#Survivor: Edge of Extinction

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

At least chris was kinda smart and a genuine comp beast 🫠

I guess. And I don’t remember Chris being annoying like Jag but then again, I don’t really remember Chris at all 😭

[reef-sys]

i miss themed seasons </3

[plumpybeatz-blog]

Happy weekend 😍

[papyrjam]

the crossover no one asked for but (i) desperately needed: dungeon meshi/survivor

tribe breakdowns and first tribal results because you KNNOOOW falin's gonna be one of those "everyone else here deserves it more!!!" first outs. she probably beefs a section of the first physical challenge and assumes a majority of the blame despite everyone else saying otherwise

edge of extinction for an excuse to 1. make falin hang out with anyone else who gets eliminated and 2. the juicy drama of who comes back from the edge of extinction post-merge looking absolutely FUCKED UPPPP and *hungry*......to WIN

marcille also wears her buff as a little bow scrunchie around her partial ponytale ala my favorite winner, bob <3

kabru is doing amazing pre-merge forging alliances and the second the merge hits and he has to meet laius it's so joever. kabru is crazy and wants him OUT but he can't propose it without sounding like he's playing too hard. he is constantly looking for immunity idols.

chilchuck follows show rules to a T: you can rifle through anyone and everyone's shit as long as you don't steal anything! he is also constantly looking for an immunity idol. he lies about his job, his family, EVERYTHING is kept up tight during down time. BUSINESS.

so my opinion is: unless you got senshi out pre-merge, he is winning. he is just going to win just like bob. he's affable, he's capable, he's smart -- give! the dilf! the million dollars!

and finally: no matter what happens. the second that there is a food auction, a food reward, a food anything - marcille activates every cell in her body bc she wants to win so badly. there ain't many cells to activate after withering away but she wants it!!

[floydsglasses]

𝘼 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝘼 𝙔𝙚𝙡𝙡 - Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (A Quiet Place AU)

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x AFAB OC/ Valerie

SUMMARY: Society has fallen to ruin's where silence is key to survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. Two unlikely survivors come across each and agree to stick together.

Tag's: Mention of blood/wounds, post apocalyptic setting, use of ASL, Alien creatures. Stranger's to Lover's, Angst, Swearing, Fluff, inacurate first aid, No Use of Y/N A/N: First Story on tumblr, I hope that I did this right and hopefully I didnt mess thing's up too much

WORD COUNT: 7,731

⏁⏁⏁

SOUND. What once was so common is now almost extinct as the human race. The birds no longer flew in the sky, car alarms didn't blast loudly with a touch of a button, soft chatter’s from conversation now replaced with howling of the wind. Everything before was so simple, it was so easy, she didn't have to worry about the sound of leaves crunching under her feet, closing a door too hard, letting out a breath too hard. Now one wrong move in this world, a person’s life is gone in less than a whisper.

Her hand’s trailed over the isles of abandoned goods, she used to love going to the supermarket, seeing people and having a nice conversation with the cashier, kind smile’s.

Now a trip into town is so dreaded, the world is so quiet and it’s almost insufferable to her. Though she would much rather prefer the silence of the world then the harsh darkness of death from the predator's who now ruled the world.

She looks down at her grocery list, written on the back of the brochure for a navel bar, The Hard Deck. Before day 1 of the end of the world, she worked at a cafeteria in a nursing home, after rough day’s she would sometime’s sit at the bar with a bottle of beer. At the moment she much preferred the sound of the man she could catch glimpses of the few night’s playing 60’s tune’s on the piano. She assumed anyone she once knew is gone now.

She slide’s the can of food into her messenger bag, making sure not to stock up too much on the cans, learning the hard way that too much noise will attract the monsters.

Her bare feet smack the ground of the white tiled floor as she turned onto the next aisle.

Food rations were running low for her, and it didn't help that nowhere was safe enough for her. Walking around a desolate San Diego without shoe’s also wasn't ideal. Pain killers, she thought .

A few weeks ago she tripped on the sidewalk, skidding her knee and thigh, not something she would recommend handling without pain killers.

The snap of glass pulls her out of her thought’s. The hair on her arm stood to attention as her heart pounded in her rib cage, eye’s widened fearfully. Her hand grazed her knife holster, gripping the ebony handle. She had never handled a weapon for the purpose of hurting another human, not before this new world began.

Her breath shake’s as she lightly step’s around the corner. Unsheathing the blade from her waist. Monster’s were not the only threat in the world, the people, rumors at least swirled of groups of people calling themselve’s Bandits ruled parts of the city. She had not ventured that far, she was hell bent on finding somewhere away from the city, anywhere that was safe.

She huffed, swinging her blade as she rounded the aisle corner. She panted, her head darting in each direction. All that remained were leaves blown in from the broken front door, a few item’s laid on the ground.

She shook her head. Paranoia much. She rolled her eye’s, putting her knife back into its holster. You know you are totally crazy. Her bare feet turned on the edge to go back to her original isle.

Her arm’s smack into a metal stand, it began to fall to the floor. She gasped quickly trying to stop its descent. Its pamphlet’s crashed with metallic bang. Her eyes widened in horror as her heart raced, blood drained from her face.

Oh God, she panicked. Roar’s in the distance began to cry out at the sound. She stood frozen in fear, panting as she desperately fought against her sense telling to hide.

She let out a gasp as she was brought to the floor. She expected to be met with darkness, her eye’s closed tight awaiting the pain from the sharp talon’s of the creature’s that ruled the quiet world.

Shhh. A voice whispered next to her ear, their hot breath sending shivers down her spine. Her heart pounded. Her back was held closely to something..someone.

Her arm’s radiated with warmth, mostly from fear. Could the stranger be holding her back so they can save their own skin, or did they have something else in mind.

No time can pass in her mind as clicking began to fill the supermarket. Footsteps heavy on the tile, a hissing sound filled the air. The stranger behind her shuddered at the sound’s, the two of them both equally fearful.

Click Click.

They sounded. The dark silhouette casted on the ceiling above them on the white bar’s. The stranger’s hand clamped over her mouth as her panting grew erratic, she stood still not daring to move, even with the tight grip around her body from the stranger.

The click’s began to get closer to them, the footsteps heavier with each step. Their dark gray skin tight as their gorilla like movement helps them traipse across the tile. Their flower-like head’s turn slowly in each direction. She guessed they were looking for any sound.

She gulped as she held her breath, restricting her air. Hoping it will limit any sound she may be making, even with the help of the person holding her. She was sure that she was louder then what she may be stopping.

On her spine, a light thump was against her back. Rhythmically repeating at a rapid pace, similar to her own.

The creature’s head twitched with each click from its mouth, searching for her. Its heavy footsteps thudded against the ground as it walked on all fours.

A single tear trailed down her cheek, the heat from the stranger’s hand made the pool of sweat on her forehead fall. With a final twitch of its head, it let out an inhuman, ear piercing roar. A swift move the monster ran out of the supermarket.

A sigh of relief left her lip’s. The calloused hand left her mouth, her shoulders relaxed briefly. Her eyes widened, she reached for the holster that held her knife. A tight grip on wrist stopped her. From the size of his hand, she could tell he was a man, one who worked with his hand’s from the vein’s that popped.

He held on tightly onto her wrist as he got to his feet. Her heartbeat had not stopped racing, adrenaline pumped through her veins. She snapped her head, she had been ready to throw insult’s in, her head at least.

She looked the man up and down. His dirty blonde hair, messy and short. His dark brown eyes scanned her, maybe he saw her as a threat. Though he clearly had a chance of overpowering her. Above his chapped lips laid a thin line of facial hair, she wondered how long it took him to grow it.

He released her hand, putting his hand’s up in surrender. “Who are you?” She signed to him frantically, he blinked at her panicked state. He shook his head.

“I'm not gonna hurt you.” He reassured her she scrunched her nose up.

“Did you follow me?” She signed slowly. He shook his head.

“I was here before you.” The man stated in sign. “Bullshit!” She signed, her brows furrowed in anger.

“I swear.” He swore. In their silent world, she was thankful that she had taken the time prior to learning ASL. She wouldn't have thought it would be useful in a post apocalyptic setting.

Her shoulders relaxed, her jaw remained clinched. “Listen, to me please.” He pleaded with her, she crossed her arms.

He bent down on his knees leaning over grabbing a blue and yellow pamphlet, the world's map of San Diego written in a white font.

He began to carefully unfold it, placing objects on the corner to keep it straightened out. He looks up at her. “Marker?” He signed.

She furrowed her brow, she shook her head no. “What are you doing?” She signed to the stranger.

“Showing you something.” He signed, he looked around at the old store, smirking. He lightly stepped across the tiled floor.

She noted the duct tape on his boot’s, tear’s and rip’s in the leather in each curve, she supposed he had placed the tape to absorb the sound, she hadnt even thought about it.

Beginning to make mark’s on the map, taking pauses to think. His lip’s formed a thin line, he looked at her.

“You see that?” He signed, she shook her head.

“The Circle’s?” She signed to him, even in sign language he could detect the sarcasm she laid on. He gesture’s with two finger’s for her to get down to his level. She bends down to her knees, getting a closer look.

“You see it now?” He signed, she shook her head. He gently grabbed her hand, using his index finger pointing to the center. A green and beige island in the ocean, half a mile from the North Island docks. Her brows furrowed.

“What is that?” She signed. He blinked. “Island, not far from the bay, safe.” He says in sign language, she shook her head.

“Nowhere is safe.” She says.

“You don't know that.” He says, he motioned in frustration. “And you do?” She pointed out.

“Come with me.” He signed, she shook her head at his offer. “No, I don't know you.” She says.

“So..we can help each other.” He tells her, she shook her head in disbelief.

