#while the current species of beast people survived

[sunlitmcgee]

I rlly rlly wanna. like at least have some lore down for life in Estea pre history. because it feels a bit strange to have the setting start off in Regency England when there was so so so much more goin on at the time. but. well do I wanna stick to our planet's irl timeline of how humans and our civilization started or do we want sexy raptor anthros? Do we want busty dino ladies? do we wanna watch some dreadnoughtus' guys duke it out with spears and then start beating into each other with their necks?

[bethanythebogwitch]

Welcome to a topsy-turvy Wet Beast Wednesday where I'm discussing one of my favorite cnidarians, the upside-down jellyfish. These are 8 species of jellyfish in the genus Cassiopea, which is the only member of the family Cassiopeidae. What makes these jellies notable is the fact that they spend most of their time lying upside-down on the seafloor.

(image: an upside-down jellyfish swimming. It has a light brown and white striped bell and multiple tentacles that are tuck and white. The tentacles branch and are lined with feathery, light brown structures)

While the majority of jellyfish are predators who drift through the water at the mercy of the currents, upside-down jellyfish have essentially become farmers. Their eight branched oral arms that contain symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae are photosynthetic and live in a mutualistic relationship with the jellyfish. The jellyfish gets food from the zooxanthellae and they get protection from predators and a place to live. Upside-down jellyfish can survive entirely on the nutrients produced by the zooxanthellae, but they will still feed on zooplankton and other small prey. Upside-down jellies are not the only jellyfish to utilize zooxanthellae, many other species also survive primarily on their symbiotic algae, but they are the only ones to have adapted the benthic lifestyle. They can reach a bell diameter of up to 25 cm (10 inches), or as one source for this stated: about the size of a pie pan.

(image: multiple upside-down jellyfish lying on sand. They are ov various sizes and mostly light brown, but have thicker, green tentacles sticking op)

Upside-down jellyfish are found in warm coastal waters in Florida and the Caribbean and in Micronesia, Melanesia, and parts of Polynesia. They require shallow waters to allow enough light to reach their zooxanthellae and are usually found on shady or muddy bottoms. They are highly associated with mangroves and may play an important role in the mangrove habitats by mixing the water to recirculate oxygen and nutrients. They are rarely found alone, instead congregating in large groups that can cover portions of the seafloor. They attach by using their bells as suction cups and rhythmically pulse using the edges of the bell. This pulsing forces water over the gills and can force zooplankton into the stinging cells to become food. Stung prey will fall on the oral tentacles, where it is broken down into fragments that are then intaken through the numerous tiny oral openings on the tentacles. Interestingly, some species have cycles of reduced movement, which is believed to be the first known example of sleep in an animal without a central nervous system. While upside-down jellies can swim, they will usually only do so to escape predators or if their environment becomes unsuitable.

(image: an upside-down jellyfish swimming. The majority of its body is light brown, but it has many tentacles that are dark blue and outlined in white)

While a very neat thing to see underwater, many snorkelers avoid upside-down jellyfish due to a phenomenon called stinging water. This is when people will receive the symptoms of a sting by the jellyfish without actually touching it. While the cause of this was a mystery for a long time, it was solved when a 2020 paper was published in Communications Biology by Ames et al. The scientists discovered that upside-down jellies release clumps of mucus into the water. This mucus is filled with zooxanthellae and stinging cells and many of these clumps also have ciliated cells that allow for limited swimming. These clumps, named cassiosomes, are the source of the stinging water. The paper, titled "cassiosomes are stinging-cell structures in the mucus of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana" speculated that the cassiosomes are used for defense and feeding. The cassiosomes could be released to sting a potential predator from a distance, discouraging it from approaching the jellyfish. Presumably snorkelers trigger this defense when they swim over the jellies, resulting in stinging water. They could also be used to catch prey as zooplankton killed by the stinging cells would have a high likelihood of falling onto the jelly that released them. Because the cassiosomes have zooanthellae in them, they could survive for likely up to several days after release.

(image: a microscope image of three cassiosomes. They are irregularly-shaped blobs somewhat similar to popcorn. They are a dark color with grey outlines. Spots of green algae and white stinging cells dot their surface)

Upside-down jellyfish are threatened by habitat loss as many mangrove forests are torn down for development. They are also threatened by pollution. They are not considered dangerous to humans. The sting of an upside-down jellyfish can result in mild to severe rashes and itching, but is not lethal.

(gif: a lone, light brown upside-down jellyfish on black sediment. The edge of its flat, circular bell regularly pulse upward to move air over its gills and tentacles. This one's pulsing has slowed, which is speculated to be the result of it going through its sleep cycle)

[pastel-omegas-blog]

Manor of Roses 🥀

Chapter one

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️𝕎𝔸ℝℕ𝕀ℕ𝔾!!! 𝕎𝕀𝕃𝕃 ℂ𝕆ℕ𝕋𝔸𝕀ℕ 𝕄𝔸𝕋𝕌ℝ𝔼 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊 𝔸ℕ𝔻 𝕍𝕀𝕆𝕃𝔼ℕℂ𝔼 ( 𝕄𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣, 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕕/𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖, 𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕖.) ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

Alistair Dove

The ruling lord of an independent territory that was  out of sight and hidden from the general populace, a territory known as the ' Field of Lillie's ' that lived their own lives free from outside influence.

A place had been described as '  The heavens on earth ' by the few people who had been privileged enough to be  allowed entry into the mysterious and closed off land.

They called it a utopia that hadn't been tainted by the evil and cruelness of the world.

A land were it's citizens lived in  peace without any stress or panic of monster attack, famine or fear of any life threatening diseases breaking out.

It was a land that was described to be flowing with milk and honey.

With rich fertile lands that bore sweet fruits and bountiful harvests almost all year round.

Clear skies, clear flowing rivers and streams all stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was a sight that  remained people that wonders, fulfillment and peace could still be found in this world that was being plagued by war, death and famine.

With a world currently thrown into war and chaos because of the demon kings invasion.

 The only thing separating it from the outside world was the huge wall of Lillie's rising up into the sky grow around every inch of the territory acting as a barrier to separate and isolate  from the rest of the harsh world ( the barrier giving the place it's name ) 

While the land behind these walls remained safe and tranquil the rest of the world had been thrown into hopelessness.

The skies were a haunting blood red, a colour that took over the once blue skies the day the demon lord attacked, even in the night the haunting colour would remain dying the skies.

The red rays of the sun made the lands barren, Crops and  grass life were shrinking and becoming withered eventually dying off, the grounds becoming baked and harden making it almost impossible to plant new grain.

The livestocks were falling I'll to an unknown disease that caused the animals to become hollow husks of skin and bones that would eventually die off.

  The lack of food for the people to eat had caused a great famine take over the land, making people do the unimaginable things to survive

the streams, rivers, oceans and seas were drying up with every day that passed making water becoming harder to find and any water pound filled to the brim had already been infested with an inky blackness that killed anyone desperate enough to drink it.

The ever growing mountain of corpses had led to foul diseases  sweeping over the land.

Feral månå beasts and monsters wrecked havoc on the already suffering land, killing what was left of the people trying to survive.

But the Field of Lillie's was a place unaware of the suffering of the rest of the world.

And with such a blessed land free from the struggles of the outside it was only natural for the people who reside in it to be happy and kind hearted souls, who had not a single worry in the world.

With such a land that catered to its peoples every needs it wasn't much of a surprise that the people were all very welcoming and nice to everyone.

There was no social class separating anyone.

Even though the place held recessive alphas and omegas , They weren't elevated above the betters nor did they act like they were superiors, there was no such things as nobles or peasants.

There was no oppression amongst the people midst.

No discrimination amongst people of different species.

Hybrids, elves, goblins, orcs, sirens, dragon borns etc, all stayed together without having any contempt towards one another.

No slums.

No one suffering.

No  pain.

It was just people living together in peace and harmony with everyone doing their part to help in the community.

Visitors who had been fortune enough to enter would always talk non stop about the peoples welcoming aura.

Their kind smiles, their incredible hospitality, their wonderful personalities.

And ruling over these kind souls was none other than Alistair.

He was like a painting  that depicted the raw essence of purity and innocence.

With a heart of gold he had taken up the demanding role of being the figure head that watched over and catered to the needs of his people 

Yet he still had an air of authority around him that made him a capable and well respected leader.

A beautiful  elven dominant omega with a lovely feminine face.

With pale Ivory skin that resembled that of a porcelain doll.

He had Long pale silvery white hair that was always tied neatly in a bun with silk ribbons, his front bangs dropping to cover his left eye.

His right eye that was visible had thick long silvery lashes that fluttered on the top of his cheek bones whenever he blinked.

The colour of his eye was a breathtaking shade cerulean  blue, one that seemed to send people into a trance whenever they made eye contact with him as the feeling of Serenity and peace seemed to take over their being.

A rosey pink blush dusted his pale cheek and his thin, glossy pink lips always seemed to be stretched into a sweet smile.

His slender feminine figure was clothed in flowy white silk robes with pretty embroideries of Lillie's  that accentuated his form.

An air of elegance and kindness seemed to seep off him.

Even though the territory was hidden from the eyes of others as it wanted to separate itself from the harsh political environment of others places, the elven omega and his people had sent out food stuff and medical aid hoping to help them, even though they could easily ignore what was going on and focus solely on themselves.

Their kindness would not let them sit down ideally and watch others suffer when they could do something to help relieve the pain.

And it with such a kind heart he had accepted to house the heroes party that was destined to slay the demon king.

Even if doing so would create a huge target on the backs of him and his people.

Alistair had told them he would provide everything during their stay and that the magic of the walls would be enough to fend against the demon kings dark arts and that he would be at their beck and call for whatever they needed during their stay in his manor as they rejuvenated themselves .

So here they were relaxing in the pretty gardens of the Dove manor as the villagers attended to their every needs.

The heroes who were destined to slay the demon king were all taking a much deserved rest.

Under the soft rays of the surprisingly blue sky's they could laze around without the constant threat of death looming over their shoulders.

" Aah~ This is the life "  a brown haired elven man said as he stretched his body letting out a content sigh when a bone popped going to snuggle in his hammock under the relaxing shade of a tree.

" You've got that right captain " the deep voice of a dragon hybrid chimed in as he brought a huge jug of fresh grape wine to his lips chugging the rich liquid down in large chucks, stretching the jug out to a scantly dressed woman to pour another round for him.

" I can't remember the last time I was able to laze around like this. A change from constantly worrying about our necks and one I'm enjoying " a fox hybrid said sleepy as he stretched his joints until he felt a satisfied pop, before going back to resting on the tree branch of the apple he had been sleeping on stretching a hand to grab a bright red apple, bringing it to his lips to take a satisfying a bite out of it.

" The religion might differ from that of the empire, yet they managed to escape the ire of the demon king. How very fascinating. " A pretty dark fairy woman dressed in white holy robes, her pretty pink hair hidden under the veil on her head said as she sat on the lush green grass under the shade of a giant tree reading the land's holy scriptures.

Yes.

Almost every member of the heroes party seemed be enjoying their well deserved break.

Everyone except their human healer, a ' beta ' commoner named M/N.

Something about this whole place just........... rubbed him the wrong way.

Everytime he tired to enjoy himself like the others his stomach would tie itself into knots and his guy would star screaming at him to get away from here.

And he also couldn't knock off the feeling that someone was constantly watching him.

Besides they had been there for far to long.

What was originally supposed to be a two days rest had now turned to a stay of three months.

And every single day the demon king got stronger.

And it wasn't as if the rest had been training their hardest to get stronger so they could defeat their enemy.

Instead of training they had been spending their days leisuring around without a care in the world and with each passing day they tried to down play the war  happening outside the giant lily walls.

