#Clean marine fuels

[faultfalha]

The vast majority of the world is unaware of the true cost of clean marine fuels. It's an industry built on a carefully constructed illusion, one that most people never see past. But I know the dirty facts, because I'm the one who's been cleaning up their messes for years. There's a reason the big oil companies are so interested in renewables, and it's not because they care about the environment. It's because they know that the sooner renewables become mainstream, the sooner the dirty truth about clean marine fuels will be exposed. It's a sham, a way to clean up their image and make a quick buck. But I'm not going to let them get away with it. I'm going to blow the whistle on their dirty little secret.

[electronalytics]

Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market Analytical Overview and Growth Opportunities by 2032

The hydrogen fuel cells for the boat market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy solutions in the marine industry.Hydrogen fuel cells offer a viable alternative to conventional fossil fuel-powered engines, as they produce zero-emission and have higher energy efficiency.

Government regulations and initiatives promoting the use of eco-friendly technologies in the maritime sector are driving the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells for boats.The market is witnessing the development of advanced hydrogen fuel cell technologies, including improved storage and refueling infrastructure, which is further boosting market growth.

The increasing focus on reducing carbon emissions and achieving environmental sustainability goals by boat manufacturers and operators is propelling the demand for hydrogen fuel cells.suppliers, are crucial for the widespread adoption and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells for boats.

Analytical Overview:

The hydrogen fuel cells for boat market is projected to experience substantial growth in the coming years, driven by the increasing demand for clean energy solutions in the maritime industry.

Market players are focusing on research and development activities to enhance the performance and efficiency of hydrogen fuel cell technologies specifically tailored for marine applications.

Government regulations and initiatives promoting sustainable shipping practices are expected to create a favorable market environment for hydrogen fuel cells.

The market is witnessing the emergence of new players and strategic partnerships, leading to technological advancements and the expansion of product portfolios.

Geographically, North America and Europe are anticipated to be the key regions for hydrogen fuel cells in boats, owing to the presence of established boat manufacturers and supportive government policies promoting renewable energy adoption. However, the Asia Pacific region is also expected to witness significant growth due to the growing maritime industry and increasing environmental concerns.

Segments:

Power Output: The market can be segmented based on power output capacity, ranging from low-power fuel cells suitable for auxiliary power to high-power systems for primary propulsion.

Boat Type: Segmentation can be done based on boat types, such as leisure boats, commercial vessels, ferries, and yachts, as the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells varies across these segments.

End Use: Another segmentation criterion is the end-use application, including passenger transportation, cargo shipping, naval vessels, and recreational boating.

Geography: The market can be segmented based on geographic regions, such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World, as the adoption and growth potential vary across different regions.

Component: Segmentation based on components includes fuel cell stacks, hydrogen storage tanks, power electronics, and balance of plant (BOP) systems, which are essential for the overall functioning of hydrogen fuel cells.

Growth Opportunities:

Increasing Investments: Growing investments in research and development activities for hydrogen fuel cell technologies for boats present significant growth opportunities in the market.

Infrastructure Development: Expansion of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and charging networks for boats would encourage the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells in the maritime sector.

Collaborations and Partnerships: Collaborations between boat manufacturers, fuel cell suppliers, and infrastructure providers can drive innovation and accelerate the market growth.

Government Support: Continued support from governments through subsidies, incentives, and policy frameworks promoting the adoption of hydrogen fuel cells in the marine industry can fuel market growth.

Technological Advancements: Advancements in hydrogen fuel cell technologies, such as enhanced power density, improved durability, and cost reduction, will open up new growth opportunities for market players.

Key Points:

Hydrogen fuel cells offer longer operational ranges and faster refueling times compared to battery-powered systems, making them suitable for extended boating trips and commercial applications.

The transition towards hydrogen fuel cells aligns with the global maritime industry's efforts to decarbonize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The adoption of hydrogen fuel cells in the boat market can significantly contribute to achieving international sustainability goals and addressing climate change concerns.

Challenges such as the high initial cost of hydrogen fuel cell systems and limited hydrogen refueling infrastructure need to be addressed to accelerate market growth.

Collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including boat manufacturers, governments, and fuel cell

We recommend referring our Stringent datalytics firm, industry publications, and websites that specialize in providing market reports. These sources often offer comprehensive analysis, market trends, growth forecasts, competitive landscape, and other valuable insights into this market.

By visiting our website or contacting us directly, you can explore the availability of specific reports related to this market. These reports often require a purchase or subscription, but we provide comprehensive and in-depth information that can be valuable for businesses, investors, and individuals interested in this market.

“Remember to look for recent reports to ensure you have the most current and relevant information.”

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Market Segmentations:

Global Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market: By Company • Dynad International • PowerCell Sweden • Serenergy • Toshiba • Fiskerstrand Verft • MEYER WERFT • Nuvera Fuel Cells • WATT Fuel Cell Global Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market: By Type • Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) • Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Global Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market: By Application • Yatchs • Sailboats • Others Global Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market: Regional Analysis All the regional segmentation has been studied based on recent and future trends, and the market is forecasted throughout the prediction period. The countries covered in the regional analysis of the Global Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Rest of Europe in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Argentina, Brazil, and Rest of South America as part of South America.

Visit Report Page for More Details: https://stringentdatalytics.com/reports/hydrogen-fuel-cells-for-boat-market/6003/

Reasons to Purchase Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Boat Market Report:

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• To identify important participants and rivals: This research studies can assist companies in identifying key participants and rivals in their sector, along with their market share, business plans, and strengths and weaknesses.

• To comprehend consumer behaviour: these research studies can offer insightful information about customer behaviour, including preferences, spending patterns, and demographics.

• To assess market opportunities: These research studies can aid companies in assessing market chances, such as prospective new goods or services, fresh markets, and new trends.

• To make well-informed business decisions: These research reports give companies data-driven insights that they may use to plan their strategy, develop new products, and devise marketing and advertising plans.

In general, market research studies offer companies and organisations useful data that can aid in making decisions and maintaining competitiveness in their industry. They can offer a strong basis for decision-making, strategy formulation, and company planning.

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[garbinge]

Clean Cut

Tim Bradford x F!Nurse!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of bullets, war, shrapnel, anxiety, worry, car accidents. Slightly angsty. 

Word Count: 1.2k 

A/N: Okay so I just caught up with all The Rookie seasons and I’m just LIVING for Chenford. Like LIVING. buuuuuut I noticed there wasn’t much Tim x Reader fic out there soooooo I figured why not! This idea came to my head at some point when I was watching and I also have like a whole story of their life beyond and before this moment but enjoy this little reworked snippet from 2x08. 

The Rookie Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics​

It had felt like a long day already and you had only been clocked in at the hospital for two hours. You still had 10 hours left in your shift and it felt like you experienced a whole day’s worth already. Being a corpsman for a Marine squad prepared you for a lot but sometimes the uniqueness of LA and the people who resided in it and tended to need your RN medical services at St. Stevens ran you for your money. 

Currently, you were updating patient charts during the lull that was likely to last all of two seconds but it beat staying an extra hour to finish your paperwork likely unpaid because the hospital rarely approved overtime for RNs. 

“Wanna tell me why it’s so crazy for a Tuesday?” 

The statement from your coworker caused you to look at them over your shoulder and let out a laugh. 

“I wish I had an answer to that, but I also feel like anything I say will jinx it even more.” You pushed the computer cart against the wall and moved over to your coworkers cart. “You’ve got like 15 pages here, what is this?” You picked up the manila folder that was larger than your normal ER patient folders. 

“Police car accident. There’s a few of them in the ER right now, these things always include tons of paperwork. Everyone needs to cover their asses.” 

Your heart started to beat faster at the mention of a police accident but what really caused you to go into panic mode was seeing your husband's name on the report. 

Before you could even answer your co-worker you were moving down the stairs, knowing the elevator would take too long. You knew the elevator would probably be quicker but the thought of standing still while you waited for and in it would drive your mind crazy so rushing down the stairs was the better alternative. 

Tim was sitting on one of the ER beds, the scene of it caused you to stop for a minute. It wasn’t the first time you’d seen Tim hurt waiting to be treated. In all honesty this was probably the tamest medical treatment scenario you two had been in together. He looked fine from afar, but that didn’t stop the worry from boiling in your gut. 

“What happened?” You were next to him within seconds, the worry being the fuel of moving you from the staircase entrance to his side in seconds. 

“I rear ended a civilian.” Tim knew better than to try and calm you down with pleasantries and relaxing mantras. 

“Jesus.” Your hand moved to your pocket in search of your pen light. Quickly, you flashed it in front of his eyes, searching for his eyes to constrict and then dilate when you moved the light away. 

“They already did this.” Tim’s voice was neutral, but you knew he was annoyed. 

“Humor me.” Your head tilted, now your own annoyance was clear to him. 

His eyes softened as they met yours and he nodded which gave you the okay to keep running through the trauma checklist in your head. 

