#albatross chick of good fortune | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

firethekitty · 3 months

Note

whats the best bird. not like ur favorite bird (but ur free to include that) but just like the objectively best bird

very good question……….. all birds are amazing and i’m definitely biased towards parrots bc i have 2 and i think cockatiels are the funniest goddamn things on the planet, just looking at them makes me laugh

vinny :)

i also love keas and i support their car-destroying endeavors (fun fact, glass animals samples the kea play call in their songs pools and hot sugar!)

personal favorite birds aside……. i think the Best bird ever is the albatross

these guys break a lot of records. the wandering albatross is the largest flighted bird in the world, with a wingspan of almost 12 goddamn feet across

the oldest recorded wild bird is a laysan albatross named wisdom who’s still alive and well at the ripe age of 72

albatrosses can also fly for days without landing (not necessarily a record-breaker but still impressive!) and soar on air currents for thousands of miles without flapping once. also their chicks look like this

they once were birds that were thought to bring good fortune until that idiot mariner killed one, so now they’re mainly used as a symbol of guilt and psychological torment in literature.

on top of all of this, the albatross is just a really sweet bird. literally all they want to do is take care of their mate and chick and cuddle and eat food and chill out. of course all animals fight but albatrosses are VERY chill most of the time, if there’s ever any tension it can usually be solved with a little awkward wrestling. otherwise they’re pretty peaceful guys.

they’re also socially monogamous and mate for life (meaning they return to the same mate every season, but there's still the possibility of some infidelity here and there as well as divorce). their mating rituals are cute as hell and you can tell that they genuinely love each other. in some species of albatross, a significant number of females willingly and intentionally pair with other females, mating with a random male but then raising her egg with the female

but also, because of overfishing and climate change, there are less females than males in some populations bc the females hunt in areas that are overrun by fishing vessels. the male albatross would much rather pair with other males than being alone, even though they know they won't be able to have chicks

they are so silly and cute i want to be turned into an albatross and go be a gay albatross on a remote island in the middle of nowhere it'd fix me

#ask #birds #long post #serirei (the guy)

18 notes · View notes

necrobotany-bos · 2 years

Text

Feathers as Messages

Feathers are commonly seen as good luck and messages from the spirit world. Here’s a quick guide to what any feathers you may find might mean.

Colors

White Feather - A sign from a passed loved one or angels. Are a common sign that your spiritual desires and requests are being answered, and serve as reassurance that everything will be alright.

Black Feather - A call to spiritual action and for self-exploration. Represents wisdom, strength and protection. Black feathers may mean you are being watched over and protected from negative influence.

Red Feather - Represents love, passion, good luck, fortune and business. Changes are coming your way.

Gray Feather - Peace and Compromise, and that calmer times are ahead

Blue Feather - May be telling you to speak up for yourself, and can be a sign of better communication with the supernatural. Blue feathers also mean that your requests will be granted.

Orange Feather - Represents creative expression and manifestation, so you should go for what you want now. You should harness your creativity. Orange feathers can also remind you that everything is going to be alright, and can also represent healing.

Yellow Feather - You have all the tools to create the life you want. A bright future is ahead of you.

Green Feather - Represents healing, both of yourself and those you care about, along with hope and compassion. Good things are coming to you in terms of love and business. Take care of yourself.

Purple Feather - You are experiencing rapid spiritual growth. You are more connected than ever.

Pink Feather - You are on the verge of a breakthrough, and unconditional love is on the way. You are being called to communicate your love and show compassion to others.

Brown Feather - You need to ground and stabilize yourself. Represents balance between the physical and spiritual.

Species

Blue Jay - Good luck. Assures you of future success and good fortune, as well as self-healing, faithfulness and determination. You need to express yourself, listen to subtle hints, and brace for change. Be bold and assertive.

Albatross - New opportunities, freedom, hope and wanderlust. You may travel or visit someplace important soon. Also brings good luck to seafarers

Blackbird - You’re not alone, something is watching over you and you are protected. Blackbirds also represent reflection and intelligence, so you should listen to your intuition, it may come in handy soon

Cardinal - Stand your ground. Know your power. You may be taken on a journey and be set for new beginnings in life. Protecting you and your loved ones is of the utmost importance right now.

Peacock - Associated with protection and attraction. If you’re looking for a partner, a Peacock feather is saying to strut your stuff and show your beauty. Strongly associated with Hera

Hawk - Hawk Feathers are a strong sign that you are being watched over and protected. Protect yourself and those you love. Share your insight and intuition with the world and those around you.

