So, what if Ms. Frizzle’s class went whale watching (again)? Would this lead into the kids scuba-diving with the whales?
Headcanons for how Whale-Watching Trip 2:
The kids go scuba-diving with the whales, obviously. Wanda is the first one in the water.
They get to see the humpback whales they named last trip: Dandelion, Maizie, and Freckles.
This could be a good opportunity for an MSB/Wild Kratts crossover (which I'll let you elaborate upon).
The kids meet Bumper and Mama Bumper (the sperm whales), as well as Click and Whistle the dolphins.
Carlos works on an invention to communicate with whales. It backfires spectacularly.
Callback to the Haunted House episode and the bat episode, since the kids learn firsthand how whales use sound and echolocation to communicate and hunt for prey.
This whole adventure takes place off the New England coast (just like the last whale-watching trip).
Whale jokes galore (thanks to Carlos):
"Now that's a whale of a tail!"
"You think I'm doing this on porpoise?"
"Cetacean needed" (Citation needed)
"That right whale certainly is the RIGHT whale to see!"
"What do you call a group of killer whales playing instruments? An orca-stra!"
She looked at the immense metal city farway when he joined her.
"What are you doing here ?" he asked.
"... I don't really know..."
He sighed.
"Then why coming back here ? I do not understand how you can admire the Metalurians and their... their... that thing they call their home."
"You are wrong... I do not admire anything about them..."
"Then, why ?"
She turned towards him, showing all the sadness in her eyes.
"I pity them..."
Day 9 - Heartbreak
And here is out first spoiler for Out of the Abyss !
Yes. The merman on the left is indeed Humphrey. Why ? How ? That, however, will not be answered during Mermay. =)
As for the prompt of the day, it happens that the other merman on the right, Leviathan, had formed a strong bound with Humphrey, when the latter had hidden his true nature all this time.
This drawing representes the very moment where the mask falls off.
Day 10 - Celestial
As I searched an idea for the prompt, I learned that there exists a species of goldfish called the celestial. As much as I wasn't inpired to make a merfolk based on them, I however found the idea of giant celestial fishes flying in the sky interesting.
And to justify this absurd idea, I thought having Shichi, character of my Yume Nikki Fangame project, accompanying them in the skies with her mermaid effect was perfect !
I'll probably add that scene in the game itself whenever I finally work on it again.
Day 11 - Villain
Out of the Abyss spoiler once more !
I present to you Charybdis. A real sea witch.
This sperm whale mermaid has a pronounced taste for demanding the eyes of her victims as payment. She sometimes take more than that if they refuse to pay, or just if she's really, really hungry. Poor unfortunate souls.
It isn't surprising that the Slime Girls do not want to be associated with the likes of her, even if, let's be honest, they did not react any better when they were denied payment.
Day 12 - Companion
Out of the Abyss spoiler !
Here is how Leviathan met Humphrey before the events of the drawing of day 9.
One day, a humpback whale merman arrived in the village where Leviathan lives. He said his name was "Cheeky". Both quickly learned to know eachother, as they were the only whale merman of all Deep Well.
Leviathan thought he could trust him...
Day 13 - Old Money
It's a fashion style characterised by elegance and timelessness (thanks Google).
I just so happened to have a merman character who likes to wear this kind of clothing, so this drawing happened naturally.
Oh, and his name is Bill. Believe it or not, he's based on the blob sculpin.
Day 14 - Mama
Shichi finds an old memory deep into underwater caves...
why are you creaming on it, you big ass dick rider I’m surprised you haven’t crushed her by now you big back, Oompa Loompa, grandma ass fucking hair, got that wig from party city, built like a whole ass humpback whale, gonna walk around and crush people except you’re not gonna walk you’re gonna roll because at this point you can’t use your limbs to carry your weight you big ass bowling pin, go suck your daddys dick you wide receiver.
wig? because in that picture (taken in august) i didnt have a haircut? it's crazy your basing your insults all about my looks and nothing else because you're a hypocritical little fuck who can not be talking at ALL when she says "crushing people". your mama had to switch from breast feeding to fucking straight milk from a cow titty cuz thats the only thing your bitchass would drink
A pod of dolphins came to the rescue of a mama humpback whale and her baby who were under attack
The humpback whale and dolphin are two species that continue to captivate the human imagination through their intelligence, communication, and social behaviors.
The humpback whale, a gentle giant with a bumpy head and long pectoral fins, stands out in the seas.
