#Great Northern W-1

[collinthenychudson]

For my next electric locomotive build in Minecraft, here is the mighty Great Northern W-1. The chassis was used from CraftyFoxe's Union Pacific Coal Turbine build since No. 5018 was reused for the coal turbine of course (credit to CraftyFoxe BTW). As for building the rest of the locomotive, the only challenging part for me was to build the slanted streamlined noses on the two ends of the locomotive. But other than that, it was an easy build. Happy Thanksgiving!

UP Coal Turbine tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN9GDd4H0AM

NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT BUILD. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT

[greenerteacups]

oooh please someday tell us what you think of GOT

oh, no, it's my fatal weakness! it's [checks notes] literally just the bare modicum of temptation! okay you got me.

SO. in order to tell what's wrong with game of thrones you kind of have to have read the books, because the books are the reason the show goes off the rails. i actually blame the showrunners relatively little in proportion to GRRM for how bad the show was (which I'm not gonna rehash here because if you're interested in GOT in any capacity you've already seen that horse flogged to death). people debate when GOT "got bad" in terms of writing, but regardless of when you think it dropped off, everyone agrees the quality declined sharply in season 8, and to a certain extent, season 7. these are the seasons that are more or less entirely spun from whole cloth, because season 7 marks the beginning of what will, if we ever see it, be the Winds of Winter storyline. it's the first part that isn't based on a book by George R.R. Martin. it's said that he gave the showrunners plot outlines, but we don't know how detailed they were, or how much the writers diverged from the blueprint — and honestly, considering the cumulative changes made to the story by that point, some stark divergence would have been required. (there's a reason for this. i'll get there in a sec.)

so far, i'm not saying anything all that original. a lot of people recognized how bad the show got as soon as they ran out of Book to adapt. (I think it's kind of weird that they agreed to make a show about an unfinished series in the first place — did GRRM figure that this was his one shot at a really good HBO adaptation, and forego misgivings about his ability to write two full books in however many years it took to adapt? did he think they would wait for him? did he not care that the series would eventually spoil his magnum opus, which he's spent the last three decades of his life writing? perplexing.) but the more interesting question is why the show got bad once it ran out of Book, because in my mind, that's not a given. a lot of great shows depart from the books they were based on. fanfiction does exactly that, all the time! if you have good writers who understand the characters they're working with, departure means a different story, not a worse one. now, the natural reply would be to say that the writers of GOT just aren't good, or at least aren't good at the things that make for great television, and that's why they needed the books as a structure, but I don't think that's true or fair, either. books and television are very different things. the pacing of a book is totally different from the pacing of a television show, and even an episodic book like ASOIAF is going to need a lot of work before it's remotely watchable as a series. bad writers cannot make great series of television, regardless of how good their source material is. sure, they didn't invent the characters of tyrion lannister and daenerys targaryen, but they sure as hell understood story structure well enough to write a damn compelling season of TV about them!

so but then: what gives? i actually do think it's a problem with the books! the show starts out as very faithful to the early books (namely, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings) to the point that most plotlines are copied beat-for-beat. the story is constructed a little differently, and it's definitely condensed, but the meat is still there. and not surprisingly, the early books in ASOIAF are very tightly written. for how long they are, you wouldn't expect it, but on every page of those books, the plot is racing. you can practically watch george trying to beat the fucking clock. and he does! useful context here is that he originally thought GOT was going to be a trilogy, and so the scope of most threads in the first book or two would have been much smaller. it also helps that the first three books are in some respects self-contained stories. the first book is a mystery, the second and third are espionage and war dramas — and they're kept tight in order to serve those respective plots.

the trouble begins with A Feast for Crows, and arguably A Storm of Swords, because GRRM starts multiplying plotlines and treating the series as a story, rather than each individual book. he also massively underestimated the number of pages it would take him to get through certain plot beats — an assumption whose foundation is unclear, because from a reader's standpoint, there is a fucke tonne of shit in Feast and Dance that's spurious. I'm not talking about Brienne's Riverlands storyline (which I adore thematically but speaking honestly should have been its own novella, not a part of Feast proper). I'm talking about whole chapters where Tyrion is sitting on his ass in the river, just talking to people. (will I eat crow about this if these pay off in hugely satisfying ways in Winds or Dream? oh, totally. my brothers, i will gorge myself on sweet sweet corvid. i will wear a dunce cap in the square, and gleefully, if these turn out to not have been wastes of time. the fact that i am writing this means i am willing to stake a non-negligible amount of pride on the prediction that that will not happen). I'm talking about scenes where the characters stare at each other and talk idly about things that have already happened while the author describes things we already have seen in excruciating detail. i'm talking about threads that, while forgivable in a different novel, are unforgivable in this one, because you are neglecting your main characters and their story. and don't tell me you think that a day-by-day account tyrion's river cruise is necessary to telling his story, because in the count of monte cristo, the main guy disappears for nine years and comes hurtling back into the story as a vengeful aristocrat! and while time jumps like that don't work for everything, they certainly do work if what you're talking about isn't a major story thread!

now put aside whether or not all these meandering, unconcluded threads are enjoyable to read (as, in fairness, they often are!). think about them as if you're a tv showrunner. these bad boys are your worst nightmare. because while you know the author put them in for a reason, you haven't read the conclusion to the arc, so you don't know what that reason is. and even if the author tells you in broad strokes how things are going to end for any particular character (and this is a big "if," because GRRM's whole style is that he lets plots "develop as he goes," so I'm not actually convinced that he does have endings written out for most major characters), that still doesn't help you get them from point A (meandering storyline) to point B (actual conclusion). oh, and by the way, you have under a year to write this full season of television, while GRRM has been thinking about how to end the books for at least 10. all of this means you have to basically call an audible on whether or not certain arcs are going to pay off, and, if they are, whether they make for good television, and hence are worth writing. and you have to do that for every. single. unfinished. story. in the books.

here's an example: in the books, Quentin Martell goes on a quest to marry Daenerys and gain a dragon. many chapters are spent detailing this quest. spoiler alert: he fails, and he gets charbroiled by dragons. GRRM includes this plot to set up the actions of House Martell in Winds, but the problem is that we don't know what House Martell does in Winds, because (see above) the book DNE. So, although we can reliably bet that the showrunners understand (1) Daenerys is coming to Westeros with her 3 fantasy nukes, and (2) at some point they're gonna have to deal with the invasion of frozombies from Canada, that DOESN'T mean they necessarily know exactly what's going to happen to Dorne, or House Martell. i mean, fuck! we don't even know if Martin knows what's going to happen to Dorne or House Martell, because he's said he's the kind of writer who doesn't set shit out beforehand! so for every "Cersei defaults on millions of dragons in loans from the notorious Bank of Nobody Fucks With Us, assumes this will have no repercussions for her reign or Westerosi politics in general" plotline — which might as well have a big glaring THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT stamp on top of the chapter heading — you have Arianne Martell trying to do a coup/parent trap switcheroo with Myrcella, or Euron the Goffick Antichrist, or Faegon Targaryen and JonCon preparing a Blackfyre restoration, or anything else that might pan out — but might not! And while that uncertainty about what's important to the "overall story" might be a realistic way of depicting human beings in a world ruled by chance and not Destiny, it makes for much better reading than viewing, because Game of Thrones as a fantasy television series was based on the first three books, which are much more traditional "there is a plot and main characters and you can generally tell who they are" kind of book. I see Feast and Dance as a kind of soft reboot for the series in this respect, because they recenter the story around a much larger cast and cast a much broader net in terms of which characters "deserve" narrative attention.

but if you're making a season of television, you can't do that, because you've already set up the basic premise and pacing of your story, and you can't suddenly pivot into a long-form tone poem about the horrors of war. so you have to cut something. but what are you gonna cut? bear in mind that you can't just Forget About Dorne, or the Iron Islands, or the Vale, or the North, or pretty much any region of the story, because it's all interconnected, but to fit in everything from the books would require pacing of the sort that no reasonable audience would ever tolerate. and bear in mind that the later books sprout a lot more of these baby-plots that could go somewhere, but also might end up being secondary or tertiary to the "main story," which, at the end of the day, is about dragons and ice zombies and the rot at the heart of the feudal power system glorified in classical fantasy. that's the story that you as the showrunner absolutely must give them an end to, and that's the story that should be your priority 1.

so you do a hack and slash job, and you mortar over whatever you cut out with storylines that you cook up yourself, but you can't go too far afield, because you still need all the characters more or less in place for the final showdown. so you pinch here and push credulity there, and you do your best to put the characters in more or less the same place they would have been if you kept the original, but on a shorter timeframe. and is it as good as the first seasons? of course not! because the material that you have is not suited to TV like the first seasons are. and not only that, but you are now working with source material that is actively fighting your attempt to constrain a linear and well-paced narrative on it. the text that you're working with changed structure when you weren't looking, and now you have to find some way to shanghai this new sprawling behemoth of a Thing into a television show. oh, and by the way, don't think that the (living) author of the source material will be any help with this, because even though he's got years of experience working in television writing, he doesn't actually know how all of these threads will tie together, which is possibly the reason that the next book has taken over 8 years (now 13 and counting) to write. oh and also, your showrunners are sick of this (in fairness, very difficult) job and they want to go write for star wars instead, so they've refused the extra time the studio offered them for pre-production and pushed through a bunch of first-draft scripts, creating a crunch culture of the type that spawns entirely avoidable mistakes, like, say, some poor set designer leaving a starbucks cup in frame.

anyway, that's what I think went wrong with game of thrones.

[the-handsome-stranger]

THE GREAT SEA STORY

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LONG 179 30' W. The date was 31 December 1899.

"Know what this means?"

First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line". Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.

He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!

The consequences of this bizarre position were many:

The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.

The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.

The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.

In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in:

Two different days,

Two different months,

Two different years,

Two different seasons

But in two different centuries - all at the same time!

[animatorweirdo]

The Fall of the Sun (Part 2)

Part 1

While recovering from the injuries that had left you bedridden, you remember the past and think of the moments that led you into this.

(Author note: Just a fair warning, I might not continue this fic after this part.)

Warnings: broken bones, drugs to numb the pain, pirates, murder, your family dying in a fire, mentions of becoming a slave, jumping into a sea, getting attacked by a sea snake, storms, dehydration and nearly dying by the sun, Halbrand being a bit annoying, bar fights, mentions if him being in prison, violence, volcanic eruptions, things getting destroyed by fire, threats of being burned alive, angst, injuries, betrayal and reader being self-deprecative.

