#Animal Planet Extraordinary Animals

[fefairys]

"Though Feferi has many stylistic features of a truly extraordinary kid—rich sea princess, cool underwater castle, surrounded by animals she cares for... basically, any enthusiastic young kid's dream life—aside from all this, what seems fundamental to her profile is just a basic sense of averageness. This isn't me throwing shade at her, it's just how she's supposed to be. Kind of a regular kid who gets excited about regular kid stuff, doesn't have a wild, ostentatious personality or glaring defects like most other trolls. She's an average, fun-loving kid leading the life of the least average kid on the planet, and she wants to make the best of her situation, whether it's inheriting the throne (where she would bring peace to the planet) or saying goodbye to the world and playing the game (which she knows will happen, because her lusus told her it would). Like Aradia, Feferi is okay with a lot of things, but she slides through adversity easily with the power of enthusiasm rather than apathy. The only other character I can think of with "averageness" as a built-in feature of her profile is Jane. Who is also a Life player, and an heiress to a different throne (occupied by, yet again, the Condesce)." -Andrew Hussie

[3dmonstermaze]

All animals upon the planet can be classified as such:

Critters, the least animals, of small stature and tiny mind

Creatures, those of cunning and wit, capable of extraordinary feats

Beasts, the largest of the animals, of violent temperament and wicked nature

There are no animals outside of these three.

[loth-creatures]

Wolf Ezra's final form

Lothwolfwalkers

I've been frothing at the mouth to reveal this for some time, but I also wanted to put together a synopsis of what I imagine he's been through after getting blasted into the unknown and his time on Peridea. Also will include some lore I came up with for Peridea! This post will likely be edited/added to every so often.

Also! I have a sideblog now @lothwolfwalkers

Ezra's many new scars are mostly from the shattered glass flying around the Chimera's bridge. Thrawn has a matching set. Ezra fell into a very deep meditation upon entering hyperspace, using the Force to keep a bubble of life support for himself and Thrawn. During this time he converses with the Purrgil, and beholds way too much knowledge of the universe for one person to hold in their head. He's probably a little weird after all that; frequently spaces out very badly while experiencing intense visions of things he saw and learned but can't remember.

The Purrgil travel much faster than ships. It takes them three days to reach the other galaxy, whereas it takes the Sion a few weeks (I want the Sion's voyage to be very very miserable for everyone) I'm going wild with the ocean metaphors for space and the Force here; Ships only ever skim the surface of hyperspace, whereas the Purrgil evolved to sink far deeper, where the current is much stronger and farther from time and real space. Sort of like how we can cross the ocean's surface on ships but animals like sperm whales can dive to extraordinary depths on the power of their own biology. To the Purrgil an intergalactic voyage is a hop across the pond.

The Purrgil don't drop the Chimera off on Peridea. They track along the very edge of the galaxy and their first stop is a barren volcanic planet that I've been calling Hel in my head (gonna be leaning into the Norse mythology theme). Although if anything its more like Davy Jones' Locker from POTC: At Worlds End.

The Chimera crashes and is grounded here for several months. All the internal systems are dead, everyone is unconscious after dropping out of hyperspace (like after the jump through the star cluster to Lirasan). Ezra escapes the crash as a wolf, beyond delirious and exhausted, forgetting his human body. It's not long before he's tortured into returning to it. It's also not long before the crew of the Chimera regret that. They could barely contain him for long under normal circumstances, let alone while the ship is in shambles and their resources are limited. He certainly spends some time in the walls and any repairs they've made are severely set back by the time he decides to steal a TIE Defender and leave.

Ezra then does the only thing he can. He follows the Purrgil. With no means to navigate and no way to obtain fuel, the only path forward is that of the Purrgil, as fruitless a path as it is, for the Purrgils' destinations are isolated from any form of advanced civilization that might exist in the new galaxy. Ezra is a step ahead in terms of conserving fuel as he can hitch a ride with the Purrgil. However, Thrawn knows Ezra and the Purrgil are their only hope of navigating this strange galaxy, and surgically implanted a tiny tracker on Ezra’s human body while he had the chance. It takes Ezra several months to realize this, as Thrawn is careful about how closely they follow him. When he does, he takes the Chimera on a wild goose chase, trying to run the them out of fuel. By now he's learned he can run alongside the Purrgil as a wolf through hyperspace.

Ezra leaves his ship and body on the most barren useless planets the Purrgil stop by, and continues to follow them as a wolf for as far as he can, trying to map their routes in his head, trying to find the way home. Then doubling back in the ship, zig zagging, going in circles and doing everything he can to cover their tracks. This goes on for about a year. I suppose they must find some form of fuel somehow in order to continue that long, but its inefficient and damaging to the ships.

Thrawn occasionally threatens to recapture Ezra, in order to keep him moving, but doesn't yet know that Ezra knows about the tracker and doesn't want to give it away. Perhaps he does recapture Ezra once or twice. And immediately regrets it. No matter what they do to human Ezra, Wolf Ezra simply can't be contained and tends to short out the entire electrical system as he drifts on and off the ship, straight through the hull in his spirit form. Human Ezra causes lots of problems on the way out when he inevitably escapes. The entire crew just want him dead. But they also know he's their only chance of escaping this exile.

This cat and mouse game takes a massive toll on his own ship though, and by the time they reach Peridea, its completely broken down, out of fuel and will never get off the ground again. At this point Ezra uses the Force to locate and disable the tracker, but has no way to safely remove it from his body, which he's pretty pissed about. He disappears into Peridea's wilderness. The Chimera becomes a grounded fortress and will not lift off again for several years. While Thrawn contacts and makes allies of the Night Sisters, Ezra befriends the Noti and also becomes amicable with many of the bandit clans.

Except I'm not calling them bandits, they need actual names. After googling "old norse word for blank" a few times and taking the first result, I came up with Hundur Ridarri for the howler riders we see in the show, roughly meaning 'dog horsemen' and Vatn Fari roughly meaning 'lake farers' as I imagine Peridea having many massive lakes or seas, and many of the 'bandits' are mariners. Their ships are mostly made from the bones and skin of giant sea creatures, which they also hunt for food.

Wolf Ezra has been known to tow in derelict ships caught in storms or attacked by creatures of the deep, and has ferried survivors of shipwrecks to shore on his back. He is sometimes offered some of their catch in return. He mostly avoids them though, as they occasionally treat with Thrawn and the Sisters.

The Noti on the other hand keep to themselves and are so good at hiding that Thrawn doesn't even know about them. Ezra’s body is quite safe with them and in return he defends them and helps them find food, and is quickly adopted as one of their own. They mostly survive on the washed up corpses of lake creatures, which Ezra can sniff out from miles away, and can tear the carcasses open for them, saving hours of carving through tough skin and bone. Ezra can also stomach it as a wolf but prefers to fish along the shoreline.

Ezra can't stay undetected forever though, he's not exactly inconspicuous as a wolf. As Thrawn now has powerful allies and resources, he's made a project out of capturing Ezra and attempting to study his wolfwalker abilities, something the Sisters are intrigued by as well and keen to experiment on. The Emporer was highly interested even before they knew about healing powers and teleportation. If Thrawn is to return to the Empire, he intends to do so with something to show for it. And a bit of vengeance.

The Sisters do succeed in capturing and containing the wolf briefly several times. One of their smaller strongholds (known as Gleipnir after the string that binds Fenrir in Norse mythology) becomes increasingly dedicated to the project. Ezra always escapes, but it gets harder each time. And if they ever find his human body, it's all over.

Meanwhile, Ezra is still trying to find a way home. He has no way of carrying his human body with him, can only follow the Purrgil so far as a wolf. The further he gets from his body, the more tired and sick he becomes until he simply can't keep up and is slowly and painfully dragged back to his body through the Force. There is no chance of him crossing between the galaxies. But he tries anyway, hoping he can get stronger, run farther before faltering, hoping someday he will make it just far enough to tell someone where to look. He only succeeds in hurting himself. It's too risky to try stealing another ship off the Chimera, as they are actively using their remaining TIEs as bait and he cannot afford to get caught again now that there's a real chance he'd never escape.

The Purrgil may go to Peridea to die, but they don't all die at once; the young escort their elders to their final resting place, the elders in turn show the young where to go to visit their dead and eventually join them.

Back home, Kanan searches for Ezra through the World Between Worlds. He has no luck, as the wbw doesn't extend between galaxies. The new galaxy likely has its own version but they are not connected. Kanan feels in his heart that Ezra is alive, but has no hope of finding him. Meanwhile Sabine often has dreams as a wolf, running through the wbw, following Ezra's faint faint scent, only to run right off the edge of the map and fall to oblivion. Ezra cannot sleep as a wolf without falling straight through reality and onto the paths of the Purrgil, where every minute contains a lifetime and every pawstep crosses light years. It's so very easy to become lost.

