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call-me-double-trouble · 2 years

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Meet Charlatan, my Double Trouble fankid! He’s trans, bisexual, and 13 years old. He’s best friends with Finn (Adora and Catra’s kid, for those who don’t know), who is 15 years old in this timeline.

He’s adopted, but used shapeshifting to resemble his moddy better. In my lore, I go with the AU where DT is the long-lost ruler of Green Glade, thus getting their power from a runestone and being able to share that power with Char. However, if that’s not your vibe, he could also probably use sorcery to shapeshift. Either way, he’s only able to shapeshift partially so far, so bits of his original form peek through (he’s based on a gila monster, hence the coloration, pattern, and thicker tail).

–More character info and another drawing under the cut–

DT found him as a baby in the Crimson Waste. His mother had just been murdered in a mugging-gone-wrong, and the baby lizard was left in her cold arms, crying and wailing. He was left there for a while before DT happened to pass by and noticed. They took pity on the poor creature (in my lore, they were in a similar situation as a baby when they got taken from Green Glade to the Crimson Waste, so the whole ordeal reminded them of themself, which compelled them to go against their instincts and do something). They tried to find some relative, someone to take care of the orphan, but no luck. Since they’d recently discovered through being Finn’s godparent that they didn’t mind kids, actually kind of liked them, and was rather good with them, they decided to raise the baby as their own, with help from Casta (yes, this is in the Castaspellma AU too–my mind works in crossovers).

Although Char lost his mother when he was a baby, he still gets anxious when alone and doesn’t like being separated from DT for too long. DT was his first source of comfort after his mother’s death, and their heartbeat became his favorite lullaby. He likes to hug them and rest his ear against their chest to listen to it and know that he’s safe when in their arms. It’s the surest way to calm him down during a panic attack. Most often, he hugs them koala-style so they can still walk around and do stuff while he clings to them. It was a little easier when he was still a small toddler, but even though he’s getting too big at age 13, DT still holds him and lets him sit in their lap. They’re completely used to it at this point.

Char grew to be one of DT’s biggest fans and attends every play they have (so long as they’re PG-13 or under). DT tried to get him into acting, but they both learned the hard way that he gets terrible stage fright. Thankfully, his first role was as a tree, so freezing up actually helped in that case. He didn’t move, didn’t even blink, and searched the audience until he found the first familiar face. He locked eyes with Glimmer and stared at her the entire time, in desperate need of moral support. Ever since then, he only helps out behind the scenes; building sets, helping tech master Bow with the lighting, making props, and assisting Finn in watching and critiquing DT’s rehearsals to ensure they’re at their best with each performance.

Speaking of Finn–I’ve seen lots of interpretations of them portraying them as DT’s protege, learning acting from DT, or otherwise being closer with DT than anyone else, so I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if DT’s kid was like that with She-Ra?” Everyone jokes that Finn’s and Charlatan’s personalities were swapped at birth. Whereas Finn’s quite the budding actor, Char’s been obsessed with She-Ra ever since he first learned about her. He’s been studying sword-fighting under her wing and is getting decent at it, but still has a ways to go. He even made a DIY She-Ra sword bracelet to match how Adora used to carry her sword around. He has big dreams of becoming a hero like She-Ra, and he knows all the legends and stories surrounding her. Because of this, sometimes the crew jokingly refers to him as “Flutterina.”

Everyone expected Char to turn out more like DT. Some thought he’d be an exact copy of them, and his striking resemblance to them didn’t help. Even DT expected they’d rub off on him a little more. Char chose to rebel by not rebelling. Everyone thought DT’s kid would lie, steal, cause mayhem and chaos, and get into all sorts of mischief. Therefore, Char tells the truth, gives people gifts, does favors for free, follows rules, and is a relatively quiet kid who rarely gets into trouble of his own accord, though often gets pulled along with Finn’s schemes. DT will often say things like,

DT: Okay, bedtime is 8 PM. I’m going to be out until midnight and definitely wouldn’t know if you stayed up late.

Char: Ok, 8 PM it is.

DT: I mean really, I would have no idea if you disobeyed me and, say, invited Finn over and ate junk food and broke something.

Char: Is that so?

DT:

Char: Then I might go to bed early.

