#Related: slime(s)

[yolky-slimes-archival]

Pt: Turpinkcoloric (tur - pink - color - ic) “Tur” from the word turquoise . Definition:A gender related to the colors turquoise and pink, could also be related to characters with a similar palette to this (for instance, twizzly gummy cookie form cookie run, the glitch slime from slime rancher etc)

Xenocember day 15: turquoise :End Pt

Turpinkcoloric (tur - pink - color - ic)

“Tur” from the word turquoise

.

Definition:

A gender related to the colors turquoise and pink, could also be related to characters with a similar palette to this (for instance, twizzly gummy cookie form cookie run, the glitch slime from slime rancher etc)

.

Xenocember day 15: turquoise

[Banner ID: Dni: lgbtphobes, swerts, exclusionists, transmeds/transcum, pro m@p, pro shipper, pro inc*st, anti pansexual, acephoes, arophoes, anti neopronouns, anti xenogenders, anti m-spec lesbian/gay, pro transabeled, anyone coming here to start discourse/ drama/ arguments. ID end]

[just-a-ghost00]

Your next significant relationship - Who? When? Where?

Group 1 - Controler

Letters : N U Z E D M L K I O S Significant words/names/signs : SKZ, nudes, suki, soul, miso, sun, zen, Leo, kids, Nike, Mike, lion, Leon, noise, sound, Link, links, Dion, Zeus, Odin, Oden, onze (french for 11), douze (french for 12), uno, dos/due, dom, Muse, likes, silk, sold, DMs, solid, kudos, doki, slime, smile, Milo, miko

WHO ? - The Empress / STRENGTH / Herkimer diamond : power wash your energy This person is not what they seem. They may look harsh on the surface but deep down they are as fragile as Quartz. People may only judge them based on their looks and not who they are at there core. They are beautiful without a doubt. Extremely sensual and feminine. Their beauty feels ethereal. They are highly sensitive and spiritual. They could be a healer. The Herkimer diamond card mentions New York's Mohawk Valley where it can be found. So maybe this person is a New Yorker or they would like to travel to New York. With the strength card being related to fire, this person could have important fire placements in their chart (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries). They are powerful and determined. They know what they want and they won't back down no matter what you put them through. Though this person is affected by what people think of them, they would rather die than show it. They could have red hair. Their hair is rather long and straight. They like to wear bracelets. They are connected to the stars. They are grounded and protected by the universe. The Empress is also assiocated with Taurus. They present themselves as a woman. They feel close to their ancestors. It might be that there were warriors in their bloodline. Especially women. Their women ancestors were fierce in battle and they like to take after them and ask for their guidance. I'm feeling a strong connection to witches and shamans.

WHERE ? - 9 of swords / UNDERWORLD / Barite : get answers to your biggest questions. Places this person could be from or have been to at some point are : USA -> Nevada, Misouri, Georgia, Texas / China / India / Morocco / Mexico / Iran / Kazakhstan / Canada / Australia / Thailand / Nigeria / Peru / UK -> Scotland The 9 of swords card shows imagery of a woman lying down in the snow, with mountains in the background. So this person could live in a cold climate country/region. I'm thinking of the Alps, Himalaya, Caucasus, Alaska range. I'm thinking about Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Russia, Groenland, Iceland. Any city starting with a U or a B. Furthermore the character on the card has a dress with an important amount of stars on it, which reminded me of the European Union flag. In terms of the meeting, it could be through social media. The underworld card gives me a sense of mystery, of something being hidden. So it could be the dark web for some. Or on a website that keeps things hidden from people (i.e. content available only for subscribers or a private account). Also you could meet them in your dreams before you meet in 3D. Also, the underworld could be a metaphor for rave parties, clubs and so on. They could live or you could meet near an important building or monument.

WHEN ? - XXI The World / NATURE / Labradorite : protect your magic. The labradorite card mentions Aurora Borealis and the sign of Pisces. So Winter could be relevant, as well as the period from mid February to mid March. The number 21 could be relevent. So if we think in terms of dates it could be 02.21 or 03.21. The World speaks of cycles as well as the long term. So it could represent several years in terms of timing. When it comes to zodiac signs, The World is related to fixed signs. So Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius season could be relevant as well. Which means that you could meet them between mid April to mid May, mid July to mid August, mid October to mid November or mid January to mid February. The World could also represent a time of your life when you are traveling abroad. Again, the character depicted on the card has a lot of stars in their hair. So I'm thinking of the USA as well as the EU. As she is dressed in red, holds red roses and has horns on her head, I'm also being reminded of Spain. The nature card could talk about a time of your life when you are in the wild, connecting with nature, taking a break from the drama of big city life.

Group 2 - Phone

Letters : T E N N U L N O R I S Significant words/names/signs : tennis, Noris, Noe, Noel, runs, Euro, sun, tenor, soul, norns, nine, tunes, Sonne (Rammstein song), Uriel, notes, nuns, trio, route, routines, Riolu (pokémon name), Loire (region in France), Lorie, LOTR, rise, sonnet, soir (french word for evening), nuit (french for night), riots, Lise, lotus

WHO? - IV The Emporor / Sacred Sexuality / Sapphire : find your tranquil place. This person is very masculine and grounded. They could be a father and/or a leader, a mentor, an entrepreneur. The sign of Aries could be significant. They are incredibly determined and strong. Their sexual drive is high. They pay a lot of attention to their health and appearance. They have a lot of sex appeal. This person could be in the fashion industry or could even be that they get money from people watching their body (selling pictures of them, having access to private erotic content). They could have a bit of a bad temper. Piercings also seem significant. On the sacred sexuality card, there’s a full moon and roses. This tell me this person is a romantic and is more of a night owl. They have an important status. We’re talking about company owners, freelance artists, lawyers, head officers, doctors, headmasters of big schools, politicians and so on.

WHERE? - 6 of swords / MOVEMENT / Garnet : get into your depth. -> places they could be from or have gone to : Czekoslovakia, Kenya, Madagascar, India. The 6 of swords depicts a beautiful woman rowing a boat on a lake. Behind her is a white mountain. In her boat are two herons. So Africa seems significant, particularly Tanzania where Kilimandjaro can be found. I’m also thinking of the Mt Fuji in Japan, in Yamanashi. This person lives near an important body of water. Or you might meet them there. Another thing that is significant is movement. So you could meet them where you’re going on a trip, as you travel or relocate. You could meet them on a boat. Anyplace you want to create something (art, music, writing and so on). When looking at « get into your depth » this gives me the feeling you could meet this person in the 5D before meeting them in person, like through dreams or meditation.

WHEN? Queen of wands and VI The Lovers - DARE TO DREAM - Citrine : manifest your masterpiece. First of all I have to say, when I was shuffling the cards for the WHEN? the bells of the nearby Church started ringing. So this tells me when you're going to Church either for communion or for a wedding. Summer is significant, especially from mid June to mid July. I would even say the month of June is the most significant of the two. When you go after your dreams, you will meet this person. On the DARE TO DREAM card, you can see a diamond trapped in an eagle's claw. For some reasons it reminded me of metal and rock bands, of concerts and big events like the Superbowl. So maybe one of your dreams is to go watch your favorite band/artist live or to go to Hellfest or any big convention that is happening in Summer. If there are any French people here, I'm thinking of the Olympics happening this Summer in Paris. And also the Japan Expo convention. In terms of timing, I’d say in a few months.

Group 3 - Mirror

First of all I want to say my coffee spilled as I did your reading. So either you or this person is super clumsy and/or coffee is significant in your relationship. Letters : E L I C O O E U J I A Y

Words/names/signs : Jay, Jey, Joy, Jolie, Julia, Julie, Jule, July, Lucy, cool, jail, Luc, Loïc, Alice, ciel (French for Sky), clue, juice, école (French for school), eco , CEO, Lucie, Lucia, Cloe

WHO? - XVII The Star / Ancestors / Obsidian : protect your soul. Aquarius comes in strongly for this reading. This person is an introvert. They are often seen as a daydreamer, someone that doesn’t care about earthly life. They look like their head is in the stars. Which, in some way is true. This person connects strongly with the Ethers. Social media seems to be important. They could be an influencer or have a certain amount of followers that they help. Think of tarot readings, raising awareness about certain subjects (mental health, disabilities, menstrual cycle, sexuality and so on). This person could be famous in some type of way or they are going to be at some point in their life. Overall they have a good reputation among their peers. They are valued for their work ethic and their deep insights. They are divinely protected. Family business comes to mind. They care about family a lot, especially the deceased ones. This person would be the type to seek out advice from their ancestors or try to honor them as much as they can. Scorpio is also a sign that seems relevant. I don’t know why but I thought of a surgeon. So maybe they have undergone an important surgery. Or they are very sharp. Because I definitely don’t feel this person is a surgeon. Well it could be, but honestly I feel more the energy of influencers and public speakers, like ambassadors of NGOs and stuff like that. Soft and caring, they feel and look rather feminine. Giving more than receiving. They love animals. They draw a lot of attention just from their presence. I think their aura is pretty strong and vibrant. Connected to nature, especially trees and plants.

