#and that was achieved through a feat of inhuman commitment

[kurowrites]

Thank you for the rec, but... I know I'm sounding veeeeeery hypocritical here as a fanfic author, but I have one major requirement for my non-fanfic reading: I want to read finished stories. Sadly, web novels often suffer from One Piece syndrome. I have read like 800 chapters of One Piece before giving up, and I'm not keen to go back to that. 😭 I think I work a little different than a lot of other people, but rather than reading or watching a long series, I prefer reading one short, well-crafted work with a good payoff, and then move on to something entirely new. (Let's blame the ADHD and say I'm just not able to use the little commitment I have for reading fiction.)

Been reading SO MUCH since Christmas since I'm finally properly on holiday (technically unemployed so no employer to stress me out eyyyy) but while I'm having a lot of fun, I'm starting to crave a good queer romance which does not focus primarily on the romance aspect of it, and also not on the sex aspect of it.

Sometimes a girl just wants to have some lovers pine mkay.

[grimmjowkurosakidrake]

Fluttering down, fluttering love

Summary: Post Gaiden, Sasuke finds Sakura in the middle of an ill fated mission.

Length: 3501 words 

Relationships: Sasuke Uchiha/Sakura Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha/Sakura Haruno

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: NSFW 

Disclaimer: This fic is a commision for the really kind @talesandwonder but really, the idea was so good that I couldn’t stop writting XD

If you want to commission me or any of the other wonderfull writers of @witcheswritings don’t hesitate to DM us!

Sakura will never stop being in awe of the sheer amount of safe places the Uchiha hold around the five great shinobi countries. There’s something to be said about a clan who expanded so far outside of their territory; Building strongholds, secret caves, and cabins deep in the woods around almost every single shinobi populated (or even unpopulated) territory.

This is where Sakura feels somehow estranged from the Uchiha clan. She’s never been outside of Konoha in a mission and thought about making arrangements so her daughter or other relatives could find solace outside the village.

She often thinks about taking Sarada on dates at her favorite dango place, she usually has a camera ready for any important moment in her life.

But she rarely thinks about helping her on missions, just like her own parents rarely talked with her about her own missions, back when she was a genin.

She’s not like Sasuke.

After marrying him, the Uchiha disclosed an entire map of the five great shinobi countries to her. It was an old thing, dusty and well loved, obviously a family heirloom passed to the boy only by merit alone of being the last Uchiha.

“The blue dots are safe places,” Sasuke told her, on a spring night in one of those lucky moments of their journey together when they could spend the night in an inn, change their clothes and take well needed bath. “The red ones are settlements of people who will help you when they see the Uchiha symbol on your back.” He murmured placing a steady hand on the newly embroidered mark on the back of her red shirt. “No questions asked,” he finished, whispering against her ear.

This information was supposed to be for her ears only, so she could be safe anywhere without worrying about being on enemy territory.

Because she was an Uchiha and the Uchiha kept their own safe.

It’s all thanks to this conversation that when she and Sasuke find themselves in need of hiding from their enemies, with her husband heavy and passed out on her shoulders as she tries to drag them both through the heavy rain and into the small cabin well hidden in the depths of the woods north of the land of water. Sakura doesn’t waste any time trying to find a hidden spot.

She already has every spot on the Uchiha map committed to memory.

The cabin is small, completely furnished but not properly stocked, the door is locked too, and Sakura doesn’t have enough chakra to hold her husband and break the door at the same time.

She’s strong enough, thought.

The medic-nin ends up kicking the door open, Sasuke barely wakes up at this, still in a feverish state but awake enough to smirk at his wife’s show of strength.

“Aren’t you glad that we found each other, wife?” Asks the shinobi, holding onto Sakura’s shoulder, trying to stand by himself but failing miserably as his wounded legs fail him.

They’re both drenched to the bone, sweat, blood and rain water mixing in dangerous concoction, putting them at risk of catching a cold, on top of everything.

