#they interbred too

[yasmeensh]

Various doodles of my characters from the past couple weeks. Development is reeeeaaaaaaallllyyyyy slow right now. However, I’m getting some ideas from my coursework. Crazy, but this project is making me remember my coursework better. 

(happy!!!)

(annoyed!!!)

kindergarten aged neanderthal

aaand the angsty neanderthal teen.

[straightyuri]

thinking abt my fantasy world n I just accidentally added the fact that people thought cats could shapeshift but it turns out they domesticated a kind of shapeshifter along with cats who's babies mimic kittens. lol.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Idk if you’ve been asked this before, but what are your thoughts on the Gaunt family? Do you think they interbred a little too close (like siblings together, aunts, and uncles to nieces and nephews) because they seemed to be the only Pureblooded family (that I can remember) that is canonically unattractive and inbred-looking? And when you look up the Gaunt family, it says, “Due to their habit of marrying their own cousins,” but like all Pureblood families have done that/do that, so why are they attractive and “normal" looking (or, were they even? I can’t remember). Why were the Gaunt’s different? Did it just happen to run in their genes specifically because I remember Marvolo Gaunt being described as looking like an “aged monkey” and then his ancestor(?), Salazar Slytherin, being described as also looking "monkeyish"?

I definitely think they inbred too close to the sun. And actually, we don't see many other pureblood families that are that closely related. Even the Black family, the "always pure", aren't super inbred. In the (more or less) canon family tree that has 7 generations back, the only in-family marriage is between Orion and Walburga Black (Sirius' parents) and they are second cousins who had no inbreeding in their bloodline at least 4 generations back.

I actually did some research about inbreeding and when it starts to become an actual risk to the offspring. From what I've read, even marrying first cousins wouldn't be that bad as long as it's not every generation. To calculate an inbreeding coefficient (basically how inbred someone is) you calculate according to how close the relatives were and then multiply it with every generation the inbreeding continues. The thing about inbreeding is that the moment you introduce new blood, the coefficient goes down to zero and you start the counter again. So as long as pureblood families keep the familial distance to, at least, second cousins and make sure to keep a breath of two generations between these marriages they could get away with looking pretty normal and not harming their genes too much. Like, there are no major health risks, even though their breeding pool is still relatively small and too similar which puts them at a general health risk, and squib risk, but that isn't exactly an inbreeding issue, more a lack of genetic diversity in a small closed-off community issue (I talked about this here).

But the Gaunts are a different story. As you mentioned, the Gaunts are described as ugly:

The man standing before them had thick hair so matted with dirt it could have been any color. Several of his teeth were missing. His eyes were small and dark and stared in opposite directions

-Morfin Gaunt (HBP, 201)

An elderly man had come hurrying out of the cottage, banging the door behind him so that the dead snake swung pathetically. This man was shorter than the first, and oddly proportioned; his shoulders were very broad and his arms overlong, which, with his bright brown eyes, short scrubby hair, and wrinkled face, gave him the look of a powerful, aged monkey.

-Marvolo Gaunt (HBP, 202)

a girl whose ragged gray dress was the exact color of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid-looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother’s, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but Harry thought he had never seen a more defeated-looking person.

-Merope Gaunt (HBP, 204)

Magically very weak:

as Merope, who had already picked up the pot, flushed blotchily scarlet, lost her grip on the pot again, drew her wand shakily from her pocket, pointed it at the pot, and muttered a hasty, inaudible spell that caused the pot to shoot across the floor away from her, hit the opposite wall, and crack in two.

(HBP, 205)

And if we count Hogwarts Legacy, Ominis Gaunt was born blind, something that can be caused by inbreeding. I mentioned their magical weakness is also most likely the result of a lack of genetic diversity, something we actually see with two other wizards:

Crabbe and Goyle.

Both are also described as ugly, stupid, and magically weak. And, of course, pure blood. Basically, I think these two families have an inbreeding problem between cousins as well...

In general, not all Gaunts are as ugly as they are described. Isolt Sayre, who founded Illvermony and whose mother was a Gaunt is implied to look normal. So do her mother, Rionach Sayre (born Gaunt), and aunt Gormlaith Gaunt, who is a pure-blood maniac (and a general maniac) but isn't described as ugly in any way. Ominis Gaunt also looks completely normal in Hogwarts Legacy (though I'm not sure how canon I consider the game). This makes me think the inbreeding of the Gaunts is relatively recent. The fact that both Morfin and Merope are described with eyes looking in different directions but Marvolo doesn't again, suggests that Marvolo might have married a bit too close, even for pure-bloods.

I also checked the description of Salazar Slytherin:

It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard’s sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor.

(CoS, 284)

Which is quite similar to Marvolo's description. So, in the case of Marvolo's ugliness, it's likely just the genes he got that were intensified by some level of inbreeding, but not anything worse than Crabbe and Goyle; as in marriage between cousins too often in the last 4 generations, but not something closer or something that has always been the case (probably not considering they aren't all infertile squibs). It's why he is somewhat more reasonable, stable, and magically capable than his kids.

Basically, I think Marvolo had his kids with another Gaunt that was too close to him genetically, be it a sister or first cousin who happened to share both sets of grandparents and great-grandparents with Marvolo. Something like that would definitely cause a quick decline. I'm leaning towards sister.

If we take Hogwarts Legacy as canon, the Gaunts, in 1890 are still a respectable enough family to be associated with the Blacks (as Ominis mentions his father is closely acquainted with Phineas Nigellus Black). But by 1926, the Gaunts are living in a hovel, dressed in dirty rags and the Blacks would likely be offended by the notion of knowing them. Marvolo acts like he remembers how important they once were and raves about it, but Merope and Morfin don't seem to know a life other than the one they are living.

So, my headcanon is that they were inbred more than the Blacks by the time Marvolo was born. They married cousins every generation in the past 4 generations, unlike the Blacks who made sure to marry other pure-blood families as I mentioned above. The Gaunts, like the Blacks, probably married other pure-blood families until the last few generations, like with Rionach Sayre I mentioned. But by Marvolo, their genetic diversity was shit as is. Then Marvolo was the one who married too close even by pure-blood standards. I think he "married" (quotation marks because I don't think it's legal in the Wizarding World) his sister and had his two very inbred kids with her. I think this, for pure-blood society was too much and caused the Gaunts to be pushed into the fringes the way we see them. I mean, Marvolo raves as if he can remember the times his family mattered:

“Summons! Summons? Who do you think you are, summoning my son anywhere?” “I’m Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad,” said Ogden. “And you think we’re scum, do you?” screamed Gaunt, advancing on Ogden now, with a dirty yellow-nailed finger pointing at his chest. “Scum who’ll come running when the Ministry tells ’em to? Do you know who you’re talking to, you filthy little Mudblood, do you? [...] “So!” said Gaunt triumphantly, as though he had just proved a complicated point beyond all possible dispute. “Don’t you go talking to us as if we’re dirt on your shoes! Generations of purebloods, wizards all — more than you can say, I don’t doubt!”

(HBP, 207-208)

He expects to be treated with the respect he likely wouldn't have received if the Gaunts were already in their hovel when Marvolo was growing up.

Hope this answers your question! 😊

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Europe without trade, a worldbuilding exercise

This exercise pissed off a bunch of white people for all the wrong reasons, but facts are facts and I can link you to all the major resources. You all should be insulted at the idea that Europe can't trade, that melanin dictates that white people can't get along and find ways to trade. But that's not why they were upset. They were upset at the idea that a single region couldn't provide for people. And that's the wrong thing to get upset about. And I'm telling you that's white supremacy ideology you need to boot. Europe, too, traded and used people from other regions who migrated and were physically there on foot. Stop thinking that your lack of melanin is a force field.

