mossy bird(?) creature

pronouns: they, it, he, she, caw, and whatever else you consider applicable to me

[animalphotorefs]

New Species Poll - everybody gets to vote - closes 5/17!

Priority Species Poll: Ends 8/17 | Animal Photo Reference Repository

Priority Species Poll: Ends 8/17 by Animal Photo Reference Repository on Patreon. Join Animal Photo Reference Repository's community for exc

I've decided that it would be fun to get a lot of input on the next Priority Species for the site, so I've opened up this week's Patreon poll to all free and paid members.

Feel free to join for free if you'd just like vote this time! No expectations of any further engagement.

We've got some hella cool species to choose from this week:

Muskox

Maribou Storks

Northern Elephant Seals

Servals

[animalphotorefs]

Boosting for the weekend crowd!

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Also this is kinda off topic so I'm making a separate post but I think the focus on "natural talent" also contributes to skilled labor being so undervalued. Like when you are hiring someone to do a job or purchasing a handmade item, you are paying them not just for their time and the materials but also for the years and decades of experience they have, the training and practice and schooling they may have undergone to get to the point of skill where their services are desired by other people.

But when you look at that work and think, "This is made by someone who is naturally gifted at this," you aren't thinking of that experience and work. It makes it easy to see those products or services as a natural talent someone was born with and that they're choosing to share with the world, that it required minimal effort on their part, and so the high prices seem unnecessary instead of a reflection of that person's skill and work.

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Like idk, maybe that custom embroidered pet potrait is $100+ because that person has spent the last 15 years perfecting their thread painting technique to create beautiful pieces that actually look like your pet and they want the price to reflect not just the hours they'll spend working on it but also the years they've spent building up their skillset to the point where you want their art as a permanent reminder of your pet.

[vintagewildlife]

Galápagos hawk hitching a ride on a giant tortoise By: Tui A. de Roy From: Wildlife of the Islands 1980

[vintagewildlife]

Apparently they just do this all the time

[dramatic-dolphin]

why do americans think everyone on the internet lives in the same place as them. just saw someone say honeybees are "not native". not native to where????? the entire planet?????

[dramatic-dolphin]

saw a photo of garlic mustard somewhere on the internet once and americans in the comments were like "fun fact this plant is invasive so you should definitely tear out any you see, WITH THE ROOTS so it won't spread!" whole fucking time i'm living in garlic mustard native range. i don't think i will be doing that.

[queerautism]

This drives me absolutely up the wall in r/birdfeeding. Every time there's a picture of a house sparrow, the entire comments are filled with americans talking about them being invasive and how they should be basically killed on sight. But often OP has not provided a location, and house sparrows have a HUGE native range. Here in the UK they're not only native birds, they're on the decline, they need our help and protection.

[robotslenderman]

Me every time I see a post saying that you should destroy your lawn and cram a bunch of native plants as closely together as you can instead. Look, I'm not saying lawns are native to Australia because they're not, but our native plants evolved to burn; they are dry, their leaves are dry, and they're full of oils. If you plant native plants the way Americans tell you to that's a fucking fire hazard and you are endangering yourself and your neighbours next time we have a Black Summer.

[robotslenderman]

My friend @ryttu3k linked me a great PDF on planting a native Australian garden in such a way as to reduce its status as a fire hazard!

[fluffmugger]

tapping onto this, Ry's guide is for a specific part of NSW. Australia is a very very big place and there is a lot of biodiversity. So don't take one guide as The One True Guide because I used to be a ranger and lemme tell you, trying to stuff native plants in terrains they are unsuited for just creates a mess for everyone. Honestly, just google "native planting <your council> " and they will have a guide that is specific to your area.

