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#sea skimmer
unofskylanderspages · 12 days
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Seen above: The SuperCharged Soda Skimmer in-game
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ghostace · 2 years
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🐠
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I remember vaguely that there were generally two breeds of mermaid, depending on depth of living. I was a surface skimmer, I lived in a coral reef. And there were deep sea mermaids too.
🔮
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lindalofbroome · 4 months
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03 - Animal
'Clinks are always hungry. And what does one mouse more or less matter to you now? Soon you will be far away, and your clinks will have the whole of Fleet to themselves.' [FitzFee said.] 'True,' Nanion admitted. 'So the wheel turns full circle. Clinks were here long before humans were. Why, Fleet was built in this spot because of the fine chimneys the clink colony had hollowed from the rocks. They will be have the whole of Fleet to themselves.' 'No. They'll miss the warmth of your fires and the comfort of your scraps.' THE THREE DOORS The Golden Door Ch 15 Fleet
this was only supposed to be a cute lil clink doodle but it was late at night when i started so i fell down the rabbit hole on this one, so behold my madman scrawlings once more ( '')/
honestly not that really a creature artist so had a bit of a tough time, but i did some a bit of research into irl animals that i could draw inspiration from
i tried to find out if there was any rodent or even just a mammal that could burrow or dig through rock, to no avail. but! there are molluscs that do! they're called boring bivalves, and it did take me a moment to click that they mean "bivalves that bore into rock" and not "check out this absolute snoozefest of a sea creature" lmaoo but yeah. they produce an acid that erodes the rock below them and they basically drill down.
when i initially thought about the clinks and their tunnel colonies, my only ideas were that they did just dig with their claws through the rock and it was soft enough or their claws were hard enough or they were patient enough to get through; or they cast acid attack lol. i didn't really like the acid idea tbh because it felt kinda cheap i guess? but then i remembered the skimmer venom.
and it made me think a little. like maybe the venom is a more evolved, more intense version, or even the same just increased capacity of that acid?
i did struggle so much comprehending where the venom spur is though, and this has happened so many time smh. like i have no idea why but in my brain it has always been at like, the elbow??? i dont know why. maybe because sometimes dragons have spurs there. but it's never said that in the books obviously. and then when i went to check it said "above the claws" and i just genuinely have no idea what that's supposed to mean lmao. i ended up drawing inspiration from the platypus's own venom spur, which did end up looking like i gave skimmers a thumb which i was trying to avoid but it is what it is.
oh yeah i briefly wondered if they ever like collected any venom?? i dont remember it specifically. tallus and sholto do seem the type to have done so. if we go with this headcanon train of thought, then i suppose it could be used in construction or whatnot to remove stone obstructions or something ya know? or you know. kill someone. aNYWAY
last thing is that in my researching for burrowing rodents, i ended up choosing the prairie dog for a base on the clink design, no particular reason why.
anyway boy what a plot point damn read the three doors
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This is probably going to be a little sacrilegious but something that I'm finding is that when I play IS3, I am actually enjoying myself a lot. Honestly, I'm enjoying myself a lot more than I was playing IS2. This isn't to say that IS3 is perfect or anything, or even than IS2 is bad, but I find that I'm enjoying my time in IS3 just a lot more.
Now keep in mind I'm not really a hard mode grinder by any means. I didn't enjoy the difficulty mechanics in IS1 very much, and their return in IS2 really did not inspire me with much desire to tackle IS2 on a harder difficulty. IS3's difficulty is a bit...infamous for being a bit much, and honestly I'm kind of content with just poking my toes into the water in the future if I feel I want to. If you asked me to do A15 Izumik or die, I think i'd take the gun personally.
The point here is that I'm taking both of these themes from their base standpoint, and that means on the surface level that IS3 is just going to be easier. Two of IS3's unique squads (Mind Over Matter and People-Oriented) not only feel stronger than any squad in IS2, but they're dramatically more interesting to play. You also start off with significantly higher buffs in IS3 over IS2. You have stronger statistical buffs, you have more resources, you have the frankly crazy perfect clear about 8 Max HP buff, and the new node types, all of which are good.