So the exercise goes like this: Shortly after Homo Sapiens interbred with the Neanderthal and migrated to Europe, there was a magical force field put around Europe to cut off Europe from the Middle East, Africa, etc. ^^;; I'm sure people from the Caucuses aren't very pleased with this since they get commandeered into this exercise which racists somehow love. Later people also deemed them inferior (which takes a while to travel through but there is a wikipedia page dedicated to the term Caucasian meaning white [link] that goes over this ranking thing and the racist origins and ties to Nazis). But whatever, Nanowrimo a*holes were determined to argue against trade, fine, let's play this game and cut the whole of the Middle East/West Asia.

The other rule is that the Gulf Stream still exists, so you can have that unusual European climate which is a fluke. (This also ticked off people? But seriously, to get the gradient of Europe that far north, you need to Gulf of Mexico otherwise the latitude range would look more like the US than Europe, more south, and larger, much larger. And most people don't make a continent that large. Why people get ticked off at true facts is a whole thing.)

If you cut off the Gulf of Mexico, which a lot of world building of European-like continents do, you get Siberia. So the Gulf of Mexico has to stay for our Hypothetical Europe. (Not getting into continentality either.)

We're not counting the little bit of Turkey here, BTW. Turkey gets to stay whole. And Russia gets kicked out because it always gets kicked out anyway and besides, people were preaching about stupid things when these racists were posting, like all of Russia is white. And then people were arguing over if Russia counts. Fine. We'll kick Russia out. BTW, Australia was called all white. Haha. Aboriginals don't exist according to them. Like WTF. But whatever.

The question is what civilization can Europe grow with only the resources found naturally in Europe? Can you build a European civilization with only things found naturally occurring in Europe?

The first issue is STAPLE CROP.

Yeah, if you notice, you've cut off all of the major grains to Europe. You've also cut off the Beaker people. Oops.

Some Anthropology here, Beaker people brought agriculture to Europe. They were also from Turkey.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2018/february/the-beaker-people-a-new-population-for-ancient-britain.html

So, Stone Henge, Long burrows, and all of that are suddenly cut off.

Honestly, this one is terrible to overcome. Most of the BBC docs I watched argued that the ancient people of Britain before Brown people from Turkey brought agriculture and the Cheddar Man, were boiling and eating reeds. Think like cattails type of thing, which is really hard to eat.

Upside, you still have fire in the form of rush lights, though you can't use tallow or beeswax--comes from outside of Europe. And horses are too lean. So, likely the European bison? However, this limits technology quite a bit as advancements can't be made by night and only by camp fire. (Fire is safely pre-modern humans—homonins and some say Homo Erectus, though still debated. But at least Homo Hedelberengensis)

Without a staple crop, you're going to have it tough to make enough surplus to build anything. You need free time and enough food supply to build things like castles.

The closest you might get is maybe peas? The best you get is pea flour, and have you worked with pea flour? It doesn't do anything like the wheat family does. Nutritionally, it's also low carbs, which is great if you're on a low carb diet, but not great for a civilization. Pea flour: 100 kcal, 18 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 0 g fat, and 8 g protein

White rice:

Total Fat 0.4 g

Saturated fat 0.1 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 2 mg

Potassium 55 mg

Total Carbohydrate 45 g 15%

Dietary fiber 0.6 g

Sugar 0.1 g

Protein 4.3 g

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/brown-rice-vs-white-rice

68-82 amounts of energy in rice.

So peas aren't a bad choice, but the problem is that you don't have a binder. You need a binder to make bread, etc. Even this one here: https://www.powerhungry.com/2024/02/06/split-pea-bread-vegan-oil-free-gf/ Uses a binder from India. But the majority of your people aren't eating Bread. The recipes I can find include non-European things like rice or things outside of Europe. This severely hinders your tech advancements. Being able to eat on the job and not have it take forever is really hard. The portability of bread is a plus for technology. And peas can get mushy and if cooked can mold.

There are Lactofermented peas:

https://www.beetsandbones.com/lacto-fermented-green-peas/

But they aren't widely eaten and include things like garlic, which is out. Bay leaves are not from Europe. Garlic is a difficult one since garlic kills so many bacteria, but you can cope with oregano, I suppose, which kills a high amount of bacteria according to a well vetted study since it was published (original study was 1999, but followup studies since then):

Preservation is a huge part of production and an upside of grains.

Also, how are you going to produce alcohol? This makes water safer to drink. You'd have to convert to teas. (Raspberry leaf tea is a thing.) Peas are not high starch enough, as cited to hold together bread. It's not good enough to make alcohol.

But now you're thinking, OK, we got peas as a staple, they just won't make bread out of it.

Peas, a major protein source, you don't need cows, pigs, etc as much. (Though you're still kinda lacking in vitamin B12, but I'll cover that later.) And your people make a new type of pea plant (BTW, legumes is the largest plant family on Earth.)

Might limit you to not be able to carry it around easily and it's hard to rehydrate, but eventually your people get there. (If you're thinking, but lentils, yeah, not Europe. Deal).

Subsequent agriculture

Tanning leather, BTW, you need oak trees with high tannins, but this tech originated from Western Asia (or Southwestern Asia, if you want to call it that)

Oak trees are found on five continents, but it's a bit fuzzy on how they got there. Humans have a habit of picking up seeds and spreading them about. My own great grandfather loved collecting seeds and planting them. You also have Johnny Appleseed.

The processing time to make acorn flour is pretty terrible (You have to boil it a long, long time to remove the tannins, this is why I didn't suggest this as a staple), but at least you have leather.

The major other crops are out:

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, hazelnuts, walnuts, corn, wheat, rye, barley, strawberries? (This one is questionable.), pears (China), apples (Central Asia), Pomegranates (Iran), and major fruits you can think of. Think of a major fruit. Look it up and you'll find it doesn't come from Europe, though it might be grown there.

Most of the spices and herbs are out (sage, oregano, rosemary, and thyme stay in.) No, you can't have garlic. Most allium comes from outside of Europe. Animals are also out: pigs, goats, sheep, cows, chickens, llamas, alpacas.

It's debatable about horses. One thread people debated back and forth on horses, so I'll lay that out.

This leaves you likely with dogs, which probably came with early modern humans. Yeah, ummm... there's a question here, and maybe I shouldn't touch it, and the answer is likely no, probably not eating them. Not unless people get desperate. The Cambridge History of Food also questions the archaeology from Western Asia, but the archaeology also says the only time humans ate dogs were in desperation and the layer in question came at the heels of a drought? (I took a picture of the page, pretty easy to look up since it has an excellent index.).

This leaves deer. Not a good animal to domesticate, but let's say Reindeer. (Thinking Evenk here).

I'm adding in carob.

So Round up of what we have?

Staple crop: Legume, likely related to peas.

Secondary crops:

You have brassica (mustard family)

Olives

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

sage

horseradish, maybe.

Acorns—makes leather

carob

currants

gooseberries

raspberry

blackberry

turnip, possibly beets

parsnip Stinging nettle Dandelion (European and edible from roots which make a substance said to be similar to coffee to the buds.)

Brassica family, mainly Brussel sprouts, but possibly they would invent others.

BTW, carrots originally weren't orange until William of Orange, who gets his name from a plant native to Southern China-ish.

But other berries—cranberry, is from the Americas. And strawberry, while found in Europe, was originally domesticated in the Americas. This one is a question mark. Because it was found on both continents, but was only domesticated in the Americas.

The majority of the foods you find are domesticated in West Asia, Southern China and the Americas (mostly central Americas and Northern South America.) Welcome to the downside of temperate climates.

Pies? Nope. "What about Shepards Pie" Yeah, where are you getting the potatoes? Also the iron works is in question here. (later)

Short list. You're losing your mind, no pizza? Yep. No pizza. (lol Someone got mad when I pointed this out with links). Tomato is New World, Wheat is West Asia, Cows domestication is West Asia and Northern Africa. Horse milk you can't form into cheese without camel rennet. Camels, you guessed it, not Europe.

Possibly new legumes to maximize it. (They grow tall as trees, make peanuts, etc, so it's possible a culture under pressure would make new ones. BTW, peanuts is new world.)

