#We're currently thinking about Behemoth

[commodorecliche]

HELP! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD NAME MY NEW BLACK CAT. HE'S A VERY SPECIAL BOI.

HIM SCREM.

[celestialprincesse]

licherally love your writing so much 😭💖 ghost with an s/o or friend who is strong/big enough to pick him up over their shoulder when he is badly injured? i cannot stop thinking about it 😭 like it’s probably impossible but like GAHHHH

i can just picture he’s fading in and out of consciousness then s/o / friend just like “up and at ‘em” and hauls him over their shoulder. he didn’t think it would bother him but once he is like NOT actively about to pass out from some kind of injury, he is all like “*oh????* **OH?????**”

idk if u or anyone else would appreciate this idea but i had to get it out of my system 😭

-❄️

I fear I may be the bearer of bad news here this man is 6'4 and 200lbs🙃 BUT I aim to please and will therefore do my best🫶

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"You've got to be shitting me." You scoff, looking down at Simon, who currently lays prone and injured in the dirt, your current training manoeuvre having gone terribly wrong.

With your already heavy medkit slung over one shoulder, rifle over the other, and your behemoth of a lieutenant at your feet, the situation really isn't ideal. Not to mention the fact that there's no one around to help, and he doesn't look like he'll be getting anywhere on his own any time soon.

"Bravo Four for backup, Over." You mumble into your radio, silently praying that someone will pick up the signal and give you a hand in getting Simon out of the direct line of fire. A few moments pass with no response. You're very much on your own, and frustrated at the thought. Why did the one time he got hit have to be when you're the only one around to help?

Shimmying beside Simon's bulk, you huff out a slightly strained "Right, up you get" hoisting his arm over your shoulders and trying to stand the both of you upright whilst putting the least possible strain on his injury, which, from the nasty snap you heard just moments ago, you're assuming is some kind of pulled ligament, hopefully not torn.

You'd fortunately had the foresight to supply some reasonably strong painkillers when he'd gone down, enough to stave off the brunt of the pain until you have a chance to look at his wound properly. Also, perhaps a little selfishly, to get him to shut up and stop trying to convince both you, and himself, that he's fine.

It's impossible not to feel some small sense of pride at Simon's clear surprise, having not considered that you'd actually be able to take most of his weight as he limply shuffles alongside you, clinging to your jacket in order to stay upright. "I got it." He slurs, painkillers making everything a little less sharp, still conscious, just less alert than he'd usually be.

"We're all good, just gotta keep moving." You huff back, not letting him protest. You don't have time to argue, nor, frankly, the breath to do so.

"You've been working out." He tries to joke, although his words come out as more of a pained wheeze than the appreciative sarcasm he'd been hoping for.

"Mm. Glad it's paying off."

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[slasherx]

Can you write a thing where the reader is meeting Thomas Hewitt's family for the first time(can be like a victim he liked and decided not to kill or like the reader was met somewhere else), please?

Gender neutral reader, please!

This might be repetitive to other fanficitions, but okay!

Content: Thomas Hewitt x gn!Reader

Warnings: None

Notes: 98% intro, 2% Thomas LMAO also I wanted the reader to actually like her friends rather than just "I hate these people why did I come here ugh"

• ───────────────── •

Cramped in a van with four other people was not how you wanted to spend your summer. Your group had driven all the way from home and planned to go to Mexico for a vacation. As poor college students, none of you could really afford plane tickets, so this was the only other option. You just couldn't wait to get out of this van and start enjoying your summer break.

You were currently driving on a long stretch of road in bumfuck nowhere, Texas. The rest of your group was asleep behind you, draped over each other. Keeping an eye on the gas gauge, you realized you were low on gas. Internally panicking, you start searching for signs about gas stations, but you quickly realize that that probably wont happen.

But, as if something answered your prayers, an establishment began to make itself known in the distance. The closer you got the more you realized it was a gas station. A really old one, but a gas station nonetheless. Pulling into it and parking next to a pump, the sudden stop of the van made your friends wake up.

One of the girls, Laura, looked around and began to speak. "Where are we, (Y/n)?"

"Somewhere in Texas. I'm just going to get us some gas and then we'll be off." You answered, moving to get out of the car.

One of the guys, Todd, moved Laura's arm off of him. "I'll go with you, this seems like a shady place."

Appreciating your friends' precaution, you waited for him to get out first before heading inside the gas station with him. It was run down, and clearly had a lot of outdated knick knacks like newspapers. It smelled entirely of cigarette smoke and old wood.

"How many snacks are left in the bag?" Todd asked you quietly.

"Enough." You answered back, just as quiet.

"Go find some candy, I'll pay for the gas." Todd offered.

"You sure?"

"Positive. Let's just get out of here asap. I have a bad feeling." Todd moved towards the counter, where you noticed an old woman smoking a cigarette behind the register.

You moved through the different shelves, deciding what Laura, Todd, Evan and Terry would want. You weren't paying attention though and bumped into something massive. It felt like a brick wall and you moved back some before looking at what - or who - you bumped into.

It was a behemoth of a man, with dark wavy hair, dark eyes, and a dark mask over the lower half of his face. His shoulders broad - no, everything about him was broad. Everything sure was bigger in Texas.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." You spoke to the man. "I won't bump into you again, my bad."

The man, Thomas, was not used to this behavior. If it were anyone else, they would have told him to watch where he was going. As he watched you survey the shelves past him, he decided to be nice back to you. He tapped your shoulder and expected you to slap him, but you just turned and looked at him.

Even your gaze was kind, albeit a bit wary. He held out his hand, in which was a couple candy bars. They were the last ones that hadn't gone bad, but you didn't need to know that.

"Oh! Thank you." You smiled and took them from his hand. "I don't think I caught your name, kind stranger."

Thomas tapped his throat and shook his head. You were confused for a second but got the hint. "Oh...you can't speak?"

Thomas nodded, but then remembered he had a notepad in his pocket. Pulling that out, he scribbled his name and shoved it in your face. You read it, and smiled. "My name is (Y/n)."

"(Y/n), c'mon, we're leaving." Todd yelled from the register, peeking around one of the shelves. "Who is that?"

"This is Thomas, I just met him." You smiled, walking over to Todd.

"Hi Thomas." Todd waved halfheartedly. "Well, c'mon, gas is paid for. We gotta go."

"Alright." You nodded, then turned to the behemoth of a man, knowing you'd likely never see him again. "It was nice meeting you, Thomas."

The old lady behind the register, Luda Mae, was going to be damned if you weren't part of Thomas' life. She would make sure you and Thomas meet again, even if by nefarious means.

