#the elk baby store

[theelkbaby]

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[bayofwolves]

Rereading Immortal Guardians

It's been a minute...

At long last, I have begun rereading my favourite arc of the series, part one of Fall of the Beasts. Have a look at some of the notes I compiled as I went, if you fancy.

I like how Greenhaven is depicted on the cover. It looks much cosier than the grey stone castle I usually imagine. I don't understand the elk heads, though. They look cool, but why do the Greencloaks idolize Tellun so much? All he did (as far as we know) was imprison Kovo and Gerathon after standing by and letting the Four Fallen die, all while supposedly being their leader. If anything, we should be hearing about statues and decorations erected in the Four Fallen's honour. Replace those elk heads with wolf heads; Briggan was the one who originally shaped the Greencloaks into a real army. Have a stone statue of each of the Fallen guarding the four corners of the castle, like they stood with the Greencloaks in life. Briggan to the north. Uraza to the south. Jhi to the east and Essix to the west. Looking out towards their respective homelands.

It's always a bit of a shock when I remember how young Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan are canonically. They start out a bit older in A Revised History of Erdas, and a lot more time passes over the course of the first three arcs.

In the canon timeline, it's been six months since The Evertree. Not long at all! (My timeline has the world at peace for a much lengthier period of twenty-two months.)

"'Someday our survival will rest upon knowing all about ancient Hellan rock decorating, and you're going to thank me,' Meilin said..." This line is funny to me because in the end, it was a creation of the Hellans that saved them.

The hidden section in Greenhaven's library is so intriguing. The librarian has been collecting literature about Stetriol and storing it there, and only certain people are granted access. Not even the Four Heroes knew about it. I don't think Olvan knew either, because he couldn't tell the kids anything about Stetriol when he sent them there. I wonder what other secrets are kept in there -- maybe stuff about the bond tokens? The location of the key to Gerathon's ancient prison? Records of the Stetriolan Genocide (if it truly happened)? Knowledge that might pave their way forward? The Four definitely need to dig into this.

The cover of the mysterious book is made of black snakeskin... which makes me wonder if the creator of the book was referencing Gerathon. How much did she know about the Wyrm, anyway?

All the pain and horror of Conor's infection could have been avoided if they had just amputated his arm at the elbow... but these books aren't based on logic.

Conor has moonbeam decorations on his ceiling! Someday I'll finish my blueprints for the Four's rooms.

When Conor, Meilin and Takoda make it out of the tunnels, I'm betting everything I have that they're all gonna have mad claustrophobia.

I'd argue that the Abeke Rescuing a Baby Animal saga continues in this book with the yak that she saves from the cougars. I just love the heart she has. To think nothing of herself even as blood is pouring out of her neck, only focused on protecting the vulnerable baby. Abeke, you will always be famous.

Anda has a baby sibling!

Anda was named healer for his tribe because Tellun came to him. It's interesting because in ARHoE, Tasha is chosen as Stetriol's next ruler for similar reasons.

Phos Astos is so much cooler than I remembered. The people live in giant mushrooms! They farm spiders (possibly using their silk for clothing and their venom for weapons or medicine)! It's lit by pretty colours and warmed by the earth itself! Amazing.

The Sadreans have spirit animals but no access to the Nectar, meaning they would have suffered from the bonding sickness until recently.

The Hellans and their Sadrean descendants were inspired by the ancient Greeks! Phos indeed means "light" in Greek. Xanthe itself is a Greek name. There are other similarities and references to Greek civilization/mythology later on (like Atalanta and the Meleager).

The Sadrean carvings reveal that Briggan, Uraza and Jhi were close even before their alliance in the First Devourer War! Interestingly, Essix isn't included.

While the chance of Shane meeting Xanthe while in Sadre is slim, it's not out of the question. Phos Astos is an ocean away from southern Amaya, where Shane entered from, but Xanthe is a wanderling and has been all the way to the Evertree before. It's possible that she's journeyed to other far reaches of Sadre, like the tunnels underneath southern Amaya -- or that Shane travelled quite a ways and met her somewhere in the middle. We're not told anything about his venture underground, so anything is possible.

On that note, it seems like different regions of Sadre have different coloured vegetation. Phos Astos is home to pink and green fungi, but the mushroom Shane found was purple.

Jhi has the power to stop sound. This panda is overpowered.

"Meilin turned her head in time to see [Takoda's] tattoo quiver and then disappear." Oh, the tattoos coming alive for a brief moment when the spirit animal enters or leaves the passive state is such a neat detail. I'm definitely keeping that.

Arax charging Abeke in the final battle harks back to Wild Born, when he cornered her after she stole his talisman. Since she was shown to have an affinity for the Granite Ram, I like to see connections being drawn between them.

Conor x Xanthe could have been something, actually. He seems quite enchanted by her, which I find sweet, but when I think about it some more, they have the potential for real depth. Imagine the internal struggle that could have arisen when she discovers he's infected, but by that point has already caught feelings for him. Something I'll explore in an AU, perhaps...

This was a great book. There were a lot of elements introduced that I really enjoyed: The overarching apocalypse, the Sadreans, the lore, the cool cast of new characters, and, of course, King. I have always favoured the aboveground team, but was pleasantly surprised to find the underground plot far more engaging than I remembered. I like Xanthe and Anda, but I'm not so sure about Takoda so far. He's alright, but I can't get a good read on him. His personality was all over the place in this book. I think I need to read some more chapters from his perspective. Thankfully, that is coming! And next time we are introduced to one of my all-time favourite characters: Tasha!