Domesticated animals: Dogs, deer, maybe horses—horses are debated. European rabbits, yes, though don't make for good domestication since they are really difficult to work with which you'll have to look up. Look up a rabbit care video. But at least breed fast. Low amount of fat for candles, though.

You'd also have seafood. Only one type of seaweed is poisonous in the world and that is in England. But it's highly nutritious. (The native seaweed in India is apparently nasty, but edible).

You don't need as much with the pea family anyway.

European Bison are not easily domesticated, BTW, but would give you tallow-ish stuff if they succeeded or an ethnic group decided to be nomadic pastoralists with them.

For sweet taste, carob. Easy to process, and you don't need sugar beets, which is harder to process and were only invented as a source in the late 19th century. Mediterranean. The seeds are edible so just grind it up. Though it's easier to grind the pods. So it's easier to process and use in other recipes.

The other options are out: Honeybee domestication originated in China, there's a form in Northern Africa, but the frame design was late 1800's, so Victorian. Even if you had it, it would be for rich people.

Sugar cane is tropical.

Carob mildly tastes like chocolate. This is your chocolate substitute. No fermentation required. However, it doesn't have the properties of chocolate melting, etc. The fat content is much lower, but the production is much higher.

Dates, BTW, are from 4000 BCE in West Asia, fertile crescent. It's out. https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/dates-an-ancient-fruit-rediscovered/

The problem with horses

This part is really difficult to climb through.

The first part is that horses were likely domesticated outside of Europe. Also, the invention of the saddle, etc was also outside of Europe. You need a good staple crop to have enough time to mes around with it. You would also have a smaller population if it stays in Europe.

This part got heated in the original. So the evidence is this:

Horses were domesticated outside of Europe (It's on the border of Europe, so hotly debated)

Horses were killed off in the Americas by Indigneous people before being reintroduced. https://new.nsf.gov/science-matters/horses-part-indigenous-cultures-longer-western

The technology to domesticate the horse further was outside of Europe (saddle, stirrups, etc)

But horses exist in Europe, wouldn't they want to breed them?

But maybe only for food? (recent scandal at the time)

Would they be burden animals? You need burden animals fro agriculture to advance and higher production.

So yeah... without cows, pigs, goats, sheep, large questions arise about this.

Would the population split into eating and noneating? Would it not?

Yeah, limited foodstuff. Limited calories, but your people are making it, but maybe not turning white yet? Well, in Southern Europe. Introduction of grains and farming was said to be the thing that tipped people over.

Agriculture is really difficult to achieve without a staple crop like grains or starchy tubers.

But for the sake of argument, let's say they get there, and manage to never break the force field, no matter what, because racists win or whatever. No food importation in or out, no new ideas.

What now?

Arches, as an idea, came from outside of Europe. Rafts do predate humans (Homo Erectus again), but boats, was likely Phonecian. And metal working and stone working also came from outside of Europe as ideas. Beaker people, love them.

Metal working came from Northern Africa, BTW, but say they figure it out, and we let them slide.

You get stunted in Maths since ideas of math came from Babylonians. Later Migrations of Minoans don't count anymore. Linear A isn't invented, but OK, OK, there was written language invented in the Americas, so it's possible, if they get through agriculture and get up to what? Trade, they might have language. But wait, you (Nanowrimo person) just said trade is evil, so maybe they don't have a written language? In all instances of language being created it was on the back of what? trade. Maths awas also created on the back of mostly trade. Sumerians created their written language on trade. The oldest tablets we have is a trade dispute.

Look up Complaint tablet to Ea-nasir. In another words, written records were for keeping track of ledgers, one of the oldest types of writing on record.

These people think trade is too complicated and evil to exist in Europe. So OK, no written language for you, though seriously, I don't know how that works. Is Northern Europe a different subsistence system than Southern Europe?

You all are fighting for diminishing resources (considering 1500's Europe and a BBC doc about how trees were fought over and laws about not cutting down trees) each other while the rest of the world is trading back and forth on ideas and not getting imperialized. Fine. Let's play that game.

The amount of technology gets cut down severely when you disconnect Europe from the rest of the world. You don't get the iron age without some knowledge about smelting. And you need those "dirty Africans" or whatever racist thing they were thinking in order to get that smelting. You don't get masonry without PoCs (Most masonry, as an idea came from West Asia, and they would literally import those people to work on castles, see the docs on Guédelon Castle from British TV). Whatcha going to do?

Let's move onto clothes...

Flax (for Linen), silk, ramie, hemp (for clothes which is a different cultivar), coir, Abaca, Angora (rabbit)*, Angora (goat), wool (obviously), bamboo, banana fiber, cashmere (the goat), sisal, camel hair (obviously), kapok, mohair, kenaf, yak, Qiviut, vicuña,Hibiscus cannabinus, Lyocell, Modal (AKA Rayon) *, Piña (pineapple), and Soy protein are out. All of them occur outside of Europe or require an industrial society. Byssus AKA sea silk, Chiengora (dog hair), spider silk*, is in.

However, notice how expensive and difficult it is to make clothes of these things. So only rich can access them.

dog* hair often requires wool to be added to make the hairs stick together. And sheep wool, in particular has really good spinnable fibers.

Spider silk also kinda takes higher technology to produce into clothing. Look it up and some might find it cruel to do it that way.

Byssus also known as Sea silk was produced by the Greeks and Romans, but only for the super rich.

This means for poor people: Leather and stinging nettle fabric is what they have left. You can see a video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-usU7-WjUU So your people have clothing. They aren't white except for the nomadic people to the north unless you can advance their agriculture and slide the pea family to replace the major nutrition somehow.

And making clothes is torture for the common populace who have to pick stinging nettles for their clothes.

You're thinking, but Angora Rabbits? Yeah, this is possible, though not likely called that since the rabbits originated from Turkey, which is outside of the scenario, but it would be maybe possible your people come up with something similar given human nature as long as they pause the rabbit breeding long enough and have enough surplus to tinker.

So poor people are running around with stinging nettle fabric, rich are wearing most likely sea silk, and you can see the misery compared to growing something like flax.

I doubt anyone can afford to be vegetarian with limited resources. Pescitarian, maybe closer to the shore.

*Dogs were domesticated outside of Europe, but are often attributed to why humans outpaced Neanderthal and date back far enough in time that early humans likely took them to Europe when they first arrived. Cats, however, were domesticated in Africa and are OUT. (Making the majority of writers cry since there seems to be more cat people than dog people among writers).

Conclusion

You're stuck with the Humours, but does Greek civilization even exist without grains? So much collapses when you don't have the subsistence infrastructure. I mean there is a reason people made bread and carry grains and we don't eat peas as a staple.

So you'd have to build everything from scratch starting around ~45,000 BCE or earlier (when Homo sapiens came to Europe by estimates) and you don't even have those really white people then according to science except the Evenk ancestors who show white about 10K years ago? (No, it's not the Caucuses—in what right mind do you think white people developed in the Caucuses when you know about Vitamin D and darker melanin generally around the equator due to skin cancer, etc issues and so on.)

Umm, the lesson here is that Europe was never cut off and people should stop going into that fantasy. Like how did you get apples, plums, honey, etc without trade? And also, people shouldn't be afraid of trade and keep in mind temperate climates (Middle/Northernish Europe) aren't the only biomes in Europe. No matter how much fantasy wants to focus on Western Europe and ignore the Scandis. Seriously, I'm so bored of people assuming everything is like Germany or a less rainy England in fantasy. (And I do mean England, not Scotland or Wales). Can't we get some variety? You have the Mediterranean, but you also have Scandinavia, and you're doing Europe? Where are they? You also had foragers and Nomads in the history of Europe. The Romani from North Western India, for example. And some say that early Celtic groups could have been partial foragers before the coming of Beaker people.

But even in an alt sci-fi, you have to trim all of those accomplishments of PoC and then argue that your people killed all of the PoCs on the way to the planet, and really, that makes no sense. But I suppose then you can murder Bibimbap into tatertot disgusting mess later on. But really?