WHERE? - 7 of pentacles / movement / Herkimer diamond You could meet at work, as you’re changing jobs or they are. During a break at work while you’re printing/scanning papers. In sacred spaces. New York. Somewhere in a lot of greenery like a park or a farm. As for places they could come from or have been to, we have : Norway, Ukraine, Arizona, China, Afghanistan, Herkimer county. If not these places, there could be farms where this person lives. Also they live in a place where there is a lot of activity, especially work wise. So this makes me think of hot spots like La Défense in Paris where a lot of businesses and political administrations can be found. Other places like that would be : Midtown New York, La City London, Marunouchi Tokyo, The Loop Chicago, Bankenviertel Frankfurt, Zuidas Amsterdam, Gangnam Seoul and so on.

WHEN? - 4 of swords / Death / Aquamarine : Keep your cool. You could meet on the fourth of a month, in April. At a time when you’ve lost your voice or when you are going Hermit mode, when you are sick or when you are mourning a loss. During a period of depression. During Scorpio season. In several weeks. Also it could be when someone or something pushes your buttons but you can’t express your frustration somehow. That could be anything really. Like queueing for registration in a building and someone is trying to take your spot. Or shopping at the mall and a customer is being super rude but since there are children around you can’t fully tell this person what you think of their attitude. Stuff like that.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: hagfish

After taking last week off for mental exhaustion I have returned! And what better way to mark my return than with a shitload (or perhaps a highway load) of slime? Today I'm returning to the agnathan trenches to dredge up one of two living groups of jawless fish. I covered lampreys before, so now it's hagfish time. These ooey gooey critters are both fascinating and kinda gross. Now get ready, because it's time for slime.

(Image: a hagfish in profile. It is a long, brown, eel-like animal with a fin encircling the tail and a small head with no visible eyes or mouth. End ID)

Hagfish, also known as slime eels, are approximately 76 members of the class Myxini. In addition to the living species, hagfish have been preserved in the fossil record, letting us track their evolution through history. Hagfish are one of two living groups of agnathans, commonly known as jawless fish, with the other being the lampreys. As the name suggests, jawless fish are vertebrates without hinged jaws. Way back when bones were the cool new thing in town, agnathans represented the entirety of the vertebrates and were extremely diverse, but the evolution of jawed fish resulted in them getting largely outcompeted, leading to all lineages but the hagfish and lampreys going extinct. Genetic studies indicate that hagfish and lampreys are more closely related to each other than either group is to any other vertebrate. Because they are the only jawless fish left, hagfish and lampreys are of interest to scientists studying the evolution of vertebrates.

(Image: a hagfish coiled up, under orange light. The head is visible, featuring small sensory barbels and a large hole that resembles a mouth but is actually the nostril. End ID)

Hagfish are eel-shaped animals that range in length from a few centimeters to over a meter in the largest species, Eptatretus goliath. They have no scales, flattened tails that bear the only fin, and simple, eyeless heads. The heads bear sensory barbels, a single nostril, and the mouth. The mouth has two pairs of rasping plates that normally sit within the mouth, but can be everted to face outwards. The plates can grab food and pull it into the mouth to be swallowed. Hagfish do not have true eyes, but they do have eyespots that can sense light and dark. Interestingly, their fossil ancestors did appear to have fully-developed eyes that reduced in complexity until the present state. Likewise, ancestral hagfish had a true vertebral column made of cartilage, but modern hagfish only have remnants of their ancestor's vertebrae. Hagfish skin is very loosely connected to the internal body, only attached along the spine and slime glands. This makes the skin very flexible and harder for predators to grab. A third of the blood is contained between the skin and body and is pumped around with the heart as well as a few additional pumps that act as auxiliary hearts. Hagfish have some of the lowest blood pressure of any vertebrate and the highest blood volume to body mass ration of any chordate. Hagfish are also the only vertebrates that do not osmoregulate, meaning they cannot regulate the amount of salt in their bodies. Changes in salinity, especially moving to a lower salinity environment, are very dangerous to hagfish. Hagfish skeletons barely qualify, consisting of only a skull, notochord, and fin rays, all made of cartilage. The gills are internal. Water enters through the mouth and is forced over 5-16 internal gill pouches, then ejected through pores in the side of the body.

(Image: a closeup of a hagfish head with the rasping plates everted. The plates are mounted on pink tissue around the pharynx. there are two plates on either side of the pharyx which look like rows of small, sharp teeth. End ID)

That's all well and good, but you're here because of the slime. The hagfish's main defense is to create lots and lots of slippery slime. The slime helps them slip away from predators. If a fish tries to eat a hagfish, the slime can clog up its gills, forcing the fish to either release the hagfish or suffocate. A common factoid is that a single hagfish can turn a 5-gallon bucket of water into slime in seconds. To produce the slime, the hagfish releases threads made of special proteins into the water from glands on its skin. These proteins react with seawater to create a matrix of trapped water held together by filaments similar to keratin. The slime matrix can expand 10,000 times its original size in 0.4 seconds of exposure to seawater. The slime is quite durable and resistant to breaking and dissolving in water. After sliming, hagfish have been seen wrapping their bodies into an overhand knot and running themselves through the loop to scrape the slime off of themselves. Its possible that the slime also impairs the hagfish's ability to use it's gills and it needs to do the know to get the slime off and breathe again.

(Image: a person reaching into a holding tank full of hagfish and pulling out an armload of thick, viscous, white slime. End ID)

(Video: a hagfish in the wild demonstrating its knotting behavior. This one is going in the opposite direction usually seen: tail-to-head instead of head-to-tail. End ID)

Hagfish are found in most of the oceans, with range varying based on species. They are benthic animals that rarely swim far above the seafloor. Some species dig burrows to shelter in while others will shelter under rocks and other structures to avoid predators. While lying on the sediment, some hagfish species will coil up while others will lie straight. Hagfish are carnivorous and feed with a combination of hunting and scavenging. A large portion of the hagfish diet consists of polychaete worms and other known prey species include small crustaceans and echinoderms. Some species have been known to hunt burrowing fish, possibly by clogging up the burrows with slime to suffocate the prey. If you've seen a documentary about deep-sea fish you probably know about hagfish scavenging. Using their large nostril and sensitive sense of smell, hagfish can sense carcasses from long distances and are often some of the first scavengers to arrive at a new body. They use their rasping plates to pull bits of meat off of the carcass. A similar behavior to the slime-cleaning knots is seen when scavenging, but in reverse, going from tail to head instead of the other way around. This grants the hagfish additional mechanical advantage, allowing it to rip off larger chunks of food. Hagfish will burrow into larger corpses, possibly to get access to a food source with less competition than the outside of the body. Hagfish act as part of the deep ocean's cleaning crew, consuming corpses before they can decay and release potentially harmful chemicals into the water or act as sources of disease. Unlike any other living chordate, the food a hagfish swallows is encased in a permeable membrane during digestion. Hagfish can also absorbed dissolved nutrients through their skin. Hagfish have a very slow metabolism and ones in captivity have been observed going for up to 7 months between meals.

(Image: several hagfish feeing on the body of a fish. The hagfish have their heads on the fish's body and one hagfish is entering the fish's mouth. End ID)

Hagfish reproduction is still something of an enigma as so many of them live in the deep sea, making it difficult to observe them reproducing. It has been observed that females seem to outnumber males, with the exact ration varying depending on species. In some species, the sex ratio is almost even, while in others, there are 7 females to each male. however, it should be noted that females mature sexually faster than males and it has been suggested that this is responsible for the apparent skewed ratio. Hagfish eggs have tufts at the end that cause them to get stuck to each other like velcro. It has been suggested that eggs are laid in clusters possibly in burrows, beneath rocks, or protected with slime. Some species seem to have a mating season and seasonally migrate. Hagfish have only a single ovary or testicle (the latter of which has been described as unusually small by scientists and bullies in the deep-sea locker room) and they have no specialized reproductive tract. Instead, gametes are released into the main body cavity and must find their way to the anus to leave the body. Hagfish embryology is poorly understood, though it has been reported from studies of Eptatretus stoutii (Pacific hagfish) that the eggs can take up to 11 months to hatch. Hagfish have no larval stage, unlike lampreys and bony fish.