I don't really want to come in from the difficulty angle, although it is maybe unavoidable that more runs in IS3 for me feel like they actually finish compared to IS2. This is partly due to difficulty and partly do to factors that extend into the design of stages themselves.
I will summarize my thoughts here and maybe make a point later on to elaborate them in a different post
-IS3 gives you more opportunities to develop runs, mostly through the use of keys -Keys fuck, and honestly I will probably enjoy IS4 even more given it uses keys in a much cooler way. Having more control over a run feels really nice -Map design in IS3 is a LOT better than in IS2. A lot of IS2's map design is based on IS1, which I'm going to be brave and say is by and large total shit, and IS2 relies a LOT on what are basically pranks -Seriously, fuck the Lost Colossus stage in IS2. -This makes it so its a lot easier to get a sense of flow in IS3. You can look at a stage in IS3, and know how to reasonable tackle it. This isn't consistently true in IS2. Shit in IS2 just fucking, moves. -Also the fact that IS2 kept the absolutely awful Bear and Duck stages where you just contend with increasing numbers of bullshit, and decided to make one version with fucking Sandbeasts makes me really ticked off. These stages are so much better in IS3 -Corrosion is a significantly better mechanic than Sanity. I am not a Sanity defender and I think it says something that I consider Scarlet Singers so dangerous you have to always account for them -Granted Sea Skimmers also suck dick, Low-Altitude Hovering my beloathed -Paranoia Illusion is a much fairer boss than Lucian, Blood Diamond. I feel like if IS2 had an A15 people would legit hate this boss. You're generally priced into trying to kill him on the first pass or develop enough life to deal with leaks from the defender side. It's never worth actually developing that side if he breaks the roadblocks. -I also like Ishar'mla more than Troupe Mouthpiece. Mouthpiece's stage has a really baller design, but it is maybe the ending out of the 8 in the first two IS that requires the most specific set of units. -Also unlocking Ishar'mla is generally a bit easier than Mouthpiece and doesn't require you giving up a boss relic and THEN hitting a random event
But like, IS3 isn't perfect. It has its bad stages and frankly really annoying bullshit (Territorial Tendencies and Ubi bona somnia are quite bad as Emergency Operations). The Light mechanic is annoyingly useless and not even really fun to interact with. Izumik is uh
well frankly I kind of stopping wanting to do it that entire thing is beans
and the Resourceful Squad exists to remind me that I am not Fate's Favorite Child, I will roll nat 1s on my D12s
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spacefinch · 29 days
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A collage I made a few years ago, or some of my favorite animals featured in Wild Kratts.
I love the animation for this show, all the animals have so much personality while still looking pretty dang accurate.
Animals in this collage:
Chinese pangolins (accidentally put that picture in there twice)
Black-footed ferrets
Secretary bird
Antelope jackrabbit
Pronghorns
Peregrine falcon and chicks
American pine marten
American kestrel
Burrowing owl
Canada lynx
Golden-tailed sapphire (hummingbird)
Streaked tenrec
Loggerhead shrike
Elf owl
Bobcat
Fire salamander
Purple martin
Superb bird-of-paradise
Hawksbill sea turtle
Black-capped chickadee
Great emerald pondhawk (dragonfly)
Emerald-chinned hummingbird
Great blue heron
Arctic wolf
Cheetah
African crested porcupine
Pileated woodpecker
European hedgehog
Blue jay
Dyeing poison dart frog
Bald eagle
Nile crocodile
American robin
Manta ray
Bat-eared fox
African wildcat
Red panda
Osprey
Golden bamboo lemur
Ocelot
Tokay gecko
Thomson’s gazelle
Wandering glider/globe skimmer (dragonfly)
Green heron
Spotted eagle-owl
Gray wolves
Prairie falcon
Green-breasted mango (hummingbird)
Dholes
Husky dog
Three-toed sloth
Eastern screech-owl
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spiritshaydra · 1 month
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Oh yeah funny story
So I went on a field trip yesterday out to this field station on an island out in the hyper-saline lagoon that’s like,, right down the road to collect botanical samples for my wetland ecology lab.
