#Aquarium Filter Near Me

[s2vmarinelife-2023]

Best Aquarium Filter

Best Aquarium Filter: Enhancing Your Marine Life's Health and Beauty

Ensuring Clean Water for Your Aquatic Friends

Having a thriving aquarium with vibrant marine life requires more than just setting up a tank and adding water. One of the most crucial components for maintaining a healthy aquatic environment is the choice of the best aquarium filter. A high-quality aquarium filter not only keeps the water clean but also ensures the well-being and longevity of your underwater companions.

The Role of Aquarium Filters

Aquarium filters play a pivotal role in maintaining a clean and healthy aquatic environment. They remove impurities, toxins, and debris from the water, imitating the natural filtration processes that occur in oceans and rivers. By keeping the water quality optimal, aquarium filters create a comfortable and thriving habitat for your marine creatures.

Types of Aquarium Filters HOB Filters (Hang-On-Back Filters)

HOB filters are popular among beginners due to their simple installation and maintenance. They hang on the back of the aquarium, drawing water through a mechanical filter to trap debris and particles.

Canister Filters

Canister filters offer superior filtration for larger tanks. They operate by forcing water through various filter media, providing efficient mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration.

Sponge Filters

Sponge filters are gentle and ideal for tanks with fry or small, delicate species. They function through air-driven circulation, promoting biological filtration by cultivating beneficial bacteria.

Undergravel Filters

These filters are placed beneath the substrate, using uplift tubes to create water flow. While they offer biological filtration, they may require regular maintenance to prevent clogging.

Biological Filters

Biological filters are essential for establishing a healthy nitrogen cycle. They consist of porous materials where beneficial bacteria thrive, converting toxic ammonia into less harmful substances.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Aquarium Filter

Tank Size and Volume

The filter's capacity should match the tank's volume to ensure effective filtration. An undersized filter can lead to poor water quality and stressed marine life.

Filtration Mechanisms

Consider a filter that offers mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration for comprehensive water purification. Each mechanism targets different impurities, ensuring a well-balanced ecosystem.

Maintenance and Ease of Use

Regular maintenance is vital for filter longevity. Opt for a filter with accessible parts, easy-to-change media, and clear instructions for hassle-free upkeep.

The Importance of Filtration in Marine Life Health

Nitrogen Cycle and Water Purification

Aquarium filters play a key role in the nitrogen cycle, which converts ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. This cycle helps maintain safe ammonia levels, preventing harm to your marine inhabitants.

Removal of Debris and Toxins

Filters remove uneaten food, waste, and other debris that can deteriorate water quality. They also eliminate harmful chemicals, such as excess nitrate and phosphate.

Setting Up Your Aquarium Filter

Installation Steps

1. Rinse the filter media to remove excess dust.

2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for assembly.

3. Place the filter in the designated spot on your aquarium.

Proper Placement

Position the filter where water flow is evenly distributed throughout the tank. Avoid strong currents that may stress your marine life.

Regular Maintenance of Your Aquarium Filter

Cleaning Schedule

Create a cleaning routine that includes rinsing mechanical media and replacing chemical media as needed. Regularly check for clogs and signs of wear.

Replacing Filter Media

Change filter media gradually to avoid disrupting the nitrogen cycle. Monitor water parameters after media changes to ensure stability.

Troubleshooting Common Filter Issues

Low Flow Rate

Low flow may indicate a clog in the filter media. Clean or replace the media to restore proper water circulation.

Noisy Operation

A noisy filter could result from air trapped in the system. Ensure all connections are secure and the filter is properly primed.

Leakage Problems

Inspect O-rings and seals for damage. Lubricate them with aquarium-safe silicone if necessary.

Enhancing Filtration with Additional Strategies

Live Plants as Natural Filters

Live aquatic plants absorb nutrients that contribute to algae growth, providing a natural form of filtration.

Beneficial Bacteria Boosters

Supplement your filter with beneficial bacteria products to boost biological filtration and maintain water clarity.

Advanced Filtration Techniques for Large Aquariums

Protein Skimmers

Protein skimmers remove organic compounds that contribute to water cloudiness. They are particularly beneficial for saltwater aquariums.

Fluidized Bed Filters

These filters fluidize fine sand or another media to create a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria, enhancing biological filtration.

Conclusion: Investing in the Well-Being of Your Marine Life

Choosing the best aquarium filter is a crucial investment in the health and vibrancy of your marine habitat. Proper filtration ensures clear water, a balanced ecosystem, and happy aquatic inhabitants. By considering factors such as tank size, filtration mechanisms, and maintenance needs, you can create a thriving underwater world for your marine companions.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: How often should I clean my aquarium filter?

A: It's recommended to clean the filter media as part of your regular maintenance routine, which is typically every 2-4 weeks.

Q: Can I use multiple types of filters in one aquarium?

A: Yes, combining different filter types can provide enhanced filtration. Just ensure they complement each other without causing excessive water flow.

Q: Do I need a filter for a small aquarium with few fish?

A: Yes, even small aquariums benefit from filtration to maintain water quality and prevent waste buildup.

Q: Are UV sterilizers a replacement for filters?

A: No, UV sterilizers primarily target microorganisms. They can be used alongside filters for comprehensive water treatment.

Q: How do I know if my filter is the right size for my tank?

A: Refer to the manufacturer's guidelines, which often provide recommendations based on tank volume and inhabitants.

[s2vmarinelife1]

What's The Best Aquarium Filter For My Fish Tank?

Introduction

When setting up a fish tank, one of the most crucial components you'll need is an aquarium filter. A good filter ensures the water in your tank remains clean and healthy for your fish. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best aquarium filter for your fish tank? In this article, we'll explore different types of aquarium filters and discuss important factors to consider when making your selection.

Understanding Aquarium Filtration

Before diving into the specifics, it's essential to understand the purpose of aquarium filtration. Filtration plays a vital role in maintaining water quality by removing waste, chemicals, and excess nutrients from the tank. It helps to create a stable and balanced environment for your fish, promoting their overall health and well-being.

Importance of Choosing the Right Aquarium Filter

Selecting the right aquarium filter is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures the removal of harmful substances that can harm your fish. Secondly, it helps maintain water clarity, preventing the build-up of debris and algae. Lastly, a proper filter supports the nitrogen cycle in the tank, where beneficial bacteria break down toxic ammonia into less harmful substances.

Types of Aquarium Filters

Undergravel Filters

Undergravel filters are placed beneath the gravel substrate in your tank. They work by pulling water through the gravel, where beneficial bacteria colonize and break down waste products. Undergravel filters are affordable and efficient for small tanks but may not be suitable for heavily stocked aquariums.

Canister Filters

Canister filters are external filters that provide excellent mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. They consist of a canister filled with filter media and a water pump to circulate water. Canister filters are known for their high filtration capacity and are ideal for larger tanks with a significant fish population.

Hang-On-Back (HOB) Filters

HOB filters are easy to install and are suitable for both small and large aquariums. These filters hang on the back of the tank and draw water through a cartridge or filter media, providing mechanical and biological filtration. HOB filters are compact, affordable, and offer efficient water circulation.

Sponge Filters

Sponge filters are air-driven filters that use a sponge as the primary filtration media. They provide gentle filtration and are suitable for breeding tanks or tanks with delicate fish species. Sponge filters are affordable, easy to maintain, and provide a surface for beneficial bacteria to thrive.

Internal Filters

Internal filters are compact filters that are fully submerged in the aquarium. They offer mechanical and biological filtration and are suitable for smaller tanks or as supplemental filtration in larger setups. Internal filters are easy to install, affordable, and provide adequate water circulation.

Wet/Dry Filters

Wet/Dry filters, also known as trickle filters, offer excellent biological filtration by exposing the water to the air. They consist of a chamber filled with filter media and a drip tray where water trickles down. Wet/Dry filters are ideal for larger tanks with a high bio-load, as they provide ample oxygenation and support beneficial bacteria growth.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Aquarium Filter

When selecting the best aquarium filter for your fish tank, keep the following factors in mind:

Tank Size and Capacity: Consider the size and capacity of your tank, as different filters are designed for specific volumes of water.

Filtration Capacity: Evaluate the filtration capacity of the filter, ensuring it can handle the waste produced by your fish.

Maintenance Requirements: Assess the maintenance needs of the filter, including cleaning and replacement of filter media.

Noise Level: Consider the noise level of the filter, especially if you have the tank in a quiet environment.

Cost: Determine your budget and find a filter that offers the best value for your money.

Making the Best Choice for Your Fish Tank

To choose the best aquarium filter for your fish tank, consider the factors mentioned above and match them to your specific requirements. It's important to find a filter that suits your tank size, filtration needs, and budget. Consult with knowledgeable aquarium experts or do thorough research before making a final decision.

Conclusion

Selecting the right aquarium filter is crucial for maintaining a healthy and thriving fish tank. By understanding the different types of filters available and considering factors such as tank size, filtration capacity, and maintenance requirements, you can make an informed decision. Remember to prioritize the well-being of your fish when choosing the best aquarium filter for fish tank.

Contact Us: +91-7837790274, +91-8360345476

Visit Us: SCF 29th, Block C Market, Second Floor, Sunny Enclave, Sector 125, SAS Nagar Mohali.

Punjab 140301

Visit: https://s2vmarinelife.com/

[witheringwidgetwrites]

MC has a secret admirer!

Request goes; They're already dating but it's new so most of the lesser demons don't know about it. MC then starts getting love letters from an anonymous person and the Dateables/Brothers get the need to show off that MC is theirs?

I'm gonna do the brothers first! Hope that's cool! If yall wanna see more pls request it! (Also pretend that this is near the beginning of yalls relationship)

INTRO

"Wow, look babe, I got a love letter! Guess I'm more popular than I thought, you might have some competition." You chuckle, kissing his cheek. It was a very flattering letter, laying out all your strengths, compliments sprinkled generously throughout the writing. It was... surprising to say the least. But you were excited to tell him about it!

LUCIFER

If he's already on edge, he might just yank it and rip it in half. Today, however, he's in a good mood.

"Let me read it." You hand him the paper, watching him closely as he grimaces and scoffs. He's not nervous, but he is baffled that someone had the nerve to send you such a... bold letter.

A little prideful, in the sense that he has something that no one else can. He know's you wont leave him for some lower demon, but he can't help but feel slightly threatened.

Walks a litter closer to you around town and RAD. He'll hold your hand when the hallways start to filter out and there's less students around.

Puts in the effort to take you on more public dates, Restorante Six, most likely. kissing your hand and giving you roses at the table. He's not flashy, but it's enough for rumors to spread quickly.

MAMMON

He rips it from your hand, immediately turning his back so he can read it. "Is this the kinda lame sappy stuff you're into? Even I'd do better than this! It don't even mention ya eyes!"

He hands it back to you, mumbling something about, "i'll show 'em" before he stomps off, shaking his head.

He struts the RAD halls with his arm around you, glaring unnecessary at anyone who walks by. He's certainly on edge for the first couple days after. He starts passing you small silly notes during class, little drawings and pickup lines. You watch him as he turns away, hand trying to cover his flushed cheeks.

Also takes you out more. Carnivals, amusement parks, more casual things! Posts 1 post, with a few photos of you together, captioned 'almost as good as grimm.' If you get another letter, you might end up having your first kiss in front of the school!

LEVIATHAN

"Wha? Who?" He can feel his heart beating faster, anxiety rising in his chest. "Just kidding Levi, you're the only demon for me!" You giggle at him. "Could I read it?" You hand it to him, watching him plop down in his gaming chair. He gets very expressive while he reads. Before long, his tail is swishing behind him, "they don't even know you! There's no mention o-of any of your favorite videos games in here! You love games." He frowns, throwing his hands up dramatically. "I know Levi, I don't even know who sent it. Don't worry, they don't know me as well as you do." He pretends to lose control of his tail, that pulls you into him for a hug.

