#quetzalli answers

[amerricanartwork]

I saw your lilypad art post, and I got curious: why do you enjoy lilypad? it's not a common RW ship, so I'd be interesting to hear what about it you enjoy!

Hear me out, guys... I must explain myself before I get onto the Lilypad essay.

I made that original comment because, at the time, I wanted to just get the aforementioned headcanons out as soon as possible. Understand, my reluctance wasn't because I didn't want to talk about Lilypad, but rather the exact opposite: I had so many feelings about it, yet had put so little effort into expressing them in a coherent, presentable format that I just knew it'd distract me for the next week or two if I let it rent too much space in my conscious thoughts. But now that little comment has left me with several people asking me to share those thoughts, and, both thankfully and unfortunately, I simply can't resist indulging in thoughts about the characters I love—!

Keep in mind, I haven’t finished Saint campaign yet, and even then I’ve found like less than half the broadcasts in Spearmaster campaign yet, so there’s likely some extra canon info I may be missing that could add to or change some of what I say here. I also apologize if some of what I write here seems really out-of-character. I try not to let my passion for my little headcanons and scenarios make me disregard the canon, but even so, I might slip and think up some weird things occasionally. Nonetheless, I feel like I’ve got enough of the picture to start confidently enjoying this ship, so I’ll talk about it anyway! 

As always, feel free to add to these ideas if you can! Without further delay, enjoy this 3381-word essay, with a few initial headcanons sprinkled in, on why I adore Lilypad!

Oh, and just in case, if you couldn’t already tell, major Hunter campaign spoilers below.

Quetzalli on Loving Lilypad

I’m gonna start this out with a preface: I can generally find the appeal in a lot of different ships and the art other fans make for them, but for me to ship something enough to actively draw it and make my own headcanons about it and such (outside of, perhaps, gifts for other people), it usually has to contain a variety of “ship tropes” that I personally fancy. Many of my most-favorite ship tropes tend to be the ones that aren’t just cute, but that carry narrative significance and seem poetic in some way, usually because they can facilitate character arcs in the involved characters. The more of these a ship has, or the more ship tropes I can portray it with without it seeming too out-of-character, and the more I like those specific tropes, the better. This principle is a major reason why I’ve gravitated towards Artimand as my main slugcat ship, but for now, I’m going to focus on which of these I see in Lilypad — in canon content, other fan-portrayals, and my personal headcanons — that, as opposed to other iterator ships, has currently won me over.

I’m gonna describe the main general things I like seeing in this ship. Some of them are more due to fandom portrayals than what’s in the canon, but they all play a big role in my current love for Lilypad. 

Synergy

I’ll begin with how I really appreciate just how much synergy Looks to the Moon and No Significant Harassment are shown to have, at least in fan content! I always like seeing pairings where the characters aren’t just romantic, but also work really well together as a team or even just as friends. After all, just because the characters may be romantically in love doesn’t mean they must only show it in explicitly romantic ways. To me, Lilypad strikes me as a relationship where Sig and Moon would make an amazing team in many aspects of their lives, whether it's collaborating on projects, sharing their interests, or trying to maintain order in the rest of their group. And their compliment is just really sweet to me, though I’ll get to that later.

A Shoulder to Lean On/The Lady

One of my favorite ship tropes is “character with a lot of weight on their shoulder who finally gets to lift it off and be ‘normal’ for once when around the other”. I’ve always found it sweet when characters like this, especially ones who are normally very selfless, finally get a chance to indulge and enjoy themselves for once! And once again, this is another thing I imagine in Artimand too, and you could project this onto Trafficlights given Suns’s implied high status, but I think it works especially with Lilypad, given Moon’s role as group senior means she objectively has a lot to manage all the time with no permanent escape from it. Even beyond the whole Five Pebbles rot drama, Moon probably had a lot on her plate just in terms of maintaining order between the rest of the group and setting a good example to the younger generations, especially as the group expanded over time, not to mention trying to find the solution herself. Combine this with how I picture her to be the kind of person who cares a lot about her image as a “proper” and  “dignified” leader, and someone who often sacrifices her own desires to promote the group’s welfare, I just find it really soft for her to have someone to lean on, metaphorically (and in a worm-off-the-string scenario, literally), and who better to go to than her best teammate, who knows the power of a good laugh and will stop at nothing to have fun with those he loves? Not to mention, since I headcanon Sig as slightly younger than Moon (2nd gen, specifically), I just find it rather cute in an ironic sense that the older, more serious Moon is soft around the younger, far more chaotic Sig, especially as Moon would go through the realization that she actually kinda likes this little troublemaker! 

This also comes back to something I mentioned in the tags of that beepsnort post, which is that one of my other favorite ship tropes is “guy who loves/is good at making people laugh x girl who has a REALLY weird/embarrassing laugh”, and that just works so well with Lilypad! It’s admittedly a very headcanon-based thing for me, but given how I’ve already explained my perception of Moon as very proper and serious, I imagine one of the best ways Sig takes the weight off her shoulders is by being the only person who can consistently make her laugh so hard! And with the beepsnort headcanon it’s even cuter, because of course Moon would be super embarrassed every time she even so much as gives a half-chuckle at one of his jokes, because Sig is relentless when it comes to getting the giggles out of her, and he won’t stop until she’s rolling and shaking on the floor of her chamber, her beepy-snorts filling the room! My GODDD I love this trope so much, and for beings who are inherently such workaholics, I think getting to genuinely relax and have fun for a bit, once she gets over the initial shock and embarrassment, would be something Moon would really come to value.

Inverses Attract/The Tramp

I’ve mentioned it in my last Artimand headcanons post, but one of my absolute all-time favorite ship tropes is the classic “opposites attract”, although I prefer the name “inverses attract”. As I like to portray it, the trope not only involves characters who are opposites personality-wise, but those being opposites of the same core aspect, and ultimately helping balance each other out by offering the other half of the equation to each other (hence the name “inverses”). The trope I just wrote about above is how Sig helps Moon to relax and have fun, but as I try to do with all ships, how does it work the other way too? Well, I really like to imagine Sig learning to be more openly serious and dedicated! Don’t get me wrong, Sig is a hard worker (it’s pretty much the nature of all iterators), but given he seems to pretty strongly reject the quest for the Triple Affirmative, I imagine the next problem would be in him finding a new purpose to strive for. And what better new purpose than in standing by and protecting the group senior he thinks he just might wanna be more than friends with?

