#mudbend

[luminant-lepidoptera]

This combo does not make Asami, so Infinite Craft is trash

#Also I got Korra by combining Avatar and Airbender #Avatar was like Simulation + Human #Then Avatar + Wind #I can't even make Firebender or Earthbender. The combos that should make them give me Phoenix and Titan #I tried a few others that disappointed me like Sailor + Moon and Kingdom + Heart didn't get Sailor Moon and Kingdom Hearts like I wanted #I mean they have so many other things why not those #Also I've unfortunately crafted a slur by accident idk who moderates these things #EDIT: Ok I finally made Firebender and Earthbender #Firebender was Airbender + Fire for whatever reason #And Earthbender was ridiculous idek #I had to go through sandbender mudbender swampbender toph and dirt #Some combo of all that

[twogyuu]

Of Flames and Fates [Masterlist]

Pairing: Wonwoo x fem!reader

Synopsis: An anthology piecing together the fable of an outcasted firebender and the hidden heiress of the Southern water tribe. Their lives are seemingly so opposite and different, yet somehow they've has always been messily intertwined.

Genre: Fluff, angst, atla!au, firebender!wonwoo, (former) leuitenant general!wonwoo, bounty hunter!wonwoo, outcast!wonwoo, waterbender!reader, southern water tribe princess!reader, earthbender!jeonghan (he's old), jeonghan is oc's caretaker, my cabbages guy!mingyu, fire nation royalty!minghao, swamp/mudbender!vernon and soonyoung

Warnings: PG-13, there is probably fighting b/c this is ATLA-based - specified per chapter.

A/N: This is not a chronological series, nor will it be updated regularly! It was just time I made a masterlist for this given how carried away I get and how many "drabbles" I write for this couple! 😃

>> of flames and fates (original drabble)

you couldn't believe that he was the same person as the legends whispered through the market streets. so he showed you instead.

>> nameless

Perhaps you were both fonder of one another than you thought - it only took one night in the city founded on two forbidden lovers for the two of you to realize. 

>> when the sun kisses the moon

Home was neither here or there, but with him.

>> between commas and question marks

in which you fell first.

>> a lovers' quarrel as told by swampbenders

but he fell harder.

>> the beginning before the beginning

#wonwoo x reader #wonwoo fluff #wonwoo scenarios #wonwoo angst #seventeen x reader #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #seventeen scenarios

[mylittlesecrethaven]

Let's Talk About ATLA Element Bending!

I guess my past self just hated myself.

Cause now I'm doing this!

For reference, this is literally just a list of all the types of bending.

I thought that would make a fun post.

Idk.

(Also, I'm gonna go over the basic styles and ways of movement cause why tf not?)

Waterbending

Bloodbending

Cloudbending

Icebending

Mudbending

Plantbending

Snowbending

Spiritbending

Steambending

Waterbending revolves around fluidity and change of pace, being the exact opposite of firebending. However, it is not completely similar to airbending in that it has fixed movements and does not allow as much freedom.

Waterbenders are able to take an opponent's strength and use it against them, while also being able to give support to those around them both offensively, defensively, and in health support. (I didn't know what else to call it.)

Earthbending

Crystalbending

Lavabending

Metalbending

Mudbending

Sandbending

Earthbending requires firm stances and quick, rough movements, opposite to airbending. It is different from firebending as firebending requires smoother, more fluid motions.

Earthbenders are very offensive fighters, and cannot easily use an opponent's strength against them. They can provide amazing offensive support, and can be very helpful in defense.

Firebending

Chibending (yes, this is different to spiritbending)

Combustionbending

Heatbending

Lightningbending

Firebending has very firm stances, and requires a good root, unlike water and airbending. However, firebending can be quite fluid at times, and does not require as much rigidness as earthbending.

Firebending is pretty much solely offensive, with little to no defensive ability. Yes, they can provide defensive support, but it will not be as useful as, say, earthbending or airbending.

Airbending

Cloudbending

Soundbending

Airbending is the most fluid and free form of bending. Yes, there can be firm stances, but most of airbending is quick movements and does not require a root, like firebending or earthbending.

Airbenders are usually defensive, but can be exceptionally good at offense if required. Airbending, while not having the largest amount of sub-types, is one of the most versatile bending forms.

(Yeah, not much really. I did what I could.