------------------------------------------------

As you lay on the bed, trying to let your broken body recover. You think of the past, the happier times before all this. It was all you could do besides be wrapped in bandages and consumed by the medicines to numb the pain. 

You were born in a town beside a northern shore. It was a happy little town. You were a young girl, dreaming of adventure and finding true love. Your family considered you silly for them, but you were certain that one day— you would embark on a journey to fulfill those dreams. 

One special thing about your town was your unique neighbor, a dragon. Your people and her had lived in peace for many years thus there was never a fear of her attacking your town. She was a patient and kind being. You had visited her cave many times with your friends. Nearly everyone had a great friendship with her and you all were eager when she shared the news that she had laid a clutch of eggs.  Life was good back then. 

However, everything changed when the pirates came. 

You and the town first allowed them to stay out of politeness. They were arrogant and rude, but since they didn’t cause trouble worth kicking them out, you could only wait and hope they would leave as soon as possible. But then they heard about your friend and decided to commit one of the most horrible acts you had ever seen. 

They sneaked into her lair and murdered her. They crushed their eggs and stole all the gifts you and the townspeople had given her throughout the years. 

When they bragged their victory to you, you all were horrified and tried to chase them out, but then they attacked your home, burned the houses, and killed people. Your family perished when your house caught on fire. You had no idea what happened to your siblings and cousins. You were the only one to survive. 

Unfortunately, you were also taken captive by the pirates with those who survived. They intended to sell you for slavery. Despite your hatred for them, you were scared to act and played nice until you found out they had taken one of the eggs. They planned to sell it to some lord who would take pleasure in enslaving a legendary beast such as a dragon. Remembering your old friend, you decided not to allow it to happen. 

During a storm, you stole the egg. However, seeing nowhere else to escape when your escape boat was lost. You jumped into the freezing sea, allowing the current to take you despite struggling to remain above the surface. 

Miraculously, you survived the storm. But then you were forced to swim in the sea without clear direction, hoping you might find land.  You doubted if you made the right decision, but considering your fate would have been slavery, death by the sea was perhaps better than a lifetime of torment. 

That was then when you encountered the raft and met him, Halbrand. 

The surviving people took pity enough on you to help you climb on the raft, and then he spoke to you for the first time. 

“What is a lone maiden like yourself doing swimming so far in the sea?” The brown-haired man questioned after one of the raft people helped you on the raft and you lay on the wooden flooring, exhausted. 

“I jumped out of a pirate ship. It was either stay and be sold as a slave, or jump and possibly die in the sea. The latter was more pleasing to me,” You answered then looked toward him. 

“What about you? What does a lonely wet rat like yourself doing so far out of here?” You asked, which earned a chuckle from him. 

He first appeared a bit cold but did not seem to mind talking with you. Apparently, the ship he was traveling on was destroyed by a sea snake, and now they were hopelessly sailing on whatever was left, hoping a land would come their way sooner or later. Strangely, he kept looking toward the bag you clutched close to your hips like he knew something. It made you feel uneasy but tolerated it as you were stuck with him. 

He seemed to liven up a bit when you talked more, and he seemed to have taken a liking to calling you ‘tough girl’ just to annoy you. You hated it, but you couldn’t help but admit that talking to him helped you keep your sanity. 

Unfortunately, the sea proved more dangerous than you imagined. You were attacked by the same sea monster that destroyed Halbrand’s ship. It devoured the rest of the poor travelers and destroyed the raft, leaving only you and Halbrand. You did not know how you survived, except you two lay quietly against the raft as the sea snake swam past you.  Scared out of your wits, you might have held his hand tightly which he did not seem to mind until the danger was over. Strangely, you remember him uttering some strange words right before the sea snake left. 

Then the storm came, which caused many troubles and nearly destroyed the raft if you had not cut the rope that kept you down. Then came the sun and you were dying from heat and dehydration. 

Heating under the scorching sun, exhausted and choking on your dry throat. You looked toward Halbrand one last time. 

“You know, Halbrand. Even though you were kinda annoying since we are most likely going to die, it was nice knowing you. “ You said, struggling to maintain consciousness under the heat. 

He chuckled, sweating and glancing toward you. “I knew you were gonna warm up to me eventually,” He teased, his eyes full of exhaustion. “But… it was nice knowing you as well, tough girl,” he said, using the nickname you hated. 

He offered his hand and you did not mind holding it as the sun finally got to you, causing your consciousness to flicker under the heat. 

But luck seemed to be on your side as you two were found by a numenorian ship. 

They gave you water and food to eat then brought you to one of the port cities of Numenor. The ship’s captain was kind enough to share some gold so you two would have a place to stay for a couple of nights while you sorted out your predicament. 

You allowed Halbrand to stay with you, even though you had enough only for one room in the inn. He liked testing your patience and tried to convince you to show the secrets of your bag, but luckily he didn’t push it. Perhaps your ordeal together managed to help you become friends and you two decided to find some work so you could keep the room for now. 

Your mother taught you everything you needed to know about embroidery and the workings of stitching. You had a passion for clothing and fashion. You asked around if anyone knew any clothes vendors or shops who could use an extra hand and you ended up meeting a nice elderly woman named Núriël, who was amazed by your skills and eagerly took you in to work for her. 

While doing a small errand, you noticed Halbrand seemed to have found his place in a forge, so you catch up with him for a moment. Apparently, to work in a forge, he needed to be part of a guild and he managed to become a member. You felt slightly proud and wished him congrats before continuing your day.

Your day went smoothly and quicker than you anticipated. Núriël gifted you extra clothing for you and Halbrand after you told her of your ordeal in the sea.  You were grateful and eagerly made your way back to the inn, only for some numenorian guard to tell you that Halbrand was in prison for theft and causing a tavern fight. 

You were slightly livid as you helped him out of there and forced him to explain. Apparently, he had trouble finding work in the forge, so he stole the guild badge and tried to get into the good graces of the men by buying them drinks at the tavern. However, they were easily offended by something he said and a tavern fight was born. 

You scolded him as it was common knowledge that the numenorians were known as a proud people. Such tricks as buying drinks will only work on those from Middle Earth. 

He then admitted he had not interacted with people much, so he was not the most experienced. You found it weird that he did not know how to interact before returning to your room, making dinner, and then showing him new clothes so he would not look like a rat. 

The next day, you decided to aid him in finding work at the guild. The people there were much calmer when you apologized for your friend’s rude behavior and then questioned about the qualifications to join the guild. Halbrand was slightly offended when you excused his behavior as being a fever from the sea, but since it allowed the men of the guild to give him a chance, he did not complain. 

You instructed him very clearly not to run his mouth. He is to listen and learn when necessary. You were not going to help him if he got himself in prison for the second time. 

He showed gratitude and promised he would not disappoint you. 

He kept his promise as he managed to win over the guild with his forge skills and become an official member, which meant no more stealing or tavern fights.

The whole thing helped you become closer and you got into a routine that helped you adapt to your new life. Halbrand learned to be better at socializing with people, though you had taken on yourselves to dress him on proper occasions. He always teased and joked about how you were his personal dresser. Those jokes always earned a smack or eyes rolling. 

However, you did grow fond of him and finally trusted him enough to reveal the golden egg to him. 

You told him about your friend and the life before pirated. You told him how you could not allow her only child to be taken and sold off to slavery. Halbrand looked at you with rare sensibility. 

“I’m sorry… for your loss,” He said. 

“Will you promise me not to tell anyone? We are better off now, but there is no knowing what the Numenorians will do if they find such a creature here. “ You asked. 

“I would not be able to forgive myself if anything came to happen to my friend’s only child,” You said, looking at the golden egg in your hands. 

“I’m sure everything will be fine by how you protect the egg,” Halbrand tried to play it off as a joke. 

“I’m serious, Halbrand. Please… Give me your word you will allow no harm to the egg,” You said with a tone of seriousness. 

Halbrand was quiet for a moment before taking your hand into his. “I give you my word that no harm will come to the egg or the life inside it,” He said sincerely. 

That promise helped you be easy on yourself, and surprisingly, Halbrand seemed to have become more honest with you. He still teased you like no tomorrow, but he kept his word and did not mention anything about the egg to the outside world. You could not help but admit that you considered him one of your most trusted friends. 

You and Halbrand decided that life on Numenor was not so bad and had enough money to rent a bigger place. You became comfortable leaving the egg near the fireplace to incubate and after three months living in Numenor, the day finally arrived.

You pulled Halbrand out of his forge that day, excited to have him there. You two then watched as a small dragon hatched from the egg. Its scales were golden and big pearly black eyes looked back at you. A small adorable chirp escaped its mouth and your heart was stolen. You placed your hand on the table and watched the little creature curiously climb on your palm. You then snuggled close to it with love in your heart. 

Halbrand figured the dragon must be male. You found it a little strange that he had such knowledge of dragons, but you didn't care enough and already came up with a name. You named the little dragon, Anorion, which Halbrand thought was slightly cheesy yet fitting. 

Your routine changed with Anorion as he needed food and a lot of attention. It became a bit of a challenge as he would sometimes cry out for you, nearly giving himself away to your landowners and other people nearby. Anorion would behave well in Halbrand’s care, but he was especially clingy with you. It gave Halbrand a reason to tease you as Anorion obviously saw you as his mother. 

You considered getting a new place that was away from people, but then you heard some rumors about the Southlands and remembered that you had relatives who lived there and hadn’t seen them in years. 

You proposed the idea of the journey to Halbrand as Anorion had become rowdy as he grew and that you had enough to pay a ship to take you to Middle Earth. Halbrand surprisingly agreed to the idea without much thought and you began the preparations. 

You bid goodbye to the friends you made. They bid you farewell and gave you some parting gifts. You delivered Anorion in a box, playing him off as your sicky pet to explain the sounds that echoed from his box. You then finally set off to Middle Earth.

As you sailed out of the port city, you became curious about Halbrand’s decision to come with you and questioned him about it as he could have easily stayed in Numenor. 

“I did not mind our life in Numenor, but I think it would become lonely and less interesting without you there,” Halbrand said. “And I would be a pretty bad father to Anorion if I abandoned his mother on a possible dangerous journey,” He finished with a grin. 

His remark caused you to roll your eyes at him, but in your heart, you felt warm and a change. That was perhaps the moment you began to feel more for your annoyingly charming friend. 

