#Wyoming state flag

[ivys-garden]

European redesigns American state flags pt 6 (?)

Idaho:

Nebraska:

Georgia:

Oregon:

Wyoming:

[usstateflagstournament]

[stateflagshowdown]

[vanillaswirl6]

Doing all 50 states like this (eventually) since I finished designing them all. I hope you like my designs! Starting from W so it's in order.

[strangebiology]

How Funding Affected my Journalism Jobs

The different places I’ve worked as a journalist, and in related fields, have all had different funding. Here are my experiences at different places–and it seems to me that grant-funded stuff is the best. 

Internship at Nat Geo

Grants sponsored both of the other interns, but not me. Nat Geo makes a lot of its money through things like books at TV.

Mine was low-paid, but probably normal for an internship in 2016? LOVED the experience. Freelance at Nat Geo afterward was MUCH better paid. $14/hour part-time. IDK how much the grant-funded interns made. 2016.

Fellowship at PBS Newshour

A grant from the National Science Foundation funded me, but PBS is state-sponsored media. Interestingly, that’s a huge red flag in China and Russia, but I found the US-funded Public Broadcasting Service very fair to its subjects. Good experience, but even worse pay, at $13/hour full-time. 2016-2017

Job at Newsweek 

Their funding is from clicks. This place was crazy bad and paid garbage. Everyone hated it and almost everyone quit, unless they were being fired for making a living wage. Some people even got fired for accurately reporting on the company itself on assignment from their editors–there was no obscuring it, that was cited as their reason for termitation. Newsweek is Hellfire and damnation. I suspect the nonsense demand for 5 stories/day/person and silly demand that we make them go viral stemmed from the following: the fact that the company primarily made its money from clicks and higher-ups didn’t appear to care about the long-term reputation of the company or its reporters, and perhaps an ego-fueled refusal to try to understand what actually got clicks. $39k/year. 2017-2018

Freelance at VOX 

Funded by clicks/ads and grants at the time, but halfway through they started a contribution campaign. The difference I noticed between VOX and Newsweek was that VOX practices were smarter and they actually paid attention to analytics and sane business practices. Also, it's much easier to qualify for and get grants if you're actually doing good journalism, so I don't believe that Newsweek's policy of "lots of garbage" was actually business-savvy in any way.

Vox was a good experience, even though I wasn’t working as a journalist, but doing SEO/social media for journalists. $35/hour, then $50/hour part-time. Then I was laid off due to the pandemic. 2019-2020

Freelance at Alzheimer's Association 

Remote, not really journalism, but I liked it anyway. Nonprofit, so, funded by donations and grants. $65/hour part-time. 2021

Job at Bay Nature

My job was entirely funded by a grant. Odd situation–I got the grant and I could bring it to any legit journalism employer. Bay Nature was supposed to contribute 40% of my salary but flexibility happened and they just paid health insurance and such. They got basically no money at all from clicks, like, pennies a year. Not much from subscriptions. They have fundraisers, and at the time, there were 3 writers/editors and 2 fundraisers on staff. Later they hired another writer whose entire salary was paid by a philanthropist, and then I’m told they got another salary funded by a UC Berkeley journalism grant program. So, like half of their editorial staff was grant-funded.

Great experience, but low pay for the Bay Area. $50k/year, all from Poynter-Koch, 2021-2022.

Freelance at Politifact

A nonprofit and they probably get lots of grants. My particular position was also funded by a grant entirely. Loved it. $250/article fact check. 2022. 

Book

REALLY love it. $50k is from MIT Press, which is a not-for-profit, and it gets some grants and endowments. Then I got $56k from a grant from the Sloan Foundation on top. 

Future? 

I also got $500 (plus gas and hotels) to attend a day of learning with a program called Investing in Wyoming’s Creative Economy, and that means I’m one of 100 people eligible to apply for 10 $25k grants for future projects. The idea is to support creatives to stay in Wyoming and have sustainable businesses here. Maybe do some art that will bring in tourists. 

