#alberta bats

[albertabats]

Happy Bat Appreciation Day!

[alberta1st]

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Alberta bat researchers knew this day would come: a fungus responsible for the deaths of millions of bats in North America has arrived in the province.

And nothing can be done to stop the spread, meaning it is likely to wipe out a large percentage of the bat population.

Media reported earlier this month that Pseudogymnoascus destructans — the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats — had been detected in guano in southern Alberta.

The fungus causes white-nose syndrome in bats, a disease that interrupts a bat's winter hibernation, prompting the animal to waste its energy and die of starvation.

How did we get here?

The fungus was first discovered in New York in 2006 and has wiped out millions of bats in eastern Canada and the U.S., spreading through the eastern seaboard and decimating populations and working its way west.

Lisa Wilkinson, senior species-at-risk biologist and provincial bat specialist, said the province expected the fungus would come to Alberta.

"We've been watching the spread since it was first discovered in 2006 and it was getting closer and closer in 2021," she said. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @abpoli

[neechees]

you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but do you have any tips for learning Cree? also, have you ever run into the problem of learning Cree but your community speaking a different dialect of Cree then what you learned?

Just to get this out of the way so I dont have annoying moniyaws in my notes, Linguists go away & DNI.

You probably know that there's sub dialects even within sub dialects, & might change depending on location or community. My dad's Métis/Cree side of the family speaks Northern Cree (a subdialect of Plains Cree y dialect), vs. My mom's Cree side uses one that's more Southern, so conversations on either side of my family could be different, but I grew up more with my mom's Cree. One of the things I ran into a bit is that the previous dictionary I had used was a more Saskatchewan based dialect of plains Cree, but I'm from Alberta. So sometimes when I would try to use a Cree word, people at home wouldn't always understand me. But since starting school for it we've been using a dictionary that fits our local area. However, we have a saying about Cree, & that's "for every word in Cree, there are 4 different ways to say it". It shouldn't be TOO big of a problem, so don't beat yourself over it, dialectic differences happen even between fluent speakers. Just know that it's something you might run into. Try find dictionaries that use the same dialect as you & are close to your area.

I think this is one of the most important things, but focus on learning the Cree letters & their proper pronunciations first, this'll help you for getting words right. If you know the proper sound each individual letter makes, you'll know how to sound out things a little better in Cree, even if you don't know right off the bat. Also know that the macrons (the little "hats" or symbols you see over the vowels) changes the sound, & can change the entire meaning of the word, so pronounciation is important. For example, Sakahikan means "nail" or "spike". Sâkahikan means "lake". That "â" made all the difference, & they are pronounced a little differently, even if they are spelled virtually the same except for that a with the little hat. Remember the little hats.

Somewhat connected to the above, but if you want to learn syllabics thats cool too, but I don't think it's super necessary. But if you do choose to, learn them while you're studying the sounds.

If you look in the dictionary, you might see words labeled by letters like "VAI" or "VTA-2" or "VTI". Those are verb types, & the label is telling you what kind of verb it is. This is important for when you're going to conjugate that verb into a sentence, and tells you the context of that verb. There are a few verb types in Cree: the V stands for "Verb", a T means "transitive", I means "intransitive" and/or "inanimate", & the A stands for "animate". Usually the sequence goes (Verb)(whether it is transitive or not)(whether it's animate or inanimate). Don't fret over this too much & don't be daunted, you're just a beginner, but if you see those abbreviations, that's what they are. For now if you're just working on expanding your vocabulary a little more and not so much on the grammar, spelling rules, or conjugation, you can focus on that a little later. But I'll put a further explanation under the cut if you wanna know more on how it works & what it means.

Listen to Cree. Find Cree songs, shows, movies, books, anything you can get your hands on. Get Cree dictionaries & grammar books. Also try to find other people who speak Cree, fluent and not fluent, to practice with. You need to hear other people speak in order to get better. I'm gunna make a Cree spotify Playlist for this, so stay tuned.

And keep trying! You got this. More info under the readmore for the verb types. Everything I've given as advice is what I would've told my younger self or that I wish I knew before, so I hope this helps.

So to go back to the verb types, for example Vii means "inanimate intransitive" , and an example would be general observations about the weather, like yôtin ("it is windy"). There is nothing animate involved, and there is no second actor to the verb, it's just a fact. A VTI (transitive inanimate) example would be nipēhtēn, "I hear it": it's transitive because of the "it" (a second actor", there is something else involved), and it's also inanimate because the "it" would indicate it is something inanimate or not alive/living (as far as the hearer knows). If instead it was "I hear you" (aka, something living, thus making it animate & a VTA, a transitive animate verb), it would then become kipêhtâtin. A last example is VAI, animate intransitive, would be something like nimīcison ("I eat"). It's animate because the "I", the speaker, is a person who is alive saying it, but it's intransitive because there is nothing else involved, it's just the speaker generally declaring "I eat" (but not specifying anything that they are eating). Here is a really helpful, simple video about what transitive and intransitive verbs are, it helped me understand more about how they work. A lot of Cree dictionaries might also have an index at the beginning describing these verbs as well that you can look through, and Cree grammar books will go more in depth with them & how to use them when you're ready.

