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prince-rowan-of-the-forest · 2 years ago

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Across Land And Water, Now and Forever

1: The River Runs Dry

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This is my @sanderssidesgiftxchange gift for @nandysparadox !! I used the prompt "LAMP as an adventuring party in a fantasy AU ' and I kinda took it and ran. I know you asked for a fic, but I hope you dont mind a lot of reading, I went overboard.

A big thank you also to @sandersarefamily for beta reading this, you are amazing and I really appreciate your help (if you want to see that art I did, it's mixed up with the chapters :) )

I'm going to post the first three chapters now, threw more tomorrow and then three more on the 25th.

I know you didn't ask for it, but I've also done a fair bit of art, I got so obsessed with this au that I couldn't help myself, so the first five (at least) chapters also come with illustrations :)

I really hope you (and anyone else who reads this) enjoy!

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| Ao3 |

| Next Chapter -> |

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Summary:

After Patton and Logan are selected to attend the annual meeting between merkingdoms, they expect an easy enough swim up the river to their destination. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the river no longer flows as strongly as it did and because of it they can't make the journey in the traditional way.

Together, along with two other magic folk who they… may have accidentally roped into their journey… must now find their way overland to complete their journey instead, little did they know that this particular adventure would change their lives in ways they could never expect.

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Warnings: Discrimination (against magic-folk). A character gets drunk, Remus being remus for like three lines throughout the entire fic.

Pairings: LAMP, very background Dukeceit.

Word count:

This chapter: 2919

The Whole Fic: 23,452

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"Patton please hurry or we will lose the tide before we make it anywhere near land," Logan said, after doubling back to pull his best friend and travelling partner for the migration away from yet another school of fish.

"Oh but they were just telling me about -" Patton said, waving goodbye to the fish enthusiastically, before turning to Logan with a sigh, "Cmon Lo, we're on this adventure together! We should enjoy it!"

"We won't be enjoying anything if we don't arrive to the freshwater before the tide starts pulling in," Logan said, his smooth tail flicking through the water with annoyance, though he let none of that show on his face. Patton didn't respond well to anger, Logan had learnt this well over the years.

"Fineee," Patton said, rolling his eyes so dramatically his head moved and Logan couldn't help a chuckle, "but if we're going fast I'm holding your hand, those are my terms."

"Perfectly reasonable terms, I am objectively faster than you are, considering my dolphin ancestry," Logan said, nodding, “it would not be beneficial for me to accidentally leave you behind.”

"Well… yeah," Patton said, before smiling, "But it's mainly because I like holding your hand."

Logan sighed, fondly shaking his head before offering Patton his hand with a small smile.

The rest of the night was spent speeding across the ocean floor, Logan guided them, with superior knowledge of the currents- which to follow, which were dangerous, which went the wrong direction- and his ability to avoid things he knew would distract his travelling partner that made him the more apt member of the pair to lead.

—-

"Something seems… off," Logan said, looking around. They were nearing the estuary now, but the flow of water wasn't as strong as it should be.

"What's that?" Patton asked, looking around, "I don't think I sea what you're talking about."

Logan glared at the intonation in Patton's voice, he had been suffering at the mercy of Patton's puns all the way here. Patton just giggled, smiling innocently as though Logan hadn't just caught him punning.

"Anyway, something feels strange, the tide should be going out at this time, tell me Patton, do you feel the tide?" Logan said. Patton looked confused for a moment, but he closed his eyes and let himself float in the water a little, tail barely swaying with the ambient movement of the water. When he opened them again he looked much more concerned.

"You're right… aren't the tides supposed to be stronger here? Just before they go into the river?" Patton asked, swimming back and forth, "Do you think something is wrong with the river?"

“I… don't know," Logan said. He hated to admit that he didn't have an answer to anything, but in this case it was the only answer he could give, "I suppose we shall find out, let's go more slowly from here."

"Good call," Patton smiled, shoulders drooping with relief.

—--

When they arrived at the river itself, they found the stream of water to be much shallower and weaker than they had expected, as though it had been blocked off further up. Whatever blockage there could be stopping the water from flowing as it should.

"We can't swim here," Patton said slowly after they had floated, staring into the oncoming barely-current, for much longer than Logan would have liked.

"No, we cannot," Logan nodded, "it's much too shallow, we would run too high a risk of being seen by landfolk, and besides we can't swim upriver without the boost from the tide regardless."

"What now, then?" Patton asked quietly, turning to Logan with a strange expression on his face.

"I suppose we will turn back?" Logan suggested, "Go home, tell the kingdom that we couldn't make the journey."

"We can't!" Patton gasped, “They're all counting on us to get to the meeting in the oversea! If we don't go… Logan we have to go!"

"There could be war between the merkingdoms if representatives don't attend the council meeting," Logan sighed with a nod, "You are correct, unfortunately, we must find a way."

"Is there another way around?"

"It would take us months, by the time we arrived it would be time for the next journey to begin."

"What if we got legs?" Patton asked, Logan stared at him as though he had grown a second head, "It would work! We could just travel over the land like the landfolk do, we could follow the river the whole way!”

"And how do you propose we 'get legs', Patton?" Logan asked, "Neither of us have human heritage, we cannot just grow legs."

"We could find a witch!" Patton grinned, "I'm sure a witch would be able to whip us up something perfect to turn us into land folk so that we can get across the land."

"And do you know where we might hope to find this theoretical witch?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. The idea of finding a Witch seemed silly to him, where on earth would they find someone willing to help them in the short timeframe that they had? It couldn’t be that easy, right? Though Patton seemed to know something he didn’t, because he grinned.

“I heard rumours,” Patton smiled, “From the fish, there's a witch who only lives along the coast, they say the witch is friendly to non-human folk.”

“And you learned all that… from the fish?” Logan asked, staring at Patton, who smiled.

“Yeah! They’re really talkative you know,” Patton grinned, “And- well you know I can speak with animals.”

“I am aware, thank you Patton,” Logan nodded, “Did the fish tell you where we could find this witch by any chance?”

Patton nodded, before pausing, though he remained smiling, “Kinda? I mean- fish are good at rumours, but not so much at directions, they just said along the shore near here… somewhere… I think in that direction- ish?”

“‘That direction- ish?’” Logan repeated, sounding skeptical as Patton gestured, “That sounds very decisive.”

“Quit it with your sarcasm, mister!” Patton said, elbowing his arm, “We just need to look for a tower on a cliff, ok?”

“Got it,” Logan nodded, “Let's begin our search now, I don’t want to waste any more time.”

—-

It was nearing sundown by the time the pair actually spotted the tower on the cliff. Being above the sea in general was strange, even if it was only to search. The pair was glad that this area was secluded enough that no people were around to see them, but breaking the waves was daunting- especially to a merperson who’s never done it before.

“You’ve really never come up here Logan?” Patton asked, voice thick with disbelief as they swam together into the shallower waters near the beach, “Really? You’re not kidding me?”

“Of course not, why would I?” Logan asked, genuinely confused as to why this was such a big deal.

“I just thought you would have, with your infinite curiosity and everything, there’s a whole new world up here! Did you never even think about it?” Patton asked, turning to Logan as the waters became too shallow to swim properly.

“I suppose it simply didn’t occur to me,” Logan said, “Just as it didn’t occur to you that we would not be able to get to the witch’s tower to ask them for help.”

“Well I guess we could just- wait? There’s a path up the cliff, look! So maybe they come down here?” Patton suggested, tilting his head. Logan sighed, before ducking down instinctively as he saw someone race across the beach. Patton had no such qualms. Raising his hand, Patton called out as loud as he could, hoping to catch their attention. It seemed to work as his direction changed, now he was running towards them.

"JAN" The figure yelled to someone over his shoulder as he ran over, hearing Patton’s shouts, "I found a fish person!"

The land dweller ran straight into the waves, kicking up water, Patton faltered a little when he kept running, seeming to lunge towards them. His arms shot into the water and suddenly Patton found himself being hoisted from the surf by the stranger, he cried out in surprise as the stranger grinned, his teeth were sharp, "Can I eat this one! He looks so pretty!"

Patton cried out again, this time even more panicked as Logan attempted to pull him back, though he wasn't able to get a firm grip without hurting Patton. He tried to struggle from the stranger’s grasp, smacking at his legs with his tail, but the stranger held firm- until, that is, another voice joined the fray.

"Remus!" the other voice yelled from further away, "Put the merman down and apologise! Now!"

The now named Remus sighed dramatically, mumbled a sorry that was barely even intelligible and put Patton back down in the water. Immediately he swam to hide behind Logan as the new stranger approached.

"What did we talk about threatening to eat people?" the stranger said firmly, Remus seemed to wilt.

"Not to- do that?" Remus asked sadly.

"Exactly, go inside now, I'm sure you can find something else to do?" they said. Remus lit up, before immediately darting off back up the cliffside path towards the tower on the cliff. The stranger turned to the pair of merfolk still shifting awkwardly in the shallows.

The stranger wore a large witch’s hat that by all accounts should have been too large for their head, though somehow they made the drooping brim look like the peak of elegance, the black hat was accentuated by the thick yellow ribbon tied around the base. They wore a black capelet with yellow lining that only reached their elbows but matched the hat perfectly and a dark blue tunic, accented with yellow and tied with a golden length of shimmering rope around the waist. From the rope hung charms of all shapes and colours, tied on with string, that clinked together as they moved.

"My sincerest apologies for my companion's ill manners," the stranger said, voice smooth, "I hope he didn't startle you too much,"

“He just- he just threatened to eat me,” Patton whispered.

“It’s how he shows affection,” the witch brushed him off, “Think nothing of it, now, what brings you both to my humble shore?”

Logan took a deep breath, pulling his shoulders back and curling his tail beneath him so that he could sit back, “You are a witch, correct?”

“That depends, who’s asking?” They said, leaning down, Logan huffed.

“Um, us, we’re asking,” Logan said, confused, “Is that not- clear from the fact I just asked?”

“I suppose I should have been more literal, I wish to know your intentions,” the witch told them

Logan huffed. “We need help,” he told them, “We have a situation and we’d like some assistance, are you able to help us?”

“Well that really depends on the situation, honey, but let’s not stand here in the surf, hm? You may be comfortable, but my boots are getting wet,” they said. Logan looked down to find that their statement was true, their… boots… were covered in water. Though Logan was puzzled for a moment, how were he and Patton supposed to go elsewhere?

“How are we supposed to be somewhere else?” Patton asked, from behind Logan’s shoulder.

“You’re able to sit on rocks, are you not? It can be used as a common ground between land and sea,” the witch said, pointing towards the smooth rocks that lined the beach, jutting out into the sea, Logan nodded slowly, “Meet me there in a moment, if you will allow me to retrieve a few items.”

“That seems agreeable,” Logan nodded. The stranger smiled- though it looked almost sly- and turned away. As they turned, Logan noticed the setting sun glint off of scales unlike his own that had been hidden under their hat.

—-

Hours later, after the sun had set, Patton and Logan had searched the coastline for a cave in which they could sleep. The witch- who had identified themself as Janus during their earlier conversations- had given them both a vial of potion to drink when morning came that they had been told would give them the legs they needed to make their way across the land.

“Logan?” Patton asked into the darkness, Logan sighed- he had just been dozing off, “Are you asleep?”

“Not anymore,” Logan huffed, turning around to face the other.

“Sorry… I just… are we sure we can trust Janus?” Patton asked, “I know we don’t exactly have much of a choice in the matter, but I just- I’m worried we’re getting into something we don’t want to…”

“I’m sure it will be alright,” Logan said, “Janus wouldn’t risk the business for a faulty potion.”

“And their, um… friend?” Patton asked, voice small. They had only seen Remus again once after he’d rushed away the first time and that was to deliver Janus a tray of food that looked absolutely horrific, and that was being nice. For some reason the witch had still been happy to eat it, they said it tasted better than it looked and smelled.

“Patton, please just try to sleep, we shall deal with whatever troubles come our way after we take the potion in the morning, alright?” Logan asked.

For a moment there was silence, but eventually Patton gave in, “Alright, ok, this’ll be fine, we can worry about everything later.”

“Exactly, there is a time and place for worrying about things, but this is neither,” Logan said firmly, before sighing and letting his shoulders relax, “Goodnight, Patton.”

“Goodnight, Lo,” Patton mumbled back, though he was already half asleep before he even finished speaking.

—-

In the morning the pair found themselves back on the beach, this time having pulled themselves up onto the sand, tails facing the water. Janus had met them there and sat down on a nearby rock. Finally, after they had been sitting in silence for a fair while, the witch spoke.

“When you drink the potions, the transformation will take roughly half an hour.” Janus told them, “During that time you may not want to move.”

“Why not?” Patton asked, tilting his head.

“It may hurt a little,” he warned.

“O-oh-! …Ok then…” Patton looked back down at the vial.

“I would also like to give you both a few things,” Janus told them, “You can consider it a free bonus.”

“What kind of things?” Logan asked, leaning forward and watching Janus closely as he pulled something that definitely hadn’t been there before from his cloak.

“First of all, clothes,” Janus told them, throwing the first bundle to Logan before pulling out the other and tossing it to Patton. “I tried to match your colour schemes and sizes as best I could, not doing so would be a crime to fashion, after all.”

Logan tried to inspect the items Janus had thrown to him, but the witch started speaking again and he guessed it would be beneficial to listen, he could figure out the clothes later.

“Second,” Janus said before stepping forward and dropping a small pile of silver and copper disks into his waiting hand, “This is the equivalent of the extra I charged you, whilst I will accept your currency, the human kingdom will not be so lenient, if you attempt to use your own money in the kingdom you’ll likely be arrested.”

“Speaking of,” Janus continued, “Try to blend in as you move through the kingdom, they do not welcome magic folk like you both.”

"Understood," Logan said with a firm nod, before turning his attention to the potion.

"Thank you so much for this, Janus…" Patton said, and Logan could already hear him getting teary eyed.

"Just my duty to help fellow magic folk," Janus said with an awkward but still elegant half bow. "Take the potions now, but don't forget, contact with water will turn you back to your true selves, be careful."

—-

It turned out that using human legs was much more difficult than Logan had first anticipated. It was an odd feeling, first of all, to have all of your weight pressing downwards and both of them had buckled and fallen numerous times for this very reason.

Grasping the ability to move two legs instead of one tail had been another issue, and the coordination was horrendous to understand. After a long while of trying, they had agreed together that they weren't going to be perfect any time soon. Besides, it was afternoon already and they couldn't waste much more time dawdling if they wanted to arrive in good time.

So together they clamberd up the path on the hill and looked back in the direction they had swan the day before just to see spires piercing the sky in the distance, buildings dotting the vast green landscape in small clusters that got closer together the further away they were. They could see the stream that had once been river in the distance, glittering in the sunlight. It wound up and around straight through the heart of the city.

So finally, with well-wishes from Janus and Remus, Patton and Logan started down the other side of the hill hand in hand.

And as they moved through the green world they had never known before, as they got further and further away from the familiarity and safety of the sea, as they looked towards the unknown–

Logan could only think that this was where the real adventure began.

