#mixed-species environments

[informationatlas]

Scientists believe that the remarkable intelligence of beluga whales is demonstrated by their ability to learn and communicate using the complex language of whistles and clicks. This has been observed in a specific case where a beluga whale, living in captivity alongside a pod of bottlenose dolphins, has successfully acquired and adopted their unique language.

(via Beluga whale learns to 'talk' to pod of bottlenose dolphins )

[philodendronplants]

Fluffy fern plants

Fluffy fern is an excellent household and rare plant species. This plant is categorized under indoor, air purifiers and fern family plants. 

COMMON NAME: Fluffy ruffle fern

SOIL: Well-drained organic potting mix is best suitable

PLACEMENT: Indoor buy indoor plants online and make your environment green

SUNLIGHT: Needs indirect bright sunlight

WATERING: Water the plant, when top soil is dry to touch.

[reasonsforhope]

"Inspired by an innovative Chilean forest restoration effort, the English town of Lewes is enlisting the help of dog walkers to rewild a local nature reserve.

Heavily degraded by foot traffic, the project co-opts dogs’ tendency to run about in the woods to spread wildflower seed from saddlebags strapped to a harness around the dog’s abdomen.

The idea mimics the function that wolves once played in that part of England, roaming over vast distances getting grass and flower seeds stuck in their coat, only to fall off and germinate somewhere else.

This helter-skelter seed-spreading is actually how many plants evolved to reproduce, and it’s key to maintaining a biodiverse and native ecosystem.

“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” said manager Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who organized the project back in 2019.

“In a smaller urban nature reserve it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”

The saddlebags are filled with a variety of perennial plant seeds mixed together with sand. This allows the seed to be spread for longer across larger distances, while also providing a helpful tracking sign to inform the Trust’s employees where dogs are walking.

THE REWILDING MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND…

Salmon Return to the Heart of UK for First Time in 100 Years After Dam Removal: ‘It’s very rewarding’

‘Give Nature Space and it Will Come Back’: Rewilding Returns Endangered Species to UK Coast

Farmer Combats Flooding by Returning Creeks to Nature: ‘Wildlife That Has Come is Phenomenal’

Finally Rid of Invasive Shrubs, Scientists Use Lichen to Regrow the Celtic Rainforest in Loch Lomond, Scotland

2 Beavers Named Hazel and Chompy Reintroduced to English County–the First Ones to Live Here in 400 Years

“I signed up because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate cocker spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” Cressida Murray, a dog walker who regularly uses the nature reserve, told The Guardian. 

Wolves were persecuted to extinction in England as early as the reign of Henry VII, who reigned during the latter third of the 15th century.

“A community-based project like this not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process,” said Walker."

-via Good News Network, July 30, 2024

[rafeslvbug]

introducing…conservationist!rafe && scared!reader

back to basics!! (looks!!)

height: 6”2, friendly type of height, tall enough to deal with all sorts of animals who get into high spots; and always willing to grab equipment for his employees

build: lean. not overly muscular, though they’re definitely there. biceps big enough to trap your head under…or a little lion’s. always climbing up trees to pry the stubborn monkeys out of them.

age: mid to late twenties, but the maturity of a man much older. doesn’t look a day over twenty, though, clean shaven and neatly combed hair, though you love when it gets all soft and gives him that boyish look.

glasses: wore contacts the first time you met him. wore them when handling animals, rarely wore his glasses because he disliked the look of them. first time you saw them and melted? had them on. always. had to claw it back from a monkey after it snatched it off his nose.

clothes: t-shirts that stretch over his biceps, unaware of the amount of ladies he gets drooling over him. basic, unbuttoned shirts, sleeves rolled up to his forearms over a white tank. cargo pants/shorts, same mountain boots. and watch where a non venomous snake tried to sink it’s fangs into the leather.

personality

caring: the most gentle soul to exist. cares for the environment and animals, devoting his life to them..and you. soft words and touches, playful and considerate. no argument ends in tears on his watch, will forever help you overcome your fears and make sure you’re okay.

optimistic: no challenge is too hard for him, or impossible. if you’re scared of animals, he’ll help you through it. if a species is going extinct, he’ll do all his research and see what he can do. he’ll care for every sick animal in his conservation, even when times get rough. rare to see him without a lingering smile on his mouth.

adventurous: loves travelling to countries like kenya, or india, places where he can discover more. enjoys learning to befriend ‘deadly’ animals, loves the thrill, even when it borders dangerous, and you have to reel him back. who would he be without this?

confident: people on kildare don’t quite get why the projected business shark, somehow turned into a shark tamer. it’s still a business, an amazing one at that– though rafe claims it’s not the for the money he makes a ton of it– but it’s not in economics like they all thought. nonetheless, rafe doesn’t care for their judgement. he’s confident and assured in what he does because it makes him happy.

dislikes/likes

suits, and uncomfortable clothing. loves freedom, hates stiff fabric that restricts his movement.

conspiracy theorists who think climate change is fake. take one look at the animals he cares for day to day, he’ll disprove them.

mixed breeders or petting zoos that care about aesthetics rather than safety. hates advertisement off suffering. he invites people to his conservation, but charges nothing, only a voluntary donation.

loves his sloth. calm and lazy, carefree in a way he aspires to be. always happy to see him. had him for years.

when you go out of your comfort zone for him and discover something new that actually makes you happy. loves seeing you embrace a new side of life.

trips, like safaris for documentation and exploration. adores getting to see new animals, or save new animals. loves bringing you along too, taking pictures on his camera of both the animals, and what he loves most- you, of course.

family && people-specific hcs

pet names for you: carebear, dovie, pup, baby, dolly

– willing to piggy back you off whatever tree you climbed to escape an animal that wouldn’t even harm you, especially after the prospect of a million little bugs on the bark makes you want to jump off the tree

– sits you on his lap, and tightly holds you while he tries and gets you used to spiders. hand under yours, 8-legged creature crawling over your palm while you fight the urge to squirm away.

sarah: forever close to his sister who shares his passion for saving animals too

– would definitely have a conservation area for the turtles she saved at the beach, preparing them for release back into the ocean

– sarah would probably be a climate activist, who’d partner up with rafe, organise peaceful protests and promote conservations..like her brother’s.

(yap: posting this gorgeous baby. my favourite au, he’s such a sweetie)

taglist: @starkeyjoseph @rafesbabygirlx @slut-4-rafey @lanaslushworld @littlelamy @rain-likes-purple @sunny1616 @csturnioloswifey @silkylovey @supasolaa @octoberbxbyy @rafeobx @jamesbeaufortismylife @vanessa-rafesgirl @bambigirl10 @f4sh10n-m4v3n @amelialovesrafe @letstryagaintomorrow @athenabarnes @dumbbandpoetic

[chase-solidago]

Invasive Species and Xenophobia

Invasive species are complicated! People have a lot of feelings about them, positive and negative. Are plants that move "invaders" "colonizing", "immigrants", "citizens"? What does it mean to kill species that are from somewhere else? What if that species legitimately makes a poor neighbor and causes extinctions in other, native species? This complex, culturally-loaded issue is a foundational issue behind a lot of plant conservation and restoration.

This is a juicy and still actively disputed topic! The Guardian recently had a big article on colonialism in Botany, (tbh her views are dated and reductive, imo) and it’s come up again this week, to much hostility (cw: reddit). Yes, my region's native plant restoration came from literal nazis, but also, the impacts of some invasive species are real, not figments of a racist imagination. How do we balance these issues? What does ethical invasive management look like?

Since it’s such a juicy topic, I wanted to offer a few fun readings to share:

The Native Plant Enthusiasm: Ecological Panacea or Xenophobia?, Gert Gröning and Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn, 2004, Arnoldia.

