#Hero Dog Awards

[mon-ster-chen]

💫 Con & Cooper watching ⚽️,

look at those arms 💪🏽😍

➡️ Con / IG

Happy Father's Day!!

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Antis, the German Shepherd dog (1939–1953), received the Dickin Medal for gallantry from serving in World War II.

Antis was found injured in 1940 in France by Czech airman Václav Bozděch.

Antis accompanied Bozděch on numerous combat missions inside his plane.

The duo survived a crash landing and evaded capture in Nazi-occupied countries.

https://nypost.com/2014/06/01/the-amazing-tale-of-antis-the-hero-dog-of-wwii/

[casuallyanidiot]

Yandere knight who wants you instead of the princess.

Dead dove Do not Eat Tw. For noncon, MDNI, Fem pov

Yandere knight who has been training in the palace for a very long time. It's an honor for a commoner like him to even set foot into the castle walls, so he works earnestly.

Yandere knight who's been catching glimpses of not only the lovely princess throughout the years, but her handmaidens as well. You're a daughter of a somewhat lesser noble house, and therefore you have essentially been given to the royal family until you're eventually married off to another courtier.

But of all the noble ladies, who often ignore him, he finds you to be the most approachable and kind to him and the other squires. He's developed a bit of a crush on you over the years, and he eventually found it in himself to express his feelings. They were innocent and pure then, and he stood there blushing and awkward waiting for you to accept or deny. He would've taken a no from you. Really, he would have.

But then that pompous bitch got in the way.

The princess had you pulled away by her other attendants before you could answer, and she all but sneered at him.

"My maids are not for common rife like you to sully," she spat, a look of disdain carved on her delicate features.

Yandere knight who was deployed to the battlefront soon after. He spent years in misery knowing it was that royal woman's meddling that had both sent him here and stopped him from knowing how you truly felt.

Yandere knight who carved through foe upon foe with the flash of his sword while thinking of you. He would wipe blood from his face and wonder what it would take to have you. He resolves to become so renowned that he could have you and the respect he deserved all those years ago anyways.

Yandere knight who comes back as the hero of the nation. A parade is thrown for him upon his return, and flowers are thrown at his feet by the masses of people. He is awarded a noble title, a duke (impressive), a territory of land to manage, and the blessing to have the hand of any eligible lady in the land from the king.

The implication was for him to go for the princess, sitting there in a gown befitting of an engagement party. She wasn't the heir to the throne, and having a young, impressionable Duke to have and father a potential crown prince or princess was certainly a draw for her to act so sweet and lovely despite her previous attitudes. He had to use all the will in his body to hide his disdainful glare towards her. Instead, he strode up with a near giddy grin, breezed past the waiting royal, and knelt before you.

"[Name], I shall have you as my wife," He says with a beaming smile. You try to protest, but he's already sweeping you into his arms. The king seems surprised by his choice, but as he stares between Yandere Knight, lovestruck and beaming, and you, squirming and utterly shocked, he realizes that he cannot simply go back on his word. The king waves his hand, and your fate is sealed.

Yandere knight feels bad for not giving you a proper wedding. In fact, he feels bad about not taking you to your new home before he's pulling up your skirts. He's a dog, he knows, but you're just so tempting now that you're all his. He shoving you down onto the plush upholstery of the carriage seats, and you let out a startled cry.

Yandere knight who cannot claim he's chivalrous. He wishes he could, but he loves the way your breasts look pushed up so tightly in the laced bodice of yours. He lets out a groan, petting your hair and shushing you as you whimper under his wandering touch. Button after button becomes undone.

"Love, you'll never wear such stifling clothing again. You hear me? All robes and lace from now on. None of this nonsense," He murmurs into your skin. He pulled your corset and chemise from your body, and he pressed fervent kisses to the crook of your neck. He grasps at your breasts, kneading them experimentally. He's had time to experience women on the battlefield. A fling or two in some field on the outskirts of a freshly liberated village. He would think of you the whole time and imagine what he was latching his lips around the stiff peak of your nipple while a random girl cried out underneath him. But this was real. Your warmth beneath his much heavier form was on of the most beautiful feeling he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

He parted your legs, and he could feel you shy away from him. He laughed. As if you had a choice. He knew you would love him eventually, but for now you can't blame him for how ravenous he was as he felt between your shaking, parted legs. He smirked as his lips met yours. His fingers slid against your folds, gathering slick arousal on his digits with a curious hum. He grinds his thumb against your clit as he slowly pushes his way into your warm, spongy walls.

"Oh? Is it good there? Or here? Where, love? You gotta use your words," He teases and licks the tears rolling down your cheeks, peppering your soft skin with kisses. He feels you pulse and stretch around his hand, and he relishes the way your back arches when he curls his fingers just right against that sweet little spot. Desperate noises tumble out of you, and he smiles.

He pulls his fingers out, and you cry out at the sudden sensation. Your chest is heaving with small moans, and your pretty pussy is drooling onto the carriage cushions. He pushes your legs up to your chest for a better grip, and his shudders at the way your twitching feels against the head of his cock.

Yandere knight knows that, as he thrusts into you, he's going to enjoy the luxury of finally having you both under his body and under his control.

[dogtreatsmart]

DogNews@DogTreatSmart

Hero Dog Receives ‘Paw of Courage’ Award from the American Kennel Club for Finding Missing Child, 12.

Read more: www.dogtreatsmart.com

[nab1wuzhere]

Magnetic

“You wouldn’t look at me.”

“I saw plenty.”

“In my eyes.”

“…Does it matter?”

~

summary:

Bakugo Katsuki, No. 3 Hero in the charts, massive amounts of tan girls, always invited to galas, events, and even award shows along side his peers, but he has never once gotten a dating scandal in his whole career. Has never even looked in a woman's direction. So you can be certain he won't change his actions when artist Y/N is invited to sing at a private Christmas Gala hosted for hero's to celebrate the season and a year well done of duties...right?

Singer, artist, model Y/N, has it all. Looks, wealth, awards, friends, family, and boyfriends.. her music revolves around her relationships and past relationships along with her mental health that she speaks about through her music. She gets asked to gigs almost every day but few are lucky to book her, when her team gets a request for the Christmas Hero Gala which is highly exclusive, she immediately agrees to entertaining the hero's, excited for the night she doesn't realize she caught a certain man's attention in the back of the crowd..

• slow burn - secret pining - romance - bold Y/N, shy Katsuki - vice versa - celebrity!y/n x aged up!katsuki

• following contains, eventual smut, mentions of suicide, alcohol, mental illness, heavy party scenes and probably more !

• 18+ only!! this is your warning

• the rest of the celebrities mentioned in this series i do not take credit for, and the songs mentioned all writing ownership belongs to them! i do not take credit except for this fan fiction!

!! just a friendly reminder this is all fake, simply my imagination placed into writing !!

Chapter one

intro

After Kirishima left Katsuki alone in his hotel, Katsuki much to his dismay went through a whole social media dive on Y/N. Research, is what he told himself when he scrolled through her Instagram. Photo dumps from her and her friends, including a few actors Katsuki was familiar with, a picture of her dog, Bell, a candid photo of her in the studio, headphones placed on her head.. 'She's pretty' he thought but quickly brushed it away.

Yeah, Katsuki was extremely private when it came to his love life, so what? Was that a crime? Not at all, he had a disgust for the media and he sure as hell didn't want strangers all up in his personal life, it's how he has always been even from his UA days.

All of a sudden his phone started blowing up from the group chat he had with his friends. Kirishima sent a video from some Hollywood website, headlined "Y/N seen getting off at an airport in Japan". the video showed Y/N in a baseball cap wearing all black and a few bodyguards surrounding her, screams were blasting from his phone, flashes bouncing off her as she walked keeping her head down.

"For fucks sake.." Katuski scowled at the video, where's the humanity in following someone around? God he hated paparazzi.

Buzz Buzz.

Shitty Hair - OH GOD! this was today! she's here in Japan!

Raccoon Eyes - EEEK! I CAN'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW, WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE'LL WEAR?!?!

Bob Head - oh god! that's a lot of pap.. i hope she's okay :(

Nerd - Yeah.. I'm sure someone like her is used to it but, wouldn't that get a little draining?

He hated to admit it, but Deku was right, shit, having people scream your name everywhere you go has got to get tiring.

Shitty Hair - yeah, I'm sure it is tiring, but that's what you get in that industry, hell guys even we get that

Shitty Hair - …but seriously, I think she's gonna wear black

Pump Legs - She's definitely wearing red

Raccoon eyes - I SECOND THAT!!!!!

Shitty Hair - NO?!?

Shitty Hair - Katsuki! what do you think?