It already works because Moon, of course, would work to keep Sig in check and make sure he doesn’t go too overboard with his shenanigans. But just imagine how inspired he’d grow over time seeing Moon work so hard to keep the group together and keep them striving for their purpose, even if he doesn’t agree with it. I imagine it’s why Sig’s methods are still rather controlled rather than purely chaotic, and there’s a reason to his rebellion. Thanks to Moon, rather than slaving away at a seemingly impossible solution until his mind collapses with his structure, he’ll use his talents to, at the very least, keep the local group together as long as possible, because even if they’ll all be gone one day, that doesn’t mean they have to go alone!

It’s why I’m also labeling these two tropes together as “the Lady and the Tramp”, yet another ship dynamic that gets me every time! It’s a specific instance of “inverses attract” where the noble, proper lady finds a taste of freedom and courage from the dangerously charming tramp, who from her finds a new sense of purpose and honor! And in my opinion, Lilypad is most definitely the best opportunity for this dynamic among Rain World ships!

The Fated Couple

Slow-burn couples seem to be pretty popular in many fandoms, but what about a really slow-burn? There’s something just so romantic to me about the idea that Moon and Sig, from the moment they met, have always just clicked so perfectly, and have been by each other’s side so constantly ever since, to the point it seems practically inevitable to everyone (except them of course) that they’ll eventually get together romantically. Of course, there are two main roadblocks to their romance being 1.) their whole objective and purpose for being created is kind-of fundamentally opposed to strong attachments like love (I mean, if Karma 3 is Companionship, wouldn’t romantic love be considered the worst example of that?), and 2.) even if they did reject this purpose, being massive immovable structures with the only humanoid part stuck deep inside a box, a budding romance seemingly couldn’t really go anywhere anyway. In fact, because of these roadblocks much of my Lilypad imaginings take place in the ever-popular “worm-off-the-string” scenario, especially since the next couple of reasons for why I like the ship play a lot into the themes I like to incorporate in this story concept. 

However, these issues towards such a romance are also what make it so sweet in the end! Just think of Moon, alone in her chamber, beginning to worry about how she’s actually kinda sorta, maybe, hypothetically, possibly, just a little bit starting to like the carefree and charismatic Gen 2 in the local group as even more than just a work partner and a dear friend, but oh no, that’s indulging in a Karmic Sin, and as group senior she can’t just throw away their purpose like that and set such a bad example to the rest! What’s she gonna do?? And then on the other side, Sig puzzling in his chamber, pining so hard for the group senior yet seemingly unable to confess, because, even disregarding Karma 3 and the fact that giant immobile calculators aren’t about to be snuggling any time soon, why would someone as perfect and powerful as her want someone like him, so dismissive of their core purpose and unorthodox in his methods? Is there even a point in having these feelings at all, when they might very well end up simply fading to dust along with the rest of his structure?

Maybe, they both think, it’d be better to just keep these feelings to themselves and quietly love from a distance. That is, until…

Moon’s Collapse and the Slag Reset Keys

The fourth reason is, of course, the most steeped in canon. It goes back a bit to the “shoulder to lean on” concept, but even aside from that, there is something just so romantic about this on both sides.

Firstly, from Moon’s perspective. There’s no doubt that the collapse must have been very traumatic for Looks to the Moon physically, but I like to think about just how much it’d affect her emotionally, too. I mean, being so painfully destroyed by your own brother, with seemingly nothing that can be done to stop it and no one to help you? And then consider how lonely it must have been in her final moments. The only comfort she does get is from Spearmaster’s visit, and even then she sends him off to go deliver her final words, which has still got to be really depressing. And finally, think about how betrayed she must have felt, trying so hard throughout her operation to help her citizens and the local group and be kind to everyone, only to have it be repaid like this, forced to collapse in on herself, being buried under her own body, unfathomable pain all around, and with not a soul to help her.

So then, think about just how shocking and heartwarming (literally, if you think about it) it must be when that lovable Gen 2, always so playful and carefree normally, is the one to give her a second chance and being her back when all hope seems lost, and using such a unique delivery method no less! I mean COME ON, Sig literally brought her back to life, how could one NOT fall in love with someone who did that for them? It links back to the “shoulder to lean on” idea, in that, for once, someone finally looked out for Moon and gave back to her for all the kindness she gave to the world. Think about this as the moment she truly realizes she’s in love with No Significant Harassment, and how tragic it’d be knowing now, it’s too late to say it. But, even so, if he’s willing to go this far to make sure she’s okay, then maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance her love at least wasn’t alone.

Now, my thoughts about this from No Significant Harassment’s side (which also kinda turned into a mini NSH appreciation paragraph that links back to the earlier Inverses Attract and Lady and the Tramp segment), I think it’s very poetic to see him going out of his way to take his messenger concept, originally used for no more than a trivial prank and at most a very experimental and unfinished alternative communication method, and turning it into a noble last-ditch effort to rescue the one he loves. It doesn’t just clearly show how much he cares for Moon that he worked to save her when no one else did (and if that’s because the odds of being able to do anything seemed very low to the rest of them, that makes it even more sweet) I think it shows off a lot of Sig’s character beyond just being a jokester. Like, I’d seen this kind of personality for Sig in the fandom content before, but this action and the other broadcasts are what first made me truly realize not just that it is based in canon, but that, more importantly he’s not just stupid or unfocused, he’s rebellious. He doesn’t joke around because he just doesn’t care, it’s because he’s independent, he’s got other places he wants to go and plans that don’t fit into what most of his peers are used to. He makes light of the world because he sees what others don’t, and it’s honestly pretty frickin’ funny how blind others can be most of the time (case-in-point: him making a slugcat from a messenger, which no one else thought to do because those creatures seemed too “dull” and “primitive” to ever be capable of such a thing). So think about how significant it must be when he’s openly taking something seriously. This is where that dynamic of the Tramp, and how Sig would benefit from this relationship is really highlighted. I just adore it when the easygoing, carefree character finally finds purpose in their lover, and springs into serious action like they never were before! And it makes sense too given what I said about them not getting together before: seeing Moon collapse would show him directly that even beings as durable as iterators don’t last forever, so if he’s got these feelings for Moon, he’s got to make a move while there’s still a chance! And what better way to show his love than to bring her back when all hope seems lost? Which brings me to the final aspects I’ll talk about here, first of which is…

