Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Hello everyone!!
I apologize for being so quiet lately with our adventures! Our new little family of guinea pigs - Apple, Berry, Daisy, and Beaver coming to join Clover! - has kept us very busy and I've been very sick this summer. Then - just as I started to get better! - I was in a small accident and have been very uncomfy and bruised like a peach, bah! π¦πΏ
π± Thankfully it was just a small thing in the scheme of things and I'm starting to feel a lot better, especially with Chips and the guinea pigs helping out! π¦ (Chips has been doing his best to get me to rest a lot and convince me the world won't end if I need time to build back up to lots of episodes and adventures, especially after the hectic couple of years it's been... π )
πΊ Ironically just before this latest misadventure I really HAVE finally been doing a lot better health-wise, both physically and mentally! So... of course!... that means that life served me up a reminder that this time around...
... well, I've still got thousands of adventures within me and over 12,000 *more* to go to hit that life goal of 25,000 adventures in our Pixel Biology library!! ππΏ
π¦πΏ ... just, this time, I'm going to build up to that in a way that is more sustainable for all of us, whatever that looks like. π±ππ±
I've got a few videos ready to go that I can finally make thumbnails for now that I'm able to get to my desk again, so hopefully those will be out soon! πͺ·π Also I've been dreaming of warrior cats again, of all things, and Chips has been talking about how cool Yellowstone was and making me think about wolves... not to mention that Sims 3 101 gnome babies challenge... our dalamations... hybrid animals... so much farming...
... huh, it seems the roots and future harvests of playful, chaotic, greenery loving stories are still in there, aren't they? ππ±
See you guys soon!
( 𦫠Also Beaver is not pictured but don't worry! He was getting floor time and lots of treats! )
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Hey guys! ππΏ
So to be honest I don't remember the last time I've been so proud of a video - even if this one was still made with the usual Seri rambles and nearly zero editing. I also had no plans other than being as honest as possible when I dove into the trailer to see what I thought of the newest Sims 4 expansion pack, Lovestruck.
π It turns out I had a lot more thoughts than I expected - and multiple times I pushed myself gently forward to do my best to speak from the heart and try to explore the complexity of what I felt with this pack as best I could.
However, I did want to say again none of this was scripted or planned. ππΏ Relationships, romance, love, what it means to have boundaries with yourself, romantic partners, friends, the world at large... those are all huge, huge topics that no one human experience could ever fully encompass.
I wanted to firmly state here that at no point in this rambles was I ever seeking to judge or diminish sincere, healthy relationships that people have and hope I didn't say something in a way that hurt anyone. ππΏ My most sincere desire is vastly the opposite: drawing a firm line in the sand to say that what we all deserve are relationships that we feel safe, respected, loved, and cherished within. What we all deserve is the stunningly beautiful chance to return that level of mutual love, mutual love, and mutual celebration of watching the person you love flourish.
The games we play and the media we consume are not frivolous. Our inner world becomes what we watch, read, and play. We shape ourselves and are shaped by the media, people, hobbies, language, and normalization of the behaviors we surround ourselves with. π
π©· That is why I take what I do here so seriously and have sought to be better and do better as I become older and learn more about how absolutely tremendous the impact of what we watch and play has on how we see the world and see ourselves.
ππΏ So when a game I've loved since I was a lost child desperate for examples of how to live a good life - thanks Sims 2's Aspirations and wants and fears system! - now includes the opportunity to normalize the idea of a romantic relationship where your Sims can be violent towards one another one moment then kissing the next...
... well, I know it is "just a game." But. πΏπ I want you to know that if you are ever in a situation like that: you do not deserve to be treated like that. No matter how deeply the voices have gone that tell you you do. No matter how terrified you are of being alone. No matter how normal or even "not as bad" your situation may look when you see what could happen in relationships in the shows you watch or dramatic Sims Let's Plays that might become super popular.
And it is... "just a game." ππΏ So objectively... these are Sims. And it is a story-telling tool with depth. But I hope however we choose to move forward and interact with the new expansion pack and the waves of streams, Let's Plays, snippets on TikTok we start seeing around it... the violence in unhealthy relationship dynamics is not normalized because it is more exciting and will appear so much more than the beautifullly boring wholesomeness of real mutual love and respect.
... and, well, just know... Chips and I don't think boring is bad. So at least here, you can come find a little corner with our little treehouse that will have two people who love, respect, and cherish one another and our herd of wheeking guinea pigs. π³ And, hopefully, many, many, many generations and discoveries more of beautifully boring relationships of all kinds showing up in the stories we tell. Because I hope they make your own inner world more beautiful and hopeful, too.