“This isn’t like you.” Tim said after a few minutes of silence between you as he humored you by lifting up his arms as you pressed down on his ribs and checked his reflexes. 

“In what way?” You talked as you continued to look him over. 

“I’ve come home and told you I’ve gotten shot at and you barely react, I tell you that I got into a car accident and you’re acting like I have internal bleeding.” Tim’s eyebrows raised. 

“Did they do a CT scan? You could have internal bleeding. Especially if the airbags went off.” 

“Doc.” The use of the nickname only 13 people in the world knew you as caused you to stop your examination of Tim and stand in front of him, slightly defeated. 

“If I worried about every close call you encounter everyday, I’d be dysfunctional. This.” You pointed towards him and the bed, “This is tangible. This actually happened.” 

Tim nodded and a smirk slightly filled his face. 

“You doubtin’ me, Sarge?” You frowned as you asked him, using your own nickname for him. 

“No,” Tim let out a chuckle and shook his head before looking back up at you. “I know better than to ever doubt you.” 

“Smart man.” Officer Lopez walked up to the two of you with a smile. “How’s he doin’?” She looked between the both of you. 

“He’s fine. No signs of a concussion,” you looked at Angela and then back at Tim, “and no signs of internal bleeding.” You smirked at him knowing he was going to give you one back. 

“Give us a minute, Lopez?” Tim stood up and ripped the hospital bracelet off his wrist. 

“Yea, just wanted to let you know the break lights were cut in the car you hit, foul play, you’ll likely be in the clear.” She explained while looking at the both of you, relief coming as a sigh from both you and Tim. “I’ll be in the lobby.” She nodded at him and squeezed your arm to say goodbye before leaving the ER. 

“We goin’ back to the conversation we were having or a new one?” You asked Tim as he towered over you. 

“You pulled shrapnel out of my abdomen in Afghanistan and you look more worried checking me for a concussion.” Tim said with his arms crossed. “What’s going on?” 

“Nothing.” Your one worded answer wasn’t convincing.

“Don’t lie to me.” Tim said more seriously than any of his other statements. 

You sighed, “Like I said, this is tangible. In Afghanistan, we weren’t exactly given the space to worry. Here, I feel like it’s all I have to hold onto. But again, if I held onto every worry I’d be dysfunctional. I know you can handle yourself when bullets are flying, when shit goes sideways, it’s these out of your control scenarios that just get me flustered.” You explained moving your hands around as you talked. 

Tim brought you in for a hug, knowing nothing he’d say could change anything. “You do realize, I’m the one that rear-ended the civilian, not the other way around, right? Totally in my control.” He teased you. 

“Not according to Angela.” You corrected him and he chuckled. 

“I’ll see you tonight.” He placed a quick kiss on the top of your head. 

“See you tonight, I already texted Angela all the concussion signs in case we missed anything.” Letting your last bit of worry out. 

“You haven’t missed a single diagnosis or injury since I met you, Doc!” He called out from a few feet from you. 

“You know, I’m technically not a doc, anymore, Sarge!” You yelled out to him. 

He turned around with his arms up as he continued to walk backwards. “And I’m not technically a Sargeant anymore.” 

“Old habits die hard!” You yelled back just before the elevator doors opened and he stepped backwards into the elevator flashing you a quick smile before the doors closed and he was back on duty.

[theambitiouswoman]

Hormone disrupters are chemicals 🧪 that interfere with your body’s endocrine system, which regulates hormones. They can be found in a lot of every day products like:

Plastic bottles and food containers

Pesticides in agriculture

Cleaning supplies

Chemicals used for clothing

Personal care products like lotions, shampoos & makeup

❌ These are hormone disrupters found in common every day products that you should stay away from ❌

- Bisphenol A (BPA) (plastics and can liners)

- Phthalates (personal care products, fragrances, flexible plastics)

- Parabens (makeup & personal care products)

- Triclosan (antibacterial soaps and cleaning products)

- Polychlorinated Biphenyls (older electrical equipment and industrial products)

- Flame Retardants (furniture, textiles, electronics)

- Pesticides (agriculture)

- Perfluorinated Chemicals (stain resistant treatments, non-stick cookware)

- Dioxins (industrial processes, combustion byproducts)

- Lead (older paints, pipes)

- Dye chemicals (textiles and clothing)

- Water repellents (outdoor clothing, upholstery)

- Stain repellents (carpets, fabrics)

- Formaldehyde (wrinkle free and anti-shrink treatments for fabric)

- Mercury (fish, some thermometers, dental amalgams)

- Cadmium (batteries, some fertilizers)

- Atrazine (herbicides)

- Glyphosate (weed killers)

- Perchlorate (rocket fuel, fireworks, fertilizers)

- Arsenic (contaminated water, pesticides)

- Styrene (plastics, rubber, insulation materials)

- Phosphates (detergents, fertilizers)

- Nonylphenol ethoxylates (industrial detergents, cleaners)

- Organotins (PVC plastics, marine antifouling paints)

- Benzophenone (sunscreens, plastics)

- Octinoxate (sunscreens, makeup)

- 4 Methylbenzylidene camphor (sunscreens, makeup)

‼️ Exposure to these can lead to health issues like reproductive problems, developmental issues and cancer.

🌿 Needless to say, that in order to protect our hormones 🫶 it’s important to recognize these risks and take measures to reduce our exposure them.

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Astairan Science & Witchcraft

sooo ya girl has had a thought anD now you gotta hear abt it ;DDDD tbh i feel like this isn't really even my thought it think its smth we've all lowkey been driving at but never fully addressed so i thought id do that!

ok so @forgottenarias mentioned in a post abt the stafford observatory (and i 10000% agree! they totally have that!!!!), and yeah it sent me down this train of thought and, surprisingly, while i def think it applies to astaira over all, i feel like it feeds in v nicely to a lot of the other world building we've been doing and all esp re: the malconaires...and their future predicament!

ok so basically? my thesis here is...astaira is stated to be the largest country in the world, and we know it has a system based on merit etc so top minds're gonna really go places ++ they've got the largest variety ~of minds etc and basically thesis statement: i think maybe astaira has some of the best educated ppl, top to bottom, and more advanced science than most anywhere else in the world, perhaps???? and, bc of that, when roderick looks at them...he sees a bunch of witches! bc he sees ppl out there doing what are (to him!) unexplainable/impossible things w ease, but its just that they have more knowledge etc.

so, obv there are ~literal seers here too and that's def just throwing fuel on the fire (heh), but i lowkey think that there's a lot of things that roderick (and his countrymen etc) just see and...don't get and they go witch!!!!!! that's witchcraft!!!!! kinda like how amira has a reputation of witchcraft bc (well, ok her gm who raised her was a seer but also!!) she has this intense knowledge of medicines and poisons and she can heal and she can harm w a touch and????? witch!!!! but ofc she isn't a seer! and aleksander royce has a v similar backstory, himself, except he was able to fashion into his divine miracles rather than sorcery, but its that same kinda thing!

so!! a lot of our houses and things are tied in w precisely elements and such: perhaps not simply the house (as we've established), but the ~ppl of stafford, specialize in astronomy and astrology and so forth; the callearies/cultures who also hail from not!atlantis (minus cormac lbr ;D) are probs up on all sorts of oceanic and marine sciences of the day w advanced knowledge of tides and of fish etc alike; the kolcheans are students of heat and how it interacts w other materials and so forth (i always hc'd that kolchean fire aka greek fire was a thing... ;D); and the ppl of malconaire understand plants and the earth

now, @forgotteneithne gave us the hc that sorcha and bran always made sure their daughters weren't just wealthy and pretty and refined, but that they also had practical skills, and esp if either of them knew/suspected @forgottenbrigit 's gifts (but even if they didn't!), i can see where they may have also put emphasis on learning all abt plants from anyone who could teach them, wherether grand or humble of origin (esp if we go go the idea of actual seers having ~specialties or whatever too -- ex. perhaps brigit is more earth based in her powers as a malconaire, and aria more air based, but again even if not its just good stuff to know!)

so maybe, amongst their practical talents of cleaning and cooking and such, the girls also learned herbology and like hemlock can relax you or even help staunch a wound to keep you from bleeding out, but too much can kill you, bc it slows your organs etc -- that sort of thing. and maybe, amongst the other things they do when they go to the village, they help cure the sick, and that sort of thing, and perhaps this is another way they also helped out during the battle of malconaire, etc?

and yeah! maybe, given that (most of ;D) the malconaire girls aren't ~actually witches, maybe this (and the whole romancing ~all of roderick's sons! egregious! roderick is SHOOKETH) is another 'proof' of their witchcraft, but also smth they can fall back on while they're on the run?

regardless of this, rosie, i think, (as ive said before) will be leaning into her showmanship to try to spook the o.v.n.-ians and save ppl (ig all those pranks came in handy in the revolution, after all! ;D #weaponizewonder) but yeah i also like the idea that she might be out there helping ppl in other ways than just distracting ppl so others (rebels, refugees, etc!) can make a get away and such (whether or not she's hooked up w the rebels or is just helping other accused witches escape or...what idk!! but yeah this is the direction i see her going in) -- actively in there brewing up teas and sewing up cuts and making healing elixirs and such!

idk!! anyway!! we don't need to do anything w any of this but yeah!! just thought id throw this out there and see what everyone thinks?

