#brightly colored poisonous frogs

[mappingthemoon]

a @shitpostsampler i made for my best @412sooz​!

started: Jan. 17, 2021 / finished: Sept. 3, 2022 (lol)

i really enjoy cross-stitch but the main reason it takes me so long to finish is that i’m impatient and i hate sitting still! these are the lessons of cross-stitch :|

[arofili]

if you're still taking prompts:

Elrond/Erestor/Celebrimbor, 33 (“Forget me.”) - Autumn or winter, maybe a last farewell before the fall of Eregion? (could also be gen or queerplatonic if you'd prefer)

I hc Erestor as Caranthir/Haleth's son, include that as you'd like :) (I also usually hc Elrond as fairly Feanorian, but again, you don't need to include that if you'd rather not)

<3

~ maglor-my-beloved

Forget me, Celebrimbor’s letter had urged. Leave me behind, let me die...

As if they could do that. As if they could simply forget all their love for him, all the nights spent together, all the history they shared!

“You know we cannot win this fight,” Erestor said wearily.

Elrond set his teeth as he donned his helmet, the last of his armor before the march. “I know,” he said shortly. “But you know we cannot abandon him.”

“I know.” Erestor grasped his gauntleted arm. Even through the armor, Elrond could feel the strength of his grip, almost as firm as Celebrimbor’s own. “But—but we will lose him, Elrond. You must be prepared to retreat when it is time.”

Elrond wrenched his arm from Erestor’s grasp. “We don’t know that,” he growled. “We can save him, if we try—”

“This is war,” Erestor said. He was older than Elrond: he knew the odds. He remembered the long and bitter days of siege, of blood, of destruction.

Well, Elrond had lived through war, also. He was born into it, had come of age into it. And he was not powerless, not anymore.

“I will fight for him,” he insisted. “To the very—”

“Don’t,” Erestor begged, his voice cracking. “Elrond. I cannot lose you too.”

“You won’t lose either of us,” Elrond insisted. He had no time for this. “Now come, or don’t. Either way, there is a war to win, and I will not wait until it reaches us.”

He turned and began to stride away.

Erestor followed. He always did.

[rogdona]

[loudmound]

a toothpaste flag icon AND a boyfriend to death header? oh, please, you shouldn't have!

[porcubus]

im sure someone else could say it better than me but it does bother me that heathcliffs comparisons to dogs and mutts specifically seems to fly over fans heads as a random sad/funny insult and not even remotely racially charged

[ackee]

i love when people that have urls like [name]-is-insufferable or bios that are like “im annoying dont follow me” come onto your posts and then live up to their name. like damn you were right frfr

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Hello friend!

for the writing asks... 8, 16, 20? <3

~ maglor-my-beloved

Hello friend!!!

Let's dive right in!

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

Nope, I don't because I can't focus on writing when I listen to music. Let me give you an inspiring song nonetheless.

Here's what I call "Fëanor's song from his son's perspective"

And here's "Fëanor's song for his sons"

16. What is your most underrated fic?

I do not think that I have underrated fics because...I only have overrated ones.

If I believe my friend @mismaeve though, it's Blood because she likes vampires 🙈🙈🙈

Maybe some of the Ori stories (the Christmas story for example) and the only dramatic, angsty, in-canon Russingon I've ever done?

20. What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

In the Hobbit? Ori the dwarf (my beloved)

In LOTR? Théoden (yet to be posted)

In the Silm? Ungoliant for @randomly-generated-name or Beleg/Mablung for @lycheesodas...Not to forget Gothmog for @melkors-big-tits

That was an unfair question as I've written quite a few minor and major characters and I don't know what makes them minor or major characters in the first place! lol

Thank you so much for this ask; I've done my best and now it's rather long and rambling. I am sorry!

[starlit-mansion]

In many ways, i do not actually like being a fan of fnaf (the fandom is toxic, the head of the series has repugnant politics, and the last game was a phenominal shitshow on every level) but also. I am still a little sad that it's in cold storage because it was my comfort media version of an evil sword that steals your life force while making you stronger, and that sure was a trip

[radioconstructed]

She's a 10 but she looks like Cherry Coke

she's a 10 but...

