#but I found it interesting that there were these colorful beetles

[itskattkm]

The air in my lungs

Chapter 8

Cairo Sweet x Fem Reader

Summary: A stroke of fate changes you and leads you into the arms of Cairo Sweet. Will she be your downfall or save you?

Warnings: 18+, SMUT, Grief, Injuries, Smoking, Trauma, anxiety, sexual content, student x teacher mentioned, harm, blackmailing, bad grammar

A/N: for my Cairo lovers. I’m sorry for not updating so long. Much is planned and the fic will be long! I wanted this chapter to be longer but since a few asked for new updates her it is my dears🧡 I’m having some days off now and hope to get some new chapters done. Have fun.

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The pressure of the dash was massaging your back when you sat in the whirlpool with closed eyes and your head leaned back resting on the edge. When you entered the pool house you didn’t saw the whirlpool immediately, only when Cairo showed it to you. It was actually right beside the pool, in a corner and covered by many of plants. “You like plants and the color green right?” You asked. They were so beautiful and you wished you would now what they all were called.

Cairo was right by your side and watched you inspecting the plants “I do… I also like bugs, beetles and spiders” you laughed and sighed looking at her “spiders?” Cairo nodded and shrugged her shoulders saying “yeah…”. You grinned wide and shook your head. This made Cairo curious “are you afraid of spiders?” She asked teasing. You looked serious at her but your eyes were still showing the joy you felt “I hate them… but somehow they love me. I could call myself spider man… or well spider woman” this made Cairo laugh.

You sat up and turned towards her “I’m serious! They follow me everywhere and I find them in the craziest places without even trying. It’s like an instinct. I look into a direction? Boom there’s a spider… the house is empty? My bedroom is their hotspot… even my car. I once jumped out of my car while trying to drive, because of a spider”

Cairos eyes widened and she tried to hold her laugh back “seriously?” You smirked and nodded “I was about to shift the gear to start driving. But a spider was sitting on the gear lever and then I just jumped out… making the car choke off” Cairo looked at you speechless wich made yourself giggle when you leaned back beside her.

“I already found three different spiders on those leafs” you said and pointed out with your finger into one direction. Cairo furrowed her brows and turned to look into that direction. And there she was. A Yellow garden ball weaver spider. Cairo was impressed. “Well… I love them” she said teasing and looked at you. You grinned “so my instinct maybe brought me right into your arms then? Or your attracted by my presence like the spiders”

She smiled wide and watched the spider crawling away “but why do you like them? And what’s about the color green? I see it everywhere. I know you have a green bag pack… headphones but this mansion? It’s like you’re living that color out…” you said curious and looked softly at her.

“Well green stands for things like harmony, stability, hope and nature in general… It always makes me feel relaxed and calm. Green is a color that is often underestimated. A lot of people always go for the colors red and blue when it comes to things like logos or colors of clothes. But green is a color that people don't think about much, and I like that. It's a nice and relaxing color. It just makes me feel so calm when I see it now. It's just that simple!"

Y/n nodded and said in a calm tone “it really is underestimated. Did you know that our human eyes see 50% green, blue 25% and red 25%?”

This made Cairo smile and chuckle slight. She nodded and appreciated the fact that you showed interest and tried to have a conversation about her interests.

“And the spiders?” You asked again while putting your hand on her thigh.

“They make me feel safe. They make me feel like I can relate to them. When people see spiders.. they are always scared and they always try to kill them or stay away from them. But when I see a spider I feel like I can trust it. Because I am the same way. I am a mysterious type of creature that people want to destroy." You looked at her with pure admiration and smiled about that comparison.

“I won’t kill you… I promise” you said a bit joking while moving your thumb in circles on her knee. The corners of her mouth quirked up, leaning in slowly “I really appreciate that”. Turning towards each other. The warmth of the water making your body feel so relaxed and comfortable in the moment.

Cairos body came closer and closer, you could feel her presence getting intensive. Her eyes were switching between your eyes and lips till they just remained at your lips. You were moistening your lips unintentionally, felling the heat coming from her body when she sat down in your lap. Her hands moving slowly and smooth on your shoulders just to hold your neck. Stunned. that was your reaction to that. You couldn’t even react properly cause in the next moment you felt Cairo pulling your hair so you would lean your head back, you did and her lips met yours. Fierce she made you almost gasp for air with the amount of passion she was using. It didn’t took her long to explore your mouth with her tongue and a soft moan escaped you.

Your hands rested on her hips. Pulling her closer, feeling a pulsing between your legs. Your body’s merged and you could smell the scent of vanilla, coffee and burned wood wich hit your nerves.

Lips found their place on Cairos pulse. You inhaled deeply, brushing her cold and soft skin with them. You were trembling. Her scent making you fall into a haze where nothing else mattered anymore. Just her.

Cairo felt your wet lips on her pulse, a shiver went down her spine, making her grind on your lap slowly. Breathing heavy you felt like something was missing. She reached out for your jaw and held it tight in her hand. You could see a flicker in her dark eyes, showing you the lust she was feeling. You felt so intimidated by her that you almost felt dysfunctional.

Still holding your jaw in her hand, she kissed you hard. Her saliva moistening both your lips before she bit into your lower lip. Quite sounds were leaving you, making you feel like you could explode by every touch. Her hand moving down your chest, going their way through your breast and resting on your stomach. She was caressing your body, moving herself as close to you as possible while her hips kept moving into your lap.

Your face was still held by her with the other hand. It was interesting how she was taking out all the air of your lungs but also managed to keep you breathing. Cairo was holding the band of your underwear and pulled slight on it wich made you twitch. She smiled seductive, feeling good about the fact how she made you react. “Relax…” she whispered into your ear before placing her lips onto your pulse, feeling your heart rate going up. Your head fell into the back of your neck and Cairo began to move her lips along your throat.

Soon both your bikinis were lying on the floor somewhere near the whirlpool. Cairos body rocking into your thigh while her hand began to explore you in a more private place. You were breathing heavy, feeling so much pleasure that your mind couldn’t handle it. It kept shutting down just to come back with a need of more.

“Cairo…” you whispered heavy when she bit slight into your neck. Satisfied Cairo licked along your pulse before penetrating you with the full length of her two fingers. It made you tremble slightly, you felt your walls get tight around her fingers wich made it hard for you to stay quiet. “I Wanne hear you say my name…” she whispered luring and moved her fingers slowly out “again…” they moved back in “and again” then she angled her fingers which made you moan.

She smirked satisfied and gave your lips a light bite before going deeper wich made your jaw turn stiff and you only manage to say her name with a breaking voice. Cairos grin turned wider and she kissed you hard, her tongue getting lost in your mouth before she whispered teasing “what? Can’t you handle me?”. Your head fell back again and a brief “fuck…” escaped the back of your throat. Cairo making you curse already. Then her movements became faster and you could feel her eyes watching every reaction she could get from you while placing open mouth kisses along your jaw and neck. Tasting your skin with her tongue.

Like this wasn’t already killing you, she kept grinding on your tight. You couldn’t really feel her wetness due the water but you felt her clit moving over your skin again and again which made you even more turned on.

“You’re killing… me…my dear” you panted which made her smile almost evil before she moved her fingers even deeper. Her knuckles touching your cunt. You arched your back, craving for more. Cairo felt you getting tighter around her fingers, she began to move in a slow pace now, turning her fingers while doing so. You felt your clit throbbing, getting so tight it was almost too much. Sitting up you pulled your hand around Cairos neck kissing her deeper almost in a starving way. You were breathing heavy like you were taking a long run. Your heart was pumping so much blood through your body you felt like you couldn’t breathe. That’s what she made you feel like. You moistened your lips brushing them over the skin you could reach above the water. The effect Cairo Sweet had on you was crashing down on you like hard rain. No matter how hard you tried to keep your defenses up, keep those feelings deep inside of you away and hidden… she managed to get them all out. You had no control. One moment you felt nervous and shy, the next you forgot about it all and became a pool of desire and longing. This woman was your weakness and you were sure she could bring out things of you… you wouldn’t recognize yourself.

[copperpipes]

Someone sent an ask about green and black beetles and it got me thinking about DC's Martians' designs because of how I designed blue beetle and the fact that green beetle is martian. So I redesigned martians :]

I have lots of beef with american alien concepts (xenomorph too but less for various reasons) especially intelligent alien species' designs. Yes, i understand the audience needs to empathize with our alien heroes, Cameron, but then they stop being alien. Aliens don't need to be appealing visually, psychologically or socially to us at all, if you are intending to write them seriously.

But of course, all this applies only if you want your writing and design to be realistic or close to reality.

I have several noted points about DC's Martians I'd like to question and or correct in my design, I'll be going off of young justice's martian designs because those are the least human canon designs of them and the most interesting ones. (They can mostly be seen at the beginning of season 4 of YJ) here's the green beetle without the suit and miss martian for reference:

In the show martians are shown to not only have a variety in color but also body type (in some places) which is rare even in an animated show with just humans so big kudos for the animators on that, big fan.

AND martians have webbing between their fingers, arms and torso in this design which could point that they were a water dwelling species in the far past, so also a very big fan of that.

To the redesign:

I had a few ideas.

First I got rid of the teeth on the outside and turned them into a beak because that would be the same thing. Proportionally they are also quite different from the original.

