#aquatic caterpillars | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bogleech · 5 months

Note

i keep wanting to draw anthro maggots but they end up looking like beetle larvae instead- any ideas on how one might stylize a maggot person to make it a little more distinctly A Maggot? it's especially hard to me bc maggots are like THE MOST featureless insect larvae.... which i suppose counts as a defining feature in and of itself- but i dunno. im mostly just curious to hear your approach!!!

Yeah beetle grubs, caterpillars and a lot of other insect larvae have armored heads with complete jaws structures as well as six little legs, plus they often have a defined looking "top" and "bottom" with ridged and wrinkles almost like they got soft armored down their back

But maggots are weird! They streamlined EVERYTHING down to where they have no legs at all, not even vestigial ones, and their body segments almost evolved towards something like radial symmetry by being the same all the way around!

Then there's the fact that they sort of lost most of a "head." Not only is there no exoskeletal cranial case (bug skull) to protect it but there are no jaws and never any eyes; there's just a little hole for drinking liquefied food, a pair of tusk-like hooks for gripping surfaces, and a pair of eye-like knobs that are actually chemosensory (noses)

The weird, tiny walrus-face is totally unique! They don't have any chewing mouthparts because they only need to "drink" the particles of rotting matter they live on, and like adult flies, they help this along by secreting digestive enzymes!

Maggots also have these very distinct, furry looking bands at every segment, which help them grip surfaces like a tire tread or the sole of a shoe. If you compare this photo with the one above you'll also notice how the segments can retract in and out like a telescope!

The last special thing about common maggot anatomy is that they are technically semi-aquatic animals, because maggots evolved to be buried head-first completely in their own food as much as possible and rotten corpses are WET. In order to breathe, maggots have a pair of breathing spiracles on their rear ends, which they try to keep exposed to the air!

There are exceptions to all of this, though; there are species that can be fully aquatic, fully terrestrial, herbivorous, parasitic or predatory, and some ancient fly groups (including mosquitoes!) whose larvae still have fully armored heads and even eyes. Everything above is universal to the maggots you find in rotten stuff though, so what most people think of when they hear the term :) When I designed a hybrid human and blowfly maggot for the Mortasheen setting I deliberately made it look like a doofy cartoon Walrus, and I gave its segments large spines that can be seen in some parasitic maggots, including botflies:

And when I made a maggot character for my webcomic Awful Hospital I designed her like a little spacesuit or a parka (the resemblance to Kenny was an accident)

Actually I don't think I ever shared this most recent "main artwork" of Maggie. I don't know what idea inspiration any of this might provide but basically a maggot is a prickly living sock with fangs. Or I guess from a design and engineering perspective, a maggot is a biological drill. The tiny end starts a hole, the rest of the body is just a flaring cone perfectly equipped to keep making the hole deeper.

#biology #animals #nature #science

388 notes · View notes

fafnir19 · 6 months

Text

A swimming lesson

It was another typical day at school, and as usual, I found myself in the crosshairs of Mr. Coachman's disdain. My name is Tristan, and I am what one might call an "unsporty" student. Thin, nerdy, and full of useless facts, I was the kid who always got picked last in gym class. Mr Coachman, a former athlete turned sport and philosophy teacher, had no patience for my know-it-all attitude. He believed that my incessant need to correct everyone was hindering the class and, quite frankly, his sanity. One day, Mr. Coachman approached me after yet another unnecessary correction during PE. He offered me a chance to improve my abysmal grades in sports by taking extra swimming lessons with him. Reluctantly, I agreed, desperate to boost my overall GPA. At our first swimming session, Mr. Coachman handed me a peculiar-looking swimming cap. He claimed it would allow me to hear and see his instructions directly in my head. I thought he was out of his mind, but upon putting on the cap, I realized it actually worked. It was a surreal experience, feeling Mr. Coachman's voice and visual cues echoing in my mind as I swam. The instructions were crystal clear, making it easier to perfect my stroke and improve my technique in record time. Weeks later, Mr. Coachman, noticing my progress, approached me with a new pair of swim goggles. He said they would help me focus better in the pool. Skeptical yet willing to try anything, I put them on and dove in. As soon as the water enveloped me, I felt a heightened sense of concentration. The outside world disappeared, and all that mattered was the water beneath me. Mr. Coachman's voice became a distant echo, guiding me through each stroke and turn. It was as if the goggles had transformed me into a single-minded swimming machine.

Mr Coachman observed my newfound dedication and satisfaction. I was exhausted from the intense swim training, which left me with no energy to display my usual know-it-all tendencies in class.

Several weeks later, Mr Coachman's next request gave me pause. He presented me with a slim blue Speedo and promised that it would enhance my speed in the water. There was just one catch—I had to shave off all my body hair. He argued that professional swimmers did it all the time for better speed and reduced resistance. I protested vehemently. "Shave off all my body hair? Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with disbelief. Mr Coachman, with a grin on his face, replied, "Of course not, Tristan! It's a small sacrifice in pursuit of greatness. Trust me, you'll thank me later." I crossed my arms stubbornly, determined to resist this outrageous demand. "Absolutely not! I'll wear the Speedo, but I draw the line at shaving my body hair. It's like asking a caterpillar to give up its fuzzy coat!" Mr Coachman's smile didn't falter, and he simply said, "Suit yourself, Tristan. But just remember, the pros do it for a reason." His words lingered in the air as an internal struggle waged within me. The temptation to conform and become the ultimate swimmer clashed with my natural inclination to rebel against such absurdity. In the end, though, curiosity won over. I figured, if I could endure the grueling training and wear these magical swimming items, what harm could a little body hair removal do? With a hesitant sigh, I finally agreed to Mr. Coachman's request. Trudging to the bathroom, I grabbed a razor, examining its gleaming blade with trepidation. As I stood before the mirror, thoughts of caterpillars and metamorphosis floated through my mind. I wondered if shaving off my body hair would truly transform me into a swimming powerhouse. With each stroke of the razor, I felt a mix of excitement and unease. Whiskers and hairs fell, leaving behind smooth, hairless skin. Trapped in my thoughts, I couldn't help but wonder what my friends would say or how they would react when they discovered my newfound aquatic obsession and hairless body. Finally, once all the hair was gone, I took a long look at my smooth reflection. It was a strange sight, almost otherworldly. I felt a mix of vulnerability and exhilaration, like a sea creature shedding its scales and emerging anew. Standing tall in my hairless glory, I slipped into the slim blue Speedo. Ready or not, I was about to dive into the next chapter of this bizarre journey, hoping that my shaved body would indeed prove to be a worthwhile sacrifice in the pursuit of greatness. Emerging from the water for the first time in my stylish Speedo, I had transformed. My physique resembled that of a Greek statue, not an ounce of body fat in sight. I was an athletic swimmer, a force to be reckoned with.

With my old clothes no longer fitting, Mr. Coachman outfitted me with a tight beige chino and a light blue shirt.

As I squeezed myself into the outfit, I couldn't help but complain about looking like a preppy dork. However, Mr. Coachman assured me that it was all about how I wore the clothes. Skillfully, he rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, unbuttoned the top buttons, and stood back to appraise his handiwork. "Aren't you a handsome devil?" he remarked with a satisfied grin.

Surprisingly, I found myself thanking him, swallowed by a sense of excitement and self-confidence that I had never experienced before. Something about Mr. Coachman's approval made me feel alive and validated, even if I couldn't pinpoint exactly why I had become so susceptible to his influence. And thus, Mr. Coachman's cunning plan had come to fruition. Those magical swimming accouterments had not only transformed me into a skilled swimmer but also had slowly but surely chipped away at my once-sturdy resistance. When I wore all three items—cap, goggles, and Speedo—I was utterly beholden to his every command, a true embodiment of the "perfect student-athlete" he had envisioned from the onset. Now a member of the swim team, I had gone from a nerdy outcast to a charming and good-looking athlete, the joy of all my teachers. But deep down, I couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Coachman's methods were entirely ethical. Regardless, I was living proof of his success, and the sensation of hearing Mr. Coachman's voice and visualizing his instructions while wearing the cap and goggles had left an indelible mark on my perception of swimming, forever changing the way I experienced the water.

