#AND ONLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL THIS NUGGET RETURNS

[shiningwonho]

missing a.c.e hours (53/58)

chan • higher (2021)

[xagave]

Absolutely, get ready for BABIES. The oldest foster we have right now is Lazarus who we got when he was 3 months old from a hoarding case. He had an extremely bad case of herpes that almost killed him and it turns out he has a really bad immune system so he's always getting sick. He's about 8 months old now and he's sort of a long term foster because he currently has FIP and treatment requires one shot every day for 80 days minimum. The meds are a bit expensive so shameless plug but if anyone wants to help us pay for the meds my wife's ko-fi is here

Here he is the day we brought Lazarus home ^

And here he is now! His FIP treatment is going very well so far ^ Our second oldest are Penny and Kazoo. We got Penny when she was 5 weeks old from a guy whose dog brought her home in his mouth (she was fine the dog was gentle.) We got Kazoo when he was 10 days old from some dudes in the next town over who didn't have time to bottlefeed a newborn. Kazoo is 2 weeks older than Penny and they became best friends!!

10 day old Kazoo and 5 week old Penny ^

Kazoo and Penny now ^

Kazoo and Penny at an adoption event ^ We're having a hard time finding them a home because we refuse to split up bonded pairs

Penny playing in the tub lol ^ Next are a batch of kittens we got from an irresponsible breeder who was fine with letting kittens get sick and starve to death. We originally only got 2 of them when they were 3 days old (breeder let mom cat get sick and die because she didn't want to pay for vet care and tried to pawn the babies off on the other nursing moms and it didn't work out) and they were born premature so they had a lot of health problems. They had rhinovirus and coccidia and the little brown kitten had an umbilical hernia that then became septic and THEN she started getting big pockets of infection in random places like under her chin and in her toes? But we managed to get them healthy and fat and thriving. My wife was able to convince the breeder to give us the remaining kittens 3 days ago and they're half the size of our first two because they've been sick and slowly starving this entire time (they're now 5 weeks old). They're still really sick and have Poop Liquid Until You Die disease so it's not fun on our end but we're working hard on getting them fat and healthy. They don't really have official names but we've been calling them Zoosmell Pooplord, Insufferable Prick, Flighty Broad, Farmstink Butlass, and Huss lol

The first two nuggets ^

They were sooooooo small ^

Finally fat and healthy at 3 weeks old! ^

The full litter now at 5 and a half weeks old ^

Comparison pic ^. Right kitten is the nugget we've had since he was 3 days old and left kitten is his brother who the breeder just now let us take. It's hard to tell with the fluff but he's borderline skeletal :( Next is a 3 month old kitten that a foster brought to an adoption event who was very clearly sick. Skinny and lethargic with a bad coccidia infection so we took him home that day 1.5 weeks ago and also sent the foster person home with some medicine to fix the coccidia in their other kittens. We've been calling him Christmas Tree Boy cause he's always got a poofy tail or Poop Boy because he hates sharing litter boxes and keeps pooping in random corners 😒 Didn't take long to get him healthy so this weekend he's getting yeeted into another adoption event and whoever adopts him needs to give special attention to his Litter Box Needs

^ He's very cute and loves playing with our other fosters but for the love of god we are TIRED of his Poop Surprises Someone who adopted a bonded trio from us a few months ago is returning them to us tomorrow because their fiance is allergic, so as of tomorrow we will have 12 fosters in our house. Sounds like a lot but we've had 30+ foster kittens crammed in here at the same time so it's a breath of fresh air in comparison💀

Edit: Not a foster kitten but honorable mention to my new betta who I named Gemini because You Know Why

He has a 5 gallon tank all to himself but I don't have a pic of him in it cause he's shy and he hides lol but it's the one behind the cup. Aiming to give him live plants soon

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

David and Michael interview with Vanessa Armstrong and Valerie Ettenhofer for SlashFilm, 10.7.2023

Film's Vanessa Armstrong got the answers in an interview with Sheen and Tennant, which it should be noted took place before the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike began. When asked about how and when Gaiman, who created and showruns the series, pitched the second season, Tennant revealed that "it gradually came into focus over a couple of years, probably." The actor notes that "the initial idea that there might be more story to tell" might have actually "had its genesis way, way back as a sort of fantasy idea, really, where we were shooting [season] 1." Like many a TV show these days, the show was initially marketed as a limited series, but that didn't last; it was officially renewed in 2021, two years after it aired.

While it sounds like Gaiman and the cast perhaps daydreamed about keeping the fun going with another season during production on the first, Tennant says the pieces still didn't come together until after it aired. "Then [season] 1 came out, and I think from that point, there was a slow realization that actually there might be more to come," he told /Film. "Neil was clearly excited at the idea, and I think Amazon were keen to do it." Some limited series clearly have aspirations for a sophomore season, but Tennant insists that he and Sheen "always thought it was a one-off," having signed contracts for one season and only been pitched on one season. When they got the go-ahead for another, though, he explained, "Michael and I were thrilled that we would get to return to [these] characters."

"When we started off on that journey, there was never a sense to go further, but what a treat that it was going to," Tennant explained. It took a long time for the full season 2 picture to come into focus: "I think Neil would drop us little nuggets down the months and years, really," he told /Film. Sheen, meanwhile, says he has "no memory whatsoever' of how Gaiman told him about the plans for Aziraphale in season 2. He did, however, have an inkling based on conversations Gaiman had described having with Pratchett about a continuation of the story before the author's death in 2015. "I know what we wanted to explore," Sheen said, "and I always remember what he was aiming to get to by the end of the second series, because of ideas that he and Terry had talked about with where the story might go."

Sheen says he thinks the first thing Gaiman told him about season 2 involved "the idea of Gabriel coming into their lives again in a very unexpected way, and then that eventually building to the point that they get to at the end of this series." Tennant, meanwhile, remembers being in Romania on a shoot for "Around The World in 80 Days" when Gaiman shared the first scene of season 2 with him and Sheen over Zoom. "Neil read us the first scene, the opening scene, which is, if you've seen it, you'll know we meet a very youthful Crowley and Aziraphale, very much way back at the beginning of time." (fygo: NGK FUCKING NGK!!!) Tennant says Gaiman "then gave us a quick sketch of what the rest of the series was going to be." Though both actors are understandably trying to keep mum about the ending of season 2, they note that Gaiman told them what it would be early on.

"That was all worked out, and it just felt delicious, really," Tennant says after recalling the Zoom meeting. "I mean from that moment on, it just felt like it was always meant to be. It felt like it was such a perfectly formed idea. I think it's fair to say that Michael and I didn't need much persuading." That's great to hear, because we certainly didn't need persuading to sign up for a season 2, either. The new "Good Omens" adventure begins on Prime Video on July 28, 2023.

[ladykailitha]

Little Runaway: Epilogue

And this is it, everyone! The final part of this great story. I hope you enjoy it.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

*Two Months Later

The party was at the trailer pestering Eddie about the upcoming campaign.

“I’m not telling you nuggets anything!” he said laughing.

“Come on,” Dustin pleaded. “Just a hint. A theme, even.”

“No.”

Steve looked up from where he was working on Eddie’s van and shook his head. “Leave him alone, guys. You know how tight lipped he can be.”

All eyes turned to Steve like a pack of hungry wolves.

“You know, don’t you, Harrington?” Mike asked.

Steve laughed. “Even if I did, doesn’t mean I understand it enough to give you the information you want.”

They all looked at each other and grumbled. He had a point. They stopped badgering Eddie and started talking about their characters that they were building. Max rolled her eyes and walked over to Steve.

She put her elbows on the side of the van and batted her eyelashes at him. “You going to tell them that you and Eddie are dating?”

Steve blushed. “Eventually. I’ve never dated a boy before and Eddie is still wary about coming out to them. Him being gay was one of the reasons him and Wayne had to come to Hawkins in the first place. And as we found out Hellfire has loose lips. We just don’t know whose.”

Max nodded. “Makes sense. Find the leak, then open the valve.”

Steve grinned. “You got it.”

Eddie came up to them. “Hey, babe. You should shower while we cook up the burgers.”

Steve nodded.

“How is my other baby?” Eddie asked jutting his head toward the van.

“Running just fine, Munson,” Steve said with a smile. He waved Max off the van and slammed the hood down.

He went inside the new trailer and Eddie went to go heat up the grill.

Food was soon ready but Steve hadn’t come out yet.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “It’s all that hair care products. I’ll go see if I can’t move him along, shall I?”

Everyone agreed.

But after a few minutes they both hadn’t returned.

“I say we eat without them,” Mike said, his stomach growling.

“I’ll just go see what’s taking them,” Dustin said getting up.

Dustin was almost at the door when Max’s brain caught up. “No, Dustin! Wait!”

But it was too late. Dustin had reached the door and threw it open. And started screaming. Mike and Will immediately got up to see what was wrong. Lucas got up too, but Max sat him back down.

“You don’t want to see that,” she murmured into her hands. “Trust me.”

Then Mike and Will were screaming.

Erica and El shared concerned looks.

“It’s fine,” Max assured them. “Well mostly. The boys are going to be scarred for life. But it’s fine.”

“Why would they be scarred for life?” Lucas asked.

Just then Dustin came over to them screaming. “Eddie and Steve were kissing!”

Max looked up from her hands. “Is that all?”

Mike and Will were close behind.

“What do you mean, is that all?” Mike protested. “Isn’t that enough?”

“They could have been having sex,” Max suggested, raising her brows.

There was a chorus of gagging and retching noises.

Eddie and Steve came up from behind the boys. “Don’t knock it until you try it, meatheads.”

Will blushed and looked down at his feet. “You do realize we’re only fourteen in most cases, right?”

Eddie laughed. “I had sex when I twelve.”

And they gagging started up again.

“Does this make you a queer, Harrington?” Mike asked.

Will bumped his arm and glared at him.

“Why are you only asking me and not Eddie, too?” Steve replied.

“We’ve known for ages that Eddie was,” Will murmured.

Steve and Eddie turned to Will, eyes wide and jaws slack.

“Come again?” Eddie asked.

“Angie Burnett was flirting with you really hard the last time you took us to the arcade,” Max said. “But you kept eyeing her brother Kent instead.”

“Oh,” Eddie said.

Steve shoved him playfully. “This better have been before we started dating, sweetheart.”

Eddie blushed. “It was a couple months ago. Before...” he waved his hands around helplessly. “You couldn’t take them for some reason, so they asked me.”

Steve grinned. “Good.” He gave Eddie a kiss on the cheek. “I don’t share.”

They dug into the food and the kids watched as Steve and Eddie seemed to find each other’s orbit no matter what they were doing.

Max smiled. Yeah, Clint Harrington was an ass who had a lot to answer for, but he had also set off the chain of events that brought her two favorite people together.

Tag List: @tauntedperfume @marivictal @eddiemunsonswife @namelessssho @dbquills @goodolefashionedloverboi @steve-the-hairrington @sadcanadianwinter @yearningagain @books-are-my-life-since-1996 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @homohomohoe @knightofthieves @flusteredcas @moonage-daydreaming @goblin-eddie @marvelousforlife @silversnaffles @satan-is-obsessed @yikes-a-bee

[wowwowokay2]

Shelby Part 2

Part 1 here.

~

Shelby loved their body more than they ever thought they could. However their Feeder Fairy had disappeared, saying only that they would have to stop sending food to Shelby for a short time, but that they would return. That was more than three months ago. Shelby knew they were lucky to have someone for so long to help them gain. Their Feeder Fairy essentially bankrolled their entire gain. Now Shelby was struggling to maintain their weight. They had so often stuffed themselves that they had the capacity to eat a large amount before feeling full. Shelby's mood was souring.

In addition to losing their Feeder Fairy, their old gym rat friends were being particularly cruel. Before their fatphobic remarks would bug them on, but now that Shelby had lost momentum they only served to damper their mood. They had also taken a break from their social media and content creation.