Left a little while after 2pm.
We were on the island for about two hours collecting plants (and finishing the trip off with some king cake) before hopping back on the boat. It was about 4:30pm
So,, normal lab field trip right?
WRONG.
Our boat stops suddenly and a big plume of mud is sprayed out from behind the skiff. Not a good sign. Four guys hop out of the boat and start trying to push the boat free- Laguna Madre is VERY shallow, especially in this area since we weren’t where they had dredged it out for the larger ships, so the water was about knee deep where we got stuck.
We started moving again. Kinda. I see the guys get these poles out and start using them to turn the boat like those gondolas in Venice. (Sadly no accordion) Also not a good sign.
THEN the guy who was sitting at the wheel gets up and walks up to the front where we were sitting and pulls the anchor out, and then drops it out into the water. NOT A GOOD SIGN.
Then I hear my professor talking about calling the biology lab coordinator to figure out what the fuck to do, and then she’s on the phone with someone talking about how we need someone to come out and tow us back to the boat ramp. 💀
It’s 5:30pm now and the sun’s beginning to set. (And my other lab back on campus had just begun, which I obviously wasn’t able to attend unless I could teleport) My brother also happened to call me which I answered with a “hey you won’t be able to guess where the fuck I currently am.” Never a dull moment.
Another hour passes and FINALLY the lab tech guy shows up with another boat to tow us back (while wearing his Iron Maiden shirt like an absolute legend, we love lab tech guy) it’s now sunset and we’re finally moving. Slowly, but moving’s moving.
The sun set completely and I had dozed off a little as there really wasn’t much else to do. It was also COLD with the wind blowing off the water and the lack of sunlight. Thank GOD I decided to wear both my hoodie and wind breaker, along with a bandana to use as a scarf. Eventually we made it back to the boat ramp at around 7pm. So I’d finally be able to go back to my apartment and have some warm hot chocolaty goodness right?”
HA if only it was that easy.
It probably took them an hour to get the boats back onto their trailers because they kept loading them incorrectly and would have to retry. Me and some other classmates stood out in the cold for about fifteen minutes before we realized that we could hop in the van where it was warm, and wait in there. So that’s EXACTLY what we did. Luckily I packed some snacks because I thought it wouldn’t hurt to bring them along, so I just kinda,,, passed around a bag of trail mix.
Something something hour later we get back to campus at like 8pm where I was finally able to go back to my dorm. (My wonderful roommate brought me hot chocolate bless her)
Anyways I’m tired <33
TLDR: Went on what should’ve been a three hour long field trip for hehe swamp science fun times and our boat's steering went out so we were strANDED FOR TWO FUCKING HOURS IN THE LAGOON. We were out in the sun for like five hours and gone for six. I love being a stem major <333 yippee!!
(For those biology nerds out there we saw mullets jumping out of the water, sea grass beds, black mangroves, various salt flat succulents, stupid plant with wickedly sharp thorns that ripped apart the sample bag it was in, wolf berries, mosquitoes, a tiger moth caterpillar, turkey vultures, dolphins, brown and white pelicans, mosquitoes, a crested caracara, tons of laughing gulls, great blue herons, mosquitoes, egrets, white ibises, cormorants, and black tipped skimmers.)
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meeblo · 1 month
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Second IS3 ask, what about your thoughts on Ember Phalanx?
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Ember Phalanx is a stage that can be really fucking hard, but in ways that are different from most IS3 hard stages. A Olta said a while back, it feels like it was designed in some ways as an anti-texas2 stage. No easy way to use her to stun the skimming sea drifters that go down the sides. It presents an interesting dillemma with whether you use your kroos alter to stun the skimmers, diverting her away from the center lane that the dublinn invis guys walk down, or try and use another stun source so that kroos can help attack cancel the otherwise very lethal invis guys. The shield guys are very high priority targets, especially the very bottom center one. You need to blow that guy the fuck up as soon as you can before the invis guys start arriving or you're fucked. The basic wtfc soldiers aren't really anything, but like the invis guys their embers force you to have blockers rather than solely use ranged damage.
