#pleistocene pride
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Rüppell's vulture also called Rüppell's griffon vulture, named after Eduard Rüppell, is a large bird of prey in the genus Gyps which is native throughout the sahel and eastern Africa including the countries of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, The Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Here they tend to inhabit grasslands, mountains, and open woodland. Rüppell's vultures are diurnal and very social birds, roosting, nesting, and feeding in large flocks. They spend much of their time flying at great altitudes, using strong winds and thermals to efficiently soar they are known to regular cruise at upwards of 20,000ft (6,000m) above the ground with some known to go as high as 37,000ft (11,300m) making them the highest flying bird. These vultures locate food by sight only, and often follow herds of animals. Once they find a carcass they swoop down, land a little way off, then bound forward with wings spread and their long neck outstretched. Even amongst old world vultures, Rüppell's vultures are specialized feeders with a spiked tongue and strong beak they can strip flesh with ease, and feed upon pelts, hides, and even the bones themselves. Reaching around 33 to 41in (85 -103cms) long, 14 – 20lbs in weight, with a 7.5-8.6ft (2.26 -2.6m) wingspan. They are one of the largest vultures in Africa, both sexes sport mottled brown or black feathering overall with a whitish-brown underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. The base of the neck has a white collar, the eye is yellow or amber, the crop patch deep brown. The head does not have feathers. This species of vulture is considered to be monogamous, forming lifelong breeding pairs. They nest on cliffs in colonies up to a 1,000 strong. After courtship a pair will work together to build a nest using sticks, grass, and leaves that they have gathered or stolen from other nests, here the mother will lay 1 egg. Both parents share in incubation of their egg over a period of 55 days. Once the chick hatches, both parents will feed and tend to it for about 150 days when it fledges. Young remain dependent on their parents after fledging, not reaching independence until the next breeding season. Under ideal conditions a ruppells vulture may live up to 50 years.
#pleistocene#pleistocene pride#pliestocene pride#pliestocene#bird#dinosaur#vulture#ruppells vulture#africa#asia#europe#eurasia#flying#griffon#griffin#griffon vulture
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A have a lot of fun painting ground sloth, as you will have noticed by now.
These two room mates (as historians will say) enjoy some quite cuddling. The whole vibe of the scene was inspired by Byzantine iconography.
Eremotherium was truly colossal, nearly as large as the more famous Megatherium.
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Forgot to upload this in June when i finished it oops
I don't really have any lion characters but i do have my Pleistocene AU for my tusked ones (late surviving Homotherium latidens)
I'm honestly pretty happy with how all of them came out!
I had a harder time with any styles that should have thin/refined lines bc i never draw like that normally rhrfrhb
Also Lion King, that was really hard for some reason c'x
Tragically to keep some of the styles looking like themselves i had to lion-ify the nose and enlarge the lower canines (all derived sabercats have reduced lower canines and Massive incisors)
The Pride of Baghdad style is prooobably the most faithful to their actual anatomy
blank Lion Style meme by @ihopesocomic
#lion king#pride of baghdad#i hope so#my pride#kimba the white lion#kiina#homotherium#tofautisawa#lions light#pleistocene#lion style meme
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Animal of the Day!
Eurasian Aurochs (Bos primigenius)
(Photo from Britannica)
Extinction Date- 1627
Habitat- Europe; Northern Africa; Central Asia
Size (Weight/Length)- 1,000 kg; 1.8 m tall
Diet- Grasses; Nuts; Leaves
Cool Facts- The Eurasian aurochs was a majestic species of megafauna cattle that lived throughout the Pleistocene. Aurochs were believed to live in small herds and have a similar hierarchy to their current descendents of domesticated cattle. Due to their massive size, Eurasian aurochs had little to fear outside of prides of lions or large tigers. Their cultural significance travels throughout the Neolithic peoples of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Aurochs were favored creatures for cave paintings and fights in the Roman Colosseum. Domestication of aurochs began in the Fertile Crescent when humans began civilization. Unfortunately, Eurasian aurochs were driven to extinction by over-hunting and a quickly transforming landscape that resulted in the death of many megafauna species. Today, their closest relative is the rare, Spanish Pajuna cattle.
Rating- 12/10 (The loss of prehistoric landscapes resulted in the loss of megafauna worldwide.)
#animal of the day#animals#mammals#megafauna#Pleistocene#sunday#october 1#eurasian aurochs#aurochs#biology#science#conservation#the more you know#extinct#skeleton#fossil#but not really#subfossil#extinctober#pajuna cattle
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Ghost's Birthday Part 3
Ghost's Birthday Masterpost
Where do you take Ghost first?
You chose to take Ghost to see the dinosaurs first.
Leo made a good argument for the planetarium, but in the end Mikey's idea won out. Ghost had been giving them random dinosaur facts since they were kids; it was hard to ignore that.
They headed for the 4th floor, where the majority of the dinosaurs were, and began exploring. Donnie and Ghost took their time looking at the displays and reading the descriptions while Leo and Mikey were the opposite, giggling as they ran around pointing out the skeletons and taking selfies of each other pretending to be eaten by the displays.
Ghost paused by the triceratops, staring at it harder than he had the others. Mikey noticed first.
"Your favorite?" He guessed.
"Least," Ghost answered. He reached up and scratched his temple.
"Oh. What's your favorite, then?"
"My favorite is the argentinosaurus," Ghost answered, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. "It's one of the biggest land animals to ever live, possibly the biggest. It lived during the Last Cretaceous period, and they've only found fragments of fossils of it before, so it's a little hard to guess what they really looked like, but there are computer model recreations and estimations based on the bones they have found."
As he talked, he became more animated, his eyes brightening. He shifted his focus from the triceratops to the stegosaurus, ambling over.
"The one specimen they found was in Argentina, which is where it got its name from. A computer simulation that was studying its gait found that it actually walks at a decent speed despite its size, about 7.5 kilometers per hour. And even though it's the largest known titanosaur, there are some other sauropods that may have been larger, but there's so little pieces left of them it's impossible to tell. The blue whale's mass still far outweighs even the argentinosaurus, though. The argentinosaurus is only about 75 tons, and a blue whale can get bigger than 150."
Ghost had drawn Leo, Donnie and Raph's attention now as well. He'd always gotten excited talking about dinosaurs, but he'd never had his eyes wide and his voice so expressive. He shook his fists at his sides and leaned up on his toes.
When Ghost finished his small infodump, he looked down at Mikey and his expression faltered. If Mikey didn't know any better, he would have thought Ghost was flustered.
"You know sometimes I'm reminded how much of a huge nerd you are," Leo blurted.
"Leo!" Mikey gasped with a laugh.
"Says the guy who can quote all of Jupiter Jim 7 1/2: Don't Forget Pluto," Donnie snarked.
"Far off at the edges of our galaxy-" Leo started loudly.
Ghost quickly slung an arm over his shoulders and pressed a hand over his mouth, whispering, "Inside voice, Leonardo."
"Sorry," Leo said through his hand. "But I really can recite the whole thing."
"I know," Ghost murmured, a hint of pride in his tone.
"Ghost, look!" Mikey squeaked from the doorway to the next room. Ghost walked after him, peering inside.
"That sure is a giant sloth," Donnie noted, peeking around him.
Ghost let out a breath, ducking his head.
"Sabertooth tiger!" Mikey pointed and rushed over to the display.
"That's a smilodon," Ghost informed him.
"I don't see any smiles on Don," Leo quipped. Donnie shoved him and he toppled over.
"They lived during the Pleistocene," Ghost continued as Raph pulled Leo to his feet. "Only went extinct about 10,000 years ago."
"That's such a long time," Mikey marveled.
"Not in the history of the entire planet, Michael, it's quite recent," Donnie said matter-of-factly.
"I can't even wait 10 seconds for an egg to heat up in the microwave," Leo complained.
"An egg in th-?!" Mikey whipped around to stare at Leo, mortified.
Ghost rubbed a hand over his face. "Leo..."
"Whaat I learned my lesson!" Leo defended. "You only put it in for five seconds at a time!"
"With the shell?" Mikey moaned.
"Well how else am I going to fast-boil an egg, Miguel?"
"As our family court stenographer, I've put Leo down for a second consecutive life sentence for culinary-related crimes," Donnie said, tapping away at his wrist pad. "May we have the jury's approval?"
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Sparkpulse: Arrow of Time, Part 4.
<- Previous | First |
The sun is getting old.
One of the things people feel will last forever is entering the last phase of its lifespan, becoming the Red Giant. It’s a long process, giving solarians enough time to come up with an escape plan. The technology progressed far, allowing them to develop the most efficient method - using small celestial objects in their planetary system.
Solarians choose many dwarf planets and several moons, then Bumblebee moved them to the Asteroid Belt so scientists and engineers could prepare them to be suitable space travel vessels. The most work was done on the engines, capable of moving such big vessels and creating “artificial suns” - modified fusion reactors that orbit around the vessel, giving its warmth and energy to everyone below.
Once it was it was done, the next step was to relocate the entire Solar System population onto new vessels. This alone took several thousands of years as they choose to do it gradually, without stress on recourses and making necessary adjustments as the process go. People took many species of flora and fauna, saving at least something from their dying worlds.