(Image: a group of 9 hagfish eggs in a plastic tub. The eggs are ovoid and dark yellow, with tufts of fibers at each end. End ID)

The conservation status and needs of most hagfish species is hard to discern because of the depths they inhabit. Threats to them include bycatch, as hagfish are often caught during deep-sea dredges. It is alos possible the chemical pollutants may be passed to hagfish through scavenging. There is a commercial fishery for hagfish, which is largest off of the west coast of the Americas. Hagfish are eaten as a delicacy in Korea and less commonly eaten in Japan. Most of the hagfish fishery goes to Korean food markets. Hagfish skin is also values as a durable leather and often marketed as "eel leather" or "yuppie skin". Study of the slime and the highly durable threads that produce it indicates they could be used to create very strong materials, similarly to spider silk. Research is currently being undertaken to find uses for hagfish slime and threads.

Once again, these cards show up in my posts (Image the Weird n' Wild Creatures card for hagfish, featuring an exaggerated drawing on a hagfish. End ID)

[irana5711]

Fragility

Word Count: 2.5k

A small fanfic in which you are falsely accused of a crime, and try to clear your name.

Sebastian Solace x gn!reader (who gets their heart broken, kind of)

Contains angst and descriptions related to organs and blood (but no actual gore) and a brief mention of suicidal thoughts if you squint. No comfort or fluff. Critique is highly appreciated!

It was sudden. Unexpected. And obviously, unwelcome. It was a rather funny twist of fate when you discovered those bodies and mindlessly picked up the knife, without thinking about the consequences of your curiosity. It didn't take long before the door was busted open, and a gun fired at your leg. The pain was too much for you to bear, and the sight of uncontrolled blood flow made you feel dizzy. In only a matter of seconds, you were out cold, laying on the concrete as police sirens blared outside the abandoned factory.

A week later, you were found guilty, even after crying and begging the authorities that it wasn't your fault. It was an accident! A coincidence! Yet even with your desperate cries and insistent begging, nothing could be done. It was a heinous crime, yes, and this fact led to you being forced into the cell of a maximum security prison. It was (weirdly) built underwater - dark, cold, and suffocatingly humid. What kind of person could bear this? I mean, even being there was pure torture, both physically and mentally. It couldn't get any worse...

...right? Well, at that time, that's what you felt like. It really was the worst place one could find themselves in, and you wanted to get out. You happened to get that chance, but it was on slightly different terms - execution. A (supposed) criminal like you was far too gone to be wasting resources in rehab, and so, you were scheduled to die. You were given three days to sort out whatever you might have had left in the world of the living, before a guard would pretend to be God and dictate when and how you would take your last breath. Now, comprehending death certainly wasn't easy for someone as young as yourself. What would come after? Is there even something after that? What would happen to your body? Would it hurt? Would someone wait for you on the other side? Anger seeped into your mind as you thought about it. Someone thought of themselves as important enough to force you to give up your life for an act you didn't commit. Someone had total control over your existence, and it frustrated you immensely.

Just as you were about to claim control over the situation yourself (with a pathetic blunt shard of glass nonetheless), a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself. A facility of the Urbanshade prison was sabotaged and damaged so badly that it could only be destroyed and rebuilt completely. But they needed its lifesource, as it was far too precious to be left behind. And whoever got to it first had the right to leave the prison. It was your chance. Your only chance.

Equipped with an air tank and a wetsuit, you accepted the deal without reading their terms and conditions. You had mindlessly signed the paper that would determine your fate, without even skimming through the pages. Now, the voice of the operative gave you a vague warning along the lines of 'stay alert' as you rummaged through lockers and drawers for what they called 'loose assets'. DNA vials, documents, USB sticks and items that could sometimes be found throughout the facility were instantly shoved in your duffel bag. Something was off, though. The lights flickered once you reached your tenth door, and the hairs on your nape stood up. You approached a locker, but a faint purple glow and a puddle of disgusting slime pooling at its bottom prevented you from opening it. Whatever was in there deserved to remain hidden away. Only two steps forward before an ear-piercing screech made you rush into a free locker. A shadowy mass with an esca hanging from its front passed by you, and through the spaces in the claustrophobic metal box you could see a terrifying face staring straight at you, no matter what angle you looked at it from. With shaky legs, you got out of the locker and made a mental note to stay close to any hiding spots. Your heart was beating wildly and you couldn't breathe. Ultimately, you decided to slump against a wall and rest, even if for a minute. Surely, Urbanshade could wait.

It didn't stop there. The freakish creatures were all over, and the deeper you went, the more you encountered. Squids, sensitive to light, that would chase you if you weren't careful with your lantern, those fish that rushed through the halls in hopes of devouring human meat, a gigantic shark that would mess with your mind and move your muscles. At door 49, you thought you were going to die. You had never prayed to God before, not even when you got sentenced to death, but now you were screaming prayers in your mind as a rotting body with sharp teeth and dozens of eyes peered at you through the locker's spaces while smashing its decomposing body against it. Your muscles contracted painfully as you shook and cried, holding the doors together. Its last push was so hard that the bottom part of the locker caved in and slashed your leg, re-opening your previous gun wound. Thankfully, the monster left, but you barely managed to make it through. You dragged your body to the next door, and the vent on the left side flew open, smashing against the wall. Muffling a scream, you went to inspect the movement. Army-crawling through the dusty tunnel, you found yourself inside a weirdly comfortable establishment. Until the light turned on, that is. A freakishly big, humanoid fish started talking, happily introducing himself and his wares.

'Welcome, welcome! My name is Sebastian. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, despite what you might have seen, heard and/or been told. Here is my collection of wares. You can find something you like and just... pick it off my tail.'

To say you were dumbfounded was an understatement. You stupidly gawked at the creature before you, like a lost child in a candy aisle at the local supermarket. It- or, um, perhaps *he* didn't seem to be too bothered by your actively bleeding leg. Hesitantly, you reached for the medkit on his tail, before he suddenly yanked it away.

'And the payment?' he said, rubbing two of his three hands together, his smile cold.

'Payment? I have no money.' you replied.

'Money is useless here. What would I buy with it? I need data. I hope you have the mental capacity to understand what data is. Do you know what a document looks like? Hmm?'

This was a wonderful start, was it not? Injured and ridiculed even at the bottom of the sea. Even if Urbanshade did tell you to secure loose assets, they wouldn't mind you using it to last longer. I mean, you living would guarantee they have more to collect from you, right? And so, you handed the proper amount of data to the fish-man, mermaid, whatever he was, and used the medkit. It felt nice to have something clean on you, even if it was just a cheap bandage.

One thing was undeniable, however - you were exhausted. You had been denied food, water and humanity for at least six hours by that point. And it would be pathetic to die of exhaustion with so many monsters roaming the halls.

Without thinking about what the shopkeeper would say, you sat on the cold ground at the other side of the shop, resting your back against some boxes, and you fell asleep. Urbanshade could have detonated your gear, but you didn't care. You relied on the pity your operative might have had for you. You would later learn (after you woke up, of course) that the SCRAMBLER device on the shopkeeper's back prevented any connection being made around the place. Including your connection with Urbanshade. You could hear a bit of grumbling here, a complaint there as you rested in the shop. You weren't wanted, but you didn't care. Without bothering to ask how much you stayed, you bid goodbye to the mutant and went on with your journey. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for you to die to a stray monster, as the lights didn't flicker. While bleeding out on the pavement, feeling the fish crunch on your leg, a comforting warmth enveloped you.

'This is it.' you thought. 'This is how it ends.'

You closed your eyes and hoped God would still love you, even after you doubted him for so long. Let's be fair, you still did doubt him, but maybe you'd be met with mercy and understanding when crossing to the afterlife, if there even is one.

When you opened your eyes, you were sat at a table, in a dark room, as a snarky comment was being spat at you by none other than the strange shopkeeper.

'Out of sight, out of mind, wink wink nudge nudge...'

A document was slid to you, some parts redacted, and some available for reading. It was a report on the creature that mangled you. Questioning how you cheated death was too taxing on your psyche, and you found that you couldn't talk to the shopkeeper. Was this the Purgatory? Maybe. But it surely wasn't the end.

It was only your first run. Each and every time, you cheated death, sometimes even before reaching the shop. But when you did reach it, you always talked to Sebastian. You bought his file. You read and you cried for him. You opened your heart to him and told him about your troubles while he awkwardly shifted around and offered you a small discount on a flashlight, mostly out of pity. Even if it was sometimes stiff and awkward, it was... nice. Comfortable. You felt excitement everytime you crawled through the vents and opened doors. Soon you could safely say that you were doing this just for him, and not for the lifesource. No, the crystal was a secondary goal. You felt free with him. With your friend. With your best and only friend.