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"One of the things that made me fall in love with you is how you find so much joy in everything - even something as simple as a flower or a squirrel or a bird. Things other people wouldn't even stop to look at. You've shaped the way I see the world." ππ
π When Chips and I met 10 years ago I was still being teased by some of my family for being "so obsessed" with pictures of boring plants and birds. I remember I'd blush so hard when I realized I'd stopped our date-walks (again!) because I'd see a new flower or cute frog and become so enchanted I'd just stop and sort of... forget I was supposed to be on a date and instead be sprouting out random facts I knew about frogs while crawling after the little guys in the mud... πΈπ³
... but one of the wonderful things about meeting and falling in love with someone who respects my heart (and whose heart I respect as well) is that we got to grow up together and learn to see the world from the other's eyes.πππ
So now Chips and I spend hours together every week. Watching the squirrels. Counting the birds. Observing the drama between the rabbits and possums who live behind our house. Pointing out how the flowers and trees and little ferns and mushrooms all mark the changing seasons. πΈππͺΆ
And we have found so much satisfaction in deepening that loving observation of this amazing planet and the once-in-a-lifetime moments we have with even the humblest flower (it will only bloom so long, after all, so every moment seems precious) through our photography with the wonderful wildlife camera - which we named Kaleidoscope! - that he got for us as a celebration gift for us reaching 10,000 YouTube videos, too!! β¨ππ
And now we're very excited to have another little corner of our leafy world to share what we discover with you -
π goodreidphotography.com/ π
Chips has made a photo gallery that will be highlighting what we've carefully picked out (from literally thousands of pictures already!) as our very favorite moments we've captured so fa!!
He determined to keep the number of photos low and change them out frequently, so that visiting our little gallery can be a unique experience every time! π₯°π· So you'll never know what you might see suddenly appear in the mammal or macro or bird section... kinda like a real museum that rotates its pieces!
π I'm so proud of him for the effort he's taken to make our own "museum of moments" to share with everyone and curate it so thoughtfully... And I'm so excited to see how the glimpses of the wild moments we've experienced will change as time goes on!! π¨π€
πͺΊ We've been so happy to share a few glimpses of our own Wild Discoveries we've found in this world that we all share - and as time goes on we'll share lots more!! Of course, since we are the Pixel Biology community and bound by a love of leafy silly stories and cool nature... π₯° Why not share what YOU discover too?! Who knows - you might inspire one of the adventures that Chips and I will take you guys on in the future! (... I'm looking at you, Aussie crew, and all your ridiculous birds and marsupials...) π¦π¦π¦
So - LEMME KNOW!! What has been your favorite wildlife find lately?! Hmm... I think I'll go through comments to take some notes for our Planet Zoo and Zoo Crafting series as well... π¦π¦π¦©
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The tiny downy woodpecker has a big job when the time comes to build a nest... I mean, they have to hallow out a TREE in order to have a tidy place to put their eggs!
Nest excavation is a lot of work and can take several days to complete - and that is only AFTER the downy woodpecker pair has found the perfect dead tree (or at least dead part of a tree!) to start pecking away at!
π³ This little guy was doing his best for a few days - Chips and I are keeping an eye out to see if he and his mate have settled in or not! Chips named him Walden and we're hoping that this nest takes - especially after all his hard work!!
It was so exciting to watch a woodpecker start a nest cavity from start to... well, maybe finish? Downy woodpeckers can often start nests and get well into it... before realizing the tree just won't work and they have to start over elsewhere!
... also, apparently BOTH the male and the female are supposed to excavate the nest, but, well... For both the days we've watched him Walden has been on his own, so we'll have to see! π³
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Alright - I'm just going to say it: my beloved husband Chips was HIDING A SECRET FROM ME!!!
Like the fact that he is an AMAZING photographer?! What the heck?!
You think you know a guy and then he shows up with adorable squirrel pics! πΈπ¦
But in all honest we're so delighted at how we have both been able to share developing a new hobby with wildlife photography!
I, uh, would say "it's changed our life!" except we already were obsessed with squirrels, going on daily walks, and seeking curious adventures - just now we can snag some π¦ really awesome high-quality!!! π¦ moments to share with you guys while we're at it!!
... also, uh, you might need to send help... we're beginning to run out of wall space for all the pictures we want to put up ahhhhh ~!!!
πΊ All of that said, thank you again everyone for your kind and patient understanding while I get my feet back under myself before we resume our videos. π
πΌThis last year was a doozy of a battle and I'm still feeling out my new "evolution" (I really feel for how confused pokΓ©mon must be when they evolve after a fierce battle now...) -
π¦ But truly? I've been taking the chance to find a truly, honestly healthy, non-hustle or fear, guilt, or stressed based way to fuel the curiosity, excitement, and ever-evolving story-telling that makes this little world we've built together possible. π
π I'm still figuring out how all these fancy new changes in my life work (it is so weird not waking up with an ulcer of "HURRY HURRY WOLF QUEST GO GO GO" every morning~) but honestly?
π¦ I think I've got this - so let's get ready for some adventure, shall we? Let's play!
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Your local Seri-Christmas tree would like to wish you everyone a Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, a late Winter Solstice, Happy Holidays, and a beautiful (and VERY cold!!!) winter (or summer if you are in the southern hemisphere π¦!!) day everyone!!
... huh that is a LOT of reasons to celebrate isn't it?!? βοΈππ I love it!!
Chips and I are curled up sipping tea and eyeing up an alarming quality of holiday vegan desserts (I made reindeer peanut butter cookies!!! π₯ πͺ A glimpse of Seri's childhood past!!)