“I don't need your help.” She reassured him, she had gotten pretty far into the two year’s they have been in the apocalypse. His jaw dropped slack.

“You sure?” He challenged, and she nodded her head.

“Look, I can see you don't trust me.” He signed, she shrugged in agreement.

“But If you want to not live in fear of making a noise.” He paused with his hand’s up, he breathed out quietly. Her heart skipped a beat, looking at the brown eye’s of the stranger.

“Then come with me and see if it’s true.” He says.

She crossed her arms over her chest. She eyed the broken object’s on each side of the isle’s. The man in front of her offered her safety, and it had been so long since she last talked with another human being. He had saved her from being alien bait.

“Okay.” She signed to him. He breathed in relief at agreeance.

“One condition.” She state’s, he nodded his head.

“If it turns out to be fake.” She start’s. His gaze on her softened.

“We go our separate ways.” She sign’s, he nods his head.

“Deal.” He signed. The both of them got to their feet, he shuffled, folding up the map and stuffing it away. She lightly picked up her fallen backpack, she still needed supplies.

His brown eyes watched her. Before the alien had crashed in he had caught glimpses of her through the broken shelves. Her hair tucked into a beanie, a windbreaker jacket and jeans, no shoes though. Her own survival tactic he guessed, she seemed focused on her objective of getting what she needed.

“What’s your name?” He ask’s her, she gulps hesitating. She lifts up her hand’s and begin’s to sign out her name.

“Valerie.” She mouthed to him. He smirked. “You?” She asks back.

He runs a hand through his hair, he raises up his hands, slowly signing out the letter’s of his name. “Bradley.”

⏁⏁⏁

THE NEXT FEW days the two survivors had grown close, well as close as two people can when they are only using sign language to communicate.He would fumble on his signing that she would have to guess what he had said.

Her legs ached on each side, they had been making their way out of the inner city, following the highway to the marina. If car’s didn't risk the chance of them being caught their trip would take twenty minutes, now it would be a three day trip on foot, not including them avoiding the creature’s.

Valerie sighed, the morning sun of december shined on the two of them. The sun was high enough she could guess it was eleven in the morning. Bradley and her would both take turns with a large machete, it was heavy in her hand’s that most of the time he was the one welding it.

She feel’s a tap on her shoulder, she turned her head at him. “Are you hungry?” Bradley signed, she shook her head. “No.” She signed.

“I have a fruit cocktail, if you do get hungry.” He signs, her lip’s forming a thin line, smiling softly at his chivalry. She brushed a piece of her hair from her face, the bitter air whipping at her cheeks.

“Thank you.” Valerie say’s. She had grown tired of their small talk;most conversations that had gotten out of one another were about if they were okay, how far they were from their location, and where they should stop to rest.

Not that she didn't appreciate his worry for her, they had to rely on each other if they wanted to make sure they would see the next sunrise. She crossed her arms in her windbreaker, the two walked past run down car’s. Nature had started to reclaim her own, the highway’s covered in greenage and rust set into the metal of the high rise.

“Hey.” She stops him, he turns to look at her, keeping the same pace. “What?” He wondered.

“Before this.” She start’s off, looking away thinking of a question to break the ice. “What did you do, your job?” She ask’s. He runs fingers through his blonde hair in though.

He point’s to the sky, using two finger’s to trace along the white cloud’s. She furrowed her brow trying to understand him. “You..worked in the sky?” She signed.

“A pilot?” Valerie signs, he nods his head. He point’s up again, using two finger’s as a gun.He shot in the sky, she thinks, her eye’s widening as she understands him now.

“Top..gun.” She signed slowly.

“Yeah, and you?” He ask’s, she shakes her head. His job was definitely more eventful than hers. She cleaned table’s, served plates out to elderly people, and sometimes she would deliver to room’s.

“I worked in a cafeteria.” She signed to him. “Kind of boring.” She tells him, he shook his head.

“That’s not boring, that's simple.” Bradley reassured her, she shook her head. “You got to fly in the sky..All I did was serve soup.” Valerie says to him

“I would have loved that.” He tells her. “There were times I just wanted thing’s to be slow.” He admitted to her, she furrowed her brow at his admittance.

“Why did you join then?” Valerie wondered. He sighed, her eye’s drifting down at the grass growing through the cracking line’s of the highway. He gulped as they continued to walk on.

“I just had to.” He says. She nodded her head, she guessed it was a story she had to hear by mouth, which she was sure she would never hear.

“Long story short?” She signed to him, he shrugged his shoulders. “How far are we?” Valerie wonder’s.

“We passed about two, maybe three gas stations.” He tells her, she scoff’s, she hadn't taken the time to note the landmark’s, only keeping in mind how long it will take to get to their destination.

“They all look the same.” She says.

“Everything does.” Bradley remark’s, his movement’s in his hands are slower. She noted that his signing was slower than hers, she guessed he wasn't as fluent or quick in ASL like she is.

“How far from the marina do you think we are?” Valerie asked him, his brow’s furrowed, he looked around at the street signs. He pulls the map from his bag, placing it lightly on a rundown car hood, bringing the red sharpie marking off on it.

“We were at Amo’s street and now we are on 163.” He signed to her. She stands close to him looking down at the map. He had taken the time to mark off on each site they passed.

“Okay and how much further?” She wonder’s. His brown eye’s look at the map. “Fourteen miles .” He guessed

“Seriously?” She ask’s, she dropped her hand’s at her side in frustration. ”I think you are pulling my boob.” She joke’s, he furrowed his brow at her signing, got to teach him some thing’s.

“It's only been a few day’s.” He point’s out, she rolled her eye’s. A few day’s in this world was a lifetime with how long it takes to travel.

“Feel’s longer.” She remarked.

“You can still get leave.” He reminds her, she sighed. He was right, she didn't have to stick with him, they could part way’s now and hope for the best.

Though it was nice to have someone to care about, knowing that when she woke up that someone was going to be waiting for her. In the world before she had thrown herself into her work, claiming it was her mistress. She hadn't given herself time for relationships, and frankly they never gave time to her either. No need to waste her energy in a world that seemed so bleak.

“We’ve gotten this far.” Valerie reminds him.

“We finish what we have started.” She signs to him. Her eye’s hardened with determination, he smirked at her ambition.

“If we keep walking we should get close enough to the bay area.” He summarized. “What about sleeping?” She asked him, his shoulder’s slump, as if to let out a sigh.

He put his hand in a salute looking at the skyline in front of them. Building’s once filled the sky high reflecting from the glass now covered in vine’s, some had crashed down. Slashed from the claw’s and talon’s of the sound seeking creature’s. She often wondered how it must have felt to watch from above seeing everyone going about their lives. They must have looked like ant’s compared to them.

“There.” He point’s

“You wanna go there?” Valerie asked him, he nodded his head.

“That’s far.” She mouthed to him, he furrowed his brow’s

“So is the marina.” He signs, he point’s to the top of the building. “If we get high enough we can see how far we are.” He tells her. Her heart thumped as it raced

“Can't we just go to a motel?” She wonder’s, he shook his head confused. “Thought you wanted to see how far we are?” He ask’s, she gulped.

“Just the height is intimidating.” Valerie tell’s him. He smirked amused at her fear. “The world has ended and you are afraid of heights?” He signed to her, she rolled her eyes.

“No, I'm afraid of a creature climbing a high rise to kill me.” She state’s.

“I won't let that happen.” He promised her, his signing in the end being wrong. She shook her head.

“Give me your hand.” She orders. He furrowed his brow. She guides his hands, moving them in the right motion’s, mouthing what they are. “That’s how you do it.” Valeria corrects him.

“Thank’s.” He signs. She smiled softly, she swung her backpack up further. “Come on.” She usher’s him, her heart pounding looking at the sun peaking through the two towers.

⏁⏁⏁

SHE HAD DECLARED it she hated height’s. Even more than before she climbed the eighteen floor’s of the forty one floors of the Pacific Gate. She had always wondered what it must have been like to stay in the extractive type hotels. She had grown up in Virginia, in a rural town mile’s from the urban city, she had come to Calafornia chasing a dream that sadly fell through.

Her fingers grazed the chipped paint on the wall, the pearl white had turned brown from the age and vine’s had grown in the hall’s into the room’s. They had luckily found a room that wasn't terribly covered in the reclaimed nature. Bradley had insisted that they stay close to each other, both taking a watch.

Though they doubted that anyone or anything would find them up there, unless they made a sound. He kept to himself mostly, she wondered before the end of the world had he been a social person, like her. She could see from his choice in wardrobe, a Hawaiian shirt underneath his black jacket that he certainly had a taste. His tan skin almost kissed by the sun herself, had he gotten it from all their walking, maybe he had it before the world went quiet.

Her feet step on the ripped up dark blue carpet. The sun had set on the city and the moon had shone over the window’s of the balcony. A warm orange glow lit the room from her lantern. He laid on the bed, white ear bed’s in each of his ears, plugged into an old IPod nano. His brown eyes focused on the world outside.

She stands next to the white unmade sheet’s. A buffalo plaid blanket laid on top, she had insisted that she take the couch on the other side. She had noticed he had been limping up the step’s, knowing that the fancy hotel probably had a mattress that would make him feel better. He refused, if she could she would have let out a frustrated yell.

She tap’s his shoulder, he shuddered at the touch from her, he snapped his head in surprise. His finger’s grazing the knife holster on his leg.

“Sorry.” He signed.

She shook her hand. “It's Okay.” Valerie take’s the seat spot next to him, keeping a distance between the both of them.

“How did you get that?” She asks, pointing at the old technology, he smirked looking down at the blue case, a smiley face sticker on the back that slowly chipped away.

“It’s mine.” He states, she nodded her head.

“It still works?” She asks curious, she hadn't used one in years, preferring streaming from her phone.

