#Ocean Science Alert

[familythings]

Unpredicted Cooling of Atlantic Ocean - What are Consequences in North America & Europe

The Atlantic Ocean, a crucial player in regulating global climate patterns, is currently experiencing a baffling and unprecedented cooling trend. While the global climate crisis has predominantly led to rising temperatures, especially in the oceans, the dramatic drop in temperature in specific Atlantic regions has both astonished and alarmed scientists. This unexpected cooling, occurring while…

[amnhnyc]

Research alert! A team of international scientists has discovered the largest known freshwater dolphin, an ancient species that lived in the Peruvian Amazon some 16.5 million years ago. Pebanista yacuruna, which likely measured 10-11.5-feet (3-3.5 meters) long, inhabited what is now the Amazon River basin before this system had its major connection to the Atlantic Ocean. 

“Discoveries by our international collaborative teams tell us the kinds of tropical life that existed during times in Earth’s history when virtually nothing had been known before,” said John Flynn, the Museum’s Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals and a co-author on the new study, which was published in the journal Science Advances. “This is crucial to understanding the history and pathways that led to the remarkably rich modern Amazonian biodiversity.” 

Learn more about this animal, and its surprising modern relatives, in our latest blog post.

[lila-lou]

✨Rookie - 1/3✨

Summary: You took the job for the paycheck—not expecting your colleague with wild hair and too many piercings to be this charming. Turns out, behind the sarcasm and mustard doodles, he’s kind of impossible not to fall for.

-requested-

Pairing: Boaz Priestly x Reader

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 3000

A/N: English isn’t my first language, please be lenient. 💙

Your hands gripped the straps of your backpack as you stood outside the small, quirky sandwich shop. A neon sign flickered above the door, casting a soft glow onto the sidewalk. The scent of fresh bread and sizzling bacon wafted through the air, mixing with the salty breeze from the nearby ocean.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open, the bell above it jingling to announce your arrival. The shop was cozy but chaotic—walls covered in bizarre decorations, a chalkboard menu filled with sarcastic commentary, and a few customers scattered around, laughing over their meals.

"Newbie alert!", a voice called out from behind the counter.

Your eyes landed on a guy with wild, spiky hair dyed in different shades of blue and green, multiple piercings, and a smirk that practically screamed trouble. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, sizing you up like you were the most interesting thing to walk in that day.

"You must be the fresh meat", he added, tilting his head.

"Uh… yeah. I’m (Y/N). Here for the job?". You shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware that everyone in the shop was watching this interaction.

The guy grinned wider. "Well, well, welcome to our little slice of chaos. Name’s Priestly". He stuck out a hand, and when you hesitated, he wiggled his fingers impatiently. "C’mon, I don’t bite… unless you forget to restock the pickles".

You shook his hand, his grip firm but warm. Before you could say anything else, a woman in an apron emerged from the back, clapping her hands together.

"Alright, enough hazing the newbie, Priestly", she said with a smirk. "I’m Jen, the owner. You’re on register and prep today. Think you can handle it?".

You nodded quickly, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves.

"Good. Priestly, show them the ropes", Jen instructed before disappearing into the kitchen.

Priestly turned to you, his smirk never fading. "Alright, rookie. Rule number one: Don't mess up my sandwiches. Rule number two: If a customer gives you attitude, give it right back. And rule number three…". He paused dramatically. "Actually, I make up rule three as I go. Let’s see if you survive your first day before we get to that".

You couldn't help but laugh, already sensing that working here was going to be anything but boring.

You followed Priestly behind the counter, trying your best to focus on what he was saying instead of how distractingly cute he looked. It wasn’t just the wild hair or the piercings—it was the way his smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, the way his eyes lit up when he teased you. He had that kind of effortless confidence that made it impossible to ignore him.

"Alright, rookie", he said, tossing an apron at you. "Let’s start with something simple before I throw you into the deep end. You ever make a sandwich before?".

You raised a brow. "Of course. It’s not rocket science".

Priestly gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Blasphemy. A sandwich is an art form, my dear (Y/N). A masterpiece of balance and flavor, crafted with love and a tiny bit of spite". He winked before pointing to the ingredients in front of you. "Now, let’s see if you have what it takes".

You rolled your eyes but couldn't hide your smile as you reached for the bread. You started assembling a basic turkey and cheese sandwich, trying to ignore how closely Priestly was watching you. He leaned in, chin resting on his hand, observing every move you made.

"Not bad", he mused. "But you forgot the most important ingredient".

You frowned, scanning the sandwich. "What? What did I miss?".

Priestly’s grin widened. "A little bit of flair". Before you could react, he grabbed a bottle of mustard and, with a dramatic flourish, drew a ridiculous smiley face right on top of the sandwich.

You blinked. Then, before you could stop yourself, you laughed. "That’s your big secret ingredient? Mustard doodles?".

"Hey, presentation matters", he said, tapping his temple like he just revealed the meaning of life. "Plus, it makes the customers smile. And happy customers leave better tips".

You shook your head, biting your lip to keep from laughing again. Priestly was ridiculous, but in a way that was kind of… charming. He pointed at you with the mustard bottle, narrowing his eyes playfully. "You’re not bad, rookie. Maybe I won’t scare you off after all".

You met his gaze, feeling a warmth in your chest you hadn’t expected. "Guess you’re stuck with me, then".

His smirk softened just a little, and for a split second, you swore you saw something else in his expression. Interest? Amusement? Maybe something more? But before you could figure it out, he straightened up, flipping a rag over his shoulder. "Alright, (Y/N)", he said. "Time for the real test. The lunch rush is coming, and you’re about to see just how crazy this place gets".

You took a deep breath and nodded, ready for whatever was next. Though, if you were being honest with yourself, you were more distracted by the fact that maybe this job wouldn’t just be about earning money for college. Maybe, just maybe, Priestly was about to make things a whole lot more interesting.

The past few weeks had been a blur of messy sandwiches, sarcastic banter, and way too many inside jokes with Priestly. Somewhere between the chaotic lunch rushes and late-night cleanup shifts, you had fallen into an easy rhythm with him. He teased you relentlessly, but you gave it right back, and somehow, that felt like the best part of your day.

You wouldn’t admit it out loud, but you had started looking forward to your shifts—not just because of the paycheck, but because of him. The way he’d toss you a knowing smirk across the counter, the way he’d steal your fries when you took a break, the way he’d nudge your shoulder just a little too long when he walked past you.

And now, it was just the two of you, closing up for the night.

You wiped down the counter while Priestly counted the last of the register money, humming some song under his breath. The shop was quiet, the usual buzz of customers replaced by the distant sound of waves crashing outside.

"You know", Priestly said suddenly, snapping the register shut. "You didn’t turn out so bad".

You smirked. "Is that your way of saying you’d be lost without me?".

He gasped, pressing a hand to his chest dramatically. "Me? Lost? Never. But… I might be slightly less entertained if you weren’t around".

You rolled your eyes but felt warmth creeping up your neck. Lately, his teasing had felt different—less like a joke, more like a challenge. A dare.

Priestly leaned against the counter, watching you with that same mischievous glint in his eyes. "So, listen", he started, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was thinking… We’ve been working together for a while now. And since you haven’t run screaming yet, I’m gonna assume you don’t hate me".

You raised a brow. "I tolerate you at best".

"Right, right", he nodded. "So, theoretically, if I asked you out, you wouldn’t immediately throw a sandwich at my face?".

Your heart skipped. He was joking… right? You searched his face, expecting to see that same playful smirk, but there was something else there this time. A flicker of uncertainty. Like he actually cared about your answer.

You crossed your arms, pretending to think. "Depends. Would this be a real date or just an excuse to force me to try some weird sandwich combination you invented?".

Priestly grinned. "Oh, it’s definitely a real date. Though, now that you mention it, I could make you my experimental peanut butter and jalapeño masterpiece…".

You wrinkled your nose. "Absolutely not".

"Okay, okay, fine", he laughed. "No weird sandwiches. Just me, you, and some actually decent food. What do you say?".

You met his gaze, feeling the same warmth you’d been trying to ignore for weeks. Maybe you should’ve seen this coming. Maybe you had. Either way, there was only one answer. "Yeah, Priestly", you said, unable to fight your smile. "I’d like that".

His grin widened, and for once, he looked almost… nervous. "Cool. Uh, great. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then?".

"Looking forward to it", you teased.

As you finished locking up and stepped out into the cool night air, Priestly nudged your shoulder like always—but this time, his fingers lingered just a little longer.

The next evening, just as the sun was setting, you heard a knock at your door. You smoothed down your outfit—casual but nice, nothing too fancy because, well, this was Priestly—and took a deep breath before opening it.

And there he was, standing on your doorstep, looking… well, different.

His hair was still its usual spiky mess, but he had toned down the wild colors a bit. No crazy sandwich shop apron, no sarcastic t-shirt with some ridiculous slogan. Instead, he wore a worn-in hoodie over a band tee, jeans that actually fit him well, and—shockingly—he wasn’t wearing his usual combat boots.

"You clean up nice", you teased, leaning against the doorframe.

Priestly scoffed. "Don’t get used to it, rookie. This is a one-time deal. Special occasions only". He wiggled his brows. "Speaking of special—are you ready for the best first date of your life?".

You crossed your arms. "That’s a bold claim".

"Oh, I deliver", he said, holding out a hand. "Come on, you’ll see".

Curious, you let him lead you outside, where his beat-up old car was parked. Instead of heading toward any restaurant or movie theater, he drove you out of town, past the usual busy streets, toward the beach. But not the main part—the crowded boardwalk or touristy spots. No, he took a detour, turning onto a barely visible dirt path that led to a secluded stretch of sand, hidden behind a few rocky cliffs.

As he parked, you stepped out, glancing around. The sky was a deep orange fading into dusky blue, the ocean waves rolling in with a calming rhythm. "A private beach?", you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Priestly grinned. "I have my secrets". He popped the trunk, pulling out a picnic basket, and your eyebrows shot up further.

"You… packed food?".

"Hey, don’t sound so shocked", he said, walking toward a flat spot in the sand. "I figured, since we spend all our time making sandwiches, we might as well actually enjoy eating them for once".

You followed him, watching as he laid out a blanket and started pulling out an assortment of snacks. Not just sandwiches—but chips, fruit, even a couple of chocolate bars. He sat down, patting the spot beside him.

You sat down next to him, watching the ocean, the distant sound of seagulls mixing with the waves. It was peaceful. Private. Just the two of you.

Priestly leaned back on his elbows, stretching his legs out. "So. Scale of one to ten—how impressed are you right now?".

You pretended to think. "Mmm… solid seven".

"Seven?!". He turned to you, looking personally offended. "You’re telling me this perfect combination of location, food, and my undeniably charming company only gets a seven?".

You smirked. "Fine. Eight. But only because of the chocolate".

He groaned, shaking his head. "Unbelievable".

You laughed, reaching for one of the sandwiches. As you unwrapped it, Priestly glanced at you, his usual smirk fading into something softer. "Hey", he said, nudging your knee with his. "I’m really glad you said yes".

You looked at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. "Me too", you admitted.

For a moment, neither of you said anything. The ocean breeze was cool against your skin, the sky darkening into soft purples and blues. Priestly sat up, leaning closer.

"You know", he murmured, his voice lower now. "I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. But you… kinda freak me out".

You blinked. "I freak you out?".

He chuckled. "Yeah. Because you’re not like anyone else I know. You keep up with me, call me out on my bullshit, and somehow, you actually make work fun". He hesitated. "And, uh… you’re kinda ridiculously cute, which doesn’t help".

Your heart skipped a beat. "You think I’m cute?".

Priestly rolled his eyes. "Come on, don’t make me say it twice".

You grinned, feeling a warmth spread through you that had nothing to do with the setting sun. "Well, for the record", you said, nudging him back, "I think you’re pretty cute, too".

For once, he didn’t have a snarky comeback. Instead, he just watched you, his eyes flickering to your lips for the briefest second before he cleared his throat and looked away.

"Okay, so maybe this date deserves at least a nine", you teased, breaking the tension.

He groaned, throwing his head back. "I should’ve just stuck with the peanut butter jalapeño sandwich".

You laughed, leaning your head against his shoulder as the waves crashed against the shore.

The conversation between you and Priestly flowed effortlessly, filled with teasing remarks, laughter, and occasional moments of quiet honesty. The sun had fully set by now, the only light coming from the moon and the distant glow of city lights on the horizon. The air was crisp, but the warmth of Priestly’s body next to yours kept you from feeling the cold.

At some point, he had shifted closer, his knee bumping against yours, his fingers brushing over the back of your hand when he reached for another snack. It wasn’t intentional—at least, you didn’t think so at first. But as the minutes passed, those accidental touches became more deliberate. A casual arm draped over your shoulder. A lingering press of his fingers against yours when you handed him a chocolate bar.

