#and some sort of river isopod

[onioneyez]

Happy 420!

I didn’t want to actually have to pick up the leech or the crane fly larva to pretend to smoke it so please use your imagination

[dragonthunders01]

Spectember D12: Alternative history

The early Permian of this alternative timeline physically looks almost the same, same geography, same flora, same events of mass extinction, but there is a considerable difference that is remarkable when one checks on the fauna, there are arthropods wandering around, of different sizes, of different shapes, alongside them there are other strange velvet worm like forms, some large mollusks, but what we could recognize nowhere to be found; in the rivers, there are more arthropods and mollusks, and even some large worms, but not bony fishes, sharks or anything that resemble a vertebrate, this world have never seen vertebrates ever.

Something happened through the beginning of the Paleozoic that caused to vertebrates to never evolve, leaving a gap in history that only other animals would fill on their ways.

Moving towards the Silurian and Devonian started to show the consequences of this change as without any type of fish, shark, placoderm, anything that we could relate to the the early paleozoic vertebrate diversification did not happen and the result of such vacuum was the diversity of arthropods and mollusks, some larger species of marine arthropods/panarthropods evolved, some larger mollusks did evolve too, cephalopods and gastropods became predominant where large marine vertebrates should dominate, and in the coasts the trend of arthropod conquest was ongoing as on our world, evolving convergently things like insects, myriapods and arachnids, alongside many other terrestrial crustacean species.

The carboniferous had a different face on land now that since there were not tetrapods taking over and with arthropods like insects and arachnids evolving similarly to our world species, they were fully conquering the planet with diverse and large sized forms, from the early carboniferous to the cooler late period, insects were dominant in numbers on land and the sky, myriapods were the usual predominant herbivores, and arachnids took over predatory roles, being scorpions the apex predators, secondarily were with them some isopod like forms, more packed and suited for dry land so they could extend off the humid forest regions, as well velvet worms which started to be more prominent in some minor parts of the ecosystem.

Up to the early Permian with the desertification of the landscape and loss of environment have pushed the most adaptable species on changing to face the new life conditions, many of the gigantic forms remained, new ecological trends started to appear within some groups, and so this spineless version of the Permian is full of a new cast of arthropods.

The north america of the Early Permian is a land dominated by 50 cm long Solifuge-like scorpions that have evolved with robust chelicerae, more used to large prey they are the apex predators on land, meanwhile in the sky 40 cm of wingspan robust griffin fly predators have evolved, more heavier lethal than any other odonatan, herbivorous palaeodictyopterans still swarm around as well; on the ground is different types of omnivorous and herbivores arthropods going along, there are Arthropleura-like myriapods, but along them some other arthropod herbivores have developed more chubby and taller, these isopod-like armored forms are as big as 1 m, they are close or even heavier than any of the flat Myriapoda; smaller herbivores surround them along, such as 20 cm long flightless cockroaches and Weta-like Palaeodictyopterans are common small herbivores; lobopodians grew up to 30 cm in length, gracile and are among the most agile terrestrial animals on land, sort of evolving a complex inner cartilage skeleton, might become the blueprint of a new future group that will take over in the next periods.

[bogleech]

So the dream I had last night was about someone working on some sort of riverfront restaurant and they went “out back” to do something late at night but this consisted of walking down some stairs onto a tethered boat that was a couple feet under the water. Like they had to stand in the boat, water up to their waste, just to take a smoke break? They didn’t seem to mind. They seemed to think that was pretty cool. Suddenly they saw something like a half-eaten giant isopod float by and they thought that was odd but neat, you know, on this little river nowhere near the ocean, but then some huge flat segmented thing floated past their legs a little like the models of arthropleura, and it was also clearly dead and chewed up with guts dangling out of it. All these huge dead crustaceans and fish parts started bubbling up from the water, which also looked illuminated from below. Then the “protagonist” got pulled underwater by something I actually can’t ever describe or illustrate because it was so finely detailed in colorful AI-generated looking fractals and whirls, sort of in the shape of a lady in a giant flowing dress but also like a web of pink tissues. Just their face alone was all these tubes forming kind of a humanoid fish skull and every millimeter encrusted with a flowery paisley fractal shape. The next thing I saw was like a sudden cut to someone very, very old and pale and withered, looking very confused as someone else pulled them from water, and the entire front of their torso was a throbbing mass of transparent frog eggs.