Looking at old pictures of themself, they could see that they looked thinner, and after weighing in Shelby discovered they had lost 19 pounds, and were now 311 pounds. Shelby felt emotionally and literally deflated.

The next day they received a message on their computer. It was their Feeder Fairy, it was a short message but it was like reading the most beautiful poetry.

"I'm back and I was hoping to order dinner for you."

Shelby quickly mashed into their keyboard their happiness. They updated their Feeder Fairy on their lost weight and how they were feeling emotionally. Shelby's vision blurred up with tears, and they stopped for a moment to have a quiet cry. Their computer blinged with another message.

"I've ordered you dinner, but take it easy. I'm sorry you have been having such a rough time as of late."

Not long after a short rap at the door signaled they arrival of their dinner. Forty chicken nuggets, several large fries and pops. Shelby laughed to themself as they set the food down on their coffee table. Take it easy, huh? But they weren't complaining.

Shelby generously shoved the chicken nuggets into their mouth, greasy, crispy, tender. They washed a few down with a swig of sweet, bubbling pop, and then continued on. Ten down, twenty down, more pop, some fries dipped in tangy ketchup. They stop every once and while to belch loudly, rubbing their double gut. How neglected it had been the past several months. Shelby ate, and ate until all the food was gone. They felt very full but still had two large pops left. They removed their pants and underwear and sat back down. Chug, chug, chug, breath, breath, burp, chug, chug, chug.

They finished. Shelby rolled up their shirt and rubbed their gut. They felt like a balloon all swelled up, they felt good.

Now that Shelby's connection to their Feeder Fairy had been reestablished, they first set their goal on regaining those lost 19 pounds. It didn't take long before they had restored their weight, and at that point they started up their content creation again. They explained that they had some trouble gaining for a while, but that they were now back.

Shelby's weight crept upwards and their upper belly continued to creep downwards, creating an ever deeper fold. They soon acquired a new scale with a higher weight maximum. Shelby reveled in the pleasure of food once again, and their weight began to snowball.

Months passed and Shelby weighed in on a livestream. They had a feeling that this would be it, this would be the time. They stepped their fat feet onto the weigh scale and squeaked underneath of their heft. They held their phone camera in front of their belly so that they could see the number on the scale. They step off and look, and they smile.

400lbs.

They were by no means surprised, considering they many sizes of clothing they had gone through. Considering the chairs at work they no longer fit into, considering the booth that they filled all by themself with their wide ass. Considering the pounding of their footsteps, and the way their belly swung. Shelby was fat, and happy.

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Tuesday, 25 June, 2024

Only 6 months until Christmas !!

The temp was in the 90's.

Warmup

4 Rounds

10 Perfect Squats Holding Bumper (25/15) For Balance

10 Back Raises Holding Same Bumper

Strength

8 Back Squats.....(185/135/85)

Plus 5 Dead-Hang Pull-Ups (Or Most Difficult Scale)

E 2 M X 5 Rounds

Ed=185 Herb/Dana=145 Robert/Coach/Tom/Dyer=135 Joe=95 Maria/Sue=75 Linda/Tim/Kayla=did something

WOD

50 / 40 Calories Any ERG

Then 5 Rounds

10 Box Jumps.....(24/20)

10 Deadlifts.....(185/135/85)

And Finally

50 / 40 Calories Any ERG

Dana**=12:46 Joe=13:26 Sue=14:11 Maria=14:49 Ed**=15:29 Robert=16:00 Dyer=17:40 Coach=18:20 Herb=18:40 Linda=19:30 Tom/Kayla/Tim=did it

Cool-Off

Anyhow Dips..........10 / 10 / 10

Notes

Tim returned. He brought ice. Thanks, Tim. He wouldn't give it to me until I said "PLEASE". Apparently a recently past blog didn't mention that I missed him and his ice deliveries while he was in Hilton Head. Oh Boy. I did thank Ed/Robert and Miss Linda for filling the Tim void.

Before I forget....the huge pile of many cases of bottled water has evaporated during this heat wave. We are down to a partial case on the "pile". Please bring a case.

Thursday we have the traditional wine and snacks following the WOD. I worked on Kayla today and encouraged her to bring us a tasty dish like last week. Sue will be absent, and God knows where Alicia will be. So it looks like edibles will be up to Kayla and Miss Linda. The management had pizza delivered last week, so we may have to spring for Chic fi A. On a recent visit to the Brentwood Chic, I calculated that the nugget 12 pac cost me 65 cents each. In 2015 they cost half that.

Thursday at 4 PM. Bring bottled water.

[breckstonevailskier]

Yeah, Cobra Kai being a plot-driven show does mean oftentimes, characterization is sacrificed in the name of the plot. With Amanda, though, I think it goes a bit further, as I'd say that she's less a character and more a plot device. As in, her behavior and personality in any given scene is "whatever they need her to do in the moment to advance the plot". This was very much the case on a few occasions in early seasons, like season 1 where we have Amanda put Sam on total lockdown over a hit-and-run where Sam wasn't even driving and Johnny was partly at fault while also letting Sam off the hook for a pool party (if anything, Amanda got her punishments reversed there; she should've grounded Sam for the pool party in 1x02 while letting her off with a stern lecture in 1x09 concerning the hit-and-run). But Season 4 is where Amanda is at her most plot-deviceiness.

It really shows in the whole storyline with her helping Tory. Particularly when it comes to the backstory anecdote about her vandalizing her teacher's car, and why she's suddenly seeing a lot of herself in Tory and discarding all the previous anger she harbored towards this girl who has attacked their daughter twice. The only reason Amanda's backstory is even brought up is so that the writers can justify Amanda being a part of this storyline (as opposed to using some other adult figure like Bobby). It's not brought up to add depth to Amanda as a character, it has no obvious effect on any of her other choices throughout the show, and after it’s initially introduced, it's never even mentioned again. It's merely brought up so that the writers can provide Amanda a reason to act as a prop for Tory as they do damage control to "redeem" Tory (given that Tory up until this point was basically a cartoon villain).

If Amanda helping Tory was always the plan and not thrown in as some sort of "quick fix" to "redeem" Tory and give Amanda something to do beyond be Daniel's wife and Sam's mother, one imagines that they would've had Amanda's backstory be revealed a lot earlier in the show. Like, instead of only revealing it in season 4 when Daniel point-blank asks her why she wants to help the girl who's terrorized their daughter for the last few months, they'd have Amanda reveal it in season 2 in response to Robby telling her about how he used to scam people at the beach club. Since Amanda cares about Robby, her revealing this backstory nugget in this context would make it a character moment that also fleshes out her relationship with Robby and explains her defending him when that one manager tries to kick Robby out.

Then at the start of season 4, when Amanda is cleaning up broken glass from the house fight, she can have some flashbacks of cleaning up glass in the parking lot after having vandalized her teacher's car. As a result, she harbors a shred of sympathy for Tory when Tory gets fired from her job at the sushi place. Subsequently, Robby (instead of Kreese) reaches out to Amanda regarding Tory's home life, asking for Amanda to do a favor for him. He's bonded with Tory and wants to help her, but isn't in a position to do it. Amanda is much more conflicted than in canon regarding the subject of helping Tory. Because on the one hand, providing kids with alternative influences to Cobra Kai is a good thing, and Tory wants to do better. But on the other hand, Tory did some pretty nasty things to Sam, and Sam has every right to continue to be angry at her over these things. On top of that, Amanda's worried that she might alienate Robby if she refuses to do this favor for him. Eventually, after a lengthy discussion with Daniel and Sam, Amanda is able to convince Sam to sign off on Tory returning to school by agreeing to a deal, with Amanda saying, "We'll sign this agreement and help her, but only if she agrees to leave you alone, goes to therapy, keeps up with her appointments, and you get some therapy as well."

Does Amanda LaRusso ever come off like an inconsistent character to you?

I had to think about this for a while, but I think at her core she’s she’s written fairly consistently in terms of her values and what she stands for. But like every character in this show, she’s often at the whim of the plot and her actions—particularly her parenting—sometimes comes across as inconsistent because of it. Which is a part of the larger problem with s4 for me tbh. It felt like they decided there very specific plot points they wanted to hit, and made all the characters fit around that. But because that story was an unnatural progression from the earlier seasons, and the season itself didn’t do a good enough job at laying the groundwork, it made a lot of characters feel….off. Not exactly ooc, but just kinda. Not Right. At least to me.

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

Somebody to Love | Steddie (1/?)

Chapter One: Returning to Civilian Life

Prompt: Dream

Words: 1814

Fandom: Stranger Things

A/N: First time writing for this fandom and honestly, I got into it late like a couple of months before S4 came out. Started writing it with no clue what I’m doing, but it gained a mind of its own so here we are. Extremely self-indulgent, created as a coping mechanism. I would've said I was going through the stages of grief, but I'm firmly lodged in the denial stage. Can you believe that this was created from a one-word prompt? It's currently 30k+ words in total, so...

This is a bit of a slow-burn, 'cause they're idiots that flirt and think it means nothing, just two bros with no personal space and staring into each other's eyes. Background Robin/Vickie, Jopper, Lumax, Jancy, and pre-Byler.

Canon Divergent, of course. No giant earthquake stuff, Max is alive and well, and so is our man Eddie. Maybe ST S4 Vol. 2 could be our Ba Sing Se. Eddie is only mentioned in this chapter.

Summary: Vecna is finally gone and the gates are closed for good. Now what? Now that the world isn't ending, would it be an appropriate time to have a personal crisis? Steve felt like he was owed one. Maybe he can still have that road trip with six nuggets and a curly brown-haired partner by his side.

-

Steve was nodding along to one of Robin’s never ending ramblings about Vickie as he wiped the same area on the counter absentmindedly. Things were looking up between Robin and Vickie ever since their talk at the school’s gym. They were hanging out more and more until finally, Vickie confessed to Robin, which made the latter short circuit in her brain.

“- And then it just all felt like a dream, Steve,” Robin sighed, slumping against his shoulder with her full weight.

“I told you she likes boobies,” Steve teased, earning a smack on his shoulder, “What I don’t get was why she was wasting her time with Dan.”

“It wasn’t like she was pretending. She told me that she had genuinely loved him. Enough for her to foolishly brush off his distaste for Fast Times the first couple of times.”

Steve shrugged, Robin shifting at the movement. “I don’t know. Sometimes people force themselves into thinking that they love someone when they really don’t. Trust me, I was on the other end of that.” 

He kept telling himself that he was over Nancy, but everything that happened with Vecna made him confused. Her words at that party were still ingrained in his brain that he was sure that Vecna would have used that if he ever got him. It was all bullshit, she said. His conflicting hope had clung onto a seed of a memory that would not have been able to flourish now. Everything was too different. It was just another proof that people will eventually leave him for one reason or another.

“It’s possible to like both guys and girls, Steve,” Robin reminded quietly despite the store being empty.

Steve halted his ineffective cleaning. He was completely sure that he liked girls. He was the King of Hawkins High who dated around before he met Nancy and even then, he was a thousand percent sure that he was in love with her. Ever since Robin came out to him, it really got him thinking. 

He had acknowledged if a guy was attractive whether it was his clothes, his hair, his face, his laugh… but that didn’t mean anything, though, right? Robin said otherwise, pointing out how he had let it slip that he also thought Harrison Ford was hot when trying to chat up a girl at work. Sure, he’s more comfortable telling her which male actors he thought were attractive, but he had yet to find a guy that made him feel the same way that he had felt when he was with Nancy. 

Well, there was someone. Someone that he used to be jealous of for many reasons. One of them was being able to be unapologetically himself in a way that Steve was too chicken shit to do in high school. Another was the fact that Dustin, along with his friends, looked up to this guy and saw him as a big brother. 