- and things look like they will still be a bit busy until after New Year but I hope that as the year winds down you can find a moment of peace and grace to give you hope and a sense of adventure for next year π
Even after the year it has been for myself and my family... there has been so, so much love and so, so much that has been totally new in my life and has offered me the opportunity for curiosity and discovery, even in really, really hard moments and unexpected places -
So... I welcome the future ahead... and I want you to know - I will meet you there, at your side, ready to laugh with delight and leap into adventure after adventure with you.
Onwards, my friends, to a beautiful, bittersweet, boundless New Year!! πͺ·ππ¦
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Happy Holidays everyone!! I'm a Christmas tree!!! πππ!!!
Chips surprised me with an awesome shiny dress to go with his awesome collection of ugly Christmas sweaters!! π I'm so excited to be festive!!
Christmas is Chip's favorite holiday and it means the world to him to celebrate it with joy and love - so this year has been busier than I expected and I've not gotten all the adventures I meant to this month done... yet!! π¦
But being with the one you love more than anything else in the world and banning in their happiness...?? π This - oh *this* - is what life is for π
When the time is right - ooohhhhh I'm so eager to find into our stories with renewed wonder!!!
Until then though - enjoy some fancy vegan cheese and crackers and we wish you a beautiful end of the year!! I can't ππ§π₯
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Whoa!!! I'm on a plane!! What the heck?! I've been Seri-napped by this really hot guy who lives in my house!! But.. I have so many episodes to record! No! You'll never take me alive...!!
... wait... *manatees* you say?? And rose spoonbills?? And... redheaded, greater scaup, and northern pintail DUCKS?!?
(... I, uh, didn't even know those ducks EXISTED... soooo....)
... huh. Wellllllll then...
Be right back guys!! We will be home to our recording studio next week - hold onto you field rations 'cause we'll be diving into adventure!!
... but first... DUCKS!!
(I'll try to share lots of pictures here, on our Patreon/Twitch Sub/YouTube member discord, and ye olde Instagram account that exists solely for said birb pics - oh and squirrels!! - it seems...)
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ππΏ A cozy cowplant farm of our very own?! π
*BEHOLD* - one of *the best* things that has yet come from our artist Alari's amazing art - November's amazingly cozy, amazingly perfect postcard!! πππ
π It is one of my absolute *favorite* of our art pieces yet - and we're down to just *four* left for the last of our Flying Squirrel slots in our round-up of Patreon wildlife tiers!
𧑠You can snag yours here: www.patreon.com/seripixelbiologist π§‘
π» You too can rescue Sunflower in the form of an awesome (clear!) sticker and have your very own cowplant farm postcard in the Flying Squirrel tier of our Patreon! π¦
(Also Chips and I may or may not have gotten into a sticking-stamps-on-each-other play-fight while preparing these postcards, just saying... They're packed with a lot of love and possibly some of the stamps we dropped, hmm...)
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π¦π¦πΌ Hold onto your giraffes you guys because... π¦ππ¦
β¨ Zoo Tycoon: THE BOARD GAME is coming!!! β¨
π¦ That's right - THE classic Zoo Tycoon is getting a make-over... this time to transform into an adorable micro-zoo you can build right on your table!
π¦ There are going to be over *two hundred* itty bitty animal animal figures - aka "meeple" - that you can add into your zoo while you compete to have the ~best~ zoo!! There are also going to be hundreds of pieces for the staff you can have (Poop Scooping 101 was one of our first lessons in our Zoo Tycoon 2 series!), lots of tiny little cards to build out the habitat, landscape, and shops you can add in, and even fun event cards and offspring dice annnnd -
... it basically looks absolutely ADORABLE and I can't wait to play with it with Chips!!
π¦ The trick is that the game might be limited-release for many people - so right now it is available on Kickstarter and the very kind two-person team producing it asked if I'd give ya'll a head's up! And, yes! It is officially backed by Microsoft and a proven board-game production team, so its legit!
You can find out about the Kickstarter - which is already FULLY funded so it is for-sure going to be made! - and its ~deluxe Kickstarter perks~ (like a PANDA πΌπΌπΌ) here:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcduer/zoo-tycoon-tβ¦
π¦ The Kickstarter will keep going until about November 22nd so be sure to check it out while you've got time!
( ... also, uh, I dunno about you guys but I'm *so* building a tiny zoo in my bookshelf with all the pieces... they're just too cute!! )
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Seri! Pixel Biologist
150 Wrenn Dr #1365
Cary, NC
27512
π¨ Seri's Fan-Mail E-mail β’ mailforseri@gmail.com
Be sure to check out my business e-mail below if you're interested in working together! π
β’ Seri is a biologist-in-training with an intense passion for plants and filling her house to the brim with finches, potted plants, and biology "specimens" that look oddly like snail shells, bits of acorns, and twigs covering every available surface.
She is also big into spreading her love of the natural world through the entertaining medium of story-telling through video games! Jump on in and see what our amazing, animal-loving, plant-studying community is all about! And remember, stay curious! β’