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lonelywretchjervistetch · 11 months ago

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The State Birds Initiative - Introduction

Before I do ANYTHING else, and before you read anything else...let's start this with a little poll, shall we?

...Look, I'm an overly ambitious person by nature. It's a problem, I'm fully aware. So, in the midst of writing character essays, imagining my own version of the DC Cinematic Universe (I promise, I will return to the Legion of Super-Heroes series; been having writer's block, not gonna lie), and about a dozen other projects that don't include school and my job (one and the same thing, and I love both, but I'll get to that one day)...I had another thought. That I would like to present to the good people of Tumblr (and perhaps beyond).

The state birds suck.

Most people on Tumblr don't know this about me, save for a select few that no me in real life (hey guys, 'sup), but I'm an avid birdwatcher, and am currently working in ornithology as a profession and student. As such, and as a former (and future) teacher, I have a vested passion in spreading the word. And one of the first ways most of us in the United States engage with birds, other than through the world and people around us, is through our national bird and state birds. Oh, and for anybody reading this not from the USA, don't worry, national birds are included here, too.

Now, in case you don't know for whatever reason, each one of the states in the United States has a bird meant to represent the state, designated by the government and often nominated by the state's citizens. This tradition started in 1926, with Kentucky's national bird, the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Now, most states have an official state bird, although Pennsylvania technically has a state game bird, rather than a state bird. We'll get to it. But in any case, there's a bird associated with every state.

But, uh...most of them suuuuuuuuuuuck.

Now, for example, I'm not saying that the Northern Cardinal sucks. Far from it! I love cardinals, and honestly, who doesn't? They're handsome birds, they have a lot of character, they're recognizable in most states in the Union by most people. I love them! But, uh...cardinals are extremely overused as state birds. Kentucky chose them as their state bird first, and were followed by Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia. That's ridiculous. Also, wait, really, Virginia? You saw that West Virginia had it already, and STILL went for the cardinal? What the hell?

But why? Maybe there's a good reason for all of those states to choose the cardinal, after all. Obviously, it's present in all of those states, because...well, the Northern Cardinal is basically everywhere. But other than that, why? Well, let's see.

Kentucky: Unclear, but it's likely because of its prevalence, songs, and nonmigratory behavior, at least according to some sources; there isn't a lot of evidence online as to why outside of this.

Illinois: For this one, we blame the children. Yeah, kids voted this one sd the symbol, choosing it over the bluebird, meadowlark, bobwhite, and oriole, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. So, yeah, probably because it's familiar and red.

Indiana: For...reasons. Yeah, even less is known about this choice. Safe to assume, though, that it's because it's familiar and red.

Ohio: Apparently, this is because it's red and has a cheerful song. 'Kay. Again, not a lot of evidence for this one, but we'll go with it.

North Carolina: This one also came down to public vote, after a campaign initiated by the North Carolina Bird Club in 1943. It won over the red-winged blackbird, wild turkey, scarlet tanager, and gray catbird. Apparently, this was the second attempt at a state bird, as the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) had been chosen ten years earlier, but only retained the position for a week because the bird's other name is, and this is true, the tomtit. And that was apparently too lewd for the title of state bird. Jesus. We'll get back to that when I address North Carolina officially.

West Virginia: Again, chosen and voted by schoolchildren, and chosen because it's familiar, red, and has a cheerful song. 'Kay.

Virginia: No idea. Also, don't listen to the sites that say their bird "exemplifies the quality of the state" unless they have the GODDAMN PAPERWORK to back that shit up. If I had to guess, it's possibly because the northern cardinal is one of the first birds seen in the state by settlers to the continental USA, who landed in...Virginia. So, the state's got a historical connection to the cardinal, meaning that the last state to ratify it as a state bird is the one to make the most sense to do so.

So, yeah...only one of those makes sense to me. Otherwise, it just feels...random. And by the way, many of the state birds do make some sense. Utah's choice, the California Gull (Larus californicus), has roots in a Mormon miracle, which makes perfect sense for the Mormon state. Louisiana's Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is an iconic species to the American southeast, and a massive proportion of the species breeds in the state. Same goes for the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), the state bird of Oklahoma. Iconic and unique grassland bird, and it breeds within the state in high quantities for the global population.

But others? Why does New York (a state I grew up in and around) have the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for its state bird? Because it's blue and nice-looking? Why exactly do Wyoming, Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, and North Dakota ALL have the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)? I love the song too, and it's an iconic grassland species, but really? All of you? And Maine? Maine...Maine. I mean, you didn't even go for a specific species and just listed "chickadee" as your state bird. Why? There is a MUCH. BETTER. OPTION. OBVIOUSLY. But...I digress.

...FUCK IT

WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH IS MAINE'S STATE BIRD NOT THE ATLANTIC PUFFIN (Fratercula arctica)??? ANSWER ME MAINE GODDAMMIT

Seriously, what the hell? It's the only state IN THE UNION where the Atlantic puffin breeds, and it's an incredibly iconic bird! I mean, look at that thing! They're adorable, fish-eating, clumsy-flying, feathery orbs with a Froot Loops beak (for part of the year), complete with their own fucking cereal that I ate constantly as a child. And their babies are called pufflings! PUFFLINGS!!! DO YOU HEAR ME MAINE WHAT THE FU

...OK. OK. I'm good. Look, this genuinely irritates the SHIT out of me, both as a hobbyist and as a professional. There are near 1,000 bird species that can be found in the United States, and the state birds are, honestly, some basic-ass choices that doesn't BEGIN to explore the incredible diversity of this taxon. And honestly, maybe if we changed up the state birds, we could increase awareness for these animals and their conservation stories and needs. There are so many missed opportunities here for us as educators, birders, ornithologists, backyard birdwatchers, and even Birdblr, to educate those around us who aren't as ornithologically-inclined. Imagine being able to convince a friend to go find the state bird on a trip some weekend. It could be a fun activity, and a fun way to get into birdwatching and the natural world! IT'S GOT POTENTIAL!!!

And look, I realize I'm not alone on this front. Various people have proposed changing up the state birds, including some more powerful professionals than I. If you haven't seen it yet, check out this essay series from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that came out last year, which asks whether or not eBird could be used to identify better candidates for state birds. And I'll be using it for what's coming next. Because here's the thing. I'm tired of ranting alone in the dark towards nobody while my fiancee is trying to sleep about this. I need to rant to you poor people instead. And what's more...I want people to rant with me. If they want to. So...

TO ME, BIRDBLR!!! LEND ME YOUR BINOCULARS!!!

I propose an initiative to create a new list of state birds for the United States of America. And I'm talkin' EVERY state, baby! Even the ones that have fitting birds, as mentioned above. We live in a GODDAMN DEMOCRACY, and I say that we put this to a vote. So, Imma make a series of polls, one for each state. And yeah, that's 50 polls. Each will have a selection of birds, including the current state bird for that state, and I'll present the options in each case. The rules and selection criteria for the birds I'll present are as follows:

The bird has to be wild and breed in the state in question. No migrants, to accidentals, no introduced species (looking at you, South Dakota), no domestic species (looking at you, Rhode Island and Delaware). They're from the state, they breed there, and they're wild. Don't have to be endemic to the state, but they need to be found there, at bare goddamn minimum.

No repeats! Every state will have a different species! No more repeats. If there are any ties for states to get a given bird, another set of polls will be made at the end to determine which state will get that bird, and the second highest bird will claim the spot for that state. I'll try to avoid that for each state, but we'll see how things go.