True Love’s Kiss

Yes, you read that right. The real reason I love the slag reset keys as a plot element so much is not just because it shows Sig’s secret strength of character, not just because it finally gives reward to Moon’s kindness, but because it is a real fairytale come true! 

I know this sounds crazy and probably totally unrelated to Rain World, but think about it! You guys have probably seen Snow White and Sleeping Beauty before, or at least one of the two? Isn’t the whole trope that the beautiful princess, fairest maiden in the land, gets cursed through some means or another to die (or in Aurora’s case, fall into an indefinite sleep), which is only undone when the strong and brave prince, riding upon his noble steed, awakens the princess by giving her true love’s kiss? I already love both those movies on their own for various other reasons, but after my description, is this starting to sound familiar in another way?

I mean, with everything I’ve said about Moon in this post so far, there’s no doubt you could perceive her as the “fair princess”, who through unfortunate circumstances is put to a premature and indefinite death. And there’s no doubt Sig fills the role of the brave prince by working to save her with the slag reset keys, which in this metaphor are undoubtedly the “true love’s kiss” that ultimately conquers all, always longed for, and finally delivered! And hey, given Hunter is the one to carry the keys to Moon, a small yet courageous beast who stops at nothing to meet his goals, Sig even has his own “noble steed”! And even if Hunter is technically the one to actually deliver the green neuron, and the death the “princess” succumbs to wasn’t out of genuine malice towards her, I think the sentiment is still there and the parallel is close enough! 

But yes, as strange as it may sound, the fairytale parallel is the main reason Lilypad resonates with me so much! Those classic fairytale-esque romance tropes and that poetic storytelling found in Disney’s first feature-length animated films has always been dear to my heart, and is even more so now that I’m older and can truly appreciate the beauty of them. So now, even in my fandom experiences, ships that win my appreciation over all others are often those that manage to embody those classic romance tropes and themes as best as possible, and frankly, even Artimand loses ever-so-slightly to Lilypad in this regard! Or, as I also enjoy calling them, “Lifeline”, for reasons that are probably obvious now. 

And it’s even better when you consider…

Some Things Never Change

Another trope I’ve recently begun to love is the idea that some phenomena in the world never truly disappear, but simply manifest in different ways, sometimes unexpected ones. And given the whole Triple Affirmative quest and the Ancients’ mass ascension philosophy, this idea is something I especially love seeing in Rain World content. Even the canon events show this idea, but think about how wonderfully it would work with Lilypad beyond just the slag reset keys, especially taking up that “worm off the string” iterator AU concept some have explored in this fandom already.

Just think about how sweet it would be when Moon and Sig, operating primarily through their puppets now, get to finally hug and kiss and be with each other so directly now! Think of the way Sig would speak to Moon about how, even after her collapse, she's still somehow beautiful as ever, and Moon returning with how even all the trouble the group has faced hasn't put a dent in his charm! And it's even sweeter when you consider it’s against everything their creators stood for! Think of Moon, after everything she’s been through and how much she’s probably changed at this point, now willing to give some of these “worldly attachments” a chance, because you can never truly get rid of them, but she knows better than anyone that you won’t be around to experience them forever, so why not enjoy it while you’ve got the chance? And it’d make sense too, not just for her own benefit, but for Pebbles and the rest of the group’s sake too! She’s always strove to set a good example for them, and since their original quest has left them with nothing but pain and trauma, why not show them that maybe all these attachments aren’t so bad after all?

I just think it’d be really interesting to see Moon joining Sig in that rejection of the Triple Affirmative, and what better way to do that than by finally embracing that love they’ve felt for each other for so long? Because love never truly dies, it just appears in new people. And maybe they don’t have to spend their whole lives as grand iterators, the vast infinitely-advanced mechanical deities who embody perfection in almost every way. Maybe, even just for a bit, they can just be people, falling in love just as their creators did all over again!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

And with that, I think I’m FINALLY done here. HOLY COW, this is easily my longest post yet, and I hope it doesn’t disappoint! Part of the reason it took so long was because I was trying to find the perfect way to express all these ideas without it just spilling out onto the page in some weird half-coherent mess. But eventually I just said “ah screw it, let’s just ramble about this ship and see where it goes!” and my god, did it go far! And I still managed to somewhat organize it, so yay!

But aside from that, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who asked for my thoughts on Lilypad, and everyone who made it to the bottom of this essay! I’ve never really gotten a chance to openly ramble about one of my favorite ships to the rest of the fandom like this, so seeing that some fans, even if it’s ultimately not a huge amount, actually wanted me to do it was such a welcome surprise!

I hope you all enjoyed the drawings and the art! I’ll be around in case someone wants me to write another ship essay or something! And who knows, it’s likely I’ll find more reasons I like Lilypad as time goes on and I see more fan-content and find the rest of those broadcasts! But at least this was a starting point! 

Expect more LIlypad content to come in the future, but until now, thanks again for the opportunity!

#ask #inbox #quetzalli answers #art #artwork #digital #digital art #drawing #drawings #sketch #doodle #rain world #fanart #rw headcanons #shipping #rw shipping #iterator #rw iterator #looks to the moon #LttM #no significant harassment #NSH #LttM x NSH #rw lilypad #rw lifeline #hunter #rw hunter #quetzalli draws #quetzalli pairs #quetzalli headcanons

[quetzalpapalotl]

Her ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ 💕

#love that she tries to find more nuanced answers #but when things seem larger than life and to complex to approach #she goes back to let's kill it until it dies #straightforward like her #quetzal rambles tf

[indoraptorgirlwind]

For indora (and if it's possible, Kit)

Thoughts about civil war?