[john-frog]

1 Million of Years After Abandonment

 The first one million of years is the start of adaptive radiation on the planet Heqet. Many animals and plants started to diversify and specify here, few new Genera appeared, instead the specification led to new species and Subspecies in preexisting genera. The globe was warmer than modern Earth, around 17 degrees celsius, creating a suitable environment for cnidarians, molluscs, most insects and invertebrates, plants and anurans. This is thought to have helped in the diversification and specialization of fauna and flora around the world.

 Continents

There were three main continents at this time, from smallest to largest they are Bufia, Batrachia and Incilia. Each continent has its endemic set of anurans, Bufia has the common toad, Batrachia have the poison dart frogs and giant leaf frogs while Incilia have cane toads and colorado river toads. The continent of Bufia also have endemic alderflies and lacks bromeliads and passion fruits, alongside carpenter bees.

The majoriality of Bufia was covered by the biome of temperate forest with a mountain chain in the north of the continent. Batrachia was majoritarialy savannah with a mountain chain forming on the west. Incilia was mostly desertic as the extense mountain chains in the east created a rainshadow effect stronger than that in Batrachia.

Diversification 

The severe lack of most angiosperms and gymnosperms, tetrapods and invertebrates alongside the total absence of fishes led to the major diversification of the seeded groups, passionfruits, pines, grasses, frogs and principally the invertebrates like dipterans, hymenopterans, miryapods and isopods. Who filled the niches that other groups would have filled on earth.

Flora

With a mid gap in floral species it is expected that many new species evolved to fill in the ecological vacuums, pines dominating most of the world while the arboreal passionfruits took advantage of the lack of specialization to tropical climates of the pines to explode in diversity in tropical regions.

Fauna

Unlike plants there was a massive lack of fauna on the planet Heqet, who led to a major adaptative radiation event, hence the name of this time period. Without herbivores to compete with the millipedes they have grown larger, eating a wide variety of plants or specializing on specific species, most of these large millipedes were somewhat the size of the largest millipede on present Earth, the giant african millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). Centipedes have experienced great diversification without arachnid and insect competition, but were somewhat limited by frogs where they coexisted. Robber flies were the main predators in open landscapes, predating on all sorts of prey, their monopoly as aerial predators lasted for as long as they were the sole volant predators on the planet. Mosquitoes remained largely the same as they kept feeding on the blood of animals and the nectar of plants, though they had a lot of competition with the carpenter bees as the latter was already specialized to the seeded plants and the plants mosquitoes were specialized into pollinating, (Orchids) were'nt seeded. Both terrestrial and marine gastropods became important herbivores growing to large sizes similarly to the giant African snail (Achatina achatina) in land snails and similar sizes to the sea hare Aplysia vaccaria among marine slugs. Tunicates, cnidarians and cirripedes were the sole filter feeders of the world, some growing to incredible sizes.

The frogs maintained in the same kind of niche as small to medium sized hypercarnivores, and have specialized into other more specific niches (dietary specifications, period of activity, habitat, etc.) in order to avoid competition with the progenitor species.

[therossblog]

I went on a walk to the park. That’s a pretty common sentence, it’s not the sort of thing you’d think too deeply about, but there’s so much more to appreciate in that sentence when you really consider all that it entails.

I went outside and walked on the concrete. It looked tan from a distance but it’s full of so many colors, each rock slightly different from its neighboring rock. It reminds me of phone screens in that way; you get one clear image from a million tiny particles.

