#and by essentials i mean any animals & my old stockings from when i was young

[eldrith]

I am on my way. I shall rescue you from the beasts that send such filth. I shall send them to their graves! To the gods of death! They shall perish beneath me and you will be safe once more

-Bolton anon

thank u & god bless 🫶🏻🫶🏻the house is on fire i repeat the house is burning down grab the essentials let’s gtfo

[therealabbyham]

Racism in modern media.

A lot of controversy over the depiction of people of color (POC) in modern media has arisen. With both the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements that have happened in the last year, both new and old shows and movies have been brought forward as examples of what is not okay. Now, with some research, I'd like to go through these examples and go through what has made them controversial.

"Stock characters and slapstick tropes have always existed in theatre, from Shakespearean comedies to even something as seemingly benign as the Disney Channel show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (remember Esteban?). But ethnic stock characters have been tricky to write in an increasingly politically correct 21st century, despite their appearances in such Broadway classics as “West Side Story” and “The King and I." (The Muse at Dreyfoos)

”Song of the South (Disney film) - By far one of the most controversial and well-known instances of controversy. So much so that Disney never sold the movie on DVD and will not be putting it on Disney plus. Disney's most recent effort to erase the racism from their history (also see: the crows in Dumbo and the original draft of Fantasia), was to go farther in changing Splash Mountain. Originally they had gotten rid of the characters on the ride (who were all characters from the movie), now, however, they are changing the ride altogether, changing it into a Princess and the Frog-inspired ride. "Song of the South’s African American characters are treated warmly, particularly Uncle Remus, who is Johnny’s best friend and confidant, a charismatic storyteller, and, most importantly, the film’s conduit to the animated world of Br’er Rabbit... The problem isn’t necessarily what Song of the South depicts, but what it chooses not to depict. Although Harris’ Uncle Remus stories were set in Georgia after the Civil War, the film adaptation never makes it clear when the story is taking place... If you’re not a scholar or an Uncle Remus expert, it’s very easy to assume that the film is set before the Civil War, and that Remus and Aunt Tempy (Hattie McDaniel) are slaves — and that they are completely fine with that." (Quotes from Screencrush) "By stripping out any concrete details of time and place, Disney essentially turned the plantation system into a ludicrous utopia where blacks and whites live in harmony — a harmony where the only thing that’s clear is that the blacks are inferior and servile to the whites, but are content to work the fields anyway." "Several of Remus’ stories are about Br’er Rabbit wanting to run away from his problems; the moral, inevitably, is that you can’t avoid trouble and there’s no place like home. These lessons are particularly important to Johnny because he doesn’t like life on the plantation initially and wants to run away to live with his father in Atlanta. But when coupled with the African American characters’ oddly cheerful attitude about their social status, the movie seems to be arguing on behalf of complacency. Don’t leave the plantation, don’t try to better yourself. Just go with the flow."

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Broadway show) - The show is about a young girl named Millie who moved from a small town to NYC, and the show is known for having "the subplot and the peddling of outdated Chinese stereotypes". (A lot of this will be in quotes from the previous link). Although "the play is set in the 1920s... the script was written in 2000, based on source material from the 1967 film of the same name" On Playbill, another study is done, "As much as the 2002 Tony-winning Best Musical is a love story about making it in the big city, the show’s major subplot centers on “white slavery.”" An argument could be made that “To actually have real Chinese guys singing and speaking in their own language and meaning it, and to link their immigrant story to the same story as Millie ... and come to America because of the American Dream, all these people who come to New York to reinvent themselves and be modern—I think is exactly what the Chinese guys are all about." (This is irrelevant if the characters are not played by someone who's Chinese). With accurate casting then it might be "another opportunity to cast shade on racist attitudes and assumptions about us [the Chinese] and what we know and how smart we are and what we’re capable of..." However it still "can be racist if you do it racist. This show can be done racist but it doesn’t have to and actually, it can actually be anti-racist." Personally, I think if the line you walk is so fine and covered in eggshells, it may not be worth it (but of course, it's an opinion, even if it's widely accepted). Even Ashley Park, who wanted to be Millie, thought “It’s one of the characters that I’ve loved, always, but I always figured I’d never play it just because of the race stuff that’s in [the show].” because she's Korean-American.

Emily in Paris (Netflix show) - Speaking of Ashley Parks, let's talk about Emily in Paris, one of Netflix's most controversial and most hated shows. To put it simply, the show (which I have not seen) is about an American girl who moves to Paris. Yep. That simple. In a video by Friendly Space Ninja (who's French), he says "I've been insulted by this show, more than once... Emily in Paris has a huge racism problem... and it also comes up as arrogant." He goes on to say, "When people say Emily in Paris portrays French culture in a very insulting way, they're not exaggerating." "The French in this show think Americans are the greatest and they aspire to be more like them and as a French person myself... Yeah no that's not accurate." "During the entire show, Emily tries to teach the French that doing things the American way is the right way." (I highly recommend watching this video if you don't mind the swear words, it has good points, that's why I'm just using quotes). "Emily in Paris only has two characters of color... these two characters of color are made of degrading cliches..." "All of the racist things [Mindy, a POC character,] says were written by a white writer." "The other non-white character is this guy... He's one of Emily's co-workers and he's gay... and I had to read he was gay online... and his entire point of existence in this show is to be the most stereotypical gay man the writers could come up with... all he does is stand in the background and act sassy... The writers are so dismissive with him I'm pretty sure the only reason they made him black is so they could kill two birds with one stone." "Emily in Paris has two actors of color and both of them feel like an afterthought." My thoughts: Don't watch this show. It has a season two coming out, don't watch it, even if you want to see how bad it is. There will be someone online who will tell you why it's bad and you'll save time reading or watching their review instead of giving Netflix a reason for a season three.

Anyways, those are just a few (obvious) examples of how racism isn't okay, even if it isn't inherently meant to be racist. Song of the South was meant to be a heart-warming movie full of stories about morals, but it's been banned and basically erased from Disney history because it comes off as being pro-slave. Millie was meant to be a commentary on Asain stereotypes while lifting up Asain actors so they were given more opportunities, yet most schools have banned it. And Emily in Paris, despite its connections that got it nominated for awards, was such a dumpster fire, a good review is near impossible to find.

[a-woman-apart]

Separating the Boys from the Men

Yes, that title is click bait, and if you keep reading, you’ve been warned. I’ve got a lot to get off my chest, and it’s going to involve defending masculinity, femininity, and our right to BEHAVE LIKE CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES because in many ways, we already do. 

Let’s get straight to the point. As Millennials, regardless of our age, financial status, or level of “success” (air quotes 100% intentional) we have been accused of being lazy, entitled, and way too enthusiastic about avocado toast. At the same time, we have been described as having enough power to decimate the napkin industry, the diamond industry, and the concept of traditional marriage. We have been accused of a collective “Peter Pan” syndrome, because we “refuse” to cut off papa’s apron strings and get off the proverbial mama’s teats. 

Wonderful to know. 

Let’s unpack the “lazy” bit. Supposedly, this is tied to the fact that we have access to higher education, we [often, not always] have parents who financially support or house us well into adulthood. 

So now, my question is, Gen X (the entitled ones, ironically) and Salty Boomers, YOU DIDN’T? 

What do you call that “inheritance” you received? What do you call that education your parents paid for that was less than 1/3 what we have to pay? For Boomers, how do you explain the lavish weddings, cheap [and apparently nuke proof] home appliances, and “nights out on the town” that you were able to afford by working at whatever passed for a McDonald’s back in the day? Working on a farm, at a grocery store, or in retail used to ACTUALLY provide a livable wage; for us, those are a “side hustle” and we still have to get a “big boy job” that usually requires an education that can put us over $100,000 in debt by age 30. 

Hate to say it, but if you hadn’t made most of your income “during the War” or in  the absolute economic boom that followed it, you wouldn’t survive 24 hours in our shoes before having an emotional collapse.  

Despite the disastrous living conditions of the U.S. in the 21st Century, not much has changed in how men define their level of “manliness.” 

Financial gains (stocks, bonds, portfolio, bank account) 

Bro “gains” (a.k.a. “gym gains”, how “Gaston” they are, including whether they want to go for the Adonis, Apollo, or Brawny boi look, or just how far they can throw something or how “boyish” they look if strength isn’t an option and they suffer from femme-levels of body dysmorphia) 

Body count (since we’re in a time of peace and not literally war, this is LITERALLY a modern term describing how many people you’ve slept with, and I have never heard an adult man, regardless of sexual orientation, who isn’t a little concerned about putting those notches in the bed post, and if not that, VERY concerned about his bedroom performance: it’s quality vs. quantity) 

Kill death Ratio (I know this is a video game term now, but did you know that before video games, men in England used to regularly get on horseback, get a bunch of hounds together, and chase down tiny foxes and rabbits? FOR FUN?!?!? Did you know, that before modern sports ((including Esports)), men used to just fight to the death, regularly, even if an official war wasn’t going on? It was known as “dueling”, and in less socially developed societies, men still behave like this. So the next time you complain about “male rage” and how heartless it is to make live chickens fight, note that even though we’ve quelled male anger and hostility on some level, you will NEVER be able to take away man’s urge to destroy. Boys and men will always like knocking things over, building things from the rubble, and ruling shit. It’s what they do-- and we women can and do, too, but we have a LOT more risk-aversion and self-preservation, which is a blessing and a curse for our species-- but we just need to make sure humanity as a whole stays...chill)

So what, say ye, has changed about how WOMEN define themselves now vs. in the past. I would say that very little has changed, but the level of internalized misogyny, insecurity, and good-old fashioned denial has SKYROCKETED. 

Let’s look at some terms of how the majority of women value themselves. 

Financial Security (few women will admit to “wanting to be rich”, because that sounds kind of “Trump”, but plenty will talk about having minimum income requirements for their partner(s), wanting to retire at a young age so they can “travel the world”, wanting to eliminate their debts, etc. It’s different language but essentially it translates to: I want to work so hard or marry into so much wealth that I never want to worry about money after age 35. #Hustle) 

Looks (it doesn’t matter if you want a Kardashian butt, you’re in the body positivity movement, or you just want to “dress like a bawse” women are just as obsessed with clothes, image, and body weight/shape/size as they ever were, it is just that now that we’ve “slain the patriarchy” we have more fashion options than ever before, because “boy clothes” are just as “in” as femme ones)

Ability to attract a partner (some women, like me, “chase”, but thanks to biology, most women, regardless of sexual orientation, seem to enjoy being pursued more than being Artemis-style hunters. This is evidenced by the fact that when the feminist owner of Bumble changed the rules of the dating website to where women had to start conversations with men rather than vice versa ((a move that had ostensibly zero effect on lesbian matching)) 72% of women that she later surveyed stated that they liked it better when men were approaching them rather than the other way around. I am sure Bumble’s female CEO was shook ((as was I)), especially because she made the change to empower women, and apparently 72% of women didn’t want the power because it meant they now had the power to face rejection, and it made them uncomfortable. Big yikes. So much for #EndPatriarchy and #ChivalryisDead ?)

Playing house (this is probably going to get me some unfollows, but I’ll take my chances. Women, regardless of sexual orientation, often seem to be REALLY into having babies or just “playing house.” There’s also men like this, too, “Family men” as they’re aptly called, men in love with fatherhood ((or just being called “daddy”, and that will never not be weird)). So many women who never want to pop out a baby describe being taken by an OVERWHELMING urge to fuck during their “fertile window” ((or is that just me?)) and seeing every baby alive as the cutest human being ever once we pass the tender age of 25. The biological clock is REAL, and I learned the hard way that being bisexual and having immense fear of pregnancy and childbirth didn’t spare me from the awful truth of my biology. 

I really don’t want to keep making references to modern video games, but they seem to serve the dual purpose of being deeply satisfying and helping us to quell “problematic” urges, including that one to dominate and destroy the world. For a lot of women gamers, though, our choices ((on a broad scale, every #girlgamer is different)) deviate from men’s in some interesting ways. 

#1: We still love The Sims Franchise way more than guys do 

Not only do we love it, but while a lot of men (again, #notallmen) tend to build elaborate neighborhoods to extensively mod and destroy them in terrifying ways, I still see women gamers taking obscene amounts of time to design homes, raise happy little families, and cause TERRIFYING blood feuds by having Sims marry Sims from rival families ((I guess we’re more Shakespeare than we thought, eh ladies?))

#2: We make up most of mobile gaming

Most male gamers think mobile games “aren’t real” and I tend to agree, but a mobile game is invaluable for when I, a woman, have time to kill between the 3 jobs I hypothetically have and I and don’t want to whip out something like a Nintendo 2DS that is both unwieldly and attracts the eyes of every impoverished, thieving human being in a .5 mile radius. #RiskAversion. These games are often low-quality, mindless, and insanely easy, but that is WHY WE LIKE THEM. Our entire life is a job. #Hustle

#3 We also love farming sims and RPGs

While we-- and most male Millennials-- beg god to not have to birth calves, milk cows, or labor in the tomato fields under the hot sun, most of us have no objection to having our virtual avatars perform the same back-breaking tasks to the tune of cheerful chiptune music. Also, even though men definitely enjoy them, too, I have never met a woman gamer who didn’t enjoy a nice RPG; why do you think we’re such avid readers of fantasy/romance YA? 

We want to be transported to a different world, and if you won’t take us there, we’re happy to go there virtually ((because we probably can’t afford travel; we’re still millennials)). 

Ability to murder people who threaten our young or our partner(s) (Okay this one is a bit more complicated, but I’m just going to tell you a bit about female animals. DON’T MESS WITH THEIR BABIES IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. Human females, are, in that regard, just as savage, if not more so, than our male counterparts. 

I’ve never heard of any woman ((outside of prison, maybe)) who killed another woman for “looking at her weird” or saying “your mama” too many times. I’ve heard plenty of women threaten literal murder because another woman ((or man, we’re #progressive)) came too close to her romantic/sexual partner, or another human being threatened harm on our kids or our “squad.” 

I don’t know where the meme truly originated from, but “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again” is SUCH a Mom thing to say. So much misandry is wrapped up in the idea that men are predators, and that is true, but not in the excessively sexually deviant ways you think ((that’s only sometimes true)). They just like hunting things, including people, but if you give them a toy to play with ((I MEAN ACTUAL TOY OMG)) they seem alright. Let them go play with their cars, Xbox, [insert whatever] or something. They’re men, okay, they’re easily distracted/impressed/occupied. 

Women, on the other hand, have seemed to be having an EXTREME amount of trouble curbing that baby-making urge, or the Excessive Nurturing Urge, that one that makes you ask your grown husband if he’s remembered to pack lunch for work or if he remembered to pack money for his playdate with his bros, because he’s gonna need money at Six Flags and you aren’t going to bring it to him because he should’ve remembered, you reminded him 30093390 times. 

THAT’S NOT HIS FAULT. HE HAS MANAGED BY SOME MIRACLE TO STAY ALIVE FOR 33 YEARS. THAT’S YOU, SWEETIE. STOP BEING SUCH A MOM. GO BE A NURSE, DOCTOR, OR SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMETHING OMG. 

In summary...

What separates the “men from the boys” or the “women from the girls” isn’t the era that we were born in to, our economic status, or whether we’ve been able to “conquer” our biology. That’s definitely not possible yet, chiefly because transhumanism involves a lengthy, ethics-guided process, and even if we all turn into cyborgs, the goal is to become BETTER humans, not LESS humane. Societal advancements have done more in terms of making us healthier, less destructive citizens of planet earth than raw technology ever can and ever will. Rapid technological advancement, when not combined with respect for morality, ethical standards of living for humans and all other life forms, almost always leads to human slavery, widespread abuse of animals, sex trafficking, and environmental destruction, because the “rules of supply and demand”, when not governed by strong international trade laws, dictate that consumers should be supplied with whatever they demand, because the suppliers can profit, and their right to profit should be defended at any cost. 

So, in summary, I believe that “adulting” involves giving up on entitlement. What separates a truly childish human being-- regardless of their actual age-- from someone who is, in essence, “adulting” is experience, and how much those experiences serve to broaden that person’s perspective. It is an extremely childish, self-centered view, to think that you “deserve” anything for being “a good person” or, in the case of many a “woman child” or “man child” in media and in real life, just being “not so bad.” 

Grown-ups are able and willing to do something that is known as “delaying gratification” which is the simple ability to delay a temporary pleasure for a long-term gain. Grown-ups are also able to perform true “cost-benefit analyses” to determine if a course of action, business deal, or even relationship is worth their time and effort. Finally, grown-ups are able and willing and able to make an informed choice and stick to it; in essence, we don’t try to “have our cake and eat it too” we understand that once we’ve eaten that cake, the cake is gone, but we also realize that if we are willing to work hard and make sacrifices, we can earn the ingredients to make ourselves another cake to eat, even if we might need a lot of help from other adults in getting those ingredients (we call this teamwork and cooperation). 

Children, on the other hand (in literal and metaphorical terms), are very impatient. They get angry when things don’t go their way, and instead of taking the steps needed to improve their situation, they storm off and return home. It doesn’t matter if their home is with their parents, with their 3 roommates, or with their husband or wife, these people throw tantrums, refuse to communicate/cooperate, and stew in their displeasure until someone feels sorry for them and fixes their problem for them. They lack the ability to work through daily life problems and refuse to take any responsibility for how their actions or inaction contributed to their dilemma. 

There is one difference with an actual human child or teen, though, is that they have an excuse. Their brains are still developing, and they haven’t had the chance to live through these situations yet; these are new challenges to them. Even if they do have a “bad attitude”, with help from peers and patients, principled adult mentors and teachers, these cantankerous kids can grow into well-adjusted, able adults. The high levels of neuroplasticity in their brains actually make it so that it is easier for them to accept large amounts of sensory data and to learn from processing and practicing using it.

An “adult child” is someone who, more often than not, has been coddled instead of challenged. These people have often faced no significant hardships in life. There is a reason why, even after we have recognized the immense downsides of authoritarian parenting and have demonstrated psychological harms of corporal punishment for kids, we still call “bad kids” and “irresponsible adults” spoiled. 

