#first of all it’s a huge area. but even a lot of rural spaces are multicultural

[custardtartsfan]

U + Ur Alien Boyfriend - Adam Warlock thoughts

hello this is most likely nowhere near comic canon or anything canon, this is off the dome and wwas written in 17 minutes. most of my Adam experience is from rivals and the movie which i watched half asleep in my grandmas basement while babysitting 4 of my cousins so. dont jump me if this is ooc by leaps and bounds

im writing this from the perspective of you being an earthling soz to any aliens who read me i still love you

general adam-ary ‎꜀( ꜆-ࡇ-)꜆ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

BIG sweet tooth. i think hes a huge fan of custard tarts specifically. You took him to a sweet shop on your first date and it was his first time experiencing processed sugars. hes a big fan. he'll eat those things like cucumber slices. you could feed him sugarcubes like a trained horse probably

you showed him those pictures on pintrest of the tiny dogs with messed up haircuts and hes obsessed. hes got a big soft spot for little guys. he will come up to you and ask to see the silly dogs, thats what he calls them

this is what im referring to. i think he gives him names but in an Commedia dell'arte way. like all the fat ones with big noses are smunkles and all the ones with big round hair on their bodies but skinny legs are naboodle

adding onto this, i think he forgets words a lot. like he wants a clemantine, but he forgets the word. so he asks you for the orange sustenance sphere

thats the best of it though. the worst and most nonsensical of it is when he makes up a nonsense word for something when the word escapes him

hes a very quiet person. he likes to watch you do things. like he'll just stand over you while you cook or do your hair. hes a big fan of staring longingly at you. just a big shiny guy standing over you while you chop cucumbers

could he have some. of the cucumbers, please. please can he have

he likes having his hair played with. he likes having his face touched. he likes all physical affection

space is COLD and NOBODY gives him kisses there and hes NOT a fan. he likes it here, with you. you kiss him and love him. way better than space

he doesnt really know how to verbally ask for affection though, so he'll just sit or stand next to you and stare at you until you touch him in some way

i write about this guy like hes a dog lwk

he speaks very formally, but, he likes to copy you. if you have a phrase you like to say he will pick it up, and it will sound ridiculous in his voice

"i do not play about my face card" while fixing his hair in a car window. and youre just like..im sorry?

hes a big fan of birds. all of them. big Ornithology guy right here

you introduced him to the concept of a public library and now he likes to spend all his free time there. like he gets his book of choice, parks it at a table and will stay there until hes retrieved or he wants a snack

its like the boyfriend daycares at malls in china. you could just leave him there for a few hours and hed chill

More soft / cutesie stuff (╥﹏╥)

hes a sweet talker. without even trying

“let me see your eyes. they bring me great joy” like fuck off

hes a yearner too. when youre not with him he likes to sit and think about you, about what he’s gonna say when he sees you next

he’ll make a mental list of everything he wants to tell you when he sees you next. he saw a blue jay, he ate a quesadilla, he missed you a lot please hug him please

he LOVES listening to you talk about your childhood. he thinks you would’ve been best friends as children. he didn’t have a childhood since he popped out the cocoon fully formed, so he likes to think about being a child with you. looking at bugs and shit, county stuff. he’s really obsessed with rural areas

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

Why the fight for queer rights isn't over (it should be obvious, but to some people it isn't)

TW: transphobia and homophobia

Hi, Tumblr, this is Asmi. If you know me, it's probably as the Good Omens Mascot, which is flattering. I've found so much love and queer positivity in the good omens fandom, and the beautiful thing is how it's canon. Many people outside the queer community don't realise how crucial media and communities like this are. Right now since I'm on break from education, I'm on tumblr for most of the time I'm awake (which is not a lot, I nap more than Crowley). It's wild how different it is from the real world, that I live in at least.

I'm sure a lot of you might have had a similar experience to this: Basically, two people in my life, my bio father and my ex, both told me to my face that queer people needed to stop calling themselves oppressed and how now it's queer people who hold all the power and are oppressing other people. With all due respect, what the fuck.

I live in India, and being a trans guy who is bi and aspec, it's a cesspit. While I'm gendered correctly on Tumblr, and people are so loving and supportive, in real life even my friends who say they support me misgender me 90% of the time. Same with my family. In my previous college which I had to leave because of bullying by both the students and admin, even the queer students would misgender me (I told them I used they/them pronouns, because he/him would have been too unsafe, but even that they didn't manage). In the college I'll join next, it won't be safe for me to be out at all, at risk of losing opportunities and safety. Gay marriage is still illegal. Homophobia and transphobia is the norm. This doesn't even cover all the daily indignities like queerphobic jokes, casual discourse on whether or not we deserve rights, etc. Discrimination against aroace-spec people is rampant even within the queer community, worldwide.

And I live in an urban area, one of the largest cities in India known for its progressiveness and for being relatively safe for queer people. I am privileged compared to other queer people here. The story in other cities, in rural areas which make up most of the country, is far more horrifying. I'm unqualified to speak about anything other than my own experience, but if you can (if you are in a stable and calm enough mental state to handle the information, please put your mental health first) I'm sure there are first person accounts on the many forums.