He sulks for a few days, but after some reassurance, he has a plan. You're going to the aquarium and he'll hold your hand! That'll really show 'em. Might even go to physical school a few days more than usual to walk with you.

He writes you a little in-game dialog sappy note, telling you a few things he loves about you. Might make a singular Devilgram post with you, hugging his Ruri-chan body pillow, captioned ''my #1 and my #2'

ASMODEUS

"Ohh! Of course you're popular MC! Everyone loves you, and me of course. We're the top power couple! Now let me take a look." He smiles at you, smile faltering slightly as he reads the letter. Eyes blinking a little stiffly, he hands it back to you. "That's so superficial, you're much better off with me." And with that, he walks away.

He shows the world exactly who's you are immediately. You're tagged in maybe 10 posts in a row. Pictures of you and him, some of just you, all captioned things like, 'my love' and 'my number one always' and 'remembering the moment I fell for you' and it's unmistakable.

Becomes even more affectionate in the RAD hallways, snuggling up to you, sitting in your lap/having you sit in his during lunch.

SATAN

He frowns, putting his hand out for the paper. He glances over it, brow furrowing as he reads. "This is amateur writing. You deserve much better." He hands it back to you, walking past you quickly with a scowl on this face. He turns back halfway down the hall, "be ready at 6:30." You decide to leave him be.

First order of business, he writes you a beautiful letter. It's long winded, many poetry references, and references to stories you've read together. Even compares you to a cat, somehow. He does not give it to you yet.

He dresses nice for your date, electing to take you to dinner, and then a stroll through the royal gardens. As you approach the doors to the House of Lamentation, he turns to you, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a wax sealed letter, your name written neatly on the other side.

Sits a little closer to you at lunch time, and in the library. Hoping someones will see and rumors will spread.

BEELZEBUB

He doesn't read the letter. He's a little jealous, but he thinks reading it will upset him, so he stays away.

He makes the small effort to hold your hand more. He's not normally one for PDA, but for you, he can make a small exception. You can see how flushed his face is when you look up at him.

On game days, he lets you wear his jersey until he needs it. Might post a picture on his Devilgram of you in it. Captioned, '#1 fan'

After one of his games, he sees you talking to a lower demon, they seem to be standing awfully close. He sees them throw their arm around you, and so he calls for you, pretending he didn't see them. He waves at you, jogging over and cupping your face with his hands before placing his lips on yours.

BELPHEGOR

He's half asleep when you tell him. Isn't really bothered until you make the comment about competition. Now he's awake, and looking around like there's a present threat. Yanks the letter from you, holding it close to his face while he scowls. He scans the paper, before rolling his eyes and rolling back over onto his side, taking the letter with him.

Pretends he's not bothered. Asmo brings it up at the dinner table, Belphie calls it a "stupid letter" and crosses his arms, slouching.

Doesn't bring it up again, but you notice he's a little more cuddly in public than he was before. One day after class, he finds you in the library studying, he saunters over, kissing you brashly, tongue tracing the edge of your bottom lip,and loudly, before wiping his lip with his thumb, and sitting next to you, "what're you studying today, MC?"

If you like my posts, please feel free to tip me here!

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Hiya! Would you be willing to explain why keeping captive right whales is completely nonviable, as you mentioned? I’m fascinated, but the adhd simply will not let me parse scientific papers.

That's a fantastic question! While it would be wonderful if captive breeding were a viable option for this critically endangered species, it just isn't possible under any realistic conditions.

For starters, their size. Orcas are the largest mammals successfully held in captivity, and we all know how difficult (and controversial) that is, with only a very small handful of facilities ever pulling it off with any semblance of success. Tilikum, the largest captive orca (although I believe that record has since been overtaken by a male in China), was 22.5 feet (6.9 meters) long and weighed 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg). Most other orcas in human care, particularly the females, are considerably smaller. Compare that to a northern right whale. Even the smallest adults are over 40 feet long—double Tilikum's length—and weigh 88,000 pounds (40,000 kg)—seven times his weight—while the biggest specimens on record reached up to 61 feet (18.5 m) and an incredible 234,000 pounds (106,000 kg).

A tank for an animal that size would be far beyond anything we have the ability to engineer and maintain. Think of how deep it would have to be for the whale to even turn around! The water pressure would be astronomical, wreaking havoc on the building materials even if it were possible to build the structure. And remember—someone has to dive to clean it! Our theoretical right whale habitat would have to be a sea pen, but even the 100-acre facilities proposed with orcas in mind are nowhere near deep enough. While right whales are considered to inhabit "coastal" waters, they do not live right up by the shoreline, like certain orca ecotypes and other small delphinids. They are a pelagic species, designed to live out in the open water column, as are all baleen whales. So, the pen would have to be a floating habitat miles out into the open water (think of an offshore oil rig), with netting sturdy enough to not be destroyed by a 50 ton whale and long enough to extend hundreds of feet to the ocean floor. We're talking probably thousands of square miles of netting, that would have to be routinely inspected for safety and upkeep. So, you would probably need a submersible, since no human can dive that deep. On top of that, it would be difficult to find such a larger stretch of ocean in their habitat without shipping lanes, underwater noise, or pollution. And let's just forget about the logistics of staffing that place—or worse, funding.

Additionally, we wouldn't be able to feed them by tossing fish into their mouth like with dolphins. Northern right whales feed on tiny crustaceans and zooplankton, cruising along and filtering the creatures from the water with their baleen. Assuming our right whale keepers were somehow able to acquire the insane amount of food the whale requires (potentially over 5000 pounds of zooplankton a day), it would need to be scattered throughout the massive habitat to facilitate feeding. I imagine this would probably look something like the way Georgia Aquarium feeds their whale sharks from a little boat, although on a much larger scale. And since the food obviously can't be kept alive, we would need to develop someway of delivering the daily vitamins that are lost in the freezing process—and to keep hundreds of tons of krill frozen on a floating kitchen in the middle of the ocean.

Of course, the ultimate goal of this project would be to breed northern right whales... that means we need to take everything we just talked about and double it, at a bare minimum. For the breeding program to be successful, it would need a whole lot more than just two whales. And unfortunately, even if we lived in world with magical floating thousand-acre sea pens, unlimited krill, and endless money... we still don't know if it would even work. Right whale breeding habits are poorly understood, with the whales mating in cold northern waters before migrating 1,000 miles south to calve. Despite our best theoretical efforts, these migratory patterns could very well be necessary for successful reproduction.

Thank you again for the ask! This was actually a lot of fun to think about! If you want to read about JJ, the only baleen whale ever successfully housed in (temporary) human care, you can find an article and pictures here.

[mandsleanan]

cistern [ sis-tern ]

noun

a reservoir, tank, or container for storing or holding water or other liquid.

Latest aquascape is a 5.5 gallon that has been functioning as both a quarantine and holding tank for fish and plants. It's sat next to Trickle on my partner's bureau for a few years, but ease of cleaning has always won over aesthetics. Now that I've set up a more devoted quarantine container, I can finally build its own aquascape.

Since they're the same aquarium make and model, Cistern's scape is to both complement and contrast its sister tank. Instead of black aquasoil, white sand. A piece of moss-covered spiderwood dominates Trickle, so any wood or stones would be subtle and small. Strong vertical lines from stems plants are the main feature. Trickle is a Nature Aquarium meant to evoke a forest path, Cistern is meant to be reminiscent of an underground cave or aquifer. Except instead of a source of clean water, it's going to be a source of plants I can trim for future builds.

Before I started I did take this one photo of the tank's tab. I've kvetched a few times about enshittifcation in the aquarium hobby, and I don't expect any of the tanks I buy now to be anywhere near the same quality.

I bought this 5.5 gallon in 1996. I was fourteen. This tank started as one of my breeding tanks, decades ago. Still holds with no leaks. Perfecto was bought by Marineland at some point, so these are irreplaceable in more ways than one.

I added sifted topsoil to feed the plants, then capped it with my chosen sand, banking it toward the back to add depth for bigger stems like the Hygrophila.

After waffling on whether to add any hardscape for weeks, I decided to forego it entirely, instead just scatter a few handfuls of gravel for additional surface area.

Then I spent additional days waffling on my choice of gravel, only to realize after putting some in that it's going to be mostly hidden by the plants anyway.

Carefully filling before putting in the stems. I love sand as a substrate, even if it flees en masse from the slightest current.

Planting at the back and working my way forward, based on expected size and growth rate. I ordered a bulk assortment of stem plants that got me a ton of bunches dirt cheap, but since none of them were labeled, I had to play Guess the Plant if it wasn't obvious.

Stay where I put you, you dicks.

View from above, slowly getting there.

Everything planted, just going to top the water off and let it cycle for a week. I wanted to give it a bit of time for the microfauna to establish before a voracious plakat starts hunting them. I'm pretty sure Booberry's already eaten all the scuds he was able to find in the neighboring tank. The filter media is mature so he can go in whenever.

A few days later and everything's straightened out. I'll have to trim and replant the tops in order to replace the glass cover.

After the first major trimming and once any melting is resolved, I'm going to install ledges around the surface, both to give Booberry a mossy spot to sleep, and to increase the effect of viewing an underwater cave.

[waitingandwishing]

The Clay Girl - Night Time Blues

(Cross posted on Wattpad and AO3)

Prev - Next Chapter

Percy groaned slightly, sitting up as the slight moonlight filtered through the treetops. He ran a hand through his hair, slightly confused and dazed as he spotted Odyssa staring at the fire.

Her hazel eyes glowed like fire yet they held no emotion once again. Odyssa’s was blank, her small music box slowly playing as she stared into the fire. It was… Sort of creepy.

“Dessa?” Percy called out to the girl. Odyssa snapped out of her tired daze, turning her head to Percy as she silently closed the music box.

“Hey… You’re awake?” She asked and Percy nodded, sitting up fully.

“How long has it been?” He asked.

“I’d say it’s been about an hour since you went to bed.” She said, “Since you’re already awake, you can probably take a shift after my turn.”

Percy nodded, walking over by the fire to warm up and sit next to her. “You okay?” He asked, “You seemed pretty out of it.”

Odyssa nodded, swallowing. “Yeah, I’m alright.” She said, ““You know how I was created, right?” Percy nodded. “Well, I’m an inanimate object. Sometimes my emotions don’t catch up to my body… It’s why sometimes I get big bursts of emotion or I end up not feeling anything at all.”

Percy nodded, “Well, you seem pretty full of emotions to me.” He said and Odyssa smiled.

“That’s the first time you’ve called me Dessa, y’know.” She said, Percy thought before shrugging.

“I guess it just feels right.” He smiled and Odyssa nodded, staring back into the fire before flicking a piece of wood into the burning pile.

“Couldn’t sleep?” She asked and Percy shook his head. “Nightmares?” Percy nodded again. “Do you wanna talk about them?”

Percy breathed in the night air, a few crickets chirping. “They’re just… Not much happening except for voices and darkness.” He said.

Odyssa nodded, “Some about your mom?” She asked. Percy nodded.

“My mom disappeared right in front of me. It was so weird.” He frowned, “But it’s fine, we’re gonna go save her.”

Odyssa nodded and Percy turned to her. Like she said earlier, her face was devoid of emotion once again. “What was your mortal parent like?” Percy asked as he slowly snuck his hand into hers to wake her up from her trance. 

Odyssa turned to him, her normal face back with a slight smile. “Her name was Eleanor. She worked as a receptionist at a local library near the beach…” She said quietly, “We used to swim there and go to the aquarium… Sometimes it’d rain really badly and we’d watch a movie together.” 

