#University Of Adelaide

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Polyethylene waste could be a thing of the past

An international team of experts undertaking fundamental research has developed a way of using polyethylene waste (PE) as a feedstock and converted it into valuable chemicals, via light-driven photocatalysis. The University of Adelaide's Professor Shizhang Qiao, Chair of Nanotechnology, and Director, Center for Materials in Energy and Catalysis, at the School of Chemical Engineering, led the team that published their findings in the journal Science Advances. "We have upcycled polyethylene plastic waste into ethylene and propionic acid with high selectivity using atomically dispersed metal catalysts," said Professor Qiao. "An oxidation-coupled room-temperature photocatalysis method was used to convert the waste into valuable products with high selectivity. Nearly 99% of the liquid product is propionic acid, alleviating the problems associated with complex products that then require separation. Renewable solar energy was used rather than industrial processes that consume fossil fuel and emit greenhouse gases."

Read more.

[lottiestudying]

05.01.2023—saw some friends today and took a trip to the university i transferred out from & walked around the botanic gardens after grabbing lunch and visiting the state museum. if you’re ever in adelaide, a walk up north terrace is always worth a visit

[afnguy]

ART CLASSES IN DRAWING AND ACRYLIC PAINTING FOR YOU! PRIVATE LESSONS AVAILABLE FOR $35. PER HOUR* (SUPPLIES EXTRA FOR PAINTING CLASS ONLY) CLASSES GEARED TOWARDS BEGINNERS, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED RENDERERS. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. LEARN WATERCOLOUR PENCIL PAINTING TOO! ASHLEYNITKIN.WORDPRESS.CON AFN_4@YAHOO.COM OR TEXT ME AT: 1 (647) 403-9244

[bumblebeeappletree]

We meet a biologist who has spent his life observing the littlest living things; from pollen in the air to the moss under our feet.

Dr Andrew Thornhill is a research botanist at the State Herbarium of South Australia curating the bryophyte collection, including mosses, liverworts and hornworts. He also teaches plant identification at the University of Adelaide which is within walking distance via the botanic gardens.

Early in life, Dr Andrew knew he wanted to study living things and enrolled in university straight out of high school. Unfortunately, one week before studies began, Andrew discovered he had a rare form of cancer in his knee and was met with an option to amputate or go through a world-first surgery. He opted for the surgery, which was successful, though “it meant that I couldn’t run anymore, and I had to take care of my leg. It didn’t help that I was in a car accident five years after chemo. I broke both my legs and every bone in my foot, so I had to recover again.”

Despite having to defer his studies, Dr Andrew continued with a focus on plants instead of zoology, admitting that “it might be too hard to chase animals.” With moss being so close to the ground Andrew makes light of the ironies and compensations of his work. “When they made me the moss curator, it was kind of ironic because you have to get down on your knees. I don’t have one of the knees to get down on, so I get a camera or magnifying glass... and just lay on my stomach to look really closely.”

The collection holds 30,000 dry specimens which are being digitised into a database. Assisting Dr Andrew is environmental biology student Bonnie Newman who discovered four migrated species of bryophytes previously unseen in Adelaide via the iNaturalist app. Bonnie has volunteered with the herbarium collection for over two years and says, “Andrew has a really relaxed way of doing things, you know, cracking jokes and making people feel comfortable.” As well as the current collection, they also collect new specimens from the field which are pressed in tissue to extract moisture, frozen to get rid of pests then labelled and stored in the herbarium.

The First Creek wetland in Adelaide botanic gardens is a popular place to find moss, hornwort and liverwort. Andrew says it’s the combination of shade and consistent moisture that allows the mosses to survive even through dry Adelaide summers. “When they do (dry out), they sit there, and they don’t completely die. When it rains, they can pop up quickly and show themselves again.” Andrew points out a leafy liverwort which grows on rocks and logs, slowly decomposing them into soil, and performing a vital role in the ecosystem. “Mosses are doing a job, extracting nutrients, holding the soil together, slowly breaking something down. Without them, we wouldn’t have the soil that other plants can use.”

Moss outreach is also an important part of Andrew’s work, with trivia nights whimsically titled Mosstermind, art exhibitions and Moss Appreciation Society pages on social media all aiming to encourage more young scientists to the field of these mini but mighty plants.

