#aster array

[asterarray]

TBH / Autism creature emojis!

sip+variants

kneehug+cry

i have a new server, for tbh, that will be added to my pinned!

[asterarray]

Hi! i'm aster and i brought apple pie! 🥧

I an very grateful for all my mutuals, and i hope your day goes well!

happy mootsgiving!

[i do not want to tag all my my moots because its a lot, but if we are mutuals you can def reblog!!!]

Happy Mootsgiving, everyone!

So, technically, I know Thanksgiving is an American holiday… history… yadda yadda. However, this is not Thanksgiving.

This is Mootsgiving, and what I say goes ‘cause this is my holiday. Anyway! Mootsgiving is all the basic ideas of Thankgiving but better because I’m great like that.

I just wanted to show everyone how grateful I am, since gratefulness is a key principle of Thanksgiving.

I want all my moots from different countries to be able to have the picture-perfect movie-esque Thanksgiving of being surrounded by friends and family with all the care and love and gratefulness that can be poured into a single human. And, as the ever-dramatic Runar, what better way to do that than to organize a huge event?

So! Rules!

State what food you brought

State one thing you’re thankful for

My name is Runar, I brought the eggnog, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you 💗🫶

Really sappy and really long paragraph/speech under the cut!!

Soooo… to start off my big long speech… *clinks my fancy wine glass that’s filled with a mysterious substance* (It’s eggnog)

When I first started this blog, it was off a whim. I wanted to do something, something that involved putting my work out there, as I was just starting out. I wanted to mean something. In any sort of way, I wanted to leave a sort of mark. Not just any mark, though, no. I wanted to add a bit of joy, a spark of life that comes from creativity, and adding words and love into the space we occupy on this floating rock in space.

I wanted to write because it made me happy, and I wanted there to be a possibility of someone who was who got joy from reading to maybe stumble upon it, and get joy from me. Get joy from something I was able to provide for them.

I was also incredibly lonely. I had no friends, I had nothing, pretty much. I didn’t talk much. I was reclusive. I was okay, but I was empty. I didn’t have a purpose. And while I wasn’t expecting much, nothing at all really, I was overjoyed at the prospect that maybe just one person would stumble upon something I wrote and for a moment of their day, maybe they got peace from it.

Maybe they felt a little less lonely. I would have been at peace with just knowing the possibility of it was out there. And then… it did. And I got more than I bargained for, even, I got a friend. My first friend.

From there, everything… clicked. Slowly, but ever so surely, things were falling into place. I was gaining something that had not even crossed my mind. A family.

So, my silly dream born from a whim became friends, connections, and family, it became life-altering. It had ups, it had downs, it had in-betweens. It was beautiful and messy and happy and sad and fucked up and so wonderfully… human?

Yeah, this is online, this is a silly mootsgiving idea I thought up three hours ago because I wanted people to know I love them.

But to someone who had nothing, this is everything. You are everything.

Even if we’ve only talked one time, you have a special place in my heart. The character growth has been… one hell of a ride. I’ve gone through many eras, and made new friends in each and every one of them. So, with the end of the year closing soon, I suppose in a way this is not just a silly mootsgiving.

My bigger end goal, really, was to make sure as we get to the end of this ear, you know how genuinely important this whole year has been to me. How important you have been. I got an anon ask,

What does it feel like to be wanted?

It was beautiful poetry. I replied, said I wouldn’t know what it feels like to be wanted. But really? I think maybe I do. I think it feels like having enough people that you love to organize and invite everyone to a huge event online, to write out this heartfelt paragraph and trust that at least one person will care enough to read it.

My beginning goal has changed so much, and not at all. My biggest purpose in life has been, and I think will always be, to add something into this world.

Creativity, joy, happiness, compassion, I want to ensure that no matter what, as long as you know me, you know you have one person on this earth who loves and cares about you with as much feeling that can physically be felt by one person without exploding into a bunch of tiny little runar pieces.

But moreso, I think maybe my goal has changed from wanting to put stories out there, to putting myself out there. I don’t want to write stories that are just fiction, just crafted ideas meshed together to create a blob of fiction.

I want to write pieces of myself into everything, which i think might genuinely be impossible to not do. I want my heart to pour out of my fingers into the things i type out for you, and i want to not only feel things, but to maybe make you feel something too. Something warm and fuzzy, something good, as good as you deserve.

Aaaaannnd…. to end this….