“Yes,” She chuckles, kissing the side of his head before dragging Sasuke to the dusty, old bed waiting for them at the center of the small cabin. “I always love to reunite with you while being surrounded by rouge ninja, dear.”

She allows the dark haired man to sit on the bed as she limps and closes the door, struggling to perform a simple sealing jutsu on the entrance.

She’s almost completely depleted of chakra, having been fighting for more than an hour alone with more than forty rouge shinobi without a moment to breath or heal herself.

She has burn wounds all over her right arm and leg, her own left leg sensitive from two separated stab wounds courtesy of her enemies.

She hasn’t been able to heal herself properly, not with every single shinobi on her tail and well aware of her identity, with each one of them attacking her at the same time.

Sacrificing their bodies and their lives for the chance of taking down one of Konoha’s three neo sannin.

They obviously knew every single detail about her.

Sakura Haruno can heal herself from almost anything in less than ten seconds, her inhuman strength only paralleled by her quick strategizing in battle, and her chakra control a feat most shinobi twice her age could only dream for.  

Sakura Haruno, also. Would rarely mortally wound an enemy unless pushed to her limit. A deadly weapon with almost no body count to show for it.

When Sasuke found her, she was down to almost thirty men but he had his own tail of rouge shinobi behind him.  

He was already wounded when they found each other in the middle of their own fights. Sasuke, luckily, was not being followed by more than five shinobi and his chakra reserves weren’t low by any means.

He was never one to have mercy on his enemies. As the last of his clan (his family), and a former international criminal, Sasuke Uchiha was not one to rule out murder if it meant saving himself or his loved ones.

With a sigh, Sakura reaches the bed and helps her husband out of his cape and bloody clothes.

He’s bleeding from his right thigh from a katana wound in the form of an almost clean slash across it. He’s probably poisoned if the almost blueish complexion around the three needles still attached to his left shoulder have anything to say about it.

He also has a nasty bruise by the side of his face that could end up developing in a concussion if not treated immediately.

Overall, his injuries are definitely more pressing than her own and even if they weren’t, Sakura would never treat her own husband after herself. Rules of a medic-nin be dammed.

Sasuke of course, would love to object. “You should treat yourself first, Sakura.” He admonishes her as she makes a quick job of removing the needles attached to the shinobi’s shoulders. “My injuries can wait.”

“You’ve been poisoned, dear.” She points out as if it weren’t already obvious, “You definitely can’t wait treatment.”

Sasuke huffs as she opens her poison’s scroll, carefully removing the poison with the aid of a concoction she had stored away on a small vial. “I’m immune to most poisons,” he reminds Sakura, grunting as she injects him with one of her standard antidotes.

“That would make two of us,” she smirks, green soothing chakra oozing off her hands as she makes a quick job of healing the wound on his thigh.

When Sakura is almost ready with the both of them, just finishing with applying some salve on the burns on her arms, Sasuke speaks up. “You shouldn’t have come alone,” he growls from where he’s laying on the bed, still too sore from his injuries and blood lost to help her. “The borders near Rain are still full of rogue shinobi.” He adds, glaring at a blind spot near her. “No matter what Naruto or the other Kage say, the shinobi world is not a place of peace.”

Sakura is strong, but she’s human, a mortal just like him and even Naruto. But more than anything she’s kind. Completely different from anyone of their team. Where everyone at team seven decided to kill for a living, she choose to give life.

If she just killed those men, Sakura would not have been in any trouble, but his wife will never kill anyone if she feels that she doesn’t have to, most of the time she’s reluctant to even mortally wound her enemies.

For what she’s told him, even the death of what he considers a virtual monster: Sasori. Affected her as if the puppet she fought was a living, feeling person.

She felt for him, on his last seconds, cried for him after his death, and learned from him as much as she learned from his grandmother.

She’s a medical ninja at heart, stronger than most, but as far as Sasuke is concerned, Sakura should never have mission alone near the borders of a shinobi village whose culture still revolves around murder and senseless violence.