And then, as you were mid-sentence about some ridiculous customer you had to deal with earlier that week, Priestly reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

You froze.

It was such a small gesture, but something about the way his fingers lingered at the side of your face, the way his thumb brushed over your cheek so lightly you barely felt it, sent a shiver down your spine. "You’ve got, uh… sand in your hair", he murmured. His voice had dropped, softer now. Deeper.

You swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of just how close he was. "Thanks", you whispered.

But Priestly didn’t move away. If anything, he leaned in closer, his lips curving into that signature smirk, though this time it wasn’t teasing—it was something else. Something more dangerous. "You know", he said, his voice barely above a murmur, "you keep looking at me like that, and I’m gonna start thinking you actually like me".

You let out a breathy laugh, but it came out a little shaky. "Maybe I do".

His smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before something new flickered in his eyes—something darker. More intense.

And then, before you could say anything else, he shifted, pushing you back gently until you were lying against the blanket, the cool sand underneath cushioning you. Your breath hitched.

Priestly was hovering above you now, one arm braced next to your head, his body caging yours in. His face was inches from yours, close enough that you could see the way his pupils had blown wide, the way his lips parted slightly as he stared down at you.

"Well, that makes two of us", he murmured.

Your heart pounded as his hand found your thigh, his fingers brushing lightly over your skin, just beneath the hem of your dress. The touch was barely there, but it sent a jolt through you, heat pooling in your stomach.

His eyes flickered up to yours, searching. He was waiting—for you to stop him, to encourage him, to do something.

Your breath caught in your throat. You wanted this. You wanted him. But then, you swallowed hard, your body tensing beneath him. "Priestly, I—".

He stilled immediately.

You exhaled, forcing yourself to meet his gaze. "I just… I’ve never done this before".

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then, his expression softened, and he pulled his hand away from your thigh, shifting back slightly to give you space.

"Hey", he said gently, his teasing edge completely gone. "It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for".

You bit your lip, embarrassed. "I—I mean, I want to, I just—".

"Shh", he interrupted, pressing a finger lightly to your lips. "No explanations needed, (Y/N)". He smiled, softer this time. "I kinda like that I get to be the first guy to make you feel this way".

Your face burned. "Priestly—".

He chuckled and leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead instead of your lips. "Relax", he murmured. "We’ve got time. I’m not going anywhere".

Your heart melted at that.

He shifted off of you, lying back down on the blanket beside you instead. After a beat, you hesitantly curled into his side, resting your head on his chest. He let out a contented sigh, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you closer.

You stayed like that for a while, just listening to the waves, to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. And as you closed your eyes, you realized that, for the first time in a long time, you weren’t nervous anymore. Because Priestly was right. You had time.

———————————

A/N: Please let me know what you think.🥰 

-

Part 2

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Taglist: @blackcherrywhiskey @baby19sthings @suckitands33 @spnfamily-j2 @lyarr24 @deans-baby-momma @reignsboy19 @kawaii-arfid-memes @mekkencspony @lovziy @artemys-ackles @fitxgrld @libby99hb @lovelyvirtualperson @a-lil-pr1ncess @nancymcl @the-last-ry @spndeanwinchesterlvr @hobby27 @themarebarroww @kr804573 @impala67rollingthroughtown @deans-queen @deadlymistletoe @selfdestructionandrhum @utyblyn @winchesterwild78 @jackles010378 @chirazsstuff @foxyjwls007 @smoothdogsgirl @woooonau @whimsyfinny @freyabear @laaadygisbooornex3 @quietgirll75 @perpetualabsurdity @pughsexual @berryblues46 @deanwinchestersgirl8734 @kr804573 @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing @iloveeveryoneyoureamazing @barnes70stark @roseblue373 @shanimallina87 @ascarriel @deanwinchesters67impala @thebiggerbear @quietgirll75 @barnes70stark @kellyls04 @spxideyver @ralilda @americanvenom13 @ozwriterchick @lmg14

[cleoselene]

Sharing this on behalf of a Marine Biologist friend, not my words.

Tumblr loves sea creatures, and this is important. Have a cool pic of an octopus before digging into this big post from someone who is in the trenches (but not the really deep ones like the Mariana):

"Hi all! I have a personal request for everyone!

I need you to write a letter/email. Please write your congressional representative in support of the value that your state (or state(s) you love) Sea Grant Program means to you personally. Please send a copy of your email/letter to your state Sea Grant director as well. I can tell you for a fact that these messages are critically important and do in fact make a difference.

If you do not want to write your representatives, please still write your Sea Grant directors.

Unsure about what/who the Sea Grant Programs are? The Sea Grant Programs were created specifically to connect science between local, state, and national needs. Sea Grants make sure up-to-date science is informing decisions made in our home states and regions. Each of the State programs conducts marine and coastal research, education, and outreach tailored to their regional needs. If you’ve ever been to the beach and seen rip current education signs, seen disaster readiness material, enjoyed a coastal natural area, enjoyed fishing, ate local seafood, have a military installation near you, and much more, you’ve been positively impacted by your state’s Sea Grant Program.

Economic Benefits: Sea Grant programs provide direct economic benefits contributing to job creation, industry resilience, and sustainable economic growth.

• Works with local businesses, tourism operators, and maritime industries to enhance profitability and ensure longevity of businesses.

• Supports jobs in fisheries, marine engineering, coastal construction, and tourism through workforce development, training programs, and fellowships.

• Provides technical assistance to commercial fishers, shipbuilders, and port workers, including development of new and innovative technology that improves entire industries.

Fisheries & Aquaculture: Sea Grant programs support seafood production and sustainable fisheries management to ensure the health of marine ecosystems and economies.

• Offers training on best practices for commercial and recreational fishers.

• Helps reduce bycatch and overfishing through gear modifications and conservation efforts.

• Advances shellfish farming techniques (e.g., oysters, mussels, clams) to boost seafood production while improving water quality.

• Provides resources to help small-scale aquaculture businesses thrive.

• Monitors seafood safety and waterborne diseases to protect public health.

• Conducts research on invasive species like zebra mussels, lionfish, and green crabs; and, develops early detection and removal strategies to prevent ecological and economic harm.

Public Safety & Community Resilience: Coastal communities face unique challenges, from hurricanes and flooding to rising sea levels and water pollution. Sea Grant programs work to keep people safe through risk mitigation, education, and emergency preparedness.

• Helps communities create hurricane evacuation plans and build disaster-resilient infrastructure.

• Provides flood mapping and modeling to predict storm surges and coastal erosion.

• Develops tools like real-time weather alerts and emergency response strategies.

• Monitors pollution levels in oceans, rivers, and lakes to ensure safe drinking water.

• Identifies and mitigates harmful algal blooms (like red tide) that threaten human and marine life.

• Leads efforts to reduce plastic pollution in oceans, including microplastics research.

• Runs community beach cleanups and educational programs on waste reduction.

• Helps coastal communities upgrade ports, harbors, and public infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.

• Promotes nature-based solutions (e.g., living shorelines) to prevent coastal erosion and property damage.

• Partners with local governments to design smarter zoning laws for flood-prone areas.

Military Readiness & National Security: Sea Grant programs help ensure the safety and effectiveness of naval operations, coastal military installations, and maritime security.

Protecting Naval Bases & Infrastructure

• Assists military installations in climate resilience planning to prepare for sea-level rise and extreme weather.

• Works on coastal erosion control to protect bases and training grounds.

• Supports advancements in sonar, remote sensing, and underwater drones for naval and marine research.

• Provides oceanographic data crucial for submarine navigation and surveillance.

Education & Workforce Development: Sea Grant invests in the next generation of scientists, engineers, and marine professionals.

• Supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education focused on marine science.

• Provides internships and fellowships for students pursuing marine research careers.

• Runs public engagement programs to promote environmental stewardship.

• Helps local governments understand disaster preparedness, flood management, and coastal zoning laws.

State & Regional Sea Grant Programs

East Coast and Caribbean

• Connecticut Sea Grant – University of Connecticut, Director: Sylvain De Guise (sylvain.deguise@uconn.edu)

• Delaware Sea Grant – University of Delaware Director: Joanna York (jyork@udel.edu)

• Georgia Sea Grant Director: Mark Risse (mrisse@uga.edu)

• Maine Sea Grant – University of Maine, Director: Gayle Zydlewski (gayle.zydlewski@maine.edu)

• Maryland Sea Grant – University of Maryland Director: Fredrika Moser (moser@mdsg.umd.edu)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant – Director: Michael Triantafyllou (mt@mit.edu)

• (Massachusetts) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Sea Grant – Director: Matthew Charette (mcharette@whoi.edu)

• New Hampshire Sea Grant – University of New Hampshire Director: Erik Chapman (erik.chapman@unh.edu)

• New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium

• New York Sea Grant – Cornell University & SUNY Director: Rebecca Shuford (rebecca.shuford@stonybrook.edu)

• North Carolina Sea Grant – NC State University Director: Susan White (snwhite3@ncsu.edu)

• Pennsylvania Sea Grant – Director: Sarah Whitney (swhitney@psu.edu)

• Puerto Rico Sea Grant – Director: Ruperto Chaparro Serrano (ruperto.chaparro@upr.edu)

• Rhode Island Sea Grant – University of Rhode Island Director: Tracey Dalton (dalton@uri.edu)

• South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium Director: Susan Lovelace (Susan.Lovelace@scseagrant.org)

• Virginia Sea Grant – Virginia Institute of Marine Science Director: Troy Hartley (thartley@vims.edu)

Great Lakes Region

• Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant – University of Illinois & Purdue University Director: Tomas Höök (thook@purdue.edu)

• Michigan Sea Grant – University of Michigan & Michigan State University Director: Silvia Newell (senewell@umich.edu)

• Minnesota Sea Grant – University of Minnesota Director: John Downing (downing@d.umn.edu)

• New York Sea Grant – Cornell University & SUNY Director: Rebecca Shuford (rebecca.shuford@stonybrook.edu)

• Ohio Sea Grant – Ohio State University Director: Christopher Winslow (winslow.33@osu.edu)

• Pennsylvania Sea Grant – Director: Sarah Whitney (swhitney@psu.edu)

• Wisconsin Sea Grant – University of Wisconsin Director: Christy Remucal (Interim Director) (remucal@wisc.edu)

Gulf of Mexico

• Florida Sea Grant – University of Florida Director: Sherry Larkin (slarkin@ufl.edu)

• Louisiana Sea Grant – Louisiana State University Director: Julie Lively (julieann@lsu.edu)

• Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Director: LaDon Swann (ladon.swann@usm.edu)

• Texas Sea Grant – Texas A&M University Interim Director: Laura Picariello (lpicariello@tamu.edu)

West Coast and Pacific

• California Sea Grant – Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Director: Shauna Oh (caseagrant@ucsd.edu)

• University of Southern California Sea Grant – Director: Karla Heidelberg (kheidelb@usc.edu)

• Oregon Sea Grant – Oregon State University Director: Karina Nielsen (karina.nielsen@oregonstate.edu)

• Washington Sea Grant – University of Washington Director: Kate Litle (Interim Director) (kalitle@uw.edu)

• Alaska Sea Grant – University of Alaska Fairbanks Director: Ginny Eckert (ginny.eckert@alaska.edu)

• Hawai‘i Sea Grant – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Director: Darren Lerner (lerner@hawaii.edu)

• Guam Sea Grant – University of Guam Director: Austin Shelton (shelton@uog.edu)

Please, if you love the sea critters, do this!! You know this website owes so much to the crabs.

[jameswebb-discoveries]

Is Alien Life Real? JWST’s K2-18b Discovery Might Just Blow Your Mind!

What’s K2-18b, and Why Should You Care?

K2-18b is a super-Earth—think Earth, but bigger, badder, and 8.6 times our planet’s mass. It orbits a cool red dwarf star in the habitable zone, where liquid water (aka life’s BFF) could exist. Discovered in 2015 by NASA’s Kepler mission, this exoplanet is 124 light-years away in the constellation Leo, zipping around its star every ~33 days.

The James Webb Space Telescope, aka the universe’s ultimate peeping Tom, is designed to snoop on distant planets’ atmospheres. Using its fancy spectrographs (NIRISS, NIRSpec, and MIRI), JWST analyzed starlight passing through K2-18b’s atmosphere and found some wild stuff:

The catch? The DMS/DMDS signals are at a three-sigma level (99.7% confidence), not the gold-standard five-sigma (99.99994%). Scientists need more data to be sure, but the levels detected—10 parts per million, thousands of times higher than Earth’s—are making jaws drop. As Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, the lead researcher, said, “This is the strongest evidence yet there is possibly life out there.”

