#possum iii

[sketchycedar]

Offering of lil guys

[artistic-apollo]

Idk why im so bad at drawing ii

Its not fair i love him but i cant seem to draw him at ALL

[onaperduamedee]

Nynaeve might be the character that fascinates me the most so far, even if she's not quite the one I enjoy the most reading - Siuan! Siuan! Siuan!

Nynaeve is such a realistic blend of childishness and maturity. To put it simply, she can go from acting Egwene's age (and Egwene is so young - it's heartbreaking to realise what she went through so young), even younger, in the most infuriating way and the next paragraph she'll be the kind of loving and grounding older friend who could ease the heartaches of early adulthood.

I think her recklessness and refusal to even acknowledge her shortcomings sting all the more that it feels so personal. It's that very specific age between 25 and 30 where I remember feeling isolated and independent, and how that mixture nurtured the stupidest decisions, the most destructive impulses.

Without a doubt, Nynaeve is grown, arguably the most grown among the young heroes, save perhaps Min, and doesn't need to prove it like Egwene does, yet hasn't quite aged either into the stage where she accepts who she is, that she can be wrong about certain things, including who she is, and it is okay to recognise that and change in response.

At times, it feels like Robert Jordan went back in time and called my 26-year old self both a complete imbecile and someone quite wonderful in the becoming, and he would be quite right to do so.

[possumkingluca]

i was making my strixhaven party in the sims to fight the symptoms of withdrawl (we have not played in months because our fighter's work won't give him saturdays off again already :(((( ) and while i was in the middle of working on my character, azazel, my brother who's the DM (what the hell is your problem @datfatnerd) walked by and said "why does that guy look like quentillius if he was more of a loser" I CANNOT CATCH ONE FUCKING BREAK OH MY GODDD 😭 I AM BEING HATE CRIMED UNDER MY OWN ROOOOFFFFF 😭 BROOOOOOOOOOOOO 😭

[tropicalfreckles]

Tonight my brain just couldn't focus on outlining and coloring stuff. So, instead I did a bunch of doodles.

My friend gave me stock photos for the last three and I hate the one she gave me for Lupin LMAO

First two drawings are my fursona Mango, then next to that my first doodle of Tuca from Tuca & Bertie.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Outkast - Hey Ya! 2003

"Hey Ya!" is a song by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released as one of two lead singles from their fifth album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, on August 25, 2003. The track became a commercial success, reaching number one in the US, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Sweden. "Hey Ya!" received critical acclaim upon release, and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest songs of the 2000s. It was ranked number ten in Rolling Stone's revised 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". "Hey Ya!" was the first song on Apple's iTunes to reach one million downloads and in September 2005, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single platinum for shipping one million copies. At the 46th Grammy Awards, the song won Best Urban/Alternative Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year.

In the video, André 3000 plays all eight members of the fictional band The Love Below: keyboardist Benjamin André, bassist Possum Aloysius Jenkins, vocalist André "Ice Cold" 3000, drummer Dookie Blossom Gain III, three backing vocalists the Love Haters, and guitarist Johnny Vulture. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won four awards for Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Special Effects, and Best Art Direction. It was also nominated for Best Direction. "Hey Ya!" was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 46th Grammy Awards. In Canada, it won the award for Best International Video by a group at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards.

"Hey Ya!" received a total of 92,5% yes votes!

[vyl3tpwny]

wauitb what the fuck i have 5000 followers

this is insane hi guys

to celebrate 5000 followers on tublr here are some facts about myself: - my favourite food is fried chicken

- my favourite food is spicy fried chicken

most of my hyperfixations fluctuate in and out, but some that don't ever seem to let me go are my little pony, half life, skrillex, undertale/deltarune

recently i have developed an unfathomable obsession with bees i have a huge bee hyperfixation i play bee swarm simulator on roblox every day and i watch bee videos and i also just designed a beesona on pony town its name is beetrice the dragon bee:

my favourite movie is probably wolf children or mr. bean's holiday or elf

im basically lucario for girls

i am like a dragon and i collect things that i like.. you can see some here:

i play a lot of instruments, mostly piano, drums, singing, and guitar/bass/ukulele. my first instrument was the drums tho which i started playing when i was 2 or something. i no longer play drums because our house is too small for a drum set right now and i dont like electronic drum kits. one day!!!!

