#Frozen Fish Industry

[chopkart]

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[rebeccathenaturalist]

Existence Value: Why All of Nature is Important Whether We Can Use it or Not

I spend a lot of time around other nature nerds. We’re a bunch of people from varying backgrounds, places, and generations who all find a deep well of inspiration within the natural world. We’re the sort of people who will happily spend all day outside enjoying seeing wildlife and their habitats without any sort of secondary goal like fishing, foraging, etc. (though some of us engage in those activities, too.) We don’t just fall in love with the places we’ve been, either, but wild locales that we’ve only ever seen in pictures, or heard of from others. We are curators of existence value.

Existence value is exactly what it sounds like–something is considered important and worthwhile simply because it is. It’s at odds with how a lot of folks here in the United States view our “natural resources.” It’s also telling that that is the term most often used to refer collectively to anything that is not a human being, something we have created, or a species we have domesticated, and I have run into many people in my lifetime for whom the only value nature has is what money can be extracted from it. Timber, minerals, water, meat (wild and domestic), mushrooms, and more–for some, these are the sole reasons nature exists, especially if they can be sold for profit. When questioning how deeply imbalanced and harmful our extractive processes have become, I’ve often been told “Well, that’s just the way it is,” as if we shall be forever frozen in the mid-20th century with no opportunity to reimagine industry, technology, or uses thereof.

Moreover, we often assign positive or negative value to a being or place based on whether it directly benefits us or not. Look at how many people want to see deer and elk numbers skyrocket so that they have more to hunt, while advocating for going back to the days when people shot every gray wolf they came across. Barry Holstun Lopez’ classic Of Wolves and Men is just one of several in-depth looks at how deeply ingrained that hatred of the “big bad wolf” is in western mindsets, simply because wolves inconveniently prey on livestock and compete with us for dwindling areas of wild land and the wild game that sustained both species’ ancestors for many millennia. “Good” species are those that give us things; “bad” species are those that refuse to be so complacent.

Even the modern conservation movement often has to appeal to people’s selfishness in order to get us to care about nature. Look at how often we have to argue that a species of rare plant is worth saving because it might have a compound in it we could use for medicine. Think about how we’ve had to explain that we need biodiverse ecosystems, healthy soil, and clean water and air because of the ecosystem services they provide us. We measure the value of trees in dollars based on how they can mitigate air pollution and anthropogenic climate change. It’s frankly depressing how many people won’t understand a problem until we put things in terms of their own self-interest and make it personal. (I see that less as an individual failing, and more our society’s failure to teach empathy and emotional skills in general, but that’s a post for another time.)

Existence value flies in the face of all of those presumptions. It says that a wild animal, or a fungus, or a landscape, is worth preserving simply because it is there, and that is good enough. It argues that the white-tailed deer and the gray wolf are equally valuable regardless of what we think of them or get from them, in part because both are keystone species that have massive positive impacts on the ecosystems they are a part of, and their loss is ecologically devastating.

But even those species whose ecological impact isn’t quite so wide-ranging are still considered to have existence value. And we don’t have to have personally interacted with a place or its natural inhabitants in order to understand their existence value, either. I may never get to visit the Maasai Mara in Kenya, but I wish to see it as protected and cared for as places I visit regularly, like Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. And there are countless other places, whose names I may never know and which may be no larger than a fraction of an acre, that are important in their own right.

I would like more people (in western societies in particular) to be considering this concept of existence value. What happens when we detangle non-human nature from the automatic value judgements we place on it according to our own biases? When we question why we hold certain values, where those values came from, and the motivations of those who handed them to us in the first place, it makes it easier to see the complicated messes beneath the simple, shiny veneer of “Well, that’s just the way it is.”

And then we get to that most dangerous of realizations: it doesn’t have to be this way. It can be different, and better, taking the best of what we’ve accomplished over the years and creating better solutions for the worst of what we’ve done. In the words of Rebecca Buck–aka Tank Girl–“We can be wonderful. We can be magnificent. We can turn this shit around.”

Let’s be clear: rethinking is just the first step. We can’t just uproot ourselves from our current, deeply entrenched technological, social, and environmental situation and instantly create a new way of doing things. Societal change takes time; it takes generations. This is how we got into that situation, and it’s how we’re going to climb out of it and hopefully into something better. Sometimes the best we can do is celebrate small, incremental victories–but that’s better than nothing at all.

Nor can we just ignore the immensely disproportionate impact that has been made on indigenous and other disadvantaged communities by our society (even in some cases where we’ve actually been trying to fix the problems we’ve created.) It does no good to accept nature’s inherent value on its own terms if we do not also extend that acceptance throughout our own society, and to our entire species as a whole.

But I think ruminating on this concept of existence value is a good first step toward breaking ourselves out first and foremost. And then we go from there.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

The Biden administration denied permission on Friday for an Alaska agency to build a 211-mile industrial road that would have cut through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to reach copper and zinc deposits beneath untouched wilderness.

Separately, the administration said it planned to retain protections for 28 million acres of land scattered across Alaska that the Trump administration had tried to open up to mining and oil and gas drilling. The lands include unique habitat for three major caribou herds, migratory birds and Pacific salmon.

The pair of decisions from the Interior Department is part of a steady stream of environmental moves that President Biden has taken ahead of the November election to solidify his standing among conservationists, an important constituency. Climate activists have pressured the administration to act more aggressively to protect public lands from new oil and gas projects.

“Today, my administration is stopping a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we are taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “These natural wonders demand our protection.”

In blocking the road, known as the Ambler Access Project, the administration prioritized conservation and protections for tribal communities that depend on hunting and fishing in the area over mineral development that might enable more clean energy.

The proposed industrial road was considered essential to reach what is estimated to be a $7.5 billion copper deposit. Ambler Metals, the mining venture behind the project, has said the copper it seeks is critical to make wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and transmission lines needed for renewable energy.

Ambler Metals accused the Biden administration of rejecting the road based “not on the project, but national politics in an election year.” The company said it would “explore all legal, legislative and regulatory avenues to move it forward.”

The two-lane, all-season gravel road would have run through the Brooks Range foothills and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, crossing 11 rivers and thousands of streams before it reached the site of a future mine. The area is home to some of the world’s most ecologically fragile wildlife. Because it would have cut through federal land, it required a permit from the Interior Department.

The other Interior Department decision affects what are known as D-1 lands in Alaska, which were withdrawn from development in 1971 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The Trump administration had intended to end protections for about 28 million acres of D-1 lands. Shortly after Mr. Biden took office, the Interior Department declared the Trump administration’s move legally flawed and launched a new environmental review.

That review found that revoking the protections was likely to harm subsistence hunting and fishing in as many as 117 communities, and could cause lasting harm to wildlife, vegetation and the frozen ground known as permafrost. The Interior Department recommended that the land retain federal protections.

[blueiscoool]

More than 200 Survivors of Mount Vesuvius Eruption Discovered in Ancient Roman Records

After Mount Vesuvius erupted, survivors from the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum fled, starting new lives elsewhere.

On Aug. 24, in A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, shooting over 3 cubic miles of debris up to 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) in the air. As the ash and rock fell to Earth, it buried the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

According to most modern accounts, the story pretty much ends there: Both cities were wiped out, their people frozen in time.

It only picks up with the rediscovery of the cities and the excavations that started in earnest in the 1740s.

But recent research has shifted the narrative. The story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is no longer one about annihilation; it also includes the stories of those who survived the eruption and went on to rebuild their lives.

The search for survivors and their stories has dominated the past decade of my archaeological fieldwork, as I’ve tried to figure out who might have escaped the eruption. Some of my findings are featured in an episode of the new PBS documentary, “Pompeii: The New Dig.”

Making it out alive:

Pompeii and Herculaneum were two wealthy cities on the coast of Italy just south of Naples. Pompeii was a community of about 30,000 people that hosted thriving industry and active political and financial networks. Herculaneum, with a population of about 5,000, had an active fishing fleet and a number of marble workshops. Both economies supported the villas of wealthy Romans in the surrounding countryside.

In popular culture, the eruption is usually depicted as an apocalyptic event with no survivors: In episodes of the TV series “Doctor Who” and “Loki,” everyone in Pompeii and Herculaneum dies.

But the evidence that people could have escaped was always there.

The eruption itself continued for over 18 hours. The human remains found in each city account for only a fraction of their populations, and many objects you might have expected to have remained and be preserved in ash are missing: Carts and horses are gone from stables, ships missing from docks, and strongboxes cleaned out of money and jewelry.

All of this suggests that many – if not most – of the people in the cities could have escaped if they fled early enough.

Some archaeologists have always assumed that some people escaped. But searching for them has never been a priority.

So I created a methodology to determine if survivors could be found. I took Roman names unique to Pompeii or Herculaneum – such as Numerius Popidius and Aulus Umbricius – and searched for people with those names who lived in surrounding communities in the period after the eruption. I also looked for additional evidence, such as improved infrastructure in neighboring communities to accommodate migrants.

After eight years of scouring databases of tens of thousands of Roman inscriptions on places ranging from walls to tombstones, I found evidence of over 200 survivors in 12 cities. These municipalities are primarily in the general area of Pompeii. But they tended to be north of Mount Vesuvius, outside the zone of the greatest destruction.

It seems as though most survivors stayed as close as they could to Pompeii. They preferred to settle with other survivors, and they relied on social and economic networks from their original cities as they resettled.

Some migrants prosper:

Some of the families that escaped apparently went on to thrive in their new communities.

The Caltilius family resettled in Ostia – what was then a major port city to the north of Pompeii, 18 miles from Rome. There, they founded a temple to the Egyptian deity Serapis. Serapis, who wore a basket of grain on his head to symbolize the bounty of the earth, was popular in harbor cities like Ostia dominated by the grain trade. Those cities also built a grand, expensive tomb complex decorated with inscriptions and large portraits of family members.

Members of the Caltilius family married into another family of escapees, the Munatiuses. Together, they created a wealthy, successful extended family.

The second-busiest port city in Roman Italy, Puteoli – what’s known as Pozzuoli today – also welcomed survivors from Pompeii. The family of Aulus Umbricius, who was a merchant of garum, a popular fermented fish sauce, resettled there. After reviving the family garum business, Aulus and his wife named their first child born in their adopted city Puteolanus, or “the Puteolanean.”

Others fall on hard times:

Not all the survivors of the eruption were wealthy or went on to find success in their new communities. Some had already been poor to begin with. Others seemed to have lost their family fortunes, perhaps in the eruption itself.

Fabia Secundina from Pompeii – apparently named for her grandfather, a wealthy wine merchant – also ended up in Puteoli. There, she married a gladiator, Aquarius the retiarius, who died at the age of 25, leaving her in dire financial straits.