The fight for equality is not over. It doesn't end with laws riddled with loopholes, it doesn't end even with laws that genuinely help the queer community. Aside from the huge problems of living safely and with access to equal opportunities and resources for people, we deserve dignity, peace, and the right to feel accepted and that we're not an abnormality. And so much more.

I haven't said anything that hasn't been said before, but it can't be said enough. To the queer people reading this, take all my love. We need to stand together, eliminate discourse over who is queer enough to be queer, and be the safe space that the world will not provide for us.

It's not over, and it hasn't been won by a long shot, but what matters is that we're fighting. Even existing as ourselves in a world that tells us it is a crime, is defiance and a step towards making this right.

[kindlyre]

Can you talk more about your personal headcanons for Rantaro?

uhhh shore!!! :3

he has thirteen siblings overall, twelve sisters and a brother

out of those, his brother and oldest sister are blood relatives. his brother is a few years older and they have a... complicated relationship. his sister is his (younger) twin

he has a pretty bad case of conduct disorder and has been compared to enoshima on many occasions because of it

his sisters have no idea, his twin kinda realized as she got older, his brother is 100% aware

rantaro's dad divorced his mom when he was about nineish, took his sister in the custody battle, but the dad fought for the two boys in the hopes that one of them would amount to SOMEthing

this is hyperspecific but. the "-taro" suffix is usualy reserved for the oldest son, so the reason rantaro is named that was because his brother ALREADY didnt live up to expectations, so his father saw rantaro as a replacement and named him accordingly

rantaro's talent came about because he has conduct disorder- the chronic boredom is why he travels so much in the first place, and the risk taking behavior commonly associated w cd is why he gets into so many Situations that make for good headlines

he's banned from morocco because he got caught graverobbing. everything he took had to be given back, except for ONE thing he got away with. he keeps it in his capsule necklace

yes he does drugs but he managed his habits well until shortly before his appearence in danganronpa 52, where he started getting worse cravings

rantaro used to have a mix of clear headed travels that are more backpacking or in rural areas or mountain climbing, AND stints in big cities where hed do some drugs and gamble

a thing he likes to do is get real messed up on drugs, black out, then play some irl geoguesser when he wakes up in some random ass location

this is why he didnt seem too concerned when he woke up in v3; he's used to just waking up in odd places and not remembering how he got there

mmmmost people with conduct disorder dont actually go on to develop aspd, which you can only be diagnosed with once you turn 18. rantaro is in the minority yaay #lostcause (that is, if he'd lived to 18)

he near-exclusively calls himself "a sociopath" because he got tired of explaining that thats not a diagnosis anymore and you cant even get the renamed diagnosis till youre eighteen and he'll Totally Be Fine By Then He Promises and that he has something else entirely, because people kinda didnt care much so he just stopped explaining

he still very much wants to find his sisters but even when he DOES find them, he's always too nervous to approach them because he feels like they would maybe not like a baby sociopath as a brother

(he's had symptoms all his life and was never all that good at hiding them. his sisters like him just fine, lmao)

HE KNOWS WHERE HIS TWIN LIVES he could literally go see her at any time. he doesn't. he's simply too ashamed of how he is on account of being compared to the girl who Ended The World all his life

rantaro's got a nasty violent streak and one of the reasons he wears those rings like that are as a brass knuckle subsitute

he's attacked and even tried to kill his father on MULTIPLE occasions due to his treatment of both rantaro himself and his sisters

he's a gambling addict though if you asked him he'd say it's "just fun sometimes" and its not that big a deal because he's rich, he can tank whatever he loses

he likes big open spaces like the ocean or the great plains; he finds it a nice reminder of how HUGE the world truly is and how, despite all he's done, he's only experienced a fraction of it. it makes him excited for his next adventure

he loves his sisters, but it's in a kind of... detached way? its hard to explain.

his relationship with his brother is even harder to explain- they fight a LOT but they're kind of the only family each of them has, but they're still pretty distant with each other (a lot of it is gonna be in fics im doing so i lowk dont wanna spoil it aaaaaaall~)

rantaro has always wanted to fall in love, but it hasn't happened yet

he hasn't fooled around with anyone, he's saving himself as it were for the person he falls in love with. he used to tell people this, but stopped after like 95% of the responses were variations on how that was such a surprising sentimentality for Someone Like Him

he's well aware that people see him as a sickopath first and a person second, growing up in a post-tragedy world with the bad luck of having the same mental illness as the person who caused the whole thing. this is a contributing factor in why he's so distrustful of other people

other factors include seeing atrocities, corruption, et cetera traveling around, AND the abuse he faced growing up and how his father is continuing to get away with it due to his wealth

even so, rantaro absolutely has used his wealth to stay out of prison. it sounds hypocritical but rantaro is a mentally ill 14 year old whom nobody really knows how to (or wants) to help in a way that actually is respectful of him instead of treating him like a nuke that needs to be disarmed, and his father is an adult man who uses his wealth to take advantage of poor women to fuck their daughters. so its a bit of a different situation i think

uuuuuuuuuuhhhhh

i think you deserve a few fun ones after all that

he's sicilian on his mom's side

he tans a LOT in the summer and has a lot of freckles, you can barely see them if he's not tanned lmao

he's a natural brunet and his hair is really thick so it gets tangled easily; he got an undercut largely so he didnt have to deal with so much of it

he has a stick n poke tattoo on his leg, though it's so blown out and faded that you kinda can't tell what it is. not even rantaro knows what it is (a sailboat? maybe?)