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#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides gift exchange #LAMP #sanders sides ships #fanfic #fanfiction #sanders sides fanart

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ssoupcup · 1 year ago

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to avoid annoying my friend by bombarding him with multiple pictures of rocks, here's a bunch of cool geological stuff i saw in the cliffs and the beach on my walk today with lengthy explanations ! i forgot to use things for scaling in all of these so I'll just be going off what i remember unfortunately. but yeah i really just wanted to rant about my special interest because i don't live near cliffs so this is the perfect opportunity to do some geology bc I MISS MY GEO LESSONS!!!! also this is all just from memory. if im wrong about something that is why lmao

we start off with a fun little symmetrical gentle anticline. nothing too remarkable but i was nevertheless happy to see it.

some pretty visible soil creep :3

a LOT of landslips happen along this coastline (clearly), probably due to the poor cementation of the rock. its pretty young (deposited within the last 2 million years according to which papers I've read) so it's had less time to. you know. cement. its also mostly muds and clays, so they get easily waterlogged and effected by weathering which causes the landslips.

here's some more slumps and such. i *think* i saw some slump rotational slides but i don't know if i got pictures and if i did i don't remember enough about them to identify them from the images.

cont'd from above. ^^^^

also just here is some REALLY COOL folding at the base of the cliff no im serious just look at that series of folds. this one actually had a random person in the photo too so there's some idea of scale. like just look at that big eroded anticline up top and below is the other folds. YIPPEEE

so originally i thought there was a lot of tilting which technically there is but i think its mostly due to the landslips and such. i think portions of the cliff have collapsed or slipped which causes these parts of the rock face to drop down whilst still remaining in tact. you can kinda see it in these?

there is also a lot of clay which i found out is from the forest bed formation which dates from around 2ma to 500,000 years ago. its generally up to about 6m thick. the clay itself is from freshwater deposits (i think some of the stuff i read said there used to be a river there with its source being in the pennines but don't quote me on that.)

i wish id gotten closer to the cliffs to see what the rocks and sediment are like but i was walking with my sister and my dog and both of them wanted to get going lmao because the walk itself was about 2 and a half hours. for fluvial deposits at this distance from the sea, assuming this area was once the site of a river mouth, i would expect to see generally well sorted, well rounded grains, or a lot of muds. there were definitely a lot of muds present which could indicate a river mouth but it may also just be from the forest bed, and the same goes for the clays. i think i read somewhere that the clays are from 0.5 to 0.8ma, and may be indicative of a river bed since its literally the smallest grain size (platy particles which are hard to erode due to their shape. ALTHOUGH. some clays are more likely to become waterlogged and swell which can cause more cliff failures (i THINK its due to gaps between bonds but im not too sure. something like Kimmeridge clay? nope i looked it up that's a specific deposit of clay. im thinking about 1:1 and 2:1 clays - specifically kaolonite (1:1 which allows for minimal swelling) and montmorillonite (2:1 which allows for more swelling as water can penatrate the spaces). i cannot for some reason find anywhere what kind the clay here is and i don't know how to assess it myself or if i even can/could assess it so. that just remains as a tangent.))

i looked it up. i am correct about river mouth muds and clays.¹ the clays and muds are indeed from fluvial deposits. there's also floodplain stuff. i love being correct about things i like. AYO I just saw it was also an estuary look at me slaying. although that wasn't hard to guess since this is a modern day coastline and this geology is very recent lmao.

there's also glacial deposits which includes banding i believe in the rocks but im going to be real with you, i didn't do near as much research into that can't remember shit about it. here's what i think might be it though lmao. glacial stuff is characterised most often by poor sorting, generally very angular grains and such which makes up glacial till. id put a picture in but i reached the limit now im writing this bc this post was not written chronologically. here is what probably is the till.

then here's a formation i simply enjoyed the look of. we also saw a seal :3

I don't have all the references because some of this is just from my own knowledge and understanding but here are some of the papers i used to research. i can't be bothered to do proper harvard referencing, and i don't think anyone particularly cares or are going to look at them but here's them just in the off chance someone did want to look at them lmao

¹ i know wikipedia isn't a reliable source for academic research or papers but this is a tumblr post in which im literally just ranting about my special interest. this is the source.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromer_Forest_Bed#:~:text=The%20Cromer%20Forest%20Bed%20is,and%200.5%20million%20years%20ago.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/media/3128/appendix_a__n_norfolk_coastal_environment.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiD4pWd8oGBAxWeWkEAHaXbBHYQFnoECCQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3jvgi8XAq_s53_CYKqeQVZ

(looked at whole paper but specifically referenced pages 4, 5, 15, 16, 20, 21)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/16198/1/Trimingham.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiD4pWd8oGBAxWeWkEAHaXbBHYQFnoECCUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Q21XXFHJQbRppkKhEc1LT

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naturecoaster · 2 years ago

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Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report with Captain Toney: Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve and Trout

Sorry about missing last week's report, but I have a good excuse. I was attending the Restore America's Estuaries Conference in New Orleans. The panel I was with, PEW, spoke on the new Nature Coast Aquatic Sea Grass Preserve. It spans over 750 miles covering Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. This mantel of protection will ensure our fishery stays strong for everyone, including our commercial fishermen, anglers and all who enjoy the Nature Coast waters. One of the bigger concerns is prop scarring. It takes years for a small one to heal over and decades for larger ones. The easiest way to prevent prop scarring is to trim your motor and putt out to deep water or use a push pole. The trout bite has been good about everywhere. Near shore, I've been targeting trout with D.O.A. 5.5 glow jerk baits around creeks mouths and bars on the outgoing tide. Out deeper, I've been catching trout, sea bass, spanish mackerel, blue fish and ladyfish on MirrOlure LIL Johns in watermelon red flake with a 1/8th oz. red jig head. The near shore rocks also have been producing some big grunts and a few keeper mangrove snapper. On the incoming tides, look for schools of mullet around the western facing points to find some redfish. Live shrimp has been the best bait. There are still a couple weeks of grouper season, and most fish have been coming from 16 to 25 feet. Trolling for them is a fun way to catch them and also find new spots. High incoming tide will be in the morning this weekend. Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report from Captain William Toney To schedule a fishing charter or shore lunch excursion with Captain Toney, visit his website. He is a third-generation fishing guide in the Homosassa area, a member of the Homosassa Guides Association, and he provides the Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report each week to NatureCoaster.com. To read about our Shore Lunch excursion with Captain Toney, click here. If you want to learn more about how to catch Nature Coast fish from Captain Toney, subscribe to his videos at https://inthespread.com Captain William Toney is a fourth-generation Homosassa fishing guide. He provides our weekly Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report. Read the full article

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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years ago

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I’m really intrigued by Rayla’s moonshadow assassin peers. I especially am interested in Andromeda because I think she is the only other girl in the group? Do you have any headcanons in how these teen/young adult assassins interacted? Do you think Rayla isolated herself from them because she was always iffy about taking a life? Also TDP finally colored their map and I know you live maps, find any new cool stuff? I especially love how there’s a frozen sea north and a spinning sea south, imagine the powerful Magic’s that channeled to make them.

Okay, so I jumped straight to the map, did 80% of it, and wandered away for a few weeks. I apologize, anon. Let’s get this going again:

I’ve got a few headcanons on the Moonshadow assassins! It seems likely that they hang out mostly with each other, when they hang out, to reinforce their teambuilding and to give them some socialization, since assassins tend to keep others at arm’s length. So I kinda figure they tend to roam as a pack on their evenings out in the village, if they’re not married to a non-assassin like Runaan is.

I think that could be part of the reason that Rayla might not have hung out with the others as much, too: Runaan wanted to be either training or at home with Ethari, so Rayla probably spent a lot of time doing those things just because he did them. And when Runaan was doing more serious training or missions, that’s when Rayla had her free time to run around the forest and make adoraburr friends.

Runaan could’ve probably insisted that she do something more assassiny with her free time. Shadow an assassin, do more studying, practice certain prescribed skills on her own. But he didn’t. He let her play. Soft assassin is soft!

Listen, anon, I have a fun headcanon for you about Andromeda--and by fun, I mean it’s really angsty half a second after you start thinking about it. Ready?

What if: Andromeda is Runaan’s half-sister. If they’re both Lujanne’s children by different assassin dads who kept dying in battle, but a Moon mage needs an assassin leader partner to defend Xadia with, and Lujanne knew her son Runaan wasn’t old enough to lead yet, so she burned through three or more husbands protecting him until Runaan was well trained enough to lead the assassins himself and had fallen in love with a mage who adored him and would be his partner in her place.

Andromeda looks a fair bit like Lujanne, too:

Along with Runaan, they all have long hair, side tails bound in silver cuffs, and some form of braids. Andromeda’s hair is sectioned in front similarly to Runaan’s. Her accent sounds more British than Scottish, though she only has the one line: My eyes for truth. And Lujanne and Andromeda are the only two Moonshadow elves we’ve met who have medium blue horns, while Runaan’s are dark blue. Almost everyone else’s horns have purple or pink as their base color.

But then, see, Andromeda went on Runaan’s mission, and she died. Her spirit was the most aggressive in TTM, usually closest to Rayla with her sword out, as if she hated Rayla the most. If she had a vested family interest in Runaan’s mission succeeding, and then it went pear-shaped because of Rayla, that would make sense.

No matter if she’s related to Runaan or not, she’s wearing horn cuffs, so she was in a dedicated relationship of some kind, and that’s so sad. Someone’s missing her the way Ethari’s missing Runaan. :’((((

Anyway, it’s just a headcanon, but since you asked, there ya go.

Okay, on to my thoughts on the map, of which I have a normal and healthy amount:

The Map Border:

Everyone doodles in the borders. I love to see what they put there.

Starting in the upper left and going counter-clockwise, the five human crowns are cool

Cornucopia swirls center left look like an homage to Cabbage Man from ATLA

Bait is staring at Evenere. his home? Or maybe he just wants to eat the dragonfly on its logo

Human defender has a beard. Hairagorn. He's very heavily armored but has no helmet. Long hair is braided to rest on front of shoulder, like the blond elf in the painting at the Moon Nexus. Old timey hairstyle?

He’s defending Katolis Castle specifically. I wonder if the little white building is kinda random or if it’s supposed to represent the Banther Lodge. Nah, I have a better guess: that’s where Viren grew up

The crack in the map looks meta. It's been repaired somewhat. Makes me wonder if it's an in-world map, whose, who ripped it, and who fixed it. Sir Phineas Kurst seems like the kind of guy to almost shred his really cool map

The star behind Zym's egg has seven points

The two ships on the southern waters are western and eastern respectively. Tidebound elves from Singapore? Jack Sparrow would be proud

There is land just south of the Dragontail, wonder what’s there?

The leaves around the human figure are small and numerous while the Moonshadow elf has fewer but bigger leaves

The elf is standing in the way of one of the six leaves growing out of the rune rose and that leaf's curly tip seems to have been replaced with a curl of the elf's very long hair

The human pose is more offense and the elf pose is more defense. But the elf has two swords, and one has some wicked hooks in it.

Elf has 4 fingers instead of 3 so whether it’s in-universe or meta, they were drawn by a human :DDD

The elf's braid winds around their horn and I think that's clever

High collar shirt under protective layer, bracers and elbow gloves, bare biceps, complex shoulder getup, ornate hair that's butt long and partly braided, two long slightly curving swords... horn cuffs too. This is a Moonshadow assassin in the same gear Runaan's got, poised to defend the Xadian half of the map as the human is poised to defend his side

The rune rose isn't a compass. It has a two sided pointer and six primal runes. Just decorative I guess. ;)

More lettuces on right center.

Maybe a portaling caterpillar on the center knot? Little bug pal, I see you

“The Five Human Kingdoms” lettered in red, “Xadia” in blue. Giving me Stratego flashbacks. Even the flowers on their banners are color coded

Banners in the corners are similar but Xadia has more fluttery tips

Thunder drawn all attacky top center, does he have anything to do with the Frozen Sea being frozen?

Compass rose under Thunder’s wing

Dick island near the compass. Well, Duren is the breadbasket of the human lands. A most excellent cartography joke! 10/10 would chortle wholesomely again

The Human Kingdoms:

Neolandia

Capital Eboreus seems to be a lake city below a mountain and I'm here for all the Lake Town refs.

It's also the eye of the elephant shape

Not a lot of trees, mostly grasses or desert. Only borders Duren across a couple rivers/estuaries/sea channels

Heart shaped island next to elephant trunk

Land generally broken into several sections by sea/rivers

If it’s rivers, they seem to generate from the capital’s lake and flow in several directions. And they say there’s no magic left in the western lands! ;)

But if there was exactly one source of freshwater in a desert land, it makes sense that you’d find a way, magical or mechanical, to spread that lifegiving water in as many directions as possible so your people can thrive so kudos to Neolandia’s ancestors/Tidebound elves/whoever managed that, it’s brilliant

I can and will make up explanations for anything on a map. I adore worldbuilding

Del Bar

Two named locations. Since Del Bar’s national symbol is a serpent, I guess Serpentongue is the capital.

Hinterpeak is a sweet name. Looks like Helm's Deep with that retaining wall. What’s it for? Are there dwarves in this land? Is it an Earthblood stronghold? Maybe it’s like the Mines of Moria, and the Earthbloods were chased out and/or killed inside and now it’s full of nasty orcses but someone left a MacGuffin down there so *nudges hero* Off you pop.

Nice forests around the southern mountain range but northern DB is more arid or grassy lands like Neolandia.

Considering that crops grow well in Duren, which is farther north, I assume there is a massive meteorological gyre over the human lands, with a southern wind blowing down over the western realms and keeping them icy until the mountains of Hinterpeak block and divert them, protecting Evenere. The winds don't blow eastward without warming right up-- and causing thunderstorms in Katolis how about that-- because there is a warmer side to the gyre over Katolis and Duren, blowing tropical warmth and moisture north and providing rain for trees and crops alike. Most years, anyway.

How does the weather fail in Duren for seven years in a row, anyway? That seems like a Thunder issue. Unless it’s a Sunforge issue, which I’ll get to below.

Ahem.

Borders Neolandia, Duren, and Katolis across rivers, but most border is coastline.

Serpentongue probably got its name from the two river heads around it

Cluster of dead little cracks spawns a single river. Looks like someone cracked the tub and it drained away. I wonder how much of this landscape has been affected by the Mage Wars. Big watery basins have flooded and other spots seem dead. The lands may or may not actually touch depending on how deep some of these waterways are

Evenere

Looks like someone punched holes in the land with a giant pencil to make it a separate island. Broken outline with scattered islands

That Pawprint Isles has only four toes

Moon-shaped island is very crescenty indeed

Are these isles home to refugees or outcasts from Xadia? Listen, I want pirates and that sea looks pretty Caribbean to me

No capital city, hmmm what's that about? Is it underground, does it move? Maybe Fareeda’s capital is on the back of a world turtle and she’s constantly on tour around the island?

That arm of land ending in a peace sign, please can we get surfers

The hills emanating from that claw shaped headland look like something is sleeping under the island, hello yes I am here for giant immortal creatures please

Katolis

its capital is also called Katolis, the only human realm to use the same name twice

Weeping Bay could be a ref to the tears the humans shed after they reached the west. Or the Moonshadow elves as they left their forest for the east. Or both. Both, in this case, is bad but balanced

Boomerang island next to the Dragontail

The river the Dragaang rode on was going uphill

The watery slash in the land between Katolis and Del Bar is awfully straight. So is the one between Del Bar and Neolandia. I call magical warfare.

