#speckled tortoise

[chaobunnyarts]

June Tiny Reptile and Mini Amphibian pin previews: Speckled Tortoise and Iberian Ribbed Newt!

These designs are available on my Patreon until the end of the month and will ship in June!

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Most tortoises are known for their large size, but the speckled Cape tortoise is one big exception! Also known as the speckled padloper, they are the smallest species of turtle in the world; adult females are only 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weigh less than 165 g (5.8 oz)!

(Image: A speckled padloper (Chersobius signatus) by Phelps T.; Els J.C. & Bezuidenhout R. via the SARCA Virtual Museum)

Want to request some art or uncharismatic facts? Just send me proof of donation of any amount to any of the fundraisers on this list, or a Palestinian organization of your choice!

[herpsandbirds]

Could I see your favorite very tiny animals?

TINY FRIENDS!!!

Yesss..........

Pebble Toad (Oreophrynella nigra), family Bufonidae, endemic to 2 tepuis in the Guiana Highlands of Bolívar, Venezuela

Known widely for its habit of tucking its legs and rolling away from predators.

These tiny toads grow to a max. snout-vent length of up to 30 mm (1.18 in).

photograph by guilherme jofili

Speckled Padloper (Chersobius signatus), family Testudinidae, Springbok, Northern Cape, South Africa

ENDANGERED.

These tiny tortoises only grow to a shell length of up to 10 cm (3.9 in).

Photograph by Tyrone Ping

Tungara Frog (Engystomops pustulosus), family Leptodactylidae, Santa Cecilia, Risaralda, Colombia

This species is known for cohabitating with tarantulas in their burrows. The tarantulas protect the tiny frogs from predation, and the frog eats potential egg predators (small insects).

Photograph by Heiler Uribe Parra

Brazilian Flea Toad (Brachycephalus pulex), family Brachycephalidae, found only on a few hills in Bahia, Brazil

A recent (2024) study suggests that this may be the smallest vertebrate animal in the world:

“ Measurements of 46 specimens revealed the average male body length to be slightly over 7 mm—making them smaller than a pea—or put another way, two of them could rest comfortably on a pinky fingernail. Females were, on average, 1 millimeter longer. The researchers noted that the smallest specimen they found was just 6.45 millimeters long, which they note is approximately 30% smaller than the previous smallest frog observed…” via: https://phys.org/news/2024-02-flea-toad-world-smallest-vertebrate.html

photograph by Dias, I 

[preciouslandmermaid]

quiet fury in your head [xi]

Dream of the Endless x AFAB!Reader!Goddess / Sandman Fanfiction

Note: This one took me so long to write and i don't love it LMAO but next chapter is gonna be like pure smut-no-plot so...that'll be fun. The fic only has TWO MORE CHAPTERS until it's complete that's crazy lmao tagging @sapphireonline cuz they asked so nicely to be tagged :). Also, my fics on ao3 are for registered users only due to AI scraping.

No use of Y/N. See part 1 for all the tags tbh.

Warnings: none

Rating: 18+

(Read on AO3)    ||   (masterpost for other chapters)  

While standing on the shining, white salt flats, The Gates of Horn and Ivory open for you and the Dreaming cautiously welcomes you.

It’s emptier than you recalled (or perhaps the Dreaming creatures are hiding from you). You allow yourself the pleasure of viewing the Dreaming for the first time without anxiety and without fear. You glide your fingertips across a cobblestone bridge, and the clear, inviting bubbling brook beneath reflects an uneasy, shifting portrait of heartbreak and exhaustion. It takes a moment to realize the reflection is your own. You push away from the bridge, dusting residue from your palms, and trek deeper into the Dreaming.

A swarm of blue, shimmering butterflies fly past – their wings glow beneath rays of sunlight and faint glimmers of light trail in their wake. You lift your hands in greeting, hopeful that one might land upon your palm, but they merely dance through your fingertips with glittery wings before vanishing into the air. These creations radiated with such gentleness and care.

Morpheus’ absence is a thorn beneath your nail. You wrestle your difficult emotions into subservient silence. Your desire for him will achieve nothing and accomplish nothing. The prideful King has made his choice. He chose a glass orb prison in an amateur’s basement rather than to be with you and fulfill a centuries-old promise to reunite.