Oh... we begin with the polemic civil war 😅

Before anyone read this, please remember this is just my point of view and you may have a totally different one. Please keep respectful with me, anon and everyone else in this.

Well, how do i start this? First of all, i wanna say i think both Steve and Tony were right and wrong, let me explain why:

First, i'll begin with Steve. First of all, for me it was right that he thought the accords were too strict and manipulative. Honestly, i doubt these accords were too human at all. What do i mean with this? That just by the fact of being heroes and being stronger than ordinary people, the avengers could have seen unhumanized by this, only seen as weapons they could use whenever they'd want. He was also right in protecting Bucky, i totally get it. It was his all time friend who we're talking about after all.

However, despite his good intentions and motives, i think Steve went too harsh with other friends of his. It is true that the accords were restrictive, i know. However, he may have been too focused on Bucky to try and deal with it. And i know Bucky is his best friend and was in risk of death. I know. However, Steve was perhaps doing wrong on not explaining correctly the situation to Tony. A person gets more hurt when you hide something to them for a lot of time that when you are sincere with them from the beggining. That's what i mean that Steve failed with.

Keeping with Tony and addressing earlier things. I think he was right in accepting. Why? Because he cared about his team and the people out there. He knew not signing could bring them the problems and persecution they would eventually get in the movie. He knew what Ross was capable of. And he also knew they had to ammend their own mistakes.

And while i get attacking Bucky was inmmoral, Tony just saw him killing his father and mother. They played an important part on his life, and despite his father's bad care, Tony loved him. And what hurts the more is that he never knew this until the recording. And even so Steve still tried to hide it. Tony also saw his friends get hurt in the airport battle, be them team cap or his. Just look at Rhodey. Of course he was going to get mad, everyone would. But please do not confuse with excusal of murder. It was wrong, but it was an impulse rather than a firm choice.

If i have something to say about him being wrong, is that he let his emotions and experiences make him believe it was all his fault. This drove him to extreme meassures to "prevent it" that at the end of the day ended up doing more harm that good.

CONCLUSION:

As i've said before, they were both right and wrong. They made mistakes, but they both meant it for good for their friends. This is not a hate post. I love both characters and i think they deserved better than what they got. Specially Tony. At the end of the day they're humans, and they make mistakes just like everyone.

Now you Kit!

Kit: "uhhhhh. Yeah. What Kit mun said"

#indora answers #Indora talks #Anon ask #Analysis #captain america civil war #Civil war #Steve rogers #Captain america #Tony stark #Iron man #tony stark defense squad #steve rogers defense squad #pro tony stark #pro steve rogers #Kit answers #Kit #Kit cortes #Celest quetzal #She isn't fully aware of the story #She's a little bit lost xd

[lord-squiggletits]

whats ur fave megop fic uve written?

I'm not sure honestly 😔 I'm one of those people that hates rereading my own writing, and even though I will sometimes reread my own stuff and go "wow, past me was so smart and cool and clever for writing that," I'm not sure I enjoy any fic in particular? It's not just a matter of self-esteem either.

When I write a story it's sort of like me exorcising a set of thoughts from my brain, and once the story is finished I more or less stop thinking about it because when I finished writing the story and posted it, that act allowed me to say everything I had to say and resolve all the thoughts that prompted me to write the story to begin with.

I guess Pay Unto Evil is probably my favorite fic mostly because of how proud I am about it being such a long project (178k words I think) that took me a year and a half to finish, but it's literally the first novel length project I've ever completed. That being said, I'm not really proud of the earlier chapters of PUE (like... 1-4 or 1-5) because I feel like even though they're good, I didn't have as firm of a grasp on the characters back then as I did around chapter 6/7 and onwards. So it's a mixed bag honestly.

#squiggle answers #i'm not proud of myself and my accomplishments in general and it's a problem i'm actually going to therapy about #it's not that i have low self esteem and think negatively about myself #it's more that when i have positive attributes or do positive things they don't affect me very much #i'm kinda just like. k. that happened. #and it's sort of an endless cycle with writing bc the more i write the better my current stories become in comparison to the older ones #so it's something that i'm gonna have to grapple with and overcome eventually #also... not coincidentally PUE chapter 5 was the first chapter that quetzal beta read for me #and ch 6 was when she started betaing as i wrote #now she did beta read for other stuff like EATP at the time #but probably part of the increase in PUE's quality was because of her being involved more in my process #can't sing her praises enough. good beta readers literally are worth the world

[nebuladreamz]

Boop!

WAUGH

#nebula answers #quetzal-pretzel

[opalofoctober]

1 for Quetzalli, 25 & 26 for Francisco

Do they have any crafting hobbies?

I can see Quetzalli getting into bracelet making, specifically woven bracelets. The weaving would be a good way for her to de-stress after a long day at work, and she'd make a personalized one for everyone at the Kingdom Animalia agency.

25. Do they have a daily/nightly routine?

Francisco's morning routine is a fairly simple but well-structured one:

Wake up and eat breakfast

Exercise and shower

Suit up for work

As for the evenings, if he isn't running a night patrol, it's similar to his morning routine

26. Have they met any of their heroes? Did they regret it?

Meeting Chargeman was the best day of Francisco's life, and working with him was a dream come true.

#THIS IS SO LATE I'M SO SORRY #opal answers #ask #quetzalli rosario solano #francisco emanuel reyes #insomniac jay

[ellovett]

🤬 Let me offer you Ronnie or Elvira

Chiiro and Elvira dislike each other most def..Chiiro thinks Elvira's a total bore and a stick in the mud, and that she talks too much, he'd stick his tongue out at her whenever she'd turn her back LMAOO while Elvira I can see her finding his snob two-faced attitude troubling. Often corrects him and it never seems to work.