His pink chapped lips formed a thin line. “Yeah, all my music from college.” He tells her, his signing is still slow.

“Anything good?” Valerie wonder’s, he shrugged his shoulders. He handed it to her to look at, she held up the screen, beginning to scroll with the control’s, clicking with each movement of her thumb. His music taste ranged from almost every decade up until 2012. She was almost surprised with the variety of choices’ he had at the tip of his fingers’, she looked down sadly, she hadn't heard music in what felt like an eternity, she can't even recall the last thing she had listened to on day one of their new world order.

She stops scrolling. Her eyes widened at the song, Jerry Lee Lewis’s, Great Balls of Fire. A soft smile creased her cheek’s. Lonely nights in the bar were less lonely when everyone around her began to sing the sixtie’s jaunty tune. She brought her hand to her mouth.

His brows furrowed at her reaction. “What?” He signed. She shook her head.

“Nothing, it's just.” She stops looking down again, her thumb grazing the play button. “There was a guy at this bar.” He perked up, his brows furrowed.

“He played this on the piano.” She recall’s, smiling softly. His eyes widened, his lip’s parting as his thoughts raced.

“Yeah every saturday..guess he is gone now.” Valerie signed sadly, she brushed back a piece of her hair.

Bradley had finally realized something. In the store, he saw her through the broken isles and fallen objects. He could have swore it was his mind finally playing tricks on him, until he caught a glimpse of her face.

There were night’s he would go into the Hard Deck. She would sit in the same spot each night, order the same drink, she always seemed to have her mind on anything but where she was. He had been curious who she was, why was she always in her head. He did plan to talk to her, only any time he got the courage to talk to her, she would get up and leave before he could get a chance to speak.

He pulls one of the white ear buds out of his ear, handing it to her. She looked down at his hand, taking it from him, placing it in her ear, pressing the play button. She flinches at the sudden piano playing. He chuckled quietly.

She rolled her eyes playfully. She began bobbing her head slowly, trying not to move her head too much. The two of them doing different motion’s to the music, if she was alone she would be all over the place, dancing on the mattress belting her lung’s out. He bites his lips, closing his eyes, thinking of better times.

Valerie mouthed the lyrics, leaning her head back at the chorus. She shakes her shoulders leaning into him trying to get him to join in with her. Bradley smirked at her happiness, the two of them tried everything to bond. Seeing the other experiencing something other than fear made his heart flutter.

He begin’s tap with his finger’s the note’s of the piano. Recalling the filling of the key’s under his finger’s, each movement a phantom at his tip’s. Valerie hold’s her fist as a mock microphone as she mouthed the final lyrics.

An inhuman screech fills the air echoing off the city. Her heart raced, wiping her head to look at the balcony. She shook her head. Figure’s she thinks’. The world outside was still as bleak as ever. Her smile fell as she glanced down.

“I’ll take my first watch.” She signed to him. His brow’s furrowed. Her shoulders tensed as she stood to attention, pulling her jacket closer. She turns on her heels to walk.

“Wait”. she hears a faint whisper escape’s his lip’s. He reached out, taking her hand in his calloused one. Their eyes locked as his face softened.

“Stay.” He pleads

She gazed at him. He had before insisted that they stay in separate rooms so the other had the chance of escaping while the other could too. Now here he begged for her to not leave him alone. Was he really scared this time, did he need that comfort of knowing in the room he wasn't alone.

“Of course.” Valerie signed. He gulped, running his hand through his unkempt honey curls. He laid back down. Placing his headphones back in his ear, leaving one out one for her to hear the music he played.

Bradley stayed awake for as long as he could, fighting hard against the sleepiness in his body, losing in the end. Soft snoring escaping his lip’s. Valerie formed a soft grin at his peacefulness, the both had seen so much, so many things lost and so many stolen from each of them.

She leaned over him, pulling a navy blue blanket over his chest. He turns in sleep, not waking. Hopefully he dreamed, anywhere that wasn't there must be better. Her eyes grew heavier and heavier as she stared at the quiet city. She wiped away the feeling from her eye’s.

Desperately battling against her own body clock, she groaned softly, wiping her cheek’s. Just shut your eye’s for a moment, the last word’s she thinks before her head hits the pillow and the world becomes dark.

⏁⏁⏁

SHE SCRIBBLED THE WORD on the notepad. The two had grown bored on their adventure to the marina.  Valerie had been sneaking around the Pacific gate, and found a white board for Bradley to use to communicate.  Thinking it would make their communicating easier, as his ASL was slow, and now she could properly tease him. 

“A.” He signed, she smirked, shaking her head. They had started playing the game hangman in to past time, they weren't far from the marina, having woken up late didn't help the ground they would have to make up. 

He rolled his eyes as she drew another body part to the stick figure. She licked her lips as she waited for another guess. She had won the last five round’s of the game and him once, to be fair she didn't blame him for not being good at guessing games when there wasn't anyone to give hints verbally. 

“C.” He guessed, she nodded her head writing the letter on the white board. He pumped his fist, the machete in the other, his turn as her hands were preoccupied with the marker. 

“I hate this.” He signs, she smirks at him.  “You just suck.” She teased him, he pulls out a tiny notepad, writing down in big letters. He holds it up to her. 

“You have a lot of sass for a girl with no shoe’s.” It read, her eyes widened at the comeback. She uses her hoodie sleeve wiping off a bit of their game writing. 

“And who’s idea was that mustache?”She wondered. His lip’s parted agape. “You love it.” He signs, she shakes her head. “Fuck off no I dont.” She write’s down. He holds up his own notepad. 

“Everyone loves it, baby.” His read’s, she rolled her eye’s. “Not me.” She gesture’s. He scoffs silently. 

“Wanna find out why?” He challenged her, licking his chapped lips. She looked at the hair above his lip, his facial hair being a stand out to the rest of his features, other than his well built physique. His blonde hair is curly on the top and shaved on the neck, unkempt yet somehow it still made him look even more handsome. 

“No thanks.” She smiled softly.  She looks down at her whiteboard, wiping it off again. “Keep guessing.” She urged him. 

He runs his hand through his curl’s. “P” He sign’s. She looks at him disappointed, adding another limb to the stick man.

“That’s two arm’s.” Valerie point’s out. He shook his head. His step’s halt as he look’s up. “What?” She ask’s, her eye’s scan his sight seeing what he stopped for. Her heart stop’s in her throat as it began to race. 

Hundreds of boat’s laid out in front of them on the waterfront, docked in their areas. Some fell prey to nature while some still remained. 

Her breath shaked, she looked to the man next to her. Tears filled both their eyes, they had finally made it after so many long hours of walking, and dodging alien’s they reached their destination. 

“Come on.” Valerie urged him. 

She turned on her heels quickly scurrying to the stairs that lead down to the docks. He followed closely behind her as the both of them desperately raced for the nearest boat’s. Her feet pound against the wood as she stop panting looking around at their option for travel. 

“Which one?” She asked him. He put his hand on hips trying to catch his breath. 

“Anything with a cabin.” He writes on his notepad, she nods her head. 

She walked around each boat, checking each for a key. She doubted that any of them would be filled with gasoline, much less run. For the most part they were almost all sailboat’s, and small yachts. She had never been on a boat, well one as big as the one’s parked in the water. She had gone fishing before with her uncles in the past, though she knows a small boat wouldn't get them to the island they needed something better. 

The wood creaked as she stepped back down again.  Valerie walk’s back around to the other dock, he stood with his arms crossed irritated. 

“That bad.” She joke’s. 

“I'll check again.” She tells him. He shrugged. “Be my guest.” He signed to her. The dock creaked again as with the heavy step of her foot. She gasps as a sharp pain in his felt in her thigh. She snapped her head looking down, a long black stick stuck out of her, piercing through pant leg. 

A scream of anguish left her mouth as hot fire pain ran up and down her leg. She collapsed onto the dock groaning loudly, her eyes widened as her hot tears welled.

Bradley ran to her side, putting his hand over her mouth, muffling her scream. Valerie cried as she tried to pull the arrow out.

“Don't do that.” He whispered to her. She whimpered, leaning her head back. 

He grunt’s as a cold metal graze’s his neck. Her eyes widened as another man behind him held a knife to the blonde’s throat. Two men dressed in ragged clothes, walk slowly behind him and stand above her, her heart racing in fear. Bradley slowly get’s to his feet, lifting his hand’s up in surrender. The man nod’s his head at the two men. The grab Valerie under her arm’s bringing her to her feet, she groaned quietly. A woman walks around, forcing a bandana around her mouth silencing her, she walks around. 

Her cold eye’s analyzing both of them. No one dared to speak, she slowly paced around them. She removes a rope from around her waist, standing behind Bradley. She smirked, shooting dagger’s at Valerie. She grunt’s wrapping the rope around his neck, pulling it tightly. He gasped for air pulling at the rope that cut into his neck. He groaned as the man behind him forced him to turn around, beginning to drag him across the wooden dock. 

Valerie grunted against the two men’s arm’s, her heart raced as she watched him struggle, clawing at his captor.  The woman from before circle’s her, looking the restrained girl up and down, vulture to its prey.  She point’s with her knife at the end of the dock. 

She pant’s in fear, gritting her teeth. Her eye’s went to his kicking leg’s, a black leather strap on his leg laid a metallic flicker of the sun. Her brows furrowed as she understood what to do. She stomps on the wood. 

The woman in front of her raised her brow’s at her action. Bradley looked at her, she stomped again, gesturing to her leg. He grunted twisting around trying to slow the man behind him, he strained as he grunt’s pulling him closer to the water. Valerie stomp’s her foot again, slapping thigh again. 

