#fossil display piece

[uk-fossils]

Cut & Polished Pyritised Yorkshire Ammonite - Dactylioceras commune Fossil, Whitby Jurassic UK

Showcasing a beautifully Cut and Polished Yorkshire Ammonite Fossil encased in a naturally pyritised nodule. This exceptional specimen is of the species Dactylioceras commune, found within a pyrite-rich limestone nodule from the Lower Toarcian Stage of the Early Jurassic, approximately 182 million years ago. Sourced from the iconic fossil cliffs of Whitby, North Yorkshire, UK.

This ammonite has undergone a natural mineralisation process, resulting in the replacement and encrustation of the fossil and its matrix with golden-bronze pyrite. The specimen has been carefully sliced and polished to reveal the stunning inner chamber structure and details of the shell, contrasted beautifully against the pyrite matrix.

Fossil Type: Ammonite (extinct marine cephalopod)

Species: Dactylioceras commune

Geological Age: Lower Jurassic, Toarcian Stage

Stratigraphic Zone: Commune Subzone of the Harpoceras falciferum Zone (probable)

Superfamily: Dactylioceratoidea

Family: Dactylioceratidae

Order: Ammonitida

Morphological Features:

Prominent radial ribs extend across the full shell whorl

Involute, tightly coiled structure with small umbilicus

Clearly visible septal suture lines

Fossil is preserved and encrusted in natural pyrite, giving it a metallic lustre

Depositional Environment: Formed in a deep marine environment under anoxic conditions during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. These black shale formations allowed exceptional preservation, while pyritisation occurred due to mineral-rich waters and bacterial activity in the sediment.

Notable:

Sliced and polished ammonite in a natural pyrite matrix

Authentic and rare pyritised specimen from Whitby, UK

Ideal for collectors, enthusiasts, educators, or home display

Photo shows actual specimen – what you see is what you get

Authenticity: All of our fossils are 100% genuine natural specimens and are supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity. The image shows the exact item you will receive. Please refer to the scale cube in the photo (each square = 1cm) for precise dimensions.

A captivating specimen of ancient marine life, preserved in shimmering pyrite and carefully prepared to showcase its unique beauty. Add this scientifically significant and visually stunning Dactylioceras commune to your fossil collection today.

[rebornofstars]

Hello? Taps mic. The hero of Time is a fossil because his story is so old and long dead that the shape of his corpse has been filled in with sediment and calcified it and the now people can only guess what manner of creature he used to be by the shape of his bones.  I can't put the words into the story but I read a book about how in ancient Greece farmers would find mammoth bones and call them bones of giants. the bones discovered in a place with many thunderstorms were called giants, who fell in battle against Zeus. people knew and questioned the stories but they still called them gods. was that boy a hero? did he really abandon their world? hello bee? i feel like you'd appreciate this crumb without the story. i don't know what to do with it but its fun to toss around in my head. he's old. he's time. he is bones in the shape of a huddled child, but his form is so strange to us we called him a warrior, a beast, a giant, anything but a small thing huddled in the ground long ago. I'm not like babying Time the grown man, I'm thinking the story of him. Wind’s idea of The Hero of Time and the Guy that we call Time are not the same person, ok? Taps mic. Like is this thing on? Can you hear me?

oh my god. im starting a new word document

[socknerd]

When you're like "how to use up these spare Lego pieces", you get shit like the combo Space Vehicle Launch Site/Skate Park.

[bootsukki]

I think this is cute

It all started with a ring. A simple, band of silver wrapped around Tsukishima’s left ring finger. It wasn’t flashy but it looked particularly new.

His coworkers, Kento and Ran, at Sendai City Museum noticed it immediately, especially when he had to take it off to clean pieces or when he needed to wash his hands.

“Did you see it?” one whispered, leaning against the coffee machine.

“Of course I saw it. How could I not?” another one murmured back, eyes moving towards the tall figure of Tsukishima, who was typing something on his computer.

None of them dared to ask. They all knew Tsukishima well enough to understand prying would get them nowhere.

Why was he wearing a ring? He never wore jewelry, so that initial theory was quickly debunked. Family heirloom? Could be, but still, it looked pretty new and he wouldn’t wear it. Then of course, the most obvious: marriage.

But, to who? Not even one of his workmates knew that he was in a relationship!

Their best bet was to observe him in his natural habitat— the museum. Maybe they could catch a glimpse of his lock screen or some text message received from a significant other. But nothing.

Until a group of students came to visit the fossils exhibit. Tsukishima was always the one who prepared and guided the students around the exhibit and gift shop, but today, he was accompanied by his two coworkers, as new fossils had been added.

“And there is the gift shop. We offer replicas of the fossils and several other objects that you may find interesting.” Tsukishima tells the children and their respective teachers. “We have a more specific area with educational resources for class.”

“Thank you so much, Tsukishima-san.” One of the teachers bows, showing him her respect and gratitude. “We’ll have a look.”

Tsukishima’s gaze lingers on something else for a moment and one of his coworkers notices the direction is going to.

“It’s no problem. If you excuse me, I need to grab something.”

The teachers nod and Tsukishima leaves their side, walking towards the front desk of the gift shop. Kento swats Ran’s arm.

“Look!”

“Kei, you forgot your lunch again.”

Their eyes looked at the shopkeeper, the lovely, bubbly (Y/N).

She stood behind the counter, holding a neatly wrapped bento with a look of fondness. The taller man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“I didn’t forget it… Just to lazy to carry it…”

“Aha, of course…” (Y/N) rolled her eyes, stepping out from behind the counter, leaving the bento behind for a few seconds. Without any doubt nor hesitation, she reached up to fix Tsukishima’s sweater and lanyard. It looked like she had just done that for years—her touch almost familiar.

“You’re impossible,” she muttered, a smile playing on her lips as she tapped a finger against his chest. A finger wearing an almost similar ring to Tsukishima’s, adorned with a small diamond.

Kento and Ran barely held back their gasps.

This was it. This was her. The mystery wife, the lovely (Y/N) that hang out with them, went to karaoke and went out for drinks on Fridays. How long had they been together? How on Earth did they not notice?

Hiding behind a postcard display, they started murmuring about possible timelines, shivers running throughout their bodies at the haze of Tsukishima’s golden eyes flicking in their direction.

“I can hear you, you know?”

Kento and Ran scattered instantly, but not before hearing (Y/N)’s laughter and noticing the playful little smile on Tsukishima’s face.

[seumyo]

museum dates with bf!tsukishima.

NOTE. oh, certified tsukishima luvr @solvisun for u <3

You hated museum dates. 

No, really—loathed them with a passion that only grew with every agonizing hour you spent trailing after your boyfriend through echoey halls and glass display cases. It wasn’t even that museums were boring. That wasn’t fair. You liked the exhibits, genuinely. The restoration work was incredible, the artifacts were fascinating, and it was kind of cute how your boyfriend lit up every time he got to explain something. Which was often.

Because Tsukishima Kei, your darling pain-in-the-ass boyfriend, worked part-time at the Sendai City Museum, and apparently that gave him a divine license to deliver play-by-play commentary like a snarky academic podcast with legs. Tall, spectacled legs. One with particular moles that even make a heart (not that you ever told a single soul, because you knew he would be after you if you did).