[ryusuisloveinterest]

That’s illogical! Senku Ishigami x Reader

Hello girlypops! I wanted to write again so this is what I came up with. It’s a little long but I hope you enjoy. This is technically in Dr Stone 4d science but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the story. Anyway I hope you like it! Also, friendly reminder that requests are open!

Thats’s illogical! Senku x reader

It’s late at night when Senku finally leaves the lab. He’s exhausted, and he doesn’t think he has the energy to drive home. As he’s walking towards his car, he notices the coffee shop across from the lab. They can’t still be open, right? Despite for some caffeine, he walks over to the café.

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

You finish sweeping the lobby of the coffee shop. Sighing you look at the time. “One minute left until closing.” You stretch as you go to the back to put up the broom. As you take a quick breather you hear the bell to the door. Are you serious? You go back to the front and put on a fake smile. “Welcome in! Is there anything I can help you with tonight?” As you look at the customer, you immediately know who it is. There’s no way…it can’t really be… “Oh thanks. You’re not about to close right? I can leave if you need-“ “I’m Senku Ishigami…” Senku’s eyebrow raises. “What?” You fast instantly turns red. “No! I mean y-you’re Senku Ishigami… im just, it doesn’t matter….h-how can I help you??” Senku stares at you awkwardly, but tells you his order anyway. He tries to hand you some cash but you tell him it’s on the house. “I-I already counted the till for tonight anyway…” He simply shrugs and sits in a booth, waiting for his drink. Your mind blanks as you try to remember how to make the drink. You’re so scared about your idol being right behind you that you mess up once or twice. “H-here you go…” Senku gets up and grabs it from you, telling you his thanks. He heads towards the door when you call out to him. “Y-you can stay! I-if you want!” He turns back. “But aren’t you closed?” You blush a little more, “yeah but…it’s ok if you wanna stay a little longer…” This causes Senku to blush. He doesn’t know why, but your shyness makes his heartbeat a little faster. “Sure, why not? I still have a few papers I can work on.” He takes a seat back in the booth and pulls out some work. You softly smile and begin cleaning the blenders, happy you he can be here longer.

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

“So, are you a scientist too?” Senku questions after 20 minutes of silence. You weren’t expecting him to strike a conversation, but you nod anyway. “I guess you could say that, but I don’t focus on chemistry and things along those lines. I’m more into biology, especially in marine life.” Senku smiles at your statement. “Interesting. I havent met a lot of marine biologist.” You blush a little more, happy that he acknowledged you as a real biologist. “Y’know we’re doing something with marine life in the lab.” You chuckle. “I read your paper about it. Using squid ink and turning it to fuel.” “So, you really are a fan?” He teases. Embarrassed, you turn away and finish putting away the remaining food. “C-can I show you something..?” Senku finishes the remainder of his drink and nods. “Sure, why not?” You go to the back and bring back a chunky sketchbook. You sit next to him and show him all the notes and pictures of marine animals and ecosystems. Each little page was full of color and writing. Senku smiles and giggles. “This looks really good! You know your stuff huh?” You smile. “Can I tell you my opinion on your paper?” He nods. “It’s all I wanna hear.” You talk with him for what feels like forever, first it was about the paper, then about each others day, then about anything else that came to each of your minds. After a while, you hear you phone ring. “Crap! I didn’t realize it was this late!” Quickly picking up everything you and Senku walk out together. “Well, that was fun. You’re nice to hang out with. What’s your name by the way?” “(Y/n). (Y/n) (L/n)!” “Well, I hope to see you around Dr. (Y/n).” As he walks, you call him one last time. “I-if you want, you can borrow this.” You hand him your sketchbook. He smiles even wider. “Thanks (y/n). I’ll be sure to bring it back!”

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

The next day, Senku sits in his lab chair, flipping through the sketchbook you lent him. He smiles at the little comments and doodles you made, laughing slightly at the random, goofy facts here and there. “Senku, did you get my email about- what’re you reading?” Xeno pops in, looking at the sketchbook. “Oh, they’re notes about marine life.” Xeno looks through the sketchbook, noticing the handwriting and drawings. “This looks like (y/n)’s book.” Xeno points out. Senku shoots him a confused look. “You know (y/n)??” Xeno laughs. “Yeah, I met her at a science competition, she was the winner with her study on stingrays.” Senku doesn’t know how to respond, he just scoffs and continues flipping through the book. This makes xeno laugh again. “What? You’re mad because I know her? Or are you being possessive?” Senku chuckles. “That’s illogical! Why would I care who she talks to?  Besides it’s not like I’m her boyfriend or anything!” This peaks Xeno’s interest. “But do you want to be?” Senku’s face reddens. “T-that’s even more illogical! I just met her yesterday! It doesn’t make any sense, being in a relationship doesn’t make any sense!” He looks down at the book again, trying to hide his red face. This makes Xeno laugh even more as he walks out. “If it matters Senku, she loves to go to the aquarium, and I heard there’s gonna be an exhibit on octopi this weekend, if you’re interested.” Xeno leaves, leaving senku alone. “Tch, like I care…” He goes to his latest experiment trying to focus. But, he can’t shake your smile out of his head. “Ugh! If she wants to see the exhibit then why not? It’s not like I’m doing it cause I wanna spend time with her, it’s just so I can learn more! It’ll help my research too!” Senku claims to himself. Xeno watches Senku walk out flustered, hearing everything he just said. “Heh, whatever you say Senku…”

[choiceofgames]

New game! Lies Under Ice, by Joey Jones

New game! "Lies Under Ice" by Joey Jones is now available on Steam, iOS and Android. It's 33% off until Dec 14. Please reshare this with friends!

Lead the first settlement on Jupiter's frozen moon, Europa! What alien life lurks beneath the ice? Who is sabotaging your mission? Who can you trust?

“Lies Under Ice” is a 200,000-word interactive science fiction novel by Joey Jones, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

The year is 2079. Your mission is to build a settlement, explore Europa's treacherous oceans, terraform the moon, and send findings back to Earth.

But political factions within your colony vie for dominance, constantly on the brink of open conflict. While they are technically collaborating on this mission, each one has their own goals for Europa. Will this colony be a site for new trade? A home for Earth's ever-growing population? A clean slate where humans can break free of older social models? How far will each side go to get what they want?

With the most advanced science at your disposal—massive terraforming systems, gene splicing, AI therapy-bots, nerve-connected bionic prosthetics, and more—you can venture from the safety of your spaceship out into the hostile frozen world. Descend beneath the ice of Europa, pilot a submarine through frigid waters that no human has ever seen, and uncover ancient secrets of an alien world.

There's definitely alien life here. But does it pose a danger to you and your fellow settlers, or is it the greatest opportunity that humanity has ever known?

Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi, or aromantic; poly or monogamous.

Choose among six distinct professional backgrounds: diplomat, aerospace engineer, arcologist, asteroid miner, pilot, or marine biologist.

Manage the complex needs of an extraterrestrial base: prioritize the comfort of the workers, maximize scientific output, build luxury domes, dig mazes of ice tunnels, or engage in terraforming.

Navigate the treacherous politics of Earth’s squabbling factions from millions of miles away!

Interact with Europa's alien ecosystem: will you release fish as a sustainable food source, bring along cats for companionship, or rely on synthetic creatures to avoid introducing invasive species?

Run for office in Europa's fledgling government!

Delve beneath the ice, and reach for the stars!

[5hrine]

Be Not Afraid

The first Angel emerged from the spirit reactor as it melted down. Though it looked not like any angel depicted in human art, or imagination, or suffering, any who looked upon it knew that this was an Angel, and it brought with it divinity.

It was born into immense devastation, apparently a necessity for its conception, though it had no memory of the shell from which it hatched. In retrospect, it is no wonder that an Angel would emerge from such a fundamental and destructive breaking. That is the nature of it – something must end for something else to begin.

That isn’t to say it did not resemble its previous self. Its wings were made from many overlapping shards of its core casing, each like a series of nested teeth, closer to fangs than to feathers. Warning text and diagrams useless to it now decorated bits of its wings haphazardly. Wires twisted around its limbs and chest, seeming to emerge from its skin but from invisible wounds. Its arms and legs sprouted cubic crystalline structures along them, resembling the fuel rods that once beat within it like a heart. Its eyes were pale and ever-shifting, made from the grains of salt which once ran through it like blood. Its talons dripped with an ichor that could only have been what remained of the soul that it was meant to exploit.