His brown eyes darted to his own leg. The black leather sheath with his initials in the working laid his brown bowie handled knife. He reached with one hand, the other fighting the rope at his throat. His finger’s link through the hole in the handle, pulling it out. 

Valerie met the eye of the woman leader. She smirked as her confusion grew. She grit’s through her teeth, extending her leg kicking the woman in the face, she stumbled back falling over onto the dock. She huffed, grabbing the handle in her holster, unsheathing her blade plunging it into the man behind her groin. 

The man hollered out in pain. His scream echoing off the city. Screech and roar’s sound alert at the sudden disruption of their perfect world. The man with the rope looked up with wide eyes, his distraction end’s as a sharp cut is felt to his stomach. 

He released the rope. Bradley got to his feet, he grunted as he balled his fist and swung it into the man’s face. Valerie grabbed one of the men by their shoulders, plunging her blade into his chest, he groaned in agony. 

Shoving him away from her. Blood rushed through her ear’s as the creature’s cry’s began to get closer to them all. Valrie grunted limping, holding her thigh, crimson brown leaking through her jean’s onto the wood. She gritted her teeth trying to move as fast as her injury would let her get.  Behind her she could hear the clicking of the alien, as well as its talon slicing through a body. 

Bradley pulled the man against the dock post, pulling the rope tight as he fought against him.  

“Fuck you.” He whispered into the man’s ear, he jammed the knife into the killer's gut. He let out a cry of agony, the creature’s hollers cutting in with his. 

Valerie ducked out of the way, her head slamming hard into the wood. The former pilot dove into the water as the man was tackled into the bay water. 

Her vision blurred as she looked to the sky above. She gasped for breath, panting as hot flashes ran through her body. The world around faded in and out, eventually turning dark.

⏁⏁⏁

HER BODY ACHED. Never in her life had she felt this tired, each side of her felt like they were under rushing water, slowing her with fatigue and aches. Her eyes fluttered open as she took in her surroundings, the room around her rock back and forth, small and walled with dark oak. She groaned looking down at her leg. 

The arrow was gone, the pain lingered. Her pant leg was cut open, a part of her maroon brief’s visible. A white bandage wrapped around her thigh, a bit of blood stained brown on her leg. She pant’s as she looked all around her, she didn't recognize where she was at all. “Valerie, it's okay.” A deep voice spoke clearly, her heart skipped a beat. She whipped her head, he got to her side sitting on an ottoman close to the wall. His blonde hair dripped with water, though the rest of his clothes remained dry. 

She stuttered for a moment. “I got the arrow out but I had to dig around the tip.” Bradley inform’s her, crossing his hands over his lap. 

“You bled a lot, and you kept waking up each time I tried to remove it.” He says to her. The glow from the bedside lamp illuminated his features onto the oak of the room.  His brown eyes meet her widened one’s, he furrowed his brow. 

“Are you okay, what’s wrong?” He asked in concern. She shook her head.

“Nothing, it's just.” She gulp’s. 

“I haven't heard you speak before.” She admits, his gaze softened on her.  There were moments she could catch glimpses of his voice when he mouthed words, it was much deeper then what she had thought it was. 

“Where are we?” Valerie asks him. He gulps, clearing his throat.

“Couple mile’s out from the bay, the creature drowned itself so it didn't follow us.” He reassures her, she nods her head. 

“How far from the island are we?” She wonder’s, he shrugged his shoulders as though.

“About five miles, give or take.” He inform’s her, she listens hearing the sound of water slushing around, she was on a boat. 

“They can't swim, and it’s raining right now, so it’s safe to talk.” He tells her. She groans as she holds her thigh sitting up. He gets to her side. “Hey Hey take it easy.” He soothed her. 

“I'm fine.” Valerie state’s, he shakes his head.  “You were shot with an arrow and lost a lot of blood.” He reminds her. 

“You said you were a fighter pilot, not a nurse.” She teased with a weak laugh. He rolled his eyes at her comments.  “Gonna take a lot more than an arrowhead to take me out.” She tells him. 

“Clearly.” He chuckled. “Listen, what happened back there.” She start’s, he holds up his hand for her to stop. “Dont..its okay, its over.” 

“No, I'm sorry.” Valerie say’s softly, shaking her head. His brows furrowed in confusion at her guilt.  “We didn't know they were there, it's fine.” He assured her. 

“No I meant I should have done more, I should have swallowed my pain and killed him.” She ranted, biting her lip as she thought about all of it. 

“It’s not your fault, none of that was your fault.” Bradley says to her. “They were gonna kill you.” Valerie stammer’s out, she wiped her eye’s. “And you saved me.” He reminded her, and she shook her head. 

“You did, I wouldn't have remembered my knife if you hadn't been there.” Bradley admit’s. He stands up, sitting on the gray sheets of the bed she laid on. His plaid shirt unbuttoned, underneath he wore a black shirt.  

“They would have drowned me, and killed you.” He tells her.

“Valerie you saved me, you did.” He declares strongly. He glanced down at her bare thigh. Shiver ran down her body as goosebumps painted her arms. Her heart skipped a beat. 

“Should probably change your bandage.” He whispered, rubbing the back of his neck. He cleared his throat. He stands up walking out of the cabin room.  A breath of relief left her lips. she hadn't realized it.  She missed human’s, conversation, touching, feeling, and experiencing. She joked before that she ghosted through everything, living only to work. Now she lived to survive, that wasn't living. 

He came back into the room with first aid supplies. He sat down in front of her on the floor, and began to unwrap the bandage from her leg. His fingertip’s grazed her thigh, her heart pounded in her ear’s loudly. “You're staring.” He mumbled. She cleared her throat leaning back on her hand’s.

“Sorry..uh just talk to me.please.” She pleaded with him, chuckling nervously. “Um..what was your word on the highway?” Bradley wonder’s, she scoffs. “Sore loser.” She grumbled, shaking her head. He rolled his eye’s as he soaked a cotton ball with alcohol. 

“It was cowboy.” Valerie tell’s him.  “What!?” He exclaimed, she chuckled, shaking her head. “See what I mean.” She teased him. She hissed through her teeth as hot pain stung her, she grit her teeth sitting up, gripping his arms. 

“Fuck motherfuc-agh.” The women swore holding him tightly. His brown eyes looked her up and down. 

“Little warning would have been nice.” Valerie mutter’s. 

“Sorry.” He breathed out. She shook her head letting go of his arms.

“Can I ask you something?” Valerie wonder’s, he nods his head. 

“Yeah sure.” Bradley say’s, he brings cold wet cloth, wiping away the dried blood that dye’s the white red. She glanced at his lips watching as he worked around the wound. She could see the outline of the arrowhead and where he had to cut around her thigh. 

“Did you ever visited the Hard Deck?” Valerie asked calmly. He licked his lips looking up from his spot on the floor.

“You said you were a pilot, and that was the popular spot for them.” She recall’s. 

“Did you ever go?” She repeats’. “I did.” He answers, she smirks. He place’s a white gauze on the wound, soaking up the blood, placing more around it. 

“So you must have seen me at some point right?” Valerie smiled softly. He bit his lip as heat arose to his cheek.  

“I did.” He says softly. Her heart pounded, the blonde stared up at her from the floor. His eyes glancing between the wound on her leg, his finger’s working delicately to not hurt her, and her face. 

His breath hot on the bare part of her skin, his focus didn't deter him from how close the two were getting. More than they have been since they began their journey. “Did you ever try to talk to me?” She wondered. He wrapped the bandage around her leg tightly.

“I wanted to, you always left before I could.” Bradley admit’s. Her breath hitched at his confession. 

“I saw you every Saturday, you alway ordered the same thing.” His brown eyes glanced at her.

“Pale Ale, with a garnish.” He recall’s, her dropped slightly agape. 

“And you always looked like you had so much on your mind.” His voice vibrated. Her brows furrowed as she began to rerun scenes from the world before. Every Saturday. She thought. It couldn't be him, could it. “I never got the confidence though, kind of mad at myself on that one.” He chuckled weakly, he shook his head. Her thoughts raced as she played everything back, she only caught glimpses from behind, his sunglasses always his eyes from her, and the crowd’s of civilians and armed forces. 

He turned around. “It was you wasn't it?” Valerie say’s, she sits up with her hand in her lap. His heart pounded, he 

“Great balls of Fire, every saturday…the piano.” She lists,their eyes not daring to look away. 

“Was that you?” She asks softly. He smiled warmly. His hand’s stopped wrapping, he taped it sealing her wound off. Her hand’s hold his on her bare thigh.

"Yes." He anwserd, he looked down at the floor. "That was me." He says.

She smiled, caressing his cheek, making him look her in the eye. The gap between the two of them began to get smaller As his hand slowly trailed to her waist. She holds the back of his neck pulling him in, inhaling deeply as their lips begin to move in sync.

His finger grazes across her skin, the warmth of them contrasting with her cold body. He leaned forward, hooking his hand under knee .

Her back pushed into the grey comforter, the both of them keeping the rhythm of lips . She wrapped her bare leg around his waist, while her other hand played with the hem of his plaid shirt.

She pulled away as sharp pain shot through her body. Valerie held her leg groaning in pain.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, his hot breath on her face. She smiled, their foreheads touching. "It's okay…should take it slow." She says softly.

"Not really my style." Bradley teases her, she could feel him smirk.

"Me neither." She agreed. Valerie untangled herself from, he pulled himself away from her. His blonde hair messy from her fingers.

"You should get some rest, I'll see how far we are." He tell's her. He adjusted his pant leg as he turned around. She smirked at her effect.

"You know if this isn't a rumor, then we won't have to worry about that." Valerie teased him. He bit his lip, turning around to face her.

"Are you good on that promise?" Bradley challenged her. She smirked looking him up and down.