_____________________

Note that a grant sort of does, and sort of doesn’t, mean free money. It means money to support a project that usually has to have a mission and a public good, like educating the public. You don’t pay these back, and the org giving the grants doesn’t require a percentage of the profits or anything. But, for instance, the $50k grant from Poynter-Koch was more like a gift to Bay Nature, so they could pay me, and I worked for a year to actually have the funds. 

However, I’m not yet convinced that there is any objectively good funding model to ensure the most fair and accurate journalism. In theory, the capitalistic ones would be the best, but the public desire to read inflammatory stories about how their political enemies are evil, or a different generation is full of idiots, adversely affected the accuracy of headlines at Newsweek IMO.

You might think that the worst funding source would be Poynter-Koch, which is a program run by Poynter and funded by the Charles Koch Institute. But neither Poynter nor Koch even asked me to tell them what I was writing, let alone try to stop me from writing it. (Poynter hosted mentor-led auxiliary groups to talk about our careers/lives and such, so the topics of our articles came up sometimes if we chose to share that.) 

Anyway, I’m thinking of writing an article on how funding models affect journalism, for better and worse. There are some high-profile examples of grant funding causing harm. But for now, the above is my experience–pretty much all good, except not enough funding sometimes. 

[poindexters-labratory]

Artist intro for 2024! Decided for a more realistic approach.

Let's start with elaborating the text on screen:

I'm Emerson, or Ringo (cool name), but my persona and fursona is Poindexter, hence my username :3 My pronouns are he/him/his and not much else.

I'm eighteen (18) years old (my birthday is coming up though :D), and from western America, states such as Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, cowboy country :3

I'm a self-taught concept and comic artist, I have a fnaf (Five Nights at Freddy's) comic currently in the works and a creepypasta comic in the backrooms waiting to be worked on (my comic blog and Kofi are linked to catch up to what's going on). I'm planning on going to college to be an art major, so looking forward to that.

The disabilities I listed are strictly my neurological conditions: autism, Tourette's, and a hearing impairment :3 I am mentally ill as well, having OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and possibly NPD (narcissistic personality disorder).

I have special interests in fnaf and creepypasta, and I've thought about them so hard for so long that they've turned into little pawns for my storytelling. I enjoy Legend of Zelda, TF2, and a little bit of Pokémon as well. They haven't quite reached the same level as my first two loves, but we'll see what happens.

And lastly, I am a bunnyboy. I enjoy bunnies, I relate to bunnies, my fursona is a rabbit, so therefore I am, a bunnyboy.

My flags are the trans flag, the aromantic flag, and the omnisexual flag, just also kinda in the middle of questioning my sexuality, pray for me.

Before Interaction: I am eighteen (18) years old, so it is possible that there will be some NSFW content. My comics will, at times, touch on darker topics. I am a very slow thinker, so my responses to things might come a bit late. I also tend to respond to things on my own time, so it's really a matter of being patient with me. If my art is for anything online (profile pictures and such), make sure to ask me and use credit. I would appreciate it if my art was reblogged :3

DNI: I don't like creeps, losers, or bigots on my blog. Proshippers, lolis, zoos, and pedos aren't allowed on my blog. TERFs, trans-medicalists, homophobes, ableists, and sexists aren't allowed on my blog. Racists, Zionists, xenophobes, antisemites, Islamophobes, and imperialists aren't allowed on my blog. Piss off.

[reality-detective]

“From now and on it is going to be crazy. It’s going to require a lot of focus and perspective to navigate through it. A LOT!!! When in doubt, shut down the drama and the news cycle. "Review the Facts." 40k feet. If you remember nothing else, remember that. Media Internet shutdown. Hence, 40k feet.” …Rubix Q

The Cabal’s False Flag Direct Energy Attack that started fires in a straight line across the Hawaiian Islands was the same as what happened last year in the Oregon and California forest fires which appeared to be the same as the DEW attacks seen recently in the China floods and Australian fires.