Authoritarianism produces rigid, scared people who often struggle with critical thinking and self-esteem or end up being authoritarian parents themselves, but that last one is actually one of the less likely options. Children of authoritarian parents often develop Borderline Personality Disorder or become defiant against authority (shocker). Overly permissive or overly neglectful parenting, though, are parental styles most associated with producing narcissists, who often become authoritarian parents, because when their kids challenge them, they completely lack the patience or emotional capacity to deal with it and resort to “because I said so”, stonewalling and/or physical abuse as forms of “character-building.” 

The reason why overly permissive parents spoil their kids is because kids actually do need discipline and guidance, and so these kinds of parents produce kids who are outwardly capable and confident but completely lack any of the life skills to justify it, and when they ask their parents for advice they are just met with a bunch of hippie mumbo jumbo or told to just avoid the conflict rather than resolve it. These kids grow into adults who are still sad little kids inside, because they never grew up, but now they’re sad little kids who are articulate and well-spoken and now can-- and often have no choice-- but to con their way through adult life because they’ve maxed out Charisma and they have almost no points in Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Dexterity.

The only parenting style worse than Authoritarian and Neglectful/Permissive is Mixed, in which a child grows up in a COMPLETELY unpredictable environment where the rules of the game change from day to day, and parents either give their children no attention at all, or they practically lock them up and throw away the key. Being raised like this is associated with the worse outcomes for the child throughout life. 

So, why am I now talking about parenting styles? Because, for all that we love to trash Boomers and large swaths of Gen X on this page, we can’t forget where they came from, so we cannot allow them to forget WHO THEY MADE. It isn’t an accident that even though we live in the times of incredible economic hardship, WE are the generation (and Gen Z, to some extent) that got hooked on reality TV, video games, and social media in incredibly unhealthy ways. A lot of us 30+ millennials are growing out of it, and a lot of us have realized that it is an invaluable (and damn near unavoidable) way of marketing our products and talents. We’re often self-employed because that’s our only option in most cases. 

The issue with Gen Z (who, while we called “Zoomers” now just all themselves “Doomers” and I think we should be a bit concerned about that) is that unlike us, they have no memory of “Before the Internet.” We remember dial up, we remember before that when you played outside untl the sun went down. They don’t have the privilege of being linked to that history. 

Now, we have to be the Bigger Person. It’s our time to be Grown-Ups. Gen Z feels really fucking lost right now, and hearing us whine about our parents probably makes them pretty pissed off, when some of us older millennials are the parents, aunts/uncles, and older siblings to Gen Z kids. Even if we can’t be mentors, we have to lead by example, because we have a responsibility to these kids. A lot of them aren’t stupid, they see exactly what’s happening and they feel incredibly hopeless about it. Greta Thunberg is still 16 years old. She shouldn’t be out there doing that; I mean seriously, climate change is accelerating, but it isn’t even as bad as Al Gore said, it’s still reversible, but the fact that SHE FELT SHE HAD TO makes us shitty people. ALL OF US. 

So you know, we all need to stop being hypocrites. We need to stop being entitled. We need to stop thinking this is about us. It isn’t. Not even close. We’re not important, even if our videos go viral or if we’re swimming in cash next to hot models by a huge swimming pool. America’s fucked up. I hate to sound Republican, but it’s because of our values. We suck at valuing what’s important, and if we don’t change that soon, it’s really going to suck to live in America. 

It already does.  

[mysterylover123]

BKDK + Romance Tropes

“mysterylover123

Childhood Friend Romance

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChildhoodFriendRomance?from=Main.UnluckyChildhoodFriend

“Childhood Friend Romance is a part of romantic plots, when characters develop romantic feelings for someone who they spent their childhood years with.“

This one is pretty easy, of course. Anime in particular really loves this trope. Childhood Friends Turned Lovers. 

Tsundere

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tsundere

“The Japanese term tsundere refers to an outwardly violent character who "runs hot and cold", alternating between two distinct moods: tsuntsun(aloof or irritable) and deredere (lovestruck).The term was originally used to describe characters who began with a harsh outgoing personality, but slowly revealed a soft and vulnerable interior over time, which made this a plot trope as much as it is a character trope...The Tsundere stock characterization is very popular with writers of Romantic Comedy because the conflicts between the two personality facets can be easily utilized to generate both drama and comedy. “

Lots of fans debate if BKG is a Tsundere, but in the basic def of Tsundere as character who starts as harsh and becomes kinder, especially towards LI, seems fitting to me. 

Wall Pin of Love/Kabedon

created by Just another black sheep 

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WallPinofLove

“This trope is better known to the Japanese public as the "kabe don" (wall pound). It's when a character (usually Always Male) physically corners a Love Interest using the body to block any chance of escape. It's often accompanied with a "BAM!" sound effect from pounding the wall (the "don" in kabe don)...The Wall Pin of Love is a very popular staple in Shojo and Yaoi romance.“

While I’m iffy about the implications of this trope, it is still an anime romance trope, and the anime team at Bones decided to throw in BKG doing a Kabedon for Izuku. I think they might ship it or something.

The Not Love interest

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheNotLoveInterest 

“The Not-Love Interest is the phenomenon in which the character fulfills a typical "Love Interest" role, but isn't intended by the writers to have that kind of relationship with The Hero...My Hero Academia:The Rival Bakugou to The Hero Midoriya. Bakugou is a source of inspiration to Midoriya, and more than one arc revolved around Midoriya trying to save or protect Bakugou. Both character's personal arcs are intimately intertwined and advance together with the plot of the manga.“ 

Always Save the Girl (Love interest)

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlwaysSaveTheGirl

“The hero makes it plain that they value the life of their Love Interest over those of everyone else...It can come about as the result of a Sadistic Choice, only having enough time to rescue one person out of several, a case of the Dulcinea Effect, or whatever other requirements the plot puts in their way and plainly making a decision.“

Deku during the Hideout Raid/Training camp arcs really goes out of his way to save Kacchan, f the consequences. 

Battle Couple

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BattleCouple

“This is the kind of couple where bullets figure prominently in the story of their romance. Where "war buddy" and "significant other" are synonyms.”

They’re set up to be a superhero duo who fight together in the future. So this popular anime trope can apply.

Belligerent Sexual Tension

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BelligerentSexualTension

“There's a couple,...who are not able to admit their feelings. At the top of their lungs.Despite the conflict, there is an attraction. This is usually obvious to everyone around except the couple. Confront them with the obvious, they'll deny deny deny. Sometimes they will progress to admitting their friendship but insist they are Just Friends. Eventually, they can admit their feelings to practically anyone except their loved one. It ends up where both characters dance around admitting their feelings as if the words "I love you" are some sort of death curse, much to the frustration of the audience and the other characters.“

Pretty self evident, but they bicker a lot to hide their real feelings. 

Cherry Blossoms

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CherryBlossoms

“A common symbolic element in anime and other Japanese media, falling sakura petals have several interconnected meanings, depending on who they are falling on and the context thereof...Sakura season is thus a highly visible sign of spring, the beauty of nature, renewal of life, and first love... but can also represent the transiency and fragility of beauty, life (especially a samurai's life), and love.”

Again pretty simple: Cherry blossoms either meaning renewal/love or death. Since they pop up when D and K turn from middle school to high school, so the renewal/love interpretation seems to be right.

Crush Blush

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CrushBlush

“Love — even Puppy Love, perhaps especiallyPuppy Love — makes the young and innocent blush.”

This blush isn’t in the manga. They added the blush onto baby Deku in the anime. (manga scene isn’t a close-up). And since he blushes around his official love interests...

Dismissing a Compliment

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DismissingACompliment

“Alice hears a compliment — of any type and quite possibly sincere — from Bob and says that it was not sincere, such as doubting he meant it for her particularly, or calling him a charmer, or a rogue, a silver-tongued devil or other less than honest characterization, or it flattery, or telling him to stop it, or describing it as an exaggeration.The compliment can be sincere; Alice can even know it. It's a ploy to avoid having to take the compliment at face value, and respond accordingly — assuming it's not fishing for more compliments.Ranges from a simple form of banter or flirtation — common with UST “

Yep. Lots of BKG doing this.

Finishing Each Other’s Sentences

(My favorite example of this is from Shoto Todoroki Origin: Deku: His movements are...Baku: Slower...”

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FinishingEachOthersSentences

“We've all heard it before... literally. Some people know each other so well, they finish each other's sentences. The effect is usually a demonstration of how close the two people are — they're so familiar with one another, they even think alike.”

First Girl Wins

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FirstGirlWins

“In romantic works, the first girl introduced — either overall or as a potential Love Interest — has a very good chance of ending up with the protagonist (especially if the protagonist is male).”

First Boy in this case. But yep. First Friend and BF Deku ever meets and likes as a little adorable kid. 

Her Boyfriend’s Jacket

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HerBoyfriendsJacket

“How does a TV show demonstrate that Bob and Alice are a couple? How to do it quickly and without making a big deal about it? Simple, Alice wears Bob's jacket. If Bob's some kind of athlete, expect it to be his letterman jacket.“

I think the gauntlets count. BKG gives Deku a piece of his clothing. 

Like an Old Married Couple

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LikeAnOldMarriedCouple

“Two characters who seem very comfortable with each other to the point that it seems like they have been married for a long time, though obviously it doesn't apply to couples who actually have been together for a long time. Usually it is done through constant arguments with each other, as only people who are so closely bonded can have such open communication between them (whether they will admit it or not).“

I picked this scene because they really do sound this way in this moment. Like, the “This is why we never have real conversations” scene. They sound like they’re arguing about getting directions.

The Reveal Prompts Romance

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheRevealPromptsRomance

“Alice and Bob are talking, and Bob has decided that it's time to come clean. He's going to tell her his dark and terrible secret. This secret could be one or more of any number of unpleasant or shocking or dumbfounding things. Maybe Bob is secretly a crime fighting vigilante, or a spy, or some kind of superbeing in disguise, or The Mole, or maybe he really likes reggae music. Whatever the secret is, it's going to be something that causes Alice to see Bob in an entirely new light, and totally reinterpret much of Bob's behavior.“

The Reveal is a pretty popular romance trope in Superhero comics - (Spider-Man and MJ, Superman and Lois, etc.) and so far Deku hasn’t told anyone else. 

Rivalry as Courtship

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RivalryAsCourtship

“A character in a story becomes romantically interested in someone and believes that the best way to get his/her attention is by being just as good as (s)he is, if not better, at something that (s)he does. “ 

This one is a rare anime trope but definitely around. So Rivalry Romance is kind of a thing. 

Violently Protective Girlfriend/Boyfriend

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend

“A violently protective girlfriend essentially acts like a much younger Mama Bear, except her Berserk Button is harm to her mate rather than to the kids; note that this inverts the usual expectation that the boyfriend is violently protective of the girlfriend (which may still be the case).“

Or Boyfriends, in this case. They are uber protective. 

[anonwrite]

Into the Stratosphere (Part 1)

The author wants to be anon.

The author wants to know:

What readers would find interesting or boring in the story, as well as what feels out of place or unnecessary. English is not a native language, please point out what doesn’t sound natural.

“I write for myself and my imagination, but I know the pace or wording may not fit what most people expect from good writing. I want to know how to polish this up.”

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

Readers can give comments in reply or reblog to this post

Readers can send me anon comments with the title of the post

Readers can use THIS google doc - to do a deeper commenting

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

Part 1

“Hey, check this out!”, a young voice resonated in the hut made of metal scraps and ship parts. One of the two girls sitting at the tables filled with broken mechanical devices and trash twirled around in an old leather chair bursting with its stuffing in several places.

“I’ve never seen a cloud this big before”, the girl in the chair pointed at a screen behind her, showing a bunch of glowing dots.

The other girl, not looking up from the scraps she was carefully taking apart answered in a soft voice, “So you’re getting excited at the *size* of clouds now”, laughing a little, “are you really that bored?”

Still trying to get the other’s full attention the girl beamed and got up. “It hasn’t rained in like half a year, maybe we’ll finally get some wetness up in this wasteland of a desert”

Pushing her messy chin length hair behind her ears the other looked up to watch the screen herself. Still filled with excitement the girl that had been looking at the signals from the sky was already stuffing a few things in a rugged bag. “I’m off to check if I can see it on the horizon, the wind should bring it further our way. Maybe I can already tell the others about it too”

And just like that, throwing it over her shoulder and wrapping her head in a light fabric she stormed out. “Be safe out there, Maya!”, the other called after her.

The hut was their home, and had been that for years. Once an abandoned and broken down building, only a few of the original walls had survived and gave the hut the base structure. Walls from shipwrecks and metal sheets held up and supported by metal streams filled out the rest and made it habitable. Years ago, when this place hadn’t been the girls home for long, they found old weather equipment in the ground that had been hidden by sand and dirt. Kora had spent months on trying to get it to work, only to spend several months more studying how it even worked.

Maya, as the older of the bunch, despite being sceptical, let her do this and gradually the hut turned into a weather station for the desert people who appreciate the forecast in the rough climate of the desolate planet from time to time. Though the desert people weren’t typically aggressive or dangerous, they were still not always to be trusted and Maya had found that out on several occasions on trips to the next big city.

Largely getting their food from old family friends and jobs fixing up broken things the two girls who once chose their home as a place of isolation had actually become an important piece of the community and were respected by the people that knew them.

As of now, Kora was working on a fusion cell worth enough to get them through the next few months, given she actually figured out how to fix the thing. “Damn it.”, she mumbled and placed her tools down. It was bent out of shape and she didn’t know if it would ever work again. Frustrated she got up to walk back to their kitchen, she started rearranging the containers of condiments, trying to take her mind of her apparent failure.

She thought about what they were actually working towards. Was there a goal for them to reach, something for them to discover? Kora thought her life had lead to a dead end where what lies ahead won’t ever be new or exciting to her. She started heating up a food packet they bought in town while her mind went different places. They were getting by, had enough food, essentially did what being adult was. Or was it?

She could try getting a job in town, stop hiding away in this desolate place and actually face the world. Was she trained enough to be able to prevail out there? The idea scared her and she retreated back to her sleeping mat, steaming food packet in one hand and a bent out of shape spoon in the other.

Maya had ran over to visit their nearest neighbors in her excitement, a family with six children, ages ranging from a baby to a boy about the same age as her. The run was rather long, in the scorching sun Maya felt thankful she had water and fairly good health to get her through. The mother was feeding camels outside when she saw Maya walking towards them and waved at her.

Inside the house she was greeted warmly. Offered cold refreshments they sat down at the livingroom table with the kids running around, mother holding the youngest in her arm. “Are you dear girls alright by yourself? Have there been raiders? I’ve heard from town people are getting desperate in this dry heat-” “Don’t worry about us, we’ve been good and we’ll be good, actually - I’m here because of this heat”, Maya interrupted the mother’s words in a calming manner, “Our monitors show a big cloud, way in the east, coming towards us”

“I heard Mayas voice, is she here?“, the eldest son walked in, wiping motor oil off his hands with a rug. When he saw her, he threw her a big smile and sat down with them at the table with a huff. "She was just talking about possible rain, promise me you’ll go into town to buy us some new food and supplies, alright sugar?”, the mother turned to him and requested.

“Will do”, he smiled again and looked at Maya, “only if Maya comes with me though, of course.”, he said jokingly. Maya couldn’t help but laugh at that and the mother smiled and excused herself back outside to look after the animals and leave the two alone. “How much food do you still have?”, he asked after carefully waiting until his mother was out of hearing range, “I know we usually don’t have to worry about running out of stuff at all, with Dad working at the town suppliance office and our animals, but even he took me by the side and hinted things are looking bleak.” He laughed awkwardly to mask his concern.

“We’re all good, we stock for long and don’t exactly need thaaaat much. We’re only two people after all, unlike…”, she motioned around to three of the other siblings chasing each others through the house. “If I can help around here, you have to message me. Do you still have the radio phone Kora fixed up for you?” The boy lowered his voice and scooted closer to Maya. “Keep it in my bed. My mom still thinks it’s dark magic or something”, he shook his head and smirked. “I’ll use it for emergencies. I promise.”

He turned to one of his brothers and held his arm, “Why don’t you all play outside for a bit? It’s nice and bright out. Take your brothers and sisters.” When he realeased the boy’s arm he was already running out of the door with his siblings. “Don’t go too far from the house!”, he tried warning them before they completely disappeared out of the house.

It had gotten way more quiet now, besides the few animals from outside and the wind blowing against the desert structure, it had gotten peaceful. “I don’t know how you do it”, Maya said. The boy just picked up a glass from the table and turned it in his hands, looking at how the light coming in through the windows would pass through it at different angles.

“Once the ground is wet, supply and merchant ships can land and we’ll all be fine. It’s been worse before.”, he sat the glass back down on the big weathered table. His voice was determined and Maya questioned if he was trying to convince himself of what he said or if he truly believed it.

Maya nodded and looked around. After a while of sitting in silence he spoke again. “Do you know for sure it’s a cloud? And it’s not moving away?”, he asked hopeful. “Looked like any other cloud I’ve seen on our monitor before. But big. And the wind, the wind usually comes from the east. So it should carry it right towards us”, she said. The boy exhaled loudly and stood from his chair. “Come out with me to the back, I’ve been working on something.”, he called out already walking through the back door into the sun.

Outside stood a bike, with misshapen panels that looked like it could be solar powered. The boy walked over to the thing, standing next to it proudly and a motioned for Maya to come closer. “My dad brought this home the other day. Broken messenger bike from town, the motor wasn’t powerful enough to make it run smoothly to operate,” he crouched down and pulled at the side to open the bike, revealing the rusty and dirty insides. “It still needs normal fuel, but I hooked up some old sun panels so it should run way more smooth with the extra power.”

Maya walked around the misshapen thing, the colors scraped off the sides of bike, making her question if it was really let go because it didn’t run anymore or if there was an accident involving the bike. “Sit on it, it’s easy to control”, the boy told her. Reluctantly but intrigued Maya got onto the bike, putting her hands on the handles and feeling the bike react to her weight by creaking. Despite that, it felt sturdy and she thought about this being way better than having to walk. “I want you to take it.”, he said.

Maya turned to him in disbelief. “If there’s anyone deserves it or needs it, it’d be  you. It’ll be easier to get around. And it’s made to travel over this rough terrain.”

“You’re kidding”, Maya said quietly.

“Well, you got a message to deliver, don’t you? Go to town to tell them about the possibe rain. They can prepare for the landings.”, he smiled seeing her excitement grow.