I have some issues with martian abilities. The density shifting is ridiculous (leave it to the ghosts who can bend reality) flying would be unnecessary with the gravity on Mars, there shouldn't be a reason why they could do that. Telekinesis too, for what? What would be its purpose? For survival? They would have found a way without it and otherwise it is physically impossible. *huff*

But some are forgivable, like shape shifting and camouflage if you don't have bones which i solved and telepathy which could just be a very specific frequency only they could emit and hear, that could be adjusted depending on who they were speaking with (with the reading thoughts bit just make them loose the ability to lie, problem solved.) Of course that would also mean their vocal cords wouldn't be made for human speech, but that technology can solve.

The weakness to fire could just be because Mars is also a lot colder then earth.

Our biochemistry should be similar enough tho, carbon based n' all. @wazzappp i thought maybe you would want to see this :>

[gmax-centiskorch]

Mainline Pokémon Games Based on How Buggy They Are: A Thread

Red, Blue, & Yellow

Pretty buggy. The Butterfree line set the stage for regional bugs and emotional trauma. Everybody loves Scyther. Inspired use of Cordyceps when designing the Parasect line. Kabuto and Kabutops should have been Bug to honor trilobites for founding Arthropoda. 8/10.

Gold, Silver, & Crystal

Yes, we had Scyther, but what about second Scyther? Scizor, Heracross, and Shuckle are legends. Game Freak decided to invite arachnids (Spinarak and Ariados) to the party, truly redefining what it means to be buggy. 9/10.

Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald

This generation is loaded with bugs! Game Freak realized their mistake in not giving the Kabutops line Bug typing, making up for it with Anorith and Armaldo (who are based on Anomalocaris). They fumble the recovery, however, in not only depriving the Flygon line of Bug typing, but forever making them second fiddle to the Salamence line. The Beautifly, Dustox, and Ninjask lines introduce some interesting approaches to Bug-type evolution. Volbeat and Illumise are there. 7.8/10.

Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum

DELELELELELEWHOOOOOOP! A smaller collection of bugs this gen, but a well-rounded one. Vespiquen slays. Scorpions get some love via Skorupi, Drapion, and Gliscor. Writing this post is making me realize that slugs, snails, and nudibranchs like the Magcargo and Gastrodon lines aren’t bugs. We grew up thinking snails were bugs, right? Anyway, Yanmega rules. 8/10.

Black, White, Black 2, White 2

Game Freak’s magna opera. Truly the buggiest games there are. While you have to wait until Pinwheel Forest to encounter your first bugs, you’re rewarded upon arrival with Sewaddle and Venipede, the larvae of the Leavanny and Scolipede lines. From there, you encounter the Crustle, Galvantula, and Volcarona lines. Game Freak has some more fun with Bug evolutions, having Karrablast steal Shelmet’s armor as they evolve into Escavalier and Accelgor (inspired by the real-world interactions between the ground beetle family Carabidae and the gastropods they feed on). Durant is our first proper ant, and we get our first (and only . . . ) legendary / mythical Bug in Genesect. These games made Bug my favorite type. 10/10.

X & Y

A big step down from the previous generation. This game hardly has any bugs. Do you like butterflies? You get a butterfly. Vivillon is a lovely butterfly that comes in all sorts of colors, but SURELY there are more bugs than that in France. 6/10.

Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon

Giant isopods! Diving bell spiders! Giraffe stag beetles! A true return to form. While the native bugs of Alola are great, we are also introduced to the ultra beasts, two of which (Buzzwole and Pheromosa) are really cool bugs. It seems they were going for wasps and bee flies when designing the Naganadel and Ribombee lines, but they don’t really work for me. Faint blemishes on an otherwise buggy generation. 8.5/10.

Sword & Shield

Centiskorch is the greatest Pokémon ever made. I have them tattooed on my arm. Blipbug is the worst Pokémon ever made. I see them in my nightmares. Interesting that they’re both Bug Pokémon, and that Game Freak really min-maxed with them. Fortunately, Blipbug evolves into Dottler and Orbeetle, who are great. Snom has a place in everyone’s heart, and Frosmoth is elegant as can be. 9.5/10.

Scarlet & Violet

I love Rellor and Rabsca! I . . . don’t really love the rest! Iron Moth and Slither Wing are great, but they’re nepo babies. Tarountula and Nymble are nice, but Spidops and Lokix leave something to be desired. Orthworm is a a big worm. At the end of the day, these games would be alright if they weren’t so wonkily coded and glitchy. Wish there was a better word for that. 7/10.

[cryptidclaw]

Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is! 

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place! 

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish 

Fish

Bass

Bream 

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone 

Apricot

Barley 

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain 

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening 

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc. 

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright 

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce 

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

[sabo-has-my-heart]

I Found You Again

3. Spoiler alert! Chapter 1044/Episode 1071 Spoilers!!!!!!

"Nika!Luffy and fem!reader where reader is the moon goddess. In the legends, the moon goddess and the sun god Nika were lovers that seperated to help humanity. Before Luffy is awakened, he feels a strange bond toward reader and so does she. Reader always loves being by his side, even in battle, which leads to her joing the crew. After the battle with Kaidou, Luffy was seriously injured. However, Luffy's awakening also trigger reader's awakening. Reader turns into goddess form that helps healing Luffy. Seeing reader in that form, Luffy laughs and pulls her in for a kiss, saying that he now knows why he is attracted to her, she was his, all this time. Reader, crying as now finally reunited with him, returns his kiss."

Warnings: Chapter 1044/Episode 1071 Spoilers!!!!

Word Count: 1180

     Nika gave his beloved a smile, though his eyes were brimming with tears. He really didn’t want to separate, much less like this.

     “I love you Nika and I know we’ll find each other again. One as untamable and restless as you? I have no doubt you’ll look for me. Just be careful. The humans are more fragile than we are.” the goddess said, giving her white haired lover a kiss.

     “I love you too G/n, I promise I’ll find you. You’re the only one who I would be willing to be chained by and the one I trust most not to do so. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, we’ll be making them strong, then they won’t be as fragile.” Nika gave her his usual sunny smile, followed by his little ‘shishishi’ laugh that always made her smile. She gave him one last kiss, before touching her forehead to his as they disappeared, heading to the earth below.

     He’d always felt close to you, from the moment he saw you, he felt something for you. Granted, he didn’t know what he felt for you, only that it was something. Almost immediately, he’d asked you to join his crew. No reason given, just ‘join my crew!’. The others hadn’t been sure what to make of it. Most of them had joined for a reason, but you weren’t a navigator, a sniper, a first mate, a cook, or a musician. You weren’t an archaeologist, a shipwright, or a doctor. You were a devil fruit user on an island they stopped by. Okay, sure, you wanted to go out to sea, you said you were searching for… something. You’d told them it was a meaning, a purpose to your life, but you still weren’t like the others. Sure, you were strong, and yeah, you could fight, but Luffy hadn’t even known that in the beginning. Just, ‘join my crew’. Of course Luffy loved being around you constantly once you’d joined. Whether it was playing games on the deck, talking about beetles or something one of you found interesting, sitting next to you during meals, or even just laying on the grass together in silence. Where one was, the other could be found. Fights were much the same unless Luffy was fighting a particularly difficult opponent, you were by his side and had each other’s backs. That being said, he always made sure your safety was a priority. Meaning if he thought the fight would be too much for you, he got you out of harm's way.

     Looking up at the top of the skull that made up Onigashima, you couldn’t help the horror that filled you. Luffy… you couldn’t hear him anymore. Couldn’t hear his heart. Tears ran down your cheeks, your beloved was gone. You didn’t even notice the sudden pounding that resonated throughout your body. He couldn’t be gone, yet there was nothing coming from the rooftop. Another pulse ran through your body as your eyes changed color. Even in your pain induced trance, you noticed the strange pulsing that resonated throughout your body. Not that you cared, not until the sound of drums reached your ears. Your hair began to float slightly as it lengthened, turning a silvery white like the moon. The drums seemed to pick up in beat and volume as you smiled. Somehow, he wasn’t dead, ignoring Kaido, you shot up to the roof, your new found powers sending you flying through the air as you smiled, landing beside a rather different Luffy. His hair and clothes were white and though he was still wounded, he smiled at you. Placing a hand on his cheek, you smiled. Your touch was cool but pleasant as his wounds stitched themselves closed, his smile widening. As soon as he was healed enough to move, he was tackling you and pulling you into a kiss.

     “Shishishi, I found you, G/n! Told you I would!” Luffy said with a wide grin, though he wasn’t entirely certain as to what he was saying. Your name was Y/n, not G/n and he’d never promised to find you to the best of his knowledge, but the words left his mouth before he could think about them, not that he would have anyway.

     “I suppose you did. Now if only I could convince you to be careful for once!” you teased, taking his face in your hands. Luffy could only give you his signature little laugh as he smiled at you.

     “I was careful, promise! Besides, you’re here so now I’ll always be okay! You always make me feel better!” he said, pulling you into an embrace. His eyes suddenly widened as he pulled away, remembering what was happening below, “Oh! I forgot about Kaido! Hang on! I need to finish my fight!” he said excitedly, making you laugh.

     “You are absolutely not doing this without me this time!” you said as Luffy reached down to grab Kaido. Though Luffy’s sudden transformation seemed to surprise the others, you found yourself oddly unphased by his new look and abilities as you stayed on the roof with him. You wouldn’t jump in unless he needed it, Nika had never needed your aid before. Your brow furrowed as you shook your head. Luffy, Luffy had never needed your help in a fight before. Where had Nika come from? The ‘fight’ didn’t take long, Luffy easily defeating Kaido before stretching his arms and pulling you close again, giving you that same sunny smile he always gave you.

     The both of you seemed to return to ‘normal’ as you stood atop Onigashima together, though it was clear Luffy was feeling rather drained.