“So this piece,” he would say, already a few steps ahead, pointing casually at a weathered samurai armor set, “was from the late Edo period. See the difference in the breastplate design?”

You would squint through bleary, dry eyes, clutching your water bottle (which he somehow allowed—through sheer persuasion and outright begging on your knees) like it was your only link to life. “Yeah,” you mumbled. “Looks… shinier?”

Tsukishima turned to you, shrugging. “You didn’t even look.”

“I did!” you insisted. “I just… I’m not a samurai historian like you, Kei.”

“You should be grateful,” he said with mock arrogance, adjusting his glasses. “People pay for this kind of tour experience.”

“I’m paying,” you said, trudging after him. “With my soul.”

But you followed him anyway, like you always did. Through the samurai wing, the early Jōmon pottery, and the textile restoration gallery. He knew you were flagging when you started leaning on the handrails more, moving slower, and falling behind like a rebellious school kid on a class trip. You would never think that he thought you were awfully cute like this.

A true sadist in the making, really.

“Hey,” he called, halfway through the Meiji industrial section. “Are you dying?”

“I’ve been dead since the third hour,” you grunted. “My ghost is haunting your dumb little tour.”

Tsukishima turned to you, walking back a few paces with his hands in his coat pockets. “We’ve only been here two hours and forty minutes.”

“Time doesn’t pass normally in museums,” you said. “It’s like a black hole of walking and standing and standing and walking. And it’s too cold.”

He snorted, then took your hand. His palm was warm, steady. It feels perfect against yours. “Come on, we’re almost at the dinosaurs. You like the dinosaurs.” as if he’s talking to a child—trying to coax and/or motivate a reaction out of you.

“I like sitting.”

But you went with him anyway. Because, yeah, okay, you did like the dinosaurs. Not in a prehistoric nerd way, but in a watching-his-face-light-up-as-he-explains-how-paleontologists-determined-the-size-of-a-femur kind of way. It was kind of endearing, the way Tsukishima got subtly excited. His voice would go just a pitch higher, and he’d push his glasses up with his knuckle like he was restraining actual joy. 

“There,” he said, stopping in front of the towering fossil of a Futabasaurus. “That one’s my favorite. Native to Japan.”

You blinked up at the enormous skeleton, rubbing your shoulder. “Big,” you said.

“Articulate,” Tsukishima deadpanned.

You yawned, long and unashamed, before leaning into his side like your bones had turned to jelly. “If I die here,” you muttered, “bury me under the plesiosaur. Let my suffering be remembered.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m tired.”

“You didn’t have to come.”

You pulled back just enough to give him a weak glare. “I wanted to come. For you.”

He looked down at you, something shifting subtly in his expression. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“I’m a very good girlfriend.”

“You just took pictures to post on your socials and barely listened to what I’ve been telling you.”

“I thought I could be one of those museum lovers—and academically inclined aesthetic girlies on Pinterest.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, but you caught the way his thumb brushed lightly over your hand, how he slowed his pace after that. Maybe it was a little thing, but you noticed it. You always did.

By the time they left the museum, dusk had settled in, and your legs were practically jelly. You said nothing, just collapsed into the passenger seat of his car, and groaned like an elderly crypt keeper.

“You survived,” Tsukishima said, starting the engine.

“Barely.”

“Want to go again next weekend?”

“I will stab you with a fossil.”

-

So you were right.

A fever was heading straight to you after that whole museum date. Oh, and you felt like your body was boiling from the inside out.

You lay in bed, cocooned in three blankets and clutching a half-full water bottle like it was the only thing that could save you from ascending with the light. Your head was pounding, your skin too warm and too cold at the same time, and every time you tried to sit up, the world tilted sideways like you were on a carnival ride from hell.

Your phone buzzed on the nightstand. You groaned and fumbled for it with the coordination of someone wearing oven mitts.

Grumpy [10:12AM]: How’s the museum hangover?

You didn’t reply immediately. It took real effort just to squint at the screen. Instead, you turned over with a muffled groan and tried to sleep again. You really had no energy to even quip even a single like emoji.

An hour later, the doorbell rang. Twice. Thrice.

So maybe if your dorm was on fire, you really didn’t care right now.

You, still feverish and fuzzy-headed, dragged yourself to the door in a hoodie three sizes too big (which was definitely Tsukishima’s; his brows furrow in that accusatory expression whenever he sees you wearing it, but he decides to let you keep it because he isn’t a total jerk of a boyfriend, duh) and mismatched socks. You cracked it open and blinked blearily at the tall figure standing there with a plastic bag and an expression caught somewhere between concern and guilt.

“Kei?” you croaked.

“You didn’t answer your phone,” he said, stepping inside before you could tell him not to.

“I’m sick.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He reached out and pressed the back of his hand to your forehead. “Jesus, you’re burning up.”

You swayed a little under his touch. “Told you I was dying.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You were already exhausted yesterday. Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“Because I wanted to see you. And dinosaurs.”

Tsukishima let out a slow sigh, setting the bag down on the kitchen counter. “That’s stupid. I guess idiots really do get colds.”

“You dragged me across natural history for three hours. I’m not the stupid one.”

“I didn’t drag you.”

“You gave me a guided death march through time.”

He looked at you, arms crossed, then unfolded one to hand you a small bottle of sports drink. “Drink this.”

You took it, pouting. “You’re only being nice because you feel guilty.”

“Yes.”

You blinked at the bluntness.

Oh.

Oh?

“I feel extremely guilty,” he said flatly. “I thought you were just being dramatic.”

“I was being dramatic.”

“You also had a fever brewing, apparently. And I laughed at you. So now I’m going to cook you porridge and feel bad for the rest of the week.”

You blinked at him. Again. “…You’re going to cook?”

“Don’t look so alarmed.”

“I just… didn’t think I was hallucinating yet.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and moved into your kitchen, already unpacking the bag. Rice, eggs, green onions, a tiny bottle of sesame oil, and some store-bought pudding cups.

“I wasn’t sure if you had groceries,” he muttered. “So I brought my own.”

You leaned your head against the wall, watching him, hugging (more like wanting to become one by just leaning into it) the cold surface to cool your temperature. Your throat was sore, your skin felt like it was in flames, but somehow you still found the energy to smile. Of course, you weren’t going to miss the chance of still being pretty in front of this man.

“You’re kind of sweet when you feel bad.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I won’t. You’ll annoy me again by Thursday.”

He looked over his shoulder at you, deadpan. “Wednesday, probably.”

You chuckled weakly, then let out a sigh as you slid back into your bed, the bottle still in hand.

“You’re forgiven,” you called out hoarsely. “But next time we go to a museum…”

“I’ll bring a wheelchair?”

“Or a coffin.”

From the kitchen came a long-suffering sigh, followed by the sound of a pot hitting the stove.

But Tsukishima stayed. All day. Quietly watching over you with guilt etched between his brows and the same quiet steadiness he brought to everything.

And though you hated museum dates, truly and deeply, you didn’t really mind the fever. Not if it meant he’d look at you like that, hovering in your doorway with a bowl of too-thick porridge and a stubborn determination to take care of you. 

Worried boyfriend Tsukishima in your fever arc? Finally unlocked.