The landscape deepens to rich burgundy, dusky tan, and blooms beneath effervescent golden sunlight. The dry, warm air fills your nostrils and lungs. You stand on a plateau of flat, crimson rock. The sun remains in a perpetual state of dusk, painting the sky periwinkle, and pink, and streaking claws of orange. You crouch and lift fine, rusted sand and gravel into your palm. You hold it for a moment, sensing its warmth, feeling the essence of Dream’s magic before releasing it, and watching it swirl and twist on the wind.

A creature approaches you, timidly, and is burdened by a shell on its back—its face is weathered and gray. The skin around its neck is saggy and loose. A lantern swings on the tall, oak-sculpted stick it carries. It stands a few feet shorter than you, squat and bipedal, and watches you with beady and cautious eyes.

It bows its bald, speckled head. “I remember you,” it says in low, resonate timbre. “The Dreaming whispers your name, Lady Morrigan.” It speaks slowly with small ‘hmms’ between each word.

You think of the Corinthian. Do all the creatures assume you abandoned them? Is this creature yours? Did you create him? You hold no memories of creating anything inside the Dreaming. You only manipulated what already existed. Yet, you cannot ignore the fact that you may have forgotten something. Anything is possible in the life of a reborn God.

“Do they know I died?” You ask, “that I was unmade in the minds of Men? That I was forgotten? Erased?” You can’t help but spit that final word with contemptuous venom. The graciousness of forgiveness is a difficult lesson to learn.

The lantern swings when it starts to walk again. “The minds of Men may have forgotten. We did not.”

“Do you expect my gratitude?” you ask dryly.

Are you supposed to give this tortoise-creature a boon? That is what your devotees of old wanted. They had chanted, and sacrificed, and called you into their battlefields or into their beds. They begged for your blessing on all fours and you were fickle; You would kiss the brows of beloved warriors, or bite their hearts with a freezing, cold grip.

But you are no longer Nemain of the Sisters Three. You are simply The Morrigan, Queen of Nightmares, a forgotten monarch in the realm of Dreams. Your purpose slowly manifests before you. You promised Dream that you would return. If only he wasn’t so unreasonably stubborn, then he would’ve been next to you, with Roderick’s bones ground to dust beneath your heel. You desire for vengeance seizes like a vice around your throat. Roderick ought to be dead. The roots of his family tree torn asunder and fed to his funeral pyre.

The creature finally deigned to respond, “I expect nothing, my lady.”

Its black tongue licks its’ wrinkled, dry beak. You sense its’ desire to leave. The Dreaming flutters with this knowledge and cajoles you into trying to get it to stay. You fold your arms across your chest. It moves at a glacial pace, its’ lantern swinging, its’ clawed feet kicking up small plumes of reddish dust.

You say, “It will take you decades to reach where you’re going.”

“It is not about where I will be,” It says, “it is about the going.”

You shrug and allow the creature be.

*

You cannot effect anything within the Dreaming. Those powers remain locked inside a small ring that Dream used to wear on his pinkie finger. Aimless, you walk through the Dreaming, and you talk to Her inhabitants and in the words of a strange tortoise—you focus on ‘the going’, rather than the destination.

The castle doors groan when they open. From the outside, it seems as if nothing had changed, but the interior plumes with dusty motes and freckles of ancient, unraveling magic. Your fingertips trail against the dusty banister as you move through the arched hallways with new eyes and a wounded heart.

You don’t know this castle well. You never traversed it when you were confined to the Dreaming. Except for one place, of course. A place where an old friend might be found.

The scent of paper and leather fills your nostrils and Lucienne steps from the aisle of books as if she was expecting you.

“Lady,” she bows her head as she says it.

“Lucienne.” Her name is a feathery sigh from your throat. The sudden warmth that spreads through your chest is unexpected, but not unwelcome. Lucienne’s face hasn’t changed. Her inquisitive eyes peer at you from behind her rounded spectacles. Her full cheeks round when she smiles.

“I cannot express how good it is to see you,” she says, a book clutched to her chest. “The shelves knew of your return before I did.” She looks up, her expression icing into fraught sadness streaked with regret. The spine of a book trembles, like a frightened creature, before drops from the shelve and falls open to reveal its blank pages. Are all the stories gone?

