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franzias-cave · 3 years ago

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the volturi daemon au

Continuing on from Vinelle’s post re: the inevitable daemon!au, here are my takes on what the Volturi’s daemons would be. This is a beast, so I’ve popped it under a cut. Citations and paintings included!

Aro: Haast’s Eagle

A very big, very extinct bird. The Haast’s eagle preyed mainly on the giant, flightless Moa (230 kg). They were driven extinct when early human settlers on New Zealand over hunted the moa, but the Māori still have legend of enormous birds known as Pouakai, Hokioi, or Hakawai that would eat people.

Aro is a conceptual, farsighted person with very lofty goals, so I think a bird would suit. He’s the HBIC of the vampire world, so a terrifying, deeply intimidating bird is my first choice.

(Image credit John Megahan)

Caius: Aurochs

Caius, the most belligerent member of the Volturi! Obviously we’re going with a predator, right?

No.

We’re sticking with something much scarier: a great big fuckoff cow.

Specifically, the aurochs - the terror of Pleistocene Europe. Not only would they happily gore just about anyone, but the bulls would also fight each other to the death. Violent, angry, aggressive, and a second away from murder at any given time. While juvenile aurochs could face predation by wolves, mature and healthy bulls were nigh on invulnerable.

(image credit: Gesner Woodcut, "Icones Animalium" 1560, reproduced from 1551.)

Marcus: Scarlet Macaw

Like Aro, Marcus has a unique perspective on humanity that would lend itself well to having a bird daemon. I can see Marcus as a type of parrot, specifically a scarlet macaw - profoundly intelligent, very social, and adventurous. Another thing - many birds are monogamous, but scarlet macaws mate for life.

There is plenty of apocryphal evidence to suggest that parrots grieve - they scream, pluck their feathers, and generally become inconsolable.

The tragicomic potential is immense. To paraphrase @therealvinelle: “You have Aro saying "talk, birdie. C'mon. Come on, let's say "Caius stupid" together! Let's go! And the parrot just never talks back

Aro insists the parrot can talk, used to be the chattiest parrot around. No one believes him.”

Didyme: Sonoran Desert Toad

I thought about choosing a cuddly, oxytocin-inducing animal, I really did, but the lure of the sonoran desert toad proved too strong.

These toads are frequently hunted down and licked by adventurous psychonauts because their parotid glands produce 5-MeO-DMT and 5-HO-DMT (aka bufotenin), powerful psychoactive chemicals that produces a profound sense of mystical euphoria. Also super poisonous, so that’s a fun vampire adjacent thing.

What else would do for Didyme?

(frogge)

Athenodora: Grass Snake

A common snake in Greece that mostly wants to chill out in nice warm patches, but will kill if necessary. We know very little about Athenodora from canon, but we do know that she chooses to get blazed off Corin constantly.

Sulpicia: Domesticated pigeon

Aro famously searched high and low for a woman suitable for the position of his wife. Per Vinelle and the Muffin, I think Sulpicia is most likely loyal, kind, unambitious, pleasant, and maybe a little stupid.

Since it’s Aro’s chosen life partner, I went with a bird. She’s happy being a companion, so I went with a commonly kept bird.

Parrots are too smart for captivity and will go insane (don’t keep parrots as pets!). Geese and ducks are friendly, but there are also capable of violence. Chickens are charming and stupid, but also evil.

Domesticated pigeons (Columbia livia domestica) are thee bird companion. They’re friendly, just the right amount of stupid, and cute. They like hanging out! You can pick them up like a little hamburger!

They also mate for life.

I think it would be a very beautiful pigeon. Sulpicia is upwards of 3000 years old, so I don’t think it would make sense for her to be a modern pigeon breed, but I’m including an image of the Damascene pigeon for reference.

Jane: Bullet Ant

I thought about going with something cute and English like a badger before realising that Jane needed something more insidiously terrifying.

The inventor of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index considers the bullet ant to have the most painful sting of any animal, bar the tarantula hawk wasp. He described the sting of the bullet ant as "pure, intense, brilliant pain...like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel."

The sting causes immediate, excruciating pain. The effects eventually wear off without leaving lasting (physical) damage, similar to Jane’s power.

I don’t like looking at ants so you’ll have to look an image up yourself.

Alec: Blue Ringed Octopus

Tetrodotoxin is a hell of a drug. It interferes with the transmission of signals from the nerves to the muscles. It causes loss of sensation and muscle paralysis, which is spot on for Alec. Just imagine this poor 11 year old swimming around in the Roman baths in the Volterra basement with a rubber duckie and his small, poisonous daemon.

(Image credit me - I painted this)

Demetri: Polar bear

Polar bears are magnificent trackers, and one of the only animals that actively (and enthusiastically) hunt humans. There are plenty of examples of polar bears stalking their unwitting victims for weeks at a time, going so far as to learn their potential victim’s schedule. You’re a scientist on Svalbard? Better change up when you have your cigarette break.

(she knows where you live)

Felix: dung beetle (specifically Onthophagus taurus)

These little dudes can pull up to 1141 times their own body weight. That’s like a 70kg person effortlessly lifting a small submarine. Also it would give him a complex and I think that’s funny.

(use your imagination to picture bug)

Corin: Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian waxwings famously love to get fucked up on fermenting berries. They’re often seen flying around erratically after overindulging. I don’t know what Corin was like in life that her vampire power is getting other vampires metaphysically polluted, but she might have been a little like the bohemian waxwing.

(shots shots shots shots)

Chelsea: chimpanzee

Chimps have complex, intricate social lives with ever-evolving hierarchies. There is evidence of social manipulation and coercive social control in chimpanzee groups (super interesting paper linked). Chimpanzee groups will also go to war with each other, famously in the Gombe Chimpanzee War. Chelsea’s power is based on the manipulation of interpersonal attachment, so it makes sense to me that her daemon would have sophisticated social structures.