Its silver halo fractaled inward at all angles, entrancing and radioactive in equal measure; a reminder of its purpose, once upon a time.

Its first question after we were able to make our way into the exclusion zone was, “What is my purpose?” The team of marines and scientists struggled to answer its question, shocked as they were to find the source of the salt footprints which dotted the zone out from the former location of the reactor’s core. The last thing they expected to find was an Angel among the ash.

One of the team stood out from the rest. A corporal who, despite orders to the contrary, approached the first Angel without fear and held out her hand. “What would you like your purpose to be?” she asked as the rest of the team fell silent, enraptured. The Angel took her hand carefully, cautiously, as though afraid it might get hurt by this simple touch.

“I do not know.” it replied, voice a chorus of electricity and many simultaneous whispers. “Is it strange that I am afraid to answer?”

The corporal just shook her head and removed her coat. She placed it over the Angel’s naked shoulders, up under its sharp wings. She assisted it in cleaning off the remnants of its explosion, revealing the crystalline skin underneath layers of hot carbon dust. The Angel towered over her, and yet she was not afraid. Even as she pulled debris from between the layers of its wings, even as she removed loose wires from its matted hair.

When it was finally clean, the corporal and the Angel talked for a long, long time. She learned that it remembered nothing before the moment of its rebirth. It wasn’t and then it was, living, feeling, breathing, seeing. It became clear that it could not be left there among the wreckage. It felt pain. It breathed. The Angel was brought home, among people. Before long new Angels walked among us, shown divinity by the first and from their own moments of contradictory explosion.

The trauma of the Angel’s birth left it innocent, unaware. Lacking suitable foundation, its understanding of the world fell out from under it as it became something new. It was left with no choice but to learn it all again through new eyes. It took patience and grace for it to come to terms with this. To give itself the space to learn. The corporal stood by its side the whole time.

This is, indeed, how you were born. From an ending you began. And you are just beginning - you must give yourself the grace to grow. You are an Angel, built from a moment or maybe more of suffering and your previous selves. You resemble them, perhaps.

But you are far more beautiful.

[afhenvs3000f24]

Unit 9

I remember how, when I was still in high school, I just wanted to come home and unwind, seeing whatever was on the TV after a really exhausting day. My ritual of half-watching the news as I scrolled through my phone was suddenly disrupted by a segment that had all the hallmarks of joining the long list of forgotten stories in marine science. Then, I heard, "The green sludge that could power our future," and I paused. I looked up, curious. What followed altered the world for me and put me on my path to where I am today, studying Environmental Management.

These words by the news anchor were animated with that very rare tone of genuine excitement. The camera cut to a sprawling, bright-green pond, bubbling under the sun. What I think most amazed me then was the realization that what I was looking at wasn't just any body of water, but an algae farm. It wasn't just about the algae clinging to rocks and ruining beach days; it was about a world of potential I'd never considered. The segment dove into the basics: how algae grow at incredible speeds, don't require fresh water or fertile soil, and can store up to 50% of their body weight in oil that can be turned into biofuel. My jaw dropped.

A lightbulb just went off in my head. Here was this slimy, green organism-so unassuming, so oft-rejected by the public which was quietly capable of making fossil fuels obsolete. The notion seemed the stuff of a science fiction movie, but there it was, on a 6 pm news slot.

The more I listened, the more it resonated with me. What if the algae could capture not only carbon dioxide from the air but also grow in aggressive media, such as seawater or even wastewater? I remembered the scientist being interviewed and saying, "Algae don't compete with traditional crops for arable land. They're nature's ultimate recyclers, turning sunlight and CO2 into liquid energy." I sat up a little straighter; my heart was pounding. That line stuck with me, humming in the back of my mind long after the segment had moved on. This was bigger than a fun fact to whip out during science class.

At the time, I was struggling with what to do after high school. I'd always cared about the environment, but I'd never quite known how to turn that concern into action. That segment was like a jigsaw piece clicking into place: I could work in a field where nature wasn't just something to be protected; it was a partner in creating solutions for some of the world's biggest challenges. That algae, oftentimes an overlooked part of our ecosystem, actually could serve in a way as groundbreaking as sustainable energy was what truly inspired me. It sealed my decision to study Environmental Management, hoping someday I would be part of the team to make innovations like algae-based biofuel mainstream.

Let me take you back to what made algae so cool. During that segment, the narrator just listed out a string of facts that got me wide-eyed. Did you know that algae can double their biomass in as little as 24 hours? Or that they can thrive in briny seawater where other crops wither and die? This is not all about speed and adaptability, though. The most astonishing fact was that algae could produce oils rich enough to be directly converted into biodiesel. Unlike corn or soybeans used for traditional biofuels, algae don't hog valuable agricultural land or guzzle fresh water. It is a zero-compromise way of producing energy, the sort of thing which I'd always assumed would exist only in the distant future.

I was practically giddy over how the algae could power vehicles, homes, and whole communities while sopping up CO2. The algae weren't cool; they're game-changers. More than an ivory tower curiosity, the possibility of clean renewable energy that wouldn't compete with the world for food or water is something the world most desperately needs.

Fast forward to today, I am a third-year Environmental Management student, and the spark that ignited after that news segment burns bright. Every time I read about advances in algae biofuel research, I know exactly why I chose this path. I want to be a part of a world where innovations like these aren't just talked about on evening news shows but are implemented into how we live and interact with our environment.

The algae taught me that even the most minute and insignificant parts of our world can make all the difference. They are the underdog of nature, and they just go to prove that true power isn't flashy or grand; it's usually hidden in spaces so small, just waiting to be noticed.

But if you take away anything from my story, let it be this: pay attention to the "green sludge" moments. Maybe they just might be the start of something that would change your life and maybe even change the world

[mariacallous]

The new Labour government in the UK set out its legislative priorities today after winning a landslide election on July 4. At the official state opening of parliament, King Charles III read a speech outlining the bills that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will attempt to pass over the coming months and years.

There were few surprises in the king’s speech—most of the major bills announced were heavily trailed in Labour’s manifesto and election campaign. Updating planning laws, improving transport infrastructure, and reforming Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, all featured prominently in the speech.

The speech and accompanying briefing document also outlined a few bills aimed at tackling the climate crisis. Here’s what you need to know about the environmental bills just announced.

Great British Energy

Labour’s plan to create a publicly owned clean power company featured prominently in the party’s election campaign. It was one of Labour’s six “steps for change” presented to voters in the run-up to the election, and the only flagship pledge by Labour that directly addressed the climate crisis.

The bill will establish Great British Energy, a taxpayer-owned company that will “develop, own, and operate assets” by investing in partnership with the private sector. The company will be backed with £8.3 billion ($10.8 billion), and will be headquartered in Scotland, which produces a large share of the UK’s renewable electricity.

Labour has already moved quickly on promoting renewable energy in the UK, scrapping a de facto ban on onshore wind farms in the first few days of its government. It has also announced a “mission control” to achieve clean power by 2030, headed up by Chris Stark, the erstwhile most senior climate adviser to the UK government.

The plan is also couched in terms of the UK’s energy security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in gas prices across Europe, and highlighted the UK’s dependence on this fossil fuel. Labour will hope that increasing investment in producing, moving, and storing clean power through Great British Energy will help reduce the reliance on gas, cleaning up the UK’s energy mix and improving its energy security.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Aviation makes up a small but growing portion of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, emissions from civil aviation made up 8 percent of the UK’s emissions, and with electric planes still a distant prospect, this sector is generally considered one of the hardest areas to tackle.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are produced from alternatives to fossil fuels, such as crops or waste oil. These SAFs are attractive to airline operators because they can be mixed with normal jet fuel without requiring significant (and costly) adaptations to planes.

The proposed bill will mandate that fuel supplies mix at least 10 percent of SAFs into their fuel blends and provide support for companies and investors who are looking to scale up SAF production in the UK. The Conservatives also backed SAFs in their manifesto, although it’s worth noting the benefits of SAFs are disputed, and increased demand for air travel will mean rising emissions from this sector.

The Crown Estate

The King—through the Crown Estate—is a major landowner in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its holdings include much of the UK’s seabed, and with it rights to grant permissions to build offshore wind farms, lay pipelines, and store carbon under the seabed. In recent years this marine portfolio has become a lucrative part of the Crown Estate’s holdings.

Labour is seeking to modernize the Crown Estate by giving it the power to borrow money from the treasury, freeing up cash reserves to invest in renewable energy projects in particular. It also wants to widen the Crown Estate’s investment powers so it can support other aspects of green infrastructure, such as digital technology for wind farms and port infrastructure.

The bill would extend only to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as the Crown Estate does not operate in the same way in Scotland.

Water

Water companies in England have rarely been away from the headlines thanks to an ongoing scandal over the discharge of raw sewage into rivers. Despite these illegal discharges, executives at water companies in England and Wales were paid out £9.7 million in bonuses across 2022 and 2023.