[workingforitallthetime]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu7zrXMyegF/?img_index=3

luca standing, adam sitting makes sense in my brain

(Alberta drinking age is 18 so adam holding a drink shouldn't be remotely controversial also)

eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE [scream increases to a pitch so high it’s audible only to bats]

[fuzzydreamin]

OC's as Obscure References

Thanks for the tag @bokatan💖 No pressure tags: @raid3r-r4bbit @serknighted @ss-bullseye

Under the cut for length~

Name: Nora Diane Sosu

Animal: Poodle Colours: Blues and Browns Month: November Songs: Sanctuary - Shelby Merry Gravity of Love - Enigma Gravity - The Superjesus Number: 88 (atomic number of radium) Plants: Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Begonia, Roses Smells: Florals and Traces of Cigarettes Gemstone: Blue Sunstone Time of Day: Sunrise Season: Spring Places: A personal office filled with books and an overpacked desk, A lively living or dining room, A grassy hill as the sun rises or sets Drinks: Cold-brew Coffee, High End Alcohol, Fruity Cocktails Element: Water Astrological Sign: Scorpio Seasonings: Rosemary, Mint, Cardamom Sky: Sunlit golden clouds in a blue-orange hued sky Weather: Clear Weapons: Heavily Modded Sniper Rifle, Magnum Pistol, Serrated Knife Social Media: Discord Make-Up Product: Bright lipstick, for leaving marks on others Candy: Turkish Delight Method of Long Distance Travel: Boat or Vertibird Art Style: Art Nouveau Fear: Loss of Control (Herself, Situations, Finding herself responsible if others die, etc) Mythological Creature: Banshee Piece of Stationery: Fountain Pen Three Emojis: 🌟⚖️💋 Celestial Body: The Sun

Name: Alberta Jefferson

Animal: Racoon Colours: Greens and Black Month: July Songs: Lion - Hollywood Undead Cancer - My Chemical Romance The In-Between - In This Moment Number: 101 (vault) Plants: Acanthus, Cowslip, Rainflower, Fungus Smells: Leather and Machine Oil (Also very slight Ozone smell to ghouls) Gemstone: Apache Tears Time of Day: Twilight Season: Autumn Places: The great outdoors on a wide open road, A bar packed with friends, A lonely dark corridor or side room filled with old tech Drinks: Pure Water, Regular Nuka Cola, Cheap Beer Element: Air Astrological Sign: Cancer Seasonings: Ginger, Parsley, Saffron Sky: Cloudy and Green Before a Storm Weather: Stormy Weapons: A3-21's Plasma Rifle, Modded Baseball Bat, Various Explosives Social Media: Tumblr Make-Up Product: Eyeblack Candy: Gumdrops Method of Long Distance Travel: Walking or Driving a Run-down Van Art Style: Grafitti Fear: Feeling/Being Trapped Mythological Creature: Chimera Piece of Stationery: Scientific Calculator Three Emojis: ⚙️⚔️☢️ Celestial Body: Uranus

[chezzywezzy]

Yandere Birdbox (1/5)

Word count ; 4.0k

*Edited.

*Dedicated to @horrorfan-666-anoynmous. This is gn!reader. The plot will be on the abstract side and it’ll be only me that’ll actually know what’s going through my head explanation-wise. Enjoy :)

The citizens of small town Lacombe, Alberta were already starting to bundle up. It was late October and already the middle-of-nowhere area was starting to feel chills. Many had stocked up on new winter jackets; the shop keepers were already starting to run the heater in the early morning; and those that wandered late at night could see their breath.

It was safe to say the local clothes store was having a run on the winter jackets. And, alike to the other customers, Y/n was quick to hop on the trend. Their cane was outstretched in front of them while a plastic bag dangled from their other hand, tearing at the seams from how large the wooly coat was.

Y/n always appreciated that Lacombe was easy to traverse. There was rarely traffic or people to run into to begin with, and the town was so small they could probably manage to walk from one end to the other in under an hour. It was a quaint place. And, for someone labeled as disabled, that was certainly appreciated.

They ran their cane over the sidewalk, avoiding another street lamp. They came to a grinding halt as they found the ledge, and they pulled their phone from their pocket. Y/n started,” Hey, Siri, is the traffic light green?”

The quiet voice was easily overpowered as cars flew past the curb. That was answer enough, and Y/n expected that the tiny app would tell them when the lights changed, as per usual. They clutched the bag closer to their side, and despite the thick sweater and jeans and boots, Y/n was still feeling the chills of the quickly cooling weather as the days passed.

“Hey, do you need some help getting home?” A young man around Y/n’s age, tatted and pierced up the wazoo, approached. He eyed them in worry, continuing,” If you need directions —“

“Do I look like I need help?” Y/n snapped irritably.

The man was taken aback, and despite recognizing that they were blind as a bat, held his hands up defensively. “Geez, asshole. I was just trying to be nice. You clearly woke up on the wrong side of the fucking bed.”

Y/n didn’t reply. They were ever so slightly irked - even though they consciously knew they shouldn’t be - but chose to ignore the random man. Their foot tapped against the concrete impatiently and their fingers were itching to get back to work.

“…Huh?”

The man furrowed his brows, eyeing the sky. He wasn’t the only one to stop in pure confusion. The entire town of Lacombe came to a screeching halt and perhaps even the earth stopped spinning. Because, descending from the sky, was a large, grey blob. It was far too circular to be a plane, but far too small to be a ship of some sort.

And it was rocketing right toward the center square.

From Y/n’s phone, Siri’s robotic voice chirped,” The light is red.”

Y/n used their cane, stepping off into the street. However, their movements shook the young man free of his paralysis. In horror, he saw that the late, egg-shaped monolith was barreling to the center block, right to where Y/n was intending to walk through.

“Hey, asshole, stop. Don’t walk out into the middle of the street —!”

They paid him no mind. Some women screamed, others gasped, but generally, the consensus was to gain distance from the large, metallic thing. And Y/n, in their blissfully unaware state, had no idea that they were heading into an immediate danger zone.

“Jesus fucking christ!”

The man reached out, grabbing their upper arm. Y/n yelped, the cane being torn from their hold. The young man jerked them back, and Y/n tripped on the ledge. Both went barreling to the ground, the concrete tearing into their clothes, but that was immediately the least of their worries.