Katolis has a bunch of mountains in the east, part of an old natural border before the lava one appeared

Mt Kalik is probably volcanic. It's a standalone mountain and it's really tall. Rex Ignius maybe? Oh, probably not, I think I see him peeking on the other side of the map

The trees of Duren and Katolis are different then the western lands. Softer green, deciduous. And the land itself is yellower, warmer in tone

Forests centered on Mt Kalik

The Moon Nexus looks like an eye on a dragon head near the Dragontail, and Evenere looks like a severed wing (Yes I am still wondering where Luna Tenebris went, why do you ask)

Weeping Bay looks like the most natural body of water in the western lands

Three red little trees scattered around the Katolis map. Fruit trees? How very Moonshadow.

Duren

The only land border among all the human kingdoms is between Duren and Katolis. Maybe it used to be further south along the river?

Capital is Berylgarten, set on a lake. Beryl is a stone that’s usually green, blue, or yellow in color, very gardeny

Second smallest realm but the breadbasket of the human lands. Has several little forests and great tilled fields

Being a farmer in Duren is probably as awesome as being an assassin in the Moonshadow Forest; you do what you do for all your friendly kingdoms

Northernmost land is cold and craggy, named Skall's Hook along the sea

Third ship in the Frozen Sea is icebound and crushed. Looks western, indicating no possible passage

Lots of colored trees and shrubs as if fruitbearing, I keep comparing Duren to the Yakima Valley in Washington State

Where the lava reaches the Frozen Sea, it melts the ice next to Duren's mountains

Northern Xadia:

Lux Aurea

Most of the center lands of this map has warm tones for its ground. Maybe that’s because of the long reach of the warmth and light of Lux Aurea’s Sun Nexus, and only the lands that are just too far from it are truly cold and icy. It would explain why Duren is a breadbasket realm so far north--it’s just across the border from Lux Aurea.

If there’s anything to that, then I suddenly worry for the fate of all the human lands now that the Sunforge has gone dark. It’s early summer now in Xadia, and crops in Duren will be ripening soon... Unless the sun’s magic was helping them grow. This coming winter could be rough. Next winter, people will die. Unless they can purify the Sunforge again.

Also, I have to wonder if Duren’s seven years of famine had anything to do with Sunforge shenanigans. They’d have happened at Khessa’s command, and we know she despises humans. If she was responsible for all the struggles that humans had to go through without enough food for seven years, and then their desperate attempt to fix the problem by invading Xadia for a Magma Titan’s heart which extended and exacerbated the war, I can see why Aaravos might feel Queen Khessa deserved to die

The city’s shaped kinda like an Egyptian pectoral necklace on this map, and that’s super pretty and not at all ominous

Also that’s a lot of gold for a whole city and I wonder how they got it all

The Shiverglades and the Shards

These areas are north of Lux Aurea and seem cold but not very icy, even though the Frozen Sea is right there. More thoughtful glances at the Sunforge over this one. Is it warming the land, or not warming the sea? Both?

Shiverglades is a play on Everglades, so this is a cold swamp, which sounds super fun I’m sure. Permafrost, tundra maybe?

The Shards seem to be rock islands with ice mountains. Glaciers are cool.

I wonder if something broke those islands off on purpose. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy worldbuilding? Yeah, well, I like world-wrecking, too.

Storm Spire

Has a good view on everything that happens for miles, including Lux Aurea, the Midnight Desert, the Shiverglades, the Black Tundra, the Uncharted Forest, and Drakewood.

Defensible position, no other tall mountains nearby

Also able to alert others to danger, especially since Avizandum could teleport like lightning

The Midnight Desert

It’s pretty big! And it looks like it’s littered with ruins of columns and dead palm trees. Like something else used to be in that great space and then something Very Bad happened to it. Maybe there was one great city where all the elves could mix together, and then it got utterly obliterated and the elves all fled to their respective safe places around Xadia. A city of black stone, back when Aaravos wore a crown? Now pulverized to dust and surrounded by not one, not two, but three primal nexuses? Hmmm...

All the wisps could be heat from the sand, or spooky spirit hints, or just an ominous sign of danger from the snakes below, but the overall effect is that the land is unhealthy if not cursed

The oasis is marked, and it must contain a spring since it runs a river out to join the river that passes through the Moonshadow Forest

Also the actual oasis kinda resembles a blue lizard which is adorable and probably also terrifying

Moonshadow Forest

The Silvergrove is the only village marked in the forest, so in keeping with the other lands and general map legend rules, it’s likely the capital/central village for the Moonshadow elves

The village is marked by four round-roofed homes between two tall leafy trees that shelter and hide them. It’s a hybrid balance between the blocky manmade castles of the human lands and the actual forest around them, showing a blending with nature that even the Sunfire city of Lux Aurea did not embrace, with all its golden buildings

It’s a good-sized forest, and it kinda stretches thin to the east but there it tentatively connects to the Drakewood Forest

Moonstone Path to the west just chilling in the lava like a blank alignment chart. Moonstone Path is Chaotic Hot.

Southern Xadia:

Ruins of Elarion

Elarion is a city, and it’s been lost to the humans for a thousand years

The building outlines are squared-off towers like the more modern castles in the west, suggesting that humans in Xadia built for strength and defense as soon as they could. They felt vulnerable and created protections in their architecture. The three elven cities we see also play to their strengths, but those strengths include magic. Elarion’s humans had to find a different strength, and they went with craftsmanship and ingenuity

It seems to be the only human city from before the border was drawn

“Ruins” doesn’t necessarily mean no one lives there at all, but it’s been emptied of humans and no one else has maintained it since

It had a great position on a vast lake, with sheltering hills and easy sea access

Sea of the Castout

This inland sea has five inlets and outlets. It’s hard to be sure which is which with some of them, with the way the water is drawn on this map. But I’m kinda liking the idea that all the water swirlies are places where Tidebound magic has been placed over the millennia, so the water can do whatever it needs to do depending on circumstances. That goes for the human lands, too. Katolis backward river, you’re off the hook.

With a name like "Castout,” I wonder if it was some kind of universal toilet to flush away things you didn’t want--including humans--who might wash up near Elarion and start to build there. Yeesh.

The rivers that flow into this sea pass through or near the Moonshadow Forest, the Midnight Desert, the Storm Spire, Drakewood, and the Uncharted Forest. That’s a lot of drainage.

It’s pretty far from the Tidebound Archipelago, so maybe its name is referencing Tidebound elves who have left their home colony

Was this always a sea, or did something that Xadia wanted to forget get flooded and hidden in the depths?

The land around it seems open and hospitable. It could be a good place to build/rebuild in a time of peace.

The Far Reaches

Open grassland with low hills

Two of the hills look like giant boot prints

Several colorful trees which I hope are fruit trees

Bounded by two rivers from the Sea of the Castout

Looks homey tbh, great spot to retire to get away from everything if there were a war that really shook you up

Ocean Point

There’s a Star rune here, and it could mean many things

The closest other marked location is Elarion

If this was where Aaravos lived of his own free will, I can see why he’d take a shine to the humans. They were his neighbors.

If he is imprisoned here, it’s literally the furthest point in Xadia from the other elven realms, with the Moonshadow Forest being the closest one and Umber Tor not too much further but in a totally different direction. If they were trying to isolate him physically with a portable mirror to watch over him, that’s a good spot for it

Possible location that the cube is leading Callum toward? Portal to the Star Touch home plane? Aaravos’s seaside B&B? Trap street?

Eastern Xadia:

Drakewood

Umber Tor looks to be the tallest mountain in all of Xadia, save possibly for the Storm Spire. It’s more traditionally mountainy, with a nice snowcap. Since it’s labeled, I’m guessing it’s the Earth Nexus, under which an Earth Archdragon sleeps

Also there’s a giant yellowish-brown dragon chilling next to the Tor. Yeah, he seems nice. Rex Igneous, I presume?

Or maybe not, since the neighboring forest is called Drakewood. Maybe this woods is just where a bunch of Earth dragons hang out? Ezran and Pyrrah flew off and returned with a crew of Sun dragons from somewhere, so dragons must have communities too

The mountains that edge the sea are shaped roughly like a stone dragon in flight

Drakewood seems to be the forest closest to Umber Tor, with both deciduous and evergreen trees, though there’s a huge swath of wooded land here, to the north and to the southwest. I wonder what the locals consider the border where the Drakewood becomes the Uncharted Forest and why. The way the evergreens are drawn almost looks like a border, a sort of kingswood set aside for a specific use. Rex Igneous’s best toothpicks?

Uncharted Forest

Okay this is a properly magical name, very mysterious. But uncharted by whom? People with charts? This might be a Sir Phineas Kurst name, which is outsidery, and it makes me wonder if the locals/neighbors have their own name for it, which the human explorer never learned, a la “Thunder” for Avizandum

Maybe “Uncharted Forest” just means no one ever turned those trees into charts though, old growth ftw

If no one lives here, will someone move here? If someone lives here, who are they? Earthblood elves? Moonshadow elves? Humans? This mystery, it calls to me

the trees are mostly deciduous and fill basically all of this whole section of land, up against the mountains and the rivers, so it seems very fertile land indeed

Earthblood elves could live here, but there is no city marked. Maybe because we haven’t gotten that far in the show, or maybe that’s the wrong sort of descriptor for how the Earthbloods live and organize. Maybe the whole forest is their city, like Pando, the interconnected quaking aspen clone forest

The northernmost part of this forest lies right between the Storm Spire and the Tidebound Archipelago, so it might get a regular flyover route for migration or messages

Yes, this forest is the most interesting place in Xadia to me, I desperately want to learn more about it

Black Tundra

Yeah this place isn’t ominous

Similar to the Shiverglades, but where that has shrubbery, the Black Tundra has single dead trees and creepy curving spikes. Scorched? Poisoned? De-magicked?

The water north of this area isn’t frozen, and with a lake to the south and a river and a moderate mountain range, the whole area looks like it would otherwise be decently habitable, but instead it’s cold and black

Is climate change a thing here, or will we get a nice horrible disaster instead?

Tidebound Archipelago

These islands have dotted lines around them, like they’re submerged at high tide, or maybe made of shifting sand that literally moves around like sand dunes across a desert, or perhaps they’re exactly at sea level with half their civilization in the air and half underwater or in cool bubbles, or maybe the islands actually float

Maybe the Tidebound elves even sank them on purpose for defensive purposes

The archipelago is about even latitudinally with the Storm Spire Lux Aurea, Berylgarten, and Eboreus so they probably get pretty nice weather

There’s no ice in sight here in any direction along Xadia’s east coast, so presumably the prevailing current is a warm one

do they have bridges connecting the islands? Ferries, animals who give them a lift across?

the islands have quite a bit of space on them. I wonder if there’s a big population, maybe a shifting population? Do Tidebound elves migrate up and down the coast like gray whales and return to the islands for certain holidays or social events?

This is probably the hub of the Tidebound elves’ culture, but the sea surrounds the whole land and infiltrates it with many rivers and lakes. The Spinning Sea and the Frozen Sea are pretty firm Do Not Enter signposts, but a determined Tidebound could get around either one if they wanted to

What I’m not seeing here is a city. Either it’s not been marked yet, or that’s not a thing that Tidebound elves have in their culture. If they don’t have a city, they’re possibly migratory in family groups, or maybe they stick to small villages like the Moonshadows do, but with even less central leadership

#asks #map of xadia #i love maps okay #xadia #andromeda #rayla #runaan #lujanne #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #tdp angst #angst #through the moon spoilers

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lieutenantcharleslorem · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/3 Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Data/Geordi La Forge Additional Tags: daforge - Freeform, AU, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Goblins, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Mermaids, Pirates Summary:

The Corsair ship Enterprise is not exactly a pirate ship, but they do what they have to to get by on the high seas. Without someone knowledgeable in steam mechanics that becomes even harder. Data is a gear filled robot who can be wound like a watch, and Geordi is merman who cannot see above water. But perhaps this odd friendship could solve some of their problems.

Hi! This was written for a commission for @datalaur. This takes place in a weird vaguely steampunk, D&D type universe where certain alien species names are interchangeable with mythological names like trolls and goblins, and everyone calls Data a robot. The world building isn't perfect, but I still think it's a good time. 💜 (Here’s a link to chapter two)

CHAPTER ONE

The sea rippled in the wind, and the ship creaked as the sails were turned.

“Captain,” said the first mate, “We can’t go on like this.”

“What do you want me to do, Will? Stop and ask for directions?”

“It’s not just that. When we go into battle, we can’t have you and the rob’ut shoveling coal.”

“There’s so much more to it than that.”

“Well then? That’s my point. We’ve got to replace O’Brien. I know you were holding out hope, but when we dock at the ninth port again, sure he’ll sing songs, and welcome us like old friends, but he’s not gonna be convinced to go back to the life of a corsair. Not now that he found someone who could love that ugly mug of his.”

The Captain sighed. “You’re right. But Data knows this ship better than anyone—”

“The rob’ut can’t fix himself, Picard,” Riker spat. He steeled himself and tried to speak more respectfully. “We need a new crew member. Even if he doesn’t know the engines, if he’s got a mind to learn, if he can figure Data’s gears, he can pick up slack. Because we need you both on deck, sir.”

“Captain, I’m afraid I have to concur.” The gears in Data’s shoulders creaked as he turned the wheel and changed their course. “Not only that we need an extra crewman, but that we should stop and ask for directions.”

“Data…” Picard said, frustrated, “Who do you suppose we ask. A siren?”

“I propose we anchor along this approaching landmass,” replied Data. “There are signs of life.”

Picard removed his spyglass from his pocket and took a look at the approaching shore. There was smoke in the distance and a path cut through the trees. There was no way to tell if these people were friendly, but they were certainly people.

But Captain Picard was nothing if not an adventurer. If he had been afraid to meet new and mystical species on faraway shores, he never would’ve found Data, or Worf. Even Troi was half Elvin, and they’d all learned to live with her mind trickery. While the old girl, Enterprise, was just beginning to take on this diversity, Picard suspected there were pirate and privateer ships in which humans were the minority.

When they anchored a few hours later, the crew was informed to sit tight while the Captain and Worf sought out the people to make sure it was safe.

The first thing Worf noticed about the locals was that they didn’t seem all that mysterious. They looked human. The only difference being that his humans kept themselves better trimmed.

“Trespassers,” said one of the men.

“We mean no disrespect,” said Picard, putting his hands up to show his open palms. “We’ve only lost our way. We don’t mean to intrude.”

“You have a Klingon with you,” said one of the women.

“This is Worf,” said the captain. “He is a friendly Klingon. He wasn’t even raised on the mountains of Kronos. He was raised among humans.”

Worf nodded. He resented his trustworthiness being equated with how human he may be, but now was not the time to be offended.

“What are you doing here?” asked the man.

“We’re lost,” said Picard. “We’ve been tasked to find the Goblin homeland. They’ve stolen some inventions—”

“They’ll gut you for your latinum.”

“Alas, we have none at the moment. We will be paid for retrieving the machinery.”

“They won’t stop to find out what’s in your pockets. They’d sell the clothes off your corpse.”

“We are familiar with the goblins, and their confrontation tactics,” said Worf, “Money is no doubt the reason for their thieving, not a hope for technological advancement. However, were they to sell to an enemy, the human government would not be pleased.”

“I see. Privateers then?”

“You could say that,” said Picard with a smile.

“Hmm, the kind of privateers who are also pirates, or the kind with a certain code of conduct?”

Picard and Worf shuffled their feet.

