#by a buffalo beetle

[the-border-outpost]

Thane isn't the only Warbred to have gotten a bit of bruising from that failed hunt! Poor Areto got kicked under the tail... which is the equivalent of a nutshot. Poor boy got kicked in the nards, has a bruise, and is very ouchy! His sister's trying to make him feel better, but she can't help but be a bit amused by his rather painful predicament. Look at that pout and those sad puppy eyes... poor Areto's gonna be sitting on an ice pack for a while!

[ghostoffuturespast]

19 July 2024 - Friday Field Notes

The sky doing some half and half. This was a storm front that ended up rolling further north. I will attest, every time, that the sky here just hits different.

On the left, the baby Robins at work. It's only been a week/week and a half but it's crazy to see how much they've grown! Mama has been feeding them well.

On the right, Robin fledgling that was hanging out by the side of my house. Still trying to figure out how to fly, but they're getting there. Tail feathers haven't fully grown in yet. Watched Mom feed them a grasshopper a little later.

Playtime with Bullsnake. He did not want to hold still for pictures.

First time in a month that I've gone out to do some field restoration work. Of course, ten minutes after I say I haven't seen a snake all season I get rattled at by this Prairie Rattlesnake.

Swainson's Hawk eating breakfast off the side of the trail.

Ten-lined June Beetle! A type of scarab beetle, they hiss if you bother them.

Forgot I planted this Rocky Mountain Bee Plant at work and didn't realize what it was (but I kept watering it) until the flowers started forming last week lol. It's ginormous. Anyone else see the lil green solitary bee?

I don't care what anyone says, I think watching grass grow is pretty exciting.

First one is Blue Grama (aka Grandma's Eyelashes and the state grass of Colorado - the flowers once they've gone to seed do look like false eyelashes). The second is some Buffalo Grass that I planted around the patio area I installed in my front yard. I slapped some concrete pavers down and seeded grass in between them, so once the grass gets established it should help stabilize the soil, keep the pavers in place, and help keep that area cooler. I put jute down for erosion control in the meantime but the grass is doing a bang up job of making it obsolete.

Anyway, hope you all are getting some rest. Feels like it's been a rough week for everyone, so hang in there. Catch you next time on the prairie!

[bunnymajo]

Been thinking about Tiara B. from the cancelled Sonic Xtreme game lately. And listen...hear me out..

[sigurdjarlson]

Hey you guys wanna see a friend we found outside

armadillidium vulgare I believe.

[harpieunion]

Some shots of the bugs I own!

1) a colony of Dairy Cow Isopods enjoying Shrimp Time

2) one of my many, many buffalo beetles being a blurry bitch

3) two of my seven blue death feigning beetles observing a small hole they dug.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Dive into the Urban Wilderness: City Nature Challenge Awaits!

[crudlynaturephotos]

[littletroubledgrrrl]

[professionalunprofessional]

The Jade-headed Buffalo Beetle… you’ll be surprised just how long it took me to identify this bugger!

[incorrectbatfam]

Regardless of what the other anon thinks, what wings would YOU give the batfam?

Dick: flying fish wings because they're impressive in a way that you never wanna encounter

Jason: angel wings because he's Bruce's perfect little boy who can do no wrong

Tim: whatever wings Red Bull supposedly gives

Damian: color-changing robin wings to piss his siblings off

Duke: pterodactyl wings because like I said it'd be fucking hilarious how jealous Bruce would get

Cullen: bluebird wings to piss his sister off

Stephanie: buffalo wings with the power of hot sauce

Cassandra: ostrich wings because she doesn't need to fly to be terrifying

Barbara: beetle wings built into her wheelchair as a shield and to give Ted Kord a run for his money

Harper: winged car doors so she can achieve her dream of being a Transformer

Carrie: pegasus wings because she gives Horse Girl energy

Kate: bat wings to piss Bruce off

Helena: dragon wings because she would make the best use of them

Luke: airplane wings built into his suit because he'd rather design his own than wait to be given them

Bette: phoenix wings because Flamebird (but also she'd leave ashes everywhere to fuck with people)

Alfred: The West Wing, as in he can magically summon copies of the show

Selina: flying squirrel wings since squirrels are basically the cats of rodents

Bruce: the entire wing of a fucking building

[kakiastro]

Saturn + Saturn Placements

Hey you guys! Let’s talk about Saturn for a little bit. It’s a full Moon in Capricorn so let’s talk about her ruler. So get comfy, grab a snack and your favorite drink because this will be a long post

As a cap stellium, I’ve gotten to really know and deeply understand Saturn over the years!