I sat down in the grass and got a good look at a dandelion. They’re my second favorite flower, they’re so sunny and warm and they remind me of my partner. When I was little someone told me that if you stick a dandelion under your chin and it turns your chin yellow it means you’re a happy person! I didn’t realize it at the time but this was just reflected light. I think of dandelions now every time I include reflected light in a drawing, even if it’s just green lighting up the underside of wrinkled fabric.

I saw plenty of mountain laurels starting to bloom, they’re the trees with those purple flowers that look a lot like wisteria. Purple’s my favorite color, I used to have a purple bedroom and after I moved I got purple light bulbs for my new bedroom. It’s such a tender color, like the calmness of blue but without the sadness and the affection of pink without all the energy. Looking at the petals move from green to white to purple the more they’d bloomed could be a metaphor for life and maturing emotionally as well as physically. I’m glad it’s not considered a color of royalty anymore; I think all people should get to have some purple.

I climbed down closer to the river. I’d come with a clear cup so I could catch isopods and by golly I intended on catching some on this trip. The water kept moving though, in it were all these minnows… and some other fancy fish. I have no idea what species it was, but it had this beautiful flashy blue tail that glimmered every now and then when it swam. The rest of its body, a muddy brown, blended in with the water so well that all you could see of it was mostly the tail.

Suddenly there’s a rustling behind me. I turn around and notice the branches behind me waving. I lean closer and they move again and this time I see it; a lizard, specifically a green anole! These guys have special skin that lets them change colors from green to brown when they’re stressed. I’m assuming the brown lets them better blend in with their environment, but in that case why would they choose to be green in the first place? Maybe they’d be fashionistas or scientists in another life. Either way, it was turning brown so I left it alone.

Throughout it all I felt the biggest emotional response to red. Fear when I flipped over a rock and saw a bright flash of red only to discover it was a worm, disgust when I pulled an old crawdad claw out of the mud, concern when I saw the bright red sunburn on my shoulders. I can see why red is the first color word to appear in most languages.

All in all I really enjoyed my trip. I found all the bugs I wanted and more, I saw exciting things like dogs and cranes and lizards and a kid trying to light a blunt in the bathroom, and I got to spend some time getting in touch with the child within me. Next time I’ll stay in touch with my adult side too and bring sunblock.

[gallusrostromegalus]

In TPOFATGIF, are dogs, like, extra domesticated from exposure to humans? Have they domesticated anything that we haven't? Maybe some sort of little house cryptid.

Dogs are about as domesticated at they are IRL because there is kind of an upper limit on how domesticated an animal can get- A dog from 3,000 years ago would be about as cuddly and with the same anatomical features as one from today. However, I'm choosing to believe there are some additional domesticated animals:

Cheetah: Cheetah were, for quite a while in the ancient world, a semi-domesticated hunting animal. The pharaohs of egypt definitely kept them, and I decided the tradition was kept up through time- there are Wild and Domestic Cheetah. Domestic Cheetah are kind of considered a Rich People Pet or a Working Animal because they're expensive to maintain, kind of like how horses are today.

Hyena: Hyena are extremely sociable carnivores that humans have had intermittent sucess domesticating IRL, and I think there are fully-domesticated Spotted Hyena in TPOFATGIF who do guard work. They're not common outside of the kind of housing that could be described as an "Estate" or a "Compound" because you can't have just one- they do best in large packs and with firm territorial borders. They're also sometimes seen with mobile caravans or nomadic people.

(Note: Do not do this IRL. Also, read about "The Hyena Men" photographed by Pieter Hugo if you want to learn about some genuinely fascinating people)

House Hippos: These exist due to the Midwinter Boredom and Alcohol-fueled antics of Canadian Wizard "Squirrely" Dan Wilson. They're not really considered "Pets" though some people keep them, like how some people keep Isopods.