- i’m not participating.

Dunce Face - the obvious answer is green

Pump Legs - Wanna bet?

Shitty Hair - KATSUKIIIIIII

- white.

Shitty Hair - WHITE?!

Bob Head - waaaiiiittt cause i can see it..

Aaaand that was Katsuki's queue to exit the group chat, he scoffed to himself and was just about to go shower but curiosity got the best of him. He groaned before googling her name. Pictures and articles popped up of her when one of them caught his eye. "BREAKUP?! Y/N and Cole Malter’s 1 year relationship comes to a CLOSE" Katsuki's interest was peaked and he clicked on the link, scrolling down pictures of Y/N at red carpets were displayed, a tall guy with black hair and a cocky look in his eye was seen standing next to her. A very obvious grip on her waist. Katsuki narrowed his eyes and thought, ‘Who even is this guy?’ before realizing he was an actor on a popular sci-fi show Deku was once talking to Sero about during one of their movie nights. He could tell immediately this Cole guy was an asshole, just by the way his lips curved up into a smug grin and again that tight possessive grip on Y/N's waist. Katuski glanced over at Y/N trying to read her expression but was only met with a bright smile that creased the corner of her eyes a little.

Scrolling down on the article, according to a source Cole's very “open” drug addiction was one of the reasons for the split. A video was attached bellow showing Y/N and Cole late at night in LA by a crosswalk, Cole was clearly drunk out of his mind as he threw himself on her while laughing. Y/N's face was anything but happy. You see her shaking her head at him before turning him as she spoke, Cole throws his arms up in a defensive way, but Y/N keeps at it. She moves her hands in a expressive manner as Cole lights up a cigarette, seconds later he puffs smoke directly in her face..

Y/N stands there no longer speaking and turns back in front of her with a blank expression on her face, Cole laughing, no remorse shown. The video ends there.

Katsuki scrolls to the comments,

user62946: omfg it's so obvious he's high on TOP of being drunk.

y/nforpresident: what an ASS. I would've dumped him too.

maggieisabbi: when I see stuff like this I always think if people were dropped on their head as baby

reply/user72048: LOLLLLLL

kentuckyfriedchicken: didn't he just get out of rehab too??? how long has this been going on

deluluisthesolulu: I feel awful for her, my partner for 3 years was a druggie, by far most draining experience EVER. glad she got out when she did.

Kastuki shut his phone off after reading a couple more comments. A pang of sympathy rushed through him for her, he immediately clocked it and shook his head, he has no relation to her, tomorrow night will be the first and last time they ever crossed paths.

"Why do I even care?"

-

Y/N was awoken by a knock on her door, her manager, Crystal and long time best friend came through after announcing it was her. Y/N groaned dramatically when Crystal pulled the curtains open, the sun stinging her eyes immediately.

"CRYSTALLL."

"Wake up hun, we gotta get you ready for tonight."

Y/N's eyes opened at that, when her team got a request for her performance a month ago she was thrilled to say the least, she loved gala's and being able to have more domestic performances like she was just another girl with a voice.

"Uh?? Hello!! Yes!", was the first thing she said when Crystal pitched the idea to her.

Y/N was a big fan of the heroes and felt like her dreams were coming true when she realized she would meet some of her favorite ones! Not realizing they were just as excited to meet her.

After an hour of hair she was now sat down on a high chair, her makeup team working away their magic, she texted her mom letting her know how the preparations were going. A text came up from Cole, Y/N stared at it her stomach swarming with anxiety, she swiped the text away not even bothering to read what he had texted. With a deep breath she shut her phone off and focused on getting ready.

"Was that Cole?", Crystal asked with a hint of worry.

Y/N shook her head, "Doesn't matter, when I go back to LA I'll deal with him then.."

Cyrstal stayed silent, fiddling with her bracelet, "Just.. be careful? This isn't the first time he's come crawling back and-"

"I've got it handled Crys."

"-No I know it's just.." she sighed looking deeply into Y/N's eyes, "guard yourself, don't succumb back into what he wants."

Y/N extended a hand, holding Crystals hand with a small squeeze, "I won't."

Crystal smiled, “Good, now chop chop people we have to be out the door and on our way to the venue in less than thirty minutes!!”

Y/N smiled, Crystal completely back on manager duty, her mind went back to Cole, thinking about the last in person conversation they had.. Cole was almost on his knees asking her not to leave him, but she was too tired to continue on with him and his actions, she didn’t care about her image, if Cole needed her by his side during his recovery out of his addiction she would, and she was, but he just wasn’t meeting her halfway, and in the end the only person getting hurt was her.

“Hey babes?”, Kelly, her makeup artist spoke up, “I’m intrigued, who are you most excited to meet tonight?”

Y/N was pulled out of her daze and smiled brightly, “Now there’s a question I want to be asked! ..Hmm, honestly? I adore Red Riot, his quirk is so coool!! His whole friend group seems like such sweet people”

Crystal jumped in, “Oh yeah, i read somewhere they all went to the same hero school, UA or something”

Kelly nodded, “Yeah the top 3 hero’s are in that group as well… gonna be completely blunt, that Shoto hero…? Such a good looking guy”

Y/N snickered while Crystal laughed, “Oh my gosh let’s talk about it, that guy you mentioned Y/N, Red Riot? He could do whatever he wanted to me and I’d thank him”

“Haha-! What the hell Crystal?!”

Crystal and Kelly laughed along with some of the other staff working who overheard the girls conversation

After Kelly stopped laughing she asked, “What about you? Who do you find attractive from all the hero’s?”

Y/N shook her head, “No way in hell am i answering that-”

“Awww come onnnn!”

“No!”

“Please?!”

Y/N sighed, a small smile betraying her, “Uhm.. well Dynamight’s pretty cute-”

A squeal from the two girls pierced Y/N’s eardrums, “Oh my god shut up both of you! Aren’t we on a time crunch? I’m still with the same unblended concealer I had five minutes agooo!”

Crystal shook her head grinning before clapping her hands and ordering people around, Y/N smiled as a giggle escaped her and Kelly.

“Isn’t Dynamight the really loud and brash one? I heard he once cussed out a reporter on live television”

Y/N nodded, “Yeahh.. but that reporter did ask him a really stupid, out of the box question, so i think it’s completely valid”

“Yeah but doesn’t he like hate is fans or something? Anytime he’s at fan signs he always look so miserable”

Y/N pressed her lips, “You know he once saved two children from an apartment complex that was on fire and was about to crumble within seconds? He even helped an old lady at the grocery store cross the road because she was afraid to make cars stop for long just so she could go?” she paused for a moment, “Does he sometimes come off as loud? aggravated? mean? yeah, but so do we, that man has seen things and experienced things we couldn’t even imagine,” she ends with a shrug, “I’m just not convinced he’s truly like that”

-

Later into the evening Y/N was behind a secluded corner, preparing herself as she was about to go on stage and sing for the heroes she peaked out a curtain to see everyone gathered around, shes preformed in front of filled to the brim stadiums, always feeling confident beforehand and right about now she needed some of that confidence.

This was a more domestic appearance, they didn’t come here to see her, she came here to be the one to bring on a show for them and bring it well.

“You are 3 minutes till entrance Ms Y/N”, spoke out a tech staff that was helping for the night, she thanked them and noticed they were still lingering, “Is something the matter?”

“Oh! No- no i just- well, could i get a picture?”

Y/N smiled, “Of course!”

She finished up with the staff and began to take deep breaths to ease her stress

Suddenly microphone feedback rang in the air and a rough voice spoke out, it was All Might, one of the greatest hero’s about to make a speech.

“Ahem, hello everyone good evening, it’s good to see everyone here and thriving.” applause erupted, “As you know this year was filled with its challenges, hardships and struggles.. a lot of you have been placed in situations where some of us couldn’t handle. Some were forced to make difficult decisions, some of us easy ones.., but at the end of it we completed what we chose to do, and that was make the world a safer place.” applause filled the room a second time, “Now, it is time to relax, celebrate the holiday season, enjoy friends and old faces we haven’t seen in a while and most of all, pat one another on the back for yet another great year of hero work!!” some heroes let out whistles and cheers

“Now i won’t bore you any longer and skip to the part i know we all.. have been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen! Please give a loud and warm welcome to the woman who is by far the voice of this generation.. Ms Y/N!!”

Y/N’s heart felt like it got squeezed at the lovely compliment given to her, All Might stepped off the stage and the lights going completely off, a few gasps let out, she walked out onto the stage, careful not to trip, standing in front of the mic stand, her iconic jeweled microphone in her hand.

