#earthen hybrid

[wildcatofgreen]

Apparently Sonar played music during the break? Must have had a little show, showing off his iconography. And like, he's a big time rockstar, so says Surge, so it makes sense. Good for him--she only wishes she got to listen to it.

Frankly she didn't get hurt much during that last one--she didn't even need the healing potion she took. That panda girl never really stood a chance against her, did she?

The hell were they doing sending in a rookie like that? Did they really think a little deception trick would be enough to take her down? Seriously?

Well, whatever. Didn't matter much now.

The wildcat hopped right back into the arena, waving to all of her adoring fans cheering for her, shouting her name, waving those same banners and flags.

A mic lowered from above, the wildcat grabbing it and, without another warning, yelled,

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MORE WILDCAT ACTION????"

Actually, she and the announcer yelled that at the same time. That seemed to get the crowd really riled up.

For how shitty Zao is, she has to admit, the amount of sync that she and her... coworkers? had was unreal. No doubt people thought it was all scripted--she wouldn't blame them. Even Carol would guess the same, if she were the one watching.

The announcer piped up again.

"THEN THERE WON'T BE ANY DELAYS!!! OUR NEXT OF THE TRIO IS SOMEONE WHO'S SO FEROCIOUS, WHO'S SO VICIOUS, WHO'S SO DOWN RIGHT TERRIFYINGTHAT WE HAD TO BAN HIM FROM THE BATTLESPHERE THREE TIMES BEFORE!!!!"

Wait, ban him?

Who the hell could get banned from the Battlesphere? Did she even know anyone like that...?

Well, besides Askal. But that wasn't really banning, so says him, it was moreso... racism?

"HERE HE IS IN THE FLESH AND BLOOD, OUR FIRST EVER EARTH DRAGON CHALLENGER..."

Wait wha--

"ASKAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!"

From the other side of the arena, the doors opened again, fog showering the next fighter in obscurity.

But this time, despite this, she could make out his silhouette clear as day.

Same hair. Same height. Same long ass tail, same goofy ass wrist bracers.

Hell, how did she not guess it before? It feels like a no-brainer!

As the fog settled away the man's face, Askal's face, was shown.

He quickly raised a hand to the sky, grabbing the microphone that lowered down to him and spoke into it.

"Carol. I don't want to get into a fight, so I'll make my request short and simple. "Forfeit. Now. I don't want to make any of your friends or family cry when you end up in the hospital."

Sonar played a really sour note. She almost wanted to laugh.

Though, there wasn't a hint of cockiness or snark in his voice. In fact, it was mostly... stoic? Like, he was being serious...?

She scoffed. Either way, telling her that she should just quit? Especially now?

The word wasn't in her dictionary.

She put her own mic to her mouth again, that same smug face she always wore being on full display here, "Well sierra foxtrot, my dude! If ya ain't wanna fight, ya shouldn't'a signed up 'ta begin with. 'Cause I'mma tell ya one thing, buddy."

She pointed the microphone at the bleachers full of people. In unison, most of them screamed, "CAROL THE WILDCAT DOESN'T LOSE!!!!" A couple of other lose screams were heard here and there, including one proclaiming their love to the cat. And she just ignored it!

Guess at this kind of fame, anyone will fall for you.

The wildcat smirked, giving a half shrug as she spoke into the mic again, "I think ya heard 'em, right?"

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

He lets go of the microphone and gets into a combat stance, bouncing slightly with both his fists near his face. A position a boxer would typically get into.

"I think I know plenty, Dragon boy!" The wildcat lets go of her mic in turn, getting into a fighting stance as well--a hand near her face and the other near her waist.

"ARE BOTH OUR COMBATANTS READY?"

The two fighters nod.

"THREE."

"TWO."

"ONE."

"GO!!!!!!"

And in an instant, the two dashed at each other, clashing into each other with a loud FWOOM!!! They each threw a fist at the other--Askal with his right, Carol with her left--and each combatant caught the punch with their free hand. Though, it looked like Carol was in the disadvantage due to her height, she and the hybrid both knew she could easily hold her own.

"So," she grunted, trying to push against the earth dragon, "Tell me, buddy, why the hell are ya here? Thought ya said Zao ain't like Earth Dragons in the 'Sphere?"

"I had a personal offer from the little brat. I get to beat up a kid and get a lot of money. What's there to lose?" He had a nasty smirk on his face.

"Ain't think ya had a sense'a humor, bro. Gotta remember, though--I ain't jus' some fuckin' kid!!!" She squats down to the floor, springing back up into a jump to get some height on this big bastard.

Yet, despite the cat's impressive strength for a girl of her stature, she still had something to measure up to when facing Askal. He tightened his grip against her fist, using her momentum to SLAM her into the ground behind him.

"I was serious. Well, at first I was."

The cat, now dazed from that, was picked up by the dragon by her arm. As if she were a weightless toy.

"After I saw what that panda boy was capable of, I didn't want you getting hurt more than necessary.

"Whatever the hell he has, it ain't natural. None of it is.

"So, I'm willing to cut a deal. You forfeit, you keep the money. If Zao ever does something like this again, I take the fall and you get your job back. I get my five minutes of fame, you don't get put in the hospital."

She shook her head, her brows furrowed at the dragon and her eyes glaring daggers.

"Bro--cut a deal? Ya understand what you're askin' here, right?"

"I'm doing it for your sake. Fighting against whatever the hell that is is an automatic loss. I couldn't stand a chance, there's no way you will--"

She puts her other hand on the arm the dragon was using to hold her up, digging her claws into him. "This comin' from the guy I beat twice? What--jus' 'cause you ain't blowin' up the planet anymore, ya think you're hotshit? Think you're better than a world savior, huh???"

He winced, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. Anger coursed through his veins. "That is NOT what I'm saying--"

"Then what?!?!" She dug her claws deeper, she was starting to stain them with blood, "Because all I see here is another fuckin' manipulation thing like the gal before ya!!!!"

"IT'S NOT THE SAME--"

"THEN WHAT IS IT, YA BIG BRICK??? 'CAUSE MAKIN' ME LOSE MY JOB, MAKIN' ME GIVE IN 'TA ZAO'S STUPID FUCKIN' PLAN," she swings herself backwards, "AIN'T MY IDEA OF A FUCKIN' DEAL!!!!!" She swings herself forwards, using her momentum to give the dragon an upwards kick to his jaw!!!

The dragon roars as his maw is knocked upwards, loud enough for the microphones to hear, "ENOUGH!!!!!!"

He tosses the wildcat across the entire arena, the feline slamming into the doors he first entered from.

"IF YOU WON'T SEE TO REASON, THEN I'LL MAKE YOU SEE!!!!" With his left arm--the non bleeding one--he punches into the floor, making several rocks lift up from the arena's ground. Holes litter the floor, a fall through one of them would certainly be enough for an instant loss.

Or, a trip to the hospital. Either or.

The wildcat groaned, grunted, grit her teeth. She was able to stand again, so she wasn't in any danger of losing yet... but seeing the dragon enter such a rage state...

Fuck. This one wasn't gonna be easy, was it?

She stretched her arms over her head, the cracking of her bones echoing in her own ears.

The dragon pointed at the wildcat.

Three of the rocks are immediately sent hurdling towards her, barely giving her any time to react. She gasps in shock, putting her arms in an X formation to block the incoming rocks. They each break and crumble apart when making contact, the impact of them bruising her arms.

The wildcat took out her jump disc from her back pocket, dashing forward towards the dragon. The holes make this tough, of course, but nothing she can't handle. A jump over one here, a weave around another there--

The dragon practically flew at her, a swoosh of air following his movement as he did. His left fist raised into the air, he threw everything he had at the wildcat.

She raised her hands up to block the punch again, it striking right in the middle of that same X.

A resounding pound echoed through the arena, followed by the cat's scream in pain.

It was silent, for a moment.

Then, a snicker came from the dragon.

He whispered, loud enough for the feline to hear.

"One hundred hook punch."

Eyes widened, fear instilled, the wildcat--

The dragon roared again as suddenly, a massive barrage of punches exploded from the hybrid--both arms moved quicker than anyone could possibly follow, striking everywhere they could on the feline's body. Head, arms, chest, legs, he'd hit it all, he'd strike with the fury of a thousand suns onto every inch he could. Did he have a million hands? Or did he have two? Nobody could be sure, it was a blur, it was a spectacle, it was a terrifying technique to get hit by.