It was almost as if the land was influencing them to abandon their mission of slaying the demon king ( he wasn't accusing the people and their leader of using dark magic, but his gut told him that had to be it, because only dark magic would be able to have effect in controlling the mind of the gods chosen ones )

But everytime he tried to bring it up to the others he was met with.......... A bit of resistance.

" U.....um Tresyil  d... don't you think it's time w...we  start m.. moving ? "

The s/c man's soft voice spoke up as he questioned his leader  and the once warm and tranquil air became cold and over bearing.

The human felt his breath hitch in his throat as all everyone turned their attention to him, their gazes cold and condescending.

" Oh ? Since when did you become the leader of the party that you think you can start giving out orders "

The once jovial voice of the party's brown haired captain was now cold and authoritative, one that made the h/c man freeze in his spot as panic bubbled in his chest knowing what the other was implying.

 When did a flithy human start to question the decisions of a pure blood elf ?

" N..no! T...that's not w.. what I meant-AAH!" the h/c tired to defend himself only for an empty wooden jug to slam into his forehead causing a yelp of pain to leave his lips as his hands flew up to nurse the forming bruise.

" YOU SHUT YER TRAP YOU FILTHY ÅHENAKI OR I'LL COME THERE TO DO IT FER YA !!! " 

The dragon hybrid hollered out a pissed off expression on his face as he was struggling to get up from his seat, only been calmed down by the scantily dressed women by his side.

M/N winced in pain biting the inside of his cheek to force his whimpers down, not wanting to agitate the other any further.

" Now now Reigon you should calm your self down, you wouldn't want to destroy anything and upset our hosts who have been so awfully kind to us " the fairy folk spoke up causing the dragon to turn his attention towards her.

" I'm not causing any trouble Eva!!! It's the filthy Åhenaki that refuses to know it's place "

Reigon grumbled out with a huff, leaning into the touch of the beautiful women around as they whispered praises into his ears that calmed him down.

" Still not an accuse. You could have damaged that jug just now " the nun replied more worried about the jug than her teammate who's wound was beginning to bleed.

" She's right you know " Tresyil spoke up and the fairy nodded her head at her Captain's support.

" That was uncalled for.  You could have broken that and that would have made Alistair disappointed  " the brown haired elven man said and the dragon hybrid flinched at his words.

" Y..yer right cap'n Lord Dove wouldn't be happy about that. My bad " the dragon hybrid apologized and elf nodded his head in understanding.

" It's okay ....." The brown haired man stared, his eyes going to glare at the human who let out a soft whimper of fear 

" After all you were simply reminding something to know it's place "

M/N felt overwhelming shame and embarrassment fill him to the brim and he fought back the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

Looking at the direction of where the fox hybrid was staying watching the whole ' show ' go down the h/c man hoped he would speak to the rest of their teammates and tell them to go easier on him.

Like he always did.

But instead the man simply looked away unbothered as he continued eating his apple 

Knowing his presence was not needed the human ( and not wanting to listen to the hateful things that would be directed at him if he stayed any longer ) M/N quickly gathered himself and sputtered out excuses before leaving the midst of the heroes.

Cerulean blue eye watched the interaction from afar, a frown tugging down the owners lips as he watched the human leave.

" He still hasn't fallen for the illusion "to man mumbled to himself in annoyance.

Even someone as powerful as him was finding it hard to put a simple human under his control, if the others should find out they would never let him hear the end of it.

" Looks like I need to get rid of him personally" he said with a tired sigh as he started walking away.

Other than the bloody mess he was about to make ( one that he wouldn't be cleaning up ) he has no worries.

It was clear the others had no interest in the well being of the human so getting rid of him would probably make them fall faster for his mind control.

Now that that was settled all that was left of now was to dispose of the nuisance.

‡CLASS HIERARCHY‡

DOMINANT ALPHAS

Are the highest of the whole tier and can control the others.

They have very large body frames and can stand from 6 - 9 feet at times.

*Note* some hybrid species can grow taller and bigger than this

Their pheromones are so strong that even Betas can perceive them and easily get manipulated by it, they have the same effect on omegas, but dominant omegas ate able to resist it a bit.

They usually come from higher noble back grounds,but can be found in middle class as well, but their usually illegitimate children who have royal or higher ranking noble blood in their veins

Ruts usually have a strong effect on them and make them lose themselves to instincts. It tends to last for five days to a week and in the time they are constantly try to make sure their seed is buried deep within their partners.

Ruts can last a few days longer if they are one that uses frequently superssants.

RECESSIVE ALPHAS:

They are more common than Dominant Alphas, but their body frame and height is not as daunting as their Dominant counter parts , standing from 6 - 8 feet.

*Note* some hybrid species can still grow taller than this

Their scents are also not as strong, but they can still attract recessive omegas and betas with not much difficulty, there is a very strong resistance with dominant omegas though.

Female Recessive alphas also have the ability to get pregnant, but by dominant alphas only.

Majority of them tend to lack the  pseudo penis in their Virgina like female dominant alphas do and even if they do, most noble families usually perform surgeries to get rid of it so they can engage them off to either male recessive alphas or any gender dominant alphas  to increase chances of pregnancy.

They go through heat, but it is very weak and only causes them slight discomfort and some don't even experience it all all.

The highest the heats tend to last for the ones who do experience it is a day and a half.

Male recessive alphas experience rut, but it doesn't affect as severely as their dominant counterparts, but they still loose control and tend to succumb to their instincts. It usually lasts for 3 - 5 days.

BETAS:

They are very common in this world making at least 51% of the total population.

They also have scents but theirs are very weak compared to the Alphas and omegas.

  How strong one's pheromones determine their worth.

Betas have very little pheromones making them worthless in the eyes of alphas and omegas.

They also cannot perceive pheromones all that well ( unless the person is from the dominant hierarchy ) so they usually use body build to determine what the second gender of a person is or they ask.

Female betas also experience heat , but theirs is not as painful as an omega, but is more serious than a female Recessive alphas and lasts for 2 days maximum.

They can usually go through it without the help of a mate, but their fertility levels are not that high.

All betas are  commoners and peasants folk and unless they've had a history of other classes in their family tree it will remain that way.

They are seen as lesser in this society.

DOMINANT OMEGAS:

Are the most sought out of Omegas since they have very beautiful appearances and  very alluring pheromones.

Their fertility level is also very high and in some rare cases they can carry 3 to 5 pups at a time.

Like Dominant Alphas, Dominant omegas are mostly found in higher noble families or in the royal bloodline, but can be found in middle class or poorer noble backgrounds as well ( this happens in very rare cases )

A dominant omega's heat can last for a week but can also become week an a half if they are one to constantly use superssants 

In some rare cases they don't experience heats until much later in their life due to stress or over working 

RECESSIVE OMEGAS

 They are also very pretty and have nice pheromones, but  their scents are not as strong as their dominant counter parts.

Their heats usually last up to five days.

They don't have high fertility rates as well and can only have one or two pups throughout their life time, but there's a reason for this.

Their class can get pregnant and also make their dominant counter parts pregnant as well, so marriages between the two omega classes do happen, although very rarely since majority of the time both classes prefer alpha partners

HUMANS 

Humans are creatures that have been condemned by the holy scriptures of all empires, nations, countries and kingdoms for being the children of a rouge deity that caused destruction and chaos by disturbing the peace of the gods and goddesses in the heavens.

By the holy scriptures humans and are a few other species are the ones that are written to not have received blessings from the goddess of light, the god of wind and the the god of nature, the three major gods that are being worshipped in the religion of Luveriux.

 Humanity is seen as a dirt and a mistake in the perfect society of mythics and hybrids as they lack the ability to wield strong månå attributes and physical strength.

 Where hated because of the words of the holy scriptures but the hate and brutality against this species became worse after they tried to ' wage war ' on the mythics which led to over 95 percent of their population being wiped out.

 The war itself happened over a millennia ago and not much is known other than how brutally the humans lost.

 Because of the outcome of the war humans are now treated worse than before.

Humans themselves are now very rare and are going extinct little by with less than a hundred full blooded humans walking around ( this number is unknown and believed to be smaller )

 Not much is actually know about this species.

This work is just an excuse to create a new dominant omega oc and a porn with plot story. Stay tuned for future updates.

Also here's my Twitter account give me a follow if your up to and like my art will post art of Alistair latter today.

https://twitter.com/Pastel_63

[evolutionsvoid]

The strange creatures that are found in the Underworld never cease to delight me. I am already in love with most species found upon the surface, but then you introduce me to a whole new world of incredible never-before-seen fauna?! Animals that have grown in completely unique biomes, adapting to the life underground and sometimes even surviving fellow brethren who have long gone extinct on the surface. It is a wonderful experience, and exactly why I was so thrilled to have a chance to visit the Underworld! There is so much to learn and see! I feel like I could write ten books out of all the stuff I witnessed down there! (Please don't - Eucella)

One of the creatures I want to talk about in this entry is the Wixelgolex, an intimidating species covered in plates and spikes! Any warrior or knight would be envious of such equipment! Colorful overlapping plates that ward off tooth and claw! Massive spines and tendrils bursting with nasty spikes! Beneath all that, we struggle to properly categorize what the Wixelgolex actually is. The current theory is that they may be related to mollusks, but there are certainly many details that still need to be straightened out before it can all fit into place. Regardless, the Wixelgolex shambles about the Underworld on four pairs of boneless legs, while four long spiky tendrils ensure everything else stays far away.

When it comes to eating, this heavily armored beast chooses to dine on.....fungi and lichens. Perhaps not the most impressive diet for what looks like a living siege weapon, but that be the menu for an Underworld herbivore! Or I guess I should say fungivore! The species uses their cluster of oral tendrils to grab and pull food bits into their mouth, while their long spiked tendrils spear or scrape fungi that are not in biting range. Wixelgolex move at a slow and methodical pace, sluggishly grazing through the caverns. They don't needlessly expend energy on rapid movements and such, as their armor and weaponry means they have little to run from and little to fear.

Surprise, surprise, all of these scales and spines are used for defense against predators. Good luck getting an attack past that sheer wall of armor! And that's if you even get that close! And also if you even attack the right end! The Wixelgolex's anatomy is shaped in a way that it is hard to tell which is the head and which is the rear! You have no idea if you are attacking the proper weak point! And woe be to you if you guess wrong! While their bodies move quite slow, their tendrils can snap into action with lightning speed. When hostiles approach, they will shiver their bodies, causing their scales to vibrate and clatter. This is their warning, before they start swinging. Ignore this, and you will be shredded by their spiny tendrils, which skewer, slice and maim with each strike. If you are not a large hefty beast clad in chitin like many creatures down here, a single whip can be lethal. It is why my demon guides always kept a restraining hand or arm near me when I requested to see a live Wixelgolex. They were so sure that my excitement would cause me to get too close and inevitably pummeled! I mean, sure, I was elated, but I am not stupid! I would never put myself in a scenario like that just because I was excited to see a critter! (Yes, you have - Eucella)

I should point out the massive back spines that no doubt have people curious. While the armor and whips seem fair defense against the many predators of the Underworld, the jutting spikes appear to be comically oversized. What would it need those for? Well, there can be attacks from above, as some carnivores roam the cavern ceilings and may drop down in ambush. However, I believe these back spikes are similar to the Halugyth's situation, where these are defenses for a beast long gone. Indeed, I am talking about the Malicrus, the Underworld's extinct superpredator that once haunted the tunnels. A beast whose size and ferocity would totally call for such potent spikes, but sadly those days are long gone. The monster they once feared has vanished, and now these overkill defenses serve as one of the few reminders of its existence. The sight of them for me is beautiful, but a little sad.