“They are not all empty,” Lucienne says, as if reading your mind, and offers the book she’s holding to you. You read the etched, golden title. The Adventures Of...it reads before fading away onto the stiff leather. You flip through and discover an irregular layout of full chapters combined with blank sheets.

You ask, “What else remains?”

“Your room,” she says, returning the book to her hands and wearing it like a shield before her heart. “I did not go within, of course,” she adds quickly, “but I know it’s there.”

You knew it too. You lick your lips and silently leave the room without farewell. Lucienne doesn’t call after you, nor does she ask the questions you can see written across her face. There will be a time for questions later. Right now, you need to explore and confirm this reality – this land of broken Dreaming. A palace without a monarch. A graveyard without a keeper. A home without a hearth. The doorknob turns beneath your palm, welcoming you, as so many small pieces of the Dreaming tend to do.

A room you never slept in—except for when you were poisoned. A closet with clothes you never wore—except for your single black cloak. You step into the closet and quietly admire the craftsmanship of Dream’s meticulous touch. Your fingertips glide through gauzy starlight, twinkling in your palm. You lift your nose to floral fabrics and your stomach swoops at the scent of full spring dancing through your nostrils—lush, bright meadows, humming bumblebees, and the tickle of pollen at the back of your throat. The burning cold of frost, the viscous-ember of magma, the angry swell of a blue-gray sea; all of it is contained within your wardrobe.

Your jaw clenches. How can someone capable of such careful beauty be so stubborn and illogical? Why can’t he see that his realm need him? That his selfishness is causing harm? You clench your hand around fabric that is storm-cloud and heat-lightning.

A name drops into your mind. A name you had accidentally forgotten. You sweep yourself into the dress in swirls of gray-and-white color before you vanish from the Dreaming in a thunderclap.

*

Your toes sink into the damp, cold sand and the rainwater prickles onto your skin. The air hums with the brewing storm. Something in your veins – something powerful – ricochets down your spine.

“Dima!” you shout into the roiling, dark clouds above the ocean. “Morrigan, Goddess of Nightmares, calls upon you.”

The lightning flashes and strikes, erupting a piece of earth beside you, and sending hardened diamonds into the air as the budding rain commits to a roaring deluge. Dima is crouched in a three-point landing, her head bowed, kneeling and reverent at your feet. Your heart burns with joy.

“Rise,” you say while opening your palm to her. “I would meet your eyes as a friend.”

Her hand slides into yours and you meet her white-eyes with a smile aching your cheeks.

“You changed your name,” she says. You cannot tell if the water down her face is from the rain or her tears. In the end, it does not matter. You are happy to see her. She came when you called. She remembered you. That is all that matters.

“You remember me.”

“I am not as fickle as mortals.” Dima sniffs. “The sky, the stones, the water, and trees…” She gestures with both arms to the world. “We don’t forget.”

You say, “Neither do Endless.” It wasn’t only Dream’s devotion that re-made you and brought you back into the world as a Goddess. Dima, too, played her part in your revival. An Endless and the personification of Storms believe in a Goddess. What an odd following you have claimed. Dima looks away when you mention Morpheus.

“He lifted your banishment,” you whisper, and your words are clear despite the storm. “Didn’t he tell you?”

Dima folds her fist over her heart. “I could not go back without you.”

“Then come back with me now.” You offer her your hand once more.

Her smile is bright. “Is this a choice or an order, my Lady?”

You chuckle softly, shaking your head at the gall – the bravery – of her. You are the Queen of Nightmares and yet Dima does not flinch. Perhaps that’s because she knew you before your death. You don’t frighten her and you don’t want to. She was your first friend, after all.

“A choice, Dima.”

The rainfall starts to lessen. “Then I choose to accept.”

*

50 years later…

(1972)

This is your third time visiting Fawney Rig. The second had been a rushed visit after you felt Jessamy’s death. It had been like an arrow through your lungs. You brought yourself to the cellar and demanded Morpheus allow revenge—if not for him then for Jessamy.

You were bound to Corinthian’s promise to not harm Roderick. But, you could harm others. You could make them all suffer for their foolishness. You could make Roderick miserable. But, you wouldn’t do it without Morpheus’ blessing. He needed to balance the scales. He needed to owe you his life, or something close to it, so that you could truly be equals.

