#bulan

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Bulan from Black Salt Queen is aromantic asexual!

[raungkemarau]

Penghujung September

Di akhir bulan, hujan mengetuk jendela, kopi yang dingin menatapku bisu, seakan ikut menyimpan segala percakapan yang tak pernah selesai dengan diriku sendiri.

September ini riuh dan hampa sekaligus, ramai tawa di luar, tapi sunyi di dada, aku tertawa sambil mengantongi lara, belajar mensyukuri meski hati masih meraba.

Hari-hari berjalan seperti barisan pasukan, berangkat pagi, pulang malam, upah singgah sejenak di rekening, lalu pergi entah ke mana seperti hidup orang dewasa yang sering lupa bermimpi.

Aku menghitung detik dengan hati yang resah, bertanya pada waktu, berapa lama lagi aku harus begini menjadi mesin di siang hari, lalu penyair kesepian di malam yang lengang.

Namun aku percaya, ada janji yang sedang ditenun Tuhan di atas langit, semoga ia segera jatuh tepat di pangkuanku, agar kelak aku bisa berkata: “lihat, semua penantian ini ternyata tidak sia-sia.”

[raingerr]

introducing... THE UNICORNS!!

id like to note that a lot of the names of creatures/taxonomy here will be changed in the future once ive gotten the language down more concretely

"unicorn" is a broad term used to describe several different groups of creatures. while they are closely related to each other, they are not all part of the same group and belong to some notably different lineages.

all unicorns are in the order Pecora. the majority of unicorns are contained in the superfamily Monoceratidae, which is closely related to giraffes, while another small family can be found within Cervidae under the tribe Qilinini.

why the members of Monoceratidae didn't stick with two symmetrical horns like most other horned animals is not entirely known. the best hypothesis is that sexual selection favored animals with horns that grew closer and closer together over the generations until they became one horn, which appears to work as self-defense about as well as two horns do.

the basalmost of the Monoceratid unicorns are the members of Abadatini. Abada is the type genus and can be found in savannas. its horn is unique in that it varies between males and females. the male Abada have a pronged horn with a spit at the bottom, while the females have just one single horn. Bulan has a rather unique horn. it has a long, slender divot in the center that is able to catch rain. because of the hole's shape, the water evaporates very slowly and can be kept inside the horn for several days. as the Bulan walks around its native environment of the dry desert, it is able to pour out water for itself to drink for about a week after rain appears. this way, it stays hydrated with little effort during dry periods.

the next group in Monoceratidae is Monoceratinae, in which there are two groups: Yaletini and Monoceratini.

Yaletini consists of the genus Yale, as well as a smaller clade within it. the most distinct shared trait among all the genera in Yaletini are upwards-curving tusks. it is thought that these tusks developed due to the decreased defensive function of their horns, which seem to have become more of just display pieces.

the Yale looks like it has two horns, but they sprout from the same bone. Yale has two distinct species: Y. recta and Y. curvum. Y. recta has straight horns, while Y. curvum has curved horns. the Yale is sometimes able to defend itself from front and back attacks due to its horn shape, but its preferred defensive feature is its tusks. the other clade within Yaletini contains the Nian and Xieshi. these two are visually similar to lions, with their sloped heads and shaggy neck "manes". Nian's horn is small, but its tusks are relatively large. both genera live in areas with reddish-grey plants and geological features, so they camouflage very easily.

the last group within Monoceratinae is Monoceratini, which contains the "true unicorns". these are the species under Monoceros, of which there are two: M. pratum and M. mons. M. pratum is specialized for plains environments, while M. mons is a sturdier build meant for mountain environments.

outside of Monoceratinae, one other group of unicorns exists. these are the members of Qilinini, which are closely related to Muntiacini, the munjacs. these deer are very notable for their pangolin-like scales. it is thought that they developed these in order to avoid being grabbed by their largest predators: dragons. without access to their softer flesh, which is pierced easily, dragons cannot just swoop down and grab the deer. the members of this group also have a single antler, which is also thought to be a response to dragons' predation. dragons can easily grab onto the large, branching antlers of other deer, rendering the deer helpless as they fly off with them. however, Qilinini's antlers have few points to grab onto while still being functional for attracting mates.