Three other very poor families from Pompeii – the Avianii, Atilii and Masuri families – survived and settled in a small, poorer community called Nuceria, which goes by Nocera today and is about 10 miles (16.1 kilometers) east of Pompeii.

According to a tombstone that still exists, the Masuri family took in a boy named Avianius Felicio as a foster son. Notably, in the 160 years of Roman Pompeii, there was no evidence of any foster children, and extended families usually took in orphaned children. For this reason, it’s likely that Felicio didn’t have any surviving family members.

This small example illustrates the larger pattern of the generosity of migrants – even impoverished ones – toward other survivors and their new communities. They didn’t just take care of each other; they also donated to the religious and civic institutions of their new homes.

For example, the Vibidia family had lived in Herculaneum. Before it was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius, they had given lavishly to help fund various institutions, including a new temple of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility.

One female family member who survived the eruption appears to have continued the family’s tradition: Once settled in her new community, Beneventum, she donated a very small, poorly made altar to Venus on public land given by the local city council.

How would survivors be treated today?

While the survivors resettled and built lives in their new communities, government played a role as well.

The emperors in Rome invested heavily in the region, rebuilding properties damaged by the eruption and building new infrastructure for displaced populations, including roads, water systems, amphitheaters and temples.

This model for post-disaster recovery can be a lesson for today. The costs of funding the recovery never seems to have been debated. Survivors were not isolated into camps, nor were they forced to live indefinitely in tent cities. There’s no evidence that they encountered discrimination in their new communities.

Instead, all signs indicate that communities welcomed the survivors. Many of them went on to open their own businesses and hold positions in local governments. And the government responded by ensuring that the new populations and their communities had the resources and infrastructure to rebuild their lives.

By Steven L. Tuck.

[barbinaj-blog]

After Hours - Hasan Piker Fanfic

tags: Lawyer AU, Coworkers to Lovers, Public place, SoftDom Hasan, Slight Degradation, Dirty Talk, Fingering

(((Minors DNI, 18+)))

“Pass me that stapler?” Hasan asked, not looking up from his stack of endless papers. His nose was pointed at his heavy workload, brow stuck to a deep line that bisected his forehead.

I didn’t respond verbally, just grabbed the rectangular office item and held it suspended in front of him for a few seconds.

His face lifted to look me in the eye, a single inky curl bouncing in front of his glasses. His forearm, now exposed because of his rolled up sleeves, slowly raised up his hand to push his glasses back up from the tip of his nose to properly see my blank expression. Or rather, an expression I had forced myself to put on since I’ve been put on this case with him.

Something about Hasan just jerked my ovaries slightly to the left. It only really gets obvious when we’re alone, which doesn’t happen often; but over the past week, this case that both our supervisors put us on duty to comb through made it so we had to put in even more overtime since starting at Grandor & Belfort.

He let out a sigh. “Please?”

“You’d think you were raised by wolves.” I placed it near his computer on the shared desk we were on in the library. He scoffed and swiped it as quickly as I left it, his finger brushing mine ever so slightly.

“Wolves would have been a cooler origin story for me, for sure.” He quipped flatly. I tried to stifle my snicker but half of it slipped out of me.

“Yeah? So you and the boys can bond over being true alphas?” I shot back.

“Only on the weekends, we don’t wanna do too much. Alphas don’t have to.” He grunted as he stood up and went to the bookcase, seemingly searching for another tome to rifle through.

I shook my head in wry amusement at how he can be such a levelheaded brat. It was impressive honestly. Which, if you ever saw Hasan from across the street, that would be the last thing you’d think he would be like.

Standing at an impressive 6’4, he was like an industrial container. Big and thick, a bit hairy and generally to himself. His hands were almost always balled up, and I’d notice his thumb would always be picking at his palm. Probably at the calluses he’d formed from constantly grinding weights into his fists everyday, without fail. Except for tonight.

“Did you find the terms set by the first trial?”

I didn’t realize i had been staring at him till he asked. I jolted back to work, fishing in my own mountain of copies. I stood up to try and find the file, biting the insides my cheek.

“You did find it, didn’t you?” I craned my head around to see his face a little bit too close. I felt the whispers of his breath on the back of my neck—typically, I’d be incredibly uncomfortable with someone, particularly a man, being right behind me, but this time my entire body was caught in the vice grip of adrenaline.

He smelled really good too.

“Y-yeah I swear I did…” I whipped my head back to my side of the desk, but I couldn’t focus in the sea of white sheets and black ink surrounding. All I could hear is a my heart thumping against my rib cage, practically trying to claw its way out of me.

“It’s right here…” His voice softened like soft serve melting on a hot day, dripping down slowly like his arm over my shoulder to the file that was on my right. He was tall enough to reach it, but I didn’t have the sense to duck so his chest wouldn’t brush up against my back like it did.

He pulled back and took a beat. “Could you pass it to me?”

My face was hot, and I quickly grabbed the paper and flung it at him without another word.

“Sorry, did I do something?”

“No, it’s allergies.” I squeaked.

He paused. He took the item from my hand and i felt his presence leave from behind me. I just stood there frozen and tried my best to not disintegrate into dust. My eyes fluttered and began to unblur, so I finally sat back down, my legs giving out much quicker than I had thought.

I felt something cold on my head and jumped at the sudden sensation.

“A peace offering.” Hasan plopped a can of fanta in front of me on my desk. I rubbed my shaved head and watched him also sit in front of me, opening his own can of the fizzy drink.

“And a sign that we should take a break.” He leaned back slightly in his chair, his wide frame hiding the chair out of sight. He took a sip, and kept his eye on my for a second while drinking. I cleared my throat and took that as a sign to quench my thirst.

“Thanks.” I popped the can open and took a light sip, still trying to compose the waves of somersaults that my gut was experiencing. “Fanta is my favorite.”

“I prefer diet coke, but fanta is up there with the greats.”

“Diet coke is literally car cleaner.” I heard myself say.

He shrugged. “Need to keep my engine clean. All this horsepower needs maintenance.”

A giggle nearly made me choke on my drink. “And that’s why, as a society, men are left behind. You just compared yourself to an object like it was nothing!”

“I’m calling myself an object! It’s acceptable if a man does it.”

“What, so if I did it then it would be different?”

“Oh 100%.”

“How?”

“Because.”

My brows pushed up, and I leaned in a little waiting for his response.

“Because you’re you.”

“And that means?”

He let out a short puff of air, and shifted in his seat a little. “That means that if you did it, it would mean something.”

I blinked at his answer. He continued “It would mean that your thoughts are impure.”

“And yours aren’t?” A dry chuckled escaped me.

He flashed a smile that I could only call mischievous. “Depends on who’s asking.”

“I’m asking.”

“And I plead the 5th.”

My back slumped back against my chair, arms crossed, my mind fizzling at what he meant by my specific objectification of him being different.

“Then what if I said you were a wet blanket of a person.”

He scoffed, looking away for a beat and swinging his heavy gaze back at me. “Yeah? You into that sorta thing?”

“No—” I stopped midway through my sentence because he was smiling at me. His lips were curled mischievously, his mouth slightly ajar. I could see his the underside his tongue as it pressed against his palette, as his eyes stayed deadlocked between my nose and chin. I swore his eyes slid over my lips too.

“You shouldn’t chew on your lip like that.” His voice was low and breathy, and quiet. But I heard him. “You do that a quite a bit.”

My face bloomed a heated blush, and I released my bottom lip. “Bad habit.” Shit. My poker face might be worse than I thought. I felt myself squirm in place.

“It’s cute.”

My eyes shot back at him. He was even more relaxed, his two forefingers holding his temple with his elbow on his arm rest.

“You got a booger though.” He scrunched up his nose at me. My hand snapped to cover my nose, and swivelled my back to him as my insides melted in embarrassment. I wiped my top lip beneath my nose, trying to capture the little thing that cost me my dignity in front of him.

“D’you get it?” He laughed.

“Hasan, I appreciate the concern but I’d love if you didn’t make more fun of me right now.” My voice trembled at the end.

“I’m not” He chuckled. I felt the chair turn back around, my sight line at his crotch for a split second. He crouched down to my level, his lashes low on his face and lips slightly parted. I saw the shimmer of his tongue swipe over his bottom lip.

“Move your hand,” his voice vibrated low and my lower stomach caught the frequency like a tuning fork. Buzzing with want and excitement. My hand wilted away from my lip.

“You’re so gullible.” He reached out, in what seemed like slow motion, and traced a feather light line over my cheek, trailing to my lips. His thumb pressed into the seam of my mouth, slipping in easily.

“Shit…” He hissed. I could barely keep my eyes open as the wave of pleasure washed over me. I had forgotten to breathe it seemed, my vision getting spottier and my head felt like it was floating off my body.

“Hey hey, breathe, baby.” My eyes popped open at the pet name and I gulped some air back into my lungs.

“There you go baby, there you go…” He eclipsed the space between us, tugging his finger out my mouth, despite my whines of protest. I could barely hear my own voice from the rush of blood going to my head.

As quickly as his finger left my lips, the tip of his nose pecked mine and I laid my forehead against his just to take a moment of rest.

“You’re squeezing your legs.” He said quietly. I hadn’t noticed it till I felt his hand on my knee. He slid his hand down my thigh, my breath growing more irregular by the moment.

“Hasan, please, I—” He reached my centre, using the friction of my dress pants against my growing need, palm out. I pressed my hips forward, searching for that feeling. A piece of lighting struck my core and he silenced my moans with his mouth. His lips were like sweet relief, quenching my desperation with his taste.

Kissing Hasan was something I thought about, but in practice I couldn’t believe how good it felt. It couldn’t have felt better, and the more he pushed into me the more I let him in. Rival to his tongue was only his hand, large and quick, already in my pants and past my underwear.

“Fuck…you’re so wet for me…” His voice sounded strained from something, but I wasn’t ready to detach from his lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he took that as an opportunity to lift me from my chair to the desk.

My fly had been unzipped and he sunk deeper into my folds, so slow and cruel. Everytime he left my sweet pressure I ran back to it, bucking against his movements to guide him where to go. The back and forth was agonizing, but so perfect. The inconsistent pleasure was addictive.

“You’re so cute, trying to tell me where to go…” He said in a mocking tone. “You like when I touch you here?”

I nodded into his shoulder, clamping my lips together.

“Yeah? You like this don’t you? In a public place? Getting all wet for me?”

I could barely respond with anything more than moanful breaths—he was making me lose my mind. My mind was fogged up by his smell and his voice, his breath, his taste. I wanted to taste him again.

“I’m not talking to myself, am I?” I looked up at him, and pushed my chin up to his face to kiss.

“Nuh-uh. I asked you a question, baby. Answer.”

