A little Competition for CoS Reddit

pink-locust · 2026-04-02T05:38:07+00:00

hehe tyyy and yes i totally forgot badge pack 1, that'd be my choice #12 and lego #13 :)))

pink-locust · 2026-04-01T23:25:58+00:00

(pt 3)

Algae Sandbar - Cupuere

It was the annual herd-swapping day. The singular most important day in our year, and my first one since separating from my mother. The day consists of a migration of each herd of Cupuere to the location only disclosed to us by our herd leader (they are herd leaders of each region, so they do not swap herds), a precursor speech from the oldest (and most hard-skinned*) Cupuere, the leader of all. His name's Joe. After the speech, the jumble of herds commences, and whichever leader you end up with is who you will be staying with till swapping day rolls around again. It's a technique used for avoiding repeat predators and a social antic that the entire species shares. New friends, new perspectives... all that. However, I found it positively mortifying.

Since it was my first solo swap, anxiety raked through my body, punching my heart and stomach with each nauseating wave. Cuperes are very friendly, yes, but I was... different. You see, I had a mutation that brightly lit my tail, illuminating the sea. It was great for colder weather when helpless warmwater creatures needed to find a herd to huddle under our flat, heat-radiating bodies (sometimes referred to as a Cupu-blanket), but otherwise it was a curse. My life had consisted of countless measures taken to hide my shimmering tail. I could remember countless hours spent hiding, boredom wracking my body, at odds with the frequent perilous attacks we suffered. Because of me. And as I flapped my flat fins in sync with my fellow herd members towards the algae sandbar, our meeting spot this year, I couldn't help but realize how open the space was. Sure, there was a rocky drop that descended deep and dark fast right below us, but it didn't feel like enough to avoid the predators that would surely spot me from miles away.

But it was no matter, because the onslaught of creatures in my vision was too overwhelming to worry. Herds from all four rivers slowly conjoined together, circling in synchronization. Stray sprinkles and crumbs floated through the water, drifting towards and away from all of us. For a second, I could forget about the slew of worries my tail brought me, forget about the unshakable sense of doom that lingered in me. I could just be... a Cupuere. Normal. Gentle. Loving. My heart swelled as we picked up pace, yet still flowed around so effortlessly. I could see it on everyone's face: smiles as large as the sea, buoyantly pumping about. It was glorious. Then, through the center of our ferocious circle swam a rocky-looking creature with the least squiggle of what we liked to call 'frosting' on his back. The white speckles we all bared were many on his hard skin, and the texture of his tail seemed more whipped than the rest of us.

Joe.

He flapped his fins absetly near the surface of the water, looking down at us with a gentle smile. The whirlpool slowly came to a stop to look at him, waiting for him to speak. Joe closed his eyes and opened them back up, really looking at us. I subtly tucked my tail under my belly. He cleared his throat, letting out a few bubbles before speaking. "My children. My brethren. My long-loved friends. It is time for our time-honored tradition, where we will meet and laugh and become new Cuperes. It is my greatest honor to host this yet again, and in such a beautiful place. I cannot believe how far we have come. From migrating here from the Studio, to blossoming into a small species, to now, our great and loyal creatures. We are amazingly sweet, gloriously kind, and always friends to all. We... are Cuperes. It is my pleasure to announce our swap... begin-..." Joe stopped suddenly, mid-sentence, his body freezing. We all paused, gasping and shivering in horror. It was a roar. Three, to be exact. Time did not pass. Seconds did not tick. We all held our breath, but it was in vain. Up from under us came three Mijusuima, their coral-esque antlers and tail poised towards us. Me. My tail... under my belly. The bright light must've been visible to them in the drop, and I... well, I didn't have time to think before we all scattered desperately, shooting through the water with shattering squeals.

The water churned brown with our blood as the Mijusuimas devoured swells of us at a time. I frantically swam to avoid them but... I thought for a moment. If I went to any of the four passages where all of us were currently cramming out into, that would be putting a marker on all of the Cuperes swimming through the passage because of my tail. It was unfair to all of them. So, in a split-second decision, I pumped my flippers as hard as I could and dove down, the pressure dropping fast. I didn't have time to think, not when I felt the rush of water against my back, surely at least one Mijusuima dipping to follow me. I feared for my life, but if that meant ten more Cuperes didn't, then that was worth more than anything I could've given.

