#golden target beetle

[saltycharacters]

[ID: A mixture of digital and traditional artwork featuring a variety of stylized bugs. The first features the most in one image, with arthropods ranging from flies, weevils, cockroaches, ticks, mantids, and ants to dragonflies, grasshoppers, stinkbugs, big-eyed bugs, silverfish, and earwigs all cluttered around the drawing. The word "BUGS" is spelled out in big bubble letters to the left, going top-down instead of left-right. The next art piece compiles a few assets drawn for a web-design class, including things such as a stag beetle, tortoise beetle, a checkerspot butterfly resting on the word "Endangered", and two ladybugs holding up a banner that reads "Email Updates / Photo Submissions". The next drawing shows the stag beetle up close, with a patterned background using even smaller stag beetles to create a unified image. Artwork 4 showcases a simplified pillbug, styled to resemble a logo and placed within a black box background. The final image shows a comparison image of the tortoise beetle drawing, with the one to the left being from 2021 and the one to the right being from 2023. End ID]

Bug art from the past few months

[infinitystation]

THAT SHOP I JUST REBLOGGED HAS BEETLE CHARMS... i Need one

[hideousvampire]

how would johnny look if he was a fairy?

maybe something like that

hes based off of golden target beetles!!!!!! i didnt draw the carapace cause im lazy!!!!!!

just so u guys know!!!!! the fairy thingy isnt a closed species or whatever🤯 u can make your own fairies and stuff idc u can make fairy ocs and stuff!!!!! the only real "rules" to the species is that theyre only based off of winged bugs, they can have human or non human skin, they all have some sort of markings that resemble their bug, and they can be based off of only one bug😁

below is a picture of johnnys bug so if u dont like bugs donr look at it😠😠

such a silly little guy

[y-rhywbeth2]

For the murder-inclined types: Poisons

(tbh, I think some of these would have medical applications too...)

Poisons, officially classified by the law, are substances considered too dangerous to be permitted either because of past use or because they only exist to injure and kill (certain drugs may be classified as poisons in some realms and cities). All poisons are illegal to produce, sell, possess and use, and they can be difficult to acquire if you don't know where to go. Followers of Talona are often a good source.

-

Calad An opaque golden liquid created from the cranial fluids of various creatures, including basilisks. Attacks the victim's vision and hearing, leaving them disoriented and in agony as the poison begins corroding their internal organs.

Thardynyn An odourless translucent yellow liquid that tastes of strawberries. Distilled from birds' blood, fish scales and wine (other alcohols may be substituted). Thardynyn causes seizures when it makes contact with the skin.

Horel A green liquid distilled from lilypad-like plants called oxhrel or "halfling's hand" and powdered horseradish. Harmless to touch and ingest, but it causes violent seizures if it enters the bloodstream.

Imvris A paralytic. Clear, with a very faint purple-tinge. Smells "peppery" and floral due to being distilled from the crushed petals of twelve types of rainforest flowers (so look at ingredients imported from Chult, I guess) Imvris is versatile: it can be absorbed through the skin, which leaves them momentarily paralysed before dissipating within the hour, but it works with greatest efficiency when ingested.

Vampire blood Tricky to use, especially because the vampire needs to be alive for its blood to contain magical properties and they're not very receptive to being on the other side of a blood donation as a rule. Vampire blood appears much the same as humanoid blood at first glance, but has a golden sheen when held up to allow light to pass through it. It may be caustic to touch or ingest (though the properties of vampire blood is highly unpredictable, and some vampires have blood with other random effects, some of which may also function as poisons of different effects).

Dragonbane Bright blue and opaque, the poison is brewed using the blood of three different dragons. Obviously, due to the difficulty of acquiring the ingredients, the poison is rarely seen and more of a legend. Used on most creatures the toxin will only cause wracking pain and a little distress to the organs, but its main targets are dragons (possibly dragonkin?), upon whom it becomes a fast-acting deadly neurotoxin that prevents them from breathing.

Swiftsleep A gummy liquid that looks like ale and smells like citrus. It's a very easily aquired and common poison created from crushed flies and tree beetles mixed into the sap of duskwood trees. As the name implies, when injected into the bloodstream the victim drops almost immediately into a deep sleep.

Drow Sleep Poison A similar poison to swiftsleep, though far more potent. It's highly sought after by surfacers, however it needs to be carefully sealed and kept out of the sunlight or it loses its effect. It takes the form of a heavy thick black liquid, like molasses in texture. Dark elves coat their darts and javelins in it. When entering the bloodstream it causes damage to the internal organs and quickly causes the victim to fall into a brief coma which nobody can awaken them from without use of a neutralise poison spell. It also causes damage if it gets into the eyes, nose or mouth, and drow like to make nail varnish out of it. Notably it is not effective on dark elves, who have gone out of their way to engineer a resistance to it Minthara-poisoning-her-lover-while-they-sleep-style.

