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Did another funky little watercolor sheet to cut out and give to people randomly. If you ever recognize me out in the world, I'll probably give you a free mini watercolor.

Six inch by nine inch watercolor paper sheet divided into playing card size illustrations of a Triceratops, a dragon, another dragon I suppose, a lighthouse scene, a partially skeletal chicken with a star pupil, and a spider adjacent creature with an eye for a midsection. On the left is 1.5 inch squares to fill up space of iris and pupils. Mostly all watercolor but there's some ink here and there.

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And here they are individually so I can get the written descriptions to fit in the alt-text.

Diatryma

Aka: Hammerbill

Origins: Agartha, Shangri-La

Size: 2 meters tall

Type: Bird

Malleornis rudi is a large flightless bird descended from the same order as Gastornis. While an herbivore, subsisting primarily on fresh shoots, stems, fruits and nuts, it is incredibly territorial. This cantankerous disposition is similar to the infamous Cassowary of Australia and New Guinea, but this animal is much larger, often standing higher than a grown man and weighing in excess of 200 kilograms. Its strong legs and sturdy back make it a popular mount for the Vril of Agartha, but in Shangri-La the monks merely avoid them. Diatryma prefer dwelling in the dense bamboo forest in the center of the valley where there is plenty of fresh plant growth as well as ginkgo trees for fruits and nuts to eat. They nest on the ground like other flightless birds, laying 2-3 large speckled turquoise eggs which both parents guard fiercely from would-be plunderers. Once the fluffy and adorable chicks hatch, they will guard them till they reach a full meter in height and then abandon them.

Sabertooth

Aka: Saber-toothed tiger, Saber-toothed cat

Origins: Agartha, Shangri-La

Size: 3 meters long

Type: Cat

Sabertooths are the top predator of the Shangri-La valley, hunting a wide variety of the prey species endemic to the region. They are very large cats and are in fact a member of the genus Machairodus, the lineage that was thought to go extinct during the last ice age. Sheltered by the surrounding mountains, Sabertooths have been allowed to thrive here and have even migrated to Agartha via the subterranean network of caves and caverns deep below the mountains. While sharing the color scheme of the more well known tigers that prowl greater Asia (and coming in melanistic and leucistic variants as well), these powerful cats are more powerfully built, with large muscular forelimbs to help tackle prey to the ground and long serrated canines evolved to slice through the throats of pinned prey before they can struggle too long and cause the cat injury. Like most big cats, they are solitary, only coming together to mate. While fearsome, they aren't foolish, and will not hunt a healthy adult mammoth, instead preferring to hunt the injured or weakened members of the herds, though the vast majority of their diet consists of the endemic red deer and wild horses as well as the occasional chevrotain and Diatryma, with their only real competition being Tibetan Blue Bears.

Mammoth

Origins: Agartha, Shangri-La

Size: 4.5 meters tall

Type: Mammoth

These giant proboscidians roam the grassy plains of the valley that circle the central bamboo forest, grazing in small herds of females and young, with the bulls being more solitary. This particular species is Mammuthus trogontherii, the Steppe Mammoth, which has long been considered the ancestor to the more famous Woolly Mammoth of the later Pleistocene. It seems this species accidentally escaped extinction inside the valley of Shangri-La where the vast surrounding mountains form a natural barrier from external threats. While the females are very protective of their young, not all make it to adulthood due to the local predators, the Sabertooths. As for their relationship with the monks, it seems to be an amicable one, with roaming herds often stopping by to receive offerings of food and water. On occasion, the monks have used mammoths to help move extremely heavy objects like stone blocks, which certainly helped them construct their massive temple in the past. While they are mostly peaceful animals, their space should be respected as they can be very dangerous if disturbed, much like any elephant.

Yeti

Aka: Abominable Snowman, Meh-teh

Origins: Himalayan Mountains

Size: 3 meters tall

Type: Ape

The Yeti, famous for its giant humanoid footprints it leaves in the snow in the Himalayan mountains, finds itself most at home here in the beautiful Shangri-La valley. They are large anthropoid apes, much taller than a human being, and covered in shaggy reddish-brown hair that turns gray or silver with age. They live in small family groups and are fairly passive beings that are content to eat bamboo, fruit, eggs, insects, and bone marrow they can scavenge from carrion. While predominantly peaceful, rabies is a potential threat, and rabid members are chased off outside of the protective mountain range with the help of the local Monks. These rabid yeti are the ones that are often seen and the source of the attacks on the locals and their livestock. The peaceful nature of the yeti has led to an amicable relationship with the local monks, who leave offerings of fruit for them. It is not uncommon to find yetis wandering about the temple and huts of the monks village and sometimes even sitting with the monks during prayer.

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It would probably be easier if you just buy a pack of the MorningStar ones lol

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A lot of the recipes I skimmed wanted you to add cilantro, which is a no for me lol. I just needed the concept of adding panko and eggs to the bean goop really and the rest was to taste. The thinner patties turned out much better than the big one I made first. I added another egg and more soy sauce.