“I do, I love it, please Hasan,” He drove his hips forward and that spread me open even more. My knees were higher up near his torso, causing me to use one of my arms to steady myself behind me. He used his free hand to tug my pants down from my ass, and I lifted myself to get them off in one fell swoop. He captured my lips again, and I sang my praises into his mouth at the return of his tongue.

He kept pressing into me, slowly and gently laying me down on the table. He cradled my head and pushed the laptop and books out the way, still digging at my shivering insides with his thick fingers.

“Fuckin’ hell, you’re not gonna cum are you? Just from me fingering you like this?” He started to pull my pant legs off, making me more exposed but freer than ever. He kept my thighs pressed together, crossed at the ankles, laying across his left shoulder.

A mangled groan at the back of my throat seeped out of me as he started fingering me faster and faster, his thumb now bullying my clit. “Hasan, please don’t sto—”

“You’re not listening babe, I asked if you’re gonna cum from me just playing with your pussy in the library. Are you?” He was panting too now, pushing my straight legs closer to my chest, his face looking down on me with nothing but lust and something a shade darker than sex.

“Yes, please, it feels so good, I can’t take it any longer…!”

“Then cum.” He kissed me and I was whisked away. He kept nudging inside me, and I succumbed to the fall of my orgasm. His tongue and fingers were acting as one, and I felt my core flex and bit on his lip, riding the choppy waves of my release.

A minute or ten passed by, I couldn’t tell, as he slowly ended his reign of pleasure over me, leaving trails of kisses on my cheek and my neck, to my unbuttoned blouse near my collarbone.

“You made such a mess on me, babe.” He licked at my jaw, while slowly emptying my entrance and rubbing my sensitive button.

“You’re gonna have to pay for that, sweetheart.” He smiled against my neck as it all faded to black.

—————

If you made it this far, leave a like or a comment. Let me know if this needs a part two!

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Fate is Definitely Drunk

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: fluff-ish, very meet cute if meet cute was more panicked and frozen in shock, cursing b/c I can’t write without cursing apparently

Word Count: 1,050

Summary: Everyone has the words their soulmate will first say to them written on their skin somewhere. You have the most average words in the known universe so you assume you’ll have a soulmate that matches that. Fate ain’t happy you underestimated her.

A/N: This is part of my marvel soulmate series. I did a whole thing. Sort of.

Soul marks were a funny thing. Mysterious. Unpredictable. Seemingly random. Science tried to understand it, but no matter how many studies they pushed out there never seemed to be a concrete answer. Some people referred to the marks as, ‘Scrawls of Fate’. That’s what it had to be, right? Fate pulling the strings, dragging people together, and creating happy endings or whatever.

You weren’t bitter.

And yes, that’s probably what bitter people said, but you were not bitter.

Not more than the average human at least.

You’ve seen dream couples meet because of the words on their skin. You had a friend in elementary school find her soulmate in the first grade. Yes, they got stuck with words said by their toddler selves, but they were stupid happy. You had just attended their wedding six months ago. It was sickeningly beautiful. Most of the couples you’ve seen get strung together were doing pretty well. Nothing special or crazy unique, but they were content.

That was the goal, right?

To be content.

Anything above that was just extra, and there was nothing wrong with extra, but if you walked around thinking the fates owed you extra then of course you’d be disappointed. That was your view of it at least. Even as a kid you never really got worked up over your words. They were simple, average, and you wouldn’t be surprised if a handful of other people in the world had the exact same mark as you coincidentally.

‘Terrible weather, huh?’

Your soul mark was literally the epitome of small talk. You’ve seen a lot worse though. A friend in high school had the words, ‘Fucking fish’ on their arm. You were still very curious as to how that would’ve come up in conversation. Maybe you needed to reach out to him later just to see if he had met his soulmate yet.

The sound of your name brought your eyes up from the table in surprise. The gaze of all the other brand-new interns were zoned in on you, and the only reason you remembered the initial ice-breaker question was because it had put you off on the tangent your brain got stuck on.

“Nope.” You shook your head quickly and offered the group a smile that you hoped was less awkward and more ‘happy to be here’, “No significant other at the moment.”

The group leader, your new boss, was a chirpy brunette named Janice who was living her best life right now. Her smile filled her entire face and she seemed to radiate sunshine. Which was cool for her, but you couldn’t imagine being that excited on a Monday morning unless you were on something.

“I was hoping Tim would be back by now.” Janice hummed, drumming her nails on the table, “I was gonna have him pick you guys up some coffee. Nothing like a caffeine boost before we move onto the program training.”

You raised a hand, “I’ll go grab us some coffee.”

“You will?” Janice beamed. “You’re a saint. Just tell the barista that I sent you.”

The group gave you their orders, that you jotted down into your phone, then you hurried out of the boardroom with a sigh of relief. It was nice to finally stretch your legs after being stuck in there for the last couple hours. Honestly, you were so thankful to have this job. You were just a low-level grunt working the mail room and answering phones, but you were a low-level grunt at Stark Industries. Everybody said that’d look fantastic on your resume and since you had no real future plans right now it seemed like a safe bet.

The coffee stand was on the first floor in the lobby and was packed. It took a good ten minutes just to get to the front of the line, but you weren’t in any kind of rush. You ordered the coffees then wandered off to the side to wait for them to be made. Your eyes drifted to the large lobby windows that were currently being pelted with rain. You loved storms. It was funny that rainy days brought you such comfort, but you always figured it tied into your soul mark. You were never actively hoping for anything, but maybe your subconscious just knew this would be the setting you’d find the one in.

The barista called out your name and you turned away from the view. You grabbed the drink carrier that had five cups balanced on it. Before going upstairs, you drifted a little closer to the front doors and paused for just another second to stare outside. The board room you were stuck in had no windows at all, and only this close to the door could you smell and hear the rain.

Someone stopped a couple steps to your left and you couldn’t help but look over at them as they undid the clasp holding their umbrella closed. It took two seconds for you to realize that the person standing beside you with their umbrella was Captain America. Your eyes widened in shock. He always looked so big and in charge on the news, and in person he was legitimately intimidating. Tall stature, broad shoulders, and God, he was good looking. As in, who the hell had the right to look so good so casually??

Captain America glanced at you, his blue eyes meeting your gaze, and though your brain screamed at you to look away and not stare like a frozen creeper, you couldn’t move a muscle. You just stood there looking like the idiot you felt like. He politely gave you a tiny nod and warm smile. Captain America motioned to the door, “Terrible weather, huh?”

You felt the words on your shoulder tingle and your jaw fell loose in disbelief. Captain America just gave you one more nod before walking to the door. He opened his umbrella and you lost sight of him out in the storm amongst all the other walking umbrellas.

Had he just…?

Had you just…?

The drink carrier slipped from your hands and five full cups of coffee hit the tiled floor causing a disaster at your feet. You couldn’t even register that people were looking at you or that the hot coffee had burned your through your pants’ leg or that you were now standing in a pool of caffeine.

You gasped, “Oh, fuck me.”

[next chapter]

[soulmuppet]