Dr Andrew says, “Mosses and their close relatives, liverworts and hornworts, are what we think are the earliest of land-plant groups. They're the plants that came out of the water and started colonising land and forming oxygen. Mosses form part of the ecosystem. You might not see them, but they're sitting there underneath the soil holding it together in many places. It's only when it rains... they unfurl their leaves, put their little chlorophyll out, turn green and then you’ll spot them everywhere.”

You can contribute to science by uploading photos of your local bryophytes to the iNaturalist website.

Featured Plants:

SPARSE FERN MOSS - Thuidiopsis sparsa

MARBLE SCREW MOSS - Syntrichia papillosa

LEAFY LIVERWORT - Chiloscyphus sp.

Filmed on Kaurna Country | Adelaide, SA

[afn-4-blog]

Drawing and Painting without Pain!

I hold the secret to your success in creating beautiful drawings and paintings. $35*.per hour for private lessons held in the greater Toronto area. Or online lessons available any distance, anywhere. (* Supplies extra) (647) 403-9244. Text me. Or: afn_4@yahoo.com

[nerdwelt]

Wie sich das Material der Batterieelektrode auf deren Leistung und Lebensdauer auswirkt

Forscher der Universitäten Deakin und Monash in Melbourne haben die Auswirkung des Elektrodenmaterials auf den Mechanismus der Festelektrolyt-Interphase (SEI) von Batterien untersucht. Batterien bestehen aus Elektroden, die durch einen Elektrolyten getrennt sind. Bei der Verwendung entsteht auf der Oberfläche jeder Elektrode eine dünne Molekülschicht, die als SEI bezeichnet wird. Das Team…

[etchedjade]

Portrait of Bryce Quinlan + a silly one that Hunt most definitely did lol

[ghost-qwq]

assorted western oc doodles :3

I NEED to talk about these guys all more... </3 please ask me about my ocs <////3

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Seawater split to produce green hydrogen

Researchers have successfully split seawater without pre-treatment to produce green hydrogen.

The international team was led by the University of Adelaide's Professor Shizhang Qiao and Associate Professor Yao Zheng from the School of Chemical Engineering.

"We have split natural seawater into oxygen and hydrogen with nearly 100 percent efficiency, to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis, using a non-precious and cheap catalyst in a commercial electrolyzer," said Professor Qiao.

A typical non-precious catalyst is cobalt oxide with chromium oxide on its surface.

"We used seawater as a feedstock without the need for any pre-treatment processes like reverse osmosis desolation, purification, or alkalization," said Associate Professor Zheng.

Read more.

[lottiestudying]

14.07.2023—lovely week in Adelaide. needed the time to reflect and refresh ✨🍃

[nando161mando]

"'The joint statement by 10 Australian University encampments, published the same day the Coalition calls for a senate inquiry into antisemitism on campuses [via CC]'" via @slackbastard

[arcturus11]

Breaktime

I was walking up the street with a little Canon G9X MkII. It was the camera I learned to shoot with eight years ago. I had so much fun with it in all kinds of weather, night and day. I came upon this group during their break. Being the sneaky so and so that I am I used the street light pole as cover and snapped this. I think it turned out pretty good.

[lotharkarnstein]

Through a mirror darkly. And here the L’rell who holds the glass is darker still. Voq. Defeated in armed combat after a bioengineered virus decimated his Klingon homeworld. The Romulans. All (presumed) dead after committing mass suicide to prevent being subjugated by the Terran Empire. And Sarek. Ambassador Sarek. Decapitated on the steps of the Vulcan Science Academy in front of a crowd that included his wife and son. And all carried out by the same withering hand... the greatest general Earth has ever seen. The most bloodthirsty, merciless, ruthless tyrant to ever set out to conquer the galaxy. Khan Noonien-Singh.

—

My real name is La'an Noonien-Singh. My ancestor is Khan Noonien-Singh. And his legacy is genocide, torture… and me.

[caffeinated-chaos-bean]

A little pic I did for a scene in my personal Vento Aureo au.