But even say, you had an organically grown planet that happened to grow a humanoid species, how are you going to grow it without some level of cooperation? And the majority of the food stuff is going to come from those warmer climates: Southern China, West Asia and Central-ish Americas. They don't have a winter to worry about. So it would be imperative for your people to trade.

While you're at it, I'm really squicked by the idea that people put in 16 year old girls to marry much older guys in fantasy and then call it acceptable. You can change at least those rules.

I don't get why people work so hard to cut out LGBTQIA, disability and PoCs from fantasy? Like people should have maimed legs from all the battles written.

BTW, I am amused by the idea that in Star Trek times they didn't have birth control. lol thousands of years and haven't perfected birth control? That one I can't believe. Picard didn't know how to use a condom. lol.

[lunastrophe]

Hello! I adore your blog and how much work you've put into it. As someone who is new to dnd/bg3, the drow have been my favorite race and culture. I wanted to ask if you had any insights to half-drow and how they fit into drow culture. I know there general stereotype is that they are not treated well, but I wanted to get your take on it :)

Hello! I suppose that the main problem with half-drow is, they are too often being mentioned in context of typical Lolth-sworn drow culture - but not often enough seen through different lenses 🙂

🕷️ Lolth-sworn drow, especially those living in heavily Lolth-oriented communities and cities like Menzoberranzan, tend to see non-drow as inferior - and they do not support interbreeding between drow and humans or surface elves.

Having a half-drow child would be most likely seen as something shameful to a Lolth-sworn drow, especially to a female - or even as something dangerous to the entire family (danger of losing the favour of Lolth).

There is a high chance that a half-drow child in a Lolth-sworn community would be killed or abandoned shortly after being born. Or sold into slavery, ultimately ending up as a slave, a serf, an outcast... or as a sacrifice.

Some more talented and ambitious half-drow could probably build a different life for themselves, though, depending on their skills and inclinations - even in a Lolth-sworn drow city. They could become artisans, mercenaries or merchants, for example, more or less independent. But they would not be allowed to rise to the very top of the society.

Although...

🕷️ In Menzoberranzan, it was rumoured "...that at some point in the distant past, the females of House Ousstyl had interbred with humans." House Ousstyl was a minor noble house - its members denied the rumours, of course.

Still, such stories may suggest that even in a Lolth-sworn drow society, half-drow were not necessarily seen as outcasts - at least in some cases and in the past. Matron Mother of the House Ousstyl "...was tall and, for a dark elf, extraordinarily rawboned. Her jaw was too square, and her ears, insufficiently pointed." So it is quite possible that even if she was not a half-drow, she might have some half-drow ancestors.

There are also drow cultures that do not follow the Way of Lolth, for example:

🕷️ Among drow who worship Vhaeraun, half-drow were typically at least tolerated and not necessarily looked down upon: "Vhaeraun was not averse to a little human blood in his followers." (E. Cunningham, Daughter of the Drow).

In Vhaeraunan communities, half-drow with surface elven blood could also be found: "children of such unions tended to breed toward drow." They seemed to be perceived as more promising than half-drow, half-humans.

🕷️ Among Eilistraean drow, I imagine that a half-drow child would be welcomed and treated as an equal - and after growing up, free to choose any profession.

So, life of a half-drow in a drow community does not need to be stereotypically miserable. Still, I suppose that even among "neutral" or "good" drow, a half-drow might be sometimes looked at with a dose of pity (shorter lifespan, lack of some natural drow abilities).

[theramseyloft]

Can you explain why most ferals have skinny black eyelids but captive birds have white or skin toned eyelids

That's pretty much natural selection at its finest.

I have seen a bit of research on the pattern of city pigeons and how it tends towards darker colors, and the general consensus is just that it does.

My observation of feral populations has led me to believe that it's a product of predation.

Pigeons' primary predators are accipiter hawks and falcons. (Raptor folks, please correct me if these should not be differentiated, or if my spelling is incorrect!)

Barred and barn owls will also hunt them at night.

The ten or so local feral populations I am familiar with forage primarily in strip mall and gas station parking lots, which are paved black.

Pigeons have four different pattern genes.

Blue Bar is the Rock Dove Wild type.

There are a few different subspecies of Columba livia.

This is C. livia targea.

C. livia palistinae

C. livia canariensis

Note fow fine featured the face of a wild Rock dove is compared to

a domestic feral from a continent that has never seen wild Rock Doves.

Normally, wild type coloration is dominant over everything else.

But in their domestication, Rock Doves were interbred a few times with Spectacled Pigeons:

From these, came both the Checker and T-check patterns, and very likely the Ash Red base color, all of which are dominant over the Rock Dove's blue bar.

They also got the genes for a big, thick cere around the eye.

Cheeto has the same t-pattern as the Spectacled pigeon above.

He's not from the local flocks.

Here are all the birds I've had who are:

Shadow: Blue Bar, expressing the darkening modifier called Dirty.

Coal and Orion: Checkers

Coal is expressing Dirty and Sooty.

Orion is expressing neither.

Panther: T-check, expressing Dirty, Sooty, and smoky

Fiona: Blue Bar

Licorice: T-check, Dirty, Smoky, and Sooty

Pierce: T-Check

Archie: T-check

Bridget: T-check

Pete: Blue Bar

Masnud: blue Bar

T-check is dominant over all four patterns.

Checker is recessive to t-check, but dominant over bar and barless.

Bar is recessive to t-check and checker, but dominant over barless.

Barless is recessive to everything.

So, on the one hand, the darkest pattern is dominant.

But

Ash Red, like lost homer Charlie here,

Is dominant over blue.

So why don't you see this dominant color absolutely everywhere in feral flocks like you do T-check and Checker?

My bet is because it's the easiest to pick out of a crowd and see against the blacktop.

Blue bar is easier to see than T-check or checker, but it's a recessive gene, so it can still crop up in a feral population even if all of the breeding adults are t-check or checker.

But Ash Red being dominant means that: once every bird expressing it visibly is picked off for being too easy to see, the gene is wiped completely out of the population.

The long and short of it is: the darker the feather pigment, the darker the skin pigment tends to be.

And darker feathers are harder for hawks to see over black top and harder for owls to see under a bridge or in an eve or overhang.

A predator will always take the easiest prey, so the prey animal that is harder to catch by any means or degree is the one that survives to raise offspring.

Pigeons in human care, despite being the same species, simply do not have the pressure of predation shaping their color, builds, or behavior.

Their care takers breeding program shapes them.

And humans tend to find contrasting colors and interesting shapes aesthetically pleasing.

[blogforfauna]

Canis lupus

Grey wolves are the largest canine species, usually weighing between 75 and 125 pounds (34 and 56.7 kg). The largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). This was a Mackenzie Valley wolf, and they are generally a lot larger than other grey wolf subspecies.

Although wolves in captivity have been observed with rigid roles in their packs like alpha, beta, “mid-rank”, and omega, this is not how it works in wild wolf packs. There are vague positions wolves have in a pack, but these are exaggerated in captivity when wolves are kept in close proximity to each other. Dispersal wolves, which are wolves who have left the pack they were born in, do sometimes join the packs of unrelated wolves, but wolf packs are usually just families. And in a family, of course the parents are going to be the most dominant. They are the “alpha” wolves. What people consider to be beta wolves would generally be older siblings- obviously less dominant than their parents but more dominant than siblings from newer litters. “Omega” wolves are believed to be extremely submissive, rejected, outcast wolves. It might appear to be like this in some cases, especially in captivity, but this role along with alpha and beta are clichés and rarely influence wild packs.

There is probably only one “true” wolf species in the world, and that’s the grey wolf. Many people believe that the Arctic wolf, timber wolf, or Eastern (Algonquin) wolf are different species, but they´re all subspecies of the grey wolf. Critically endangered red wolves are currently considered to be their own species, Canis rufus, but recent studies show that these wolves are likely the result of interbreeding between grey wolves and coyotes.

Domestic dogs are wolves too. They are considered to be a subspecies of the grey wolf just like Arctic and Eastern wolves are.