[wizardarchetypes]

i know i encourage people to learn tree ID and bird ID and love the world around them but the one thing i never warn ppl about is how dramatically it narrows your suspension of belief when you’re watching a tv show filmed thousands of miles from where it’s supposed to take place.

was going bananas watching a show set in Oregon but they didn’t edit out a constant chorus of eastern pheobes in the background, but i persevered. bc one i don’t care THAT much and 2 it’s kinda a fun part of the je ne sais quoi especially if the show sort of sucks

but i do have my limits and when i was watching a show set in northern Ohio, filmed in BC I actually quit it permanently when the characters walked into a stand of coastal douglas firs.

[wizardarchetypes]

frustrated further when i complained about this and someone from the PNW was like “yeah Ohio is so flat and nothing that was too obvious.”

☝️northern Ohio sits on one of the great lakes and was once home to one of the largest wetlands/swamps on the continent. colonial agriculture devastated it but its remnants have persevered. my issue was not that BC was too beautiful to be Ohio. It’s that Ohio’s beauty was not showcased.

[probablyapinecone]

i'm late for both nonbinary day of visibility and make a terrible comic day, so here is an occasionless nonbinary shitty comic

[prokopetz]

It's extremely funny that there have been multiple writers in multiple mediums who've been allowed to write Wolverine from the X-men who clearly had no idea what a wolverine is and assumed it was a fancy word for "wolf", and at no point did any of the literally dozens of other people involved in bringing their writing to life see fit to challenge this assumption.

[tyrannosaurus-trainwreck]

Sometimes the rest of the team gets handed a once in a lifetime opportunity to do the funniest thing, and all they have to do is keep their mouths shut long enough for it to go to print.

[arcanistlupus]

One of the classic Magic: the Gathering arts is that of Hyalopterous Lemure, where the artist mistook 'lemure' (a type of malignant spirit) for 'lemur' (a small fuzzy primate), but manage to *nail* 'hyalopterous'

[le-dreadmau5]

It’s literally that simple

Friend: “hey my son can’t concentrate on his homework. He chooses to do literally anything else everytime. He said his head doesn’t feel like it.”

Me: “Did you give him music?”

Friend: “No! No tech until he’s done! He doesn’t need more distracted.”

Me:

“k, bring me the child”

*Go to her house*

*points to the obviously ADHD boy struggling with his homework*

Me: “so your head doesn’t feel like doing homework?”

Son: “yeah. It would rather do ANYTHING else.”

Me: *unwrapping earbuds* here, listen to this for an hour while you do it.

French voice: 1hr later

Son: “k I’m done! :-)”

Friend: “wow, what’d you give him? Concentra, Adderall, Ritalin‽”

Me: “Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics” and some lo-fi.

[fckingowlnerd]

I-I’m gonna try this for myself

[le-dreadmau5]

Go for it! From what I’ve seen, everyone has a different genre but instrumental (no words) seems to be key. I guess Sweet Dreams words are so ethereal, ADHD just rolls with it????

For me, orchestral covers of songs I know work best since my ADHD is using the extra hyperfocus to remember and keep up with words. Have fun experimenting!!

I have some arrangements of songs I did that I just loop. Mind you, these are, like, 1-3 minutes long, but the drone really helps with focus

Y'all I just listen to Lana Del Rey. Would recommend because with instrumentals I tend to focus on where actual words would be but with Lana’s stuff her vocals sound like music but it’s words

[mbrainspaz]

really wish I could’ve done this when I was spending 4 hours on every page of math homework in the 90′s. Fast forward to my last year of college when I finally figured out I could just listen to Blackmill and blaze through an entire semester of college math like it was nothing.  Find the study methods that work for you!!! Help kids find the study methods that work for them!  

[heywriters]

It takes me all day to do simple chores because i keep getting distracted. If i put in earbuds with upbeat music I’m done with everything in a couple hours AND i feel really good and probably danced a little i.e. exercised.

