#thyla builds

[ari-thylaplush]

★ Larz ★ (he/him) Build a bear/Build a dino 2011 Larz was my first BAB thyla gifted to me by Piine [ @piinemarten ] He was bought on ebay. He came to me already very well loved and his stripes are so faded that he looks like he's never owned a stipe in his life X3 He's my bedtime cuddle plush now <3 He has a sound box in his right front paw that currently doesn't work. I plan on doing a little surgery to see if i can get it out and get it working again!

[cicaklah]

2024 fic review

hello friends. what a year that was. here's a review of all the writing I did about blorbo.

January

Started out strong with part 9 of the one man series: life's a beach. I'm really happy with this one and think it is one of the strongest of the one man non-chaptered stories, but despite the fact its full of Spirk having happy sex on holiday, it didn't seem to do that well at the time, but has now started to catch up.

I followed this with my first Voyager fic: there is water (at the bottom of the ocean) which I am honestly still really proud of. It was a Threshold day celebration fic, and Threshold has always been one of my favourite episodes even before it became a meme. It was an honour to write them having weird sex.

March

In march I published friday I'm in love, the one man story where they break up. This is heavy on the OCs, as any story set on the Farragut will be, but I think it worked.

also in march @diana-fortyseven and I were chatting and then I wrote dedicated to the one I love mostly in chat to her, and it was so filthy I had to share it with the class. Diana and Grey fantasising about 47 and fucking about it, while he listens.

finally in march I wrote an abundance of caution, a Pike/Spock SNW fic that was the first story I ever wanted to write in SNW, back in season 1. Where Pike is being haunted by those damn time crystals again.

April

I started publishing my TOS Spirk PWP meandering story a job like any other. I really like the style of this one, and want to write more of it this year.

May

then I wrote nothing until the very end of may, when I published my magnum fuck-opus: subspace rhapsorgy Its literally the plot of subspace rhapsody but instead of singing they're having really filthy free-use sex. I'll never top this.

June

anyway 10 days later I nearly died of sepsis and that kind of wrote off June. I had signed up for thyla bang, then tried to default when I went into hospital, was instead given an extension, which I didn't make because erm, I was dying. the runner of that challenge reacted totally reasonably by blocking me from everything and writing her own story for the art I had claimed. fuck you muse!

July

In july I pushed myself way too hard to publish said fic no glove no love, which is fine, but I'm mostly annoyed that her fic has more hits than mine. It just doesn't really seem fair, but also, its a pon farr fic without any sex, so who am I kidding? its never going to blow the doors off.

I spent the rest of July frantically trying to reclaim my brain post-sepsis by doing the most difficult task possible, sorting out the plot of a sex farce. Said farce was put on your red shoes and dance the blues. Honestly I should have spent July recovering more, but turns out I'm way more spiteful than I thought I was.

August

I had a busy august of wasting money I didn't have being turned away from a plane because my passport was out of date, not being able to walk without my bladder filling with blood, then having surgery, then getting a post surgical infection and having to go back into hospital. I did however finally finished cleaning up the second part of the Diana/Grey/47 threesome fic: a little wicked.

September

I wrote we'll build our altar here after binging the boys in a week, and then promptly lost interest.

October

I spent September and October trying to write the next part of one man, including 20k of a story I still haven't posted, before giving up and splitting it into three stories. The first of these, you probably think this song is about you about Jim's time post-Gala, was published here. I think its probably the best one man story, in terms of how well written it is. Development!

November

I spent November angsting over some stuff, and then decided to do something I wanted to do for a change.

December

That thing was what I called 'super secret writing project' aka blorbo noel, aka my own personal yuletide. I wrote 11 stories, 43k, and I'm pleased with every single one of them.

They are: when I'm wearing nothing but blame, (if I could paint your taint) the colour of the sunset, matched set, hometown glory, captain's log supplemental, I'll be your fire, the power of women, one way or another, crowning glory, (watch me and you) get lost and found anew, and nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

I then also fuck it, published another one man part: bigmouth strikes again, following Spock after the gala. I also finished new frontier, my lesbian la'an fic, and no one cared, and then finished up by publishing some more oxbox RPF business managed.

All in all I published 176,000 words this year blowing my previous record out of the water by 40k, and finally broke through my long term goal of publishing 20 stories in a year. I published 25 new stories and finished new frontier, for a total of 26 in 2024!

This was a very hard year for me, not just with the sepsis, but mental illness, moving house, new job, family problems and the death of my grandfather. Nevertheless, writing and art saved me. I'm planning on doing a sculpture review of 2024 as well, but here's to 2025, hopefully with 100% less sepsis.

[afkintheark]

So I might have gotten so thoroughly distracted by Veilguard that I kinda forgot this blog exists. >.>

We haven't really done anything since the last post. I did keep up the breeding and the thylas and archelons are finished, just need to raise the turtles. They actually gave us 6 perfect babies in the end, so we have our breeders plus a pair for each of us. \o/

We're kinda just waiting for Extinction now, planning to get on it as soon as we can and get a good base spot. I know what I want to build, even did a test build in single-player to show Kel, but it's staying a surprise here until it's done. >.>

I discovered where the wyvern trench is on Reverence and went to see it a couple days ago but had a major disappointment. The trench itself looks amazing and I did have wyverns spawning, but it's in a cave. And ALL the caves on that map have the teleport bug where if I'm not walking on the ground I get teleported up above it. And since the wyvern nests are all up on the walls, I can't get to any of them. >.<

I may uninstall the map once I've tamed a 140 giga I found. I've been wanting to play Astraeos or the official maps more anyway, plus I just found out the creator of The Volcano has finally ported it to ASA so I want to get that installed asap and check it out. So I could use the hard drive space anyway.

[shlofolina]

i was tagged by @sirtadcooper thank you! 🦋

Tag someone you want to know AND/OR some of your besties.

Favourite colour: it depends on the day, honestly. but it's always either blue, purple, green, and pink.

Last song: night moves — bob seger

Last movie: totally killer (2023)

Currently watching: our flag means death, ghost files, loki, the great british bake off, hell's kitchen, the irrational, lego masters

Other stuff I watched this year: good omens, the fall of the house of usher, the last of us, the walking dead: daryl dixon, sex education, ted lasso, what we do in the shadows, puppet history, the mandalorian, only murders in the building, twisted metal, heartstopper, secret invasion, platonic, the bear, lockwood & co., animal control, unstable, shadow and bone, you, leverage: redemption

Shows I dropped this year/didn't finish: ahsoka and vikings: valhalla

Currently reading: percy jackson and the olympians: the chalice of the gods by rick riordan

Currently listening to: random playlists on my phone. mostly a mix of current and '80s music.

Currently working on: nothing really at the moment, just a few random gifsets.

Current obsession: good omens and our flag means death. my brain is full of angels, demon, and pirates.

I'm tagging: @jddryder @stars-bean @thyla @userstede @nerdalmighty @crowleydiaz @crowley-anthony @davinaclare @fabines

[grimmgrinningghouls]

just thinkin about how hard its going to be to move to asa. Like. I've been playing this game so long and I have made so many memories, And yea, I know asa is pretty much just a visual update with major bug fixes but it isn't going to be my ark.

I have servers that I've been renting and playing on for years now. I've had the same rock drake for 5 years, she's moved from server to server with me and I've mutated new versions of her, but I still have the original. I have thylas and wyverns that have been with me since I first played scorched, and I still have the very first island server I ever paid for. Theres structures on there that have been there for 8 years, long abandoned houses from people I'm no longer friends with, and even a house belonging to our friend who passed away.