     “Rest, my sunlight. You’d been through a lot tonight. Just as the moon watches over those who slumber away, I’ll watch over you as you sleep.” you said softly, gently lowering him to the ground and lightly forcing his head into your lap. It wasn’t even 5 seconds later that his snores filled the air, letting you watch over and protect him as he rested. Though you’d healed some of his injuries, he would still need a great deal of rest. Picking him up and putting him on your back, you carried him back down to the others, smiling when they gave you odd looks.

     “There’s no way to explain anything without sounding insane, just trust me that Luffy and I are alright and there’s no need for concern. He’ll need a few days of rest though. Awakening a devil fruit like his is… a strain on his body.” you said, as you all headed off of the ‘island’ that now sat not far from the flower capital. Turning your head, you smiled at your sleeping love. You were finally reunited, truly reunited. Though you still didn’t understand why your mind kept calling him Nika or why you felt like you’d just reunited when you’d been fighting your way up to the top together, you could figure it out later, all that mattered right now was that you were together and he was alive.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Shonweak

This is an unusual one in terms of whether people have preconceptions on what it looks like. On one hand, the medieval interpretation of this animal is widespread and generally known, at least in comparison to other bestiary material -- shows up in modern fantasy and everything -- so it's possible that people familiar with medieval stuff recognized it on sight and had to work against those preconceptions. On the other hand, the medieval interpretation is pretty much completely divorced from reality, so anyone coming at it from a background of Actually Knowing Animals rather than one of Knowing Medieval Nonsense is likely going to be baffled.

Anyway, as usual, if you're confused by what I'm talking about, please refer to https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. And you can find the entry that artists are working from here:

Art below the cut, roughly chronological, &c.

@silverhart-makes-art (link here) says that they wanted to draw a Weird Little Creature, and... mission accomplished, that creature sure can Weird and Little. I kind of love it; it's got that vibe that makes something simultaneously cute and kind of unsettling. The linked post goes into some detail about design decisions and the real-world animals they used for inspiration. Something I think is particularly clever is how they not only incorporated the carapace from the beetle they were inspired by, but they also made the profile of the head fit with that, so that it also looks kind of beetle-like despite being obviously mammalian.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) also had Beetle Thoughts and decided to just run with them, creating an impressively-realistic-looking drawing of a beetle. (I think I'm just a sucker for black-and-white naturalist-style art, because lately I keep looking at CheapSweets's work and going "ooh, look at the stippling and everything". Plus I'm perennially impressed that they do this with a fountain pen.) There's some detailed discussion in the linked post about what specific beetles this design takes inspiration from, as well as how they envision this animal functioning in general, and that's really interesting, so I recommend checking it out. (Did you know there was a beetle known as the "diabolical ironclad beetle"? Delightful.) Additionally, they note that we should imagine bright warning colors, but they didn't have time to add them. Also, thank you CheapSweets for providing alt text.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) also notes that this critter would have bright warning colors if she'd had time to color it. Apparently this design is inspired by poison-type Pokemon, which I can definitely see: that's a credible Pokemon design. It's all gloopy for putting out fires. I find it interesting that there's a degree of consensus on this entry being interpreted in this way -- replies on the original post expressed that That Is A Pokemon, and seemingly SweetlyFez agrees. I like the side-eye it's giving, too. (And thank you for including alt text.)

@pomrania (link to post here) was the one to label this a Pokemon in the replies, and we can see that they've run with that a bit, as this is also a credible Pokemon design. It's a little bit cat, a little bit dragon, and a little bit liquid so it can put out fire. I like that it looks so pleased with itself while causing problems.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has decided that the Shonweak is an armadillo. This illustration shows some very nice Stylized Trees, I must say, and I particularly like the visual effect showing that the Shonweaks are poisoning the one on the left. (Coolest-Capybara also makes note of the Pokemon thing.) For an explanation of why they are armadillos, please see the linked post.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has drawn a very charming little creature. I love the puffed-up cheeks & throat sac, and the effect that has on its facial expression. If you check out the linked post for a proper description of this beast, you'll find it's quite interesting -- I particularly like the idea that it spits poison by filling its throat sac with water and then allowing its natural poison to seep into that water. I think that's pretty clever.

Now, to the Aberdeen Bestiary, where the illustrator has done a Scene that takes up most of the page:

That's a heck of a thing, right? I really like it, to be honest. We've got the cool Stylized Tree with critters wrapping around the branches, we've got the ones in the fire doing kind of a flame-like pose, and of course we have a dead guy at the bottom. The last of these just strikes me as funny for some reason.

Anyway, as I think multiple people guessed, this is the salamander.

No, the illustrator had apparently never seen one, so they've drawn snakes instead, probably because of the association with poison.

Anyway, I was surprised to learn (just now actually) that salamanders really are quite poisonous. I have no idea whether they can poison food and water in the way that the author describes -- that seems a bit extreme -- but I don't think I know enough to rule it out.

The fire thing... well, that's definitely not the case. I'm not really sure where that came from. I've heard the explanation that people in the past would occasionally see salamanders crawling out of fires, and thus form the idea that they were fireproof, unaware of the fact that the salamanders were just hiding in their firewood and are fleeing the fire as a result of being Definitely Not Fireproof. I don't know how credible that is, though.

This fire association may have been amplified by... well, look at this:

That's Salamandra salamandra, aka the fire salamander. It's pretty common and widespread in Europe, and is also among the largest salamanders on the continent, so it's reasonable to think this is the one that pre-modern Europeans would have in mind. And you know, that coloring definitely gives the impression of "this is a Fire Guy". If one were to see this salamander crawling out of a fire (worth noting that the Wikipedia article does say they like to hide under fallen wood, so maybe that idea tracks), and knew nothing about zoology, you could see how they might think "yes, that looks like something that was supposed to be in there."

[frango-maconheiro]

Welcome Home

Wally Darling x GN!reader

part one ! part two

☆ My sandwich lover crush (part three) ☆

𑁍𖹭 Thank you all for the support and silly comments. You guys are awesome! 𖹭𑁍

☆ I appreciate criticism, ideas, and your opinions. ☆

Trigger Warning: none

🪼 when you woke up, you were laying in a really green grass. where are you? you look around to see that you're in the middle of a forest, a weird one that is, all trees got different colors on the leaves, like, there was literally some with purple leaves, you've never heard about a forest like this.

🪼 you look into your arms to see that your sandwich is still there and in good condition. feeling happy that at least you have a sandwich, you give it a little kiss and proceed to take a bite out of it.

🪼 you stretch yourself and get up. You don't really feel anything wrong with your body, but you still check yourself for anything weird and find nothing wrong. that's good.

🪼 "This makes no sense." You think to yourself. Why would someone kidnap you in the middle of the night, not really harm you, and bring you to the middle of the woods? maybe you were gonna be used as a sacrifice, but they didn't really like you, so they just dumped you to die here? you don't really wanna know.

🪼 you put your hand on your pocket to grab your phone just to feel nothing. Oh yeah, you forgot that you had put it to charge. Well, there's nothing you can really do about it. It's not like you knew you would need it. At least you have your precious emotional support sandwich.

🪼 you've been walking in a straight line all this time, enough time for you to realize that you're not dreaming and that this is probably some kind of wonderland because you've encountered all kinds of insects and they were all squishy, cartoon like, shiny, colorful, cute lil guys with big silly eyes, its like they all came out of a children's book!

🪼 your favorite one yet is this big rhinoceros beetle you found! it walked so silly, and it started following you after you gave it a piece of your sandwich, so you decided to take it with you.

🪼 finally, after so much time of walking without any trace of civilization, you heard it, voices coming from further away. you start walking a little faster, not running, you don't want to leave your little beetle friend behind.

🪼 finally, you get close enough. you hide in the shadows behind some trees, taking a peek at those who are making all these noises. you clear your vision to look again. It can't be. These aren't people. They're puppets!

🪼 specifically the puppets from that show you were watching yesterday. y'know the one with the silly cast where that silly puppet with big eyes, banana skin, and deep blue cotton candy hair tried talking with you, and you changed the channel on his face? yes, yes, that one.

🪼 you're not really that shocked. You've encountered enough silly bugs to collect your sanity back together. besides, you're pretty sure you could beat the shit out of them if you wanted. like, why would most of them actually know how to fight?

🪼 you find it quite interesting that they look more like the art version that you saw in the countdown screen than actual puppets.

🪼 it was starting to get so boring to watch them play and have a nice picnic that you began to notice that someone was missing. It was Wally, Wally was missing.

🪼 "Where the fuck did Wally went???" you swear you had just saw him minutes ago, you search around to find nothing, he's gone.

🪼 you feel your beetle bonking its head on your right leg, glancing at it, you watch as it points toward something - no, someone. squinting your eyes a little, you see Wally, who stopped walking when you finally noticed his presence.

🪼 he was looking directly into your eyes with that smile of his. he waves at you. "Hello, are you new here?" He gets closer, "What's your name? I could show you around." he says, perking up a little at the offer he made.

🪼 he looks shady, but you're starving, and you're practically homeless now. "Sure, buddy, lead the way." You tell him. his smiles get wider, and his pupils expand. It reminds you of a cat. If you couldn't feel his excitement before, now you could. "Wonderful! I gotta introduce you to everyone first."

🪼 He runs into your direction, practically jumping. He holds your wrist and drags you toward the others. he is so excited that you can't help but giggle. if this continues, this man will grow into your heart in no time.

🪼 at the same time you found it cute you also took a notice at how Wally's grip is fucking strong, and he doesn't seem to be even gripping your wrist that hard. He could probably snap your wrist if he wanted.