Percy nodded, “Sounds like my mom and yours would get along.” He said and Odyssa nodded.

“She named me Odyssa. Which means ‘one who receives pain’. A lot of Half-Bloods have gone through pain… But this life isn’t as bad as they make it out to be.” She grinned at Percy, squeezing his hand. “I’ve got friends and even though there are monsters, I know they’ll stick by my side.”

Percy nodded, “Yeah.”

In the end, Odyssa never woke anyone up for shift and ended up staying awake for the whole night. She was fine, she got about thirty minutes of sleep anyways.

⁅¦⌈🪙~Song of a Hero~🪙⌋¦⁆

“Somewhere up ahead, this turns into a satyr path.” Grover said as they walked onto the trail through the woods. 

“What’s a satyr path?” Percy asked.

“It’s a road through the wilderness. Satyr explorers use them. Harder to track us.” Grover explained as Annabeth and Odyssa looked around. Odyssa’s eyes were red from lack of sleep, but she would be alright… Right?

“That’s great, but if we stay in the wilderness how’re we gonna find a phone?” Percy asked again. It seemed like he just had a lot of questions to ask.

“What do we need a phone for?” Annabeth asked, turning back to look at Percy with a confused expression.

“So we can call camp… T-to get help?”

“We don’t need help.” Annabeth shrugged.

“Anna’s right. We’re fine doing this by ourselves.” Odyssa agreed with her, rubbing her face with a yawn.

“We’re fine?” Percy scoffed, “We haven’t even gotten to Trenton and we’re wandering through a forest. I didn’t even know they had forests in New Jersey, but we found one! I would say we’re the opposite of fine.”

“We were sent on a quest by the Oracle, by the Gods.” Annabeth pointed out, “What’d you think, it would be easy? It’s supposed to be hard. That’s why only certain people are chosen.”

“It’s also why we can’t call for help.” Odyssa said, “I don’t think any of us could live through the shame.”

“Shame?”

“If we call camp we’re basically saying we were chosen wrong.” Annabeth said with a deadpan stare.

“I’m completely comfortable with that.” Percy said, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Not the Gods. By coming back and saying that we were chosen wrong is saying that the Gods are wrong for choosing us.” Odyssa said, blinking harshly to keep her eyes open, “It’d be an insult to them and we’d be punished way worse then we already are.”

“Odyssa’s right.” Annabeth whipped her head around to meet Percy’s gaze, “Why’re you so afraid of who you are?”

“What?”

“You know, what’s interesting about this particular satyr path is it’s actually the one my Uncle Ferdinand took when he set out on his own quest!” Grover said loudly, looking to Odyssa for help. She shook her head, they had to hash out their problems now or else they’d never finish their quest in time.

“What was that supposed to mean, afraid of who I am? I’m not afraid.” Percy frowned.

“Yes, you are. You aren’t just a kid. ‘Just a kid’ doesn’t do what you did to Clarisse back at camp. ‘Just a kid’ doesn’t have Hades sending top lieutenants to retrieve them.” Annabeth said bluntly, “You are a part of something so much bigger than we can understand right now. We have to move forward, whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not.” 

“You don’t wanna call camp, fine. Then, at least let’s call your mom.” Percy said and Odyssa mentally face-palmed. Out of all the things he could’ve brought up… Her mom?! Seriously?!

“Excuse me?”

“Athena? Your mother. I’d call my father, but we aren’t exactly on speaking terms. You know, because of the lifelong neglect and all, but you and your mother seem close.” Percy said, unaware of Annabeth’s seething rage building up. “So, why don’t we ask her for help?”

“Grover, will you explain to your friend that he needs to pull himself together?” Annabeth asked through her gritted teeth.

“You can’t ask her, can you? When was the last time she talked to you?”

“Dessa.” Annabeth turned to the girl beside her, “Tell him to shut up before I make him.”

“I don’t know why you keep pulling everyone else into this! Their on my side-”

“What makes you think that?”

“We’re a team, we’re all on the same side. Both of you guys need to pull yourselves together so we can get on with the quest! This whole thing is going to get us nowhere!” Odyssa spoke up between the two of them. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or something but they were starting to get on her nerves…

“Of course you’re on her side. Well guess what? Grover is my protector, it’s his job.” Percy crossed his arms.

“He was our protector first!” Annabeth yelled.

“First? What do you mean ‘first’?” Percy turned to look at Grover, who had a guilty expression on his face.

“Very exciting, getting to walk in Uncle Ferdinand’s footsteps.” Grover said and Odyssa rubbed the satyr’s back empathetically. She knew how hard Grover tried and how hard he beat himself up about it. “Next best thing to getting to talk to him again…”

“Thalia, Dessa, Annabeth, and Luke had a satyr protector.” Percy realized, “That was you… Why didn’t you tell me?”

Grover sniffed before frowning, “Do you guys smell that?” He asked.

“Grover I’m not kidding-”

“No, neither, am I. Just shush.” Grover sniffed once again. Odyssa frowned, sniffing the air before smelling a faint whiff of… Smoke? “Hamburgers.” The satyr realized.

Annabeth and Odyssa exchanged glances before her and Grover walked ahead, Percy and Odyssa walking behind. “Grover!” Percy called after him.

“What are you doing-”

“Someones making hamburgers in the middle of nowhere on a satyr path. Whoever it is… They’re from our world.” Grover smiled reassuringly.

They stayed quiet as they turned another corner. “I just don’t get it, why didn’t he tell me?” Percy muttered and Odyssa frowned.

“Grover’s hard on himself, and he doesn’t like to talk about what happened that night.” She said quietly, “Just try to lay off asking too many questions about that night. He starts picking at his horns when he gets anxious.”

Percy nodded, though he wasn’t convinced. “I’m guessing that’s an excuse for Annabeth then?”

“Anna’s just a bit bossy.” Odyssa explained, “She’s supposed to be a leader, supposed to be strong. And she is! She’s a good warrior, but she’s still learning to be a good friend.”

Percy nodded, looking around at the nature surrounding them as birds chirped in the early morning. “And do you just know everything about everyone or…?”

“Nah, I’m just perceptive. Comes with being a hunter.” Odyssa smiled.

“Really? I feel like you’re a little off today.” Percy frowned as Odyssa yawned.

“It was just a late night shift. Nothing more, nothing less.” She said with a tired-grin.

“Oh, come on…” Annabeth rolled her eyes as they found themselves at… Aunty Em’s Gderan Gomen Meproim? What did that even say? “Aunty ‘Em’ has a garden full of petrified stone folks. Yeah, this is someone from our world, all right. Anyone wanna guess what ‘Em’ is short for?”

The four approached the monstrous stone statues. “Oh…” Grover realized what Annabeth meant.

“Let's get out of here, please, while we still can.” Annabeth backed away and the rest of them turned before Alecto appeared, screeching loudly.

Percy handed Grover the box of wings as he uncapped his pen, pulling out Riptide from his pocket. Odyssa tugged on her necklace, revealing a silver bow and arrow, ready to aim.

“You should’ve accepted my offer when you had the chance.” Alecto strutted over to the four of them. Odyssa and Percy turned to Annabeth, confused at what the Fury was saying.

“Off? What offer is she talking about?” He asked.

“Not today friends…” A voice called out and Alecto quickly shielded her eyes away, “Not on my doorstep.”

Odyssa quickly looked to the ground, covering Percy’s eyes. “Medusa.” She whispered quietly and she felt Percy nod.

“If you have something to resolve, why not come inside and I’ll help? Alecto? Will you be joining us?” The woman asked and silence followed, “No, well I wouldn’t think you would. She won’t bother you as long as you’re with me. But it isn’t as though she’ll leave either, not if it means reporting that she failed to retrieve the son of Posiedon.”

“How did you-”

“A forbidden child has been claimed. How long did you think that secret would keep? It’s a pleasure to meet you, son of Poseidon. I’m Medusa.”

Odyssa opened her mouth to speak but Annabeth spoke first, “Dessa, stop it. Whatever you’re gonna say, don’t say anything… She’s a monster.”

“We all choose who we make our monsters, but right now, this one wants to tear you limb from limb… And I’m offering you lunch. The choice is yours.” Medusa said and Odyssa could hear the cursed woman's smile.

Odyssa could hear her footsteps and opened her eyes, taking her hand off of Percy’s as well. “I think we can trust her.” Percy said.

“What?!”

“Dude!”

“I can’t explain it, I just… My mom used to tell me her story. And the point was always that she isn’t what people think… And I definitely trust my mom.” Percy said stubbornly.

“I think Percy’s right.” Odyssa said, “She’s… She’s not a monster, more of a… Monster due to circumstance. It wasn’t her fault and as long as we don’t look at her or cause trouble, she won’t turn us into stone.”

“Then I guess we’re going in. You guys do what you want.” Percy walked off and Odyssa followed. Grover looked back at Alecto before deciding to follow.

“What are you-” Annabeth cut herself off as she watched Alecto before deciding to follow as well.

As they entered, a display of food was set up in the large dining room. Which was weird considering Medusa lived alone. “You must be hungry! I’ve got some snacks on the table while I get something proper going!” Medusa called from the kitchen.

“Do you think it’s safe to eat?” Percy asked Grover.

“Percy, I’m not gonna lie to you, but I’m really hungry. And I’m willing to take that chance.” Grover admitted.

“He’s not wrong… It looks… Really good.” Odyssa swallowed as she spotted a bright red candy apple set on a platter. Maybe Medusa had caffeine, that would help her stay awake long. The doorbell chimed as Annabeth entered the home as well.

“Thanks for coming.” Percy said.

“This isn’t the same for me as it is for you.” Annabeth frowned.

“Why?”

“You’re concerned I would hold a grudge against you simply because you are a daughter of Athena?” Medusa guessed as the four of them averted their gaze away. “You shouldn’t be. We’re not our parents after all. And you and I might have more in common than you think. Please, sit and eat.”

Grover, Percy, and Odyssa sat down at the table while Annabeth shook her head and stayed standing. The hazel-eyed girl reached forwards and grabbed the candy apple from the platter with a bright smile. Well, the prize of food definitely kept her awake.

“So you’re not a monster, what are you then?” Percy asked.

“A survivor.”

“Seems like you’re more than that. There’s a Fury out there who seems terrified of you.” Percy pointed out as he piled food onto his plate.

“Because she knows what I think of her. I don’t like bullies. When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for.” Medusa turned to sit down, crossing her legs.

Odyssa took a bite out of the candy apple, a warm sugary caramel flavor as well as the snap and sourness of the apple combined to create a mixture that made her very very happy.

“The gift the gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore.” Medusa explained. For some reason, Odyssa found her voice oddly soothing in a way that was very similar to her mama’s.

“What my mother did to you wasn’t a gift, it was a curse.” Annabeth pointed out.

“You are loyal to your mother.”

“Yes.”

“You stand by her?”

“Always.”

“You love her?”

“Of course, I do.”

“And so did I… So did I…” Medusa said melancholically. “Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?”

This time it was Odyssa that spoke, “You were a priestess for Athena before Poseidon came and you guys… Anyways, the goddess was angry and changed you into a monster.” She said, “You’re a villain villainized by circumstance.”

“Perceptive as always, child of Artemis. You’re a gift of the gods as well you know…” Medusa muttered, “Athena was everything to me. I worshiped her, I prayed to her, I made offerings… She never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love. I wasn’t like you, sweetheart… I was you.”

“I would’ve worshiped her that way for a lifetime… In silence. But then one day, another god came, and he broke that silence. Your father.” She gestured to Percy, “The Sea God told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before.”

