#they are actually two different species in a symbiotic relationship

[huewrite]

Pronouns

I think we all can agree that sometimes we have a brain break moment. We misspeak. It happens. We apologize and move on and try to do better in the future.

Don't be like Mother Hen and refuse to get the pronouns of the person you are going to maybe kill right. It's just rude.

Make a shapeshifter happy today. Work on those pronouns (or at least check out the chapter).

[sinfullyrosey]

Shrimpmer!Reader

Floyd Leech X GN!Shrimpmer!Reader X Jade Leech

Warnings: Mild Violence, Brief Mentions of Accurate Shrimp Cleaning Methods (kind of gross)

I literally had written up a mini fic showcasing the tweels first meeting Shrimper!Reader… and lost it. Have no idea where it is. Searched through my drafts and got pissed, so just started over from scratch.

Can be read as platonic but with a lot of sus behavior ngl

The Basics (aka an Introduction to Shrimpmer!Reader)

Shrimpmer!Reader is a cleaner shrimp, a type of shrimp known for cleaning off parasites, algae, insects, and other bad stuff from fish. They’ve even been known to eat the mucus and infectious material around a fish’s wound to reduce infection and aid in healing. There are different species of cleaner shrimp, ‘scarlet skunk’ or ‘white-striped’ cleaner shrimps being known for cleaning the mouths of moral eels specifically.

Shrimpmer!Reader specifically comes from a family of cleaner shrimps that have a long-standing business partnership with the Leeches. Their family provides their cleaning and patch-up services to better the mereels’ health and heal any injuries, and in turn, the Leeches provide protection. It’s a mutualistic relationship where both benefit. And congrats, they were assigned to the tweels when they were but a mere fry and twins were still little elvers.

But what is it that Shrimpmer!Reader does exactly? Well, they have a cleaning station set up (i.e. a flat rock for the tweels to lay on while they work) and they go over the twins’ body, ridding it of any parasites and other debris. Picking at their scales and skin like a fine-tooth comb. They’ll even clean their sharp teeth using specialized brushes and tools to make sure nothing is stuck and strengthen the dentin (real shrimp physically go inside eel’s mouths, but shrimpmers are too big for that). Whenever the twins come to them with an injury after one of their scuffles, Shrimpmer!Reader will clean and disinfect the wound, being sure to remove any parasites, then wrap up the wound to heal faster.

In terms of anatomy and size difference, Shrimpmer!Reader is much smaller compared to the twins, but not on the same scale difference as real shrimps and moray eels. They’re not tiny enough to fit in their mouths but are small enough to be carried with ease. The best comparison I can give is like with the dwarves and Neige, but the tweels’ eel forms are much bigger compared to regular humans, so Shrimpmer!Reader would be shorter compared to a human as well. Floyd would joke about them being “child-sized.” Just like the Octatrio, their bottom half is that of a white-striped cleaner shrimp while the rest of their body has the matching miscolored skin, fin ears, and a pair of long, white antenna on the top of their head. No, their hands aren’t claws/pincers, but they do have sharp nails that aid in cleaning.

The Shrimp and the Eels Headcanons

Like mentioned above, Shrimpmer!Reader was assigned to Floyd and Jade back when they were all still children. Each new generation of Leech ends up being assigned a cleaner shrimp who are around the same age so that they can grow together and build a proper symbiotic bond. You just ended up unlucky ‘cause Mr. and Mrs. Leech had twins and you were the only available one in your family at the time. A two for one deal, as it were.

Rough first meet (the twins are asses even back then), but you eventually adjusted and they learned how much they actually enjoy getting all those nasties off of them. You were gentle and efficient, it was very soothing, almost therapeutic to them. But it was only after one particular cleaning where Floyd came to you, a week after he got into a fight, wound infected and riddled with parasites, that they fully realized just how much they needed you. Neither twin skipped a cleaning or wound treatment after that.

You are tiny and not built for fighting, so the twins are more than happy to do so for you!~ Some predator is stalking you, trying to get a taste? Floyd is already grabbing them by the tail, pulling them away from you and towards his own dangerously sharp jaws. Another merperson is bulling you, picking on your smaller size? Jade’s looming right behind, tail at the ready to squeeze the life out of them. Most of your patch-up work was from attending to their wounds sustained in fights defending you.

Floyd and Jade both have their tails wrapped around some poor, unfortunate soul who was pulling on your antenna. Jade is taunting the crying fry while Floyd is “playfully” biting their tail fins.

“Jade, Floyd, let them go already. You’re going to get in trouble…”

You do meet Azul later on, though never quite befriend him per say. His contracts made you uncomfortable and untrusting of his intentions. In turn, Azul was stiff and reserved around you on the account of the overly protective eels threatening to chew his tentacles off if he tried anything.

You’re not a student at NRC nor a student of RSA. Magic isn’t your forte (or your concern really), the tweels are. Which is why you do visit the schoolgrounds frequently, especially after the two (mainly Floyd) start complaining about “needing their shrimp.” They’re not even in their eel forms most of the time, but they do still get into fights and the nurse on staff isn’t good enough.

Congrats, you’re now the Leech’s designated Health Support Cleaner Shrimp, or whatever bullshit the twins pulled out of their tails when forcing requesting to Crowley that you be allowed to stay at Octavinelle! Double congrats, because you also work at Mostro Lounge as a janitor because you literally clean for a living!

In your human form, you are much shorter than most of the other students and you have two long cowlicks that resemble your antenna. You aren’t the biggest fan of this form, finding two legs to be difficult to navigate, especially since you kind of skipped the prep class. Floyd was impatient and claimed him and Jade would just teach you themselves. An unwise decision really.

I mean, you could also just request to have the potion adjusted so you can be taller too, I guess idk the twins aren’t going to tell you that.

You sometimes turn back into your merform with the tweels and swim together because you miss it. Floyd definitely missed curling his tail around his little shrimp and pinning you down with his much bigger size. He especially loves to flip you on your back and watch your little feetsies wiggle around in a panic.

Jade misses the cleanings more than anything else. Being a vice dormleader while also working at a lounge and doing schoolwork is stressful for one eel. So, being able to just relax and have you attend to him while he prattles on about mushrooms is absolute heaven. That’s not to say he doesn’t mess with you either. Jade will gladly use your height against you by putting your cleaning supplies on a higher shelf, so you’re forced to ask him for help, teasing you all the while.

No, you can’t clean anybody else, merfolk or otherwise. Only them. Azul almost lost a tentacle after suggesting such a thing when he noticed business was running slower.

You’re their cleaner shrimp, and they’re your eels. Anybody aware of the Leech’s influence know to back off lest they end up missing under mysterious circumstances.

Oh yeah, and the tweels, at some point, made it a habit to kiss you after you finished cleaning them under the guise of you “cleaning their teeth.” It’s become something so casual between you three now that when Azul caught sight of the twins and you locking lips, he nearly fell over at not realizing the three of you were (supposedly) an item.

[xxghost-bloodxx]

Black Vampire Movies/Media:

an incomprehensive watch/reading list

/|㇏^•ᵥᵥ•^ノ|\

(part 1/?)