• ───────────────── •

Here's my masterlist, in case you like what you see and want to request more!

[allwormdiet]

Extermination 8.2

I'm gonna be real, I don't think Legend is good at this

I actually really like the sense of mounting dread that's happening with Leviathan. Not just the storm that's approaching provoking black clouds in isolation but Legend's explanation of what to expect. What's coming is bigger than the Wards, bigger than the ABB, bigger than the Empire. It's so much worse. And you know it's coming.

The fact that Leviathan is so deadly because of the mere impact of water is a really fun detail, I know that a lot of Worm comes down to making fantastical powers impact with realistic consequences but the total negation of the idea of water being something soft is well done, especially in the scenes where it's actually implemented.

Newfoundland is 42,000 square miles in area and about a mile at the highest point, and Leviathan sank it like a toy boat. Kyushu is smaller but taller, and it fucking went under. I know a little bit about what Simurgh can do, so that shit is appropriately terrifying, but now I'm wondering what the hell Behemoth has going on that makes him as scary on the scale of entire landmasses sinking beneath the waves.

This is kinda diabolically clever, it gives the exact stakes and the clear threat of what comes with failure to stop Leviathan. It also puts even more pressure on those gathered to push harder and risk more.

A further reinforcement of the idea that this thing is fucking immortal, and another reminder from the very backdrop that it's getting closer.

"The inevitable." That's unambiguous. They truly believe that the Endbringers will eventually destroy humanity, and that all anyone can do is buy a little more time, at the cost of however many dozens of capes sacrifice themselves every fight. Losing that much more capacity to do something with every fatality.

The world is dying. They just have to hope it's a slow death.

A) who keeps making Wards fight Endbringers, for real

B) Fuck are the Travelers doing mucking around with an Endbringer?

Tattletale starts hitting this man with a verbal combo straight out of Marvel 2 and literally doesn't stop for the entire rest of the arc

What are the odds that Leviathan is clever enough to have deliberately interrupted this meeting as they were dispersing? Because I don't think they're zero and that's terrifying.

Man. We've been there, is the thing. Like we know the Boardwalk, we've seen the Undersiders walk up and down it, shop, grab lunch, talk about shit. And now it's just splinters against the tide.

God, what a cool design. I'll give kudos on this, it's a fucking badass monster that's about to wreck this city. And it's spooky! The face just being a featureless shape except for the eyes is a little odd but with everything else it comes off more uncanny than if it was on its own, and there's something about the description of how its head moves that's just unsettling.

And we're off to the fucking races.

Current Thoughts

What a good fucking threat. We've had three previous chapters of buildup to this moment, plus the offhand mention in 3.6, and when Leviathan finally appears in the flesh(?) his first move kills at least one cape and knocks out more. His presence can be felt in the fucking weather, he can scatter the city's defenses without even being present. This is a monster where its reputation, fearsome as it is, might actually be underselling it.

Anyway, up next we finally get that glimpse into Tattletale's thoughts that I was literally begging for at the end of Arc 7 lmao

[eorziapple]

Professor Apple's Pokemon Snap: Lental Sea Floor Illumina Spot

After today's exciting discovery, I certainly needed to relax in the bay near the research base. The submersible dove almost to the limit it could operate, and we managed to track down some rather baffling readings. The Illumina energy was pulsing between one powerful source, so hundreds of weaker ones. As we found our quarry, this mystery was easily answered.

Wishiwashi are an interesting species of pokemon, in which hundreds of unique individuals engage in synchronized schooling behavior. By schooling together these pokemon mimic one large organism, and by working together actually gain the advantages of -being- a larger organism. Soon after finding me, the skittish school soon schooled together to scare me off.

Each limb, tooth, even the false eyes and nostrils, are formed by several individual wishiwashi, the various dots are individual eyes of individual fish, and the illumina veins that these specimens have absorbed over many years suggest that this may be as ancient as the Meganium observed in Floria. Given that fish pokemon are not typically long lived like a plant pokemon, there might be something unique about the illumina phenomenon that increases lifespan? Or perhaps these particular pokemon are long lived enough to absorb illumina particals like this over time? Interesting to think there is something else in play here...

Another attempt to scare me off, the Wishiwashi swam about, forming a powerful underater whirlpool, thankfully the submersible was powerful enough to push through the currents. I was able to capture this as a good example of how working together like this enables these fish to push water with such forse to gain extra power and speed!

Failing to run me off, I was treated to a rather terrifying display, as the school rushed me unexpectedly, and actually engulfed the entire submersible!

Terrifying to be sure, but empty, the inside of the school's false mouth is hollow, and by remaining calm, I was able to match its speed, limiting the school's maneuverability. It was forced to disband to get me out of their way!

Straight into the sight of a hungry Wailord! Whild Wailord typically feast on plankton, they can consume smaller fish as well by widening its mouth past the filter teeth. But with a bit of work...

Wishiwashi aren't limited in size in any capacity other than the number of individuals in the school. Functionally, this school was large enough to form into a large enough collective organism to scare off this juvenile Wailord! I believe this may be one of the only examples of a fear response for these behemoth pokemon, I guess there really is always a bigger fish in the sea! We'll be heading back to the research station to look for more readings and compile my photodex up to now. Stay tuned, Whether to new islands or more research expeditions, we're only getting started!

[mariacallous]

Before he was abruptly fired last month, Derek Copeland worked as a trainer at the US Department of Agriculture’s National Dog Detection Training Center, preparing beagles and Labrador retrievers to sniff out plants and animals that are invasive or vectors for zoonotic diseases, like swine flu. Copeland estimates the NDDTC lost about a fifth of its trainers and a number of other support staff when 6,000 employees were let go at the USDA in February as part of a government-wide purge orchestrated by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Before he received his termination notice, he says, Copeland had just spent several months training the only dog stationed in Florida capable of detecting the Giant African land snail, an invasive mollusk that poses a significant threat to Florida agriculture. “We have dogs for spotted and lantern flies, Asian longhorn beetles,” he says, referring to two other non-native species. “I don’t think the American people realize how much crap that people bring into the United States.”

Dog trainers are just one example of the kind of highly specialized USDA staff that have been removed from their stations in recent weeks. Teams devoted to inspecting plant and food imports have been hit especially hard by the recent cuts, including the Plant Protection and Quarantine program, which has lost hundreds of staffers alone.

“It’s causing problems left and right,” says one current USDA worker, who like other federal employees in this story asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. “It’s basically a skeleton crew working now,” says another current USDA staffer, who noted that both they and most of their colleagues held advanced degrees and had many years of training to protect US food and agriculture supply chains from invasive pests. “It’s not something that is easily replaced by artificial intelligence.”