In this scene, Giorno has finished Diavolo off. Mista and Trish have run back to the Coliseum. Before joining them, Giorno returns to his parents who are attempting to hide within the shade. Dio has attempted to prevent Giorno from receiving grave injuried from Diavolo, breaking his vow to not interfere with his son's journey with the use of The World. He stopped time and used his stand to pull Giorno away from their enemy, ensuring that Giorno was given extra time to pierce himself with the Arrow. In doing so, it exposed The World to the sun's rays and ultimately resulting in himself taking damage that could have killed him. With the help of Addie and her stand, Deep Sea, she intervened and stopped him before he could suffer enough damage to turn him to dust.

I can imagine the singing Dio cover of "Stand Proud" to be playing softly in the background.

-----------

EoH Giorno Giovanna (c) elina002 EoH Dio Brando Special F (c) Reol1999 EoH Adelaide Kingston (c) Bean-san (this model is for personal use only) ASB Roman Streets Stage (c) nilli10

T_ASBShader (c) 下っ腹P SvSSAO (c) Otamon o_LikeHDR (c) Otamon o_Bleach-bypass (c) Otamon CheapLens (c) Sovoro

“Bucciarati–!!” Giorno shouted, staring up to the sky. “Your body… at the Coliseum, it–!”

“I’ve been resurrected… when I met you at Naples, and when I betrayed the gang… I’ve been slowly dying off… my heart has been resurrected all because of you.”

“He did it…” Mista weakly stammered. He lay in Giorno’s arms, bleeding from the wound that Diavolo had inflicted on his body. “Really, that…. That was close… but now Trish has been saved… and my body… Hurry up and heal me…!!”

“R-Right!!” Giorno snapped back to reality, using his Gold Experience to use the surrounding rubble and bullet shells to close up the gunman’s wounds. “W-We have to get to the arrow, Mista!!”

“...Let him…. Don’t let him get away…!” Trish mumbled weakly. “I can feel him… planning to run… if he retreats, then we lose…!”

Diavolo turned around, staring at his daughter’s frail form on the ground. “Tch!!” He couldn’t run away now. If he ran now, he’d lose his dignity. If he wanted to remain as the king of the world, he had to continue fighting back.

“Eh?!” Mista coughed. “H-He’s not… running!! He’s coming back this way!!”

“Giorno Giovanna….!!!” Diavolo shouted, reaching towards the teen and clocking his fist against the side of his head. “You immature brat… you are not worthy at all!!!”

Dio stood in the shadows. He couldn’t step out. To step out of hiding meant turning to dust. He clenched his teeth, his fangs cutting into his lower lip. “Tch…!!”

“I don’t know where he’s been thrown to, but Polnareff said before… the arrow will choose those it deems worthy!! You’ve been rejected by the arrow, Giorno Giovanna!!!” Diavolo summoned his stand once more, its fists glowing as they aimed straight for the boy’s face.

“THE WORLD!!! STOP THE FLOW OF TIME!!”

“W-What is–!!?”

Suddenly, everything went still. The water no longer ebbed and flowed in the canals. The wind no longer blew, yet the trees still looked as if they were caught in a heavy, frozen breeze. 

“11 seconds…”

Diavlo couldn’t move. As hard as he may try, the effort to do so was futile. His consciousness was still flowing, however. Was this the act of another messing with time? His eyes darted towards the shadows, the sound of a shoe tapping against stone catching his attention.

“You…” Dio hissed. “You dare to eradicate the Son of Dio from the world…?” At his feet stood the frozen turtle, Polnareff. The key was still in its slot of the shell, and within the shadows Adelaide stepped out of the secret room once more. 

“D-Dio!!” Adelaide gasped. “W-What’s going on?! Y-You vowed not to use The World during this!!”

The vampire didn’t turn his gaze to the woman, his fists clenched. “My apologies. Circumstances have changed.”

Addie turned to the view before her. Her son, an arrow partially embedded into his chest, and the enemy mere seconds away from punching him in the center of his skull. “D-Dio!! We… How are we going to–!!? Giorno is–!!!”

“...I know.” Dio stated firmly. “I have an idea… but I can’t be sure that it will actually work.”

“What do you mean!?”

“9 seconds…” Dio counted. “I have 9 more seconds. I’m going to send The World out to grab Giorno… but I need you.”

“D-Dio are you insane?!” Addie protested. “Your stand is a manifestation of your soul!! Sending The World out there is going to expose him to direct sunlight, you know that!!”