Your heart soon began fluttering at the slightest reminder of him. Sometimes, the intercom voice sounded like him, and you had to stop for a moment to regain your thoughts. Your feet felt cold and your hands were freezing when you talked to him or rested on his tail. You nearly felt your very soul shattering into billions of pieces when you saw his ring. He looked at it so lovingly. So warmly. So... You couldn't think about it any longer. Your skin felt like it was being pricked with needles, your ears were burning and you could swear you felt your organs pulsing and contracting everytime he talked about her. You wanted to claw at your stomach and tear out your insides. You felt disgusted. With him? With her? With yourself? You didn't know. Yet everytime you left the shop, you were trembling and sobbing. You were aware it couldn't become what you wanted it to become. The circumstances were too complicated, and even with an incredible amount of work, you couldn't have gotten him out. And even if you did, you knew he'd go back to her, and you'd be left alone again, suffering even more than right now. No, you couldn't bear giving way to yet another unfortunate event.

The only solution was to avoid his shop. You'd be quiet with your footsteps, tiptoeing when you saw the vent flying open, and you'd always have a code breacher to avoid having to go in for the keycard. You were pretty sure he couldn't recognize you in the darkness of your death room, and for that you thanked whatever deity was looking over you. Even if you were badly wounded and losing blood, you would rather turn the facility upside down, destroying lockers and throwing drawers in search of even a bandaid. It hurt so much that you felt every drop of blood traveling in your heart when it started beating.

Another idea wormed its way into your scrambled mind: confess. You'd confess, get rejected, and move on. So simple, so effective. You hadn't felt so enlightened ever since you understood optical physics, and it was great feat back then. Determined, you stepped into his shop for what you didn't know would be your last ever run. Luckily, you had found a forgotten notebook and a pen in an office, and started writing down your troubles to calm yourself. You needed your mind to be clear. If any dark thought crossed you, it would all crumble. You'd chicken out and suffer more, and you swore to yourself you'd never feel that miserable ever again. The viscous ink stained the paper as you poured your heart out on the pages, talking about your infatuation and your hurt. After you were done, you stood next to the table, looking at the pathetic text plaguing a perfectly fine notebook. If someone were to find it... No. Without a second thought, you took it with you and stuffed it in your bag, along with an incredible amount of data. When you reached his shop, you gave him all of your research without buying anything, and you opened your mouth. It was an embarrassing word vomit that happened that day - unstoppable rambling about how great he is, how perfect, how beautiful and how painfully unachievable. You saw how he looked at you, his eyes pleading with you to stop as he fidgeted with that fucking ring. Your mouth closed when he yelled at you to quiet down, and reminded you of his undying love for his wife. You had been quite selfish to want him for yourself, that's what he thought. And maybe he was right. Your ears rang through the silence that came after, and without any further interaction, you crawled back through the vent and left. Somehow, it went worse than you had expected. Somewhere deep down in your messy head, maybe you had wanted him to be softer. Maybe you had hoped he felt the same, even though your confession was to confirm the other side. Maybe you hoped he had forgotten about her. But he didn't. You weren't special, yes, you had always known that, but now it stung you so deeply and so badly that your nerves were on fire. Your act was self-deprecating to its core, but only now you were acknowledging how rough it was on your psyche.

You pushed forward, and without hearing the screech behind you, a pink angler forced you into the wall and sank its unforgiving fangs into your back. This time you didn't make a peep, not registering the physical pain. You'd die for the last time just as you did the first - to the same monster, with the same hopelessness, on the cold floor. Like an animal.

As you took your last breath, you knew that this was it. This time, it felt real. It felt warm and welcoming, just like his shop did in the past. It was such a bittersweet moment, and you found yourself yearning for death. You could have hid, but you didn't. In the end, you died on your own terms, and you weren't angry anymore.

[yolky-slimes-archival]

Pt: ace flag picked from the crystal slime from slime rancher! :End Pt

ace flag picked from the crystal slime from slime rancher!

[bathylychnops]

chris met a new coworker and got suchh a big crush on him his names duncan ( @wigglybug 's character ) and like chris, was ALSO changed to have unhelpful superpowers via a work-related-accident (duncan turns into slime) (chris is a human nuclear reactor)

which is funny because they work at the same company, this happens to like 1/3 of the employees at SoSafe energy co.

[liliadrawingstuff]

Please take this Post with satire. I am just ascendingly screaming over the Faba Bio Leak. I waited for this moment to happen and actually gave it up but damn. I WASNT READY FOR THIS AHAHAHA

SMALL DISCLAIMER: I want to clarify. I see those leaked things not as canon. Just as his base idea that they changed through development. But. I am just going to act like as If this would be canon in this post.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLACK OR BLONDE HAIR. BLACK HAIR FABA WAS AN OPTION?

ey he is 165 cm... That's. THATS LITERALLY THE EXACT HEIGHT I THOUGHT OF HIM AS LMAOOOOOOO. WHATTTTTTT look at my pinned post for proof 🫵🏻 SMALL LITTLE GUYYYY AAAGHHH.

53 years old pretty much fits. I headcanoned him as mid 40's to begin 50's so hell yeah!! Old man!!

.

.

But. One question is.

WHO IS YOUR WIFE AND CHILD. 🫵🏻 WHO IS YOUR WIFE AND CHILD. WHY ARE YOU MARRIED. (I would love to meet them. Maybe.) WHOOOOOOO!!!!! THOOOOO!! WHO WOULD MARRY YOU???? (ahum...yea) I have to headcanon that his concept wife is either just as toxic as him or a poor woman he treats badly. Well I prefer the first hc in that case.

SPEAKING OF TREATING WOMEN BADLY!! THIS DANG ASS MISOGYNIST. PAHAHA. I love how they clarify "opposite Sex" but not same sex? Is this guy a misogynistic closeted gay?? He can have fights with the 1 or 2 misandrist Lesbians on Xitter and get obliterated.

I love that they went with arrested and fired for his ending. He can join Team Plasma in the Anime Jail. (So that's how he met Colress!! okno) but I think it's very cute that in the end they all gave him a second chance in most medias. (Besides the Manga...I guess ahum ahum)

Germanic descent? Still vibe with him as French/Kalosian more but him shouting angrily in German would be SOMETHING. I can see that now so much.... Maybe he is French German after all who knows. Kinda fits. (also my pride of being German just highered itself by 0.0001 %). German region when where we meet Fabas Wife and traumatized Child with awful parents.

The fact he is described super kind to Lusamine is actually very fun. Just sliming himself up the career ladder. I have urges to slap him real bad because all of this //affec

"But thanks to the Aether Foundation he gets great powerful pokemon" IF THAT WOULD BE CANON THEY ONLY GAVE HIM A HYPNO WHAT DO YOU MEAN. And lend him more pokemon afterwards so he can battle you as champion? Would be funny. But yeah. I stand with the HC that all of his mons all have a special reason to be in his team and why he is with them.

But the "his hobby is sexual harassment" cought me so off guard. I can't help but laugh about it. It sounds so bad. The bad wording probably kills me. FABA PLEASE. FOR THINKING USE YOUR BRAIN!! NOT SMTH ELSE. YOU DICKHEAD.

Also it was planned that he gets a watch.... Guy had to show off his rich kid watch surely to impress others.

God damn I want to hit him so hard //affec

I wanna draw a bit related to the leaks as a joke and then come back to answer messages and look what horrors yall think of this ajehdbka

Xenley is preparing her fists because she will be allowed to beat him up.

Lilac is gonna get the first aid and tells him everything will be fine and that this is just a nightmare.

[yolky-slimes-archival]

Pt: dihopsparklyslimic + darlisparklyslimic :End Pt

dihopsparklyslimic + darlisparklyslimic

[IMAGE ID: two horizontal flags with nine stripes; each flag has a sparkly pink slime in the center. the sparkly pink slime is a simple, medium pink blob with small eyes and an open, happy smile. it appears to have glitter in its body, and three sparkles are shining off it. the middle stripe is twice as large as the rest of them, which are equally sized. the first flag has these top three colors: warm brown, warm yellow, and orange-pink. the second flag has these top three colors: purple-pink, deep pink, and bright light green. each flag has these bottom six stripes: light pink, off-white, light pink, medium pink, dark pink, and warm purple. END ID.]

dihopsparklyslimic: a gender connected to being a sparkly slime dimension hopper; this gender is connected to sparkly slimes, sparkly slime aesthetics, dimension hopper aesthetics, dimension aesthetics, and althood/dimhood!

darlisparklyslimic: a gender connected to being a sparkly slime darling; this gender is connected to sparkly slimes, sparkly slime aesthetics, darling aesthetics, lovecore aesthetics, and dasimhood!

[tsel-bas]

Welcome To The Factory!

Basic Information:

(Warning this is a very long post)

!NO RADQUEERS PLEASE!