SEUMYO © 2025. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, PLAGIARIZE, MODIFY OR TRANSLATE.

[derived-centrosaur]

Dromiceiomimus brevitertius

A male in breeding plumage takes shelter from the sleet of a spring coldsnap

The second of my Horseshoe Canyon series. I didn't have any particular knowledge of ornithomimids before this piece and I think I might actually know less now that I've completed it. Specifically, this taxon in particular has been problematic for nearly it's entire existence. Originally it was named as a new species of Struthiomimus, and later given it's own genus by Russell in his review of the ornithomimids of Alberta. One of his chief characters for distinguishing this taxon was the ratio of tibia to femur length. This has proven very problematic as this ratio can be affected by individual variation and/or growth stage and subsequently Dromiceiomimus has been subsumed into Ornithomimus by various authors. Though the issue of whether it's synonymous with O. edmontonicus or a valid species within Ornithomimus is not agreed upon even by them. The most recent publication I could find was the Macdonald and Currie (2019) description of a near complete specimen. Therein they run a series of tests to see if the limb ratio is even a valid character, and to my surprise it seems to be so. Of the tested taxa (Dromiceiomimus, Ornithomimus, Struthiomimus, and Gallimimus) all kept a consistent ratio of tibia/femur length across absolute sizes, and therefore the ratio is independent of growth stage at least, suggesting that it could be a diagnostic character (Gallimimus is a small outlier, it had a slight negative allometry, the tibia shortened in comparison to the femur as the specimens got bigger). Combining this with subtle features of the hand and claws they reasoned that Dromiceiomimus was distinct at both the specific and generic levels.

As for depicting it, my best sources were the photos of the fossil from Macdonald and Currie (2018), the skeletal diagrams and thigh muscle reconstructions provided in Russel (1972), the "Ornithomimus brevitertius" skeleton in Paul (1989), and the image of the holotype pelvic girdle provided in Parks (1926). The integument of Ornithomimus has been fossilized in a couple specimens described in Zelenitsky et. al. (2012) and van der Reest, Wolfe, & Currie (2015). given the taxonomic issues, I figured the Ornithomimus integument would be appropriate. What surprised me about the integument was the wings. Specimen TMP 1995.110.1 preserves on its ulna carbonized traces of feather shafts. These traces disappear towards both the proximal and distal ends, meaning that the wing (pennibrachium of their terminology) would have been limited to the forearm and wouldn't continue onto the hand and 2nd finger, nor up to the shoulder as is the case in more derived maniraptors. It feels like a cardinal sin to depict dinosaur wings that way, but that's what the evidence shows for Ornithomimus at least.

The composition, colors, and pose were all inspired by Poodonkis (and if you get the reference maybe take something for your back pain). My challenge was to make him believably pink and spotted and to have him be 'snowed in.' I eventually settled on the idea that the bright pink would be male breeding plumage and since bullfinch, pine grosbeak, and pink headed fruit doves manage the color without filtering crustaceans like flamingoes or spoonbills I figured it could be justified. The spots could be either camouflage like a northern flicker or display like a peacock pheasant, so I done a little of both. The 'snowed in' was tougher, luckily there have been some determinations of paleoclimate for the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, most relevant here are the paleosol samples of Quinney et. al. (2013). Most of the specimens referred to Dromiceiomimus are from the Tolman Member of the formation, which was deposited in a cooler and drier interval. The mean annual temperature and precipitation determined by Quinney et. al. was comparable to those of modern Belgium and Luxembourg, which gives us a rough ballpark to play in. Close enough that I think a cold spring could reasonably produce a sleet storm, not quite a snow-in but close enough for the composition.

References:

Macdonald, I., Currie, P. J. (2018) Description of a partial Dromiceiomimus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) skeleton with comments on the validity of the genus. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 56: pg. 129-157. doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2018-0162

Russell, D. A. (1972) Ostrich Dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Western Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 9: pg. 375-402.

Paul, G. S. (1989) Predatory Dinosaurs of the World, Touchstone Simon & Schuster. pg. 391

Parks, W. A. (1926) Struthiomimus brevetertius - A new species of dinosaur from the Edmonton Formation of Alberta. Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, series 3. 20(4), 65-70 (digitized, pg. 949-955)

Zelenitsky, D. K., et. al. (2012) Feathered Non-Avian Dinosaurs from North America Provide Insight into Wing Origins. Science 338: pg. 510-514. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225376

van der Reest, A. J., Wolfe, A. P., Currie, P. J. (2015) A densely feathered ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. Cretaceous Research 58: pg. 108-117. doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

Quinney, A. et. al. (2013) Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the Upper Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian) Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 371: pg. 26-44. doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.12.009

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Reptilia - Caprimulgiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

As we move into the Strisores clade, our next order are the Caprimulgiformes, commonly known as “nightjars”, “bugeaters”, or “nighthawks”. Caprimulgiformes is composed on one family, Caprimulgidae, and 19 genera.

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds, characterised by long pointed wings, short legs with small feet, and short beaks at the tip of a large mouth. Their primary source of food are night-flying insects, and they fill a similar role to insect-eating bats. Nightjars usually catch their prey by flying through insects with their wide mouths open. They have soft, cryptic plumage, allowing them to camouflage against trees while they sleep during the days. They have rictal bristles around their beak which function similarly to whiskers. Nightjars live on all continents except Antarctica, and some islands, in almost all habitats aside from the most arid deserts.

Nightjars are generally solitary, but will form flocks for the purpose of migration and/or for mating displays. They usually nest on the ground, laying one or two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground. It has been suggested and quoted that nightjars can move their eggs and chicks from the nesting site in the event of danger by carrying them in their mouths, but there is little evidence to support this idea. The nocturnal and secretive nature of nightjars makes it hard to study their behavior. It is unknown whether nightjars mate for life, but they are monogamous for the duration of the mating season.

Strisores have a well-represented fossil record, with fossils of most major strisorean lineages known from the Paleogene. Strisores evolved in the Eocene, with its two main extant lineages separating about 60–55 million years ago. At around 40 mya, the common ancestors of Caprimulgidae and Nyctibiidae diverged from those of the oilbird and frogmouths.

Propaganda under the cut:

The Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is one of the only birds that undergoes a form of hibernation, becoming torpid and with a much reduced body temperature for weeks or months. Other nightjars can also enter a state of torpor, but for shorter periods.

The European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is also known as the Common Goatsucker. This, along with their genus name, refers to an old myth that it would suckle from goats at night, causing them to cease to give milk. (Nightjars do not do this)

Nightjars have a reflective tapetum lucidum at the back of their eyes, causing their eyes to “glow” when lit up at night.

Nightjars do almost everything on the wing, including eating and drinking.

Several comic book heroes use the pseudonym “nighthawk”, including the detective Nelson Lee in “The Nelson Lee Library”, a Harvey Comics superhero, the cowboy Hannibal Hawkes in the DC Comics Universe, and several characters within the Marvel Comics Universe. In fact, there is an abundance of media using the name “nighthawk”, from art pieces, to films, to music, to sports teams, to racehorses, to aircraft, motorcycles, firearms, and amusement park rides. It’s possible that many of the people using this name only know that the nighthawk is a nocturnal bird, and not so much that it’s a small, big-mouthed, insect-eater.