After everything was completed, the last thing was to tune all systems for travel. While they have warp drives, they have no destinations, and looking for this will take even more time than they don’t have. Solarian Council ordered to calculate all gravitation maneuvers to move out of Solar System, while astronomers will look for a new star as they travel.
The home star tlalakans came from has entered The Red Giant phase, while cybertronian star went further, shedding all its layers, creating a beautiful planetary nebula with White Dwarf in the middle. Technically, they could settle around the White Dwarf, but Rubble said this nebula is fresh so gas is extremely hot around it.
Before the launch, Bumblebee wanted to say goodbye to Planet Titans. He started with Mars, then went to Venus, and finally, he visited Earth. The entire trip was so eerie, walking through empty cities that just recently were humming with life.
“Terra.” He calls out for the Titan. “I came to say goodbye.”
“You’re very kind. All humans and elves did the same when they departed. They grew so much since the Pleistocene. I’m so proud of them.”
“We did our best together.” Bumblebee smiles, sharing the same pride of solarians. "Interesting how their appearance didn’t change much in four billion years, yet they changed a lot on the inside. How are you, though? Are you okay?”
“I am, despite my life coming to an end. It was good, and I created countless wonderful creatures. I know my neighbors feel the same.” Terra chuckles. “What about you? You are very sad.”
“I hoped we could move full-sized planets so we could take all of you with us. Maybe if we had more time to develop the technology, but we’re out of it. The sun is swallowing Mercury as we speak.” He sighs in defeat. “I know it’s natural, but it’s still sad. It reminds me that I will outlive pretty much everything... Is this okay if we’re leaving?”
“You’re very sweet. I’m glad you can leave. Death will come and eventually claim you, but it doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow. So wherever life goes, you go too. Live your best life.”
“I will.” He smiles sadly, feeling lighter on the inside. “Goodbye, Terra. Thank you for everything. We’ll carry the memory of you into the future.”
“Goodbye Selene, and good luck.”
------
Bumblebee is snuggling into the cuddles pile with Windblade, Sari, and Rubble. Solarians have been traversing for a while. It’s been stressful with a lot of systems corrections and Life Wardens had a ton of work to do. Now they can finally catch some rest.
Windblade is reading while holding the other three close with her huge manta ray-like wings. Bumblebee is curling into her chest under her arms, laying in content with his optics closed. Sari is writing her plans on her datapad, tucked between them. Rubble is playing a game as they lean onto Bumblebee from behind.
Content, he dozes off and wakes up in the weird Collective Unconscious. It doesn’t look like what he usually sees with solarians. He finds himself floating in the open space, countless galaxies are spreading as far as he can see.
Serpentine eldritch beings float around him, acknowledging his presence. One of them moved closer, staring at him with a curious expression.
“There you are.” They said in a booming voice. “You must be the one Terra told us about.”
Bumblebee perks at hearing her name. “Hello! Who are you?”
“I have many names I keep from my past lives. You probably knew me as ‘Trypticon’ back in the day.” They said. So many colors brighten up in intensity as they said their name.
“No way!” Bumblebee exclaims.” I mean, it makes sense since all Cityformers were eldritch beings. I just never expected to run into you in your next life!”
“Small Universe indeed. In fact, a person who bonded Trypticon has found me in his next life too.” They chuckle.
“Ah, that’s so nice to hear! Trypticon’s and Sunstorm’s lives ended in a such horrible tragedy, so at least you reunited in the next life.”
“I was so happy to see him again. He even kept the Mind Telepathy, so I’m not hurting him with my presence!”
“ Yeah, I noticed if a spark keeps some memories from the previous life, their ability will probably pass down to the next. And it will get stronger with each pass, it seems. At least I see in my close friends who sought me out.”
“They must be loving you very much.”
“They do,” Bumblebee says, knowing how lucky he is. “You said Terra mentioned me.”
“Yes, she told us about you a lot, after all, you are unique. An Eldritch Being who is adapted to a mortal plane. One of a kind. So we were always curious to meet you. She also wanted us to give a hand.”
“Oh?”
“She said you don’t know where to go. Fortunately for you, there is a young Planet Titan who just finished the transformation. They’ve been asking a lot of questions about life creation and such, and we thought it will benefit both of you if you cross paths.”
“Yes! Please, can you point us in the right direction?”
------
Bumblebee was sitting in the study, reading reports about the new planetary system. It’s a lone G-Type with six planets. Two of them are orbiting in the habitable zone. One of them is a young Planet Titan that Trypricon mentioned. They’re very excited to meet new life forms and have been talking to Bumblebee a lot about creation and maintaining non-stop.
The Titan is the second planet and they wanted to be an organic world. The third planet, while in the zone, doesn’t have any life yet. It’s smaller in size, so Cybertronians claimed it for the new home. It took longer for them to cybertform it since it’s just a planet, so Bumblebee couldn’t put a spark in it to make it a Titan. For technorganic world, the Solarian Council has decided to convert most of the dwarf planets to make up for Venus.
Life Wardens have been working on adapting everyone and every animal species they brought with them from the Solar System to the new environments. The dwarf planets they came on were placed on orbits inside habitable zones, between planets. The bigger ones were paired with native planets, creating an incredibly complex, but still working, planetary system.
This system complex that memes started to pop everywhere, even during council discussions, one of the few where Bumblebee was present. The joke about creating more double planets for the double planet god kept making rounds.
“But who is the god then? Selene probably right?” Metalhawk points out jokily.
“Why me?!” Bumblebee exclaims dramatically. “Let’s make Starscream then. He was the one convincing me to steal Saturn’s moons!”
“Wait, don’t—“
“THAT’S RIGHT!” Starscream gets up and immediately puts on his golden crown and purple ceremonial cape he always carries in subspace. “I, STARSCREAM, IS YOUR PLANET GOD. BOW AND TREMBLE BEFORE ME!”
The entire room is either face-palming or laughing. Bumblebee is just cackling quietly, he knows Starscream only does it to get on Metalhawk’s nerves and he gladly enables his friend. It took them several minutes of Starscream’s shenanigans to pass before they could resume their discussions.
Over time, Solarians settled in the new system, marking the beginning of another era.
------
Life Wardens are chilling in the main room in the new home on cyberformed third planet people named Paradron, playing a new video game that was just released. They take rows on each death or major plot point and have a good time.
Except for Sari. She still enjoying herself and the company but she seems more aloof than usual. Bumblebee notices it and was about to ask what was wrong, she suddenly spoke. “Guys, I have a weird feeling and wanna talk about it.”
“Of course!” Windblade put the game on pause and sets the controller down. Rubble and Bumblebee turned to face her. “What is it?”
“You know there are talks going on for the past few centuries about a new type of depression that specifically affects people who lived a really long life?”
“Yeah, there is a lot of research going on and developing therapy methods to help.” Windblade nods, she has been keeping a close optic on this topic for a while.
“Why are only long-lived people affected?” Rubble asks out of curiosity.
“This depression is like when you stop enjoying life, but not because of stress or other usual causes, but because of a strange growing feeling that you lived too long.”
Bumblebee frowns upon hearing this. “Too long? Like nothing brings them joy because there is nothing left for them in the world?”
“Yes and no. At first, researchers thought this, and the therapy they developed was working for some patients, but for not all. Those patients felt the desire to move on to the next life. To become completely something else as they got tired from their current life as a whole. In some cases, patients became suicidal! They are very few, but their current mental state brings a lot of distress, and we aren’t sure what the best way to help them is.”
“I guess this is what Skyfire and Ion Storm were talking about. As if some people hit the mortality threshold if they live too long.” Bumblebee mumbles, still frowning over the news. Until he suddenly realized. “Wait, Sari, are you…?”
“Kind of. Yeah.” She replies sheepishly, knowing such a confession will make her friends worry. “I’ll go to therapy, but this entire thing got me thinking. Because some people really want rebirth, maybe I could invent aging for ageless people!”
They stare at her with both worry and surprise, still processing what she had just said.
“This could be a better option than assisted suicide, to be honest,” Windblade says quietly. “And it can be canceled in case they found a reason to keep living thanks to our technologies of spark transfer to a brand new body!”
“This is doable. There is a lot of research on human aging in great detail,” Bumblebee says, though still feeling uneasy. But Sari’s idea is good and will be a lot of help.
He just hopes it won’t come to her using it.
------
A few thousand years later, Sari ended up on the death’s door at home. The technology she developed with Bumblebee is working perfectly, slowly and gently, degrading the body over a long period. Just like she wanted.
Her family is by her side saying goodbyes. Bumblebee had already gone into her dying mindscape. Windblade was considering the following, but she opted to stay with Rubble and offer them support as they cry into her shoulder, bringing them and Bumblebee closer to her.
Bumblebee appears in the crumbling technorganic forest and quickly sports her.
“There you are!” Sari smiled widely.” I knew you would come.”
“Hey.” He greets her with a sad smile. “How are you feeling about all this? Ready to depart?”
“Yep. Five billion years is a long time. I made the most of it. The fact I witnessed the collusion of Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies in all this glory is the absolute highlight!” she explains, making Bumblebee laughs from all the excitement. The collusion is still going, and it looks spectacular. “Now I’m excited to see where I end up and who I will become next.”
This is the most positive reception of death he has ever seen. It brings him comfort.