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[dogsuffrage]

It's interesting how people have convinced themselves that a normal, healthy life is to work 9-5 and spend the rest of your time raising kids. Like... no. Kids are supposed to be parented by the community as a whole while you spend like 4 hours a day chasing an elk with a big stick then get home and roast that shit. And you are the primary provider for your kid sure, but the whole community comes together to take care of each other. And your precious baby boy Gungorong says the elk tastes bad and you sigh and go "just eat the elk, Gungo." Because it's not like you've seen a moose any time recently, shit's hard nowadays. Back when you were a kid there were moose everywhere but it sucks now. Moose is so good too. And you can store it to eat for later in that cold mud it's pretty convenient, Kongobong taught you about that trick. She's so cool. Ah shit, looks like it might storm we should hurry up.

[princesssarisa]

In Cinderella Tales From Around the World, I've now read all the tales from the United States and Canada. Most of these variants are Native American; some scholars think the archetype of Cinderella spread to these tribes from French Canadian settlers, but the indigenous people made it their own. There are also some US and Canadian variants from non-indigenous sources, which the book follows with two similar versions from the West Indies.

*The first Native American variant in this book is an Ojibwe version. The heroine is abused by her stepmother and two stepsisters, but a manitou (spirit) gives her fine clothes and a magical box in which to secretly store them. Some time later, the stepmother sends her to fetch water, and along the way the girl meets her grandmother, who warns her that she'll hear music, but not to look back in its direction – if she succeeds in not looking back, she'll become more beautiful than ever. She does, so one of the stepsisters sets out to the same place to gain new beauty too, but she ignores the grandmother's warning, looks back, and turns ugly. Some time after this, a dance takes place, the heroine attends wearing the dress the manitou gave her, and the chief's son falls in love with her and marries her. But after she gives birth to a son, the stepmother sticks a magic pin in her that turns her into an elk, and one of the stepsisters takes her place. Yet as in similar European variants, every day the elk comes back to nurse her baby, and eventually her husband finds her and pulls out the pin, restoring her to human form. He then has the stepmother and stepsisters executed.

*Another variant, from the Mi'kmaq and Algonquin peoples, is one I grew up with: it's been adapted into two picture books, The Rough-Face Girl and Sootface, and as "The Indian Cinderella" in an episode of the cartoon series Adventures from the Book of Virtues. The heroine lives with her father and her two cruel older sisters, who destroy her beauty by burning her with hot coals, singing off her hair and leaving her face covered with scars. Meanwhile, near their village lives a great, mystical chief or warrior who is invisible, or who can make himself invisible. Every girl in the village wants to marry him, including the two sisters, and they all dress in their finest to go and meet him. But the Invisible One will only marry a maiden who can see him, so his (visible) sister meets each one of them, and tests them by asking what his sled-strap and bowstring are made of. All the maidens, including the heroines' sisters, tell lies and are sent away. But the heroine dresses herself in improvised clothes and goes too, despite all her neighbors jeering at how ugly and shabby she looks. When the Invisible One's sister asks the usual question, she replies that his sled-strap is the rainbow and his bowstring is the Milky Way. This is the true answer. The sister then bathes her, which makes her hair grow back and heals her burn scars to reveal her natural beauty, and she marries the Invisible One.

**There's also a Huron variant on this story, with long additional episodes where suitors court the two older sisters, but they disdain the men, set near-impossible tasks for them, and when they succeed, finally say they'll marry them only when they've finished embroidering fabrics for the wedding. They force their younger sister to do the embroidery for them, but every night, like Penelope in The Odyssey, they undo some of it. Eventually, however, a great invisible chief comes to call, and the older sisters lie that they can see him but describe him inaccurately, while the youngest sister describes his true, otherworldly appearance and becomes his bride.

*The Zuñi tribe has a variant called The Turkey Girl, which stands apart from most others by having a sad ending. The heroine is a poor orphan, who either lives alone or with abusive sisters depending on the version, and earns her living by herding turkeys. One day a sacred dance is held and she longs to attend, so her turkeys magically wash her and dress her in finery and jewelry. But they warn her to come back before sunset to lead them home and feed them. The girl promises to do so, but at the dance she enjoys herself so much that she doesn't bother to go home in time. She comes back after dark to find that all the turkeys have fled into the wild, abandoning her to loneliness and poverty. This tale seems to be an allegory, warning poor people whose fortunes improve not to forget their old friends or be ungrateful to those who helped them.

*The book also includes retellings of Perrault's Cendrillon from Canada, the Southern US (written in slave dialect), the Bahamas, and Martinique. They're not different enough from from Perrault's version to warrant descriptions, but it's interesting to see the story told with each of these places' local flavors and dialects.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow, @themousefromfantasyland

[harpy-lion]

Some Skeleton Head-Cannons ✨

(I do not own any of the skeletons with the exception of Frostbite, Elk, Rottie, and Monarch who are from my AU Violentale that I recommend you check out!)

This is my first time doing this sort of thing 😅 I would love if anyone has questions about them all. For now I'm just gonna list a few facts for each.

Sans (Classic)

Age 132

Has a Masters in Astronomy, Engineering, and Physics

He isn't fond of Formal clothes but does enjoy wearing Ties and Bowties. 👔

Papyrus (Creampuff)

Age 127

Enthusiastic Car Salesmen 🚗

His closest housemate is Edge

Bluebell/Blue (Underswap Sans)

Age 133

Energetic Police Officer

Blue and Red occasionally go clubbing together

Stretch (Underswap Papyrus)

Age 127

In college earning a degree in Business despite Masters and PhD in Engineering and Physics.

He enjoys Chemistry much more and wants to make his own line of Vapes and Candies.