“It depends on your definition of pirate,” said Worf. Picard shot him a look that told him to keep his mouth shut.

“We definitely have a code of conduct,” Picard assured them. “You have nothing to fear from us. We’re only asking a little help…”

“You’ve gone too far,” said the woman.

“Excuse me?” asked Picard, wondering what he could have possibly said to prompt this response.

“You’ve gone too far,” she repeated. “That’s how you got confused. You went too far north. It happens. Goblins are southeast of us. We could maybe mark it on a map, but can’t say how accurate it would be. None of us are cartographers.”

“If you’re willing to look at a map that would be great. But you’ve already helped. Thank you,” said Picard.

“You look weary,” said one of the men.

“You might stay,” said the other. “Assuming you are not pirates.”

“Oh, oh that’s very generous, but we should be on our way,” replied Picard.

“Suit yourself, but Jeham used to live the ship life, and any chance to spend a moment on land was cherished later when the chances didn’t come. If you would like to stay a short while we would not object.”

“Well… I don’t know how much time we can waste. But we will tell the crew that they are free to explore for the time being.”

“Explore?” asked the woman.

“Would that be a problem?”

“No,” said the man. “But there are some areas that are… not as safe.”

Picard nodded, not wanting to make a fuss. “Worf, why don’t you go back to the ship and let the crew know we’re welcomed.”

“But Captain—”

“I’m sure I’m safe with our new friends, Mr. Worf.”

Worf looked back and forth between them, nodded, and disappeared through the trees.

“I never asked your names. I am Jean-Luc Picard.”

“I mentioned Jeham,” said one of the men, pointing a thumb to the other. “And my name is Di.”

“And I’m Reese,” said the woman.

That evening they sat around a large fire. Some stood, some walked around, but they fit nearly 200 people into a clearing, Picard’s salty crew mingling idly with this sandy group of families. The doctor had disappeared somewhere. The Captain hoped she was having fun. Data stood very close to the circle around the fire, wanting to be included, but not wanting to take a warm place to sit from someone who would be comforted by it.

“May I ask you a question?” said Data quietly.

“Only if we can ask a few back,” said Reese.

“Of course, please do. I was wondering, you do not look terribly different from us, and you speak human, but—”

“We are human,” replied Di.

“This is only a settlement,” said Jeham. “I used to work on a ship too, but I’d been looking for an out for a while when my ship stopped here. I decided to stay, after I met everyone.”

“Most of the originals came to get away from the black fog of the big cities. We live a little simpler here,” said Di.

Data’s face fell, if only minutely, and he said, “You came here to get away from machinery.”

“Perhaps, you could say that,” said Reese, “But we have no problem with machines. Only the smell of industry.”

“What are you?” asked Di, standing up to look more closely at Data’s skin, “A robot?”

“Yes.”

“Who made a thing like you? Is he with the crew?” asked Reese.

“No. My creator was lost at sea many years ago.”

Di reached out and ran a finger along Data’s forehead and down his nose. “You’re not like any robot I’ve ever seen.”

“I wouldn’t imagine we’re up on the latest trends, Di,” said Reese.

Di continued trailing his finger down Data’s face, and Data resisted the urge to shudder when he reached his lips. Though he would’ve preferred Di ask permission, he couldn’t deny that in some ways Data enjoyed the stimulation to his- his what, he wasn’t sure. He had speculated that he had artificial nerve endings, but it was far beyond the realm of any science in the land. There were rumors on the ship that Soong had not just used engineering, but magic to bring Data to life. But if it was true, that didn’t change that the robot still needed to be wound.

As the feel of Di’s fingers on his neck suddenly became absent, Data realized he had shut his eyes. He opened them abruptly and whispered. “I am… one of a kind.”

The captain cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should do a little exploring in the morning before we leave. Get some exercise before we have to be cooped up on the ship. If you could suggest any trails…?”

“We could take you to look at some pretty areas, but you shouldn’t go off alone,” said Reese.

“Oh, I’m sure we could handle any animals that might come our way.”

“It’s not that,” said Di. “You don’t want to go very far from shore. You don’t want to get near the water.”

“Water?” asked Worf, “What do you mean near water but away from the shore? That does not make sense.”

“There is something of a lake, but it drains in from the ocean and it is quite deep.”

“Everyone on our crew can swim… Except for Alyssa,” said Data.

“It’s not about that either. This is the good water.” Di gestured behind him. They couldn’t see the shore through the trees but knew it was in that direction. “It’s mighty shallow. Just stay away from the rivers and estuary. They’re deep.”

There was an awkward silence as they tried to figure out if they should keep asking questions, and then there was another voice in the darkness.

Troi walked up to the fire seemingly out of nowhere. Her skin appeared to glow in the fire light, and they could see the smallest bit of her brazier at the opening of a men's collared shirt that was a little too big for her. She whispered, “I get the sense you don’t actually want us to know why we shouldn’t see these deep waters.”

“It’s the creatures,” said Jeham.

“Jeham,” warned Di.

“What kind of creatures?” asked Picard.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of sirens,” said Reese.

Data cut in, “The captain mentioned them this morning.”

“Then you know.”

“I know of myth,” said Picard. “I know of imaginary creatures,”

“I doubt you’re so cynical. With a Klingon, and your mechanical man. You would question the possibility that sirens exist?”

“An entire race that is solely female and dedicated to killing sailors? I’m afraid it does cast some doubt.”

“They aren’t only female,” said Jeham. “And they’re not sirens… They’re merfolk. They’re just a species like any of the ones we’ve seen. We’ve all met groups of people that seemed scary,” he glanced at Worf, “and we’ve all met people with a special ability or two.” Now he looked at Deanna but looked away when she caught his eye.

“Well, now you make it sound like they’re just new friends to make.”

“No,” said Di. “People have tried. The merfolk seem friendly sometimes. But this is where the siren myths come from. They’re intelligent. They make you feel things. They can control your emotions.”

“I have no emotions,” said Data.

“Excuse me?”

“They could not possibly control my emotions; I am not capable of feeling emotions, as I am a machine.”

Di sighed. This conversation had gone on longer than he would have liked.

“Fine,” he said, “Chance it, Robot. But don’t blame me when you are dragged into the sea.”

“Well, perhaps if we have time,” said Data.

Troi slid into the circle and sat down in front of the fire. “Now what are the chances that you lovely people happen to have marshmallows?”

Things had stayed friendly and hours later, after everyone had agreed to call it a night, Data sat in front of the dying fire.

Since he didn’t sleep, he was often presented with extra time to occupy while those around him were unconscious. On the ship he usually continued navigating.

There was a pull on the gears of his ticking brain. Almost a tingle to his mind. He wondered, if he were human, would this be the need to be rebellious? After all, he was never a child, neither a teenager.

He needed, like an unquenchable curiosity, to go find the deep waters Di and the others had spoken of. He wasn’t afraid of what he might find there, for he couldn’t feel fear. Even if he could, he also couldn’t feel pain, so there was really nothing to be afraid of.

He got up quietly after the fire had gone out. He didn’t want to ruin their fire pit by extinguishing it or leave it unattended while burning. But now, in the light of only the moon he got up quietly and crept beyond the clearing, heading away from the shore.

It might have taken a biological being a few hours to navigate through the many trees and over jagged rocks, but Data did not tire, and found the estuary before sunrise.

The water here seemed different than that which he had sailed on for many years. This was eerily calm, and the moon shone off it in such a way that made it appear to glow.

Data sat down at the edge of the water, and waited. Nothing happened, but that was okay. He thought about navigation, and the mission they were on, and watched the sunrise.

Just as he was thinking perhaps he should return to the clearing, something in the water moved. Slowly a dark face emerged, with completely gray eyes, like nothing Data had ever seen.

“Are you waiting for someone?” the being asked.

“I suppose I was waiting for you,” replied Data.

“I've never heard your voice,” he didn’t look directly at Data as he spoke. “You don’t live here.”

“No, I’m a corsair.”

“I… I’m afraid I don’t know what that means.”

“I sail… on an independent ship.”

“You’re a pirate,” said the man in the water.

“… We don’t like to hurt people.”

“I’m not here to judge you.”

“What are you?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“You are a merman?”

“If the name suits you.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Do you?”

“My name is Data.”

“A name befitting a mechanical man.”

“You knew I was a robot?”

“I can hear your body tick.”

“But you cannot see me.”

“Merpeople don’t see the same way land folk do.”

“Oh, I understand.”

“Mm, I doubt that.”

“Well, it is true that I probably cannot imagine how you process sensory input, but I also can’t imagine how any biological being does such things.”

“You experience your senses differently than everyone you meet, don’t you?”

“I have yet to meet anyone like me. Other robots do not…”

“They do not compare.”

“I suppose not. Some people think my creator was a genius. Others think he was mad. I’m sorry to say I am sometimes in the latter category… You never told me your name.”

“Geordi.”

“Is that a common merfolk name?”

“Not particularly.”

“I understand that you see differently than humans, but it appears as though you do not see me at all.”

“I saw you when I approached, but we are adapted to the water. We lose certain things above it. But others change. Everything is louder above water as well.”

“If I were human I would get in with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I would hold my breath, and swim with you, so we could see each other properly. But I can’t get water in my gears.”

“Sailing seems like an odd job for someone who can’t get wet.”

“Well, I can get a little wet. But it could be troublesome to be fully submerged. It’s correct that if I fell overboard, I would most likely die, but that is true of most of the crew when on the high seas.”

“You’re quite the interesting device, aren’t you Data?”

Data didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry,” Geordi said suddenly. “That was rude.”

Data smiled even though he knew Geordi couldn’t see it. Just acknowledging that it was possible to be rude to him was more than some people gave him.

“I’ve been called worse than a device,” said Data. “And definitely worse than interesting.”

“Well, you are. Interesting, I mean.”

“I find you fascinating as well.”

“I’m really interested in mechanology. I hope you don’t mind me saying. It’s just, that sort of learning is limited when you live in water.”

“I would imagine.”

“I’d love to get a look inside you. I mean… that came out wrong.”

“You do not have to worry about offending me. I have learned over my time as a corsair, that it is not the words, but the feeling behind them.”

“Well, I mean, I can’t really get a look.”

“Figure of speech, I assumed.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure it would be terribly invasive to… to…”

“Examine my mechanics? If it were something you would enjoy, and you would not change anything—”

“Oh, of course not! I would never tamper with you without your permission.”

“Then you may open the compartment on my back,” Data said, unbuttoning his doublet. “I only ask that you dry your hands first.”

Geordi’s eyes widened. “Yes, yes of course I will.” He floated awkwardly for a moment before scrambling to get up onto land with Data. He fumbled as he couldn’t see the edge of the rock. Hands reached out and took hold of him around the waist. If he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve guessed them biological hands. The only sign that there was a difference was how effortlessly Data lifted Geordi out of the water, and sat him gently next to him.

Geordi’s tail hung off the edge and into the water but the rest of him was visible, and Data took in the details before handing Geordi a handkerchief and turning away from him.

He pulled the silk shirt he’d been wearing under his doublet over his head, not bothering with the buttons. Geordi finished drying his hands and felt out in front of him. He slid his hands down Data’s smooth back, finding in the middle, something like a key.

There was that feeling of Data being touched again, but this time it was invited.

“Does this keep you going?” Geordi asked, fingering the key.

“Yes, turned clockwise it winds my gears, but if you turn it counterclockwise—”

“I can unscrew it and open this hatch. And it won’t cause you any problems?”

“No.”

Geordi did as Data said, placing the key off to the side, and sliding open a door in his back. Data had of course been worked on and examined before, but this was somehow different. Geordi had to feel the parts to understand what was in front of him and Data could almost feel it himself. Geordi’s soft slick hands running along the springs and wires.

“There’s lots I could do back here,” Geordi said lazily fumbling over some screws. “Are you always so trusting with people you’ve just met?”

“No,” Data replied, eyes closed, “Never.” And it almost sounded breathy to Gerodi’s ears.

“Well, I’ll take this as a compliment… Ow.” Geordi pulled his hand away abruptly.

Data glanced back and saw Geordi put his finger in his mouth.

“You have burned yourself.”

“Nah,” said Geordi. “Just hurt for a second.” He went back to his examinations. “I see, so you breathe to keep this cool right here.”

“Yes.”

“It’s like you’ve got a little engine roaring away inside you. It’s amazing.”

“Do you… know anything about engines?”

“A little. I’d love to learn more.”

“Data!” said a voice in the distance. It was the captain.

“I have to go now,” Data told Geordi, like he was telling a playmate that his mom said dinner was ready.

Geordi nodded and shut the compartment. He felt around for the key before fumbling to screw it back in for Data. Once it was in he kept turning.

“All wound up.”

“Thank you,” Data whispered.

“Data?” shouted Dr. Crusher.

“I am here,” replied Data pulling on his shirt. “No need to go any further, I will come to you.”

He buttoned only a few of the buttons on his doublet before going to stand, but Geordi stopped him while he was still on his knees. He reached out and took Data’s hand.

“Will you be back?” Gerodi asked.

“Back?”

“Will I see you again? I’ve never met anyone like you.”

It wasn’t lost on Data that the merman called him one instead of thing. Data had to admit that though he had only known the being for all of 20 minutes, he wanted to promise he would be back. But it was not a promise he knew he could keep.

Data debated whether he would be overstepping a boundary for .3 seconds, and then decided to place a hand on Geordi’s cheek. “I will try,” he said honestly. Geordi shivered. “You are cold. You should return to the water.”

“Data, please inform us of your location,” said the captain.

“I will be right there, Captain.”

Geordi stayed on land for a few more moments to listen to the sound of Data’s footsteps as he walked away.

Beyond some rocks in the thick of trees and vines, Data found the captain and the doctor searching for him.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Captain.”

“Out looking for mermaids, Data?” said the Captain with a smirk.

“Of course not, Captain. I would never go looking for something someone told me could be dangerous.” Data had recently begun to master facetiousness. He found it easier than sarcasm, because it didn’t require the same bite.

“Oh!” replied the doctor with a smile, “Of course not.”

“Well, I hate to interrupt our recreation, but we’re trying to get some maintenance done as quickly as possible so that we can be back on the sea before noon.”

“Captain, will we be coming back?” asked Data.

“Back?”

“To this shore…”

“There were no plans to. I know this is no concern of yours, but it depends on where our next meal is coming from.”

“I understand, this little village, of sorts, is not particularly profitable.”

Data was silent for the rest of the morning as they prepared to leave. He spared one passing glance at the shore as he steered the ship back onto the high seas.

With the locals’ changes to their maps they were able to find goblin territory faster than they expected. They came into port in the late afternoon as the sun was setting, and they had a plan before midnight. Goblins were ruthless, but they were also easily scared.

They would beat them at their own game, and retrieve the technology from right under their noses. Under cover of darkness, the captain, Riker, Data, and Worf, crept through the city. They took along a few crewmen who were new to the seas but could provide a little muscle. All of them pulled up their hoods against the rain. They’d been told before they came that it never stopped raining in goblin territory. But they hurried despite their discomfort. They could not be seen under any circumstances. This was not a place they could blend in. Their height alone would make them stand out to any goblin.

They inched into the building where they’d heard it was being held. They were fairly certain the goblins they’d interrogated were telling the truth. It had taken what little latinum they had left, but every goblin has their price.

