#wolf this wolf that what about snake. what about the real goat of the movie

[quotidianish]

Wolf and snake lore goes hard

[aj-the-satyr]

11/11/11 thingy

I HATH BEEN TAGGED!!!!!!!!!

Thank you @carrotgirl-1 for including me in your lil ol’ list o’ tagged peeps. As you may or may not know this is the answer 11 questions tag 11 people thing. Suppose I can ask 11 more questions but we’ll see if my brain makes it through the first 2 steps.

1. How do you pick character names?

Hmm...... Some of them I do research into topics surrounding who/what the character is. Grigory Zmeya for example is my Russian snake guy and Zmeya is Russian for snake. Or is if the internet isn’t lying to me, but whatever. While others seemingly just come to me and then I find out that they actually have meanings that fit. Like calling a warrior person Ishtar and finding out about the Goddess Ishtar and how that fit the character perfectly. Some are just me writing at 3am and it’s all I can think of or they amuse me somehow. Ginger DeAngelo is one of those.

2. Which OC would you like to meet irl?

Chance Wolf..... no she’d probably shoot me. Er..... this is a tough one. I could say Lamont but then again he is almost me, just as a Satyr so that won’t do. Maybe Liz. Yeah I think Liz would be great. She’s a spider other that runs a magical brothel in the world I am writing with my Co-Author and she had six arms and likes coffee and to give hugs. She’s also in my fave typo that I have done so far in my writing where I wrote “What Liz before you” instead of Lies. Well there’s that and the Strawberry Italian Sofa, no whip. But that’s another story. next question.

3. Sunset or sunrise?

Which one is more pink? I like pink. Both are really pretty though. Probably seen more sunsets that sunrises. Not sure.

4. Would you rather explore the deep space or the deep seas?

Space! I mean have you seen Angler Fish?!??! No really it would be Space. Taz hate water. Not a fan of being in.on.anywhere near open water. Swimming pools I can deal with but lakes and the like, nope. No thank you. So off to Space with this goat.

5. What inspired your latest WIP?

My latest WiP? So that would be the Malarkey one I guess. Well I just wanted to write something goofy so made a couple of characters but the real inspiration was probably both @expositionpreposition and @waltzingwithsouls who both expressed great enjoyment out of reading about Marcus and Lars. So less a what and more a who??

6. Happy endings or sad endings?

Endings that feel earned. I mean there is nothing wrong with being happy or sad at the end of a journey but as long as it fits what came before. I don’t need a happy ending just because or a sad ending because it’s more “Real” or whatever I want an ending. I want closure be that for the better or not. I mean I feel like I suck at endings so eh. Guess I just don’t want endings to feel contrived or forced.

7. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes.

8. What’s the first line from your favorite WIP?

Hmm......

“Next time we ride inside the airship!”

9. If you could shapeshift into any animal, which would it be?

A unicorn so I could stab people? I don’t know. Don’t think I’d want to be just one. Can’t I just shapeshift a bunch of times before I have to make up my mind?

10. So if you’re heading to a lovely garden buffet, with every cuisine imaginable, and you had free-flowing drinks and a chocolate fountain and desserts galore, and you’re wearing a nice dress or suit, right, and there’s a line in front of the roasted meats area, but you’re drooling and you just can’t wait to bite into that juicy steak so you go–you go to the seafood section, and then you see this person, this person who’s hogging all the lobster, just smiling at you as they keep piling on lobster after lobster, they can’t hold it anymore, they don’t have enough hands or plates, so you help them out, and after you help them out they smile sweetly and ask if you’d care for some lobster.

Who is this person?

That feels like a very Ginger thing. She’d probably just been doing stuff as a werewolf and needed the calories.

11. What’s your favorite line from your favorite OC?

Hmm.......... Probably when Chance said “Cool Superhero name, I’m doesn’t give a fuck woman.”

..................................

Ok. Onto the tags I guess. Also I gotta come up with some questions huh?

@anntarinsanitymaterialized @wordsaremylife @pinespittinink @expositionpreposition @yuutfa @notanotherhour @atinydino @periakman @writersblockandapotoftea @nicky-writes and @waltzingwithsouls

Usual caveat of you don’t have to do anything this old goat says but enough of that! Onto the Questions!

1) What is the most difficult scene you’ve had to write so far?

2) Banana?

3) What movie/tv show/book gave you an idea that you just had to steal/use in a different way/alter so that no one would know you stole it?

4) Favourite Cartoon Villain?