And the wildcat felt every bit of it's pain.

She screamed through it all, loud enough for the microphones, loud enough for the entire stadium itself to hear.

The punches themselves ended, but the pain lingered on.

Yet, somehow, she still held on to that jump disc, even as her arms limped downwards. Her grip on it was like super glue, a bond that wouldn't be broken just yet.

She still stood, at the end of it all. Battered and beaten, but resilient.

She wasn't losing to this.

The dragon raised his bloodied arm, SLAMMING it forward against what he thought would be the wildcat's chest. But mid-motion, she twisted her shoulder--her arm still carrying that jump disc--towards him. Her limp arms swung into the air, another scream rung out as she was struck, the shock sending waves of pain through her already battered body. Her grip on the disc finally gave way, the momentum of her arm being swung causing a weak fling.

But it was a fling either way. And it went right behind that bastard.

"GO!!!!!" She managed to yell during her torrent of pain. She'd begin a warp towards the disc, but not before absolutely shredding into the dragon's chest. It was as if she shared the disc's properties, just in the moments before she reached it--like a metallic chainsaw digging into the smooth earth below. The dragon didn't block it--couldn't possibly block it. He was left open from that punch, the punch he thought would have ended this stupid fight, quick and easy.

He screamed out from the pain in his chest, enduring it for a while before eventually bending backwards to let the feline continue her path.

She caught the damn thing with her teeth, her feet skidding across the ground, stopping just before another hole in the ground.

The dragon turned to face her, panting from the amount of energy expended and the massive blows to his health.

His right arm was useless now--there was blood all over it. Turns out using the hundred hook punch with a minor wound in it would turn it into a major one. Not his smartest plan, but he didn't think it'd matter. She wasn't supposed to be standing right now.

Their previous fights were never one sided--damn it, he should've expected this.

The wildcat was panting, hard, trying to ignore the pain coursing through her entire body. Did that stupid move of his get stronger? She doesn't remember it hurting this badly, causing this much pain. Fucking hell--she couldn't use her arms anymore, for beat's sake!!! Never in a million years did she think she'd be so handicapped like this.

She's got her jump disc, still. Can't use her bike though, that needs her arms to drive the damn thing. She's also got her legs, but how well can she really kick this guy down?

She squints at him as he clutches his chest and winces in pain.

That's her target, right? Keep causing damage there and he'll give up eventually.

...Fuck, she kind of wishes she had Surge's metal boots right about now.

She shook her head, hopping high towards the dragon.

He readies his working arm, aiming to hit her out the sky.

She nods her head aggressively downwards, spitting the disc out of her mouth as she does so.

"GO!!!!!!"

A warp straight to his feet, a catch of the disc with her mouth again. She lands on her feet and rams her head straight into the dragon's stomach.

He coughs, losing all sense of action he had previously.

Another jump into the sky, this time aiming her two feet to slam directly into the other's chest!

The dragon can only look up as she starts to fall back down, her feet crashing onto him, erupting a yell from him again.

She stomps on his chest! As if she were tap dancing! Trying to put as much pressure on those open wounds as she can. Make him fall, make him fall, make him FALL!!!!

His hand starts to make his slow approach to the feline.

As a foot raised into the air, he'd make a grab for her ankle, lifting the wildcat off his chest.

SLAM!!!!!!!

Back into the ground with her. He commanded the remaining rocks to pelt her, each one smashing against the feline's head.

She minimized the damage, luckily thanks to her jump disc softening some of the blows, but most were down right dangerous. Her consciousness was starting to fade, she might actually lose this.

He raised her back up, holding her upside down from the ankle.

"We're finished."

The earth dragon begun to spin the wildcat and himself around in a circle, as if this were a wheel, the dragon stationed directly in it's center. His speed became faster and faster, so fast that it stopped being anything but a blur of green and brown.

No.. No no no no no no no no no NO NO!!! SHE'S NOT LOSING. NOT LIKE THIS, NOT TO HIM, NOT TO ANYONE IN THIS SPIRITS FORSAKEN BATTLESPHERE!!!!

But the spinning, the constant spinning, it made her dizzy, it made her want to barf, it made her wish she was already knocked out cold. Anything would be better than this right now--anything.

But she's not giving up--she can't give up. Not like this.

Her head could barely move, but she still had the jump disc in her maw.

She had a gambit, an idea, a hope that this would fucking work.

She flicked her head towards the dragon, letting go of the disc as she did.

"GO!!!!!!!"

She started to spin in a ball herself, burning the hand that held her. But that wasn't it--the jump disc was spinning around his, creating several gashes and cuts into his face. Nothing vital was hit, but each cut made him scream even louder.

Eventually, he had to let go of the cat--the double onslaught of pain was too much to handle.

The disc was right behind his head.

Like a baseball, she SMASHED right into his head, the dragon and the feline screaming out in unision.

Down went Askal. Past his body did the wildcat end up, right into one of those plexiglass walls.

The dragon laid there. He showed no signs of getting back up.

The wildcat's body was only being held up by the wall, her feet still firmly planted on the ground. But hoo boy, if she had a choice in the matter, she'd be right with the dragon.

The announcer started his count.

The feline's eyes started to flutter. Everything felt like it caught up to her at once.

Just a couple more seconds, Carol...

.

.

.

"ONE!!!!! ISN'T THAT AMAZING FOLKS? THIS WILD WILDCAT BEAT HER SECOND CHALLENGER!!!!!"

A chuckle left her maw.

Fuck, thank the stones.

Her eyes shut tight, a smile on her face. She just... needed a quick rest. That's all.

[cu7ie]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀૮ • ﻌ • ა ain't nothin' but a hound dog!

cw; hybrid!characters, mentions of knotting & rut cycles. scent kink. panty/underwear things. some genital specific hcs.

Hound!Baji was easy enough to share a roof with, but as he adjusts to being the only hybrid in the house, he gets a little too big for his britches & forgoes his respect for you, not honoring the space as something you two share - but that he allows you to exist in. Now he’s stubborn to share - never mind a room; and especially not a bed.

And when he realizes you don’t have it in to argue with him, he stakes his claim on most things in the house. He's become aggressively territorial to the point you don't even have to be actively threatening his space for him to bully you.

He doesn't have a problem with mounting you to remind you who's the alpha in this house. His cock presses into you with the intention to make you submit, since you so often forget your place.

penis'd

establishing a hierarchy is paramount because Baji will feel actively threatened with you in the house after a point. He'll expect several things of you from that point forward; and no, he doesn't care if it's humiliating, or 'not something humans ought to do' - as the only member of his pack, (nevermind it's your fucking house, he is the pack leader) as soon as you're in the house he's trying to stick his dick in your ass, get all that earthen 'outside' smell off of you. Constant scenting, constant marking (he does it with his cum because he's fucking de-gen-er-ate), and your coworkers start complaining about how you and your office smell like cock & cum.

Hybrid trainers and recommended routines don't work on that dog. He's just hellbent on being bad to the bone, rearranging your guts til you send him to the pound.

pussy'd

he is too up his own own ass to think you threaten his status, (wait until he finds out about your strap,) and as a result you can slink about your house without much issue beyond Baji getting a little in his ways, in his feelings and cornering you between your granite counter top; get you better acquainted with his knot since he always imagined rounding you out with pups some time..

And he will, eventually. You've got this fat little pussy that drives him mad, pheromones don't work on you but they are all he can smell and he won't be satisfied until he can sniff out himself pouring off of you in waves - the litter of pups growing inside you cementing you as his for the rest of your natural lives.

Dog!Hanma is always hiding. But he's more playful than Baji, he's hiding to surprise you of course; though more often than not he's not the most honest. Sometimes he'll stay hiding when he shouldn't be looking.

Maybe he came into the closet to try and spook you, but he quickly forgot and ended up aimless and in the dark with nothing to do; but when he tries to leave,

You're passed out on the bed. At least that's what it looks like, but as he swings it open and he slinks out without a sound, that's when he hears you moan.

His ears snap up at attention, his head nearly bashed against your bedpost as he tries to angle himself to -

"Fuuuuck." you growl as you cum on your fingers for the second time tonight , agitated with the feeling of your own flesh, clawing at the sheet as you toss it over yourself and turn off the light. The scent sticks to his nose like blood to a hound and he's just … dogged about ya.

He starts stealing your underwear and other garments sometimes just so he can smell you all over again, soiling the cloth with his seed before the end of the night. He just hopes you don't notice how often your favorite pairs go missing.