“I do.” Dio hissed. “It's the only chance we have, my love…”

“But..!!” Addie couldn’t respond. Their son needed help, but she didn’t want to lose her lord either. “W-What do you need me to do?”

“Deep Sea.” Dio stated. “Engulf me with her energy while I send The World out. Whatever you did back in Egypt… do it again. There’s a 50/50 chance it will work… and if I can do this to save our son… to save Giorno… it's a chance I have to take.”

Unbeknownst to the vampire, Polnareff was still able to hear what was going on despite being unable to move. “To save… his son? So Jotaro was correct, he did spawn an heir… and that heir is who I’ve been helping in an attempt to defeat Diavolo. Giorno Giovanna… the son of the man who killed Avdol… who crippled Kakyoin and Iggy…”

“B-But…” Addie protested. “I don’t even know how I did that!! I was so scared that I don’t even know what I did!!”

“...And are you not scared now…”

Addie tensed. Sure, she was terrified. She was terrified that she was about to witness her son get drastically injured but just as terrified to lose the love of her life.

“Just do it…” Dio said, his voice sounding firm but somewhat defeated. “...We only have 5 seconds left.”

Addie swallowed the lump in her throat as she summoned Deep Sea. The watery form wrapped itself around Dio, arms around his neck and tail twisting and curling around his lower half.

“The World.” Dio stated, staring firmly at the sight of his son before him. “Drag Giorno back here.”

“Mudaa…” The World protested. He knew the risk this posed to his user.

“That’s an order.” Dio hissed. “With the remaining seconds we have, drag Giorno over here!!!”

The World nodded, turning to the scene before them. Hesitantly, he floated over to the boy and wrapped his arms under the boy’s.

“NNgh…!!!” Dio flinched, his balance wavering. Pain. Sering pain. His entire body burned. He hadn’t felt pain like this since his battle with Jotaro all those years ago.

“D-Dio!!” Addie cried, stepping closer. Her gaze quickly darted to The World, who was steaming in the sun’s rays.

The World began dragging Giorno’s frozen back back towards the shadows, though he was clearly struggling. The sun was a massive hindrance, and Adelaide knew it. She watched as the stand struggled to perform its task, the steam growing more prominent. 

“D-Dio, you–” Addie stammered. “Y-You’re not going to have time to–”

“T-Then…h-help…!!” Dio stammered through gritted teeth. His right arm was bracing himself against the side of the building that provided their shade. “D-Don’t…worry… a-about me…!!! G-Get… G-Giorno…!!”

Addie’s eyes widened. She’d never seen Dio this way in years, not since they first arrived in Italy and he’d met their son for the first time. She’d never expected to see that side of him ever again. “D-Dio… I can’t just–”

“...Yes you can…”

That voice… Addie looked behind her, her eyes widening at the sight before her. She hardly could believe what she was seeing. “J– … J-Jojo…?”

Before her, an old face came closer. Jonathan Joestar… surrounded in a golden, heavenly light. “...You can do this, Adelaide...”

“B-But..!!” Addie stammered. “I-If I let go… If Deep Sea stops…!!”

“...All will be fine…” Jonathan said calmly, now standing mere feet from the blonde. “Your son is a special one… born between my body and Dio’s genes… he is fated for great things and will not fall here. You must step in…”

“A-And what of Dio!?”

“...As I told him all those years ago, this isn’t over…” the Joestar said with a smile. “Because of you and Giorno, you have aided Dio in correcting his path. If he truly did not think this was right, he wouldn’t be risking his existence. He would not have sent The World out into the sunlight so recklessly if there was any other way.”

“...B-But…!!”

“...I can assist… to a degree.” Jonathan stated. “It will be alright. Get your son, Adelaide. He is fated for far too much to fall here.”

Addie felt the tears in her eyes as she looked at the spirit before her. Fear… she hadn’t felt fear like this since she thought Dio for dead at the bottom of the sea. She hesitantly turned back to look at Giorno and The World. They were closer, but nowhere near the shade. The World was smoking now, cracks forming along its body from the sun’s rays.

“..D-Deep…S-Sea…” Addie mumbled weakly, her lips trembling. “...U-Unravel…”

“Shinkaaaaiiii….?”