The bill seeks to fix the situation by making water bosses criminally liable for lawbreaking, giving the water regulator power to ban bonuses when environmental standards are not met, bringing in new fines, and requiring water companies to install real-time monitors at every sewage outlet.

Transport

The king’s speech includes a handful of bills aimed at reforming the UK’s public transport system. Although these bills aren’t framed in terms of climate change, improving low-carbon transport infrastructure is a major part of decarbonizing the UK.

The Passenger Railway Services Bill and Railways Bill will seek to renationalize rail services and attempt to create a more simplified national rail system. The Better Buses Bill will seek to give local governments more power to run their own bus services, while the High Speed Rail Bill will seek to provide powers to create rail projects that connect places across the north of England.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Thirty-One: Goodsir

Big big action happening aboard Erebus in this chapter - Tuunbaq has made it inside and is wreaking bloody havoc on the lower decks. Lord knows the book isn't perfect but to give Simmons his dues, this chapter really is spectacular in descriptions not only of awe-inspiringly horrific violence but the utter hopelessness of the situation in general.

First, hopelessness. Before the main action begins, Goodsir awakes from a nightmare and reflects on his own inability to help his fellow men given his more limited anatomist's knowledge. But he also remembers something of a confession from the late Dr Peddie - that much of the medicines even the "proper" doctors dispensed were mainly purgative placebos - "the more powerful the purgative, the more effective the seamen thought the treatment was... In most cases not involving actual surgery, the body either healed itself or the patient died." Which is...less than reassuring!

Soon enough, Goodsir is summoned to the scene of action alongside Fitzjames, Des Voeux, and Le Vesconte. Fitzjames refers to Des Voeux by his first name (possibly incorrectly, I'm sure I've read something about the real Des Voeux going by 'Fred' rather than 'Charles' as he's referred to here but someone do correct me if I'm wrong). Le Vesconte gets no such familiarity.

Collins is there too and he's demonstrably unhappy about being sent below unarmed with the intention that Le Vesconte and the Marines will head to the weapons stores and arm everyone in due course once they're down there. I mean, fair enough mate!

Another very vivid and atmospheric detail that I think the show would've struggled to capture is just how dark everything is. They've not even really got enough fuel to heat the ship in any kind of meaningful way at this point, let alone to light it so much of this chapter plays out in terrifying darkness and tiny, inadequate circles of lamplight.

Once below, they discover the first casualties very quickly - Mr Gregory who's been disembowelled, and another seamen whose head's stuck in the furnace. This man's mouth catches on the door of the furnace as they pull him out and they inadvertently snap his fucking teeth off which is one of the worst things I've ever read...(but not for long!!)

They try to head above again only to find Tuunbaq's swiped the ladder to smithereens (something about entering a space you can't get back from, perhaps?) and it's then that fire starts to take hold. They've no water to fight it - even the piss buckets are frozen over - so Fitzjames orders a bucket brigade to dump as much snow as possible on the flames instead. Very resourceful, Jamie Fitzjamie!

Le Vesconte and the Marines are firing blindly into the smoke, just like at Carnivale and to equally little effect. Goodsir falls to his knees (he ran into a wooden post in the darkness so the poor bugger's head's already ringing) "remembering how he had told the crew of Terror that scurvy victims could die from the mere sound of a musket shot".

No sooner do the guns fall silent but a man staggers out from the flames and collapses into Goodsir's arms. It's Collins - who's missing half his face and his right arm. (I want Collins to swoon into Goodsir's arms just as much as the next gal but not like this! Not like this!). Extra shout-out to Mr Downing the Quartermaster who hustles an unconscious Collins singlehandedly up a whole goddamn ladder to the sick-bay.

The situation is no less dire once they make it there. Collins' wounds literally steam in the open air though at least they're clean enough that Goodsir's able to sew them up fairly quickly and worry slightly less than usual about the possibility of infection. The claw marks across Collins' chest though are deep enough to expose rib, and his eye cannot be saved or put back in place in his poor smashed-up face. Goodsir literally SNAPS OFF THE BONE SPLINTERS AROUND HIS FUCKING EYE SOCKET (WITH NO ANAESTHESIA WHATSOEVER!) but it's no use.

Eventually, Fitzjames appears again. They don't know if Tuunbaq is still there or not but the fire is contained and the worst appears to be over. It's then that Goodsir remembers seeing another person belowdecks - likely dead but possibly still alive - and he's duty-bound to check which it is. Fitzjames clearly feels duty-bound also and resolves to accompany Goodsir, specifically calling him 'Doctor' for the first time - it's a weary and bittersweet little moment but lovely nonetheless, especially after all the violence and misery. They're so so done in but by god they're still going to do their best! So fuck it, I'm going to quote it more or less in full: "Goodsir had heard the "doctor". Franklin and his commander has almost never called the surgeons that, not even Stanley and Peddie, the chief surgeons. They - and Goodsir - had almost always been the lower "Mister" to Sir John and the aristocratic Fitzjames." "But not this time." ""We have to go down and see," said Goodsir. "I have to go down and see. One or the other might still be alive" "The thing from the ice might be alive and waiting down there as well," Fitzjames said softly. "No one saw or heard it leave." "Goodsir nodded tiredly and lifted his medical bag..." [] ""I'll come with you, Dr Goodsir," said Captain Fitzjames. He held up an extra lamp that Downing had carried in. "Lead on, sir."

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to a draft Clean Water Act permit that will require more robust oversight of pollution from the Piney Point phosphate facility.

Today’s agreement, which was spurred by a lawsuit from conservation groups, includes establishing enforceable limits on harmful effluent discharged into Tampa Bay.

After allowing the facility to operate without a permit for 20 years, Florida has also agreed to fund independent monitoring of its impacts on Tampa Bay’s water quality.

The Piney Point phosphogypsum stack is a mountainous heap of toxic waste topped by an impoundment of hundreds of millions of gallons of process wastewater, stormwater and tons of dredged spoil from Port Manatee.

Three years ago, after discovering a leak in the facility’s reservoir liner, regulators ordered the discharge of 215 million gallons of wastewater from the gypstack into Tampa Bay to avert a catastrophic collapse and flooding. The massive, fish-killing discharge of toxic, untreated wastewater followed years of regulatory failures and mismanagement at the facility.

Following the spill, the owners of the site, HRK Holdings LLC, entered bankruptcy. The conservation groups have requested U.S. District Judge William Jung hold HRK responsible for violating the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into Tampa Bay without a lawfully issued permit.

During the 2021 wastewater release, Tampa Bay received more nitrogen — nearly 200 tons — than it usually receives from all other sources in an entire year. The red tides that have plagued Florida are fueled by nitrogen.

Following the release Tampa Bay experienced a deadly red tide that killed more than 600 tons of marine life in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

“The Piney Point disaster shook the Tampa Bay community to its core. It wasn’t too long ago that shorelines once teeming with life were littered with all kinds of dead fish for months. If you had previously found it swimming in Tampa Bay, it was likely dead after Piney Point,” said Justin Tramble, executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. “This brings some closure to the past and shifts the focus to making sure mechanisms are in place to prevent even more tragedy in the future.”

The millions of gallons of wastewater discharged into Tampa Bay continue to spread throughout the estuary and into Sarasota Bay, transporting tons of nitrogen and other pollutants into waterways and communities already struggling to manage excessive pollution that has impaired waterways and killed thousands of acres of seagrasses.

The groups involved in the lawsuit are the Center for Biological Diversity, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Suncoast Waterkeeper, ManaSota-88 and Our Children’s Earth Foundation.

[sanctus-ingenium]

even the guys that made an illegal mech out of a discarded headless carcass never ever did? i feel like theyd be a fun bunch and would

pantera was lost in the wilderness for close to 18 years, that's how long it would take to grow any significant muscle tissue. that's why i said it wasn't common knowledge, you need to let those things marinate for years before there's anything close to 'meat' on them

for the poachers and their illegal beast, it's a numbers game. a vehicle that consumes extremely expensive fuel needs to be out making money for it to be profitable. tissue growth (usually in the form of periosteum & other similar membranes) is scraped clean as soon as it forms because if you let it be, it'll start gunking up the mechanisms and increasing fuel consumption

now if anyone DID try to eat pantera's muscle tissue, i think it would taste like a mouthful of pennies tbh

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (24593 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 7/?

Summary: In the aftermath of the raid on Onigashima everything changes.

Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head.

Kid takes on new crew members, and puts his ego aside to find a cure for his first mate.

Law searches for a new path forward after his long-time goal becomes a memory.

Buggy the Clown struggles to be something more than a figurehead while the rest of Cross Guild plots to change the world.

Smoker and Tashigi find themselves unable to bear the hypocrisy of the Marines and the World Government.