#male transformation #male tf #muscle #nerd to jock #musclegrowth #personality change #swimmer

243 notes · View notes

dragimalsdaydreams · 7 months

Text

[image ID: several cartoony diagrams and infographics of Melusines from the game Genshin Impact, but re-imagined as nudibranch-like creatures.

the first image is a diagram of a Melusine's basic anatomy. they're shaped like typical nudibranch sea slugs, with a mantle over top a muscular foot. the front half of the body is lifted up, with the rounded head facing forward. a couple of round, antennae-like rhinophores sprout from the head, with the text, "scent and water/air currents provide sense of spatial awareness." a mass of rounded, feathery gills sprout from the back end of the mantle, just above the foot. ocelli/eyespots sit on the head just in front of the rhinophores, with text reading, "wide range of color vision, poor depth perception." five sets of legs are situated underneath the body, with the foot partly hanging over the lower legs. these legs are much like caterpillar prolegs-- chunky and short, hydraulically powered, with cup-like suction grippers. the two front sets of legs are lifted up above the ground, with the lifted half of the body, and have slimmer grippers that look modified for grasping.

a doodle below shows the Melusine walking with all five sets of legs, with text reading, "'rippling' walking motion. they normally walk on just the lower 3 sets, but can use all 5 sets. usually reserved for running." another doodle shows the Melusine swimming flat in the water, with text reading, "legs pull up into body cavity when swimming. foot extends out farther and provides wavelike locomotion."

another doodle shows the Melusine slowly forming around a mechanical gear, with text reading, "Elynas goop clung to 'tokens' over time, leading to current forms."

the next image show a simple doodle of Melusine skin covered by a layer of Hydro particles, with oxygen molecules in the air gathering towards the Hydro. nearby text reads, "Hydro layers over the skin on land, protecting Melusines from desiccation and sun damage, and providing support to their soft bodies. Melusines can also pull oxygen and water from the air through the Hydro layer, breathing and retaining moisture as they would in water."

below that we see a human hand patting a Melusine on the head, with text reading, "the Hydro layer also provides some protection from physical damage. touching a Melusine, one would only feel the cool, smooth, somewhat rubbery surface of the moisture-wicking Hydro layer, rather than the truly moist, slimy skin of the Melusine. this layer can technically be broken, but it's difficult to break the molecular bonds outside of elemental damage."

below that is a doodle of a healthy Melusine on land in Fontaine, then that same Melusine on land anywhere else, laying on the ground dried up and dying. nearby text reads, "this semi-aquatic lifestyle is only possible in Fontaine's heavy Hydro concentration (arguably Watatsumi as well)."

the next image starts with text reading, "Melusines can change their color/patterns, and their language is based in complex color/pattern cues. each Melusine has developed unique color/pattern preference over time, so communication rules/cues vary widely between individuals. (though they've learned to telepathically communicate using common human languages, with Neuvillette's help)." a doodle below that shows two Melusine staring blankly at one another, with text reading, "having a heated argument (they've been completely silent and still for 10 minutes, but their patterns are rapidly shifting)."

a short comic sits below that, starting with text reading, "*early in Sigewinne's career*" Sigewinne-- a light blue Melusine with pink accents, wearing a white nurse's cap-- stands silent, staring into a box at her feet. Wriothesley the human stands nearby, thinking to himself, "Hm, Sigewinne hasn't moved in a while." grabbing Sigewinne's attention, Wriothesley says, "doin' alright there, Sigewinne?" Sigewinne flips through a yellow book with the title, "Human Expressions for Dummies" with a simplified Melusine mascot on the cover. then she turns back to Wriothesley to telepathically yell, "No, I'm not!!!" with angry eyebrows and a cartoonish pulsing vein on her head, created using color patterns on her face. Wriothesley simply replies, "Ah."

the next image shows many different Melusines, with text reading, "Wide variation in body, rhinophore, and gill shape." indeed, some Melusines are thin and tall, others are short and round, while others are stocky and squared-off. some have thin, upturned snouts, while others have short, stubby snouts, or blocky, drooping snouts. some of their rhinophores are thin and straight, or round and curved, or branch/antler-like, or have more pronounced nodes/ridges. some of their gills are bulbous and pointed, or thin and wavy, or feathery, or branch-like, and some Melusine even have extra gills higher up on their bodies. all of these Melusines have different colors and patterns, with text reading, "Melusines can be found in all colors across the spectrum (including colors humans can't see), but individuals usually prefer a few specific colors."

a doodle below shows off Sigewinne's present-day outfit. she's wearing a white nurse's cap tied to her head with a pink bow, on top of a grey wig with a bob cut and curling bangs. a white apron with blue hearts and pink ribbons is tied to her front, with a two-tier cut to allow her front legs to move freely. another white apron with pink and blue bows is tied across to her back, covering most of it. nearby text reads, "no concept of nudity, clothes are just fun accessories. wigs are both exotic accessories, and a way to show kinship with humans."

below that is text reading, "Melusines usually darken their tones outdoors, for extra sun protection." a nearby doodle shows a pale Melusine indoors, then that same Melusine outdoors, her colors visibly darker.

the final image is an edit of a meme, reading, "If a Melusine wore pants, would she wear them like this or like this?" above two drawings of the same Melusine. in the first, the Melusine is wearing jeans cut to fit around her three lower sets of legs and the bottom edge of the foot. in the second, she's wearing jeans cut to fit around the back end of her body and last set of legs, covering the back end of the foot and mantle, and cut around the gills.

end ID]

I swear I had no idea it was nudibranch day yesterday, this was just a happy coincidence LMAO

anyways, I hate how Melusines look in-game, so I decided to make them Actual Slugs b/c that's objectively cuter. obvious nudibranch base design, but I added in some planaria and caterpillar elements for the eyes and legs, respectively. it's a bit goofy, but I'm real happy with how it all turned out <3

also sorry if the Sigewinne comic isn't true to her early career, personality, or her relationship w/ Wrio. we haven't seen her much yet, and tbh I didn't rly care to look into her current lore all that deeply

#genshin melusine #genshin melusines #sigewinne genshin #genshin sigewinne #nudibranch #kinda #genshin impact #notes #long post #ganch redesigns

166 notes · View notes

raven-at-the-writing-desk · 3 months

Text

I've been dreaming of the Undersea Advisor.

In life, there are many variables to account for. Ah, but variables can be manipulated.

He remakes the world in his image.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

There are several little glass containers, lined up in a neat row, on his work bench. He is the master, and this is his craft: pocket dimensions, each with a different biome bottled.

Here is a lush garden with enchanted roses and caterpillars that blow smoke, and a savanna where miniature beasts race about. A desert with its own oasis--a massive scarab running amok, a regal castle he had painstakingly constructed with a pair of tweezers for a peacock no bigger than his thumb... He had even somehow managed to create a sleek building blinking blue lights and a crumbling chateau overrun with moss and bite-size bats.

His current project is a bowl of salt water, a layer of sand decorated with seaweed and coral at the bottom. He had taken the liberty of tucking fake jewels, a plastic treasure box, and a model of a sunken ship in.

For flair, he chuckles to himself. All that's left is to find proper aquatic specimens to house in it.

From the doorway, Jade adjusts the straps on his backpack, making sure that they're secure, that his supplies are in order. His boots laced, his jacket buttoned, he marches out the door and into the wilderness.

The forest is quiet and without trees but is not devoid of life.

Instead of trunks, there are stems--plump, pillowy, in various shades of white and cream. They are wider at the base and narrower at the head, which gives way to fluted undersides. Gills, Jade knows, a very different kind than those of a merman.

The air is clean and refreshing, lightly washed with spores. Not visible to the naked eye, but at the right refractions of sunlight, Jade can see them dancing into shapes upon the wind.

Circular shadows are cast across the ground, belonging to the caps that tower far above him. Mushrooms--macro-sized--have taken over the feet of the mountain, making it a suitable hideout for his hobbies. Sunlight spills through the cracks between the clustered caps, forming golden pools along the forest floor.

Jade makes a game of hopping upon them, one by one.

It isn't long before he comes upon the stream that cuts through the heart of the wood. A thin and humble little thing, able to be crossed in a single stride of his long legs.

Jade drops his backpack and drops to one knee. He inspects the fresh water up close with a careful eye. It's clear and still at the edges, white and foamy in the center, where it flows the fastest.