Blacula (1972)

William Marshall (The Boston Strangler) plays Prince Mamuwalde, an African royal whom Count Dracula takes everything from when he turns him into a vampire. (after Dracula refuses to help Mamuwalde suppress the slave trade.) Renamed Blacula, Mamuwalde grapples with losing his humanity, similar to other gothic tales.

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Marshall returns as Blacula in the 1973 sequel, where he creates a horde of vampires. Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) plays Lisa Fortier, an inexperienced voodoo practitioner trying to remove Blacula’s curse. Scream Blacula Scream was the acting debut of Richard Lawson (Sugar Hill), and it strayed away from the typical portrayals of voodoo as dark magic.

Ganja & Hess (1973)

After being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.

Vamp

Two college buddies go to a strange city late one night and find themselves in the clutches of evil.(source)

Fledgling (2005)

Octavia E Butler’s Fledgling follows Shori, a girl who appears to be an African-American child but is actually a 53-year-old Ina – a vampire species that have seemingly always coexisted with humans.

In typical vampire fashion, the Ina need to feed on human blood to survive, but instead of killing their victims, the venom they produce hugely extends the human lifespan. So the relationship between vampires and humans is symbiotic rather than parasitic.

Shori can’t remember her life before the story begins. This means she also doesn’t remember why she is different. As the story progresses, she gradually and violently becomes aware that society is hostile to her. The Ina are a species of vampire with white skin. Shori learns that she is black because she was experimented upon and mutated in the quest to help the Ina survive the sun – vampires are killed by sunlight. (source)

[autumnalfallingleaves]

Okay, so I've been thinking. Season 3 gave us so much in terms of magic and the origins of magic, specifically, which got me thinking-- it's stated that all magic originally came from Fairy Country, and, following that, all magical creatures came from there, which should include things like trolls and nisse, right? But young Johanna states that the sun never truly sets in Fairy Country, which wouldn't work for trolls, unless they were constantly in hiding. However, that wouldn't really seem good evolution-wise. Seems kind of weird, right? And nisse are another matter-- they are spirits, which suggests Wild Magic, but are primarily found in domestic spaces, thus suggesting a use of at least some Domestic Magic. Last I checked, Fairy Country doesn't seem to really have any houses (save for Phinium and Lydia's) or uses for house spirits. So what's the common denominator for two species that don't seem to have any common threads? And why do trolls and nisse seem to stand out in particular for being specifically not geared to Fairy Country, evolution notwithstanding?

One word: giants.

What about them? you ask. For that, we need to turn to the original Hilda: Hildafolk's Hilda and the Midnight Giant.

In the back of the graphic novel, we are presented with a visual guide to the mountain giants, which you can find me yelling about here. In that guide, we get this guy:

Who is named Björg, and, according to the book, was "the outcast of the group. He was fearful of the other giants and not well liked. When the others left he went into hiding. Trolls and nisse are descended from him." So this guy is the common link, giving trolls and nisse a common ancestor and a reason for why they may be the outliers in terms of magical beings. The mountain giants are now show canon, per the Faratok Tree episode, and seem to be lifted nearly 1:1 from the book.

From left to right are Halldór, Sigmund, Einarr, Valfreyja (who actually has a slightly different design from the graphic novels), Gertl, Aldinn, Bliða, Heimskr, and Jaðarrok. This basically confirms that all the giants listed in the graphic novel exist in the show, which means that we can extrapolate that Björg also exists, and seems to be in hiding, as the blurb suggests. I'm also thinking, based on the fact that the giants were on Earth really before humans were, that they left Fairy Country thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of years ago, shaping Earth to their liking through the years. This may mean that, while the other giants stayed together, Björg went off and did his own thing, which, I'm thinking, perhaps may have been creating the species that would go on to split and become trolls and nisse respectively.

With the two species being so well-suited to Earth, my guess, taking all of this, is that they were created and Earth and were never native to Fairy Country-- they've got ancestral roots there, but it was never their true home. That's how we get a species that can only live in the dark, and evolved to do so, and a species that has a symbiotic relationships with humans and their houses, which create Nowhere Space.

Now, to go further, my guess is that nisse evolved into their own species later than trolls, as trolls were likely present before humans. The nisse branched off as their own species likely when a particularly small, particularly hairy, and particularly magical troll managed to get into the newly-created Nowhere Space and made a home out of it, which then became the nisse as we know them now.

Anyway. This magic system. I've got Thoughts™️

[briarworthandoleander]

Do you think Shara Isvalda and Gaismagorn often have fights?

These two are, if I'm not mistaken, the only two big monsters that live most of the time underground and although I don't think they feed on the same. Shara feeds on bioenergy and Gaismagorn uses the Qurio to absorb nutrients (not sure about this)

I forgot Kulve Taroth, she also lives underground, so I guess they had fights too.

Although maybe not because they don't live on the same continent. Apart from Kulve and Shara.

I would like to theorize that Gaismagorm is technically a Deep Sea Elder Dragon, not an Underground Elder Dragon given its dens location. It's probably best to explain how bioenergy and dragon energy work to explain the feeding methods of both Shara Ishvalda, Gaismagorm and the beginnings of Xeno Jiiva.

Bioenergy (or dragon energy) is everywhere, in the water, in the earth and in the air we breathe. It flows throughout the world. Xeno'Jiiva are born when this energy coalesces in one spot like a whirlpool. Shara Ishvalda meanwhile are drawn to the natural flow of this energy so they move with the flow of the bio energy underground and take root where it is most prevalent at the time. These two instances often occur after a large elder dragon has died.

Gaismagorm is a different beast.

Gaismagorm was, and possibly still is, an ambush predator for deep sea elder dragons. Instead of supping on bioenergy - it sends out scouts of a sort in waves that we have grown to know as:

The Qurio. A relatively simple life-form in the shape of a fish that could flutter around with bright colouration to lure prey. One could say that they are actually the closest in biology to a Xeno'Jiiva, as both are comprised of bioenergy.

The Qurio were Gaismagorm's lure for elder dragons like Ceadeus; a means of attracting these dragons to the cave of Gaismagorm so that the dreaded devil could grab them with its great arms and pull them into its lair to feast.

But over time, creatures tend to get wise to one's tricks, so it's a question of adapt or die. So the Qurio became parasitic leeches that would drain bioenergy from other elder dragons to give to Gaismagorm. They grew more complex, powered by Gaismagorm to find and hunt down prey instead of just luring it. But seas can run empty, and when they do - new sources must be acquired. So the Qurio began to fly. Thus began the plague on air and land.

...and how they found the species of Elder Dragon called Malzeno.

Unlike most other monsters, Malzeno were not drained but instead gained a symbiotic relationship with the Qurio, essentially leeching Gaismagorms' bio energy for themselves through the Qurio.

However, I am getting off topic.

You want to know if Gaismagorm and Shara Ishvalda fight and how often. I would say no.

Shara Ishvalda prefer arid areas and mountains, whereas Gaismagorm is going to be underground under entire oceans and seas. The two simply would not meet unless there was a large source of bioenergy between their individual biomes that was too irresistible for either to ignore.

-Leo Briarworth

To piggyback off of Leo's theory, it could be surmised that the Qurio started out as single-celled organisms during the time that Gaismagorm as a species dwelled in oceanic trenches, where light can't easily penetrate except in very specific forms and down to a certain depth. You see, taking a close look at the Qurio themselves, they give off a peculiar red glow. It's something that we can pick up on easily at a glance, something that monsters can see and follow above the ocean's depths... but past around 4.6 meters below the surface, red light begins to be absorbed as light waves are scattered.