I feel Saturn is misunderstood a lot in this community!

Saturn is Not the bad guy! Honestly without Saturn, your life would be in chaos! Saturn brings law and order into our lives.

Saturn delays but never denies!

Saturn is the stern parent that wouldn’t let you go to that one friends house but you rebelled and went anyway. Only to find out that one friend was never really your friend and you realize the stern parent was right.

-Saturn rules both Capricorn, Aquarius and is exalted in Libra. Saturn creates the rules for structure and order (Capricorn). Saturn can also break and create new rules for the betterment of society(Aquarius). He makes sure the rules are in balance and fair for all(Libra)

-Saturn rules over all things Government related. A lot of politicians will have Aquarius/11h, Capricorn/10h or Libra/7h placements in there . Saturn transits show us the energy of what the politics is going to look every 2.5 years.

Example: so I’m in the US, so with Saturn in Pisces, there’s a strong level of uncertainty, it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen since it’s an election year. The mental health of both candidates are being questioned, as there age. All very Saturn Pisces. Pisces rules over fog, health and uncertain energy. Saturn rules over age.

- The colors Black, Brown, Earthly Greens are Saturn colors

-Saturn rules over time. You know the phrase “All good things take time.” Saturn is ruled by Greek God Kronos who is considered “the God of time.”

-Capricorn is actually a feminine sign not masculine. It’s really funny when it’s called the “daddy” sign when it’s really “big mama”😅 keep in mind, feminine doesn’t equate to woman in Astro , it’s an energy!

- Saturn rules over these animals: Goats, Crows, Ravens, Bats, Eels, Owls, Crocodiles, Donkeys, Snakes, Camels, Beetles, poisonous animals, black colored animals/insects, domesticated Cats, and Buffalos.

- Saturn rules over these places: dry places like the dessert, low humidity, mountain locations, cold places, thick forests, underground places, caves, barren places. It also rules over graveyards, tombs and old temples. Government related buildings is also ruled by Saturn.

- Saturn traditionally rules over death. Pluto is the modern day ruler but Saturn also rules it. “Death is like meeting an old friend” that doesn’t sound like Pluto does it?😅 Saturn rules over time, when your time is up…

- A lot of people don’t know this but Saturn rules over weed not Neptune. Saturn rules over agriculture in general. Weed is a natural plant that takes time to grow and needs to processed. Neptune rules the actual high of the plant when you smoke it.

-some other plants Saturn rules is the Oak and Willow Trees.

- another thing people don’t know about Saturn is that it rules your hair not Venus. Saturn rules hair follicles and the texture of your hair. Aspects to it can show what type of hair you have. Venus is how you take care of your hair such as shampoos, conditioners, oils, hair styles etc..

Personal example: I have Saturn Aries, my hair is really thick and tightly curly. My hair fits on my head like a big helmet😅 i don’t even wear a hat in the winter because how thick it is😭I have to constantly keep it moisturize because it gets dry and itchy quick!! Summer months is never a fun time😂 I have a lot of Saturn aspects so I can make a whole post about my hair by itself LOL

-Saturn rules your teeth and bones.

- your Saturn placement can show you what your elder years will look like. That’s because it rules over the elderly.

-if you feel like you’re losing control of your life, you can tap into your Saturn energy to get it back.

Personal example: I have Saturn Aries, so when life feels like I’m out of control, I start to look at myself and what do I need to do with myself. I start making bold decisions about what I need to do! Aries is Mars energy and rules “thyself”

-Capricorn Suns can have a tough relationship with their father. Their father may have put lots of pressure on them to be the best or they want their child to be like them in some way, which makes the child feels restricted in showing their true personality. A lot of cap suns may have an absent father or father that was physically around but not emotionally around. These natives were born during a time when the father was either achieving something great or they missed an opportunity so they want their child to do it for them. This results in cap suns becoming workaholics and wanting achievements in their life.