An ice giant on the outer fringes of the system, Anchorage IV has a planet-wide biome similar to the northern reaches of Earth’s Canada or Alaska, interspersed with vast frozen seas and snow-blasted mountains. Beneath its glacial flows, pockets of a natural gas known as Promine - a potent fuel - provide for the planet’s economy. As gouts of the pressurised gas burst from the land, they freeze almost instantly in the sub-zero atmosphere, forming jagged monolithic columns rich with liquid fuel. These are prime for a lucrative, if not incredibly dangerous extraction and fuel has long overtaken the planet’s tradition of trawler fishing as the main industry.

~~~~

ORBITAL BLUES is a lo-fi space western roleplaying game from SoulMuppet Publishing, written by Sam Sleney & Zachary Cox and illustrated by Joshua Clark. A love-letter to off-beat sci-fi, vintage music, and cooperative old-school styled roleplay, Orbital Blues allows you to play out rules-light tabletop adventures in the style of space westerns such as Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Why the next pandemic could come from the Arctic — and what to do about it - Published Sept 4, 2024

By: Christian Sonne

Only a unified approach across disciplines can reduce the underappreciated threat of emerging diseases arising in the north.

The Arctic is under stress, that much is known. Between 1979 and 2021, the region warmed four times faster than the global average, with effects — as yet poorly understood — on its ecology and ability to store carbon, on global sea levels and on wider ocean-circulation and weather patterns.

Add in the effects of biodiversity loss and pollution, and people often refer to a triple planetary crisis. I think we should actually be talking about a quadruple crisis. Since starting research in the Arctic in 1997, I have spent nearly all of my summers there, monitoring changes in pollution levels, habitats and food webs using a ‘One Health’ approach that integrates effects on wildlife, humans and ecosystems. And it’s becoming clear that, as the Arctic warms, its environment degrades and human activities increase, new health threats are emerging. In particular, the Arctic is likely to become a hotbed for zoonotic diseases that spill over into humans from other animals. That threat was brought home to all of us by the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to take seriously the possibility that the next pandemic could come from the north.

Some 60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. Their emergence and spillover is in general highly interlinked with habitat degradation, biodiversity loss and food-web changes — all of which are present in the Arctic. But a warming Arctic harbours other risks. As sea ice thaws, ‘forever chemicals’ are increasingly being transported into Arctic environments. These include mercury, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and polychlorinated biphenyls, all known to modulate human and animal immune systems and increase vulnerability to respiratory infections. Invasive fish and whale species are also bringing in industrial chemicals and their own diseases.

The pathogens enter an environment in which some native species, such as polar bears (Ursus maritimus), have not been exposed to them, and so are at increased risk. The release of ancient microorganisms long frozen in ice and sediments as the landscape thaws adds to this danger: humans and other wildlife are likely to lack any immune defences against them.

These risk factors are set to increase. The first ice-free Arctic summers could come as early as the 2030s. The Arctic Ocean has huge potential for energy, fishery and tourism sectors, and is not subject to any global treaty regulating its exploitation. Further wildlife disturbance, pollution, overfishing and jurisdictional conflicts are the likely result.

The current perception is that the Arctic possesses relatively low microbial activity. Compared with temperate and tropical latitudes, many fewer resources are devoted to studying zoonoses in the Arctic, with sparse surveillance for emerging threats in most areas. This needs to change — taking account of human, animal and wider environmental perspectives.

When it comes to logistics, low-tech is high-tech in the Arctic. On the human side, Canadian researchers have already started taking samples from sewage and other sources that can easily be analysed for the presence of viral pathogens. This kind of approach should be combined with better access to community health care, clinical inspections and consultations with local doctors. A particular flash point is the handling and consumption of raw or dried animal meat in subsistence-hunting communities. Hygiene courses, meat inspection and better disease surveillance developed in partnership with those communities can help to both sustain food security and prevent spillover events.

On the wildlife side, long-term finance is needed for yearly and seasonal surveillance programmes. These schemes should collaborate with local communities using existing techniques that don’t rely on technologies such as cryogenics and so are easy to use in situ. Such activities could be embedded into the ongoing Arctic Council monitoring and assessment programmes on pollution, biodiversity and climate change, as laid out in the council’s ‘One Arctic, One Health’ project.

On the broader environmental front, efforts to reduce pollution, safeguard biodiversity and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through international agreements play their part. Efforts spearheaded by various Arctic Council working groups, and other initiatives such as the ongoing negotiations for a United Nations-backed treaty on plastic pollution, show how intergovernmental and interdisciplinary collaboration across public health, biodiversity conservation, pollution and food security can help with achieving sustainability.

To make a true difference, there is need for a broader Arctic monitoring and assessment plan, underpinned by treaty, that combines surveillance of pollution and of disease. This is currently difficult to achieve through the Arctic Council, given the absence of Russia and Russian data since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A better opportunity to establish a holistic understanding and action plan might be afforded by the proposed pandemic-preparedness treaty, currently under negotiation at the World Health Organization. This could build on the efforts of almost 200 globally recognized One Health Networks, including those in the Arctic.

Action must be taken now. If it isn’t, it will become more difficult to mitigate wildlife interactions and diagnose, treat and isolate people with an infection — and the risk of a future pandemic with an Arctic ground zero will only increase.

Nature 633, 10 (2024)

doi: doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02830-7

[perfectlypanda]

The Geography of the South Pole in AtLA vs. the Graphic Novels

Of the many inconsistencies between Avatar: the Last Airbender, and the graphic novels, there is a particular bit of world building that always bothers me; the geography of the South Pole.

In the first two episodes of AtLA, the viewer is introduced to the South Pole at almost peak summer. Sokka makes a reference to this when he first meets Aang:

Sokka: Giant light beams, flying bison, airbenders … I think I got midnight sun madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense.

“Midnight sun” is a term that describes how during the summer months places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle experience consecutive 24 hour periods of sunlight (so the sun is still out even though it’s midnight). From Sokka’s dialogue, it is explicitly summer. 

The two part episode “The Winter Solstice” takes place over episodes 7 and 8 of the first season, and occurs some weeks following the opening episode. It’s important to note that this refers to the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, where the Gaang is at the time. Thus, the summer solstice is simultaneously occurring for the southern hemisphere.

Why spend time establishing that at the start of the series, the South Pole is experiencing the middle of their summer? Well, because it’s important you understand that the version of the South Pole we see is the South Pole at its warmest. At its warmest, Katara and Sokka go fishing surrounded by massive icebergs, snow and ice completely cover the ground, and the Southern Water Tribe has a wall and several buildings made entirely from snow. 

Continues after the cut.

The Water Tribes were inspired by different indigenous peoples in and around the Arctic Circle. However, the real world northern regions where many of these people live do see true, if brief, periods of summer where there is snow and ice melt. What does this mean? Well, it means plants can grow. And trees if you get below the tree line.

Even at the peak of summer, no exposed land is visible at the AtLA South Pole. So unless AtLA has special plants that can grow in literal ice or snow (and can somehow pollinate without major pollinators like bugs…), that means that the South Pole cannot support traditional plant life. More importantly though, the South Pole cannot support trees. Trees have roots that need to be able to dig into soil. Soil that is not visible even in the summer in the South Pole, so even if soil does exist under all that ice and snow it’s going to be too frozen for roots to be able to take purchase.

That the ice and snow cover is permanent year round is further be backed up by how the Southern Water Tribe disabled a Fire Nation ship back in Hama’s youth… and it’s still frozen in that same ice some 70 decades later. If that area got warm enough for the ice and snow to melt, the ship would have shifted, and likely been damaged or destroyed by the ice expanding and contracting against it for years. 

Which is why, from almost the very start, the graphic novel North and South is inconsistent with the worldbuilding established in AtLA:

It’s a stretch how much wood is seen in the modern buildings in the *new* South Pole, but the use of wood in so much of the building materials could maybe be explained as part of the industrialization of the South Pole, with lumber being imported. It would be a ridiculous amount of lumber to import but... *suspension of disbelief*

Buuuuut the trees on the other hand…

These trees cannot exist in the version of the South Pole as depicted in AtLA. In order for these trees to exist, the parts of the South Pole near where the Southern Water Tribe is would have to get warm enough for the soil to thaw for trees to take root (AND have soil somewhere underneath all that ice and snow). As we established, even in the middle of summer, the ground is still completely covered by ice and snow. And North and South depicts scenes in both daytime and nighttime so we aren’t even seeing the South Pole in summer when it would be its warmest.

It wouldn’t have been hard to be consistent with the worldbuilding of the South Pole. The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee shows that someone can pay attention to the original show’s worldbuilding, and make it work.

In the first act of The Rise of Kyoshi, Kyoshi accompanies a group that is going to negotiate with the Fifth Nation (a massive sea fleet led by a Southern Water Tribe pirate called Tagaka).

In their negotiations, Tagaka agrees to release the captives she has taken from the Earth Kingdom. Why? 

“The captives are useless to me anyway. … Out of a thousand people or more, not one was a passable carpenter. I should have known better. I needed to go after people who live among tall trees, not driftwood.”

Yun frowned. “You want… carpenters?” he said cautiously.

She glanced at him, as if she were surprised he was still there. “Boy, let me teach you a little fact about the pirate trade. Our power is measured in ships. We need timber and craftsmen who know how to work it. Building a proper navy is a generational effort. My peaceable cousins in the South Pole have a few heirloom sailing cutters but otherwise have to make do with seal-skin canoes. They’ll never create a large, long-range war fleet because they simply don’t have the trees.” 

Tagaka turned and loomed over the table. “So, yes,” she said, fixing him with her gaze. “I want carpenters and trees and a port of my own to dock in so I can increase the size of my forces.” (RoK, 93)

The Southern Water Tribe doesn’t have carpenters because they don’t have trees. There are some wooden ships but just “a few heirloom sailing cutters”. That they are “heirloom” boats reinforces the idea that, although the Southern Water Tribe can get some wood (likely through trade or sale), it is not something they have readily available, so things made from wood are precious.

Whenever the Southern Water Tribe warriors are depicted in AtLA, their ships do utilize wood. But not all SWT boats do. For example, in the first episode, Katara and Sokka are in a boat that looks to be of stretched hide and bone (maybe a “seal-skin canoe” like Tagaka mentions). The only parts that might be wood are the seats (which… okay).

So the idea that the Southern Water Tribe has some wooden ships, but that they are the most valuable ones, works with the AtLA canon because it makes sense that the warriors would take the best ships that the tribe has available. 

(Admittedly, there are a couple background moments in AtLA that are a bit inexplicable. For example, in one shot in 1.02 there’s a woman holding what appears to be a bundle of firewood before a fire. We’ve seen the surrounding landscape. It’s not like she could just go take a short walk and collect kindling, so where did it come from...?)