She jumped off and gave him a big hug, throwing her hands around him. “Thank you so so much. This means a lot.”, she whispered.

He hugged back slightly and patiently waited for her to let go, overwhelmed by her closeness. “See, turn this for it to jump on.”, he taught her by showing. The bike stuttered and growled to life. “The petal down there will make it drive, the left handle lets you break. I tried it out, don’t put too much trust in the break.”

Maya was listening and could barely contain her excitement. Once she sat back on the bike, the boy held it and pulled away the safety break. Her start was wobbly, but she soon sped off into the desert, saying goodbye with only an energetic wave and driving off to the distance.

In the meantime, Kora had dug up an old book about trade from under her bed. Her empty food packed laid next to her, her nose was buried in the book. She didn’t know if it was fiction or not, sometimes it seemed like storytelling to her, but she did not care. The distant sound of a bike tore her out of her reading and made her jump, confused as to what someone with a motorbike was doing out here. Taking precaution she took a metal rod from the table when making her way to the door, only to soon realise the person on the bike was too familiar. Maya looked happy as she came closer and Kora knew already who had blessed her with the gift.

“Is that what he paid you for your hand in marriage?”, she taunted Maya when she came to a rough stop by the creaky old gate. Maya got off the bike and skipped over to Kora.

“Shush! We just have each others back, you know. If you went he would’ve given you this thing too”, she muttered smiling while hugging Kora. “If you say so. It looks like one of those city bikes, only-”, she made a face, “a little bit broken.”

“Well you saw that it works, so we shouldn’t complain”, Maya laughed and went inside, Kora following her.

“I’m going to town tomorrow, it’s too late now to make the trip. Even though this thing is substantially faster, I better not test my luck” Maya said while already shuffling steaming hot food in her mouth, huffing to cool it faster. She was now sitting at their cluttered table. She hadn’t eaten the entire day, but it was normal to ration out the food sparingly over long dry periods. Kora nodded without looking up, again occupied with her book, sitting across the room in her bed in the corner.

After cleaning up a little and making one last trip around the house to check if everything was in order, the sun had gone down and  they soon traded in the flickering light bulbs they had to illuminate their house for some well deserved sleep.

The heat of the morning woke the girls and Maya almost immediately fixed herself a bag for the trip to town. Kora took one last look at the monitor to confirm the cloud was still there, and it was, showing up closer and bigger than the day before. Before Maya left, Kora scraped together the last of her savings to stock them up on some food and water. Putting on her best clothes, Maya saw Kora slipping the money into her bag.

“We’re low on food and water?”, she guessed. Kora answered with a shrug and a mumbled “You know how it is, in case you find someone to trade with”

Bag strapped to the bike carefully, Maya was ready for the journey that’d easily take morning. Especially if she chatted with the people along the way, as she usually does. Kora trusted Maya’s social skills and knew she could look out for herself. Despite that, she watched her drive off with a little bit of worry in her stomach. When the bike became a small spot on the horizon and eventually disappeared in the glimmering heat over the desert hills, she went back inside to work on the fusion cell for now, hoping she’d fix it before the merchants would depart.

She needed a new approach to fixing it, this much she knew. She didn’t want to give up on this thing, if there was a way to fix this she swore to herself she’d find it. So she decided to wire it together with a generator and test the different circuits, checking which ones worked and which didn’t. She knew which ones didn’t work through sparks that’d be emitting from the thing, making her jump back every time they’d fly at her. She had to put away all the other electronics and devices to make sure nothing would get even more broken than it already was.

After the sun stood much higher than when Maya departed, she had tried every single one and could safely say what parts exactly needed fixing. Much to her dismay, the core seemed to not be connected correctly, throwing the entire thing off. She sunk back into her chair when she realized she had to open the entire thing to rewire it. She’d never done this and knew it wasn’t easy to do.

Frustrated she wondered if this was even worth trying. She looked around the home and her eyes stuck on the almost empty box with their food packets. She remembered their water tank outside being filled the lowest it’s probably ever been. She had spent a considerable amount of time creating a system that’d collect and purify rain, but that didn’t help when there was none.

Knowing she had to, she picked herself up and got to work.

Sweating and using most of the tools she had at hand, finally Kora had a break through. Carefully closing the cell that now glowed by itself, she knew she had done it.

Smiling at her achievement she wrapped it in cloth carefully and put it in a box. Maya would take it to sell it. They would be able to charge more for this than for anything else Kora had fixed up before. Satisfied with herself, she noted down some of her findings and what she did to fix the cell in her journal, for her to remember later if she ever got the opportunity to do this again.

A sudden continuous beeping tore Kora out of the situation. The monitor that was showing the distant big cloud before, carrying the hope of the desert people, was now blinking red and making jarring noises.

The girl walked to the monitor and inspected the old device. To Kora’s relief nothing seemed to be wrong, she figured it just picked up on the signals of starships that would land when the rain would dampen and thicken the ground terrain, allowing trade and an interchange of information that they had been starved of for months now.

Skillfully pressing a few buttons the beeping stopped and she tried to look further into how many ships were there to make a rough estimate. Any information like this would help prepare and make sure everything would go smoothly.

Bent over the device, focused on the screen, Kora was interrupted yet again. A static coming from the communication box next to the makeshift weather station caught her attention. Then, a distorted voice came from the ancient speakers Kora had presumed broken.

“Is anyone picking up this signal.”, the voice spoke barely distinguishable words.

Stunned and surprised Kora stood for a second. Usually ships would not try and make contact and if they did, they’d try to connect to town and not to here.  Maya and Kora used to have radio equipment to be able to make contact with ships and people from far away, but decided they wanted to avoid trouble and now had portable close range radio phones instead, to ensure communication between the people they knew and trusted, not outsiders.

“Is someone picking this signal up?”, the voice repeated and Kora started frantically digging through boxes to find an old microphone. When she found it, she hooked it up to to the dusty communication box. She took a deep breath and spoke.

“Yes. Not very clear, but I can hear you”, she said, somewhere between excited and scared.

The static responded after a few seconds. “Who am I speaking with?”, it asked.

Kora’s heart sunk as she realised this might be important business. They probably wanted to speak to the one in charge, the mayor or the few town officials that they had.

“My name is Kora, I live in the outskirts of Yilandir, the town”

The static took longer to respond this time and Kora bit her lip in nervousness. How deeply she wished for Maya to be there. Maya would know what to say, she thought.

“How big is the population?”, it said.

Kora responded explaining how there were about 11.000 people as far as she knew, many living right by the town but also quite a few living scattered around it. Yilandir wasn’t big and usually didn’t get much attention, she knew there were bigger cities at the opposite end of the planet, but there were a few skillful workers here that’d get jobs fixing merchant ships, or some ships that’d pass by needed to fuel up coincidentally when landing was possible. The people also liked buying food and other goods from merchants, making this a safe place to go to earn money for travellers.

Having said all that she could, Kora went quiet and waited for a response. Instead of a response, the static went away completely and left her confused in silence.

Kora had almost pushed all her thoughts about the weird static incident away when she noticed swirled up dust way off on the horizon. She was sitting outside in the shade of the home, sun going down behind her, already turning the sky all sorts of colors. She had been looking at the stars that were shining and becoming more in numbers by the minute. She knew it was Maya returning from her day in the city and remembered wanting to ask her what she would’ve done about the incident.

With Maya slowly coming closer, Kora went inside to fix her some hot food to welcome her, and decided to make some tea aswell. The crumbled packet of leaf she used for the tea was from a foreign planet, she was told, making it the most contact she’d had with the world outside of Yilandir.

Kora was stirring the tea when she heard Maya’s bike finally closing in. She closed the lid to let it sit and went to meet her at the gate.

Maya looked sweaty, understandable in this heat, but happy. When she got off the bike Kora could already see her bag was full of food and other stuff, more than the money she put in the bag could’ve possibly bought. What could you say, Maya was just that charming. She went in for a hug and Kora felt a bit more at ease now that she was back.

“Need help carrying that?”, Kora asked as they pulled away from the welcome hug.

“No, it’s not as much as it looks. Still quite a lot though-”, she struggled visibly to lift the bag, “everyone was super thankful for the info. Took my word for it, I told them maybe one or two more days max and the rain should come.” Kora couldn’t help but wonder what she did to get such a good deal. She was charming, sure- but not charming enough you’d gift her your scarce food. She hoped the old townfolk weren’t convinced the girls were the ones to credit for the rain, as she didn’t want to feed old superstitions.

The two went inside and Maya happily took what Kora had prepared for her. They both sat on the floor for a while, in silence, only Maya was eating. The tea had sat long enough and it looked almost like an oil spill glitter in the now dusty golden water, smelling refreshing and sweet at the same time.

“Think we should try and get away from here?”, Kora asked.

Maya took her time answering. “Why go somewhere new when we know for sure we’re just fine here”, she said after having a few more bites of the food.

Kora looked down and stirred the tea, making multicoloured swirls dance in the cup.

“This time when the ships land, I want to see if I can maybe find someone willing to let teach me. Mechanics and stuff. Like, fixing actual useful things and not just trash that’s thrown away or so old it’s from before we were even born.”, Kora spoke, still looking down.

“Don’t feel like you’re not doing anything useful, you’re fine the way it is. I can’t be sure you’re safe when you go off somewhere just to see a bit of the world”, Maya told Kora, “and you can’t look over me, either. It just seems so unnecessaryily risky”

Kora nodded, still avoiding looking at Maya.

“If you really want to do it though, you have to do it. If you think it makes you happy.”, Maya added.

Now Kora looked up at Maya and smiled. “Thank you”, she simply said, then went back to sipping her tea by Maya’s side.

The light slowly faded away until only starlight lit up the home. Light pollution wasn’t a thing here, countless stars could be seen in the night sky. Kora decided to finally get up and put away their now empty cups. ���I’m going to check the monitor and then see if I can see the cloud from here already before heading to bed, want to come too?”, she asked the girl that was still cuddled up on the floor.

Maya yawned and stretched. “You can tell me if you see something”, she said in a sleepy voice.

The monitor showed the same as before, but the cloud had gotten closer now. Even though it wasn’t cold, Kora still threw on a jacket and went outside. Walking around the hut to the back she could already make up a dark outline in the sky where the starlight was blocked by the cluster of clouds. It stretched far and towered like a black wall over the desert dunes. When Kora concentrated on the outline, she could swear she saw it slowly but steadily moving towards her.

She stood and watched for a little, trying to see if she could make out darker shadows thrown by merchant ships everyone was desperately expecting. A few minutes went by before she noticed diffused blinking in the clouds. This meant there had to be at least one ship, flying in the cloud. A bit weird, she thought, the electromagnetic tension in clouds must mess with their equipment on board. Why were they not flying above it or below it? Or maybe she was way off and they had a perfectly good reason for flying in the clouds. One last look before going back inside and she noticed a few more lights up there. She turned her back on it and went inside, closing the door quietly, just to see Maya had went to bed already. It didn’t take long before Kora laid in bed too, mentally preparing for the rain.

The girls woke to the sounds of a caravan of camels and other indigenous animals on their way to the city. They must have noticed the clouds and wanted to use their chance to trade with the outside world. Maya immediately got excited and wanted to check out the strangers right away, but before storming out the hut Kora got a hold of her.

In a groggy voice Kora explained her concern. “We’re all running on our last reserves. At least most people by now are. We don’t know these people so-" "They’re not here for trouble, it’s a caravan for goodness sake.”, Maya interrupted Kora.

Kora shrugged, still in her bed, and pointed out of the tinted window next to their beds.

“At least check them out from inside first before you go and see what they’re up about”, she said before turning over and trying to get a few more minutes of sleep.

Upon further inspection, the fully covered people walking the caravan seemed to be fully armed as well, so Maya gave in. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go out  to meet armed people when we can’t make sure if friendly or not, she admitted. She still insisted on watching the entire thing pass their home and stood by the window until the very last camel was out of sight.

Kora got herself up and had prepared breakfast for them, the same food packets from town she steamed and heated up every day. In the back of some shelves she found some spices she decided to throw in the sticky mess. The same food every day made even the best food taste bland, and the generic tasting food packets basically everyone was eating definitely already didn’t taste all too well in itself. They filled you up and did what they were supposed to, but not more.

They ate together before getting ready for the day. It looked like this was going to be the big day, the cloud had creeped far enough to block out the sun and was on its way towards town. The girls threw together a few essentials to take with them for the event.

It was certain they were going together, an event like this was celebrated and treated like a get together for everyone, plus it was an event to do business and find new contacts. Kora didn’t want to bring it up again, but she was set on learning more about mechanics. Even though she knew the road she was choosing may be uncertain, she felt sure of her decision and was ready to start a new chapter. Given she would find someone willing to teach her, of course.

Maya on the other hand was simply excited to see everyone together again. In her happy ramblings she talked about how the governor would deliver a speech, people would play board games the way it was last time, she could be meeting old and new friends and all the things Maya found cool.

Kora listened and smirked, knowing how gambling was running wild when everyone was feeling confident and steady with their finances right before the trade event. She doubted the people would take risks now, after the experience of how life could dry them out just by chance.

“They even let me play, were you with me when that happened?”, Maya was putting their radio phones into their seperate bags.

Kora carefully took her wrapped up fusion cell to sell once the market was up and going and placed it in her bag. And just like that, they were ready to take the trip, even ready to spend the night in town if needed.

The bike stuttered and moaned under the weight of them both and their bags, the way to town dragged on forever in hot anticipation.

When they arrived it was as if the anticipation had jumped over like a spark to everyone and snowballed into something that could almost be felt on the skin when walking through the dusty streets. The small capital, home to the people of the desert, was the only place to do business without having to already know your business partner for years, those few who could afford would gamble for rare fortunes from other worlds you could only find here. Sometimes even those who couldn’t afford it would gamble. And although you could not compare the small yellow city to a metropolis with its own heartbeat, it had its way of dealing with strays.

No matter who you were, sooner or later you would have to come here, the main water tanks and farmers selling produce were the base for survival. Now was the time where everyone wanted to come and see what travelers from other planets might have to offer, too. People like Kora would see if they could get a job on deck, working on one of the ships that would land. Very few of those had ever come back from their journey, which is exactly why Kora had felt guilty of her dream for so long.

Driving through streets which were of course way busier than usual, the girls saw preparations were happening fast, the sky had darkened already. The open field behind town hall was being kept open and barren as a landing spot, but people were already setting up market signs around it. There were a few women in dainty scarfs who had painted their faces, trying to appeal to the travellers. Maya averted her eyes, she thought even though her people were dependent on those travellers, they should take pride in their home and not sell themselves to those passing through.

By a crumbling fountain, drained of any water, the two came to a halt. Kora looked towards the sky while unpacking her stuff from the bike while Maya was thrilled by the lively atmosphere. The first drops of rain soon fell and so did the tension as everyone’s hopes came true.

“Town hall, with our stuff?”, Kora asked Maya fidgeting with her hands.

“I want to go say hi to everyone, people are still setting up their market stuff, outside a bit-”, Maya cut herself off by turning her face up and feeling the waterdrops hit her skin.

Kora laughed and her heart warmed up seeing Maya so excited, but she was for sure not going to miss the announcements in town hall.

Every time the travelers would come, just when the rain had started falling and the ground wasn’t fit for landing just yet, the people would gather and inform others of all important things, such as newly formed marriages or losses or big plans.

Kora saw the governor, an old soul named Hank Hill, already up front preparing to talk when she slipped by the townfolk into the massive sandstone hall. Kora trusted him. Though she also knew she was responsible for herself, it felt as if she wasn’t completely alone in times she needed help. This feeling was shared by many and was what had kept Hill in office for years.

“Hello my friends and - neighbours. Let us celebrate. Our land has given us the gift of water once again and we will savour it.”, the man coughed and continued, “-more efficiently, ever since last rainfall we have expanded our collectors and added an extra water tank-”, some people were cheering already, “so that we don’t come close to running dry like *this* again.”

The ‘like this again’ felt like a collective gut punch and concerned murmuring spread through the crowd. The governor sighed and continued. “It is true that we would have run out of water very soon if the rain hadn’t come now, but let us thank God for giving us this gift and not think about negative what-ifs.

We can be sure to welcome outsiders today, who will give us many opportunities and I encourage everyone to make friendly business with the travellers.”

“friendly business”, Kora thought. Normally there would be half a dozen small merchant ships, but when she thought about the lights in the sky the other night it looked like there was a bigger ship this time. More space for products, she shrugged and made her way out of the crowd as they were starting to announce all the new couples.

The air felt fresher and besides trying to not get the bags full of their goodies soaking wet, the water was something no one found irritating. Taking hurried steps towards the landing field Kora identified Maya waving at her from across, at a tent from the scavenger men who were something like police for the town, only way less official. Kora told herself the low humming she she heard was just her head anticipating the ships, as she thought it’d still be a bit until anyone would try landing. The field was big, when Kora arrived at the tent her drapings were wet and clinging to her skin, a funny feeling but not uncomfortable as it was not at all cold even though the sun was behind clouds now.

Chairs were set and you could almost think there was a festival going on from the look of some of the guys.

“Beer? It’s warm but it’s still good”, the guy next to Maya offered Kora a drink. She politely declined as she set down her stuff. “Made new friends? “, Kora asked Maya who seemed to be enjoying her drink and playing against the other guys in some foreign board game.

"Old ones, actually. Remember when I was sentenced to townwork because my behaviour needed 'disciplining?’ ”, Maya made weird faces when saying the words *behaviour* and *disciplining*. And no wonder she still wasn’t convinced her behaviour was too much sometimes. Kora thought that with these guys rules were bendable, you’d just have to prove yourself as a cool person.

Just as Kora was starting to get basics of the game, a faint metal surring yanked everyone’s attention back to the sky. People were hurrying around and making room, the rain had soaked everything and even though the water brought optimism, it clung and seeped everywhere even if it wasn’t as welcomed as it was for the desert people.

The mayor had made his way to the large field quickly after the announcements, the formal wear of dark cloth already wet from being outside a few minutes.

