#just some reptile facts for y’all this morning

[aduckwithears]

i’m fond of the head canon that Aziraphale glows when he is happy, just not necessarily on the spectrum of visible light to humans. Pair this with the fact that snakes can see beyond the visible spectrum into UV or infrared (dep on species) and you really have something.

[sammys-magical-au]

ooooo i wanna hear about your gunther/mack/burt throuple headcanons!!!!!

(Anon I just wanna say thank you so much for sending me this ask it made me very happy 🥹)

Obviously there’s a lot of poems involved - mostly written by Burt but Gunther and Mack have both attempted it a couple of times. Gunther quickly found out that writing is definitely not a skill he has but surprisingly Mack has a way with words too

Mack is literally always the little spoon. Always. The best cuddle sessions for him are when he’s sandwiched in between Burt and Gunther, bc my boy is severely touch starved

Lots of kissing. Like legit so much kissing. And neck kisses from Burt will always melt both Mack and Gunther bc y’know. Big bushy moustache. Plus it’s soft so it probably feels really nice on the nape of the neck ☺️

Gunther is such a protective boyfriend, but he also worries the most out of the three of them. The one time the rest of the crew saw their head of defence reduced to literal tears was when he woke up one morning to find Burt missing and he was so distraught thinking about what might’ve happened to him he burst into sobs when Mark gave him a shoulder pat to reassure him

Btw Gunther’s love language is 100% touch and he gives the best hugs, but he’s kinda shy abt it bc he’s trying to keep up the “macho” persona and look tough. Thing is, he loves holding people/being held so much that that’s why Mark touching his shoulder made him cry when he was worried about Burt

Mack loves alien biology and is constantly infodumping on Burt and Gunther, who sit and listen happily to his ecstatic ramblings about the cool flower he found in the woods behind their cabin

Burt is definitely the one who wakes up at 3 am to ask “would y’all still love me if I was a worm?”

Mack has a ridiculously adorable laugh. Plus he’s really ticklish, and Gunther and Burt are both stronger than him. I’m only a little ashamed to admit I lost sleep last night thinking about tickle fights between the three of them with Gunther grinning like a fucking maniac as he tickles Mack while Burt holds his arms and whispers sweet nothings into his ear from behind that Mack can’t even really hear over his own laughter 🫣🫣

Idk if I can see them ever having kids but if they did they’d be rlly good dads 🥺 Gunther would be the protective dad who teaches them how to fight and everything about guns n stuff, and probably also the fun dad who lets them do dangerous shit their other two dads wouldn’t approve of. Mack would probably be the stricter dad, usually the one who has to say no to things when Burt and Gunther say yes/can’t say no. Burt is the lenient dad, and probably the one who encourages them to value the arts

^ bonus points for this one if the Captain becomes the grandparent bc I mentioned b4 that Mack sees them as a parental figure

Also, Burt has a lovely singing voice. Mack does too but he’s usually way too shy to sing. Gunther can belt out a song at the drop of a hat (especially if he’s drunk), even though he’s utterly tone deaf and his singing voice is horrid enough to drive the local alien fauna away for a few hours. Gunther does not care about this.

Gunther and Burt both snore. Loudly. But fortunately Mack is a really heavy sleeper and it doesn’t bother him - in fact he didn’t even realize his boyfriends’ snoring was a problem until Celci approached him and demanded to know how the fuck he can sleep at night with that racket, since she’d slept in the Captain’s cabin the previous night (👀) and been woken up several times by the noise since it was a warm night and they’d slept with the window open (Celci’s a light sleeper tho and usually finds it hard to get to sleep anyway. Definitely not something I can relate to ahaha… 🫠)

Gunther still has Comet, his pet bearded dragon, who was very helpful in alleviating Mack’s mild fear of reptiles, although Gunther still has to hide Comet whenever Celci comes over. Some people can’t be swayed even by Comet’s charms

Ofc they’re all some form of polyamorous, but in addition Gunther is bisexual, Mack is pansexual, and Burt is demisexual

Additionally, their favourite colors are literally the pan flag (Gunther likes blue, Mack likes pink, Burt likes yellow)

I actually did not realize how extensive the brainrot was until making this post ummm

[johannas-motivational-insults]

For the DVD commentary ask, my first thought was the BDE/“no toasters” scene from Chapter 3 of Satisfaction, because the idea of a “making of” commentary over that is very funny to me for some reason. But since that probably falls quite a bit too far on the NSFW side, my fallback was the scene from Chapter 20 of Demons where Catra decides to leave the Horde. That one is probably my favorite of the story so far.

omfg, that would be hysterical but I don’t even know what I’d say about that. Your easy pick is an excellent choice though so I’ll do that! (Commentary is bolded.)