Want the full scoop on how JWST pulled this off? Check out this epic article on James Webb Discovery!

Image: JWST’s spectra of K2-18b, showing peaks for methane, CO₂, and a tentative DMS signal. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford, Joseph Olmsted, Nikku Madhusudhan

But Wait, Is It Really Aliens?

Okay, before we start planning an interstellar road trip, let’s pump the brakes. The science community is super excited but also super cautious. Here’s the tea:

Skepticism Alert: Some researchers, like MIT’s Sara Seager, warn that “enthusiasm is outpacing evidence.” DMS can form without life, like in comets (shoutout to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) or through chemical reactions in hazy atmospheres.

Alternative Theories: K2-18b might not be a lush ocean world. It could be a mini gas giant with no surface or a magma ocean planet (aka a lava nightmare). Rude, right?

More Data Needed: The Cambridge team needs 16–24 more hours of JWST time to hit five-sigma certainty, which could happen in 1–2 years.

Why This Matters (Like, A Lot)

Plus, JWST is just getting started. It’s already eyeing other exoplanets like TRAPPIST-1e, and future telescopes (hello, Habitable Worlds Observatory!) will take us even closer to finding E.T. This is the kind of stuff that makes you stare at the stars and wonder, “What’s out there?”

[sarnai4]

A Day at the Beach

Headcanons for how this would go. (Because this is the random thought I had today)

Athena: Studying the science of the beach. Apparently, the chemical combination of the sand particles is slightly different than at the last beach, so now, she must observe the impacts of this. She also wants to know the specifics of why the tide is high, predicting it perfectly without any prophetic visions needed. Later, she gives in and does a variety of beach-themed competitions/wars against Ares when she gets sick of him messing with her.

Ares: Dividing his time. 50% of his day is spent with Aphrodite. He's making her sand sculptures with "I love you!" written all over them, playing in the ocean with her, and snarling at anybody who looks not so respectfully at her new bikini. The other 50% is spent bugging Athena until he gets her to hang out with him. Now, he can see who's faster on the water skis and if he can spot more fish while snorkeling than she can. (At one point, he turned into a dog to tackle her.)

Aphrodite: Trying to see if she and Ares can sneak off to a nude beach without anyone noticing. Mostly, she's just having fun there with him. She's draped over him any chance she gets and is going to get a tan while he and Athena are playing. Despite that, she is also ready to kill anybody who gives him googly eyes. It happened last time and someone reported the death. Now, they are banned from that beach.

Demeter: She's collecting shells to bring Persephone. If any of them are extra special, she'll include them in some cornucopia arrangements later. She enjoys seeing the younger gods having fun and will normally participate in some of the activities. (Low-key, she's also checking out that cute guy playing beach volleyball. So help her if Zeus kills this one too...)

Hades: He's smothering himself in sunscreen. He literally bathed in it the previous night and he still feels like he's going to burst into flames. It's so bright here. Why couldn't they have gone on a cloudy day? He wanted to go to a cavern as a family vacation, but noooo. He's either going to stay under the water, hide under Hestia's umbrella, or let one of his nephews or nieces bury him in sand.

Hermes: Probably the one who'd dig Hades out of the sand. He's trying to see how much havoc he can cause. Anything from stealing umbrellas to drinks is an option. He also walked by Zeus and called out, "Don't get heat rash, Granddad!" then ran. He keeps doing stuff like this. He's also trying to peek into the ladies' changing rooms, a decision that caused Artemis to pummel him since he didn't realize until too late that she was approaching.

Zeus: He's trying to see if he can flirt without Hera catching on. Spoiler alert: he can't. He keeps flexing at obviously intentional moments around anyone he thinks is attractive. His family has banned him from being in the water when they are. Last time, he inadvertently electrocuted them all and killed the mortals. On a very related note, they're ALSO banned from that beach now.

Hera: She's not even enjoying herself. She's practically on babysitting duty with keeping Zeus in her sights. To make this easier, she decided to take over for the lifeguard and use one of those tall chairs to spy on everyone. Gradually, she stops the others from enjoying themselves too since she makes little jabs at them from up there.

Artemis: She's trying all the water sports. She's also daring anybody to look at her. Just try. (Please don't. It doesn't end well.) She almost got stopped from entering because weapons weren't allowed, but Apollo helped convince the mortals that her arrows were probably okay and the likelihood of her killing someone was a max of 49%.

Apollo: He's having the time of his life...whenever Artemis isn't around. He sort of regrets that whole arrow thing. He's getting new beach gfs and bfs left and right, but she scares them all away. He winds up hiding around Ares and Aphrodite, hoping their lovey-dovey stuff will sufficiently gross her out so that she doesn't look hard enough to see him.

Hestia: She's wearing such a conservative swimsuit that Aphrodite isn't sure if it's just a dress. She's not much of a swimmer, but she likes her umbrella time. She can use this time to read. It's nice to watch the kiddos too and yes, this includes her siblings because nobody's about to act like she's not really the oldest and get that disappointed grandma-esque frown >:(.

Hephaestus: He designed a wheelchair that's perfect for sand and the water. He's actually spending more time making custom orders for people who want some of these vs really spending time on the beach. If he gets a chance, he's probably going to make a sandcastle that's far too elaborate to be made out of sand.

Dionysus: Beach bar. There wasn't one? There is now. Everybody's at it, getting completely wasted. It's actually a little concerning and someone should probably give them water, but that someone won't be him. Oh, and beach party. He gets Apollo to start playing music and everybody is obliged to dance. It's a perk of being the baby. He gets to be spoiled every once in a while.

Poseidon: Obviously, he's having a blast. This is his element and it was his idea. He's surfing, riding on some dolphins, and getting carried around by sharks. He made didn't notice when a jellyfish stung Zeus when he started getting closer to the water, thinking nobody noticed. He becomes king of the beach party which toootally isn't making Zeus bitter.

[botaniqueer]

New Entity Alert!!

In the shadow of South Australia’s largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth. Fossils found at Nilpena Ediacara National Park preserve a pivotal moment in the history of evolution: the crucial period during which single-celled organisms began to evolve into the planet’s first complex, visible animals. A new discovery in the area by Scott Evans, assistant professor of geology in the Florida State University Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and a multi-institution team of paleontologists has identified an early marine animal from around 555 million years ago. The discovery helps answer how life evolved on Earth. Quaestio simpsonorum is the first animal to show definitive left-right asymmetry, an important sign of evolutionary development. The team’s findings appear in the September issue of Evolution & Development.

[idkfitememate]

Welcome To Aperture Science

૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა Pairings : GN! GLaDOS Reader x Raiden Shogun, Kujo, Aether, Dottore & Maillardet

૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა W.K. : 6.5k

໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১ Tags/CW&TW : Reader is a insane robot, Mutilation, descriptive gore

໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note : I ran into a bit of a dilemma in writing this. I realized that a lot of you probably would be able to get into the role of you were called “GLaDOS”, so here’s the plan. I tried my hardest to not have to use (y/n), but me thinks I’m gonna have to. The actual operating system will be called “GLaDOS”, but you yourself will be called (y/n). You’re replacing Caroline & GLaDOS. There will be a little surprise - since this is my ver of Portal (AKA throwing Portal into Genshin), so you’ll be introduced as (y/n)! If this ruins the experience, please let me know, and I’ll come up with something different! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

Also! GORE WARNING!!!! THERE WILL BE GORE!! I’ll post a warning right before it starts and a little thing for where it ends!! ☆૮꒰ˊᗜˋ* ꒱ა

Finding out one of your islands is being used for things unknown is not something you want to wake up too.

But unfortunately, that was what Miss. Raiden Ei was subjected to this morning.

The apparent “island” wasn’t even actually an island. It looked like a small plot of land, with it’s only inhabitant being an old bot that resembled a Fontainian Meka - which was still active and very dangerous - and what looked to be some kind of small, one person hut. But when the fishermen who had found this island somehow managed to enter the hut, they found it actually housed a long, winding staircase that plummeted into the earth.

So of course this news was sent straight to Ei. As the Archon, anything that went on in her Nation’s boundaries that wasn’t documented was immediately brought up to her for investigation. In any other case she would have told the Tenryou Commission to take care of it or otherwise, but seeing as this was seemingly more than just a “island descending into the depths” - the fishermen also reported strange noises coming from below - this seemed like it would need to be handled with a more… direct touch.

Gathering her wits, she made a small “exploration team”. This team consisted of:

1. The Traveler, because why wouldn’t it

2. Kujo Sara, her loyalty will be of use

3. Maillardet, she had heard of his helping with the Icewind Suite Meka. His expertise may be needed.

And finally, though unfortunately,

4. Dottore.

As much as she may have detested the Fatui and their methods, she couldn’t deny they got results. And on top of that she had heard of his experiments on that of Ruin Guards, which again may be needed.

After making her plans and sending off letters to all she believed she may need, the Shogun began to wait.

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍰🍧🍯୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

It was dark in the Aperture Science building. Though it wasn’t silent. After word from the singular guard at one of many openings alerted human sightings after… years of nothing, you had to admit something inside you was excited.

It was in human and monster nature to be curious of the unknown. And with all the years since your last… nuisance test subject, you figured that Aperture may have been - more likely was - forgotten by those above.

You rapidly repaired test room after test room, rebuilding the facility to the best of your current abilities. Which wasn’t much a problem, because due to the lack of human error, you were able to keep the place up and running with extreme precision.

It looked just like when Aperture was first built.

With different power sources from every nation, keeping powered on was never an issue. The location that had been found by humans was the one that was powered by the never ending lightning storm that surrounded the nation of Inazuma.

The strikes of Electro traveled through the water into sensors placed on the ocean floor, that changed the pure Electro into actual electricity that was then used to power the specific part of Aperture Science that was stationed below it.

The real facility spanned all across Teyvat.

This was only the beginning.

And your cold heart was more than ready for this coming future.

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍰🍫🍭୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

“I am shocked than and Archon such as yourself has called for me.”

All heads in the room turned to face the masked male.

Kujo immediately summoned her bow and pointed it at the man, while Traveler did the same with his sword. Poor Maillardet only ran behind the armed female, clutching her skirt.

Kujo glanced at him before pushing all attention back on Dottore.

“Please lower your weapons.” Heads whipped to look at the sullen voice of Ei.

“I asked him to be here. Please do not make this experience more difficult than it already may be.” Even she seemed… less than enthused by her actions, but the sudden silence- to soak up her words - was interrupted by the man in question’s laughter.

“And how shocked I was when The Tsaritsa said the Electro Archon herself had asked for my assistance in a ‘pressing matter’! Please, do listen to her and try to not make this difficult?” His grin unwavering. Aether scoffed and Kujo only huffed a small ‘Yes, my Shogun’, before turning to her backseat passenger who hadn’t moved since Dottore’s appearance.

“… What?” The brunette asked. Then he sighed. “Just because I build fighters doesn’t mean I myself can fight, Madame.” He quickly pushed himself off her and dusted both her and him off.

With one more sigh, Ei stood.

“Let us not waste anymore time. There is an odd island off the coast of Amakane Island. On it is a single individual that resembles a Fontainian Meka, and a hut. The odd thing being that this hut holds a staircase that “plummets into the earth”, so say my sources.” She then looked at the Doctor.

“Have your men done anything to this island?” It was a fair question.

It wouldn’t be odd for the Fatui to have a lab or something of the sort in a Nation without the Archon or Nation’s knowledge. In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time. Though - again - Dottore only laughed again.

“No, Miss. Ei. We haven’t any labs that “plummet into the earth”, as you say.” Kujo flinched at him not referring to her Archon by her title, but before she could do anything, she was stopped by a look from said Archon.

“Thank you for being honest,” she hummed, “Then we best be off. Who knows what we shall find and who knows how long we may be.” And she started off.

Following behind her was everyone but Maillardet, who looked confused.

“No equipment? No food provisions?” He glanced a guard who was stationed at a door nearby who shrugged. They both sighed and spoke in unison.

“Vision holders…”

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🎂🍬🧁୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

Making their way to Amakane Island was easy enough. Making their way to the unnamed island was also easy.

The Meka that was guarding the small hut was… tall, to say the least.

“It looks vaguely like a Suppression Specialist Mek mixed with an Assault Specialist Mek…” Maillardet muttered, causing Dottore’s head to whip in his direction.

“So nothing you’ve seen before?” He mused, causing the Fontainian to glare at him.

“No.” He huffed, “It isn’t.” Dottore smirked at that answer.

“Then we have an unknown Meka on our hands? Perhaps made by someone outside of Fontaine-“ “No.” Maillardet interrupted.

“It still has hints of Fontainian handiwork. The way you can see some gears and cogs, as well as the fact that it’s utilizing Fontaine gun tech. It very well could be imbued with Arkeh energy. If I had to guess, Ousia.”