There has to be a reason for their selection. For each of the birds presented for each state, I'll make a solid argument for their nomination. This also goes for any birds submitted to me for suggestions (and yes, I mean to say y'all can make suggestions if you want to for each state). If you have a bird you think would be good for a state, especially if it's your state, please give me a reason. Not that it's pretty, not that you like it's song, not that it "represents the spirit of the state's people" for no easily defined reason. GIVE ME A REASON

And for now, that's it! And hell, if this gets popular or demanded (and I'm saying this if, like, 30 people pay attention to this post), I'll also do the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. And hell (again), I'll even consider doing other countries if that gets demanded, definitely starting with Canada and seeing how things go from there. And finally...if people want it, maybe even the Bald Eagle (Halieetus leucocephalus) will go up for debate as the USA's national bird. Although, not gonna lie, I think that we're stuck with that one. Still, there are other questions that can be brought up if this gets popular enough. For now, though, let's focus on one thing at a time.

So, hopefully you answered the poll at the top, because I am curious as to what you think about your state bird. And just to set this up, the first state on the chopping block is Delaware, which has one of the most offensive state birds, in my opinion. Because seriously. What the fuck, Delaware? What the fuck.

See you soon, hopefully! And happy birding!

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Introduction to the State Birds Initiative

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mayakern · 1 year ago

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hiiii it's me! devin! ur favorite!

maya is still banned from doing big business things on social media while she takes time to rest and detoxify from the poison that is running social media full time for ten years. everybody clap! yay!

i'm here to share some info on our button-up shirt and dress preorders!

as many of you already know, i lost my anti-preorder campaign due to the high minimum per design. there's been some confusion and uncertainty. carsyn's doing her best but preorders are overwhelming and i have some time today

SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS:

how close are you to hitting the minimum goal for the button-up shirts and dresses?

not close lol. as of 4/26 we're at about 8% funded. i refuse to panic until after may 3rd

why the funeral design?

the funeral design won our design poll

initially we were going to run preorders for two designs: funeral as well as astronauts. when we got news that the minimum would be 400 garments per design (we're able to spread that across the button-up shirts and dresses) we decided to cut back to one design. we're really not big enough to expect 800 orders on an $80-90 item

why not another design?

another design did not win the design poll

what would have been chosen other than funeral or astronaut?

deadly florals, hiss from a rose, microorganisms, and hands were all the top placers in the design poll after funeral

can you do solid color?

yes

why didn't you do solid color?

you can buy a solid color button-up shirt or dress from anywhere. the plan has always been to introduce these garments in solid color after their initial introduction

...so can you do solid color?

we will consider doing solid color preorders if these preorders bomb

how much would solid color cost?

probably the same. it's not much cheaper. it's faster to make tho

how much would the ecovero viscose cost instead of cotton?

maybe like $10 cheaper

it's really soft tbh but it's a different weave from the viscose for the skirts. it's my number one fabric for the button-ups but alas the cotton fandom won for now

what happens if preorders bomb?

we cancel and refund all preorders.

maybe we'll try again with a different design or with fewer features after we have some time to decompress from the nightmare that is running preorders (can you tell i hate preorders). if they bomb bad enough we may completely nix patterned button-up shirts and dresses. we don't know yet!

does that affect the picnic top?

the picnic top is completely separate. since it's made out of a different fabric it has its own minimum, so it will not be affected by button-up shirt and dress preorders

and like, to be totally honest, it's way cheaper to produce. we can eat some of the cost and just make them. they're small enough to store easily and they're at a lower price point so we can expect to sell them after we receive them, like the wrap tops

btw, we have other ready-to-ship things already in production. we've been working on a whole secret project. surprise!

why did you launch preorders for the button-up shirt/dress at the same time as the picnic top?

the picnic top sample came in with the button-up dress sample and it needed very little alteration. also maya liked it. also we may be developing an entire line inspired by the picnic top so keep an eye out for that next spring

why is the new button-up shirt more expensive than the old button-up shirt?

it's more expensive to make

why is it more expensive to make?

this is a different factory from the one we used before. it's more expensive because they pay their staff a higher wage and likely have other costs

this is a different fabric from the one we used before. it's a stretch cotton with a GOTS certification

this is imported from a different country from the one we used before. turkey has much higher import fees to the US

what is a GOTS certification?

the short version is the fabric itself is more environmentally friendly and produced with more fair labor practices than standard cotton

you can read the long version here here

can you do fulfillment from somewhere other than the US?

we're working on it. it probably won't lower prices tho, since fulfillment centers also cost money

anyway...

none of this is to shame someone for not preordering. groceries are expensive and things are tight, plus it kinda sucks to spend on a tight budget and not get what you ordered for a few months

(can you tell i hate preorders)

i think there's a lot of surprise since we've never done preorders on a single design before, and that's fair! we debated on doing a kickstarter but a) i hate doing kickstarters b) kickstarter takes a percentage of sales and our profit margin on these is already lower than we'd like it to be

i'm tired and i can't remember anything else i wanted to say. i may answer any additional questions from my own tumblr (@punchyemblem and now i'm gonna get a notification that i'm gonna be jumpscared by) but carsyn will be handling most questions

also don't worry, when you say nice things we still show maya. also she's fine, she's just in her (forced and highly necessary and possibly permanent) limited social media era

#devin time #store stuff

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meroif · 2 years ago

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A Hundred Years of Sleep

Far, far away from home, you awake to a world changed. Everyone had their time to grief, with the exception of you. Then I ask, what would you give to fix what is broken?

DEMO ; PATREON

A Hundred Years of Sleep is an interactive fiction novel taking place in a universe of magic and machinery. It aims to guide you through a journey through the stars, one that begins and ends with your very home.

The Story

You come from Vaeravel, a small and peaceful planet orbiting around an even smaller star in a corner of the universe. You live with your aunts in your quaint neighborhood until you're considered a young adult by the standards of your long-lived species.

Then without fanfare, everything ends.

The Collapse is a terrible accident that completely destroys your planet and most of its inhabitants. You manage to survive, taken to one of the few emergency vessels fleeing disaster, but slip away into a deep sleep.

You wake up again, in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar galaxy, alone. Everywhere you look, life has gone on without you.

So when you hear rumors of a ship departing for what is now called The Collapsed you can't help but embark on the journey home, so that maybe by the end of it you'd be granted peace, or at least instructed on what to do with all your loss.

Features

Character customization. Choose name, pronouns, appearance, personality and ambitions of your character.

Moral compass. Be bad, play nice, decide how you want to interact with the world at large and see for yourself where your actions take you.

Romance. Meet and fall in love with four different characters, all gender selectable, or don't, if you prefer to the take the romanceless path.

Flirt options with various NPCs, with future extra side-stories to give them the space they deserve.

Multiple endings, good and bad, once you reach the end of your journey.

Romantic Options

Riel Rosenquartz (he/him, or she/her, or they/them), the heir of the Rosen Crown, lost monarchy of Vaeravel. Elegant, kind and diplomatic, they're overjoyed to meet another survivor of the disaster. Although you're not sure why they'd wait for so long before making the journey back home.

Khael (he/him, or she/her), the Captain of the Chrysa, the ship travelling to reach The Collapsed. Highly perceptive and infuriatingly charming, Khael is undoubtedly the person in charge. But what could they possibly stand to gain in embarking on such a dangerous journey?

Nathaniel (he/him, or she/her), allegedly a researcher hailing from afar, they seem to be unfamiliar with how the entire galaxy works. Mysterious, reserved and stubborn to a fault, it's undeniable they're hiding something big. Yet as complete strangers, you have no idea why they'd be so opposed to your presence onboard.

Aelinor (he/him or she/her), your old neighbor and childhood friend, miraculously found again in the mists of the ship's crew. Although they're just as sweet as you remember them, you can't help but wonder...where were they as you slept?

