#Freshwater Dragon

[spookiedmango]

🪸 so much eels 🪸

[dragonskulls]

Some coast striker concept doodles, mostly to showcase their weirdo double tongue + i love drawing teeth. Also whelps are see through when they hatch, most lose this quality as they grow, but a few (especially in the Deepwater) keep their translucency well into adulthood.

A small fun fact, many humans call coast strikers "grinning deaths" as their toothy snarls can look like a grin to a person. Given their amount of teeth and their two tongues, other AshWings can find them a bit unsettling

[smoove-b]

The time I came home to find the dragon had been watching the fish.

[xmas-infinite]

The Whisker Serpent Monstar comes out, Whiskerpent!

Description:

"Whiskerpent are an extremely old species of Monstars, having been around in this form for thousands of years. They are typically very calm and respectful of space when interacting with others despite their massive size. Because Whiskerpent continue to grow over the course of their long lives, they may even get as large as multi-story buildings if left alone long enough."

Whiskerpent has a simple name but a complicated inspiration. The name comes from WHISKER and SERPENT. The inspiration comes from three different directions:

the tentacled snake, an aquatic species of snake that has two small tentacles extending from their head that they use to sense prey;

the Anguilidae family of freshwater eels;

and the mythological Eastern dragons, which have long whiskers and serpent-like bodies.

[fish-and-ethan]

Hi Everyone,

Happy to introduce this Fish - the so called "Asian Arowana" a Freshwater Fish.

It's a predator fish which means it feeds on other small fishes and vegetables.

This fish can grow large if kept in huge Aquariums/ponds.

This variety of fish called "Asian Arowana" is an expensive fish compared to other normal "Wild Arowanas".

Thank you for watching😍😍💕💕

PLEASE DO LIKE 👍, COMMENT 📲🤳 AND SHARE!!

Happy Fishkeeping🐟🐳🐳❤️❤️

With Love❤️

Fish And Ethan @youtube

[aquariuminfobureau]

The Hong Kong goby

Rhinogobius duospilus (formerly R. wui) and its species complex, are among the more popular aquarium gobies for freshwater tanks. True R. duospilus grow to 4 centimeters, or over 1 and a 1/2 inches, and are traded as dwarf dragon, red-cheeked or especially Hong Kong gobies. It is unlikely that great effort will have been made, to accurately identify the fish at species level.

In the aquarium, R. duospilus favors a, water temperture, of 16 to 25 degrees centigrade. Although these subtropical gobies are sometimes described as coldwater fishes, in fact they rarely experience tempertures below 15 degrees in the wild. This species has a broad tolerance of pH and hardness values, but the water must be well oxygenated.

This is because R. duospilus inhabits brook environments, where it is sympatric with hillstream loaches, such as Beaufortia. These are freshwater environments, above the influence of the tides, so no salt should be added to the water. A pH of 5.6 to 6.4 might be inferred from the origins of R. duospilus.

Two male Rhinogobius will be mutually antagonistic, although the females show no such difficulties, and several may be housed per male, to create a social environment. Rhinogobius are simply disinterested in any tankmate that is neither food nor a threat. Feeding R. duospilus is a matter of provisioning defrosted, meaty, invertebrate-based food for them. Unlike some freshwater goby species met in the trade, such as members of Stiphodon, the species belonging within Rhinogobius are carnivorous.

[bogleech]

Top ten imaginary fishes?

I want there to be a freshwater swamp shark again like there was in prehistoric times, there were these long skinny eel shape ones and stuff, one like those

pelican eel but it isn't limited to the abyss, I wanna be able to see a pelican eel at the regular beach

a modern dunkleosteus species but only like 3 feet long, not big enough to kill people just big enough to completely bite hands off

a filter feeding coelecanth species the size of a whale shark

a freshwater agnathan I invented that's like a short fat googly eyed hagfish and bites like a cookie cutter shark, living in muddy rivers. I just want this to exist because they'd be horrible and everyone would dislike them but I'd keep one as a pet and love him.

Mudskipper but it's as big as an alligator and can eat a person

Dragon moray but it's 10 meters long

freshwater walking batfish and it's as big as a person

a flatfish (especially if it's like a tongue sole, they're the best kind) that does the mudskipper thing and crawls around on shore more than it swims.

a parasitic bloodsucking seahorse that will bite people. Just like my vampire butterfly idea, everyone thinks seahorses are just cute and nice so I want there to be one that's more of an ass hole

I feel that too many people are unreasonably scared of the water so I want to make it reasonable for everyone to be.

[r0-boat]

The Beasts' Fair Share

(Drabble)

Omega!Neuvillette x Omega!Gn!reader x Alpha! Wriothesley

Nsfw

NeuWrio(poly)

"Poor thing..." A familiar voice reaches your ears, but you are too exhausted even to check and see who it is lying naked on Wriothesley's bed, naked and used, his thick cum still coming out of your abused hole. Though you didn't have to, as you were scooped up into the arms of your other lover. Another Omega and Fountaine's very own Iudex. The smell of driftwood, lilies, and freshwater fill your nose. You smile, finally opening your eyes, meeting his draconic ones. Neuvillette returned your smile before his face got stern. "Wriothesley."He calls, his soft scent getting slightly stronger, indicating his worry of how he found you.

"What?!" The Duke yelled back possibly still at his desk trying to finish the new paperwork He had been given.

You heard your mate growl which made you squirm in delight in his arms. Which made the Omega chuckle "Settle down Dear. I don't want to drop you."He nuzzles his nose against your cheek He waits a few more minutes for the Duke but nothing.

"Wriothesley!" Neuvillette raised his voice, his tone Stern his voice similar to the one he'd use in the courtroom, despite being an omega, which is seen as the weaker sex in society. Nuevillette being the hydro dragon, his scent so powerful it could even bring alphas whimpering to his knees. Perhaps it could even work on some of the Archons.

"Ok!Ok!" The Duke said in urgency, immediately getting up from his desk going to his private room to see why Nuevillette was angry at him. Only to give him a shit-eating grin when he saw you wrapped up in blankets in his arms.

"Ooh, I see now." He chuckled, coming closer to run his fingers through your hair, still messy from what he did to you. " Yeah, was in rut for the past week, wasn't I, sweetheart?" He purred

"and work builds awful lot of stress, you know, with no way to take it out-yeah, but they loved it, didn't you?"