I love you guys, thanks for being here <3

@marauding-almond @percyweasleyapologist @yesiamprocrastinating @dieatthealtar-deactivated @caramel-covered-apples @thatoneslytherinnerd @thatoneslytherinnerd2

@hedgehog-troops@circe-butbetter @stars-on-my-bedroom-ceiling @l1ve-l4ugh-lov3craft @aidens-ocean-galaxy@rainystarsx@liggy-not-potter @goformoony@i-still-got-love-for-you @definitionoffuckup@mairon-goth-minion

@weewooooweew @residentdisaster @matty-os-blog @starkissed-mars @printershorts @the1970sdeadgaywizard-regulus @lesbian-disaster-tm @star-dust-shark @enbysiriusblack @sadnappo @kawaiibarty @hershey-not-the-chocolate-maybe

@jamespotterbbg @scrumblewonk @seekmemystar @rins-batcave @utterqueerdisasterthesimp @gasolinehornet @asters-tempo @here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can @permetutotheworld @theprongspotter @sotiredimbored @yourlocalbadgerscales @raeprise @burgundykicks @whydousernamesevenexist @jaydove-writes @the-stars-drowning @inara-tries-to-survive @saturnsconstellation @royallygray

[vandaliatraveler]

You know it's autumn when . . . the ravishing lavender blossoms of Short's aster (Symphyotrichum shortii) erupt from shady forest edges, especially oak woods. This aster is a personal favorite of mine, not least of all for its dense, spreading clusters of large flowers arrayed on numerous branching stems. Short's aster has long, thin, lanceolate leaves with heart-shaped bases on the lower stem that become gradually more rounded as they ascend. This aster has one of the best form factors of any of our native wildflowers and exhibits beautifully when massed. I planted seeds for Short's aster to pair with the blue-stemmed and zigzag goldenrods in my native wildflower gardens back in September. I'm really looking forward to having the late season color in my gardens next fall.

[softersynths]

lots of recent rat stuff. updating their design a little (shorter legs fatter tails) and thinking abt ppl morgan knows and musun gender social politics. updated morgan backstory lore dump under tha cut

Morgan's parents were both borrowers. Just as he was becoming old enough to learn to borrow, his mother and father decided to return to his mother's colony of origin, where she had family, so that he could have a more secure lifestyle. However, the journey resulted in him losing both his mother and father - he arrived at the colony alone. His mother's name was the only thing that got him through the door.

The culture of musun colonies can vary, but Morgan's mother's colony - the Farrow - was fairly typical. The colony was a large, interwoven group of families headed by a dominant female. Overseen by her were reproductive females - those who were permitted to bear children - and the dominant male, who oversaw any reproductive males (who were typically few in number). Alongside them were nonreproductive females and males - those that were old and retired, those that were younger, and those who simply had low social standing. Reproductive individuals seldom left the colony, taking roles of farmers, nannies, wet nurses and tailors. Nonreproductive individuals could have any array of roles - including hunting and borrowing for the colony. It is ultimately up to the dominant female who is allowed to bear children - a nonreproductive female becoming pregnant could be punished or exiled, or even have her pups culled. Morgan's mother, Popper, was a nonreproductive female who concealed a pregnancy with a non-colony male - and chose to exile herself to protect her child. Despite his illegitimacy, Morgan carries his mother's name, and was allowed in, largely because his grandmother had become the Grand Dam (despite her daughter's self-exile). Regardless, he's a bastard, and his position is very low. Morgan's duties generally included borrowing, bug farming and seed collection.

He grew up alongside cousins who became like siblings to him - particularly Yarrow. As an adult, his cousin has a child, named Fern, that he helps raise - but for reasons unknown to him, she disappears, leaving him to care for the child. Whether she died or left in exile is unknown - and the topic of gossip. Nannying of children typically falls to reproductive roles, but can be shared more widely for pups that are weaned, and his cousin's pup prefers his company to the people that rejected their mother for associating with him.

Morgan also has a close friend, a nonreproductive male named Aster. He's a watchman and guard, whose job is to sound the alarm if the colony is threatened. He was apprenticing for this role when Morgan came to the colony - he's one of the first colony members Morgan met, and Aster is very loyal to him. Aster is sometimes called "Ash" as a nickname.

Colonies like Morgan's often have strict rules about entry and exit to preserve their own safety. Unrelated musun and outsiders have to petition for entry, and even if allowed inside, it can take years before they are considered "part" of the colony. One of their most important rules is in regard to safety - if someone is being chased by a predator, or are otherwise in danger from a malevolent actor, it is strictly forbidden for them to run home. This is because they risk leading the danger to the colony. If someone is being chased, they are instructed to run away from the colony and find a hiding spot until the danger has passed, at which point they can return home unseen.