[dinodorks]

[ The skull is mounted on a custom steel armature, which allows for it to be seen all the way around. ]

"After seven years of work, the best preserved and most complete triceratops skull coming from Canada — also known as the "Calli" specimen — is on display for the first time since being found in 2014 at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alta. A museum news release calls the specimen "unique" because of where it was discovered, the age of the rock around it, and how well it was preserved. Following the floods that tore through Alberta about 10 years ago, the Royal Tyrrell staff were engaged in flood mitigation paleontology work when the triceratops skull was discovered in 2014. Triceratops fossils are rare in Canada. This skull was found in the foothills of southwestern Alberta — an area where dinosaur fossils in general are uncommon — and nicknamed "Calli" after Callum Creek, the stream where it was discovered. Transported via helicopter in giant, heavy chunks, the skull and most of the jaw pieces were extracted over the course of a month in 2015. The rest of the triceratops' skeleton was not found. Roaming the earth roughly 68 to 69 million years ago, the museum says this skull was buried in stages, evident by the fossilization process.  "Paleontologists know this because the specimen was found in different rock layers, and the poorly preserved horn tips suggest they were exposed to additional weathering and erosion," reads a museum blog about the triceratops skull.  "The rest of the skeleton likely washed away," noting that the lower jaws were found downstream. From 2016 to 2023, Royal Tyrrell technician Ian Macdonald spent over 6,500 hours preparing this fossil, removing over 815 kilograms of rock that encased the skull. This triceratops skull is the largest skull ever prepared at the museum and its third largest on display."

Read more: "Canada's biggest and best triceratops skull on display in Alberta" by Lily Dupuis.

[brokehorrorfan]

NECA will release Alien: Romulus' Scorched Xenomorph action figure and an accessory set in November. They're $39.99 each.

Scorched Xenomorph stands over 9" tall with 23 points of articulation and an opening jaw with extending inner mouth and wired tail. Accessories include two interchangeable dome pieces, 12 interchangeable hands, facehugger and chesterburster with wired tails, and a display stand.

The accessory set comes with an asteroid with fossilized Xenomorph, F44AA Pulse Rifle, facehugger and two chestbursters with wired tails, cryo frame case with facehugger and interchangeable damaged parts, and facehugger than can attach to 7" scale figures.

[wyverewings]

WHEW I FINALLY GOT THIS DONE

I really wanted to get the lore on the dragons of Evros, because well one, I fucking love dragons, and two, the latest iteration of my dragon lore is very outdated.

Anyway! Lore stuff under the cut because it’s very long…

Anatomy

The dragons of Evros are not like the common depiction seen in modern tales, with four legs and additional wings. They’re more serpentine in shape with only two limbs. And they also lack the firebreathing of most modern dragons, too…

1: The dragon clade is defined by the atter sac found near their stomach. As it’s a soft organ, this makes figuring out the fossil history of dragons a painful headache. This organ is actually a modified gall bladder, and while it still aids in digestion, the fluid it produces has another use. When the dragon is threatened, it expels the fluid from its gall, and breathes it out as a corrosive gas that melts flesh. Oddly enough, the corrosion doesn’t affect plant matter much, but it does affect metal.

2: Dragons have a pair of fins at their head for display, communication, and processing sound. Their horns are in pairs of four, while usually short some dragons prefer to grow them longer.

3: A real trait of many reptile species is the parietal eye, a sort of simplistic third eye at the top of their head. In dragons, this eye is much more complicated, and able to see in the same way as their other two eyes.

4: At the end of a dragon’s body of their tail spade. Tbh I put this here to fill space

5: Like birds and bats, dragons have evolved flight with arms modified into wings. These wings are different from other vertebrate wings however, in that the arm itself is not changed from a regular leg, instead their wings are formed from a fishlike fin attached to the arms. The fins are surprisingly strong and resistant to damage, but by themselves they would just be able to glide. Owing to the magical nature of dragons, they can actually fly. They’re also helpful for swimming, and the claws are good at digging, making dragons true jacks of all trades. (fin wings are based off of Tyrantisterror’s dragons, Midgaheim influenced a lot when it comes to dragons tbh)

Life Cycle

1: As typical of squamates, dragon eggs are soft-shelled. Their delicate nature means they must be guarded at all times, usually by tag team. To break out of their eggs, the hatchlings have an egg tooth (though sometimes they poke their tail spade out first) which they never shed.

2: Baby dragons are hardly recognizable as such, looking more like odd looking snakes. They stay with their parents at all times when very young, but soon will gain the independence to be on their own.

3: Dragonets eventually grow a pair of front legs, though at first they’re small spikes. This is the signal for brumation to begin. The dragonet will dig a burrow for itself, then must eat as much as possible to prepare for their long sleep.

4: Growing a limb is a strenuous process, so going into slumber eases it. The dragon’s legs and wings will grow while buried, and once satisfactorily formed, the dragon’s internal clock will ring and wake them, now with wings ready to fly.

Culture

Like many other organisms touched by magic, dragons are sophonts able to think and communicate on complex levels.

1: The wyrms of Evros are split into three separate ecotypes depending on habitat. The sea dragons or leviathans are the largest of them, with the sea allowing more space to grow than the land. The swamp dragons or knuckers are the smallest, so it’s easier for them to sneak through their forests. The river dragons or wyverns are in the middle regarding size, but have the biggest wings and are the best fliers, a helpful trait in their mountain habitats.

2: An odd behavior of dragons is their tendency to collect objects for a hoard. These hoards are less a random assortment of junk and more complex art pieces. Rocks are arranged in one area while bones are arranged in another. Despite common claims, dragons don’t really prefer precious stones over any other group of curiosities, leaving many an avaricious dragonslayer or their quest giver disappointed. Sea dragons don’t have hoards in the typical sense, instead considering the barnacles and algae and other symbiotes growing upon their body as their hoard.

3: Sea dragons are nomads, same as most oceanic creatures (except when raising their children, which live on land until finishing metamorphosis), but their more terrestrial kin have shelters. River dragons live in mountain caves as close to a river as possible, ideally there when they arrive but sometimes they have to dig them out themselves to avoid fights over territory. There aren’t many caves around swamps, however, so swamp dragons have to build their own homes. With dead or dying trees and a bit of mud, these dens are surprisingly sturdy. While river dragons are more territorial, swamp dragon dens often include small groups of dragons that live in the same territory, albeit with their own chambers. (swamp dragon den concept taken from this post)

4: Like many other reptiles, dragons are semi-social. They don’t need social bonding, nor do they shun it. Between the ecotypes, swamp dragons tend to be the most sociable, as mentioned living in communal dens, while river dragons are the least, only allowing family, old friends, mates, and those unaware of the boundaries to enter their territories. Also like other reptiles, dragons are great parents, taking care of their children while they’re still vulnerable. They even care for dragonets that aren’t their own, even river dragons refuse to attack youngsters if they cross territorial boundaries. The young are left to fend for themselves once they’ve gone through metamorphosis, but by then they’ll most likely be ready to survive on their own. If a death does happen though, the dragon’s kin and companions will surround their body to mourn them, and each will devour part of their flesh so the deceased can stay with them, and the rest of the body is left to feed the scavengers and the plants.

