dystopian-intellectual-pigeon

[the-natureborealis-au]

Updating Aurora's design.

Just felt like I should update her design a bit, @doughbrainer, @roaringbloom447, @c0ffe14 and @/everyone else you guys don't have to change your designs for Aurora i'm just updating mine, you guys have amazing designs for her though, remember your all amazing and i'm glad to be your friend^^💖

I keep forgetting that Aurora has freckles so updated that and I even forgot that she turned 15 on Christmas so there's that too😅

And here's "Nora" in pony town because why not

[triflingshadows]

buncha pen doodles of maria from back in december and also a dancer

[vandaliatraveler]

Walk with me: Visit to a high-elevation red spruce forest. The red spruce (Picea rubens) forest on top of Red Spruce Knob, the ninth highest peak in West Virginia, provides a bittersweet glimpse back in time to the primeval beauty and solitude of such places prior to the arrival of the logging companies in the mid-Nineteenth to early Twentieth centuries. The loggers stripped the mountains bare and set in motion the massive wildfires that burned away everything, including the soil itself, down to solid bedrock. Almost a century later, the forest is regenerating and in some places, such as Red Spruce Knob, has regained the richness and vitality of a healthy boreal ecosystem.

From top: a view of Red Spruce Knob, in the far distance, from the Highland Scenic Highway overlook; Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), a ubiquitous understory component of the forest, along with mountain woodsorrel, yellow clintonia (a.k.a. blue-bead lily), hobblebush viburnum, Indian cucumber, green false hellebore, and various mosses and ferns; yellow clintonia (Clintonia borealis) in bloom; pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule); green false hellebore (Veratrum viride) on eastern hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula); and mountain woodsorrel (Oxalis montana).

[cameatslemons]

no more weird sexualized fanart of soulsborne ladies. thats not ur delicate thin-waisted waifu thats a grown-ass woman who will OBLITERATE you without a moment of hesitation

[the-owl-and-the-sun]

Buddy imma be real with you im not that intelligent to form an entire plan to betray you...But if you do not trust me as of now you dont need to since i dont want to force you do anything 😇😇 anyways your mom and lady thirteen betrayed you? That sucks fr

"..."

There's a moment of silence, and then, the sound of snapping wood. It echoed through the woodland air, which laid silent just moments before.

"They left me here. All alone. On my own. They died. My biological parents left me in the forest to die. Mother found me. Mother told me she would protect me. She died. Lasy Thirteen found me. Lady Thirteen told me she’d take care of me. She died. You’ve found me. You’re saying similar things. You’re going to abandon me too. And leave me to fend for myself, ALL over again. This conversation is over. I won’t say it again.”

[unown-history]

Okay, poll is over! The winner was Lady of Northern Winds! So the pup is going to be called Lady for a few days, to see how she likes it.

[cerastes]

If Arknights ever managed to land the fabled FromSoft collab somehow, we could get some pretty good alt skins for characters, I think! Such as:

Mudrock -> Havel the Rock skin, complete with Dragon Tooth for extra heavy bonking.

Hellagur -> The Owl skin, they are both Old Men With Massive Odachi, it writes itself.

Kirin R Yato -> Lady Butterfly skin, and also it'd be hilarious to grab what's basically an outfit crossover character and give it another outfit altogether.

Specter/Laurentina -> Valtr, Master of the League skin, to bring things back full circle since Specter is literally a reference to Valtr in the first place.

Gladiia -> Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower skin, same as Specter.

Gravel -> Dancer of the Boreal Valley skin, because you know she'd rock that outfit and the dual blades.

Kirin R Yato -> Skeleton Wheel skin, for that S3.

Reed the Flame Shadow -> Firekeeper skin. But this Firekeeper keeps the fire in people's burning corpses.

Ch'en -> Gaping Dragon skin. Self-explanatory.

Ifrit -> Ceaseless Discharge skin, but it's hilariously shoddily made and it looks cute, clearly made by Ifrit with her own hands and some duct tape.

Kazemaru -> Flexile Sentry skin, the puppet is literally her just turning around and letting her "other body" face to the front.