I was so excited to finally release this chapter after so much buildup of Catra becoming disillusioned with the Horde and her identity in it. It was clear to me that Catra would not leave just because something bad happened to her, that would only make her more determined to stay and prove herself, so she’d have to see people she cared about getting hurt to make that mental leap. And so, this scene was born.

Eyes scrunching shut, Catra covers her mouth in an attempt to suppress a yawn. It leaks out through her fingers all the same, high and squeaky and embarrassing. Blinking the focus back into her eyes, she flicks them around in search of witnesses. Seeing no cadets looking her way, she sighs in relief and folds her arms back together. She scowls into the sparring circle, watching but hardly paying attention. Is she really supposed to give a shit about any of this?

Don’t forget this happens the morning after Catra has her big breakdown when it hits her that she’ll never have another chance to earn Shadow Weaver’s love or approval. She’s finally at a tipping point.

A few more moves and Lonnie is victorious, slamming her opponent on his back before rolling and dragging his wrist into a devastating arm bar. He taps out and Lonnie gets a modest amount of applause as she stands. Grinning with a sweeping bow, she offers a hand to her opponent, who takes it grudgingly. Kyle and another boy take their places in the circle and Lonnie shares high fives with a few cadets on her way out. She’s nursing a sprained ankle from a couple days ago, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she struts.

When Lonnie’s eyes lock onto hers, Catra groans internally. Of course Lonnie can’t just ignore the folded ears, crossed arms and twitchy tail that very clearly say ‘leave me the fuck alone.’ No, that’s like a homing beacon for Lonnie. She’s always gotten a kick out of getting under Catra’s skin.

Well, Catra won’t give her the satisfaction. As Lonnie sidles up to her, she extends a congratulatory fist. “Nice armbar, dipshit.”

Lonnie grins, bumping it with pride. “Thanks, bitch.”

I love these two so much. Anyone who reads my fics can probably tell but I am Invested in Catralonnie. In my head this ship falls under the category ‘brotps who hate fuck.’

She turns to the circle and they stand silently side by side, watching as the next fight gets underway. In theory, anyway. Catra’s zoning out, her lips sinking into a frown as she settles back into the numb, dark, heavy place she’s been inhabiting today. Grief, she supposes, though not in the usual sense of the word. She’s not grieving that abusive witch who tormented her all those years, body and soul. No, what she’s grieving is the end of their relationship, how it’s encased in stone forever, how she’ll have no more chances to make things right. No more chances to make Shadow Weaver proud, to earn a gentle touch and kind words, to earn her pride and her trust. But that’s bullshit, and she knows it. Those things were never earned, never given fairly.

Oh, she’s starting to get it...

Catra grits her teeth, glaring straight ahead. Today’s numbness has been punctuated by occasional bursts of anger, rage so blinding it makes her wants to tear her own skin to shreds to purge the feeling from her body. (*thousand year stare into the camera*) She rides out this latest wave of fury in silence, clenching her fists but keeping her claws sheathed to avoid making a scene in public. She takes a few deep breaths, pushing them out until the sensation releases her and she sinks back into the depths.

Shadow Weaver is gone. Catra will never get what she needs. It’s over.

Girl, you need to get you some therapy.

“What’s eating you?”

Catra jumps slightly at the invasive words, turning to find Lonnie watching her with those infuriatingly smug green eyes. Licking her lips, Lonnie cracks, “I know it isn’t Adora.”

Me @ y’all:

Catra’s eyes narrow and she gives Lonnie a weak shove, prompting a laugh. “Nothing’s eating me,” she growls. “I’m fine.”

“Then why aren’t you sparring?” asks Lonnie. “Usually you love the chance to beat the shit out of some dumb human.”

“I don’t feel like it,” Catra answers flatly, mouth twitching only slightly. She doesn’t have the energy to be indignant. She doesn’t give a shit.

Damn that’s when you know Catra’s really got it bad.

Nodding with an exaggerated hum, Lonnie remarks, “You’ve been weird all day, dude. Broody, like more than normal.” (Have I mentioned how much I love Lonnie??) Catra summons the strength to shoot her a withering glare, but she’s undeterred. “You snuck into the barracks after midnight last night, then you woke me up again with your snivelling at four in the fucking morning,” she says with a glare of her own. “You owe me an explanation.”

“I don’t owe you anything, assface,” retorts Catra, jamming a threatening claw against her chest. “And I was only snivelling because I inhaled something weird up on the rooftops.”

Lonnie tips her head with a condescending smirk. “Sure, Catra.”