Eagle - You are being positively acknowledged. Others respect you and love you. Challenge yourself to put yourself out there

Owl - Represents wisdom and intuition. New insight and guidance will enter your life and help clear things up. Examine those around you and look out for deception

Turkey - Abundance, pride and fertility are coming your way. Prosperity will soon be yours

Dove - Things will get better. You are moving towards truth and clarity, and things will soon become clear

Chick-a-dee - Self-expression and friendship. Good things are coming, just hold on

Goose - You should practice communication more and focus on being honest. Good communication will save you from trouble later on

Crow - Considered a message from angels. It may be offering you comfort, a suggestion or a warning. Angels are currently aiding in your heading process

Duck - You will make new friends and be happy with them. Your relationships will strengthen. However, watch out for fake friends, somebody may try to ruffle your feathers (hehe) soon

Falcon - You will find/love/marry someone of great fortune, or make a great fortune yourself

Heron - Be patient. Good things are coming quickly

Hummingbird - Spirits are trying to communicate with you. Also represents love, beauty and intelligence

Magpie - News is coming

Mockingbird - Be authentic and original, your uniqueness will pay off

Pigeon - Angels are communicating with you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re going through something. Also represents family

Robin - Renewal and personal growth

Sparrow - Good luck and productivity will hit you soon

Swan - Angels are communicating with you. Also represents grace, purity and wisdom

Vulture - Strength

Woodpecker - Communication with nature and spirits, represents mysteries too

Wren - Rebirth, Immortality and Protection. You are being guided and protected by powerful forces

Stork - You or someone you know may have children soon. It’s time to settle down

Osprey - Have faith in your abilities and you will achieve your dreams

Loon - Old hopes will reawaken. Your wishes will come true

Chicken - Prosperity and Abundance are coming your way

#beginner witch #baby witch #witch #witchblr #witchcraft

171 notes · View notes

tinytourist · 4 years

Text

Boobieland

We were set to explore Española Island on Tuesday, when the naturalists (guides) pointed out that the ship was surrounded by dolphins. Española could wait. Our guides took us for a joy ride in the dinghys to observe. There were dolphins popping in and out of the water everywhere we looked! It was magnificent.

Eventually the guides told us that we had had enough and needed to return to the planned activities. When we landed on the island, we were welcomed by a fierce looking Española mockingbird.

Wherever we walked on the island marine iguanas were canoodling. We really had to look where we stepped! In addition to iguanas, boobies were everywhere. Our guide jokingly referred to it as boobieland. Good thing there were no teenage boys around to hear that.

In boobieland, we spotted a nazca boobie sitting on an egg, as well as a fluffy baby nazca sitting with its mother. Later, we were fortunate enough to observe a blue-footed booby feeding its chick. The feeding was cut short by an intruding frigatebird, hoping to steal a meal. The mother booby squawked away the frigate and succeeded in defending its territory.

Apparently boobies aren’t the main attraction in boobieland. Rather, it is the wide-spanned albatross that attracts people to this island. Our guide told us this tidbit as she spotted a young albatross in the distance. Most of us were able to find this bird; however, Peggy experienced much difficulty. After a few minutes of trying to help her see it, we had to move on. Luckily we stumbled upon another young albatross. This time it was so close that you couldn’t miss it, and everyone was able to enjoy its presence.

In the afternoon we got to try another round of deep water snorkeling. Matt was feeling a little better and was eager to join after hearing about our last experience. The waters were a bit murky here but some of our fellow snorkelers pointed out three large sting rays on the ocean floor which Jon and I were able to observe. I found Matt and Peggy and took a video of them right as a sea lion dove below. Unfortunatley this video deleted itself right after. I guess my GoPro decided that I had gotten enough good underwater shots!

When we got back to the boat, we had our briefing for the following day. Peggy and Jon skipped this one to look out at the stars on the top deck. Matt and I watched as the activities director revealed the effigy that the crew made of one of the members. It was a pretty accurate depiction. We were told that it is Ecuadorian tradition to burn effigies of people they either love or hate on New Years Eve to cleanse the bad from the year before and welcome the new year. Often, they burn effigies of political and pop culture figures. I can think of at least one political figure I would like to make an effigy out of...

Matt and I went to the top deck to join Peggy and Jon stargazing. When we looked into the water we saw about 12 Galapagos sharks circling the ship. Creepy. To ring in the new year, the crew provided a nice happy hour with wine, cheese, and sushi on the main deck. We got to observe a beautiful sunset and chat with our fellow explorers. Later, we watched the effigy burn as the sharks came back in full force. I guess the effigy tricked them well. It did seem a bit strange to me that the crew would burn something in the Galapagos, when conservation and climate change are such important issues to the islands. I guess traditions win out. They did however make an effort to tie the effigy to a string so they could hoist in the remnants. After the effigy burning, the four of us went to sleep well before midnight #partyanimals.