For the demons and shades of the Underworld, the Wixelgolex is a walking armory. It was said that in times before they mastered forging weapons and armor of stone and steel, beasts like the Wixelgolex was how they suited up for battle! Slay one of these, and you got armor and weapons aplenty! However, you got to kill it first, and that is no easy task! Though demons are strong and durable, it turns out shades are better suited for toppling one of these armored titans. No attack can penetrate from the sides or above, so they instead strike from below! A shade will crawl upon the floor, staying low and in the shadows. Their aim is to slither beneath the beast, where the armor is almost non-existent, and there they can strike a killing blow. Once the creature is slain, its scales and spines are harvested and turned into equipment. With metal armor and blades more in fashion than this organic stuff, it isn't used as much in war and serious battle. However, they can be seen in what one may call "battle casual" when you are looking for a fight or hunt, but don't want to lug around the heavy armor. For those stalking food or just on a leisurely stroll, light plates like this suit the situation far better.

And if you are a non-demon, it is also one of the few weapons and armor you can actually wield! Demon forged equipment is oppressively dense and heavy, and I certainly embarrassed myself a few times trying to even lift it! I tried a single gauntlet on once and couldn't even lift my hand! It took both arms to raise it up, but when I eased up my grip, it slipped out and nearly pulled my whole body to the floor with it! But chitinous equipment is far lighter and more my style, and my demon friends found it fitting to gift me some! I did get some nice plated armor from various Underworld species, but the surprising gift was a sword made of a Wixelgolex spine! Well, it was a sword for them, but more like a greatsword for me sizewise. Holding that while being decked out in their gear certainly made me feel like a true warrior! But that would only last til I actually tried to spar with any of my demon guides. I think I would get only one swing in before they twisted me up like a gnarled oak with their bare hands.

But I at least still got the sword! I haven't really used it for fighting, because I don't really do that. Not the kind to suit up and march into battle. I keep it more so as a memento of my trip. I know it may seem a bit gaudy or aggressive looking on the wall of my home, but many folk think it looks cool! I know Eucella liked it! When I first brought it back, she wanted to see me wield it and swing it about. She acted like she was enjoying it for the comical look of a little dryad like me holding a huge blade, but with the way she stared a few times I think she was really- (AND I THINK WE CAN STOP THE ENTRY THERE - Eucella)

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

--------------------------------------

"Wixelgolex"

Posting a fellow that had been drawn a long time ago, but I wound up finding the initial design a case of where I flip-flopped between two concepts and wound up taking the worst of both worlds. So it sat in the "redo" section for a good long while, before I finally got around to landing on something better!

[wits-writing]

“A Wonderful Experience”: Why Transformers: EarthSpark and Nightshade Matter

I’ve been a Transformers fan to one degree or another for as long as I can remember. Whether it’s early memories of watching Beast Wars, renting the G1 animated film on VHS from Blockbuster, or reading the numerous excellent comics that have come over the years, I’ve always found something to love about this franchise. So, I was probably going to find time to check out the 2022 CGI animated series Transformers: EarthSpark eventually no matter what. But one little bird changed that from an “I’ll get around to it eventually” to “I need to make watching this show a priority.”

A little bird by the name of Nightshade (voiced by Z Infante)!

I’d already heard from people I trust about EarthSpark’s quality as a series, but finding out about the franchise’s first prominent, explicitly nonbinary Transformer got me eager to dive in. I’ve discussed characters I relate to and read nonbinary themes into in the past, but getting a chance to see a show in a franchise I love feature that kind of representation with intent was exciting. Given the fact I’ve written 3000 words analyzing the character of Nightshade now, it’s easy to say I wasn’t disappointed!

The topic of gender and how it relates to the Transformers as characters has been one of many long, exhausting fandom debates over the franchise’s nearly four decade history. I’m not here to relitigate any of that, so take it as read from here on out that the Transformers as characters do have and express gendered identities throughout the history of all its incarnations. 

To give a quick primer on EarthSpark as a whole (and why it’s great) before digging into Nightshade’s character in specific:

The series is set fifteen years after the end of the Autobot/Decepticon War. The bots that managed to survive the fighting and remain on Earth are presumed to be the last of their species. All of them are stuck in a holding pattern where the only options currently viable are a life in hiding or working alongside the government-funded alien threat detection/response agency GHOST. Optimus Prime and Megatron head up the latter efforts, in the hope of finding some peaceful balance between humans and Transformers going into the future (though neither of them are fully at ease with the situation, as GHOST clearly has ulterior motives of their own.)

The grim outlook for the Cybertronians takes a turn for the better with the birth of two new Transformers. The Earth-sparks of the show’s title (called “Terrans” throughout the series), Twitch and Thrash, who are bonded to the human children Robby and Mo Malto. Helped by Optimus, Megatron, and the Malto kids’ parents, GHOST agent Dot and her husband Alex, the decision is made to keep the Terrans a secret until the extent of what their existence could mean for the Transformers future as a species is fully understood. The Terrans become an official part of the Malto Family (lovingly referred to as “Malto-bots” by the other characters.) At the halfway point of the first season, in the episode “Age of Evolution”, this unconventional family unit expands further with the birth of three more Terrans, including Nightshade.

Between puzzling out the Terrans’ existence, hiding from GHOST, and fighting threats like the human mad scientist Mandroid, there’s a lot of thematic meat on the bone of this series’ setup. The main one I’m interested in digging into through the lens of Nightshade’s characterization is how the Terrans are written to feel like kids figuring out who they want to be as they grow up. Transformers has a history of designating one or more bots in its series central casts as the rookie/kid character, not insignificantly the Terrans’ primary mentor, Bumblebee, has been traditionally positioned as that very rookie. EarthSpark adding the narrative weight of representing a potential for all Transformers, particularly in how they’ll relate to humans while living on Earth, onto these characters gives more meaning to them being under that role.

The Terrans learn lessons about who they want to be and who they can/can’t trust (not always determined by old alliances like Autobot/Decepticon) from the older Transformers and humans alike. Also proving through their actions everything new they’ll have to offer the world they call home through the gift of their existence. Each Terran has been given the appropriate space so far to have their characters develop, each in their own directions, through this theme. 

Nightshade is exemplary of this, best understood through looking at how they’re characterized before/after their first focus episode “Missed Connection”, about them forming a bond with Decepticon scientist Tarantulas.

[SPOILERS for EarthSpark beyond this point]

Before “Missed Connection”

Something that genuinely impressed me going back through EarthSpark for the sake of writing this piece is how immediately Nightshade is fully themself from their earliest bits of screentime in “Age of Evolution.” While the other two members of the second batch of Terran Transformers, Hashtag and Jawbreaker, have their names confirmed upon them by their connection to Robby and Mo, Nightshade actively introduces themself with a bow and a flourish (“It is a delight and a surprise to meet you all!”) This beat quickly establishes their self-assuredness in their identity and that, while they’re later shown to have occasional introverted tendencies, they are anything but shy. I’m also fond of how the scene establishing their pronouns as Optimus lays out their plan of attack also foreshadows their eventual alt-mode, since they ask to be represented by an owl-bobblehead during the planning. The one scene serving as a contrast to their outgoing demeanor, as they recoil at the sight of Mandroid’s cruelty, gives the first hint towards their eventual desire to protect those in need.

There’s only two episodes between Nightshade’s debut in “Age of Evolution” and their first focus episode; “Hashtag: Oops” and “Outtakes.” Since neither is their focus episode, there’s not much to say about how they’re portrayed in either one (in fact, Nightshade’s entirely absent from “Outtakes” as anything but a brief visual cameo.) “Hashtag: Oops” does still manage to establish some key parts of Nightshade’s personality. Firstly, their comfort in themselves as they proclaim they don’t need an alt-mode (“I like who I am as I am.”) Secondly, their inclination towards tech and engineering as they secretly build a new underground base to surprise their family and give everyone more room to operate within. The latter also indicates their “better to ask forgiveness than permission” approach to their tinkering and scientific work. Which comes back around in a big way during “Missed Connection.”

Which finally brings us to the episode that’s the primary reason I’m writing this piece at all!

“Missed Connection”

Being Nightshade’s first proper focus episode in the series, their current state as part of the ensemble cast gets reestablished in short order. Namely, how they feel out of place around their siblings. Their affinity for science and technology leads to them making their own fun separate from the rest of the family. A pattern that gets highlighted by Nightshade working to perfect a new training drone while the rest of their siblings are playing a game of tag outdoors in celebration of Robby and Mo having the day off school. When later questioned by Alex and Dot about why they don’t spend more time with the rest of the family, Nightshade says it feels like their siblings treat them like they’re “speaking another language.”

This sense of isolation informs why Nightshade is so eager later in the episode when they find a connection with Tarantulas’ own work with tech. Simultaneously providing an opportunity for Alex to offer them something they can connect with while trying to figure out how to connect with others. Like any good nerdy dad, he does it through the magic of reading. He offers Nightshade a copy of his favorite book from when he was growing up, “Winged Sentinel”, an in-universe fantasy/sci-fi series they immediately connect with and find new aspirations. Which we hear as they repeatedly call back to the books like about its hero “protecting those in need.” Their connection to this book quickly leads to the one they find working with Tarantulas, as they were in the local cemetery since it was the “last known address” of Winged Sentinel’s author.

(Quick aside: First time I watched this episode, that detail had me thinking the show was going to do a “Nightshade learns about mortality” type of story. I was relieved when not only did Nightshade grok what happened to the author pretty fast, but the episode in turn swiftly shifted to the dynamic between Tarantulas and them.)

“Missed Connection” finds its central theme in Nightshade and Tarantulas’ discussions on identity and finding one’s place within that world rife with conflict that can be directly hostile to those like them. There’s a recurrent motif in the dialogue of Tarantulas’ cynicism born from eons of experience and Nightshade’s youthful enthusiasm. Though cynicism is far from all the elder Transformer has to offer, as he also provides Nightshade with a new perspective on alt-modes they hadn’t considered and ultimately guides them to their choice.

Nightshade: Aren’t I sufficient as I am? Tarantulas: Alt-forms aren’t meant to complete you, as though you have a missing part, they further express who you already are.

Combining that with Tarantulas’ frustration at the “constrictive labels” of Autobot/Decepticon adds to the resonance this episode has with the nonbinary experience. The concept of “passing” gets explicitly evoked by him while discussing his plan to create a hard-light hologram projector so he can live freely as a human while evading GHOST’s forces. Which is the first proper disguise Tarantulas has taken in his life. While his giant spider alt-mode may provide plenty of utility, it’s anything but discreet.

His plan and attitude informing on it connects back to the broader central theme of EarthSpark as a series of the Transformers finding a new way to live on Earth among humanity with the Terrans representing the way forward. He can’t see a way forward besides hiding who he is and the only safety he can think to offer Nightshade is to join him in that life of discretion. His outlook’s best emphasized by his assuredness that the Autobot/Decepticon War resuming is inevitable, alongside that eventuality dragging him out of whatever peace he does find.

However, cracks in Tarantulas’ bleak worldview show as he begins to admire Nightshade’s exuberant demeanor and determination to be a protector. That admiration for a Transformer with the potential to live unburdened by all the hardships he’s seen leads to him delivering the best, most resonant line in the episode:

“It is a gift to know yourself so well, so young. Take pride in that.”

A beautiful sentiment aimed directly at members of EarthSpark’s target demographic on their own journeys to express their identities.

Unfortunately, the bond these characters have found can’t last. When Tarantulas recognizes Dot as an agent of GHOST, he acts rashly under the assumption that she’s holding Nightshade prisoner. He kidnaps Alex and her, planning to erase Nightshade from their memories so they can go into hiding with him. As a fight between the bots eventually breaks out, Nightshade commits to acting like the protector they aspire to be and chooses the alt-mode of a green armored owl, based on the hero of Winged Sentinel. (Alex’s proud declaration of “You read the book!” while witnessing this is great.) A form that isn’t a disguise but expresses themself as they are and what they want to be going forward.

Nightshade and Tarantulas’ conflict has grown intense enough by this point that the elder Transformer’s admiration for the young bot doesn’t come through in his reaction. Rather he flips it into an insult providing Nightshade their opportunity for a sharp, direct retort (and other best line in the episode):

Tarantulas: You’re still just the lost protoform I first met! Nightshade: You’ve just proven you don’t really know me, because I was never lost!