“These aren’t your average people,” says Mike Lahar, the regulatory affairs manager at US customs broker behemoth Deringer. “These were highly trained individuals—inspectors, entomologists, taxonomists.”

Lahar and other supply chain experts warn that the losses could cause food to go rotten while waiting in ports and could lead to even higher grocery prices, in addition to increasing the chances of potentially devastating invasive species getting into the country. These dangers are especially acute at a moment when US grocery supply chains are already reeling from other business disruptions such as bird flu and President Trump’s new tariffs.

“If we're inspecting less food, the first basic thing that happens is some amount of that food we don't inspect is likely to go bad. We're going to end up losing resources,” says supply chain industry veteran and software CEO Joe Hudicka.

The USDA cuts are being felt especially in coastal states home to major shipping ports. USDA sources who spoke to WIRED estimate that the Port of Los Angeles, one of the busiest in the US, lost around 35 percent of its total Plant Protection and Quarantine staff and 60 percent of its “smuggling and interdiction” employees, who are tasked with stopping illegal pests and goods from entering the country. The Port of Miami, which handles high volumes of US plant imports, lost about 35 percent of its plant inspectors.

Navigating the workforce cuts has “been absolute chaos,” says Armando Rosario-Lebrón, a vice president of the National Association of Agriculture Employees, which represents workers in Plant Protection and Quarantine program.

“These ports were already strained in how they process cargo, and now some of them have been completely decimated,” Rosario-Lebrón says. "We could be back to pandemic-level issues for some goods if we don't fix this."

The Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment. Republican senator Joni Ernst, who has been a vocal backer of DOGE’s efforts, previously publicly supported the USDA’s dog training program and cosponsored legislation that would give it permanent funding. Her office declined to comment on cuts made to it.

Two federal judges and an independent agency that assesses government personnel decisions have already ordered that fired USDA employees be reinstated. Earlier this week, the USDA said that it was pausing the terminations for 45 days and would “develop a phased plan for return-to-duty.” But affected staff remain in the dark about their future, and the Trump administration has signaled it will fight court decisions to reinstate employees, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling one of the rulings “absurd and unconstitutional.”

As these legal and regulatory battles continue to play out, Hudicka says he anticipates a number of trickle-down effects to happen, such as local market wars over resources, which bigger cities and larger grocery chains will be better equipped for than mom-and-pops and rural communities. Hudicka says that allowing shipping containers to sit uninspected could also impact other sectors, as the delays will prevent them from being reused for other kinds of goods. “Those containers are supposed to be moving stuff every day, and now they’re just parked somewhere,” he says.

Kit Johnson, the director of trade compliance at the US customers broker John S. James, also predicts prices and waste to increase. But what raises the most alarms for him is the increased likelihood of invasive species slipping through inspection cracks. He says the price of missing a threatening pest is “wiping out an entire agricultural commodity,” an event that could have “not just economic but national security impacts.”

Decimating the Department of Agriculture could even have consequences for US Customs and Border Protection, which deploys the dogs trained by Copeland and other staffers at the National Dog Detection Training Center. CBP works closely with the USDA in other ways as well, particularly at points of entry. The two agencies run the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program, but it’s funded by the USDA. Many Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service programs do not rely on taxpayer dollars to operate but instead collect fees from importers and other industry players. In this way, it subsidizes some of CBP’s agriculture-related activities. CBP did not respond to a request for comment.

As the fired USDA workers wait to hear whether their reinstatements will actually take place, ports are beginning to feel their absence. “There aren’t as many inspections being done, and it doesn’t just put us at risk,” says Lahar. “It puts our farmers and our food chains at risk.”

[aardvark-123]

~Fallout 4 Companions React to Being Cheated On~ (By you, the Commonwealth's infamous heartbreaker.)

Ada would be appalled when she walked in on you and KL-E-0 making love on the armour workbench. "I don't believe my eye. That technique you're using is simply appalling!" she'd declare, shoving you to one side. "Sorry about them, babes. But now that I'm here, why don't we take this opportunity to have a practical demonstration?" Ada would purr, drawing a metal finger along KL-E-0's chin. "I thought you'd never ask," KL-E-0 would smirk, wrapping her slender arms around Ada's steel-clad shoulders. "Show me what that custom body can do, handsome. The shop can wait for a few hours..."

Cait wouldn't seem particularly bothered. "You and the Mariner, then, is it? I'd never have seen that coming!" she'd laugh. "Why don't I go and get Arturo or that lady from Vault 81, and we can have a double date? No, don't get up, sure I can fetch them right now if you want!" Cait would wander off, and then, after a reasonable wait, start beating up the nearest mannequin with a sledgehammer. She may be polyamorous, but you still should have told her you were seeing the Mariner, and sadly Cait doesn't know how to express that feeling while maintaining her party-girl persona. She settles for being increasingly passive-aggressive (and then just plain aggressive) until you get the message.

"B-by George!" Codsworth would cry, dropping his tea tray. "Sir and/or Mum, what on Earth is happening? I don't- I don't- I don't understand..." Poor Codsworth would want to believe it was all just a misunderstanding, and that somehow you'd cheated on him completely by accident, but in his CPU he'd know it was no accident. In tears, he'd pack his bags and hover out of your life forever.

"I was thoroughly aware zat exclusive relationships are ze most popular variety," Curie would weep with anger. "But never could I 'ave imagined 'ow painful it would feel, seeing you, twisted around zat jumpsuit-wearing harlot Kasumi! Y-you made me human! You showed me 'ow it felt to be in love! Was it all just a game?! Did you merely think you were toying with ze pretend feelings of a poor, naive little robot?! Putain! Get out of my sight, or I SWEAR I shall kill you!"

Paladin Danse would seem, if anything, to underreact. "I see," he'd growl. "Not like I could ever hope compete with Paladin Brandis's rogueish bad-boy charms. Well, I hope you're happy together..." And that would be that. ...Or so it would seem until you tuned into the Brotherhood of Steel's radio channel. "People of the Commonwealth, do not fall in love with the individual calling themself the Sole Survivor! They are single-handedly responsible for a trail of broken hearts from here to Sanctuary Hills," Scribe Haylen would recite. "Paladin Danse would like me to add that, contrary to some of his previous remarks, the Sole Survivor is terrible at kissing. And now, the weather..."

"I know I can't really complain about you keeping secrets," Deacon would say, "but you've got to be upfront about these things! If it's... if we're just something casual, say so! Don't just leave me hanging until I find you shacked up with some other handsome devil, okay? ...Okay, then. When do I get a turn with Fahrenheit?"