Sindari Made from herb native to Thay: when ingested the poison is slow acting, showing no effects for 24-hours, at which point the victim begins to experience violent seizures which will rapidly cause painful death.

Jesseret A lethal poison in the form of a purple powder with a strong peppery flavour, named after the rogue who invented it.

Snow Adder Venom The snake's venom causes paralysis and is cold enough to inflict frostbite while in the bloodstream.

Srindym An old elven poison, to which the elves themselves are immune and half-elves are resistant (including drow and half-drow), and which was created aeons ago by individuals and organisations to use against "lesser races". It's a nightmare to find and insanely expensive when you can get it. The Tel'Quessir don't enjoy reminders of their less pleasant side; people who can make it are rare, secret caches are carefully hidden. It's a neurotoxin crafted from elven blood and several plant-based ingredients, mixed under the moonlight and enchanted with several spells. Srindrym is versatile: the victim can be poisoned through ingestion, dermal absorption or by getting it directly into the bloodstream. It causes delirium, seizures and loss of consciousness. It's possible to develop a resistance to the substance over time though.

Belarris An oily black mixture of wyvern blood, two types of tree bark, and six plant saps. It's one of the few poisons that can be used to lace uncooked food without losing potency in the cooking process. A fast acting poison that causes rapid overwhelming fatigue almost immediately after entering the system and causes them to lose consciousness for several minutes.

Lorbral Fully named lorbralinth, the poison is crafted from the saliva of sixteen different monsters (including the basilisk, again). It's clear, has an oily texture, and a sweet smell. Fast acting but brief in effect: If it enters the bloodstream, be that from a coated weapon or ingestion, the victim is debilitated by severe fevers and chills.

Bhaalspawn Blood Basically impossible to acquire due to both the severe scarcity of the Children of Bhaal and their tendency towards horribly murdering people who pick fights with them or try and take their blood; some Bhaalspawn have been known to have blood that - upon entering a human[oid]'s bloodstream, usually applied by coating a weapon - causes extreme fatigue and weakness, worsening until the victim falls into a coma and wastes away into death. The blood may appear normal, or be black and viscous.

[myewcraft]

Wildfolk Update

This pseudo update serves as a replacement/overhaul of villagers. The primary goal is to make interacting with "villagers", known now as wildfolk, significantly less of a chore and hopefully more fun.

Wildfolk

Wildfolk are humanoid animals that completely replace villagers in the overworld. Wildfolk come in multiple different species depending on the biome their village generates in.

Blubberfolk - Cold non-mountainous biomes like snowy plains or taigas, based on walruses

Merfolk - Ocean or swamp biomes, based on fish

Featherfolk - Temperate biomes like forests and plains, based on birds

Slitherfolk - Hot biomes like deserts and badlands, based on snakes

Mountainfolk - Mountains, based on alpacas and rams

Cavefolk - Very rarely underground, based on beetles

Trading

Wildfolk trade by being thrown emeralds, like throwing gold to piglins, which they will exchange for items based on their job. For example a farmer would give the player a large bunch of crops when given an emerald.

Wildfolk do not accept anything other than emeralds, which means that emeralds are far more rare as they can't be obtained from trades like they can in vanilla.

Jobs

Wildfolk can have jobs just like vanilla villagers, with their job being determined by a job block. In the list below the job block is put in parenthesis next to the jobs name, and the bullet point below it is what a wildfolk can give in exchange for an emerald.

Farmer (Composter)

Crops; only way to obtain your first corn, which can then be planted and grown by the player.

Butcher (Smoker)

Raw and cooked meat, leather and feathers.

Cartographer (Cartography Table)

Maps to structures and biomes. Tries not to provide the same map twice.

Cleric (Brewing Stand)

Golden apples, or potions.

Fletcher (Fletching Table)

Tipped arrows or more rarely enchanted crossbows and bows.

Librarian (Lectern)

Enchanted books and bookshelves.

Mason (Stonecutter)

Stones; like normal stone, diorite, or terracotta.

Lumberjack (Woodcutter)

Logs. Usually of local types but more rarely of farther biomes.

Tailor (Loom)

Colored wool.

Blacksmith (Anvil)

Iron, coal, copper, and more rarely enchanted iron equipment.

Engineer (Autocrafter)

Redstone, redstone components, and mechanical brains.

The wandering trader is a unique wildfolk job that is not assigned by a job block. Instead there is a small chance each morning for a wandering trader to spawn, with its species being random instead of based on the biome they spawn in. At night, right around when the player is able to sleep, wandering traders will despawn.

