#somehow this is all inspired by polar bear fur

[karanseraph]

I have a sincerely held belief (headcanon) that Skywarp has photovoltaic filaments below his helmet and that they appear rather like Chiana's hair. Like, that transwarp ability and the mapping/modeling/maths he must do to use it accurately must be such a power and processing suck that he needs a way to re-energize. (And if he seems dim now and then it's just his processor being taxed by all the calculations.)

megatron animation wip for a megop thing I'm making

[lulaypp]

Lulaypp's Foliage of Lost Fics #2: Aren't We All Fluffy

A/N: This was my first fluff. From 2020? Pure fluff. I remembered it being a bit of a pain to write XD This was inspired by the lovely Gem, who shared several polar bear images and captioning them as Batfam. Somehow that gave me the great idea to write pure fluff with polar bear-ed Bat boys. And I never finished it until now (even so I think I intended for it to cover the next morning? But I thought Nah). Among the stuff that I will be putting here, this might be the oldest? A close second otherwise. Up there among the earliest fic I have written (even if incomplete).

Details of Fic: 3.5k words, Batfam Fandom, Pure Fluff, Characters Magically Transformed into Animals, Potential Touches of OOC (I wrote this ages ago so... :P I tried fixing those too glaring)

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Dick woke up from his sleep fumbling with his newly acquired furry paws. He blinked at the clock by his bed. 11:25. Everyone else should already be awake at this time.  

Dick dragged himself off his seemingly ginormous bed, padded his way to the door and nosed it open. Bruce had insisted that they left all the doors to their rooms slightly ajar for convenience and emergencies, as the door handle might prove difficult for their paws. 

It had been an accident of sorts. All the boys of the Bats had been chasing one single magical villain. All of them had been zapped. And before they knew it, they were all not just polar bears, but polar bear cubs. 

Luckily, it was winter. Their thick coats would have been unbearable in the summer heat.  

Dick scanned the hallways for any signs of his brothers. 

The door opposite to his was wide open. Tim's. He crawled over to it and peeked inside. The room was empty. He turned to Damian's room beside his own; also empty. Then, he turned to the last one, the door still left just slightly opened.  

He pushed through it with his head and looked around. Despite being occupied, the room was relatively barren. The cupboards were empty and the walls a normal standard cream colour, the duffel bag on the floor being the only sign of life aside from the bundle of fuzzy fur, curled up on the bed. Jason was bent on not claiming the room as his even though he occupied it every time he stayed at the manor and no one else ever used it. Dick didn’t know whether it was some stupid Jason-being-stubborn-thing, or was it born of something else. 

He carefully climbed onto the bed and approached his sleeping brother. In the dim light, his coat appeared grey, highlighting the white clump of fur on the top of his head (no one understood why that part of him retained after the transformation). He looked so peaceful and, admittedly, adorable. 

But sadly, Dick needed to wake him up. Alfred and Bruce had apparently let them oversleep.  

He nearly used his voice before he remembered that he was not human. So instead, he pawed at Jason's leg. No movement. He did it again, harder this time. Still no response. Dick did a bear equivalent of a frown. He remembered Jason being someone who woke up easily. Changing tactics, he tried gentling batting the other bear's ear— in a way he had always seen animals do. The ear twitched a little before the Jason made a small sound, curling up further. Dick tried poking next, softly prodding his paw into his brother's fuzzy chest, while nosing his head.  

That got him a response. Jason's eyes slowly opened and blinked at him sleepily. Before they turned alarmed. He jumped back, flopping on the bed, paws flailing. 

Dick laughed. Or it would have been if he wasn't a bear cub. Instead, it sounded like a light, stutter high pitched growl. Jason though, was not amused. He gave Dick a glare before standing up on his paws and jumped off the bed. Dick followed.  

Together, they crawled out of the room and headed towards the stairs. He was about to start a conversation before he was reminded of his lack of ability to humanely do so. He frowned.  

Beside him, Jason seemed to drag his paws across the carpet, his eyes half closed. Dick's mind supplied him with a brilliant idea. With what could have been a mischievous smile, Dick let himself fall behind before crouching, coiling his hind legs. Then he pounced, tackling Jason, who could only let out a startled yelp.  

Unfortunately, Dick chose to do this at the top of the manor's long flight of stairs. 

The two polar bears tumbled down, and Dick let out a squeal of glee, clearly enjoying their fall down the carpeted steps. Jason on the other hand was mildly terrified. His untrained paws attempting to find something— that was not his brother— to hold on to. 

Before long, their decent down the stairs came to a halt as they finally reached the ground floor. Dick quickly got up and started to run in small circles, wearing an expression resembling a wide grin.  

The other bear was not really angry with their tumble down the stairs, but that didn't mean he was particularly happy either. He struck at his brother, sheathed claws softly batting the other's nose with a growl.  

Dick was taken aback, joy disappearing from his face as he stepped back. He looked up, expecting to see rage. But, while Jason was snarling, there was mirth in his eyes. 

The younger bear slammed into Dick before they ended up playing a game of chase all the way to the dining room. 

- 

While he did adore animals, that never meant he wanted to be one. Sure, there were times when he wondered what it would be like, but that had only been a mere thought. 

Damian marched into the dining room and saw Alfred pouring coffee in a mug and Father flipping through today's newspaper. This would have been a normal sight if there wasn't a small polar bear seated at one of the chairs, seemingly contemplating the cutleries. Drake. Damian crawled until he reached his chair before standing up and climbing onto the seat with as much grace as a tiny polar bear cub could muster. 

"Damian," Bruce greeted him, swiftly snatching his mug of coffee away from Tim's reach. 