“I-I said… u-unravel…” Addie weakly repeated, blinking the tears from her eyes. “H-Help him… g-get Giorno over here…”

“Shinkai…” The water stand did as instructed, leaving Dio’s side and floating towards the teen before them. “Shojoooo……” Deep Sea wrapped herself around The World, her watery hair foaming as she began imbuing him with her own energy.

Addie looked towards Dio once more. His eyes were shut tight, teeth clenched in pain. As soon as Deep Dea released her hold on the vampire, he’d fallen to his knees from the pain. Addie kelt beside him, placing a hand at his back. She didn’t know what else to do.

“He may not be able to reverse his wrongdoings…” Jonathan stated, now beside both blondes. “But you have aided him in returning to a straight and narrow path. While he will never admit to it, Dio has finally been shown the side of the world that I so desperately tried to get him to see. Because of you and the son you bore with him, you finally got him to open his eyes to it.”

“...Jojo…” Addie whispered. “...Can he hear you…?”

“No.” Jonathan stated. “I’m reaching out to you strictly… but even if I had reached you both, he wouldn’t be able to hear. The pain he endures is far too great to allow his senses to work properly.”

“...You told him… that things weren’t done…” Addie repeated. “...What do you mean by that…? If he isn’t meant to know, I won’t say a word… I beg of you, Jojo… what are we in store for?”

Jonathan remained silent for a moment. “...I am not permitted to inform you of your future. But what I can say is this; Giorno is key to preventing an old ally from bringing Dio’s ultimate plan to fruition. I’m sure you remember his goal to achieve Heaven?”

Addie’s eyes widened as she turned to the spectral man. “T-The Heaven Plan!? B-But he’s given that mess up!!”

“Indeed.” Jonathan stated. “But his old ally has not forgotten. In due time, you will cross paths with a few old faces… and fight together as one. That is all I can say.”

“GRKK– AAK!!”

Addie snapped back to her lover, panic in her eyes. “D-Dio!!”

“Shinnnnkkkaaaaaii….!” Deep Sea strained, tightening her grip and rushing further.

“2 seconds.” Jonathan stated, sending a chill down Adelaide’s spine. “I cannot reach out to your spiritual manifestations. You are in the clear. Have your stand instruct The World to return.”

“D-Deep Sea!!” Addie shouted, cradling Dio in her arms. “M-Make The World return to him..!!”

“Muda.” The World protested.

“Shojou…” Deep Sea glared at the golden stand. With one quick movement, the watery stand wrapped her tail around his ankle and hurled him back to his user. “Shinkai.”

Dio gasped for air, feeling his stand return to his body. The sunlight no longer touched him, but his body was still in immense pain. “H-How…c-could you…–!!”

Smack.

“Shut up.” Addie’s voice was harsh. “Not one word.” She watched as Deep Sea pulled Giorno just to the edge of the shade as time began to flow once more.

“Nhg–!” Giorno groaned, hitting the pavement. “W-What.. Just–?” He looked to find his mother holding her husband in her arms. His father… burns were present on his skin.

“H-How did…?!” Diavolo hissed. “I see… so he also can manipulate time, is that it? No matter… his power is still inferior to my King Crimson. Giorno Giovanna!! This is the end for you!!” Diavolo went to land another blow, only to see the arrow become one with the boy’s stand… it crawled into the stand’s skin. “What is it that I’m seeing right now? I’ve already broken his head. Shouldn’t I see his brain bits flying everywhere? But that’s not what’s coming out of his head… What is this? And why has the arrow entered his arm!?”

Mista and Trish gasped as they witnessed Gold Experience shatter before their eyes.

“H-He…” Mista stammered.

“Giorno wasn’t rejected by the arrow after all!!” Trish exclaimed. “The arrow hadn’t deemed him unworthy!! And not only that… the arrow is now forever imprinted within Giorno!! The Boss won’t be able to go after it anymore!!!”

“I… is what I’m seeing real? Did I make a mistake somewhere?” Diavolo panicked. “I should be seeing Giorno’s corpse right now… No!! This can’t be real!!”

“It’s Requiem!!” Mista shouted. “It’s Giorno’s Requiem!! Gold Experience Requiem!!”

“Gold Experience has fully absorbed the arrow’s power!!” Mista shouted.