#admin answers #thank you for the ask fumi! #admin post #SRRY IF THIS WAS SHORT...I COULDN'T THINK OF MUCH 😭 I WAS GONNA SAY QUETZALLI BUT I DONT THINK SHE SEES ELVIRA AS A THREAT

[berlinini]

☆ put this star into the inbox of your favorite blogs. it’s time to spread positivity!! ☆

look at this cutie pie (louis)(but also you) ❤️

#answered ask #tumblr user 28 quetzal #how are you baby it's been so long!!! ❤️

[all-iridescent-birds]

What are the biggest and smallest iridescent birds?

Hello dear Anon! As our bird interest is a bit of a new thing, some research was in order to deduct our answer, and we're still not quite sure. However, we've given you our best attempt. For something perhaps more professional, you might want to go to a-dinosaur-a-day, who we believe is actually qualified to talk about this. We're just a guy obsessed with birds.

Now, explanation out of the way -- the smallest we can tell you with certainty. It is the bee hummingbird, a tiny, the smallest, in fact, bird in the world.

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is only 2 inches long. Females are slightly longer, but only by a small fraction, and usually lay two eggs, with them being the size of coffee beans. Let that sink in. While their iridescent feathers are not as notable as their other hummingbird relatives, they are still there, and still as shiny as ever.

Now, here's where it gets tricky. We're not sure what the biggest iridescent bird is. Taking a guess, we'd say it's the peafowl. But when you look this up, you don't get a concrete answer, which makes sense, because no offense, no one ever asks this question. But don't worry! We side with you here -- we're just as curious.

Well, we've been doing some math here. At first, we were thinking of the microraptor, wondering if a prehistoric bird would count before we remembered the peafowl exists. But we put it to the side. Then, we remembered the resplendant quetzal and its ginormous tail -- we looked around different pages and totaled the tallest possible quetzal to be around 4 foot on the higher end, but it still wasn't enough. So we looked up the peafowl.

The peafowl has 3 types -- all sharing traits but all fairly different in ways. The one we're focusing on right now is the green peafowl.

The green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is the largest peafowl of the three. As its name suggests, it is primarily green, while the indian is primarily a bluish color, and congo variants are kind of brown.

This is the bird we're talking about here. While maybe not in height (but probably in height), it's definitely in length. Males, pictured above, can be 5 feet and 11 inches at lowest to 9 feet 10 inches at highest. And its iridescence is everywhere, from its tail to its beak, basically.

Honestly, we'll be shocked if this isn't the biggest. Wikipedia describes the green peafowl as 'perhaps, the longest extant wild bird in total beak-to-tail length', as well.

We hope this answers your and anyone else's questions, Anon!

TL;DR: It's the bee hummingbird and green peafowl. Probably!

#and take this w a grain of salt #bird #birdblr #avian #iridescent bird #birding #birds #game birds #game bird #pheasant #pheasants #peacock #peafowl #peahen #green peacock #hummingbird #bee hummingbird

[ask-dawnanddusk]

(asktheisle) Quetzal approached the Lugia, eyeing the injuries that were sustained.

"Ouch, you're going to need to get that checked out... do you know who would try to do this to you?"

"No, I have no idea. Whilst I know I've had less then pleasant interactions with others before, none of them have gone as far as attacking me in such a manner as to attempt to kill. The battles I usually have are just to help others blow off steam."

"I... suppose it could have been someone new to this realm. A powerful legend could cause this damage, and it's not unheard of for new legends to enter this world. Would explain why I recognized nothing about them."

"Argh, but what reason would they have to attack? Did I startle them? I know I look far different then a standard lugia in other realms, did that throw them off? And the fire, the draining... Individually I could think of a couple mon's who fit the role, but together? This whole thing just raises more questions then answers."

"Never mind. For now, I need to get back to my family and discuss this with them. Maybe they'll have better ideas then I do. Luckily their attack missed the wing joint... mostly. It's enough for me to swim at least."

@asktheisle

#Voxgatum #plot posts #pokemon lugia #pokemon rayquaza #pokeask #pokemon ask blog #pokemon art #answered ask

[iwillrememberyoumarathon]

Bangel fans, we want to hear from you! During the run-up to the IWRY Fic Marathon in November, we’ll be getting to know each other through our Meet the Fandom series. Answer the questions here to join in.

What is your name?

Lalaith Quetzalli

Where do you hang out?

Tumblr: @lalaithquetzallicaresi

Discord, and the websites where I post fanfics and fanarts.

Do you create any fan works?

Fanfics on AO3: Lalaith_Quetzalli

Fanart on DeviantArt: princess-lalaith

Funniest Bangel/Buffyverse moment?

The only Buffyverse moment I can think of is when Giles walks into a tree in Earshot when Buffy reveals she knows he had sex with her mom.

What Buffyverse opinion would have you chased through the village with pitchforks?

That Buffy and Angel are soulmates. Also, regarding the times one of them wronged the others and didn't apologize (like Xander not telling Buffy about Willow's upcoming attempts to re-ensoul Angel, or when they all kicked Buffy out of the house just before the S7 finale)

Share a headcanon you have about Bangel or the Buffyverse?

I believe Buffy does remember what happened in IWRY. Either she never forgot, or she remembered while she was in heaven.

How would you have given Buffy and Angel their Happily Ever After?

The two of them fighting the biggest apocalypse ever and being offered anything they want, them wanting the freedom to choose their own destiny. They still will fight the bad guys, but it'll be their choice, not their 'destiny'... also, in order for Angel to be able to choose he cannot be at risk of losing his soul, so...

Last fic you read?

Voltaire by Daniella Harwood (in ffnet)

Slay, Lay, Obey - Xander, Lorne, Dawn?

Slay: Xander (Half the time I don’t like him.) 

Lay: Dawn (She’s pretty, and when she’s not being bitchy)

Obey: Lorne (Of the three he’s the only one I think has enough common sense I’d willingly follow his orders.) 

Fill in the quiz so the fandom can meet you!