Neuvillette sighed, his brows relaxing when he saw your small, tired smile. His lips laid on your forehead as he places you back onto the bed.

"I just wish you would be a little more gentle."

Wriothesley huffed that smirk returned "That's not what you said last month."

The hydro dragon's eyes widen"That-"

Only for the Duke to cut him off "anyway I don't believe you just came down here just to give me papers. That paperwork you gave me was hardly work...." The Duke comes closer intaking the scent a fresh rainwater driftwood, lilies... what's this? That citrusy scent... He knows it well.

"well I just used them so I have nothing left to give and I need to do some paperwork so I'll leave you to alone, for now."

As quickly as he came The Duke left possibly back to his desk The sweet smell of fruity cherries filling your nose indicates his good mood.

Nuevillette flustered but still calm approaches you on the bed before crawling on the sheets. His face was a little flushed You're not sure from the encounter with Wriothesley or something else... You can kind of smell something but You are too fucked out of your mind to think as you feel hands caress and grab your thighs his hair brushing against your inner thighs and his breath on your core.

"I know you up probably tired from what Wriothesley has done to you.... But I need it," the dragons voice shakes with fresh rainwater, water lilies and finally nodes of citrus fill the air. His voice was husky and needy

"And I haven't seen you for so long, Even when Wriothesley had you I had a case to deal with... I need this; I miss your taste."

[fernscare]

the little dragon that protects freshwater invertebrates

[ID: a paper collage piece of a dragon with a bird-like face and red, purple, and blue scales. It is looking over its shoulder. There are many freshwater invertebrates below the dragon, including a crayfish, dragonfly nymph, caddisfly larva, daphnia, stonefly nymph, bloodworms, diving beetle, copepod, and flatworm. There is an adult mayfly flying to the right of the dragon. To the left of the dragon there is a pickerelweed plant with an adult dragonfly perched on it. The background is black.]

[bonefall]

again looking over the reworked history what the hell happened with Ripwater, I wanna know. What *was* that? How did Riverclan kill it?

Oooooh, quite a request! Ripwater, Queen of the Lake, one of the episodes of BB!Po3!

Ripwater is a Wels Catfish, the largest freshwater fish in Europe. The biggest specimen EVER caught was just landed last year, in 2023, 9.4 feet long. It wasn't weighed, but smaller fish than this one have broken 300 pounds.

And it's not a good thing that we're catching so many big ones.

Wels catfish are extremely invasive across most of Europe, introduced for anglers who want to land record-setting catches. They're massive, intelligent carnivores, sometimes called the "freshwater orca" because they will lunge out of the water to catch land prey. They DESTROY the population of anything big enough to fit in its terrible mouth, including fish, amphibians, and even turtles.

They get that big from a mix of constant food and hot temperature. It's a sign that they're devastating their surroundings, and that nothing has been able to kill them for the decades it takes to get so large.

So of course, some dunderhead put them in British rivers, where they've been spreading upwards ever since. Thankfully they thrive better where it's warmer, so they're not too massive of a threat to BB's modeled regions in Northwestern England, but they're fucking coming.

Ripwater's name isn't an exaggeration. That's how they hunt. They gape their jaw and beat their fins like dragons, creating eddies and currents that suck their hapless prey in. When RiverClan names her, it's because they see her ripping the water in half. I was thinking about her recently, and came up with some new stuff. I'll take a brief break from my drafts to serve up some fragments for you.

[A gray cat with blue eyes, Lakepaw, later BB!Lakeheart, swims in bluegreen water surrounded by lilypads. Below her is the massive shadow of Ripwater, a gigantic Wels Catfish. Its eyes flash in the depths.]

SMALL RECAP OF BB!PO3: (to set the stage)

It is now a breather arc, just dedicated to some worldbuilding!

I feel pretty strongly that Po3's strength is how AWESOME of a slice-of-life arc it could have been. To this end, I removed the Kin of your Kin prophecy from it, until it's revealed only at the very end just before Cruel Season.

That's so I can focus on The Three and their adventures around the lake, without this big prophecy looming over them and making the lower-stakes conflicts look small.

Instead, the various episodes of Po3 are related to problems that their new home presents, with just a teeny bit of Sol's magical influence to spice things up.

While Lionpaw learns about the "meaning of strength" and ultimately learns a terrible lesson he will extend to his kits, and Jaypaw finds his limits and learns to prevent others from defining them for him, Hollypaw is grappling with Fire Alone and how to reconcile her grandfather's legacy with her strict dedication to the Warrior Code.

And SO we find ourselves in one of the earliest episodes of BB!Po3; Ripwater the River Demon. This is like... episode 3 or 4, it's a REALLY early one.

I'm just shuffling it around with ANOTHER RiverClan-centric episode; the Shinewater Plague. The oilspill from TNP is now going to be bumped up to Po3 so it's more about establishing Mothwing and her apprentice Willowpaw, to contrast Leafpool and her apprentice Hollypaw, before Holly swaps to being a warrior. Jaypaw completes warrior training before becoming a Cleric apprentice.

So I don't want them to be TOO close together. Maybe put Ripwater in Book 2 and have RiverClan comment that they don't really want to ask for help because of the last big event, Mistystar hates feeling indebted to ThunderClan.

After all, it could basically replace the "flood" episode from Canon Po3, which is often forgotten about anyway. I'm already having ShadowClan construct dams instead of RiverClan anyway...

ANYWAY RIPWATER

I want to start this episode off with Sol/Harry, who is unnamed, messing around near water. He has a bit of a fish motif going on that I want to establish, and I need to get him to start messing with the Clans good and early.

(Specifically his motif is going back and forth between the koi, also an invasive and notably domesticated species, and the atlantic salmon which is famous for its changing life cycle.)

The Wels Catfish is an invasive species to England, slowly making its way up the island from the South. The fish who will become Ripwater, at this point, is already HUGE but not cat-swallowing huge. She's an 80-pounder.

Sol hits her with some godly magic, which allows her to grow at a rapid rate.

The sort of thing where it wouldn't be COMPLETELY implausible. He just... helped it along.