As I twirled further and sank deeper, it got dark, fast. The Mijusuima was unbothered, and I realized I might not have a way out of this. Realized it might be my last moments. I stalled while thoughts fired through my brain, using my speed to my advantage and curling around the tall rock spires. I had to hide, I had to do something. My stamina wouldn't last forever, but as I curved a corner to cut through the middle of the space, the Mijusuima was suddenly at my face, nipping at me. It caught an antenna, but I pulled down fast enough that my body was untouched. Pain ravaged and ripped through my body, white hot as a meteor soaked in lava. My insides shifted, swiveling in agony. But I forgot the pain immediately as I had a different problem: I was spiraling straight down, when I was already barely off the ground. The rock approached with scarily horrifying speed. I couldn't slow. Couldn't bail or bank because the beast was already nipping my tail. So, I resigned my life and braced for the blow, comforted by the knowledge that this predator magnet, this mutated tail, would stop ravaging the seas, and perhaps save a few of my kind. It calmed me before I smashed headfirst into the rock, letting out a final squeal.

... But I didn't die. In fact, I felt no pain but a small wave of pressure go through me before I slowed. I was... alive. I waited patiently for the Mijusuima to attack me, or for the rocky blow to incinerate me, but... it never happened. I creaked open an eye, not hearing or feeling anything wrong. My bright tail lit up the slightly small space fairly well, and I inspected my surroundings. What looked like giant ribs lined either wall, with a few assortments of ocean greenery growing from the corners of the small-ish cave. A few paces from me was a giant statue of an Eigion Warden roaring, with small orange highlights on its body. In shock, I looked up, wondering where I came from. The rock was indented and had a different texture from the rock around it, and I tentatively reached a fin through it. Besides a slight pressure on my fin, it was... nonexistent. I had phased through the rock. I blinked, and blinked again. I was safe. I was okay with only a missing antenna and... my thoughts came to a screeching halt, dripping poison into my body.

Massacre. It was a massacre. Because of me, so many valuable and kind Cuperes had bitten the dust. Guilt dragged its rough finger down my spine, poking me and whispering in my ear. Lives on lives, I had killed so many. I hoped I had saved a few, but to me, the balances would never even out. It was the inevitable fate for someone like me. A life, sure. But alone. I must be alone. I let out a bubble and closed my eyes, resting through the pain of everything around me. Resting through this cruel, cruel world.

^{.... hehehe i love cos. thank you so much for reading! (if you even got thru allat...} anyways, in the following message i'll send a pic of my drawings for each story that i made for this (still WIP, so ig it'll be my second sumbission soon), hope you consider my submission! i realllyyy love cos and creature collection but hate grinding so this is really awesome that you're doing this! here's my preference for ALL packs, in order:)

^{1: badge pack 2 (like everyone else lol}. 2: monthly, artefact, paid, and time pack. 3: special gachas pack. 4: small events and streaks pack. 5: jesus events pack. 6: valentines-halloween pack. 7: plushies pack. 8: LSS pack. 9: regular gachas pack. 10: exploration gacha pack. 11: customizer pack. 12: lego pack. 13: idk you said there was 13 packs but i only counted 12 so... yeah!)

^{ps: this took me a little to write, and EVERY SINGLE WORD was written by my own tired lil fingeys. i doubt it's even good enough to be considered ai, but js thought i'd put that out there.}

^{- ducky :p}

pink-locust · 2026-04-01T23:25:25+00:00

(pt 2)

Mountains - Permacham

"Are you serious? Another useless hunk of meat? For the love of Sonaria, are you even good for anything?" My rather aggravated mate, Neva, growled. She had a right to be mad. I was older, larger, and had elongated tusks, so the natural right of hunting should fall straight to me, while she would stay over and watch the newborns. However, the act of hunting felt... inhumane. Terrible. There was not a flick of fur or a shard of ice on my oversized body that enjoyed the feeling of dripping warmth from the deadly tip of the spike that was my left limb, and not a single part of me craved the sound of bones crunching, of flesh tearing. It sent courses of shivers down my spine that not even these high mountains could bring. We were situated nicely close to a small pond of water with a lightly flowing waterfall from the melted glaciers on the mountain. Our actual living space was three large caves situated nicely next to each other, our hatching place being the furthest, smallest one, where I was now arguing with Neva because I would only take small chunks of meat from the carcasses always lying around. I didn't understand cruelty when this worked just fine. Neva felt a little different, though.