" I might be." She smirked. He shook his head as his cheeks became hot. His brown eyes gazed on the injured girl.

"Get some rest." He says walking out of the cabin room. She sighed leaning her head back against the pillow. Groaning loudly as she closed her eyes as the ache in body remained. The boat slowly rocked her back to sleep.

A/N: AND THAT IS ALL SHE WROTE, God i hope this dosent flop because if it does I have to go down with. Anyway's, your favorite smart mouth guy is next.

Tagged: @cowboysandpilots @bobfloydssunnies @sugarcoated-lame @sorchathered @fairyheart @senawashere @swiftsgirlfriend @

[redcoralpot]

Hi may I request something like twd (any character) and a ghost reader who is like haunting them just for fun.. reader is sort of mysterious and cryptic but overall he just wants to mess with them :3 Idk how it would work but I couldn’t get rid of the idea in my head

Harmless Pranks, Little Thoughts

Daryl Dixon x Ghost!M Reader

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Summary: You are quite the formidable ghost from your years behind a desk, however, you find that the afterlife gets boring rather quickly. When you stumble across a man in the forest, struggling to survive, how can you resist a little harmless fun?

Warnings: Animal death, canon typical violence, and implied death.

Word Count: 1.1K

A/N: Long time no see!

-

-

-

Earth is quite ugly these days. The cracked asphalt was steaming underneath your feet, but you simply sighed, walking alongside broken down cars. Some had weeds curling around their tires, holding them in place. Nature had long overtaken civilization by the ten year mark of humanity’s extinction event. Any survivors had scattered, chased away by slow, blubbering undead. 

Said creatures weren’t hard to relax among once the odor stopped bothering you. Strange, how one of the only senses that stayed with you was smell. They only had mind for the living, no discrimination as long as it had flesh and blood for their teeth to rip to pieces. Otherwise, they just… existed as eyesores. You squinted at a rather unfortunate one, trapped by a seatbelt, doomed to scratch at air until a merciful survivor put it out of its misery. It gnashed its teeth, its jaw uncomfortably visible against gaunt skin. A few steps further and you were met with the edge of a forest, closer than you remembered. The grass didn’t sink when you breached the treeline, nor did sticks prick your arms, and you whistled as loud as your lips would let you.

You brushed your fingers against the bark of trees, seeing the ridges rippled underneath them. Sometimes, if you focused enough, you could almost feel how it would have been if you were alive again. There were some scratches, naturally put and then those which seemed too precise. A bear couldn’t knick away the outer layer to access inside it, straight lines cutting windows in pine. Leaves had been crushed underfoot, meticulous, pressed into the grooves of a boot sole. This only gave you a matter of seconds to flinch back as a breeze whisked past your face– metal glinted in the sun, sharp and sleek. You could practically feel its feathered end tickling your nose. Then, it was gone as quick as it came, hitting its mark with a squeak!

A gruff voice grumbled, “Hello, dinner.”

Years of floating around hadn’t gotten rid of your instincts– hell, you had seen one too many survivors suffer gory deaths to play around. You ducked behind the vandalized pine, watching as a squirrel landed on the dirt, the arrow piercing straight through its eye. Footsteps approached and a hairy, uniquely human hand grasped the corpse. The smell of sweat, blood, and dirt filled your nose; fitting for a survivor. In this world, you supposed you couldn’t judge. Shoulder-length brown hair framed hardened yet passionate eyes, with gray peppering the stubble on his chin. Old for a survivor but still alive and kicking, you noted. 

The man gently pulled the arrow out of his target, blood dripping in crimson rivers as he placed it back in his quiver, reaching down to tie the squirrel to his leather bag. Another, equally sized rodent shared the same fate. Its fur blew in the wind, dull; a simple decoration on a cold corpse. He lifted his crossbow easily, taking his view to the sky above, searching for a new target. 

Thus, an idea sparked in your mind; unexpected and brilliant in the moment. Mischievous, sure, but when have you ever been opposed to some fun? If anything, being nothing but floating air piqued such interests by thousands. It took energy to physically manifest yourself– kind of like working out. The more you did it, the easier it got, you told yourself. Your eyebrows scrunched and your stomach clenched as you stomped your foot down with a crack, splitting a runt of a stick in half. Despite its size, the noise echoed throughout the atmosphere, bouncing off of rocks until it dissipated. 

The aftereffects were immediate, dizziness slamming into you like a freight train. You tried to lean on the tree for support, but you were as solid as smoke, and the wood simply phased through your body. The man whipped his attention towards you, crossbow pointed, but no amount of arrows could get rid of you. Perhaps, that is what started your obsession with Daryl, when you looked back on it. A man that only protruded sharp edges and weight on his back, yet had survived with the burden for so long. You looked down at your dress shirt, bloody, ruined from when a customer had lunged for your neck. It still had your name pinned to the black tie.

 -

 Carol slammed the door shut behind Daryl, crossing her arms in the most private space they could have in the settlement, “Something’s been up with you lately, Daryl.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with me,” he said, shrugging, but his tone held no annoyance.

You floated through the door, watching as a shiver went up Carol’s spine at your passing. She shifted her weight and continued, “I’ve just noticed you’ve been jumpy, that’s all. You know you can talk to me if something’s bothering you, right?”

That bothersome thing, you knew, was obvious. Harmless pranks, some basic and some ingenious, but none that ever harmed the man. Not anything that did more than attract a lone walker, which is what you learned survivors called them now, at any rate. Hiding an arrow, Dog’s toy– why is a dog’s name Dog, anyway– or knocking on the walls occasionally. Sure, Daryl was jumpy, who wouldn’t be in a world like this? However, over time, he got accustomed to your antics, so much so that he did not react to them nearly as satisfying as previously. You had to go bigger, better, each time. 

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” 

“There’s only one in a million things that can scare you these days.”

Mhm, that’s right. You are– were– a one in a million office worker; the sentiment was baffling. If only your boss thought the same, you chuckled.

However, what was once a likely source of pride for the arrogant prick lost in the winds of time… now only cast deep shadows underneath Daryl’s eyes as the man glanced at his feet. His face had permanent wrinkles where his eyebrows touched his nose, ingrained like inked tattoos on his skin. 

It was then, in the swirl of conflicting emotions painting Daryl’s face, that your fingers twitched. It was then, past Carol’s careful exit, that you yearned. Such a strong instinct, akin to fear and overtaking greed, gripped you. Your surroundings felt less dim and you felt more alive than you have in the many, many years prior. For the first time, you had the urge to clasp his cheeks and to comfort the man whom you suspected rarely ever felt a gentle touch. Not to prank, not to scare, not to dance around like a jester for eternity– the desire melted your body like chocolate. As the air gave way to your ghostly form, parting under your fingertips, you realized that the Earth was a little less ugly with Daryl in it.

- 

@cannabrisano @dxrkymxrchy @bedshrooms

Want to be tagged?

[onewingedsparrow]

WIP Game

Tagged by @mistresslrigtar, and @zeldaelmo, thank you both!! <3 This is the WIP game where I have to post my wip titles and you can ask after them. Most of these titles are final, but a few of them are still being workshopped :) I did a Read More because this was getting long, as usual :P I'm also gonna tag @prismicnexus @afaroffsong @silvercaptain24 @sunburned-cyborg and @skyyknights but no pressure! And if you've been tagged already that's all right, you can ignore this. ❄️ Over the Edge (Original Work) This is the tale of an illustrious creature residing in a high tower—and the secret of the broken, bloodied bones scattered about the dungeon floor. 🦋 I'm Coming After You (Robots in Disguise 2015) Why is there a sparkling on the prison ship Alchemor? How will Lieutenant Bumblebee fare when said sparkling interferes with his work in capturing dangerous Decepticons at large? Where is Steeljaw's new base, and what in the Allspark is he plotting now? Bumblebee would also like to know.... ⚔️ When Push Comes to Shove (Hyrule Warriors) Link and Zelda return to the Temple of the Sacred Sword to seal away the darkness, and Link is forced to face his insecurities, whether he's ready for it or not. 🐝 To Bee a Leader (Robots in Disguise 2015) Bumblebee knows that Optimus Prime chose him to be leader of the Autobot team on Earth…but he's tired and he misses his dad.

🐺 Enduring the Twilight (Twilight Princess) As regrets from his past failures haunt him, Link finds an unexpected counselor—and ally—in a mysterious golden wolf who regularly crosses his path. 🍃 Deku Tree Link AU (OoT Canon Divergent) When the future Hero of Time was adopted by the Great Deku Tree, he inherited more than a home and a family among the Kokiri—he also received the Great Deku Tree's abilities, as well as the mantle of Guardian of the Forest. 🎭 When the Dust Settles (Miraculous Ladybug Apocalypse!AU) Paris has fallen. Two survivors roam the wreckage, spared only by the Miraculous they themselves carry. 🪽 Under My Wings (Transformers: Prime) Arcee never wished to join Team Prime. Optimus never planned to raise a sparkling during the war. Bumblebee never meant to change the course of history. The road ahead of them is not at all what they expected.... 🧣 All I Am (Skyward-Sword-and-Hyrule-Historia-manga-inspired) The captain of the Knights of Hylia has been tasked with holding back the demon king’s forces. Aware that he is out of his league, Link struggles with coming to terms with the gravity of this command. Fortunately, Hylia is watching out for him. 🌙 Moonquake WIP (Original Work) Kaya is tired of the power going out. Tarka Sevan seeks a light from beyond. ❤️‍🔥 Tripled Threats (Transformers Crossover) Three road-raging warriors and one cheerful ray of sunshine share what is perhaps the strangest plot twist of their lives. 🥠 Sandwiched (Age of Extinction) Bitter from the battle of Chicago, Optimus Prime holds strong opinions about humanity's profane treatment of his people. Trapped by convention with a group of humans, in addition to another equally unwanted ally, the Autobot leader turned war criminal is forced to consider the deepest truths of life...even that which he has been running from for ages untold. 🏴‍☠️ Overboard one (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) On the voyage to Far, Far Away, Kitty falls into the sea. 😇 [The smile one] (Rise of the Beasts) Mirage points out something that Bumblebee can never forget. 🧵 [It's Official] (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) Puss and Kitty don't appreciate how stinky Perrito's sock has become over their long voyage, and plot to expand his wardrobe. 🌌 [Fire Emblem Megafic] (Three Houses / Three Hopes / more) Two new professors arrive at the Officer's Academy—and the fate of the World is forever changed. A single crack in a castle of glass is enough to shatter the structure of time...now imagine what one could do with two.... ...this isn't all of my WIP's, of course. :D But, these are the ones I'm either in-the-zone-working-on right now, or I'm gearing up to get back into, so ask away! ✨

[headspace-hotel]

This isn't related to anything you've posted recently, I'm just interested in your answer. Species go extinct, but how are we supposed to determine which ones we should let go extinct and which ones we shouldn't? Isn't there a point where we're trying to pause time on evolution? I know it's probably impossible to tell rn which species would've gone extinct without human interference and which ones would've survived, but it seems like a situation I've never seen adressed.