He was able to connect to them in a level that Steve was not able to and that made him feel left out because now, he was mostly just a chaperone or a driver. They probably went to him for help more than they did Steve unless it was grunt work. Despite complaining about being the babysitter, he liked the feeling of being relied on.

It was also upsetting that after getting to know him, similarly to Robin, he wished that they had become friends sooner and under different circumstances. Trauma is a very strong adhesive bond, though. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had the chance to talk after the whole Vecna thing. 

“You think we’d be able to see him this time?” Steve asked.

Robin sighed, knowing exactly who he was talking about. “It’s still risky. He’s not in the clear yet. Hopper would know when it’s time.”

It was a dangerously close call by the time they had traveled back to the trailer park from the Creel house. Dustin had managed to drag Eddie’s motionless body back into his trailer and found anything he could to stop the bleeding.

He was a gibbering mess as he slammed into Steve while the girls checked on Eddie. Steve wanted to join them by the older boy’s side, his mind screaming that Eddie was fine, that there was no way that he was dead, but he knew that Dustin needed him. He wrapped his arms around Dustin tightly, despite the protest of his muscles, turning him away as they awaited the verdict. 

Eddie’s pulse was faint and he had lost a lot of blood. They hurriedly rearranged the trailer, toppling and dragging furniture over to make a stable formation to climb onto. Steve carried Eddie on his back after the others climbed out first, a nest of extra blankets and pillows on the stained mattress laid out for him.

The adrenaline was draining from their systems, but they couldn’t just stop there. There weren’t many supplies in the bathroom after Uncle Wayne had been relocated, but they made do with cleaning the wounds and wrapping them up tightly. 

A sturdy knock at the door made their stomach drop. Steve approached the window, seeing two black cars out in front of the trailer. He gripped his ax, ready to defend until he heard a voice reassuring them that they were on their side. A friend of Doctor Owens, of Eleven. Vecna was gone, Eleven had done it and was in recovery, their friends from California were coming back to Hawkins, and the previously pronounced deceased Jim Hopper was back as well.

Steve dropped his ax and if a strangled cry escaped his lips, no one said anything. Because they were just kids and there had been no one else to turn to. They were all ready to fall apart any second. The door opened and three agents walked in. The woman at the front instantly locked onto Eddie and ordered them to rush him to the hospital. 

Everything else was a blur, but they had treated both Eddie and Steve, monitoring them for a few days before releasing the latter once his wounds weren’t threatening to infect him with some Upside Down poison or split open at the most minute movement. Once Eddie was stabilized, they moved him somewhere safe while the government had a lot of damage control to do.

After all of that, everyone was expected to go back to a normal routine once again. Hell literally almost broke loose and the town had no idea. Everything else seemed so trivial. Steve’s main concerns were the safety of his friends and making sure that those kids got to experience normal high school life as much as possible. 

Screw his parents and their talks of college, marriage, and their business. He doesn’t even flirt with the women that come into the store anymore. That whole dream of six kids and a wife in an RV was so distant and seemingly unrealistic now, at least in the way that he imagined it. He had his fill of looking after seven kids who would run into the face of danger already. 

Maybe he could organize a summer road trip with the whole group. That sounded chaotic, but at least everyone was together. Hopefully Eddie will be well enough by then. There was no way the boys would do the trip without him if he was.

“Hello? Earth to Steve?” Robin called out, throwing another cleaning rag at him before flipping the open sign to close and locking up.

Steve snapped out of his thoughts, dropping his head onto the counter with a thump. He groaned, burying his hands in his hair in frustration. 

“What’s the matter, big boy? Did you think too hard?”

“Don’t call me that,” Steve muttered.

“Right, sorry. Only Eddie gets to call you that, right?” she teased.

Steve raised his head, sending an empty glare at her. The flush in his cheeks didn’t really do much for intimidation, either. She sent him a knowing look, patting him on the shoulder. 

“I’m confused right now, Rob. Don’t do this to me again.”

Robin pursed her lips. “Look, I just wanted you to be happy. You were always rooting for me and Vickie and I thought… I don’t know. You and Nancy…”

“Are over. And have been for a while. She’s with Jonathan and they’re still so much in love with each other and I am genuinely happy for them,” he said earnestly, leaning against the counter, “You know, just because they were having problems, convincing us to get back together wasn’t going to solve anything. That’s one of the many reasons why we broke up in the first place. We didn’t talk about things. We close ourselves off and ran away from our problems by using distractions. We were never meant for anything long term.

"They… they just click so well together. They’ve gone through so much together to have that thrown away just because of distance and miscommunications. Besides, what we want in life are totally different and we’re better off as friends. I want her to be happy and Jon makes her happy. Got it?”

Robin gave him a moment to catch his breath after that whole rant before nodding. “So, what do you want, then?” she asked.

He huffed, running a hand through his hair. It was a question she had asked before and since then, he asked himself that over and over after each failed date he went on. There was something missing and he wasn’t fully sure what it was.

“Honestly, I thought I was missing her, but I think I was missing the feeling of being in love and she was the first and last time that I’ve ever felt that way. All those dates I’ve been on were nothing because I can’t stop being in my head for a whole five minutes. And you know what? After all we’ve been through, I don’t think I have the emotional capacity to be dealing with the whole relationship thing anymore.”

Robin frowned, rubbing his arm to comfort him. “Being a single mom of seven is hard, isn’t it?” 

That earned her a snort and a smile from Steve, which was what she had been aiming for. The heaviness in the air around him lifted and he finally pushed himself off the counter to give her a hug that she returned gladly. Steve was her best friend and she knew that he deserved a break. He had been dealing with the Upside Down thing for almost four years.

“Wanna hang out and watch a movie after?” she asked.

He nodded. “Go ahead and pick one. I’ll be counting up the cash.”

Yeah, he had that fear of people eventually leaving him, but with Robin Buckley, he had no doubts that they’ll stick together for a very, very, long time. They were a package deal.

[falcqns]

he's gone for good.

pairing: sub!Bucky x Reader

summary: Bucky informs you about Steve leaving.

warnings: angst, sub!Bucky, crying Bucky, mentions of violence.

a/n: hope you enjoy!

when you opened the door, and was greeted with a crying Bucky, you had no idea what to do.

you may had known Bucky for many years, but he was never open emotionally with you. in front of you, at least.

you two had met when you were studying abroad in Bucharest, and ended up moving in right beside him. you knew who he was right away, and you also knew that he was most likely on the run from HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D., so you never revealed that you knew who he was.

a week into living there, you found out he had nightmares, but it wasn't until a month later that you found the perfect cure for them, home cooked food.

you were up late doing some research for a paper, when you heard the beginnings of a nightmare. you usually heard the terror and scream filled ends, not the beginnings, but you listened anyways.

he was calling out for someone. it took you a few seconds to decode what and who he was calling out for, but when you realized, your heart broke for him. he was calling out for his mom. his calls became louder and more desperate, before coming to a head with a shout, then sobs of heartbreak. it made you think of your mom, hundreds of miles away. it wasn't until you remembered that he was born in 1917, so his mom was definitely dead, that you moved from your bed.

you ran into the kitchen and pulled out all the ingredients for some chocolate chip cookies. eating homemade cookies always soothed all your pain when you were little, and you didn't want to think about the kind of food HYDRA fed him on a daily basis, if they fed him at all. you also knew he most likely wasn't eating properly here, as you’d see him come back everyday with plums, along with some type of street food that he found.

didn't matter what the street food was, he always had plums accompanying it. a quick google search told you that plums helped improve memory, so that was that question answered. an hour later, and the cookies were done, and loaded into a spare Tupperware that you had lying around, with a note on top letting hi know that if he ever needed to talk, you were there.

you placed it outside his door, knocked, and retreated to your unit just in time. thanks to an abandoned body mirror that sat opposite the wall that separated the two units, you got to see the smile that spread on his face when he saw the cookies and read the letter.

after that day, it became tradition.

every time he would have a nightmare, you would give him some type of food. whether it was chicken parm, French onion soup, cookies, cake, donuts, or even chicken nuggets and fries that you Uber Eat’d from McDonalds, you always made sure he was comforted.

it wasn't until a month before you were due to move back to your home country that you saw him face to face for the first time. you were bringing him some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies when he opened the door. he had a coat, hat, and leather gloves on, indicating he was going out.

he smiled and blushed, before speaking. “so you're the lovely lady that cooks for me,” he said, and you laughed before handing him the container with cookies.

“yes I am. I just made some more, actually.” you said with a smile as he took the box from you, and looked inside.

“well, thank you doll. these look absolutely delicious, I can't wait to try them.” he said with a smile and you felt your cheeks heat up.

he placed the box down on the table next to the door, and turned back to you.

“well, I'll let you get on with your day,” you said, as you turned to head back to your unit.

“actually,” he said, and you turned to face him. “I was just going to go on a walk since it was my day off today. do you maybe want to come with me?” he asked, and you felt butterflies form in your stomach as you nodded.

“sure! just let me grab my coat.” you said.

then, just like the cooking, the afternoon walk became tradition. you two would walk and talk about anything. whether it be work, school, or building drama, you always had something to talk about.

on a certain walk through a quiet little park, he confessed who he was, and was surprised when all you said was “I know.” he’d asked if you were afraid, and you said no. he’d asked if you were planning on turning him in, and you also said no.

you’d explained that it was obvious that HYDRA had control of him, and that everyone deserved a second chance. after your little speech, he’d kissed you, and asked you out on a date. you'd accepted, and started dating after your first date.

then, he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.. the two of you had been at the market together when he saw a newspaper saying that he had killed King T’Chaka with a bomb at the UN. he swore, and dragged you home. the two of you blew past your unit, and headed into his where you were faced with Steve Rogers. this didn't surprise you, he'd told you what he could remember about Steve, and you were expecting him to show up eventually, you just weren't expecting it to be so soon.

you could hear someone else, Sam, over Steve’s comm, and realized that there were police here, to capture Bucky. upon hearing this, Bucky shoved you out of the apartment, and down the hallway, with Steve following. he’d led you to a back entrance that you didn't even know was there, and told you tp leave the building until everything was over.

he gave you one last hug and kiss, and your first ‘I love you’, and he was gone.

you hadn't heard from him for 2 years, when you got a letter from him. according to the letter he had been seeking refuge in Wakanda, and had been freed of the Winter Soldier. he invited you to come and visit, and you did. you got to watch him tend to his goats (which he named after every avenger, even Tony) and interact with the Wakandan people, and the children. who knew a former brainwashed HYDRA assassin could be so sweet with young children? definitely not you.

then, just as you were preparing to leave and look for a farm where Bucky could continue to raise his goats and be with you, King T’Challa came to Bucky and gifted him a new arm, and informed him of a new fight. Bucky had begged you to leave, but you wouldn't have it. you had been working out and training since the day that you watched him and Steve fight against the police in Bucharest, wanting nothing more than to run in there and protect him.

so, you fought. it felt surreal to you to be fighting with the Avengers beside you, although there was no place you’d rather be. in that moment, as you were racing towards those “space dogs”, as Rocket had called them at one point, you didn't care if you lived or died, won or lost. you only cared about fighting beside the love of your life.

watching that same love of your life fade away to dust in a beautiful Wakandan forest broke you in two. you had just gotten him back, and you’d lost him again. you were trapped in your own head for days, wishing to dust away like him, just to be with him.

before you knew it, 5 years had passed, and you had joined the remaining Avengers. how you went from studying abroad in Bucharest, to being an Avenger, you had no idea, but you were grateful nonetheless. when Steve, Natasha, and Scott approached you with the possibility that you would be able to get Bucky back, you instantly accepted.

you joined Tony, Steve and Scott, and helped Steve in the fight against himself. when Tony failed to get the Tesseract the first time, you joined them on their journey into 1970, and was blown away. it wasn't exactly the time that Bucky and Steve were from, but it kind of felt like it in a way, and you instantly felt closer to Bucky, although Steve had to stop you from going to find Bucky, who was coincidentally only a few kilometres away at that point in time.

you fought with Steve and the rest of the Avengers against Thanos, and almost fainted from happiness when you saw your Bucky walk through the portal and run into your arms. you, once again, fought with the Avengers and Bucky to defeat Thanos once and for all.

then, Tony snapped his fingers, and your whole world changed. you didn't know it at that particular moment, but it did.

you attended Tony's funeral, and you and Bucky went home. a few days later, Bucky and Sam went to see Steve off to return the stones. you had no idea why, according to Bruce it would take about 5 seconds, but Bucky insisted that he needed to go, and said that he was sorry he couldn't join you on an afternoon walk, your first one with him in over seven years.

but, then he showed up at the door, tears streaming from his steel blue eyes, his cheeks puffy, and the smallest of sobs escaping from his rosy lips, and you knew something went wrong.

you pulled him into your apartment, and wrapped your arms around him. he nuzzled his face into your neck, and sobbed freely.