It hit. No more than a couple yards away, the unidentified flying object collided into the ground. Smoke and steam poured from it, and very quickly, the streets were rolled over with a thick fog. Y/n and the man began coughing viciously. They covered their mouth, propping themselves up on their elbows.

“The light is green.”

The man peered up, trying his best to stumble to his feet. He was anxious, and his eyes flitted with concern to and from the blind individual, even more confused than anyone else. When he was on his feet, he waved some of the mist away, but he could no longer see the metal sheath as the fog seemingly dispersed into nothing.

And that was what was left. Nothing. The only indication it was there in the first place was a large dent and rapture in the pavement, large cracks crossing all the way to the sidewalk itself. Everyone was slowly gathering, and even the cars had gone into park to see what the commotion was.

“Hey, dude, let me help you up,” the man mumbled, grabbing out to Y/n’s arm.

Y/n, not arguing and far too shaken up by how the earth had rumbled, grasped onto the man and made their way onto their feet. They continued to grip the man tightly, and questions threatened tho escape their lips. The man was still staring warily at where the object once was.

And then, one of those questions escaped.

“What… happened?”

“I - I don’t fucking know. There was some thing in the sky coming right toward the street. It hit not too far from us and, uh… now it’s, like, gone.”

Y/n was too shaken up. Their brows furrowed and they aimed to prod further, but they knew damn well he was as unknowing as the next person. They decided they would just shake it off. They were going to try their best to get to the safety of their home, because whatever happened could’ve been a bomb for all they knew.

They detached from the man. They crouched down, reaching around for their walking cane.

“The light is red.”

A piercing shriek broke out from across the street. Y/n was on their hands and knees in search of the cane, still abandoned a few feet in the street ahead of them. However, both them and the man froze in here confusion. And I ust like that, all panic broke loose.

“Holy fuck!” he exclaimed, stumbling back to a store window and pressing himself against him. “What the hell…”

The woman from across the street suddenly stepped up to a lamppost. All at once, she began bashing her head against it. Others screamed, but what was more terrifying was how certain citizens were completely silent. A hoard began to circle the lamppost, doing the same exact thing.

Suddenly, the cars started up. From each intersection, cars went flying toward one another. Screams echoed the plaza, and all at once, explosions from those imploding in the center ensued. The man was screaming at the top of his lungs.

But Y/n was far too shocked and baffled to know what was going on. For all they knew, a war started. A smoke grenade was set off and everyone was going insane. But what they did know was that screaming wouldn’t do a damn thing, especially with how the wind had picked up and was now howling just as loudly as the shrieks themselves.

Y/n curled up into a ball in on the ground. The cane, finally found, was clutched in their grasp. It didn’t do much, but they shut their eyes tightly and rolled ever so slightly back and forth. Siri’s voice was greatly silenced by the pure mania surrounding them.

“Wh - what…- Hey, asshole, we need to —“

Just like that, an engine roared. The man was cut short as a large truck came barreling across the sidewalk, totaling the man into the store front. The window shattered. Y/n let out a mangled sob, hearing the engine burst. The scene was hardly the most gruesome of their surroundings, but it was bad.

The man’s body was but a splatter of blood and torn flesh. It was a large lump inside the hardware store, and the truck itself had the entire engine shoved through the window. The airbag poured out the open windows, masking the imploded head on a once living human being’s body. The glass had shattered and scattered around the ground, but the tiny shards that dug into Y/n’s pant legs were hardly the greatest of their worries.

“Jace!” a mother bellowed, grasping at her child’s shoulders, not even a hundred yards away. “Jace, what’s wrong? What are you looking at? You’re alright, baby, you’re alright —“

And just like that, a fog passed over her vision. She was not afraid, no; but, alike to her son, she looked so very depressed. Nobody would ever know why, too preoccupied with their own hallucinations. It was frightening how, once the cars went silent, Y/n became dutifully aware of how silent the screams had become.

Because, not too far away, that single mother and her young boy were clawing out their own eyeballs. They did not care how deep their fingers dug into their sockets and how badly it stung to rip their eyes free entirely. They did not care that blood spewed and darkness clouded their vision.

And that was soon because both dropped dead to the ground, too enchanted by the visions they’d witnessed. 

Y/n was only half aware of the fact that people are seeing things. They were being possessed, and whatever that fog was made everyone around them kill themselves. The wind was howling so viciously, whipping Y/n’s body around. They clutched the plastic bag and one to their chest, trying to ignore how wet their jeans were.

‘Look.’

Clear as a bell, a feminine voice whispered to them. Y/n clawed into the ground the best they could, covering their ears. They rocked back and forth, terrified tears continuing to spill  from their eyes.

‘Look, Y/n.’

All at once, it was a chorus. So many different voices, ranging from a small toddler to an old man, were crowding their head. It was awful, because they couldn’t. They couldn’t look and they weren’t sire they wanted to even if they could. Whatever people were witnessing was horrifying and grotesque. 

‘You saw once and you can see again. Look.’

‘To see is beautiful, Y/n. To look is heaven.’

“Stop,” Y/n muttered gruffly, shaking their head. “Shut up. You’re not real.”

‘Look, look, look. To witness is divine.’

Something suddenly smacked across their cheek. It smeared, and Y/n yelped, but it kept returning. Smack. Smack. Smack. Over and over again, the wind brought it back. And then, it was only duplicated. Two wet items were hitting Y/n, and they swatted it away.

At a final swat, they ended up enclosing their hand around the object.

‘Look.’

Y/n squished it. It felt slimy, like jello. And, as they felt around the circular object, they noticed a long thread escape a part of it. The object was so wet, and it didn’t take more than a moment for them to connect the dots. A howl escaped their lips and they dropped the crushed eyeball to the ground.

And then, the wind stopped. The voices stopped. Everything stopped. No more screams, no more crashing cars. Nothing. And that terrified Y/n to their very core.