Morgan breaks this rule when he is spotted and chased by something that is very interested in him - and runs directly home. This creature then lingers around the area of the colony for days, trying to find its scent and dig it up. It eventually gives up - but Morgan is exiled for his carelessness, leading him to become a solitary borrower against his will.

In the years following, Morgan grows used to living on his own (which is difficult for him, as an extroverted person). Back home, turmoil in the colony continues to grow for various reasons - largely related to issues of dominance and struggles for power. Aster, frustrated with his leaders for Morgan's treatment, leaves with Fern to go and find him. Anything is better than where they are now.

Unbeknownst to him, Morgan has been found and captured by the very creature that caused his exile all those years ago - a huge monster named Bug. Turns out Morgan had made his new nest in Bug's apartment.

Morgan comes to trust Bug. He had been living in Bug's walls, and continues to do so - but spends a great deal of time on Bug's person now, too. Eventually, Aster will find Morgan - who is now having a situationship with a giant monster. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

[luneandbarbecue]

What do you think AGS’ favorite flowers would be?

Genesis:

He slightly admonishes himself for being so typical, but the rose is a beautiful flower and Genesis does find himself partial towards them. Though a common thought and option amongst people, it is still a brilliant and stunning when one appreciates them deeply, it's a classic for a reason. However, it is not the only flower he is fond of. There are rhododendrons, gladiolus, foxgloves, cornflowers, tulips, hibiscus, etc. The apple blossoms of the Banora White sport a pure-white skirt, hence the name, and he recalls feelings of accomplishment and appreciation as he witnesses its fickle cycle. Even if the memories of his hometown were at times marred with baggage, there were a few things which lightened the load. His family home would sprall and climb with bright bougainvillea and he would often read and memorise passages of LOVELESS under them. They were one of the good things he'd associate with Banora. Under the bougainvillea, he dreamed, fancying himself a warrior like his stories and picturing the future, under the bougainvillea, he met his first true friend one cicada-serenaded day.

Angeal:

As a person who grew to love plants, he can list a couple of flowers he enjoys; asters (daisies, chamomile, etc), hydrangeas ("did you know they change colours based on their pH levels?"), dandelions ("they are not weeds, they fed me"), forget-me-nots, dahlias, etc. Angeal is also fond of bougainvillea as they were almost everywhere in Banora. He had held hands with his parents along with them and he had met Genesis while the boy was running amok, pretending to be a hero. His mother was fond of gardenia's and he and because they weren't easy to grow and maintain, he and his dad worked hard to grow them for her, the smile on her face was worth it. Lavenders are truly a joy to work with. They are hardy to a majority to climates, a pretty colour to look at - Genesis said that they go well with his eyes, a compliment which stuck with him-, smell great, and they are practical to the boot. You can mix them with vinegar to make a cleaner, use them to flavor baked goods, tea and meat, use them to calm yourself, what more can you ask for! He will always love this humble flower.

Sephiroth:

It was rare for Sephiroth to see a flower in the wild. At the beginning, he'd only see them in the pictures of books, in a gilded vase belonging in the company. Flowers were one of the things that would give him a semblance of 'life' outside of his sterile, harsh cage and he found himself appreciating them, from those which are arrayed in shops to those which grow wildly in tree and meadow. In general, he finds himself partial towards white liliums for their elegance, cherry blossoms (and similar), peonies, morning glory's and small blooms such as baby's breath and sweet alyssum's for their humble, yet pretty presence. He wondered what kind of flowers would his mother like. Maybe a pale yellow one, like the ribbon she wore on her ponytail. In an encyclopedia, he saw a yellow flower called a 'daylily' and immediately thought of his mother's ribbon. A sentence said that they symbolised 'reunion', and he closed his eyes, pressing his hand to his heart. The pink carnation is also held close to his heart, for people say is symbolised a mother's love.

Bonus: He also likes sunflowers cause BIG.

(I tried to balance the amount but I ended up giving Seph an extra sunflower, forgive me hehe)

[flowerishness]

Callistephus chinensis (China aster)

Asteraceae is a large plant family that contains asters, daisies and sunflowers but the genus Callistephus contains just a single species and this is it, the China aster. This plant is native to China, Japan and Korea but the original wildflower only came in purple. After 2000 years of cultivation, it now comes in a dazzling array of colors and forms.

