#warty frog

[herpsandbirds]

Krefft's Warty Frog (Callulina kreffti), family Brevicipitidae, Korogwe, Tanzania

photograph by pbertner

[yetanotherthriftblog]

Sometimes you kiss a prince...

Sometimes you kiss a frog.

[peterarkledrawings]

© Peter Arkle 2024 WARTY FROG FROM TAIWAN

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Bornean Rainbow Toad (Ansonia latidisca)

Habitat & Distribution

Found in tropical rainforests, most commonly near rivers

Native to Borneo

Physical Description

Length: 30 to 50 mm (1.2 to 2.0 in)

Adults are very colorful, with green, purple, and red patterns

The body has a 'pebbly' appearence, and the limbs are long and thin

Behaviour

Like other frogs, the main diet of the bornean rainbow toad is insects

While they hunt for food alongside ponds and streams, they spend much of their time in the lower branches of trees

Key Advantages

The Bornean rainbow toads 'warty' appearance allows it to blend in easily with moss and dense foliage

It's likely that its bright coloration is used to warn predators that they are toxic

Photo by Indraneil Das

[helplesslyblue77]

Stray Kids-Fairy Tales with a Twist

a series of fics, each one focusing on an individual member, and placing them into classic fairy tales, each with their own little twist for flavor 

They will come out one at a time, at a random pace, but hopefully i'll be done by september(But with me its hit or miss)

and most of these will have smut

So why dont you sit down, and listen to my tales...

“Once upon a time, in a far away Kingdom...”

Bang Chan...Snow White

“Years ago, your father had died and your mother had remarried. You never liked your step father, simply because he was not your real father, and you made no secret of your dislike. Many years later, your mother died and your step father became the temporary reigning monarch. You vowed the feelings you were feeling were anger, but when you fall prey to a mysterious curse you realize maybe those feelings weren't hatred after all…”

Completed!

Lee Minho...The Little Mermaid

“Merpeople have been disappearing, and your Father, King Triton, gives you a mission. Go to the surface and investigate. You are excited to explore the surface, but upset that you have to be accompanied by the Sea Witch Ursula’s son, Lee Minho, because you think he hates you. But bad things are brewing on the horizon, and you will need all the help you can get, maybe even from the man you ‘don't like’…”

(Coming Soon...)

Seo Changbin...Little Red Riding Hood

It's your birthday and you're on your way to visit your grandmother in the woods. Your mother always told you never to stray from the path, and you had listened, never following the clever words of the wolf. But maybe the wolf didn't want to eat you, maybe he was just lonely…

(Coming Soon...)

Hwang Hyunjin...Beauty and the Beast

You are an enchantress, and long ago, you had punished a spoiled prince with a curse. He would turn into a beast until he felt true love’s kiss. Many years later, you finally decide he has suffered enough and send a sweet girl named Belle to help the cursed prince. But for some reason, the beast refuses to fall in love with her and keeps trying to talk to you…

(Coming Soon...)

Han Jisung...The Frog Prince

Once upon a time while gathering wild mushrooms for dinner, you find a peculiar golden frog. You decide to keep him, not knowing that the frog is actually a cursed prince. You carry on with your daily life, musing about how weird your new pet frog is, until one day, you slip and fall, accidentally placing a kiss on his warty forehead…

(Coming Soon...)

Lee Felix...Cinderella

Once upon a time, you had lived a happy life, with your loving mother and kind father. You had been best friends with a sweet boy who would come to visit you every day. But one day, it all changed. Your mother fell ill, and soon after passed away. The boy suddenly disappeared and your father remarried. Your step mother was kind to you at first, but as soon as your father would leave on his merchant trips, she and her daughters would bully you, forcing you to do all the chores. One day, you hear of the prince's ball. In hopes of meeting a nice man and escaping from your stepmother's house you try your best to go. When you arrive at the masquerade, you are fortunate to dance with the prince. But you have the strangest feeling you have met him before… 

(Coming Soon...)