They released a shaky breath, propping themselves up on their elbows. Y/n eagerly wiped their hand on their jeans, reeling in pure disgust. Their jeans were soaked to the core, and they were more than happy to use their cane to stumble to their feet.

The wind was still howling, and yet, it was as though the entity itself was the wind. Some dead leaves slapped against Y/n’s body, and they used the cane to stabilize themselves. They were hyperventilating crazily.

“The light is green.”

Y/n took their phone out from their pocket. Immediately, they ordered,” Hey Siri, call nine-one-one.”

They wanted to begin shuffling away. But they were still paralyzed in fright, so baffled by the sudden - and seemingly supernatural - turn of events. The phone kept ringing.

And ringing.

And ringing.

Y/n gulped, connecting the dots. The local police station was as fucked as everyone else. They had no idea what was going on, but what they did know was that it was cold and scary and dangerous. And that they needed to go home. Now.

Gulping, they outstretched the cane. They made sure to be precise, waving it in every approaching inch. Halfway across the street, the cane collided right with a hunk of metal, and they scaled the piece, recognizing that a car crash happened right in front of them. They maintained a mental map - if they could even call it that - and made it around the vehicles.

They didn’t hear a single sound, except for their footsteps and the wind. It was deadly silent and it shouldn’t have been. It was odd how, in the span of no more than three seconds, Lacombe had gone from a friendly and quaint village town to a hell-scape. 

They were often bitter about their blindness, but they were now glad they were left unable to witness the events. And, potentially, it had saved their life.

They made it down the sidewalk. There were so many corpses and detached limbs that they tripped frequently. And it made no sense, but it was like the bustling wind was following their every step. It was frightening to know but not see what was going on. But Y/n couldn’t have been more grateful for it.

As they made their way to the small apartment complex, hardly three stories tall and with roughly ten apartments for rent, they passed by the worst gore of all; there was a pyramid of crushed cars and bodies, towering almost as high as the building itself. The pile creaked and swayed with every burst of wind.

Y/n opened the front entrance. They shut and locked the door behind them, already feeling far more safe and secure. They used the cane to traverse the steep steps to the second story, and the moment they felt the familiar apartment door, a sigh of relief escaped.

Shakily, they removed their keys from their pocket. They felt around for the lock before it entered with ease and the door swung open with an eerie creak. Oftentimes, they hated that the neighbors threw constant parties since they belonged to some far more immature young adults. And the apartment directly above their’s was occupied by some abusive couple.

And nothing made them happier than the silence. Or, at least, that would’ve been the case if it wasn’t because an entire population had been slaughtered by unknown attackers.

They shut and locked the door, momentarily pressing their back against it to catch their thoughts. They panted profusely, waiting a brief moment to simply… catch their breath. Think. Because as far as they knew, it was either the end of Canada or the end of the entire world.

Y/n’s apartment was quaint and, right upon walking in, it was clear it belonged to an artist. There were various paint splurges on the wall. Several of their works - or, at least, the most successful - were framed. They weren’t the originals, as some very rich people were instantly captivated by them, but they were the best of the best. Y/n was an artist. And, thanks to her special background, a fairly well-known one.

To the right was a small kitchen with the usual appliances and an island with barstools. Beyond that, a small living room with a couch, coffee table, and their kindle. Right in front, without an especially acquired office, was the place where they painted. An easel, a small desk with a notebook. Drawers with supplies, and many, many blank canvases. Beyond the public living space was a small bed and bathroom, messy and cluttered because the maid hadn’t been around in a few weeks.

They sighed and pushed themself from the wall. They felt disgusting. The first thing they wanted to do was strip off their filthy clothes - even if it was rather chilly inside the apartment - and shower. So, they did just that. And a half hour later, they emerged, towel wrapped around their neck and snuggly adorning fluffy pajamas.

They sat at the island. Their thoughts were still racing, but at least they were more coherently organized. And, as much as they thought to their father, wanting to check up on him, they spoke,” Hey Siri, turn on CBC live.”

Siri did so. The wifi was abnormally slow, and much to their unawareness, didn’t even work thanks to the amount of cars that crashed into telephone lines and electricity servers. The world around them was dying, and the moment the news started, they started realizing it.

“—International tragedy has struck,” the news reporter spoke urgently. “Mass hysteria that leads leading to suicide is occurring worldwide. Scientists and politicians are scrambling to discover the contaminants of the air, if any, and suspect a far deadlier and rapid mutation of dancing mania.

“Religious communities are calling it ‘the end of times.’ Others are insisting it is a long-since-coming alien invasion. There are several videos circulating of egg-shaped pods shooting from the sky. The videos are as can be seen here.”

Y/n grumbled in irritation, hearing the screams and crash from the video. It was displayed in the corner of the phone screen while the news reporter was standing still, clearly sweating bullets. Even the camera man was trembling. The studio was oddly dark, except for the bleeding light from the windows beyond the camera. The video finally stopped.

“…This supposed virus was seemingly first appeared in Los Angelos, California, but many separate clusters have been spotted in Shanghai, London, New York, Brazil, Moscow, and Lagos. We advise that you stay inside your house at all costs. I repeat, stay inside and stay safe —“

The news reporter went silent. Y/n blinked in bafflement, concern growing in their chest. And then the camera man tittered,” John? John, are alright —“

A scream escaped the cameraman. It was live footage of the news reporter himself, John, pushing past the cameraman aggressively. The entire screen became blurry and some cracks covered it. The camera man was pushed and became far too quiet.

Although the view was tilted, it was plain as day that John crashed right through the skyscraper window. The glass shattered. The camera man was crawling toward it just as quickly, blubbering in awe. He was muttering something to himself.

But Y/n had heard enough. “Hey Siri, go to the home screen.”