I have made so many memories, and I get reminded of them every time I'm flying by an old building, no one uses it and yea it'd be better to clear them out, but I can't bring myself too. It feels like destroying the last remnants of the old days, so to speak. It's going to be so hard to lose all that, to say goodbye to everything we've built these last 8 years.

[saberamane]

I love Ark, and I love this plot. But uh, I'm not good with the area names but you mentioned they'd build in the mountains and all I can think of is them waking to a Giga attacking because...well...it might have happened to me. It killed everything I had. and Me.

Also, I think Altair would definitely have a thyla. It looks like a cat, can climb, pretty decent overall travel mount, and they love to do aerial attacks when you don't seem them.

And if other maps, or at least the creatures from them, were available, I think they'd each have a shadowmane. There's just no way assassins wouldn't have a stealth cat. Also rock drakes. they both can turn invisible and can travel really fast. I think they'd each have one of both.

And I can just see Desmond having a blast on an Andrewsarchus with it's tank/minigun saddle.

Any idea's on a plot where Desmond, Altair, Ezio, and Connor all end up in 'Ark Survival Evolved'? How well would they survive? Would they tame any dino's? Which one's? Will there be romantic relationships? Where would they live? (Feel free to ignore if you don't know anything about ark)

For those unfamiliar with Ark Survival Evolved, the idea is you spawn on the Island populated by dinosaurs and other creatures. For this case, I will only be focusing on the base game and not include any DLCs in this answer. (Although I am very tempted to include Fjordhawk just because of the ‘eagle’ motif… even if it’s meant to be a hawk)

Let’s set it up first.

Our plot will start with all four of them waking up on the Island with no idea how they got there. Every single one of them remembers their life up to the day they die and we’ll be kind and have their body be in their mid-20s (to be more exact, their 25-year-old body, the age Desmond dies) with their Assassin robes (or white hoodie and jeans on Desmond’s case) but no gear but their hidden blade. (but only 1 hidden blade, even Ezio AND no hidden gun as well)

… Or we could totally let them get there naked with nothing, not even a hidden blade, sure.

Now, in this scenario, they would have enough experience to know they’re better off together than doing everything on their own.

They start exploring the island and “holy fucking shit there are dinosaurs there, what the fuck, what do you mean you don’t know what dinosaurs are? Those are dinosaurs!”

So they try to find a safe(ish) place for Desmond to explain what he knows about dinosaurs and they take a break near a stream perhaps. One of them takes off their hidden blade and I would be leaning on this being Ezio because he wants to show his hidden blade to Altaïr to ask if it would be possible for him to recreate the hidden gun in this place when he realized that he has some kind of metallic-like gem with the telltale white glowing lines of an Isu artefact on his arm and everyone checks their left arm and finds they have the same thing.

They start poking around with Desmond being the one dumb enough to actually poke it directly and they find out that they can access an inventory through it, craft things, a screen that shows their level, and unlockable crafting recipes that are called engrams. From their own, it’s by trial and error that they find out that they gain level doing lots of different things.

Their main immediate concern now is to create a shelter before night falls.

From there… well, they’ll definitely try to find out where the hell they were and what were they there in the first place.

PLOT POINTS:

They will definitely die. Multiple times. And just to fuck with them even more, any time one of them dies, everybody dies. No exception. XD Oh! And when they spawn, they have to get back their stuff from their corpses which is always unpleasant and they always spawn on their current ‘base’ as if the metal jewel in their arm knows where to spawn them even if they changed base.

Their engram is a bit different as it seemed to be a strange list of what technology they all know from their time period with the last engrams they can unlock being more in-line with Isu tech. Desmond’s time period’s tech is the second to the last engrams they can unlock.

Ratonhnhaké:ton is their primary hunter and he will teach everyone what he knows. Even some tricks he later learns, long after Desmond stopped watching his memories. When they’re finally setting up their primary base, he’s the one who set up their dino-defenses.

Altaïr is more or less in charge of the forging and crafting of really complicated things. He focused on things that could help them first like weapons and things that would fortify their base.

Ezio is more of the tamer. He’s the one who likes to tame dinosaurs and, dear god, he managed to create a farm of all things. It’s… honestly impressive. He was vetoed from making a vineyard though.

Desmond bounces to whoever needs him most. He mostly acts as their assistant and sometimes, especially in Altaïr’s case, he reminds them that they need to take a break.

All of them had a hand in planning their base but Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton are more on the utility and defenses while Ezio likes to add things just to make it ‘pleasing to the eye’. Desmond usually gets the final vote for some reason even when Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton teaming up should mean that it’s 2 against 1.

Sure, there’s a plot. But let’s be honest… most of us play this kind of games to make bases and ride dinosaurs. If there’s a plot, it will be summarized as either “Isu Bullshit” OR “Abstergo/Rebecca fucked up and created a virtual world for Sample 17’s data”. Take your pick.

Location of their Base:

Ngl, I wanna give them a raft base because that’s one of the safest (sorta) options in Ark Survival Evolved or maybe they can create their base in the Hidden Lake or Herbivore Island as those two are safe bets.

BUT I personally believe they’ll all think that a high vantage point will be their best bet and would go for mountainous areas they can fortify. Also, they would want to be near the center of the island.

Which leaves: The Red Peaks. It has a forest underneath the mountain where they could lose any predators chasing them, lessening the chance of them accidentally bringing a predator to their base.

The idea is that they will end up with a fortress on the top of the mountain similar to Masyaf with an irrigation system connected to the nearest water supply up north.

Altaïr is absolutely fascinated with the idea of electricity.

Dinosaurs:

There is one dinosaur that they will definitely tame: the Argy (Argentavis). They weren’t even planning on creating an aviary for them or even taming them. There were a lot of Argys in the Red Peak and it was either they tame them or they kill of them to secure the location. They decided to just tame them and hope for the best. They definitely lucked out as anyone who plays Ark will tell them that Argys are one of the best (debatable the best) dinosaurs to tame and have multiple specialized dinosaurs.

Desmond insists that they need a T-Rex. Unfortunately, they don’t know what a T-Rex looks like and Desmond isn’t really into dinosaurs so he made a mistake. They tamed a Carnotaurus named Rex.

They never let Desmond forget it and they gave him a T Rex as a gift. The name of Desmond's T Rex is Cars.

Ezio has a Dodo farm. Desmond is just happy they have eggs. Ezio keeps telling him not to name the dodos just in case they need emergency meat. Desmond still names them. In Desmond’s defense, he named them after Templars he knows. Ezio hates the Dodo named Cesare the most… because it gives the best eggs.

Ratonhnhaké:ton has a squad of Raptors that go hunting with him. No jokes are made about that dinosaur film with a similar premise because Desmond is dead before that movie was released.

Altaïr doesn’t really tame dinosaurs as he’s busy making new things for them to use. His idea of taking a break is checking the tamed dinosaurs on their base and sketching them, most of the time writing observations of their habits and appearance. Desmond suggested they get him a cat as a pet… the only cat they could find nearby was a Sabertooth. They still gave it to Altaïr anyway.

Romance:

… It’s me, nonny. If there’s gonna be any romance in this plot, you know it’s gonna be AltDes or an entire harem for Desmond. XD

[sims4simming]

TS4: Coloursand Ranch

Inspired by a collection I once did in TS2, Coloursand Ranch is perfect for 2nd gen onwards.

A colourful, one-story home with two large bedrooms, a simple kitchen and a cute backyard barbecue area, it is ideal for sims who love the outdoors, are always on the go, and aren't afraid of an earthquake.

