birds

multifandom+art blog Links: carrd Art tag: #my art

[crumbledtower]

Hi, I'm Sci! I draw, animate and I'm mostly into TF2/HL/Portal, Rain World, Venture Bros and Rick & Morty rn! I also like cartoons, manga, manhwa, webcomics, and a random assortment of games o( ❛ᴗ❛ )o

my artfight page: https://artfight.net/~crumbledtower

rb only sideblog: @crumbledtowerb

my tags:

#my art - my original art, mostly fanart

#txt - my textposts

#ask - (feel free to send asks I have like one post on this tag lmao)

#fave - my favorite reblogs! #useful - resources and such

[the-wheatley-core]

Headcanon/Analysis: Wheatley is in constant pain

((Throughout Chapter 5, Wheatley’s eye aperture (iris) is always partially constricted. 

When normally he has a relaxed gaze.

As Karen Prell, Wheatley’s animator puts it: “Slow, smooth head moves, a steady gaze and a relaxed eye aperture indicate that Wheatley is calm. Short, sharp head turns, rapid blinks and glancing around indicate nervousness or deceit. Add a tightly constricted eye aperture and a little shiver to show fear.” However, Wheatley is not fearful or anxious during various parts of Chapter 5. Like at the turret control center, Wheatley is calm and has nothing to be nervous about. 

And he’s so calm during the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day exhibit that he feels relaxed enough to start having a go at the children’s science projects. 

So he’s clearly not feeling anxious, so what gives? It’s that he’s damaged and in constant pain and agony throughout.

After GLaDOS crushed him, 

And tossed him into some water and jagged rocks, 

He’s been sparking constantly ever since.

But has never said a single word about it. And it’s not that his eye aperture is just stuck like that after having been crushed. He’s capable of expanding his eye aperture during these moments.

But more often than not it’s always just partially constricted.

And that’s because he’s in pain, but he’s trying to ignore it. He never mentions his sparking issue and he never brings up any kind of pain he might be feeling. Whether it be emotional or physical. He’s always just keeping it to himself through metaphorical gritted teeth and pretending that everything is okay, which is a reoccurring theme regarding Wheatley. He’s always trying to pretend that things are okay even when they’re not. > “Stay calm! ‘Prepare’ - that’s all they’re saying. 'Prepare.’ It’s all fine. Alright? Don’t move. I’m gonna get us out of here.” > “Okay! No, don’t worry! Don’t worry! I’ve got it I’ve got it I’ve got it! THIS should slow it down!” > “Okay don’t panic! Alright? Stop panicking! I can still stop this. Ahh. Oh there’s a password. It’s fine. I’ll just hack it. Not a problem… umm…” > “So… you’re gonna test. And I’m gonna watch. And everything is gonna be JUST… FINE.” > “It’s alright! Everything’s good. I just invented some more tests!” > “Was. Was self-destructing. Already fixed. Programmed in one last tremor, for old time’s sake. Two. One or two more tremors in there. Just for fun. I let him keep his job. I’m not a monster. Ignore what he’s saying, though. Keep testing.” — Wheatley is like this from the very beginning to the end. Always trying to ignore his problems because he’s afraid that thinking about it will stress him out and cause him to panic. And he’s already got pretty bad anxiety to begin with.  It’s just honestly quite impressive how nobody picked up on the warning signs sooner.  And this would also explain why the solution euphoria effected him so easily. It was probably like a painkiller to him. 

His eye never constricts when you’re solving his tests. It’s always expanded.

I genuinely think that the solution euphoria was numbing his pain. Both physical as well as the emotional. This would explain why Wheatley held onto it so strongly. He didn’t want to go back to feeling as bad as he did before. He didn’t want to quit this drug that was finally helping him cope with his pain and struggles. Wheatley is bad at communicating his issues, so he turns to substance abuse and this is why I always say that Wheatley’s character arc is a cautionary tale. And it WAS substance abuse. The developers themselves have said that the solution euphoria is an analogy to cocaine.

So Wheatley is a very relatable character, but he also shows what happens when you fail to take care of yourself and your mental health properly and when you don’t have a proper support structure around you.))