If you want a better breakdown of the sub-types I listed, go here.)

(Also, I know energybending is a thing, but I didn't want to go over that, so.... meh)

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar tla #korra #the legend of korra #legend of korra

[beastswithoutburdencomic]

Update.

Whit didn't come back right.

Read it on Tapas // Read it On Webtoons

Click here for image IDs on all published pages.

Image ID for the promo in both the alt text and under the cut.

IMAGE ID: In the middle panel, Whit vomits speech bubbles. The strings flow through his fingers as he tries to keep it in and populate the rest of the page. 

A ring of speech bubbles in the middle read, “... Is he in there?”, “There isn’t much to tell.” “But it was quiet for a long while after.”, “Quiero ver tu cara de nuevo-”, “Right here.”, “He was always so gentle…”, “Is he in pain? Is he angry? Did he tell you what happened to him?”, “But the curse can’t be broken-”, “... but it’s not Danilo, is it?”, and “There was a monster.” 

In the center of the ring is a white-outlined sketch of Violeta from the sternum up, raising one hand, worry in every line. It isn’t that Whit is merely echoing what’s being said.

Whit mimics the exact sound of Violeta’s voice.

In the triangular panels in the top left and right corners of the page, Danilo stretches out, his line art stretching around the middle panel. The top right panel shows the formless gold sewn into abstract, flowing lineart. The top left panel shows Danilo’s shocked face, his white eyes wide with recognition. 

Danilo’s body flows into the middle panel and is partially lost among the dark grey of the background and the faint outlines of the mask of Whit’s face embedded into the mudbender’s head from case 1, containing Whit’s soul.

The bottom panel shows a close up of Danilo’s head as several tails from the white speech bubbles wrap around the abstract black lines of his line art, as though attempting to put him back together. The gold color between the lines takes on a metallic sheen as Danilo’s original face is warped within the still-too-thin lines of his skull. End ID.

#bwbcomic #webtoon canvas #tapas comic #tapas webcomic #webtoon #original comic #monster art #body horror tw #came back wrong #supernatural #beasts without burden #and now you Know #that this is the update we've been most Excited for for a bit :)

[jointhearumanati]

MHA AVATAR AU PART 2

Shigaraki: Sandbender

Kurogiri: Cloudbender

Dabi: Blue Firebender(First Prince of the Fire nation)

Toga: Bloodbender, Mudbender

Twice: Non-Bender

(to be continued maybe)

#my hero academia #avatar au

[bloatsome]

Snovers 🤝 Snaters 🤝 The Marauders

Having an unhealthy obsession with Severus Snape

Bestie you just called us all out but-

SOMEONE HAD TO SAY IT

#snape #pro snape #severus snape #hp #snape love #snape community #snapedom #anti snaters #harry potter #pro severus snape #snape fandom #asks #mudbend #hes just the best

[stitch1830]

I feel like Toph and Iroh get together for tea sometimes to discuss Zuko’s love life and how they’re gonna set him up with Katara

This is straight facts I don't think I will have it any other way.

You know they pulled some strings or at the very least gossiped about those two. Toph got the intel from Katara, Iroh got some from Zuko, and the two put their heads together to make the stars align and to get those two goons to open their eyes and see that they were head over heels in love with each other.

Iroh also brewed lovely tea and the company was spectacular, so it was a win-win-win.

#zutara #zuko #katara #iroh #toph #atla #headcanons #my asks #thanks for the ask! #mudbend #fr tho toph and iroh did a lot of setting up for those two goofballs #i mean they had to #it was also fun so like.. why not lol

[kaligraphy]

“Nobody in the Fire Nation would even respect Katara”

This is Katara we’re talking about. If they didn’t respect her well then she would MAKE them respect her while Zuko cheered her on in the background.

and if anyone tries to challenge her to an Agni Kai, she would absolutely win and they would have to thank her for the honor of fighting her 😌

#zutara #ask #mudbend

[mintchochipkookie]

Why does hating Zuko and willfully misinterpreting his character seem to be the trendy new thing to do in this fandom?

Oh my godddd!!!!!! The mere fucking THOUGHT of Zuko slander makes my blood boil why do you do this to me lmaoo. But, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I would see this stuff in the tags just when I joined the fandom and didn’t realise that there is a slight possibility that someone could not adore Zuko with every fibre of their being. I see people refute them on my dash from time to time, but I just scroll past any stupid ass i-hate-zuko takes because I simply refuse to subject my eyeballs and brain to that nonsense.