🪼 Everyone seemed confused by Wally running until they saw you, who was trying your best not to fall while running alongside Wally.

🪼 "Hey Wally, who's that behind you?" The orange dude asked, you forgot his name. "This, my friends, is our new neighbor! their name is.." Wally turns his head to look at you. "Oh yeah, you never told me your name."

🪼 "My name -" but as you were about to answer, a cute puppet with little horns runs up to you with another cute puppet by their side. "Hiii!!! my name's Julie!!" Julie tells you enthusiastically, "And he's Frank!!" she points at the guy by their side. "Hello." Frank greets you with a small wave. "Hii, it's nice to meet you two." You greet them back. they seemed nice.

🪼 "Well, now could you tell us your-" now Wally is the one interrupted. "Hi, new neighbor. Welcome to the neighborhood. Do you want some cake? I'm Howdy." Howdy extends one of his hands with a plate with a very good-looking cake. "Oh, thank you, Howdy!" You shake his hand, sitting on the grass with them. someone taps on your should, and you look to see that orange guy. "Nice to meet you, neighbor. I'm Eddie, the mailman. " You greet him and give him a little wave of your free hand.

🪼 you grab a spoon, taking a bite out of the cake that was given to you. this cake is really good. Whoever made this could make your birthday cake at any time. although you were really enjoying your time, you couldn't shake of the stare you were getting.

🪼 you look to your side to see who was staring so much at you only to be met with Wally's expended pupils. his stare is so intense, it's like he's in a trance, it's kinda creepy, but it also reminds you of a cat. You wonder if he would slap your hand if you tried to pet his hair.

🪼 "neighbor, tell me your name." he whispered, it sounded almost like a command. "Sure, but only if you let me pet your hair." you whispered back. he tilted his head a little to the side, "What do you mean?" he doesn't know what petting is? now that's surprising.

🪼 "Well, it's when someone does this, see?" You extend your arm to pet his hair. His hair is so fuzzy and soft. it seems like he liked it because he eventually started closing his eyes, leaning into your touch.

🪼 It's been ten minutes, and you thought you petted his hair long enough, but when he didn't feel anymore petting and opened his eyes to see your hand leaving, he immediately grabbed it. "What are you doing, neighbor? Pet me more."

🪼 now you're stuck with petting Wally's hair and eating cake. you don't mind, but he seems very comfortable, too comfortable, I mean, he literally put his head on your lap so you could pet him more. silly cat man.

🪼 for now, you're just sticking with these guys until you can find a way to get out, to eat your sandwiches.

☆ what do you guys think? ☆

[outofangband]

Dor-lómin residents and animal headcanons:

I did the Fëanorians here and I was very bored at work

edit: reposted with  more information  and edits I couldn't check for !

Other headcanons for them can be found in the character tags! I know I’ve talked a few times about these characters and animals before especially Aerin :)

Húrin

Húrin likes animals, both the domestic ones and wild ones. He has had several cows he was especially fond of and he likes ermine and pine Martin like creatures. He finds them funny to watch.

Incidentally, the animals I always associate with Húrin are mongooses, meerkats, sparrows and river otters because they’re family oriented creatures who are also small, snarky and infamously antagonize large predators (sparrows go after crows, mongooses and meerkats go after huge venomous snakes and river otters go after crocodiles)

Huor also likes cows. He likes gentle ones he can pet while he daydreams. I could see him with a large, fluffy cat.

Both him and Húrin remember being in awe at the golden leopards they would occasionally see along the outskirts of Gondolin, in the mountains. Additionally, him and Húrin also do both love eagles. Húrin has an eagle feather tattoo

Túrin as a child liked animals in theory but was usually afraid of bigger ones. He was also very sensitive to animal death. There is a small bird graveyard in the back garden Túrin insisted on creating. He liked hearing about animals from Sador or Rían. Aerin and Húrin both tried to get him interested in horses with little success. They would have definitely tried again had there been the chance to

Túrin in Doriath really liked animals and plants! His favorites were the quails that the marchwardens kept and strange pale turtles Nellas would show him in pools deep within Neldoreth He doesn’t have too many strong opinions on animals until his time in Brethil to be honest.

Lalaith loved chasing butterflies! She also likes bunnies and chickens.

Morwen I’m uncertain about. I don’t think she has a favorite animal but if she does, she’s certainly not going to say it. She tends to be extremely unsentimental when it comes to animals though she does have fond memories of her father taking her to watch birds as a young child on early mornings when he was home and of catching lizards with Rían in the summer.

I do headcanon she is unafraid of skeletons and especially as a child and teenager had an interest in the bones because as I’ve said, she was a morbid child 🍃. I love theoppositeofprofound ‘s image of her as a child with a crown made from starling(?) bones. That exactly fits my thoughts about her, her aesthetic and her disposition.

Niënor liked bugs and frogs as a kid. She liked to find and save bugs in the house and bring them outside. She developed a rather unsentimental view of some animals as a child such as rabbits and some birds which they could occasionally kill to eat.

I love exploring the connections and associations with her and deer

Sador enjoys the animals he sees from his windows, especially rabbits and red foxes. He is rather intimidated by horses. They are Unpredictable.

Aerin, who I headcanon as an animal lover in general, really loves horses! I’ve talked about this a lot, most recently here, but them and the role they play in Hadorian society is extremely important to her.

She also has a pet goat which she adores. Goats aren’t usually raised by the Hadorians but this one she got from a passing group who occasionally traded with her people. She raised it from when it was a baby with a bottle. Aerin also likes bumblebees and hedgehogs

She has a complicated feelings about pigeons

Rían loves colorful animals especially. Birds, butterflies and dragonflies, brightly colored lizards she would see on sunny days in Ladros, even some beetles. She also has a fondness for owls and crickets.

Note: didn’t put Brodda on this list because he doesn’t deserve to be on it.

As always please feel free to ask more!

[s-b-party]

Tayzzyronth & Oroboros: Aeons of Deadly Sins

****Honkai star rail spoilers/simulated universe spoilers/swarm disaster spoilers****

*The moment Herta described them as being arch enemies, my mind immediately started falling into a rabbit hole trying to analyze them both & some thoughts have been cooking lol

So who are these 2 Aeons? They recently have made more formal appearances (we finally get to see their forms) in the newest hsr patch specifically in simulated universe

Tayzzyronth is the Aeon of Propagation & Oroboros is the Aeon of Voracity; propagation refers to reproduction while voracity is excessive eating

I’d like to suggest that Tayzzyronth & Oroboros are aeons that represent 2 of the 7 deadly sins: lust & gluttony respectfully

*Note: lust can refer to extremely strong sexual desires but without sexual connotations it simply refers to an extremely strong desire/emotion for something you crave*

Tayzzyronth often self-replicated & the heirs they created eventually became their faction, the Swarm

The reason why they started reproducing was bc they feared being alone since they were the last of the Coleoptera (scientific name for beetle) so they had an extremely strong desire to procreate

As for Oroboros, they devour everything that gets in their way since everything including worlds will simply return to the void in the end

Now that we’ve established how they depict lust & gluttony, let’s look at their dynamic

Both are said to have been enemies & it seems that Tayzzyronth died in a war (which involved Oroboros) at the hands of multiple Aeons according to Kafka

What I find interesting is that (like in my analyses of Lan & Yaoshi and Nanook & IX) they have a few similarities

For instance what they do is mindless (all Tayzzyronth & Oroboros can think of/do are self-replicate & consume; I think it’s important to remember that doing mindless tasks doesn’t always equate to intelligence especially when they do it in repetitive cycles; the word mindless usually gets associated w/ low intelligence which Herta implies that Tayzzyronth & the Swarm have)

They may represent different deadly sins but they are different manifestations of greed in essence, all being forms of excessive desires

They also both have similar color palettes where they use cool colors (various shades of purple) which are paired with some reds or blues; to me this is showing that in spite of their differences they do share some similarities/vibes (not evil per se but destructive)

Now to look at their dynamic from a different light, I want to first point to how them being enemies makes sense if we consider what creatures they resemble

Tayzzyronth as we already know is based off insects, the beetle to be more precise, while Oroboros is based off the mythological ouroboros which was usually a tail-devouring serpent; irl snakes & insects are normally enemies & snakes are the ones usually devouring insects although the reverse situation is also possible

Perhaps it is bc both are representative of different aspects of greed that they both would end up being enemies in the end anyway if they are to fight for dominance in this world (going back to the idea of survival of the “fittest”, meaning the stronger concept would prevail in this case)

If that is the case, the end of Tayzzyronth could imply that the desire to devour is stronger than the desire to procreate but I don’t think that’s exactly how it is because there is some irony to be found here

Even though Tayzzyronth has been deceased for some time, the Swarm still remains & they still are a menace to the universe due to the destruction they can cause, all of this while Oroboros doesn’t seem to leave any trace of the worlds they have devoured so I think that even though the Propagation is gone, their concept still has influence in the universe w/ as much “strength”/importance as the voracity

I’m really glad to have seen Tayzzyronth & Oroboros in the swarm disaster mode of simulated universe bc for me it looks like the Aeons have interesting & complex relationships with each other and I can’t seem to get over them 😂 I also like the designs of the aeons

They just have so much in their designs & stories which fascinate me, it’s just really fun chilling in the pool of aeon lore & dynamics :3

[claudemblems]

Jealous, Jealous | Wanderer + Itto Drabbles

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Summary: A man tries his luck with you only to end up on the receiving end of your boyfriend's wrath. Fem!Reader.