Sakura huffs, kneeling in front of the fireplace where there’s still some wood from who knows when, it’s a little bit green around the edges so it will be difficult to star a decent fire, but she can do it.

Deeply inhaling and accumulating her chakra at the top of her lungs, Sakura allows herself into breathing the fire her husband passed onto her as if she was his own blood. It was difficult to learn at first; she has to admit. Sakura is not compatible with fire ninjutsu, not even with air ninjutsu.

But people like Kakashi do exist and even if she can’t create a great fireball justsu of the monumental size Sasuke has achieved after years of training. She’s still able to produce enough fire to ignite the fireplace.

“It was supposed to be a recognizance mission,” Mutters the pink haired kunoichi, moving the wood around with the fire iron. “I was not even aware that the place was filled to the brim with rogue ninja.” She sighs, leaving the warmth of the fire to sit alongside her husband on the bed. “If someone told me that there would be shinobi around I would have concealed myself.”

Silently she touches her own hair, then, her forehead, tracing the small diamond tattoo that she earned with years of storing chakra even when her life was at risk.

“I’m not the most discreet looking kunoichi around.” She mutters.

Sasuke sits up on the bed, moving himself so he can be as near her as possible, then, almost in a wary way, the shinobi lifts his only arm, caressing her pink hair with great care.

“The borders of Rain had been invaded for more than a month.” Growls the Uchiha patriarch, not angry at her, of course not.

He’s angry with his Hokage, his best friend.

Naruto must have been aware of this fact. Sasuke somehow manages to be in more contact with the Hokage than with his own daughter and wife.

Even if he promised them to be around more often, to be more in contact with them.

After his short detour in Konoha, when he had an ill fated meeting with a Sarada that didn’t recognise him just like he didn’t recognise her. Sasuke quickly came back to the road, asking Naruto to take better care of Sarada, and informing him that he would be coming back more frequently, if only to start training his daughter as she deserves.

But this past month, Sasuke has only been able to keep correspondence with the Hokage, too apprehensive about his falcons being intercepted by the enemy for him to reach out to Sakura.

It seems that Naruto didn’t have any reserves about exposing their ex teammate to the rogue ninja as himself.

“I’ll have a talk with Naruto.” Finally, concludes Sakura, resting her head on his shoulder. Even if she’s at least a little bit mad with herself for having to be saved by her husband once more. She knows that Naruto didn’t give her enough information.

Sasuke has been giving him information for over a month,  without sending falcons to even her, Naruto should have at least told Sakura to conceal herself.

“That will make it two of us,” he mutters, holding her tight from across her waist. “I can’t believe that idiot.”

“I should have been prepared anyway,” Sighs Sakura, accepting the warm comfort of her husband’s reassuring weight so close to her. “I know the peace treaty doesn’t mean anything more than politics, that I shouldn’t go out of Konoha without concealing myself.”

“It’s not your fault.” Mutters her husband, kissing the side of her head, “You fought with your life for that treaty to be made. You are war a hero, there’s no one more prepared than you.”

“That can’t be true,” she smiles kindly at him.

Sasuke is well known across the shinobi world for being cool and almost, borderline cruel. There’s been more people than Sakura can count warning her about the former criminal. But he is kind to her, he is kind to his daughter.

Sometimes maybe too kind.

There’s something to be said about a merciless murderer who’s able to feel love, who’s capable of kindness.

There’s a lot to be said about the woman who falls in love with him. Always ready to love everyone but herself.

Sasuke sighs “I’ll speak with Naruto.” He concedes, there’s not a lot to be argued when Sakura feels that she has something to prove. “There were at least five A-rank shinobi in the group you fought alone, it’s not your fault when you didn’t even know that you were supposed to fight.”

“You’ve never needed to be briefed before entering enemy’s territory.” She mutters, “you’re always prepared, and so are Kakashi and Sai.”

“You are a medical ninja.” He reminds her, “no matter your rank, you’re always supposed to be part of a team. Especially when dealing with so many powerful ninjas around the area.”