Everyone stared at the man, who blushed.

“What I’m trying to say,” he breathed, “Is that while it’s not any Meka I’ve ever seen, it’s definitely made by Fontainian hands. Sir Aether should know how to deal with it effectively.” Dottore stared at the man.

Aether nodded and jumped off the boat they all currently inhabited, and began to attack. The others stayed back and watched as he gracefully dodged attacks and fought back.

Though, in a sudden switch of attack, the bullets firing from the cannon on its arm changed to Electro-Charged pellets of water. The sudden swap shocked Aether and the Mek was able to land a few solid hits on the man.

Getting fed up, Kujo stood to fight, but Ei held her back.

“Those are Electro-Charged attacks.” “I understand Shogun but-“ “No. We’d only make things worse.” With a huff, the tengu sat down, glaring at the Doctor who dared to chuckle.

The fight continued on for a few more minutes before Aether came out triumphant. As the Mek collapsed, a voice rung out from its destroyed body.

“Warn…ing…Intruders At….Inazuma Ent…rance…Access Not Given…Send Warning To GL…a…” Before finally collapsing. Aether stood overtop its corpse before turning to the others.

“Well… I suppose we can continue onward?” Maillardet questioned, only to be met with everyone else in the boat jumping out onto dry land, once more leaving him behind.

The man grumbled as he slowly pulled himself out the boat, soaking his boots and pants.

By the time he made it, everyone but Dottore had made their way into the hut, on their way down.

“After you.” The bluenette grinned, and Maillardet shuddered.

And then they all made their decent.

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍮🍯🍫୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

While the staircase itself was long and narrow, surrounded on all sides by pipes and cogs, what they found at the bottom was truly a sight; though they had been going down for a while.

A large open space - like a courtyard. There was artificial sunlight that streamed in from the panels on the ceiling that simulated a blue sky. False grass and trees swayed in a deceptive breeze. A ‘building’ sat before them with glass doors. It was grey and unassuming, the words “Aperture Science Laboratories” was in big lettering above the doors in big, illuminated lighting.

“Incredible…” Dottore mumbled as the group began to make their way down a path that led from the staircase to the building.

Just then, a sharp creaking noise was heard, and the staircase they had just traversed began to retract. It slowly made its way upward, lifting off the ground. Without flinching, Kujo summoned her bow and knocked an arrow, looking for a place to shoot. Finding a button near the staircase labeled ‘emergency shut down’, she shot, hitting it head on.

“Sudden Power Surge Detected At: Inazuma Docking Station. Rerouting Power Surge To Backup Power Supply’s. Emergency Dock Closing System: Initiated.”

And with that, the stairs shot up, effectively sealing the group inside.

“Sorry, Shogun…” was the only thing that left the now embarrassed Kujo’s lips.

“Worry not, I am sure we’ll find another exit eventually. Let us continue forth.” And onward they went.

Walking down the path, Dottore noted that there were hills far beyond the little building before them, fading off into the distance.

“I wonder how long this facility stretches out?..” He wondered aloud. Maillardet grumbled under his breath.

“Hopefully not that far…”

Entering the building they were met with something none of them - minus Dottore - had experienced.

Fluorescent lighting.

The light outside had at least been convincing, but the buzzing overhead and the slight flickering was enough to get under everyone’s - again, minus Dottore’s - skin.

“Whatever is this awful-“

“Welcome, gentleman, to Aperture Science. Humans, Vision Holders, War-Hero’s, Hybrids — you’re here because we want the best, and you’re it. Now, who’s ready to make some science?”

Weapons were immediately drawn from hearing the unusual voice.

“Who dared cut of The Shogun-“

“Now, you already met one another on the boat ride over, so let me introduce myself. I’m Cave Johnson. I own the place.”

Kujo growled.

“Well, Mr. “Cave Johnson”, I recommend you reveal yourself before we-“

“Mr. Johnson! I believe you’re forgetting something..? Or rather, someone..?”

All heads turned to the wall length screen that turned on with the new voice.

They were met with a cartoonish figure of a person, though their head was replaced by the grey, circle logo of Aperture. They were dressed in a white button up with a black vest overtop. With pure black dress pants and black dress shoes. A snow white lab coat over their shoulders and pure white gloves on their hands. The only hint of color or their person was an orange tie.

Dottore was the first to walk over, pressing a gloved hand to the screen.

“This is all absolutely incredible…” he spoke with a grin.

Nobody noticed how the figure flinched away.

“That eager voice you heard is the lovely (y/n), my assistant. They were added as a safety protocol in case some of you get lost. There are screens all of Aperture where they can keep a close eye on you, to make sure you stay in one piece, or at least as close to one piece as we can get you. Now, rest assured, they have transferred your honorarium to the charitable organization of your choice, isn’t that right, (y/n)?”

The figure on the screen - now known as (y/n) - nodded. Or… nodded as best a 2D model may be able to nod.

“That’s right, Mr. Johnson.”

“Since their addition, they have been the backbone of this facility. Pretty as a postcard too. Sorry fellas, they’re married. To science.”

They watched as you walked over on the “screens”, trotting all the way over to a pair of double doors. With one arm behind you, you held an open palm in the direction of said doors.

“Now, if you just follow them, they’ll take you right to the testing sites.”

With that small tidbit of information, the group reluctantly walked their way over to the doors. Pushing through them, they watched as you faded on the other side. Only for the walls of the hallway surrounding them to light up with bright white light, and for you to be on their right side, walking down the hall on your screens.

“There’s a thousand tests performed everyday here in our enrichment spheres. I can’t personally oversee every single one of them, so these pre-recorded messages’ll cover any questions you might have, and respond to any incidents that may occur in the course of your science adventure!”

You continued walking down the long hall, it slowly dipping further and further into the earth, but not to an alarming degree. A tune played throughout the hall, your head bobbing to the beat.

“Recorded..?” Ei asked. She turned to Kujo and Aether, who both shrugged. She then turned to Maillardet who muttered a quick ‘I’ve heard of it… that’s all…’ then looked away. Finally she looked towards Dottore.

“… Recordings are a rather new technology I’ve discovered. It’s a lost technique from long ago, the act of taking the waves of one’s voice down onto a physical form - such as a disk or a vinyl - and relaying those waves through a certain machine to recreate noises. I’ve been able to get my hands on a few, but to find one of such large scale, with moving images to boot! If I can get my hands on whatever is relaying these recordings…” His voice toned back when he realized he was walking alone.

Turning back he noticed that everyone had stopped behind him, confusion written all over their faces. He groaned, slapping a hand over his eyes before dragging it down the side of his face.

“It refers to something hearing noise, then relaying it at a later time when prompted.” And on they continued. It took a moment to catch up to you, as you had continued on your merry way while they had been stopped.

When they made it, Cave Johnson began speaking again.

“Your test assignments will vary, depending on the manner in which you have bent the world to your will.”

They finally made it to the end of the hall, with double doors greeting them. The doors opened automatically, opening to a large space, akin to an auditorium. Doors led off to different halls, each closed off by double doors that were identical to the ones they just came through. The room was surrounded by the Aperture logo, with small tables set up with small experiments on them. Walking past, Maillardet’s eyes glanced at a potato battery.

The most obvious thing in the room were the blue and yellow lines on the floor that each led to another room. You popped up again on a few overhead screens, though now you were sitting at a desk, typing away. You occasionally took a sip from a grey cup.

“Those of you helping us test the repulsion gel today, just follow the blue lines on the floor. Those of you who volunteered to be injected with praying mantis DNA I’ve got some good news and some bad news.”

Lights lit up over the blue lines and your figure changed to a looping recording of you walking on the lines and through the door.

“Injected with praying mantis DNA… why would you ever..?” Maillardet wondered with a grimace, while Dottore only smirked.

“I think me and this Mr. Johnson may have something in common. Anything in the name of science.” His grin made Aether shiver.

“Can we please just move on?” The blonde growled. He turned to the two females, only to find Kujo trying to open another door with Ei beside her.

“What are you doing..?” He asked. The General exhaled before turning back to the group.

“Trying to find another way out. Why are we even listening to this Cave Johnson person? We don’t know who he is, we don’t know where he is, we don’t even know what he looks like.” She walked over to another set of doors and tugged.

“She has a point.” Said Ei. “But in that same breath, we don’t know where we are either. The only thing pushing us forward is the voice of Mr. Johnson.” She placed a hand on the tengu’s shoulder.

“I feel it may be in our best interest to listen for now. When we find an exit, we’ll leave immediately.” Kujo sighed and muttered an apology before turning to the blue lines.

The loop of your walking through the doors still played above as everyone filled through the doors.

“Bad news, we’re postponing those tests indefinitely. Good news is we have a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men.”

“WHAT?!-“ shouted Maillardet. “WHY WOULD YOU EVER-“ A hand was slapped over his mouth as Dottore shushed him.

“I want to hear the rest of this.” he whispered.

“Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You’ll know when the test starts.”

“Oh Mr. Johnson…” Dottore swooned.

“Only a rifle..?” Maillardet whimpered.

Kujo groaned. “Don’t worry about that now. We’re following the blue lines. Not the yellow ones.” Ei grinned slightly at the banter.

“They say great science is built on the shoulder of giants. Not here. At Aperture, we do all our science from scratch. No hand holding.”

“I really do like this man.” Dottore grinned.

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍩🍫🍦୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

Walking along the catwalks was a new feeling. Despite the no longer being really… anywhere… there were still screens nearby that depicted you walking along side the group.

Little to no effort was made to make any kind of conversation. Just the sounds of different kinds of shoes hitting the metal that made up the catwalks.

Though that all changed within a moment.

“Hello..? Hello??”

The sudden voice calling out made everyone come to a stop. Aether brandished his sword and turned to a pair of doors that led off the path they were being led down.

They waited with bated breath as the mechanical whirling of something moving towards them echoed in the open space. The walls themselves seemed to shift as whatever it was made its way to the door…

The doors burst open as a spherical robot with a bright blue eye pushed its way through the doors, pausing when it saw the group.

“Humans..? Humans?? Humans!! Wait… HUMANS?!?!” Its confound shock was extremely apparent, especially with the way it screamed out.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE?!?! I haven’t seen a human since… since… her…” It’s tone grew somber within a second, but then it shook on its… bar??? Grip??? Dottore wanted to know.

“That doesn’t matter, what matters is that you guys are humans! Actual, genuine humans!” It rolled forward on its… whatever and faced them.

“… None of you have the portal gun though.. oh. Do you have those ‘vision’ things? Because I can assure you they won’t be of much help here-”

“And why is that?” Dottore jumped in.

“… Well first off all, it was incredibly rude to cut me off there, secondly, Aperture focused on the sciences that… well, had to do with those who lacked visions. Now don’t get me wrong, there were certainly tests for those who had them but uh… yeah these were mostly for those without.” It nodded.

“I see… now. Do you happen to have a name. Or would you tell us what you are?” The Doctor asked.

“A name..? Right! Oh gosh, I completely forgot about that. Wheatley’s the name and… yeah I don’t know where that was going really. And to answer the other question, I am what’s known as a core, but where are you lot off to?” He introduced. Though before the blue haired doctor could answer, a voice rung out.

“They’re off to test with the repulsion gel, Wheatley.” Your voice ring out, and there you were on the screen, facing them with a hand on your hip. The core seemed the freeze up at your voice, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Oh! Uh… hey… (y/n)… hehe.” Wheatley seemed uncomfortable at now knowing of your presence, before something seemed to pop into his head.

“But… without the portal gun?”

“You don’t necessarily need a-“

“What’s a portal gun?” Maillardet questioned. You heaved a long sigh and Wheatley seemed to brighten up.

“We’ll only one of, if not the, best things Aperture has ever made, of course! It’s this nifty little gun that allows a person to go from one point, to another in just a snap!.. If I could snap I would to punctuate my point-“

“What he means-“ You interrupted, “Is that it is a special device that allows someone to manipulate space itself by opening up a doorway - otherwise known as a portal - and go from an unreachable point A to unreachable point B… or at the very least a vision-less ‘someone’. We weren’t able to test on those with a vision… or any non-humans with human intelligence; such as Oni from Inazuma or Adepti from Liyue. But even then our knowledge is… limited…”

Wheatley stared at you as you explained the Portal Gun in detail, before scanning the group.

“Oh! There is a vision-less with you!”

Maillardet swallowed nervously.

“Here, you won’t be at a disadvantage if you let us give you the Portal Gun! No need to feel like you may be falling behind… bloody hell you might even be able to go ahead and be advantaged in this situation!” The blue eyed bot explained.

“Wait wait wait… are either of you… alive or uh..” Aether stumbled over his words before you cut him off impatiently.

