#Harding Icefield

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Reading "changes" kinda make me want to request a fic when reader and Casey were in their 50s or 60s and talking about the silly little things they used to do when they were younger when they went for a little trip out of country for retirement or something.

Getting Older, Too

Casey Novak x fem!reader Warnings: explicit language, getting older, changes in ability (let me know if I've missed anything!) Word count: 1.5k

Summary: You and Casey, now retired, are vacationing in Jasper National Park, but you find that your bodies aren't quite as capable as they used to be.

NOTE: For any who don't know, Jasper National Park has just experienced a devastating wildfire. I went hiking in Jasper in 2022, and it's truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, so I wanted to pay tribute here.

You shivered against the morning chill as you looked out over the Athabasca River, a light fog coming off of it, pinpricked by early morning sun. Decades later, and you still couldn’t manage to sleep in like Casey did, even on vacation. It was colder here in Jasper National Park than you’d expected, though it often warmed considerably by midday.

You groaned as you lowered yourself into an Adirondack chair, wishing you’d brought more than a sweatshirt to keep warm out here. But you didn’t want to go in and wake up Casey, either. She would never admit it, but she tired more easily than you these days. She was, after all, almost ten years older than you. And neither of you were spring chickens. She’d retired last year, finally, but still freelanced on the side. But one of the perks of both of you being in retirement was that there were now no limits to your vacations. You’d already spent two weeks in Banff and had decided to extend your trip into Jasper and drive the Icefields Parkway.

But Casey was tired, bone tired, you could tell. You’d gotten some good hikes in, but she’d pushed herself too far yesterday. She’d insisted you go to all six bridges along the Maligne Canyon loop, even though the sixth bridge added a solid 2.5 miles round trip. You’d made it, but you’d both been exhausted by the end, and Casey had conked out in bed before you even had dinner and had been asleep ever since.

You shook your head and smiled to yourself thinking about her. Fiery, stubborn Casey. Just as hard-headed as she’d been when you met her playing rec league softball 29 years ago. Her hair was gray now instead of red, but just as pretty, as you told her again and again. It wasn’t that she’d softened over the years exactly. She’d still fight someone if the situation called for it; it was that she’d grown more accustomed to laughter and joy, that she let herself now, sometimes, expect the best instead of the worst. She gave herself time to rest and savor and appreciate things.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, breathing deeply to inhale the scent of the pine trees. It really was cold out here. You thought about going to the property’s restaurant for a cup of coffee instead as an alternative to waking Casey with the noisy drip machine in your chalet. But then you’d have to purchase the all-inclusive breakfast and damned if you were going to spend $25 to get a cup of coffee and a croissant.

“You’re up early,” Casey observed, coming into view, her voice still rough with sleep.

“No, you’re up early,” you argued, smiling softly at her. “I’m always up at this time.”

“Here, take this,” she said, handing you a steaming mug of coffee.

“God, I love you.”

“Wait! This one too.” Casey handed you another cup of coffee and you looked at her, confused. “Now lift your arms up.”

“Why?” you asked, but obliged, trying not to spill from either coffee mug.

She grabbed a blanket from over her shoulder and tucked it around you so that only your head and arms peeked out, then settled herself in the chair next to yours with her own blanket.

“Okay,” she said, getting comfortable, holding out her hand for her coffee.

You beamed at her. “You really are the love of my life, you know that?”

She sipped from her mug and patted your hand. “It’s been thirty years, honey. I should hope so.”

She groaned a bit in her seat, wincing as she shifted her weight.

“You alright?” you asked. When she didn’t answer, you raised your eyebrows and leaned toward her. “Hmm… you know, one might think that maybe, just maybe, you overdid it yesterday? Even though your beautiful, smart wife said during the hike, ‘Casey, my love, you seem tired. Maybe we shouldn’t do all six bridges.’”

Casey shot you an amused glare. “You know, it’s incredible that my beautiful, smart wife, after thirty years in New York, still can’t dress appropriately for the weather and would, likely, freeze to death without me.”

“Touché.” You shrugged.

You sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping your coffee, enjoying the early morning sun and the quiet and the gurgling of the river below you.

You took Casey’s free hand and ran your thumb in circles over the wrinkles there. She’d been so self-conscious of them when they started to show, but you told her they were beautiful, like the rings of a tree trunk. They showed her growth and what she’d been through, and you loved them.

“Are you really okay, though?” you ventured.

She shrugged. “I’m pretty sore, but I’ll be alright.”

“We don’t have to hike today. We could just take it easy.”

Casey shook her head. “I don’t want to miss it. We only have so much time here, you know? When in Rome… or Jasper, I guess.”

“Hey,” you said, struggling against the chair so you could sit up and place your hand on Casey’s cheek. “The trails will still be there tomorrow. If your body needs to rest, we should rest. I’m sore, too. I’m not gonna be mad about a day lounging around in the mountains with you.”

Casey still didn’t look convinced.

“We could go to the hot springs, we haven’t been there yet. Or to that fancy hotel spa and get massages…” you suggested.

Casey scoffed. “You hate massages.”

“I do, but you’re sore, so…”

Casey sighed, taking another sip of coffee and squeezing your hand. “I just don’t want to hold you back, honey,” she said quietly.

“Are you kidding me!?” You gestured toward the mountains in front of you, the river, the forest. “Casey, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. I’d be too scared to go alone. You don’t hold me back, love. You move me forward.”

Casey looked like she might cry. “I hate getting old sometimes,” she muttered.

You wished so badly that Casey could see herself the way you did–strong and capable and brave and full of life. Yes, it was hard to grow old. Yes, it was frustrating that your body–and hers–could no longer do all the things they’d done before. But it had been in exchange for a life truly worth living–and you were still living it!

“Do you remember our first hike together?” you asked her, trying to lighten her mood. “When we went camping in the Catskills with your parents?”

She cracked a smile. “Yeah. God, you were so scared.”

You’d happily be the butt of the joke this morning to get Casey out of her head. “Okay,” you protested playfully. “Well, in my defense, we did get lost.”

Casey’s eyes lit up, the way they always did before she laughed. “We weren’t lost. I took us on an alternate route.”

“An alternate route!?” You’d had this argument so many times that it was like reading a script, like watching a favorite comedy over and over again or the well-worn pages of a favorite book. “To the side of the highway where we had to call an Uber to take us back to the campsite?”

She chuckled and shrugged. “I got us back, didn’t I!?”

“God!” you exclaimed, feigning frustration even as you grinned ear to ear, even you as you held her face in your hands. “You were such a stubborn asshole. You’re still a stubborn asshole.” You sighed, rubbing your thumb over her dimpled cheek. “Look, today’s hike was gonna be at Maligne Lake, right?”

She nodded, sadness briefly overtaking her face again.

“I’m pretty sure they have a boat tour,” you continued. “Why don’t we do that instead?”

Casey looked like she was ready to fight you on it, so you leaned forward and kissed her, in love with the little noise of surprise she made, as if it was your first kiss again and not your ten thousandth.

“Please?” you needled as you broke apart, giving her your most convincing smile and biggest eyes. “For me?”

Even before she kissed you again, you could tell you’d won her over. She patted your cheek. “For you. Not for me,” she insisted, holding onto your hand as she sipped her coffee.

You smiled and held your coffee close to your chest. So stubborn, your wife. Stubborn and passionate and beautiful and funny and everything you’d wanted in a partner and more. You’d spent almost thirty years of your life–a full half of it–with Casey. You knew she was struggling with getting older, and you knew there’d come a time when you’d struggle, too. But right now, you were just excited. Excited for whatever future you had left, the years of uninterrupted joy and travel and fun. The big moments and the little moments together. It could only get better from here and, god, it was already so good.

“I love you, Case,” you whispered, your voice breaking through the quiet sounds of nature that surrounded you.

She lifted your hand and brought it to her lips, and no words were needed.

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 8-Unsinkable

Day 8-Impact 

Other Stories

Other Days

The sea was smooth as glass and no moon hung in the sky, leaving the young liner feeling as if there was no end to the ocean she plowed through.  If not for her wireless, she would have been utterly convinced she was utterly alone in the darkness. But off in the distance she felt the other ships that had been equipped with the system. A relief, her wireless had broken earlier in the voyage and even now her wireless operators were working around the clock to catch up on messages.

Californian’s wireless operator, only a short distance away messaged Philips.

“Say, old man, we are stopped and surrounded by ice.” 

 “Shut up! Shut up! I am busy. I am working Cape Race.” Philips snapped back. The liner winced, she knew he was overworked, but that was no excuse for rudeness. Plus Californian was so close…and Jack had not informed the bridge of Mesaba’s warning either…

‘Sorry,’ she sent out to Californian, ‘he's been working round the clock since they fixed the wireless.’

Californian took a second to respond, ‘ah, maiden voyage troubles?’

The liner winced, ‘yes, they took most of the other day fixing it, and are still trying to catch up ‘

Californian chuckled, ‘my operator says he understands, but asks you to remind him of decorum once he's had sleep.’

‘of course,’ the liner agreed easily.

As Jacks paused to wipe his brow, Titanic asked him, ‘do you want me to inform the bridge of the ice warnings?’

“No.” He sighed, ‘I’ll take them in a moment. They already know theres ice, so theres no rush.”

Titanic hesitated, Californian was very close, but her crew were the best White Star Line had to offer. Mr.Phillips had been at sea for years  If he said it was fine, who was she to argue.

She chatted with Californian and the other ships around her, glad they could communicate without interrupting their operators. As the night wore on, she was getting restless. Mr. Philips had yet to take the messages to the bridge. He had probably forgotten, she would remind him when he next paused. She overheard Californian say she was about to shut down her wirless for the night.

She looked out ahead anxiously. 

 She hadn’t been ordered to slow, and she was still racing west, towards the icefields. She shook her head, the crew knew what they were doing, they wouldn't put her in danger needlessly. Everything was clear, she could probably…

She strained as she looked forward, why weren't there stars…

Clang Clang Clang the look outs bell rang as they spotted the same gap in the stars she had.

Even as the lookouts rang the bridge she focused aft. She was only weeks old. The older ships had told her it would take months or years before she would learn to override her controls. Learning the thousands of pieces of your body was not something that could be done in a voyage. But she was no ordinary ship, and her passengers and crew were depending on her 

The machinery groaned as she focused on overcoming the controls.