In the deep ocean, there are creatures that use light to hunt, luring prey with a nice, shiny promise of food that sometimes glows to scare off smaller, less capable predators. In this same vein, light can be shown on prey that most creatures wouldn't be able to detect otherwise. It isn't too much of a stretch to assume that this same principle was followed before Gaismagorm eventually made the transition from sea to land, when the Qurio were still parasites that fed on Gaismagorm and the nutrients it processed as it, too, fed.

Eventually, in time immemorial, though... something changed. Gaismagorm as a species grew and their prey didn't, so they continued to adapt, and so did their parasites to this ever-changing biome whilst they worked their way up the food chain. Eventually, fish and other creatures that lived in the ocean just weren't enough, so the species both had to broaden their horizons or die. Fins became legs, legs became wings, gills that filtered oxygen from the water became lungs and vents to expel waste and excess, unusable energy.

It could be assumed that they were out-competed in the air, so then they adapted to food they could reach without expending so much energy. Once aquatic, then aerial, then subterranean... it's a massive leap and seemingly a step backward evolutionarily, but the structure of Gaismagorm's larger pair of arms suggests that they were once wings and simply evolved into powerful limbs, too heavy for flight but perfect for tunneling through solid earth and stone. Down in giant tunnels, they didn't need powerful hind legs for taking to the skies, so those became vestigial, Gaismagorm's eyes shrank as an adaptation to low-light conditions, and the Qurio, their parasites... developed wings from fins used to swim through water and their host's innards.

We might never know what led Gaismagorm to start creating exit points in the ground for the Qurio to find their way out and feed, but somewhere down the line, the behavior was sparked and a new pattern of hunting was born. Gaismagorm, too large to easily leave their tunnels, had to find food somehow, so they began to rely on the Qurio, which in turn began to treat their host as a hive. They began to leave its body, taking to the skies, hunting down and draining precious lifeblood from monsters up topside, then returning to Gaismagorm to feed it what they'd stolen.

From there, the Gaismagorm could (and can) process the blood into something that the Qurio can eat--a form of energy expelled by the elder dragon, a waste product, pure and filtered down into everything that it can't use but they can.

In the simplest of terms, think of the Qurio as Bnahabra or Vespoids, feeding their larvae meat so that they can create a protein-rich slurry that they can actually digest. It's the same principle; both species rely entirely on each other to survive.

-Oleander

[tsunflowers]

"there needs to be a kaiju that’s a living aircraft carrier. like if deltandal b was letting the smaller deltandals dock inside it like dragapult and dreepy

actually I would want to see two different species with a symbiotic relationship. the big guy rises to the surface to bask in the sun every morning and the little guys all come out and fly around. everyone’s like “wtf where do they go at night” and the answer is the deep sea tucked up inside their friend the living aircraft carrier"

They're overall more mechanical-looking than biological (though still implied to be sentient on their own), but this is sort of Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir and the "Mecha Phantom Beast" archetype from Yugioh

oh this is exactly what I want to see! I wish the fortress was more of a beast itself but I love the stealthray and dracossack. thank you yugioh

[lord-squiggletits]

For the fic-writers' asks, if you fancy them:

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

4. What detail in We Are The Music-Makers are you really proud of?

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Ask source

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Is it cheating to say Pay Unto Evil? It's not just because it's my most popular fic by all metrics, the longest project I've written, and the first complete novel I've ever completed, though. I just feel like, particularly in the later chapters, it's a good introduction to the themes that I often write about (mental health/suicidality, searches for meaning, bonds with other people, etc) and is the most complete summary of who I am as a writer in a way.

Though, if someone were to prefer something lighter, I'd honestly recommend An Endless Form Most Beautiful because out of all my fics that I started a year or two ago, I feel like AEFMB is the one that holds up the most strongly w.r.t. prose, characterization, romantic pacing, mystery, and so on. It's also dark, but far less grueling than PUE.

(On that note, it kind of amazes me how many people have told me they found PUE to be more depressing/hard to read than WATMM, considering the latter involves a bittersweet ending w/ major character death.)

4. What detail in We Are The Music-Makers are you really proud of?

Off the top of my head, I'd say that it'd be 1. Orion and Megatron interfacing right after escaping prison and basically cementing their love/bond with each other for the high emotion of the moment. I like how it (and moreso their later interface during their rebellion period) is incredibly romantic and affirming and shows how M/OP uphold each other's best traits, but it's also a little dark in that they're clearly codependent on each other and almost... not sane/well when they're not together.

Or 2. The major character deaths in chapter 6, both how I built up to them and how the characters actually died. That one is because that plot point was one I came up with from the very night I conceptualized WATMM, so in my mind, it had a lot of buildup to it. I knew what was going to happen from the start, and it was one of (if not the) most important climaxes of the story, so I was incredibly keen to be sure that the actual execution of it matched what had been in my mind for a year or more by the time I finally wrote it.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

I'm really keen on the stuff I've been cooking for Cityspeaker AU Tarnma as far as the psychology of a Titan goes. Like, Tarn is a sort of eldritch being (already a fun concept in its own right) that has a sort of collectivist mindset; not in a hivemind kind of way, but his sense of scale and level of awareness is so broad, and he's literally a living nest/colony for his smaller species members to live on. The way that anatomical differences pave the way for massive differences in perspective. Hell, the concept has even opened my mind in general to the concept of like... almost insect colony-esque Cybertronian interspecies symbiotic relationships.

On top of all the mechanical and worldbuilding aspects of it, it's also been really fun to ponder how being a Titan would then in turn alter Tarn's characterization. Pharma's characterization is more or less a slightly different angle on what exists in canon, but for Tarn he has this massive shift in perspective that changes a lot. Not least of which is that Tarn is Tarn without having been converted by Megatron, but he's also not Tarn of the DJD that we know in canon, and neither is he Damus/Glitch. So there's just a lot to play around with there in terms of defining Titan!Tarn's key traits as carried over from canon, and how he'd express himself while also being an eldritch being that Pharma needs training to even talk to without dying.

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

IDW1 MegOP role reversal AU in which Megatron is a cop and Orion is a miner. No one else swapped: so for example, Megatron would be around people like Ratchet, Roller, and Senator Shockwave, and Orion would have Impactor and Terminus.

I think it'd be hella interesting to see how differently everything would go if M and OP were in swapped positions. Like as an example, Megatron probably would've been more conscious of stuff like Senator Shockwave putting the Matrix casing in him without asking and be aware that he was being manipulated somehow. Orion would very likely reject Terminus' teachings on how leadership is lonely and you have to cut off all your relationships so you can sit on the heights and do what you need to do. Or then again, maybe Terminus would be a slightly less evil (but still toxic) influence on Orion making him have the same martyr complex he has in canon.

And you could even do further splits from there like how Megatron deals with increasing evidence of corruption in the government, or how Orion would handle killing someone for the first time in the arena. You could fuck around with whether Megatron becomes the Prime or if Orion still does somehow. Honestly, I feel like in this scenario, M and OP would be way more likely to be able to meet peacefully and help each other out because... it just feels right to me that they would be able to see the evils and prevent their moral downfalls, but only when walking in the other's shoes.

