#odonates

[platycryptus]

a twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) staking out his territory by a pond

(Massachusetts, 8/29/24)

[rjzimmerman]

Behind Dragonfly Research Is a Group of Eclectic Enthusiasts Holding the Field Together. (Sierra Club)

Odonates hunt the insects humans hate—mosquitoes and gnats, deerflies and wasps—and their 95 percent success rate makes them nature’s most lethal predators. Scientists have identified a group of 16 neurons connecting their brains to their thoraxes, which allow them to operate each of their four wings individually for nimble and graceful flight. They can fly backward and sideways, dip up and down with ease, hover in place, and reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour. With their compound eyes, odonates process 200 images per second—over three times more than humans do—which produces a slow-motion effect that allows them to hyperfocus on prey.

The Dragonfly Society of the Americas meets in a different location each year to allow for odonate spotting in a variety of ecosystems. McIntyre described the members as kindred spirits with a passion for dragonflies. Odonates, like most invertebrates, are understudied, and academic entomology departments are becoming scarcer. Much of the current research is community science done by self-taught odonate enthusiasts with expert-level knowledge. The society awards small grants to support these collaborations.

Scientists can’t be sure whether or to what degree odonate populations are declining because there is no historical data for comparison. “Dragonflies aren’t disease vectors; they aren’t rare; they aren’t medically important; they aren’t agriculturally important,” McIntyre said. “So when it’s time to allocate limited research money, that kind of basic foundational science won’t get funded.”

[billionneuronscurious]

Eyes of a Damselfly.

[sketch-guardian]

Here are some more random shitposts with the RAD Classmates, New Exchange Students, Devildom Outsiders and MC:

(REMIEL + MC)

(NATHANIEL + MC)

(URIEL + MC)

(SOFIA + MC)

(AZARATH + MC)

(JAMES + MC)

(DEMYA + MC)

(DOMNRA AT THE SLIGHTEST INCONVENIENCE)

(AZUL + MC)

(ODON + ZURI + MC)

[the-east-art]

Boys Night!!!!

[miyrumiyru]

When male odonates defending their territory, they never leave the places.

That's mean we can easily take photos of these precious predators ;)

(M) Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)

[lemm-moxx]

Falls to the ground and hands you this

yayyy im done (ik i already posted this, but bell's ref sheet for comparision, context? idk i feel like it fits tho)

[fabistrange]

Odón of the Confraternity of Salt. *cough* daddy *cough*. This big boy tested my patience so many times while drawing him. It was fun to do a rainy setting for the first time, wanted it to be similar to the area you fight him at. Also of course I worried too much about details that are blurred now 🤡. He beat my ass a lot in the game, but I still love you Odon, my man.

Next up is finally The Penitent One which I'm really excited for. I know EXACTLY how to draw him so hopefully he'll turn out good 🤞

[saltybean03]

Still cant beat this fucking c*** odon, i may be uninstalling this game given the rest of it is locked behind this fat fucking poseidon wannabe axe dragging piece of complete shit bastard of a boss. Ive racked up 30 deaths now trying every strategy imaginable and im so over it, and the worst part is he aint even endgame. If i cant even beat this mf aint no fucking way were beating eviterno. Whoever the dorks are that complained of odon being "too easy" resulting in the devs making him impossible to fucking beat, i hope you have nightmares every fucking day of your life, stub your toe on every fucking wall, and that birds shit on you every time you go outside. Fuck you and fuck this boss!!

[avidex]

Figeac, Lot, 14 juillet 2023

Libellule déprimée

[justineportraits]

Odon Marffi Standing Female Nude ca. 1910

[saturdaysky]

your art is like a really delicious fresh pastry to me… all the flaky beautiful mouthwatering layers…! I could just stare at it for hours on end honestly. wishing you well!

Gosh, I missed this ask in my inbox! What a lovely (and delicious) compliment, thank you so much 🥐💛🥐 i hope you have a wonderful day!