he did all his own piercings; they're all staggered on his right ear because he's left-handed (except his left lobe, but tbf its easier to do that than your cartilege)

people are generally aware that there's Something Just A Little Off about rantaro, including some of the killing game participants, but some of them wouldnt have minded, honestly

these ones are oumami ones for Me but rantaro likes kokichi's view on morality and that decoding kokichi's lies means they effectively have a secret language

and because of just how odd kokichi is and how outlandish his lies are, rantaro'll never get bored of him

kokichi asks "am i boring?" and the guy with Chronic Being Bored Disorder always says "no, never"

they invented romance

haha cool a guy with muted emotions concerning other people fell in love in a killing game and is now feeling a bunch of new, strong, overwhelming emotions! i wonder if this can be exploited in some way!!!!!!!!!!!

woof this got LONG!!!! anyway we love exploiting the mentally ill for shock value and television. team danganronpa sucks, good thing we don't do that!!

anyway if u want some elaboration on any of these hmu!!! i love to yap!!!!

[sforzesco]

Hey Cardinal, you ve talked a little bit about Crassus tending to open his house to all levels of society and his treatment of his domestic staff and slaves, and I would love to hear more of your thoughts about it?

OH BOY. Okay. So I had to think about this one for two months, because the first attempt to answer this resulted in about ten pages of writing and that’s. arguably too much. I’ve attempted to condense my thoughts down here as much as possible, but. we’ll see how it goes! somehow this is still over a thousand words!

Gonna start this off by tacking this at the top of it.

The Cambridge World History of Slavery, Volume 1: The Ancient Mediterranean World, ed. Keith Bradley and Paul Cartledge

To follow that up though, there was no cohesive slave identity shared across the broad scope of people who were slaves in ancient rome, because the lived experiences of each group (agricultural, domestic, freedmen/women, gladiatorial, etc) were so different (for example, freedmen could go on to own slaves themselves, slaves in the mines and working in rural agricultural conditions were the least likely to have a shot at gaining freedom because that would be a loss of income for the roman that owned them, etc) that to associate it all as a uniform identity-experience is also Not Good.

(ibid)

ANYWAY. So my focus on Crassus here has three sides to it.

for the sake of simplicity, we will be using The Cambridge World History of Slavery, Volume 1: The Ancient Mediterranean World, ed. Keith Bradley and Paul Cartledge (unless otherwise cited), at the end, I'll tack on some other reading outside of the body of text that I've written.

The most immediate side is that I’m interested in the lives of slaves in the Late Republic, but in a broader scope than the handful of individuals who have historical prominence, you know? Slaves and freedmen occupied a unique social space in the Late Republic, and had a political-social prominence, and I’m curious about which politicians recognized them as a block worth paying attention to. I want to see what they have to say in the absence of a voice.

you can see that the potential social flexibility of the slave was a problem for the Augustan Age/Early Empire by laws that were passed to curtail this, which in turns says something about their role in Late Republic life and society.

So, slaves are an extension of the house they belong to, which is a deeply simplified understanding of all of this so bear with me a little! There’s a social contract, so to speak, that when granted freedom, the (now) freedman has a patron-client relationship with his former owner, who has an obligation to maintain this dynamic.

Freed Slaves and Roman Imperial Culture, Rose MacLean

ALRIGHT. We’re getting to the point where this involves Crassus, hang on.

So Crassus in Plutarch’s bio sounds off that he’s got a lot of slaves, and a lot of mines, but the ones of most value are his slaves in Rome specifically, because they were trained (some personally, by Crassus himself) and skilled in high demand areas, and were sought after. Aside from the obvious, the part that strikes me as interesting is that this is not. an insignificant number. Plutarch says five hundred. That’s a recognizable amount of people in Rome who have a certain amount of social flexibility (the slaves of upper class or political heavy weights had less in common with the urban poor, and frequently interact with other houses of political influence) and all of those people are attached to Crassus.

This would extend even further to any of them who gained their freedom, because that would continue over into a patron-client relationship, and those five hundred slaves mentioned by Plutarch are all in a group that are the most likely to have a chance at buying their freedom. Whether or not this was the case is a huge Who Knows! because Plutarch skips over huge chunks of Crassus' life to get to the political machinations of conspiracy.

Less abstractly and more straightforwardly: Crassus and Clodius were well aware of the political-violence potential of slaves

Roman Freedmen in the Late Republic, Susan Treggiari

This contrasts heavily against, say, Pompey, who has several named slaves/freedmen in his biography that indicate levels of a personal relationship or friendship (we cannot use the mentions of individuals in Pompey's biography to assume that he was inclined to giving his own slaves freedom), and Caesar himself seems to have been even more insular than Pompey in this.