His heart leaps when he sees it--a streak of silver darting by.

He kicks off his footwear and rolls his pants up, silently stepping into the stream. Jade is cautious about not splashing, to avoid making noises or movements as that would disturb the wildlife.

He stands there, watching. Waiting, waiting, for that next fish to pass.

He thinks he sees it, a glimmer laid deep in the water. He reaches for it, fingers grazing wetness, but does not complete the grab.

“You like that, don’t you? The feeling of being in control, a life dancing in your palm,” a musical voice rings out. “It grants you security, assuredness.”

His eyes flicker down. His reflection shifts in the churning water, but he can see its mouth moving when his doesn’t.

An obstacle—amusing.

Jade purses his lips into a patient smile. “Oya, does a pixie presume to know those who visit their forest?”

“I am no pixie. In this pool of tears, all is laid bare,” his reflection says, “and given truth.”

“You claim to speak the truth. If that is the case, then you take no issue with divulging sensitive state secrets?” Jade’s smile grows, turning sharp. “To demonstrate your veracity, of course. I do not intend to misuse the information.”

“I know that you lie as easily as you breathe,” the pool replies, “for I have knowledge of only the souls that gaze into me.”

“A shame. I was quite curious about your awe-inspiring powers. Alas, there are limits put on greatness. It appears as though a puddle can never match the ocean in size nor in bounty.”

His reflection is not irked by his needling. “If you wish to take, then you must offer up a piece of yourself of equal value.”

“You have said that I lie as easily as I breathe. Is the word of a liar worth its salt?”

“You must speak truthfully.”

“But if I am a liar, and you have assumed my appearance, does that not, by proxy, make you a liar as well? That means what was uttered earlier is a lie, and I must tell an untruth—which I have already provided.”

The reflection pauses, considering the logic. Slow horror dawns on its expression—stolen from him—and it glowers.

"Liar," the reflection bitterly spits. It vanishes into the frothing waters.

There's a sigh, then the shudder of a release that fills the forest of mushrooms. Something, somewhere, has shattered.

Silver fills the clear stream, coloring it one shiny, metallic shade. Fins and scales bat against his skin. Healthy, plentiful.

Jade plunges an arm elbow-deep, and--

He gasps.

Something latches onto his arm and violently tugs. He's brought face-to-face with his own shocked expression, droplets hissing at him.

The stream, Jade realizes, should not be this deep.

He resists, trying to throw his body weight back, but the force holds tight. The slimy grip tightening like a fist.

He does not to fully relish in the surprise, so rare a feeling for him, before there is another strong pull. Jade falls forward, eyes wide as the water hits him in full.

Slowly, slowly... he finds himself sinking into an abyss.

It's the sea, deep and dark, shrouded by black mist. A ship-shaped shadow looms, at the inky depths--and through holes punched in the hull, undiscovered treasures wink up at him. Chests of forgotten gold and gems, like stars blinking in and out of view.

He dangles, suspended, like a puppet left upon the stage that has closed for the night. The scene, the stands, empty, save for the vague shapes of coral and twisting tendrils of seaweed.

Something shifts among the plants, and Jade tenses, preparing for a fight.

A long shape darts by, and his gaze tracks. The markings on it glow teal, peering through the murk--he recognizes it at once, relaxing.

"Floyd."

The name bubbles up and breaks upon the surface of the stream.

His twin circles him, his weaving tail sending Jade's jacket billowing. One is in the body of a human and the other, in their true form.

Floyd wordlessly grins, showing teeth like knives.

Behind him, the shadows swirl--a mess of writhing, squishy limbs and agonized moans. Tentacles, tentacles, painting a canvas with darkness.

A voice calls from somewhere in the void.

Floaty, far away.

"... de....... ade..."

"Jade!!"

He snaps awake, drawing in a deep gulp of air. As if he had just arisen from a dive.

Jade is seated at his workbench, blanked on either side. "Floyd, Azul..."

"We came as you had instructed, but it appears that now is not a good time," his dorm leader remarks. "You were sleeping like a log when we arrived."

"So I smashed a window with a rock and we let ourselves in!" Floyd declares proudly. Azul casts him a wary look.

"Just so you are aware, I am not to be held accountable for any damages incurred," he says hastily. "It was entirely Floyd's idea--I warned him against it and had him sign a liability form to assume any and all fees, should he ignore my advice and proceed with his ill-advised plot."

"Pfft." Jade chuckles. "My apologies. I must have become so enraptured in my project that I neglected to maintain a proper sleep schedule. The fault is mine, so I will not press charges."

Azul sighs, relieved. "Now, back to the matter at hand. For what reason have you summoned us here today?"

"Ah, that." Jade holds up his fishbowl, beaming. "I wished to share this with you both."

"Mmm, what is it?" Floyd asks, peering into the container. His face comes out the other end of it stretched wide and distorted, like the result of a funhouse mirror. "Looks like just some water to me."

"Another terrarium, I suspect." Azul pushes up his glasses as he surveys the other containers on the work bench "I see, so you've made one each in the image of the dormitories at Night Raven College. This one must be Octavinelle."

He suddenly frowns.

"Wait a minute, what is this?!" Azul thrusts a finger at a round little octopus suctioned to the inside of the bowl. The area around it is clouded with wisps of black.

"Hehehe, looks like Jade was right on the money with this one. That's so you, Azul."

"I-It is NOT!!"

"Really?" Jade's brows lift. "As I recall, you were exactly like this, tears and all, when..."

"AAAAAAAAH, stop, stooooop!! D-Don't say it, I can't bear that!!"

Jade laughs--soft and musical--granting his wailing dorm leader that single mercy. His chest is warm and full, a feeling his lies don't come close to.

I believe I’ve found myself company that is much more entertaining than any world right at my fingertips.

It’s his truth, the only one he has told this entire time.

102 notes · View notes

crevicedwelling · 1 year

Note

are there any omnivore arthropods or are they exclusively carnivore or herbivore?

roaches, various beetles, and isopods are the first that come to mind, but there are many, many others!

roaches, for example, are primarily adapted for digesting plant matter with a long digestive tract (termites are just a specialized family of roaches!) but many species love meat. I’ve used my Suriname and B. dubia roaches to eat the flesh off of bones for preservation. in the wild, these roaches would take advantage of carrion and other dead insects—Suriname roaches belong to a genus often found in bat caves, and they’ll spring on any downed sickly bats or fallen pups and eat them alive.

same with isopods! they can be surprisingly predatory things, both cannibalistic and eagerly eating carrion and weakened live animals. this is why any isopod larger than 5mm is a bad choice for a cleanup crew with an arthropod pet—they will devour it as it molts. many aquatic crustaceans like crayfish and crabs also are highly generalist and will pretty much eat any old organic material they can get their claws on.

ground beetles, darkling beetles, and rove beetles span a range from generalists that eat anything to specialists on fungi, plants, or animals. caterpillars can be surprisingly cannibalistic, like corn earworms in which the largest in an ear of corn devours its smaller siblings.

there’s also a lot of bugs that are more specialist carnivores that readily eat fruit, like giant centipedes! Lucinda here loved her bananas. some spiders will eat pollen that gets blown into their webs, and there’s even a species of jumping spider that only eats little nutrient packages it steals from a tree which grew them to feed its personal ant army.

in insects that molt, there can be a switch from larva to adult! many solitary and social wasps are parasitoids or predators that as larvae feed on other insects caught for them by their mothers (solitary) or siblings (social). when they mature, they mostly drink nectar because most wasps can’t digest solid matter as adults. a similar shift is seen with many flies—mosquitoes are filter-feeding larvae that mature into nectarivorous adults in which females need to take blood to lay eggs, and houseflies or flesh flies that feed on dung or carrion as maggots primarily drink nectar as adults as well.

a fun example of a shift in diet is the click beetles I’ve tried to keep. they feed on rotten wood for the first few weeks of their lives, and after gaining some size start a predatory lifestyle hunting other wood-boring grubs with sickle-shaped mandibles. after they mature, the adult beetles feed on sweet fruits and sap.

so yes, there’s no simple carnivorous/herbivorous split between arthropods. there are many omnivorous or detritivorous arthropods that typically eat a variety of foods, but more specialized predators or herbivores will also opportunistically meet their nutritional needs. and different lifestyles for larvae and adults mean that the same insect can use very different food sources throughout its lifespan!

