#pop culture paleontology

[nazrigar]

Year of the Dragon 2024

A spin off of my Pop Culture Paleoart series, and a tribute to the concept of the dragon, from the mythological beasts that inspire awe and wonder, to the plethora of dragons of pop culture... and of course the great reptiles that either probably inspired them or are named after.

From the lovable bearded dragon to the mighty Komodo dragon, and the creatures of the past that we also name after the awe-inspiring creature.

I'll leave y'all to guess which dragon is which in this piece, but I can give you the names of the dragons of our world:

Komodo Dragon

Bearded Dragon

Common Flying Dragon (Draco volans)

Sailfin Dragon

And for the past:

Quetzalcoatlus

Smok wawelski

Dracovenator

Guidraco

Ikrandraco

Guanlong

[dinonerdsblog]

Tyrannosaurus. Rex from Dino-A-Live in Japan 🇯🇵🦖☝️.

[itsyourearthtoo]

The pop-culture urge to resurrect dinosaurs.

First of all, let me clear this, DINOSAURS ARENT EXTINCT. They are right there, maybe pooping around in your lawn or the non-veg meal you recently had. You just aren't aware of it. My previous blog was all about this and you can go check that out :)

So, if dinosaurs aren't extinct, then what's the point of bringing them back to life? More so... why make movies, write stories, draw comics and blah blah blah to actually resurrect them?! And this is what this blog is all about.

Birds, which are dinosaurs don't look like the dinosaurs you actually imagine it to be. Just wonder, what's the first thing that popped up in your mind, when you read the word 'dinosaur' in the very title itself. A giant beast, ferocious eyes, long necks maybe (those sauropods) and so on. No one did think about the chickens we eat, pigeons we shoo away or those beautiful kingfishers and parrots we admire. If you did, then... I think you are already smarter than me.

This is nothing, but the result of a constant impression about dinosaurs that pop-culture has fed to you, that your mind can't imagine anything else. More apt, you just can't think other than the Jurassic Park franchise if you are a 21st century kid like me!

Now hold on, this doesn't mean I am a Jurassic Park hater or this blog got grudges against it. I love that universe as much as you but the thing is, fact is fact. And, science in the end shouldn't be to please people, but to make people aware of the things they aren't aware of.

So... with a bit of reading and literature research, I actually dug into this matter deep enough to find a reason; that actually answers my question - Why pop-culture wants to resurrect dinosaurs?

Richard Owen coined the term dinosaur in the year 1841. Note, the Theory of Evolution and The Origin of Species was published by Darwin in the year of 1859, meaning the world dug out dinosaurs technically unaware of evolution and natural selection (pretty funny to me).

This makes sense as to why it got related to reptiles in the first place. Until 1860s there was pretty much no consensus to the fact that birds are related to dinosaurs. When Archeopteryx was initially discovered somewhen around 1860 it pretty much changed the course of Dinosaur paleobiology. Trust me, society didn't believe this in the first place. It took decades for the Dinosaur Renaissance to actually begin and thanks to Robert Baker's famous book Dinosaur Heresis in the 1970s, that gave dinosaurs the justice it had long due. So its pretty much okay to say that birds are dinosaurs came into the scientific consensus much much later than it was actually discovered (unfortunately this happens with most of the discoveries in Earth Sciences as a whole). Also, I would point to the discovery of more and more feathers in fossil specimens as the point where the relation between birds and dinosaurs were eventually confirmed.

Now dinosaurs came into the pop-culture scene in the 1850s with Charles Dicken's Bleak House. Yeah, a decade before Archeopteryx was dug out and Origin of Species was published. Movies first depicted dinosaurs as pretty lovable creatures. Classic example being the animated, Gertie - The Dinosaur (by Winsor McCay) which released as a silent film in 1914.