Red (Underfell Sans)

Age 131

Works as a mechanic, does all the maintenance and detailing on everyone's vehicles.

Secretly has a collection of beanie babies only his brother and Blue know.

Edge (Underfell Papyrus)

Age 125

Edge is also taking college classes in the Culinary arts but only Red knows.

He has two cats named Doomy and Tigger one is a Black cat and the other is an orange tabby both are kittens he found abandoned.

Cherry (Fellswap Sans)

Age 130

Created their own fashion line and runs a small store.

Has the worst temper in the house, he also has severe brother envy.

Mutt (Fellswap Papyrus)

Age 124

Works in a Pet Store near his brother's store, adores all animals.

Has the bad habit of letting his brother be abusive and stopping anyone from saying something. He genuinely feels he deserves it perhaps you can change that?

Black/Blackberry (Swapfell Sans)

Age 132

Much like Edge and Stretch, Black attends Ebott City University, he's currently working on a degree in forensics and wants to be a detective someday.

He constantly butts skulls with Blue and Cherry, he claims that he is the best mix of both of them the truth is he is jealous of their confidence.

Cash (Swapfell Papyrus)

Age 126

Actually works with Creampuff at the dealership, don't deal with him trust me. He will smooth talk you into paying full price and more.

Handles most of the house's finances, but do not leave your money alone with him it will disappear.

(These guys won't appear till way later buuuuuttt-)

Frostbite (Violentale Sans)

Age 131

Makes homemade ice cream, slushes, and shaved ice.

He has Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and DO. NOT. HUG. He will bite you. HARD!

Elk (Violentale Papyrus)

Age 124

Due to his size (9 ft tall) he has difficulty working but he does some work at home.

His work is maintaining a small garden, a cow named Milkshake, and a few hens.

If anyone would like to ask about any more head cannons or ask certain skeletons about themselves it's more than welcomed! I am working on chapter 2 of 'The Skeleton Shortcake' but here is chapter 1! Also I'll be posting chapters here as they come 😉

[usagi-zakura]

Would you like some miniatures for your RPG game but you think they're too expensive? Or maybe you just can't find the right figure... because lord knows I've had that problem... sure you could just use your dice... but its more fun to have a figure that accurately represents your character right? This is my box of minis. Most of them are official miniatures or 3D-printed ones... but there's also some odd ones in here.

Option 1 is toys. Just ordinary toys. Sure a lot of these are as expensive if not more expensive than DnD minis... but if you happen to have some lying around... or maybe you find a box in the thrift store they can be used. Some of these are MLP blind bag figurines, or the pets of full sized ponies. A few are Shleich figurines which admittedly don't really fit the DnD scale, but I've been buying baby ones and made them stand in for large sized animals (and a rabbit that wasn't meant to be big... but for some reason I just couldn't find any smaller rabbits for the longest time). Also I painted them... because I a druid with a theme and that theme was stripes. (She was a tigerstriped Tabaxi) the elk is the only full sized figure I used for her because it was meant to be a Giant Elk. And Groot...I got no clue where he came from, I got it as a gift. Thought he could stand in for an awakened scrub or something.

Next are kinder toys. May not be available in the US but that ain't my fault... If you're looking for animals I recommend the Natoons series of Kinder Surprise Eggs. They're pretty great and come with delicious chocolate.

These are buttons. Yes buttons. I found them at a craft store and made them a base of hot glue.

If you're feeling artistic you could also try making them out of clay.

then there's my current favorite method of creating minis:

I made these using shrink plastic! (Base is hot glue once again) Admittedly they require at least some artistic talent and it can take a bit of trial and error to get them the correct size, but at least all my minis are 100% accurate to how I draw them :3

A friend of mine would have little paper figurines inside of a plastic stand (I belive he got the stands on Etsy, not sure which store tho) so it doesn't have to be shrink plast specifically either. If you can make a stand for a paper figure that works too! The Shrink plast ones just tend to be a tad more durable which is why I prefer them. X3

[analiavs]

Black Friday for the Goon Squad

Remy

Has spent months incrementally raising prices so that the black friday sale is higher than the true market value and then after the sale will continue to keep his prices higher

Introduces gym membership style subscription for the riding school (you cannot unsubscribe)

Tons of advertising and promotion on his social media. Many starring him (kinda see him as a bit of an attention whore)

Avery

Doesnt shop for sales, does he look like a plebian (��) but as cfo he does have to approve his firms black friday initiatives and see if they’re meeting their goals

Bailey

No his “services” don’t go on sale

I’d say he picks up cheaper necessities for the kids but he probably already goes to whatever their equivalent of dollar tree is so probs not

Maybe get his snake stuff

Eden

Does his typical the town and capitalism is evil sphiel but is suddenly silent when pc brings him a whole bunch of stuff. (Reverse sugar baby hmmm)

Zephyr

More profitable holiday raids, definitely buys his cannon balls on sale

Leighton

Gets excited for the sales, has holiday blues cuz his family does not fw him due to his actions mind you 💀

When he’s not broke I do see him as a retail therapy kind of person, maybe has a normal niche hobby

Gets his beloved dog/dog person tons of stuff

Wren

Gets caught shoplifting and has to spend the night in the pillory

Quinn

Doesnt worry about the sales… but probably sees if any luxury brands have good sales. Plus the pet store, he needs more terrariums and heat lamps

Briar

Mandatory shifts for everyone he’s sucking everyone dry

All kinds of deals and sales, and uncertain terms and conditions means that people may not get to fully utilize their purchases

Personally doesn’t shop for anything but might go creep around the strip club as a treat

might pay Dr. Elk street a visit

Harper

Oh yeah healthcare is free there right.