Yet, Morpheus did not speak to you.

That had been about fifty years ago—give or take. It was time to see if the Dream Lord’s stubbornness had finally eroded. The snowfall is light, though thick piles rest on the pine like bruises. You choose to feel the cold. You let it push through the weaves of your wool coat and prickle against your cheeks and nose.

You reach for the doorknob and your fingers freeze in mid-air, straining against an invisible force, before omniscience wraps itself around you. They’ve warded Fawney Rig from me, you think with a furrowed brow. It was Corinthian, of this you have no doubt.

“Cowardly little nightmare,” you mutter to yourself, though you are a little impressed. It’s been decades since you’ve seen Dream, yet Corinthian is afraid of you, and worried that you’ll find a way around the promise that was made. “Smart,” you concede, blinking snowflakes from your eyelashes, “but cowardly.”

You reach out to Dream through the ambiguous, void-space of one mind talking to another.

“I do not expect a reply, Lord of Dreams, but I’d like you to know that they’ve warded the mansion against me.” You pause walking the perimeter. “So, even if you wished for my help, I could not give it.”

The magic surrounding Fawney Rig is well-crafted, tailored, and not even your various shape-shifted forms can penetrate it. You circle towards the entrance.

“It’s snowing. The moon is full.” You don’t know if Dream can hear you, but it feels nice to try. He rejects all of your ritual daggers, but perhaps he will take this instead – insignificant details of the world that he loves from the Goddess he revived.

“I’ve always had a fondness for nights like these. The world is gray and white. The moon is like a silver coin in the sky.”

You crumple powdery snow between your fingers. “You know, the mountains were my favorite place in the Dreaming. They still are, if we’re being forthcoming about it. I’ve yet to visit them again. They remind me of...solitude and serenity, the clarity that comes from being a distance.”

You pull a novel from the inner lining of your coat. There are hours before the next shift change and you want to see if the guards perform any rituals during the transition. You are curious to discover if you can break these bonds.

The hours whittle away as you speak to Dream, mind-to-mind.

“I heard about Roderick’s death. It could’ve been crueler. Should have been.”

“I would’ve driven him mad, if it had been me. I would have plagued him with visions of his dead son until he freed you with broken, bloody hands.”

“I ran into your sibling, Desire. About…” You count the years in your head. “Thirteen years ago? I asked if they knew I’d die if I returned to the Heart Tree and they said they had their suspicions.” You scoff. “Which I believe means yes. You likely know them better than I, so draw your own conclusions.” You idly wave your hand as if brushing the story aside.

You disliked being set up as a pawn in an emotional chess game between ancient, cosmic entities. You had told Desire as much and were seething when you turned your heel and said, “Leave me out of it next time.”

You aren’t a pawn, anymore. You look after the Dreaming. You look after mortals—especially young, scared children, like that little girl with the dog—regardless of whether or not they provide offerings or prayers. You don’t like to get involved in their messy, dramatic, and short mortal lives, but you like to watch them. You like to see how the threads of fate unravel and twist unexpectedly.

In time, you know that ‘The Morrigan’ will eventually reach the collective consciousness, but you just don’t yet know what new stories they will tell.

“I’ll return when I can.” You rise to your feet from where you had been sitting in the snow.

“Why?” His voice scrapes through your mind like gravel. Your knees buckle and you catch yourself on the manor’s brick wall. The cold air bites through your lungs. You want to live inside the roughed caress of his voice. A sweeter sound never made, you think, as you try to calm your heart.

Your heart hums. “Nobody else listens half as well as you do.” You touch your forehead against the wall and the Ward stings your skin.

“Until next we meet, Morpheus.” The promise lingers in the air among the snowflakes.

[warrior-names]

Long Warrior Prefixes & Suffixes

"Long" in this case means prefixes that are 3+ syllables and/or 7+ letters, and suffixes that are 2+ syllables and/or 6+ letters! Thanks to long anon for the suggestion (and sorry to long anon for the nickname)!

80+ prefixes and 20+ suffixes under the cut!