But to circle this back to the bigger issue of the inconsistency between the worldbuilding in AtLA and the graphic novels - changing the environment of the South Pole also changes what resources are available, and what conditions the Southern Water Tribe would have to adapt to and survive. These are factors that shape a culture, particularly a culture that is located in an extreme environment. If you live in the South Pole in AtLA, farming is impossible, as is foraging because the ground is ice and snow, neither of which can sustain plant life. This limits your diet to hunting and fishing (*in AtLA they do mention sea prunes and it’s implied that they’re vegetarian since no one stops Aang from eating them, but that’s the exception not the rule). This also largely limits your resources to those which come from animals. Which impacts the types of homes you can build, the types of clothes you can wear - it even changes how you would make and sustain a fire.

The South Pole in the graphic novels would produce an entirely different Southern Water Tribe than the one in AtLA, and so it’s frustrating (and sloppy) that the graphic novels got the geography of the South Pole so wrong. There are many metas about the differences between AtLA and the graphic novels, but putting trees in the South Pole really demonstrates just how little attention the graphic novels paid to the canon worldbuilding established in AtLA. ~

Thank you for coming to my ramble. As a parting gift, enjoy this visual depiction of how Katara and Sokka have learned that wearing something cute and shapely is definitely way more important than not freezing to death.

[thunderroseses]

Neptune from the Royal Au (everything will be redone in digital art when I have more energy!)

HISTORY~

Neptune’s kingdom is known as the forever frozen kingdom, one forged from war and bloodshed from battles long gone, during the multiple wars they were under control of the Sun’s empire and any battle Sun got into so did they, meaning they very war torn for much of their history until the Great War that involved many of the Solar System kingdoms, Neptune was not welling to give up easily as they raised above all else to stay alive and keep their citizens safe.

Sun gave them their independence after this as they couldn’t keep their many colonies under control any long as Sun needed to focus on his own Kingdom.

Clothing~

Warmth is the upmost important as it is almost always snowing or cold out, so they wear multiple layers that keep them warm will also expressing their nation pride, on Neptune’s coat you can see their nation flower that is royal purple and fish, as they have a booming fishing industry (more on it later) underneath the coat is a pale white dress, to keep focus on the elaborate coat, it is light and flowing, as to make it easy to move and not weigh them down, the veil is to keep their head/ears warm and having a layer between her head and crown, as metal can get really cold.

For the braids it’s tradition from the start of their villages to have two braids with dark blue ribbons in their hair for the first daughter, while the other younger daughter wear light blue instead, it shows their maturity and wellness to serve their citizens and are passed down by their mother after they hit puberty, believing that is when they are mature enough to know the responsibility they are excepting by taking the ribbon, this is also a huge celebration that the girl are trained for since they were little.

Extra~

Neptunes kingdom has a lot of bright colours to keep their moods up in the cold weather, it also help other find their way between towns in case of storm comes in. Even if it’s cold out everyone is pretty happy and friendly for those brave enough to visit despite the cold.

They are mostly known as a ice fishing nation, which is how they get most of their fish since the ice makes it hard to fish normally, they sell the freshest and best tasting fish on the market right next to Earth (something she is not happy about lol) if anyone is brave enough to visit it’s for the sea food :)

Neptune has memory loss after part of a castle collapsed onto her during the war, she was only six at the time and has a long lasting consequences because of it, those being memory loss/trouble and phantom pain that strikes up sometime leaving her bedridden.

Uranus parents are the cause of the castle collapse and while they didn’t mean to hurt such a small child, it was collateral from the war effort, Neptune’s parents were wary of Neptune hanging with Uranus (this is long after the war) but lighted after they saw how much it helped with Neptune’s memory problems as well as making Neptune more social then she was before. Now the parents are more friendly with each other, often going over to Uranus nation a few times a year (Uranus would go over to Neptune’s but had health problems which are also consequence from the war more on it in Uranus section)

Neptune is very close with Uranus and they try to keep in touch via mail, she is not as close to the other gas giants but is friendly with them.

She doesn’t really know the rocky planets, maybe when she was younger but can no longer remember anything about them, same with Sun even if she was their ruler for years

I’m probably going to post Uranus’ next, I’ve been really enjoying making up stories for all the different kingdoms and what their kingdoms would be like, if anyone else want so join in I’ll be happy to share it and talk with them to bounce ideas off each other!

Here’s so extra drawing I’ve made, mostly for the villagers outfits



[spotlightstory]

Scientists Call for Warnings, Ad Bans on Ultra Processed Foods

Minimal Process: shelled nuts, washed vegetables, fresh items used to make home cooked meals

Processed: tinned fish, frozen vegetables, cheese

Ultra Processed: many breakfast cereals, packaged snacks, sugary beverages, chips, frozen meals

Researchers say ultra-processed foods that are high in fats, starches, sugars and additives now make up 73% of the U.S. food supply, even though they are linked to health issues like diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression. Scientists say these foods should be regulated with tobacco-style warnings and advertising bans. Trish Cotter, global lead for the Food Policy Program at Vital Strategies, joined CBS News to discuss ultra-processed foods.

"Ultra Processed foods are things you can't make in your kitchen. They use edible ingredients that are pulled apart and put back together using industrial processing. They add to it a cocktail of additives, emulsifiers, colors, flavors and the end result is something that is hyper-palatable. There's a texture that's attractive. These products are ready to eat; ready to heat and unfortunately they are taking up too much of our diet."

[politely saying factory food is created to be addictive, full of chemicals and it leads to major health problems]

When she started naming chips, packaged food ready to heat, like lasagna....the announcer cuts in and ends the interview. BAH! Protect the advertising $$$.

[so-true-overdue]

Climate Change: A Triumph of Human Ingenuity

Ah, climate change. Humanity's crowning achievement. We've really outdone ourselves this time. The planet, our beloved home, is heating up faster than a microwave dinner. And let's be clear: we did this. Humans, with our insatiable appetite for fossil fuels, have managed to turn up the thermostat of Earth.

It's not as if we had no warnings. Scientists have been waving red flags for decades. But who needs experts when you can just deny the problem? After all, it's so much easier to pretend it's not happening while we bask in our air-conditioned homes. Just ignore the melting glaciers, the rising sea levels, and the increasingly erratic weather patterns. Those are probably just coincidences, right?

Our industrial revolution kickstarted this grand experiment. We figured out how to burn coal, oil, and gas to power our lives. It was a revolution! Who cared about a little carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Well, turns out, the planet does. Greenhouse gases trap heat. More gases, more heat. Simple math, really.

But here's the kicker: some of the most vulnerable to this man-made disaster are the ones least responsible. Small island nations are sinking. Poor communities are facing severe droughts and floods. Meanwhile, the big polluters carry on, business as usual. Isn't that just the epitome of fairness?

The Arctic is a great example of our handiwork. Once a frozen expanse, it's now on its way to becoming a seasonal puddle. Polar bears and other wildlife are struggling to survive. But hey, at least it's opening new shipping routes. Silver linings, right?

Our oceans are another success story. They're acidifying at an alarming rate. Marine life is dying off, coral reefs are bleaching. But think of all the fish we can catch before they're all gone!

So let's give ourselves a round of applause. We wanted progress, and we got it. We wanted growth, and boy, did we grow. The planet is changing, undeniably. And the best part? It's all thanks to us. Human ingenuity at its finest.

Remember, when future generations look back at the legacy we've left, they’ll marvel at how effectively we ignored the obvious. They'll study the artifacts of our civilization, buried under floodwaters or scorched by wildfires, and they'll say, "Wow, they really knew how to ruin a good thing."

Here's to us. The true architects of climate change.

[amaiguri]

Okay, fine, we'll TALK about Nouveau Thuille...

Nouveau Thuille is a city settled in a fertile valley under the Upper Continent run by a collection of mafia-like families -- and of those, there are four (kinda) primary House with the most influence:

House d'Magnia — The Spec Ops & Research

House d'Aramitz — The Military & Production

House d'Fealtoire — BIG old money folks

House d'Romanach — The Factory Workers & Agriculturalists

House d'Solais (Deceased) — The local-equivalent of King Arthur's house

The nobles collectively tell the people that they are holding power until their Emperor Under the Mountain, the Once and Future Emperor, Riavh Solais, returns to lead the world to eternal peace. And they definitely all believe that and it isn't propaganda. Definitely. 🙂

Anyway, without a very clear central authority, there are functionally no laws for nobles or those affiliated with them -- this includes this like murder and using corpses for science experiments and so forth. And so... there are basically laws for no one, because even the commonfolk farmers will pay taxes to (read: Get extorted by) at least one of the nobles families. That being said, you cannot be SEEN just MURDERING PEOPLE in the streets. You have to SEEM respectable. Openly murdering or kidnapping or robbing people? That's uncouth and you're properly stupid and dangerous if you can't HIDE your crimes. So, perhaps it's better to say, "There are no laws if you don't get caught breaking them."

Somehow, despite this relative anarchy and decentralized government, technology advances steadily. (Probably because competition between the Houses has led to growth!) And, recently, increased contact with the South has led to rapid industrialization over the last 50ish years here, which has led to the creation of a middle class. House d'Magnia and House d'Romanach both appeared into the last three or four generations or so.

So, with all that said, let's get into the thing WE ALL CARE ABOUT the most: What do people even EAT? Here's just a handful of foods:

- Stroganina -- Cut frozen fish into strips, eat raw

- Salmon Roe

- Frozen Rumateur Liver -- Freeze a Rumateur lamb liver, eat raw

- Eider Foie Gra -- (Force) feed an eider a diet of mostly black pine nuts, blood, and meat scraps, kill it at a year old, fry the liver on a rock slab, salt and top with thyme

- Rumateur jerky

- Rabbit Stew -- Every family has a unique stew recipe.

- Frozen Cream -- Rumateur cream is whipped and mixed with wild berries frozen or dried from the summer

- Bechamel Sauce -- Butter, barley flour, warmed and whipped. Add salt or honey for different flavors, frequently put on bread

- Barley Bread -- Both risen and flattened

- Fermented Rumateur Milk -- Has a vodka/soda like taste, sometimes warmed before drinking

- Barley-based Beer

- Rumateur Tongue Sandwich -- Traditionally on a barley bread bun with rumateur cheese, Tongue is grilled, roasted, or fried in lard, Lightly salted, sometimes dusted with thyme, sometimes eaten with bechamel sauce

- Barm Cake

- Blood pudding

- Scrap Meatloaf -- Made of scraps of meats from other meals, ground up, frozen into a cube, and then fried in lard

- Honey Mead

- Berry-Wines/Champagne/Ciders -- Every family has unique fermenting process for their Wild Berries

The Evolution of Theatre in Nouveau Thuille

This might seem random but hear me out: What could be more important to a culture than HOW THEY TELL STORIES about themselves?

See, for the longest time, across the North, they would tell stories of legendary figures, animals (particularly seals), and stock characters in song-form -- with funny voices for each of the characters. Sometimes puppets would be involved, particularly with children.

Then, around the time of Riavh Solais, the oral tradition just evolved to have more specific forms of songs -- and more people were expected to learn to sing songs or at least have their own, unique verse to a song -- but the melodies became more standardized, as a means of telling history. Character voices and accents became very specific, and some costumes became iconic. However, sorta like Opera, you didn't have to move around -- you just entered, exited, maybe even only stood up and sat down, and sang/played your instrument to play your role -- maybe with some, minor hand gestures or props. This means that they often explicitly said what they were doing, rather than demonstrating.

Today in Nouveau Thuille, shadow plays are popular -- typically set to music, sometimes with the help of tiny music boxes that cast shadows -- but dolls are considered crude and for children. This evolved into shadow dances briefly before just becoming actual dances, set to music, with poetry being recited -- sometimes by the actors themselves but usually by the chorus or the musicians. But the body language -- intended to be slightly stylized but with realistic facial expressions (much like their paintings being stylized but leaning towards realism these days) -- is supposed to do most of the work. And sometimes, there will be extended periods of no-speaking, only dance, and music.