The phone went silent once the report was completely minimized. Y/n’s ears rang because the silence was utterly deafening. They gulped thickly and their mouth was completely dry. They were thirsty, but for all they knew, whatever was killing the entire world population was in the water, too.

They rose to their feet and went to the fridge. They felt around, knowing it like the back of their hand. In the door shelves were rows of beer. Their immediate action was to pick one up. Y/n one drank a few times a month and saved it for special occasions - after completing a painting, for instance - and the end of the world seemed as good of an excuse as any other.

Their phone was left abandoned on the counter for the time being. They trotted over to the living room and plopped onto the couch. Y/n popped open the beer and took a quick swig. The flinched, not the fondness of the strength of the beverage, but if they was going to die, it was better to die drunk and unaware that one was dying.

Y/n was faced toward the small windows. The walls of the apartment was made of bricks and the floor of wood. It did its job, namely, housing someone, but a complaint of the building was that it wasn’t ‘modern.’ They couldn’t care less since it’s not like they could see the lack of modernity.

And, as proven in this day and age where aliens were apparently invading, it mattered even less. Y/n didn’t care too much about saving their hide. A part of them always wanted to die the day they went blind. That day… Y/n dreaded to remember it. Because they couldn’t. There was nothing to see. Only things to hear. 

They laid back on the couch, kicking their feet up. The beer was abandoned on the coffee table. They crossed their arms after readjusting the pillow. Y/n was consumed by their thoughts, and it struck them as odd that, even in the apocalypse days, they were still consumed with bitterness and selfishness. They knew damn well their life wasn’t supposed to revolve around them being angry at a god that might exist for taking their sight.

Because they knew damn well that not only did other blind people have it far worse, but that other people had it worse. And sometimes, Y/n felt bad that they were so goddamn bitter and mean. But now, it was the end of humanity as everyone knew it. So they didn’t feel nearly as bad because it clearly didn’t matter if aliens were planning to take over.

Y/n forced their mind to become silent. And, somehow, amidst the world ending, they fell right to sleep. The apartment complex was a safe haven, because even upon exiting the front door, there were bodies upon bodies. It was frightening. And it was deadly silent except for the bellowing winds.

It was home. And, as cranky and miserable of a human Y/n was known for being, they were undoubtedly talented. They’d been on many late-night interviews. And even to this day, Y/n was still baffled as to why. Because somehow - despite everything they painted being replications of their dreams - they were ‘profoundly lifelike.’ 

For instance, one of their most recent paintings was recognized as an exact replication of the Kunlun Mountains, as if drawn from memory. And, seeing as they’ve never even left the memory and became blind before they could even think about taking geography, it was truly a miracle.

Next to that was a fairly abstract one; ironically, it was named ‘The End of Days.’ It portrayed a rather ghastly figure, its face scrawled and yet defined. Y/n often had help picking out the paints, but they custom ordered a palette with the brail inscriptions of the colors. And, despite how Y/n often had landscapes drawn that were colorful and captivating, this particular one was dark and dismal, yet used earthy colors such as maroon and brown.

And finally, the ‘portrait,’ as Y/n considered it, that was the breakthrough. It was the painting everyone knew and was the most popular work. It stung them to the core just thinking of it, but even decades later, it was burned into their brains.

‘Last Look.’ The title itself was fairly straightforward. Y/n remembered it like yesterday. 

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Primrose Moth

Schinia florida

The primrose moth is part of the family Noctuidae or the family of owlet moths. It was described by French lawyer and entomologist Achille Guenée in 1852. This moths earns its name from the evening-primrose, which hosts and feed the larvae.

Description This moth has a pink head with pink filiform antennae. Their bodies are a pale yellow or cream with a pink underside. The forewings are pink with a large pale yellow edge on the outer margin. inside the pink area are pale yellow markings with a larger spot of pale yellow by lower thorax. The hindwings are cream or white with a pale yellow underside.

Average wingspan: 31.5 mm (≈ 1.2 in)

Diet and Habitat Primrose moth caterpillars eat evening primrose, biennial gaura and other members of the Onagraceae family. The larvae eat the seeds and flowers of these plants rather than the leaves. This species is found in continental North America in temperate regions. It’s range spans from southern Canada and almost all regions of the United States. This moth reaches up to Alberta and eastern Washington state. In the East and West, this Spence’s goes as far as North Carolina and Utah respectively. They do not live in the lower southwestern United States. They are found in open meadows and on the prairies of the Great Plains of eastern North America. They also like fields, clearings, and wastelands.

Mating

The primrose moth mating season coincides with the blooming season of the primrose plant, whose buds are hosts to the moth’s eggs. The eggs hatch 4-5 days after being laid. These caterpillars burrow into the ground to pupate and spend the winter. There is only one generation per year.

Average of 114 eggs laid per female

Predators This species is preyed on by birds and bats.

Fun Fact During the day, adults hide and camouflage themselves in partially closed primrose flowers, and they are strictly nocturnal.

(Source: Wikipedia; Moth Identification; Pacific Northwest Moths; Fishers Island Conservatory; Outside My Window; Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 1970, 282-287; Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies & Damselflies of Dayton, Ohio)

[ohsalome]

Sorry if this is a really annoying way to do this, I’m still a little new to tumblr and I’m not sure what’s the best way to go about this, but I saw the question from the Ukrainian Diaspora person and since I’m from it as well I thought I could maybe help.