Damian supressed the urge to reply vocally, instead just giving a nod. He refused to talk while still in this form. He had tried it yesterday and the result had been horrendous.  

Alfred placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Drake, and one filled with chickpeas masala and bread for him. 

While Damian tried to figure out the best way to eat without the use of cutleries— for he knew he would only end up making a fool of himself— Drake was trying to manoeuvre a single spoon of eggs into his mouth, clutching the silverware with both front paws. Damian was confused as to why Alfred would provide them with the silverware, as they clearly would have problem using them. 

"I have contacted Zatanna," Father spoke up, folding the paper and placing it on the table. 

Drake paused his activity to look up at Father questioningly. 

He seemed to understand as he promptly replied, "She would be arriving tomorrow evening." 

Drake gave a nod before getting back to his task, the spoon clumsily clanging against the plate repeatedly. 

Damian looked down at his food. Unlike Drake, he knew that he would not be able to use the cutleries with his new paws.  

Some minutes later, Damian had decided to tediously eat using his claws and paws while Father, who already finished his meal, was watching Drake still attempting to scoop up the scrambled eggs—he managed two mouthfuls so far, which was impressive. Alfred was just coming towards the table to retrieve the empty dishes, when there were sounds.  

Thudding, quick heavy footsteps and low, muffled growling. 

It didn't take long for them to figure out where did the noise come from as a bundle of light grey tumbled into the dining room. Richard and Todd; hopping, swiping at each other’s faces, teeth snapping at fur. Playing. The two of the seem to notice where they were and started to untangle themselves from each other. Richard immediately bounded over to the chair next to him leaping and falling half on top of the seat, his hind legs hanging down. 

Todd walked up to the table, climbing onto the chair several spaces after Tim's as Alfred brought out two plates of eggs. 

Todd didn’t hesitate to shove his face into his food, jaws snapping what he could into his mouth before chewing. 

Richard on the other hand merely took one sullen look at his meal before turning to Father, who happened to be looking at him. He then used his puppy eyes, fore paw pushing his plate in Father's direction. 

For a moment, Damian thought his oldest brother's actions were based on the difficulties of eating with their paws. 

That was until Father spoke, "Alfred is the one who cooks and serves, Dick. If you want cereal, you are going to have to ask from him." 

- 

After breakfast, Bruce had to go to the Wayne Tower to attend some meeting that Tim was initially supposed to go to and the cubs, minus Tim, gathered in the living room. Damian stood on his hind legs in front of the window, watching Bruce's car driving away. Dick was on the coffee table, attempting a handstand. Jason was settled on the arm rest of the sofa, thinking whether he should try seeing if could read a book. He didn't want to accidentally ruin his books while flipping the pages with his furry, clawed paws.  

Yet, he was growing bored. One could only watch Dick Grayson fall on head over heels so much before it stopped being funny. As minutes pass, Jason was starting to doubt his previous conclusion, maybe Dick was not trying to do a handstand. Falling off the table seemed to be the goal. 

Suddenly, Tim came running into the room, tripping over his paws and crashing into Dick. Damian looked part horrified part amused and Jason wished he had a camera to capture the scene that had just unfolded. 

Dick picked himself up, shaking his head, while Tim seems totally unfazed, perking up with a cheerful expression and looked at all of them before pointing at the window. The three other bears blinked and stared at him in confusion. Tim ran to the window, stood on his hind legs and tapped the glass pane with one paw while the other makes a circular motion. 

They really needed to come up with a way to communicate effectively. 

Tim seemingly rolled his eyes. He walked back to them, pointed individually to each of them, including himself, before he made what Jason could only interpret as a running motion then pointed at the window. Jason looked at the window, trying to get a clue. It was snowing outside. The four of them are polar bears. 

Then he understood. Tim wanted them all to go outside into the snow.  

With that, he gestured Dick and Damian to follow him with his head. He led the to the front door and pat on it with a front paw. That somehow manage to finally make the others understand, Dick grinning excitedly before disappearing back into the hallways. 

It didn't take long for him to return with Alfred, who unlocked the front door, saying, "Now young masters, I know that you are all now more than prepared for the freezing temperature, but do be careful. Stay safe and try to not lose each other."  

The door opened and Dick dashed out into the snow followed by Tim. Damian ran after them.  

Jason launched himself on top of Tim, paws batting his ears, while the younger bear tried to nip at his leg. They rolled about in the snow for a while before a white ball of Damian crashed into them. They landed in a heap before Dick belly flopped himself on top of them. 

- 

After playing in the snow for some time, the boys were called in for lunch. It started out as rather uneventful. Bruce was still at WE and Tim knew that the second meeting he needed to attend would probably finish at three.  

They all ate silently at first. Or he would be silent if he could get the fork to move right. 

Damian was daintily plucking his salad with his paw while Jason decides to just bite into his steak, his plate occasionally shifting about. 

Dick had managed to convince Alfred to cut his into smaller pieces and was chewing on them individually.  

Tim was still struggling with his fork when suddenly a white paw pulled his plate away. He looked up in surprise and saw Damian reaching over— tiny body half on top of the table— and pulling the plate towards himself, giving him what resembled an exasperated look. Using his claw, he cut Tim's piece into smaller parts before pushing the plate back to Tim who was still stunned (and really, why didn’t he think of doing that?). He was barely aware of Dick making a happy proud noise as Tim look from the food to Damian, who was wiping his paw on the napkin. In the end, he let out a sound that hopefully sounds like gratitude and used his fork to finish up his lunch.  

Not long after, they all converged into the kitchen, initially to just wash their paws and mouth. Due to reasons that was difficult to pinpoint, what Dick and Damian almost ended up doing was a full-blown circus act in the middle of the kitchen causing Alfred to immediately shoo them out.  