When we get to her first true on-screen appearance interacting with RiverClan, she is nearly 300 pounds of monstrosity with a length of about 8 feet

I'm unsure how, exactly, ThunderClan comes to know of this. But I DO know that I want Hollypaw to be snooping, and heavily encouraged by her mentor Brackenfur to do so. So, somehow, SOMETHING starts going wrong across the lake and ThunderClan catches wind of it.

Thinking about it, this should probably be her first big action after swapping out of Cleric apprenticeship.

One of the few things she's missing about Clerichood is the way she could be close to Willowpaw without needing to sneak around so much. It's easier to just pass it off as "friendship" and "Clerics need to be close." Leafpool and Mothwing are a similar way.

Possibly work in that Hollypaw's also already seeing Heatherpaw in the tunnels, contrast the two things...

At this point, Hollypaw has a crush on Willowpaw, which is requited, but... it's kinda fading.

She still loves her like a friend, but she's liking Heatherpaw a lot more. It doesn't mean she doesn't CARE for Willowpaw, of course, but

Willowpaw is still IN love, and it's slowly becoming unrequited, when it didn't used to be.

And from RiverClan's POV...

The first disappearance is so sudden they have no idea what's happened. I'm planning for it to be Robinpaw.

(I go back and forth on if it's Robinpaw or Dapplepaw, but I'm leaning towards Robinpaw again, because I like Dapplenose too much to have her get killed off here.)

She went out clamming in the lake with her sisters, Lakepaw and Otterpaw, there was a swirl in the water, and that was it. She was gone.

Just like that.

She never came back up. RiverClan searched for her, following the currents, checking the shoreline, everything. It was like she vanished.

Mistystar is suspicious and doing everything in her power to figure out what happened, but... let's face it. It's the word of two apprentices, who were swimming alone, who swear Robinpaw just went under.

Misty JUST got done with the Shinewater Plague and isn't trying to make RiverClan look like it can't keep track of its own young. The most likely situation is that Robinpaw was sucked down by an undertow that the three of them were too inexperienced to recognize.

So... she's pretty adamant about not sharing this information until Robinpaw's body is found. Jaws Style. "We cannot let the other Clans be alarmed by this, else they might meddle in our affairs..."

(and she's still maybe a little paranoid that some snoop in another Clan is going to find out that Leopardstar wasn't killed by a rogue, y'know.)

I don't want it to be TOO much of a bloodbath, so I'm capping Ripwater's body count at three and just aiming for two deaths total.

I'm also going for a coincidence RiverClan is going to interpret as a pattern; this happens a lot, specifically, when they're hunting Freshwater Pearl Mussels.

Ripwater doesn't like the river as much as she likes the lake, but it has nothing to do with their clamming. They're just going to interpret it as such.

Anyway.

The next one she goes after was lucky. By some stroke, she opens her jaw, and the victim is able to grab onto something before they're sucked in. (Maybe toss in something here were it was Holly who was able to help save them.)

Since the WHOLE Po3 Apprentice Generation is going to be getting more focus, there needs to be more input from the RiverClan apprentices. Lakepaw and Otterpaw obviously need time here, but I also NEED to involve Ripplepaw, to establish how he's going to be seen as one of the strongest in RiverClan by OotS.

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE AS I FIGURED STUFF OUT:

It was Ripplepaw, Otterpaw, and their two mentors on a raft who were attacked next. They were fishing for mussels in a shallower part of the lake.

Otterpaw was tethered to the raft with a flax lead, so it wouldn't float off. Or just tugging it in her mouth. Either way she had a line.

When Ripwater attacks her, she is swallowed on the line like a worm on a hook

And it starts pulling the WHOLE RAFT down, just a crummy bundle of sticks

One of the mentors started shouting to cut the line, else it would drag all of them under, but Ripplepaw dives right down to beat its ass without telling them he's not gonna cut it

Hollypaw just rushed right in, didn't think about it, forgetting she was supposed to be trying to sneak around

Taking control as the natural leader she is, she ordered them to shut up and start pulling the opposite way

Underwater, Ripplepaw braced himself against the fish's lips, grabs Otter's tether, and YANKS

Abovewater, the adult warriors are pulling together, Holly grabs the raft and pulls too

Once their paws touch the bottom of the shallows it's over, one last HEAVE-HO and POP!

Otterpaw is FREE

And when it's finally known that the apprentices weren't mistaken, there's a monster in the water, THAT'S when the debate really starts up. Mistystar does NOT want ThunderClan meddling, and she'll already be pissed off that Hollypaw (and any OTHERS who tagged along with her, I wouldn't put it past Honeypaw to wriggle her little yellow butt into a later draft, or Lionpaw for his massive strength) witnessed something that's not her business.

There's a moment from canon I desperately want to keep; where Squirrelflight comes to fetch her daughter.

(more reason to just say this is replacing The Flood Episode from canon lmao)

It's such an interesting moment, and so forgotten. In a nutshell, Squilf is both furious and concerned that her kit went missing and meddled in another Clan's affairs, but... understands the impulse.

Because it's something she would have done.

So when she scolds Hollypaw, there's this aching feeling that she's scolding a younger version of herself. Calling her arrogant and disloyal, that an apprentice's opinions mean less, and that she needs to listen to "older and wiser" warriors within her own Clan.

In BB, I want to do something big with this. Firestar is the figurehead of Fire Alone, who encouraged Hollypaw's behavior through his deputy, Brackenfur, who he set as her mentor for a reason.

But Squirrelflight is being abused. By Brambleclaw.

This is one of the lowest points in Squirrelflight's life, and she is walking a line between self-worth, the warrior code, and her personal beliefs, just like her daughter is.

SO, since I'm already using Brambleclaw's enabling of Ashfur's physical abuse as one of the contributing factors to Hollyleaf's descent, I ALSO want to show how he acts on other characters.

Brambleclaw, Clan Culture, the pressures of their strength-obsessed social system. So it's gotta be Squirrelflight that reminds her, or even plants the seed in her head;

"What you did isn't consistent with the Warrior Code."

Maybe even have Mistystar herself state this earlier, to be echoed by Squirrelflight, offering an alternate perspective to Hollypaw. Make her realize that ThunderClan's political leanings are not universal or even popular.

But when Hollypaw comes back to ThunderClan, whoever set her to be a snoop wants her to spill the beans. This is also a big WIP part, as Hollypaw struggles with if she's going to obey or not, and I still need to set all the political "players" in this moment.