Prefixes

A

Azalea-

B

Belladonna-

Blackberry-

Blizzard-

Blossom-

Blueberry-

Brambling-

Bumblebee-

Butterfly-

C

Canary-

Cardinal-

Carmine-

Carnation-

Catfish-

Celandine-

Chamomile-

Chestnut-

Chickadee-

Chickweed-

Chipmunk-

Chokecherry-

Chrysanthemum-

Cranberry-

Currant-

D

Daffodil-

Damselfly-

Dandelion-

Dappled-

Dogwood-

Dragonfly-

F

Foxglove-

Freckle-

Freckled-

G

Goldenrod-

Grackle-

H

Hedgehog-

Hellebore-

Hemlock-

Hickory-

Honeysuckle-

Huckleberry-

Hyacinth-

J

Jackdaw-

Juneberry-

Juniper-

L

Larkspur-

Licorice-

M

Magnolia-

Mangrove-

Marigold-

Mugwort-

Mulberry-

Mushroom-

N

Nightshade-

O

Oleander-

Oriole-

P

Pokeberry-

Primrose-

Puffball-

R

Raccoon-

Ragwort-

Raspberry-

S

Sequoia-

Shattered-

Sparrow-

Speckle-

Speckled-

Spotted-

Squirrel-

Starling-

Strawberry-

Sugarplum-

Sunflower-

Sweetgum-

Sycamore-

T

Tadpole-

Tattered-

Tortoise-

W

Whispering-

Withered-

Suffixes

B

bounce

bracken

bumble

burrow

D

dapple

F

feather

flight

flower

flutter

freckle

P

pounce

R

ripple

rumble

S

shimmer

smudge

speckle

spirit

splash

stream

T

tunnel

W

whisker

whisper

[astronautrobot]

Some hc I have (for tottmnt-repeated some)

Leo: Assam roofed turtle, freckles, has a matching necklace with Donnie and two matching bracelets, one with Raph and one with Mikey

Donnie: Black pond turtle, white spots here and there, has a matching necklace with Leo, lets Mikey put stickers on his headphones, lets Raph paint on his shell (nontoxic paint pens)

Mikey: Speckled cape tortoise, stickers everywhere, has a matching bracelet with Leo, him and Donnie make stickers together, has matching anklet with Raph

Raph: Diamondback terrapin, mask has ‘piercings’, matching bracelet with Leo, helps out Donnie with his clothing taste, matching anklet with Mikey

I believe those are more redesigns ideas.

Don't get me wrong, I think they'd look pretty coll being different species like the Rise boys, specially with the Mutant Mayhem art style ✨

My art on the other hand... Let's just say I work better with a visual guide on how they should look 😅😅

[kariachi]

Okay, small collection of non-Earth-native pairs and what shape the daemon half pretends to be under the masquerade pre-everyone finding out about aliens.

You'll notice some individuals missing, this is due to either 1- not engaging in the masquerade on Earth due to period of arrival or lack of interaction with locals, or 2- a lack of suitable shapes to utilize forcing isolation from locals (feel bad for Pierce and Gemma's siring-pair, laid low by a lack of extant landbirds with a 5 meter (~16 ft) wingspan, and honestly I can't even find fictional shit I could slip in thank to TSS that would necessarily work...)(I don't know how they meet their damming-pair in this shit, because goddamn).

~~

Argit & Susi Levin

Proper Shape- Ecnoel (predatory mammal of Eri origin)

Disguised Shape- Polar bear

Kwarrel & Hejer Ojua

Proper Shape- Xaa (herbivorous mammal of Ha'n origin)

Disguised Shape- Javan Rhinoceros

X10A & Adomi Wheels

Proper Shape- Unnamed ungulate of Kinet origin

Disguised Shape- Vicuña

Oumbia & Margiav Armstrong

Proper Shape- Unnamed herbivorous mammal of Khoron origin

Disguised Shape- Ethiopian Wolf

Selan & Lassi Albright

Proper Shape- Unnamed chiton-esque species of Pyros origin

Disguised Shape- Speckled Tortoise

Kayzisk & Nial Albright

Proper Shape- Unnamed reptile of Pyros origin

Disguised Shape- Yellow Tegu

[untitled-tmnt-blog]

I think @tumblemutantninjaturtles's idea of a collaborative fan iteration / AU of TMNT is pretty cool, and given that Splinter's only requirement in the species submission form is "mammal"...

Why not take the Rise approach, and try something different?