Roman Freedmen in the Late Republic, Susan Treggiari

There’s an underlying thing happening, though, later in Pompey’s life: Pompey (and Caesar) later rival Crassus in terms of wealth, but the difference has to do with location, land distribution, and slaves. Crassus seems to have most of his wealth concentrated in or near Rome (slaves, architecture, renting properties, the fire brigade, etc) with less of a focus on agriculture-mines for an income and more on. this. I'm still going through a couple of books for more on this vague train of thought, but its. something to think about.

Roman Freedmen in the Late Republic, Susan Treggiari

Pompey and Caesar seemed to follow the trend the rest of their military-senatorial contemopraries were following, which. would have inadvertently led to a worsening economic disparity in Rome (the urban poor + displaced farmers being driven off their land and forced to go to Rome for work because the influx of slaves from military conquests was a source of income that slave owners would have hated to give up)

there’s. some kind of additional thought in here about the crucifixion of the six thousand as a display of power and a threat to anyone else who was thinking of revolting against rome. Crassus seemed to have forgone the idea of taking anyone after the battle as a slave and opted for total annihilation, which falls in line with how he could be a ruthless motherfucker when it came to establishing order and did not apparently view this as an economic opportunity.

which moves on to my second thing about Crassus, I think that part of why he had his house open to people across different social classes and wasn’t prone to lavish displays of whatever had to do with how he grew up. I also think that it ties back to Crassus honing in on groups of people and realizing that they had political importance in some way. Plutarch’s bio makes note that he spent time advocating on behalf of anyone who needed it, even on cases that Caesar wouldn’t touch. That is an absolutely KILLER way to build up your reputation in a way where you would not necessarily need to traditionally align yourself with either of the two major political parties, and would lend you a lot of good will with groups of people who are not given voices in historical accounts. An absence of voice does not mean an absence of body!

Which ties into the third thing, Crassus occupies a third space in politics. Crassus specifically appears to drift around without much harm done to his reputation where it counts (Cicero gives him shit for it, but he still managed to get out of several sticky situations mostly unscathed) (Crassus’ appearances in other biographies indicate someone who is not firmly aligned one way or another politically as well, which is fascinating for other reasons).

I think generally, Crassus had his finger to the pulse of the many beating hearts of Rome's groups and understood on some level, the potential power of each one.

Those are my thoughts! also I’m going back in time to the Augustan Age and putting thumbtacks into all of Octavian’s shoes!

ADDITIONAL READING

Freed Slaves and Roman Imperial Culture, Rose MacLean

Roman Freedmen in the Late Republic, Susan Treggiari

The Cambridge World History of Slavery, Volume 1: The Ancient Mediterranean World, ed. Keith Bradley and Paul Cartledge

my point of contention with the last one is that Crassus didn't go on enough military campaigns to rival the other men in this group for it to be an even comparison, especially since he had an opportunity with the Spartacus Revolt and executed six thousand people instead.

[carpe-mamilia]

I thought this was a gorgeous photo so I followed the source link to this great interview with the photographer, rural street photographer Kate Kirkwood. There are many more lovely examples of her work there but this answer particularly stood out to me:

How do you define street photography?   Perhaps many genres can be “street” if you don’t determine what you’re going to shoot before hand. A few years ago I had the experience of seeing the best photographic exhibition in my life; was a huge show of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work. I was immediately afflicted, I wanted to try this art, street photography, too.  But where I live, I see the postman once a day and sometimes I don’t see anyone else for days. When I go to the city, the best treat is to simply wander the streets. However, because I live out in a rural area, I enjoy what I have, approaching moments and unfolding spaces in rural spaces with the mindset of a street photographer, even though I don’t live in a place with people. I suppose I try for a kind of rural street photography, although I’m also trying to find fresh ways with the possibilities of landscape photography.

Street photography requires an abandoned sense of wonderment, an openness. But you can’t just click away and assume that the act in itself will muster up an image. It’s so rare; it’s that little crucial moment that I think might be symbolized by the way Cartier-Bresson used to pop up on his tippy toes as he pressed the shutter. Seldom, if ever, can I claim to have snaffled what Roland Barthe’s calls ‘punctum’. Street photography offers a kind of slow accretion of modest wisdom. The more you photograph, the keener your observation, the more you notice about the world … perhaps you grow a little wiser each time because you’re in a state of watching out.

Decades ago I was involved with an anti-apartheid publishing house my then husband ran and some of the ground-breaking young photographers of that time in Johannesburg had a dark room at the back of the place and they offered my first understanding of what documentary photography is about. I often consider and puzzle over the difference between documentary and street photography. Documentary photography has a responsibility while street photography doesn’t. Yet it tells a lot of truths. Street brings attention to our foibles and reminds us of delight. It’s lovely to go to exhibitions of street photographers you know and see the public responding to the delight in everyday life.  It’s like enhancing all the little things that happen when we don’t have our cameras.

I’m not so keen on street photography which is malicious, grossly intrusive or that pokes fun at vulnerable people. I prefer and enjoy photographs which are taken with a kind of tenderness and respect. This is a tricky differentiation; I enjoy much of Martin Parr’s work and he’s a great one at poking fun, of celebrating our ludicrious possibilities. Perhaps it should be celebratory rather than derisory, although I strongly believe we should always deride misused or misplaced power…

[ematsubusa]

So… since I went to old Hisui today and took some pictures of the Diamond Clan settlement, I thought I might as well share a little bit of backstory on my husband’s family! So… first that, then some pictures.