Known for their acrobatics as they breach, slap the water with their tails, and serenade the ocean with hauntingly beautiful…
Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
Debora Ragland BuerkThe Write StuffLooking at life from a different POV.
Antarctica Extra.
Mama Mia, here we go again…through the Drake passage.
After a fabulous day of seeing penguins, Sea lions, Humpback whales multiple times, we end our high as we return to our cabins to batten breakables down in preparation for entering the Drake passage right about now. The…
POV: a mother & baby humpback whale let you swim with them >>
Did you wait for that camera pan, and catch a glimpse of the swimmers alongside baby and mama? 👋 I’m there, to the left, bobbing in the deep blue waters off the Tahitian island of Raiatea, marveling, deeply humbled, with snorkel mask propped atop my head so that I can see—really see!—the beauty before me.
Now nestled firmly in my “core memories,” this experience from last week is the most powerful moment I’ve shared with wildlife. It surpasses the elephant encounters, grizzly treks, lion sightings. bull shark dives… all of it—not only because of the sheer size and beauty of these magnificent creatures, but also because of the sensitivity of the moment.
There we were, a handful of snorklers in the wide open water, waiting with hearts pumping, the sound of our own breath rising and falling under the surf, as mother and newborn whale approached us in the sapphire deep.
And there we stayed—alongside them—as mama humpback stopped swimming, pushed her baby to the surface, and supported it as it breathed, providing a lift and a literal breather. See, humpback calves can’t hold their breath as long as adult whales, so they need support to reach the surface for oxygen in their first weeks of life. 🐋
As a (human) mother to a little one myself, I feel so deeply moved that mama trusted us there, letting us share in her nurturing, life-giving start.
Man... thinking about how animals just make these huge herds & swarms & they just. Know where to go. Even when they've never been there before. How locusts do these giant swarms to eat then they die. How walrus just sit & vibe on rocks & calves hitch a ride on their mama. How lion prides work together. How humpback whales protect calves that aren't even their own & even humans from intruding orcas. How sharks look so pretty swimming in the deep ocean blue. How laysan albatross chicks don't even touch land for 5 years even if it's a remote island in the pacific ocean even after the parents abandon them.
playing in the kelp forest • Mama and baby having a whale of a time in the kelp forest. This piece was inspired by a kayaking trip this summer in the Pacific Ocean. We kayaked through vast kelp forests and ooh’ed and aah’d and then were extremely lucky to see a mama and baby humpback whale on our water taxi back to shore. A photo by Chad & his drone trying to show you the keep because I didn’t document it, other than being forever stored in my brain. Loved creating this one. Thanks to @thepaintingcrow for reminding me exactly what I needed the background of the whales to be 🌱 Soon to be posted for sale, with prints coming in the future. I just need to hold onto it a little bit longer ♥️ #BisaLisa (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFaIzoJII9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Wynona is one of the oldest mermaids still alive, she’s 4000 years old. She’s actually very large in size due to her age and since mermaids are a matriarch society many of the other mermaids look to her as their queen. Wynona doesn’t care for titles, she just wishes for her children to grow up happy and safe. She didn’t leave the ocean when it was being tormented during the war, she kept the mermaids not strong enough to leave the ocean safe.
Due to her age she’s not as powerful as she once was and is being affected by their species version of erosion. She’s not forgetting, more so fading away, eventually her body will turn to seafoam and return to the ocean.
Wynona desperately wants all of her children to be safe before she goes and was heartbroken learning her youngest son died. Wynona doesn’t blame Seraph for what happened and hopes they know that.
Monterey Bay today. Calm waters, cold but not freezing. Sea otters, so many grey whales, one even breached which is rare for that species.
I love grey whales - an out of cycle calf was hanging out in the harbor as we left. Grey whales get a bad wrap because they are slow swimmers and non acrobatic like humpbacks - they are a combination of social and skittish, kind of like me - which is why I love them. We saw several pods, they gather together to hunt migrate, it’s better protection for them and they feel more comfortable in groups in Monterey though typically, they’re pretty solitary.
There are protected waters in Baja where the greys go to breed and birth their babies - the locals are fiercely protective over that space. Over the years, there’s been changed behavior where the mothers swim up with their new babies to boats, even letting people on the boat pet them. There are videos where the baby arches itself up as people scratch it - they love it - and the mamas often go below and push their baby up with their head so people can get a closer look. It’s a love affair. No one can figure out why they do it, particularly since gray whales have been hunted for centuries due to how slow they are which made them very shy around boats and humans. The only thing scientist can come up with is that it’s maternal pride. They are so special.