“But then Athena declared I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished. Not him. Me. She decided I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale.”

“That isn’t what happened.” Annabeth spoke up, “My mother is just, always.”

“The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourselves for their own shortcomings.”

“That is not what happened. And you are a liar.” Annabeth hissed. Odyssa shook her head, the problem was that it did happen. It was what happened. Annabeth was loyal and prideful, but sometimes too prideful to be open-minded about other things. An open-mind can be a useful tool for a leader.

“Something's burning.” Medusa sniffed and gestured to Percy and Odyssa, “Can you dears give me a hand in the kitchen? Lunch is ready.”

Percy and Odyssa stood in the kitchen, Medusa’s back facing them so they could look at her properly now. “She’s not usually like that.” Odyssa defended her friend.

“I mean, she is a little bit but that was a lot.” Percy admitted.

“She’s going to betray you.” Medusa said, “Sooner or later, people like her, they always do.”

“She’s not like that. Annabeth is loyal, it’s why she looks up to her mother so much.” Odyssa said, feigning another yawn, “People like that can change.”

“Change… Like the moon in different phases.” Medusa said, “You are a gift of the gods themself yet you will be an easy mark for her when the time comes.”

“What do you care?” Percy asked.

“Your mother and I, we’re like sisters in a way. Targeted by the same monster. So I find myself feeling protective of you.” Medusa explained.

“A monster? My mom never talked about my dad like that.”

“Where is she now, your mother?” Medusa asked and Percy and Odyssa exchanged glances. “Is she safe?”

Percy hesitated before giving a truthful answer, “No. She’s not…”

“And do you trust your friends to help you to make her safe? Will they let you make her safe if it conflicts with their quest?”

Percy looked at Odyssa, who seemed to be staring at the back of Medusa’s head, her face emotionless again. It seemed like everytime it would get overwhelming, she’d blackout.

“I could… Help you remove them from the equation, so that you can be free of them. If you ask me to.” Medusa offered. “Even the Artemis child if you so please.”

Percy managed to snap Odyssa out of her emotionless state, guiding Annabeth and Grover downstairs. Medusa’s footsteps echoed as the door to the basement creaked open. 

Suddenly, the stairs lit on fire and the four of them turned to the maze full of… Statues. Millions of statues that stretched as far as the eye could see were placed in the dimly lit basement below.

The four of them ran through the maze quickly, weaving through different statues as they tried to get as far away from Medusa as possible. “There’s three of us and only one of her.” Grover pointed out, “If we split up, she can’t be watching us all at once.”

“I don’t think it’d be that simple.”

“It could be. Here’s the plan. I’ll get in the air, I’ll draw her attention. As soon as you hear me say, "Maia," you guys start…” Grover suddenly started to fly up, wings forming on his shoes. “Oh, boy! Okay! Um…” And… He was gone… Great…

“We’re gonna need a new plan.” Odyssa said before turning to Annabeth, “Annabeth, we split up. Percy, you slice off the head and I’ll cover for you.”

“How’re you gonna be able to aim if you can’t even see?” Percy pointed out and Odyssa swore under her breath.

“Fine, hand to hand combat. Annabeth, use the invisible hat and then we can kill her.” Odyssa paused as the footsteps came closer, “Alright, split!” She yelled and the three of them ran off into different directions.

“We are not our parents… Until we choose to be.” Medusa’s voice rang out through the cavern, “You two have chosen. A daughter of a self-righteous mother, who chose self-righteousness for herself.”

Odyssa could hear the slight hiss of a snake as she slowed her breathing to conceal her presence. “A daughter of the moon, not even human yet still chooses to act like one.”

“And you, you could have shown your father what it means to stand up for someone you love. You could choose to save your mother instead of doing your father’s bidding. If neither of you will help teach these lessons, perhaps you should be the lessons.”

Percy uncapped his pen, the bronze glow casting a light on the crates. Odyssa was in position, tugging on her necklace as a silvery light opposite from Percy’s glowed as well. “When I ship your statues to Olympus… Maybe that will get my point across even better. Stand up. Let’s have a look at you.”

Percy stood up abruptly, shutting his eyes as Odyssa closed her eyes as soon as she came into view. Medusa reached out to stroke his face before a yell from Grover game through.

“AGHHH!!! I didn’t really think this through!” He shouted before crashing into a pile of crates. Odyssa winced, good thing she had her first aid kit on her.

Annabeth appeared behind Medusa, placing her cap onto her head. “Now!” She yelled, pointing to the invisible being as Odyssa shot straight into Medusa’s chest and Percy sliced her head off.

“Did you hear that?” He asked.

Annabeth ran to Grover, “Hey, are you okay?” She asked worriedly as Odyssa jumped down.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got some med supplies in here.” She patted her leather bag with a slight smile as Annabeth helped him up.

Percy kicked the monster's head, placing down his sword as he clutched onto her head. A squelch could be heard as Percy scoffed in disgust, “Aw man…” He muttered.

“You found it?” Annabeth asked and Percy shrugged.

“Hope so.”

[huffle-dork]

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 6: Septnautical

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read Septnautical

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

Once Alt is done describing outside, the others have reached the secret hidden research lab holding Jack. The boys and Zara all come into another tank of water- which seems to be an observatory aquarium facing the lab.

Curled up on the sparse white floor is Anti. He’s lying on top of a few of his tails, idly watching the view into the lab. His ear twitches as he hears people enter and then blinks in surprise at seeing all his brothers. “O-Oh… hey.” He smirks and looks at  reaper Jackie and Henrik. “Did those weird humans get eaten yet? I hope so-“

His eyes then widen as the human-hybrids enter and then they quickly narrow as he bares his fangs. “What the fucking hell?! Is this a joke?! Is this a white suit trick?!” He hisses as his back fin puffs up.

“Anti please- try to stay calm.” Henrik says gently. “It is strange I know but… this is not a trick. We’re trying to help them get home.”

Anti doesn’t seem convinced as he curls up more and growls at them. “How do you know this wasn’t just a-a elaborate plan to get to Jack?! You all just lead them straight here!”

“Cuz we trust them dude!” Mer- Jackie says. Marvin and Chase kinda grumble but Jackie ignores them. “I don’t think they could lie about all this- not even Alterra could make up some of the shit we’ve heard!”

“Look man, if we wanted to get into this place we wouldn’t bother with some fucking elaborate trick,” Jackie says, trying not to snap. “We’d be plenty capable of getting in here without any trickery.”

“I do not think that’s as reassuring as you want it to be,” Schneep mutters, hanging back.

We understand that this is strange, and you don’t have to trust us, JJ says calmly. But we really don’t mean you any harm. If there’s anything we can do or say to prove that, we would.

“As long as you don’t tell us to do something we can’t,” Jackie mutters. He leans to the side. “So… this is some kind of lab space. Or, it is on the other side.”

“Anything interesting?” Schneep asks curiously.

Anti bristles and growls at Jackie, bunching up like he might lash out. But Jamie comes over and shakes his head at him and touches over his heart. This seems to give Anti pause. Then, hearing JJ use the same robot as Jamie has him relaxing even more. But, he still on edge.

Behind Anti and through the glass is the lab space. Seems to be open air at the moment as a couple people in blue and black suits are walking around, typing stuff in on holo screens or checking on the main subject of the room. Which of course is Jack. He seems to be asleep, set mostly upright on a lab table with wires and things tucked under brown armor-like plates on his arms and upper torso. He has 5 similarly armored tails that are submerged in a small tank of water below him. They seem to have glowing bits of blue underneath like suction cups. He seems to have a breathing mask on his face but filled with water that also filters over the gills on his neck.

“Ya wanna prove yourselves to me? Okay- I wanna hear what Jack has to say about this.” Anti growls.

His brothers all balk and look at each other. “Uh… I dunno how that’s gonna happen Anti…” Chase says quietly. “You’re really the only one here that talks to him… r-regularly in your dreams…”

“He’d know if these bitches are a threat or not.” Anti glares at the newcomers. “I’m not letting them near him otherwise.”

“Anti please be reasonable!” Zara tries to say, “We just need to talk to Danan and you know she’s-“

“No!” Anti growls sitting up to spread out his tentacles in a defensive stance. “Don’t get any closer…”

JJ backs up, hands raised. We’ll stay back, he promises. He looks at the others. Won’t we?

Jackie looks up and nods. While this exchange has been going on he’s been describing the lab—and Jack—to Schneep. Now he looks at Anti warily. He doesn’t want to fight him, but if it comes down to it he’ll defend himself.

“Jack… is the one outside of the glass?” Schneep asks slowly. That soul feels strange. Like his Jack, but… there’s something about it. Like the magic he senses in JJ, Alt, and Bro. “A-and he speaks in your dreams? How? A-and… how are you going to get advice from him? You are not asleep.”

“He can hear us,” Anti says eerily. “If he’s as worried as I am… he’ll do something…”

“Like.. what exactly?” Alt says with a raised eyebrow. “Look I-if you let me closer I could talk to him for you- I could go into minds and-!” He attempts to swim a bit closer but Anti snaps his jaws and lunges forward. But not to attack just to keep Alt back. And Alt glitches back and Bro catches him.

“Don’t test me ya fucking fake humans! I’ll tear you to ribbons!” Anti growls. Jamie hugs his neck and tries to hold him back but- Anti is bigger and stronger than him.

Jackie tenses, glaring at Anti, the mandibles on his back instinctively snapping. JJ holds his hands out, a shield starting to form. Schneep backs up, scleras turning black, getting ready to leap out of the way of danger.

However before the situation can get anymore tense- the human-hybrids and Anti feel a sudden pull in their guts- and their eyes fill with cyan. And then… it’s like they’re pulled into sleep and they all sink to the floor as their consciousnesses get pulled somewhere else.

When they open their eyes, they seem to be in the deepest reaches of the ocean- almost pitch black around them. It still feels like water- and they’re still in their hybrid forms. But it also feels… floaty. Like a dream.

And… Schneep finds he can see.

A bit before them is… the hybrid they saw in the lab. But he’s awake now, staring at them with startling bright cyan eyes. He regards them with a neutral expression, tilting his head as he studies them.

“Huh?” Jackie looks around. “What? Huh?! Huh?!”

“W-Woah…” Alt whispers.

“T-The fuck is this place?” Bro asks.

JJ backs up. Is this an illusion?

“Ah!” Schneep presses his hands to his eyes, closing and opening them several times. He expects them to hurt from the sudden influx of imagery… but they don’t. Confused, he looks around.

Alt startles and goes over to Schneep, “A-Are you okay Schneep?”

Bro sees him seemingly looking around and gasps, “Can you see?”

“Oh! I can see! I can see!” Schneep laughs in amazement. 

“What?!” Alt and Bro both shout in delight.

Alt smiles. “This is the mind I guess… like you being able to see in dreams.”

Schneep looks at the others, starting with Alt and Bro. “Oh! I can see the resemblance, but you two look less like my friends than I was picturing.” 

Bro and Alt look at each other then laugh. “It’s the freckles I bet.” Alt snickers.

Then Schneep looks at JJ. “You look very much like my Jamie, though—except for the mouth of course.” Then he looks at Jackie. His eyes widen in shock for a moment. But he doesn’t say anything. He looks down at Jackie’s tail. “Oh—you have a lobster tail.”

“Wh—no I don’t!” Jackie protests.

JJ laughs. Lobster boy.

“Shut up!”

Bro laughs too, “Oh my god! He is a lobster!” Alt hides his laugh behind his hand.

Anti shakes out his head then gasps and spurs up towards Jack, “Jack!!”

The other hybrid smiles at Anti and open his arms and Anti hurries over and gives him a quick hug. Then he seems to protectively hang over Jack’s shoulder as he glares and growls at the visitors.  Jack keeps his face neutral but there’s a bit of warmth radiating from him.