#meetthefandom #bangel #iwryficmarathon2023 #buffy x angel

[amerricanartwork]

hey, just wanted to say you’re a huge inspo for me and i adore your work! your arts so nostalgic and comforting for me, reminds me so much of older animated movies and cartoons… if someone were to make an animated rain world cartoon i would immediately think you as the perfect fit for it tbh

Awww, thank you so much! you don't know how happy I was to read this!

Seriously, it's so good to hear that my art reminds you of old animated content! I take tons of inspiration from older films — particularly the first set of Disney's feature-length films — in everything from the concept art and sketches to model sheets and production art, to their methods of storytelling and the themes and messages they express. It's not just fun and entertaining, but oftentimes masterfully beautiful in ways that I feel few artists have captured since. I've said this before, but I do hope to work on published animated stories someday, and every time I hear feedback like this it makes me feel as though that dream of making art just as beautiful is actually coming into reach more and more!

And, funny you mention an "animated rain world cartoon", because I don't just take inspiration from these older works, but I actually have gotten in the habit of imagining my ideas in similar ways! I love that slightly exaggerated, or even cliche expressiveness of cartoon characters and love depicting the ones I draw like that too, I enjoy drawing in simple comic-esque format as well as paintings to better sell that cartoon vibe, most of my current voice headcanons for the RW cast are derived from cartoon characters, and in general I tend to imagine scenes as if they're actually animated and playing out on a screen.

So what I'm trying to say is that this is far from the first time I've imagined hypothetical animated Rain World cartoons, so that's probably another reason why my art comes off that way. And if anyone's thinking about making legitimate RW cartoons, I certainly would love to be a part of one should I get the chance, at least as a concept artist!

#inbox #ask #inspiration #art #rain world #quetzalli answers #oc: quetzalli

[quetzalpapalotl]

If you would be interested in talking about it I would love to know- how do you think IDW1 OP feels about the way Shockwave surgically altered him to carry the Matrix? It's such a wild note to me (both in what it implies about the Matrix and the whole idea of the "chosen leader" being something everyone in power understands you have to artificially construct, and in the sense of how OP understands his duty as a Prime because of it).

I'm always interested in talking about this disaster of a man, thank you.

This ended very long, I went on many tangents and for that I'm sorry, but I hope it does answer your question. Since this is about how I read OP I focused more on his character in the comics as a whole rather than what the authors were thinking.

First, I personally don't think that being altered to have a Matrix compartment really makes any difference on whether one can actually carry the Matrix. It makes it easier, but the Matrix still has a morality lock that a frame modification is not gonna pass. But then again, the morality lock doesn't end up mattering and it doesn't make the Primacy any less of a construct, but we'll get back to that.

Now, we can guess that despite having multiple Prime candidates, Orion was Shockwave's favorite. Shockwave calls him his brightest hope and entrusts him to Zeta in case anything happens to Shockwave. Yet there's a lot Shockwave didn't tell Orion, he didn't tell him about Zeta, he didn't tell him about the other candidates. He did the noncon body modification and is overall an extremely shady dude. But Orion has no distrust of him. Shockwave sort of acts like he expects Orion to rise up to do what Shockwave needs when he asks for it and Orion is perfectly willing to do it (as Roller calls out).

This makes sense, OP is a character who very badly wants to believe in Goodness, Hope, Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, more than he actually believes in it. In a way, he's playing fake it till you make it with reality and he reacts very intensely whenever the world disappoints him. This leads to him being either very trustful or very cynical depending on the person and situation.

Orion was a very privileged kind of naive. He thought the world was fundamentally good, that all you have to do to stop bad things is to stop the wrongdoers and that everything can be solved through the right channels. His encounter with Megatron shatters this image and makes him realize that he actually doesn't know how the world works.

To this Shockwave presents himself, he genuinely wants to help Cybertron, he understands that which Orion doesn't (Orion directly compares him to Megatron on this) and Shockwave has the idea that to fix the planet they just have to put the right person in power, Shockwave is still working with the system. The last point means that change can come peacefully, which is perfect as Orion wants to avoid a violent revolution (he has ideas on who's allowed to use violence). Shockwave presents himself as the solution to Orion's firts major moral crisis, so it's really no wonder that Orion clings to him so badly.

(Side note, but Shockwave seems to be winging his whole plan. It's unclear if he found out Nominus' Matrix was a fake before Sentiel and Proteus, but he didn't bring that up in CT. So if he ever thought it was real, was his plan to kill Nominus and shove the Matrix in OP's chest hoping it would take? Was that why he had multiple candidates? After he found out he was fake, was he planning on finding the real Matrix or also use a fake? Probably whichever was more viable)

Orion himself never shows any interest in becoming Prime, never even talks about the possibility. He seems just willing to go along with it because he's willing to go along with whatever Shockwave says. He insists to Roller that he's not with Shockwave because he singled him out (tho, I think he certainly likes Shockwave's attention). And after Shockwave dies in spirit, and someone else he trusted shows up to take the Primacy, Orion is happy to go along and serve under him.

(There is a version of events where OP ends up being Shockwave's puppet Prime which makes me insane to think about)

That's right! It's time to talk about IDW1's most important character!! This was a trap!!

Zeta fills in the gap Shockwave left in Orion's life, and he even actually ends functionism!!! (officially that is), so he seems like the right person to put all his hopes in. Despite this, he isn't Shockwave, Orion is not as taken by him and does bring up the fact that this Matrix and Primacy thing is made up to him.

What I want to highlight here is that Zeta not only admits to Orion that the matrix and the primacy are symbols to be used for control, but he also calls Orion himself a symbol, even before he becomes Optimus (but in a way, progressing the path Shockwave put him in by trying to make him a Prime). Zeta jumpstarts OP's mythification by using his image for propaganda.

Orion at first doesn't think that this is very cash money, but on top of being desperate to believe in someone, this questioning happens at the same time that he loses his faith in the Decepticon due to the other stuff happening. So out of good options (at least form his POV), he decided that hey, maybe Zeta has a point. Maybe we can use the symbols for good, since things are such chaos otherwise. And even tho he would later disown Zeta, I think he still learned to wrong lesson from him.