Portraits (1, 2); Aesthetics (1, 2, 3, 4); Playlists ; ROs Introductions (1, 2) ; Side Stories (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

A Hundred Years of Sleep is currently in development and will be released episodically, the current build includes the Prologue and the entirety of Chapter One.

If you've enjoyed the story so far, please consider supporting me on Patreon, it really does make a difference in the time I'm able to dedicate to the project.

Patrons receive access to the alpha demo, which currently adds the first part of Chapter Two to the public build, as well as side and themed stories, polls, and other exclusive benefits.

Thank you for your support, and for playing A Hundred Years of Sleep. 🌙

#ahundredyearsofsleepif #AHYSif #interactive fiction #interactive novel #itch.io #twine game #choice of games #romance #adventure #twine if #if game #if wip #twine wip #interactive game

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firstkanaphans · 4 months ago

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Hiiii

One day TikTok will be the death of me. The video was titled "hyping myself up to finish the most boring, confusing drama cuz I like the main pair". I was shocked how many people in the comments mentioned THK. Then I remembered your survey after the ending of THK about favourite pair. KantBison took the third place with like 15%(?). But the 2nd (SandRay) and the 1st (AkkAyan) places were more than 30%. In your opinion, was THK hyped and loved less among FK stans then their previous series? I know JoonDunk fans are very happy with THK. They say it's a much better project than their previous. But what about FK? I'm so curious right now

I don't think that poll's the best metric to use for how well-received the show was. Plenty of people in the comments of that poll—me included—mentioned that they felt compelled to choose the pair that had served as their introduction to FK because they hold a greater emotional significance for them. I also think that both AkkAyan and SandRay are easier couples to relate to. My favorite pair is AkkAyan because I relate a lot to Akk's journey. KantBison exist entirely in a fantasy world and I think that's one of the reasons they got fewer votes.

Different shows are going to resonate with people differently and if THK wasn't their jam, that's their loss. I certainly don't think it was confusing or boring, through. It's pitfalls existed elsewhere. In fact, I think it was probably their most technically sound series aside from Moonlight Chicken. I was very impressed with what Jojo and his team of writers were able to accomplish because it showed a lot of growth in him as a director. I ended up rating it a 9/10.

Most of the people I've seen complaining about the KantBison storyline seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of what was happening. A lot of people were under the impression that Kant had no feelings at all for Bison while he was actively lying to him and so they feel that their scene on the beach came out of nowhere. That's very obviously not true. Kant's struggle is clear throughout and if people had just an ounce of media literacy, they'd be able to see that. In the end, I think a couple scenes of Kant struggling with his decisions alone would have gone a long way but choosing to ignore what is actually shown on screen is just willful ignorance.

Regardless of what people are saying, THK did very well by all possible metrics. We're lucky in that FK have been in a wide variety of different series rather than just ten university AUs in a row so of course people are going to have their preferences and that's okay. If THK wasn't for you, you'll get Cat for Cash in a few months. That's the beauty of this industry.

#asks #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #the heart killers

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themhformessyheadcanonfactory · 1 month ago

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My take on how transformers holoforms work (Transformers headcanons)

(26/05/2025)

Brief introduction to people who may not know what holoforms are:

Holoforms are a canon transformers concept where transformers, Autobot or Decepticon, can project a human avatar as an hologram (where the name probably comes from) to communicate with humans without necessarily showing their true robot form.

In canon they are only holograms, which means they don’t have a physical body, only a projection. It’s shown in Transformers Bayverse (the in-real-life movies from 2007 to 2017), Transformers Earthspark (Netflix 2023) and maybe in others.

Now here’s my headcanon/version of holoforms:

Holoforms, instead of only being imprecise holographic projections, you can physically touch them as if they were real humans, although instead of the feeling of real skin, it’ll feel more rough and metallic.

Since to have a holoform, you need an exoskeleton to make it more realistic and without too many non-human flaws. From far away the holoform will look real, although if you try to touch some parts of the exoskeleton you might get a little scared.

As for the avatar itself, that’s where the hologram comes in; you can create your avatar in any way you want, like a video game, as long as you have the physical base for it.

You will need a holoform projector attached to the core of the exoskeleton so it doesn’t get damaged or easily broken. And to connect to the projector is a simple process; get in your alt mode — make sure your alt mode is in a safe space — and activate the projector, and BOOM you now are inside a holoform and look like your human avatar.

It’s important to leave your alt mode in a place where it won’t be disturbed or discovered, since until you connect yourself back inside your alt mode, you are technically “stuck” in your holoform until further notice. You can’t scan another alt mode and use it as your own since your body is technically still inside your original alt mode, this includes your optics, your weapons, and most importantly; YOUR SPARK…

Until you come back to your alt mode, it now acts as a normal car, plane, truck, tank, whatever your alt mode is, except that it still has your spark in it.

This system can easily be abused since humans are smaller, easier to “contain” and capture. This is why very few bots actually use their holoforms. The ones that use them the most are the ones with alt modes that simply aren’t really “blending in”, for example, Starscream with his F-22 Raptor or (he doesn’t show any but still…) Stratosphere (2023 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) since he’s literally a big ahh plane.

Personal comments (OC material):

All of my TF OCs have a holoform, including my concept on Cybertronian angels (you can vote in the poll below if you want me to elaborate in another post), WaveJammer (second main OC), Badlock (main OC), The Interchaineds (my own OCs’ faction), and in all universes

#tf oc #transformers #maccadam #tf headcanons #my hcs #hcs #headcanon #transformers headcanons #maccadams

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byebyelullabye · 5 months ago

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Grammy-wining rock band The Ledgertons was formed in 2012, consisting of brothers Anthony (lead guitar), Benedict (percussion), and Colin Bridgerton (lead vocals and bass) before being later joined by their sister Francesca (keyboards) in 2018.

Snippets from interviews, Spotify, Wikipedia, Tumblr, Twitter (Elon Musk who? No, he was never born in this world) and everywhere else fans and stans of The Ledgertons (or Ledgerheads as they're affectionately called) can be found as they matchmake their way through the internet such as when Anthony goes on the highly popular YouTube show Curry Shop Date with Kate Sharma (making it the most popular episode to date), when Benedict accidentally reveals his crush on his favorite graphic artist Sophie Baek, Colin's years-long will-they-won't-they saga with Penelope Featherington, best friend and head writer of Arlington (Flixer's biggest period drama TV series), and finally, Francesca's not-so-subtle chemistry in a collaboration with popstar icon Michaela Stirling.

I made a poll last week and the rock band social media au won!!! this is the first chapter, mostly an introduction to the band and their music. a lot of my inspiration was arctic monkeys, the clash, the smiths, fleetwood mac, wallows, the regrettes, some pearl jam, the ramones (theres more but i forgot) and of course the whole fandom and stan culture so i really wanted to write from both the fan and the bands perspective so here it is!!! please leave constructive criticism and dont be afraid to comment like a fan and its stan twitter <3 <3 i hope yall enjoy

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inhurtandincomfort · 2 months ago

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Hi! For the random OC questions: 14. What types of characters would they gravitate towards in fiction? drop their kinlist 20. What was your first thought in creating them? 27. List five of their recent Google searches. 31. Who are they afraid of?

For Eldwin, Jowan, Ancassius and Kieran

Thanks for the ask!! From this ask game

14. What types of characters would they gravitate towards in fiction? drop their kinlist

Eldwin: Definitely family-oriented characters. Hmm I can't really drop a kinlist because I don't know very many characters lol (during that vibes poll trend I quickly realised I consume very little media 😭) but yeah characters who would give up everything for their family, maybe have a sad backstory relating to family like Sanemi from Demon Slayer, also Tanjiro and Nezuko. This is not just me projecting but honestly Childe from genshin, tragic backstory, blood-thirsty weapon for the Tsaritsa, but he adores his little siblings and will do anything to protect them? Yeah that sort of character.