Orcas harass them and hunt their calves, particularly in Monterey. They are headed down to Baja now and then head back in April which is when the Orcas to show up to hunt but Orcas can’t hunt what they can’t easily see and the grey whale blends in to the top of the ocean seamlessly, so the Orca listens for the calves instead. The whales learn while very young to keep their vocalizing low and quiet while in this area though some babies can’t shut the fuck up, so the smart moms brings them very close to shore where their squeaks are covered by the sounds of the surf. That’s why so many people see whale spouts while driving on Highway 1. And that is your whale lesson for the day. I think I might try to see a whale every single month in a different location if I can.
On the way back, a huge wave hit the side of the boat and another and her daughter got hit pretty hard. I offered my blanket, and we ended up chatting. She’s a traveling nurse working in Salinas; she quickly figured out that I am pro vaccine, etc., and the stories that she told about her experience or so awful. I gave her a hug and thanked her, and told her I was worried about her mental health and all of her colleagues and to give them all of my love. She teared up a little bit, sometimes we forget just a little bit of kindness and a blanket can go along way.
After the boat, I had a little lunch and then I went to Revival ice cream in Monterey which is pretty much the best ice cream in California. I had honey and apple pie, and I had to cut the scoops in half because they were just so huge. Right as I left it started to rain, and now I’m home in my bed with my kitten ready for a nap. I need to get a precise monthly budget for my parents and their house again, but all of that can wait until tomorrow. Today I’m just going to be on vacation.
I forgot, here was the sunrise this morning. Started the day with some awe.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
This is post number 7002 on this blog, so yay for over 7000 posts in just under three and a half years :D
This is technically only half of Part 10 so it is really short. For two reasons - I’m really tired and don’t have the energy to write the next bit tonight, and also that it ends nicely right at this point. So apologies for the shortness.
Many thanks to @onereyofstarlight who fielded all my wibblies while I was dashing back to work late from lunch cos I was writing it. And also to @janetm74 and @gaviiadastra who have been wonderful supporters of this fic the entire way along.
This fic, as with all my fic ::headdesk:: has taken me places I had no idea I would be ending up. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for all your kind encouragement.
-o-o-o-
It was getting hard to think.
His head hurt abominably and at the same time, Mama whale’s song was ever so lulling.
He wanted to sleep.
But under all that there was a mission, a need that he had thrown everything into.
Everything.
Mama whale slowed to a stop in the water column and Virgil waited for his brothers.
His brothers.
Scott was so angry and Virgil could understand why. If their positions were reversed…
But they had been on many an occasion. His brother was a passionate man and there was a reason why Virgil had to resort to dyeing his hair.
It wasn’t often he was on the faulty side of the equation. It certainly shone a new perspective on everything.
But god, his head hurt.
Mama whale rumbled beside him and the vibrations rolled through his body.
A sharp indrawn breath.
There was something about her voice, their voices. They were a lure, a chasm he would willingly fall into.
It terrified him.
It felt like there were pieces of himself slowly being sucked into a world he didn’t understand. A world built on sound and music. A beautiful, colourful existence that grew more and more attractive the more he interacted with it.
It called to him.
Scott and Gordon suddenly appeared out of the blue and he startled.
“Virgil?”
The hesitancy in Scott’s voice was heartbreaking.
He truly feared that without his brothers, his family, he would already be lost to the sea.
“Scott…”
“Virg, what the hell are you doing?”
His eyes darted to Gordon, his fish brother, the man who should be doing this, not Virgil. A sudden wish for Gordon to see what he could see was ever so strong. “It’s beautiful, Gords.”
“Uh, yeah, I’ll take your word for it. Say, let me check your equipment?”
Virgil stared at his brother. “I have to do this.”
“Yeah, well, it is my responsibility to make sure you don’t kill yourself due to mundane things like not enough air.” A sigh. “Trust me, Virg.”
A slow blink. “I trust you.”
“Then let me do my job.” Without further ado, Gordon swept in and fiddled with Virgil’s gear. Every movement, every callout, was procedure, and as Gordon’s hands ran over him, Virgil relaxed just an increment more.
If Gordon’s hands held Virgil’s shoulders a moment longer than necessary, he wasn’t going to complain at all.
Scott’s eyes didn’t leave him for one moment. There was so much in their blue, Virgil wanted to reach out and reassure his big brother that everything would be fine.