When you finally arrived on Middle Earth, you bought a wagon and a couple of horses before setting off to the Southlands. The journey was long but peaceful. As Anorion had grown big enough to learn how to fly, you two had fun helping him learn and Anorion eagerly flew most of the distances and began hunting for himself. 

You two would sometimes stop to fish and camp beneath the stars. You once instigated a water fight in a river and Halbrand gave no mercy. It was fun, but when Halbrand picked you up by your waist and you both fell into the river, you noticed how the close contact made you feel nervous even though you had no such issue before. 

When you finally reached the Southlands, you were suddenly stopped by your old elven friend, Rhiwlas. You had met when she first came to your town and you two became good friends so you were fairly excited to see her again.

She had warned orcs had been seen around Southland and insisted she would escort you to the village. 

You did not mind and took the chance to catch up with her, telling her everything that had happened as she escorted you to the village where your relatives lived. 

Your relatives were shocked but glad to see you. They were sorrowful when you told them what had happened to your home and were more than willing to provide a place for you and Halbrand to stay. 

After settling in, you and Halbrand took the chance to sit on the grass and enjoy the scenery while Anorion looked around your new home. 

“Not a bad place. It’s very peaceful,” You stated. 

Halbrand nodded with a hum. “I agree. Thought I am happy that the forge of this village is looking for new smiths and do not require me to join some guild,” he stated, making you giggle. 

“Say… since we are in Middle Earth. There is nothing that would stop you from traveling and doing what you want,” You started, and Halbrand looked at you strangely. “I do not mean you are not welcome to stay. You are more than welcome. I just mean… If you wanted to leave and travel, that would not bother me,” You explained. 

He stared at you for a moment before grinning. “I am in no rush to travel. I think I can come to enjoy this place,” He assured and you could not help but smile. Relief and joy encased you within the thought of him staying. 

But then Rhiwlas came and to your surprise, she seemed suspicious of Halbrand. She questioned you about his past, and then you figured she was just being protective of you. You assured her that Halbrand could be trusted, but for some reason, she was adamant in her suspicion. 

Then by accident, she saw Anorion. You quickly had to introduce her to him and assure her that he was not dangerous. Luckily, you managed to get her comfortable, and promise not to tell on you. You promised her that you would introduce Anorion to your relatives soon enough. 

Unfortunately, your new peace did not last long as the orcs attacked. It was completely out of surprise and you would have lost your life if Halbrand was not there to save your life. Rhiwlas and her people did their best to fend them off, but they overwhelmed them by numbers. You were scared that soon they would either kill or enslave you all, but then Anorion took flight and released his fire upon them. 

You and Halbrand had tried to help him learn to breathe fire and this was the first time you had seen him use it effectively. You felt pride and Anorion’s sudden appearance scared the orcs away, allowing Rhiwlas and her people to finish them. 

The orcs left, ordered to retreat by an orc that looked like an elf. You were glad it was over then introduced Anorion to your relatives and the village people. Luckily, they were more welcoming than you thought and did not mind giving treats and pets to the small dragon.

While recovering from the attack, you noticed the sudden change in Halbrand’s mood. He was quiet and stared at the way where the orcs and their leader left with hatred in his eyes. That way you knew he knew the orc leader from somewhere and questioned him about it. He hesitated first then revealed the orc leader had done great wrong to him, thus the hatred.

You were sympathetic and comforted him, which helped the anger in him to calm down. 

Rhiwlas went after the orc leader with her company and the peace was restored. But then, Anorion became frightened by something. 

He started crying, biting your arm and clothing, seemingly trying to lead you away from the village. It was hard to calm him down until Halbrand revealed that, like animals, dragons could sense when a great danger or catastrophe was going to happen soon.

You began to feel eerie when you noticed birds escaping toward the west and other animals becoming frightened by something as well. You decided to trust Anorion’s instinct and convinced your relatives and other village people to leave as soon as possible. 

You traveled away from the village, carrying Anorion in your arms as you tried to comfort him, all the while attempting to figure out what had frightened him so deeply.

You got your answer when the Southland’s slumbering volcano erupted. The great cloud rose before your very eyes and balls of fire fell upon the earth. All of you ran for your lives, despite having some distance from the volcano, the great balls of fire were able to reach you and cause havoc around you. 

Halbrand covered you while you two ran with scared Anorion in your arms. However, then the great cloud of fire came toward you with awful speed. You were not able to run away as it caught up to you, ready to burn all of you alive. 

“(Name)!” Halbrand yelled. He embraced you as the fiery cloud consumed you and everything around you. You cried out in fear, expecting to be burned alive. 

But instead of being burned alive, you felt something cold wrap around you and then you dropped against a forest ground. 

In shock, you stared at the unfamiliar forest around you. Anorion whimpered as you got up and looked around in confusion as there was no fire around you. 

You then saw the fires and the smoke and walked up the hill, seeing the volcano far away and everything that had been burned to ash. You were in disbelief of what had happened, but your worry for Halbrand and your relatives overshadowed your need for answers and you began making your way out of the forest, toward the destroyed land. 

By coincidence, you encountered Rhiwlas who came back to investigate after seeing the volcano erupt. You then told her what had happened. 

The fiery cloud had most likely dissipated by now, so you pleaded with her to see if any of your relatives or Halbrand were still alive. She doubted anyone could have survived such destruction, but you continued pleading and she finally agreed. 

You stayed in the camp with Anorion and some of her people. They questioned how you survived and you gave an unsure description of how during the fire, Halbrand embraced you and suddenly you were in another forest like magic. They found it strange, but your confusion was settled when Rhiwlas returned and declared she had found one survivor. 

You were relieved to find it was Halbrand who had survived the fire. However, your face went pale when you saw a large sharp piece of wood stuck through his side. 

Rhiwlas explained he was going to need immediate treatment if he was to survive. She then sorrowfully explained that your relatives and the rest of the village people had died in the fire. Your heart sank for your relatives, but you held strong as Halbrand’s survival was at stake and you brought him to Lindon. 

You prayed Eru or whatever Valar for him to survive. You were there as the elven healers worked swiftly to remove the wood piece and block the blood loss. They were able to stable him but he was going to rest for a while. 

You were by his side the days he spent with his eyes closed, praying he would not leave you alone till the day arrived when he opened his eyes and teased you for your tears. You were joyful, but could no longer hold back revealing your feelings. 

“Is everything a joke to you?” You scolded him softly after he woke up and made that ridiculous remark. 

“I like to keep up the smiles rather than despair. Thought having lovely maiden yourself and our sweet child mourn my passing does not sound like an awful end,” He grinned. 

“I thought I really lost you,” You revealed.  

“Well, as you can see. I am way too charming to pass away so easily,” Halbrand said, petting Anorion’s head. 

“I’m serious. Halbrand you are more important to me than you realize. I do not know I would be able to live without you by my side,” You confessed, hoping he would understand what you meant and he did. 

Halbrand stared at you, before gently placing his hand behind your head and bringing your lips down to meet with his. 

It was sweet and short before you broke it off, and he promised he was not going to leave your side anytime soon. 

You were there as he recovered. He recovered surprisingly fast. After two days, he was able to walk by himself.

You told the happy news to Rhiwlas. However, she had begun to suspect Halbrand from something. She revealed how she found it way too strange how he was able to survive the volcano and that he was most likely the reason you were able to escape the volcano into another forest. Thinking about it made you realize how strange it was and that there was a possibility that Halbrand was not an ordinary human man. However, when Rhiwlas revealed that she suspected him of being a malicious being, you became defensive. You tried to reason with her that Halbrand could not be something evil since he did save your and Anorion’s life. Why would he save you if he was evil? 

Rhiwlas was not convinced, especially when Halbrand had begun taking an interest in talking with the elves and suggesting something that could help them defeat the orcs now they had found themselves a new homeland in the former Southlands. 

Then something happened between them and you could no longer find Halbrand anywhere. Rhiwlas revealed that he was Sauron, causing you to fall into shock and denial. You thought she was throwing accusations at him because she was being overly protective. You could not believe the man you have befriended, lived, traveled with, and held feelings for could be some ancient evil from the past. 

Unfortunately, it was the truth. 

You became the unfortunate fool deceived by the deceiver, with no family or place to go. Alone among the elves. And now, a poor fool with a broken body. Anorion was possibly dead, if not, enslaved by the orcs. You could do nothing but stare into the nothing, hoping you won’t end up as crippled for the rest of your life. 

Oh, what an unfortunate fool you truly are…

[uroboros-if]

For Twine I recommend:

- Our Life: Now and Forever (It's complete w 3 DLCs for Cove's Route + a DLC for Baxter and Derek)

- Our Life 2 (currently only a Demo)

- Andromeda 6 (Not complete but already quite long!)

- Throne of Ashes (dark, but beautifully written)

- Superstition Seasons 1-3 (very long w amazing writing)

- Infinite Stars (amazing writing, still not completed yet but you already get lots of content)

- Wayfarer (amazing writing and worldbuilding!)

- Touchstarved (so far mainly a demo but already lots to read)

- A Tale of Crowns (beautiful worldbuilding and Story, w different routes and romances to explore)

- Speaker by Speakergame

- When Twilight strikes

- Hybrid by HeartForge

- The Spirited: Origins

- Atollo

-Blooming Panic (Fully finished w four routes, Discord Server Setting, making it quite unique. Very wholesome game tbh)

- You Live and Fern

Other IFs I recommend (some complete, some demos):

- Mind Blind by @mindblindbard

- Triaina Academy by @leo-interactive-fiction

- Honor amongst Thieves by @leoneliterary

- The Northern Passage by @northern-passage

- Night Market (full Demo is out, had me bawling my eyes out) by @night-market-if

- Defiled Hearts by @defiledheartsblog

- Wolfsbane by @wolfsbane-if

- College Tennis & Merry Crisis by @allieebobo

- Golden and Before the dusk by @milaswriting

- Chop Shop by @losergames

- Signal Hill by @signalhill-if

- Virtue's End by @virtues-end (has undergone re-writing so the demo is a bit shorter but already beautifully written)

- Sentinel by @nyehilismwriting

- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by @doriana-gray-games

- The King's Hound by @the-kingshound

- The Exile by @exilethegame

- Fields of Asphodel by @chrysanthemumgames

- Keeper of the Sun and Moon by @keeperofthesunandmoon (2 completed games, third in the works)

- Bastard of Camelot and Supernaturals in New York by @llamagirl28

- The Nameless by @parkerlyn

- all the IFs by @hpowellsmith

- Eight Years Revolution by @eight-years-revolution

- Vapolis by @vapolis

- Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff (and her other works too!)