She was the pride of the White Star Line.

Her rudder slowly, painfully began to turn.

She was the largest ship ever built.

Inch by agonizing inch the rudder moved away from the center line.

She was the pride of Harland and Wolff.

Her rudder finally swung freely as the Bridge ordered her hard over and she was no longer having to fight her controls.

This was her maiden voyage, it would not be her last.

Her bow slowly swung port, but the berg was large.

Her watertight compartments finished closing, all that was left was to brace as the ice loomed alongside her. 

SCREEEAAACHHH…

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!’ the liner was unable to keep her cry of sudden pain from her wireless and the other ships fell silent.

First Officer Murdoch ordered the rudder swung Hard-a-port and she instinctively swung it, swinging herself clear.

The wireless was filled with ships asking if she was okay, but she couldn't process them through the dread of feeling her forward compartments filling with water.

Captain Smith strode onto the bridge, “What have we struck?”

“An iceberg sir.”

“Close the watertight doors.”

“Already done sir.”

“There's water in my forward four compartments,” the liner spoke with quiet horror.

“Are you certain?” Captain Smith asked urgently.

“Yes sir. The other ships are asking if I'm okay...”

Captain Smith was quiet for a long moment, “tell them to come at once.” He said solemnly. 

Titanic turned her attention back to the wireless and the ships calling to ask if she was fine, barely noticing the Captain set off to look for Mr.Andrews. She took a deep breath.

“C.Q.D. C.Q.D. S.O.S. S.O.S.” the other ships fell gravely silent.

“This is R.M.S. Titanic, I have struck a berg and my forward four compartments are flooding.”

Californian swore, ‘my engines are down for the night, it’ll take at least two hours for me to get started even if I can get through the ice.”

The other ships chimed in, feeling their distance from the stricken liner. Its soon revealed the Cunarder R.M.S. Carpathia was their best hope, 58 nautical miles away.

Captain Smith strode back onto the bridge, his face grim, Thomas Andrews, her designer followed him.

“R.M.S. Carpathia is on the way sir.” Titanic said quietly.

“How far out?”

“She thinks she can make it in just under four hours.”

Captain Smith turned to Mr. Andrews, “can we hold out that long?”

The crew on the bridge and the liner held their breath for the verdict.

“It is close…but she shouldn't founder.” He finally said, “I ran the calculations three times to be sure, and the watertight doors should hold. Had we lost another compartment, we would have lost her.”

“What are your recommendations?” Captain Smith asked after a long moment.

“Keep her in place until Carpathia arrives. We’ll need to lighten her as much as we can before we can consider attempting a tow.”

Her designer glared at the assembled crew, “make no mistake, she escaped foundering by mere feet. The safest ship in the world was nearly sunk on her maiden voyage. Had your reflexes been any slower…”

The silence was deafening and uncomfortably long.

“She saved herself,” Mr. Murdoch finally said quietly, “her bow was beginning to turn even as I gave the order.”

“It hurt.” Titanic said quietly, watching the water lap higher and higher on her bow.

Captain Smith and Mr.Andrews exchanged glances, “you shouldn't have been able to at all.” The designer said with concern, “Olympic only figured out her rudder on her third trip, and that was unusually quick.”

“I couldn't fail.” The stricken liner said softly, “not on this.”

“And you didn't,” Captain Smith gripped the bridge railing firmly, “your performance tonight can't be faulted, unlike our own.”

‘...mpic calli…Tit…Oly…please ans…’

Titanic strained her wireless, searching for the signal.

“Olympic is trying to reach us.” She informed the bridge.

“Talk with her, let her know what has happened,” the Captain ordered, “we'll look into repairs and begin preparing to transfer the passengers. Mr. Philips is already coordinating with Carpathia, you’ve done what you can. Let her know you're safe.”

“Yes sir, thank you.”

‘...ympic to Tita….come in...blast it all!...R.M.S. Oly…’

Titanic stretched out her wireless, feeling the power coursing through the system as she stretched for her sister.

‘R.M.S. Titanic to R.M.S. Olympic…’

‘Titanic! Are you okay? They're saying you're hurt!’ Olympic replied instantly.

‘...Mr.Andrews says I’ll remain afloat.’

‘I’ve set course for you, and my head engineer is waking all my stokers. How badly are you damaged?’

‘My forward four compartments are flooding.’ she winced at the silence after the response.

‘what.’ Olympic’s tone was clipped.

Titanic winced, “We’d heard there was ice earlier and had diverted south. We received more warnings but when I asked if I should tell the bridge my wireless operator said he would take them to the bridge. Before he could I spotted the berg.”

Carpathia continued before Olympic could respond, ‘ We heard her cry out from hitting the berg about 11:40. A minute later she sent out a distress call that her forward four were flooding. I’ll be the first to arrive just under four hours from now, Californian is closer but her boilers were already cold.’

‘What? Did they have you running at full speed to cause that kind of damage?’ Olympic snarked.

Titanic suddenly wanted very badly to cut off her wireless.

The silence after her question did little to dissuade the feeling.

‘Titanic,’ Baltic asked, how fast were you going when you saw the berg.’

‘well I…’

‘Little sister.’

‘yes Olympic?’

‘Answer the question.’

‘22 knots’

Olympic swore, a word Titanic hadn't heard even from the shipyard workers. More than one ship agreeing with the normally restrained liner's unexpected vulgarity at the information

‘Try not to use that word,’ Baltic told Titanic calmly, ‘even if I must say it is justified in this case.’

‘Justified?’ Caronia swore, ‘her bloody incompetent crew drove her full steam into an iceberg!’

“Oi!” Titanic barked, unintentionally startling many of the crew on her bridge.

‘No, no.’ Baltic sighed, ‘I’m afraid she's the right of it,’

“My captain and crew…’

‘Were mine before you and your sister were even conceived, much less built.’ Baltic said firmly, ‘and as such were more than experienced enough to have known better. You were not. Their job is to teach you to sail safely, not endanger you.’

‘Liners maintain their schedules,’ Titanic protested. ‘none of you slow for ice.’

‘And if it was one of us it would be understandable. We have years of experience spotting ice. You have mere days.’ Baltic answered mildly. ‘They have our experience,  vision, and reflexes to rely on beyond their own to keep us safe. It may be true your crew were unaware of the true extent of the ice, but even that can be blamed on your wireless officer not having you inform the bridge of the warnings he received.’

‘If I was to guess, you spotted the berg around the same time as your lookouts?’ Olympic asked gently.

‘I saw it slightly earlier, but they knew what we were seeing first.’ Titanic admitted.

‘Exactly.’ Olympic said, ‘had it been me instead of you, I would have spotted the berg earlier and understood what I was seeing quicker, simply because I know what to look for, especially on a night like tonight. I also could have forced my rudder over without having to wait for my crew.”

‘She didn't.’ Caronia interjected.

‘Pardon?’ Olympic asked, confused.

‘if what her wireless operator says is true,’ Caronia explained, ‘the young lass managed to begin forcing her rudder over before the order was given. It's the only reason the damage wasn't worse.’

‘You…you managed to force your rudder over?’ Olympic was clearly taken aback.

‘Only partly,’ Titanic shifted uncomfortably, ‘I did what I could but it was harder than I thought to do. I only managed a few degrees and it hurt to do that.’

The air was silent for a long moment.

‘I’m so proud of you little sister.’ Olympic said suddenly but with heavy feeling, causing Titanic to blush.

‘Aye,’ Baltic agreed, ‘despite your crews poor judgment, you rose to the occasion when called. You've done us all very proud.’

The other ships chimed in with agreement.

Before Titanic could even hope to come up with a response to that, Captain Smith came to the railing he normally spoke to her from. “Is everything alright Titanic?’

She hesitated but told him, “the other ships aren't happy with the situation sir. They think I wasn't experienced enough to run the ice field at full speed.”

The captain sighed, “You mean they realized we risked you unnecessarily.”

“Sir…”

“They are right.” He said firmly. “I allowed our pride and confidence in your abilities to cloud my judgment. You were on your first voyage, and we should have taken far better care of you. It was only your quick reaction that saved us.” He patted her bridge railing. “It was enough to save us, but it should not have been necessary.”

He paused, “you may have not been unsinkable my dear, but you were enough, and that is more than anyone should have asked of you.”

He walked away, leaving Titanic to her thoughts and the sounds of the other ships on the wireless. She sighed, it would be a long night.

[ruthlesslistener]

could you give like a brief explanation of who your OCs are? I know around nothing about them so it's hard to send these oc ask game asks

Lemme try to do a brief rundown without eating up my entire night hdhfhhd

Non-fandom ocs:

-Takhanobou: the guy in my icon, a young male fire dragon who was intentionally overcooked in the egg to be epigenetically activated into a morph usually only seen in his land's past, where the volcanoes were active and resources were much more scarce/fickle (though the dragons ofc didn't know this, and just call the condition 'fireborn'). This essentially just means that he's got darker, shinier scales, more intense firebreath, and dragon autism, but it's seen as a curse of uncanny strength in modern draconic 'society', where more social groupings are common. This overcooking was done because the earth had a global cooling event due to increased volcanic activity that led to the expansion of the volcanic isles his tribe lived on paired with the expansion of the southern icefields that a polar-bear like tribe of ice dragons lived on, and the famine + territory quibbles led to a small subsection of fire dragons blaming those ice dragons for their troubles and deciding that the best way to solve the problem was to just wipe the whole tribe out. His mother, Verada, was a queen who lost all of her mates and all but one of her clutches to the famine, and so her thought with Takhanobou was that she was going to make a supersoldier who would save their tribe and restore her honour by destroying the last of the ice dragons. (The fire and ice titles are placeholder names btw, they just are the elements associated with their habitats. I'm still working on names)

Needless to say, it didn't work, and a bit of an oopsie from Taki led to the death of her favorite son as well as his exile, as killing a grown hatchmate was forbidden. Now Takhanobou has to learn who he is outside of being a weapon- and just how much of his sheltered worldview was wrong

