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Shout out to @wearylaurels for commenting on my old Guardians of Ga’Hoole fan art from when I started reading the series for the first time last year!

I’m now making a mini design/animation bible for a hypothetical Guardians of Ga’Hoole series if I was in charge of the art direction.

I will definitely be using these design rules for future fan art :3

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I hate to do this, but I'm running out of options.

My family is really struggling. Through a lapse in judgement on my father's part, we let our food stamp case go at a poor time, and we've been unsuccessful at renewing it. As a result, we're often barely able to afford food between our rent and monthly expenses. Neither I nor my mom is able to work. My dad only makes 475 a week, and our rent is 595 a month so it takes two checks just to pay it.

Dad's set up for early retirement where we'll be receiving social security checks, but that's not until late October, which doesn't help us in the now.

Donate here, help keep us afloat until then.

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Budae jjigae (army stew)

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Phantoms

The phantom is a large, player sized aerial predator known for their nocturnal nature and terrible aggression towards those they find. While often seemingly appearing out of nowhere after numerous nights without sleep, causing the rumor that they may be caused by sleep deprivation, they actually track down players they have noted repeatedly within an area.

Their gill-like filaments are actually chemosensory antennas while the smaller almost horn-like antenna are used for communication between different indivuals of the species. The gill-like antennas can sense the lingering scent of someone roaming at night and thus attracts the phantoms more so than players that roam solely during the day.

Furthermore, they are notable in the fact that they are one of several other organisms capable of true, powered flight besides bats, birds, and insects like bees.

Other organisms such as the ghast have their own mechanism where they inflate air sacs that allow regulating of height whereas their sail-like limbs allow them to regulate motion. This however is not true powered flight as the ghast can not influence its ‘flight’ furthermore and can be thrown off kilter as a result of thermal heat spouts or sudden shifts in nether air currents.

The phantom uses its two powerful hind legs to launch themselves into the air/push themselves off roosting places, attack prey, or for clinging to areas for when they roost during the day. These limbs are often not noted for they are normally held laid flat against the body along the tail. This allows for increased aerodynamics. The claws along the wings are used solely for roosting and/or grooming.

Phantoms are also noted for their hatred of sunlight, their sensitive skin easily affected by direct sunlight. So while they are very aggressive and quick to attack, they are very vulnerable to cutting blades/their wing membranes being damaged. Though despite this, they can heal quite well and have incredible regenerative abilites.

This has caused the membrane of the phantom to be desired for their ability to heal damage to things such as elytra wings. Their membranes are also quite useful for the brewing of slow fall potions.

This has caused some overhunting in the past though they are also known to come into conflict with players simply due to their aggressive behavior.

Another interesting thing about the phantom is their curious origins. For while they may have a look almost like that of a manta ray, they are infact not fish. They are actually more so related to the axolotl.

The axolotl afterall is known for their ferocity when it comes to hunting, are notable for their regenerative capabilities, and their natural habit of lingering in darker areas. It is uncertain when the two diverged, or where they may have diverged, but either way, it’s believed the phantom grew larger during this aquatic timeline and either through competition that lead to it being pushed out of its aquatic niche or following moving prey out of the water, it left and took to the air.

Eventually fin-like limbs allowed for gliding and further development led to flight. Their gills have taken to filtering air and taking in air from water vapor present, their jaws grew more powerful, and their limbs developed stronger than the mostly simple legs of the axolotl. They as well do not require living in water to survive, as they are able to retain the water they take in through food and the air around them; they are not quite amphibians, neither are they truly reptiles, in a grouping of their own.

They as well are able to give live birth, whereas the young clings to the underside of the parent until grown enough where they can start practicing flight until they are powerful enough to start flying.

Overall they are a very peculiar and interesting creature.

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Day ten: favorite mlp character - Star Catcher!

x x x | x o x | x x x

Dancing in the Clouds on vhs was my absolute favorite as a really little kid i would watch it all the time. I used to have a toy of her but it got donated :(

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Axolotl

So when looking at it initially, one would expect the real life axolotl (left) and the minecraft axolotl (right) to be biologically and ecologically similar, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth, for you see, they live extremely differing lifestyles and thus have varying adaptions and ecological niches.