“Don’t worry, Bee. I will find you, I promise! There is no way I will leave you three wandering alone in the Universe forever."she chuckles. "I love you, and tell Windy and Rubble I love them too.”
“I love you too, and I will.” Bumblebee nods as tears in his optics. “Thank you for everything, goodbye Sari.”
“Goodbye, for now, Bumblebee. See you later.”
------
No matter how many times he had experienced it, grief is never easy for him. It never gets less painful and easy to brush off. But it’s a good thing, meaning he didn’t lose the important part of himself despite being so old and seeing so much.
He sits silently by his shrine, Sari’s favorite wrench joined the rest. One thing that changed was that he finally learned how to cope, so it was painful but not incapacitating as before. And carry the loss with him as he goes on.
Windblade and Rubble are on the same page, and they know Sari will be back eventually. This makes it bearable, and even curious about which new form her spark will choose and what kind of person she will become. It’s both sad and happy, like two opposite sides of the same coin.
Solarians are grieving, but are forever grateful for everything Sari did. They created a monument for her in the capital's central square. She looks very strong, yet gentle, in the statue, holding flowers in her hands. Half of them are full of life, the other half in withering and crumbling.
The engraving says “Sari Sumdac. The one who gifted the eternal lifespan to those who age, and the natural death to those who don't.”
------
A spaceship with researchers crashed into the mountains of the 4th planet because of a severe blizzard and now is being lost. Losing no time, Bumblebee immediately teleported to the approximate location where they last detected the crew. This was supposed to be research on this snowy planet that lies just outside of the habitable zone. And sometimes emergencies happen due to unpredictable weather with heavy snowstorms and complicated landscapes.
As he stepped into deep snow, he inspects his surrounding. He quickly concludes that flying isn’t a safe option. While he can handle strong turbulent winds, the visibility is so low he can’t really see his outstretched hand and the temperature is dropping low that might cause hibernation. So he puts on a warm green cloak to keep himself warm and comfortable and focus on finding survivors.
It doesn’t take long for him to locate them. They aren’t too far away from him so he can carefully walk over, then open a portal back to the space station to rescue. The cane growing out of his left upper arm provides enough stability to stay on foot in deep snow and gusting winds.
Soon enough, he reaches the crashed spaceship, which is broken into three pieces. He senses several sparks inside the middle part, which is gradually being buried under the snow.
“Hello?” Bumblebee steps inside, drawing the attention of everyone to him. “I’m here to rescue you!”
“Selene!” several solarians exclaimed and rushed towards him.
“I’m so glad you found us!” the tlalakan captain runs over. “The communications are out, so we couldn't call for help. Good thing no one died during the crash.”
“We saw a huge storm cell over this area, so I came after you immediately. Does someone need help? I can heal some injuries.”
“Sure, while you are on it, we are gonna finish out salvaging before we can depart.” The captain nods and leads Bumblebee towards the injured.
As he was healing as much as he could, a figure looms from behind watching him intently. When he finished, he turns around to see a being he has never seen before. A very long energoid with three ruby eyes, with four arms, and small four legs. The belly is translucent, making the power cores visible. Little fishes are swimming around. A large blanket resting on their back and shoulders.
“Woah.” He whispers in awe.
“Hi, Bumblebee, I found you!” the energoid says with a soft, echoey voice. “I’ve been looking everywhere. I’m Anlyf, a rekan from aquatic planet Reku which is located on the side of the galaxy.”
His optics widen from two things. The fact the energoid knows one of solarian languages, and the fact they use his original name so casually. The way they said it gave a lot of sense of familiarity to him. A sense of déjà vu emerges from his spark.
“Really?” he stands up and finds himself a head shorter than rekan in front of him. "Nice to meet, Anlyf. How did you end up here? This region must be really awful for you, as I see your body is filled with water.”
“Yeah, it’s sucks, I feel I’m turning into an icicle soon.” She giggles, bringing her blanket closer. “I crash landed here because I accidentally flew into an asteroid ring. Then in a few minutes, these guys came down, so I decided I could help. There are beasts lurking around, after all.”
“Thank you for your help!” Bumblebee smiles. “I'm curious. I’ve seen different energoids in the Milkomeda Galactic Union, but not your kind.”
“Yeah, we rekans are a relatively young sentient race, and just contacted the representatives of the union to join. We’re hive-minded, so our social and technological advances went pretty fast.”
“That’s fascinating! And you’re still connected to the collective, even being so far away?”
Suddenly, Anlyf’s eyes went black. “Yes, we are always connected, no matter how far we are. We’re happy that after a long search through Anlyf’s past memories and asking around the galaxy, we were able to locate you and other Life Wardens.”
The eyes went back to red and giggled. “Woops, that was our whole collective talking. Sometimes this happens. We are just very excited! I hope it doesn’t spook you much.”
Bumblebee was lost for words. Not only did he witness a massive planet-sized gestalt talking to him, but the entire species went through the trouble of finding him. From the other side of the galaxy! He has an idea why because he can’t think of anything else.
“Sari?” he carefully whispers.
“Memories were vivid. I had an urge to seek you out since I emerged from the primordial river.” She smiles as she opens her arms. “I fulfilled my promise, aren’t I?”
Bumblebee's optics fill with tears as he hugs her tightly. “Welcome back.”
Life Wardens were whole once again. The cycle continues and will continue as long as Bumblebee lives. Life after death, going away and returning anew.
------
When astronomers first discovered that space-time is contracting, it wasn’t a really big deal. The process just began, marking the exact middle of the Universe’s lifespan. People were generally okay with this. They knew that nothing lasts forever, and all things should die eventually.
Sadly, over time, there was a person who got terrified of the idea of death on a Universal scale and the idea that everything will cease to be without rebirth. Soon people came to know her as Shazraella. At first, she tried to convince Bumblebee to stop the Big Crunch from happening, sincerely believing he has the power to change it.
But even if Bumblebee could, he would never do this. Death is natural and important. Without death, things would stagnate, preventing new things from coming.
Shazraella was furious. She didn’t understand why someone who was supposed to care about all life was willing to let everything go. So declares war against him and anything he cares about. With her followers, she builds a technology to manipulate space and time at will. It didn’t give her the control she wanted to change things, so she decided to force Bumblebee to do what she wants.
That means to hurt him as much as possible until he can’t bear the pain anymore.
For years she led attacks on the planet after planet inside the union, destroying entire civilizations. Life Wardens, solarians, and their allies were saving as many as they could. Things were looking promising as Shazraella’s onslaught weakened. It wasn’t too long until she would bestopped. But a painful twist of fate changed everything.
Bumblebee and Windblade are fighting fiercely against her, pushing against his limits to stop her. They were really close to defeating her, but to his horror she pulled an ace from her sleeve - a massive attack that destroyed two planets next to each other, killing everyone in the radius, while she warped to safety and leaving her fleet to die.
Bumblebee only had time to shield himself and Windblade and the next second the unbearable pain pierced their sparks. Out of eleven Life Wardens, Bumblebee’s loving big family, only them has survived. He roars in despair as his old wounds have opened. All nine were gone. All their hopes, all their plans, all their dreams were shattered at this very moment!
They float in space among the broken pieces of planets and fleets for a while, not having any strength to move or even call for help. They could only cling to each other and cry into each other's shoulders from sorrow and despair.
When the help eventually came, they looked into each other’s optics. No words were needed to understand what they have in mind - Shazraella will pay.
“Why do you resist so much?!” Shazraella screams in fury. “Why do you even care about the dead, especially when you’re the one who refuses to stop the death of the Universe?!”
“You killed so many people for no reason! Yes, the Universe will die, but it’s not ending yet! We have so much time to live!” he roars back, cutting through her defenses in his beast mode.
“They will return anyway. It’s not a big deal!” she huffs dismissively.
“NOT A BIG DEAL?!” he screams, as if his voice alone could tear her to pieces. How can she be so divorced from the concept of death?! “People you killed will stay dead forever, with their lives and dreams crashed into void! The grief to you caused to countless people will stay with us for the rest of our lives!”
Together with Windblade, Bumblebee pressed on, cutting closer. This made Shazraella desperate, she decided to use her last resort. She exploded the space near her, aiming to take down the last Life Wardens but underestimated the power of the blast, which ended up killing her. This time Windblade reacted first to protect Bumblebee, but her shield wasn’t strong enough. The blast threw her away and in the next moment she went limp.
“WINDY!” he cries out in terror and runs towards her. Her spark emerged from the body. Bumblebee felt like time slow down as he reached out for her with his hands.
The next moment, he fell down. He noticed a vine sprouted out of his hands, wrapping around Windblade’s spark tightly and bringing her to him. He takes the spark in his trembling hands. Her spark feels warm, humming with serenity. She doesn’t pulse as the spark isn’t in the body anymore, which has already lost all colors.
The battlefield went still and silent. Before anyone could react, Bumblebee dashed towards Windblade’s body and teleported away with it.
Bumblebee appeared by the shore, very far away from the battlefield. It’s peaceful, only the wind and the waves. His mind is running fast upon realizing Windblade is dead. Yet she is not, as her spark is still in his hands as he inspects her broken body.