Sakura smiles “Sasuke-kun…” she sighs.

“We will talk with Naruto.” He smiles at her reassuring, “he needs to be reminded of his duties as our Hokage.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Asks Sakura facing him. he smiles at her words as she lifts her hand, carefully moving the hair covering his left eye. “Ino would never believe me,” she laughs.

“Don’t go out ruining my reputation.” He kisses the side of her lips. “I won’t start being nice to anyone out there. Just you.”

Sakura smiles, kissing his closed mouth as he moves away from her face. He grunts but answers the kiss in kind when she holds the back of his neck with one hand and buries her fingers on his hair with the other.

She moans a little when Sasuke licks her bottom lip, and eagerly gives entrance. It’s only when he bites her lower lip that she separates from him.

“You’re hurt, dear.” Admonishes Sakura moaning as Sasuke kisses her neck, licking a long strip from her clavicle to her chiselled jaw.

Sasuke only smirks as an answer. “You’re a really good doctor, wife.” He growls, biting the lobe of her ear.

He plays with the hem of the mesh crop top she wears underneath her qipao long shirt, drumming his fingers against the center of her chest from underneath it, waiting for her to act, as he kisses her deeply.

She barely hesitates before moving him aside with a gentle push on his own naked chest, making a quick job of taking off her top.

He smirks holding her by the waist when she gingerly sits on his lap. “I am a good doctor.” She whispers in his ear, caressing the prominent bulge on his boxers with a firm, steady hand.

Sasuke groans at the feeling, urgently kissing the top of her breasts with wet, open mouthed kisses, lifting his hips and uselessly trying to rut against her hand as she presses her thumb against his already erect cock. “Sakura.” He groans, playfully biting her right nipple.

“What?” She smiles, slowly caresing the sides of his memeber, playing with the head of his cock where a wet patch is already staining his underwear. 

There’s a heated glint in her green eyes, clearly amused by his neediness. By the way he groans when she moves away from him in order to take off his boxers.

“Don’t tease.” He growls holding her neck, then her waist again. Forcing her body underneath him.

“I’m not.” She pouts, lifting her back from the bed when her husband trails barely there kisses from her quivering throat to her stomach.

He easily takes off her pants whith Sakura’s help as she lifts her hips and opens her legs at each side of him.

The lace and silk boy shorts she usually wears undermath her mission clothes are already wet when he kisses the underside of her tights, it doesn’t mean Sasuke will stop there.

Sighing deeply, Sasuke licks a long stripe across her entire clothed sex, holding her clit on the inside of his mouth until she’s burring her fingers on his head and interlacing her legs behind his neck, the talons of her feet digging on his spine.

She hastily removes her fingers from his head to take off her underwear herself. This is what he’s been waiting for.

For Sakura to forget his own pleasure in favor of hers. To overlook him completely as she grips him by the neck and holds his face against her pussy. Forcing him there as Sasuke licks her insides, moving his tongue inside of her core in quick, broad thrusts.

There’s no forcing him, Sasuke loves being here; in between her legs as she moans and demands for more. But the feeling of her manicured nails digging on his scalp, the pain on his back as her legs kick against his skin.

That is the feeling that keeps him rutting against the bed, gasping for breath as he’s not able to hold his owns growls and moans of pleasure at the edging feeling of the barely there pressure of the bed against his cock.

Sakura comes for the first time like this, thrusting hips against her husband’s face, screaming with Sasuke’s mouth holding her clit as his tongue flicks around it without stopping. Not even when she let’s go of his hair or when her juices drip from his neck jaw to his collarbones.

Even when her body falls heavily on the bed, Sasuke lazily kisses her labia to his heart’s content, enjoying her little tremors and gasping moans of over-sensitivity.

“Sasuke-kun…” Sighs Sakura breathlessly holding his jaw. “Stop.” She commands when he tries to fight her grasp on him. “You’re still hurt, honey.” Coos her wife incorporating on the bed and caressing his lower lip with her thumb.