Wolf!Taiju doesn't live close to people on purpose, so when you stumble into his neck of the woods, he's annoyed. He can smell your campfires and your food and you and he thinks he hates all of it,

Until he sees your sleeping face, screwed up in discomfort as you shudder from the cold. You look like an experienced hiker, the kind that usually goes missing this far north. 

Courtesy of him of course. Self-aggrandizing aside, Taiju takes a liking to something about you. You two meet formally when you get targeted by another feral & he doesn't hesitate to come to your rescue, and as per your irritating human custom, you demand to help him. Pay his kindness forward.

You have the audacity to look shocked when he tears your shorts to shreds, his breath hot on your ear as he raises your hips and uses you to get off,

his rut making coherent decision-making rather difficult.

[kyndaris]

Heart of Darkness

After finishing off a slew of quick games before my trip overseas, I decided that as I traipsed around South Korea and Japan, it would be good to tackle another Square Enix title. No, it was not Final Fantasy XVI, although I'm sure bleachpanda would have approved. Alas, I didn't have the game on a portable handheld and I wasn't planning on packing my PlayStation 5 into my luggage.

No, I brought something much smaller.

This was a game akin to Octopath Traveler. Except, instead of having playable characters explore the one world and stumbling upon their fellow travellers, this title would see each and every protagonist play out their own self-contained stories of varying lengths across space and time. And all of them would be tenuously linked by a seed of hatred fuelling all the villains they would end-up taking down by the end.

More importantly, the game in question was also a remake. The original had come out aeons ago and had never been translated into English. But with the resurgence in recent years of pixellated art-styles and the success of the 2D-HD hybrid in titles such as Triangle Strategy and Bravely Default, Live a Live was gifted a second chance to appeal to the hearts of gamers worldwide.

Now, when this game first released in 2022, I have to admit, I was a little sceptical about picking it up. There hadn't been much in the way of fanfare for it and I already had quite a few other games on my plate to tackle. COVID-19 might have put a damper on many blockbuster triple-AAA titles but I'd enjoyed a glut of smaller niche titles.

As such, it was hard to try and squeeze Live a Live into my very packed schedule.

And so, it is with a heavy heart for me to admit that I didn't pick up this game until quite a while later. But pick it up I did. And knowing I'd need something to help me unwind during my trip, I chose it to be the game I played.

After all, it had sold itself as having many different stories that could be played independently of each other. So, in my mind, it would be the perfect pick-up and play game.

What I hadn't anticipated was that the first two chapters I'd pick end up being two of the longest: The Near Future and Prehistoric. I was also at a loss to know which order to play the chapters in but settled in for the first option in the rotation.

Near Future stars Akira. After his father passes away, Akira is whisked away to live in an orphanage with his sister. There, he whiles away the time by helping out his friend, Matsu, at a taiyaki stall and lounging on benches in the city park. After a few altercations with the local gang, he stumbles upon a conspiracy where humans are liquified to bring back a bird God, Odeo. The story ends with Akira duking it out against the revived God in the Steel Titan mech, piloted through Akira's psychic powers.

Prehistoric, on the other hand, has Pogo stumbling upon cavewoman Beru, who had fled her own tribe after nearly being sacrificed. Unfortunately, her tribe manages to track her down. Pogo, with the help of his gorilla friend Gori rescue her, bringing down the Tyrannosaurus Rex Beru would have been sacrificed to. In so doing, Pogo wins the respect of his tribe and that of Beru's.

But the story that stood out to me the most was the Far Future one, starring the iconic Cube, a small round robot, who was created by the engineer Kato to assist around the spaceship. The story plays out like a horror story with elements of Alien and System Shock. It isn't long before Cube is forced to face off against the rogue primary artificial intelligence, OD-10.

Then, of course, there are the stories of Sundown Kid, Oboromaru, the Earthen Heart Master and Masaru. Completing all seven of the stories unlocks an eighth chapter: The Middles Ages.

In the Middles Ages, players step into the shoes of Oersted. A knight of the Kingdom of Lucrece, he shows off his prowess at a tourney held by the King. Besting the sorcerer Streibough, Oersted is rewarded the right to marry the king's daughter. That night, as he celebrates his victory, the princess is kidnapped by the Lord of Dark. Oersted sets off on his journey to slay the Lord of Dark at Archon's Roost.

The rescue, however, does not go as planned and Streibough dies. Hasshe, the previous hero who had slain the first Lord of Dark, also falls. With a heavy heart, Oersted returns to Lucrece to report to the king.

It is later revealed, however, that Streibough is alive. Jealous of Oersted, Streibough orchestrates a plot to besmirch Oersted's good name and paint him as the villain. After accidentally killing Lucrece's king, due to an illusion, Oersted finds himself alone and without allies, the citizens of Lucrece quick to denounce him as a new Lord of Dark. Upon Oersted's return to the Archon's Roost, Oersted is forced to confront the traitorous sorcerer. Streibough slain, the princess emerges. But instead of being overjoyed, the princess expresses anger toward Oersted and commits suicide.

Overcome with hatred and despair, Oersted steps into the role of the Lord of Dark, christening himself a new name: Odio and extending his tentacles across time and space. These are, of course, the enemies the rest of the characters fought in their individual stories.

With the end of this eighth chapter, a ninth one opens up: The Dominion of Hate. Here, Odio transports the heroes of the previous chapters to the Kingdom of Lucrece, questioning the reasons why they fight and engaging in battle with them.

Much of the messaging in these last few moments still feel quite relevant to the current situation of our world. Especially as wars rage and people treat each other with disdain, drawing lines in the sand and forgetting that not everything in the world is so black and white. And as more and more people struggle with mental health, giving into the darkness of their hearts as they lash out at others through the anonymity of the internet, I'm reminded once again that most of our lives are more than a few comments or a status update on social media.

And yet, many have now squeezed themselves and their whole personality into 60 second video clips or 240 characters.

The internet may love their 'morally grey' love interests but somehow we've also forgotten there is more that motivates an individual than just one post they might have put up ten years ago.

In the end, it all comes down to what we make of our situations and how we react. Far too often, we rush ahead, blinding assuming people are out to get us without stopping to think things through. And in our bid to remain relevant, we fail to think about the human on the other end of the text chain and their feelings and their lives.

Yes, you may be the 'main character' of your story. But so are others. They aren't just bit characters in your play.

And maybe that's something we need to remind ourselves each day when we take to sending hate through the internet.

In this day and age, I'd hate to fight what sort of Lord of Dark might come out from all the vitriol dwelling inside. Joseph Conrad might have depicted a man's slow descent into evil by venturing deep into a jungle but we are seeing a modern day descent into savagery play out right before our very eyes.

I didn't mean to end everything on a downer though.

From a gameplay perspective, Live a Live keeps it simple with its turn-based combat a la Chrono Trigger and other role-playing games of yesteryear. What was intriguing to me, though, was the grid-like combat and the ability for players to position their characters just-so to deal critical damage or to target more enemies through area-of-effect attacks.

While this necessitated some form of strategy, I also found it easy, once sufficiently levelled, to just hit the final boss with all my strongest attacks without much thought on how long they would take to charge.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Live a Live and somewhat regret not picking it up earlier. Should Square Enix ever release another experimental title, I think I'd be quite intrigued to see where it might lead.

[risingshine]

"The whole thing has left me in quite some...turbulance."

The morning sun shone through old, stianed windows, basking the large, yet somehow still crowded, kitchen. Green paint peeling off of earthen walls mixed with the worn ashwood trim, a good backdrop for the old kitchen.

"Turbalance? Didn't know you were a plane, sha!" A large reptillian mouth snapped a few times, an odd version of a hearty laugh at their own joke.

Wooden cabinents were stuffed to bursting with all sorts of dry ingredients: sacks of flour and cereal grains, root vegtables almost tumbling out of their basket. Herbs hung from the ceiling as a line of different spices and oils lined the top of the cabinents.

"You know what I mean, Hava - Zenyatta suggested that I keep studying mythical creatures to a side hobby. But it does still leave me with questions." The geneticst nursed her bowl of custard, eyes shifting hues as she gazed at the dark marble counter, feet shifting on the barstool she perched herself on.