But he couldn’t guarantee that.
And accuracy on a mission was paramount.
Mama whale rumbled again and Virgil was shaken out of his thoughts as Lucy slipped up from under her mother and greeted Gordon.
He hadn’t even realised she was there.
The fog in his head was annoying.
Virgil expected Mama to pick him up again, but she didn’t. Rolling slightly in the water, she gathered Lucy to her side and drifted a little away from him and his brothers.
“What’s happening?” Scott hated not being in the know.
“I don’t…”
Several shapes emerged out of the deep blue as John’s voice cut in over comms.
“The first are arriving. So far, all male.”
Male.
Fortunately, they were all quiet. Virgil’s one exposure to male humpback song had been all consuming.
Old shadows dipped and pivoted quietly in the water like ghosts. The potential energy buzzed in his head.
Whale after whale slowly appeared in a rough half circle just below the surface. Every now and again, one or another would push to the surface and breathe out and in, but other than that, there was water silence.
Mama whale and the brothers were at the centre of attention. Mama let out another rumble from time to time as if in warning.
Until she backed off a little further and whistled at him.
Speak.
It was so clear in his mind, it shocked him and sent his heart racing even faster.
Speak.
He turned to the collected males, their eyes peering at him dully through the water.
Faced with what to say, he could only think of one word, one concept worthy of all history.
He dug deep into himself, pulling at what little he knew, what little he understood. If Mama could manage one word, so should he.
His fingers danced over his keyboard as he opened his mouth. And in concert, he sung the greens of grief, the yellows of sorrow and the darkness of horror, but he lit it with what little hope he could and the brilliant white of starshine.
In English, it was simple, yet its meaning so complex.
Big Mama and her Calf in the Strait of Georgia. To read this story (and more!), follow the link in our bio.⠀ Photo by @gary_j27⠀ #2014 #whaletales #humpback #straitofgeorgia #salishsea #explorebc #calf #storytelling #whales #whalewatching #whalesareawesome #getonaboat #whalestory #whalelove #whaleblog #whalephotography #whalesofinstagram #whalewednesday https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsX82zpSTu/?utm_medium=tumblr
THIS OR THAT!
CEREALS!
Froot Loops or Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Lucky Charms or Frosted Mini Wheats
Cheerios or Chex
Honey Bunches Oats or Honey Nut Cheerios
Rice Chex or Raisin Brand
Honey Smacks or Reese's Puffs
Rice Krispies or Great Grains
French Toast Crunch or Cap'n Crunch
Oatmeal Crisp or Cookie Crisp
Kix or Eggo Cinnamon Toast
Special K or Corn Flakes
Frosted Mini Wheats (Strawberry Delight) or Apple Jacks
Cocoa Krispies or Frosted Flakes
Oreo O's or Corn Pops
Honeycomb or Fruity Fruits
Croque Graham Dore or Croque Canelle
Nesquick or Sugar-Crisp
Trix or Life
Smorz or Fruity Pebbles
Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Puffs
All Bran or Weet-Bix
Nestle Milo or Coco Pops
Rice Bubbles or Crunchy Nut
Nutri-Grain or Sultana Bran
Cheerios or Frosties
DISNEY MOVIES!
Snow White and The Seven Dwarf's or Pinocchio
Dumbo or Bambi
Cinderella or Alice In Wonderland
Peter Pan or Sleeping Beauty
Lady and The Tramp or The Sword In The Stone
One Hundred and One Dalmatians or Robin Hood
The Jungle Book or The Aristocats
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh or The Rescuers
The Fox and The Hound or The Black Couldron
The Great Mouse Detective or Oliver & Company
The Little Mermaid or Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
Beauty and The Beast or A Goofy Movie
Aladdin or Return To Never Land
Pocahontas or Mulan
The Lion King or Coco
Monsters Inc. or The Emperors New Groove
Toy Story or Toy Story 2
A Bug's Life or Zootopia
Cars or Cars 3
Tarzan or Doug's First Movie
The Tigger Movie or Treasure Planet
Lilo and Stitch or Brave
Atlantis: The Lost Empire or Teacher's Pet
The Jungle Book 2 or Bolt
Piglet's Big Movie or Planes
Brother Bear or Home On The Range
Finding Nemo or Finding Dory
The Incredibles or The Wild
Pooh's Heffalump Movie or Meet The Robinsons
The Nightmare Before Christmas or Inside Out
Frozen or Frozen 2
The Princess and The Frog or Big Hero 6
Up or Tangled
Frankenweenie or Wreck It Ralph
Monsters University or Moana
The Good Dinosaur or Valiant
Wall-E or Ratatouille
Fantasia or Mary Poppins
Fantasia 2000 or The Rescuer's Down Under
Toy Story 3 or Hercules
Luca or The Jungle Cruise
Cruella or Cinderella 2
Winnie The Pooh or The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
The Lion King ll or Tinkerbell
James and The Giant Peach or Prince Charming
NICKELODEON SHOWS!