Flash

The lights came back on in an instant revealing Y/N standing in a beautiful while shimmer dress, her curled hair draping down her back, her cheeks rosy, her eye shadow glittering from the lights, a smile peaking out from her glossy lips.

“Heroes how we doing tonight!?”

Applause was not hesitated the minute she spoke. As the music began to play, a familiar christmas chime filling everyone’s ears, Y/N looked around the crowd seeing everyone’s faces and smiling before her eyes locked on dark red ruby ones, the eyes no doubt belonged to him.. Katsuki Bakugo.

authors note:

never in my whole time of being here on tumblr would i ever think i would have the guts to publish something, and when i finally do it received a lot of love and attention! (at least in my eyes)

seriously all the love from the intro made me so happy and i’m glad you all love it!! as requested here is a taglist! comment if you want to be added as well :}

ps. look out for a moodboard i’ll be posting! ;}

@d1orhaz3 @stoned-anime-babe @yjploum @penguinsravioli @mutsu422 @anonymity-222

[max-nico]

Sonic is feeling abnormally sentimental, everyone around him thinks it's warranted, but it doesn't stop the fact that he feels like he could burst into tears any moment. Gosh, he's just so proud. He essentially raised this kid from a toddler to almost an adult, because he's only sixteen, but still! That's his baby brother!

His baby brother who is doing an amazing job, giving his amazing speech, at this amazing venue. He's gotten tall, his tails are thick and bushy, and he looks so confident. Sonic knew he would see that day Tails could stand on his own, from the moment he took the little fox in, he knew.

And the kid looks all grown up in his brown suit, he's wearing pants and everything! If Sonic was a lesser hedgehog, he'd be a blubbering mess of tears right now. Watching his little buddy be presented with an incredibly prestigious scientific award, that Sonic doesn't fully understand in all honesty, has his heart squeezing in so many emotions he's getting overwhelmed. He's big enough to admit that there are bittersweet feelings tied up in all his big brother pride.

"Euhg, you reek of ego." Knuckles says, walking up to Sonic.

"Can you blame me? I raised that kid."

"Barely."

Sonic rolls his eyes, leaning against the stage walls. He's unperturbed by the echidna's rudeness. Some people never change. Though, if anyone should stay the same it's Knuckles, not that Sonic would ever tell him that.

"How'd you even get back here?"

"Your lowly guards are no match for a warrior." Knuckles puffs his chest out, like beating up poor unsuspecting security workers is a flex. "They could not stop me from congratulating Tails after his acceptance speech... Also, Amy's going to be late and she wanted me to make sure I give Tails a bouquet of flowers."

"And we all know how Amy gets about her flowers." The two say in sync, matching smiles on their faces.

Amy opened a flower shop a few years ago, a business that she and Vanilla are teaching Cream how to run. It's sweet, and her own opinion, what gift shows love better than a bouquet. Sonic would argue that a good chilli dog beats flowers any day, but Amy also says he has no taste, so truly, what does he know.

The two lapse into silence as they listen to Tails talk. He answers questions fluidly, with a charismatic ease you could only get from spending time with Sonic the Hedgehog. Even rude comments from the audience are taken in stride and spun in his favor. Geez, maybe Sonic should've taken those PR classes with Tails a few years ago, the kid is much smoother than him when it comes to the media.

It feels like no time at all as well as a hundred years have passed by the time closing statements are being given. The crowd has begun to get antsy as well, the energy shifting as the award ceremony comes to an end. Not without Tails giving a concluding speech obviously, because his little brother has officially cemented himself in history, and is very clearly the most important person here.

"And of course, I would like to thank my older brother, Sonic The Hedgehog!" Tails gestures to backstage, and the crowd goes wild at just the mention of Sonic's name. "I know right. The guy who's devoted his life to saving the world is the same guy who raised me, sometimes I still have a hard time believing it myself!" He chuckles. "That is, until I remember he's also the same guy who refused to eat vegetables until I was old enough to start hiding them in his chilli dogs."

The joke got the crowd to laugh, and Sonic promises that's the only reason why he doesn't go out there and set the record straight. Because first of all, he didn't refuse, he just never felt like making a second serving! Tails got his vegetables and that's what mattered! Some brother he is, lying on Sonic's name like that.

"I would like to thank the rest of my family as well! They're your heroes, but they're the ones who gave me the confidence to do anything even close to this! I don't know where I would be without them so I kinda think this award belongs to them too... Still going to my trophy shelf though, they can get their own."

There's another laugh from the crowd, and a little tear wiped from Knuckles' eye. Sonic isn't doing much better beside him, the hedgehog is holding it together as well as straw holds up a house. Hell, Sonic barely listens to the rest of the speech, too focused on keeping it together until his little brother comes off stage.

All too soon there's clapping and cheering from the crowd, and Tails is beelining towards them. The curtains are coming down, blocking the stage lights, and within moments the fox's mic is removed and his blazer is thrown to the floor. None of them have ever been much for the restriction of formal clothing, Tails being no exception.

"Did I do good?" He asks. Sonic's heart clenches at how deep it's gotten. "Gosh, I was so nervous."

"You did very well." Knuckles scoops up Tails from behind, giving him a good noogie and messing up his tamed fur. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

The fox beams at the praise. For a moment, all Sonic can see is that little 8 year old smiling at him like he's the only good thing in the world. That same sweetly sharp grin, packed to the brim in naivety, but obvious intelligence below the surface. He's trying so hard not to get all mushy, Tails will make fun of him if he does. Hmm, he wonders where Tails gets that from.

"You did great, little brother! I told you that you could do it, and look, you got that fancy medal and everything just to prove it."

Tails flushes as Sonic pulls him in for a hug. He's a little taller than Sonic now, and the thought makes the hedgehog slightly nauseous... When did that happen?

"I dunno about little, I think you're more deserving of that title now!"

"As if!"

Now it's Sonic's turn to noogie the fox, much to his chagrin.

"You may be getting tall, but you'll always be my baby!" Sonic says obnoxiously.

"Ew, you're being so gross right now."

"C'mon keed, can't take a little affection from your big bro?"

"Not when you're acting like this, and stop calling me that, you weirdo!"

Sonic and Knuckles laugh at Tails playful disdain.

Hopefully he knows how proud they both are of him, Knuckles might beat it into the fox if he doesn't. Not even Sonic can save him from that fate.

Yeah I'm gonna participate in whumptober I said. WRONG !! WHOLESOME WEDNESDAY ATTACK 🌈🩷🫶🏾

I've had this fic in my drafts for ages, please take it away and treat it with care lol, it's been waiting so long for me to finish it

Also, someone give me an idea for a lil fic to write for Tails birthday !! I could just do the whumptober prompt but if anyone has any better ideas, I'm all ears !!

My askbox is always open !! Come yap to me !! Let's be friends !! @max-nicoxfandom is my general fandom blog if you're interested 🩷🩷

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - October 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. All 160 dogs at Florida shelter found homes ahead of Hurricane Milton

“[The shelter] offered crates, food and anything else the dogs would need in exchange for the animals to spend just five days with the foster parents if the human didn't want to keep them for longer. […A]fter about a day of receiving around 100 messages every 30 minutes, Bada said, all 160 were gone from the shelter and in safe and warm homes.”

2. Restoring Ecosystems and Rejuvenating Native Hawaiian Traditions in Maui

“[Volunteers] are restoring water flow to the refuge, removing invasive species, and restoring a loko iʻa kalo using ʻike kūpuna, ancestral knowledge. […] This human-made ecosystem will provide food for community members and habitat for wildlife while protecting coral reefs offshore.”

3. Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries

“In contrast to other solar-driven desalination designs, the MIT system requires no extra batteries for energy storage, nor a supplemental power supply, such as from the grid. […] The system harnessed on average over 94 percent of the electrical energy generated from the system’s solar panels to produce up to 5,000 liters of water per day[….]”

4. Threatened pink sea fan coral breeds in UK aquarium for first time

“The spawning is part of University of Exeter Ph.D. student Kaila Wheatley Kornblum's research into the reproduction, larval dispersal and population connectivity of Eunicella verrucosa. […] Pink sea fans are believed to have been successfully bred by only one other institution, Lisbon Oceanarium, in 2023.”

5. Tiny 'backpacks' are being strapped to baby turtles[….]

““We analysed the data and found that hatchlings show amazingly consistent head-up orientation – despite being in the complete dark, surrounded by sand [… and] they move as if they were swimming rather than digging[…. This new observation method is] answering questions about best conservation practices,” says Dor.”

6. New California Law Protects Wildlife Connectivity

“A new state law in California will instruct counties and municipalities to conserve wildlife corridors when planning new development. […] This could entail everything from creating wildlife crossings at roads or highways, employing wildlife-safe fencing, or not developing on certain land.”