"I heard that Miss Cassandra is coming over today," Alfred told them while as they tumbled out of the kitchen doorway. "She should be arriving at any moment. Why don't you all greet her?" And with that, he turned back to the kitchen. 

Dick looked at them as they all head to the den, eyes glinting at the idea.  

Jason's scowled and shook his head. The elder cocked his head to one side questioningly but did not push, instead turning to his two younger brothers. 

Tim gave a shrug, not seeing a problem with the idea while Damian nodded. Having Cass over had never not been fun. 

Dick grinned, which really could look like a snarl in their condition, as they reached the den. 

Jason shook his head again, causing Dick to frown, his right eye twitched in what looks like a raised eyebrow. Jason gestured his forelegs wildly, at all of them, at himself and at the doorway, which Tim honestly felt like brought more questions than answers. 

Damian somehow seemed to understand as he gave a nod before pointing at Jason then upwards. 

Tim got even more confused as Dick joined in the non-verbal conversation, shaking his head vigorously, doing some incoherent flailing of his own. 

It was cut short however as suddenly someone landed on the table behind him, startling everyone. Tim turned to the newcomer and saw that it was Cass, her mouth pulled into a grin. 

"Brothers," she said simply.  

Dick let out a strange, excited sound as he jumped over to tackle her. Catching the cub, Cass gave him a hug as she jumped down from the table.  

"Brothers, bears. Adorable."  

Damian let out a half growl while Jason only huffs a breath, rolling his eyes and crossing his forelegs. Dick on the other hand seemed to take it as a compliment, excitedly wiggling in Cass's hug. 

She placed him on the floor and waved them all to follow her. They followed her to Bruce's study and down to the Cave. After a few quick glances around the Batcave, probably to check for their father's presence, Cass continued further until they reached the training mats and turned to them with a wide grin. 

"Practice," she spoke. 

Dick and Jason perked up (the latter seemingly have lost his earlier hesitance) while Damian seemed to back away. Tim gave him a questioning look which was responded with a shake of his head. 

In front of them, Jason and Cass were already in a hand to paw battle, with Dick occasionally jumping in to give playful swipes to either of his siblings. 

Tim looked back at Damian, who still appeared uncertain. After several years of back-and-forth squabbling, they seemed to have gone past the point of mutual understanding and respect to where they are now. Knowing that his brother's hesitance came from not wanting to make a fool of himself during training, due to him being an entirely different creature, Tim didn’t push him. 

Instead, he shoved. 

While Damian was distracted by Dick successfully doing an impressive summersault to a avoid Cass's kick, Tim walked a little bit behind Damian before running at full speed and ramming into his brother. Damian let out a squeak as they tumbled into Dick. The eldest sat dazed and confused as Damian turned to him, teeth bared into a snarl, and pounced onto him, attacking with sheathed claws. 

And that was how Bruce found them as he entered the Cave after an impromptu quick dinner. All five of his children, tumbling and fighting on the training mat. He pulled his phone out and sneaked in a quick picture, before he approached them. Cass already met his eyes when he appeared but chose to ignore her father in favour of pushing Jason off Tim. 

Bruce could feel his heart melt just by looking at all his children having fun together. It had been a while since that had happened. While they all were in good terms with one another, they also had varying and shifting schedules and lived in separate places. The only times he could actually be sure to see them all together was during Alfred's birthday. Even then there were times when things went wrong. 

It took a minute and a lull in their playfight for Dick to notice the new presence and he let out an excited noise before running to Bruce making unintelligible sounds, which Bruce assume that his eldest is trying to tell him a story of sorts. He responded with giving Dick's furred head a pat and turned to the rest of his kids.  

"I take it you are having fun," he said. "I hope I am not interrupting but Alfred wants me to tell you that dinner would be ready in an hour and that he would prefer it if you hit the showers before that." 

They all picked themselves up from the mats and were about to rush to the stairs when Bruce called for Cass. She motioned her brothers to go on upstairs as she headed back to Bruce, a question in her eyes. "You are staying home tonight." 

Her eyes widen slightly but he continued before she could protest. 

"Your brothers are all currently benched until they are reverted back to normal, and I need someone to make sure none of them heads out into the streets. You are staying to supervise them." 

Cass frowned, "Have case." 

"I am sure I can look into it for you. Please?" 

She didn’t seem keen with it, but she nodded anyway.  

"Thank you, Cass." Bruce gave a nod and a squeeze on her shoulder before walking to the computer. 

- 

Dinner went well. Other than several snappy growls from Damian, Tim's cutleries clattering to the floor and Dick trying to convince Cass to feed him. 

Just as everyone cleared their plates, “Movie night!" Cass declared. 

Dick let out an excited rumble of agreement and when no one disagreed, they all went to the den. 

It took a while for them to agree on a movie, but they ended up with Ice Age— Tim insisted on it out of irony. The movie started as they settled down on their chosen seats. Dick squeezed himself beside Cass on the sofa, followed by Damian who fit himself between his brother and the armrest. Jason and Tim shared the large armchair, the thing being the perfect size for them.   

And it was several hours later when Bruce peaked around the corner and saw his children asleep in the dark den. Dick was curled up on the sofa with Damian sprawled on top of him. On the armchair that was usually reserved for Bruce, were Tim, head hanging of the edge of the seat— it looked painful— and Jason, who had his chin perched on his brother’s shoulders. Cass had a blanket wrapped around her and one hand nestled in Damian’s long fur. She was the only one awake, shooting a smile at Bruce when she noticed his presence. 

He approached silently and gave a kiss into Cass’s hair. ‘Thank you,’ he tried to convey. 