#bugs #biology

216 notes · View notes

onenicebugperday · 2 years

Photo

Translucent caterpillar of the grass demon butterfly (Udaspes folus) playing host to a parasitic horsehair worm. (Photo by ygurjar)

Adult horsehair worms are aquatic and free-living (do not require a host), but larvae are parasites of arthropods. The host is usually killed when the worm emerges after maturing.

Uninfected grass demon butterfly caterpillar:

Visible are the tracheae (respiratory tubes) radiating way from the spiracles (breathing holes), but no worms are present. (Photo by aniruddha_singhamahapatra)

Adult grass demon:

(Photo by muzafar_riyaz)

#animals #curators on tumblr #insects #bugs #butterfly #skipper #grass skipper #grass demon #caterpillar #larva #worm #parasite #horsehair worm #bug death #mentioned #one nice bug

695 notes · View notes

crazylittlejester · 11 days

Note

You said I could talk about moths whenever, so have a list of Links as moths. I’m so tired right now, but that doesn’t matter, because it’s mothing time. Just me rambling about moths while slapping some Links onto them based on vibes. Well, I tried to that ha.

Twi - Luna/Moon Moth. The main lime green color of the wings fits so well with the rest of his outfit. Also, moon, night, twilight? Thematic themes is theming. And fun(debatable) fact, Luna moth caterpillars vomit to scare away predators!

Wild - Uropyia meticulodina. They don’t have a common name :( but they are typically called “dead/curly leaf moths,” so I guess that’s the closest thing. They mimic dead leaves, their wings being curled. And when their wings are spread out, they are shown to be quite fluffy. And their antenna look a bit stick-like in my opinion.

Wind - Small emerald moth. Cute little moths, much love, I love for them. There are also very pretty. Their wings are more blue-green than emerald, and they have white cross lines on them. Just look at them, look at them, they make me want to move to England so I can see them. I’m probably hyping them up too much, but I love them.

Wars - Pompelon marginata moth. Also no common name I could find. Closest thing I could find is “day-flying moth,” but that’s not really a nickname. They are beautiful. Their wings are mostly black, with a striking, vibrant blue coloring on the ends. They look more like a butterfly then a moth. They are the only species in their genus, Pompelon.

Time - Imperial moth. The wings are super cool, they are yellow and rusty in color. I don’t have much to say for this sadly, but the wings do look a bit like semi-circles in some pictures I’ve seen, and that’s cool.

Sky - Atlas moth. They are big. They are one of the biggest moths in the world. The tips of their wings look like snakes. They are so cool. They are just super cool what much can I say.

Four - Madagascan sunset moth. They’re super colorful and pretty, butterfly looking ass(positive). They also drink nectar :)

Legend - Rosy maple moth. They are yellow and pink, they are his colors, and they soooo cute. I beg you to look up pictures of them and just scroll, they are so so so cute. According to one website, they are sometimes called flying kittens. I couldn’t find any other site confirming this, but I like the nickname.

Hyrule - Snowberry clearwing moth. They act like hummingbirds and are so cute. They hover when they drink nectar, like hummingbirds. I also love hummingbirds, so I might make a list of the Links as hummingbirds next. They also have a lobster-like body at the end.

Honorable mentions aka moths that almost fit:

Southern pink moth: They look so goofy and kinda ugly, but in a cute way.

Painted lichen moth: They are tiny and poisonous and also really cute.

White witch moth: Supposedly, its name comes from people trying to shoot it, but they couldn’t hit its body, leading to people thinking it was an unkillable witch.

Texas Wasp Moth: They mimic wasps but don’t have any actual stingers, they’re harmless. They’re two hind legs look like stingers, and they are so funny to look at when they are climbing.

White Plume Moth: They’re funny to look at hehe. They have feather-like wings and hold them in a T-shape.

Greater death's head hawkmoth: They are also called bee robbers, since they steal honey from honey bees.

Any aquatic moths: Some moths leave their eggs in/near water, and they have to crawl out and dry their wings. I just couldn’t look at any of them because the caterpillars and stuff started to freak me out unfortunately.

I LOOKED UP ALL OF THESE AND OH MY GOD DO THEY FIT SO WELL. AND THEYRE ALL SO PRETTY AND COOL LOOKING THANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE OMG OMG

#jes talks #jes ask #linked universe #moths #moths!!

17 notes · View notes

star-crossed-mid · 8 months

Text

I assign squishmallows to the gods based on vibes

Some of them were easier than others

Leon (self explanatory)

Scorpio (also self explanatory)

Teorus = (Pink+ Cow)

Krioff

Karno- crab

Ikky- Fish have rainbow scales, I really like ikky's color themes being a light blue base with colors.

Huedhaut- This was hard. Gave him the tea bcuz he gives out drinks. The dolphin for some aquatic influence. The caterpillar bcuz it looks like a giant nerd and it would be mean to me for answering a question wrong.

Partheno- I associate partheno with birds (cuckoos specifically) and feathers. Also pink demon plush

Aigo- goat(s)

Dui- Squishmallows sell duo cherry plushes. Also dui gives me the vibe of wendy the frog but only the negative implications

Zyg- I love that Zyg loves dogs. I also associate Zyglavis with butterflies/birds too or any animal that is super symmetrical.

Tauxolouve- Horse girl Lou

MC- I want to make a different post for all the gods+ mc's color schemes. I believe MC would be a light orange or green to fit in with everyone on the color wheel. I also associate MC with goldfish but clotho with butterflies/moths (boom butterfly effect)

also i had a bunch of Halloween memes planned for spooky season. I love fall, I love autumn its my favorite time of year but gamers I cannot catch a schedule break my Halloween posts are coming out by January at this point 😭😭 my friends just bought me bg3 and im def not being productive now

#star crossed myth #star-crossed myth #starcrossed myth #voltage otome #scm leon #scm scorpio #scm huedhaut #anime #scm ichthys #scm zyglavis #scm krioff #scm dui #scm karno #scm memes #scm partheno #scm aigonorus #scm tauxolouve #scm teorus

28 notes · View notes

jupiterswasphouse · 7 months

Note

Trick or treat!! 👻🫀🍬🎃

Happy halloween! Did you know there are several different species of wasp that are aquatic? Notably, this includes a relatively recently discovered species of wasp called "Microgaster godzilla" (source)! Obviously, this species is named after Godzilla, and is a known parasitoid of Elophila turbata caterpillars

[Image sourced from: ResearchGate, as uploaded by Kaoru Maeto | Image ID: A collection of photos of a female holotype of Microgaster godzilla, a small black and yellow braconid wasp /End ID.]

#wasps #braconidae #bugblr #Wasp House Answers

20 notes · View notes

featherquillpen · 2 years

Text

"a world of indescribable beauty": an animorphs meta

In Book #19 The Departure, we finally hear a perspective from a Yeerk, Aftran 942, about why the Yeerks left their planet and began conquering other species as hosts. One of the reasons she gives is Andalite imperialism, which makes a lot of sense: the Andalites began occupying and building military bases on the Yeerk planet before the Yeerks posed any kind of threat to them. This obviously doesn't justify enslaving other species, but it is certainly a reason why the Yeerks won't just go home to their pools: they would be submitting themselves to utter Andalite domination.

But there's another reason Aftran gives that is given a lot more emphasis within the story. It goes like this:

“In our natural state, we have an excellent sense of smell. We have a good sense of touch. We can hear. We can communicate, using a language of ultrasonic squeaks. But we cannot see. We are blind, until we enter a host. Over the millennia we have moved up the evolutionary chain to more and more advanced hosts. Eventually, the Gedds became our basic host bodies.

“They are clumsy, slow creatures. But they have eyes. Oh, you can’t imagine! You can’t imagine the first time you enter a Gedd brain and seize control and suddenly, you are seeing! Seeing! Colors! Shapes! It’s a miracle. To be blind and then to see!”

Suddenly she stooped down and snatched up a caterpillar from a leaf. “Do you see this? This is what I am, without a host body. Helpless! Weak! Blind!” She spun and pointed at the meadow. “Do you see those flowers? Do you see the sunlight? Do you see the birds flying? You hate me for wanting that? You hate me because I won’t spend my life blind? You hate me because I won’t spend my life swimming endlessly in a sea of sludge, while humans like you live in a world of indescribable beauty?”