"What sorta questions? Did he make you upset again?" Scaled hands would open a fridge biggger than the both of them, and yet still a jungle of all sorts of exotic ingerdients and flavors - only to reach in and pull out a large colourful fish. Moving some old pots and pans to one side, they placed the wooden cutting board down to start filetting it.

"What? No, not this time - rather...if so many mythical creatures are from magic and not dna, how come I still hybridize with them? There should be nothing for my RHIS serum to latch on to."

The large alligator tail stopped swishing for a moment, the massive man turning around. Yellow eyes inspecting her face, his visage returned to the grin as he turned back to his work. "Well, you do have my scales! So it'd make sense ya got that from me too." That response would certainly take her by suprise. Perking up, her gaze was burrowing into his scaly back. "...What do you mean by that? I do not believe that alligators have something to do with this."

The sound of chopping fish stoppe dfor a second, wide head turning to meet her gaze.

"...Yan, what do you think I am?"

"...An Alligator Witch?"

That response caused the man to burst in rourus laughter, carving knife resting on his aproned belly as he couldn't help himself from curling over from the hilarity.

"W-What is so funny??" Iyana was certainly feleing a bit dashed from the sudden laughter - did she do something wrong?

After a few minutes of laughter, Hava finally managed to recompose himself. Sticking the knife into the wall, he moved over to the counter to rest his large hands upon.

"Good thing you're seated...I'm not an Alligator - I'm a Eater."

The woman looked the man up and down - she didn't see anything different from other alligators. Of course, he was walking and talking like a person, but beastkin was rather common.

"...An Eater? What does that mean?"

A claw hooked on the woman's hair, gently plucking out a single loose hair. "There ain't a fancy name for it - but if I eat enough of someone, I can take their shape-" As he licked the hair off her finger, he shifted into a familiar form - hers. "And with some more, their powers."

"So when you injected yourself with that fancy serum of yours with my material in it, You probably got that quirk too."

....what? Iyana wasn't sure what to say, to do, to think - stuck like a deer in the headlights, only sign of living being the kaliedescope of colours in her eyes.

"...Hava to Iyana?" A claw waved infront of her face; and she suddenly seemed to break - eyes pusling a deep blue as she hunched over, hair covering her face.

"S-So my work only functions...b-because your powers are transferrable?"

"H-Hey! It ain't like that!" The man, back to his massive reptilian form, would lean over, attempting to give her a hug, though she was stiff to the grasp. "Whenever you hybridize with dna, that's all you, shine! Your serum does wonders! Don't sell yourself short!"

Lightly sniffling, the woman would lean into his hug, trying to let herself be comforted by it. "B-But how can you say that for certain?"

"Look, my magic doesn't work the way your science does. My body does a full shift, while your science does bits and pieces. What sort of changes was a full transformation?"

"..I-I suppose those were with Chiasa...and the angel..."

"Exactly. Your stuff does still do wonders. I'm just here for when DNA doesn't work, okay?"

"...Okay."

[originemesis]

@deathinfeathers xxx

Hovering by the nest on stand-by in case he decides to topple over and injure himself further. "What do you mean the math isn't mathing? That's how long you're supposed incubate the egg. Typically. Of course I couldn't hope to predict how your earthen genetics might affect the equation." Or how Sera would evicirate their asses if she knew they were having this conversation. Word of the last celestial/human hybrid wasn't exactly well received by the council at the time and Charlotte has done nothing but exacerbate their reservations throughout the centuries.

It's a good thing she is, because he's gotten rather close to toppling a few times now while trying to press his luck and lean over further to give chase over the threshold of pillows she'd stacked around him like a knee-high force field built around him in place of his usual gear.

"I MEAN- it ain't mathin'! As in- it always took Eve like 9 months to cook." With a flippant flick of the wrist, he settles into the pillow pulled up under his chin and squishes his cheek in whilst eyeing her up through his eyelashes.

"Couldn't hope to...? Oh ~ so you have thought about it." He adds with a smug snap of his teeth. Always fun to find something in that head of hers to use against her...especially when he was laid low enough for her to not be so keen on sinking her talons in to make him think twice about trying the same tactic over again in the future.

"... how's that going for you, hmmmm??"

[thetypingpup]

have you ever mixed hybrid!au with ouide content...? bc something makes me think that yangyang would either be pretty quiet and spacey or unable to shut up but not even in the purposefully annoying sense... like a cat on catnip. and then i thought kinda rumpled, fluffy catboy yangie on ouide having laidback sex with pup!reader. "frisky as a spring kitten", anyone?

yknow i've never thought of this, but this would be so fucking hot omg. just imagine his slow thrusts deep inside you, pulling out so you just feel the tip before he slides back in, letting you savor the feeling of his entire length thrusting in and out of you. you wrap your arms around his neck, wanting to be connected to him in as many ways as possible. you want to feel him chest to chest, lips to lips, heart to heart, while he's deep inside you. he eagerly obliges, moaning right into a series of messy, languid kisses, pressing himself flush against you. finesse doesn't matter. he just wants to feel you, and you just want to feel him. the moans you let out are hushed, as if you're exchanging clandestine secrets with each wanton, erotic sounds, secrets that other prying ears aren't meant to hear. you run your fingers through his hair, arching up against him, rolling your hips up to meet his thrusts. you both ride the waves of ecstasy and intoxication, your bodies moving as one, your every move sending tandem surges of bliss through each other. he purrs when he feels your nails ever so slightly graze the base of his ears, and you clench around him at the sound.

everything feels so languid, yet amplified, as if you're both suspended in a moment in time together. the rest of the world fades from perception, making you hyper aware of each other. even the glimpses of each other you get in those brief moments you open your eyes, seeing each other doused in the soft florescence of led lights, your images are superimposed on the soft purple canvas of light. you both cultivate your high with your kisses, tasting the earthen intemperance from the weed you shared on each other's tongues, keeping you both submerged in that pleasurable haze. his tongue drags over yours lazily, and the wet sensation sends shivers surging along your spine. you moan louder at this, encouraging him to give you more, to keep licking into your mouth. he gives you what you want without you even having to ask, stroking your tongue with his own in slow, almost loving drags of his tongue. your mind buzzes at this, your grip on him tightening, your legs wrapping tighter around him. you want more of him. you want him even closer, even though he's buried as deep inside you as he can go. you want to feel him all over you, even though his entire body is pressed to yours, so close you can feel the sweat that glistens on his skin. nothing else in this world matters. you just want to share pleasure with him, and he just wants the same with you.

your orgasms happen in tandem, rolling over you in the same wave pattern your bodies have been moving for who knows how long. starting right at your core, your release overtakes your body in a rolling wave, cresting every time the head of his cock meets that tender spot deep inside you. you let out a cry of his name, your eyes rolling back as his teeth sink into your shoulder. you tremble beneath him, legs spreading wide as you welcome the hot rush of his release pouring into you in spurts. your tail sways back and forth other the sheets, an outlet for the excess energy that accumulates as you ride out the high of hedonistic bliss.

you remain connected even as you come down. by now your minds are completely hazed over. coherent thoughts are replaced with feelings and impulses, words overtaken by languid actions. languid actions like the soft press over his lips over the spot on your shoulder he bit. languid actions like the way both of you stroke the fur of each other's ears, searching for more sensation. his purrs are beyond soothing. you feel the low rumbling right against your racing heart, and you're instantly soothed into relaxation. you remain like this, tangled in each other's embrace while your tails lazily sway, until the pulsations of the need for pleasure well within you once more. you go round after round in different positions, taking in the way each other look in the subtle purple of the led lights that line the walls. even when you close your eyes for moments at a time, your minds are filled with images of each other drenched in that purple haze, which matches the haze over both of your minds.