THE CLASSIC 20th century German nazis and native plants paper. Made a huge splash when it came out, and you will still encounter people who paint all native plant stuff with this brush. Summary: yeah the nazis loved their native plants and used them as part of their conquering process. Also, the first prairie plantings ever, located in Chicago, were done by a racist probable-nazi for racist reasons, full stop. I’ll let him speak for himself: “The gardens that I created myself shall… be in harmony with their landscape environment and the racial characteristics of its inhabitants. They shall express the spirit of America and therefore shall be free of foreign character as far as possible… the Latin and the Oriental crept and creeps more and more over our land, coming from the South, which is settled by Latin people, and also from other centers of mixed masses of immigrants. The Germanic character of our race, of our cities and settlements was overgrown by foreign character. The Latin spirit has spoiled a lot and still spoils things every day.” - Jens Jensen

Botanical decolonization: rethinking native plants, Tomaz Mastnak, 2014, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space

Rather than viewing native plant plantings as an act of racially-pure occupation, Mastnak positions native plants in California as a decolonization of the sub/urban lawn. Uses a lot of quotations from 16th century English philosopher Francis Bacon, and is heavy on the philosophical musings.

From killing lists to healthy country: Aboriginal approaches to weed control in the Kimberley, Western Australia by Bach et al., 2019, Journal of Environmental Management.

This paper talks through some of the native vs invasive debate, and offers a different perspective on how to approach to plant invasive management based on cultural relations, rather than country of origin or behavior.

Beyond ‘Native V. Alien’: Critiques of the Native/alien Paradigm in the Anthropocene, and Their Implications, Charles R. Warren, 2021, Ethics, Policy, & Environment

DENSE but thorough, if you want to follow the entire history of the native/invasive debate, this has you covered. The most interesting stuff, in my opinion, is the discussion of invasive denialism, IE: the impasse of “You’re just being racist!” Vs “You know nothing about ecology!” I recommend the Discussion, which starts on page 13.

[alderaphid]

Porch Light

Wally Darling/Reader, Wally Darling & Reader

Contents: Gen, fluff, comfort, very mild Canon-adjacent spooks, gender-neutral reader, can be interpreted as romantic or platonic relationship, reader is a neighbour, bolded parts of Wally's dialogue are to convey his slow speech and stress on certain words and syllables

Word count: 3,272

Notes: Part of the @fluffbruary 2025 event! Check it out! This is from the day one prompts "Dark" and "Wander". I've written a handful of these already, and as much as I'd like to port them over to Tumblr I feel it would take too long ^^;; -- but feel free to explore my other oneshots for this event over on AO3!!

----------

You hadn't meant to be out so late.

Frank had invited you over to their house that evening to watch the fireflies gather in their backyard. He had been cultivating the perfect environment there for the little lightening bugs, sprinkling a special mix of wildflower seeds he had ordered from a gardening catalogue and letting the grass grow long. Julie had been there when you arrived in the late afternoon, bouncing a ball against the siding of Frank's house. The three of you chatted as the sun slowly crawled to the horizon, talking about what you had done during the day.

Frank turned out their porch light when the sky began to turn yellow, explaining that the fireflies disliked the artificial light. You leaned your elbows on the railing, listening to Frank as he talked about fireflies until Julie had shrieked out, pointing,

"Look!!"

There was a faint light in the grass, a slow blinking yellow light. Then, another across the way. Then another. Then another.

You could not believe your eyes-- you had seen fireflies once or twice before, but not in such a number. There had to be ten million of them flitting around, twinkling at you three in the ebbing sunlight. Frank had explained that each species had their own special pattern so that males and females could find each other. They had gently reached out and scooped up one that had lazily fluttered a little too close, placing it in your palms so you could look closer as he corralled a different one into his hands. Julie had snatched one right out of the sky with a 'woo!' and a wide smile, holding her fingers tight around the bug as the three of you compared your bug's patterns.

The one Frank held went blink blink blink blink... blink blink...

While the one in your hands went blink flash flash... blink flash... flash...

And Julie's bug went blink blink blink... flash flash flash... blink blink blink...

The whole event had been a near magical moment, and you could have spent forever there, laughing and talking with your neighbours. But the world turned, and the sun set, and then suddenly you were looking above the yellow-white glow of Frank's lawn to see nothing-- just the darkness of the night.

It seemed like the two of them hadn't noticed the time pass either-- Julie made a small sound and looked at her wrist. She had no watch on.

"Oh my! It's basically nighttime!"

Frank let out a little huff, looking beyond his backyard with a disgruntled expression as if it had personally offended him.

"Well, that's no good."

They turned to you, then.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed the time passing. I--"

"Don't worry about it!" you replied, standing up and rubbing your hands on your pants.

"It was a very lovely evening with you two. Thank you for inviting me, Frank."

You nodded at your grey-felted neighbour, whose scowl grew deeper.

"Oh, you're not staying over at Frank's?" Julie asked, tilting her head. Her eyes darted to her best friend before she piped up.

"That's great! Then you can stay at mine for the night! I had the idea for a new sleepover game called "double-pillow-dutch" that I really think you'll like!"

You laughed, shaking your head as you stepped off the porch. Carefully, of course, so as to not step on any fireflies.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm okay. I'll just walk home, it's not that far."

You were able to see the two puppets exchange a sort of worried look between each other, now. You didn't quite understand it. "I- Well-- Um, if you're sure-" Frank stuttered, but you were already walking off into the dark.

"Goodnight you two! See you in the morning!"

Oddly enough, your words almost sounded muted, like speaking into fog. Yet you had seen no indication of such a thing while in Frank's backyard.

But you continued on into the night, only realizing after a dozen steps that it was much, much darker than you had realized.

You looked back, but you had already moved in such a way that obscured Frank's backyard from your dight. That carpet of tiny stars was gone-- only a handful of fireflies flew around in the night, their lights faint and flickering.

Swallowing heavily, you huffed out a heavy breath and continued on.

It was dark. Darker than dark. So dark you couldn't see your feet, or your hand waving in front of your face. The only way you could navigate was by the scant few fireflies that had wandered out into the neighbourhood, and the few porch lights that your neighbours still had on.

But those too, were going out. You watched, dismay washing over you, as Poppy's light winked out; the only thing you had been orienting yourself to.

You... probably should have taken Frank up on their offer.

You could hear the crunch of dirt under your shoes, though. So you were likely on the path that wound all the way around the neighbourhood. You just had to follow that, and you'd eventually get to your house. It was fine. Everything was fine.

...

You kinda felt like you were being watched.

Which was, like, probable. Some of your neighbours could be night owls, still ambling about in their homes. They could be looking right at you, and just not know. It was fine. There was nothing out there in the neighbourhood, anyway.

...

What was that?

Almost a slithering sound, something sliding over the grass. Faint, but disruptive enough for your ears to pick up on it. You held back a surprised noise, tucking your arms close to your chest as you turned in that direction.

You didn't see anything, of course. It was dark.

...

You took a step forward, the dirt crunching under your shoe. You cringed, freezing in place.

...

There it was again. That slithering. And almost a dragging, too. Like something picking its foot up.

...

You swallowed heavily and prepared to scream.

But then--

You heard a creaking, the faint grind of brick against brick. You turned to the noise just as a light went on and beamed directly into your eyes.

Ouch!

But yay!

It was Home who had lit the night up, porch light like a beacon of hope in the pitch blackness that had been your world for the past... However long it had been. Their eyes were turned in your direction, shutters rattling against their siding in a surprised, almost frantic way.

Their door opened a second later, and Wally popped out. Obviously interrupted in the middle of his nightly routine; bundled up in a red and yellow robe patterned much like his well loved (albeit blue) cardigan, a red sleepmask with a closed yellow eye design sitting on his forehead. His voice hardly carried as he turned his head towards one of his house's windows.

"What's wrong, Home?" he asked them lowly. They looked off in your direction, starting to creak out a response just as you blinked the purple spots out of your vision.

"Wally!" you called out, holding a hand up. His head turned towards the sound of your voice, eyelids flying back as he did so. 