⌖ It's called APOSEMATISM!

[emrys-the-wild]

Obsessed with the idea of sorcerers’ eyes turning gold as means of scaring off predators, similar to how poisonous frogs are generally brightly colored to warn away birds, or how certain butterflies use startle coloration to temporarily shock their predators with a sudden color change. The golden eyes act, essentially, as a glaring warning to the opposition that a sorcerer's insides are far more threatening than they may appear on the outside. Or, at the very least, as a means of temporarily startling the enemy while the sorcerer makes a quick escape.

Also consider - frog/butterfly coded!Merlin. This man is pure amphibian/insect just look at him! Truly a creature.

[its-time-to-write]

Ohhh love to see you’re back! 💜💜💜💜

How about a Jaime x baker!girlfriend? Maybe she doesn’t really know who he is so when he acts all arrogant she just throws him out of her bakery? And he’s like “her! I want her! I’m in love! 🥰 🥰🥰🥰”

Still feeling a bit rusty lol. Next on the docket is the married at first sight fic. Not sure how long or short it’ll be but I’m doing my best!! Thanks for the requests🩵🩵

god, it’s brutal out here

“How many cakes do we have?” you mutter. “Four. Four cakes. I should’ve stuck to pastries. But nooo, I had to show off my fancy decorating. Fuck me.”

The door chimes, signifying the first customer of the day. You sigh, slap one more sticky note on the wall, then head to the front.

Today will be like every other day, which is nice; a revolving door of customers, some looking for a quick bite and others placing larger orders for weddings, birthdays, dinner parties. 

Baking is a ritual; you wake up early every morning, make a fresh cup of coffee, then begin mixing, kneading, and measuring. It’s a dance; you weave between the fridge, the oven, and the counters. It’s a science; you slice with precision, check temperatures for perfection, bake until golden.

Late in the afternoon, after you’ve closed, you’ll bring leftover bread and desserts to your flat for your friend group’s weekly dinner. Everyone will contribute something, from appetizers to mains to drinks. The weather is nice enough that dinner will be in your backyard and you mentally choose dishes as you take customer orders. 

Your bakery closes in five minutes when the bell jingles once, twice, three times. You sigh. Three fucking closers. 

The last is a man around your age and you won’t lie, he’s objectively good looking. But his teeth are just a little too sharp and his clothes are just a little too flashy. He’s like one of those frogs, brightly colored so you know they’re poisonous.

He rattles off a long order without giving you a moment to really take it down and then just stares expectantly at you when you tell him the total.

“Cash or card..?” you ask after a beat. The man tilts his head.

“Neither..?” he replies, mirroring your tone. “I’m Jamie Tartt.”

You grimace. “And you expect free pastries because your last name is on the menu?”

“I’m Jamie Tartt,” he says again. “I’m like, really fucking famous.”

He has a stupid grin plastered on his face and you really can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

You stare at him in disbelief. “I don’t have time for this. I think you should go.”

Jamie’s a little shocked. It takes him a moment to actually register your words but he does. He turns on his heel and you lock the door behind him, breathing a sigh of relief. Any thoughts of his beautiful face are distorted by his shit, entitled personality.

—

“I brought tequila,” says Dani with a grin. “And a friend.”

The dinner party is already in full swing but this is classic Dani. Always late, always with tequila, always with a surprise.

“Any friend of yours is a friend of ours,” you reply. “Everyone’s out back. Flo’s grilling and Ed’s in charge of music.”

You and Dani shake your head. Ed should not be in charge of music. 

“I will go fix this,” Dani says and then he’s off, leaving you alone with his friend.

You turn to introduce yourself and see-

“Jamie Tartt,” you state. It’s all you can do to hold in a snarl.

“Hey,” he says, and at least he’s sheepish. How someone like him is friends with Dani is beyond you.