There were 15 states on a list that indicates planned Direct Energy Weapon Attacks in the future: Texas, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma.

Schit IS about to get real‼️🤔

[anim-otd]

Animal of the day: American bison! (Bison bison) These massive bovines are native to the western United States and Canada, though they once ranged throughout the southern portion of the North American continent! A bison is featured on the emblem of the National Park Service and Wyoming's state flag! They were once the main food source for Plains Native Americans, and their pelts were used to build shelters and garments! In modern times, this species has been reintroduced to Mexico and even introduced to parts of Siberia to replace the extinct steppe bison! Though they may appear docile, one should never approach a wild bison due to their highly volatile temperament and territoriality. On several occasions, tourists have become severely injured because they strayed too close to a bison. Image source: https://www.oneearth.org/species-of-the-week-american-bison/

[annaphoenix1994]

Triangle Betrayal

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

»»-------¤-------««

Simon watched Kiera carefully as she focused on the task at hand. She stayed in her vehicle, focusing on her laptop as she looked at the photo of Isaac's license plate on his phone, her eyes darting back and forth, her jaw dropping slightly before immediately reaching for her phone to call Laswell, sitting back in the driver's seat as she took a selfish drag from her vape pen. "What is it?" Simon asked. 

"This is all a big triangle," She sighed. "Now I know why Isaac didn't tell me his last name when he came up to the ranch yesterday." 

"Why?" 

She looked at him, turning the laptop around for him to see for himself, "His last name is Graves." 

Bloody fucking hell, he grimaced as she faced the laptop back towards her, putting the address on file into her GPS. "He lives only thirty minutes from we're at right now. I'm going to drive by and get a layout of the place. I'm willing to bet that we can find both Shepherd and Malcolm there." 

"Considering they're both wanted men, I doubt they're in the same place." 

"I'm going to correct you on something: they're both stupid men. They're probably holding each other's dicks while they pee." 

He chuckled, loving her foul mouth just as much as he enjoyed the feeling of it on him - both lovingly and intimately. "You're probably right." 

Kiera dialed Laswell's number, putting it on speaker before it rang four times, Laswell answering with haste. "Kiera. Manage to scramble anything?" 

"I think so. Does the name Isaac Graves mean anything to you?" 

She sighed, "Partially. If it's the same person we're thinking of." 

"Well, I can't see much background on him from my computer, so I'll give you his name and license plate number. His driver's license states he's a resident of Arlington, Virginia, but the address is invalid since his plates are in Wyoming. The Wyoming tag pulled up a completely different address, so me and Simon are going to drive by and see what we're working with." 

"I'll get to working on it now. I'll call you back once I find something." 

"Thanks." 

'Starting route to 555 Wyoming Pike Drive' her GPS alerted her after she had started the route, excitement coursing through her veins as she had finally seemed to pick up a trail to Fernando's kidnappers. "We'll go get supper after this, okay?" 

"Supper?" He chuckled, the phrase being foreign to him. 

"Right. I keep forgetting you're British. It means dinner, babe." She poked. 

"Keep poking at me. You still haven't been to my 'neck of the woods' yet." He arched his brow, using a familiar phrase he had heard her say a few times, desperately trying to mimic a nearly southern accent, but he failed. 

Instead, they both laughed at his attempt. 

"Oh, I'm eager to let my freak flag fly over there. Are there any good bars?" 

"Pubs - yes," He corrected. "I don't trust you in a bar - nothing ever good happens with you and that word in the mix. Though, you're going to have a hell of a time over there and I'm sure my sides will be hurting after laughing at you trying to pronounce words with your cornbread accent." 

She scoffed, "Cornbread? What?" 

"That's what Teeter said she had. You two sound almost the same." He poked. 

"Bullshit. Teeter speaks gibberish! I speak English!" 

"Your English and my English are two completely different things, love. I don't know what you're going to do without Dr. Pepper over there." He smirked. 