Dio weakly, painfully, lifted his head to look forward. Before him, he could see his son floating midair. His stand’s appearance changed… evolved.

Giorno stared down at Diavolo, his resolve forever solid. He flicked a piece of floating rubble right through the man’s hand, turning it into a scorpion on the way out. “The only thing that survives in this world… is reality… This is an action caused by reality.”

“His vampiric blood is also awakening.” Jonathan stated. “He may have vampiric blood, but he has far more Joestar blood running within him. This is why he’s able to survive the sun. He will put an end to this, now. I will be taking my leave.”

“...Wait…” Addie whispered. “...One last thing…”

“Yes, ma’am?” Jonathan inquired.

“...I have to know…” Addie begged softly. “...Are you… always around…?”

Jonathan gave a soft smile. “I am. When you wrapped around Dio, preventing him from being obliterated by Jotaro’s attack… it is true, that I was finally released and allowed into Heaven. But I have my own will, still, and thus can come and go when I please. I take pride in ensuring Dio can continue down this brighter path… I always check on him. More so than the other Joestars. He is still considered my brother.” With that, the Joestar spirit disappeared.

“What’s going on now?!” Mista cried out. “What’s going to happen? Will Requiem exchange our spirits again?”

“I don’t know…” Trish stated. “No one knows… probably not even Giorno… But it seems that Requiem is now fully controlled by Giorno. It’s entirely docile!!”

“Don’t get all high and mighty…” Diavolo hissed. “Don’t think you know everything!! Giorno Giovanna, I won’t give you any chances… Prepare to mourn your own death!! King Crimson!!” Diavolo cackled, time having been affected. In this space of erased time, he could see Giorno’s movements and dodge the bullets that Mista had fired his way. “I can entirely predict what he is planning to do! How can you pieces of trash think you can defeat me! Reality is in my hands!! In a few seconds, even if time returns to normal, Gold Experience’s attack has been completely nullified by me!! You won’t be able to see me or King Crimson anymore! I won! Fate ultimately still chooses me to rule the world!! I’m faster than you!! With my predictions, I punched right through your heart!! It ends now!!”

To his horror, however, things didn't go as he foretold. Time began to rewind. The bullets Mista fired returned in reverse, forcing Diavolo to dodge them once more. “I-Impossible!! What…!! Is time beginning to progress normally again?! Is this Requiem’s doing?! NO!! Fate is still choosing me, Diavolo!! Take this, Giorno Giovanna!!!” King Crimson went to land another blow, only for it to suddenly be stopped outright.

“This.. Requiem… Everything you see is real…” Giorno hissed. “Your ability does indeed allow you to see the future… but… you are not able to execute what will actually happen! Whoever stands before me, no matter what ability he has… will not be able to take action. Because this is Gold Experience Requiem!”

“Not even my wielder, Giorno Giovanna, truly knows the lengths of this ability.” GER itself stated.

Before he knew it, Diavlo felt pain rush throughout his body. Gold Experience Requiem rapidly, almost at the speed of light, hurled punch after punch at Diavolo. “You… have nowhere… else to go… and… you will never be able to grasp reality!”

“W-We did it!!” Mista’s voice resounded. “The arrow’s power evolved your Gold Experience!! Even though I wasn’t able to see what happened… but the Boss’s King Crimson is no match for you!! We’ve finally won!!”

“Wait… wait a minute!!” Trish interrupted. “Did his body float up to the surface?! Where’s the corpse!?”

“Is it floating on the surface?” Mista wondered. “W-Where is it!? Hurry up and help us find it!! Giorno!! Where did the Boss go?!”

“Come on!! Giorno!!” Trish shouted. “We have to find him!! He still could be alive!! We have to make sure that he’s dead!!

“No…” Giorno muttered. “We don’t have to… Everything is over.”

“B-But he could still be alive…” Mista pointed out.

“Even though I’m not too sure of Requiem’s ability either…” Giorno began. “I firmly believe he has nowhere to go anymore… especially not reality… not even the reality of death. Never-ending is an ending! This is Gold Experience Requiem!”

“H-Hey!! Come on!!” Mista shouted. “We have to get back to the Coliseum!! Buccarati’s spirit should be back but his body is still injured!!”