“Sorry to just… pull you in. I didn’t want Anti to hurt you… if you’re as innocent as you claim.” He says with a bit of authority. 

“U-um…” Jackie stares at Jack. It’s a bit… strange… to hear his voice, so similar to the Jack he knows. When was the last time he heard Jack’s voice?

It’s fine, it seemed like an emergency, JJ says. 

Jack tilts his head, “Anti said you were …fake. And… I can sense you are not Alterans but also… so strange… were you really.. human?”

“We were indeed human,” Schneep says. “A-and we can be human again. It is unusual, I know, but it’s true. We mean you no harm. You or any of your family.”

JJ glances around. So… this isn’t an illusion. It must be some sort of… mental landscape.

Jack nods, “Yeah we’re… I dunno exactly where but I have like… telepathy I think it’s called. The hybrid part of me is sea emperor and they have that too… I think the doctors here think I can do a bit more cuz of you know- having a human mind.” He laughs. “It’s weird but… I can talk to people like this… least until they figure out how to wake me up.”

Jack separates himself from Anti, much to the younger brother’s dismay and appears in front of the group in a flash of blue. He studies them closer.

“Alt… Chase… Schneep… JJ and… Jackie huh?” He says slowly looking at all of them. He then smiles and nods. “…yeah I… I think you’re good.”

“What?! You trust them just like that?!” Anti yells.

“Mmm yeah. I can see… bits and pieces of where they come from. This isn’t their home… and it seems like they all have a lot to get back to… family and people they really love.” Jack smiles sadly and holds a hand over his chest. “…I know the feeling…”

Jackie backs up a little as Jack appears closer. “O-oh. You can like—read our minds?” he says. “Can you um—n-not do that? There are things in my brain that I-I don’t want people to see.”

“Not fully,” Jack laughs, answering Jackie, “I just get… feelings and snippets. Flashes of things that are important or like..  really strong feelings. I can talk in the mind more than see it. I won’t pry I promise…”

Jackie lets out a sigh of relief. "I-I know you won't. Still... thanks."

“You’re like… an enchanter almost…” Alt mutters.

Jack blinks, “…I dunno what that word means but… thank you?”

JJ also looks a bit uneasy, but he pushes through that, knowing Jack means no harm. We would very much like to get home, he says. I sort of left my friend waiting.

Jack looks to JJ with sympathy and nods, “Unfortunately me and my brothers don’t have the kinda powers you guys have… but I’m sure my brothers will do what they can to help. Even Anti.”

Anti makes a noise of protest but Jack gives him a look and Anti crosses his arms and grumbles. “…yer sure they’re not with Alterra?””

Jack nods, “I’m sure.”

There’s a beat of silence before Anti groans, “Finneeee!”

JJ laughs a little at Anti's attitude. He can't help but be reminded of his friend. Thank you, Anti. I'm sure there's a lot you could do to help us.

"You know, Jamie, if this is the mind, why are you still signing?" Schneep asks. "Shouldn't you be able to talk if I can see?"

JJ shrugs. I suppose I'm more used to this by now.

"Ah. Well, in any case, thank you, Jack." Schneep nods at him. "Now we have to figure a way out of here."

Jack laughs and shakes his head, “Don’t worry. I got that. It was… nice to meet you all. I wish it could have been in person but… keep my brothers safe if you can, okay?” He smiles sadly and then his eyes turn cyan before the space around the boys turns white.

"Bye Jack!" Jackie shouts, a bit desperately, as the space starts to fade.

"Nice to meet you too," Schneep adds.

Your brothers will help you, I know it, JJ says.

Jack smiles at them all before everything goes white.

Then, they’re back in the lab observatory. Alt shakes himself out and blinks as the merboys have surrounded the passed out visitors.

“Are you guys okay?!” Mer Jackie asks.

Anti pushes himself up and shakes his head out like a dog. Jamie hugs his head with Anti lets him do so begrudgingly.

Schneep blinks. "Ah, back to reality."

"We're okay." Jackie pats himself down. "Jack just wanted a word with us—well, kind of? He wanted Anti to know we were safe to trust."

Which we are! JJ says cheerfully.

Chase's eyes widen. "Y-You talked to Jack??"

"Yeah... and they're all good." Anti sighs.

"Now. Is Danan out here?" Schneep swims up to the wall of the tank, facing out. "I can tell there are people, is she one of them?" Anti lets Schneep pass with a huff. 

At the window, an older black woman with bouncy black hair and bright green eyes is writing notes on her own PDA. She blinks as Schneep comes forward and smiles. She touches a button on her jacket and her voice comes from a speaker on their side. "Oh Henrik I-!" Then, she blinks and takes notice of how different Schneep looks and seems confused.

Jackie chuckles. "I think you've been spotted, Schneep. And she looks really confused."

"Ha! I can imagine." Schneep grins.

"Yeah just- hang on-" Henrik says and goes to push the button for the comms as Alt and Bro come over to meet her. "Hello Danan? Is there a way for you to meet us in here? We have... many things to discuss with you."

Danan looks surprised but then she nods and touches the button again. "Of course. Lemme just get finished up in here."

It takes a few minutes but soon the door to the observatory opens and the woman swims in. She smiles at everyone but she can't hide her surprise. "Oh well! Hello there... I did not know we had so many new people on my base."

JJ waves at Danan. Hello! This must be very surprising. Well you're going to be even more surprised when we tell you where we came from.

"We're not from here," Jackie says. "To the point where we haven't even heard of Alterra. I'm Jackie, this is JJ, Schneep, Alt, and Chase. We're from another universe."

"Nice to meet you!" Schneep waves cheerfully. "The others speak highly of you."

“Do they now?” Danan says with a smirk. “I’m glad my reputation precedes me! Well I’m Dr. Kendra Danan and…I’m sorry did you say another universe?”

“Insane, right?” Zara laughs. “Have you ever heard of traveling to different universes?”

“Well… it was a theory I remember being vaguely interested in for a bit…” Danan says, crossing her arms.  “Alterra was very interested in the possiblity of it off planet but… not here.”

Alt deflates a bit, “Oh well… we were hoping you might know if it’s.. possible to maybe reprogram a… what were they called?”

Marvin’s eyes flicker pink, “Alien Arch.”

“yeah that!”

Danan hums and then thinks. “…I’m not sure we have the tools but..  if they were maybe connected to architect technology somehow…?” She looks at Marvin.

Marvin shakes out himself then looks at Danan with wide eyes. “M-Me?!”

“You are the only warper around that can possibly understand technology like that…” Danan says with an encouraging smile.

“Oh I.., I don’t k-know…”

“Well… it’s either we try this out or… we just wait for the rifts to find us again… which is not ideal…” Alt mutters.

Danan and Zara blink, “Rifts?” Danan asks.

"They're what sucked us here in the first place," Jackie explains. "See, the three of us—" He gestures at himself, Schneep, and JJ. "—were actually from a different universe than those two." And he gestures at Alt and Bro.

"Three separate universes, actually," Schneep says. "But then we were pulled to their world through these rifts, and all five of us were pulled from that one to this one some time later."

They look like black cracks or tears, JJ explains. Like the air itself has been ripped. And they pull at people nearby. Like... when you open an airlock and all the air goes rushing into the vacuum.

"How do you know what airlocks do? You've never been in space!" Jackie says. "H-have you?"

No, but I've seen movies! You ever seen a movie where someone got ejected into space?

"...I've played Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Unleashed, does that count?"

"Ayyy SBA2! That's me and Alt's favorite!" Bro says excitedly. Alt slaps his tail with his own. "Focus-"

JJ blinks. Sorry, I've never played a Sonic game.

"Really?" Schneep says. "Even I have played a Sonic game--the classic sidescrollers, though, none of the 3D games."

"We're getting so distracted." Jackie shakes his head. "God—I've probably missed my time to take my ADHD meds. Anyway. The point is. You really think that we might be able to mess with these alien gates to open up a way to another universe? That seems... complicated."

"... I'm sorry I don't know anything about these rifts...." Danan says.

"They also have like- magic and stuff." Mer Jackie says excitedly. "So- maybe that could help?"

"Well... what the architects could do was nothing short of magical... so- who knows? It's still a mystery to us but... maybe it just needs the right touch." Danan smiles. "Us scientists believe there's nothing wrong with trying something out. They should be safe to look at, at the very least."

Alt sighs, "... It at least gives us a goal for now... and if it works, great! If it doesn't then... gotta wait for the rifts then... honestly it could be worse."

Bro grins at the merboys, "You guys up for taking us on an adventure?"

"I wanna! I wanna!" Mer Jackie says excitedly. Jamie claps and swims around his brothers in a couple big loops. Henrik chuckles, "I am quite curious what we could find." Anti and Marvin grumble a bit but Chase nudges them and they get quieter. "If Jack trusts you all then... yeah. I'm willing to help you guys get home." Chase smiles.

"Awesome!" Jackie whoops. "Let's see more of this place! It's the strangest fucking place I've ever been, so might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

"I am getting better at swimming, I swear I am," Schneep says.

"Y'know, if might actually be better if you took off your shirt," Jackie suggests. "Less drag. More maneuverability. I mean--the fish'll still be there, but still."

"Huh. You might be right, actually," Schneep says, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Okay, might as well try. This is not time to be modest." He starts taking his shirt off.

JJ frowns at Jackie. Did you just want him to join the rest of us in some weird peer pressure thing?

"No, I don't care what he wears or doesn't," Jackie shrugs. "But I really do think it might help. Here, put it in the bundle. Also, do you guys have a bag or something for all our clothes?"

"Of course," Danan laughs. She swims over to the wall and there seems to be a fabricator in here too. After clicking a few buttons it starts to create a large flexible bag. She swims over and hands it to Jackie. "There! That should work right?"

"Ah sweet, thanks!" Jackie grins and takes the bag, putting all their clothes inside. "I hope one of you two know how to dry stuff for when we get out," he says, looking at Alt and JJ.

Oh, of course, that's easy, JJ says.

Then, Danan seems to think and looks over to Marvin, "Marvin... how did you know about the alien arches? Most of them are on land where you all can't reach..."

Marvin quickly looks away and holds his arms. "Um well... I... one it's this... f-fucking chip in my head... but um... I also found one in the lost river...? I... I think the forcefield that kept the water out got d-damaged by a Ghost Leviathan."

"The Lost River?!" Chase shouts, "T-That place with the brine that poisons you guys??"

"...I mean the new Schneep guy is a river prowler- he'll be fine." Marvin says shortly. "And JJ.. he's a ghost ray. And I-I can... self-repair... apparently."

"Ghost leviathan?" Jackie repeats, raising an eyebrow. If that reaper thing was also a leviathan—and there was poisonous brine— "This doesn't sound like a good place."

"Oh! I think there's another forcefield that got damaged in the one by the mushroom forest though!" Zara says happily. "I'm pretty sure I came across that recently but- wasn't really sure how to use those things still..."

"They need an ion cube to work usually," Danan explains. "Most of them that need ion cubes in the main gates are down in HQ but... I think those are still intact...? hm... the mountain base is probably one that needs one."

"...the Lost River one was active." Marvin says quietly.

"...that's really dangerous though! Last time you and me went there you nearly lost your arm and I got bitten to death by mesmers!" Mer-Jackie explains.

"We didn't die Jackie-" Marvin snaps at him. The two glare at each other the way siblings always do when they fight and want to be right.

"W-well, don't fight about it," Jackie says, voice trembling a little. "Don't—don't fight about it.” 

"What the fuck happened that nearly lost you an arm?" Schneep mutters.