When the fight ends with Tarantulas’ hologram projector destroyed in the skirmish, Nightshade reflects on words Dot offered them earlier about how everyone deserves a second chance and convinces their family not to hurt Tarantulas any further. However, it seems to be a decision out of their hands as GHOST is drawn to their location by the fight. Tarantulas, finally understanding Nightshade’s situation as well as who they are, offers himself up as bait to lure GHOST away from the Maltos. Running off into the forest as Nightshade reflects on the broken hologram projector the two of them made.

Multiple rewatches of this episode, as well as the first season of EarthSpark as a whole, has reaffirmed it as my favorite episode of the show so far. The tight focus of the dynamic between Nightshade and Tarantulas, alongside the deeper meaning that can be taken from pretty much every exchange between the two, is exemplary of what makes this series standout wonderfully as part of the vast Transformers canon.

After “Missed Connection”

Since there’s not that much of the first season left after “Missed Connection”, Nightshade’s once again mostly off to the side doing their own thing. But there are small bits that show how their experiences in that episode have changed them. They actively spend more time around the rest of the Malto Family, like helping Bumblebee train for an upcoming race and showing that they’ve formed a bond built on mutual tech-obsession with their sister, Hashtag, as they work together to further upgrade the underground headquarters. 

We also get a fun minor bit of their “better to ask forgiveness…” way of operating when they add some high tech bells and whistles to Dot’s prosthetic leg as a Mother’s Day present in the episode “Bear Necessities.” A plot point that later gives the show an opportunity for Dot and Nightshade to have a nice mother-child bonding moment as she explains to them why she liked her leg the way it was in terms they can understand (“something like this is personal”) while not completely shutting them down over it (“I’m open to some small changes, but they’ll have to be ones we come up with together.”)

Though the biggest moment post “Missed Connection” moment for the character, as well as my personal favorite single scene in EarthSpark so far, comes from their subplot in the season 1 two-parter episode “Home.” As the Malto kids and the Terrans go into Philadelphia to see more of the wider world, we get to see Nightshade continue acting as a protector for those in need as they save a young person named Sam from getting mugged in an alley. Nightshade notices a pin that says “SHE/THEY” on Sam’s handbag and tells her their pronouns in return. The two end up having a conversation about how the things that make them who they are can also make them targets for intolerantly minded people. This interaction ends with Sam affirming they feel safe around Nightshade and giving the young Transformer a simple but effective explanation of what being nonbinary means.

This not only gives Nightshade further context to understand themself, but also has the important touch from a metaperspective of having a human character be the one to explain the concept. An effective dodge of what’s frequently cited as a pitfall of using aliens/robots to explore these facets of human identity, making it as clear as possible for anyone watching (especially the target demographic of kids) that Nightshade’s nonbinary identity is in no way just a product of their being an alien robot. Rather, it's an identity that simply feels right for some people living in the world. One that people who identify with it and explore their connections to it can find immensely fulfilling. 

Or, as Nightshade puts it at the end of this conversation:

“What a wonderful word, for a wonderful experience.”

(Before I dive into my conclusion, I want to say I deeply hope this isn’t the last we see of Sam in the series. Both for representation’s sake and because I like seeing the Terrans bond with humans outside of their immediate family circle.)

It would feel wrong to end this look at Nightshade’s character and how that reflects on the best qualities of EarthSpark as a series without giving proper credit to the creative voices involved in bringing them to life. Namely, writer Mae Catt (she/they) who wrote the episode “Missed Connection” and one of the three writers on “Home”, the other two being showrunners Nicole Dubuc and Dale Malinkowski. While fundamentally I believe anyone could write any kind of story, authenticity comes through stronger when writers from the same background are involved. Catt’s passion for writing this show comes through beautifully in these episodes and in how they’ve discussed the show on social media.

Her understanding for what these characters and stories can mean to the young people watching gets clearly reflected in recurrent elements of EarthSpark’s story. Aside from Nightshade’s admiration for the main character of the Winged Sentinel novels, we also see moments in other episodes of their siblings trying to figure out what being a Transformers means through in-universe Transformers comic books telling the story of the Autobot/Decepticon War. 

It’s also what drove me to write this piece. I see Nightshade in all their creative, expressive glory and it makes me happy for the kids watching Transformers: EarthSpark, seeing them, and relating to them. Every story has the potential to be a guide someone out there can use to move closer to their heart. Nightshade’s being that guide to nonbinary kids now in a way I never could’ve dreamed of growing up is, simply put, wonderful.

Happy Pride! 💛🤍💜🖤

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

[pluttskutt]

Writeblr Interview

thanks @tildeathiwillwrite for the tag!

Short stories, novels, or poems?

I naturally write novels. It's not a flex, but it's the fact that the side plots I come up with go beyond what I imagined at the start so suddenly we're 100k in and the main conflict hasn't begun yet. Ha.

What genre do you prefer reading?

Depends! I read "All the Bright Places" and "Hearstopper" for research when writing my own teen love story and I enjoyed them both. Growing up, I was an avid fantasy devourer but ever since they went from children's book -> YA I lost interest.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I always start with a plot and MC's but what happens is kind of up to the characters in the way that they shape the story. I tend to have at least two points I want to hit (a secret comes out, A meets E that will be important later etc) but how I get there is up to the characters.

I'm not a slave to them, but they drive the story forward but how they interact. An impatient character may break into a place, certain of their cause, only for it to be the wrong place, which would be a different story than one who waits and breaks into the right place.

Both are valid and will lead to them being chased by the law, but one fits the character and the other doesn't.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I have character and WIP playlists on Spotify that I listen to. If I'm writing something new that I'm unsure about I use YouTube to search for ambiance to help me picture the scene.

Favorite books/movies?

"All the Bright Places" was so good it made it to my favourites. There's a Swedish book series I read when I was younger that was called "(the) Circle" (translated) about witches I enjoyed a lot as a teen.

When it comes to movies I tend to enjoy the ones where music plays a big part like Disney musicals, the Greatest Showman, Shrek, Wonder Woman.

Any current WIPs?

Yes! A lot! I talk briefly about them in my pinned post.

Create a character description of yourself:

No thank you.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

In a way. I draw inspiration from those around me when creating certain characters. One time, I just took a name from my then-BFF onto the MC's BFF to make me think of our relationship so the character's would feel like real BFF's.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Not happy but "meh" about it. There are times when the plot has them die. They are nothing but puppets. and I am their master.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Neither. I drink water.

Slow or fast writer?

Slow. I set the mood with music, play Solitaire when I'm not sure how to proceed, and delete a lot of what I write before I'm satisfied. I've deleted 3k long scenes before.

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

I don't know! Everything! Mermaids are beautiful with long hair, but I'd also love to be a dryad and run through the woods jumping over obstacles since I can barely walk now, and I'd love to ride a gryphon.

I think I'd be an elf who goes on adventures and gets to experience all of it. I'd even be the champion if It meant no brain damage.

Most fav book cliche:

I don't know. I don't read a lot, ha. True love's kiss I guess.

Least favorite cliche:

Characters who hate each other with the guy being an absolute bully and the girl starts to like him ???

Favorite scene to write?

Emotional ones! Sad, lethargic, happy, etc. Like a doom scene where everything goes wrong and the surviving characters are left with emptyness and the betrayal of one they considered a friend who caused it.

Character A holding onto B in desperation as B dangles over a black hole, both knowing B won't survive.

A species that has lived underground for generations sends someone up to test if the surface is okay every now and then. Now that they do, this one comes face to face with a beast known only in books.

Scenes like that.

Reason for writing?

Easiest way to get the characters out my head. I couldn't ever get the hang of drawing as a child, so writing it was. Also, comments on Ao3 are the only proof I have of being good at anything.

I leave this as an open tag for anyone wanting to do it!

[fili-oeuvre]

{ EXT. FIELDS - WEST OF THE CENTRAL HAVEN - LATE MORNING }

Marcel: *walking casually across the uneven patches of green grass, some of the ground was missing entirely as a result of the recent action that had taken place* *he came across the body of a haven guard, their suit’s helmet had deactivated revealing a bloodied face with glazed over eyes* *the ground around them was stained a dark red, most of it coming from the side of their neck that was facing the ground* [ At least they served their purpose ] *steps over the body as if it was just a huge root or rock in his way*

A slight breeze blew through his hair. It was always nice feeling the wind without that helmet in the way. However, the wind also carried the scent of blood and death that hung over the fields now. Not that he minded it, he was used to this smell by now.

A couple of dragons flew overheard, likely keeping an eye out in case of another attack. His own dragon was up there too. Not really doing anything, just enjoying a short flight while he dealt with matters down here.

Seastorm was a good and obedient dragon, so he trusted that he wouldn’t cause any trouble. He knew that his dragon would just be restless the whole time if he forced him to stay down here with him.

Several soldiers were already working to clear the bodies from the field, tossing them into carts to be transported back to the safe haven. Their full-body suits stuck out like a black sheep amongst a flock of white sheep. As if, their size didn’t make it any easier to spot them on such a flat area.

One of the soldiers looked at him, the stare from the red visor did nothing to deter the officer’s confident stance. Within the next moment, the soldier was back at work.

Marcel: [ Creepy things ] *bringing up a holographic screen in front of his eyes with the recent data that had been collected from the field by his subordinates* [ Oh, only 47 reported casualties so far… those are numbers I can live with ] *his eyes flicked over the fields again, as if searching for something to cure his boredom*

“Officer!”

A loud shout caused pulled him from his bored thoughts. He turned towards the direction of the voice.

A haven guard from the ground division was approaching him. They still had their helmet on, but it was clear from their suit that they weren’t a part of his flying division.

Marcel: [ Please give me something exciting ] *almost bored tone* What is it?

Unnamed Haven Guard: *stopping a few feet away from the officer* We caught a beast!

Marcel: *he perked up at that, an excited smile beginning of form* Show me.

The haven guard led him over to a spot closer to a collection of small trees. In that time, he picked up on the sights of the group who had been left to secure the creature. They really had caught a beast and were currently trying to hold the wretched thing down.

Sure enough, near the edge of the forest, a group of three haven guards were busy trying to hold down a beast. There was a holographic net keeping it to the ground, but it seemed like that didn’t stop the thing from fighting and struggling.

Probably just some kind of basic survival instinct to keep fighting even when it was clear that it was beaten.

The savage thing growled at the three people holding it down, a mouth full of sharp canine teeth snapping at the air as if to threaten them. It had a few notable scratches on its front, but looked relatively unharmed in spite of its current predicament.

Marcel: My my *steps closer to the group, causing the other guards to nod in acknowledgment of their officer* what a lovely little beast you’ve managed to catch. *he eyed the copper orange hair and the fluffy tail of the beast*

How these primitive creatures could give them so much trouble was a bit of a mystery to him. Surely such a lesser evolved species would be easy to get rid of after a couple rounds, but no. They just don’t give up.

Marcel: [ Makes it all the more fun ] *he sent a message back to his general that they would be returning with a live one* *within a few moments, he received approval from his general to bring the beast back, seemingly pleased with having some results after past failed attempts* [ Not my fault that they die, they just don’t know when to shut up and surrender ]

The beast suddenly turned to look right up at him. Its expression only seemed to darken as its dark-colored eyes narrowed with hate and disgust at the officer.

Unnamed Kin: *when it spoke, its voice was laced with venom* You are disgusting!

Marcel: *his smile widened, showing two rows of sharp teeth* Big words for someone that’s been caught.

All he got was an animalistic growl in response.

What a sore loser this one was.

One of the haven guards handed him a mask that seemed to have elaborately made. It was shaped like that of a fox’s face, matching the colors of the beast’s fur but having smaller details added to it that make it stand out more.