DT: Listen here you little shit--

It’s not that Char has anything wrong with how his moddy acts–he loves his moddy more than anything, but he’s just not the same person as them, and he doesn’t like the pressure other people have inadvertently placed on him to act just like them. That’s why he sometimes goes out of his way to do the opposite of what they would do, and he struggles a bit to find himself. He changes his appearance here and there in an attempt to find what feels like him rather than DT. The pink hair was one such thing. Sure, he based it on Glimmer’s hair color, but it still feels like something that’s his and helps set him apart from his moddy. In adulthood, he’ll differ from them a bit more, but still resemble them enough. I don’t have a solid design yet, but I imagine he’ll let more of his gila monster traits shine through and will have built more muscle than DT has since he’s more of a fighter.

Thank you so much for reading all that! I know it was a lot. Let me know if you want to see more drawings of Char, or have me write a scene with him, or if you have any questions about him! I’m happy to talk about my OCs any day. If anyone wants to draw him, you can--just tag me!

#double trouble #she ra double trouble #spop double trouble #spop #double trouble fan kid #spop dt #she ra dt #long post #charlatan #my oc #my art #mine

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lizardtracks · 2 years

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Barefoot

A monsoon sunset, Red Rock, Arizona

8/20/22: The Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts are in a rain-shadow environment. Our house seems to be in a micro rain-shadow of its own. Our last two monsoons have been wet. At our house, though, not much rain has fallen. Until yesterday. Now the earth is wet enough to remind me that I once wrote this:

The desert is no place to be barefoot. Not this desert anyway. Tarantulas, scorpions, vinegaroons, cone-nosed kissing beetles, centipedes, velvet ants: every creeping thing is poisonous. And those are just the invertebrates. Thirteen of the thirty-two rattlesnake species that inhabit the Americas call Arizona home. That includes the Mojave rattler, Crotalus scutulatus. Smaller than the western diamondback, the Mojave delivers a venom payload with toxicity second to none in its genus. And they are always agitated. Then there is our poisonous lizard, the Gila monster. No one in Arizona has died of a Gila monster bite in a century. Maybe because their bite is not a sudden strike. Instead, they clamp onto your foot with their tiny, putrid, infected teeth. Then, grinding through your skin to the bone, release their load of toxins. If you're ever lucky enough to find one, that is.

If those don't send you scurrying to the medicine cabinet, or the emergency room, we have an assortment of spiny plants. Sharp sticks or leaves or pads drop from teddy bear cholla, prickly pear, agave, sotol, and ocotillo. And then there is my nemesis: puncture vine. Tribulus terrestris is an invasive ground-hugging exotic. Its shiny green vines and cheerful yellow flowers give no hint of seeds sharp and hard enough to puncture a tire. Common names for the drought-loving caltrop include devil's weed, devil's thorn, and devil's eyelash. Here we call them goat heads. Don't wonder if you've ever stepped on its mature ovule. You'll know.

All that is still not enough to keep this hillbilly in shoes. But the hot, dry dirt is. High in clay, and low in oxygen, it is inorganic as well as alkaline. That alone is unpleasant enough. But it compacts into near mineral hardness. To top it off, the surface is strewn with sharp tiny bits of volcanic rock, a friable, decomposed granite. In short, it is unpleasant to the touch. To the sole.

So the typical desert dweller wears Chacos or Tevas. The cholos and hipsters and frat boys scuffle around in shower sandals and white socks. The hippie chicks strap on Birkenstocks. Hardly anybody who hasn't been out in the desert seeking psilocybin goes barefoot.

And then the rains come.

Sometime in July, the planetary weather gears click into a new pattern. Over the preceding months, a subtropical ridge has shifted north from Mexico. Now it forms a sweeping curve from the Rio Grande's Big Bend to the Sangre de Christo Range in southern Colorado. This creates a large high-pressure system over the midwest, turning their weather hot and dry. That rotation sweeps air off the Gulf of Mexico up across the Chihuahuan Desert into Arizona. Flow from the Pacific joins it, bringing humidity to the desert. Then, a few other things must come together: The midwest must be drying out from a wet spring. Rain must have fallen further south along that Gulf flow. The snowpack in the western Rockies must have, for the most part, evaporated. A low-pressure system must develop over the Four Corners area. And the Pacific cannot be too cool. When that all comes together huge convective storms visit our desert. This is seasonal. A true monsoon.