I know for sure, though, that Firestar's IMMEDIATE desire is to meddle like it's an episode of Scooby-Doo. Though he's savvy enough to be smart about how he phrases it and what actions he takes, his ultimate goal is to put his little cheeto-dust paws all over this. And Hollypaw is starting to question how appropriate that actually is.

This is where it starts to really be a rip in Holly's mind. Clans aren't JUST big, blanket groups with united opinions, they're collections of individuals. Mistystar doesn't want meddling, but Willowpaw is in danger. Otterpaw and Lakepaw went all that time without being believed, after they watched their sister die, because they're lowly apprentices like her. Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are angry and disappointed, while Firestar and Brackenfur are secretly lathering her in praise.

Now imagine me standing in front of a big board where I'm writing ??? because there's a missing chunk here.

I need to connect THIS part to what comes next, which is where ThunderClan DOES come in and help out. Here's the thought process going on in RiverClan;

Willowpaw comes in to do something important. She adores Hollypaw, knows her value as a Cleric, and knows that StarClan can sway Mistystar.

I want her to have a couple of pieces of a vision... BUT. She decides to interpret it in a way that's convenient, and add a few details.

It's not a tooootal lie lmao. It's just 75% true.

This is the true power of Clerics, when they realize it. No one can actually challenge them without just ignoring them or stripping them of power. They are accountable to StarClan alone.

A mentor simply doesn't say this out loud to their apprentice. It's a quiet secret. And Willowpaw just realized it.

and thinking about it... this should be the thing that finally breaks the budding romance Holly and Willow had. Holly is sickened by this, when Willow confesses how she convinced RiverClan to work with ThunderClan.

But, without even being a full Warrior, the apprentice leverages her power as Cleric of RiverClan, and 200 skill points of Improv Acting, to tell them these things;

"StarClan is so angry with us that they've sent a hog to the water! It's why they've sent a ThunderClan apprentice, we must work with them to eliminate the beast that lurks in our waters. With spears and plans, we must hunt it honorably!"

(Mistystar is defensive, but it's not known why) "We haven't disobeyed StarClan in any way. We'd already accepted their help once before, when sickness drove us to weakness, and it's only let them think they can disrespect our borders as they please. This can't be the holy will of our ancestors."

"It's-- We've been disrespecting this bountiful new land that they've so generously given us. That's what the pile of shells in my dream was. Think about it! The last attack was on the shore where we collect mussels. The second attack was on a cat latched to a raft, and it was only the tether that saved them. And the first..."

IVE GOT AN IDEA, Robin, Lake, and Otter WEREN'T clamming when they were attacked. She gestures over to Lake, knowing that if she doesn't back her up, the theory crumbles.

(Otter is in the Cleric's den, unconscious.)

Lake hesitates, not wanting to lie. Willow jumps back in,

"It's why Otterpaw was attacked," does those little jazz-hands to be like 'come in bitch work with me,' "And it's why Lakepaw has to be involved in killing it, to end what she started, and appease StarClan."

Lakepaw more like I LIKE-what-you-just-saidpaw, "It's true, we were so ashamed to admit it, Mistystar, this is all MY fault, I wanted my siblings to dig up mussels, PLEASE let me atone by stabbing the fish to death"

AND AFTER THAT IT'S NOODLIN' TIME

Mistystar, begrudgingly, accepts Firestar's help, or perhaps reaches out to him. Ripwater is a "Hog in the Lake," a beast too big for them to kill honorably on their own.

ThunderClan is the ONLY Clan that uses spears, and only for boar hunts. To protect themselves and to give their quarry a quicker death.

No other Clan touches weapons for dishonor reasons, as they're heavily associated with the demon Shredtail.

I should have Willowpaw explain her half-truth to Hollypaw here, and it's where Hollypaw just... so very suddenly can't look at Willowpaw the same way.

Jaypaw would definitely face an ableist moment from someone, but it's going to have to be one of those times where he accepts that there IS a very real limit to his ability here. Spears are range-weapons and his whiskers don't reach that far. He can't tell where he's stabbing, and the water is going to make it too hard to smell where Ripwater's dangerous mouth is. He can't be chosen for this hunt.

Meanwhile Lionpaw learns from Willowpelt how to make a spear and it is one of the most satisfying things he's ever done in his life, he's like "this is so awesome oh my god i love weapons"

just gently setting up that he's going to eventually become ThunderClan's head of hunting, and also that he's a lil violent

I feel like him and Lakepaw should hit it off a little because they both think the idea of stabbing a fish in the face is super cool, only for someone to growl at them that they shouldn't be enjoying themselves so much

Maybe Blackclaw, fuck that guy

(absolute tangent but BB!Lionblaze is kind of evolving into a little dork and I love that for him. Local himbo only capable of making friends or enemies, all Clanwide opinions on him are polarized, more at 11)

THE PLAN

So how DO they kill that thing? First of all, it's all about strategy.

Immediately they started making a couple of specialized spears. Most spears they make are exclusively for boar-hunting, so they have a distinctive "lug" that prevents a boar from impaling itself down the shaft to get you.

Someone in RiverClan explains that you don't want a fish having the chance to get off a claw. If Ripwater escapes, they might not find her again until she kills someone else

The solution is that these need to be custom-made, with special claw-shaped prongs, so they're chevron ^ shapes instead of tear-drop points. They stab in, and don't pull out.

So they need to make spears from scratch, which is an intensive process, and they don't have time to waste. RiverClan doesn't want to hunt by water that has a chance of having a freshwater orca spawn and drag you in; they'll starve

And there's only so many artisans in TC that can MAKE spears. Glue, twine, shafts, blades... these are all things that take hours of labor to create.

And MORE IMPORTANTLY, they realized from the Raft Rescue that a tether, attached to a floating object, can be very useful. Each weapon has rope tied through it and is tethered to a raft-- which is even MORE intensive, RiverClan had to repurpose several nets to create so many lines, and they only own three rafts, so the rest have driftwood.

So they only have time to create 3 special water-spears, and bring in 2 modified boar-spears.

Lionpaw is like visibly disappointed he can't have one lmao

The only apprentice given a spear is... Lakepaw. And it's a boar-spear

Because she's gonna be bait. They believe the litter is cursed for their "sin" and she'll be the next target.