5: The draconic gods are not avatars or lords of their respective domain, they are the domains personified. The trio of Ocean, Sky, and Earth form the Divine Cycle. Ocean bleeds evaporation to feed Sky, Sky bleeds rain to feed Earth, Earth bleeds rivers to feed Ocean. Life itself echoes this cycle, with the plants feeding the grazer, the grazer feeding the hunter, and the hunter feeding the plants. This religion has several variations, but the Divine Cycle is always a key component.

Chimeras

While this informational only focuses on the wyrms of Evros, they are not the only dragons of the world. In fact, there are several species of dragons beyond the seas of Evros, such as the luong of Tianxia. The discussion of these dragons is best for another time, or other people. Regardless, we still shall discuss other dragon species, specifically draconic chimeras.

Velue: A hybrid of wyrm and tarantula. They’re deadly to both prey and predator, with venom that has a similar effect as frostbite and stinging hairs upon their body. Most of the time monsters are killed for their body parts, so with organ harvesting being made difficult with their hairs stinging, there seems to be no reason for the velue to be slain. But with the kingdom’s propaganda against monsters, especially reptiles and arthropods, they are slaughtered anyway, their bodies left to rot.

Carcohl: A hybrid of wyrm and snail. They live around hydrothermal vents. Their scales are highly sought after due to their exceptional toughness, so they’re commonly targeted by knights. Strangely enough, they aren’t the only snail-dragon chimeras in the world, that nature being shared with the Shusshebora.

Hydra: A hybrid of wyrm and hydra, which gets laterally confusing when specifying that hydras are a type of cnidarian. The dragons can regrow their heads if cut off, using their toxic blood to keep an attacker from further pursuit. While mainly dwelling in the ocean, the most famous member of this species lived in the lake of Lerna.

Pyrausta: A hybrid of wyrm and pyrallis, a magical moth. Like the pyrallis, the pyrausta has resistance and power of fire. With this and its body plan of four legs plus a pair of wings, this makes these little moth dragons the closest equivalent to the typical modern dragon in Evros.

Dracosaur: A hybrid of wyrm and primitive bird. It seems the bird that the dracosaur owes part of its genome from has gone extinct. They’re based on the art of dragons with bird wings from medieval bestiaries. I don’t have much on them sorry :(

[simdertalia]

🦕 ACNH Museum Fossils Set 3 🦕

Sims 4, base game compatible. 24 items | Most fossils consist of more than one piece. Just use the bb.moveobjects cheat to line them up. Most of these items are high poly.

I hope you enjoy!

Always suggested: bb.objects ON, it makes placing items much easier. For further placement tweaking, check out the TOOL mod.

Set Contains: -Brontotherium 1-3 | 1 swatch | 4268, 4176 & 4265 poly -Diplodocus 1-6 | 1 swatch | 4244, 3914, 4464, 4322, 4102, & 4016 poly -Iguanodon 1-3 | 1 swatch | 4483, 4380 & 4257 poly -Ophthalmosaurus 1-2 | 1 swatch | 4261, & 4214 poly -Parasaurolophus 1-3 | 1 swatch | 4544, 4452, & 4480 poly -T-Rex 1-3 | 1 swatch | 4247, 4766 & 4024 poly -Triceratops 1-3 | 1 swatch | 4297, 4503 & 4647 poly -Placard for tabletops (liberated from platforms) | 2 swatches | 40 poly

Type “acnh museum fossils 3" into the search query in build mode to find  quickly. You can always find items like this, just begin typing  the title and it will appear.

Download all or pick & choose:

📁 Download all or pick & choose (SFS, No Ads): https://simfileshare.net/folder/211062/

📁 Alt Mega Download (still no ads): https://mega.nz/folder/tk4h0QSb#b1l7dm4HDpV_ZC9HwNsBFg

📁 Download on Patreon

Will be public on February 17th, 2024 💗

Happy Simming! ✨ If you like my work, please consider supporting me:

★ Patreon  🎉 ❤️ |★ Ko-Fi  ☕️  ❤️ ★ Instagram📷

Thank you for reblogging ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

@sssvitlanz  @maxismatchccworld @mmoutfitters  @coffee-cc-finds  @itsjessicaccfinds  @gamommypeach  @stargazer-sims-finds  @khelga68  @suricringe  @vaporwavesims  @mystictrance15

-Museum Fossils Set 1 (public from day of post) -Museum Fossils Set 2 (public from day of post) -Pamphlet Holder from Reiki Set ☄️Don’t forget the meteor impact display!

The rest of my CC

[historicalbookimages]

🦣 Report upon the extinct Vertebrata obtained in New Mexico by parties of the expedition of 1874. Washington, D.C., 1877 Original source Image description: Historical illustration titled "Mastodon productus" from an 1877 report, showing detailed black-and-white lithographic drawings of mastodon fossil fragments including several molar teeth, sections of jawbones, tusk pieces, and other skeletal parts. Each fragment is numbered and intricately shaded to display texture and shape, highlighting the worn and rugged surface of the extinct creature's teeth and bones obtained from New Mexico during an 1874 expedition. The arrangement presents the fossils separately on a plain background for clear scientific study.

[thescarletnargacuga]

TOY BOX

A BUTTONBLOSSOM/RAGAPOM/JESTERDOLL ONESHOT

A/N: I don't know which ship name is the most common, so I'm using all of them lol I may or may not have been drinking while writing this...