Wandering traders provide items from their travels when given emeralds. These items include saplings and logs from biomes outside the current biome, mob crates of various mobs, flowers from other biomes, and some hard to get blocks like coral, sea lanterns, and froglights. They have a much wider trading pool than other jobs making trading with them much more random.

Zombiefication

The chance for wildfolk to become a zombie wildfolk when killed by a zombie can be modified using a gamerule. Whether or not wildfolk are even targeted by zombies can also be disabled or re-enabled with a gamerule.

When a zombified wildfolk is cured, they will show their appreciation by giving the player an emerald. They will not provide another emerald for being re-zombified and re-cured unless they have spent a minimum amount of time as a villager before becoming a zombie again.

Design Goals

Vanilla villagers have a problem in that they make getting certain resources much easier as long as you are willing to engage is lengthy and tedious trading processes, essentially encouraging boring gameplay. Needing to trade large amounts of sticks in order to get a mending book for instance just isn't really fun despite being the most efficient way to do so.

Wildfolk instead make trades less common due to emeralds being harder to get but more substantial as each emerald gives a large chunk of materials. In a sense each emerald is like a goodie bag with loot that can be influenced by choosing which wildfolk job you want to trade with.

This encourages more of a gameplay style where instead of trying to outright replace collecting certain types of items by trying to mass produce emeralds like vanilla encourages, instead you will find emeralds naturally in your time playing and can choose to trade them in order to get items you might need more of at the moment or don't enjoy getting.

[dansnaturepictures]

02/07/2023-An amazing day at Knepp

Flora and fauna photos taken in this set: 1. Some inspirational White Storks, I was euphoric to see these mesmerising birds flying right from the start of the visit at the walker's car park and with around five in the air at one point, on nests, with young, feeding young, uniquely for this annual visit for us on the ground in grass and hear their distinctive and joyful clacking sounds. It still feels quite surreal to see these birds in the British countryside and yet they feel so in place, what amazing work this project has done I loved the views we got of them today. 2. Silver-washed Fritillary, I saw my first of the year of these golden butterflies the species that got me into butterflies, a bonus one to the usual key butterflies here that I hoped we might see. 3. Gatekeeper, a key one seen on a butterfly bonanza. 4. Purple Emperor, I felt so honoured and lucky that we saw possibly as many as twenty of these gigantic and extremely prepossessing butterflies today the other main species alongside White Stork we came for and what first attracted us here. We got exhilarating and exquisite views of them dancing along the tree tops, fighting and landed. 5. Common toadflax in the sun, the first I'd seen on a walk this year a flower I like and have seen here before. 6. Purple Hairstreak, it was wonderful to see many of these astonishing butterflies well too capping off an extraordinary week I've had for seeing them the best week I've had for them in terms of how many I've seen at Lakeside and here. 7. Marsh woundwort, another flower seen well. 8. A White-letter Hairstreak, we had hoped to see one and all thanks to a kind man (and his lovely dog) that we got talking to who alerted us to them in an elm we saw some. A butterfly we didn't see at all last year, it was a strong addition to the day and year. What a moment to watch them. 9. A lovely Mistle Thrush I enjoyed seeing. 10. Fallow Deers, always great to see here.

Another hoped for addition to the core targets we saw was White Admiral, the four butterfly year ticks (this, White-letter Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary and Purple Emperors) took my butterfly year list to 41 after an amazing few butterfly weeks putting me in such a great position. I thought to myself before today I could see these four here but didn't think I'd see them all so was ecstatic when I did and it felt very efficient to see the extra ones. My first Yellow Shell moth and charming black and orange Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars of the year and Red Admiral, Comma, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Broad-bodied Chaser, Banded Demoiselle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Swallow, House Martin, young Great Crested Grebe and Coot on the lake, Goldfinch, House Sparrows, Common Red Soldier beetle and hearing Jay, Wren and Chiffchaff were other highlights. Teasel, dock, self heal, white clover, garden loosestrife, foxgloves, mallow, centaury, buttercup, great willowherb and cuckoo-pint were other key plants seen. What a sensational wild day with truly so much seen, another of my days of the year.

[twisted-fucked-up-sunflower]

Golden target tortoise beetle. I love this little thing so much.

[the-weirdos-mind]

Can I Have This Dance? (Jamil X OC)

Inspired by an event created by @adrianasunderworld

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Estella adjusted the mask on her face out of nervousness. She had been at the school for a few weeks and had enjoyed her time so far, other than being targeted by the resident mean girl. She needed a break from Night Raven after dealing with overblot after overblot. She was nervous because this event brings her friends from NRC to her current school, White Ash Institute. The Midnight Ball is a legendary event and one she had learned about a week ago. The three magic schools gather at White Ash for a masquerade ball and at midnight you see who you danced with. It reminded her of Cinderella. The girls were given the choice to create their own gowns and mask. She used the sewing skills that Crewel had taught her to use.