But still, they chum up the water near the last sighting with blood and crowfood, like hog slop, and wait.

(Heavy WIP stuff here as we get to a play-by-play I haven't fully figured out yet)

Their plan is to get it on the shore as quickly as possible.

Four cats could pull Otterpaw from its mouth, so 5 spearcats and a dozen strong warriors could pull it onto the shore. Surely.

shorely.

It comes as expected, lunging at Lakepaw. She leaps back and tries to use her spear on it, but she is NOT properly trained with it, she stabs its face, but can't break the skull

RiverClan manages to toss a net at the beast, but it's NOT heavy enough

And they managed to get LAKEPAW with it, pressing her to the beast, her spear is dropped into the water

Someone shouts that it swims like an eel, able to just reverse course unlike a REAL fish which must turn

In the panic, warriors start mobbing it.

she thrashes, and splashes and the net is barely holding her back at all

She smashes a warrior with her tail, buffs another with her powerful head

She's stabbed in her side by a ThunderClan warrior (probably Sandstorm), and she turns on the raft they're standing on, breeching and SMASHING it to bits. Lionpaw and the rest of the cats on this raft get dunked

In the water, ThunderClan cats are useless, and RiverClan cats can't properly handle spears.

Someone from RiverClan, probably Blackclaw, tries to free Lakepaw but is scooped up in Ripwater's mouth.

He's screeching and yowling and trying to hold onto its upper jaw, regularly cut off as she dives under

When Willowpelt gets her spear in, she holds onto that damn stick with her LIFE, getting swung around and dunked in the water and then going back up into the air

Thornclaw, holding the other boar-spear, aims for its tail

But it's not enough; Even with several warriors of RiverClan, five spears, a net, and the weight of the two remaining rafts, Ripwater's managing to pull them towards the depths

She's too big to bite, too large to claw, and too strong to hold down

LIONPAW TIME

He grabs the spear that Lakepaw dropped

Ripplepaw seems to zoom right passed him, running away from the fish. He thinks he must be some kind of coward, the fight's NOT OVER YET!! WE NEED TO HELP LAKEPAW

(In a later draft I might have Lionpaw be on the smashed raft, and Ripplepaw brings the spear to him before turning and bolting back to shore. Either way he doesn't explain himself)

He paddles near one of the rafts, and is pulled up onto it

Firestar calls him a WONDERFUL BOY for bringing the spear

Lionpaw mumbles something enthusiastic around the stick in his mouth, wriggles his butt, and jumps back into the water

Grabbing the net sticking to Ripwater and using it like tree bark, he pulls himself on

Bites the spear by the lug like a handle

And stabs it in like a knife

But it's already starting to pull out, too shallow

Filled with anger and resolve, he bites the shaft, and PUSHES

Harder and harder and harder until there's a crackle, the twine breaks loose, and the lug snaps

The rest of the spear slips in as if Ripwater's made of butter

Figuring that's probably deep enough, he lets go of the net, breaching the surface, sputtering and hacking

He's about to dive again to go get Lakepaw, but to his surprise, she breaks the water next to him

and then he feels the fish bump his paws

His name is called from the shore, and there's Hollypaw and Ripplepaw waving. Ripplepaw TOOK HIS SPEAR'S ROPE. Like a GUY WHO THINKS.

Now there was a team of cats on the shore, all the spent warriors who got thrown off, pulling Ripwater to the shore.

And from the feeling of slimy fish under his paws, it seemed like her fight had been all but spent.

And more cats were swimming to shore now, with the ropes attached to the other spears.

Once on the shore, they're able to discover that, tragically, Blackclaw has died. Mistystar in particular looks deeply torn by this, as their relationship was notoriously toxic. But still, he had been the father of her children, and drowned trying to save a Clanmate. She jumps up onto the massive fish, giving a speech about sacrifice, how Blackclaw and Robinpaw would be honored, and that RiverClan has learned its valuable lesson.

Ripwater was symbolic; it's the greed they had unleashed upon the lake by over-exploiting one resource. From now on, they would be respectful of StarClan's bounty. She thanks ThunderClan for helping to fulfill a prophecy, and offers that their debt be repaid by splitting the meat of the hunt.

Hollypaw, internally: "Oh she's doing that on purpose. She knows ThunderClan hates fish and it would be rude to refuse."

Firestar: "well. how could we refuse."

Sandstorm, quietly, in the distance: "easily actually ew"

CLOSING STUFF

I kinda want some kind of "epilogue festival" where the two Clans legitimately celebrate with a somewhat somber meal sharing. Some of these episodes in Po3 will result in lasting traditions and holidays that are celebrated annually.

At that little "fish festival," it works for Holly to officially break it off with poor Willow, to leave this episode off on a bit of a sad note.

This was one of the first times Lionpaw's power becomes obvious, and it's the sort of thing that wasn't really noticed. I figure it would be good for Lakepaw to ask how that lug snapped, she could barely even get the spearhead in. Lionpaw just brags and says it must be because he's SUPER STRONG.

For some reason he's just making a ton of friends whenever I write these out, I think I'm going to lean into it. Lionpaw's got friends when he's a kid lmao, starts losing them over time as he gets more violent.

It's probably because I really need a comic relief in The Three's dynamic. Hollypaw is very dramatic, Jaypaw is dealing with legitimately stressful social issues, and Lionpaw is violent. Someone has to lighten the mood up a little and it's probably because he's The California Girl himself lmao

At this fish festival he also discovers fish isn't actually that bad. Everyone's being weird about this. It's not really that slimy. It's got a strong taste but that's kinda nice, actually?

Could use some berries but like... "damn why don't we do this more often. this would go great with blackberries."

Ripplepaw: "You think so? I can taste sweetness, can I try to make it at home and tell you how it works out at the next Gathering?"

Lionpaw: "It's not hard, you just mash the berries and stew them in a little water before pouring it over your meat. I learned it from Willowpelt, she's got a mad sweet tooth."

Lakepaw: "No offense Lionpaw, but I always thought you were a total lunkhead. I never thought you'd like, cook?"

Lionpaw: "I mean not really, I'm an awful cook, I can just make simple stuff. Willowpelt's just nice enough to be patient with me, my mentor Ashfur says if I can learn something anyone can, haha."