These are performed in people's homes or the streets, but special effects in Ysse contraptions, alchemy, and other such special effects are used to enhance the performance and Nobles particularly are expected to tip to learn the secrets of how it was done -- and so, theatre is just an extension of the industrial military complex.

Nouveau Thuillean Language

For all 2 of the Conlangers who follow me (unless you've come over from YouTube... in which case, hello all ~650 of you lol), Nouveau Thuillean is intended to look and sound Franco-Irish. It has two grammatical genders (Normal or Transcendent), a definitive and subjunctive mood, and special Timeless conjugation -- for things that are happening regardless of time.

Since I have a whole language breakdown on my website, I won't dig into it here but here's just some sample sentences for you:

If you had loved me, none of this would have happened! = The ev'vatoirias eu, flavon s'de eblivui. I hear the call of the Abyss. (I.e. I feel self-destructive, I want to do/know something that will hurt me. "Call of the void" refers to something that will hurt you but you MUST do) = Nenne theillan d'flavoneisse. It's a flower. (i.e. It's really simple/easy.) = Zaira peo.

AND WITH THAT, I will leave you for the day. This was such a long post lol and I didn't even cover everything XDDDD

[nunezs-stuff]

Hachi aesthetic

Hachi has been often assumed to be in high school

His hobbies are painting and drawing he also enjoys going to shrines and just sitting there and just watching the fish that are under the shrine with the built-in water maze

As someone that has his age.

Frozen in time he looks to have the appearance of a Young Man maybe between the ages of a 19 and 18 year old and Many women consider him to be a handsome man but that's just a fact and also he kind of has the personality of giyuu and also some strangers might think he's being disrespectful by just sitting there but once they look at what he's drawing he's actually drawing the shrine without even

looking at it as a fun fact he has photographic

memory and all he wants is a quiet and calm life

but he knows that dream will be almost

impossible to achieve he draws poems writes

little books and he's not really a talkative person

he prefers to stay silent unless someone asks

are cuz someone speak to him kind of person that is very polite and also Lots

of people assume him to be blind because of the

white cloth he wears around his eyes some are

even more confused when he mentions that his eyes are sensitive to the Sun

( that's a lie he actually has the eyes of his mother)

He he enjoys writing and he also likes fireworks

Nobody knows how he came into existence

nobody knows his parents or mother

When people ask him about they're always has a

string of tension as if you ask again you'll never see the light of day again

Now on to clothes and outfits

He likes to wear more comfortable and and loose

clothing some may think he's a nerd but he does

like the emo fashion especially the sweaters with

skulls but it doesn't mean he doesn't like to wear

sweaters and a button-up shirts he's often seen

in suits or more what people call Grandpa

fashion I'm sure he likes to wear chokers but that

isn't really his style and also in the hot months he

likes to wear long skirts

Now on to fun facts and more information

He's actually a college student that's focusing

in the art industry he's actually a promising artist

sure most of his drawings are creepy but those

are just inspiration he's always seen on campus

with either hands covered in paint or painting

utensils in his pockets he's the type of person

that goes for someone that doesn't think that

they're going to instantly hook up and then it it becoming

A one-time thing no he wants a serious

relationship but it's too scared to have one until

he enjoys walking in the the

woods but mind you he's quite intelligent and

not naive so he understands the dangers of walking in the woods

Now onto his dislikes and hobbies

Dislikes

He doesn't like the hot weather

And the foods he doesn't like to eat are takoyaki and fish and snails

The weather he prefers it's when it's not too hot or too he is not a fan of the hot weather considering he lives in Japan and and also he doesn't like showering because he has to sit down on the floor but he understands that he needs to stay clean

And likes

He likes eating rice balls he has a sweet tooth but he is in a love-hate relationship with going to sushi conveyor belts because of the tiktok pranks so when he does go there he makes sure to order his food instead of just taking it off random Sushi plates and it has his soy sauce changed

Now on to his Hobbies

His hobbies are walking around Japan and visiting shrines he also likes going to the New Year's festivals he likes getting a little goodies and also eating candy apples he also likes to buy sparklers when the fireworks are over he has the sparklers that's why he purchases them and he also finds it calming when he either washes dishes or does laundry and believe it or not Hachi is actually a clean freak

[iinafarawaygalaxii]

Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Freyja’s Promise

Forever Bound: Chapter 4

Summary: Being blindsided is a feeling most people find discomforting. For Eivor? It was a direct sting to her nerves. She was one known for her blinding rage but this unexpected turn of events lead her to new, unfiltered feelings she had yet to experience. Requiring more than just time but space. Will she say yes and become Queen of Mercia? Or continue her regular life as the Jarl of her bustling Kingdom of Ravensthorpe?

Warnings: 18+, MINORS DNI, Angst, Fluff, SFW

WC: 5.6k

Notes:

-My wattpad has more uploaded if you would like to read further!

Assassins Creed Valhalla | Eivor Varinsdottir x Vili Hemmingston

'I tire of these mind games',

Tears streamed down her face, whipped away by the wind as she urged Aesir to her limits. The forest blurred around her, a desperate flight fueled by the overwhelming information that threatened to crack her open and expend her limits. "Damn it-", she muttered, a fierce determination replacing the despair in her eyes and with a final crack of the reins, surging Aesir forward- bursting from the trees into the open expanse of Eurvicscire.

Into Freedom.

The sun had blessed their voyage, guiding her through the fresh blanket of snow as fast as they could go and as far as she could. When she closed her eyes she had instantly spawned vivid memories of her first arriving at Jorvik with the dew of slaughter on her back and Vili at her side. It made her feel restless when opening them again to see the small indent of the trail they took up to the mountains together, covered by snow from the amount of time that had passed since her slumber, slowing Aesir down to reminisce when times were simple.

Though it was so quiet.

The wind- a relentless drum against her ears, and the frigid air were her only companions. Surveying the barren landscape in melancholy. A pang of longing striking her for Ravensthorpe, a place teeming with life. Here, there were no drones of bees, nor fragrant lavender blooms painting the spring air. Absent were the watchful calls of Synin's ravens circling overhead and the industrious clamor of her clan building their new home as they celebrated day after day for their achievements. This desolate expanse felt sterile, a frozen tomb encasing her nostalgia and a burgeoning regret.

With a flick of the reins, she spurred her mount deeper into the forest, seeking solace in the familiar embrace of the trees ahead, "Ah... Here it is-" She exclaimed riding up to waterfall stream she saw nearly a month ago, where she would make camp for the day and take time for herself to unpack everything she was told only hours ago. Though the hunger that gnawed at her stomach since she woke showed its unbearable face- a sharp contrast to the turmoil churning within her mind.

Pausing for a moment, she casted a fishing line and quickly snagged her meal bringing it back to the fire for consumption. A small, defiant spark against the encroaching darkness that seems to cloud her fate as she calmly prepared her meal.  "There, there-" She murmured to her stomach, a strained attempt at normalcy despite the urgency to feed the hunger gnawing in her gut- feeling her hands tremble as she prepped the fish, bearing the weight of her thoughts that threatened to topple over.

A mere month ago, the thought of relinquishing the title of Jarlskona or saying goodbye to her clan, would have been unthinkable.  Had she known, every moment would have been savored, a celebration of the life she was leaving behind.  But the dream she'd nurtured for her people had blossomed into reality in a way she did not wish to. Thrusting her into the role of their more than just their Jarl- but their Queen... The very tip of the spear that would guide them towards their destiny.

Here in Jorvik.

An unsettling feeling simmered in her akin to the lingering resentment she still harbored towards Sigurd. The choices he made without her input as the will of their clan, still stung. Yet, looking at the state of Mercia and Northumbria, she couldn't deny the logic behind them. It was a decision she would have likely made herself, given the circumstances. "Nows as good a time as any," she muttered under her breath, frustration tinged with a touch of acceptance as a sigh escaped her lips, focused on cleaning the fish she'd caught. The repetitive motion a temporary balm to the turmoil within.

The moments she enjoyed the most.

The prospect of independence – the freedom to raid, pillage, take long forest rides, or even fish at her whim – was intoxicating. She was a free spirit, and surprisingly, so was her "best friend."  Despite the chaos he caused becoming a Jarl. Vili's acceptance of the throne brought a smile to her face. "Just like him," she murmured, a touch of amusement in her voice at this unexpected turn of events between her own liberation and Vili's rise to power seeing how fate had set the stage for an interesting future.

Now truly feeling what it was like in his moment of obscurity first becoming a leader against his will. Either way, she understood the pressure he was in- after all if the picts invade England- Northumbria is the first to get hit, which Mercia cannot allow. She threw the stick in the fire- watching it burn with the same madness she felt inside of her as she plucked the fish meat from its bones till it was dry. "Bass has never been better." She exclaimed casting its carcass into the fire and watched it burn.

Continuously, endlessly-

The fire crackled, casting dancing shadows that mirrored the turmoil within her. On one hand, the weight of her parents' words echoed in her soul, urging her to fulfill their dream of a unified England and the other in prospect of marrying Vili- felt like a shackle, an unwelcome burden amidst her freedom but a desire she has longed for. With a resolute sigh, she rose, kicking dirt into the dying embers. "Aseir!" she yelled, the name- a summoning to action. She mounted her wolf, her gaze hardening with determination. They wanted a Queen, and a Queen they would have. But the crown wouldn't come with a forced marriage. That, she decided, could wait. Now was the time for war... and war?

Was something she was exceptionally good at.

-

She arrived at the grave site of Halfdan the Great. To apologize for not being there when he needed it. Leaving her to simmer in a pot of guilt as history kept repeating itself in the most atrocious ways. First her parents, then her friends- her clan, Ceowulf- Ubba.... A tear streamed down her cheek. Freezing solid in the air before it even make its drop, "Im sorry old man..." She said to the stone overlooking the capital city of Jorvik, in the cold of day, where his funeral was held. "Till we meet again, old friend..." She said placed a winter flower at the bed of the rock leaning in for prayer to gods she knows doesn't exist in the way they were raised to believe.

It was hard to think about where the people go who aren't Isu. It was even harder to keep a secret as hushed like this- especially from the man everyone wanted her to marry. The one who may or may not be Isu himself- after learning these... species of humans are naturally attracted to each other. Nevertheless- She had finally accept that, she is going to be Queen and she would run her kingdom with honestly and humility- like her parents did for her clan long ago, starting first with Vili. "I need to speak with him..." She whispered to herself as she spun around and saw the culprit behind.

"Im sorry, if I startled you-",

A flower from Vili found its place next to hers on Halfdan's stone and she grinned. The two of them standing shoulder-to-shoulder as Jorvik stretched out before them in silent contemplation. The wind, turning ever chillier and equally biting, whipped their hair gently across their faces. Vili let out a sigh, breaking the stillness that was forming in this never ending battle of silence.  "Do you remember, A few years ago, in a scene like this when we were sending my father off to Valhalla?" A mischievous glint entered his eyes, "You stood boldly- confidently next to me as I announce my heirdom and acceptance to lead the people of Snottinghamscire... As I recall- you slapped me back into thinking it was the right choice..."  He turned to her, a playful grin splitting his face.

"You needed it."

A chuckle escaped her lips as Vili finished his story, chest puffed with mocked pride as curiosity flickered in her eyes awaiting his next move standing adjacent to each other. Then, with lightning speed, his hand shot out, connecting with her cheek with a SLAP that echoed like thunder claps of Thor shooting across the barren landscape. 