I guess puts a sale on plastic surgery

[phoenixyfriend]

List of my Star Wars OCs

Under a cut because I have no doubt this is going to grow and I mostly want to keep track for my own purposes.

Also. Uh. Should go without saying, but please don't use my OCs without asking. I know it's unlikely to happen but just in case. Please?

Jedi

Umika Sessenii - Twi'lek Jedi Master, teaches engineering - she/her - prosthetic hand from an explosion - Pale green that’s striated with darker shades of stripes. - Trans woman - ears instead of cones, and four head tails instead of the standard two - Anakin's supervisor for an 'advanced program' - Maybe a decade older than Obi-Wan? - Tiniest Assistant Teacher - Shiny Rainbow Knife

[name??] Skywalker - He/Him - Anakin invents a twin brother

San-Set Neff - Nikto - He/Him - Knight as of Galidraan - The King, the Soldier, and the Spy

Healer - Eris - They/them - Peer to Obi-Wan - Uncle Ben and Little Luke

Soul Healer - Madrás - She/her - Master as of Obi-Wan's year on Mandalore - Uncle Ben and Little Luke

Healer - Orféaz - They/them - Master as of Obi-Wan's year on Mandalore - Uncle Ben and Little Luke

Healer - Tophin - They/them - Anakin Uses a Sketchy Amulet from the Vaults

Skysisters AU and all the OCs in that.

Clone

(He/him unless otherwise noted)

Furbie - Coruscant Guard - specializes in navigating infested lower levels

Gus, short for Asparagus - Coruscant Guard - Shiny - Helps Ahsoka out when she Accidentally Becomes A Film Noir Detective - Pretends to be psychic to cover for her

Porkchop - Coruscant Guard - Medic

Clone Medic Whiskey - 212th

Clint and Matt - Clones inspired by Hawkeye and Daredevil - Deaf sniper, blind melee specialist (mild force sensitivity to parallel Marvel character's enhanced senses)

Elk - 501st - rank Private - Boba Has a Crush (On Rex’s Boyfriend)

Jimmy - 501st, junior medic - Anakin's DNA Wish

Pillow and Quota - 212th

Mandalorians

Na-Tsuyon - True Mando support (non-combatant) - She/her - tattoo artist - Nautolan, aquamarine - very much does not want to be involved in the plot - Older than Jango, younger than Jaster - A Child’s Ink

Hujnak - True Mando support (non-combatant) - He/him - Devaronian - Piercings artist - A Child’s Ink

Kamilla - True Mando - drill sergeant during Galidraan era - She/her - The King, the Soldier, and the Spy

Medic Mirka’lu - She/her - True Mando during Jaster and Jango's era - Has known Jango since he was eight - The King, the Soldier, and the Spy - Anakin Introduces his Jedi Babies (and Himself)

Unnamed - Twi'lek, medic - She/her - Lesbian married to another Mando

Laika - Pantoran hacker - She/her - Not actually Mandalorian, but part of the Cuy'val Dar - Widows on Kamino

Unnamed guard (and sister) thirsting over Jango - Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad Shaped

Tatooine

Unnamed - Nautolan, Tatooine - He/him - Owns an ice cream shop, considered wealthy by slaves but is functionally living hand to mouth - Dry skin; isn't judged for having indoor cooling even by those in poverty, due to species needs - Hides runaway slaves in the back

Beru's Uncle - becomes Tatooine's Senator if Hutts are ousted

Ranko - He/him - Beru's Cousin - Lives a few towns away, only see each other every few months - Undefined sexuality (bi or pan)

Slaves and former slaves: - Depthseeker, Singerwake, Dunefire, Moonhuntser - Not Quite as Clever as a Fox

Mirat - human - She/her - Runs a general store in Anchorhead - 18 at RotS - Gets married seven years after the rise of the empire; asks Ben Kenobi to officiate - Wizard of the Jundland Wastes

Primro Depthseeker - human - She/her - Five years older than Luke and Leia; lives in Anchorhead - Wizard of the Jundland Wastes

Other

Teskarim - Shop attendant in Mandalorian Space - She/her - Rex and Anakin Raise a Family

Ron-Gan - Human Senator - Space Ronald Reagan

Yenna - Togruta - She/her - Head of PR for the GAR (civilian employee) - The Skywalker Sex Tape

Unnamed - The Accountant From Theed - an accountant working for the government of Naboo - The Accountant from Theed

[mpalkoblog]

Touring the American West

This post outlines our recent visit (May 2023) to the American West. There are dozens of ways to enjoy your time there. This is what we did, and it worked out GREAT. We started planning almost a year in advance. Vacancies at places to stay and tour slots fill up quickly, so consider that when planning.

TIME OF YEAR We visited May 6-13. There are pros and cons to going in early Spring.

Cons

Not all of the roads in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park will be open. One main road in Yellowstone is maintained year-round. The others eventually become snow-covered and impassable. During our visit the Upper Loop and Lower Loop in that park weren't fully open, but we were able to see all of the main attractions. The National Park Service website has the schedule for road openings (and closures). Some of the roads were closed as snow removal was being finalized, others closed because of an increase in bear activity. As bears come out of hibernation and find the carcasses of bison and elk that didn't survive the winter, they become more aggressive and a bigger threat to visitors.

It's still somewhat cold and in some places the ground was still snow-covered. Lows were 30-35 degrees, highs 50-60. Dressing in layers is the way to go.

In some places, particularly in ID, many restaurants were seasonal and grocery stores closed at 5PM.