Disclaimer: I am not 100% familiar with my husbands family history, so there are some things only he or even only his father can answer! But I’ll give my best to tell a few things here ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

(Long post ahead)

My husband is a descendant of the Diamond Clan, directly related to their founder Masahiro Matsubusa. The Diamond Clan worshipped the legendary god of time, Dialga, which they referred to as the “almighty Sinnoh”. They’ve been in a quarrel with the Pearl Clan because of that, since the Pearl Clan worshipped the legendary god of Space, Palkia, under the same name.

Marc’s great-great-grandfather (I think, gotta take a look at his family tree again), Masashi Matsubusa, was one of the two sons of the Diamond Clans founder. But Masashi left Hisui many years before I first got transported to Hisui. Of course, he went to Hoenn… with his rival from the Pearl Clan, who is one of Archie’s ancestors. So the rivalry between those two families has been going on for almost 200 years, maybe even more, at this point. While Masashi and his family became lords with a lot of farmland in the more rural area, his rivals family were lords near the coast of the Hoenn region. Fishermen, per se. Funny, huh?

Well, all this “royalty” nonsense wasn’t there to stick around for long and the lordships were taken from them when Japans industrialisation reached Hoenn too. But both families kept their wealth (to some extend) and a few land properties. There’s a reason my in-laws live in a huge olden-Japanese mansion up there in Slateport. That’s one of the last properties in possession of the Matsubusa family. As far as I know, the Aogiri family sold all of their properties except for one (which is the house near the beach and lighthouse in Slateport Archie’s dad lives in).

But enough of my husband’s family’s lore… I still got some pictures to show off!

The Diamond Clan settlement and one of the huts inside the settlement

Inside of the huts - one of the traditional tunics they wore and a shrine to worship the “ancient Hero” (left) and their beloved founder (right).

Also: a close-up of the founder-portrait!

This is the founder, Masahiro Matsubusa. The similarities to Marc are… something else. The same grumpy face… almost creepy. Must’ve been kept in the family (my father-in-law has almost the same grumpy face but a lil’ different)

And finally, a picture of Seki, the leader of the Diamond Clan (during the time-period I always come to Hisui) and grandson of Founder Masahiro. So, he’s basically a VERY distant cousin to Marc. And both find the resemblances eerie. They’ve met before. I brought Marc along to Hisui once. Seki was weirded out because he thought his grandfather came back to life. And Marc was perplexed because Seki looks a lot like his father in his 20s. Fun times.

Side note: Seki is a NEPHEW of Masashi, the one who went to Hoenn, and the son of Masashi’s younger brother. But it all must’ve stayed in the genetics, as apparently Seki’s grandma had the same multi-coloured hair and the same eyes as he does - which explains why my father-in-law looks a lot like Seki (but a little different and in old)

[condos2homes]

A First-Time Buyer's Guide to Richmond Hill Condos and Homes

Richmond Hill's real estate market is booming. Why is this city so popular? It offers a mix of urban and suburban convenience. The population is growing fast with over 200,000 residents calling it home. Great schools, parks, and community centers make it a top choice. Are you considering Richmond Hill? You'll find a vibrant community and a range of housing options.

Whether you're eyeing Richmond Hill condos for sale or pre construction homes Richmond Hill, it's a savvy place to start your real estate journey. Here's a guide to help first-timers navigate the market.

Discover Richmond Hill's In-Demand Neighborhoods

Richmond Hill encompasses a diverse array of neighborhoods, each with its own vibe. Do your research to pinpoint areas best suited to your lifestyle and budget. A few key neighborhoods to explore:

The Richmond Hill City Centre core offers an urban walkable experience with new high-rise condos and easy transit access.

 Suburban enclaves like Bayview Hill, Jefferson, and Westwood each have their own distinct community feel, parks, and recreation.  

Rural pockets like Elgin Mills and North Ridge provide peaceful estates on larger lots.

Identify Your Must-Have Features

Before seriously shopping Richmond Hill condos for sale or pre construction homes Richmond Hill, get clear on your needs. You can make two lists. One list is for must-have features you won't compromise. The other list is for nice-to-have extra features that would be bonuses. For homes, things like a number of bedrooms, yard space, garages and basements are important. For condos, you should consider lifestyle amenities like a swimming pool, smart appliances, gym, lockers and parking.

Understand the Costs

Richmond Hill real estate doesn't come cheap but there are different options for first-time buyers on a budget. With condos, you should know about mortgage payments plus monthly maintenance fees. For houses, calculate property taxes, potential renovation costs for older homes, and utilities. Pre-construction lets you get in at lower prices but requires paying deposits over time during the build process.

No matter what, you'll need a minimum 5% down payment. Loan programs like the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive can help qualified buyers increase their down payments.

Weigh Resale Value

In red-hot markets like Richmond Hill, it pays to consider a property's long-term value and appreciation potential - even if you plan to stay put for decades. Qualities like neighborhood desirability, square footage, functionality of layouts, included finishes and amenities all contribute to resale value down the road.