Reverse Domestication: Some species of costal and river dolphin are sucessfully training humans as fishing companions, and there is hope among the cetacean scientific community of a breeding program to create more docile Beach Apes in the future.

[primrose-fr]

Wildlife of the Scarred Wastes

Hey I put together a list of all wildlife found in Plague, for writing purposes. Because it's pretty unique from the rest of Sornieth. Thus can be a bit difficult to write for.  It's also interesting to note that most of the creatures can be found in other locations too, I picture the varieties found in plague to be more...plague-y. I hope this is at least a good jumping off point for you writers/worldbuilders!

Includes little personal notes here and there about possible uses, ecology and real-life equivalents, and interesting notes from the items bio too.

Everything under the cut. Long post ahead

Meat:

Panther Anole (Small, fool hardy, easy prey for hatchlings) Plague Bat (Bat that carries plagues?? Probably a small snack for adults and a meal for hatchlings) Satin Mouse (Magically charged mice, might have been introduced from Arcane) Java Sparrow (Small songbird, Nutritious) Shrew (Small and mole like, cannot be tamed) Marsh Rabbit (Oily water repellent fur, probably like a softer beaver pelt. Decent meal. Probably farmed for fur) Dappled Clucker (Chickens whose females brutally fight over males. Probably farmed for meat) Steppes Box Turtle (known for it's shell pattern) Musk Scrapper (Like a brown skunk, stinks but apparently the meat is incredible.) Flecked Bushrunner (Type of quail. males race each other to impress females. Proabably a common type of wild game) Wood Duck (Probably a common type of wild game) Silver-Laced Rooster (There was a play about a rooster trying to woo a dragon. Ended poorly.) Arroyo Toad (Most dragons are immune to it's toxin but Mirrors are allergic to it.) Plantain Poacher (Type of squirrel monkey. Common pest that raids produce stores.) Bush Rat Wallaby (Probably a decent sized meal) False Podid (Decent meal, cousin to common podid, tastes best when roasted in the shell) White-Eared Hummingbird Coral Snake (VENOMOUS. Rear-fanged. But edible to dragons if eaten carefully. Snakes store their venom in the head area. Body meat is generally fine.) White Squirrel (Cannot jump, probably easy prey. Most likely is native to Ice) Tokay Gecko (DEADLY. Covered in a potent poison from head to toe. (Note: real tokay geckos are not poisonous, just massive bitey assholes)) Bleeding Heart Crow (Only Males have the "Bleeding Heart" coloration) Ferret (a treat for most dragons, might also be kept as pets and for hunting small game) Sugarglider (Common pest in sugarmelon crops. might also be kept as pets.) Bar-Headed Goose (Might be farmed for meat/feathers) Hellbender (Massive salamander (one of the largest species on earth!)) Emerald Striker (VENOMOUS. Emeralds contain the toxin) Silver Raccoon (Known to steal and hoard silver.) Green Iguana (apparently very friendly and probably common pets (Important Note: Real green iguanas are NOT friendly and want nothing more than to whip you to shreds. Make terrible pets!)) Bog Canary (Song is apparently horrible, but plumage is pretty, might be kept as pets (Note: the art depicts a budgerigar not a canary)) Golden Reefprince (Regal and golden, best served to someone you're trying to impress. Probably farmed and marketed in the same vein as Valentine Roses) Black Swan (Probably farmed for Meat/Feathers) Green-throated Skink (More confident then it's cousin, probably more common to see skittering around in daylight) Dustrat (Seen as vermin, a sign to clean your lair) Banded Dart Frog (POISONOUS. However NOT deadly. Instead it's hallucinagenic. Probably farmed as an legal and/or illegal narcotic. Probably a big market for them.) Collared Lemming (Probably has a local superstition about it staring into your soul and knowing all your secrets) Webwing Alpha ( might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Yellow-Throated Sparrowmouse (kept as Familiars. Plumage might be used in crafts) Basilisk (Direct eye contact can turn dragons to stone. Probably Hunted as Big/trophy game. Also Kept as familiars) Clown Charger (Skin is poisonous. Might be hunted as Trophy Game but not eaten. Also Kept as familiars) Parasitic Fungus (Has mind controlling fungus, however fungus rarely takes. Also Kept as familiars) Fungalhoof Qiriq (Leaves a trail of fungus where ever it goes, easy to track dangerous to hunt. Might be hunted as big/Trophy game or as possible rites of passage . Also Kept as familiars) Roving Lionsnake (Large dangerous ambush predators that stalk long grasses. Might be hunter for trophy game or possible rights of passage. Also kept as familiars) Murkbottom Gull (Common seabirds, most likely a common sight at waterways. Also kept as familiars) Giant White Toridae (Large! Has Myths and urban legends surrounding it. Probably hunted as Trophy game or even rites of passage. Also Kept as familiars.) Ultramel Amphithere (Amphithere displaying the "Ultramel" color morph. Probably popular pets. Also kept as familiars) Auburn Woolly Walrus (Hostile due to chronic pain. Probably Farmed for meat and fur while also being hunted as big/trophy game. Also kept as familiars.) Hooded Dodo (Completely blind despite three sets of eyes. Probably farmed for meat and feather. Also kept as familiars) Infestation Hound (Wild ones are ambush predators, baiting and eating scavengers. Probably Domesticated by plague clans and bred then raised as hunting partners and companions. Kept as familiars) Heartred Croaker (Meat is uniquely brown and green in coloration. Kept as familiars) Mossy Cerdae (Healing magic-less Unicorns. Population is rising exponentially. Probably hunted for meat/fur/horns. Kept as familiars) Hippojay (Might be farmed for meat or hunted as big/trophy game. Or kept as familiars) Bluetail Skira (Blue algea clings to their tail fur causing the blue coloration. Might be farmed for meat or hunted like big game. Or kept as familiars) Paddyfowl (Common predator to smaller amphibians, might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Moordwelling Trunker (Displays are a lot like jousting. Probably farmed for meat. Or kept as familiars) Glowing Pocket Mouse ( A light snack. Or kept as familiars) Grey River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Brown River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Bearded Pupowl (Actually a vertebrate! Amphibian and probably distantly related to salamanders. Kept as familiars)