Kim Seungmin...Rapunzel

Once upon a time, a beautiful princess was born, with golden locks that shined brightly. Fearing for her safety, the king and queen entrusted their daughter to a powerful witch friend, to keep her safe and hidden until she came of age. Years later, on Rapunzel's tenth birthday, a prince came knocking on the tower, mistakenly informed that Rapunzle was much older, and trapped by an evil witch. You quickly drive him away, after explaining the story but for some reason he keeps coming back and bothering you…

(Coming Soon...)

Yang Jeongin...Hansel and Gretal

You are a powerful witch living deep in the forests, whose only wish is to be left alone. One day, a young girl and her older brother venture into the forest, trying to escape their evil stepmother. They both eat part of your candy house, and to apologize, the boy agrees to be your housecleaner for a few months. In return, you promise to help them with their evil stepmother. You try to keep your distance from the boy, but for some reason, hes always following you around, trying to get your attention…

(Coming Soon...)

(This announcement post was mostly made so that i would guilt myself into actually finishing all of these stories, because if i don't leave a record somewhere, i probably won't finish this series to completion.

Oh yeah and the summaries for these might change slightly, i never quite stick to my plans. Don’t worry though, the basic themes will be the same)

[alphynix]

Crystal Palace Field Trip Part 1: Walking With Victorian Monsters

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs take their name from the original Crystal Palace, a glass-paned exhibition building originally constructed for a World's Fair in Hyde Park in 1851.

In 1854 the structure was relocated 14km (~9 miles) south to the newly-created Crystal Palace Park, and a collection of over 30 life-sized statues of prehistoric animals were commissioned to accompany the reopening – creating a sort of Victorian dinosaur theme park – sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins with consultation from paleontologist Sir Richard Owen.

The Palace building itself burned down completely in 1936, and today only the ruins of its terraces remain in the northeast of the park grounds.

The Crystal Palace building then and now Left image circa 1854 (public domain) Right image circa 2011 by Mark Ahsmann (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Six sphinx statues based on the Great Sphinx of Tanis also survive up among the Palace ruins, flanking some of the terrace staircases. They fell into serious disrepair during the latter half of the 20th century, but in 2017 they all finally got some much-needed preservation work, repairing them and restoring their original Victorian red paint jobs.

———

…But let's get to what we're really here for. Dinosaurs! (…And assorted other prehistoric beasties!)

The "Dinosaur Court" down in the south end of the park still remains to this day, displayed across several islands in a man-made lake. Over the decades they've been through multiple cycles of neglect and renovation, and are currently cared for by the London Borough of Bromley (Crystal Palace Park Trust are due to take over custodial duties in September 2023), with promotion and fundraising assistance from organizations like Historic England and the Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs charity.

Just about 170 years old now, the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs represent fifteen different types of fossil creatures known to 1850s Victorian science, with only three actual dinosaur species featured. Although often derided for being outdated and very inaccurate by modern standards, they were actually incredibly good efforts at the time, especially taking into account that the field of paleontology was still in its very early days.

They also just have a lot of charm, with toothy grins and surprisingly dynamic poses.

Unfortunately on the day I visited in early August 2023 most of the statues were heavily obscured by plant growth, both on their islands and on the sides of the paths they can usually be viewed from. Since I'd seen images from about a month ago showing things being less overgrown, this was probably just some unlucky timing on my part coinciding with some explosive summer foliage growth.

The first island on the trail features a few Permian and Triassic animals which were only known from fragmentary remains in the 1850s. These "labyrinthodonts" were recognized as having similarities to both amphibians and reptiles, and so were depicted with boxy toothy jaws, warty skin, stumpy tails, and long frog-like back legs.

Today we'd call these particular animals temnospondyl amphibians, specifically Mastodonsaurus, and we know they were actually shaped more like giant salamanders with longer flatter crocodilian-like jaws, smaller legs, and long paddle-like tails.

———

Somewhere in the foliage beyond this specific "labyrinthodont" there was also supposed to be a pair of dicynodonts, but I couldn't see much of them at all and didn't manage to get a remotely visible photograph.