Base game + expansions, no CC. Get it on the Gallery under thylacinian.

+8 pics under the cut:

[starsdies]

are there songs that remind u of ur fics? of obi wan and anakin in general? id love to know what u associate w them 👀

this is my absolute favorite topic to talk about bcos music is my number one love language so thank you for opening this floodgate omg. y e s i have plenty of songs associations with obikin and a playlist too - but we’ll save that for later. 

ONE. endlessly by muse is probably my number one obikin song for many reasons. it really hits when you take kenobi as a backdrop. 

“Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly / Hopelessly I'll give you everything / But I won't give you up / I won't let you down / And I won't leave you falling / But the moment never comes.”

it’s also a bonus that ewan sings the song for a cover, so i can die happily on my headcanon hill that obi-wan sings anakin to sleep. 

TWO. connected by islandinside. my second biggest obikin song, i think. the lyrics are so them it genuinely aches like please look at this: 

“I am the mirror / I am your satellite / I am the sign that / Stuck inside your mind” i mean, this easily reminds me of the two of them being split halves of one another, their dyad, etc. and then we have this as well, which hurts so bad and so good:

“When you′re lost and broken / These words are your guiding light / In the darkest place: / "We are each other's secrets. / We are connected. We are connected." / When you′re lost and broken / I am your guiding light / In the darkest maze: / "We are each other's secrets. / We are connected. We are connected."

THREE. everything by thyla. this song gives me alot of modern angsty vibes, but the lyrics for this particular part are so ingrained in my heart for them that i just feel emotional whiplash when this songs comes on shuffle. the ending of this song is an emotional rollercoaster bcos it changes tune completely and builds, builds, builds, and i… oh god. this song is so good.

“I can't call you home / I can't call you home / Never said too much / Now, I can't call you home / I wish I said too much.” - tell me that isn’t the most… obikin thing ever… i’m shattered it’s fine!

FOUR. achilles come down by gang of youths. i mean. as a classics lover and a patrochilles shipper by default… this obviously must also relate to obikin. i mean, i’ll let the lyrics talk for themselves. this is like the must-have for anakin/obikin playlists.

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down / Won't you get up off, get up off the roof? / You're scaring us and all of us, some of us love you / Achilles, it's not much but there's proof / You crazy-assed cosmonaut, remember your virtue / Redemption lies plainly in truth / Just humor us, Achilles, Achilles, come down / Won't you get up off, get up off the roof?”

FIVE. remember by seinabo sey, jacob banks. this song… really reminds me of obi-wan telling luke and leia about anakin. how, even after everything, he talks of him so highly. here are the lyrics to accompany that for extra tears:

“Let me write you into history, darling / Let me sing you into eternity / So you say you just wanna be remembered / You just wanna be remembered / Just wanna be remembered.”

SIX. no devotion by tender. again, definitely a big modern angst vibe but i’m just. this is one of my most favorite songs in the world so the fact that i associate it with my boys so much really gets to me! here are the lyrics that hit hardest and ahhhhhhhh… rots obikin too… that whole quote of anakin talking about how he wanted obi-wan to stay? obi-wan not knowing what to do with all these conflicting emotions from anakin? yeah. this one.

“I don't know why you slipped away / I never even asked you to stay, baby / Cracks appeared and we both start to fade, but we're / Already broken / There's no devotion / Maybe I'm really to blame / I got my head in the sand / And I just can't understand why you're vacant and not there / Try to be patient with you, but I'm too scared / Tell me what I'm doing wrong / I'm wearing thin, but holding on / For you.”

and finally, because i could go on forever but i should save you the reading, here is my obikin playlist on spotify.

[epersonae]

OFMD FAVE GAME

Thank you for the tag @not-nervous-jester, I'm stuck on both of the things I wanted to write this afternoon so I guess I'll do this instead?

Fave Ed gif:

Please save this man. (Also I love this outfit so much.)

Fave Stede gif:

GIF by thyla

Actually, same one as yours Jams; there's a reason this is my icon now, this scene and his expression means literally everything to me, evokes something very personal and special. (I want to see him in S2 with this face but also wearing something ridiculously fancy)

Fave S2 Headcanon: here's the thing. I am fully prepared to be completely surprised by what happens in the actual show. I love the speculation, and yes, I am writing an entire post-S1 fic, but I don't think anything in it is likely to actually happen in the show??? (I'm just running down some ideas that wouldn't let me go.) So really the only thing left is LUCIUS LIVES, because I really do believe that killing his character fundamentally changes the nature of the show in a way that I don't think they'd do.

Fave Blackbonnet song: I was building what ended up being my fic playlist, and Tidal suggested Thank You by Led Zeppelin, and honestly it's perfect.

Fave OFMD Fic Trope: I should make a list as some point lol, but goddamn I love a good Ed POV canon pining fic, they're always so wild and funny and dramatic.

Ed's hair or Stede's hair: so, Ed's hair: the day that I realized that the girl I was madly in love with in college and never did quite get together with (despite being embedded in a sort-of-polycule that needed wholeass diagrams to explain to my therapist at the time) had uhhhhh very much hair like Ed's, as did my high school/college boyfriend (who was also part of aforementioned diagram) and wow it's true there is something about that, huh? (as it happens, I could almost certainly end up with hair like Stede's given the right stylist. it looks fantastic on him and would look like a goddamn grandma on me.)

Longest you've gone between rewatches: I think the last month I've mostly been watching one episode on repeat every few days, which episode depending on which chapter of Hungry for love, waiting to drown I've been working on, and I've been kind of itching to do a full rewatch, actually. (am I going to do it during Sad Week specifically for the catharsis? maaaaaaaaybe?)

Hiding in the ship Lucius vs. Ghost Lucius: por que no los dos? (also I'm always entertained by Lucius pretending to be a ghost while hiding in the ship)

Fave Revenge Crew Member: they're all so fucking good, but lately I've been kind of obsessed with Frenchie.

Tags: @emi--rose @sassygwaine @mxmollusca @deadofxnight

And ofc anyone else, have fun!

[thecandywrites]

Ode to Kinktober Part 4

Let the mutual pining begin.

Part 4

Then Manidore came back with a huge bag full of different sets of clothes as he came in and stopped dead in his tracks to see you standing there before you self consciously ducked behind Thyla and pulled your hood back up to conceal your face as once again your wings sprouted to help shield you more before Nahlo said something to his brother through gritted teeth in a tone that clearly meant ‘get out of here’ but Thyla translated that he was both saying that and adding  ‘you’re making her uncomfortable by staring, you’re being rude, so stop’ as he got the bag from his brother and then urged him to leave before Thyla let out a growl herself before Manidore finally left. 

Nahlo offered you the bag of clothes to change into as you wearily but gratefully took them and went into a bathroom to change into them. You were grateful that your moura cloak could simply be your undergarments as you did your best to use the paper towels they had in there and got them wet to wipe as much of your electrum glitter off of yourself in the process as you really wished you could get a decent bath. But it was better than nothing. 

And you were happy that the bag had quite the variety of clothes in a variety of sizes and with a little trial and error, you were able to find enough clothes to fit you and that you now had a hood to cover your head and gloves to cover your hands. You marveled at the softness of the fabric of the clothes and were so happy they were clean and smelled amazing. And while most of them were pretty big on you, you were just so grateful to at least get a few layers of clothes on you that would both hide how skinny you were and hide your glowing state.  

“Thank you.” You thanked him once you emerged and handed the bag back to him before he put that on Thyla’s saddle too before he presented you with a pair of socks and a special pair of boots. 