The China aster was introduced to European gardens in 1731 and is now grown in temperate gardens around the world. Callistephus chinensis is a cool climate annual and is much loved by florists for its long-lasting, cut flowers. China asters start to bloom in late spring and, as you can see, they're still 'strutting their stuff' in early October.

[hellslittleprince]

a random Aster headcanon no one asked for~

There are exactly five photos in existence of Aster from his childhood, and only two of which he has access to anymore. Three are of his human form, and two are of his hound.

Among the three he doesn't have access to is the one and only picture ever taken of him as a baby, face wrinkled with sleep in a crib during a period where his hound had shifted to human and wouldn't shift back. Lucifer had been angrier than he'd been throughout the entire experiment so far, almost deeming the whole thing a failure and throwing it all to the wind, leaving the baby to whomever could be bothered to look after him. It was also in that moment, however, that Aster had wrinkled his nose in just the right way, capturing the little bit of warmth in the king's heart. And so he'd snapped the photo. It lives to this day in a file with Aster's name plastered on it, hidden deep in hell's halls.

The second was from a couple of years later. This time, it was of his hound. The photo is blurry, a mess of oversized paws and a lolling tongue, the puppy in him clear as day even as shadow curled around and distorted the photo. It was taken by Min, the King's son, on an old polaroid. No one knows where the photo went.

The third unreachable photo, however, was from much later. Another human form, it is of a 13 year old Aster, all broody frowns and wrinkled brows as he stares at the pages of a book. He doesn't even know that the photo exists - it was taken by a stranger, developed in a dark room somewhere in a city he never thought to visit again.

Of the two he does have access to, one is of his hound, the other of him as a three year old. Both were taken on the same day, and by the same person.

It wasn't often that Ash got to spend time with Aster. He was an experiment, not one of the hounds that needed caring for in Lucifer's eyes, but when Ash realised just how little Aster actually had to call his own, he made it a point to give him something. And so he'd taken the photos.

The first, was his hound form. Shadow and flame both licked at his fur, those bright eyes ever focused on something out of shot. Ash would later tell him it had been a stuffed animal, though he'd long forgotten what it was. But with his body in an arch and tail wagging, it was clear he was ready to pounce. He was all out of proportion then, his pup not quite tiny and nowhere near grown yet.

The second, taken later that day, is one of Aster's most secret possessions. Not even Wolf knows that it exists yet. In the photo, he's sat on Ash's couch, chubby toddler fingers clenched around a glass of chocolate milkshake, straw in his mouth. Eyes curled into happy crescents, and legs mid-swing. To Aster, it's like a snapshot of a life that isn't his own. It could be any child, really, were it not for the shadow still hovering at the corners, the fire still burning even through what little of his eyes were visible past his smile. Or perhaps it was the little array of freckles.

It is both bitter, and sweet, to see that photo. To know that, even briefly, he got to be a child. Even for just a day, someone cared enough to capture a memory, to get a snapshot that was proof he was more than just a weapon trained to do it's master's bidding. It shows, in just a flash of a moment, that he was a child once too.

[phaerlax]

For the character meme: Morvay!

Pondering My Morb

@idololivine also asked. These Morvay thoughts are at a premium; the market is starved.

If you also lov the Morv, please join us in Mauve Member, the Morvay Birthday Fanweek!

First impression

The prologue/first chapter made it seem like Morvay was going to be some kind of feisty bratty rude bad boy type. Which would work for me, of course.

Impression now

He's actually just a Large Dog 😭Starved for affection (and cum), baby... a bit stupid, very impulsive, very open, likes to be stepped on but is a little bit (a LITTLE bit) embarrassed/reluctant to admit it. He hits a lot of good spots for me. Also when I saw his nipples it was over wtf those little volcano teats are everything. It's unfair that he's treated so badly by the game, my Morvay enjoyment would rival wolfboy if he had content.

Favorite moment

Okay this question is making me realize that my memory for specific moments is GARBAGE. Everything is so soupy and jumbled together in my brain... also there aren't that many Morvay moments, ugh. Is it cheating to say that I love the moment he gets pet in the new opening lol

I think his last birthday dialogue was really cute: Morvay was distraught that Aster had given him a list of tasks on his birthday, but then he realized that the list that Aster gave him was actually a list of 'delicacies' (guys to suck off lol). I also like it when Aster closes the window before Morvay can fly in, and when Morvay calls Kuya old and gets set on fire.