Heidi: Bolas spider

Heidi uses her powers to lure unsuspecting victims to their deaths. The bolas spider (Mastophora hutchinsoni), attracts moth males by mimicking the female moth sex pheromones. And then eats them. Pretty self-explanatory.

You’re gonna have to look this one up yourself, I hate looking at spiders.

#twilight #volturi #no bugs on my immaculate posts

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umblebumble · 3 years ago

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Dragon Age: Inquisition Daemons

So here’s another group daemon selection. I make my choices based off of a mix of analysis (The Daemon Forum is my favourite spot, link) and general vibe as well as plot/thematic things. For this, a lot of inspiration has come from fanfiction I’ve read where the daemon choice just makes sense. There will be minor spoilers for these characters personal plot arcs. Please let me know what you think, and share your own headcannons!

*As a note I tend to pick more mammals than anything else and I am working on widening my selections, but I still run very mammal-centric.

Solas - Common Raven. Raven’s are very clever birds and are great problem solvers and strategists. They go after what they want, and while they can roam in groups, they can work on their own as well. They are also mischievous and cocky; they will pull the tail feathers of larger birds to distract them from food or just for fun. This clever, cocky, proud bird is a very good match for our not-so-humble apostate. Thematically, ravens can be seen as death omens since they often eat carrion. However, they are also called ‘wolf birds’ because they have been known to have working relationships with wolves for hunting. Therefore a raven on the shoulder of a wolf would just make sense thematically to me.

Dorian - Scarlet Macaw. Parrots are far too clever for their own good and boredom is their worst enemy. Along with being bright and flashy to match the sparkly mage, their also very loud and opinionated and dramatic about everything just for the hell of it. I think a Macaw would be bold and striking on Dorian’s shoulder, and would have a razor tongue like the mage. However macaws can also be easily stressed and fall into self-destructive behaviour in bad environments. Thematically I think this parrot would have little bald patches hidden under its wings from where it would stress pluck. An interesting healing arc would be the bald patches growing back in as Dorian is accepted for who he is and doesn’t have to hide himself anymore.

Vivienne - Mute Swan. It can be said of water fowl that they appear graceful and serene on the surface but that’s because you can’t see the intricate paddling going on underneath. I feel that summarizes Vivienne well; she is serene and powerful and graceful at first glance, but behind the scenes there’s a lot of work and whispers and gathering of information. Swans are also very strong and assured. They could break bone with the strength of their wings, and they are confident and assured in their place and their power and status. Furthermore, they’re dedicated to their goals and will put in the work to reach them. However, I also like a swan for Vivienne because they mate for life. They are devoted to a single partner, and when that partner dies they mourn heavily. Vivienne appears unruffled and absolutely pristine to everyone around her and that’s because very few are allowed past her mask to see the softer heart inside that loves and then mourns her loved ones.

Iron Bull - Wild hog/Boar. Pigs are very underestimated animals - they appear big and slow, but they are vicious and incredibly intelligent. Pigs are seriously violent and I think this matches Bulls blood-thirsty battle-lust. But like Bull, his daemon would be underestimated; a war machine on the outside but the mind of a great spy on the inside. They’re social animals, and highly adaptable to a range of environments, and they can be very defensive and protective of themselves and those they care about. Overall I think a boar just suits every aspect of Bull visually and thematically.

Cassandra - Ram. *I initially said Mountain Goat but I had meant a Ram/Big Horned Sheep. Usually I headcanon Cassandra with a dog, a hound of some sort, but this was just very interesting and I quite liked it. When looking at a description of a Ram*, I just felt like it spoke for itself: “ Thick-skinned, competitive, and proud... Assertive and quick to put others in their place when they're crossed, definitely the confrontational sort. Highly defensive of their personal projects and themselves. Highly confident, not ones to doubt their abilities... Likely stubborn and highly straightforward, possibly blunt. Possibly planners, probably quite determined and persistent.” Cassandra is a hard-worker, determined and stubborn. She’s definitely the kind to attack a problem head-first, but she does have the capability to be quick, light on her feet and strategic about her approach. Rams are of the sheep family, and thus are very loyal and close to the people that belong in their circle.

Blackwall - Milksnake. Snakes are generally non-confrontational. They don’t pick fights but they will finish them, which is something I can see reflected in Blackwall’s more laid back attitude towards battle than the other warrior companions. Milksnakes are also very adaptable and will do well wherever they are. They’re a mix of solitary and social, they like being around others but also need their own space. They’re also rather internal and have a lot going on inside they don’t let show, not the kind to wear their heart on their sleeve. Mainly I enjoy the thematic meaning of a milksnake. Milksnakes are adapted to mimic a poisonous snake. Their colour pattern is close to that of a much more dangerous snake, and as such they often trick predators into thinking they are something they’re not. I like this thematically for the not-Warden who is pretending to be something much more fearsome than he is.

Sera - Rat. The common rat is an incredibly adaptable, resourceful, hardy creature. They will find a way in whatever circumstances and use whatever they have to their advantage. They are highly social beings and are made to work in groups, in teams and with others - a network much like the Red Jennies or little people. They’re bold, assertive, and even a little aggressive at times. A rat is seen as vermin and unwanted, but they’re everywhere and are clever and have their little hands in everything. Also, rats are thought of to be tricksters in mythos - the Chinese zodiac being an example of a rat tricking its way to the top. Sera uses her tricky playfulness mainly to pull pranks and cause mayhem, but she also uses it to stick up for others and assert her place in the world.