i have had zero music lessons which is why you should also make music bc you dont need to spend life savings on music education to make chunes

non-musicians who have influenced me the most are @sterfler and @astroeden who have changed my brain chemistry forever artistically (this is not an exaggeration)

i am not allergic to anything at all somehow

im the motherfucker who will drink an entire gallon of whole milk with nothing else yeah im just kind of awesome like that

i do not drink alcohol (anymore) or smoke or do drugs or anything like that just a personal pref

i am filipino but i am also chinese and scottish and italian and polish and maybe other things

i have been openly queer since 2011

i have been a furry since 2007 or something?

i have been making music since 2007 or something....?

my first true love as a musician was queen, which (because of their older albums) was my rabbit hole into the world of progressive rock. my passion for creating music was nurtured entirely by my discovery of genesis and the album 'the lamb lies down on broadway'. the next thing that shaped me as an artist? skrillex - 'scary monsters and nice sprites'

i have really bad verbal processing issues so you can probably speak directly to me and i will have no idea what youre saying sometimes

my feelings on art change a lot but i update my topster lists every now and again

i am mostly right [hoofed] but i'm technically ambidextrous

my first concert was bruce springsteen i think it was in 2009. i still love the the boss to this day.

i'm a kitty cat

i am also a dragon

i am also a possum

i am a formless void

my first song i wrote when i was 8 was titled after a jimmy neutron reference

the second song i wrote was a fan song about the flying dutchman

i played the original dota warcraft 3 mods long before dota 2 and league of legends existed because i've been a blizzard fangirl since like 2005 and now i hate blizzard so fuck you blizzard you're evil as shit but anyway i used to try and do map development for warcraft iii games but really my favourite thing to do was build maps where i could build the biggest possible army to fight npcs for fun. one of the first videos on my thecobalion channel is a warcraft iii map someone else made. i've just now turned it off private so you can see it if you want.

my favourite kind of humour is recursive

ok thanks what i can remember about myself right now. thanks for following me!!!!

[rubberonmyduck]

My Friend, My Liege

[Prologue] [I] [II] [III] AO3 Link

Weakened angelic powers and one mishap with a rogue exorcist later, Lucifer is injured. As the looming threat of war with Heaven hangs above his head, and the delay of getting a healing spell from Stolas, Lucifer is forced to make a decision. New to the Pride Ring, you land yourself a job at I.M.P.-- the Immediate Murder Professionals. Desperate to make some money during a client-low, Blitz agrees to contract out a bodyguard for Lucifer Morningstar, the King of Hell. The catch? You're the one Blitz picks for the job.

“On your left, Millie!” 

Millie turned her attention to the side, but as she did, another person jumped at her from the shadows, pinning her to the wall. Your eyes widened, but as you tried to rush over, you were stopped by another person. They held a knife out in your direction. Behind them, you could see the target sneaking behind one of their friends. 

“You– you freakish possums!” He started walking towards you, causing you to back up until you were against the cold concrete wall. You tried sweeping your tail across the ground, but any discarded weapon was out of your reach. He pressed the knife against your neck. 

“What even are you?” Your eyes focused down at the knife. His hold was shaky and loose, and his forearm was pointed away from you. Seeing the opening, you slapped your hand against his arm, yanking it away. His stance was sturdy, only allowing you to throw yourself away from him. Better than nothing, you thought. The knife clanked against the ground. He was disarmed long enough for you to grab a random gun off the ground, pointing it up to one of the guys. You pulled the trigger, bracing yourself for the shove back, but all it did was click. It didn’t have ammo. You let out a curse.

Before you were able to get another gun, the original knife man cocked his– he picked it up when you were distracted– pointing it directly at you. 

“That's enough!” His voice was stronger now, the slight tremble in his hand gone now at the previous scare. “You creatures can't just waltz in here and murder us whenever you please! We’ve seen what you've done to our kind, every kill you’ve made. And now, we’ll be the ones to kill you.” 

Crack

Millie broke free from the other’s hold, pouncing at the man threatening you and kicking him at the side of his head. The man went down, the gun falling from his grip and sliding over to you. You picked it up, pointing it back at the man. 

“I don’t think you will,” you spat, pulling the trigger. 

Millie made her way back over from the roof access entrance, a drink and a plate of soft pretzels in her hand. She gave you a smile as she handed you your share. There was a small party on the other side of the roof, so the two of you snuck into a corner to wait together until Loona re-opened the return portal. 

The two of you clinked your pretzels together, and you took a big bite as she spoke. 

“Loona said she’ll pick us up soon. Something about Moxxie being kidnapped?” Millie sighed, a scowl on her face. 

You raised an eyebrow at her. “What's with the look, Millie?”