Just a nice little moment for him.

Blackclaw is being mourned in the mortal plane, but secretly, getting a SCATHING trial up in StarClan. His death was heroic, but his ENTIRE LIFE was treacherous.

From teaching Hawkfrost to follow in his father's pawsteps, to joining him in WindClan's Civil War, and his constant arguing and undermining of Mistyfoot back when she was just a deputy trying to do the right thing.

He goes on trial for a bunch of things he did in TigerClan, too, facing his victims who took his misdeeds to their graves. He's not the only cat in RiverClan who is getting a review like this.

Leopardstar is already in the Dark Forest, and soon, Blackclaw's sent there too.

I decided to kill off Blackclaw here so he could have a VERY cool Land Mar;

(context: all Dark Forest demons now get a cool little evil playset area just for them, where they spawn into after they're thrown out of StarClan. These are called Land Mars)

It's still unnamed, but it's basically an even BIGGER Ripwater. It goes above and below the river and lakes of the Dark Forest, popping up in any body of water big enough to hold her.

[puzzled-pegasus]

wof headcanons but theyre oddly food and substance related for some reason

Although I understand why Tui didn't include very much info abt alchohol or drugs in a kids book there is an extreme lack of culinary related world building so here are some ideas I had while on this train of thought :)

SeaWings tend to be foodies and are generally given cooking classes in school. Which if you think about it, is rather important, because like 60 percent of the creatures in the ocean are poisonous and the rest have parasites and nasty germs so they need to know whats up when it comes to food safety.

SeaWings use a lot of citrus in their food and drinks and they also use it for fragrances and stuff they just really like it

SeaWing nobles commonly eat fugu and there have been assassinations where a chef was bribed to not properly take out the poison so the dragon eating it would die

SeaWings drink to taste. SkyWings drink to forget what century it is.

SkyWings typically eat their meat raw but on special occasions they will barbecue it and put some spices n stuff on it. They don't eat much else besides meat but they do like spicy things like peppers and they also like strong onion or garlic flavors. The little masochists. Anyway,

SkyWings don't really like sweet things and many of them can't even taste them so they're like wtf is a dessert

man do they love them some olives tho. Olives everywhere. In their drink. Out of the jar. On their meat. Oil on their scales. Oil in their hygiene products. They started trading them from the Sand and SeaWings millennia ago but theyve selectively bred ones that grow in the mountains

This one's more drugs than food but SkyWings will sometimes take some kind of stimulant before battle like a beserker so they're all fired up heheh

MudWings are excellent meal preparers and sibs like to all cook together so they'll make a big pot of stew or something

They like bread and desserts, they have easy access to sugar cane being along the east coast and they also use a lot of honey. They're re into canning stuff too, they have a lot of raspberries and blackberries and strawberries in their temperate forest areas and they grow them to make jam and wine and they use honey to make mead

basically they are Cottagecore(TM) and I love them

They also eat lots of freshwater fish and crawfish and whatnot

And they also eat a lot of tatoes

Vanilla grows in the swamps, they use that in their cakes

MudWings deserve some appreciation goddamnit their kingdom is biologically diverse and beautiful

SandWings have tequila because. Yknow. Cactus.

They eat a lot of bugs and lizards, they don't really need to eat every day so it's not a huge deal

they do like coconuts tho and they use coconut oil in a lot of their hygiene products as well as in their cooking

They deep fry a lot of shit. Idk where i got this but trust me. They love things with lots of fat in it bc they need all they can get

Really sticky sweet desserts and candy; enjoyers of those one lollipops with the mealworms or whatever tf in them

also canning stuff like bone broth is very important

pickled cactus as well

rhey probably have a festival when cactus fruit goes in season

what even is IceWing cuisine.

Well way up north where there's nothing but ice it's pretty bad and the dragons have to eat just plain ass meat and seafood, but down into the tundras there's some pretty good stuff like cinnamon, pines for tea, honey berries, and other foraging as well as more diversity of meats

They would probably eat sushi

All the other tribes like to make fun of them and rightfully so bc their food is so plain

they make good honey berry wine tho

Maube that's why theyre so damn grumpy

RainWings are expert foragers ofc but they don't really feel the need to prepare their food in any way

They are, however, in constant dire need of sodium because they get absolutely none from their fruit

So anything salty is wow

Maybe rhey have a place near the mud kingdom border where they can grow some asparagus for salt

they are also the only tribe besides Night that can eat chocolate but forgor 💀 how to make it so the NightWings and them have to re figure it out together

Salted dark chocolate bing bang boom instant delicacy

NightWings used to be able to cook really well, especially desserts and pastry, but they forgor while they were trying to not die on the volcano

[animalshowdown]

Phylum Round 1

Rotifera: Wheel Animals. Mostly freshwater with some saltwater species, and can live in the water column, within the sediment, or attached to hard surfaces. Some Rotifers even live within the thin layer of moisture covering mosses. Their most distinctive feature is their corona and tentacles, which, when feeding, look like a rotating wheel. Their bodies are entirely soft except for the small jaw-like structures in their throats that help them chew their food. As detritivores, they are important contributors to the nitrogen cycle and breaking down dead organic matter.

Kinorhyncha: Mud Dragons. Kinorhynchs are meiofauna, meaning they live in the spaces between grains of sand. They are segmented and have sets of spines along the body. These spines are used to move through the sediment, gripping individual sand grains as the body moves forward. A crown of spines around the head frames the mouth, which is full of sharp toothlike spines. Although little is known about their life cycle, research has shown that mother Kinorhynchs wrap each egg in a protective layer of mud and dead organic matter until the young hatch.

[leavingautumn13]

Tatsugiri makes an excellent starter pokémon due to its predisposition to working as part of a team, but keep in mind it is still an intelligent dragon in need of enrichment.

Tatsugiri understand human speech, and can mimic it to some capacity. Whether it understands the meaning of the words it is saying or not is up for debate.

Where dondozo is primarily a freshwater pokémon, tatsugiri can tolerate a wide range of salinity. A tatsugiri in a high-salinity environment (or a low-salinity environment with no dondozo) will attempt to partner with another pokémon the way it would with a dondozo. Tatsugiri have been observed partnered with wailmer, lumineon, and basculin.