“R-Right!” Trish agreed. “Hurry up, Giorno!! Back to the coliseum!! We gotta cure Bucciarati before we go home!!”

Giorno watched as both of them took off running, passing his father and mother by as they headed back towards the location of Bucciarati’s body. “Ah… let’s go… I’m coming…”

“Giorno… This is good… Don’t worry. That’s all… Giorno.”

The blonde turned to look behind himself and saw a faded apparition before him. “B-Bucci–”

“Because of everyone, we’ve finally obtained total victory… now everything is over… After all, before fate, we are just sleeping slaves… and now we’ve been released from it… We have won.”

Giorno watched the figure fade away, like a mist evaporating in the sun. His attention was diverted when he heard his mother’s faint voice. “...Mama…?”

“D-Dio!!” Addie was saying. “H-He did it..!! He really did it…!!”

The teen walked over and stood over his parents who had both been crouched on the ground. “Why are you out here like this… its sun up.”

“Keh…” Dio coughed, his body still wracked with pain. “Idiot boy…”

Addie looked up to her son, her face wet from her tears. “G-Giorno..!!”

Giorno’s brow furrowed, grasping the situation. “Padre?”

“...Heh…” Dio scoffed. “It’ll take… more than this… to end my existence, it seems…”

Addie wiped away her tears. “G-Giorno… you have no idea what he risked…”

“Stop…” Dio weakly murmured. “...His abilities… have surpassed my own… there’s no need to boast…”

Giorno raised a brow in confusion, kneeling beside his father. “Padre. What happened?”

“Heh…” Dio weakly chuckled, licking the blood from the corner of his lips. “...You really do look a lot like me with your hair like that…”

Giorno reached the back of his head, only now realizing his braid was undone and his golden tresses were free. “...When did–”

“I didn’t.” Dio said, taking a shaky breath. “Your evolving abilities caused it this time… Giorno…”

Giorno ignored him, attempting to redo his hair once again.

“...Giorno.” Dio stated, weakly grabbing the boy’s wrist. Moving was excruciating.

Giorno remained silent as he looked at his father.

“...I’m proud of you…” Dio weakly muttered. “You did well to surpass me…”

“P-Padre…!”

“He’s in a lot of pain…” Addie stated. “He sustained horrid burns from sending his stand out to pull you from Diavolo’s reach.”

“What?!”

“I told you… to shut up…” Dio protested.

“He’s going to be laid up for quite a while.” Addie stated.

Giorno went to summon Gold Experience, but his father put up a hand in protest. “No, son… I deserve this. I have done far too many unsavory deeds in my lifetime… I deserve to feel pain at least once. Do not heal me. …I’ll heal over time.”

“I’m… going to get him into the turtle.” Addie hesitantly stated. “Otherwise, neither he or myself will be able to return home until nightfall. We can at least hide within Coco Jumbo until we get there.” Addie carefully lifted Dio’s hand and placed it towards the key, the both of them being sucked into the secret room within.

Giorno looked to the wall that his father had been leaning against, only now noticing the deep claw marks in the stone. “...Padre…”

“I must admit…” Polnareff’s voice resounded. “...I never thought I would see the day where Dio would risk his own life for someone else.”

“P-Polnareff?” Giorno stammered. “But… Everything is back to normal. Everyone’s souls are back to normal.”

“Yes, that’s true…” Polnareff stated. “But my body is still dead. But it appears as though my soul is capable of living within this turtle’s secret room.” The soul of the Frenchman was sticking out of the red jewel embedded into the golden key.

“...Polnareff…” Giorno began. “How do you know my father…”

Polnareff looked at the boy, a look of pity clear as day. “Giorno… You do not need to be burdened with your father’s past. I will admit, what he has put me through alongside my friends will never allow me to trust him… but he clearly cares for you, which is something that I never would have expected from him. He was willing to turn to dust to ensure you were the victor against Diavolo. I will never trust him, but he at least has my respect for that action.”

[calliecastle10]

This is not a dream, my friend - And it will never end! This one is the nightmare that goes on! You can't control me! I live deep inside you! Each day you'll feel me devour your soul!

[shallyne]

I want Bryce to look at the paintings Feyre made and just praise them into eternity so people finally get it in their brains that Feyre is a good painter