Snippet 8 - Hatte Frogs - Jan. 3, 2020
Xantalos
Turtle-Speed Writing
On the Hatte Frog
Hatte Frogs are a delightful species of amphibian originating from within the Trafalgar Swamps, first sighted 741 years after the breaking of the Great Dam. They are considered a luxury pet among many of the indigenous villages in the Swamps, often held by the natives to be good luck charms of a sort. Here in the Vaudevillian Empire, of course, we do not hold to such superstitions, but the peculiar antics of the creatures do offer some amusement to the onlooker, and their eggs are a delicacy when prepared with mercurium and bone cream.
Anatomy
Hatte Frogs are lumpy, greenish-brown creatures of about knee height with warty skin, bulging eyes, and long, gangly limbs that are startlingly out of proportion with the rest of them, often twice the length of the rest of the body in mature specimens. Their skeletal structure is somewhat unique among the denizens of the Trafalgar Swamps, with the only actual bones in their body being located within their hind legs. Everything else is made up of a pliable, gelatin-like substance that wiggles and bounces to the touch. Their feet are quite widely-spread, and male specimens have a set of retractable claws in their toe pads.
Behavioral Patterns
Hatte Frogs behave as most omnivorous swamp-dwellers do - they spend most of their time searching for food, leaping after insects and birds to fill their voracious appetites. In this regard they are not much different than the common frog. However, during the months of their mating season, the Hatte Frog displays their iconic behavior. Males will seek out large members of other species, seemingly without regard for whether they approach predator or prey, and leap upon the head of their target. Once they succeed in this, they will grip firmly to the head they land upon with their claws and begin making as much of a ruckus as they can, wailing and ribbiting to the maximum capacity of its lungs. This will continue until a female has been attracted by the commotion or the target manages to shake its Hatte Frog off. If a female is nearby and called over, she will assess the male by the height of the being he managed to scale. If it is high enough, she will consent to mate. This behavior has seen Hatte Frogs attempting to leap onto everything from buildings to giants to aircraft passing overhead, and it is a common hazing ritual for members of prestigious Vaudevillian universities to have a Hatte Frog snuck onto their head without their knowledge.
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AN: Another 'too tired to really think of anything coherent so here's a random unrelated snippet' kinda day today.
Hatte Frogs are a delightful species of amphibian originating from within the Trafalgar Swamps, first sighted 741 years after the breaking of the Great Dam. They are considered a luxury pet among many of the indigenous villages in the Swamps, often held by the natives to be good luck charms of a sort. Here in the Vaudevillian Empire, of course, we do not hold to such superstitions, but the peculiar antics of the creatures do offer some amusement to the onlooker, and their eggs are a delicacy when prepared with mercurium and bone cream.
Anatomy
Hatte Frogs are lumpy, greenish-brown creatures of about knee height with warty skin, bulging eyes, and long, gangly limbs that are startlingly out of proportion with the rest of them, often twice the length of the rest of the body in mature specimens. Their skeletal structure is somewhat unique among the denizens of the Trafalgar Swamps, with the only actual bones in their body being located within their hind legs. Everything else is made up of a pliable, gelatin-like substance that wiggles and bounces to the touch. Their feet are quite widely-spread, and male specimens have a set of retractable claws in their toe pads.
Behavioral Patterns
Hatte Frogs behave as most omnivorous swamp-dwellers do - they spend most of their time searching for food, leaping after insects and birds to fill their voracious appetites. In this regard they are not much different than the common frog. However, during the months of their mating season, the Hatte Frog displays their iconic behavior. Males will seek out large members of other species, seemingly without regard for whether they approach predator or prey, and leap upon the head of their target. Once they succeed in this, they will grip firmly to the head they land upon with their claws and begin making as much of a ruckus as they can, wailing and ribbiting to the maximum capacity of its lungs. This will continue until a female has been attracted by the commotion or the target manages to shake its Hatte Frog off. If a female is nearby and called over, she will assess the male by the height of the being he managed to scale. If it is high enough, she will consent to mate. This behavior has seen Hatte Frogs attempting to leap onto everything from buildings to giants to aircraft passing overhead, and it is a common hazing ritual for members of prestigious Vaudevillian universities to have a Hatte Frog snuck onto their head without their knowledge.
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AN: Another 'too tired to really think of anything coherent so here's a random unrelated snippet' kinda day today.