Typhon -> Starscourge Radahn skin, what with the greatbow mastery and techniques such as shooting multiple greatarrows at once and shooting a rain of pinpoint orbital greatarrows on enemies.

Rosa -> Greatbow Silver Knight skin. You know exactly which one. That one. Yeah.

Gummy -> Aldritch, Devourer of Gods skin. Self-explanatory.

FrostNova -> Ashen One skin. Self-explanatory.

Amiya -> Solaire of Astora skin. Because she's our friend and gives us hope! But watch out. On S3 activation, she gets the Sunlight Parasite.

W -> Unbreakable Patches skin. Because you know she'd rock that leather armor and have fun kicking people right into loot.

Ling -> Rom the Vacuous Spider skin, but also adorably shitty. Ifrit made it with spare materials, including little spiderling fits for Ling's dragons. She finds it funny and cute so she wears it.

[onenicebugperday]

@death-by-moth submitted: Please excuse the dirt, this lovely little lady has been living here for a while. (Or at least, I think she's female, based on abdomen size).

About a year ago, I noticed this spider living in my window. I've never opened the window because I was afraid she would get into my room. I assumed she would find her way back outside at some point, as she was between the screen and the glass. But as the weeks - turning to months - went by, she has stayed in the window and seems to be thriving.

When winter came I was worried the cold would kill her, since I live in Wisconsin and the winters here can be pretty brutal. But nope! She persisted and is still going strong to this day! I imagine the warmth of my house leaks through the window frame, and it allowed her to stay nice and comfortable through the winter.

She seems fairly happy just sitting in my window and catching whatever bugs get through the screen, and I've grown quite fond of her. It's hard to get a good picture of her because she loves to sit in the top right corner of the window, where the frame kinda hides her. However, I believe she is a Boreal Combfoot? She's a bit difficult to ID because she doesn't have a lot of markings.

I agree, the warmth through the window from your house kept her warm enough to not die. They don't tend to live super long even without a harsh winter, so she may perish this year after laying an egg sac. But she got to live a nice long and happy spider life, so good for her :) And yes, a boreal combfoot is a likely possibility!

[parasite-of-sentience]

Marley, of the Claw

My first draft at an npc profile for soulbound Ulfenkarn, formatted similarly to the existing npcs in the book! Marley is meant to be an additional hook and narrative for the van Altan Triplets and a Narrative Anchor for Lady Annika. as well as a potential friendly first hand account of the curse of vampirism.

my WIP versions of Marley and Lady Annika

Names: Magpie Marley, The Knight in Tarnished Brass, The Lion that hunts Wolves

Keywords: Outsider, Melancholy,

Pronouns: She/they Gender/Sexuality:

NB Femme / Asexual (Sex Averse)

Origin: Ghyran/ Greywater Fastness (Outsider)

Affiliations: Jade Lions Mercenary Company, (Former) Annika Gaunt(Former), Independent Renegade

Species: Vampire (Vyrkos Dynasty Bloodline/Unwilling) (Formerly Human)

CW Elements: Body horror, Betrayal/abandonment, Loss of self/corruption, abuse, Diaspora/Xenophobia

Inspirations: Kiryu (Yakuza), Guts(Berserk), Knights/Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Dark souls), Teppu

When thoughts return to the opulence of Mournhold, many think of Lady Annika Gaunt, Master of Ceremonies, flanked by outsider mercenaries in polished brass armor, and many dismissed them as shiny trinkets of the Lady. Those who had the honor to fight along side them knew them as the Jade Lions, mercenaries willing to throw themselves at the most rancid beast of Shyish, without complaint if not howls of elation. Howls that Marley, contentious even in their position of leadership, would never partake in.

Closest to Annika's side was Marley, Captain of the Claw, the postion inherited blade that seemed more at home in the hands of an ogor or a orruk. The tall taciturn form of Captain Marley, however demanded due respect to the wicked blade to even to the most cynical Mourner. Whispers of her low birth in the slums of Greywater Fastness, and Lady Annika's growing fondness for her were traded like knives in the parties and courts.