Let’s start off with the most notable differences on initial viewing. Firstly, the axolotl wild morph is actually a commonly brownish-ran colored animal with an effective camouflage for blending into its environment. The thought of pink or white axolotls one may think of being domesticated variations that were able to be established through captive breeding. The mc axolotl however shares these abnormal, more domesticated color morphs as well as a few color morphs more similar to that of the real life axolotl wild morph. However, this is likely due to one being a preyed upon species while the other is more so an active predator with few competing organisms. We will however build upon the idea of the minecraft axolotl’s niche and lifestyle later.

Let’s go back to the appearance of the two axolotls. For while sharing a generally similar aquatic based body plan, the minecraft axolotl showcases a much shorter tail with a bulkier body than its real life counterpart which has a much more elongated tail and milder form.

Furthermore, while the real life axolotl has very scrawny limbs that are ineffective for even attempting out of water locomotion (they can not survive long out of water anyways due the moist slime coating along their skin drying out and because they can not breath effectively out of water for long periods of time; at the most extreme they could survive up to an hour without air but within minutes they start getting highly uncomfortable and distressed), the minecraft axolotl is a fucking beast.

Not only can the minecraft axolotl survive up to a maximum of 6 hours out of water (20 min irl = 24 hr mc; 10 min irl = 12 hr mc; 5 min irl = 6 hr mc) but it is notable in the fact it will purposefully leave the water sometimes to find new water sources. It can actively move about on land at about 0.682 mph to .723 mph, depending on whether or not you round the length of a block to about 3ft precisely or to the claimed 3 ft, 3 inches. I will however be going with blocks being more so about 3ft in length to make the math easier.

So the minecraft axolotl can move across the land at about 0.682 mph, about the same speed as a koala climbing a tree which has been noted at about 0.7 mph.

This, while notable compared to its real life counterpart, is nothing compared to truly terrestrial salamanders which while they may move slowly about land, can run at quick speeds for escape if needed. The minecraft counterpart can not do this and infact won’t run even if endangered, lending to the fact that it can’t run. So while it is muscular enough to support its own body weight and move notably, it can not run and thus moves onto land primarily when necessary.

The real life axolotl can not do this and often finds threats such as water pollution to be quite endangering to their species’ survival. However, the mc axolotl is also much more adaptable than its counterpart.

Though, this could be because of the size difference between the two. For while it wouldn’t be all that notable at first, one is significantly larger than the other. The irl axolotl can fit in the palm of a human hand and has been known to grow to lengths of about 12 inches from head to tail. The mc axolotl on the other hand? Can reach about 3 feet in length from head to tail. This is about equivalent to that of the North American hellbender, the largest salamander species in the United States which are capable of growing up to about 30 inches long (2 1/2 feet).

(While the mc axolotl would be a bit larger, imagine this for the approx of the mc axolotl length)

Now this has probably been the result of the mc axolotl lacking major predators, but it also may be a factor of the mc environment having an increased amount of available oxygen, allowing for organisms to grow bigger (this being a plausible reason behind large arthropods such as the notorious mc silverfish and the abnormally large mc bee).

The mc axolotl not only can maintain greater size since it can manage increased metabolic rates due to this available oxygen, but it has been able to take a more active predator ecological niche. The mc axolotl is, afterall, known not only for its regenerative capabilities (able to play dead when injured to allow its body a brief moment to focus attention to regeneration of injured parts of the body) but its aggressive hunting nature.

They will actively hunt and seek animals such as fish, squid, etc., whereas the irl axolotl is more so of an ambush predator. It uses its sense of smell to find food to make up for its poor eyesight, and then it will simply suck food into its mouth. Irl axolotl often eating things such as invertebrates, small fish, etc.

The mc axolotl as well, possibly as a benefit of its specialized metabolic rate management, can deal with temperatures that would kill its irl counterpart. You see irl axolotls, and many other of its kin, need lower water temperatures to help them regulate their metabolic rate. If temperatures rise above their normal range, the axolotl metabolic rate will increase too quickly for the animal’s body to maintain causing death.

The mc axolotl doesn’t seem as affected, and this possible is why it is such an active and vigorous hunter. For while it is more adaptable and thus has a greater survivability, it needs to keep up with its much greater metabolic rate by eating much more. This would be impossible for a more slow and steady hunting approach so the mc axolotl developed to be a better hunter.

While its tail is smaller, the paddle like fin is a lot broader and the tail itself is much stronger than the irl axolotl. Limbs gained increased rigor either due to needing to possibly move to new water sources to find prey when prey populations dipped, or possibly to help it maneuver tighter areas more effectively. It certainly is less frail than its irl cousin.