Just like red foxes aren't always red, grey wolves aren’t always grey. While the most common coat is agouti, which is a banded fur pattern consisting of grey, tan, black, and white, their coats can also have distinctive patterns or be solid colors. Wolves with mostly black fur are considered melanistic, which is sort of the opposite of albinism. They got this trait from domestic dogs that interbred with them centuries ago. Grey wolves very rarely come even close to being solid white, with the Arctic subspecies as an exception. Except for when they are young, since all wolves are born with brown fur, these Arctic wolves are almost always a solid white or cream color.

Found throughout much of North America, Europe, and Asia, grey wolves are second only to the red fox when it comes to distribution size among canines. In North America they generally hunt large prey like elk, moose, bison, and musk ox. In Europe and Asia they target musk deer, roe deer, and wild boar. Wolves in different regions or even individual packs specialize in hunting different prey. All wolves tend to hunt in a similar manner, running prey down using incredible stamina and sometimes chasing prey 30-40 miles (48.3-64.4 km) in a single day.

Many people believe that wolves howl at the moon. This is a cool idea, but it's a myth. Wolves do tend to howl with their faces pointed up towards the sky, but they only do that to help the sound carry farther. This way their howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. These howls are used to communicate with other wolves, sometimes to find members of their pack and other times to scare strange wolves away.

SUPER LONG POST OOPS

I rate the grey wolf 20/10. This is the animal ever

Photo credits:

(1) livingwithwolves.org (2) William Ervin (3) Jim Brandenburg (4) William Ervin (5) Michigan Technological University (6) Ross Forsyth (7) National Geographic

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wukong absolutely has a tree of Heaven's immortality-granting peaches after he planted the pit of one of the peaches he stole on FFM. One turned to a whole orchard, and now FFM is full of both immortal peach trees, and peach trees that make you immortal. After Tripitaka's accidental immortality, the trees were labeled to be able to tell "immortal" from "immortality-granting" to prevent that from accidentally happening again (it does not prevent it from happening on purpose though)

Dionysus was given the recipe for the immortality-granting peach wine from Wukong, and he supplies Wukong with nectar and ambrosia in exchange for the peaches to make into wine. It's become the champagne of the Olympians- only for the most special of occasions. MK's birth (and then later Rumble and Savage's births) is one such occasion

Yeah, unless Wukong is eating the pits too, theres probably a lot left over from his gorging. I hc that the tree Wukong and Macaque were chilling under in their S4 memories was one of these "stolen" peach trees.

According to the chinese mythos, the peach trees themselves only produced fruit every few thousand years (varied between when individual trees were planted), and Wukong is smart enough to plant and cultivate his mini-orchard so that theres always at least one tree ready to fruit. The immortality-causing fruit are probably interbred with regular peach trees already on the island, so the effects aren't as obvious. Also means that theres endless anime-esque peach blossoms everywhere on the island.

But now I'm imagining the special Peach Champagne getting served after MK's birth in "The Monkey King and the Infant" au, and Wukong forgetting something very important...

Tang: "Oooo! Bubbly!" Pigsy: "A bit sweet for me." Sandy: "I've got a little white soda if you need to cut it." Wukong: "Wait... think I'm forgetting something very important about this wine." Macaque, has a tiny taste of the wine: "...Peaches, is this is the wine you made with Dionysus that one time?" Wukong: "Yeah it is- UH OH!" Tang, already finished his glass: "Why uh oh??" Wukong, flashbacks to accidentally giving Tripitaka immortality: "It happened again!" Years later... Wukong, telling the story to the kids: "And that's why your Pama Tang looks really good for his age!"

Great measures are made to make sure that the kids don't accidentally drink the champagne during Rumble & Savage's births.

[pkmnprofloblolly]

I noticed awhile back that my grandmothers new pet sneasel has a little splotch of white fur covering her upper snout. I’ve never seen a sneasel with that marking before and asked my grandma about it, and she told me that she was born with it. I thought it was super cool Pokémon could be born with little distinctions like that! Do you know of any other examples of that popping up? Or is my grannies sneasel unique?

yep, small differences in color and pattern are a common sight across most pokemon species! this is especially prominent in those popularly bred, since folks select for things like interesting coat patterns or unique colors. very domestic pokemon like eevee, rockruff, or the many 'starter' pokemon are some of the most common this is seen in, since such traits can be selected against in the wild, decreasing their occurrence, while they are often seen as desirable in pets.

(a couple varieties of selectively-bred snivy, differentiated only by appearance- typical, broken stripe, and solid-color.)

white patches in particular are a common kind of pigment difference- leucism is the overall term for partial loss of pigment (different from albinism, though) which can include piebaldism. piebald organisms have blotchy patches of pigment loss across their body. you may also be familiar with vitiligo, which can look very similar to piebaldism, but are fundamentally different conditions.

(a piebald staravia. leucism isn't a super uncommon sight in the wild, with birdwatchers in particular recording many instances.)

that said, i think i may have a specific explanation for why a sneasel would have a white patch, depending on where your granny's sneasel traces its ancestry. up until the mid-1800s or so, there were two varieties of sneasel- johtonian and hisuian (hisui being an older name for the sinnoh region). johtonian sneasel is the variety we have today, ice/dark type with black fur and red "feathers" which evolves into weavile. hisuian sneasel, on the other hand, was poison/fighting type with white and purple fur and "feathers", and it evolved into the now entirely extinct pokemon sneasler (alas, i don't think there's ever been a "sneaslest").

in the early 1800s, johtonian sneasel were introduced to sinnoh's frigid northern areas by people moving into the area. or, perhaps more apocryphal, even by "anomalies in space and time" as noted by a contemporary ecologist. while not exactly provable, there are indeed some records from the time of similar-sounding events, and it isn't like sinnoh nor johto are unfamiliar to their share of time-bending myths and phenomena, thanks to the legendary dialga and celebi. so, hey, maybe it was time travel. or both time travel and more mundane means. or maybe not time travel

these johtonian sneasel and weavile became an invasive species in the region, quickly acclimating to the area and coming into direct competition with hisuian sneasel and sneasler for food and territory. sneasler was known to breed infrequently- only once every few years- so they were particularly susceptible to lowering populations causing more collapse. the johtonian sneasel also proved to be more aggressive, and together with increasing human population drove the more solitary variety into smaller and smaller areas, until its eventual extinction, with the last known sneasler passing away in 1867.

however, during the time in which the two varieties did overlap, they uncommonly interbred. as a result, it isn't too odd to see sneasel/weavile from sinnoh today with patches or white or purple in their fur or "feathers", and veeery rarely even one that has one of the hisuian sneasel's typings (i REALLY need to expand on how typing works sometime soon). all that is to say- if your granny's sneasel or its ancestors are from sinnoh, the white splotch could be a result of hisuian sneasel heritage. it could also just be regular patches of pigmentation loss, as mentioned before, especially if the sneasel traces its ancestry outside of sinnoh.

[starburr]

Seafolk are definitely not fish though, at least when we try to ground them as a species that evolved naturally under specific evironmental conditions and pressures, also not a result of chimeric splicing and gene manipulation. We can ascertain that they are highly adaptable animals, even surviving 'The Deep' and its crushing depths, altering their own physiology even among related individuals (see Lorenzo and Uncle Ugo). It's also worth noting that perhaps their human disguises might be as seen in the movie, a defense mechanism to not expose themselves evolved out of getting hunted by early human coastal communities. They might have branched early off from the human ancestor evolutionary tree due to the Aquatic Ape hypothesis. And in such a short time, they evolved fins, scales (pangolins have) and even the ability to breathe completely underwater. At the same time they can switch into breathing air, implying they have lungs.

