#3. Pipe Restoration.

[greenerteacups]

oooh please someday tell us what you think of GOT

oh, no, it's my fatal weakness! it's [checks notes] literally just the bare modicum of temptation! okay you got me.

SO. in order to tell what's wrong with game of thrones you kind of have to have read the books, because the books are the reason the show goes off the rails. i actually blame the showrunners relatively little in proportion to GRRM for how bad the show was (which I'm not gonna rehash here because if you're interested in GOT in any capacity you've already seen that horse flogged to death). people debate when GOT "got bad" in terms of writing, but regardless of when you think it dropped off, everyone agrees the quality declined sharply in season 8, and to a certain extent, season 7. these are the seasons that are more or less entirely spun from whole cloth, because season 7 marks the beginning of what will, if we ever see it, be the Winds of Winter storyline. it's the first part that isn't based on a book by George R.R. Martin. it's said that he gave the showrunners plot outlines, but we don't know how detailed they were, or how much the writers diverged from the blueprint — and honestly, considering the cumulative changes made to the story by that point, some stark divergence would have been required. (there's a reason for this. i'll get there in a sec.)

so far, i'm not saying anything all that original. a lot of people recognized how bad the show got as soon as they ran out of Book to adapt. (I think it's kind of weird that they agreed to make a show about an unfinished series in the first place — did GRRM figure that this was his one shot at a really good HBO adaptation, and forego misgivings about his ability to write two full books in however many years it took to adapt? did he think they would wait for him? did he not care that the series would eventually spoil his magnum opus, which he's spent the last three decades of his life writing? perplexing.) but the more interesting question is why the show got bad once it ran out of Book, because in my mind, that's not a given. a lot of great shows depart from the books they were based on. fanfiction does exactly that, all the time! if you have good writers who understand the characters they're working with, departure means a different story, not a worse one. now, the natural reply would be to say that the writers of GOT just aren't good, or at least aren't good at the things that make for great television, and that's why they needed the books as a structure, but I don't think that's true or fair, either. books and television are very different things. the pacing of a book is totally different from the pacing of a television show, and even an episodic book like ASOIAF is going to need a lot of work before it's remotely watchable as a series. bad writers cannot make great series of television, regardless of how good their source material is. sure, they didn't invent the characters of tyrion lannister and daenerys targaryen, but they sure as hell understood story structure well enough to write a damn compelling season of TV about them!

so but then: what gives? i actually do think it's a problem with the books! the show starts out as very faithful to the early books (namely, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings) to the point that most plotlines are copied beat-for-beat. the story is constructed a little differently, and it's definitely condensed, but the meat is still there. and not surprisingly, the early books in ASOIAF are very tightly written. for how long they are, you wouldn't expect it, but on every page of those books, the plot is racing. you can practically watch george trying to beat the fucking clock. and he does! useful context here is that he originally thought GOT was going to be a trilogy, and so the scope of most threads in the first book or two would have been much smaller. it also helps that the first three books are in some respects self-contained stories. the first book is a mystery, the second and third are espionage and war dramas — and they're kept tight in order to serve those respective plots.

the trouble begins with A Feast for Crows, and arguably A Storm of Swords, because GRRM starts multiplying plotlines and treating the series as a story, rather than each individual book. he also massively underestimated the number of pages it would take him to get through certain plot beats — an assumption whose foundation is unclear, because from a reader's standpoint, there is a fucke tonne of shit in Feast and Dance that's spurious. I'm not talking about Brienne's Riverlands storyline (which I adore thematically but speaking honestly should have been its own novella, not a part of Feast proper). I'm talking about whole chapters where Tyrion is sitting on his ass in the river, just talking to people. (will I eat crow about this if these pay off in hugely satisfying ways in Winds or Dream? oh, totally. my brothers, i will gorge myself on sweet sweet corvid. i will wear a dunce cap in the square, and gleefully, if these turn out to not have been wastes of time. the fact that i am writing this means i am willing to stake a non-negligible amount of pride on the prediction that that will not happen). I'm talking about scenes where the characters stare at each other and talk idly about things that have already happened while the author describes things we already have seen in excruciating detail. i'm talking about threads that, while forgivable in a different novel, are unforgivable in this one, because you are neglecting your main characters and their story. and don't tell me you think that a day-by-day account tyrion's river cruise is necessary to telling his story, because in the count of monte cristo, the main guy disappears for nine years and comes hurtling back into the story as a vengeful aristocrat! and while time jumps like that don't work for everything, they certainly do work if what you're talking about isn't a major story thread!

now put aside whether or not all these meandering, unconcluded threads are enjoyable to read (as, in fairness, they often are!). think about them as if you're a tv showrunner. these bad boys are your worst nightmare. because while you know the author put them in for a reason, you haven't read the conclusion to the arc, so you don't know what that reason is. and even if the author tells you in broad strokes how things are going to end for any particular character (and this is a big "if," because GRRM's whole style is that he lets plots "develop as he goes," so I'm not actually convinced that he does have endings written out for most major characters), that still doesn't help you get them from point A (meandering storyline) to point B (actual conclusion). oh, and by the way, you have under a year to write this full season of television, while GRRM has been thinking about how to end the books for at least 10. all of this means you have to basically call an audible on whether or not certain arcs are going to pay off, and, if they are, whether they make for good television, and hence are worth writing. and you have to do that for every. single. unfinished. story. in the books.

here's an example: in the books, Quentin Martell goes on a quest to marry Daenerys and gain a dragon. many chapters are spent detailing this quest. spoiler alert: he fails, and he gets charbroiled by dragons. GRRM includes this plot to set up the actions of House Martell in Winds, but the problem is that we don't know what House Martell does in Winds, because (see above) the book DNE. So, although we can reliably bet that the showrunners understand (1) Daenerys is coming to Westeros with her 3 fantasy nukes, and (2) at some point they're gonna have to deal with the invasion of frozombies from Canada, that DOESN'T mean they necessarily know exactly what's going to happen to Dorne, or House Martell. i mean, fuck! we don't even know if Martin knows what's going to happen to Dorne or House Martell, because he's said he's the kind of writer who doesn't set shit out beforehand! so for every "Cersei defaults on millions of dragons in loans from the notorious Bank of Nobody Fucks With Us, assumes this will have no repercussions for her reign or Westerosi politics in general" plotline — which might as well have a big glaring THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT stamp on top of the chapter heading — you have Arianne Martell trying to do a coup/parent trap switcheroo with Myrcella, or Euron the Goffick Antichrist, or Faegon Targaryen and JonCon preparing a Blackfyre restoration, or anything else that might pan out — but might not! And while that uncertainty about what's important to the "overall story" might be a realistic way of depicting human beings in a world ruled by chance and not Destiny, it makes for much better reading than viewing, because Game of Thrones as a fantasy television series was based on the first three books, which are much more traditional "there is a plot and main characters and you can generally tell who they are" kind of book. I see Feast and Dance as a kind of soft reboot for the series in this respect, because they recenter the story around a much larger cast and cast a much broader net in terms of which characters "deserve" narrative attention.

but if you're making a season of television, you can't do that, because you've already set up the basic premise and pacing of your story, and you can't suddenly pivot into a long-form tone poem about the horrors of war. so you have to cut something. but what are you gonna cut? bear in mind that you can't just Forget About Dorne, or the Iron Islands, or the Vale, or the North, or pretty much any region of the story, because it's all interconnected, but to fit in everything from the books would require pacing of the sort that no reasonable audience would ever tolerate. and bear in mind that the later books sprout a lot more of these baby-plots that could go somewhere, but also might end up being secondary or tertiary to the "main story," which, at the end of the day, is about dragons and ice zombies and the rot at the heart of the feudal power system glorified in classical fantasy. that's the story that you as the showrunner absolutely must give them an end to, and that's the story that should be your priority 1.

so you do a hack and slash job, and you mortar over whatever you cut out with storylines that you cook up yourself, but you can't go too far afield, because you still need all the characters more or less in place for the final showdown. so you pinch here and push credulity there, and you do your best to put the characters in more or less the same place they would have been if you kept the original, but on a shorter timeframe. and is it as good as the first seasons? of course not! because the material that you have is not suited to TV like the first seasons are. and not only that, but you are now working with source material that is actively fighting your attempt to constrain a linear and well-paced narrative on it. the text that you're working with changed structure when you weren't looking, and now you have to find some way to shanghai this new sprawling behemoth of a Thing into a television show. oh, and by the way, don't think that the (living) author of the source material will be any help with this, because even though he's got years of experience working in television writing, he doesn't actually know how all of these threads will tie together, which is possibly the reason that the next book has taken over 8 years (now 13 and counting) to write. oh and also, your showrunners are sick of this (in fairness, very difficult) job and they want to go write for star wars instead, so they've refused the extra time the studio offered them for pre-production and pushed through a bunch of first-draft scripts, creating a crunch culture of the type that spawns entirely avoidable mistakes, like, say, some poor set designer leaving a starbucks cup in frame.

anyway, that's what I think went wrong with game of thrones.

[viovio]

playing f&h with the full immersion (hungry)

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #16

April 26-May 3 2024

President Biden announced $3 billion to help replace lead pipes in the drinking water system. Millions of Americans get their drinking water through lead pipes, which are toxic, no level of lead exposure is safe. This problem disproportionately affects people of color and low income communities. This first investment of a planned $15 billion will replace 1.7 million lead pipe lines. The Biden Administration plans to replace all lead pipes in the country by the end of the decade.

President Biden canceled the student debt of 317,000 former students of a fraudulent for-profit college system. The Art Institutes was a for-profit system of dozens of schools offering degrees in video-game design and other arts. After years of legal troubles around misleading students and falsifying data the last AI schools closed abruptly without warning in September last year. This adds to the $29 billion in debt for 1.7 borrowers who wee mislead and defrauded by their schools which the Biden Administration has done, and a total debt relief for 4.6 million borrowers so far under Biden.

President Biden expanded two California national monuments protecting thousands of acres of land. The two national monuments are the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which are being expanded by 120,000 acres. The new protections cover lands of cultural and religious importance to a number of California based native communities. This expansion was first proposed by then Senator Kamala Harris in 2018 as part of a wide ranging plan to expand and protect public land in California. This expansion is part of the Administration's goals to protect, conserve, and restore at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

The Department of Transportation announced new rules that will require car manufacturers to install automatic braking systems in new cars. Starting in 2029 all new cars will be required to have systems to detect pedestrians and automatically apply the breaks in an emergency. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projects this new rule will save 360 lives every year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries annually.