Aftran says that Yeerks want to infest host bodies because Yeerk pools are disgusting and vision is magical. She takes Cassie on a journey in this book of becoming a caterpillar, nearly blind, and coming to appreciate once more the glory of her vision.

For years I have known that this narrative is contemptibly ableist, positioning a blind life as a terrible life worth enslaving others in order to escape. But after reading the book An Immense World by Ed Yong, a book about how animals perceive the world through a dozen different senses, I think this narrative presented in book 19 and throughout the Animorphs series is not just ableist, but also betrays disdain, ignorance, and contempt for the astonishing and beautiful diversity of animal perception - a very poor move for a book series very much about the beauty of animal diversity.

The sensory world of a Yeerk

Aftran tells us about the senses Yeerks have, and we see them from Cassie's point of view in book 29 and Visser Three's point of view in The Hork Bajir Chronicles as well. They have an excellent sense of smell, a good sense of touch, they can hear, and they can echolocate. They may have other senses that Aftran didn't list, such as heat-sensing (to find Kandrona rays, perhaps) or electroception. But let's stick to the ones we know they have.

Smell, as shown in the books like book 1 and 21 where a point of view character morphs a dog, is a remarkable sense. While our eyes can only detect three colors in various combinations, a sense of smell could differentiate thousands upon thousands of unique scents. In aquatic environments, like where a Yeerk lives, a strong sense of smell can be used for navigation: different areas of water with different dissolved nutrients will smell different, creating a scent-scape. Smell also has a time dimension that vision does not. People and things leave trails of smell behind, which means a keen sense of smell can delve into the past. Approaching beings have a wave-front of smell in front of them, so you can also smell what's coming, sometimes from a very long way away, if the scent molecule is very small and volatile. More than any other sense, smell gives you access to the past, present, and future of a place.

In water especially, a sense of touch can create a fantastically nuanced sense of the world around you. Since Yeerks swim, they likely have touch receptors that give them a sense of flow, like the lateral lines of fish. In the ocean, everything is touching each other at a distance through the medium of water, via the currents created by swimming. The same would be true in a Yeerk pool: a Yeerk would likely be able to feel everything and everyone moving around it, each wriggle of a fellow Yeerk felt on the skin like a caress.

Our closest template for the Yeerks' underwater sonar shown in book 29 is the sonar of dolphins, which is even more remarkable than Applegrant showed in the various books where the Animorphs become dolphins. If Yeerk sonar is like dolphin sonar, then they are living medical scanners: their sonar can penetrate flesh to internal organs, as long as they are underwater. They would be able to perhaps hear the brain of a submerged host, or at least the skull. They would sense the contours of things buried in the sediment below the water. Sonar is very finely tuned because those who use it can adjust the frequency, length, pitch, and volume of their calls depending on what they want to detect. Imagine if you could "tune" your vision to different wavelengths: that's what sonar is like.

From all this, I think we can draw only one conclusion. That "world of indescribable beauty" where Aftran says that humans live? The Yeerks lived in one, too. It was just a different world with different indescribable beauty.

The problem with centering vision

First of all, let me be clear: the worst part about this narrative, in book 19 and throughout the Animorphs series, is that it's ableist. It's incredibly cruel to blind readers to suggest that they live in a world without beauty. This cruelty shows in the way book 49 treats a human blind character, Loren, who is also depicted as having an impoverished life-- not so much because she is literally dirt poor, but because she's longing for sight, which Tobias provides her via the morphing power.

But there is another big problem: this narrative undermines a lot of the key themes that Animorphs is trying to communicate.

Within book 19 itself, the passage I quoted above is trying to make Aftran more sympathetic. She's not just a monster who enjoys controlling and dominating others; she infests hosts for a supposedly good reason: because her sensory world is devoid of beauty and joy and hosts give her access to it. It's a turning point in the story for how we view this character. But if we reject the premise that a Yeerk's life in a pool is dreary and joyless because it is not sighted, Aftran here becomes very unsympathetic. Like a colonizer who already has a countryside manor but also wants a cottage on a tropical beach, Aftran already lives in a world of indescribable beauty, but she wants to exploit other people so she can experience the beauty of their worlds in addition to her own.

One of the core themes of Animorphs is the beauty and wonder of biodiversity. Aftran celebrates the beauty of the meadow in the passage above from book 19. When the Animorphs morph dogs (book 1), their sense of smell is a wonder; when they morph dolphin (book 4), their sonar is a miracle. But when Yeerks rely on those same senses, they’re inherently inferior to vision.

For a long, frozen moment of disbelief, I did not know what was happening. I didn’t understand what my brain was receiving.

How could I? How could any Yeerk who has not had a host?

Sight!

Objects - not felt, not smelled, not reflected on sonar - but seen. It was like a sonar image, but oh, so much more. So much!

(The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, Chapter 5)

Which one is it, Applegrant? Is the diversity of perception a good thing, or is vision the best sense and everything else a distant second? You can’t have it both ways.

The third problem is that this narrative undermines another core theme of Animorphs: anti-imperialism. This deserves its own section for a deep dive.

Anti-imperialism and the diversity of embodiment

Anti-imperialism is a core theme of Animorphs. K.A. Applegate’s father served in Vietnam. Parallels are drawn throughout the series between the Andalite-Yeerk war and proxy wars between the U.S. and the Soviet Union: the Vietnam War (in The Andalite Chronicles) and the first Gulf War (in Visser.) The Andalites and the Yeerks are like the Americans and the Soviets, causing immense suffering on other planets in their proxy wars over species that they consider either slaves or necessary sacrifices.

One of the ways that empire works is that the bodies of imperial subjects are designated inferior and in need of correction. For example, in the U.S., natural Black hair is considered to be inherently “unprofessional,” and in many professions it must be shaved down or chemically straightened to be “professional.” Now, the Yeerks are themselves imperialists, but before they became the Yeerk Empire, they were occupied by an Andalite military force that considered their bodies to be disgusting and inferior before any Yeerk had ever raised a weapon against them:

«Orders are to avoid incidents,» another Andalite said. «Don’t you know these parasites are our brothers?» This was said with a sneer.

The Gedds moved closer.

«Orders or not, these filthy slugs are not touching my ship.»

(The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, chapter 1)

This is exactly how empires work. It’s good writing. But then we run into a problem, which is that every Yeerk we meet in the series agrees with the Andalites that their bodies and their senses are inferior. Aftran speaks disparagingly of “swimming endlessly in a sea of sludge,” which is the Yeerks’ natural state, but humans and Andalites consider disgusting. Aftran, Visser Three, and other Yeerks think vision, an important sense for Andalites and humans, is superior to sonar, an important sense for Yeerks. In the entire series, we never meet a single Yeerk who enjoys being a slug, living in a pool, and perceiving with Yeerk senses. They are all eager to either enslave host bodies or use the morphing power to permanently change their bodies. The series justifies the Andalites’ imperialist beliefs: the Yeerks agree that their bodies are in need of correction.

Celebrating the diversity of embodiment, lifting up all bodies as different and equal, is an anti-imperialist message. What Animorphs gives us by depicting (abled) human and Andalite bodies as enviable and Yeerk and Taxxon bodies as hellish prisons to be escaped at any cost, is an imperialist message.

How to fix it

The series has been done for twenty years now, but we’re all fans here, and we like to transform our favorite works. I’ve done a lot of work in my series Dæmorphing to fix this narrative, and I think there are a lot of opportunities to do so in fic and fanart.

Be realistic about animal perception. Applegrant do a much better job than most authors on researching animals and trying to depict them realistically, but they still tend to overplay the role of vision in the various animals the Animorphs become. For example, when Ax and Marco morph wolf spider, vision is emphasized as an important sense for them, when in fact touch/vibration is much more important to them when they hunt.

Depict aliens (and humans!) who prefer other senses to vision. There’s an opportunity to do this with Loren, a blind human given an ableist narrative in canon, and Elena, a blind girl the Animorphs rescue in book 51. You could also depict a Yeerk who experiences vision via a host and decides they like their own senses better.