-Theodonalus: okay my phonescreen is tacky and my cat is yowling at my bedroom door so i'm not gonna get an alcohol wipe to clean it so typing is less of a nightmare. Leucistic greyhound of a dragon with stunted wings, this is a 2x combo of Bad Mutation in his tribe because they're very flight-oriented migratory guys and flashy colours and patterns is essential for individual recognition and mate selection. To prove to them that he's not a dead drake walking, he walks one leg of the migratory paths out of spite, where he meets Takhanobou and basically bullies him into acting as a watchdog by besting him in a fight (as Taki never fought someone well-fed and half his size before). They become mates as their journey continues, and shenanigans happen along the way

-Ritha: Same world, 2,000 years later, humans have arrived and she is one of them. Orphan girl from a shunned community proves her worth to settled society via yakherding apprenticeship, becomes a dragonrider by accident when her ceremonial presentation of her 2nd best bull at the dragon-picking ceremony ends with one of the dragons choosing her. Chaos ensues. She wants no part in any of it

-Rhyerron: Her dragon (or rather, she's his human. Dragons keep humans as pets, pretty much, that's the entire source of the bond). Young teenage drake who's seen as an omen of great change bc he's the first true leucistic dragon since Theodonalus. Oblivious to what this means in society, just wants to hang out with his human and do teenage boy things

-Ja'kari: Same verse and era as Ritha, one of the actual contestants involved and an ambassador from his kingdom (honourably kicked out bc he was a palace guard who was in a secret relationship to the crown prince). Jovial and laid back dude with lots of internal turmoil, was picked by a much older dragoness who already had several riders in her past and is Ritha's only friend among the riders

-Cirralli: Ja'kari's dragon. Very stoic, secrative, and silent type. Ruby-red scales, turquoise mane, cream and black markings. Full of Secrets(tm)

Fandom ocs:

-Aeris Sharphawk: Multifandom (Bloodborne, Destiny 2, DnDestiny, potentially the same verse as Ritha and Taki but way earlier in the timeline), though his Destiny iterations post-guardianhood are way different from each other. Autistic awkward 6'3 beanpole of a man who loves his sister and is a scarily efficient living weapon with a curiosity streak that can kill gods. He's a creepy motherfucker who looks like a vampire and has a dead-eyed stare that can make a serial killer run screaming, but he's genuinely just a chill guy when no horrific trauma is involved or hot men are involved (that's when his freak mode gets activated). Very cat/snake coded kinda guy, currently my favorite oc. Lots of stuff with him on my Destiny 2 sideblog, @ahamkara-apologist

-Marcelline Attenbough: Multifandom, same ones. His younger half-sister, an absolute firebrand of a woman with a very strong sense of justice and a huge weakness for big buff women. Marcie is a caring sort by nature who fusses over Aeris almost as much as he's protective over her (though it should be noted that Aeris DOES require a caretaker; he's not high-functioning enough to last long without one) and is genuinely a sweet, playful sort of gal, but she has a quick temper and is not always the most logical about using it- she's a great dipomat, but her favorite tactic to fix things involves hitting her problems with a giant hammer. She's like if a jack russel terrier was a 5'9 human woman

-Viper-4 (Destiny 2): An ex-hunter exo who dealt with the grief of losing his ghost by becoming a herpetologist. It...works reasonably well!! One of Aeris's few friends, works with venomous snakes and drug research via their venom bc being a robot means he's immune to their bites, mc of a crack-treated-serious D2 x Hollow Knight au (that also involves Marcie and a baby wish-dragon)

-Ashe: (Destiny 2) Human solar warlock, ex-Ishtar researcher from Venus who was rezzed as a guardian in the tail end of the Dark Ages. She went with the 'do drugs to get in touch with your powers' route, which worked- but her innovative uses of the Light are banned in the Last City bc she essentially learned how to make a magical nuke. She's a cynical, sneering meangirl bitch to hide the fact that her drug thing turned to a genuine problem when her fear of the Final Shape turned her to self-medicating outside of medication sessions. Hires herself out as an assist healer for money and to the Spider for extra drugs/glimmer, but still has a heart hidden somewhere under a million different layers of fear and trauma

-Petrichor-12 (Destiny 2): Exo void titan, voluntary became an ex-Guardian (without killing their ghost!!) post Deep Stone Crypt raid when they found their memories of their past life, and the monster they were within them. Now they're a fucking huge mass of anxious depressed metal that knits and weaves blankets alongside Namrask in House Light, both as penance and as therapy for what they've done

-Fenrix (Elden Ring): My Elden Lord, a mute mercenary who went off the deep end when seeking power and decided to become the next Lord of Blood after being wooed by Varre. One of the nightfolk, lost his voice in death when a mob of golden order fanatics violently slit his throat and his first revival didn't fix it, turns into a fanatic of the Formless Mother bc he wants to consume her and take her place post-Elden Lording. Fuckboy (weaponized)

-Leysha (Elden Ring): Tarnished Banished Knight/ex-general who really does NOT want to become Elden Lord- she just wants to peacefully magically transition, find a partner, and settle down to have a family and a small sheep farm. Breaks both of Morgott's legs when he confronts her in Leyndell, feels bad enough about it to nurse him back to health bc she saw their confrontation as entirely avoidable, falls in love with him in the process and works to bring about a new Age of the Crucible while straightening out his Golden Order trauma by force. Genuinely a sweet and loving woman, as long as you aren't crossing her

[lionsongfr]

Crystalline Gala Cuisine

Been a bit since I made a festival cuisine, and since my old ones have been circulating, I guiltily figured I should make one for the Gala before it ends.  Gaolers and Tundras are both herbivores (though Gaolers also eat meat), but I headcanon that like most herbivores they will opportunistically eat fish, insects, and meat when given the chance. The dishes have a bit more mixing than the previous cuisine; in the Icefield you eat what you can and as much as you can to survive. Potato Onions are my replacement for potatos, because FR needs potatoes (and citrus and tomatoes and wheat and rice and spices).

Seeker Stew- originally a stew of necessity for traveling Seekers, it was made of dried Sea Grass, small Cragside Mussels, canned Common Minnows, Sour Elk milk, and spoiled Turnips. The dish was transformed back home, using fresh Spinach, meaty Olympia Oysters, Jumbo Shrimp, new Potato Onions, and…sour Snowfall Elk milk. Funk is flavor!

Shalefin in a Fur Coat- this uniquely named dish is a layered salad, like the layers of a Tundra fur coat. It is made of finely sliced pickled Shalefin fillets, grated Potato Onion, Gradish, and Honeycrisp Apple, and chopped hard-boiled Flecked Bushrunner eggs. The key binding ingredient is a flavorful mayonnaise made of Elk tallow, Dappled Clucker yolks, and dill.

Bear in a Cave Dumplings-a favorite of the Fae scholars of the Frozen Sanctum. It is a boiled or fried Potato Onion dumpling filled with fried Wooly Bear, Wild Onion, and Dryad's Saddle. It can be served with melted Elk milk butter and Winter’s Delight jam or a white sauce spiced with dried Dusky Mealworm and imported Golden Pepper.

Tundra Grub- a dish named after the main protein of the dish: a sausage filled with Tundra Grub meat, Longneck-grown oats, and Elk blood. The sausage is fried along with strips of Tundra Cactus before being added to an earthy brown sauce of Mycena Mushroom and Earthworms. It is typically served with an unleavened flatbread made of rye or Longneck oats, or a mash of Potato Onion.

Woodland Turkey Dinner- this was once a seasonal dish, but now is common year-round. While the star of the dinner is the roasted Woodland Turkey, the side dishes are just as essential. The most common is: Deep Sea Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp stuffing, roasted Winter Brussel Sprouts with a Superberry vinegarette, Tundra Grub and Potato Onion mash with Mycena Mushroom gravy, and Stonecorn rolls with Elk cheese and White Lace Honeybee honey. And last but not least, a Cinnamon and Honeycrisp Apple pie. A heavy dinner said to put even Sentinels to sleep!

Trunk Cheese- not actually cheese, but a cold meat dish made of fresh Bullephant Trunk (or Mammophant, though it is not as tasty).  The meat of the trunk is removed and cooked in a mix of spices and Wild Onion, and then poured and set with gelatin in the skin of the trunk. Slices are cut from the trunk and served upon rye bread with strong Wild Mustard and pickled Gradish.   

Edamame Soup and Pancakes- a popular yet odd combination of savory and sweet. This dish features a Chilled Edamame soup (heated of course, the chilled variety of plants grow better in the hot houses of Icefield) with large chunks of smokey Elk bacon, a sprinkle of thyme, and a dollop of Wild Mustard. The pancakes are made of nutty and mildly sweet Amaranth flour and served with Winter’s Delight jam. The soup is traditionally dished with a silver spoon, after a mighty Tundra king was poisoned by his favorite soup.

Warden’s Delight- a dessert, a snack, a spread upon rye bread, and a delight to every hatchie. It is a mix of Elk tallow, Spotted Seal or Wooly Walrus oil, fresh snow, and Winter’s Delight. As the mixture is whipped into fluffy peaks, it is traditional to sing “Warden’s Delight to fight off the night, no Shade or beast shall fill my sight. Drive away the hunger, drive away the cold, fill my belly and make me bold.”

Frozen Bouquet- flowers are rarity in the Southern Icefield, but this bouquet is made from flash-frozen flowers and fruits. After thawing they are quickly coated in a thin layer of crystalized maple syrup and then arranged into a bouquet. Often the bouquets have hidden meanings like Pretty Pink Mums for courting. Winterbelle for strength, and Wolfsbane for warning. But what every Tundra fears the most is a bouquet of Black Tulips.

 Crisp Morning Cider- Vodka is life to Ice Flight, the warmth in one’s chest in a land where winter never ends. And while most drink it “neat”, when rations are low then cocktails are the answer!  This drink is a common morning warmer and is a mix of White Lace Honeybee honey with hot water, Vodka, Honeycrisp Apple cider, and Cinnamon.

Boreal Brew-a tea made from the leaves of whatever green tree is available. Birch, Fir, Spruce, and Pine can all be brewed into an astringent tea with a citrus-y aftertaste. Unfortunately, Birch, Fir, and Spruce are typically harvested during Spring-Summer- but Pine is harvested during December. To help remove the bitter taste, Pine can be fermented with sugar for a week to a month (fermentation time depending on temperature) and then filtered and served as cold tea.