[sophieinwonderland]

Science, and The Lie of Certainty

When you were a child, you probably learned in school what a dinosaur was. You probably learned about their habitats. You probably have seen their pictures in your textbooks.

Not to mention seeing them in movies like Jurassic Park, The Land Before Time, The Good Dinosaur, etc.

Except thinking about what dinosaurs look like, you probably realize that they have changed. Our understanding of what they most likely look like has changed. And in the media that we consume, the dinosaurs look differently today than they did 30 years ago.

Even in media, the dinosaurs depicted in The Good Dinosaur look different from what we saw in Jurassic Park.

As children, you were probably certain about what dinosaurs look like. They're in books, after all!

Maybe you still feel a certainty today. Maybe you think that the new more hairy and feathery dinosaurs that we would see in modern images are what they actually look like and this is going to stay the same and never change.

So allow me to inform you that, unfortunately, your certainty is misplaced.

The truth is, even as much as we know about dinosaurs today, we will probably never know exactly what they looked like. There are some things that just don't fossilize and won't be preserved.

We can guess at their habitats, at their behavior, and scientists can get a whole lot right.

But we will probably never have textbooks that will 100% portray what a dinosaur looked like.

And this is pretty sad to me. Because I like to know the answers to questions. I want to understand the natural world as much as possible. I would love to be able to see what a dinosaur actually looked like, be able to observe one up close... Preferably without getting eaten.

But some things just aren't possible.

There is no fault in admitting that.

But there is fault in clinging to a present idea of what a dinosaur looks like.

To pretend like science has all of the answers. That the popular theories about what dinosaur behavior might have been like is 100% confirmed. When in reality, there's a good chance that our understanding of them might change dramatically in the next 20 years, 50 years, and 100 years. And even a century later, we still won't be able to know everything.

There's a fantastic paleoart book you may have heard of called All Yesterdays that presents alternatives for how dinosaurs may have looked based on recent findings and some creative liberties in some cases.

One example of this is the Leaellynasaura. This is what this dinosaur would have looked like according to Wikipedia:

All Yesterdays presents an alternative possibility though based on the same skeleton.

This is dramatically different from what we see in the first image. But they give pretty solid reasoning for these liberties.

As seen before with Hypsilophodon, many small plant-eating dinosaurs will have their popular images greatly revised thanks to new discoveries of social behaviour and integument. Instead of looking like two-legged iguanas, these animals will have to be re-imagined with the extra possibilities offered by furry bodies and communal living habits. Here is one more small ornithischian re-interpretation, this time featuring Leaellynasaura. This dinosaur was discovered in Australia, where it lived during Early Cretaceous times, about one hundred and ten million years ago. At that time, Australia was located close to the Earth's geographic south pole. Although its climate was possibly not as cold as today's Antarctic, the axial tilt of our planet meant that Cretaceous Australia did not receive direct sunlight for long periods of time, and almost certainly experienced sub-zero temperatures. Aside from being a polar dinosaur, Leaellynasaura was also extraordinary for its immensely long tail, which was almost three times as long as its body. Nobody knows why Leaellynasaura had such a long tail, or what it used it for. Theories range from the tail being used as a climbing aid, a sexual and social display feature, or a long, shaggy “scarf” that the dinosaur wrapped around itself as protection from the cold. It has even been suggested that the tail aided the animal in swimming! Drawing on these facts, we reconstructed Leaellynasaura as a rotund furball that scurried peacefully about in the polar forests of Australia's past. We imagined its long tail as a thin, signalling "flagpole" that helped it identify and keep close to members of its herd. No doubt some people will find this reconstruction preposterous, and perhaps they will be right. However, we felt that not enough dinosaurs were reconstructed as "cute" beasts, whereas in nature, polar animals can look quite pulchritudinous under layers of fat, muscle, fur and other insulation.

Later on in the book is a section entitled All Todays which, to really drive the points home about how little we understand about how dinosaurs may have looked, tries to imagine how future paleo-artists might interpret creatures who exist today based on the same errors we've made.

For example, going with the theme of how fat doesn't fossilize, someone from the future might make this sort of reconstruction of a common modern animal:

Alternatively, perhaps swans could be reconstructed as preadory wingless monsters.

And for the faults of assuming all dinosaurs were scaly in the past, it could be equally dangerous to assume that now that we've discovered some with fur or feathers that we should extrapolate to all dinosaurs.

Such extrapolations could lead to fallacious assumptions, like how a future paleontologist might assume that because rats had fur, the same must be true for iguanas.

There are so many more examples in this book that I would love to share and discuss because it's just fantastic.

But I have to end this post at some point.

So let me just bring this back to the main point. Which is that we know very little. The more you learn, the more you realize how little we actually know for certain.

Certainty of science is often a lie.

As true as this is about paleontology, it's true of a lot of other fields too. It's true of psychology, of history, of neuroscience, of biology, of astronomy. While there is a lot that we do know, there's a lot more that just ends up being our best guesses.

And that's okay.

It's okay to accept that we still have so much more to learn about the world around us.

This is something that should be embraced.

There is safety in the comfort of the lie of certainty. But it is a lie. It's a cozy blanket that was weaved around us when we were children and learning about the world, convincing us that we had all the answers when we don't by covering our heads to the larger world outside the blanket.

And while pulling off that blanket and realizing that we don't know everything is scary, we NEED to pull it off to be able to acknowledge that we have room to learn and grow.

We need to be able to proudly say, "I don't know, and that's okay because it means I have more to learn!"

So please keep learning and keep questioning everything!

[ploppythespaceship]

Please Watch My Adventures with Superman

This show is just so delightful and manages to capture the essence of Superman in a way a lot of adaptations just don't quite get. If you've ever been curious about Superman, if you've ever felt Superman is too boring for you, or you just enjoy a fun superhero story, I highly recommend checking this series out.

The first season has ten episodes, and the second season has just aired its third episode. In the US, it's available on Adult Swim and Max.

What It's About

If you aren't familiar with Superman, he's an alien -- the last survivor of planet Krypton, sent to Earth as an infant where he was found and raised as Clark Kent. Being an alien, he has extraordinary powers which he uses to lead a double life as a hero. This show focuses on a core trio of Clark, his girlfriend Lois, and their friend Jimmy, all of whom work at the Daily Planet newspaper.

Clark Kent / Superman

One of the main reasons this show works is it understands that Clark is Clark, first and foremost, and Superman is his disguise. Clark is a big friendly nerd. He's a huge sweetheart who cares so deeply about the people around him and the planet that adopted him.

This version of Clark is starting out very young (early 20s), so a lot of this story is about him just figuring things out. He's gradually learning the truth about his origins, the extent of his powers, and how best to be a hero -- all while grappling with the fact that he isn't human and his people of origin may in fact be a massive threat to Earth.

Clark is voiced by Jack Quaid, which you might not expect to work well, but he honestly nails it.

Lois Lane

Lois is loud. She's ambitious. She's intelligent and quick-witted. She doesn't take no for an answer. She has jumped off a building to prove her point -- twice. She is an unstoppable force of nature, and this show refuses to dumb any of those traits down.

But above all, she's kind. She wants to use everything she can do to help people. Her relationship with Clark is also everything you could ever want from a Clois dynamic.

This version of Lois is Korean-American, and voiced by Alice Lee, who does a phenomenal job.

Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy is Clark's best friend and roommate. This version portrays him as a supernatural/paranormal vlogger, running a web series called Flamebird. He's easily excitable, very passionate, as well as one of the most dedicated friends you could ask for.

Following in the footsteps of several previous iterations of the character, this version of Jimmy is African-America. He's voiced by Ishmael Sahid, who's just perfect in the part.

Why It's Great

The characters are all fun and interesting in their own right, while also having a great dynamic with each other -- as duos and as a full trio. And because the characters are shown as being very young and just starting out, they're very relatable. Additionally, every character feels very true to the spirit of their comics counterpart, despite taking a lot of liberties with the specifics.

There's a great cast of villains so far -- Livewire, Task Force X, Mxyzptlk, Parasite, Silver Banshee, and plenty of others that I don't want to spoil. They've also been teasing some really interesting stuff for the Kryptonians, which is noticeably different from any previous adaptations I'm familiar with.

The show is very anime-inspired, giving it a distinct flavor from other Superman adaptations. The creators are clearly having a ton of fun with it. Classic Superman villain Mxyzptlk, who's typically shown as an imp, now looks like he just walked out of a Dragon Ball episode, in an episode called "Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal."