She reached up with her fingertips, stunned- brushing a burning red patch where his palm had met flesh feeling the wind sweep across her bruising skin that sent a jolt of a freezing numbness through her.  But the shock was quickly replaced by icy fury.  Her smile vanished, replaced by a stony glare and a raised brow and with a swift movement. She hooked an arm around his neck, a primal snarl escaping her lips.

"I already came to the conclusion, Ergi!"

She growled playfully, digging her fist into his head with tough swirls as till they toppled over on a snow drift in the infinite struggle of flirtatious play. Their laughter echoed across the barren plains as they engaged in a playful fight. An age-old dance of flirtation disguised as combat.

"Eivor! Eivor- Okay... stop!", Vili sputtered, his voice muffled by the snow now packed into his face feeling her straddle him, gripping thee fabric of his chest in one hand while shoveling snow into his face with the other. He retaliated, grabbing a handful and launching a counter-attack, successfully smooshing the cold paste against her cheek. Her laughter turned into a shriek as she tackled him, their chuckles mingling with the wind. She continued straddling him, her smile devilish as she, pile by pile, shoved the icy pellets down the front of his shirt- relishing the sounds of his muffled groans and playful struggles.

For only but a moment, they weren't King and Queen- burdened by a crown stuffed to the brim with duty and destiny. Here? Now? In this snowy haven Eivor once carried regret for, they were simply- Eivor and Vili. Two Drengr rediscovering the simple pleasure of shared laughter and playful connection- two friends with everlasting respect for one another and a growing love they fear to admit.

"Ah yeesss, take it in Ergi- Let it be a lesson on your foolishness- Ha!"

He recognized the truth in her words as he stopped resisting and let her continue when she realized he was no longer in a playful mood, "You're right Wolf-Kissed... Im sorry-" He said as she dropped the snow from her hand- Her fingers red from the cold and cheeks pink with envy, watching his calm himself so quickly so... elegantly that spoke to his growth in his time as King thus far- feeling his hands, surprisingly warm despite the snow, brush against her waist as he lifted her to their feet.

The snow clung to him like a second skin, revealing the impressive contours of his muscles beneath his dampened tunic.  A slow smile played on her lips as her gaze wandered upwards, meeting his.  There, in the depths of his eyes, a spark ignited – a look that spoke volumes more than words ever could- The playful battle had turned into a different kind of dance, one laced with unspoken desire and a hint of what could be.

"Later... for that Wolf-Kissed."

He said kissing her frozen fingers after taking note of her seductive glance, "Not necessary..." She responded as a small sneeze ensued tucking herself into her cape to avoid anymore...touching. He chuckled from her candor, "Come on, lets get you inside before you fall ill again. Never thought the great Wolf-Kissed would be so... feeble-" he joked watching her fist shoot for him with a hearty punch. "-Owe!" A guttural laugh rumbled from Vili's chest as he rubbed the spot where her playful assault had landed.  The sound vibrated through her, a mix of amusement and something deeper.

Her gaze lingered on his hand brushing against the reddened area when their eyes met and a silent conversation passed between them. "You calling me weak?" She chimed with a raised brow, circling him enticingly before taking to her mount as they both took off towards Jorvik and back to their campaign against the picts. And as they were trotting through town, the locals were curiously watching- wondering if this would be the day England would unite under one banner, or still be ruled as two separate entities. Excited- to see the two childhood sweet hearts so close. Some even jealous the raven holds the belt of the king himself in one hand and his heart in another, igniting a bitter sweet envy across the land that couldn't fathom seeing their prince loving someone other than them.

"You seem to have a lot of admirers..."

Eivor exclaimed hearing Vili's voice, rough with laughter, drift back to her ears as he pulled the reigns on Bjonir's to ride in tandem, "There's only one I truly need..." He murmured, with a wink. Their eyes meeting and sharing a grin that bloomed on their faces as their playful banter resumed- a familiar dance they'd known for years. Yet, beneath the surface, everything had shifted.  This easy camaraderie was beginning to feel like a dangerous tightrope that was barely understood.

A glance at Vili, radiating charisma amongst his people, sent a familiar warmth blooming in her chest forcing a soft smile to escape her lips, but it was a struggle to mask the depth of her emotions. Every touch, every stolen glance, chipped away at the wall she'd so desperately built and with each passing moment, the lines blurred together, threatening to shatter the carefully constructed barrier altogether.

Eivor and Vili thundered into the longhouse grounds, side by side. As they pulled their mounts to a halt, Vili's voice boomed, "Alright Wolf-Kissed, What do you say we plan a war?"  The playful nickname, meant to rile her, yanked her out of her contemplative mood watching Vili dismount from his wolf, who nudged him playfully with his snout, further shattering her focus.

He extended a hand to help her down with a mischievous glint in his eye.  "Seriously?" She deadpanned, feigning exasperation. Vili simply winked, nodding towards the gathering crowd who wished to see better things than what they were experiencing, his gaze holding hers for a beat too long as a silent plea for her cooperation. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Eivor took his hand with a playful smile tugging at the corner of her lips.  The spectacle, she realized, might just provide the perfect distraction they needed... for now.

"You know... I can dismount on my own Arse-Stick..."

She placed her hands on his shoulders accepting his gesture out of respect for the locale watching, letting her down with a plop as she felt her energy begin to dwindle. "Let's plan a war" She winked entering the longhouse in haste with Vili at her side as the leaders looked to the new royals, genuinely relieved that their first issue was resolved in anticipation for Eivors guidance and wisdom in the upcoming battles. Hoping.... she would make the right decision to unite England.

Although Sigurd was still salty...

Staring at his sister with contempt as she joined them at the war table. "Looks painful." Eivor grinned to her brother who rolled his eyes wondering about only one thing. "Whats your decision little sister, or did you want to use me as a personal punching bag for your temper again?" He clapped back forcing the raven to raise a brow and fold her arms. "Tempting..." She quipped returning her attention to the map whilst hearing the chatters of the horde skirmishing around the halls in preparation of a war as Ceowulf approached placing a hand on her shoulder,

"We do need to know your decision to plan accordingly Wolf-Kissed. Im hoping you would humble an old man and spare him from the frugalities of war-",

A single, fleeting glance at Vili was all she allowed herself before her hand splayed across the table, tracing the lines of the pict map with a furrowed brow. Her father's voice boomed in her memory: "Conquering England is your destiny." A stark reminder of the grand tapestry the fates had woven for her, a path far removed from the playful banter she'd shared with Vili moments ago.

"It could be worse,"

She murmured, forcing her shoulders back and straightening her posture. A weight settled on her heart, a heavy counterpoint to the growing warmth in her chest whenever Vili was near as she scanned the faces gathered in the hall, her gaze finally settled on the King. With a decisive thump of her fist against the war table silencing the room to hear her speak. Many already drawn by her charisma with the promise of glory, but others needing her commitment whole heartedly- seeing them flock towards the King's stage in haste. In that moment, Eivor, The Legend, took center stage. Pushing down the growing emotions that threatened to unravel her carefully constructed resolve;

"I know my death." she says, "I have see it in a vision not long before I came here with my brother and clan- to England-" Eivor's gaze swept across the hall, lingering on the weathered faces of the gathered leaders, then settling on the expectant crowd. The weight of their hopes and unwavering belief in her destiny, pressed down upon her like a ton of boulders with no escape in sight. "-And because of that, I carry no fear. The only thing I hate- is not knowing how I got there or what I had done to deserve it... But let it be heard-"

Confident grins blossomed across the crowd's faces. Some crossed arms, settling in to listen, while others vibrated with anticipation, on the brink of celebration. The raven's pronouncement hung heavy in the air as some began to hold their breath. "-That I, Eivor Varinsdottir- Jarlskona of Ravensclan, can control my fate and make my life as I see fit- to protect those of my clan and my allies... family and friends. I thought being a Jarlskona would do just that, but it seems fate flys on swifter wings that we. So here... Now- Eivor Varinsdottir the Jarlskona of Ravensclan is no more. She will be now known as Eivor, Wolf-Kissed-" She panned across the crowd, striking confidence into them and herself as she goes to announce,

"The Queen of Mercia."

"SKALLLLLLL!" The hall erupted in celebration bringing joy to everyone faces including the leaders as Eivor turned to see Vili smiling graciously and bowing in her direction. She blushed a little, preparing herself for the next part as she turned back to everyone in silence- who all took note of her poster, pacifying themselves to hear the rest. "And....as my first ruling-", She continued, igniting deep thoughts of Vili as she panned back to the crowd confidently, placing a hand over her chest;

"The Queen of Mercia... accepts the King of Northumbrias marriage proposal."

"JAAAAA!!!!!!" The crowd grew in an uproar- a cause for celebration as the leaders felt a great weight lift off their chest, solidifying the forces they need to battle the adversaries who threatened her and England's safety. It was almost too hard to quell them- letting news be spread far and wide as more people from around the city drew in to hear the disclosure,

"But first-!"

Vili held a hand up to quell the crowds as he took Eivor's and pulled out a golden arm band- showing it to the ton. "This is our symbol of an oath between both our great kingdoms-!" he took her arm and moved the cape out of the way, sliding the arm piece up to her bicep. "A token of loyalty and trust.... and this-," He pulled out a second beautifully adorned silver arm band with gold trimming and crystal clear gems that could be seen at a distance by the naked eye- fitting for, not only a queen, but for someone special- meaningful to him.

"A token of our commitment- A gift fit for a woman such as yourself..." Sliding the second below the first showing his own arm bands with designs completely parallel to her own- signifying their union. She grazed her fingers across the delicate artwork in awe from such a appealing sight, "Its beautiful..." She murmured as the locals groaned- green with envy, some even crying whom known the royals since they were children... Relieved that they finally came together as one- as it always should've been.

The unexpected gift left Eivor speechless. It wasn't just the craftsmanship...The way their family sigils, the Wolf and Raven, intertwined in a stunning tableau with the wolf running and the raven hovering above- two separate entities charging through Midgard as one. Here, in this intricate design, their separate journeys representing their strength of intertwined independence, would've taken years to procure as it carried a saga of its own. "The Wolf and the Raven", she whispered tracing her fingers across the ornament. This...was them- It had always been. Their Saga.... feeling her eyes weld when she realized the truth behind their relationship.

He pulled her out of her thoughts by grazing a finger across her cheek as her eyes shot up now sharing an intimate moment with him in the way they always do without realizing. "You went through great lengths to procure this for me Arse-Stick. Are you trying to tell me something?" She grinned flirtatiously, cowering behind their title as 'childhood friends' that Vili has been so desperately trying to change since the first day she saw her in Snottingham.

"I told you... Its King now-"

He murmured, kissing her hand before returning to the crowd, leaving the blushing raven in silence. "England will be whole one day. We only ask for your patience through these difficult times and most importantly.... to have courage. For all those who stand here today....know- that during our rule, EVERYONE matters. From the smallest fisherman to royalty- From Saxon to Dane. I swear to you... no-" He walked up to Eivor taking her hand with confidence as they've done many times before, showing their unity to the ton. "We swear, that we will put you all first." He finished watching Eivor grab the closets horn she could find, raising it up to the Northumbrian King.

"Skal-"

She exclaimed as everyone followed suit, igniting an involuntary feast of celebration now setting aside their worldly problems to celebrate the, 'Reign of the Future'  bringing a warm smile to Ceowulf who finally gets the reprieve he so desperately needed to explore the world as he sees fit- till the day his saga ends and joins his wife and son in the afterlife. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, 'I am no longer a puppet King.' He thought feeling his freedom sore as high as his spirits as he watched Eivor and Vili lock horns, finishing multiple cups of mead to celebrate.

"Come lets us feast!" Ceowulf exclaimed.