Her mask was made of black lace with red roses near the upper left of it. It was tied around her head in a comfortable yet tight knot. It covered the upper part of her face. Her dress was black and sleeveless, with some black lace coming from the chest a few inches and a red belt with black lace sewn under it on her waist. The some of the black cloth was pinned out of the way of her legs and covered by some red cloth. Underneath the red cloth was a thin layer of black lace. She wore black flats on her feet, tying some left over strips of cloth around her feet and ankles to give the illusion of her wearing ballet shoes. She always wanted a dress like this after seeing it in a music video back home.

The girls all stood in the ballroom and at dusk the doors opened and they boys walked in. When the crowds started gathering she stuck to the wall. She watched everyone else dance and try to guess her friends from both schools. For most of the night, she stood there, watching everyone else. A set of footsteps walking in her direction broke her out of her trance. She jumped a little, startled and looked at the direction of who was walking towards her. It was a boy with tan skin and long brown hair. Most of the strands were flowing but a few were in small braids and it was held back by a golden ponytail holder. His midnight black tuxedo looked amazing on him. Within the jacket was a red rose. His maroon shirt stood out among all the black, like a bright flash. On his black tie was the design of a golden scarab beetle. Her attention went to his mask. Like the shirt it was maroon and looked like snake skin.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” He asked.

“I’m much of a dancer.” She responded.

“That’s a shame.” He leaned onto the wall, next to her. “I was hoping to dance with you.”

“If you’re going to ask someone to dance with you then you should ask.”

“But you said you’re not much of one.”

“True but I would still accept an invitation.”

A laugh erupted from his throat. She looked at him a bit offended and confused. What was so funny? He stopped laughing and held a hand out to her. “Then can I have this dance?” He asked.

“Sure.”

She put her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor. They stood in the middle of the dancing ring, not to close to middle yet not close to the edge. He wrapped an arm around her waist and put the other on her shoulder. She put a hand on his shoulder and the other on his chest. His heart fluttered at her gentle and shy touch. What she didn’t know was that he fell for her when she helped him through a difficult time in his life.

She looked at her feet, trying to remember the steps to a waltz. He used his right index and middle fingers to lift her head to meet his eyes. “Jus keep your eyes on me.” He said. He returned his hand to where it was previously and the two started to dance. She stepped on his feet a few times at first. Each time she did, he smiled softly at her. She fell into the beat and the two danced gracefully. They gravitated to the middle of the room in their dance. A few people move out of their way, watching the two gravitate to the music and dance like the only two people in the world. They blended in and stood out among the swirls of bodies and colorful gowns.

The male quickly looked at her dancing and chuckled. “You say you’re not much of a dancer yet you dance good.” He observed.

“I practiced when I got the chance.” She responded, face burning a light pink. It was true and her distraction caused her to step on his foot again. He merely snickered at the action. She huffed and was about to respond when the bells started to ring. Everyone looked at the clock and saw the time. Midnight. It was time to remove their masks. They let go of each other and pulled off their masks. Estella’s eyes widened and her face burned red as she saw the face of her dance partner. It was someone she has a crush on but was too shy to reveal her feelings.

He only smiled at her. “Hello Estella.” Jamil said.

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita and the Island of Miracles (2012)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I'm embarking on a project to write about all the films that have come out so far. Good luck to me…

Movie premise: Nobita and his friends travel to the 22nd Century to visit an island that has been converted into a preserve for extinct animals.

My spoiler-free take: Conceptually appealing, but severely undermined by a contrived and underdeveloped story. Sad to say, one of my least favorite Doraemon movies.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: By all rights, I should love this movie. I found the short story it’s based on (previously discussed here), in which Nobita tries to save moa and some other animals from extinction, to be one of the most memorable out of the Doraemon manga I’ve read, for probably obvious reasons. Nobita and the Island of Miracles not only expands on that tale, but also adds a whole host of remarkable extinct Cenozoic animals to its critter roster. (Something interesting I noticed was that whereas the original manga and next-movie teaser from the previous year’s Doraemon film incorrectly drew moa with wings, I didn’t see any scenes in this movie itself where visible wings were shown on the moa, making it possible that this was an error they caught during production.) Furthermore, one of the protagonists’ new allies in this film is a younger version of Nobita’s father who has been displaced in time, an interesting idea! From a conceptual standpoint, this movie shows a lot of promise.