-Capricorn Moons can also have this energy but it’s a little different. Capricorn Moons are born into families that put lots of pressure on them to be great but don’t fully believe in their success. Capricorns have big dreams that seem unrealistic to others especially family members. So they work hard, they’ll climb biggest mountain and they don’t care how long it takes because they know it’ll be worth it in the end. They may be the ones who creates a lasting kegacy in their family.

-Aquarius Sun may have more of a friendship type of relationship with their father. “That’s my buddy” type of energy between them. On the flip side, their dad may have been distant towards them. They were born during a time when their father was going through something and it made them feel distant. Their fathers could’ve had gained a new friend group. One of his friends could be these natives godparents or play uncle.

- Aquarius Moons come from family that’s emotionally distant or feel stagnant in some way. Their family probably feels more like a friend group than your “traditional family” they are here to gain freedom away from their family, do things outside the box of the traditional family . They are the black sheep of the family and may have a different vibe to them compared to their family all together!

I will end it here but I will continue to talk about Saturn for the next few days

[bogleech]

People really liking my speculative animal wishlists and seem to enjoy that I keep doing vampire versions of non-vampire animals, which is of course because vampire bats are adorable and wonderful. They are adorable and wonderful BECAUSE they are vampires. They are technically completely harmless but there's still a chance they will drink your blood while you're asleep and we as a species hate that SO much it inspires horror and superstition of all sorts. So I think there should be more like that but I already have some that are fish and some that are bugs, so here's just my Top Ten Land Vertebrates That Should Have Vampire Versions:

Tarsier. How great would it be if that thing was also a creeping ghoul. Vampire version would be goth colors. I guess it'd be aesthetically like between a tarsier and an aye-aye actually.

Gecko. I don't know how it would obtain the blood, maybe its tongue would have evolved to have a super sharp tip? Maybe the tip of its little gecko nose would be like a sharp hook?

Tree frog. Same issue as the gecko. I'm gonna say the gecko has a sharp tongue and the frog has a sharp nose. A frog with a beak. Let's also make it see through like a glass frog. Just a ghostly little frog that will cut you.

Kiwi bird, using a needly-fine beak tip and excellent climbing skills, much tinier than the New Zealand one and found on every continent. Then the New Zealand kiwi can still be special. Nature specials can be ike "did you know!? The New Zealand Giant Kiwi is the only kiwi that isn't a sick freak"

Pangolin and this one unlike the rest of these would maybe actually be dangerous, like still pretty large for a blood feeder, if you fall asleep unprotected in vampangolin territory you aren't gonna wake up. I just think pangolins deserve to take a little something back, you know. I guess it might be hard for them to sustain themselves on just blood but maybe these would live where there's a whole lot of big juicy animals for them, like they follow herds of buffalo around.

Flying squirrel and I would put this in my own state of Oregon so like a real Fearsome Critter.

Turtle, because to successfully live like a vampire bat you need to be able to detect a blood source, get to it quickly, drink your fill and get out of there just as quickly, so we'd be talking the fastest and lightest little turtle in the world, a long legged scurrying beetle of a turtle, really long neck with a nasty ass beak. Shell could also be covered in wicked as hell thorns for when a rude host wakes up and tries to be mean to it.

Snake and I would also make it the shortest fattest snake so I guess I'm saying a leech tsuchinoko. Like the vampire bat its fangs would have evolved into two short but sharp little vampire buckteeth. It would be too chubby to coil up the way regular snakes do so instead it would have to roll up the way a pillbug or an armadillo does, into a ball.

Pachyderm with a sharp spur on its trunk. Maybe around pug size, a wrinkly hairy wretched looking micro elephant that would probably live off the blood of things like giraffes and zebras and regular elephants while they sleep. Actually like the pangolin this could probably kill you. Every now and then we could hear about how a big game hunter left his tent open and got completely exsanguinated by an adorable hideous vamphant.

[pocketscribbs]

ITS THE BUGS BIRTHDAY!!!🎉🎉

it’s the beeble’s birthday…

[the-mortuary-witch]

FAMILAR’S AND THEIR MEANINGS

ALPACA: stamina, duty, courage, intrigue, patience, and tenacity.