!THIS IS NOT SELLING HEADMATES AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SYSTEM HOPPING/TRAVELLING!

We are a factory that creates/helps create different parts of systems! Whether that be a singular headmate, a group, a sisasystem, a headspace, a sentispace or something else! We can’t create entire systems themselves though, that’s up to you and your abilities in Willogenic practices!

We want to work alongside other blogs like this one and help the community! We want to help you fill out your system, and maybe even help other headmates to finish forming and grasp a sense of identity for systems that may or may not be interested in creation.

If we don’t know a lot about what you want, which we might not but will provide a list of things we are knowledgeable in, then we hope you will provide a bit of extra information! We will do most of the research ourselves though!

Information about requests will be below!

Templates:

You can provide areas of information that you would like or fill out one of these templates! All can be edited and randomized at request.

Individual Headmate:

Name(s):

Pronouns:

Gender Identity:

Sexual/Romantic Orientation:

Preferred Terms:

Age:

Role:

Type:

Source: (Will always be this blog, unless you request a introject, but will include us saying that we practically “edited” said introject)

Description:

Faceclaims:

+ Any extra information you’d desire! (Likes, dislikes, etc.)

Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

Group Of Headmates:

Same as above, but with multiple versions for different, individual headmates to form in a group. Often based around a theme, but can be otherwise. Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

Sidesystems:

Similar to a group, but is placed outside the main system. May or may not have a way to access them. Can be based off themes or be completely individual and independent from one another. Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

Subsystem:

Similar or the same as a group or sidesystem. But is usually within a certain headmates own consciousness. If you would like to include one of your already existing headmates into the system please let us know. May or may not be themed. May or may not have a collective identity. Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

Name(s):

Pronouns:

Age Range:

Role(s):

Type(s):

Non-Sentient Headspace:

This requires descriptions to help with visialization.

Ecosystem(s):

Structure(s):

Weather:

Day/Night Cycle? (Yes/No/Always Day/Always Night):

Time Flow (Normal, different?)

+Any extra information you’d like to include

Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

Sentispace:

Name(s):

Age:

Gender Identity:

Sexual/Romantic Orientation:

Type:

Role:

+Any extra requested information

Can be randomized/dealers choice on request.

What We Will Or Will Not Do:

We Will/Can Do:

Things based off of most aesthetics, gore/horror themes and such will have trigger/content warnings for those who are sensitive to such content.

Things relating to subjects we are somewhat knowledgeable about. Such as: Minecraft + MCYTs (DSMP/QSMP, etc.), Subnautica, Slime Rancher, Stardew Valley, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda (Mostly botw/totk), Books, Space, Animals, Legos, Anime, The Backrooms, SCP Foundation, and more.

Things that will require a little bit of research from us, basically things we aren’t that knowledgeable about.

Nonhuman/Alterhuman related things

Can add disso and Aldernic terms upon request

+More

Won't/Cant Do

Anything related to real people (Factives), Such as celebrities, Minecraft youtubers (Will do their characters, just not the person themselves), and people you know.

Anything offensive, like based off of slurs and such that we most definitely cannot reclaim.

SA/SH/ED related things

Radqueer/TransID/TransX related things

+More

We Have The Right to Deny/Delete Any Request We Receive. Especially If They Are Sent In When Requests Are Closed.

We Will Have A Maximum Of 5 (Five) Requests.

There Is Only One System As A Mod Here. We Ask Of You To Be Patient With Us. We Will Include Any Requests We Currently Below:

Current Requests: 4/5 (Four of Five) Ògregulator Little Homura - Madoka Magica Mitzi The Luna Moth Squishable Ostentatia Wallace - Dimension 20

Claimed Tags: -🩸Anon -🦷 Anon

[mylittlestims]

May I have an autistic Fizzy stim with 1950's aesthetic, mainly pastel cafe themes floats, pastel pink and green slimes, and bubbles if it is okay

Fizzy Stimboard with pastel pink, green slime, bubbles, floats & cafe related stims for Anon

(X) (X) (X)

(X) (X) (X)

(X) (X) (X)

[randoimago]

Day 7. Cuddly Slime x Reader

Note(s): Oh to be cuddled by an affectionate slime person

requested by anon

A pouty sigh escapes them as they lay on the floor, causing a bit of a puddle to form as they're not really keeping up their body. Why would they stay humanoid shaped when their human isn't here.

They have an urge to call you just to hear your voice. Just a quick, "I miss you." and maybe asking when you're coming home. Sure, you don't owe it to them to give them your schedule for every second of the day, but they miss you so much.

There's noise at the door and the sound of it being unlocked. It causes them to perk up, almost like a puppy excited for its owner to come back. They quickly stand up, staggering a bit as they have to reform their legs better. Being a weird mix of solid and liquid has caused many messes and they don't want you to have to clean up because of them.

The door opens and they immediately open their arms wide, wanting the biggest hug. "You're home! I missed you!"

"I was only gone for ten minutes."

"And that's ten minutes too many. Thank you for shopping, but your partner wants hugs." They smile when you smile at how needy they are.

They playfully sigh as you move to put whatever quick groceries you got away. Even if they are being a bit needy, they also know how to be patient. Most of the time.

But they perk up again when you approach and they open their arms for you. When you do hug them back, a soft sigh escapes their lips. "This is nice."

They feel the vibrations as you chuckle at them. "Hopefully you don't leave a mess like last time. Washing the slime out of my clothes was a nightmare."

They pout and pull back just enough to look at you. "I said I was sorry. I can't help it. You're warm and so I don't think when I start enveloping you."

They have tried to get better at that. But they just like wrapping their body around you when you cuddle. It's a nice feeling being able to hold you completely. Even if you say it feels a bit tingly after a little while. It's not their fault that they're related to a gelatinous cube on their mother's side.

"I did miss you. So much," they mutter as they hold you closer, doing their best to maintain their form.

"And I miss you too, love."

That's enough to make them smile and pull you in deeper to the hug. They'll apologize for ruining your clothes later, they just really want to hold you.

[yolky-slimes-archival]

Pt: gamesgender

gender that’s related to minecraft (the game), pokemon, stardew valley and the game slime rancher :End Pt

gamesgender

gender that’s related to minecraft (the game), pokemon, stardew valley and the game slime rancher

pronoun ideas

ga/game/games/gameself

game/game/games/gameself

play/play/plays/playself

fun/fun/funs/funself

console/console/consoles/consoleself

minecraft/minecraft/minecrafts/minecraftself

po/pokemon/pokemons/pokemonself

pokemon/pokemon/pokemons/pokemonself

slime/slime/slimes/slimeself

rancher/rancher/ranchers/rancherself

cute/cute/cutes/cuteself

🎮/🎮/🎮s/🎮self

request for @pinksokka Moth hopes you will like it

[aha-chuu]

Alhaitham and Kaveh's dynamic is interesting, because I've seen a lot of people say either "oh my god Kaveh is so mean" or "oh my god Alhaitham treats Kaveh terribly". But, quite importantly imo, in this quest Paimon remarks that she "doesn't know which one of them is more problematic".

I think when considering their relationship you need to look at intention. Do Hoyo want to villainise one of their popular husnandoes as a toxic asshole? No. Even the "villain" playable characters like Childe and Wanderer are nice/funny on occasion. Kaveh and Alhaitham's interactions are intended to be humorous, to make you gasp and say "oh wow I can't believe he just said that!".

Like, during the most recent story quest, for example. Kaveh accusing Alhaitham of having no empathy when he's clearly pretty emotionally stunted and decently moral is mean. But saying "At least I'd be a fungus with empathy!" Undercuts that - it's clear neither Alhaitham nor the player are suppose to take those words seriously.

Alhaitham dismissing Kaveh's field of work with "you work yourself to death just for a smile" is so belittling, but it's a retort to Kaveh saying his scribe job is at "rock bottom" in the Akademiya. Alhaitham isn't lashing out or trying to demean Kaveh in front of others (this interaction happens after the player has "left"); he's just continuing their verbal sparring match. I think people take this jab so seriously because it can be seen as a jab at a lot of people working out of passion, but in the context of the dialogue we're not supposed to regard it so deeply.

It's also fairly clear that nobody in game takes them seriously either. Tighnari says Kaveh is "as pent up as an anemo slime" in his Alhaitham voiceline - another funny quip - and Collei details how hard it was to suppress her laughter when Kaveh was talking about Alhaitham. Nobody thinks they're genuinely bad for one another, or that getting them separated is all that crucial.

Even the interactions in this story quest are just so silly and domestic: Kaveh can't get the painting straight, Alhaitham buys ugly furniture, they're arguing about rent and drink tabs, Kaveh is doing an unfair amount of housework and Alhaitham fucks off without entertaining his own guests. it's funny, or at least it is clearly intended to be.