Easy Black Bean Burger - Love and Lemons

Similar to this recipe www.loveandlemons.com/black-bean-b... but I went rogue and had far too many beans per the rest of everything. I looked at a few recipes then winged it. I boiled my beans with a few jalapenos and (maybe a mistake) dried them off in the oven for awhile.

loveandlemons.com

Without a doubt, this is the best black bean burger recipe I've tried. Onion, garlic, and chipotles give it bold, smoky flavor. SO easy and delicious!

Finally learning how to make black bean burgers from scratch with dry beans so I can use up a bunch of bags we have. Found out that 1/2 cup per patty is far too much.

A test burger with 1/2 cup of black bean mixture. Topped with onions, cherry tomatoes, aioli, and sweet pickles. Cut in half.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Last garden harvest of the year I think. Picked all the black futsu pumpkins.

Still mostly green black futsu pumpkins stacked in my garden bed with little purple and white flowers behind.

My overgrown yellow squash on the left, black futsu pumpkins on the left, and in the center a dish with various garden herbs and cherry tomatoes on my kitchen table. Behind that on the window sill is an improvised autumn themed bouquet I picked in my yard in a kombucha bottle.

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No they don't really shed that badly, and you don't notice it as much when they're a brown tabby and you wear mostly all black clothes lol. I definitely notice the fur from my gray and white fluffy cat Mew more. My friends with short hair cats seem to shed more than mine.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I know I'm biased, but I think Zuko and Ginger are the cutest cats.

Zuko sitting on the stump in the front yard looking off into the distance with yellow walnut leaves behind him.

Ginger showing her belly rolling around in the grass.

Zuko closer to the camera giving Ginger kisses while they're both on their leashed walks and have met back up.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Omg that's super cute! My friend gifted me a Triceratops ring that I wear to any special function now.

Pretending that the Triceratops ring is an engagement ring and putting it on my left ring finger in front of the lake and hills on a dock.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Also my doctor was super impressed that I lost 31 pounds on my own in 6 months. She said it's the perfect pace.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Thank you! I ran out of things to add to it while I was back in the room waiting lol

Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Sketched a sauropod dinosaur while waiting at the doctor's office today. #Dinosaur #Paleoart #Sauropod #PleinAirPaleoart

Gray sketch pad with a scene of a sauropod dinosaur raising its tail with a pterosaur sitting on its tail, looking at one another. Background based on the view out of the doctor's office window. Drawn with black marker and mechanical pencil.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I especially like how my partner's spellbook turned out. Here's some pictures during the process. I distressed the pages and he did basically everything else.

Photo of my messy work surface with little watercolor pages that peek out of the book's pages and the untouched sketchbook.

Sketchbook after having leather strips and an eye added and some paint spatter.

Finished book with straps and other accessories he crafted including a wand, quill, and a necklace using the tip of an antler that he didn't end up using for his outfit so I tied it onto my bag.

My partner standing to the side in front of bushes to show off the finished spellbook and how it hangs from his belt.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I did a tiny bit of trinket trading at the faire. Quite a few of my little watercolors are left so I'll do more trinket trading in the future with friends or randomly.

After the Spokane Renaissance Faire when I emptied out my bag. At left is my ziploc bag of handmade watercolors that I painted. There is small prints, business cards, plastic coins, my partner's extra ring, a cat shaped paperclip, the smallest whale toy I've ever seen, and the One Wish Willow I bought.

A character tent with a guy who I don't know wearing dragon wings on the left, a dragon behind, me in the middle and my partner on the right.

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Thank you! I've been drawing a lot of Jurassic Park stuff and I think it is bleeding back into my paleoart lol

I was hoping that was the case! Felt like the odd one out since almost everyone else was writing whole pages of words though.

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They recently opened and have a lot of themed nights. It's a bit of a drive for us so this was our first time there. The vibe is very fantasy / cozy!

We had a really nice time at HoneySpell Cafe's Journaling Night on the North side of Spokane tonight. I don't really know how to journal so I sketched a bit and gifted a couple of my little watercolors after I cut them out. It's so pretty in there and my mocha was good!

Collage of 3 photos taken at the café. On the left is my T. rex skull with sunflowers watercolor that my friend picked out as her gift from me in a little gift bag with trinkets that she purchased from the café. At the top right is the Trinket Trading Tree where people take and leave trinkets with one of my little watercolor sunflowers with an iris and pupil at the center left for someone to take. And at the bottom right has my friend sorting through my watercolors after I cut them out of the watercolor page they were on with a coffee on the table and the wall decorations visible. I was careful to not take pictures of other people but there were about 5-10 people in the shop.

My watercolors partially cut free and my sketch page on the right with my attempt at journaling reading, "Honeyspell Cafe 10-1-26. Ordered mocha with oat milk and noticed the lights don't align with the ceiling tiles. I don't think I know how to journal and writing is hard."