Idea for a story

You've come to the right place (opening my trenchcoat and showing pockets full of Morvayfic ideas)

🌈 Hardcore denial smut in which a sympathetic Eiden does his best to comfort an extremely punished Morvay who is gagged, caged, plugged, and nipple-taped (he got too silly).

🩸The rare cute Morvaster, in which Aster is overworked sleepy and has a headache from idk doing too much capitalism, and Morvay cautiously takes care of him. Aster is too tired to be mean and just nuzzles into pillowy incubosom.

🐍 Morvay is teaching Yakumo how to give good sloppy. Theory, practice, and demonstration, with a bit of a rush to get into demonstration, but he does care! Morvay is proud when people come to him for sex guidance.

🥞 Morvay is helping the Edmond and knights bust some sort of shady drug ring (he IS a master spy!). During the scuffle, the area gets blasted with sex pollen to which Morvay is immune as a nonhuman. It's up to him to drain everyone's essence so they don't suffer...

📖 As part of an Aster scheme, Morvay needs to woo a noble who is very into religious kink. He gets Olivine to give him pointers on his costume and act. Their sacrilegious practice roleplaying gets out of hand in morvoli horny feedback loop.

🪵 In gratitude for Morvay having saved Topper from some poachers, Quincy agrees to let Morvay suck him off again. But because of previous Morvay-induced trauma, Quincy fully ties him up for it and fucks his throat.

🦊After the latest bout of disrespect, Kuya curses Morvay so that every guy he touches can't get it up. When Morvay caves and wants the curse removed, Kuya subjects him to a mouth soaping (yes my array of punishment kinks is vast).

🐺 Morvay enlists Garu's help in going out on a wilderness expedition to collect some rare "incubus vine" fruit. The vines should be dormant that time of year, but they aren't (Kleinmate change!) and the pair gets plant tentacled.

🤖 Having discovered Blade's magical cum reflavoring abilities, Morvay continues to explore them like Eiden. This time they're doing booze of some kind, but drunk Blade proves himself an absolute menace.

☀️ Morvay gets in trouble in Solaria like he does in the Royal Capital, but Aster isn't there to smooth things over. Dante becomes very annoyed at how unrepentant he seems as he expects to be let go, and deigns to administer a lashing of some sort himself.

💀 Rin is starving Morvay out while he's captured in the Dark Territory. He promises that he'll let Morvay suck his dick (which is exactly like Master's dick) if Morvay does some degrading task. Morvay does it, and then despairs as he realizes that Rin basically doesn't have essence, so sucking his dick is fruitless.

Anyone that wants can take these ideas, run with them, twist them, idc. No need to credit!

Unpopular opinion

My most unpopular opinion about Morvay is that I love Morvay.

My second most unpopular opinion about Morvay is that his SR looks good and I like it better than his SSR. I really enjoy his round, bubbly muscles and his sweet baby face. The creepy yakuza uncle vibe of Mauve Mayhem doesn't really do it for me, with the glasses in particular making him feel too old.

Favorite relationship

It has to be Aster/Morvay from what canon presents. Obviously. Punishment & dubcon are my whole thing and OH BOY ahahah I love how evil Aster is to him, and how Morvay whines 💜 Also love that he's beeg and tittiful and Aster is smol and squeaky.

In the realm of relationships as they exist in my brain, I of course like Morvay/GaruKaru. I like to think that Morvay is proud of how much of a slut Garu has become, and that he has moments of both commiseration and exasperation with Karu earning himself/both of them vampire-inflicted punishment.

Favorite headcanon

I like to play around with Morvay's magic incubus biology and to extrapolate many things from that.

He's an enthusiastic bottom because he's primarily interested in obtaining essence from sex, and sees topping as a net 'loss' (however, he can do it and is great at doing it out of principle).

He can effortlessly perform minor acts of shapeshifting such as retracting his nails, making his tongue longer and stronger, and changing the size of his dick.

His cum is aphrodisiac like his saliva (incubus saliva is canon).

He can use his tail with great dexterity for sex and control its texture.

If he's overloaded with essence, it's possible that his nipples leak magical yaoi fluid because I have a male lactation kink.

He can incapacitate people with essence-draining kisses.

His ass has freaky unnatural fantasy muscles and feels like a toy.

[asterarray]

emoji community be nice to people challenge!! go!!! (in all seriousness pls just be a good person, its the bare minimum!)

I feel like every time I say something about this, I get blatantly ignored.

I am a minor, and my account is fully sfw.