And... what was that? Mesmers? JJ repeats, spelling out the word. He's visibly uncomfortable with the implications of that name.

Marvin looks to Schneep, "...a Ghost Leviathan attacked me and bit my arm. ...and it was just a baby too." He shudders and grabs his arm, where the others can see what looks like bite marks. "And uh.. m-mesmers are fish that can... pull you in with colors on their fins and they can s-speak in your mind."

"They majorly suck." Reaper Jackie says and Henrik nods in confirmation.

Hypnotizing fish, JJ comments. Great. He signs the word slowly, making the fish robot say it in a drawl that's clearly meant to be sarcastic.

Alt bursts into giggles. "Oh my god- that was great JJ. But also- mood."

"Also… uh, The brine is easy enough to avoid. It's only on the bottom of things and like... the falls and pools." Marvin mutters.

"Since when do you know so much about it?" Mer Jackie asks with a growl.

"Since I was trapped there for a month, asshole!" Marvin snaps back. Henrik quickly goes to push them aside. "Enough you two!"

Jackie cringes while looking at mer-Jackie and Marvin. He knows that they're siblings, bickering is probably normal, but—why is he thinking of fights with his Marvin? He doesn't like thinking about him— “We can—maybe we can grab one of those cube things from the lost river base and take it to the mushroom place?"

If we're going there anyway we might as well just stay there, JJ points out.

"Can you not make an ion cube with your machines?" Schneep asks, confused. "Or... do you need the design or something?"

"The ion cubes are architect tech so... we don't know how to make them." Danan explains, "They seem to grow in these places though and there's a self-replenishing supply in HQ. But that one is one you all cannot reach... or my boys can't at least."

"Plus uh- Alterra." Zara points out.

"Yes that too."

"Huh. I suppose even machines that can rearrange matter have a limit," Schneep says thoughtfully. "But that limit is not helping right now."

Alt looks at Jackie with a bit of concern and lightly touches his tail against his. Then he sighs and says, "... if the one in this lost river is the only one you all can take us to that's active... then we'll just have to take our chances."

When Alt touches him, Jackie jumps a little, then quickly shakes himself off. "Yeah. And we have safety in numbers, too."

"Besides! We got tons of natives here to help us!" Bro tries to say positively. The merboys either smiles at him or snort and look away.

Danan smiles and nods, "It shouldn't be a long trip. Marvin should just be able to warp you straight there. Unless you all are eager to explore. It is an eerily beautiful place down there."

JJ smiles at Danan. Perhaps we can explore a little bit, but we should do this quickly, I think. Messing with these arches might take a while.

"So we are leaving right now, then?" Schneep asks. "Or—should we prepare? I would be fine with leaving now, in either case."

The merboys all look at each other. Anti shrugs, "I say lets get this over with. I'm eager for things to... be less exciting." He grumbles.

Marvin nods and then opens up a warp gate in the middle of the room. "This should take us straight there." He says, "Everyone swim on through."

"Hmm. Swim through? So you open up a portal," Schneep muses. "Like a small wormhole. Or like a portal from the game Portal." He giggles to himself at the repetition of the word.

"Yeah, actually, it does look a bit like a portal," Jackie says. "But you can't see through to the other side and it's this swirling... pink and purple and blue—"

"Oooo, my favorite colors," Schneep says, grinning. "As my Jackie would say, bisexual lighting."

Jackie and JJ both burst into laughter at that. A little less intense, but you got the idea! JJ says.

Alt studies the warp gate curiously. "... I wonder what would happen if I tried to glitch through this..."

"I dunno if now is the time to play around like that Alt." Bro chuckles.

Marvin makes a face then shrugs, "If it's similar to warping... hm... I can't say I'm not curious too..."

Alt's eyes sparkle a bit and he grins and then glitches through. From their end- nothing seems to have happened- except a tiny spark of green across the surface. And a bit of green reflecting in Marvin's eyes and a barely noticeable twitch in his hands. Bro hurries after Alt.

JJ frowns as Alt glitches through. Not sure that was a good idea.

"Well, it's too late now." Jackie shrugs, making sure that he has the bag on securely. Then he swims on through.

Schneep frowns. He swims forward hesitantly, then passes on through.

JJ lingers nervously at the back. He probably shouldn't be worried. Probably nothing happened. But still, he can't stop the anxiety as he approaches and slowly goes through the warp gate.

Mer-Jackie doesn't look excited to go in the warp gate but Jamie grabs his hand and starts to lead him through. Henrik and Chase laugh a bit at this and follow after. Anti gives the others a neutral glance before he shuffles through.

Once everyone is through, Marvin follows and the gate closes. Zara and Danan wave goodbye. "You have your radios if you need us boys!"

[sporesgalaxy]

Tumblr keeps crashing each time I send this so I gotta be quick: do have any tips on how to study biology (college is not an option atm)

Oh boy! I will do my best!

I've listed the basic irl resources for biological information first, followed by some online resources.

I've got a strong Animalia bias, so apologies that I don't have any botany-specific sites for you. 😔

I'm sure there's some stuff I'm forgetting. I'll add on to this if I think of anything!

If there's anything specific you need help finding a reliable biological resource for, let me know and I will try my best to help find you something!

•••

Finding primary sources (stuff written by the scientists who did the research [i.e. a journal article]) is always very good, but reliable secondary resources (someone else summarizing other people's research [i.e. Wikipedia page, book]) can be very valuable as well.

•••

Meatspace Resources

-

I would highly recommend checking to see if there is a Nature Park in your area! Nature parks often have volunteer programs and/or free educational opportunities. In my experience, naturalists are always very excited to meet new people interested in learning about local ecology!

-

There's also Zoos and Aquariums of course, although I know they cost money and are typically geared more towards kids. I'm lucky to live near some nice ones. Maybe check if there are any special programs happening at Zoos/Aquariums in your area (by checking their website[s]), where you might learn more than you would on a normal day trip.

-

Plus natural history museums, which usually have rotating exhibits so that you can keep learning new things when you come back! They also have more of an all-ages vibe than Zoos in my experience. Once again dependant on if there's one near you, and not free.

-

Last but not least: the local library, although obviously not every published book is a flawless resource. Still, might be interesting to poke around! There's usually some sort of digital search catalogue to make finding things easier. Libraries are fun :)

•••

Online Resources

-

Jstor is GREAT. Not all jstor articles are open access/free, but some are! And you can set a search filter to show you only things you can access.

One good way to find out what experts have written for other experts about biology: search a species name or biological concept or type of experimental study, etc. etc., in jstor's journal articles. I've linked a search for journal articles "I can access" containing the word "biology" as an example.

The website layout can feel a little obtuse at first but I think if you fiddle around with it a bit, it's not too bad to figure out? Feel free to kick my ass if I'm wrong djgjkeg

-

Wikipedia is actually a very good place to introduce yourself to a lot of biological concepts. I would recommend checking out some of the sources yourself if you can-- usually at least some of them are free, and that can introduce you to new free resources for learning more (today I discovered bugguide.net!). Often they will link you to jstor.

But biology-focused wiki pages have a pretty good track record for Correct Information in my experience. The only issue I've run into is there being too little information sometimes.

-

Pubmed is a really good resource to read biomedical scientific papers for free if that interests you at all! Reading scientific papers is a really important skill and I think you can pick up a lot just by diving in and googling words you don't know.

A well-designed experiment is replicable (that is, you can understand from the paper how they set things up to the point that you could do it yourself, given the resources). It's also important to pay attention to sample size. The more times you replicate any process in an experiment, the more likely you will be able to identify what the most common result really is, and why.

-

Fishbase is a website I was introduced to in my icthyology class to find info about different fish species :) It kind of just dumps all the info on you in a big text wall, but many pages include great details about life cycle and diet that might go unmentioned on wiki pages.

-

I've never used bugguide.net before today, but so far it seems solid and like it has a lot of good info. I assume it is similar to fishbase but for bugs

-

EDIT: FREE ONLINE TEXTBOOKS I FORGOT ABOUT!!!

I used both of these for university classes at some point. I didn't use them much, so there may be issues I don't know about.

In my experience though they were solid resources, if a little confusingly worded at times. Bouncing between the textbooks and wikipedia tended to help me.

[ivoryminitower]

Echoes of Home: 51 - Steve ("Sam")

Echoes of Home: FFXIV AU OC – WoLs on Earth

Coming from over a year in a world where sleep is sort of recreational to the world I know where circadian kicks in makes it a bit rough to shift sleep schedule on the fly.  It took a while to get to sleep in the afternoon.  Never been the sheep-counting type.  I tried cataloguing things in my head...pets, mounts, NPCs...finally dropped off in the midst of my Triple Triad cards.

Tsu'na worked the register that night, sans hat and coat.  People looked at her, sure, but not wolf-pack staring like the other time.  Maybe it was the Hartmans, maybe Sam, maybe me...or maybe she's just that personable.  She never needed to smile fulltime like she was that night, and she was doing it well.  My magnificent miqo'te was magnificent.

I hated to abandon her to the wolves, but she seemed to be doing okay, so around 11:00 I headed out to see Sam.  Even if he didn't see me.

He had the back door of the Pit open when I got there, which made it easier to get in.  Ninja Stealth gets a little iffy when it comes to doors, and we haven't had enough occasion to practice here to see if it works like Douglas Adams' SEP field.  Gatherer Sneak seems to, but we don't usually have doors in the woods.

His truck was parked near the door.  It seemed he was restocking.  I got a glimpse of an invoice on the bar detailing purchases for one S. Daniels, The Pit (so not just a nickname), Wyatt OK.  My first intel gathered.  I was so proud.

I watched him move kegs from his pickup into his back room, watched him make a last circuit of the bar before killing the lights, and finally watched from the back of the truck as he locked up the bar, got in the front of the truck and drove us off.

Sam Daniels does not appear to have a brother named Jack, or a son named Jack, or a dog named Jack.  I don't know if that was a missed opportunity or responsible parenting.  He does have a wife, or at least a cohabiting female, who was asleep in the bed when we arrived.  He also has a goldfish (who may or may not be named Jack), which was convenient for me, because after he went to bed I could read by the aquarium light.

He didn't go to bed right away.  He got himself some water from a filter pitcher (interesting choice for a bartender) and settled down on the couch to watch CNN (interesting choice for small town USA).  He may not be a scholar, but he's not an idiot.

The old, yellowed PC in the spare bedroom looked like something bought because Everybody Has One rather than something used for fun.  The parts of the room that weren't the desk and chair were heaps of boxes and piles of stuff.  I didn't have a lot of light to see by, but it looked less like hoarder chaos and more like abandoned projects...folded fabric, folio books and the like.  As if this was the room where dreams went to die.

Sam finished his water and his news intake and went to bed, leaving the fish and me to socialize.  I waited for a while until his breathing was audible and rhythmic before moving things to the fish tank to read.

Not that there was much to read.  No convenient stack of mail by the door.  An electric bill on one end of the kitchen counter, addressed to Samuel Daniels.  No junk mail I could find sent to Resident or Occupant, though there was a flyer from Community Baptist Church for "Our Neighbors".

No bank statement.  No purse.  Nothing lying around that would tell me the name of the woman.  Maybe in the bedroom, but I admit to a squeam about going in there with them, especially if the light was poor.  Which was annoying, because I felt an itch to know coming on.  I made a mental note to add night-vision goggles to my wishlist.

There was a small stack of magazines on the floor at one end of the couch...People, Cosmo, Vanity Fair.  None of them had mailing labels (stupid itch), which meant they were bought from somewhere.  I didn't remember seeing magazines at May's, but I hadn't been looking.

No books.  The Hartmans didn't have many, and the library was small, but I wasn't used to not seeing any.  Maybe again in the bedroom.