“Moxxie is stupid sometimes,” She replied, looking up to the sky. The light pollution wasn’t as bad in this part of the town. She could almost make out the glow of nearby planets. 

“But I do love him.”

You gave her a small smile before she looked over you with sudden energy. “You know– you’ve been at the company for a few months now, but,” you tilted your head, silently urging her to continue. 

“What about you? You haven’t told us that much about you, and you never once mentioned a love life– I know it isn’t any of my business, uh, I’m sorry. Am I pushing it?”

“Oh,” you cut off her rambling, giving the other an awkward chuckle. “I– I guess I don’t? I mean, I’ve dated a few people back in Greed, sure, but,” you swung your legs over the stone wall, letting them swing off the ledge. You could see an empty street below you, and you briefly wondered what part of Earth you were even on. 

“It didn’t go anywhere.” Millie was listening patiently, nodding along after every word. She seemed genuinely interested, which made your heart flutter. “I think I need some friends here in pride before I think about loving someone.” You let yourself frown, tilting your head up to the sky. Your face heated up a bit, the thoughts bouncing inside your brain and the dread creeping up your throat. Millie rested a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m complaining.”

“No, I get it– I don't know what your life was like in Greed. I don’t know that much about you in general.” Millie stood up on the ledge, her smaller body towering over you. Her facial expression turned to determination. 

“But I know you’re really cool. You kicked ass earlier today, and you have a spark that just drags me in.” She held her hand out, “I want to know you more, I want you to know me more. Let’s be friends. If you’re up to it,” she gave a sheepish grin, one you couldn’t help but return wholeheartedly. You grabbed her hand, standing up with her. In the distance, the sun was rising behind the buildings, illuminating you both. 

Chaos was normal in the I.M.P. headquarters. As you opened the door to the office, your ears were immediately met with the sound of Loona and Moxxie arguing back and forth about another trivial topic– last week it was about which Earth season was the best. From a few choice words you picked up, it sounded like this week was about… Sporks? You shook your head, quickly turning your attention to Millie. She was working on her target practice. You flashed her a small smile, which was returned with a big grin.

You took a seat on the nearest couch. Bltzo was also there, holding his hands on his face as he let out a loud groan.

A few months ago, Blitzo decided his staff needed to be expanded. You, being new to the Pride Ring, had seen the offer and applied immediately. Having a background of weaponry and less than savory pastimes in your youth, your partially rusted skills had impressed Blitzo. He hired you the moment you hit the dummy target. 

Blitzo found it in himself to brag to anyone and everyone about his new employee, earning you the nicknames ‘newbie’ and ‘firecracker’-- how utterly polite, you had thought sarcastically.  Blitzo even took it himself to tell the succubus across the hall– as if they even cared, you often joked with Loona. Moxxie seemed slightly scared of you after that one wrestling match with Millie but otherwise, you got along very well with your coworkers. 

“Something the matter, boss?” You inquired, leaning back onto the couch. For as long as Blitzo was in his mood, you knew he’d be complaining. Better to get the brunt of it over with now instead of in the middle of a mission.

If you guys finally got a client this week.

“I hate that stupid owl!” Blitzo declared, slouching back on the couch. He took a look over to you, fully registering your presence. With a sigh, he changed the topic. “There haven’t been any new clients.”

The other time it happened while you worked here, a week or so before Valentine’s Day, Blitzo explained how the Earth holidays largely affected their client load. Drunkards, murders, and clinically insane people only came out during celebrations. Spring break on Earth was coming soon though, and Blitzo insisted the staff still met at the office to keep morale high. Considering Blitzo picked you up from your apartment every morning along with Moxxie and Millie, it wasn’t an issue. 

“What did Stolas do this time?” You decided to bring the conversation back. Blitzo was a mysterious person, and you weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to know more about him. Even if ‘more about him’ ends up being his sex life with a goetic prince. You hoped not, but it was neither here nor there.

“That prick invited me out for boba. Boba!”

You raised your eyebrow at him. “What's so bad about boba?”

“Nothing! I love boba!” Blitzo gripped at his horns, letting out a frustrated groan. “Why would he invite me out for boba?”

You simply shrug at him, focusing your gaze elsewhere. Understanding Blitzo was like trying to understand quantum physics. Not. Fun. 

“Sir, your complaining is getting noisy again.”

Blitzo stood up in a flash, turning a middle finger towards Moxxie. “Well fuck you too, Moxxie!”

Moxxie rolled his eyes. Before he could retort, there was a knock at the door. You got up from your seat. 