Jowan: GOOD FATHERS. I'm sorry but even his repressed ass would be a sucker for soft family dynamics. I haven't seen more than like two episodes but I think he'd feel something watching Bluey. I couldn't say he'd cry, because it's Jowan. But he'd feel something.

Also maybe Shinobu (from demon slayer) if you don't know she's a doctor, she seems sweet and is always smiling but it's a mask because underneath she's burning with anger and stole the personality of her dead sister. Yeah he'd probably think that's interesting.

Ancassius: Tengen Uzui. I'm sorry he was the first one who popped into my head he'd love Tengen. Bold, flashy, absolutely adores his wives above anything else - yeah. Tengen-type characters. (sorry I rly like Demon Slayer it's basically all I know.)

Kieran: He'd gravitate towards characters who grow from hardship. Characters who have been through so much but instead of choosing anger they fight to be good. Characters who could easily become assholes, but they wake up every day and actively choose kindness.

20. What was your first thought in creating them?

Okay, so Eldwin was my very first oc ever made, probably at least 6, 7 years ago now. Obviously, I wanted someone to whump. That's basically the sole reason lmao. I also wanted to explore historical fiction - it was initially very light fantasy, basically victorian london with elves and magic, but as since bloomed into a world of it's own.

Jowan was literally just a tool for lab whump. That's it. I based his personality loosely on Varian from Tangled: The Series, but he was never supposed to have been a full fleshed-out character. Then I made him a little too silly and a little too sad and whoops here we are. I'm glad though, I love him and I'm happy others seem to love him too <3

Ancassius I thought it would be pretty fun for him to compliment Eldwin as a character. I mean if Eldwin's edgy and serious and gloomy, Ancassius is bright and cheerful and hopeful, I thought they'd be fun together. In super early drafts they just worked together, but then I thought Eldwin needed a friend, so now they're the childhood friends angst. Yay for them!

Kieran. Because Eldwin is much more morally-grey, I wanted to play with the archetype of a sweet and kind whumpee. I also wanted to play with a famous whumpee but things didn't turn out that way lol, so that's still on the table for a future character.

27. List five of their recent Google searches.

ELDWIN

Cats

How to stop cat from scratching furniture?

I feel like I'm not real

How to hide scars with makeup?

Undetectable poisons

JOWAN

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Blue Morpho

Introduction to psychology

Dr Otis Bell

How to stop nightmares

ANCASSIUS

Permanent hair dye

unexplored locations

what is skibidi

Black Syndicate

Junshan Yinzhen

KIERAN

Nintendo Switch 2

Video game gifts

How to deal with depression

Anxiety

Restraining order

31. Who are they afraid of?

Eldwin:

Is it cliché if I say himself lol. Okay, maybe...he's afraid of a lot of people. I think he still is afraid of Alistair just because he doesn't know what he's about, and he can't read him. He's been nice to Eldwin so far (notreallybuteldwinthinksso) but there's just... something about him. Not like Mordwen, who has this vague otherworldly-ness about her, no Alistair is very much mortal. Just... I mean, he's the leader of a mafia for a reason. And Eldwin's certainly heard rumours. I think he can't predict Alistair at all, and that frustrates and scares him.

He's afraid of Mordwen even though he rarely see's her anymore, not since he doesn't need her to teach him magic. But he still remembers what she was like, and the crushing feeling of wrongness when she's in the room. Almost like being in a dream...

He's afraid of Clyde and Nels only a little bit, just because he knows Clyde will punish him just for the sake of it. With Nels, it's less that Eldwin's afraid of Nels himself, and more that he's afraid of messing up around him because he trusts Nels to only punish him when he deserves it, but that still doesn't make it easy. I think he's also afraid of disappointing him not because of punishment but because he likes Nels...

He was once terrified of Vor'gol (his pact demon) but that fear has waned in recent years hearing nothing from him. He probably should be more afraid, but alas.

JOWAN:

Well, it was his Father, but he's been dead for several years. Hmm I think he's simultaneously afraid of everyone and yet of no one, know what I mean? Don't worry I'm not sure I do either.

I'll say Clyde makes him nervous though. Clyde has never and will never harm him, Jowan is working there willingly after all, but... he's just intimidating, and it's quite clear that he doesn't like Jowan.

ANCASSIUS:

Merfolk, in general. Which is a bit unfair as most of them are fine, but some of them are like... well I saw some like sea-naga art I reblogged ages ago, with I think hypnosis, and well, it inspired me haha. Reckon he's probably also made a few enemies in his time. Generally though Ancassius is very confident and it's hard for him to be afraid of a person.

KIERAN:

Lukas, of course. Need I say more? Also Heather to an extent, but we may or may not talk about that in the next fic, depends what I'm doing LOL.

It was Lukas' friends who got Lukas into making the red room and snuff content in the first place, he met some shady people. I wonder if Kieran will ever meet them too?

#answered #melpomenelamusa #thanks for the ask!#eldwin oc #kieran oc #jowan oc #ancassius oc

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thewickedbohemian · 1 year ago

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Yet another idea poll regarding my projects, this time it's for stuff I'd want to make into stage musicals if I could (but stuff slightly B-list enough that people might not think to adapt it)

Some clarifications

a MLP: FIM stage musical would adapt the pilot or something else that could stand on its own yet still be adequate character introduction and characters would be conveyed in a similarly symbolic way to how Spongebob's musical does it with appropriate-color hair (YMMV on if they'd also need body paint) and a tail the same color on their tush, horns for the unicorns and wings for the pegasi, and evocative-of-character outfits (like what they wear in Equestria Girls) with their cutie mark displayed prominently)

making a stage musical out of the Luke Cage or Jessica Jones shows wouldn't necessitate speedrunning the whole plot but finding an adequately standalone piece of it

Unlike my ideas for MLP: FIM and Little Bear, a A Bug's Life musical wouldn't try to convey character through entirely symbolic-clothing-and-relevant-animal-parts a la Spongebob (unless this initial idea is impractical) but would have costumes that can actually more clearly convey what kind of bug everyone is (and my ideas have taken some cues from The Masked Singer in order to not make things look too theme-park-show)

A Little Bear musical would adapt a handful of episodes of the show that have a common theme and/or featured-side-character and just like my vision for A Bug's Life the music would be kinda country-folk-bluegrass-y to convey the rustic setting

Sure Psych would need some lengthening to make up for the commercial breaks but some of the songs could stand to be longer anyway

no I'm not sure how the spider-robot-hat-thing would work in Meet The Robinsons, yes I still think it'd make a cool musical

If Broadway can handle Sweeney Todd it can handle Midsommar (which would be another folk musical) or The Menu

#musicals #tumblr poll #the mysterious benedict society #a bug's life #jessica jones #midsommar #psych #the menu #luke cage #akeelah and the bee #meet the robinsons #my little pony: friendship is magic #little bear

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projectsekai-sekaiundead · 1 year ago

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Sekai Undead Introduction!

Hello, hello and welcome! To the Sekai Undead Tumblr Page!

[Originally Started June 17th, 2023; Rebooted July 17th, 2024]

On July 17th, Sekai Undead will relaunch and post on Tumblr and Twitter! Every 2 days a new part will be released until the comic is caught up with the Instagram. From then on, parts will be released monthly. (Please note older parts have an extremely distinct style change, and aren't written as well as current ones)

- ABOUT SEKAI UNDEAD

Sekai Undead is a Project Sekai Zombie Apocalypse AU, that focuses on the 20 cast members of Project Sekai and their feeble attempts to survive a new zombie-ridden world.