Marcel: [ How cute, that such savage things know how to make arts and crafts ] *though, he could almost respect the craftsmanship of it*

Unnamed Haven Guard: We also managed to get this away from it. *presents what looked like a fur coat of the same color as the beast’s own fur* It wasn’t easy though.

Marcel: *he handed the mask to the guard beside him before taking the coat and observing it* *it was quite fluffy and soft but seemed more durable than it appeared* How interesting. *he’d seen beasts wearing these before but had never had the opportunity to touch one intact before*

Unnamed Kin: *eyes widened in horror* Don’t touch that! *unmistakable fear and horror present in its voice*

Marcel: *looks at the beast and then at the coat before smiling again, flashing his teeth at the captured creature* Oh, is this important to you? *he holds out the coat as if offering it back before pulling it back holding it with one hand* Would be such a shame if I fed this to Seastorm *brings a hand up to his face to feign despair* but then again *taps his chin in a mocking thinking gesture* he does love his snacks.

Unnamed Kin: *ceased its struggling to just look at him with fearful, almost pleading eyes* Please… don’t. *its voice sounded like it had lost all its venom, replaced by fear and defeat*

Marcel: *smirks, looking down at the creature* *he almost pitied the pathetic thing…. almost* Don’t worry your furry little hide about it. *folds the coat neatly* You’re more useful if you’re completely intact anyways. *he handed the folded coat to the guard he had handed the mask to, who obediently took the second item* I’m sure that they’ll have quite a field day with you. But still, make sure you behave, wouldn’t want an accident to occur now would we? *his smirk grew a little wider as the beast lowered its head and seemed to just lay limply on the ground*

——————

Part 1 :>

Marcel is having quite a productive morning. I’m sure that he’s very happy about that.

Don’t worry, he isn’t feeding anyone to his dragon this time… Lucky for that kin, he’s still good at obeying his orders before his own bloodlust

Next: Part 2

[paperanddice]

Deep ones are a species of fishlike, aquatic beings who, despite the name, actually usually dwell along shallow coastlines and even on land. Their exact origins are a mystery, but the most common legends of it claim they were creations by elder gods of the deep from human stock. Many deep ones still worship these elder gods, under names such as Father Dagon or Mother Hydra (despite these names being more commonly associated with powerful demons or common monsters, and some doubt the true divinity of these so-called gods), demanding sacrifices of treasure and blood from those they encounter. Mariners and coastal villages are often targets of these demands. Refusal brings great misfortune; damaged rudders and ship bottoms, empty fishing nets, poor weather. Complying brings wealth, as fishing nets bring up not just bountiful catches but ancient treasures, and ships find fast and effective currents to reach their destinations in less time.

Communities that regularly "trade" with the deep ones (leaving sacrifices for the fish people to take) may even intermarry with them. This is uncommon, and rarely do these marriages produce long lived children, but those who survive often become quite influential intermediaries between the surface and the elder gods that the deep ones worship. These priests guide the settlements they live in further to the worship of the elder gods, escalating the sacrifices demanded and coordinating raids on the surrounding area with other deep ones to fulfill these demands.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Deep One Creature 2 Uncommon, Medium, Amphibious, Deep One, Humanoid Perception +7; darkvision Languages Aquan Skills Athletics +7 Str +3, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +0, Wis -1, Cha +1 AC 17; Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5 HP 40; Resistances cold 3; Weaknesses fire 3 Speed 25 feet, swim 25 feet Melee claw +9 (agile), Damage 1d8+3 slashing Frenzied Rage [reaction] (emotion, mental, rage); Requirements The deep one is not fatigued or already in a frenzy. Trigger The deep one takes damage. Effect The deep one flies into a frenzy that lasts 1 minute, until there are no enemies it can perceive, or until it falls unconscious, whichever comes first. While frenzied, the deep one gains a +1 status bonus to attack rolls with its claws, gains a +4 status bonus to damage rolls with its claws, and takes a -1 status penalty to AC.

Deep One Hybrid Priest Creature 4 Rare, Medium, Amphibious, Deep One, Humanoid Perception +9; darkvision Languages Aquan, Common Skills Athletics +12, Deception +10, Intimidation +10 Str +4, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +2 AC 18; Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +9 HP 76; Resistances cold 5; Weaknesses fire 5 Speed 25 feet, swim 25 feet Melee claw +12 (agile), Damage 1d8+6 slashing Occult Spontaneous Spells DC 18, attack +10 ; 2nd harm (×3), shatter; 1st sanctuary, shocking grasp, sleep; cantrips (2nd) divine lance, ray of frost Frenzied Rage [reaction] (emotion, mental, rage); Requirements The deep one hybrid priest is not fatigued or already in a frenzy. Trigger The deep one takes damage. Effect The deep one flies into a frenzy that lasts 1 minute, until there are no enemies it can perceive, or until it falls unconscious, whichever comes first. While frenzied, the deep one gains a +1 status bonus to attack rolls with its claws, gains a +4 status bonus to damage rolls with its claws, and takes a -1 status penalty to AC. Voice of the Deep [2 actions] (auditory, enchantment, incapacitation, mental, occult) The deep one hybrid priest speaks in a rolling, droning voice. Each creature that can hear it must attempt a DC 20 Will save. The deep one can sustain Voice of the Deep for up to 5 minutes. Critical Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Voice of the Deep for 24 hours. Success The creature is fascinated for 1 round and is temporarily immune to Voice of the Deep for 24 hours. Failure The creature is fascinated as long as the deep one sustains Voice of the Deep. Critical Failure The creature is fascinated as long as the deep one hybrid priest sustains Voice of the Deep. The deep one also casts modify memory on the target, which gets an automatic failure on the save against the spell.

13th Age

Deep One  Double-strength 3rd level mook [humanoid]  Initiative: +5 Vulnerability: Fire Claws +8 vs. AC - 10 damage. Frenzied Rage: Whenever a deep one mob takes damage and no member is killed, one member of the mob gains a +6 bonus to damage until the end of the mob’s next turn. Swimmer. AC 17 PD 17 MD 14 HP 24 (mook) Mook: Kill one deep one mook for every 24 damage you deal to the mob.

Deep One Hybrid Priest  Double-strength 4th level leader [humanoid]  Initiative: +6 Vulnerability: Fire Claws +8 vs. AC (2 attacks) - 12 damage. Frenzied Rage: Whenever the deep one hybrid priest takes 10 or more damage from a single attack, it gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and a +4 bonus to damage with claws attacks until the end of its next turn. C: Ice Storm +9 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies in a group) - 14 cold damage and the target loses its next move action. Natural 14+: The target is stuck until the end of its next turn. Limited Use: 1/battle. Swimmer. Voice of the Deeps: 1/battle, when the escalation die is 4+, the deep one hybrid priest can use a standard action to summon 1d3+1 deep one mooks to the battlefield. They appear far away from all creatures, and roll initiative unless there is a mob of deep ones for them to join. AC 19 PD 15 MD 17 HP 116

[darkwingphoenix]

@loominggaia, wake up, New Saraians Just Dropped

In my AU, a class of highly intelligent (But sub-human intelligence, as in the aren't sapient but still smart), known as Saraians, exist in my AU, forged by my divine OC, Saraia, Divine of Paleontology/The Ancient Bones.

I already have posts about 2 of her monsters, boulderbacks and swamp things.

Recently tho, I made this in my most recent Looming Gaia Meme Post, featuring 2 new tags for myself: #The Ole Looming Gaia Meme Bakery and #The Best Meme Bakery This Side Of Noalen (Dunno if I had the The in the second tag):

Baby King/Kinglet being Presented to the people of Drifter's Hollow/Gathering Saraian Monsters (Rafiki Therizinosaurus is played by Mr. Ocean, Skylie is Mufasa, and Rook is Sarabi Rex)(Saraia actually went into a major Monster Forging Scheme right before attacking Oaken and then dying to gravity)

And now, I'mma list off all of the monsters in order of forging date, as well as some factoids!

KING: THE OG (PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

King was Saraia's first attempt at monster forging, and she actually made what she wanted!

Fully grown, King is 60 feet long, 14 feet tall, and over 20,000 tons.

He is strong enough to take on siege dragons, and win

He has no genitalia and doesn't poop: Instead, anything he consumes turns into fuel for his fire breath, and he reproduces via an egg where his heart should be

This egg can only be removed post mortem, as the surgery kills King. The egg takes anywhere from 20 hours to over a year to mature and hatch

King's flesh is highly inedible, having the texture and smell of wet clay mixed with chalk and the taste of both. It also rapidly decays after he dies, turning his body into a bag of terrible smelling black ooze only days after death

The egg, once hatched, is a genetically identical offspring of King with his memories carried over. This is a feature so that he never dies.

The egg itself is highly indestructible, taking any damage it receives without any danger to the embryo.

King's body forms the egg he'll hatch from while inside the egg, so should he die while immature, he'll still be able to reproduce.

It takes 10 years for King to mature from hatchling to large enough for Saraia to ride effectively and tear down walls, and it takes 10 more for him to regain his full strength.

When a hatchling, Saraia dubs King as Kinglet.

King, as of 6015, is currently living with Skylie after hatching in 1 week. He is a highly rambunctious youngster, and is the 20th to

BOULDERBACKS: THE ABSOLUTE UNITS

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Boulderbacks were Sarai's second monster species, after King.

Boulderbacks revealed a major bug in their forging process: They attack anything blue, including the sky. After several generations, however, this instinct to attack the sky has vanished, but the hyperaggression to the color blue survives.

Saraia actually used this bug in all of her future saraians, but edited it to avoid the sky thing

Baby boulderbacks are named pebblings, and are the size of baby elephants

Boulderbacks are notoriously difficult to main and kill, having rock hard hide, osteoderms like metal, a nigh immunity to harmful magic, massive tusks, horns, body spikes and a massive tail club with thagomizers. Most people fighting them use siege weapons or explosives to deal any damage

Only a pyrophasma or skaadia titan nymph can take the down, and all other titan nymphs fail completely to really do much to them

They often knock down trees (And hamadryads) to eat their foliage

Boulderbacks grow unique species of lichen and moss on their backs. Those who tame these beasts often eat the moss and lichen, which grows rapidly: It's reported to taste like salted lettuce, and is quite nutritional, heavy in vitamins and minerals

SWAMP THINGS: THE STANKY ONES

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Swamp things are extremely smelly, although this is mostly a product of most living in rank swamps: Bunyips, or hatchling swamp things, notably smell like chocolate! Until they start wallowing in a swamp, that is

They usually eat fish, particularly larger species, although they gladly attack aggressive undine

Many troll villages in Noalen, unperturbed by the swamp things' rank stank, have succeeded in taming them to help them fish and defend their villages. Many swamp things now instinctively seek out troll communities nearby when injured

A population of swamp things escaped Mogdiri and Zareenite captivity and eventually migrated just north of Laraine, where they would migrate south seasonally to raise their young. This phenomenon gave rise to the Laraine Dragon Festival, when the people of Laraine, grateful for the swamp things protecting their village from undines making their daughters mermaids, give the swamp things food, particularly bunyips, who are actually raised by them until they reach a length of 15 feet, the swamp thing population having become normalized to the tradition

Swamp things near rivers will build dams on the river similar to beavers, and they live peacefully with beavers as well, often protecting the beavers from predators while the beavers maintain much better dams than what the monsters can in a symbiotic relationship

COCKATRICES: ANGRY BIRDS

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Cockatrices live in large packs of up to 60, which care for young, or tooks communally.