His daughter immediately pushed into it in an almost cat-like manner before settling in under the blanket again. Damian, head in Cass’s lap, let out a little rumble, burrowing his face into the fabric. 

Bruce gave all his sons a gentle stroke on the head— after deciding not to fix Tim’s position as it might jostle him awake— before leaving for his own room upstairs, the image of his children snuggling together safe (even if not quite themselves) warming his heart. 

- 

(Deleted Scene) 

They spent the morning running around, play fighting, pouncing on each other and even tried to have a snowball fight at one point. 

It was a bit after noon when they heard the sounds of a car crunching the snow on the driveway. In unison, they all turned and saw Bruce's car. They ran to it. The car stopped not far from them, and Bruce stepped out, a concerned frown on his face as he eyed the crowd of bears in front of him.  

"Is something wro-" 

He was cut off by Dick launching himself at Bruce head, causing him to fall into the snow. Damian followed suit as Jason and Tim joined in as well, piling onto Bruce. 

[digitalsatyr23]

Creatures of Arachnia (Cold Terrain)

A compiled list of different creatures that can be encountered in especially cold climates in Arachnia, from the snowy forests of Wyravaen to the glacial plains of Cayuvia. Some creatures are inspired and adapted from myth and legend, whereas others are unique to Arachnia. Read on if you're curious about its polar denizens!

Abyssal Wolf

Description: "This gigantic black wolf stands over 10ft tall from its front paws to its ears. It has cold, pupiless grey eyes that gleam with malicious intent. Its snout is long and the lines of its mouth make it seem like it could swallow a person whole. Its upper back is especially pronounced, with dense fur and muscle, almost like a grizzly bear, whereas its lower back and legs seem oddly thin by comparison."

Lore: Abyssal wolves are feared predators of the tundras. The stuff of dark fables and ghost stories, they are said to have originally been born in the seven hells, only to somehow make their way to the material plane. It is unknown if they are intelligent or capable of speech, but they do possess an unnatural cunning and measurable cruelty that far exceeds other wolves. Most disturbing of all, abyssal wolves seem to appear and disappear without warning. One moment nothing is there, but after the winds pick up, they simply appear, staring you down. Those who have proven themselves strong enough to take down these supernatural predators have learned their fur is magical in nature, able to mask their presence when exposed to snow and winds. But then… That would imply that abyssal wolves would possess similar abilities. If this is the case, then it's possible that an abyssal wolf could be watching you, and you'd never know…

Pale Mantis

Description: "Slicing clean through the ice, this oversized praying mantis has silvery blue chitin, large yellow compound eyes, and sharp scythe blades for arms. Standing well over 8ft tall, this creature has a long body, four thin legs, and two antennae. Between its large eyes and antennae, it also has three see-through bumps in a v-formation."

Lore: Pale mantises are cunning ambush predators that live in snowy tundras, mountains, and frost-covered forests. Their arms grow incredibly durable and sharp bone ridges, which almost resemble metal, and use this to slice apart their prey. Special pigments in their bodies that they can control allow pale mantises some level of camouflage, and they use this to blend in with their environment, sometimes mimicking trees or ice crystals. Their vision, hearing, and sense of smell are extraordinary, and it is likely that a pale mantis will notice you long before you notice it.

Yeti

Description: "This powerfully-built white-furred ape man has a round head, gleaming red eyes, sharp teeth, five-clawed hands, and three-toed feet. Almost all of its body is covered in thick, shaggy fur, though what skin can be seen is very dark. It wears a colorful, decorative sash around its waist, and steam billows from its nostrils."

Lore: Originally named "Migoi", these creatures of the snowy mountain peaks are said to be servants of Nyttania, the Goddess of Creation and Destruction. They are intelligent if rambunctious spirits that will take up residence on mountain tops in order to either protect sacred grounds or ward off travelers from entering dangerous caverns. Their fearsome appearance inspires dread and panic, and misunderstandings are quite common between yetis and mortals. During these altercations, a yeti might attempt to snatch up an attacker and stick them to their bodies, slowly draining their body heat until the person passes out - though a yeti is capable of healing any damage this does to a person. Indeed, yetis are knowledgeable of a great deal of divine and healing magic, and use purified water and large cauldrons in order to "cook" wounds and diseases out of a person. It is said that yetis can multiply asexually, with balls of fur falling off of them suddenly sprouting hands and feet. Though they are able to use magic right away, yeti children still take time to learn speech, and often will speak gibberish such as "Harumph!" when trying to communicate with others.

Frost Drake

Description: "This oversized predator stands around 8ft tall, and is about 20ft long from tusk to tail. They have four legs, with their front legs acting as their wings, with a thick webbing between their wrists and backsides. Their scales are pale blue and green, they have a yellow underbelly, their eyes are a fiery red and orange, and their large tusks, growing out the sides of their heads, are a pale yellow. Sharp ridges grow along its head and back, all the way to its tail, which ends in a thick bony club."

Lore: Frost drakes are a variety of drake that live in snowy mountain ranges and connected forests. Though capable of limited flight, they tend to use the harsh winds of the cold north in order to glide and conserve energy. When walking on all fours, the ends of their wings point upwards as they walk on their four-taloned feet. Distantly related to dragons, drakes are not capable of speech, and behave in much the same way a predator might, hunting, protecting its territory, and fending off creatures targeting its mates and young. A frost drake uses its tusks to deadly effect in combat, but their primary use appears to be for marking territory. These tusks are ground against several trees, leaving deep, easily visible gashes in the bark. If you happen to stumble into a forest with large gashes across each tree, you might have stepped into a frost drake's territory! It might gore you with its huge tusks, tear you apart with its sharp fangs, rip you to shreds with its claws, or even freeze you solid with its chilling ice breath. When they feel threatened, frost drakes fight with a reckless abandon, flailing with all their might to strike down their perceived foe.