7. ‘I think, boy, I’m a part of all this’: how local heroes reforested Rio’s green heart

“By 2019, [the program] had transformed the city’s landscape, having trained 15,000 local workers like Leleco, who have planted 10m seedlings across […] roughly 10 times the area of New York’s Central Park. Reforested sites include mangroves and vegetation-covered sandbars called restinga, as well as wooded mountainsides around favelas.”

8. Alabama Town Plans to Drop Criminal Charges Over Unpaid Garbage Bills

““Suspending garbage pickup, imposing harsh late penalties and prosecuting people who through no fault of their own are unable to pay their garbage and sewage bills does not make payment suddenly forthcoming,” West said. [… The city] has agreed to drop pending criminal charges against its residents over unpaid garbage bills.”

9. New Hampshire’s low-income community solar program finally moves forward

“The state energy department is reviewing seven proposals for community solar arrays that will allocate a portion of their bill credits to low-income households. […] New Hampshire’s strategy of working with utilities to automatically enroll households that have already been identified streamlines the process.”

10. The Future Looks Bright for Electric School Buses

“EPA has awarded about $3 billion in grants from the infrastructure law, which paid to replace about 8,700 buses. Of those, about 95 percent are electric. [… Electric buses are] cheaper to operate and require less maintenance than diesel buses and will soon be at cost parity when looking at the lifetime cost of ownership[….]”

October 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[aventurineswife]

Welcome to my HSR Masterlist 3!

Here, you'll find HSR fanfictions, headcanons, and maybe a few surprises along the way.

Feel free to send in your requests!

Incorrect Quotes: (19), (20), (21), (22), (23)

Luck, Love, and a Thousand Jades | Aventurine x Reader

“What a gambler gains in the end is also what they lose in the end.” | Aventurine x Reader

From Whisper to Inferno | Ratio x Reader

Between Crumbs and Cataclysms | Aventurine, Kafka, Boothill x Demon!Reader

And I will kiss you slowly | Sunday x Reader

“Natural? Yes, Natural” | Aventurine x Reader

The Past Meets Future | Diluc, Kaeya, Sampo, Gepard x Reader

The Price of Loyalty | Sampo, Aventurine x Dog-Human!Reader

“The greatest gift a parent gives is the freedom to grow” | Parental Figure!Jing Yuan x Teen!Reader

With Every Strike, We Find Ourselves | Jing Yuan, Feixiao, Blade, Dan Heng x Galaxy Ranger!Teen!Reader

“I loved you like the sun, yet you loved me like the eclipse." | Sunday x Reader

In the Hands of the One I Love | Moze x Reader

More Than a Pretty Face | Aventurine, Ratio, Dan Heng x Reader

Winning Hearts, Taking Risks | Aventurine x Female!Reader

Frying Pan Saves The Day! | Feixiao, Jiaoqiu, Moze x Reader

HSR Characters and their preferences in a S/O | Aventurine, Sunday, Boothill, Jing Yuan, Blade x Reader

A Joke Too Far | Aventurine, Sunday, Ratio x Reader

“Think I like you best when you're just with me, And no one else” | Aventurine, Sunday, Ratio x Reader

Fallen Yet Still We Rise | Sunday x Fallen Angel!Reader

Quiet Comfort | Ratio x Reader

Special Gift from Santa! | Boothill, Aventurine x Female!Reader

The Greatest Present Awaits You | Aventurine x Reader

Shared Silhouettes of Sorrow | Aventurine x Reader

Whispers in the Night | Aventurine, Ratio, Boothill x Reader

“Don't you want someone crazy like me, babe?” | Ratio x Reader

Even Immortals Have Limits | Aventurine, Ratio, Sunday x Reader

“In riding a horse, we borrow freedom” | Ratio x Reader

Stars, Spices, and Shared Silence | Feixiao x Reader

HSR Characters Reaction On Mouthwashing | Kaka, Silver Wolf, Blade x Reader

Through Every Cough and Sigh | Welt, Dan Heng x Reader

“They make me laugh” | Kafka x Reader

Remembrance of Shadows | Dan Heng, Sunday, Aventurine x Reader

Let Me Be Selfish Tonight | Sunday x Reader

Fortune’s Most Favored | Aventurine x Reader

Behind the Mask, Beneath the Gamble | Aventurine x Reader

Between Waking and Dreaming | Sunday x Kiana Kaslana!Reader

“My best enemy is you” | Aventurine x Reader

Pirate!Aventurine x Mermaid!Reader | Part 1 | Part 2

Gifts of the Heart | Aventurine, Ratio, Jing Yuan, Dan Heng x Reader

“Come back to me, love” | Dan Heng IL, Aventurine x Reader

Mask of the Showman | Aventurine x Furina!Reader

Tides of Solace | Ratio, Kaveh x Reader

A Duet of Souls | Sunday x Reader

“Don't Touch Me” | Ratio, Aventurine x Reader

“Unravel Me” | Owl!Ratio x Reader

“Can a Stranger be a Friend?” | Aventurine/Kakavasha x Reader

When Weakness Brings Us Closer | Aventurine, Sampo, Sunday, Dan Heng x Reader

“Was this still just friendship?” | Aventurine x Reader

Love, But At What Cost? | Sunday x Reader

“The coolest eyes of the bestest Dad in the universe!” | Dad!Aventurine

“Not today, fluffball. Today, they’re mine” | Aventurine x Reader

“I think about us a lot” | Aventurine x Reader

Between Luck and Chaos | Aventurine x Reader

Where the Cold Can’t Touch Us | Aventurine x Reader

The Greatest Award | Dad!Aventurine

Through Their Eyes, a Hero | Dad!Aventurine

Where Dreams and Stars Collide | Sunday x Female!Reader

A Family of Our Own | Dad!Aventurine x Parent!Reader

Under The Mistletoe | Aventurine, Dan Heng, Boothill, Sunday, Mortefi, Xiangli Yao, Aalto, Kaveh x Reader

Secret Gift for Special Someone | Mortefi, Kaveh, Aventurine, Sunday, Ratio x Reader

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice | Ratio x Reader

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | Aventurine x Reader

In the Spirit of the Season | Aventurine, Sampo x Dog Hybrid Human!Reader

“Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling” | Kaveh x Reader x Aventurine

Through Pain, We Laugh | Kafka, Blade, Silver Wolf, Firefly x Reader

“It's okay to not be okay” | Aventurine x Reader

In the middle of Difficulty lies Opportunity | Aventurine, Jing Yuan, Argenti x Teen!Reader

The Universe Begins Within | Aventurine, Sampo, Childe x Reader

To Disaster, With Love | Aventurine x Ragatha!Reader

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart” | Dad!Aventurine

The Last of Us | Aventurine x Avgin!Teen!Reader

Echoes of a Heart Unseen | Aventurine, Sunday, Argenti x Miyo! SaimoriReader

From Burnt to Bonded | Astral Express x Reader

From Giant to Child, You Are Still You | Gepard, Sampo, Aventurine, Ratio, Boothill x Reader

Behind Every Smile, There’s A Heart Breaking | Sunday, Aventurine, Blade, Jing Yuan x Ai Hoshino!Teen!Reader

Reflections of Beauty | Aventurine x Reader

What Blooms Between Us | Luocha x Florist!Reader

Pages in Light | Dan Heng, Ratio x Reader

A Recipe for Chaos | Jiaoqiu, Ruan Mei, Fu Xuan x Reader

Fragments of Fate | Boothill, Aventurine, Gepard x Teen!Reader

Between Mentorship and Family | Jing Yuan, Himeko x Teen!Reader

“Let it be for now” | Sunday x Vidyadhara!Reader

The Greatest Fear | Blade x Reader

Up! Up! | Aventurine, Sunday, Sampo, Childe

Mine to Claim | Dan Heng x Reader

“If I Fall, Let It Be for You” | Dan Heng, Sunday, Aventurine x Reader

Waves of Lost Harmony | Sunday x Reader

“Objection! Gambling with Your Life is Not a Legal Strategy!” | Aventurine x Lawyer!Reader

“Teach Me Gently, Guide Me Kindly” | Anaxa x Reader

Lean Down, Lift Up | Sunday x Reader

Softened by Silence | Aventurine x Reader

Beneath the Mask | Kaveh, Aventurine, Alhaitham x Demon!Reader

Through the Marble Streets | Phainon x Reader

(Read this before making a request!)

[operationslipperypuppet]

Naddpod Carnegie based on what I can remember, post-show euphoria comedown. (That’s more for me so I can remember it later)

The music was played by a quintet, and the director was Emily’s brother, Brian. They were incredible.