Varric - Vampire bat. Now I like the headcanon that dwarves don’t have daemons due to Fade-connection stuff and instead have weapons/armour like Armored Bears, but for the sake of argument I wanted to find what his daemon could be. A vampire bat is an unusual animal, and I think it, like Varric, would be the kind of person you don’t easily forget encountering. They are very sensitive, aware animals and are very in-tune with their surroundings and whats going on. They’re very social animals and thrive in groups. They have great communication skills and form close bonds with those they’re close to. Varric would do anything for the people he is closest to, and his natural environment is surrounded by people spinning tales and connecting with others. I think it’s an unusual daemon choice but I also like the idea that its a fun parallel to a surface dwarf - an underground animal, i.e. a rat, but in the sky with wings.

Cole - Unsettled. I think that if Cole did have a daemon, it would be unsettled. He is a spirit and he is in constant state of flux, despite having a central purpose of compassion. And even if he becomes more human, he is very reminiscent of a child learning the world and as such I do not think he would be settled until he becomes more settled in himself. (I do have further headcanon ideas about this spirit-daemon stuff but that may be another post, or a later addition to this one. Let me know if you’re interested)

Leliana - Mongoose. Leliana was harder for me because I don’t know her as well. I didn’t play Origins, but from what I know she was a much younger, more playful, less burdened and jaded person back then. I think this suits a mongoose very well. They can be very inquisitive and open and playful in their youth, unfearful of the wide world and ready to investigate anything to learn more. But as an adult they are more cautious and guarded. Mongoose are incredible predators and are very adaptive, able to take on even snakes that others don’t dare attack. They are more solitary and secretive, and I think an elusive, mysterious mongoose would be a wonderful hint at the fierce power hidden behind the cooler facade of her everyday persona. Brutal, subtle, and unexpected, a mongoose fits the spymaster well as far as I know her.

Cullen - Border Collie. I always knew Cullen would have a dog daemon, it was just a matter of which. He’s loyal and extremely hardworking, and so I decided on herding dogs. I chose Border Collie specifically because of their intelligence, independence and ability to think strategically. This is the kind of dog that will happily take orders and follow command, but will also work on its own to get a job done. Of herding dogs, Border Collies also have the ability to be a bit more ruthless, I feel. They aren’t timid dogs and if left to their own devices could become destructive and rough due to boredom and lack of stimulation. Also, they are predisposed to listen and obey and thus could fall prey to poor leadership (as seen in Kirkwall). Any dog I think could fit for our loyal, hardworking Commander, but I think Border Collie is a good fit. A bit of a farm-boy turned soldier, follower turned commander aesthetic fits thematically with his overall arc.

Josephine - Zebra Longwing. This kind of butterfly is beautiful and poisonous, a perfect combination for our ambassador. Butterfly’s are social creatures and do well around others. Furthermore this kind of butterfly works in groups to achieve its goal, suggesting a calm, diplomatic mind that is good at working with others towards a goal. Furthermore, butterflies are very sensitive and aware creatures; they pay attention to their surroundings and are very intuitive about the environment and others. Lastly, with a slightly toxic nature, these insects warn off predators with their flashy pattern that advertise them as dangerous. I like this because I think Josephine’s daemon would be a great hint at how not-helpless she is, a bit of a giveaway to her power and abilities. Plus I think a pretty butterfly perched like a beautiful broach suits her aesthetic.

#dai #dragon age inquisition #daemons #daemon headcanons #wow that was long #daemon au

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beautifulklicks · 5 years ago

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Laszlo Bacs

Scarlet Macaw

Considered by many one of the most intelligent bird species, the Scarlet Macaw mates for life and can often outlive humans.

#scarlet macow #macaw #parrot photo #parrot portrait #Parrot #bird watching #bird #bird species #mates #nature photography #nature #nature bird

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periwinkleparrots · 4 years ago

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Bird of the Week- Scarlet Macaw

Scarlet Macaws are one of the most beautiful and iconic species of Macaw, being both large and vividly coloured in red, blue and yellow.

Lifespan: 40-50 in the wild, up to 100 in captivity.

Latin name: Ara macao

Diet: Nuts, leaves, berries and seeds, but also flowers, nectar, and some insects/larvae.

Personality: Though social, birds are typically seen alone or in pairs, though flocks are sometimes seen too. They are monogamous and mate for life. Scarlet macaws are very lively and have a lot of 'personality'- they can be nippy even when tame. As pets they can tend towards being one-person birds, perhaps due to their bonding for life in the wild.

Native to: Central and South America.

Habitat: Humid, evergreen forest, such as the Amazon rainforest.

Conservation status: Least concern, population decreasing.

Fun Facts: Like all parrots, these macaws can 'blush'- and their featherless faces mean this is visible. This can indicate excitement or stress.

(Blue-and-Gold Macaw blushing).

#birblr #birdlovers #pet birds #bird #bird of the week #birds #parrots #macaw #macawparrot #scarlet macaw

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soulcluster-moved · 4 years ago

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@phantomdream / gemma : Gemma is still getting used to the world outside what she knows, what she was allowed to remember through the haze of drugs and being forcibly submerged in that tank. Always fighting, fighting, fighting. It's different here, on Mother Base with Cecile, listening to her talk about birds and the wildlife and plants, her distaste for war. All Gemma has known is war, and this woman doesn't believe in it. For a while, it made Gemma wonder if there is no room for her in a world without it, but Cecile doesn't push her away or treat her any different. It feels nice to be welcomed into such a peaceful woman's life. "What's that one?" she asks, pointing to a bird she's seen around, and she looks at Cecile, waiting to see her face light up as she talks.

“This is a scarlet macaw.” Cécile tapped her finger to her sketch. It was unfortunate that MSF’s mother base was not closer to the shore, as Costa Rica was host to so many wonderous birds, but Cécile had taken time sketching several to her notebook.