Her voice is soothing but her eyes are burning as she forces him on his back. She kisses him sweetly when her hands grip his cock.

Sasuke can’t help but moan from the depths of his throat as she slowly lowers herself on his member, enjoying the burn and the feeling of finally being full after so much time apart.

With a triumphant groan, Sakura’s hips align with his own “Sakura.” He groans, griping her waist as she bends over him, her breasts pressing against his chest, her knees bending at the sides of his hips.

“It feels so good.” Moans Sakura, her arms resting at the sides of his face, her hips moving without a warning. “I’ve missed this,” she moans against his open mouth.

Slowly, her hands move to the sides of his neck, her tongue peaking out of her open, red lips making his own mouth open up on instinct, gasping when they meet in the middle.

Her hands move to his chest, using him as leverage to rise heavily onto his hips, setting a breathless pace over him. “You’re...” gasps Sasuke, his hands moving to her core, his thumb running small, quick circles on her clit. “So tight,” he moans moving his hips alongside Sakura’s, “so warm.”

There’s warmth coiling at the bottom of his stomach, pressure on his entire chest and his hands moves erratically on her clit. “Sakura!” he screams, unsteadily thrusting into her even when he knows that he should pull out.

She doesn’t respond, her body falling on top of him as her inner walls constrict against his cock and her legs close against him. Sasuke holds her with one arm, embracing her through her moans and quivering espasmodict thrust of oversensitivity, thrusting mindlessly inside her, before coming.

“Sasuke-kun!” Moans Sakura one last time, his grip on her entire body and the warm feeling of her husband filling her, too much for her to remain silent.

There’s a mess of fluids in between them as they cuddle breathless in bed, Sakura’s pink hair tickling the top of his nose.

************......... ************ ************......... ************ ************......... ************ ************......... ************ ************......... ************

The morning after, Sasuke finds Sakura drinking tea with a warm cup of coffee resting by her side. She’s naked from the waist down, her qipao shirt open and resting over her shoulders.

“When are you coming back to Konoha?” He asks, taking the coffee and kissing the top of her head.

“Sarada is on a mission for two weeks.” She answers, smirking “You think we can take down this invasion by then?”

Her smirk is almost feral with confidence, her eyes sharp, just like they were yesterday when she had him on the palm of her hands.

This is the woman he married, Sasuke thinks as he grabs his Katana from the mess of clothes they left las night.

A warrior to her core; confident and strong.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Parasyte the Maxim, Episodes 11-12

Alright, that’s more like it. In which Shinichi gets himself straightened out, the species integration continues, and Kana means absolutely nothing to me.

A More Human Inhumanity

There’s a not insubstantial part of me that was breathing a heavy sigh of relief by the time these episodes were over. The last stretch of Parasyte managed to do serious damage to my appreciation of it, squandering a lot of its myriad strengths for the sake of a plot trajectory that felt mishandled, broken, and just generally the worst possible execution of the only real direction it could have gone in. As such, coming up to the show’s halfway point, it needed to shake off the sins of its past and convince me as soon as possible that it wasn’t falling apart just yet, that it was still able to entertain smartly with the kind of solid storytelling it promised in its first handful of episodes. Thankfully, I’d say it mostly managed to achieve that feat; while my concerns are far from quelled, Parasyte has proven moving into its back half that it’s still got enough gas in the tank to keep the train rolling for at least a little longer. Hopefully, this proves to be a continuous upswing and it just keeps getting better from here.