- OFNA: Birds of a Feather by @ofna

- A Mage Reborn by @mage-parivir

- Citadel - A medical romance by @bouncyballcitadel

- Buried Love by @buriedlove

- Bodycount by @bodycountgame

- Devilscreek Ballad by @devilscreekballad

- The Fernweh Saga by @lacunafiction

- Eye of the Moon by @eyeofthemoongame

- Novaturient by @kalorphic

- The Soul Stone War Series by @intimidatingpuffinstudios

- Mind Games: Trepidation by @bottlecaprabbitgames

- Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs

These are just some that I can think of and that I really like but for any IF Recommendation Lists you can also go check out @interact-if, it's a directory blog here on Tumblr!!😊

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! 🥹 (Although I am pretty sure all Our Life, Andromeda 6, and Infinite Stars are ren'py than Twine, which is okay since my family member loves VNs/otome as well!)

I've heard of almost all these things!! The only ones new to me, aside from the VNs, is Wolfsbane, Vapolis, Citadel, and Mind Games: Trepidation, so I will keep a particular eye out for those!! :)

Thank you so much for sending all these great suggestions aaaa 🥺💕 I'll also have much to try out myself!!

[lawyerbelal]

Hello, thank you for taking the time to visit my GoFundMe campaign. My name is Belal, I am a 29-year-oldhuman rights lawyer from the northern area of Gaza. I lived a happy and meaningful life with my wife and my family until everything changed onOctober 7.

This is our story:

My life was just getting started. I graduated law school in 2021 and got married to my beautiful wife in 2022. I’d been working on building my house since 2019, and finally I finished it onNovember 24, 2022. Just before the beginning of this terrible war, onSeptember 1, 2023, I finally achieved my lifelong dream of starting my own law firm. It’s very difficult to open a law office here in Gaza, so there are very few other people who have been able to achieve this at my age. Opening my law firm was one of the proudest moments of my life. I worked extremely hard for everything I had. Although I knew that the odds of achieving my dreams were slim, I never let this stop me. In the moments where I wanted to give up, I drew strength from God and from my love for my community, my love for Gaza.

My house was destroyed on October 13 –– our beautiful moments, our memories, and all our precious belongings were all gone with it. My law firm was also destroyed that week. Everything I had worked so hard for throughout my entire life, gone in an instant.We’ve been displaced 5 times in 5 different homes, and now our “home” is a tent that houses 15 people. We were forced to travel from the very north of Gaza to the southernmost area. We risked our lives every time we were forced to flee, as bombs and missiles rained down on us, destroying our neighborhoods and taking thousands of lives. Somehow, alhamdulillah, each time we miraculously escaped death as we searched for life without knowing what would happen to us the next day.

Our displacement journey began, moving several times from one area to another, until we ended up in a tent in the “Tal al-Sultan” area in the city of “Rafah.” You can imagine how difficult life is in a tent. Everything is done with great difficulty. We are forced to use primitive methods to carry out daily tasks. Every day we make fires to prepare food, and struggle to provide water to drink or bathe. Going to the bathroom is a struggle in itself for adults rather than children, in the absence of toilets suitable for human use.

The situation worsens with the advent of summer and rising temperatures. The tent literally turns into a “sauna” during the day, and we suffer from pollution,influenza, and other serious diseases that lead tohepatitis. On top of that,I lost my private office that I had established just a month before the war and my job. I was working as alawyer and legal advisor for many local and internationalinstitutions and became unemployed due to a complete power outage and lack of Internet connection most of the time. I am facing great difficulty in providing for my family's needs amidst the crazy rise in prices. We have suffered enough and been subjected to a lot of fear and panic over the past seven months. The city of Rafah is now threatened by a ground invasion at any moment by the occupation, so I decided to travel and leave Gaza.

Despite how much I love the place that will always be my home, the genocidal war has left nothing for us. I struggle every day to provide for my basic needs because of the huge rise in prices. My wife and I often do not know where our next meal will come from. We have no access to proper medical care. It pains me to say that I am living the worst days of my life. It’s one nightmare after another. There is no life here and I fear I will die if I can’t leave. I lost a brother of mine a while ago, I lost my home, my law firm, and everything I worked so hard for. I don’t want to lose anything else.

Your donations will help my wife and I escape certain death in Gaza by traveling to Egypt. We will then figure out where we can go next to continue our lives, we will go to any country that will take us. After the immense weight of having seen so much death and lost so much, we want to start a new chapter in our lives. Wherever we go, I will continue to do my life’s work of defending human rights and seeking justice for all people. We know we deserve a better life, and we are endlessly grateful for any support you can provide to help us get to this goal.

Thank you for your generosity, kindness, and support..

.

[nopeferatu]

idc what people are whining abt, i actually really enjoyed the netflix avatar series. the costume and set design was really beautiful, the effects were great, the performances were great. i think people are weirded out about the pacing and i understand that, but at the same time, they're working on netflix's budget and i think they did a great job utilizing the important material in book 1 to tell as well rounded of a story as they possibly could. and like sure, i get that it was jarring to see them start at the VERY beginning instead of starting w katara and sokka finding aang like the original show does for ex, but like. idk! i think they shouldn't feel obligated to hit every plot point beat for beat and i don't think we lost anything by establishing aang's background early on. actually, every single scene with master gyatso made me fucking bawl lol. aang's loss is soooo much more palpable in this show than the original one imo bc it lingers on that pain a lot more. there were a few story choices that kinda made me scratch my head a bit, like the fact that teo wasn't introduced as part of the new Northern Air Temple population and what effects that had on aang, but i'm really not mad about it. anyways i give it two big thumbs up and i hope it gets renewed for another season

[weirdowithaquill]

After reading your series multiple times, I have to wonder what happened to the 3rd S&M box tank. Clive was said to be scrapped, and Neil never left the island. These kind of questions would also apply to the other OG Sudrian Railways.

Thank you for your ask!

So, in the story "Construction" from Neil the Boxy Engine, I mentioned that Matthew was initially bought by the Sodor China Clay Works, before being shipped 'to some nation in the Tropics'. That nation was actually Venezuela - Matthew arrived in 1947 and worked in Venezuela until some time in the 1980s, when political uprest led to his destruction and scrapping.

As for the other pre-NWR engines? Well, many of them were scrapped during World War II for their scrap metal, which was needed for the war effort (this was done under Sir Topham Hatt I's nose, and he was pretty furious when he found out, but was unable to do anything.) However, some had more interesting lives:

TK&ER Coffee Pot 3 was sent to Belgium in WWI as a shunter to supply the trenches of the Western Front. He was quite successful in this, and became famous after he helped save a town from a German attack in 1917. For his bravery, he was given the name Lennart and after the war, he was preserved. He is currently at the Musée du chemin de fer à vapeur, Treignes in Belgium.

W&S Manning Wardel 1 worked on Sodor until WWII, when he was sold to the Iraq State Railways and loaded onto a ship bound for the Middle Eastern Nation. Unfortunately, the ship was torpedoed while traversing the Mediterranean Sea and the engine was lost at sea. His sibling, W&S Manning Wardel 2 was shipped to Northern Queensland in 1931 during the Great Depression, having been sold to Queensland Railways. They were converted to 3ft 6in gauge in Cairns, and worked as a shunter around Northern Queensland until the 1950s, when they were converted to a stationary boiler and later scrapped.

Finally, there was W&S Number 4. Number 4 was an LB&SCR E4 class (hence the similarities to the E2 class) and was purchased new in 1898. The engine was quiet, and a hard worker, and worked well on the line until the Viaduct between Maron and Cronk was constructed. They began to act... different, more contemplative than quiet. It's unknown what happened to cause the accident (and subsequent death) of W&S 4 - however, one cold Autumn evening, the engine plunged into the ravine with a passenger train. They were destroyed upon impact.

I know that might be a bit more of an answer than you were expecting, but your question really got me thinking! Thank you again!

[cerenemuxse]

The engines as different basis (EoSR but built different) - 1

(Tender engines as tank engines, vice versa)

From No. 1 - 6 (Thomas, Edward, Emily, Henry, Gordon, James)

NWR 1 Thomas (formerly LBSCR 307, SR 2307)

Class: London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) Class C3 Horsham Goods

Previous Owners: London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway; Southern Railway; British Railways (Southern Region)

Built: August 1906

Real-life Withdrawal: May 1949 (never received a BR number)

Designer: Douglas Earle Marsh

Builder: Brighton Works

Bio:

Thomas is the first tender engine purchased by the NWR, after the withdrawals of the original NWR 1 - 6 (the last one being in 1925). The NWR had believed that they wouldn't need any tender engine power until the withdrawal of NWR 1 in 1925.

NWR 2 Edward (formerly W&SR 5)

Class: Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway (DW&WR) 52 class; North Western Railway (NWR) Class S-W52

Previous Owners: Wellsworth & Suddery Railway

Built: 1893

Real-life Withdrawal: n/a

Designer: William Wakefield

Builder: Sharp, Stewart and Company (Glasgow, Scotland)

Bio:

Edward was commissioned by the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway. His design was altered so that he could run on standard gauge rails. When the merger occured, he was passed down to the NWR, along with Emily, and the NWR attempted to rebuild him so he could handle the new jobs. This did not work out, resulting in Edward having poor steaming issues. He was swapped with Emily, working lighter and fewer jobs.

NWR 3 Emily (formerly GNR 1009 and W&SR 6)

Class: Great Northern Railway (GNR) Class H1 Stirling Tank; North Western Railway (NWR) Class S-S1 Stirling Tank

Basis (Inspiration): GNR Stirling Single A3, GNR G1, and B&ER 4-2-4 tank engines

Previous Owners: Great Northern Railway; Wellsworth and Suddery Railway

Built: 1882

Real-life Withdrawal: n/a

Designer: Patrick Stirling

Builder: Doncaster Works

Bio:

Emily is an experimental tank engine version of the GNR A1, A2, and A3 Stirling Singles, with a wheel config of 4-2-4T. While she did perform decently, she did not perform as they expected so she was withdrawn. The Wellsworth and Suddery Railway took interest in Emily. They purchased her from the GNR before she could be sold to a scrapyard. She worked welled on the W&SR, able to be passed down to the NWR in 1915, along with Edward. She ended up replacing Edward on the express passenger service when the latter's rebuilds proved to worsen his performance.