Soon after, it didn't take long for the lovable dinosaurs to turn into horrifying beasts. DW Griffith in his 1914's Brute Force silent film depicted Dinosaurs as ferocious monsters who haunted cavemen. Also establishing the early fiction, that early humans and dinosaurs coexisted together. This, a devastating scientific hoax (sugar coated as fiction), remained for quiet some time. You might have seen the famous cartoon series - The Flintstones, yup! if you were a fan of it like me, then you relate to what I am saying.

Steven Spielberg made Jurassic Park much later. Already a lot had been done about dinosaurs in the television and big screens. He legit hired paleontologists as scientific advisors for his films, which is why many things were even scientifically correct in the Jurassic Park film series, but at the end he was a film director to appease people and deliver box-office hits. He already knew what people wanted from dinosaurs. Hardly few will remember that the film actually says that birds came from dinosaurs in the very beginning. Instead, what you remember is just them chasing humans and destroying things. Unfortunate, but that's the reality.

Even today, its hard to imagine any film, story or comic that portrays dinosaurs as birds. They are the modern day dinosaurs! You have it all around. But you aren't satisfied with it and so you need movies that bring the typical dinosaur to life with the help of special effects to satisfy your soul. So yeah, if we as common people accept the fact that birds are dinosaurs then may be resurrection of dinosaurs will reduce to a lot extent in your screens and scientifically accurate stuffs will be fed to you :)

So, this is it for this blog. To be honest, while writing this I realized that I started loving these creatures because of pop-culture only :) no matter how scientifically inaccurate it was. I mean, this does become an irony. At one side of the spectrum it is to be blamed, but on the other it did make these creatures popular isn't it? Maybe I should cover this in my next blog hehe, so stay tuned!

For the love of Earth Science :D Byeee

Oh yes!!! Do check out my previous blog

thank you.

Used Image Souce - Youtube video titled 'The Flintstones | I Dare Ya!'

[demi-shoggoth]

2024 Reading Log, pt 2

006. Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell. I honestly thought that this book was going to be about something else. With the subtitle “how poisonous plants, sinister shovels and grim gardens have inspired mystery writers”, I thought it was going to be about, you know, that. True crime themed to gardens, discussions of poisonous plants, that sort of thing. The book is actually about the mystery books that have gardening as a theme. And while the author’s dedication to not spoiling anything (seriously, anything, even 150 year old stories like The Moonstone or “Rappacini’s Daughter”) is admirable in its own way, this leaves the book feeling like endless buildup without any payoff. Big fans of murder mysteries might enjoy this—especially the last chapter, which interviews writers about their gardens—but I found it more boring than anything else, and finished it only because it was very short.

007. Antimony, Gold and Jupiter’s Wolf by Peter Wothers. This book is about how the elements got their names, and most of it deals with the early modern period, as alchemy transitioned to chemistry and then into the 19th century, when chemistry was a real science, but things like atomic theory were not yet understood. The book goes into fascinating detail, and has a lot of quotes from primary sources, as scientists then were just like scientists now, that is, opinionated and bickering with each other over their preferred explanations. And names! Many of the splits between elements and their symbols (like Na for sodium) are due to compromise attempts to appease two different factions with their preferred names. A book covering arcane minutia of history always has the risk of feeling like a slog, but this is a fast and fun read.

008. Doctor Dhrolin’s Dictionary of Dinosaurs by Nathan T Barling and Michael O’Sullivan, illustrations by Mark P Witton. This book is an odd concept, but one that I was immediately on board with—a D&D book written by paleontologists with the intention of bringing accurate and interesting stats for prehistoric reptiles to the game. The fact that it’s mostly illustrated by Mark Witton definitely clinched my backing that Kickstarter. And this book is a lot of fun. So much so, that I read it all in a single sitting. I don’t know how accurate the stats are (like, a Hatzegopteryx has a higher CR than titanosaurs or T. rexes), but they seem like they’d be fun in play, and the writing does a good job of combining fantasy fun with actual education. Even for someone not running a 5e game, the stuff on how to run animals as not killing machines, and the mutation tables, could be useful. There are multiple types of playable dinosaurs, all of which seem like they’d work well at the table and avoid typical stereotypes, and a lot of in-jokes and pop culture references (like the cursed staff of unspared expense, which looks like Hammond’s cane in the Jurassic Park movie).