It's a neat stage I feel like I've gotten really lucky with regards to, since I usually only ever encounter it when my squad is stacked and I have everything I need to take it on. If I wasn't as lucky I'm sure it'd be fucking nasty.
Bottom left ranged tile facing right works as a neat Schwarz lane which is nice.
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lovelyfoolish · 3 months
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dans mes yeux ça se voit
nat x f!detective (shivani gupta) / 1.4K / M
⇢ summary: natalie sewell fears nothing.
⇢ notes: happy holidays, @sunshineandviolets! i'm your match for @wayhavensecretsanta ♡ all of your detectives are beautifully constructed and would be a pleasure to write about, but i knew i wanted to write about shivani after i read about her love of bugs (adding to my insects and wayhaven canon? you love to see it) and desire for a fairytale romance. (and as a part-time woman in stem, i couldn't resist sneaking in some of my own interests with all the bug facts.)
i hope it's very cozy where you are and that you have a lovely holiday season and get to go on a nature walk with a pretty girl someday soon ♡
🐞 ‎
set the mood
🦋 ‎
In her memories, the sea glitters like a diamond, waves that wear white foam shrouds catching the light as they dance, rolling towards an unseen shore. She could never see the bottom. She never wanted to. 
For a moment, Nat tastes salt instead of the heady, smokey flavour of the Lapsang Souchong she drinks while Shivani eats her breakfast in the back of her throat. 
Then, iron. 
If she still thinks of the sea as a precious gem, even after all this time, even though she knows what it can do, then the lake that stretches out before them, placid and unmoving, so still it’s unnerving, must be glass, crawling towards the horizon. The treeline frames its edges, the mountains cast shadows over it, it reflects the grey of the winter morning sky like a mirror — 
In this light, the lake is a gleaming pearl at the centre of an oyster dulled by the dark of the ocean. 
They’ve come here before. A few times. She can map it in her mind. In a few minutes, they’ll pass a makeshift dock that Shivani once told her was crowded with reckless swimmers in the summer. There’s a fallen pine to the north, half-submerged and rising from the water like the rib of something ancient, right at the shore’s edge. Ribbons of smoke curl from the chimneys of the houses in the distance, mist rising off the surface of the water. It’s quiet, the only sound their footsteps on the path, and she is restless in a way that feels both unfamiliar and innate, swallowing down a feeling she has no name for. 
Not — déjà vu, exactly. Not melancholy. Something else. Something implacable, that feels like something trembling inside her chest, straining against her skin, what a chrysalis on the verge of metamorphosis must feel like.  
As she walks, her long strides shortened to match her girlfriend’s, Nat’s fingers brush against Shivani’s. They touch only momentarily, but it makes her stand straighter, exhaling softly. How many times did Shivani do this alone before she met her? How many times had she walked alone by the edge of the water before she met Shivani? 
“Nat.”
She turns towards the sound of her name, finding Shivani staring up at her, the sky reflected in her expression, the gold ring in her nose glinting. It makes Nat smile reflexively, her lips unfurling like a bow being untied as she reaches for her hand. Her fingers wrap around her wrist, a bracelet of adoration, before she hooks their smallest fingers together as though making a promise, stroking her palm with her thumb. She wants to touch her more, in a way that is rapidly becoming more impractical the further they get down the path, deeper into the trees.
Shivani’s skin, with its down of dark hair, is soft as velvet — it is treacherous to liken her human (so human, entirely human, much too human — and yet, she has chosen her) girlfriend to something inhuman, but with her dark eyes opened wide and that constant, unchanging air of caution, she thinks first of a doe. 
“Yes,” Nat says in answer, head tilted, fixated on her girlfriend, that smile she only smiles for Shivani on her lips again. 
“It’s a widow skimmer,” she says, the pitch of her voice betraying her excitement, and Nat follows the point of her gaze — a dragonfly is flitting down by the water, so fast she would have missed it if Shivani hadn’t spoken. “Libellula luctuosa. Male. You can tell by the white band on its midwings and its blue body. Can you see it? If it was a female it would have yellow stripes on its body instead of blue, and there wouldn’t be any white patches between its nodus and stigma, only black or brown.”