"Oh, you." he replied, voice going airy with relief. His pupils flickered back and forth, as if trying to find you in the nights murk-- you lowered your hand as you realized he couldn't see it.

The felt above his eyes creased after a moment, smile shrinking just a touch.

"You shouldn't be out this late."

"I know." you huffed sheepishly as you strode towards Home, giving him a crooked smile as you reached the light. Crossing Home's warm porch light glow seemed to ease some sort of heaviness in your chest. Wally looked up at you, the crease disappearing as he tilted his head, eyelids drooping once more and smile returning to its usual width.

"I'm glad Home saw you out here."

Said house let out a squeeeeak as its door opened wider, doorknob slipping from Wally's hand. He looked to his now empty hand, closing and relaxing it after a second and turning back to you.

"Yes. Come on in." he said, stepping sideways away from Home to make room for you to enter. Your smile crinkled at the edges as you walked inside, Wally following close behind and shutting Home's door gently once you both had crossed the threshold.

The curtain on the opposite side of the door's hinges fluttered out at the air differential, snagging on one of your shoulders and brushing against your arm as the house creaked above you.

"Home's asking why you were walking all alone in the dark." Wally said, walking around to face you and clasping his hands in front of himself. You sighed, reaching out to pluck a bit of fuzz off of the collar of his thinly striped, mostly white pajamas. He stayed completely still as you did so, focused on your face.

"I was watching the fireflies in Frank's backyard with them and Julie, and we all lost track of time." you replied, brushing at the curtain curling around your elbow before gently plucking it up and off your body. It clung to you just a touch before relenting, leaving behind a prickle of static electricity across your skin.

"Oh? The fireflies?" Wally asked with a tilt of his head.

"Are they out already?"

"Yes! Did Frank not-- um..." you shut your mouth as you realized that Frank may have not invited Wally over on purpose. Like they hadn't invited Eddie because of his fear of insects, or Barnaby because of... well, obvious reasons.

"Not what?"

Wally blinked at you, eyes widening after a beat.

"Ah. Not invite me over? No, he did. I was painting." he said finally. You let out a reciprocal 'ah' and nodded, a wry twist to your mouth.

"Fair enough. I'm pretty sure they'll be here for a while, a week at least. You have plenty of time to see them."

You felt a yawn coming on, then. That urge that bubbled in your chest, in the bottom of your jaw. You pressed your tongue to the roof of your mouth to quell it, to no avail. Overtaken by the need, you covered your mouth and nose with your hand, squeezing your eyes shut as you let out a loud yawn.

"Ooogh, I'm sleepy." you said, looking down at Wally and smiling.

"Well, I should get going back to my house. Thanks for the save, you two."

His own smile flattened, slightly, that wrinkle returning as his eyelids drooped more at the outer corners. Home creaked around you, a door opening and slamming shut further in.

"But you're here now."

You could understand his mildly obtuse wording-- that he was offering for you to stay there overnight. You shook your head, waving a hand dismissively.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to intrude--"

You were interrupted by the deadbolt in the front door sliding shut with a solid ker-chunk. Home lifted a curtain to glare at you as you turned, surprised, at the sound. There was no heat to her gaze, but the message was clear as his curtain fell back to a restful, sleeping position. You weren't going back out until morning.

"You aren't intruding. We like having you over." Wally said, verbalizing Home's actions. You sighed, pressing your lips together before a smile overtook your frown.

"Fine, fine. I'll spend the night."

Wally straightened up, face brightening as his eyes went wide, smile regaining its warm, easy curve.

"How lovely. It's been a long time since we've had a sleepover."

You knew he was referring to him and Home, because you hadn't had a sleepover with Wally yet. He clapped his hands together, slowly, in such a way that made no noise.

Home creaked in confirmation. At the same time, the floorboards wiggled under your feet, and you couldn't help but let out a little 'psshh' as you relented and took your shoes off. You set them on the shoe rack as Home wriggled their curtains proudly, creaking in a smug way above you. You pressed your fingers to your lips and blew them a kiss before turning to Wally.

"Do you have any spare clothes I can use as pajamas? That'll fit me?"

Wally looked up and to the side, crossing his arms and putting a hand under his chin.

"I'm not sure. We can find out."

Home squeaked, and Wally nodded.

"Let's start there."

He began walking further into the house, and you followed close behind.

Turns out he did have some clothes in your size— or well, close to it. Some things Julie had left behind at some point. Or maybe Sally? Perhaps Frank’s clothes. Or Barnaby’s. Or a mix of two of the lot.

You weren’t sure— it was just a pair of yellow, soft cotton lounge pants in a bright floral pattern, and a dark blue shirt with a smiling, close-eyed moon on it. But Wally handed them to you, neatly folded in his outstretched hands, and you took them gratefully.

Changing in the bathroom, you emerged from it with your clothes folded haphazardly in your hands and some clinking sounds coming from the kitchen.

"Walls?" you called out curiously.

"Here." he responded evenly, and though it was a vague answer you confirmed to yourself that it was him moving about and walked down the stairs.

His kitchen was lit by the small light above the sink, casting the cozy nook in a warm glow. You really loved this part of Home-- the counter stretched around in a near complete rectangle, with dark blue countertops and red cabinets. A red stove sat on one wall, and a red fridge on the other. A kettle sat on the stove over a coil, and Wally stood on a wooden chair with his face in a cabinet. Dragged over from the dining table, from what you could gather.

"What'cha doing?" you asked as you stepped into the kitchen area, leaning back against a counter. Wally withdrew from the cabinet, holding a single mug in his hand.

"During sleepovers you have hot cocoa." he said, sounding like he was repeating the words of someone else. He tilted his head at you, questioning.

"Right?"

You nodded, and he nodded back in a sure way, setting the mug on the counter before grabbing another. Smiling at how he carefully stepped down from the chair and dragged it over to another set of cabinets to grab the cocoa mix.

You stood up from your lean to grab the kitchen chair as he went to the fridge for the milk, giving him a closed eye smile as you brought it back to the dining table and pushed it in.

"Oh. Thank you." Wally said, and you nodded.

"No problem."

You continued to help set up the drinks, grabbing spoons from the drawer (that Home had eased open as you approached) and pouring the milk in after Wally had scooped the spoonfuls into the mugs.

When the kettle whistled, he took it off, and you stirred as he poured. The scent of rich chocolate wafted up from the mugs, and you felt your mouth begin to water.

Wally picked his up, holding it with both hands and waiting as you grabbed your own before shuffling over to the living room. He waited for you to sit on the couch before he did, and copied your movements as you brought the mug up to your face and smelled the steam.

"Mmm..." you sighed.

"M..." Wally said, more of a short chirp than a sigh. You smiled at that and took a sip, though he simply stared down at his drink.

"Were the fireflies nice?" he asked you after you had pulled your mouth back from the lip of the mug.

"Oh yes! They're about yay big-" you made a circle with your index and thumb about the size of a small plum, "with fuzzy antenna and sweet little faces. Each species has their own little light show that helps them find each other. Isn't that lovely?"

"That's lovely." he said, imitating you. And you laughed out loud this time, chuckling as you went in for another swig. The two of you sat there in amicable silence; you slowly drank as Wally gazed down at his own, and as the warmth of the hot cocoa began to emanate through your body, you began to grow sleepy.

Home had only one bedroom-- what would have been a guest room was instead Wally's art room. You assumed you were sleeping on the couch, which was confirmed after you had finished your drink. As you set the empty mug on the coffee table, Wally set his mug down too, careful not spill it, before walking over to the linen closet. Wally stood on his tiptoes as he pulled out a thick quilted blanket, nearly tumbling back as Home pushed it out into his arms. You sat up in alarm, only relaxing as Wally regained his balance. The quilt was so thick and folded so well that it completely obscured his face; you laughed as he turned and shuffled forward slowly, blindly.