“what happened?” you asked. “did something happen to Steve?” at the mention of his best friend, Bucky sobbed harder, and your question was answered, albeit silently.

you pulled him into the bedroom, and stripped him from his clothes. you’d never dealt with a sobbing and heartbroken Bucky in person before, so you just went with what felt right.

you instructed him softly to go lay on the bed, and he nodded. you laid down on your side, and pulled him to lay on your chest. as your hands ran through his hair that was starting to curl slightly, you tried again.

“can you tell me what happened, honey?”

Bucky sniffled a few times and sat up. you did the same, and he fiddled with his metal fingers while he talked.

“y’know yesterday when Steve and I went out for lunch?” he asked, and you nodded. “well, he told me about your journey back to the 1970′s with him.”

you furrowed your brow in confusion, but nodded. “I-i guess he was dodging some workers or something because he hid in an office, an office that happened to belong to Peggy Carter. he said that he saw her through the glass, and that he realized that he could have the life with her that he’d always wanted, the Pym Particles safe in his pocket. he knew that he had to come back and bring everyone back, but then he was going to go back.” you didn't know what to think. that wasn't the Steve that you knew, the Steve that you had become family with over those horrible and painful five years.

“when he told me, I didn't really think he was going to do it.” Bucky said, his voice shaking. you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, and he rested his head against your chest.

“even when I watched him disappear on the tunnel platform I didn't believe it. then, he showed up again.” he said, almost whispering.

“he was old. like grey hair, wrinkles, all of it.” he managed to get out in between sobs that were growing louder. “t-thats when it hit me. that he left me, for he-” he tried to say, before his sobs started full force again, and you pulled him to lay on you. he had his head on your chest, and his body in between your legs.

his cries continued, and you knew there was no stopping them. he was heartbroken, and he had to work through his feelings, not ignore them.

he swallowed, and continued to explain. “he left me for the girl he kissed once. which is great, he deserves to be happy, but I need him. I'm finally completely free, and I don't have my childhood best friend anymore.” he sobbed out, and you started to rock your body slowly to soothe him.

you wanted to cry too. cry about the friend that you’d never get to see again, but you couldn't, not yet. Bucky was hurting way more than you were, and you could push your pain down until Bucky was okay. you cuddled him closer to you, and spoke into his hair.

“its okay, baby boy.” you said, and he nuzzled deeper into you, the stress and sadness melting away from his body. it would return later, but it was gone for the time being. he sighed in contentedness, and his tears slowly stopped. you kissed his forehead, and felt him smile.

you ran your hands through his locks for the millionth time, and hummed a slow tune to him to soothe him further. you felt his breathing even out, ad light snores escape his mouth, and you smiled.

at least for a while, he was at peace, a peace he hadn't had in a while.

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Hiii!! I really love your tumblr posts and I'm pretty new to the Batfam (meaning I have only read fics and textposts about them, no comics) and I wanted to ask about the year Bruce/Batman gets "lost in time". I know general things of what the kids have been doing–Dick became batman and fired Tim from robin, giving it to Damian, everyone thinking Tim was crazy for believing Bruce was alive, (don't really know what Jason was up to though, was he still murderous towards Tim? Does the pit still affect him? Also I have no idea about Cass and Duke, were they introduced at this point??) Anyways, my real question was why was Bruce lost in time, what villain put him there? And how did he get out? And how long was he "dead"? Was Bruce in another reality or like just asleep the whole time? Oh! And how soon did this happen after Damian got introduced to the family–a couple months?

I'm so sorry this is so long, but I hope you answer and thank you!!

(I’m going to try and cover all my bases here by going into how exactly Bruce “died,” what went down during the Battle For the Cowl, what the Batkids did while Bruce was gone, and how Bruce came back. Hopefully it all makes sense?? We’ll see how it goes lmao.)

Part 1 - What Happened to Bruce:

So there was this event called Final Crisis (which I won’t go completely into since it would make this post a million times longer than it already is), but the bottom line is that Darkseid wants to overthrow reality and release his Anti-Life Equation, which would overthrow the whole planet and turn everyone into slaves. (If you’re interested in knowing more about the storyline, here’s a Reddit thread that explains it WAY better than I could.) 

What I CAN tell you is that during his final confrontation with Darkseid, Bruce is hit by an Omega Beam and turned into a burnt chicken nugget killed. Poor guy.

Final Crisis #6

Clark and Diana bring the body back to the Batcave and break the news to the Batfamily. Batman #687 covers a good portion of the aftermath such as Bruce’s funeral, the Batfamily grieving, and Dick coming to terms with his new responsibility of becoming Batman.

Batman #687

Part 2 - Battle For the Cowl: 

Musical chairs time, fellas! After word gets out that Batman is gone, Gotham erupts into chaos. Dick doesn’t want to take over the mantle, Tim needs Dick to take over the mantle, and Jason says “fuck it” and takes over the mantle himself because somebody around here has to. He becomes this murderous psychopathic Batman and starts taking out criminals with deadly force because someone’s gotta do the job, so it might as well be him.

Batman: Battle For the Cowl #1

(Okay honestly, this series had some pretty bad characterization overall, which sucks since it’s such an important storyline. Jason is portrayed as this violent psychopath, which...okay, he was kind of insane after the Pit and all, but not to this degree. Personally, I choose to owe the bad characterization to Bruce’s death because as much as Jason resents Bruce for all he’s done, he does still love him and losing him would be devastating, which would exacerbate his already fragile mental health. As for Damian, this happens roughly three years after his first appearance, so we can assume it’s been a few months since he first joined the family. He’s still relatively new at this point, so nobody knows how to write him yet. He ends up being depicted as if his main two personality traits are Bratty and Assassin-Child and that’s it. It’s all just a mess.)

Anyway, Tim tells Dick to become Batman and stop Jason’s reign of terror. Dick says no, so Tim follows Jason’s lead by saying “fuck it” and putting on the cowl himself. He goes to confront Jason, which ends in Jason beating the crap out of him (again) and leaving him for dead after Tim declines his offer to become Jason’s Robin. Dick goes to save Tim and ends up fighting Jason. 

Battle For the Cowl #3

Dick wins, Jason disappears, Tim is fine, and Dick finally gets his head out of his ass and becomes Batman. 

Part 3 - What Happens to Each Batkid While Bruce is “Dead”?:

Dick: 

As I said, Dick becomes the new Batman a month after Bruce’s death. He’s got big shoes to fill, and it takes some time for him to get used to his new role. He and Damian end up flipping around the classic Batman and Robin dynamic, with Batman now as the fun counterpart to Robin’s edginess. Dick, Damian, and Alfred relocate to the penthouse above the Wayne Foundation building, operating out of a secret Bat-Bunker in the basement.

Batman #688

Jason: 

After Battle For the Cowl, Jason is still batshit insane and determined to make Dick’s already stressful life even harder by becoming a supervillain with an ugly costume and an even uglier hairstyle. (I know it’s just because the artist sucked, but still. Jason is horrifying to look at during this time.) He mostly just gets on Dick’s nerves by running around Gotham with his new sidekick Scarlet and killing criminals as Batman and Robin wannabes. Eventually, Dick has Jason committed to Arkham Asylum and he hangs out there until Bruce returns.

Batman and Robin (2009) #5

Tim: 

Tim...doesn’t do great after Bruce’s death, mentally. Dick makes Damian Robin, his reasoning being that Robin is more of a sidekick and he sees Tim as his equal. By making Damian Robin, Dick hopes that it will give him the stability he needs to keep him from straying back toward the “bad” side. (It’s the right move ultimately, although his execution was pretty messed up since he didn’t discuss it with Tim beforehand, but he’s allowed to make mistakes. Dick’s father just died and now he’s in charge of picking up the pieces of their broken family. It’s a lot to handle.) 

Long story short, Tim has a breakdown, realizes that Bruce is alive, dons the Red Robin identity, and cuts ties with his family to travel the world in search of proof. It’s a rough time. 

Red Robin #1

Damian: 

Our little guy becomes Robin! So proud of him! As I explained earlier, Dick makes Damian his Robin with the assumption that it will keep him out of trouble, and he’s right on that account. He mentors Damian, teaching him how to channel his violent instincts into something productive, and it works! Slowly but surely, Damian makes the transition from bratty assassin to actual hero!

Batman and Robin (2009) #22

Cass:

Duke sadly was not introduced at this point in time, so he missed out on all the pandemonium. Cass, however, has been Batgirl for years by now, but she got kind of pushed aside by the writers after Bruce’s death. Bruce disappears shortly after adopting Cass, but once he was “dead,” the writers sort of moved Cass around for a while, not quite knowing what to do with her. First she was with the Outsiders. Then they got disbanded and Cass tried forming a new network of heroes to take over for Batman if needed. Then she helped out in said network during Battle for the Cowl, taking care of a newly ravaged Gotham. Then Cass gave the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown after she became disillusioned with the role, thanks to the loss of her father and mentor. Then Cass picked up and moved to Hong Kong to “follow Bruce’s plans” by continuing whatever work he had set up for her there. It was all very vague and confusing, and Cass more or less got swept under the rug during this time. Thanks, writers.

Batgirl (2009) #1

Part 4 - How Bruce Came Back: 

When the Blackest Night storyline happens, the Justice League realizes that the corpse buried under Bruce’s grave is apparently not the real one and that he’s actually alive out there somewhere! How wild is that! This is further proven by Dick after he places Bruce’s body in a Lazarus Pit to revive, which has the same result because it’s very clearly Not Bruce and they should have listened to Tim from the start.

Batman and Robin (2009) #9

Anyway, what actually happened is that the Omega Beams that Darkseid shot at Bruce didn’t kill him, but rather blasted him back through time to the prehistoric era with his memories wiped. The Omega Energy inside of Bruce ends up catapulting him through various time periods, which is all part of Darkseid’s plan. With each time-hop, Bruce builds up more Omega Energy in his body which, when he gets back to his original time period, will be unleashed and destroy everything.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5

It’s been a little under two years since Final Crisis, though in-universe it’s uncertain exactly how long Bruce has been “dead.” We can assume it’s been a year, give or take. The way he comes back is too scientific and complicated for me to understand, so uhhhh the bottom line is that Tim and a few Leaguers save Bruce at the Vanishing Point and the day is saved! Hooray! 

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

(If you want to read about how it actually goes down, then I seriously recommend reading Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. It’s only six issues, so it’s a quick read and it explains the situation far better than I ever could.)

Bruce eventually reunites with his family after spying on them for a period of time as Insider to see what has changed in his absence:

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home

After that, things quickly settle back into their new normal. Dick and Damian stay on as Batman and Robin. Bruce goes back to being Batman as well, with him handling Batman Incorporated business and Dick continuing as Gotham’s defender. Tim keeps the Red Robin outfit, Steph stays on as Batgirl, and Cass becomes Black Bat. Jason stays in Arkham for a while before filing an appeal to be moved to a regular prison. He kills 82 inmates in less than a week and gets transferred back to Arkham, which he promptly escapes from. It’s a ride, I tell ya.