“It’s beautiful,” Nat says, “Should we get closer?”
Shivani shakes her head, laughing softly. “Nat, it’s hunting.” 
She arches her brow, and Shivani’s eyes light up. 
“Dragonflies are one of the most dangerous predators on Earth,” she continues, leaning closer to Nat as she watches the insect, side of her head against Nat’s bicep, making her heart flutter, not unlike the beat of the widow skimmer’s wings. Nat is flushing. She can feel her cheeks getting warmer. “If you’re their prey. They can catch other insects in midair and not have to land before consuming them. They feed while they fly. There’s been research that suggests they’re almost like humans — they can focus their attention like humans can, and that allows them to stalk their prey more accurately. Their efficiency is almost unparalleled. They’re remarkable.”
Prey. Such a simple, uninteresting word, over in a syllable, but she finds it repulsive nonetheless, spitting it out in her summations and reports. 
“It was funny, really, there were reports of places where frogs were experiencing extreme rates of missing or extra limbs, and there was no environmental factor that they could pinpoint, like improper chemical disposal. It turned out that dragonflies were preying on the frogs as tadpoles. Their bodies would sometimes grow an extra limb in response to losing one before they were grown. And then as frogs, they would get their vengeance by preying on the dragonflies. It’s cyclical.”
Vampires prey on humans.
Someone is holding her hand tightly, squeezing it gently. They’ve stopped walking. 
“You know — I read something about dragonflies recently that made me think of you, Nat.” 
When they met, it was Shivani’s voice she noticed first. (— Her eyes second. Her lips third.) It’s clear and with an elegant lilt to it, her tone higher when she speaks Gujarati, a voice that made Nat want to listen to her talking about anything, in any language. She finds herself listening to her as though her voice was music, able to hear her even from a distance, as though it was a rope thrown to her. When she hears her name, she knows. Shivani is reaching out for her. They’re close enough that Nat could stoop to kiss her, or sweep her off her feet and carry her home, or —
“A few years ago, researchers discovered that bacteria are not able to survive on a dragonfly’s wings. They’re what’s called “bactericidal”,” Shivani says, “Those wings — they look so delicate, but they might be the key to preventing infection and saving millions and millions of lives. It’s so simple, really. On their wings, there are these structures called nanopillars. They’re like — little spikes. They have different sizes and lengths, and they trap and tear apart bacteria on a microscopic level. It’s as though the bacteria land on a knife point. They can’t survive that. So you’ll never find a dragonfly with a wing infection.” 
Nat reminds herself to focus, gaze finding the dragonfly again, lulled by Shivani’s voice. Another has joined it, skimming the water. A blue body, white bands on its wings — another male. 
“And they’re trying to use that research to create nanopillar bandages. To prevent infections from open wounds. And — I thought you might find that interesting. That they’re dangerous hunters. But someday, in the future, they might be the reason why we have technology that can save someone like me. Or Verda. Or one of my students.”
When their eyes meet, Nat wants to collapse, overwhelmed by affection for her girlfriend. 
She doesn’t have to say it explicitly. She knows exactly what Shivani is telling her, and her heart is aching as she lets go of her hand and reaches out to stroke her face, holding her round cheeks between her palms, desperate to kiss her. 
“You’re right,” she murmurs, “I do find that interesting.”
“Nat,” Shivani says, “You know you can tell me when something is wrong, right? Whenever you want. I’ll listen. I want to help you. You’re my girlfriend. I want you to be happy.” 
“Don’t worry,” Nat says, lowering her head, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as Shivani rises on her toes, their lips finally meeting. The kiss is sweet — the taste of honey lingers in the corners of Shivani’s mouth — and smokey, the Lapsang Souchong she drinks on her girlfriend’s lips now. “I’m happy. I want to know everything you know. Will you teach me more about the insects here?”
“Well,” Shivani says, suddenly not meeting her eyes, “There is one other thing I know about widow skimmers.”
“Go on, darling,” Nat says, already amused, immediately certain of where the change in her attitude is leading.