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

I think there's a list of fics that've pushed me in some way or another, honestly:

Pay Unto Evil and The Wicked for finding a way to fit reasonably accurate psychology/therapy into a dramatic story, but without falling into purely clinical explanations for things or making it seem "therapy speak" ish

Cityspeaker AU/Un solo cuerpo is currently pushing me on how to accurately translate characterization from canon to an AU that's so wildly divergent from it, given that I'm normally extremely canon compliant and tend to work off canon divergence rather than completely making up a new AU with a different premise and new lore. This is my first plotfic that, imo, could be more accurately described as continuity soup/original continuity rather than being strictly IDW-based (honorable mentions to Let the Poets Pipe of Love for also having this conundrum)

Every single plug and play scene I've written, PWP or plot, for pushing me to try to describe eroticism from an entirely alien perspective without falling back on human-like sticky sex

For Once, Nothing is Burning, because writing a multichapter plot-focused story where there's literally only two characters present and they are each other's sole source of social interaction (and where the POV character is largely stuck in one place for most of the story) is harder than you think it'd be for someone who's been writing Megatron and Optimus as long as I have

Through the bitter, sweetness: Because trying to describe the eroticism of a foot fetish through strictly a written medium was a big challenge for a kink I see as way more visual/tactile and hard to make appealing with words/imagination alone.

No comment on how it's affected my ability to write moving forward because I basically forget about every story I write as soon as it's done AND because my brain is soup and I can barely keep up with real life, much less look back on hobby writing and do some sort of style study/reflection on it.

[hummiscellanea]

worldbuilding - linguistics

As the title implies, much worldbuilding nerdery and speculative linguistics under the cut. If you're into that kinda thing, maybe give it a read.

For context, Hesti is a fictional setting of mine. Imagine Renaissance Italy. Good, you're most of the way there. Unlike Renaissance Italy, though, in this world dragons and humans coexist. They have a complicated system where there is a human government (for humans) and a dragon government (for dragons), except the dragon government is more powerful than the human one, and humans are second-class citizens, and also the (dragon) royal family is trying to gain absolute power, and it's a mess don't worry about it.

But this post is about linguistics.

In the wild, the ancestors of Hesti dragons communicated midair with high-pitched birdlike calls. These loud calls echoed sharply off the mountain walls of their alpine habitat. Of course, not all of their vocalizations were high-pitched. It would be strange if a large animal didn't make low sounds, after all. They usually used their lower range to make themselves sound big and scary (ex: growling). Most of their communication that conveyed complex information, however, was high-pitched and not too different from especially complex birdsong. Birdsong, that is, if birds were larger than horses.

The Hesti dragons of today are similar. They prefer to communicate in this birdsong, high-pitched, whistling manner. Let's call this the higher register. It comes naturally to them. This includes involuntary sounds, such as laughing. However, unlike their ancestors, Hesti dragons are physically capable of making a wider range of sounds. They evolved this greater speechmaking capacity to better communicate with humans, the species they share a symbiotic relationship with. (Think of the relationship between humans and dogs. Humans evolved to be good at recognizing dog body language, while dogs evolved to be good at recognizing human symbols.) As a result, Hesti dragons can also speak in a human-like manner. Some consonants/vowels are easier for them than others, but there is a lot of overlap between the phonemes a Hesti dragon can produce and that a human can produce. When they speak in this human-like manner, dragons are using the lower-pitched part of their range. Let's call this the lower register.

If you like singing, you may have noticed that some notes feel different to sing than others. It's called the "chest voice" and the "head voice," with the chest voice being lower and the head voice being higher. It can be awkward to transition between these two registers. The difference between a Hesti dragon's higher and lower register is very similar to the head and chest voice, except the distance between them is larger. Transitioning between registers is more difficult for dragons than jumping between the head and chest voice. While the lower register isn't painful to speak or anything, the higher register comes much more naturally to them.

So what does any of that mean? It means that Hesti dragons think of language in a fundamentally different way than we, humans of Earth, do. To them, language has two parts: the higher register and the lower register. This is a division that we don't have.

The higher register and lower register would sound like completely different languages to us. The higher register sounds like intricately complicated whistling calls that go up and down in pitch. The lower register sounds like a tonal language with nice, familiar consonants and vowels, plus a grammar system not too different from that of a Romance language. But to Hesti dragons and humans, these are two expressions of the same language. A particular whistling call of the higher register is heard as being the same sound as a particular consonant/vowel/whatever of the lower register. In other words, they are allophones of each other.

Let's look at how the higher and lower registers are actually used. Note that in Hesti culture, humans are also considered to have a higher and lower register. More on how that works later. The distinction developed for a reason. Hesti dragons and humans need to communicate with each other.

Higher register: easier for dragons to speak (and hear)

Lower register: easier for humans to speak (and hear)

The part in parentheses is important. Dragon ears are attuned to the frequencies that they naturally use, which are higher than the frequencies of the human voice. As a result, dragons perceive the human's lower register (the natural voice) as being quieter and muddier than a dragon's higher register. Vice versa for humans.

The register used in a given conversation is dependent on context. Of course, when humans are talking to other humans they're going to talk the way humans normally do. And when there are no humans around, dragons are generally going to use the higher register because that is easier for them to speak and hear. But dragon-human conversations are complicated. Hesti culture is not fond of two registers being used at the same time; both parties must share a register. Here are some situations:

• The dragon and the human are outdoors or in a loud environment. The higher register is used.

• The dragon and the human are indoors or in a quiet environment. The lower register is used.

• The human is of lower status than the dragon. (This is almost always the case in Hesti society.) The higher register is more likely to be used.

• The dragon is of lower status than the human, or is performing an act of deference to the human (for example, the dragon is a guest and the human is her host). The lower register is used.

• Two dragons are talking to each other privately and are in proximity. They will most likely use the lower register.

The role of the registers has shifted throughout Hesti history. For a long time, the lower register was seen as the lower-class/informal register. After all, the lower register is for speaking to humans, and working directly with humans, even in a managerial role, is not a desirable job for a high-class dragon. However, this has changed. As technology developed, large buildings (think cathedrals) became more common. Instead of having social events and ceremonies outside, Hesti dragons could hold more events indoors. As a result, the lower register, the "indoor voice," has risen in prestige.

You may be wondering: what do you mean by "the human uses the higher register"? If the lower register is just the way a human normally talks, then what is the higher register?

To speak in the higher register, a human can use a tool called the speaking-flute. It looks like a recorder, which can be made of bone, wood, or metal, and has a large cone on its end for amplification. Many Hesti humans keep one of these flutes at hand at all times. Other tools can work, like other musical instruments or whistles, but these specialized flutes are the traditional and most common solution. They are especially necessary if one interacts with dragons often. Human parents teach their children to play the speaking-flute if they are able because it is such a useful skill to have in a career or just everyday life.

What if you don't have a flute? Imagine a scenario where you're a human traveling down the road and you need directions. A dragon is nearby and you don't have an instrument. Here are your options:

• If you're a strong whistler, then whistle as loudly as you can. This will work for speaking in the higher register, but even the best human whistlers will sound quiet to a dragon's ears.