Inside there were many locking mechanisms, but it was nothing Data couldn’t handle. Though he hadn’t been designed for theft, thieving from thieves brought exceptions. Being a corsair brought oh so many exceptions.

Coming down a hall, lit only by a torch, was the final door. Behind it should be the stolen machine. It was wood, and shorter than human doors, as had been all the doors in the building. It was covered in chains which the goblins no doubt thought were strong. Worf took a chain in hand on one side, and Data took it on the other. Pulling against each other like they might play tug-o-war, one of the links near the middle gave way and opened, and the chains fell apart.

The captain pushed the door open and ducked into the room. The device’s silhouette was monstrous in the darkness of the room, but Picard could tell they could get it through the door if they carried it on its side. After all, the goblins had to have gotten it in here somehow.

Squeezing it through the door and down the hall with the strength of a robot, a Klingon, a Bolian, and 3 humans was easier than expected. They shuffled out of the building, and were almost home-free when they heard a footstep.

A little clay colored boy with the biggest ears they’d ever seen screeched and pointed at them. Suddenly the sound stopped and the boy was on the ground. Worf had put down his corner of the device and hit the little goblin in the back of the head. He flinched as he looked at him. No one on the ship enjoyed when their adventures came to such things. Stealing and defending oneself was one thing but hurting innocent people never felt good.

“He should be fine,” whispered Data.

Worf nodded and picked up his end again and they were able to get it onto the ship uninterrupted.

As they rushed out of dock, wind in their sales, it almost seemed too easy. The simplicity was almost dreamlike, being so unsettling and anxiety inducing, that it was almost a relief when they heard goblins shouting in the distance. Something about profit.

And then, there was just enough light from the moons to see a ship gaining on them. It was a strange looking ship, with little cohesion, different colors and shapes that reminded them of other races they’d met along the way. It was almost as if the goblins had built the ship from spare parts of other ships they’d come across, purchased, or robbed.

The word Ferengi was messily painted on the side. It must’ve meant something in the goblin language, but they didn’t know what, and didn’t have time to think about it.

There was yelling and swift conversations as they heard cannons go off. Were they out gunned? Could they call someone for help? Goblins had always seemed so cowardly, but there had been a feeling in the air, and now it seemed inevitable that they had underestimated them.

While people on the Enterprise were loading cannons, Riker took the wheel, and the captain told Data to go change the direction of the sails. Data nodded and ran to the ropes. Just as he was finishing, he heard Troi shout, “What’s going on?”

“The goblins,” he replied. “Help with cannons!”

Looking at her when he spoke, he was caught off guard when the entirety of the Enterprise shook with a particularly well aimed cannon ball. The ship lurched, and Data tried to grab onto the rope, but his hands missed it by a centimeter. Data went toppling into the water, Troi running to the railing after him, but knowing there was nothing she could do.

“Data!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

He could hear faintly the water muffled warbling of Troi explaining to someone, “The robot, he’s gone overboard!” before he became waterlogged and shut down.

Data assumed this would be the end of his experiences.

-Chapter Two-

#star trek the next generation #data #geordi #daforge #faniction #Star Trek #Star Trek The Original Series #ST:TOS

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encyclopika · 4 years ago

Text

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #46

Brought to you by a marine biologist who talks about these for a living...

Fish I’ve Covered: Click Here

I’m gonna preface here to say this is going to be a long post because COVID has officially cancelled my job. I typically have a multitude of educational programs I do during the summer, teaching kids and the public about the marine life surrounding us. (I live on an island irl, so it was too easy for me to get into marine bio and constantly “practice” it). But, of course, with the virus spreading, I can’t go out and do that, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to tell someone about horseshoe crabs:

I will try to keep this as brief as I can, but just know the horseshoe crab is one of those animals we focus on here on Long Island, NY. It’s one of our most unique marine critters and a very important part of life here. They are amazing and they are my favorite invertebrates, full stop. So, needless to say, I have about a 20 minute spiel about these guys and, no, I won’t hide it under a Read More like I usually do, because gdi we gon’ learn about this adorable things.

If your island in ACNH is in the Northern Hemisphere, you can dive for these late at night (9pm to 4am). They have a pretty big shadow and won’t give you quite as hard a time as the giant isopod or the giant clam because they are darlings. Still, they are pretty rare, and we will get to untangling why these stipulations exist in the game, besides the fact that there’s fun things you can do with them.

There are only four extant (surviving) horseshoe crab species in the world, and after some double-checking, the horseshoe crab in ACNH is none other than the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus):

If you want to see what the others look like and see how I came to this conclusion, follow this link.

Now, Blathers broke my heart upon submitting this cutie into the museum. Blather’s erroneously says the following:

“Some might say it's good luck to catch a horseshoe crab. But I am NOT among them, eh wot! Though called a "crab," this beast is an arthropod and thus more akin to spiders and scorpions! Its long tail resembles a scorpion stinger, in fact! “

*sigh* Okay, so it’s correct that horseshoe crabs ARE NOT crabs - they are indeed more closely related to arachnids, like the spider and scorpion, rather than crustaceans, like crabs. They are within the Order Xiphosura and have been around for millions upon millions of years, virtually unchanged. (That’s the “living fossil” bit in Blathers’ explanation, just like our friend the Coelacanth). There is actually a very recent study that put horseshoe crabs directly into the Arachnid family, but it seems the jury is still out about changing the whole phylogeny. I mean, look at the underside:

Looks like a spider in a tank, lmao. And yet, I have no fear. (This is a male and female mating - they got turned over for the picture, fairly certain - credit to the photographer!)

But anyway, what Blathers is suggesting is that crabs aren’t Arthropods, which isn’t true. All the crabs, shrimp, lobster, crayfish, and everything you can catch with your bug net that isn’t the snail are ALL ARTHROPODS. It’s a very big phylum, in fact, the largest group of animals on this planet. RIP Blathers. And then likening the long tail to the stinger of the scorpion...Blathers, you are killing me. First thing I always have to do when talking about this creature is convincing people it’s harmless...

But anyway, I can go all day talking about how horseshoe crabs have ten eyes, or

>>> that their blood is blue and how it aided medical science the world over and just a quart of their blue blood is worth $15,000...the Nooks are low-balling you with that 2,500 bells crap, jfc...the Atlantic horseshoe is becoming vulnerable to extinction because of it... <<<

or how THEY ARE COMPLETELY HARMLESS, or that they are the little vacuum-cleaners of the ocean floor. If you want those explanations, please feel free to ASK ME and I will talk your ear off about it. I love horseshoe crabs, guys.

But I will take this time to gush about how ACNH did this thing such justice. Here on Long Island, our horseshoe crabs mate and come up on the beach from May through to September, so it makes sense they are available now in ACNH. They will usually mate throughout the night of the full moon, so explains why they’re available at night! Now, Long Island is the land of endless estuaries, the points at which rivers meet the ocean (in fact, we here on Long Island have 3 nationally recognized estuaries - the Long Island Sound, the Peconic Estuary, and the NY-NJ Bight near NYC) and you can bet horseshoe crabs appear in all of them. So, it made me so happy to see that Blathers puts the horseshoe in the estuary part of the river section with the sturgeon:

It’s so perfect, I was losing my mind. 100% Long Island feel right there. Bless.

And that’s not the only place I lost it. You can put them wherever you want without a tank, just like the snapping turtle!

And last, but not least, when you interact with it, it flips over.

And then uses its tail, called a telson (it is NOT a stinger!!!), to right itself...

...just like in real life. And that, my friends, is why I can’t stop playing this game. If you saw my post from earlier today, I’m sure it’s now very obvious I’m trying to recreate a horseshoe crab mating event on my far beach.

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no?

#horseshoe crab #marine biology #New York #animals #animal crossing new horizons #marine life #science in video games #animal crossing fish explained

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jovialyouthmusic · 4 years ago

Text

Special Delivery

Fabio moves in, and Martin questions my judgement.

Word Count 2987

A/N Just a fluffy piece of self indulgence. A few swear words.

No under 18s please

7 A New Lodger

The morning dawned bright with autumn sunshine, and I woke to find Ginger on the bedroom windowsill looking longingly out at the field behind the house.

‘Sorry Ginge’ I apologised. ‘It’ll be a while before you get to explore.’ He turned back to me, making a noise that told me he was a little disgruntled before he jumped down to demand breakfast. ‘Well it’s a good job you like Fabricio, he’ll be moving in today’ I said, leaning down to scratch his head, and he rose up to meet my hand and leaned heavily on my leg as if to say less talk, more food.

As I left him to scarf up his kibble, my phone dinged with a message from Martin.

Hey Lisa, Sue’s out for the day, want me to come up and do some gardening?

I’ll be busy today, soz

Well duh, was offering to help. I have cake.

I looked at the phone and sighed. Martin would find out sooner or later, so I’d better call, I thought. He picked up almost instantly.

‘Hey Martin, we need to talk.’

‘I can be there in ten.’ he replied eagerly, scenting gossip.

‘I – uh, I’ll be out in half an hour, that won’t work.’ Martin’s tone changed.

‘Okay Lisa, what have you done?’ he said darkly.

‘Funny story.’ I laughed apologetically ‘My friend slash brother is gong to be my new lodger.’ I heard him suck his breath in.

‘Please tell me you mean at Jackson street – no, wait – that would make him a tenant. For fucks sake Leese, he’s moving in with you?’

‘Kind of.’

‘He either is or he isn’t. Shit, you only met him less than a week ago.’

‘Please don’t freak, Martin. It will be fine. Ginger likes him, and he’s a great judge of character.’

‘Ginger also likes chasing mice and leaving their corpses by your bed.’ he scolded ‘This guy delivers pizza for fuck’s sake.’

‘Okay, if you’re going to carry on being negative I’m going to cut you off.’ I took a deep breath as Martin remained silent. ‘It’s just a temporary thing, he’s looking for modelling jobs. It’s what he does, he’ll be off on a shoot for a few days and then come back. He just ran short of funds and had to hole up for a while. This way he has somewhere nice to live and will be able to make more money before he goes home.’

‘Why don’t you just rent him your old place?’ Martin asked.

‘It’s not ready yet, and it would be too expensive.’ I paused for a moment, and he waited, the silence oozing sceptiscism. ‘It’s different here Mar, the neighbours are too far away to notice if I fall down the stairs, break my neck and Ginge decides I’m dinner. I’d feel safer having someone around. I was going to advertise for a lodger anyway. This way I have someone to help out straight away.’

‘Right. Did he pressure you into this, Leese? Because that’s manipulative.’

‘No, he didn’t. It was my idea. He did say he was getting bad vibes off some of the others in his building, but that was after I offered.’

‘Think hard now, Leese.’ Martin persisted ‘No big hints, no puppy dog eyes?’

‘Puppies have brown eyes, Mar. Fabio’s eyes are grey.’

‘You know damn well what I mean.’

‘No, no hints, no pleading, no sob story. I’ll be fetching him soon. He’s got Dad’s old bike and he’ll take that to work and back.’

‘Well I suppose it’s too late to stop you.’ he said reluctantly ‘But the moment anything seems off – anything negative, let me know. I’m going to be checking up on you – every day, you hear me?’

‘As long as it doesn’t trigger Sue.’

‘To hell with Sue. If she doesn’t understand…’ he paused ‘Look, I can still come over today, so he knows I’ve got your back.’

‘If you want to bring over a housewarming present I guess I couldn’t stop you. Even if it’s only a pot plant.’

‘Cake.’ he said assertively. ‘How does two this afternoon suit you?’

‘I can make sure we’re in – I’ll make like it’s a surprise.’

‘That sounds like a cunning plan. Okay Les, see you later.’

-------

Fabio rang me later, and I went to his flat to pick him up. He was waiting outside with a large wheeled suitcase and his backpack. I got out to open the boot, and he came round to swing his suitcase in before lightly touching my shoulder and kissing me on the cheek.

‘Gracias, Lisa.’ he smiled ‘This means so much to me. I love to stay with people who live in the places I visit.’

‘De nada.’ I said, and he grinned even wider as I told him you’re welcome in his native language.

‘Your accent is very English.’ he said. ‘But I also have an accent, so we are even.’ He smiled ‘Wait a moment please, there is something else’ He vanished back into the house and came out again holding a large bunch of flowers. I blushed furiously as he handed them to me and again kissed me on the cheek.

‘Oh Fabio you shouldn’t have’ I protested. His lips lingered near my ear for a moment, sending shivers down my spine.

‘I have a bottle of wine in my bag. Tonight we get drunk together, no?’ I laughed nervously.

‘Just a little.’

‘Si, solo un poco, just a little.’ He pulled away and I put the flowers carefully onto the back seat. We got into the car and belted ourselves in before setting off. he leaned back in his seat and watched the passing streets.

‘How was the gym?’

‘Muy bueno. Very good, my belly will be flat soon, you will see.’ he said, patting his stomach. I swallowed at the thought of his muscled torso. ‘How is your cat? Is he happy in his new home?’

‘He wants to go outside.’ I said, glad of the distraction. ‘He has to stay in – you must be careful when we get there. Don’t open the kitchen door until the porch door is closed, and don’t leave your window open.’

‘Cómo no – of course.’ he replied. ‘Tonight we eat together, yes?’

‘Yes, I thought perhaps some salmon and salad, will that suit you?’

‘Muy Beuno, delicioso.’

‘Ginger will be happy, he loves fish.’

Once at the house, Fabio took his suitcase into his room and I put the kettle on for tea.

‘I’ve got some soup for lunch, you can have some if you like.’ I offered as he came out of his room a little while later. He accepted, and I set about getting things ready. Ginger came down from the upstairs bedroom and rubbed himself around Fabricio’s legs.

‘Can I pick him up?’ he asked. ‘He won’t bite?’

‘No, Ginge is very chilled �� relaxed. If he wriggles put him down.’ The cat allowed himself to be hoisted up and started to purr as Fabio scratched his chin and ears.

‘We get on well, you and I.’ Fabio said ‘together, we look after Lisa, yes?’ Ginger wriggled, and he put him carefully back on the floor.

‘I think it’s me looking after you two.’ I joked as I handed him the bread to take through to the dining room.

‘We all look after each other then.’ he smiled. We sat and ate lunch quietly.

‘Is there anything you want to do today?’ I asked ‘There’s a wood nearby, we could go for a walk, and perhaps tomorrow we could go out to the coast.’

‘There are beaches?’

‘Yes, but it’s too late in the year and too cold to sunbathe or go swimming. It’s mostly estuary here anyway.’

‘Estuary?’

‘Where the rivers go into the sea. It’s tidal, not proper seaside.’

‘Ah entiendo – I understand.’ He reached out to take my empty bowl and stood to take the dishes to the kitchen. ‘We walk later – now I must read my emails and send one to my mother.’

‘The internet’s all set up, I’ll give you the password.’

‘Let me wash up, senora.’ he said, and I blinked at the formality of ‘senora’, but said nothing.

‘Okay, just leave it to drain and I’ll put it away. I have some sorting to do upstairs. Remember, don’t let Ginger out.’

‘Lo siento. Call me when you are ready.’

Once upstairs I spent some time sorting out clothes, and calculated when to go out so that we would be back before Martin came. I decided not to leave it to chance and texted him to delay him a little longer, then went down to find no trace of my lodger, so I tapped on his door.

‘If you’d like, we can go out now.’ I suggested. He appeared quickly, pulling on a jacket and holding a pair of boots to replace his trainers.