I've heard that in the other dubs the VAs tones are different and it makes the lightheartedness clearer. Personally I've thought since their first interaction in the AQ that Alhaitham is having fun during their quarrels, and Kaveh is just melodramatic enough to act traumatised even if he isn't truly offended.

Then when it comes to whether their dynamic is supposed to be read platonically or romantically... Well Hoyo won't do anything canon, but it's hard to argue that there is no intentionality in how their relationship is portrayed. What other character(s) has an idle animation directly referencing their relationship with another character? How many other voicelines explicitly reference two characters as a pair? Nahida's Kaveh voiceline, Collei's, Tighnari's - I'm sure there are more. "Roommates" "senior & junior" "academic rivals" -> certainly there's a case to be made that they're just very close, but Kaveh and Alhaitham getting fifteen minutes of epilogue interaction in two different quests (where none of the content is related to either quest) says something. Fanservice, quite possibly.

Also Kaveh's line "We used to be friends, but not anymore"; I've seen plenty of people interpret this as "oh we're not friends, we're dating*". I think this is fun in fanon, but on a canon level it's basically a promise by Hoyo to fix (or explain) their current dynamic. Hoyo, for all their many faults, are detail orientated enough to follow up on such a line. Perhaps it will just be in Kaveh's voicelines/character stories, but I anticipate a future event or Kaveh hangout in relation to their bond. Nothing explicit, but more exploration. It's fairly clear Alhaitham and Kaveh are popular enough characters to warrant it.

All this to say: I have lots of thoughts. I have seen people call them toxic and (while idm the drama of that in fanon shipping) that isn't really the intended case in canon. Or, at the very least, the intention is not to to take their squabbling so seriously.

[pizzabox-box]

Not a question about anything pizza tower related, I'm just curious about you (in the least creepy way you can take that)! Do you have other blogs/social media accounts (wants to see more art)? What're your pronouns/a name you want to go by? /Most/ importantly, what's the art program(s) you use? It reminds me so much of an old mobile app I used to use, but I think it's pure coincidence!

I go by Rookie Cookie/Rookie/Pizzabox .My pronouns she/her or they/them. My main blog is @rookies-cookies-art so if you see blog named rookies-cookies-art liking your stuff that's me! But there isn't much on there yet. (In fact, there's absolutely nothing yet)

This was actually supposed to be a side blog for the event for when I sometimes make something Pizza Tower related. But I got carried away and well, you know the rest. I became that one full time Pizza Tower artist that mixes fake and real Peppino in various ways and reports the results. (oh well)

In case you want to chat my discord is: rookie_cookie_

You can also find me on instagram under the name: rookie_cookie_

But beware:

I am not active on there anymore

it's Minecraft focused

The art is pretty outdated. I mean I'm not bad, but it's kinda edgy and angsty, especially the older drawings (I say as if whatever is going on with all these au's isn't dark and angsty lol )

I draw my stuff with the help of a regular tablet and a finger. And I have been doing so for the last 6 years. (don't worry I still have all of my fingers👍)

I use sony Sketch. A great ad free app, I have been using that since very begining :) Sometimes when I want to draw on my PC I use Drawpile.

Besides Pizza Tower I'm big fan of all sorts of evolution/creature games (Spore,Thrive,Elysian Eclipse you name it! ) And building/creative focused/chill games. (Slime rancher FTW :D)

Aside from drawing my other hobbies include all kinds of crafts (sculpting) and p l a n t s .

[spineless-lobster]

In lieu of @motions1ckn3ss ‘s absolutely WONDERFUL essay about ellwood’s relationship with poetry, I’ve been inspired to post my history essay that analyzes the way WWI is shown in In Memoriam! (Strap in this will be long lol)

Nothing Is Worth This: How In Memoriam Portrays WWI

Alice Winn’s debut novel In Memoriam is a hidden gem amongst the growing popularity of historical fiction. Published in 2023, the novel follows the lives of English schoolboys Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. As the First World War breaks out in 1914, they face two battles; the Western Front and their growing feelings for each other. Together they watch as friends die around them, and as the war changes their lives forever.

The novel explores tumultuous conditions soldiers faced in the trenches, such as mud, poor rations, and gas attacks. Classism, social dynamics during WWI, attitudes towards homosexuality, and trauma are also touched on.

When one thinks of trenches, the first image that comes to mind is likely muddy, rat-infested mazes that snake around a war-torn No Man’s Land. Winn perfectly portrays the horrors of trench warfare throughout the novel, one notable interaction is from a letter Gaunt sends to Ellwood when he reaches the front:

“I throw myself to the ground, and the mud is foul. It’s not like mud, Elly, it’s cursed. It’s– Like everything else, I can’t explain” (Winn, 35).

There is no greater example of the terror of mud in the Western Front than the fields of Passchendaele. In August of 1917, Belgium saw unprecedented amounts of rain which led to treacherous conditions. Bombardier JW Palmer, 26 Brigade Royal Field Artillery, writes in his account:

“It was mud, mud, everywhere: mud in the trenches, mud in front of the trenches, mud behind the trenches. Every shell hole was a sea of filthy oozing mud. I suppose there is a limit to everything but the mud of Passchendaele – to see men keep on sinking into the slime, dying in the slime – I think it absolutely finished me off” (Battersby).

One of the most dreaded side effects of mud was trench foot, an infection that ravaged soldiers. It is caused by prolonged exposure in cold, damp and unsanitary conditions. Symptoms include swelling, numbness, blotchy skin, and if it develops enough, blisters and dying skin tissue (CDC).

When not on the battlefield, men were treated to daily food rations. Rations in the trenches consisted of corned beef, bread, plum and apple jam, tea, whiskey and rum. Water was often disinfected with chlorine and had a chemical aftertaste. The novel discusses food supply on both the British and German sides, and even touches on food shortages throughout the rest of Europe. A scene where Ellwood and Gaunt’s sister, Maud, eat at a cafe details the pitiable amount of butter on their scones. At the front, flies and rats infested everything, eating the men’s rations and spreading disease. British infantryman Victor Silvester wrote in his diary:

“That night I had been asleep in a dugout [for] about three hours when I woke up feeling something biting my hip. I put my hand down and my fingers closed on a big rat. It had nibbled through my haversack, my tunic and pleated kilt to get at my flesh. With a cry of horror I threw it from me.” (Hamilton, 18).

A few passages in the novel are dedicated to the conditions of the food. Often it is writtens in a way that a reader may interpret as gallows humour.

“The flies plagued them, feasting on the dead and then coming to sit amicably on the men’s rations. They got stuck in the jam, which was always plum and apple […] As to apples, the sour, fly-covered substance that they ate with bread at five each evening had as little relation to them as the ‘meat cutlets’ had to meat” (Winn, 91).

“‘D’you want a cup of tea?’

‘Will it taste of disinfectant?’

‘’Fraid so.’

‘Well, better have it all the same’” (Winn, 95).

It is often described that soldiers had two emotions at the front: boredom and terror. One of the harbingers of terror included poison gas. First used at the Second Battle of Ypres on 22 April 1915, the Allies were devastated by the chlorine gas that was unleashed in unprecedented quantities by the Germans.

The British then managed to use gas at the Battle of Loos, prompting both sides to develop protections against gas attacks. These defences started out as cotton pads covering their mouths, soaked in chemicals–or in desperate situations, urine–and goggles to protect their eyes. Throughout the war the makeshift masks developed into more sophisticated gas masks.

The brutality of poison gas in warfare was so acute that it was outlawed by the Geneva Protocol in 1925. Just ten years after its initial use. Renowned poet Wilfred Owen captures the trauma of gas in his famous poem Dulce Et Decorum Est.

“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling/Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,/But someone still was yelling out and stumbling/And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—/Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,/As under a green sea, I saw him drowning” (Owen, 9-14).

A similarly moving passage is found within the novel, when Gaunt is faced with Algerian soldiers fleeing from gas at Ypres.

“More Algerians came flooding by. Some were only choking, but others were coughing up scrambled bits of lung, their lungs were melting inside them and drowning them” (Winn, 75).

Gaunt continues to reflect on the effect colonialism has on war and the useless attempts to try and make war ‘civilised’ by using laws such as the Hague Convention, which are so easily ignored.

“We swarmed through Africa and America because we were better than they, of course we were, we were making war humane, and now it has broken down and they are dragged into hell with us. We have doomed the world with our advancements, with our democracy that is so much better than whatever they thought of, with our technology that will so improve their lives, and now Algerian men must choke to death on their own melted insides in wet Belgian trenches” (Winn, 75).

Empires such as Britain invaded countless countries, stealing their resources and enslaving people. They exploited those countries so they had to rely on their economy, and used it to justify their ownership. All because they believed that they were more civilised than everyone else; despite the ungodly circumstances modern warfare put soldiers in.