Cockatrices are a terror in large groups, being able to tear down an ogre with only 10 adults, although casualties are very likely

They love all kinds of lemon-based foods, and should one not wear blue whilst feeding them, cockatrices can quickly become loyal, even while wearing blue. Many report lemon bars are their favorite of all. It's unknown why this is, and Saraia herself has admitted she never placed any food preferences into her monsters

They are insanely loyal to their pack (And providers of lemon flavors), and will kill for them. They really said Dominic Toretto is a good role model

They have an alpha-based pack system, with the strongest male and female (Maintaining this by intimidation for to-the-death 2v2 battles) being the leaders, although all pack members breed and also vote on their daily travel direction by standing in their preferred direction. Lemon providers are capable to breaking this order via lemon distribution, although this simply makes the alphas the lemon vendor's right hands.

If a lemon provider no longer provides, the pack will investigate the reason. Should they see the provider alive, they abandon their loyalties but don't immediately attack, even if the person is wearing blue. They simply steal lemons and leave, not even resisting attacks while fleeing with lemons

They are venomous, enough so they can kill any species of people in less than a minute. This trait is shared by perytons

PERYTONS: THE FLYING FLAMES

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Young perytons are called puffles, sometimes confused for poffles

Only male perytons have the species' iconic antlers.

The females have an odd behavior while feeding on corpses in that they tend to rip out the heart and eat it, especially before breeding. It is believed the animals need the heart's nutrients to breed.

Puffles are able to breathe fire from birth, although it gets stronger as they mature

Only the size of hawks, these animals tend to swarm in huge numbers and destroy towns with their fire breath

WORLD TURTLES: FARMING TOWNS ON LEGS

(PPL Rating: 1, Imprison if Necessary, Do Not Kill)

World turtles were the first of many new species of saraian made by Saraia in the early 6th age.

Turtwigs, or young, are about the size of small dogs, but become over 16 square miles on their shell, 8 miles long, 300 feet tall, and over 3 million tons

As adults world turtles have no predators, and similar to globeholders have a specialized dome that keeps things inside in a stable condition

This globe has fertile soil and water formed inside the world turtle's body, and is accessed by a pair of tunnels in the monster's shell, large enough for an elephant to travel through. These are often equipped with elevators in inhabited turtles to aid getting things up.

The animals are truly peaceful, and never harm anything unless they are retaliating.

The PPL has announced to not imprison world turtles, mostly out of practicality

LEVIATHANS: THE SEA SERPENTS

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Leviathan young, named whelps, are the size of small crocodiles. As adults they are 400 feet long and 20 feet tall.

They can absorb pollution through their skin and use it to digest anything they consume

Their adult diet consists strongly of sea megafauna... And Zareenite and Damijani ships.

Saraia created a spell designed to repel leviathans, which is being taught to Aquarian communities the world over, for the beasts regularly attack inhabited globeholders and floeback whales

Outside of collateral damage when hunting globeholders, leviathans live peacefully with Aquarian peoples, often being followed by merrow or koholasaurs, who feast on scraps and escapees from their hunts

TRUMPETARS: LOUD ASS MUTHAFUCKAS

(PPL Rating: 3, Imprison when Possible, Kill if Necessary)

Trumpetars have a wide variety of crests, with 6 known major variants: Curvehorn, Halberdier, Roundaxe, Sweptbrush, Spatular, and Airsac

Trumplets, young, are extremely sweet to all peoples and will often become pets, singing to their owners

Once they reach adulthood, they often remain with their owners, although their trumpeting, now amplified to lethal levels by their crest and natural echomancy, is now used to defend their owners

Trumpetars become more and more quadrupedal as they age, until they only run or stand on two legs, dropping to all fours once they don't need to run or access high up food

Their trumpeting, even when not amplified magically, is extremely loud, and they often keep local villages awake for weeks until they move on with their calls

COATLS: SKY DEMONS

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Coatls are massive snakelike saraians with two pairs of massive wings, over 40 feet long each. These wings can be used to walk as well, giving them a draconic profile. Their rear wings position themselves like a massive tail, flapping together like a sirene's tail.

Lucoa, young coatls, are the size of eagles, and are usually born on cliffs, where they are protected from virtually everything

They are capable to swallowing a human whole, which they often do, and eagerly if they are wearing anything but red, with blue a priority

They often seem to enjoy bullying ogres out of meals. They have been observed to fight ogres or other heavyweights away from kills, only to eat a few bites before leaving, and then attacking anew when the peoples return

They are capable of breathing fire, and use it to flush out prey from forests or tall grass, snapping up anything they can swallow whole

GREMLINS: LIL GUYS

(PPL Rating: 0, Record Location and Monitor)

Gremlins are Saraia's first truly safe monster: World turtles, leviathans, and trumpetars can deal massive harm but generally don't, cockatrices have a purely transactional peace, but gremlins are very easy to care for and peaceful

They readily accept treats, and love berries of any kind. Many an owner use blueberries, a well-recorded favorite, as treats for good behavior or training.

They are eager to please, and intelligent enough to come halfway when given an ambiguous order

Wild, they often steal food from storehouses or larders, fleeing if spotted. They're strong enough to challenge cats as well

Gremlings, young gremlins, are bred for by gremlin fans

Catasaur: Mammalian Dinosaur

(PPL Rating: 0, Record Location and Monitor)

Catasaurs are similar to gremlins in being purely pet material

Similarly to gremlins, gatas, or young catasaurs, are bred by people who love caring for catasaurs

Catasaurs look very similar to cats with very long necks (Which barely impact their otherwise catlike behaviors) with large dorsal spikes, purely for show, as well as similarly long tails

Their necks can retract to make them look like normal cats with abnormally long tails, which is used by catasaurs when hunting prey.

Many catasaurs have large tail clubs, thagomizers, or both. This trait, somewhat favorable for its appearance, only appears after puberty, although it can be made more likely in gatas by breeding catasaurs with those features

ROOK: THE KING'S SISTER

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Rook was gifted to Saraia's protege, and is otherwise a smaller, weaker, yet faster and flight capable version of King, complete with asexual reproduction via egg

Rook is deathlessly loyal to her mistress, although she willingly follows King or Saraia's orders when her mistress, who only goes by Teyvat or the Unknown Divine, is killed, until she resurrects

BISHOP: THE KING'S BROTHER

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Bishop was forged by Saraia to serve the largest outpost of the Knights of Favonius, a cult dedicated to the Unknown God

Bishop is far different from King or Rook, being mostly quadrupedal, and having horns, a frill, and massive tail blades on his tail.

He belongs to the Knights' Grandmaster de jure, and when a Grandmaster is replaced, he switches loyalty to the new Grandmaster

He still resurrects by an egg

Along with King, Rook, Knight, Queen and the Pawns, Bishop forms a subgroup of saraians known as the Chess Eggs

QUEEN: THE KING'S WIFE

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Queen is a flying equivalent to King, being lighter and weaker but capable of flight even at a massive size

She is capable of fighting a siege dragon, although she struggles with it due to her lower strength

Her forearms are replaced by great wings over 80 feet wide

She can breath fire, and often makes streaking attacks while flying over enemy armies

KNIGHT: THE KING'S CHAMPION

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Knight is a saraian given to the High Ruler of Ascendance, serving as bodyguard, mount, and badge of office

Knight is able to control other saraians, a trait unique to her

When a High Ruler abdicates, Knight no longer serves them, and will kill the former Ruler if they force her with them

PAWN: THE KING'S SOLDIERS

(PPL Rating: 4, Kill on Sight)

Pawns are a unique Chess Egg species, loyal to only one rider until that rider dies

They are used by Ascendance cavalry for their fire breath, strength and durability

Their size depends on their rider. It is Ascendance tradition for a rider receiving a former rider's Pawn to kill it and then raise it for their entire 6 year training as an Ascendance cavalry, and it grows to the size perfect for them to ride.

Aquarians who raise pawns have a subspecies of Pawn that is semiaquatic and fast enough to be a useful underwater mount while remaining just as fast on land as other Pawns

They are the only Chess Egg saraian that can die of old age, dying after 200 years of age, although dying and becoming an egg delays this by the amount of time it takes for them to hatch and then be raised back to adulthood, whereupon their 200 year lifespan restarts

They are also the only Chess Egg species able to breed, laying 2 eggs every 8 years

If they have riders who stay within the same species for 200 years (Including a rider who serves as a cavalry member for 200 years), a Pawn will die of old age, and their egg will fail to hatch, being a mere rock. These eggs are carved with the Pawn's every rider and placed in a mausoleum dedicated to them

[thenixkat]

Having some werewolf thoughts. Currently thinking about voracious people nomming, the benefits of being undead, and alike amalgam werewolf packs (think that music vid Du Riecht So Gut). Some vampire/sorcerer stuff added like being able to turn into lots of different things and swarms of things.

So. Lupines! Moonkin! Animalfolk! Werewolves! Call em what ya want, I’m using lupines cause I think its fun.

A ‘species‘ of shapeshifting magical beings or humans afflicted with a magical curse or people bless by the moon? Who the fuck knows, they don’t. They don’t even agree on what they’re called. Some are born with the power, some acquire it during their life, some after their death. Can turn others into lupines under certain circumstances, tho the transformation can fail partway through and cause the infected to turn into a vampire instead.

Basic Abilities:

1. Shapeshifting.

All lupines can shapeshift. Typically into a furry carnivorous beast of similar size to their base form. Transformations initially triggered by exposure to the light of a full moon or seeing a full moon, strong emotions, and extreme hunger. As the lupine grows in experience they can triggers transformations voluntarily and even include their clothes into the transformation and avoid being naked when transforming back to their human shape.

Shapeshifting makes lupines hungry b/c their body is using a lot of energy to turn into something else.

Lupines can gain larger transformations by accumulating mass either via overeating or merging with another lupine member or their pack/coven/troop. Lupines are prone to overeating while moondrunk (forced to transform by the full moon) and tend to be bigger the day after the full moon.

Lupines are not restricted into turning into furry carnivorous beasts. The most common transformation is wolves and dogs due to similarity in size, that most have seen or heard off a wolf/dog, and or there being local cultural links to wolves and moonlight or nighttime. In places where bears, big cats, or hyeanas are more commonly the ‘big dangerous furry thing‘ then lupine uncontrolled transformations will lean in those directions. 

Lupines can transform into any kind of animal but are unlikely to be able to turn into a specific individual without merging with them. Trying to transform into an animal smaller than the lupine can result in several outcomes depending on the level of control or lack of it the lupine has. For example trying to transform into a crow could result in:

- human sized crow - a crow sized crow that weighs as much as their base form - turning part of themselves into an entire crow and the rest into an insensate blob of flesh detached from the part that became a crow - turning into a flock of crows weighing the same amount collectively as their human form

If part of their body is destroyed when transformed into a smaller creature with most of their mass just sitting around as a flesh blob or transformed into a swarm of small creatures they can only regain that lost mass by consuming more mass. If part of a werewolf remains detached for more than 24 hrs it becomes its own organism.

2. Healing.

Derived from their shapeshifting abilities, lupines can heal from just about any normal injury with enough time, food, and shapechanging. If worse comes to worse a lupine could loose most of their body and survive in a small form and regenerate from there by consuming enough food.

Injuries caused by magic (either blessed materials, certain kinds of plants, some kinds of metals like silver) can disrupt a lupine’s magic making healing and shapeshifting difficult leading to things like scars, missing limbs, loss of senses, and brain damage.

3. Near Immortality.

Lupines are incredibly difficult to kill due to their shapeshifting and healing. They do not die of old age. They don’t necessarily stop aging but might not age if they don’t think about it/aren’t around nonlupines much. Lupines are not immune from getting sick but they won’t die from it.

Alone, decapitation could not kill a lupine. But setting every part of the lupine on fire until there’s nothing but ash can kill them.

4. Merging.

Lupines can learn to merge with other living beings. The most common use of this ability is for packs of lupine to merge together, sharing mass and information and power to transform into larger shapes or help injured packmates heal.

Lupines can merge with nonlupines but if the lupine doesn’t cancel out the merge within a few hours the nonlupine ends up getting digested and added to the lupine’s mass. Nonlupines that merge with lupines frequently enough can end up getting infected with lycanthropy and becoming lupines (if originally humans) or monster beasts/animal gods (if originally nonhuman) over time.