It's also the same animation studio as The Legend of Korra and Voltron: Legendary Defender, who do excellent work. The character designs are unique while still fitting the characters perfectly. I particular love Clark and Superman's designs -- they've struck a balance between making sure he's big and muscular while also retaining a certain softness to his appearance. The fight scenes are fluid and dynamic. It all just works.

[hxney-lemcn]

Love Is Scary — Eleventh Doctor x gn! reader

summery: Doctor takes reader to a planet that he thinks they'll love. Reader has a bit more on mind than just the cute animals that inhabit the planet.

tw: Fear of unrequited love (spoilers, it is very requited)

a/n: @tonyiloveyou asked for confessions and I've been wanting to write it anyways so here y'all go

wc: 2.4k

Master List

(This is a part of a one shot series: Part One | Part Two)

“See!” The Doctor spoke proudly. “Not everything has to be a life or death situation.”

“You’ve outdone yourself this time, Doctor,” I replied, watching the maroon and pink grass flow with the wind. It was quite extraordinary really. The pink tips of the grass swaying was somewhat hypnotic. The trees behind us were a rich purple and red, seeming to brush against the sky. Oh what a sky it was. The atmosphere was transparent, revealing the stars and planets that lay beyond. 

“I’ve wanted to bring someone here for quite some time actually,” The Doctor started. “Not the best place for humans though.”

“A shame,” I muttered. “Are you sure you’ll be able to sit around with me and be bored for a bit?”

“Darling, anything with you is far from boring,” He replied seriously, that stupidly soft look in his eye once more. “Besides! Mundane is good, remember?”

I rolled my eyes in amusement, something I found myself doing often in the madman's presence, “Pretty sure you only said that so I wouldn’t feel bad about the lack of adventure I lived.” 

“Lack of adventure?” The brown haired timelord asked incredulously. “Are all the things we’ve done together not adventurous enough?”

“Doctor, in the entire span of my life, I’ve mainly lived on Earth hiding amongst humans,” I explained. “Compared to you, I’ve barely explored anything.”

“Oh my sweet, sweet (y/n),” Doctor muttered, closing the distance between us. He held my face softly between his hands and I felt my heart race at the touch. “There’s nothing wrong with that. And no one can really compare to me now can they?” I stared at him blankly as he pulled away, a smug grin resting on his lips. 

“I hate you,” I grumbled. 

“No you don’t,” He replied effortlessly. 

I turned around, facing the forest, hating how right he was, “Are there any life forms?”

“Some rudimentary animal species,” Doctor explained. “Mainly in the forest, but there are some in the water as well.”

“Like on Earth?” I asked, glancing back at him, only to startle at how close he got. 

“Yes,” He nodded, hazel eyes once again on me. It felt like burning with his entire attention only on me, I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. “Well no, but yes if it will help you understand better.”

“I’m not human,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I can see the future of any being or thing. Give me more credit.”

“Right,” Doctor cleared his throat, adjusting his bowtie after. “I’m just used to-”

“Human companions,” I finished for him. “I know. I’m assuming the beings on this planet are connected to the planet, like a hivemind of sorts.”

“Exactly!” The Doctor clapped, once again holding my head in his hands, leaning forward to place a kiss on my forehead before hesitating. I stood there with bated breath as he leaned a little higher, right above my third eye, and placed a kiss to my hairline. “As brilliant as ever.”

I hated this. I hated this warm feeling that engulfed me at the affectionate actions. The want and need that filled through me. The loneliness I knew would follow soon after. He was closer than I expected when I opened my eyes. His stare, oh that stare. It was so warm, so loving, like he never wanted this moment to end. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I also didn’t want it to exist. 

It sparked that familiar feeling. The feeling of hope. Of the possibility that he felt the same way I did. Damn Rory for putting that thought into my head. I know he was just trying to help, but Rory didn’t understand how complicated this was. Or…was it? But whenever it seemed like the Doctor and I would step over a boundary we couldn’t go back from, he’d change the subject. Which in turn would take that spark of hope and snuff it once more. A tortuous cycle that I set myself up for every time. 

“Come on,” He broke the silence. “I want to show you something.”

I blinked, coming back to reality, “Was this not what you wanted to show me?” Once again, the moment was averted. 

“No,” He shook his head, his brown hair falling out of place…not that it ever was in place. “Well yes, but only a part of it.” Holding his hand out to me, he smiled brightly and repeated, “Come on.”

I decided to try and stop overthinking everything. Just to let go and live in the moment. The moment where the Doctor took me to the most beautiful planet I’ve ever seen. Where he’s staring at me like I’ve hung the stars. Where he’s holding my hand oh so gently as we walk through a forest of vibrant purples and reds. For once, I’ll indulge myself, even if it’ll hurt later. 

I felt breathless as we entered a clearing. The forest was dark (due to the sky being transparent to the cosmos), but the clearing was a bit brighter. A river rushed past, a dark navy blue that I was familiar with on Earth. A few of the animals that the Doctor spoke of stood by the river, watching us with curious eyes. No need to be afraid, not having come in contact with predators before. Reminds me of the Dodo. Those poor birds.

The Doctor kept walking, stopping only when he realized we weren’t holding hands anymore, “Come on dear, they won’t bite.”

I trailed after him, crouching down in front of a cream colored creature. I wasn’t exactly sure of the name, or if all the creatures on this planet shared one. In fact, the color pallet of this planet reminded me of red velvet in a way. Holding my hand out, I tried to get it to sniff me, to prove I was no threat. It only turned its head in confusion. 

Leaning down next to me, the Doctor handed me some fruit. It was a bright orange, almost neon. I suppose its so it could stand out for the creatures to eat. Once more, I held my hand out, this time the creature didn’t hesitate to eat the fruit I held out to it. 

“It's so cute!” I couldn’t help but smile as I turned to look at the Doctor. “Can we take one home?”

The Doctor paused, seeming to do a double take before asking, “Home?”

I paused to, unsure what I meant by that. Did I mean the house I called a home because it's where I slept? Or did I mean the Tardis, where I found solace in the fact that the Doctor was never far away? Or did I mean simply with him, with us, wherever we chose to go?

“Y-yeah,” I slightly stuttered, turning back to a different looking creature. I shrugged, “You know…”

“Would you like to go back?” 

I looked at him in confusion, “Where?”

“Home,” He simply stated, eyes seemingly interested anywhere but me. 

I worried my lip between my teeth, deciding to take a small leap, “I am home.” Petting one of the creatures seemed to help calm me, they were quite receptive to the pets. A fond smile reached my lips as even more creatures started to surround the two of us. 

“You mean this planet?” The Doctor asked and I felt myself scoffing. 

How could a brilliant timelord be so daft?

“I mean with you, stupid,” I rolled my eyes and slapped his shoulder lightly. 

“Oh,” Such a simple reply. I kept my focus as even more animals gathered around. Some similar, others different. Don’t think. Everything is fine. “Dear, I think we should go now.”

I felt my heart drop. This was it, this was the rejection. The moment was slipping, and I wish it would just stop. 

“Is…is it okay if we stay a little longer?” I asked, petting the small creature on my lap. “I like it here.”

“I wish I could say yes, dearest,” The Doctor whispered, closer than I realized. “But I’m afraid we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

My eyebrows furrowed, looking towards the Doctor, only to find him staring at the animals around us. When did there get to be so many? I stood up slowly, carefully placing the small creature that was on my lap on the ground.  “They’re expecting more fruit,” I stated, their eyes following the Doctor and I. 

“They won’t turn violent,” The Doctor reassured in a hushed tone. “But they may not want us to leave.”

“Darn,” I faked defeat. “I guess that means we’re stuck on this beautiful planet with the cutest creatures for the rest of our lives.”

The Doctor laughed lightly, “I don’t think the Ponds would be too happy if we admitted defeat so quickly.”

“Or,” I pointed out. “They would be disappointed finding out that we skipped out on a great opportunity.”

“Is this the same Amy we’re talking about?” He questioned with a glint in his eye.

“Is this the same Rory we’re talking about?” I countered.

“Touche.”

______

I watched from the railing as the Doctor did his little dance around the Tardis’ control board. No word about my comment. No reciprocation or clarity about whether he felt the same or not. Once again, changing the subject before the lines of our relationship could get too blurred. I wasn’t sure if I could deal with this heavy feeling on my chest any longer. I knew it would hurt, but not this much.

“So,” I trailed off, not sure where to even start. 

“Once we pick up the Ponds, I was thinking of going to Drunun Z85, they’ve got some of the most excellent chefs there,” The Doctor started to ramble. 