Yes, this is in fact a hat tip to ‘Sure, Jan.’

“I’m serious,” insists Catra. “There must’ve been some kind of spill in one of the factories.”

“Uh huh.”

Catra turns away with a glower, shaking her head. “Whatever, fuck you.”

“You wish,” snickers Lonnie.

“Ughhh!” Catra smacks her forehead with a huge sigh of exasperation. “Fine, I’ll fight you if it will get you to shut up. For fuck’s sakes, Lonnie.”

Lonnie’s preferred method of therapy is to piss people off enough that they’ll fight her and I think that’s very sexy of her.

Chuckling deeply beside her, Lonnie slings an arm around Catra’s shoulder and gives her a playful shake. “That’s my girl.”

Catra would usually shove Lonnie away in this situation, but she doesn’t this time. She’s too tired to fight the contact and needs to save her strength for the actual fight. Besides, it’s not the end of the world. Lonnie’s arm is beefy but not so heavy as to be uncomfortable. The pressure is actually kind of soothing in a way, clearing Catra’s mind and lulling her into a state of calm. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone, let alone Lonnie.

BROTPS WHO HATE FUCK Y’ALL. Okay but honestly I love that I have this relationship to work with because having someone who’s really good at getting under Catra’s skin is another way to open up her character. Lonnie is not only a loveable character she’s a very useful one for a writer who tells stories primarily through character work and relationships.

A loud thud and a howl of pain pierce the air, snapping Catra back to the moment. Her ears prick up at the familiar sound and she moves toward it on instinct, only to realize she’s half a step behind Lonnie. Humans like to say that cats aren’t pack animals, she’s heard that one many times as a reason she can’t be trusted. Catra is no more an animal than anyone else here, but she thinks Magicats must be different from their feline relatives in that way. The urge to protect her pack is overwhelming and immutable. One of her squadmates is hurt, and she needs to be there to help. Now.

Anyone who says Catra doesn’t care about other people can fucking fight me and that’s a fact.

She and Lonnie arrive at the edge of the circle to find Kyle sprawled on his stomach, moaning and writhing, pounding the floor as he tries to hold back wails of pain. It’s not immediately apparent what the problem is from Catra’s vantage point, but Rogelio is already kneeling on Kyle’s other side, telling him to breathe and that he’s going to be fine.

Okay so I fucking went 16 chapters never specifying whether the rest of the squad understood Rogelio’s language because it wasn’t clear in canon and I wanted to see if they would confirm it one way or the other, and of course as soon as I posted chapter 17 (where I specify that they can) season 4 came out and implied that they know him well enough to understand via his tone and gesturing but they don’t understand the language. So mark me down as annoyed over that. Anyway that wasn’t something I wanted to retcon so I kept it for the rest of the fic.

The instructor, some lower tier officer Catra doesn’t really know, steps into the ring. Pushing Kyle’s worried sparring partner aside, he shouts, “Enough theatrics! Get up and fight!”

Oh boy, Shadow Weaver likes to use that word on Adora too. I don’t remember if this mirrored that intentionally.

Catra feels Lonnie tense beside her, hears Rogelio snorting at Kyle that his leg is broken and he’d better stay the fuck down. Cringing in anticipation, Catra peeks over Kyle’s body and immediately wishes she hadn’t. The sight of his unnaturally bent shinbone sends a shudder of sympathy through her bones.

The instructor must not have any reptile friends (likely) or he understands and is a complete and utter asshole (also likely), because he keeps yelling at Kyle, “Come on, don’t be such a princess! I said get up, you coward!”

The boys’ wailing and snorting is getting them nowhere, so Lonnie intercedes. Gesturing down at the deformed limb, she shouts over the din. “His leg’s broken! You really think that’s a good idea?”

The instructor’s mouth falls open and he peers down at Kyle and then back up at Lonnie, his face turning red. “Don’t talk to me that way, Cadet!” he barks. “You’re running laps for the next half hour.”

Okay, Shadow Weaver Lite.

Lonnie blinks, purging her face of emotion. “I’m just trying to help. You needed a translator.”

“The next hour!” he shouts. “Wanna push it more?”

Scowling, Lonnie shakes her head tersely and begins to push her way out of the circle of cadets. Watching her go, the instructor puffs out his chest and waves a dismissive hand down at Kyle.

“Someone take this weakling to the infirmary,” he orders.

Rogelio glares up at the instructor, though to be fair the asshole probably can’t read reptilian expressions either. Lucky Hel. Rolling his whimpering boyfriend to lie on his back, which results in another howl of pain, he grunts out an apology. Then, supporting the injured leg with one massive arm and the rest of his body with the other, he scoops Kyle up and carries him away.