Sorry to say, however, I like very little about Nobita and the Island of Miracles. To start off, there’s the premise that the extinct animals on the island preserve are sustained by the “life force” emitted by an immortal golden beetle that lives there. (No, this is never elaborated on any further.) The existence of this golden beetle drives much of the story, and yet it simultaneously feels wholly unnecessary. As an explanation for how the extinct animals can live on the island? That could have been chalked up to 22nd Century animal husbandry. As a source of wonder for the protagonists? One might think seeing extinct animals alive would have been enough. As a target for the villains to go after? The movie would have worked just as well if they’d wanted to poach the extinct animals.

Then there’s the fact that the entire story is built on contrivance after contrivance. Doraemon and Nobita bring the moa into their home by complete chance, unlike the original manga in which Nobita actively wanted to rescue extinct species. The reason Nobita’s father ends up in the 22nd Century as a child comes down to a series of accidents and a robot employee from the animal preserve being incredibly incompetent at his job. Doraemon sends all his weapon gadgets away for maintenance, and then the plot still has to devise ways to make most of his remaining gadgets unusable. (Why did he try hitting a charging Elasmotherium with the Anywhere Door?!) Right when the heroes need to fight a giant mech, Doraemon happens to rummage out his Big Light, which happens to turn on and happens to shine on a beetle that the main characters didn’t know was there. The list goes on...

The movie also tries to force emotional moments that don’t always work. For example, one scene has the main characters reminisce about their experiences with their parents, which was nice and all, but felt thematically odd at the same time. Despite Nobita’s father being a major character here, most of the story doesn’t particularly focus on the interactions between the kids and their parents. A conversation like this would have been more fitting in, say, Nobita and the Birth of Japan. (It also doesn’t help that much of the dialogue for this segment appears to have been borrowed from the 1974 manga chapter “Mom Swap”.)

Suneo of all characters gets a good bit of characterization in this film... or it would be good if it weren’t immediately undercut. When he and Koron, the young granddaughter of the village chief on the island*, are captured by the villains**, he tries to reassure her by saying the others will rescue them, even adding that Nobita is actually quite dependable in situations like this. (It’s rare to hear Suneo say anything good about Nobita!) Not only that, but when the villains threaten Suneo in an attempt to persuade Koron to give them information about the golden beetle, Suneo continues to insist that she shouldn’t tell them, a very brave gesture compared to his usual reactions to danger. Unfortunately, just then a pendant made out of a fossil of the golden beetle’s horn***, worn by Koron’s pet dodo, starts glowing, giving away the beetle’s location and rendering Suneo’s heroism moot. By the way, the fact that the pendant glows in response to the beetle and that this phenomenon can be used to track the beetle’s location are never mentioned before this.

*Yep, there’s a village of humans living in the middle of this extinct animal preserve. Why are they there? This is not explained.

**At least it’s not Shizuka getting kidnapped for once... 

***Why is there a fossil of the beetle’s horn if the beetle is still alive? This is also not explained.

Meanwhile, Nobita is panicking over how they’re supposed to save Suneo and Koron without any of Doraemon’s weapon gadgets. After this goes on for some time, Shizuka tells him to get a grip, saying (paraphrased), “Can you do nothing without Doraemon’s gadgets? I hate cowards like you!” Whoa! As much as I’d normally welcome Shizuka displaying aspects of her personality other than straightforward niceness, this reproach felt unearned, because Nobita’s concern came across as completely valid: how are some children, peaceful villagers, and a babysitting robot supposed to contend with 22nd Century criminals without weapons? What’s more, when the heroes eventually reach the villains’ doorstep, Doraemon reveals that he does still have a few potentially useful gadgets left after all. Maybe you should have brought that up back when the others were panicking and arguing!

Probably the most ridiculous part of this movie, however, is when the protagonists respond to the villain leader bringing out a giant mech by... running around and yelling. Somehow, this actually works to stop the villain from attacking. Maybe he was just as confused as the audience was...

(This is so far the only Doraemon film I’ve watched in theaters, and this may well have been the most awkward scene I’ve ever seen in a cinema.)

Now, how do I end this on a positive note...? Well, I guess we got this relatable Shizuka moment.

Star rating: ★☆☆☆☆

[enchantedlantern-art]

I saw a video of a bug walking and immediately got smacked with the need to draw a little dude

(Link to my commission page under my bio, or message me! I also have a patreon in my bio!)