WARNING: none

~~~

"Today's adventure is THE TERRIFIC TREASURE TAKEAWAY!" Caine introduced his adventure of the day with the usual display of flare, completely oblivious to the reactions of the unimpressed six in front of him. "You're going on a scavenger hunt! It'll be three teams of two searching the grand Museum for TREASURES! Avoid security! Or they lock you up and your teammate has to get you out! If both of you are caught, you're out of the game! The last team standing, or the team with the most treasures at the end of the time limit, wins!"

Pomni spoke to Ragatha out of the side of her mouth. "Do the adventure titles always have to be illiterate?"

"No." Ragatha covered her mouth and whispered back. "I think that's just a Caine thing."

"Three teams? We ALL have to participate?" Zooble groaned.

"The game is more fun than way! Come on, Zooble! Don't you want to play a game with your friends?" Caine was practically begging. He could not force them to play if they absolutely did not want to, but he REALLY needed an even number of people for the game to work properly.

Zooble rolled their eyes and turned to leave, but then overheard Jax.

"Looks like Zooble is going to be as boring as always. Come on Gangle, you're my partner."

Zooble stopped and turned on their heels. They marched to Jax and shoved him away from Gangle. They crossed their arms and didn't move when Jax got back up and glared.

"Fine. I didn't really want to be stuck dealing with her whining anyway." Jax huffed and stretched his arm out to grab Kinger by the scruff of his robe. "Kinger and I got this."

"Hey, Pomni. Would you like to be my partner? ...for the game! The game." Ragatha awkwardly felt like she needed to clarify.

"Oh! Uhhh, yeah, sure." Pomni was glad Ragatha asked first.

"EXCELLENT!! I do love full party participation!" Caine snapped and a colorful portal opened. "Good luck everyone!"

The group walked through and found themselves in the grand main hall of an enormous museum. Around them the main hall separated into three wings and had three floors. Above them hung a banner that read WELCOME TO ESCHER'S MUSEUM OF ODDITIES. A full T-Rex fossil was having tea with a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln on a display in the center of the room. Various random items were in display cases, many of them only vaguely resembling artifacts and art pieces.

Pomni nervously looks around. "Uh, any ideas as to what these TREASURES look like?"

"No clue. I'm more worried about this SECURITY Caine was talking about. His ideas of enforcement came be a bit...scary. BUT we won't know until we try taking something." Ragatha tapped the glass around a weird mask looking object.

"...it just occurred to me that Caine has literally sent us to rob a museum." Pomni thought out loud as she backed up against a wall, feeling exposed in the large liminal space.

"This is supposed to be a competition right? Outta my way!" Jax pushed Ragatha aside, into Pomni.

Ragatha braced herself against the wall, arm on either side of Pomni.

Pomni flushed, seeing Ragatha up close and personal always made her heart flutter but they've never been this close. She stared up into Ragatha's smiling, apologetic face. Her one eye soft on her.

"Hey..." Ragatha giggled.

"...hey." Pomni delayed in answering, but managed a smile.

Neither of them moved. They just stood their. Awkwardly. Neither wanting to tell the other to move, because what if that was rude?

Jax yeeted the glass case Ragatha had tapped and grabbed the mask. It turned into a cloud of sparkles and a +1 popped up before disappearing. "Ha! I knew it! The WHOLE museum is up for grabs!" He jumped on the platform with the dino and president tea display and tried removing Abe's head.

The whole room went red. INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!

"Oh noooo..." Gangle whimpered.

Massive drones came out of the walls and flew towards Jax. "Oop, time to go." He bugs bunny-ed his ass out the room as fast as he could, three drones on his heels. One drone shot a laser at Kinger and he disappeared. The girls screamed.

"Come on!" Pomni took Ragatha by the hand and ran. The maze like layout of the museum discombobulated those who could get away. Lefts was right, down was up. Every door hit a stairwell and every stairwell looped in on itself. At one point, they were on the ceiling. "What kind of place IS this!?"

Ragatha tried to keep up but Pomni was practically dragging her. "Pomni! The stai-" She tripped, fell over apomni and they both rolled and bounced down a countless flight of stairs. Ragatha wrapped her body around Pomni in an attempt to protect her from the fall, even though it felt like rolling down a bouncy castle.

They eventually stopped when they slammed through a closed door.

Ragatha still had a hold of Pomni, they laid side by side. "Are you alright?"

"Uhhhhh....I think so." Pomni had dizzy swirls in her eyes.

Ragatha couldn't help but snicker. It was a funny look on Pomni. "Good. Because that was actually kind of fun."

Pomni shook the swirls away. "Seriously? Falling down the stairs is your idea of fun?"

"Oh, well, no, not real stairs but it was...uh...never mind. I'm just glad you're okay." Ragatha let go and they both got up.

They saw no way out other than the door they knocked off its hinges. Colorful tiles covered the floor, small tables sat in neat little rows, and there was a large play area.

"Where are we?" Pomni asked, looking around.

"I don't know. A classroom?"

"This place doesn't make any sense."

"It wouldn't be one of Caine's creations if it did." Ragatha said with an irey lilt in her voice. "In fact, this actually isn't the weirdest place I've ever seen. I wouldn't even put it in the top five."

Pomni gaped. "Say what?"

"Yeah, you weren't here for the time he tried to make us all fly like him and Jax ended up on the underside of the sun."

Pomni smiled. "He did?"

"Oh yeah, he had to tap dance the heat off his feet until Caine figured out how to turn gravity back on. Took like an hour."

Pomni started to laugh. "It took him THAT long?"

Ragatha laughed with her. "Yeah! If you ask me, I think he did it on purpose." She loved hearing Pomni laugh, it was so rare.

"Wait, so is that the weirdest?"

"Oh, no. The absolute weirdest had to be Derby Day." Ragatha leaned against an oversized toy box. "Derby Day was when Gangle had to-"

The toy box opened, swallowed Ragatha whole, then slammed shut.

"Ah! Ragatha!" Pomni went to open the box and she too was magically pulled inside. She fell and fell and fell into an endless pit of vibrate color. Ragatha was just below her. "Ragatha!!"

"Pomni!!" She cried out as she tumbled through the air.

Pomni streamlined herself to fall faster and caught up with Ragatha. She tried to get Ragatha's hand but the ragdoll was living up to her namesake and accidentally kicked Pomni in the face. They both spun and free fell into a pile of pillows. They laid there for moment to collect themselves.

"What. The actual. [%$!#]." Pomni mumbled into a plush pillow.

"I take it back. This IS really weird." Ragatha moaned.

"...top five?"

"Top three."

Pomni sat up and didn't bother checking her new surroundings. It didn't matter where they were, they'd probably end up somewhere else in a minute anyway. Ragatha rolled over and stared at the new sky. She couldn't see the top, it was an abyss of kaleidoscopic color. "You know...for all the weirdness...I am grateful for one thing."

"What's that?"

"You."

Pomni jerked her head up. "What?"

"Yeah... I'm probably saying this because it doesn't matter if I do... But I enjoy your company."

"Oh...I...I didn't think anyone would. I'm not exactly...fun. And don't say you don't matter. If there's one thing in this digital scape, that actually does matter, it's our feelings. It's what makes us human." Pomni rolled over to join Ragatha looking at the weird sky. "A-and you've been wonderful to be around, too. I'm sorry I don't really say it. I tend to get lost in my own head."

"I understand. This place will do that to you." Ragatha paused, considering if she should say what she wanted to say next. "I'm... Grateful for one other thing today."

"What's that?"

"I got to hug you."

Pomni turned her head to Ragatha. They smiled at each other.

Ragatha continued. "I- I know you're not the biggest fan of touch so...the fact that you didn't freak out after we fell down the stairs-"

"Ragatha, I wouldn't freak out on you. Not for that. Sure, touch isn't really my thing but...I make a small exception for you."

"Would it be okay...if we hugged again?" Ragatha asked with a deep blush across her cheeks.

Pomni scooted closer. "Yeah."

They locked into a warm embrace. It was the most human thing either one of them had felt in a long time. Pomni felt anchored, her mind focused on only the here and now. No what ifs and maybes. It was bliss.