The TL;DR version is: The hoops people need to jump through to justify ‘zuko was bad actually’ is exhausting. It’s such a stupid take, that disproving it requires you refuting so many untruthful interpretations of the source material, it’s almost impossible to untangle all the knots in their logic. (Also, I don’t wanna act like fiction and real-life have one to one parallels, but since antis like to pretend that it does, I figured I could take a few shots at the British Empire.)

Rest of my thoughts below the cut.

I gather that this is a new phenomenon, since the resurgence of the show’s popularity. I feel like it’s a result of younger people watching it now, who grew up with the internet and cancel culture (I don’t completely disagree with cancel culture, I just think there’s a very clear line that it frequently crosses). By that I mean, this mindset that if anyone has or has associated with someone who has said or done something vaguely not PC, they are a bad person forever now. This is a much more complex topic, and I do not think the intent behind the current mindsets are bad, quite the opposite. But no one seems to want to strike a balance anymore or view anyone or any piece of media with any kind of nuance. It’s the thought process of ‘since this book has racism, it is condoning it’ like no, maybe sometimes a book has racism because it is about racism and is trying to portray the horrors of human society.

There also seems to be a new take on the 2010s Tumblr hipster attitude of ‘i liked it before it was cool’ to ‘anything popular is probably not that good so we must drag it to hell and back even if that means distorting the actual themes and writing and disregarding context’. Personally, I don’t even think ATLA is as good as everyone told me it was, it has a lot of shit writing moments (on top of the uncomfortable racism and misogyny, but it was another time, so the standards were different), but I DO think it’s an overall enjoyable show and Zuko is one of the most perfectly written characters to exist (barring 2 very specific moments but we don’t need to get into that right now). Have we considered that maybe, just MAYBE, the reason Zuko is so widely considered to be such a great character is simply because he IS. Not every popular opinion is a good one, but a lot of them are popular for a reason. You don’t even have to particularly like Zuko, but if you cannot see the absolute beauty in his character and his journey, then I just don’t trust you.

I am an extremely character-driven person. I still maintain that had Zuko not been on the show, I never would’ve finished it. Zuko starts as a bratty hot-headed prince but here’s the really important thing. He’s shown in a very sympathetic light almost right away. E3 (or whenever that bitch Zhao shows up) all we’ve seen so far is Zuko trying to capture our protagonists and throwing temper tantrums, but you still feel for Zuko. My partner and I looked at each other after that episode and were both like ‘so they’re clearly setting him up for a redemption arc right’ (and we knew nothing going into the show idk how I'd avoided spoilers). They make it pretty obvious that he’s been through some shit and I think Zhao was a very clever idea. This is some old man in a position of authority over Zuko, mocking him for being a disappointment. It’s clearly unfair, and it’s just another Fire Nation imperialist who thinks Zuko is worthless because he has a conscience, probably. Zuko is consistently put in these positions of powerlessness, interspersed with flashbacks from his past, and he consistently pushes against it. He fights against it all and tries to regain some amount of control over his life.

The thing about anti-Zuko arguments is that it requires you to flat out pretend that a lot of the explicit dialogue on the show didn’t happen. Since this was a show targeted at kids, they go out of their way to say the key defining moments out loud. Ffs Iroh is literally just there to spout words of wisdom for Zuko so that his journey is made even clearer. The most common argument tho, I presume, is the one that Zuko personally is a coloniser and let me just heavy sigh do y’all even know what words mean anymore? Look, I’m the first person to jump on the ‘fuck colonisers’ train. Like, I constantly shit on the British. Trust me, I get it. But here’s the thing. I don’t actually think that every individual British person is a coloniser. Do y’all see the fucking difference????? The country absolutely is, and I will continue to hate their guts till they have the decency to accept what they did and pay for it, but most of the common people are not.