"Peek your head around the side, you can see where you're going that way." you said to him. He did so a second later, eyes widening slightly as his head popped out to the right. Your face scrunched up in amusement as he strode forward much more confidently, now, walking over to the couch and setting the blanket on your lap. He then grabbed the decorative pillow sitting off to the side of the couch and turned it to lay against the arm, fluffing the sides before turning to you.

"I'll tuck you in."

You raised your eyebrows, but nodded, leaning back and swinging your legs up onto the couch cushions. You started to unfold the blanket, yours and Wally's hands brushing for a moment as he did the same-- eventually you were able to pull out one half of the corners as he did the others, pulling the blanket down over your feet.

You craned your head to watch as Wally used both hands to tuck the blanket down and around your feet; gently, so gently as to barely be effective, he moved up, the motions of his hands similar to how he fluffed the pillow your head was resting on.

Still, you appreciated the effort he was making, giving him a smile as he pressed his hands around your shoulders.

"Thank you Wally." you said.

"You're welcome." he replied. You saw his eyes dilate as they met your own, just slightly. Then, he leaned in, eyes sliding shut as he pressed his mouth to your forehead.

"Mwah!"

His felt tickled your skin, and you giggled as he pulled back with an exaggerated sound effect.

"Good night neighbour." he said.

"Goodnight." you replied, blinking sleepily at him. You watched as he picked up both mugs, closing your eyes and listening as he went to the kitchen and poured the contents of his own out, setting them both in the sink.

"Good night Home." you heard him say quietly. Home let out a few sleepy squeaks, and you heard Wally walk up the stairs as the lamp in the living room turned off, letting the darkness settle behind your eyelids.

"Goodnight Home." you murmured as well-- it was only polite, after all. The house creaked back, and though you never really understood him you knew exactly what he said.

Goodnight.

[probablyasocialecologist]

An international study led by the University of Freiburg, published in Global Change Biology, has found that forests with many tree species can store significantly more carbon than those with only one species. Researchers used data from the world's oldest tropical tree diversity experiment and found that forests planted with five tree species had substantially higher aboveground carbon stocks and greater fluxes between the carbon stores than monocultures. The results highlight the benefits of mixed-species forests for forest restoration initiatives that aim at mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration.

[...]

Remarkably, the positive tree diversity effect on aboveground carbon stocks strengthened over time, despite repeated climatic extreme events such as a severe El Niño-driven drought and a hurricane that hit the experiment. "This is important, because in the face of climate change, the long-term carbon balance of forests will depend largely on their stability to disturbances. Diverse forests exhibit greater ecological stability and the risk that the stored carbon is released back to the atmosphere is lower than in monocultures," said Dr. Florian Schnabel, first author of the study, forest scientist at the University of Freiburg's Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, and head of the Sardinilla experiment.

25 February 2025

[iguanodont]

Way back when you first posted your cool weird DnD dragons, I think you mentioned something about them maybe being eusocial with kobolds and maybe dragonborn acting as different biological casts and I honestly think about that idea a lot. When you wrote that, were you imagining these kobolds being just as anatomically weird as the dragons whose colony they were a part of?

I’ve actually drawn kobolds before, but I’ve changed some things about their designs and lore since then.

They have a few different castes, not all of which are present in every dragon, and certain castes can change into others. For example, most kobolds are born as quadrupedal Carriers, which act as couriers and assistants to Manuals, which are the bipedal worker caste and second phase of development. A favorite kobold may also be metamorphosed by its parent into a winged drone, which grows significantly taller and acts as scout, messenger, and lover to other dragons. The appearance and unusual sociality of drones has led many layfolk to mistake them for half-dragons, which are almost unheard of in chromatic lineages. Metallics, which are more prone to interacting directly with nondragons are far more likely to produce hybrid offspring. Some species also develop larger “warrior” caste kobolds (swolbolds)

The illustration depicts blue dragon kobolds, which possess a hornlike antenna for locating conspecifics, calling for help, and finding their way home. Brass dragons, which wander the same habitats, will occasionally steal blue kobolds for service by mimicking their Queen’s psychic signal.

Honorable mention to fairy kobolds, which are the mixed bag of smallfolk varmints that metallics commonly press into service. These creatures readily find their ways into dragon lairs through the same liminal byways used to slip between material space and the faewild. Like the faewild, dragon lairs are high magic environments, and often conveniently close to human dwellings to forage from. But it comes at a cost: fairies are a magic rich snack for a dragon, so they have to adapt fast. Using their innate knack for glamouring to blend into a lair’s unique aesthetic, a fairy will begin working to protect and furnish its home as they would in any other dwelling which ultimately serves the interests of the dragon. If the dragon notices them at that point, it usually tolerates them bumming in its house.

[gingerdusk]

Trying to figure out TP Link's diet based on his environment.

Livestock-wise, we've got cuccos and goats. That means

Eggs

Milk

Butter

Cheese

Potentially meat, but I don't think they get eaten unless they're old. Too valuable otherwise | EDIT: Oh yeah you need to breed goats every couple years to get milk. Add in cabrito veal!

And we know for a fact that Ordon Goat Cheese specifically is a thing. Stamped wheel and everything.

There's also fish

And bees/hornets(? It's called bee larva, but the enemy is a Hylian Hornet)

Useful for bait, but Link can eat them.

Did some more research, and apparently in Japan they eat wasp larvae? Specifically in Kushihara. So I'm counting it.

Then plants-wise we have pumpkins

And...corn. Somehow. I've never seen corn growing, but Link has some hanging in his house, so it exists.

I'm choosing to believe it comes from these plants that grow in patches around Ordon.

That gives us a lot. We've got

Cornstarch

Cornmeal

Corn oil

Corn shoots

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin flour

Pumpkin blossoms

No source of sugar, but depending on how the pumpkins in Ordon taste, they could be naturally sweet. Like pie pumpkins. Also corn syrup is a thing if it's a sweet corn. So corn syrup needs cream of tartar which comes from grapes and apples and such. It's a byproduct of wine. No corn syrup.

Edit: Malt sugar, though!

Now for hypothetical foods.

Ordon is surrounded by pine trees, so that adds pine needle tea and pine nuts to the mix. I was a little worried about species, but apparently there are a lot of pine trees that make edible seeds, so on the list it goes.

Then there are frogs near Rusl and Uli's house, wild songbirds on cliffs, and a squirrel that talks to Link directly, so those are huntable sources of meat.

Is horse grass a cattail? Maybe? Initially, I thought it was—the ends look like cattail seedpuffs, but the leaves are completely different.

I want to treat them like cattails. Cattails that also are probably the main food source for Epona and the goats.

If we do that, that means, on top of all the other uses cattails have like stuffing and tinder and antiseptic, we get

Roots

Shoots

Ground seeds

Can't find a good match for hawk grass though. Concluding that that's not edible. Equivalent exchange and all.

Side note, how do you think horse grass spreads? It's almost always in groups of two or more plants, so that suggests rhizomes, but the image of Link picking one up to blow and stuffing flying out the end of the horseshoe is hilarious to me.

Up next, there are ferns, primarily near trees. After very careful and way-too-deep analysis of a pixelated fern's leaves, I think it's bracken fern.

Which is mildly poisonous.

And also edible.

On the list it goes!

Then finally, Sera has some kind of herb hanging in her shop.

I don't know what it is. I'm calling it Ordon Spice. Congratulations, Ordon Pumpkin Spice is now a thing.

[t34-mt]

do you have a comparison chart for the size differences between the species? im curious about the average size differences between them, and maybe some of how that might effect them socially or culturally? since you said somewhere that many modern buildings are usually made to accommodate for all sizes

Text posted in july 2025

I do have one! The height conversion in feet may be off since it isn't a metric I use.