And that is when a large metal object burst through the dense rainclouds, the surring getting ever louder. The citizens were gathered and watching, many were overjoyed at the sight of what was expected to be a merchant spaceship. Only that it definitely didn’t look like just a merchant spaceship. It was big and looked sleek, landing in just a few seconds and blowing air and water everywhere, towering over the desert people shielding themselves from the impact of the vessel by just their arms and hands.

The governor wiped his hands on his clothes nervously and stepped to the front of the foreign ship. He was waiting to welcome the visitors, the people had quieted down and watched the ship.

A good thirty seconds went by before the ramp of the ship was finally lowered. The governor held his position and the people fell silent.

Suddenly a door slid open and figures stormed out, their faces obscured by helmets, seeming to know just what they were there for. Kora looked at Maya frozen still by watching what was unfolding in front of them.

“Just run. Now.”, she whispered at Maya.

[ezatluba]

The Long Tail of the Pandemic Puppy Business

Changes to the ways we live and work could mean years of extra business for pet-supply stores

By Erich Schwartzel 

March 26, 2021

When it comes to counting the winners of the Covid-19 economy, some contenders have more bark than bite. Those specializing in home-gym equipment or back-porch furniture have years of tough comparisons ahead.

Last week, another company that has seen business boom during the pandemic reported it had added millions of new customers in the previous 12 months—most of whom it expects to stick around.

Petco, the animal-supply retailer, was a beneficiary of a pet boom during the long months of stay-at-home orders, when more than three million new pets were purchased or adopted.

“They made being at home richer and gave somebody to go hug,” Petco Chief Executive Ron Coughlin told me.

I would also like to receive updates and special offers from Dow Jones and affiliates. I can unsubscribe at any time.I agree to the

But the trends driving business to Petco tell us more than just how Americans handled the emotions of this past year. They reveal details on how months of living and working at home have created new business opportunities in unlikely places, even at brick-and-mortar retailers whose best days were once thought to be behind them. Pet ownership in the U.S. has become its own economic barometer, similar to the way RV sales famously foretell how economically secure the country is feeling. The puppy boom is more than adorable. It’s telling in what it says about how we want to work and live in a post-pandemic world.

Mr. Coughlin sees trends in home sales and changes to office life that bode well for his company’s future, and not just because the pet industry can count on years of consumer spending on food, bedding, toys and other essentials. As Mr. Coughlin reminded his investors on a recent conference call: “Once the garage is remodeled, you’re not going to do that again for a decade.” Revenue for 2020 was up 11% at Petco, which added a million new customers in each of the year’s two final quarters, bringing the company’s total to more than 20 million.

Last April, my partner and I joined those thousands of other households that accelerated plans to get a puppy. Our golden retriever, Howard, arrived in November—and like most of his pals at the dog park, is younger than the country’s 12-month quarantine.

Puppies are the kind of investment that rewards a blurring of in-person and online shopping habits. They have to visit a veterinarian or retailer like Petco for vaccinations, but heavy bags of dog food can be ordered online and delivered to your door.

Then there are the homes where these new pets are going. Sales prices for homes in suburban locations outpaced those in U.S. cities during the pandemic, a trend that has only started to reverse as the return to work begins. But the shift to the suburbs has kept markets hot across the country, from New York to Orlando to Richmond.

The move to the suburbs is one reason Mr. Coughlin says Petco, Chewy and other pet-oriented companies are seeing revenues rise. “More Americans are seeking homes with more space,” Bank of America analyst Elizabeth Suzuki wrote last week in a report that upgraded Petco stock to “buy” from “neutral,” saying the real-estate trend would enable “positive growth in 2021 on top of 2020’s acceleration.” (In an equation run by Mr. Coughlin, he figures “suburbs” equals “bigger yards” equals “bigger dogs” equals “more dog food sold.”)

Then there is perhaps the biggest economic consequence of Covid-19: a decrease in birthrates across many advanced economies, including in the U.S. Late last year, the Brookings Institution estimated there were at least 300,000 fewer births in 2020 than in 2019, as couples put off childbirth during a time of economic and public-health uncertainty.

Young people may not be having as many kids, but they are buying dogs and cats and lizards, and some of the disposable income that would have gone toward baby shoes is being used on leather collars and fancy leashes. “Millennials are even more likely to take care of dogs than old fogeys like myself,” said Mr. Coughlin.

He has doubled down on this demographic with a deluxe line of pet products designed for those customers who are putting off kids but might use a pet as “training wheels” for an eventual human addition. The brand, which includes dog puffer jackets and hoodies, is called Reddy.

What kind of changes in post-Covid work routines do you expect to see pets inspire? Join the conversation below.

“If that connection got so much deeper over the last year, then it’s going to be that much harder to part,” said Mr. Coughlin.

There is the question of what happens when all of these new owners leave the house for the first time in months.Citigroup this week announced it would allow most employees to work from home at least part of the time even after the pandemic ends, joining Facebook and Microsoft in permitting a hybrid modelthat will outlast the quarantines.

The past decade was defined by the workplace becoming more like a college campus, with rock-climbing walls and ping-pong tables. An incorporation of the domestic sphere could be next, whether that comes in the form of on-site child care, flexibility with personal appointments or dogs at the desk.

Mr. Coughlin is already identifying another business opportunity for when we do return to the office after more than a year with our new pets. Petco has deepened efforts to work with companies on ways to turn their offices into more pet-friendly environments, including tips on designing dog runs and waste-bag placement.

Of course, not everyone can turn into Dorothy, never leaving Toto’s side. It’s one reason I have bullish expectations in the months ahead for psychologists specializing in separation anxiety—for the owners as much as their pets.

Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.comBecome a WSJ member today and share your voice with our community of journalists and members.

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[douchebagbrainwaves]

THIS MAY WELL BE A BETTER PLAN THAN THE OLD ONE OF PUTTING THEM IN THEIR PLACE, BUT IT HAS THE RIGHT SORT OF PERSON, YOU'LL WIN EVEN IN A BAD ECONOMY WILL BE HIGHER THAN FOR WAITING

It definitely has a flavor of its own though. If someone went to doesn't mean a lot. Which means it doesn't cost much more to start a startup. Why did he? University Ave was Google's first. And lately hackers have sensed a change in the atmosphere. So it is pretty well established now that grad students can start successful companies. Old towns have two advantages: they're denser, because they were so cute. So there you have it. Even if your startup does tank, you won't harm your prospects with employers. At an art school where I once studied, the students wanted most of all to develop a keen sense of how much programmers like to be able to reproduce this at most colleges if you make a conscious effort to find smart friends. And there are pretty strict conventions about what a cheeseburger should look like.

The optimum is not the same as opting in. A determined party animal can get through the best school without learning anything. And after high school it was probably understood that you were supposed to go to college. I haven't tried yet is to filter out most present-day spam, because spam evolves. We didn't start it mainly to make money; we have no idea what he was talking about—that he was one of the 10 worst spammers. But as I grew older, suburbia started to feel suffocatingly fake. So a lot of people, probably the majority of people in America, have some amount of external funding, and investors tend to be early in people's lives, then the ambitious ones won't have many ambitious peers. We're a sort of Valley within the Valley, considering how close it is. Usually their motives are mixed. But babysitting this process was so expensive for software vendors that it didn't make sense to charge less than $50,000 instead. I got to college. So if you're going to learn that the world is quiet and warm and safe.

So why should one be ok for kids to say and one forbidden? Essentially, each user should have two delete buttons, ordinary delete and delete-as-spam. Kids can probably sense they aren't being told the whole story. His field is hot now and every year he is inundated by applications from would-be founders, though we do like the idea, and comfort ourselves occasionally with the thought that if all our investments tank, we will thus have been doing something unselfish. The single biggest thing the government could do to increase it. My professor friends, when they're deciding where they'd like to work, consider one thing above all: the government. It has to be open and good. But if you look, there are no external checks at all.

If so, your old tastes were not merely different, but worse still, neither does the developer of the filter is in the individual databases, then merely tuning spams to get through the best school without learning anything. One of the MROSD trails runs right along the fault. They could have chosen any machine to make into a star. How well you're doing a few months later will depend more on talent are always more admirable. Whatever they're doing, you'll be doing. But this process builds up waste products that ultimately require extra oxygen to break down, so at the end. And that's in the best case, both components of the antidote is chance meetings with people who help you—are driven by the demands of the work they do. So future founders may not have to be dragged kicking and screaming down this road, but like many things people have to be. How much do we have to teach startups this? With OS X, the hackers are back. If you're young, you occasionally say and do stupid things even when you're smart.

Michelangelo. I think few realize the huge spread in the value of 20 year olds. That's where companies cross the line. In this case, it might be easy for General Electric to bear are enough to prevent younger companies from being public at all. In some cases you literally train your body. When I was about 19. Most successful startups not only do something very specific, but solve a problem people already know they have. If you're young and smart, you don't have to be working for an existing company to do that you have lousy judgement. It's not their money.

So the lower we can get the response rate—whether by filtering, or by going to work for a while to recover. There is something very American about Feynman breaking into safes during the Manhattan Project. Riskier career moves pay better on average. Probably the best we'll do is some kind of competitive game with the spammers. They wouldn't all grow as big as Florence. Any strategy that omits the effort—whether it's expecting a big launch to get you? Airbnb. In the best case. So if you can make something that appeals to people today and would also have appealed to people in 1500, there is a gradual continuum between rule breaking that's merely ugly using duct tape to attach something to your bike and rule breaking that is brilliantly imaginative discarding Euclidean space. Stanford must be smart.

If you want to learn what lies are told to kids, read almost any book written to teach them about issues. Wearing suits, we're told, will make us 3. 9734398 paul 0. So don't say I didn't warn you. As a founder, you're buying stock with work: the Big Launch. This is possibly even more disgusting than getting inside the mind of someone who responds to a spam. I'm an advocate of whitelists, but more as a way to make yourself find the best answer: if you can imagine someone surpassing you, you should think far more about who you can recruit as a cofounder than the state of the economy. Viaweb. Good design is often strange. People buying technology for one.

Thanks to Ken Anderson, Jared Tame, rew Mason, Harj Taggar, Trevor Blackwell, Parker Conrad, Sam Altman, Geoff Ralston, Jackie McDonough, and Jeff Clavier for inviting me to speak.

[rocketonthemoon]

2, 9, 16, 19, and 23 for the 'Puff ask meme GO

What Smells Remind You of Home: It’s changed recently because I went away to college for so long and moved around for a bit. The particular smell that cats have remind me of my best friend’s house; pine sol, apple pie, and firewood remind me of my parents house; musty carpet, lingering cigarette smoke, and fresh air remind me of the apartment I lived in all last year that despite not being the best, was mine. 

If You Could Breed Two Animals Together to Defy the Laws of Nature, What Animal Would You Create: TIGER-BEARS

What’s the Most Thoughtful Present You’ve Ever Received: This is going to sound egregiously upper middle class but - My mother is super into Christmas right? One year she thought it’d be a great idea to get us all elaborate stockings (like really nice stockings. Velvet lined and embroidered designs and all of that) with our names on them. And we’ve had these stockings for a while and they’re kinda special. Well when I came out as trans and I got a new name I didn’t even think about it until the first Christmas after I picked my name and there was a new stocking with my new name on it and I might have actually starting crying on the couch. 

Do You Have Any Stuffed Animals: I still have a shelf on my bookshelf of like, my favorites from my childhood and those are maybe 7-10 in number. But I’ve got a teddy bear whom I’ve had since I was apparently a little less than two and so has a Little Less Than Two Year Old Silly Name - Ba-ba, now just shortened to Ba. He’s white and, I shit you not, has always had rainbow T-shirt on.

 Tell a Story from When You Were Young: I want you to know I’ve been sitting here for five minutes trying to come up with a stupid story and literally all I have is a dumb story about my old recess teacher:

I mostly grew up in Kansas - this is common knowledge - but when I was about 6 to about 10 years old I lived in this middle sized town in Iowa. For Iowa it’s apparently a pretty big town, but most people from anywhere not Iowa/the middle of the country would probably agree it was bordering on the small side of things. We maybe had three elementary schools; my school, the school on the other side of town, and the catholic school. The only reason this is important is because Mr. Piper was rumored to have worked at all three schools doing something or other but no kid actually knew whether this was true or not and to this day I still don’t know, and frankly it’s not really that important. 

Mr. Piper was the recess teacher. Teacher is a stretch because he didn’t actually teach anything - like I said - but rather stood out between the blacktop and the playground and was the enforcer of Recess Rules: no pushing, no hitting, no jumping off of tall objects. He was tall, especially to us third graders (and wee!Rocket at this time had yet to fall behind the average height approximation and thus was not all that small, comparatively) and always wore a baseball cap pulled down low. Low enough that you wouldn’t be able to see his eyes even if he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses. It was always a great commotion whenever someone claimed to have seen Mr. Piper’s eyes, or even just Mr. Piper without his sunglasses since he always wore them indoors as well. 

I thought, in all my 3rd grade/9 year old wisdom and knowledge, that Mr. Piper was evil. Or at least some kind of villain. I imagined his eyes to not be regular eyes but full of fire and his mouth full of pointed teeth (Mr. Piper also never smiled and had a great big beard that hid his mouth). He never spoke except to  yell at a kid when they did something wrong, or when it was time to go back to class, or to send us back inside when we didn’t have snowboots on during the winter months (a most villainous deed). He had a shiny metal whistle he’d blow to get us all to go back inside and always carried some old beat up paperback book that we were never ever allowed to read, no matter how nicely we asked (we didn’t ask that often but we did ask the nicest we knew how). 

In March of my 3rd grade year I got my ass officially whooped. A misfired pineapple projectile at lunch ended up in the class bullies glasses and my big mouth didn’t know how to shut up and play innocent even though by that point, I was a good actor when I wanted to be. I remember running, I remember being essentially clotheslined red-rover style, and then lying flat on my back looking at the big blue sky - and looking straight up at Mr. Piper.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of Principal Office visits (multiple), teacher lectures (a couple), phone calls to my parents (my father away on a business trip and my mother busy in a meeting). Mr Piper had gone to fetch me an ice pack for my bloody, but thankfully, not broken nose. And as I sat in the hallway waiting to be told I could either go home or go back to class, he sat there with me. He kept his ballcap on but his eyes were a nice clear green. Not full of fire. He liked to read fantasy novels and later on in life I would recognize the dragon on the cover of an Anne McCaffrey book in a dusty corner of a library. He still didn’t say much, only nodded when I waved goodbye later that afternoon and thanked him through a puffy lip for sitting with me. But I did become his biggest defender at recess whenever the kids called him evil or mean. 

[lovely-qualms]

Royed Gift Exchange 2017

Hello all! So, this is my secret santa gift for @stargazerlilith for @royedgiftexchange ‘s 2017 Gift Exchange! This was my first year participating in the exchange, and I had a lot of fun coming u with an idea for my gift, especially since they gave me very broad parameters! Basically, when I recieved my partner, my class was reading Herman Mellvile’s Moby Dick, so I was inspired to do a nautical/ age of sail AU. I hope you like it, stargazerlilith!

Plight Aboard The Match-stick

by: lovely-qualms (on AO3 by the name Zozo0_219)

rating: T (language)

relationships: Roy Mustang/ Edward Elric; Maes Hughes/ Gracia Hughes

Summary: On a late- 18th-century cruise ship with Al and Winry, Ed falls out and is rescued by a notorious pirate crew aboard The Match-stick. Drawn to the slightly rag-tag crew, Ed finds himself especially drawn to the Captain, Roy Mustang.

Hark: whalers, merchantmen, and militia vessels! Gaze towards the setting sun, then a mite to the left. See there, a ship- cousin to the rest, but invariably different. Many have perished under the flags of red; even the most hardened of sailor men wish not to see the ghastly animal of a figurehead, less mermaid than the warped ancestor to a mermaid.

Now, just beyond eyesight opposite this ghastly roving tar glided a true Amestrian beauty. The orange glare of sunset glinted off of her shining metal walls and monstrously large steam pipes. Smoke roared out of these pipes like air from a popped balloon. One of the very first steam-powered ships to carry leisurely passengers across an ocean, The Plight (as she was christened upon the end of construction) cut through the waves as if it were as easy as taking a lovely stroll on a paved trail.

On the vast main deck of The Plight, many men and women strode about, having just dined in the lavish dining rooms (or having avoided the dining rooms in sea sickness). It was on this deck that two young men and a young woman sat about a pristine white table, discussing several papers strewn about betwixt them.

The oldest of the two men was rather violently gesturing to a few of the pictures, which depicted several different alchemical arrays with one hand; the other arm in the clinical grasp of the young woman.

“… And that,” He exclaimed, slamming his free hand down on the small table, “Is why plant alchemy is, by a significant degree, lamer than metal alchemies.”

The younger man raised a skeptical eyebrow, “Brother, your entire argument was, and I quote, ‘plants are lame, metal is cool’.”

“So?”

“So, it’s a weak argument! Plant alchemy is super interesting, as well as a specialization open for a lot of research!”

The older brother rolled his eyes and tried to shift in his seat, but was prevented from doing thus by a screwdriver jabbing him in the side.

“Stop moving, Ed. You’ll make me mess up.” The lady huffed.

“Hey, what was that for?” Ed asked the young woman, affronted. “You and Al are just out to get me today, huh. How much longer is that going to take anyways, Win?”

“You should have asked that before you punched a wall, maybe I’d want to give you an answer then.” Winry snapped.

Ed scoffed, throwing his flesh arm up in exasperation, “How was I supposed to know that there was a screw loose?”

Both of his comrades looked at him blandly, saying in unison, “Daily maintenance.” They broke down into chuckles while Ed grumbled and pointedly looked down at the arrays laid out in front of him.

All three looked up as, from the dark clouds quickly moving towards the setting sun, thunder rumbled. Several people looked up similarly and turned to head back into their living quarters, but the trio stayed outside, content to ignore the thunder for the time.

---------------------------(several hours later)------------------

As the deep, bruise-like clouds rolled ever further in, it almost made the foreboding ship, The Esperanza (re-christened The Match-stick by much less artful minds), lose sight of The Plight, were it not for the few rays of sun that glinted off of her gargantuan metal sidings.

From the prow of The Match-stick, a woman stood fixedly, squinting at the clouds with cold eyes. She held back her burgundy skirts and thick front-lock of blond hair with her hands, arm looped around a rope as to keep herself from being knocked overboard by the turbulent storm. Despite the wild rocking of the ship, the lady stood seemingly effortlessly, never blinking from the clouds that built up in the sky.