[theworldsoftolkein]

The Horn of King Helm Sounded by Breath Art The forces of Saruman, common Orcs and Uruk-hai, along with some orc-human hybrids (called "half-orcs and goblin-men" — which may have referred to or included the Uruk-hai themselves) and human Dunlendings, arrived at the valley of Helm's Deep in the middle of the night during a storm. Meanwhile, Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf agreed to compete, to see which one could kill the most orcs. The attackers quickly scaled over the first defence, Helm's Dike, forcing the defenders there to fall back to the fortress. When the Orcs were close, the defenders drove them back with arrows and stones, but they managed to get close to the wall after multiple charges. They attempted to break down the gate with a battering ram, but a sortie led by Aragorn and Éomer scattered the forces. The Orcs and Dunlendings then raised hundreds of ladders to scale the wall. Aragorn and Éomer repeatedly motivated the tired defenders to repel the Orcs coming up the ladders. However, some Orcs had crept in through a culvert which let a stream out of Helm's Deep, and while the defenders were busy with the assault on the wall, they were suddenly attacked from behind. This was repulsed and the culvert was blocked up under Gimli's supervision. However, the enemies re-entered the culvert and blasted a wide hole in the wall using an ambiguous explosive device invented by Saruman, a "blasting-fire". The defenders then retreated to the Glittering Caves, Éomer and Gimli among them. Soon Saruman's forces broke through the gate and gained entrance to the fortress. At this moment, however, the horn of King Helm was sounded, and a cavalry charge led by Théoden and Aragorn rode forth, followed by all the Rohirrim left inside. They cut their way through the Orcs and drove them back from the fortress walls. Both armies then noticed that strange forest had suddenly sprung up (actually the arrival of many Huorns) which blocked the escape route for the Orcs. Then Gandalf arrived on Shadowfax, with Erkenbrand and a thousand infantry — the remaining strength of the Rohirrim that had been routed at the Fords of Isen. They charged into the fray. The Dunlendings were so terrified of Gandalf that most of them dropped their weapons. The surviving Orcs fled into the "forest" of Huorns, where they were completely annihilated. After the battle, those Dunlendings who surrendered were given amnesty by Erkenbrand and allowed to return home (much to their surprise, since Saruman had told them that the men of Rohan would burn all survivors alive). The Rohirrim required that all hostilities cease, and that the Dunlendings retreat behind the River Isen again and never recross while bearing arms. Before they were freed, though, the Dunlending captives were put to work in repairing the fortress. Among the Rohirrim dead was Háma, captain of Théoden's personal guard and doorward of his hall (he plays a significant role in the previous chapter, "The King of the Golden Hall"). Háma had fallen defending the gate and the Orcs had hewed his body after he died, an atrocity that Théoden did not forget during the upcoming parley with Saruman. Gimli was wounded, but had killed 42 to Legolas' 41. The "forest" of Huorns had disappeared the next morning, and the Orcs had been buried in an earthen-works hill known as "Death's Down".#rohan#riders of rohan

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

one more: embracing both sides. Imagine if (10 year old) Jon and (Young Justice TV series) Conner took time to embrace both sides of themselves: their human side and Kryptonian side.

1: what would they do for each side.

2: do both sides make them better

3: out of everyone in their family do they bond the closest because no one else is half human and Kryptonian.

4: as the only human / Kryptonian hybrids do they vow to each other to always look out and be there for each other?

1. Probably visit the Fortress for Mother’s and Father’s Day to celebrate with both Lara and Jor-El’s respective holograms, look up Kryptonian receipts from the Fortress databanks and give them an Earthen twist and maybe incorporate some of the tech into their farm work if Pa allows it

2. Indeed, a proper balance of both their heritages uplifts them and gives them a sense of identity

3. Most definitely each other

4. Definitely; hybrids or not, they’re family and they’ll be always there for each other

If I may add my own personal canon that features Chris Kent into this mix, during some nights during bedtime, Chris likes to tell Conner and Jon stories about the ancient Nightwing and Flamebird entities along with other Kryptonian myths and legends he knows by heart

@we-cross-universe-king-relate @spider-jaysart

[dailycharacteroption]

Elemental Companion (Animal Companion Archetype)

 Whether it be fire, water, earth, air, or some other exotic element, the four elements, in broad strokes, compose the various matter of the material plane, and with that comes the natural world.

It only makes sense, then, that sometimes a rare animal contains a mote of elemental power within themselves, which a master can coax to full life with their bond and training.

That’s right, it’s time for another companion archetype that hybridizes the companion with another creature type, this time being elementals!

Somewhere between a normal animal and the extraplanar reflections of them that some elementally-aligned summoners can call upon, these companion creatures, be they animal, plant, or vermin, rarely look like they are made out of the element in question. Instead, they may manifest minor traits associated with that element instead. An earthen elk may grow antlers of crystal or stone, a fiery horse might snort smoke, a mountain goat of air might have longer, cloudlike wool that shifts in nonexistent breezes, or a cobra of water might have white patterns on it’s hood reminiscent of brine.

While animals associated with a certain environment may be more likely to possess that element, the fun part of this archetype is that many may defy those assumptions. Regardless, depending on their element, these creatures sport different abilities.

Best of all, unlike similar archetypes, these creatures remain true to their original creature type, and are not harder to train as a result!

 Initially, these companions gain a basic elemental ability. Those of air are warded against projectiles by sudden winds, while those of earth are tough and durable. Meanwhile those of fire pierce smoke and flame with their vision, while those of water become faster swimmers and more fluid dodgers.

Later on, they gain a greater elemental manifestation, namely flight for those of air, exotic metal-infused attacks for earth, fiery attacks for fire, and the ability to expel water with their attacks to push foes away for water.

A simple archetype that grants a companion elemental abilities, consider carefully which suits your concept and hot to use the rewards each grants. Air companions will likely favor fly-by attacks, while those of earth will be front-line attackers. Fire will also favor the front lines, especially when they can dodge in and out of fire. Finally, those of water are at their best in aquatic environments, though either way, their ability to control positioning cannot be denied.

 Though they are simple creatures, I imagine that the personality of these companions is affected by the nature of their element same as many sapient beings with such ties are. Flighty air-beasts, volatile fiery plants, stoic and stawart giant beetles, and mercurial and confident sea creatures, among other things. They might also have other quirks of behavior if their element differs greatly from their natural habitat.

  Named for the divine warrior spirits, garuda eagles have a vibrant coloration not normally seen on birds of prey, and they universally have a strong connection to the air, flying fast and dodging arrows with incredible agility. Being permitted to raise one is already an incredible boon, but rarer still are those who also receive a blessing from an actual garuda, bestowed only upon the most righteous and skilled hunters.

 Kugal the goblin is very proud, for he has successfully raised a pet goblin dog who has a literal fire in it’s eyes, one that can be coaxed forth with the right training. However, the problem with being a proud goblin is being a boastful goblin, and there are many in his tribe, the chieftain included, who desire to take the beast from him, leaving him with a dogslicer in his back.

 Many dwarven clans feature working beasts who bear the strength of stone in their bodies, mighty beasts of burden that can weather hardship as the mountain does. Such beasts are guarded carefully and bred in the hopes their elemental might will pass to the next generation.

[fidelixcorde]

                                       Royal Society HQ

Presenting to the Court, Queen Taylor Lillian Borelli, Daughter of the Borelli Bloodline, Protector of the Forests, Mother of the Realm

Deep within the forests, hidden behind some expensive mountain ranges, lays the Kingdom of Alghaba, a completely matriarchal society run by the Borelli Dynasty for the past five hundred years. A magical land with extensively fertile soil for farming, and trees as tall as giants, it has been described as a utopia for many. The common people want for nothing; they are fed, clothed, and given shelter by their nobles and the royal family, and thus that has won their loyalty.

Taylor is the youngest child of the Warrior Queen, Catherine Borelli, was named her heir shortly after her birth. Her eldest daughters, Heather and Ruth, had already been wed to their own Kings from beyond the mountains, and thus were not eligible for the Throne, so Taylor was groomed her entire life to eventually take her mother’s place.

The Borelli bloodline was blessed by magic before the family took the Throne, and this magic can come out in various forms within the descendants. Taylor’s own powers seem to be in commune with their most revered goddess, Ahmedia, who watches over the moon; she is adept at healing and earthen magic, as well as connecting with the life force of those who she can attach herself to, strengthening bodies or draining them of life entirely. It’s a power that has rarely been seen among the Borellis, and one that must only be used in dire circumstances, or they risk losing their magic entirely.

Alghaba is home to some magical creatures such as the goblins, cheerful little creatures with wide eyes who are the best architects and scholars, and the barthials, massive serpentine creatures who guard the boundary lines of the kingdom; winged horses are often seen helping with the farming, or pulling carriages, or acting as transportation beyond the kingdom. The most magical creatures live wild in the forest called the Oraxa, an antelope/deer hybrid creature with a large singular horn protruding from it’s forehead; the horn has magical properties, and so specialized scholars can delve into the forest to find the Oraxa to ask for a few shavings of the horn in exchange for milk, or honey.