Try songs in another language - one you don’t speak. The idea is that since you don’t understand the words, your brain doesn’t go “Oh hey, someone is talking to me” and thus you can maintain your focus. Although, this is something probably  best suited to writing. But on the other hand, if it works, it works.  Personally, I like Opera. BUT, I advise against using Pandora’s Opera Station. At least in the free version, it either cycles through the same ten Singers/Albums or drifts off into instrumental covers.  On the other hand, it’s great for background noise when gaming. Just be sure you have an ad blocker running. You will also have to confirm that you are listening every hour or so. 

Followup on the lofi front: I recommend the following channels. Chillhop Music:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOxqgCwgOqC2lMqC5PYz_Dg

In particular, I recommend the relax/study livestream radio. Or just about any of their mixes. Fantasic Music:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZyyXrEF2WCZbI653PFNBbA Both the Chill and the Jazz playlists are excellent.  Jazzhop Cafe:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi8wqezBudeAiTdKOX571ug

Their ChillMix videos are the best.  Jazzhop Cafe Archive:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKbD–QKXKosHmSXarqYUeg Name is self-evident.  I believe ChilledCow also has a livestream, but I honestly prefer Chillhop. YMMV https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSJ4gkVC6NrvII8umztf0Ow

EDIT: Oh, Pandora’s Vitamin String Quartet IS good, but it tends to drift off into New Age type stuff. Adblocker thing still applies though. 

[emmeetslawschool]

Here is my personal ADHD get shit done playlist. It’s mostly film and game soundtracks. 

[jhiaxus-soup]

I use orchestra covers of video game music and the LOTR soundtrack

[beakedwhalesyo]

I also find jazz, city pop, and vaporwave work well for this purpose too. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons also got me through many a college paper back in the day.

[emeraldmercury]

I use Pokemon music or Youtube readings of reddit stories to do my work. 

Pokemon works great for me too, i also have a couple other songs from video games i like to listen to

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Headphones are essential for this, I’ve found. Don’t play the music through your speakers.

[the960writers]

I love:

Videogame Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkE-fxN-gE

ADHD Relief Music: Polyrhythmic Music for Focus and Studying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXC6AUbY69A

[eunyisadoran]

A variation: I don’t know if I would get any chores done without audiobooks…

My husband recommends

Background Noises • Ambient Sounds • Relaxing Music | myNoise ®

myNoise sets the standard for online background noise machines and interactive soundscapes.

as there are many options for looping sounds, fully customizable, categorized by what they’re good for, no ads, and can sometimes be played with screen locked. It’s truly wonderful.

[lastoneout]

Ooo time for me to drop my secret anti-ADHD bullshit weapon!!

Sometimes with ADHD I really do just need rain noises or lo-fi beats or instrumental stuff, and sometimes I need the music equivalent of being hit by a truck made of candy carrying 16 tons of high-octane fruity energy drinks. That’s where this playlist comes in. It’s the closest I can get to just blasting serotonin directly into grey matter and it works wonders when I really need to get something done but doing it sounds worse than stepping on white hot metal lego bricks. I hope it can help y'all as well!

[komekoro]

Unhinged ADHD Concentration Playlist

Aka: My friends think I’m unhinged, since these songs help me concentrate. These songs are straight fire. Hit shuffle and enjoy! (Constant w

[mizuthe-cat]

don’t ask chatgpt I can lie to you for free

[teammatesfriendstohellwiththat]

hello mizuthe-chat how many provinces are there in the united states

[mizuthe-cat]

7

[teammatesfriendstohellwiththat]

wow this feels like it's less than it should be but I'll believe you if you provide visual evidence like a map

[mizuthe-cat]

Of course! Let’s dive in—the seven different provinces of the United States of America are: The Beast Coast, Luigiana, Better Wisconsin, Minigan, Long California, Texas, and Canada+!