• You can try singing. Use the upper part of your head voice or falsetto. The timbre will be all wrong, but the pitches will be decently intelligible and it's louder than whistling. This will work, but the dragon will have a harder time understanding you than usual. You'll probably need to repeat yourself for her to understand you. Also, any overhearing humans will probably make fun of you.

• You could look around and see if anyone dropped a violin in the bushes nearby. That'll do in a pinch. ...oh, no violins? Worth a shot, I suppose.

• You could beckon the dragon closer with your hand, adding an apologetic "I don't have a flute" gesture. This does require the dragon to see you, but upon seeing you most are polite enough to come closer. You want the dragon to come closer so that she can easily hear you speak. Unless you know the dragon personally, wait for her to speak first. If she uses the lower register, then you can talk to her in the lower register (in other words, speak like you would to a human). If you speak first in the lower register, that's considered rude because you're using the wrong register for the context. If she speaks in the higher register, then you're going to have to try whistling or something. Switching register is highly frowned upon.

• You could shout at the dragon to get her attention. Don't do this. It is the rudest way you could possibly handle this situation. Most dragons will respond by pretending they didn't hear you. Polite dragons will respond by saying something like "Pardon?" in the higher register. Less polite dragons will respond by insulting you and refusing to help.

Thanks for reading.

[eldritch-spouse]

Really???? I'm pretty sure I wasn't writing here before lol, mostly because I wasn't writing or creating anything for a long time haha 😭 Sorry again for smashing it in your face really-

And your words are making me blush shit 🥹 Thanks, it helps shy creators like me to think about starting blog hahaha

ACTUALLY, I just realized that I forgot to send any questions I wanted to ask jeez.

Is here any parasitic/symbiotic monsters in your lore? If yes, is it a common thing? How are they approached by other monsters? (I like to think that they're rare cuz nobody actually likes these fuckers, they are stupid™ and bigger ones tend to grab other monsters as their hosts too lmao-) In case host is a human, will they face same discrimination from the other monsters cuz they pass as human?

I have my own thoughts on mind while I was writing since I didn't find any info on you blog about this- maybe it slipped, haha. Sorry in this case!

Who from your OCs will be the most interested to have a buddy like DT? My best bet is on Gallon, since they have two mouths he can get so many rumors and nasty details while practically remaining silent and pouring more and more alcohol lmao AND Chef would hate them cuz Grghaath keeps eating people without waiting for them to be cooked (and Eve has no right to pass so good lol)

Can you give any advice about monster design? I have some thoughts in mind, but I'm not sure how to make monster recognisable lmao :") Do you have any tricks while creating? Steps you're going through?

•••

SORRY FOR BUMPING ANOTHER WALL OF TEXT and thanks for your attention dearly 🫠🫠🫠🫠🌹

I know it's not exactly easy, I'm pretty timid myself and it took several years of me longingly considering starting a Tumblr account before I actually dug my heels in and did it. I really do think posting stuff in your own account would be better, since you get direct attention and can gather an audience that better understands your tastes, right?

1) Parasitic monster species likely exist, I just haven't thought about some very seriously. I definitely will one day, because I'm extremely attracted to monsters like "Carrion" (from a game with the same name). They're probably rarer than most other monsters because their survival relies on finding the correct, compatible host and the switching process is probably extremely perilous to these beings. The closest thing to this we have going on currently is Krulu and Admin's relationship (wherein Admin is a vessel to Krulu) and the ability most demons can hone of possessing another's body (which definitely has its consequences at a long-term level). I think most monsters would have a negative reaction to parasitic entities, mostly due to their own fear of becoming helpless hosts- Which means they'll do anything they can to really blend in, realistically.

A parasitic entity possessing a human host that walks into The Clergy's Eye will immediately have to reveal that they are not, in fact, human- Or else they'll be targeted like one.

2) I think Sybastian is a good bet. Parasites are related to mimics, in the sense that they have a common goal of wanting to pass as something, to go unnoticed by those around them. They're bound to have a little mutuality.

Patches may approach out of curiosity and wanting to study the bond between those two. Nebul is likely under the initial impression that what those two have going on is similar to what he and Purpur are (pet and owner).

I don't think there's any more that might act very differently around them, at least not off the top of my head. 🤔

3) N-Not really?

Here's the thing. When I create characters, I'm not thinking "What would my followers like?"/"Will others enjoy them?". I'm creating characters that I like, that I think would fit in my narrative and my tastes.

My biggest piece of advice is literally just create something you know you'll love. Because then drawing and talking/writing about that character will be like second nature to you, probably.

Visually, I'm not sure what to tell you. Everyone has a style, and yours is very different from mine. Lean into your talents, adopt colors you like, I'm not too sure what to tell you other than just fuck around and see what comes out, you know?

Sometimes I create a character out of necessity, to fill a hole in the narrative. Other times they come spontaneously to me. Sometimes I already know exactly what they'll look like but figuring their mannerisms out takes me weeks. Other times I know what they'll do and how they speak, but visually they could be anything for a while.

Instead of giving up on a character when you're having trouble creating them, I recommend letting a wip sit for a while and coming back to it the next couple of days.

I guess... Find your theme, the stuff you like.

Don't create anything just so it's "recognizable", or at least I wouldn't.

[moltengoldveins]

thinking about. If transformers were good.

like. This is truly the most ‘if it were good it would be incredible’ series of all time. can you believe this premise even got screen time? “There is a race of sentient robotic aliens capable of communicating, connecting, and physically becoming parts of their environment, who are functionally immortal and have huge interlocking webs of mental and emotional connections with one another maintained by EM fields, radio signals, infrared sensors, shared audio visual and sensory logs, and the actual energy of their souls reaching out and connecting symbiotically to both each other and the entire planet they live on, which is alive. The main conflict? They’ve split their species into a civil war so vicious and bitter they’ve entirely cut off their symbiotic relationships between factions, an act antithetical to the health and wellbeing of their entire species, and murdered their host planet, now a diaspora both in the human sense and in the sense of a symbiote without a host. The two heads of the opposing forces were once best friends, a term that really doesn’t do justice to exactly what even a passing ‘friendship’ between these aliens would mean. They knew one another inside and out, down to the data that makes them, and regardless of whether you consider that romantic or not it is equally as gut-wrenching when you realize that now they would stop at almost nothing to rip one another apart.”

like. That’s fucking insane. The ‘till all are one’ thing (that. Might be a fandom thing? I haven’t watched a lot of tf media I might’ve just missed where it came from?) is one of the most interesting examples of our own assumptions and biases about media and the world blinding us to the true potential of a fictional premise. That could mean so much in the context of a species that can actually physically become one with other souls, and believe that after they die they simply return to The Giant Fuckoff Soul In The Planet Core. That. I can’t. Like. THATS SO COOL? I’m sorry but ‘Till all are one’ is an optimistic (heh) platitude when taken from a human perspective. For the cybertronians? It’s a literal truth.