[contact-guy]

their asses are NOT making their valentine's day dinner reservation

[sudspace]

these sure are

[asgardian--angels]

Planet's Fucked: What Can You Do To Help? (Long Post)

Since nobody is talking about the existential threat to the climate and the environment a second Trump term/Republican government control will cause, which to me supersedes literally every other issue, I wanted to just say my two cents, and some things you can do to help. I am a conservation biologist, whose field was hit substantially by the first Trump presidency. I study wild bees, birds, and plants.

In case anyone forgot what he did last time, he gagged scientists' ability to talk about climate change, he tried zeroing budgets for agencies like the NOAA, he attempted to gut protections in the Endangered Species Act (mainly by redefining 'take' in a way that would allow corporations to destroy habitat of imperiled species with no ramifications), he tried to do the same for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the law that offers official protection for native non-game birds), he sought to expand oil and coal extraction from federal protected lands, he shrunk the size of multiple national preserves, HE PULLED US OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, and more.

We are at a crucial tipping point in being able to slow the pace of climate change, where we decide what emissions scenario we will operate at, with existential consequences for both the environment and people. We are also in the middle of the Sixth Mass Extinction, with the rate of species extinctions far surpassing background rates due completely to human actions. What we do now will determine the fate of the environment for hundreds or thousands of years - from our ability to grow key food crops (goodbye corn belt! I hated you anyway but), to the pressure on coastal communities that will face the brunt of sea level rise and intensifying extreme weather events, to desertification, ocean acidification, wildfires, melting permafrost (yay, outbreaks of deadly frozen viruses!), and a breaking down of ecosystems and ecosystem services due to continued habitat loss and species declines, especially insect declines. The fact that the environment is clearly a low priority issue despite the very real existential threat to so many people, is beyond my ability to understand. I do partly blame the public education system for offering no mandatory environmental science curriculum or any at all in most places. What it means is that it will take the support of everyone who does care to make any amount of difference in this steeply uphill battle.

There are not enough environmental scientists to solve these issues, not if public support is not on our side and the majority of the general public is either uninformed or actively hostile towards climate science (or any conservation science).

So what can you, my fellow Americans, do to help mitigate and minimize the inevitable damage that lay ahead?

I'm not going to tell you to recycle more or take shorter showers. I'll be honest, that stuff is a drop in the bucket. What does matter on the individual level is restoring and protecting habitat, reducing threats to at-risk species, reducing pesticide use, improving agricultural practices, and pushing for policy changes. Restoring CONNECTIVITY to our landscape - corridors of contiguous habitat - will make all the difference for wildlife to be able to survive a changing climate and continued human population expansion.

**Caveat that I work in the northeast with pollinators and birds so I cannot provide specific organizations for some topics, including climate change focused NGOs. Scientists on tumblr who specialize in other fields, please add your own recommended resources. **

We need two things: FUNDING and MANPOWER.

You may surprised to find that an insane amount of conservation work is carried out by volunteers. We don't ever have the funds to pay most of the people who want to help. If you really really care, consider going into a conservation-related field as a career. It's rewarding, passionate work.

At the national level, please support:

The Nature Conservancy

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Cornell Lab of Ornithology (including eBird)

National Audubon Society

Federal Duck Stamps (you don't need to be a hunter to buy one!)

These first four work to acquire and restore critical habitat, change environmental policy, and educate the public. There is almost certainly a Nature Conservancy-owned property within driving distance of you. Xerces plays a very large role in pollinator conservation, including sustainable agriculture, native bee monitoring programs, and the Bee City/Bee Campus USA programs. The Lab of O is one of the world's leaders in bird research and conservation. Audubon focuses on bird conservation. You can get annual memberships to these organizations and receive cool swag and/or a subscription to their publications which are well worth it. You can also volunteer your time; we need thousands of volunteers to do everything from conducting wildlife surveys, invasive species removal, providing outreach programming, managing habitat/clearing trails, planting trees, you name it. Federal Duck Stamps are the major revenue for wetland conservation; hunters need to buy them to hunt waterfowl but anyone can get them to collect!

THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE, but these are a start.