I haven't made any content or suggestions that my account is not sfw.

I do not want interactions from nsfw/mdni/kink accounts.

This is the kind of shit that makes me not want to make emojis, this is the kinda shit that burns me out.

I try to be patient, be nice, and be informative, but I'm tired, I should not be the one telling literal adults that they shouldn't be interacting with a minor while having an nsfw account.

I have nsfw dni and sfw interactions only on every single one of my posts, I feel like that's calling enough to be left alone.

I'm uncomfortable, I'm tired, I just want to make emotes.

[asterarray]

fox tailwag emotes

red fox

marble fox

silver fox

fennec fox

[shortysus4]

📙 and 💿 for the oc ask game!

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Ben has his degree in planetary geology and he will talk about rocks or space for HOURS if you let him! He has no shortage of geology-related puns and interesting bits of trivia, and he's always excited to offer a star talk on a clear night, or lead a bit of telescope stargazing (often with Maru). He has all sorts of little mnemonics to help teach others about the night sky ("arc to Arcturus, spike to Spica", etc) and he'll tell stories about the constellations and asterisms that are visible in his hemisphere. He adores going into the mines, and more than once has gotten himself into trouble by being distracted by a really interesting geological array or specimen.

He really could not care less about fashion, to his husband June's dismay. Even when approaching their wedding day, Ben offered to just wear the suit he'd had since college, and if you ask his best friend Emily, she'll admit getting him to dress up in something other than flannel and denim is like pulling teeth.

📀 How easy is it to shock your OC? To confuse them? To lie to them, to manipulate them? How are they with feelings of trust? Can your OC be trusted?

Ben is easily startled and struggles with anxiety, and has been lied to/manipulated before. Sometimes he struggles with trust, but he also tries to lead by example by loving others the way he wants to be loved. One of the discussions that has come up in conversation between him and June is June's struggle to accept that he can be loved for himself, and Ben's insistence that he's worth it-- and through that insistence, Ben is often able to find his own feelings of trust in others. He prides himself on being trustworthy and honest, because he hates when others aren't.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The New Yorker:

We pulled off the two-lane highway and onto a short farm road, and then got out at an access gate along a wire fence that enclosed an eleven-acre field of solar panels. The reason we were there is that three years ago, when Encore Renewable Energy—a Burlington-based developer of solar arrays—set up the panels, it contracted with a nonprofit that the Kiernans started, called Bee the Change, to seed pollinator-attracting plants that are native to the area in the rows between them. The organization’s small crew tends more than twenty fields like this across the state, weeding and, at least once a year, mowing what they have planted so that it doesn’t grow so high it shades the panels. Most of the attention to “agrivoltaics”—use of one piece of land for both farming and for producing solar energy—has gone to more common agricultural practices, such as letting sheep graze between the panels. But at least fifteen states, including big players like Illinois, maintain solar-pollinator scorecards, which are used as accountability measures in the solar-development community. The theory is that we face two crises—climate change and the rapid loss of biodiversity—and that the same patch of land might be used to address them both.

The approach seems to be working. When the Kiernans are hired by a solar developer, it’s usually to plant on what was until recently a farm field; “the farmer has decided to take a dozen acres” and lease them to solar companies “to get a guaranteed income,” Mike said. Because the fields are typically monoculture and have been treated with pesticides for years, “the pollinator density is really low.” Mike uses a pollinator-counting method that involves walking on the margin of a field and counting unique pollinators for seven and a half minutes. Then a random-number generator tells him which row of solar panels to walk along, and as he walks he counts the pollinators he sees in seven and a half minutes, then adds the two numbers together. “On those abandoned farm fields, we might get a count of forty or fifty in fifteen minutes,” Mike said. “But now, once we’ve done our thing, you can see ten at a glance. You can see three hundred in fifteen minutes. You see a lot of them even this late in summer, during what we call a ‘dearth period.’ Wait till next month, when the asters come in!”

As the nonprofit’s name implies, their first tools were honeybees; they installed hives in solar fields. But, the more they learned about biodiversity, the more they wondered whether this strategy was actually the best for the environment. Honeybees are domesticated and are so persistent and numerous—more than thirty thousand can live in one hive—that, in Mike’s words, they “can put too much harvesting pressure” on the plants. There may not be enough nectar left behind for all the wild pollinators, a complication that spells peril not just for them but for the plants they’re particularly adapted to. “There are more than three hundred and fifty native bee species in Vermont,” Tawnya said. So they stopped placing hives and started installing native plants that attract wild bees.