This btw is also a theme on the show. Multiple times. Hama’s (I have thoughts on how she was treated, but that’s not relevant rn) whole thing was exactly this. She was an actual victim of the Fire Nation’s cruelty, but her wanting to take that out on the FN citizens was wrong. For exactly this reason. You can’t help where you were born. Katara, the person antis love claiming was the biggest victim of the FN’s imperialist agenda and hates them SO much, goes out of her way as the Painted Lady to protect their citizens. Like. People see this right? They understand that Katara, the person who hates the FN so much for taking away her mother, still gets this distinction and acknowledges that the people responsible are only the ones who are actively colonising and killing people.

Anyway, I can bet the follow up to this argument is ‘but Zuko was Fire Nation royalty’ and I repeat. You can’t help where you were born. I know people are gonna point to S1 Zuko but again, nothing he does is out of malicious intent or for the betterment of the Fire Nation’s rule. People joke about how Zuko screams about ‘honour’ and then just completely miss the point of it. He was a child fighting to get his dad’s approval. He even says this out loud multiple times. He doesn’t get the horrors of colonialism, because he was raised in the FN. Do people just not remember his monologue when he’s confronting Ozai???? They explicitly tell us that the FN lies to their kids to make them believe that they are the greatest country. And he was raised in the actual palace, where would he have gotten any information to the contrary???? There are grown-ass adults with complete access to the internet out there who still believe that Winston Churchill was a great man and not a white supremacist because that’s the garbage narrative the West feeds y’all but a child raised in the royal family of a colonising nation who didn’t realise the lies until he left home is the idiot. Okay.

Now, had Zuko gone out of his way to torment people, simply chosen not to care, or was too scared to fight against them, that would be a whole other story. And funnily enough, these traits all exist in other characters - Azula, Mai, Ty Lee. Azula is also a child of abuse and I think it’s clear from the flashbacks that she always had a streak of cruel, but she was groomed by Ozai, Ursa didn’t seem to give Azula the same kind of attention and love that she gave Zuko, she didn’t have Iroh to guide her as a teenager, so she simply did what came naturally to her and promoted the FN agenda. Mai also comes from a high ranking family that is very much on board with the whole ‘Fire Nation First’ rhetoric and she helps, but only because she is apathetic. That’s her whole thing, she just doesn’t care. And when Zuko leaves, she calls him a traitor, so she clearly is loyal to her country to a fault (again, she was a kid who didn’t have someone to tell her better, I’m not hating on her). Ty Lee I think is closer to the representation of a citizen or maybe a soldier. They don’t explore this thread (a wasted opportunity imo) but in her introduction, it seems that she has no interest in this war and only ends up joining because she’s scared of Azula. It’s her way of survival. She knows she can’t take a stance against Azula and escape unscathed.

I think Zuko at some point goes through all these stages, but he is by nature, more caring, a fighter, and he makes his own destiny. Remember, that thing that’s said out loud???? Zuko’s journey is so incredible because he has to confront all the lies he’s been fed and the hand he may have had in the destruction, as collateral or via complicity, head-on. He has to live in the Earth Kingdom and listen to people talk about what they’ve been through and he is clearly horrified. He tries to protect them and when they find out who he is, they turn on him. I love this choice actually (as much as I hate to see Zuko hurt) because clearly, the show itself is aware that Zuko just claiming that he’s not like other Fire Nation royals isn’t enough for him, or for others. Zuko has to work his butt off to get anybody’s approval (re, the Gaang) because of course people are gonna be sceptical of him.

He has a bumpy road to redemption which is what I fucking loveee because life is messy, and your journey to being a better person is going to be too. You can’t expect yourself to just have a linear trajectory from Point A to Point B, because are people familiar with the concept of humanity. It’s going to look more like a bunch of messy scribbles and you’re always gonna mess up and I cannot stress how much I ADORE that they wrote that into his arc. You can do some dumb things but aren’t beyond forgiveness. BUT. They also acknowledge that just because you’re sorry now, doesn’t entitle you to someone’s forgiveness now, or later. And Zuko doesn’t expect it so he works tirelessly towards making amends. He goes above and beyond and he still doesn’t think he’s worthy of being forgiven all the time (like when he’s nervous to go see Iroh).