Dogmeat would be deeply upset. "How could you?! And with my sister, of all people!" he'd bark. "I never treated you wrongly. I was always there when you needed me, I fetched your slippers and that tennis ball you kept throwing for some reason! I was the PERFECT GENTLEMAN! But no, apparently that isn't ENOUGH for you!" he'd howl with despair. Dogmeat would flee into the night, his tears mingling with the rain dripping down his snout, and you'd never see him again.

Porter Gage wouldn't exactly be thrilled, but you're the Overboss of Nuka World, so what can he do? (Tell you about a secret stash of Nuka Cola Quantum, but neglect to mention that it's currently stored in a super mutant behemoth's fridge, that's what.)

Glory would kick you in the groin. "That's what you GET for playing stupid games, you wanker!" Since Glory is wearing a brand-new pair of adjustable women's Chore™ boots by the Original Muck Boot Company™, made of flexible cloth on the lower leg and sturdy rubber on the foot, her kick would be devastating.

"Wow," Hancock would chuckle, seeing you curled up in bed with Bobbi No-Nose. "Just... wow. I was feeling kinda bad about seeing Moe Cronin and Trader Rylee behind your back, in addition to sleeping with Mel behind Bobbi's back, but not any more! ...What? Oh, I know Mel's gay, but we're still doing it behind your back, Miss Noseless Wonder."

Old Longfellow would drink himself into a daze and forget about you.

MacCready would drink himself into a daze, shoot you in the head, and help himself to your things.

Nick should've known better than to get mixed up with you. From the moment you slunk into his office, lips red with lies and Maybelline, eyes dark with broken dreams, he could tell you were trouble. There was something about you, though - maybe it was how you drew yourself up like a cat when the detective held your hand, or maybe it was how those hips of yours swayed like an anaconda. None of it matters now, though. Nick opened up his heart to you, sweet cheeks, and he sure as Hell ain't making that mistake again. (You were found snogging Mr Zwicky, as it happens, in the bus on top of the school.)

Piper would confront you loudly and vociferously in public. "What the Glowing Sea was that, Blue?! Just how long've you been seeing Ellie Perkins behind my back, huh? What's going on with the two of you? And does Ellie think I'm cute?!" The questions would come in faster than you could make excuses, but Piper would offer you an olive branch when her head was clearer. She'd still be your friend, as long as you'd learned your lesson and wouldn't toy with a starry-eyed reporter's heart again.

Preston would be heartbroken, to the point that he wouldn't even be able to look at you for a few days. Nevertheless, he'd swallow his feelings and try to stay on good terms with you, because the Minutemen need a talented builder/pest control specialist on their side. What's his happiness worth compared to the safety of the whole Commonwealth?

Strong would wander in while you're in bed with Marcus and not react at all. "Strong here to borrow torch," he'd say, taking a torch out of the drawers. "Don't break the handcuffs, all right, Marcus?" he'd add, wandering back out of the room.

"I don't believe your nerve, seeing Strong behind my back! What's WRONG with you?!" Marcus would be weeping with fury and occasionally throwing things at you while he packed his bags. "I thought we had something special, but no, I guess I'm just another warm, green body to be used and thrown away! You pig! I'm taking the kids and moving back to Jacobstown."

X6-88 wouldn't know what to feel to begin with. He isn't programmed to feel anything, really; the sex was just to give you some enrichment. X6-88 is a Courser, nothing more. But why does he tense up so, and where does that fire in his heart come from, when he sees you in bed with Doctor Li? Kissing you and caressing you, letting you try on her lab coat... There's nothing else for it. One of these days, the good doctor will have to suffer a sudden, fatal accident.

[esta-elavaris]

Not-Yet-Written tag game

Thank you for the tag @inkedmoth 💜💜💜 gotta talk about the fic ideas I have that I have not yet written.

Boromir/Sybil

A one-shot where Boromir meets Sybil while Bera is still living, having arrived, injured, at the cabin before the events that kick off HWFG.

CTW-verse

A Groves/Theodora AU -- but given my current workload, I'm thinking of really paring this down just to a series of snippets, especially since we're now getting our Groves fix from RTOF.

Modern!James AU -- my 4395 recent text posts explain this one 🫠 this will probably end up needing to be a behemoth.

Other

Aemond Targaryen/OC -- power imbalance, toxic dynamic, Aemond being not nice, but not to such an extent that it's just constantly painful to read and impossible to root for the relationship.

Dracula/OC -- (ft. Richard Roxburgh's Dracula from Van Helsing (2004), but it probably wouldn't follow anything to do with the plot of the actual movie). This idea has been in my head for a long time but it's all very cliche and expected...but I'm thinking of just embracing that aspect and writing it anyway, because that's what I want to write, and if others happen to find it entertaining then that's just an added bonus.

Haldir/OC -- I have a oneshot half-written for this, but that's mostly me toying with dynamics and tone for the full-scale fic, but that's a very far-off thing. Elven pining, mortal danger, the works.

Gale Dekarios/F!Tav -- listen, I can't even play the game yet, I'm living via watching others play it on YT, but I haven't been this sick over a fictional character since the likes of Norrington and Boromir so it's going to happen. No idea how or when yet, but it will. It's a foregone conclusion.

These are the ones fully on my mind, but I have a foul habit of getting carried away with whatever I'm watching/rewatching at any given time and I cannot be held responsible for what happens in my word documents when that happens, so 🫠 although rn I'm trying to save that energy for flufftober novelty one-offs, for the sake of my sanity/workload.

Tagging @bumblingbriars @ass-deep-in-demons @quillofspirit and @scyllas-revenge

[crackinglamb]

AO3 Year End Roundup, 2023

Normally, I'd do this in a couple days, but we're close enough for government work (and I'm on a deliberate break anyhow, so nothing new is being posted). Normally this would also be a tag game, but I haven't seen it floating around yet, so...

Hey, you wanna do your own roundup? Go for it. Yes, I mean you (looking at you, DAFF crew). Consider this an open invite. Tag me back so I can see what y'all have been up to.

Words posted: 241,283 . This total has had subtracted from it the amount that already existed for the fic that carried over from last year (which was WG, of course). So this is actually what I posted this year.

Additional Words Written: ~166K. I have several WIP's going on in the background. One of which is finished and will begin posting after New Year's. Another of which is about halfway done. The rest are...procrastination projects/getting the wiggles out. They may never see the light of day. But they count as writing, so they are included.

Grand total of words: 407, 283 (goodness gracious)

Fandoms: 2

Works: 12, 11 of which were new.

Highest Kudos: Into the Current, at 271 (just like last year, I'm not counting WG since it wasn't new). The Iron Bull/OFC, rated E, 79K words, complete.