Show Yeerks as victims of empire, not victims of their own bodies. I think this interaction that Ax has with a Yeerk in book 52 is very revealing. He’s caught a Yeerk in falcon morph who wants to stay in that morph and become a nothlit.

«I will be free,» the falcon insisted. «I will fly. I will see. No more need for Kandrona. No more orders, no more of this horrible war. I’ll just fly away.»

I understood. This creature was like Tobias, my true shorm. What a human would call my “best friend.”

Tobias was once a human boy. A very unhappy human boy. He stayed in red-tailed hawk morph for longer than two hours. I suspect he did it on purpose. It was his way of escaping the complexities of human life.

Tobias was abused and neglected and lived in poverty and chose a hawk body to escape the miseries of his life. This is exactly what this Yeerk wants. And it’s not just about wanting to see: it’s about wanting to escape the horrors of the Yeerk Empire. This is fertile ground to reframe the Yeerk desperation to escape into a host body or a nothlit form.

The average Yeerk did not ask to become a foot-soldier of empire. Throughout the series we meet Yeerks who do not like the role they were given. If Aftran lives in a world without beauty, then it’s not because of her senses; it’s because she lives under empire. Think of the Yeerk pool on Earth compared to how a pool must be on their own planet. The Yeerk pool on Earth is a giant concrete tub. A pool on their planet may have teemed with other life. It may have had all kinds of differences in sediment, rocks, water composition, sunlight. The Yeerks on Earth are like rats in a barren cage. Their senses didn’t deprive them of “a world of indescribable beauty”: the Yeerk Empire did.

#animorphs #animorphs meta #ableism

284 notes · View notes

comvi · 2 months

Text

i want a bit of inspiration for a new chara (possibly sona?), so: asking my friends, mutuals, followers, etc etc. what animal/creature do you think of me as? or associate me with? Ill try to merge/make a hybrid out of the top 2 (or top 3, if it gets to that amount)

#myposts #rambling #furry #fursona #plushfur #otherkin #alterhuman #plural #regretevator #<- IDK just a bunch of tags so this doesnt get only 2 answers. I just really want to!! make something new!!!!

9 notes · View notes

spanishskulduggery · 1 year

Text

Most Essential Vocabulary #3

Part 3 of some of the most essential Spanish vocabulary!

This time I decided to go with mostly nouns - animals (minus fish/marine life for the most part), metals, materials, fabrics, and basic weather expressions!

There are always going to be words I miss, but these are some of the most common ones you come across. Though if you’re watching nature documentaries or getting into crafting you might find other words or more specific words than these; still, this is a good baseline for things you’ll come across in everyday Spanish

Los Animales [Animals]

el perro = dog la perra = dog [f] / bitch [the literal word for “female dog” Spanish-speakers do call their female dogs perra or perrita; but it is also the insult “bitch”]

el gato = cat la gata = cat [f] [again sometimes some unsavory elements to la gata but still very common]

perrito/a = puppy

gatito/a = kitten

el cachorro = puppy, pup el cachorro = pup / baby animal [mammals; it’s not specifically dogs]

el pájaro = bird

el loro = parrot

el lagarto = lizard la lagartija = lizard [small]

la tortuga = turtle / tortoise [large land turtles are sometimes called el galápago like the islands]

la serpiente = snake

el ratón, la rata = mouse / rat [interchangeable at this point]

el erizo = hedgehog

el hurón = ferret

la cobaya = guinea pig [in the medical sense too!] el cuy / el cuyo = guinea pig [South America] el conejillo de Indias = guinea pig [lit. “little rabbit from the Indies”; occasional, but not standard]

el conejo, la coneja = rabbit

el pez = fish [as opposed to el pescado “fish” which is fish you eat, aka “seafood”]

el reptil = reptile

el ave = bird

el mamífero = mammal

la mascota = pet [and “mascot” for teams]

gruñir = to growl

masticar = to bite

ladrar = to bark

maullar = to meow

arañar = to scratch

lamer = to lick

acariciar = to pet / to caress

Also, not totally necessary unless it is - el sabueso is “hound” while el galgo is “greyhound” or “running dog”

Los Insectos [Insects]

el insecto = insect

el bicho = bug [sometimes means something very different in other countries but it is generally “bug”]

la mariposa = butterfly

la hormiga = ant el hormiguero = anthill

el gusano = worm / maggot

la oruga = caterpillar

el ciempiés = centipede [lit. “hundred feet”, just like what “centipede” means]

la mosca = fly

el mosquito = mosquito

la araña = spider la telaraña = web, spiderweb, cobweb [lit. “spider fabric”]

la abeja = bee la colmena = hive, beehive el panal = honeycomb la reina = queen

el enjambre = swarm

la avispa = wasp

el zángano = drone el obrero, la obrera = worker

la picadura = bug bite / sting

la mantis (religiosa) = (praying) mantis

el escorpión = scorpion el alacrán = scorpion

el caracol = snail

el saltamontes = grasshopper

el grillo = cricket

la langosta = locust [also the word for “lobster”, which is unfortunate]

la cucaracha = cockroach

la pulga = flea

el escarabajo = beetle / scarab

la luciérnaga = firefly, lightning bug

la libélula = dragonfly

la mariquita = ladybug [lit. “little Mary”, because ladybugs are linked to Mary in Christianity in many languages]

I know some of these aren’t technically insects don’t @ me

Las Aves [Birds]

el pájaro = bird

el ave, las aves = bird, birds [technically feminine; umbrella term] (el) ave rapaz, las aves rapaces = birds of prey las aves acuáticas = waterfowl [lit. “aquatic birds”] las aves marinas = seabirds

el águila = eagle [technically feminine] el águila calva = bald eagle

el gorrión = sparrow

la golondrina = swallow

la alondra = lark

el petirrojo = robin

la urraca = magpie

el buitre = vulture

el pájaro carpintero = woodpecker [lit. “carpenter bird”]

la paloma = dove / pigeon

el pavo = turkey

el pavo real = peacock la pava real = peahen

el ganso = goose

el pato / la pata = duck

el pollo = chicken

el gallo = rooster

la gallina = hen

la gaviota = seagull

el cisne = swan

la garza = heron

la grulla = crane

el cuervo = crow

la corneja = raven [but usuallly cuervo; even in literature, Poe’s “The Raven” is El Cuervo]

el búho = owl

la lechuza = owl [the ones with flatter faces; those owls... think Hedwig from HP]

el cucú = cuckoo

el loro = parrot [sometimes el papagayo]

la cotorra = parrot [regional, such as las cotorras de Murcia]

el avestruz = ostrich

el pingüino = penguin

el ala, las alas = wings [technically feminine]

la aleta = flipper

el pico = beak

la garra = talon, claw

la pluma = feather [or “pen”, since it all originally came from the idea of a “quill” which is pluma]

el huevo = egg

el nido = nest

el polluelo = chick, baby bird

Los Animales De la Granja / Domésticos [Farm (Animals) / Domesticated Animals]

el ganado = livestock / cattle

la vaca = cow el toro = bull

el buey = ox

el caballo = horse la yegua = mare

el establo / la caballeriza = stable, stables

el potro, la potra = foal / colt, filly [baby horse]

el ganso, la gansa = goose

el pollo = chicken el gallo = rooster la gallina = hen

el gallinero = chicken coop

el palomar = pigeon coop

el cerdo, la cerda = pig, sow el puerco, la puerca = pig, sow

el chiquero = sty, pen / pigsty, pigpen

el corral = corral

el carnero = ram

la oveja = sheep

la cabra = goat

el cordero = lamb el borrego = lamb, yearling

el rebaño = flock (of sheep)

el asno / el burro = donkey

la mula = mule

dar de comer (al animal) = to feed (an animal)

ordeñar = to milk (an animal)

montar = to ride (an animal/bike)

a caballo = on horseback montar a caballo = to ride on a horse, horseback riding

Los Animales Salvajes [Wild Animals]

el lobo, la loba = wolf

el oso, la osa = bear el osenzo / osito/a = bear cub, cub el oso negro = black bear el oso pardo = grizzly bear, brown bear el oso panda / el panda = panda bear el oso polar = polar bear

la serpiente = snake la víbora = viper, venomous snake [poisonous snake, used almost like a generic name]