Pros

No crowds! At the height of Summer, it can take up to 90 minutes to get through Yellowstone's west entrance. Roads can become clogged, particularly when wildlife are on the roadway. We visited Yellowstone on three different days, and each day we rolled right up to the gate and moved about freely on all open roads. We were also able to easily pull into any of the cutouts, if we saw wildlife in the distance. I sincerely think the time in the park would have been less enjoyable if we had to deal with crowds.

Babies! Early Spring means new births. We saw young bison, elk and sheep.

TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS

We planned to visit the Grand Tetons National Park (Jackson, WY), Yellow Stone National Park (WY, MT & ID) and Bozeman, MT. There are two major airports that serve those areas: Bozeman Yellowstone International (Belgrade, MT) and Jackson Hole (Jackson, WY). There were more choices for flights into Bozeman, and the cost was less than Jackson Hole.

We flew into Bozeman and drove to Teton Village (~4.5 hours) on the date of our arrival. This was so we didn't have to drive 4.5 hours to the airport on the day of our departure. The first day was tiring, but that was a good decision.

We stayed at 3 different AirBnBs. One in Teton Village, WY (2 nights), one in Island Park, ID (3 nights), ~30 minutes from the West Entrance of Yellowstone and one in Belgrade, MT (2 nights). Since you'll need to book months in advance, pay attention to cancellation rules and related fees.

We rented a car and travelled almost 1,000 miles over the course of the week. If going with a group, pay attention to not only how many the vehicle seats, but also how the luggage room is reduced when seating the maximum. We, fortunately, were able to upgrade on the spot for $10/day. Upgrade fees are MUCH higher during the peak season and larger vehicles may not be available.

TOURS

While we explored much of the area on our own, we did take two formal tours. Like with the AirBnBs, pay attention to cancellation rules and fees.

While in Teton Village, we used Brush Buck Tours. We took a public tour and were fortunate enough to be the only ones in the van. They picked us up at our residence, and the guides were exceptional.

Also while there we took our own (free) tour of the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, WY, and got to see long horn sheep.

There was still a significant amount of snow on the ground in Island Park, ID, but roads were clear.

While there, we used Yellowstone Vacation Tours. This full-day tour was at capacity, so there were ~25 people on the bus. That number didn't decrease our enjoyment and, again, the guide was outstanding. For this tour, we had to meet them at their office.

We also visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. You can get an up-close, but not too personal, experience with those creatures.

On the way out of Island Park, ID, we drove through Yellowstone National Park again and exited through the north entrance. While in Bozeman, MT, we did some hiking near Montana State University and visited the Museum of the Rockies.

MISCELLANEOUS

If you're going to visit either of the National Parks on your own (i.e. without a tour guide), it's most cost-effective to buy an annual pass. Here's why: If you enter a park in a non-commercial vehicle, that pass covers the driver and all passengers in your vehicle. If you enter in a commercial vehicle (i.e. part of a guided tour) that annual pass covers 4 members of your party. Additional members of your party would then have to purchase an individual pass, good for 1 week. The annual pass covers EVERY National park, but the individual pass covers only the park for which it was purchased.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The altitude and dryness of the air can take a toll on your body and skin. Be sure to bring moisturizers and lip balm. Stock up on hydration powders (e.g. Propel, Liquid IV, etc.) to add to your water.

Bring snacks. While one of the tours provided drinks and snacks, the other didn't. If exploring on your own, consider buying a cheap Styrofoam cooler to keep in your vehicle and fill it with water, granola bars, protein bars, etc. Not all of the park amenities were open and food options were limited. One tour offered the option to purchase a box lunch, but we opted to get one at Ernie's Bakery & Deli in West Yellowstone ahead of the tour. Order early enough the day before, and they'll have them ready when they open at 7AM.

Bear spray. Since we did not do any hiking on trails because most were not yet open, if we had I would have carried bear spray. (It's basically pepper spray shot through a small fire extinguisher). You can purchase it there, but TSA prohibits it in both carry on and checked bags. You can rent bear spray by the day, too.

Invest in a quality set of binoculars. One of the tours provided each participant with a set to use during the tour, the other didn't. Having our own set was beneficial both on the tour and when we were exploring the area without a guide.

If a visit to that area is on your bucket list, go. If it's not, go. It was the most beautiful, breath-taking, awe-inspiring place I've ever been. It's also the most wild, harsh and unforgiving place, too. It's Nature doing its thing. When the mountain men who first went to that area returned to cities and towns with stories of the landscape and "upside down waterfalls" (geysers), locals did not believe them and thought they'd gone mad. It's a place you have to see for yourself.

[sourgummibears]

About Me Tag Game

Tagged by @raccoonspooky

Here’s my get to know me to lure people into my DMs come be friends with me I don’t bite (that’s a lie)

Nickname: Gummi

Age: 20 (Fun fact my birthday is the day right before Michael Myers)

Height: 5’5” (but I have giant shoes that make me 5’10”)

Sign: Libra

Last Google Search: Pink Kiss Mark PNG (it was for a drawing I can’t draw lipstick marks)

Song Stuck In Head: Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar

Sleep: Is a concept it’s a lie you don’t need it don’t let the government fool you (I take long naps no matter what time I go to bed)

Dream Job: Something that can make me a lot of money so I have funds to go do stuff that I want to do like trips with friends (so like a sugar baby maybe but minus the sex)

Wearing: Shirt that says “ASK ME ABOUT MY SHIP” that has Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens on the underside, black jeans, and purple socks with cats that I got from the 99cent store

Favorite Song: Depends on what I’m into at the moment but right now it’s anything from Scene Queen (a friend is going to her tour with Set It Off and I’m JEALOUS)

Favorite Instrument: Keyboard cause I use to play it (flute too)

Aesthetic: Depends on my mood cause sometimes I dress alt, sometimes I dress goth, other times I dress punk, once in a while pastel, it depends on my mood (also the weather cause climate change)

Favorite Authors: All you fanfic writers cause y’all carry the fandom like keep on writing seriously I love it (also y’all write porn better then published authors)

Favorite Color: Red and Pink

Favorite Animal Sound: Elk screams cause it’s cool (also Giant Salamanders sounding like actual crying babies lmao)

Last Song: Barbie & Ken by Scene Queen ft. Set It Off

[theelkbaby]

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[smallerplaces]

Tweakie Time!