Crystal Palace Dicynodon when much less overgrown Left photo by London looks (CC BY 2.0) Right photo by Loz Pycock (CC BY SA 2.0)

These Dicynodon are depicted as looking like sabre-toothed turtles complete with shells. That was fairly speculative even for the time, but considering only their weird turtle-beaked-and-walrus-tusked skulls were known it was probably the best guess Hawkins and Owen had. Today we know these animals were actually synapsids related to modern mammals, but Victorian understanding considered them to be a type of reptile.

Modern reconstructions of dicynodonts have a slightly different face shape, along with squat pig-like bodies and semi-sprawling limbs. They may have had fur, but currently the only known actual skin impressions from the genus Lystrosaurus show leathery bumpy hairless skin.

———

Next time: the Jurassic and Cretaceous sculptures!

[thecreaturecodex]

Ranna

"Slaadi" © Wizards of the Coast, by Sam Wood

[New Year, New Monsters! I am feeling much less burnt out than I was for the back half of 2023, and have built up a small backlog of new writing. I'm going to keep monsters I post to 2/week for now, to give myself time to go through said backlog in case the burnout rears up again when I'm back to work.

So for my first trick, is a monster NPC I actually wrote back in like September, but didn't post. Consider her an epilogue to the whole "Monster Girl Summer" thing. Ranna is @strawberry-crocodile's character, and fits with some of my other monstrous NPCs. She's Doctor Shiny's main minion, and their relationship serves as sort of a nasty counterpart to Gigi and Priscilla's. Of course, if you just want to use the stat block as a particularly burly slaad enforcer type, that works just as well as Ranna's baroque and macabre backstory.]

Ranna CR 18 CE Aberration This blue, frog-like humanoid has a triangular fanged snout, warty skin and enormous claws growing from the backs of their hands. A red gemstone is embedded in their skull, right between the eyes.

Marina Rhynne was an alchemy student at Endirion School in Absalom, prone to anxiety and to thinking with her stomach. She caught the eye of Doctor Agatha Shiny, who used the pretext of a dinner invitation and offer of a graduate program to abduct her and implant her with an alchemically treated red slaad egg. Doctor Shiny succeeded in one of her goals, which was to cause memories to be passed from the host to the parasite, but failed in that the resultant blue slaad did not maintain the intelligence of her progenitor. The resultant slaad, named Ranna, could recall her previous life in a hazy, dream-like way, but the predominant personality trait that was carried over was hunger.

Ranna is now Doctor Shiny’s Number One Minion, her assassin, procurer and lover. If Doctor Shiny needs someone eliminated or an unusual creature captured and brought to her, Ranna is the one to do it. She usually tracks her targets as an unassuming humanoid until she can set up an ambush and remove her greater hat of disguise. Ranna fights with her natural weapons almost exclusively, although she does occasionally toy with targets by battering them with heavy objects hurled by telekinesis. Although she is lapdog-loyal to Doctor Shiny and always follows her instructions for her specified victims, Ranna enjoys collateral damage, which usually involves biting bystanders. She views any red slaadi that are created through chaos phagethe way a proud parent views their children, and is happy to hear of any death and destruction they create.

Ranna’s personality is playful in a cruel way. She sees her progenitor, Marina Rhinne, as a pathetic figure, and has an air of contempt towards academic pursuits in general. She still appears as Rhynne when abroad in Absalom, and is the terror of Endirion School’s faculty, staff and students as Doctor Shiny’s personal assistant. Ranna is happy to play the bad guy so that Doctor Shiny can maintain her impeccable public reputation, and takes matters into her own claws if anyone gets too close to the truth about Doctor Shiny’s goals and activities. Ranna tends to dispose of the evidence of her murders by eating the corpses of her victims. She is also an excellent chef. Doctor Shiny does not eat food that Ranna prepares unless she is very sure of where the meat came from.