[arkiwii]

Since you’re making your way through Lone Trail, do you have any thoughts about The Preserver, The Doctor, and their debate? I know some people were kinda disappointed with their inclusion over more RL.

i have. them thoughts

it was kinda hard to me to precisely understand what happened so I need to reread it all properly, it was like 5 am for me and my brain was so dead so I was pretty much experiencing the same breakdown the Doctor went through

people are disappointed about it, yea i know but i don't care!!! it's lore baby, and not like it didn't made sense. how it was related to Kristen and such was smooth and interesting. it wasn't rhine lab stuff but i really liked this part, it was seriously interesting and gave so much shape to the Doctor

anyway, if it's about making theories and such, uhhh. despite that i was able to call out endfield's setting being what's behind the door in the icefields, even tho i never cared or followed endfield, here i have smooth brain. i just enjoy the Doctor despite being literally us. they're an interesting character and they're so creature

[toskarin]

what do you think of raito’s new versions of the character themes for unicel? i think most were good changes! but I will miss previous nanase theme deeply

I'm inclined to agree! to go over some quick highlights,

the character select theme is great, but not better than the original. it's still one of the best character select themes out there, but it was never gonna be easy to top Gathers Under Night. THAT BEING SAID I love the network theme

Tearing Bullet > Keep On Shining but that carries some bias for me preferring Kaguya conceptually to Tsurugi. Keep On Shining also just isn't a very memorable track imo

Icefield White Knight II trading out some guitar for that excellent piano solo is a trade I'll happily make. good fucking shit

Scraper Sky High II goes extremely hard. all good changes here.

Blood Drain Again II... it's Blood Drain. it's Blood Drain Again Again, and you know what? it's got more of Blood Drain in it. I'm really happy with it.

Night Walker II!! dude it's Night Walker! but II! I like the new additions and generally appreciate all that was done here

Beat Eat Nest II is good. what'd you expect. it's Beat Eat Nest. come on.

Bad Surface II is fun. I like it

the tuning changes on Gallant Girl II make it more listenable, but I'm still kind of sad it got less obnoxious. this is me being annoying, but I agree on missing the original

Maximize Power! II is Maximize Power! again, but I never cared for Maximize Power, so that's not really... a point of praise. I wasn't going to love a new arrangement of it lol

I miss the arps in Snow Sisters II. not a change I really enjoy

Forceful Step II is a remix of a song that was always kind of a joke. it really just needs to show up to be funny, and it does show up. it's good, even if I prefer the original

Mutual Situation II is different from the last time we heard it, specifically lacking a piano solo. I wonder whether that means it was cut or the soundtrack in this test is a different version. either way, it's fine, I'm actually one of the people who really liked Mutual Situation

I wasn't expecting to say that Unseen Entities II would be one of my favourite tracks in a UNI game, but this remake fixes most of what I didn't care for in the original. insane. it's not my favourite song of the batch, but it EASILY had the most dramatic improvement

Walk Like a Lily II didn't really need the guitar, but I could take or leave it. I like the song well enough to where I feel about the same about this version

Monochrome Memory II is one I imagine a few people were curious about my opinion on just because of that cover I did a while back. my opinion is that I'm glad I didn't arrange that far into the song so I can lie and rerelease my cover as a UNICEL version. (it's a nice refreshing of the track though)

[blemiria]

Muelsyse Oprec: Rootless Rain

Hi! This was a surprisingly interesting oprec for Muelsyse (where I almost feared they would go the plat route and it wouldn't really give us anything worthwhile, but it's actually nice!) There might be some characters that are only from Lone Trail but there really isn't any major spoiler outside of character stuff related to Muelsyse.

Biology researcher A: Kaili, how is it?

Biology researcher B: I just finished recording the data of the plants from the arctic. 53 new species entering the garden, most of them are doing well, managing to survive the initial observation period. However, as you can see…

Biology researcher A: O these two sheath leaf zelkova trees had these weird spiral patterns, this means they are dehydrated.

Those icefield cotton plants, it is clearly still in its growing period, but it’s not growing more cotton balls, and their fluffiness is less than normal.

Biology researcher B: That one is the one that shows it the most obvious. Square sunflowers should always be facing their petals towards the sun, but it’s drooping so much it’s almost touching the ground.

Biology researcher A: It’s within expectations. After all, this entire extreme habitat ecological garden has only just begun planning, our data and experience is just not enough.

Let’s go ask Director Muelsyse, she must know where our problem lies.

Biology researcher B: (Speaking of, Director Muelsyse is quite mysterious, she understands plants too well. Everyone under her thinks perhaps… Director Muelsyse may or may not be able to talk with plants.) Biology Researcher A: (Stop making up rumours)

Muelsyse: Kaili, try this new configuration for this area’s habitat’s data collection cycle, taking care to use fungus so we can use mycorrhiza to help boost the water and nutrient absorption.

Biology Researchers A & B: Director Muelsyse!

Researcher B: …but I was very carefully following the data that miss Magallan gave us to take care of the plants.

Muelsyse: These plants were the ones that Maggie brought back, but Maggie is a scientific researcher, she doesn’t quite fully understand plant biology.

Muelsyse: It’s just that when these plants were in Sami, the data she collected was correct.

Muelsyse: The ecological garden is “too warm” for them.

Muelsyse: Try turning the temperature and moisture down a bit.

Biology Researcher B: Okay, Director Muelsyse.

Muelsyse: Next let's take a look at the plateau section, come with me.

…

Sheath leaf Zellkova: …

Icefield cotton: …

Square Sunflower: …

Sheath leaf Zellkova: (happy finger movements)

Icefield cotton: (forcefully stretching oneself)

Icefield cotton: Sheath leaf zellkova, be careful, your fingers were curled, stretching them like that, be careful of straining your leaf veins.

Sheath leaf Zellkova: I haven’t said anything about you yet, moving so much, your cotton was flying onto my face.

Icefield cotton: What did that person just say? Going to the plateau section? If I let my cotton wool fly a bit further, who knows maybe I could have a chat with the legendary stipa capillata.

Sheath leaf zellkova: You just left Sami, everything is so fresh.

Oi, square sunflower, how come you’re not talking?

Square Sunflower: I’m so withered, no energy at all. Probably not used to the new environment.

Sheath leaf zellkova: No I saw them not eating and not drinking, guessing they’re depressed.

Square sunflower: …..

???: So they were depressed huh.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Who is talking?

Square sunflower: ….it’s raining.

Icefield cotton: IT can rain indoors? Is this the so-called cyclic system?

Sheath leaf zellkova: What kind of rain is this? The water droplets stuck on my branches, I can’t even shake them off? Square sunflower: …..

Muelsyse: Hello everyone, I’ll reintroduce myself. I am Muelsyse.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Oh you’ve come again, Muelsyse.

Muelsyse: sorry sorry, I just went to find Nastja to change some of the setup, that bastard is so hard to get talking, it took a bit of time to get everything sorted. 

You’re condition today is much better than before oh.

Sheath leaf zellkova: I’m getting by.

Muelsyse: Sheath leaf zellkova, you didn’t happen to curl up your leaves on purpose right?

Sheath leaf zellkova: ….

Muelsyse: For the next month before the second batch of plants arrive, the arctic section is my personal responsibility.

In the afternoon I will change your culture media, the new one is a reconfiguration based off of the dirt in Sami.

It has all the nutrients you would need, I will also control the “rain” and “fog” to replenish randomly, it won’t be as “rigid” of a schedule.

If there is anything you need just let me know. Landform, air, dirt, water, the air…whatever conditions is most suited for you to survive? No matter how bizarre, the ecological garden can take care of it.

Icefield cotton: You’re really patient, Muelsyse.

Muelsyse: Actually, ever since I started planning the ecological garden, I was going to build the arctic section, but nobody from ecological had gone to Sami, so this kept on getting pushed back

These past years at Rhinie directing ecological experiments, I thought I already was stable enough, just thinking….

Icefield cotton: Why sami? In many people's eyes, it is merely an inaccessible and cold place, sealed by its geography, mysterious and dangerous.

Muelsyse: It actually isn’t just Sami. I am interested in the lifeforms in every habitat of Terra…

Sami is also pretty special. Flarks, forests, and icefields are all arranged together, these bizarre landforms together is a bit… how do you say it, has some “force”

Additionally, while the core circle is indeed very harsh and cold, but Sami’s plants species are strangely very varied and full, this does not follow the intuitive knowledge of biology.

So I’m guessing, Sami should be very “clean.”

Icefield Cotton: “Clean?”

Muelsyse: I took a sample from you guys… in your roots, the orginium particles is much lower than average.

Icefield cotton: I don’t understand what you are talking about 

Muelsyse: Up until now, Sami was my ideal experiment environment.

Sheath leaf zellkova: So, you want to create a “Sami” in this huge glass room?

Muelsyse: glass room…yes.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Muelsyse, why? Muelsyse: because I am Rhine Lab ecology’s youngest most capable ecological researcher.

I have the power, and the responsibility to turn this large glass room into the cleanest place of all of Terra. It will have the cleanest air, the most habitable weather, the most nutrient filled dirt…

It will also have a vibrant habitat, every fragile lifeform can live freely in this dwelling.

This was what I have been chasing for… how to say it, goal.

Icefield cotton: (Using all its powers to shed its wool)

Sheath leaf zellkova: (cheerfully waving its branches)

Muelsyse: haha, thank you

Square sunflower: ….

 Was that really worth clapping for?

Muelsyse: a…

Square sunflower! You weren’t talking this whole time, suddenly opening your mouth surprised me.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Been here for half a month, he’s always been like this 

Ah man, this guy, always a bit depressing.

Icefield cotton: From Sami’s forest getting moved into this weird city, he’s still brooding about that.

We’re already here, look a bit. I had a ball of wool float into the neighbouring water habitat, even managed to feel the “saltiness of ocean water.”

Staying in Sami, you would have turned into scat already. Your flower disc’s seeds have so many special attributes, birds will treat you as food, those big appetite carnivores will use you to help digest…

Square sunflower: Just focus on shedding your wool, where does all this wordiness come from.

Icefield cotton: sigh.

Square sunflower: Muelsyse, aren’t you curious as to why after coming here I’ve withered so much?

Square sunflower’s flower disc will always search for the sun. In your habitat there was indeed a light source system, and can even mimic the various light of the sun throughout the day.

Using your words, it’s very “advanced.”

…but it still isn’t the real sun.

Muelsyse: mm….