This franchise does basically nothing, as far as I can tell, to tackle the fact that these creatures are built, canonically, to function significantly closer to a hive mind with a planetary queen than a series of distinct individuals. Ideas, beliefs, hopes, dreams, experiences, passions, all of these should be less distinct and crystallized within a person and more… a drop of ink on a wet page, bleeding outward into the surrounding population like watercolor. This is the only conceivable way that a species that lives this long could exist in the state we see them in the canon - living, active, growing, changing, developing new opinions and changing old ones at the same general speed that a human does - without developing into completely unrecognizable beings with no possible method of communication with their fellow cybertrionians. Of course there are dinosaur robots and car robots and jet robots and robots the size of cities and small planets and robots small enough to fit in a breadbox. Of course there are eight billion different languages and methods of communication between bots. Of course they adapt shockingly well even to human biological culture despite us having basically none of their communication or physical adaptation methods. Of course the issue of treating one kind of their species as lesser than another would be such a huge issue, issue enough to provoke an eons-long war. They’re a living video of micro-evolution on ultra-fast-forward with the easy capacity to completely overhaul the very nature of their bodies at will.

it would be so freaking good if it were good.

[mini-leafster]

Mother/father, i crave more lore.

🔥-GOD THAT WAS FAST OKAY 😰

🔥-wellll, due to the eat or be eaten nature of the darkzone, many critters often operate in packs, as safety in numbers is usually the best choice.

🔥-many of these packs are the same species, but sometimes, interspecies packs can occur.

🔥-these are very uncommon, but when they do occur, they offer a symbiotic relationship between the two species.

🔥-also, snappers and many other species have different 'mutations' and 'breeds'

🔥-there are ladderbred snappers, a creation of @/thatonesalmonlingnamedspike, which are snappers with 'ladders' climbing up their necks. they're usually taller, and snappers in their pack will climb up them to reach high up prey.

🔥-there are sunbred snappers, that are snappers who's petals will glow. their function is to lure in prey with their flashy colors, putting them in a trance.

🔥-and mutations play a role in darkzone genders, too

🔥-mutations are when a snapper or other creature strays too far from their template, and gets unique patterning, thorns, petals, tails, you name it.

🔥-mutations are actually EXTREMELY common, finding something without a mutation is rare

🔥-mutations can be as simple as different horn shapes, colors, or thorns lining the neck to make a false "spiked collar" to an extra tail or head.

🔥-often, creatures spawn in with mutations.

🔥-how does this play into gender? well, some mutations are considered 'feminine' or 'masculine', but at the end of the day, most darkzone creatures are genderless or demi unless leaning too far to a side. their pronouns often have to do with this leaning.

🔥-trans critters exist if their species has the mental capacity to realize they can do that, too, as a lot of the darkzone species are animalistic.

🔥-actually, the most advanced creatures are the mimics, glowbows, and snappers. mimics being the most advanced due to making tools and a language, and snappers being the least making their own social hierarchies and language.

🔥-also, there's a two-headed, two-tailed glowbow in a cave that darkzone creatures visit at least twice in their lifetime, haze.

🔥-haze is a pitch-white glowbow that quite literally glows, releasing enough energy to grant creatures low on it enough sunlight to make it through life. dying critters often stay near haze, holding onto their lives.

🔥-okay. I ranted a little too hard. sorry for making this a school essays worth of paragraphs.

[pathoscleaved]

𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐒

BIOLOGICAL MAKEUP

Plaga (Amber), t-Virus, G-Virus, and Progenitor (main family).

↳ Uroboros is an RNA virus in the Progenitor family, and was improved upon by material from the Amber which created Las Plagas, and other viruses such as the t-Virus, G-Virus, and Progenitor.

SYMBIOSIS

Uroboros needs to be aligned with its host; when it is not aligned, it will cause the host to be completely devoured by it. When it is aligned, it will keep the host safe and constantly adapt for continued survival.

It forms a symbiotic or parasitic bond with whoever it infects; becoming antagonistic to whoever is not worthy, and becoming a mutualistic obligate symbiont for whoever it chooses as its host. (Plaga influences this.)

ABILITIES

Sentience.

↳ Progenitor has the capability to make viruses sentient or thinking; Uroboros has its own intelligence due to the unique splicing of different strains derived from Progenitor (t-Virus and G-Virus) as well Progenitor itself. Uroboros is able to communicate with its host and make quick thinking decisions based on its relationship with its host.

Communication.

↳ Uroboros will communicate with ripples of thought, or be interfacing itself with the host's neural network. It primarily speaks in emotions, and not actual words.

Regeneration.

↳ Like the Progenitor and Golgotha viruses, Uroboros is able to repair dead cells and revive the dead. It can heal all of Wesker's wounds, prevent him from being damaged in the first place, and keeps Albert functionally immortal.

Adaptability/resilience.

↳ It can adapt to a stimuli when it goes against the stimuli enough in a period of time. It heals quickly.

WEAKNESSES

If an unsuitable host is found, Uroboros will struggle against fire, and be easily killed. If a suitable host is found, Uroboros will only be weak to things the host is weak to.

It also gets very hungry, and needs to be fed often.

HISTORY

Work began on the Uroboros Project sometime in 2006, following an encounter Dr. Albert Wesker had with Dr. Oswell E. Spencer, Earl Spencer, who revealed to him Umbrella Pharmaceuticals' secret eugenics goal of creating a race of Übermensch to advance human society, with Wesker himself being part of such a project. Having begun to question the emerging War on Terror, he concluded that humanity itself was the problem, and the only way to bring about a utopian society was to use the Progenitor Virus against the very planet itself, which would kill all but those with certain genetic characteristics. Such people would theoretically be enhanced physically and mentally.

The first setback took place after Tricell, Wesker's partner, set up a lab in the old Ndipaya Kingdom. The human population ratio able to survive and mutate from Progenitor infection was simply too small. Using t-Virus antibodies extracted from a mutant test subject, Jill Valentine, Wesker repeatedly used them on his Uroboros cultures to naturally select a new strain distinct and less potent than Progenitor. With a virus now useful in research, the project moved to its next stage and saw thousands of other test subjects infected over the next two years, with increasing assistance from Tricell's own research staff such as Miguel. The virus was more or less finalized by May 2008 when samples were loaded onto missiles in preparation for the final stage in the "Uroboros Project" - dispersing the virus across the Earth's atmosphere to infect every corner of the planet. There were problems with the preparations, however, and a fire occurred, resulting in the creation of a mutant arthropod species dubbed "Reaper". In March 2009, the project was finally underway, but was stopped by the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. At least four humans were infected with Uroboros during the operation, including Wesker himself. Only he mutated appropriately, however, with the other three being genetically incompatible. In their case, their bodies were torn apart by uncontrollable mutation, and in one case, consumed a number of other bodies. (from the wiki)

By merging with the Uroboros virus, unlike the other individuals exposed to the virus, Wesker had complete control of its mutations, making it more powerful than before, but led him to a grotesque condition. Through Uroboros’ pustules, he could use the tentacles generated by them to attack or grab his targets and could assimilate inorganic material into them, like metal fragments, to further intensify his attacks. He also showed the ability to use electricity with the metal he assimilated. In this state, Wesker’s resilience could only be impaired if he were injured in the organs in the center of his chest and back, as seen when he fell in the lava of a volcano after being repeatedly stabbed there by Chris and Sheva in those respective places. However, he still had enough strength to survive the magma of volcano, despite Uroboros’ weakness to the intense heat, and managed to grab the BSAA helicopter with one of his tentacles to the point of preventing him from moving away.