When I say buildings accommodate both, it's not a worldwide thing yet. Species cohabitation between mierthri and kyhuines have a longer history as they share connected biomes where contact was established earlier on. So kyhuine and mierthri settelment and homes having spaces for both is an older concept, thus more spread out. Kyhuine homes, in the inland south near the biome mierthri originate from, have more perching porches, landing platforms for mierthri to land on and glide to another. The home often has what would be translated as "Harpy/angel's window", a platorm over the main entrance of the house with a little circular window that can be opened. Miethri lands there and opens it to enter the house, the little visitor. Homes are very often a generational thing across cultures, especially in kyhuines, considering how their family structure and social groups are formed with around 20-100 members. They're homes where you live and die in, and they find it more convenient as it keeps the younger generation in the same place as the elders. These homes will often not be rebuild because a new family member is a maanul and cannot fit in the, for example, mierthri home. But homes can be expanded, and things can be built for the newcomer in the family if they're able to do so. If not, they will live separately but nearby. In the case of the smaller sophonts living in maanul's home, they fit in obviously, but will need special furniture to make their lives easier in those environments. In cultures where people are expected to leave their homes once in their adulthood, or when married in, then homes can be built to accommodate the three more easily. Although sometimes they will just be built like the older homes with few changes, it depends on the population. A colony that only has kyhuines and barely has a maanul pass by will not have its homes revolve around accommodation. if you wish to invite them over as a kyhuine for tea, or mierthri in this image specifically, you'll have to take out the table and seat outsides.

Most commonly, what people have is furniture to accommodate others. Like a seat, but it mostly revolves around dishes, as it is more convenient to acquire. In maanul's, people will re-use furniture destined to younger family members if they have someone of the other species coming in. Tho when the furniture has childish patterns, it can feel insulting for the other party. But forgiven for places where they're isn't a high population of kyhuine/ mierthri to begin with. In high mixed areas, furniture for the other would be seen as a universal thing to have, so it can be intentional to give the bowl destined to a toddler to the invited if you wish to disrespect them. Food is used as a welcoming gift there, and can be reduced in size as an insult too. A wealthy kyhuine inviting a maanul in, who can give them a plate and portion adequate to their size because they have the resources, but chooses against it, is a sign of disrespect. Kaar'kchir love having many ways to tell someone they are not welcome without using spoken or written words. Preparing meals for an invited guest requires knowing their diet. There is widely known safe food around, but getting more specific with whatyou wish to cook would require deeper knowledge on what the other can eat and digest well. Again, for kaar'kchir it is seen as rude to ask what the person cannot have, as people deem you are to know it all in advance. Each eats differently sized portion, for the sister cities people get portions that correspond to their species' requirement. But in the northeastern coasts, Puy'ul, a maanul is to give an invited of the opposite species, something as large as what they would have even if the person is incapable of eating it all. The gesture itself is wishing prosperity for the invited. For the opposite, a maanul invited to a kyhuine home will have as much food as they require, but the kyhuines will also have the same portion as the maanul. Again same significance. Keep in mind that this isn't something the average person is usually able to present. This is a more common gesture in regions where there isn't social insecurity and food scarcity going on too. For somewhere like in Juan region, western coasts, that is currently undergoing wars where civilians may go through famines and have their overall food be cut in half, they cannot afford to give someone a large meal. Thus, a maanul getting a small portion when invited in will not be seen as insulting in these situations. Regions where the culture used to be to give as much as possible, that are now going through food scarcity, have their culture changes to just give the minimum, without anyone making an announcement about it, the rules shift quietly in the common people. When food was scares but became abundant, the rules changed to serving plenty for celebrating the current prosperity. Ect.

in Kaar'kchir, in districts that were built once maanuls were in the picture, the buildings are large enough to fit in all three species. they may still be a bit cramped for maanuls sometimes, especially older ones. As kyhuine constructors who didn't have maanuls supervising the plans, they underestimated how large the spaces should be. But they can still enter them at least somewhat easily, at worse they may need to squeeze in some turns. Traditional maanul homes are very large, someone used to living in one and visiting their cousins in kaar'kchir may not enjoy the smaller given spaces. Maanuls who are used to it find it normal, and for kyhuines they enjoy cramped areas, mierthris usually resides in homes built on top of maanul and kyhuines for their needs and access to open spaces whenever.

But Kaar'kchir is old, and other old inland metropolises sometimes do not have pathways for mierthris or maanuls in the old districts of it, as kaar'kchir itself was a kyhuine settlement that expanded until centuries later it became what it now is. For mierthris in those districts, they instead climb onto people and jump from a person's back to another if they desire to travel around. As walking in the common street would get them pushed around if not accidentally hurt by being stepped on. Maanuls simply cannot go in the tight old streets, there may be recent tunnels made for them to pass by though. Kaar'kchir wishes not to change the older district much for historical preservations, even if it means making parts of it non-accesible to 2 species. Civils will modify places completely in response, losing some historical parts that could be preserved, but still fit for every sophont. This is a topic people love to discuss, sometimes argue about in a literal public discussion, a bunch of people debating at the fountain, where anyone can join in or watch the topic of the day. Metropolis will require a permit for people to start building, but the paperwork is sometimes intentionally confusing if you're not familiar with how it is there. It takes so long that many will just do it without one, because if they apply, they might not even be guaranteed a yes. Civils will turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening when seeing someone build something for their own specie's comfort. Snitching would make you an asshole to the neighborhood. Usually, its mierthri will expand homes onto other sophonts' walls and roofs. People live on top of each other in cities. Pathways exclusive to mierthris are built by mierthris wanting a faster, safer way to a destination. Again, built on peoples rooftop, sometimes its with their accord or not. They use scrap materials for it. Some routes get "owned" by certain families or group of people as they were the one to build it. Tho sometimes people will fight over ownership, or have several owners. The so-called "path owners" may charge people a small fee before they can pass through. Usually a coin, or three. Most scandalous prices range from 5 Kamas to asking for a sugar cube. Sugar is a type of currency among civilians because of its production cost. Children and teenagers claiming they own a path may ask for silly prices, usually, a snack from the nearby granny appeases them to stop.

The size difference does impact some people's view on one another, like how infantilization is common towards mierthris. Inconsiderate people are getting the idea that you can just pick and grab them because of how small they are, without asking to do so first. This behavior is more common than one might think. People don't usually recognise themselves in "grabbing a mierhtir" type of guy, but it's because it is the extreme form of it. They will subconsciously walk over mierthri's boundaries in subtle ways, it isn't done maliciously, but it is still an issue to correct people about.

There is the idea that their small size doesn't have to be accommodated to as much because they can just figure it out themselves, "if they can fit in every space, then they can manage the rest fine," sort of deal. Yes, they will find a way to, because they're pushed to build things intended for their comfort in places that didn't think of them being included in the picture. They get the image of stoic people who work through it all, that they're not that bothered by something not made for them, because you always see them make it through without asking people anyway.

I think this post is long as it is, i yapped about things here and there and went off rails. much of the focus was on mierthris for today but i will sprinkle out how the others are impacted by their height socially in other posts. Thank you for reading!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Sending some malleus critical commentary:

So a common rebuttal I see to the common Malleus criticism that he doesn’t try hard enough to adapt to human environments despite being given ample opportunity is that he’s a fae and processes time differently and therefore shouldn’t be expected to learn quickly because he experiences time passing faster than others.

Fae don’t seem to be shown as being less intelligent than humans and if the working definition of being unintelligent is being slow to learn then Malleus qualifies. Lilia is way older and can adapt to social graces and in theory fae should be able to learn so many skills because they have way more time to develop them. And maybe this is an unfair judgment, but either is not that smart or just an arrogant brat. I think the latter is more realistic but the way he’s written both seem true.

Before I begin rambling (as I tend to do), I'd like to remind everyone to PLEASE MIND YOUR TONE AND WORD CHOICE before you submit something. I am choosing to respond to this ask because I think the topic is interesting and worth a close examination, not because I think Malleus is “not smart” or a “brat” (I don’t believe either of these things).