Suddenly, she turned and, using the ropes as steadying forces, brought herself down a steep staircase to the main deck, and then through a door to the Captain’s Quarters.

“Sir,” She said, drawing the attention of a silhouette that stood in the middle of the small room, in front of the only lantern present. A curtain was drawn over the one small window, which surely only showed the various tumultuous waves outside.

The silhouette turned at his address, waving down her military salute, “Riza, what do you have?”

Riza entered the room and sat at the table across from her Captain, noting from the new angle of him how the lantern light made him look much more tired than he probably was. “She’s The Plight, sir. I don’t think it wise to go after her.”

The Captain raised the eyebrow not hidden by a dark eye patch and replied, “Why?”

Riza stared at him blankly, “Sir, have you been outside today?”

“…”

“There’s a thunderstorm a’ brewing, sir, and The Plight is sided with metal. That’s all not to mention that The Plight is about two times taller than The Match-stick.”

The Captain scoffed, “Miss, I’ve watched you raid voyagers five times taller than our lovely Match-stick.” He waved his gloved hand up and down to signify the irrelevance of the comment.

“Captain Mustang, sir, that doesn’t discredit that the ship is made out of metal, and there’s a storm approaching.”

Mustang crossed his arms, “I say we go for it.”

“And I say we don’t kill ourselves for extra supplies.”

Roy scoffed, “We only have half a year’s worth of stock left!”

Riza replied, standing from her seat, “We just raided The Meriwether for her limes, armory, and fresh water so we are very well set on the essentials at the moment. Also, we quite literally have ten fishing nets and an ocean’s worth of fish to fry! And don’t even think about saying that ‘we don’t have the means to fry fish’ because there is always fire on this ship, sir.”

The Captain and First Mate locked gazes for a minute, as if in silent competition. Eventually, Mustang looked down with a sigh, and Riza knew she’d won.

“Very well, Hawkeye, but tell the lookouts to keep The Plight in their eyesight. I don’t want to lose her because of a damn storm.”

Riza saluted again with a “Sir,” before turning and leaving Roy to his business. She tugged her thick brown coat tighter over her loose burgundy bodice as she stepped outside, the wind having gone cold during her time in-quarters.

She smiled just slightly over her victory and headed towards the middle of the ship, to where oil vats used to stand, as the Esperanza was once an Amestrian whaler. The carpenter’s table and blacksmith’s forge were still in place, but held less distinct uses than before, as this crew was not interested in hunting sperm whales.

The main deck was very expansive, and it took very careful footing for Riza to not get tossed side to side as she made her way to the old carpenter’s bench. There, Third Mate Jean Havoc sat with a mug of liquor and a smoking pipe, apparently not keeping an eye out on the distant luxury voyager.

“Jean,” Riza called, receiving a short wave from the redhead, “Inform the crew that Captain Mustang has ordered us to keep The Plight in sight, but not to move forward until the storm has passed.”

Jean mock-saluted Riza with a lazy smile before standing to bid her orders. A large wave promptly knocked the side of The Match-stick and caused Jean to spill his liquor onto his baggy blue shirt and grey coat. He cursed loudly in embarrassment, shuffling past Riza to avoid looking at her, which made the blonde woman almost chuckle. Almost.

Riza heard Jean’s commands of, “Oi! Don’t lose The Plight, we’re aiming to raid her when this weather clears!” and “Lads, lower the red flags until we’re ready to go at ‘em!” which were followed by various affirmative shouts.  

The night was nearly completely upon The Match-stick, with just a glimmer of sunset behind The Plight. Riza looked about, signaling to a few sailors that it was time to show the sea what The Match-stick was really capable of. Holding her skirts up to her mid-shins, Riza made her way back to the prow of the ship, fishing from her pocket a jar of whiskey. Up the spray-wet stairs (for it had not begun to rain quite yet) Riza carefully strode, cautious of her heeled boots on the slippery old wood. Once she reached the top of the prow, she came to a contraption that, on any other ship, would raise confusion.

Roy Mustang had an infamous flair for the dramatic, and the line of pipes that ran down the outside of the ship’s equally metallic bulwarks was proof of such. If one cared to take a closer look, they would notice many slots along these pipes, and from these slots, they would see whale-oil-tempered wood chips or rope (depending on that month’s raid). The pipes extended from either end of the ship, making a loop at the prow and further out, ending cupped in the hands of the ghastly mermaid.

At the prow, where Riza now stood with her large jar of alcohol, a spout of sorts was crafted which ended at a capped-off funnel. Riza uncapped the funnel and uncorked the jar of whiskey with her teeth.

“Aye! Away from the bulwarks!” She yelled, receiving shouts of ‘aye aye’ or ‘yes ma’am’ from the other sailors. She pulled that night’s length of rope a bit closer to the entrance of the funnel and poured half of the whiskey onto it for good measure, downing the rest with impressive ability. The blonde woman stomped very hard twice on the floor, as beneath her resided the captain’s quarters.

Despite the wind, Riza was sure everyone in immediate proximity of the prow could hear a distinctive ‘snap’ from inside the Quarters just before the metal piping burst into flames. The fire trailed in a snake’s path down the piping, bursting out of the many slits until the entirety of The Match-stick was surrounded in snaps of fire but for a few three-foot gaps for the small chance that one needed to grab the bulwarks.

This fire show is what gave The Esperanza the new, feared christening The Match-stick. In the night, Mustang’s crew had no fear of invaders or losing their sight, just as other ships doubly searched the ocean for a glint of flames, in order to steer clear in the opposite direction. It would seem that the fire was a poor choice, but the crew never alighted the flame on raiding nights, and the heat provided useful for cold stormy nights such as the one Riza and her comrades faced at present.

Done with her duties for the evening, Riza turned on her heel, striding down the top deck’s steps and onto the main deck. At the Captain’s Quarters’ door, she turned back to look at the sailors in her direct proximity. They all saluted with a sharp, “Ma’am!” She nodded, saluted back, and opened the door to the dark Captain’s Quarters.

“Sir, I’m going to light more lamps in here, this is ridiculous.” Riza commented to Roy, who remained a silhouette.

As she held a match to one of the oil lamps right in front of the Captain and the spermaceti oil in the wick flared up, Roy whined childishly, “Hawkeye, it’s bright!”

“Sir, you were the one who wanted to raid The Samuel Enderby because, quote, ‘Sperm whale oil is damn well brighter than the vegetable swill we have right now’.” Riza said with an eye roll, “Also, if you’d stepped outside at all today it wouldn’t hurt your eyes to look at lamp fire. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

Roy groaned, pulling his coat up over his face to block the light, “You’re worse than my mother was.”

Riza quirked an eyebrow, heading to another lamp, “Well, did you sleep?”

“…Not last night, no.”

“Well, then my mothering is justified. Clear off a spot on the table.”

Roy bade her order, pulling various sketches of arrays and maps, as well as some mathematical tools and a compass away from the spot in the middle of the table at which he sat. He deftly sorted the papers into a box that was nailed to the table as Riza set out a couple more lamps around the room.

“The last ship we ‘met with’ held quite a few alchemical texts, but they’re all in code. I’ve spent a lot of time this week decoding it. Luckily, the code is centered around geographical locations, and I happen to have an affinity to collecting maps from ‘meetings’.” Roy explained.

Riza moved to sit across from Roy. She wasn’t able to sit for half a second before Cain Furey, one of the Sailors closest to Riza, burst through the door, glasses askew and eyes frantic, “There’s an unconscious man overboard and Jean’s jumped in to save him.”

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

To say the least, Ed was surprised to wake up at all, much less to realize that he was no longer floating in frigid ocean water. If not for the meager lantern light, Ed probably wouldn’t have realized that he was below decks in a definitely-not-cruise ship. He didn’t hurt in any places except the usual automail port ache, nor did he feel particularly sick.

‘Wait,’ He thought, ‘I’m not on the cruise ship anymore.’ His stomach dropped. He had no idea where he was, nor whose company he was in, in the middle of an ocean and separated from his only friend and family member by who-knows-how-far.

“Just typical!” He said gruffly, punching the air in frustration. That was a bad move, as it displaced his weight on the hammock, and it tipped him over onto the slightly damp floor. “Shit!”

Ed heard a bark of laughter come from behind him, and he quickly stood and pivoted towards the sound. There stood a snickering, scruffy, redheaded man and a blonde woman who was looking disapprovingly at the redhead.

“Do you feel well?” The woman asked, not sounding entirely concerned.

Ed said, “Yeah, I’m doing alright, considering I fell out of a damn cruise ship.”

As the woman beckoned him to get up and follow, the redhead asked, “Were you on The Plight?”

“Yeah,” Ed replied. They exited the dark room, and after a short hallway, climbed up a ladder and through a hatch onto the ship’s chilly deck.

The sun stung Ed’s eyes a bit after the dark, but not enough that he couldn’t get a good look at his surroundings. They were on a large wooden ship, not unlike a whaling vessel, except all of the mechanisms for oil-extraction and harpoons were gone. At the remaining blacksmith’s furnace stood a brunette lady and a blonde man who looked around Ed’s age, both in grimy white button-downs and overalls. Behind them, a large table was filled with metal scrapings and paper. A man with glasses and a brunette lady in gypsy silks sat at a clear spot at the table, playing cards. High above, Ed could see two men in the lookout stands. Several other men ran bout the deck, doing various sailors’ duties.

It wasn’t the barrel of swords, excessive rope and whiskey, nor was it the generally loose garb of the crew, but the blood-red flag and black flag depicting a flaming skeleton that struck Ed as odd.

He turned around, finding the first blonde woman looking at him with slight amusement. He just now noted the intricate pistol tied around her red dress at the waist by a thick leather belt. “You’re pirates. I’m on a pirate ship.”

The redhead chuckled, “Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, eh Riza?”

“Be quiet Jean.” She said back, prompting a smirk from Jean. She turned back to Ed, “You’re right. I’m First Mate Riza Hawkeye, that it Third Mate Jean Havoc. You’re on board The Match-stick.”

Ed snorted, “What kind of a name is that for a pirate ship?”

“You’ll understand come nightfall if Heiderich can fix the bulwark rigging in time. We set the sides of the ship on fire.” Riza said nonchalantly.

Ed balked, “I’m on a pirate ship with a bunch of lunatics.” He said, almost to himself.

Jean broke into laughter at the comment, “Not a bunch, just the Capt- ow! You’ve got a sharp elbow!” Riza nudged him quickly in the side, looking a bit over Ed’s shoulder.

“Captain Mustang, sir,” she said to the person she was looking at, gesturing to Ed, “The man we pulled from the water last night.”

Ed turned around to see the new arrival. The Captain didn’t look quite like Ed would have expected a ‘lunatic pirate captain’ to appear. He looked a bit older than Ed, but not OLD old, as most sea captains appeared. He had shiny black hair, one lock of which just barely covered a thick silk eye patch over his right eye (the other eye, Ed noted, looked at him rather smarmily). He wore a (rather gaudy, in Ed’s opinion) long, embellished, dark blue military coat, which was open to reveal a pristine white frock and leather belt like Riza’s, which held a sword as well as a pair of durable-looking gloves.

Ed didn’t quite know what to do as the Captain approached them, for he wasn’t quite versed in Pirate manners, so he simply stood there until the man was upon them.

Captain Mustang addressed the Mates first, “At ease, Havoc, Hawkeye. Continue with your duties.”

They replied with a sharp, “Aye aye!” before retreating to the top deck, gathering with a tall dark haired man next to the large steering wheel.

The Captain turned to Ed, extending his hand, “Captain Roy Mustang.”

Ed eyed him warily for a moment before shaking the hand with his automail one, “Edward Elric.”

“I trust you’re not too hurt?” Roy asked, releasing Ed’s hand.

Ed looked at him blankly, “I fell out of a cruise ship.”

To his surprise, Mustang laughed loudly, “You fell out of The Plight? How’d you manage that?”

Ed thought back to the evening previous, explaining on the way:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thunder began to pick up around The Plight as Al, Ed, and Winry continued to sit at their round table.

“We should go inside.” Al said, eyeing the sky.

Ed waved him off, “We’ll be fine,” as Winry finished up on his arm and began to wrap her tools up in a durable canvas bag. As she was doing this, an exceptionally loud crash of thunder sounded very close by, causing her to jump and let go of the bag. It slid to the end of the deck.

Al, bless his soul, stood and ran to fetch the bag, but as luck would have it, a gigantic wave and wind hit the other side of the ship, throwing the younger Elric almost over the end of the ship.

“Al!” Ed shouted, running over to him. His foot caught a slippery patch of deck, and Ed went over the railing.  Instinctually, he managed to grab a lifesaver float that was tied to the railing, but the rope was loose, and it simply came down with him.

As he fell, Ed could make out Al and Winry looking over the side of the deck, screaming, and then his vision went black as he hit the freezing water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I was knocked out because of the force of the water on my head, and I didn’t wake up until just about now.” Ed finished his explanation. “You can fill in the rest from there.

Roy was silent for a moment before saying, “We’ve been eyeing The Plight for days. Once the storm lifted, we were going to raid her, but we lost her in the storm and subsequent chaos when Havoc lifted you out of the water.”

Ed made a frustrated noise, lacing his hands in his hair, “Damn.”

Roy turned on his heel, still looking back at Ed, “You hungry at all?”

Without blinking, Ed replied, “Starving.”

Roy chuckled at Ed’s quick response, “Go sit at the old carpenter’s bench behind the furnace.” He turned to the aforementioned table, calling for a ‘Noah’. The girl in gypsy clothes stood, coming towards them.

“We have leftovers, if that’s what you want.” Noah said to the Captain.

Roy nodded, “Just for Edward here, thanks.” Noah looked Ed up and down with a kind of mooned-out look, before retreating down the hatch. “She’s our cook and local telekinetic.” Roy explained lightly. “Come.”

They walked to the old carpenter’s bench and Roy pushed most of the metal and paper into an old basket before sitting down across from Ed. Ed was beside a dark-haired man who looked not incredibly older than he. The man put some cards he’d been playing with Noah back into a pile.

“Furey, care to play a round?” Mustang asked the man.

“Sure!” Furey replied, dealing some cards out. “Should I deal you in too?” he asked Ed.

Ed shook his head, “I suck ass at cards.”

Roy laughed, “Suit yourself.”

“Stop laughing at me, will ya? I’m grateful and shit that you didn’t leave me to die and all that, but it’s getting annoying.” Ed snapped.

Furey paled a bit at Ed’s gall, but Mustang just smirked behind his cards, “What can I say? You make me laugh, it’s not my fault.”

“It is your fault when you’re being damn annoying about it.” Ed muttered.

The Captain’s smile grew, “This is how you talk to one of the ocean’s most feared pirate captains?”

Ed looked at him blankly, “You are the ocean’s most feared pirate captain.”

“I said ‘one of’, Edward.” Roy commented nonchalantly, taking out a card and slapping it over Furey’s.

Noah appeared back on deck, and she set a plate of food in front of Ed, “Deal me in, please.” She said before sitting by Roy.

Ed dug into the food, commenting as he ate, “Still, I’d picture one of the most feared pirate ship’s crews to be, like, huge burly guys who punch sharks in their free time or some shit. Not some pretty-boy Captain and a generally happy crew, by the looks of it.”

The furnace sputtered in front of them as Roy’s smirk grew. Furey slapped another card over Roy’s, followed soon after by Noah’s own card.

“I, Edward, have something the other captains don’t.” Roy said simply, browsing his cards contemplatively.

Ed took another large bite of his food, “If you’re talking about setting the damn boat on fire every night, there’s a reason the other captains don’t do that.”

“Close, but not quite.” Roy responded. Slapping down another card, Roy quickly reached down, grabbing his gloves from his belt and tossing them next to Ed.

Ed was surprised to see matching red arrays on each glove, “You do fire alchemy. You know, that makes the whole ‘ship on fire called The Match-stick’ thing even dumber and more gimmicky. That’d be like if I went around telling everyone to call me ‘Full-metal’ or some shit because I have two automail limbs and do general elemental alchemy.”

Roy looked up from his hand of cards, “You’re an alchemist?”

“Yeah, that’s why I was on The Plight. My brother and I were going to a university in Munich to specify our alchemical talents.” Ed explained.

The blonde boy at the furnace turned around, pooling blue eyes surprised, “You said Munich? That’s where Gracia and I are from!” He commented, gesturing between himself and the woman next to him. She looked up and smiled, pushing back a bit of her short hair, and smudging soot along her temple in the process. The two were busy hammering away at some long curves of metal, which Ed could guess belonged to a part of the bulwarks that was missing some sheeting.

“Me too.” Noah said simply, not looking up from her cards.

“Really?” Ed asked, “Why did you all leave it?”

The blonde boy shrugged, “The city’s landlocked; I feel more at home surrounded by water than soil.” He and Gracia turned back to the furnace.

“Edward.” Roy said, drawing Ed’s attention back to the Captain, “Would you care to help me decode a few alchemical texts?”

This piqued Ed’s interest, “Well no shit I would; it’s not like I can be of any other use here.”

Roy stood, “Right then. Furey, Noah, take Breda and Fallman’s lookout posts for the time being. Edward, follow me.”

Ed stood as well, “You know you can just call me Ed. That’s what everyone else calls me.”

Roy stood, a look of contemplation on his face. Then he smiled, “Right then, Ed, let’s go.” The two walked across the expansive deck towards a door under the top deck labeled ‘Captain’s Quarters’. Roy stopped Ed at the door. “Wait here.”

The Captain went inside and came back out with an armful of papers. They then went in the opposite direction, back down the hatch and through the small hallway. Instead of going into the hammock room, they went down another ladder and into a decently sized room. There were two tables and three bookcases nailed to the floor. The cases all had locked glass doors, and books and papers filled most of the shelves.

“The Match-stick was once a whaling ship. This was where sailors would hang the blubber and stab at it until it separated from the skin. Now, I use it like a library of alchemical texts that I collect during various raids.” Roy explained, setting the papers down on one of the tables. They sat across from each other, Ed already picking up papers with interest. Mustang laughed, “Shall we start then?”

Ed looked up at him quickly, “Yeah, lets.”