009. Romaine Wasn’t Built in a Day by Judith Tschann. I’m a sucker for books about etymology. And this one, on food etymology, is a pretty breezy read. I had fun with it, and it even busted some misconceptions that I had, etymologically speaking. Like, there’s no evidence that “bloody” as an explicative originated from “God’s blood”? Wild. Etymology books tend to be written in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style, where talking about one word may lead down a garden path to the next one. The book also has a couple of little matching quizzes, which is something I haven’t seen in a book since like the 90s.

010. The Lives of Octopuses and their Relatives by Danna Staaf. I was previously a little disappointed in The Lives of Beetles, another book in this series, but I knew I liked Staaf, who wrote the excellent book Squid Empire about cephalopod evolution and paleontology. I’m pleased to report that this book is also excellent. Staaf takes the “lives” part seriously, and the book is arranged by ecology, looking at different marine habitats, the challenges that they pose to living things, and the cephalopods that live there. Cuttlefish get slightly short shrift in this book compared to squids and octopuses, but that’s about the biggest complaint I had. I like how the species profiles cover more obscure taxa, and information about the best studied (like Pacific giant octopus and Humboldt squid) is kept to the chapters.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Do you think that the pop culture collective idea of a “dinosaur” is more beneficial or detrimental to the field of paleontology? Obviously movies often spread misinformation, but do you think that even the misinformed mind of the general public helps to keep the scientific field alive/sought out by students?

P.S. Thanks for being so awesome! I look forward to your posts every day :)

Eh, if it did, there'd be way more people interested in paleontology. Like, people who are interested in paleo tend to go from the movie monsters to the science on their own, and while it helps to bring people in, I don't think it brings in people who wouldn't have been intrigued by an accurate portrayal in the first place

like this is how it goes

inaccurate portrayal

person interested in inaccurate portrayal

person looks into dinosaurs

finds out they aren't like that portrayal

option one: they like how dinosaurs actually are and continue with it > they would have done this if dinosaurs had started accurately at the top

option two: they don't like it > they proceed to start harassing scientists for not making dinosaurs cool, or ignoring all of it, or blatantly spreading misinformation

tldr I don't think it brings in people who wouldn't already be brought in by accurate portrayals, so its moot

and thank you :)

[nyctosaurid]

pop culture is finally catching up to modern paleontology

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

National Fossil: USA

The US have specific fossils representing each states, but which fossil do you think would best represent the country as a whole?

It could be a fossil that is just exceptionally well preserved and beautiful, had a huge impact on paleontology and our knowledge of the past, is very common/representive of the area, is beloved and famous in the public eye, is just a very unique and interesting find, or has any other justification.

I have a feeling I know the answer, but I thought I'll still ask and I have some suggestions:

Tyrannosaurus: famous movie star, everyone's favourite apex predator and one of the biggest carnivores that ever walked the planet. It is also an anomaly in the fact that compared to other big theropod we have a lot of material of them and they are well studied

Deinonychus: Maybe the single most responsible fossil for the dinosaur renaissance and our modern understanding of dinosaurs and their connection to birds. These guys were also what the raptors in Jurassic park were based on

Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus: a huge sauropod first discovered during the bone wars with a troubled naming history. A staple of American pop culture for a long time (for example Littlefoot in land before time or gertie, the first dinosaur in film)

Triceratops: another very famous dinosaur with lots of pop culture appearances, one of the first discovered and biggest ceratopsians, also first discovered during the bone wars and well studied since then with lots of specimen

Maiasaura: A duck-billed dinosaur most famous for their nesting sites, that were the first known of their kind and proofed that dinosaurs cared for their young

Smilodon: the famous saber-toothed cat of the pleistocene with more than 100 specimen coming out of the Californian fossil site of the La Brea Tar Pits

Pteranodon: One of the most famous pterosaurs, the first one found outside Europe and for long time the biggest known pterosaur. They lived around the Western Interior Seaway, an ocean that used to cover a large part of central USA

American Mastodon: Some of the most famous Pleistocene megafauna with populations all across the US

[balanceoflightanddark]

From Plunderer to Parent

Throughout the history of paleontology, the public's perception of dinosaurs has changed dramatically. The popular portrayal of the ancient creatures has run the gambit from prehistoric monsters to being not too dissimilar to modern animals aside from size and appearance.