“In New England, you’re often looking at five-megawatt projects, which means maybe twenty-five acres,” Farrell told me when we spoke by phone earlier this month. “We’re at four or five per cent of our electricity coming from solar now in this country. In order to hit the President’s target of forty-five per cent of our electricity by 2050, we have to grow. And that means we have to deliver the most visually appealing, environmentally responsible projects possible.” In 2020, his company pledged to build all their projects with some form of agrivoltaics. In many cases, that’s sheep grazing. “Not goats,” he said. “Goats will try to eat the wires between the panels, and also to jump up on the panels, which is not good for either one.” Sheep, though, appreciate the shade that the panels provide and are “some of the best asset managers we have in the business, mowing the grass for us. They do their job exceptionally well, and all they want is forage and water, which we can give them.”

Pollinators are even easier animals, though—once the plants have established themselves, they don’t need more than an occasional mow. “We think solar is a good neighbor,” Farrell said. “It’s clean, it’s quiet, and if it increases pollinators it’s helping the whole community.” And so—at a moment when new fossil-fuel-funded schemes are reportedly spreading disinformation about renewable-energy programs—“it can help reduce the friction. It can lower the hurdles to get over, which of course translates into dollars and cents.”

[asterarray]

putting this on this blog too. dont be smelly.

bro its it that hard to respect my boundaries !!!! if u support endo labels then do not follow any of my blogs or join my server!!!!!! i will not tolerate harmful labels and supporters in my space!!! if you think "yeah but im an exception because x reason", youre probably not and i will block and ban you!!!!

(this isnt hate towards endos/endo supporters, more-so a rant directed at people overstepping boundaries!)

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Video explainer for Quadrantids: How and when to see meteor shower

One of Earth's most spectacular meteor showers will light up the night sky with an array of dazzling 'shooting stars' over the next fortnight.

Stargazers will have a chance to catch a glimpse of the Quadrantids between now and 12 January 2025. However, the peak time to get the best look will be on 3 January 2025, either first thing in the morning before dawn or in the evening after sunset.

Observers enjoying dark skies could see 50 or more meteors an hour that night, as the Quadrantids shower reaches its peak.

The only caveat is that it has a "really sharp peak over a few hours", according to the Royal Astronomical Society's deputy director Dr Robert Massey, which means the rates will be a bit lower than when the shower is at its most active at 15:00 GMT on 3 January.

They have a pretty strong intensity if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.

"If you're on the west coast of the US, or in the Pacific region, you could see maybe 70 or 80 an hour. If you're in the UK you're going to see somewhat fewer than that. But it's still a strong shower."

He added: "The great advantage this year is that the Moon isn't interfering with it, so you haven't got a Full Moon in the sky – it's a very thin crescent – [which] means the light will not be a big problem."

The best thing to do, Dr Massey said, is to get as far away from light pollution as possible.

"They won't be the brightest meteors on the whole, but [the Quadrantids] do include a fair number of fireballs," he added.

"A fireball is a dramatic sounding thing but what it really means is a really bright meteor. The Quadrantids is a meteor shower which produces that kind of event.

"So for that reason alone, if you have the time to look out and the weather is good, then do take a look because it's a perfect New Year treat."

Unlike many astronomical events, meteor showers are easy to watch and no special equipment is needed.

A meteor shower is best observed with the naked eye, and a reclining chair, a warm blanket and a hot drink make viewing much more comfortable on a cold January night.

Just don't try using binoculars or a telescope. They will actually make it harder because you'll only be seeing a tiny part of the sky, Dr Massey said.

Meteors are the result of small particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, typically around 40 km per second for the Quadrantids. The pieces of debris heat up due to friction with the air, and are usually destroyed in under a second at altitudes above 80 km. The superheated air around the meteor glows briefly, and is visible from the ground as a streak of light known as a ‘shooting star’.

Throughout the year between six and ten random ‘sporadic’ meteors are visible each hour. During a shower, the Earth passes through a cloud of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, and so many more meteors are seen entering the atmosphere.

What is unusual about the Quadrantids, Dr Massey said, is that they are associated with the near-Earth asteroid (196256) 2003 EH1, which may be an extinct comet seen by Chinese astronomers in 1490.

He added: "We appear to be running into a trail of debris associated with it, so the thinking is that might actually be an extinct comet – so no longer anything generating a comet, doesn't look like a comet these days, just looks like a dot on even the largest telescopes.