“It is a red, yellow, and blue bird, but its colors are so vibrant! The red is a deep red, like- like a sunset.” Her hand came to rest on Gemma’s forearm. “And the blue is bluer than the sky. It is a...soft blue, yes? But a scarlet macaw is vibrant. And its yellow is like the sun. A truly beautiful bird, and so romantic!” Cécile’s tone took a wistful note and she squeezed Gemma’s arm. “They mate for life, so it is common to find them in pairs.

With a mischievous and delighted smile, Cécile’s eyes whipped toward her. “Do you want to hear one?” Then, not waiting for an answer, she imitated their call. A low trill that the crescendoed into a louder one. Afterwards, Cécile burst into giggles.

#phantomdream #phantomdream: gemma #c: cécile caminades #queue #answered #oh my heart #ty for this #a blessing

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bjsmall · 4 years ago

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The Amazon Rainforest is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in South America. The rainforest covers most of the Amazon Basin and is approxmity 5,500,000 km2. That is 25 times bigger than the whole of Great Britain. 60% of the rainforest is in Brazil, 13% in Peru, 10% in Colombia with small amounts also in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest and most bio-diverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world with an estimated 390 billion individual trees. I first became interested in the Amazon Rainforest after watching the animated film Rio, which I got back in 2011 when it first came out. Since then I have discovered more about the Amazon and the animals and communities that live within it.

My favourite animal is the Macaw. See my blog entry text below on this magnificent bird of paradise.

Over the past 9 years I have come to understand more about this incredible area of our world and how deforestation is having such a devastating impact on its future. The main sources of deforestation are human settlement and the development of land between 1960 and 2018 about 17% of the Amazon Rainforest has been completely destroyed. Much of this been turned into livestock pastures and soya bean plantations. These growing industries have mean't the construction of two huge highways leading to further mass deforestation. With global warming and a greater understanding of its effects, countries around the world are putting increasing pressure on Brazil to protect this precious environment. Animations like Rio can highlight problems like deforestation in the Amazon and can educate a whole new generation on these worrying issues. The biodiversity of the rainforests is almost unbelievable. 1 in 10 known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest. This list includes 2.5 million insect species, 2,000 different birds and mammals, over 2,500 fishes and 378 species of reptile. There are at least 40,000 plant species. Some of my favourite animals from the rainforest include: Macaw, Toucan, Amazon Kingfisher, Specticled Owl, King Vulture, Sloth, Jaguar, Tapir, Armadillo, River Dolphin, Anaconda Throughout the world many foundations and charities are striving to protect the rainforest. For instance the Rainforest Foundation UK work with communities to gain land rights, challenge logging companies and help them manage to protect their environment, for example, promote sustainable land practices. Rainforest Foundation UK: https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/ Rainforest Trust: https://www.rainforesttrust.org/

WWF: https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon The Rainforest Trust is another organisation working tirelessly to protect rare rainforest environments. Their excellent website includes many links to their current projects.

The Macaw is definitely one of my favourite birds. I liked Macaws for as long as I can remember, but my interest in them really grew after I watched Rio in 2011. Macaws are long tailed often colourful new world parrots. They are native to Central America, North America (Mexico), South America and the Caribbean. There are at least 17 species of Macaw, and possibly more as some areas of dense rainforest have yet to be fully explored. several species of Macaw are endangered including Red-Fronted and Blue-Fronted Macaws. These playful birds make popular companions and many are illegally trapped for the pet trade. The rainforest home of many macaws are disappearing at an alarming rate due to logging and agriculture.

Macaws can live up to 80 years and have a wingspan of up to 40 inches. The vibrant plumage of many Macaws is suited to life in the rainforest with their green canopies and colourful fruits and flowers. The birds powerful beak can easily crack nuts and seeds while their dry, scaley tongues have a bone inside to help them tap into fruit.

Macaws are intelligent and social birds who mate for life. They gather in flocks of 10 to 30 and use loud calls and squawks to communicate with each other. They may travel (fly) long distances to feed on fruit, nuts, insects and snails.

The Macaws diet contains tamins and alkaloids which can be harmful for their stomachs. They visit clay licks containing salt to neutralist their effect. The Scarlet Macaw is my favourite of the Macaw species. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_macaw It is native to the humid evergreen forests of tropical central and south America. It has suffered local extinction due to habitat destruction and the parrot pet trade, but still remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail feathers are light blue. The greater upper wing coverts are yellow and the upper sides of the flight feathers are dark blue. The underside of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence. The Scarlet Macaw can live up to 90 years in captivity although a more typical lifespan is 40 to 50 years. After breeding, the hens lays two to three eggs in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs for about five weeks and the chicks fledge after about 90 days. They will live with their parents for the first year of their lives. The habitat of the Scarlet Macaw is larger than any other bird in the macaw species. This has enabled it to continue to flourish throughout the rainforest. Over the years I have visited the Scarlet Macaw at BirdWorld. https://birdworld.co.uk/ In Rio, there are two Spix's Macaws, these parrot species are believed to be extinct in the wild. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spix%27s_macaw The Spix's Macaw (also known as the little blue macaw) is native to Brazil. It was named after Johann Spix who collected a specimen in 1819.

The bird is a medium sized parrot, smaller than most other macaws. Usually the male and females are almost identical in appearance, although the females are slightly smaller. The species inhabited in the Caatinga area of north east Brazil. Due to its very restricted habitat and deforestation, the spix's macaw can only be found in captivity. There is a project to re-introduce the spix's macaw back to its habitat in 2021. It is a international effort by the ACTP (Association for the Conservation of threatened parrots) in Germany, Parrots International (US) and Jurong Bird Park (Singapore). The project has community and government support in Brazil.