Werther thought a torn out throat, or Marley's absence from the now ascended Lady Annika's ranks, the rumors grew silent. Instead, Rumors abound of a warrior hunting the Vyrkos bloodborn as they torment the night. The Ulfenkarni don't know what to think yet of hearing the vampire that was cackling and hounding them moments before, plea and beg against the sounds of stone cracking butchery. Yet those lucky survivors whisper now of a greater predator stalking the streets. A Lion who hunts Wolves.

History

Born to the slums of Greywater Fastness, a young Marley was quickly put to work as a pickpocket. As she grew tall and strong of build, their same caretakers quickly put them to work as an enforcer and bouncer. They learned to load a pistol long before they knew how to read. Dismissed and shoehorned as just muscle in the slums, it was an easy decision to join the Jade Lions as they passed through the city. Their history and reputation followed them however, among the initiates she found herself a pariah. Rarely partaking in more than necessary of the enchanted drink that embolden the spirit and body the company often relied on, and never staying long for the parties after a successful hunt or campaign.

The Jade Lions company was lead by a delegation of four captains, each an inheritor of a gifted artifact to the company. The Captain of the Claw, a person of similar kindred melancholy, themselves took Marley as apprentice. Many spoke their misgivings of her inheritance of the captaincy openly. While inheritors were selected based on temperament, many deemed Marley far too Laconic and estranged from company culture for the position. Regardless of any actions taken, her past reputation earned them the moniker of "Magpie Marley," to accompany "Marley the Claw"

Desiring to prove her worthiness of the position, Marley was the first to support the contract offered by Annika Gaunt; to serve as Auxiliary and Bodyguards within Mournhold. the inevitable Duel to break the tie vote was narrowly won, by a furious drive Marley would come to regret with all their heart. the Jade Lions soon found themselves as outsiders to one of the oldest standing cities in the realms; but this was not a feeling Marley was unused to.

The Tour would be as much Parade duty as it was fighting but the company, and Marley were more than happy to take out their frustrations out on the most hideous monster's Shyish had to offer. Mistrusted within the Jade Lions, Marley often found council with their employer Lady Annika; who wasn't shy about reciprocating the trust in gifts, attention, and thinly veiled request to accompany her to events as a "bodyguard." Their burgeoning relationship took a darker, possessive turn as Annika ingratiated herself to Radukar's Thirsting Court. As the coup neared, Lady Annika would rely on the Lions increasingly less. Marley would be stuck outside of soundproof doors, matching the hungry gaze of vampires with piercing glares as Annika made wicked, dark deals.

Newly embraced as a vampire on the eve of the coup, Annika offered the Jade Lions gladly as additional Tribute to the newborn Regime, with conditions. She would be allowed to "keep" Marley and a few choice members as her new personal court. Attacked on all sides, Marley watched her comrades torn to pieces, or dragged away one by one into the pitch black night, the air alight with screams throughout the entire city. seeing Annika among the bloodstained beasts, Marley's reason left them and she rushed to her side; only to find herself pinned under her, impaled through the stomach on the newly ensorcelled Blade Proboscan. Anguished pleas drowned in the sounds of carnage and howling, no one who would listen could stop Marley from Receiving the Blood Kiss from Annika. She doesn't remember making her escape; but as she regained awareness in a bloodstained alley, she found the tarnished mask of her fellow captain in her own rigor mortis death grip.

Status

Alone in a city mistrustful of strangers, much less vampires, Marley hides in the day. The artifact of the captain of the Mask has proven essential to their survival; a tool meant to conceal ones presence with life magic has allowed her to unintentionally shroud their own vampiric nature as well.

During the night a guilt ridden, vengeful Marley stalks the night hunting overconfident, overeager Vyrkos Bloodborn, seeking answers on Lady Annika's location. They've morbidly found the most success in interrogating their own former comrades, naturally the ones closes to Annika. Lady Annika herself is not bold enough to announce her failure to keep Marley to the Thirsting Court; and thus receive official support to hunt down Marley. This lack of awareness and attention has worked to Marley's benefit but Annika's personal count aren't above taking matters in their own hands on the traitor they never liked.