“I’ll get it,” you declared. Walking over to the office entrance, the clicking of your shoes was drowned out by Blitzo and Moxxie’s arguing. Perhaps you guys finally got a new customer? Or maybe one of the succubus was here to make fun of Blitzo again. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Loona lean back in her chair, continuing to watch wherever she was playing. Millie ended up abandoning her target practice to egg on the boys. 

You grabbed the handle. Yanking the door open, you were met with the sight of a pale man. He was only a few inches taller than you, his blond hair slicked back but still ruffled on the edges. The man was wearing a white and red suit, holding a matching hat in his hands. He smelled faintly of apples. 

“Hi, sir!” Your voice was cheerful, as if you worked in customer service all your life. “What can we do you for?”

The man's face flashed a look of shock, before going back to a neutral position. You noticed– but didn’t ponder all that much. Years in the Greed Ring sharpened your sense of detail. It was second nature to notice things like this. 

“Uh,” His voice was light, awfully familiar. The man rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “I came here with a… job?” 

Blitzo perked up, quitting his conversation with Moxxie to saunter over to the door alongside you. As soon as the man came into view, he let out a choked noise of surprise. 

“Your majesty!” There was a hint of panic, but he quickly covered it up. “What brings you out of hiding? Need someone dead? We usually only work on earth but I’m sure with enough money–”

At this point, Moxxie came over and placed a hand over Blitzo’s mouth. “What he means is, good evening your majesty.” with a curt bow, he continues his words. “What can we help you with?”

This is the king of hell?

The alleyways were dimly lit. You just got off shift from another successful mission. Blitzo offered the staff a bar night, and while Moxxie and Millie accepted with no complaint, you declined, stating you had business elsewhere. At this point, you were regretting not asking for a ride home. The walk was dreadful.

Passing the corner of Filth and Main, you heard voices down the dark pathway to your left. Your brain was telling you to ignore it– probably just some drunks getting it on in the dark. But your gut felt tight, and you were filled with some sort of worry. What if someone was hurt? What if they were being held hostage? Dragging a hand back through your hair with some newfound determination, you made your way into the darkness. 

The king clutched his cane as he stood there. His posture was proper and royal, and the look on his face was stoic. But you could see the way he shifted his weight across both feet. You gave him a tiny smile to try and help his nerves. He returned it with an unbothered grin.

“I was hoping I could come in?”

“After that little stunt with your daughter, I got stuck down here.” The voice got louder as you got closer. There were swishing noises in the air, like a pair of wings moving across the air. As you rounded one more corner, a horrifying sight came to view. There stood an extermination angel, a golden blood decorating their torn uniform. They had their foot pitched hard on a body, whose white wings– six of them, you noted in awe– looked slightly torn and dripped with blood.

Golden blood.

You couldn't see the injured person’s face, but it mattered very little as you looked around, trying to find some sort of weapon to fight with. Your eyes catch on a shiny metal lying in the corner. An angelic spear. You quickly but quietly tip-toed over to it.

“If I’m going to die in this hellish place, you will too, King Lucifer.” The angel declared. Lucifer? The king of Hell, Lucifer? Your eyes widened as you saw them lift the spear, and just as they were about to slam it down on the king, you did the only thing you could think of. Throw the spear. 

The weapon made contact with the angel, dragging out a crippling scream as it fell to the floor, blood rushing out of the stab wound and stealing the rest of the energy they had. Right in the chest. You quietly cheered to yourself, before turning attention to the damaged king. You were about to run out there and help them, but as the man looked in your direction, you panicked. And ran. The last thing you wanted was the king of Hell killing you out of misunderstanding for helping him. 

The group was quick to gather in the meeting room. You sat a cup of coffee down in front of the king as he took a seat, giving a curt nod and going to take a seat next to Loona. Lucifer took a sip of the coffee, giving a slight face before adding another packet of sugar into the cup. He seemed more pleased on the second sip.

Lucifer turned his attention to Blitz. “I was hoping I could hire one of your… employees as a bodyguard.”

Moxxie cocked his head, but before he could say something, Blitzo piped up.

“Uh, look your majesty– we’re assassins. Not bodyguards.” Blitzo cringed like he had this conversation one other time. 

“I understand that from the business card,” The king pulled out a card, flashing it at Blitz before leaning his hands down on the table, fiddling with it. “But my colleague–”

“It’s a big no–”

You glared at Blitzo, cutting him off with your look. You looked over at the king, softening up your face. “I apologize for his rudeness, Your Majesty, but we typically do our work outside of hell–”

“Especially if some sinner said–”

“Ahem! Even if a former client says we can.”