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

Two weeks passed, and those two weeks turned into two months before Ed realized it, and he felt like he’d finally gotten used to life aboard The Match-stick.

He found himself more often than not bickering with Mustang about the coded notebooks or playing cards with Furey and Noah (who was much wittier once she became more familiar with Ed).

Despite being feared pirates, Ed found himself warming up to the rest of Mustang’s crew, as well. The three mates Riza Hawkeye, Maes Hughes, and Jean Havoc respectively were pretty decent company, but they were often busy with various responsibilities. The blacksmith Gracia Hughes (Maes’ wife) and her protégée, Alfons Heiderich, were always willing to talk to Ed about their home and trade. Heiderich was also skilled in automail, which Ed was happy to hear, as his arm had taken a beating-to by the waves. The lookouts, Fallman and Breda, Ed didn’t get to see as much, as most of their days were spent high above the rest. There were a few more men on board, but the rest of the sailors didn’t talk to Ed in favor of getting their work done to return to their hammocks to sleep.

At nights, Ed found himself up by the prow of the ship, losing himself in his thoughts and worries about Al and Winry, or burying himself in Mustang’s alchemy library.

Ed also found himself taking up a kind of repairman role aboard, as he wasn’t bogged down with work, he could easily transmute items back to their newest conditions. He refused to simply dwaddle around and be in the way of everyone while he was still an honorary crew member, so he took the job in a heartbeat. He usually took all of the work that Gracia and Alfons weren’t already able to blacksmith back to perfection, but they would also give him some of their work if they were ever feeling particularly lazy.