Notes: Itto's was so fun to write. He really does give off golden retriever energy 😭

Wanderer

The Wanderer may have sworn off his once violent and vengeful days, but the idea of taking the pathetic human being in front of him and burying him in the ground was a very tempting idea indeed.

“I’ll be all right going off on my own,” you’d told him, smiling without a single care in the world. Honestly, your naivety astounded him. Why did you feel the need to put blind trust into every person that you met? Didn’t you know that human beings are selfish creatures that don’t stop until they get what they want? That though they appear kind on the outside, they’re hiding a monstrous face underneath? All humans are the same in the Wanderer’s eyes.

Well, all but you, of course, and the Wanderer was determined to keep you untouched by the darkness of this world. 

That included shielding you from the worm that decided to try his luck with a taken woman.

"Please, sir, I'm not interested. I have a boyfriend."

"I can treat you much better than he can, sweetheart. All you have to do is give me a chance."

"I already declined. Please leave me alone…"

Just as the man's hands were about to meet your shoulders, he was sent flying backwards by a gust of wind, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"W-What was that?!" the man yelped, his expression contorted in pure terror.

"Retribution."

The Wanderer's voice cut through the tense air like a knife as he hovered above the stranger, watching his face quickly drain of color.

"W-Who are you?" 

"I'm the boyfriend, and, if you don't make your way out of here in the next five seconds, your one-way ticket to the other side."

It didn't take any more convincing for the man to scramble to his feet and sprint away as fast as he could. He didn't even dare to risk a glance back in your direction, probably out of fear that it would be his last. 

"That’ll teach him a lesson," Wanderer hissed. He then turned to you, his gaze stern. "Don't go out by yourself again. Humans don't deserve you, especially when they're willing to take advantage of your kindness."

Gently taking hold of your wrist, the Wanderer pulled you alongside him as he began the trek back to your camp, no doubt biting back another lecture on his tongue. You'd learned your lesson, and that was enough to put him at ease. Still…

"I don't want to lose you, so stay vigilant. I'll take the world down with me if it ever tries to hurt you."

Relief washed over you as you placed your hand in his, squeezing it gently. "As long as you're here, I know I'll always be safe."

A small, brief smile appeared on the Wanderer’s lips at your words. "Yeah, yeah. Save the flattery for the next time I'm forced to give you a talking to."

Itto

Should you have been concerned that your boyfriend was in the background pouting like a sad, injured puppy, or was this just normal Itto behavior?

You weren’t sure what had managed to get him into such a dreary mood, but during times like these, you found it best to leave Itto to himself, giving him some space while still keeping the floor open for him to come and voice his concerns to you personally. However, upon closer observation, you realized that at some point his pouting had turned into a not-so-quite menacing glare. Who was on its receiving end? Well, it seemed as though it was the man in front of you. Oblivious to Itto’s irritation, the stranger rambled on and on about his skills in beetle fighting, declaring that he was one of the best fighters in the game. He went so far as to even invite you to attend one of his matches.

“Uh, that’s very…kind of you, but I’m not so sure my boyfriend would like me going to someone else’s game—”

“What does his opinion matter? I’m inviting you. You can speak for yourself, can’t you?”

“I mean, yes—”

“Then it’s settled! Meet me by the coast tomorrow at noon.”

You frowned. “Wait a minute. I never said yes—”

“You don’t have a reason to turn me down, do you? I’m just a nice guy inviting you out. What’s the harm in that?”

“You said I could speak for myself, yet you’re speaking for me!”

“Oh, come on! Stop being so stubborn—AH!!!”

You blinked, taken aback by the man’s sudden terror. “Um, what are you screaming about?”

“Little buddy here is afraid of the Grand, Mighty, Formidable Arataki Itto, the very loved and appreciated boyfriend of [Name].”

You turned your head to find Itto standing behind you with arms crossed, the expression on his face indicating that he was less than pleased with the scene unfolding in front of him. When did he get there? “You’ve had your fun you pesky little weasel. It’s time to mosey your way out of here before I put the Arataki Gang on your trail!”

“Y-Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!”

You hadn’t even had the time to process what had happened before the man had already fled.

“What was that all about?”

Itto sighed dramatically as he clutched his chest. “You didn’t realize that he was trying to flirt with you? Oh man, I need to step up my romance game if you can’t even recognize the signs of love. I clearly haven’t given you enough affection. Don’t worry, I’ll fix that! I’ll shower you in kisses. I’ll carry you around everywhere we go. I’ll even get a nice new beetle and paint your initials on it to prove that I care for you—” “Itto,” you laughed, taking your hands in his. “I didn’t notice because I didn’t care. Everyone in Inazuma knows I’m yours. It doesn’t matter who flirts with me. I’m not interested in anyone besides the Grand, Mighty, Formidable Arataki Itto.”

A grin broke out on Itto’s face as he pulled you into a tight hug. “That’s my girl! I love you so much! You’re the best girlfriend I could ever ask for!”

You giggled, returning Itto’s enthusiastic embrace. “I love you, too, Itto.”

[tumblingdownthefoxden]

"The Assistant and The Star"

Chapter 6: When Old Wounds Bleed

*TW: emotional manipulation

Under the orange lights hung over the marketplace, Simon stood behind masked Asha as she and Hal investigated the stalls with little crafts. She still wanted to have something for Sabino when she returned. There were little people there, which meant no long lines, but the hard part was finding a stall with a little trinket he might like. It was no secret that Asha was great at gift giving, the unspoken part was how picky she was with potential gifts that she finds. Her friends had shown her several stalls but all of the options were either too big or too grand.

Now, Asha stood before a stall of jewelry that Hal suggested, belonging to an older Romani woman. “Is there anything in particular that you are looking for?” She asked. Asha looked up from the bracelets.

“Uhh, what do you recommend for birthday gifts?” “Hmm.” The woman put her hand to her chin. “For family or friends?”

“Family. It's for my grandfather.” Asha said.

“Oh. I know.” She bent down and brought up a box that she opened on the table, revealing 3 statues of rearing horses. “These are some of my best crafts that are in low demand.” She picked up a silver one. “I crafted this one from platinum, so it stays shiny for a long time. It's attached to a piece of raw labradorite stone. Looks unimpressive from the side but there is great wonder underneath.” She turned the horse over to show off the radiant color of polished labradorite at the bottom. Hal reach over and carefully held up the horse. She handed it to Asha but she shook her head. Not quite what he likes. The woman picked up a white horse.

“This one is carved from a block of white marble. If you look closely, you can see the curves and bulges of muscle on the body.” Hal took the horse to look closer at the minor details on the body. “The mane, tail, and hooves are layered with carefully placed gold leaf.”

“Oh, this is impressive.” Hal said. “What about that pale one?”

“Oh, this was my most difficult piece.” The woman commented as she picked it. “It was hard to find someone that sold real and high quality jade. Not to mention how hard it is to even chip at!” She looked at it with adoration and pain. “When I did get it to give way and become a horse, I lined some designs with molten gold.” She handed it to Asha. “Because it's jade, it won't easily scratch, but be careful not to hit it on something hard. It's hard but not tough.”

Asha examined the horses for a while. “These are beautiful but they're not I'm looking for. Do you have anything smaller?”

The woman bent under the stall, slightly upset that she couldn't sell her best crafts again. Nonetheless, she placed a long black box on the table. “These might do. Perhaps your grandfather has an interest in the exemplary rare?” She opened it to reveal an assortment of brooches. “The smaller the piece, the easier to add rare metals and stone.” There are a few shaped like leaves and flowers. Others are shaped like dragonflies, moths and various beetles. Now these were more his speed.

Hal held onto the marble horse. "Ma'am? Could I buy this horse please?" The shopkeeper's eyes widened. This was it! Her work wouldn't go to waste! "Oh! Yes! Of course! Let me packaged that for you." She chimes. Asha examined each brooch piece until she found a bronze brooch shaped like a Hercules beetle.

Great detail to the beetle. A shiny allure with a smooth surface. It was cool and nice to touch. Just his style! “This one is perfect! How much do you charge?”

…

Dahlia was talking to Gabo before a stall with wooden utensils when he noticed the three of them approaching. “Hey! You're back! Did you find anything for him?” She asked.

“Oh yeah, he should like it.” Asha held up a little dark box with the brooch inside before putting it in her satchel. “It will look good on his shirt.”

“Sweet. Hal, what’s you got there?”

“A horse!” She proudly held the box with the marble horse that she got for herself.

“Aren’t you worried about your budget? That horse was expensive.”

“Am I not the master of chaos? Had my hand not dealt with various trades? Do I not have all the means to twist fate in my favor? So why must I restrain myself. The world is ablaze my friends. Indulge in the gifts of life for tomorrow is never promised.“

Everyone looked at her like she just prophesied the heat death of the universe.

“Anyway… We found a new mural in the market.” Gabo said.

“Oh, another? Let me guess. Is it a dog playing with wishes? Or cats?” Asha asked, weary. There's been an odd trend in murals lately. No matter what, they all had to do with wishes.

“Oh, no. This one is of a bull!” Gabo pointed at the wall behind the utensil stall, where there lay a large painting of a happy bull wearing a flower wreath around his neck.

Now they had Asha's attention. Valentino stood back and looked over to notice some dandelion flowers at the corner of the stall. He licked his lips at the sight. First, he checked Asha. Then he checked Charo and the surrounding area. No one was near and Charo could handle a threat. Valentino walked over and sniffed the flower before eating it. It’s been so long since he got to eat some dandelions. He looked over to see a plucked dandelion laid on the ground a few feet away. He excitedly trotted out to eat that one too. There were three more dandelions laid out in a line from him. Valentino ate one more dandelion before looking back at the group. He was just past the stall and was farther from Asha than he wanted. Before he could walk back to her, a pair of hands seized Valentino. One hand closed over his mouth, the other held him against the body of a figure that disappeared into the night.