“Uhm, could we talk about something first?” I asked, clenching my fists to try to ground myself. I was okay, this will be okay. 

Stopping his actions, he looked up to me, eyes wide and a slight smile, “Yes! Of course! Talking’s good, talking’s fun.” I tilted my head slightly as he rubbed his hands together and glanced around the room. 

“Are you nervous?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“Me? Nervous? Never,” Waving his hands about, he went to fiddle some more with the console of the Tardis.

“Okayyyy,” I drawled. “I…was just hoping I didn’t make you uncomfortable earlier. You know…me calling you…”

“Home,” The Doctor finished for me, that sad lonely look clouding his eyes, one I found often when I looked in a mirror. Once more he cleared his throat, “No, no I don’t mind.”

An awkward silence fell over the two of us. I fiddled with my fingers as the Doctor continued to pretend to be busy with the Tardis. I shouldn’t have said anything. 

The Tardis’ lights flickering brought me out of my head. The Doctor also seemed to notice as his brows furrowed into the cute focused look he has. They both seemed to be having an internal conflict with each other before the lights went out completely.

“Oh come on…” The Doctor paused before whispering out ‘sexy’. “Don’t be this way.” There was no reaction and I never realized how dark it could be without lights on. I squinted, hoping my eyes would adjust to the dark, but there was absolutely no light, no sun, no star, that could potentially reflect light and help me see. “At least give us backup lights so we don’t hurt ourselves!” The Doctor shouted, sounding frustrated. Dim lights lit up the area. Barely might I add. Still, it was better than the literal void. 

“Are you okay, love?” The Doctor asked. Well that’s a new one. Hearing him call me that hurt so nicely. 

“What’s going on?” I asked, it was the only thing I could think of. “Why’d she shut down?”

“She’s being stubborn,” He replied. 

“About what?”

“She wants me to admit something,” He sighed. “Something I’d rather keep to myself.”

“Oh,” I muttered, feeling disheartened. “You don’t have to tell me. Tardis, I’m sure it can be left unsaid.”

“At the same time…” The Doctor continued. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this in.”

I walked up to his dark outline, reaching my hand out and accidentally touching his neck. I felt my way up to cupping his cheek.

“You know you can tell me anything Doc,” I whispered, brushing my thumb against his cheek. He’s reached out to me so many times before…was this my first time reaching out to him? My heart stuttered as he leaned into my touch. “I won’t judge, I’ll always be by your side.”

It was silent for a few beats. I waited for something, anything, with bated breath. What could he possibly admit? Why was the Tardis so adamant of me needing to know? 

“I love you.”

He said it so softly I almost missed it. No, how could I miss something I’ve wished to hear for hundreds of years? The overwhelming sensation of love, confusion, and fear washed over me. I’ve wanted this for so long…too long. The yearning, the want for love, it had become a stability for me, something I could always rely on. 

But this was a good change. Love was scary, but it was also beautiful.

“I love you too,” I replied without hesitation.

“Is this the part where we kiss?”

Moving my hand from his cheek to his neck, I pulled him into a kiss. It was clumsy at first, but we both were quick learners. My skin felt like it was on fire when his hands ghosted over my waist. Pulling away, I couldn’t help but notice the Tardis lights had turned back on. 

“Okay,” The Doctor nodded, turning back to the panel. A giggle escaped him as he muttered to himself “They really kissed me, we kissed! Blimey, Amy won’t let me live this down…I won’t let me live this down.” His giddiness seemed to be infectious as I chuckled at his antics. I stopped him from flipping a switch by placing my hand on his shoulder. He turned to me, a bright smile on his lips. Before I could back out, I placed a quick kiss on his lips, just for the hell of it. I could do that now! Whenever I wanted!

“Are you trying to kill me?” The Doctor asked, his smile never faltering. 

“Not a bad way to go out,” I replied with an equally bright grin.

“Not bad at all.”

[chosenonesdnd]

🌟Chosen Ones is a visual novel style dnd podcast that has…

An RP focus - we love that found family shit as well as mixing up all our favorite genres. Fantasy, romance, comedy, drama, thriller - even some sci-fi! Why pick one when you can just do them all?

All-artist cast with animated openings by our player for Theo @sweetsunberry as well as animated endings which are made by our Dungeon Master @theartistcassiroll

LGBTQ+ characters - we're HERE and we're QUEER and that's reflected within the world and the PCs!

Sound design - we love that GOOD GOOD dramatic music and our combats are full of action-packed sound effects, focusing on making them feel faster and not drag.

Biweekly release - usually! We do our best!

Watch the series here!

✨So what is Chosen Ones about...?✨ (read more!)

'Chosen Ones' takes place in the first few hundred years of the planet Absolem on a continent known as Varune. To combat the hardships of Absolem, people with extraordinary powers began to develop, known as Sparks. And from these Sparks, a Chosen One could form. Our story follows four of these Sparks, and potential Chosen Ones, as they work to discover who the next Chosen One might be.

NOTE: Visuals are provided to help the audience keep track of characters, fights, and scenes, but are not required to enjoy this podcast. Our main platform is youtube, but feel free to listen to us on spotify if that's what works best for you!  

Additional links: https://linktr.ee/ChosenOnes

[the-mortuary-witch]

DIONYSUS

WHO IS HE?

Dionysus is a god of wine, fertility, theatre, and ecstasy. He is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Semele, and is often depicted as a youthful and handsome god with a penchant for revelry and indulgence. Dionysus is often associated with wild and untamed nature, as well as with the overturning of social norms and the celebration of primal instincts.

BASIC INFO: 

Appearance: Dionysus’ appearance can vary somewhat, but he is often depicted as a handsome, youthful man with long, curly hair and a wreath of grapevines or ivy on his head, symbolizing his association with wine and the theatre. He is often depicted wearing a flowing, loose-fitting himation (a type of cloak) and sometimes carrying a thyrsus, a staff topped with a pinecone that is associated with his role as a god of wine and ecstasy.

Personality: in terms of personality, Dionysus is often seen as a god who is passionate, vivacious, and sometimes unpredictable. He is also seen as a god who is not bound by social norms or conventions, and who is often associated with chaos and the overturning of established order. In his interactions with his devotees, Dionysus is often seen as a figure who encourages his followers to let go of their inhibitions and embrace their primal nature and deepest desires. He is also seen as a god who rewards faith and loyalty and inspires ecstatic experiences and a sense of connection to a higher power.

Symbols: thyrsus, ivy crown, grape vine, theatrical masks, and phallus

God of: wine, drunkenness, parties, wilderness, vegetation, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, theatre, LGBTQ+ Community, and fruitfulness 

Culture: Greek

Plants and trees: grape, ivy, cinnamon, silver fir, bindweed, and figs

Crystals: amethyst, tiger’s eye, serpentine, leopard jasper, amber, green opal, jade, grape agate, rose quartz, garnet, carnelian, and bloodstone

Animals: leopard, tiger, goat, donkey, lion, snake, bull, and panther

Incense: cinnamon, ivy, grape, patchouli, fig, musk, fennel, and frankincense 

Colours: red, purple, green, burgundy, and gold

Number: 5 

Zodiacs: Taurus and Capricorn

Tarot: The Hanged Man, The Hierophant, The Devil, The Fool, and The Lovers

Planets: Venus and Saturn

Days: Bacchanalia, Dionysia, Lupercalia, New Years, and Yule

Parents: Zeus and Semele

Siblings: several paternal siblings 

Partner: Ariadne, Nyx, Aphrodite, Achilles, Acoetes, Adonis, Ampelus, Hermaphroditus, Hymenaios, Laonis, and Prosymnus

Children: Priapus, Hymen, Thoas, Staphylus, Oenopion, Tauropolis, Euanthes, Comus, and Phthonus

MISC:

Grapes: Dionysus was often invoked to ensure a bountiful grape harvest and the continued production of wine. Additionally, grapes themselves are often associated with life, fertility, and abundance, which further reinforces Dionysus' connection to them.

Wine: it was an important part of ancient Greek and Roman culture and social life, and was often consumed during religious rituals and festivals. As the god of wine, Dionysus was often invoked to ensure the fertility of the grape harvest and the production of wine.

Ivy: it’s a parasitic plant that wraps itself around other plants and trees, and was seen as a symbol of Dionysus' transformative power and ability to bring forth new life. In addition, ivy was used as decorations for Dionysia rituals and festivals, and was sometimes braided into crowns and wreaths worn by his followers, the bacchants.

Leopard: in Greek and Roman mythology, Dionysus is often depicted as being associated with leopards or having a leopard pelt. Leopards are agile, powerful, and stealthy animals, which may reflect Dionysus' wild and untamed, yet graceful and powerful nature.

