice

Rats

Crawfish

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Predators & Dangers--

Snapping turtles

Opossums

Raccoons

Rats

Eagles

Hawks

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Trade--

Marsh herbs

Flowers

Fly wings (beetles, dragonflies, etc.)

Eggs (duck & turtle)

Lizard skins

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Creative Skills--

The music and storytelling here is dark, spooky, and dramatic. They focus mostly on tales of warning and those that get their dues.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Naming Traditions--

Most Shadow Sect parents like naming their kits after spiny or deadly foliage (Holly, Thorn, Yew, Barberry) and predators (Boar, Badger, Wolf, Coyote). They also like naming their kits ‘edgy’ things (Bone, Shatter, Pitch, Strike). They’re of the belief that sharp, defensive names will ensure that their kits will have longer, healthier lives and ward off things that might harm them, so names that are considered ‘soft’, like Flutter, Wish, or Gentle, are pretty uncommon.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Important Names--

Bat - It's believed in the Shadow Sect that bats were created by the Shadow Star to send messages. To name your kit Bat is to open them up to her desires.

Fen, Marsh, Mire, Swamp - Kittens who were born weak or in a rough time are named after the place where the Shadow Sect makes their home.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Taboo Names--

Owl - owls are believed to be the ancestors of all Shadow Sect cats, so naming your child Owl is seen as really, really conceited and vain.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Titles--

The Brilliant Star - Signifying a Shadow Sect leader

Shade - Given to warriors and healers who have done something exemplary (such as discovering a new herb, or saving a litter of kits from certain death)

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Common Nicknames & Idioms--

Common terms of endearment in the Shadow Sect are nutkin and little shadow.

"I pray your night is long" is a saying found only in the Shadow Sect. It essentially means "good luck, I hope things go well".

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Superstitions--

The Shadow Sect is a particularly superstitious Sect. They refuse to hold any ceremonies when the sky isn’t clear, and don't like to drink from water that doesn't reflect starlight. They're the most likely to believe that a place is haunted, and they have areas of their territory they avoid because of that. The Shadow Sect believes that kits born on a night without the moon are very, very bad luck.

The Shadow Sect looks down on most scars. They believe that battle scars mark a brash, stupid, unstealthy warrior. However, they also understand that scars and injuries are a way of life, and thus cannot always be avoided. A heavily-scarred cat is considered untrustworthy and someone to be avoided.

A ceremony held when the sky isn't clear will result in bad luck for the ceremony recipient.

Drinking from water that doesn't reflect starlight will result in getting very sick.

Kits born on a moonless night are bad luck. Most are sickly and will not survive to adulthood, and those that do bring death and bad luck wherever they go.

A spider’s web traps malicious ghosts and spirits, and a camp without spiders is an unclean and dangerous home. Healers must take care to ensure any cobwebs they collect are uninhabited.

Bats are seen as messengers of the Stars, and therefore cannot be hunted, or a curse will be set upon the Sect.

Killing a snake will permanently curse you. Because of this, no Shadow Sect cat will even touch the adder skins the Thunder Sect brings to trade.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Funerals & Mourning--

Shadow Sect funerals are simple. The bodies are carefully dressed and taken care of, vigil is sat silently, and the elders bury the bodies at moonrise. Family chooses the burial spot within the Sect's graveyard.

Grief is expected to take place for a long time. A cat who finishes grieving "too quickly" is troublesome and looked on with suspicion. Cats in mourning are given time, space, and rest. They're not assigned to patrols unless they express a need to keep busy, and are brought food by their loved ones. If a warrior has an apprentice, they're reassigned to a new mentor.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Accent--

The Shadow Sect accent, much like the Wind Sect's, is sharp and pointed, but unlike the Wind Sect's, it can also be somewhat guttural. The Shadow Sect puts emphasis on the letters H, G, and K alongside T and S.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Miscellaneous Tidbits & Fun Facts--

Shadow Sect cats will eat just about anything they can get their claws on. This is less about being gluttonous, and more about the fact that there's less larger prey on their territory. As a result, most Shadow Sect cats have a pretty good immune system, and rarely starve. Unfortunately, this also means that when an illness hits the Sect, it's usually pretty devastating.