[risingsunresistance]

mcyts as beetles, except there is no rhyme or reason to my assignments other than “this beetle looks cool”

philza: june bug :]

tommy: golden target tortoise beetle (you actually Cannot disagree with me on this one)

techno: potato beetle. i feel obligated to give him the potato beetle

wilbur: blue milkweed beetle, very smooth very cool

ranboo: rosemary beetle!!

tubbo: grapevine beetle. this is my favorite beetle and i wanted to include it somewhere in this list and my roommate said it is tubbo

niki: firefly! fun fact, they ARE beetles :D

jack manifold: rhino beetle, idk he just gives me that vibe

timedeo: oriental beetle, golden lad :]

wisp: steelblue ladybug, round and blue

[aliensunflower-fics]

How to Exploit Kindness [A New Kind of Lila Salt Prompt]

[ Ive seen Lila and Class salt that goes a lot of different ways. In some Lilas a sad lonely girl who will do anything for friends and the class fall for her lies through a mixture of manipulation and Lila’s genuine sad lonely but real persona. In others Lila is insane and the class get basically sucked into her cult. And in others still, Lila slowly breaks the class down by preying on there insecurities, hidden jealousies ect. There are the versions where Lila just bribes the class with connections and the versions where Lila frames Marinette until no one believes her. But I wanted to write a new idea for people to use, one that I feel is a bit more realistic. One where Marinette’s classmates are more their more authentic kind selves but still get slowly pulled into Lila’s web and where Lila is just a bit more intelligent. ]

[ As usual with all my prompts feel free to borrow the idea to write for your own thing salt, sugar, cuteness angst ect just be sure to credit me for the idea so I can read it. ]

Lila was furious! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! She was supposed to be everyone's friend! She was supposed to finally get a cute perfect boyfriend who would cherish her like she deserved! She was supposed to be HAPPY! But no, the pathetic beetle Ladybug and that goody two shoes Marinette kept ruining everything!

No… No that wasn’t quite true. As much as she wanted to blame her problems on those two it wasn’t entirely their faults. Honestly Lila wasn’t quite sure what had happened. Her lies had been working at first, they had gotten her praise and compliments and adoration and friendship! But now? Now they were all ignoring her, unimpressed by her celeb lies! She could not understand it! At first she’d been sure it was Marinette or Ladybug maybe even Adrien had turned on her! But when she’d probed for information she’d learned that none of them had blown the whistle. So what was it! Tomorrow… Tomorrow she will find out one way or another. She needed to get them back under her thumb somehow.

 It was Chloe who gave Lila her answers. Chloe was the reason none of her classmates cared about her stories! Chloe was the idiot mayor's brat. And what a brat she was constantly wiggling her way into her mothers fashion shoots or had celebrities over at the hotel. Of course Lila’s classmates didn’t care about Lila’s celebrity connections because Chloe was always name dropping just as many people as herself. The only difference was Lila used fake modesty and shyness that made her ‘friends’ view her lies in less of a gloating light than Chloe’s haughty claims of celebrity meetings.

It was a damn shame, celebrity lies were her bread and butter, they were exciting got people to think you were important and they were hard to prove or disprove allowing Lila to easily get around the messy little detail of ‘proof’ if someone asked for pictures all she could say was that her mom didn't let her take any because she didn't want her precious daughter being targeted by crazy fans. And if someone asked her to use her celebrity connections? Well she could just turn on the water works and cry about them just being her friend for her connections. Thus her prey would be forced to be her ‘friend’ , always listening to her and doing things for her, unable to ask for anything in return. Then when her mother announced their next move Lila would tearfully say goodbye and leave all her suckers behind. But without the sway of her celebrity lies her system broke down. That was the problem with picking the school full of rich talented idiots she supposed.

Well with Chloe ruining her system she’d need a new one. Scrolling through her classmates' social media for a clue she sneered at their overly cheerful and cutesy posts. Always encouraging one another and posting encouraging puff pieces about this or that. Always acting like they were so nice. As Lila scrolled over a charity fundraiser event that Alya had retweeted from Milene a sudden thought crossed her mind. Her classmates were very ‘nice’ and annoyingly so. They were always butting into each other's business, always being SO concerned, always organizing events to help each other and appreciate each other and going to charity events.

In fact now that she thought about it the stories that had intrigued her ‘friends’ always had some sort of charity garbage attached. Saving Jagged’s kitten or raising money for some cause or other that always got her heaps of praise. Sure saying Clara whatshername stole her dance moves got attention but not in the same way saying she raised money for some green project. Was it really that simple? Sure her classmates all loved Marinette for her extreme generosity and kindness but was it REALLY that simple? She needed to check.

 It was actually that easy. One simple little lie about how she pulled a blind old man out of danger when he was nearly run over and suddenly the class was bathing her in praise. And the ‘fact’ that the whole very real thing made her miss first period and sprain her ankle? Well that was just the cherry on top. Suddenly Max was offering her a copy of his notes and everyone was back to caring for her like she was a princess. The fact that Marinette looked like she was seething only for sweet naive Adrien to keep her mouth shut was just so perfect. She’d found her golden ticket. Her classmates were truly ‘good kind people’ and nothing could be exploited quite like kindness.