The AU will be in comic and animatic form! All written, drawn, and animated by yours truly, @rinnyriin

Sekai Undead takes place before the 3rd Anni, right before the "Light Up the Fire" event. All characters retain their original ages and classes. The AU will attempt to stick to canon as BEST as possible, with the exception of the popular "Toya Tenma" as well as the not so popular "Minori Shinonome" headcanon. All other relationships are up to the reader's interpretation

This AU is also interactive! During certain times within the comic, polls will be set up to determine what happens next. Interactive Character QnAs will also take place!

That's all you need to know for now! Happy reading!

-> Character Sheets

-> Table of Contents

-> FAQ

-> Strawpage

(If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Question box is always open!)

#project sekai colorful stage #pjsekai #prsk #pjsk #project sekai au #pjsk au #prsk au #proseka #project sekai #zombie au #apocalypse au #zombie apocalypse #sekai undead #colorful stage

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thelampisaflashlight · 11 months ago

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Strange Bedfellows Pt. 1: Moving In

[Drywall won the fic poll, so here's a short introduction to this new series, in which Mountain and Dew navigate being roommates.] Below the cut.

Ever since the ghouls' den was built, there had always been open rooms; The ministry wanted to ensure that there was enough space for everyone, and part of that meant making sure each member of the pack had their own accommodations, even if they elected to share them with others.

For a number of years, this was not a problem -there weren't nearly as many ghouls wandering the halls of the abbey, and several of the "old guard" had abandoned their corporeal forms when their tenure was complete, meaning they didn't require much of anything, let alone a place to sleep- however, in the time since Copia's ascension to the leader of the band and then to Papa and further still to Frater Imperator, the number of ghouls remaining in their physical bodies had increased significantly.

And, now, watching Aeon bed down on the couch in the common room for the night, it was obvious space had simply... run out.

Aurora had lucked out and gotten Sunshine's room after the ghoulette left the church, but her reluctance to share it had been apparent from the moment it was suggested, and no one could fault her for wanting her privacy.

But from a practical standpoint... Aeon needed a room with an actual bed, both because having the common room acting as his bedroom meant no one could really use it after a certain time, and because Aeon deserved just as much privacy as the rest of them, especially as the new summons adjusted to their new vessels and life on the surface.

To further complicate matters, Aeon was also put off by the idea of sharing a room with someone else, not because he disliked the thought of bunking with another person outright, but rather because the poor quint could be... restless... at night.

It hadn't taken more than a night on the surface in his new vessel for the pack to discover that the younger ghoul was a sleepwalker.

The discovery had been mortifying for Aeon, and, ever since, he'd been vocal about wanting a room with a room with a lock on the door, afraid that he might get himself lost even as he steadily got used to the layout of the dorms; All it would take is one open door and he could wind up outside, and that scared him most of all.

But therein lies the rub; There was simply no way to build a new room downstairs.

When they remodeled the ghouls' den some years ago, they had maximized the space as much as they could, but that had also meant rearranging beams and adding immovable walls and pillars to support the weight of the building on top of them.

It had taken six months to complete and cost the ministry a pretty penny to have it done, so there was no way even Copia -who loved his ghouls immensely- would spring for another huge construction project, especially when the next project on the docket was renovating and repairing the defunct west wing of the abbey.

During a majority of the back and forth on what to do about the lack of space -from finding a room for Aeon upstairs with the siblings to trying to convince the groundskeeper to let the ghoul stay with her in the cottage for a time (a firm "No.")- Mountain had remained quiet, watching the others throw ideas around as if the solution wasn't obvious.

"I could share with someone." He'd said finally, raising his hand when he saw Aeon curling into himself, not wanting to inconvenience anyone, "My room is a double, so it would only be fair."

Like Aurora, Mountain had inherited his room from another ghoul, Zephyr to be specific, but the circumstances had been slightly different; The older ghoul's vessel was unstable, slowly deteriorating the longer they remained trapped within it, so they had been given the biggest available room with a wonderful view of the ghouls' private courtyard so they could spend their final days comfortably.

When the air ghoul was close to the end, Mountain had made it a point to bring them outside and lay them down in the grass, to bring them flowers when they couldn't leave their bed, and to simply make his presence known to the other in the moments where it was clear they just needed a hand to hold...

He and Zephyr... they'd never been close; They'd been acquaintances at best, but because of the wishes of someone else, Mountain had made sure Zephyr never felt alone.

That person, the one who begged him to stay by Zephyr's side had been-

"Finally, a chance to get out of that fucking shoebox."

-Dew.

"Aeon can have my old room." the hybrid announced, "It's small, but it's better than nothing."

And just like that, Mountain and Dew were officially made roommates.

Moving all of Dew's belongings into his room hadn't taken any time at all, the most tedious part of it all had been gathering up the ghoul's extensive t-shirt collection... and not entirely because of the volume.

"You have the same band t-shirt in three different sizes..." Mountain scoffs, holding up the offending piece of fabric for a third time, "Do you like the design that much, or did you just steal them from other people's laundry, because this one is definitely a double XL-"

Dew swats him with a sock, "Oi, that's the one I wear the most!"

Mountain holds the shirt up, doing a one to one comparison, then holds it out to Dew, "Your dress, sir-"

"Sleep shirt! I use it as a sleep shirt, Einstein!" Dew hisses, snatching it away, "Excuse me for liking to be comfortable."

The earth ghoul hums and pulls another piece of clothing from the pile on Dew's bed.

"So you're really okay with sharing with me?" he asks, turning to look at Dew as the other works on rolling up a pair of socks, "You don't have to give up your room..."

The shorter ghoul snorts, "Dude, getting out of this room is all I've wanted to do since I moved into it. Aeon'll probably curse me for giving him my room instead of somebody else offering up theirs, it's cramped, it doesn't have room for anything, and the one window it has might as well be painted on because it doesn't open."

"I'm glad to be rid of it, and if the consequences of having more space is moving in with you, I think I'll be just fine." he continues, tossing his socks into the bin, "Plus, it's not like I haven't roomed with someone before. Aeth and me were roommates up until our first tour together, remember?"

Mountain nods, "I remember you complaining about his snoring, and he'd argue that you were worse, because you wouldn't leave the room to fart-"

"At least the smell went away after a while, his honk shooing ass would go on and on for hours..." Dew interrupts.

"-and then would laugh about it, because you think farts are the funniest thing in the world." Mountain finishes.

"Farts are top tier comedy, and I'm tired of pretending they're not."

"Well, thank the lord below I have so many plants, they'll save us both from you off-gassing constantly."

"Hmph."

As the pair fall back into silence, sorting through Dew's laundry, they both feel a sense of calm.

A bit of casual bickering aside, the two have always gotten along fine; They've been friends for years, having joined the church around the same time, albeit under different circumstances, along with Aether, they'd developed an inseparable bond.

They were comfortable around each other, so it was unsurprising that, of all the ghouls to board together, they would be the ones to do it.

That being said, the rest of the pack seemed to be waiting with bated breath for... something.

Even if Mountain and Dew weren't readily aware of it themselves, there was a certain... tension... between them; The sort that made itself obvious in the way Mountain could pull a pair of Dew's underwear from the pile of laundry on his bed and not even think twice about it, having folded half a dozen pairs already, and how Dew didn't even bat an eyelash seeing him do it.

Perhaps tension isn't the right word; Tension would make more sense if Mountain felt even remotely flustered handling Dew's undergarments that came in varying degrees of scandalous, or if Dew felt some kind of way about seeing the earth ghoul's big, calloused hands holding the silk briefs he'd gotten as a gag gift a year ago and actually wore more often than not, because they felt nice.

No.

There wasn't anything like that going on, certainly not with how calmly they're both carrying on with the task at hand.