Team Up With Experienced Agents

Working with Richmond Hill's experienced real estate agents can give you a huge advantage. They'll have important knowledge of the latest listings, pricing trends, negotiation tactics and more. They will have VIP access to hot pre-construction condos. Critically, they can advocate for your interests and ensure you don't overpay. Many buyers find it invaluable to have professional representation on their side.

Before seriously shopping, get pre-approved for a mortgage. This is another important step you can’t ignore. Having proper financing approvals shows sellers you're a qualified buyer ready to act fast on your dream home.

Richmond Hill presents fantastic opportunities for first-time buyers - if you approach it with a smart strategy. Do your homework on affordability, neighborhoods, must-haves and resale factors. With perseverance and guidance, you'll find the perfect Richmond Hill property to start building your future.

[its-monster-mash]

Alright so, there’s been a sleep between me and the House of Wax rewatch, so I’m going to TRY to organize my feelings by Chronological order of the movie. This is going to get long, so there will be a cut so I don’t take up too much dash-space for people who want to scroll past.

Basics of it: Bo Sinclair apologism and Let Vincent Have Agency over his own actions. Also people are DICKS to rural people for no reason, like seriously FUCK Wade. Wade Deserved It.

So RIGHT off the bat, with Bo’s first appearance in the woods with his truck—Bo did NOTHING wrong here. I live in a very rural area(I grew up in the middle of the woods, but now I live a ten minute walk from where I used to—there are so many cows). Where I’m from, if the landowner catches you in his woods you’re as likely to get SHOT AT as not. Showing up in a truck and staring at you is kind of a universal POLITE, gun free, warning—most people WILL scramble when someone shows up if they’re trespassing in the woods.

Now, what I think Bo was doing here was taking a headcount—deciding whether or not he wanted to deal with them, and I actually think he decided AGAINST killing them.

Despite the fact that they treated him aggressively and fucked up his truck, I feel like it cannot be stressed enough that BO DID GET THE FAN BELT.

Again, as a person from the middle of nowhere, it made ME fucking furious the way Wade came into town and just started breaking into places and LITERALLY breaking things. And, without prior knowledge that the church was full of wax victims, Wade was so impatient that he just couldn’t wait for Bo to FINISH UP AT THE FUNERAL, and decided to just let himself into Bo’s shop and take a fanbelt—leaving a “This is probably enough” amount of money. The entire time ripping on rural people and how they live(not to mention how he treated LESTER. Lester 100% acted like a normal guy around here. 10/10 girls I knew growing up would have LOVED to see his knife. That was an EXTREMELY normal interaction where I’m from.).

ANYWAY BO.

Bo straight up told them they could wait for him while he went ALONE to his house to get the part(also Wade questioning that a MECHANIC has some of his stock at home?? Fuck you man), and it was Wade that insisted on going along.

I do not think Bo intended for Vincent to go Snip Snip through the floorboards. (On top of that, Wade made the DUMBEST little noises after getting sliced—Bo getting changed upstairs probably 1000% thought “Jesus Christ the fucker is blowing up my goddamn bathroom”. He may not have even known yet that Vincent got him; depending on whether or not he noticed the signs of struggle in the already kind of messy house.

(On THAT note, I got pissed as hell the way Wade was judging the Sinclair Home—like bitch you are the reason moms in the early 2000s went berserk about the house needing to be spotless when guests come.)

Bo was genuinely surprised when Carly LOCKED HIM OUT OF HIS OWN TRUCK. I feel like THAT was the point where Bo decided “Fuck it.”

I think that, up until then, Bo WAS going to fix up their car and get them on their way, because he KNEW they had a whole lot of friends who were coming back for them—Bo may not be the brightest, but I feel like he was smart enough to know that that could have got them caught or hurt.

My best friend and I joked that we would have survived our trip to Ambrose because we simply would not have been assholes. (And we would been HUGE nerds in the Wax Museum, and well, NOT took a lighter to the pieces??? Vincent probably would NOT have shanked us. Tbh we would not have gone into the Sinclair home because when Bo said “You can wait here if you want” we would have simply said “Thank you.”. Well, we wouldn’t have broken into the Museum AT ALL, but given who we are we may have ASKED Bo if we could see it.)

Now, I’m not saying Bo ISN’T a bad guy, like, he very much definitely DID lock Carly in a basement and glue her mouth shut, but I didn’t really see a whole lot of like?? Gratuitous Sadism?? Is there more in a novelization or something?? Like, he threatened her to keep her quiet—but since he and his twin are literally serial killers I think that’s pretty standard?

[EDIT: In subsequent watches I DID notice the poleroids in Bo's torture dungeon garage basement. Other points still stand though.]

The fact that Carly was able to so EASILY dismantle the chair makes me kind of feel like it wasn’t really used much? I mean, Bo is a mechanic, you’d think if that were a thing he made a habit of it would be in better repair. I didn’t really get the feeling that this was like, an average Tuesday Night for Bo or anything.

(On that note, I would have been the worst victim because the MINUTE he turned the music on I would have been like “Oh shit dude I like your taste” and he would just “???” Of course, I may have met a completely DIFFERENT fate because I simply would not have locked him out of his truck. There would have been no chase.)