Ragatha felt a sense of comfort and connection that she thought she'd never get to feel again. In this place...it was getting hard to feel anything but melancholy.

As they hugged the pillows shifted. They tried to get up but they both slipped in the surface vertically against one another. It was like falling into quicksand.

"Great....were are we going now?" Pomni held on around Ragatha's neck.

"I don't know, but we're going together. That's all that matters to me." Ragatha held tight as they sunk further and further into the unknown.

[salemoleander]

The fun thing about web weaves to me is they're like if writing a literary analysis paper was art instead

Often, when I read or listen to or see a particularly complex & compelling work, I want to make something about it. And I do love the freedom literary analysis offers to dive into something! But it also feels dry and distant, often needlessly cruel to the og piece or hopelessly unappealing for others to read.

So finding a way to engage with a piece, to pry its themes out like fossils for display without being forced to explain the painstaking task of excavation, is so exciting!! I love the precise imprecision you can achieve by weaving implication into analytic cloth

[samimarkart]

looking to sell this smaller quilted piece with a crinoid fossil pattern. $100-120 sliding scale price. all hand dyed/painted, quilted and blanket stitched around the edge. comes with a hanging sleeve for wall display, message me if interested :)

[mommopurinn]

"Interspersion of light", Yomi and Juurou's after story

Now living peacefully, one day Yomi seems to have found a new ‘hobby’… It’s a story about an idle alien in late summer.

I was walking up the slope next to the hedge.

The gravel was heated by the sun, and the surroundings looked hazy, as if in a dream.

Bamboo leaves cast a shadow on one side of the road, attracting walkers.

A long and narrow path covered in shadow.

And after the end of the slope, the scorching heat continues.

I noticed an old man walking down and stepped out of the shadow.

When we passed each other, we bowed and tipped our hats.

Our sleeves brushed against each other.

It was late summer, when cicadas started to change their voices.

Having finished my 'work' before noon, I was coming back home, where he was waiting for me.

     

There’s a poetic word for late summer.

It’s supposed to make a melancholic impression, but today’s heat made you forget about it.

My 'work' was to go from home to the post office.

But only now have I thought that I shouldn't have underestimated this trip and should have brought a hand fan with me.

     

The front door was opened to let the wind in.

It passed through the gates along with me, and the wind chime rang in a clear sound.

This sound let him know that I had come back.

I took off the geta, hung up the hat, and wiped my neck, drenched in sweat, with the sleeve.

I crossed the corridor, trying to look as calm as possible.

     

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back.”

     

He was the one who told me that I should have brought a hand fan.

Yomi smiled with just his eyes and dropped his gaze down to his hands. Slowly and steadily, scissors were eating into the paper.

There was a pile of small cut-out squares scattered around the tea table.

I sat on the opposite side, and he passed me a cup of tea he was drinking.

It tasted like water with melted ice.

     

We lived quietly.

I earned some money by writing poems and publishing them in magazines.

Earlier I went to the post office to send the manuscript.

“How was the response?”

“They keep urging me, so they must have liked it.”

“I see. This is good to hear.”

“...I don’t know about this.”

“Is it not impressive?”

“It’s just a miserable man’s feelings put on display.”

“I am quite happy to think that your words might save someone.”

“......”

“So, when will I get to read it?”

Yomi didn’t look away from his hands.

I looked at the radiant summer garden, listening to the faraway sound of cicadas and the nearby sound of scissors.

“I’ve told you many times. These are just my words to you put together as poems.”

“Then it should be fine for me to read it, right?”

“......”

On the second glance, I noticed that Yomi’s hands had stopped. He smiled at me, his eyes narrowed.

He was enjoying the way my voice had gotten stuck in my throat after his teasing.

“Words are fish, and poems are fossils.”

“I like fossils.”

“Words are fossils, and poems are soil.”

“I like soil as well.”

“Please, don’t make fun of me… I don’t want you to ask me of this only when you feel like it.”

He put down the scissors and walked out into the corridor with a smile on his face.

“It must have been hot,” he said, and I heard his footsteps heading to the kitchen.

I took the scissors in his stead and started cutting the paper in the same way he did.

These pieces of paper with one or two dots painted on them are called piece marks.

They're printed on food and housewares packaging.

I’m not sure why Yomi started collecting them. Probably out of boredom.

     

“Tarou-san sent us a gift.”

     

I heard Yomi’s voice from the kitchen.

At the same time I heard the sound of cork being pulled out.

“It’s your favourite orange juice.”

“First time I hear about that.”

Only my uncle and aunt know about our quietude.

They live in Aoyama and don’t visit this house.

They know it would be a burden for me if they tried to get closer.

Yomi came back and put two glasses on the tea table.

How nostalgic.

Memories of my uncle doing the same when we were kids came to mind.

“I finished cutting it out.”

“Thank you.”

“What will you do when you collect them all?”

“I will send them to Seijo elementary school. They have a box near the gates to collect offerings from the neighbourhood.”

He slid one mark across the table with his index finger.

Then he started to arrange the scattered cut-outs by the score.

When he collected ten one-point marks, he smiled in delight.

"Apparently, they can be exchanged for different goods according to the score. The school could buy an electric fan or a heater.”

“I see.”

“So it is like I am being a hero!”

“...Huh?”

I said involuntarily.

In a split second that I was looking down, Yomi had hidden his face behind a magazine.

It was Josei Nine for which I was writing.

“......”

“They have a special feature on fireworks.”

“...I see.”

“It seems like there will be a fireworks display in Tamagawa tonight.”

“......”

“Why don’t we go see it?”

“It’s far.”

“We can view it from the shrine nearby.”

Ice was crumbling inside the glass.

I nodded with a sigh, and Yomi lowered the magazine. Eyes, shaped like crescent moons, peeked at me.

     

Interspersion of light

     

"This brings back memories.”

     

We have gone to temple festivals before.

It was back when you still couldn’t walk.

You were drawn in by the sound of the fireworks, so I slipped out of our house, carrying you on my back.

Clutching on my clothes to not fall, you were watching the festival hustle and fireworks blooming in the sky with your eyes wide open.

     

And now you are standing next to me without my help.

“Am I wearing my yukata properly?”

“Yes. It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

A speaker that was supposed to be a siren was playing festival songs today.

Back then, I couldn’t do what I promised you.

I turned my back to the place you were pointing at, saying “I want to go”, and ran home as fast as I could.

     

Yomi was going up the stairs with a light sound.

I followed him, not running anymore.

     

Night market stalls were lined up on the temple grounds.

The crowd was brimming with excitement.

“It looked like a spaceship.”

“?”

Paper lanterns as portholes.

Old songs as an alien language.

From the very beginning, I always knew that you were not from this world.

“Like a ship that came to take you home.”

This temple was standing on a hill in the residential area.

Scared by the festival lights emerging from the evening darkness, I didn’t dare to come close.

And now, when I had finally revealed the truth, Yomi covered his mouth with both hands and laughed silently.

“My people are not that kind.”

“......”

I couldn’t know that.

“If no news came, I would be assumed dead. And this planet would be declared as an unsuitable environment.”

“So… no replacement or help would come?”

“The invasion efficiency rate is 100%. There is no chance that attack would be unsuccessful.”

“Then it’s 99%.”

“?”

“I’m talking about you.”

“Ah, this is what you mean… 1% that had stayed because of his own indecisiveness.”

I didn’t notice the moment I started holding his hand.

“Back then, I wanted to go only to learn about the folk beliefs of this world.”