The Uroboros Virus is in complete + total union with Wesker. Its goal is to consume and consume, given any sort of stimuli, and it adapts to those changes. While it seems that Albert passes inside the volcano, and from two RPG hits, in truth, Uroboros uses the fuel from the RPGs to evolve into a virus that can eat magma, and be unaffected by the powerful blasts. Given enough time around something, Uroboros can adapt to use it as fuel, or become immune to it. Despite all of these upgrades, Uroboros is very weak to blades, as blades cannot be adapted against due to their unique shape and structure. Sounds at high decibels can also make Wesker hurt or sluggish. 

To help Wesker survive, the Uroboros Virus eventually consumes the lava within the volcano, and slowly starts consuming parts of Wesker’s body to rebuild him. This rebuilding of his body would mean that Wesker would no longer need a serum to keep himself in tip-top shape for fights, and eventually, Wesker would appear normal to the eye, not as grotesque from the initial merge. His heart would not be a weak point, as Uroboros used the resilience it gained from the volcano to protect Wesker completely. In combat, it can cover him from head to toe, and they work as one unit.

Uroboros likes Chris, and will protect him at all costs, as well, in Blue Umbrella service.

Mentioned ↳ @valour-bound

[thesparkthatlightsthemoe]

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rating: 4.5 Since I see a lot of recommendations to people who love ACOTAR, I'll just say that as someone who never enjoyed ACOTAR I'd still recommend this book. With it being a standalone there wasn't as much time as a series would have to wrap up all the loose ends or expand on certain things, but what is offered in this single book is plenty to satisfy the reader. In this story, humans can use "craft", which is a reference to things like cooking, building, art, etc. Fae on the other hand have magic and lack human feelings. While humans cannot use magic or be immortal, fae cannot use craft lest they lose their immortality and die. This leads fae to seek out humans to provide them with craft, and humans likewise desire their immortality and magic. Except for our heroine, Isobel. She is a very talented painter who has many patrons among the fair folk. Yet she has never desired to drink from the "Green Well", a well that transforms any human who drinks from it into an immortal fae. The reason becomes clear as the story progresses, but I'll leave that a mystery for those who have yet to read. The romance element comes into play when the autumn prince comes seeking her craft. Little does she know that this is part of a whole string of events that have already been set in motion. And before she realizes it, she winds up on a journey through the various seasonal courts, surrounded by mysteries and court intrigue. Plans ever changing as new information comes to light. ********** There is so much to love about this book, and only a little that made me feel it was more appropriate to give it 4.5 stars instead of 5. Personally I wasn't a fan of the idea that fair folk couldn't craft. It seemed a bit absurd, but ultimately I think it helped create a more balanced approach to the dynamics between fae and humans. And I think that was one of the main points, so I can't be too hard on it. On the contrary, seeing a sort of symbiotic relationship between the two species despite the underlying dangers to both sides was refreshing. There is also a little part of me that wonders why people ever try to write romances where one side of the relationship supposedly cannot feel human feelings. Inevitably I always find the author putting bits of humanity into non-human characters, or there'd be little chance of any real romance. This isn't the first book to do this and it won't be the last. Just a little nitpick I have. But not enough to make me feel that it ruined anything. There weren't any characters I disliked in this story, but my absolute favorite was Gadfly. An apt name for the type of role he plays lol. Indeed Rook, the autumn prince, was the best partner for Isobel. But Gadfly is that elegant character who's always smiling while secretly causing all the trouble. Sometimes it's unclear where his loyalties lie or what his intentions are, but he is very present in every fiber of this story even when he isn't there. He's even got his hands in the budding romance at times XD. Part way through I'd already guessed what he was aiming for, and I was right. Though that just made it all the more enjoyable to watch him work. I think if someone enjoys the portrayal of fae in Holly Black's FOTA series, then they'd probably enjoy Margaret Rogerson too. There's a similar vibe. However I'd say that the type of stories they are telling are different. This book is more of a journey story than one of court politics and action, though it also has some of the latter. It's also a bit more on the whimsical side. It actually surprises me that this book isn't rated higher, so if it sounds up your alley, go read it!

[kynori]

assignment: A0 week 3 sketch | fantastical creature design based on nature or industrial design

tools: ipad, procreate

description: meet my first ever fakémon, roombug! (and its evolution) note: i'm not an expert on pokémon so i don't know all the terms don'tkillme

roombug is an electric/bug type that evolves into an electric/steel in its third evolution!

roombug is a cleaning creature that eats primarily dust mites and small debris. it sucks these items off the ground using a strong gust of wind, and like a whale, has multiple filters to allow it to only eat small items and then trap it once its inside them. the various brushes on its body collect + absorb much smaller dust mites, especially airborne ones

has many sensors on its front, but not many on its back or top. in the front it has whiskers, eyes (that do not see much), and little arms it crawls on. on its back, it has a tail that picks up any debris it may have missed and helps keep it balanced

roombug + evolutions can fly! roombug has a set of brush wings at its sides that help collect more dust/food, especially floating ones in the air! it flies less as vacuwaddle and barely at all as hooverboom, due to its size (vacuwaddle and hooverboom have an extra set of brush wings).

to help control itself in the air, it has two fin-like attachments that raise and help control itself, along with a tail for balance

all roombugs + evolutions don't have the best sight so they tend to run into objects at eye level and are not the best with stairs

all roombugs like to rest in small spaces! especially after a long day of feeding/cleaning, they prefer to return to their home base (of their own creation) and rest. dust & debris that was too big for them to eat will fall out of their metallic filters in their nests, and this will need to be cleaned up by their caretaker.

roombugs prefer to live in more industrial spaces and are nearly an invasive species - nature of course provides plenty of dust, but indoor human spaces provide much more of it in a condensed space, allowing roombugs to thrive (almost too much).

do they actually like to clean? yes! they don't fully realize they're doing it, and humans love having them as pokémon pets because it's a symbiotic/mutually beneficial relationship - they used to be hoarded by the upper class but they were quickly overrun and it became more commonplace to see them in homes, regardless of class/economic status. they are also a popular emotional support animal/pokémon in the pokémon world

when it evolves into vacuwaddle, its basically an awkward growth spurt. vacuwaddle has slightly below average stats compared to its evolution brethren, and that's because its head is heavy but its arms and legs are not long or big enough to allow it to crawl on all fours, so it lacks a lot of balance and will bash its head a lot on furniture and walls. also, its eyes are better suited for all-fours so it can't see as well either.

vacuwaddle has extra brushes to help, which allows it to collect and absorb even more

important note: vacuwaddle is perfectly capable, and with enough love and care it'll turn into a lovely and strong hooverboom!

hooverboom moves much less than its two counterparts and has even more brushes to allow it to eat more (which it needs, because its bigger)

hooverboom's tail is much longer and tends to drag on the floor a lot, so try not to trip over it lollll

hooverboom's brush wings grow much larger to allow it to fly though it prefers to be on ground and can't fly very long

hooverboom's shape it allows it to traverse stairs on foot (previous evolutions require it to fly to different floor/elevations)

feedback: ngl i don't have a lot of feedback here, i am stupidly proud of this creation and if this is my peak, i'm happy LMAO