I would like to propose: Red Panda Splinter

He'd be adorable. But also fierce. And I just think that would be a neat combination for him.

(I have so many thoughts about species, so more below the cut)

I could also see Splinter as a squirrel, which would have the same sorta cute-but-fierce vibe. But he'd still be a rodent then, which is a bit closer to tradition.

I like the idea of Leo as a sea turtle for some reason. Maybe partially because I think he'd like swimming, and partially just because of the blue.

I like the idea of Raph as some type of tortoise (I can already imagine the others getting annoyed by Donnie's "technically, Raph is a tortoise" when someone refers to them as turtles) but I go back and forth on the Galapagos giant tortoise, which is the largest tortoise in the world... or a speckled Padloper tortoise, which is the smallest. But like, he's still physically the strongest because he worked out a ton to make up for the size difference!

I like Donnie as a snapping turtle or a wood turtle, since they're both considered to be very intelligent, and Mikey as a painted turtle, both for the cool markings and because they're considered to be very friendly.

So many possibilities...

[seedsinmygarden]

Scarlet Fawkes, the Herbologist

“Really? You would help me find a place to keep all these plants?”

Basic Information

Identifying Gender/Species: Cisgender Human Female, she/her pronouns.

Birthdate: February 20th, 1874 (Pisces)

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Wand: Ringed design, Pale Brown color. Hazel wood, unicorn hair core, 9”, pliant flexibility.

Pets?: Speckled cape tortoise named Turnip.

Appearance

Height and Body Type: Stands tall at 5’5 (165 cm) with a fluffy hourglass figure— “hips and tits for days with thighs and belly to boot” as in Scarlet’s words. She’s not gonna grow much taller really.

Hair: Medium-length wavy red hair— just a little past her shoulders. Could argue that she’s a Weasley!

Eyes: Golden-hazel eyes, like the shine of the morning sun. No glasses.

Scars and Other Marks: Freckles EVERYWHERE, as well as some scars from handling the more dangerous plants. Pale skin that burns quite easily, but is easily managable.

Clothing: Scarlet is never found without a hood of some sort, so she’ll usually be wearing a robe no matter how hot it is. Otherwise, it’s just the usual Hufflepuff garb.

Personality

Whimsical in the best way.

Passionate, especially for the people and hobbies she loves!

Very shy and quiet, but she is a sleeper adventure gremlin. Once you get her out and about, she’s all about looking for the rarest of the rarest plants to add to her private garden!

Home Life

Birthplace: The Fawkes Farm

Birth Parents: Hugh and Freya Fawkes

Adopted?: Nope!

Adoptive Parents: N/A

Siblings?: Two older brothers; Travis Fawkes and Liam Fawkes. One younger sister; Elena Fawkes. One younger brother; Ralph “Ralphie” Fawkes. Her family has also adopted Amoria Dovah, making her a sister as well!

Other Guardian Figures: N/A

Places of Residence: Born and raised at the Fawkes Farm in the fields of Scotland! She finds a new home at Hogwarts, but prefers the quiet quaintness of the Farm.

Hogwarts Life

House: Hufflepuff

Quidditch?: Nope.

Clubs: Nope.

Other Activites: She’s just keeping up with her studies, mostly. She likes to dance (in private) and when the ghosts are holding a little ball in the Death Day Ballroom, she’ll go and watch! She often also likes to go into the Forbidden Forest on the search for new plants to add to her collection— which, speaking of plants, that’s her main hobby. Her first priorty has always been her garden— you’ll always find her tending to it before, after, and in between classes.

Romance?: Yes. She has a massive crush but cannot find the confidence in herself to act on it. :(

Patronus: To be learned.

Animagus: To be learned.

Boggart: To be learned.

Amortentia: To be learned.

Trivia

Has a very, very close relationship with her family.

Being the only magical child, she’s quite nervous to pursue the unknown alone, so she’s always sending letters to her mother for words of wisdom and comforting thoughts.

As much as she loves being at Hogwarts, she always looks forward to the next time she can go home.

Likes little dens where she can be alone and cozy.

[cosmicanger]

smallest Tortoise in the world is the Speckled Padloper Tortoise. These tiny creatures measure a full 3 inches to 4 inches (8-10 cm) for adults and weigh in at a beefy 100-165 grams.