"You're lying. You can get Dr. Pepper anywhere-"

"Sure about that? There's no sweet tea - garbage. Might as well drink sugar water. Scones for breakfast and tea. You'll be living like a posh lady for two weeks." He teased, knowing the word "posh" was not in her vocabulary. 

"What the fuck is that?" She grimaced, making him laugh. God, I can't fucking wait to get her over there, he thought, amazed that he was looking forward to something recently. 

"You'll see." 

She smiled, shaking her head as she continued to drive following her GPS's directions, the drive being roughly forty minutes from their current location before her phone rang again. "Yeah?" 

"Here's what I found. Isaac was Shepherd's right-hand man in the D.C. office - I've confirmed that. He fled when Shepherd did. He managed to get a car from a drug cartel member, running on stolen plates between various checkpoints-" 

"So is the car he's driving now stolen, too?" 

"No, it was purchased without a loan from a dealership in Montana. When I kept digging, I found out that Shepherd threatened to set him up if he didn't help him flee. And Kiera, Isaac was responsible for the explosive launched at you in Chicago." 

Simon shivered. 

"W-What? How did you find that out?"

"Phone records. He and Shepherd talked on the phone a lot between these last few missions you were on. You were their target the whole time, I'm afraid. He got wind that you were going to Mexico to investigate Graves."

Kiera scoffed, her hands gripping the steering wheel before Laswell continued. "And...," Laswell sighed. "He's Commander Graves' brother, Kiera. What he's doing is personal, now." 

Both Simon and Kiera looked at each other in shock, Simon watching her take a long drag from her comforting tube of nicotine as it was visible that she was under immense pressure. "Between him, Shepherd, and Malcolm, they all have blackmail on each other. Each of them ping-ponging between threats of exposing the other in exchange for freedom." 

She chuckled, "That won't last long." 

"You have full authority, Kiera. I can issue the warrant." 

"Please do. Issue it for all of them. I'll talk to the Sheriff here and have him issue me one, too. I'm going to do this my way, especially considering Fernando is at stake." 

"I'll forward them to state authorities at the local office. You'll be able to pick them up before five." 

"I'll get them on my way home. I'm going to drive to the address I found for Isaac and I'm going to make my move by tomorrow." 

"Be wise about this, Kiera. With these three at each other's throats to take you out, they're going to do everything they can to ensure their mission is complete." 

"I have a plan already. I'm going to take them out. One by fucking one. And I'm starting with Isaac. With some... persuasion, he'll lead me to Malcolm and once I get him, I'll get Shepherd." 

"We're all standing by you. Keep me updated."

»»-------¤-------««

'In three quarters of a mile, the destination is on your right.' The GPS sounded, spiking Kiera's attention as she pressed on the brake pedal, slowing down to see two patrol vehicles sitting at the gate of Isaac's home. "What the fuck?" She scoffed to herself, recognizing them to be Richards' deputies. 

"Can I help you?" The deputy questioned, walking up to the truck as she rolled down her window, presenting her badge just in case the decals on the truck wasn't enough to prove that she was an agent. 

"Why'd Richards send you here?" 

"He didn't," The deputy replied. "The homeowner requested his home to be secured. We don't know what's going on." 

"Of course you don't. You do know you two are guarding a wanted man, right?" 

The deputies looked at each other, "Do you have a warrant?" 

She smirked, "I'll be back tomorrow." 

»»-------¤-------««

Once the deputies left the scene to exchange for another pair of deputies, they returned to their headquarters, seeing that Richards was still active at the station. "Shahan, Dylan," Richards addressed them by their last names, nodding his head toward his office. "A word?" 

"Sir?" Shahan said, Dylan walking in behind him. 

"It has come to my attention that an officer approached you on the scene today-"

"Yeah, some woman with a man in her passenger seat. Showed me her badge and said we were unaware of the wanted man we were guarding." 

"I know," Richards sighed, looking to his feet. "When she comes back, don't ask any questions. Understood?" 