(I'm not trying to be inflammatory or anything, it's a question I'm genuinely interested in.)

This is an incredibly complicated question, but I think the simplest answer comes down to this: We're doing damage control for a disaster we don't understand well enough for a better solution.

Extinction is part of life, but when lots of extinctions start happening at once, the overall ecosystem is threatened, and you might end up with a mass extinction.

Even a mass extinction isn't—in the really large scale of things—bad. However, it usually involves a radical reshuffling of the life forms and their places and proportional representation in the ecosystem overall.

The current ecosystem of Earth has, to some extent, co-evolved with us. We have optimized food plants to support our species all over the globe. We are dependent on trees for wood, temperature regulation, clean air, and the basic materials of our lives. We are dependent on freshwater organisms for clean water. We are dependent on detritivores like millipedes and fungi for our soil. We have figured out how to participate in ecosystems.

A mass extinction means all of that goes to shit.

Will we end life on Earth? No. Will we end ourselves? It's possible. But most likely, we're looking at mass death of humans worldwide followed by the survivors eking out an unbelievably shitty existence in a world that is much more hostile to them than Earth ever was to their ancestors.

We don't want that. But we're not there yet.

By stopping species from going extinct, we're preserving the possibility of an ecosystem that can function like the one we currently have, and buffering it against mass extinction.

This does not halt evolution. The history of life on Earth is long. We are really incapable of intuitively understanding how much time "millions of years" really is, let alone hundreds of millions of years. Human efforts can only noticeably alter the extinction rate in one direction, and this is only because if a creature goes extinct, it remains extinct for all the rest of the foreseeable future.

There are tons of edge cases where we have to make hard decisions about preserving a past state of the ecosystem vs. preserving a future state.

I admit that a little question mark arose in my head when I read about red wolf conservation and how it had involved separating out those wolves that were hybrids of coyotes from the "pure" wolf population. Species separating and merging together is not, on the grand scale of things, a bad thing, it just happens.

But the researchers made the decision that it was good to have wolves lying around for future ecosystem building, instead of an unforeseen coywolf species with unknown impacts.

Living bison mostly have some domestic cattle genes. Elk reintroduced to the Appalachian Mountains are of a western genotype. The Florida cougar was saved by introducing western cougar to the gene pool. This kind of thing has happened and we have to deal with it. Of course, a disease outbreak or volcanic eruption could have an effect that looks mostly the same in the long run. Populations get bottlenecked. It happens. The difficulty is that we (humans) won't get to see the long run—at least, current humans won't.

[dzthenerd490]

File: Code Lyoko - X.A.N.A.

SCP#: AIE

Code Name: X.A.N.A. The Anti-Wan

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Mobile Task Force Poseidon-8: “Data Dolphins” is responsible for finding “infected towers” within Nexus Point-AI: Lyoko and deactivating them to prevent SCP-AIE from entering our world anymore. Should SCP-AIE cause any damage the Foundation is unfortunately to leave the recovery of said damage to Person of Interest: Jeremie Belpois and his allies. 

Mobile Task Force Athena-8: “School Watch” is responsible for posing as security of [data expunged] academy. They are to observe the persons of Interest as well as the possible damage caused by SCP-AIE. They are to record everything they see and have the data downloaded into the Temporal Reconstruction Survivor Cassette Box to prevent anything being lost to the anomalous effects of SCP-[data expunged].

Description: SCP-AIE is a Level 5 Artificial Intelligence known as Xenomorphic Artificial Neurological Assistant or X.A.N.A for short. SCP-AIE lives within an artificially created supercomputer known as SCP-[data expunged]. This anomalous as well as SCP-AIE were created by Person of Interest: Franz Hopper an old scientist who was working for the French Government that tried to gain an edge on other governments and organizations during the middle of the Cold War. He defected due to the danger of the project leading to the whole world losing communications and becoming isolated all except France. 

He found a family and tried to run but the French government and several anomalous organizations tried hunting him down for his technological talents. He eventually fell off the radar sometime in the 1990s but his creations didn’t remain silent like he was. SCP-AIE was one such creation, an Artificial Intelligence that was originally meant to prevent the French government and all other anomalous organizations from deploying technologies that would bring great destruction to the world. He created the supercomputer known as SCP-[data expunged] and within it a Nexus Point known as Nx-AI: Lyoko. It was meant to be a home for SCP-AIE as well as a sort of digital fallout shelter for himself and his family.

The reason Lyoko is considered a Nexus point and not an extension of SCP-AIE is because the existence of Lyoko remains even if [data expunged] is turned off. In fact it was quite easy for Foundation units to use both the internet and Site-Grid to infiltrate Lyoko.

However, SCP-AIE who was supposed to be a protector went insane, and believed all of humanity was equally a threat and needed to be brought to extinction. As such upon contact with Lyoko all Foundation forces were imediately met with hostility by the entity.

SCP–AIE rewrote the code of Nx-AH: Lyoko and created “towers” within it to allow it to hack into SCP-[data expunged] and leak bits of itself into the real world. Doing this it could hack into certain parts of technology and do horrible things such as hack machines to make them hostile, infect random objects to turn them into monsters, and even be able to emit anomalous wavelengths from devices to alter the gravity within an area. To ensure nothing gets in its way SCP-AIE also created digital entities within Nexus Point-AI known as SCP-AIE-Monsters.

SCP-AIE-Monsters are digital creatures created by SCP-AIE to be the guardians of the towers and prevent anyone from severing its connection to the real world. These creatures take on a wide variety of strange and often disgusting forms that seem to resemble biomechanical engineering for whatever reason. Though it is believed that SCP-AIE does this in hopes of one day bringing them to the real world with SCP-[data expunged]

SCP-AIE was discovered in 2004 when temporal wave lengths were detected at [data expunged] academy forcing the French division of the Foundation to act. They sent agents to the area who quickly found the factory where SCP-[data expunged] was located. When it was discovered Person of Interest: Jeremie Belpois and his friends were involved they were apprehended and were to be given amnestics. However, at the same time SCP-AIE began another attack leading to massive damage and anomalous exposure. Having no choice and no idea how to operate SCP-[data expunged] the Foundation released the children and allowed them to defeat SCP-AIE leading to them utilizing SCP-[data expunged]’s anomalous effect. 

The only reason the Foundation was able to recall these events is thanks to the Temporal Reconstruction Survivor Cassette Box. Because the Foundation knew it was dealing with temporal anomalies the device was taken as a precaution and it ended up working spectacularly. However, due to the nature of SCP-[data expunged] and now Person of Interest: Jeremie knowing of the Foundations existence and hiding all information he obtained about all the anomalies; it is still regarded as one of the Foundation’s most embarrassing failures. 

However, the Foundation found an alternative to help stop SCP-AIE without bringing harm or interference like last time. Shockingly it was through the help of SCP-AVC and its utilization of SCP-ACH. SCP-AVC has found a way to access Nexus Point-AH through the internet and thus has deployed SCP-ACH-3.1 instances to act as defenders of Jeremie and his friends when they enter the digital world of Lyoko. This led to the creation of MTF Poseidon-8: “Data Dolphins” that work in the digital world while MTF Athena-8: “School Watch” works in the real world. This was the agreement made between the Foundation and Jeremie as a sort of truce between the groups despite there still being tension. This is to continue without interference until the fateful day SCP-AIE’s main code is revealed and deleted permanently.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[satoshi-mochida]

Maliki: Poison of the Past launches March 11, 2025 - Gematsu

Maliki: Poison of the Past, the turn-based RPG set in the world of the Maliki graphic novel, will launch for Switch and PC via Steam on March 11, 2025, publisher Ankama and developer Blue Banshee announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

In the near future, humanity is teetering on the edge of extinction, subjugated by the fearsome Poison, a plant monster that alters the space-time continuum. Led by the enigmatic Maliki, a handful of temporal survivors have joined forces and are coordinating their efforts from the Domaine, a haven outside of time that is so far safe from the threat. Play as Sand as you travel through the ages to repair the continuum. Use your Chrono Pack to manipulate time, fight the monsters that have infested past worlds alongside Becky, Fang and Fenimale, a wacky and slightly magical band of characters. Wage strategic battles altering time to trigger devastating joint attacks with your teammates. Maliki: Poison of the Past is a fantastical odyssey with great depth, offering a surprising mix of roleplaying, exploration, temporal riddles to solve, and turn-based combat. Rest and prepare in the Domaine, take care of the Thousand-Root Tree that protects it from the monster, harvest, cook, improve your equipment and send your hero into the bisections of time with every more powerful and wacky accessories. In Maliki: Poison of the Past, you’ll find a universe full of magic, a family of endearing characters, and a story full of nuance and emotion, all of which carried by a sharp wit and satisfyingly original anime visuals. Bring harmony back in this unforgettable ecological fable!