Not that Mountain's ears are turning pink with every brush of the soft fabric against his fingertips...

As far as the two are concerned, this is just a normal, casual thing to do that holds no extra baggage at all...

...Fuck.

#lamp writes #nameless ghouls #dewdrop ghoul #mountain ghoul #ghost band #the band ghost #ghost bc #mountain/dew #sheetrock is a brand of drywall #Strange Bedfellows Series

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one-piece-aus · 11 months ago

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Unbottle Your Emotions

Eustass Kid x Reader (Part 5)

Taglist: @lingxio @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @lil-skelly-bones (ask or comment if you want to be added)

Ahoy! Part 5 is here! I took inspiration from ask-bolthead-crew for the crew's names (aside from Killer, Heat, and Wire). You should check their blog out because the art style is metal(/pos). Also shout out to the people who voted in Killer poll, it was helpful :3

Without further ado, enjoy the story ^-^

Okay, calm down. You'll be fine. Hawkins said the cards said you'll be fine so you'll be fine, right? You just need to stand here, where Kid told you to meet him at lunch. Is this the right one? Well, he did say to be by the glass-stained window by the south entrance, and you're staring at a glass-stained window as you lean next to the doors.

...

Surely it's been a few minutes, and it'd be understandable if you left, right? You did wait and he hasn't shown up so-

"Is that her?"

'Oh great, they're here.' You internally groaned.

You glance over to see Kid and his gang approaching, internally thanking there's a security camera monitoring the hallway. Bouncing off the wall, you wave.

"Hey."

"And I thought you would've been late." Kid smirked at you.

You roll your eyes. "I was only late to class this one day."

Truthfully, you had shown up late to English class (when Makino started attendance) because you didn't want to go knowing Kid's your work partner. You only showed up because you feared what Kid would do if you didn't. You've been early to class otherwise.

"Enough chit-chat, let's go. I'm hungry." A guy with sunglasses and a tall mohawk took the lead, and you all followed outside.

You felt assured that they were heading in the same direction you went yesterday, when you had lunch with Hawkins and Apoo, at least you'd know your way back in case you needed to run. Still, you were dragging your feet, lagging at the back of the group. The blond with long hair took notice, slowing his pace to walk next to you.

"Kid forgot introductions, didn't he?" He guessed.

You nodded, pushing away the urge to question why he wore a face mask. "Yeah, uh I'm [L/n] [Y/n]."

"I go by Killer."

You try to keep a straight face. That doesn't stop the thousand questions erupting in your brain. Main one being: Is that part of the teenage edge phase or has he genuinely killed people?

Killer begins pointing out the others to you, starting with sunglasses. "That's Haikei, Oscar, Noe, Wire, and-"

"Heat?"

"You already know him?" Killer raised an inquiring brow.

"Yeah, he uh- he was in one of my classes last year. He probably wouldn't remember though."

Normally would've forgotten your classmate's name, but the few times Kid came to your classroom after the lunch bell rang because Heat was there, not only made you aware of who the loud redhead was, but you also took note to avoid him in order to not encounter Kid.

"I see," Killer said. A moment of silence passed, well at least between the two of you, Kid and Haikei were loudly arguing about something in front of the pack, before Killer spoke to you again. "So you're Kid's partner in English?"

"Yup." A nonchalant answer.

"You must be smart."

"What makes you say that?"

"Kid normally complains about group projects. He hasn't said a word about you."

You're taken aback. Letting Killer's words sink in, your mind does its best to keep the shock invisible. Does that mean Kid enjoys working with you? No. It means he tolerates you, that's the reasonable conclusion. He's only interacting with you because you have a project, as you are with him.

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

"Find us a booth." Kid grinned as he walked up to the counter.

You were about to follow when the guy with the beanie called you, Noe you think it was. "Woah, where ya headin' off to, dollface? Kid's already ordering for us."

"I'm gonna make my order," you simply stated.

Last time someone ordered for you, you got a salad. You were pissed to say the least.

Killer face palmed. "Kid didn't tell you, did he [L/n]?"

"Tell me what?"

"The whole point of Kid inviting you was to help us finish this challenge," Haikei said.

"What challenge?" You didn't have to wait for your answer when Kid approached your table with a giant platter full of chicken wings.

"Alright boys, you know the drill!" Kid set down the platter and took his seat. He glanced at you, looking at you with a gaze that questioned why you were standing. Rolling your eyes, you sit down across from him.

A waiter came by a set a timer down. "600 chicken wing challenge, finish in one hour or less and your meal is free. Your time begins now." He hit the clock and the others dived in.

You blinked a few seconds, confused as hell. 'An hour? We didn't have an hour, lunch is only 45 minutes, and we'd have to leave in 30 minutes if we didn't want to be late for class. Are they stupid or do they not care?' You glanced at Kid, a frown present on your face. Though one of them spoke up before you got a word in.

"Whatcha waiting for? Dig in," Noe told you, his mouth full.

"The three who eat the least gotta pay the bill," Heat informed beside you. "But I'm sure you won't have to since it's your first go."

"We only have half the time the restaurant gave us, shut your yaps and get to eating!" Kid ordered putting four chicken wings in his mouth.

"Guess we have to, princess over here must not like chicken," Haikei remarked.

Oh hell naw. You got up and walked to the counter. Kid briefly glanced at you before looking back at the platter. Maybe he should've let you order something while he got the chicken wings-

"Let's do this!" You slammed a large glass of milk down and took a handful of chicken wings. Kid's gang stared at you wide-eyed and jaws dropped as you began wolfing down food. You glared at them during your milk break. "Come on, I don't wanna be late to class."

Kid snapped out of it and continued eating, as did the rest. Killer took notice of his friend's demeanour shifting. The blond glanced at the rest who were now glancing at you with interest, however, a quick stern shake from Killer made them drop it. Humming, Killer ate another chicken wing under his mask.

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

"Alright, we finally beat that stupid challenge!"

The gang cheered as they exited the restaurant. You simply smiled, satisfied with your lunch. Maybe you'll have that burger tomorrow. You felt someone pat you on the back.

"All thanks to [L/n]! Here here!" Noe exclaimed. "No wonder Kid brought her."

"Kid knew you weren't going to be any help," the one with the short blond mohawk remarked.

"Fuck you, Oscar." Noe flipped him off.

You laughed along with the others, though you felt that irritation from earlier begin eating at your mind again. Did Kid invite you because you were extra help? What would he have done if you didn't help like the others expected? A sour taste sat in your mouth, at least you tuned into the conversation.

"Is she not part of the gang, already?" Heat's the one that asked.

"What?" You blink confused.

"This was [L/n] initiation, wasn't it?" Oscar asked, looking at Kid.

The redhead didn't say anything, making brief eye contact with you. Tossing the sourness out the window, a mixed puzzle settles in your mind instead.

"Hey, Kid just invited me for lunch since I'm working with him in English. I accepted since wasn't working on anything else, though I'll likely be busy studying tomorrow."

Sweet, you corrected the situation and made an excuse so you don't have to go tomorrow. He can't get mad if you're studying, right?

"I'll invite you again when we get the A on our project," Kid said.

"Alright," you say nonchalantly, internally dreading the idea of coming back. You barely survived today. The only reason you didn't struggle to hold yourself together is because you did more than they were expecting so Kid's barks were directed at the others. You can't go through that again now that you've raised his expectations.

"How 'bout we get something else for lunch," Killer suggested. "Since we completed their challenge, I'm sure it'll be a while before they let us take it again."

Well, that was a relief. At least, you know you won't have to deal with that. You half-tune out of the conversation now that they're chatting about other food joints. Slowly the school building came into sight, your eyes passively precepting your surroundings, until you heard an annoying voice. Not just any annoying voice.