Winn captures the grime, fear and misery that comes with living in the trenches. From vivid descriptions of shellfire and gas, to the bland and occasionally humorous details regarding a soldier’s diet. Undoubtedly, one can imagine themselves slogging through the muddied land of war-torn Belgium with each turn of a page.

Moreover, one theme that is prevalently explored throughout the novel is classism and how it affects soldiers during the war. Gaunt and Ellwood come from privileged backgrounds, going to a public school called Preshute and immediately receiving their commission when they enlisted. When writing to Gaunt, Ellwood discussed how he was even able to choose his own regiment.

“When we next meet I shall be a second lieutenant in the Royal Kennet Fusiliers, Third Battalion. I’m glad I was able to pick my regiment! (It’s all about who you know)” (Winn, 80).

Having connections with the higher class means receiving certain privileges that others don’t have access to. Officers frequented the same upper class social circles, due to there being so few prestigious universities in England. Favours for friends or family members was extremely common and gave commissioned officers opportunities that weren’t available to the working class.

By contrast, they meet a fellow junior officer Lieutenant David Hayes, who did not come from a rich background. Throughout the book his uniform is described as poorly fitting, due to his inability to afford a proper tailor. Hayes quickly becomes friends with Gaunt but is wary of Ellwood, the stark contrast between their socioeconomic positions leading to a strained relationship.

“‘I say, is it really true he was a factory worker before all this?’

‘He’s awfully sharp, isn’t he?’

‘Do you think he’d take offence if I recommended him a new tailor?’

‘Yes,’ said Ellwood, flatly” (Winn, 269).

“‘Said it’s a stone ginger.’

‘...Translate,” Gaunt said to Hayes, as they climbed into the train carriage. Hayes understood Cockney and trench slang far better than the public school officers did” (Winn, 120).

“I’ve been made captain. Seems a well-tailored uniform and the right accent make me a better candidate than Hayes, despite his years of experience” (Winn, 77).

Additionally, Gaunt writes in a letter that one of their schoolmates would hypothetically refer to Hayes as a “temporary gentleman.” This phrase was used throughout WWI and continued into the interwar period and WWII. The phrase refers to non-commissioned officers who gained a temporary commission for the duration of the war, especially if they came from outside the upper class.

“He’s what someone like Burgoyne would call a ‘temporary gentleman’ (disgusting term), that is to say, he was a factory worker in Lewisham before he joined the War” (Winn, 40).

Gaunt continues further, noting that lower-class officers related more to the men, and were more effective on the battlefield. While both Gaunt and Ellwood know that Hayes is a more than capable officer, Hayes recognizes that due to his class, it is unlikely he will ever be promoted to captain.

Life in the trenches caused a mixing of race, class, religions, etc. Before the war, commissioned officers were upperclassmen who were educated in public schools and universities, sometimes coming from previous military backgrounds. The ideal “officer material” of the time was more akin to the “perfect gentleman” than a skilled soldier. When the war started, junior officers had an extremely high mortality rate. Officer training schools could not keep up with the demand, so soldiers and NCOs were promoted and received commissions (Root, 3-4).

English poet Robert Graves wrote about his wartime experiences in his autobiography Goodbye To All That. He details that certain social manners and behaviours among officers were more relaxed than in civilian life. Graves was also an instructor at an Officer Cadet Battalion in 1916, in order to train new officers. All recruits were treated and trained equally, and though he disparages that many men lacked the proper manners; he understands that this new way of training was considerably more effective (Root, 5).

“Their greater efficiency in action amply compensated for their deficiency in

manners” (Root, 5).

Another famous war poet from the time, Siegfried Sassoon, had a similar view. However, he held greater scorn for the lower class officers. In May of 1916 he wrote in his diary:

“Of all the officers having dinner, I saw no face with any touch of distinction in it. They were either utterly commonplace or self-satisfied, or else tired-looking, feeble, goggle-eyed, or otherwise deficient. Why does one see so few proper-looking officers?” (Root, 6).

But he also found that some commissioned officers had acute character flaws. Such as an interaction he had with an officer who was constantly drunk and “quite irresponsible and not trustworthy.” Thus, we can see how life on the frontline can blur the lines between classes. Men judged each other on their personal merit rather than their alma mater.

With much more relaxed ideas of social responsibility being so prevalent amongst soldiers, it allowed for more men to engage in relationships that were heavily frowned upon at the time.

In Memoriam is a love story first. Gaunt and Ellwood spend a large amount of the novel pining for one another, understanding the great amount of risk that comes with pursuing such a relationship. Ellwood is more outwards with his homosexuality, he is revered throughout the school and is able to get away with more risky behaviours. This is opposed to Gaunt who keeps any sort of interaction of that nature a secret. The politics of homosexuality in public schools at the time are explored in the novel and are indeed quite interesting, but it differs from attitudes in the trenches.

During the early 1900s, homosexuality was at the forefront of moral panic. Public trials from previous years such as that of Oscar Wilde and the Eulenburg Affair brought a topic that was usually brushed aside into the spotlight. Homosexuality was punished with jail time and years of hard labour under the Gross Indecency Law. Alongside that was social discrimination and the loss of reputation amongst family and loved ones.

In the late 1800s, Germany had a large scandal known as the Eulenburg Affair. Members of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s cabinet were outed for being gay, resulting in several trials and court-martials. As a result of this public scandal, the British found homosexual acts to be ‘unpatriotic’ and associated with German sympathies (McGhee).

Within the British army, punishments for homosexuality included court martialing, loss of rank, and imprisonment. “Cashiering” was a humiliation ritual that was performed when an officer was dismissed for scandalous misconduct. It involved ripping off insignias, badges and other symbols in front of other officers (Bronskill). This concern is portrayed in the novel by characters such as John Maitland, who warns Gaunt about his letters between Ellwood, and Hayes who warns Ellwood about his behaviour with a lower ranking soldier.

“‘Shut up. I’m not reporting you. I’m trying to help. Can’t you see that if you let Sidney write this sort of letter, you’ll get him imprisoned?’” (Winn, 66).

“‘Do you know what would happen if someone caught you and him? They’d say he assaulted you. That it was all his fault. He’d be court-martialed and shot so fast for daring to besmirch his precious public school captain—’ Ellwood stared at Hayes. It hadn’t occurred to him, any of it” (Winn, 192-3).

Despite all of this, the trenches fostered a culture of male affection that was able to be masked within the realm of hyper-masculinity and the guise of being bonded by war. Figures such as Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon (who were the inspirations for Gaunt and Ellwood), E.M. Forster, Ethel Mary Smyth and Wilfred Owen all served in WWI and are widely understood to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Attitudes towards homosexuality on the front varied. In rare cases some men were able to come out to their comrades, being met with acceptance. But generally it was frowned upon.

The very foundation of an effective army is camaraderie, and when men are facing constant traumas together a kind of brotherhood is formed. These homosocial behaviours allowed for more physically affectionate relationships. Even heterosexual men found these special friendships to be a relief from the stresses of war.

“Thomas Kühne has argued, men celebrated the “softer” side of comradeship, including bonds of love and friendship that sustained them in the other-worldly environment of the trenches” (Crouthamel).

Within these bonds, homosexual men were able to find an avenue for building lasting romantic and sexual relationships with other men under the guise of it being platonic. The novel delves into these kinds of relationships in passages such as a scene in the officer’s train carriage. We see it again in a discussion between Gaunt and Ellwood about using a sexual relationship to distract them from the war.

“Ellwood’s head drooped onto Gaunt’s shoulder. Gaunt stiffened, but when he looked around the carriage, he saw that the other officers were all in physical contact with one another. Huxton had his feet in Hayes’ lap. Hayes rested his head against the arm of an officer from C Company. Men sprawled all over each other. In the hyper-masculine atmosphere of war, they were not overly concerned with manliness” (Winn, 120).

“‘Did it help you forget about the War?’ pressed Ellwood. Gaunt nodded once, jerkily.

‘Well, then.’

‘And after the War? asked Gaunt.

‘It’ll be as if it never happened. I promise.’

‘You promise, do you?’

‘Yes. It doesn’t mean anything, Henry. Only that we want to forget things, once in a while” (Winn, 108).

Letters were another way for men to bond with one another, though it was a hazardous form of communication. Officers would read through letters and censor them before they were sent. If any illegal actions were mentioned the sender or recipient was at risk of being reported. Wilfred Owen’s letter to his cousin in 1918 reflects this anxiety:

“There are two French girls in my billet…Naturally I talk to them a good deal; so much so that the jealousy of other officers resulted in a Subalterns' Court Martial being held on me! The dramatic irony was too killing, considering certain other things, not possible to tell in a letter” (The Week).