Additionally, any federal or local organizations that seek to provide support and relief to those affected by hurricanes, sea level rise, any form of coastal climate change...

At the regional level:

These are a list of topics that affect major regions of the United States. Since I do not work in most of these areas I don't feel confident recommending specific organizations, but please seek resources relating to these as they are likely major conservation issues near you.

PRAIRIE CONSERVATION & PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS

DRYING OF THE COLORADO RIVER (good overview video linked)

PROTECTION OF ESTUARIES AND SALTMARSH, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELAWARE BAY AND LONG ISLAND (and mangroves further south, everglades etc; this includes restoring LIVING SHORELINES instead of concrete storm walls; also check out the likely-soon extinction of saltmarsh sparrows)

UNDAMMING MAJOR RIVERS (not just the Colorado; restoring salmon runs, restoring historic floodplains)

NATIVE POLLINATOR DECLINES (NOT honeybees. for fuck's sake. honeybees are non-native domesticated animals. don't you DARE get honeybee hives to 'save the bees')

WILDLIFE ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER (support the Mission Butterfly Center!)

INVASIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES (this is everywhere but the specifics will differ regionally, dear lord please help Hawaii)

LOSS OF WETLANDS NATIONWIDE (some states have lost over 90% of their wetlands, I'm looking at you California, Ohio, Illinois)

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE, esp in the CORN BELT and CALIFORNIA - this is an issue much bigger than each of us, but we can work incrementally to promote sustainable practices and create habitat in farmland-dominated areas. Support small, local farms, especially those that use soil regenerative practices, no-till agriculture, no pesticides/Integrated Pest Management/no neonicotinoids/at least non-persistent pesticides. We need more farmers enrolling in NRCS programs to put farmland in temporary or permanent wetland easements, or to rent the land for a 30-year solar farm cycle. We've lost over 99% of our prairies to corn and soybeans. Let's not make it 100%.

INDIGENOUS LAND-BACK EFFORTS/INDIGENOUS LAND MANAGEMENT/TEK (adding this because there have been increasing efforts not just for reparations but to also allow indigenous communities to steward and manage lands either fully independently or alongside western science, and it would have great benefits for both people and the land; I know others on here could speak much more on this. Please platform indigenous voices)

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (get your neighbors to stop dumping fertilizers on their lawn next to lakes, reduce agricultural runoff)

OCEAN PLASTIC (it's not straws, it's mostly commercial fishing line/trawling equipment and microplastics)

A lot of these are interconnected. And of course not a complete list.

At the state and local level:

You probably have the most power to make change at the local level!

Support or volunteer at your local nature centers, local/state land conservancy non-profits (find out who owns&manages the preserves you like to hike at!), state fish & game dept/non-game program, local Audubon chapters (they do a LOT). Participate in a Christmas Bird Count!

Join local garden clubs, which install and maintain town plantings - encourage them to use NATIVE plants. Join a community garden!

Get your college campus or city/town certified in the Bee Campus USA/Bee City USA programs from the Xerces Society

Check out your state's official plant nursery, forest society, natural heritage program, anything that you could become a member of, get plants from, or volunteer at.

Volunteer to be part of your town's conservation commission, which makes decisions about land management and funding

Attend classes or volunteer with your land grant university's cooperative extension (including master gardener programs)

Literally any volunteer effort aimed at improving the local environment, whether that's picking up litter, pulling invasive plants, installing a local garden, planting trees in a city park, ANYTHING. make a positive change in your own sphere. learn the local issues affecting your nearby ecosystems. I guarantee some lake or river nearby is polluted

MAKE HABITAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. Biggest thing you can do. Use plants native to your area in your yard or garden. Ditch your lawn. Don't use pesticides (including mosquito spraying, tick spraying, Roundup, etc). Don't use fertilizers that will run off into drinking water. Leave the leaves in your yard. Get your school/college to plant native gardens. Plant native trees (most trees planted in yards are not native). Remove invasive plants in your yard.