Ranna  CR 18 XP 153,600 Blue slaad slayer 9 (cutthroat) CE Large aberration (chaotic, slaadi) Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +19

Defense AC 33, touch 20, flat-footed 24 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural, +4 armor, +2 deflection) hp 303 (11d8+9d10+200); fast healing 6 Fort +22, Ref +20, Will +15 Immune mind reading, sonic; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 19

Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee +3 bite +32 (2d6+16 plus disease), 2 +3 claws +32 (2d6+16/19-20x3) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks augmented critical, opportune target, rend (2 claws, 2d6+22), sneak attack +3d6, stab and grab, studied target (swift or move action, +2) Spell-like Abilities CL 8th, concentration +11 3/day—hold person (DC 15), passwall, telekinesis (DC 18) 1/day—chaos hammer (DC 17)

Statistics Str 36, Dex 26, Con 30, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 16 Base Atk +17; CMB +31 (+33 bull rush); CMD 52 Feats Alertness,Awesome Blow, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Intimidating Prowess, Killing Flourish, Power Attack Skills Acrobatics +20 (+24 in urban environments), Bluff +16, Climb +20, Disable Device +25, Disguise +16, Intimidate +34, Linguistics +4, Perception +19 (+23 vs. traps), Profession (chef) +14, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +21, Survival +15 Languages Common, Slaadi SQ legendary, slayer talents (surprise attack, trapfinding [trap sense +3], stalker, street stalker (Acrobatics) Gear manual of gainful exercise +4 (expended), manual of quickness of action +2 (expended), manual of bodily health +4 (expended), belt of physical perfection +4, bloodstained gloves, greater hat of disguise, soulbound eye, amulet of mighty fists +3, bracers of armor +4, boots of teleportation, cloak of resistance +3, ring of mind shielding, ring of protection +2, potion of fly (x2), potion of displacement, potion of haste, potion of lesser restoration (x2), potion of cure light wounds (x4), masterwork cooking tools, 150 gp

Special Abilities Augmented Critical (Ex) A blue slaad’s claws deal x3 damage on a successful critical hit. Disease (Su) Chaos phage; bite—injury; save Fort DC 25; onset 1 minute; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 Con damage and 1d6 Cha damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. A creature that is reduced to 0 Con or Cha by chaos phage is immediately transformed into a red slaad. This transformation can only be reversed by a miracle or wish. A Small or Medium humanoid with levels in an arcane spellcasting class instead transforms into a green slaad. The save DC is Constitution based. Legendary (Ex) Ranna’s statistics are built with 25 point buy, and she has the equipment of an 18th level PC. These advantages increase her CR by +1. Opportune Target (Ex) If Ranna can act in the surprise round, she can study a foe as a free action and select them as her studied target. Stab and Grab (Ex) As a swift action, Ranna can attempt a steal combat maneuver against a dead or unconscious foe, or against a studied target that she has successfully confirmed a critical hit against. A dead or unconscious opponent takes a -10 penalty against this maneuver. Street Stalker (Ex) Ranna adds ½ her slayer level to Acrobatics checks made in urban environments.

[maniakminis]

If you have to go in those woods stay well away from those damn mushrooms! They're no good for eating and neither are the creatures that tend them. Malnourished loons, they don't even eat any trespassers they find! They just leave the dead bodies for the spores to grow! Listen well, if you hear the sounds of croaking or see any of those mushrooms start moving, you either shoot at it or start running!

It's gnome time! I finished painting up my gnome themed regiment for Turnip28, the 140 Warty Madcaps!

The Toff is made from a fancy resin base from Scibor Miniatures and a dwarf from Massive Darkness that I sculpted a huge growing mushroom. The Toadies (heh) are frog/toad miniatures from Reaper Minis that I glued some bits on to give them gnome hats.

This Lump (I love that the new Big Dude unit is called a lump) is made from a troll from the game Bloodrage. I added a gnome hat, some growing mushrooms, and a ton of grass tufts and mud texture.

Brutes and Fodder were made from Massive Darkness Dwarves with some mushrooms sculpted on. I have another 12 of the smaller ones I'm going to give mushroom muskets!

Ballistic Weapon Fodder were made from Goblin Archers from Massive Darkness. No fancy conversion work here, just glued on some tufts to fit the aesthetic.

Bastards and Welps were converted from more Massive Darkness models and Flail Snail models to create these Snailtaurs!