AND (oh my god there’s so many ands but he’s such a complex character and there are so many layers to his redemption I’m sorry I’m gushing) most importantly. He takes a fucking stand against the Fire Nation. He does all these things till he finally makes his way back home. He thinks this is what he wanted, he has his father’s approval, he’s got his honour back, he’s the crown prince, he has a FN girlfriend...so then why is he unhappy? (Again, these are literally his words asdfghjkmhngbfds.) Because he has changed. Because he actively disagrees with their ideologies now. Before he was banished, he clearly didn’t agree with their ways, but now he doesn’t want a part in it. We see his empathy and inner conflict again when Ozai asks his opinion on taking over the Earth Kingdom. See how that works? He had every chance to be a colonising little shit, but he didn’t take it.

I can’t believe the amount of strength it took for Zuko to walk away from this life of comfort and prestige, face off against that abusive dickhead who calls himself a father, and then just...join the “enemy” to defeat them. And he wants to defeat them because he hates what they stand for on a FUNDAMENTAL level. Seriously, did people just turn off the volume during that scene in The Day of Black Sun? This is what I mean by blatantly ignoring the dialogue to come to these conclusions. Zuko, as a fucking teenager, had the courage to fight against his own family because he believed the world could be a better place and he recognised that that meant his own family needed to be defeated. He was literally willing to die to take them down and protect the people that he cares about, good GOD I cannot deal with this. That’s more than any Brit ever did, but go off. I guess by this logic, no irl white person is allowed to be happy ever, because y’all probably have some ancestor who colonised a country or was a slave owner or something, sorry. Oh, also, antis who love harping on about Zuko’s ancestors and family - did they also forget that he’s the literal descendant of Roku too? You know, the Avatar, the guy who tried to fight and stop Sozin too? Or does that just not fit their narrative, so they decided to only pick the parts of his lineage that do?

#this might be my longest rant yet jfc #if you come for zuko i WILL lose my shit #ask #mudbend #pro zuko #anti atla fandom #atla fandom salt #zuko #imagine looking at a trauma victim trying to be better and thinking 'fuck that guy' #zuko defense squad #where you at #zuko meta #atla meta #atla salt #?

[thebluesunflower44]

Why are Bryke so afraid of letting Toph be loved (well we know it’s because of the demonization of working woman and single motherhood but y’know)

this!! toph is tough and strong so...so she must not need to receive that much affection, right? she doesn't need to have any of her friends fondly reminiscing about all she got up to, she doesn't need a love interest to stay by her side, she doesn't need her kids to be talking about how much they miss and love her, no, absolutely not.

you know what she does need, though? after a childhood of being isolated from society? after they tell us in the show that she likes to show affection through touch? she needs to grow old and live in the Swamp, removed from her daughters and society in general, alone with her guilt and shame and memories.

#toph deserved better #anti bryke #anti LOK #hate hate hate why couldn't they let her have nice things #asks #mudbend #mutuals <3

[firelxdykatara]

“Zuko’s ‘good/replacement’ little sister isn’t Katara, it’s Toph” is the take I’ve been waiting to see thank you

Honestly, like, in general I don't like the idea that Zuko needs a replacement little sister (it's why I have such conflicting feelings about Kiyi in the comics, because she's adorable and I love her and her relationship with Zuko, but I hate everything she represents), because I think both Zuko and Azula deserved some post-canon focus on their relationship and on healing&rebuilding together rather than... whatever that mess was lmao, but if anyone in the gaang has something approaching a sibiling-like dynamic with Zuko, it's absolutely Toph, not Katara.

#atla #zuko #toph #azula #atla comics salt #mudbend #asked

[gemgirl28]

Do the steambabies go to regular school or do they have a private tutor?

Neither, but also both.

Pretty early on in their marriage, Katara converts a wing of the palace to a school for the kids of the palace staff. It’s open to anyone who works in the palace, whether a cook, maid, or council member.

No one expects the princes and princesses to attend, but as soon as the oldest is… whatever age they start school in ATLA, Katara and Zuko enroll them in classes.

All the kids are excited because their dad is a nerd so they are nerds they grew up with the kids of the palace workers, so they get to spend all day with their friends.

I imagine the curriculum is also flexible in that when visiting dignitaries come together for trade summits and what have you, their kids can join the palace classes (because it takes a while to get those on the same schedule as school breaks).

#zutara #steambaby headcanon #my asks #mudbend

[snapeingturtle]

Am I the only person who actually feels bad for people who don’t like Snape?

For real they miss out on so much fun

#ask #mudbend

[beastswithoutburdencomic]

Mississippi Mudbender

(floviomimicus Mississius)

a voice from the riverbed.