The king nodded, letting out a slight sigh. “Let me start over. Stolas,” Blitz stopped his snarling at you to stare at the king. “Had advised me you’re some of the best in the Pride Ring.”

Blitzo narrowed his eyes. “‘Suppose we say yes. What’s in it for us?”

The king grinned. “I only need one of you. But I’ll pay the company too for taking an employee for a month or so.”

“I just need someone until the situation blows over.” Blitzo had disregarded that last comment, getting out of his chair to accept the deal with the king and get the rest of the details. You stayed in your seat, your eyes lingering on the king. The situation? Something important was happening in hell. Was it to do with the exorcist angel? He had a daughter, didn't he? Was she in danger?  You had questions rushing through your head, only stopping when the king spoke to all of you again. 

“Whichever one of you decides to take the job, please meet me at the hotel.” The king snapped his fingers, a glittery red flame swirling him. He vanished without another word, the group staring at the place he once was. Moments later, Blitzo spoke up. 

“Well, I’m not bodyguarding the big dick of Hell. I deal with enough dick for the grimoire.” He grumbled, leaning against the wall behind him. “I will absolutely accept the money though. State your excuses.”

Loona rolled her eyes, standing up and pulling out her phone. “Not happening,” she stated before leaving. Blitzo shrugged, before looking over to Moxxie. He was standing next to Millie, scratching at his neck. “Our anniversary is in a week,” He explained, giving a small smile over to Millie. “We have plans, sir.”

“Pussy!”

“Excuse me?” 

Blitzo smirked. Before you can come up with some stupid excuse, his attention turned onto you, excitement in his voice.

“Looks like you won the king, firecracker!”

[axilarycobra]

Wings of Fire Aro-spec Headcanons

I didn't realize it was aro-spec week until today and I wanted to post my headcanons for aro-spec characters in Wings of Fire (because I used to do this, for some reason I thought I had already made a post like this last year but I can only find the pan headcanon one). I'm actually demiromantic so I should probably have known about this week.

I've definitely been giving characters more aro-spec headcanons recently so there should be quite a bit (also means this might likely be a long list).