With this knowledge Lila would easily be able to destroy Marinette, sure she wouldn’t be able to do it quickly but slowly she would replace her, with every good deed she made up with every act of false modesty she would build a reputation greater than Marinette’s she would replace her and become there new ‘everyday ladybug’ and the best part was she wouldn’t have to say ANYTHING against Marinette. Not. A. Thing. No sweet righteous Marinette would eventually snap, sadly for her it would probably be too late with how much control Adrien had over her, so when it happened Marinette would look like the jealous crazy girl going after the girl that was kinder, sweeter, and better than herself. As for Adrien… Well she had a hard time believing it at first but he really was an idiot with a pretty face as long as she was careful as she built her new reputation he would genuinely believe that she was changing for the better and then he'd fall for her.

The best part was, her classmates were genuine. As she built her new good girl heart of gold persona they would genuinely come to love her, all the loyalty Marinette got to enjoy all the perks of being friends with such talented, kind, sweet people would become hers. Slowly no matter how Marinette struggled she would lose, eventually she’d have nothing left. Of course she’d need to be careful with her lies but that was easy. Bring the class to a charity here and there and tell them that she was the one who gave the idea for the charity to the actual organizer but didn't want any credit because she was just that kind and humble. If they tried to make her do actual work then she’d have a sudden accident that would require she sit down.

And then once she’d done more photoshoots with Adrien for Gabriel she’d ‘convince’ the man that a charity would make him look good and boost sales. She’d MAKE her lies true all while winning over her future father in law, and heck maybe she’d even pocket a little of the money, she could use a better wardrobe and the extra would be perfect to buy her ‘friends’ the occasional ice cream or presents. In between that she’d just lie about saving people or volunteering on weekends. Maybe even let it ‘slip’ how she was a temp hero for Ladybug . One of the sweetest parts was that between volunteering with Lila, there own activities and hanging out with Lila so she could ‘thank them for their hard work’ no one would be spending a second hanging out with sweet pink little Marinette, they'd abandon her without even realizing it because they’d be SO busy. Sadly this plan of hers would take a little more work then her others, but it would be worth it to become the queen bee of the class- NO the school! And when Marinette eventually slipped up and looked like the biggest jealous bully in the school. Well she’d have no choice but to leave the school with her tail in between her legs.

Victory was looking sweet and satisfying.

 [ And where it goes from here is up to you. Lila can win, she can slowly convince the class and school that she's a model citizen and an everyday hero. She can sneakily maneuver the class to not spend time with Marinette slowly separating the girl from her friends. In this way Alya and the rest of them don't become evil salty versions of themselves who overnight hate Marinette and love Lila, but rather they are good naive people who got slowly separated and tricked by someone who wants to use their genuine talents and skills to make herself look better. Adrien who is already shown to be naive and wants to believe the best in people, can fall into Lila’s trap and become genuinely convinced that his high road method really worked and ‘reformed’ Lila into a better person. OR Lila can fail, she can claim to be the wrong temporary hero for ladybug, or she can pick the wrong charity to lie about, or get exposed any number of ways and the class can realize with horror that because they are kind but flawed people who are perhaps too trusting and gullible that they got pulled away from Marinette through subtle manipulation and so they can be redeemed because instead of turning into outright bullies they stayed the same kind people they always were but just got genuinely tricked which is something that can actually happen in real life. You can go heavy salt where Marinette does eventually leave the school or class heartbroken that her kind friends have fallen prey to a bad person Marinette cant find a way to expose. Or you can go clever salt where Marinette figures out Lila’s plan and fights her from the inside slowly exposing the cracks in her facade. Or you can go sugar and redemption where maybe just maybe Lila actually LIKES being nice to people and having real friends who dont care about her fake celeb connections, maybe she honestly redeems herself and even makes amends with Marinette. You can do genuinely anything with this idea and I hope to see this generate some new less *and suddenly everyone is evil* content for those that like salt and angst. ]

[saltycharacters]

Have you ever seen a Tortoise Beetle? Even though I like spiders more, Tortoise Beetles are the only bug I genuinely love 🥰

Oh I ADORE tortoise beetles. Definitely one of my favorite beetles of all time

[ID: A digital drawing of a golden target tortoise beetle on a white background, scuttling forward as the words "tap tap tap" are written around their feet. End ID]

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

(Bee-Like) Robber Fly - Laphria aktis (?)