As you may recall, the biggest problem the show’s run into as of late is Shinichi’s mental transformation from man to parasite. The shift from his normally empathetic self to stone-cold, amoral badass felt too sudden, too unearned, and too haphazard to be believable. I don’t buy that someone as committed to a positive view of humanity and life as Shinichi could lose all that so quickly without a greater struggle to maintain the parts of himself he still considers human. Thankfully, it seems the show recognized that fact as well, because the Shinichi we see in this stretch of episodes is far closer to what I imagined he’d realistically be like following his symbiosis with Migi. He’s weird and distant, yes, but he’s still actively trying to maintain his sympathy and compassion. That moment where he tries to comfort Murano in the diner but ends up spouting off some “humans are meat, so don’t sweat it” nonsense regardless is pretty much the perfect encapsulation of what this kind of character should be. He’s still trying to be the same person, he’s just... less connected to who that person is now. And the moments where it’s clear that his humanity is still shining through regardless- the obvious compassion for Murano, the PTSD flashback from almost seeing another kid be killed by his own mom- are all the more touching for it. Honestly, if the Shinichi of these couple episodes was flipped with the Shinichi from the last crop, I feel like the progression would make much more sense. It would feel like an actual descent, as opposed to a random glitch that skipped every level en route to the boss room. But at least Parastye’s actually got to that point now, and hopefully, we will have far smoother sailing going forward.

We Come in Peace?

On that note, while Shinichi is still trying to make sense of the two competing ideologies inside him, the world around him is starting to react to the presence of the parasites in some fascinating ways. With rumors spreading of their existence, people are becoming more aware of the dangerous being that walk among them. But at the same time, the parasites themselves are making it very hard to be sure whether they actually pose a danger or not. It seems like there are some members of the species who are genuinely trying to blend into humanity, taking up the positions their hosts held and becoming part of society in the same way. We see a parasite mother trying to make sense of her child, a parasite running for mayor (and winning!) on a genuinely strong platform, and it’s entirely unclear whether they’re just trying to ensure a safe position from which to feed, or if they... actually want to coexist. It poses a fascinating question; could these alien creatures actually learn to lie side by side with humanity? Is it possible that Shinichi’s fatalism is wrong, and he may end up being proof positive for the compatibility of these two species? But then again, it’s clear that some of them still hold dangerous intent, as evidenced by that utterly stunning sequence of a parasite’s one-man assault on a Yakuza headquarters, a dizzyingly violent, fluidly animated slaughter that the murderer in question undertakes as a clinical, detached experiment on the efficacy of his kind in heavily armed combat. It’s honestly kind of chilling, seeing all this brutality be carried out by a creature who shows so little emotion towards the blood he sheds. And if there are parasites out there who are testing how much damage they can sustain, presumably with the intention of carrying out those skills on a broader scale... well, let’s just say the implications aren’t pretty. There’s going to be one hell of a shitstorm pretty soon, and I hope Shinichi is ready for it.

Heartless

All that positivity aside, though, there’s still an area where Parasyte’s more frustrating tendencies stubbornly refuse to go away: the romance. Listen, if you’re new to this blog at all, just know that there are few things that take me out of a story more completely than a poorly written romantic subplot (Legend of Korra’s first two seasons come to mind), and Parasyte is falling into all of the traps I hate about poorly written relationships. Leaving aside the fact that Murano and Shinichi are officially a couple now, and thus may have better opportunities to flesh out their chemistry and dynamic moving forward (though I’m not exactly hopeful), I’m constantly struggling against the fact that I see no reason for any of the girls who are in love with Shinichi to be in love with him, other than that this is just what women in older properties are expected to be used for, and once again, someone on Madhouse’s team needed to adapt this shit harder. If Devilman Crybaby could make a genuine character out of Miki and successfully position her as the most important force for good in the story, than Parasyte the Maxim has no excuse for how completely inert Murano and Kana both are as characters outside their incomprehensible and unexplained attraction to Shinichi. That fact, more than anything, is what really gets under my skin about this approach to writing romance; it’s just assumed that there’s going to be attraction between these characters, so the script doesn’t ever bother to show why there’s attraction between them, or how it manifests. It’s just Boy Meets Girl, and we’re already on a one-way ticket to either consummation or tragic sacrifice with no reason to care.