ANT: cooperation, strategy, hard work, change, resourcefulness, and balance.

ALLIGATOR: strength, protection, rebirth, adaptability, patience, balance, and wisdom.

BEETLE: transformation, protection, strength, good luck, creation, teamwork, rebirth, and adaptability.

BUFFALO: bravery, kindness, and strength.

BAT: mystery, foresight, intuition, transition, death, rebirth, new beginnings.

BEAR: power, protection, strength,, family, vitality courage, and health.

BUTTERFLY: metamorphosis, release, and higher consciousness.

COW: abundance, luck, and trust.

CAT: witchcraft, mysticism, good luck, prosperity, mystery, independence, and intuition.

CROW: transformation, mystery, foresight, change, death, creation, and spiritual strength

COYOTE: transformation, adaptability, intelligence, cunning, intelligence, and adaptability.

DRAGON: wisdom, power, supernatural power, strength, hidden knowledge, and protection.

DOVE: love, peace, transformation, and freedom.

DEER: kindness, transformation, sensitivity, intuition, and gentleness.

DOLPHIN: joy, transformation, wisdom, harmony, freedom, intuition, and a deep connection with the mysteries of the ocean.

DRAGONFLY: luck, intelligence, grace, and meditation.

DOG: loyalty, protection, transformation, guidance, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.

EAGLE: power, freedom, transformation, honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, and power.

ELEPHANT: loyalty, power, wisdom, fertility, good luck, success, and experience

FOX: cunning, trickery, mischief, transformation, playfulness, and resilience.

FROG: transformation, magic clairvoyance, wealth, and abundance.

FALCON: strength, power, transformation, vision, freedom, and victory.

GRIFFIN: transformation, protection, wisdom, strength, military, courage and leadership.

GOAT: confidence, loyalty, and independence.

HEDGEHOG: protection, magic, healing, resourcefulness, protection, wisdom, and adaptability.

HORSE: strength, power, transformation, independence, freedom, nobleness, endurance, confidence, triumph, heroism and competition.

IGUANA: transformation, adaptability, magic, confidence, healing, awareness, and curiosity.

JAGUAR: power, transformation, magic, strength, ferocity, and courage.

KOALA: playfulness, transformation, gentle nature, calmness, harmony with nature, and adaptability.

LION: power, courage, transformation, courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour.

LIZARD: dreams, healing, and survival.

MOUSE: stealth, transformation, wisdom, resourcefulness, intelligence, and adaptability.

MONKEY: transformation, joy, mischief, loyalty, intelligence, community, and family.

MOOSE: strength, patience, and surrender.

MOTH: intuition, transformation, adaptation, love, and trust.

OWL: wisdom, intelligence, transformation, mystery, and protection.

OTTER: individually, joy, and flexibility.

PHOENIX: transformation, renewal, immortality, resurrection and life after death.

PIG: transformation, luck, prosperity, and abundance.

PANTHER: power, protection, transformation, mystery, and strength.

PORCUPINE: boldness, defence, and god nature.

PIGEON: group cooperation, resourcefulness, and freedom.

PENGUIN: endurance, survival, closeness, family, spirituality, resilience, and adaptability.

RABBIT: fertility, transformation, luck, gentleness, abundance, and prosperity.

ROOSTER: pride, bravery, and confidence.

RACCOONS: assertiveness, disguise, intelligence, and mischief.

RAT: stealth, protection, magic, riches, procreation, fertility, spirituality, knowledge, infirmity, death, the passage of time, enmity, and destruction.

RAVEN: mysticism, prophecy, insight, intelligence, transformation, and ancient wisdom.

SWAN: beauty, grace, transformation, innocence, peace, serenity, fidelity and kindness.

SQUIRREL: lightheartedness, preparation, and resourceful.

SPARROW: community, friendship, cooperation, and family.

SNAKE: healing, transformation, protection, fertility, rebirth, renewal and immortality.

SPIDER: creativity, fate, magic, balance, creativity, curiosity, wonder, and growth.

TIGER: power, transformation, courage, protection, vitality, strength and unpredictability.

TOAD: witchcraft, fertility, healing, abundance, renewal, vitality, and good luck.

UNICORN: spirit nature, innocence, transformation, purity, and power in Celtic mythology.