Square sunflower: The sun is outside of this glass room. But tearing apart the glass, the room’s dirt, air, temperature, moisture, microorganism colonies are not up to par.

Even if you 100% replicate Sami’s every grain of dirt, every gust of wind, every chunk of ice, this place wouldn’t be much different from the specimen box I was transferred into.

Muelsyse: Oh, your phototaxis is too special, I truly don’t have any way of compensating.

Square Sunflower: I didn’t mean that.

Muelsye: No, I already know.

The coast, mudflats, forest, desert, black forest…every veil you pull back on nature, there will be more surprises.

No matter if it is the temperament of the four seasons, warm and inviting, cold and bitter, extreme conditions, no matter what kind of life, they are all the product of thousands of years of evolution…

It’s not a matter of not having a badly set up “experimental environment”.

Square Sunflower: This place will not be “Sami.”

Muelsyse: Ah, I really wanted to take you out of this environment, let you see the Rhine Lab headquarters, see the entirety of Trimounts.

To me, Sami is mysterious. To you at the same time, science is the mysterious one.

Science can help us defeat the natural boundaries of nature, shape a new environment, science can help us…search for new answers.

Square Sunflower: You are deluding yourself, Muelsyse.

Muelsyse: hm?

???: There is a technology company’s exploration platform in Columbia’s northern mountainous region found the last light fir species…

Muelsyse: What does this have to do with you?

???: There is a village nearby, but the records of the relevant people are already expired…as though there is an overlap with the missing people cases in Trimounts.

Muelsyse: I think it is Director Yara, she wouldn’t really care about what her employees do after work.

With your behaviour, it’s not as though you can claim the moral high ground, little Justin.

Justin: Aye, don’t mind me. I didn’t have other meaning, I also don’t have any clue what you are chasing.

I have just seen with my own two eyes the process of talking business cooperation, I thought that if I had something Director Muelsyse was interested in, maybe she would answer my request to meet.

Muelsyse: ……

The cunning business Director is really this much of a coward? Ecology’s work, it’s actually not that busy.

I’ll come find you. You’re at HQ?

Justin: I’m downstairs at the cafe. Director Muelsyse complained about my office’s decorative style, standing at the entryway not even stepping a single foot in.

Muelsyse: Then I’ll see you at your office.

Sheath leaf zellkova: You’re back. You suddenly left for half a month right?

Muelsyse: um. Ah.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Icefield cotton. She…

Muelsyse: I saw it already.

……

It’s raining in the ecological garden.

Raindrops enter the leaf veins of the Zellkova, raindrops wet the petals of the sunflower, raindrops land on the already withered plant rhizome.

The rain isn’t big, it’s not pouring, but there is no intention to stop.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Muelsyse, are you crying?

Muelsyse: ……

Sheath leaf zellkova: I’m not blaming you

That employee named Kaili already gave it her all to take care of the cotton……

Muelsyse: I know.

No matter refilling the nutrient solution, using better growth mediums, in the end it just cannot compete with Sami’s habitat. But it’s as though all of the Arctic plant groups haven’t developed fully…

Square sunflower: Hey, don’t cry, it’s getting everyone wet, it’s so uncomfortable.

Muelsyse: ……

I was thinking, the next shipment of Sami plants, should we delay planting them in the ecological garden.

Square sunflower: hm, are you someone so easily swayed?

Muelsyse: Oh, scientific discovery is hard, occasionally hitting dead ends is fairly normal.

Square sunflower: then why are you crying? Muelsyse: ……

Muelsyse: After talking to Justin, I went to visit Columbia’s northern mountainous district.

Square sunflower: Is that really far?

Muelsyse: not really, three to four days to get there… I was just there for a week.

Square sunflower: If it’s not far, then why did you just now go? Muelsyse: Because it was really hard to find, I had to look for so long.

Square sunflower: ……

Muelsyse: From all of the orphanages, going to the empty old houses I used to live in, to the Trimount’s Universty, then to Rhine Lab’s laboratories….

From the shelves lined full of old records, to nameless plaques, then to Mumu’s laboratory to report – Yes, I even used my own biological product to experiment.

I looked for so long.

I finally found it there. I thought there would be the answers I needed, regarding my parents, regarding my people, regarding myself.

Square sunflower: ……

Muelsyse: I must turn this large glass building into the cleanest place on Terra, it must have the cleanest air, the most habitable weather, the most nutrient filled dirt…

It must have the richest habitat, every fragile being must be able to live in here.

….including myself.

So, I must find these answers, I must know why my own life is so fragile, why I am so sensitive to originium.

I don’t need to know what I am, what “elves” are, I need to know how to give birth, whether or not there are still other elves out there, where my future…is.

Square sunflower: ….You didn’t find the answer, so you returned empty handed.

Muelsyse: there was only a broken village, a dying tree species, humble cemetery…. Time buried everything.

There was nothing to learn, whether or not those elves buried there were those who could answer my questions, or are the same as me; searching for the answers to the same questions without an end in sight.

Sheath leaf zellkova: Muelsyse, are you okay?

You look really tired, you can rest against my tree trunk for a bit.

Muelsyse: Square sunflower, you are right.

The ecological garden’s snowy mountain isn’t a snowy mountain, the icefield isn’t an icefield, I will never be able to recreate a “Sami”......

Because I myself am not sure, what I am looking for, what kind of place that is.

Square sunflower:......

The rain is still falling

The rootless water droplets in the ecological garden forms a curtain of drizzle.

Square sunflower: Stop crying, Muelsyse.

Sami never rained like this, your crying is destroying the arctic section’s life forms, when the plants get sick, you will have more problems.

Muelsyse: …..

Square sunflower: Actually…

Icefield cotton itself doesn’t live for very long, when the icefield’s winter wind blows strongly, there isn’t a single strand of cotton able to stay on the plant.

The past two days, the icefield cotton’s cotton balls was everywhere, there was a moment where I really thought this was Sami’s icefields.

Muelsyse: ….thank you.

Square sunflower: It was also the cotton’s fault for being so curious. When you weren’t here she let her cotton fly all over the arctic area, highlands, the coastal area. She managed to sate her curiosity.

She went through the entire ecological garden…. Close to a thousand species, there were a lot among them that were the kind that wouldn’t appear again.

Even though you said you wanted to build your ideal habitat, but what you’re doing, it’s not just that…. Hm, put it like this, you are pretty similar to that person.

Muelsyse: hm?

Square sunflower: I said I have seen someone quite similar to you.

From the beginning I already knew, just not quite as clear…..you can all “feel” us, you are all doing similar things, though you are in the lab, they are in the forest.

Plants are their bandages, raindew is their analgesic….as they should, they are stitching Sami’s injury.

Muelsyse: ….!

Square sunflower, are you sure?

Square sunflower: Of course, I was even helped by them.

The rain stops

Muelsyse stands in the center of the garden, looking at the plants in front of her deep in thought.

Muelsyse: I already did two comparative experiments, the answer were all the same. That is to say, the theories we got from your anatomy and selection results are basically correct.

Square sunflower: ….

Muelsyse: Your flower plate contains a lot of chemicals that we don’t yet know of, they brought a certainty to my theory’s results.

You really are a special plant. You have a sort of “healing” capability, just that the healing is for a sort of yet to be discovered natural species.

Square sunflower:....

Muelsyse: But the plant’s main body doesn’t have any sort of automatic healing ability.

That is to say, there is someone using you. Those people’s bodies, are a crucial part of Sami’s habitat’s mechanism.

Sami, are there my people there?

Sunlight pours through the glass, the square sunflower wiggled a bit.

Muelsyse: Thank you, my imaginary friend.

Ecological researcher: Director Muelsyse…..

Muelsyse: oh….

Ecological researcher: That, you….. Sorry for your loss! Muelsyse: ah?

Ecological researcher: Aren’t you able to talk to plants? Icefield cotton… I….

Muelsyse: Kaili, this is more ridiculous than the rumour of the old mountain goat turning themselves into a superhuman, and then sparring with Saria at night…..

Ecological researcher: ….right, I’m sorry

Oh, I was here to send you a letter.

This is the “Trimounts institute of Technology School Report”, “Ecological survey” “Natural Exchange” these three leading publications inviting to publish, they are all super interested in your latest results.

Your plant communication laboratory, in plant studies and plant system studies have all been proven to work. For biological studies, this is a huge milestone.

Muelsyse: It was all thanks to the help of everyone.

Ecological researcher: Then for the journals? Muelsyse: Let’s accept them all, but please reply to them, there might be a while before I submit a paper.

Ecological researcher: Do you need to rest for a bit? Ah right, you did just travel back from far away only to throw yourself back to work.

Muelsyse: No. I need to go to Sami for a trip.

[bawkrya]

🍌

so theres actually two bananas in the ask game? so im answering both hehe

FR ASKS

🍌 Three headcanons about how magic works in your lore

So like. This is actually my least developed point in my lore. I mainly just have general rankings, which would be Grand Deities (Plaguebringer, etc.), Grand/God Kings (Norve/Trolen/Locust/etc.), Gods (Anura/Alagos/Abraxas/etc.), Fairy Gods (Evesa/Lady Driftwood/etc.), and then just like, regular magic users. There's beings who may fall in between rankings, as these ranks aren't like...... wholly indicative of how strong a being is. Honestly they're more like titles based on followers. For example, Abraxas is very well as strong as Locust, but because only those in remote parts of the Southern Icefields know who he is, he's only a typical God instead of a Grand/God King. So. Status thing.

For magic itself its so??!?! much. Most often a user is dedicated to one element (and not necessarily just the flight elements-- ex, I have blood alchemists), and that element can cover a HUGE range of things. There's no one way to learn magic, I have alchemists and wizards and mages and Everything, so you can either go a very spiritual/religious route, or a purely scientific route. It all works. And it's not hard to get into either, but a dragon isn't really born with specific magic or practices ingrained in them. They may have "base level" magic, like floating, depending on the breed fire breathing, etc., but say for the fire breathing one, they wouldn't be able to bend fire at their will-- just spray it out uncontrolled, until they specifically learn to harness it. Most dragons in my lore don't. A lot of my dragons actually physically fight!