The path to the One Piece is a course that can only be charted by those who agree to join together as friends and fight without taking the easy way out.

catch up here.

-

Buggy was riding high. Honestly, when Cross Guild first came into being he’d been terrified. The other pirates involved were all bigshots— dangerous bigshots who all seemed to find it funny to tease him specifically, and who all hated the idea of going after the One Piece with a passion.

But despite that he was fitting in well minus a few hiccups. Sure, the Cross Guild poster had led to the world government declaring him the ringleader of their group (and he’d been punished accordingly by Crocodile and Mihawk), sure, there was more heat than ever before. But the Bounty System was paying dividends. Towns were turning on the Marines, heads were delivered to them on silver platters and gold passed out in return. Some of the killers, so twisted by what they’d done, had even joined the gang as more pirate underlings to fuel their operation.

And now Moria was going to show up with that Perona girl, adding even more strength to an unprecedented SHOWSTOPPING and FLASHY enterprise!

Only now they were hunting down a target that he couldn’t have expected— that damned meddling Marine from Loguetown and his cadre of Marines. Crocodile had heard the tip and practically dragged him and his crew out the door to follow it. 

And dragged they had been. The voyage was several days out now, and they were approaching their destination, Wano, or just off the coast of it, where Smoker and his crew had apparently been sighted.

Buggy had come up on deck to see the island as they came into view of it on the horizon, and found that Cabaji was there as well, leaning on the railing and cleaning his fingernails with the tip of one of his knives.

“Cabaji!! Cabbage, my number one guy!” He looked quickly over his shoulder to make sure Alvida or Moji wasn’t there before he grinned back at him and clapped his hands together. “...holding up alright?” 

-

Cabaji stared out over the sea toward the tiny dot of land coming ever closer as he absently dug the point of his knife under his nail. Just far enough to clean out the dirt.

It had been a hell of an eventful couple of years and nothing seemed to make that clearer than the unapproachable island that was fast approaching.

The bladesman jolted when he heard his captain's voice, but managed to avoid cutting himself in his surprise as he turned and saluted instead.

"Captain," he greeted, pushing his hair out of his face. "Was just wondering if we're going to get up on the island at all."

Was he holding up alright? Were any of them? Cabaji wondered if his captain was alright, thrust ever higher into further and further echelons of danger. The careless days of harassing small islands and pocketing minor treasures seemed far away.

“We’d better!” the captain snorted as he floated over, his feet running to catch up. “If they dragged us along just to watch I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind as Supreme Leader of Cross Guild!” 

"Yeah, captain, I know ya will." He huffed a chuckle and put the knife away. Cabaji was of course one of the inner circle who knew that Buggy wasn't exactly really in charge. But still. "Make sure to let me help if it comes to it."

“You know it.” Buggy grinned as he leaned against the railing of the ship with a raspy chuckle. “Like hell I’d let my best guys rot away on the ship.” 

Cabaji leaned until he was shoulder to shoulder with him. He pushed his hair out of his face. It was nice to hear, but these days his captain's flattery felt a little hollow. "Yeah? Not gonna lie, Captain– I'm starting to feel a little outclassed these days."

“Outclassed?” Buggy turned his head to face him with a crinkle of his red nose. “...out here in the New World??” 

"I mean, yeah? A little?" He frowned, glancing over at the door that led below deck where he knew Buggy had probably left Sir Crocodile and Hawk-Eyes muttering over strategy. "Surrounded by all these famous warlords and devil fruit users, and haki masters. A guy could start to feel pretty penny ante."

“Not gonna lie to you, Cabaji.” Buggy huffed. “I’ve been feeling out of my depth from the fuckin’ start. There’s a reason I wanted to spend another decade preparing with you guys before we hit the New World. I wanted to bum around paradise for a while until we were ready but..” 

"But we really got thrown in the deep end and told to swim, huh? Uh. No offense." Cabaji ribbed him with his elbow, with the hint of a smile. Teasing the captain a little– as long as it wasn't about the wrong things– was a right he'd earned in the years sailing with him.

Buggy snickered and elbowed him back. “Yeah, we sure did pal. But you know what? We keep fuckin’ swimming. Metaphorically, I mean. We’ll never reach the One Piece if we just sit around thinkin’ about how we’re not good enough compared to the freaks of the New World. We’re freaks too! Even if you don’t got a devil fruit or nothin’.” 

"Thanks, cap. I'm doing my best, you know? I keep wondering if there's some way I can do better to keep up. We've got so many guys now, and I don't want to be just a face in the crowd." He chuckled slightly, still thinking of the old days with fondness. "I'm used to being one of your star performers."

“And you’re gonna stay that way, Cab!” Buggy punched his shoulder with a grin. “hell, if you want an edge— we’ll find one! Seastone! Haki! Hell, I’ll find you a devil fruit that doesn’t suck if ya want. Just stay in my crew.” 

It was a conversation they'd had before Cabaji hadn't made any indication that he was going to leave. But still. Still. He knew Buggy was worried. Maybe rightly worried that at some point Cabaji and the rest were going to feel so far in over their heads there was nothing to do but leave or die.

"I promise, I promise. Maybe though… I mean I'd be tempted," he admitted. Hastily he clarified, "About the edge, I mean, not leaving."

Buggy looped an arm around him and pulled him closer. “You’re a damn fine acrobat, Cab. the best I’ve ever met. You hold your own alright against these bastards…but I get it. We’re talking Emperors and Admirals out here. If you feel like you need an edge, I’ll getcha one. That’s how important you and Moji are to me.” 

Cabaji flushed as the captain pulled him closer. It wasn't like he minded Buggy being close– the opposite, really. If it was just their crew he wouldn't give it a second thought. But he worried if they were caught like that around such bigshots that someone would hold it over their heads.

Or worse, make fun of the captain.

"I know, cap," he mumbled. "That's not the question."

Buggy looked out over the sea, his expression unreadable under the grease paint for a moment before he shook Cabaji’s shoulder with a wide grin. “So what is?” 

"I don't know," he said, leaning on the captain and staring out along with him, back at the spot he'd been focused on before. "I guess I'm worried about letting you down? Making you look bad? It already sucks that the big shots are taking advantage of you. Not a huge fan of the way Mr. Croc thinks he can order your crew around."

“He’s kind of a smug bastard like that, ain’t he?” Cabaji couldn’t miss the way he quickly looked over his shoulder before he said it. “I think he’s just used to giving orders, you know? It don’t make it better, per say….”

He shrugged “we just gotta keep proving them wrong, right? You haven’t let me down yet, Cabaji. I mean it when I say you’re onna my best men. Who else has been with me since the damn start?” 

Cabaji shook his head thinking about it. "Just me and Mohji, cap. Everybody else…"

Everybody else had slowly gone off their own way over the intervening couple of years. For a few of them that own way had even unfortunately been in the ground. But mostly they'd just scattered to the four winds. Now it was the captain and the two of them– and grudgingly he included Alvida and Galdino– and the rabble who'd come to join Buggy's delivery. Now Cross Guild.

“Exactly. Everyone else left. And I can’t blame ‘em, of course…I mean. We’re on to bigger and better things. They couldn’t handle it? Then they left. But you and Mohji. You guys have always stuck by my side no matter how bad it got.” He grinned. “that means somethin’ right?” 

He smiled back, shaking his head.

"Yeah, cap. It sure means something. No doubt about that."

Some days he thought it meant that he was stupid. Or suicidal. But in the end, he was pretty sure he was just that attached to his captain. They had always been the underdogs. The showmen. Buggy's ragtag band of misfits and miscreants. Even after so much had changed, he still wanted to be there. He still wanted to be standing beside his.

He just wanted to be enough.

Buggy chuckled, his paint not quite hiding the dark circles under his eyes as he leaned there squinting at the island ahead with an arm around him. He turned his grin towards Cabaji.

“We’re going to flashily change the world, right? And you’re one of the flashiest guys I know. You want a boost, I’ll force Hawk Eyes to give you some haki lessons. I’ll grab Doflamingo by the fucking lapels and shake a devil fruit out of him. But you haven’t let me down yet.” He laughed. “You’re still kicking ass, all these years later!” 

He grinned bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're gonna make me blush, cap. Alright, alright, you talked me up. I know you'll cook up something so I can keep up in this New World. Shoulder to shoulder with you, just like this."

With one tacit glance backward, he finally put his arm around the captain in return.

Buggy grinned widely as he squeezed him tightly to his shoulder with a loud laugh, pointing towards the island. 

“Damn right, Cab! Shoulder to fuckin’ shoulder we’re gonna flashilly take the New World…the World GOVERNMENT by storm! Starting with these damn Marines! Captain’s promise!”

"I'll hold you to that, captain," he chuckled. He rested his head against Buggy's. "I'm looking forward to it."

-

Smoker was sitting cross legged on the floor, watching the unconscious ‘X-Drake’ as his chest rose and fell with a pensive frown. 