Because Shadow Sect operates mainly at night, they prefer the dark and the quiet. They rely mostly on stalking and ambush techniques. They find it irritating how loud the other Sects are- especially Thunder Sect.

Pawspeak (aka sign language) was created in Shadow Sect. It began as a mother working out a way to communicate with her Deaf child, but quickly began to grow and spread beyond that. It’s now used to communicate when stalking and hunting, and has even spread beyond the Sect themselves.

Shadow Sect is the only Sect that uses poisons as treatment. In their culture, if a cat will not survive and is in intense pain, a healer may make the choice to feed them nightshade or foxglove seeds. It is required that all other possible steps to heal them be taken first, and poison only be administered with the patient’s express permission. This is a path that isn’t taken often, and when it is, the healer prays to Lady Mothflight from the point of giving the poison to when their patient has taken their last breath. Any deviation from these steps may result in the healer’s code being considered to have been broken.

It was Mossheart, alongside Swiftfoot of the Wind Sect, that created the half-moon truce and the “no killing cats in battle unless absolutely 100% necessary” law. While she’s widely forgotten by most Sect cats, healers and advisors remember her as the assistant of the Timeturners, and believe that she helps give prophecies and omens through the earth.

Partners in the Twisting Shadow Sect will often spar to keep their skills sharp! While the other Sects also do this, it’s viewed as a deeply romantic thing in the Shadow Sect- a way to keep your bond and partnership strong and demonstrate that you trust each other with your very heart and soul.

[muack-art]

Hi! I’m Muack!

Welcome to my blog, here’s a bit about me :)

Basic stuff

I use Ash, Asher, or Muack!

I prefer Ash for mutuals though

I’m genderfaun and use They/He/It prns

I identify as queer and I have a boyfriend :)

I have Autism and ADHD

I am WHITE, which means if I fuck up PLEASE feel free to correct me on anything!

I have really really bad memory issues due to PTSD so please if I’ve forgotten you/something we talked about feel free to remind me

Media/Things I love

(Hyperfixations or special interests in bold)

Teenage mutant ninja turtles (any iteration)

Legend of Zelda (BOTW/TOTK mostly)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Prime mostly but chat to me about any of them and I’ll listen)

Warrior Cats

Into/Across/Beyond the Spiderverse

Red Dead Redemption 2

Animal Crossing

Minecraft

Subnautica/Subnautica Below Zero

Wings of Fire

Platypuses/Platypodes/Platypi

Maned wolves

Snails/other gastropods

Gardening and Succulents

Fish tanks/Aquariums

Any reptiles (especially geckos though)

Gorillaz

Animal Jam

Japanese cuisine/culture

My Hero Academia

Soul Eater

Chainsaw Man

Our Flag Means Death

I will continue to add when I remember more stuff lol

DNI

Homophobes

Transphobes

Zoophiles

Pro-Lifers

Conservatives

Against Neopronouns

Swifties

NSFW accounts

If you are a TCESTer or TCEST neutral

Proshippers

Vivziepop supporters

End

I make art and my current hyperfixation is my own iteration of TMNT so I will be posting a lot of that

I might also occasionally make fics but idk

Anyway this is my blog, welcome :)

[pleistocene-pride]