Tweakie Toys, by J Chein, were sold for a single year in 1969. As a child, I had the same roles in the top row. While the youngest Fisher Price family (Mr. Price, Susan Price, and their children Patrick, Patricia, and baby Amy) lived in a Marx tin litho colonial furnished with FP furniture, the Tweakie family lived in the Modern Abode, a plywood house my father had built. The Modern Abode was furnished with Blue Box imitations of Triang furniture.

The Tweakies were Grandpa (mail carrier), Grandma (kindergarten teacher), their granddaughter Carol (police officer), and their ne'er-do-well son (in the grocer's apron) who lived in the attic and slept until noon.

Tweakies were sold with modular room blocks that could be stacked into various houses and stores. I never had those, nor any of the vehicles. There is a massive, thorough discussion of Tweakies -- with vintage ads! -- Planet of the Dolls. That splendid text creates the mystery of how I had four Tweakies, not six. I was an incredibly careful child who never broke toys! Plus, it was out-of-character for my parents not to have bought both sets of Tweakie People.

Time has passed. After years of the Modern Abode being inhabited first by pipecleaner people, then by those big-headed string dolls, I decided in 2019 on a Tweakie civilization and ordered all of the variants.

Carol is still a uniformed officer, but she's no longer writing parking tickets. She has risen to Captain of the local police force. She also bought the Modern Abode and redid it in Japandi style.

Giuseppe (formerly Joseph) rediscovered the family's Italian roots about the time that he decided to restore a collapsing chicken coop and start an organic farm with attached produce stand. He has a pet dire wolf.

Grandma Rose and Grandpa Gerard retired in 2019 and moved to a condo created from two Lil Huset cubes. (I gave that house away in 2022, so they're kind of hanging out.)

Ashley and Greg live in the Blue Box Mission-style house, furnished in vintage Marx furniture. She is a well-regarded voice actor. He is a cartoonist.

Clyde is a Gerard's best friend. They hang out at the Elks club together. Clyde is widely believed to have been involved in organized crime, as his paintings have never sold enough to support his lifestyle. He was briefly married to Augusta, some decades ago.

Augusta is the owner of the Maine Cottage. She was an artist's model in her flaming youth, before going into real estate. Three nudes she posed for hang in museums.

Stanley is Augusta's son, a businessman in Boston.

Fleur, a nurse, is the daughter of Clyde and Augusta, and sister of Stanley. She lives in a the Sunflower Cottage, a small Calico Critters house, also furnished in vintage Marx furniture.

This motley crew demonstrates how different face-ups can be on the "same" character.

Miranda, another nurse, works at the hospital with Fleur. She is the girlfriend of...

Tabitha, who is a math professor at the local community college. Her bemused expression comes from reading too assignments mangled by ChatGPT.

Anabeth is a detective in Carol's precinct. She carries a torch for Noah.

Irvine started out delivering milk during the pandemic. He has since expanded to delivering Giuseppe's organic eggs. Despite his head injury, he can handle his route.

Noah owns the hip restaurant and nightclub that's shaped like a giant drinks cart.

Naomi, Tabitha's twin, is a professor of sociology at the same college. Some freshmen are very confused for the first few weeks of the semester.

Christine is a bright young rookie in the police force who wants to be just like Carol.

[the-firebird69]

Harley haires meadow

It is where the baby kid's son daughter who's a weapon system or mechanism is exposed usually in the field or in space and it's for a brief moment when you going to the woods and you hit a meadow example is the elk that we're running smaller ones are in the woods the large one in which they want is in the meadow and their plans to do that a whole bunch of different ones yes but boy this motorcycle is a key to a lot of stuff

Hera

Excruciatingly hard to ride and they don't handle well and the frames need to be redesigned it's exhausting riding this damn thingsacs

Macs I guess that's our analogy and how we talk she weighed 400 pounds wouldn't be that bad but the frame can't hold it now and it says you're going to use better steel and you're going to be bigger is the rumor true

They're already coming out and they're bigger but thank you very much and you're welcome he says and I learned a trick or two from my dad boy that kid is obnoxious and I think this Big Joe helping out too they know how to do it and I hear it too we needed this to happen and he said I have a privilege to position and I have to use it or else I won't have any position and we got that and this is working no we're talking about the Harley-Davidson and them getting bigger and the motors are very powerful and we come more powerful when they switch the metal about 20 horsepower and 30 foot pounds of torque it's already about 70 or 80 or 100 of each and that's going to be very powerful and they're going to need it they're going to be big and they plan on doing that shortly not even with spice a lot of them are big I haven't tried to 7 ft and they're up to nine a lot of them and then we kept small even in the bunker they only like six five seven foot and our friend here is much bigger and they would not stand a chance the small arms and feels full size he says he's up to the crossmember it's like this wooden thing that looks like a gutter it's white on the inside of the gray roof part and it's about 22 ft so he's a couple feet shy of it and don't count them out it says my shoulders are as wide as two sections of the railing with all those pickets very big and the floor would not hold them not for a second you push right through it it says all you do is fill it the seven tissue's material cementitious material and you can do that with a concrete is can't go in the stores it says I can't anyways we can make a little house here. You have to get up early in the morning so people can come in around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m.. used to have that lifestyle it's quite a shock for a child these people are nuts they take anybody and screw around with them in any way it does not apply I looked at the chart and what he's saying is God like and we have a chart they do too and they should have backed off and they did not it's still way over it and the damn roof is not done this is annoying as hell.