Queen Catherine recently died in battle defending the Kingdom, so Taylor was crowned Queen as soon as possible. She is strong and capable, but her temper can get the best of her, and she can often close her ears to sound advice when she thinks she’s in the right. Her main priority, always, is the protection of her people. Due to her frequently visiting the Kingdom beyond the palace walls and proving herself to be a kind and generous soul, she was given the moniker “the Realm’s Soul”. However, due to her age, the council is eager to find her a spouse so that she may have children and further the Borelli bloodline.

[elvaria-project]

Elvarian Legends- The Tale of the Brood of Orvalak(Yukiosa)

Long ago in the years after The Fall, a wyrm of great proportions and power dominated the skies of the continent of the ice-lands.

His wings could blot out the light of the sun, and a single swipe of his tail could create long-winding mountains.

He was known as Orvalak, the Blizzard Wyrm.

According to Yukiosan records and the account of the surviving frost wyrm-who was one of the products of this experiment-, which is all there is on how Orvalak came to be, there were once five different physical elementals who had chosen to breed with five different wyrms as a test to see the result of what would happen if the elementals fused with mortal life such as the elves.

The wyrms were from lands where the matching elemental energies and byproducts were dominant, those energies being frost, stellar, fire, earth, and the byproduct being empowered sand, in order to ensure the highest chances of success.

When the wyrms had laid eggs, each in clutches of three, the eggs of the earthen wyrm were deemed to be impure and likely to result in death as an embryo, and so they were destroyed.

Regardless of the first failure, the elementals chose to continue their test, and so the eggs of the sand wyrm were the first to hatch, though the hatchlings were deemed too dangerous to let live, as they proved to be aggressive and highly venomous, and thus the hatchlings were killed.

Two of the eggs of the stellar wyrm then hatched, with the third unable to crack through the egg and suffocating, but from the two eggs, two powerful hybrids emerged, and they were named Sarkath, the Celestial One, and Qilanar, the Black Serpent, who would onwards become the guides of the Zodianans when the two had left the nests.

The flame wyrm's eggs hatched afterwards, but two of the hatchlings died due to malformed organs and the third was wingless.

Intrigued, the elementals chose to let the surviving one live out life on what would one day become Flaernan lands, planning to see how it would develop without contact with them, but unbeknownst to the elementals when they eventually stopped observing it, the hatchling would be day became known as Erebir, the magma worm, and the terror of the flame-lands.

The last to hatch were the eggs of the frost wyrm, with the first two being rather weak and small but alive, and the third being the strongest and abnormally large.

The first two were allowed to roam freely, as they could not cause threats to the mortals, but they were not given names since they were considered failures. However, the third was given the name Orvalak, the Blizzard Wyrm, and it was suspected that before the eggs were laid, Orvalak had absorbed more energies than his siblings or leeched off of them, leading to him being the most powerful one out of the clutch.

However, unlike Sarkath and Qilanar, Orvalak was incapable of speech despite his power being akin to that of the two, if not even greater. Nonetheless, the elementals observed his growth, but upon realizing that Orvalak was becoming stronger and larger than they could control, they attempted to kill him, though they had failed to notice that Orvalak was capable of thought and could observe and process situations with logic despite his lack of an ability to speak.

Orvalak was cunning, and knowing the intentions of the elementals, struck first, absorbing the energies of the elementals and shattering their cores, causing their sentience to fade and thus leading to their deaths.

Orvalak had developed a thirst for elemental energies that could not be sated with only those of the five elementals, and searched for the settling Yukiosans who began to recently began to expand their territory as they explored more of the frost-lands.

He guided the Yukiosans deep into the heart of the frost-lands by using his body, which had grown to gargantuan proportions, to shield the Yukiosans when particularly harsh blizzards occurred.

The Yukiosans interpreted his intentions as good and were thankful to Orvalak for helping them expand their territory, but in truth, he intended to enslave them and force them to supply him a constant flow of energies, as he had observed the Yukiosans to be able to wield frost energies.

When the Yukiosans had built permanent settlements that became cities as centuries passed by, Orvalak continued to watch them and aid them in their endeavors, as he could empower them with the energies he absorbed in the past. Though, the time eventually came when he tired of giving and decided to put his plans into place, and as the Yukiosans could partially interpret his growls and body language, he attempted to ask them for "empowerment" in return for all he had done for the Yukiosans.

Despite many of the Yukiosans wishing to do so, not knowing Orvalak's true intentions, the ruler of the Yukiosans refused to allow it, seeing right through Orvalak.

The ruler attempted to offer artifacts as compensation instead, but Orvalak was unsatisfied, and was frustrated that his plan was starting to fail.

Orvalak then flew to the western edge of the continent of the frost-lands, where he had hid away the eggs of a frost wyrm he had mated with when he was at a smaller size.

The eggs had, by then, hatched, with the hatchlings being as large as he was when he himself hatched.

Quickly, the hatchlings grew in strength and size, and only a decade had passed before he resorted to his backup plan, planning to use fear to force the Yukiosans to fall under his rule so he could feast on the energies he thirsted for.

Orvalak, however, had not remembered about his siblings, but they had remembered him, and one went to warn the Yukiosans of Orvalak's last resort, while the other flew overseas to request for the assistance of Sarkath and Qilanar in killing Orvalak and his brood, for the two nameless siblings had the ability to speak.

When the ruler of the Yukiosans was notified, they assembled an army of warriors, taking care to avoid having any spellcasters join the ranks of the army in order to prevent Orvalak from getting what he wanted.

Two fifths of the army marched towards the edges of the frost-lands to battle the spawn of Orvalak, while the rest, along with the two siblings, Sarkath, and Qilanar, marched towards the west of the continent to face Orvalak himself.

Orvalak's initial reaction was that of shock when he saw the four wyrms and the squadrons of Yukiosans, but he composed himself and quickly flew upwards, opening his large jaws, preparing unleash vast quantities of frost energies, intending to freeze all that was upon the continent into ice.

Seeing this, one of his forgotten siblings flew into the maw of Orvalak while freezing much of her body to be covered in sharp icicles, causing Orvalak to shut his jaws as he attempted to push the frozen wyrm out of his throat, leaving him distracted.

The warriors, Sarkath, and the remaining sibling used Orvalak's moment of distraction as an opportunity to attack, focusing on shredding off as many of Orvalak's scales as possible in order to strike at his vitals, while Qilanar prepared to spray as much of her most potent venom as possible upon Orvalak's exposed flesh.

Orvalak, having finally choked down the frozen wyrm, growled and flew to the edges of the continent to gather his brood, but not before Qilanar was able to strike him with her ebon venom, which slowly ate away at his skin and wings.

Orvalak grew enraged at the sight of the dead and dying wyrms of his brood and turned to face his pursuers and attackers, using his massive body to quickly surround the continent while he could still fly, but eventually he fell, succumbing to the venom, and collapsed with a roar that shook the continent.

The Yukiosans had won, but at the cost of many lives, though they knew that they likely saved many more by killing Orvalak.

The sibling of the wyrm that had sacrificed herself took it upon himself to keep watch for the Yukiosans, and as the corpse of Orvalak rotted into bones, he assembled a gathering of the mages of Yukiosa, freezing the remains of Orvalak and Orvalak's brood into large mountains of ice to ensure that he would never rise ever again.

Thus is the ending of the Tale of the Brood of Orvalak, with all that remains of him and his brood being the great mountains that border the continent of the frost-lands.

--------------------

Taglist for writing-

@aneci

If anyone else would like to join the taglist, feel free to DM me or send in an ask! I will also have a separate taglist for art posts.

[meepmoopmaap]

So, here's a funny little story time about my fantasy world, and a peak into it's politics.

it's a fantasy type world where there are humans, magical folk, and hybrids. The humans HATE the magical folk and are basically trying to genocide the magic away. The magical folk are trying to survive, some of them want to go to war, some want peace, and others wanna induce the great gathering (More on that later). Hybrids are the result of a human and a magical being having sex (centaurs do not count, it's a fickle issue but since centaurs can only be created from two centaurs, they are politically seen as magical beings. Yeah, this is gonna get political soon)) the magical folk's opinions on hybrids just depends on which species you ask, since everyone has a different opinion on the matter. Humans hate the hybrids just as much as they hate full fledged magical folks.