“You’re welcome.” He answered in his best version of marinai as you took the socks and boots from him since your cloak provided shoes still glowed before you let your cloak recede so you were barefoot to put the socks and shoes on from the comfort of a nearby chair. 

‘How do I say ‘thank you’ in his language?’ You asked Thyla. 

“Shalam” You tried to repeat the word and the smile he gave you told you that you got it right or at least close enough that he understood. He knelt down at your feet and helped you put the boots on since you had apready put your socks on yourself. 

‘Ok, now these are special boots, they will fit and conform to your feet.’ Thyla explained before Thylo held your feet up by the back of the ankle and said something else. 

‘Now stretch your feet and wiggle your toes.’ Thyla translated Nahlo’s instructions before you did as he asked and grinned in relief when your feet cracked and popped as you rolled your ankles and stretched your feet as the boots themselves took the measurements of your range of motion, foot size, measured your arches and the other proportions of your feet before they slowly then all at once conformed to your feet as you giggled as you watched the boot mechanically or perhaps, magically conform to your feet before it stopped. 

“Is it done?” You asked before Nahlo smiled and nodded and let your feet down before he stood back up and helped you to your feet and said something as he gestured around him. 

“I take it he wants me to walk around to make sure they fit ok and are comfortable?” You guessed. 

‘Yup, you got it.’ Thyla beamed before you did and were blown away by how comfortable they were. You always thought your moura cloak shoes were always perfect and comfortable. But somehow, these were so much better. 

“Best shoes I’ve ever had on my feet.” You praised which got Nahlo to smile happily. 

“Ok, let’s go get lunch.” Nahlo invited. 

The three of you left the building only for you to be met with several dragons waiting for you outside the building, eager to be your mode of transportation and translators while you were here. 

“Oh, well hello everyone, it’s nice to meet you too! Family of the wing I see.” You greeted them as you pet them all and got to know them individually as their grasp of marinai was pretty good and understood you before you picked your favorite. Axera. He was the sweetest and most affectionate and also just so beautiful. Bright white and opalescent, just like your own feathers were when you were a bird or had your wings out.  

“Who’s dragon am I riding?” You asked. 

‘It doesn’t matter. We are all sons and daughters of moura dragons. We are honored and happy to have you ride us. Not all dragons here have a rider they’re attached to.’ Axera practically beamed as he practically pranced in delight to have you riding him. He followed Thyla as she was quick to take to the air and fly to her favorite restaurant with the others accompanied you as you were impressed that you got the hang of riding them pretty easily. 

You were  relieved that they all stayed with you to stand guard over you as you walked with Axera to the open air restaurant as Thylo got one of the far tables on the edges, farther away from the others eating there before he handed you a menu. You looked over the strange words and had Axera look it over and translate what you were looking at what each thing on the menu was before you picked the most appetizing thing on the menu before Axera told Nahlo what that was as he nodded in understanding and ordered for you when the waitress came over to take your order before you handed back the menu to her, careful to keep your head down to keep your hood covering your glowing face while a scarf covered most of your face before she left and you chanced a look around. 

You noticed everywhere you looked- that dragons walked among the citizens like large dogs or horses would as there were even ‘bathroom stations’ for them in various spots so there wouldn’t be any manure on the streets as this place was especially clean. Just, practically spotlessly clean. And being on Neveah, you realized how advanced this civilization was. And how beautiful of a nation they had built here. No wonder they were protective over it. 

But you could still imagine how delighted your brethren would be to be able to come here and enjoy it if they could ever get invited to do so. The food alone would be a great reason to come, the scent of the food was making your stomach growl and your mouth start to water before the waitress came back with your drink as you thanked her the best way you could as she at least seemed pleased to hear it and said what Nahlo had said earlier ‘you’re welcome’ which was ‘Lashime’. 

Then a band began to play music and you couldn’t help but look over and smile bittersweetly at the dancers, wondering if you should have just stayed at the host colony to dance as they were playing music on machines and other instruments plugged into said machines making them sound rather otherworldly but still really good. 

Nahlo curiously watched as your attention was drawn to them before he said something else which brought your attention back to him as he said it again and nodded over to where others were coming to dance in front of the performers. 

“Is he asking me to dance?” You murmured over to Axera. 

‘Yup. You should dance. It will lift your spirits.’ Axera said as he used his snout to gently nudge you out of your seat. 

‘I don’t even know how to…’ you began to argue.

‘Yes you do. It’s music, you can feel the rhythm from here and are fighting not to dance in your seat. So- go, dance. You’ll feel better and more comfortable and at ease once you do. The only things that bite around here are the dragons and we would never dream of biting you. The people are friendly and mean you no harm. It’s ok. You’ll be ok. I will make sure to let you know when the food is ready.’ Axera talked over your own thoughts louder than your own voice was in your head as he outright shoved his snout under your butt to get you to stand and practically nuzzled you into Nahlo who caught you as your body collided with his own as he ‘oofed’ from the impact as you could hear him yelling at Axera through Axera’s head. 

“Sorry.” You apologized to Nahlo as your shoulders rose as your face contorted as you tried to distance your mind from Axera’s to a degree before Nahlo’s tone as he talked to you was completely different as he seemed just as mortified that Axera had done that and embarrassed you. 

But he gently offered you his hand after he made sure you were standing up on your own feet as he nodded over to the dancefloor before you took it and let him lead you over to the dance floor before he very politely held you the way you had seen others dance as you simply followed his lead and couldn’t stop yourself from smiling when he was actually quite the gifted dancer as following his lead came rather easy and natural. Even the new but delightfully wonderful music that came from the instruments and other machines out of the music amplifiers. Axera had been right. This did make you feel better. That even if you were in a different country with a different peoples, they were still similar enough to yourself that you didn’t feel too much like an alien among them and by the next dance, he was holding you a little closer as the music was faster and much closer to what you really enjoyed as the steps came almost instinctively to you before you let a laugh escape you since you were actually having fun. 

Nahlo was actually a pretty handsome dancing partner at least. He was just a head taller than you. A bit broader than other moura men were. A bit more stout but obviously strong. As clearly demonstrated that in one effortless motion, he picked you up and twirled you in place that got you to softly squeal in delight that he was strong enough to do so. And once he set you down, you were practically chest to chest and suddenly you couldn’t take your eyes off of his face as his eyes were, surprisingly more captivating than you thought they’d be. You suddenly wished you knew his language so you could at least speak to him directly. But at least his face was expressive and you could wordlessly communicate that you were at least having fun by giving him a happy smile that he soon mirrored and continued to dance the rest of the song before you both turned to see your food was ready and was brought out to the table as Axera and Thyla both called over to you to tell you that it had come out before he was happy to follow you back to the table before you tried and were impressed that the food platter was practically as big as the table and was enough to feed like 6 people, you failed not to practically inhale the food because it had been two full days since you had eaten normal food last. 

If you had thought the food smelled good, it tasted somehow a hundred times better. Those Neveahan dragons were probably protecting Neveah’s food supply because if your brethren knew about such delectable food, they would swarm this place like bees or perhaps like locusts. Granted they would leave behind their weight in gold. But you didn’t know of anything that would ever grow from gold. And eating in the open air with the sun, the sun continued to feed and nourish you, granted not as much as this food was, but every little bit helped. 