Angry Beavers or Catdog
Hey Arnold or Jimmy Neutron
Ren and Stimpy or Rocko's Modern Life
Spongebob Square Pants or Avatar The Last Airbender
Fairly Odd Parents or As Told By Ginger
Rugrats or Aahh Real Monsters
Clarissa Explains It All or The Amanda Show
H2O or I-Carly
Kenan and Kel or Drake and Josh
Rugrats All Grown Up or The Wild Thornberrys
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide or The Backyardigans
Zoey 101 or Danny Phantom
Blues Clues or Big Time Rush
Franklin or The Penguins of Madagascar
My Life as a Teenage Robot or All That
Invader Zim or Are You Afraid Of The Dark
The Naked Brothers Band or Rocket Power
Dora The Explorer or Go Diego, Go!
TV SERIES/SHOWS
The Walking Dead or Lucifer
Riverdale or Supergirl
American Horror Story or Greys Anatomy
American Horror Stories or Supernatural
Home and Away or Gilmore Girls
Two and A Half Men or Nine Perfect Strangers
The Big Bang Theory or Young Sheldon
Friends or The Real Housewives of New York City
Good Girls or The White Lotus
Trinkets or Dead To Me
Sex and The City or The Carrie Diaries
The Hills or The City
The Good Place or Awkward
Revenge or Workin' Moms
The 100 or I-Zombie
Santa Clarita Diet or Happy Endings
Girls or Love Life
Younger or Dollface
Two Broke Girls or New Girl
Fear The Walking Dead or Top Gear
Looking or A Teacher
Bob's Burgers or Family Guy
American Dad or King Of The Hill
The Simpsons or Futurama
Outer Banks or Sex Life
NEVERTHELESS or A-Typical
The News or Late Night Talk Shows
Never Have I Ever or Ginny and Georgia
Superstore or Suits
13 Reasons Why or Shameless
The Inbetweeners or Friday Night Dinner
My Mad Fat Diary or White Gold
Outlander or Too Hot To Handle
ANIMALS!
Lion or Leopard
Tiger or Buffalo
Antelope or Zebra
Ostrich or Emu
Giraffe or Cheetah
African Wild Dog or Hyena
White Rhino or Black Rhino
Elephant or Hippopotamus
Butterfly or Stick Insect
Cat or Dog
Bunny or Guineapig
Chicken or Duck
Goat or Lamb
Lyrebird or Pigeon
Macaw or Toucan
Horse or Donkey
Turkey or Rooster
Kookaburra or Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Scorpion or Cobra
Water Dragon or Tortoise
African Grey Parrot or Amazon Parrot
Meerkat or Tapir
Chimpanzee or Gorilla
Lorikeet or Galah
Tasmian Devils or Dingoes
Sealion or Stingray
Alpaca or Deer
Little Penguin or King Penguin
Quokka or Wallaby
Echidna or Mandrill
Baboon or Peacock
Pelican or Barn Owl
Bilby or Sloth
Black Bear or Polar Bear
Dolphin or Humpback Whale
Starfish or Clown Fish
Shark or Orca
COLOURS!
Pink or Blue
Green or Yellow
Brown or Black
White or Grey
Green or Purple
Orange or Blue
Pink or Purple
Black or Red
Yellow or Red
Orange or Pink
White or Purple
Grey or Blue
Blue or Purple
Pink or White
GAMES!
Donkey Kong or Super Mario
Yoshi's Island or Mario Party
Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros
Pokemon Let's Go Eevee or Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu
The Legend of Zelda or Skyrim
Minecraft or Fortnite
Crash Bandicoot or Croc
Spyro or PacMan
Tetris or Space Invaders
Grand Theft Auto or Street Fighter ll
Animal Crossing or Overcooked
Cooking Mama or Stardew Valley
Just Dance or Harvest Moon
Ring Fit or Snipper Clips