Astronotus ocellatus better known as the tiger oscar, velvet cichlid, marble cichlid, or simply the Oscar is a species of fish from the cichlid family: Cichlidae, which is native to the warm tropical slow moving rivers, creeks, and lakes of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Peru, and Venezuela. They have also been introduced to China, Australia, and the US state of Florida. They are a territorial species which typically creates a home base in a radius around a series of rocks or submerged branches which it will vigorously defend it by chasing away other fish. Oscars are omnivorous animals which use a suction mechanism to capture prey, feeding upon worms, crustaceans, snails, insects and insect larvae, smaller fish, as well as fruits and nuts. Oscars are themselves eaten by larger fish, turtles, crocodilians, snakes, certain birds, and various mammals such as otters, cats, and freshwater dolphins. Reaching around 18 inches (45cms) in length and 3.5lbs (1.6kgs) in weight, the Oscar is a stoutly built fish which is are typically darkly colored with yellow-ringed spots or ocelli on the caudal peduncle and on the dorsal fin. Albino, leucistic, mellanistic, and xanthic individuals are also very common. Most juvenile oscars have a different coloration from adults, and are striped with white and orange wavy bands and have spotted heads. Oscars are also able to rapidly alter the shades of its coloration, which it uses in territorial and mating displays. Breeding occurs during heavy rains, during such time the female lays her eggs on a flat rock or a cleared-out of substrate. Once the male fertilizes the eggs, they both aggressively guard their brood against would-be predators until the young hatch into fry and spread out on there own. Under ideal conditions an Oscar will reach sexual maturity at around 1 to 1.5 years of age and may live up to 20.

[snailslovesketching]

Why I find Mikey from Rise of the TMNT relatable as a younger sibling

Greetings snails ;)

I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but I just recently finished Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and very much want to write about it, so here we are. I honestly love all four of the turtle brothers to bits, their brotherly chemistry and chaotic energy are lovely to watch, but one turtle who I feel has gone slightly underappreciated is Mikey. Maybe I just haven’t been searching for it enough in the fandom but I feel as though not much content has been released for his character, so in this post I shall make the tiniest dent to that by analysing his character as the youngest sibling and why I as a younger sibling find him relatable. Okay? Okay.

As basically everyone in the fandom knows: Raph is the eldest brother, Leo and Donnie are the middle disaster twins, and Mikey is the youngest. Being the youngest is possibly what gives Mikey some of his charm, since according to birth order the youngest child tends to be highly sociable, confident, creative and charming - which I feel fits Mikey perfectly since he is the artist and heart of the group. Being the youngest, however, sometimes comes with being coddled by overprotective family members (which I’ll discuss in more detail in a moment), being a risk taker and generally seeing the consequences of actions less effectively than other family members due to never being allowed to fail. These are all traits of Youngest Child Syndrome, which I actually learnt about through a youtube video analysing Mikey’s character (https://youtu.be/LU9cGgcv7gU), which I feel explains this quite well. To me, it seems likely that Mikey has something like Youngest Child Syndrome, and since the show focuses heavily on the relationships between the brothers this becomes crucial to Mikey's characterisation and how he’s treated.

As an example, while his brothers do clearly love Mikey, it is also clear that they tend to underestimate his abilities due to him being the youngest. An episode where this is made the focus is in Hot Soup: The Game, as it revolves around him insisting on doing a solo mission to prove to his brothers that he is capable of being independent. Raph is very against this mission and infantilises Mikey in the process. He tries to stop Mikey going on a solo mission despite Raph having gone on one when he was Mikey’s age, says Mikey won’t be ready for a solo mission in 7-10 years (which would make Mikey 20 years old at least, rip) and literally uses a baby voice to speak to him on multiple occasions. I can understand some of Raph’s concerns since Mikey has shown himself to be impulsive and reckless at times (like most 13-year-olds are), but I still believe Raph is being overprotective here. If Raph was going on solo missions at 13 years old, then there’s no good reason that Mikey shouldn’t go on one too. 

I do relate to this problem in my own way, though I’m not sure if it’s due to being the youngest sibling or being assigned female at birth (maybe both). I didn’t go out with friends or walk anywhere without my mum or older brother until I was around Mikey’s age, and even then my mum got very anxious when I even suggested it. This was despite my brother having done all of this when he was my age because it was apparently ‘safer’ for him to do so. I don’t want to get too deeply into the topic of AFAB people having less freedom to go outside for fear of a man hurting them, because that’s a can of worms for another day honestly, but what I’m getting at is that I relate to Mikey’s struggle. It’s incredibly frustrating to be denied freedoms, especially when you’ve seen that another person (especially when that person is your sibling) has been granted them. It’s a good sign when many people can relate to a character even when there are so many differences between them and the character, so I think this illustrates how well written Mikey is, which is why I’m writing about him in the first place :)