The sun got just on the late afternoon spot before the moon began to rise as your moura marks bloomed around you as you gasped softly to see them as you tried to mentally turn them off they would not, they acted like your wings in the sun, picking up the moon’s rays as you realized the moon’s rays were actually more beneficial than the sun, which wasn’t right and you didn’t know what that meant. All the dragons immediately encircled you and opened up their wings wide to conceal you and the phenomenon as Nahlo just stared in awe as you just stopped fighting it and gave Nahlo an apologetic look before finally caved and let them fully come out as they soon became like a halo of wings around you to catch the moon’s rays. 

“Well, that didn’t last too long did it.” You muttered before you sighed in defeat before you pushed your hood off your head and as you were once again glowing like the moon before you just forewent the gloves to eat with your hands like he was, ripping the half of loaf of bread to use to dip and scoop up the pieces of steak and hunks of lobster and dip them into the variety of sauces. Especially since you didn’t really want to use the flatware, just in case you turned that metal, that looked like steel to you- to electrum either by accident or otherwise without the gloves insulating your hands from the flatware. 

Then the waitress tried to drop something else off at the table but couldn’t get past the dragons and their wings before Nahlo got up and reached through the wings to take the bowl of water from her and the pea sized seed looking thing from her too before he sat down as you watched him gently use his thumbnail to peel off the little outer shell, like a piece of corn’s kernel when corn was popped with butter back in your colony before he dropped it in the water and suddenly the seed instantly seemed to grow and transform into a huge, still steaming loaf of bread as you were staring wide eyed at it as you looked from it to the half of loaf of bread you were using to eat from was the same thing. This was bread you were already eating! They had magic to transform bread from a tiny pea sized thing to a fully baked loaf with just a bowl full of water! 

‘It’s not magic. It’s a native food to Neveah that came over from the homeworld. They call it ‘breadseed’. Instead of growing grains in a field. They grow it in ice at the poles and only use the winter’s darkness and the moon and the southern lights to grow it at the southpole that is only a day’s worth of flight away from here.’ Axera explained to you as you just stared in surprise as Nahlo took the loaf out of the bowl and ripped it half very carefully but tore it in such a way to reveal that it had a little pocket inside of it. That had yet more breadseed lining the pocket as he handed it to you. 

‘It’s a gift. So that wherever you are and wherever you go, you will have food.’ Axera explained before you gratefully and graciously took it from him and marveled at it. Such a beautiful and wonderful thing. 

“So the Neveahns do leave the island?” You asked Axera. 

‘Yes, but not like mouras do. You take delight in flying all over the supersphere. The Neveahns aren’t as adventurous as mouras are. They really only fly between here and the south pole to plant and harvest this crop and because the south pole is so cold, they know it’s safe from any other pillaging the food source.’ Axera explained. 

“Well such knowledge will be safely kept secret by me. If I ever find a way to leave here and go home.” You told Axera. 

‘Nahlo figured as much. You didn’t seem like the conquering and destroying type.’ Axera answered. 

“What type does he think I am?” You asked Axera as you looked curiously from him back to Nahlo as Nahlo seemed to be put on the spot before he stuttered and stammered an answer. 

‘He wants me to tell you that you’re obviously the proverbial ‘fish out of water’ type. And that you are as innocent as the moon is beautiful. Then he stumbled over himself admitting that you were very beautiful and that he’s grateful for us being your shield or just about every man who would look at you would want to either ask you dance or ask you to do much more than dance if you catch my drift.’ Axera answered with a laugh of amusement. 

“Ah, I see. Yes. Fish out of water indeed. Practically a sick mermaid on red algae in a fishbowl at this point.” You muttered as you put the extra breadseed with your benar in your special pocketbook like purse before Nahlo said his language’s word for mermaid. 

‘Nahlo wants to know how you know about the merpeople. Since he understands that you live in the mountains, very far from the ocean.’’ Thyla translated for her rider. 

“Same homeworld. We were created then evolved side by side. Mouras were in the clouds. Merfolk in the waters. Our homeworld is a waterworld. No dry land anywhere. Only water on the surface. Much smaller world too. Only a fifth of the size of this new world. The water turned red from algae turning from green and edible to toxic and red. That’s when they reached out to us to help heal them. But while we could heal them one on one- but only one at a time. For everyone 1 merperson we healed, a hundred and even a thousand more got sick. The merfolk were facing extinction. Then the collision with the supersphere and we were both saved. The merfolk were happy to have a planet five times bigger, even with all the dry land on the surface. Red algae still blooms but in much smaller spots and easily and cleared away when it does here.” You explained before Nahlo said something else. 

‘So your kind was not the reason you were brought here? It was the merpeople who were the reason you were brought here? That is what he is asking.’ Thyla translated. 

“Yes.” You nodded yes before Nahlo asked another question. 

‘And you’re not angry or upset?’ Thyla translated before you took a deep breath. 

“If he will trust me with the secret of his food. I will trust him the secret as to why we’re not.” You began. 

“When we were converged here. We were very happy at first. This world is a much bigger world, five times bigger than the homeworld. The sun is 10 times  brighter, bigger and stronger and fills us with more power, and more magic than we could have ever known we could have. At first we explored the surface of the world, the dry land we could walk on- instead of having to swim like our merfolk counterparts. But then others see us and hunt us and turn us into prey. At first we mate with the phoenixes since we change shape and form to that of birds like the phoenix- to gain their power to spew fire like them and the dragons. But it was not enough. They hunted us for the first 300 years that our world converged with this one. Many of my foremothers were captured like birds caught in a net. We were imprisoned and chained in dungeons and held captive until we gave our captors what they wanted from us, to the point we could buy our own freedom again. But halfway through The Great Hunt, heavenly moura had something of a war, but not no one died, but it tore our entire species into three groups. Half of all moura decided that the surface was too dangerous to ever fly below the clouds and way too far away for any other to catch us. The other half found other peoples that we like. That we love. But they could not enter the heavens like we can. So we must find a middle ground. Skyland moves too much and in the opposite direction of everything else. It’s hard to keep track of time while on skyland. But even the skyland was too high for our loved ones to breathe. So we make new homes in the mountains all over the world. Cities that we call colonies. Which is where some of the dragons who are here now are from. The mountains give us what we need. Caves for our dragons so our dragons protect us and our homes from invaders. We make gold for the dragons and their caves. We make gold to buy other food and supplies to build our homes with. All colonies only have one road that leads to them. And merchants of all kinds travel up the steep and skinny mountain roads to sell food and other household items to us. And we buy it with the gold we make, everyone thinks that all the colonies are simply sitting on top of gold mines. But that’s not the case. We choose mountains with hidden valleys that can catch water and keep animals in to both feed the dragons and feed ourselves. We make the gold the way I now make electrum from other metals but other mouras can turn anything and everything they want to- into gold, even the rocks we dig out from the mountains to build our homes with, the dirt and rocks we sweep off the streets. And the dragon manure fertilizes the fields for the livestock. But mouras usually have much more control over their powers. My powers with electrum are brand new, only 2 days old. I haven’t learned how to control my own power to make electrum yet. But I am the only one that I know of or have heard of, that can do it.” You explained as Nahlo listened intently both to you and to Thyla as she translated your words for him before a myriad of expressions washed over his face before he began to talk back. 

‘He says ‘I’m sorry you were hunted. And that you were pulled into this world without wanting to or having a choice about it. We are the same. There was a peoples that were created with us that got sick and to cure them we were brought here. We wait for the time where we can go home.’ Thyla translated. 