‘It’s not such a tough walk as the hills.’ I explained ‘But if you wanted to go running it’s a good route.’ We set off down a nearby side road until we hit the entrance to the wood, and turned off to take the path. He agreed that it was an excellent place for running, save for the odd dog walker who had omitted to clear up after their pet. We were out for just less than an hour, turning back when the sky started to darken and arriving back as the first drops of rain started to fall.

‘Lisa.’ Fabio said ‘We should talk more about me being here.’ I felt a little thrill as we stood together in the kitchen, me fussing with cups ready to make more tea, more to occupy myself than anything else, feeling a little awkward. Martin would make an appearance soon, I thought.

‘Oh yes?’ I asked ‘What did you want to say?’ He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back on the kitchen counter.

‘Well’ he said ‘I said I want to be more than a brother to you.’ I tried to keep my expression neutral, wondering where he was going with the conversation, a sick excited feeling in the pit of my stomach. As I hadn’t answered him, he went on ‘Before you invited me to live here’ he continued.

‘Yes, that’s so.’ I responded, and he stood clear of the counter.

‘I don’t want you to be uncomfortable’ he said, holding his palms out to me ‘I would never do anything you don’t like.’ My heart hammered in my chest. ‘You have no boyfriend?’ he asked as I remained silent, mind whirling. ‘Do you like men? Did someone hurt you?’ I laughed awkwardly.

‘That’s a lot of questions.’ I said, taking a deep breath. ‘No, I have no-one special right now, yes I do like men - and no, nobody hurt me. I’ve had – a few relationships but nothing that lasted more than a year or so.’

‘You look for your someone special?’ he asked ‘Someone who’s not just staying for a few months?’

‘I don’t know’ I said ‘I’ve not had much luck so far. I think – Fabio, it’s not easy. My heart tells me one thing and my head another.’

‘Your heart tells you what?’ he smiled. I felt a little dizzy.

‘It tells me…’ at that moment the doorbell rang, and I jumped violently.

‘Hey Leese!’ Martin’s voice came from outside the porch. I was frozen for a moment, and Fabio looked startled. I tore my gaze away from him to go and answer ‘I was just passing, can I come in? I brought cake to celebrate your move.’ Martin said, winking broadly. I cursed his sense of timing and plastered a smile onto my face.

‘Martin, what a surprise. We were just making tea.’

‘We?’ he asked innocently, handing me a box.

‘Umm yeah – you met Fabio.’ I lead him into the kitchen and Fabio shifted self consciously, flashing his white toothed smile. ‘He’s my new lodger.’ The two men shook hands.

‘Hello again.’ said Martin ‘You’re a lucky man, finding a place like this to stay – and Lisa, of course. How did you meet again?’

‘Now come on Martin.’ I said ‘I know how you take your tea. Go through into the lounge and I’ll put this out onto a plate.’

‘Excuse me.’ Fabio said. ‘I go to the bathroom, wash my hands.’

‘Here, let me see to the cake.’ said Martin loudly as Fabio left the kitchen.

‘Well that was fucking subtle.’ I hissed at him ‘asking him how we met. I don’t want you to scare him, just be polite and interested.’

‘You know how I feel, Leese’ he answered in a low tone.

‘Well your timing was just great, Einstein. Here, take the cake through, we’ll have it in the lounge.’ In minutes we were all seated, Martin on one end of the couch and Fabio at the other, the cake and plates on the coffee table. Martin sat back, foot balanced on his knee, and Fabio leaned toward me, elbows on his knees. I took a slice of the cake and offered it to Fabio

‘Just a little.’ he said. ‘remember, I must look good for work.’

‘It’s easy to work this stuff off.’ Martin assured him ‘special low calorie stuff.’ I snorted

‘He’s lying.’ I sighed.

‘Joking, not lying’ he retorted.

‘So, Lisa didn’t tell me very much about you’’ Fabio said, regarding the cake before turning to Martin and asking ‘How did you meet?�� I laughed.

‘Well played, Fabio. We met at Tai Chi class, and Martin also did yoga. He takes his own classes now, in Ashtanga yoga’ Martin sat up straight and puffed his chest out a little.

‘Oh, my brother’s sister does Ashtanga’ Fabio said. ‘Es muy dificil – very difficult. You must be very fit to teach it.’ Martin smirked a little, his ego stoked.

‘Oh, do you do yoga?’ he asked in a slightly superior tone.

‘No, I go to the gym, I run.’ he replied. At that moment Ginger came into the room, obviously disturbed from a nap by our voices.

‘Hey little man.’ Martin said. ‘How’re you enjoying your new home?’

‘He’s not allowed out yet.’ I explained.

‘Oh bad luck, fuzzface’ he said, reaching down to scratch his head. Ginger ducked away from him and sat by me, regarding the cake with interest.

‘No cake for you.’ I said ‘If you’re staying in, you’re not getting enough exercise, so short rations I’m afraid.’

‘Oh pobre gato.’ poor cat Fabio said, reaching out with his hand and flicking his fingers. Ginger went over to him for some attention and sympathy.

‘Well will you look at that.’ said Martin. ‘the little fella likes you.’ Fabio shrugged

‘Cats like me. Ginger is muy chulo – a cool cat.’

‘El gato churo?’ I asked. Fabricio threw back his head and laughed.

‘I am here to learn English better, not teach Spanish.’ He turned his gaze to mine ‘Have you been to Espana, Lisa? It is a beautiful place. I go to Madrid, to Barcelona. Muy hermoso’

‘No, I’ve not travelled outside Britain, I get stressed out travelling.’ His face fell.

‘Oh but travelling is so exciting.’

‘I love going to new places, it’s getting there that I’m not keen on.’ I explained ‘I’m scared that I’ll miss my flight or get lost.’

‘That is very sad.’ he said, then his face lit up ‘You should come with me on a shoot, I look after you.’ Martin cleared his throat and glared at me.

‘Well I need to get Ginger settled before…’ my voice trailed away.

‘Is just an idea.’ Fabio said, and took a bite of the cake. ‘This is good.’ he waved it at Martin. ‘You make this?’ Martin made a sour face.

‘No, my partner did. Stress baking.’ he looked at his own slice and took a bite ‘I think she makes it to make me fat so I can’t teach yoga. Most of my students are women, and she’s very possessive.’ Fabio’s eyes widened for a moment. He reached over and patted Martin’s knee sympathetically.

‘That is too bad. Take her some flowers, make her feel special.’ Martin’s eyes flicked to the flowers in the window, the ones that Fabio had bought for me.

‘She’d just think I’d done something bad and was trying to compensate.’ he sighed ‘Honestly Leese, I don’t know how much longer I can take this. I can see me moving back in with my parents.’

‘I have a spare house for rent.’ I grinned. He rolled his eyes.

‘I’ll stick it out a bit longer, thanks.’ We all chatted on, and the atmosphere settled to a relaxed ambience, albeit with a few undercurrents. Before long we had finished the cake and tea, and Martin announced he had better go back before Sue got home. I walked out with him to his car, the grass wet from the rain shower earlier.

‘Well I guess either he is a nice guy, or he’s not shown his true colours’ Martin said ‘But did you see how he put his hand on my knee earlier? Gay.’ I snorted.

‘It’s just his Latino mannerisms.’ I reassured him. ‘You can’t judge him by our buttoned up British standards.’ He tutted, then threw his arms wide for a bear hug. I leaned into him, feeling his reassuring solidity. He drew away and smiled ruefully.

‘You take care, Lisa. Any funny business, any steps out of line and call me. I’ll be here in a shot, never mind Sue.’

‘Thanks, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.’ I assured him. ‘I’ll keep you updated.’ He got in the car and wound down his window.

‘Knickers on, legs crossed.’ he told me gravely before he reversed, turned, and pulled out carefully onto the road and I waved him goodbye.

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teenyfish · 4 years ago

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Marine Biology Story of the Day #14

So…it’s been a while.

I don’t know if anyone else is dealing with crippling anxiety, but I sure am right now. It’s just one of the joys of being a liberal scientist living deep in a rural red state. You literally can’t escape the Trump Fuckers down here, it’s everywhere you look. Hell, I can’t even sit in my living room without seeing our neighbors dumb flag flying on their flag pole or be forced to watch one of these weird boat parades that have been popping up everywhere lately.

I’m tired. I’m scared. But I’m also 100% over this shit.

So, instead, I’m trying to pour myself into my work. And I want to put quality content on this blog, and I’ve just been procrastinating on it for weeks because I want whatever I write, whatever I tell you about to be good enough for the reblogs, but tbh, that’s not the point of this. The point of this is teach people about the scientific process and how REAL research is done. It’s a ton of work, it’s usually monotonous, and there’s a lot of writing and editing involved.

That being said, I officially, after 3+ years of work, have my first manuscript accepted into a peer reviewed journal.

If you had asked me 4 years ago if I had thought I would ever be published. I would have said no. And that is because the place I was working for chipped away at my confidence so completely that I thought I wasn’t worthy of working in this field. Academia be like that sometimes.

But now I’ve started working for Texas Parks and Wildlife, which in most ways has been a dream (minus living in small town nowhere America, see complaints above). The organization is actually really awesome to work for and I have so much more leeway when it comes to designing my own projects and working on things that I actually WANT to work on. Not to mention, my boss is awesome and is super supportive.

So today, I think I’ll talk about a study that I just wrapped up lab and field work for in September. I’m currently working on the data analysis at the moment.

SOOOO TPWD developed a huge stock enhancement program back in the 1980’s when they noticed that the population of a popular game fish, red drum, was on the decline. Stock enhancement basically means they breed adult wild red drum, they allow the eggs to hatch and rear the larval fish to a size deemed big enough that they can release them into Texas estuaries to help bolster the population. Red drum stocks have actually improved since this this hatchery program was implemented.

Red drum are gorgeous charismatic predators, and they get the drum name from the sound they use to communicate. Check out the sound here.

Part of my job is to figure out how to make the hatchery program better through wet lab experimentation. Basically, the questions I try to answer are: How do we grow these fish faster, with least amount of mortality, and with the best, robust fish?

So, when I first got here, I found two issues with our red drum hatchery program. 1) Fingerlings (very young juvenile fish) are released at a very small size of 35 mm. INTO THE WILD. Now, the size of a fish is very directly tied to their mortality…larger fish experience less predation and have better metabolisms to deal with temperature and salinity changes, which leads us to the second problem 2) The hatchery program releases red drum at times opposite of when these juvenile fish would actually be present in the wild. Red drum spawn offshore in early winter, and the baby fish move into bays Dec-Mar…but we release OUR hatchery fingerlings Mar-Nov. The reason for this is because we don’t want the hatchery fish to compete with wild red drum, which makes sense, but we are introducing these fish to a wide range of temperatures and salinities. As you know, Texas is hot as fuck in the summer and salinity in some bay systems is classified as hypersaline lagoons, which is almost like pure brine (this is due to hot temps evaporating water from the bays and leaving salt behind).

Now fish, as “cold blooded” animals, don’t make their own heat, so their metabolism is controlled by environmental temperatures. All fish have an optimal temperature for growth, in which their growth rate is the highest, and then their growth and metabolism starts to decline toward their critical thermal maximum (CTM) in which their metabolism just starts shutting down and they die. This is why temperature is so important in fish biology, and larger fish typically have higher CTMs an therefore better survival.

(an example of how metabolism is impacted by temp. In this case, optimal temp is around 20 degrees Celsius, and CTM is around 23-25 degrees Celsius)

So how did I test this? Well, I chose body size and “Season” as my two variables—I chose Spring (May), Summer (August), and Autumn (November) to see how the temperature and salinity of our local bay system would impact fish growth. And, within each season, I tested both a small size class (35 mm and under) and a large size class (36 mm and over) to see how initial body size upon release would impact the fishes’ growth.

(diff b/w two size classes)

I ran these trials in my wet lab with sea water pumped in from our coastal bay system and I would adjust temperature daily to reflect the water temperatures recorded from the bay. I would receive hatchery fish that were ready for “release”, tag them, measure and weigh them, and then release them into their experimental tanks (if you want to learn more about how I tagged them, check out this post). I had one tank with small fish, and one tank with larger fish, because if they were mixed it’s likely that the big fish would cannibalize the smaller fish. The fish lived in these faux habitats for 21 days, and I would remove mortalities (dead fish) daily. They were fed 10% of their body weight to keep up with the estimated 0.1 g/day growth rate described in the literature.

At the end of each study, I removed all fish, measured and weighed them again, and read their tags. Once I knew what fish they were, I could match them up with their start weights and get an idea of their growth rate over the 21 days.

So, the data analysis is still a work in progress, and I’m going to run some more complex models, but here are some of my preliminary results.

First, here is our survival of fish for each trial. Like I said, fish did die before the end of the trial (young fish tend to do that), and this graph basically shows that overall, the larger size class had much better survival than small, especially during warmer months.

This figure basically shows the CHANGE in length (x axis) vs the CHANGE in weight (y axis) of the smaller size class (above) and the larger size class (below). I’ve scaled the figures so the axis have the exact same scale. The colors/shapes of the dots represent the “Season” of the trial (Autumn, Spring, or Summer). You can see that the large size classes had a much greater change in growth across all trials, and had the greatest growth during summer.

So this is just the beginning of data analysis, I want to do a more in depth look at temperature, size, and salinity in statistical modeling, but this is kind of the preliminary lay out of the data. Basically what I think this data is telling me is that we need to release fish at larger initial release sizes, because they have much better survival and growth compared to fish with smaller initial release sizes.

And the whole goal of the hatchery program is to make sure our fish survive in the wild.

If you want to take a peep at my accepted journal article, I’ll make sure to post a link when the article actually comes out online. The journal I submitted to (Marine and Coastal Fisheries) is an open access journal so everybody should be able to read it FO FREE. Next post I will be outlining another hatchery program study that I am excited to be working on in the near future (hint, it’s gonna involve flounder metamorphosis, which is a real bizarre process).

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to comment or contact me!

#marine biology #marine biologist story of the day #marine biologist #fisheries biologist #marine biology story of the day #ocean stories #red drum #stock enhancement #research #fish bioenergetics #fish growth

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emilythecatishere · 4 years ago

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Tillie’s Travels

Written by EmilytheCat-Multifandom

Inspired by a Roleplay

———————————————————————

[Introduction]

From Bigg City Port there was a small purple tug switcher who’s name is Tillie Tug-Switcher. As for her having to move out from Sodor and live in Bigg City Port, the place where she now considers it home. In Bigg City Port there was a Fleet called The Star Fleet, who Tillie looks up to and admires. as for her wishes to become a Star Tug too. But not when it comes to her flaws and quirks of being Naive, Clumsy, Childish and Silly. Some would say that it could lead her off to trouble and to wander around to be lost within herself. That’s what this little switcher was about to go through when her curiosity got the best of her into finding something new, From a weathering storm and over the rainbow.

(chapter 1)

[Into The Storm]

The skies darkened with the horrendous rumbles of thunder running against the clouds striking warning in the stacks of the tugboats who looked up, the water began to rush around and swish against the docks choppily sending barges packed together in the waterways of Bigg City Port.

It wasn’t exactly a hurricane, but a large tropical storm that had suddenly been pulled up from the open ocean. Unfamiliar fishing and row boats would pass by the estuary, the storm had been carrying them across the sea ever since it started, the waters weren’t as bad now but it would be crazy to swim around in this kind of weather and waves.