It does make a little bit more sense, though. Dani is a footballer (you know that at least) so you’re assuming Jamie must be in that world as well. You should have known, he was the exact type of pretty and stupid you’ve found most footballers to be, professional or otherwise.

“What’s your problem?” you ask bluntly. “You’re friends with Dani, but you’re an entitled dick. How does that work?”

The tips of Jamie’s ears tinge red. “I- it’s not like that. I mean, it fucking was like that but not anymore and besides- was flirting.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“It’s true!” he hastily continues, “just were doing a piss-poor job. Didn’t come out like I meant it to.”

“You can say that again,” you agree and Jamie flinches, slightly.

“I am sorry,” he says. “Didn’t mean to be a prick. Roy says it’s just the way I am, it’s in my fucking bones or something. I’m working it though,” he adds. “I can tell you about sometime. Maybe over dinner?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Are you seriously asking me out right now?”

Jamie shrugs. “What have I got to lose? You already look like you fuckin’ hate me. Can’t get much lower than that.”

“Maybe,” you reply. “Going to ask need a drink first though. If you’re friends with Dani you’ve got to have something going for you, but I still think you’re a bit of a prick.”

Jamie smiles. “I can work with that, love. Let’s get you that drink.”

[herpsandbirds]

is it common for poisonous frogs to be more colorful than the ones that arent poisonous? is there a correlation?

Yeah, many of the most poisonous frogs are brightly colored. This is called aposematic coloration (colors that warn of toxicity). There are some rather toxic toads that are not that brightly colored, but I would say that most of the most toxic frogs and salamanders are brightly colored.

Poison Dart Frogs

Herps and Birds (and More) (Posts tagged poison dart frog) (tumblr.com)

Tomato Frogs

Herps and Birds (and More) (Search results for: tomato frog) (tumblr.com)

Mantellas

Herps and Birds (and More) (Search results for: mantella) (tumblr.com)

Spadefoot Toads

Herps and Birds (and More) (Posts tagged atelopus) (tumblr.com)

[vestaignis]

Колючая кустарниковая гадюка (Atheris) — род ядовитых змей, обитающий в тропических лесах Южной Африки в таких странах, как Конго, юго-восточной Уганде и западной Кении. Считается одной из самых красивых гадюк, благодаря впечатляющей изогнутой чешуе в форме колючек, имеющей яркий разноцветный окрас.  Благодаря такому необычному строению чешуек, придающим змее щетинистый вид, она становится похожей на сказочных грозных драконов, поэтому сильно ценится среди владельцев искусственных террариумов. Ярко окрашенные колючие гадюки (желтые, красные или серые) редко встречаются в дикой природе.

Самцы колючей кустарниковой гадюки достигают в длину до 75 сантиметров, а самки — до 60 сантиметров. Колючая гадюка — живородящее пресмыкающееся, в среднем самка рожает до 12 детенышей за один раз, длина которых составляет около 15 сантиметров. Змея отлично лазит по кустарникам, небольшим деревьям и крупным цветам. Охотится, в основном, в ночное время на лягушек, ящериц, жуков и мелких млекопитающих. Человеку лучше избегать встреч с этой гадюкой, поскольку она относится к ядовитым змеям. Яд этой гадюки содержит нейротоксин с большой порцией цитотоксина. Поэтому, если колючая кустарниковая гадюка укусит человека, то его мышцы не только парализует, а приводит к сильному кровотечению внутренних органов.

The spiny bush viper (Atheris) is a genus of venomous snakes found in the tropical forests of South Africa in countries such as Congo, southeastern Uganda and western Kenya. Considered one of the most beautiful vipers, thanks to its impressive curved, spine-shaped scales, which have a bright multi-colored color. Thanks to this unusual structure of scales, which gives the snake a bristly appearance, it becomes similar to fairy-tale formidable dragons, and therefore is highly valued among owners of artificial terrariums. Brightly colored spiny vipers (yellow, red or gray) are rarely found in the wild.