Another aspect of Mikey that I can definitely see is the traits of ADHD. The writer of rottmnt Ron Corcillo actually tweeted that he believes Mikey may be 'a little ADD’ (https://twitter.com/RonCorcillo/status/1554280734319206401), and as someone who may have ADHD and is currently going through the process of getting a diagnosis, I can definitely see that in Mikey too. From memory, some traits that come to mind are his impulsivity and risk-taking behaviour, being easily distracted, appearing to be restless, talking a lot and general chaotic energy. If I’m being honest, I feel like most if not all the brothers are neurodivergent in some way, since a good portion of these traits could be applied to any of them. Also, please don’t take what I’ve noted as a conclusive list, this is just from my memory of the show and the clips I’ve watched to jog my memory.  I would like to rewatch the show and note down every aspect of neurodivergency in the turtles I can find, but I’m not going through that much effort for a rant posted to Tumblr, so this is the best you’re getting.

Overall, Mikey is just a sweet, kind, charming, very loveable turtle who I find relatable - probably because we’re both younger sibling artists who probably have ADHD. He makes for a great heart of the group, who balances out characters like Donnie with his logical way of thinking and brings fun, emotional and affectionate moments to the team. I definitely want to look at the other brothers in the future and rant about why they’re amazing too, but that is a blog post for another day :) 

Thanks for reading :D

[ratsandfashion]

Mirima is actually an OC that I've had for awhile (like...a year?) and just haven't done anything with. I'd like to app her at one of the supernatural boards I write her at as a chamois shifter but I just don't have the time for another character there. But if you are interested in her, here's what I have written down about her! Yes, she has self-insert elements/self-aspirational aspects (like being a fantasy writer and animal lover, opinions on real writers, etc) and that is on purpose.

Mirima "Miri" Gohar Marinakis (Mira also a nickname) FC is D.ilan G.wyn (K.urdish, T.urkish, G.reek, A.rmenian, C.ircassian) 33-35 Gay Ace Virgo Sun, Libra Moon, Capricorn Rising 5'4 but leggy so she looks taller, which she augments with how she dresses; she's had people guess up to 5'7 She grew up how I wanted to, working with animals and also writing fantasy. She's published nine novels, one anthology of short stories, and 35 pieces of flash fiction in online magazines. She mostly writes urban fantasy, but also gothic horror, new weird, gaslamp fantasy, steampunk, high fantasy, low fantasy, and magical realism. Critics say she makes wonderful, engaging, unique characters and has some fantastic ideas, but her plot and worldbuilding are often weak, plus her pacing needs a lot of work. She's a very small name in the industry and probably always will be, and while she'll never make a living off it, she's happy to be doing it. She consistently wears shirts backwards without realizing She has pet snails and a 3 year old female S.ardianian m.arginated t.ortoise named Z.aratan after the legendary giant sea turtles described by Al-J.ahiz, an A.rab prose writer and zoologist in the 9th century, Zara for short. The snails are Snally, Snusie, and Snamantha She has very complicated opinions on A.nne Rice and S.tephen King as writers and as people, but unquestionably HATES L.aurell K. H.amilton as BOTH. She has not met ANY of them. Absolutely rehearses imaginary arguments in her head that she's never going to actually have The first novel-length anything she ever finished was a D.une fanfic when she was 15 about a gender-swapped P.aul A.treides. She hadn't even finished the first book but she had IDEAS! P.aula A.treides remains her most beloved creation even if she can never be published. Miri is NOT a rebel. She is the reverse. She likes following rules and finds it hard to disrespect or disobey authority. She knows in theory how dangerous this is due to her heritage and the themes of her own writing but it just seems part of her personality. She's just always been the good (read: compliant and manageable) kid and she's only comfortable being the "good" kid. Very fussy, needs to stay on schedule and have things a certain way, hates spontaneity and anything unplanned, doesn't deal well with change especially on short notice Very analytical, keen attention to detail, overthinks and can cross the line into being way too critical  Judgey, even just internally Definitely wants to help but limited by her inflexibility and anxiety She gives the appearance of being very practical, capable, and organized but inside she's super anxious and has a ton of self-doubt, which clashes against her considerable ambitions as a novelist.  Strong sense of responsibility---filial, societal, but also to herself and her dreams, which also prevents her from getting in trouble or taking risks that could jeopardize those dreams Miri is skilled in social diplomacy and tends to use charm and tact to get what she wants. She’s the sort of look at an issue from all sides and typically takes the middle ground, both because she genuinely sees nuance but also because she doesn’t want to make waves. Miri is overly compliant because she wants to be seen as likeable and sweet She tries to stay out of conflict and not take sides because she doesn't want anyone mad at her Miri still has her L.ita boots from 10 years ago when they were trendy, and she loves that they’re called L.ita boots because that’s S.ailor J.upiter’s name in the English dub of S.ailor M.oon she grew up on and they look like the boots she wears.