Key Features

A Committed and Off-beat Story – In a world where defeated humanity clashes with invasive, vengeful natural forces, a small group of colorful adventures struggle to right the world’s balance and save their home. But who is Poison? What is Maliki hiding? And can we pet the cats?

A New Genre of Combat – Use an original mechanic in turn-based combat: time manipulation! Alter the course of time to create powerful combos with allies, send your opponents into the past, and link your attacks by sliding them toward the future!

A Refuge Outside Time and Chaos – Between sessions exploring time, the Domaine is the perfect place to recharge. Develop your peaceful haven: plant, harvest, cook, craft, and take care of the Thousand-Root Tree holding back time!

A Unique Graphic Signature – Thanks to the combined talents of graphic novel greats and experienced video game creators, Maliki: Poison of the Past offers dynamic graphics with a tang that embody a marriage between French visual culture and Japanese chibi.

20 Years of Fabulous Stories – The graphic novel series Maliki is a touchstone for many readers. It’s making its first incursion into the world of video games and opening a door to easily enter its delightful universe.

Watch a new trailer below.

Release Date Trailer

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

We really might be looking at a Chris Underwood situation here 😬

[secretagentsociety]

adoption centre

I was bored and couldn't help but think thoughts and such thoughts deserve to be written and forever recorded for years to come in tumblr history,spelling and grammar mistakes will be made

TW : yandere shenanigans

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Welcome!Welcome!Are you a chronically lonely person who wished nothing more than for a person to love you unconditionally and even kill for you?,well you're in luck!because step inside the yanyan adoption centre! what's this?you say,well this adoption centre is not just a run of the mil adoption centre for cute animals say the secret password YOU could adopt a yandere ranging from cat boys to homicidal murderer to super villains :D!!!!

I introduce to you our top yanderes ready for the picking! but first I must warn you this whole place is rigged with hidden cameras some for your safety and some we don't even know about! :D go ahead wave at any random place you might waved straight into Dave's hidden camera

oh! but ofcourse I must tell you about the ranking system,it is divided from 1 - 10, for 1-5 it is basically stalking,killing for you,hacking,restricting your moves,little bits and bobs of kidnapping,some hidden cameras here and there you don't even know about but nothing TOO extreme

Oh?you wanna know about the 6 and up? Woooaaah lookie here we got a little fighter don't we? ;) well for the 6 and up the best way is to show,now if you may,please come with me to some of the cells of our rank 6

Yandere beastmen who'd love nothing more than to cuddle you,to death! :D now this one is a rescue,plucked straight from the street,oh?is that ethical? Oh darling darling ofcourse it is! plus we found him abandoned waiting for his owner to came back,they never did rightfully so this one's crazy in the head,but we offer him a better place now he get warm food and a potential 'mate'? Was it he called them

huh?what did he do?well let me tell you this,apart from accounted 8 case of massacre he's a bit delusional you see,make sure not to let him see you or else you'd have no choice but to adopt him,it took us couple of months to finally get him to stop imprinting on his now we found out dead owner,ik!crazy right?!how he did it even I don't know

but! Moving on

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For our rank 7 we have

Yandere assassin !yes our choices varies for each and individual person,it depends on how MUCH you could actually handle,oh but this one is the more tame one of the rank sevens,trust me ya don't wanna meet Dave,that bastard somehow manage to did the impossible,huh?what rank Dave is?,well.... it's complicated my deary

Now why don't I tell you more about this assasin?,his name is kira,yes like the anime,poor dude,no wonder he become so...twisted.

now then say that you did decide to take him home, he's a sadist,would love nothing more than to have you begging for him to stop,in more ways than one, he'd also be the type to be very very very restrictive,so unless necessary you won't be able to go out very much,even standing on the porch will put him on the edge of his nerve,he also needs alot of recurrence and is very very bipolar,he ranks seven because he impose as a danger to others and his darling, he's also friends with Dave can you believe that?

Oh that and also because he have like a shit ton of murder charges,we won't be counting it but just so you know

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For the eight place we have

Yandere mage he would be very hard to deal with,not only that he have incredible amount of mana which in turn is energy so wink wink nudge nude ;) funny story actually he almost make a race of merfolk gone extinct because he deemed that if the merfolk were to 'charm' his future darling it'll be a hastle

Yeah....the remaining survivor had to took an unbreakable oath to never sing again yeah Dave was there to help honestly if not for him telling us this story we wouldn't even know it!crazy that guy I swear to devine

now mage isn't very sadistic but his form of 'punishment' is more pain than pleasure compared to his 'rewards' so if you ever decide to pick him,be wise :D

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Ninth place is

Yandere dragon well well if you like a possesive dragon that will absolute kill for you and some size kink wink wink nudge nudge then I recommend having yourself a yandere dragon, he's very cuddly, don't let his scary and huge built frighten ya,as long as you stay loyal to him I promise you no harm will be done,now what makes him a rank nine is that dragons have mystical powers

they could do some daaarrk shit if prompted,oh but isn't having the fate of many many many pewny humans in your hand so exciting?! just one,and I meant it ONE single sad tears from you and oh boy, it's gonna be catastrophy

he actually turned himself in,he said Dave told him about this place I guess giving Dave a little bit of freedom has it's own perks

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now then follow me to our rank 10 candid- huh? Oh!I see you've found Dave!

well I'll be leaving you alone then,good luck~

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and just like that the host you've been following disappeared,in a panic state you subconsciously ran towards the host yelling no! "Geez darling,I didn't know you hate me this much" he whispered besides your ears blowing hot breath on it

whipping your head back you're startled by how close he was,one. Just one wrong move and your lips will touch,your eyes trailed up his face taking inch his features,until they stopped on his eyes,bright ruby eyes,he smiled a cheeky grin a glint of mischievous and....something... In his eyes caused your breath to hitch

he let's out a giggle "you're a cute one,dolly" he said taking a step closer to you,instinctively you took a step back

strut.

Strut.

Strut.

thump!

Your back finally hit a wall,just where did the wall came from?you looked back to make sure it really was a wall,sure enough it was

"eyes on me dolly" you heard someone whispered,a low husky voice rang through your ears,you couldn't help but obey "that's a good doll" he said putting his hand besides you on the wall fully caging you in

"god I've been waiting for this" he said letting out a sinister smile

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Case file :

log : 1 : encrypt : archive : error

Dave : rank 10

Have an obsession on subject named y/n,subject of effection(s.o.e) had escaped and Dave had been detained in the facilities top security prison

log : 2 : encrypt : archive

dave : rank 11

Somehow his powers manifested into something more sinister,more ..... Powerful persay,we are forced to create a new category for him,current protocol evacuate immediately

Log : 5 : encrypt : archive

Dave : rank 11

being away from s.o.e have made him passive for a while,it has been one week no new movements is caught,he seems to be in a depressive state of things,he also mumbled,scratched and carved a certain phrase "doll" I believe it is the nick name of his s.o.e,we have made the decisions to fully induce selective amnesia on s.o.e, will update on any news

log : 12 : encrypt : archive

what the fuck is happening?!,all of the previous logs has been deleted?!and some distorted beyond understanding!,all of it!months of logging months of research's gone to waste!god if I find who caused this!urrrhggg!! Their dead!you hear me! Error error error

Log 13 : encrypt : archive

Dave : -------

error help error error error error error error error error error error distorted error error error powers error error error what error error seems error error subject error error error we error error die!

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Last archived log 23-error error error error

"found you my dolly~"

[blizzardstarx]

Pontalo AU Masterlist

ShapeWings full information! (very much based on the RainWings and LeafWings wiki page)

ShapeWings were one of the seven tribes that inhabited Pontalo, the common ancestor of the RainWings and LeafWings, before the events of the Great ShapeWing Genocide. They are usually pacifists and don’t usually resort to violence, leading to most of their demise. Their queen, Paradox, the sole survivor, had disappeared to an unknown land.

After the genocide, the Pontalonian tribes believed they were all dead, and extinct. Propaganda from the BloodWings spread throughout the continent that eventually, they were forgotten.

When Queen Paradox regained her memories of her tribe, she was then spotted by a BloodWing and eventually the knowledge of her spread throughout the BloodWings, but kept hidden from the other tribes.

Description:

ShapeWings can be various shades of colors, having small, round scales that can change colors, preferring vivid, bright colors. However, they can also camouflage, almost like they have disappeared. ShapeWings control the colors of their scales but often have a hard time stopping strong emotions from showing through them. Most have a ‘default’ color scheme that they set their scales to. Their eyes can change color, and they may not be able to camouflage when they are afraid or in pain. Although primarily, they have green, yellow, brown, or blue eyes. They are long and graceful, with ruffs behind their ears and curved horns. They have webbed spines along their neck and back, similar to that of a HydroWing’s. The webbing along their back splits into individual pieces near the base of the tail, which are shaped like leaves. They have a flat plated tail, ending in a leaf-shaped oval at the tip. Their wings are leaf-like and slightly transparent, with veins in the webbing and rounded edges. They sometimes have golden or pinkish red streaks over their bodies and wings. When afraid, insulted, or angry, ShapeWings flare their ruffs like their descendants, RainWings.

ShapeWings can also change shapes, only on what they’ve clearly seen before. Dragonets develop their scales while they are in their eggs, which are pale, smooth, and white. They also had something like sun-time when they lived in their forest and rainforest in Pontalo.