At the moment Tillie was trying her best to get her delivery barge done even while in this storm yet a thought went into her head when she wondered how and why these storms are coming. Soon curiosity will come out into play just as soon as she’s done with her work.

The water splashed about on Tillie’s path making the deepest part of Bigg City’s waters slightly hard to push through, heavy water would sink and brush the stones and rocks from the bottom up to the surface, hitting the hulls of boats retreating back and finishing their jobs.

There wasn’t a single soul walking around the docks without a raincoat, lamps swayed as gusts of wind swept down to shake loose supplies and potted plants from the nearby neighborhoods. Some of the Stars could even been seen coming back to the sanctuary of Bigg City’s safe and close docks, they too seemed to be in a struggle but all will be worth it once their last jobs are done and their stacks are warm.

Tillie was finally getting close to her destination for her delivery barges and still she wonders even more about the storm as if she felt something about it or something else entirely that’s causing her curiosity to grow in her.

A quick splash of water jetted against Tillie from a passing tugboat, they were in a hurry towards Star Port until they noticed passing Tillie and stopped to look back.

“Tillie? What on earth are you doing out here with a barge in the middle of a storm!?”

Top Hat replied with confused expression, of course you wouldn’t see Top Hat in the middle of a storm so it would be best for oncoming boats to stay away from his splashes, sadly Top Hat didn’t make a warning for Tillie and got her covered in wet ocean water.

“Don’t you see the state of the water around you? Your deck is damp with salt water! All tugs should be evacuating, especially if there’s rain in our midst.”

of course it wouldn’t be Top Hat without complaining about something, even when in the middle of a choppy tropical storm.

Tillie shook her head. getting some of the wet ocean water off her face to look over to Top Hat

“Oh Top Hat! I was just making my last delivery with this barge. But worry i’ll be somewhere safe, at least from this kind of storm!”

Tillie said to Top Hat as she halted from getting her work done.

Top Hat swished his haul and raised his eyebrow seeing that Tillie was really going to finish her job out in this rough terrain of an ocean.

“Well I should hope so, these waves are no places for switchers to be!”

A quiet drop of rain landed on Top Hat’s monocle, this startled him a bit seeing stray tear of water fall from the sky.

“Ough, I must get going, if I stay out while it rains then I'll never be dry again!”

Top Hat then skidded away from Tillie without saying goodbye, Top Hat never enjoyed the rain no matter how light it was, he wanted to keep his image as clean and dry as can be and his speed towards port proved it.

“well...goodbye.”

Tillie said noticing that Top Hat left without saying goodbye, but she continued to complete her work as she could now finally reach her destination to let these barges go and finish the job.

Tillie was lucky, her barges were to be the last to strap up before everyone went to lock up into their homes, she was released of the barges and was free to go. Unfortunately it started to rain more, this was truly going to make for a wet afternoon and everyone now knew of the oncoming downpour that was tapping loudly on their roofs.

“Oh dear I have to get going, I've never seen this much of a worse storm like this than back on The Island. Of Sodor. But even with this storm it won’t be so hard to navigate through.”

Tillie reassures herself as she makes her way out.

The waves were starting to get quicker and more rain began to fall on the surface of the sea, mist and fog kicked up along the horizon and there was no one out to be seen. Despite the kicking of the water, the ocean grew more in depth and father grew the curiosity of no fisherman but the ones of adventurous minds.

Lillie’s light could be faintly seen through the middle of the storm gazing through the mess, unfortunately she had to stay out to make sure no boats endup floating away or into the harbour when the winds were thrashing about. The skies slowly became darker and darker, blocking out light entirely with the roar of drums and the claps of small lighting among the skies, it was a major change from the sprinkle earlier but there was still time to return back to safety, unless… someone were to stay out a little longer.

Tillie tries to make her way back to her dock but it was difficult to see especially without the light from Lillie Lightship and navigation is even harder. Still even with all of this she still had to wonder and think with such a storm like this. She had heard of stories about storms like these that oftentimes take ocean travelers to places where they’ve never seen before. This drove her to be more curious about the storm and what could likely take her somewhere magnificent. but she soon remembers how the Star Fleet and her sister warned her about going off to dangerous situations and with curiosity killed the tugboat. But Tillie rarely follows those warnings and advises her lack of focus. Yet so she still makes her way out.

The wind and rain picked up hard and the lightning began to echo down and clap against the air, big waves could be seen bouncing around far from Bigg City making a harsh water border around the safer areas.

It wasn’t long until the tides began trying to pull Tillie back, harbour bells rang loudly as the rain kept coming in harder making it hard to see where anyone is going. Crates were shoved into the sea and tools were sinking to the bottom of the port, anything that was left out unkempt would be damaged or taken away by the power of the storm.

Tillie tries to get a little closer but tries to make a far safe distance as she knows that storms are likely to pull anyone or anything in. yet she hadn’t noticed she’s already being dragged into the storm.

Rocks and pebbles kicked up by the tides knocked into Tillie’s hull, pieces of debris wept past the small tugboat and would sometimes scrape against her. The cold winds called out to Tillie, there was no voice nor sentient soul but the large rocking ocean gave the feeling of something far beyond Bigg City Port, salt and sand swirled into the banks and made it clear that the storm will get worse to those who have not yet evacuated into their homes.

“uhh...I-I should go back. This is a bit too close”

Tillie said as she realized how she’s getting near the storm. She tries to get back away from the storm but from the strong winds and tides waves kept her from going back.

The waves began crashing and bouncing Tillie in the water like a little toy tugboat, it almost felt as if Bigg City was drifting away in the rain inch by inch at a time. Shards of hard downpour blasted towards Tillie’s vision as the swishing cold mess blindly rotated her towards the open ocean. Lillie’s light was nowhere to be seen through the thick mist, crates and barges broke away floating towards the vast amount of water pulling it all into the bustling sea and away from the coast, much like the lost supplies and barge parts, Tillie was unknowingly being pulled by the storm towards the great beyond of mother nature’s stormy ocean. Slowly the presence of Bigg City Port was drifting away behind Tillie’s very own deck.

Tillie looked around, anywhere she could try to see through the storm yet it was too much for her to see or navigate her around as soon as she noticed that she had no idea where she was or where to go now. She did what she can only do is cry out for help.

“Hello?!”

“Is anyone out here?!”

“Hello!”

“Lillie?!”

“Hercules?!”

“Anyone?!”

“Help me!”

The storm was drifting her very far out now, closer and closer the borders of the choppy ocean came to the little tugboat. Lillie’s horn could suddenly be heard but it was echoing away, lillie was busy going off helping another boat without noticing the peril of Tillie.

Thunder banged and crashed close above Tillie as the icey drifts of air whipped her hair, the more closer she got to the border the more quicker the waves were pulling and pushing her in. the floating debris didn’t help either, some of the broken crates would bob up around Tillie from the currents pushing forward.

Tillie closed her eyes each time when the loud stormy thunder as she was scared of the loud sound. She was even more scared with her situation being dragged into the storm where she couldn’t see or get any help from others especially out in this horraide weather. Yet still where on this ocean storm could she be?

“Tillie!”

A worried and panting voice came trudging in the mist, a bright colored hull and a large light could be seen of Lillie, she was still pretty far from Tillie though.

“What are you doing here?! Hold on, i’m coming to get you!”

Lillie huffed against the tides, Tillie was almost about to reach the choppy border and if Lillie doesn’t do something quick, then Tillie could be swept out into the unknown.

More thrashing of lighting lit up the charcoal skies, it was so close to the water that it looked like it could hit them if it blasted hard enough. Oncoming waves hauled the tugboat and the light up and down harshly, it didn’t make Lillie’s job any easier.

“Lillie!”

Tillie cries out loud from this storm as she tries to get to

Lillie’s light as she hurries over to her. She’s close to being rescued and saved from this horrific experience but the storm and heavy waves makes it hard for her to get to Lillie on time.

Then it happened…

One giant crack of lightning and blast of thunder formed in the sky, everything went blaring white for a second and then nothing. All around Tillie was nothing but a frightening ocean, the current swept her so quickly that it felt like butter washing through the water, Lillie’s light could be seen faintly fading away into the layers of falling water and mixed up confusion, Lillie was too late. Tillie was now in the hands of dangerous waters and whipping winds of the storm, the crate debris left Tillie’s presence in all directions and now the tropical storm was going to do the same with her.

Tillie sees Lillie’s light fading away until she couldn’t see it no more as she was swept away

“no...No! NO!”

“Lillie please don’t go!”

“Please Help me!”

“Lillie!”

She cries out again, only for her pleading cry for help is snuffed out by the loud thunder and lightning of the storm. Leaving Tillie all alone in the dark, rainy and frightening storm for her to survive.

The reaction of huge tidal waves began to bash against the poor tugboat’s side, nearly all of her on board tools were swept off into the deep giving Tillie no chance of rescue.

The thunder surged on for hours, the rain was getting so repetitive and harsh that it looked to be chipping off bits of Tillie’s paint. Struggling boats and tankers would come into view from time to time, but once it looked like Tillie could find help the tide would just sweep her away into the other direction, she was lost miles and miles away from home now, there was no way the Stars would be able to search for her out in this size of a storm.

Tillie hoped that from these tide waves to help her get out of this storm but not knowing how far away from her home. She wants to get out of this storm that’s been nothing more than a terrifying nightmare for a small tug-switcher to endure. She hopes that it will all be over soon.

Suddenly, a large “thunk” came from the side of Tillie, it looked to be a large rock poking out of the depths that stopped her from being trashed any further, it gave a nasty scratch on her hull but at least it stopped her from being picked up and down about the waves.

The rain soon resided a bit more, it was still raining and choppy waters but at least it was better to see farther now than before. It looked like the storm was leaving Tillie behind a bit, the wind kept tugging and pulling her towards it but the rock kept her put, the clouds lightened a bit to a darkish grey meaning that now she wouldn’t be carried any further, but how far was she carried?

Tillie looked around and noticed the rock that held her in place. She was glad that the storm was over but now she had no idea what to do or where she was entirely. She was in panic mode from what she’s been through and now knowing that she’s all alone, far away from home and the thought for her to be here if anyone would ever find her if they did at all.

Her panic soon slows down as she tries to get herself to calm down. She looked around and soon looked up at the sky.

She still sees darkness. She didn’t know what to do next yet for the last time all she could do is call out for help.

“hello?...is Anyone there?” Tillie said

Soft beams of bright light then shine through the dark clouds, rain was still falling but it was only in short doses of sprinkles. The water that the sun touched simmered and rocked slowly as the water calmed down, the mist too calmed down to reveal some form of structure in the distance. Tillie was still in the water but everything felt unfamiliar, the atmosphere felt different, the morning sun felt different, even the rock that was holding her felt different from the Den-Der Rocks back home.

It seemed to be morning now, that storm must’ve carried Tillie forever all night! Nobody replied to Tillie but the structure among the fog became more clear and looked to a harbour, though it wasn’t the same as Bigg City.

It was haunting for Tillie to hear nobody reply back after the storm as she still looked around to see anyone. Still there was nobody on sight. She thought for a moment. A last resort to make herself known. So she blew out her whistle three times in a row until she stopped as she felt her fuel had run out.

There was just silence for Tillie. She just felt like she wanted to close her eyes and think to herself this was all a bad dream. Yet she also felt like she’s to blame since everyone had told her about wandering off into something dangerous, she even remembered what Top Hat even told her. She could’ve just gone back to her dock with her sister and be safe and sound.

But her curiosity got the best of her.

( to be continued...)

#my first fanfic #my literature #first writing #tugs oc #Top Hat TUGS #Tillie Tug-Switcher #i hope everyone likes it #chapter 2 is coming soon #this is tugs #tugs top hat

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rebeccathenaturalist · 5 years ago

Photo

Okay, I gotta say I really love how this one turned out. I've always been intimidated by landscapes, and this one actually has some depth to it! I'm fortunate to live near a couple of really nice estuaries, where I can directly observe the biodiversity that exists there. What makes these ecosystems so productive is the mixing of two different sets of nutrients, one set from the ocean and one from the river or other freshwater source. The water itself is what's known as brackish, which means it's got some salt in it, but not as much as in the ocean. As I tell people when I do environmental education on this subject, it's like taking two buffets--maybe an Indian buffet and a Chinese buffet--and smashing them together into one really big buffet! And then maybe the chefs will get together and even create some cool fusion dishes, too. So that means there's more variety in the food available, and therefore opportunities for more species than only in the ocean or only in the river.

Transcript under cut.

[Title: My Favorite Words: Estuary]

[Image shows an aerial view of a large bay where several rivers empty into the ocean. The hills to the right are green, and have a few conifer trees on them. The sky is gray and overcast.]

A highly productive ecosystem where salt water and fresh water meet, such as where rivers empty into a bay by the ocean.

#estuary #water #landscape #nature #sciart #mine

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a-dinosaur-a-day · 5 years ago

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Mesetaornis polaris

By Scott Reid

Etymology: Meseta Bird

First Described By: Myrcha et al., 2002

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Aequorlitornithes, Ardeae, Aequornithes, Austrodyptornithes, Sphenisciformes, Spheniscidae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 40 and 38 million years ago, in the Bartonian age of the Eocene of the Paleogene

Mesetaornis is known from the Telm 7 member of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica

Physical Description: Mesetaornis is one of our early penguins - those long-billed weirdos of the first half of the Cenozoic, which paved the way for the adorable friends we known from the Southern Hemisphere today. It had extremely long toes compared to other penguins, and actually had the fourth toe (hallux), giving it very weird feet compared to its relatives. A small early penguin, it was much smaller than such species as Palaeeudyptes and Anthropornis, while probably around the same size as Delphinornis. This means it probably wouldn’t have reached taller than 70 or so centimeters in height (as a very rough estimate). Of course, this is just conjecture, as all we have of it are toe bones. Like other penguins, it would have stood upright, waddled about, and been more adept to life in the water than on land.

Diet: As in other penguins, Mesetaornis would have primarily fed upon fish and other aquatic organisms.

Behavior: Mesetaornis probably behaved like other penguins, spending most of its time near the water and diving about for food. Being closer to living penguins than earlier forms, it was probably not as good in the water as those today, but still better than those who came before. It could dive and fly through the water to some extent, using its flipper-wings to do so; it would have also been very awkward on land. As a penguin, Mesetaornis would have probably lived in large flocks, and taken care of its young with the help of others in the group.

By Ripley Cook

Ecosystem: Mesetaornis lived in a subtropical coast, right off the edge of Antarctica, which was teeming with life unique to the area while the rest of the world was covered in a (slowly receding) jungle. Instead, this coast would have been rocky and cooler, surrounding a system of estuaries and bays with plants such as magnolias and ferns populating the shores. This would have been an extremely fertile environment for penguins, and it shows in the fossil record! There were plenty of bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, sharks, and fish, as well as a variety of turtles. There were mammals there, too, including small rodent ones and larger, more bulky forms. As for other dinosaurs, there were Pseudotoothed Birds, early Petrels, flamingo-ducks, and a truly hopeless number of penguins - including Delphinornis, Palaeeudyptes, Marambiornis, Anthropornis, and Archaeospheniscus - making this the place to go to see the early evolution of penguins!