Amethyst: according to legend, amethyst was originally white but was stained purple by wine, which was spilled on the stone of a statue of Dionysus. This transformation symbolizes the god's ability to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary, as well as his association with wine and the intoxicating effects of intoxication. In some interpretations, amethyst is also seen as a stone with protective and spiritual properties, which may be why it is often associated with Dionysus' divine power.

Theatre: Dionysus is often associated with theatre and the performing arts. He is the god of the theater and is believed to have transformed the tragedy and the comedy into the two main categories of the art, with his followers creating the first theatre plays. In the city-state of Athens, the theater was a major cultural institution and was often dedicated to Dionysus, with the theatre season beginning with the Dionysia, a festival in honour of the god.

LGBTQ+: in ancient Greece, Dionysus was worshipped as a god associated with liminality and the transformation of identities. This aspect of his cult is sometimes interpreted as a reflection of the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities, who, like the god, transgressed and challenged societal norms and expectations. Many followers of Dionysus, regardless of their sexual orientation, were known for their wild and ecstatic behavior, and for transcending societal boundaries. This has led to some modern practitioners of his cult to use him as a symbol of queer liberation and acceptance. Dionysus has also had both men and women as lovers

FACTS ABOUT DIONYSUS:

He’s honoured in fertility and harvest rituals. 

The maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, were known for their wild and ecstatic behavior, often indulging in drunken revelries, singing, and dancing.

The satyrs, the male companions of Dionysus, were often depicted as half-man, half-beast creatures with goat-like features, who were known for their sexual prowess and lasciviousness.

Sometimes he is referred to as Bacchus in the Roman pantheon.

The cult of Dionysus was one of the most important cults in the ancient world, and was associated with mystery and initiation rituals.

Dionysus was born twice, first as the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele, and then later, when Zeus sewed Dionysus into his thigh to protect him from Hera's wrath.

According to The Bacchae by the Greek playwright Euripides, the hero King Pentheus of Thebes opposed the introduction of Dionysian rituals and was torn apart by his own mother and aunts in a Bacchic frenzy.

HOW TO CALL DIONYSUS:

Set up an altar dedicated to Dionysus, and place offerings of wine, grapes, or other items that are symbolic of his domain on it, light a candle and some incense, and say a prayer or invocation to call upon Dionysus, close your eyes and enter into a meditative state, and focus on connecting with Dionysus. When you feel that you have established a connection, ask Dionysus for guidance or assistance, and wait for a response.

PRAYER FOR DIONYSUS:

“Dionysus, god whose arrival is swift and certain, enduring friend of women and men whose welcome is warm, bringer of light, we see you in shadows. Dionysus, granter of great blessings, your presence is a heady wine.”

“Kind hearted god, to each  you give as is fitting, each vessel you fill only as we can bear, and yet with even a sip, we are drunk upon you, and our faith is affirmed. Awesome god, but our own will we drink deeply, with you we become lost, we wander, we are found. Hail to you, Lord Dionysus.”

SIGNS THAT DIONYSUS IS CALLING YOU:

Having recurring dreams or visions of Dionysus or his imagery, such as grapevines, ivy, or wild animals.

Unexplainable desires for wine or other intoxicating substances, or a pull towards the arts and creativity.

Experiencing sudden and unexplainable changes in your mental state or mood, such as feeling a strong sense of ecstasy or passion.

Finding yourself drawn to images or symbols of Dionysus. 

Experiencing a strong sense of connection to nature and the world around you, or feeling a pull towards wild and untamed places.

Developing a sudden interest in ancient Greek mythology and rituals associated with Dionysus, such as the Bacchic frenzy.

Feeling a strong sense of liberation or empowerment, as if a heavy burden has been lifted, or a desire to explore and embrace your own wild side.

OFFERINGS:

Wine. 

Olive oil. 

Fruit. 

Water. 

Images of the things he’s associated with. 

Pinecones. 

Honey. 

Meats. 

Strong or spicy smelling incense. 

Wheat. 

Barley. 

Pinecones. 

Ivy leaves. 

Wildflowers. 

Goblets. 

Apple seeds. 

Masks. 

Alcoholic beverages. 

Honeyed milk. 

DEVOTIONAL ACTS FOR DIONYSUS:

Stand up for those that are marginalized. 

Write stories/plays for Him. 

Drink grape juice or alcohol (only if you can and want to).

Take care of your physical and mental  health. 

Go on wine tours. 

Attend festivals, parades, and parties. 

Wear faux leopard or tiger print. 

Learn about theatre. 

Practice acting/join a theatre club. 

Donate and support local theatre groups. 

Stay up late enough that reality shifts a little. 

Honour his children, Ariadne, and his companions. 

Do things that bring you pleasure. 

Take an improv class. 

Read/write more poetry. 

Attend pride and support LGBTQ+ groups. 

Wear fruity scents. 

Unapologetically blast your music. 

Stay hydrated. 

Take a writing class or continue your writing.

Go to a party. 

Eat grapes or drink grape juice. 

Be the light in the chaos. 

Find ways to add more ivy into your life. 

Get in the habit of asking for someone’s pronouns before assuming.

Use more vinegar in cooking. 

Work on your balance between chaos and organization (both are very important). 

Make crafts using wine bottles/corks. 

Dance. 

Watch an old musical. 

IS IT SAFE TO EAT OR DRINK AN OFFERING I GIVE TO HIM?

It is generally not recommended to eat or drink any offering you give to Dionysus. In the ancient Greek cult of Dionysus, offerings were made primarily to give thanks for the gifts of wine, grapevines, and the fertility of the land, and were not intended for human consumption. Furthermore, some offerings may contain ingredients that are harmful or toxic to humans. It is best to dispose of any offerings given to Dionysus in a respectful manner, such as by pouring them onto the ground, rather than consuming them.

[flightofthejackdaw]

World ideas for KH4:

Ones that are basically confirmed:

- Toy Story: Prolly set during or after TS3, continues the theme of growing up and friendships changing, and how we keep those we love with us even when they aren’t there

- Star Wars: Hopefully original trilogy, it’s also a world that would be massive and just kinda fun especially if we get a Keyblade Lightsaber!

Returning:

- Fantasia: with how Kh4 is shaping up to be DDD 2 electric boogaloo it just makes sense to bring this back. It would be great to see them adapt other shorts into a world! I’m hoping for the Ballerina and Tim solider one, due to Sora/Riku parallels

Ones the people want:

- Zootopia: Animal Sora!

- Elemental: A bit new but could have fun designs, cloud Sora sounds adorable

- Coco; The land of the dead is gorgeous, and seeing Donald and Goofy as Alebrijes would be awesome

- The Incredibles: A classic, also superhero Sora would just be cute

- Moana: so Sora can look at ANOTHER Disney princess and be like ‘she’s just like Riku’, also she and Ariel are the closest princess with stories similar to Riku and KH1

- Treasure Planet: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!

- Wish: Nomura could make it good, I will go crazy if he’s allowed to do what he wants with it and he just makes it better (which isn’t a hard task lol)

- Encanto: Sora bonding with Mirabel about being normal people surrounded by extraordinary people, and how what makes you ‘gifted’ is what you make of yourself rather than what you were born as (Necklace theory/Sora and Riku Child of Destiny thoughs)

- Princess and the Frog: Tina deserves some love, and we’d get to see Dr Faciller again. I also just want to see friends on the other side in game

- Inside out: Getting into Sora’s thoughts, feelings and memories would be great, as it’s time for him to have some introspection on everything that’s happened (also Necklace theory anyone?)

[dragonthunders01]

Spec Evo Vault, Rainbow Squid

Among the largest organism of "The Future is Wild" timeline, as well the largest squid and animal on the planet in 200 M.y. in the future, the Rainbow Squid is one of the extraordinary representatives of how far cephalopods achieved in terms of evolutionary adaptations on color change

Morphologically speaking it still maintains the average squid shape with a large mantle and equally sized arms, although these not longer serve purpose on hunting and seem to be only relying on their main tentacles under the flattened horizontal row of arms that placidly undulate.

Anatomically and behaviorally, however, there were some remarkable changes, including the now longer lifespans that extend up to a century. With such long life, they were able to develop their intelligence further in a way that is capable to control their chromatophores extraordinarily.

This animal is capable of mimicking its surrounding environment to the point it can turn invisible in any direction, imitating the upper light of the surface or the dark bottom of the ocean, as well is capable of produce varied flashing multi color patterns tht works out for warning of any minor intruder swimming towards them.