NWR 4 Henry

Class: North Eastern Railway (NER) Class F; North Western Railway (NWR) Class S-S5 (4-6-4T) Black Five Tank

Basis (Inspiration): NER Class D (pre-1935); LNER Class A2 (pre-1935); LMS Class 5MT Black Fives (post-1935); LMS 4MT 2-6-4T (two-cylinder) (post-1935)

Previous Owners: Unknown

Built: 1920

Real-life Withdrawal: n/a

Designer: Vincent Raven; Henry Stanier

Builder: Unknown

Bio:

Henry was built from stolen duplicates of Vincent Raven's plans of a 4-6-2T, which were derived from the NER Class D (4-4-4T). Unfortunately, these duplicate plans were the discarded designs due to uneven weights on the chassis and the use of a Schmidt boiler. He was under-powered and a hazard to operate. Sir Louis Topham Hatt I was swindled to buy Henry in 1922 when promised that Henry would be the next best thing for railways. This was when the NWR believed that they wouldn't need tender engines to run the railway. After the Flying Kipper crash, Henry was rebuilt into a new class of his own, the LMS Class 5MT Black Five Tank.

NWR 5 Gordon

Class: Great Northern Railway (GNR) Class B1; North Western Railway (NWR) Class S-G1

Basis (Inspiration): GNR Gresley Class A1, GNR Gresley Class A3, and GNR Gresley Class N2

Previous Owners: Great Northern Railway

Built: 1920 - 1923

Real-life Withdrawal: n/a

Designer: Nigel Gresley

Builder: Doncaster Works

Bio:

Gordon is an experimental tank version of the GNR Gresley A1s, in hopes of surpassing the capabilities of the Gresley N2s. This did not work out but served as a basis for the LNER V1s. He was sold off to the NWR, replacing Emily on heavy passenger duty, which was the express service for the NWR.

NWR 6 James (formerly L&YR 506, LMS 11546)

Class: Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) Class 24; NWR Class S-A25

Previous Owners: L&YR, LNWR, LMS

Built: 1919

Real-life Withdrawal: 1959 (BR number would've been 51546)

Designer: John Audley Frederick Aspinall

Builder: Horwich Works

Bio:

James was bought as he was originally built in 1925. However, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt II ordered for James to be rebuilt into a 2-6-2T. This took well over a few months until they finally came up with a decent design. Unfortunately, James' great performance came at the cost of James' loosing his memories.

[citrus-swirls]

I have a playlist for Something About Blood Feeding the Garden. I associate music with books/fics a lot of the time and would love to hear if anyone has any songs they associate with my fic, or what songs you associate with other fics (parx or not!).

The order to this playlist is not in order of how I see it in the fic, but rather how I like how it sounds lol. There is a lot of my thinking behind plot points and behind the scenes stuff below too if you are interested :) I never want my author's notes to be very long so hopefully someone out there is interested in these rambles.

Pesticides Remix - Moselle & Matt Hip. This is where the title comes from, and is the ethos of the fic. Even though it's from Geoff's POV, to me I feel like Awsten is still responsible for the inciting actions and this is Awsten's song. I was interested in writing about the grief process, and how that differs from person to person and how we handle how other people mourn. I heard this song for the first time when V and I were outlining the story, and this just felt like fate and really shaped the story I wanted to tell.

my tears ricochet - Taylor Swift. This is Geoff's grief song. I think he feels very stagnant, especially in part 2 and most of part 3. This song also was a good theme for when Awsten and Geoff weren't speaking to each other.

Are You Really Okay? - Sleep Token. This song comes mostly into play in parts 2 & 3 as well. "And I cannot fix your wounds this time / But I don't believe you when you tell me you are fine".

This Empty Northern Hemisphere - Gregory Alan Isakov. This song inspired the radio station, with the lines "While you were sleeping I was the turning the dials / And I walled up your kingdom with radio wires / And the bells of the choir came in low and rumbling ". Fun fact there was originally going to be a radio station at the Zoo; I had imagined Great Uncle Joseph as this very eccentric old man with a million hobbies, and I wanted Awsten to start running the station and Travis & Jawn hear them and try to find them. But I quickly ran into the issue of...how would Travis & Jawn know where to find a random radio station in backwoods Texas lol.

Something in the Orange - Zach Bryan. This song is for right after Otto and Geoff's kiss in part 1. "If you leave today, I'll just stare at the way / The orange touches all things around / The grass, trees and dew, how I just hate you / Please turn those headlights around"

The Prophecy - Taylor Swift. Ugh, what part of this song ISN'T perfect for this fic? This song is mostly for part 6, with Awsten desperate to change the tides.

Gilded Lily - Cults. This is Aria's theme song actually. I was hoping someone by now would comment on it but nobody has haha, Aria and Owen are meant to be a direct mirror of Awsten and Otto. Desperate, crazy, stupid, with ill conceived plans but enough love to make it worth it.

Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier. I'll be honest this one is mainly because it sounds good audibly with the rest of the playlist and it helps when I listen to music while writing. Take that as you will.

Mylo Xyloto and Hurts Like Heaven - both by Coldplay. This entire album (also called Mylo Xyloto) has influenced this fic so badly I had to include it. Mylo Xyloto is an intro song that flows into Hurts Like Heaven, and Hurts Like Heaven is the first song they hear in part one on the CB radio. I wanted them to have something joyous and magnificent and hopeful and loving. I love listening to this album full blast driving down the highway with the windows down.

Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival. This song has been on every zombie apocalypse playlist I've ever made, and it's never named but it is the second song they hear in part one on the radio. This song is included mostly for vibes.

Button On Brown - Alan Gogoll. Another song for vibes/background for writing.

Soon You'll Get Better (feat. The Chicks) - Taylor Swift. This will come into play......later. :)

As the World Caves In - Matt Maltese. Another vibes song that works for apocalypse/dying romance setting.

Spiral - Flyte. This album (The Loved Ones) is one of my all time favorites. This is Geoff and Awsten in the sunflower hut in part 3, kissing for the first time.

Killing Me - Conan Gray. I feel this is part 3 when Geoff & Awsten aren't talking. Originally there was going to be a huge part where Geoff feels jealous how Awsten has been mourning Otto, and feels he can't compete for his love. And then I was like well that is stupid. But the song stays because it's great.

The Very First Night - Taylor Swift. This is like Geoff and Awsten's love for Otto basically. "I wish I could fly / I'd pick you up and we'd go back in time / I'd write this in the sky / I miss you like it was the very first night"

I Know The End - Phoebe Bridgers. Classic apocalypse playlist song, really.

Polarize - Twenty One Pilots. I'm not sure I realized how long this playlist is until right now. This song is very Geoff to me.

Swim - Maggie Miles. This song was at V's request for Otto. It's a banger. "Roamin' through a dream with an unfulfilling motive / Say you're better now but your mouth fills with poison"

Swimming In The Glow - Joywave. Another song at V's request for Otto. This kind of feeling of perpetual waiting.

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons. This song just sounds good with the rest. Filler. I suppose you could argue this is another Geoff song but that was not its purpose to me.

Vignette - Twenty One Pilots. THE Zombie Otto song. This song inspired Otto having an inner world, this and the movie I Saw The TV Glow which honestly is not a movie I enjoyed much but it did remind me of a fanfiction I read on Livejournal when I was maybe thirteen of a similar plotline, where someone was sick and had an elaborate ongoing fantasy to cope.

Pink Skies - Zach Bryan. This song comes into play in part 6. :)

You And Whose Army? - Radiohead. Vibes song.

Jesus From Texas - Semler. A friend recently recommended this to me and I sobbed thinking of Geoff in this au.

Fable - Gigi Perez. Another very recent add. It reminded me of Nick, strangely enough, which is a perfect segue into my OCs. I love these OCs I have created. I know OCs aren't everyone's cup of tea, and to be frank I normally despise OCs in fics and think they are annoying and filler, but I needed a better balance to make this world truly feel like an apocalypse. I needed a family we didn't know for the Zoo so Awsten & Geoff could mourn safely, I needed a compound of migrants who settled around a military base because that is something that would happen. I needed a matriarch, I needed children, I needed characters who are coping just fine and others who haven't coped at all. So I hope you love them, because I do. And if you don't, well. The fic is almost over haha.

I hope you enjoyed this! Would love to chat if you have any thoughts or suggested songs, or if you have your own fic playlists. Also sorry for the numbering issues, Tumblr made me break them up for character limit reasons.

[alterworldstudios]

Farmers follies episode 1

We all know how this story began, on a beautiful Wednesday morning, Mickey saw how his wife, Minnie, was talking to a rather tall and graceful mouse, who quickly made her fall into his charms. And of course, his arms. Mickey, overrun with grief and malice, took to the streets in an effort to overdose, running into a small fellow who offered him help, singing the tale of Wednesday's infidelity.

Though, is that really how the story truly began?

Because that's not how I remember it, not one bit.

The way I remember it is a bit differently, sure most of the action happened on a Wednesday, but the story itself didn't happen because retro tried to help somebody, nah. That story only happened, because of farmer.

Who's farmer and retro, you may ask? Well.. Allow me to tell you the real story of what really happened, that Wednesday morning.

To start with, this all began long before that fated Wednesday, many many moons ago, where an angel awaited trial.

Blue flames danced around her, her chained up by holy metal. A beast with horns decorated by flowers glared down at her.

"Tenebris." He began. "You are here today after the supposed crime of raising your sword against your own kind. How do you plead."

Tenebris looked up at him, A dull, tired look in her eyes. "It was simple really, I had to do what I could, to protect my daughter."

The beast growled. "You mean the hybrid? You really risked everything, just to let that foul excuse of existence survive? If anything, your sister was doing you a favor." "Don't talk about her that way, she didn't even do anything wrong!!!" "You say that, knowing full well that her existence is a mistake. An error. A lapsus. You're lucky we even allowed you to keep her alive for so long!!" "Just give her a chance!! She can do good!!!" "Good!? When she's driven YOU to attack your own family!?" "I HAD TO DO WHAT WAS RIGHT!!!-"

she suddenly screamed, and fell to the ground, holding her face as blood poured out from the hollowed holes that were once her eyes. "I.. I can't see.. W.. Why can't I.."

"silence, Tenebris." The beast growled, As the flames started to surround them both. "From this day forth, lucky is to never leave the palace, else she'll suffer the same fate as YOU." "p..please just.. Give her a chance..." "You keep pleading for her life, when yours is about to end. That's foolish, weak minded.."