While Marley will never forcibly drain or attack the Ulfenkarni, their trauma driven focus, fear of being betrayed to her enemies, and fading sense of empathy keeps her from outright championing them. They will gladly turn their fury upon their vampiric attackers however, before leaving without a word.

Roleplaying as

Even before becoming a vampire, Marley was always a silent, honed tool of brutal violence. while never cruel or sadistic, Marley finds unsettling ease in killing. Despite this Marley maintains their lifelong focus to only match violence to the deserving; but in their current state its only a matter of time before one who's lived a life as a tool and weapon harms the innocent.

Marley speaks in quiet grunts and short matter of fact statements. When they choose to open up they will still rarely speak more than blunt cold humor. Rare moments of soft spoken compassion are offered to children especially if Marley is well fed; and harm directed at a child will face resistance from Marley regardless of hunger level

Questions about the Mask will often be ignored, and attempts to touch it will make her use force. In moments of privacy away from survivors but among the a party she trust Marley might take off the mask to reveal an exhausted face, looking at the mask and touching it tenderly in quiet introspection.

She reacts poorly to the moniker of Magpie, especially when it's used by The Jade Lions or Annika. Often becoming stiff and unresponsive. similarly, she will reacted with uncharacteristic defensiveness if accusations of theft are ever directed at her.

Their behavior will change depending on how often they have been feeding. Well fed, Marley will be more open to working with the party and actively protecting survivors; even making the occasional morbid joke. if Marley goes too long without feeding they grow restless, pacing and growling, often disappearing on their own. they begin snapping more at the party and survivors with cold jabs, eager to return to their hunt for lady Annika.

If a Party Member or NPC offers to feed Marley with their own blood they will accept quietly, with a thanks offered, but with a grateful gentleness. afterwards they will retreat to privacy to sulk, completely unresponsive unless in danger.

The only enemies Marley will feed on are other vampires and Beasts. she will drink greedily and deep in silence after a combat, before again retreating to privacy to sulk in silence. drinking from vampires will have Marley visible shivering, though not to any obvious or spoken discomfort.

The Claw is a large ornate curved blade with many hooked edges. the handle seems just a bit too large for a human, but Marley wields it with ease. it is a brutal tool of harm that reflects Marley's own self perception. Seemingly for that reason she often clutches it close to her chest or leans against it for support, putting it between herself and others.

In moments of Repose, Marley has taken to the Mourner hobby of scrimshaw, quietly shaping small tools and toys. the later often finds their way to the hands of local children, many of them refusing to snitch on who they received it from.

Mentions of Lady Annika are enough to drive her into a cold frenzy; demanding answers and easily threatening violence, especially against another vampire. if outright confronted with lady Annika, a well fed Marley will freeze and be unresponsive unless directed; a hungry Marley will aim immediately for the kill with bestial fervor.

In Combat

Combat Behavior as an NPC will change depending on Blood Hunger Level:

When well fed Marley will delegate to the party, but other wise will focus on maintain defensive position around the most vulnerable elements present. well fed Marley will not feed on enemies and will not benefit from the hunger in combat, a child being in danger will always have Marley guarding them regardless of hunger level or party wishes.

When hungry Marley will focus down the most Dangerous enemy present. Marley will only feed on vampires and beasts and only benefit from the hunger in that way.

CW Elements

Body Horror

Marley's body is no longer just hers and she shares it with a ravening beast eager to make it its own. if Marley goes too long without feeding, or in moments of particularly high distress, she will begin temporarily or permanently transforming into more bestial forms. her hands are already forming claws under that scrape and chafe under her gauntlets. permanent changes are left to narrative weight over an actual encounter. if say Marley defeats the rest of the turned jade lions or Annika herself and underwent a dramatic transformation in the fight, making peace with that form is its own opportunity for roleplay. these elements along with corruption can let a party see and experience the pitfalls of the curse of vampirism indirectly

This element can be avoided with either non transformative super power changes or focusing on the mental distress and changes.