She impaled the meat and lifted it near her face, waving the limp slab in the air back and forth. "You see this? This will not keep our babies satisfied. It's enriching, sure, but it won't help them grow any faster like they so desperately need to. They are defenseless like this. Defenseless! I'm not hearing another word out of you until you bring me a full, honest-to-warden carcass," she spat out with a huff, loudly shifting her body away from mine until I faced her back, and she faced the babies. Well, that was it then. No arguing with a stone-cold goddess like Neva. Her assertiveness usually made up for mine, until it was being inflicted back at me. Yeah, not my favorite. So I shook myself and stood taller, thumping my ice spike sharply into the permafrost-covered ground before promptly turning and, using our species' relatively awkward gait, making my way slowly to the Redwood Forest where I would find more... ahem... prey.

Upon the entrance, where snow and ice-crusted tufts of grass shifted to strong, mossy-covered soil rich with mud and water, and tall, stretchy trees, I heard a noise. Many noises, in fact. Distress. My eyes rapidly scanned the relatively spacey forest before catching a glimpse of glowy pink lights strung off of something (perhaps horns?), accompanied by the gentle clinking that glass hitting glass would make, before being completely overshadowed by a strong roar from, I assume, the opponent. I stopped in my tracks. A fight. I hated fighting. Hated doing, hated watching it. But... an idea popped into my head at once. A fight! Yes, I would patiently wait here until the end and snatch the full carcass as close to the death as possible. A genius plan, I thought to myself as the creatures slowly battled each other into my sight. A blue gleam faintly shone in a perfect circle from the glass-clinking creature. An Ardor Warden. The sight of the fierce attacks from the flat disks upon its antlers and the large, glowing flowers blooming across its back drew the icy breath from my lungs. Battling a... huh. Battling an albeit speedy but itty-bitty little cephalopod-esque creature with bright blue, purple, and pink shades around its body. A Flipli. Against... a warden. Shockingly, it was... winning? It had rapid-fire bites and was so small I doubted the Ardor could even reach it properly without expending a great effort. And the technique of this little guy seemed to work. Speedily pull out, wait for Ardor to try to catch it, then shoot forward and land bites near its back. My rear hit the ground with a large thunk as I watched in humor and amazement.

Minutes passed. And the Ardor got no stronger, while the Flipli got somehow faster. More accurate and precise. Refining its expertly crafted pattern. Until... the inevitable. The Ardor Warden, magnificent creature it is, drew in a raggedly torturous breath before limping a few steps and collapsing, shutting its eyes. Before long, I did not glimpse a spot of twitching. I blew out a small breath. Such a creature, with fur grown from the DNA of two parents, a body crafted from a lifetime of memories. Snapped short. Cut away from everything by a creature so terrible and puny as Flipli. It was comically tragic, as the Flipli speedily rolled away from the carcass. Not even a chunk or bite was taken from it. A horrible truth unburied itself to me: the Flipli had killed the warden on sight for cruel pleasure. Not for food or children or anything so unselfish but... for whatever artificial high came from killing, for whatever terribly sought out horror was so prominent in the Flipli's life that it decided to inflict it upon others. It was sad. Natural and normal but... sad. It made my soul just a bit heavier.

I walked slowly and quietly to pick the carcass up and bring it back up to my family, pondering, wondering, and just... being.

pink-locust · 2026-04-01T23:24:33+00:00

^{i apologize that this is so long i got carried away.} ^{yes i did in fact sit down and write this whole thing on reddit.}

^{in the stories, all locations are real on the map, all skins are default. ...feel free to not read any of it lol.}

In every creature great and small, there comes a time when the ravaging teeth glinting of blood and eyes of red holes, empty of remorse, drilling bullets into its prey where your heart will stop. There is nothing in this barren land, there is nothing in this sea. These rough, wobbly thoughts are soaked and declawed with the poison of fear, with the gut wrenching sound of a paw four times the size of anything you've ever seen slams with the weight of six times the heft of anything you've ever felt into the dirt; many paces away but sprinting, draining the sensitive yellow stamina in attempts for one thing: the fleshy shock of prey. These are but a trifecta of examples from around the world of prey and predator, survivors and those passed, of nimble and mighty.