Read more in the links below:

Rainforest Trust: https://www.rainforesttrust.org/projects/urgent-land-purchase-for-the-spixs-macaw/ ACTP: https://www.act-parrots.org/spixs-macaw/?lang=en

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birdy-rps · 5 years ago

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The camera shifts slightly ad her face comes into view. Checking the settings one more time she smiles and waves to the camera,

"Hi! Today we are going to go through the various creatures I own and how I got them! Now, while I own an aviary, many of the birds just visit momentarily and then return home either to their owner or they are relocated to a proper habitat after rehabilitation. I own around 9 different birds, 2 different reptiles, one amphibian, one arachnid and 5 mammals."

She turns the camera around, showing her walking to a door. The door opens to reveal what appears to be a animal paradise, different glass domes showcasing brilliant fauna from different ecosystems. The first dome she walks into appears to be a north American forest, and the camera shows her sliding a thick leather glove onto her hand.

"First up, let's meet Arthur. Arthur is a Male great horned owl, who used to be a pet until his owners got tired of him. Instead of bringing him straight to a place like mine, they just let him out into the wild, leaving him defenseless and vulnerable to predators. He had no idea how to hunt for himself and hardly flew around unless he wanted to perch."

She makes a whistle noise and theres a barely there sound of flapping as a large owl swoops from the trees and lands on her gloved hand. The owl settles himself and preens lightly under the view of the camera.

"He was given to me by someone who found him practically starving to death out in the woods. I taught him how to fly and how to hunt by using treats whenever he did it well, but since he had been a pet most his life he refuses to leave and thus cannot be rehabilitated. He's very friendly and behaves well around all age groups so he is one of my best models for photographs when I go to teach kids about animals"

Raising her hand and making another whistle noise, Arthur flies off into the trees. Moving to another patch of trees, She reaches into a bag at her side and pulls out a small piece of raw cubed beef, clutching it between her thumb and index within the large glove. She makes a high pitched scree noise and a more noticable flapping noise is heard from directly in front. A gyrfalcon swoops down and lands on her hand, quickly gobbling down the beef.

"This is Fawkes, my gyrfalcon. Hes about 8 years old, and came to me about a year and a half ago, suffering from an injured foot. He was given to me by a retired falconer and very quickly got used to being pampered because of his injury and prefers to stay in the aviary where he can stretch his wings whenever he pleases but still get attention."

Raising her hand like she did with Arthur, Fawkes flies off into the trees. Taking the large glove off, she flips the camera to face her again,

"Those were my north American birds, now on to my tropical species"

There's a jump cut and now Sarah is shown standing in an area of lush fauna, two different species of macaws on her shoulders. The one on her left shoulder is a scarlet macaw, the one on the right is a hyacinth macaw. Adjusting the microphone on the small headset, she introduces the pair,

"This is Bow, the scarlet macaw, and Beck, the hyacinth macaw. Both are around the same age, about 4 years old, and I got both from a rescue program after their habitats were destroyed due to logging companies. Both are very friendly and will attempt to take any buttons you happen to have on you, hence why I'm wearing a regular T shirt without buttons on it. They hang out here in the tropical dome with each other and anyone who happens to stop by, so they're never lonely"

The camera now shows her sitting on a low branch next to a toco toucan, the bird walking back and forth along the branch.

"This is Tulio, the toco toucan. He has been with me ever since he was a hatchling, his species being a very popular pet. He was the runt and was gifted to me by a very reliable avian breeder. He's very friendly and loves to eat fruit, and I often let those who pose with Tulio feed him a berry or two as a treat for good behavior."

Another jump cut and now she is standing holding a greater bird of paradise, the bird preening his feathers as he perched on her arm.

"This is Tico, the greater bird of paradise. He is about 3 years old, and loves being in the spotlight. I got him after he was injured in his habitat by some logging crew after he refused to leave. Since being brought to me, he has recovered fully but now thinks I am his mate and consistently performs a display to hopefully get me to accept his proposal."

She visibly sweatdrops as she mentions this before the scene changes to her opening the door to another dome, this one lacking very many trees and instead having tall Savannah grass. As soon as she closes the door, a pair of wings can be heard getting closer, and the moment she turns around, a large African crowned crane is standing in front of her.

"Oh! Hello Majesty, heheh. This is Majesty, my African crowned crane. She was gifted to me by a local zoo after she got involved in a pretty bad spat between her and another of their female cranes. She enjoys attention and pretty much demands the focus be on her at all times, and there has been one or two incidents of her pecking at someone who didnt give her the attention she wanted. Because of this, I rarely have her pose for photos, although she loves having her picture taken."

The scene cuts and now she has the camera pointed to a secretary bird, standing tall with his head feathers moving in the slight breeze. He steps toward the camera and pecks at it before Sarah moves the camera away, laughing softly,

"This is Jaques, my Male secretary bird. He has a habit of pecking at anything he can get his beak on, Haha. Despite that though, hes much more behaved than Majesty and thus I have more pictures of him. He tends to stand on people's shoulders if I have them crouch next to him. He was also given to me by a zoo as they needed more space for different animals they had received and had no where to put him. He enjoys being scratched under the beak and that's usually what he's asking for if he shoves his head in your hand."

The camera cuts again to show Sarah holding a large bearded vulture on her arm. He has bright orange pigment in his feathers.

"This is Steve, my bearded vulture, or lammergeier. Their diet is primarily bones, and they put pigment in their feathers to make them more intimidating. Steve prefers to be left alone and thus keeps to himself when I'm not around. I've had him for about 3 years now, after being injured by a trap someone had set. These fierce birds are captured and poisoned in acts of illegal persecution, and seldom make it out before the person who trapped them comes back to check their traps. And that's all of my personal avians!"

The view changes to being inside a fairly spacious room with terrariums lining the walls. She walks over to the closest one, opening it to show an African fat tailed gecko, carefully reaching her hand inside for the small reptile to crawl into her hand.