WOLF: strength, independence, power, loyalty, guardianship, teamwork and wildness.

ZEBRA: confidence, transformation, stability, balance, harmony, and unity.

[dee-the-red-witch]

OK, on to the next round of 'Dee clearing out waaaay old inventory stock'. It's finally time to get these armor sets the hell out of here. Dm me to purchase, prices are not negotiable. Us domestic shipping only. (Sorry, international folks, but neither you nor I want to pay that much) Anything that doesn't sell by the end of the week (4/23/23) is getting rendered down for scrap.

Set 1- early prototype of the dragonrider armor set, done in water buffalo hide with brass fittings. This stuff is weird, springy, and will actually take a hit while still being semi-flexible. Cut for boobs, will reasonably work on up to a 42 inch bustline. Og price, 520. Asking 200 Plus 30 to ship.

Set 2- the Green Knight. Heavy veg tan, can take a hit, you'll want padding under it, but decor will get marred. Might be a selling point. Will fit up to a 60 inch torso. Og price 480. Asking 170 plus 30 to ship.

Set 3- Vault Hunter. Same specs and price as the Green Knight, just this has working ammo pouches.

Set 4. Dragonborn- oiltan hide- do not take a hit in this. It's cosplay only, everything will transfer right through unless you're layered under it. Same sizing and price as the last 2.

Finally, beetle pauldrons. Green and black are vegtan, black/brown is oiltan. Og price 160, asking 80 and 25 to ship on each one.

And that's... everything? Wow. Last of the old inventory finally hopefully going somewhere. Again, just message me to set up a purchase. Invoicing and everything will be through paypal.

[oneatlatime]

Appa's Lost Days

Dare I hope?

You know, if ten year old me had turned on my TV to watch my weekly dose of Avatar and been greeted with a nearly two minute long uninterrupted sequence of a frightened and distressed animal being mistreated, that TV would have turned right back off again.

I don't buy that a ten tonne bison who has the leverage of his own weight as well as his airbending abilities would succumb to so few people.

Name one other character that Avatar has presented as so thoroughly without any redeeming characteristics. Even Zhao was at least kind of funny. Everything about the chucklehead on the left is rotten to the core. "What's your dad going to do when he finds out we broke his stuff while doing crime?" "Nothing. It's not his stuff; it's previous crime."

I thought beetle-headed was a commentary on their intelligence, but it's actually a description.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should have waited to get my hopes up until I came to an episode called Appa's Found Days. Is this whole thing going to be a series of near misses with the Gaang?

You know, if I had a nickel for every time an animal companion on this show has been threatened with a trip to the butcher's, I'd have two nickels. In the space of two episodes.

This is not fun to watch guys.

Not if I break you first asshole.

The way this Nurse Ratched type circus guy says "earn it" is chilling.

Of course the Fire Nation would find a way to turn bending into animal abuse. Of course.

a) that cage is way too small b) who knew cabbage suction could be so cute?

Completely unsubtle parallel with the boy here, right down to the complete disregard they show to the threats thrown their way.

Stubborn and wilful are not adjectives I would use to describe Appa this episode, or ever.

Wind buffalo. Wind Buffalo. Really? Was Fart Cow taken?

That's a very relatable facial expression.

That makeup and costume is awful.

Now that's satisfying.

Is the Fire Nation kid voiced by Aang's voice actor?

Nevermind. THAT'S satisfying.

I was right - this episode is Appa always being a step behind the Gaang.

Baby Appas! This almost makes this episode worth it!

It's funny how a single feature can contribute so much to a character's design. Arrowless Aang is just some kid. Let me rephrase that, since such a big part of Aang's character is the fact that he's just some goofy kid. Arrowless Aang is indistinguishable from other kids for the first time this series, because every other time we've seen him on screen he's either the only child airbender with his arrows, or the only airbender left.

Lady monks. Nuns? I don't think I've seen those before.

Appa and Aang share a dreamscape? That could be useful.

There's dumb, there's really dumb, and then there's 'wake a completely asleep and therefore harmless unknown creature with threats of violence' dumb.

Close call for Iroh. Do you think he's suspected that Appa (and presumably the Avatar) haven been in Ba Sing Se this whole time?