The IRS announced plans to ramp up audits on the wealthiest Americans. The IRS plans on increasing its audit rate on taxpayers who make over $10 million a year. After decades of Republicans in Congress cutting IRS funding to protect wealthy tax cheats the Biden Administration passed $80 billion for tougher enforcement on the wealthy. The IRS has been able to collect just in one year $500 Million in undisputed but unpaid back taxes from wealthy households, and shows a rise of $31 billion from audits in the 2023 tax year. The IRS also announced its free direct file pilot program was a smashing success. The program allowed tax payers across 12 states to file directly for free with the IRS over the internet. The IRS announced that 140,000 tax payers were able to use it over their target of 100,000, they estimated it saved $5.6 million in tax prep fees, over 90% of users were happy with the webpage and reported it quicker and easier than companies like H&R Block. the IRS plans to bring direct file nationwide next year.

The Department of Interior announced plans for new off shore wind power. The two new sites, off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine, would together generate 18 gigawatts of totally clean energy, enough to power 6 million homes.

The Biden Administration announced new rules to finally allow DACA recipients to be covered by Obamacare. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an Obama era policy that allows people brought to the United States as children without legal status to remain and to legally work. However for years DACA recipients have not been able to get health coverage through the Obamacare Health Care Marketplace. This rule change will bring health coverage to at least 100,000 uninsured people.

The Department of Health and Human Services finalized rules that require LGBTQ+ and Intersex minors in the foster care system be placed in supportive and affirming homes.

The Senate confirmed Georgia Alexakis to a life time federal judgeship in Illinois. This brings the total number of federal judges appointed by President Biden to 194. For the first time in history the majority of a President's nominees to the federal bench have not been white men.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 1881 Victorian in Hamilton, ON, Canada was grandfathered in, in 2014 as a non-conforming triplex. However, it's original features and charm have been retained, so it has the potential to be restored back to a grand, single family home. 10bds, 6ba, 6,295 sq ft, C$2,385m. However, I would rather see it stay a triplex than to have someone come in and modernize it.

This sitting room has the original marble fireplace, moldings, and even the antique light fixture, but it was also given a kitchen.

Across the hall you can see beautiful corbels and a brick fireplace.

Cute room. The floors look old, and look at that- original scribbling, too.

Here's a nice nook where they put in a dining area.

The kitchen's very pretty.

This looks like a cover over an old stove pipe opening.

Nicely renewed bath with a vintage tub.

Lovely bedroom with a fireplace and inlaid floors.

Small vintage bath. Look at the little sink.

Laundry closet in the hall.

Clever wine racks made from railroad spikes.

Here's a smaller bedroom with a sink.

Very nice enclosed porch with an opening to the kitchen.

This is definitely original and untouched.

Original railings and doors.

The sitting room in another unit. This is nice.

Beautiful tower room.

Another lovely bedroom.

Love the tile.

These look like stairs to the 3rd unit.

Finished attic. it's light and bright.

This is very nice, each floor has a tower room.

I don't know what this is, but I like it. Oh, it's a closeup of one of the bedroom fireplaces.

Stairs and a deck on the side of the house.

The back of the house is beautiful.

Details of the house. Apparently it was brick that was painted white, so it's chipping.

The gorgeous wood is in excellent condition.

It's a large corner property and also looks like it includes a 3 car garage. 10,634 sq ft lot

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/347-Queen-St-S-Hamilton-ON-L8P-3T8/443193090_zpid/?

[novlr]

I have a bad habit of never finishing writing I start - I work hard on a story, make it to 3/4 of the way through, then lose passion for it and start something else. I know the key to overcoming this is discipline, and I’m trying very hard to make myself keep going with my current story that I like very much and spent so much time researching and outlining, but it’s a struggle every day to make my writing goal. Any advice for how to re-ignite writing spark or how to push through to the end?

We can lose our drive to write for a lot of reasons. It often indicates a growing maturity as an artist — you understand the craft better and your own (current) limitations better, and so you begin to feel overwhelmed in a way you didn’t before. It can also be that external anxieties are getting in the way or simply that you’ve lost interest in your current project. 

Hope is not lost. Read on for some tips on reclaiming your writing spark. 

Shift gears

Sometimes, all you need to reignite your writing spark is to engage your brain in a different way. If you’re struggling with your novel, take a break and try writing a poem or a piece of flash fiction. Or, you could try drawing sketches of your characters, a map of your story’s world, or some possible outfits for your climactic battle scene (it doesn’t have to be good. No one’s going to see it). 

The trick is to stay creative but to approach your work from a different angle. 

Change location

If you’ve been trying and failing to write at your desk, surrounded by crumpled up dreams drafts and last week’s candy wrappers, you may be suffering from an environment with stagnant energy. Try taking yourself on a writer’s date: go to a location that fits the tone of the project you’re working on (lux hotel lobby, seedy theatre bar, the wilds of a nearby park), and see if that gets your creative wheels turning. 

Dress [in]appropriately 

In Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg has a chapter called “Blue Lipstick and a Cigarette Hanging Out Your Mouth”. By this she meant, “Use outfits and props to step outside yourself and get a new perspective”. You might find it helpful to have a special “writer’s sweater” that you only wear when you’re writing or to dress like someone confident and cool enough to smash writer’s block in the face. 

Do some soul-searching

What’s really going on here? If the above tricks aren’t doing it for you, there may be some bigger issues at play that are inhibiting you from connecting to your writing spark. 

Write letters

I’ve written about the restorative powers of letter writing before, and I’ll mention it again: handwritten letters are a great way to get the words flowing. You don’t actually have to send them when you’re done (although you can if you want to); the recipient doesn’t even need to exist. Simply by putting your thoughts down in a low-risk way, you’re unclogging your creative pipes. 

Join a writing group

There’s power and accountability in numbers. You can find writing groups online, through community centres and writers centres, or by sticking a flyer up in a bookshop and starting your own. There’s even a Novlr writing community on Discord where we share tips, struggles, and just generally talk craft! By inviting other people into your writing practice, you’ll have some support and encouragement to keep you going. 

Find your writing spark with writing prompts

The internet is awash with writing prompts. These can be a helpful way to get something down on paper and stretch out your writing muscles. Whether it’s a premise, an opening line, or a character study, writing prompts can give you a gentle, creative push and even inspire new work.

Experiment with found structure

If writing a traditional story feels like pulling out your own teeth, try a found structure story. This means using fictional “found material” like shopping lists, calendars, to-do lists, ticket stubs, banking records, and so forth to create a narrative. 

Here’s an example: Imagine a week in which a bride-to-be prepares for her glorious wedding, is left at the altar, rages in misery, and ultimately emerges healthier and stronger. Now, write her shopping list for each day of that week. How does it change from beginning to end? How much emotional detail can you communicate to the reader through the items that appear on these lists? This can be a fun way to create a story without the anxiety of writing it.

Set a petty life goal

I am a proud champion of the value of pettiness as a motivator. There are plenty of noble reasons to write: to share powerful stories, to help readers in need of healing, to inspire others to write stories themselves, and to draw attention to important social issues or minority identities. 

There are also some really inane and selfish reasons to write: to become more famous than your ex, to appear on TV and make your ex regret everything they’ve ever done to you, to have your book made into a movie and receive casting consultation rights and pitch your favourite actor in the lead role and allow them to take you for coffee as a thank you. But the thing is… these are the motivations that are really going to pull you out of the dirt when you need it most. Find the silly driving goal that really gets under your skin and hold onto it for dear life. 

Forgive yourself

Many writers experience a lot of shame when they aren’t writing as much as they feel they should. Needless to say, this shame only makes the writing harder. Allow yourself the space to take some time when you need it, process your struggles, and return when you’re ready. The page will be waiting when you get back. 

[system-to-the-madness]

The Traitor - Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 3 089 Warnings: mentions of torture, war, injuries, betrayl Summary: When Zuko attempts to break out the Avatar from Zhao’s prison, he is forced to bring someone else along as well A/N: Can be read as a oneshot; Part One of the series Perfect (10 times Zuko thought you were perfect and the first time he told you)

“We are the sons and daughters of fire, the superior element! Until today only one thing stood in our path to victory, the Avatar. I am here to tell you that he is now my prisoner!”

Admiral Zhao’s voice was booming over the crowd before him, and as tempted as Zuko was to roll his eyes underneath the blue mask he was wearing, he held back, rather focusing on sneaking past the guards.

He had one chance, this chance, to steal the Avatar right from underneath Zhao’s nose, and keep that boy as a prisoner himself. Then all he would have to do was make his way back to the Fire Nation, and present the Avatar to his father, and he would have restored his honour. Everything would be the way it was supposed to be. He by his father’s side, the Avatar in the deepest, securest cell the Fire Nation had to offer, and soon the world under the Fire Lord’s command.

His steps were quick, and almost inaudible, as he ran along the high walls, climbed down a rope and crossed a yard. Even when he had lifted aside the lid to the sewage, and jumped down into the underground tunnels, the water around his boots barely made a sound as if it was siding with him. He had to be quick, quiet and leave no trace. He had to be like a ghost.

The first guard that crossed his way was taken out faster than the poor guy was able to comprehend. The second guard, alarmed by the helmet Zuko had kicked out from behind a corner, followed suit as he tied him up and bound him, so he was hanging from the ceiling. As two more guards came to check, what the commotion was about, he attacked them from where he had hidden between some pipes on the ceiling. The last guard was taken out by a bucket full of water.

A moment later, he was able to slip into the cell, in which the Avatar was held. Pathetic, really, Zuko thought to himself. All this trouble just for a small boy dressed in oranges and yellows. Had that child really been able to put him through so much trouble? Swiftly he pulled his swords, ignoring the fearful screams of the Avatar at the action, and severed the chains holding him up. Surprised brown eyes looked up at him, as the Avatar was rubbing his uninjured wrists. Two more swings with his swords and the shackles around the boy’s wrists and ankles fell to the floor uselessly.

“Who are you?” The Avatar’s voice sounded so young, Zuko thought to himself, already turning to make his way out of the cell again. There was no time to lose; they had to leave immediately. “What’s going on? Are you here to rescue us?”

Instead of answering, Zuko simply pushed the door open and motioned for the Avatar to follow him.

“I'll take that as a yes."

Zuko quickly walked past the tied-up guards, when he heard the light footsteps of the boy catch up to him.

“We need to find my friend,” the Avatar said, urgency thick in his voice. “(Y/n) was captured along with me! I can’t leave without her- My frogs!”

The Avatar’s even footsteps halted, and when Zuko turned around, he found the boy kneeling on the floor, trying to catch some half-frozen frogs that desperately tried escaping his grabby hands.