On this last point, HERE ARE EASY ONLINE RESOURCES TO FIND NATIVE PLANTS and LEARN ABOUT NATIVE GARDENING:

Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Pollinator Pathway

Audubon Native Plant Finder

Homegrown National Park (and Doug Tallamy's other books)

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder (clunky but somewhat helpful)

Heather Holm (for prairie/midwest/northeast)

MonarchGard w/ Benjamin Vogt (for prairie/midwest)

Native Plant Trust (northeast & mid-atlantic)

Grow Native Massachusetts (northeast)

Habitat Gardening in Central New York (northeast)

There are many more - I'm not familiar with resources for western states. Print books are your biggest friend. Happy to provide a list of those.

Lastly, you can help scientists monitor species using citizen science. Contribute to iNaturalist, eBird, Bumblebee Watch, or any number of more geographically or taxonomically targeted programs (for instance, our state has a butterfly census carried out by citizen volunteers).

In short? Get curious, get educated, get involved. Notice your local nature, find out how it's threatened, and find out who's working to protect it that you can help with. The health of the planet, including our resilience to climate change, is determined by small local efforts to maintain and restore habitat. That is how we survive this. When government funding won't come, when we're beat back at every turn trying to get policy changed, it comes down to each individual person creating a safe refuge for nature.

Thanks for reading this far. Please feel free to add your own credible resources and organizations.

[facanamante1ga]

FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THIS

A 2nd trump presidency will basically be one of the last nails in our coffins, as the US, one of the biggest polluters, is going to be no longer have no qualms over fucking over the entire planet.

I get people's immediate priority isn't this, so they aren't talking about it, it's their rights and livelyhoods, it is totally understandable.

But talking to one of my professors today really showed me that the scientific community really is panicking and the planet is on its knees.

HOWEVER,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we cannot lose hope, bc climate doomrism is as bad as climate denial

[todaysbird]

Take this time, while these issues are fresh on our minds, to educate yourself. Get involved. Share news with others. Call out misinformation. Do everything you can, while we still can.

[aleciosun]

the team comes to help :)

original

the end

[fluorurodecobre]

not much of the "world" remains

[pantspissedinreverse]

some drawings i did for the 2024 tf2 big bang :)

gays ^

the fic is "When All the World Goes Still", written by @curreeusly-ominous-elf on AO3!

@crumbledtower has done art for this fic as well, go check it out!

the event is hosted by hanktalkin over on @tf2bigbang where you can find more art and fics from the event

this event was so fun to do and meeting everyone was such a pleasure, id highly recommend joining in next time!

psst, shitposts below from when we were making stuff for the event, there will be spoilers, you have been warned

shitposts as promised

[pantspissedinreverse]

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!

[crumbledtower]

My drawing for @curreeusly-ominous-elf's fic "When All The World Goes Still" as part of the TF2 Big Bang event! (psssst go read iittttttttttttttt)

@pantspissedinreverse also made pieces for this fic, check them out here :D

You can see other works from this event at the main blog @tf2bigbang!

[dykemcqueen]

s7e5 was so disappointing to me bc they completely sidelined morty and acted like there's some stark difference between morty and evil morty as if the whole conceit of EM isn't that he is literally just morty.

at his point of origin EM is not smarter, he's not crueler, he's not better, he's not worse, he's just c137 with about 20% less patience. EM has more knowledge because he HAD to learn as much as rick to finally overcome him, but overcoming rick was the impetus, and if c137 had that same drive, it would be completely possible. c137 has manipulated rick in exactly the same way that we see EM doing to his rick in the opening. c137 is just as smart and bitchy and fed up. he's just as good at fighting and flying the ship. morty c137 has not been the bumbling sidekick for many seasons, so why put him in that position now? just to make evil morty look way cooler than he is?

not to mention it's so out of character for morty not to read the fucking room at the end of the episode. morty canonically can dissect rick very well, so why is he acting cheery and ignorant now? it's not like the two of them to be so out of sync, not anymore. it was just so repellent to me... dragging my boy through the mud just to put evil morty on a pedestal... just to act like they aren't the same person at their core.