(Note: a lot of this is from a Canadian lens, but a lot of it should apply to the states and maybe to other commonwealth countries to some extent)

So if you live in a town or city, my first go to would be to look for dance groups. This is definitely true in Canada, and I’m pretty sure true in the US: dance is at the centre of most of the diaspora culture here. Nearly every event will have performers, if they aren’t hosted by dance companies themselves, and it is the opinion of many older Ukrainian Canadians that dance is the most important thing here (there’s a long thing about diaspora history and trauma in there but that’s for later). Even if you don’t want to/can’t join a group, you can keep an eye out for zabavas to go to, especially around malanka (side note: the North American diaspora has a type of Kolomeyka that I believe is unique to us and originated in the Canadian Prairies, which is at most parties and Ukrainian events)

There’s also Ukrainian churches, which of course will have a number of Ukrainians, but if you’re not Christian maybe not a good choice

Ukrainian diaspora members are pretty obsessive about preservation and recording stuff, so anywhere there’s a population there’s a decent chance at a museum and a number of them have online portions. If you look up Ukrainian museum (insert country/region) stuff should come up, but for specific recommendations: the Ukrainian Village in Edmonton, AB is an open air museum detailing life of early Ukrainian Canadian settlers, and has some online tours, there’s the Ukrainian Museum of America and Canada respectively, and the University of Alberta has the Kule Folklore centre and the Bohdan Medwidsky archives.

On the topic of the University of Alberta, it at one point had one of the largest Slavic studies programs in North America, rivalling Harvard’s, and I would argue unlike others is Ukrainian centric rather than R*sso centric. It along with the University of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has a number of Ukrainian and Ukrainian diaspora resources (I’ll try putting some links at the end)

I found music to be a good way to connect with my heritage, especially folk songs. If you look up Ukrainian Folk Songs on YouTube you’ll get a lot to explore, but I’m sure that the Ukrainians here on tumblr can plug in a lot of people to check out

Finally, see if you can look into any Ukrainian political organizations in your area. In Canada we have the Ukrainian Canadian Congress as a sort of political representative for Ukrainian Canadians, but there’s other as well such as the Ukrainian Student Society in many universities. I’m not sure what the equivalents are in the states. There’s also scouting organizations such as Plast and SUSK, but I have no experience with them

As promised, links

Kule folklore centre

CIUS

Love Letters from the Past

The Ukrainian Village

Songs and Bands

Ukrainian Canadian ones

Zeellia

Balaklava Blues

Zubrivka

Millenia

Hloptsi z mista

Korinya

Ukrainian ones

Go_A

Один В Каное

Dakhabrakha

Христина Соловій

Тріо Маренич

Veryovka

Eteria

Individual Songs

А Льон Цвіте

Ой Розвиайся та Сухий Дубе

Хай Живе, Вільна Україна

Сонце низенько, вечір близенько

Ой у лузі червона калина

Ой чи є чи нема

Водограй

This is brilliant, thank you!

@bat-anon

[transatos]

important facts i learned today:

cinereous means gray.

the great grey owl is the provincial bird of manitoba

the snowy owl is the provincial bird of quebec

the great horned owl is the provincial bird of alberta

no u.s. state has an owl as a state bird

there are huge bats in this world. they're called megabats

[albertabats]

The Bat Blessing. For Bat Appreciation Day, 17th April.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Alberta Energy Regulator is investigating after dozens of bird carcasses were discovered at an oilsands site near Fort McMurray, Alta.

A post on the AER website on Saturday afternoon said Suncor reported around 4 p.m. Friday that 32 dead waterfowl were found at a tailings pond 29 kilometres north of the community. An update from the regulator late that night said a sweep had been completed by Suncor on Saturday and revised the count to 43 birds as well as two muskrats, one bat and one vole.

An AER inspector was immediately sent to the site to investigate, the announcement said, to ensure mitigation strategies are in place and implemented appropriately by the energy company.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[jmagnabo92]

CBS Ghosts -Hello! - She Can Still See US

AHHHH Onto episode 2!

This scene is the ghosts reaction to Sam still being able to see them.  

Gifs and Discussion below: 

Okay First things first - at least ONE night has passed - How THE HELL did Sam manage to Sleep in that house thinking she saw GHOSTS that scared the crap out of her?

Also, she’s not wearing a brace so it must’ve been longer than a day right?  

OMG - If I were Sam, I would NOT have stayed there.  

Anyway Poor Sam.

LMAO it’s adorable that she thinks the ghosts are hiding in the tub and can move the curtains.  Like, what?  

I’d blame it on being half-asleep.  And like her, I would’ve picked up a bat or something and checked (for my own piece of mind).

She’s brave - I like it.

Awwwww how cute - she’s relieved ....DAMN IT PETE!  Is now the time?

I cannot believe that Pete thought coming up behind her in the bathroom was a good idea.  

And then screaming??  Why are you screaming, Pete?

Also, how do you think they decided that Pete should be the one to find out?  She saw Trevor first, Hetty’s her relative, and Isaac’s the captain of the house - so why Pete?

Were the rest afraid - nervous?  Did they argue for who should get to do it?  If so, how Pete (who has never spoken to Sam, at this point) get selected?? At least Isaac and Trevor have technically spoken to her (although really, she spoke to Trevor).  

Although, I suppose you could argue Pantslessness would make her feel weird and Pete’s close in age (somewhat?) and always ‘up for an adventure’, plus he’s also the one to reach out to new faces so it might make sense - since he’s a pseudo leader with the whole ‘club days’ thing?  

I wanna know!

OMG POOR SAM!!!!

She’s just defending herself (with a plunger) and Pete uses his ghostly powers to go through the door - Why not the wall? - causing him to get away and Sam to land harshly on the floor.  

Again, poor Sam.  And seriously, Pete, you could’ve tried talking to her - she can’t hurt you that much with a plunger.

OMG - I love that they’re all gathered together, eager for news.  They’re clearly all on edge about Sam seeing them.  They’ve never had this before (except with kids?) and suddenly don’t know what to do.  