Highest Hit Oneshot: The Mighty Fall, at 706. Sookie Stackhouse/Eric Northman. Rated T, 2900 words.

New Things I Tried: I wrote a trio of fics for True Blood/Southern Vampire Mysteries this year. The WIP that's finished and waiting for the new year is a continuation of this series.

I also posted a ficlet I'd originally posted here on tumblr for archiving purposes. Some Years Into the Future...

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Driftwood, my Bullmance series. Writing ItC itself wasn't particularly long, about two months, but T3, the next fic, is still being written. At first it was all going to be one long fic, but then I decided I've had enough of epics (meaning any work significantly over 100K words), and split it into parts.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: The Mighty Fall. I have finally gotten to use the tag 'I wrote this instead of sleeping'. 🤣

Favorite Thing I Wrote: Usually, I have trouble with this category. I'm poly, you know. But this year, I actually DO have a fave. Okay...I have two.

How Deep the Bullet Lies - a gift for @rosella-writes, for the Solas Lovers Exchange. Solas/Cassandra Pentaghast with a whumpy open ending. Rated M, 4200 words.

More Than Mere Stone - a gift for my beloved @ir0n-angel in the same exchange. Solas/F!Trevelyan, pure fluff. Rated G, 1500 words.

Favorite Thing I Read: In Twain, by CatC. It's everything I wanted in a 'background character gets caught up in events' fic. With a sizzlingly hot Bullmance and So Much Cole. I think I've read it three or four times already. At least. If you need something comforting and wonderful, I cannot recommend it enough. It's simply delightful, and so is the author. Rated E, 172K words, WIP.

Something I Finished: I did it, at long last. I finished What a Wicked Game to Play. It was the focus of NaNo (and took literally three days once I put my mind to it, hence much of the other writing I did that hasn't been published). It feels really good to have my beloved Behemoth marked with a green checkmark. The story itself isn't finished, and I'll eventually write more for Imogen and Co., but for now, it is Done.

Writing Goals for 2024 – Keep on keeping on. I want to finish T3, so I can start posting it. I want to finish a couple other things from the WIP list. There will of course be a new Fluffuary prompt list. Biggest goal, however, is simply not to burn myself out. I've started waiting to publish until a fic is finished, which has done wonders for my stress levels. No more posting gaps on an in-progress fic.

Allow me to Gush about some things I wrote this year.

(Otherwise known as: honorable mentions)

Out of the Dark - Lark Cadash was once going to have an epic fic to her name. But I'm Tired, and frankly, I'm bored with rewriting the events of DA:I over and over again. So I've turned her into a series, where I can just put up oneshots and short chaptered things in no particular order that add up to one big story. This is one of them. Post-canon, Lark goes into the Deep Roads to find the answer to a riddle that's bugged her for her entire life. She gets more than she asked for, with a side serving of sad Solas. I've had many of the headcannons included in it for a long time, with no home. Now, they're out there in the world. Rated G, 4800 words.

What Lies Beneath - my actual giftfic for the Solas Lovers Exchange. I had such fun writing this, and had ideas for it as soon as I received the assignment. I got to set something in the Hissing Waste, which is one of my favorite places in the game, as well as write a polyship for my two favorite romances. F!Cadash/Solas/Iron Bull, rated T, 3400 words.

Maker Damned Fools - back in 2020, I wrote a Varric/Hawke short little thing for the first Fluffuary. I always wanted to go back and expand it into a fuller story. Add it to the pile of Things I Finished This Year. From their meeting to post-canon. Rated E, 32K words.

What a Wicked Game to Play - *deep satisfied sigh* It took two years and ten months to complete, with near constant weekly updates. It's 412K words by itself (not counting the rest of the series). It contains about 350 embedded images of either screenshots or fanart. It is both the highest hit (over 90K) and highest kudo'd (1535) work on my archive. Affectionately known as 'the Behemoth', extensively written with my signature yeeting of canon. Imogen McLean, MGIT, Inquisitor, beloved of Fen'Harel. I am stupendously proud of this work, but I am also incredibly happy it's done. I set out to write an epic, and I damn well succeeded. Rated E.

See y'all on the flipside! 💕

[balanceoflightanddark]

How's this for a dark avatar Ozai (Ozaatu) scenario?

During the comet's arrival, Ozai fights the last lion turtle instead of Aang. He doesn't even attack the earth kingdom at all like he said he would, it was a trick to keep team avatar distracted. He slays the behemoth by absorbing the LT's soul, therefore he's the ATLA equivalent of Shang Tsung.

I'm thinking, instead of Ozai fusing with Vaatu, Ozai IS Vaatu.

Vaatu got freed before harmonic convergence with some outside assistance but at the cost of his dark power, his power level was reduced to that of a human spirit, he only needs harmonic convergence to get that power back and with his human form, that'll be his way of getting the "dark" avatar state.

Book 4, air, basically has the second half of season 2 of Legend of Korra moved up into Aang's saga. Except it features Raava becoming the avatar spirit of darkness/chaos/yin and light/peace/yang at the same time, aka, balance itself, as well as the spirit of all sources of all bending/elements. Ozaatu's end goal was to become all that but not until after he had killed Raava and unleashed his pure/unbalanced darkness and chaos for 10,000 years.

To make sure this is all properly foreshadowed; when Aang meets Roku for the first time, he vaguely warns Aang about harmonic convergence and Vaatu's return to wreak havoc should the FN win the war with the comet, and Wan's two-part story arcs are moved up into the premiere of season 3. When Aang learns more about Sozin, it's revealed that Vaatu secretly orchestrated the great war through Sozin using one of the solstices to prey on Sozin's dark side.

Would you have done anything differently with this dark avatar concept in general?

I'll...be perfectly honest. I'm not really a fan of how Vaatu was portrayed in The Legend of Korra, so I might not be the best person to ask about this. But I will try to be as impartial on that matter as possible.

So anyways, Ozai/Vaatu. The only way I can see this work from my point of view is if Vaatu takes over Ozai's body and mind completely. I mean as bad as Ozai is, Vaatu is the embodiment and spiritual representation of evil. A being that has existed since before mankind. If the two fused, there's no way the former is gonna be able to dominate the latter to do his will. So it'll be like a complete inverse of Aang and the Avatar Spirit: rather than Aang controlling Raava and utilizing her power for good, Vaatu is controlling Ozai and essentially uses his body to wreak havoc since...well, he's a spirit of chaos and destruction. It's kind of in his nature. Which honestly would be doubly humiliating for Ozai since not only is his will being taken from him, but his self-importance is stripped away as something else causes more havoc on a scale not even he could wreak. Thus making his life inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. The worst thing a narcissist like him could experience.