ENDANGERED

Classification: River spirit; vocal mimic.

Level of danger posed to humans is minimal.

   Mississippi Mudbenders, known colloquially as “mudbenders” or “mudders” (Smith, 1946), are a rare type of water spirit which inhabit the waters of the Mississippi River.

   Urban legends hold that if someone wanders too close to the water a mudbender will steal their soul (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021). In doing so, they use the voice of the soul to lure concerned loved ones to the water’s edge to provide ready meals for their children. While these legends are true insofar as the mudbender’s ability to store both souls and voices, almost all recorded mudbender encounters have described the souls of fish being the sole souls found stolen (The Evolution of the Piscine Soul, 2017).

   Mudbenders have been known to avoid humans and human civilization as much as they are physically able. Their disposition is naturally shy and avoidant, making it harder to gauge whether conservation efforts have helped replenish the population to any significant degree (Census of Mythical and Otherwise Unnatural Beings in Missouri, 2020).

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

   These spirits are known to inhabit the freshwater Mississippi River. It was originally thought that Mudbenders solely inhabited the temperate waters of the Mississippi River running through the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. However, due to the discovery of a mudbender specimen in the Tennessee River Basin, it is suspected that a small population may also reside in the rivers of the southern Appalachian Mountains (Appalachian Aquatic Cryptozoological Society, 2021).

  Mudbenders primarily prefer shade to sun when out of the water. They rest by burrowing under the mud along riverbanks and leaving the topmost part of their skin exposed to take in oxygen. Mothers will burrow in the stretch of river near where their tadpoles swim. Juvenile mudbenders will burrow in the riverbed of the shallow waters to complete their metamorphosis from tadpole to adult.

   During the first frost, adult mudbenders will burrow into the riverbed of the Mississippi River and enter a hibernation state wherein they will magically freeze, regardless of the state of the river itself. At the spring equinox they will thaw and rise from the silt, mimicking voices from any human or other creature that approaches the water. In areas where mudbenders are suspected to gather for purposes of reproduction, it has been said that the air is filled with "the voices of the dead" (Folktales: how the Disadvantaged Survive Where the Supernatural Thrive, 1989).

CHARACTERISTICS

   Adult mudbenders generally reach a length of about 6-9ft, with the largest specimen found measuring at a length of 18ft (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021). Their dark, wrinkled skin acts as camouflage which allows them to hide beneath mud. Their naturally avoidant dispositions have led to a few rare encounters wherein a human mistakes its exposed back for a stone and steps on it, causing it to burrow deeper under the mud. Its broad, flat head is thought to assist with camouflage as well (Camille & Jefferys, 2003). Its wide mouth has been known to hold a dislocating jaw, which allows the river spirit to swallow prey up to two times its size when biting with its blunt teeth are not enough to strip the flesh.

   Its large eyes hold rudimentary sight, so it primarily hunts by feeling differences in the water around its body. Its porous skin is outfitted with nerve endings which allow it to sense electromagnetic fields, meaning that they are capable of sensing displacement in the water. Their skin, additionally, is able to take in oxygen from both the air and water. Its claws are often blunt, as the majority of its hunting is done via biting, swallowing, or by stunning prey with a hit from its powerful tail.

   The Mississippi Mudbender is distinct from other species in its genus in that the souls that it acquires are stored within bony protrusions which grow through the skin along its spine. These bony protrusions take the form of the face of the animal or human whose soul is contained within, and can be removed without incident (Wardview Review vol.23, 2021).

           It is also capable of minor terraforming magic, allowing it to turn any dry land it comes into contact with into swampland. In cases where it is in danger of death, it will summon floodwaters which will flood the immediate area and drown any land bound creature in its path. It is also capable of forming silt into muddy decoys of itself to confuse potential enemies and escape.

   It is unknown how long a mudbender is capable of living as they are so rare that it is almost impossible to find the same specimen that has been tagged, even through magical means.

 All attempts to take a mudbender specimen into captivity have ended in disaster (Vieira et. al, 1987). As such, no further attempts have been made.

DIET

   Mississippi Mudbenders primarily eat insects, shrimp, and fish. The mudbender’s main hunting strategy involves making sounds which mimic the noise that the movement of much smaller fish make, opening its mouth wide, and luring prey into its jaws. When faced with larger prey, such as the blue catfish, mudbenders have been known to actively pursue prey (Wardview Review vol.20, 2018). They have been known to target larger prey when stranded on land, such as small rodents, deer, or foxes.