AND VINCENT.

I don’t get where the “Uwu Soft Boy” “Bo’s Victim” thing comes from unless people were just taking Carly’s late-movie assumptions at face value??

Like, Vincent DID very much get in a truck and go into the woods just to hunt Blake and Paige. Like, he had no reason to do that, and Bo was straight up mad about it until he settled down and told Vincent he did good and they’d fit the set. Like, Bo is the one who imprisoned Carly, but Vincent VERY MUCH WAS THE ONE WHO DID THE KILLINGS. Bo did not tell him to do any of that. It kind of makes me mad because it feels like Vincent’s agency is downplayed a lot in the fandom and that it’s just because of Bo snapping on him One(1) Time, and Carly’s assumption in the final chase.

And as far as Bo snapping on him goes!!

Bo had AN ARROW IN HIS CHEST AT THE TIME(Also Bo, I love you, but FUCK WHY DID YOU PULL THE FINS OF THE ARROW THROUGH YOUR ARM??? He should have just?? Cut the arrowhead off and pulled the SMOOTH part through?? This man). I think most people are prone to snapping when they’re in severe pain(and I think the way Vincent IMMEDIATELY rushed in to survey Bo’s wounds shows a lot about how they DO care about each other, like very clearly Vincent is not AFRIAD of Bo—considering even after he snapped Vincent was just like “Whatever, go ahead and bleed, I’m going back to fixing up my mask.”). The sibling of mine I actually KNOW is significantly younger than me, so we didn’t have any kind of antagonism with each other—largely because I was a Parentified Sibling—but every close in age pair of siblings I know can be pretty mean to each other, but always in an “ONLY I CAN PICK ON MY SIBLING” kind of way. Bo calling Vincent a “Freak” and then IMMEDIATELY taking on a softer voice and telling him how great his art is had HUGE “I’m sorry, you can hit me back, don’t tell Mom.” Energy. I really don’t think Bo abuses Vincent.

I mean, he said “You’re not supposed to go anywhere WITHOUT ME”, which implies that they DO go places together; and given how easily Vincent killed everyone he killed in the movie, it makes a LOT of sense that Bo wouldn’t want him going out alone. Especially if(and this is my own speculation) Bo is used to always being around to “Protect” Vincent from people who would make fun of him.

>Inserting this here because I forgot to mention it: I genuinely think all the killing started while Trudy was still alive, because Bo talks about how he and Vincent can “Finish what she started”. Additionally, in the beginning of the movie, Lester gives that little speech about how people can “get used to a lot”. That makes me feel like the brothers were probably RAISED to do the things that they do(supported by the fact that the fucked up machinery Vincent puts his victims in looks OLD, so it’s not unlikely that Trudy used it first). That doesn’t absolve Bo and Vincent, of course, but it does make them ALSO victims.

Moving on to Carly’s speculation at the end—she CLEARLY pissed Vincent off. I mean, she just BEAT HIS BROTHER TO DEATH and then called BO a freak and suggested that BO was behind everything. Not only did she kill HIS twin(and she and Nick would know better than anyone how much pain Vincent must have been feeling in that moment) but she called BO a Freak too. Given the amount of abuse Vincent watched his parents hurl at Bo, that was probably a rehashing of how he felt when his parents would bind and beat Bo and yell horrible things at him. (Also like, FUCK, the fact that Bo’s high chair STILL has fucking blood on it??? Like their father was a DOCTOR, and he just made Bo sit and eat with his Rotting Old Blood right there??? FUCK.)

And finally, Lester sitting on the back of his truck at the end of the movie, Jonesy sitting with him—he was probably waiting around for some sign of what happened to his brothers, and THAT breaks my goddamn heart.

But like, bottom line, I don’t think Bo was the “Evil Twin” much in the same way that Nick wasn’t actually that bad of a guy. The Sinclairs are obviously the result of a very fucked up upbringing, but aside from the whole wax thing and the locking Carly in the basement, Bo actually feels like a pretty normal dude??? By slasher standards??? I definitely don’t get any kind of a “Bo is the mastermind” vibes from the movie—it feels very much more like this is just the life that’s been NORMAL to Bo and Vincent for so long.

Yeah, they should have just left Ambrose and NOT kept killing, but Bo is CLEARLY still trying to get his mother’s love, and I don’t think Vincent even WANTS to stop. I don’t think Bo would have ever left Vincent even if HE wanted to stop.

[just-sg]

This very much depends on where you are.

If there were only three other queer kids in your school, and you're already closeted to half your family, and the half who don't know make snide comments when they see people they think look too queer or have bad takes about stories on the news, and you get people passive-aggressively misgendering you or your friends regularly already, then okay, maybe you don't want to risk it getting worse, or maybe you and your friends grasp each other's hands and try to hold strong together.

If the first scenario here sounds like a massive improvement over your own life, and you already have a very real fear of violent physical harm on a regular basis and have been struggling to have any semblance of being open, and you have little to no local community to stand with, please keep yourself safe. And if you were already closeted and afraid to come out where you live, be extra, extra careful about any moves you decide to make. I'm not saying no one could or should newly come out in the near future but be careful.