“Come back! And stop thawing out!”

This time Zuko did not suppress the urge to roll his eyes, and instead walked back to the Avatar, grabbing him by the collar, and dragging him along.

“Wait! My friends need to suck on those frogs! And we need to find (y/n)! Hey, put me down!”

Zuko was hit by a gust of wind, knocking him forwards a step and making him drop the Avatar.

“I said: We need to find (y/n)!”

By all the spirits, this kid was annoying.

Zuko shot him a glance, as if to say ‘then where is she?’, and sure enough the Avatar turned and raced down another corridor, Zuko following him, while he tried to remember if he knew your name. He had run into the Avatar and his little team of run-aways before. There were the boy and the girl from the Water Tribe, and of course that Sky Bison. But there was another girl, too. Zuko had never paid any attention to her, and her clothes didn’t give away where she came from. Maybe the Earth Kingdom, or a remote region of the Fire Nation even.

Traitor.

If she was Fire Nation, why was she helping the Avatar? And if she was a traitor, why should he free her? It was only another risk, one that would put his whole mission in jeopardy. But he needed the Avatar to follow him out of the base without making a fuzz. And for that, apparently, he needed to free this girl. He would simply knock her out after they had made it past the walls. Then he’d grab the Avatar and he’d be back on track with his plan.

The Avatar led him to another block of cells, these unguarded, but behind every door, there was the groaning and complaining of hungry and beaten men. Behind every door except for one. While the Avatar had kept walking, Zuko stopped in front of the only door behind which it was quiet. Maybe the cell was empty, but his instincts told him differently. Getting on his tiptoes, he spied through the bars in the door into the cell, and sure enough he saw the small, curled-up form of a girl laying on the ground.

Not hesitating for a moment, he pulled his swords and hurled them against the locks keeping the door closed. The clash of metal against metal alarmed the Avatar, who came running back to his side, but by the time he reached the door, Zuko had already stepped into the cell.

You were slowly sitting up, clearly irritated at the sudden noise, and even in the twilight Zuko could make out the bruises on your face and arms. The soldiers had beaten you. Cowards, honourless cowards. You were no bender, you barely seemed to pose any threat as it was, otherwise he’d remember you better from his previous run-ins with the Avatar, but they still had beaten you.

“What-”

Before you could ask what was going on, or protest, he had grabbed you by your upper arm and pulled you to your feet. From up close, he could tell you were about his age, maybe even a little younger, and if it hadn’t been for the bruises on your face, and the dirt crusting your hair, you would have even been beautiful.

Then he saw the emblem of the Fire Nation dangling on the thin leather necklace you wore, and any sense of attraction vanished as quickly as it had flickered to life. You were Fire Nation, and you betrayed your country by helping the Avatar. He should knock you out on the spot and let you rot in this stinking cell. Who cared what the guards did to you?

In that moment a strangled cry of joy sounded from behind him, and like a lightning of orange and yellow the Avatar shot past him, practically wrapping himself around you.

“I found you,” the Avatar yelped, quickly letting go of you when you began swaying under the sudden impact of your friend. “This nice, masked man here is saving us! He’s just not very talkative.”

You were clearly dazed, from pain, a lack of water or food, Zuko wasn’t sure. But still you made him squirm in his boots as you stood up as straight as possible and took in his appearance for a moment. You weren’t as tall as him, but something in your eyes made him realize that maybe you weren’t as harmless as he had believed.

“Nice, masked stranger, hm,” you questioned, your voice raspy, and you swayed again.

Damn traitor. Who did you think you were, judging him like this?

Ignoring the racing thoughts in his mind, Zuko turned back to the door, leaving the cell without another word.

“We need to go,” the Avatar told you, and behind him, Zuko could hear two sets of footsteps following him, the light steps of the Avatar and your heavier, almost shuffling steps. You really were in bad shape. He knew it had been a bad idea to go save you. You’d only slow them down.

Together you were creeping through the corridors, back into the canalization system. As Zuko climbed out, he didn’t look back to see whether you were following. He could only hope the Avatar had enough sense of self-preservation to leave you behind, should you not even be able to climb out of a shaft like this. But a moment later, as he was standing pressed against a wall, spying around the corner, you came to a halt next to him, followed by the Avatar. Your movements were still not as fluid as his own, but you seemed not as sluggish anymore as when he had found you in the cell. Maybe the movement and the fear that was doubtlessly cursing through your veins gave you the energy to keep going.

Zuko motioned to the wall, where he had left behind the rope which he had used to lower himself into the yard, and following on his heels, you and the Avatar ran after him towards it.

“(Y/n), go first,” the Avatar encouraged, making Zuko want to shake him. Didn’t he see? You were unimportant, a traitor at that, and the slowest of the group. If anything, you should go last, so it was easiest to leave you behind.

But before even a sound of protest was leaving Zuko’s lips, you had already grabbed the rope, and pulled yourself into the air with surprising speed, immediately followed by the Avatar. He wasn’t going to get rid of you so easily, was he?

You had made it almost half-way up the wall, when suddenly an alarm rang and just a moment later a guard appeared over the edge of the wall, cutting the rope. For a moment Zuko was in free fall, having just enough time to realise that a fall from this hight would mean a few broken bones at best, when a gust of wind caught him, you and the Avatar, before you fell the last inches to the ground.

Quickly looking around, trying not to let the sudden plummet towards the ground get into his head, Zuko pointed towards the still open gates, immediately taking off with you and the Avatar close on his heels.

“Stay close to me,” the Avatar instructed and overtook Zuko and you, continuing the sprint towards the gate that was slowly closing.

A group of soldiers who had tried blocking your way simply got blasted aside by the Avatar, and Zuko couldn’t help but shoot you a glance to see your reaction. But your eyes were only focused on the gate, following the Avatar, as if you had seen him blast people out of the way a hundred times. You probably had.

That was the moment two soldiers got Zuko from the side, and even the Avatar had to grab a weapon, swinging it around, using it to create air blasts. For a moment, and with a reasoning Zuko couldn’t even explain to himself, he searched for you, fully prepared to jump to your aid, should you need it.

Instead, he found you standing over the crumbled bodies of three guards, who were groaning on the ground. In your hands, you were holding two swords, and Zuko couldn’t help but freeze. A blast of air picked up your hair, gently playing around it, as you stood proudly over your defeated enemies. Nothing seemed to be left of the sluggishness from just a few minutes ago, when Zuko had pulled you to your feet in that cell. Now, you seemed to be on high alert, perfectly aware of what you were doing, and ready for a fight. There was a light glimmering in your eyes that made Zuko wonder how he hadn’t taken notice of you before; after all he had run into you several times already. But something about the way you stood now, both feet securely anchored to the ground, this spark of defiance and determination in your eyes, fingers closed around weapons you clearly knew how to handle… for a moment Zuko couldn’t help but think how perfect you looked. The thought disappeared as quickly as it had come to him. You were a traitor to the Fire Nation, despicable, cowardly, disloyal. Before he could continue the list of negative attributes he associated with you, he picked up on the group of soldiers that were moving in from the side: Fire Benders.

Quickly pushing himself between them and you, he began attacking them with his own flames, only noticing from the corner of his by the mask limited vision, that you had picked the fight back up again. He was right in the process of firing a blast at a couple of soldiers, when suddenly a wave of fire was rolling towards him. No, not towards him, towards his left side- where you stood. Reacting faster than he would have thought possible himself, he grabbed your arm, his fingers closing around your biceps underneath that flimsical shirt you had been made to dress into as a prisoner, and quickly he pulled you aside, using his other hand to send a quick interval of fire balls back towards the attackers.

The chocked cry that suddenly reached his ears made his heart freeze over and the short shaven hair in his neck stand up. Had he been too slow? Had you been hit by the blast anyway? When he swivelled around, the smell of burnt flesh reached his nose, making sour stomach acid burn in the back of his throat. Small flames were licking at the fabric of your shirt, and when he pulled his hand away as if he had been the one who had been burnt, a fresh burn wound in the shape of his hand was wrapped around your arm. He had been in the middle of a blast when he had reached for you, burning you while trying to save you from being hit by the fire of the soldiers.

Quickly he drew in the flames on your shirt, extinguishing them, but the damage to your skin was done. He had tried to save you and instead he had burnt you. What a laughable metaphor for his whole life. But still something inside his chest tightened up, wound so tight he wasn’t sure it would ever come undone again. He shouldn’t care, he told himself as his eyes flickered to your pain distorted face. You were a traitor, a means to an end, you would be left behind the moment he and the Avatar had made it past the walls.

But still- he couldn’t help but wonder how you held yourself together. Burn-wounds were some of the most painful wounds there were, he knew that, and yours wasn’t exactly small. Still, no more sound slipped over your lips, and even though you had dropped the sword in your left hand, you were ready to keep fighting with the sword in your right.

But before it came to that, your attackers were blast away by an air current, and the Avatar came running.

“(Y/n), are you hurt,” he asked, his voice filled with worry. Envy spread in Zuko’s stomach. Nobody ever worried about him like that.

“It’s nothing,” you replied, quickly covering up your wound, hiding it from the Avatar.

But now your luck had finally run out, it seemed. You were with your backs to the closed gate, Zuko and you the last barrier between the approaching soldiers and the Avatar.

“Hold your fire!” The voice belonged to Zhao, who came stepping past the Fire Benders, that were ready for the final attack. “The Avatar must be captured alive!”

Quickly assessing the situation, Zuko grabbed the Avatar, pulling the boy so his back was to Zuko’s front, the blade of one of his swords dangerously close to cutting into the thin skin of this neck. At his side, he could tell you were moving to attack him, no hesitation in your movements when you realized he was threatening your friend’s life, but before you had even fully pointed your sword at him, Zuko had dropped one of his own, and held his open palm right into your face. One wrong move on your end, and he could blast your head away in a ball of flame. He wouldn’t, but you didn’t know that.

It seemed like the wordless demand Zuko was uttering as he stared over to Zhao was understood, because after a moment of internal debating, the Admiral pressed out: “Open the gate.”

Behind them, the gate opened, heavy metal running against the earthy ground, and Zuko dragged the Avatar backwards, motioning you to come with them. The expression on your face was one of pure disgust and hatred as you stared at the mask that was covering his face, but followed his instruction. Why was he even taking you along? He could just leave you behind now, then he wouldn’t have to deal with you later. But then again, the Admiral would start getting suspicious if he only took the Avatar and not also his friend. It would make it too obvious that he was after the Avatar. If he also took you, it would seem like one of your allies had come to your rescue. So, all in all, it would be better to take both of you.