5) Have you ever read about a real world scientific thing that has led you to changing something in one of your WiPs?

6) I bought a new fancy mechanical keyboard that apparantly can do 16.1 million colors. What color should I set it to?

7) Is it weird that I switch between the US and UK spellings of words when I write?

8) Fave junk food?

9) Are there any languages that you wished you could speak?

10) Do you believe in Aliens?

11) Do you write down those shower/late night/4am ideas or do you try to hold onto them in your squishy brain meats?

[equinoxparanormal]

Map of the United Monsters of America

The natural world is losing up to 2,000 species a year, and that's a low estimate. Fortunately, one corner of the animal kingdom is immune from extinction: the monsters that thrive in our imagination. This map unites America's most famous cryptids on one map, from Caddy, a Northwestern sea serpent, over Nebraska's Alkali Lake monster to the skunk apes of Southern Florida. 

There's a whole discipline dedicated to the study of beasts unknown to science: cryptozoology, literally 'the study of hidden animals'. Although frowned upon by mainstream science, some of these 'hidden animals' have actually been proven to exist. The giraffe-like okapi of Central Africa was confirmed only in 1901. Indonesia's komodo dragon seemed too fantastical to be true until 1912, when its existence finally could be documented. These two species share the questionable distinction of having their existence threatened (by us) so soon after being discovered (by us).

Until science discovers evidence for the Loch Ness monster, the Himalayan yeti or any of their fellow cryptids (i.e. 'hidden creatures'), these monsters will have the good fortune to be as uncountable as they are unaccounted for, free to roam and multiply in our campfire stories and our folklore. The United States has quite a few of these cryptids, some famous, like the Mothman or the Chupacabra, some perhaps only known (and feared) locally, like the Beast of Busco or the Pope Lick Monster. 

As shown on the map, which brings them together for the first time, most cryptids are concentrated in the eastern third of the US. Perhaps not surprising: that's where most people live, thus presumable also an agreeable environment for monsters (as notable for their attention-seeking as for their camera-shyness). Further west, monsterdom is spread more thinly, with just 15 out of 32 cryptids mentioned on the map occurring in the two thirds of the land mass west of the Mississippi. So, which are America's favorite monsters?

1. Alkali Lake Monster

 A 40-feet horned reptile said to inhabit Nebraska's Walgren Lake (formerly Alkali Lake). Favorite treat: livestock and fishermen. Stinks to high heaven. More at American Monsters.

 2. Altamaha-Ha

A 30-foot creature navigating the mount of Georgia's Altamaha River with seal-like movements, blending in to its surroundings thanks to its green skin. A.k.a.: Altie. Possible footage of the monster here.

3. Bear Lake Monster

Although the person who first reported the Monster of Bear Lake, on the Utah-Idaho border, later admitted it was a “wonderful, first-class lie,” his tall tale has continued to generate numerous sightings, turning the 30-foot 'water devil' into a modest tourist attraction. More at American Folklore.

4. Beast of Busco

In 1949, inhabitants of Churubusco, Indiana reported seeing a giant snapping turtle which, despite a month-long turtle-hunt, managed to evade its pursuers. The town now boasts a statue of 'Oscar the Turtle', and annual Turtle Days, held in June. More at Unknown Explorers. 

5. Bessie

Loch Ness has Nessie, Lake Erie has... Bessie. Snake-like and between 30 and 40 feet, Bessie was first sighted as far back as 1793. A.k.a.: South Bay Bessie. Has its own comic book series.

6. Bigfoot

Perhaps North America's most famous cryptid, this large, hairy ape-man is said to inhabit the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot (a.k.a.: Sasquatch) has left an aptly large imprint on American popular culture, figuring in countless TV series, movies and even a musical. The famous picture, claimed by some to show a genuine Bigfoot, by others a man in a gorilla suit, can be seen here.

7. Big Bird

A giant, ape-faced bird that terrorized the Rio Grande Valley. First spotted in 1976, it has blood-red eyes and a 12-feet wingspan. After a few months, the monster disappeared as mysteriously as it had emerged. Could it have been a jabiru, a Central American stork, as claimed by the Brownsville Herald?

8. Caddie

Named after Cadboro Bay in British Colombia, Caddie is a sea monster said to frequent the coasts of Washington and Oregon. A.k.a.: Cadborosaurus willsi. More at The Cryptid Zoo.