I do see temporal perception often being brought up to explain why Malleus does not seem to learn how to socialize or even take the opportunities to. That’s always made me wonder why is this an explanation for Malleus and Malleus alone…?

Lilia is fae too, though if his lifespan is shorter than Malleus’s. 700-1000 years is still much longer than the humans he is among at school. And Lilia is not particularly depicted as having a different sense of time even when he lives among the humans. Lilia's dream depicts the world of 400 years ago, but because Malleus is currently 178 years old, that means there's roughly 222 years in which he traveled the world. It was these experiences that softened Lilia up and got him to change his stance on humans. Some would point to this and say it's therefore unfair for us to expect Malleus to make strides when it took Lilia 200+ years to no longer arbor negative feelings towards humans. The thing is though, this is a MASSIVE change on Lilia's part. It's almost a total 180 from how he was previously. I doubt people are demanding that Malleus take such huge steps--they just want to see him attempt more often.

There's also Baur to consider. We don't have an exact number to his age, but his stance on humans barely lightened up. To this day, his daughter still has to defend the life she has chosen for herself and his relationship with his son-in-law is shaky at best. The thing is though, Baur did also change, just in a slight way. Instead of being suspicious of all humans, he lovingly dotes on his grandchildren, most of whom I'd image are not super far from Sebek's age. This brings the 222 years for notable change metric down to a much more manageable... I don't know, 16ish years, give a few years (since we don't know how much older Sebek's two older siblings are).

We don’t know the expected lifespans for species like Baur, Crowley, or the dwarves. However, it is still notable that these individuals are also not noted to have a warped perception of time. Baur is invited to various family gatherings and receives his grandkids to bond with them (fishing, reading, etc.). He’s never once stated to have missed these, despite temporal misalignment potentially being an issue for his human son-in-law and grandchildren. (This is assuming human/fae mixed children have a lifespan similar to humans and not fae, since Sebek ages similarly to Silver in canon.) Crowley is occasion late to meetings, but only by a few minutes and not several hours. He’s always there to run dorm leader meetings and ceremonies as well. The Seven Dwarves were on time for their VDC/SDC performance, as well as for the Sledathon (albeit they did get lost and needed help at the cultural festival).

This doesn’t seem to be the case for Maleanor or Maleficia either, despite them being the same species as Malleus. (Or at least we have no instances of being also perceiving time differently.). Maleanor perceives the 30 minutes Heinrick gives her for an ultimatum just fine; she does not miss the deadline and appears on time for the battle. Maleficia stresses the importance of invitation etiquette, which seems to imply she arrives to events punctually and expects the same of her kin. Even if we were to excuse this by saying they live among fellow fae, so everyone runs on similar perceptions of time, lifespan also varies among fae species. So… wouldn’t it be the case that everyone is running on their own sense of time and not a standardized one (as opposed to humans, who all have roughly the same lifespan)? How do different fae sync up and how does this function in their society…? Is this actually an important world-building detail or was this just the best the writers could come up with to help explain why Malleus doesn’t show up to events 😭

Lilia has a line in Malleus's Dorm Uniform vignettes that implies it is possible for fae to learn and change within just a few (2-3) years. "A little trouble adjusting is understandable. But in your case... You've been away from Briar Valley for THREE YEARS and yet you haven't changed in the slightest." This is coming from Lilia, who has basically grown up alongside Maleanor, another dragon fae. Surely this means Lilia would know how much a dragon fae can change in a few years' time from his experiences with Maleanor? On top of that, Malleus is going to NRC specifically to learn and to broaden his horizons. This means it must be possible for him, otherwise why even other sending him outside of his country at all? To claim that temporal perception excuses Malleus from connecting with peers in this context almost feels like he's being infantilized ("He can't be expected to learn as quickly! He's just a baby!") and not held to the same standards of maturity as others.

And don't get me wrong! I'm not saying that 17-18 year olds are perfect beings or that they should be. The other third years are also very flawed and make various fuck-ups. What I'm saying is that Malleus should be granted grace, but not excessive grace. If he keeps being shielded from any form of accountability and not expected to adapt to his surroundings, it only encourages his current behaviors.

Fae aren't lacking in the ability to learn by any means. We are told towards the end of book 7 that Briar Valley has made advances in magic and technology even when isolated from the outside world, and they have passed on some of their valuable research to NRC as part of their apology. Furthermore, we know of multiple fae who attend high school (Lilia, Seven Dwarves, arguably Sebek, Sebek's older brother, etc.) and have no trouble with the material. Though dragon fae are considered still children at 200 and Malleus is well under that (at age 178), he is NOT child-like in mental capacity. He understands high school level coursework and speaks like a much older adult.

I wouldn’t say that Malleus is unintelligent. He is very bright and curious when it comes to like… magic (he feels insulted that his private tutors are giving him such “easy” work), ancient texts (see: Leona Union Jacket vignettes and Malleus Silk Adorned vignettes), and special interests like gargoyles. Where he's lacking is in the area of social skills. Now, there’s a million reasons why this is the case—he grew up in isolation, he was never held accountable when he hurt others, he had to regulate his emotions to prevent magical outbursts, etc. It’s clear Malleus wants to connect with others, but fails to do so for a variety of reasons, be it miscommunication, him missing social cues, or what have you.

Malleus expresses multiple times that he has a real interest in learning about others and that he is grateful for the chance to come to NRC, as it allows him to be exposed to many novel experiences and people. For example, he was very excited to be invited to Noble Bell College in GloMasq and to Silk City in A Firelit Sky, becoming angry when he learned the invitation was false and/or might be revoked. Malleus also communicates his gratitude when granted new experiences:

"This trip has been filled with surprises and new discoveries. I must thank you for granting me this opportunity, Asim." (Malleus Silk Adorned vignettes)

"You know better than anyone that I don't [... regret leaving Briar Valley]. People in Briar Valley never left me this bewildered. That's what makes this so enjoyable. I find my life here quite pleasant. I'll continue to put forth effort in the hopes that one day I'll understand [humans]. I'm sure we'll come to a mutual understanding in another, say... hundred years or so." (Malleus Dorm Uniform vignettes)

"I have little room for improvement when it comes to magic. But I am here to broaden my horizons. Learn the ways of the world, so to speak. Spelldrive tournaments, culture fairs, the great undertaking that is Halloween, even these birthday interviews. I've experience much here that I might never have elsewhere. In my estimation, I am more than achieving my aims. I've even met a few interesting humans who don't seem to fear speaking to me at all. If I'd remained in Briar Valley, I'd never have had the chance to meet any of you. I'm glad I can use magic because it allowed me to come to Night Raven College." (Malleus Birthday Bloom vignettes)

"What a pleasant bell; I feel its ring reverberating within me. I'm very glad to have been invited to Fleur City. To think I received a personal invitation... I must respond with sincerity and earnestness." (Malleus Masquerade Dress voice lines)

"It's rather pleasant being complimented on a dish I prepared. I'm grateful to have had such an engaging experience." (Malleus Apprentice Chef voice lines)

"It seems my dormmates have taken a liking to my costume proposal. I am glad I put some thought into it." (Malleus Halloween Dress voice lines)

"I'm not particularly unhappy when I'm alone. It's just...I happen to rather enjoy having companionship like this." (Malleus Ceremonial Robes voice lines)

... And TONS more if you consult the rest of his voice lines and vignettes; I'm going to cut it short here or else this post would be 50% examples.

The question now becomes “If he has an interest in befriending others, why doesn’t he try harder at it?” Because as it is right now, all his talk of gratitude (unintentionally, I'm sure) reads as almost insincere. He's talking the talk, but not really walking the walk.