  The souls of its prey are stored within the bony protrusions which grow along its spine, providing a unique opportunity to ecologists, as their dietary records are displayed on their backs.

  When feeding its young, female mudbenders will strike their backs against the rocks to dislodge some of the souls within, which she will then take to her children. Tadpole mudbenders feed primarily upon the souls of the meals their mothers have previously eaten.

   There have been few documented cases of a mudbender being found which had a human soul trapped in its back (Folktales: how the Disadvantaged…, 1989). These cases are incredibly rare, as Mississippi Mudbenders tend to avoid humans and, in fact, mimic human voices to scare other predators away. For a mudbender to attack a human, the animal in question would need to be actively starving and/or desperate to return to the main river.

           Mudbender offspring appear to prefer the souls of blue catfish to any other animal (Wardview Review vol.7, 2005).

LIFE CYCLE

   Not much is known about the mating process of the Mississippi Mudbender as only female specimens have been found. What is known is that once the spring equinox arrives, mudbenders will thaw themselves from the river bottom and rise from the silt to migrate toward an unknown breeding ground. Efforts to find the location of the grounds themselves have been fruitless (Vieira et. al, 1987).

   After mating, the mudbender will carry the fertilized eggs within the empty pockets where souls have been dislodged from its back to their own territories. Once there, the mother will bury the eggs along the riverbank and guard them fiercely until the day of their hatching, around the months of May-June.

   When the larval mudbenders hatch, the area around where the mudbender created her nest will become wholly devoid of sound for an indeterminate amount of time. This is because the larval mudbenders are absorbing the first sounds that they hear for later use. After sound is restored to the area, the mudbender mother will stand over the larval offspring until they grow into proper tadpoles, feeding them pieces of the souls leftover from previous meals.

  Once its offspring enter the tadpole stage, the mother will artificially flood the area and sweep her children into the river, where she will teach them how to hunt and use their mimicked sounds. Tadpoles will slowly grow limbs over time and generally reach a juvenile, in between stage once they are able to independently flex the muscles in their arms.

  The approximate timeline of development is unknown, but it is known that juvenile mudbenders will be taught how to hibernate, and that by the next spring equinox, they will emerge as newly matured adults. It is unknown if this aligns with reproductive maturity or not. Once the Mississippi Mudbender becomes an adult, they leave the territory of their mother in search of their own (Wardview Review vol.7, 2005).

  The exact length of the Mudbender’s natural lifespan is unknown.

ENDANGERED STATUS

   Their numbers have dwindled considerably over the previous 70 years due to a Midwest-wide extermination campaign led by hunters who had mistaken the creatures for the invasive siltscreamer (floviomimicus Cruciatus), an enchanted animal with a similar penchant for vocal mimicry. While efforts to educate hunters about the difference between the delivery of mimicry between these two spirits appear to have been moderately successful, the number of mudbenders has dropped to the point where many hunters will never encounter one (Census of Mythical and Otherwise Unnatural Beings, 2020).

   In addition, hunter-led efforts to circumvent conservation efforts via reclassifying any supernatural creature (directly or indirectly) related to the human soul as an inherent public hazard have increased due to misinformation funded by the Gatling family. This misinformation is in light of a now-debunked study completed by Mr. William Valentine. Said study purported to prove definitively that humans required souls of a certain ‘vitality level’ in life, and that contact with certain supernatural creatures- such as mimics, perception-alterers, or cognitiers- would cause near irreversible damage to the soul, leading to increased risk of diseases such as “an incredible amount of cancer, various schizophrenias, and leaky gut” (Valentine, 2001). This would, in turn, affect the possibility of a human soul remaining as a ghost after death.

   It comes as little surprise that Mr. Valentine had his PhD revoked shortly after Dr. Amona El-Idrissi revealed evidence of both unreliable testing and wholly falsified data. While Dr. El-Idrissi’s methods leave a little to be desired in terms of depth, the reliability of his findings are incredibly strong, and his work ethic in uncovering the scandal is rather admirable.

