#love these funky little dudes

[sharkpheus]

GUYS I TURNED MY DEEP CUT POSTERS INTO MARKETABLE PRINTS!!

Now you too can own them and keep them in your room where they can watch over you and grant your team good luck in splatfests. It really works I promise!

You can stea- I mean legally purchase these bad bois here:

[imaginethebeautifulworld]

the one set on nelson lake

Somehow getting dragged along on a cryptid hunt in Michigan was the exact sort of holiday Hermann Gottlieb needed, per one Newton Geiszler.

Drafted yet another au fic while my student’s did their freewriting today; someone please exorcise these scientists from my mind already.

"How much longer do you plan on just sitting here?" "Patience, my man," Newton murmured, too busy squinting through his binoculars to answer properly. Hermann rolled his eyes in irritation, once more rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt to try to summon some more warmth. The damnable heat inserts for his gloves had ceased working what felt an eternity ago, despite having been obtained after the recommendation of an accomplished mountaineer. "Not to disparage your hopes, but I highly doubt we're going to find anything." At this, Newton lowered the binoculars just enough to glance Hermann's way, a smirk tugging at his lips and a finger pointing accusingly towards Hermann. "Not with that kind of attitude."

Hermann huffed, perhaps a bit melodramatically, turning his own attention to the distant shoreline, too far for his naked eye to determine any differences between tree and shrub. Had you told him four months ago that the Hermann Gottlieb- cynic, skeptic, man of logic and reason and fact- would willingly be cramped into a tiny boat in the middle of a Michigan lake during a bitterly cold spring day trying to spot a bloody Bigfoot with his on-again, off-again worst enemy-  Well, frankly, he would have laughed at you.

And yet that was exactly what he was doing, much to his bafflement."I still cannot understand why you insisted we waste our entire weekend on this. Or, why I agreed for that matter." He couldn't be certain without looking, but he would swear Newton was laughing to himself. "Bragging rights maybe? I dunno dude, but if you're right, I'll let you hold it against me for... Four weeks? ...Maybe five." Hm. That was tempting. Unfortunately, most points of contention that he had taken against the man had- Well, Newton may be a hurricane of restless energy and too little caution, but he was often correct. But the existence of an alleged cryptid? That was pure nonsense. Aliens, however- unlike all the bloody ghouls and gremlins and gargantuan tall tales Newton obsessed over- Aliens could exist. The Universe was, after all, such a vast Unknown. And that didn't even account for the dimensions beyond the- "And you needed a break. I know your dad's been driving you nuts." Hermann's thoughts cut short, attention fully stolen by the man to his right. Newton was still staring at the distant shore, seemingly unshaken by the revelation. He had spoken so casually, was so unflinchingly blunt, yet Hermann was left careening into a tailspin. It was that- That bloody glimpse of sentiment this ridiculous man seemed prone to dropping unexpectedly. Simple observations and gestures of instinctual care that revealed just how much of himself was Known. Newton had been doing it more and more often lately; he read Hermann so well sometimes that he was beginning to fear that the confounded man had somehow perfected telepathy with all the scrap metal he kept in the basement. And what was more alarming- The observation was completely true. Lars had been pressuring him, insisting- demanding- that Hermann return to Germany this summer, to finally- Well, it didn't matter. That wasn't the life Hermann wanted, never truly had. And despite knowing his own feelings on the matter, he decided to take the opportunity confide in Newton, who- apart from Vanessa- truly did know Hermann best. "He is adamant that I return home. Wants me to take my proper place in the family." For the first time in the past half-hour, Newton properly lowered his binoculars, turning to Hermann with a baleful look. He studied him for a moment- an excruciating moment where the usual rambunctiousness was cast aside in favor of steely observation- before his eyes narrowed. "I love you man, so please don't take this the wrong way, but fuck that guy." Hermann was startled into a bark of laughter; the vitriol in Newton's voice, the anger on Hermann's behalf- It was a rare moment of finding true common ground, especially in a relationship as convoluted and complex as theirs. And Newton making threats was- It brought to mind the few kittens he had kept as a child, full of spite and such a blatant disregard for one’s own smallness that they truly believed they could intimidate. The image only made his laughter peal slightly louder, ridiculous and improper as it was. Newton, for his part, seemed completely perplexed by Hermann's reaction, features pushing and pulling as if unsure what to do with themselves, before finally settling into something like a warm smile, eyes narrowed slightly in fond bemusement, unable to completely resist laughing along. "It really wasn't meant to be funny, but it's good to hear you laughin' again." Hermann finally caught control of himself, waving off the comment. "No, no. I-" He snickered again, before turning with a grin. "You gave voice to my exact sentiments. 'Fuck that guy,' indeed." "So..." Newton trailed off, frowning as he tried to work something out, his next words coming out a little unsure, a midge timid. "You're not going back to gut alt Deutschland then?" Hermann winced at the pronunciation, but shook his head in confirmation. "Not for some time, at least. I-" He frowned, unsure if he should reveal too much of the matter, but this was Newton after all. If he couldn't confide in- well- then who could he ever trust? "I've grown quite fond of the people I've met here and the life I’ve built. I can't imagine cutting that short for Lars. No matter what his beliefs may be regarding my alleged ‘responsibility.’" Newton was offering some sort of awed and adoring look, still tempered by warm amusement. "Wow, I've been a bad influence on you. This is- I'm still talking to Hermann right?" "Sod off," Hermann tried not to chuckle at Newton's light teasing. "I'm the same as I've always been, you menace." "I mean, you've always had the potential Herms; no one's arguing that. Trust me; I know it's always been there. Just...” Newton’s head tilted slightly, eyebrows furrowing once more, his every thought once again clearly carved across his features. Hermann was grateful for it, some days. Some days, he almost envied it. Newton finally found his traction once again, expression softening and words taking on a tone akin to relieved. “ You didn’t used to be so.." He gestured emphatically at Hermann's whole self, ending with a rather dramatic shrug. "...obvious about it. Looks good on you."