"that's admirable" A new voice called out.

The beast turned to face a head angel, it fluttering in front of them nonchalantly. "You.. How is this admirable, that hybrid-" "could lead to great things, if given the proper chance. It's not every millennia that a hybrid is born, after all." "But.. But what about pan-" "we do not speak her name here."

The angel turned to face Tenebris, giving a slight look of pity. "...as one of the leaders of this fine group, I'd say.. We let Tenebris's daughter live, perhaps as a guardian" "are you crazy!? Have you forgotten about-"

The angel raises a hand, and the beast quiets down.

"... However, to balance things out.. Tenebris, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you are hereby exiled from these clouded lands for your attack earlier today.. But I assure you" he rested a hand on Tenebris's shoulder, as she slowly passes out. "We will take good care of lucky, I promise you that..."

And thus, Tenebris was exiled to the northern lands, and lucky was raised under the care of lunacy, the head Angel who had spared her all those moons ago.

She is unaware of what happened to her mother that day, for all she knows, she was just a creation of lunacy, given a chance despite her strange imperfections.

Over time, she grew up to be a weak yet caring angel, easy to spot her in the crowd due to her right eye, who's pupil was shaped like a warning sign, an exclamation mark resting in the middle.

Now you may be wondering.. How does this have anything to do with the tale of Wednesday's infidelity? Where's the rodent. Where's the boy singing his heart out.

Patience, reader.. For that story, begins now.

The sun started to rise above the clouds, them turning a soft shade of pink from the bright, friendly light.

As the sun shines down upon them, A small angels rabbit ears twitch, as she stirred awake, yawning softly as she stretched. "Morning starshine, the earth says hello" spoke a calm voice.

Her ears perked up, as she turned to face lunacy. "Mornin dad.." "Good morning lucky.. Ready for the big day?" "Wha... What's so special about today...?"

Lunacy smiles, shaking his head. "It's the day silly, it's-" "LUCKY CMON AND GET UP OUTTA BED!! CMON CMON CMON!!!" luckys ears shot up as her friend, Retro, burst into the room, prompting lunacy to chuckle at the sudden excitement.

"Wh-huh? Retro? Lunacy? Why are you-" "ITS GUARDIAN ANGEL TRAINING DAY!!! CMON CMON CMON WE'RE GONNA BE LAAAATE!!!" Retro said excitedly, pulling lucky out of bed. "What!? Its today!?" "You seriously forgot!?" "I.. I thought it was on Thursday.." Retro shook his head in disbelief. Lucky was always so airheaded. "well get your mind outta the gutter and get ready!! Ill be waiting outside!!" Retro said as he raced out.

Lunacy and lucky turned to face each other, and they both started giggling. "He sure is excitable, isn't he?" "Heh, yea he is!.. Although..." She fiddled with her ears, A look of nervousness on her face. Lunacy only smiled, and rested his arm on her shoulder. "Hey, trust me, you're gonna do great out there little rabbit.." "..b.. But what if i.." "Hey now, don't lose hope on it before it even happens lucky.. I assure you, they're gonna love you on the guardians force!.. Besides, we've been training for years for this, and I know that you are gonna be the greatest guardian angel the world has ever seen!" lucky smiled slightly. "I.. I hope that is true.." "Attagirl, thats the spirit! go on! Seize the day!"

Lucky nodded, and gave him a hug, running off to get ready for the day ahead.

Before she knew it, she was racing Retro across the clouds, excitedly running to a specific area, the beautiful Wednesday mornings sun beaming above them as excitement ran throughout the air.

"cmon slowpoke!!!" Retro called out, racing far ahead of lucky. "We aren't gonna make it if you don't put some work into it!" "I-im running.. As fast.. as I can!.. Whew..." Retro laughed, amused at his friends tired look. "Aw cmon, you're a rabbit aintcha? Ain't ya supposed to be, yknow, fast?" "I'm only half rabbit mind you..." "Yea yeaaa... Aha!"

They found themselves in front of a building lined with gold and silver, beautiful pearls lining the walls, shining with a rainbow color. A group of angels were waiting outside, seemingly just as excited as retro and lucky. "This seems to be the place!! Cmon!" Retro called out as he raced away. Lucky sighed,and followed soon after. She always did have trouble keeping up with him..

The angels around them excitedly chatted away, until they were hushed by a head angel, one who's halo was adorned with flowers, A cat angel sitting next to her with a shy expression. "Welcome trainees, to bright morning industries!! My came is aurora, and my companion here is..." "..Ortensia, it is nice to meet you all" the cat whispered, bowing slightly.

Lucky was intrigued by the cat, she hadn't seen souls like her before..she looked so.. Sad,compared to the other souls here.. Though when the cat turned to face her, she quickly turned away, embarrassed.

"Ortensia and I will be showing you around the place! Then once we are done,we may begin training! We do hope you enjoy your time here!" The angel walked off, the crowd following.

Lucky looked on in amazement. She was really doing it. she was finally here, finally being able to train to be a guardian as she always wanted..

Her thoughts were interrupted by Retro, who tugged at her ear. She yelped, and turned to face him, but he quickly shushed her, giving a sly look. "follow me." He said, as he swiftly ran off away from the crowd.

Lucky seemed alarmed, turning to face the crowd. Upon realising that no one noticed Retros sudden departure, she sighed, and gave chase. Somebody had to keep him out of trouble..

As she ran after him, she called out. "Where are we going!?" "You'll see! You're gonna wanna see it anyway!!" "What??.. What is it?" "You'll- aha!!"

They stopped, halting in front of a large hole in the clouds. "See? There it is! Earth!!" Retro said smugly.

"Woah..." Lucky uttered, looking down to the monochrome world below, forgetting the fact they were.. Likely breaking the rules a bit. Her curiosity always did distract her. "It's so..." "Grey?" "No... Pretty!" "You and I have differing opinions on what's pretty and what's not, lucky, seems kinds depressing to me" "w... Well maybe we can fix that when we're guardian's!!"

Retro was about to respond, when a different voice rang out. "You? A Guardian? Don't make me laugh lucky.." Lucky winced as she turned to face the two arrivals. "W.. Well I'm sure I can do well, Mallory.." "You really think the head angels would give you a shot? You? A hybrid?? Not to mention the fact you left the group behind!!" lucky flinched, giving a sheepish look. "I.. Well.. I know lunacys been training me, s... So I have a chance!" "Oh please, don't make me laugh, he's only helping you because-" "lay off Mallory." Retro stood between her and lucky, glaring at her.

"Oh great, its you. Y'know, you should reaaaally stay away from the outcast, it ain't a good luck on ya" "she isn't an outcast, last I've checked. And I'm sure she'll make a great guardian when the time comes!!" "Oh really, and what makes you think-... hm.."

Luckys ears perked up, she recognized that pause, but before she could do anything, she was suddenly shoved off of the cloud. "if you think she'd make a good guardian, then LETS SEE IT!!!" "WAIT, NO!!!" retro panicked, and flew after her.

Lucky couldn't hear them, the wind whipping through her ears made it so that she could hear nothing but the air around her. She tried flapping her wings, but due to a defect in being a hybrid, her attempts were for naught. Tears in her eyes, she braced for impact, her world growing dark.

Falling.

Falling.

falling.

She was falling for what felt like a long time.. Until A new voice suddenly met her ears, a strange flower bloomed around her. "You... Please... Save him..." "H..huh?..s..save who? Who are you!?" "Please... Please..." Lucky looked around her, as a pink hydrangea flower surrounded her, covering her sight, as the voice silently pleaded to her to help someone. But who?..

THUD

She landed in a field with a quiet yelp, the flower exploding and releasing her from its petals. She groaned, getting up and gathering her senses. "Where..."

It was a wheat field, A lonely farm off in the distance, A grey rickety fence lining the seemingly endless field. Looking down, she realized something else. Her appearance had changed, seemingly into a lad wearing a bowler hat and farmer get up. Her ears, wings and tail were gone, showing no indication that she was an angel. "What in the..."

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the soft melody of someone playing a banjo. Confused, and slightly scared, she slowly made her way to the source of the noise..

Not knowing she was being watched.

"boss..." Spoke a slightly annoyed voice. "What do we do? And did you see that flower!? I swear if that cat is trying to-" "calm yourself, ret, I highly doubt that the little... Whatever that thing is, can do a thing to stop our plan." "Don't you think we should.. Yknow... Play it safe and NOT be idiots?- eep!" The little demon flinched as the larger one pointed a spear at him. "Oh trust me.. I've got plans.. Don't question me again, ret." "G.. Got it.." The little demon grumbled, as the larger one turned his spear to lucky. "...if it tries anything.. Ill use a simple curse to get it to shut up."

Lucky on the other hand, was a bit confused. Usually her hearing was top notch due to her ears, but now she couldn't exactly.. Pinpoint anything. Though she could swear she heard whispers..

She rounded the corner, and found the source of the banjo, her eyes widening in surprise.

Resting on the fence with a solemn expression, was a tall, black and white rabbit wearing overalls, A revolver resting beside him. The song itself was dripping with sadness, and he seemed to be stressed over.. Something.

Lucky didn't know what that something could be, but without a second thought.. She ran over and hugged him tightly.

The rabbit jumped, alarmed, then turned to face her, A confused, yet tired expression on his face. 

"...who are you..."

[photo-snap-stories]

PL:

Zamek Książąt Mazowieckich, Ciechanów (część 1 z 2)

Kiedy zaczęto budować zamek ciechanowski, a było to ok. roku 1355, na Mazowszu, które było osobnym księstwem, panował książę Siemowit III z linii Piastów Mazowieckich. Na pozostałych terenach Polski kończył się wówczas proces zjednoczenia, po tzw. rozbiciu dzielnicowym. Rządził tam, ostatni król dziedziczny, Kazimierz Wielki, także z linii Piastów, który „zastał Polskę drewnianą a zostawił murowaną”. Na ziemie polskie najeżdżały wojska z państw sąsiednich, a szczególnie Krzyżaków (Zakon Rycerski Najświętszej Marii Panny) z północy, Czechów z południa i Litwinów ze wschodu.

Mazowsze było szczególnie narażone na najazdy litewskie, które pustoszyły zimie księstwa, aż do 1385 r. Dwukrotnie był palony Ciechanów, który był stolicą Ziemi Ciechanowskiej.