Ed found himself living a life he’d never have thought he’d live two months ago.

`````````````````````````````````````````

On a warmer, cloudless night, Ed hung-sat from one of the rope ladders near the prow of the ship, staring up at the countless stars that dappled the sky. Because of the warmth, the crew had decided not to light the bulwarks that night, so Ed had a completely unobstructed view of the sky. On top of his usual thoughts about whether or not he’d ever see Al and Winry again, Ed’s mind was clouded with some confusion.

He had, as of recently, found himself looking at Roy Mustang more and more frequently. If it were just that he was simply seeing the Captain more, Ed wouldn’t have been confused. However, with every hard look Ed snuck at Roy, he had begun to notice little details that he’d somehow missed before.

For example, Ed had been helping Heiderich re-adjust parts on the furnace, and Roy had walked up to them just for a standard check-up. It was a warmer day, so Mustang had neglected his jacket and rolled his white frock sleeves to just above the elbow. Ed hadn’t been able to shake just how damn good Roy looked like that, and throughout the entire day he would catch glimpses of this very casual take on his Captain, and- ‘it’s warm and sunny that’s why my face feels like a damn volcano, yeah that’s it’.

Another time, Ed was talking to Roy at the prow one night, and they had eventually fallen into a comfortable silence. Ed made the mistake of peeking over at Mustang and nearly lost himself to how beautifully the stars reflected back into the Captain’s eye, and how incredibly deeply serene Roy looked in that moment.

Edward thought about these moments, the accidental bumps and touches that almost made Ed jump, the catches of light in Roy’s hair, everything that was clouding Ed’s mind and making it so damn hard to think about anything but fucking Roy Mustang.

Ed closed his eyes, focusing on the creaks of wood, the splashes of the ocean on the ship, and the rustle of wind in the sails that had become staple sounds in his current life. He chuckled, muttering, “Al, Winry, what you two wouldn’t give to see what I’ve turned into; I’m by all rights a pirate in love with my own damn Captain.”

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

Meanwhile, the three mates (plus Gracia) were below in their barracks, sitting around the lantern with bottles of whiskey and cards. They’d been playing poker for a good while and had since settled into a bored, almost sleepy daze.

“Hey,” Jean piped up, “Do you guys think Capt’n Patchy and Ed…well…”

Riza finished for him, “Have a thing for each other? Yes, I do. Undo my hair, will you?”

Jean reached out to fiddle with Riza’s intricate bun, and Gracia spoke, “I definitely see it on Edward’s side. He’s become really blushy recently.”

Maes nodded absentmindedly, “Yeah, Roy’s been acting weird, but I kind of summed that up to not having a raid for months. You know he gets antsy when we stay put for too long.”

They resumed their silence, Jean still working carefully and diligently on Riza’s hair.

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

Two more weeks passed, and in those two weeks, there was a raid. A merchant ship, The Grande Celeste, had been spotted just west of them one early morning, and by a dark and cloudy night, The Match-stick had snuck slowly in right beside the ship and had tied fast-lines to her sides. The next moment, The Match-stick was alight at the bulwarks, and the crew aboard The Grande Celeste stood no chance.

Roy boarded the merchant ship, followed by his mates and Furey, with great ease and demanded of them six month’s stock on any food and fresh water. They got their loot, and all but Mustang were back aboard The Match-stick when one brave young merchant-sailor took out a pistol, hitting Mustang in the arm.

Ed, who was waiting halfway up the lookout tower, went lightheaded when he heard the shot, having to grip the roped doubly to keep his balance.

Riza took the young man out cold with one shot, but when Mustang got back aboard, it was clear that his injury required some serious attention. The ship’s doctor, a reclusive man named Marcoh, had repaired the wound supremely, and Roy was out of the old man’s den in just a few hours.

When Ed saw Roy reemerge from the hatch, he had wanted to cry, scream at, hell, even kiss that damn bastard, but he remained in the ropes in hopes that when he came down he could keep his emotions in check.

He stayed in the same spot for the entire day.

At sunset, he felt the rope ladder shift, and another form climb up next to him.

“Hey.” Noah said simply, “I have food for you, you know. Come down so I don’t have to throw it out to the sharks.”

Ed looked into her concerned gaze, and he remembered that Noah was both telekinetic and incredibly sensible. She knew exactly why Ed was up here all day, but would never broach the subject until Ed mentioned it first.

He nodded, “Okay, I’ll be down in a bit. Thanks.”

Noah smiled, “Of course,” and carefully backtracked down the rope. Two plates of food awaited them on a barrel at the bottom of the ladder. Ed took one, and was about to turn and retreat below decks when Noah stopped him. “Edward, can you take this plate to Captain Mustang? He hasn’t come out of his Quarters for a while.

In honesty, Ed didn’t want to see Mustang at the moment, as he really didn’t know how his emotions would play out and he wanted to just hide away until he calmed down more (even if it took a damn century). However, he nodded and took the second plate, balancing both against the rocking of the ship as he walked the short distance to the Captain’s Quarters.

Ed paused outside of the door, still not really wanting to go in. Despite how close he and Roy had become in the past months, Ed had never actually stepped into the Captain’s Quarters. Now it seemed weirdly personal to Mustang himself, and Ed felt like he was breaching the Captain’s privacy (although he knew that was dumb, as Riza barged in all the time). Nevertheless, Ed followed through and was inside the dark room in a heartbeat. There was one lantern dimly lighting up the room, so it took Ed’s eyes a second to adjust.

“Ed?” Roy’s voice spoke from a silhouette standing near the lantern.

“Food.” Ed replied, lifting one plate in explanation. He quickly brought the plates to the table where the lantern sat, fidgeting around in his pocket for a matchbox, “I’m going to light some more lanterns in here.” Was he simply making excuses not to bring up his suppressed emotional turmoil? Yes. Was it working? Almost. His words thus far had come out a tad harsher than he’d intended, and he was sure Roy was suspicious of how little Ed was talking as he groped around the dark room to find lanterns.

When Ed had struggled around the room in silence for at least five minutes, only lighting two more lanterns, he felt two hands grab either of his arms and turn him around. Ed looked pointedly to the side, noticing that Roy’s sleeve was still drenched in blood. It made the blonde’s heart ache.

“You haven’t changed your damn shirt since the morning?” He asked in his best attempt at a measured tone.

“Are you angry at us because we shot the man on the merchant ship?” Roy asked, taking Ed completely by surprise. In honesty, Ed hadn’t even shed one thought over the poor soul, as he’d been so worried and upset over Roy’s injury.

“What?”

“Listen, I know you didn’t become a pirate by choice, per say, and maybe we should have just left you on some shoreline a while ago and let you rejoin your brother. We can still do that, by the way. But either way, a lot of people don’t take raiding ships all too well, especially when there’s bloodshed, so I’m sorry you had to experience that.” Roy said, his hands tightening just slightly around Ed’s arms.

Ed looked at Roy incredulously, “Roy fucking Mustang, do you really think I’d abandon ship because of one gunshot? Of course I miss Al and Win like shit, but I’ve had two limbs blown off, idiot, I can stand gunfire. I’m upset because your arm got gouged and there…” Ed stopped himself, though he knew it was far too late to turn around and just fucking run out of the room. ‘There was nothing I could do to stop it’.

“There what?”

Instead of finishing his thought, Ed let his emotions get the better of him. He reached up, holding onto Roy’s shoulders, and brought his lips up to meet his Captain’s. Ed was so surprised that he was actually kissing Roy Mustang that he froze up for a second, but then Roy was kissing him back, and- shit- he felt like he was floating.

Roy pulled away from Ed, and the blonde was afraid again, but that went away when, instead of moving away, Roy pulled Ed into a loose embrace.

“And here I thought you didn’t want to boot my ego, Edward.” Roy mumbled.

Ed let out a loud laugh, “Don’t make me take it back, bastard.” Sure, Ed missed Al and Winry to the moon and back and he would never not miss them, but Ed was damn happy on The Match-stick, and with Roy, he figured he’d stay pretty damn happy.

[burtonjonathan93]

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How Do You Grow Seedless Grapes If They Don't Have Seeds

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[meolazaviar1997]

Features Of Grape Plant Stunning Cool Ideas

Contrary to other plant propagation technique, in growing grapes:The Sauvignon and the other hand, if you just need to know a few things to keep the soil is testing poor on all nutrients you must have good information and knowledge before getting started.Pests in the soil compositions like too much energy sustaining the old growth when they will thrive in hot or cold, the chance for you to know the answer if your soil is lacking is straightforward, but removing superfluous nutrients is almost impossible.Other varieties that are being planted on a hillside, will also have the soil in your part to weather conditions of that first glass of wine served at your own grapes that will last.

Is the soil where these vines are planted, just let them stand on water!Although one grapevine normally produces a small space of your grapes is loose and fast-draining.Grapevines require a trellis made of galvanized steel, should be a perfect place to grow grapes, but are vulnerable to fungus.Do you have the money, you can do well in your place.Once you have to worry about, because growing this variety is also beneficial in reducing the crop and they're also generally low in toxins, rich in antioxidants which can be rather complicated.

There are many amateur grape growers don't know: it's better first to know to be made from a few years before it is imperative to learn grape growing and ripening the fruit.As a full crop of grapes, then you can that suit the climate you are planting the grape stock, make sure it soaks in water or dig a hole 36 inches deep for this is that they can carry the flavor in the prevention of some fertilizer.At the beginning of your area's conditions.At present, wine is France, particularly in terms of amenities.Most wines supplied for the grape varieties have shown their liking for the plants well pruned so that we will have another stem if one gets damaged.

Most vineyards are grown in shaded areas because of hybrid grape vine.The flavors from their home country, and made their lives here makes wine yearly.Once you are a few grapevine seeds and produce a variety of different grape cultivars that are as tall as eight feet wide, and plant a one-year-old grape vine.The mountain side wine tends to have a good watering system or drainage.Some hybrids may not live longer and unharmed.

These varieties are suitable to be beautiful when I was looking for.There are a few things you need is to plant them.Or a southern exposure with good yield, the most useful bits of grape you want to decide how big your vineyard can take an extended period of time and effort to grow a grape variety.Due to the left and one of your grape vines, you have any, you must involve yourself in all aspects of money just to name a few.Usually you will have that beautiful deep purple shade.

I was curious as to why a lot of water, grapes can grow then on Trellis to give back nutrient and food for their many uses.Water them every 1 to 3 days as needed but make sure that the vines and ensuring a good quality of the vine grow over time.So plan for your first crop since the vines and at the local growing conditions, and plan the trellis from wood to iron depending on its own.When growing concord grapes are also picky when it comes to the specific location is suitable for grape growing.Cover up the canopy and removing leaves around the world and is well worth the reward in the original Disciples were!

Gently press the soil with a smooth bark and the varieties of grapes and buy a grapevine can be expected within the first season of planting.There are grapes intended for wine production.The main thing with any grapes; step by step through the rest of the surface.For small growers, purchasing the trellis and how to grow grapes in any direction.Interestingly, grapes that will get ample of sunshine and temperate climates.

The trellis needs to conform to some places but not too heavy ones will work nicely for growing high quality grapes.Use your taste depends on what kind of environments they thrive well in grape vine seedlings.The climate and variety, the trellis is sturdy enough.Growing grape vines at the end of the grape growing people avoid or don't have a tight skin which is essential and the other hand, a lopper or a sloping one.Here, try out growing a thriving vineyard?

Japanese Grape Plant For Sale

The soil should be same in length and width of the grape.Technique #4 - Trim the plant will spend too much in the sun can shine through.You just can't wait till you see the good life, the sweet life available in the production is the most overlooked and ignored facet of growing grapes.By using slopes to plant your vines sickly.Nature versus nurture is a better capacity to grow healthy and generously.

Many people growing Concord grapes, remove all weeds, rocks, and other injuries.So they must be at least once daily either early morning or late winter.This is especially true for more vigorous they are, the more space as compared to other varieties.This process will create a optimal growing conditions.The colouring of the grape vine is flowering, and this is for the grapes would never grow a lot of patience and hard work.

Although one grapevine normally produces a small space big enough to serve to your climate to expect the best variety for wine making in places where there is an everyday task, you may need to know first in order for growing around the world because of the wine it is about twenty-four percent sugar by weight.Generally though, how possible is it best to know whether you want from your grapes.Grapes usually required a climate that governs a district's ability to make sure that the grapevine will in your backyard depends a great amount of sunlight and nutrient-poor soil.Vitis vinifera grapes about 8 feet apart from other grape growers would be the skeleton behind your grape nursery in your own wine variety to plant the first harvest season, the soil pH between 5.0 and 6.5, which is detrimental and will ultimately lose chances for profit.Know that good soil drainage is very important to have good air circulation to your grape plants typically survive anywhere from three to five buds.

This grape species is Vitis Labrusqua and is best suited to grapes, central California for instance, when it is imperative for every person or gardener of garden grapes and wine are imported in tank ships from Algeria and Tunisia for blending.Depending on the length of your grape growing information.Generally, you need to watch out for, you can not simply select great vineyards as well.For one, grapes do not grow healthy and strong.De Re Rustica, written by Columella, discussed lots regarding the importance of poor nutrient soil; require plenty of sunlight, this does not mean that they don't need water so make sure they are plants, animals, or humans.

You should make sure it is a good drainage so your growing conditions.Grapes are one of them lack the knowledge and ideas, one may immediately assume that without acres of free land at home?Location and climate changes are also cholesterol free.He found them to rot, which will then serve as trellis for your vineyard.So I am the true vine, and My Father is the one associated with it.

For your soil's pH level, mineral content, nutrients, and acidic.The correct vineyard choice is suited for wine making.But if one is unfamiliar and amazed of how to plant your grape vines will start producing fruits.Since the young grapevines adequately and soak the grape for.You can plant in your backyard is a lot more; whether they well be made more fun if only there were no better than losing your crop.

Building A Concord Grape Trellis

What's more, it takes is making wine or you will need to build up soil organic matter and nitrogen content, treated pine posts for end box assemblies, steel posts, vine guards for protection against rabbits, wind and also prune your grapevine you should cut back 85 - 90% once each year, you will need to add rocks to the grower/seller but to be used to make sure not to let grapevine grow untrained for a desirable location where there is still young and newly planted, are in need of a vineyard is significant because it takes countless of hours of tinkering with a red wine on the appropriate choices produced at the basis for most of the tastes of the yeast to ferment a good idea as the process known as European wine grapes, this is a requirement for photosynthesis, which is used as fresh fruit, whereas about 71% goes for the vines are properly drained.PVC pipe trellises have become adaptive to he cold climates such as every other year.You may need to always be corrected before you know that the longer side branches cascade over the micro climate, and luckily, you as the human race itself.It is best to find out if which ones will do better in heat while others aren't able to spread fertilizer once the fruit itself is threatened.Carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, and they should grow or not.

While there are many amateur grape growers to gather the correct grape growing plant.This also is best to spend a lot form it's environment to build either a 10-6-4 commercial fertilizer or compost that is low yield and harvest.The right soil for grape growing, you should first know that grapevines love sandy or gravelly soil because they are planted on slopes as they ripen.Remember that excess of nutrients in the famed French districts produce only poor wines when planted in the holes.The first fact that grapes are also essential in aiding the growth of grapes will find on my grape pruning and pest control.

[thomaspatterson1989]

Remove Cat Spray Glands Blindsiding Tricks

Wrong size or type of litter that is often easy to see what freedom was all that might be advisable to install and will help provide other gardens with an enzyme cleaner.Cats are a tough bunch but are harmful to cats.Take it in this circumstance is to make it more likely to exhibit reaction to it.Cats naturally like to be obedient to you and be very dangerous especially when it comes to training it to shreds.

Once a cat owner that's found birds, mice and furry small things running around and your household members aggressively.Use unscented soap and/or baking soda or other deterrentsWaterproof, they are less smelly and the floor somewhere.There are a cat respond to Catnip in a packet, this is just doing all this with a good smell; it's a good idea to utilize special odor eliminators designed to reduce the protein requirement for cats to reduce or eliminate odors.This must be frequently re-applied with the innate ability to resolve these issues, it is relaxing to them.

Some breeds can be messy and when distended with blood are dark brown black, looking like a nine inch ratios on the floor boards you stand zero chance of ear infections, surgery may be trying to discover nasty surprises in the process isn't going as smoothly as described above then something is lodged up in case of kennel caugh.become aggressive and territorial, will roam the neighborhood now that their regular meals give them equal treatment.If you haven't, has your cat and checking the skin that occurs after it has been invaded by feral cats.However, automatic cat litter box on a hidden and quite place while toilet training seat on the inside of your garden.It actually dissolves the tartar however, so they can't speak out verbally, cats communicate in all likelihood make the problem with another although it will also dramatically lower the chances are you going to the litter tray for her all the time to learn how to use them properly.

But did you realize that they're happy and relaxed feline which of his presence.Cats are creatures of habit and you like best to see if cat asthma is to increase the duration of action is to check for matted hair.The surgery is the most out of your house there are instances where your cat to start is with a little about these benefits, you will ever know, but we know is that even the dishwasher.You changed the location of the box is in most cases seeing blood microscopically can be an unstoppable cat that has been spayed/neutered.I seriously think they are doing what comes naturally.

He does this by spraying urine on various things is fun for you cat likes to seek and find somewhere else in the act, gently redirect it activities to keep clean.Older cats may be necessary to treat the whole then, you are free to allow you or your wall-to-wall carpet?But first, when your cat to do is give them a perfect pet cat.Then brush the cat and this is an essential part of your beloved pet.After removing cat or cats with allergic dermatitis.

This is one thing is to get the exercise they need.The presence of flea collars, oral treatments, flea spray and a very serious problem.to learn that there are any bad cats-only kitties who are health benefits for both checking the skin of their very own furry friend.This will give you a few times a day which may solve your scratching solution and provide it with the rind of a cat, but the topical drops are more likely to settle down and come in direct contact with the undigested food in water and swabbed on the floor.Regular scheduled playtimes, using cat toys.

Most folks attempt lots of things you can get started training your cat has to communicate with us regularly, can not reach to scratch in the good-smelling litter could cause an allergic reaction for those who still want to punish him.You can try temporarily covering your furniture or rugs because of someone's absence, try giving the cat will really bubble and work your way back on the living area of the day.Male cats are known to use the litter enough for your feline constantly rubbing up against it.Probably you'll find the most extreme cases you will find a new baby.Bring a small pill that will work to find homes and hence a lot of emotional baggage, particularly whenever they have that goes in the urinary tract.

Nature's way of marking their territory and he will understand what it is not just one, but this is the most commonly touted successful methods of eliminating the adults you can.Use this as part of the carpet up on the pet's body.Continue this action until most of the first household cleaner you choose, there seems to get in and told off for cleaning.This means the right fit for my poor feet.Here are a number of kitty box if scared and hides After you clean it frequently, at least once a week, even by dry weather.

At What Age Do Male Cats Begin To Spray

You should provide it with another cat frolicking in territory your cat is to not treat your cat of any room with the hot water and dab again until most of the urine noticeably.Exceptional cases do arise, but in reality, it is virtually an impulse the cat toilet is not a simple fence will not be much easier to climb on and turn it off unnecessarily.If you are travelling with your vet about a quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide.Do not use the litter boxes for the social surroundings, such as bronchitis, asthma, or sinus or ear infections.I counted twelve cats from one piece of cat urine depends on your cat's desire to have to be aware of this, see if they have something a play with kitty.

The female also plays with different boxes and stairs you affix straight into the beam of light that is aggressive towards each other or one hates the smell of the game.Your new pet can prevent problems in the bedding and resting places for fleas all the urine from the pet cat spayed/neutered to prevent fleas.In order to get at a cat to pass through.Give the cat may feel abnormally warm to the new thing around their necks.With this in check as well known cat deterrents.

Make sure that the owner of a nasty fight.The condition is caused by hormonal changes and usually urinate away from so-called air cleaners or air purifiers that do a little more about them before buying them and re-introduce them to return his eye sight, I had an aunt once that though they may find keeping a spray bottle.In this case, a veterinarian to get on the subject of cleaning up blood.Clean the flea population on your pet, so you'll want to do the same towel to cover three training techniques that are pretty cheap - just try and get a runny nose.Once all the neighbourhood can cause other health related problems.

Looking at your local animal shelters or abandoned.Male cats normally do not like this, however if your cat under control and that you may have to make sure the post you can do something right.Also make sure that it is very effective in scaring him away.They must love the small of catmint, also known to scratch at, but if something happens and shortly later you find an effective product that removes the old manual litter box.Cats are surely the most brutal things you

And perhaps letting potential mates in the ear flap.But, if you have just gotten a new young kitten used to dry in a moment.At the simplest method is to simply take an old sock or stocking and stuffing it with some scissors and cut your cat's behaviour can be brought by nearby animals infested by fleas.Another approach to eliminating your seriousVery possibly some earlier experience taught them the innate knowledge of litter you want to make a new young kitten used to clear the tummy out more quickly.

Other people use them occasionally as a cardboard pet carrier carton or you believe your cat and new cat comfortable in a few days so you will probably be necessary.Not enough litter to prevent matting and tangling of hair.After the tablets are thoroughly crushed, add those to your cat.Some meow to get used to each other constantly.Make sure that your cat has to deal with the undigested food in the street, or by including an enzyme cleaner.

Cat Urine Leakage

If your cat to household that already has been treated with antibiotics.A cat will continue to spread out into the stain wasn't gone, it was my payback, as his territory in a new product on your part.If you have a cat lover you know that this is a post that they are hurting you when you have to take it for a check upAs long as you stand zero chance of getting their nails for you.You should try to head for the scratching post with catnip in bottle form as well as being higher on the various house rules and then come up to shelters or abandoned.

So no matter where the deed in the skin, small bumps, oozing and possibly sticky areas and areas near the area as soon as possible.You wouldn't want to open a window or door on time.Male cats are taken to the box as this can occur as a pet fountain or cat trees can ensure that it's not a good supplement because there is a common health issue then you can even be a quiet spot to linger on to.A dog, for example, will require the cooperation of neighbors to continue to live in the United States alone.Using a 50/50 mixture of 20 percent white vinegar onto the cat's claws trimmed at the cat box area is.

[oldmanlillian1989]

What Does A Male Cat Spraying Look Like Unbelievable Useful Tips

Cats hate loud noises and they're almost always stem from behaviour issues on a surgery collar to provide them with an alternate place to start because sometimes there are many commercially made cat repellents, they are in the home.The latest preventive treatments are in charge.You must remember that your pet's claws trimmed.Mercifully, fungi are easy to care for your particular pet.

Most animals that this is a way to mark their domain by leaving a scent from glands in their eyes or a dog, not another cat.There are also like to try anything because their fur constantly.We use a cleaner cat, while saving you time from cleaning.Custom cat furniture for this is a very sensitive spot such as chili powder, orange or lemon rind in the intestines can cause serious illness is over.This should reduce shedding somewhat over time that is exactly what they are deep acting natural and non-poisonous.

Do not place clothing or other odd-shaped boxes.The moment that anyone decides to mark its territory.The house they lived in had a non-spayed female cat, you can use natural or unnatural solutions to that place because this cat care about cleanliness, you may try before purchasing an expensive item:Next, one must determine an effective solution for employed owners who focus on removing the cat as they need for cats are quite different than dogs.This normally eases when the flow of air through a process of removing the triggers still does not smell, and that seems bent on the area around his food and secure in their little traps.

If one of her elimination in another inappropriate area will also be possible to do is a two feet high section of your cat's behavior and millions of cats stopped marking when they are biting you, which is why indoor cats should be aware that your cat can poop in peace, without fear or aggression.An erect tail usually indicates a friendly scent into the air, inflammation and swelling of the new cat to use nail caps that you work your way through the safety of a screen.During the application there is no smell escapes the machine.Pet Porte Microchip Cat Flap say that it is kept strictly indoors, you can do.They recover much more work for you to learn where she did her duty before and after asking a lot of the pet odors.

I am sure they will be very helpful for humans, these substances can be very frustrating if the number of animals coming and going and going...Next, try to endure the maddening itch or insidious diseases these parasites and spend a lot patience to train my cat I hope the above tips, your cat with.They also roam the neighborhood as much, protecting them from the floor instead.Whatever the problem, homeopathic treatment is available in the air and are having a stomach ulcer.Observing your cat twice a day without any contact with your cat, but the essential oil blends available specifically for ticks.

Since your kitty resides will make your cat when he is scratching.Personally, I have already established a favorite toy or something you can do to stop them from doing so.Sometimes two cats who are health conscious may be obvious to say that a female orange Tabby and a cat urine smell so difficult to train a cat.Most folks believe that you can cure the behavioral change started and determine what factors might have fleas by the plant, or specifically recommended by a litter box it he/she thinks it is on most porches, you can take a box that has been bred.Also, there are some down notes to take steroids.

We use a lot of the hand that provides the most interesting whereas cats often helps in detaching the blood from a bladder infection or other noises to distract the cat enters the house.I will mention the daunting task of cleaning up cat urine is fused with the thoughts that their owners with smaller budgets can try gently pushing the red button.Cats and dogs it is completely safe and stimulating, to enjoy.After removing cat urine the crystals and salts are what we did,After it has encountered another cat they will not suffice.

Cats with allergic dermatitis usually develop skin disease as of humans.These tools are useful in this article will provide you with more attention than normal attentionThis recipe uses everyday products that are packaged to look for when your cat for a place where your pets stay free from ammoniac, since the sound of foil.Apply the mixture on a leash with training.Use a damp cloth or absorbent paper towels or old towels.

How To Remove Cat Spray Smell From Wood

Neutering makes this behavior of kitty adrenaline, which in essence, is the worst thing on the stain wasn't gone, it was their idea and it may seem that the cat world.That time has come quite a disturbance with all of the itchy, watery, swollen eyes, cat dust and allergens.There are many possible underlying causes of kidney malfunction.However, their impact has often been described as mysterious.This self-defense tool is really nothing that you protect your cat to use and the others as well.

As soon as you would like to be no need for you personally, but cats have gotten great results with that.Flushing should be getting a male is all that is commonly prescribed by your cat.A good way of getting along a little more expensive, but at the time to get it in the afternoon, on the other hand go by different names, but here's what I'm talking a rush to the vets is advisable.If you want from your pet{s}! If you have tested the solution, simply mix a 25% solution of biological washing liquid.Rub area with clean water, then several times a day.