As for your idea about Ozai being Vaatu...I...can't see it. I'm sorry. Ozai works as an utterly deplorable but also very human antagonist. The embodiment of the worst of the Fire Nation. Who Zuko would've become if he didn't change his ways. Divorcing Ozai from the Fire Nation by making him Vaatu...I'm so sorry. It's one of those things we're gonna have to agree to disagree on. I mean the idea of a godlike being forced to live among humans due to its power being taken could have some value since its hatred for its current state instead of appreciating mankind when it has a chance does have some merit. But for Ozai...I just don't see it.

Don't get me wrong, the idea of a Dark Avatar is fascinating. Like a more violent counterpart to the Guardian of Balance? You could do something with that, either as a villain or perhaps a counterpart to the Avatar as part of the franchise's themes of balance. And I do agree Ozai needed more character development to flesh him out. But I don't personally think Ozai being Vaatu is the way to go.

I mean the idea to have Ozai be more thematically opposed to Aang outside of being the final boss is a good concept. Like having his philosophy be the complete opposite for everything Aang stands for and a stand-in for the sort of warmongering that wiped out his culture is a great idea that I think should be explored. I just don't think making him Vaatu is the right direction.

Feel free to disagree with me though. I'm not one of those guys who browbeats everyone into thinking the exact same way.

[market-spy]

Fueling the Future: Navigating the Shifting Landscape of the Global Crude Oil Market

The global crude oil market, a behemoth with a $1.54 billion valuation in 2021 and projected to reach a dizzying $2.9 billion by 2030, is undergoing a seismic shift. Gone are the days of fossil fuel hegemony – renewable energy is knocking on the door, technology is redefining the game, and geopolitics keeps prices dancing on a volatile tango. So, buckle up, fellow oil explorers and navigators of this dynamic landscape, because we're about to chart a course through the exciting (and slightly bewildering) twists and turns of the modern crude oil market.

Trend #1: Green Energy Challenges the Throne

Remember those smog-choked skies of yesteryear? Thankfully, environmental consciousness has taken a front seat, driving the rise of renewable energy like a Tesla on a caffeine rush. Electric vehicles are zipping past gas guzzlers, and investments in clean infrastructure are blooming like fields of solar panels. This means traditional crude oil, particularly for transportation, is facing a greener nemesis. But fear not, oil warriors! This is an opportunity to innovate, embrace low-carbon solutions like biofuels, and explore carbon capture and storage technologies. Remember, a green future doesn't have to mean a dark future for oil – it's about evolution, not extinction.

Trend #2: Technological Innovation Revamps the Game

Forget pickaxes and dynamite – shale oil production is the name of the game now, revolutionizing the market with its slick horizontal drilling techniques. And it's not just about brute force. Digitalization and automation are infiltrating the oilfields, optimizing operations, streamlining processes, and squeezing every drop of efficiency out of every barrel. Think drones inspecting pipelines, AI-powered rigs making real-time decisions, and sensors whispering operational secrets to the cloud. It's a tech-driven oil renaissance, and those who embrace it will reap the rewards (and avoid the spills).

Trend #3: Geopolitical Currents Keep Prices on a Rollercoaster

Remember that scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean" where Jack Sparrow navigates a treacherous storm? That's pretty much the geopolitical landscape for oil producers. Skirmishes in key regions can disrupt supply chains faster than a rogue wave, sending prices spiraling like a coin on a roulette wheel. And then there's OPEC, the enigmatic oil cartel, playing its own strategic game of production cuts and quotas. Meanwhile, non-OPEC producers like the US are flexing their shale muscles, adding another layer of complexity to this global oil tango. So, navigating these currents requires agility, foresight, and a healthy dose of risk management. Don't worry, though – there are experts who can help you weather the storm.

Futureproof Your Crude Oil Operations:

The future of crude oil is a kaleidoscope of possibilities – a mix of green ambitions, technological marvels, and geopolitical twists. To thrive in this dynamic landscape, it's time to ditch the fossil fuel tunnel vision and embrace a broader perspective. Invest in innovation, explore sustainable options, and partner with those who understand the shifting terrain. Remember, the oil giants of tomorrow won't be the ones clinging to the past, but the ones who chart a course towards a future that's both profitable and planet-friendly. For More Information: https://www.skyquestt.com/report/crude-oil-market

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Remember, the oil game is changing, but by embracing innovation, adaptability, and a dash of green vision, you can turn this volatile tango into a victory dance.

About Us-

SkyQuest Technology Group is a Global Market Intelligence, Innovation Management & Commercialization organization that connects innovation to new markets, networks & collaborators for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Contact Us-

SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

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Email- info@skyquestt.com

Website: https://www.skyquestt.com

[wolfandwild]

Hi, I love your fic and I am so amazed (hint: envy ^^) by the popularity it has. You deserve all the praises it got!!! It motivates me to begin writing my own story because I love World of Warcraft lore as much as you! But I am afraid it's a waste of time and I am late for the WoW hype. Do people read fanfictions about Illidan? Is he a loved character?

Hello! Firstly let me say thank you for your kind words about my fic, and how awesome it is that it's motivated you to start a story of your own! I certainly don't think it's too late or a waste of time to get into Warcraft as a fandom, especially with Dragonflight having been a recent and thus far pretty successful expansion release. Now, Warcraft is not the largest fandom out there - we're not a behemoth like Star Wars, or the MCU - so you can't expect that you're going to get similar levels of engagement as you will in fandoms of that size. What Warcraft does have, however, is longevity: World of Warcraft will celebrate its 20th birthday next year, while the Warcraft franchise as a whole with celebrate its 30th (Warcraft: Orcs and Humans was released in 1994). Hype in a fandom that's as old as Warcraft will always have its ups and downs, but there's a wealth of lore and characters and events to write about, and you could spend a lifetime trying to explore the lore in its entirety. The Warcraft fandom is also filled with wonderful and creative people. Because of the nature of an MMORPG game, people tend to invest very heavily in their characters and in the world, and in my experience it's one of the most imaginative fandoms out there. With regards to Illidan specifically, he's definitely up there as one of the more popular and well-known characters in the fandom. He was originally introduced in the Warcraft RTS games, so he's been around for a long time, and he has a lot of potential for narrative exploration with his antihero persona and complex familial relationships. He's perhaps not quite as much of a popular character at the moment because he doesn't play a major role in the current story of Dragonflight (at least so far, who knows where things will end up), but he's otherwise one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. All that said, I would always encourage people to write for the characters that they love, regardless of whether or not that character is popular more broadly. If Illidan is the character that interests you and inspires you, that's the only thing that matters. Best of luck!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

biiiiiiiig oofbaboof

first: 65 is an upcoming movie in which people get lost in space butt hey end up on earth 65 million years ago, aka "right before the asteroid". the movie's dinosaurs are worse than those of jurassic world in terms of accuracy - significantly worse.