  Unfortunately, despite evidence to the contrary, a large subset of the hunter community still perpetuate the harmful ideas of the soul expressed in Mr. Valentine’s paper, putting soul-affecting species such as the Mississippi Mudbender at greater risk of eradication. It is my hope that in writing this, I might highlight the beauty of these creatures’ existence and encourage others to protect that which at first seems alien, frightening, or, perhaps, even antithetical to human existence.

  These that are termed ‘monsters’ are trying to live their lives, just as we do.

[ William “Whit” Valencia (he/him) is a former graduate of the Valencia Veterinary Clinic’s cryptozoology care internship and a former PhD candidate in the Cryptozoological Studies program of Wardview University. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

If you would like to support the Wardview Scrivener’s Guild in its ongoing commitment to preserving records of all things supernatural, please read our webcomic. ]

#bwbcomic #cryptozoology #cryptobiology #mythical #unreality #bestiary #comic supplemental

[ilovelin]

Good morning last night I made myself super sad thinking about Lin and how she deserved better than being ignored by her mother and mistreated by her sister and made into some kind of bitter old hag for not wanting kids and then being gaslit (yes I know Tumblr loves to overuse that term but in this case it actually applies) about her righteous anger. Then I started making myself extra sad thinking about Toph and how she deserved better than to be portrayed as a shitty mother and how OOC she was in LOK.

This is literally me every day. Ur so right, it’s so so unfair that Lin is seen as the unreasonable one from that family. If my brother scarred me and got sent to our rich grandparents house as ‘punishment’ without so much as an apology I would’ve distanced myself from him too. I hate how Lin was made to feel like she was the bitter one who never got over a grudge when all she did was distance herself from people who hurt her. And yh the term ‘gaslight’ does apply with what happened to Lin. I also hate how Suyin never even mentioned her scarring Lin to Korra and the rest of Team Avatar, making Lin look dramatic like she got angry over nothing. I agree, Tophs character deserved so much better. In atla you could literally see how much the gaang and being in a family meant to her. It’s weird how she was shown as the neglectful workaholic mum in tlok. I feel like the writers made being a single mother look rlly bad too or maybe that’s just me

#thanks for the ask! #ignore how messy my answer is lmao #btw if u don’t agree just scroll #this isn’t an invite for arguments #I have enough going on in my life than getting in to arguments in tumblr #this is just between mudbend and I and whoever else agrees #i tried so hard to like suyin after this but I can’t #same with old toph #I guess im gonna stick to loving atla toph cos I don’t know who this one is #suyin salt #tlok salt #Lin Beifong #tlok #korra #cheif beifong #beifong #toph

[i-am-a-blue-dragon]

Element Tag Game

RULES: Bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, and tag nine people!

Thanks @groovyaviator for the tag!

AIR: I have small hands • I love the night sky • I watch small animals and birds when I pass them by • I drink herbal tea • I wake to see dawn • The smell of dust is comforting • I’m valued for being wise • I prefer books to music • I meditate • I find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE: I don’t have straight hair • I like to wear ripped jeans and overalls • I play an organized sport • I love dogs • I am not afraid of adventure • I love to talk to strangers • I always try new foods • I enjoy road trips • Summer is my favorite season  • My radio is always playing

WATER: I wear bracelets on my wrists • I love the bustle of the city • I have more than one set of piercings • I read poetry • I love the sound of a thunderstorm • I want to travel the world • I sleep past midnight most days • I love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs • I rewatch kids’ shows out of nostalgia • I see emotions in colors not words

EARTH: I wear glasses • I enjoy doing the laundry • I am a vegetarian or vegan • I have an excellent sense of time • My humor is very cheerful • I am a valued advisor to my friends • I believe in true love • I love the chill of mountain air • I’m always listening to music • I am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER: I go without makeup in my daily life • I make my own artwork • I keep on track of my tasks and time • I always know true north • I see beauty in everything • I can always smell flowers • I smile at everyone I pass by • I always fear history repeating itself • I have recovered from a mental disorder • I can love unconditionally

I tag @waitcoffeefirst, @i-spit-fire, @crazyecho, @callmewarriorprincess, @transgenerd, @music4ever3395, @venomothim, and @beccathevampyreslayer

#that's a clean tie between water and earth #sigh #will i never know peace? #am i a waterbender or an earthbender? #am i............. a mudbender #hannah replies #my posts #thanks megan