Tuesday’s post presented an insect that is more passive to humans and was brought to Canada in order to help manage the spread of thistle. It also represented a new addition to this blog as a new variety of Fly. Today’s post has relatives on this blog, but this individual is a new specie, and while it can be beneficial to the wilderness or a garden, it can also target beneficial insects. Don’t blame it though, it’s just hungry and can’t be too picky about what it wants to eat. By waiting patiently on a perch, this Robber Fly suddenly rushes when a suitable snack flies or walks in view, upon which it pounces, snares and jabs the prey using its sharp mouthpart. This individual has gotten quite a haul in the form of a captured Beetle! This catch is likely beneficial as swarms of Leaf Beetles at this time of year can have a good appetite for leaves and flower parts. As mentioned in previous posts, these Flies like to use aggression when hunting and given that these Flies like to capture prey in mid-flight, it’s remarkable how they can strike in a weak point which such accuracy. In this case, bypassing the armor of the Beetle and going straight for the softer body! It’s no wonder that these Flies are also known as Assassin Flies! I’ll reiterate as I have before: take good care when handling as their jab is unpleasant. Just like the other Laphria spp. cousins on this blog such as the Bee Killer, these Robber Flies tend to be associated with the capture and predation of Bees. As you can tell, they also greatly resemble Bees: some with a rotund body, some with hairs similar to common Bees, and some with a combination of both. 

Speaking of the hairs, we come to how this specie was identified. I wish I knew then what I know now with regards to this eye-catching, golden plumed hunter. I’ve settled on L. aktis for now, but it could still be L. sericea since they both sport those golden hairs on their thorax and abdomen and look extremely similar otherwise. If you take photos of an insect like this, be sure to get close ups of the abdomen and the appendages at the very end. In males (which this one is), those appendages are the key to identification. Specifically, they are abdominal forceps which are used during mating. Between L. aktis and L. sericea, there are subtle differences between the shape, contour and position of the forceps to tell each specie apart. If you’re curious, I refer you to this publishing I’ve been using in addition to cross-referencing with pictures on Bugguide (the L. aktis page has a great description on the differences). After staring at Fly butts for several days, closely examining the forceps, I've settled on an identification on this, but I’m happy to be proven wrong if new information comes to light. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m thankful that it was a male that flew nearby. Females of both species lack the terminals forceps used in identification - instead having an ovipositor - and cannot be distinguished from photos alone. Quite a mouthful, but I hope all this information serves you well. Happy hunting for bugs!

Pictures were taken on June 11, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. While linked above, for your Laphria identification needs, refer to this publishing. May it serve you well. 

[alexiela]

Adoptable design - Golden target tortoise beetle.

[disneydarlin]

Disney Villain Inspired Cereal Box Art

When it comes to a Disney franchise, the company doesn’t spare anything from becoming a product. These include toys, clothes, cups, jewelry, movies, etc. Even various foods have had a Disney property plastered on them. This; however, mostly applies to adding the good characters on breakfast cereals and other kid-targeted snack items. The villains are left out of most marketing due to their negative influences. Because of this, Gilles Bone decided to create illustrations of some Disney villains if they were given their own cereal boxes. All of his artwork is featured on Gbillustrations.

1. The Evil Queen’s Apple Bites Cereal: Grimhilde’s cereal consists of crunchy cinnamon apple flakes. It only takes one bite to knock a person out. The Evil Queen features the cereal with apple chunks as the suggested serving. This witch wants to make sure all potential victims have access to her product. To achieve this goal, the woman made her cereal gluten free. Otherwise, it’s false advertising, but it shouldn’t be surprising if this was the case either. The warning label states: Ingesting this cereal may cause severe fever, dizziness, nausea, heart burn, abnormal pains or permanent slumber.

2. Diablo’s Malefico’s Cereal: Apparently, the devil has his own brand company. In this case, he granted “the mistress of all evil” her own cereal after making a deal. The evil fairy, Maleficent, has decided to create a healthy breakfast option for victims. The cereal is “diabolically delicious” and contains “wicked flavor” in each bite. Towards the bottom right corner of the artwork, a caution label is listed. It reads: Ingesting this cereal may cause severe headaches, dizziness, hallucinations, eternal slumber or sudden death.

3. General Gills’ Seawheaties Cereal: Unlike the last two previous illustrations, Ursula has decided to market a cereal made for villains. To be specific, this is the breakfast for witches. Due to this, the product doesn’t come with a warning label. In reality, the cereal was made by the sea witch for herself because, the sweetened whole grain wheat cereal is seaweed wrapped. Each bite will leave consumers speechless.

4. Agrabah’s Twisted Crunch Cereal: Jafar is promoting a sweetened corn and oat cereal. There’s “phenomenal cosmic power” in tiiy, bitty, crunchy bites. To make sure his product reaches consumers of all ages, the evil sorcerer has included a free golden scarab beetle inside the box. There are two for people to collect. The following disclaimer is clearly printed on the food product: Ingesting this cereal may cause severe dizziness, hypnosis hallucinations, megalomania or delusions of grandeur.

What do you think? Do you like Gilles Bone's artwork? If not, why? Please share with me!