Forma zamku – prostokąt o wymiarach 48 x 57 m – z jednym budynkiem przy bramie południowej (dla załogi), dwóch wieżach od strony wjazdu i olbrzymim, pustym dziedzińcem przypominała wczesnośredniowieczne zamki z Bliskiego Wschodu – zamki bizantyjskie. Miał on podobne przeznaczenie – służył do schronienia ludności miasta, wraz z najcenniejszym dobytkiem w okresie zagrożenia przez wroga. Jedyną drogą do zamku, od strony miasta, przez bagniste rozlewiska rzeki Łydyni był drewniany most, o długości prawie 300 m., łatwy do demontażu.

Zamek ciechanowski był praktycznie nie do zdobycia i nigdy nie został zajęty przez wrogów, chociaż takie próby podejmowali Krzyżacy, czego dowodem są znalezione w fosie zamkowej, w trakcie badań archeologicznych, dwa miecze i inne fragmenty uzbrojenia rycerzy zakonnych. Zamek pełnił wówczas (na przełomie XIV i XV w.) rolę obronnego zamku granicznego, gdyż granica Państwa Krzyżackiego przebiegała wzdłuż rzeki, tuż za północnym murem zamku.

EN:

Castle of the Mazovian Dukes, Ciechanów, Poland (part 1 of 2)

When the construction of the Ciechanów castle began, and it was around 1355, Mazovia, which was a separate duchy, was ruled by Prince Siemowit III from the line of the Mazovian Piasts. In other areas of Poland, the process of unification was coming to an end, after the so-called district breakdown. It was ruled by the last hereditary king, Casimir the Great, also from the Piast line, who "found Poland made of wood and left it made of stone". Polish lands were invaded by armies from neighboring countries, especially the Teutonic Knights (the Knights' Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary) from the north, Czechs from the south and Lithuanians from the east.

Mazovia was particularly vulnerable to Lithuanian invasions, which ravaged the Duchy's lands until 1385. Ciechanów, the capital of the Ciechanów Land, was burned twice.

The form of the castle - a rectangle measuring 48 x 57 m - with one building at the southern gate (for the crew), two towers from the entrance side and a huge, empty courtyard resembled early medieval Middle Eastern castles - Byzantine castles. It had a similar purpose - it was used to shelter the city's population, along with the most valuable possessions, when threatened by the enemy. The only way to the castle, from the city side, through the swampy backwaters of the Łydynia River, was a wooden bridge, almost 300 m long, easy to dismantle.

The Ciechanów castle was practically impregnable and was never occupied by enemies, although such attempts were made by the Teutonic Knights, as evidenced by two swords and other fragments of the knights' armament found in the castle moat during archaeological research. The castle then (at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries) served as a defensive border castle, as the border of the Teutonic State ran along the river, just behind the northern wall of the castle.

[scattered-sense]

Suddery Branch Line

The Suddery branch line is a somewhat divisive one. It's one of the older lines, and it wears quite a bit of history on its sleeve with stations done up inside and out as accurately to the 1890s as they can legally get away with. Additionally, much of the daytime rolling stock, too, is from the period -- Edward (or Alice, I'll get to that in a bit), Emily, and Pauline all come from a three year period of the mid-1890s, and their coaches, rolling stock, and paintwork (a special scheme done to be reminiscent of the W&S's old livery of deep ultramarine blue with chocolate frames and white linings applied to all Suddery-based engines) reflect that.

However, the engines and rolling stock decidedly aren't W&S in origin, and as a region where that was a major industry, that does get to some people's senses of regional pride a bit. There was a major incident in 1986 where a trainspotter north of Brendam became a nuisance to the public and the railway with complaints and attempts to disrupt train service in protest of this fact, and of "modern engines" (i.e. diesels) in general. He was brought on as a driver for two weeks to demonstrate how much more difficult heavily rebuilt and refurbished examples from the 1890s were compared to well-behaved diesels, let alone poorly maintained, ill examples from the 1870s.

Still, seeing the 4-4-0 pulling through Suddery's middle track with a mixed goods train as one of the two sisters idles at the painstaking recreation of an 1898 photograph, paints gleaming, bees buzzing, and vivid flowers swaying in the wind is quite the experience, and the trip from any one point on the branch line to another is never more than a twenty minute one, making it both practical, leisurely, and an experience.

Emily and Pauline were the first NWR assignees to the branch line, being displaced from their main-line services in 1919. They were bought indirectly through a scrapyard, right from the Great Northern Railway, and are both the later Ivatt modified design with larger cylinders and a domed boiler, however keep the Sterling cab; and owing to the low mileage on the branch line, use Crovan's Gate-fabricated Sturrock-pattern tenders as was formerly on the No. 1. Both are a bit... traumatized from the GNR's strictness, and are as such seen as a bit uptight. But they do have their differences:

Emily is the more confrontational, brash one, and that can often turn into bossing things around as she always has a plan for everything, no matter how much she actually knows about the subject matter. Everything must be proper, but with that properness comes levity, and a little freedom to not work quite as hard. She's quite focused on still getting good speed on her fairly short trips, and often goes above the speed limit of the line.

Pauline is the more level-headed of the two. She is a little condescending, occasionally acting like a patronizing motherly figure, but generally means well. Her crew regularly read to her, or tell her little factoids they pick up; she requests this of all new crews. Since 1894, she's accumulated quite a bit of knowledge, and can be said to know her stuff. Naturally, a lot of it is railway practices, safety, and her own limitations, but a surprisingly frequent object of her study is the progression of and many individual pieces of popular music through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. And, in two years, the 21st.

Edward is also an elderly engine, a K2 with a bigger boiler and cylinders surpassing a hundred years old, but is still younger than either Stirling sister. Wise, kind, and a better mentor than Pauline, Edward really doesn't have anywhere to go. 104 is far too old to be immature on the level of someone like Thomas, so that self-improvement drive and inquisition is turned inward. Though even as early as 1926, Edward had some suspicions, and asked the crew to start saying "Alice" instead, unstatedly as a test run. Engines could at the time be an authority on their own identity, but only the first time.

It went well, but the climate of the time wasn't quite there yet. That almost got reconsidered in the '70s and '80s, but even now owing to societal pressures, the blue engine still goes publicly by Edward and he/him pronouns; privately, between trusted friends, and among the other Suddery engines when just NWR employees are present if that, the Alice identity comes out. She chose the name after Alice Liddell, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which her crew read to her in late 1915 for its 50th anniversary.

BoCo really hasn't changed much from canon.

Terry is a British Rail Class 25/3. Brought over in the 1980s, Terry quickly struck up a rapport with the regular crew with bright attitudes and plenty of laughing. When being read a book in 1984, the diesel was intrigued by the use of singular "they", talking with the driver and reader, John Hall, about when it might be used. After thinking things over, Terry decided they didn't really like the thought of being seen as either gender, and adopted the use much more publicly than Alice did hers.

They quite enjoy discussing gardening, visual design, and other such creative endeavors. Often, instead of singing, the usual way to keep trucks occupied on the line, they'll be heard telling grandiose stories of high fantasy lands to the trucks, and John makes sure to bring his tape recorder along for these; with their editorial review, John is working to turn it into a book series. Often, Terry will be lost in thought, even when moving. It's caused one or two close calls, but it still happens regardless.

Barry is a regular on the line, thanks to his low axle load. He's a hard worker and grateful for his second chance, but quite young and inexperienced with goods, as he typically pulled passengers in his service life with British Rail. Still, he's been getting the hang of it. He's also quite protective of his friends, and will be the first to speak up for them, especially Terry who often gets the brunt of it as the only engine on the line to be publicly 'out' with something not well understood by the rural Sudrian public.

One event in 1989 ended up in burns to a protestor and shocked sensibilities at how foul-mouthed the young-for-a-steam-engine was towards a man who was standing outside the Wellsworth station with a hateful sign. He apologized, but not fully sincerely, teeth were gritted. He's just waiting for the day he needs to put Bill and Ben in their place.

However, either way, generally things go quite smoothly whenever the Suddery line is involved, it's one of the most reliable branch lines on the NWR, and certainly the most historic.

Dotted down the line are a few industries, mostly agricultural -- orchards and pastures, but also a cotton mill and a textile factory, a brewery where some local apples are taken to make cider, and a creamery in Suddery. As well, there are scrapyards in each city, with rail connections and their own private trucks. Alice's driver was once a sorter for the Brendam scrapyard, and met her that way as she came to pick up a train once in the 1960s, a bit before her famous Exploit.

Sodor China Clay

Bill and Ben work for the Sodor China Clay company, which is not owned by the NWR in any way. They do partner with them, and Bill and Ben are often seen at Brendam's station with trains for one of the bigger engines to take to Killdane for the pottery and dinnerware businesses there, to Barrow to go onto the mainland for paper production and application, or down the branch line and along the way to Tidmouth as whitewash material.

They're much the same as they always have been, but the fact that they always have a different target whenever they want to really hasn't been a help at all to anyone, if you consider "help" to solely mean "not being terrible".

[ahenvs3000w24]

09: Something Pretty Amazing

Hey all!

After a week-long break, I am back with another blog post. This week we were all asked to reflect upon the most amazing thing we know about nature. Having experienced the two extremes of hours basking under the hot sun in the Greek Islands and being bundled in layers in strong windstorms up north, I recognize the great amount of diversity we have in natural landscapes across the world. Not only did the species and climate differ in each location I have travelled to, but the people did as well.

What has inspired me about the natural world throughout my travels and experiences is how through the evolution of humanity, our relationship with the natural world has changed. 

The Western world is motivated by production. Developers compete with other companies and expand their businesses via surface area or internal connections. Large oil companies in western Canada extract thousands of litres of oil daily and plant a few trees in efforts to reconcile the damage they have done. Our ancestors recognized the natural world has some of the purest remedies and resources one could need and readily foraged for them (Geniusz & Geniusz, 2015). It has been noted that Sphagnum moss (peat moss) was regularly used by the Annishabee peoples are diaper lining for the incredible absorbent quality of the moss species (Geniusz & Geniusz, 2015). Our Arboretum has several berry species and weed species such as Dandelions that can be sourced as a pasta alternative (Ontario Nature, 2017). Some of the greatest teachings from our ancestors describe how fulfilled their life is when they become one with nature. 

While travelling Europe, I appreciated the value of nature that several countries still hold. Italy is industrialized, without doubt, but even through industry, I was astonished by how many home gardens I saw. People see the value in producing their own food, spending time outdoors, and have the appreciation that much of the Western world is lacking. 