Shantak

Description: "An eerie black beast with a smooth, rubbery hide, a hooked beak for a nose, six beady black eyes, and notably horse-like teeth in its gum-exposed maw. Its front legs are also its wings, tall thin spines grow across its backside, and it has a long slender tail. While easily 12ft tall, it keeps its head and long, thick neck lower to the ground, as if to stay at eye-level with you."

Lore: Shantaks are said to be beings from all across the Elsewhere. Legend speaks of these nightmarish beasts soaring across the stars and roosting in snowy mountain tops in foreign worlds. They only speak in Aklo, and their hot steamy breath smells of death and rot. It is easy to tell if a shantak has been in an area recently, for their bodies naturally secrete a slippery black slime, soiling the land wherever they tread. While their origins are as yet unknown, some (incredibly) brave scholars have managed to speak with shantaks in the past, presenting the creatures with food and… Other forms of bribery. Shantaks describe themselves as "travelers" and "lovers of new sights, smells, and tastes." They seem to prefer feeding on intelligent prey and see non-sapient creatures as beneath their palate. Sometimes described as "shantak-birds", their bodies are covered in countless small, smooth, and oily scales. They only mate with their own kind, and females (?) produce incredibly large eggs said to be rich in flavor. At least, that's how the story goes. The only man said to have eaten a shantak-bird egg mysteriously disappeared after writing about his experience.

Altero

Description: "This creature is shaped like a megaraptor, standing at around 6ft tall with snow white fur, yellow reptilian eyes, three-clawed small arms, thick legs ending in three-taloned feet, and a thick feathery tail. Though it appears reptilian in nature, it has swept-back deer-like ears, feathers growing along the sides of its arms, and great feathery wings."

Lore: Altero are cousins to dragons, being intelligent, cunning, and capable of magic. They build stony citadels inside snow mountain peaks. Like dragons, they're capable of shapeshifting and will sometimes take on the guise of other races in order to ease diplomatic ventures. Their size, intellect, and shapeshifting prowess has made them useful in the Xenshin courts of Wyravaen as courtiers. You might even encounter one on the docks to check you in should you venture to Wyravaen via ship! In their culture, rather than wear fancy crowns, the leader of a given clan has ownership over a large drinking goblet, often made of gold and other precious metals and gems. This cup is known in the common tongue as the Chalice of Authority. The quickest way to please an altero is to present it with a gift of gems, jewelry, or valuable minerals (such as gold, silver, or platinum). Altero tend to have a "posh" and proud personality. It's not to say that they view themselves above other races, but they do carry with them a strong sense of self-worth.

Ocean Wyvern

Description: "A truly gigantic creature that measures 80ft from nose ridge to tail tip, with a wingspan of 200ft. It has a smooth, pale lavender hide, two short legs ending in three talons each, and a long, flat, slightly round head similar to a fin whale. It has two small black eyes, a blowhole on its back, and its wings and tail seem reminiscent of a manta ray."

Lore: Ocean wyverns are one of the largest species of wyvern in all of Arachnia. Known to travel great distances by sea and air, they hunt by swooping down into the water and scooping up huge amount of krill, fish, and whatever else gets caught in its gigantic maw and baleen. Like other wyverns, they are capable of speech, though they tend to be a bit dimwitted, and their poor eyesight does not help this matter at all. Their large size has led scholars to question its capacity for flight, and the body of an ocean wyvern was found to contain unique organs that are still being studied, with one being unusually light for its size. Because of this, it is theorized that some form of gravity-resisting magic allows the creature the move the way it does. This may also explain another phenomenon that happens with these beasts. Due to hunting in the waters and flying away when they're satisfied, they have been known to accidentally carry off ships on their backs. The crew of these ships found that the ship stayed balanced on the backside of the creature, and the harsh winds did not blow anyone off of it. Ocean wyverns tend to be found in the cold north, though they sometimes migrate further south, circling around the edges of the Acid Sea in search of prey.

Googoo Bird

Description: "A large bird 20ft long from beak to tail feathers. It has a round, white feathery body, a stocky neck, and a beak that seems perfect for scooping up water and fish. Though it has wings, they appear to be too short to be used for flight. Its eyes are round and dark, and its beak is pale pink."

Lore: A species of flightless bird that hunts fish and (occasionally) other birds, such as seagulls. They bear a resemblance to albatrosses and are entirely peaceful, never attacking people despite its size. Their legs and webbed feet are incredibly strong, though, so one must take care not to anger a googoo bird, lest it kick you through a wall. Its name is derived from a sound they are known to make, which sounds like a rattling "goooooogoooooo". In the past, tribes of humanoids would ride these creatures as mounts in order to cross between islands or fish. Their main predators are large sharks (which googoo birds can kick away) and sea serpents (which googoo birds cannot kick away). Googoo birds travel in flocks as large as thirty, and when threatened, the flock will either flee or fight together, scratching, pecking, and kicking their foe to death. Googoo birds are used to the cold and can be easily spotted from snowy coastlines.

Marak

Description: "This deer-sized creature is covered in thick shaggy white fur. Moving on six three-taloned legs, it has a lithe and swift body, as well as a long, thin, fuzzy tail. It looks at once like a mammal and like an insect, with its four dark eyes, feathery-looking antennae like moths, and thick smooth chitin on its underbelly. Its head is notably round, with sharp fangs inside its mouth, as well as mandibles bordering its maw."