Case in point: Oviraptor. Oviraptor and its kind have long been seen as primarily egg thieves in pop culture. It's right there in the name: Oviraptor ("egg thief"). Named by Henry Fairfield Osborn (the same guy who named Tyrannosaurus Rex), the original specimen of Oviraptor (AMNH 6517) was discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews in Mongolia having collapsed on a nest of eggs. Given that specimens of Protoceratops and their nests were common within the area, it seemed reasonable to assume that the dinosaur was caught in the act of nest plundering.

Remember, this was during a time where dinosaurs were seen as primitive and savage beasts. So, it seemed reasonable at the time to assume that Osborn would assume the same of this particular specimen. Though it should be noted that even back then that Osborn admitted that the labelling of Oviraptor maybe a bit misleading. Which itself turned out to be rather prophetic.

In 1993, an egg similar to the ones that were "raided" by the Oviraptor was discovered by Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History to actually contain the embryo of another oviraptorid called Citipati. The following year, another Citipati specimen was discovered on top of a nest, though this time the implications were clear. The oviraptors were NOT killed in the middle of stealing eggs. They died on top of their own nests, likely overcome by sandstorms or some other natural disaster.

Now is it possible that Citipati, Oviraptor, and others of their kind raided nests? Of course. Their hard beaks and jaws would've made it easy for them to crack open the hardest of objects. And unattended eggs would've made for a rich and easy source of food. But the same can be said for any predator, including modern day animals. So this one trait is far from the only defining trait that defines them. They could be nest plunderers as well as being devoted parents.

Oviraptors are indicative of how our understanding about dinosaurs continues to change. About how old knowledge is being put to the test and rewritten for a better view of these animals.

Feel free to read up on any of the sources if you want to learn more. I'd personally check out the National Geographic documentary Dinosaur Hunters: Secrets of the Gobi Desert if you're interested since it goes over a lot of the material here in a bit more detail.

[lesbiskammerat]

What is the origin of dinosaurs being a "boy thing"? All the gendered baby stuff is nonsense obviously but for some of the things I can at least see the internal logic. But what do dinosaurs have to do with masculinity? If anything animals are a little girly. Kinda fruity when you think about it. Is it maybe an outgrowth of the idea that science and academia (and thus paleontology) are for men? Or is it just that pop culture dinosaurs were big scary predators for a long time?

[writerofweird]

All the paleo stuff with @bogleech makes me want to write an actual story about Librarodactyl here, where, despite being a librarian, she tries to discourage people reading certain books. You see, she has the ability to summon book characters, but since the magic is thought-based, the characters come out as pop culture's version of them rather than how the book actually portrays them.

And you know what? She likes that. She likes summoning a Dracula with a widow's peak and tuxedo and fears she won't be able to do that anymore thanks to Dracula Daily making the Stoker book more popular. More importantly, she worries if more people learn about paleontology, she won't be able to hold things anymore and she prefers being called a pterodactyl to being called a pterosaur because, "pterodactyl sounds cooler".

The problem is with my last Tumblr-inspired character Betty the ant. Writing her story made me more interested in ants and learning stuff about them, so writing Librarodactyl's story may turn me into one of them annoying paleonerds.

[agentgrange]

/X/ musing on spinosaurus and by extension the field of paleontology & archeology as dialectical ontology.

In other words-- The history, behavior, and perception of how this creature lived and what it looked like in pop culture being a psychic projection of the paleontologist based on subconscious biases influenced by contemporary media. Even those aware of their biases are incapable of escaping them, as any alternative hypothesis ultimately only emerges as a reaction to those biases. Spinosaurus, when discovered, was imagined only in the context of Tyrannosaurus as the most well know therapod. All reimagining of it after could only be a revolt against that perception.