Okay but the bridal carry is *chef’s kiss*

As the crowd reforms around the sparring circle, the instructor claps Kyle’s partner on the shoulder and declares, “Alright, let’s get a real soldier in here to fight this guy!”

I feel really bad for this kid tbh.

The cadets erupt into cheers and several rush forward to take Kyle’s place, which results in a couple of impromptu fights as they try to push each other out of the circle. Catra is knocked back into the crowd in the process, but she doesn’t react with her usual bared teeth and claws, too busy staring slack-jawed at the chaos. Never in her life has she felt more disconnected from her surroundings, not even when she wanted to be.

At one point in her life (okay, many points), Catra would have been clamoring along with the rest of them. For a chance not just to prove herself, but to avenge her injured squadmate. But she feels no need to prove herself to this incompetent asshole of an instructor, and it’s not that kid’s fault they’re compelled to fight each other like this. He clearly felt terrible about Kyle, anyway.

As Catra watches the scene play out, watches the instructor continue to egg the cadets on, only one clear thought forms in her head.

What the fuck is wrong with these people?

Seriously. How is it weak and cowardly not to stand and fight on a broken leg? That’s not how the body works. Then again, they also like to say that deserters are weak and cowardly. Maybe they don’t know what those words even mean. Maybe weak and cowardly just means having a mind of your own.

Catra’s eyes track Lonnie as she hobbles around the room with a red face and clenched fists. Though she isn’t visibly fuming in the same way, a similar heat smolders deep in Catra’s belly, filling her mind with treasonous thoughts. The whole thing is so fucking unfair. But that’s hardly some grand revelation. Nothing that happens in the Fright Zone is fair.

So what is she even doing here?

That thought in particular makes Catra blink. Hard. She knows why she’s here, she’s been saying it over and over, clinging to these words, this need. She needs to show them they were wrong, she needs to achieve what everyone thought her incapable of. If she leaves, she’ll never do that, and everything that happened here would be for nothing. But if nothing is fair here, rising to the top says nothing about her qualifications, only her ability to work the system. A system that’s absolute bullshit.

And who does she need to prove it to, anyway? These mindless idiots submitting to an incompetant authority figure? Her temperamental former boss who put blind faith in her one day and took it away the next? Her deceased sorry excuse for a mother? Her ex-best friend who left her alone to suffer, but has since come to understand her wrongdoings? No… the only person Catra really needs to prove it to is herself. But if the system is bullshit, there’s nothing to prove, only a painful void to fill with… something.

Honestly this is a rough feeling to deal with but at least now that the illusion has been broken she can go about trying to find that thing to fill it. And no that’s not a sex joke lmao, though I suppose it could be.

Scorpia’s words from last night filter into Catra’s brain through the distant sounds of cheering and shouting. If it feels like everything is for nothing, she needs to find a way to make something of her suffering so she can be at peace. Her eyes fall on Lonnie again, her ears recalling Kyle’s sounds of agony. If she can stop other people from being hurt the way she was, would that make something of it? Would that be enough to satisfy the longing deep inside her, to heal the yawning, yearning chasm Shadow Weaver created with her rejection and cruelty, with her refusal to provide validation and affection? Catra doesn’t know.

All Catra knows is she’s done with this shit.

Catra I am so proud of you bb I love you and you deserve better.

Anyway sorry I had less coherent thoughts for this commentary but this scene makes me emotional so I got a little meme-happy. I have had many experiences like this where I was just holding, holding onto something that was unhealthy or a lost cause and then something happened and a switch flipped in my brain, releasing me from that mind trap. I really wanted to get the feeling of that experience across and I’m proud of how it turned out. It’s a great payoff scene for that whole ‘return to the Horde’ arc for Catra. I didn’t want her to leave for Adora but I also knew she wouldn’t leave for herself until she witnessed the brutality and inequality hurting someone else.

[kincringeemporium]

Khorra needs a place to live lmfao

Yeah. So um. I’m not coming on here and begging for money. That’s not what this is.  But seriously. I was lead to believe that I’d gotten a job with my school that would have allowed me to live on campus. I didn’t. They gave the job to someone else.  My family’s apartment is way too small for them to house another person. I’d be sleeping on their couch for three months, and because this isn’t a pity party, I won’t detail the other reasons that I cannot stay with them that long. 

I live in North Cambridge, MA, right next to Somerville, MA.  And I’d give some heartfelt message about how much you all have done for this blog, for me, but that’d be reaching and sappy and... too much. 