Clay - aromantic

Glory - demiromantic

Starflight - demiromantic

Sunny - aro-spec

Moonwatcher - demiromantic

Winter - demiromantic

Peril - demiromantic

Turtle - aro-spec

Qibli - aroflux

Blue - aro-spec

Cricket - demiromantic

Sundew - aro-spec

Snowfall - aromantic

Luna - demiromantic

Burn - aromantic

Blister - aro-spec

Blaze - aro-spec

Anemone - aro-spec

Scarlet - aro-spec

Ochre - aroace

Squid - aro-spec

Flame - demiromantic

Glacier - aro-spec

Lynx - aro-spec

Bullfrog (MudWing) - demiromantic

Carnelian - demiromantic

Icicle - aromantic

Jerboa III - aroace

Onyx - aroace

Sky - aroace

Willow - demiromantic

Albatross - demiromantic

Cobra - aroace

Grandeur - grayromantic

Kestrel - demiromantic

Moorhen - aroace

Ruby - aromantic

Snowflake - demiromantic

Wasp - aroace

Cattail - aroace

Coconut - demiromantic

Pyrite - demiromantic

Fierceteeth - demiromantic

Hailstorm - demiromantic

Sora - aroace

Carabid - aromantic

Chameleon - aroace

Shapeshifter - demiromantic

Freedom - aroace

Crocodile - aromantic

Riptide - aro-spec

Allknowing - demiromantic

Lagoon (TLH) - aroace

Oasis - aromantic

Newt - demiromantic

Pheasant - aromantic

Sepia - aromantic

Piranha - aromantic

Bigtail - aroflux

Mightyclaws - demiromantic

Secretkeeper - demiromantic

Changbai - demiromantic

Crystal - demiromantic

Diamond - aromatic

Ermine - demiromantic

Avalanche - demiromantic

Humpback - demiromantic

Indigo - demiromantic

Ripple - aroace

Sapphire - aroace

Snapper - aroace

Webs - demiromantic

Anaconda - aroace

Orangutan - aroace

Battlewinner - aromantic

Darkstalker - aromantic

Discretion - aroace

Eclipe (DoD) - aroace

Mindreader - aroace

Morrowseer - aromantic

Obsidian - aroace

Preyhunter - demiromantic

Slaughter - aroace

Stonemover - demiromantic

Wisdom - aroace

Addax - demiromantic

Agave - aroace

Arid - aromantic

Horizon - aroace

Jerboa - demiromantic

Needle - aroace

Ocotillo - aromantic

Smolder - demiromantic

Vulture - aromantic

Fjord - aroace

Osprey - aroace

Argus - demiromantic

Fritillary - aromantic

Heliconian - aroace

Bombardier - demiromantic

Cadelle - aromantic

Earthworm - aromantic

Glowworm - aroace

Lubber - aroace

Mantis - demiromantic

Yellowjacket - demiromantic

Warthog - aromantic

Moccasin - aroace

Taupe - aromantic

Anhinga - aroace

Bayou - demiromantic

Bonecruncher - demiromantic

Caribou (bard's friend's sister) - demiromantic

Caribou (bard's grandmother) - aroace

Comet - demiromantic

Diadem - aroace

Egret - demiromantic

Firestorm - aromantic

Linden - demiromantic

Monarch (guide 1) - demiromantic

Monarch (guide 2) - demiromantic

Possum - aromantic

Rowan (guide) - demiromantic

Sawgrass - demiromantic

Snowstorm (bard's brother) - demiromantic

Snowstorm (advisor) - demiromantic

[bethanythebogwitch]

Welcome to the final instalment of my series where I discuss the origins of every fish Pokemon. Today I’ll be covering gen IX. For previous generations see here: gens I-II, gens III-IV, gens V-VI, and gens VII-VIII.

People criticize Paldea for having too many birds and dogs, but I haven’t seen people talking about how many fish it has. I bring this up because Paldea has a lot of new fish. Only Hoenn introduced more fish lines. The first Paldean fish is the Wiglett line, which is also the only new multi-stage line. In this case, the species name helpfully tells us what it’s based on: garden eels. These eels are famous for poking their heads out of the sediment while keeping most of their bodies in an underground burrow. Because they typically live in large colonies and look a bit like grass, a group of eels can look a lot like a patch of plants, hence the name. Garden eels are very shy and will retract into their burrows at any sign of danger. This behavior is shared with Wiglett, which will retract if it sees the player coming, forcing you to sneak attack it to battle.

(image: garden eels looking adorable)

Wugtrio follows the garden eel origin, but also incorporates some moray eel inspiration. Both Morays and Wugtrio lurk in holes in rocks and grab passing prey, dragging them in. The fact that both Pokémon are slimy enough to get the Gooey ability is likely a reference to hagfish. These jawless fish are famous for their defense tactic where they secrete large amounts of slime when threatened.

(image: somebody playing with hagfish slime)

Finally, Wugtrio’s red coloration may draw from the giant tube worms found around hydrothermal vents.

(image: giant tube chilling on a hydrothermal vent. Except not chilling because it's really hot there)

As one of the two convergent pokemon lines, the Wiglett line is an example of convergent evolution. This is when distinct groups of organisms evolve similar adaptations in response to similar selective pressures. A classic example of this is the flap of skin used for gliding known as a patagium that has evolved independently in flying squirrels (rodents), gliding possums (marsupials) and colugos (primate relatives). All three groups evolved the patagium to beter move between trees in their arboreal environments. In the case of Wiglett’s similarity to Diglett, the dex entries and official website helpfully tell us that the two species evolves similar body plans because they are both dedicated burrowers.

(image: a diagram showing an example of convergent evolution in sugar gliders and flying squirrels)

Veluza is based on hakes, specifically merluccid hakes. These are predatory fish in the same family as cod and haddock who are known for being indiscriminate predators of smaller fish. Fittingly, Veluza is pretty aggressive, chasing down the player whenever they get near one. Hake are pretty economically important in Spain, Paldea’s main real-world basis. The Spanish love their hake. Not only do more than half the hake sales in Europe go to Spain, Spain is also the world’s largest consumer of the fish.

(image, a silver hake)

Veluza having a prominent dorsal fin and what seems to be an anal fin followed by smaller triangular finlets reminds me pretty heavily of tuna, who are also very fast predators.

(image: a tuna's tail, showing the finlets)

Veluza also almost looks kind of mechanical, which makes me wonder if there’s some inspiration coming from torpedoes or submarines. Veluza’s habit of removing parts of its own flesh is an example of autotomy. This is when an animal will remove parts of its own body and is the basis for the pokemon move autotomize (which Veluza doesn’t get for whatever reason). Autotomy is mostly used for defense while Veluza uses it to increase its speed and offenses. In my very quick search I was unable to find any examples of fish that use autotomy, but the fact that the move that represents this in Veluza is called Fillet Away and the dex mentions how the shed flesh tastes, it’s pretty clearly another reference to how much the Spanish eat hake. In this case, it’s a fish that fillets itself for you.