#ecuador #galapagos #south america

1 note · View note

luvkirby4ever · 6 years

Text

Of birds and morons: a look into Mother 3′s most intricate unspoken running joke/motif

Shoutout to @amphibizzy for convincing me to talk about this. There’s so much Mother 3 meta that I want to talk about- maybe next time I’ll make a video essay to spare you all from reading so much >o<

Tldr; Duster and Wess have bird motifs that don’t quite translate over well, making Wess’s mannerisms slightly less harsh in context but outs him as surprisingly superstitious. May be a nod to Japanese mythology, too.

So, a starting point. Did you know that at beginning of chapter 7 after Ionia joins you (still tied up at this point) that if you go back and talk to Wess he says something rather strange?

For clarity, the entire original conversation reads "Washi no inemuri uranai ni yoreba kyou wa TRIPLE LUCKY da yo. Jishin o motte daikatsuyaku shinasai." which translates as “According to my sleep divinations, today is triple lucky. Go forth with great confidence.”

Weird, right? Since when has Wess believed in something like fortune telling through dreams? Is that why he believed Alec’s dream of Hinawa? And what does this have to do with birds?

Be sure to remember this.

Part 1: Cleaning crew bird boys

So now let’s take a step back and look at the easiest part of all this. In all of Mother 3, there’s only 1 bandana that Flint can equip (the manly bandana that Lighter gave him), otherwise the only characters than can equip bandanas are Duster and Salsa. The bandanas (except the manly one) all have a bird names, with the types being the chick, sparrow, rail (the kana used refers to the water rail, a type of bird), swallow (also a bird), crow, kite (also a bird), and Horus (the Egyptian god whose head resembles a falcon).

Now that’s all well and good, but let’s say that’s not good enough. Wess and Duster’s connection with watching over the Hummingbird Egg seems pretty solid with Duster’s bird bandanas but let’s go deeper.

When Wess snaps, he consistently refers to Duster as “aho” (moron) and “anoaho” (that moron). Which is needlessly cruel, but... also a pun. Yes, that’s right. The game totters around the joke that Duster is bird-brained, through which Wess is the main spark and Duster is the conduit. And for the record’s sake this isn’t me excusing Wess’s actions- I’m making an intricate webcomic about his relationship with Duster and him learning how to be a better person for a reason, after all- but I’ve literally heard nobody else talk about this so I honestly think people don’t know about it.

In Japan, “aho” means “moron”, but it is also the onomatopoeia for a crow’s cawing. There’s a trope known as the “idiot crow” in Japanese media based on this. What will happen is that something dumb will happen and a crow will fly by and caw “aho aho!”. Which means “caw caw” but also means “moron moron”. Thus the joke. So Wess’s “aho aho!”-ing and using “anoaho” makes him sound like an old crow, commentating on Duster’s mistakes.

Will I get banned from the fandom for making a Homestuck “caw caw motherfucker joke with Wess or-?”

This also feeds into Duster being a bird- “aho” (”moron”) is also used in the word “ahoudori” (”albatross”). Which is a bird, of course. And it’s no coincidence either- albatross are known as “idiot birds” in Japan- that’s what “ahoudori” literally translates to.

One more thing that I’ll add to the “Duster’s a bird” pool aside from making a “HEY GUYS LOOK HE’S A FEATHER DUSTER” joke is that his “aho” bird-ness lends him to more “you are ____ type of bird” jokes, which is actually extrapolated by Lighter in game.

In the Japanese version Lighter says “Sugoshi CONDOR? Iya sakatta. Sugoshi hagetaka? Gaahaahaaha.” This translates as “[You’re] a bit condor-ish? No, that’s not it. [You’re] a bit vulture-ish? Gahaha.”

A bit “vulture-ish”? Why does he say that? And why did Mato translate it as going bald? Because it’s another wordplay pun! Much like how “ahoudori” (”albatross”) is literally “idiot-bird”, “hagetaka” (”vulture”) is literally “bald-hawk”. But even more than that, “hagetaka” (a noun) is similar to “hageru”, the verb for “to bald”. Since “hageru” is an ichidan verb, you can conjugate it as “hageta” to say “balded”. And then you tack on “ka” at the end to make the statement a question. So, in short:

Hagetaka=vulture

Hage=bald

Taka=hawk

Hageru=to bald

Hageta=balded

“Hagetaka?”=“Have you balded?”

Hagetaakaa=the “balding eagle” enemy on Mr. Oriander

Damn, Lighter! That’s a choice pun. Now, whether or not he was mostly doing it to make a bird joke, to note that Duster looks balder without an afro, or genuinely comment on Duster’s hairline is anyone’s guess. But hey thanks for the bird fodder Lighter!

Part 2: Idiots don’t catch colds

If there’s one Japanese idiom you’ve heard, it’s probably that one. It’s a funny little superstition- the idea that you’re so dumb that your brain lacks to capacity to get a cold- but surprisingly it may be a belief by which Wess operates. And yes, this still has to do with birds! In a roundabout way!