Unlike prey pokémon who are often skittish being held or hugged, tatsugiri's mutualistic relationship with dondozo leads it to feeling safe and comforted when wrapped up or placed under gentle physical pressure, and it is considered a cuddly pokémon. Please hug your tatsugiri today.

[send me a pokémon and i'll draw it semi-realistically and add my headcanons]

[knight-elkwarden]

Carpet Drakes are a group of mostly aquatic ambush hunting hexapods found throughout the rivers and lakes of Har Fang. They are believed to be physiologically very similar to the first hexapods of millions of years ago.

While more common and diverse to the west of the continent, some species are still found in modest numbers to the east.

Giant Carpet Drake

Giant Carpet Drakes are found exclusively in the Musonese river basin, where the wide, murky, slow moving water offers them the best environment for their ambush hunting lifestyle. Despite their size and rather clumsy looking body, these giants are capable of surprising bursts of speed and have been known to capsize boats.

They readily see humans as prey, though they tend to back off if they realize their cover has been blown. Sometimes hunted by dragons.

Stubby Carpet Drake

A relatively small species. These drakes live in fast flowing rivers and streams, where they can easily anchor themselves to the riverbed with their long hooked claws. They are most often seen at higher elevations and in colder water, though they are very hardy and can survive a wide range of temperatures.

Not particularly dangerous to humans, but they will bite and scratch if they feel threatened.

Common Carpet Drake

The most widespread of the carpet drake species, hence the name. It is believed that it has either multiple subspecies or is multiple closely related species. These animals are found in almost any freshwater habitat and are extremely hardy creatures.

Not domesticated, but certain riverside communities have managed to tame some individuals. Caution should still be exercised when handling them since their bite is strong enough to sever fingers.

Musonese Carpet Drake

Despite the name, these creatures can be found outside of the Musonese river basin, though they are most common within it. They have a narrower body to help them navigate their often flooded and dense with foliage homes. They live only in warm and wet habitats on the western side of the continent.

Naturally skittish, but can be tamed pretty easily with enough patience.

Nyrian Carpet Drake

These carpet drakes inhabit the dry savannas and deserts of Har Fang, particularly Nyr, but neighboring regions also have populations of these creatures. The only known carpet drake species to aestivate, cocooning themselves in clay and water to stave off desiccation until the rains return and fill the watering holes.

Aggressive and will attack careless humans.

Kelp Stalker

Found wherever kelp forests exist. These derived drakes are the only known carpet drakes that lives exclusively in salt water. These ambush predators hide in the kelp to catch passing fish and other small prey. Closely related to the River Stalker and other free swimming carpet drakes.

Curious about humans and will follow them around sometimes, but tends to avoid dragons.

River Stalker

Fast swimming drakes native to the eastern side of the continent. Only known carpet drake that isn't an ambush predator. Highly social creatures, they are known to hunt in bands consisting of a dozen individuals. They can tolerate brackish waters, but are most comfortable in fresh waters.

Tends to avoid humans and dragons whenever possible.

Dwarf Carpet Drake

Found almost anywhere with fresh water. Thought of as something of a pest in cities, where they infest wells and crawl along roads during heavy rains. In the wild they feed mostly on small fish, insects, insect larvae and generally anything else they can fit in their mouths.

City dwelling dwarf carpet drakes are somewhat bold and will bite if provoked, but in the wild they are extremely skittish. Sometimes harvested by humans and dragons for their magical properties and general abundance.

Jewel Drake

Small tree dwelling carpet drakes from the Musonese river basin. A large number of jewel drake species are known, but they all have a few things in common: Vividly colored and highly poisonous. Their toxins come from their diet, and so people have figured out how to keep them as pets without the high risk of poisoning.

The species pictured here is known as the Ultramarine Jewel Drake. All species posses a sharp claw on their front two pairs of limbs, which can easily puncture skin and cause the poison on their skin to seep into the body. Caution is heavily advised when handling these creatures.

Root Serpent

Originally thought to be a serpent due to it's elongated body, it was eventually figured out that it was instead a carpet drake, though the name stuck. These creatures are found mostly in Musonee, where they hide among the mangroves, looking like roots to fool their prey.

A relatively popular pet and familiar in Musonee due to their elongated shape and gentle temperament.

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Results of Round 1

Long post, many stats.

The three biggest landslides were Opiliones (daddy longlegs) beating Parasitiformes (ticks) (87.89%, 334 to 46 votes), Terebellida (Pompeii worms) beating Scolecida (bamboo worms) (88.94%, 193 to 24 votes), and Hemiptera (true bugs) beating Phthiraptera (lice) (91.04%, 19 to 193 votes).

The three closest matches were Perissodactyla (horses and rhinos) beating Pholidota (pangolins) (50.6%, 747 to 765 votes), Caniformia (canines, bears, foxes...) beating Feliformia (felines, mongooses...) (50.28%, 538 to 532 votes), and Struthioniformes (ostriches) and Rheiformes (rheas) tying (50%, 144 to 144 votes).

To break the tie, I will discount my own vote (for Struthioniformes), so Rheiformes win.

Interesting that the top 3 landslides were all invertebrates (actually all top 7), while the 3 closest matches were all between Chordates (actually 4).

The average winning percent was 67.10% for all matches, and was 71.28% between non-chordates and 62.91% between chordates. So the chordate matches were closer in general.

As you may have guessed from the biggest landslides, parasites fared quite poorly. While the bracket started with 9 primarily parasitic clades, only 3 made it to this round (Hirudinea [leeches], Eucestoda [tapeworms], D. medinensis [nematode]) and all three were against other parasites.

The biggest landslide among Mammals was Didelphidae (possums) beating Hyracoidea (dassies) (80.26%)

The biggest landslide among Birds was Columbiformes (pigeons and doves) beating (flamingos) (72.34%)

The biggest landslide among Non-Avian Reptiles was Serpentes (snakes) beating Rhynchocephalia (tuatara) (60.60%). The closest match among Reptiles was Iguania (iguanas, chameleons...) beating Anguimorpha (Komodo dragon) (51.09%)

The biggest landslide among Cartilaginous Fish was Myliobatiformes (stingrays) beating Rajiformes (skates) (81.20%). The closest match was Rhinopristiformes (shovelnose ray, sawfish...) beating Torpediniformes (electric rays) (51.44%)

The biggest landslide among Bony Fish (and Chordates in general) was Osteoglossiformes (African Knifefish) beating Hiodontiformes (mooneyes) (84.71%). The closest match was Toxotidae (archerfish) beating Istiophoriformes (swordfish) (50.64%).