Aaaaand that’s about it! I hope this answered all of your questions!

[emilywaters]

2021 Pride Month Oneshots - Day 2

30 Queer Oneshots in honour of pride month

Day 2 - Theyna

Ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/31699466

Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/story/272023303-2021-pride-month-oneshots

Summary - Reyna is sick. There is a pride parade. Thalia is a bad cook. Thalia makes hot chocolate.

this is very low quality I wrote this at 2am sue me

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

"Which fucking god decided that today was the perfect day to make me sick? I have gone through a war without getting sick, but now I'm stuck in bed for the most important event of the year because of the flu?!"

Thalia smiled, listening to her girlfriend rant. After the second giant war, both camps got together every year and hosted a pride event on June second. Demigods from all over the world came to the event, and some of the gods attended too. Unfortunately, this year Reyna got a bad cold the day before. She had been determined to go anyways, but the cold worsened, making her too weak to get out of bed, much less go to the festival. Reyna told Thalia to go without her, but she firmly declined.

Thalia poured her girlfriend a cup of tea and returned to the bedroom. Reyna was lying in bed, exhausted from her rant. It was rare to see the praetor so vulnerable. Reyna usually put up a strong front, an unmovable wall of confidence and determination. But now, she looked strangely defenceless, curled up into a ball shivering from the fever.

Thalia sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing the hair off the brunette's eyes. Reyna mustered a smile, sitting up to drink the tea. They sat in a comfortable silence until Reyna spoke.

"I'm sorry you have to stay with me today, instead of going to Camp Half-blood," She said, her voice rough from sleep and sickness. "You really should go. I'll be fine."

Thalia frowned, "I'm not going, and you don't have to be sorry." She brushed her finger over Reyna's cheek, "I'm your girlfriend. I want to spend time with you, even when you're a sniffling, shivering blanket cocoon."

"It's a burrito, not a cocoon," Reyna corrected, giggling.

"You've been spending too much time with Nico." Thalia snapped her fingers, "Oh right. He asked me to send an IM when you felt better so we could see the festival."

Reyna buried herself deeper into the duvet, "Go ahead. I want to see if Camp Jupiter won the decoration contest again this year."

Thalia rolled her eyes, creating a mist cloud and fishing around for a drachma. "We have Nico and Will. They are living rainbows. There's no way Camp Halfblood is losing."

Reyna stuck out her tongue, "Keep dreaming, babe."

"Do you deny that Nico is an absolute gay icon?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that Camp Jupiter is going to win the float decoration contest."

They continued their friendly squabbling as the IM connected. A misty image of Nico and Will making out formed in front of the bed.

"Eww, get a room, you two," Thalia grimaced.

"It's your fault for IMing me," Nico argued, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Hey, Will," Reyna greeted the blonde.

"Hey, Reyna. How are you feeling?" The blonde smiled happily, putting his arm around his boyfriend, who was yelling something in Italian at his cousin.

Both boys wear decked in pride colours, the only time Reyna saw Nico wear any colour other than black. They had rainbow flags hanging from their shoulder as capes. Reyna could see other demigods strolling around in the background, laughing and chattering excitedly.

Nico finally seemed to notice Reyna, "Hey Reyna." His eyes sparked, "Before you ask, according to the leaderboard, Camp Halfblood is in the lead for the competition."

Reyna groaned as Thalia whooped. At the pride festival every year, the demigods voted best-decorated float. Neither camp had managed a running streak. Reyna had hoped that this year Camp Jupiter would win, earning them a two-year streak. But seeing how things are going now, she was sure Camp Halfblood would win.

Nico toured them through the festival, excitedly pointing out the parts that had been Will's ideas. At one point, they saw Leo run off in the direction of the lake, screaming, "RAINBOW FLAMETHOWERS MOTHERFUCKER." Not long after, an annoyed Calypso approached them requesting the location of a particular burnt chicken nugget.

Thalia noticed Reyna trying to yawn discreetly. The sick praetor was probably tired, so they said goodbye and cut the connection.

Reyna flopped backwards with a happy sigh, "I'm suddenly craving those rainbow crepes they had last year." Thalia immediately got up. "Thals don't you dare!" Reyna grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her back. "Last time you tried to cook, you caused a blackout in New Rome."

Thalia pouted, "It was one time," she protested, "I'll be super careful! Please? I want to make something nice for you."

"Fine, if you're so adamant about making me something, I want a hot chocolate." Reyna kissed her cheek and let go. "And I want extra unicorn marshmallows."

Thalia gave a thumbs up and darted into the kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate. Reyna smiled happily at her girlfriend. Thalia was an awful cook, so Reyna always cooked for them, which is why Thalia loved it when Reyna was unable to cook. It was a new chance for her to prove that her cooking skills had improved. Nine times out of 10, the attempt would end in disaster, but it was adorable to see her so focused and excited.

Reyna awoke to the heavenly smell of hot chocolate and the soft comfort of an arm draped over her. She ran her fingers through Thalia's soft hair as the girl snored gently, lying face down beside her.

Reyna picked up her mug from the side table. Thalia shifted in her sleep, moving her head to Reyna's chest, and the daughter of Bellona mindlessly resumed combing her hair.

Reyna sipped her drink, noticing the half-melted unicorn marshmallows with an affectionate smile. There was a scuffle at the door, and Arum and Argentum trotted in. Thalia had barred the dogs from entering because Reyna needed rest, but now that the daughter of Zeus was safely asleep, the dogs climbed onto the bed, snuggling with the two girls.

Today was not the celebration she had planned, but she felt a sense of peace, lying in bed, sipping hot chocolate, cuddling her amazing girlfriend and dogs.

'I could get used to this,' Reyna thought, sleepily placing her drink on the bedside table. She pulled Thalia closer and drifted off to sleep.

[asthmark]

❝ comfortable ❞ l.mk

synopsis → “oh, i’m mark. mark lee.” he gives her a lop-sided grin, reminding you of a high school boy. the kind you would have a crush on.

word count → 3k

a/n → instead of admitting to the fact that this has been in my drafts since october what if i just said i was watching superm interviews and got inspired.. would anyone believe that??? anyway superm on the ellen show was a fever dream lol

your leg bounces nervously as your makeup artist touches up your look and you stare at the tv screen in anticipation. you were finally making your television debut. you knew you were blessed for the wonderful opportunity, especially for how new you were to the music industry.

you had started like nearly every other artist; posting covers on youtube. these were well received and gained a good amount of views and likes but your career really took off when you began creating original content. every time you would release a single, it would make it on the trending page thanks to your growing fanbase and exposure to the general public, who seemed to like you. soon enough, requests to interview you whether it be on radio, tv, or magazines were high and, thanks to your managers, you found yourself in los angeles, backstage in a studio, waiting for the ellen degeneres to introduce you to her live audience and thousands of viewers at home.

“don’t move so much, miss l/n,” the woman trying to apply your highlighter comments. “you’re smudging your makeup.”

you force yourself to sit still as you apologize. “sorry. pre-show jitters.”

the woman smiles, emphatically. “i understand, sweetheart. i would be nervous too.”

you’re quiet for a moment, debating if you should continue conversing with her. “can i be honest?”

she hums as she dabs a beauty blender into your cheek. “go ahead.”

“i am so nervous that i’ll mess up or say something stupid. the only thing close to an interview i’ve ever done was a q&a on my youtube channel. and at least i could edit stuff out then.” you huff. “if i make some kind of mistake on my tv debut, my career will be over before it even started.”

“well, think of it this way,” she says. “you went from a moderately popular youtube channel to the ellen show. that doesn’t happen for no reason. there are people out there who really admire you.”

you chuckle in disbelief. “it’s crazy to think about people actually wanting to see me. i still can't believe it.”

she giggles, softly. “they know there's something worth seeing.” at seeing your small smile, almost as if you were barely realizing your own star status, she laughs. “you seriously gotta wake up, girl. you’re famous!”

you smile at her, finding humor in her words. “thanks for the wake up call.”

you both direct your attention to the tv placed backstage that broadcasted what was happening on stage. you listen in to ellen’s monologue as she tells jokes and addresses current topics. before long, there’s a knock on the doorframe. you half expect a staff member to let you know that you’ll be on soon but instead you hear a quiet, “hello?”

you and your makeup artist both turn to the boy standing in the doorway. he's wearing a black jacket paired with dark, ripped jeans held up by a belt. he goes to bow, then remembers that korean etiquette does not apply and decides to wave as a greeting instead. you reciprocate the gesture. he stands with only one foot inside the room, almost as if he’s too polite to enter without being given the okay.

“did they send you to get your makeup done?” the woman who had done yours says.

he nods. “they said something about concealer and bb cream, i think?”

she smiles. “yeah, it’s basic stuff. come on in. what’s your name, dear?”

“oh, i’m mark. mark lee.” he gives her a lop-sided grin, reminding you of a high school boy. the kind you would have a crush on.

“well, mark lee, i’m lily. i’ll be doing your makeup, making sure you look pretty for the cameras.” she motions to you. “i'm just about done here so i’ll be right with you.”

“okay, thank you.” he shuffles in, his eyes glued to you and you hold his stare. he nods, a wordless greeting as he settles in next to you. in return, you throw up a peace sign and he smiles at your casual behavior.

“you know what? somebody used all the setting spray. i’ll be right back, i’m just going to steal some from my co-workers.” with that, lily darts out of the room.

it’s pure silence between the two of you until you spark conversation. “i didn't get to introduce myself but i'm y/n.”

“i know,” he responds, quickly. “i'm kind of a fan, actually. i mean, it’s practically impossible to not be. you’re all over the place. especially with the new single you dropped... which is a bop, by the way.”

you smile at his simply-worded praise. it was a nice switch up from the professional reviews you received from critics. “that’s so cute. i’m honored.” you miss the way mark’s ears turn slightly pink at your words. “but enough about me, what do you do, mark?”

“oh, me? i’m in the k-pop scene.”

you hum. “that’s a good genre to be in. which group?”

“right now i’m promoting with superm, it’s kind of like a side project. but originally, i’m in a band called nct.”

you lean forward at hearing the familiar name. “nct? as in, nct 127?”

mark’s eyes light up. “yeah! you know us?”

you nod, enthusiastically. “oh my god, yes! you collabed with ava, right?”

“we sure did. are you guys close?”

“i help her write lyrics sometimes.” you lower your voice down to a whisper for dramatic effect. “i wrote the chorus to ‘sweet but psycho’.”

the way mark’s jaw drops is almost comedic. “no way! that song got her famous, dude!” his lips curve into a playful smirk. “just because of that i’m gonna have to get you in the studio.”

you return the mischievous look. “is that a promise?”

“i’m back!” lily announces, giving mark no time to respond. she gives no warning as she spritzs you with the bottle she had gone to retrieve.

you cough, choking on the mist. “no heads up?”

“sorry, dear. you’re on in two minutes, no time to waste.”

you feel a chill go up your spine. it was finally time.

mark nudges your arm. “you okay?”

“a little nervous.” that proves to be the biggest understatement of all time because in reality your heart is doing somersaults.

“hey.” you stare at him, his brown eyes boring into you. “you’ll be fine. there’s nothing to worry about. you got this!”

you smile at his words of encouragement. he cared about you and you find that your heart is pounding for an entirely different reason now.

“i'll be here to cheer you on while you’re out there and i’ll be back when you’re done to tell you how amazing you did, okay?”

you nod.

“now get out there!”

“well, we have a great show for y’all today,” ellen says, clasping her hands together, having just finished her monologue. “i mean, it’s always great but the exciting thing is we have two musical guests today.”

the audience that cheered wildly is shown on screen. you almost forget about the knot in your stomach when you see some people in the crowd wearing shirts with the cover art and quoted lyrics of your last single.