Betrayal/Abandonment The betrayal of Annika and the turning of the remaining Jade Lions has wounded Marley to her core. while it doesn't have to be explicit it can be heavily implied that Annika and Marley were romantically involved, even if their relationship was unhealthy and unbalanced. Marley will have difficulty putting full trust in anyone unless consistently fed and encouraged to assist survivors. If Marley is avoided or kept out of discussions she will respond in kind and make herself scarce, unwilling to open herself to be betrayed again. Marley takes personal responsibility to "free" the Jade Lions from their current vampirism, and if they provoke her she will silently focus all attention on destroying them.

This element can be avoided if you avoid direct ties to the Jade Lions or downplay the relationship with Annika.

Loss of Self/Corruption Vampirism drains the ability to care and empathize from even the kindest soul. While Marley Steadfastly will defend especially children, she is slow to offer succor or comfort. a high blood hunger Marley will often be stuck in deep silent melancholy, mourning feelings she can barely remember.

Members of the Jade lions will be quick to taunt how "Readily" Marley took to vampirism as one who was already so eager for bestial blood-drenched killing. Lady Annika herself will give cooing praise to her "Knight" for her capacity for violence, especially at high blood hunger.

Draining other Vampires to death will begin provoking the beast in Marley, each will satisfy her till after a downtime period but will increase her need for blood after the next downtime period. each one will start making Marley colder and less likely to assist survivors without direction.

This element can be avoided with focusing more on physicals changes.

Abuse The act of betraying and forcibly turning Marley can be easily potentially read as a possessive romantically abusive or even sexually abusive act. these elements can be and are encouraged to be downplayed or avoided in explicit terms as needed.

While their romantic feelings were reciprocated the implied relationship with Marley and Annika was one of possessiveness and power imbalance. Marley sought to please, and to keep in favor of the person who ultimately was her employer. Annika meanwhile failed to see Marley's individual personhood and will, long before the betrayal; assuming that she could make every decision for Marley and convince her to join the coup. When Marley becomes distressed at the Moniker of Magpie, Annika attempted to claim it as a pet name for her. This has only worsened her feelings on the moniker since.

Annika's infatuation with Marley is based in the misunderstanding of Marley's character, assuming that the mercenary killer to be Marley's nature as a beast and not her meeting the lifelong expectation that her strength is to be used for others. Where as Marley responded well to someone who was giving her positive attention, but failed to recognize the controlling alienating influence Annika had on her. Ultimately while the two could have strong feelings for each other, they are utterly alien to each other as people. a revelation Marley wished she could have made in time.

These elements can be avoided by not including or downplaying the relationship with Annika. their romantic relationship can also be framed instead as a tragic misunderstanding or star crossed circumstance

Diaspora/Xenophobia

Marley can be easily recognized as an outsider by Ulfenkarni for better or worse. she doesn't participate or is unfamiliar in greetings and customs. some will take that well and confide in her anticipating distance from the thirsting court. meanwhile, many others will shun and fear Marley for being another outside element, coming on the dawn of another outside element overthrowing their city. Marley on the outside takes it in stride and will give a wide berth to those who shun her; but the alienation and loneliness of being a stranger in this place weights on her.

Xenophobia can be a sensitive subject that if a group is not ready to address that as a topic, if so then approaching this subject should be avoided and made clear that it will not be a topic.

Progression

In the 1st Arc Marley can be encountered near the Spires and can be convinced to assist in taking down the Van Alten Triplets in an attempt to hunt down information on Lady Annika, but will likely not disclose this to the party.

In arc 2 Marley will be stalking near the Spires and will be hesitant to open up to a party she is not close to about Lady Annika but will be glad to help make any headway necessary. unless endeared to the survivors she is unlikely to spend much time lingering in haven.

either arc Marley can be potentially introduced offering to assist the part defeat a vyrkos bloodborn or vargheist in the area. Further adventures allowing getting closer to Marley can be helping hunt down other members of the Jade Lions for information in either arc

Potential bad ends for Marley can involve drinking too many other vampires to death and failing to fight her vampiric nature, potentially joining Annika truly as her Knight. if she fails avoid going hungry for too long and clashes with the party she might devolve into a Vargheist and need to be defeated. Keeping her low blood hunger isn't likely to increase her vampiric powers but could result in defensive/bodyguard buffs.

If Marley Defeats Annika and is at high blood hunger or high vampire corruption she might try to drink Annika to death which may result in transforming into a Vengorian lord like form as another boss immediately or later.