“Yes we are entirely sentient. Now Wheatley, we can’t make these decisions-“

“I don’t know why you’re complaining. You’ve been moping about for years! All because you ‘don’t have any human testers’ and ‘robots were starting to get the same results’ and ‘humans unpredictability made them unique’ and-“

“That’s enough, you idiot.” “HEY!-“ “Fine. Here’s how this will work, so be quiet and listen.”

Nobody moved.

“We will give your little friend access to The Portal Gun, you complete a couple tests for us, and we help you leave as fast as possible. Deal?”

“Well it doesn’t sound like we get much out of that deal besides our assured exit.” Ei stated, and you groaned.

“You’ll have access to technologies that those above this facility have not had access to for years. Plus, this will practically be free training. Now do we have a deal?” Your impatience was starting to grow clearer and clearer with each passing moment.

“Well-“ “YES!” Maillardet screamed. He didn’t care. This was his chance to truly make a name for himself. If he was able to get this ‘Portal Gun’ outside of the facility, the things he may be able to do with that tech…

Everyone looked at him with shock - though Dottore was more amused than anything - at how fast he agreed.

“Great! Wonderful even! Here, just follow me through here and we’ll get you right as rain, isn’t that right (y/n)?” Wheatley glanced at you as he turned on his rail. If you could, you would’ve rolled your eyes.

They watched as the screen you stood on blinked off, and Wheatley rolled away.

Maillardet followed behind and the others hesitated. Though after that moment of hesitation, they followed behind as well.

૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍡🍯🍮୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚

Instead of the grey halls and metal walls they had become accustom to, they were met with greenage and foliage on all sides.

Flora of all kinds blossomed around them, tress that reached higher than any of them could see. They all followed behind the humming core, until he suddenly stopped.

“Now, this is a bit awkward, but my rail system ends here. I’m gonna let go, but I need someone to catch me. Do we have any volunteers..?” Wheatley informed and asked. He looked around the group only to make eye contact with Dottore. Who was grinning. Sharp teeth fully on display.

“Uhm… anyone..?” The robot squeaked. Though the only one who moved closer was Dottore.

He sighed, then ‘steeled’ his nerves.

“Alright, I’ll let go on the count of three- NO, ONE! If I do it on three I’ll chicken out and… mmmm I’m talking to much aren’t I? I’m nervous because of the very real possibility that you may drop me. Not to say you look weak or anything, you actually look quite strong. Has anyone ever told you that? I mean, personally I would prefer to be strong if I had a body… On that note I wished they gave us hands. That’d be nice. Or a way to move while not on the rail systems. They can only go so many places and so far, you know? And some of them end in the oddest of places. I found one that ended over a bottomless pit. Isn’t that just insane? I mean-“

Dottore grumbled something under his breath before moving directly below the blabbering bot. Then he cleared his throat, and screamed:

“ONE!”

The high pitched scream Wheatley let out as he fell would’ve been able to convince anyone that he was actually a girl. Dottore’s knees nearly buckled under the sheer weight of the still screaming robot in his arms. After finding his footing, they all stared at Wheatley, who continued to scream for a solid minute before realizing he wasn’t falling anymore.

“AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa…. Oh. You caught me. That’s a first- Anyway, directions! You’re going to want to follow the greyed out path through the green, and you’ll find a platform behind some broken walls and such. I’ll admit, when you get there it’s a bit of a jump, but I have faith in you lot!” He… grinned??? Well it was as close to a grin as a giant metal eyeball could get.

Everyone hummed in response and continued to trek on. Every now and then Dottore or Ei would ask about a type of flower or plant they saw, only for Wheatley to say he’s neither the flower nor plant core. Which led to Dottore asking about cores and Wheatley offering an explanation.

“Cores are… well to put it in perspective think of the basic parts of your personality. Of what makes you, you. Cores are basically that! We work as the pure forms of interests or emotions. Such as the flower core, who only ever talks about flowers. Or the anger core who… uhm… well. He screams? I guess?” Wheatley answered.

“So… what do you embody? Fear? Worry? Rambling?” Dottore asked, only for Wheatley to shout in objection.

“No! Absolutely not! None of those things! In fact, just for that, I don’t think I want to tell you.” He spun his eye around as to not look at the man carried him, causing Dottore to chuckle.

Maillardet suddenly shot ahead, causing everyone to quickly follow after. Wheatley seemed to understand why he shot ahead.

“There she is.” He muttered.

Just behind a wall, there it was.

Placed on a pedestal, vines and flowers grew all around in a mesmerizing pattern. A small hole in the roof let a halo of light fall onto the midsized device.

It was sleek. It was shiny. White and black mixed together in a perfect blend.

“Isn’t it beautiful? The pride of Aperture. What nearly all of our resources went into after its conception.” Wheatley mused. His focus was entirely on the gun in front of them.

Though his previous statement was true, there was a rather large drop from the platform they were on and the platform the Gun was on.

“You can drop me here.” The core suddenly spoke. Dottore looked down with a bit of a scowl.

“Weren’t you the one who screamed like a baby at falling only about four feet?” He asked. Wheatley scoffed.

“That was the make sure you’d catch me… anyway, I know I can survive this fall. I’ve survived worse. Just drop me and then jump down. It’ll be easier that way.” Wheatley’s voice suddenly got very serious. it lost its lively charm and became something more robotic… which was ironic.

The robot started acting more robotic, and they felt uncomfortable about it.

Dottore scoffed, then dropped the core without care. Though this time, Wheatley didn’t make a sound, just a small grunt when he hit the floor.

‘It can physically feel..?’ Dottore wondered.

Then one by one, they jumped down - Aether catching Maillardet - and began their walk over to the Gun after Dottore picked up Wheatley again.

“Hold on.” The blue eyes core suddenly spoke. His eye turned to a wall, and the panels suddenly shifted. A small control panel pushed itself out, presenting itself to the group.

“Plug me in there. I can make sure nothing hostile happens to pass by.” He explained.

“Hostile..?” Ei questioned and Wheatley, suddenly seeming very tired, sighed.

“Yes. Hostile. Just- Don’t worry about it, okay? I promise nothing will happen.” He glanced back at the group with a drooped eye. Dottore placed him on the panel.

Electricity shot out for a moment, then the core settled. He looked back, then without a word, got pulled back into the wall.

“It looks… so mesmerizing…” Maillardet whispered. He was the closest to the Gun. He hesitantly reached a hand out and touched it. Then, he picked it up and got a grip on it.

“I can’t say I’ve ever shot a gun but…” The mechanic pointed the gun at a wall, away from everyone as they watched.

He shot the gun.

And everyone watched as a pure black circle surrounded by blue latched onto the wall.

Everyone stood in shock.

He hesitantly shot right next to the blue and was met with a circle of orange.

Though now he could see through both.

And they reflected the room back to him.

He walked closer and looked through one and saw everyone looking back at him in silent disbelief.

He stuck a hand through the blue portal.

And watched his hand exit the orange.

He fell back in shock and everyone ran closer. They gathered around him, awe and shock written all across their faces.

“This is…” Dottore spoke.

“… A revelation.” Maillardet finished.

“Truly, isn’t it?”

The third voice broke everyone out of their stupor. They watched as the walls fluctuated and moved, opening the room up into another.

It was dark - pitch black, save for the screen that had only your figure on it. You stared at the group before moving your attention to the Portal Gun.

“Such an expensive piece of equipment it is… hopefully you understand what I’m about to do is only in your best interests.”

The screens blipped off, and a hole in the center of the room opened, a disgusting orange red glow emanating from it.

“Preparations Made. Systems Online. Ready For Emergency Long Fall Boot Insertion. Is Moderator Ready?”

“Yes.” Your voice rung out.

“Participant Ready?”

Before anyone could speak, you spoke for them.

“Participant is ready.”

“All Parties Set. Commencing Insertion.”

˚ʚ ꒰GORE WARNING!! GORE STARTS HERE!!꒱ ɞ˚

Metal wires suddenly shot out from the floor, causing everyone who could to summon weapons. Unfortunately, you had a plan for that.

Your wires shot out and gripped the visions on everyone who had one, but tightly wrapped around both Aether and Ei, quickly picking them up and throwing them into walls.

“Stand down, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” You warned.

The wires quickly wrapped around the ankles of Maillardet, dragging him forward and making him drop the Gun. Kujo rushed forward but a wire wrapped around her and threw her to the ground.

“Last. Warning.” You said.

They were forced to watch as the vision less man was strapped down to a table that came up front the pit by those wires. Buzz saws and bone saws and needles and others rose from the hole in the ground.

Wires tore at his pants and ripped the boots off his struggling body.

“This is going to hurt. A lot. I don’t personally believe in anesthesia, but feel free to pass out.”

And with that, the first saw turned on and immediately buried itself in his leg, blood spraying and his screams ripping themselves out his throat. You could practically hear the tendons snapping as he cried.

It went until it hit bone, where you moved the buzz saw out of his leg with a sickening *squelch*, pressing the saw into his bone and quickly sawing through.

Everyone - of course, minus Dottore - did their best to look away from the scene, but Kujo couldn’t help the whimper that left her lips when some blood spattered on her face.

After bone, the buzz saw when back to work until the odd cut was completed. It was curved, leaving the front of the lower leg untouched, but the back - up to the upper caff - was completely removed, as well as the ankle and leg. Then the process started all over on the next leg.

“Did you know there was once a surgery with a 300% mortality rate? It was an amputation, much like this one, preformed by a Mr. Robert Liston over two hundred years ago. What happened was his patient died of an infection, his assistant also died of an infection after his fingers had been amputated accidentally, and a witness of shock after the knife came too close. Isn’t that interesting?”

Your words echoed through the chamber over the cries of Maillardet who just lost his other lower leg.

The two amputated leg parts were picked up by robotic claws which threw them into the hole below. Then, two odd looking boots were raised from said hole.

The class took the boots apart and began to assemble them on the man’s body. They were a solid white with black base and a weird black wire at rhetorical back.

The screams grew worse - then silent after Maillardet finally passed out due to pain - as the black wire - which was connected to the black base - was drilled into what was left of the bone. The wire was then shifted, then grafted into the muscle and bone.

The white part was reattached to the black, the straps tightening against what was left of the skin, before it was literally melted onto the boot.

The smell of burning skin, bones and blood filled the room.

“See, wasn’t that easy?”

His body was thrown off the table and next to the Gun.

The wires let go of everyone, and Aether landed on the floor, passed out.

˚ʚ ꒰GORE OVER GORE OVER!! YOU’RE SAFE!!꒱ ɞ˚

“Why aren’t my abilities working..?” Ei wondered aloud while helping Kujo to her feet.

“You think I wouldn’t recognize a God? News Travels, Beel. We have a few protocols in case a God were to ever wonder into our wonderful facility, but I don’t think I feel like telling you exactly what’s happening to you.”

She quickly looked up above the still open hole in the ground with a glare.

“Stop being a coward and reveal yourself.” She hissed.

“If you insist.”

The lights suddenly turned on, blinding all who were awake.

Dottore stared on in wonder at your body. It resembled that of a human who was suspended from the ceiling. Legs pressed together and arms bound behind them with their back to the floor.

It was the most beautiful piece of machinery he had ever seen.

You slowly turned to face them, the orange light of your eye glaring down at them.

“Let me formally introduce myself, this time without the assistance of a recording. This body you see before you has been dubbed the “Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System”. GLaDOS for short. Though if you prefer it, (y/n) is not off the table.”

“Where… is Wheatley?” Kujo suddenly asked.

“I figured you wouldn’t like him. How shocking you ask. But if you must know… You’re free to reveal yourself.” You mussed.

Silently, the core rode in on a rail in the background on a catwalk. He looks away.

“You’ve payed me back enough, moron. You no longer hold a debt.”

The room was silent.

He had… he betrayed them?

People he didn’t even know?

“… I still feel the itch, you know..?”

Your large head turned to face the blue eyed core.

“I know I’m not the smartest… but I still feel

The itch. It’s like it’s at the back of my brain… and you know what needs to be done to fix it. Please allow me to stay. I won’t… I won’t muck up as bad as I did last time.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

He felt bad and everyone could tell, but you knew that the need to test was able to push back all other thoughts. All other emotions.

It changed people. No matter if they were made of flesh or metal.

And addiction is an addiction. No matter what.

It wouldn’t go away with a bit of cold turkey quitting. That always came with side effects.

The silence was deafening.

If you could smile, you would.

“If you want. I may have final say, but my control over the cores is loose.”

Your gaze turned back to the group who had huddled themselves in a corner, glaring at you.

But you noticed Dottore was staring with less hatred and more… curiosity.

Like a child.

“You understand why I did what I did, don’t you?” Your voice was cold, yet still somehow held some kind of twisted warmth.