So basically the magical creatures have a council, the Ministry Of magical Beings. Or MOB for short. The mob has one representee from every magical species with the exception of the elves (more on that later), just know the elves have 4, but only 2 show up, 3 on a good day. The MOB's goal is to try and find peace for magical folks, but how that should happen is widely debated. My world is still in progress, but here's the four elf denomination's opinions on it:

Earthen Elves: These elves are defense oriented, and for centuries they were rumored to have gone extinct because of how well they hid in the forests during the great elf war(more on that later). They think that this should be reflected in the MOB's peace plan. They corporate with MOB, but only because they know MOB is the best choice in finding peace. They choose their leader through a very nature/spirit oriented process, but no one knows how it works because the ritual is sacred and the Earthen Elves take spiritual tradition very seriously.

Navy Elves: Want something done on water? Go to these guys, they handle most water based trade routes and have a decent, but fickle, alliance with the Ember Elves due to their involvement in the economy. Like their business routes, the Navy Elves have a very water based line of defense, with impressive navy ships and even better machinery, almost all technology and ships come from them. They don't like working with the MOB, but the MOB pays good money for their ships and assistance, so they deal with it. They pick a leader through an election process, and although they aren't very tradition based, they due have sacred rituals.

Ember Elves: They rule the economy along-side the dragons via the Smoke And Fire Treaty (More on that later), almost every trading town, bazar, and shop is supplied or just ran in general by them and the dragons. They have one of the best militaries in the world, and almost all weapon production comes from them. They hate the MOB and almost never show up to council meetings. They are a tribe of warriors, and have a traditional fighting style envied by other militaries. They pick their leader through a ritual known as 'Proving worth", it's a series of challenges in which the one proved the be the wisest and strongest is deemed the new leader, both in politics and in the military. They aren't as traditional as the Earthen Elves, but take the leader picking and the fighting styles very seriously. Their secret battle technique is sacred to them, along side their design of weaponry. Nomad Elves: Traveling Elves who were put in a pretty tough spot during the Great elf war. They aren't very traditional, and their military isn't strong, yet they somehow manage to be one of the wisest elves. Their healing skills are second to known, and you're a fool to even consider out witting a Nomad Elf. They aren't very combat centered, and they tend to flee from battles. it's almost impossible to pin down one group of Elves, and it's almost crazy to see how well each group stays in touch and stays under the leadership of one guy. They have a very sacred ritual on picking their leader, but it's so vague and strange that most people think they just guess. After the events of the Elf war, the Nomads become loyal to the MOB, and were always willing to help, but due to their constant traveling and being hard to pinpoint, the MOB doesn't really like working with them

[priyesh-creativeproject]

Planning the concept for the major project

Update -2

Once, I decide what are the key factors.

Rough Concept -

Ranthambore is an open-world first-person forest exploration and survival game with some twist. Players find themselves lost in a vast, ancient forest teeming with life. The Animals guides players through gestures & messages.

This concept offers a unique blend of open-world exploration and survival mechanics. All wrapped in the beauty and mystery of a sentient forest.

Story-

Arjun crouched in the forest, the once lively sounds replaced by an eerie silence. An alien ship loomed ahead, its metallic form a blight on the verdant landscape. He, chosen by the frantic whispers of the forest spirits, had to stop them.

Remembering the cryptic messages from the animals, he knew trials awaited. The first came in the form of glowing, bug-like creatures. Recalling the Elder Mantis's wisdom, Arjun focused. Roots erupted, ensnaring the creatures, and with a surge of power, he crushed them.

A green light pulsed, revealing the Whisperwood Javelin, a weapon imbued with the forest's life force. Empowered, Arjun faced challenge after challenge - a maze of energy-draining fungi, a monstrous tree-ripper. Each trial unlocked new abilities - lightning from storms, earthen walls.

Finally, he stood before the alien core, its voice booming with amusement. Arjun, his voice strong, declared, "Greenwood will not fall!" The core pulsed red, morphing into a monstrous machine-plant hybrid. The final battle for the forest's soul had begun.

[caranelguild]

February 4, 2IY 1

Our adventurers decide to leave Baachli after all, and fly across Dharak to its eastern fringe to investigate the unique township of Kroch, where Xak the fence told them he had found Ko the armadillo-person. Along the way, as they ask for directions, the crew of the UFO learns that Kroch is hardly a town at all, but some strange hybrid of independent city-state and private resort.

Kroch's high clay walls come into view, but little else can be seen through a dome of thick, lush foliage covering the entire little town - the walls encircling a tropical forest garden around six hundred meters in diameter. The crew disembarks and walks up to the gate, where a platoon of curious-looking dragonborn soldiers forms up. Their scales, not quite as smooth as a lizardfolk's, are in rich earthen colours, and they wear elaborate headdresses of foliage and immense butterfly wings.

A gatekeeper approaches our party, and Zilybar and Roy explain that they are a travelling band of performers who heard about Kroch in the west of Dharak. They would love to lend their talents to the resort town.

The gatekeeper accepts the story, as Arlex had been drumming a light tattoo as the gang approached, and Zilybar's instruments stick out obviously upon his back. The gatekeeper has the troupe wait under a little lean-to against the wall while he fetches a "judging committee" - part of the protocol when unannounced performers arrive at Kroch.

While attended only by two attentive guards, Zilybar quickly pulls his group together and outlines a performance plan.

When the gatekeeper returns with a panel of dragonborn judges, along with one bald and perfectly round dwarf with expressive eyebrows, Zilybar counts the UFO troupe in and they launch into a musical performance: himself on the trumpet, Arlex on her drum, and Nur plucking almost soundlessly on an improvised longbow bass while Roy provides accompaniment through thaumaturgical trick. The song goes badly, and Zilybar quickly has the group transition into acrobatic manoeuvres, the gnome tumbling around, beneath, and over top of Nur as the nomad shepherd rolls about on their horse. This goes over very well with the judges, the dwarf especially, whose eyebrows communicate extreme interest. Then it's time for story time with Roy, who capably tells a tale from his time as a constable as Arlex enhances moments with magical trickery. For a grand finale, the troupe returns to music, but this time Arlex summons her magical drake to dance. The gang finds an improvisational groove and ends with the judges nodding along.

The gatekeeper informs our adventurers that the judges will return within the walls to make their decision, and says he will return with knowledge of it momentarily. When he does return, it is with a face that tells the insightful among the gang that the news is not ideal.

He relates that, while the storytelling and music was decent, it was not up to the standards of the judging committee, so they were unwilling to extend the UFO troupe a residency of any time. However, they greatly enjoyed the acrobatic show, and are willing to give our adventurers an extended audition inside Kroch - they will be given a space to perform for a minimum collective time of four hours over the remainder of the day, and if they impress the clients and perhaps a judge that might come wandering by, a residency offer may be extended - though it must be understood that the exposure, connections, and environment (plus accommodation and partial board) are more than enough compensation.

Our adventurers are keen to accept the offer, and are guided within the walls after pinning on pretty boutonnieres, evidently an identification mark or pass of some kind. The moist air within the walls is cooler than the dry desert air outside, and they are immediately lost within a completely new environment. They are led along winding paths through rich and diverse flora - a remarkably lush garden of trees, fruits, flowers, and shrubbery.

Before they are brought to their performance spot, they ask to be led to a place to eat lunch, and are deposited at an open bar and grill where the chefs are actively interacting with the guests and putting on clever acts of culinary prowess as they create dishes.

When their own chef is asked about armadillo-people and she understands what they are referencing (a language barrier delays this), she shuts down immediately, and is relieved when the topic moves on. Nur asks her to toss a shrimp to their horse, but the horse is unable to catch it.

After their meal, the UFO troupe is led to a meadow upon the side of a gentle hill, which they are told is the venue for their extended audition. Provided they impress the guests wandering by and do not allow the horses to devour the precious plants, things are looking good for them to have some time within the township-resort to find what they are looking for!

A schedule of half an hour on, half an hour off is decided upon, and they begin! The main show involves the same tumbling and horse acrobatics that have already impressed the Koch arts authorities, but Nur and Zilybar also devise a new programme involving the latter shooting arrows at the former while they are blindfolded on their horse. Arlex and Roy enhance these acts with magic. Roy also convinces an official to get him a bag of human bones (found as polished rune artworks in the gift shop), and he conjures two and a half mismatched skeletons to dance along the garden paths drawing audience members to their meadow.

When the roly-poly dwarf stops by later in the afternoon, the gang pulls out all the stops and Roy turns Nur's horse invisible.

In the early evening, an interesting guest stops by to watch: a well-dressed drow male with his young daughter in a mobility device - oh, and a blue-flaming skull hovering over his shoulder.