Trying to stay cool and invisible, you glance in the direction you heard the voice. Sure enough, it's Helmeppo who is talking to Koby. Shit. You're dead meat if Koby spots you.

You slowed down by some plants and stepped into nature, walking for a few moments before hiding in the green. Silently, you counted up to a minute and stepped out. Glancing around, you sighed, relieved before heading to a different entrance than the south, blending in amongst the crowd.

For a moment, the thought of Kid getting mad because you disappeared without saying anything crossed your mind. A drop of fear swirled in your mind, not knowing how he'd react when you'd see him again. However, when comparing it to the latter, an angry Kid is far less worse, he's only in one class and you know how to hide in the crowded halls. He's easy to escape from, unlike the alternative.

You stand by your choice.

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x you #one piece x y/n #eustass x reader #eustass kid x reader #one piece eustass kid #one piece eustass #eustass kid #eustass kid x you #eustass kid x y/n #kid x reader #x reader #one piece kid #killer #massacre soldier killer #kid pirates #unbottle your emotions

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lonelywretchjervistetch · 7 months ago

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The State Birds Initiative: Massachusetts (#6)

Whoa, it's December already? Wow! Been a while since I made one of these, but I honestly needed the break I think. So, uh...where were we? Ah, right.

Welcome to the sixth official poll of the State Birds Initiative! Before the poll, though, one thing real quick, and I cannot emphasize this enough! Read the post below before voting in the poll! It's not a requirement, but it is a real firm suggestion, especially important if you're lacking context about the birds being presented as the new (or old) State Bird of the Bay State, Massachusetts. This is to be fully informed as to why these are being presented, and to make your choices appropriately. Lastly, some of these birds, you will notice, *may *go against some of the rules listed in the introduction post. All is explained after the jump where the explanations are, I promise you that. With that...OK! Here's the poll!

Welcome to the sixth official poll of the State Birds Initiative! Before the poll, though, one thing real quick, and I cannot emphasize this enough! Read the post below before voting in the poll! It's not a requirement, but it is a real firm suggestion, especially important if you're lacking context about the birds being presented as the new (or old) State Bird of the Bay State, Massachusetts. This is to be fully informed as to why these are being presented, and to make your choices appropriately. Lastly, some of these birds, you will notice, may go against some of the rules listed in the introduction post. All is explained after the jump where the explanations are, I promise you that. With that...OK! Here's the poll!

Massachusetts, baby! I've had to travel away from the Bay State in the past week for a conference, but I'm excited to get back to this surprisingly great state. I say surprisingly because Massachusetts' reputation isn't a greatest for those outside of it, but living in it has definitely changed my mind for a number of reasons! That said, the time has come to talk about it a bit. The sixth smallest state in the union, Massachusetts is home to a number of prominent cities, both historically and contemporaneously. There is of course, Boston, the capital and largest city seen above via the big-ass CITGO sign. And while that's the city people equate with the entire state, let's not forget Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge, Lowell, Plymouth, Salem, Amherst, Natick, Cape Cod, etc., etc., etc. There's a whole-ass pile of classic New England cities in this small state, as well as a bevy of habitats and natural spaces.

So, to get into it a bit, Massachusetts is smack-dab in the New England temperate forests, with the highlands dominating the western portion of the state, and a flat lowland coastal region in the eastern half. Forests are temperate mixed, which contributes to the legendary falls that we see in New England. The coastal regions, meanwhile, are glacial in origin, covered in wetlands towards the center of the state, and beaches on the shores. Also of note are the various coastal marshes throughout the state, which serve as their own predominant habitats. Using the BioMap2 project as a framework, let's talk a little bit about these habitats.

Massachusetts, of course, sits on the Atlantic Ocean, which certainly isn't a first for this list, but is vitally important as we go further north into New England. In the case of Massachusetts, we're looking at sandy beaches and dune habitats as prominent foraging and nesting areas for various shorebirds, which does make shorebirds a high likely focus for this list. Some of you probably know one of the most important birds we'll be looking at, but we'll get to that one, don't worry.

Alongside the beaches, estuaries are a prominent habitat along the shorelines. Places like Plum Island, in northern Massachusetts, or Belle Isle Marsh in the middle of Boston itself, personally come to mind. Massive saltmarshes that are vital stopover habitats for migrants, habitats for insects and endangered turtles, and coastal salt ponds and tidal marshes that house incredible biodiversity within them. There's a lot of focus coming to the coastlines, that's what I'm saying. All of these habitats and the species within them comprise about 41,000 acres of land, and about 75% of that is in danger from development and rising sea levels.

Now, I'm gonna skip over a bunch of other habitats here, especially freshwater wetlands and riparian habitats, because while these are extremely important, they won't be getting as much focus here. Now, we need to move on to the forests. I've talked about them before in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but we've got a very specific situation here in Mass. Here, because of the large number of people and settlements, fragmentation is a very prominent problem in the state. For the uninitiated, habitat fragmentation is basically what it sounds like: splitting up habitat by roads or other man-made corridors, breaking up populations of several animals, birds included. Doesn't sound like a big deal to animals that can fly, but birds don't like crossing corridors if they can help it, because it makes them vulnerable to predation (of adults and nests) and car strikes. So, forests of New England and Massachusetts are a habitat of needed focus. And while this will receive a slightly lesser focus, most likely, it's still a place we'll take a look at.

These three habitat types, wetland, coastal, and forest, are the most important in Massachusetts, as well as in New England (which, again, will change slightly as we head further north). But there's also the ever-important human element to consider, ESPECIALLY here.

While I said Boston doesn't define the entire state, and it doesn't, it's also the second most populated city on our list of states thus far, and happens to be one of the most important places in the country historically. Let's not forget, this is basically the seat of the American Revolution in many ways, so it's a pretty major part of our cultural identity as a country. And trust me, Boston is fully aware of that fact. I'm never one to dabble in stereotypes, but Bostonians are extremely proud to be Bostonians most of the time. It's a proud city, and that's understandable from a traditional point of view.

Plus, with Plymouth Rock 40 minutes to the south (and not worth the drive, from what I've heard), the textile-based seat of the American Industrial Revolution 40 minutes to the north (looking at you, Lowell), the site of the "shot heard round the world" 15 minutes away (Concord and Lexington, of course), the oldest American university 5 minutes away (Cambridge, of course), and the home of the legend of the American witch about an hour north (Salem, of course)...look, it's a central hub of the state, and it WILL not be ignored! So, with that said, grab some coffee from Dunks and some clam chowdah, let's settle in and check out some birds!

If anybody has a suggestion that I hadn't brought up here, send it my way! I will absolutely add another poll if there are entries I think could bear fruit. But, in the meantime, read on if you're interested in the possible choices for the State Bird of Massachusetts!

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

I gotta say, I have a real soft-spot for these guys. Although, to be fair, I think most people do! Named after their iconic call, and their memorable black cap, the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is one of the most iconic birds of New England, and arguably of North America. I say arguably only because there are a few chickadees in the United States, but the Black-capped is one of the most famous. We'll revisit the rest in two later posts, but this one is our focus today.

This bird was originally chosen because, well, it's iconic. I assume. To be honest, I don't actually know why it was chosen, outside of it being recognizable. It's also possible (POSSIBLE) that it was inspired by nearby Maine's choice of State Bird. But that's a choice we'll get to at a later date, I promise you that. As for the BCCH here, does it fit the state? I'll be honest, I actually like the chickadee for Massachusetts' State Bird. Partially, that's because it's a bird that can be found all throughout it with no difficulty, and it's an excellent beginner bird for kids (and just-starting amateurs). But, it's also small and incredibly scrappy, just like Massachusetts. I've had these guys in hand before, and I tell you, these little bastards'll hammer away at your cuticles with their beaks to get you to let them go. Doesn't hurt, unless they really try to grab on and twist at a sensitive spot, but they're fighters!