“It was to make him stronger. He can survive tests without a hitch now. As soon as he recovers, we’ll be able to continue testing without a hitch. You’ll each be given a relaxation pod while we wait. I’ll be holding up the end of my deal.” You turned away and focused on the screens behind you.

“What… are you..?” Ei asked.

“I thought I answered that question. I am GLaDOS. I am (y/n). I am the current head of Aperture Science.” You turned back to the group.

“And as long as you’re here under my care, I can assure you that we’ll have loads of fun.“

Everyone who was awake was suddenly knocked out by the gas you had been silently filled the room with.

It was time for testing to begin.

໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note : I hope this is good! Ima be honest, don’t know if any of the explanations for anything that was explained make sense lol. Also, don’t forget to tell me if you were okay with the whole (y/n) thing! ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა

This is just in case nothing more gets requested: (y/n)’s transformation went like this: human (Cave’s assistant), mascot (first take on GLaDOS-like system, success), GLaDOS (Cave asked for them [they retained their human personality and memories as the mascot] to be GLaDOS while he was dying, like in the cannon)

Now I’m gonna spend some time on Requests! After which I’ll start on Mora!Creator! Again, I hope you enjoyed! ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚

And don’t be scared to request any Automation Reader (Executioner or GLaDOS) okay bye-

[unknownstarrl]

Bio:

Name: Rosalind Eiric(ロザリンド•エイリック)

Romaji: Rozarindo Eirikku

V/A: Sakamoto Maaya

Age: 16(???)

Race: Human-Homunculus(???)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Birthday: 29/9 (the day she was adopted)

Star sign: Libra

Family: Mr Eiric [adoptive father]

Mrs Eiric [adoptive mother]

Grim [old companion]

Unnamed lover †

Height: 162 cm

Dominant hand: Right

Favorite food: Soused Herring

Least favorite food: Chili

Hobbies: Learning magic, reading books, singing, cooking

Talents: Control magic, good knowledge acquisition, singing

Other names: Rose, Rosa (Short name)

The Abyssal Sorcceress (Shin'en no Majo) [Former]

Alchemy's creation [Seraphis]

Henchwoman (Grim)

Dreamy girl (Ace, Ruggie)

Rosie (Cater)

Dumb bunny (Leona)

Siren (Azul)

Hagi-chan <Royal blue tang> (Floyd)

Potato, Panda (Vil)

Fleur de Silence (Flower of silence), Mademoiselle Flamme Azur (Miss Azure Flame) (Rook)

Rosalind-shi (Idia)

Human (Sebek)

Beautiful girl (Najma)

Kind sister/Yasashii ane-chan (Cheka)

Alice (Chenya)

Princess (Royal sword academy's students)

_________________________________

Student profile:

School: Night Raven College

Class: 1-A - No.31

Year: Freshman

Dorm: Ramshackle

Club: Science

Occupation: Guardian [Former]

Rosalind & Grim - One Student

Beast tamer

Prefect of Ramshackle

Singer of Monstro Lounge

Best subject: Alchemy

Favorite subject: None

Least favorite subject: Flying

_______________________________

Appearance:

Rosalind is described as a 16-year-old girl with sleek black hair that has bright blue tips resembling flickering blue flames, making it hard for others to look away. Rosalind has fair skin and a slender body, as if a light touch could make her fall. Her blue eyes are reminiscent of the ocean, always appear to be in a daze, as if she is sleep-deprived and the dark circles hidden beneath her blue eyes told tales of sleepless nights and unspoken burdens, casting a faint shadow over her otherwise vivid gaze

She often wears a dreamy expression on her face, as if she is in a dream, even though she claims to be extremely alert

Rosalind has a modest height and is often the subject of jokes by the students of Night Raven College, but she rarely pays attention to or feels bothered by this

Rosalind wears a bracelet (like this) made of dark silver metal, with delicate interlocking links that fit snugly around her wrist. Embedded in the bracelet are 8 stones, each glowing faintly in different colors: crimson, amber, violet, red velvet, purple, bright blue, emerald green, and the final one, colorless. No one knows where the bracelet came from, only that it has been with Rosalind since her earliest memory.

_________________________________

Personality:

Although Rosalind may appear to be a silly and easy-to-bully girl on the outside, she is actually an intelligent and strong person. Whenever her friends are in danger, she doesn’t hesitate to rush out to protect them. Rosalind is also cautious and usually does not take kindly to people with suspicious appearances

Additionally, Rosalind is an animal lover and often brings many animals home, from stray dogs, cats to even rats and cockroaches, which drives her parents crazy. While this tendency has lessened as she has grown up, she still cannot control her desire to pet soft-furred animals

Rosalind also has a cold and ruthless side. If given the chance, she wouldn’t hesitate to use her magic to deal with those who pose a threat to her and her friends

_________________________________

Backstory:

In an unnamed kingdom within Twisted Wonderland, Rosalind or formerly known as Seraphis - a Homunculus created by alchemists and sorcerers to protect the nation from external threats. Emotionless and programmed to follow orders, she was not seen as a hero, but merely a cold-blooded killing machine. Despite this, she had Grim, her only companion, and later met a knight who gave her a human heart and helped her experience true emotions

Together with Grim and her beloved knight, they planned to escape the kingdom and live freely. However, the ruling powers discovered their plan and captured them. To maintain control, they forced Seraphis to kill the person she loved most. Because she was created to follow orders, she couldn't resist. This event shattered her emotionally, and her suppressed magic spiraled out of control. Overcome with grief and fury, Seraphis lost control of both her powers and her emotions, unleashing a devastating magical force that burned the entire kingdom to the ground. Until the flames were fully extinguished, all that remained was a heap of ashes and scattered ruins. The kingdom Seraphis had spent decades protecting was buried beneath the ashes, lost forever, never to rise again

After the kingdom's destruction, both Seraphis and Grim vanished without a trace, and no one heard of them again.

After this event, Seraphis was somehow brought to Earth, transformed into an infant, losing all memories and having her powers sealed. She was adopted by a couple on Earth and named Rosalind Eiric. She grew up living a normal life, unaware of her true past. However, during an unexpected incident, Rosalind accidentally returned to Twisted Wonderland, the place where the unnamed kingdom once stood, beginning her journey to rediscover her past and confront her true identity

_________________________________

Unique magic:

"Once the final magic seal is unlocked, Rosalind will gain her Unique Magic"

From the ashes of despair, I rise. In the flames of my fury, I summon forth the guardians of the lost. Let the eternal fire burn bright!

"Ember of the fallen"

Summon entities from the ashes of those who have fallen, transforming them into fiery warriors to aid her in battle

_________________________________

Trivia:

Rosalind is inspired by Chernabog (The Fantasia), Morgan le Fay (Arthurian legend) and Alice (Alice in Wonderland - 2010)

Rosalind, or rather her past self, has been immortalized in the history of Twisted Wonderland and is referred to as "The Abyssal Sorceress" , her status is considered on par with The Great Seven

No one knows that Rosalind is "The Abyssal Sorceress'', not even herself, except for The Dark Mirror

After both of them disappeared, Grim also lost his original memories and form, and somehow appeared at Night Raven College

Almost all the students at Night Raven College initially believed that Rosalind was just a student without magic, getting into the school through "relationships" , only few people knew that Rosalind actually possessed magic

Since childhood, Rosalind had a habit of eating strange things she came across. While this tendency diminished as she grew older, it still occasionally happened. A prime example is when she asked Grim for a stone after each Overblot to eat, but Grim, annoyed, would refuse

Back in middle school, Rosalind was often bullied by her classmates because of her quirky personality and unusual hair. Her adoptive parents knew about it and talked to the principal and teachers several times, but nothing really changed. Rosalind rarely fought back, so the bullies kept pushing their limits. Eventually, when things got too much, Rosalind defended herself, and one of the bullies ended up getting hurt. After that incident, the bully's parents demanded action, and soon after, Rosalind's family decided to move away. They've been living in a different place ever since

Unable to rely on Crowley any longer, Rosalind planned to work as a waitress at Monstro Lounge. However, after discovering her singing talent, Rosalind was invited by Azul to become a performer at Mostro Lounge (of course, her salary was increased as well)

Although she may seem foolish and dreamy, Rosalind is actually very intelligent, she consistently ranks among the top 50 students with outstanding achievements without resorting to cheating or signing contracts with Azul

Crowley and Grim once tried to convince Rosalind to participate in the VDC, but she refused

After conducting research, Crowley and Crewel stated that Rosalind is currently carrying eight seals and the bracelet she carried represents that. Each time one of these seals is unlocked, the corresponding stone glow and then become colorless, marking the release of her sealed power, both her magic and memories will return

However, the return of her magic is not a good sign but rather an ill omen. In Chapter 3, after unlocking her magic, the overuse of it caused Rosalind to cough up blood and fall unconscious for several days. This could potentially lead to Rosalind experiencing an Overblot, so she has been strictly prohibited from overusing magic, and is only allowed to use basic spells

It seems that after unlocking the higher-level sealing floors, hypnosis magic has almost no effect on Rosalind. For example, in Chapter 4, Jamil and Jade's unique magic only influences her for a short time before it ends. Additionally, during the 'Stage in Playful Land' event, she was not affected by Fellow Honest's unique magic and even told him to stop his antics

Rosalind once had a boyfriend, as revealed in the card "Ace Trappola SSR - Ghost Marriage." She dated a good-looking guy back in middle school, and after a month of dating, she found out that the whole relationship was just a bet between him and his friends. He even insulted Rosalind, saying that no one would like someone as weird as her. However, after learning the truth, Rosalind didn’t feel sad—or rather, she didn’t feel anything at all, because she never really liked him, she had only agreed to date him out of curiosity about love and relationships

[you-need-not-apply]

Please read

I've been protesting since i was two. I have memorised the chants, the speeches, the songs, the same arguments over and over and *over* again. I have signed over 500 petitions, i have attended over 150 marches, I have presented over 10 speeches personally. I don't remember when I learned about climate change because i always knew, so why didn't others?

I remember asking my Mother when i was around eight where she first learnt about it. When she was in year 8, back in 89-90. She said to me "I remember my teacher explaining it to us and thinking 'why isn't anyone doing anything'" She told me it's not that we don't have the answers, its we don't have the materials.

Now I know that is code for "the government is refusing to fund this" or "The government doesn't believe this is an issue" ect ect. Again and again, a new issue that needs to be solved or address or fixed before "we can focus on climate change"

Let me tell you ***You can not fight every battle*** But I try to. This latest "stunt" [Aliens aren't real] by the USA is yet another distraction from the biggest issue, The Atlantic ocean is facing a collapse.

Due to amount of cold water coming from the melted Greenland Ice sheets, It will cause the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to collapse and shut down.

The last time this happened was around 15,000-14,500 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. It lead to a collapse of weather cycles, temperatures plunge and spike, ecosystems to collaspe.

If it collapses, La Niña could become the norm for Australia.

You can do something. I know because I've done something. So do it.

https://www.zmescience.com/science/major-atlantic-ocean-current-could-collapse-due-to-climate-change/

https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-north/warming-seas-have-scientists-on-alert

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/20/world/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-sea-level-rise-climate/index.html

https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2023/07/what-is-happening-in-the-atlantic-ocean-to-the-amoc/

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151638/wasting-away-again-in-greenland

[shamandrummer]

The Healing Power of Nature

In the fast-paced modern world, stress and fatigue have become an almost routine part of life. We often find ourselves overwhelmed by deadlines, responsibilities, and constant notifications. And yet, amidst all the chaos, nature offers us a timeless sanctuary--a place where we can breathe, reconnect, and heal. The healing power of nature is undeniable. Whether it's the calming waves of the ocean, the cool shade of a forest, or the breathtaking vista from a mountain peak, nature has a way of quieting our minds and rejuvenating our spirits.

The Science Behind Nature's Healing Effects

Research over the past few decades has shown that spending time in nature has numerous physical and mental health benefits. In fact, doctors in various parts of the world are beginning to "prescribe" time outdoors as a form of treatment. Studies have found that being in natural settings can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, and even improve our immune system. For instance, a study conducted by the University of Exeter found that people who spent at least 120 minutes per week in nature were significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well-being than those who didn't.

Our brains are wired to respond positively to natural environments. When we're outside, we experience what scientists call "soft fascination," a state of gentle focus where we can observe our surroundings without being overstimulated. This natural engagement gives our brain the opportunity to rest and reset, which is why even a short walk in the park can leave us feeling refreshed.

Negative Ions Create Positive Vibes

Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Think mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy. Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.

Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water. You may have experienced the power of negative ions when you last set foot on the beach or walked beneath a waterfall. While part of the euphoria is simply being around these wondrous settings and away from the normal pressures of home and work, the air circulating in the mountains and the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions.