If there is a spell he wants to learn, he can try it. If there’s something he wants to know about gargoyles, he looks it up. We even see in his Apprentice Chef vignettes that he's totally capable of learning new skills if he just puts his mind to it and is barred from using magic to instantly solve his problems. Malleus can also be taught to hold a phone without frying it with magic (in his Dorm Uniform vignettes) and how to play with a simple virtual pet game (in his Labwear vignettes). So what makes friendship different for him? My guess is because it does not come naturally to him, given his upbringing, AND he cannot control the outcome (ie the other party's reactions) whereas items can be static. Fostering friendship takes significantly more effort than Malleus is used to putting into most of what he does, and he's not used to reacting if something backfires socially. Friendship isn't programmed or one-size-fits all. You have to constantly work at it and maintain it, and Malleus is not used to that. We see this perfectly illustrated in his Dorm Uniform vignettes; he uses magic to teleport his fellow dorm leaders to Diasomnia so as to be on time to their meeting, but instead of being praised or thanking him (as he would probably get back home, where he is exclusively affirmed), he gets a negative reaction. His classmates tell him their autonomy has been violated, that he has just been very rude and treated them like mere objects--and Malleus is just NOT socially equipped to handle this situation.

He is so used to having everything handed to him on a silver platter, interacting with others and having them respond in a way that isn't favorable to him simply does not compute. Magical strength, food that appears as soon as he is seated, entire holidays and ceremonies to celebrate him, servants and advisors who never blame him for anything. So now when Malleus is faced with something genuinely difficult and reliant on another party like socializing, he flounders.

And how has he learned to deal with this??? By deflecting and complaining that “it’s difficult to understand”. It’s easier for him to pass the blame to others (also a behavior learned in childhood) than to accept fault for his own actions. We sometimes see this reflected in how Malleus deals with tech. It’s not as resilient as he would want it to be, but instead of trying to understand why tech is delicate, he writes it off as fragile and therefore pointless. This leaves Malleus trapped in a liminal space where he continuously denies the partial responsibility he has for his limited social circle. He never learned how to respond to times when his attempts to socialize blow up in his face, because all he has ever been taught is that he is NEVER wrong. Now he perpetuates that cycle because he has become used to it.

Instead of calling Malleus unintelligent or unable to learn, I'd say the more accurate description of him is arrogant. Malleus Draconia is ARROGANT in all caps, and this should be shouted from the rooftops just as often as Leona is called arrogant. It's that arrogance that makes him stubborn, unwilling to entertain other viewpoints, and eager to shut down those that oppose him.

This is the natural result of being worshipped since birth and being enabled his entire life. Malleus is perfectly aware of his social standing and power level, yet he talks down to others, threatens others with his magic, and/or says callous, dismissive things like how X won't be an issue because he can brute force it. It happens numerous times (Apprentice Chef vignettes, Vargas Camp 2, Union Jacket vignettes, GloMasq, etc.), and when brute force is no longer viable (book 7), he becomes incredibly insecure because he so often relies on magic as a crux to resolve his issues. He lashes out and literally has emotional outbursts so bad they stir up the weather.

This is Malleus's immature side showing itself, and I wonder if these outbursts, paired with Malleus's preexisting loneliness and the "important" status he has to the player character, has led to the fandom (for lack of a better term) "babying" him. (It's something I've speculated about!) This would encompass protective behavior and other special treatment that isn't granted to any other character (for example, fiercely defending the actions he takes and his OB). I find it sort of ironic that (some, NOT all) irl fans' treatment of Malleus can mirror the treatment he receives in-universe, both from other characters and from the narrative itself (refusing to admit to his missteps/that he has to take accountability, enabling him, etc.). Malleus is deified as a god in his own universe, and Malleus is infantilized and overprotected in fandom, and I find it ironic that neither of these things is what Malleus wants... (too much power isolates him, and he openly tells Lilia he is not a child and does not want to be treated like one) All Malleus wants is to just find equals, people who will treat him like a person and not like a monster OR a precious infant.

If we want to be realistic and interpret his character fairly, we can't just conveniently and selectively focus on his "innocent" and "cute" side. We have to acknowledge that he's basically a wealthy, powerful 17-18 year old that is used to having his way and does not know how to interact with his peers because he has never really been told 'no'. He has the capacity to learn and grow and to be a better person, but he doesn't make the most of those opportunities or actually listen to criticism because he's already going in with a defeatist mindset and blames those around him for his failure to adapt.

The craziest thing about all of this is that THIS CAN BE A GREAT CHARACTER ARC FOR HIM--but with how inconsistent Twst's track record with writing has been and with how the narrative consistently praises Malleus and excuses him of all wrongdoings, I'm not holding my breath.

[reasonsforhope]

"Thousands of trees have been planted by volunteers as part of a new temperate rainforest in south Devon.

More than 2,500 native trees have been planted so far this winter at Devon Wildlife Trust's Bowden Pillars site near Totnes.

The charity said as well as storing carbon, temperate rainforests supported "a super-abundance" of wildlife.

The trust is transforming 30 hectares (75 acres) of sheep-grazed fields into a landscape with 70% tree cover and open glades and wildflower-rich meadows.

The charity said more than a 100 local people planted species including oak, rowan, alder, hazel, birch, willow and holly.

Nick Biggs, an 83-year-old volunteer, said he got involved with the project after being inspired by his apprenticeship with the Forestry Commission in 1958.

"That introduced me to the environment," he said.

"I was really keen to carry on with it and it's good for your fitness just to get out and do something."

The trust said in decades to come the new trees would form a temperate rainforest with high rainfall and humidity.

Helen Aldis from Moor Trees, which supplied some of the saplings, said many had been gathered locally.

She said: "The oak that's going in today is from acorns that we've gathered on Dartmoor that have come back to our tree nursery.

"Our volunteers process those, pop them into the root trainers and then they come out a year or two later to become the woodlands of the future."

'Incredibly rare habitat'

The trust said the damp woodlands used to cover large parts of Britain, but today amount to just 1% of its land area.

Project leader Claire Inglis said: "It's an incredibly rare habitat and we've lost a great deal of it over the years.

"Across the UK there is around 13% woodland cover but in Devon it's actually 11%, so it's lower than the national average."

The trust said the forests supported a variety of birds such as pied flycatchers, woodcock and redstarts, while the damp conditions meant mosses, liverworts, lichens, ferns and fungi thrived on the trees and forest floor.

Ms Inglis added: "The mix of young trees in amongst grass pastures and hedges, along with our commitment not to use pesticides and artificial fertilisers, will be better for local moths, butterflies and bees, along with farmland birds such as yellowhammers and barn owls."

The trust said 7,000 trees would be planted in the first winter with more planned in the future."

-via BBC, January 30, 2025

[artechoceneexplorer]

Dungeon Meshi Encyclopaedia: The Red Dragon

Another creature added to the dungeon meshi encyclopaedia!! Feared by every soul that enters the dungeon, this crimson titan can take down every creature that crosses its path: the Red Dragon (Ignidraco puniceus).

Full piece view

Close-ups and notes on the design choices:

The scientific name, like the last creature I drew, is pretty simple, as for the genus name is just a combination of fire (Igni-) and dragon (-draco); and the species name is a reference to its color, as "puniceus" refers to a bright red color (I also considered "sanguineus" for its blood red color).

This time for the external appearance of parts of the anatomy like osteoderm plates and general head morphology I stuck really close to the original design (although the body and specially head proportions are WILDLY inconsistent between manga and anime, and between parts of the same manga or anime sequence) so I tried to mix them all into a shape I ended up liking quite a lot. I based the "beak" and upper jaw texture on crocodilians and birds, and used ungulate horns as a reference for the keratin cover and the bony core shown in the skull illustration.

One detail I added that I felt was quite necessary are the black, iron covered osteoderms covering the tongue and inside of the mouth, that are used to create sparks and protect the mouth tissues from the heat. These are not present in the original design, the tongue and mouth are pink and smooth, but it probably wouldn't be able to create sparks by doing the tonguing motion without some sort of hard structure to smash together.