Lore: Maraks are a type of snowy forest creature that feeds primarily on frozen carrion. Scurrying about through the snow, it scavenges for food among the leftovers of larger predators, as well as the bodies of those who have succumbed to the cold of their homeland. Though they primarily walk on all six legs, they can actually stand up on their back four legs, grabbing and examining things with their front legs in much the same way a raccoon might pick something up. Indeed, maraks are known to find all manner of trinkets and baubles and take them back to their burrows for safe keeping. It is said that the larger their hoard, the more attractive they are to females - which are much larger than males, and a great deal more intimidating. Fertilized marak eggs are spread all throughout a marak couples' burrow, each being about the size of a human eyeball. Competition among marak young is fierce, and it is said that freshly born maraks will quickly fight and devour each other until only a handful of capable young remain. This sense of bloodthirst seems to leave them as they grow, for a fully grown marak is more curious and peaceful than creatures typical of the frozen north. This cannot be said if you threaten a marak's young or treasure hoard, however. Almost as if a switch is flipped inside of them, a marak will go from a friendly creature to a bloodthirsty predator in the blink of an eye. Because of this, it is highly advised to never go near mother maraks or marak burrows.

[ruckis--rookie]

*hem hem*

I would be interested in hearing about the details that you put in your sonas design! 👀

It's always nice to hear about why people designed their characters to be the way they are now, and I never had the idea to actually ask YOU about the design of Ruckis until your post!

Tell me everything! ✨✨✨

THANK YOUUUU I've been waiting for the chance to talk about this for so long but didn't exactly wanna just post it on my own and seem narcissistic ^^ There's so much thought that went into even the little details that make it that much more special to me

Like for instance the fact that Ruckis is missing a canine is meant to reflect the fact that some of my teeth are chipped, with one of the most chipped up being a canine.

I don't have heterochromia but a lot of people do seem to have a hard time pinpointing the color of my eyes. I think its a blue grey most of the time, but I've gotten varied responses like blue, green, sometimes a bit of yellow in the green, but the most common response seems to be "blue-green". The blue and green in the eyes is a homage to that.

There used to be two earrings on Ruckis but the reason one of them was canned, aside from messing with the scheme a bit, is to reflect the fact that I can't wear earrings for too long. Because only *one* side gets irritated when I do, but the other side is fine.

Now, I've always been the smallest in my family. I was the smallest baby, I'm the smallest as an adult. Shorter than my younger sister by like a foot and then some even though there's a 6 year difference and she's still not done growing. But despite that fact I've always been one of the toughest. That's why Ruckis, while the size of a very small polar bear standing at 7 feet, is still considered a pygmy of her species. She's still tough but at the same time members of her species are supposed to be VASTLY larger. Like... size of a modern day elephant large.

one thing that I ended up adding as of recent was the two whisker dots near the right side of Ruckis' mouth, which is basically somewhat reflecting the beauty mark that I have, or a mole near the bottom of my lip on the right side of my face.

Ruckis as you've probably seen is a built, heavy character. And that would be because as a person I'm not exactly the thinnest either. I'm very much pudgy and my own personal heater. That's also why she's long furred, because it almost always seems like I feel comfier in a somewhat colder environment.

while on the topic of the fur if you've noticed how messy it typically tends to look all splayed out like that it's on purpose, because I have longer hair that tends to get messy and frizzy all the time. Doesn't seem to want to stay down all that much no matter what I do and it somehow only poofs up worse right after a brush.

The tear in the ear, and this also kind of pairs with the missing tooth too, is a nod to the fact that I'm a bit reckless and clumsy and I've built up a high pain tolerance because of it.

The color scheme holds semblance too! Because growing up I noticed we had a lot of pets with black and white fur, so when trying to come up with a color scheme I went with that. more specifically it was kind of inspired by my late dog Spots, which you can guess why based off of her name alone.

Ruckis was also designed to be a bit cuter and pleasing to the eye on purpose because as much as I hate to admit it I've been described as looking cute irl and it's not exactly wrong. Cute, yes. tough as nails? Also yes.

There's also the fact that sometimes I tend to draw her more slouched over, thats cuz I don't exactly have the best posture and I'm definitely more broad shouldered.

There's one detail that's never normally seen on model because you would have to push the fur out of the way to see it, but on the left shoulder there's a black spot on the fur that's usually covered up by the white. That's cuz I have a birth mark on my left shoulder

As for why I changed the og design from digigrade to plantigrade, its because it felt more simple and toony to me which is not only what I wanted to strive for in art and what I found was easier for me but also sort of symbolizes the influence that cartoons had and still have to me. Hits close to home and all.

Oh! And the fact that she also looks gender neutral if not male leaning on purpose.  If not for the fact that it’s fun faking people out then because I too also look a bit more on the masculine side than not.  Not only that but I am butch or a tom boy, so I take a weird sort of pride in being compared to a more masculine figure.

That's all the details I can think of atm! If there's any that I forgot I'll try and edit the post but I do think I got most of the details down. Thank you for letting me share! :D

[zanrai-kid]

What Your Favorite The Adventure Zone Ship Says About You

Inspired by @spritecranberryofficial, the artist formerly known as @doubleca5t

Taagnus (Taako/Magnus) - You believe that no force on Earth can destroy the bond between a twink and bear who are begrudging allies to best friends to lovers.

Magnus/Merle - Your favorite game of all time is Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator.

Merle/Taako - You see a three-way love triangle in every trio, even when two of the trio only begrudgingly tolerate each other.

Taako/Magnus/Merle - You heard the phrase “Tres Horny Boys”, and took it as a challenge.

Taakitz (Taako/Kravitz) - You describe your love life as “yearning for the sweet embrace of death”.

Taako/Magnus/Kravitz - You believe death is the quickest way to establish common interests. Also, you’re shipping TodoDekuIida.

Magnus/Lucretia - Your ideal relationship dynamic is jock/group mom.