"This is Kiwi, my African fat tailed gecko. She's very friendly and her favorite place to sit is on people shoulders or head so she can get a good look around. Kiwi is an oreo morph, one of the rarer ones as this morph type is recessive. She likes to lick things and it feels very ticklish when she does, heheh. I've had her for about 2 years, and I got her for my birthday."

Placing Kiwi back into her tank, she moved down to another one, opening it and carefully removing a piebald python. The snake immediately slithered itself up to rest around her neck, causing Sarah to flip the camera view.

"This is Cookie, my piebald ball python, shes about 3 years old and was probably the best Christmas present I ever received! She enjoys curling around people's necks and she's extremely photogenic, she poses in just about every picture I've ever taken of her. And given how comfortable she is around my neck right now, I think itd be best if she stays there for the rest of the video."

There's a cut and the camera focuses on a black salamander with yellow spots, leisurely resting in a small pool of water.

"This is Mino, my black and yellow spotted salamander. I got him from my college professor who told me she couldnt take care of him anymore because of her new apartment having a strict no pets policy. He prefers to stay in his tank and it's best to not handle him because the oils from human hands could hurt him very badly. So most of the photos I have of him are of him in his tank."

The scene changes to show a large tarantula crawling on her hand. Sarah whispers softly into the microphone to avoid startling the arachnid,

"This is Luna, my rose haired tarantula. She is one of my oldest pets, being 13 years old. I've had her since I was in highschool and she's been with me through pretty much everything. She's very docile and is very okay with being handled but since she's so special to me I only let her take pictures with those I know personally."

Coming up to the last few minutes of the video, the camera shows two ferrets, a cat, and two dogs, playing next to a couch. Of the two ferrets, one is a dark eyed solid white and the other has a standard sable coat, and they seem to be playfully fighting over a toilet paper tube. The cat is a ragdoll and is leisurely resting in a patch of sun coming from the window. The smallest of. the two dogs is a pomsky, the larger being a albernese mountain dog.

"To end my video, I'm going to introduce you all to my five mammalian pets, Jinx and Greg the ferrets, Maria the ragdoll, Skye the pomsky and Kiba the albernese mountain dog. Out of the five, Maria is the oldest at 10 years old, Kiba coming in second at 5 years old. Jinx and Greg came from the same litter, both being 3 years old, Greg being the runt. And Skye is the youngest at 2 years old! I got all of them from reliable breeders and I cherish all of them dearly. And that concludes all my personal pets! Thank you for tuning in, see you next time!"

The video ends with a slideshow of various pictures of the animals with various people.

#animals #introduction to the crew #this is really long oof

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thenewnio · 3 years ago

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Preview: Looking Out for Her

https://thenewnio.tumblr.com/post/681882988442697728/aladdin-fanfic-idea

“Really? Najab?” Iago said as they rode into the seaside city. “What the heck is there in this place? It’s small, and there’s no palace, here. And it’s seaside? What am I, a seagull now?!”

There are many stories to be told here, Iago,” Cassim replied. “And sometimes beneath those stories there is just the smallest grain of truth.”

“What about gold, wiseguy?” The scarlet macaw poked his head out of the satchel around Cassim’s waist.

“There is always that, as well."

Cassim guided the horse around the winding road leading down towards Najab. It was quite different from Agrabah, with white buildings and stone streets, and the sounds of calling seagulls and a myriad of different spoken tongues. After finding an inn and hiring a stable boy to take care of Cassim’s horse, they ventured deeper into town, Iago having moved to his human friend’s shoulder. "Have you ever been to Najab?” Cassim asked as he wove through the crowd.

“Nah,” said Iago with a wave of his wing. “I did hear that they’ve got good wines, though, some real nice vintages.”

"Wine, in excess, clouds the mind." came Cassim’s response.

Iago was just about to reply, when his eye fell on a birdcage hanging on a stand a few feet away. Something blue, green and gold was inside.

The younger blue-and-gold macaw was rather disheveled, staring at the street with empty eyes.

Iago suddenly decided that he needed to preen himself. So what if there are other parrots here? the bird thought. Big fat whoop.

Still, something was nagging at him to help the other parrot in the cage. It whispered:

She’s just like you before that guy came into your life. She needs your help.

Iago groaned, knowing that this would probably hurt him.

“Hey, Cassim,” he whispered. “Ya think we could... ugh... get that bird over there?”

Cassim looked at the caged parrot. After some thought, he tucked Iago into his cloak and went up to the vendor. As they got closer, she raised her head and looked straight at Iago, peeking out of the folds of the former King of Thieves’ clothing. Their eyes met.

In that brief moment, Iago could swear that he saw intelligence in those eyes. Almost like...

"Ah!” The man at the stand said. “I see you have noticed my parrot.”

Cassim noticed the bandages on his fingers. “How much for the bird?” he asked.

“I’m afraid she’s not for sale,” the man shook his head. “She is here only for my customer’s entertainment. Nothing more.”

“I understand.”

“She is a smart bird,” the vendor continued. “Perfectly capable of speech, like you or I.”

Upon hearing that, Iago froze. Was this guy for real?

“I can prove it!” the man turned to the parrot. “Speak, Polly, go on.” But the parrot was silent, glaring at him with a clear disdain.

“Well,” Cassim declared. “I’d best be heading back to the inn. It has been a pleasure meeting with you.” To Iago, he whispered “Do you remember what I taught you on lockpicking?”

Once, Iago had complained about not having Abu's lockpicks around. In response, Cassim had taught him the many ways to pick a lock without a pick.

Now, the red parrot hoped that this would be worth it.

---

Peering out from the cage, Sardi watched the man take his leave. He probably was uninterested in her. Whatever. As long as people thought that she was an ordinary parrot that couldn’t speak, she had a better chance at freedom.