"It seemed odd, sir," Dylan added, tension in his shoulders. "She seemed like she wanted to do harm by how she was acting." 

"Son, she works for the C.I.A. She will have a warrant by tomorrow. Just... Just stay out of her way, okay? This fight isn't in our hands anymore." 

"Isn't that against our code?" 

"Yeah. By the book is what you've always told us." Shahan added.

"Being by the book has nothing to do with a federal agent. They play by their own rules," Richards grumbled, wanting nothing to do with intervening with a federal agent's work. "You two be on site until she gets there. When she does, you two leave. Got me?" 

The pair of deputies nodded, "Sir." 

Shahan and Dylan shared a look between each other as they proceeded to their vehicles to head home for the night, Shahan offering a cigarette that was much needed after a long day of patrol. "Something bad is going to happen." Dylan sighed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. 

"Yeah, but I don't want no part of it. Makes me wonder why they only have one federal agent instead of the F.B.I. out here." 

"That is odd," Dylan furrowed his brows. "Maybe Richards knows more than what he's telling us." 

Shahan scoffed, "And you think he'd tell us? We're nowhere near his tier, buddy." 

"Well, no, but at the same time, if it's a criminal that has an active warrant, then why isn't he leading the raid on this one?" 

"You're asking so many questions," Shahan chuckled, watching Dylan pull out his phone, assuming he was texting his wife that he was heading home, thinking nothing of it. "If a federal agent is going after this guy, it's best we stay out of it. That guy has gotten himself into some trouble. I'd hate to be him." 

"Yeah," Dylan replied, looking down at his phone as he typed into the message box, remembering the three thousand dollars Malcolm slipped him to swear to secrecy as well as to have a reassuring person to keep guard on the entry of Isaac's home. Dylan then sent his warning text:

[rabbitcruiser]

National Bison Day 

You see them everywhere — on coins, on sports team logos, and a couple of state flags. No, we’re not talking about the bald eagle. This honor is reserved for North American bison. On National Bison Day, November 2, an annual event that falls on the first Saturday in November, all Americans should reflect on the impact bison have as a part of our environmental and cultural heritage. Bison are especially revered by Native people — central to their survival as both food and spiritual inspiration.

National Bison Day timeline

1900s ​Bison herds severely reduced due to excessive hunting and abuses

Hunting dramatically reduced the population — leaving a mere 700 in private herds; even Yellowstone was left with only 23 bison by 1902.

1992 ​​Native American tribes formed new group to share resources and help bison

The InterTribal Indian Council formed not only to return bison to tribal lands,  but also to create culturally-sensitive educational programs and provide both technical resources and help to 56 tribes.

​1997 Groups signed Bison Memorandum of Understanding

​The  first conservation agreement between an environmental organization and a diverse collective of Native American tribes agreed to combine efforts to return wild bison to tribal land.

​2012 ​The U.S. Senate passed first National Bison Day Resolution

The Senate passed its first resolution honoring National Bison Day, which was also supported by various tribal groups and  the Wildlife Conservation Society.

How to Observe National Bison Day

Sign a petition

Visit a national park

Wear your National Bison Day T-shirt

Stand in support of returning wild bison to their original tribal lands on thousands of acres of Native American reservations. Collaborations among certain groups are working to remind Americans about the important role bison play in the lives of native peoples. Bison are considered sacred and they are even featured in certain tribal creation stories. Bison have also been a source of food and clothing — providing hides for tents, robes, shoes, and tools so that people could survive in harsh climates.

You may not be able to get to a large national park like Yellowstone, but there are a vast number of smaller parks from which to choose. Imagine what it must have been like to see thousands of bison freely roaming the plains. Give your children a chance to experience the wonder of our latest national icon — the bison.

Many groups use this day to raise funds in support of bison. It won’t be hard to find a T-shirt showing your love of bison. Wear it proudly because it’s for a great, patriotic cause.