Likes: - Bees - Pretty organizational supplies/journals/stationary - Specific instructions - Harmonious group dynamics

Dislikes: - Tense situations - Interpersonal conflict - Logical fallacies - Being in charge - Being late, she absolutely PANICS over even the slightest tardiness and texts immediately if she's going to arrive more than five minutes after the expected time - Lots of people talking - The lost potential of the A.nita B.lake series - Trying new media, especially music; she just listens to the same songs on repeat. This makes it super difficult to make playlists for her book characters - Widespread misunderstandings/misinformation (ex: the M.cDonald's coffee case, the idea evolution means we came from monkeys, etc) - Readers and writes mistaking darkness in fiction for depth - A whole lot common of urban fantasy tropes - People trying to "win" social interactions - People insisting they know something when they clearly don't

[skipperswebparadise]

@borningoopraisedinpoop: He has magic powers and honestly that scares me. I don't even know if I could take this guy in a fight. I heard somewhere that they might shrivel up and die like a snail if they touch salt.

@autismandfriends: Good friend of mine, wouldn't fight the guy.

@theealitydome: Honestly you have to trick him into letting her guard down. Then he should be pretty easy to take down.

@somethingcooooooooool: I feel bad for the guy, I could absolutely win in a fight against him but it's just so unfair I would feel bad. I'd honestly just ignore it if he tried to start a fight.

@nothingspecialorcool: His strength isn't great but neither is mine, His mental state is really weak though I just start singing a little song and his head blows up.

@therealnovember: November is the type of enemy you can defeat 100 times but she never dies or gives up. I would lock her up in a block of concrete in the ocean and hope that buys me some time. But even then I would know our battle is endless.

@theykeepkillingalltherabbitsnoo: I won't lie, this guys got moves. Thankfully I'm taller than him so I should be able to just kick him over. But if that move doesn't work I'm screwed.

@gachasuicide: Vics whole bit is having explosive attacks. Take away her turtles and she's done for.

@bens--blog: Holy shit where to start. This dude lives in modded Gmod which is funny cause, Garry is already a mod... He would start no clipping at me and spawning in demons. He hides his weaknesses very closely, I heard maybe Victor knows how to take him down but I wouldn't count on her helping.

@bazingadotco: She might not have a high attack power, or magical skills, but her defense is crazy. I could microwave her and I don't even think they would notice. I think the real trick is trying to actually catch them off guard, how to do that? Not sure. I'll figure it out.

@alphamalesurvivalistwarlock: Dude's got magic and guns and he's tall as shit. Not messing with him.

[jonathanmoya1955]

The Evolution of Our Caress

Image credit: Elena Sakurova. https://www.vogue.com/photovogue/photographers/253183 from the cotyledon the leaf opens it first curveto the golden decay, the dispersing crumbling wind.from the abandoned shellstanding firm against the reclaiming wave the turtle claims its carapace.from the snail’s screamthe ear cupped itselfto hear what the tide strived to muffle. from beyond the foam the mother…