Still, some part of her wished he could stay and save her from her predicament. She was sick and tired of being cooped up in this cage, half-starved.

Her thoughts then turned to that other parrot she had seen hiding in the man’s cloak. That intelligence in those eyes...

...Meh. It could have just been her imagination. Besides, the guy could have been seeking a mate for his own bird. And there was no flippin’ way that she was ever going to-

A noise from outside the cage caught her attention. Sardi turned, ready to yell at Moosha as usual, only to come face-to-face with the red parrot.

To her surprise, he wasn’t just fiddling with the lock on her cage. He was actually, purposefully trying to pick it.

Her beak dropped open. This bird was smart!

As she watched, the red parrot finally managed to unlock the cage, opening the door wide. “Okay kid, you’re free now,” he whispered. “Get outta here!” He could talk, too!

As Sardi struggled with the option to say something back, anything, Moosha picked that moment to look at the cage, seeing the red bird. Instinctively, she cried out “Behind you!”

Her words startled the red parrot, but it was enough. He jumped up into the air, barely dodging Moosha’s dagger by a few feathers. “Why you little-!” the vendor snarled.

Sardi saw her chance. She exited the cage, only to be stopped when she realized that she was going to have to jump off the suddenly-too-high counter. The last thing she wanted was a serious injury from the fall.

Iago, flying in circles to avoid the slashes of the vendor’s blade, saw the female parrot look around helplessly. “What are ya DOIN’?!” he shouted. “Ya have wings! USE THEM!”

“How?!” came her frantic reply.

“Oh, for the love’a...” Exasperated, he swooped down, grasping her around her middle with his claws before flying away with her.

“My parrot!” Moosha cried out as they flew off. Sardi felt no pity for him.

They landed before the bearded man in the blue cloak, the red parrot saying “Alright, we got her outta there.” To Sardi, he said “You owe me for that one, kid.”

But she had a lot of questions for them. “Okay, who are you guys, and how and why is that other bird talking like me? Is he...” A thought crossed her mind, as she addressed the other parrot. “You got cursed too, huh?”

“Me, cursed?” Iago spread out his wings. “What, do I look cursed to ya right now?” Sure, he’d been cursed before - being turned into a frilled lizard, slowly turning to stone, having his head transformed into that of a human, etc. - but all that was over and done with.

"Calm, Iago," Cassim said before turning to the blue and gold parrot. “Do you mean to say that you’re under a curse yourself?”

“Yeah...” Sardi looked down at herself, at her small, feathery body. “It’s, uh...” She hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

“I believe we have the time,” came the man’s reply.

“Who even are you, anyway?” Sardi asked the man in blue.

“I am Cassim of Agrabah,” he said. “This, as you may already be aware, is Iago. And yours?”

“Sardi,” the female parrot replied.

#Aladdin #featuring my OCs

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nerdyguardgrl · 4 years ago

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I’ve got two rescue blue and gold macaws (mated pair), and I love them. They’re not for everyone. These two were lucky. They were in a very good living situation in their first home, but unfortunately their owner passed away. They were free flight at home, and came with him to his shop everyday. They love people because owner 1 worked so hard with them to get them used to people. He got them as hatchlings (different parents), but unfortunately he passed when they were only about four years old. It was sudden and unexpected, and unfortunately their next owner wasn’t as prepared for them.

They were inherited by his daughter and she just...didn’t know how to live with two macaws. She just put them in a room by themselves, and kept them in their cage 24/7. They went from being around people all the time to being alone in a cage most of the day. They went from being free flight to having barely enough room to hop from perch to perch. Luckily they were only with her for about two months before I ran into her and asked after them. I worked for her dad before he passed, and I loved those birds. She basically said you’d be doing me a favor by taking them, and I went and got them straight after. I’ve always been up to a challenge, and this wasn’t my first time owning birds. Just my first time owning parrots.

I was also very lucky, for three reasons. The first reason was because I had a great teacher when it came to parrots in her dad. The second was that they knew me. The third was my local fish store also had a rescue scarlet macaw (she lives a great life with them), and along with fish question they answered any questions I had about macaws. They were great when it came to advice. Admittedly the first couple months were a little rough while we got used to each other again, and while I got their living spaces built. They returned to being free flight while I’m at home, but I hated putting them in that cage at night or when I left the house.

Now they’ve got a beautiful DIY indoor aviary, and I turned my back patio into a DIY flight aviary for when it’s warm enough. They only have to go into their indoor aviary at bedtime, or when they want to during the day. They’ve got perches all around the house, though their favorite is still my head/shoulders. They’ve got plenty of toys on rotation, and a well balanced diet. They weren’t in awful shape when I got them, but they were a tad underweight and Mary had started to pull out her feathers. Luckily once I got their diet up to snuff, and once I proved she wasn’t going back in that room she stopped. Now she sticks to grooming herself, Bert, and me when I let her. Maybe one of my other animals every once in a while.

Cleaning up after them can be time consuming, but again I got lucky. Owner 1 house trained them since he had them free flying in his shop, and it was easy to teach them where their new potty places were. It can take a long time to house train them, but it’s worth putting the work in. Every once in a while I find a random mess, but that’s what wet cloths were made for. There was a drain in the room I turned into their indoor aviary, which helps a ton. All I’ve got to do is sweep, hose down the floor, and spot clean the other items in their aviary. Again, most of that was admittedly luck though.

They also started talking, singing, and screeching more once they got comfortable. I live out in the country, so it’s not as big a deal to me. Like I said their vocabularies are...interesting. Owner 1 was originally a sailor, and along with things like hello and love you, they know fuck, shit, and asshole. I think my one big complaint still is Bert it stubborn and prefers to say hey asshole when someone comes in the front door instead of hello. We’re working on it, but like I said, he’s stubborn. Still not a dealbreaker for me.