9. Cassie

Maine and Oregon both have a Portland, and also a sea monster. The Pine Tree State's Casco Bay is home to Cassie. Sea serpents were reported in the area as early as 1751, but have tailed off in the last couple of decades, says Maine Mysteries.

10. Chessie

Chesapeake Bay has its own sea monster – unavoidably called Chessie. Reportedly 25 to 40 feet long, it was sighted most often between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, and as recently as 2014. Ranked #8 scariest sea serpent by Animal Planet.

11. Champ

The champion among American lake monsters, Champ's habitat is Lake Champlain on the New York/Vermont border. As with many monsters, the numerous contemporary sightings are supported by Native American traditions – in this case, the local Abenaki tribe's stories about a creature called Tatoskok. Last year, the Daily Mail reported on audio recordings presented as evidence of Champ's existence.

12. Chupacabra

The original sighting of the Chupacabra (Spanish for 'goat-sucker') was in the mid-1990s in Puerto Rico, and apparently influenced by a creature in the sci-fi movie Species. A rash of sightings (and mutilated goats) in northern Mexico and the southern US has been linked to mangy dogs. Yet the legend lives on, reports the Huffington Post.

13. Flathead Lake Monster

The Flathead Lake Monster is that Montana Lake's version of Nessie. Strangely, nobody thought of calling it Flessie. More at NBC Montana.

14. Honey Island Swamp Monster

Seven feet tall, with gray hair, red eyes and a foul smell, the Monster of Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana is a hominid cryptid seen since 1963 (but also linked to older Native American myths).

16. Jersey Devil

Winged and hoofed, the Jersey Devil would probably look like a devil, if it could be coaxed out of its lair in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. More info (and t-shirts) here.

17. Kipsy

Or the Hudson River Monster. Could also be an unusually large (and very lost) manatee? See also Cryptid Wiki.

20. Loveland Frogmen

Humanoid frogs about 4 feet tall, first sighted in Loveland, Ohio, and from 2014 stars of their own musical, named Hot Damn! It's the Loveland Frog! More at Who Forted? 

21. Mogollon Monster

A Bigfoot-like creature sighted along the Mogollon Rim in central and eastern Arizona. No attested sightings confirm its existence, but the monster does have its own website.

22. Mothman

'Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something', titled the Point Pleasant Register on 16 November 1966. The sightings continued for just over a year, popularized by the book The Mothman Prophecies (1975), turned into a 2002 movie starring Richard Gere.

25. Paddler

Is Paddler a real monster in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, or is it just a cover story for secret Navy submarine tests? More on Cryptomundo.

26. Pukwudgie

A three-foot humanoid from Wampanoag (Massachusetts) folklore, with enlarged noses, fingers and ears, able to appear and disappear at will, transform into a porcupine, and lure humans to their deaths. Hence best left alone.

27. Pope Lick Monster

The Pope Lick Monster is part man, part bovine, lives under a railway bridge near Louisville, Kentucky, and kills people either by luring them onto the tracks, or jumping down on motorists beneath the bridge. Quite disappointingly, no actual popes were licked in the making of this urban legend. More at the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society.

28. Shunka Warakin

An Ioway term meaning 'carries off dogs,' the Shunka Warakin is said to resemble either a hyena or a wolf, or both. One such animal was shot and mounted in 1880s Montana, was displayed in a local store until it mysteriously vanished in the 1980s. 'Ringdocus,' as the animal was named, was found again in 2007, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

29. Skunk Apes

A.k.a. Florida Bigfoot, the skunk ape, according to the US National Park Service, does not exist. However, some mysterious photossent in by an anonymous source, seem to indicate otherwise.

30. Tessie

Another Nessie spin-off, Tessie swims in Lake Tahoe, on the California-Nevada border. After a few dives in the mid-1970s, famed French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau reportedly said: “The world isn’t ready for what is down there.”

31. Thunderbirds

Large bird-like creatures with enormous wingspans, associated with Native American myths, but sighted (and shot) in modern times; as in one famous (but apocryphal) case in the early 1980s. A picture of a dead thunderbird nailed to a barn in Arizona is one of the many cryptid clues that have 'mysteriously' gone missing. Or is this it?

32. Wampus Cat

A cougar-like cat stalking eastern Tennessee, not unlike the Eewah, a half-woman, half-cougar, from Cherokee mythology. Legend has it that when you hear the Wampus cry, someone will die within the next three days. The Wampus Cat also steals children, and smells awful. More here.

[Frank Jacobs, Big Think / Map by Hog Island Press]