Also the titular character we know, probably a stretch but LUCA is a term that stands for Last Universal Common Ancestor. Now this could just be a coincidence or a surface level connection to explain their human like appearances by way of showing that seafolk as a life form are valid and can have genuine connections to humans as seen in the film, but this could also imply that they are not too distantly removed from humans. After all, the niche of shallow to open water life form that may ocassionally feed on fish (although its shown they are more omnivorous) is filled by them without disrupting the ecology of the area. They aren't an invasive species either, having grown a thriving community under the waves near Portorosso, and possibly in other areas. Not to imply anything but if they can easily take on a more human appearance, then it's possible they might have interbred before with humanity not just in Portorosso.

Another interesting thing to note is the basis of last names. We can assume they can take or keep their last names in marriage or whatever ritual they have as seen with Uncle Ugo not having the Paguro sir name but Lorenzo does, implying the surname Paguro was from his mother's side.

Well that's all my brain can manage for now. I forgot where I was going with this, but basically, they're closely related to humans in their continuity and this makes more sense despite looking more like fish given some of their traits. The others are attributed to deeper water survivability.

[flowerisevil]

Just saw ur post ur reqs are open👀

I'm requesting for a aemond x oc!Savaelle!Targaryen (silver haired and has violet eyes) a daughter of Daemon with Rhea Royce, her having a large three headed dragon (the dragon egg is given to her when she was born) and ofc a strained relationship with her father rather with everyone

Hold to me | Oc x Aemond Targaryen

a/n: is Savaelle a name? if it is that's what I named the oc here but if its not a name im sorry in advanced😭. Also I change the story a bit

"There's no way we are going back in King's Landing" Savaelle screamed at her father and tucked inside her comforter.

"We are going, the King is sick you have to meet him atleast" Daemon reasoned.

Savaelle can only rolled her eyes "Yeah and my dragon has one head" she sarcastically spoke.

"I am not a fool father, we are going there because you're dear wife wants to" Savaelle added, it's the truth her father wouldn't bring her to King's Landing to meet the King he's giving his new wife a favor.

"This is not about Rhaenyra"

"No it is! Ever since you're married to her everything is about her, you even cared for her sons than your own!" she snapped and pushed him out of her room.

"Stop being a spolied cunt! and listen to what I say" he gripped her arms tightly causing to her to groan in pain.

"A spoiled cunt huh? you're barely even present in my life" she pushed him with her full force and closed her door.

She leaned against the door and let out a big sigh, the only thing she's excited about going back in King's Landing is meeting her cousin Helaena again they're too young the last time they saw each other.

In the end she didn't have any choice but to obey her father, she was packing her clothes when Rhaenyra entered her room.

"Are you done?" She nicely asked, Rhaenyra has always been nice to her but the young princess doesn't do the same, she can't help but to be mad at them Rhaenyra, her sons and Daemon, they're all happy and expecting for a new child while her here miserable carrying the fact that her own father killed her mother. She was about to help Savaelle but she already pulled away before she can even help her.

"I didn't remember inviting you in my chambers leave now I do not need your help" She said pissed and pull out a cigarette from her drawer and lit it up.

"You shouldn't be smoking"

"And you shouldn't be invading my privacy leave" she said again.

"Savaelle I'm really trying to make this work between us were a family now" Rhaenyra softly said, she don't want the princess to feel that she's not part of them. "Your father loves you Savaelle"

"Yeah tell that my mother and watch as she rise from the dead and laugh at your face" Savaelle chuckled and huff another smoke.

Rhaenyra leave her room defeated.

They all arrived in King's Landing when the doors opened in the Halls a pair of arms immidietly wrapped to her it was Helaena.

"Savaelle! I missed you so much finally you decided to visit here, it's been so long" she said and wrapped her hands around Savaelle's arm.

She can only nod at Helaena while they're walking she was drifted away from Daemon and Rhaenyra as they entered a room.

"Savaelle this is my brother Aegon you remember him don't you?" Helaena introduced her to a guy with a sideways medium hair.

"Greetings to you prince Aegon, how are you?" Savaelle greet and gave them a warm smile.

"I'm great, I am actually married now?" the prince only answered.

"That's great who's this lucky lady?" she tried to sound genuine because if she's being honest no woman is lucky to have this man.

Aegon and Helaena looked at each other, she noticed the way their hands intertwined and reveal their marriage ring.

Holy shit sometimes she forgot that interbred is common in his father's family but she didn't expect this.

"Oh apologies! Congratulations" she said awkwardly, after that she excused herself from them to find her two brothers and she saw them at the grounds where they used to train with their mentors when they were still kids.

"Jace, Luke" she called them the two boys looked at her back, she steps closer to them.

She noticed that they're playing and looking at the new swords, Jacaerys was too mesmerized with that swords while Lucerys seems distracted or bothered.

"What's wrong?" Jacaerys asked him but Savaelle's attention was caught by people whispering behind them.

"That's the bastard right? tsk tsk shame on them"

"How dare they go back here?" is what some of the whisper she heard.

"No one would question me being a heir to Driftmark  if I looked more like Ser Laenor Velaryon and not Ser Harwin Strong" the young prince said, Savaelle softly rub his back to give him comfort.

"It doesn't matter what they think, people will always have judgement in everything we do" Savaelle said as she looked around.

The two prince agreed to her and soon their attentions were caught with a sudden cheering from somewhere Jace and Luke pulled Savaelle with them and pushed themselves to the crowd finally getting in the front, Savaelle saw to men duelling.

One has a white hair and an eyepatch, Aemond Targaryen and the other man was his trainor Ser Criston Cole.

"Is that?" Jacaerys traced as he looked at her.

"Aemond"

"Is he your uncle or cousin?" Lucerys asked confused which make her chuckle.

"I don't know, perhaps cousin well I'm not your mother's child" she explained, why does her father's family tree is fucked up.

"Still you're our sister right?" Jacaerys said.

Savaelle looked at them, she might hate their mother and her father but she can never hate these two boys in front of her.

"Look that's Lady Royce daughter right?" The three seems to hear it at the same time.

She sighs and just ignored them, of course she could never run from being one of the topics of nosy cunts here.

They realize that the person that's talking about her was just behind them.

"How dare they talk about you" Savaelle stopped her brothers before they can even start a scene.

"Ignore them" she said and continue to watch the duel between Aemond and Criston.

"There's whisper said that her mother was killed by her father and he would call her a bronze bitch" Savaelle's ear refuse not to listen to their gossips, she  gulped and try to distract not until she heard what they said next.

"Her mother is a bitch no wonder the prince didn't let her live" A dropped of tear fell in her eye and she immidietly grabbed a sword and ran towards the man, she swing the sword meeting the head of the guy a loud screams echoed as soon as his head dropped on the floor.

"Take my mother's name out of your mouth" she said tears are now flowing in her eyes but her face remained emotionless. "If anyone try to disrespect my mother you will have the same fate as his" she added.

"Disarm her!" a knight shouted but before they can even touch her she already threw the sword.

"Savaelle!" Luke and Jace run to her when the knight forcefully make her kneel and put her arms behind her.

"She's the princess let go of her!" Jacaerys shouted.

"Let her go" A voice from behind spoke.

"Prince Aemond..." The knight bow his head to him.

"As I said let the princess go" the knight nod and follow his order, her brothers help her stand up and wipe her tears.

"They disrespect my mother..." Savaelle finally broke down in tears, Luke hugged her while Jace rubbed her back and guide her inside the castle.

She wants to go home, not in Dragonstone, not here in Keep, she wants to go back in Runestone her mother's hometown.

The two boys didn't spoke Savaelle never cried in front of anyone but maybe what she have heard was too foul to make her cry like this. She was hugging her knees and buried her blood stained face between them.

The door in the room opened revealing their parents behind her was the Queen and her three children.

"Savaelle" Daemon called her and went to her, he tried to comfort her but Savaelle pushed him away.

"You're the reason why this is all happening to me..." she whispered, she felt so drained like she was so empty inside.

The Queen and her children left to give them some privacy.

"I want to go back  home, I want to be in Runestone..." she added and cried more.

Daemon stared at her daughter's state, her upper part of dress has stains of blood up to her face, he and Rhaenyra have heard the action she did earlier.