Aquatic Life:

Crawdads Wetland Vampire (Leech) Glass Minnows (maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Mussels Clown Shrimp Warmouth (A mid sized bass/perch-like fish, probably decent eating) Wave Skippers (Flying fish?) Sea Hare (Sea slugs) Sunset Sea Dragon Dumpling Squid (bio implies they’re eaten and dipped in sauce.) True Rainbow Trout Green Corydoras Catfish (tiny bottom dwelling catfish, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Golden Cushionfish (Pufferfish) Seabed Pincher (Hermit crab) Blackwater Jester (Appears to be a cardinal fish of some sort) SeaHeart (Some kinda urchin) Aether Hermit Black Maiden (type of Black Guppy, possibly poisonous? maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Ruby Tetras (possibly a red version of the blackskirt tetra, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Blue Ring Octopus (DEADLY. Venom can straight up kill smaller dragons. Considered an accomplishment to catch and eat properly. Probably equivalent to Fugu.) Striped biter (Similar to a cat shark in appearance. Apparently very common.) Devilsnap (Apparently an oyster that bites back) Blue Dragon Seaslug Cobra Snakehead (mid-sized carnivorous fish) Nebula Floaters (Jellyfish of some sort, very sweet may cause tooth decay) Pond Slip (Come from dirty water, VERY important to clean) Cinnamon Loach (Popular gift among the seafood eating dragons, may also be kept in dragon aquaria?) Deviant Darter (Covered in pustules, looks plague-y) Giant Isopod Billy Bass (Breaks into song when taken out of the water, mid-sized fish probably decent eating) Discus (Popular, beautiful, and challenging to care for in irl aquaria. Possibly kept as decorative fish for the upper class in dragon aquaria) Four-Eyed Butterflyfish Pincushion Urchin Gaseous Megashrimp (Big, kept as familiars. this is speculation but depending on the size it may also be used as a seafood alternative to whole roasts like pig) Skittering Megashrimp (See above) Longjaw Lurefish (Based on the jawfish, probably much bigger. preys on birds) Glow Star (glowing starfish. Glow fades when it leaves the water. Might make good underwater decoration) Wave Sweeper (Patrols shallow waterway. Probably hunted for meat or ignored, Kept as familiars) Plantation Pincher (Considered a rampant pest on farmland.)