The entire left side is heavily damaged, and the chest and the head took the most of the blast. The left arm almost got torn off, and half of the face was broken beyond recognition. He probably can heal the body, maybe even reconstruct it from scratch, but her spark is vibrating slightly. He doesn’t know why, but something tells him that he must act fast before he loses her forever.
Bumblebee pours all his energy into Windblade’s body, making his vines move into it, sealing or replacing any damage. They reattach the arm and wrap tightly, they cover the left side of her face and bloom. In a few minutes, the integrity of the vessel was restored, and Bumblebee pushed her into the spark chamber.
A few seconds felt like an eternity as he was watching the spark, not knowing if she’ll accept or reject it. Suddenly, the spark began to pulse again, and colors sprouted back into the vessel. In a minute, Windblade woke up.
At first, she’s confused, noticing first that half of her vision is gone, then she finds the strength to slowly sit up. Her entire body feels sore and sloppy, but she’s alive.
“Hey.” She smiles after seeing her amica staring at her with anxiety and relief. “We made it of this alive, huh?”
Bumblebee’s voice was gone. He wanted to reply or say how happy he was to see her, but nothing but sobs escape his throat. Huge tears filled his optics as he embraced her tightly. The full realization sank in and his tears became bigger and sobs harder, crying uncontrollably into her chest.
Windblade hugs him back and holds him close, not knowing what just happen. She doesn’t know yet that Bumblebee did was something that many assumed he could do, but in reality impossible.
Resurrection.
Bumblebee always knew, in theory, it was doable, but no matter how many times he tried to catch a departing spark, he was always too late. Sparks are fast and never stay once they lose their vessel. They won’t ever respond to his call. Today it was the first time he managed to pull this off… and the last.
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After Shazraella’s death, her entire movement was finally stopped, making everyone sigh in relief, though the victory felt shallow. So many people died. So much grief affected everyone. Bumblebee and Windblade were broken inside, they clinging to each other as much as they could to cope.
Over time, civilizations began rebuilding and perished. Life Wardens found them again one by one and took most of the work while they slowly recover.
It took a really long time, Bumblebee often found himself relieving this and the similar nightmare from the past over and over. Nightmares about losing Windblade and seeing her broken body haunted him even when he was awake. Sometimes it felt like it became too unbearable and impossible to break free from. He cursed himself for letting everyone die, and he cursed his immortality because he can’t join his dead friends. He fell down into the abyss, returning to his nasty habits, feeling like the pain gonna last forever.
Then the Universe reminded him that nothing lasts forever, including terrible things.
Bumblebee wasn’t alone, he was loved, and he has people to take care of. Windblade is alive thanks to him, and she needs his support, as she’s hurting as much as he does.
They know those wounds won’t heal, but with love and care from each other, their family, and friends, they can start moving forward and keep those who perished close to their sparks.
As time goes on, Life Wardens keep balance and look after everyone, until the very end.
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Bumblebee wakes up, looking at the colorful space above him, followed by Windblade. They reached the end of their memories, which brings them back to the present. She pulls him close, snuggling tightly. For a long time, they didn’t say a word, just feeling content from each other's warmth and reflecting on their lives.
“Windblade, how do you feel about your life?” Bumblebee asks softly, nuzzling her face gently. “Was it good? Fulfilling?”
“It was a WILD ride!” Windblade laughs. “Never in my life I would expect it to turn out like this. So much happiness, so much pain, so much wonder, and horror. I’ve seen things I could never imagine and met so many people. I’m happy I lived that long to see it all. With you by my side. What about you?”
“I feel the same.” Bumblebee smiles. “Even when I thought all hope was lost, when I was laying there beaten and broken, there were many things that kept me going. A wind caressing my plating, an orange sky painted by the sunset, people creating new things every day, a presence and warmth of your loved ones. Little things, big things, all were worth it despite pain and malice. There was always something worth fighting for, even if we didn’t see it all the time. I’m happy we stayed together until the end.”
“Yeah, it was worth it.” Windblade squeezed Bumblebee in her arms. "I think it’s time.”
“You’re going?”
She nods. “I’m satisfied and ready to pass.”
Bumblebee gives a warm smile and nuzzles her gently. “Then I’ll be right behind you. Thank you for everything. Goodbye, Windblade.”
“Goodbye, Bumblebee. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Windblade closes her optics, and the spark emerges from her chest. Her vivid plating grays and flowers wither. Bumblebee watches her spark go with teary optics. Even if this must happen, it is still sad, it still hurts. As she departed, he let himself mourn as much as he wanted. Then it was his turn.
Bumblebee snuggles into Windblade's empty shell, then he answers the Well’s call and lets go of his life. But just like he thought had seen it all, the Universe throws him an unexpected surprise. Instead of passing away, a portal has opened in front of him.
“What? C’mon! I thought we’re finished, no?” Bumblebee stares at it in disbelief. He could feel the Well still calling for him, but for an unknown reason, it wants him to come alive!
“Well, well, well…” he snorts at his own silly joke. "Looks like I have one more thing to do. I hope you won’t mind waiting for a little longer.”
He gets up, making sure to not disturb her, and covers her with blankets. He gives her one last glance before heading through the portal.
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Bumblebee finds himself floating, surrounded by countless lights dancing around him. There is no mistake, he’s in within the Well. All the lights are sparks, the lifeforce, souls of the entire Universe concentrating within this dimension. The atmosphere is filled with anticipation.
Several sparks got close to him, nuzzling against him and humming softly. Bumblebee knew all of them were people who loved him and kept coming back. They made him happy, as their love lasted for countless lifetimes. He smiles and opens his arms and the sparks rushed into a hug. They stay like this for a while until they float away and call Bumblebee to come with them.
He follows them to what seems the Well’s center. There is a cocoon with a figure inside it. The Eldritch Dragon gets closer and touches it. At first, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. The being inside isn't like anything he has seen before. Its very look defied all known laws of physics. But the vision deepened, and it all began to make sense.
This being was like him, the last living creature of the previous Universe. The portal opened, and it went into the Well, into the cocoon, taking the place of the previous being from the previous universe. A cycle!
Bumblebee gasps of surprise and wonder. The Universe itself is alive, and just like any living being, it needs a crucial component.
It needs a spark.
As the contraction of the Universe accelerates, Bumblebee accepts his fate with a soft smile. He knows this existence will be completely different, transcending way beyond mortality and immortality. He won’t be himself anymore, but something entirely else.
This isn’t the kind of death he excepted to meet, but he’s content nonetheless.
He enters the cocoon, letting the creature’s spark join back to the rest in the Well. Everything becomes a singularity. Bumblebee gazes into the endless swirls of quantum possibilities and entangles his very being with some opportunities, making them real, setting in stone the brand new rules for the brand-new Universe.
Death begets life. The Big Bang brings a new beginning with Bumblebee’s soul at its center.
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If you have made this far, thank you for reading!
This is my first time participating in such event as a writer. Fun fact: I applied the very last moment because I had doubts that I will be able to write 10k in such a short period of time. Now I'm laughing since this beast went out of control and I had to trim some parts so I could make it time. So I apologize if the story turned out too condensed and fast-paced. Too many ideas and so little time ahah :D
I'm happy that I finally could write a story touching the topics like mortality, immortality, god-like powers, and the death of the universe (if you're familiar with me, you know I often go into this direction with my ideas) and exploring what it's like. My inspirations and favorite themes are coming from all different directions: like Bicentennial Man (the movie saw as a child that stuck with me ever since), the concept of cosmic horrors (which is funny, I never read any of Lovecratf books lol), reincarnation, interspecies relationships (ahh this is why I like humans in TF), the idea to write an all-powerfull character to be vulnerable and Outer Wilds is being such amazing and emotional game that kickstarted this whole story!
Plus, I just love write Wind&Bee as queerplatonic couple and I'm always craving for more. Also, Rubble deserved better!
Now I'm going back to writing the next Sparkpulse chapter, so if you liked this story, I think you should check out the main one too ~
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How Ice Age Promotes Family Values
When presented with the question “What is a family?” a lot of people may not be able to give a clear definition. But look no further because a mammoth, sloth and saber-tooth tiger will certainly help you with the answer.
By following the Ice Age saga we get transported thousands if not millions of years ago during the Pleistocene ice age. The main protagonists consist of Manny a stubborn and definitely not fat just poofy mammoth, the clueless sloth Sid whose speech impediment is usually used as the comedic relief and the not so fierce and scary saber-tooth tiger Diego. Unlike every other National Geographic documentary the three animals eventually overcome their differences end up sticking together. The Ice Age movies address the topic of love and family in two ways: finding your lifelong partner and finding the people who will eventually become your chosen family.
When it comes to finding the right person for you, Manny and Diego both share many characteristics. At first they are rather closed off and opposed to the idea of love let alone of starting a family. However, their feelings change with the introduction of their love interests Ellie and Shira. Raised by her opossum “brothers” Crash and Eddie, Ellie’s unusual behavior is the main setback in the beginning of her relationship with Manny. In reality, Manny’s main goal and the reason for picking a partner were to spark the mammoth population which was endangered due to the floods. During the next sequels we see that they eventually start a family and have a child called Peaches. Diego’s love story is that of enemies to lovers’ trope as his love interest is first introduced as one of the villains of the film. Abandoned by their previous prides both found a new group of animals where they fit in. The major difference between their new friends is that Diego’s consists of individuals that actually care for each other while Shira’s is just a bunch of backstabbing bandits. Their relationship gets its foundations on understanding the definition of a family and caring for one another. In the end both couples contribute perfectly to the franchise’s heterosexual heaven.