“Even with the dangers we face. Most of us would not leave this world to return to the homeworld if a portal opened up tomorrow and the invitation to go back was called out. We’ve made too many friends and interbred with other species too much and had so many children, for many generations now- to ever want to leave our families that could never live, let alone survive in our homeworld. Even those that stay in the clouds do not wish to go back because it would be like an adult trying to fit into the clothes they wore as a small child. There’s too many of us now, we’ve reached every length of the skies now. And the clouds here are so much better and our powers are so strong here, that if we were to go back, we’d lose everything we’ve built and created since our world converged with this one. We love this larger world with its bigger and stronger sun that feeds us better than our old one ever did and bigger skies and horizons and it’s dry land in addition to the watery depths. Although I think the dragons would happily go home with you if they had the chance.” You smiled as you reached over and pet Axera on his back, itching that one spot between his shoulder blades that made him kick like a dog getting it’s favorite spot scratched as Nahlo was left speechless as he considered those words very carefully before he started to try to say something and then stopped himself and then tried to start again before Thyla practically rolled her eyes. 

‘He wants to know how easy it is for your kind to interbreed with everything else but is too embarrassed to ask because he doesn’t want to be rude or offensive but his curiosity is eating him alive.’ Axera muttered lowly to you. 

“Oh.” You hummed a giggle while you blushed the prettiest shade of pink. 

“Anything remotely our size and that has the same body shape and confirmation, like head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, pelvis, legs. Very easy, wings are a bonus. Tails? Flip a coin. Angels in low and mid heaven are the easiest because they’re the closest to us. Crystal angels are more elemental in nature than us but so far the children are happy to reside anywhere and everywhere between the cloud realm and the crystal heaven realm. But from there, the only place to go is down, so obviously we mate with our own kind, a lot. Because mouras whether in the clouds, in the colonies or in Dorierra- like to have children by the dozen. But then after that, unfortunately, humans from Earth, which were our most successful hunters and captors because without our wings, we look no different than them, even though we are vastly different by nature. But from there, there are the taunstons, which are from here originally, this is their homeworld which is what my father’s father is, he’s taunston, so I’m part taunston. Then fae, elves and dwarves, at least that I know of. I’m not sure about other kinds of peoples anywhere else because my colony is near the north pole but the north pole has onikama, or bear people. White like the snow. Huge like dragons but covered in very thick fur.” You began to list off on your fingers. 

“But Dorierra, which is a moura city built by the once enslaved then freed mouras after the Great Hunt- is actually a very nice place. It’s similar to this but not as nice or advanced as here. It’s on the equator, between here and my home colony, they do a lot more intermarrying than anywhere else. And they are our only stop when we do the summer solstice flight that takes 16 hours if you don’t count the break we take at Dorierra, because they offer food and a chance to rest after flying halfway around the world before we get in the air and finish the rest of the flight. Otherwise we can fly around the poles, depending on the latitude we do it in- in only a few hours. The line that went over here the other night, had I not been struck down by lighting, would have taken us only 7 hours, 8 at the most.” You explained before Nahlo asked something else. 

‘He wants to know if others would ever want to land here and rest and eat too.’ Thyla revealed. 

“We would love to- if we knew we were invited. We’ve learned since the Great Hunt to not land anywhere where we are not welcome or invited to or are safe to land. The dragons from here that have settled in the colonies have told us you’d kill us on sight just for setting foot onto this land. I am thinking that perhaps you and the other Neveahans would think we would invade you or bring harm to you which we would never dream of doing. But the dragons insisted that it was not something that could ever be discussed or could be debated or ever questioned. We trust the dragons and take them at their word and do what we can to avoid this place because too many of our brethren have died an early death from being attacked and raided on and fought against thinking that our colonies are sitting on gold mines. Entire colonies have been lost, our children killed just for the rumor and the promise of our gold. We do not wish to start anymore wars with anyone else or lose any more of our brethren, especially the young and the more vulnerable." You explained.

'Nahlo would like for you to know he understands the trepedation. And he understands how you must protect the vulnerable and that if he was in your shoes, he would be terrified. And that if the moura dragons told him the same things about the colonies as the Neveahan dragons have told the moura, he would never venture outside of home either. Much less fly anywhere near them.' Thyla told you without Nahlo having to say so himself but you could sense the sincereity.

"But if we knew we would be invited, that we would be welcomed, as friends. Maybe even for business. This fabric- you could sell it for whatever you'd want for it in any colony. Name your price and we'd pay it. But in good conscience, the only warning I would and could give if Neveah would open it's doors to mountain moura, is that we would probably eat every scrap of food you have but leave you a mountain of gold in it’s place if you did open the invitation though.” You grinned before lighting stuck and thunder boomed in the distance and you immediately pulled your hood back up drew the strings tight to cover more of your face and got your gloves back on and now that you were scared for you life, your moon moura marks finally pulled back into you, taking the last bits of the moon rays into you as you looked down to see that they were now sprawled out over skin like tattoos. 

Nahlo could clearly see that you were uneased by the storm before the dragons lowered their wings since you covered back up before Nahlo asked you something before Thyla and Axera began to fight before anyone could translate what he said.

“Hey! Hey! Stop! What’s wrong?” You asked as you got between them to push them apart to keep from actually fighting right there next to the tables where more people were coming to get an early dinner and put up umbrellas, just in case it would rain. 

‘Nahlo wants to invite you to his family’s farm to stay in his family’s guest house while you stay here.’ Axera said.

‘And grandma said to return you back to her home when you were done eating.’ Thyla snapped. 

“Well I don’t want to be an inconvenience or put Nahlo and especially his family out especially when I’m just a stranger to them.” You ducked your head sheepishly. 

‘No, every moura dragon in the island are all practically begging for you to go stay with them and the families that care for them. And if you show partiality to one family over their moura dragons, many of their sons will wish to have you choose any dragon on their farm to pair yourself as a rider to just to keep you here. That’s why it’s best that you go back to Grandma Isla because she is old enough and big enough that no one will make you do anything you don’t want to do since you clearly only want to go home.’ Thyla insisted. 

“But isn’t your own mother a moura dragon?” You asked her. 

‘Yes and so is my own father. They all want to see you since you are the first reminder of home to ever come here and they all feel homesick, knowing you’re here all alone and they all want to keep you company but most if not all of them are stuck incubating clutches of eggs and can't’ leave their nests but ask that if at all possible for you to come and at least say hi in your very pretty mother tongue.’ Axera insisted. 

“I didn’t come to start fights or be a problem or be an inconvenience to anyone, I just…got too distracted by the stars in the southern sky and pretty pinks and purples of the southern pole as opposed to the greens and blues of the northern ones to notice I was too close to the storm clouds. Would it be better if I just went back to the island?” You asked. 

“No!” Nahlo said which got you to blink in surprise before he started speaking so fast you could barely catch any of it but his tone was scared and panicked and anxious. 

‘Anywhere but there, Nahlo will take you anywhere on Neveah that you will feel comfortable, except to the outer rings just in case you get struck by lightning again and just in case the magnetism keeps you there again. But he promises and swears you will not be a problem or an inconvenience. You would be an honored guest.’ Thyla and Axera both answered. 

“Ok, then I’ll take him up on his generous offer of hospitality, and if once I’m healed, I can have the chance to give and show him the same hospitality.” You answered as Axera practically slithered under you to get you back into the saddle while Nahlo got all the food dumped into another new loaf of bread to take home as leftovers before he hopped onto Thyla and all the dragons happily took to the air and flew to Nahlo’s home.

[noxs-daydream]

Mod Introduction + Boundaries

Hello! Welcome to my account. I am Nox(though Thunder is also an available option), an artist who occupies Twitter, Instagram, ToyHouse, et cetera. Below will be a few of the pronouns I go by, however the full list can be found here. Newly added, I have reformatted my commissions! They are no longer in a Carrd format, and instead in a post for easier Tumblr advertising. Here is the post! I have a Ko-Fi account! Not required, but any donations are appreciated!