[oswanily]

Landry's household was hit pretty hard by the famine. While Tassin is a good enough hunter and forager to still find ways to feed his family, Landry relied only on his crops, so when the crops stopped growing, things became difficult. After Yolande, Bérenger passed away from hunger, quickly followed by his triplet sister Louise. Odon hung on as much as he could, but he also went.

They are buried in the garden, with Eléonore.

That leaves Landry with two living children, Margot (that he had with Eléonore) and Alix (that he had with Géralda).

The dice gods went "yeah, this guy hasn't been through enough, let's kill four of his kids in one go... Also let's take out all the potential heirs, why not?"

[bison2winquote]

Odon to Clamilton, Merfight (Mattrified)

[sketch-guardian]

I'm late, but at this point, it was to be expected, since I'm slow as hell🙈

Anyhow, here's the Valentine's Day special💖: headcanons+fanarts!

"RAD CLASSMATES+NEW EXCHANGE STUDENTS+DEVILDOM OUTSIDERS×MC"

DEMYA

Demya would plan a date consisting of a food tour around various restaurants, especially those with Valentine's Day specials. Demya would also stoop so low as to pretend it's either MC's birthday or that they just proposed in order to get free desserts as a couple (she would opt for other alternatives if MC doesn't have a sweet tooth). The main course would basically consist of MC's favourite dishes, while Demya would eat a heart-shaped steak (better not to think too much about what kind of meat it is-). Once home, lots of kisses and snuggles in Demya's nest would be in order

DOMNRA/MOBIM

Domnra would pretend not to care about Valentine's Day just to plan a romantic surprise for once in his life, an intimate quiet evening at home, with a nice candlelit dinner and roses for present. Later on, Mobim would join Domnra and MC on the couch to watch a movie all together, offering MC some messy heart-shaped pillows the little curse stuffed with wool itself (Mobim tried its bets without proper fingers-). In general, Domnra would behave in a more heartfelt and loving way for Valentine's Day

AZUL

Azul would have many ideas running through his head to experiment with, therefore every Valentine's Day would be something different, exciting, boredom wouldn't be a problem. In general though, if Azul was in the mood to really impress MC, he would take them to an abandoned mansion, inviting them for a dance in its grand ballroom, making the experience fairytale like thanks to his magic, almost as if they were in "Beauty and the beast" (a darker version of sort, considering the ghosts playing music-). On some occasions, when he feels less lively, Azul would prefer something more intimate, such as a domestic cuddle session at home

ZURI

Zuri would give the most refined and expensive gifts, it depends on MC's taste in the end, however in general she would buy high quality stuff to satisfy them, only the best is acceptable for MC, in Zuri's opinion. Moreover, Zuri would leave MC's favourite flower and an elegant outfit on their bed, with a letter attached to it, instructing MC to wear those clothes for their date in a starred restaurant, booked for the two of them only, in order to spend some quality time together. The rest of the date would continue at home, where Zuri would let MC choose whatever activity they prefer

ODON

Odon has never celebrated Valentine's Day, so it would be an honor for them to share such delightful event with MC, especially since, as an eldritch horror, they aren't used to receiving invitations. To prevent Odon's presence from wreaking havoc or rising panic among Devildom inhabitants due to their infamous reputation, the date would take place at Odon's cabin, a quiet and cozy place. After doing some research on human customs on Valentine's Day, Odon would show up with some magic tampered flowers (so they won't wilt) and a crocheted blanket, knitted with their own hands as presents. Even the eye-like creatures, Bob and Rob, would act more affectionate than usual towards MC, by floating near them in a cheerful manner. Then, later that evening, Odon and MC would slow dance to some soft music played by a vintage turntable

REMIEL

Remiel has no knowledge about how Valentine's Day is supposed to function, however she would be willing to learn such human custom, being rather interested in MC's culture (to be fair, Earth in general is fascinating for the archangel of hope and she enjoys discovering new things). During her research through books however, Remiel would misinterpret some info, in fact while she would still bring a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, each with heartful meanings behind them (Remiel learned flower language too-), she would also bring an uprooted bush full of flowers, cut in a neat manner with her holy light scythe, because the angel wouldn't know if just one bouquet is enough to convey her feelings