So, Zeta turns out to suck massively, he aids in killing him, Megatron shoots him in the back and he finds the real Matrix. After things didn't work out with the 3 dudes Orion had put his hopes in, it seems that now Optimus has to embody his own values himself. But out of those 3 Shockwave didn't let him down willingly, I think Optimus still wants to pay respect to his memory and their dream. And besides, because OP is prone to question all his life choices and will spent the rest of his life struggling to give up control, I think he does wonder that maybe things wouldn't have gone so far if, instead of blindly trusting Zeta, he had become Prime from the beginning as Shockwave wanted.

Now we know from the end of Mtmte that the Matrix' morality lock reacts to your own feeling. Someone like Rodimus who wanted to prove himself felt good bonding with the Matrix because that's what he expected. Optimus feels pain, he feels the fear of war in all Cybertronians, he calls him a warning about responsibility. This all reflects what Optimus himself thinks of responsibility: that is a burden.

When OP finds the Matrix he was feeling guilty over having followed Zeta, over having let things get this bad. But OP's idea of making amends is to take on more responsibility. Every time he tries to step down he ends up coming back because he feels that's what he has to do. So it's really not so much that because the Matrix choose him that he has to become Prime, but rather that because he can use this power he has to. He morally obliged to do so because what's happening is his fault. Besides, he was already the leader of the Autobot forces going into battle against Megatron (even tho in Autocracy he also acts like a regular cop, this is a mess, but let's roll with it) so this is still his duty. And what's he gonna do? Not try to stop Megatron? (Optimus is someone cannot stay still, but his repertoire of solutions is lacking). He not only chooses to use the literal and symbolic power of the Matrix, but he also chooses to become a symbol himself, one that's supposed to embody all the good in the world. (And this is also part of why he always comes back, he made himself too big on an idea to be able to just fade)

But it is a choice, even if Optimus doesn't think he has a right to refuse. OP always frames everything he does as a choice (at least in retrospective, he can go "you leave me no choice" in the moment). So if it's something that Shockwave wanted him to do, he still did it willingly. This sense of hyperresponsability also has OP never consider himself a victim, he doesn't tend to emphasize the ways in which he has been hurt, he never ever talks about how Zeta used him and lied to him (he has no right, he hurted people). So this aspect of him is why I think he doesn't acknowledge Shockwave violated his bodily autonomy. Shockwave saved him from the Senate, repaired him and made the modifications for the greater good. So really, OP was harmed and is fine.

Anyway, even tho, OP was indeed technically "chosen" by the Matrix, he still sees the whole thing as much of a construct as Zeta's Primacy. He has respect for the Matrix, he knows it can create life, it saved him from death, it gave him a vision and there's all the powers he would use later. Still, he doesn't think it's actually divine or that bonding with it makes him that special. During the course of the war he has made far more use of the Matrix' symbolic power than of its practical uses. (Including saying that the Matrix is giving him a vision to get out of situations dhasgdkjashdas I love that)

(And he's not wrong about the Matrix not making you special. Mtmte shows us that anyone can open it under the right mindset. And even if Zeta, Sentinel and Nominus never carried the real thing, Nova did, so I wouldn't argue it is a good judge of character)

Optimus doesn't feel super comfortable using the idea of the Matrix this way, but this is far from the only and/or worse morally dubious strategy he pulls out for the greater good. He kinda goes back and forth between paying lip serive to the idea that he's Just A Dude, and using the Matrix as an ID card. Until we get to Combiner Wars and onwards where OP is fully, shamelessly cashing on the religious clout of being Prime. But he also seems so struggle managing this internally in that he tries to not buy his own hype but it does get to his head sometimes.

Also, there's something funny going on in that Optimus' Autobots don't seem to have any formally institutionalized religion. I mean, Optimus had authority before the Matrix and I don't recall any official statemen in the Autobot code or anything that the Matrix means one is Primus' chosen and that's who the leader is (Bee could be voted into position, and Optimus stll considered Bee the leader when he got it the matrix back even if he did undermine him). Now the idea certainly exists and I don't doubt it what used for propaganda, but Autobots seem to be left to their own devices in matters of faith and everyone has their own beliefs.

But even if not everyone thinks that Optimus' is Primus' chosen exactly, the idea that the Matrix is... something and that it choosing Optimus means he is special is certainly the prevalent notion. In this sense, the Matrix becomes part of Optimus' mythos rather than the other way around. Optimus idealization is so real it causes people to develop delusions. And Optimus himself doesn't do much to avoid this. Sure, this kind of thing is often beyond one's hands, especially when you're one of the few people who can go toe-to-toe with Megatron (who also mythicized himself), but even if he denies being special when asked directly (which is usually to his closer friends who already idealize him less than the average bot), I doubt he has ever gone on official record like "My fellow Autobots, the Matrix doesn't mean shit". On the most charitable of takes, this kind of thing serves for morale, which would be needed when battling a figure like Megatron.

So Optimus is always under the shadow of himself. An idea he created from the dregs of a rotten legacy that he has to live up to because it's his duty to do so, because he can't not do anything and this is what he knows what do to. And this all ties back to Barber's broader themes of symbols, stories and Optimus as an idea as well as a person. And as we know, the ultimate conclusion Optimus reaches is that yeah, no, the Primacy cannot be salvaged, no one should have that much power regarldess of intentions, it needs to die so Cybertronians can move on, so he takes it to the grave with him.

#towardsmorning #i really thought this would be a quick answer i really did #quetzal rambles tf

[indoraptorgirlwind]

OUR FUTURE...

((As some may have discovered, it's true.

Kit will die. Ookin will kill her. And then he'll become the body for Tezcatlipoca; brother of Quetzalcoatl. He will reign what he thinks was his, centuries ago.))