“And did you learn anything?”

“Yes.”

Yomi’s cheeks turned red.

This smile was definitely meant for me, not for the mask.

     

“Ah!!!”

     

Yomi’s pupils suddenly widened.

He pointed behind me, shaking our joined hands.

“Look at this, Juurou!!”

I was dragged to the shooting range.

He was excitedly looking at the rice cooker put on display in the middle of the stall.

Did you really want something like this?

Would you even be able to use it considering how bad you are with machines?

Yomi ignored my confusion and got even more excited.

“Please!”

Nudged by their parents, children tried to get the rice cooker.

Every time the ball hit the box and bounced back, Yomi trembled slightly.

Even if you don’t rush…

“It’s usually impossible to get a prize like that.”

“You can’t know if you don’t try!”

Child who had missed the target left the shooting range.

Yomi took the gun in their stead and aimed, placing his elbows on the table.

I paid 30 yen to the shopkeeper.

Sounds of children firing blanks echoed next to us.

Even some parents who decided to try themselves have given up and started leaving.

The price of this is 30 yen.

Yet Yomi still aimed at the rice-cooker with his eyes wide-open.

It’s absurd.

Trying to get the target in the centre from the very side of the table.

“Aim at the underside.”

“......”

“You have three shots, and if you manage to push it down…”

It suddenly became very quiet, I thought.

Yomi looked up at me as I spoke with such seriousness and chuckled.

He brought one eye down to the gun and pulled the trigger.

A heavy sound that definitely wasn’t that of a blank hit the box.

     

“I told you, didn’t I?”

     

The box leaned back and was now supported by the stall’s curtain.

It was as if the rice cooker itself was surprised, having no plans to fall.

While me and the shopkeeper were staring at it in amazement, Yomi smiled shyly to the applause of the children.

     

When we left the stall, it was completely dark outside.

Yomi had a hundred-point piece mark in his hand.

And the rice cooker was put in the centre of the display again, with its box cut a little bit.

“Household appliances sure do give a lot of points!”

“It's good that we didn’t take the actual thing home.”

“It would have broken if I tried to use it.”

“It would.”

“Why do you seem so relieved?”

“Nothing can compare to the kamameshi you make.”

     

Darkness deepened. You could feel the autumn approaching.

But the crowd of people on the long road wanting to preserve the summer made the temperature rise.

Children wearing masks were shouting their secret techniques.

A dazzling earthling and an alien collecting piece marks.

I gripped Yomi’s hand even stronger than before.

“I am not going anywhere.”

Yomi answered me.

“I am here.”

“I still can’t trust you.”

It had been a while since the last time we walked together like this.

Even if I know that other people can see you, I still can’t help but think that this convenient happiness is just a dream.

“You are a man who can disappear as soon as I let go of your hand.”

It’s not as if I wanted to hear any excuses from him, but...

When I looked at his face, waiting for an answer, Yomi smiled, as always.

“Can you show me a face like this again?”

“?”

“It was very cute.”

“I’m not joking.”

I quickened my pace.

Yomi, whom I pulled with me, suddenly lost his footing.

He almost fell forward, but I caught him in my chest.

The strap of his geta was snapped.

The crowd went around us, who were standing still, and flowed forward like a river.

“Ah, it finally snapped.”

“These geta are quite old.”

I picked up the geta, lending him my shoulder instead.

     

The tree shadow on the side of the road was dim and concealed us from the noise.

He leaned back on the tree, and I kneeled before him, checking the geta.

They belonged to my young father or uncle.

The other one seemed fine at first glance, but when I looked closer, I saw that its strap was also damaged.

“Maybe it happened because I started running.”

“Because you tripped, probably.”

I ripped a strip from my handkerchief and twisted it into a small rope.

I tied it in place of the strap and put the geta on Yomi’s foot.

It was too loose and shook around.

It definitely needed to be readjusted.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s buy new ones at the stalls.”

I took Yomi’s ankle to try putting the geta on again.

Suddenly, as if coming out of smoke, his foot touched my chin.

“!”

He urged me to look up.

I didn’t notice when a gentle and affectionate smile appeared on his face.

“What do I need to do for you to believe me?”

“......”

His toes traced my Adam’s apple, pulled aside my collar, and touched my collarbone.

“I am always telling you that this is not a dream, am I not?”

In Yomi’s eyes, I saw myself furrowing my brows like a child.

Seeing me like this, he pulled his foot back.

His gaze went to the road, where the lights were shining.

I laid down the broken geta and put my hand on the side of his face.

I want to ask you so many things.

You don’t have to talk about them if you don’t want to.

But…

I’m scared.

“I can’t love you when you’re so fickle.”

My vanity was melted away by the heat of the festival.

I’m sure Yomi felt the same.

“When I split this Earth into two… I think I was split as well.”

“......”

“We were both saved by Shin’ichi and walked the same path.

…But one thing that was different, was ‘her’, who was supposed to become your mother but fell in love with another being.”

Another… being.

“Just like a certain someone, she loved the blues of the Earth.”

“......”

“Because of this, you were never born; because of this, the world exists as it is now.”

“......”

“She really was a handful. To think that she would forget about her role in waking myself and put herself to ‘sleep’ as well…”

“......”

“However, I am not your dream…”

“What relationship did you have with my mother?”

“?”

Every time you mentioned ‘her’ while speaking in your familiar tone, my heart darkened.

“...Was she your partner?”

“Huh?”

Yomi’s eyes opened wide, and he burst into laughter.

But when he saw that I didn’t laugh with him, he closed his mouth, swallowing the rest.

“What did you find so weird?”

“I am sorry; I did not think that you would care about this.”

“You thought that I wouldn’t care?”

“Are you jealous?”

“......”

“Please, do not worry.”

One hand touching the other, our fingers intertwined.

     

“I only ever had one partner in my life. It is you, Juurou.”

     

Vibrations shook the festival grounds.

Immediately, everyone looked at the sky.

Seeing Yomi’s cheek turn red, I realised that the fireworks has begun.

     

“Let’s go.”

     

Yomi took my hand and started running.

A black thread was tied in place of a geta strap that was about to snap again.

It seems like once more I missed the time when he started walking by himself.

Listening to the sounds of fireworks behind my back, I ran up the long stone stairs.

     

When I looked back at the wide open sky, I saw dots of light spreading throughout it.

Colourful fireworks bloomed in it and then faded away.

Probably, residents of all the wardens gazed at these lights and sounds, yearning for the stars.

     

“Thousands of meteors have fallen in the last hundred years.”

One more firework went up.

“Even before I arrived, ‘all kinds of things’ came here flying.

And humans must have come in contact with them.”

“They probably did.”

“And when needed, their sleeping protective instinct must have been awakened.”

Just as hawks have claws and bees have venom, we, who live on the same planet, must have the power to fight.

So maybe heroes called Icaruses were an immune response meant to protect the Earth.

“This planet is not suited for an alien like me after all.”

“It looks quite peaceful to me.”

“Do you really think so?”

“?”

“Do not mind me.”

What did you imply by that…

“Did you know that there was heavy rain yesterday?”

“Ah, I heard about it. It’s good that Sayashi residence wasn’t flooded even for a millimetre.”

“And there was a case with people growing animal ears. Maybe it really was a dream, just as you say.”

“It was. And you looked extremely good.”

“......”

Yomi snuggled closer to me, as if asking to stay this way.

     

“When you die, I will destroy the Earth.”

     

One more firework went up.

“But until then, I will protect your peace.”

“I won’t die.

I’ll be reborn as a blue flower next. The colour that you love so much.

When you find me, take me and put me in your hair.

And by the time I wilt, I’ll be reborn as a new flower once again.”

     

You didn’t laugh at my words.

Looking at you shedding tears, I was the one who laughed.

     

Please, tell me if there are any mistakes or places that sound weird.