"This is now your home..." Daemon states but she shake her head.

"Savaelle, I regretted all of my actions before I was selfish that time and unmindful but I'm not anymore since I took care of you and watch you grow up" He explained.

"I realized that I shouldn't did that, I know you're looking for a mother's love but Rhaenyra is here she will be your mother" He continued.

"No I don't need your love and certainly I do not need her love" she snapped and leave the room.

Daemon sighs as she walked out, Rhaenyra went to him and rub his back comforting him, what else does he have to do for his daughter to finally accept him and their new family.

"Just give her more time" Rhaenyra smiled to him.

On the other hand, Savaelle stumbled in Helaena in the halls and she askes for her help to lead her in her chambers.

"This is your chamber, beautiful right?" Helaena said, it is indeed beautiful. The color theme of gold and red around the room and a large square window.

"Yes, thank you Helaena" Savaelle's smile was sad and her cousin Helaena noticed it.

"Okay tell me, what happened?" Helaena said but she refused to tell her, she don't want her to pity or sympathize her.

Helaena left her in her room she said that sooner dinner will be ready.

She took a bath in her room in a clean bathtub she filled it with water a soap and dive in there. She relaxed herself a book is in her hand reading it and the other one is a cigarette.

She heard the door open and a voice spoke.

"Helaena? Where are you? Mother is- oh princess I'm sorry to intervene" It was prince Aemond he quickly looked away when he saw your state.

"It's okay my prince, I think you stumbled in a the wrong room" she said and go back to reading.

Aemond gulped and nod immidietly leaving the room, he was embarassed god how he can be so careless.

That night a welcoming feast was gathered in between the families, Savaelle was brushing her hair she's already late but she can't leave with her hair untouched. She ran towards the dinner hall everyone was already there Jace, Luke, The Queen and King and their three children, her father and Princess Rhaenyra and two unfamiliar princesses but her guess that it was her half sisters Rhaena and Baela she heard that they're engaged to Jace and Luke maybe that's why they're here.

She sat beside Jacaerys and three seats are unoccupied before Aegon.

"You're late" an old man said, it was Otto Hightower.

"No need to point it out" she rudely said earning a slight chuckle from her brothers and father.

She walked towards the King and kisses his cheek.

"I am sorry for being late your Grace" she smiled, Viserys can't help but to hugged her in her small time staying here when she was a kid Viserys and her bonded.

"It's nice you see you again" Viserys said sounds like he's about to cry.

The dinner turned out great and peaceful....surprisingly they all laugh, smile it's Savaelle first time eating with all of them and complete.

"I would like to raise a toast for Rhaena and Baela they're getting married soon" Helaena stood up raising a glass of wine. "Even though he mostly ignores you, except when he's drunk" Helaena continued.

The sound of Savaelle and her father's mixed laughed echoed around the room.

"I am definitely enjoying this" She whispered to Lucerys.

She watched as Jacaerys walked towards Helaena inviting her for a dance, Helaena's brother and... husband ugh glared at her brother Jace. They both danced together she can see how her cousin look so relief and happy she was clapping when a hand was placed in front of her.

"May I have a dance with you, princess?" she looked at where the voice came from it was prince Aegon.

She pursed her lips and accepted his offer they both walked near the other two, Aegon placed his hands on her ass and gently squeezing it, her face tinged with discomfort, Daemon stood up from his chair but before he can even come near his daughter, Aemond already took actions, he gripped his brother's arm.

"I do think that this isn't the right way to dance a lady, if you don't mind I would like to show you" Aegon rolled his eyes as Aemond took his place to her.

He guide her arms gently to wrap it around his neck and his arms wrapped around her waist "Is this fine?" he asked for permission and she can only nod.

Aemond stared at her examining her perfect sculpted face, her silver hair same as him but her eyes is violet, not purple or lavender but a beautiful violet unlike him he get his eyes from his mother.

"You're very beautiful princess" he suddenly blurted as they intertwined their arms and dance.

"Why thank you, my prince" Savaelle smile making him drop his heart, her smile seven fucking hell she's gorgeous.

After they dance they go back to their sits the King already asked to rest while in the middle of feast while the servants guide him to his chambers, new foods was served it was a roasted pig Savaelle can clearly see Luke's chuckling.

He's laughing at something and when she followed his gaze it was Aemond who's he's laughing at, everyone flinched when Aemond softly slammed his fist at the table before grabbing a goblet.

"For the final tribute for my nephews, prince Jace, prince Luke, and prince Joffrey, they've grown into a wise, handsome and STRONG boys" he emphasizes the word strong, Savaelle looked at them god why would he bring this up again?

"I dare you to say it again" Jacaerys said warning him, Aemond tilts his head to the side pretending to be confused.

"Cheers for the three Strong boys"  he still continued.

Jacaerys walked towards him but he was quickly pushed by Aemond to the ground, Luke stood up to defend his brother but Aegon quickly held his head and pushed it on the table, Savaelle took the knife near her and stabbed the prince hand.

"Fuck!" Aegon shouts as he let go of Luke, she immidietly went to him and check him

"I'm okay, thanks" The boy said, Luke and Jace both tried to fight the two other brothers when the guards held them both.

The guards let go of them when Rhaenyra and Daemon came, Savaelle held their arms and looked at Aemond he was talking to her mother while smirking to them, pissing her brothers

"Don't" She said as she tightly gripped their arm, soon Aemond stormed out of the room.

After the fight that happened Savaelle decided to have a small fly, she changed her clothes and leave her chamber.

She whistled when she was finally outside the castle she heard a growl from a far and slowly she saw her dragon, Yrael a three headed dragon with black scales.

She was smiling and was about to go to the dragon when a hand grabbed her.

"And where do you think you're going princess?" Aemond asked teasingly, he snakes his arms around her waist.

"I need fresh air and get your hand off me" Aemond immidietly did what she said and muttered an apology.

"It's dangerous to be out in the middle of the night"

"Oh please there's no safe place for women my prince" Savaelle rolled her eyes while walking towards her dragon and pet him.

"A three headed dragon? Impressive" Aemond complimented.

"He's beautiful right?" Savaelle said and mount him.

"My prince you have two choice either you're gonna come with me and accompany me somewhere or you're going back to the castle and your chamber and pretend like didn't see anything, choose" Aemond chuckled at her proposal.

"Wait for me up in the sky" Is what he only said before leaving her.

She did end up waiting for him in the sky, she was about to leave when Yrael was distracted by a dragon's growl, he saw a big dragon Vhagar stopping beside her dragon.

"Shall we?" Aemond said and they both flee in the sky.

They take their time up in the sky until they get tired they both stopped in a Lake, Aemond took off his robe and put it on the grass so they can sit comfortably.

"So what's with your problem with my brothers?" Savaelle broke the silence between them

"They're not your brothers, you're a Targaryen their aren't"

"To me they are"

Aemond sighs "When I was young they use to tease me for not having a dragon one day they told me that they have a surprise for me that they found a dragon for me turns out it was a pig" Savaelle finally understand why was Lucerys laughing earlier when a pig was placed in front of him.

"I just returned what they did to me, earlier Lucerys was making fun of me because of the big so I made fun of their legitimacy" he added

She don't know what to respond honestly, she do know what it felt like being questioned by her legitimacy but she don't know what it felt like making fun of for not having a dragon.

"You looked like Lady Royce" she looked at him, surprised no one has ever told her that people often tell her how she looked like Daemon because of her eyes and hair it makes her irritated knowing that people can see her father's resemblance to her and not her mother.

"Are you teasing me?" she asked it was a genuine question.

"No haha, I know people often tell you how you looked like your father but no I can see Lady Royce I saw her once when I was a child" he replied and went closer to her.

"I don't have any memories of her, but my uncle show me some paintings of her" She murmured "They told me that they never seen her happy until the day that I was born" she added a small tears escaped her eyes.

Aemond wiped it for her, "You deserve the world princess" he professed.

Savaelle smiled finally a person who can umderstand her, they sat there and just watch or talk about the stars surprisingly the prince knows alot about astronomy.