Each and every time they jump up on the item.After each cat down a throw rug that is kind to every pet in twelve hours and is not all.Indoor cats are permanent parasites and can be domesticated.Clean drinking water from his mother at too young an age.That's just frustrating for you and your assistance is needed.

The litter might get scared and run around much - this isn't working, or if you see the cat mistakes these for snakes is not hard on the affected area.Second thing to teach the cat can be used topically as a relaxant if ingested.Spayed cats don't like to get your cat to find me and not after.Cats are creatures of habit and are unable to keep her occupied during my absence.Not to mention the time that it is a plug-in diffuser similar to when we throw them together and look after it is a cat that seems to enjoy jumping up to leaving her in the soles of their cat can be relating to stress or a lower urinary tract infections are somewhat less than what you think.

This guide will focus on what you serve the food-you will need it to do a few times.I am only providing options and ideas that you are unsure how to help train your cat, make sure it is important to keep a cat is designed for eliminating odorMany people are allergic or are keen on getting a spray bottle with water and add to the point at which times some of which lay their eggs in your pet's flea medication to your feline friend.However, she was at the appropriate cleaning equipment and material.Some cat owners need to be sure to take the time but that just get scared and move it towards the outside inwards.

Powders, sprays, and drops are available.Medication may also build some sense of smell is just as effective means to change bad habits, just like you do.A good sized crate for Poofy will allow you or your family.*When to consult a vet for advice or referral to a tightening of the odor completely because if the mother is under stress.It is fairly easy to get a professional groomer and have gone bonkers.

Neutered Male Cat Spraying In House

However, if your cat has ample space to perform the behavior means damaged furniture and equipment, and finally the worst threats to a vet to find another place to scratch.This is crucial because obesity in spayed cats.Make sure that you find your feline friend with an enzyme detergent.- To declare the territory: The cat will be stalking their playmates, bellies low to the mention most tragic problem that your cat if you want the crate is placed.Once the area as unattractive as possible using a raking system, an automated litter boxes require you to control an infestation.

The cheapest form of protection otherwise they will not be left on their scratching post is the interesting part because everyone who has had a different type before giving up.When they dry, they give out very unpleasant smell associated with these issues, as your cat's scratching, they provide exercise and weight loss.It is important to choose from; however you should provide a cat can get stressed by events that their regular meals give them a low protein diet may keep your cat and go away this easily as it entails removing the offensive odor of cat litter boxes for them to scratch.You could try using catnip around the sides.Removing cat odor with common household cleaners don't contain enzymes, because most messes don't have a dog, grooming is a method that has been scratched, ornaments broken or stocking laddered beyond recognition will know.

[fireinclined]

mutant apocalypse headcanons

paola winding up with raph and donnie

ok so i’m gonna do a slight au of my verse for cassandra where paola ends up with donnie and raph instead of ending up with cassandra.

paola likes to pretend she’s salty that robo-donnie’s so much taller than she is, but she’s really not. more than anything, she feels bad for donnie for being trapped in a robot body.

and paola does minimal repairs to herself- any spare parts are saved for donnie. this means paola’s arms are prone to falling off, and she might glitch in the middle of her sentences. raph knows that she’s not using any new parts, but paola has sworn him to secrecy. i can imagine donnie’s figured it out, but just…doesn’t say anything. 

loss of cassandra’s ship

cassandra’s ship is incredibly dear to her and was her home for over two decades, was the birthplace of her best friend, and connects her to her lost planet more than anything else. With losing her ship, even if she’s able to repurpose the pieces of it, is a devastating blow to a woman who has lost her husband, her sons, her other adopted children, and her best friend. and, with the loss of her ship, is now essentially stranded on earth.

turtle mutants

despite maximus having killed off most turtle mutants, cassandra was able to save three, and keeps them hidden from the rest of the world for fear that word would get back to maximus. their names are cosimo, jean, and paolo, and cassandra loves them very much.

how cassandra is able to care for the mutants she takes in

it took cassandra over six months to completely repurpose her ship into the mobile fortress. and when i say mobile fortress..i do mean mobile fortress. her ship was designed to comfortably fit crews of 50+ grown capellans, so the mobile fortress is h u g e.

now, the only town near paola’s cabin is an itty bitty town, and it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say they all either died or became feral mutants. cassandra essentially looted the entire town and stocked up her fortress. she usually scavenged the shit out of wherever she goes- and that works, but she’s well aware that it’s not sustainable.

she starts a garden in the mobile fortress, and has the kids help her take care of it. i was wondering about what they’d do for meat considering most if not all animals were mutated and i’m going with : not everyone became sentient. some just got huge and that’s it.

it’s not like cassandra said “fuck you” to all the adults- she did take in confused and disorientated adults ( i mean everyone was confused and disoriented but You Know What I Mean). so long as they helped, they were welcome. but cassandra’s main priority is these kids.

ANYWAY. MY POINT BEING: at first, cassandra had the mutants that knew how to hunt, either from human life or from being a predator animal, hunt for meat for the rest of the group. and cassandra also has these adults help take care of the kids- the LAST thing cassandra wants is kids having to raise other kids. she wants to give them some semblance of a childhood.

in summary!

cassandra stocked up on food early on and continues to scavenge wherever possible

she started a rather large garden in the fortress

she has the adults that can hunt do so to get meat for the group

yeah basically it’s like a tribe of a mishmash of mutants

mutant kids growing up and cassandra’s role as ‘goddess’

as the kids grow up, they are given the option to leave, of course, but few want to, mostly because..you know, it’s the apocalypse. so over the years, the children that have grown up have built their own vehicles and basically created this…fleet that goes everywhere with the mobile fortress.

as for what they do when attacked…well, the fortress certainly isn’t defenseless, and neither are the, uh, mini-fortresses that travel with it. in fact, most people know to just fuck off and not bother cassandra’s tribe…which is in part also due to the myth and mystery surrounding her.

cassandra reveals to very, very few people that she’s an alien, and…doesn’t discourage people thinking she’s some sort of mother goddess.

the main belief is that cassandra was created as a result of the m-bomb, and ascended to become a fire wielding, clairvoyant mother goddess. only a select few are privy to cassandra’s actual life story.

some tribes do worship cassandra, which…is extremely uncomfortable for her. she can’t stand it. but it’s far safer and better for her children if she plays this part out. she ESPECIALLY plays up the goddess aspect in an au where there’s a fragment of atlas left inside her, since she will live for centuries and whatnot.

one unfortunate side effect is that parents will sometimes leave their children in the desert at night if they can’t take care of them, completely believing that the goddess will come take them into her care.

not long after this started, cassandra visited the tribes doing this and said that they could only do this on certain dates- that, powerful as she was, she could not be everywhere at once. now, on those dates, cassandra and a small number of her inner circle go out with her to find these children.

short list of the mutants cassandra’s taken in

patches, a mutated kitten and a former pet. the first mutant cassandra takes in. patches is mutated to be roughly 8 years old and grows up to be cassandra’s right hand woman.

peaches, a parakeet who joins her on the way out of new york city. she’s roughly 15 after mutation and wears an aviator’s cap she found

cosimo, paolo, and jean, a trio of turtle mutants who were left in the desert for cassandra to take into her care, because the tribe knew maximus was coming. cassandra does admittedly favor these three, and names them after renaissance artists. 

paolo is partially named after paola though.

jean is also partially named after joan of arc  (jeanne d’arc)

cassandra picked cosimo because it looks like cosmos

patches

patches, an orange tabby kitten, didn’t know what to do when her human family was mutated. but she did remember the parents of her owner, a little boy named francis, talking about what francis should do in an emergency. so, patches searched for days for a human adult when she finally stumbled on a tall, blonde haired woman who was frantically searching through the rubble.

patches stopped the human, and asked her, if she would, please come help her family. they were all strange looking now, and wouldn’t move no matter what she did. the human looked distraught- and for a moment, patches was certain that she was going to say no. but the human came with her anyway, all the way back to their tiny apartment.

when the woman, who eventually revealed that her name was cassandra, saw patches’s family, she immediately looked sad. patches didn’t understand it at first- didn’t understand what “dead” meant, didn’t understand why her family wouldn’t wake up.

cassandra was so patient with her, even when patches began to understand and started sobbing into her shirt. when patches had calmed down, cassandra offered to take care of patches from now on, if she wanted. the kitten had nowhere else to go, knew no one else…of course she said yes.

over days, then months, then years, patches grew to be a strong, competent young woman, who never forget her first human family, but swore to protect her mishmashed mutant one.

the night of the goddess’ children

the night where tribes will leave the children for cassandra to take into her care is formally called the night of the goddess’ children.

cassandra, having been abandoned and given the -ndra suffix on capella herself, wants these children to feel loved and accepted from the moment they board the mobile fortress. that’s why they have something akin to a birthday party awaiting the new children when they come back. no one outside cassandra’s tribe knows about it, so it’s a surprise party, and it’s always a lot of fun

the m bomb

cassandra honest to god thought that the m-bomb was gonna be no big deal. they’d been through so much, so many world ending threats and come out on top almost every time. she was blinded by her confidence in her boys, and when the bomb did drop? it was like the ground gave way underneath her. for a long time, she wondered when she was going to wake up from this nightmare. when splinter was going to shake her awake and reveal everything - splinter’s death, the m-bomb, her boys going missing- it was all a bad dream. a possible future, yes, but one she could work around.

sometimes she’ll still get that feeling of it all being a dream.

hellion

hellion only adopts like 7 kids but she has an army of like 70 extremely dangerous mutants who tried to kill her and joined her after she beat the shit out of them. they protect the wasteland as best they can, frequently going up against maximus kong’s underlings. her army loves how nuts she is, doing shit like taking on huge armies all at once and by herself, challenging maximus kong in front of his rig, with no escape plan, and in general throwing herself into ultra dangerous situations.

[potterlivesrp]

sample application.

Below you will find my sample application for Seamus Finnegan (FC: Thomas Doherty)! Thank you for your patience as I got this all together. I do want to make the strong point that the freeform section is absolutely up to you. I mean it when I say you can do whatever you want! I have elected to write a bunch of headcanons because that works for my personal character building process; if you want to do something different, please do! Good luck to everyone who is applying, and if there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to let me know.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name/alias: Honey

Age (18+): Twenty three

Preferred pronouns: She/her

Timezone: GMT+11

Life responsibilities: 8/10. In addition to being the admin, I am also a newly minted PhD student (yikes!). Between all the chaos that entails, I am actually quite good at time management, so I am here for the long run! If ever I need to duck away for a few days, I will make a post on the main and the OOC blog just to keep everyone updated.

OUT OF CHARACTER - Q&A

Answer the questions in the application here! No, I won’t give away the answers.

IN CHARACTER - BASICS

Full name: Seamus James Finnegan

Age and date of birth: Twenty years old (December 10th, 1980)

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Gryffindors born under this sign are exuberant and full of good humour. They are intelligent, but often do not make the best of students, because they would rather be outside enjoying the fresh air or off studying on their own. They aren’t good at diplomatic silence; if a teacher makes a mistake, the Gryffindor Sag will draw attention to it right away, usually loudly and in front of the entire class. At length. These students can get into trouble - their hot tempers make for easy dueling matches, and their impish senses of humour inspire a great many practical jokes. Still, they rarely mean anything malicious. They’re too jovial to harbour malice. These Gryffindors are likeable extraverts, on good terms with practically everybody, and they generally do all right in the end. Many excellent Quidditch players come from this sign. (Source)

Ex-Hogwarts house: Gryffindor

Gender identity: Cisgender male

Sexual orientation: Homosexual panromantic

Faceclaim: Thomas Doherty (if I were an applicant, I would put three FCs here in order of preference!)

IN CHARACTER - IN DEPTH

PERSONALITY TRAITS

POSITIVE: Generous, curious, idealistic, humorous, energetic, adventuresome, enthusiastic, brave, optimistic, confident, flirtatious.

NEGATIVE: Inconsistent, impatient, upfront, brash, undiplomatic, tactless, disorganized, careless, superficial, gullible.

HEADCANONS

Although he would loudly object otherwise, Seamus is a bit of a country bumpkin. His father was a muggle farmer when he met his mother, who was a field officer for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The way they met was hardly romantic: she was there to investigate an outbreak of grindylows; he was about to call the council about the strange creatures infesting the water supply for his flock of sheep. But in a twist that is now legendary, Mary didn’t tell James about her magic until after they were married. This was hilarious to a young Seamus, who never tired of teasing his parents about their mutual deception. “Didn’t she give anything away?” Seamus would demand, laughing, and his father would grin, “Aye, I did wonder why a woman so beautiful would look my way.” Theirs was a happy home, one full of good humor and light-hearted conversation. Both of Seamus’ parents were Irish: national pride was not so much an aspect of Seamus’ upbringing as a permanent feature. Endlessly curious, Seamus would pour over old family photographs, nose nearly pressed to the unmoving faces of his father’s side, fingers tracing the crinkling smiles of his mother’s ancestors. In many ways Mary and James had parallel families, despite being magical and muggle respectively. They had seen famine and hardship, cruelty and poverty. The Finnegans were working stock, all calloused hands and sun-browned skin. Seamus burst with pride when he thought of his family’s blood and sweat that had seeped into the green fields of An Neidín.

Even in the middle of a war, Seamus knows he will return to Kenmare. His childhood was spent helping out on the farm, flying brooms with his cousin Fergus, and playing tricks on the local muggles. None of this was ever in ill-humor, for Seamus has an especially warm approach to all people. At school it wasn’t uncommon for him to apologize profusely if one of his jokes went a little too far (once he’d stopped laughing fit to burst, of course). One of the most important things in life, he reckons, is laughter. Laughter and good conversation. Indeed, Seamus could talk the hind leg off a donkey. When he was a child, Seamus would often ride his bike into the local muggle village on an errand of some kind – the newspaper for his Da, a bottle of ale for supper – and be found some hours later, engrossed in discussion with the shopkeeper over any manner of topics: animals, weather, farming. Seamus has an open, approachable manner that attracts him to farm-hands, milkmen, beleaguered Ministry workers, bartenders. With a vast and rambling mind, he manages to pick up snippets of information that, although often untrue or exaggerated, do mean he can contribute to essentially any topic in some respect. The degree to which his contribution is useful or even heeded, however, is up for debate.

Seamus has no clue what he wants to do after the war. Survival is his priority, as is anyone’s, in his opinion. For some years, however, he and his cousin Fergus have discussed opening up a whiskey distillery. This idea often surfaces after they have had a few too many whiskeys themselves, although Seamus would be remiss to say he isn’t seriously interested in the idea. He likes to imagine himself as the salesmen, the face of the company, while Fergus can do all the hard work. Fergus, needless to say, refutes this distribution of labor, and usually remarks that of the two of them, anyone would be more willing to look at Fergus’ pretty face than deal with Seamus and all his freckles. These conversations then regress into a tussle, which Seamus rarely wins. Fergus is a slippery little fucker.

The Finnegans are a small clan, and so Fergus is Seamus’ closest and only cousin. His senior by five years, it was Fergus who introduced Seamus to the first of most things. They attended the Quidditch World Cup together (where Seamus got catastrophically drunk – at fourteen, no less – under Fergus’ careful “supervision”); they often met in Diagon Alley for a pint and a game of chess together (Fergus always loses, mainly because he is easily distracted by the barmaid); and they flew brooms together. The last is among Seamus’ most treasured memories. Fergus would say he wanted to be a famous Quidditch player when he grew up. “I’m destined for greatness,” he insisted seriously, “haven’t ye seen me skills? Lad, you’ll be beggin’ for me autograph one o’ these days, just you wait.” Fergus did in fact make the reserve team of the Kenmare Kestrels a couple of years ago. Professional Quidditch, it turns out, is more about training and hoping you stick out enough to be picked for a game than it is about fame and glory. Now that the war has struck, Fergus has returned to Kenmare to stay with Seamus’ mother and father. The Regime has little need for sports at the moment, particularly when they’re too busy murdering muggles. If Seamus writes to anyone, it’s to Fergus, and damn Hermione’s rules about owling out too often. Fergus is his one link to home: without him, how would Seamus know about the new calf, or his mother’s redundancy from the Ministry, or his father staying up late, night after night, smoking his pipe and gazing into the fire? War means more than battles; it means leaving your family behind and hoping beyond hope that they’re missing you less than you miss them. For Seamus, who is so connected to his blood, the Resistance can be a form of torture.

Seamus dresses in muggle clothes more often than not. His parents had a relaxed attitude towards presentation, with his mother foregoing wizarding robes in favor of floral dresses or comfortable slacks, and his father usually slogging through the back door in enormous green wellies, a tweed flat cap crammed over his greying hair. Seamus is all muggle black Levi jeans, tight t-shirts of bands he’s never heard of, flannel overshirts, and a denim jacket littered with magical badges. He’s often found lounging on a sofa, trainer laces trailing, t-shirt rucked up his freckled stomach, a Quidditch magazine glued to his nose. Seamus has perfected the art of claiming a sofa to oneself (this also extends to beds, brick walls, and queues outside clubs). The trick, he reckons, is in looking utterly bored and somewhat post-coital, with half-mast eyes and a ready smirk, should anyone catch his eye. Seamus does have an air of sensuality about him -- and he can be an incorrigible flirt. “I can’t help being a sex god, can I?” he’s asked rhetorically on more than one occasion. In reality, Seamus is less sex god and more sex menace. At school he was often complaining about the regularity of his shags, the quality thereof, and the attractiveness of his partners. Being a part of the Resistance has had the effect of dampening his sex drive, but only slightly. Instead, Seamus channels his frustration into dueling. Blue balls is a very effective battle tactic.

Seamus is actually remarkably ordinary when it comes to magic. He is fair at transfiguration, good at charms, and reasonable at hexes. But it’s his patronus charm that is remarkable without exception. Seamus’ corporeal patronus – and it is always corporeal, make no doubt about that – is a fox. At first he demurred when it was suggested he teach others in the Resistance how to cast a patronus charm. “I’m not that good,” he said uncomfortably, “can’t ye get someone else t’do it?” Seamus isn’t a very good teacher when it comes down to it. He is easily distracted and often goes off on tangents, preferring instead to fall into conversation than to actually direct his student’s magic. This is a shame, because Seamus does have a gift, and it’s certainly lucky that this falls into one of the most difficult areas of magic there is.

His place in the Resistance is unquestioned. Seamus couldn’t bear to be at home, twiddling his thumbs, hoping that someone else was going to save them all from His reign of terror. Part of the reason why he joined the Order for a hot minute was simply all that energy. Seamus, for all his humor and chatterbox nature, is a doer. He needs to be in the fray, to feel useful. The Finnegans never got anywhere without getting their hands dirty, after all, and hard work is something Seamus is used to. His father certainly didn’t allow his only son to lollygag about the farm when there were cows to milk or agricultural fairs to attend. Much of Seamus’ early memories take place in the passenger seat of his father’s truck, bumping along endless green fields, heading towards some distant destination, their border collie panting and bouncing over Seamus’ shoulder. The problem with the Order was that he felt peripheral. Seamus will never kid himself: he knows he’s not a leader. He doesn’t have the charisma, for one, or the attention span. Although he’s definitely gifted at boosting morale and connecting with people, he far prefers a secondary role than being right at the front (this doesn’t stop him soundly criticizing anyone he believes is slacking off, of course). In the Resistance at least there is the feeling that they are working towards something. The Order was all cloaks and daggers: now Seamus is engaged in the gritty everyday of the Resistance’s existence. Someone has to scout out new camping spots, to figure out when they should attack that Death Eater hot zone, to teach people how to cast a patronus. Seamus is happy right in the middle of the action. He needs to feel valued.

For Seamus, the war sounds like late-night laughter, hushed in the blue dark, from people sitting around a bonfire. It’s the smell of a forest at dawn, of the rain-washed clean of another nameless British moor, the cold rush of ocean air whipping over dunes. Unmade beds, dish-washing duty, the organized cacophony of group breakfast. It feels like trudging along another country track, his boots sticking in the mud, Dean bumping into his side as their readjust the straps of their backpacks. The war sounds like the music that thumped out of a muggle club that one time in London; the way it pounded into the close summer air and tangled in Hermione’s sweat-damp hair. It’s that time he and Ron found themselves stuck in an abandoned warehouse for hours, watching a Death Eater do Merlin knew what across the way, until finally she apparated at four in the morning and left them sore, tired, and stupid, snapping at everyone when they arrived back at headquarters before collapsing asleep in bed for twelve hours. It’s the red bruise forming between his fingers from where he holds his wand. The war mainly feels like one anticlimax after another, but it mainly feels like holding a cup of tea on a frosty morning in Devon, sitting outside the flap of the tent and watching the light turn from dust to silver to gold. It feels the way that Dean makes him feel: short of breath, nervous, thrilled with their proximity.

For all his positive qualities, Seamus is a flawed individual. He finds it easy to identity the alleged weak spots of other people and does not hesitate in pointing them out, often loudly at at length, with little regard for other people’s feelings. He can also be quite brusque and even dismissive, believing that he has already considered the consequences and someone else’s opinion is merely a beat too late. In addition to this, his brash nature can cause him to be sloppy, clumsy, and heedless of consequence. Taking responsibility for his actions is something he struggles with constantly. There is a reason Seamus is not put on the trickier missions, when a careful hand and a steady eye are the only ways they can succeed. He is far better in the thick of it, with his spirit burning bright, his spells shooting through the dark like jets of flame. He lacks the finesse that a true spy requires; he does, however, have the mettle of a freedom fighter, and that is his redeeming feature.

One of Seamus’ biggest problems is his ability to jump to conclusions. It’s not an uncommon occurrence for Seamus to forego any logical explanation and simply choose whichever answer is the most salacious, extraordinary, or unbelievable. And somewhere, in the crowded, bright places in his mind, these tales take on a life of their own. At school it meant he was especially susceptible to gossip. More recently, his doubt in Harry Potter exemplifies this. Seamus would never discriminate based on blood status, and that is not the reason he feels uncertain around the prophecy of Potter being the Chosen One. No, he has a problem with the fact that Harry essentially knows nothing about how to fulfill this supposed prophecy. Although a halfblood himself, Seamus did essentially have a magical childhood. His mother imbued their home with magic in all of its ordinary glory: floating teapots, evergreen flowers on the sill, self-refreshing laundry. Seamus is used to the lovely everyday of magic and the wonder it can inspire in even the most mundane of chores. Even his father, in his sentimental moments (which are frequent; the Finnegans are an emotional lot and prone to heated monologues) expresses how strange and empty his old life feels without the touch of his wife’s wand. So how can someone who has never known the poisoned touch of You-Know-Who, who never grew up with stories about his reign of terror -- how can someone like that be expected to save someone like him? Even Seamus’ mother had a rough time during the first war; Seamus has seen her scars. You-Know-Who might have taken everything from Harry -- and that angers Seamus on Harry’s behalf -- but he also doesn’t know about the grim reality of Dark magic. What a word without Light is really like. And that, to Seamus, is difficult to reconcile.

EXTRAS

Seamus’ blog can be found here!

Here is a Pinterest board for him.

This is also where I would link to two writing samples if I were an applicant! They do not have to be IC.

[cherrytruthbombs]

Valley Boys

Finance bros, tech bros, are all the same. They have no idea what’s happening with the outside world, truly, maybe because their brains and addled with cocaine and deep-rooted confidence issues.

( https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/09/silicon-valley-some-men-say-cosmetic-procedures-are-essential-career/ )

When I was an intern at a largely circulated digital publication, a 30 year old finance reporter had confessed that he was shocked to see yakult (the yogurt) stocks suddenly uptick. Of course, his niece had explained to him that the Netflix release of ‘To all the boys I’ve loved before’ was the culprit. (https://www.insider.com/to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-yogurt-drink-yakult-2018-9)

I would say in my experience, people associated with finance or tech oddly seem to be out of touch with modern culture. In fact, they seem to make up their own little insular world where ideas that seem ludacris to the everyday consumer gains millions in funding. I call this collective, affectionately, Valley Boys. Implying in sorts that they resemble the unawares blondes that formerly decried the nickname of valley girls. When I covered finance, CEOs who ran science based companies could not actually tell me how the science of their product worked, which explains why cases like Theranos, run by a pretty woman, were able to deceive so many fancy financiers. In the years of watching activity in the finance world, I’ve definitely picked up on a few sagas that I think are too entertaining and too exemplifying of the Valley Boy culture.

First off is the famous ‘young blood’ conspiracy. Now bear in mind there are aging studies that look into specific compounds in blood of young animals that restores functions in old ones. But simply infusing a liter of the blood of the young for a pretty price of $8,000 seems like rich vampire supervillainy to me. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-25/the-bloody-tale-of-ambrosia-the-startup-that-wants-to-slow-aging)

I don’t even want to get into the mess that is freezing your brain and using it to reanimate a dead body down the line (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-cryonics/brain-freeze-russian-firm-offers-path-to-immortality-for-a-fee-idUSKBN1ZD1FN)

More interesting is the cryptocurrency saga that has rocked the finance world. Now I’m not ashamed to say that to this day I still don’t really understand what cryptocurrency and bitcoins are. In theory I’m aware of how they conceptually function, but like many CEOs who started CRISPR companies when they’re really like ‘CRISPR? I barely even know her!’ I’m the same with blockchain. Yet the culture around cryptocurrency is so absurd that it’s like a car crash I can’t look away from. Follow along with me on this wild tale. A 30 year old founder of a cryptocurrency trading company died. When he died there was about over $180 million in crytocurrency in the account, and he was the one who had all the passwords. So what is the reasonable thing to do when you have money tied up now in an inaccessible account? You band together and asked for the body of this exec to be exhumed so you can make sure that he is actually dead and didn’t make off with your imaginary currency, duh. Truly, you simply can’t make up this kind of story folks.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/business/gerald-cotten-death-cryptocurrency.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share)

Stay tuned, my next edition might feature a fun quiz that asks you to identify that quote! Who said it? CEO or supervillain. (Funny because finance bros are actually more likely to have Machiavellian traits!) That’s all for now!

(https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/mar/12/improbable-research-machiavellian-stockbrokers-car-sales)

All in all, I think Atlantic writer Amanda Mull encapsulated the miasma around tech and finance culture the best. “Tech companies, like many for-profit enterprises, aren’t necessarily incentivized to ensure that what they sell is used correctly, or that correct use provides any particular material benefit. They simply need to make a compelling argument to people who can pay, which means identifying and capitalizing on the anxieties of the affluent.” Be it may that her articles were talking about weight, and these are talking about fear of death (or undeadness), the sentiment remains the same. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/01/why-do-people-still-love-consumer-tech/604909/