(no but fr tho, i could definitely improve my rendering for objects, i'm not the best at that rip)

references: pokémon LOL

pls ask me questions about these lil dudes i absolutely LOVE them

[botanyone]

You dont have to lose pavements to grow trees in cities

You don’t have to lose pavements to grow trees in cities https://ift.tt/JYseDm6 A recent study by Arianna Grassi and colleagues, published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, investigated the impact of different types of soil sealing on the communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonising the roots of two shade trees commonly found in urban areas: Celtis australis and Fraxinus ornus. The researchers found that impermeable pavements, such as monolithic asphalt, caused shifts in the composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with the roots of these trees and impacted the percentage of mycorrhizal root length. The research could help protect trees in urban environments. The soil beneath our feet is home to a vast and intricate web of organisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. These fungi play a crucial role in plant nutrition and health, enhancing their ability to absorb nutrients and water from the soil. Unfortunately, urbanisation and impermeable pavement materials have led to soil sealing, disrupting this vital ecosystem. In their article, Grassi and colleagues cite research showing that Tilia, Linden or Lime trees suffer in areas with low fungal diversity. The authors state: “To the best of our knowledge, no information is available about the effects of pavements suitable for water sensitive urban designs, such as permeable and porous pavements, on AMF communities actually colonizing the roots of shade trees.” Grassi and colleagues tackled the problem by examining the roots of European Hackberry and South European Flowering Ash growing in Vertemate con Minoprio, a little way north of Milan in Italy. The trees were planted in 2012, and in 2020, the pavements over the trees were removed. That allowed the biologists to take root samples from the trees and see what fungi had colonised them. Grassi and colleagues observed a fungi community similar to the fungi in the unpaved soil when the root zone was covered with permeable pavements. This provides valuable information that can be used to reduce the disturbance caused by specific types of soil sealing on AMF symbionts, ultimately benefiting urban tree health. The study identified 45 different types of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, with Sclerocystis and Septoglomus as the most abundant phylotypes, accounting for 84% of the genetic sequences revealed. The predominance of Sclerocystis species in the roots of both tree species under impermeable pavements indicated their high and unexpected tolerance towards harsh environmental conditions. These species could be used as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inocula. Inoculating the soil with these fungi, specifically selected for their proven resilience in paved sites, would allow planners to exploit their ability to boost biogeochemical processes fundamental for energy fluxes and plant nutrition and health. By revealing how different pavements impact the fungi that symbiotically nourish trees, this study provides guidance for creating urban infrastructure that fosters tree health and longevity. Permeable pavements, in particular, could help sustain diverse, robust fungal communities essential for supporting trees in the often challenging conditions of cities. With more trees, cities can enjoy cooling, pollution reduction, and other benefits these fungi-tree partnerships provide.  READ THE ARTICLE Grassi, A., Pagliarani, I., Cristani, C., Palla, M., Fini, A., Comin, S., Frangi, P., Giovannetti, M., Turrini, A. and Agnolucci, M. (2023) “Effects of pavements on diversity and activity of mycorrhizal symbionts associated with urban trees,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 83(127916), p. 127916. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127916. The post You don’t have to lose pavements to grow trees in cities appeared first on Botany One. via Botany One https://botany.one/ April 13, 2023 at 06:19PM

[crowithy]

Gonna take this chance to ramble about the world building I swear I will post eventually, but just the points from this in no.particular order

- 3 moons (4 if you count the one that blew up)

- planetary rings (from the moon that blew up)

- no "true night" due to how much light is reflected from the moons and rings (think twilight and little to no stars)

- Moons aren't actually moons, they are dormant gods (sleeping like curled up cats) that slowly turned to stone. The moon that blew up was because of a fight amongst all 4 gods, against him. This fight was due to a disagreement about how to deal with the mortals during the "chaos times".

- a very rare "weather" pattern caused by mass death in one localized area. Unnamed as of yet but it's essentially a tornado of souls trying to rip itself apart, but inadvertently pulling itself together. (Like crabs in a bucket, it's not intentional but the act of trying to pull oneself free pulls everyone back in). This was very common during the above mentioned "chaos times" it's also partly how gods form.

- for the dragons of this world some cultures make carvings with inset gems on the horns. Often times the gems reflect the eye color of the dragons partner, or their partners favorite though this isn't exactly a rule.

- technically the dragons on the volcanic islands are obligate carnivores due to not having plants around the active volcanoes. Overtime they lost the ability to digest plants for the most part. The technically is also because on the rarer occasion they will eat rocks. Why? I forgot it's in my notes somewhere tho I'll figure it out eventually.

- due to all animals scaled up to dragonsize humans can't really have animal pets. They get bugs (and maybe some rodents but mostly bugs) the bugs aren't scales proportionally though, a random example is bees are the size of toddlers. Each human kingdom has a dedicated bug, with mixes of each specific species fulfilling some niches by irl domesticated animals (wooly moths acting as sheep, i would put more examples but so far only the moth kingdom is fleshed out) but msot have their own unique things. Bee hives are entire cities (though the cities in this kingdom do range on the smaller side, solely for the bees) which each houses having honeycomb integrated into walls and 2-10 "house bees" depending on size. They also get their own dedicated buildings on each street, for the "street bees". It's a very symbiotic relationship with the bees.

-two of my kingdoms mainly use sign language, the mermaids, due to verbal language not being applicable underwater, although they still use it on land as they prefer it. As well as my bee kingdom, due to having a high deaf population.

- one kingdom uses preserves vines wood and flowers for jewlery. The monarchs crown is even hand weaved by each successive ruler and magically preserved to last year's after their own death. After each ruler, small flowers from the crown are removed and incorporated into the new rulers crown and the largest is added to the throne. The oldest flower on the throne is 500 years old and is a now extinct flower.

- don't know if this counts but the bee kingdom uses honey or beeswax products as currency.

- magic tends to mutate the more exposure or by extensive use of it. Those born magically often often have some sort of visible mutation. For example, a non aquatic dragon may be born with gills. Someone might have an extra pair of wings, a split tail, four ears, an extra toe, one may become biolumecent and glow when injured, the tail tip of one may grow. This happens with humans too though less common.

- in relation to this, the magic mutations also are the reason dragons despite being wild different are able to hybridize. Think like dog breed except it was magic. This happened to humans too, there's mermaids,satyrs,elves,dwarves, but they are still technically human. There's also regular humans, but each still has some magic influenced trait. One kingdom has visible stripes, another has tails (not like animal tails just like if you extended a human spine). The mutations just depend on the amount of magic in the area

- speaking of magic, magic is caused by the moon dust and rocks that settled and landed on the planet. I mean its the corpse of a dead god

- one of the human kingdoms makes jewlry from bug exoskeletons

- the aquatic dragon kingdoms can change the color of their skin and communicates by creating patterns, with color acting as like tone indicators/punctuation. (They also have really soft scales because of this ability)

- the gods do *kinda* looks like people, if your counting dragons but in a weird messed up way. Like it's a mix of human and dragon features in a way that it's really neither. Idk if this really counts tho. There are lesser gods that look like neither but I'm not fleshing those out yet

- the main aquatic kingdom tends to make jewlery from sea glass more than crystals

-carnivorous unicorns

-carnivorous rabbits

And that's all I have that fits this

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.