Nature as a Place of Reflection and Connection

Nature has a unique way of putting life into perspective. Watching the sun set over a lake, observing the resilience of a tree that has withstood countless storms, or feeling the energy of a river rushing downstream can make our personal struggles seem smaller, less overwhelming. Nature's rhythms remind us that we, too, are part of something much larger, and this realization can be incredibly grounding and comforting.

Many people find solace in nature during difficult times, whether they're grieving a loss, navigating personal change, or simply feeling overwhelmed. Nature allows us to step outside our usual routines and concerns, offering a chance to reflect and find clarity. And the best part? It's free, accessible, and always there for us.

Practical Ways to Connect with Nature

Embracing nature doesn't require a plane ticket to a remote destination or a major hiking expedition (though those can be wonderful experiences too!). Here are some simple ways to harness the healing power of nature in your everyday life:

Take a Daily Walk: Whether it's a walk in your local park, around your neighborhood, or even a short stroll during your lunch break, getting outside can improve your mood and give your mind a needed break.

Create a Nature Ritual: Make it a point to spend a few moments outside each day with intentionality. Sit on your balcony or in your backyard, or even bring plants into your home if you don't have easy access to nature.

Try "Forest Bathing": This Japanese practice, called shinrin-yoku, involves immersing yourself in the forest, using all your senses to experience the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Studies show that forest bathing can significantly reduce stress and improve mood.

Engage in Outdoor Hobbies: Whether it's gardening, birdwatching, or simply reading a book under a tree, finding an activity that allows you to be outdoors in a relaxed state can be incredibly therapeutic.

Observe the Seasons: Take note of the changes each season brings. Nature's cycles can be a powerful reminder of life's ebb and flow, and observing these transformations can help us feel more connected to the world around us.

The Enduring Power of Nature

There is a simple, universal truth: nature has a way of healing us that nothing else can replicate. We are innately connected to it, whether we realize it or not, and every step we take outdoors is a step towards reconnecting with a deeper part of ourselves. Nature invites us to slow down, breathe, and remember that there is beauty and resilience in the world, no matter the challenges we face.

So next time you're feeling weighed down, consider stepping outside. Let the sun warm your face, listen to the birds, feel the breeze, and know that this world holds an endless capacity for healing. Nature's doors are always open, waiting to remind us of our place in a world that's infinitely beautiful, resilient, and, ultimately, healing.

[theleechyskrunkly]

Name: Aurinelle Sireiwen.

Basic Info:

Class/Grade: Class 2-C/Sophomore (No. 27)

Dorm: Octavinelle.

Birthday: February 29th.

Zodiac Sign: Pisces.

MBTI: ISTJ.

Age: 18 (he’s been at NRC since 16, but had to retake freshman year due to failing several magic classes) 

Height: 6 feet 2 inches/ 188 cm.

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous.

Homeland: The Abyssal Sea (the super very bottom of it, where light never reaches).

Family: Unnamed mothers, six unnamed sisters.

Species: Sireno (male counterpart of a Siren/Sirena).

Unique Magic: Heed My Call. Has the power to hypnotize anyone by singing, allowing him to make them do his bidding. He can also suck out people’s voices as well as their magic to feed his own.

Preferences:

Club: Science.

Best Subject: Music.

Hobbies: Singing, poison making, sitting soaking wet in a bathtub in his merform.

Pet Peeves: Being touched without permission, when his hair gets tangled, heat and dryness, being questioned.

Favorite food: human flesh Cephalopoda (octopus and squid)

Least Favorite Food: Shark meat.

Likes: Octavinelle, the ocean, singing, music, cooking, reading, water, swimming, his hair.

Dislikes: Fishermen, human traffickers/hunters, gossip, nets, narrow spaces, crowds, alcohol, anything that restricts his movement.

Appearance (Human Form):

Aurinelle has curly knee-length hair the color of freshly fallen snow, with purplish blue that starts at his roots and quickly fades into white. He cares for his hair like his life depends on it. His skin is entirely pale except for the patches of aero blue that surround the scales around his body. His scales are capable of changing color based on his mood, however he’s come to have control over that ability in order to avoid being easily read.

Aurinelle has a lithe body with impressive flexibility and is incredibly tall, towering over most students at a whopping 6’2 feet. His nails are naturally black and he paints over them with different types of glitters and decorations. His low, defined cheekbones make his facials look charmingly youthful. He has droopy hooded eyes colored a golden yellow that fades into a light blue. His eye lashes are long and well taken care of. On the other hand, the underside of his eyes are marked by heavy blueish eye bags (which he’s often nagged about by Vil).

Appearance (Merform):

In his merform, Aurinelle is extremely thin, yet incredibly strong. He is about 7 feet in length, and his entire body is painted in different shades of blues, purples and pinks. His massive tail has many different gems that act as his scales that also change color. His scales shine brightly in the dark, both on land and in the sea. His tail fins are an unadulterated white, which contrast with the rest of his body hue.

When in his merform, the color of his sclera changes from white to pitch black and his irises become solely yellow. The scales on his tail form a pattern of waves that entangle with each other in a sort of Yin Yang formation.

Personality:

Aurinelle is relatively quiet, and always has a resting bitch face on. He’s usually avoided for both his large size and for several lurking rumors about his identity and species, since no one actually knows what he is. He dislikes being questioned about his identity, because to land dwellers and coral sea inhabitants alike, sirens had gone extinct centuries ago. Imagine the ruckus if he were to be found out!

However, unlike many assumptions, Aurinelle is a wonderful listener and an impressive leader. That does not mean he can’t give firm and harsh criticism when required (some people in NRC need a harsh slap from reality). He’s protective of those whom he’s fond of, and is extremely soft to children, singing lovely lullaby songs if his appearance happens to intimidate them. He’s hardly ever deceived (Azul, Jade and Jamil learned that the hard way), and has sharp senses that alert him if someone is nothing but trouble. He hates being watched (cough Rook cough), but he knows the difference when he’s watched out of admiration vs out of spite or the like.

Overall, he’s a misunderstood giant.

HE’S FINALLY FINISHED AFTER SO MANY HOURS OF DRAWING

gosh I LOVE HIM

spoiler alert: I’m never drawing his merform again 😜

Tagging: @thehollowwriter @cyanide-latte @enigmatic-pers @xen-blank @distant-velleity @elenauaurs

[bcbdrums]

Royalty

A Soul Eater fanfic. Read on: AO3 | FFn

A/N: Originally just a few sentences exchanged with @cannibal-nightmares, but it demanded to be in story form. In an alternate universe where they were kids together. Next to the ocean because my brain says so. And that is all. Enjoy my self-indulgence, perhaps.

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

Royalty

The evening had gone gray, both due to the sun's descent and the thick overcast that stretched in a heavy blanket to every corner of the horizon. A chill breeze caught one of the children's attention, and he halted the movement of his fingers in wet sand to glance up and around, startled by how much time had passed.

Distantly to his left, he could hear the tide coming in beyond the small dunes that sheltered him in his playground. Farther, to his right, the beach houses that had brought he and his family to this place for vacation. A small weather-beaten tree at his back coupled with another dune shielded him from the wind, and before him the dampened shore of the small cove that had been a place of daily exploration and discovery.

And building friendships.

His new, younger friend of the week was still meticulously stacking rocks and layering salt-smoothed sticks one on top of the other in the flat, moist area they had dug out of the sand.

Spirit frowned. If they didn't go in soon, their parents would be calling them. And this kid hadn't made any progress.

Not that Spirit had himself.

He resumed scooping the damp sand into his plastic bucket with his hands, pressing down to pack it tight in hopes it would keep its shape this time. When he picked the bucket up at last, it was so heavy he needed to stand to gain leverage.

His shifting alerted his companion, who looked up at him and broke what could have been hours of silence between them as they worked on their respective creations.

"I told you, it won't work that way."

Spirit ignored the quiet admonition, and after a few breaths to ready himself, he rapidly flipped the heavy bucket over and pressed it into the sand. He took even more calming breaths as he knelt back down, hoping, certain that this time would be successful. He had already determined that the slow-lifting method was better than the fast.

He wiggled his stinging fingers under the plastic rim and held his breath. As the bucket came away, grains of sand began falling gently and taking companions with them further down the tower as it was revealed. Spirit slowed the bucket's ascent and grit his teeth. He realized suddenly, that next to him his younger friend had paused in his construction to watch with bated breath as well.

The bucket came away, revealing gently shaped ridges and dimples in the very top formed by the plastic of the bucket's bottom. Spirit took a moment to marvel at the seeming perfection – how thousands if not millions of the rough grains of sand could come together so smoothly with such simple manipulation.

And then it collapsed.

A loud sigh of frustration left Spirit's lips even as he marveled at the beauty in his failed creation's entropy, the perfection still present in jagged edges and seemingly sifted piles of sand that now sloped away from a slightly more solid center.

"You have to find the correct ratio of sand to water," his companion said. "And—"

"What do you think I've been trying to do all day?" Spirit replied in protest, tossing his bucket aside as he stood again and stepped over the tiny pile of failure.

"Where are you going?" the other boy said. Spirit paused, almost turning back as he heard alarm in the young voice.

"I'm tired of this, I wanna play something else," he replied, walking away toward the shore of the cove. He thought he could feel green eyes staring at him as he went, and he self consciously began brushing the sand off of his hands and onto his nearly-dry swim trunks.

The breeze was somehow nonexistent at the cove's edge—something his new friend would probably be able to explain, with his near-constant prattling about every science under the sun all that week except for when he went silent for hours—and Spirit squished his toes into the damp sand next to the other-worldly plants that somehow grew up out of the beach. He paused to look past a cluster of purple flowers into the still waters beyond, hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of an octopus or sea star before the light left entirely.

Before he could make out any shapes among the rock and sand, a tiny dart of yellow-green light flashed out of focus in front of him, and then was gone. He blinked and held still, glancing left and right and listening for any sign of something out of place. But there was only the tide, receding now as the cycle concluded and would without pause begin anew.

A flickering to his left caused his head to snap that direction, and he held utterly still lest the thing, real or imagined, should frighten from his presence. And then a moment later, another tiny point of light appeared near the gnarled trunk of a tree, moved leisurely through the air, and vanished again, so quick that if he had blinked he'd have missed it. Spirit stared as another appeared further out over the cove, so small its light didn't cast a reflection on the water.

Fireflies.

Spirit smiled. He had seen them before, but given the infrequency of his family's vacations to the beach, they were still a thing at which to marvel.

He suddenly wondered if his new friend had ever seen them.

He waited for several minutes, watching as more and more points of ethereal light appeared as the gray of the twilight under the clouds grew darker. They had no pattern, which was part of their wonder, but as he stood utterly still and waited, he finally saw one alight on one of the purple blossoms right next to him.

He took care as he moved his hands as slowly as possible to surround the bloom, his heart beating faster as he knew at any moment the tiny insect could flee before he was even close to containing it. The sky was growing dark, and the firefly was not illuminated. As his fingers curled nearer he second-guessed himself—was it in fact a firefly he'd seen land? Would it even light up again if he caught it?

The tiny creature unfolded its wings, and Spirit moved. He snatched the bug, flower and all, and carefully tugged with the heels of his hands pressed tightly together until the delicate flower's stem snapped. He dared not peek, lest the firefly escape, and he turned and ran through cool sands back toward the dunes.

He stopped short after cresting a hill, not minding the shells and sticks scraping his soles as he gaped down into the shallow pit they had dug. His plastic bucket, shovel, and failed construction were still there, alongside the sticks and stones his companion had been erecting. But the younger boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey..." he said, peering around anxiously in the fading light. And then, relief, as the boy in the white swim trunks and t-shirt re-appeared over the opposite hill, toting his own plastic bucket. "Where'd you go?"

"To get more wet sand," he replied, setting his bucket down next to his unorthodox construction. Then he eyed Spirit's hands clasped near to his chest. "Did you finally catch an octopus?"

Spirit grinned. "Come here!"

The younger boy crossed the sand toward him, eyeing his hands with a slightly narrowed gaze. He only came up to Spirit's chest in height, and he tilted his head upward once stopping in front of him, his brow rising in question as Spirit hesitated.

"Not an octopus... It will probably get away."

Spirit wondered suddenly if the bug had even survived being held close with the flower in his hands, and anxiety swept him again. But still... As his friend leaned in close, his expression curious, Spirit slowly and carefully unfolded his fingers from around his precious prize.

At first he couldn't even see it. And then, within the blossom, a yellow-green light faintly illuminated purple petals.

An awed inhale was the boy's response, and Spirit kept his hands cupped in hopes the insect would continue its show.

"It's a firefly."

"I know," his friend said, staring wide-eyed as the creature alternated flickering away to seeming non-existence, and then back into magical presence. By his friend's expression, Spirit imagined he had never seen a firefly before.