“i see you guys are ready so, without further ado... let’s get started. our first guest is a soloist who has made quite a big name for herself in such a short period of time. she currently has three singles on the billboard charts, her most recent music video is number one trending on youtube, and she has a new ep coming out soon. here for her television debut, please welcome y/n l/n.”

you walk out from behind the stage, a huge smile on your face. the crowd screams and you wave to them until your hands become too occupied hugging the hostess who greets you with open arms and a proud smile. once the hype dies down and your entrance music fades out, you take a seat, opposite of ellen.

“how have you been y/n?”

“amazing,” you respond, letting your hands fall neatly in your lap.

“and why is that?”

you sigh, wistfully. “everything has been going so well for me lately. i mean, i feel like all these doors are opening up for me all of a sudden. i think i finally made it.”

“you’re just barely realizing that?” ellen exclaims.

you laugh, along with the audience. “kind of, yeah. it just all happened so fast.”

“is there an experience that comes to mind where you finally realized how famous you are?”

you try to think for a few moments before your eyes light up. “okay so, i was at a mcdonald’s like, last month and i went through the drive thru and ordered some nuggets and fries. so, i pull up to the window to pay and it’s around 2 a.m. so the cashier guy is super out of it, like he’s not even paying attention to me. finally, he goes to grab my card and he gets a good look at me and just freezes. like, full on shuts down. so i ask him if he’s okay and he nods so i try to hand him my card again but he goes, ‘no, you’re famous, you don’t have to pay’. and in that moment i just knew.”

“hold on, pause,” ellen announces, dramatically. “you’re telling me that you have been nominated as artist of the year, gained over ten million followers on social media and made your national television debut but the thing that really made you say ‘wow, i’m famous’ was a couple of chicken nuggets?”

“ellen, c’mon,” you begin, seriously. “it was a twenty piece.”

“oh, well, that changes everything,” she says, playing along with you, as the audience erupts into laughter.

the rest of the interview goes smoothly, running on jokes and sarcastic energy. you discuss your young age (thus resulting in some of your baby pictures finally being revealed to the world), millennial culture (the crowd went wild when you explained terms such as netflix and chill to ellen who claimed she didn’t understand yet her sly smirk said otherwise) and your upcoming ep (that you would be giving a sneak peek of later on in the show).

you continue chatting once the commercial break is announced and ellen showers you with praises, commenting how young talent never failed to amaze her, although it did make her feel old. you get to thank the hostess and tell her how much you appreciated her sweet words and the opportunity she had given you before the crew is dragging you backstage so you can prep for your upcoming performance.

you’re greeted by a “that was awesome!” and a high five one you get backstage.

you flash mark a full smile. “couldn’t have done it without my hype man.”

just then lily walks in to touch up your makeup.

“and my hype woman!”

she just rolls her eyes and chuckles as she reapplies gloss to your lips. 

“seriously though, y/n. why did you have to be so perfect? the bar is all the way up here now.” to emphasize his point, mark raises his arm as high as it will go.

“hey, i only tried hard because you’re up next. you’re a hard act to beat, mark lee. i mean, you’re charismatic, charming, witty; basically every talk show host’s dream.”

he scoffs yet you see how he avoids your gaze, your compliments obviously flattering him to the extreme.

a staff member walks by, cutting your conversation short. “y/n, you’re back on in one. superm is on right after.”

you and mark turn back to each other, speaking the same two words at the same time.

“good luck.”

ellen introduces you again, only this time you hold a guitar and stand in front of a microphone once you’re back on the stage. you perform a never before heard song but judging by the roaring applause and standing ovation you receive by the end of it, it’s another successful hit.

you bask in the amazing response and then you’re ushered backstage for the last time. you catch sight of the staff placing more seats on the stage as you exit and you smile eagerly, knowing exactly what’s to come. you search the hallways for your new friend, hoping you can catch him before the show goes back on air. you’re almost about to give up when you hear your name being called.

you lock eyes with mark who stands a couple feet away, barely hidden from the audience’s view. even from where you stand you can tell he has a nervous smile on his face. you jog towards him and to your surprise, he envelops your figure without a second thought. in return, you tentatively wrap your arms around him.

“great job,” he murmurs, breath fanning your ear. “i really did cheer you on.”

“i’ll make sure to do the same.” you hesitantly pull away from his embrace, holding him at an arm’s length away. “go get ‘em.”

he gives you a determined nod and you watch him rush on stage, the audience’s wild cheering increasing. their energy didn’t fade once throughout the interview and just as you had suspected, mark was doing wonderfully. he clearly thrived in interviews; his awkward, boyish nature enchanting everyone in the studio, yourself included.

ellen crosses her legs and clears her throat. “so, i have to ask you something, you know, for the fans.”

the group leaned forward in anticipation, awaiting her next words.

“are any of you dating?”

the crowd released noises of amusement at hearing the very personal question. you can’t help but feel intrigued although you knew ellen has always been quite the invasive person. you watched as the seven boys looked around at each other, unsure what to say but before their silence can become suspiciously long, mark ends up taking the question.

“why are you always so curious about this, though?” he blurts.

the audience absolutely eats up his response, cheering at his bluntness. even you find it humorous, shoulders shaking with a chuckle. that’s definitely gonna become a meme, you think.

“it’s my job!” counters ellen. “why are you so defensive?”

the crowd is very responsive to ellen’s rebuttal, ‘ooh’ing in amusement.

mark’s silence only pushes the hostess to continue teasing him.

“does it maybe have anything to do with y/n?”

your smile drops. had she seen you two? you’re not sure why you feel so exposed; after all, you had just been talking.

ellen’s lips adorn a sly smile at mark’s stunned reaction. “you seemed to be getting very comfortable with each other backstage.”

the black haired male stumbles over his words before he gets a semi-coherent sentence out. “we just, um—we just met.”

“oh really? you two looked like you had known each other forever.”

mark chuckles breathlessly, eyes glued to his lap, obviously at a loss for words. ellen stares at him expectantly so he mutters, “i like making friends.”

ellen, the audience, and even some of the band members laugh at his response.

“well, i’m sure there’s a lot of fans out there that wish they were your ‘friend’.” her tone makes it clear she doesn’t buy his excuse but she prods him no further, instead turning to stare into the main camera. “when we get back superm will be performing their title track ‘jopping’. during the commercial break, please feel free to place your bets as to how long mark and y/n will remain ‘friends’.”

the camera pans to mark for a couple seconds; his ears are bright red and his cheeks are dusted light pink, his makeup doing nothing to help hide the blush. his eyes dart around, anxiously and then they cut to commercials.

you shake your head, smiling at the entire situation and just how big of a dork mark was.

you attentively watch superm’s two performances, eyes mostly glued to a certain rapper. you sit patiently in the makeup room, waiting for mark to return backstage so you can congratulate him but he never appears. you try to conceal your disappointment, even when lily enters the room, smiling brightly.

“well, the show’s over, doll.” she removes her makeup stained apron and glances at you as she places it on a nearby rack. “hey, why the long face?”

you stare at your reflection in the mirror, no longer bothering to hide your pout now that your frustration had been made known.

“you did great, if that’s what you’re worried about. just ask mark.”

“he left,” you mumble. “i thought i’d be able to catch him before he left and we could… i don’t know, talk a bit more? i just really—” you trail off.

“like him?” lily suggests, too loudly for your liking.

your head snaps towards her, eyes wide, only confirming your feelings.

“don’t worry, dear, you can say it. i won’t tell ellen,” she jokes.

you sigh and slump down in your seat. “yeah. i like him.”

“well, then, i have good news for you.”

you half-heartedly hum, allowing her to continue.

she waves a piece of crumpled paper in front of your face. you grab it from her, staring at it curiously.

“what’s this?”

she nods her head at it, encouraging you to find out for yourself. “open it and see.”  

you obey, unfolding the tiny item. your eyes struggle to read the words inside but if you squint, they become clearer.

please call, me i would love to become closer ‘friends’.

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

it’s mark btw :)

you can’t contain your smile at the cute little note.

“he’s adorable,” you say, mostly to yourself but lily audibly agrees.

“he ran into me as he was leaving and begged me to deliver that message to you. which reminds me, i’m supposed to let you know that he wishes he could have stuck around but his schedule is ‘crazy tight’ so he had to ‘dip’. his words not mine.”

you nod, grin widening. “thanks, lily.”

“my pleasure. nothing like young love.”

you give her a glare although it’s all but threatening.

she folds her arms, teasingly. “so, are you going to give him a call or what?”

you’re sure she sees the phone in your hand and the way your fingers press the numbers on the keypad, excitedly but nevertheless, you decide to answer.

“i’d be crazy not to.”

[snini-9]

*Long sigh* 

Alright guys. I’m here with an angry post about this. Please bear with me. 

[x] This is a map of the Columbia Watershed. The Snake River is highlighted in yellow, the Columbia in blue. 

[x] This is a map of the dams on the Columbia and the Snake. Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and McNary are on the Columbia. Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite are on the Snake. 

On February 6, 2021, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) proposed a " $33 billion infrastructure and community investment strategy that would breach the four lower Snake River dams and reorder much of the fish, energy and commodity transportation systems of the Pacific Northwest.” 

[x]

Good news, right?

Yeah, it’s great news until you get to the part about the time frame. 

“If turned into legislation, passed and implemented according to Simpson’s timeline, Lower Granite Dam would be breached in the summer of 2030 and the river that was swallowed by slackwater 55 years earlier would reemerge. The breaching of Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams would follow and the entire stretch of the river would return to its free-flowing state by 2031.“ That’s NINE YEARS. 9. N-I-N-E. The Southern Residents can barely find enough food now. There’s no way they’ll last 9 years and still be an even barely viable population (not that they’re a strong, viable population at the moment anyways). 

Lets go over everyone who died from 2010-2020. 10 years, approximately how many years it will be for the river to be free flowing. 

L41 (Mega) Male born 1977 to L11, declared missing January 28, 2020 (age 42)

L84 (Nyssa) Male born 1990 to L51, declared missing August 6, 2019 (age 29)

K25 (Scoter) Male born 1991 to K13, declared missing August 6, 2019 (age 28)

J17 (Princess Angeline) Female born 1977 to J5, her second calf, declared missing August 6, 2019 (age 42)

J50 (Scarlet) Female born December, 2014 to J16 (Slick), her fourth calf, declared missing Sept 13, 2018 (age 3)

L92 (Crewser) Male born 1995 to L60 (Rascal)(who washed up on outer WA coast May 2002 at age 30), declared missing June, 2018 (age 23)

J52 (Sonic) Male born late March, 2015 to J36 (Alki), declared missing Sept. 2017 (age 2)

K13 (Skagit) Female born est. 1972 (mother unknown), missing Winter, 2017 (age 45)

J2 (Granny) Female born approx. 1911, declared missing Jan. 2017 (age est. 105)

J34 (Doublestuf), Male born to J22 (Oreo), her first calf, born 1998, found deceased Dec. 20, 2016 (age 18)

J54 (Dipper) Male born to J28 (Polaris) in December, 2015, her second calf, missing Oct. 2016 (age 10 months)

J28 (Polaris) Female born to J17 (Princess Angeline) in 1993, her first calf, missing Oct. 2016 (age 23)

J14 (Samish) Female born 1974 to J12, missing August, 2016 (age 42)

L95 (Nigel) Male born 1996 to L43 (Jellyroll), found deceased March 30, 2016 (age 20)

J55 unk., born Jan., 2016 to either J14, J37 or J40, missing January 19, 2016 (newborn)

L27 (Ophelia) Female born 1965 (est.), mother unk., missing Summer, 2015 (age est. 50)

J32 (Rhapsody) Female born to J20, 1996; found deceased with fetus Dec. 4, 2014 (age 18)

L120 unk., born to L86, (Surprise!), her second calf, early Sept., 2014, missing Oct. 17, 2014 (age 1 mo.)