Lupines with very high skill can merge with vegetation or inanimate objects to hide.

Changing others.

Lupines can transform humans into lupines (successful) or vampires (unsuccessful). Merging repeatedly has a high chance of turning a human into a lupine. Other methods involve consuming lupine flesh (moderate chance of turning) and blood or saliva contamination in wounds/mucus membranes (low chance of turning).

Certain bodies of water or types of flowers flowing/growing near lupine graves has a very low chance of turning someone.

Humans infected with lycanthropy can fail to become lupines and instead turn into vampires. Vampires are boneless creatures ruled by their hunger and exist entirely in a moondrunk state. They are nocturnal and have a difficult time holding onto a shape if they haven't recently eaten. Vampires can be disoriented by bright lights (including very bright sunlight) and like to hide in small enclosed spaces like tree hollows and graves. Vampires have the same weaknesses as lupines but can be more easily injured by sharp objects. Vampires will turn into who or what they’ve most recently eaten, few are able to hold onto their pre-vampirization memories. Vampires can be a major vector for disease depending on their diets and grooming habits.

Like, lupines vampires are good at accumulating mass and healing from just about everything. They can also merge with other vampires to make larger forms.

Social habits.

Lupines are not much different than humans socially. While they can form packs/covens/troops not belong to one isn’t particularly harmful to their health. Some lupines can go their entire life without running into another of their kind and aren't particularly bothered by it.

Hierarchy formation runs similar to that of human groups. Leader type folks tend to lead, leaders aren’t strictly necessary or even form in every group. While there are lupines that might use alpha/beta/etc titles those tend to be ones that didn’t grow up around other lupines or they don’t know much about how wolf packs are run. Some lupine raised lupines might use such terms as a joke, usually to make fun of someone.

Lupines share just as much capacity for being decent people or evil shits or just regular folks as humans. Unfortunately for them, the majority of folks dedicated to hunting ‘monsters‘ tend not to care if the monster in question is a decent person or not. As to most monster hunters, being nothuman/not a natural creature is a good reason to try to kill them.

[a-beneficial-union]

Quick, while he's not looking.

On the left is Sou'el, who I'm currently playing with. I made him an eighth brancher before realizing that it would mean his first name is “Sphen” (shirt for “Stephen”) per my own rules— but I don’t want to deal with that, so he changed he goes by “Ben” based off of his middle name.

I'm considering making Sou’el a hunger's apprentice, but am not fully committed to the idea. My friend and I have been half jokingly referring to him as “The Feral Ben” but that's not entirely accurate. Being of the eight branch, Sou'el was captured when young by a group which owned warriors and exotic creatures/people for entertainment. While this event is canon, what sets the eighth branch apart is that Sphen doesn’t successfully escape.

I am undecided how long he was kept before being broken out, but it was long enough for him to be passed around by a few different owners (especially since he wasn’t suited for the arena). He wound up gaining the maladaptive but effective survival tactic of molding his ideals, morality, and personality based off of whatever system of logic surrounded him. That said, his personality isn’t fractured in the clinical sense— another thing I am undecided on is how much of his misunderstanding comes from the need to survive versus being an autistic child thrust into some very different cultural settings.

A side effect of his compartmentalization is that he seemed to have become his old self almost immediately after returning to Gwen and Max; that was the logical system of Family Setting, Domestic Life, and Heroing. In these three intersecting areas, he seems very similar to canon Ben (even changing his name to that out of a desire to separate himself from the ordeal).

At some point, he wound up on the banned, “toxic” planet of Vulpin, which is almost entirely inaccessible due to the planet's naturally hectic magnetic field, abundance of parasitic sports, and the damage from being an intergalactic dump site for hazardous waste. Because of this, the only people Sou'el interacts with on this planet are native Vulpimancers. Anywhere else, the species is considered to be animalistic, beast-like, and decidedly not sentient. On Vulpin, they are considered the only species with personhood, all other kinds of creature being strange squabbling animals who seem to communicate through simplistic squawks. Ben conforms to this mentality, developing a portion of his personality specific to the planet and gaining a name for himself as a malformed youth capable of shapeshifting and speaking with the invasive species.

Interdimensionally is what the above drawing relates to— I have other drawings about the Vulpin stuff (including a comic and reference sheet but I can’t recall if they're posted). As Ben 10, he's polite, agreeable, aloof, and maybe a little seclusive; on Vulpin, he's kindly, condescending, perversely gleeful, and dismissively nonchalant; but when in interdimensional spaces, Sou'el acts with either a sneaky mischievousness, utter obedience, or predacious guile. He knows that other -ens are often scared of him and that the way he speaks and acts is rather off putting to them (as they know immediately that Something Is Wrong with this alternate), and so he amps the spook factor for the funsies. I guess that means he has something of a mean-streak, too.

Notes:

*Sou’el's full alt is <<Soughtless Angle>>, which is a reference to his fawning tendency to reflexively glomp onto whoever seems a good enough anchor (Gwen when they were young, a Vulpimancer named <<Sister Skylight>> as a teen/preteen, and maaaaybe Rook when he's a bit older).

*While Sou’el is a vulp-en, his mutations are from a different subspecies than the tiger-esq midlander (orange Wildmutt). His traits are a mix of [checks notes] Mideastern Peaks Vulpins (mountain dwellers climbers) and Eastern Chain Vulpins (island voyagers with a paralytic/dissociative venom). His tail and attached Tell are notably colorful, which is my subtle nod to how proverbially poisonous he is.

^^His colours without the shading.

Also, the darker areas that make up his claws aren’t actually a part of him, they're basically gloves the Omnitrix provides consisting of a pseudo skin and which are used to tear pliably materials.

[rufficns]

it's been a while since we've seen JASPER FINCH in the shadow world. the WEREWOLF resides in NEW YORK and reminds us of DOWNY FOXES RUNNING THROUGH RACING TRAFFIC, STACKS OF WATER-DAMAGED PAPERBACKS & THE SILENT STEPS OF A BOY BORN RUNNING. rumor has it that they might have an affiliation to NO ONE, but only time will tell where their loyalties really lie. until then, only one thing is certain : the descent into hell will be easy for THE LIONHEART.

full name ⸻ JASPER JOSEPH FINCH . nickname(s) ⸻ JAS, LITTLE BIRD . age ⸻ TWENTY FIVE . gender identity ⸻ CIS MAN . orientation ⸻ GAY . pronouns ⸻ HE/HIM . hometown ⸻ MANCHESTER, ENGLAND . current occupation ⸻ CLERK AT THREE LIVES BOOKSTORE . species ⸻ WEREWOLF . faceclaim ⸻ JACK WOLFE . influences ⸻ ORPHEUS ( hadestown ) , GEORGE SANDS ( being human ) , PONYBOY ( the outsiders ) .

A MAN WHO IS PURE AT HEART AND SAYS HIS PRAYERS BY NIGHT MAY STILL BECOME A WOLF WHEN THE AUTUMN MOON IS BRIGHT. jasper has always been cursed with violence. his father, an alpha from a small pack in manchester, england, sired four children, and the youngest—and only boy—couldn’t have been more of a disappointment. his savagery was underdeveloped, a cavernous part of his being that had never bloomed. an intelligent strain of the pack, the finch boy was kept close by, although he was judged with side glances barbed words. something wrong. something to be ashamed of. and so, he merely survived. jasper watched his siblings grow up, kill early, evolve into their full forms. all three of his sisters survived knew exactly what to do—family secrets were shared between them when the moon was round, and full, and bright, and the other finch’s would return to the family home disheveled and broken, but alive. the blood of an animal thrummed through his veins with every passing lunar cycle. so long as he protected himself, if he stayed out of danger and remained on the periphery of the pack, he could remain safe. perhaps become an author. perhaps become somebody that wasn’t tied to long nights in the forests chasing a rotisserie chicken around a tree. jasper was the one to neatly fold clothes and hide them in the undergrowth for his family to retrieve when they came to their senses in the early hours. his father was quite the expert in making jasper feel as though he was worthless. throughout his wife’s fourth pregnancy, a human who had been brought into this world by mistakenly loving a beast, he had hoped for a son to carry on those strong family genes. in the end, it was his daughters that had been born into brutality. instead, jasper was more comfortable with his nose buried in books of the mundane, of sprawling narratives that features humans doing human things. there was something beautiful about the normal, once he had come to terms with never being able to experience such a thing. his hazel eyes would watch people going about their daily lives—grocery shopping, booking appointments, riding buses—and there would be a churning, sprouting seed of jealousy twirling in his stomach like something rotting. if only he didn’t smell dying animals from three blocks away. if only he could enjoy the moonlight without a sickly sense of guilt. when maren finch killed her schoolteacher, the finch family were forced to pick up their life and move elsewhere, somewhere they weren’t known. the new york monsters looked after and cared for their own; his father decided that it was somewhere they would be safe. the idea of leaving jasper behind to pursue normality was discussed; norma finch was distraught at the idea of leaving behind her darling son, and so the four finch children and their parents upped and moved across the world to the supernatural-steeped city. so far, he has managed to avoid bloodshed. instead he prepares the wolves for the cycles of the moon and uses the scraps of humanity that he still clings to in order to better the pack. there is a part of him that feels as though he is a spare part, something that is long overdue a severing. resumés stuffed through letterboxes secured him a position at the local bookstore where, in lulls of customers, he is able to enjoy books on the beauty of love, the little humdrum details that he would never know. jasper clings to those foreign familiarities, the stories of enjoying the mellowness of flowers instead of a stinging, oppressive stench of pollen that burns his nose in tiny thorns. heightened sensation brings heightened sadness, heightened loss, heightened ache.

[bethanythebogwitch]

This Wet Beast Wednesday I'm going to talk about gars. This needs some clarification because there are a lot of different fish called gar, garfish, or garpike. I'm referring to fish of the family Lepisostidae, the only surviving members of the ancient clade Ginglimodi, which I mostly brought up because Ginglimodi is a funny name.

(image: a longnose gar)

Gars are predatory fish found exclusively in North and Central America, though they have been introduced outside of their native range. Their ancestors evolved in Triassic period and once occupied most of North America and large portions of Europe back when the continents were still connected. They are freshwater fish, though a few species will go into brackish or even marine waters temporarily. The name "gar" is though to come from the old english word for "spear", which is appropriate as gar are very elongated fish and often have pointy snouts. Many other groups of elongated fish are also given the common name of gar or garfish for this reason. Their long snouts are filled with sharp teeth which are used to crush through shells and flesh. Gars are opportunistic predators who feed largely on crustaceans, frogs, and fish and will eat carrion if they find it. The long snouts are also used to dig through sediment in search of prey They move slowly through the water, but are capable of short bursts of speed to catch prey. Most species are apex predators with no natural predators as adults.

(image: a longnose gar with mouth open, displaying the teeth)

The body of a gar is covered with thick, diamond-shaped scales. Their scales are an ancient variety known as ganoid scales which are notable for their shape and composition. Where most bony fish scales have layers of a spongy, bony substance called cosmene, ganoid scales instead have an enamel-like substance called dentine, which is also a component in teeth. The scales are also covered in a rigid, glassy substance called ganoine where other scales use enameloid. Ganoid scales also don't overlap, instead laying next to each other in a manner that provided protection while still allowing flexibility. The result is a suit of armor that makes gar very durable. Because of how durable the scales are, they habe been used by humans for many purposes. Multiple Native American groups would use scales as arrowheads, there are reports of native Caribbean peoples wearing breastplates made of gar skin, and Europeans colonists would layer their plow heads with the scales to protect the,. There is currently a market for jewelry made of the scales.