This trick also helps them to hunt down the local Ocean Flishes, this thanks that their flat arms can imitate the school of Silverswimmers, and when one of these gets into the range, the flish is caught off guard with one of their tentacles.

Normally they wander across the ocean solitary with no boundaries but once a year in the full moon in autum equinox, they reunite in the south region facing the supercontinent in order to mate, and like giant oversized birds of paradise with LED screens for ornamental organs, the males to court a female display a spectacle of colors and lights.

Although with their size, and with the ecological vacuum left of the last mass extinction eliminated a chunk of possible competitors and dangers, they are still vulnerable to the few predators around, specially to the attack of large groups of sharkopaths, derived fasts sharks characterized by their coordinated method of hunting that is guided by electroreceptors and flashlights patterns across their bodies that allow them to communicate the location of a prey (they will have their space in an spec vault entry).

If one of those is capable of locate and attract enough individuals, a Rainbow squid only hope is to remain hidden with their camouflage, and even with that, panic can eventually end up causing it to lose their veil and leave them as the dinner of the far future sharks.

Notes

-There is something bugging about the hunting behavior of the Rainbow Squid that seems to be so inefficient regarding the nutrient value would offer just to hunt few flishes in a single day, for an animal that their size is as big as a whale which ingest a single animal of the size of a seagull, there should more suitable or preferable prey, and we are talking about an animal with one of the largest brains on 200 million years, is like a guy hunting bees and just ate them one at the time.

-I would have liked the body plan of this animal was more varied than just bein a big squid with large flat tentacles, something on that size as well living far in the future likely would change further and considering how diverse are squids and octopuses it could offer even more possible shapes apart of the streamlined surface coleoids, considering the rainbow squid is mostly an ambush predator and probably is a descendant of deep water species.

[invaderhogtwopointohno]

What Extraordinary Beings We Are

Summary: Qimir is the hottest pop star on the planet right now with a new album, awards and a movie, he is enjoying himself until he suddenly gets attacked outside of a club. His manager, Mae, arranges for her sister to become his protective agent until they can get more permanent security but there is something about Osha that just has him in awe. Based on a Tumblr prompt by @flythesail

Find on Ao3.

Chapter One

The stadium was packed full of screaming fans, mostly girls and women in anticipation of the concert. The roadies and techs running back and forth to get everything going, the massive screen on the backdrop showing an image of a countdown to the concert’s beginning. The band was sitting in their positions, listening to the stage manager in their ear pieces. The backup dancers were jumping up and down and stretching, ready to go out.

The only one missing was the star himself.

Mae knocked on the door.

“Qimir, hurry your ass up,” she said, looking at her phone. Mae Anaseya had been Qimir’s manager for the last three years and she had been the only one to stay by his side that long because she didn’t put up with any of his bullshit- of which he had plenty. She looked at the time. They were minutes away from starting, opening the door before he could answer her properly.

She walked in to find him sitting in front of his vanity, looking at his phone and generally ignoring the woman who was working on his hair.

“Come on, you need to get out there,” she said and he looked up from his phone.

“Mae,” he said in mild annoyance, the woman putting his microphone around his head and taping it into place. “I thought we said we weren’t going to come into rooms without knocking first.”

“I did. You are going to be late, let’s go,” she said, shooing the woman away as she dragged Qimir from his perch and shame walked him down the hallway. The roar of the crowd filled the stadium and shook the walls. They were like wild animals out there.

“Where are we going next?” he asked, looking at his phone, scrolling through Instagram to see if any of the BTS guys had hit him up.

“Jacksonville, and you need to actually remember this time. Saying thank you to Boston when you were in New York did not go over well,” she said, shoving him along the path to the stage. He didn’t pay her to be nice, that was for sure.

“Thanks for the tip,” he muttered and fixed his black jacket.

“The movie is wrapping post production so you’ll be going on a press tour starting in two months, you have six more stops on this tour and you are done until Feburary next year,” she said, looking at her phone. She had been hired because she had been the only one who had gotten him where he needed to go and doing what he needed to do without much of a fight. Everyone was always letting Qimir do whatever he wanted, as long as he gave them a wink and a smile, but Mae was immune to his stupid charm and instead focused on their working relationship- she was his annoying sister who kept him on the straight and narrow.

Qimir was ushered onto the stage and in front of thousands of screaming fans, Mae standing off to the side, looking at her phone. She returned to the green room, answering calls and e-mails as the concert went on for three hours and finally he came back, sweaty, laughing and looking like he had been having fun. He showered quickly in his dressing room and they were on their way out to greet fans out front.

“We’re heading back to the hotel, your fans have twenty minutes,” Mae said, the stadium security escorting them through the hallways, leading towards the front of the stadium where fans were spilling out of the building, waiting to get a glimpse of him.

Qimir pushed his black hair back, thinking about the evening’s performance when just as they were going through the doors, a shot rang out and everyone screamed, fans running in different directions, everyone dropping down and the stadium security grabbed him, taking him back inside.

He didn’t know what was going on when there were more shots and he was forced into a side hallway and into an elevator.

“What’s going on?!” he asked, looking at Mae, who had also been grabbed.

“I don’t know!”

The security team took him down to the basement and shoved him into a car before he had the chance to ask what was happening and they were off.

“What is going on? What happened?” Qimir demanded of the driver. They made it back to the hotel and heard the news that someone had been shot outside of his concert. A fan had tried to bring a gun into the building but she had been stopped by security and the cops had talked to her. It was a legal handgun that she owned and she had been told to leave, apparently she came back after the concert and had starting shooting in Qimir’s direction when she had seen him coming out for fan photos. She was shot and in critical condition in downtown.

“Well, this isn’t good,” Mae said, looking around the hotel room. The crew and roadies had been escorted back to their hotels by stadium security, but already everyone was on edge because of the incident. Qimir had been popular but since his album release a few weeks earlier and being nominated for Artist of the Year, he had moved to a super high status in the entertainment world. That kind of attention came with all kinds of threats. They had never had serious security before and this was making her nervous.

“We are going to have to get you personal security.”

“Personal security? Mae, there’s no need for all of that,” he said, looking skeptical and she shook her head.

“With everything going on I think we need to be more careful. With the movie coming out, the concerts and the public events, you are extremely exposed, you need someone to watch out for you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want someone who is going to stand out, that’s boring. Can you get someone who does like undercover work? Like a cool spy?” he whined and she rolled her eyes. This guy was so annoying. She looked at her phone and saw that her sister had finally texted her back.

Are you okay? I heard about what happened. Call me!

“Hold that thought,” she said, stepping into the hallway and calling her sister. “Hey, Osha, I am okay, I promise.”

“Mae! What on earth happened?”

“Well-”

She explained the situation and then finally made her request, “Hey, do you think that Sol would let you come help us out for a bit?”

“You want me to come be security for your client?”

“Qimir is not going to let some guy in a suit and sunglasses protect him, I need someone who can handle all of his annoying,” she explained, thinking of the many times he had gotten into trouble with the paparazzi in the past by making a scene. “We need your help, Osha.”

The Republic Knights were a very effective personal security team that had been formed many years earlier by Osha and Mae’s mentor, Sol. When Mae and Osha were younger, they had been enrolled in self-defense classes by their mother, and Sol had taught them how to take care of themselves. He had moved into private security after several years with the FBI and had offered Osha a job when she was in college. She had been working with him ever since.

Private security was never really Osha’s original interest, but she did get to travel a lot, help protect people and enjoy the added benefit of getting to go to some really nice places. The hotel in downtown where Mae was staying was far more luxurious than Osha was used to.

She had been working personal security for a trading group that had ships going in and out of Africa for the last several months when she got the call about Mae and went to Sol to ask for the security evaluation. Mae was insistent that the Republic Knights be the ones that provide the security service because she could trust Sol. He had a small but dedicated team that had not lost a client the entire time he had been in business.

Sol had insisted that he take the meeting in person, bringing Osha, Jecki and Yord with him to assess the threat level.

“This is a nice place,” Osha muttered to herself as they looked around the hotel lobby, waiting for Mae to come to them. The place was high dollar and they had never worked for someone at this level before.

“Not very secure,” Yord muttered and Jecki looked at him.

“It’s a hotel, idiot, not a Marine Barracks, they’re hiring us to secure it,” she said, rolling her eyes. The two had been working with Sol for about a year now and they were constantly getting on each other nerves.

“Enough, all of you, we have to look professional,” he said, fixing his suit jacket.

“What’s so special about this guy anyway?” Jecki asked, looking at Osha.