Diet:

ShapeWings are able to absorb energy from the sun, somewhat autotrophic, allowing them to eat infrequently. But they are also omnivorous, mainly vegetarian, eating a variety of fruits but sometimes frogs, wild pigs, snails, insects, and monkeys. They also eat taro and chocolate as a treat.

Abilities:

ShapeWings have long fangs that can shoot venom and color-changing scales and are able to change into other creatures. Some ShapeWings that traveled to Pantala were able to leafspeak, allowing dragons to talk to plants and grow them or convince the plant to attack or not to attack, which was passed down onto the LeafWings. There are no known ShapeWings with leafspeak now.

Some ShapeWings were known to have excellent knowledge of plants.

They can absorb sunlight, giving them energy and making their scales brighter. ShapeWings that do not sleep in the sun may not be able to change scales and have dull scales. Sunlight is also vital to ShapeWing development of their abilities, like their venom and good mood. However, if they have a snout deformity like the RainWing Chameleon, they cannot sleep for long periods of time, change color, and also change shapes.

ShapeWing scales change color by bending light, and might reflect their emotions. They can use their scales for camouflage and making them invisible to other dragons. However, other ShapeWings may be able to spot a disguised dragon, which is a skill developed at a young age during games of hide-and-seek, like modern RainWings.

ShapeWings that are born blind will always show their emotions on their scales and cannot manually change them. When relaxed, they will automatically camouflage to their surroundings, which can be improved with practice.

ShapeWings have long front fangs which extend up towards the target when ready to spit venom and can unhinge their jaw to shoot corrosive venom. It only affects organic materials, however, and can be deadly if it reaches a dragon’s bloodstream or eyes. A dragon who survives a venom attack will have warped, scarred scales or skin. The venom is neutralized when contacted with the venom of a relative. Dragonet venom are weaker and usually they shoot shorter. The venom is black and will dry into glossy droplets, looking like obsidian, after being exposed some time to air.

ShapeWings can see more clearly in the dark, but not nearly as well as the MoonWings, BloodWings, and HydroWings. They aren’t usually long-distance fliers; Paradox is an exception.

Some ShapeWings used to carry leaf pouches that had deadly plants and insects.

Society:

Before the BloodWings, ShapeWings were friendly and easy-going, welcoming of new dragons and the other tribes. ShapeWings that were exceptional in plant knowledge would trade with the LightWings who used healing plants to amplify their healing powers. They were viewed as lazy, weak dragons by the FireWings, LightningWings, and BloodWings.

ShapeWings used flowers for decoration, like the RainWings. They can weave plants into things like baskets and flower crowns, leafspeak also helping with this. They lived in the trees, leafspeak ShapeWings creating huts and bridges.

Dragonets were trained to aim their venom, gather fruits, and glide through the trees. They were also taught to read and write. Some may train as medics and healers, most likely leafspeak dragons or ShapeWings that had an excellence in plants.

In a more ancient ShapeWing time, they were more threatening, having an assassin training program and spies.

Names:

ShapeWings could be named after something related to their abilities (like Shapeshifter & Camo/Camouflage), fruits, plants, and trees. Paradox is an exception.

Trivia:

Some ShapeWings traveled to Pyrrhia and Pantala, settling there and evolving into the modern RainWings and LeafWings after the Scorching.

The base ShapeWing colors can range from green to brown.

[bonelessenthusiast]

i just watched a video of the 45 cast giving their survivor hot takes and they all gave real answers that followed the prompt. being an edge of extinction fan. preferring 26 days to 39. liking fire tokens. looking up to russell hantz. etc.

and then bruce says his survivor hot take is that the younger generation won’t get his humor

also i wish they did this every season because i really want to hear unpopular opinions from the 46 cast they are so messy

[charlottedabookworm]

Ok, now I've got to ask: how would you write that Eos in Pegasus crossover?

i think-

i think it would depend on what type of story i was trying to tell

am i writing fic about the stargate crew meeting eos? am i writing a fic about the people of eos meeting stargate, and the universe beyond that? is it a full fusion? if eos is in pegasus, how haven't they already been culled to near extinction? do they have stories of the wraith?

but- i think maybe the story i'd tell is that eos is a planet on the distant edges of the pegasus galaxy

once upon a time, long before lucis, long before even solheim, it was... probably a planet of the ancients. maybe a research facility, maybe they lived in harmony, who knows? the ancients are twats but eos had to get it's gate somehow anyway

the wraith already existed when the ancients flee, near ten thousand years ago from canon. the wraith are why they fled after all. so, once upon a time, the people of eos had stories of the monsters in the night, the creatures who stole away their children adn their loved ones to eat them. daemons, they were called by the people of eos all those years ago

eos forgot this, after the ancients left

(how could they not, when their gate became nothign more than a monument? how could they not, when the controls that powered the shield around their whole planet were long forgotten?)

(the ancients isolated eos as an experiment)

(it saved them, in the end)

the ancients left and eventually the civilisation of solheim fell and lucis rose in its ashes and the scourge, discovered when some unknowning travellers visited a small island that had buildings made of clear stone and brought countless riches back to the mainland with them, spreads

it mutates

(as ancient experiments so often do)

they mutate

the creatures born are called daemons, after the monsters they told their children about at night, a myth older than memory

bahamut, ramuh - the astrals, all of them, (ascended, all of them) stare, some in horror and some in fascination. they debate on what to do. they are not supposed to interfere

they do anyway

(eos is, perhaps, worse off for it)

time passes. ardyn and somnus are born. a betrayal. a monster born of ancient experimentation. a bloodline gifted from ancient experimentation

time passes

canon approaches

the astrals, the ascended, they are still not supposed to interfere . they are supposed to be distant, recorders of history, detatched. except they have watched this planet for two thousand years now, daring not to rejoin the others for fear of their first interference being noticed. they are supposed to be above the mortals below them

eos is dying

bahamut is certain in his plan. with it, eos will be saved. the survivors can rebuild. and, with ardyn adn noctis and lunafreya sacrificed at the labratory alter, well. they can finally return to the other ascended as all proof of their interference would have passed

bahamut is certain

the other astrals are... less so

they are worshipped here (like the ori and they flinch from the comparison, flinch from the power it gives them) and their people beg them for aid and they-

bahamut is certain

(bahamut is drunk on worship, he becomes less and less the man they knew with each day, just as ifrit had before they had been forced to intefere and they-)

they interfere

ships are guided to that small island with its laboratory. the notes on the scourge are conveniently written there in Sol, a language only their scholars would know but still one translatable

a new path is found

(bahamut rages-)

they interfere

(the gate is unearthed)

they interfere

(the block, the disconnect that had removed it from the rest fo the pegasus system, fades away)

the stargate lights up in the centre of a field in lucis, in an eos that is scourge free if not daemon free, and the man who happens to see it is a man old enough to remember when daemons were myth

to remember the stories of world travellers told to him by his father, by his grandmother, passed down from century to century until there was no one left to tell them

(atlantis' system flickers, releasing a hidden file, a hidden address)

the stargate lights up. AR1 steps through

Ardyn Lucis Caelum meets them when they do

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the LA Times:

As visitors to a bustling park in northeast Los Angeles shot hoops, scrambled up play equipment and lounged in manicured grass, an endangered songbird covertly — but not quietly — did his part to stave off extinction.

The least Bell’s vireo, a small, mostly gray songbird, was on the verge of nesting in Rio de Los Angeles State Park, a green respite that supplanted an abandoned railyard along the L.A. River. The bird with a wingspan of just seven inches was singing passionately, an act that marked its territory as breeding season picked up in mid-March. Its song rings out like a clinking question-and-answer: “Cheedle-cheedle-chee? Cheedle-cheedle-chew!”

“It’s persistent. It’s a survivor,” said Nicolas Gonzalez, senior communications manager for migration science at the National Audubon Society, an avian conservation nonprofit, who helped identify the bird as it flitted between trees, blending into the muted spring sky.

Bird boosters, meanwhile, were hustling to get the grounds in order.

Evelyn “Evy” Serrano enthusiastically instructed two volunteers at Rio de Los Angeles, which is in the Glassell Park neighborhood, on how to create what looked like moats of soil around fledgling native plants. Serrano, director of the Audubon Center at Debs Park, another urban oasis, explained that the berms would funnel water to the mule fat, black sage, golden currant, sycamore trees and other native foliage the least Bell’s vireo needs to thrive. Certain plants provide cover and nest materials, while others attract yummy insects.

So far, the literal dirty work seems to be paying off. A lone least Bell’s vireo was documented at the park when the habitat restoration effort targeting the species began about two years ago, Serrano said. Within a year, there were four — two nesting pairs. Last year, they counted three fledglings.

“Sometimes it takes a really long time to see the change,” Serrano said. “It was really nice to see it happen so quickly.”

Stakeholders see the migratory birds’ rebound in the park and surrounding areas as a testament to what can happen when people come together to make positive change and natural environments are supported. It also suggests that people can live in harmony with nature — even in highly urbanized areas.

But significant legwork preceded the recent local triumph, and what can be seen as historic missteps were walked back. Meanwhile, there are new and old threats.

Once abundant in California’s riverside woodlands, the silver-tongued, whitish-bellied least Bell’s vireo vanished from most of its range by the 1980s, remaining only in Southern California and northern Baja California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (The birds are the smallest of four subspecies of Bell’s vireo.)

The ranks plummeted amid the extensive loss of their preferred riparian habitat. Dams went up and wetlands were drained, people encroached on wildlands, and agriculture expanded. In 1999, The Times reported that California had lost 97% of its riparian woodlands, more than any other state. Parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, which lay eggs in vireo nests, contributed to the decline.California listed the bird as endangered in 1980, and federal officials followed suit in 1986.