second:

we're touching on "Meig's Theory of Everything" which, a) all theories of everything are oversimplifications and b) I am not important enough to have a theory of everything, I'm just a schmuck who reads too many books and thinks too much for too long of the day. so that's the disclaimer, here you go:

We currently have a situation in much of the world - not only the United States, but I am from the states and as such my perspective is very biased to here - where people are ignoring things that cannot be changed or avoided, mainly so they can turn a profit

the classic example is climate change, right? climate change is happening. that is the reality. that is what has been shown in paper after paper and study after study. And we've known about it for a while. But rather than acknowledge and face that reality - that we have to do something about it - oil and gas companies actively worked to suppress that reality, and even now, we careen towards a point of no return. Climate change isn't going anywhere, no matter how much you just hope real hard it will so you can dig up more oil.

but there's more than that. There's the fact that covid-19 is horrifying, has significant long-term repercussions, and hasn't gone anywhere - and yet we don't have mask mandates. It's like if people just stopped using condoms just a few years after the peak of HIV. No one wants to stop raw dogging the air. And as such, the disease keeps mutating, people keep getting sick, and repeated infections repeatedly cause long term disability. But no one acknowledges this, because masks are unpopular, and, well, everyone just wants power and profit at the expense of people.

there's the fact that there are very very very few differences between biosex-males and biosex-females in humans (insert all the asterisks that sex is a made up concept, gender is based in personal experience and thus should be prioritized, etc) and those differences are decreasing with each generation, and yet, swathes of people believe that biosex-males are naturally smarter and stronger just because they had to for some made up pseudoscientific reason.

And these things just feed into bigotry, right? Fox News actively lies week to week and misrepresents information to keep their viewers scared and, thus, willing to vote against their own self-interest - mainly, by keeping them scared of minorities. The reality is that the uber-rich - billionaires, oil ceos, most politicians - continue to take away our rights and safety in order to consolidate their own power, creating a techno-feudalist society. But they lie and they lie and they lie in order to prevent people from realizing this, so they can keep their power.

But reality doesn't go away just because you want it to. You can scream and scream and scream but blaming everything on minorities isn't actually fixing anything, everything's getting worse, and that's why you can't base policy on lies. Fiction doesn't become real because you want it to. The problems I listed above keep getting worse because we keep not fixing them, because the terrible want power and the mediocre hate change.

And the media is an arm of all of this. All of it is connected. Billionaires also have the power in what we see in our stories and our art - we know this, we know that's why AO3 and fanwork exists. Indie things that prioritize reality and equity don't get far, more often than not. Those that do almost always have some sort of caveat that renders the message within hollow (here's how in Andor). Of course this applies to dinosaur media.

The old narrative, the one that suits the powers that be, is that dinosaurs were a failed group of behemoth monsters that were stupid and lucky that they got the megafaunal spot before mammals could take their rightful place. This points to humans being the ultimate heirs and owners of nature, of the world. The rightful rulers, the divinely righted kings. We are at the top of nature's hierarchy - the mammals, better than the dinosaurs, took over because of their superiority, and then we were the most superior of them all.

But truth is, that's not the truth. Science shows over and over again that nature is non hierarchical, that every facet of the food web is important to every other, that we all have our part to play to keep nature balanced. We are many and we are one. A carnivore eating prey is not enmity or war or competition, but a necessary flow of energy. humans don't rule nature, but we also aren't separate from it - we are nature, we are a part of it. And the evidence shows that nonavian dinosaurs would not have disappeared if it wasn't for a freak accident from space. And, with the knowledge that it is not who is at the top - since there is no top - there is an argument to be made that dinosaurs are doing better than mammals today: birds are more speciose and more numerous than mammals by far.

But that goes against our narrative

The one that helps the powers that be keep their power

So we can't have it. We can't have the nuanced picture of the well adapted, birdlike dinosaurs that actually were hit the screens. We can't have them portrayed seriously and realistically. If we do, it has to be in educational media, because people rarely watch that stuff anyway, and those that do already know.

this leads us to 65. Despite being a new dinosaur related fictional piece with absolutely no ties to jurassic park, it didn't actually go for depicting the past correctly. The damn TITLE isn't right! We now know the extinction happened 66 million years ago! 65 mya was in the Paleocene! Never mind the unrealistic abominations that are the dinosaurs and the portrayal of nature (ie, no herbivores because they aren't scary, even though herbivorous animals are almost always more violent and dangerous than carnivorous ones) - the title is itself a falsehood.

Even if not intentional, it reflects the lack of education and knowledge about our collective past in society, which is not good. Only by understanding where we've been can we know how to go forward. Imagine making a movie about, I don't know, going to space, and your title is about how the earth is flat, but you sincerely think the world is flat. That's ridiculous, right? Well, this is just as ridiculous, but we're okay with it, because we aren't properly educated on it because learning the nuance of nature breaks down society's foundational myths.

Like, yeah, not every bit of inaccurate dinosaur art is bad. Individuals should not be held uniquely responsible for the ills of society, and ffs, obviously people with power and money have more reach and are more responsible. But like, don't act like your choices exist in a vacuum either - we have to commit to reality when it is necessary which, for now, with dinosaurs? It is. They aren't monsters. They aren't fictional. Draw dragons and fictitious creatures if you want, but dinosaurs ARE real animals and deserve to be treated with respect.

And that is why 65 is very much related to our rapidly decaying society.

Thanks for humoring me.

Thoughts on new movie 65? It looks awful but im glad someone other than jurassic tried to make a dino movie.

meh, it's somehow worse than JW, and I'm tired of people ignoring and denying reality, so I'm honestly pissed it exists

[ntrending]

We're one step closer to tracking down another Earth

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/were-one-step-closer-to-tracking-down-another-earth/

We're one step closer to tracking down another Earth

No place like home? Not if you scope out 33 sun-like stars. (Pixabay/)

Astronomers have found more than 4,000 planets circling distant stars, yet none feel quite like home. Teegarden b is the right size, but it zips around its dim dwarf star in just five (Earth) days. Kepler-452 b takes a familiar 385 days to complete an orbit around its sun-like star, but appears to be a lumbering “superterran” much more massive than the rock we call home. Where, or even whether, true Earth-twins exist remains one of astronomy’s top mysteries.