Families come in all shapes and sizes but what connect them is not always the genetic relations of each member but rather the functions they serve within that group of people. And who better to demonstrate this than Sid. Although it is shown in multiple films that Sid has an actual family, he ends up choosing a completely different group of mammals. In fact, his biological family abandons Sid and his grandma twice due to the fact that they are both weird and one is too old and becoming a burden. The goofy sloth’s importance to the creation and unity of the new formed family is of the highest degree. He is shown to have attempts of romantic relationships however they all end up failing. What his character demonstrates is that anyone can become your family when you all care and protect each other.
Overall, the Ice Age franchise is full of the formation of relationships which are either romantic or platonic but one thing combines them both and that is the redefining of a family. The focus here is placed on the importance of loving and caring for people despite their differences.
I give this animated series 10 families out of 10 acorns.
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Raptors of Lemuria
For pictures see https://lemuriaspeculative.wordpress.com/2023/03/01/raptors-of-lemuria/
The largest birds of prey of Lemuria. Atop is the Rukh, followed by the Ningal (Lemurian Serpent Eagle) on the left and the Wagal (Lemurian Giant Falcon) on the right, the two giant eagle owls (larger U’uli and smaller N’ii), the Swagal (Lemurian Giant Falconet) and the various secretary owls.
Like many insular landmasses, the apex predators of Lemuria bear wings. Birds of prey are well known to attain insular gigantism and lord over island ecosystems, from the neighbouring Malagasy Crown Eagle to the Haast’s Eagle of New Zealand.
Unlike these birds, however, Lemuria’s largest birds of prey are not eagles, but rather unexpected species: owls, falcons and an Old World vulture. They are also relatively recent arrivals; previously, flying volaticotheres were the aaerial top dogs. The climatic changes resulting from the fusion of Maldivia and Marama as well as general Miocene climate changes ended much of the giant flying mammals, and allowed these upstarts to take their place at the top of the pecking order.
The largest of the falconets, the ancestors of the Swagal underwent a similar process as the Haast’s Eagle in New Zealand: an extremely rapid growth from a small bird into an aerial predator on the range of 13-14 kg and with a wingspan reaching 2.7 meters (females on average larger than the males, naturally). Having diverged from other falconets in the Pliocene, it was probably the first of Lemuria’s raptors to evolve, and subfossil remains dating to the early Pleistocene in the Great Lakes region seem to confirm that.
The Swagal is effectively the tiger of Lemuria, patrolling the dense rainforest habitats while the Wagal soars over the plains. It is the uncontested apex predator in the dense forest environments, both in the lowlands and at high altitudes, its talons capable of crushing anything from the hips of moamingos to the skulls of elephants. One female has even been reccorded attacking a freshwater dugong, dragging its body ashore. It nonetheless usually preffers smaller prey like mid-sized gondwanatheres and dryolestoids, which it can carry to the treetops to feed undisturbed by scavengers.
It is largely sedentary, adults forming strict territories; those of larger females may incorporate those of several males. Breeding takes place year round in rainforest habitats, after the wet season in slightly drier forests and in the (south hemisphere) summer in montane forests, every two years for the individual. Pairs last only during the breeding season, both male and female brooding and feeding the young bird for roughly an year, when it is near adult-sized and capable of fighting for its own territory; sexual maturity is reached at 6 years of age. The nest is a large platform on the tree canopies, though it occasionally also builds said nest on the ground, few predators willing to steal an egg or chick when at least one parent is around.
The Swagal has historically been the symbol of the Betsana Empire and subsquent east Lemurian nations, in contrast to the Wagal and west Lemuria. In a sense, it is analogous to the tiger while its open fields counterpart is analogous to the lion. A symbol of national pride, it is nonetheless endangered by deflorestation and revenge killings, as these birds are known to kill and eat even adult human beings.
It’s common name comes from the Werer language, from “seri” (broad, in this case “broad winged”) and Wagal (see below).
Weighting around 13-16 kg and bearing a wingspan of 3.3 meters, the Giant Falcon is the largest falconid in the world, a fitting giant in an island where the birds achieved uncontested supremacy of most raptor niches. Its exact position within its kin is unclear, but genetic studies place it most closely related to the hierofalcon line, probably having diverged from them in the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. The first subfossil remains apear in the mid-Pleistocene in the western Lemurian desert sites, implying that the species itself as we know it is a rather recent inovation.
Besides its massive size, the Wagal also possesses a proportionally larger and more powerful beak. As the apex predator of plains, savannas, steppes, semi-desert, alpine meadows and other open environments, it is the only falcon to specialize on mammals, attacking even the largest elephants, gondwanatheres and adapids by using the standard falcon techique of becoming a living missile. The talons, crushing through bones at such speeds, are then joined by the beak, inflicting even more damage. The prey is thus likely to die from shock very quickly. It is the raptor most specialized to feed on megafauna, rarely targetting prey smaller than a sheep, though it will frequently scavenge as well, its bulk enough to scare off most other carnivores. On occasion, it tackles bats and volaticotheres in flight.
There are two subspecies, the Western/Lasa Wagal (F. g. occidentalis) and the Eastern/Hesa Wagal (F. g. orientalis), the former being larger as it forages over a larger range that includes the western savannas and semi-deserts as well as the alpine plains, while the latter is confined to pockets of savanna in the eastern peninsulas. The Lasa Wagal is the one depicted and differs also from its smaller cousin by a brighter colouration.
The Wagal breeds either in the wet season or during the (south hemisphere summer) in the case of highland populations. The nest is a shallow cove on the ground, no predator willing to face the angry birds. Pairs mate for life, and brood the egg and raise the chick for a period of about an year. Sexual maturity is reached at nine years of age, and breeding intervals can take up as many as three years.
Hisotrically, the Wagal has symbolised the Arrokath Empire and subsequent western Lemurian nations. It is the most revered of the giant raptors, with even its eastern populations being seen as majestic, if lesser to the Swagal. During the Chola Dynasty the bird become a pan-Lemurian symbol, until the “rivalry” between the west and east was restored. It’s biggest threat today is the decline of megafauna due to environmental disruptions, though some farmers are willing to sacrifice cows to help these birds survive.
If the Wagal lords over the plains and the Swagal over the forests, then the Ningal rules over the wetland habitats. It is particularly fond of the unique Sammangal environment, where it resides during the dry season (when it also breeds) and migrates to more conventional wetlands such as deltas when the monsoon floods its hunting grounds.
Of the giant raptors, it seems to be the most recent arrival, having diverged from the Malagasy Serpent Eagle (Eutriorchis astur) around the late Pleistocene at 500,000 BCE. Like other raptors it underwent a rapid growth, attaining a maximum body weight of 15 kg and a wingspan of three meters, though unlike the Swagal and the Wagal it didn’t become entirely dependent on megafauna. In fact, it hunts all manner of prey from locusts to caecilians to fish to moamingos to hippos, with peafowl seemingly being its preferred prey.
As mentioned above, it breeds during the Sammangal dry season, when peafowl and other large animals roam the desiccated wetland; populations in more normal wetlands breed year-round. The birds engage in momentary monogamy, selecting a mate for the season and thus a territory, their loud, shriek-like calls heard throught the day in order to keep other birds at bay. Both parents incubate a single egg for about 38 days on a nest built on a tree (to avoid freak floods), and raise the chick for two months. The young birds may stay up to yet another month in the territory of their parents, learning how to hunt, before being chased off. Sometimes, large numbers may gather at a large carcasse, particularly young birds without full territories of their own. Sexual maturity is reached at around 5 years of age.
Unlike the Swagal and Wagal, the people’s of Lemuria have a more complicated relationship with this bird. It is the major antagonist in the national epic The Drama of the Moon, where it appears as a Set-like figure. With the arrival of Buddhism, it became equated with the Mahakala, a fearsome guardian figure. While rarely outright persecuted, this bird is currently largely endangered due to wetland removal, and it isn’t nearly as charismatic as its falconid counterparts.
The largest of the lemurian apex predators, the Rukh is also one of the largest flying birds in the world and without doubt the largest true raptor, bearing a wingspan of 4.5 meters and a body weight of 15 kg. Bearing a rather aquiline appearence and a fully feathered head, it is very similar to the Cinereous Vulture, but its relations are somewhat more complicated, in great part because it is very clear that it, the Cinereous Vulture, the Lappet-Faced Vulture, the Red-Headed Vulture and the White-Headed Vulture are all very close relatives. For convenience’s sake, the bird is reffered here in the “genus” Aegypius, but its actual relationships within this clade are not fully resolved. Regardless, it has been around since the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary, subfossil remains occuring both in desert and alpine sites. This makes it the oldest lemurian raptor to appear in the fossil reccord.
Like the Wagal, the Rukh occurs in open environments; due to its size, it frequently soars at high altitudes and thus above forests, having no subspecies. Stray birds may even occur in South Asia, Madagascar or even Africa. It is primarily a scavenger, though it can take kills as large as an elephant calf. Such depictions no doubt inspired the Middle Eastern stories of these birds hunting elephants, though such events are comparatively rare. On occasion, it might stalk small prey on the ground like a stork or secretary bird, but it generally hunts from above like most raptors.