[dykemcqueen]

some people said the last part isnt necessarily true and morty is just paralleling rick's behavior. i see you i get you. that makes sense. what also makes sense in the context of the show is that morty's particular brand of selfishness is rearing its head. he's relieved and excited to move on now that rick will stop devoting so much time to revenge and start paying more attention to him. i just think in the context of the EPISODE, it makes him look just as silly and sidelined as he was during the rest of it, especially given that evil morty had such a knowing reaction. thank u for coming to my rick talk

[noodles-and-tea]

:(((

[bug-s0da]

PHANTOM POWER BABY!!!!!!

extraz below as usual :3c

i made this super self-indulgent miku in early august for a certain personal project that's still in the works... wasn't gonna post it before i finished the entire thing tbh but everyone's sharing mikus now so (even though she’s not a miku worldwide design) why not. u can have a sneaque peeque… the theming is pretty loose and scattered but think audio soft/hardware :]

[dantethedemonkiller]

[onebadnoodle]

dipper and mabel bad end where they end up like ford and stan

[kaowett]

[centuryfall]

Pawstep Pathway Warrior Cats

If you're interested in a Minecraft server dedicated to Warrior Cats roleplay, please take a look! This server is based on the book series Warriors by Erin Hunter, and you'll be required to have a little bit of knowledge of the series to join. Pawstep's roleplay uses the book series' lore as a foundation but modifies it to make it more interesting and fun.

IP: randomchimp.no-ip.org:20013

(I know the IP is a little silly, but it's been the same for a decade.)

Detailed information beneath the read-more!

Pawstep Pathway's lore diverges from that of the books during the Great Journey, so after the Prophecies Begin and part of the New Prophecy arcs. First arc characters like Firestar are canon in legend, but some original characters walked among them in life in the server's canon to make way for our Clans. The Great Journey from the Forest territories was a time of extreme change and upheaval for the Clans- not just physically, but spiritually and socially as well. Faith in StarClan strengthened for some, but faltered for others. The old allegiances were tested time and again, and when the Clans reached their prophecized homes, many realized they could no longer bow to tradition. Three great cats rose up, spearheading revolution. Though they were countered by a fourth, they managed to take power, changing the structure of the Clans forever.

Many of the foundations of Clan life remain the same, but the cultures and customs of the old Clans gave way to the birth of new ones.

CrestClan is the Clan born of the Resistor, Creststar. Those who were most pious and attached to the old ways joined her when the old Clans fell, and their descendants still uphold their traditions, for better or worse. They are known for their stubbornness, their strong reverence of StarClan, and their hatred of outsiders.

HollowClan's progenitor, Hollowstar the Pacifier, rose to greatness by harnessing his own fear. The Dark Forest began to make its presence known during the Great Journey, attempting to sow discord, but those both pious and fearful joined together to pacify them and assuage their anger with recognition. Their descendants are known for their cunning and their fearfulness, along with their strange naming conventions.

MireClan is the only Clan over which StarClan does not hold true dominion. Mirestar the Denier and many of their followers knew StarClan was real, but believed it to be cruel and self-serving. Others simply did not believe. Either way, their descendants walk out of the light of the Stars, and yet are known for their strong moral code and unbreakable bonds of loyalty.

RuinClan's first leader, the Outsider Ruinstar, most strongly saw the need for change and new ideas within the Clans. She and those who welcomed her rejected the xenophobia and stagnation that had been integral to Clan life for generations. The diverse mix of descendants and newcomers that make up the Clan are known for their friendliness, openness to new ideas, interaction with twolegs... and the strange concept of "fashion".

Aside from the four main Clans, we also have StarClan, the Dark Forest, a Twolegplace where you can play as a kittypet, and plenty of space for loners to roam.

Pawstep Pathway has a fully explorable Clan map with custom lore, including a modified Warrior Code and other changes that still fit the tone of the original Warriors series. You and your characters will have the opportunity to grow, interact with others, and continually affect the lore of the server. A good amount of additions are planned for the future, so stick around to see those, too! We've been around for eleven years now and have had a lot of time to learn what makes for the most fun.

IP (again): randomchimp.no-ip.org:20013

The server is undergoing a revitalization, so if nobody is on or you need help, feel free to join our Discord!

[aleciosun]

he just feels like he has to.