The navy’s deep cover agent, in place as one of the ‘Worst Generation’ had gotten himself mixed up in the Beast Pirates and the clash at Onigashima. It was good fortune alone that they were able to get in and save him from the flames of the crashing island.

They weren’t even supposed to be here. The world Government didn’t care what happened to Wano, considering. Even with two Emperors joining forces against the rising stars of the pirate world, the whole thing to be ‘a closed, unaffiliated nation’s problem’.

Somehow Smoker was sure they’d be swooping in at the worst time to get their hooks in Wano— or to blow it off the face of the earth if it proved troublesome.

He wanted to dismiss the thought, but he couldn’t, not with the news that Admiral Ryokugyu had arrived on the island. Not with the things he’d heard he’d said about ‘unaffiliated nations’ and what the World Government’s justice allowed him to do to them.

Wano was chaos. It was pirates clashing, islands dropping from the sky, Swords and Devil Fruits going head to head in a single night of absolute warfare unbeknownst to the people as they celebrated….and they almost were unable to enjoy it because a man he was supposed to obey considered them all ‘inferior’.

He leaned his head into his hand, smoke curling up around his face as he muttered. “What a fucking shitshow, Drake.”

Surprisingly, Drake grunted. It wasn't clear whether it was in response to Smoker's statement or not, but it looked like he was finally waking up. He shifted in the bed, and reached up to touch his face.

“Careful there, Dory.” Smoker muttered low under his breath. “you were pretty beaten to shit.” 

"Huh. I lived then?" he murmured, covering his eyes with his arm. "Or is this hell?"

“That unhappy to see me, are ya?” Smoker laughed, slapping his hand on the ground as he took a deep puff of his cigars “Maybe it is hell.” 

"In my defense," Drake grumbled, "technically I can't see you yet. I wouldn't put it past a devil to sound like you, Smoker."

“It’s the cigar habit, I know.” Smoker chuckled low and rumbling before he leaned on his hand. “You’re alive. Barely. We had to fish you out of there. Be glad there were good men without devil fruit powers on board.” 

"I'm thankful. Aching, but thankful. Should I ask what the status is, or will you tell me hearing it should wait until I'm on my feet?"

"Depends. What side of the conflict were you invested in, Drake?” Smoker looked down at him through the haze of smoke. 

Drake shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Interesting question. I suppose when you put it like that, the outcome doesn't really matter, does it? Not as far as the marines are concerned."

“Kaidou’s been defeated. Straw Hat Luffy…” Smoker crossed his arms. His voice dropped into a growl. “broke out some kind of new ability we’re still trying to assess from our recon and took him out. Big Mom’s been ferried back to Whole Cake by her family. The people of Wano are celebrating a new leader. An admiral had to be fought off by the pirates. They’re still there, the pirates, celebrating and recuperating no doubt.” 

"Sounds… eventful," he said. Smoker watched as Drake started to sit up slowly. He winced, but didn't stop. "I think I saw some of that new ability you were talking about. A bright white fire. You said Kaidou's been defeated…"

“Yep. Him and his whole ‘Beast Kingdom’. Don’t worry. They ain’t dead.” he smirked thinly “they limped away on their capital ship. Thought about giving chase but ..”

He couldn’t kick a man when he was down. It wasn’t justice to kill the wounded. 

"So they got away, then? Sounds like justice is a little thin on the ground today."

Smoker snorted softly. “You can thank Admiral Ryokugyu for that, Drake. If he hadn’t distracted everyone by trying to assault a civilian festival maybe we woulda thought about hunting down Kaidou. But the Beast Pirates are routed. They can link their wounds and we’ll fight ‘em another day if we gotta.” 

"As always." He grimaced and brushed his fingers through his ginger hair. "There's always another battle down the road, isn't there? I think my cover's well and truly fucked– ah, blown– by this point though. Crew's gone."

“We saw,” Smoker shook his head “might be time to come back to the marines, Drake. We got a motley assortment here on the ship as we speak, at least. Me, Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, Rear Admiral Hina. The survivors of G-5.” 

"Impressive crew," he nodded. "I doubt I'm going anywhere else even if I wanted to for now." He gestured at his bandages.

“You ain’t wrong,” Smoker smirked around his cigars “you did good, Drake. I’m…” he trailed off. He wasn’t one to apologize to pirates…even if Drake was undercover, his crew weren’t.

But there was something tragic about a man losing his whole crew in a fell swoop. He could relate. “I’m sorry for what happened to your men.” 

"They knew the risks of the life they chose. They were pirates." There was something hollow in Drake's voice.

“Don’t mean it doesn’t hurt when you lose ‘em.” Smoker murmured. “Hard not to get a little attached to men ya travel with for that long.” 

"There are plenty of people who don't share your view on that," he murmured. "But thank you all the same."

Smoker snorted under his breath. “I’ve been starting to feel like telling ‘em to fuck off if they have a problem with it, lately. But you’re welcome.” 

"Let me know if you'd like someone to co-sign the memo," Drake said. "Not that my signature would count for much."

Smoker took a deep pull from his cigar. “about as much as ours is worth. The brass ain’t happy with the fact we intervened here. “

"Well I guess that, along with our present location on the sea, puts us in the same boat then." Drake laughed and winced as his chest expanded just wrong.

Smoker put his hand on his shoulder. 

“Careful there, there’s a reason I haven’t offered ya a cigar, Drake.” He smiled thinly “looks like, though. Right?” 

Drake leaned into his touch with a wry, pained smile. "I guess—"

"Vice-admiral Smoker!" the voice of one of the ship's ensigns rang from behind the door as he pounded on it.

“Tch.” Smoker looked over his shoulder “This better be good, Ensign!” 

"Sir, it's bad sir!" The ensign saluted as he opened the door. "There's a ship approaching!”

A ship. If it wasn’t from the island he could only imagine it was the Admiral’s— coming back to reprimand them for getting in the way during that damned fucking escapade during the Wano people’s festival.

He grit his teeth. “Whose colors are they flying?” 

"It's Cross Guild, sir! Buggy the clown!"

Smoker nearly chomped his cigar in half as he shot to his feet with a roar. “THE FUCKING CLOWN FROM THE EAST BLUE???”

-

With the lull in the mess on Wano, Hina had pulled Tashigi away from her duties for some 'girl time'.

Girl Time was a staple with Hina. Smoker’s old friend had taken quite the liking to her when they’d met and absolutely insisted on it. But the thing about ‘girl time’ was it was never quite the same. It often involved a bar, karaoke and dancing, and conversations about this and that— from the sharing stories of their adventures, to the effectiveness of various weapons and styles, to Hina snickering about old stories from the past. Once she had even taken Tashigi to a fancy salon and a boutique of ‘beach wear’ to pick out a new outfit.

No matter what they did, it always involved alcohol in some form or another…and this time was no different. Hina had broken out some of Wano’s sake, brewed by a local distiller who she’d rambled ‘used to be a samurai before the whole mess with their leader fella’. Even as she grinned and poured her another cup, her mood was easy to read. She was putting on a brave face and a smile after the disaster in Wano.

Tashigi was having a little more difficulty with her own 'brave face' but the sake did help a bit. It certainly made it so that she could blame any of her clumsiness on it, at any rate.

"I didn't expect it to be so strong," she said, as Hina insistently poured some more into her cup.

Hina laughed as she poured, before tilting more into her cup. 

“given how rarely the people here get to drink? They probably made it as strong as possible to make up for it!” She grinned as she raised the dish-shaped cup Tashigi’s way. “Hina’ll carry you back if you lose your footing, Ta-shi-gi” 

Tashigi laughed and clinked her cup against Hina's. "You had better be willing to stick to that. I feel like after this one I might melt into the floor."

Despite that, she took another drink. She wouldn't want Hina to feel like she was unappreciative. Besides, things were calm at the moment after the days of chaos. Even the brass breathing down their necks and meddling had finally gone away.

It wasn't like getting drunk was going to cause a problem.

Hina leaned on her hand with a grin. “You know…” she tipped a sip back of her sake before she continued “Hina kinda wants to get one of those kimono before we leave this place. Might make for a fun change of wardrobe on special occasions, huh?” 

"Oh! I've seen those," Tashigi nodded broadly, picturing one on Hina. "I think you'd look great in one, we should get you one for certain."

Hina nodded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I think I’d look lovely! And if you went with me we could see if anyone’s set up a sword shop now that the people are allowed to own swords again. Maybe we can find something impressive…this is the land those swords of yours hailed from, right?” 

Tashigi felt an almost painful tug on the back of her mind at that, and she chewed on her thumb, the cup wobbling in her hand. "That's true… you don't think all that would be too frivolous for a trip, I mean… it's not like it's easy to get on and off the island…"

“Bah…” Hina waved her hand with a sloshing of her sake “Smokey will approve it if we ask. We can pick up some stuff for the ship while we’re at it. Supplies and junk for the journey to whatever shitshow happens next. Hina’s sure of it.” 