Qilinini has three members, Sinyu, Kirin, and Qilin. all three of these are relatively similar, but do have differences between them. their antlers have different shapes, and the amount of scale covering on their bodies is different. Sinyu also has a longer, horselike tail compared to the other two genera.

okay ! i finally stopped looking at unicorns in order to finally put this out here. hope you all enjoy, i had a lot of fun developing these guys and im really happy with how they came out. especially the qilin deer !! it was tricky finding a reasoning for them being scaly but thats a huge part of qilin's identity so i had to keep it in. i think the pangolin scales work great as a compromise to "real" scales.

[uuoia]

357

Kepada rintik pilu hari Rabu. Tolong sampaikan kepada malammu bahwa aku begitu rindu senyum sang rembulan. Yang selama ini tega bergelayut di atas angan-angan.

—13

[bersenantiyasa]

kukantongi bulan untukmu

kemarin malam, bulan besar sekali bentuknya sabit menghadap atas dan kukira makin jauh kendaraan melaju, makin mungkin aku dan dia bertumbukan

aku merekam malam itu di dalam genggaman kubisiki langit serta bintang-bintang, bolehkah yang ini kubawa pulang? bulan mengingatkanku soal pulang, ke lantai pualam yang menampung tubuh-tubuh lelah kita juga pada beranda yang membiarkan angin menyapu peluh di wajah kita

jadi ketika gelap balas menghangatkan telinga, bawa pulanglah kusambar pelan-pelan sang bulan kulipat rapi-rapi dia menjadi delapan bagian kusimpan dia di sudut paling aman di pikiran

rinduku, kukantongi bulan ini untukmu di perjalanan menuju rumah, bulan di sakuku berpesan jaga dia dengan penuh sayang

tidak, sungguh tidak apa-apa bila sendiri masih menjadi teman terbaikmu bila rapuh perlu kau kenali lebih jauh pun bila hadirku belum sedia kau jamu

tiada mengapa, rinduku bulan yang terang itu memang kubawa untukmu tiada mengapa, sayangku bulan milikmu sudah kugantung di gagang pintu

senantiyasa, 2025.

[matsiya-art-photo]

[howlingday]

Ruby: Hey, Blake! Are you busy?

Blake: What is it, Ruby?

Ruby: I'm taking new medicine today, so can you remind me to take it every day before and after every meal? I need to take it before I go to sleep and when I wake up, too.

Yang: WHAT?!

Yang: (Grabs Ruby) MEDICINE?! WHAT FOR?! ARE YOU OKAY?! HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?!

Ruby: ...

Yang: Ruby?

Ruby: Yang... I'm sorry, but...

Yang: What?

Ruby: I-I'm fine! I was joking! I was going to say that the medicine was a kiss from Blake, but now I just feel bad...

Yang: (Sighs) Don't scare me like that, Rubes... Well, uh, I guess I'll leave ya to your prescription. (Leaves)

Blake: You really made your sister worried.

Ruby: Yeah... Were you scared, too?

Blake: No, but I would have asked something similar. Saying something like that is alarming.

Ruby: Aw... I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?

Blake: Of course. You're the one person I can't stay mad at. And you don't have to worry about your prescription.

Ruby: Aw~! OW! H-Hey! That wasn't a kiss! It was a bite!

Blake: That's for making me worry.

[throwupgirl-deactivated20240906]

the gay moon filipino myth (allegedly visayan) was just a rumor online btw no one knows where that came from.

lakapati's story is real oral tradition and historical of intersex and trans depictions, but if any of you touch that for your american characters im killing you