The tables filled to the brim, roasted lamb and pig, exotic fruits and nuts piled high. The bard's music swelled, filling the hall with a joyous energy that sent feet stomping and voices raised in song. Mead flowed freely, fueling laughter and merriment for hours watching Vili and Eivor move effortlessly among their people, two figures bound by destiny and a growing connection that mirrored the peace they brought to these diverse clans.

Ceowulf watched with a smile tugging at his lips remembering his own wife in political union- blossoming into love. Now, as he observed stolen glances and hidden smiles between Eivor and Vili, a familiar warmth kindled within him. But beneath the amusement lurked a hint of concern. He knew their hearts, their desires, even as they valiantly fought against them and was worried about the outcome of Eivor compartmentalizing enough to make it all fall apart. He had only one mission now- to make her realize it. He wanted her to know-

That he knew.

"Tell us a story about devotion Eivor!"  Ceowulf drunkingly exclaimed ousting Eivor to embrace her feelings as the crowds agreed and wanted a good story to solidify the night, turning to England very best Skald who holds many names- Eivor the Silver Tongued, she is now.

"No, no... I cant!"

She exclaimed downing another horn of mead before wiping the remnants off her face as Vili picked her up and sat her on the war table, filling her next cup. "Oh come on Eivor- humor an old man- my wife and son are gone... remind me what its like to first experience the fruits of affection-" Ceowulf begged raising a glass to her as he signaled the bard to stop playing, forcing the hall quiet. She rolled her eyes knowing where he was going with this but- carried a soft spot for the old man, bending to his will with ease

"Oh alright..."

She gave into the pressure... although she had no story to give. All she could think about was the first time she had felt passion in a new light as everyone huddled close to the stage, keying into their new Queen and ready to hear a tail of someone who discards love every chance she gets. A fitting story- given the celebration. "Right well..." She threaded her hands through her head instantly thinking of Vili as an immediate blush rose to her cheeks.

'No'

She told herself wanting to keep her feelings at a minimum for a story she feels so strongly about...but it was the only story she had. The only one that fits whats Ceowulf seeks as she pondered- glancing at Northumbria's King and back to herself wondering if sharing something so...sensitive was worth it. She threw a horn of mead down, ready to give this story as a gift, that she will now regale by tale; A saga she shared with the King of Northumbria that still remains special to her till this day...

"Come, Gather round and let me regale you of a tale to satisfy your hugr. My King-" she raised a brow and hopped off the table- facing the ton. "There was a time... Many, many, winters ago. Where a girl had lost everything. Her family, her friends, her clan... From an oath breaker- too fierce to comply and too ignorant to see reason-", She paused now making eye contact with the crowd as she continues her story remembering her early years. She started slowly pacing along the stage with a horn of mead in hand- grinning from a memory that showed itself so clearly,

"The girl.... managed to escape but was later caught on the edge of death herself, hearing the hoofbeats of Valkyries carry out into the distance- coming to guide her to the Grey Land. It wasn't until the beautiful women appeared before her in their gold gilded armor, emerging from the smoke that smothered the air dry from the raid; that the Valkyrie cupped the little girls cheek, whispering. 'It is not your time'... as the Odin sent goddess placed her hand over the little girls wound making a bright white light appear-"

Eivor reached her hand to the sky, reenacting the scene from her own flesh to heighten the story as she continued;

"The girl laid bloody on a sheet of thin ice, reaching her hand to Valhalla- to her family.... as her vision began to fade from the loss of blood. It wasn't until a boy, with eyes as blue as her own that glowed in the moonlight, slid down a mound of snow and carefully trekked across the ice to pull her ashore.... He immediately applied pressure to her wound and took her hand- "every things going to be okay", he whispered, wrapping her in the cape he came with to keep her alive as long as possible, until help arrived... and by the time that little girl woke up- seeing what little remained of her clan, her hugr went blank and her voice- silent.... for many many moons."

Randvi and Sigurd began to recognize the origins of this story, looking to Vili who was grinning to his childhood sweetheart in surprise she would share something so private. His memories began to flood at this time, recollecting the first time they may have actually fallen in love forcing his world slow. He watched as Eivor peaked to the side- looking down at the ground with a chide smile before continuing- building tension between the two royals at an astonishing rate;

"The girl vowed nothing but revenge on the oath breaker- to free her family from the dishonor he casted upon them and the whole of her clan, ready to train as hard as she could for the simple pleasure murdering the bacraut who took everything away from her and when the girl announced her intentions-  it was the boy who pulled her from the ice that stood at her side declaring his intentions to protect her from harm and aid in her excursion. A foolish request from a child so little- but one nonetheless. Her first oath...."

She balled her fist realize their bond after all these years had never broken regardless of distance, regardless of location and now they were here- engaged and ready to pacify an entire country together. Who would've thought- being brought back together again by some higher power she didn't understand would make her this happy as she slowly started making her way throughout the ton and continued.

"It wasn't long before the girl and the boy formed an unbreakable bond- getting in trouble with the clan leaders at every turn, going on adventures that children their age wouldn't do. They were inseparable for as long as 10 winters, growing up together... Until rumors carried of a land so green you could spit on the ground and grow crops- making the flood of norse and dane alike flee for greener shore. The boys clan was one of many that decided to venture off to these new lands beginning the creation of the Great Heathen Army- setting up home here in England due to the instability of where they had been then...."

Eivor's mind began to falter as her heart skipped a beat, remembering the first time she ever felt true devotion. She fell silent and started making her way back to the Kings stage- back to Ceowulf and Vili. Her hair glistening in the fire light as the shadows of the objects around casted along the room some of which highlighting her curves through her tunic. The belt that wrapped snug around her waist made Vili look at his own hands. Remembering the feeling and gentleness of her skin the first time their bodies touched under the waterfall many moons ago.

The mead really started to kick in when he panned back to her and only seeing desire, feeling his breath became heavy and his heart thump forcefully each step she took, hypnotized by the gods sent raven while praying to Freyja for resolve. Eivor recognized this behavior, now realizing the truth behind the volvas words because she too felt the warmth grow the closer she got to him.

At the end of the day, when she thinks of love and the pathway to it... He is the first person she sees as a blush emerged on both their faces when she walked by. She took her place back on the stage before turning to the crowd with a soft smile- one Eivor does not give that peaking everyones interest as it now came down to the part the old King desired;

"On the day the boy set sail, the winds were gruesome- inviting chaos on the waters between here and 'greener shores'. But the boys clan did not care, putting their faith in the gods to carry them to this bountiful land by water steed. A formidable journey across the salt licked seas that wasn't one to take lightly... It wasn't until moments before the boy boarded that the girl finally stepped up yelling, 'Dont go!' when the panic set in- facing death of her loved ones, all over again... The boy looked to his father who gave him a quiet nod before he walked up to the girl on the dock, embracing her into his arms- if only but a moment. His tightened embrace was calming, a place where she felt safe and secure, somewhere... she always wanted to be. He looked down to her, seeing Freyja's tears drip down her soft cheeks as the boy he.... he-"

She paused, looking at her hand as the blush that sat idle on her cheeks rose to her ears, now realizing how in love she was from oversharing. Something she never thought could happen in the slightest, leading her to blame it on the alcohol to sooth her concerns that made the pause last longer than before. She felt her heart start to race from the revelation- rendered speechless, till Vili intervened- saving the night by finishing the story himself.

"He grabbed her hand- calloused and beaten from the sheer amount of hunting and wooden sword fights they battled and kissed it. Like this-" He walked up to Eivor on the stage, finishing his horn of mead before placing it on the table and took her hand, kissing it gently and faced her as he continued, "He asked her plainly, 'Is this what death feels like?' and the sodden girl responded-"

"Eerily familiar...."

Eivor cooed locking eyes with Vili in a nostalgia only known to them as Ceowulf had finally felt secured in his decisions seeing soft grins emerge from their face. The masses hearts beginning to explode out of their chest while others lay jealous from their union. Surmising that this story was based off their past as the King of Northumbria continued;

"The boy had a decision to make, a childish one- to stake his claim over her in front of all those clans who saw the boys clan off or tell her to forget him. But the amount of admiration he held for her-" He covered his chest with his hand and turned back to the crowd who saw the candor in his eyes as he shook his head and looked back to her "-couldn't let the latter happen... and needed to speak his truth." He slowly strolled back to Eivor seeing her eyes narrow and trying her best not to smirk, "He tilted the girls chin with his finger and said 'Well...let me show you what love feels like.' And kissed her-"

Villi hovered before her , bringing her lips close as an 'example' for the crowd, even though he wanted to do this for selfish reasons as her hands went up to his chest, in turn, kissing in front of all the leaders and civilians that were here today. The sudden shock to everyone left gasps in the room as the hall fell silent, watching Vili slowly let go of her and take a few steps back before turning back to the crowd and finish the story seeing Eivor's fingers graze the bottom of her lip;

"- leaving the girl in a storm of her own as the boy boarded his ship. And once they began to take the water steed across the whale road, the girl ran to the edge of the dock and yelled, 'Never forget me!', waving her hand in the cold air of Norway for the boy to see, tears streaming down her face from happiness. She watched as the boy thumped his fist over his heart, mouthing 'Till will meet again', before sailing off into the distance leaving everything he's known... and loved- behind"

Vili panned back to Eivor at the edge of the kings stage grinning widely as he continued, "It was many summers before the boy- now a man, saw the girl...now- a woman-" he straightened his back remembering the first time their bodies touched, skin to skin. His mouth parted as they made eye contact trying not to break their promise.... But the more that they story went on, the more that decision seemed faulty- at best.

"Strong, bold, and fierce-" Eivor cut him off, walking up to meet him face to face, "Reunited again..." He finished. "And both became Jarls- soon to pacify the motherland itself- together, in union as King.... and Queen" Sigurd announced at the base of the stage with a horn of mead in hand. "Skal..." He announced raising his horn high in the sky.

"SKALLLL"

The boisterous spirit returned to the hall. Some clutched loved ones close, while others reveled in the simple joy of a captivating tale. Soon enough, the crowd descended upon the newly-engaged couple, peppering them with questions and overenthusiastic well-wishes for their future. Hours melted away as they patiently soothed the well-meaning throng, stealing glances at each other amidst the conversations however, Ceowulf couldn't shake the pang in his heart for his family.

Deciding to bring the long evening to a close as he turned towards his heir with a sad glint in his eye. "There's one final gesture I must make before we retire, Eivor! Come-!" He announced, his voice cutting through the merry din. A hush fell over the hall, all eyes turning expectantly towards the couple watching Vili take her hand and lead her to the old king.

The old man raised his hand to simmer the crowds as everyone watched intently seeing the Raven and King of Northumbria make their way to the stage. "Eivor, my dearest friend..." Ceowulf cupped her face as her hands went up to incase his, welcoming the loving nature the old King gave in frugality- and truly only to her. "A gift...", He reached for the crown on his head and lifted it slowly, showing it to the crowd first, then the raven herself.

"Heavy...sits the head of one who wears the crown."

He muttered, "It will become a burden- but now... it is a burden you can share-" He looked to Vili and back to Eivor seeing her fall on one knee. "-There is no more need for Saxon or Dane kings. Now sits two who will bring change and equality to the land. May you reign with prosperity, compassion, and wisdom. Though I have faith....you will just do that Eivor Varinsdottir of Ravensclan- Our hero of England.", He paused setting the crown on her head.

"I King Ceowulf, First of his name- Name you, Queen of Mercia-"

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