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I never would've thought of that! I need to get good at making shepherd's pies too I think.

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I'm not sure I realized that potatoes were an option in lasagna. It's them instead of the pasta I assume?

I always forget about that type of soup. I did pick up carrots to make a veggie chowder though.

That looks so good! Should taste the same with these big potatoes but the rainbow small ones are especially pretty.

Black Magic Home Haunt @blackmagichh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Our friend had 100 pounds of potatoes sent to us yesterday for some reason. My cat Zuko for scale, but he's honestly so big that it makes the potatoes seem less ridiculous. Potato recipes are welcome lol

Medium hair brown tabby cat bunched up onto the top lump of a 50 pound bag of potatoes that is itself lumped onto another 50 pound bag of potatoes on our kitchen table.

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Reposted by Emily Stepp

It's October 1st, so to kick off the spooky season I'm sharing this old art piece by @emilyart.bsky.social of the gluttonous kaiju the Infernal Warmonger, a character who shall now be integrated into my new home haunt The Primal Devil.

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Comparison of similar non-avian dinosaur and bird art 15 years apart. #paleoart

Ink and watercolor sketches from 2011 at top and a 4 piece ink and watercolor from last night 2026. At top is an Oviraptor and a cassowary. On bottom at left is the head of a hen and at right the head of a very polite looking green Allosaurus. Then below is a hen in the snow facing inward and at right a Velociraptor facing inward with feathers the color of snow.

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Thank you! I think sunflowers are the best.

Thank you! I'm really excited to cut them out and hope my friends and acquaintances see me at the faire and get one they like.

Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I wanted to paint a bunch of little watercolor sunflowers, but I lost focus and ended up with mostly dinosaurs. I plan to gift them to people at the Spokane Renaissance Faire. #TraditionalArt #Paleoart

Pile of mixed media watercolor / ink / marker sketches on watercolor paper that will need to be cut out from the paper sheets later on.

Sunflowers until I couldn't focus on sunflowers anymore then they become tyrannosaurs, a mantis, and a cat.

A column of pink sunflowers with iris and pupil in the center and then 4 different Dilophosaurus sketches.

Chickens on left, Allosaurus and Velociraptor at center, then a column of various bugs based on photos I've taken.

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Got 3 different immunizations today, and boy are my arms tired. Going to mess around with watercolors until I inevitably have to nap.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I had my friend go with me so we could walk and gossip. Your family sounds like they were doing it all wrong.

Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Sketched sunflowers and then took a walk for my (mental and physical) health today.

Mixed media traditional art sketch of two volunteer sunflowers and a small clump of corn I planted in a makeshift raised garden bed in along my driveway looking toward the back of my house. Sketched on gray sketchbook paper and being held in front of the scene it's based on with a deep blue sky.

View toward the freeway from the Spokane River Centennial Trail showing a row of trees turning red in front of the mountains in the background with a bright blue sky with wispy sparse clouds at the top of the frame and a black fence in the foreground.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Bertram's paleontologist dad Doc Philips dossier commissioned by David Glenn from Taliesaurus' fan adaptation of the first Dinoverse novel. #Paleontologist #Dinoverse #Taliesaurus #DinoverseFanArt

Update to a sketch commission from last year to make it a full dossier. In the center is Doc Philips with a dull blue glow behind him resting his palms on a shovel with other tools silhouetted in the margins beside him. Along the edges are vignettes showing him excavating a fossil with his son Bertram, a flashback to a fun time when Bertram was younger playing piggyback in a park, sitting at the kitchen table together, Doc giving a lecture on the giant T. rex he found, and finally him presenting the giant T. rex skeleton mounted in a museum.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My neighbors have geese, but those are my Muscovy duck hens and then also my Bourbon Red turkey. They do have a nice bunch of colors.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Here's some more neutral ones though. I fear I'm stuck at hobbit and/or bar wench while he gets to be a cool wizard rogue.

Me standing neutral with a sunflower from my yard in my hair.

My partner standing with his foot up on the picnic table and wand out, hair and capelet flowing majestically in the wind.

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Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I think these are my favorite two photos from our Ren Faire outfit dry run / photoshoot today. Could not get our ducks in a row.

Photo of me bending down with arms outstretched with my muscovy duck hens and bourbon red turkey hen running away at the mere sight of me trying to pick one of them up.

The same except my partner is sneaking up on them almost successfully. Nearly.

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But they also didn't put any fajita veggies in it, like maybe a sliver of onion or pepper that he found after eating most of them. I think that's what happened though.

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Yeah but I didn't specify over and over that I wanted no meat. Like they probably assumed I wanted the same taco as him but also with fajita veggies. The way it was on the menu it made it look like the fajita veggies are an option in place of the protein though so I didn't think I needed to specify.

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I'm sure it's my fault for the weird way I panic order in a drive through.

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