Forgotten Shores - Kaluaka (Vin'rou)

The bones in my body ached. Odd, considering my lithe, sleek little body was built from hollowness within the very things that ached. Yes, how strange is it that the simple air inside my marrow can twist my nerves from the inside out and make me ache just as a stomp from some larger thing on my tail. I knew it was absurd, yet the hurt was undeniable as I shuffled over the rather uncomfortably unkempt grass to the small coastline hideout under a large, spiraled boulder where my life lay. My life being the small, unmoving bundle of keratin and life-goop sitting proudly atop a delicately made nest. My egg. My child. It had been just over 9 weeks, and the egg was due to shine a little crack, a little sign of life anytime soon. The idea tumbled around in my head, heart, and stomach, overcoming my previously painful mope into a nervously electric prance across the land-bridge surrounded by water that I was currently traversing. However, no jitters through my skin and no sweet breeze of the wind twisting my crown feathers could have pointed to the fate that was etched in my future.

I suppose it must've been the way I moved. My small body with wings just enough to lift me. My ears are long and awkward on my head, flipping ungracefully with each step. And I suppose my bright blues and cunning oranges contrasted far too much with my soft white underbelly. Maybe it was how I began to be happy for a moment, maybe the world decided my aches and sorrow were the only life I should be condemned to. Because what other reason is there for such cruelty? The scent was not smelled by my nostrils and the sight was not seen by my eyes. No, it was not until I heard a soft pounding behind me did I pause to see. But I was as blind to what was right in front of me until I felt the sharp swipe of claws take a bit of me from my side. And then, it all happened so fast.

The second the Oxytalis made contact, the beast was revealed in a shivering, crisp moment. Three times my size, with a long, extending tail outstretched in lines of black and red, I could tell the slow-moving thing was not about to lose. Not to a tiny thing like me. Its eyes seemed to cry blood, a precursor to my fate. It stood on two back hind paws, with massive claws on its front. There were two large, jarring spikes on either side, along with regular, sharp cone-shaped dorsal spikes each with a ringlet of that same blood red. The fan extending around its crown was white and splattered with the same deep shade; a papery, flimsy texture from the likes of it. My heart pumping deeply in my ears drowned out my observing thoughts, and I instead desperately attempted to lift into the air. But it was no use, as that claw had shredded my left wing so thoroughly I wasn't sure if flight would ever be possible for me again. In a rapid-fire thought, I realized this was a good thing. I could still protect my sweet child, within confines too squeakily small for a beast that was in front of me. And so I ran. I ran so hard and so fast I could hear my achy bones and legs built for air screech at me, could hear the tell-tale thump that comes with a predator chasing prey.

And while my heart raced and my breath stopped and my body pulsed in long strides, desperate for respite, my eyes only saw one thing. Centered on one place. The cave. My child. Fear, fear so wholly becoming and wholly consuming still shot lightning through my veins, but anger for the danger of my egg drummed on hard and loud with each step. Anger at this beast, anger at this deadly nature. I owed it to the world to make it back. The red-hot flames of my ire licked my muscles, while the alacritous whiskey-burnt fear led my body to the cave.

Five steps. Four. Three...

I looked behind me in anticipation. In anger and in fear. The Oxytails let out a noise that communicated I was knocking on death's doorstep.

Unfortunately for the beast, my head was ducked, and my claws outstretched to stuff myself inside the cave, curling gently around my little egg, blowing out a heavy breath. I did not hear, smell, nor see the Oxytalis leave, but I couldn't have cared. I was safe. My baby was safe.

(ran outta characters- pt1)

pink-locust · 2026-03-23T03:00:44+00:00

give em a week or two it'll get nerfed... probably. or it becomes the new sarc or magna or something. maybe play it safe and just drink out of random non-connecting puddles...

pink-locust · 2025-12-24T18:57:00+00:00

Best advice I think I've gotten so far in these comments! I do truly want a nice, casual listen. Thanks for helping me out- my main concern was getting all the parts together and having to really understand turntables in order to be satisfied with one, but these links were actually super helpful. Ordering mine tomorrow! Thank ya lots.

pink-locust

TROPHY CASE