At least that was what Zuko told himself as he was guiding the Avatar backwards, away from the slowly closing gate. You were watching each of his movements, as if you were looking for an opening to attack him. He had already hurt you; you knew what his flames were capable of, and still you were ready to take him on in a fight, just to defend your friend. It seemed as if while you were a traitor, perhaps you were not a coward after all.

That was his last proper thought before something silver shot through the night, and hit him in the head, knocking him out on the spot.

Next Chapter (04. Oct. 2024) | Masterlist

Tags (it seems like some of the tags aren't working, sorry...): @ghoststookourlifes @ashcal99 @4acoffee @pxrplewalnxt @toomuchboredd @banished--prince @oddobsessionbutotay @makik0 @joysflower @hamdehlesmis @mitski9328373 @angstylittleb1tch @lovecalll

[amica-aenigmata-naboo]

Blood Sport

Feyd Rautha x Y/N - drabble part 1 - 1K WC

Part 1 (you are here!)

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6 NSFW 18+

Masterlist

Warnings: royalty y/n, space vampires (kinda?), if you speak Latin you might know some of these words, feyd being feyd, feyd realizing you are a bad bitch, probably some other shit I should mention but honestly this one is setting the stage, its the following fics that'll need warnings lol

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Your eyes were black. It was the first thing about you that Feyd noticed. Pitch black scleras with blood red irises that seemed to glow softly. You were draped in black with different shades of red peaking throughout your dress. Yet your eyes are what captured Feyd the most. Not the long, sharp nails. Not the jars of blood your maids were taking to your quarters. Not the fact that almost everything you were wearing could become an improvised weapon. No, your sharp eyes that were unreadable to him are what drew him closer to you. You kept your head high, unyielding to his imposing presence. Neither of you did anything but stare at one another, trying to analyze what you could from one another. 

“The only child of House Cruor, Princess Y/N.” said the Baron from the throne in the Great Hall.

You and Feyd kept watching each other, poised like snakes ready to strike. 

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“And why should I wed some priss of a princess?” Fedy spat as he looked on at the Baron, submerged in his black sludge bath.

“You are of age and Geidi Prime needs an heir. You are the only one who can give us an heir.” he answered as he smoked out of his pipe.

“What about Rabban?” Feyd said, gesturing to his brother.

“Because I’m going to make you Emperor. And the future Emperor needs an heir.” the Baron said, dismissing his eldest nephew. “He embarrassed this house. You need to restore House Harkonnen to its full glory. Full fear. So you will marry and you will do so without quarrel.” the Baron said without room for further question.

Feyd sighed. He shouldn’t be complaining, he really shouldn’t. Emperor - he could be the most powerful man in the Emperium. And whoever he would be married to would be Empress and would fill their days with something or the other. He would never have to see you if he were the Emperor. “Fine… find me a wife worthy of being my Empress.” Feyd said to him before walking away. 

And oh did he. The Baron only sought out the most savage houses. Honorable but bloodthirsty just like the Harkonnens. He has to find someone Feyd couldn’t break. And so, he found you. The sole heir to House Cruor. A planet shrouded in darkness with only a red supergiant star bathing their planet in ominous red light. House Cruor was brutal. Their battle strategies, their fearlessness, their desire for power. It was a match made in hell. Even better, House Cruor were the last of the Sanguines; a powerful race that had once practiced blood magic. Their ways were unknown to the universe, similar to the Bene Gesserit, but they were incredibly strong, incredibly alluring, and incredibly ruthless. The Baron chose well.

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Feyd’s hand twitched, going to move some hair from your face. You instantly had the ruffles of your long sleeve drawn together and pointed at his throat, your fingernails coming up to defend yourself further. The sharp ends of each ruffle coming together made for several tiny daggers pointed at him, and your nails were more like claws. He retracted his hand slowly, once it was back at his side you retracted your dress and nails as well. 

“This is who you picked for me?” Feyd asked, looking at the Baron and the Reverend Mother, “She can’t even talk.” He said looking at you, unimpressed. 

“SPEAK.” Reverend Mother ordered you, using the Voice.

You smiled coldly at her after a moment of deafening silence. Feyd’s breath caught in his throat, he had never seen someone be unaffected by the Voice. 

“She’s some kind of monster…” you heard one of the maids whisper from the corner of the room.

Your hand shot out moving in strange, hypnotic ways. The maid had no control over herself, she walked to stand in front of you before you forced her to her knees. The blood magic Feyd had read up on briefly before you arrived, could this be it? You kept your hand down, your powers gripped every molecule of her blood, bending her to your will. 

“A monster? If I am a monster I would speak more softly. Monsters are dangerous. Ill tempered.” you said before raising her up so her feet hovered just above the cold stone floor. 

The maids eyes held fear, tears streaming down her face as she waited for you to do something. For the first time, Feyd saw a brief smile grace your lips. Two fangs; a much desired Sanguine feature that had faded from the genetic line slowly. Yet you were graciously bestowed with them. Your smile faded before you tossed the girl to the side dismissively. You turned your attention back to Feyd who was looking at you with a heated gaze. A hungry one. 

“She can talk. When she wants to.” you said to him with venom in your tone. 

All Feyd did was smirk. You weren’t weak like he expected. He was going to have so much fun figuring out how you worked. You bowed your head to the Baron and a still stunned Reverend Mother. You were already proving difficult to control. They both needed you on their side, yet Feyd wanted you on his. You moved to leave the Great Hall, all the sharp metal bits of your gown dragged along the stone floor. Your maids followed behind you swiftly.

“Already holding knives to you… this will be a prosperous marriage indeed.” chuckled the Baron as he looked at Feyd.

Feyd’s eyes remained on the corridor, watching your frame get smaller and smaller as you walked away. 

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Naboo's Note:

Did someone say cliffhanger to a possible series? No? Just me... well here it is guys and gals and nonbinary pals - SPACE VAMPIRES because the only thing sexier than aliens is vampires. That's a hill i'm willing to die on. Vampires are just unmatched. ANYWAYS - I love how this started so I will try to keep up with this but this will def be continued so look out for it! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO thank you for all the support!!!

[azukiel]

Nightfall Heir Chapter 9

🔞 MDNI 🔞 NSFW

Warnings (as a whole): Explicit sexual content, Graphic descriptions of violence, PTSD, Angst, Blood kink, Kidnapping, Pregnancy and Childbirth

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

⭐Here is the story on Archive of Our Own ⭐

Summary: Two years have passed since the events surrounding the destruction of the Absolute. Baldur's Gate is slowly rebuilding itself from the rubble, and you and your companions have established yourselves within the city to help in its restoration.

You and your vampiric lover, Astarion, had been nigh inseparable since coming back together. Yet a certain turn of events saw to your kidnapping and then... to your unexpected pregnancy.

🔥Comments and reblogs are much appreciated! 🔥

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It was almost dawn by the time Astarion and the others returned to the house. Of which day, though, you were not to know. You had been still slipping in and out of consciousness. Halsin put you into a deeper, more restful slumber so that your dreams would not torment you and you could heal better.

Astarion and the others were visibly exhausted as they stumbled in through the front door, their armour dripping with sweat and copious amounts of sanguine fluids. The others in the group, however, looked paler than the vampiric-elf himself.

“What happened? Are you all ok?” Shadowheart’s voice was full of worry.

Gale nodded, his hands were still trembling. “Our bodies are unscathed, mostly. But... it is going to take a while longer to erase what happened from our minds.”

Shadowheart and Halsin looked at them, confused. Astarion’s gaze was austere and brooding.

“Carnage. Pure, bloody fucking carnage!” Karlach piped up then, her voice rather one of excitement, as she was still giddy from the event.

“Honestly, Astarion,” Lae’zel continued, a somewhat proud look on her face, “I knew all had reason to fear you, but this night truly emphasized that fact.”

“They had it coming.” Was all Astarion replied as he looked over at you, his eyes drooping with a deep anguish.

“How is she?” His voice came out small, almost meek.

Halsin looked sympathetically back at him. He put his hand on his younger counterpart’s shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to calm his nerves. “As well as could be expected. She should recover.”

Astarion’s breath escaped him, and tears began to cascade down his pale features, streaking rivulets through the caked blood and grime on his face. The others looked at each other knowingly before looking back at Astarion, their eyes full of sympathy and understanding.

“We will go to barracks and clean up there.” Wyll spoke once more. “We will return later, after we’ve all had some rest and recuperation.”

Halsin nodded in agreement to Wyll’s suggestion, and as they all filed back out the door, they either patted Astarion on the back or shoulder in reassurance, showing their understanding.

“We already bathed here. I hope you do not mind.” Shadowheart spoke up after a few moments when Wyll, Karlach, Gale, and Lae’zel had left.

“No..no, of course not.” Astarion smiled faintly, attempting some form of decorum. Yet, he could not help but sob within his attempts to remain composed.

“It is alright to weep, my friend.” Halsin patted him on the shoulder again. “It’s healthier to let it out than to keep it all pent up inside.”

“I know...” Astarion seemed more frustrated by himself than anything. “We could not find her...” His teeth gritted as flashes of what had occurred that night flooded his mind.

“Who, Astarion?”

“Faceless.” His tone was bitter, angered and frustrated as he balled his hands at his sides. “She escaped... that fucking murderous bitch escaped... left the remnants of her coven to meet my blades. And meet my blades, they did. I gorged on their blood and left their innards sprawled along the walls and their limbs strewn along the floors. Faceless will have nothing but the entrails of her comrades to return to. And when she returns, I will hunt her. I will hunt her to the ends of Faerûn and rip her fucking throat out.”

With each spoken word, his anger only intensified. Shadowheart put her hand upon his arm to calm his ever-growing ire. The tears only cascaded faster down his cheeks then, creating muddy paths from their mingling with the crimson life force of the fallen.

“She will pay, my friend,” she tried to soothe him, yet even her voice shook with rage. “But now you must clean yourself up and get some rest. I am sure Tav will recover quicker with you close to her.”

Astarion wiped his wet face roughly, not bothering to address his utter shame at his outbursts. In a way, he found it almost relieving that his companions saw his weaknesses and felt them as he did. After all, they had been through countless trials together. He knew their allegiance would never wane. That thought alone caused his sobs to abate and gave way to some semblance of peace.

“Indeed,” Halsin concurred. “Rest yourself for now. Shadowheart and I shall rest soon after.”

Astarion nodded. “The guest rooms are at your disposal. And thank you. Thank you both for everything you have done for her. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Repayment is not needed. It’s what friends are for.” Halsin responded with a kind smile.