“Widow skimmers — when they — when they mate — they form —” her voice is getting quieter. If Nat touched her face again, she knows her girlfriend’s cheeks would be blazing hot, “When they mate they form a heart.”
Nat gasps softly, first, and then she laughs.
🪲 ‎
the opening line is courtesy of my aunt, who refers to the time of afternoon where the sun is low enough that the ocean starts to sparkle as "the diamond hour"! (the lake being a pearl is via my brain, though. i am delighted there is oyster art on my dash as i type this, i am taking it as a sign.)
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a male widow skimmer by photographer greg lasley! i don't know where your wayhaven is, and they're native to north america, but it was so beautiful and distinct i couldn't resist choosing it for shivani to spot. (in my mind the two males nat spots at the end are lovers. parallels!)
information on the relationship between dragonflies and frogs is from this journal article and this blog post, and information about dragonflies' hunting is from this nyt article.
what shivani says about dragonfly wings being antimicrobial is true! here's an article about their nanopillar structure.
subscribe for more dragonfly facts with cami and shivani :-)
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aut2imagineart · 7 months
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This was much delayed due to me coming down with Covid. Fortunately I recovered and was able to finish this. This is another land/seascape of Proxima B (a real planet that I'm speculating life on). This features some of the lifeforms that inhabit the coastlines in and out of the water. I've included some organisms that I've depicted in previous pieces but with a clearer view of them. Here's a quick rundown of them.
Lesser Razorback: a medium sized herbivore that favor running blades (the grass-like organisms around it) that grow along the shores.
Sandpiker Wyvern: small wyverns that probe the sand for organisms that burrow in it.
Skimmer Wyvern: Wyverns that soar just above the water to skim for prey using their specialized teeth.
Shoaling fishamander: Small filter feeding fishamanders that form large shoals as anchovies and sardines do on Earth.
Seadics: small predators that can glide temporarily using disc shaped membranes.
Sea Pooka: An otter-like Pooka that dives for shelled invertebrates.
Sea Wyvern: A flightless wyvern species with a lifestyle akin to penguins and auks.
Lesser Seaspinner: A smaller Seaspinner species that inhabits shallow waters along the coasts.
Kelp Seafan: A marine species of fan that is much darker than their terrestrial counterparts to better photosynthesize
Sea scale: mollusk like invertebrates that feed on bacteria that grow on rocks and other surfaces.
Reef Hopper: crab-like relatives of the more insect-like springers that feed on kelp fans and carcasses that fall to the bottom.
I might make a page devoted to fishamander species as there would be much many more than what I've shown.
As always, comments and critiques are welcome.
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supremebirdbracket · 7 months
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Fearsome pirate vs this absolute weirdo (affectionate).
Great skuas live in the North Atlantic Ocean, wintering out at sea and breeding in Iceland as well as Scottish and Norwegian islands. They mostly eat fish, either pirated from other birds or caught from the ocean surface (often bycatch from fishing boats), but are highly opportunistic and also eat birds, eggs, carrion, and small mammals. While smaller skuas rely on agility, great skuas are especially brutal and are known to attack and rob larger birds such as northern gannets, as well as hunting smaller birds like puffins. One population of great skuas in the archipelago of St Kilda developed an interesting habit of hunting storm petrels by night, despite being diurnal birds.
Black skimmers are found in much of South America and on the southeastern coast of North America. Not only do these birds have those distinct, extra-long lower mandibles, but are also unique among birds (even other skimmers) by being the only bird to have a slit-shaped pupil like a cat! As their name suggests, they feed by dragging their lower mandible through the water as they fly over the ocean, grabbing fish. Since they feed by touch, they can even hunt at night.
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unofskylanderspages · 10 months
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Did you know? When the Splatter Splasher and Soda Skimmer submerge underwater, magical force field bubbles form around the Skylanders piloting them, unlike the other Sea Vehicles.