Again... seriously. I can pay up to $500/month in rent. I can add utility bills (like for wifi) onto that. And I know going to Tumblr for this is a stretch, but if any of you within about 20 miles of me would be willing to help me out, PLEASE DM ME ON @to-unknown-lands. 

Quick facts/info about me:

  I’m not as relentlessly salty as I act on KCE. It’s a persona. You can’t really run a cringe blog without acting salty. 

420 friendly, but NO CIGARETTE SMOKERS. I mean it. Y’all have seen me bitch about asthma. 

I’m 19 

I’m a writer 

I am not going to freeload - I now work with a political education organization here. http://grassrootscampaigns.com/ 

I can cook, bake, clean, and do housework. 

I love pets. Dogs, cats, reptiles, tarantulas, whatever. 

I really, really do not care if you happen to be kin or if you have different political beliefs than mine. (You having tucute beliefs would be a little weird, but as long as we just avoid that conversation, whatever.) 

I tend to be quiet and laid back - I don’t party, do drugs, or make noise in the early hours of the morning. 

I’m a writer and gamer (but I’m not a butthurt 12 year old who screams at the screen when I lose). 

I don’t care if you have weird or gross habits. We all have some weird and gross habits.

I’m not picky about what gender you are. I don’t mind living with a guy. I don’t mind living with a transgender person. 

AGAIN, IF YOU CAN HELP AND NEED AN EXTRA $300 - $500, PLEASE DM ME ON @to-unknown-lands. 

We can decide in dm how I’ll pay.  

Yeah... I know, it’s a stretch. And this is weird. But actual apartment rental around here is

- k 

So also. I have 2 weeks. 2 weeks left. My family thinks I got that job and I didn’t. I don’t want to get into details out in the open, but...  2 weeks. 

[thescienceofinterestingthings]

Fossas

Hey Everyone!

For my 5th blog, I’ll be talking about the fossa.

So this is a fossa:

Now you may be thinking:

Beyonce who? Kylie Jenner who? Tyra Banks who? Cindy Crawford who?

I mean look a how beautiful this creature is!!! With its haunting eyes and symmetrical face shape I’m surprised it hasn’t been discovered by a modeling agency yet.

But hey, whadya gonna do right?

Ok now lets get back on track.

The scientific name for a fossa is Cryptoprocta ferox

and it’s taxonomic classifications are:

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Eupleridae Genus: Cryptoprocta Species: Ferox

And of course it’s common name is a fossa. 

Fossas are only found in Madagascar. They live in dense forest area, where they can find many sources of food and live in their large territory. 

Fossas are the largest carnivorous mammals in Madagascar. They eat lemurs, rodents, reptiles, and small domestic animals such as pigs.

Fossas are nocturnal solitary animals  (I can relate fam) So they usually hunt for food late at night. Which I can also relate to because I’m not even gonna lie I sometimes get up late at 2 in the morning and eat a snack too.

Since Fossas are solitary animals, they only come together during mating season in September and October. This organism reproduces sexually. After mating, the female is pregnant for about 3 months and then gives birth to usually around 2 cubs. Newborns are still undeveloped and don’t open their eyes until they’re about 2-3 weeks old. The Fossa take about 2 years to grow into adults, and 2 years after that to start mating. Young females go through this period called transient masculinity where they look like they have male bodies. But, as they get older their bodies will look more feminine. Scientists don’t know why this happens. But they hypothesize that it is for female cubs to avoid sexual harassment by older males. 

Which I guess is one way of avoiding it. But wouldn’t it be so much easier if the male fossa just learned to respect women.

  Like I said, these organisms have large territories. Some are as large as 4 square kilometers. They mark their territories by producing a scent from their anal gland(sounds smelly).  They spend most their lives in trees. They are great agile climbers and jumpers. This is because they have flat soles which results with them having a great balance. They usually hunt at night. But, they have been seen hunting during the day, but most often time when there is a lack of food. During the day, the fossa will most likely be found resting in a tree, a cave, or in an abandoned termite mound.

Now I know that when y’all read the title of this post you guys were probably already singing the circle of life, symbolically holding your pets over your head, and mourning over Mufas’s death. But you’ll be surprised that these two name aren’t related. In fact, fossa aren’t even cats!

Fossas actually belong to a small group of Malagasy carnivores. Scientists think that Malagasy carnivores come from one single ancestor  that is from the mainlands of Africa. The fossa and the Malagasy civet are thought to be the most ancient species that have survived in this group.

To end my 5th blog, heres a video of some adorable baby fossas playing around a camera

Thanks for reading my blog everyone

Sources:

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/fossa/

http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=43

https://www.wired.com/2015/01/creature-feature-10-fun-facts-fossa/