(image: a close-up of ganoid scales)

(image: an arrowhead made of a gar scale)

Gar typically lay their eggs in early spring, with the female coating vegetation with thousands of sticky eggs. The eggs are toxic to humans, capable of causing sickness when ingested. Because of this, they are unsuitable for caviar. Scientists initially thought that the toxin was an adaptation to prevent predation, but natural predators of the eggs like channel catfish and bluegill are immune. Crayfish are affected by the eggs, though it's not clear if the poison is an adaptation targeting them or not.

(image: a shortnose gar)

The swim bladder of gar is highly vascularized, allowing them to act as lungs. Most gar will surface occasionally to take a gulp of air. While they are capable of surviving on their gills alone in good-quality water, air gulping allows gar to thrive in low-oxygen water where their prey will be sluggish from oxygen deprivation. Most species live around 20 years, but the alligator gar can live upwards of 70 years.

(image: a spotted gar)

There are seven living species of Gar: the Cuban gar, tropical gar, spotted gar, longnose gar, shortnose gar, Florida gar, and alligator gar. The shortenose gar is the smalles species, reaching an average length of 62.5 cm (24.6 in) while the alligator gar is the largest species and one of the largest of all American freshwater fish at an average length of 1.8 m (6 ft) in length. The largest alligator gar on record measured in 2.57 m (8 ft 5 in) and 148 kg (327 lbs). Alligator gar were long considered a nuisance species by fishermen as they preyed on sportfish and as a result, they were frequently killed. This resulted in population losses and the fish being extirpated from many states it was once native to. Now multiple states have laws and regulations protecting them and the population is starting to see a resurgence. Alligator gar and now a popular sportfish and have been introduced to places outside of their native range, becoming an invasive species in many areas including China.

(image: two fishermen with an alligator gar)

Gar meat is edible and is described as having a very unique taste compared to other fish meat. They are not commonly eaten in modern times, but some people consider them a delicacy. Gar meat is known to carry environmental toxins like pollutants and heavy metals, which can make eating them risky. Gar are mostly fished for their scales or for sport. Only the Cuban car is endangered (and critically so) while other species may be locally endangered, but as a whole are not threatened. Gar are used as aquarium fish due to their unique appearance, though they need large tanks due to their size.

(image: a close-up of an alligator gar's head)

[loominggaia]

Question: Is it possible for Gaia to be killed or rendered unable to just destroy the people she’ll punish for making them the way they are? ‘Cus what I’m getting is that Gaia is an uncaring (Or caring in that abusive, “mother knows best!” way.) ass who lets the Celestials do whatever they want with the peoples souls, and who also has her Nymph’s kill people for not doing exactly what is told of them. If not is there a way to commit suicide that completely destroys your soul?

That's a very good question! Truthfully, no one really knows Gaia's true motives. The nymphs know more than anyone, but no single nymph knows the full scope of what's happening on a cosmic level. They each kind of get a little snippet of the story.

World Athenaeum researchers theorize that the universe is so big, that Gaia is the size of a bacterium by comparison. They believe there are creatures much larger than Her out in the cosmos, and she is far from the most powerful thing out there.

The point is, everything Gaia does could simply be for survival reasons. She seems to behave as if She can die. Some of Her actions may seem unfair from the perspective of peoples, but nature has no concept of right and wrong, or of justice.

It is known that long, long ago, Gaia was colonized by a sapient species that goes by many names. They were humanoid in shape, quite short and frail-bodied with large, bald heads and grey skin. What they called themselves is unknown, but today they are called "Ancient Dworfs", "Ancient Ones", "The Before People", or "The Greys".

Did Gaia create these people? Did they evolve from Her native beasts? Or did they colonize Her from somewhere beyond the stars? No one knows, but their civilizations grew to be technologically advanced. Eventually they developed weapons of mass destruction and waged war on eachother. The destruction caused immense damage to Gaia, and she was forced to destroy them in order to save Her own life. She ripped the great continent into pieces, killing all Greys and burying their civilizations deep in the ocean.

After this, Gaia created the peoples we know and love, and she created the nymphs to keep them in line, so that they would not repeat the Greys' mistakes. She blessed every person with a soul so that they may have an afterlife in the cosmos when their body dies. She also made a diverse variety of peoples rather than just one species, hoping that they would compete and keep eachother in line as well. She wanted to ensure that none of them became too powerful and dominated the others, so she gave them all their own strengths and weaknesses.

But why did Gaia create these peoples? Why try to replace the Greys at all? The exact reason isn't known, but some theorize that peoples may one day play a role in defending Gaia from other beings in the cosmos. Perhaps that situation hasn't come to pass yet, but Damijana is currently working on a space program, so that time could be sooner than we think!

As far as it's known, there are only two things which can destroy a soul: Gaia herself, and the Divine Executioner. Some think the Divine Executioner is an artifact invented by the Greys, while others think it was created by beings from the cosmos. This is just another piece of the puzzle which is shrouded in mystery.

We don't know if Gaia loves peoples, or if She is just using them to one day defend Her from something they can't yet comprehend. It's very possible that both things are true. Love isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time. Sometimes love means using a heavy hand for one's own good...

The celestials seem to play some role in all this. Some researchers think celestial realms are acting as "reserves" for Gaia's souls, others think this is a means of reproduction between Gaia and the celestials, and some think the celestials are just predatory cosmic creatures who feed on Gaia's souls.

There are so many mysteries to be uncovered!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[writer59january13]

After drenching biblical rainfall...

verdant green acres covered the planet of the apes like a petticoat junction donning barrel of skinny dipping monkeys. Once drought stricken vast landscape far as the eye could see suddenly flush with promise of budding new shoots and ladders for vine companions harkened prelapsarian Edenic prominence, when mother nature resplendent videre licet morning glory of primeval Earth pregnant with multitudinous color pallette regaled bipedal forerunners

of humankind with panoramic pristine kingdom, where legendary tropical verdure availed countless plant and animal species teeming with flora and fauna offering veritable Smörgåsbord to plethora of herbivores and omnivores, where expansive webbed wide world subtly hinted, negotiated and suggested horn and hardart of good and plenty. Lush vegetation adrip with downpour aftermath tempted all creatures great and small all things wise and wonderful to emerge from their respective hideaway courtesy the palpable pulsation of Gaia exuding potential power to proliferate gifting superlatives linkedin to survival of the fittest blessing natural advantageous propensities to buzzfeed capital one reproductive traits redeeming symbiotic qualities with generations of beneficial mutations at evolutionarily optimal junctures though devoid of thinking beings to witness or record phenomenal events. Nasty short beasts proliferated refining technique to do the wild thing stir (fried) crazy as concupiscent bison teen in estrus while shuffling off to Buffalo, (or where that city in the United State of America would take shape) hashtagging where x marks the spot made within man/woman caves

that did be hoof anthropologists even nearly a bajillion years later.

Imagine dragons galumphing during flintstone age culture club wielding proto humans impossible mission their mental acuity to gauge

of Homo neanderthalensis

very intelligent and accomplished humans, Whereby current evidence from both fossils and DNA suggests that Neanderthal and modern human lineages separated at least 500,000 years ago. Some genetic calibrations place their divergence at about 650,000 years ago,

nevertheless amongst the scattered clans there probably lurked an anonymous sage smart enough to induce quantum leap did jump/kick start scattered population with wits about them to sustain their existence.

Appearance of super duper wiseacre invariably punctuated Homo sapiens progenitors as an unknown mover and shaker,

who helped fledgling forebears of contemporary people to discover trappings to weasel out from being between a rock and a hard place and squirrel away linens and things for anticipated future creature comfort or necessity.

Imponderable and inscrutable poetic philosophical meanderings of mine (expounded upon while I nourished myself on a snicky snack prepared by the missus – graham cracker with Almond butter plus Rhubarb jam) found me most unexpectedly tangentially linkedin with the invaluable scientific knowledged bequeathed to civilization courtesy the greatest thinker for Grecian formula(s).

Noah (way) did Archimedes

(born c. 287 BCE, Syracuse, Sicily

[Italy]—died 212/211 BCE, Syracuse)

discover flood insurance nor prevention, but hands down he ranked as the most famous mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece. He is especially important for his discovery of the relation between the surface and volume of a sphere and its circumscribing cylinder. He is known for his formulation of a hydrostatic principle (known as Archimedes’ principle) and a device for raising water, still used, known as the Archimedes screw. There are nine extant treatises by Archimedes in Greek.The principal results in On the Sphere and Cylinder (in two books) are that the surface area of any sphere of radius r is four times that of its greatest circle (in modern notation, S = 4πr2) and that the volume of a sphere is two-thirds that of the cylinder in which it is inscribed (leading immediately to the formula for the volume, V = 4/3πr3). Archimedes was proud enough of the latter discovery to leave instructions for his tomb to be marked with a sphere inscribed in a cylinder.

Measurement of the Circle is a fragment of a longer work in which π (pi), the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle, is shown to lie between the limits of 3 10/71 and 3 1/7. Archimedes’ approach to determining π, which consists of inscribing and circumscribing regular polygons with a large number of sides, was followed by everyone until the development of infinite series expansions in India during the 15th century and in Europe during the 17th century.

[angelicalchaoticabyss]

(Holy shit got this done in time where I am)

Many words echo throughout the hamlet known as Marrowwood, a small village to the east bordered by a mighty forest. It's a beautiful town with lovely people...lovely people willing to send outsiders to the slaughter to protect themselves. For as long as anyone could remember, when the first settlers arrived they were hunted. A mighty beast resided in the forest, deep...deep within the woodland's heart. "Those who wander the forest at night, beware when the wisps enter your sight. Followed by the scent of burned wood and ozone does this beast now hunt you." Any encounters with this forest demon end in one way...death, no human has ever survived their encounter, no human weapon could ever pierce it's hide. Many wonder if it's merely bidding it's time...tolerating the humans within it's territory...

Name: Atrocitas.

Gender: Agender (It/Its pronouns).

Species: Forest demon.

Age: Eons old/Ancient.

Personality

.A scarily intelligent being, it has knowledge of many things long passed with the intuition to match. .Being what it is, Atrocitas is a surprisingly honest being. It is one to hold to it's word and deal if it ever so happens to lose. .Does have a sense of humor mainly towards dark or disturbing subjects, but it mainly finds itself laughing at the humans trying to escape. .While VERY RARELY merciful, if you can somehow prove you're worth while it just might spare your life. How you can prove such is unknown though, it's mercy is mainly used to play with victims. .A trickster, it loves to play with it's prey. Tormenting them to inflict as much mental anguish as it can. .VERY prone to violence and quite quick to anger. .Doesn't understand self-deprecating humor and won't take a playful joke towards itself. .A very hateful and silently conceited being. .Views most life below itself, weak, worthless. Very stubborn and nigh impossible to change it's mind.

Likes/Dislikes

Likes: .Inflicting suffering on and eating humans. .It's forest home. .Watching lesser beings plead for their lives in utter terror. .Gathering any soul no matter the kind for consumption. .Humans who can put a decent fight or chase, it's more fun that way. .The sound of rushing water. .Offerings. .Bells and chimes oddly... - Dislikes: .Humans, all of them. .Those who don't even try to run or fight, even the most deliciously terrified are boring if they don't run. .Holy objects or anything related to demon fighting. .Those who try to outsmart it and try to get out of their deals. .Any who dare make a mockery of them. .Humans trying to destroy it's forest, even cutting trees for fire wood enrages it. .Demon hunters, fools the lot of them. .The church of the capital city...?

Background/History

As stated before Atrocitas is an ancient being, it's existed for countless eons and would even recount days before humans. It doesn't despise humanity for some tragic past, it just views humans as weak and pathetic creatures that are just food to it and nothing more. It ruled this forest long before any of them came here like they owned the place. As for it's hate of the Church in the capital city, the love for bells...there was this one nun- "SILENCE! HUMANS DESERVE NOTHING OF MY HISTORY!!!"

Relatives/Family

Atrocitas does have an heir, though the demonling is currently kept in the Capital Church's custody.