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fizzycherrycola · 9 months
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It's Bastille Day, have a FrUK WIP
Here u go, a nice WIP for u ❤
Bordeaux region, France; 14 July 1920  Seagulls are crying in the distance, muted by the soft roll of sea surf. England stares, unfocused, at the crosshatching of his straw hat and the twinkles of sunlight poking through its gaps. It lies gently over his face, and he shuts his eyes, willing himself to doze off, but it’s useless. Even with a bottle of wine warming his bloodstream, the rest of the world is too distracting.  Beach sand is scratching him in-between the folds of his union suit, picnic quilts are twisting beneath his back, a lumpy towel is pressing against his neck... and oh, yes. He’s baking. Can’t forget that part. The hot summer sun is beating down relentlessly on his skin, roasting him alive like a Christmas goose. Every inch of his body will sting tomorrow, save for those parts hidden under his skimmer hat and undergarments. Whoever decided that sleeveless, short-leg unions were the way to go ought to be sacked.  Somewhere to his right, a glass clinks, followed by some shuffling and the quiet snap of wicker wood. France is probably going for another drink, the sot. The pop of a cork and bubble of liquid confirms England’s suspicions, and he frowns. Why did he agree to this?   Ah, right. Bastille Day and such. For the past week, France pestered him into agreeing to this little beach picnic; an excursion that resulted in nothing but wine and sex.  England pokes the brim of his hat with his fingertips, lifting it slightly to peek at his nemesis-come-lover. France is guzzling the prized alcohol, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each swallow, his back arching upward like a cat as he drains the glass. Upon emptying the cup, he gasps and leans heavily on his free hand, the languid pose emphasizing the reddish-gold tan blooming across his bare shoulders and ass.  “Put your clothes back on, at least,” England says.  France pauses. Lazy dark lashes blinking open with the most unimpressed expression.   He sighs. “How can you already be in such a terrible mood? We are on a private beach.”  “Only at your insistence.”  France raises one of his perfectly sculpted brows and hums. “So you say.” He brings the cup back to his lips, halts, then glares at it for being unfilled.  
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i-mybrunettelady · 8 months
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Life moves on
Summary: Life’s a lot like climbing. You have to just keep going. But as Braham can attest, not always alone. Sometimes your mate comes with you. Content warnings: None Rating: General Spoilers: Vague spoilers for LWS4 Author’s note: As is by this point an annual tradition, I write a lil something for one of my fave seasonal events in the game. This time around, it’s Sanne and Braham.
When Sanne suggested they go to the Labyrinthine Cliffs, Braham knew what he was getting into. They weren’t going for the sights, nor the beach, nor the wide expanse of clear sea water. No, they’re going so his mate could throw herself off high cliff edges on griffons so she can fly with her birds. 
He’s since learned to accept it for what it is. He knows the Spirits will keep her safe; they owe him as much at the very least. And her, too. A part of him stops whenever he sees her head disappear, but comes back to itself when he hears her laughter from somewhere down below, loud and boisterous. And it makes him smile. Because it always does. 
Because it means his sacrifice was worth it.
Thus, they’re the highest cliff they could find in Labyrinthine Cliffs, the birds flying over their heads. The fresh sea air tickles at their hair, there’s sounds of life and joy everywhere and the roar of people as they look for little satchels of loot. Braham studies them as much as he’s able to from his position. 
“You’re gonna lose the race,” Sanne reminds him and he snaps his head forward. A ray of sunlight obscurs the most of her freckles, but sheds light on the wide, grinning corner of lips and the long, golden braids on the side of her head. The rest of her hair falls on her back and reaches past her hips, and it sways in the breeze. She looks so at ease there, radiant, the exposed skin of her body strong and taut and ready for action. 
“Oh no,” Braham laughs and climbs up. Gemma gives a screech of disapproval from somewhere above. “You’re not winning this one, Bjornsdottir. You won last time. It’s time you tasted some dust.” 
“In your dreams, Eirson!” she shouts back, trying to maintain her advance. And then, just for the hell of it, she starts humming a song she knows he absolutely abhors. Braham frowns. Not even Aisanne, the famed skaald from Hoelbrak, can make that particular tune good. 