It is also recommended that you go through my introductory carrd here as well. At the moment it needs to be updated, however it still has the links to my socials and some basic boundaries that are not listed below.

Lastly, after the pronouns are listed, the post will be typed out in a 3rd person point of view.

They / Them / Theirs / Themself It / Its / Its / Itself He / Him / His / Himself Voi/ Voice / Voice / Voiceself Sting / Stinger / Stingers / Stingerself Thy / Thyla / Thylas / Thylaself Spark / Sparks / Sparks / Sparkself

It is important to note that it is someone who tends to have a difficult time reading tone over text(and through voice), so tone tags or reassurance will be required due to social anxiety.

- Purely NSFW accounts, or accounts that center around yandere-content, will be blocked without hesitation. Accounts that do not have indicators that they are not a bot, will also be blocked. - It is also asked that you are to not slide into DMs out of nowhere to ask to be friends; state you wish to be friends, and slide into a different topic that the mod is interested in so he knows your intent. - The mod is neurodivergent, and heavily gay, if you do not like that, you can leave. Spark will also not bother wasting the energy to educate you when there are potentially many people who are willing to do so. If given permission to by the mod of one of the accounts who can, they will hand over the account tag to you. - Any current events are particularly dark topics will be tagged accordingly if it is brought up at all. - It should be noted that if you have a problem with the mod, he would prefer to be told rather than hear it second hand to avoid drama and to be made aware of anything voi may need to reflect on. It does not enjoy drama all that much outside of the harmless, playful kind.

As mentioned before, the best way to befriend thyla, is to have a common interest. At the current moment, these are its current main interests : - Pokemon - Sonic

Here are some more general interests that it has: - Cookie Run Kingdom - ROTTMNT - Space - World Building - HTTYD - Markiplier - The Owl House - My Hero Academia - Minecraft

Here are the tags that the mod will be using for a different type of post; ones related to trigger warnings will be added as needed: - #thunder speaks ; a general tag for posts that do not have an ask attached - #thunder creates ; a general tag for artwork, ideas, or something else that would fall under the category - #thunders ocs ; just a tag that will be used for the mod's original characters, be it part of a fandom or completely original - #mailbox ; a general tag for submissions and asks - #anons ; a general tag for anonymous asks - #cool things ; a general tag for different types of creative content that had been reblogged, be it headcanons, writing, or something similar

It should be noted that anons will get their own tag after 5 asks, and those who revisit my ask box off anon will get their own tag as well.

This section will just be a place to put the anon names that have been 'claimed' by anons who continuously return: [ at the moment it is empty ]

[ohiamahugefknnerd]

Spirk?

Hell Yes I Ship It

What made you ship it?

Covid lockdown inspired my first official watch through of the franchise, so TOS was first up. I had been involved in previous fandoms before and couldn’t help but dig into fanfic. Watching Kirk and Spock as presented in that show had me like, “hmmm, seems a little fruity,” and the internet did not disappoint. I discovered The Premise and bought a stupid domain name because I liked it so much… (@thyla-dot-gay in case you’re curious)

What are your favorite things about the ship?

The fondness. The lingered touches. Captain Heart Eyes and his adventures with Mr. Oh God I Feel Emotions in Space over DECADES is just 🥰. Toss in some canonical marriage by Vulcan sand fighting and you can see why this ship is a true OTP.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I started watching AOS with full on ✨Space Husbands✨ expectations and was not disappointed by either canon and fan content. After further research and consideration, I may have slightly jumped ships though. Spirk is solidly my fav for TOS, but McKirk AOS is just too good. I personally think the reboot started as McKirk, we got that Spirk fix in Into Darkness, and then there was so much Spones in Beyond that I no longer skip the tag in either AOS or TOS. Both are clearly building to endgame McSpirk, but for different reasons. So now we’re embracing ✨Universal Constants✨in all it’s many pairings and groupings. IDIC = 🖖🏼 & ❤️💛💙

[lunapaper]

Thyla remind us just how much of a festering cesspool social media can be on their latest single, ‘Flush.’

With a kaleidoscopic video that echoes the dizzying effects of information overload in the digital era, the British trio turn their frustration and anxiety into breezy layers of indie rock, lamenting the loss of humanity in an increasingly isolating world.

Performing in front of ancient ruins overlooking rolling green hills, wrapped in silver foil, frontwoman Millie Duthie despairs ‘It's a warm October/But the world's getting colder’ as the song builds to a cataclysmic chorus. And yet, she finds the strength to walk away from the pettiness, the outrage and the constant need for validation in the end, no longer at the mercy of the machine.

As they explain via press release:

‘We’ve seen so much polarisation online, social media platforms act as echo chambers for the loudest and most extreme opinions. The situation is always more nuanced than the algorithm allows for. ‘Flush’ is about the state of anxiety caused by comment sections, and about plotting to make some quick money and run away from it all.’

They add about the clip:

‘We chose to shoot ‘Flush’ at the abandoned village Tide Mills in East Sussex. The ruins symbolise the destruction of today’s society. We’ve abandoned our sense of community and real-world connections. With the advent of social media, we were promised a world of interconnectivity but we’ve ended up in a digital dystopia; a society paradoxically more isolated and alone. The old school computer monitor references the vaporwave aesthetic: shattered dreams and broken promises of utopia.’

Thyla’s self-titled debut album is out January 28, 2022 via Easy Life Records.

- Bianca B.

[bookshopkat]

Asian Fantasy Novels for the Lunar New Year

Photo by Thyla Jane

Happy Year of the Ox!  The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is a major celebration in many Asian countries.  Marking the first new moon of the lunar calendar, this celebration lasts for days and is a time for family and friends, lantern festivals, dragon and lion dances, gifts of money, fireworks, and feasts.  There’s something enchanting about the Lunar New Year, with its bright lanterns lining every street and its sparkling starbursts lighting the night sky.  At its heart is tradition, cultural beliefs, and a mixture of mythology and magic.  Simple charms are used to bring good luck and drive away evil.  The supernatural has a firm place amid the celebrations, from shoe-stealing ghosts in South Korea to Vietnamese kitchen gods to the lion-like monster Nian in China.  As such, this holiday presents a marvelous opportunity to both celebrate various Asian cultures and conjure a sense of wonder.  So, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, here are four fantasy novels rooted in Asian culture and lore.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

On the island of Kekon, jade grants those with the ability to wield it special powers, but promises pain and death for anyone lacking the right genetics who tries to use it.  As a result, jade smuggling is a profitable business and those families with the capacity to use the mineral, called Jade Bones, make up the highest class of society. But now ordinary citizens are somehow gaining the ability to use jade, and it is throwing the society of Kekon into turmoil.  As suspicion fuels inter-clan warfare among the noble class, the future of the island nation hangs in the balance.  In the midst of this chaos stands three siblings. Kaul Lan, the new, young, peace-loving leader of his family, finds himself faced with the uncomfortable necessity of bloodshed as he tries to steer his clan through these uncertain times.  Lan’s brother, the hot-tempered and passionate Kaul Hilo, is like a warrior straight out of old tales: honorable, protective, and hungry for battle and glory.  Their sister, Shae, is an independent modern woman who chose to cast aside her jade along with her traditional roles in favor of freedom and marriage to an outsider.  Added to this cast of characters is Wen, Hilo’s forbidden lover, who is burdened by the combination of coming from a disgraced family and being a rare Stone Eye, a supposedly cursed person completely immune to jade.  All four have their differences and disagreements, and the tension between them mirrors the growing strain in their homeland at large.  It will take them all, however, to find out who is responsible for the dangerous drug allowing non-Jade Bones to wield the sacred stone before it is too late.