Males of the spiny bush viper reach a length of up to 75 centimeters, and females - up to 60 centimeters. The spiny viper is a viviparous reptile; on average, a female gives birth to up to 12 young at a time, which are about 15 centimeters long. The snake is excellent at climbing bushes, small trees and large flowers.It hunts mainly at night on frogs, lizards, beetles and small mammals. It is better for a person to avoid encounters with this viper, since it is a poisonous snake. The venom of this viper contains a neurotoxin with a large portion of cytotoxin. Therefore, if a spiny bush viper bites a person, then his muscles will not only paralyze, but lead to severe bleeding of internal organs.

Источник:https://prajt.livejournal.com/468465.html, https://t.me/+fxNu20lM26MwYzhi, vk.com/wall-149472484_824944, //www.zoopicture.ru/atheris-hispida/,/bogatyr.club/6936-koljuchaja-kustarnikovaja-gadjuka.html, //kartinki.pics/pics/1748-koljuchaja-kustarnikovaja-gadjuka-art.html,//livt.net/info/2017/07/09/kolyuchaya-kustarnikovaya-gadyuka/, dzen.ru/a/XLu9R3Ii0ACzPYI-.

[bethanythebogwitch]

When they say "be there or be square", today's Wet Beast Wednesday subject chose "square". I am referring to boxfish. Also known as cowfish, trunkfish, and cofferfish, these real-life Minecraft fish are bony fish in the family Ostraciidae, sometimes called Ostraciontidae. This makes them close relatives of pufferfish and file fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. While all the Tetraodontiformes are weird-looking fish, the cowfish are easily the strangest, they don't even really look that much like fish.

(image: the yellow boxfish Ostracion cubicum. They literally named it "cube")

The squarish shape of the boxfish comes from their unique skeleton. They have a carapace made of overlapping, hexagonal plates called dermal scutes that are the equivalent of scales in other fish. Each plate is composed of a soft and bendable collagen layer and mineralized surface layer. This carapace is very sturdy, with holes in it to allow for the eyes, mouth, fins, and cloaca to pass through. In game terminology, the cowfishes are stone walls. Because of the composition of the carapace, boxfish are fully rigid and cannot bend their bodies in any direction. This, combined with their not-overly hydrodynamic shapes, makes them slow and weak swimmers. When they filled out their character sheets they went all-in on defense and neglected speed and offense. A boxfish won't be winning any races, but the carapace is extremely hard to bite through or puncture, giving an effective defense. Despite their small sizes (the largest species can get up to 50 cm/20 in long, and most species are much smaller), adult boxfish have almost no natural predators. It's worth noting that while boxfish are slow swimmers, they are very maneuverable. They have the ability to create small vortices around their bodies to help maneuver.

(image: a boxfish skeleton)

(image: a boxfish with its hexagonal carapace visible through its skin)

Not satisfied with having an impenetrable shell, many species of boxfish developed another defense mechanism. When stressed, they can release poison into the water. These poisons are surfactants, substances that break up surface tension, that can damage the cell membranes of other animals. While each species has their own specific chemical and not every species is poisonous, these toxins are collectively called pahutoxins. Poison is a pretty common thing in the Tetraodontiformes. Famously, pufferfish, close relatives of boxfish, are highly poisonous. Most poisonous boxfish species are brightly colored. This is called aposematism and is used as a warning to potential predators that the animal is dangerous. A famous example of aposematism is the brightly-colored poison dart frogs. Young boxfish are typically more colorful than older ones.

(image: a longhorn cowfish Lactoria cornuta)

Boxfish are voracious omnivores that will eat just about anything that can fit in their tiny mouths. The majority of boxfish species live in coral reefs and their diet consists largely of algae that they scrape off of coral. Additional foods include sponges, tube worms, mollusks, and small fish and invertebrates. Some species can spit out water to blow aside sand and search for buried food.

(image: Ostracion meleagris, the spotted boxfish)

Boxfish are typically solitary, but occasionally come together in small groups. These groups typically consist of one male and a few females. Scientists speculate these groups are formed for reproduction. They are known to reproduce by swimming to the surface of the water, releasing their gametes, and quickly swimming away.