"But more than 500 years ago there was a comet seen by the Chinese and it may be connected with that. It may be that this comet was once active [but] has left a lot of debris in orbit around the solar system which the Earth runs into once a year."

Meteor showers appear to emanate from a radiant point, in this case named for the defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis, and now sited in the constellation Bootes, near the famous Plough asterism.

For those wondering if it's possible to take pictures of the meteor shower – yes, just don't try to use your mobile phone.

"You're unlikely to catch anything [with a phone] because they're so fleeting – they only last perhaps a fraction of a second – so your reactions are not going to be good enough to photograph it," Dr Massey said.

"So what people tend to do is what are called long exposures. They open up the lense or the shutter and leave it running for several minutes, or anything up to half an hour. In some cases people have sky cameras which run all night.

"You have to do that because you never know exactly when a meteor is coming. Photographing meteor showers requires patience!"

[utnewfoundfamily]

Is this version of Asriel into video games like his Deltarune counterpart seems to be? And, now that he's got his SOUL back, has he tried his hand (or I guess paw) at romance? Or is he aroace like some people in our universe speculate?

Of course he’s into video games! It’s a great past time, but he does have other priorities to focus on. So gaming is at a minimum for Asriel, sadly. And on that note of his SOUL, the romance scene has never crossed his mind. I don’t think it’s for any other reason other than it’s just not what he wants or seeks. Rather than that, I think what he seeks is relationships that are more on the platonic side.

For example, the relationship Asriel has with Frisk. This one being built both before and after he had his own SOUL. Here’s the fun part though. There’s a type of action that takes place with SOULs and that’s called a “SOUL Dance.” Where two or more SOULs will dance and swirl together in harmony. Mind you, this is an action that is natural and not forced upon. The main component of this starts off by having a soul, obviously, yet the other is by having a strong bond with another person or persons that are mutual to one another. All bonds can be an array of things so not one person is excluded.

To monsters it’s a common thing, but to see it with a human is very fascinating. And colorful! The sensation is like being given a warm blanket or feeling a warming loving embrace. And the looks are what I’ve described previously. SOULs swirling & dancing around in harmony. Asriel has experienced this and it’s the best. Cause even if Frisk or any other person he’s danced with are gone, the feelings are still strong as if they were here with them. Here’s an example of how it looks like for Frisk an Azzy!:

Admittedly, his bond is a lot stronger with Frisk’s cause they did give a piece of themselves to him. So he may or may not be emotional about it. It’s a good emotional though. Does involve a little tears, but to feel is good. Makes you alive. And what is said here for Asriel could be repeated with Chara and Aster. What with sharing a piece of their SOUL and whatnot!

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: Waterton Lakes NP,

Bauerman/Blakiston Valleys Loop Part I, July 21

On the first day of the backpack we set out from the busy parking lot at Red Rocks Canyon, an interpretive site where families like to splash in the tumbling pools of the scarlet argillite creek bed. The Kenow Fire swept through this valley and many others in the park in 2017. In the lower Bauerman, undergrowth has thickened greenly around the bases of what once was the forest — now a seemingly infinite array of white heartwood posts with blackened patches of bark still clinging in spots. Thick waist-high salmonberry bushes shared the ground floor with sapling lodgepole pines. The serotinous cones of the elder lodgepoles, it was clear, had burst open in the heat of Kenow, spreading the seeds of a new generation. Where not shaded by the young pines, still-blooming wildflowers grew along the path: scarlet paintbrushes fading pink in the drought, pale violet asters, and wild roses. The impression in the distance was of a zebra-striped cloud over green carpet. To the south, our left, the pyramid spire of Anderson Peak pierced the sky.

Little wildlife but birds seen out in the valley heat of midday (and it was hot, over thirty degrees!) but here’s a mother grouse we saw stalking us a bit in brave defence of her three chicks.

There was no water anywhere near the trail until we reached the junction up to Goat Lake. Here we climbed steeply — and hotly! — up the sun-blasted south aspect slope, where a thin waterfall (Goat Creek, I suppose) trickled out of a narrow notch in the cliff band.

From the heights, the end of the burn zone could be seen ahead, an abrupt transition to proper, needled trees. I’d almost forgotten what they looked like.

Here’s the beautiful outhouse at Goat Lake, the first campsite of the loop. The plan for the next day was to do as the sign suggested and follow Avion Ridge to Snowshoe campground. Stay tuned. This first day already took longer to write about than I expected so we’ll see how long the whole thing takes.