The rising heat picks up the low-level moisture sending vapor upward. Clouds form, appearing at first as wisps over the mountains. Then the chubascos build in earnest. Thunderheads rise to 40,000 feet, from a base of huge, roiling clouds. Lightning sends jagged, crackling veins of electricity skyward. The thunderheads collapse, sending down drenching, bone-chilling rainfall. Those downdrafts create updrafts, generating more storms, some over the valley now. This goes on all afternoon, storm clouds and storms, rising and falling, now here, now there. And sometimes, if you are lucky, where you are.

This happens once or twice and now the dirt under your feet takes on a different feel. It cools. It breaths. It feels looser, more organic.

It is time to go barefoot.

My time is evenings after work. While I wait for a bed of coals to heat on the grill, I nurse a beer and sit with my feet in the dirt. My bare feet in the wet dirt create a connection. That connection follows a sinuous line back through time and across a continent. My mind won't pick up any particular temporal threads, or settle in one place. But my jangled nerves are soothed by a cosmic vibe where boys in dungarees wade in ponds or relax in shaded woods. A word rises up through my brain like a bubble in a creek: languid. I give in to a state of languor.

 If the chicken takes long enough to cook I read. After the most recent rain, I started again through a cheap PDF copy of Pablo Neruda. Neruda wrote in one poem:

"I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees."

You cannot ignore a line of poetry like that--so charged with passion, hope, sensuality, and an almost unbearable gentleness. So I didn't ignore it: I sought more Pablo. He rewarded me with a line he must have written about my own lover:

"As if you were on fire from within / The moon lives in the lining of your skin."

And tonight because... Because the air carries a light warmth. Because the mesquite trees are pregnant with beans, the weight pulling their boughs down. Because the clouds are scudding away to make room for the sunset. Because my mind relaxes enough to feel it, he rewards me with this:

  "I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,   or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.   I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,   in secret, between the shadow and the soul.   I love you as the plant that never blooms   but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;   thanks to your love for a certain solid fragrance,   risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.   I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.   I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;   so I love you because I know no other way   than this: where I do not exist, nor you,   so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,   so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep."

At some point, the chicken stops spitting fat into the coals. As the smoke clears, the sun sails below the burned-out porphyritic hills. It paints the clouds, mixing salmon and peachblow with other colors too delicate to name. Then comes a pause, like a pendulum at the top of its swing. The sun reels in its masterpiece. The colors fade. The din of cicadas tapers off. The air shifts from warm to the slightest hint of cool, as if a child unwrapped a popsicle in the next yard. The pendulum starts down, pushing the day into darkness.

I turn off the e-reader screen and collect the chicken from the grille. Tomorrow will be a tangle of frayed nerves, the metronome of the clock, the rush of the deadline. But tonight I am barefoot. 

#barefoot #monsoon #rain #desert #Sonoran Desert #arizona

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global-education · 9 months

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Freakiest Animals of The Desert: A Glimpse into Nature's Extraordinary Adaptations

Deserts, with their seemingly inhospitable landscapes and scorching temperatures, are home to some of the most bizarre and fascinating creatures on Earth. These unique animals have evolved over time to not only survive but thrive in the harsh conditions of arid regions. From the curious adaptations of the Fennec Fox to the enigmatic behavior of the Sidewinder Snake, the desert ecosystem is a treasure trove of biological wonders.

1. Fennec Fox: Ears and Adaptations

One of the most iconic inhabitants of the desert is the Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda). Its oversized ears aren't just cute; they serve a crucial purpose. These large ears help regulate the fox's body temperature, dissipating heat and allowing them to stay cool in the scorching desert sun. Additionally, their acute hearing aids in detecting prey scuttling beneath the sands and even locating insects hidden in the sand dunes. The fox's fur also plays a role in temperature regulation, reflecting sunlight during the day and retaining heat during colder nights.

2. Thorny Devil: Survival Tactics

The Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) is a master of camouflage and water collection. Its spiky appearance acts as a deterrent to predators, and its ability to change color helps it blend seamlessly into the desert's sandy environment. Interestingly, the thorny devil has grooves between its spines that direct water towards its mouth, allowing it to consume dew and rainwater effectively. This adaptation is vital in an ecosystem where water is scarce and hard to come by.

3. Sidewinder Snake: A Serpent of the Sand

The Sidewinder Snake (Crotalus cerastes) has an unusual method of locomotion. Instead of the typical slithering, it moves in a sideways manner across the sand, creating distinctive tracks that resemble the traces of a vehicle's tires. This unique movement minimizes the snake's body's contact with the hot desert surface, preventing overheating. Additionally, the snake's coloration and behavior help it blend into the sand, making it a stealthy predator and a survival expert in its arid habitat.