Nur is about to forcefully yank the young lady into participating in their acrobatics when Zilybar intervenes and tells the nomad to maybe ask first. Nur does, and the girl is eager to jump in! The agile horsewrangler takes the young drow for a terrific ride full of minor feats of gymnastics. She is returned to her father glowing with delight, and a dancing skeleton arrives with a souvenir: a beat-up doll Roy found upon the king-of-the-world's island. After the performance, the noble drow thanks the troupe and gives Zilybar a substantial tip.

At some point in the day, Roy's sharp senses lead him to notice a small, robed figure moving through the foliage of the garden, off the path.

Aside from a few painful arrows not successfully blocked or dodged, the shows are a terrific success through the day - and by nightfall, the gatekeeper arrives to relay good news: the UFO troupe has impressed the judges and the guests (one Lord Shinonome was especially complimentary) and would they like to perform every other day in this spot for the next two weeks?

Our adventurers are delighted to accept.

[mar-makes]

Species for Wabbits Pt. 1

The species for Wabbits are all hybrid creatures- I'm sure most people are familiar with these first three, but they'll get weirder as we expand the (non-existent) Venn diagram.

Starbur- bunny bird hybrid. They tend to nest in the branches of trees. Very quick but also delicate. Help control weather and can use illusions as a distraction. Predators include birds of prey and big cats. They tend to live in big flocks that can watch out for each other’s young. Tend to have sexually dimorphic wing colors.

Fauwing- bird deer hybrid (aka a Peryton). They nest on the ground in small familial herds. They are going from gatherers to farmers which has allowed them to make more permanent earthen homes. They can run and fly but they don’t have great endurance for either. When endangered, they tend to take shelter as opposed to fleeing. They have horns that they use to fight or trough earth- they can also decorate them.

Jawret- bunny deer hybrid (aka a Jackalope). Similar to Fauwing, they live in familial warrens and have horns. They tend to be more solitary than the other species, often tinkering with ores and metals. Some form special connections with beasts, keeping their warrens and villages safe from predators.

[fish-farm-nigeria]

How to Start a Profitable Catfish Farm in Nigeria

Let’s take a closer look on How to Start a Profitable Catfish Farm in Nigeria. Nigeria exported 160,000 tons of catfish in 2015. This was an improvement of 39% from 2010. Nigeria produced 300,000 tonnes two years later, and production and consumption have continued to rise quickly ever since. Nigeria is credited as being the world's top catfish producer because of this.

Nigeria has been increasing its catfish production since the beginning of the nation's fish farming industry in 1951. Catfish farming was initially dominated by the Nigerian government. And in 1991, when catfish farming had elevated Nigeria to a leading position in aquaculture globally, the government created an atmosphere that was favorable to farmers.

We concur that the present is the ideal time to launch a catfish enterprise in Nigeria.

We'll walk you through the process of starting a catfish farm in Nigeria in this tutorial. We'll also talk about some warning signs to look out for.

Ready to start a successful catfish business? Let's go for it!

First step: research

Research is crucial in business as in any other endeavor. Google can assist you identify resources for your research. The following are the crucial subjects you need to look into in depth: Understand catfish Clarias gariepinus

Heterobranchus bidorsalis

Clarias and Heterobranchus hybrid (Heteroclarias), and Clarias nigro-digitatus are the four catfish species that are most prevalent in Nigeria.

In the southeast of Nigeria, heterobranchus species are prevalent, whilst Clarias species are prevalent in the country's western regions.  Notably, it has been discovered that these two species grow more quickly than others.

You should also do some research on where to buy swim-up fry or fingerlings. Consider looking at vendors who have been around for a while. 

Knowing your soil

Any sort of soil cannot be used for catfish farming. Understanding the soil's composition, texture, and minerals is crucial. Consequently, a soil test is crucial.

The results of the soil test will help you decide on the type and depth of the pond. Additionally, it will advise you of the pond's water retention volume.

Recognize your pond:

Any fish pond needs the following at a minimum:

pond walls are another name for dukes.

Water inlet and outflow channels

These water controls regulate the pond's water flow and level.

Harvesting equipment: Shock tanks, sweep nets, etc.

 tracks and roads for simple navigating.

In Nigeria, the ponds that are most frequently utilized for catfish farming are as follows:

 Artificial pond

Garbage pond

Earthen pond and concrete pond

We'll revisit these pond varieties later.

Security precaution

You may be thinking, "Is it just fish?" Yes, they are just catfish, but they are worth a lot of money. Not to mention decent taste as well. Thus, you must do your research to choose the best practices for your farm. Several sensible actions include:

Don't locate your farm in a secret place.

Make sure to use nets to secure your ponds

Security cameras can be useful.

Having a barbed wire fence is a good idea.

Farms with good lighting are not places to hide.

Step 2: Adjust your spending plan

Some of us prefer to stick rigidly to plans, so if you already have one, your research has shown you how it fits into the bigger picture. It's okay if you don't have one yet because your research will enable you to determine how much you require.

I'll still offer you an estimate of the starting price for a catfish farm, though. According to our research and discussion, some of the crucial expenses you should take into account when creating your budget include: land, pond building, swim-up fry or fingerling costs, security costs, feed costs, worker salaries, etc.

Create your pond.

In Nigeria, there are different kinds of ponds designed specifically for catfish: Plastic pond

The sizes of plastic ponds range from 1000 to 20,000 liters in volume. They are made of water tanks made of plastic. Large-scale farming cannot be done in this kind of temporary pond.

Tarpaulin ponds:

These are mobile fish ponds that are simple to move, set up, and put together. They are constructed of tarpaulin. They are available in various sizes. As an illustration, the smaller ones can hold roughly 300 fish while the larger ones can hold up to 1000 fish. This pond is also transient.

Concrete pond

The flow through method and the water re-circulation method are the two ways to construct concrete ponds. The former calls for routine water releases to maintain ponds and provide more oxygen to the fish. The latter is just a mechanism for recycling water, as its name suggests. Costs for cooling and heating are decreased.

You don't want to spend a lot of money on a concrete pond that won't last because they are pricey.

Therefore, avoid the following:

Make a structure out of clay. Your pond is more likely to leak as a result.

Build using thin concrete. You need 4-6 inches of concrete thickness.

Build a pond with porous sides. Leaching of lime and other dangerous compounds occurs frequently in concrete. You must seal your pond with waterproofing agents like vinegar acid to prevent this.

Earthen pond:

This one is the biggest of them all and it is made of dirt components. In Nigeria, they are also most frequently used for commercial catfish production. The embankment pond and the excavated or dug-out pond are the two forms.

The embankment ponds can be built on stream sites where the slope is steep enough to limit the size of the dam by damming a small stream. Excavated or dug-out ponds are created by excavating a space that receives water from springs and runoff, as the name implies. A hole in the ground, in plain English.

Begin farming.

If you have completed the previous 3 steps, it is now time to begin your catfish farm!

Your pond is now prepared for use in farming. Get a good supply of fingerlings, swim up fry, or catfish as soon as possible. Additionally, this is the moment to decide whether you want to open a hatchery to sell fingerlings or if you want to

You must be asking yourself what swim fry and fingerlings signify. Relax, I'll explain.

A stage in a catfish's life cycle is called a swim fry. The spawn or eggs are known as fry until they reach a size of 1-2 cm and take on the appearance of the fish. They typically consume smaller-sized zooplankton at this stage. The spawn needs 7 to 10 days to develop into the fry stage. Fish will "swim up" to the surface of the aquarium and look for food once the yolk has been consumed and they have grown mouth parts. The swim fry stage is at hand.

The fry is known as a fingerling after it gets up to 10-15 cm in size, or around the size of a finger. It is the ideal size for stocking ponds that produce table fish. The fingerling size of the fry can be reached in 30 to 60 days. 

A juvenile catfish is about 6 to 8 weeks old. An adult fingerling is between three and four weeks old, so this is a little older. Either of the two is required to begin your catfish farm.

Next thing to consider at this point is the feed for your catfish. Feeds for Catfish are mainly plant based with some fish meal and animal protein. It is vital to get a good supplier and stick with them.

Another important thing is your farm management and team. Be sure that your farm manager is experienced and has people skills. You also need a consistent Veterinary doctor. One thing I’ve learned is that you get tremendous output from your team when you treat them well. So note it.

Now, you have a catfish farm! Well done!