I’m going to talk about Dondozo and Tatsugiri together as while they’re different lines, they’re linked to each other. Dondozo is a giant catfish, specifically a wels catfish, the largest freshwater fish in Europe. While not native to the Iberian peninsula, the species has been introduced there. Dondozo’s diet including bird Pokémon is a reference to how wels catfish will beach themselves to try to catch and eat birds.

(image: an absolute unit wels catfish with human for scale)

Something I can’t understate is that Dondozo is big. At a height (presumable length in this case) of 39’04”, Dondozo is the second largest non-legendary in the franchise and 3rd largest overall after Eternatus and Wailord. That’s whale shark sizes and dwarfs the beluga sturgeon. The largest freshwater fish in the world. The two largest non-legendary Pokémon being aquatic is true to real life, where animals in the water can get much bigger than animals on land. Nothing as big as a blue whale can exist on land because without the support that water gives, the animal’s own weight would crush it. This is why beaching is usually a death sentence for large whales. Of course it would be remiss of me to not mention that both Tatsugiri and Dondozo have a sushi theme. Dondozo is based on a sushi chef. It’s head frills look like the traditional sushi chef headband and its tongue looks like a sushi geta, the wooden bench sushi is commonly served on. The sushi theme is more prevalent with Tatsugiri, which looks like a piece of hand-shaped sushi.

(image: sushi nigiri)

The different forms and colors of Tatsugiri make different individuals look like different dishes. The different colors may reference koi, which could also explain its dragon typing. Koi, and carp in general, are often associated with dragons. Tatsugiri can use its fins like limbs and survive out of water, possibly referencing fish like lungfish and mudskippers, who can live out of the water. Dondozo and Tatsugiri have a mutualistic relationship, a type of symbiosis where both parties benefit. Tatsugiri is the brains to Dondozo’s brawn, giving instructions to the larger fish and acting as bait to lure in prey. This is a form of aggressive mimicry. Tatsugiri is stated to dwell in Dondozo’s mouth. This could reference two things. The first is mouth brooding, where a parent fish will keep its offspring inside its mouth to protect them. The second is cleaner fish, who can safely go into the mouth of larger predatory fish because of a mutualistic relationship with them.

(image: a mouth-brooding fish)

The final fish Pokémon so far and the only legendary fish is Chi-Yu. This adorable little malevolent monstrosity is based on a goldfish, or rather fire in the shape of a goldfish. Like the other Treasures of Ruin, its true body is the actual treasure, magatama beads in this case, while the rest of the body is gathered from the environment to support the treasure. Chi-Yu being born from envy and the jade beads being in place of the eyes makes it a very literal green-eyed monster. Chi-Yu and the Treasures of Ruin in general are based on the Four Perils, malevolent beings from Chinese mythology. The Treasures don’t map exactly to the Perils and the connection is stronger in some than others. For example, Ting-Lu is based on the Taotie, which is usually depicted on cauldrons, and it has a massive cauldron on its head. Chi-Yu is probably based on the Hundun, a faceless creature with 6 legs. Chi-Yu doesn’t have a proper face, just beads where eyes should be, and it has 6 fins on each side of its body. The Hundun also has wings and fins are kind of like wings I guess? Not related to Pokémon, but the Hundun appears in the Iron Widow, which is a book you absolutely should read.

(image: a depiction of a Hundun)

And with that, this series comes to a close, at least until we get Gen X. I may do something similar with other Pokémon based on aquatic creatures, but I haven’t decided yet. I may also discuss some of my own fakemon if anyone is interested.

[sketchycedar]

Bigger version of the possum iii doodle

[artistic-apollo]

Kitty vessel and what was SUPPOSED to be possum iii but it didnt rlly work

[indierpgnewsletter]

New Games From December 23 and January 24

I. Dear Reader Another regularly scheduled roundup of games that have been released on itch.io that caught my eye over the last two months. Usual disclaimer that I haven’t really read or played these games; they just seem cool based on the pitch alone. Also, most of them now come to me by people using this form.