The biggest landslide among Echinoderms was Asteroids (starfish) beating Peripodida (sea daisies) (82.95%). The closest match was Echinacea (sea urchins) beating Gnathostomata (sand dollars) (55.38%).

The closest match among Annelids was Eunicida (eg. Bobbit worm) beating Phyllodocida (eg. Gossamer worm) (54.38%)

The biggest landslide among Gastropods was Neomphalida (volcano snails) beating Umbraculoidea (false limpets) (86.67%). The closest was Conidae (cone snails) beating Strombidae (conches) (51.39%)

The biggest landslide among Cephalopods was Sepiida (cuttlefish) beating Spirulida (Ram's horn squid) (77.53%). The closest match was Oegopsida (glass squid, giant squid...) beating Myopsida (European squid, reef squid...) (61.9%).

The biggest landslide among other molluscs was Polyplacophora (chitons) beating Scaphopoda (Tusk Shells) (84.35%). The closest was Heterodonta (edible clams) beating Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) (52.08%)

The closest match among Insects was Mantodea (mantises) beating Blattodea (roaches and termites) (72.9%). Interestingly still a pretty big landslide.

The biggest landslide among Crustaceans was Thecostraca (barnacles) beating Tantulocarida (parasites of crustaceans) (83.33%). The closest match was Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp) beating Copepods (56.54%)

The closest match among Invertibrates was Eucestoda (tapeworms) beating Amphilinidea (parasites of turtles) (50.65%).

Round 2 starts tomorrow!

[nanamimizz]

𝐌𝚶𝐌𝚬𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝚬 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆

tags: wc: 972, 18+ dni, established relationship, reader is on top, dan heng is a virgin, handjob, skinny dipping, mention of blood reader is a slight masochist, sex in a freshwater spring, in his dragon form + has a tail for @itoshisoup love u very much miss mao.

synopsis: here in the spring dan heng loves you most.

The water of the spring was not like the saltwater of his home - it was sweet and slid down his throat as easily as his breath did. When you kiss him, he can taste every note of the spring water that clings to the skin of your lips. Kissing you always felt like a ship through the air, as easygoing as one's heartbeat but it’s different now; here alone and naked in this spring on the planet you took him too as a surprise. Dan Heng shivers and can’t help but moan, he was so sure he knew what silk felt like but not even the finest of the material compares to the drag of your tongue against his. You pull back with a grin and he knows that the pink on his face can be seen by the moon as he reads the smugness in your lips.

“Make that sound for me again Heng’er,” Your words are like the notes of the flute gentle and high into his ears that make his azure blue tail sway in the water where your naked bodies are submerged in. Your hand is soft against his skin and his face grows more warm with how easily your limb fits against the flesh of his thigh. Dan Heng never was the largest of men but when he sees how easily you fit into his form some sort of heat dances along his spine, blistering lust so different to the cool existence the Vidyadhara live he almost doesn’t know what to do with himself. Which is why it is easy for you to take his cock in your hand, his almost purple head peeking from the shallow water you two reside in. The slight glide of your thumb against his head makes another moan tumble out from his chest, pink from the tips of his ears to the center of his chest as the sound of his tail splashing behind you is followed by another laugh.

“Heng’er - are you so easy to please?” You are teasing him again, and you are fairing no better. The pleasant spring is freezing against the lust that burns in your stomach at the sight of the man you love beneath you. Dan Heng was handsome, but in more recent times you can’t help but find him beautiful. A water lily of your own, one you can’t help but cradle in your hand and worship lovingly with the swipes of your fingers. Dan Heng is quick to shake his head; a denial of the truth because when it comes to you - the way your lips shine from the dew in the moonlight and even the strand of his plastered across your face from when you dove right into the water.

Dan Heng will always be pleased and spoiled by the likes of you even when this life cycle ends he will be haunted by the silk of your tongue and the softness of your hands.

“Yes - yes, always if it’s you.” His words tumble out his mouth like rainfall and your hand had gone from teasing him to pumping his length with twisting motions. His veins are worshiped by the lines of your palm, matching and following all of your love lines until his own hands come to gripe at your hips. He hears you hiss at the sting of his claws as they follow the curve of your hips to where your ass begins.

“Yeah? That so Heng’re?” You ask, voice breathless at the admittance and high off the way Dan Heng becomes a sight of wonder when bathed in his lust. His cock is slick, and his usual cool skin burns in your palm, you feel him twitch and your grin grows in time with the volume of his moans. Something can be said about how your eyes turn feline at the last defeated sound Dan Heng, mighty in all other roles but helpless beneath you, makes as his own hand gripes at you like you’d fade away with the pleasure you give onto him. You bite your lip to quiet the soft sound of pleasure that nips at your spine from the delightful sting of the thin scratches that run thin rivers of blood. Dan Heng comes with a shout, the loudest you’ve heard from him yet and you moan in time at the sight of his fang glinting with his own drool as he pants desperately. You coo, your own eyes flickering between his beautiful pleasure-stricken face and watching more strings of his cum dribble out and spill over your knuckles. You open your mouth to tease but you don’t even get your pet name for him out before his elegant hand finds itself on your head to bring you down into a kiss. 

It isn’t elegant, your teeth knock into each other and your tongue is bitten by a stray fang but you moan into it all the same because it is Dan Heng and everything he gives you is perfect. You pull apart with strings of drool sticking between you two and smile at him, truthfully and lovingly - Dan Heng is struck by how beautiful you are all over again. In between pecks, you ask if he wants more, the “real deal” as you call it but he refuses with blushing cheeks and timid eyes.

“I want to have all of you in a more special time, something you deserve.”

He utters, blue eyes watching the small ripples in the water as you smile lovestruck at his admission. Your arms go around him, his face goes to his chest and turns as red as the liner on his eyes when you squeal, “Gege! You’re so romantic!” But still, he smiles in your embrace, as happy as he can be here in the moment in the spring.