5 Reasons We Love Our Bison

​Watch that tail

​They've got skills

​They're oldies but goodies

​Throw a stone — hit a bison

Bison as symbols

​If a bison’s tail is hanging down and moves naturally from side to side, the animal is relaxed. But when the tail stands straight up, it's a signal the bison is getting ready to charge.

​Given their size as the largest mammals in North America, bison are surprisingly agile with an ability to  swim well, jump up to six feet, and run between 35 and 40 mph.

Bison have always roamed in Yellowstone National Park as evidenced by prehistoric fossils found in modern times.

​Herds of bison can be found in all 50 states.

​The American bison is not only the country's official mammal; the bison is also the state mammal of Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Why National Bison Day is Important

It's our national mammal

They're different from buffalo

They were almost extinct

President Obama, with the support of a broad coalition of Native American tribes, wildlife support groups, and concerned members of the Senate, signed a 2015  law making the proud and majestic bison our  national mammal. This law helps to protect bison from extinction and encourages a return back to their native tribal lands.

We know you have been wondering about this so we're going to set you straight. Bison and buffalo are not the same.  Bison are native to North and South America and Europe, while the traditional home of the buffalo is in Africa and Asia. At the height of their magnificence, there were between 30 and 60 million bison in the New World circa the 16th century. Today, there are currently half a million bison roaming happily across North America.     .

Native peoples once lived their lives around the vast herds of bison that swirled around areas of the west and northwest, the central plains, and the southeastern U.S. Once pioneers started their westward trek, both the Native American tribes and the bison herds were seen as obstacles to progress. As the native peoples were systematically forced off their lands by either poachers or fake government treaties, the bison herds began to disappear; by the early part of last century, bison were on the way to extinction. Today, through the collective efforts of Indian tribes, wildlife associations, the national park system and others, bison have re-emerged as a protected species.

Source

[hungwy]

your state flag is the most beautiful of any state in our wretched union

Wyoming Ohio Alaska ...

[stateflagshowdown]

[agentoli]

I love the flip-flop AU! I have some notes and questions, if you don't mind:

Interesting move putting Tex in red team

Maybe Maine could have Lopez's role of being misunderstood in conversation and one person (probably Wyoming, the bastard) keeps badly translating? Just a thought

Do Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams have armor abilities? I might have some ideas if you're interested

Where are other state name people? Florida, Georgia, Utah, the triplets, Illinois.

How much does Tucker complain about being Cyan when his armor is Aqua?

Why are Team Bravo all birds except Lopez? Maybe his could be a bird in spanish. Aquila is already taken though with Sarge being eagle

Again, love this AU! The only time I've seen something like this is a fanfic (Quantity Over Quality) where the Reds and Blues (just Sarge, Simmons, Grif, Donut, Tucker, and Caboose) were AI assigned to different agents (Florida, York, North, South, Wash, and Carolina respectively)

Ahh! Tysm for the ask!! I'll try my best to adress all of your notes/questions!!!

Tex being a Red

->Tex being a Red was pretty much the first thing I made concrete. Mostly because I knew having her on a separate team from Carolina would create an interesting telephone dynamic. Carolina keeps asking York about the woman who looks scarily like her late mother, and York is just confused because Tex is one of the most competent soldiers he's ever been in charge of.

Maine Translation hijinks

->Oh definitely. Wyoming would absolutely give shitty translations both ways, though never maliciously. Mostly just to mess with the big guy. I mean, what else is there to do in a box canyon in the middle of nowhere? Though Carolina often corrects him when she can.

Suit Units?

->I actually haven't thought about armor abilities/units because I'm playing musical chairs with some AIs and the og sim troopers (mostly red team because honestly they would have fun dynamics regardless of pairings). Suggestions for that stuff are always welcome!

The other state names

->As for the other state name people, Florida already has a spot in the story. Everyone else is kind of floating around. Though I have been playing with the idea of replacing the Flag Zealots with the rest of the state names.