“My sister is his manager, he is mainly a singer, but he’s been doing TV shows and movies, he has a new movie coming out and the threats have been getting worse and worse. He is a big deal, I guess,” Osha said, though she had never met him before. Qimir was the thorn in her sister’s side, she was always complaining about what a pain in her ass he was, but she had liked the job and they had a good working relationship.

Mae appeared at the elevators and thanked them for coming, shaking Sol’s hand and they went up to the penthouse to meet Qimir.

“Qimir was discovered by a modeling agency about five years ago, he started singing too and that’s when his career took off with his first album, The Stranger. Since then he has been super popular. We’ve been on tour for the last two months. We wrapped his movie a month ago and it’s in post production so soon we will be doing a press tour. After what happened, I realized that we need to come up with a better security set up because we’ve been relying mostly on security at the venues and the movie lots.”

“We are more than happy to oblige, but this is a big ask, Mae, we have never taken on such a big client before.”

“That’s why I thought of you, with such a small operation, you would be more dedicated to his security than a bigger name. Besides, he’s an annoying pain in the ass and handling him is going to take a full team.”

“What about your security?” Osha asked, looking at her sister. She had been there when the woman had shot into the crowd.

“If you keep me from getting hurt too, that’s a bonus,” she said, as they reached the floor where the room was. They entered the massive penthouse to find that it was only decorated in the finest. Qimir was a major client. The most security that they had done the past few months had been escorting and trade route protection, not a single client that came with a big name. But Sol was excited for the new challenge and the higher rate of pay for his employees.

And he trusted Mae, she had been a good kid since he’d known her and Osha. They had been a little at odds because Osha had decided to keep her training under Sol going when Mae moved on to other things, but this was a chance for them to all work together.

“Qimir! Get out here, the security team is here,” Mae said, leaving them standing in the sitting area to hunt him down.

Yord took in the room, searching for all exits and being mindful of the massive windows that looked out on the city. Jecki helped herself to a spot next to Sol on the couch and Osha looked at the large painting of a lion on the wall.

“This is ridiculous, I don’t want some random people hanging around me like this,” Qimir whined as he followed Mae out of the bedroom, looking at the pair on the couch. “This is bullshit, I don’t need some suits hanging around telling me what to do.”

Mae looked at him, shaking her head.

“Qimir, I trust Sol, we’ve known each other for years, he will make sure that you are safe and that’s all that matters to me. I can’t lose my meal ticket now,” she said and he rolled his eyes, looking over and spotting Osha standing next to the massive painting and he stopped, taking her in.

She was wearing a black suit and white button up shirt and stiffened at his sudden attention. He looked her up and down and turned to face her.

“Hello,” he said, smiling at her and she looked at Mae.

“H-Hi…” she replied and walked right up to her, looking her over.

“Hi,” he said again in a much lower voice and got extremely close to her. She stiffened, looking up at him.

“Qimir, this is Sol, he’s the one who you’re meeting with today,” Mae said, looking annoyed and Sol stood up. “This is my sister, Osha, I’ve told you about her before.”

“I remember…” he said, not taking his eyes off of Osha as he completely ignored everyone else in the room. “How are you doing today?”

“F-Fine,” she said, looking at him, confused. What was his deal? She was used to being generally ignored and pushed aside. Sol was a great mentor, but he always maintained professional distance with her. Yord was the king of following the rules so he was no fun and Jecki was great, but she was not great at getting close with people, making Osha tend to stand off on her own. Her profession also made her more of a wallflower than a conversationalist.

“Qimir,” Mae snapped, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him towards the couch, forcing him to sit down. She shook her head, looking at Osha. “Sorry about him.”

Osha recovered quickly, but Qimir had yet to take his eyes off of her.

“I understand you were hesitant about having a security team around,” Sol said, trying to gain control of the meeting, “And I understand that you want to go about your life normally but-”

“No, it’s fine- I want Osha to take care of me,” Qimir said, finally taking his eyes off of Osha and looking at Sol.

“Excuse me?” Sol asked, surprised.

“Sure- yeah, if she is the one who is my escort, I am more than satisfied,” he said, smiling at her. “Mae trusts you, so I trust you, and I want Osha.”

“Uh- I don’t think-” Osha tried to interject, but Sol reached out a hand to Qimir.

“We are happy to do business with you!” he said a little too hastily. A client like this with this kind of money was going to get them more team members. Sol looked at Osha, smiling at her in reassurance.

Qimir looked at Osha, sitting back on his couch and she felt like this was a big mistake.

______

@flythesail bruh you did this to me, now I can't be stopped

[mbari-blog]

Bringing you some more siphonophore magic. ✨

Members of the genus Apolemia are some of the longest animals on the planet, making it a challenge to collect more than fragments. For decades, there was only one species name used for all Apolemia siphonophores. 

Scientists have described some 175 siphonophore species. Most follow a similar body plan—a gas-filled float provides buoyancy, swimming bells propel the colony, and a central stem bears specialized parts for feeding, defense, and reproduction. From the surface to the seafloor, the ocean is home to many extraordinary siphonophores. Learn more about these spectacular species: https://mbari.co/MeetSiphonophores. 

[compeeps2003]

I want to express my gratitude to this wonderful animated series and congratulate you on your 10th anniversary. Yes, yes, you heard right!😉 Wander over Yonder, turns 10 YEARS OLD this year!❤🎂✨

This vast expanse of space, a fascinating world full of stars, beautiful planets and amazing characters, gives us a lot of smiles, causes intrigue, reveals the value of friendship and shows a lot of adventures with a special philosophy.

Craig McCracken, the author of the idea and creator of the animated series, created not just a show for the Disney studio, no, no. Something more.) ( Although of course it 's a shame for season 3 ) This extraordinary genius has given us all a whole new world, a whole new universe, which greatly inspires every fan to create their own creative path, helping this story to come to life again and live forever. And this makes me very happy as a creative person. Therefore, I sincerely congratulate our dear fandom on his Birthday and wish him to be always loved and exciting for all fans!!!❤🎂🥂

[hiuythn]

"What do you think are x and y’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic?"

So, just found this kinda ask for various ships, I was thinking to ask you (one of my all time fav fics writer), if you don't mind and have free time, of course.

For your fav ships: Iwaoi, Klance, Kiribaku, Ranwan or Bingqiu (feel free to pick whichever you want to answer). 🌻🌷

I pick them all because Im physically incapable of shutting up:

iwaoi: greatest strengths gotta be their hard work, passion and drive. they're extraordinary in their mundanity, not to say their story is more boring compared to others, it's just more grounded in reality. they're good role models (despite oikawa constantly being voted no.1 anime villain of all time). individually, iwaizumi is just a Dependable Guy and I feel like all his juniors have intense admiration for him. I'm about to wax poetic but I can't seem to find a major weakness for him. if he had some sort of insecurity about not being able to go pro like oikawa (insecurities that are common in friends/rivals like reki/langa or klance), then I'd say that's a weakness, but instead iwaizumi had the sheer manliness to make a whole speech to oikawa on their walk home about how insanely proud he is and how he knows oikawa is gonna make it big. Dude literally is perfect I'm so biased i don't even care. maybe his feet stink or sth, idk.

oikawa on the other hand is so. he's so. he's my favourite little ball of complex emotions, dude feels so much and his desperation is so palpable in everything he does that it makes my molars ache like I'm about to bite down on something. on the surface he's an ikemen flirty guy with an unyielding sense of pride and a competitive streak 50 miles wide. He's the best setter and he knows it—but he also DOESN'T know it. he's so afraid of pausing for one second and getting overtaken by natural geniuses. so he won't stop. he keeps going, keeps eating volleyball up morning midday and night. it's that hunger that makes him such a formidable opponent. like baby you're so hungry I know you want to trample all these players under your feet and i feel like I have an alien infant that I'm panicking and rushing to feed it enough food. like I love him but he scares me a little. but he's also a testament to the indomitable human spirit in the fact that he wasn't gifted the talent that seems so prevalent in the people around him. he's on their level from willpower alone but he's STILL not satisfied. is this a weakness or a strength, is it both, can I even articulate my thoughts about him coherently???

klance: Keith why wasn't the world kinder to you. why did it take your mom and your dad and your brother and why did it trade you all that for your role as a protagonist, when I know you would've been content as a normal kid. Keith was drafted for the spotlight. he's cool, he's red and black, he's scowling and fights with knives and he's resourceful, resilient, he can survive off the land on any planet in any galaxy, he's a (lone) wolf and he's everything you could want in a character who's only concept is "You're strong, you're stronger alone, you're on your own." He's got the adaptability, the tenacity, the mindset, the spit-blood-out-of-my-mouth-and-hit-them-back-harder type thing. he's never relied on anyone to make it another day. isn't he so strong? but how could I laud him for it when it almost led him to self-sacrifice?