The Rukh breeds year round, though breeding intervals may take up to 4 years. It mates for life, pairs reinforcing their bonds through elaborate dances and aerial talon-locking spectacles. The nest is often built on the ground, but it is no stranger to nesting on the trees or cliffs. A single egg is laid and incubated for about 70 days, resulting in a small semi-altricial white downed chick. Moulting first occurs at 30 days of age, with the development of flight feathers, and is completed by 60. Fledging occurs around 130 days or so after hatching, but the young stay with the parents for up to another 4 months before leaving. Sexual maturity is reached at around 10 years of age, and the birds are known to live for as long as 70 years. Breeding success is, as per most of its relatives, very high, only other giant raptors posing a negative impact.
Middle-Eastern stories aside, the Rukh is generally seen as a peaceful bird, no doubt due to it preffering to scavenge over hunting and its white plummage. Many lemurian burials are sky burials, feeding these noble birds (and, if the deceased is lucky, a passing Wagal or Swagal). Like other vultures it is vulnerable to diclofenac poisoning, but thanks to its role in sky burial rituals diclofenac is officially banned in Lemuria.
The U’uli is one of two of Lemuria’s native giant eagle owls. It represents the second wave of eagle owl immigration, having diverged from the Eurasian Eagle Owl in the late Calabrian, coinciding with the extinction of a previous giant owl species, Aquilostrix faciens, and the first unambiguous remains come from the early Ionian. Subfossil remains are found throught the island, matching the bird’s widespread range. It occurs in all manner of habitats from semi-desert to wetlands, avoiding only the most dense forests.
Adults can reach 19 kg and a wingspan of 3.7 meters. In spite of these, they rarely target larger prey, as like most owls they suffocate their prey rather than pierce them with their talons; it hunts anything from locusts to mammals as large as pigs. Being rather versatile, it can thrive easily by avoiding competition with other giant raptors and targetting prey that they aren’t targetting. Wagals and swagals going for megafauna? Pick caecilians and fowl. Rukhs going for carcasses? Pick living prey. Swagal eating peafowl? Pick carrion. And so forth.
Such adaptability means it can breed year around, though highland populations preffer the (southern hemisphere) summer and those in the Sammangal the dry season. Like many raptors it nests on the ground, usually using used peafowl nests. Like other eagle owls, both partners engage in “duetting”, bowing and calling to each other. The female lays up to four large white eggs, and won’t leave the nest for 47 days, her mate bringing her food during this period. The chicks are raised for about four months, before leaving the territory. Sexual maturity is reached at around 5 years of age.
Like most owls, the U’uli has an ill reputation as an omen of death, though it’s size makes it a formidable adversary (though these birds rarely ever attack humans aside from defending their nests). It is thus often personified as the god of evil and the night in opposition to the Sun Goddess in many lemurian cultures. By far the main threat to its existence is persecution, particularly as they are not at all bothered by urbanisation and often nest on rural and even suburban areas.
Despiste being the exact same size as an Eurasian Eagle Owl, the N’ii represents an older owl clade, having diverged from its mainland relative in the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. What it lacked in size, it developed in skill; unlike most owls, which suffocate their prey, this bird hunts by piercing its prey like diurnal raptors do, an atavism as ancient owls also did this. This feature is shared with the extinct Aquilostrix faciens, and some researchers consider moving either the N’ii to that genus or A. faciens to Bubo. A. faciens once roamed most of the island, disappearing with the arrival of the U’uli.
Is the N’ii a remnant? Who knows, because both birds co-exist in its montane habitat, the N’ii occuring both in the montane forests and meadows. It is a specialized hunter, preying upon the endemic bear-sized lagomorph the Uaemotol, though it has also been reccorded attacking gondwanatheres and even humans. It’s piercing talons surely allow it to tackle proportionally larger prey than the larger U’uli.
Like most piercing predators it hunts from above, descending unto the prey’s back. But otherwise it spends most of its time on the ground; a N’ii might track a Uaemotol purely by sound for days by walking, then flying up silently and descending upon the unsuspecting prey.
Like its larger cousin, it nests on the ground, during the (south hemisphere) summer. Like other eagle owls, both partners engage in “duetting”, bowing and calling to each other. The female lays a single white egg, and won’t leave the nest for 47 days, her mate bringing her food during this period. The chick is raised for about two years, before leaving the territory. Sexual maturity is reached at around 11 years of age.
Due to its isolated alpine habitat, it has little interactions with humans. It’s name is an onamatopeia given by the Ragar people which it shares its environment with, which otherwise steer clear from this omen of death. Deflorestation is the main hazard to this species, with occasional persecution being a minor problem since few people live in the highlands.
Secretary Owls (Tytogrus)
These unique barn owls have specialised to a more terrestrial way of life, developing long legs and necks. Stalking both during the day and night, these birds only take flight to avoid predators or cover larger distances, otherwise preferring to run and walk. They are by far the oldest giant raptors, having diverged from other owls in the late Miocene, before the birds replaced the giant flying mammals as top predators. An extinct species, Tytogrus rangiferi, is well attested in numerous sites across the East Peninsula as recently as 30,000 BCE, and is possibly ancestral to the Avana and G’ulia.
Due to their more diurnal habits and comical apparence, these birds are generally seen more positively than other owls, and are in fact often welcomed to clear out pests. Still, a few species are endangered due to habitat or prey loss. They are seldomly distinct in most cultures; the names given here are all regional names applying to the birds as a whole in the native dialects.
The largest of the secretary owls at a height of 1.4 meters and a wingspan of 2.5 meters, the Sagu’ul is a truly imposing resident of the savannahs and veldt of western Lemuria, occuring more rarely along northwestern forest mosaics. It bears a distinctively white-grey plummage, with dark brown remige and retrice uppersides, an orange-golden facial disk and leg feathers and a black shoulders. Its neck plummage seems rather disporportionally thin compared to the large facial disk, from a distance making it look like a very unusual crane. Unlike those birds, though, the Sagu’ul is almost always seen alone or in pairs, hunting at day or night for primarily small mammals and ground dwelling birds, occasionally also hunting reptiles, arthropods and, on rare occasions, stomping large caecilians to death.
Like most of its kin, the Sagu’ul spends most of its time on the ground, striding through the tall grass or barren fields, either chasing after prey or pouncing in the vegetation, but it bears massive wings and it is a frequent flyer, either travelling long distances in search of new hunting grounds or performing bizarre maneuvers. Mated pairs frequently chase after each other in the air, and perform strange tricks, locking talons and intentionally bumping into each other. When threatened, it usually runs away, flying only when escaping ground dwelling predators like large sphenodonts, as aerial predators like the Wagal and the Rukh can seldomly be evaded on the air.
It breeds year round, though within intervals of up to 4 years. Both parents use a hole in the ground, usually one already dug by gondwanatheres or other mammals, but they can dig on their own, creating a burrow of up to 2 meters in depth. There, both parents incubate two large white eggs for up to 60 days, and raise both chicks for around 9 weeks, before they’re kicked out. Birds reach their sexual maturity at 6 years of age, and have relatively high breeding success rates at 89%, as few predators dare to attack their eggs and chicks.
At around 1.3 meters of height, the G’ulia is found across the southeastern East Peninsula, occuring through a variety of open environments, preffering savannahs and tropical grasslands but also occuring in open woodlands and similar mosaics. It has a largely light brown plummage, with darker wing feathers and white facial disks, tail feathers and leg “socks”, females also possessing white dots on the chest, while juveniles are predominantly black. It is most closely related to the Avana, and as such it shares some peculiarities with it, like a whistling, high pitched bark-like vocalisation that it uses when communicating over large distances, as well as a higher tolerance for woodland biomes and a higher content of insects and amphibians in its diet compared to the Sagu’ul and Tureia, preffering them to the largely mammalian prey of those species. That said, up to 46% of its diet is still composed by small mammals.
In some areas, G’ulia have a tendency to follow large mammals like elephants and large gondwanatheres, feeding on animals fleeing the giants, insects attracted by their dung and sometimes even stealing the placentas. Normally solitary, several birds may gather around in the wet seasons, tolerating each other more eagerly than normal.
Like most secretary owls, it nests on burrows, though like the Avana it may also do so in hollow tree trunks. It is a rather seasonal breeder, preffering to incubate its eggs around the dry season, and raise its young during monsoon months. Sexual maturity is reached at 5 years of age, with breeding intervals lasting for around 3 years.
The smallest of the secretary owls, the Avana stands at merely a meter tall. A largely brown coloured bird aside from the white “socks” and black facial disc, it inhabits the scrubland, semi-desert, forested savannahs and dry woodlands across the southwest of Lemuria, its range just to the south of the Sagu’ul’s, though they overlap significantly in the center-west savannah systems. In the late Pleistocene, its range appears to have extended more throughly across the center and east of Lemuria, including many areas now governed by Sammangal wetlands, and it clearly diverged from the G’ulia later than from the rest of its clade, and both were probably also particularly closely related to Tytogrus rangiferi.