Lupretia (Lup/Lucretia) - Your ideal relationship dynamic is punk/group mom.

Davenport/Lucretia - Your ideal relationship dynamic is group dad/group mom who both joke about adopting all their friends.

Merle/Lucretia - You just want a vacation from other people’s bullshit.

Merle/Davenport - You’re just here for some men under 5 foot.

Magnus/Johann - You unironically appreciate it when someone plays “Wonderwall” well.

Magnus/Lup - All of your DnD characters are Lawful Good, but somehow use Chaos as a means to an end.

Taako/Magic Brian - You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of goofy accents.

Sweet Flips (Carey/Killian) - You want a girlfriend who will kick your ass upon request; you also want to join in when she’s kicking someone else’s ass.

Blupjeans (Lup/Barry) - You believe “hapless nerds falling in love at band camp” are underrepresented in modern fiction.

EDIT for @lesbian-flutist  Lup/Lucretia/Barry - You believe in band nerd/math nerd/band and math nerd solidarity.

Sloane/Hurley - Your ideal relationship dynamic is the film Thelma and Louise.

Johnchurch (John/Merle) - Your ideal relationship dynamic is the film The Seventh Seal.

Istus/Pan/The Raven Queen: You’re a sucker for Mythology shenanigans.

Taako/Barry - Your desire for good things to happen to Lup is outweighed by wanting to see hapless mlm nerds smooching.

Lydia/Edward - This ship being incest is outweighed by how much you think Jesse and James are better protagonists than Ash.

Taako/Angus: Not even entertaining you clowns FBI OPEN UP

Garfield/Taako - Your ideal date includes a Costco trip, after which, regret ensues.

Sazed/Taako - Your ideal date includes a home cooked meal, after which, pain ensues.

Dracula/Taako - Your Tinder bio is “19th century femme seeks creature of the night”.

Magnulia (Magnus/Julia) - You just wanted good things for Magnus, and, my god, does the man deserve it.

Any Characters from (K)nights - I’m not even talking about an anime, and yet, somehow, you would still tell people to read the manga.

Any Characters from Elementary - You also tell people to read the manga, but you also recall the lawless days of Johnlock.

Any Characters from Fur - You reference deep lore in fandoms other fans don’t believe is real.

Nadiya/Irene - To you, “two people reincarnating as the polar opposites of their past life” is just “a second chance at love”.

Irene/Remy - You believe Rebecca Sugar’s best song is “Giant Woman”.

Remy/Nadiya- You believe in the powerful bond of two people trying to reign in a mutual friend.

EDIT for @tombstonedb Kardala/Minerva - You thought, “You know what’s better than one buff magic big gorl? Two buff magic big gorls.”

Errol/Augustus - You liked the Amnesty arc, but wish it had more ghosts.

Dylan/Jeremiah - You believe any modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet should turn Juliet into a guy.

Errol/Dylan - In a setting full of cryptids, you hard swerve into Team Jacob.

Gandy/Isabella - You’re a sucker for a good meetcute, pun intended.

Ned/Duck - You haven’t recovered from the fact Gravity Falls ended nearly four years ago.

Ned/Boyd - Your ideal relationship dynamic is “Be Gay, Do Crime”.

Ned/Barclay - Your ideal relationship dynamic is “Bigfoot is real, and he tried to eat my ass”.

Ned/Victoria - You think the greatest achievement in cinematic history is the beginning to the movie Up.

Ned/Sherriff Owens - You wish having some yucks with Johnny Law was considered less frowned upon.

Duck/Billy - Your desire to get with the Mothman is only outweighed by your crush on Ryan Gosling.

Duck/Beacon - You just want to date a smug British person, and really, who wouldn’t?

Duck/Juno - You are a huge fan of Camp Camp.

Duck/Leo - If you were a couple years older, you would have previously shipped Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at the time of the prequels.

Indrid/Ned - You are a monster fucker.

Indruck (Indrid/Duck) - You are also a monster fucker, but softer.

Indrid/Aubrey - You run a monster fucker blog, but are not a monster fucker.

Indrid/Billy - You are a certified card-carrying cryptid fucker, searching on Craigslist to get rawdogged by two in the back of a Denny’s parking lot.

Mama/Barclay - You exude rural boomer energy without the rural boomer mindset.

Danbrey (Dani/Aubrey) - You follow exactly 18 bi pride Tumblogs, but can’t understand why you have so many duplicate posts on your feed. Spoiler alert: they probably reblog each other’s posts.

Aubrey/Janelle - Either your ideal relationship dynamic is student/teacher, or you’re a Janelle Monáe stan.

Hollis/Aubrey - You are a firm believer in the power of calling people who go to the mall “posers”, while simultaneously buying your accessories at Hot Topic.

Aubrey/Jake - You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of sharing dank memes.

Hollice (Hollis/Jake) - You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of early 90s extreme winter sports movies.

Duck/Minerva - You are a firm believer in men 👏 getting 👏 pegged 👏

Sternclay (Agent Stern/Barclay) - You wish Inspector Zenigata and Lupin III would stop dragging their feet and commit already.

Any Characters from Inheritance - This is just the same joke as Merle and Magnus, except you post about Dream Daddy on Tumblr AND Facebook.

Deadbeat Dad/Anyone else from Inheritance - Robert is best Dream Daddy, Amnesty is best arc of The Adventure Zone. To you, these are facts.

Firbolg/Fitzroy - This is just the same joke as Taako and Magnus, but you also desire the fall of capitalism.

Fitzroy/Argo - You, Griffin, and Clint all simultaneously thought “You know what’s better than one fancy himbo fighter? Two fancy himbo fighters.”

Argo/Firbolg - You’re already pushing for a catchy ship name for these two. Might I suggest “Surf n’ Turf”.