This also helps with the look into how the mc axolotl’s relative the phantom managed to gain its strength and prowess. For while the irl axolotl can not live long out of water and the mc axolotl can, there may be one definite distinction between the two that causes this.

Their skin. You see an irl axolotl’s skin is covered in a slime coating that helps not only keep an axolotl’s skin protected from possible infections, etc., it also helps to keep the axolotl moist out of water. However, when this protective coating dries out, that’s when issues arise.

The mc axolotl, while staying out of water for long periods of time can cause the animal’s death, does not seem to have as great of an issue with skin protection. At least while sensitive, it seems the skin is defintely able to keep moisture in while allowing for respiration.

This feature is most likely what allowed for the capability of the puesdo-reptiod phantom to survive and adapt despite its amphibious origins.

Not only has this allowed for insight on the differing ecological pressures and available niches one can find in the minecraft biological setting, but it allows insight towards why such odd organisms may have been able to take root/why some showcase much greater growth/odd adaptions then what one would see on Earth.

I will be delving into all this later, but for now thank you for reading, this certainly was interesting to expand upon!

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Smaugust 2025 18. Butterfly #smaugust2025

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Gimli

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The EU (still) wants to scan your private messages and photos

🚨 You WILL Be Impacted 🚨

Every photo, every message, every file you send will be automatically scanned—without your consent or suspicion.

If you live in the EU*, contact your MEPs NOW and tell them to vote NO! Go here to learn more & FIGHT BACK!

https://fightchatcontrol.eu/

*especially if you live in Germany - they have not yet decided, and their opposition is crucial!

Please reblog! If the EU passes this, it weakens online privacy worldwide.

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According to Know Your Meme, on August 18th, 2005, Erwin Beekveld brought forth this work into the world. HAPPY TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY, THEY’RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD.

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first daniel on the new tablet... he looks about as happy as I feel using this thing

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We all know that Qui-gon asking Shmi who Anakin’s father was was an incredibly personal question and if she was totally lying to him I support her in that however I was thinking about it and started dying bc. there are like. two plausible explanations for him asking and I find both of them somewhat hilarious

1. The Jedi have no concept of the wider social norms regarding things like pregnancy and single parenthood, etc. because the vast majority of them will never have children plus they’re a giant communal village of psychics. They have no idea what is and is not appropriate to ask. It is the one situation that their training cannot prepare them for

2. Qui-gon is looking down at the midichlorian count and back up at Anakin. And then back to the count and then back at Anakin again trying to figure out if this kid looks like anyone he knows. Sweet force that would be awkward. Maybe he should call Obi-Wan and ask him to look up the last time a Jedi was assigned to come to Tatooine. But no, no accessing that info without anyone’s consent would be rude. Surely it would be more polite to ask her directly.

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hey, don't cry. marbled polecat, ok?

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Hey, clone artists (and really any Star Wars artist), if you’re having trouble drawing clone helmets/weapons at certain angles, there’s a website called Sketchfab where you can look at 3D models to use as reference. There are several Star Wars galleries of 3D modeled gear for Republic troopers, Imperial troopers, Mandalorians, and others too. You can rotate the resources around or download them to use in your own 3D software. Some resources are free to download, others are not, depending on the creator’s settings. If you need to position a helmet or weapon a certain way, then this makes it a lot easier to reference.

I needed a reference of a phase 2 clone trooper helmet at a specific angle. So, I found a 3D model, rotated it to fit my needs, and started using it as my reference. It made it a lot easier. I'm sure you could also use these to study helmet forms too :)

P.S. If the image is a little blurry, its because I took a screen shot using the snipper tool and just copy pasted it to the post.

Have fun drawing! :)

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Hey, clone artists (and really any Star Wars artist), if you’re having trouble drawing clone helmets/weapons at certain angles, there’s a website called Sketchfab where you can look at 3D models to use as reference. There are several Star Wars galleries of 3D modeled gear for Republic troopers, Imperial troopers, Mandalorians, and others too. You can rotate the resources around or download them to use in your own 3D software. Some resources are free to download, others are not, depending on the creator’s settings. If you need to position a helmet or weapon a certain way, then this makes it a lot easier to reference.

I needed a reference of a phase 2 clone trooper helmet at a specific angle. So, I found a 3D model, rotated it to fit my needs, and started using it as my reference. It made it a lot easier. I'm sure you could also use these to study helmet forms too :)

P.S. If the image is a little blurry, its because I took a screen shot using the snipper tool and just copy pasted it to the post.

Have fun drawing! :)

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