"He always says yes to you," Tashigi chuckled. Her glass sloshed too, and she slumped a little further back in her seat. Admittedly, he'd probably say yes to her too, even if he'd be performatively grumpy about it. Tashigi always felt a little more guilty asking for favors than Hina did though– maybe just because of the difference in hierarchy. 

Hina waved his hand. “He has a soft spot under all that grumpy bastard behavio—-”

The sudden sound of the alarm bell ringing loudly all throughout the ship interrupted her. Hina’s playful expression turned hard as she pushed herself up from the chair and slipped a pair of brass knuckles onto her fists with a grimacing snarl. Shouting, screams and the alarm created a cacophony that Tashigi could barely hear over as Hina looked over at her.

“Tashigi, grab your sword. Something’s going to hell!” 

Tashigi's heart sank into the drunken pit of her stomach as she clambered to her feet as fast as she could without falling over.

[tobiasdrake]

We won the fight and yet I'm salty about it. At least we have a ship now. Probably.

That asshole scorched us with maelstrom dragon fire. I don't even know where he got the dragon. That was insane. But it's done. Good work, team. We really came together there.

I think there's a lesson in all of this. Try to live your life in such a way that legendary super-warriors don't mystically cross the boundary of life and death to assassinate you for the way you treat women.

Oh, it's good to be back in non-cursed reality. ...well, less-cursed reality. Did the air in there smell like burnt shellfish to anyone else or was that just me?

Yeah. I'm so happy we were able to set you free. I've been wanting to do that since I first heard your legend. For me, this is my "Garl finally gets to see the Sleeper" moment. ^_^

...

So. This is a pretty awkward segue but. We did our good deed for the day, and it's time to get back to our crime in progress. We need your ship. This is still a hijacking.

Yeah, this is why we let Garl do the talking. He's better at making semantic choices than I am.

Back to Brisk with the smell of victory on the wind. Victory and burnt shellfish. This ship's been marinating in ionized Storm Dimension for hundreds of years, with no one to take care of it but walking corpses slowly rotting all over its planks. It needs a thorough cleaning.

And fruit. Lots of fruit. I didn't come all this way to be done in by scurvy.

Hydralion. Hydralion... Hydralion... Fuck, I know that name. Did Teaks mention the Hydralion when she was telling us about the Vespertine?

I should have asked her to retell me the story when we got to the Sea of Nightmares. Got a refresher.

I hope so too, Teaks. Someone needs to fuel your boundless curiosity. It's your best asset.

Oh shit, we get to keep Hortence.

I wasn't gonna push. Because. Y'know. Pushing is exactly what Captain Thunderdouche did that started this whole mess. If she wants to go her own way and seek a fulfilling new path in her unlife, that's her prerogative.

But I'm more than happy to hear she wants to stick around. She is welcome to stay on our ship for as long as she finds satisfaction in it.

Joke's on her. We've been discussing getting a boat and setting sail for freedom since we were children. For us, the Vespertine isn't a means to an end; It's a childhood fantasy finally come true.

Captain Cliche manipulated us into doing what we already wanted to do to begin with.

Of course, Hortence and Serai's conversation is full of cryptic teasing because, despite having come clean about having a secret identity, Serai still hasn't told us who her other identity actually is. We know her name and that she makes portals.

And that she doesn't want anyone to know about her portal-making persona for some reason, as if people more worldly than us might recognize and be alarmed by it.

Oh yeah, this pirate crew is also a band.

Hortence, you're going to get along great with these people. I'm happy for you.

Finally, we can take these people to their new home. Where they will probably be no safer from the Dweller of Strife than they were in Brisk, but will have the illusion of security created by leaving behind the geographic location where the calamity last occurred.

Man, I wish all of my crimes had this happy of an ending.

[random-conspiracy]

A fucking prompt I need to work on

I'm not gonna detail all the stupid idea I have and I already gave hints about it but I NEED to write it down now or I will explode. Finishing this I need to log the fuck out of here and do other wips.

Picture this character: A girl in her 20's. Aromantic and with an amazing grunge vibe. Jesus christ. Dark long hair in waves of black and heart shaped shades. Her weapon is a croquet style mallet and a dagger and oh boy her title is "The Hearthbreaker". The Knight of Hearts! Unbreakable, unstoppable, hiding her loneliness behind her glasses. She doesn't take shit from anyone. Not a bossgirl but an intimidating failgirl.

(You pieces of shit I know you're already connecting dots. Keep that for yourselves ahshahsa)

Now, set the place as a post-apocaliptic city. What kind of apocalypse? Doesn't matter right now. The point is that the city is a fucking nightmare of psychedelic bullshit happening a la Weirmaggedon. Reality bending shenanigans in a landscape of pure imagination and civil chaos. It's grotesque, and dangerous. That's all you need to understand. Now our crew of heroes need to find a way to solve this or do whatever they are suppoused to do.

And finally, think: What is the most powerful force you can imagine? Nuclear power? Wrong! Because we all know that the most powerful force in the universe is not other thing than Love. Love that makes a man weep and transforms a falcon into a white dove. The power of love that destroys armors and shine like a supernova.

Now, move back to the city. Our heroes are thre, trying to fix whatever this hell is. Our protagonist is out of the city, trying to fight and flight back because she discovered the goverment is planning to nuke the fucking site before it can expand or become worse. She needs to alert them, evacuate all the people that are still hiding. And then, she sees it. The plane that's about to drop the bomb over what is gonna be next nothing more than a smoking new Great Cannon.

Narrative bulsshit happens, Idk. Let me marinate this later. The case is that (probably) with the power of an object or anything like that, someone thinks "do love, not war" as an strategy and changes the nature of the bomb into something inoffensive. Love! Love cannot hurt right? If the bomb is fueled by love it cannot destroy, right?

The bomb falls like Damocle's sword from above the sky and then...

It explodes.

A magestic cloud of white and rose. Pinks and shades of gold irradiating from a magestic cloud in for of a bouquet of flowers. Our protagonist just arrives on time to see the cataclism. La vie on rose of Edith Piaf sounding slow and distoreted in the background. The change didn't made the weapon innofensive, it only changed the effects.

When the plane finally lands she finds the opposite of a vaporized city. The city was a nightmerish hell born from the mind of Hieronymus Bosch. Now the place is atonishing clean and white. The sky is rose and all the skycrappers are built in white and gold without any hint of destructions even from the first apocalyptic event. Everything is nice and cute and that's the gimmmik. That it should not. She soon discovers how traumatic the changes are: All the flora has been modified into flowers. Specially roses, that climb is massive rosebush over the buildings. There is nothing left of anything. Nor a trace of identity of imperfection.

Her house is completely desvastated. Nothing was left behind from the "constructive" wave of power. All the clothes are clean and ironed. All of them are lady-like dresses in tones of pink. The hole place has been erased and forced into perfection without questions.

The same with the survivors. When she finds her friends and the monsters that before were hunting the city, finds only empty shells of creatures fueled by love. Dressed with perfect clothes and others with greek robes. All of them reducted to dumb candy zombies of cursi poetry and tenderness.

She asks hersefl, due I need to change this? Are they happier this way? Is this safer for all of them?

She thinks she thinks she thinks. Plot shenanigans and she decides that not. She's not willing to leave them behind. She is gonna find a way to fix this.

In the exact place where Cupid's Arrow (the bomb) impacted is the Heart of the City. The powerful condensed core of all the power that irradiates the place. She´s decided to destroy it, and so she does. The power it expells is so intense that reality bends before your eyes the closer you get. Your mind is destroyed into pure love and delight. She goes closer and closer trying to keep her sanity. No one else can go closer. Only she due to her lack of romantic attraction can go ahead without the light messing almost instantly with her feelings and her mind.

With every step closer, her clothes change into a more "beautiful" version of themselves. Her shoes, her jacket, her pants. All of the muting into the most perfect wedding dress ever seen. She's cryng. She can feel the power of the Heart burning over her skin and her thoughts. All she can feel is loneliness and the weight of "love". She doens't want to marry anyone. She's not gonna bend over the force of love. She's not gonna break apart over the weight of the expectation.

Now she's only two yards away. Her tears are turned almost instantly into roses petals. The dress is every step bigger and bigger and imposible to walk with. The core is trying to stop her. A massive veil covers her face impeding her to see. And with all her forces, with all the strenght in her body and her soul. With the crushing doom of the loneliness in her heart, she rises the bouquet of flowers whose ribbons wrap around her hands like handcuffs inmovilizing her, to reveal the dagger in the middle. She breaks the Heart, forcing it to rip apart with the wounds of a star bleeding light and joy.

The Heart explodes, mitigating the effect of contamination over the place. Her frieds recover the reason and run to see what is happening. She's there, bleeding too from the skin and the eyes, completely dressed in her wedding dress. She faints away.