As someone who lives in the Ontarian consumer driven society like many of you, we often look for efficiency, regardless of the impact it has on our environment. I have noticed our society is growing increasingly impatient with far shorter attention spans as time goes on. This transfers into the lack of acknowledgement and respect of our natural world. Nature interpretation is the bridge to providing the knowledge and exposure to the natural world and the value it holds (Hooykaas, 2024). 

I am extremely passionate about sourcing from local markets and sourcing my food from nature. I have the utmost respect for our ancestors and the teachings they have provided us. Rather than seeing my walk to the grocery store as simply moving from point A to B, I appreciate the time spent in the outdoors. To summarize, the ability for humans to connect with the natural world both physically and emotionally is what has always amazed me most. This is a connection I will continue to cherish as I continue to learn about nature interpretation.

References

Geniusz, M. S., & Geniusz, A. (2015). Four traditional plants in the Anishinaabeg culture. In W. M. Geniusz (Ed.), Plants have so much to give us, all we have to do is ask: Anishinaabe botanical teachings (pp. 139–174). University of Minnesota Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctt189tth4.11

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 1: Launching into Nature interpretation. University of Guelph. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640015/View

Ontario Nature. (2017, October). Northern Forest Foraging Guide.                                                            https://ontarionature.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Ontario_Nature_Forest_

Foraging_Guide_official.pdf

[smowkie]

finished my second bingo card from @ficreadingchallenge, woo! thanks again for hosting this event, it's great fun! 💗

list of read fics under the cut

1. multichapter fic

Countdown by prairiecrow

Garashir, DS9, 8,090 w, rated teen

summary:

Garak is poisoned, and Bashir finds himself in a race against time.

2. mythical creature AU

beautiful eyes lookin' deep into mine by sarahcakes613

Barisi, SVU, 1,664 w, rated gen

summary:

Rafael hasn't seen his reflection in almost six decades. Sonny finds a magic mirror.

3. less than 20 kudos

I'm Thinking Pastels by harinezumiko

Garashir, DS9, 100 w, rated gen

summary:

Prompt: garashir, magical unicorn adventure.

4. found family

Two Fools And Their Son [series] by Talvenhenki

Garashir, DS9, 5,227 w, rated gen

summary:

Julian adopts a child. As the child grows, so does Julian's family of misfits.

5. historical AU

Our Better Natures by OnlySlightlyObsessed1

Spones, TOS, 1,429 w, rated gen

summary:

Spock couldn't let it happen again.

6. future AU

I will die in the house that I grew up in by justhockey

Buddie, 911, 3,169 w, not rated

summary:

Loving Eddie is like breathing past all of the broken glass in his lungs. Buck can’t believe he gets to have this - can’t believe he gets to hold something so precious in his shaking, bleeding hands, and is trusted not to ruin it. He’s not sure he deserves that kind of faith, but he will spend the rest of his life being grateful for it anyway. He’ll spend the rest of his life trying to deserve this family that he’s made.

7. 5+ year old fic

Letters from the Northern Continent by thehoyden

Garashir, DS9, 7,966 w, rated mature

summary:

It just figured that the first time Julian Bashir set foot on Cardassia after the war, it would be halfway around the world from Elim Garak.

8. fic with no comments yet

Big Medicine by LadyDrace

Garashir, DS9, 100 w, rated gen

summary:

Doctors make the worst patients... and tailors don't make very good doctors either...

9. hurt/comfort

Here, at the End of All Things by sahiya

Garashir, DS9, 17,929 w, rated teen

summary:

He was no one’s choice of nurse, Garak reflected, even if Bashir seemed to tolerate him more than anyone else on the station did. Garak had been trained to inflict pain, not to ease it; to terrify, not to comfort. Bashir had shown Garak more tenderness and care than anyone had in many, many years, and the idea of trying to play that same role for the good doctor now was, frankly, a little intimidating. Not trying at all, however, simply was not an option.

10. fix-it fic

you standing in the doorway by Mireille

Stony, MCU, 1,420 w, rated teen

summary:

The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway / Is that it's you and that you are standing in the doorway - Mountain Goats, "Going to Georgia"

11. genderbend

Magic is the Worst by arianapeterson19

Tony Stark (gen), MCU, 1,354 w, rated teen

summary:

As far as magic went it wasn't the worst thing to have happened to Tony but it also wasn't turning out how he wanted. He was going to find Loki and demand a refund. OR The one where Tony gets turned into a lady.

12. de-aging/kid

Kid Steve by Neverever

Stony, Avengers Assemble (cartoon), 1,752 w, rated gen

summary:

It's all fun and games for Kid Steve after being de-aged by the Impossible Man, until asthma attacks.

free space

Bombing It by tokidokifish

Garashir, DS9, 1,112 w, rated gen

summary:

“Happy birthday.” “I’m sorry, my dear doctor—I think you’ve mixed me up with someone else.” “I haven’t. I know you wouldn’t ever tell me your real birthday, but I still wanted to give you something to show how much I appreciate your friendship—so I just picked a day with appropriate significance in human culture.” “The first of April.” “Exactly.” — Julian wants to give Garak a gift, so he simply picked a day to do it.

13. bodyswap

i'm yours, body and soul by meidui (orphan_account)

Stony, MCU, 749 w, rated gen

summary:

When Tony wakes up in his husband's body at six in the morning hundreds of miles away from his conference, he almost puts a pillow over his head and goes back to sleep because, really, stranger things have happened.

14. daring rescue

come out to the sea, my love by allyasavedtheday

Buddie, 911, 8,035 w, rated teen

summary:

“Bobby,” Maddie exclaims. “It’s Buck.” Eddie’s head shoots up, hand immediately going to his own radio. Did something happen? Is it another clot? Did Christopher call 911? Is Buck on the floor bleeding out while his son watches- “He and Christopher were on the pier.” There’s one dizzying moment where Eddie’s vision completely whites out and he loses all control of his limbs but then a strong hand is gripping his arm and he manages to pull himself together enough to focus on Bobby’s face. “Maddie, how do you know that?” Bobby asks and he sounds calm but Eddie can hear the tension hidden in his voice. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. “A girl with a drone called 911- she sent me the footage and-“ Maddie lets out a hitching breath. “They’re stranded on top of the 136’s ladder truck.” * Tsunami au in which the 118 find out about Buck and Chris being stranded on top of the ladder truck and come to rescue them before they get separated.

15. fic written by someone who follows you

a line drawn in the sand by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli)

Buddie, 911, 5,655 w, rated teen

summary:

When Eddie forgets about a family tradition and can’t get off work early, Buck steps in and takes Christopher to Abuela’s for him. Eddie doesn’t expect Buck to still be there when he gets off work. He doesn’t expect to tell Buck how he feels. And he doesn’t expect to stand up to his parents. But maybe it’s about time he did. Maybe it’s about time he go after what he wants.

16. unhappy/bittersweet ending

Flowers for Julian by peytra

Garashir, DS9, 1,232 w, rated teen

summary:

A late-night conversation about time and gardening.

17. short fic (<1000 words)

Sleep And Be Peaceful by Elemental_Queen

Garashir, DS9, 214 w, rated gen

summary:

Garak comes home late, and finds Julian asleep on his couch.

18. BFFs

I really love you (oh, you’re my best friend) by stellarpoint (pettifogger)

Steve & Robin, Stranger Things, 1,457 w, rated gen

summary:

Robin approaches him slowly. She sees herself in the mirror: still dirt-smudged with bags under her eyes and dried blood obscuring her freckles. She rests her hand on Steve’s back and feels the rattle of his breath under the vest he still hasn’t taken off. “It’s okay, Steve.” He jerks his head up. His eyes are red-rimmed and shining. She slides her left hand all the way around his side until she’s hugging him from behind. She presses her cheek to the denim covering his back and closes her eyes. “It’s okay, dingus. You can let it out,” she murmurs. She rubs her face against his back and slides her hand down the bare skin of his arm. “It’s just me. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.” Or: Steve has a tell for when he’s trying not to cry and Robin seems to be the only one who notices it.

19. pets

Birthday Surprise by PepperSpicedLatte

Saffi, ST: Picard, 100 w, rated gen

summary:

Evie, their beloved cat, has a surprise for Raffi

20. mistaken identity

What Happens At Comic Con by Heartithateyou

Stony, MCU, 1,164 w, rated gen

summary:

So Steve likes to go to comic con sometimes. And just maybe he dresses as Captain America. And perhaps he might flirt with an Iron Man cosplayer. But can you blame him?

21. remix fic pair (worth 2 spots)

out of the mouth of babes (a childish remix) by Fluffypanda

Stony, MCU, 3,745 w, rated teen

summary:

Tony doesn't know how to deal with a child-sized Steve that seems to think they're friends.

22. new (to you) fandom

when you think you've tried every road by firstaudrina

Tristan Duffy/Liz Taylor, AHS: Hotel, 3,224 w, rated teen

summary:

Normally Tristan would brush off someone eyeing his ass but this is different, somehow – like Liz looked at him once, and wanted to keep looking.

23. lyrics title - listen to the song too!

Crawling on Your Shores by Mireille

Stony, MCU, 9,600 w, rated teen

summary:

Compared to the last time Tony was trapped in a cave, this should be a piece of cake. It's really not. His armor is damaged, he doesn't have anything to work with, and he has an unconscious supersoldier on his hands. It's definitely not a piece of cake.

24. slow burn

keep a bower quiet for us by starghost

Garashir, DS9, 20,218 w, rating gen

summary:

Julian Bashir goes on vacation, and ends up stuck on Earth, in the past, with Elim Garak. Things could be worse, probably.

[zponds]

What-If: American Railroads — Section 1: Railroads Still Around

Now with my alternate history of American railroads, it involves and revolves around 20 American railroads…

New York Central System (NYCS)

Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)

Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O)

Baltimore and Ohio (B&O)

Norfolk and Western (N&W)

Southern Railway (SOU)

Seaboard Air Line (SAL)

Atlantic Coast Line (ACL)

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (GMO)

Illinois Central (IC)

Missouri Pacific (MP)

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific // Rock Island (CRI&P)

Chicago and Northwestern (CNW)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific // Milwaukee Road (CMStP&P)

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy // Burlington Route (CB&Q)

Northern Pacific (NP)

Great Northern (GN)

Union Pacific (UP)

Southern Pacific (SP)

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe // Santa Fe (ATSF)