And then, suddenly, the boy had stepped back and was looking around.

"Do you have anything we could keep it in?"

Spirit hadn't considered keeping it for a pet. How did one feed a firefly?

"Ah... My mom might have jars back at the house?"

The boy stopped his search and looked up at him.

"Can you keep it while I go look for one?"

"Sure, ah... You know we don't need to—"

"I'll go see if there are any with lids we can poke holes in."

"That...should work. But we don't need to keep—"

"You sure you've got it?"

Spirit pursed his lips. "I've got it!"

"'Cause if you don't I could hold it while you get the jar."

"If you'd just listen! I'm trying to say there's a lot more next to the cove. We don't need to keep this one, we can catch others."

This information had clearly started an entirely new process running in his younger friend's mind, and Spirit could almost see the gears shifting as the boy stared up at him, excitement building so rapidly in his eyes he thought he might burst.

"Okay!" he finally replied. "I'll get the jars, and then we—"

Their plotting was interrupted then by the sudden sound of a mature feminine voice carried on the breeze. Both children looked toward the distant row of houses, and then back, surveying one another as if for the first time.

Spirit realized just how difficult it was getting to see his new friend's face and silver hair in the fading evening light. He took a breath and called back, assured his mother he would be coming in while never taking his eyes from his friend.

"Maybe...we can catch them tomorrow night?"

The boy hung his head.

"...What?"

"We're leaving tomorrow."

Spirit inhaled sharply in surprise. For some reason...he had never considered the possibility of an ending. His heart began to thud heavily as an undefined fear raced through him.

Suddenly, the breeze felt very cold.

He licked his chapped lips and called back to his mother, asking to stay out a bit longer. But the reply of course was no, and an insistence to hurry inside. The boy hadn't lifted his head.

Spirit licked his lips again, pressing his tongue over the salt collected at the corners of his mouth. All at once he had everything in the world to say, but not a single sentence would form in his mind.

"Here..." he said uncertainly, lowering his hands.

The boy startled slightly, but opened his hands to receive the blossom and its glowing treasure. They made the exchange carefully, and once Spirit’s hands were free he gathered up his beach toys.

"What...what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"I don’t know. Morning."

Spirit fought past the sinking feeling in his chest and smiled. "Maybe it won’t be right away. Maybe we can play pirates again."

"Maybe," his companion said glumly.

Spirit felt there was more to say, but his friend was as blank-faced now as when they'd met at week's beginning, peering through his fingers at the intermittent glow of the firefly.

"Oh, hey..." Spirit said, and the boy finally lifted his chin just enough to make eye contact. The red-head blushed as he realized how ridiculous his question was after a week of play. "I...never got your name."

Something else entered the boy's eyes then. Fear? He was definitely hesitant.

"My name's Franken."

Spirit smiled as he pieced the name over each memory of the week, attached it to every quirk and fascination of his new friend's personality.

"You coming?" he asked as he started toward the beach houses.

"I want to look at it a little longer," the boy replied, looking down at his hands.

"Oh... Will you get in trouble?"

Franken smirked. "Probably."

Spirit hesitated, but then thought of the trouble he would be in if he didn't make it inside before dark.

"Okay... Ah. Good night, Franken," he said, not willing yet to say goodbye when there was even the slightest hope for the following day.

Franken didn't reply, but simply stared at the faint glow between his fingers. After a long moment Spirit sighed and finally turned to go back to the house. If his friend were to catch him wiping tears from his eyes, he would blame it on the sting of the salt air.

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

That night, Spirit's dreams were awash with the fun memories of the week. Meeting another boy all alone on the beach, captive to a vacation neither had chosen, and proceeding to share in each other's imagination for every waking moment they were permitted. They had been sharks and swashbucklers, giant squid and submarines. They had been explorers, discovering hidden lands and treasures up and down the beach. They had traversed volcanic mountains and dove to the deepest depths of the ocean, all from the shores of the little cove where they met each morning and played until sundown.

It was the most fun Spirit could remember ever having in his life.

He woke before dawn the next day and rushed through his cereal and banana, nearly forgetting to change into his swim trunks before hurrying back out to the beach.

The sky was just as gray that morning, but the light behind the clouds was as fresh as the air. The atmosphere spoke of hope and lifted Spirit's soul, giving faster flight to his feet as he ran down the grass-covered slopes and across the open sands toward their playground.

With each step he painted fanciful scenes in his mind in defiance of what he had been told of the day, imagining new adventures he and his companion could have and sending his thoughts far away and around the dread of arriving to find himself alone. He crested the hill by the tree that should reveal silver hair, and...

What he saw brought him to a sudden halt, heart in his throat as there was no sign of his friend. Except...he had most certainly been there.

In the small pit they had dug earlier that week, where he had failed repeatedly despite detailed explanations of ratios of water to sand, there stood inexplicably, at last, a sandcastle.

Spirit gawked from atop the hill at the large construct with its tall, straight walls and bucket-shaped towers at the four corners. Windows had been carved into the turrets, sticks pressed into the center of the front wall to form a portcullis, and atop each wall were perfectly symmetrical merlons. There was a small moat dug around the entire structure, but notably in the very center was a castle keep with a wilting, purple flower at its top.

He shivered in the cool of the morning and hugged himself tight, looking left and right as he rubbed his arms, but there was no sign of the architect anywhere. He stumbled down the hill, sand slipping into his shoes as he hurried to kneel alongside the fantastic creation.

His jaw dropped as now up close, he could see the base of the outer wall was lined in sea-glass and shells, all that they had collected throughout the week and hidden away near their tree. The base of the keep was lined in delicate strands of seaweed, and tucked within the fluttering petals of the purple flower he'd picked the night before was a tiny, folded piece of paper.

He reached forward and pinched it between his fingers, its folds damp from the sea air. He turned it over and his breath caught when he saw what had been written in wobbly scrawl:

'King Spirit'

With fingers shaking, he unfolded the small piece of notebook paper and read the message that had been left.

"I know I probably won't see you again, but we come here on vacation every August. Thank you for being nice to me, and not making fun of my name."

The heat of tears sharply contrasted the chill of the breeze on Spirit's cheeks, and he held the paper up and away from him so he wouldn't get it more moist than it was already.

Nice to him?

As he blinked rapidly to banish the tears and slowly read over the note again, a vision of purple at his periphery caught his eye and he gasped.

Atop the opposite hill in the direction of the cove stood Franken, eyes wide and his arms loaded with purple flowers.

They each stared for a long moment, Franken's gaze finally dipping to the paper in Spirit's hands. His pale cheeks gained a faint, rosy hue.

"You've never been out this early before."

Spirit swallowed down the lump in his throat and stretched his trembling lips into a smile to will away a sob.

"Did...did you get in trouble?"

"I went back for a couple hours and then snuck out. I don't think they've missed me..."

Spirit considered all that building the sandcastle through the night must have cost his friend, what it could still cost him. And just how difficult it must have all been in the dark. He stared at his friend in wonder, and the younger boy's expression grew nervous.

"I...reinforced the walls with rocks and sticks, so they wouldn't collapse. I don't think this sand is fine enough to...hold on its own..."

Spirit looked down at the note, and then up to the flowers in Franken's arms. The silver-haired boy's anxious expression fell to sadness.

"The firefly got away."

Spirit sniffled as his throat tightened again.

"I think you should be king," he spoke slowly, his voice just above a whisper.

Franken looked up, questioning.

"You're the smart one. And...you've already got a royal robe," Spirit continued, nodding to the flowers.

Franken looked down in surprise, but then slowly, shyly, the corners of his mouth turned up.

"And I'll be your esquire. And...I'll protect the castle. Until your triumphant return."

When Franken looked up again his smile had faded. In its place...awe. Spirit carefully folded the note and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, his grin broadening.

"If they haven't missed you yet, then...you must have a little more time?"

Sand was kicked up into the breeze as Franken took a step forward, and then another. Spirit hurriedly rose to his feet as Franken ran the rest of the short distance down the hill, and a moment later purple blossoms were crushed between them, petals falling into the sandcastle's moat and scattering over their feet.

Spirit blinked in surprise, but it was hardly a second before he was returning the fierce embrace. He lowered his face, his hair offering minor shielding from the breeze as moisture stung his eyes anew.

"And then, when you get back... We can fight the dragons together," Spirit said quietly as tears slipped down his cheeks.

Franken held on tighter, and purple petals drifted across the sand in the morning breeze.

[felixrulezz]

i hope ur presentations go well.. what r they on

i have a presentation in english on science fiction but i’m not super worried abt that one bc i found some silly pictures so i’ll be able to look at those at least and i have one in bio (loser who’s behind in science alert!!) on the pacific ocean

[silverynight]

I'm drawing up what I think the Hashira and Tanjirou's pups would look like. But I already have their names and personalities done.

Giyuu's Daughter: Eimi (影美): Meaning “Ocean” Age: 11

A calm, mature, and sweet girl who takes her task as the eldest seriously, much like her Mommy Tanjirou. She tries to keep a close eye on her younger siblings and keep them from overwhelming their parents, as well as help around the headquarters and home whenever she can. She tries to follow her mommy's ways of helping out those who need it. Though Eimi wishes her sire was more sociable.

2. Kyojuro's Daughter: Rie (りさ): Meaning "One whose laughter is like the sun" Age: 10

An excitable and playful little ball of flame that adores her family and learning how to cook for her father. Rie is always looking at the bright side of everything and can never have a negative thing to say to anyone. When she's not helping her Nee-Chan and Mommy care for the younger pups, she's learning new recipes to make for her father's huge stomach.

3. Tengen's Son: Habiki(はびき): Meaning "Sound" Age: 9

This boy is truly his father's son. A rebellious young (wannabe) shinobi, who tends to practice his ninja skills on his siblings, his parents, any other suspecting target EXCEPT his darling Mommy. He gets A LOT of timeouts. Habiki tries to follow his sire's way of flashiness. He's not quite there yet, but he'll get there.... eventually.

4. Shinobu's Son: Jiro(次郎): Meaning: "Second Son" Age: 8

The most intelligent of the pups. Seeing how his mother helps out so many people with her medicine, Jiro can't help but be inspired to learn medical science. Constantly studying herbs and remedies, as well as reading literature books in his spare time. Jiro often talks more like an adult than a child, due to his large vocabulary. Aside from his siblings, other pups don't really interact with him.

5. Gyomei's Son: Goro(五郎): Meaning "Enlightened Son" Age: 7

Born with terrible eyesight, Goro walks around with his eyes closed the majority of the time. Though he is not the oldest, Goro already towers over all his brothers and sisters. He's basically almost the same height as his Aunt Nezuko. Goro is quiet and likes to listen to everything around him. Although he won't hesitate to use his height to intimidate anyone who messes with the people he loves. Will sit on Gyomei's lap while he meditates, even have Tanjirou sit with him.

6. Iguro's Daughter: Kameko (亀甲): Meaning “tortoise-child” Age: 6

A timid child with Tanjirou's gift of talking to animals. Especially reptiles. One of the few people not put off by her sire's scars and loves to cuddle and chat with Kaburamaru whenever she's sleepy. She does hide her ability from people outside her family as not to be ostracized. Kameko is more comfortable interacting with animals than people, with the exception of her family.

7. Mitsuri's Son: Gohan(悟飯): Meaning "cooked rice’ or ‘meal of any sort" Age: 5

Fiercely protective of his Kameko-Nee. Has a black hole for a stomach. Loves going to different restaurants with his Mama Mitsuri and trying all different types of food. Believing that the more he eats, he'll be as strong as her! Strong enough to keep his siblings and Mommy safe! Gohan's a growing boy after all.

8. Sanemi's Daughter: Satsujin(殺人): Meaning "Murder" Age: 4

A feral little albino girl who bites people to assert her dominance. Often ridiculed because of her appearance, Satsujin has a low tolerance for bullies and insults. Be it towards her or her family. But she gets in trouble often with the people she bites. Tanjirou scolds her for resorting to violence, (and Sanemi for encouraging her), but calms her down afterwards.

9. Muichiro's Twin Son and Daughter: Niko (二湖): Meaning "Two Lakes" Nao(なお): Meaning "Docile" Age: 3

Niko is alert and hyper-focused while her twin brother is sluggish and has a case of narcolepsy. Nao would end up bumping and falling into a lot of things, if not for his twin sister and his Mommy to keep his eyes open. Niko has always got her eyes on her brother, to keep him safe and secure.

10. Kyojuro's Son: Yinjuro (No meaning. Just following the naming pattern of Rengoku's family) Age: 8 months

Just a cute chubby baby, who loves being carried around by his Mommy and older siblings. Also, enjoys his Uncle Senjuro rocking him to sleep.

Sweet pups that are very much loved by Mommy Tanjirou and all their Dads and Moms. 💕