(Aracana ornata, the ornate boxfish)

Because of their unique appearances, boxfish are popular in aquariums. They are recommended for experts only because of their ability to release poison. Boxfish are easily stressed and can kill themselves and other tank-mates by releasing toxin. Aquarists usually say they should be kept in solo tanks or with smaller, mild-mannered tank-mates. In addition, they need to be in tanks with minimal water flow as even the current of a decently-sized filter can blow them around uncontrollably. People who keep boxfish have called them shy, but highly inquisitive and even playful. They have been reported spitting water and their handlers, apparently in an attempt to get attention.

(image: Lactoria forasini, the thornback boxfish)

[thevioletcaptain]

🩲😳🫦

Dean’s not staring. He’s definitely not staring.

He’s so consciously and deliberately not staring that he sinks down a little lower in the driver’s seat of the Impala, just in case Cas happens to glance over and see him from where he’s standing like some kind of calendar model on the opposite side of the Smith Center Public Swimming Pool.

Not because he thinks he’s doing anything wrong, though. Cas is hot, and Dean knows that Cas is hot. He's long past having a crisis about the fact that he wants the guy. But he's off limits. He can't quite remember why he'd decided that he was off limits, but he's sure he had a good reason for it.

So he's not staring. And he's not hiding, either.

It's just that Dean doesn’t want Cas to see his face through the windshield, all distorted by the glare of the summer sun, and mistakenly think that he is staring.

Because he’s not.

But. Well. It’s kind of hard not to look, is the thing.

And looking isn’t staring. It’s just — seeing. With his eyes. Which he kind of can’t help but do. And is that a crime? Is it a crime to see?

Anyway, Cas is the one who decided to buy himself a neon green Speedo for the adult swimming lessons he’s insisted on taking now that he’s human again, and it’s hardly Dean’s fault if his eye is naturally drawn to bright colors.

That’s just… evolution. He thinks he read that somewhere, once. Survival instincts, ingrained over countless generations and hardwired into his monkey brain, so that he won’t accidentally put poisonous tree frogs in his mouth or whatever.

Not that he's letting his monkey brain take control right now. Not that he’s thinking of putting his mouth anywhere near Cas’ —

“You can’t park here.”

He jumps, his forearm pressing hard into the horn, and half a dozen people — Cas included — all turn to stare at him from the poolside.

Now they're staring. Not just looking. Definitely staring. Dean knows the difference.

Cas lifts his hand and waves.

It’s probably Dean’s imagination, given the distance, but he’s pretty sure he can see a bead of water — maybe sweat — trickling down his side. It starts near his armpit. Trails down over his ribs.

As Dean watches — looks, really, just happens to see — Cas pushes his fingers through his hair, and shakes his head, and an arc of droplets sparkles through the air around him before he drops his hand back down and wipes it off on his thigh. And now his thigh is wet again.

Who gave him the right to fucking glisten like that? Who the hell does he think he is?

“Sir?”

Dragging his eyes away from Cas, Dean glances up at the woman ducking down to peer in at him through his open window. She’s wearing a navy blue polo with the pool’s logo, and she’s missed a spot with her sunscreen, so there’s an oddly shaped patch of red in the middle of her forehead. The pinched-mouth expression on her face suggests that perhaps she's spoken to him more times than he’d noticed. He shakes his head a little.

“Huh, sorry, what?”

“You can’t park here,” she says, tone harsher than before, and points up at the staff only sign he’d missed when he arrived.

In his defense, the sign is kind of dull, and decidedly not brightly colored, and by the time he’d been pulling into the space, he’d already been kind of distracted by Cas and his glow-in-the-dark-and-the-daytime-too crotch.

Some part of him — the monkey brain, probably — desperately wants his eyes to flick back over toward the pool to see if Cas has decided to do any more post-swim stretching. He valiantly fights it. The effort uses enough brain power that he barely remembers that he's probably supposed to respond to the woman talking to him.

“Oh,” he says, finally.

She waits. Raises her brow. He figures he should say more.