I'm very happy with how this project turned out! Despite getting into Turnip28 for over a year this is my first fully usable army! All of my other armies are missing one or two units before they can go on the tabletop. I'm hoping to change that soon however! Hope you guys like them, happy hobbying!

[cielogiovinezza]

2024 Rutile SSR Birthday Card Story

Rutile's 2024 Birthday Card - “Let's Sing an Ode to Joy!”

Characters: Rutile, Mithra, Akira. (Mentioned: Lennox, Mitile, Figaro.)

Card Story: With the Orgel’s Melody ~ Respite to Rutile ~

Part 1

[Manor Courtyard] 

One calm afternoon. I was in a corner of the courtyard, gazing at the small music box Rustica lent me. 

Akira: Rutile's birthday is approaching. Since it's a special occasion, I'd like to celebrate with the Orgel of Respite…. 

It's a magical item called the “Orgel of Respite”, apparently it was given to Rustica by a fan a long time ago. 

If you strongly wish for the perfect peace for your partner, you'll be able to enter a magical space where music that suits each of your hearts plays. 

Akira: (Rutile has so many wonderful qualities…. A school teacher who is cheerful, kind and good at compliments. I don't know what I should wish for…) 

??? : My~! What variety we have here!! 

??? : I went out of my way to collect all of these, so please accept them with gratitude. 

Akira: Oh? These voices belong to… 

Drawn by the lively voices, I raised my head and saw Rutile alongside Mithra carrying a large basket by the fountain. 

Akira: (Are they returning from a picnic trip?) 

I watched the two of them chatting with smiles on their faces. 

Army of Toads: ‘croak’ ‘croak’

Opening the lid of the basket, numerous large, warty toads popped out. 

Akira: H-Huh!?!?? 

Rutile: Ah! Great Sage! Good day to you! 

Mithra: *sigh* Master Sage, care to tone it down? 

Akira: S-sorry…! But umm… is that basket full of toads or…? 

Mithra: Correct. There were lots of them in the pond over there, by the forest.  They're yours now Rutile.  It's a pretty tasteless hobby, but with this many you can crush as many as you like whenever you like. 

Rutile: That won't be happening any time soon… My paintings are not made from toads, they're drawn with brushes and paints. 

Mithra: Is that so? So last time that wasn't a toad? 

Rutile: I'm positive it wasn't. 

Akira: (Come to think of it, there was that one time Mithra mistook one of Rutile's drawings for a squashed frog.)

Rutile: Geez! Uncle Mithra, you're still as absent-minded as ever. 

In contrast to his words, Rutile's eyes smiled brightly as he placed his hand on Mithra's basket. 

Rutile: That said, I truly am flattered. The thought of you gathering this many for my sake brings a smile to my face.  Even though I can't accept these toads… Thank you very much Uncle Mithra. 

Mithra: ......

Rutile: I'll be returning these amphibians to their pond. When I do, I'll draw lots of pictures of the toads and their home!  When it's finished, may I show it to the both of you? 

Mithra: ...Suit yourself. 

Akira: I look forward to seeing an original Rutile painting!! 

Rutile: Thank you very much! Now then, I'll be off for a bit! 

‘swoosh’

Rutile takes the basket from Mithra and casually leaves. 

The grace with which he accepted the gift, the kindness and generosity shown and all wrapped with a smile… he holds such maturity, it's almost shocking to remember Rutile is in his twenties. 

Akira: (Rutile is much younger than Mithra, but in times like these he feels much older… I presume this is what tolerance is all about.) 

Part 2

[Manor Lounge] 

A few days later, I was still deep in thought about Rutile's birthday. 

Akira: (I'm still not sure… When it's time to invite Rutile to the Orgel of Respite, should I wish for ‘Peace that is fitting for someone with great tolerance’…?)  (Hmmm… but Rutile still holds many other great qualities, am I cutting them short…?) 

Akira: Hmmmm,,,,,,, 

??? : ‘Bahhhh’

Akira: huh? 

I quickly look up to the source of the sound, only to have it filled by something white, round and fluffy. 

Akira: W-wow!? 

??? : Whatever may this be! Could it be a cloud? Or maybe it's cotton candy?? 

Akira: Ummm… Is it a sheep's butt? 