... Just something to think on while I do my world building around an alternative prehistoric timeline set in the mythos. Any ideas I come up with are without exception inherently limited by what I as a human am able to conceptualize based on what exists in my contemporary world and anything that doesn't might as well have never existed. It's in those blanks that you let your players loose, assembling the spinosaurus from the bones it left behind.

[nazrigar]

Hero With a Thousand Faces

Hey y’all! Remember that post with the Tyannosaurus and its Pop Culture legacy? And how I did it with two more prehistoric creatures (and Sid)? Welp... here’s the latest version, and by far, the biggest of ‘em all.

The motif here is actually simple, from the drawings of a Paleolithic couple (the man’s a Neanderthal, and the lady’s a regular ol’ Homo Sapiens), they, without realizing it, inspired literal thousands upon thousands of years of storytelling, and of the many, MANY concepts of the “hero” figure throughout all of human history.

Guess which ones are which!

Previously:

Triceratops

Pteranodon

Tyrannosaurus

Sid and the Giant Sloths

[dinonerdsblog]

Dinosaur art gallery in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵🦖🦕🖼️

[carrotcate7]

In the meantime, I’m going to share some things about myself to see if that will boost me a bit lol.

About me

I’m a high schooler who likes to draw/paint, write, play around with music/sound design, basically I just like to create!

I have 4 pets: 1 dog, a shih tsu, named Gizmo, and 3 cats named Sammy (white ragdoll), Tormund (orange), and Jasper (grey [and fat])

Games

Pikmin is my favorite game! I played pikmin adventure on Nintendo land in 2013, and then I was hooked.

Animal crossing is another series I like, specifically new leaf. It gives me many good and nostalgic memories.

Some honorable mentions are tomodachi life, project sekai, project diva, Minecraft

Music

Kikuo is my favorite music producer. My favorite albums of are is Kikuo Miku 0 and Kikuo Miku 5, and First Cry and Moon Demon are my favorite songs!

I listen to a lot of music, but my favorite genres are jazz, vocaloid, j-pop, and silly stuff.

Others I like are: mushi-p, babuchan, dennoko-p, ghost and pals, mitski, oingo boingo, Jun Togawa

Activities

Like I said, I like drawing and painting, character design being my favorite area. When it comes to writing, I create a lot of stories. My favorite genres to write (and read) are fantasy and horror.

I Like

- paleontology

- culture and cuisine

- biology

- potato soup

- grapes

I Dislike

- bullying

- misinformation

- minimalism

- carrots and cantaloupe

[rabbitcruiser]

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Dragons, the magical scaly creature born from fire, have existed throughout mythology since the times of the Romans and Egyptians. Dragons, with their celestial ways and otherworldly presence, make our lives a lot more interesting, and never cease to amaze people.

Appreciate a Dragon Day is a day dedicated to learning about dragons and sharing your love for these creatures!

History of Appreciate a Dragon Day

Appreciate a Dragon Day began when Donita K. Paul wanted to celebrate the publishing of her first fantasy novel “Dragonspell”, part of the five-volume series, The DragonKeeper Chronicles.

Dragons have always been popular, existing in the mythology of cultures from all over the world. Dragons inspire us and fill us with fear at the same time. Western dragons have always been depicted as fearsome creatures to either overcome or have a kinship with, while eastern dragons were typically equated with the royalty and heavenly forces, depending on the culture.

Nevertheless, dragons also tend to represent the conquering of the spiritual soul, as they are related to many of the human emotions that block the way to enlightenment. Dragons in modern culture have always been a place of fascination for them, as many authors and filmmakers have helped transform the image of a dragon to something people can admire.

Some of the most famous stories to depict dragons are seen in Tolkien, Ursula, and J.K. Rowling’s novels. In films, movies and TV shows such as How to Raise a Dragon, Game of Thrones, and Eragon have helped shape the way people see dragons and ultimately fall in love with them. Dragons have existed since the earliest parts of history and have appeared in many different forms with many different alignments of good and evil.