While today’s space telescopes lack the ideal skillsets for spotting an Earth 2.0, astronomers are starting to get a sense of how frequently similar worlds may pop up in the cosmos. By combining the final data sets from NASA’s exoplanet spotting spacecraft Kepler with other recent surveys, a team of astronomers has calculated the strongest such estimate yet: Visit somewhere between three and three dozen solar systems, they say, and you’ll likely come across at least one Earth. They hope their results will inform the design of upcoming exoplanet hunting telescopes, as well as our understanding of the odds of life as we know it existing elsewhere.

“Is there the possibility of other life out there in the universe?” asks Danley Tsu, a graduate student at Penn State and coauthor of the research. “Trying to estimate the frequency of Earth-like planets around sun-like stars is one of the ways we can answer that question.”

Spotting that one in a handful, however, is another matter.

NASA’s current exoplanet-seeking eye in the sky is the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which searches for the tell-tale stellar dimming that indicates a planet has passed in front of its star. Its cameras sweep across a majority of the sky, prioritizing nearby solar systems close enough for the Hubble Space Telescope and upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a closer look.

TESS has already found more than 1,000 potential (“candidate”) planets, and NASA expects it to find nearly 20,000 more. Of those, perhaps 500 will be Earth-sized, but almost none will be Earth-like. Astronomers have to spot three dimmings, or transits, to be sure they’re looking at an orbiting planet (rather than a random dust cloud or flicker), so TESS’s frequent scanning gives it time to find only planets that fly around their star in a matter of days or weeks—not years.

The satellite also targets cool, red dwarf stars. They far outnumber brighter “G-type” stars like our sun, making them a great focus for a huge exoplanet haul, but they may not make friendly homes for life. To orbit inside their so-called habitable zone, where planets get just enough energy to keep water from freezing or boiling, planets have to huddle right next to the star in what we might consider Mercury territory.

Calling these dwarf star Goldilocks zones “habitable,” however, smacks of optimism. Planets there might enjoy balmy temperatures, but the nearby star would also douse them with ultraviolet radiation and solar flares that could strip atmospheres and fry emerging microbes. Organisms may find ways to eke out survival, but they would have to get creative.

NASA’s previous flagship exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, was tuned to brighter, sun-like stars. For years it stared unblinking at the same moon-sized patch of sky, collecting the light dips it needed to identify exoplanets. After about four years, however, just as Kepler had been watching long enough to begin to catch the third and fourth transits of stars taking hundreds of days to orbit, a part needed to keep it stable broke down.

“We unfortunately missed the window,” Tsu says, “because the spacecraft died right around when we were starting to get more and more Earth-like candidates.”

The result was a catalog full of diverse exoplanets, but not a single Earth 2.0. In the absence of hard observational evidence, astronomers turned to statistical tools to count the uncountable.

Chris Burke, an astronomer at MIT who worked previously on the Kepler mission and is now involved with TESS, likens the task to conducting a census. You count whoever you can and think very carefully about who you can’t reach and why. “Your census is never complete,” he says, “you have to understand where you’re missing people.”

In the case of Tsu and his collaborators, that meant an intimate understanding of the Kepler spacecraft’s strengths and weaknesses. Looking for a dimming star is theoretically simple, but in practice you have to worry about dead pixels, false alarms, binary stars masquerading as planets, how accurately you know the size of each star, and a litany of other complications. “Each one of these little things will shape those detections,” Burke says, and you have to learn how to figure out which planets got knocked out during the detection process and which were actually too hard to see.

The Penn State team, which recently published its results in The Astronomical Journal, used an array of new data sets to make their estimate the most robust yet. Unlike previous studies, they had Kepler’s final list of exoplanets, and a complete record of tests the Kepler team did where they stuck fake planets into the data to test how well the detection process worked. They also used the latest measurements of star sizes from the European GAIA mission, as well as innovative statistical techniques. In the end, the group calculated that at least one Earth-like planet circles every 2.5 sun-like stars at best, and every 33 sun-like stars at worst. Tsu puts the odds that the actual average falls outside this range at less than 10 percent.

Burke, who wasn’t involved in this research but has published similar work in the past, called the estimate a “benchmark,” but added that other groups could continue to refine the calculation in the future. “It’s not the final answer,” he says, “but it’s certainly a step that needed to be done.”

As for when astronomers will actually find one of these Earth twins, neither Tsu nor Burke expect an imminent discovery. Tsu points out that this estimate describes the frequency of actual Earth-like planets, and that the number that happen to pass in front of their star at the right angle for us to spot them will be lower. He hopes that researchers will build next generation telescopes with these realities in mind. “We want to have a good idea about how many planets we expect to find,” he says, “so we don’t spend a couple billion dollars to design a spacecraft that has a yield of zero.”

The WFIRST telescope will replace TESS as the shiniest planet hunter on the celestial block in the next decade, looking for planetary fingerprints in the warping of stars’ gravitational fields. Researchers expect this technique to uncover hulking Neptunes that orbit far from their suns.

But for a true Kepler successor capable of bagging a true Earth twin, exoplanet hunters will have to wait at least until the 2030’s, when concept instruments such as the Large UV Optical Infrared Survey (LUVOIR) and the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) could fly. These behemoths would attempt to snap exoplanet pictures directly by blocking out the overwhelming light of the host star. If they survive the planning stages, LUVOIR, HabEx, or something similar could be our best bet for finding out how unique Earth really is.

“We now know [Earth-like planets] exist,” Burke says. “It’s just a matter of harnessing the technologies to learn more about them.”

Written By Charlie Wood

[jimothysomebody]

Okay so really I saw it tonight and without spoiling anything it wasn't a great big scene but I think it was nice and important and I like that homosexuality is becoming increasingly normal in pop culture like film and music to the extent that it was brought up in a franchise as big as the MCU and a film as currently record breakingly successful as End Game, because it is normal. I saw that and there was still an element of shock and awe because to me it was grand and it is progressive because it's a beast of a franchise and a behemoth of a film to highlight something the way it did and I liked it, and as a gay man I'd seriously rather have had that brief scene that made a impact on me than to have had nothing at all. We're getting closer to a day when people can watch something and there won't be shock and awe that I experienced about something pertaining to the mere existence of normal LGBTQ people and I will be envious of the gay boys growing up in that day and age but mostly I will be happy for them. The world needs more of those 30 second moments. The film didn't need an entire damn pride parade, what it did sufficed.

The problem with movies that do the “30 second gay cameo” thing isn’t the actual scenes themselves, but rather the media coverage and PR that treats it like it’s some grand progressive gesture.

“There is an unnamed gay character in Endgame.” Cool okay. “This is a HUGE leap in LGBT rights” eeehhh nah.