“I’m not actually— I’m not staying. I’m just here to pick someone up. I mean, heh, that sounded wrong. I’m not trying to pick someone up, like, trying to score. I’m just here to pick up a guy. My friend. In my car. To drive him home.”

The woman’s eyes narrow a little, and she half opens her mouth like she’s not quite sure how to respond to his rambling but fully intends to, but before she can get a word out Cas is there, pulling open the passenger door. The hinges creak.

The scent of chlorine and sunscreen and Cas floods Dean's senses.

He glances over, no longer able to force himself not to, and has to bite down on his own lip to keep from letting out a deeply embarrassing noise when he finds him spreading his towel out on the seat so he can sit down, still wearing his Speedo. He drops the string bag with his change of clothes into the footwell and grins at Dean as he climbs inside.

"Don't worry, I won't get your car wet," he says.

Dean's brain is making a strange buzzing sound.

"Uhuh," he says.

“Sir,” the woman cuts in again.

Dean doesn’t even look at her, this time. Just waves a hand in the air and starts the engine as Cas buckles in. Pulls the seatbelt taut across his lap.

"You need to move."

"Yeah, we're going," Dean says.

“See you next week, Doreen,” Cas tells her cheerfully.

“Yeah,” Dean says, but his eyes don’t leave Cas. Maybe he is staring, just a little. “Maybe I’ll come, too.” [written for this prompt game] [find me on ao3 as imogenbynight 💚]

[mel-loly]

Today we start with a new series, called “fun facts about my characters”! And today we will have......

-Some ✨interesting✨ facts about...

🌟Our beloved fox/elf from the galaxy!🌟

>{×Windy×}<

When she walks through some place that has grass, like a field, for example, a part around where she goes, the color of the grass turns a shade of purple, and depending on the color of the grass, the purple is sometimes light or darker.

In a field of flowers, the same thing happens, except that the flowers, instead of remaining in their normal state, become stars. Regardless of what the flower is, it will still become a star. But when the flower is not yellow, the stars change to the same color as the flower. In other words, if the flower is pink, the star will be pink. Oh! And another detail is that the flowers/stars, in addition to shining brightly at night, also release particles, giving more light to the path if it's too dark to walk.

(↑An example of this is also when she passes through caves. When it is very dark, small mushrooms appear on the sides, also releasing the same particle, illuminating the path. The only problem with these mushrooms is that when they are touched, they either explode or they release poison. The poison still has a cure, but the explosion is still very strong and capable of hurting the person a lot..)

And no, both the flowers and the color of the grass (and the mushrooms in the caves) don't stay that way permanently. This only happens when she passes by such a place. Afterwards, the flowers return to their normal state, and the same thing happens with the color of the grass.

Another interesting thing about Windy is that she doesn't see the sky as blue, the sky is a bit “pink” for her. Sometimes it even becomes a very light orange, but most of the time it is pink and very light as well. The sunset still remains the same, except that the colors become more vibrant, and the stars can be seen from afar, well before dark.

She sees the Moon and the Sun at the same time, normally they are very separate from each other. But there's still a detail that, when it's daytime, she sees the Sun shine more, so the Moon is somewhat “camouflaged”, but is still clearly seen. The same thing happens at night, only in reverse.

Her room is themed about space, especially galaxies and astronauts! She has her own map of the solar system and the places you can visit (yes, you can go from Earth to another planet and there are several different cities on each planet), and she also has a book showing all the constellations she has seen up close in the places she visited when she was little.

Her bed is shaped like a waning moon, so lamp is shaped like the sun, and her room has some stars stuck/glued to the ceiling. Windy says she sleeps better seeing the stars on the ceiling twinkling at night, and that somehow, she feels at home and safe..

And the last but not least is that she really likes frogs.... Yes... Frogs...... She is practically in love with frogs and has several frog teddy bears, a frog mug, a frog backpack and even a frog outfit. Like- she practically has almost everything of frogs and knows several interesting facts about them too.

And.. That's all! I hope to see you in the next chapter of “fun facts about my characters”!✨