Insect Life:

Fungus Cutter (Large fungivore ants) Glade Swarmer (Builds large hives and defend it fiercely, disturbing it will end in either a feast or a healers visit) Crop Cutter (Pests that can devour entire fields. Plant eater hate them while others feast on them.) Maggot (common on the many festering corpses of the scarred wastes) Harlequin Ladybug (perform intricate aerial acrobatics, can be challenging for hatchlings to catch) Salt-Marsh Mosquito (Carry many diseases, numbers swell in summer) Tachinid Fly (Their carapace can be ground into tincture and tonics with restorative capabilities. Valuable. Probably farmed for medicinal purposes) Redwing Hopper (Spend most of their time gliding. low-flying dragons end up with face fulls of them.) Greenworm (Blends in well and challenging to find) Land Snail Rainbow Grasshopper (Taste terrible. seems to be a common prank to tell younger dragons that they taste like rainbows.) Tinder Bug (Tastes good if properly cooked, also effective tinder) Earwig Craftsman Brightback (Crafts intricate nests around spherical fruit, to which the fruit inside is eaten leaving behind the dried structure.) Redknee Tarantula Dusty Cicada (Collecting their shells and placing them in unexpected places around your den is considered a fun pastime) Millipede Wasteland Pauper (In an event known as the Blue Harvest vast numbers of this butterfly go migrating.) Stinglash (DEADLY. Aposematic. Skull pattern on it's head is a threat display. When stinger is removed however it's considered a delicacy) Shale Skitter (Pillbug relative. Completely flatten themselves when threatened) Parasitic Grub Red and Black Froghopper Fever Fly (Ingesting this fly is fine. being bitten by this fly leads to fevers and muscle spasms (dancing!)) Two-Tone June Beetle (Best served lightly toasted) Blackshield Cockroach (Fae use rocks to crack it's shell for eating.) Yellow Jumper (Deadly? Very tasty apparently) False Veneer Moth (Pattern on it's wings shines to distract predators) Yellowtail Caterpillar (Commonly eaten in piles with pepper sauce, cucumber, rice, and wrapped in seaweed) Orchid Beetle (Native to the Starwood Strand. gets its coloration from the plants it eats) Water Bug Catocala Moth (Cryptic patterning on wings) Giant Prickly Stick Insect (Has a hard time find mates due to effective camouflage) Autumn Pennant (Dragonfly. Scarce, only appears towards the end of autumn) Sugarbee (Feeds on sugarcane. Popular as sweet treats. might be treated like candy to insectivores) Firefly (Probably native to Fire. Has a crisp, crunchy texture with an extremely spicy flavor.) Dead Leaf Mantis (Feeds entirely on brain matter. (braaains)) Hydra Scorpion (It's said that cutting off it's tail grows two more in it's place. Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars) Triple-Sight Firebug (Dragons closely bonded to this bug can use it's sight for short periods of time. Possibly used for rough reconnaissance. Kept as familiars) Tufted Leaf Beetle (Pests. A swarm of these beetles can devour a field overnight. Kept as familiars.) Tender Larail (Consumes all parts of a plant except seeds, which it carefully buries. Might be a Keystone species. Kept as familiars.) Spoiling Scorpio (Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars)

