Know your insect antennae!
A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin
A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans
A clock that isn’t 24-hours
More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know
Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain
Multiple moons/no moon
Planetary rings
A northern lights effect, but near the equator
Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks
Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals
Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands
The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage
No concept of virginity or bastardry
More than 2 genders/no concept of gender
Monotheism, but not creationism
Gods that don’t look like people
Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats
Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot
Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom
“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls
A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language
A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)
I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.
I feel confident enough to post these now. A collection of all the existing posters after some edits from the other post that got 13k notes! These are full size/quality. Go nuts.
You may use them for wallpapers, tabletop campaigns, whatever. Consider tipping me or buying a print or sticker on ko-fi here! If you do use them, let me know what for, or send pictures!
hai ..... i really wanted to draw @two-of-bugs hongo version . love their stuff and Hope it was okay to do so !
It was a rare thing—you and Dr. Robby both having the day off.
No alarms. No scrubs. No charts. Just the promise of a lazy day and the text he sent the night before:
“Aquarium date tomorrow? I wanna look at jellyfish and hold your hand.”
So that’s how you found yourself the next morning, bundled in one of his hoodies because you claimed it was “scientifically proven” to be warmer than yours (he didn’t argue), standing in line for tickets while he read the informational sign next to the entrance like it was a research paper.
“Did you know cuttlefish have three hearts?” he said, wide-eyed, like he just discovered gold.
You blinked. “Did you know I came here to relax and not learn about tiny squishy marine geniuses?”
He smirked, laced his fingers with yours, and said, “Let’s do both.”
Inside, it was dim and glowing and kind of magical. Blue lights shimmered off every wall, and the water tanks lit up your faces in the prettiest way. Robby was in full dork mode—pointing out fish he recognized, reading facts out loud, whispering things like “That one’s definitely judging me” at the grumpy-looking groupers.
You, of course, were on a different mission.
“Come here. Quick. Stand next to the penguins.”
“For what—?”
“Photos. I need to see who’s cuter.”
He groaned dramatically but leaned in close anyway, letting you snap the photo before whispering, “They win. But only by a beak.”
You laughed so hard a little kid nearby turned around and said, “You guys are loud,” which made you both giggle even more.
And then came the jellyfish room.
You didn’t even have to say anything. The second you stepped inside, Robby’s hand tightened around yours and he whispered, “This is my favorite part.”
You knew that. You remembered him telling you months ago that the jellyfish exhibit calmed him down after rough days. Something about how they moved. How they just existed, floating softly, never rushing.
You watched him more than the jellyfish, honestly.
The way his eyes got quiet. The way his shoulders dropped. The way he leaned his forehead against the glass and exhaled like he hadn’t in weeks.
You slipped your arms around his waist from behind and rested your cheek between his shoulder blades.
He didn’t say anything at first.
Then, softly: “I love it here. But I think I love it more with you.”
Your voice was muffled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You make it feel like home.”
You stood there like that for a long time. Just two nerds in love, glowing under soft blue light, surrounded by floating jellyfish and the hum of tank filters.
Eventually, you dragged him to the gift shop where you bought matching plush octopuses (he tried to talk you into a sea slug but you held firm), and he got you both overpriced dippin’ dots because “it’s tradition now.”
On the way home, he drove with one hand on the wheel and one resting on your thigh, and you leaned your head on his shoulder at every red light.
And just before pulling into your driveway, he glanced at you and smiled that soft, quiet smile that was only for you.
“Let’s do this again.”
“What, the aquarium?”
“No. This,” he said, squeezing your hand. “Us. All of it.”
You squeezed back. “Yeah. Let’s never stop.”
cause as much as i love dragons purring and roaring i wish there was just more variety in how they would act
clacking their teeth together to show contentedness/happiness (budgies)
using tails as a defensive weapon in a whip like fashion (iguana)
twitching to express that they're not a threat to members of their species (hognose snake)
feeling calm when eyes are hooded/covered (birds of prey)
head bobbing as a threat display (anoles/bearded dragons)
flattening neck or sides to appear bigger (snakes/lizards)
mantling over food to protect it from hatchmates (birds of prey)
wiggling neck as a courting maneuver (budgies)
audibly grinding teeth as a warning (macaques)
maintained eye contact as a challenge (gorillas)
pounding wings against sides as a threat (gorillas)
slapping other dragons with their claws when their personal bubble is invaded (seals)
hoards used as a site to impress mates (birds of paradise)
snorting when undergoing heightened stress (horses)
making repeated loud noises with surroundings to establish territory (woodpeckers)
loud constant arguments with other dragons when roosting (bats)
building lairs that cause a domino effect of change in the land around them (beavers)
slapping their tails against the ground/water as a warning (beavers)
wiggling tail tip to attract prey (various animals)
wiggling tail tip as a warning (snakes)
plucking or scraping off scales as a sign of stress (parrots)
raising spines/frills as a response to danger and carrying on with their usual business as they believe they're protected (lionfish)
and im not saying canine and feline behaviors are wrong or bad to give a dragon (people wouldn't write dragons with those behaviors if they weren't fun in the first place!) but i feel for creatures that are mythological giant winged lizards that you can do more and get experimental with it. often the more unfamiliar behavior the more dragony the dragon feels
Accidental sleepwalker au
I just want to say that immediately upon finishing Build the other day, I quickly grabbed a bunch of potential pfp screenshots (unsurprisingly mostly Evolt), and this one I'm using rn is one of my favourites ever. Why does it look like he's actually posing. I even had to put a cute snow app filter on it. Why is he so babygirl
(NOTE: THIS IS SO OUT OF CHARACTER FOR ME I HAVE NEVER SAID THE WORD BABYGIRL BEFORE BUT I CANNOT THINK OF ANY OTHER MORE FITTING WORD IM SORRY WHAT IS KAMEN RIDER DOING TO ME)
Anyway my #1 Build headcannon is that Evolt would use the :3 emoji