And it’s Kana who bears the brunt of that shitty storytelling this time around, exposing how ineffectual the whole mechanism is. Her death at the end of episode 12 can only work if we accept her feelings for Shinichi and buy into her faith in him, but I don’t even remember when she fell in love with him in the first place. They locked eyes back in episode 5 and she sensed the parasite inside him, but why should that be a ticket to romance? How did that one moment generate feelings so strong that she has regular wet dreams about being saved from a horde of ravenous monsters by a Shinichi Knight on horseback? There’s no internal life to the character, no sense of who she is or how she processes things. She only exists to lust after Shinichi and die because of it, a hollow shell of a character with nothing to add to the story and no real reason to exist other than to be someone for Shinichi to angst over. Forget actually writing a compelling, likable person whose death might actually leave an impact on the audience and make them understand why her loss is such a pivotal moment; she’s a girl in an action anime who loves the main character, and that’s literally everything you’ll ever find out about her. It’s like the author assumed that’s all you needed to care about her, like the mere fact of her existence as a love interest was enough to justify however he wanted to make you feel about her.

But I don’t feel for Kana. I don’t care about her. How could I possibly care about her when she’s done nothing worthy of caring about? Her death isn’t a meaningful turning point in the story, it’s the removal of a needless distraction that never should have been there in the first place. Kana was never a character in the first place, and as a result, I am left right there with Shinichi following her funeral; unable to muster up the slightest inkling of tears. Only in my case, it’s not because my brain’s being taken over by an amoral parasite. Take note, aspiring writers; if you want a character’s death to mean something, you need to make their life mean something. You need your audience to care about them when they’re here so they’ll feel their absence when they’re gone. Don’t hash out a half-baked romance and expect their lack of chemistry to serve as an acceptable alternative to emotional investment. That’s how hacks write. And you sure as hell don’t want to be a hack.

Odds and Ends

-When suddenly, Body Improvement Club.

-Alright, I’ll get to Gegege no Kitaro at some point, show, you don’t have to rub it in.

-aksjdhas hi big eye

-”I’m certain you would not want others to see your own right hand slicing you up.” He’s got a point there.

-”I can tell you apart.” Oh, that’s a lie.

-”Migi, handle the defense.” Okay, complaints about Kana aside, holy shit that was a cool moment. Straight for stone cold vengeance.

Halfway done. Let’s keep this party going strong, shall we? See you next time!

[helenharvieenvr2000blog-blog]

Part 4. In-class Blog Questions

1a. What promotes human connection to nature? A connection to nature is built into human DNA. We have evolved alongside nature and as proven in the seemingly never ending literature concerning the theme of man versus nature, humans have an insatiable curiosity and desire to be a both a part of nature and to dominate nature. Of course, everything we need to survive in our modern society is inherently tied to nature, as the materials that humans have become dependent, such as crude oil, metals, and palm oil, come from nature. Nature provides everything a human needs to survive. Try as we might, it is impossible to physically separate ourselves from nature completely. Literature that paints a picture of living in harmony with nature is commonly used to promote a connection with nature and the wild. As well, having a natural space in an urban environment such as Central Park in New York City, gives people a chance to experience a form of nature they may not otherwise be exposed to.

Photo Credit: Sergey Semonov https://www.thepinnaclelist.com/pics/best-aerial-photo-central-park-new-york-city/

1b. What promotes disconnection to nature?

Disconnections to nature seem to be fairly common in urban environments. When people become accustomed to highly controlled and sterilized environments, they often do not know how to react to the “disorder” and “dirtiness” that is an integral part of nature. These people therefore seem to avoid any interactions with nature. Furthermore, connecting with nature is often portrayed as a dangerous feat that only the strong (and often eccentric) can survive. For example, the entertainment and computer gaming industry spend exorbitant amounts of money to ensure that people remain indoors to purchase and consume their products, rather than going outside and enjoying nature for free.

Photo Credit: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/20/how-to-get-rich-playing-video-games-online

1c. Is there a danger to a growing disconnect to nature?