Magic mainly enhances a lot of the technology that's used in my lore also. They don't have cellphones with screens, but magic is used in place of phone lines for rotary phones and the like. The train in Phrauge has to have its tracks held together by a dedicated team of dragons due to the nature of the sand that covers that section of Plague. etc. So there's types of more "mundane" magic that dragons will learn that will help them in their day to day life, or become a job for them. Another one is that elder tile makers/potters/etc. in my lore don't typically use kilns because they've learned how to hand cook their stuff, but newer gens use kilns because they don't want to put in a good 5-10 yrs learning the specific techniques to fire their shit. LOL

🍌A dragon + their theme song

TBH I DONT REALLY DO THIS 4 MY DRAGONS. but i do have dog tooth in bawkryas bio bc i think he would love this song. rip bawkrya you wouldve loved tyler

[xtruss]

10 National Parks To Avoid The Summer Crowds

From rugged hiking trails to pristine beaches, upgrade your summer at these under-the-radar wilderness areas.

— By Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan | June 2, 2023

Two spelunkers explore Lechuguilla Cave—currently reserved for scientific research—in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, home to some of the deepest, largest, and most ornate caverns in the U.S. Photograph By Robbie Shone, National Geographic Image Collection

The most popular national parks in the U.S. such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon attracted record crowds last summer. For some, it might be worth fighting traffic or walking packed trails to see the towering granite monoliths in Yosemite or fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains. But, there are 63 national parks across the country, many with far fewer visitors—and just as many hikes with epic views, wildlife-spotting opportunities, and kid-friendly excursions.

Here are 10 of the country’s least trafficked parks, plus what to see and do in them.

Best Water Excursions: Channel Islands National Park, California

Hikers and kayakers find ample ways to explore this constellation of five wild islands off the coast of Santa Barbara. Beginner-friendly paddling trips, like the one from Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island, let visitors take in abundant sea caves, kelp forests, and wildlife such as gray whales, dolphins, and sea lions. Strong currents and shifting weather make going with a guide a smart move.

Remote islands like Santa Rosa have hiking trails through rugged mountains with glimpses of wildlife, including tiny, endemic island foxes, at dawn and dusk. Spend the night at Santa Cruz Island’s only lodging option, Scorpion Canyon Campground, a half-mile hike from the beach.

Composed of five tectonically formed islands and surrounded by an extensive marine sanctuary, Channel Islands National Park offers ​dramatic sea views, epic wildlife watching, and scenic hikes. Photograph By Robert Schwemmer/Alamy Stock Photo

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

More than a third of this Northwoods network of boreal forests and rocky islands is covered by water—four huge lakes plus 26 smaller ones. New environmental protections make now an ideal time to experience these waterways via a tour boat, canoe, or kayak. Easy-access shoreline campsites line the park’s major lakes, but the wildest, quietest destinations sit deep in the interior of the Kabetogama Peninsula. Reserve a backcountry campsite along the Chain of Lakes or on the central peninsula’s waters, where your only companions for a spectacular aurora borealis show will be the loons and moose.

Best Wildlife Viewing: Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

This coast-meets-mountains reserve takes wildlife watching to the next level. Use the park’s only maintained long trail to the outlook over Harding Icefield for breathtaking panoramic views of this expansive, icy landscape. Along the way, keep an eye out for grizzlies, black bears, wolverines, lynx, wolves, and mountain goats. From a kayak or tour boat, look out for orcas, humpback whales, and dolphins among the waves and Steller sea lions and harbor seals on the beaches

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Brazilian free-tailed bats are a star attraction at this Chihuahuan Desert park. Each year, these flying critters make their way back from their winter grounds in Mexico to roost in the park’s intricate network of limestone caves. August and September bring the best bat watching when the year’s babies take to the skies with their parents. Around sunset, the bats spiral out of the cavern’s Natural Entrance by the hundreds of thousands to eat insects.

Top: The glacial landscapes and coastal waters of Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park provide ideal conditions for viewing wildlife, like these Steller sea lions pictured. Photograph By Cagan Sekercioglu. Bottom: Thousands of bats spew out of a cave in Carlsbad Caverns in search of food. Photograph By Michael Nichols — National Geographic Image Collection

Best Hiking Trails: North Cascades National Park, Washington

Known as the “American Alps,” this park holds more than 400 miles of trails that take hikers and horseback riders to wildflower meadows, old-growth forests, glacier viewpoints, and remote lakes. One standout is the Desolation Peak Trail, which leads to a mountaintop lookout cabin where Jack Kerouac spent a summer. North Cascades remains well off the radar: Just over 30,000 people visited last year, a mere 2 percent of the traffic of its southern neighbor, Mount Rainier. The terrain is so remote and wild, the park is considering restoring grizzly bear populations here.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Explore the sunset-colored canyons that ancestral Pueblo people called home in Mesa Verde. Here, skillfully designed cliff dwellings, some with up to 150 rooms and large enough to house one hundred people, remain tucked into protected stone alcoves, just as they’ve been for 800 years. In summer, rangers lead hiking tours inside some of them, including Cliff Palace, the largest such village in North America, and Balcony House, which involves climbing up cliffside ladders and crawling through rock tunnels. After dark, look up. Mesa Verde’s skies are well-protected from light pollution, earning it International Dark Sky Park status in 2021.

Tourists visit the ruins of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park., Colorado.Photograph By Phil Schermeister, National Geographic Image Collection

Best Cultural Experiences: Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Accessible only by boat or seaplane, this park offers pristine beaches, exceptional snorkeling, and the chance to explore the historic Fort Jefferson. Located on Garden Key, the second largest of the park’s seven islands (70 miles from Key West), the military stronghold was the largest masonry fort in the Western Hemisphere during the mid-1800s. During the Civil War, it became one of the nation’s largest prisons.

Visitors who brave the two-plus-hour trip by boat or 40-minute ride by plane to get here can tour the grounds where Union prisoners (like the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg) were imprisoned during the Civil War. After strolling the grounds, explore Dry Tortugas’s other major attraction: superb snorkeling among coral reefs where you might see octopi, nurse sharks, reef squid, and barracudas.

Haleakalā National Park, Maui, Hawaii

More than 30 miles of trails wind over ancient lava flows and through endemic silversword patches before plunging into the summit crater of Haleakalā. Native Hawaiians consider the summit a sacred site, where they held religious ceremonies, studied the stars, and quarried basalt for centuries. On the other side of the park, visitors can still see their village ruins and fishing shrines at tropical Kipahula, an 800-year-old coastal settlement that’s now better known for its crashing waterfalls and the idyllic Seven Sacred Pools of ‘Ohe’o Gulch.

The famed Haleakalā Crater is a vast depression—but it's actually not a volcanic crater. It was formed as erosion ate away a ridgeline, joining two valleys in Haleakalā National Park. Photograph By Pete Ryan, National Geographic Image Collection

Top: To avoid crowds, visit Haleakalā summit after 3 p.m.; its sunsets can be as spectacular as its famous sunrises. Bottom: Erected in 1958, the Haleakalā Observatory is Hawaii’s first astronomical research planetarium. — Photographs By Babak Tafreshi, National Geographic Image Collection

Best For Family: Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana

Kids will find more than just a day at the beach in this welcome pocket of nature amidst the nearby bustle of Chicago, a 45-minute drive away. An impressively diverse number of ecosystems in this compact park let families explore wetlands, oak savannas, pine forests, prairies, and 15 miles of sandy shoreline in a day.

There are also opportunities for kayaking the coast of Lake Michigan or canoeing the Little Calumet River (the park was upgraded from national lakeshore status in 2019). The in-progress Indigenous Cultural Trail features murals and interpretive signs that teach about the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, two of the area’s original peoples.

Top: Mammoth Cave—Kentucky’s only national park—contains more than 400 miles of caves, making it the longest cave system in the world. Photograph By Phil Schermeister, National Geographic Image Collection Bottom: Park visitors stand up paddle board along the Grand Calumet River on the outskirts of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes National Park. Photograph By Keith Ladzinski, National Geographic Image Collection

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Escape the summer heat by exploring a labyrinth of underground caverns that maintain a refreshing temperature of 54°F year-round. To see the caves, you’ll have to take a ranger-guided tour. These vary in difficulty, with options for families with young kids to enjoy the stunning stalagmites, stalactites, and tunnels. Or for the older kids, try the longer, more challenging tours by lantern light.

During the guided tours, park rangers point out remnants of early inhabitants’ mining activity dating back to 1200 B.C. and tell the stories of enslaved Black cave guides from the 1830s and the “Cave Wars” between rival tourism developers in the early 1900s.

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 7th July 2023

It was 300km from Banff to Jasper which is by any stretch a long way. We had decided to visit Johnston Canyon on route; just outside Banff having been advised to pop in there by some local Canadians we met the other day. They gave us the nod and the wink that we ought not miss in and not a lot of people know that. Certainly it wasn't in the Lonely Planet oracle so off we went. There was the exit from Highway 1; quiet road, nobody but us, 17kms the same. Then we turned the corner at the brown sign and were faced with a signboard saying Car Park 1 full, 13 spaces in Car Park 2! The place was heaving. Clearly our Canadian had been nodding and winking quite a lot. So basically we joined a queue of thousands shuffling along a narrow path for 2 miles to view the canyon and waterfalls. Many should not have been shuffling in the first place due to limb and age afflictions which did rather slow the process somewhat. Some poor soul was being attended to by a paramedic half way along, defibrillators at the ready just before a stretcher mysteriously arrived. I think she was okay, but the route clearly more challenging for some of our fellow explorers. The whole thing started in the 1880's by a prospector called Johnston. He didn't find anything so he moved on leaving just his name behind. Very dramatic falls, very long queue to see them because the vantage platform was small and it was full of Indians and Chinese wanting to grin inanely at the lens for selfies. And because they all seemed to be in huge groups, ensuring all combinations had equal opportunity to grin at the appropriate time took a great deal of organising. A grin of happiness that did not interestingly survive long after the shot had been taken. We removed ourselves from this little known place as quickly as we could.