The Avana is a rather insectivorous bird, with 56% of its diet being composed of large insects like grasshoppers and beetles, and the owls frequently forage on termites. It also feeds largely on frogs and squamates, with mammals, birds and sphenodonts composing a relatively small part of its diet at 20%. It is the only secretary owl to be primarily nocturnal, rarely foraging at midday, though it is frequently active at dusk and dawn.
Unlike other secretary owls, it rarely digs, preffering to nest on hollow trunks. Also unlike virtually all other owl species, it lives in small family units, the young remaining with their parents until they reach sexual maturity at 5 years of age, helping to raise the next generation and to defend their territory. At night, Avana family units produce loud calls in unison, a strange an alien chorus common throught their range.
Similar in size to the Sagu’ul, the Tureia is a rather different bird. It has a primarily black plummage aisde from the torso and wing undersides and the golden facial disc, and while all secretary owls have feathered legs, it has also feathered toes, contrastingly white in colour. Having diverged earlier from its relatives soon after the initial split, it is rather distinct from its relatives in many aspects, and its not clear if these are remnants from the last common ancestor between all these birds, or the result to its highland environment.
The Tureia inhabits the central lemurian highlands, in particular open alpine meadows and steppes, as well as the wetland mosaics and, more rarely, open Nothofagus complexes; it is sedentary, seldomly migrating to lowlands, though it is rather nomadic and frequently crosses valleys at high altitudes, there being virtually no isolation within its range. It is almost exclusively diurnal, rarely hunting at night, and it has a prefference for mammalian prey, small gondwanatheres composing up to 86% of its diet, though it also feeds on tenrecs, flying mammals, birds, frogs, caecilians and sphenodonts. More rarely it may target large prey, pairs ganging on wounded large gondwanatheres or dryolestoids and eating them alive. Though such events may allow an increase of individual tolerance, most birds are strictly solitary, emitting loud, songbird-like calls that are rather melodious in sound, if bellying a darker intention.
Also unlike most secretary owls, it nests on a shallow cove, not digging burrows or using trunks, much like other large terrestrial birds. It breeds during alpine spring months, the eggs being incubated for about 57 days and the young raised on the nest for three weeks, before they can walk and run, and thus accompany the parents on foot while they stride. Another six weeks, and they develop their adult plummage, and stay with their parents for about another month before leaving. Sexual maturity is reached at 8 years of age, and breeding intervals may last up to 6 years. They have virtually no predators aside from the Wagal, the eagle owls and the Rukh.
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threw this together super lazily thinking i didnt have any art from this year but i actually just did a shit ton of oc art that i never posted here. ill explain them all down here.
January: doodle of my old outfit that I used when i do humans vs zombies at my university
February: warrior cats oc art of Larksong and Blossomheart (and their younger versions, Larkpaw and Blossompaw)
March: Blossomheart, again
April: another warrior cats oc, Condorflight
May: Sweaterduo as animals that I think represent them best (Schlatt as a dall sheep and Wilbur as a young red deer)
June: Sweaterduo at a pride parade, i think i did this as a request for someone on here?
July: my lioden boys from july! King Cesar (the one with the red mane), Mchwa (pink mane), Matunda (gray and white mane), and Izinyo (blue-ish mane)
August: a redraw of a doctor who scene with the Master, but with c!schlatt in his place
September: A dnd character i made up, the human ranger named Buck Holliday and his horse, Tequila
October: two pleistocene era wolf OCs, Ark and Faris, facing off ❤️
November: that one c!schlatt art based on a bible verse
December: a self portrait i did to practice drawing humans/shading with some new brushes.
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Skalds, DNA, and a Winter So Cold It'd Freeze Your Horns Off: Ragnar Lodbrok Spills the Mead on Our Ancestors' Epic Survival
Ahoy, Tumblr kin! Gather 'round our digital campfire, for we've got a tale that'll make your modern-day struggles look like a walk in Valhalla. You see, Ragnar Lodbrok here, yes, the Viking hero of old, has taken a break from raiding to narrate a saga so epic, it'll make your ancestors' bones rattle with pride.
Picture this: 900,000 years ago, Earth was gripped by a winter so brutal, it made Jotunheim's frost giants look like icicles at a summer feast. Our ancestors, those plucky predecessors of ours, were facing a deep freeze that could freeze the blood in their veins. Not your everyday chill, but a freeze that would make the bravest warrior shiver in his fur boots.
You're probably scratching your head, wondering how a battle-hardened Viking like me knows about such ancient times. Well, I've been chatting with some scholarly types, like Nick Ashton and Chris Stringer. These brainy warriors have been scouring the past like I've scoured seas, using their smart-people tools to uncover secrets about this icy epoch.
During this frosty era, known as the Middle Pleistocene transition, our world transformed into a frozen wasteland. Forests bowed to the relentless march of ice, and creatures either adapted or kicked the bucket. Our ancestors, a hardy bunch, but not quite Vikings, were a leaner breed of human, struggling to survive in a world turning against them.
Ashton and Stringer, these scholarly heroes, say this merciless winter caused a 'population bottleneck.' Imagine trying to pour mead through a narrow horn, and only a trickle gets through. That's what happened. Their numbers dwindled, squeezed by the frosty grip of this endless winter, until there were only about 1,300 breeding warriors and shieldmaidens left.
These few, these brave few, clung to life like barnacles to a longship's hull. For almost 120,000 years, they battled this frigid foe. This wasn’t a battle of axes and swords, but of will, grit, and a burning desire to survive against the odds.
What's more, this chill left its mark on us, in our very genes. These modern-day seers have used FitCoal (Fast Infinitesimal Time Coalescent) magic, reading the runes hidden in our DNA to find traces of this struggle for survival.
So, raise your horns to those ancient warriors of survival. Their battle against a winter that would chill the bones of Ymir himself is a story we should never forget.
Now, let's talk about FitCoal, the seer’s tool more cunning than Loki. It's a method to peer deep into the past, using our genes. Think of it as a longship, not with oars and sails, but with the power to voyage back through the murky seas of time.
FitCoal is like having the sharpest-eyed raven in the skies. It looks at the patterns in our DNA and relays dispatches of our ancestors. They found that our forebears' numbers dwindled down to a mere 1,300 souls. For 120,000 years, they clung to life, their numbers as scant as leaves on trees in the dead of winter.
But how did these transformations occur? It was the result of unflinching pressure, the kind that turns coal into diamonds. This period of hardship may well have been the forge in which the chromosomal fusion, a hallmark of our species, was crafted.
Our ancestors' trials shaped our genome, carving out traits that would see us thrive in a world that was constantly shifting. Our capacity for adaptation, our unparalleled knack for survival, is their gift to us.
The future skalds, the scientists and storytellers of tomorrow, have yet to write their revelations, their discoveries yet to be told. The scripts of the past are a guide; it's their hand that will carve the scripts of the future.
So, there you have it, Tumblr folks. A story of survival, resilience, and icy battles that makes your winter woes look like a tropical vacation. Skål to our ancestors, the true heroes of humanity's saga! 🍻🗡️🛡️
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The tiger shark is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a highly nomadic species which inhabits tropical and subtropical waters world wide up to 3,000ft (900m) in depth, and is often found in coastal waters with particular abundance in the gulf of mexico, Caribbean sea, Indian ocean, and western pacific. Tiger sharks are often call the garbage cans of the sea and have reputation for eating almost anything. As such there diet is wide and heavily varied an is known to regularly include: small fish, jellyfish, crustaceans, cephalopods and other mollusks, rays, skates, sawfish, sea birds, sea snakes, sea turtles, other sharks, dolphins, seals, sea lions, dugongs, manatees, crocodilians, porpoises, and sick or injured whales. When near islands or coastlines they have been known to eat sheep, goats, dogs, pigs, rats, horses, deer, cattle, cats, camels, monkeys, inland birds, bats, lizards and inedible objects, such as license plates, cans, tires, books, boat oars, soccerballs and baseball bats. Tiger sharks are themselves occasionally preyed upon by orcas, great whites, and saltwater crocodiles. The tiger shark commonly reaches 10.5-14ft (3.2 -4.26m) in length and 385- 1400lbs (175 – 635kg) in weight, with the largest recorded reaching 18ft (5.5m) long and 3360lbs (1525kg). This ranks the tiger shark amongst the largest extant sharks on earth only being surpassed by the whale, basking, great white, pacific sleeper, Greenland, and blunt nosed sixgill sharks. They have a broad snout and stocky body with proportionally large fins and a long upper tail. Tiger shark teeth are unique with very sharp, pronounced serrations and an unmistakable sideways-pointing tip. Such dentition has developed to slice through flesh, bone, and other tough substances such as turtle shells. In the northern hemisphere the mating season takes place from march to may and the southern hemisphere from November to January, with males breeding every year while females breed once every 3 years. After a year long pregnancy mother tiger sharks give birth to 10 to 80 pups. Under ideal conditions a tiger shark may live upwards of 12 years.
#pleistocene#pleistocene pride#pliestocene pride#pliestocene#fish#shark#shark week#tiger#tiger shark
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Another #paleostream sketch
Two Homo erectus sitting by the fire, they are roommates.