Inspirations

Marley as an OC draws heavily from Kiryu Kazama From the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Franchise. someone born out of time/place, who's personal code and leanings often are a mismatch for the era and place she lives in. As well as someone who believes that their strength warrants service, no matter how much of a burden it becomes. Marley is also a personal reflection of my experiences as Diaspora, so to me she is coded as East Asian/ Chinese.

This version of Marley draws heavily from Guts from Berserk as well with themes of unresolved trauma and abuse. The Elements of Abuse and corruption were inspired by Astarion from Baldurs gate 3. stylistically this version of Marley also draws heavily from the soulsborne franchise, especially the knights and dancer of the boreal valley. appearance wise I personally often imagine a similar Appearance and body type to Natsuo from Teppu.

[choclodox]

Mansk: Alyara edition 🔥🔥🔥⁣

⁣

This is what the guys look like when they go wayyyy far north. They spend about 8-10 weeks in the arctic regions, and the rest of the time away from the ladies is spent in boreal forests.⁣

⁣

Guys wear floofier feathers on their ionars than the ladies do. I didn’t get a chance to showcase it in this post, but the guys also have a clip-on attachment for their ionars to prevent snow blindness (inspired by Inuit snow-blindness goggles) and a little mask to cover their nose and mouth when it gets REALLY cold.⁣

⁣

Physiologically speaking, Night Na’vi are excellent are producing body heat, but TERRIBLE at insulating it due to being smaller in stature (this what we call Bergman’s Rule, but I won’t lecture you on that because I’m not your Bio Professor). So they still bundle up, but not as much as most non-arctic na’vi races have to when they go further north.⁣ And since they often find themselves roosting in icier mountains, the guys trade in the signature twin-machetes for a pair of ice axes.

⁣

The guys also have a different set of clothes when they have to pass through the desert to get back to the Pulse, but that’s a post for another time.⁣

⁣

I’ll probz have a few doodles of more Alyara men’s winter wear in the next few days :D⁣

[the-natureborealis-au]

I'm a little confused- So.. North and Lady Boreals are Aurora's parents-?? 💀

yeah!

if you've seen Rudolph's and Frosty's christmas in july Lady Boreal doesn't have enough power to stay in human form forever, so when Aurora was born about a week later Boreal grew too weak to stay in human form and keep Winterbolt asleep so she handed Aurora to North and told him to keep Aurora safe.

And North thought he wouldn't be able to keep her safe so he handed her off to Mother Nature, he felt too embarrassed to tell her later on, so he never said anything

[lsdoiphin]

You are absolutely correct, his schedule is excruciatingly planned. Some of it is self-inflicted, some of it is just the result of being heir to a lordship.

He started living an extremely scheduled life while studying for his WCAT (White College Admission Test) and maintained it through his studies at the College of Divine Healing. Once he graduated, he didn't know what to do with the "extra time," so he took on more work to compensate.

On an average day, he is up and dressed long before the servants come to wake him. His days are busy, and so the morning is the only time he gets peace and quiet to himself. Even so, he'll often run out of time and skip breakfast entirely, spending half his day extra sour because he's hungry. As you can imagine, this puts him in a great mood for working with the sick and injured.

Depending on his agenda, his white practitioner duties might take him anywhere in the Boreal South or even adjacent lordships, so of course he has to factor travel time into any plans he makes. On a good day, he's working within his city - the Boreal South capital, Polaris. On a bad day, he could be waking up hours earlier and spending half the day in a carriage, itching because he knows his work day technically hasn't begun.

He'll begin work whenever he reaches his destination. There is often a line formed already, especially if he has traveled far to a populated area. He'll mend bones and tend wounds until around noon when he stops for a quick meal. Then it's back to work...

On the rare occasion that he manages to make it through his duties early, he will steal that time for himself. If he's out of town, he'll sight see. If he's in Polaris, he'll hide in the back room of the clinic (so that no one realizes he's "free" and bothers him) and indulge in some reading or letter writing.