I looked around as much as the aquarium permitted.  It wasn't sparse, or spartan, or utilitarian; it was just really...tidy.  The furniture was old and the place felt lived-in, but there wasn't a lot of life filling the space.  Which just made me itch more about the wife...sure, maybe all of Sam's life was at the bar, but what about hers?

Spying and burglary weren't really a thing in FF14, so I didn't have a lockpicking skill.  Elder Scrolls Online had a lot of it...I was breaking into places all the time in that game.  Might be nice if I could drop into an ESO world for training.  In the meantime, if I left I couldn't get back in until someone opened a door, which might be at least six hours later.

But there was absolutely nothing to do until someone got up.  I couldn't sleep there...I might get tripped over.  Or heard...Tsu'na's never said I snore; Sam should probably not be the person to tell me.

So I slipped out, leaving the door locked behind me.  Sam's porch light was on, showing me a mostly empty yard, but there were some trees at the edge of the light range.  I went out to the trees, then went out further until I couldn't see the porch light any more, then just a bit further. I got out the camping kit, set up the tent, and crawled in.

The sleep I got earlier helped, but the unexpected exercise degraded me.  The snooping plus the camp setup, plus waiting for Sam to turn in, had eaten a couple hours.  I didn't know how long Sam would sleep, but I needed to be up before him, so I linkpearled Tsu'na about the new schedule, set an alarm for five hours and conked out.

And woke, not to the alarm, but to metal banging.  "Hey!  You in the tent!  Get out here!"

I unzipped the tent and peered out.  There was Sam, a shotgun in his right hand and a tire iron in his left.  He blinked and stared at me.  "Steve?"

I blinked and stared back at him. "Sam?"

"The fuck're you doin' here?"

"...Trying to sleep?"

"Next to my house!?"

I looked blearily around.  Yes, I could in fact just barely see his wood-paneled house out there beyond the trees.  Which meant he could see my orange nylon tent from his front porch.

The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal is known to be so stupid that it thinks that, if you can't see it, it can't see you.

"That's your house?  I didn't know."

"Then what are you doing here?"

A random neuron fired.  "Looking for sumac."

"...Sumac."

"Yeah, it's a bush, grows around six feet…"

"I know what sumac is!"

"Okay, well, Tsu'na said she wanted some for an herbal thing, and the forest service maps said it grew around here."

"And you went looking for it, what, at night?"

"It...got me away from her.  She was being kinda bitchy.  I think it might be her time of the month."

(I couldn't tell if she was amused when I told her about this.  "I was a prop?"  "No, my love, I was making excuses.  You were an alibi.")

Sam sighed, and let his gaze wander around the trees.  'You wanted to hang out, whyn'cha just come to the bar?"

"I didn't know this was your place!  I saw the porch light, thought it'd be a good reference point in the morning."

"This is weird.  You know that, right?"

"Kinda weird, yeah."

He looked at me.  I looked at him.

I gestured to the gun.  "Shotgun?"

"Problems with squatters."

"Gotcha.  Look, lemme pack up the tent and I'll be on my way…"

"You want breakfast?"

"Oh, I couldn't impose…"

"Pack up the damn tent and come to the house."

"Yes, sir."

The tent came with a shoulder tote, which I stuffed it into, because of course I didn't have an extradimensional pocket for it or anything.  I lugged it up to the house, knocked on the door and was greeted once again by Sam.  I stepped inside to find the woman awake, sitting on the couch, and absorbed in the TV.

"This is my wife, Dolores.  Dee, this is Steve from the bar.  He's who was in the tent."

Dolores blinked and looked up at me. "Why's he camping next to us?"

"He was out at night, got lost and parked at the first house he saw."

She kept staring at me.  I was reminded of Snuggles and Cat TV.  "You could get yerself shot doing that."

"Thanks…I'll keep that in mind."

She studied me a moment longer, looked at Sam, and turned back to the TV.  I was clearly Sam's to deal with.  And my novelty just didn't compete with Oprah.

I followed Sam to the kitchen. "Seriously, you don't have to…"

"Dee woke me, I woke you.  We're both up, so we might as well both eat.  How do you want your eggs?"

"However you make 'em is fine."

He gave me a pointed look.

"...Over-medium?"

"Hm.  So however I make 'em?"

"Is fine."

Scrambled was fine, especially with toast.  He set the plates down and sat across from me.  "Find any sumac, then?"

"Honestly, I wasn't trying that hard."

"She like this often?"

"Depends on the circumstance."

"An' the time o' the month?"

"Well, yeah.  But I think she's been a bit edgy sometimes here.  New place, new people, new ear and tail issues…"

Sam nodded.  "Spoke with some o' the regulars 'bout that.  They kinda like her, ya know…cute lil' thing like her that can throw 'em around.  The ears an' tail just give her…whatcha call…"

"Mystique?"

"Was gonna say character, but sure.  They think of her as part o' the bar, part o' them…and they can get kinda territorial.  Sure, they fight sometimes, but no one comes in an' makes a mess o' their bar, ya know?"

I smiled. "So she's got herself a home."

"Oh, hell yeah.  Ain't it like that at the diner?  Joel said he an' Hazel been talkin' to people."

"Kind of a different crowd.  We mostly get teenagers in the evening.  But yeah, it's gotten better.  I think.  The pretzels and pies sell."

"So don't worry 'bout it too much.  You be nice to them, they'll be nice to you.  Just keep the weird down."

Talk drifted to the shed, and some things about running the bar.  Through it all, Dolores (itch scratched) kept her eyes on the TV.  I guess that's where her life is now.  Though I do wonder about the piles of stuff in the other room.

Sam offered to drive me back to town, as long as I didn't mind a stop at the Safeway out the highway.  I found dried sumac there, for appearances.  Sam recommended I add a bag of chocolates ("Trust me on this.").  We loaded his stuff into the truck and drove toward the diner.

I told Tsu'na the story of my adventure.  I think she was trying not to laugh at me.  "What is sumac?"

"This stuff."

"And what will we do with it?"

"Put it on pizza, maybe?"

"And the chocolate?"

"Sam said women like chocolate during their period."

"I must thank Sam for teaching my husband about women."

"You've never had a period."

"No, but I like chocolate.  If Sam has taught you to bring me chocolate, I must thank him."

So, an all-around educational night.  We were both a bit short on sleep, so we went to bed for a couple hours.

As we cuddled under the blanked, she nuzzled close and whispered "sumac" in my ear with a giggle.

I'll probably be hearing about that for a while.

[bugcatcherwill]

Dale the Snail

So my bf and I have finally got our aquarium to where we can put some little creachers in after a few setbacks. So to start we get some Nerite snails. Low-maintenance freshwater snails that'll just sit there, eat algea, and look cute, right? Well, we get the snails back from our local petstore and one of them has already climbed out of the water in those plastic baggies. Since we both assume this snail's got a deathwish we named him Dale Earnhardt.

It's only been a few days and Dale has already thrown us through the wringer. Within seconds he's climbing the wall and immediately heads out of the water and behind the filter. Meanwhile the other snail Dyson is being a good boy and snacking on algae.

A few hours later Dale's now officially out of the tank clinging onto the side of the filter and we gotta put him back in Gay Baby Jail. He immediately starts pouting under a rock like a kid that just got stopped from sticking a fork in an electric socket. Dyson's meanwhile still being a good boy. Why can't you be like your brother, Dale?

Fast forward to the next morning and I see Dale is once again out of the water near the corner. Fine, I guess. Maybe he was trying to beat his air-breathing record and we stopped it. At least he's not near any of the holes in the tank. I do my Zoom call for work and look back and Dale's MIA. I look behind the filter, around the cabinet, the walls. I feel the surrounding area to see if he actually managed to breach containment. Still can't find Dale. Bf comes home for lunch and tell him Dale's gone. We both sigh like disappointed parents. Finally, he lifts the tank lid and this is what we see:

This motherfucker climbed all the way onto the ceiling of the tank like he was a goddamn moth in a past life. Thankfully it's an LED light so he's fine but I have never in my life seen a snail with this much of a deathwish. Naturally when we put him back in Gay Baby Jail he started pouting. A friend told me Nerite's are notorious explorers but I was not prepared for THIS.

Little Dale Earnheardt saw the face of God and was not impressed.

[aviculor]

Not much to say about my yearly vacation trip. I went to antique stores and souvenir shops in town, I saw family, I had sweet treats, the wifi was terrible. All routine stuff. I did learn something interesting from one of my aunts, apparently my great-great uncle was a high-ranking government spy during WWII. She said we have a lot of interesting family history, which has never come up before.

The weather wasn't great, which impacted the insects I was able to see. But there were some wildflowers near the cabin that allowed me to get some good photos. Might have been better off using my digital camera instead of my phone, I had to filter through a lot of duds.

I left my pets in my sister's care, really just changing the ice pack for my M. mesomelas and turning the aquarium light on and off for the plants. I also asked her to feed the caecilians, which my niece enjoyed watching. All of my pets (counting two caecilians as representatives) were out when I got home, so I could see they were all alive and healthy. In fact, my C. schmidti molted and I was planning on moving her to a larger enclosure once that happened. The habaneros I have growing are staring to ripen, but there still aren't any ghosts or reapers.

I have another week off from work, so I'll be continuing to chill out and relax while I can. Across the Spider-verse is online in HD, so I have that in my itinerary. And I do have to restock my fridge.

[s2vmarinelife1]

Best Internal Aquarium Filter What Does It Does? – S2V Marine Life

An aquarium's Best Internal Aquarium Filter is a closed environment that is very thick in comparison to the typical fish living area. The water becomes more easily contaminated because of its thickness and closed area, especially if the tank water isn't cycled.

With regard to fish tanks, the goal is to reproduce the normal living space in a typically small enclosed tank with a high thickness of plants, fish, and other water occupants like snails, shrimps, and that's just the beginning. In the normal living space, the water is adjusted and typically kept up.

Aquarium channels are essential since the aquarium doesn't self-clean and unless the perfect regular equilibrium is maintained. In reality, you should look into the definitely suitable aquarium channels for your tank.

In order to maintain clean and healthy water for our fish or other possibly spineless critters and plants, the best internal aquarium filter is necessary. The beneficial microbes turn waste into nitrite by converting smelling ions from fish waste discharges. The nitrite and smelling salts are particularly dangerous for those within the tank. Another beneficial bacterium transforms nitrite to nitrate, which is less hazardous and may be removed from the water by filtering..

Brief Knowledge by Best Internal Aquarium Filter Provide Three Stages filtration

With regards to freshwater aquarium filter you ought to consider a filters that has three phases of filtration: mechanical, compound, and bacterial. The best internal aquarium filter offer every one of the phases of filtration that is required for good water quality and sound, cheerful fish.

The mechanical filtration comprises of the channel getting waste, flotsam and jetsam, or other decline in the tank. With cleaning, the channel eliminates all that waste. Once in a while the waste begins to deteriorate bringing about synthetic changes in the aquarium.

The channel keeps the water clean to diminish the compound difference in the tank from deterioration. Components like dynamic carbon that are utilized in the aquarium channels retain poisons from the water, making it alright for the fish.

The bacterial filtration is the stage where the water goes into the channel's components that are concentrated with helpful microscopic organisms. Great spots for useful microbes to fill in the channel are the bio-wipes, bio 3D shapes, balls, cartridges, and different materials that are remembered for the channel or economically sold.

If you looking for best internal aquarium filter , want to buy aquarium filter online you may get your all information at best place on s2vmarinelife.com

[takentosilenthill]

Betta_log.1

C:\Users\: Shinoda_plakatbetta.halfmoon

- picked up an exercise mirror ball

- let him play with it for 4-5 mins. had the tiniest little flair. so cute.