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Places of interest in Biopunk South America
Torre Del Tricentenario: Built for Argentina's tricentennial in 2110, this inmense building in the shape of a DNA strand stands above an artificial island complex in the Rio de La Plata. At over one Km high, it's the tallest conventional building in the world. Galleries of almost surreal artificial ecosystems intermesh with offices and shopping malls, with a view of Buenos Aires from above. It is also the HQ of the Argentine space mining agency, Recursos Cósmicos Federales.
Santos-Dumont Space Elevator: The pride of Brazil, the silver cord that conects Earth to the Heavens, the construction of the space elevator created a boom of space exploration and industry, reducing costs and making Brazil have a near-monopoly on space launches. Though most space operations are suspended because of the Ecocide, Brazil remains the nation with the largest space presence. The station at the other end, Hy Braseal, is a space city on its own.
Nawe Epaq: Created by Samuel Álvarez, a biopunk of Qom descent, the Nawe Epaq is an inmense tree, or more properly a forest, that covers the city of Resistencia, in Argentina, sheltering it from the summer heat. Species from all the region grow in the vertical forest, and biosculpturers have created world-known artworks from its columns.
Coricancha: The Temple of Inti, the god of the Sun, in Cuzco was restored after the Andean Revolution as it was in the times of the Incas. A dazzling monument full of gold and gems (most of it extracted from space mining), it is a major spiritual and cultural center for Tawantinsuyu, despite the more controversial modern additions.
Floating Cities of Maracaibo: The ecological restoration of Lake Maracaibo in the late XXI century involved the collaboration of fishermen, ecologists, biopunks, and other people from all over Venezuela and the continent. The floating tree buildings in the lake maintain its health and are home to peculiar biopunk subcultures.
Parque Pleistoceno: A complex of interconected lands which were formerly intensive farmland, it is owned by a biopunk cooperative who wishes to restore the megafauna that populated South America during the pleistocene. While their attempts to extend it to the rest of the continent have been unfruitful, people here can see glyptodons, toxodons, mastodons and so many other animals in all their glory.
UNCEI Headquarters: The HQ for the United Nations Council on Ecological Infrastructure is located in Bahia, Brazil. An inmense complex of biocrystal and living architecture built in the Afro-futurist style, its living stained glass murals remember the victims of the Ecocide and the hope for a more peaceful world.
Floresta da Esperança: A chain of floating mangrooves and coral reefs built around Rio de Janeiro and the coastal cities of Brazil to protect them from the Southern Atlantic hurricanes, as the climate crisis abated, they became tourist attractions and centers for the biopunk culture. The lights of the frutas da luz can be seen from the long beaches, guiding the local cetacean pods in their travels.
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Waiting outside the throne room like a stalker. And what if Goldie never leaves his throne? These were just some of the things that Kiomi failed to take into consideration when she was thinking up a suitable gift for the King of Heroes. Sitting on her knees, the girl merely sat there with patience, fumbling with the mistletoe that had now lost its self defense properties after having been told it was rude to hurl them at people. Wine had been a gift on her mind. However, would a drink no matter how good, be palatable when it came from someone whom manages to inspire one's ire? So instead, she would lower her pride and offer her respect instead. It was nothing fancy, nor was it tangible. But for someone who never considered herself his subject, this was the only thing that she felt was suitable as an offering. She couldn't even consider it a gift, because presents were only deemed as such by the receiver. At least to her, that's how it worked.
“QUIT MEANDERING BEYOND MY DOOR, CUR.” Tyrannous and empyrean arises his edict, not yelled nor growled but viscerally experienced within the coils of mortal blood and bone, commanded on High with more permanence than absolution wrought directly from the pits of Heaven sundered from the tongue of An and into the lion’s den. His ire reigns ignited by the vicissitudes of what he deems nothing less than insolence and a waste of his time and graciousness — the mage of verglas sullying the point beyond his chambers with her rough-hewn gauche, subsisting upon her patience and wearying his own with ignorant abandon. Did she anticipate him to wait upon a brighter hour to find her beyond his domain, seize her by the scruff of her collar and entertain her words? FOOLISH she is, antithetical to the common sense in those far off days where men knew the critical nature of the King’s time and the order of his verdict, who made no light of his demesne irrespective if it was in palanquin or dais, but Gilgameš knows her to be bereft of all tact and the finer points of grace toward those of loftier existential and authoritative standing.
It was DESECRATION.
Kiomi could waste away upon sore knees where corner hoons tread and spat, but not here.
ENOUGH, the palatial door to his throne room clatters open with august wind not unlike the gust which onslaught the fall of man and drowns men that thought themselves sagacious, zephyr lurching forward like forceful hands that grapple Kiomi without the slightest remorse of any tenderness her bones yet held, gale ushering her past the door to his grand hall and onto the golden spot beneath the high perch of his throne. It bends not her knee, that was ardor for her own muscles to presume. The King of Heroes scrutinizes her stolidly, stoically, through the intense aperture of his golden lids weighed heavy from the toils of God and Man alike, his eyes a MERCILESS judging and verdict, waiting, SEETHING for her justification. He is none beguiled by her presence, she like her gelid magicks a crystalline structure for him to raze and crush into a thousand pitiful shards should he want for a world of glaze and Pleistocene rime. What folly of this girl, to think an Absolute being needing or wanting of her service or the divesting of her pride, to proffer him something that was her due obeisance — that should have already belonged within his coffers. She needn’t words to sully his air, he unraveled her like an ancient opus before his all-seeing and all-understanding eyes of almighty arbitration, having so witnessed and lived and subsumed through every Anthropocene foible (turpitude, wrath, abduction, debauchery, depravity, gorging on the Original Sin), well intimate with the beasts his herd. The question here: to guide or slaughter.
His voice, more akin to the howl of sundering storms than mortal vocalization from brassy chords, grand and palatial heavier than divine domain, SEARS with the indifferent cruelty of nature handing out its verdict upon ill-prepared and ignorant men glutted on the venom of their own hamartias. Perchance he is granting her an opportunity, if not salvation; perhaps he is granting her prospect to conjure within him a laugh. “I command you explain yourself. Of what purpose have you rotting about my throne on your knees as though awaiting the King to acknowledge you?
— What shall you proffer me beyond your prior insolence that should rectify your disrespect?”
#Koorinohebi#𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. the king has spoken.#𝐈𝐂. šarrum sa in šarri šūturu anāku.#// Interestingly in CCC Gilgamesh has a skill called Let loose the Winds (風を放つ/ Kaze wo Hanatsu)#Which is a likely reference to the thirteen winds Utu/Shamash unleashed upon Humbaba#Wind is further mentioned as a metaphor for the transient nature of Man’s actions in Tablet II of EoG:#‘As for man his days are numbered whatever he may do it is but wind.”#While it's not delved upon canonically I found it fascinating to incorporate it somehow#(it is also not farfetched in the slightest that Gil should have an NP capable of generating wind beyond any godly ability)#Interestingly we now have an instance where Gilgamesh vocalizes that he shall give ear to Kiomi's words#Thank you for sending this in!#(icon artist credit: a.u. delete / pixiv ID 5376622)
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Over a hundred thousand years ago on the grassy plains of Pleistocene Africa, an early Homo sapiens woman must fend off a pride of attacking lions.
Did you know that, during the Pleistocene epoch, African lions could grow much larger than they do now? One specimen from Kenya known as the Natodomeri lion, which lived about two hundred millennia ago, could have weighed up to eight hundred pounds, much more massive than living lions and more on par with the giant “cave lions” of Eurasia as well as the American lion during the same epoch. Imagine the first of our species having to contend with those!
#prehistoric#pleistocene#african#black woman#woman of color#woc#warrior woman#homo sapiens#lions#natodomeri lion#big cats#animals#wildlife#savanna#paleoart#digital art#art
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Containment||
| @pacifistghost |
➣ Cloud unlatched the huge hook that connected the crate to the helicopter and hopped down from the top of the reinforced crate, dust puffing as he landed. Huffing breaths and soft rumbling growls echoed from the inside of the last of the three crates, making obvious the displeasure of the flight. Wordlessly, he gave thumbs up to the helicopter above and stepped away, squinting against the sun as the pilot shied off into the sky. He surveyed the area, appreciating the quality of the enclosure. The details and specifications he had -demanded- requested were laid out well. He eyed the containment measures-- they certainly looked the part of being secure, and hoped that they were more than just show for the public. He prayed that they were better than the ones that his charges had outwitted and outgrown.
Strife wasn’t much of a people person, but the animals were a different story. Understandably, he gave his the respect that a quarter ton killing machine deserved, regardless of his status within the small pride. Still, work came before play and the new handler had some time to kill before they were introduced into their new habitat.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed another person approaching. He sighed, gave a light tap to the largest of the three boxes and tried to put his best face forward, turning to her. The girl was...odd looking, to say the least, but the creature perched upon her thick leather glove drew his attention, and his apprehension dissipated. Beady green eyes shone with intelligence, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He rifled through his memory for the right name for the creature. “The base.....Graciliraptor or Gui? Sorry. Cretaceous’s a little rusty. “ He reached a tentative hand towards the spotted reptile, offering the back of his hand for the creature to scent, before looking back up to the girl. “Pleistocene’s my specialty. Cloud Strife. “
#pacifistghost#hope jurassic park au works for you#sorry took so long#i was really scratchin my brain for this lmao.
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