Hermann hummed in a detached sense of agreement. He had become more... outgoing in recent weeks. Perhaps being surrounded by so many people who were unapologetically themselves was beginning to influence him.

Some small part of him- one that was still desperate for his father's approval, one that still preferred standing away from the crowd, one that preferred taking up as small and insignificant a space as possible until he was needed- was appalled at the revelation. Appalled by his behavior, appalled by his vocality, appalled especially in the liberties he had even begun taking with his wardrobe. The Hermann who had arrived Stateside nine months ago as a guest lecturer in an American university was leagues away from the Hermann freezing his arse off in a rented pontoon boat sharing drugstore coffee with the man who quite literally embodied the phrase "chaos incarnate." He found he much preferred the newer model.

Thanks for reading!

[kasnudel]

So cool! The fire salamanders i usually saw tended to be more black than yellow though. (Probably just regional differences right?)

Anyway here are some pics i took in previous years

hey there! love your blog. could i request some fire salamanders? i usually see a fair amount of them but this year i havent seen any in the wild :( i saw some that were part of a breeding program so that was nice but i miss my little friends. (also it amused me that when i saw your hellbender post it had 666 notes)

Fire Salamanders

Oh so lucky! Here on the Gulf Coast of TX in the US, we don't see a lot of salamanders in the wild. If I'm lucky, we get some aquatic newts or juvenile or larval sirens while dip-netting with students. Here are some different fire salamander morphs and subspecies...