[key-pair]

in case folk outside the UK aren't abreast of our news, the British press just hounded a black academic to death

[key-pair]

a rough timeline of events (from memory, there may be inaccuracies, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Cambridge professor of sociology Jason Arday is accused of plagiarism by another academic

the accuser is a "race realist" who believes that in a true meritocracy all university professors would be white. this is somehow not acknowledged much during the entire ordeal

this leads to several days of media coverage demanding an investigation, or that Arday is expelled from his post immediately

somehow this accusation that has no effect on the lives of 99.99% of the population becomes FRONT PAGE NEWS in all the newspapers for multiple days, above anything else happening in the UK or the world at large

following intense media scrutiny, Arday resigns his post as a Cambridge professor

today, august 14th, days after resigning, Arday is found dead at his home in Battersea

the British tabloid press remains, and will always be, fucking evil

[cantdrawtosavemylife]

Went to google more news about professor Jason Arday, and I swear to God the first two pages of research are rancid propaganda sites smearing the man's reputation, up to and including popular Brazilian news magazine Veja.

This article by professor Kehinde Andrews clarifies more about the story of racist harassment Arday has been suffering since he fucking got a teaching job at Cambridge in the first place, in 2023, as the FIRST Black professor in that fucking stupid institution, who sure is taking it's sweet time defending their worker, despite already fucking checking his work for plagiarism and saying he didn't do it:

https://www.voice-online.co.uk/opinion/comment/2026/08/07/ardays-resignation/

A dark agenda lies behind Jason Arday's resignation - Voice Online

Arday's resignation has reignited questions about race and who is truly accepted at the highest levels of British academia

Several of the academics who harassed this man into suicide do not seem to have suffered at all in their academic careers. Actually, Dave Harris, who lost his Emeritus title for his racist behavior back in 2024 (something the news only call "criticizing Critical Race Theory", instead of "sent racist emails to fellow black academics"), was defended by Plymouth University, where he used to work, and fucking got the title back earlier this year.

[cannibalgender]

A couple things about the above.

1. He wasn’t the first Black Professor at Cambridge, but he WAS the youngest X

2. He was ALSO autistic, and nonverbal for the first 11 years of his life X

The rest of the story unfolds pretty much as described. And he was a fucking Sociologist studying racial equity in schools and academia. They publicly bullied a black autistic man to suicide for being imperfect whilst asserting a place for blackness in academia.

[enki2]

[dragon-with-shitty-wifi]

A German friend of mine (usually a sub) was experimenting with domming me over text message while I was at a work sponsored lunch.

She asked me what I was eating and I told her "a hot dog with ketchup and Sauerkraut" and the idea of putting Sauerkraut on a hot dog so threw her for a loop that she completely dropped her persona

Apparently the German desire for control is no match for American food sacrilege

[caw-oticdork]

huh

I mean, to be fair, I'm not a fan of ketchup in general, so perhaps it works for people who enjoy ketchup?

Over here it's usually served either in a stew with onions, various preserved meats (my favourite is the blood sausage!), potatoes (those are sometimes served mashed as a side) and root veggies like carrots and parsnips like so:

Or cooked with less liquid and whole sausages, which are then served with mashed potatoes:

Or as a stir-fried pasta dish with bacon, onions, and sometimes other veggies like so:

Or baked in a pie:

And there's a lot of other good recipes, a lot of which do feature sausage and a carb, so putting it on a hotdog really isn't that much of a stretch.

[tinx-methinks]

Oh it's worth noting that hot dog almost never means any sausage in Canada and the US

Hot dog refers to the ones that are made of a uniform meat paste

and I don't quite remember sauerkraut being cooked at all... Maybe reheated in the microwave? but I think he mostly took it straight from the carton and put it right on the dog

and it ends up looking like this (only on bread because my family was cheap and never bought hotdog buns lol)

[caw-oticdork]

That does look good honestly - I imagjne it's kind of like putting pickles on there, with the acidity. Not sure if it would be better on a hot dog raw, cooked (hot), or pre-cooked and cold...

also tbc I did know that a hot dog is this specific kind of sausage in America, and putting a different kind of sausage in a bun over here wouldn't make the dish a hot dog

We use viennese sausage to make a hot dog

[prokopetz]

Look, I understand that you're going through some shit, and you know I'll always support you, but I just had to fight your shadow-self in the kitchen. Yeah, I was getting breakfast and the enfleshed eidolon of your existential alienation was shooting, I don't know, some sort of beam.