[visuallanguagesophie]

Drawing as an index workshop

Subject: looking at shadows, text and found objects

First two images I used a few screws, I thought it would be interesting to use the flash from my phone to create a shadow of the screws and extend them longer - the almost look like sky scrappers now. I then used a tube to make a circular shape around the screws.

The second two images I used a plastic bag infront of letters, I was hoping the plastic of the bag would make some sort of shadow but it didn’t work - it did make some sort of subtle texture like speckles of light. I used the letters although it was quite difficult to hold them and use the flash so I found it difficult to get good photographs.

Similar to the screws I also used legos to extend the length, this was fun to play around with.

I really liked played around with the string in the last two images, it was difficult finding a dark space but I would like to experiment with the shadows of the string further perhaps making them look like something else - like figures or objects.

Decided I wanted to experiment more at home with shadows as it was difficult to find a dark enough space in the studio. I looked around my room to find interesting materials and objects, I thought the chicken wire from my tortoise's enclosure lid would look interesting to create a grid so I used this, I really liked how it looked and that depending on the angle of the flash it would extend longer or the distance of the flash would make the grid bigger or smaller.

From my experiments in the studio, I thought the string looked most interesting and I wanted to use this to make an abstract face so I unwrapped the string and loosely placed this on the chicken wire (it was easier to have it hanging from this but I also liked the overlapping of materials together). I then messed around with composition and moved the flash around and then I discovered the face shape (in the photos above) I really liked that at first, it didn't initially look like a face but once you look closer you can see the eyes and a nose and slight mouth and chin. I also really liked this combined with the chicken wire grid, it reminds me of a maths jotter and with the stringed face, it looks like a doodle in a jotter.

[chaobunnyarts]

June Tiny Reptile and Mini Amphibians: Speckled Tortoise and Iberian Ribbed Newt! 🐢

Fun facts! The speckled tortoise is the world's smallest tortoise, and the Iberian ribbed newt can defend itself with poisoned ribs!

These designs are available on my Patreon as pins and stickers until the end of the month!

[sapphanimates]

I dont have any art of this design whatsoever, but I would like to say that my original design for Spottedleaf when i was younger was gray and white, speckled all over with no real pattern like an old warriors wiki sprite. This wasnt due to anything i had heard or found anywhere, but due to my misinterpreted idea of what "tortoiseshell with white" meant.

What is a tortoise? Kinda like a turtle.

What color is a turtle. Green.

Cats cant be green, thats stupid. Whats the closest color to green a cat can be? Grey.

If its "tortoiseshell" i suppose that means multiple different shades right? And theres white in there too. Okay sure why not. Add green eyes in there too just to drive the idea in further that this is just a turtle we disguised as a cat.

Then i proceeded to make literally zero art of this design ever except for a crappy minecraft skin, and never attempted to draw her again until a few weeks ago when i settled on this:

Im pretty proud of it, to say the least. Much better than the muddy grey atrocity that came before.

Hi reblog this with your old and recent designs/art of a wc character for comparison. Also feel free to ramble about them, like what you changed/improved or if it's for an au, etc

[herpsandbirds]

Speckled Padloper (Chersobius signatus), family Testudinidae, Springbok, Northern Cape, South Africa

ENDANGERED.

These tiny tortoises only grow to a shell length of up to 10 cm (3.9 in).

Photograph by Tyrone Ping

[leatherartbylisa]

Just Released! Adjustable leather cord necklace with African glass pendant. Check it out! ��♥

[warrior-names]

Warrior Prefixes: Tortoiseshell & Calico Cats

Words that aren’t derived from things found in North America or Europe aren’t included.

40+ prefixes under the cut!

A

Algae-

Ant-

B

Beetle-

Black-

Brambling-

Brindle-

Burn-

Burning-

Butterfly-

C

Cardinal-

F

Fire-

Flame-

Flecked-

Freckle-

L

Ladybug-

Leaf-

Lichen-

M

Maple-

Marten-

Moss-

O

Oak-

Oriole-

Osprey-

P

Patch-

R

Robin-

S

Scorch-

Scorched-

Speckle-

Speckled-

Spark-

Spider-

Spot-

Sunset-

T

Tanager-

Tangle-

Tawny-

Tiger-

Tortoise-

Turtle-