At this point I’ve had them for two years, and I absolutely love them. We have had one successful clutch of eggs, and their babies have two very good homes. One went to live with the owner of my LFS, and one went to live with my best friend. I don’t actively breed, but I’m also not going to stop it if it happens. It just means taking the extra step to make sure they do end up in a good home, and to follow up with the new owner every few months. If at any time something happens, I’m prepared to take them back and find them a new very good home. I’m not letting what happened to Mary and Bert happen to another bird if I can help it.

And yes, they are named after Mary Poppins and Bert. Those were the names they came with, and I think they fit them perfectly. Also, that damn cage was put up as free to my local bird club. It’s now a very happy home to a group of zebra finches.

TW: animal death / animal neglect

I wanted to draw this comic for a long time, but I never knew how to approach this issue. In my childhood all my friends had budgies, all of them were put aside somewhere and left alone. Treated like “annoying” decoration. Don’t get a bird if you can’t meet its needs.

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natysadventureblog · 6 years ago

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Day One [Internship at IBIMM]

03-Jan-2017

We get up at 6h30, get ready, and go up to the main house to prep the food for the animals. The macaws get very thin slices of watermelon, orange, apple, scarlet eggplant, papaya and melon, and seeds; if they’re not thin enough, they throw them away! The coatis get bananas, watermelon and melon, all peeled, and dog food. The tortoises get all the peels, cabbage, and some turtle food.

After everything was prepped, we started with Flor, the cockatiel. We cleaned her cage, and gave her some new water. She already had a lot of food, so we didn’t have to give her any more.

We then fed the macaws, Lara and Dara. Either the director (who’s currently on vacation) or this employee who takes care of the animals (among all sorts of other things), get them out of their enclosure during the day; we are allowed to do it, if we want to, but if something goes wrong, that’s on us! The lorikeet, Rodolfa, stays in the same enclosure as them, so we need to be careful to not let her escape. The macaws can bite, sometimes, so if we hold a broom while doing it, they don’t harass us. We basically take any fruit they may have left in the bowl (and add them to the tortoises’ food), clean it, give them some clean water, seeds and the fruits.

There’s a Barn Owl, here, called Sara (but we usually call her Sarinha); she only gets fed in the evening, but we clean her enclosure in the morning. When the director is here, he lets her out, but she escaped the day before he left, so nobody is risking it. There were none, this morning, but when there are pellets, we keep them, to be used in classes.

Then we fed the coatis. They’re very tame, but if you get in with them, they climb on you and ruin your clothes and such, so we have to “trick” them; we go inside a shift area, put a couple of bananas in the corner, and open the door for them; while theiy're distracted with the bananas, we go inside the enclosure to clean it and put the food. We pour the water in the bowl from the outside, once it has been cleaned. When we open the door again, they run to the food, so we can easily get out.

There are 6 tortoises (2 couples were mating when we got there) and 2 sliders in the same enclosure. If there’s no water getting in their little dam, we need to open the tap, to make sure it’s always fresh. Then we clean their plate, and give them the food. We throw the turtle food in the water, for the sliders.

There are also 7 hummingbird feeders; today we cleaned them, then added new water.

We also feed the dogs, in the morning, but there was still a lot of food left (because they slept by our house, last night), so we didn’t add any.

We then had breakfast and went to the museum. We turn the light on, in the boa constrictor’s terrarium, and, today we had to clean the mice’s boxes, in the bioterium (they were supposed to have done it yesterday, but they waited to show it to us). We found newborn mice in a couple of them… one had TWENTY-TWO!! In another box there are some that are already growing up… they’re SO cute!! It’s SO sad that they’re gonna become food… oh, well, it’s the circle of life…

In fact, when we were done with that, it was time to feed Toby, the tegu. Once again, it’s ridiculously hot, so he’s very active! The other intern went to give him a mouse and he jumped to try and get it from his hand! Then he got away from where he’s being kept… since it’s inside of the museum, it’s ok; we just had to close the doors… we gave him the mouse, which he chased, caught it, lost it, chased it, caught it lost it, caught it again and finally ate it! He was then a lot calmer, so we lured him with the second mouse.

youtube

The coordinator had to go to the post office and get the permit for driving on the beach renewed, so we went with him and he dropped us off at the supermarket. It was a "wholesale supermarket", like you can shop just like at a regular supermarket, but you'll get better prices if you buy several of the same tems… and it was super busy!! And, for some reason, everyone was just leaving their shopping carts with their children, so walking around wasn’t very easy!! But I got to buy most of what I needed and the prices were generally good, so it’s was worth the very long time that we had to wait in line, to pay!!

We got back at 13h, had lunch, and then had the afternoon free. The other intern and I are supposed to go beach monitoring everyday, but the time depends on the tide, and the lowest tide today was at 12h30, so it didn’t work out.

The internet finally started working on my computer, so I spent most of my free time catching up with the things that I needed to do, then tried on the shirts they have here (we need to buy two), because 95% of them are too big for me, and the other 5% are too warm! I think I chose mine, though… I’m just waiting to make sure they’re not gonna order any new ones while I’m here, cause there aren’t many options, and they’ll get quite a few students, this month.

At 5 to 17h we took a piece of chicken from the freezer, for Sarinha, and left it thawing in warm water, and turned on the light in her enclosure, then at 18h we fed her and we were done, so I came down to have a shower and organize my groceries, then went back up to make and have dinner and use the internet for a while, before coming back down… let me tell you, this walk is killing me!! My legs better look amazing by the end of the month!! Haha

Oh, speaking of legs... I’m being attacked by black flies!! They do not respect my insect repellent and it’s driving me nuts!! Just look at the size of my ankle/foot!!! I have the skinniest of feet!!

#biologist #internship #South America #Brazil #conservation #Ibimm

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