There is a danger to a growing disconnect to nature, both for nature and humans alike. For nature, a growing disconnect from humans allows for the exploitation of nature to go unchecked and unnoticed. If people are unaware of the atrocities committed towards the environment, then surely nothing will be done to attempt to stop and possibly reverse, the harmful effects these atrocities have on nature. As there is no way to totally sever out relationship to nature, continual depredation will have harmful effects on humans as well. If nature dies, humans will also die. Humans face health concerns such as the consumption of contaminated food and water, obesity from the consumption of highly processed and artificial foods, and the effects of sedentary lifestyles.

Photo Credit: http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/100719/

2. Where do your environmental ethics lie? (Anthropocentric? Biocentric? Ecocentric?)

My environmental ethics lie somewhere between the biocentric and ecocentric ideologies. I am very passionate about animal rights and feel strongly that life is precious and should be protected as fiercely as we protect human life. That being said, I am not naive to the fact that some invasive species pose a great threat to ecosystems and could cause a complete collapse of native species. I believe that there should be careful consideration as to what species pose a threat to an environment, as well as which approach is the most humane to control the spread of that species. An example of this could be feral cat populations. Cats, though not commonly thought of anything but our furry friends, are an invasive species. They are prolific hunters with few predators, especially in urban environments. However, does the fact that they are invasive species and pose a threat to native songbird populations mean that they should be treated inhumanely and killed on sight? Many people answer that question with “no”. As a result, there are efforts to control feral cat populations, such as trap-neuter-release (TNR) methods of sterilization. As humans, we must acknowledge that we are the main reason that these species were introduced to ecosystems that could not support them. Therefore, we have the responsibility  to correct our errors in the most humane and ethical way possible.

Photo Credit: https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/08/wandering-days-are-over-for-two-cats/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/feral-cats-kill-billions-of-small-critters-each-year-7814590/

http://www.kittenlady.org/orphaned-1/#

3a. Can parks meet its dual mandate of access and protection?

I believe that parks can meet its dual mandate of access and protection through very controlled and monitored interactions between the visitors and the park. For example, I believe that visitors should not be allowed their vehicles into parks. Instead, above ground rain systems similar to Vancouver’s Sky Train could be used to transport in and out of the park. If done correctly, it could lower animal fatalities due to vehicular accidents, and lower emissions from cars if the above ground rail system is electric. Furthermore, I think parks could move towards renewable and completely localized forms of energy production. For example, solar and wind power, as renewable and localized forms of energy, avoid disturbing the environment because they do not require laying power lines between hotels, resorts, shops, etc.

Photo Credit: http://www.surrey.ca/city-services/9773.aspx

3b. How can this be achieved in Wapusk?

Wapusk’s accessibility is a difficult problem to contemplate. Its remote location, severe weather, and changing frostline makes building roads, rail systems, or any infrastructure difficult. The cost of traveling North is comparable to a tropical vacation. Consequently, it is difficult to find individuals who would be willing to spend close to $1000/day to go stay in humble abodes with limited food. An approach that can be taken to possibly lower costs is to have a large group of people travelling at one time. Therefore, the cost of travel can be split up to a lower number and evenly distributed among the travellers. They could consider travelling by boat through Hudson Bay, thus avoiding the problems with car and rail travel. Transportation by boat would also accommodate a large number of people in one trip. Large runways that can support a commercial jet are not possible due to the terrain. However, ocean travel in a boat similar in size to a cruise ship may be more feasible. Another method of cutting costs to attract visitors is to promote building greenhouses in the surrounding communities like Churchill. Food is notoriously expensive up North due to the cost of transportation. If the people were capable of growing some of their own food over the winter months they would not have to order as much food. This would not only be good for tourism, but good for the locals as well, as they face health problems such as diabetes and obesity caused by a lack of access to fresh and healthy perishable food items. In regards to protecting Wapusk, I believe that controlled tours containing large numbers of people at exclusive times of the year will have less of an impact on the environment. Smaller, disorganized groups of people are harder to control and can do unintentional damage to the environment. They key is organization and making sure that the tours of the park are in a concentrated, non-vital areas of the park.

Photo Credit: http://cruiseshipopportunities.ca/en/regions/arctic-canada/