The depictions of dragons tend to differ by culture. In ancient times, most societies had an ambivalent view of dragons. Like any other creature, these giant flying serpents had both a good side and a bad one.

In the West, however, attitudes towards dragons changed with the advent of Christianity in the late Roman era. Suddenly, dragons became associated with evil because of their serpentine nature and needed vanquishing. Some people believed that dragons were a real phenomenon and created stories about how great warriors had to go out into the wilderness to defeat them. The tale of St. George and the dragon is likely a direct descendent of this thinking.

When you think about it in more detail, you can understand why people thought dragons were real. Remember, in ancient times, there was no explanation for giant bones. Nobody had a clue what dinosaurs were, or that fossilized bones were millions of years old. For all they knew, these creatures perished recently and could live beyond the horizon. Believing in “dragons” was logical and perhaps necessary to protect yourself.

The old ideas weren’t far off eighteenth- and nineteenth-century discoveries in paleontology. Once the dinosaur age took off, it became clear that there really were giant serpent-like creatures who roamed the Earth millions of years ago, firing the public imagination.

The diversity of dragons is considerable, and one of the main motivations for National Appreciate A Dragon Day. The fire-breathing variety is the most famous, but there are others too. Some are like gargoyles found in medieval churches. Others are many-headed hydras that pop out of the ocean. Some even depict them as wyverns, basilisks, and other mythical creatures with loose connections to the real world.

Folklore experts like Carol Rose point out that dragons are essentially “composite creatures.” We tend to think of them as highly-stylized, as depicted in films like The Hobbit. But Rose notes that they can have really unusual features, including elephant trunks.

Ultimately, the idea of dragons interacting with humans fills our mind with awe and inspires us to delight our minds with fancy. Appreciate a Dragon Day asks people to share what their favorite dragon is in popular culture and tell people why they love dragons.

How to Celebrate Appreciate a Dragon Day

When it comes to celebrating Appreciate a Dragon Day, you have a lot of options.

Draw, sketch, or color in pictures of dragons. Watch your favorite dragon-themed movie with friends. Read fantasy novels about dragons, including The DragonKeeper Series. Buy or sew a stuffed dragon for you or a friend you know – it’s all totally kosher!

If you love art, you can print out a dragon coloring page. Or you can attempt to paint a picture of one of these mythical beasts from scratch if you’re feeling brave.

Another popular idea is to use the day to cook a meal fit for a dragon. What, precisely, this entails is anyone’s guess. But heavy charring is clearly an option here. You want something that involves a little fire and passion!

Another thing you can do is learn to write in Dragonese. For those of you who don’t know, this is the language that dragons speak in the film How to Train Your Dragon. The scriptwriters created an entire universe of words, waiting for you to explore them.

You can also indulge yourself in other ways. How about collecting books and movies related to dragons and starting a dragon collection? Or what about creating a dragon mosaic, hosting a puppet show, or doing all kinds of things you can think of related to dragons?

Once you start talking about dragons, you’ll be amazed by how many people love them. Don’t keep Appreciate a Dragon Day to yourself! Share this holiday with your friends and spread your love for dragons!

Source

[salmonellaandcheese]

Tag Game To Better Know You!

Tagged by the lovely and talented @lady--lisa (So sorry for taking so long! I didn't forget! I just couldn't figure out a way to copy all the questions easily on mobile)

If you saw the first version of this no u didnt

What book are you currently reading?

I'm halfway through Anne of Avolea by L.M Montgomery and a few chapters into the Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. I really should read more, I used to devour books back when I was a kid, but the library I volunteer at is based on community requests so its almost entirely formulaic ghostwritten thrillers (curse you James Pattison). If anyone has book recommendations let me know!

What’s your favourite movie you saw in theatres this year?