Plant Life:

Highland Dryleaf (Hardy. Tastes awful. Plentiful) Marsh Choker (Named for it's choking pollen. probably grows in wetland areas.) Desert Scrub (Plentiful. Tastes like dirt) Diseased Fungus (Has a following that believe it tastes zestier than normal fungus. Probably cultivated or foraged for.) Carnaval Tulip (Pretty, often in bouquets. considered by plant eaters to be "edible arrangements" Probably cultivated for food and appearance) Crisp-leaf Amaranth (Seeds are edible and commonly eaten, while the leaves are eaten less commonly.) Wild Catsup (grows along cliff-sides in thin patches with bright red flowers. might also go well with wild mustard greens) Always-Autumn (Thistle. Blooms year-round with sun-dappled colors.) Canyon Ruffage (Staple for herbivorous animals and dragons alike, common in dry areas) Blood Acorn (Filled with nutrient rich nectar) Cinnamon (Probably cultivated for exportation in the spice trade) Chickweed (Used in herbal remedies to sooth itchy scales. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Herbal Plantain (Leaves of this plant can be used as an effective anti-toxin. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Peace Lily (Pretty and edible, it's petals are a favorite snack of peace doves. Probably cultivate for decoration and consumption.) Gryphon's Blood Sempervivum (Appears to be a type of succulent that grows in sandy red (clay rich?) earth near gryphon territory. does not actually use blood in cultivation.) Treasure Plant (Considered to bring good luck if kept in the lair. Possibly cultivated for decoration or as gifts.) Boxwood (Has a subtle flavor?) Winter's Delight (Sweet red berries that taste the best at the coldest point in winter, Most likely native to Ice) Bonebark Mold (Plentiful. grows on dead trees.) Ashfall Prickler (Nectar on the inside has a spicy flavor that oddly goes well with anything.) Honeycrisp Apple (Probably cultivated for food. Most likely food source to Craftsman Brightbacks) Turnip (Does not keep long and must be eaten immediately. Probably cultivated for food.) Wasteland Pear (Common. but finding an edible one is not.) Cindermint (crunchy texture with a  fiery kick. Often dried and crumbled up to help accent desserts or teas. Probably cultivated for this reason.) Butcher's Fig (Fruit has a crimson coloration, juice stains the mouth for days.) Leechroot Mushroom (Parasitic fungus native to the Scarred Wastes. Pests. Targets healthy plants.) Green Plantain (Has a tart flavor and can be stored in cool places for long periods of time. Probably cultivated and exported to other flights.) Daffodil (Can be boiled, mashed, and used in stews. Blooms are also pretty. Probably cultivated for these reasons.) Grassland Grain (Easy to spot and filling meals. Great for foraging on the road.) Water Lilies Crimson Jadevine (Extremely rare. ground up to make war-paint. Might be cultivated for this purpose and might also be treated as sacred.) Sour Strawberry (It's a strawberry, but sour) Wilting Rose (Its a rose, but wilting) Pompom Mums (Vibrant, cheerful petals. Very attention getting to pollinators. might be used to attract pollinators to fields. Also useful for decorative purposes) Sand Creeper (Type of ivy that spreads prolifically over sand. Might be a good crop for those in barren wastelands.) All Seeing Shroom (Disgusting looking, covered in veins and tumors. Unknown if edible but can be traded as currency in select venues.) Ancient Mushroom (Rumored to aid with a dragons growth) Over-ripe Cherries (Cherries that ripen then go bad at a break-neck pace. Probably not cultivated.) Melon Marzal (Behaves like a normal plant until it matures in which it will become more animalistic. Weird. Kept as familiars)

???:

River Muck (Goopy. probably common in or near waterways. Probably a pest/hazard) Poultrygeist (Ghost?? Probably some kind of urban legend. Kept as familiars) Undying Featherback (Undead and requires magic to kill permanently. Probably a serious threat to plague clans. Can be kept as familiar) White Rot Deer (An older wood ear deer, not hunted nor eaten. Cultivated by dryads for protection. Also Kept as familiars) Sanguine Multimist (Sentient mist?? Probably has urban legends surrounding it. Kept as familiars.) Creeping Tendril (Animal like?? Shy, only moves when no one is looking. Kept as Familiars) Blue Vein Pansy (??? Uproots and moves itself to more optimal locations when required.) Ancient Fungus (Has a cracked, stone hard outer shell. Kept as familiars)

[karltface]

Okay, so I was recently inspired to do some swamp water jars and see what happens. It's been a few weeks, and things are finally getting interesting.

What? The cats never use this thing anyway.

I have planarians, three species of snail, and a few nematodes in the big swamp water jar, all appearing to live happily. The smaller two are river water from a local creek, and they're sporting snails, ortracods, isopods, and even a leech, but this one's too skittish to feed on me, and I can't catch it to release it back into the wild, so that's not going to end well for the poor thing.

Anyway, the river jars have revealed new roommates while I was house-sitting for a friend, and damned if I know what I'm looking at here....

Whatever it is, it looks like a clump of dead duckweed, but has some sort of extending proboscis. Or perhaps it's gathered dead duckweed as a disguise.

This is about as clear a photo as I have, given that my phone refuses to focus on the foreground. If I get any closer, it just wants to look at the plants.

I have yet to see them feeding, or doing much of anything besides clumsily inching their stiff bodies up and down the glass with their surprisingly long proboscises. Probosces? These were taken from southern WI, midsummer.

And that's all I have. @arcticarthropod, @bogleech, @onenicebugperday, anyone! My research has turned up nothing, and I'm at the end of my rope.

[youwontunderstand]

Precipise Hall

The area is at a comfortable warmth. The scent is what to be expected, that of stone and water like a cave, mingled with greenery.

It is dimly lit, though there is enough light to see. The light takes a green and yellow hue in places, mostly coming from the small fireflies that float about. The area is much like an endless hall of sorts, as the name suggested. The Hall extends further then the eye can see, very roomy and wide with varying height in ceiling. The roof of the place itself lends to feeling subterranean, as there are also no windows to suggest an outside. It is also covered in all mannder of plant life, teeming with the yellow lights of the insects.

The Hall itself has small alchoves, often occupied by a stone bench or the off fountain. Every so often there is a statue of a feminine figure, often as tall as the ceiling, made of an unknown black material. The face is carved handsomely, while an arm extends to hold a yellow lantern of ornate make. The hair appears to be more testicle like appendages that artfully coil about the figure and spread over the ceiling. The statues are several feet high, and in some places too far up to fully see, towering uoward and the lanterns, I suspect, are larger still, as to match and illuminate the larger spaces the Hall opens into on occasion. This makes the lanterns dimensions more on par with large chandeliers.

Some statues I find are more made to be idols, as apposed to the pillars that give the impression of power. The few I discovered were made out of what looked to be copper, polished to shine. These are made more in Her image, tucked away in the far end of vast chambers. The grass near them takes on a yellow and amber hue, and the base where the large idol sits is covered in lit candels. They were lit recently, but it is eerie as no worshipper is to be seen. You get the feeling one should bare witness to this place alone.

The Hall opens into large chambers as well, the cobbles (tile?) Below ones feet melding into moss and grass, where vendors dwell in the dimly lit place. There is often water, a river course, that passes by. The vendors sell strange items, on the verge of familiar, but i can't discern use (or currency as to even purchase).

The fauna of the area is small, and appear to be animal shaped terrariums. The creatures are of large isopods, turtles, rabbits, ect. They appear clear like glass, and inside is plants and moss, even glowing smaller insects.

Precipice Hall continues onward.