NATHANIEL

Nathaniel had never celebrated Valentine's Day before, it has always been a day like any other for the archangel of patience due to his celestial duty, therefore it felt pretty meaningless until MC's arrival in his life. Nathaniel's deadpan attitude would likely give the impression that the event doesn't concern him in the slightest, however in reality the angel would quietly ponder over the best course of actions, in order to plan a proper romantic date. In the end Nathaniel would come up with the idea of running a surprise warm bath with soap bubbles, scented candles, cute themed rubber duckies and petals, in a tub large enough to accomodate them both. After the bath, Nathaniel would give MC a slow massage (he has skilled hands-) and then relax on the bed with them, holding MC close between his arms

URIEL

Uriel thinks Valentine's Day makes no sense, because in her humble opinion everyone should cherish their significant other every single day, showing loyalty and devotion, however Uriel would still indulge MC by celebrating Valentine's Day if it matters so much to them, trying to do things she believes are traditional for humans, such as gifting stuffed animals, even if Uriel would buy way too huge ones. Moreover, due to Uriel's celestial duty as a warrior angel, her own courtship methods would be a bit...intense, in the sense that she would offer MC to bring them the head of their enemies as a token of her affection

SOFIA

Sofia has never given much thought to holidays in general, since she no longer has a family to celebrate with, much less Valentine's Day, having no experience with relationships due to a lack of time and interest, the Raven witch simply considered her studies in the magic field more important, although once Sofia actually tried to brew a love potion out of pure scientific interest, for magic training purposes only. Given MC's current presence in her life as a significant other, Sofia would plan a modest date to please them. Sofia would grow thanks to a spell the perfect flower for MC, with their favorite scent, color, shape, all they would need to do is to just ask and the Raven witch would likely be able to create something that would meet their standards. Then, Sofia would prepare a small rustic picnic in the courtyard of her shophouse for MC, with her animals as guests too, which are: a raven called Onix (Sofia's familiar), a Vipera Aspis called Ambar (Sofia's deceased grandmother's familiar), and a Turkish Angora cat named Perla (a refugee)

AZARATH

Azarath, as often happens, is pretty confused about how they are supposed to behave in such situation, however they got the right spirit and that's what matters the most. They have several ideas in their head and each soul inside their body would argue over which one is the best (by the way, it's 6000 souls in total and they don't always work as a hive mind-), so in the end Azarath would end up hoarding a bit of everything for MC, such as candies, flowers, chocolate-covered fruits, shiny jewels, showing them off like a treasure from a dragon's lair, to prove they can provide for MC and that they are worthy of being their companion. Unfortunately, those gifts would be all stolen stuff, because Azarath was literally created to be evil and they try their hardest to play the role of the villain, even if most of the time they fail miserably. Azarath would also secretly like to take a stroll on a beach and watch the sunset with MC, the calm atmosphere would in fact silence their voices

JAMES

James has modernized over time, after all he had to in order to keep up, however he experiences a few moments where he misses the good old 50s, his flourishing business period basically, plus James is the only one among the RAD Classmates, New exchange students and Devildom outsiders who has ever actually got into a serious long-term relationship, so he would try to revive those moments, changing things a bit for MC on Valentine's Day, while maintaining some 50' vibes (James had a wife and a young daughter in the past, they were murdered by people who were looking for him due to his cryptid nature. He would need a long time before opening up to MC about it). For once, James would make the effort to actually spend money and buy MC a huge bouquet of their favourite flowers, adding a hand written letter as a surprise, with his true and raw feelings on it

[cvstodians]

BLASPHEMOUS 2 SEXYMAN TOURNAMENT

(Not pictured: Cástula and Trifón). Your penance is over Blasphemers, it's finally time to find out who's Cvstodia's newest most eligible bachelor. Place your bets in the notes!