“Exactly.” Shadowheart reiterated. “You both would not hesitate to do the same for any of us.”

Astarion flushed through the blood and grime that streaked his porcelain features. “Indeed, we would. Now please, go rest. I will wash up and take vigil over her.”

Halsin nodded in agreement as he stifled a yawn. Looking out the doors of your balcony, he could see the hint of sun coming over the horizon.

“Lathander is bringing upon a new day, Astarion. Did you happen to find her ring?”

Astarion’s tired eyes shot open in remembrance. Shoving his hand in under his leather Drow armour, he bought out the ring... still attached to a rather pointed finger. Halsin and Shadowheart’s mouths dropped agape.

Astarion pulled the ring off the finger and stared at the finger with disgust.

“I was able to cut it off the bitch’s hand before she escaped,” he explained. Taking a deep waft of the finger’s scent, he promptly threw it out the open door with such force it flew far enough to fall into the river, which flowed at the far end of the garden.

“Now I will remember the cunt’s scent. I will hunt her down and destroy her if it is the last thing I do.” His face once more filled with rage and resolve, causing Halsin to look at Shadowheart with a concerned expression. They knew Astarion would keep to his word. He was resolute and stubborn like that. Alas, Astarion now, of all times, needed to be re-centered, especially now that you, his beloved, were with child.

“Astarion,” Halsin began calmly, “go and clean yourself up. When you’re done, you and I need to have a talk.”

Astarion’s expression turned to one of confusion then, but he did not question the Archdruid’s command, and went to do what he was told.

When he returned after a while, Shadowheart was now downstairs in one of the guestrooms asleep, and Halsin was sitting on the chair he had brought into the main bedroom, watching you as you slept. Upon entering the room, Halsin looked up at him with a tired but warm smile.

“Take a seat,” he motioned to the side of the bed. Astarion did so, looking down at you for a moment before he refocussed his attention on the much bigger elf.

Halsin leaned forward and gently placed the palm of his hand on your stomach, and this time, Astarion noted his action.

He squinted slightly as he spoke, “What... what are you doing?” Astarion asked, confused.

Halsin smiled broadly this time, making Astarion suddenly grow uneasy at his obvious joy.

“My hand is not merely upon her stomach...” the druid began, smiling calmly.

Astarion blinked hard, still very befuddled. “Speak plainly, Halsin,” he demanded, a slight frown knotting his brow.

Halsin tilted his head for a moment before answering. “There is something you need to know about Tav, something she was not aware of, or too shocked and afraid to tell you.”

Astarion’s mind had churned rapidly, all of Halsin’s words spinning into a chaotic clutter in his head.

“Is she dying, Halsin?! Is that what you are telling me?”

Halsin could not help but chuckle softly at Astarion’s conclusion.

“No, my dear friend,” he reassured. “She is quite the contrary.”

Astarion blinked hard again. “What, Halsin?! What in the Nine Hells is it?”

“She is with child.”

Astarion just stared at Halsin in pure and utter disbelief, and Halsin kept a level and sympathetic gaze with him as the news settled upon Astarion’s fraying senses.

“How is that... that possible? I’m technically... dead!”

“Undead.” Halsin corrected with a grin. “But undead can procreate when coupled with life.”

“Wh... what?” Astarion stuttered, his eyes wide and still clouded with confusion.

“Dhampir.” Halsin stated.

Astarion’s lip drooped as he continued to look blankly, the words not yet settling in his tired mind.

Halsin cupped Astarion’s shaking hand with his large palm and guided his hand to the very tiny bump of your abdomen, leaving Astarion’s cold fingers resting gently there.

“Close your eyes, my friend. Let me guide you.”

Astarion complied with Halsin’s request. As instructed, his eyelids fluttered closed.

“Focus all of your senses on her. Feel every sensation within reach. Close yours around your little babe here inside; let nothing else distract from their presence.”

It was barely perceptible, but to a vampire’s keen wits and the help of Halsin’s magic, the ever-so-faint essence of a new soul graced Astarion’s senses. His eyes shot open, his mouth fell slightly agape. How had he not sensed this before? Had he been so wrapped up with his carnal pleasures with you for him to have noticed? Then why had he not noticed during normal times? Surely he had not been that distracted?

“Now the real work begins, my friend.” Halsin grinned.

Astarion snapped back to reality, the daze within him beginning to lift. His face still looked stunned, like an anvil had slammed into his forehead. Were those tears he could feel stinging the corner of his eyes?

“What exactly are you insinuating?” Astarion queried hesitantly, afraid of what Halsin may reply, feeling nervous about whatever news the Archdruid was about to relay to him. Astarion knew almost nothing of children, childbirth, or even child-rearing. Whatever little he had learnt was from all your previous interactions with them back in camp and at the new orphanage Halsin had established in what were the old Shadowlands - now Lightlands - as Halsin had nicknamed it. But babies? No. Absolutely nothing. Though contemplating, or perhaps lamenting at the inability to have children with you had crossed his mind on more than one occasion.

“Besides hunting down and destroying that woman that haunts us all... you will have to be the spearhead that guides and supports Tavrin through the emotional and bodily changes she will experience with her pregnancy and then the pains of childbirth, for her sake, and the safety of the babe’s.”

Halsin’s words came down like a sledgehammer. Astarion’s jaw clenched immediately. He suddenly found himself dumbfounded, his speech almost robbed by the notion of becoming a parent. Him, a parent?

He looked between your sleeping form and Halsin, who was now eyeing him inquisitively.

“Is...is this real? There’s absolutely no mistake?”

Halsin sighed and his jaw tensed. “Of course, this is no mistake, Astarion. You are going to be a father.”

“Me?” Astarion’s voice quivered coarsely.

Halsin chuckled. “Of course, you. Who else?”

Astarion then eyed the Archdruid, causing the bear of an elf to blush and clear his throat.

“My friend, the three of us have not continued our secret tryst in quite some time. Of course you are the father. Tav would have it no other way.”

“I...am going to be a father...” The words rolled out of Astarion’s lips as easily as the salt of his tears that now rolled down his cheeks. He broke into a bright and joyful smile as the tears kept flowing. Leaning over, Astarion embraced Halsin tightly, making the larger man blush furiously. But he did not repel from the embrace, but rather relished in it. He cared deeply for the both of you, and perhaps missed the naughty nights the three of you spent with each other on the odd occasion. Halsin hoped, truly, that you would find yourselves living in peace with this child and that Faceless would no longer hound you and continue to threaten the happiness you two had built together. But the threat she still posed lingered darkly in all your minds.

Both pulling away gently, Astarion wiped his dampened eyes with his sleeve. “I’m still having a hard time believing it. I mean, I do now but... everything I had learnt about vampirism and my kind, which was very little, came from Cazador. He ensured the shroud was kept pulled well over our eyes. Being undead and all, I thought it would be impossible for us to conceive children. I now stand corrected.”

Halsin nodded, relieved that he was gradually opening up about it.

“There is one thing I know, though.” Halsin began. “Only true vampires are able to conceive with other humanoid creatures, and now that Cazador is out of the picture, well, technically, you are now a true vampire.”

Astarion pondered on Halsin’s words for a moment. “You are right...”

“Have you and Tavrin discussed offspring at all before, by any chance?” Halsin smiled softly. “Even briefly?”

“No...” Astarion paused for a moment, gazing tenderly at the smooth features of your bruised and battered face, “But honestly... it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion.”

“This can only mean one thing,” Halsin deduced as he shifted to take hold of Astarion’s chin, forcing him to avert his loving gaze away from your body to meet his. “The gods have spoken.” Halsin let go of him, a mischievous grin slipping across his broad chin.

Astarion could not help but chuckle. “I did not take you for being the teasing type, Halsin.”

“I guess the children’s humour has rubbed off on me,” he laughed as he referred to the many children that were keeping Thaniel and Oliver company back at the orphanage. “And soon there will be the pitter-patter of a little Astarion and Tavrin running around! Gods be willing, perhaps many pitter-patters of tiny feet to fill your new home!”

Astarion sat back and blinked. “Multiple offspring?”

“If you both remain busy.” Halsin teased further.

Astarion gulped. “Ah.. well, then I hope I shall live to see these ‘pitter-pattering of feet’, as you put it.”

Halsin laughed and clapped Astarion across the back jovially. “Don’t be so forlorn, my friend. All will be well with us watching over each other.”

“I know. It’s just that... I’m still reeling from all that has happened and now with this bombshell... I don’t know what to think. But I have to thank you again, Halsin, for everything. I have to thank all of you, to be honest, but you especially. I never would have thought I would have bonded with a bear of a druid so well.” He laughed at the motion, causing Halsin himself to chuckle.

“And me being a disciple of the Oak-father, never would have thought I would have coupled with an undead and a drow from the Underdark, for that matter, but here we are!”

Astarion went silent and looked thoughtfully towards his love. “Speaking of couplings...” Astarion trailed off. “Would you endure one more favour for me?”

Halsin blinked. “Oh?” He looked at Astarion curiously, his own heart beginning to pound in his chest. “A-another threesome?”

Astarion chuckled cheekily, shaking his head in amusement. “Well, I would not say no to that, but we must wait to see what our beloved Tav has to say.” His eyes narrowed on Halsin, and his grin turned salacious. “Though I am sure she would not abhor the thought. The nights the three of us have spent fucking till the morning birds sang sure were deliciously fun.”

Halsin felt his cheeks heat at the memories. They had been, indeed.

“But that is a favour for perhaps another time,” Astarion continued, his tone becoming more serious once again.

“All this cultist blood I gorged on has made me feel somewhat sick to the stomach. My palette needs cleansing and well,” he looked back down at you. “With Tav in such a state, obviously I cannot feed from her...”

“You want to feed from me?” Halsin raised a thick eyebrow.

“Only for a few moments. Just enough to get this foul blood flushed through my system and to curb the worst of my hunger. And well, with our history of the three of us... I thought perhaps you might be willing to share just a little of your healing with me?”

Halsin’s smile then took Astarion aback. He was not expecting the Archdruid to actually agree.

“As a druid, it is my duty to regenerate life. If I can give you life anew, then I will do so by whatever means necessary, my friend.”

“I never would have imagined the Oak-father to endorse such decadence between us...” Astarion started, unable to hide his amusement, yet his voice turned grave. “That is, if he actually does, of course. Not like I care, but you…”

Halsin drew Astarion in close then, much to the vampiric-elf’s shock. He pulled away just far enough to stare Astarion in his faint crimson eyes.