Rutile: Spot on~! 

Appearing from the shadow of the sheep's rear end was Rutile with a cheer in his voice. 

The situation was so unique, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Akira: Ahahaha!! Yay! I got it right!! 

Rutile: Ehehe~! Wonderful! I'm glad it made you smile, Great Sage. 

Akira: Ah-

‘Bahhhh’

After some good gentle pats to the head, Rutile placed the sheep on the floor and it walked away leisurely. 

Rutile smiled with a hint of concern. 

Rutile: Just now you had a frown in your face and in a hush you let out a ‘Hmmmm,,,,,,,’, didn't you Great Sage?  So to lighten the mood I played the ‘Lennox's sheep quiz!’, which Chloe mentioned was ‘Lots of fun!’.  Dear Sage, if there's anything I can do to help you, please feel free to talk to me anytime. 

Akira: Rutile….  (To think you were worried about me, how kind of you.)  (And the way you show compassion is through a ‘Sheep's butt quiz’.... It's too funny) 

Rutile's kind and cheerful consideration warmed my heart. I decided to be honest and confess my troubles to him. 

Akira: Actually… I was just thinking about you. 

Rutile: Huh? Myself, you say? 

Akira: Yeah. For your upcoming birthday, I'd like to invite you to the Orgel of Respite. 

Rutile: My~! How lovely!! Ever since Mitile told me about it, I've been looking forward to it.  Still… Whenever you think of me, I'd like for you to remember a bright smile~! 

Rutile turned his face towards mine. Pinched his cheeks with both hands and with a strange face said-

Rutile: Wan jush mike gizz~! (one just like this) 

Akira: Ahahaha!!  (I'm really fond of this side of Rutile too, it always cheers me up. Ah-!)  (I think I know what I'll wish for Rutile…!!) 

Part 3

[Rutile's Room] 

At last the time has arrived, Rutile's birthday. 

Rutile: My~! What stylish clothes…!!  Chloe went out of his way to prepare an outfit for the Orgel too!  How does it look, Great Sage ? Does it suit me? 

Akira: Yes! They look magnificent!! 

Rutile: Thank you very much! I'll surprise Chloe with them later! 

As Rutile smiled and twirled around like a princess, I placed the small box on the desk. 

Akira: Okay… Rutile, let's begin. 

Rutile: Alright! 

I closed my eyes. 

Focusing on the charms that make Rutile in order to lead him to that mysterious place. 

Akira: (... May the generous and charming Rutile find the perfect place for peace of mind) 

‘twing twing’

The lid of the small box opened with a loud noise and a doll resembling Rutile began to spin around and dance. 

Gradually light envelops us and I hear music coming from somewhere. 

[Orgel of Respite - Interior] 

Once the curtain of light parted, a soothing space unfolded embraced in a melody similar to the sparkling spring of sunshine. 

Rutile: So this is the Orgel of Respite…!!  What a gentle, beautiful song~ I feel like I can fly anywhere! 

Akira: I'm glad you like it!! Today you can have fun all you want!  For starters, I brought some herbal tea, let's drink it together at the table over there. 

Rutile: How thoughtful~! Thank you very much, Master Sage. 

I showed Rutile to the table and began preparing the tea. 

As soon as I took out the pot of herbal tea from the basket, Rutile breathed in the scent with rapt attention. 

Rutile: What lovely scent~ Is this perhaps… Lemon and mint tea? 

Akira: Correct!  I bought it at the market just for today, I thought it'd be a scent that Rutile would like. 

*pours*

Akira: Here, for you. 

Rutile: Thank you! *sip* Truly delightful…! Somehow it has a very comforting flavor. 

Akira: I'm glad to hear that! We have refills available, so don't hesitate to ask whenever you want! 

Rutile: I'll take you up on that! 

Rutile smiled brightly, then had a very serious look all of the sudden. 

While placing the cup on the table delicately, he looks to my eyes tenderly. 

Rutile: Marvelous… just like you Great Sage.  Honest and deeply sincere. 

Akira:..... Huh?