The others came to the scene and took a look at the wooden utensils when Simon spoke up. “Hey, uh, where did Valentino go?” Asha looked down and noticed his absence. She looked back at the jewelry stall and around the utensil stall. “Oh. Oh no!” She went. Valentino always went where she went. Not unless someone held onto him.

“Oh no. Did you see him?” She asked them. They shook their heads.

The group split to look for the baby goat. Simon and Charo stayed near Asha when they heard a soft and long bleat. From near the end of the market. Immediately, she ran after the sound. Simon ran after her when a young man ran out from the side, crashing into him and knocking both of them to the floor. “Ow! Watch where going! Ah!” He hissed.

Simon was the first to rise when he saw the unscathed man before him, hissing as he held his arm. “Oh stars! I am so sorry! I didn't see you!” He apologized, reaching down to help up the man whose legs had suddenly given out.

Asha went on without him, Charo still on her tail as more panicked bleats sounded. Running through alleyways and across streets. Nearing the edge of the city, the two passed by an alley when another pair of hands grabbed Charo in a similar manner as Valentino and retreated. Only a strained yowl called Asha's attention. She turned to see that she was now alone in her pursuit for her goat.

“What? Charo? Simon?” She called out.

“Looking for someone deary?” Asked a soft voice. A familiar voice. Asha froze. That voice. She slowly turned towards the forest to see a smiling woman with long blonde sausage curls. In her arms, she held Valentino, mouth clamped shut with her hand.

“Oh, hello there.” She said. She was still disguised so maybe she can just get Valentino and leave if she played dumb. “How are you doing today?”

“I'm a little upset actually. My hopes of getting my wish granted today were crushed.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe the King will grant your wish during the Autumn Equinox Ceremony. Or the King might grant it before then? You never know with him.”

“Oh yes, but I think his assistant might know.” She said with a knowing smile as she gently stroked Valentino’s face with her thumb. He bit down on her hand but she made no expression of pain. “But tell me Asha. Just how is the King?”

‘She knows!’

“He's… better. Can I please have my goat back?” She needed to leave now.

“Oh, why the rush? Can't a lady have a nice chat with her old friend?”

“I need to go home, Tiffany.”

“The night’s still young. I'm sure your mother won't mind. Speaking of your mother, I saw her on the stage. She was quite happy with her spinning wheel.”

“Oh yeah! She was waiting a while for it. Like everyone else up there.”

Tiffany’s smile disappeared. “I also saw her wink at you before getting off stage. Do you know why that is?”

“She wanted to say bye.”

“Are you sure? You are the King's assistant and she is part of your family.”

Asha took a step back. “What are you getting at, Tiffany?”

“Everyone knows the racket, Asha. The King's assistants get their wishes granted, and usually their family wishes too. Maybe even their closest friends.” Tiffany took a step forward.

“During your first year as his assistant, I told you my other wishes because he wouldn't take them. I remember those wishes, and I know they weren't granted.”

“I can't just convince the King to grant your wish! And I... stopped being friends with you a year ago!” She hesitated.

Valentino jerked as Tiffany dug her nails into his skin.

“You may have been on shaky grounds with me, but that doesn't excuse how you didn't tend to my needs!”

Asha lunged forward and yanked Valentino out of Tiffany's arms and made to run when two men appeared, blocking her path. One man was the same fellow that ran into Simon. The other was much larger and bulkier than him.

“Don't you consider friends to be your family?” Tiffany continued. “How come you were never home when I visited like before? How come you haven't sent me your letters anymore? How come no wish of mine that I gave you came about after nearly 3 years? The King was oddly polite with your mother so he was more than willing to fulfill her desires with her association to you. How did you even acquire this position without a care for the people.”

Asha still faced her new obstacles.

”Look at me when I'm talking!” Tiffany grabbed her sleeve to pull her closer. Asha yanked away but she held on, ribbing the cloak fabric. Valentino jumped down and rammed into Tiffany, making her lose her grip. The goat ran off past the men and into the city loudly bleating. “Hey, where are you-” Asha ran after him but the men took her by the arms and turned her around towards Tiffany, holding her in place.

“This... has..." It was happening again. "I don't... owe you anything.” It came out softer than Asha would like.

“You don't owe me anything?!”

She reached over and yanked off her mask. “Who was there to calm you down when you were getting ready for your interview with the King?” She continued “Who got you flowers to leave by your father on his birthday? Who got you a new sketchbook for your birthday? I have been so good to you and all I asked for in return were a few wishes, a little help for my needs. And you repay it all by making me sad during a festival!”

“I crawled to you at my most vulnerable moment to seek comfort only to be shut out because you had a busy life." She looked to the men holding her. "So I took matters into my own hands and got some friends who actually care about me." She looked back at Asha.

"As for you? You turned in a wish. The King granted it, didn’t he? How many people did you neglect when they asked you for the love that you offered. How many were left heartbroken because you were also "JuSt To BuSy" with the King and yourself.” Asha didn't respond to that. Tiffany gently lifted her chin with her finger. “Looking back at everything. I'm beginning to see why you lost so many friends in less than 2 years.”

Holding back tears, Asha knee kicked her under the chest. Tiffany buckled and backed up.

Before Asha could try anything with those holding her, Valentino returned and bit one of their legs. The bulkier man he bit looked down and kicked him off, only too suddenly let go of Asha. All his attention brought to the angry lynx that pounced onto his head. Tiffany looked up in frustration. “You… said… he could take care of the cat!” She stammered to the other man. “Wha- I did! How did it-” Before he could finish, a yellow and blue cape ensnared his head as Simon yanked him away from Asha. The man struggled and tried to back kick, in which Simon picked him up and threw him at the nearest tree like a ragdoll. Tiffany looked dumbfounded before she was brought into a chokehold by Dahlia with her cane, who looked ready to break her neck.

“Hey! Are you okay?” She asked. Asha was silent.

“Oh look, you even have a little entourage to save...” She fell silent as Simon pointed his sword at her with a look of silent rage. Slowly stepping back and sheathing his blade, Simon gently took Asha’s hand and led her away. Dahlia kicked Tiffany onto the ground before she picked Asha's mask and ran after them. Charo and Valentino followed behind her. Simon turned into an alleyway where Gabo and Bazeema rushed in before them. “We heard Valentino nearby. Did you find him? Oh stars! What happened to Asha?” Gabo asked. Asha was silent. A haunted look in her eyes. Simon sighed. “Asha was attacked by 3 people. Valentino found me and Dahlia and brought us to her.”

“WHAT!” Gabo shouted. He reached over and pulled out Simon’s sword. “Alright! Where are those punks!?”

“We’ve already handled them but we need to help Asha.” Dahlia said.

Bazeema walked over to Asha's side. “Do you want to sit down, Asha?” Bazeema asked gently. Silence. “Did they hurt you?” Again, silence.

Asha couldn’t form any words. Only the tears falling down her cheeks spoke of the storm brewing in her head. Everyone kept saying words. Words of comfort? Words of vengeance? Words of aid? Asha couldn't tell. Soon, it was just noise joining the brewing storm of voices in her head. It was all coming back to her.

The horror stories she heard from previous assistants. The soulless conversations of strangers that only wanted her to take their wishes to the King. Hecklers tracking her location to question if she turned in their wish or why the King won’t see their attendance.

Being crowded by countless people so she could jot down their wishes because she couldn’t risk any aggression by saying no. Inability to ask the King for help.

Asha’s breathing began to stagger.

The very people she aimed to help with her position turning her into a cash cow. With only a few to defend her from those who made her terrified to leave her home sometimes. Who envied that her wish might have been granted already. A wish that she knows hasn’t been granted yet.

She stepped back.

“Asha please. Talk to us.” Simon tried to assure. “How can we help you?” Asha slowly retreated.

Dahlia touched her hand. "What did Tiffany say to you?" Asha jerked back from the touch like she was bit.

Barely thinking, she ran away. She didn’t hear her friends calling for her to come back in her effort to stop the conversations and other memories from coming back.

She kept running out of the city and into the forest. No matter what she did, it all came flooding back and her eyes stung with tears.

All the friends she lost during her employment. The "friends" that only wanted to be with her because she might bring them their wishes.

Tiffany’s kindness during her darker moments. Tiffany using them to justify that she is in debt.

Becoming the King’s assistant because she was concerned with how tired everyone looked and wanted to help.

Too scared to leave her home once because people stalking her.

Exhausted and brokenhearted, she stopped and knelt down next to a tree, softly weeping. She finally took the chance to rest and have a fun evening. How did the evening go so wrong so quickly?

She felt something nudge her hip and turned around to see Valentino nuzzle her cloak. He looked up at her with sad eyes and walked over to snuggle into her side. She wiped her face with a hint of a smile, “Thanks buddy.”

She looked around the wilderness when her eyes landed on a Spanish moon moth on a nearby rock. It struggled to flap its wings, still wet from the previous drizzle. Asha reached over and held out her hand. The moth approached and crawled onto her palm.

Holding it carefully, she began to walk through the forest, trying to enjoy the scenery. As Asha walked, she found a well light house. Gazing at the window, she saw a carpenter set down a log and pull out his tools. In the blink of an eye, the carpenter shaped the perfect replica of a hand holding a wish. He had a wide smile looking at his creation but in less than he made it, he lost the smile and looked at his work with disinterest and walked away from it.