Side note - everyone looks at Pete, but Trevor actually stands up.  I’ll note this in another scene, but it’s interesting that he’s in the middle of the ghosts visually.  In a lot of ways, he’s kind of protected and teased.  Not the being in the middle technically means that but ... maybe.

Also, I so wonder if there was conversation in the few minutes between Pete going up there and coming back - plus did Pete have to talk himself up like in Ghost Trap?  Interesting...

OMG NOT GOING TO LIE - I love this image.  

Isaac and Trevor making similar motions.

Thor and his one punch (like the dancing scene in LL) and Hetty’s rather reserved celebration. (Minimal effort, guys).

Plus, Alberta’s legit dancing motion.

These people spend way too much time together, but I love it.  

Although I wish we’d seen Flower and Sass’ reactions too.

SO CUTE - Here it is again.

Alright, there, Pete - I don’t think it was COFFEE - I think it was being SCARED BY A FREAKING GHOST when she’s half-asleep.  

ANYWAY, short scene - Sam and Ghosts are adorable.  I really want to know if they avoided her for days or if it was one night - did she rush back to the doctor?  Did she faint?  WHAT HAPPENED, SHOW????  

Anyway, Sam’s day is off to a rough start.  Poor Sam - the ghosts are happy though.  

Feel free to reblog and discussion - or send asks if you want :)

[108garys]

I just realized my supermassive mega crossover timeline is out of date, it's very much a footnotes type deal but as I did this for myself it may have some errors to correct when I update it and it was very much written to not add game choices

So here it is before I update it, let me know if anyone wants it when I do(still no quarry because I struggle to see it as part of the same universe)

Bat monster colony ship hits prehistoric earth (???/the Zagros mountains)

The gutian army attacks the akkadian temple of naram-sin during an eclipse ( 2231.bc/Akkad, the Zagros mountains 'iraq')

The town of little hope is griped with witch hysteria (1692.ad/little hope, Massachusetts America)

The blackwoods sanatorium opens (1922.ad/Alberta Canada)

The newlyweds Randolph and Mary Hodgson and a team of professionals set off on an archeolgical expedition under the funding of lady Bradshaw (1946.ad/the Zagros mountains, iraq)

The Ourang medan sets sail with a dark secret (1947.ad/Manchuria)

Anne and James Clarke get married (1948.ad/little hope, Massachusetts America)

A mine collapse traps thirty miners for about a month, twelve survive leading to the massacre of blackwoods asylum (1952.ad/mt Blackwood, Alberta Canada)

Salim Othman born on the first of May (1963.ad/iraq)

Reverend Carson begins mentoring Megan Clarke(10) (1971.ad/little hope, Massachusetts America)

James, Anne, Tanya, Dennis and Megan Clarke die in a house fire, Anthony Clarke at 18 is the sole survivor (1972.ad/little hope, Massachusetts America)

Rachel and Eric King get into a car accident on their wedding night, leading to Eric lossing a leg and massive strain on their marriage (2000.ad/Massachusetts America)

The Kings separate and work apart for a year (2002.ad)

A raid gone wrong leads to the rediscovery of the Sumerian temple and all it's secrets (2003.ad/the Zagros mountains, Iraq)

Detective Becky Marney apprehends suspected 'trapper killer' Jonathan Finn (2012.ad/NYC)

Hannah and Beth Washington vanish into a snowstorm after a cruel prank is played on one of the twins (2014.ad/blackwood pines, Alberta Canada)

Josh Washington sets up a revenge prank on the anniversary of his sisters' disappearance and gets so much more than he bargained for (2015.ad/mt Blackwood, Alberta Canada)

New information casts doubt on Johnathan Finn's guilt leading up to his scheduled execution (2017.ad/NYC)

A diving trip goes horribly wrong (2019.ad/French Caribbean, the ocean)

Anthony Clarke confronts the loss of his family/Andrew and his creative writing class face their demons (2020.ad/little hope, Massachusetts America)

[cbsghostsmetasandtrevor]

CBS Ghosts - Hello! - She Can Still See Us

Warning Spoilers May Appear.

Okay First things first - at least ONE night has passed - How THE HELL did Sam manage to Sleep in that house thinking she saw GHOSTS that scared the crap out of her?

Also, she’s not wearing a brace so it must’ve been longer than a day right?  

OMG - If I were Sam, I would NOT have stayed there.   I do wonder if the ghosts acted like mice do - in that they would absolutely hide from her so she might ... think it was her imagination?

Anyway Poor Sam.

LMAO it’s adorable that she thinks the ghosts are hiding in the tub and can move the curtains.  Like, what?  She's so cute!

I’d blame it on being half-asleep.  And like her, I would’ve picked up a bat or something and checked (for my own piece of mind).

She’s brave - I like it.

Awwwww how cute - she’s relieved ....DAMN IT PETE!  Is now the time?

I cannot believe that Pete thought coming up behind her in the bathroom was a good idea.  

And then screaming??  Why are you screaming, Pete?

Also, how do you think they decided that Pete should be the one to find out?  She saw Trevor first, Hetty’s her relative, and Isaac’s the captain of the house - so why Pete?

Were the rest afraid - nervous?  Did they argue for who should get to do it?  If so, how did Pete (who has never spoken to Sam, at this point) get selected?? At least Isaac and Trevor have technically spoken to her (although really, she spoke to Trevor).  

Although, I suppose you could argue Pantslessness would make her feel weird and Pete’s close in age (somewhat?) and always ‘up for an adventure’, plus he’s also the one to reach out to new faces so it might make sense - since he’s a pseudo leader with the whole ‘club days’ thing?  

I wanna know!

OMG POOR SAM!!!!

She’s just defending herself (with a toilet brush) and Pete uses his ghostly powers to go through the door - Why not the wall? - causing him to get away and Sam to land harshly on the floor.  