Rutile: The other day when we met in the lounge, I'm certain you were thinking about me very hard.  Thank you for always thinking with such seriousness and wholeheartedly not only about me, but everyone in the manor too.  I find that part of your very charming Great Sage.  

Akira: ....

Ahahaha,,,,,, 

The honesty of his words made me feel embarrassed, but at the same time there was a joy I couldn't deny. 

Generous, charming, tolerant and cheerful. Rutile holds countless charms in him. 

When he compliments me, I also like that part of myself. 

I'm sure it must be something terrific! To find it believable when such a wonderful guy praises you like such. 

Akira: Thank you very much Rutile! I'm truly happy to hear you say so. 

Rutile: Heheh~ There's not many opportunities to tell you, so I wanted to seize the moment now that we're alone.  Ah-! My bad, I've been doing most of the talking.  Let me brew you a cup, Great Sage.  *pours* Here, for you as well~

Akira: Rutile… Thank you! I'm grateful for the offer! 

The moment the tea touches my lips, a refreshing aroma drapes over me. 

Swayed by tea's gentle aroma, I spoke my heartfelt congratulations. 

Akira: Rutile, I wish you a most wonderful birthday!!  May today's tea party last to your heart's content!

Rutile: With pleasure! 

Card Episode: To Capture a Moment in Paint

[Manor Lounge] 

Rutile: Ummm… Pretty sure Mitile looked like this…. And Mr. Lennox looked like that

Akira: What are you drawing this time Rutile? 

Rutile: Moments from the birthday party yesterday. I thought that if I drew it right away like this, I'd be able to remember it forever. 

Akira: I see! It was a really fun party, wasn't it?  I had a lot of fun dancing the steps the Southern Country people taught me.  We even got to see Lennox staggering after getting unusually drunk and Mitile getting peeved at him for a change… it felt refreshing somehow. 

Rutile: Eheheh~ Mr. Lennox and I were having a bit of a drinking contest right up until the dance.  Actually Dr. Figaro joined us for the match as well, but he used magic to remove the alcohol from his system.

Akira: Really!? We never would've noticed!!  But… Doesn't Figaro enjoy showing his drunken state every now and then?? 

Rutile: Mr. Lennox suggested he might've done it because he didn't want people to know he had lost in the drinking competition.  Heheh~ Dr. Figaro can be quite the sore loser at times.  Just now I was drawing the dancing moments. I haven't gotten to your part yet Great Sage, but here take a look!! 

Akira: This is…  (On the far left is an excited-looking Mitile, and on the right beside him is a wry-laughing Lennox.)  (Far to the right there's Figaro watching from afar, and in the middle Rutile is laughing happily…. At least, I think that's what I'm looking at…)  What a lovely drawing! Just looking at it is enough to warm my heart.  May I see it again, once it's finished? 

Rutile: Absolutely! I'll hang it in my room, so be sure to come by! 

Voiceline 

Despite being short in years, my life has been filled with many wonderful times… as well as many challenging times too. When I think of the long life ahead of me, sometimes I fear what's to come, but I also feel excited about it too.  Great Sage, would you like to listen to what plans I have for the future? 

[historicalbookimages]

🦎 Our reptiles and batrachians London, W. H. Allen & co., limited, 1893. Frogs aren't the only things that are warty! The Warty Newt is the largest & least common newt in the British Isles

[adobe-outdesign]

Are bulbasaur warm and cuddly, or cold and slimy?

They're vaguely based off of frogs but they've never been shown to be super amphibious, so I'm inclined to believe they're like less warty toads and go with the first option

[herpsandbirds]

Krefft's Warty Frog (Callulina kreffti), family Brevicipitidae, Korogwe, Tanzania

photograph by John Lyakurwa 

[nickstarking]

(Slytherin boys random quotes - Tom Riddle's gang era)

[Slytherin common room]

Alexi Avery: (looking at Corveyn) It's today, Thad. Today he will speak.

Thaddeus Nott: (crossing his arms) Oh, Avery, we've tried everything. Corveyn won't talk. Maybe he only communicates telepathically. (pretends to touch Lestrange's forehead)

Alexi Avery: (laughing) Come on, Lestrange, a simple "Hi." It doesn't even have to be in Latin. Just a "Hi".