Asha looked at the statue with gloom. It was a wonderful statue.

She kept walking until she was on a bridge over a river. At the middle of the bridge, she looked down at swimming fish. Thinking about her wish that she wrote down while she was 17, to be one with the people. Still waiting for it come about. How much longer did she have to wait for change…

*cue in the gentle guitar

They say time will heal all your flays. So why does my heart still feel this ache

( Asha sadly looks at her reflection )

Was I so naive to believe. That I could relieve their woes and their hearts would be lightened

( She turns to the moth in her palm, reminiscing on the carpenter. )

But all my words fall on deaf ears. And now I go on to face all my greatest fears

( Valentino follows her with a concerned look as she walks off the bridge. )

But it's far from just. It cannot be that only I must fight back their apathy

So I look up the stars to guide me. And cast my burdens onto the sky

( She looks up at stars with a determined face )

If this is all that I have to drive me. Then may I be the first to stand in line

So I make this wish. For the world to change and us with it.

( The moth climbs to the tip of her fingers, stretching it's freshly wings )

So I make this wish. To have something more for than this

( She holds out her hands and... )

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah, ah.

More than this, oh whoa, whoa, ah

( Valentino jumps happily with moths as Asha faces the night sky. )

I never knew I needed space to fly. When all forms of force had made me shy.

( Asha runs along the hills. )

There's a great fire scorching inside my heart. But now I need an idea on where to start

( She takes off the cloak and hangs it on a tree. She pulls out her sketchbook. )

Because in the constellations are revelations. Of how despair will be followed by the light.

Even if it's not in near sight. I will not stop doing what is right

( She starts flipping through pages of constellations of mythical heroic figures. )

Now I am locked in this feeling of anticipation. So let this be what I need to do.

I'm wading through the water and my head's held high. The way you always taught me to

( Asha looks a drawing of the tree with herself and her dad. The paper is illuminated and Asha looks up to see the North Star shining brighter than before. )

So I look out at the stars to guide me. I'm taking this to be a sign

( She runs along the path, jumping over rocks and roots. Valentino close behind. Her eyes still on the Star, shining through the tree branches. It leads her to the great tree at the cliff side. )

I'm sure they'll be challenges that find me. But I can take them on one at a time

( Asha climbs up the branches to steps along a steady branch, looking up at the star. )

So I make this wish. For the world to change and us with it.

So I make this wish. To have something more for us than this

( The wind picks up. Flower petals and leaves swirl around her and even dragonflies pass by her. )

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah.

More than this, oh whoa, whoa, ah

So I make this wish. To have something more for us than this

( Asha sits down on the branch and "this" ends with a soft note. The Star shining on her face right before the music swells. )

A/N: WHY ARE SONGS SO HARD. I wrote down my song lyrics here because I don't feel like doing an entire comic for the sequence. Anyway, I got new characters and more antagonists! This will be chaotic and fun. Tiffany's dialogue was difficult but I think she was characterized well. We need to continue tradition of bastardly women with sausage roll hair. Enjoy some sad Asha.

Hang on to your socks. Altan will arrive next chapter.

@annymation @signed-sapphire @chillwildwave @wings-of-sapphire @oh-shtars @uva124 @cocoapowderpictures @your-ne1ghbor @rascalentertainments @mythartist21 @hopeyarts @flicklikesstuff @spectator-zee

[tuhbanbuv]

Welcome Home Bug Infestation Theory!

A lot of people (including me) think that something is up with Home, but I wanna introduce an alternate theory or idea because we're probably barely 1/8th of the way into the story and it's probably foolish to come to conclusions SO early.

This year's update to the Welcome Home website included a plethora of new content, including random gifs of cute little bugs! However, I started to get an idea...

A sudden infestation of bugs? In a studio that has been suddenly abandoned for seemingly no reason, with the official description of the project being "You are to accompany a colorful cavalcade of puppets as their beloved neighborhood begins to skew and distort into a nightmarish memory that they can barely recall." It feels like a recipe for disaster because there are a plethora of bugs that eat fabric like felt which is essentially THE PUPPETS' SKIN.

This is a carpet beetle. They are notorious for eating fabric, hence the name "carpet" beetle, and if you leave a bunch of stuffed animals or cloth in a corner to rot for a bit you'll be sure to find a bunch of their larvae stuck on them. Needless to say, they'd give The Neighborhood a bunch of trouble!

Here's some of the bugs from the website. While they're super cute and super stylized (actual bugs aren't this adorable), I can't help but think that they kinda resemble carpet beetles just a TEENY bit. Not a lot though, but there's more bugs than carpet beetles that eat fabric, like moths, cockroaches, silverfish, and even crickets!

While I don't know if the images on the About page are considered canon anymore, there's a lot of emphasis on decay in the background. While yes, Wally looks threatening, notice the lack of blood on his hands. He might just be a bystander. But there's also a trend of Wally perhaps putting the puppets back together. Huh. Also there's artwork of Frank, the residential bug lover, holding what looks like a censored letter, something that's associated with his love interest, Eddie, the mailman. In the clips on the website, Eddie is implied to do deliveries for Howdy, who basically sells everything to everyone. Frank would be curious and love the bugs, but if they're harmful or parasitic, they'd spread EASILY.

And Home might be as well. In the final recording, Barnaby and Home are talking about their day and joking around until they notice Wally acting weird. Home makes noises when Barnaby is asking if Wally is ok, but they don't seem to sound as threatening as they sounded in the beta clip of Wally singing to them on the first website. They seem a bit concerned as well. Maybe Home isn't intending to be bad, maybe that picture of Wally looking up to Home's eye isn't just Home keeping Wally stuck inside...

Maybe they're keeping something out. Maybe The Neighborhood got infested and Home, who presumably has control over keeping the doors and windows closed due to them being a part of Home, can probably keep Wally hostage to an extent if everyone else were infested, and maybe that's where the "isolation" part of the TWs on the About page comes in.

Maybe that's why Wally's posing with a headless Barnaby. He probably loses it after being "protected" by Home and discovers the replicas or backups of his puppet friends and tries to "fix" them.

That, and Wally's emphasis on having "more eyes than he used to" is interesting when bugs come into play. While people have connected it to the rush of fanart of Wally, what if this can mean something else? Maybe Wally found puppet back-ups of him or...he's talking about bugs that can also have more than two eyes, especially if there's swarms of them.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Longhorn Beetle - Graphisurus fasciatus

Even in the city, there's no shortage of interesting insects to discover and observe while walking around. Naturally, insects are more likely to be found among plants and green areas of urban areas, but some may find advantages in the big city. Case in point, this Longhorn Beetle - which has no common name - might've been stepped on had I not noticed it. There was an unusual break in the sidewalk's texture, and that's where I scooped it up for a closer look. Perhaps the mottled stripes lining its shell is intended to facilitate camouflage against stones and the grey bark of hardwood trees. The ability to blend in with concrete is likely a happy accident, but it was an effective guise. This feisty Beetle was otherwise in defense mode and used every trick at its disposal to try and "evade" me. Strategy 1, sprinting along my hand and arm to try and escape. After that, it seems this individual has an affinity for grey surfaces. Strategy 2: while observing it on my hand, the Beetle turned to face me and then flew straight on my shirt (which was grey - see Picture 5) several times. You can even see this Beetle's takeoff pose in Picture 4 before charging into me!

It really seemed to want to fly and then remain on my shirt as when I picked it up to return it to my palm, the Beetle squeaked in protest! That's strategy 3, and the last line of defense in this situation (but it could have just dropped to the ground or flown away). I've heard research outline this defense before in other Beetle species, but this was the first time I've heard it in person. The squeak is created by thoracic plate stridulation and while small, it can be startling. For a more common example, you may be able induce and observe this behavior in Milkweed Beetles by gently holding their abdomen. While that specie is more common, this specie may take more time to find, and then confirm. While researching to identify this specie, it appears that is often confused with G. despectus, a fellow Longhorn. In comparing many images of the two species, I'm more confident in G. fasciatus being correct, primarily due to 2 factors: a gray marking just behind the scutellum and more mottling along the wingcase as opposed to more solid colors. For a fair comparison, I hope to find more of these Beetles in the future, perhaps hiding in nearby trees.

Pictures were taken on June 15, 2024 with a Google Pixel 4.

[a-jaded-mirage]

Blue Beetle and El Paso

I would be lying if I said that I was not disappointed by the canonical home of Jaime Reyes being changed both in the movie and in recent comics. However, I would also be lying if I said that I absolutely detested the movie for whatever reason. I enjoyed the movie for what it was and what it meant to the Hispanic and Latinx communities. It is a huge deal, and I think it was done well. Going back to my original point, it is hard to be disappointed when it feels as though I am not missing out on much when Blue Beetle's relationship with El Paso was never done true justice anyway.

The West Texan Mexican-American experience is hard to fully encapsulate into one solid thought or idea. I can confidently say that the approach DC had in most iterations of the comics, cartoons, recent movie, and other forms of media always toned the experience down and made it a duller aspect of his story. I can not recall even a single time when El Paso was brought up or portrayed in a way that was recognizable to an El Pasoan across any of the aforementioned media. It always felt disconnected and out of touch, but I still held it close to my heart because it was something alluding to home.