Mac daddy

It's a little bit funny but it's damned annoying and they're not letting us make Harley-Davidson's either there's going to be this huge black market for them and they're going to go after them and the max is going to die hold on to the stupid bikes that still suck

Ben Arnold

Olympus

[norcalbruja]

Minor surgery tomorrow, plus I seem to have bad luck with cervid spirits

Copied from my main blog: I've got laser eye surgery scheduled for V-day tomorrow to help with some retina issues that have been going on for a few years. The folks at the clinic said it was a same-day operation and I should be covered by my insurance monetarily, BUT I've been trying to figure out what's actually in store for the next couple weeks and it's so confusing without asking the actual doctor. Like could they at least have gotten me a handout for "what to expect for minor/moderate procedures?" :/ Anyway, in case I have issues with one eye tomorrow, this is the reason.

--

As for spirit-issues, last night the Water-Spirit sent out a call for help because Most Of The Anito Still Aren't Here, annnnnnnnnnnnd guess what answered this time?

ANOTHER ELK/MOOSE!

But not just any elk, it was a freaky one! Behind the cut for yet more "pop" culture paganism, in the form of... "The Ritual (2017)."

This is behind the cut not for (lengthy/explicit???) scariness, because while it got solved fairly quickly, it was a REALLY unpleasant two or three minutes of me screaming in horror until Hypnos just... sent the Not-Elk away.

--

So here's me and the Water-Spirit in the Otherworld forest, and he is formally calling for help with like, my whole life again... and here comes this elk/human chimera thing lumbering out from the trees, which immediately made me think of Moder from The Ritual (2017). I haven't seen the movie myself, but I sure don't WANT to see it. I'm such a baby with wilderness horror, lmao.

Anyway, cue my screaming for like, two or three minutes because this enormous Not-An-Elk spirit has a fucking HUMAN FACE almost swallowed between two gigantic moose/elk antlers, and she had HUMAN HANDS instead of front legs, and sometimes she's got white human skin, but sometimes she's got masses of dark moose fur. IT'S NOT A GOOD MIX.

She was clearly not like Moder in personality, since she just reached out with a (really fucking long) arm, and the Water-Spirit didn't react like she was a THREAT, so much as a SURPRISE. While I was screaming and flailing, he just held on to me and asked the creature, "OH LORD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! GO AWAY! NO, DON'T TRY TO TOUCH HER, SHE'S SCARED!!!"

I have no idea what the Not-An-Elk was actually trying to do, but I sort of recovered my wits enough to yell for actual help from the Morrigan.

Hypnos of all people just rolled up and told Not-An-Elk, "NO. GO AWAY."

And now here comes a Full Metal Alchemist moment, because this Not-An-Elk can talk (in human languages???), just not WELL. Not-An-Elk cleared her throat and said to Hypnos in a very strained voice, "She... asked... me."

And Hypnos went, "No, honey, no she didn't. Her husband asked for like, anyone to help, and you're the one who heard him just now. You're scaring her. Please leave."

"Yes. I come back... later." So, Not-An-Elk didn't seem to hold anything against me (or the Water-Spirit), and she left.

The Morrigan AND Dionysus heard me screaming, so everyone waited for me to calm down. By then I felt really self-conscious and I was wondering if I was acting too much like a "hysterical useless woman" after running into two unexpected deer spirits.

And Dionysus was like, "Hysterical? You think you were hysterical? Babe, the Megaloceros tried to run you over. And how do you THINK other mortals would react if they see a chimera walking through the forest in the middle of the night?"

Hypnos told the Water-Spirit, "Buddy, you gotta be careful with asking for help. You're already a squid, and that's not like people at all."

And I was like "But like, I know what squid are. We fry the little ones or we eat them in soup. I don't know what... Moder is!"

MEANWHILE, the Water-Spirit went, "And that is forgetting how I'm not a squid anymore!"

And Hypnos went, "Yeah, but the abyss is still inside you. She sees it when she looks at your face. Everyone feels it when you're nearby. Weird shit is gonna home in on you because you just can't help it, and the only thing weirder than the abyss is the depths of the earth."

--

While the spirits were talking about Weird Land Creatures versus Weird Sea Creatures, Loki came up and was thrilled to see that one of his fictional "children" showed up. He called her back over, patted her hump, and he was like "THAT'S MY GIRL! BAHAHAHAHA."

And I'm like "Fucking hell, Loki. Why don't I ever have good luck with deer??? Cernunnos looks like a deer walking upright half the time. Then comes the Irish Elk trying to bludgeon me. THEN comes something that clearly wants to look like your stage-daughter from a horror movie."

And he was like, "Humans forgot a lot of shit about deer, Cyborg. They're creatures of the wilderness, like other forest beasts. They do not have your morals, or your society. DO. NOT. PISS. THEM. OFF."

I went, "Loki, I'm not TRYING to piss off the deer! They just... come around and then shit happens!"

And he laughed and went, "HAHAHAHAHA, THAT'S THE WILDERNESS!" in much the same way as he said, "that's my girl."