Fitzroy/Buckminster - You have a whole blog devoted to scenes of swords under chins.

Buckminster/Leon - You think Arthurian legend can be summed up as “Several bros, sitting round a table, two feet apart from each other ‘cause the church said leave room for Jesus”.

Buckminster/Rainer - You believe behind every man’s facade is a girlfriend of immeasurable power, waiting for her time to shine.

Rolandus/Zana - You believe in big edgy backstory energy solidarity.

Rolandus/Rhodes - This is the same joke as Argo and Firbolg, except I am now suggesting “RoRho”.

Crimson (Crush/Jimson) - Your Netflix viewing habits are, exclusively, She-Ra: Princesses of Power and The Dragon Prince.

[casbeanwrites]

Bear with me - inspired by this video

“Oh.”

Dean stops his walk through the library to look at Cas, who just let out a breathless little sound.

“Oh.”

“You okay there, buddy?”

“Dean, you have to see this.”

Dean carefully walks over to where the angel is sitting, hunched over in front of his computer.  He mentally prays that Cas isn’t watching porn. Please, don’t let it be porn.

It’s not.

It’s… a bear?

Dean frowns at Cas, who keeps watching the screen, his face illuminated by the most tender expression Dean’s ever seen on him. His smile is soft, his eyes sparkling, his entire face brightened with something that causes Dean’s heart to ache a little bit. Probably because it’s such a rare sight.

He forces himself to tear his eyes away from the angel’s face and turns his attention back to the screen. Still a bear. It’s big and white, so probably a polar bear. Dean soon understands why the picture is so grainy -- the bear seems to be inside of a nest. A den of some sort. There’s a much, much, much smaller bear curled on the big bear’s stomach.

Is this what’s getting Castiel all emotional? Polar bears? Granted, it’s kind of cute, but… it’s not that cute. Dean’s seen way cuter. Even Castiel’s face, right now, is cuter than a cuddly bear cub. Who stretches, and yawns, and his little tongue pokes out and his little paws stick out and--

“Oh.”

This time it’s Dean who’s let out that sound. He carefully sits in the chair next to Cas, half registering the angel’s elbows brushing against his own.

The little bear snuggles in his mom’s fur.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” Cas murmurs.

The mom wraps her big paws around the cub with infinite delicacy, as if to hug him closer.

Cas’ lips stretch into a smile that reminds Dean of a pink sunrise.

“Yeah. It is.”

“Life on Earth is… incredible.”

Castiel is still looking at the screen, soft wrinkles around his eyes.

“God has made many mistakes, but he’s also created something extraordinary. We get so lost in the fear, and the pain, and the terrible things we fight against every day, that we forget… This world is good. This world is filled with small miracles, happening right under our eyes every single day.”

Dean hums, unsure of how to respond. Cas is apparently getting real fucking metaphysical about a bear cub.

But it’s good to see Cas happy. To see him smile. And the bears are pretty amazing, too.

They sit and watch in silence for a while longer -- the video shows moments of the cub’s very first day, naked and minuscule as his mother licks him warm.

“I love you,” Castiel says.

Dean stops breathing. Cas is still looking at the computer. Maybe he’s talking to the bear. He must be talking to the bear.

Except that he moves, then, turns to face Dean, and his eyes are somehow bluer than they’ve ever been, crystal clear and so full of love Dean almost gets knocked out of his chair.

“I love you, Dean. I don’t know why I ever thought that I had good reasons not to tell you. This world is filled with wonders, with miracles and wonderment and magic, and you are the epitome of it all -- you are the apogee of every beautiful thing this world has to offer. And I love you.”

He’s said it three times. He’s said it three times, and said a bunch of other stuff too, stuff that don’t make much sense, stuff that seriously makes Dean doubt this is real at all.

Dean should say something. He should respond. Or wake up, if this is a dream. He’s going to wake up soon, alone in his bed and aching for a dream lost. But maybe he gets to say it back, even just in his mind.

“I--”

If he can get it past his throat.

“It’s okay, Dean.”

Dean closes his eyes when Cas’ hand rests on top of his own, grounding and firm.

“I understand how difficult it is to say these things, and I understand if you don’t feel the same as I do. It’s okay. I wanted you to know, because you deserve to know how loved you are.”

Dean grabs on to Cas’ fingers just as they’re about to slip away. He grabs on with both hands, clutching Cas’ palm between his fingers. He touches, he rubs, he strokes the warmth of Castiel’s skin -- feels the bones under it, the roll of his muscles. His hand is strong, and it’s real. It’s real.

He wills himself to stop shaking.

He still can’t talk -- looking at Cas feels like falling into an endless void, feels like missing a step in a dream except he’s still not jerking awake. He’s still sitting here on his wooden chair in the bunker’s library with Castiel’s hand in his own. With the bluest of blue staring back at him, expectantly.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Cas repeats.

So Dean doesn’t. His right hand lets go of Cas’ and curls around his collar. He pulls him forward just as he leans over.

And he kisses him.

The moment their lips touch, he realizes he’s being an idiot. Cas said he loved him, but he didn’t say how -- didn’t say he loved him like this. They’ve been family for ten years, of course Cas loves him, why the fuck would Dean think that--

Castiel’s broad, warm hand slides around Dean’s cheek. Grounds it, keeps him there, keep him close, as Castiel returns the kiss.

It’s better than Dean’s ever dreamed of. It’s easy, it’s soft, it’s warm. It shouldn’t be life changing, but it is.

“I love you, too,” Dean murmurs the moment they break apart.

Castiel’s smile as never been more bright. He’s the most beautiful thing in the entire universe, and Dean can’t wait to tell him.