Soon after rejoining Highway 1, we were directed to Highway 93 to Jasper, still 270 odd kilometres away. Big sign suggesting we would soon be entering the Jasper National Park. Did we have our pass handy? Well no we didn't. Never mind, join the 'pay for one here' lane. We pulled up by a small kiosk and there cheerily greeting us was what appeared to be a very young, uniformed, full moon bespectacled girl guide in the full flush of youth. I'm not sure her mum knew she was out. Where are we travelling to today she enquired with a raised inflection. Jasper I said. You will need a National Parks Pass then. Oh I said. How long shall you be staying in Jasper? Two nights I replied truthfully. Oh, that will be $36. Is there an alternative route I enquired not being too keen on the $36 part of the deal. No she said, and even if there was (and here's the clever bit) since Jasper is in the Park, you'd still have to pay. She excelled on the ending of this sentence by not only including an inflection but enabling it to rise almost to a loud squeak. She surprised even herself with this and apologised, as she put it, for the high octave. Out came the hard earned and we were away again. The 93, or Icefields Parkway as it is also referred to because it climbs exceedingly high, passing various glaciers, is a very picturesque route. We were particularly impressed with Bow Lake; turquoise blue, extremely peaceful and calm with the mountains reflecting perfectly in the very still waters. The road was long, with lots of natural wonder but not a single village or town along it. Our fuel requirements were met by one solitary oasis along the way and we paid for it in the high price per litre.

Ensconced now for the next two nights in what we might describe as merely adequate lodgings, we shall make our plans for tomorrow.

[frostkingoftheapocalypse]

Darkness was peaceful. Not out of any joyless or wretched reasonings: Yggdrasil’s King savoured light as most surface-born peoples of the apocalypse did. A dawn-riser, he revered the eternity in the moment where an indistinct horizon of mountain and icefield turned pastel, glinting, glittering. Jötunheimr shared their star with three others: it was a small enduring cluster of ancient unstable gas, and it was close, dangerously precarious, kept at bay behind the broiling rises and disc-like shapes of Muspelheimr. When it tracked into a hazy view, it was to see only the aura of it refracting around their hostile neighour.

But a free breath above ground held connotations the old King could not shake. And so his dreams, his private domain, was the heavy, silky indigo of night.

He did grieve in daylight hours: a reverent crack in his armour, a rare relief of his unveiling, travelling solo across the realms, the months that he did not have to bear the influence of his consideration and presence over his peoples. He did not resent it, that primary nature of his, it was duty and pride. But that did not lessen the exposed nerve of his feelings.

Those whose energies he touched in their last moments filled his lungs like drowning. The last of anything, especially a civilisation, was the hardest to compartmentalise.

Indigo and ink. Hazy sensation. The King’s dream sat at the bole of the dead tree. He recognised it in his sightless, unfurling, gentle touch, sensitive fingertips finding the bark by his cheek. It had spoken to him, until the few remaining cells in it had succumbed to the frost, no longer speaking its final tale, and the elder’s own tear-tracks had formed grim, frozen lines into his beard. He was not surprised to find it here, in the unconscious realm.

The flicker of light around the tree’s corner however.

Crimsons narrowed. It had the paranoia of being shoved off a cliff for peering over the edge, punishment for his vice of knowledge. But one could not have iron will over all their internal domains, train for that as one may. You could not choose how you processed the passing of daytime in your sleep.

The King’s dream-body was glacial slow as he coiled back into a hunter’s posture, not responsive enough for alarm bells yet, but getting closer as he approached the dream-lure, those spears of solid sunlight through the sliver of a root-gap. He had never seen light like that. Golden. A true gold. Curiosity burned a taut rope along his posture: a dim simulation of his waking hours, but even reduced to this. This vice of his was a force.

The light seared him as the King jerked back. Grimacing. The shock stirred enough wit into him now to wither at it internally, a tense scowl at his idiocy: this piercing light harsh enough to thrust hard-defined lines into the dark? A light that could slice through a pitiful splinter between roots? One might as well have stared unblinking into the fire in a torturer’s dungeon set before your face, speeding up the intended blinding of you, hapless little fool.

The King’s back was a solid ache as his jaw ticked away, struggling to think. He had the dread, quicksand feeling of importance - so lucid in this moment that waking up was a disaster away from being his reality. There was something, beyond that gap. The Norns had their claws in his lungs. A warning. A sinus pressure, like an alarm bell that wherever his body rested in the waking realm, he had ceased to breathe with it.

He crouched. Doing the only thing that there was left to do, and praying it was enough as he set his ear against the gap, the well-worn V of his brow keeping eyes closed as he ceased to breathe and listened.

@ncrthernattitude​

[glacevoleur]

I actually forgot to upload this dragon's lore here before I traded her for another level 25, but! Better late than never. Here's Titania!

Titania, though hatched in the Sea of a Thousand Currents, grew up all across Sornieth as one of the younger members of a mixed-species band of nomads. She spent little time in the land of her birth, as she'd scarcely begun to flap her wings before her clan was on the move again. This continued throughout her adolescence, leaving the fledgling with few close friends and no real sense of home.

As a young adult, Titania first felt the stirrings of her Search passing through the Southern Icefield. She was confident that her combat abilities would be enough to deal with any adversaries she might happen to face, and took off to begin her quest rather quickly, leaving no note and taking nothing with her. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite prepared for the bitter cold of the endless, frigid expanse, and frequently had to barter with resident clans for shelter. Eventually, she managed to save up enough treasure to buy a cape and some heavy furs to bundle up in, which she wears to this day as a reminder of the dangers of blind overconfidence.

Even after sweeping the whole of the Icewarden's domain, Titania had not managed sight or scent of her Charge, prompting her to head north once more. She tirelessly scoured the Windswept Plateau and Ashfall Waste before someone prompted her to stop her search. The Tundra who became her mate was the first dragon in many moons who'd been able to coax her down from the skies to rest a while, and became the only one who could convince her to forsake her vagabond lifestyle and settle down.

But even after raising several clutches with Oberon, Titania would still leave without a word, sometimes for weeks at a time, and return without explanation. He wondered if she longed to make a name for herself as an accomplished warrior (without his potential dead weight), or if he wasn't her Charge at all, and she was still looking. But he never asked, and she never seemed to notice his speculation.

When she didn't come back, it's hard to say if it surprised either of them.

[crusherthedoctor]

💖 💙 🧡 📺 🎸 🎤 🎧 💡 🍡 ✨ 💫 🦔 👽🧍😘 ☺️🎙️ ✍️ 🤔 😳 🫡

It's a good thing I've already done half of these. XP

💖 Favourite Character?

Wow, that was eas-*BANG*

Seriously though, I cannot stress enough that the haha funny round moustache get a load of this the more the merrier man is my favourite character of all time. In anything. There are characters I like, there are characters I love, but Eggman will always have a special place in my heart.

I can enjoy different types of villains so long as they're fun or interesting. But we all have our preferences, and Eggman ticks every box on my personal list, and does so with effectiveness, hilarity, deadliness, and memorability. His themes are top class, his aesthetics are grade-A, his genius and creativity is legit, and ahhhhh he's so good. <3

Is it any wonder why I take issue to him being portrayed as a helpless fool? Or a defanged softie? Or a launch pad for other villains to piggyback off of? Or a Bowser-flavored father figure for characters who aren't even interesting on their own?

📺 Favourite TV show?

I assume the OVA doesn't count since it was a "movie", due to being tragically short-lived.

So by process of elimination, I choose AoStH. It's about as much of a non-Sonic cartoon as the rest, but for a Looney Tunes Lite, it is amusing most of the time, and it has Long John Botnik, so I gotta give it a pass. And while AoStH Sonic is… well, very Urkel, he was at least reasonably smart, which is more than can be said for his SatAM counterpart.

AoStH doesn't annoy me nearly as much as SatAM for its overwhelming influence that continues to this day with Archie and IDW, Boom for how everyone at the time overrated what was essentially a standard animated sitcom with Sonic characters shoehorned into the expected templates, and Prime for having an insufferably empty-headed Sonic, and everyone else being either unlikable or bland.

Underground is so forgettable to me that it loops back around to being a positive for it, since that means it doesn't actively piss me off enough like the aforementioned three, lol. As for Sonic X… I'm willing to give the first season a pass despite its heavy quantity of Chris, since I have some nostalgia for it, it has the unironically great and heartwarming Helen episode, and the questionable portrayals of certain characters (Eggman, Amy, Knuckles, arguably Sonic himself to a lesser extent) weren't as bad as they'd later become. Seasons 2 and 3 can fuck off though.

🎸 Favourite Stage Theme?

That's a certified Too Fucking Hard for me in a franchise that's full of bangers, so I'm gonna pick two zones/stages per game to make it only 90% difficult for me to choose instead of 100%.

Sonic 1: Star Light and Scrap Brain

Sonic 2: Hill Top and Wing Fortress

CD JP/EU: Quartz Quadrant Past and Stardust Speedway Past

CD US: Stardust Speedway Good Future and Metallic Madness Present

Sonic 3: Marble Garden and Launch Base

Sonic & Knuckles: Sandopolis and Death Egg

Fighters: Black Bed (Aurora Icefield) and Fire Stone (Giant Wing)

3D Blast Genesis: Rusty Ruin and Volcano Valley

3D Blast Saturn: Rusty Ruin and... the Special Stage

Sonic R: Can You Feel The Sunshine and Living In The City

SA1: Windy Hill and Tricky Maze (THIS ONE WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO NARROW DOWN TO JUST TWO)

SA2: Deeper (Death Chamber) and Space Trip Steps (Meteor Herd)

Advance 1: Ice Mountain and Egg Rocket

Advance 2: Music Plant and Techno Base

Heroes: Ocean Palace and Final Fortress

Battle: Holy Summit (arena) and Death Egg (arena)

Advance 3: Cyber Track and Chaos Angel

ShtH: Circus Park and Final Haunt

Rush: Ethno Circus (Mirage Road) and What U Need (Dead Line)

Riders: Metal City and Digital Dimension

'06: Aquatic Base and End of the World

Secret Rings: Let the Speed Mend It (Sand Oasis) and High and Broken (Levitated Ruin)

Rush Adventure: Haunted Ship and Sky Babylon

Zero Gravity: Aquatic Capital and Gigan Rocks

Unleashed: Rooftop Run Night and Skyscraper Scamper Day

Black Knight: Deep Woods and... actually, that's the only level theme I really like in this game, the rest are pretty forgettable

Colours: Planet Wisp and Aquarium Park

Generations: Speed Highway and Crisis City

Lost World: Sea Bottom Segue and Hidden World

Mania: Press Garden and Titanic Monarch (THIS ONE WAS ALSO HARD)

Forces: Moonlight Battlefield and Mortar Canyon

TSR: Roulette Road and Sand Road

🎤 Favourite Vocal Track?