[prokopetz]

It banished the Froot Loops to a far and sunless realm. I really wanted those.

[froxictog]

#also i recognise that the self that walks in darkness is not inherently any more true than the self that walks in the light#but i've gotta ask: is there something going on that i should know about#like#pronoun-wise?

[thckskulll]

[papercranesandpride]

I think if you want to understand bigotry against aromantics, I have a good case study. Let me talk a little about my dad's family.

My dad has 4 half siblings and two step siblings. They're all a decent bit younger than him. When I was a teenager, we went to a family reunion, and I realized something—my dad did not respect his siblings. He looked down on all of them. He saw them as fuck-ups and overgrown children. My dad had the American dream: well paying management job, suburban house, wife, and three kids. My aunt and uncles did not. Excluding my aunt, none of them were married or in serious relationships. They hadn't really settled into long term careers. Several of them were working the kind of jobs that get called "Unskilled labor." So he looked down on them because the youngest one was in his thirties (and several were much older), and yet none of them had "settled down" into what he saw as lifelong, permanent careers and relationships and lives. He was polite to their faces, sure, but I heard how he talked about them behind their backs, to my mother.

And then a few years ago, we visited his brothers again for Thanksgiving. And I realized something again--he respected them now. He saw them as equals. Why? Well. All of a sudden, every single one of them had serious, committed romantic partners. They didn't even need to still be with those partners—one of my uncle's fiance passed away from cancer before they could marry—just having had one showed that they matured into a real adult participating in society. In fact, at one point, my aunt was telling my mom about how one of my uncles was no longer living in an apartment she owned, but instead, after having a steady girlfriend for about a year, he moved in with her. And my mom literally said to my aunt, "wow. Look at that. He finally grew up."

One of the lines that frequently gets repeated about anti-aspec sentiment is "why would anyone hate asexuals/aromantics/etc? They aren't even doing anything." And that's exactly it. In the eyes of amatonormative culture, we aren't doing anything. Adults are supposed to do things. That's how you become a member of society.

I know that my father will never see me as a successful adult. He will never approve of my life. And I think most people would assume that that's because I'm trans. And don't get me wrong, he sure as shit doesn't like or respect that, but I do think if given enough time, he would get used to it. He would eventually realize that it isn't going away. And if I settled down with a spouse and a respectful job and a few kids, he could see me as a successful adult that he could be proud of anyway. But of course, that's not going to happen. Because I'm aromantic. So I'm never going to do that one thing that signifies that his job is complete, and I'm officially a full-fledged adult. I will perpetually be that fuck-up kid who won't settle down. In my personal case, that's okay. My dad is a conservative piece of shit, and if he doesn't approve of you, that just means you're doing something right. But on a societal level? This kind of attitude is a massive problem. Aromantics deserve to be treated like adults, and to feel like the accomplished adults that they are. We should feel like we belong in society.

[firstofficerkittycat]

godspeed u crazy faggots friday

[lithiumseven]

Ok so the line was “crazy fucks” (according to Paramount) but then everyone heard it as faggots because that makes more sense contextually and grammatically and so Paramount had to get on Twitter and apologize and I’m WHEEZING

[quasi-normalcy]

I do love that, by bleeping out the swear, they make it sound potentially way more offensive than it would if she'd just been allowed to say "fucks"

[bellerophonm]

Here's a link to the uncensored clip:

imgur.com

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending mem

It wasn't really a big paramount apology: someone tweeted about the slur at the show's producer and he was like 'oh god no we would never' and posted the uncensored clip.

[myjetpack]

Clip Art > Science > Failure > Cute My latest @newscientist cartoon

[caw-oticdork]

wretchedness and woe