“Life is life, Astarion,” he murmured, a low growl entering his voice. “To celebrate giving life in whatever form one might encounter should be reason enough to bring a smile to anyone’s lips.”

The fire in Halsin’s voice stirred both fear and lust in Astarion. Yes, the three of you had some... heated interactions in the past, but this time... something felt different. Was it perhaps the emotions stirred from discovering about the unborn child, or was it merely because Halsin and his power were both desirable and dangerous and incredibly alluring, or a bit of everything, really? Either way, his cock was starting to feel tight.

Halsin placed his finger firmly beneath Astarion’s chin. “Tavrin is fast asleep and well,” his finger left his chin then and traced a trail along your elegant jaw.

His voice dropped to a seductive whisper. “As the Oak-father made me a protector and a healer of the woodlands, it would be an absolute sin not to bless your carnal thirst with my own essence of life.”

Astarion squirmed in his spot and gripped his thighs tightly. That sentence alone was enough to make him grow fully hard beneath his leather trousers. Halsin, knowingly, grinned.

“That will have to wait until Tav gives us all permission, if she has the will or needs to do so,” he added as he looked at Astarion’s growing arousal.

Halsin looked away then, pushing down his own growing lust that he felt towards you both. He could not help but reminisce on the beauty of you taking hold of him, and the desire to embrace you again as he had the past times the three of you were in bed together. He could not help but shiver at the desire to have Astarion covet him with affections once more. The three of you in a sweaty, tangled mess, riding each other into oblivion, moaning and crying your praises of each other. How his mind wanted him to believe it could happen then, but with your safety a constant priority, and you currently teetering between the Abyss and the divine, Halsin would not break his promise to the Woodland Whisperer to look after you and the child within your womb first.

Astarion nodded, and a sudden guilt gripped him. “I won’t feed from you without her permission, despite my own predicament right now.” He looked down at his hardened member as it pressed against its trappings, and his brow furrowed. “I do not want to betray her. I would never...”

“I understand your sentiments,” Halsin reassured gently.

“Though I must remind you rather amusingly that it was her who initiated our little... understanding.”

Astarion could not help but chuckle then. He could remember it well. “Oh trust me, I know. And I’ll have you know, that of all of you that had tried to woo her and get into her panties at one point or another, which is all of you to be honest, you are the only one I was willing to accept aside from myself, of course.”

Halsin laughed jovially. “And I am honoured, my friend.” He glanced down again at Astarion’s tented crotch pressing up painfully under those tight leather pants. He fought his continued urges to ease the Elven vampire out of his troubles.

“Now, I think we all need to sleep,” he began, once more pushing such lurid thoughts from his mind. “Put the Eclipsed Radiance back on her finger lest you lose it and then get some rest. We can all talk again after we’ve rested enough.”

“Yes, of course.” Astarion cleared his throat as he took the ring from his clean shirt pocket and slipped it back onto your ring finger. As he did so, Halsin had stood to close the doors and curtains.

“Sleep well, Astarion.” The bear of a druid squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “And remember, all will be well.”

Astarion nodded. “Thank you again, Halsin, for everything. I owe you all a great debt.”

Halsin smiled gently. “You owe us nothing, my friend.” And with those words, he left your bedroom, closing the door behind him gently.

Sighing, Astarion slipped under the blankets and curled up beside you, watching your plump chest rise and fall from your breathing. Though your breath was still somewhat laboured, Halsin and Shadowheart’s healing was repairing you slowly. And for that, Astarion was eternally grateful.

Gently, he reached his arm over you to place his hand once more upon your stomach, focussing his senses and energy as Halsin had shown him.

After a few minutes of silence, you inhaled deeply and groaned, but remained in slumber.

Astarion stiffened as your breath rattled against his ears, and his senses focused back on your breathing.

“Just sleep, my dear. Sleep.” His words came out like a gentle plea.

With your steady and comforting breathing resuming, he felt assured that everything was finally calm. As he pressed his chest up against your sleeping form, his face rested gently against yours. Again, he focussed his senses to where his hand rested upon your belly, and a great warmth filled his entire being. He could feel them; the life that grew in you. He could now smell them, too, and tears welled up in his eyes again at the notion that all this was possible. Even though he had considered offspring before, he had never thought to bring it up to you, as he had always thought it impossible. You yourself had never mentioned children, either. Perhaps the both of you were too afraid or embarrassed to discuss it.

But it was real now, and his happiness swelled in his chest and he smiled at you sleeping beside him. If you would let him, he would love nothing more than to father more children with you one day. How he would manage running around with a gaggle of mini versions of you and himself he could not quite comprehend yet, but if it was with you, then he would manage. And with that thought lingering on his drowsy mind, he would strive to be the best father and partner that he could be.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1955 Chevrolet 210

TECH CHECK Owner: Eric Mead, Evansville, Indiana Vehicle: ’55 Chevrolet 210

Engine Type: BluePrint Engines Chevrolet LS3 Displacement: 376 ci Compression Ratio: 10.7:1 Bore: 4.070 inches Stroke: 3.622 inches Cylinder Heads: BluePrint Engines aluminum Camshaft: BluePrint Engines hydraulic roller (0.612/0.585-inch lift, 225/238 deg. duration) Ignition: E38 Engine PCM Assembly: BluePrint Engines Exhaust: Church Boys Racing by Stainless Works 1-7/8-inch primaries to 3-inch collector and 2.5-inch stainless pipes bent by Dave Favor’s Performance Exhaust, MagnaFlow Mufflers Ancillaries: Holley mid-mount accessory drive, PRC radiator and core support, SPAL Fans Output: 530 hp at 6,100 rpm, 508 lb-ft at 5,200 rpm

Drivetrain Transmission: ’99 GM 4L80E Automatic with TransGo valvebody kit prepared by Wathen’s Transmission (Owensboro, KY) Torque Converter: FTI Billet 3,200 stall Driveshaft: Driveline Plus Rear Axle: Strange Engineering 9-inch with Truetrac differential, 3.70 gears, 35-spline axles

Chassis Chassis: Roadster Shop SPEC Front Suspension: Strange single-adjustable coilovers, stabilizer bar Rear Suspension: Strange single-adjustable coilovers, parallel four-link, Panhard bar Brakes: Baer four-wheel disc, 12-inch front rotors with four-piston calipers, 11-inch rear rotors with four-piston calipers, Baer Remaster master cylinder

Wheels & Tires Wheels: Bogart Racing Wheels D-5; 17×4.5 front with 2.25-inch backspace, 15×10 rear with 5.5-inch backspace Tires: Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R front, 26×6.00R17; Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S rear, 295/55R15

Interior Upholstery: Holtsclaw Custom Upholstery (Francisco, IN) Carpet: Cars Inc. black loop carpet Seats: Original bench seat with black-and-white vinyl Delray pattern Steering: Summit steering column with Eddie Motorsports steering wheel Shifter: Lokar Dash: Original Instrumentation: Dakota Digital VHX HVAC: Vintage Air Wiring: American Autowire by Andy’s Hot Rod Shop (Mulkeytown, IL)

Exterior Bodywork and Paint: Reisinger Custom Rebuilding (Evansville, IN) and Andy’s Hot Rod Shop Paint: Sateen Silver/white by James Smith of Road Runner Restorations (Johnston City, IL) Hood: Stock Grille: Danchuk Bumpers: Danchuk Glass: Auto City Classics Fuel Tank: 15.5-gallon Tanks Inc. galvanized powedercoated silver

[phen397]

Sonic Adventure 2 but told as notes I took while playing

OK here we go

Big game for the series

Not sure if this game has multiple story modes like in sonic adventure

But let's get into this

It has the same like 15 seconds of live and learn looped for the title and select screens

And OK

2 stories hero and dark

Let's start on the hero side

Above the capital

Sigma alpha

Captured hedgehog secured

WHAT IN THE WORLD

No food or movies gotta dip

I am sure that part of the helicopter isn't important

Skydiving now

With a snowboard

First stage city escape time to board down the city streets

Sick tricks off ramps

Fuck dem cars

Escape from the city indeed

Also got the song playing too*chef's kiss*

Done with boarding time to run

Oh God it's Omochao

Burn him

Break the boxes

Weird pipe?

Whistle

Oh hello raccoon friend

Jump scare robot

Got coloured tubes

Can use them to raise Chao

Run down the streets this time

Chao box

Got Chao key

U mean to tell me you are gonna hide secrets from me

Oh oh

You got me

Rabbit was hiding in corner

Got so much stuff it is falling off the screen

Is that bad?

Is it gone?

Where does it go?

Song still going hard af

Only now get told how to do a homing attack

Oh God Oh shit

Gun got a whole truck after me

BIG NO!

Big got crushed!

I will get you gun I will avenge you cat man

End of level

Def missed some stuff

E rank OOF

one sonic thing

Chao world

Welcome

Is this in space?

Who made this(lore)?

Ah yes the gate to Chao space

Spit out all the tubes

Next level

Boring game of tag

Boss time

F-6t Big Foot

What did I do?

Why all this effort for little old me

Avoid the flying shooter

Hit em when he lands

Boss done

"Hey guy take care"

What?

Oh hi shadow

Ultimate power jewel

Chaos emerald

What he want with it

Fake hedgehog

Chaos controll

Fast boi

Uses the emerald to warp

Ultimate life form has no time for games

Not again

Ah yes desert area

Rouge and knuckles at it again

Don't know when to give up

Master emerald is mine got it?

Can neutralize the emeralds

Eggman gets grabby

Knuckles shatters that thing

Look what you did

Can restore the pieces so all good

He says "bat girl" so aggressively

Find 3 pieces

Super chill music

Kinda nice just to explore and fly around

Lots of animals here

Big winds

First piece get

Another pipe to whistle at

Lonely statue looks Lonely

Thanks omachao

I got a dragon from the Chao box

Got a bomb

Got the last one and got squished at the same time

Chao time

Egg

Egg

Egg

Shake da egg

Rise my child

Oh

They steal traits from the animals

Oh they stack

Time to make an abomination

Waterfall cave

Chao cult?

Oh

Races

Enter the abomination

Crab pool sure

Level 1

Cheer them on

They are babies

Ah there are the crabs

These other Chao can swim

Got wrecked

OK maybe later

Prison island time

MY BOI

Tails time baby

Secret military base

Sonic would never rob a bank

Oh hi Amy

Amy needs help

Transformers (more than meets the eye)

Long load screen got me scared

Mech fight

Egg dead

Won't be so lucky this time

Ba ba ba bya byyyaaa

Amy here for sonic too

Tails got this shit

Tails needs no lady

Lots of robros

Lots of tubes

Big is trapped In a cell

What did he do

Free my man

Get him his frog

Sneaky bots

Level done

Gonna stop for now

See ya for the next one

[aptericia]

I commissioned @sazuka57 for these WONDERFUL pixel sprites of Shang Bu-Huan and Lin Xue-Ya from Thunderbolt Fantasy in the style of the Octopath Traveler series!