L53 (Lulu) Female born 1977 to L7 (Canuck), missing Summer, 2014 (age 37)

L100 (Indigo) Male born 2001 to L54 (Ino), missing Summer, 2014 (age 13)

J8 (Speiden) Female born est. 1933 to ?, missing Fall, 2013 (age est. 80)

L79 (Skana) Male born 1979 to L22 (Spirit), missing Summer, 2013 (age 34)

L26 (Baba) Female born est. 1956 to ?, missing Spring, 2013 (age est. 57)

L2 (Grace) Female born est. 1960 to ?, missing Fall, 2012 (age est. 52)

L78 (Gaia) Male born 1989 to L2 (Grace), missing Summer, 2012 (age 23)

K40 (Raggedy) Female born est. 1963 to suspected K18 (Kiska), missing Spring, 2012 (age est. 49)

L5 (Tanya) Female born est. 1964 to ?, missing Spring, 2012 (age est. 48)

L12 (Alexis) Female born est. 1933 to ?, missing Spring, 2012 (age est. 79)

J30 (Riptide) Male born to to J14 (Samish), missing 2012 (age 16)

Twenty-nine dead. Sixteen of these deaths were under the age of 40. Twelve were males, two were unknown genders, fifteen were females. 

Now, lets look at the births that survived within that same time frame (2010-2020).

J58 (Crescent), Gender unknown, born to J41 (Eclipse), her second calf, September, 2020

J57 (Phoenix), Male, born to J35 (Tahlequah), her third calf, September, 2020

J56 (Tofino) Female, born to J31 (Tsuchi), her first calf, May, 2019

L124 (Whistle) Gender unknown, born to L77 (Matia), her third calf, January, 2019

L123 (Lazuli) Male born to L103 (Lapis), her first calf, November, 2015

J53 (Kiki) Female born to J17 (Princess Angeline), her fourth calf, October, 2015

L122 (Magic) Male born to L91 (Muncher), her first calf, September, 2015

L121 (Windsong) Male born to L94 (Calypso), her second calf, February, 2015

J51 (Nova) Male born to J41 (Eclipse), her first calf, February, 2015

J49 (Tilem l’nges) Male born to J37 (Hy'shqa), her first calf, August, 2012

L119 (Joy) Female born to L77 (Matia), her first calf, May, 2012

K44 (Ripple) Male born to K27 (Deadhead), her first calf, July, 2011

L118 (Jade) Female born to L55 (Nugget), her fourth calf, January, 2011

L117 (Keta) Male born to L54 (Ino), her second calf, December, 2010

L116 (Finn) Male born to L82 (Kasatka), her first calf, October, 2010

L115 (Mystic) Male born to L47 (Marina), her third calf, August, 2010

K43 (Saturna) Female born to K12 (Sequim), her third calf, February, 2010

J47 (Notch) Male born to J35 (Tahlequah), her first calf, January, 2010

Eighteen were born and survived (to this point when I’m posting this- February 10, 2021). Eleven are males, two are unknown genders, five are females. 

Now, we’ve lost 15 females over the course of 10 years and have only gained FIVE in that same time period.

Now that we’ve looked at the births and deaths, lets look at the current living population, shall we?

J pod has 10 adult females, (2 post-reproductive); 3 young females; 2 adult males; 8 young males; 1 unknown gender.

K pod has 7 adult females (2 post-reproductive); 1 young female; 7 adult males; 2 young males.

L pod has 15 adult females (5 post-reproductive); 3 young females; 6 adult males; 9 young males; 1 unknown gender. 

Total Males: 15 adult, 18 juvenile

Total Females: 23 reproductive, 9 post reproductive, 7 juvenile 

Total Unknown Genders: 2

Now, that may seem like a good number of females, but we have to keep in mind that they need to produce healthy, living, viable, FEMALE calves to keep this population growing. While all calves are loved and cherished in this population, we need more females. This population is on a downhill trend that can NOT LAST NINE YEARS WITHOUT ENOUGH FOOD.  “When the whales starve, their pregnancies fail. Southern Resident females used to give birth once every five years, just like females in other killer whale populations. But their average birth frequency has dropped to about once every ten years.“ [x]

For anyone who still might not be getting the picture, here. I have a picture for you. This is the population census that the Center for Whale Research updates on December 31 and July 1 each year. 

[x] Do you see the trend? It’s falling. This population was decimated by the capture era (1960s-1970s) and is now continuing to struggle FIFTY YEARS LATER. 

Another point: Reducing whale watching will NOT HELP. Whale watching companies help keep recreational boaters away from the whales and help inform them on the laws. They also report sightings and help keep population tabs. If a whale isn’t looking good, they can report that. If they didn’t see a whale for multiple encounters in a row and the CWR hasn’t been able to get out with them, they can let CWR know. This is a community effort, tracking and monitoring the SRKW. Whale Watch boats also ensure that, when Sound Watch (which mostly operates off the West side of San Juan Island) is not around, that local recreational boaters follow the Be Whale Wise guidelines and keep their distance from the Southern Residents. 

“The Southern Residents pulled through the shooting era and pulled through the capture era, but if Ken is right, they will not pull through the conservation era. They are long-lived animals, so they will still be here—yet they will be gone...“We’re at the point—we’re past the point—of no return.”“ [x]

I appreciate Rep. Mike Simpson’s efforts to try to breach the Lower Snake River Dams, but the time to act is now. We are watching extinction happen before our very eyes. Breach the dams in 2021! NO FISH, NO BLACKFISH! “What will we lose if we let the Southern Residents go extinct?” “Our minds.” [x]

[im-a-star-boy]

Chrysopoeia (Part 1)

eyyyyyy 2 parter,,, nether fun with a side of angst,,,,,

@panna-pan @princeboo do yall still want me tagging you when I post this AU or should I stop?

TW: Panic attacks

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Summary: They haven’t been to the Nether since they left the SMP, but they can’t put it off forever.

Word Count: 1,700

Date of Completion: Saturday, January 16th, 2021

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Tommy cast an anxious look to Tubbo and Ranboo, who were chatting quietly between themselves. “Is this a good idea?”

The two looked up at Tommy’s voice. Tubbo glanced back to the cave and made an unsure noise. “I mean, we gotta at some point, we’ve been here for two months. And… and we need quartz.”

Tommy looked down for a minute before returning his gaze to the cave. “Okay…”

The three bore their armor, enchanted iron with gold boots, and made their way down. The walk was quiet and tense as the stone slowly shifted into netherrack, patches of gravel shifted soul sand, there were small patches of blackstone and nether wart growing around, crimson vines hung from the ceiling, their sharp thorns dangling hazardously. Something in Tommy’s gut twinged as they approached the nether portal. 

The three had found it a few days before from a zombified piglin exiting the cave, an active nether portal that they hadn’t built. The nether had seemed to seep into the cave, converting natural minerals into the nether materials. It was built in the same style as the old ruined portals, but it wasn’t ruined, and it was still active. Some of the obsidian had begun to crack and weep, but not enough to offset the portal as the dark purple continued to swirl and whisper. The portal was protected by the cave, surrounded on all sides by stone supports. On the top of the portal, two gold blocks still glimmered, unwavered and untouched by the elements. 

They didn’t know who built the portal or how long it had been there, just that it was there. Tubbo shifted in his spot in front of the portal. None of them had been to the Nether since they left the SMP, and the idea of going back put them on edge. “You got the gold?” Tommy asked.

Ranboo nodded and lifted up the bag. “Yep,”

“Everyone have their tools and armor?”

Tubbo and Ranboo nodded and murmured softly in agreement. Tommy took a deep breath and led the way. “Then in we go,”

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The Nether hadn’t changed much. It was still hot, it was still dangerous, and it was still quiet, so, so very quiet.

Sure, there were sounds, but not enough in Tubbo’s opinion. The sound of fire crackling, lava bubbling from a lavafall nearby, the distant sound of a ghast crying, the sounds of piglins, or maybe hoglins, snorting somewhere. These sounds would break the silence every few minutes, but it was never enough to calm his nerves. Tubbo hated the Nether silence.

It wasn't like the Overworld silence, the sliver of time where the crickets would stop chirping, where the nocturnal animals would find their resting place, where the brooks and streams seemed to stop, if only for a moment, as the sun rose. It wasn't the peaceful moment of calm where everything in the world slept, everything but him at least. When the sun would break the horizon, the birds would take the place of the crickets and their cows and horses and chickens would wake and begin their day. The moment would be over. 

The Overworld silence was peaceful, momentary, and calm. The Nether silence was deafening, a threat, a reminder that few creatures lived here, that few creatures ever could even survive here. He could count all the truly living mobs here on one hand, and still would have less than ten if he counted the undead mobs. 

The portal had led them to a crimson forest. Tommy half expected to come through to the Nether hub, to see the bridges to his exile and to Techno’s house, to the floor from where the portal formed precariously over a lava lake, but no. It was untouched, overgrown, and empty. 

The portal was built into a wall on the edge of the crimson forest, the same stone brick framing around it keeping it stable, and the same cracks of obsidian that wept the strange purple fluid. The gold that typically decorated the structures was missing. A zombie piglin spared them an uninterested glance as they stepped through and examined the terrain.  

Tommy was quick to step forward and loot the chest that accompanied the ruins. There was a flint and steel, two fire charges, a clock, a few iron nuggets, and a helmet.

Tommy pulled out the helmet and examined it for a moment before returning it to the chest. Tubbo stepped forward, swallowing thickly. “Come on, let’s build a quick base here.”

Tommy raised an eyebrow. “A base? Why?”

“A place to store our stuff, it doesn’t hurt to have some emergency supplies here.”

“I’m with Tubbo, it doesn’t have to be complex, just something safe if we need to bunker down.” Ranboo piped in.

Tommy looked between the two and sighed. “Alright, fine, whatever, let’s build a base.”

Tubbo grinned. “Can you chop down some trees?”

Tommy didn’t reply, just grabbed his axe and stepped forward. “You two pick a spot, I’ll start there.”

Tubbo nodded and began searching. A little ways off from the portal, there was a nice flat area. “Over here!” He called.

Tommy stepped forward and began chopping the trees down, taking down the nether wart blocks that were like leaves to the tree. Once a good area was cleared, he handed materials off. Tubbo glanced at the materials and back to Tommy for a moment before smiling. “Tommy, why don’t you carve out a pathway? We can make it with red nether bricks, but we’ll need the netherrack to make them.”

Tommy straightened up a bit, his eyes brightening slightly at the idea of building a path. “Oh so now you’re making me do all the shitty work?”

Despite his snippy reply, Tubbo could see his excitement as he already began digging. Ranboo chuckled as Tommy got to work, looking eager with his job. 

The three had worked quickly, Tommy had carved out a path, chopping down trees as he went, and had set all the netherrack to smelt into bricks, letting Ranboo combine them into red nether bricks and then into slabs. He frequently would get sidetracked in cutting down trees and chopping the thorny crimson vines that dangled dangerously. He was quick in placing the slabs, looking immensely pleased with his work. 

As he placed the final slabs, he paused when his communicator pinged. He grabbed it, expecting a message from Tubbo, but froze when he saw the message. Niki says: Hey, Tommy. I know you’re… gone… but I need to apologize one last time. I’m sorry this happened to you, I’m sorry you have to pay for our mistakes, and I wish things could’ve ended differently. You didn’t deserve to die for our causes.

Niki says: You, Tubbo, and Ranboo were just children, and we chased you away. You died for a cause that didn’t last and I’m sorry we put you through that. I wish you three the best in whatever afterlife exists, and I hope you can find it in you to forgive us.

Tommy reread the message over and over. Niki had always been one to give speeches to the dead, but one to him? They thought he was dead?