venenoso/a = poisonous, venomous no venenoso/a = non-venomous, not poisonous

el búfalo = buffalo

el buey, los bueyes = ox, oxen

el bisonte = bison

el jabalí = boar

el mono, la mona = monkey

el simio = ape, simian

el chimpancé = chimpanzee

la gorila = gorilla

el león = lion la leona = lioness

el tigre = tiger la tigresa = tiger [f], tigress

el línce = lynx

el elefante, la elefanta = elephant

la jirafa = giraffe

la cebra = zebra

el cocodrilo = crocodile

el caimán / el aligátor = caiman / alligator [sometimes it has other names that are regional]

el hipopótamo = hippopotamus

el rinoceronte = rhinoceros

el leopardo = leopard

el ciervo, la cierva = deer, stag / deer, doe el venado, la venada = deer, stag / deer, doe

el alce = elk / moose

el reno = reindeer

la ardilla = squirrel

la nutria = otter

el zorro = fox [the female form is la zorra which is “female fox” or “vixen”; also a very mean insult like “bitch”]

el conejo, la coneja = rabbit

la liebre = hare, rabbit

el mapache = racoon

la comadreja = weasel

el castor = beaver

el canguro = kangaroo [also a slang word for “babysitter”]

la hiena = hyena

el chacal = jackal

el murciélago = bat

la foca = seal

la morsa = walrus

el delfín = dolphin

la ballena = whale

el asta = antler [technically feminine]

el cuerno = horn

el colmillo = fang el colmillo = tusk [boar, elephant, etc]

el hocico = snout / nose (of an animal)

la garra = claw

la zarpa = claw (feline)

la guarida = lair, den

la madriguera = den, lair, hideout

el depredador = predator

la presa = prey [la presa also means “reservoir” or “dam”]

el macho = male

la hembra = female

salvaje = wild / savage

manso/a = tame

la manada = pack / herd [generally the word for “a group of animals”, so you see it everywhere for animals but the most common example is la manada de lobos “wolf pack”]

Los Metales [Metals]

el metal = metal

metálico/a = metallic

el oro = gold

la plata = silver

el bronce = bronze

el cobre = copper

el plomo = lead

el hierro = iron

el acero = steel

el aluminio = aluminum / aluminium

el zinc / el zinco / el cinco = zinc

el platino = platinum

la lata / el estaño = tin / tinplate / tinfoil [la lata also means “a can” as in food]

el latón = brass

You will also find that el hierro “iron” is used very idiomatically just like in English to mean “strong” such as la Dama de Hierro “Iron Lady” which was the nickname for Margaret Thatcher; or the translation of Xiran Jay Zhao’s book la Viuda de Hierro “Iron Widow”

And many metals or things made out of metal can be called férreo, férrico, or ferroso. A common example is el ferrocarril or la vía férrea for “railroad” or “railway”.

In etymology, you also see this linked to el herrero, la herrera “smith” or la herrerería “blacksmith” or the metal section of a hardware store; and the word for “hardware store” is sometimes el ferretero

Additionally, though not metals some general materials:

el carbón = coal el carboncillo = charcoal [charcoal is also el carbón vegetal “plant coal”, el carbón de leña “firewood coal”]

el papel = paper

el cartón = cardboard

el cristal = crystal / glass [more formal is el vidrio “glass”]

el cuarzo = quartz

el diamante = diamond

el rubí = ruby

la esmeralda = emerald

el zafiro = sapphire

el ópalo = opal

la amatista = amethyst

el topacio = topaz

el ámbar = amber

la joya = jewel

la gema = gem

la perla = pearl

el nácar = nacre, mother-of-pearl

el yeso = gypsum, plaster [also a “cast” for broken bones, which were made out of plaster] el revoque = plaster

la madera = wood

el plástico = plastic

el pegamento = glue, paste

la resina = resin

el ébano = ebony

el marfil = ivory

el mármol = marble

la piedra = stone

la arena = sand

el ladrillo = brick

la arcilla = clay

la arenisca = sandstone

la caliza = limestone la cal = limestone, lime

el granito = granite

el alquitrán = tar

el hueso = bone

la mina = mine

la veta = vein (for metals)

cavar = to dig

forjar = to forge fraguar = to forge [interchangeable; la forja “forge” and la fragua “forge” are also interchangeable]

la aleación = alloy

el crisol = melting pot, crucible

La Tela [Fabric]

la tela = fabric

la fibra = fiber

el hilo = thread / string / yarn

la aguja = needle

la cinta = ribbon

la seda = silk

el algodón = cotton

la lana = wool / yarn

el terciopelo = velvet

el encaje = lace

la red = net, fishnet

el poliéster = polyester

a lunares / de lunares = polkadot, with dots [lit. “with circular”]

a rayas / de rayas = striped, with stripes [lit. “with lines”] de raya fina / de raya diplomática = pinstripe

a cuadros = checkered, gingham, plaid escocés / tartán = plaid [lit. “Scottish”] / tartan cuadriculado/a = checkered [lit. “with little squares”]

la piel = leather [lit. “skin”] el cuero = leather [formal]

el pelo = fur, hair la piel = fur / hide las pieles sintéticas / la piel falsa = faux fur, synthetic fur, fake fur

la gamuza = suede

orgánico/a = organic

artificial = artificial, manmade

sintético/a = synthetic

coser = to sew

cortar = to cut

tejer = to knit

ajustar = to tighten / to adjust

You may find something like un abrigo de piel which would be like a “fur coat”, as opposed to una chaqueta de cuero “leather jacket”, as opposed to a “fur jacket”

The issue here is that la piel is “skin” but it also means “pelt” or “animal hide” [el pellejo is another one] which has fur attached, so depending on the context it could be “leather” or “fur” for materials depending on context

El Tiempo / El Clima [Weather]

el sol = sun

la nube = cloud

la lluvia = rain / rainfall

el aguacero = downpour

el hielo = ice

la nieve = snow la nevada = snowfall

el viento = wind

la ventisca = blizzard

el vendaval = strong wind, gale

el remolino = whirlwind / whirlpool / swirl

el granizo = hail

la tormenta = storm la tormenta eléctrica = thunderstorm la tormenta de arena = sandstorm

la tempestad = big storm

el trueno = thunder

el rayo = lightning bolt

el relámpago = lightning flash

el tornado = tornado

el ciclón = cyclone, tornado

el tifón = typhoon

el monzón = monsoon

el huracán = hurricane

hacer sol = to be sunny soleado/a = sunny

nublar(se) = to be cloudy nublado/a = cloudy

llover = to rain lluvioso/a = rainy

nevar = to snow

granizar = to hail

hacer viento = to be windy

tronar = to thunder / to boom, to be very loud

hacer frío = to be cold (weather)

hacer calor = to be hot (weather)

asomar(se) una tormenta = “for a storm to be brewing”

caer un rayo = for lightning to strike [lit. “for a bolt to fall”]

la estación = season [or “station”]

la primevera = spring de primavera / primaveral = springtime, spring [adj]

el verano = summer de verano / veraniego/a = summertime, summery, summer [adj]

el otoño = autumn, fall de otoño / otoñal = fall, autumn, autumnal [adj]

el invierno = winter de invierno / invernal = winter, wintry [adj]