I think the only movie I saw was the new Top Gun, which I only watched because my mum loves the original and we went for her birthday. I wouldn't say its fantastic, but I did end up infodumping to my friends about propaganda and pop culture.

What do you usually wear?

Usually loose jeans or other sturdy pants and some variety of print t-shirt with my red flannel. Anxiety kind of made it into my uni uniform, I never thought I'd miss my high school uniform that much. When I'm at home I'm usually wearing shorts and an old singlet that I got in grade 8 or something. Winter means I get to wear big jumpers! I have this horrifically ugly one on it that says New Zealand with a red kiwi on it, I adore it. If I'm reaching out of my miniscule comfort zone I'll wear a funky button up or a more form fitting shirt, I've always dressed quite modestly (although not entirely by choice) and this year I cut my hair off and started to explore my masculinity and being openly and visibly queer. I pretty much only wear natural fibres and very practial/sensory friendly clothing, so most of my clothes are made to last and will be repaired until I deign them unwearable.

Fun fact, I used to actually dress in a style I'd say is somewhere between classic lolita and cottagecore, lots of pinafores and frilly shirts and ribbons. Next year I'd like to step out of my comfort zone and dress in any way that sparks joy, maybe experiment with makeup, different styles or more revealing clothing (ooh a shoulder, scandalous).

How tall are you?

I'm actually not quite sure, between 165cm and 170cm I think (5'5" to 5'7")

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

Gemini

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

I introduce myself with my name but with hopes that I'll get a nickname, I've always wanted one.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

I'm still in uni but by a technicality yes? I wanted to be a scientist but came to dislike science in high school, but now I'm doing archeology (and history) through an arts degree but I could do it through a science degree. I did really enjoy digging in the dirt as a child, so I think little me would be happy about that, even if i was more into paleontology.

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

No. I do have a bit of a crush on my best friend, who I turned down a year ago because I'm the stupidest person alive and can't tell the difference between friendship feelings and romantic feelings.

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

I'm good with precision and detail orientated things. I love knitting and I've picked up archery and bread making recently. Its actually why I got into archaeology, I wanted to work in restoration and conservation.

I'm bad at remembering to do stuff. It's the ADHD man. Assessments? whoops. Consistent meals? Forgot. Cleaning? sorry not happening

Dogs or cats?

Dogs, I've never had a cat and don't really know how they work.

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favourite picture/favourite line/favourite etc. from something you created this year?

I knitted my best friend some lovely socks, they're my first pair of socks and my second time doing fair isle.

What’s something you would like to create content for?

Look I know this means fandom but I have to start planning for what I'm putting in the show next year, it's only 6 months away. I'd love to do some more sewing, maybe make a gunne sax style dress (provided my anxiety will let me wear it out of the house) and I want to find something technically challenging for knitting, maybe lacework? Send me knitting/crafting inspo. I was thinking of maybe picking up counted thread embroidery too (yes I hate myself).

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

Star Wars. I've got brain worms about it. I've been microwaving it for months. Its been on my mind constantly, yet I have no thoughts. I'm forcing all of my friends to watch it. I'm rewatching all of it. I know nothing but also everything. I'm being excessively autistic about a background character wearing a cable knit jumper.

Good thing is that it makes conversation with men under 25 incredibly easy. I've made industry connections over a conversation about Lego Star Wars.

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

Uhhhhhh. My uni's archaeology society? The history society raised my standards high, they do a lot of fun events, whereas the archaeology one is useful but a lot more industry training and connections focused instead of having regular pizza and power-point nights like the history one.

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

Hmm. I'm not too sure. I can flip an egg without using anything other than the pan, does that count? Like just wiggle, wiggle, throw it up in the air and catch it.

Are you religious?    

Catholic but in a cool and funky queer way

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

A concrete plan of what the hell I'm doing and how to do it. A solution to my joint pain?

Tagging: (only if you want to) @elprupneerg @rights-for-redshirts @doveyluvey @notaghost3 @swagtalia @radioactivehydronerd @hetaari @arthoe-iceland @ratfish-blues and anyone else who sees this is welcome to join in!