4. Gila Monster: Venomous Enigma

The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) is one of the only venomous lizards in the world. Its colorful patterns serve as a warning to potential predators about its venomous nature. The Gila Monster's bite isn't about hunting; it's about defense. Its venom contains a mix of compounds that can incapacitate prey or deter predators. This slow-moving lizard has adapted to its harsh desert environment by spending much of its time underground, emerging to hunt during cooler hours.

5. Kangaroo Rat: Water-Wise Leaper

The Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys spp.) is a remarkable example of desert adaptation. It can survive without drinking water for its entire life, relying on metabolic water produced during the digestion of seeds. With its powerful hind legs, it can leap impressive distances, a behavior that helps it evade predators and navigate the uneven desert terrain. Its efficient kidneys further aid in water conservation, making it a true master of desert survival.

6. Deathstalker Scorpion: Potent Venom and Bright Colors

The Deathstalker Scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus) may not be the largest scorpion, but it's one of the most venomous. Its venom contains a potent cocktail of neurotoxins that can cause intense pain and, in some cases, be lethal. Interestingly, this scorpion's bright coloration is a warning to potential predators, signaling its dangerous nature. Despite its fearsome reputation, the Deathstalker Scorpion plays a vital role in controlling insect populations in the desert ecosystem.

7. Desert Tortoise: Ancient Survivors

The Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a symbol of longevity and endurance in the desert. These tortoises have adapted to conserve water by excreting highly concentrated urine and digging burrows to escape extreme temperatures. Their hardy demeanor allows them to hibernate during colder months and aestivate during scorching summers. Unfortunately, desert tortoise populations are under threat due to habitat loss and human activities.

8. Jerboa: Desert Acrobat

The Jerboa's (Dipodidae) elongated hind legs and tiny front legs give it a kangaroo-like appearance. These legs aren't just for show; they enable the jerboa to leap impressive distances, covering ground quickly and efficiently. The large ears of the jerboa serve to regulate its body temperature, and its nocturnal lifestyle helps it avoid the hottest parts of the day. These small rodents are a testament to the diversity of adaptations found in desert fauna.

9. Desert Hedgehog: Nighttime Forager

The Desert Hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) has adapted to the harsh desert environment by becoming primarily nocturnal. Its spines provide protection from predators, and its behavior aligns with the cooler nighttime temperatures. While its spines may appear threatening, hedgehogs are known to curl into a tight ball when threatened, making them a challenging meal for would-be predators.

10. Camel Spider: Not Your Typical Spider

The Camel Spider (Solifugae) is not actually a true spider but belongs to a distinct arachnid group. Often misunderstood and feared due to their large size and fast movements, camel spiders are mostly nocturnal predators that feed on insects, small rodents, and other arthropods. Their ability to move at high speeds and their strong jaws make them efficient hunters in the desert ecosystem.

In the vast expanse of the desert, life has found remarkable ways to adapt and thrive. The creatures that call the arid landscapes home remind us of the boundless creativity of nature's evolutionary processes. From water collection techniques to venomous defense mechanisms, these animals continue to astonish and inspire us, showcasing the beauty of life's diverse forms even in the harshest of environments.

Courtesy: https://useglobaleducation.com.

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phantomqueen · 6 years

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DÆMONS FOR MY OCS....IN CASE U R INTERESTED...........

my 6 main urban fantasy / future webcomic ocs and also my star wars rpg oc just bc im too invested in him to not think about what his dæmon would be.

ALSO a lot of these were more instinctual choices than anything. and i didn’t come up with names for the dæmons (yet?)

ana lucia has a big ol wolf. very big. dark grey. he often serves as a voice of encouragement or confidence for ana lucia when she’s unsure of her decisions. he’s very quiet, preferring not to speak to others any more than politely necessary. like his person*, he exudes equal parts power & compassion

*some of my characters, such as a certain vampire and certain pseudo-demigods, technically dont have Real Human Souls so i dont really know how they’d translate into an hdm au where dæmons Are your souls but whatever this is just for fun

nix has a poison dart frog with very obnoxious terrible yellow-and-black patterning. she’s also about 2 inches long, so she looks both ridiculous and nonthreatening. which is False. like nix, she’s hard to read.