This is a novel that bridges high fantasy and urban fantasy, weaving a tale of heroism, betrayal, and intrigue against the backdrop of a thoroughly modernized enchanted society. Lee’s narrative is intricate and interesting, her world building is exceptional, and her magical system is comprehensive and intelligent.  Running throughout the entire tale are elements of Chinese myth and culture, with folklore concerning gods and monsters playing a vital part.  Complex, well-written, and engaging, Jade City is grand and unique fantasy adventure.

Tears of the Wind by Phung Lam

This collection of short stories is a touching as it is magical.  Taking place on the fictional Island of Wishes, each tale explores human nature and the deepest desires people harbor in dark corners of their minds. From a lonely heart seeking solace to a soul hungry with ambition, this anthology explores the not only the power of wishes, but the question: what would people do if the one thing they truly wanted most could be theirs?  It’s basically impossible to find an English version of this book, and I had to rely on the Smart Book translation application for the ebook format.  That led to some odd phrasing in portions of the text, but the collection was nonetheless enjoyable. That is because Lam writes not only with imagination but also with a keen understanding of humanity.

The narratives are dreamlike, the content somewhat akin to magical realism and the tone ultimately surrealistic.  Ranging from heartrending to horrifying, Lam weaves stories about the darkest parts of ourselves, when we harbor wishes we dare not name, as well as about the unforeseen and often terrible consequences of getting exactly what we think we want.  The author explores the nature of love, the power of longing, and the baser side of our very nature. It’s an engaging collection that seems, and its core, to turn upon one basic thought: be careful what you wish for.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Set in late-nineteenth-century Malaya, on the island of Borneo, this novel sparkles with folk beliefs and superstitions.  Li Lan is a spirited girl and only child from a family wrapped in what can only be called genteel poverty.  Her life is certainly not perfect—her mother is dead, her father, although loving, has allowed his grief to lead to opium addiction, and her marriage prospects are extremely limited—but things aren’t so very bad.  Apart from occasional longings for beautiful new clothing such as she sees other wealthier girls sporting, Li Lan would be reasonably content if it weren’t for one thing: her father has asked her if she would like become a ghost bride.  He says it almost as a joke, but the moment he speaks the words, the wheels of fate start to turn. The rare tradition of ghost brides is meant to mollify the spirits of wealthy young men who died without marrying, and it presents both tempting and terrifying prospects. While accepting would mean financial help for her aging father as well as a place for Li Lan herself in one of Malacca city’s most affluent households, it would also mean giving up any dreams of love, passion, or children of her own.

Li Lan, of course, refuses, especially when she starts to develop feelings for another decided living man.  But the choice may not be as easy as the thinks.  She finds herself haunted by Lim Tiang Ching, her spectral suitor, and he is determined to have her.  Tiang Ching, the young woman soon learns, was selfish and cruel when he was alive, and death hasn’t improved him. Desperate, Li Lan seeks the help of a local wise woman, and unwittingly finds herself embroiled in a supernatural struggle where ghosts are all too real and her only hope hangs on a mysterious young man who may be more than he seems, and who is most definitely keeping secrets.  On top of that, she begins to realize that the Lim family is harboring some dark secrets of their own, and one of them may be deadly.  

Choo’s narrative is imaginative as well as brimming with cultural folklore and traditions.  A blend of mystery and fantasy, it is engaging from start to finish.  Many of the characters are interesting and a little quirky, although a couple feel less well developed and there were a few moments when I felt the protagonist was a bit too flighty for my tastes. Nonetheless, this is a fun, entertaining fantasy book, perfect for an evening of light reading with a cup of tea or coffee at your side.

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

This is a truly wonderful novel blending together magical realism, mythology, family drama, and a deeply touching coming of age tale. It’s a beautifully written and imaginative narrative where opposites don’t so much collide as they do interweave in a complex dance.  Dreams tangle with reality, childhood blurs with adolescence, Korean tradition intersects with modern America, folklore mingles with daily life, and stories become solid enough to touch. Through it all runs a profound understanding of emotion and the human spirit.

Lily has always loved visiting her Korean grandmother, catching stars to learn what stories they hold and listening to traditional tales from their ancestral homeland.  This, however, is different.  Now Lily, along with her mother and her sister, are moving in with the old woman because Lily’s grandmother is sick, and isn’t getting any better.  A new city, a new school, and new fears about her beloved relative would all be difficult enough, but Lily has another problem: upon arriving, she sees a tiger straight out of one of her grandmother’s tales.  This is both a metaphor for many things: words unsaid, terminal illness, fear, and long-ago mistakes.   It is, however, also an introduction of the magical real.  Upon informing her grandmother about the big cat, Lily begins unraveling the old woman’s greatest tale yet, and takes the first step in a personal journey to discover family secrets and leave her childhood behind.  As marvelous as it is heartfelt, When You Trap a Tiger addresses conflicts between generations and cultures, as well as the reconciliation of the past, through the lens myths and storytelling. At its core, this is a novel about the power of both love and stories, as well as about one girl finding herself.

Perhaps one of these books will make an excellent companion over the next several days as celebrations of the Lunar New Year progress. Blending Asian folklore with a sense of the fantastic, these works may prove to be the perfect way for those not immersed in these festivities to still capture a bit of the season’s spirit.  Readers hungry for an interesting narrative that is a little out of the ordinary will likely find any one of these to be a feast for the imagination, as well as a wonderful way to start of the Year of the Ox.  Happy Reading!

[maewing]

So I have been Busy

My base is a lot bigger now, with 2 new buildings. One extra crop farm building and a breeding building/aviary later probably.

I did a bit more wolf breeding and came out with a new pack, who I used to hunt deathworms in order to get their horns to get mantises. I have 3 females and 1 male with the same stats breeding now. I've got 2 color regions that I wanted that are pink, now I'm just waiting for the white main body and I'll have myself an orchid mantis.

I also tamed 3 really good argies! No wasted points makes it so easy to get amazing flying creatures now, it's insane. I've combined all of them and came out with 57 points into stam (!!!), 44 into weight, 48 into melee and 41 into health.

The other stats are high as well, so the base argies from my breeding pair come out at level 296. I got that GORGEOUS red color as a mutation so I'm gonna try and make a parrot argy! I need 2 of them, one for normal travels and one for wyvern egg snatching so super high movement speed.

I also randomly found a level 180 thyla and spent like 2 days searching for a high level male. Neither of them came out with really great stats, but I'm currently mutating and thylas are stupid OP anyway.

Just lots and lots of building and breeding .__. havent gone out much except for taming.

[kelesaria]

As promised, my base on Ragnarok. I have a nice stable, a big pen (that I can expand even more if needed), and my living/crafting area is inside the building that all my birds are sitting on. The only (very minor) problem is the raptors that keep spawning and the random morrelotops(sp?) and/or para-whatsitcalled that like to tromp around in my yard.

Me and brainisafk got on The Center and finally bred our thyla’s. I got a boy and sis got a girl, and they are both perfect. Stormbear (mine) has some pretty awesome stats too. And then when we took them out for a run after they were grown, we found a pair of therizino’s and brought them home with us to join Fluff. (No pics of them yet :P)

The last 2 pics are my new ravager pack that I found on Volcano earlier, and me just goofing around on Forge the spino.