Music started early and people talked through a lot of it but it was all incredible. When they played Kingshammer, everyone lost their shit after one note. When they finished we freaked out. We were correct to do this.

The whole two crew was dressed up and looked so great! Murph’s jacket was bedazzled.

The band stayed on stage for the show and played music under moments of it as it happened.

We started with the Boobs. They were nominated for the hit awards show, the Batubies, 5 years after the fall of Thiala. Bev was wearing a too-tight bow tie and grew a bad mustache. Hardwons outfit matched what Jake was wearing. Moonshine wild shaped just her torso into a penguin (still with huge boobs). Paw Paw was covered in hair gel and grew a perfect mustache. They were all gunning for pawpaw to win, and the photographers only wanted to photograph him.

Balnor was the host. He was possessed by a joke book, dungeons and laughies. He had veneers and Hardwon and Moonshine wanted some as well. Hardwon filed his teeth down to prepare, Moonsshine opted to wait for a dentist. The boobs HATED Balnor’s jokes. He hissed at them when they tried to take his book. Moonshine admitted to maybe being attracted to hissing Balnor.

The awards show started with an in memoriam to certain villains they’d killed. They were described: Josh - thrown out a window by Moonshine, The Crag - beheaded by Bev after a beheading song/dance (I do not remember lol), Galad - beheaded by Hardwon and then resurrected and beheaded by hardwons mom (jake blows kiss to Lydia), The Bear Prince - killed by Moonshine then brought back as a zombie so he could be killed by Hardwon, who was trapped in honey the whole fight, Thiala - eaten by Moonshine.

Awards were as follows: A best dramatic acting - they played clips from the actual pod; Hardwon finding out about his parents, Bev trying to resurrect Erlin when Thiala killed Pelor, Moonshine’s “child has a duty to his father, hero has a duty to the world”, and Donkey Kong’s recap of the wars - DK won. The audience was confused. Moonshine and Hardwon were angry because “that wasn’t canon”. DK sent in a video acceptance speech. Pendergreens won best redemption arc and gave a speech about how good Bowflexes are, and then Ren won a free bow flex. Coach Bortram won best smite, murph thought he remembered his voice. He did not

Best hero was the boobs rescinding their nominations so Paw Paw could win. Balnor, possessed, gave it to Galad, resurrecting him. Paw Paw was the only one to escape a restraining spell, and fled the theater, chosen knights in hot pursuit. The Boobs were annoyed with Balnor and when he died onstage were called out by Cobb and MeeMaw for being mean. It was nice to have Cobb.

Outside, he found the Triplets and Keychain, who were arguing with the astral worm bouncer because they weren’t on the list and Onyx dressed as one of the “Stranger Kids” cast to try to get in. (Murph still DMing, Caldwell as Keychain.) They wanted to kill Paw Paw (thought he was a weird dog) and were ready to fight the Chosen over it. Paw Paw rolled a nat 20 initiative, and ran again. Nyack killed 2 knights, Onyx killed 3 others. They got VIP passes and headed inside the theater, Onyx hitting on the astral worm along the way.

Paw Paw then found the Third Mates in a bar. Zirk drank windex, poisoned himself, and Fia and Hank also drank Windex. They talked about having Windex visions and seeing Windex Goblins. Paw Paw was familiar with the ladder. Bukvar could talk to Paw Paw and translated his distress to the Third Mates. He also asked why they drank Windex. Murph said that the bartender said “this only really sounds like one of you” and looked past zirk, very clearly calling out human man Caldwell. It was beautiful. They were ready to act, healed from poison by Paw Paw giving them water. Balnors evil book attacked, and Hank and Shank took it out in one turn, doing over 100 damage with an action surge. Murph was pleasantly shocked. Fia was able to use the disenchanted book to learn the spell to free everyone in the theater They then followed Paw Paw back to the theater.

Inside, everyone discovered that the Boobs had been kidnapped by Galad, who intended to use their blood to bring back Thiala. The only witnesses to this were our beloved Duck Team, who did not get restrained but didn’t help because they were busy playing smash on a DS.

Balnor, back alive, asked everyone to come help. There was some discussion over whether the triplets would go.

He took all the heroes in the Stormborn to the mountains of Irondeep. The triplets took over the captains quarters and claimed they already had rewards accounts. They tried to order chicken caesar salads from Calder, who could only find lettuce. Hank was steering, worried about gunk in the wheel. Fia was warming up the canons, Callie was in the crows nest. Sol was in the sails, Zirk got stuck in the engine. It was glorious.

Once in irondeep, they found Galad looming over the tied up boobs, stealing Rosaline back. They rolled initiative based on the highest dex of any of their characters and could choose one to take a turn as. It was dope as hell. Order was Galad, Jake, Emily, Caldwell.

Galad used his first turn to kill Jens. Turned him to dust. Murph demanded a sad song play for his death, and he got Valiant Ol’ Cobb. (Beautiful orchestration. Un fucking earned). The remaining triplets then explained his best moments to Balnor, including asking Keychain if he was a blender and watching Friends with headphones but the subs on so others could read it. Nyack shot at Galad. Onyx smacked the shit out of Galad (with the help of a chronal shift). Galad used legendaries to hit and then power word kill Nyack. Nyack blamed Calder due to the fact he didn’t have chicken on his salad. The familiars freed the boobs. Zirk helped Bev use a “blue smite” (Windex reference) on Galad. Galad attacked and crit on Onyx. Hardwon smacked the shit out of Galad and killed him once again.

Paw Paw was then given the divine power Galad had and Murph said the audience could decide if he resurrected Nyack and Jens. It was a split vote. In the end, only Nyack was resurrected.

We then ended the show with a One Big Bed singalong. It was so wonderful and sweet and perfect.

All in all, it was a great fucking show. What an absolute gift. Here’s to 5 more years.

[mydaddywiki]

Charles Durning

Physique: Rotund Build/Heavyset Height: 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)

Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012; aged 89) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat.

Despite his short, roly-poly build, he was surprisingly lithe and athletic. And hot to all chubby daddy lovers. Referred to as "the King of Character Actors", Durning has been at the centre of so many of my dirty little fantasies that I almost don't want to share him with anyone else. But due to my altruistic nature, I feel I must.

Actor, World War II hero, professional boxer, cab driver, ballroom dancer - the list kind of goes on with this guy. Essentially a very talented, funny cute guy. Film wise he is probably most famous for his role in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas where he dance his ass off. And what an it was. Durning died of natural causes on Christmas Eve December 24, 2012, at the age of 89. Durning, who was married twice, is survived by three children.

RECOMMENDATIONS: (2015) Bleeding Hearts - In his underwear, holding a dildo. (2011) The Naked Run - Open shirt, shirtless on a table. Monk (TV Series) - S5/E16 (2007) - Open shirt Evening Shade (TV Series) 5 Episodes - Shirtless (1989) Dinner at Eight - Underwear, brandishing his bulge. (1976 ) Captains and the Kings - Chapter II - Shirtless bath scene. (1975) Dog Day Afternoon - He lifts up his shirt revealing his belly.

[yourlocaltreesimp]

Great things

TP!Link x reader but of @acrossthegalaxyau’s Beast. A lot of this isn’t proof read because my god it’s a long one.

Tw: depictions of gore.

The hand that held his sword was tired. In both a very literal and metaphorical sense. Long ago, he had begged his father to let him hold a blade, to learn to fight. To protect that which was precious to him. Now, with all he longed to protect kept at a healthy arm's length, he wondered when his hands had gotten so tired. When had his wrist become so sore from the burden it held?

To him, his burn out, his loss of drive within the world was an infection of sorts. The title of Hero was a burden that in many ways he wished he wasn’t bestowed. Well most certainly an honour, seeing that which he loved, which he fought so hard to protect, be harmed and disregarded was not a motivation. The responsibility wore at his bones until they cracked and ate at his energy until he passed out, only to be shoved back into him the second he awoke. The title of hero outweighed his own name. No longer was he Link of Ordon, But Link the Hero of Hyrule. He was no more than his deeds. Then the safety he was tasked with bringing to their feet, begging like a dog for any award. In some sense, he was awarded. With titles and land and money and publicity— but none of it mattered. To a hero, perhaps these things were valued. But to Link if Ordon, such prizes were worthless. They were gifts of obligation, not of any true thankfulness or appreciation. And so, he viewed his task as obligation, and their gifts without any thanks or appreciation.

He stood now, a group of lizalfoe in front of him, without much a feeling of fear. Not in such a sense of bravery or courage, but simply the absence of feeling. His sword sunk into flesh with no discernible difference between the monsters. Corpses were Corpses. In the eyes of fate and history, enemy was enemy. There was no concern for where they came from or what lives they might’ve led if he hadn’t come into their lives. It was his obligation to kill. To lay waste the creatures of evil. Four were downed, one last left standing among the bodies of its allies.