It’s apparently the three seconds she needs to get a few steps ahead of him and the song abruptly stops. Smart, Braham thinks with not a lot of annoyance. Boy, her raven, flies over Braham’s face and gives him a quick look. In the last few months, he’s starting to have a communication of sorts with her birds. 
Yes, yes, I know Raven’s happy and proud. You’re a good bird, though. 
Boy makes a noise and flaps his wings. Their loyalty - his, Soar’s and Gemma’s - reminds him a lot of Garm. These days, it doesn’t hurt to think of Eir as much. Garm’s there to try and chase the lingering, unanswered questions away. There are other, painful thoughts, but Eir feels more like a healing scar than an open wound.
Life moves on, after all. Doesn’t wait for anyone. It didn’t wait for Nyra after Maguuma. It didn’t wait for Taimi after Joko almost killed her. It didn’t wait for Rox when her warband died. It didn’t wait for Sanne when her uncle died. Instead, they all just climb on - a flash of yellow up ahead, pale hairs of Sanne’s leg - and like his friends, like his mate, he climbs on too. 
Sanne wins by a small margin, though. She wipes the sweat of her forehead and places her hands on her hips as Gemma elegantly flies down on her shoulder. “Who’s eating dust now, Eirson?” she asks proudly. Boy and Soar settle by her feet, keeping close. 
“Two to one for you,” Braham declares. “Oh, I’m gonna get you for this. I was having very deep thoughts and that stopped me from winning. Next time, no deep thoughts, only victory.”
“The festival’s just begun,” she replies. There’s a joyful gleam in her eye. “And there are skimmer races. Don’t give a fuck about other contenders if you’re competing. We’re keeping a score, Braham. Do you really want to tell Garm I beat you here?” 
“Garm has seen me in much worse states, admittedly,” he says slowly, “but I do want to lay the wreath of victory at his feet.” His voice turns quieter, softer, then. “I don’t think he’ll mind whoever wins, Sanne. We’re all together in this.” 
Gemma hoots. Sanne takes a deep breath and strokes her beak. “Possessive little bird,” she says, but there’s nothing but fondness in her voice. “We’re a family, yeah. All six of us. And my parents. And aunts and uncles. And my cousins. Family.”
She then raises a hand and whispers something to the wind. Within minutes, a large griffon with dark feathers and a saddle flies to their rock, announcing its arrival in a loud yell. She gently places Gemma down with Boy and Soar and climbs on the griffon, petting its neck. 
She then turns to Braham, smiles softly, and says, “See you down, Eirson. I gotta take the children out for a flight.” Then she’s down and for a moment, his heart skips a beat. He then sees the flag of her golden hair out against the sunlight, in rapid descent and a whirlwind of air and laughter, and three bird-like forms trailing after her in formation. 
Life moves on, no matter what.  
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The British Sea Skimmer seaplane armed with a machine gun and 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. It carried four depth charges under the hull, which could be replaced by torpedoes.
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lilyblackdrawside · 8 months
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The gap in difficulty between Deep Cognition and Water and Fire Union is so vast that I have a hard time believing it was tested.
Deep Cognition is a Floor 4 level stage. It doesn’t ask anything more than that of you. It gives you some Sea Skimmers to control and wants you to handle the stealther <> knight pairs, which is only as taxing as it is to place  two roadblocks on the upper or lower part and one on the other. You are constantly given a lot of time to prepare for the big enemies, as they wait for a long time after spawn. You can dispatch the visible knights with arts damage when they spawn on the left, if you have destealthing (Elysium, Totter, SilverAsh, Tsukinogi, Scene) you can also preemptively take out the stealthers.
Water and Fire Union is a stage that’s more difficult than the regular final boss. From the start it has a constant stream of enemies that traverse a lane where every melee tile halves your defense while Pompeii gates off all but the bottom left quarter of the stage. It also has a constant stream of exploding spiders that have a two tile walking distance to your home where you can’t block them and using the one melee tile nearby will have whoever is there tank their constant explosions. And then there’s a second Pompeii.
The Extra Boss floor sometimes really just comes down to winning the coin flip. In the end a valid question is: Do you prepare for Skadi or do you prepare for WaFU?
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