Again, poor Sam.  That's a rough way to start the day. And seriously, Pete, you could’ve tried talking to her - she can’t hurt you that much with a toilet brush.

OMG - I love that they’re all gathered together, eager for news.  They’re clearly all on edge about Sam seeing them.  They’ve never had this before (except with kids?) and suddenly don’t know what to do.  

Side note - everyone looks at Pete, but Trevor actually stands up.  I’ll note this in another scene, but it’s interesting that he’s in the middle of the ghosts visually.  In a lot of ways, he’s kind of protected and teased.  Not the being in the middle technically means that but ... maybe.

Also, I so wonder if there was conversation in the few minutes between Pete going up there and coming back - plus did Pete have to talk himself up like in Ghost Trap?  Interesting...

OMG NOT GOING TO LIE - I love this image.  

Isaac and Trevor making similar motions.

Thor and his one punch (like the dancing scene in LL) and Hetty’s rather reserved celebration. (Minimal effort, guys).

Plus, Alberta’s legit dancing motion.

These people spend way too much time together, but I love it.  

Although I wish we’d seen Flower and Sass’ reactions too.

SO CUTE - Here it is again.

One little thought - they're all Celebrating, right? Which is interesting because I think it's for different reasons given the next few scenes.

Isaac - because he thinks he can talk her into leaving.

Hetty - because instead of watching more Woodstones make mistakes and being unable to tell them that they're wrong.

Thor - because he figures he can scare her away (Note - he cursed her and Jay BEFORE the fall (stated in S1 Finale) - so I have to wonder did he think there was more of a chance for the curse to get them and possibly have entertainment?)

Anyway, Alberta is probably celebrating because she can get Sam to look into her murder.

Trevor - because he wants to date Sam and finally has someone his age that's new to entertain him, plus the hotel WOULD be entertaining for sure.

We don't see Sass/Flower in this image, but I BET that Flower's excited because she's always excited and Sass just wants entertainment of more livings to watch.

Pete's just happy because he, too, is happy all the time. Although...

Alright, there, Pete - I don’t think it was COFFEE - I think it was being SCARED BY A FREAKING GHOST when she’s half-asleep.  

ANYWAY, short scene - Sam and Ghosts are adorable.  I really want to know if they avoided her for days or if it was one night - did she rush back to the doctor?  Did she faint?  WHAT HAPPENED, SHOW????  I NEED TO KNOW! And how did Jay handle it???

OMG, did the ghosts like SCATTER like my piggies do when I come into the room??? I just like - they were standing there, she was standing there - WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE SCREAMED?

Damn it, show, now I have to imagine it - definitely going in the missing moments series.

Anyway, Sam’s day is off to a rough start.  Poor Sam - the ghosts are happy though.  Which won't last long.... lmao.

Feel free to reblog and discussion - or send asks if you want :)

[fuzzydreamin]

2, 10, and 16 for Fallout OC asks! :)

2. Is your character quick to take care of others in need, or do they look out for themselves first and foremost?

✪ Nora always jumps to help others if she can, in any way she can, and will often put her own safety at risk to do so. She prefers thinking about others over herself.

✝ Alberta doesn't really know how to take care of others outside of eliminating anything threatening them and fixing their stuff. They can be very selfless and reckless, but they've also learnt to care about their own life and safety over the years. Mostly because they can't help more people if they are dead.

10. What is your character’s weapon of choice? Are they good in a fight, whether armed or not?

✪ Nora uses a modified hunting rifle, it's good at both far and mid range, and if anything gets close she has a pistol and a knife or two on her. She had Mac teach her how to shoot better, since she started off being the most familiar with pistols and was impressed by his skill.

She's a decent shot and remains clever under pressure, but if it does come to close-range she's at a big disadvantage because she's not very strong and can't take or deal out blows easily. If someone does get close to her she has to put distance between them fast, either warding them off with her smaller weapons or having a companion assist her while she retreats to a safer distance. Dogmeat is usually her biggest help with keeping things off her.

Because she's not good in close range and often faced with more enemies than allies on her side Nora also makes use of a range of explosives and other devices, like smoke bombs to mask her movements (stealth boys are expensive and hard to find/make).

✝ Alberta either uses a plasma rifle, Harkness' one to be specific, or a modified baseball bat. They also use explosives, again to even the numbers and because they enjoy tinkering and creating them. And maybe are a bit of a pyro. Who doesn't love a good explosion?

Despite being fairly small they are very good in combat, being surprisingly strong for their size and also quite fast and agile. Growing up scrapping with other kids, playing on the vault baseball team, and taking out roaches in the depths of the vault with their BB gun really helped prepare them for duking it out in the wasteland.

They are fine with closer contact fighting, and will fight dirty.

16. How does your character tolerate pain? How do they handle stress and trauma?

✪ Nora isn't used to being hurt before coming out of the vault, and the first few times she gets properly hurt are quite difficult for her to handle. Thankfully she has some understanding of first aid already and is prepared enough to have a kit packed on her. Adrenaline definitely helps in the moment to power through the pain and get patched up.

As for stress and trauma, she's always been one to smoke and drink, but she takes to both a little more after waking up in the future. She also starts using chems more, like daytrippers, wheras before they were rarely ever something she did, and only ever at appropriate events.

✝ Alberta has always been fairly hardly and pain tolerant, and while getting hurt certainly isn't nice they tend to take it better than someone else might. They also had two doctors for fathers and a decent knowledge of science and medicine, so patching themselves up is easy. She's come to have an even greater tolerance for pain since Project Purity, as her health has slowly declined from radiation poisoning since then, leaving her sick, tired, and sore almost all the time, which she attempts to power through. A less tolerant person might've already lost the strength to continue on.

Al doesn't smoke but they did also take to drinking a lot, as well as satisfying their wanderlust, and getting into fights to vent their frustrations.