Other: Mesetaornis is a very early derived penguin, grouped up with other early penguins like Delphinornis and Marambiornis. These were full penguins, not quite as weirdly loon-shaped as earlier forms like Waimanu, but they weren’t as big as later forms or had the same beak as living penguins. As such, it represents one of many early penguins that showcase the evolution of the group - and Mesetaornis was a weird one, since it had freakishly long toes!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut

Chavez, M. 2007. Fossil birds of Chile and Antarctic Peninsula. Arquivos do Museo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65(4):551-572

Cione, A. L., and M. A. Reguero. 1994. New records of the sharks Isurus and Hexanchus from the Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 105:1-14

Hospitaleche, C.A., Reguero, M. and Santillana, S., 2017. Aprosdokitos mikrotero gen. et sp. nov., the tiniest Sphenisciformes that lived in Antarctica during the Paleogene. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie-Abhandlungen, 283(1), pp.25-34.

Jadwiszczak, P. 2006. Eocene penguins of Seymour Island, Antarctica: Taxonomy. Polish Polar Research 27(1):3-62

Jadwiszczak, P., 2008. Short Note: An intriguing penguin bone from the Late Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctic Science, 20(6), pp.589-590.

Jadwiszczak, P. and Gaździcki, A., 2014. First report on hind-toe development in Eocene Antarctic penguins. Antarctic Science, 26(3), pp.279-280.

Ksepka, D. T., S. Bertelli, and N. P. Giannini. 2006. The phylogeny of the living and fossil Sphenisciformes (penguins). Cladistics 22:412-441

Ksepka, D.T. and Ando, T., 2011. Penguins past, present, and future: trends in the evolution of the Sphenisciformes. Living Dinosaurs, pp.155-186.

Mayr, G. 2009. Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Mayr, G. 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance. Topics in Paleobiology, Wiley Blackwell. West Sussex.

Mayr, G., De Pietri, V.L. and Scofield, R.P., 2017. A new fossil from the mid-Paleocene of New Zealand reveals an unexpected diversity of world’s oldest penguins. The Science of Nature, 104(3-4), p.9.

Myrcha, A., P. Jadwiszczak, C. P. Tambussi, J. I. Noriega, A. Gazdzicki, A. Tatur, and R. A. Valle. 2002. Taxonomic revision of Eocene Antarctic penguins based on tarsometatarsal morphology. Polish Polar Research 23(1):5-46

Reguero, M. A., S. A. Marenssi, and S. N. Santillana. 2012. Weddellian marine/coastal vertebrates diversity from a basal horizon (Ypresian, Eocene) of the Cucullaea I Allomember, La Meseta formation, Seymour (Marambio) Island, Antarctica. 19(3):275-284

Stilwell, J. D., and W. J. Zinsmeister. 1992. Molluscan Systematics and Biostratigraphy. Antarctic Research Series, AGU 55

Woodburne, M. O., and W. J. Zinmeister. 1982. Fossil Land Mammal from Antarctica. Science 218:284-286

#Mesetaornis polaris #Mesetaornis #Penguin #Dinosaur #Bird #Birblr #Palaeoblr #Factfile #Dinosaurs #Ardeaen #Aequorlitornithian #Water Wednesday #Paleogene #Antarctica #Piscivore

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fatehbaz · 5 years ago

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So, crocodiles lived in (or near) the Sonoran Desert until at least the late 1700s? Yes, apparently. And isolated individual crocodiles seemingly continued to find their way into the Gulf of California and the Sonoran Desert near Tiburon Island and the Yaqui River until very recently; a crocodile was captured at the El Ciego estuary near Guaymas in January 1973.

(Map by me. First header photo of American crocodile in Jamaica, by Wikimedia user Mattstone911.)

I just love that crocodiles were very recently a part of the Sea of Cortes ecosystem, utilizing tropical mangrove forests of the coastline to reach as far north as Tiburon Island and the edges of the Sonoran Desert into the 1970s. I mean, American crocodiles get big - 500 kg/1100 lbs and 5 m/18 feet - and the idea of such a large tropical reptile chilling so close to Arizona or Southern California really puts into perspective how interesting the Southwest’s biomes are.

When I was a tween and teen, I had this kind of off-again-on-again hyperfixation with both the Sea of Cortes and the Colorado River Delta. At the library, I would look for details about which subtropical/tropical species lived in the delta prior to US and Mexican large-scale industrial agriculture, since the delta is far enough south that, despite being in the midst of the Sonoran Desert and pretty close to temperate Mediterranean California climate and ecology, it still sort of functioned like an oasis for tropical marine and savanna species to extend their range farther north. Today, however, the delta is desiccated and largely barren outside of agricultural areas. Tropical mangrove swamps still exist along the Sonoran coast, though they have been harmed by damming and agricultural irrigation’s degradation of the Yaqui and Mayo rivers. Anyway, specifically, I had always wondered if American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) had lived at the Colorado River Delta before US and Mexican resource extraction destroyed the fertile landscape. What’s indisputable, is that the crocodile was present on the Sonoran coast of the Sea of Cortes just a bit farther south than the delta, where they were present in tropical mangrove forests near Tiburon Island, Guaymas, and Ciudad Obregon. (Like the saltwater crocodile, the American crocodile lives in brackish water and frequently travels the ocean). Even more impressive, the crocodile apparently inhabited the Yaqui River, which collects water from southeastern Arizona and runs parallel along the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert. The crocodiles apparently persisted in Sonora until at least the late 1700s and early 1800s, though they are no longer present.

Here’s a mangrove forest on the Sonoran coast. (Photo by Wild Sonora.)

Some facts:

-- The farthest north that the American crocodile currently lives on the Pacific coast of Latin America is near Altata and Mazatlan. -- The fossil remains of American crocodiles from the Late Pleistocene up to about 15,000 years ago have been found close to Nogales, Arizona. -- In 1751, large “alligators” were reported at the Colorado River Delta. -- In 1764, Jesuit priest Juan Nentuig records crocodiles at the mouth of the Yaqui River. -- The Seri people used to report crocodiles at Punta Sargento, the northernmost tropical mangrove lagoon on Mexico’s mainland Pacific coast. -- In the early 1900s, a large adult American crocodile washed-up on Seri land on the eastern shore of Tiburon Island, firmly within the Sonoran Desert biome. -- On 19 January 1973, a 2.5-meter crocodile was captured at El Ciego estuary on the southern edge of the Sonoran Desert near Las Guasimas, about 30 kilometers east of Gauymas.

All of this data about crocodiles in Sonora is published in IUCN’s Crocodile Specialist Group newsletter from January - March 2003 (Vol. 22 No. 1), in passages written by Carlos J. Navarro (marine biologist in Mexico) and Jim I. Mead (Department of Geology and Quaternary Sciences Program at Northern Arizona University).

A bit earlier in history, the crocodiles were probably chilling at the Colorado River Delta, since the delta region was contiguous with northwestern Sonora’s tropical savanna and marshes during the Late Pleistocene. (You can read about tropical Sonora’s biomes during the Late Pleistocene, discussed here.)

Great phrase: “Crocodiles in the Gulf of California.”

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portraitoftheoddity · 5 years ago

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A big open field facing the sea, with shady oak trees under a deep blue sky. There are places under the trees where you could easily take a nap, creatures to find and things to explore hiding in the grass. Beyond that, the waves crash in the distance, both a comforting sound and the promise of adventure,

Ahhhhhhh! This is lovely, Rosie, thank you. Love me some ocean. Also:

View of part of the estuary, from a rock under an oak tree that I like to hike out to, near where I live (the tide was coming in). <3

#ask meme #all these nice scenic spots #ramblingredrose #lena answers things

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noaasanctuaries · 6 years ago

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Using art to highlight our connection to national marine sanctuaries

By Andrea Fisher

This summer I snorkeled in a kelp forest, went tidepooling with marine researchers, had coffee with a recreational angler, learned from a Chumash weaver, and painted. While not your typical summer graduate school internship, these experiences were part of my quest to better understand – and share – the various ways individuals and groups connect with national marine sanctuaries. My internship specifically took me to the five national marine sanctuaries along the West Coast in Washington and California.

Fisher explored Santa Cruz Island during her visit to Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Andrea Fisher

At each sanctuary I spoke with fishermen, sanctuary staff, visitors, indigenous people, sanctuary volunteers, and other community members to better understand how they feel and identify with the place. Afterwards, I produced an acrylic painting for each sanctuary to summarize and celebrate the species, activities, and emotions mentioned during the conversations. I decided to paint my findings, because art can showcase the ocean’s beauty, as well as capture complex stories, relationships, and emotions that are otherwise difficult to express. Below you can see the painting and read the highlights for each sanctuary.

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Washington: A wild place, then and now

Image description: A painting of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. A tidepool containing sea stars and sea anemones is in the foreground. A beach stretches into the background on the left side of the image. A sea stack is in the middle. On the right side of the painting is the ocean, which contains a ship, four indigenous canoes, and orcas.

I first made my way to the northwestern coast of Washington state to visit Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary includes a vast offshore area, including deep-sea habitats, kelp forests, and an iconic, rugged coastline. Communities of the Makah Tribe, Quileute Tribe, Hoh Tribe, and Quinault Indian Nation have long-lived connections to certain species, natural items, and places of the region. Today, the communities simultaneously celebrate their ancestral ties to the ocean, manage their treaty-protected resources, and embrace modern fishing techniques.

My painting aims to capture the sanctuary as described by those I interviewed: "wild" and "remote." The coastline – with marine fog, silver-colored driftwood, and sea rock formations – was often described as a peaceful place, especially for visitors "escaping" their daily lives in major cities. My painting also showcases a mint-colored sea anemone and ochre sea stars for those who expressed their love for tidepooling.

The four traditional canoes represent the four native communities and allude to an annual event called the Tribal Canoe Journey, an event where indigenous communities from the United States and Canada undertake a long-distance paddle journey to celebrate community and tradition. I was fortunate to see some of the canoes leaving La Push, Washington, during my trip. Each tribal community is distinct and rich with culture, and therefore, my painting also refers to some of the past and current valued species as explained by various tribal representatives. A Makah representative described how halibut was dried on Tatoosh Island, and how orcas are considered protectors of the tribe. A Quileute representative explained how each year they welcome migrating gray whales with salmon and a ceremony.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, California: A place of mystery and wonder

Image description: A painting of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. In the bottom of the painting is a reef covered in pink and orange invertebrates. Fish swim in the foreground and background; a remotely operated vehicle hovers in the middle-left; a whale swims near the top of the painting.

Next I traveled to Point Reyes, California, to learn about Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. This sanctuary differs from other sanctuaries along the West Coast as it is completely offshore and can be difficult to access due to unpredictable weather and ocean conditions. Luckily, advanced research technology and underwater photography has brought the sights of Cordell Bank to us.

My painting offers viewers a glimpse of the mysterious underwater world of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photos taken during research missions inspired my rendition of Cordell Bank, a rocky undersea feature that rises to 115 feet below the ocean surface. When viewing the research photos, I was struck by the tropical-looking, colorful corals, sponges, and anemones on the reefs. I also heard from a technical diver about his dive at Cordell Bank. He described the bank as the underwater Mount Everest.

In my painting you’ll see a red remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that represents deep-sea exploration and other research happening in the sanctuary. I also wanted to showcase the productivity at the sanctuary, described to me by those I interviewed. People explained how the sanctuary attracts an array of seabirds, and how seeing thousands of juvenile rockfish or 30 blue whales at one time is possible.

Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, California: Healthy ecosystems and communities

Image description: A painting of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The top third of the painting shows the rocky Farallon Islands. The middle third depicts a surfer. The bottom third shows a view underwater of a whale, white shark, sea lion, kelp, and small fish.

Next on my itinerary came Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, located just north of San Francisco. The sanctuary encompasses a large, complex system of bays, estuaries, marshes, nearshore reefs, rocky shores, and oceanic waters. It also surrounds the iconic Farallon Islands that can be seen from San Francisco on a clear day.

My painting of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary highlights how communities come together in this place. Upwelling, an ocean phenomenon that brings nutrient-rich waters to the surface, creates an abundant food source for a variety of species. The sanctuary attracts a multitude of whales and seabirds who feed in the region, and supports one of the world's most significant populations of white sharks.

Human communities enjoy the waters as well, through activities such as wildlife viewing at the Farallon Islands and surfing at places like Bolinas Beach. A couple of beachgoers explained the sanctuary as “clean,” while a high school surfer said time in the sanctuary made her feel happy, centered, and relaxed.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, California: A place for all

Image description: A painting of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The bottom half of the painting depicts a nearshore environment with sea lions hauled out on rocks and a sea otter resting in a kelp forest. Further into the background, a diver surfaces and a humpback whale breaches.

Next, I had the chance to explore Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary – the place I live and describe as my home. This sanctuary is adjacent to the Big Sur coastline, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Half Moon Bay. Many describe the sanctuary as one of the best places on Earth to watch marine wildlife. Its diverse habitats – large sandy beaches, uninterrupted kelp forests, rocky shorelines – offer visitors endless recreational activities. The sanctuary also protects a variety of features like an inactive underwater volcano and a deep-sea canyon comparable in size to the Grand Canyon.

My painting showcases the diversity of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary is rich with marine life, but also full of humans interacting with the natural systems. Human activity on land, whether agriculture in Salinas or day uses of Big Sur, define and affect the sanctuary.

I came across scuba and free divers, surfers, bay swimmers, kayakers, whale watchers, beachgoers, sailors, fishers, and people admiring marine life from shore. People I interviewed especially enjoyed watching sea otters (a crowd favorite), harbor seals, and sea lions. A diver described the sanctuary as “one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen,” and others explained the place as "home," "my sanctuary," and "life."

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, California: A magical place, focused on community

Image description: A painting of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The top third of the painting shows an above-water view of Santa Cruz Island, Chumash people in a traditional tomol, and other boats. The bottom third of the painting is a view of a kelp forest, including several types of fish and a diver.

For my final stop, I headed south to visit Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary is just off the coast of Santa Barbara and Ventura and surrounds the five Northern Channel Islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara. The islands are surrounded by majestic coastal vistas, kelp beds, and diverse shoreline features. The islands and surrounding productive marine area have been, and continue to be, special to the Native American Chumash community.

My painting aims to capture the sanctuary as described by those I interviewed: "magical" and "a place that celebrates community." The Chumash community maintain their connection to the Channel Islands in various ways, such as the annual tomol (traditional canoe) crossing from the mainland to Santa Cruz Island, Limuw. While various species are valued by the Chumash, a Chumash weaver identified abalone as especially important.

The painting also alludes to stories I heard about children snorkeling above a bat ray and scuba divers encountering seals, sheephead fish, bright orange Garibaldi fish, and giant sea bass in the kelp forests. The boats in the painting represent the active recreational angling and commercial fishing communities, as well as the boats that take visitors to the sanctuary and islands.

Painting a picture of our shared connection

My summer journey confirmed that national marine sanctuaries are valued by various individuals and groups for different reasons. The diverse accounts of how people connect to their national marine sanctuary, when woven together, create a dynamic story, a story that reflects how we collectively think of and value a place. My paintings are a platform for visualizing these stories. I hope they provide you a new look at national marine sanctuaries along the West Coast, and inspire you to consider your connection to a special ocean place.

Andrea Fisher is an intern for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries West Coast Regional Office and MPA Center. She is a graduate student at Middlebury Institute of International Studies focusing on ocean and coastal resource management.

#art #painting #nature #STEAM #west coast #landscape #scenic #ocean #culture #travel #journey #noaa

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