Clouds parted from the gibbous moon, letting its silver light steam down. Once upon his past, he would’ve spent such a night by fireside, you cuddled up against his side as some idle story filled your minds. Further back than those memories, you both would’ve snuck out to run along the river. Younger then, the two of you would’ve curled up in some quiet field after dinner and fallen asleep. Within those memories were gifts. The peace of domesticity he could no longer afford. Love of another which he now can no longer, lest you be ripped from him too. Contentment, something he can now only find within his memory. He could read between the lines of his life and surround himself with yes men, convincing himself its love, but contentment cannot be fabricated. It is a measurement only knowable by oneself, their enjoyment of simply being alive. And it was in the cold days that followed the abstractness of his journey that he is unhappy with the idea of simply being alive anymore.

Pain struck, washing over his network of nerves, his sword sinking into the wet dirt. Gnawing fangs latching to his flesh. He was only awake then long enough to see an arrow pierce the vile thing. He was only conscious long enough to scold himself— this is what comes of closeness. Pain. Suffering. Loss.

Staring down at the mixture of splintered bones and ripped skin didn’t affect you as much as it should’ve, but goddess knows how many hours into your nights at the ward meant you couldn’t scrounge up any more energy to be panicked. Night bleeding into cold night sapped out the care and individuality of each patient down to a cot number. The whole process got methodical over time— healing people. There wasn’t much of a difference within the bodies after enough time. It didn’t matter to you whether the patient was alive or dead, biologically a man or woman, or whatever arbitrary things society dubbed someone as ‘different’. Red potions and fairies worked their magic all the same on Zora as they did with Goron, so on and so forth. A needle pierced flesh no different from a child than it did an adult or elderly. Sure, there were minor differences in anatomy and function, different needs of each individual, but they were all just people in the end. It didn’t feel different to operate on one than it did another.

But there was something you found odd in the way you felt when it came to healing Link. All things considered, he wasn’t much different from any normal hylian. A little on the lean side, sure, but nothing apparently extraordinary at a first glance. Of course, with a little more information readily accessible, you knew a few quirks. Strong as the hero was foretold to be, he was littered with scars. A few on his back from fighting, the worst from the night the village was destroyed by the wakes of twilight. A nicked lip he’d received from a scuffle with a drunk man who lunged at you. A few lining the inside of his arm, which he didn’t need to define and nor did you force him. A long slice in his forearm from when he was trenching you how to shoot a bow. A small scar on the inside of his ankle from when he fell in the river when you’d both snuck out in the dead of night, his young body unable to balance on unsteady feet. Each one you’d bandaged and stitched and monitored. Each wound of his recklessness was eased by your hand.

Well, now you supposed, it wasn’t each. Now the man in question lay hardly living and hardly dead on your makeshift operation table, it seemed there was yet more to uncover when it came to Link. You were met with a familiar hollow burn beneath your ribs, seeing the angry red gash on his left wrist. Not even that he’d gotten such a wound in the first place, but with your offer to heal the wound being met with stiff silence. It would’ve been easy. Some gauze and disinfectant. It wasn’t even deep enough to warrant stitches. It was, however, deep enough to warrant infection in its neglect. Sure, To this alone you would’ve been only slightly frustrated. But seeing the flesh falling from bone on the right half of his abdomen was enough to convince you that said negligence happened to be enough to affect his ability of wielding his blade.

The sun was rising by the time you were done. Nearly eight hours it had taken to close all his wounds. Another spent on treating his infection. Changing his bandages over for the second time that… evening? night? You decided to let yourself question the possibly most apparent difference of your Link since you’d last been aloud to treat him. There was something embedded in his chest. About a palms length from his collarbone, embedded in his sternum was… something. And from it sprang magic. It discoloured his skin to a black geometric patch with teal lines crawling over his chest. It hummed slightly, in tune with his heart, and that hollow feeling rested within you again. It was more corrosive this time, eating away at you in a way you couldn’t begin to express. It burned within whatever soft place it settled in —your heart most likely— and for the first time that night you felt something other than bitter isolation. You believed it to be jealousy in one of its many wicked forms.

The thing with dead bodies was you knew from their lack of pulse and cold skin that there was no soul to connect with. There was no one there. Those who were alive provided a sense of warmth. Physically and emotionally. Once, Link too was the same. He was warmth. Your very own sun. He’d make sure you were safe and drag you up from the depths of whatever dark hole you’d crawled into with no expectation of a return. Now, Link was more akin to the former. He regarded you with unresponsiveness. Cold in every way but literal. You gave him space when he asked for it upon his return. You don’t question when he stopped showing up to events. You tried not to take it personally when he stopped talking to you. You tried to convince yourself he hadn’t walked out of your life without a second glance. You tried— you really did. And for a while it worked. You managed to fool yourself that he didn’t mean to, or that he’d be coming back. And maybe that’s the cruellest part, that you wholeheartedly believed your own lies. But looking down on the wounds he’s collected, you can’t help but be hit with the realisation that he doesn't want you anymore. He had seen the world outside of what Ordon had to offer. Through his heroism he’s travelled the highs and lows of Hyrule, met all its variations of people and became their Hero. A person of their creations. And with it, with their creation, you weren’t dubbed a necessary piece of him anymore. You weren’t the only one that loved him anymore. So how foolish could you be to assume that he was still yours?

Your trance was broken by his eyes fluttering as the sunlight streamed in. He blinked a few times before sitting up, you didn’t have the heart to usher him into laying back down with soft mutters. His slitted pupils adjusted to the light, growing thin and sharp as they met your own. His mouth fell slightly agape seeing you framed by the sunlight, an angel sent to him, surely. Your hands felt stiff as you grabbed his neatly folded clothes and other items, setting them on his lap.

“Your- Your service total is 300 rupees. Feel free to pay at the front or discuss other financing options.” Your voice shook as your routine line spilled from your lips. Your heart shook from the gasp that came from him, his weak lungs drawing in a cold, shuttered breath.

You turned on your heels, leaving the examination room with a heart beating as swiftly as your feet in the ground. Your world would wither without the sun. Perhaps it’s already started. Link, not your Link as you’d been used to referring to him by— that implied a connection you hadn’t had in a while, would be fine. Unbothered. After all, Heroes were meant for a life greater than what Ordon had to offer, what you had to offer. He’s meant for great things, you comfort yourself with the words you once would’ve assured him with. You just never assumed ‘great things’ didn’t include you.

[hepbaestus]

Fit got this as a part of his reward for the shit cleaning

[Start ID: a screenshot of an item in the QSMP Minecraft server given to FitMC by Cucurucho for cleaning up the dog excrement around the island. It says:

"Honorary Federation 'Sanitation Hero' Award" /EndID]

[dogtreatsmart]

DogNews@DogTreatSmart

Goldendoodle from Missouri is named 2023 National Hero Service Dog.

READ MORE: bit.ly/45C9kzI

[pers-books]

The Fugitive Doctor flies again

Jo Martin and Alice Krige star in The Fugitive Doctor: Dead or Alive, a brilliant box set of full-cast audio drama, due in July 2025 from Big Finish Productions. 

Still on the run from her old employers, the sinister Time Lord agency known as the Division, the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin) embarks upon three thrilling new adventures across time and space in the forthcoming box set Dead or Alive. 

Along the way, she’ll come to the aid of a Spitfire pilot lost in the vortex, crash into a junkyard of dead time machines, and face off against a vampire queen. But what will she do when her dogged pursuer Cosmogon (Alice Krige, known for her role in the Star Trek franchise) finally catches up with her? 

Doctor Who – The Fugitive Doctor: Dead or Alive is now available to pre-order for just £22.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £18.99 (download only), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,000 copies and will not be repressed. 

The three exciting new adventures for the Fugitive Doctor are: 

Flying Solo by Tajinder Singh Hayer 

Pilot Officer Mohinder Singh Johal is an RAF pilot on a sortie during World War Two. Following a close encounter with a flying blue telephone box, his Spitfire vanishes! 

The Doctor, whose TARDIS is out of control following a blast from a time disruptor, should be keeping a low profile, but with Mohinder lost in time and space, she has to help bring him home. 

The Junkyard Loop by Aaron Douglas 

The Doctor, pursued as ever by Cosmogon, crash-lands the TARDIS on an off-grid junk planet littered with the remains of time machines from a thousand civilisations. 