In a way, I am happy that Blue Beetle is now from the fictional (emphasis on that) Palmera City, because it reiterates that heroes can only be super in Hollywood when they are superficially placed in a cookie-cutter big and flashy city. All I really have to say to that is, good for them. They did what they needed to in order to reach a wider audience. I am sure that the payoff for the corporate powerhouses at the end was worth it even at the cost of individuality. Come to think of it, my mind cannot really conjure up any mainstream superheroes that operate in any desert long term. Any time spent in the less "glamorous" parts of the Southwest is almost always smaller plot-driving settings that act as a stepping stone for bigger heroes and not as a home.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I understand why they did what they did with the setting. I even still happen to think the entire production team did a great job, but that does not stop me from wondering what could have been at any point in Blue Beetle's recent history if someone had used the beauty, culture, and complexity found uniquely in Sun City far more productively. There was so much more potential than the oftentimes vague and noncommittal nods given to the setting. It just was not utilized to its fullest potential, and if that would have been a continuous theme, then I am glad that they are no longer working with it.

Shifting to something less ranty, I absolutely suck at drawing. I am a STEM person through and through, but that did not stop me from visualizing all of the things I would have loved to have seen portrayed in a Blue Beetle story while experiencing being a teenager in El Paso. He was my absolute favorite superhero because he was one that I saw every single day in my hometown, and there were several things I felt he would have enjoyed doing.

For example, we have a ton of high schools. If I had to narrow down the ones I think Jaime Reyes would have attended, I would probably say my top three picks would be: El Paso High School, Bowie High School, or Austin High School. An interesting custom that schools in El Paso have is placing the first initial of a myriad of our high schools on the mountains. They are huge and visible, as well as a testament to our school spirit and pride. The Top 10 percent of most of our graduating classes wear different colored gowns at graduation than the rest of their peers, which is something I was told was not a common occurrence in most other states.

Homecoming is a huge deal, and people will buy, make, or sell Mums and corsages. It is kind of difficult to explain to people from around the states who may not be entirely familiar with what it is, but it is an old Texan tradition that is typically shared between sweethearts (dates) on the last day of Homecoming spirit week. It is something that a lot of people go all out for, and plenty of pictures exist on the internet of the various ways that they can be customized. I always thought it would be cool to see what Jaime Reyes would do for his Mum.

Prom is pretty much Prom wherever you are in the States for the most part, and ours are held at some great venues in the city, so there is not much more to say about that part of the high school experience. As far as colleges go, some of the most popular for teenagers at El Paso high schools to apply to are UTEP, EPCC, TTU, Texas A&M, and any of the other UTs (UT Austin, UT Dallas, and UT San Antonio to name a few). There are even several private universities like Rice, Baylor, and Trinity to name a few more. Hell, a lot of us even go to schools like NMSU in what is essentially our sister city of Las Cruces, there is also UNM, ASU, U of A, and CU. There are so many different choices for universities that are realistic and in the general area that Jaime absolutely could have chosen to apply to and attend. I think that seeing him initially as a Junior or Senior in an El Paso high school, and subsequently watching his transition into a college student in the city or elsewhere while grappling with his powers and responsibilities as Blue Beetle would have been so fascinating.

As far as places that it would have been nice to see him interact with at some point, it would be easier to just give a general list of my favorites. I wish that the following places could have been incorporated into the Blue Beetle story at some point long past: Chico's Tacos, Franklin Mountains State Park, Transmountain Road, Downtown, The Plaza Theater, Cielo Vista, The Fountains at Farah, Sunland Park, the Outlet Shoppes, Rosa's Cantina, Southwest University Park, Don Haskins Center, Concordia Cemetery, Scenic Drive-Overlook, the El Paso Star, Hueco Tanks, San Jacinto Plaza, St. Patrick Cathedral, any farmer's market or swap meet, any of our museums (Art, History, Archeology, Border Patrol, Science, Chamizal), the Coliseum, Ardovino's, Orange Cow, Burrito House, Bowie Bakery, Lucy's Cafe, any of our dulcerias, as well as literally any of our regional and national recreational chains. Obviously, there is so much more, but all of what I listed could have definitely been used for something whether it be a fight with a villain of the week, or opportunities to flesh out Jaime's character more socially and individually. That, and it tickles my funny bone to imagine the Teen Titans trying something like Chico's Tacos for the first time.

Unrelated, Jaime would totally listen to Khalid.

Naturally, there are so many other locations in surrounding cities and states that easily could have been used as well for any plot points that would have added even more Southwestern charm. I mean, part of New Mexico's tourism schtick is literally aliens (Roswell), and the scarab is in fact an alien now. However, for the purposes of this, I focused on El Paso. That is really all I have to say about all of this, if you stayed for my entire rant I appreciate it. If not, I totally understand, and I really just wanted to put my thoughts out into the world and write this love letter to my home city.

I love that Blue Beetle is now further into the general public's eye, and that his character means something for the entire extended community. He now has room to change, grow, and evolve from what he was before in a way that is far more defined by the expectations for a mainstream hero. Even if the El Pasoan Jaime Reyes can only exist truly in my mind, it is an okay price to pay for a narrative that touches my heart specifically. I am most certainly not a writer, so I hope that the next time we have a hero from El Paso, some of my city's charm can truly be done justice. After all, the only person who can characterize an El Pasoan correctly is an El Pasoan.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Hratgrog

This week's installment is once again coming kind of late in the evening -- and a bit less wordy than usual -- because I just got back from the ICMS conference at Kalamazoo last night and have been running around doing stuff all day. So, sorry about that.

Anyway, also worth noting that a surprising number of people have indicated that they know this one.

If you aren't sure what this is about, you can find an explanation and previous posts at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting.

You can also find the entry people are working from here:

If you want to participate in the next installment, you can find the entries posted under the tag maniculum bestiaryposting. Also, to make it easier on y'all, here's the current one:

Anyway, art below the cut in the order it was posted:

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) took the description of the animal's behavior and designed a bird who could feasibly fit that -- if you want the details on what birds went into this and why, they're in the linked post. I particularly like the iridescent effect on the feathers.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) also drew a bird, but went in a different direction with the references, eschewing them entirely on the grounds that the monks probably didn't have any references on hand. I think the "colour of a wild sea" comes out well here.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) decided to resolve the issue of the wings being sapphire but also "sheathed in silver" by making the Hratgrog a beetle with silver elytra, which I think is quite clever. Again, the colors are very good in my opinion -- and as usual, you should check the linked post for an explanation of the design.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has, as per usual, done some amazing medieval stylization. I find this landscape really pleasant, birds aside. The design of the creature is also really solid, and you can find an interesting description of why it looks the way it does in the linked post. I would particularly draw attention to the interpretation of how this bird "does not live by theft", which you will have to click the link to find out.

@strixcattus (link to post here) gives us a bird that appears to be waving to us. Again, I like the coloration here; the many lines really add to the effect. Clicking the linked post will get you Strixcattus's modern interpretation of this animal, which includes a brief explanation of why it's necessary to specify that this bird does not eat corpses.

All right, to the Aberdeen Bestiary:

Or, rather, a dove.

(The distinction drawn between dove and pigeon in modern English is not formalized or universal, but the translation I'm using says "dove".)

The description for this page in the digitized manuscript notes:

This rather plain lifeless bird does not do justice to the luscious pictorial descriptions devoted to the dove on ff.26-30r. However, raking light reveals a lustrous silvered quality to the paint.

Since the description goes on so long -- like I said, I was excerpting bits of physical description from a lengthy sermon on symbolism -- there are actually multiple illustrations. It looks like there were originally four, but two have been cut out of the manuscript. The other surviving one is as follows:

That would be the Hratgrog on the left -- the bird on the right is its antagonist, the hawk. No word on why this one doesn't get any coloration.

Anyway... how do I end this one?

Go forth and contemplate the pigeon. It's what the bestiary author would want.

[frozenhi-chews]

since ur talking about bugs

what are ur favorite bugs...:o

-Chris!

HOOOOO I HAVE A LOT OF FAVORITES!!

My first and foremost favorite will always be Deaths Head Moths. (Moths in general too, but OUGH these guys!)

Just LOOK at how pretty they are!!!

And since I said I would defend earwigs, I will! Cuz guys, these lil fellas are freaking awesome! No they do not climb into your ear, they never do that

They have little pincers on their butts! Like I'm pretty sure that if they were called anything else, like pincer bugs, they'd be less hated. How come scorpions who have pincers and stingers get praise but these little guys don't? As a kid I always found them fascinating. They're just super cool lil guys! And yes, there are albino earwigs. I know this because I've seen a couple in real life! Was pretty cool!

Scarab beetles and longhorns are also a good fave. Beetles in general are just so cool, but then you have these guys with super cool features?

Uh, HECK YES?!?! Not to mention, beetles can squeak!! If you pick them up they'll make little eeking noises and it's so cute! Deaths head moths can do the same.

Another unconventional but cool type of bug would be millipedes and centipedes

Idk its probably the sheer number of legs these guys have that make them so freaking cool! And centipedes have venom too, which also makes them cool. The fact that they can be kept as pets is really awesome, makes me wanna have some. But I don't have anything for them yet. Regardless, you should be careful when handling centipedes. Millipedes are usually fine, but still. Be careful

And why not throw in a spider huh? Issue is, I can't decide on a spider, so let's go wiiiiith...crab spiders. And orb weavers cuz why not?

Crab spiders can shift colors to match the flower their sitting on. And they actually look like crabs, don't they? They're a very interesting little critter and I hecking ADORE them! Orb weavers are just as cool. With the massive intricate webs they make, and the fact they often redo these webs almost every night. They can get pretty dang big too, I saw one that was bigger than the size of a quarter. Such a beautiful girl. (Girl spiders are often bigger than boy spiders. Boys get eaten after mating too)

So yeah!! There's some bugs and spiders and other critters I adore!! Thanks for letting me infodump Chris!! This was a blast!!