Wess being the type of person to believe in magical dreaming and superstition was a very hard concept for me to process at first after I read that “triple lucky” bit during a Mother 3 playthrough. With the exception of Duster-related things, Wess seems like a fairly understanding and reasonable person: he tells Flint to be careful and consider his family before rushing off to confront the Mecha-Drago, he wants to help search for Hinawa, he’s adamantly opposed to Fassad’s BS and is one of the only villagers to actively oppose him, and he even tells Duster (upon inputting “no” during a dialogue tree in early chapter 2) that Duster can target any hatred or resentment he may have towards him, since by Wess’s logic that doesn’t matter as long as their mission succeeds.

So if anything he’s a bit crass and willing to sacrifice his own pride/comfort/personal relationships for the greater good, but his convictions are strong and seemingly grounded in his own sense of justice and logic. Which is why I always took him as someone who wouldn’t believe in PSI, magic, or anything supernatural like that. But since he *does* seem to believe in that sort of thing, let’s break down what we know:

Wess refers to Duster as a moron

Duster’s IQ is often tied with Boney’s for lowest party member IQ

Wess tells Kumatora in chapter 3 that “morons like that don’t get hurt or sick”

Duster canonically doesn’t catch fevers while Kumatora and Lucas do

In Japan, there’s the idiom “idiots don’t catch colds”

Wess claims to have dreams with fortune telling powers

Says Lucas will have a “triple lucky” day

Lucas proceeds to successfully pull 3 out of the 7 needles before the chapter is over

It’s almost as if Wess wants Duster to be a moron, because superstitiously Duster would be safer that way. Hm. It’s also strange that Wess almost seems magical, which may have legitimately been viable at some point since Wess was planned as a playable character for a long while (Therefore he could have been a PSI user with thunder attacks to replace his bombs). There’s an Earthbound 64 screenshot of Wess being alive while Duster is fainted and even all the way up through Mother 3 you can still access data suggesting Wess was a normal party member from the debug room (I could make a whole post on that- you can use a glitch to pull up all of his stats except HP and PP).

So Duster may be a bird and Wess an old, superstitious crow with maybe some sort of ambiguous connection to magic... but so what? Well,

Part 3: It’s Yo-kai time! (Yatagarasu, Kotengu, and Karasutengu)

This is a much more speculative section, though I try to be reasonable.

You know, I skimmed over the fact that Duster’s final and best bandana is the Horus Bandana, named after the Egyptian deity with a falcon head. Horus’s right and left eyes represent the sun and moon, respectively. His left eye (the moon one) was injured in a fight, explaining the moon’s phases. Funny, considering that Duster also has a left side injury.

But perhaps Horus isn’t the only ancient deity that we can talk about. I propose the most compelling case, Yatagarasu:

(He’s the bird sitting atop the bow)

Yatagarasu is the Japanese name of a myth that originated in China. He’s a 3-legged crow that is representative of the sun. Specifically in Japan, he represents the will of heaven and divine intervention. He symbolizes guidance, as well as rebirth after tragic stuff like battle/war.

Yatagarasu is prominent enough that there’s a Yu-gi-oh card and a Persona based on him too, which is pretty cool. But even cooler is that he sounds a lot like what the Egg of Light, Wess, and Duster were responsible for. The Egg was responsible for the rebirth of their lives for the citizens of Tazmily. And Wess and Duster’s task to protect the Egg for reasons they don’t understand for the sake of a village that doesn’t appreciate their work seems like they’re doing god’s work, so to speak.

An important thing about Yatagarasu too is that it defies the normal Japanese superstition that crows are bad luck. Yatagarasu is a harbinger of good. I’m not sure if any of this was intentional or not, but I think comparing Duster, Wess, and the Egg of Light to it is a pretty solid theory.

So let’s briefly skim over Kotengu and Karasutengu, which are lesser Tengu with bird-like faces. (For my own reference there’s really good write ups here and here about them.) For the most part the important thing is that they are bird/crow yokai, but one intriguing thing I found is that Kotengu is that they tend to live like hermits (like Wess and Duster), carry items/weapons stolen from humans (the thief aspect), and collect magical items (the thief tools).

Conclusion:

So do I think Wess and Duster are supposed to represent bird tengu? I don’t know! Maybe not completely deliberately, but I definitely believe in the strength of the bird motifs (especially crow Wess). I had drawn a silly little picture about it 2 years ago for Inktober, in fact...

Whatever the case, I hope someone out there appreciates the info dump. There’s a lot of Mother 3 stuff I’ve examined meticulously so that my Mother 3 webcomic, DutyBound, can be the best it can be. Sometimes there’s so much info I want to share but nobody who will listen, though!

So if anyone ever wants to hear some more crazy in-depth Mother 3 meta, I’m your guy >.<

#mother 3 #wess #duster #meta #long post #egg of light

140 notes · View notes