After being saved from the indigenous Time-Frost Parasites by Sodalis, an old companion long-marooned, the Doctor must come up with a plan to save them both. But a sinister Division commander has tracked our heroes, and not even Cosmogon can stand between him and his desire to unlock the Doctor’s memory and obtain the secrets within. 

Hereafter by Tim Foley 

Cosmo has finally captured the Doctor! But they’re stranded together on a planet thanks to an unusual psychic forcefield grounding her ship. 

Tracing its source, they find a settlement that’s preparing for a festival in honour of their ‘queen’ in the mountain. 

When Cosmo is captured, the Doctor must decide whether to help her captor... especially now she’s discovered, thanks to local woman Herma, that the queen and her minions are vampires! 

The Fugitive Doctor: Dead or Alive has a guest cast including Raj Ghatak (Dead Set) as RAF pilot Mohinder Johal and John Dorney as Alexander the Great (reprising the role from the Lost Stories release Farewell, Great Macedon), as well as Terence Wilton (Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs), Alexander Vlahos (The Confessions of Dorian Gray), and Clare Perkins (The Outlaws, Doctor Who: Redacted). 

Producer David Richardson said: “The distinct tone of the Fugitive Doctor stories is crystallised in this second box set. The Doctor is still on the run from her Division pursuer Cosmo, and caught up in events she crashes into – I certainly don’t think the energy and emotional highs of Tajinder Singh Hayer’s phenomenal Flying Solo would fit into any other Doctor Who range. 

“And John Dorney pops back as Alexander the Great – we had brilliant fun exploring a little thematic link to Farewell, Great Macedon in the Lost Stories range. Aaron Douglas’s The Junkyard Loop is wildly imaginatively bonkers, while Hereafter digs in deep in terms of character exploration. Of course it does – it’s by the legendary Tim Foley!” 

Big Finish listeners can pre-order Dead or Alive in a bundle with the previous Fugitive Doctor box set, Most Wanted, which was released in January, for just £36 (download only), exclusively here. 

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 30 September 2025. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.

-- FINALLY! Big Finish have released details regarding the second Fugitive Doctor boxset!

[petercapaldi-press]

INTERVIEW

Paul Dalgarno

First published in the Sunday Herald, 2008.

Peter Capaldi, the Scottish Oscar-winner, is about to blow, but not quite yet. His cropped and grey-flecked hair is getting closer to his eyebrows, but only because those eyebrows are raising sharply – the left one, in particular, arcs like a hieroglyph over his steely left eye.

He rubs his mouth, near seething, as if to hold the venom inside, and veins strain noticeably in his neck. "You've got to fucking do things my way, whether you like it or not," he says.

"You're just a journalist from the Sunday fucking Herald and I'm not interested in your opinions, OK? So just fucking listen or you will not talk to me, or have access to my people, as long as you fucking live."

Capaldi settles back in his seat, spent. He has a habit of slipping unannounced into the body of Malcolm Tucker, the foul-mouthed spin doctor he has made his own in the cult political satire The Thick Of It.

It's a little scary to be on the receiving end, even though he's just pretending, but he says he needs lots of practice. A full-length movie of the series is about to start filming. It will be set largely in Washington and placed loosely, but recognisably, in the context of the Iraq war.

The bile Capaldi brings to the role is born of past experience, dredged up and sieved into concentrated form, remoulded and transmitted like a virus through Tucker's pores.

Look at the highlights of Capaldi's career and you'd be pushed to find reasons for this anger: his breakthrough as Danny Oldsen in Local Hero in 1983, the Academy Award in 1993 for his short film Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life, his fame, since 2005, as an Alastair Campbell-style attack dog in The Thick Of It.

But it's the decades in between, full as they have been with television roles, directing projects and bit parts in movies, that tell the real story. Not low points as such but ...

"Troughs" he says, unleashing an infectious and rattling laugh, his eyes tightly closed, his head tilting back. The real Peter Capaldi has returned, fully affable. When he laughs, it's hard not to get swept along, although it's not really clear why we are laughing.

"It's been great," he says. "I was at the Baftas two years ago for the first time in ages and bumped into a friend I'd worked with a very long time ago. He grabbed me and said, We're still here, mate' and that's true, we're still here. It's a great profession to be in, and to have survived in for so long."

He looks at the clock on his mobile phone, as if his life might be marked out digitally. But mere survival is not necessarily enough, he says, not quite the fulfilment of his life's acting ambitions. He turns 50 next week – a bugbear but no real biggy.

"It's OK," he says. "But I wish I was 40. My father died a couple of years ago and at my age that starts happening to a lot of your peers and friends so you become more conscious of the ever-darkening shadow. But that's fine, it sort of propels you into doing more. Both myself and my wife are actually busier than we've ever been and that's a fantastic place to be."

His wife, Elaine Collins, was also an actor and now develops programmes for ITV, which provides Capaldi with an alternative view of his profession. Their 15-year-old daughter, Cissy, has no ambition to follow in their acting footsteps, a decision that cheers Capaldi no end, even though he's not lacking offers of work.

After The Thick Of It movie – provisionally called In The Loop – he will start filming another series of the show for BBC Two. He is currently having a prosthetic head made for The Devil's Whore, a forthcoming mini-series in which he will play Charles I in the weeks leading up to his execution.

Later this month he will guest star in Doctor Who as Caecillius, a marble dealer from Pompeii, who befriends the doctor and his new assistant.

Touching the Tardis was a dream, a flashback to the Jon Pertwee era of the show and his own childhood. "When I was a kid I wrote to the BBC and the producers sent me a huge package through the post with Doctor Who scripts," he remembers. "I'd never even seen a script and couldn't believe that they actually wrote this stuff down. It sort of opened a door."

Until that point, doors had led in and out of rundown Glasgow tenement blocks in Keppochhill Road, Springburn, where the Capaldis and their relatives lived. On one side of the road – "the tough side" – were his mother's family, who came from Killyshandra in Ireland's County Cavan; on the other side was his father's family, who came originally from the hillside village of Picinisco in central Italy.

Capaldi only recently discovered that The Thick Of It writer and director Armando Iannucci was raised in the same street and that their parents had once been friends.

The one time he visited Picinisco, he was struck by a war memorial in the main plaza with surnames he recognised from Glasgow fish and chip shops, hairdressers and ice-cream parlours. His own family's exodus began with his grandfather, one of seven brothers who went to America and lost a leg building the Brooklyn Bridge, before ending up, after stints in Newcastle and Liverpool, finding work in a Glasgow café. Or at least that's the myth.

"It's hard because people tell you things, but the more I think of it now, the more I think they just made it up," he says. "In those days people could just disappear, and maybe they went to prison. For all I know, my grandfather was a bank robber in Kilsyth. But I always thought it was funny that my grandparents had bought a ticket to New York and ended up in Glasgow."

Capaldi's father drove an ice-cream van, selling the gelati he made in a makeshift factory not far from the Keppochhill tenements. The family wanted to point the young Capaldi in a different direction – one that would eventually lead to him studying illustration at Glasgow School of Art, where he also enjoyed a stint as the frontman in a punk band called The Dreamboys.

"There were always pens to draw with, or a piano if you wanted to learn music," he says. "My grandmother used to say it was an Italian thing, that all the great artists came from Italy. She somehow felt it was appropriate to encourage that in me, although I don't think it was ever thought about consciously."

He had already tried and failed to gain a place at a London drama school when he got his big break opposite Burt Lancaster in Bill Forsyth's film Local Hero. The director had been visiting Capaldi's landlady, a costume designer, when the 25-year-old art student stumbled into his life. "I was just renting a room," says Capaldi.

"They had worked together before on a one-off BBC Scotland film called Andrina. I came home one night the worse for wear and my landlady introduced me to Bill. I was intoxicated but also reasonably amusing." Quarter of a century later, he is still recognised for his part in the film, and particularly by fans in America.

"They're an odd race," he says. "The ones who love that film seem to watch it five times a year or more." The decade that followed the film's release was spent in London bedsits mostly, doing repertory theatre, and feeling nervous and unsure of his abilities.

His past resurfaced in his 1992 screenwriting debut, Soft Top Hard Shoulder, a film in which he starred with his wife, playing an arty and largely disinterested heir to a Scots-Italian ice-cream dynasty. An ice-cream van pops up again briefly in the commercially unsuccessful Strictly Sinatra, a Glasgow gangster film he wrote and directed in 2001, and which starred Ian Hart and Kelly Macdonald.

He takes ultimate responsibility for the film's failure, citing his own directorial inexperience and a series of crippling hitches. The title had originally been Saracen Street, and its replacement still makes him cringe. "Nobody would give me any money unless I made compromises and in the end there were too many," he says.