He watched as the starry sky reflect in her eyes, she's so magically gorgeous.

[aelusnovaamora]

Do you ever think about how we're the last species of humans left? We're the only species left in the Homo genus.

Neanderthalensis either died out in the Ice Age or interbred with us. Either way, when we met them, they died. The Denisovans we have hardly any information on. Homo Heidelbergensis evolved into us and Neanderthalensis, and Homo Erectus evolved into Heidelbergensis. All other ancestors of Homo Australopithecus are extinct with the exception of us. Homo Habilis went extinct for still unknown reasons, and Homo Ergaster seems to have died from too fast of a changing climate.

We aren't invincible. If we aren't careful, we'll end up just like our extinct ancestors.

[roxyspamcake]

Had an interesting conversation with my boyfriend the other day about Jurassic Park, because along with the message "theme park of dinosaurs bad" he also interpreted the message of the movie as "cloning extinct animals bad," and didn't really think about ways cloning extinct animals could be useful at all. Cloning is simply a tool, and in the right hands it could be incredibly beneficial.

Cloning creatures without modern habitats, like mammoths and dinosaurs, is probably both impossible and impractical. I will not argue about that. I agree with my boyfriend on that part.

But similar to artificial insemination, cloning could be a very powerful tool to save species on the brink of extinction (or extinct in the wild) that would benefit from some more diversity in their genome.

Did you know that the Scottish wildcat is extinct in the wild because it's interbred too much with domestic cats? Don't you think the remaining ones might benefit in some way from having a few mates that aren't the neighbor's kitty?

We know every single kākāpō parrot by name, because domestic cats and rats were the second worst thing to ever happen to New Zealand. Kākāpō breed when their food source of berries experiences a bumper crop. A bird named Lisa crushed one of her eggs in 2014, and it was so precious that the conservation team opted to tape and glue the shell back together. Ruapuke, who successfully hatched from it, turns ten in February 2024. But the birds are having issues with fertility now, because of the small gene pool, resulting in fewer successful eggs. Sure would be nice if we could create a couple of healthy kākāpō from museum specimens to diversify the genome, huh?

I'm not saying cloning will be the miracle fix for conservation in the future. Cloning has its own inherent difficulties I won't delve too far into. The success of a species also depends on whether or not it has a place to live that it can thrive in. But if funding wasn't a roadblock, and since these populations are so incredibly low, I think some of these animals could greatly benefit from it.

So yeah, dinosaurs aren't coming back, but I'd appreciate it if we had a few extra wild cats.

[pom-seedss]

Wildlife Theater

Things are really wild this spring.

First I caught a rat out in daylight hours running back and forth from its hidey hole and some kind of extremely high value food I couldn't quite make out while it ignored squirrels hopping about right next to it.

Then I caught what I thought was a squirrel fight, then realized was probably a squirrel fuckening, then figured out it was just play-fighting and wrestling because it didn't have a lot of the hallmarks of squirrel fuckening (I know the signs of squirrel flirtation don't ask me why, I don't know why I first found out, but I did.) Which wouldn't be weird if they were like kits from the same litter or something, but one is a black squirrel and the other a grey squirrel so?? I didn't think they interbred?

THEN this morning I caught two robins fighting. Then both getting awkward about it because a squirrel hopped too close and they awkwardly shuffle away while also trying to keep an eye on the other robin in case they use the opportunity to attack.

Like, in my last place there was the summer of the large scale squirrel war I witnessed, but this neighbourhood just seems to be one thing after another lately! It's fun times.

[theredpharaoah]

Hermione clears Jaime with very little effort I fear. She don’t even gotta be in striking distance. This is an interesting take on his part cuz for me, the weakest aspect of his universe is the grossly under-developed magic system. His magic system is quite literally “plot”. Not that JK’s is great. I’ve said a lot about the inconsistencies and under-developed points of her magic system and society as well. But her magic system is still more fleshed out than his. Her weak points is that she never fleshes out dark magic past 3 spells and she doesn’t make the line between light and dark magic clear. We don’t see a culture or specific magics that the dark side are apparently so interested in protecting. The dark side seems to have access to all the same general spells that everyone else has. It would be different if they had private family grimoires full of private spells they’re being barred from using. We don’t see how her feudal society works; what are the purebloods lording over? Is it land they own? Who are the commoners? Half-bloods? And a bunch more stuff. But that being said, I still feel like she has more in universe scaffolding to stand on then GRRM when it comes to magic. GRRM’s answer to everything is that’s the “mystery and wonder” of magic…that isn’t satisfactory in a fantasy series where we’re told magic was perfected to a science by almost every civilization at one point. And Terfling has an advantage cuz her domain of discourse only deals with magical beings. GRRM’s doesn’t, and so when you say people are either born with magic or they can’t use it - it makes things strange. If this was the case, why do they have the alchemists guild? How do they learn magic at the red temples? How did the First Men learn from The Children? And then there’s the Rhoyne and Valyria and Asshai. It seems a little weird that it’s something that can’t be cultivated at all. And I know we generally assume the Children and the First Men interbred, but I’m questioning the logistics of that. Maybe there was some genetic manipulation through Weirwoods or warging or something idk. Also, GRRM’s world building leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of it is just references to HP Lovecraft and other series. There’s only so much you can try and use actual history as an excuse for. Especially when you also make use of your world being very different from actual history - particularly when it comes to trade. And as I’ve stated multiple times; the Targaryens make no sense. The reason they have nothing from Valyria other than dragons is very obviously just “plot”. That’s not good. And this holds for other instances too; the reasons the Blacks lost The Dance? Plot. The reason The Dragons stopped hatching. Plot. We’ve yet to have a good in-world answer for this past speculation. I can’t stand Terfling, but I’m also sick of ppl acting like GRRM is this godly writer above critique. He’s very much at her level. He just manages to get past it because his works is for adults with adult content, and that gives it this air of being “elevated” above some of his peers.

[transgenderer]

The Neanderthal genome sequences we were working with were unfortunately full of errors. We could see as much because the data suggested that several times more mutations had occurred on the Neanderthal lineage than on the modern human lineage after the two sequences separated from their common ancestors. Most of these apparent mutations could not be real, since mutations occur at an approximately constant rate over time, and as the Neanderthal bones were ancient, they were actually closer in time to the common ancestor than are present-day human genomes, and so should have accumulated fewer mutations. Based on the degree of excess mutations on the Neanderthal lineage, we estimated that the Neanderthal sequences we were working with had a mistake approximately every two hundred DNA letters. While this might sound small, it is actually much higher than the rate of true differences between Neanderthals and present-day humans, so most of the differences we found between the Neanderthal sequence and present-day human sequences were errors created by the measurement process and not genuine differences between the Neanderthal and present-day human genomes. To deal with the problem, we restricted our study to positions in the genome that are known to be variable among present-day humans. At these positions, an error rate of about 0.5 percent was too low to confuse the interpretation. Based on these positions, we designed a mathematical test for measuring whether Neanderthals were more closely related to some present-day humans than to others.

The test we developed is now called the “Four Population Test,” and it has become a workhorse for comparing populations. The test takes as its input the DNA letters seen at the same position in four genomes: for example, two modern human genomes, the Neanderthal, and a chimpanzee. It examines whether, at positions where there is a mutation distinguishing the two modern human genomes that is also observed in the Neanderthal genome— which must reflect a mutation that occurred prior to the final separation of Neanderthals and modern humans— the Neanderthal matches the second human population at a different rate from the first. If the two modern humans descend from a common ancestral population that separated earlier from the ancestors of Neanderthals, there is no reason why the mutation is more likely to have been passed down one modern human line than another, and thus the rate of matching of each of the two modern human genomes to Neanderthal is expected to be equal. In contrast, if Neanderthals and some modern humans interbred, the modern human population descended from the interbreeding will share more mutations with Neanderthals.

-David Reich. Who We Are and How We Got Here

really like descriptions of clever techniques for getting good results out of bad data