Bipedal Appa is strange. A very effective fighter, but strange to look at.

I'm amazed that giant boar thing walked away from that.

And now they're hitting me with an 'Appa's given Up' montage. Someone who works on this show hates me.

*Heroically refrains from ranting about the impracticality of using white fabric for an active warrior's glove.*

"This could be our most important mission yet." Foreshadowing?

Did Suki and Appa actually meet at any point in the Warriors of Kyoshi episode?

Turns out 'Aang' is a magic word.

Appa kisses!

Appa is apparently legally banned from having anything good for more than five minutes. Although it's good writing that they're using a previously established weakness - Appa's shedding - to bring the danger ladies back in.

I guess they have Azula drop the line about her brother to remind the audience of who she is, but surely Suki's like "Who are you? Who's your brother? Why should I care?"

Azula going after the Kyoshi warriors is completely unnecessary right? The Avatar isn't there. Neither are Zuko and Iroh. It doesn't even net her Appa. She's just looking for someone to beat up.

WOW this is bad writing. Like really bad. My Immortal levels of bad.

Would it be too much to ask for the Kyoshi warriors to do even slightly ok against the Azula ladies? Couldn't they at least get a couple of hits in?

Kudos to Suki for essentially sacrificing herself and her warriors to save Appa. 'Most important mission yet' was a bit on the nose.

Out of options, Appa goes home. Ouch.

Someone explain this to me. Air Bison teething ring?

My what a human sounding cough you have buddy.

This is why you don't use Air Bison as guard dogs.

I like what this Guru is saying. Fear displacing trust but not love feels more accurate than how I usually see the consequences of trauma discussed.

The music playing throughout this sequence fits so well. I think it's some sort of metal thing you hit - I want to say a variation on tubular bells, and maybe something Glockenspiel adjacent? It's unlike anything I've heard in this show before and it fits so well that I'm nerding out a bit.

Disney princess Guru. Aang has Disney princess moments too. Maybe it's an Air Nomad thing?

No wonder the monks built a temple here. Even destroyed, it's gorgeous.

And Appa decides to trust again. I love it when an animal visibly comes to a decision about your trustworthiness.

This energy reading stuff makes sense given that Aang and Appa already share a dreamscape.

He IS a great beast. The best!

OH COME ON

Someone whip up a wanted poster for Long Feng: Cattle Rustler. It had also never occurred to me that he was an earthbender.

That flip move with the earthbending platform must have caused Appa to land on his back. I bet that hurt.

One of the times I am very grateful that the closing credits music is so upbeat.

Final Thoughts

@aboutiroh I see why you recommended I save my chocolate for this episode.

The Tale of Momo was really just a preparatory taste of things to come, huh? Almost a microcosm of this episode.

This is the first episode where I had to take breaks while watching. Especially the circus sequence, I think I got up twice to do things like get a cup of tea and stare randomly out windows at squirrels. I didn't even have to do that with Zuko Alone, despite freaking out a lot about it, because at least that episode took breaks from the child abuse to check in with Aang being miserable. This episode was unrelenting.

If I had seen this episode when I was the age of the target audience, this may well have turned me off the show for good. If my Mom had seen this episode, I would have been banned from watching the show entirely. Not a decision I'd agree with, but my Mom is the type of person who banned her kids from watching Bambi.

To watch through all of that unrelenting animal (at best) unhappiness, and still not get Appa back at the end of the episode? That's a bit much. It's not often that this show ends its episodes without at least a little bit of something positive.

Once again, the music did a lot of heavy lifting this episode. The animal noises weren't quite as emotive as the ones in Momo's Tale, but Appa's face is more expressive, and more was shown through his expression than through Momo's, so I feel like this episode had just as much non-verbal animal communication as Momo's Tale.

I think I'm renaming season 2 "the Suki redemption arc." I really didn't like the Warriors of Kyoshi episode, and I didn't like what her character did in that episode. But every time Suki appears in season 2? She absolutely nails it.

The show since losing Appa has taken to wallowing. Even with bright spots like the poetry bouncer, the overall tone since Appa's appanapping has been ever more dark. If this keeps up for many more episodes, it will no longer be fun to watch.

Somehow I don't think this one is going on my rewatch list.