They're also quite social and vocal, which also fits residents of the Bay State. They have a unique language, with an alarm call that's recognizable by multiple bird species for warning, and it's also their most famous call ("chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee"). The more "dees" there are, the higher the perceived threat is, fun fact. They hang out in groups in the winter, both with other chickadees and other birds, and their brains generate new neurons in the autumn and winter to remember and navigate to places where they can find food during a difficult harvesting season. That's how I feel when I have to remember where the nearest Dunks is for coffee, not gonna lie.

I realize that I'm making some convincing arguments for the incumbent here, but...yeah, there's a reason. I do honestly think this is a solid choice for the State Bird of Massachusetts, so I'll support its re-election if that occurs. But with that said and presented, let's move on to the challengers. Some are good, some are mediocre, and some are a bit surprising. And some...should maybe belong to a different state.

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

eBird's suggestion is, unsurprisingly, the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), because a whopping 25% of the breeding population can be found in Massachusetts, according to eBird Status and Trends. And WOW, that is a massive proportion. That means, just to make this clear, one in 4 of ALL Piping Plovers are born in Massachusetts. Significant proportion, meaning that this has a claim on the role of MA State Bird for that reason alone. And Massachusetts certainly knows this, as several beaches in the state are shut down during the plover breeding season to allow them to nest in peace, without human disturbance.

In fact, when Piping Plovers were declared endangered in the Endangered Species Act, Mass Audubon launched the Coastal Waterbird Program to protect them and a later entry on this list. The population has exploded tenfold in the last 40 years of conservation work, and these are a pretty easy to find species now, if you're looking for them. This is a great introductory bird, both to conservation efforts, and to shorebirds (which are notoriously difficult to identify). It's also, surprisingly for shorebirds of this ilk, pretty easy to identify. And also...they're incredibly cute. I mean, have you seen the babies? It's crazy how cute they are. Seriously, LOOK AGAIN. Precious. Another solid candidate, and an excellent representative of the beaches of Massachusetts.

Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis princeps)

Ah, the Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). We meet again. Sorry to abandon you back there in Georgia, but to be fair, you were only nominated there because you're named after a major city in the state. But here...ah, wait, right, same thing. Now, to be fair, you've probably mentioned that the nominated bird is the Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis princeps), not the Savannah Sparrow. But this is, of course, a subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow, named after Ipswich, Massachusetts due to its first sighting there. Larger and paler than its compatriots, the Ipswich Sparrow is known from Massachusetts...but breeds in Nova Scotia. Yeah, we've got another Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis) situation here. Yikes.

So, is there a reason to nominate this bird for Massachusetts outside of its name? Well...actually kinda. These pale sparrows are, to be fair, pretty uniquely found in Massachusetts. And, while this isn't the only place you can see it, it is a reliable place to find it. It's sighted on the dunes on the Massachusetts coast, blending in with the light-colored sand, and making its way to and from Nova Scotia, where it only breeds on one island. So, conservation concern (and focus), seen in the state (even if it doesn't breed there), relies on some of its habitats of focus (saltmarshes and coastlines), has a tie to it that's unique to Massachusetts...it's something. Not as good as other options, but...something. In any case, let's move on.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Hold on. We saw this guy in the Connecticut post! What is this post, a bunch of repeats? Well, to be fair here, the Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is a slightly better fit for Massachusetts than it was for Connecticut...for the exact same reason it was suggested for Connecticut. Well, part of it, anyway. I stand by the idea of applying the "macaroni" label to the Snowy Egret to fit with Connecticut, but it's the Audubon Society part I'm focusing on here. Lemme quote the previous post:

To be clear here, quite a lot of birds were used in millinery back in the day, but the Snowy Egret (and the Great Egret (Ardea alba), for that matter) are special. Those long white feathery plumes were heavily prized as hat decorations, enough so that the species nearly went extinct from hunting them for the hat trade. As a result of that, people began to turn their eye towards conservation of the species, and the protection of birds in general. Two women, Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, got a group of women together to protect the birds. They rallied the troops, and their organization became fairly popular. Eventually when they sought to name it, they did so after one of the most famous ornithologists in American history at the time: John James Audubon. And from there...well, you can guess.

The Audubon Society is one of the premiere bird conservation organizations in the world, and especially in the United States, and is well-known to the public sector. And it was born right here in...Massachusetts. Oh. Wait, have I jumped the gun on this one?

I had, indeed, jumped the gun. So, to fix that now, let's throw the Snowy Egret in here instead! After all, it does breed in the state (a little bit), and I actually saw some earlier this year in Parker River NWR! It has a historical tie, and to the largest conservation organization in New England! Trust me, Mass Audubon is a MASSIVE deal up here, and their link alone gives me cause to put the Snowy Egret on this list. That said, though...that's not their logo.

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

To my genuine surprise, the logo for Mass Audubon is actually the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), an aerial and acrobatic seabird found on the shores of Massachusetts, in some surprising places. In Massachusetts, though, there's a major tie to conservation and the Common Tern, because this is actually one of the birds whose feathers were stolen for hats, inspiring the foundation of the movement. Yeah, both the Snowy Egret and this species, which was (and is) more common here. So, if there's an Audubon-related bird to be elected, it probably should be this one, to be honest. This is a species, understand, that was crashing in population in the late 1800s, and was saved from hunting by a young Mass Audubon. Between 1889 and 1920, the population bloomed eightfold, from 5,000 pairs to 40,000 pairs. An impressive population boom in every possible way. However, that wouldn't last.

Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), human activity, and various other disturbances have created numerous population crashes and bottlenecks in the species' history in Massachusetts, keeping them a conservation focus to this day. The species has notably spread throughout the state's coastlines to this day, and they aren't terribly hard to find. In fact, you can see them in the Boston Harbor, from the shore! I've seen Common Tern from the New England Aquarium very often, in fact, and it's sort of magical to see them smack-dab in the middle of the city. Their habitats of beaches and shorelines need to be maintained and protected, so throwing the conservation focus on them is incredibly valuable for the species' future. A solid choice for State Bird (or another category sponsored by the SBI), if ever there was one.

Veery (Catharus fuscescens)

But wait, coming in at the last moment, just making it, the Veery (Catharus fuscescens)! Yeah, this one's a bit of a surprise, but I found out some very interesting info recently. The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla) was not the first nominee for State Bird; instead, in 1931, the State Federation of Women's Clubs (yup, another woman's organization) nominated the Veery for the State Bird...and got shot down. It took them ten years to nominate the Chickadee for unknown reasons, meaning the Veery probably didn't even get its day in court. Shameful! So, let's try and rectify that here, shall we?

Veery are thrushes, famous for the beautiful, ethereal calls that give them their name. This is a robin-sized migratory songbird that breeds in the forests of New England and southern Canada, and are an iconic New England bird in their own right. They're found in forested wetlands (that's two habitats of concern in MA), usually fairly close to beaver ponds, and the two species are often associated. It's also a species mentioned in Henry David Thoreau's Walden, one of the most important environmentalist literary works in American history, as well as an important Massachusetts story. It's also currently spreading in the state, increasing the size of its range, while also experiencing slightly decreasing populations, meaning that focus is still needed. And again...that song. It's a delight to hear it in forests, and recognizing it is a great step for beginning birders to pay more attention to the sound around them.

And with that...yeah! We'll end it there! Only six nominees, and you're probably wondering what's happened to the State Raptor and State Game Bird. Well...I'll explain that once we get to the results. Because that's a bit more complicated then expected.

See you next time, and happy birding!

Introduction to the State Birds Initiative

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