And I'll talk more about Cernunnos being a "deer walking on two legs" later, but needless to say, I told everyone but Hypnos and the Water-Spirit to PLEASE leave the meditation so I could fucking sleep.

[factorytapestry01]

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[vriska-serketboard]

YAYY THANKS FOR TAGGING MEEEE

Name(s): I go by Vriska on here but that is very much not my irl name lol. Some things about my actual name that doesn’t say what it is are that it’s an Indian name, ppl mispronounce it allll the time, & that it’s the name of a Hindu deity

Pronouns: I’m honestly not sure yet, but I’ve been leaning towards they/them or she/her recently. Still not sure whether I have a preference btwn those two yet 🤷🏽

Star sign: Capricorn!! My birthday’s in exactly a week lol

# of siblings & fun facts about them (if you have any): I have none unfortunately

# of pets & their names: 1 currently! She’s a 10yo standard poodle named Holly, and she’s my little baby sister & I love her so so much. I did used to have 2 degus named stumpy and bumpy when I was like 4 tho

Fandoms: mcr, danger days, homestuck, she ra & the princesses of power, Percy Jackson/general riordanverse stuff, avatar the last airbender & the legend of korra, the owl house, the dragon prince, & my hero academia (though I haven’t watched any of the last 3 in a long time, or even finished them). I also used to be huge into warrior cats, but I fell off that train a while back

Favorite color: green, black, gray, blue

Favorite song: oh god ok. Uhhh prison by mcr, dive in by ptv, figure 8 by paramore, forty six and two by tool, sludge factory unplugged by aic, keep your eyes peeled by qotsa, & dogs by pink floyd are some of my favs rn, but that’s very much subject to change lmao

Favorite author (of anything readable-- books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!): Rick riordan, Becky chambers, Mackenzie Lee, Steve brusatte, Dan ozzi

Hobbies: reading, listening to and playing music, sewing, making friendship bracelets, occasionally writing

Favorite fic type: ooh I love hurt/comfort! And angst fics in general. I like fluff too ofc but I like when there’s a lot of fluff after some heavy angst scenes.

Favorite holiday: Halloween is obviously one of them, but I also like christmas (I like giving and receiving items and also putting stuff on the tree is fun), navratri (I love having a specific color for each day so I can dress according to that, & also one of the alternate names of one of the goddesses celebrated is my namesake lol), & diwali (just a really cool time. I visited my family in India for Diwali once and it was so so much fun! We got to set fireworks and the like, & I actually held a sparkler)

Do you have any partner(s)? (romantic, qpp, anything!): not currently! I had my first partner from early September to late October, but we broke up. He & I are still friends tho so it’s cool.

Fun facts about you / anything extra you wanna share!: uhh i used to be able to unicycle, my dad went to middle & high school w/ the guys in they might be giants and when I was six we saw one of their shows & briefly hung out in their tour bus w/ them after, one of the ppl in my sci fi club was actually someone I had a math class with when I was like 10 or 12 (for me it was just my math class, for him it was an after school thing) & I didn’t realize it was him until the middle of the semester bc he’d transitioned since I last saw him, & I found a paramore shirt in the thrift store yesterday! I think it was Riot-era

tagging @ronispadez @tiredstressedemotionalmess @spinnychaircirclecasting @caffeineecold @just-another-bored-killjoy @k0smik0phobia @rockradiojunky @spookypaws @moderatelyluckypenny @dirteater69 @a-hundred-jewels @elk-scribbles @angelofmusings @nakaharaswife & anyone else who wants to join! No pressure ofc

I got bored so here's a little get-to-know-you tag game I think could be fun :3

Name(s)

Pronouns

Star sign

# of siblings & fun facts about them (if you have any)

# of pets & their names

Fandoms

Favorite color

Favorite song

Favorite author (of anything readable-- books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!)

Hobbies

Favorite fic type

Favorite holiday

Do you have any partner(s)? (romantic, qpp, anything!)

Fun facts about you / anything extra you wanna share!

────────

Name(s): Loki (highly preferred), Elye

Pronouns : they/them mostly, he/she okay too

Star sign: Pisces

# of siblings: I've got 2! An older sister and a younger sibling. The fun fact about them is that they're also both queer; in fact, my mom is too. The only non-queer person in my immediate family is my dad.

# of pets: 4 cats! Phoebe & Frankie are our girls, Lenny and Murray are our boys :3

Fandoms: MCU (kind of), BSD, OFMD, Ranboo (does his fanbase count as a fandom?)

Fav. color: Don't have one

Fav. song: Aurora Borealis by Lemon Demon

Fav. author: Alice Oseman

Hobbies: singing, acting, drawing, writing, procrastinating

Fav. fic type: Fluff, definitely. I am a sucker for well written coffee-shop and flower-shop aus, too. Smut's fine, but only if it's romantic. I can't do angst if there's no comfort.

Fav. Holiday: Hanukkah or Halloween! I love autumn and winter

Partners?: Yes! I have a girlfriend (queerplatonic) who I love very much, and a boyfriend (romantic) who I love very much :]

Fun facts:

- Even though I'm a cat person, I really, really want a dog.

- I actually used to play sports. Because I don't do gendered leagues anymore, I don't play, but I've been looking for mixed/gender-neutral/queer sports teams. Baseball and basketball specifically!

- I started questioning my identity in 2019; I'm no closer to finding a label now than I was then. The difference is, now I don't want a label. I just am. :]

tags: @neonganymede @cha0ticlesbian @x-chiara @exceleo @brinnybee @autistic-katara @gandalfthemorallygrey @ohboyanotherlokiblog @roachandrenfri @ourflagmeanslokius @exceleo @edettethegreat @swiftlyspidey