The inverse scale was one thing I initially wasn't sure how I was going to explain, until I started designing the mechanism of the gas fuel production in the stomach, and created this symmetrical gular sacs to hold the fuel before ignition, and thought that maybe the development of those sacs could've pushed the aorta artery to pass through the middle of the neck, right below that scaleless spot. This would definitely be a very vulnerable spot and cause the results we see in the series if that point is stabbed, with blood gushing out at high pressures and causing the dragon to rapidly bleed out.

Close-up of the head, fire breath and neck internal structure

My favourite part of the design process for this one was making the fuel mechanism. I love that the indigestible materials, similarly to birds like owls, are accumulated in the anterior chamber of the stomach and used to create fuel (this part is exclusive to dragons owls unfortunately don't produce fire from their pellets). Because the way they ignite the fuel is ambiguous, and it would be hard for the dragon to straight up ignite a stream of wet hair and bones, I opted for giving it a symbiotic relationship with microbes, hydrogen producing ones to be exact (which do exist btw). These microbes could adapt to the acidic environment of the stomach chambers, not competing with other microbes, which would allow them to produce more hydrogen. Which if you don't know, it's not only light, but extremely flammable. I would imagine at first the gular gas chambers evolved, and then the separate had tubes evolved for a more effective transport of the gas towards the sacs.

Close-up of the proventriculus, interior of the "dragon pellet" and front legs

For the second cutout I chose the "stomach" they mention in the series, which is technically not the whole stomach but a chamber of it, the gizzard, which is also found in birds and non-avian dinosaurs. I would imagine not all indigestible materials can be dissolved by the stomach acid, or digested by microbes to create fuel, but I feel like the dragon can use those as gizzard stones, to grind up the food it probably swallows whole (given that the "dragon pellet" had bones, hair and human tools). The heat and constant grinding would eventually smooth the material into round-ish objects that would eventually be passed through after being too worn down.

Close-up of the gizzard and lungs of the dragon

The skin was another part I had to speculate a little, and sort of used the ol' reliable, iron mineralised tissue, but not quite. I imagine it probably incorporates iron oxides into the keratin (maybe that's why it's red??), but below it, above the osteoderm, there is a layer of not only iron mineralised tissue, but also mixed with other more durable metals (maybe adamant?) to make it more resistant to physical and magical attacks.

Close-up of the tail and a tissue cutout of the skin showing all layers up to the dermis

The best way to fill an empty space where I don't know what to put in these pieces, babies! In this case, a baby dragon inside of a very spherical egg, similar to the ones other giant reptiles laid, such as sauropods. I would also imagine female dragons demineralise some of the iron in their tissues to reinforce the egg, making it less susceptible to braking. Also like most reptiles (including extinct ones like sauropods) it has an egg tooth that falls off after hatching.

Close-up of the back spines and a dragon egg, showing a developing embryo inside

Lastly, I had to include something about their social behaviour, so I included a drawing that is very similar to a sketch made by Ryoko Kui herself, showing the different intraspecific social behaviour of different dragon types, with red dragons being described as "persistent" and that "the weaker one will be forced to leave first". So I imagine they fight similarly to komodo dragons (since they're also shown to be able to stand on two legs for short periods of time). They probably also don't fight a lot, prefering to show off and intimidating the rival without wasting their precious fire, but using their other weapon arsenal to fight the other if they have to.

Close-up of a couple of female dragons fighting

Anyways this was all, I spent a LONG time on this one as you can see so I hope you enjoy it, the living armor is next!! :>

[serenadeformice]

spiders get a lot of credit for making huge complex webs, but y'know who never gets enough credit for their work? the humble WEBSPINNER! an insect of the order Embioptera, they're one of the very few animals on our earth that produce SILK!

images of insects (no spiders!) and fun facts under the cut!

their closest well-known relatives are the phasmids, which might be apparent from their long body plan. Take a look at that cutie. See those big dumb front hands? those enlarged tarsomeres have their silk-producing glands, and to see one in action is really fun. they tap tap tap, move their hands over, tap tap tap, and string their silk along to make their webbing. they live in colonies are called Galleries, which are dark warrens of tunnels so narrow that their inhabitants often can't turn around in them, so they have extremely well-adaptive senses for walking backward and figuring out their environments through touch! this link here is a beautiful demonstration of their unique movement and weaving techniques:

"The Curious Webspinner Insect Knits a Cozy Home", by Deep Look, PBS Digital Studios https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_JP3RbJ8zk

that video also covers how sensitive their front legs are to going off at unexpected times. most insects use their forelegs to grab their antennae for cleaning, but because of their silk glands' aforementioned sensitivity, webspinners don't use their front legs to clean their antennae! they fold their antennae down under them, using their mouthparts and the ground to keep them in place for cleaning.

in the grooves of this stone wall they've webbed it up to make their beautiful moist, dark little homes.

They're also dedicated moms! Females live gregariously, in large colonies caring for their eggs. males wake up, reproduce, then die. one species, Rhagadochir virgo, wraps their eggs in a mix of silk and lichen to ensure their babies have a little meal when they wake up! isn't that swell?

Webspinners are strange and underappreciated hard workers. i adore them so much, and i hope this has made you adore them maybe a little bit more too!

[cognitivejustice]

Make a mini-pond to give nature a home

"Ponds are absolute biodiversity hotspots – in terms of both the range and density of species that use them. After you fill a hole in the garden with water, wildlife will come – very, very quickly. It's astonishing how quickly it comes,"

Ponds, he says, offer a mix of habitat types. "Within a pond you have cool bits, open water, shallow bits, the margins around the outside. You get this ecological principle known as the edge effect, where different habitats butt up against each other. It might be easy to think that you've got just two habitats – pond and not pond – but actually, you've got all these interlocking microhabitats." The result, he says, is a "diversity of life that so is much greater than in any other part of the garden".

"Ponds they are one of the earliest habitat types on the planet," says Naomi Ewald, technical director at the Freshwater Habitat Trust, a non-profit in the UK. "Darwin even hypothesised that life began in a pond. We are talking about a habitat that's been here forever, and life has evolved over millions of years to live in those environments. From the tiniest algae and the smallest life – most of which we haven't even begun to identify – to insects and plants, and then all those higher animals on top. You can find almost every single taxonomic group in a pond."

Networks of ponds – or "pondscapes" – are crucial for biodiversity. These small water bodies can be permanent or seasonal, natural or man-made, and provide habitats for many endemic, threatened or rare species.

Top tips for making your own mini pond

• Fill your pond with rain water, as tap water often has high levels of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus.

• There's no need to top up with water, even in dry periods, as some animals like newts can benefit from varying water levels.

• Make sure there is a shallow edge so that creatures can crawl in and out of the water.

• Don't add fish. They will likely gobble up any invertebrates or tadpoles.

• Choose plenty of native pond plants, to avoid the spread of non-native invasive plant species.

• Don't take frogspawn from elsewhere to add to your pond as this may spread disease.

• Consider removing solid fencing around your garden, which can hamper movement of some species.

• Be patient. "A pond takes time to develop," says Thomas, "to settle itself, to grow plants and wildlife, to come to nature's balance."

[botaniqueer]

27 new, exciting, and blobby species discovered in the Peruvian rainforest

BY LAURA BAISAS

POSTED ON DEC 20, 2024

A rainfrog, an amphibious mouse, and a “blob-headed” fish are only some of the 27 new species discovered deep Peru’s Amazon rainforest. During a survey in 2022, a team from Conservation International recorded 2,046 total species living in this lush and heavily forested landscape, many of whom are endangered.

The creatures were all found in the Alto Mayo Landscape which spans the Andes mountains to the Amazon River and includes the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. Instead of being one static environment, the Alto Mayo Landscape is a complex mix of different ecosystems and communities, including Indigenous territories, cities, and towns. (Continue reading)