thinking back on Lance makes me so irritated. he was such a roiling, lashing tumble of growing pains and teenage insecurities. he has so many things going against him. you could say he was too loud, too joking but I wanted to watch him unravel himself. wanted to see him unspool and knit himself into a bigger tapestry than the show painted him as. isn't he a soldier drafted to a millennia-galaxy-spanning war? why are you telling me his only concern is still girls and romance, when he should be facing death and disappointment every time he gets into his lion and everytime he limps out of it after a battle thinking "am I even suited for this". why didn't I get to see him realize that Keith's strengths aren't his, that they don't NEED to be, that his own disregard for his own skills and constant need to acquire what others have, is what held him back from leaning into what he's good at? he's good at being water he's good at gluing and cooling and directing a blocked stream to find a way past this mountain. he had everything you could want in a right-hand man, had all the pieces laid out right there, but I never got to see it built up to the foundation it could've been.

kiribaku: there is not a single fic I have written about them that isn't obsessed with their flaws and strengths. it's all I think about constantly when it comes to them. how can there be a pairing that clicks together so easily like lock and key? what insightful thing can I saw abt them that I havent already written lyrical about in my fics, they make me so speechless. sometimes I'm afraid to look at kirishima head-on and sometimes I can't help basking in his warmth. he reminds me too much of the terrifying feeling of being left behind, of being mediocre. dont we all remember wanting to make a difference, wanting to stand out? he reminds me of all the things I used to be afraid of, seeing myself in his insecurities and wavering middle school presence, and the way he tries desperately to stuff that past under his bed. and yet, he's so warm. he's such a comfort. it puts me at ease, to see someone so familiar to my own hurts and fears manage to grow past what he used to be, that he could become almost unrecognizable in his brilliance. he's just a kid. he's just a boy, but he grew and cultivated his future self so painstakingly that I can't help but be proud and admire him for it. if you can't be a natural hero, homemade is fine too.

if I were to list all the strengths and weaknesses that bakugou embodies, we'd be stuck here until Luffy finds the One Piece. never have I seen a more baffling character. there's a reason he's been voted no. 1 in every single popularity poll held. he's so complex that sometimes he seems more real than myself. where he used to be callous and derisive, dismissive and self-centered, he's now pensive and self-reflective. he's still ambitious still driven but now he's opened up enough to utilize the connections he's built with others to achieve the best possible outcome, instead of believing that only he is worthy of results. he's lost his blinders, his self-focus, and he's all the better for it. he's not diminished or nicer or sweeter in any way, his sharp tongue and temper are still there, but still you can see that's he's grown so, so much.

ranwan: I want to tear my hair out when I think about chu wanning. surely, I agonize, he's the most pitiful character I know. and then I turn my head and mo ran is right there and then I scream and actually tear my hair out because he's suffered so much too and the thought of both chu wanning and mo ran's combined agony is enough to eclipse the Andromeda Galaxy. chu wanning...do I even need to go into his weaknesses when he already rips himself up for slights only he can perceive? "ugly, old, cold and rigid"??? the only rigid thing are his morals, too upright and sincere for the world he was made into, and nobody likes a nail that can't be hammered down. his sense of duty, his quiet care and attention, his intellect utilized for the common man—am I supposed to take his ascerbic tongue seriously as a weakness when his personal character is so...good? maybe his only fault is that he took every injustice too seriously. that he cared too much too young and when thrown into the world his Shizun didn't prepare him for, he was torn up until he turned cold just to save himself the disappointment. maybe his only fault was being too scared to open his mouth and ask for comfort, to make known his own humanity.

mo ran the world owed you everything and by god you took it. who am I to blame you. let the one without sin cast the first stone and all that. good intentions pave the road to hell and all that. you just wanted save your Shizun from a flower. why did the world take all your sweet consideration for itself, for its rain and its earthworms, and decide to put you in harm's way? you had the mind to thrive, to build a legacy and live well, and it made you turn all those strengths towards scorching the earth anew. you're so strong for trying to protect others, how could I call your mind weak for succumbing to years of induced violence? I can only call you strong for bearing 2 lifetimes of suffering.

bingqiu: Shen Yuan you motherfcker please stop embarrassing yourself stop making jokes when the situation is serious people are going to take you at face value and say you don't care about the people around you. you offer yourself on a platter to your would-be murderer to protect your sect and then die for your murderer to make him happy (???) and you'll call that nothing. you'll put no worth in it while your people cry over your corpse. how are you going to treat them with unrelenting cheer and care, then turn around and assume they'll continue on their predetermined path as novel characters, how could u be so kind and so cruel, to both love them and disregard them like that? how do you manage to not see them at all Shen Yuan do you mean to hurt your loved ones when you don't hold them accountable for their actions, when you don't see their actions as their own but just the will of the system just because they're novel characters because they don't know that they're all scripted Shen Yuan how can you look at these people and their earnest pleading to keep yourself safe and say that they're predetermined cannon fodder Shen Yuan please won't you just look at them for once??

binghe (bing-ge)? well there's nothing wrong with him. don't you know he's the protagonist? don't you know he's unbeatable. he's handsome and strong and smart and merciful and every wrong he commits is just to right a slight made against him. it's only fair. it's only what he was taught. if he can't be given something, he'll just take it. he will take everything he wants. see, if he's kind and sweet, if he sticks to what his mother taught him, if he stays filial and loyal, eager to learn and help—what does that get him? nothing. whether his Shizun whips him or treats him with care, in every world he gets nothing. so he should take it instead, should exchange his steadfast dedication for a relentless pursuit, his painstaking attention to care for a exacting manipulation of every situation. maybe then he'll achieve something worth his suffering. maybe then he'll be able to say that it wasn't him, that the problem wasn't him, that there's nothing wrong with him at all.

[without-ado]

Queer Planet

| Official Trailer | Peacock Original (June 6th)

Synopsis: Take a worldwide journey exploring the rich diversity of animal sexuality — from flamboyant flamingos to pansexual primates, sex-changing clownfish, multi-gendered mushrooms and everything in between. This documentary looks at extraordinary creatures, witnesses amazing behaviors, and introduces the scientists who are questioning the traditional concept of what’s natural when it comes to sex and gender.

[someweirdoreblogger]

One thing I really adore about Buddha is just plain unpredictable he is. That includes even the smallest aspects of him as a person.

In several ways, Buddha clearly separates from all the current Gods seen so far in RoR. One of the earliest, most simplest examples is how Buddha addresses people, or overall, just how he generally talks.

(Insert long-ass anime weeb rant below...)

This fucking guy is The Buddha, not some mere buddhist, literally The Buddha. As in, he created Buddism. Implied to also have created the spiritual concept of combining souls and bodies in RoR canon; Common Destiny.

Which, had it not existed, wouldn't make it at all possible for the Valkyires to weaponize a transformation bond with their chosen wielders.

He is one of the most important divinties on the entire planet. Capable of creating techniques able to bridge the gap between Gods and men, albeit temporarily during Ragnarök, but still obviously quite the difficult feat in RoR's very specific world.

Despite all this, Buddha doesn't talk the way everyone expects. He and Earth's real Buddha share more than their fair share of views and quotes as clearly expected, although slightly tampered.

Buddhists are known to address wisely and speak in hamony of absolute truth. They even practice a certain way of communication. Basically, it is a tone of conversation called 'the right speech', pretty self-explanatory given this is literally The Buddha we're explaining.

But no, in RoR-Buddha fucking talks like this to Loki and The Seven Lucky Gods literally sticking guns and swinging swords right in his face.

You'd think Buddha would throw on some of that sick wisdom that has moved humanity and the Buddha's loyal followers for centuries ongoing. Some random rant about the importance of faith and how murder is wrong, but nope, not what happens.

Instead Buddha spit sticks a lollipop stick up one of the Lucky Gods hand and basically tells him to suck it the fuck up and gather your shit. Like bro, do you even lift?

He talks like an American redneck, like what?

Buddha goes as far to pull the whole "holier then thou" crap on Zeus of all damn people, in front of fucking Odin. The King of The Cosmos getting told to pound sand by The Buddha is a scene I didn't expect to see.

Nor did I think I needed too.

You know The Buddha in this transition is going to be a fun character when he flips Heaven the middle finger on a daily basis, Buddha brags a lot of sass and takes no fucks.

This one will be one Hell of a ride for all readers, and that's not even mentioning his fight with Zerofuku. Buddha walks dick out and ready to show everyone their just desserts. He appears with extraordinary detail put on his personality and design appeal.

No wonder everyone loves him to bits and pieces.

Trust me, I ain't immune either.