Protect the Child: A Forged in the Dark game about monsters caring for a strange, mystical child. Playtest version. (Mintrabbit, Free)

Aftermath: A solo-friendly sci-fi about a team of first responders trying to make the world a better place after a terrible war. (Ember and Ash)

Space Aces: Voyages in Infinite Space: A comedy scifi sandbox inspired by the Hitchhikers’ Guide. (Stephen Hans)

The Connection Machine: A cerebral scifi game about exploring a dreamlike world and overcoming trauma. (Tanya Floaker & Julia Nevalainen)

Daybreak on the Battlefield: An unofficial set of extra playbooks for Girl by Moonlight, the excellent magical girls game. (Ben K Rosenbloom)

Buried in Ice: A mystery for Apocalypse Keys, the Hellboy-inspired PbtA game. Something trapped in a glacier thaws out and causes havoc. (Morgan Eilish)

Boyfriend Dungeon: Life on the Edge: The videogame gets officially adapted into a PbtA game. Explore your inner psyche, confront you fears, and also smooch swords. (Trumoi)

Like Real People Do: A two-player prompt-driven game about a mage trying to keep secrets in a vault but the vault wants to be a real person. (Meghan Cross)

The Mystery Business: Scooby Doo-inspired mystery solving game with no combat. You beat the baddies by setting traps to catch them. (Greg L)

The Flood Bell Tolls in Saint Magnus: A system-neutral campaign set in a drowning city on the verge of rebellion. (Tempest RPG, PWYW)

Also, cheeky last minute addition, the Showcase Zero bundle features games that came out of my playtest community. It’s got my scifi horror game, This Ship Is No Mother, as well as the mecha game of friendship and war, Spectres of Brocken and more.

II. Media of the Week

People Make Games take a good look at jubensha, a gaming phenomenon in China that started out just as spiffy murder mystery party games but has transformed into much more, including what sounds like scripted larps where everyone cries at the end. Really cool story.

The new season of DiceExploder is back with John Harper talking about Psi*Run, a unique game by Meguey Baker that should’ve inspired a slew of games but inexplicably didn’t.

Please consider joining 100+ other patrons and support the newsletter on patreon to help keep me going.

If you’ve released a new game on itch.io this month, let me know through this form so I can potentially include it in the end of the month round-up.

III. Links of the Week

Reviews

Indie Game Reading Club reviews Stonetop, the community-focused iron age fantasy game from Jeremy Strandberg.

It’s a solid review and also features this neat bit of analysis about how PbtA developed: “Monsterhearts spawned the branch of PbtA games that are concerned with constrained, evocative moves with a strong editorial voice. Dungeon World, conceived as a reverse-engineering of Dungeons & Dragons style play, is concerned with efficiently resolving tasks, boiling down the activity to its core essence.”

Cannibal Halfling reviews Free League’s vanilla-ish fantasy game, Dragonbane: “…when we live in the world of Old-School Essentials (also a translation, though from Gygax to English instead of Swedish to English), there’s clearly recognized value in taking an old system, cleaning it up, and sending it back out.”

Explore Beneath and Beyond has a blog series reviewing and discussing all the early adventures and scenarios published for D&D. This is part one.

Possum Creek Games publish their 2023 year in review including completing the mammoth Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast.

DIY & Dragons explains why we should all probably stick to calling it “Jaquaysing”.

A short post about the oldest ttrpg forums – usenet groups.

Misc

ZineMonth 2024 is around the corner and since the “official” site isn’t ready yet, there’s an unofficial” page listing all the projects being crowdfunded. Take a look and submit your own if you’re doing one.

There’s a game jam to create a megadungeon in honour of Jennell Jaquays.

From the archive

Skerples’ cool blog post about how to portray aliens and alien intelligences in your game, approaching it from a bunch of different angles. (Issue #8, Sep 2020)

[possumkingluca]

why is the boutique owner from fire emblem engage literally just quentillius

that's quentillius "pinet" you can't fool me that's quentillius antiphiun melentor III

[dyingvictorian]

Hello! I have a bunch of questions. 1. Do you like videogames? 2. Did you like furry (If this so, than which type of furry you are?

Hi :D Thanks for the ask!!

1) I do like videogames but I usually watch other people play them. I always get lost and give up (°▽°). Favorite is probably Tetris or Heroes of Might and Magic III. Also a sucker for the Zelda games

2) Im a furry in the sense that I like Anthropomorphic animals, I wouldnt consider myself a therian. If you meant fursona then probably a possum or raccoon? Ive liked furries for a long time but never got into drawing them until recently

[weirdsatellites]

Dispatch #68198 from GPS III-SV05 (UNCLASSIFIED) 1. Fiestaware Supply Chain 2. Parisian Possum Cell