Fire Salamanders (Salamandra salamandra gigliolii), family Salamandridae, Campania, Italy 

Poisonous.

photograph by Laura Bok

Barred Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra terrestris), family Salamandridae, extremely high orange color morph, from Western Europe

photograph by The Bio Dude

North African Fire Salamander (Salamandra algira atlantica), family Salamandridae, northern Morocco

photograph by Frank Deschandol

Portuguese Fire Salamander (Salamandra s. gallaica) larva/juvenile, family Salamndridae, Coimbra general locale, Serra de Lousã, Portugal

photograph by John P Clare

[cupiidzbow]

finally made a official ref sheet for my sona after cutting my hair 😭 (did not feel like lining the art 🧡)

[luna-the-cretar]

Me: why do all the characters from Yona form really strong bonds with the party’s resident lizard?

Also me: *falls in love with every single lizardfolk (or in the case of Taishen, Dragonborn) LOA has to offer*

[kirby-roth]

Evil Giorno be like: I have healthy and loving relationship with my biological mother

[dragoniangirl]

Since I am finally back into a stable financial position, I decided to splurge. Backed for the reprint of Cyana from Cosmic Wonders. Featured beside her is the first makeshift I backed from the same creator.

And soon, I will have the Wanderer as well.

[kindcoelacanth]

*brennan lee mulligan voice* uh.. rad

[awberryy]

Link: If I think nobody remembers me, I know the 46 yiga clan members in my area do.

[lucdoodle]

Won't you take an apple neighbor?

[knickynoo]

Alex + his emotional support briefcase/pillows/stuffed animal

[yangjeongin]

JEONGIN | THE SOUND MV

[acewizardinspace]

@hyper-dorphin I am so sorry, but tumblr ate your ask. When I hit ‘save draft’ it vanished into the void.

I didn’t take a screenshot of the exact wording, but the ask basically said he liked my posts about Jay from Star Wars Visions V1 ep2, headcanoned Luke as a fan of the Star Wavers, and thought of the idea of Jay writing an album about jedi culture that he released after the fall of the empire.  

I am just happy to find another Jay fan! I honestly thought I was the only one to care about this minor character. He sparks so much joy in me, I am glad my posts were enjoyable to you too!

I am obsessed with the idea of Jay writing an album based on jedi culture. This is literally a galaxy brain idea. I can see it starting as a coping mechanism, a way of mourning and moving forward. He writes about everything that was lost, never really thinking he would be able to share it with anyone but his bandmates. But then the empire does fall, and all of a sudden he doesn’t need to hide his heritage anymore and he has the freedom to share his culture with the world, so he does. He puts it all out there so that the jedi can never be forgotten again.

I hadn’t even thought about Luke being a Star Waver fan, but you are so right. They are both from Tatooine so it totally makes sense. Imagine Luke saving up his allowance to buy their albums and merch, or sneaking out to go to concerts. What if Luke just felt so connected to this band in a way he can’t fully describe? And everyone is just like, ‘yeah, we get it you are a hyper fan,’ but no, their music really makes him feel something. He doesn’t figure out quite what till years later, but he knows they are connected somehow.

So, I made a post about how Jay could kind of end up helping the rebellion here.

This just makes me think though, imagine Luke, chilling, listing to his favorite band and Leia casually says, “Oh, I know them.” Luke thinks she meet the band at an event or something because she was a princess but no, she says she knew them through the rebellion. Imagine finding out your favorite band does undercover work to help overthrow the empire. That would be like discovering, say, Harry Styles, is a spy. Luke will never be the same after that revelation.

Ohhh and imagine Jay showing up at Luke’s new jedi temple. Weather he decides to become a jedi again or not (I like both versions) he would totally want to visit at least. From Luke’s POV though this would be like the Beyoncé meme. He is just trying to restart a school when a famous rock star shows up and compliments his work. Luke is like:

You can find my Jay tag here.

[milksetters]

starlight parade ⭐

[misteria247]

Loving the fact that Sky has canonically killed essentially God in his world, yet he gets winded when he goes running down a flight of stairs. Like I don't know why but that's just incredibly humorous to me personally.

[untimelyambition]

veeeery parasocial of me but i love jon matteson hes just a silly little dude