Tucker hates the name Cyan

->All. The. Time. The way codenames/callsigns are given out is up to the team leader, and Church, being the insufferable little bastard he is, took the opportunity to mess with Tucker. However, he often shortans Cyan to just Cy, which sounds cooler and leads to less rage fueled distraction in the field. (Cobalt is shortaned to Coby, and Royal gets Roy. Poor Caboose can't keep up with all of these funny nicknames :[ )

Agent Lopez / Uno

On a related note, Lopez was built after codenames were assigned. Unfortunately, after one of the Freelancer game nights held every week, Lopez was unceremoniously branded with the name of the gang's favorite card game. And it just stuck. Yes, he hates it. Lopez 2.0 was given Dos to continue the trend.

QoQ

->This AU was largely inspired by QoQ! I haven't gotten around to actually finishing it, but I am already in love with the writing and dynamics.

Thanks for the ask!!!

[contagious-watermelon]

Pictures of each flag are under the cut

Alaska:

Arizona:

Indiana:

Maryland:

Minnesota:

Mississippi:

New Mexico:

Ohio:

Texas:

Utah:

There's a ten-image per post limit, so you'll just have to look up Wyoming

[myemuisemo]

Suddenly, Letters from Watson dumps us in the middle of the Great American Desert (part 1 of "On the Great Alkali Plain," 2/7/24). This is not anywhere I expected to be transported from London, and the contrast makes the Mountain West feel exotic for a minute.

The Great American Desert -- stretching from about Grand Island, Nebraska to the Sierras and pretty much the entire north-south length of the U.S. -- had become a thing of legend since explorers' accounts in the 1820s. When Dad and I drove across it in 2022, we talked about how incredibly daunting it must have been for emigrants seeking their land of milk and honey on the Pacific coast.

The way we went, out I-80, Nebraska shifts from green to gray as it rises toward the Rockies. After a while, the wind picks up as you go uphill into Wyoming. There's a lot of Wyoming, and after Cheyenne and Laramie (both of which would be small towns in most states), it's very, very empty. When we finally started the descent toward Salt Lake City, and the little valleys beside the road turned green with running water, it was truly like entering paradise.

Of course, in 1847, Salt Lake City was just barely being settled, as Brigham Young led his Latter Day Saints west from Council Bluffs, and its location wasn't part of the U.S. yet.

The Mexican-American war had started the prior year, 1846, and was still going. Spring-summer of 1846 saw the Bear Flag Revolt in California, followed by the U.S. just annexing the state. Gold wouldn't be discovered at Sutter's Mill until 1849, so while emigration to California happened -- the Donner Party made their ill-fated trip in 1846-47 -- it wasn't anything like the scope of movement along the Oregon Trail.

As far as I can tell, "Sierra Blanco" is not a real place. There's a Sierra Blanca in New Mexico -- which would fit with all the specific landscape, plus White Sands National Park in New Mexico specifically has alkali flats. Last time I drove through New Mexico on I-40, in late 2018, it was delightfully desolate, so I can buy that in 1847, it seemed completely empty, with even the native peoples avoiding some stretches.

Why anyone would be crossing New Mexico is a mystery, since neither Arizona nor southern California were much settled by Americans. There was some sort of wagon route across New Mexico used by U.S. soldiers during the Mexican-American War, so if I'd expect anyone to be about, it'd be the U.S. Army.

Utah, now, is downright famous for its salt flat, but that's west of the site of Salt Lake City.

Regardless, parties screwing up their trip to the west by taking an imprudent shortcut or mistaking the route was definitely both a thing that happened and, thanks to the Donner Party, a trope. Our haggard and starving traveler sounds about right.

Then he reveals a Plucky Innocent Victorian Child.

That "pretty little girl of about five years of age" is the absolute ideal of Victorian childhood, being perfectly behaved, utterly imperturbable, determined to see the best in all things, sweet, trusting, and looking forward to being reunited with her mother in heaven.