A while back, I had created information for them as if they were NPCs in OT2 (season 3 of tbf introduces interdimensional travel, after all!), and I was considering posting them when I decided I really wanted some visuals too. Sazuka did a spectacular job with them (their poses?? all the details on their incredibly complicated outfits?? aaaaah) and was super friendly and easy to work with!

Info below the cut:

Traveling Swordsman (Shang Bu-Huan)

Strength: 10

Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (1-3 highly powerful sword attacks on all foes), Qi Punch (strong physical attack, chance to lower opponent’s physical defense), Qi Healing (restore a small amount of HP to a single ally and remove their status ailments), Attack (Sword)

Information:

Age: 46 Details: After making one too many enemies in his home country, he fled with the intent to rid himself of his burdens. Unfortunately for him, he has so far only managed to acquire even more burdens, such as the enigmatic young man who followed him to Solista. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Formless Sword (Sword; Phys. Atk +1, Speed +45, Evasion +45) Umbrella (fetches a modest price if sold)

Summon (x4):

Business Partners: Lucky Break (Have a 1% chance to receive purchases for free) Dance Session: Gentle Rhythm (Restore a small amount of HP to the target)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Dagger, Bow, Ice, Wind Shields: 7 Item Drop: Fool's Leaf Learned Skills: Formless Rogue Sword (consume all your SP, then unleash a sword attack on all foes proportional to the amount of SP consumed)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 40 Guide: Lv. 65 Challenge: Lv. 30 Befriend: Stone-Roasted Rice x15 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x1 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $65,000 Coerce: 5 shields Bribe: $5,000

Mysterious Man (Lin Xue-Ya)

Strength: 10

Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe’s next 2 physical attacks to miss), Smoke Pipe (Confuse a single foe for 5-7 turns), Empoison, Panacea

Information:

Age: unknown Details: Pretends to be a humble traveler, or whatever other role suits the occasion, but in reality is a master thief known as the “Enigmatic Gale”. Switching from villain to hero at the drop of a hat, his true intentions are impossible to know. He came from a faraway land in pursuit of a certain swordsman he has taken an interest in. Information Gleaned: None

Items:

Bottle of Befuddling Dust Herb Elixir Revitalizing Jam Herb of Serenity

Summon (x3):

Business Partners: Silver Tongue (Receive 20% off purchases) Dance Session: Bewildering Ballad (Cause a curious effect to occur 1 time)

Battle:

Weaknesses: Staff, Dark Shields: 5 Item Drop: Refreshing Jam Learned Skills: Misty Veil (cause a single foe's next 1/2/3/4 physical attacks to miss) (20 SP)

Path actions:

Inquire: Lv. 20 Guide: Lv. 30 Challenge: Lv. 40 Befriend: Octopath Bowl x3 Soothe: Herb of Serenity x3 Ambush: Lv. 60 Hire: $30,000 Coerce: 6 shields Bribe: $3,000

[deedah]

Murder Drones ep. 8 Extensions

((@kit-kat-jo you asked to be mention :3))

((THIS IS VERY LENGTHY)) 

Time- (before the episode even starts or really at the end of ep. 7, so ya! Imma put the ep. 7 time) 24:40

[ FnFcLOAD//: N_POV ]

    N stood up as he used his sword to help him balance since his leg was taken by the tentacles in Cyn’s pit as the shave ship keys jangled. He looked up at Uzi who had now displayed the message- “DIE MAD” on her screen as she activated her Solver once more.     N stood up as he used his sword to help him balance since his leg was taken by the tentacles in Cyn’s pit as the shave ship keys jangled. He looked up at Uzi who had now displayed the message- “DIE MAD” on her screen as she activated her Solver once more.

    But, this time.. Uzi had used her Solver on N. Uzi shoved N out of the church as he spun in the air and hit his head on the stairs until he fell on the hard, rock floor.

    He got up in enough time to see Uzi give him one last look before she was grabbed by more tentacles and yanked into the pit.

    “UZI!!” N’s voice yelled as he tried to stand up, but fail due to his leg not regrowing back yet.

    “No no no NO NO!!!” He screamed as he pumped the ground with his clawed hands.

    He lost  V.. then Uzi?!? WHAT MORE WAS CYN GOING TO TAKE FROM HIM?!

    He then looked at the keys and stared at them in his hand as he started to almost have a panic attack as memories of him and Uzi flooded his head.

    He then looked up at the gaping hole in the top of the cave where the beam of light from Cyn’s pit had cut out.

    He had a straight shot out.

    That’s when he saw a beam of green light go across the hole. He recognized that light..

    That light took his head off when Uzi had first met him..

    That light was Uzi’s railgun.

    Without a moment's hesitation, N stood up and spread his wings as he took off out of the hole as he hoped and prayed that Uzi was somehow up on the surface even thought she..

    Don’t think like that N!! His mind screamed as the morning daylight hit him in the face like a bullet.

He looked around frantically to see Uzi or V.. even though he didn’t see them two, he saw 3 workers and a certain disassembly fight their butts off in one of if not the most epic battle that N had seen. (Other than him fighting Cyn in Uzi)

Time- (still ep. 7 btw!) 23:58

[ FnFcLOAD//: J_POV ]

    J pointed her gun at the worker with pink eyes as they also pointed that stupid railgun and pulled the trigger. J pushed her body away from the green ray of light that had already killed her once.

    Once J got back on her feet. She saw the pink worker and was about to shoot her gun at her until she felt a metal pipe hit her in the back of the head, super hard.

    J fell right on her face on the cold, hard ice near the opening hole to the labs that C- no.. Tessa went in with N, V and the emo grape.

    “Hah!” The green worker said as the pink one came up to fist bump them.

    J lifted her head up as she grabbed it with her hand. She groaned as her optics were restored. She looked up to see the old white worker hunched over near her face as he had a stern look on his face.

    He also had a green lit gun, but it wasn't like the emo grapes. 

    “I’ll only ask this one time and one time only..” He said as he lifted his finger. “Where is my daughter, Uzi?”

    J got confused why he wanted the grape, but before she could even open her mouth, a disassembly flew out of the pit, crashed and rolled onto the hard ice, and layed down for a while as they’d tried to pick themselves up.

    And J saw who it was.. N.. unfortunately..!

    “N!” The green worker yelled at him and the pink one ran over to check on N. Even the old worker turned around and ran to him as well.

    J slowly got up as she noticed that one of her headband eyes was broken and was leaking oil on her face.

    She walked a bit closer to N and the workers as she kept her distance, but still put a stern look on her face.

    “Are you ok, man?” The green worker said as all three scrawny drones helped up the useless disassembly.

    N groaned. “I’m fine..” he looked at what he was holding in his hand, and J noticed what it was.

    “Excuse me!” She snapped as she shoved the green worker away from the front of N.  “ Pretty sure that those are mine-!” She tried to snatch the keys from his hands, only for N to jerk them away and for him to switch out one of his hands for a gun and point it to J.

    “N..” she said with disbelief as she looked into his cold, dead eyes. She had never seen him like this.

    “Listen J!” He yelled as J backed away, “I have been through more..” he paused, “Crap! Than you have in your little life!” He started to explain, “V is dead! Uzi is dead! TESSA IS DEAD! I SAW EVERYONE I LOVE DIE! NO ONE IS left..!” he screamed as he waved the gun around.

    J took in what he said.

    She showed herself..

    “U-Uzi.. is..” the old worker started as he started to shake.

    N walked over to him and bent down in front of him.

    “She sacrificed herself for me.. Cyn was about to kill us..” he explained, “but I will not believe she is dead. That’s why I am taking the spaceship and looking for her.”

    He spread his wings and flew over to the pod as he used the keys to turn it on.

    “N DONT YOU DARE-“ J tried to yell but N took off before she could do anything.

    She kept glaring at the spaceship until a paper covered her visor.

    She angrily pulled it off and read it.

    ‘I owe you 1 spac

                                e

                                 s

                                  h

                                   i

                                    p’ it said with terrible handwriting and a crappy drawing.

Time- (ep. 8 now :3) 9:32

[ FnFcLOAD V_POV ]

    V felt the force of the metal wall hit her back as she turned to look up at J who had a disgusted look on her face.

    “I never needed either of you..” J said as she pointed her rocket launcher at V and shit a rocket at her.

    V was then launched into two walls as she broke through them.

    She was about to get up, until she heard the low voice of Cyn saying “Callback Ping” over and over again.

    She stayed low until the sound was completely gone. As she stood up, her wings retracted into her back. She grabbed her arm and coughed into the air as she heard something hit a wall near her.

    She switched out both her hands for guns as she reached her arms out forward.

    “Cyn!” She yelled out, “come on out you coward!” She took a couple of steps forward into the dark hallway.

    But instead of seeing the yellow eyed creep, she saw two finisher faces that she actually missed.

    “N..?” V said as she lowered her arms and changed them back to her regular hands, “and.. Uzi..?” She took a few steps forward.

    “V..?” N said as all three of them got close to each other.

    N reached out for V, but Uzi pulled him back as she started to speak. “Be careful N.. we don’t know if this is a hologram..” Uzi said as she pulled N behind her and walked up to V.

    Uzi then raised her hand and slapped V on the arm as hard as she could.

    “Ow! What the hell, Doorman?!” V said as she pulled back a bit.”

    “Oh my robo-god..” Uzi said as she stared at V.

    “VEEEHEEHEHEEEE!!!!” N yelled as he ran up and hugged V as he squished Uzi in between the two disassembly’s.

    He spun them around as he kept calling out her name.

    “I AM SO MAD YET HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!” he proclaimed.

    “Let me go N!!” V yelled at him as Uzi also yelled for him to put them down.

    Once he did put them down, Uzi and N started to hold hands. They stayed in a silence that V wanted to stay in forever.

    “U-Uzi.. N.. I wanted to apolo-“ V got cut off as a claw from behind N had absolutely ripped his freakin core out of his chest. The claw pulled him back and threw Uzi back far into the dark hallway where she couldn’t be seen anymore.

    “D-do your job and I leave you and N alone.. Right V..?” Cyn said as she turned her head halfway and smiled mindlessly.

    V gasped and started to take some steps back as she mumbled with a worried tone, “I-I can still..”