"The producers only liked half of the film and I just thought, Fuck it – half a film is better than nothing'." Unsurprisingly, the end result was uneven, and Capaldi went into meltdown. "I should have just gone and done something else, but being Scottish, I wore black and went into mourning for five years. I decided that was my comfort zone, which was crap. But then, looking back, it was a tremendously educational experience."

Eight years earlier, in 1993, he faced another stiff learning experience. The Oscar success of Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life set Hollywood execs on a charm offensive. Bob Weinstein of Miramax snapped up the rights to a feature-length film script Capaldi had written and even Kafka would have been pleased with the plot turns that followed.

"We developed the script for about a year and a half and then they said they were going to make the film," he remembers. "I immediately flew to New York to start putting the production together but while I was in the air they changed their minds. When I got to the office they said, We're not going to do this any more. Here's a plane ticket. Off you go.' By that time it was more than a year since the Oscar win and nobody wanted to know me."

Cue a familiar sensation of uncertainty and self-doubt. He was inadequately prepared to deal with fame, he says, to take advantage of opportunities when they came his way, to forge ahead when things looked bad. "I would go into rehearsal rooms where people had been to RADA or Oxford and just tug my forelock," he says.

"My parents didn't take me to the theatre to see Chekhov when I was growing up – we went to see Francie and Josie once every five years. It might sound odd because I always seemed very arrogant but I was actually terrified. I wasted years fretting about it all, trying to do the right thing, being neurotic, but there was actually nothing to worry about."

The decision not to mope around in misery for the rest of his life, and to enjoy himself more, was made when he was 43, and marked the end of his Strictly Sinatra depression. The relaxed look suits him. In fact, it's hard to imagine Capaldi as anything other than he appears today – carefree, a little battered by life, but no more so than anyone else.

He has developed a "this is about to happen" approach when speaking about things, even though they might never happen at all. He has spent much of the last seven years on The Jacobite Slipper, a feature-length script he has written and plans to direct.

Ewan McGregor is reported to be the producer, after coming in on the project several years ago, and is down to play four different roles in the film. The plot revolves around the making of a fictional 1938 film about Bonnie Prince Charlie, on a studio set with painted glens, lace costumes and powdered wigs.

"One of the extras is a dead ringer for Bonnie Prince Charlie, who is an alcoholic and vanishes when the film goes into production," says Capaldi. "The star is replaced by the extra, without the extra ever knowing that he's been duped into this role."

And what stage is it at now? Has initial filming started? "No," he says. "It's basically nowhere." His laughter erupts, sweeps both of us up, stops dead. "If I start talking about the legal issues I'll just get more crappy letters," he says. "But the film has been endangered." Filming could start very soon, or in five years, or maybe never.

"What people don't get is that I don't care," he says. "If it doesn't happen then so what? It's only a film. I'd love to make it, but there's no point making a film unless I can have enough traction over it to fill it with my own creativity. I can't be arsed, you know, but it's taken me years to realise that."

He enjoys painting and drawing, which he does every day, following a conscious decision some time ago to reincorporate art into his life. He draws the storyboards for films that never get made, sometimes to tell the story explicitly, and sometimes to capture the "feel and atmosphere" of an idea. There are other things he could try – directing episodes of The Bill, being a strictly commercial television writer – but he's not hugely interested, regardless of financial necessity.

He still regards himself as an actor first and foremost, which raises a seemingly obvious question: why get involved in the process of writing films, and trying to breathe life into them, when they seem destined to die on the vine? "I'm creative," he says. "I can't relax unless I've got some project on the go. I'm somebody from art school, and art school during the punk era, when you just had a go at whatever came along."

Now that punk is dead, and he is 50, he is determined to get his kicks where he finds them. "I just consciously try to enjoy the good things that are happening," he says. "And if it ended tomorrow that would be fine." He smiles, reconsiders. A hint of Malcolm Tucker flashes across his face, as if another bodily possession is imminent.

"People talk such shit in interviews. There's no control, nobody's got any control. I can sit here and say I'll be doing The Jacobite Slipper, or another series of The Thick Of It, but then you get a phone call and somebody says, look at the papers tomorrow' and everything's fucked." He laughs, but only half convincingly. "There's always a cosmic sledgehammer just waiting to destroy all your plans."

[thesolaireslawyer]

Where Is He

TW - Survivors Guilt, Inversion mentions, Character Death

WC - 1021

A/N - I'm getting better at writing in the first person!

I stepped out to get Xavier a drink. Just a soda.. That’s all he wanted not one of those cheap stomach ache-inducing ones they sell at the concession stands. He didn’t want one of those. He wanted one from the 7/11 across the street. I was gone for longer than 5 minutes. And when I came back that ward was up. I was gone for 5 fucking minutes. 

Xavier was trapped on the other side. And I couldn’t get to him. I was begging anyone with the power of the situation and all I was getting was shut down after shut down. No one wanted to tell me anything. Maybe after 10 minutes of me hassling Jett he caved. Shades. Fucking shades. Creatures that crawl their way from death escaped. 

Into one of the biggest empowered events front down. My legs nearly gave out. How did this happen? Who would do this? Why would they do this? I had so many thoughts happening at once. But the only thing I cared about was Xavier. I know I should have been concerned about the others but I couldn’t be. My Boyfriend was on the other side of that ward. 

With those CREATURES! And I know how shades work. People have to die before anyone can do anything to them. And knowing how they work. I still hoped Xavier lived. Do you know how many people would have to die? Too fucking many, for me to be wishing one person survived. I don’t know what happened on the other side of the ward. 

And I may never know. Because I was at a goddamn 7/11 getting a fucking soda. Well, Xavier and the others were fighting for their lives. I was trying to figure out what type of soda my boyfriend wanted. It doesn’t even take me long to grab something as simple as that. But that night it did. Sleeping without him at my side has been a nightmare. 

And the nights I get to sleep, I’m haunted by his voice asking why I wasn’t there. Im haunted by the fact I’ll never hold him again. I’ll never hear him call me Snowangel again. I can’t even face his parents. I haven’t seen them since the funeral. There wasn’t a body to recover. No one got to say goodbye. Not even his teammates. 

I haven’t set foot in DAMN since the inversion. There are more people im not ready to face. There was a whole student body that was affected by the inversion. An entire student body missing friends and family. And I can’t go back knowing I made it out alive by pure chance. While their family and friends didn’t. 

There are times when I wonder. If I was there maybe I could have given my life. So that Xavier could be here. Perhaps had i said no. or just made some excuse so I could watch him get the award that he deserved. But I didn’t.. He used his puppy dog eyes. And I crumbled like a cookie in his hands.  

When that ward went down. Whenever it went down. I ran in there, I didn’t care who was in my way. I was going to find him. Pushing the thought that I wouldn’t out of my mind. But I couldn’t find him. The pack of wolves who were managing security didn’t remember Xavier coming down. To the makeshift hideout they had. 

Though most of them weren’t able to talk. They all had pretty bad injuries. When I ran into Huxley I wanted to know where was he. But he was holding someone else who had a bad scar going across his chest. But the thing was.. I had searched up and down, everywhere, and hadn’t found Xavier. And my worst thoughts were becoming true. 

I waited. I let the department search just in case. I was just looking for any reason to believe he was still alive. But he wasn’t. My Xavier was gone. Taken away but whatever let those shades lose. He went out like a hero, doing what he did best. Helping others. After the department declared the place safe. 

I went over to the place where all the injured were going. I was trying to keep my hopes up. But when I saw the look on Huxley’s face when he saw me. I knew.. I knew Xavier was gone. I don’t I can ever forget that moment. He just kept saying he was sorry. And I was just numb. He was gone. The truth was finally starting to set in. 

And the realization hit both of us. Xavier was dead. DAMN no longer had a team captain. Huxley no longer had a bestfriend. And I no longer had a partner. And i didn’t even know i was crying. Huxley was just hugging me. We would miss him. His family would miss him. Everyone he helped would miss him. 

He was the light of my life, the light in a lot of people's lives. So hearing he was gone just hurt.. But when things calmed down. I got to meet the person he saved. An incubus named Gavin. I asked Huxley to tell me. And he also helped make a meeting with him.  I’ll admit I was upset with Gavin. For a while.. But meeting him and actively talking to him

Helped me realize, that Xavier knew he was gonna die one way or another. He had to make a choice. And a daemon could do much more. I just wish his death wasn’t the required part. But we can’t change things.

And one of these days I’ll step back onto the doors of DAMN. maybe one day my dreams won’t be plagued with his voice. One day.. But today is not that day. 

I will always miss you, Xavier.. And I plan to avoid 7/11 as well as sodas now. They send me back to that night. And those memories hurt too much to relive. But I have someone to talk to now. And maybe with their help things will get better.