This kind of child is why Louisa May Alcott was seen as innovative for writing Little Woman about girls who worked on their character flaws. (This is also the ideal the March girls were being aimed at. Polly in An Old-Fashioned Girl comes closer, but even Polly would have been upset about being hopelessly lost in the desert with no water.) Contrast this with the street urchins that Holmes employs in his investigation, who are good enough sorts but scrappy, resourceful, and street smart.

Ordinarily, a Victorian child who was utterly sweet and pious would be a cinnamon roll, literally too good, too pure for this world, and thus would die beautifully but tragically before long. Being lost in the desert seems ideal for this, but --

She turns to prayer, and since someone must survive in order for this scene to be relevant,

Yes, darn it, I am on the edge of my seat to know what happens. I'm also grateful that crossing the Great American Desert in 2022 was a quicker process. I've been reading Carey Williams' old-but-interesting California: The Great Exception, which has a lot to say about how 19th century isolation shaped California's economy and power structure, not always for good. But that's neither here nor there -- I don't think we're headed to California.

[jade-kyo]

RvB 20th rewatch: s5

Final season of Blood Gulch let’s goooo!!!

Honestly can’t blame Church for his reaction to Junior lol

I CANT FEEL MY TORSO

“My body is trying to die” me when I’m on my period

I’m gonna start using the international dibs protocol

DONUT IS CHURCH’S FAVORITE RED

THERE IS NO ELEVEN YOU FUCKING WHORE

KAKAINA!!!!!!!!!!

She’s so silly. She is the silly girl representation we deserve.

The fat Church jokes are so funny because HE HAS A ROBOT BODY???? bro literally cannot gain or lose weight and that’s all I can think about every time I watch it 😂

Have we ever considered sargenut-

GOOD DAD TUCKER

“there are no regular girls” as a girl I agree

I love that Kai doesn’t even question Church being a ghost

“Whoa, tread lightly dude, tread lightly” and another heavily quoted line for me

Mark your calendars for 2040 for the updated Bible release

So dead serious when I say I’m gonna start using Donuts anti drug lingo when my friends start vaping

CHEX DIVORCED VIBES MY BELOVED

OMG I FORGOT ABOUT CABOOSE PRACTICING FLIRTING WITH TEX AHKDHAKSH

Okay but have we considered texboose crack ship

Caboose is me trying to lie

“I’m like Superman, I know when I’m needed” Tucker you are always needed my beloved son

WHEEZE OMG SIMMONS JUST DROPPED THE MOST AGGRESSIVE “SHUT UP DONUT” IVE EVER HEARD AHKSHAK

Donut writes Harry Potter fanfiction

Church immediately asks about Carolina….. Church the alpha… the copy of the director, Carolina’s father, immediately asks about Carolina. In all his fucked up faulty memories he knows to ask about her… I’m gonna be sick

Tex’s willingness to go along with the time travel bit is so funny

“No I’m saving him in case we ever need him for food” another frequently quoted line.

GOOD DAD TUCKER

Bow chick honk honk

Sarge’s super power is spawning in flags and patriotic singing

“Take a chill pill, don’t have a chill pill take one of them chill strips. You stick it on your tongue it dissolves and you chill” probably my most quoted line from the show. Partially cause my brothers would always say it so I just grew up hearing it even before I watched rvb

“No one is in the state of Wyoming” yet another quoted line

Church being upset when Caboose gets shot is very telling

So is Wyoming using his equipment without Gammas help? That’s wild

TUCKER FINALLY GETS THE SNIPER RIFLE

Hey chicka bum bum

THE HELL IS THAT MUSIC

the Tex stuff at the end is probably the hardest thing to make sense of with all the retcons- like was she just saying all that stuff to try and protect Church… somehow- yeah this is the part I always struggle to fit in with the rest of it

I still enjoy the shenanigans tho

Rip Florida

God I love when O’Malley is jumping from person to person

TEX SAYS GOODBYE G O D I AM IN HELL

And it comes full circle

AND NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE RECOLLECTION!! I am so freaking excited I cannot WAIT!