- catalyst the horned nerite snail still chillin

- displayed signs of stress + hole rip in fin

- applied 2.5mL stress coat and a tbsp of aquarium salts as per my brother's instruction for a 5gal tank

- shortly after: less hectic swimming, catalyst starts making moves

all in all, shinoda seems pretty okay now. tomorrow is water change day, at long last. i bet he'll feel so much better with a fresh tank. catalyst seems to just be chilling near the heater as he's on the thermometer. my brother is going to help me water change, as well as put in the new water filter since the one i have now was only until i got the one made for a 5gal tank. i think i'll still do 2.5mL stress coat every now and then... i'll need to buy my own little package of it. maybe i'll do that when i need to replace his almond leaves and i'll also get a betta bunk. providing things like that for him is hard with the tight budget i have, but thank gods my brother has discounts from working at the shop.

[brandonwaratah01]

♥️ brandonwaratah01 💚

- G u p p i e s -

“ Inspired by my eldest brother, I have decided to raise particular aquatic species once again. The difference is that I am deciding to raise pregnant guppies to breed, raise and grow into adults. To be sourced at the local Aquarium store. I have to save to buy all the necessary requirements and ask the vital questions for a successful lively and prosperous fish tank. To be filled with flamboyance and colours that resemble a vibrant oil painting or a fashion show. It would make me smile each day if all goes to plan. I’m planning to sacrifice my office table for the purpose to hold a fish tank. I have to feed the right amount of food and add the right volume of chemicals for a fish tank of thriving baby guppies and accompaniment of adult guppies. I would buy other species of fish inclusively. The hardest part of making a thriving aquarium is getting the aged water made available before cleaning to the right conditions. Other aspect include preventing the baby guppies being vacuumed into the filter. To buy in the near future after I make time for the necessary study and research to have a successful and flourishing aquatic life of live guppies. ”

♥️- B r a n d o n v.p N g u y e n - 💚

[kimmysurveyblog]

40

What was the last bad thing that happened to your phone? Nothing bad has happened that I can remember? -knocks on wood-

What are your plans for tomorrow? Nothing at all. Care for and hang out with my kid during the day, game at night, be asleep by 11. I lead a very exciting life.

Have you ever been with someone while they were throwing up? No.

What kind of outfit are you wearing right now? Sweatpants, pink tshirt.

Would you go out in public right this moment? My bra is off currently so no.

Who was the last person you talked to on instant messenger? Boyfriend.

Have you ever done something illegal with a family member? What about with your best friend? Surely.

Would you rather get high or get drunk? Drunk.

Would you rather get pregnant at too young an age or never be able to reproduce? Never reproduce. I enjoyed my pre-kid years.

What was the last thing you cooked? An omelet for my daughter.

What were you doing 45 min ago? Watching her eat the omelet.

What will you be doing in 20 min? Scrolling on TikTok probably.

What did you do yesterday? Cared for my kid, went shopping, read for a bit, went to sleep.

Did you get a full 8 hours of sleep last night? Nooooo. I went to bed early so I could but then we had back to back thunderstorms that kept me up super late. :(

Have you ever gotten alcohol poisoning? No.

Are you in a good mood right now? Not really, honestly. I'm a bit grumpy after the morning I've had.

What’s the hardest thing you have done all week? Parented my two year old.

How did you feel when you woke up today? Annoyed? I'm in a bad mood today lol.

Do you want to see someone at this very moment? No.

Think of the person who has hurt you the most in the past year, who is it? My mom.

Do you think two people can last forever? Yes.

Do you find it in your heart to forgive? Rarely.

Last person you talked to on the phone for longer than 5 min? One of my online friends.

Are you a morning person or night person? Night.

Did you go out or stay in last night? Stay in.

Who was the last person in your bedroom? My daughter was playing in there yesterday.

Are you afraid to tell your true feelings? Nope.

Can you honestly say you’re okay right now? Yes.

How has this past week been for you? Kind of a rollercoaster. We had an incident last Thursday that caused the biggest panic attack I've had in SO long and then we made a big decision regarding our life which has been super stressful and overwhelming. And I just solidified plans with one of my oldest friends that I haven't seen in a decade which is super excitingggggg and... it's been a week for sure lol.

Do you currently have a hickey? No.

Did you ever lose a best friend? Yes.

How many piercings do you have? My ears.

Do you bump into someone’s arm if you want to hold their hand? What?

Are you listening to music, if so, what song? No. I hear our aquarium filters/bubblers.

Favorite part of summer? Nothing at all, truly LOL I hate this time of year!

Where was your default picture taken? On here? I don't remember where I took that tbh.

What is your middle name? It's hideous and I'm not sharing.

What color underwear are you wearing? Pink.

What color shirt are you wearing? Pink.

Ever had a near death experience? Yes.

Have you ever kissed in the rain? Probably.

What is your natural hair color? Light brown.

Could you handle living with the last boy you texted? We've lived together for 5 years.

What are you excited for? Seeing my childhood bestie next month! I can't believe we actually made the plans and they're not that far away! I'm so excited to see her and for her to meet my daughter. :)

Have you been to the beach this year? Yes! We go to a rock beach on Lake Erie. My daughter is a huge fan.

What makes you happy? Spending quality time with my fam, watching TV shows, playing games, sitting on the front porch and chatting with my boyfriend, going for walkies, scrolling on my phone in bed.

Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy? The plans I made! :)

Could you go the rest of your life without smoking weed? Yessss and I might.

Held hands with anyone in the past month? I think so.

Would you put your life on the line for anyone? My daughter and boyfriend.

When’s the last time you did something you knew was wrong? Umm... this morning when I got a cold brew. We're supposed to be saving money for the time being.

Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now? No. Boyfriend is working, daughter is asleep.

Are there any bruises/cuts on your body? Probably a couple of bruises.

How late did you stay up last night? At least 2AM.

Do you want someone to call you right now? No. This is my daily hour of alone time.

Are you a loud person? Nope.

Are you a shy person? Yes! Less now that I'm a mom but I'm still extremely uncomfortable in social situations.

Does it take a lot to make you cry? Nope.

If your parents didn’t like the person you were dating, would you lose them? I wouldn't date someone my parents wouldn't have liked.

How’s your heart lately? Fine. I'm mostly past the huge grief cloud I've been under since my mom died.

How was Saturday night? Boring, probably.

Will you be in a relationship in 4 months? Yes!

Are you tan? No.

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 3 months? Yes.

Think a lot before you fall asleep? Every night.

[the-melancholy-muse]

Vinyl Moon Volume 97: The Pond Beyond

With Strength, Brandon.

This volume required more strength to digest than I imagined it would, but by the end the pros outweighed the cons.

Listen along with me here. Playlist is also on Spotify.

Let's get into first impressions.

Did I over-hpye this volume before it hit my turntable? Perhaps. I blame a simple premise: KOI BIAS.

The album art truly hooked me in on this one.

I grew up watching my parents' 20 gallon fish tank. I raised Betta in college. I was mildly dismayed wen my husband announced my dreams of aqua-scaping the apartment were officially cancelled when we adopted our cat-not-catfish.

Stereotypically, I worked at an aquarium. One that was home to 90 koi in an interactive exhibit. My employment ended; my visits to pet and feed my babies have not.

Koi pond album was definitely a catch of the month from the sheer looks of it.

VM 97 Listening Log

A1: TRIPPY CELLO INTRO. THIS WILL BE SUCH A DOPE VOLUME. Love the Vocal Timbres. LOVE IT ALL 10/10.

A2: ...was hoping the strings would remain constant. Credit goes to the funky bass line. The synth stabs are a bit too harsh. Downtempo ending was a nice contrast to the mainly repetitive song.

A3: Instantly love the accent of the vocalist and the shimmer guitar and synth. Minimalist chorus, but super effective. I honestly just see Ncuti as the 15th Doctor dancing in his TARDIS with this pumping out the jukebox. More my speed than A2.

A4: Hand percussion is always appreciated in my book. especially when it is slightly more prominent than a set. Downtempo groove and a filtered voice really brings out the isolation vibes the lyrics are giving off. Wall of soft sounds round out the ending. This might be my favorite section of the song. This one kind of just hangs in the air. Fits the lyrics. Not badly written at all, but didn't jump out at me. Still, better than A2.

A5: Traditional shoegaze bass melts into horns? They are not too bright. Feeling this jazz band feel. From jazz band to near silence and oceanic pads. Soft filters, gentle flute, super quiet orchestral brass chords. How did we get here? Compositional genius. Final, darker recurrence of the jazz band ends with a radio fade. 10/10 RECOMMEND. NUANCED SOUNDSCAPE. <CHEF'S KISS>

B1: How can this go from so right to so cloying in 21 seconds? Duet voices and ALL instrumentation hammering the same exact beat pattern in unison. MAKE IT STOP. The best retreat we get is the voices alternating and very basic accompaniment instruments. Voices have not changed their rhythms at all. The only "bridge" they muster is a guitar solo that follows the rhythm of the previous vocal line ...much like the entire song. A side ended in a 10. B side starts with a 1. where s this going to go?

B2: Opening is promising...until vocals start up. It's giving older Taylor Swift. Also giving dixie chicks? Or it sounds like the artist who sang "I'm Gonna Soak Up the Sun". This is not my personal style. Nothing wrong with it songwriting wise. Some people will LOVE this. For me, another dud. I fear for B3.

B3: SWEET RELIEF. This is a bop. Simplicity and plate reverb of surf rock meets a male vocalist who sounds similar to Fleet Foxes. There are a few guitar stabs throughout the chorus, but they add to the song instead of act as a distraction from the vocalist. Well balanced. Loved this little riser section in the kit. Loved all of it, actually. BRING ON B4.

B4: Okay. Stark contrast here. The very few seconds of dissonant notes were creepy in a fun way. This song is straight forward. Too much so for my taste. The main 4/4 beat is just slammed into your brain. Not much of a rhythm section or groove to this. Lyrics are fun though. Well-written electro pop. Great for a general pop audience. Do I think it belongs on this volume exactly where it sits in this track listing? Not really? Will I jam to this after leaving a toxic work environment? Probably bumping this on the way home from my last day. It's love-hate for me. Slightly less hopeful for B5, but there truly is sonic art in this volume, so who knows.

B5: Cutesy. I will take cute. This reminds me of the 2010s. It's catchy. It's easy on the ears. Love the folk instruments. It balances lyrical content with proper instrumental breaks...and just like that, it's done! A short little palette cleanser. For me, a palette cleanser was necessary. Ready? or not? for B6.

B6: SWEET JEEBUS ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST. Textured bliss. Uptempo, retro synths. Good balance between walls of sound in the chorus/bridge and minimalist instrumentation in the verses. The bridge gets an edgy intro, then BOOM wall of sound. This gives Walk the Moon's "Next in Line" vibes. Ends on a choppy arpeggio. This last track hit me hard. Glad I didn't give up when the water got rough.

PROS

The songs that I loved from this volume, I ADORED. They are going into shuffle rotation STAT. Absolute Bangers. I think I have found more bands to follow and fall ever deeper in love with.

CONS

There were definitely a few BIG NOPE songs on this album for me, and some songs fell flat. On top of a difference in taste, the volume lacked something I crave in finished works: COHESIVTY/COHESION. This volume felt like a jukebox or a radio station. I didn't find the inner story. I didn't feel like the songs were related whatsoever, and sometimes they didn't sound great one after the other.

OVERALL

This volume was important, but it was mid. Don't skip it outright. My ear's trash could be your ear's oasis. For me, Ill take the good, leave the bad, and most likely will not listen to volume 97 as a unit again.