paige has a gila monster. he’s surprisingly quieter & grumpier than she is, but they both have the same ferocity and bad ideas.

if you look closely, paige & nix’s dæmons have very similar patterns. which i dont think is a thing that ever occurs in nature but let me have it for my fun pointless au

jaime has a badger. she has a sarcastic streak to match his. she’s also stubborn and tough and often talks jaime out of his own nervousness, more tough-love style than ana lucia & her wolf.

nate has a hawk, some kind of sparrowhawk, small and unassuming at first glance. she’s a lot sharper and quietly fiercer than her person, but there’s a good balance between them. she’s very observant.

the witch has a raven, sleek and sharp and unflappable as she is. they often banter a lot, sometimes at others’ expense. he’s also a particularly big raven, and comes across as unsettling.

and jumping to the sw universe, vesik has a black-footed ferret, nocturnal and solitary and carnivorous. she curls around his neck most of the time like a silly fur collar. she pretends to be dull, but her eyes and her teeth are sharp.

#HAVE THIS unsolicited oc content

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thesilkenlair · 7 years

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ATOM Creat a Kaiju Contest!

Rayken

Date Discovered: September 28, 1959

Place of Origin: Texas, USA

Notable Stomping Grounds: Texas, Mexico

Height: 25 feet

Length: 125 feet

Origin: It started out as a simple case of a driver taking advantage of an open road, ignoring all semblance of safety and pressing down on the gas as hard as they could. It was while they were driving down a particularly empty stretch of road that it happened. The driver spotted a Gila Monster casually strolling down the road…right in their path. There was only time for the driver to reflexively turn the wheel, dodging the helpless reptile. Unfortunately, the car crashed into a rock formation that held a rather large chunk of Yamaneon inside, and the resulting explosion set off a chain reaction in the bizarre mineral. The only living thing close enough to take the blast however, was the very same Gila Monster that had caused the accident in the first place! Exposed to the Yamaneon radiation, the creatures body underwent extreme changes and became Rayken!

Appearance: Rayken still resembles a Gila Monster in the most basic of ways. It shares the same proportions as it’s smaller counterpart, with the exception of it’s tail. It’s tail is stumpier than normal, and resembles the kaiju’s head, with spots that look suspiciously like eyes. The most eye catching difference however, is it’s color. Unlike the normal black and yellow/orange, Rayken is silver and red. The colors are extremely vibrant, and the silver especially has been known to even glint in the sunlight. Bizarrely, the typical color pattern of a Gila Monster is instead closer to that of a bearded lizard.

Rayken possesses the standard kaiju power set with two additions.

• Super Strength

• An Enhanced Healing Factor

• Immunity to Radiation

•Venom

• Extreme Bursts of Speed

The two extra powers that Rayken possess are about as opposite as can be. The venom is merely the venom already present in the kaiju before his mutation, enhanced along with the rest of his body. The second however is truly bizarre. Gila Monsters are usually slower, ponderous reptiles, but Rayken has been observed to burst off with incredible speed, reaching some of the highest speeds seen in kaiju to date. Taking a tackle from the kaiju is extremely dangerous due to the sheer amount of momentum he can build. This can also be his downfall, as he has very little skill with turning once gets going.

Personality: Rayken mostly prefers being left alone when it comes to other kaiju, having been observed staring at other kaiju with either it’s head or faux head and growling in a sound suspiciously similar to that of a car’s engine. If the kaiju does not leave, he will either leave himself if not in his own territory, or attack them in an attempt to make them leave if they are in his. Unfortunately, Rayken finds humans to be extremely interesting for one important reason: their cars. For reasons no one can begin to understand, Rayken occasionally approaches the nearest city he can find and begins devouring cars, occupants and all. No one knows entirely sure why he does this, he cannot gain any actual sustenance, but he has been noted as having a “taste” for hot rods.

Meta: Rayken here is one big shoutout to The Giant Gila Monster, combining a Gila Monster with a Hot Rod and giving it the coloration pattern of a bearded lizard, since the titular Gila Monster was in fact played by one. His name is a combination of the first names of the director and producer of said movie, and the date of appearance is also a reference to the year the movie came out!

Obligatory @tyrantisterror

#atom create a kaiju contest #atom #tyrantisterror #Rayken #Gila monster #bearded lizard #hot rod #lizard kaiju

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