    There was a pause, “Bad job! V..!” Cyn said as she did the peace sign, then closed her fingers, and started to chase V with outstretched human hands.

(Ya! That’s all I’m writing. But that’s the places I felt like needed more screen time and for the pace to slow down a bit w/ the pace)

Hope y’all enjoyed it!!!

[staticespace]

Hey, so, this post is by @hualianisms, but for some reason, I can't reblog it right now. *stares at Tumblr suspiciously*

So, I've copy-pasted it. Please go to @hualianisms for the OG post, any updates, and all the colors and stuff.

Here's the post btw

--

verified ways to donate to gaza directly

Donate to a Palestinian family directly:

gazafunds.com - Donate directly to a Palestinian family in urgent need of evacuation, medical treatment, daily necessities or more. Site run by Palestinians, all GFMs verified (full list here). Spotlights 1 stagnant GFM at a time. (*If you can't decide who/where to donate, just go to gazafunds.com & donate to the 1 GFM they show you!)

masterlist of 200+ verified Palestinian families' GFMs: Operation Olive Branch

Help provide tents:

The Sameer Project: Currently providing tents & transport for families in Rafah who urgently need to evacuate to Deir Al Balah. Has a team on the ground in Gaza who have supplied tents to 1% of the displaced population in Rafah. Run by Palestinians. (paypal) (gfm)

@helpgazachildren: Currently helping Palestinians in a refugee camp in Rafah flee the Rafah invasion to Khan Younis. Funds go directly to Hussam, a Palestinian in Rafah who hosts a refugee camp. Funds will cover the cost of tents & transport fuel. Managed by a Palestinian @.fairuzfan. (gfm)

Food:

Care for Gaza: Palestinian charity on the ground in Gaza distributing food, cash, medicine & other essentials to displaced families. Proof of their work found on their Twitter. (paypal) (gfm)

We Feed Gaza: Team of Palestinian volunteers in the heart of Gaza distributing food & water to 344+ families. More details & proof in their gfm. Vetted & promoted by LetsTalkPalestine on IG. (gfm)

Direct Aid for Gaza: A Palestinian activist on the ground in Gaza distributing food, cash & other essential supplies to displaced families. Proof of their work found on their twitter. (paypal) (gfm)

Water (*urgent and crucial!)

Gaza Municipality: The official Municipality of Gaza is doing vital, life-saving work to rebuild the water pipes in Gaza City to restore access to clean water & waste management services for the people of Gaza.

eSIMs (highly needed):

guide to buy & send esims to gaza

Crips for eSims for Gaza: donate any amount to this team of volunteers who pool funds to buy & maintain gaza esims regularly (see their financial accountability document).

Medical Aid:

Gaza Wound Care (urgent): Palestinian doctors in central Gaza treating injured/sick children & mothers in neglected displacement camps far from hospitals. Facing a severe shortage of medicines, equipment, and medical supplies. Currently raising funds to support their efforts to battle infectious diseases in refugee camps. (gfm) (paypal) (gogetfunding)

international charities: Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestine Children's Relief Fund, Medical Aid for Palestinians

How to help if you can't donate:

Share & amplify Palestinian fundraisers in your irl & online circles

Organize or help to run an online/irl event to raise funds for Palestine

Boycott

Get involved with a protest/strike/direct action in your area

Contact your reps

Educate yourself & others both irl & online

Daily clicks on Arab.org

(you can even adopt 1 fundraiser campaign to regularly boost it & make materials promoting it online, or print posters/flyers about Palestinian fundraisers to encourage others to donate. (poster/graphic about gazafunds.com: here, flyers about esims: here, flyers about gazafamilyfunds: here)

(longer masterpost of all ways you can help)

updated 3/6/2024 with Gaza Wound Care & We Feed Gaza. I wanted to focus on Palestinian-run grassroots initiatives that will actually reach Gazans on the ground, so all of these except eSIMs, PCRF, MAP are by Palestinians. i have verified them but please feel free to do your own vets for your peace of mind.

Remember small donations really do add up. Any amount counts, even $1!

[vintagelasvegas]

Spring Mountain Ranch, 1970

The springs of this ranch area made it one of the oldest settlements Las Vegas Valley by Native Americans. By the 1830s it had become a campsite for Euro-American explorers using the Spanish Trail.

Sgt. James B. Wilson and George Anderson established Sand Stone Ranch here in 1876. Their heirs operated the ranch for decades. It was also called Wilson Ranch. On the night of 1/17/42 a rancher in the area witnessed an airplane, "passing over in the twilight … the tail was bobbing up and down and otherwise acting in a peculiar manner." The plane crashed and killed Carole Lombard and 21 others. Tweed Wilson, grandson of the ranch founder, was among the guides who led the search party to the crash site.

Chet Lauck bought the property in '48. He built the ranch house from sandstone and redwood, and renamed it Bar Nothing Ranch.

German Baroness Vera Krupp bought the ranch in '55, expanded, added the pool, and changed the name to Spring Mountain Ranch. Here on a night in '59 she was tied with wire and robbed of a 33-carat diamond. It was next owned by Howard Hughes, who never came to the ranch.

In '72 California auto dealers Fletcher Jones and William Murphy bought the 520 acre ranch from Hughes Tool Co. and announced plans to building a housing community that would support 2000 people. The proposal was defeated by the Nevada Open Space Council and Red Rock Advisory Committee.

The property was sold to the State of Nevada, along with 80 acres at Pine Creek and rights to 52 springs in the valley and surrounding mountains. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park was established in '73. Under the original name Sand Stone Ranch it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, 4/2/76.

Many of the buildings on the property have been renovated and restored including the sandstone cabins, blacksmith shop, outhouse and the hay and horse barn. Interior improvements were made throughout the ranch house. The above ground irrigation pipes were replaced with underground irrigation and trails were built for the park itself.

Photos: (1, 2) by Vernon Merritt, LIFE magazine. (3) Undated, Howard Hughes Professional and Aeronautical Photographs (PH-00321), UNLV Special Collections.

Saving Spring Mountain Ranch: A baroness, a billionaire, an enchanted escape, and the preservationists who put you on the invitation list - by Jonathan Warren.

Elizabeth Warren: Passionate Defender of Historic Las Vegas Architecture and Landscapes. The Women Who Saved History podcast.

History of Spring Mountain Ranch - Nevada State Parks.

National Register of Historic Places #76001141 Sandstone Ranch

[typhlonectes]

We finally reached 30,000 followers!

Hey y’all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for following the blog. I’ve had a big influx of followers lately, so I thought I’d re-introduce myself.

HI, I’m Paxon. I’m a wildlife biologist, and I work as a naturalist at a nature center in Houston, TX, USA. I’m cis-male, gay, and interested in a variety of leftist political philosophies. Trans-inclusionary intersectional feminist, vegetarian, ANTIFA, anti-racist, Latinx.

This is a science-natural history-wildlife-conservation-biodiversity blog (with some politics, philosophy, Pokémon, anime, poetry, punk, art, cats, gay stuff, naked guys, and other personal interests).  :3

____________________________________________________________

I’ve worked in wildlife science and environmental education since I was 17 years old (I’m 45 btw). My field experience includes:

bird surveys, 

small mammal surveys, 

deer counts, 

amphibian call counts, 

bayou fish surveys, 

reptile and amphibian surveys, 

insect surveys, 

Loggerhead sea turtle monitoring in Viginia Beach,

Piping Plover monitoring on Long Island, NY, 

shark surveys in Florida Bay, 

King Eider monitoring on the Arctic tundra of Alaska, 

Bluebird and Prothonotary Warbler nest box surveys, 

wetland plant monitoring, 

prairie and bayou restoration projects.

I’ve worked as a guide and naturalist here in Texas, Corkscrew Swamp in Florida, and at Sacha Lodge in the rainforest of Eastern Ecuador, near Yasuni. #SachaRuna 

I AM AN AVID BIRDWATCHER, and spend a lot of time hiking. My nature and outdoor interests include: herpetology, entomology (especially native bees, butterflies, moths, and beetles), malacology, native wildflowers, native wildscape/pollinator gardening, marine biology, and hiking.

I identify animals for people for a living, so if you have any nature questions, or would like me to ID animals for you, I’m here...

https://typhlonectes.tumblr.com/ask

I’m also here if you just wanna chat, say hi, or talk about something else.

Ciao, and thank you for following, I love you,

Paxon

[cinnabean3]

Here’s the thing, as happy as I am that Colin’s alive, it makes sense that he will probably die (or quit and refuse to reach out and share his knowledge) now that we have a piece of the puzzle. Of course, this could all be us seeing stuff when it isn’t there, and he’ll survive until the end. I don’t know though, I feel like he’s at home now because something happened and he figured it out. I think the ‘He’ from the episode is FR3-D1 or the head of the OIAR, and I think he might’ve hidden at home to avoid getting hunted down or framed (brutal pipe murder reference) or something.

Because he’s definitely figured something out. All that talk of alchemy in the episode, the symbols on the logo, and this.

“Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad.”

That’s the spirit (mercury), body (salt), and soul (sulfur). Yes I am American and say sulfur. Unfortunately

My tiny little theory (tell me if it’s obvious) is that these all correspond to a specific catagory. Catagory 3 is the body, the objects like the dice or the stupid capitalist stonks game. Catagory 1 is the soul, the people who are the Externals.

I’ll admit I was in between on whether Cat 1 was mercury or sulfur, because maybe the Externals are more likely to kill or take over, which would end the world, it’s not a perfect theory, but I was convinced by the first search that came up when I googled the alchemy Tria Prima.

I’ve got the image attached at the bottom since I’m not enough good with Tumblr to know how to continue text under an image. Sorry

But what it says is that sulphur is the seat of emotions and desires, and that reminds me of two things: 1, the theory that the Fears have changed to desires, and 2, the idea that Avatars are less pure to their chosen Entity than objects, because emotions get in the way. Cat 2 is places, and I feel like those are the closest to actual Entities (keep in mind I’m using the Smirke sorting for fun and clarity, I believe in Gerry and his color theory). What also makes a bit of sense then is what Colin said about too much mercury ending the world, as the Fears coming into the world literally led to its end in TMA.

But if you’ll check the amount of each Catagory, I’m pretty sure 2 is the most common one. Maybe that’s why the OIAR has Externals, to prompt them to act when balance needs to be restored. Maybe the Magnus Institute was in on it, and Artifact Storage uses one of their items whenever the balance is too low. Maybe it’s like the rituals and there’s no need for a balance at all. Either way, we’re all gonna cook up some new theories now. Thanks for listening, and feel free to comment any theories that you have, because I’d love to talk with you guys!