By the time he returns to the Nephthei estate, it's often late. If he's lucky, he's so late that he's missed whatever guests his mother has dragged in for the evening and can avoid being forced to make cold and awkward conversation while hungry and exhausted. Sadly, Lady Nephthei loves hosting and will keep her guests late into the night, so the odds are stacked against him on this one.

As tight as his schedule is, he does make room for leisure time... within very strict time frames.

The few people he's close to find it quite frustrating.

[vandaliatraveler]

The photos above are from a trek to the summit of Bald Knob in Tucker County, West Virginia earlier today. Bald Knob Trail starts in Canaan Valley State Park and crosses into the Monongahela National Forest before returning to the state park. Many people avoid the steep ascent on foot and take a chair lift from the adjacent ski area instead. I manned up today and made the ascent by foot so I could beat the lazy tourists to the overlook. 

From top: the view from Bald Knob toward Weiss Knob and the Canaan Valley State Park ski area; wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), a clumping woodland perennial with gorgeous violet-purple foliage and elegant, sharply-lobed foliage; minniebush (Menziesia pilosa), an Appalachian endemic with distinctive, white-tipped leaves; painted trillium (Trillium undulatum), which has a fondness for shady spots in the strongly-acidic soils of old forests; pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule), another lover of shady nooks and strongly-acidic soils; and the mysterious depths of the boreal forest at the summit, where Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) and yellow Clintonia (Clintonia borealis), also known as bluebead lily, form dense colonies in the rich humus.

[the-owl-and-the-sun]

ALSO BOREAL OWL!!! LITTLE GUY!!!! I dont take you for a fool, i know for a fact that you are a very intelligent individual who can take care of yourself, but at the same time i know you cannot live all this life alone and perhaps you might want someone to help you when you need 😇😇

"And watch you betray me in the end like Mother and Lady Thirteen did? No thanks. Leave me alone. I don't need anyone... I don't need anyone."

[doughbrainer]

Redrew @loki104-uwu's Post Where North Wind Is Flirting With Lady Boreal Like Homer Flirts With Marge.

Continue Reading For Original, References And Line Art

@loki104-uwu @the-natureborealis-au

[cavernous--curses]

The Clans in the area worship six gods.  Every cat chooses their patron god upon becoming an apprentice, and they will follow this god for the rest of their life.  The Clans named themselves after parts of an owl; TalonClan, WingClan, FeatherClan, HeartClan, and BeakClan.  Each Clan has a Guide, a cat meant to interpret signs and omens from the gods.  Traditionally a Guide doesn’t choose a patron, but some do so anyways.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓅓‧₊˚ ִ☾.༄ ࿐ ࿔

Strix - The god of vast spaces, protection, sanctuary, instincts, and intuition.  His name comes from the Strix genus of owls, including owls such as wood, tawny, spotted, barred, himalayan, desert, banded, and great grey owls. Titles; > Thorned Heart > Snapping Beak > Lord Strix

Athene - The goddess of the day, courage, war, fire, medicine, and sickness.  She’s believed to be the sun herself.  Her name comes from the Athene genus, containing the little, burrowing, forest, malaita, and makira owls. Titles; > Sun Claws > Burning Eyes > Lady Athene

Bubo - The god of change, transformation, metamorphosis, frost, snow, and ice.  His name is from the Bubo genus with horned, eagle, snowy, and fish owls. Titles; > Thousand Faces > Icy Wings > Lord Bubo

Aegolius - The god of luck, skill, risk, competence, promises, and threats.  His name comes from the Aegolius genus of owls, with the boreal and saw-whet owls. Titles; > Stone Talons > Whispering Winds > Lord Aegolius

Tyto - The goddess of the night, justice, vengeance, dreams, nightmares, and the afterlife.  She’s believed to be the literal moon and night sky, and is the one to have cast the Cavernous Curse upon TalonClan.  Her name comes from the Tyto genus, containing masked, grass, sooty, red, and barn owls. Titles; > Moon-faced > Star Feathers > Lady Tyto

Phodilus - The goddess of rain, the ocean, hunting, fear, and love.  Her name comes from the Phodilus genus, which has only two species of bay owls. Titles; > Monsoon Flight > Two Songs > Lady Phodilus