#Kit #Kit cortes #Celest quetzal #tezcatlipoca #Moodboard #dark moodboard #I'm still gonna answer some things tho #Then idk what i'll do when she dies #Maybe take a break or rp as other characters fpr the lore #tw dead animal #The bird has fallen

[lord-squiggletits]

ooh for the character bingo, can you do pay unto evil's SG optimus? owo

No one understands PUE SG OP like me specifically because I invented him entirely in my own mind (with minimal inputs from Funhouse SG canon lol). Also I hate to say it but I think he's taken over as the audience favorite because his character arc and bastardry literally made all of the readers go from "I HATE HIM I WANT HIM TO DIE" to "oh wow... he can get better :'''') "

Also I really like to beat him up and make him suffer and have all kinds of mental health problems because it's cathartic to experience misery through someone far more fucked up and miserable than I am. I actually wrote PUE 10-11 during the time my depression was at its most severe and before I had gotten any treatments for it, so ngl that entire part of the story was kind of my refuge from reality for several months before I started getting better.

#squiggle answers #fic: pay unto evil #entirely unsurprised that YOU are asking about optronix lol i know you love him #quetzal also knows him better than anyone else mainly because she kins him /j

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Mictlanmas: Saving Christmas.

Mari, Kuku and Ququ, along with a nutcracker Cerejeira, were facing down who seemed to be the Maya hero twins. The twins wielded a magic ball that somehow allowed them to just teleport anyone who's hit by it.

“There's no use trying to avoid what's coming.” Said Xbalanque.

“But please try! Makes it all the more fun.” Added in Hunahpu.

And as one of the gods sent the ball towards the group, a wall of fire raised up in-between them all. Actually forcing the ball to blast back towards the twin who threw it.

“What the hell?!” Xbalanque exclaimed.

“Where'd this come from?!” Mari asked.

Then suddenly a huge dog jumped to the group's side.

“Hey guys!” Xolotl said.

“Tia Xolotl!?” Mari yelled

“Xolo!” Ququ said.

“Let's get out of here!” Xolotl said as she picked up Mari, and the others hopped on.

Xolotl ran off away from the twins.

“Dammit dog! Get back here!” One of them yelled.

The group eventually stopped and sat

down by a large tree.

“Xolotl! When's you get here?!” Kuku asked.

“Sorry, I came in late. I just happened to see what was happening as I joined.” She explained.

“Well it's nice to have someone else on board!” Ququ said.

“Where's Rex and Quetzal tho? I was told they were here too.” Xolotl questioned.

“Mama went off to search the area, but Papa was like teleported or something by those two bastards!” Mari said.

“Aye no!” Xolotl yelled out. “Well since Quetzal hasn't shown up yet, maybe they got to her too.”

“I do not like that possibility.” Mari said.

Then suddenly the earth around them started shaking.

“Oh great! What's that?!” Ququ asked.

Walking through the snow, a giant reindeer looking monster stomped towards the group. Riding atop the beast, was Molay in her own Santa gear.

“There you are! I've been looking for you!” Molay said to Maria.

“Oh yeah, figured you'd show up eventually.” Mari answered back.

“GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN BODY!” Cerejeira yelled out to Molay.

“No can do, little one. I need a good reindeer and your body is doing the perfect job!” Molay responds to the angry nutcracker. “Now then! I'll be taking my rightful place as Santa now!”

“Not happening!” Mari said.

As she said that, Kuku flew towards the beast and sent it flying, also causing Molay to fall onto the ground. Mari then came flying towards Molay with her hammer. Molay just barely dodged it, before whipping out a candy-cane sword!

“Why do you even want to be Santa?” Mari asked.

“So I could spread the gift of my God to anyone and everyone!” Molay said back.

“That's a terrible reason!” Mari said.

“Well why do you want to?!” Molay questioned.

“Because I wanted to prove I could do it like my mother did!” Mari answered.

“....ah, that's actually a much better reason.” Molay said before being immediately smacked by the hammer.

“Ok… I give.” Molay said from the ground.

As that happened, the eldritch reindeer was sent flying back to the area by Kuku, which was then recieved by Ququ, knocking it into the ground.

“Can I get my body back!?” Cerejeira asked.

“Oh! I got this!” Xolotl said.

Suddenly Xolo's eyes glowed blue, and she plunged her hand into the monster's body and pulled out it's body, dismissing it. She then pulled Cere's out of the nutcracker and back into her own body.

Afterwards, Cerejeira turned back to normal.

“Yes! And it's freezing!” She said once in her body again.

Mari pulled a coat out of her Santa sack and draped it over Cerejeira. “There we go.”

“Thank you.” Cere said to Mari.

Then suddenly they heard a “There you are!” From the distance.

The twins had caught up to them. Already they sent their ball flying towards them. It misses the main group, but hits Molay, then bounces to hit Cerejeira. But on it's way back to them, someone acted.

“Not this time!” Xolotl jumped while transformed in her dog form, and caught the ball in her mouth.

“Hey! Give that ba-” but before Hunahpu could finish, his head is slammed by Mari's hammer. Followed by Kuku blasting Xbalanque sky-high. After both hit the ground, Ququmatz grabbed them both. “Now let's have some fun!” She said, with the signature Quetzalcoatl smile. And while holding them, she flew up into the air and blew them both up.

The two fall to the ground, now scorched and knocked out.

“phew! That takes care of them.” Mari said.

Then flapping is heard in the air. The twins are suddenly warped away, and a new being enters the scene. Camazotz finally comes to Santa, after having caused this huge snowy singularity.

“Yoooouuuu. Santaaaa!” He said as he saw Mari. “Finally with your defeat, I will have ruined Christmas for everyone!” He exclaims as he laughs. But then suddenly he falls unconscious and slams onto the ground.

“w-what happened?” Mari asked.

“He outlasted his usefulness.” an unseen voice said.

“is that who I think it is?” Mari questioned.

“you're quite perceptive, aren't you?” Nexoxcho said as she comes out of the shadows, holding the grail.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry it's so damn late, but finally feeling better from being sick for a while. The final chapter should be out very soon after this!

#fate grand order #wife #mastersona #maria #kukulkan #q'uq'umatz #xolotl #camazotz #hunahpu #xbalanque #cerejeira elron #jacques de molay