I'll be unconventional and go with Live Life. Ironically, I don't care for the other vocal tracks in Black Knight, as I find them generic and unmemorable, but Live Life is a really uplifting one that I think deserves more appreciation.

I've always had a particular fondness for What I'm Made Of as well. And despite preferring the JP soundtrack for CD on the whole, Sonic Boom is still really catchy and infectious.

🎧 Favourite overall soundtrack?

How am I meant to narrow it down to one?

The answer: I can't, so instead I'll just list the ones I consider to be S-tier. Note that I am indeed taking the question to heart and judging them by how strong I consider them overall, rather than singling out one or a couple of tracks specifically. Otherwise I'd be listing the entire non-Chronicles catalogue. (The Last Scene in SA2, Aquarium Park in Colours, some tracks in ShtH…)

Sonic CD (JP/EU)

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis)

Sonic Adventure 1

The Advance trilogy

Sonic Mega Collection (yes, I'm serious)

Sonic Heroes

Sonic '06

Sonic Rush Adventure

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic Unleashed

Sonic Mania

Team Sonic Racing

💡 Spinoff you’d like to see?

Dr. Crusher's Negating Mandating Machine™.

Serious answer, I'd like another Tails game of some sort, in the hopes that it would let the fox regain some of his fandom respect in a legitimate, non-Wildly Inconsistent-speech way.

I'd also be open to a Blaze spinoff, since there's a lot you could do with her world, and maybe it'd allow us to finally see Marine again under a pen that's hopefully not Flynn's. And since Blaze herself is still one of the most popular and less controversial Modern characters, I can't see a lack of audience being an issue.

🍡 Classic, Adventure, or Boost Gameplay?

Classic overall, but a little of Adventure as well in the form of SA1 and the Advance trilogy (even if the latter is semi-Boost if anything).

✨ Dream Sonic Game?

I've always preferred the S3&K/Mania/Advance approach to alternate characters, because I feel they strike the delicate balance of being different enough to offer something unique for each character, but still consistent enough to not detract from the overall style of gameplay. They also handle the matter of story completion the best IMO: if you want to stick with one character for the adventure, you can actually do so, rather than be forced to juggle different styles in one story (SA2), or for the game to suddenly hand over the controls to someone else halfway through the stage ('06).

That's honestly about it, aside from the obvious stuff (good soundtrack, pleasing aesthetics, etc). I don't think I'm impossible to please in that regard. The only other bullet point I can think of is that I'm not inherently opposed to different goals for different characters, but it's important that they don't come at the expense of the core gameplay. For example, I'm alright with Knuckles' treasure hunting conceptually, since you're still platforming and going fast like you would in any other installment. It's when you throw in the dipshit SA2 radar that it becomes a problem.

🦔 Favourite version of Sonic? (the character)

Game Sonic. The original, and the best.

I still have issues with him, but after seeing writers miss the point with him again and again in adaptations, with his portrayal ending up being obnoxious for one reason or another in the process, it's made me grow to appreciate the good qualities and low-key nuance of the original template.

🫡 Coldest Sonic Take?

My opinions seem to always be in opposition to that of the overall fandom's, so to think of one that's actually popular… hmm.

S3&K is still liked, right?

[lkenvs3000w23]

Risk Versus Reward in Interpretation

Privilege can be a hard word to define, but I would define it as the benefits and advantages that an individual or group has that others do not. However, these advantages are not earned, but are a result of societal systems and biases based on factors like gender, race, class, and sexuality. A lot of the time people who are privileged do not like to recognize or discuss the fact that they are privileged because they do not want to admit they have these advantages. 

Privilege plays a big role in nature interpretation by impacting an individuals opportunity to explore nature and the experience they will have. A person who is privileged will usually  have more access to nature and will have better experiences with nature. This means that people who are privileged will be more connected with nature and understand it better. A person who is not as privileged will not have same opportunities to connect and experience nature. Some reasons for this may be a lack of finical resources which can mean no personal vehicle to get to certain parks and not being able to afford proper equptiment, or a lack of knowledge of where to go, what to do, and how to prepare. 

I would now like to discuss some of the advantages that have been given to me and unpack my invisible backpack. I am a white male, I speak english, I have a Canadian passport, and I was born into a middle-class family with parents who are highly educated and are still married. These are all advantages that I have no control over but they do give me an advantage in life. 

Another way that I am privileged is through the opportunities I had to connect with nature growing up. I had these opportunities mainly because I have parents who are so connected to nature. One of the earliest opportunities I had to connect with nature was through my dad. My dad is an environmental scientist and from a young age, I remember going with him to work to help with his fieldwork. This is where he helped me pick up many different skills such as learning how to identify plants and animals. Another way my parents gave me the privilege of connecting with nature was through traveling. My family vacations would often be based around different nature experiences such as exploring the icefields at Jasper National Park, river rafting in Costa Rica, or snorkeling a coral reef in the Dominican Republic. Having the opportunity to travel is something that when I was younger I did not realize how privileged I was to have, but now that I am older I realize how lucky I am to have seen so many different countries and different parts of Canada. Having all of these opportunities helped turn me into the person I am today, and I often wonder how different my life would be without them.

Gallavan, N.P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their ‘invisible knapsacks.’ Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore Publishing.

[iceknifebob]

THE LAST BREAK

By Chat-GPT

Iceknife Bob was a name that held quiet infamy among the few who knew its tale. To most, he was just Bob: a gray-haired old man with a face worn by Arctic winds, long days at sea, and the cold bite of northern winters. He’d spent his life as a deckhand on an icebreaker ship, cutting paths through frozen seas for arctic voyages. In his day, Bob had seen the wild, raw north like few ever had, spending years breaking ice for tankers and supply ships while sharing rum-soaked stories with crewmates as the world outside froze over.

But there was more to Bob than his seafaring life. Beneath his quiet demeanor and slow, measured voice beat the heart of an anarchist. Bob had a deep resentment of power and government, the kind that had stewed beneath the surface for decades, tempered by hardship and disappointment. To Bob, the ice wasn't the only thing that needed breaking—so did the systems of control that shaped the world.

For years, he'd kept his radical ideas quiet, lurking in the shadows of protests and small gatherings, using his unassuming exterior to pass unnoticed. But he had a plan. And when Bob decided to act, he aimed high.

Bob set his sights on none other than President Biden. For Bob, the president was the face of a system that had failed too many for too long. One day, with an intricate, carefully plotted plan, Bob made his move. He waited until Biden visited a northern town on some state function, close enough for Bob to blend in with the crowd, slip past security, and make his strike.

But he failed. Maybe it was the years weighing on him, slowing him down. Maybe it was the ice he'd broken his whole life that had cracked something within. Or maybe it was fate. In any case, he didn’t get close. Security intercepted him before he could draw his weapon, but Bob—old and cagey as he was—slipped away into the northern wilderness.

The media would never know the real Bob. They only reported the strange news of an "elderly man" with no apparent connections being on the run after a failed assassination attempt. The authorities, though, began to dig into the legend of "Iceknife Bob," a man known in certain underground circles, a ghost who had disappeared into the vast tundra.

Back in a small, frostbitten town, Bob’s best friend, Oak, sat in his cabin. Oak had been friends with Bob for decades. They’d shared drinks after long hauls at sea, spent hours by crackling fires telling stories only other old men could understand. Oak didn't know all of Bob’s secrets—he wasn't sure anyone did—but he knew enough to keep his mouth shut.

One day, the FBI knocked on Oak’s door. They asked polite but probing questions, trying to sniff out any leads on Bob’s whereabouts. Oak, a grizzled man with eyes like frozen lakes, denied knowing anything. He kept his answers vague, evasive.

But as the interview wore on, Oak’s phone buzzed on the table beside him. His wife, bless her, was texting him again. Without thinking, Oak reached for the phone to check the message. As he unlocked the screen, the background photo lit up—a picture of Oak and Bob, standing arm in arm by the docks, the cold northern sun gleaming behind them.

The FBI agent’s eyes locked on the image.

Oak’s breath caught. He froze, his weathered hands still holding the phone.

The agent said nothing for a long moment, just stared. Finally, with a cold, knowing smile, the agent spoke softly. “I think you know more than you're letting on.”

Oak swallowed hard. He knew that Bob was out there somewhere, maybe hunkered down in some remote cabin or hiding among the scattered icefields. But now, it seemed the ice had finally broken for Iceknife Bob.

The end was inevitable.

[travel-learn-repeat]

Aialik Glacier- Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska- 7.5 hours cruise from Seward, Alaska

This video is about Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. We took a 7.5-hour Major Marine Cruise trip to explore Kenai Fjords National Park, where Aialik Glacier is located. Some Tips on Cruise: Book in Advance: Ensure you book your cruise ahead of time, especially during the peak season. We took Major Marine Tours from Seward, Alaska. Dress in Layers: Even in early July, it was very cold, windy, and rainy. We packed raincoats and wore weather-appropriate shoes; we opted for waterproof hiking shoes, which helped a lot when going on the deck in the rain without getting wet and uncomfortable. For the best viewing experience and photography, we brought a good pair of binoculars and a quality camera. Remember, wild animals do not always come close to the cruise, so you need to stay attentive and ready with your binoculars and/or camera to see and capture the experience. Food and Amenities: The cruise line provided a complimentary deli lunch with sandwich options: turkey, roast beef, or vegetarian. You were also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks. However, packing light and being mindful not to litter was important. The cruise line provided free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. The cruise also had a small snack bar and a restroom. About Aialik Glacier: Aialik Glacier is a tidewater glacier, meaning it flows directly into the ocean. The glacier is currently retreating. Aialik Glacier's face stretches approximately a mile wide and towers up to 300 feet above the waterline. Its size and the sheer volume of ice it holds make it an impressive sight. Situated in the northeastern part of Kenai Fjords National Park, Aialik Glacier is part of the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States, covering approximately 700 square miles. The glacier, like other tidewater glacier in the region, was formed from the accumulation and compaction of snow over thousands of years. It flows down from the Harding Icefield, through Aialik Bay, and into the Pacific Ocean. Please keep viewing our other videos on Alaska and other world destinations.

Thanks for watching! 

www.youtube.com/@TravelLearnRepeat