La Transportación [Transportation]

la transportación = transportation

conducir = to drive [also “to guide” or “to conduct”] manejar = to drive [also sometimes “to manipulate”, or “to work by hand”]

el conductor, la conductora = driver / conducter

el carro = car [general Latin America] el coche = car [Spain and parts of Latin America, still understood] el auto = car [often South America but still understood; short for automóvil “automobile” which is also “self-moving” literally]

la carretera = highway / roadway / motorway [lit. “car-way” or “place for carts”]

la autopista = highway / roadway / motorway [lit. “car-track” or “road/track for cars]

el camión, la camioneta = truck [regionally dependent [el camión is sometimes “very big truck” like the 18-wheelers, while la camioneta is sometimes a smaller truck that a regular person might drive; all regional but all makes sense]

la furgoneta = van / pick-up truck [regional; large car]

arrancar = to start a car (or machinery) [arrancar is actually “to yank” or “pull up/out”, but with many machines originally having a lever you had to “pull” the word became arrancar for starting machinery]

acelerar = to accelerate, to speed up

decelerar = to decelerate, to slow down

parar = to stop

dar (la/una) vuelta = to turn around / to make a U-turn

dar marcha atrás = to reverse, to drive in reverse retroceder = to go backwards

el autobús, el bus = bus

el taxi = taxi

el avión = plane, airplane

el helicóptero = helicopter

el aeropuerto = airport

el boleto / el billete / el pasaje = ticket (for a plane) [boleto and billete refer to a “slip of paper”, while el pasaje is literally “passage” or “fare”]

el pasajero, la pasajera = passenger

el viajante, la viajante = traveler

el asiento = seat

la parada = a stop, a layover

el tren = train

la estación de tren = train station

el andén = platform (often for trains)

el ferrocarril = railroad, railway

la vía férrea = railroad, railway, tracks [lit. “iron way”]

el metro = subway, “tube”, metro [short for el metropólitano “metropolitan” which literally means “inside the city”]

el subterráneo / el subte = subway / “underground” [regional for “subway”, usually Rioplatense Spanish; it’s literally “subterranean” or “underground” which is a basic enough adjective, but here it’s “the underground” as subway slang]

el túnel = tunnel

la bicicleta = bicycle la bici = bike (abbreviation)

la motocicleta = motorcycle la moto = motorcycle / motor bike (abbreviation)

ir = to go irse = to go away, to leave

marchar(se) = to go away

viajar = to travel, to voyage

volver = to return

de ida = one way el/un pasaje de ida = a one way trip/ticket

de vuelta = back / coming back el/un pasaje de vuelta = return trip/ticket

de ida y vuelta = round trip

¡Buen viaje! = “Have a good trip!” / Bon voyage!

#Spanish #language #languages #learning Spanish #learn spanish #vocabulario #spanish vocabulary #long post #ref #so much vocab #langblr

124 notes · View notes

puzzlekinq · 7 months

Note

hey. hey. i have. a barry question. what kinds of plushies do you think he'd have? and what would he name them? because you just know that man has plushies. i'm thinking maybe some sort of jungle animals. like maybe a panda or a tiger. but he might also be one of those guys who's really into sea creatures.

VERY EXCELLENT QUESTION!!! thank you for asking this thank youso much

SO to start off i think he would like peaceful aquatic animals like sea turtles, stingrays, and manatees!! so of course he would want plushies of them. look at these guys. perfect for snuggling.

he would think the "faces" under a stingrays belly are cute :3 look at this thang

i also imagine him liking laid-back animals, like sloths, otters, and pandas.

i can see him liking some bugs too!! caterpillars in particular

wooly bear caterpillars would be his favorite. i used to play with them when i was little. theyre very fuzzy ^_^

(plushie + real life comparison)

anyway i hit the image limit and this was more of me talking about his favorite animals than plushies. BUT. this was fun to think about :3 hes cuddling up with all of these little guys right now going honk shoo mimimimi

#barry milland #alex jones prisoners #heeheheee

8 notes · View notes

agentc0rn · 11 months

Text

Some fakemons I have done in Twitter

Regional variants - Corsola (fathead dendro coral reef), Liligant (Spider lily), and Gastrodon (Blue Dragon)

Fakemon - Mortantis (ghost mantis + grim reaper)

Legendary conversion of normal pokemon trend - Seraphic Sigilyph

Four unnamed fakemons (bagworm caterpillar, feather star, queen of the night, and moss)

Water lily Glimmora (aquatic form)

UB but as common pokemon

Cocoon stage of Larvesta (ninjask/shedninja split evo)

Regional variant Arboliva

Please do not repost/trace/copy.

#fakemon #pokemon art #fakemon design #fakemon art #my art

10 notes · View notes

justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms · 1 year

Note

Hello! I was wondering if I could get some match ups for Obey Me, Mystic Messenger, and Genshin Impact!

Pronouns: they/them and she/her

Sexuality: demisexual

Zodiac/MBTI: Taurus and INTP

Appearance: 5'1 on a good day, pale skin, average build with a pear bodyshape, dark brown eyes, big glasses, black and purple split dyed hair with blunt bangs that's shoulder length in the back with longer face framing bits in the front (idk if im describing it well so think Ramona Flowers's hair from Scott Pilgrim but longer ^^;), and I'm almost always wearing something black or a dark color with converse or docs.

Personality: I'm pretty shy around strangers but my friends have described me as kind hearted, easy going, sassy, funny, smart (in the intelligence sense, not really wisdom sense lol), dense, clumsy, and a little bit lazy.

Likes: video games (turn-based and story driven especially) all animals (but cats and aquatic animals are my favorites), sushi, energy drinks, horror movies, and rock music.

Dislikes: bitter things, sudden loud sounds, hot weather, bright lights, and most outdoor physical activities.

Hobbies: I enjoy baking, playing videogames, cosplaying, experimenting with make up, and binging random video essays and Wikipedia articles.

Any extra information: Since I'm pretty clumsy and basically blind without my glasses I have a lot of scars and almost always have a bruise or scrape somewhere on my body. I also always carry a bag on me with little extra things incase of emergencies (like a mini first aid kit, hand sanitizer, snacks, hair ties, etc).

Idk what else to put but I hope this is enough and I hope you have a great day/night! ＼(⌒▽⌒)

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! I hope you like your matchup!

In Obey Me, I match you with...

Your shyness when you're around strangers is balanced out by Mammon's natural extroverted nature.

However, you're intelligence balances out Mammon's...interesting methods of thinking. He's certainly not dumb but he does need someone to reign in his more rambunctious ides.

Mammon will watch horror movies with you. He'll start out with bravado, and the movie will finished with him clinging to your arm. Please let him sleep in your room tonight. And don't turn the light off please!

He does love reading random Wikipedia pages with you. He's started reading them when he's waiting in a line or relaxing between photoshoots, and any articles he thinks you'd enjoy, he'll send your way.

He'd love it if you sent him random articles as well. He'll be sure to read them!

Mammon thinks your clumsiness is endearing but every time you hurt yourself enough to draw blood, his heart almost beats out of his chest. Please take more care of yourself!

He'll help you put Band-Aids on any of your scrapes and will make sure you have a snack afterwards.

If you're lucky, he might place a kiss on top of the Band-Aid. Just don't comment on his blush afterwards.

In Mystic Messenger, I match you with...

Another clumpy person. Yoosung definitely needs to carry an emergency bag with him. But until he remembers to do that, please let him borrow Band-Aids from you.

Yoosung also loves reading random Wikipedia articles. He's a collage student to Wikipedia is like his second home. If you mention an article to him, chances are he's read it.

Loves going for a walks with you and stopping to say hello to every aimale you come across. It doesn't matter if it's a cat, a dog, or a caterpillar.

Yoosung is a huge animal lover and he loves that you are as well. He'd love to get a pet with you but he's a little scared to ask. It's sort of like the step before a baby in his mind and he doesn't want you to feel like he's moving too fast.

Video game dates are a must. Whether you're playing an online multiplayer and you're both on the same team, or you're playing against each other, he loves every second of it.

Supper proud when you beat anyone, including him. He'll be bragging about his wonderful partner in every game lobby he enters.

Yoosung also loves your baking. I see him as a big fan of sweet treats like cinnamon rolls and chocolate cake but he doesn't have them a whole lot. Homemade is best and he's a broke college student. Please make him lots of treats!

In Genshin Impact, I match you with...

Xinyan brings so much energy to your life!

Expect her to gush about your baking. And your cosplay. And how smart you are. Basically, if there's something you're good at, Xinyan is bragging about it to anyone who'll listen.

Xinyan also thinks your clumsiness is cute but she'll always fret over you when you hurt yourself to the point of bruising or bleeding. She's getting your emergency pack out and placing Band-Aids where you need them.

I think Xinyan would also carry emergency supplies on her. Accidents can happen at concerts, and whether those Band-Aids are for her or for a crowd member, it doesn't matter. She's always ready to use them is someone needs them.

Xinyan is happy to go and see animals with you, as long as there are no frogs around. She's okay with fishes and other aquatic animals, but no frogs please.

#writing #fanfic #matchup #matchup request #request #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me nightbringer #mammon #mystic messenger #yoosung kim #genshin impact #xinyan

9 notes · View notes