His stomach churned as he read it again. He hadn’t even realized his breathing was picking up, or that his vision was blurring, or that it was suddenly too hot, too cramped, he can’t breathe he’s dying I’m dying I’m dying I can’t breathe I’m dying- Dream help please Dream I’m sorry-

There was a hand on his shoulder. “Tommy, deep breaths Tommy,” A gentle voice encouraged.

Tommy looked up, tears blurring his vision. When had he sat down? “Tommy, follow my breathing, okay? It’s okay, you’re okay,”

Tommy sucked in a shuddery breath and felt his hand get guided to someone’s chest. He could feel the expansion and collapse of their lungs and attempted to follow along. He took deep, shaky breaths. “Tubbo?” 

The brunet smiled. “Hey, Tommy.” 

Tommy took a slow breath, looking uncertain as he gathered his surroundings again. “Oh,”

Tubbo nodded gently. “You had a bit of a panic attack there, Big Man.” Tommy avoided his gaze, repeating, “Oh,” a bit softer. 

Tubbo’s gaze softened. “What happened?”

Tommy shakily pointed to his communicator, which he had dropped during his panic attack. Tubbo glanced over to it and Ranboo, who was watching worriedly from behind him, grabbed it, handing it to the brunet. He looked up at Tommy, getting his permission, before turning it on and seeing the message from Niki. His gaze hardened as he read the message before shutting it off. “Ranboo and I just got a similar message,” He hummed, setting the communicator aside for the meantime. “On the bright side, if they think we’re dead, they won’t come looking for us.”

Tommy avoided his gaze. “Why are they just now apologizing? After they think we’re fucking dead, that’s when they choose to apologize?!”

Tubbo nodded gently. “Yeah, it’s pretty stupid, isn’t it?”

Ranboo shrugged. “I mean, at least they’re trying, I guess.”

“Trying a bit too fucking late!”

Ranboo flinched back at his yell and Tommy quieted, curling in on himself. “I’m sorry, Big Man, I’m sorry.”

The Enderman hybrid’s gaze softened as he met his eyes. “It’s okay, Tommy. You have a right to be angry. They shouldn’t have waited until we ‘died’ to apologize.”

Tommy nodded weakly in agreement, still looking beat. Tubbo stood up and offered down his hand. “Wanna head home? We’ve made a lot of progress and I say we deserve a break.”

The blond nodded again. “Yeah, I could use some water and a nap.”

The other two nodded. “We’ve made pretty good progress on the base I’d say, it’s pretty and functional!”

Tommy grinned. “Oh yeah? We’re making headway, bitch! Soon enough we’ll have netherite again!”

Tubbo pumped his fist happily. “Yeah!”

Ranboo grinned at the two. “Wooo! Blowing up the nether with beds!”

Tommy let out a strained but genuine laugh. “Hell yeah!”

The three walked back through the portal, seeming a bit more eased about the situation.

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Thursday, 14 September, 2023.

Coach's Note:

It is always a good idea to arrive early and do the warmup and all exercises in the sequence scheduled. That is especially true today since this involves a lot of SHOULDER work. Athletes are advised to use weights that they can easily handle for all the reps in unbroken sets. This is not your day for PR's.

Another absolutely perfect afternoon at the Barn.

Warmup

4 Rounds

5 PVC Squat Snatch's

10 PVC Shoulder Dislocates

Strength & Skill

Hang Snatch

Start Very Light And Progress If Quality

3 Reps EMOM For 3 Minutes

2 Reps EMOM For 3 Minutes

1 Rep EMOM For 3 Minutes

Nathan/Robert=115 Herb=95 Dana=85 Coach=75 Tom/Joe=65 Elisa/Kayla/Sue/Linda=55 Shannon=45 Faith (The Kid)=23 Tom/Timmy/Sammy D=did weird stuff Owen/Charrita/Jackie/Holley and several others failed to visit the whiteboard.

WOD

15 X 12 X 9

Hang Power Cleans ( 115 / 85 / 65 )

X 50 Double-Under's ( 100 Singles )

3 MINUTES REST

12 X 9 X 6

Power Cleans ( 135 / 115 / 75 )

X 50 Double-Under's ( 100 Singles )

Elite:

Dana=9:08 Robert=9:57 Timmy=10:57

The Rest:

Faith (The Kid)=8:53 Nathan=9:03 Joe=9:23 Elisa=9:33 Sue=9:45 Kayla=10:52 Herb=11:30 Linda=13:00 Shannon=14:08 Coach=14:45 Charrita/Holley/Jackie/Owen= did it Tom/Sammy D=stuff And others too shy to approach the whiteboard.

Cool-Down:

Wine and snacks around the picnic table. It was a perfect evening.

We had at least 15 assorted bottles of wine brought to the picnic table. A few were left for the next time.

Foods brought were in the extreme category. I always fear having to list them because I cannot remember foods and who brought them without error. But I'll try: Kayla brought a huge casserole of Ziti pasta/ meat, and cheeses. Shannon brought a "To Die For Dessert". There were a few bites left that she took home for Armando. There were fresh peppers and veggies with Hummus, a couple different popcorns, fruits, nuts, home made cookies, Chic Fil A Nuggets galore, and Mr Butler produced bags of Chic fil A pimento chicken sandwiches. There must be stuff that I am missing.

We never had Thursday's quite like these before Alicia returned from Pittsburg and we recruited Kayla from the California Hustler's Gym. Believe it or not, I think the atmosphere is much more sedate and cordial, and the food is hugely improved. At least 2 things are the result of having more GIRLS: better foods and better behavior. But sometimes I miss the drunks trying to leap over the fire-ring, and coming up to the house and falling through a glass table and not realizing I was hemorrhaging to death until Miss Linda unquestioningly served my morning coffee under said table.

Did anyone spot Faith (The Kid) meticulously listing the WOD in chalk on the mat she was using? Did you know that if a parent can't bring her, she rides her bike from home? There is no adult who comes here who has a more serious attitude than The Kid. In 3 years when she is 14 yo we will have a CrossFit Games Teen Champ on our hands. Many thanks to Coach Butler for working with her. I know he loves it.

Holley and Jackie returned after many months un-excused absence. Why do girls always get insulted when the near 80 yo Coach can't remember their names after a 6 months absence? Maybe that's not the fault of my memory.

Saturday at 0730 and 0930. It will be Kayla's 1 Year anniversary and 10 on-line romances since first coming to LHCF. The only appropriate way to celebrate would be to have a crew of male strippers come sing the Happy-Happy Anniversary song. After today, I promise to quit giving Kayla so much free advertisement in this blog.

Also, Rosh Hashanah may interfere with attendance. We cover all the news that's fit to print.

[obsessedbutnotblessed]

❌PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS AND TELL ME YOUR HONEST OPINION❌

I’ve never EVER written fan fiction before (i can barely write essays for school). I only read it, but I’ve had an idea for LONGGG One Shot or maybe a 3 part mini-series for Spencer Reid. I might try writing but it would be my first time and I don’t think it’ll come out the way I want it to. Everyone knows that in the show Spencer was a high school student when he was 12 and he was bullied but I barely see anyone write about it.

❕Okay so here’s the plot: Spencer is 12 years old and it’s Senior Year (everyone else is 17/18). He gets BULLIED by the school jocks, Brock Rumlow (he’s the only name I could think of for a bully and it’s a good name for an unsub, but Marvel won’t be in this) and two other boys. Like bullied so bad that he cries everyday and everyone at school hates him and calls him a freak except for one person, Y/N. She doesn’t really notice him at first, but then she sees Spencer in her trigonometry class and he always gets the answers right. Y/N isn’t popular but she isn’t a loser either. One day she is walking from class to go outside and she sees that Brock tied Spencer to the flag pole and everyone is laughing at him and recording him. Spencer is literally on the verge of tears. She runs to Brock and literally cusses him out (I kinda know what I want her to say) and threatens to tell the school and file a report. If she does that then he could loose his D1 scholarship for football to college. He leaves and she unties Spencer and he’s in shock that anyone would be nice to him. She starts saying “Don’t take shit from these assholes. Never apologize for being the smartest person in the room” etc. Spencer takes the bus and gets bullied on there too, so Y/N decides not only to drive him home, but to drive him to and from school everyday for the rest of the year. When she drives him home, she stops by McDonalds and Spencer tells her the harmful effects of fast food but still gets food anyways lmao. And guess what he orders; 10 chicken nugget meal with MILK. And the reader looks at him like he’s crazy but he says “Milk helps you grow.”🥺. Okay so after that day the reader and Spencer become really good friends. They have deep conversations about their hopes and dreams for the future. Spencer wants to help people the way you’ve helped him and Y/N wants to be a singer. She loves performing and wants to entertain people. She sings for Spencer one day and Spencer develops a crush on her. The reader is oblivious but doesn’t reciprocate the feelings cuz he’s 12 and she’s 18. The reader actually does go to the principal about Brock and he loses his scholarship from college because he has not 1 not 2 but 3 bullying reports on his record. There is a lot of evidence that proves he’s a bully because everyone was recording it, spreading it around, and at first he thought the video was funny but it came back to bite him in the ass. He is FUMING but he can’t hurt you or Spencer cuz he’s already in a lot of trouble. He leaves school and never comes back; for now. Spencer asks the reader to prom as friends and they actually have a good time. Then it’s time for graduation. Spencer is going to CalTech and the reader got into Juilliard! She says “never let anyone take advantage of you Spencer. You’re an amazing boy and you’re going to do amazing things in California. Don’t forget me,” and he says “It is mentally impossible for me to forget you or anything. I have an eidetic memory. But thank you” and they go their separate ways.

❎10 YEARS LATER❎ Spencer is working at the the FBI and the BAU has a case. It’s about the reader. The reader got her dream and became a famous singer. For the past month she has been going through her fan mail, she sees weird messages saying “YOU RUINED MY LIFE” “I’LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT” “IM COMING FOR YOU” and her manager contacts the BAU. She sees Spencer and doesn’t recognize him at first cuz he’s an adult now, but he sees her and falls in love with her all over again. She finally recognizes him and freaks outttt. She like “OMFG YOURE AN ADULT! LIKE YOU HAVE FACIAL HAIR LMAOOO”. Of course i’m going to include Derek hitting on her somehow. And they are back in Las Vegas because it’s their high school’s 10 year reunion. The notes won’t stop. Soon they escalate into photos and then videos of her until she gets kidnapped. Brock is the one who kidnaps her. He blames her for ruining his life. Because he lost his scholarships and dropped out of school, he’s now like a janitor or a trash man i guess. And Brock kidnaps her and brings her back to the school. They are in the boiler room. Reid breaks in to save her but Brock has her at gun point. Reid literally tells Brock how evil his is, how he will never amount to anything g because he’s just a big bully, and how he isn’t afraid of him anymore. Brock almost pulls the trigger on Y/N, but Reid shoots and kills Brock. Reid hugs Y/N as she’s crying and says “you’re safe now princess.”🦋💢⭕️! She says “you saved me. thank you” and he goes “You saved me 10 years ago. I had to return the favor somehow” and they laugh and kiss. Spencer takes Y/N home, and they f*ckkkkkk. I can’t write smut through so idk. ❕

But yeah that’s it. Should I write it? I would ask someone else to write it but it’s long and i can’t pay anyone LMAO i’m a broke high-school student. Anyways please tell me your thoughts. Should I give it a chance and write it or forget about it. Also if anyone wants to write this, please message me and tag me. I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER 🙈😍🥰. okieee bye!

i read all your comments & messages and this story idea got a lot of positive feedback. i honestly didn’t think people would care that much LMAO. but yeah i’m going to write it!! it’s gonna be my first fan fiction yayyy. So if you want to be tagged let me know! Also please comment down any ideas you have (a title name 👀)!! 🦋💗