Corveyn Lestrange: (raises an eyebrow, but remains silent)

Thaddeus Nott: (sarcastic) Maybe if we offer a reward. How about a chocolate frog cookie?

Alexi Avery: (jokingly) Or a romantic dinner with Moaning Myrtle? What do you think, Lestrange?

Corveyn Lestrange: (gives a smile but says nothing)

Thaddeus Nott: (challenging) What if I say I'm going to tell everyone that you have a secret collection of porcelain dolls?

Corveyn Lestrange: (makes a "whatever" gesture with his hand)

Alexi Avery: (frustrated) Okay, plan B. We're going to sing the Hogwarts song we just made up really loud until you beg us to stop.

Thaddeus Nott: (starting to sing) Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something, please!

Corveyn Lestrange: (covers ears, but still doesn't speak)

Thaddeus Nott: (desperately) Okay, last resort. I'll tickle you!

*Thad and Avery start tickling Lestrange. Corveyn laughs silently and tries to walk away, but still doesn't speak.*

Thaddeus Nott: (panting) Okay, I give up. This one is a real mystery.

Alexi Avery: (laughing) Well, at least we managed to make him laugh. That's already a victory.

Corveyn Lestrange: (With a calm smile, writes on a piece of parchment: "Thanks for the fun.")

Thaddeus Nott: (reading the parchment) Ah, Lestrange, you really know how to keep us busy.

Alexi Avery: One day, friend, one day. And when that day comes, I hope it's something epic.

Corveyn Lestrange: (smiles enigmatically and winks)

[glaistigs-garden]

I'm now able to share my full piece for @idvseasonszine. Here's also a closeup of Memory and Luchino (and what the people really crave, big old frogs being warty and beautiful).

[tismrat]

this is Wartimer Carlisle Frogenhurst. we usually just call him Warty or Wart. my evil friend calls him "dirty old wart" but we ignore slander here.

Wartimer : like Mortimer but wart cause he's a frog

Carlisle : cause it's fancy like he is

Frogenhurst : cause it's funny like he is

we saw him at Michael's (the craft store. he's a Halloween decoration.) and i thought he was so cute but he was pretty expensive so my buddy (dirty old wart buddy) went to the website and bought him for me on sale.

he is rubber and squishy. also his pattern makes it look like he has a big face on his butt, so that's fun. he's kinda an opera singer also.

[play-now-my-lord]

the division between "frog" and "toad" is what's known as a folk taxonomy. While a crude version of the story would say folk taxonomies are meaningless because they don't follow cladistic rules - that is to say, there are some "frogs" more closely related to some "toads" than any other "frog" and vice-versa - the tricky part is that everyone in a society is vaguely aware of them and can explain them.

I think if a five-year-old child asked the average herpetologist "what's the difference between frogs and toads", while the herpetologist might explain that it's a difference that mostly exists in people's heads, they would hopefully give the child the answer they were looking for ("frogs have wet smooth skin and live in wet places, toads have dry warty skin and live in dry places") - or would otherwise leave the child ill-equipped to navigate social situations where the frog/toad distinction was significant.

(As a sidebar: Gender/sex is absolutely like that. It makes reference to real things which can on first-blush impression separate people into coherent groups, but the closer and more materialistically you look at it the less sense those divisions make, and certainly the less sense any given "rules" about them make.) Crucially, approaching folk taxonomies as if they have scientific rigor leads to bad discussions about both folk taxonomies and scientific ones. If you tell someone that a given frog's closest relatives are toads, they are unlikely to upend their whole thinking about frogs and toads on a dime, and more likely to simply mentally recategorize that frog as either an exception to a wider rule that still holds water or as a smooth and wet variety of toad. They come no closer to the truth of either the folk taxonomy they hold nor the material reality they live in - where the truth is that folk taxonomies are a form of cultural rather than naturalistic knowledge, that they exist in reference to man's reactions to nature rather than inherently in reference to nature, and that they can matter in many situations in life even if they are misleading about the natural world when taken as straightforward statements about the natural world.