A particularly striking scene in In Memoriam touches on this topic.

“He lifted the cover and looked at the first sheet of paper, instantly recognizing Gaunt’s neat blue handwriting: My dearest, darling Sidney,” (Winn, 189).

After the war, Germany had a spark in their gay rights movement. Many men felt that they had fought the war for nothing, with gay men knowing that they fought for a country that did not allow them rights as citizens (Marhoefer). Men used their military service as a reason to be accepted into society, showing it as proof of their patriotism and dedication to their country.

Magnus Hirschfeld opened his Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science), which pushed for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and was one of the pioneers of gender-affirming surgery. The Scientific Humanitarian Committee was one of the leading gay rights groups in the world during that time. This progress continued throughout the interwar period, with Weimar Germany becoming a hotspot for LGBTQ+ individuals. Berlin’s nightlife thrived with gay clubs before the Nazi party rose to power.

Near the end of the novel, Gaunt’s sister Maud explains how she is moving to Berlin to study at the Scientific Humanitarian Committee and encourages Gaunt and Ellwood to visit. She even mentions Paragraph 175, which was a law criminalising homosexuality in Germany. Paragraph 175 wouldn’t be abolished until 1994.

“The Weimar Republic is more open to progress than the governments of Englnd and France. I know you miss Europe. I hope you miss me. I cannot say whether Paragraph 175 will be revoked this year, or this decade, but I can tell you that there is a world for you and Sidney here. There has never been a movement like this before” (Winn, 371).

As previously mentioned, men used close intimate connections to deal with the trauma of war, but the rest of the world was less kind to those relationships. Similarly, those struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder also faced social ridicule. PTSD, formerly known by many names such as shellshock, war neurosis and combat fatigue, was seen as a new phenomenon amongst men returning from war. Despite this view, soldiers from across history had suffered from the psychological effects of warfare. About 80 000 British soldiers suffered from shellshock after the First World War. There is a wide variety of symptoms but prominent ones include tremors, nightmares, insomnia, anxiety, flashbacks, amnesia and paralysis (Jewell). The effects of trauma are heavily explored in the novel, with Gaunt suffering from vivid nightmares and insomnia and Ellwood undergoing a complete change in personality after the war.

“Gaunt never seemed to sleep. Sometimes Ellwood would return to the dugout to find him lying on his wire bench, candlelight glinting in his bloodshot eyes” (Winn, 93).

“Ellwood did not say anything. He could not explain why that drop of blood on his mother’s finger had so appalled him, when he had seen West’s brain pulse with his last heartbeats and felt nothing except dispassionate curiosity” (Winn, 181).

Charles Myers, one of the first to write about shellshock, theorised that exposure to explosive blasts caused a form of brain trauma that aligned with the symptoms. After various tests, his ideas were disproven. As PTSD became less linked with physical injury, it became closer associated with cowardice (McDonald et al.).

At the time, a large ideal men strived for, especially amongst the upper class, was fulfilling the idea of bravery. The widows of men who were executed for cowardice often weren’t financially compensated. The ideal soldier at the time was one who would fight ‘for King and Country’ and a large amount of shame was put on those who, quite naturally, fled during the line of fire.

Cowardice is shown on multiple occasions in the novel. One officer by the name of Carrington suffers from severe PTSD, being shown screaming in the faces of other soldiers and having bouts of paralysis. He’s ashamed of his unwanted behaviour and confesses to Ellwood through tears about his cowardice.

“Ellwood threatened to shoot him if he didn’t get up. Carringon tried and collapsed again. Ellwood trained his pistol at his head.

‘You’d better do it.’ said Carrington. ‘I’m a dreadful coward. I know I am.’

[...]

‘There’s nothing wrong with his legs, he just wants to go home!’

‘I do,’ said Carrington, miserably. ‘I do want to go home. I know that’s shameful.’

[...]

Carrington was taken away, whispering ‘I’m a dreadful coward!’ in between spasms” (Winn, 187).

“Don’t know if you heard that Lantham was shot by firing squad. Anyone could see he had neurasthenia; it’s a scandal, but he didn’t go over the top on July 1st, so General Haig signed off” (Winn, 323).

Due to misconceptions at the time, doctors tried many different ineffective and harmful treatments for shellshock. One famous treatment is electroshock therapy. Electroshock therapy was used for a variety of mental disorders throughout the 20th century. Painful electric shocks were administered to the head and neck, in hopes of treating symptoms. These treatments were undergone without any anaesthetic, and often it did not relieve all of the symptoms (McDonald et al.).

Today we have electroconvulsive therapy, which uses controlled shocks on certain parts of the brain to induce seizures in order to treat mental illnesses such as severe depression and bipolar disorder (Psychiatry.org). These treatments are done under anaesthetic and in controlled environments, with studies proving it to be effective.

More often than not, soldiers would self-medicate their symptoms, leading to alcoholism and substance abuse. Alcohol was already offered to soldiers, and drugs such as morphine and cocaine were used during treatments or to boost morale and performance (Kamieński).

“‘Bring out the whiskey,’ said Gaunt, as he did at every meal. Daniels twisted his hands.

‘There’s only one more bottle, sir.’

‘What’s happened to them all? Have you been at them?’

‘No, sir! There were seven, and six have been drunk, sir.’

‘By whom?’ demanded Gaunt.

‘Well, sir, there was the one you had on our first day, and two the day Lieutenant Ellwood arrived—’

‘All right, all right, no need to enumerate them like crimes. Fetch the last one, and we’ll have rum tomorrow.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Daniels hurried away” (Winn, 93-94).

Luckily, not all treatments were dangerous or ineffective. An army physician by the name of Arthur Hurst developed talking therapies after the war. His treatments included using films and simulations to reconstruct soldier’s experiences in order to talk them through the traumatic memories. His treatments boasted vastly higher success rates and his focus on treating cognitive and behavioural symptoms was the blueprint for modern PTSD therapy (Butterworth).

In the modern day, there are many effective treatments for PTSD and trauma, but there is still an underlying stigma that prevents people from seeking out proper care for their mental health.

Although In Memoriam is a fictional retelling of real historical events, there is no doubt that Winn put extensive amounts of research into her novel. Her vivid writing style captures the inhumanity of the First World War and its effects on the psyche of characters and the greater world around them. The novel shows us the love between friends, comrades, family and lovers while tackling topics such as classism, trauma, and LGBTQ+ rights through the lense of our schoolboy protagonists; giving us a glimpse into history while telling a compelling story of love, death, and heartbreak.

Works Cited

“An army marches on its stomach.” National Army Museum.

Battersby, Eileen. “Passchendaele: A killing field of mud – The Irish Times.” The Irish Times.

Bronskill, Jim. “WWI: Study details punishment for soldiers' sexuality.” CTV News.

Butterworth, Benjamin Russell. “What World War I taught us about PTSD.” The Conversation.

McGhee, Beth. “Homosexuality in the First World War - WW1 East Sussex.” East Sussex WW1.

Crouthamel, Jason. “Sexuality, Sexual Relations, Homosexuality | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1).” International Encyclopedia of the First World War.

Dwyer, Kassandre. “Trench Warfare in World War I: Rot, Rats, Ruin.” The Collector.

Freedman, Russell. The War To End All Wars: World War I. Clarion Books, 2010.

Hamilton, John. Trench Fighting Of World War I. ABDO & Daughters, 2004.

Kamieński, Łukasz. “Drugs | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1).” International Encyclopedia of the First World War.

Marhoefer, Laurie. “How WWI Sparked the Gay Rights Movement.” Smithsonian Magazine.

McDonald, MaryCatherine, et al. “From shell-shock to PTSD, a century of invisible war trauma.” The Conversation.

Owen, Wilfred, et al. “Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen.” Poetry Foundation.

“Psychiatry.org - What is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)?” American Psychiatric Association.

Root, Laura. “Temporary Gentlemen” on the Western Front: Class Consciousness and the British Army Officer, 1914-1918.” UNF Digital Commons.

“Second Battle of Ypres 22 April – 25 May 1915.” Imperial War Museums.

“The secret history of the gay soldiers who served in the First World War.” The Week.

“Trench Foot or Immersion Foot|Natural Disasters and Severe Weather.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington, Nicole. “Shell Shock and PTSD: Connections, Symptoms, Support, More.” Healthline.

Winn, Alice. In Memoriam: A Novel. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023.

[yolky-slimes-archival]

Pt: Puddleslitraitic [puddle-sly-traitic] :end Pt

|✧| Puddleslitraitic [puddle-sly-traitic]

A gender that thrives in fresh water, and is even made of it. It may feel shy or even anxious, using said fresh water to help hide itself when near too many others. This gender is also related to Puddle Slimes from Slime Rancher