Of course if you're somewhere with a more noticeable community already, trying to keep it up is a noble endeavor. If you live in a bigger city or even a 'conservative part' of a broadly liberal area (i.e. conservative by California standards, for example, which still isn't great but is wildly different from something like the rural South or a lot of non-US places currently getting worse), then standing not only for your local community but as a representation that our movement won't die is amazing. But if you are already isolated, don't try to make yourself a martyr. It's not a betrayal to keep yourself safe, especially the greater danger you're in.

Additionally, a reminder that online support and openness also matters. Yes, there's a huge general problem with people being vocal about activism online and doing nothing around them, but especially for something like just existing as a queer person, anonymous virtual spaces serving as an escape has been vital to so many people's survival for decades already. Seeing through that that we aren't alone has been vital to so many people for so many reasons and still will be. This isn't an all or nothing deal. It's not "give up your whole identity" or "be as loud as possible". You're no less queer if you have to go back in the closet, and even if you can't do as much good for the community as a whole from inside, you're far from powerless. Hold on as long as you can.

so the thing I haven't seen anyone say yet about not obeying in advance is that yes, it puts you as an individual at some risk! but it makes us as a collective safer, and the more people do that the more true it is!!

going back into the closet, for example, might make you as an individual safer, but the more of us who chose to stay out of the closet, the safer it is for anyone who wants to be out. the more people resist, the easier resistance becomes.

and it's scary! it's absolutely scary, and I don't judge anyone for how they individually choose to handle the risk, but I personally don't think that hiding from the risk is the answer. I think the more we choose to tolerate the risk and live authentically anyway, the safer we all are

[outerrangesource]

'Outer Range' star Tamara Podemski explains her cliffhanger ending and Season 2 hopes

INVERSE: What was it like working with the show’s talented cast?

TAMARA PODEMSKI: The benefit of booking the job in April 2020 and then having a year to freak out about it and prepare so that I was totally calm and cool by the time I got to share scenes with Josh Brolin and Tom Pelphrey really helped me. If I would have just been thrown into it, it would have been an intense shock to my system. So I’m grateful for the year lead-up. I had to get my heart and head into the right space. Not just to know that I was worthy to share space, but also be able to do it and enjoy it because they’re fun scenes.

You can’t go into a dark story world like that and be serious all the time. You need to go in with a sense of wonder and play. It’s easy to do because Josh brings that sense of fun to everything. That was important to balance out the crazy place we all had to exist in for seven months.

What first attracted you to the role of Sheriff Joy and how did creator Brian Watkins explain the character?

They really wanted her to be the light in the dark, and that attracted me to her. I do love playing those kinds of heroes, those moral compasses. In terms of Indigenous representation on screen, I wanted to make sure I was a strong woman presence in that world. What I was concerned about was that she was too good. I needed to make sure that I found a way to allow her to slowly have a breakdown of her value system, and that you could see that pull existing in her.

In those early conversations, they were trying to keep Joy in that lift. Joyous. Joyful. The beautiful arc of Joy is that you get to see the desire for the votes start to compromise her values, and I needed to allow her to do that, even though I wanted to keep her pure and good.

When did you finally discover the core of Sheriff Joy while filming?

I really dropped into her when she takes down the meth-head in the gas station convenience store. It was an important side of her to see, especially in the point of comparison to the Abbotts and the Tillersons. She’s this model citizen who believes in the good. We know she has to be fierce and tough and smart and be able to physically protect and serve. I wish there was more of that. It just really rounded her out. In those rural areas, sheriffing is a lot of driving or you’re sitting at a desk. My physicality is a large part of how I meet characters, and so I needed that scene.

What aspects of your uniform or environment sealed the character for you?

I was so much a part of that. The art direction team was incredibly inclusive and invited me into all the conversations about what her home would be like. In making Joy’s home, I felt her start to grow. Choosing that beaded holster was a huge identifier of how she’s proud to represent who she is and where she comes from. She also has a braid of sweetgrass on her rear-view mirror. That’s a very Indian thing to do, putting some kind of medicine around your mirror, an eagle feather, or some sweetgrass. I felt like I had her way before I even put that wardrobe on. Those things made me feel like I made her too.

Which elements of your Native American heritage did you want to inject most to your performance?

It was when we brought the Wind River community into it, and Joy goes back to her reservation. My 30 years of telling Indigenous stories on stage and on screen, knowing the responsibility you have to your community, and to correct a narrative that has really screwed us severely for a long time, it was most important that we not only represent her community accurately on the screen, but also I wanted the experience of the members involved to be different from what they’ve ever experienced before. It’s about how you ensure that they have safe travel, that they are taken care of, and that their regalia is treated with respect.

Hollywood has allowed the use of our people, customs, or music in film to serve whatever story they need without understanding that it’s not to use at your leisure. I feel like we changed something when we filmed that episode. We started with a prayer. We invited the crew and offered them insight into what the pow wow is and what it represents. We felt so seen and so respected. We had a protocol and a different approach, and it was very meaningful.

What is the show’s trans-dimensional void and what does it represent for you?

The interesting thing about the hole, which Joy never sees, is that there are Indigenous stories in Montana and Wyoming about these time portals on reservations. It was asked of Brian Watkins, and he’d never heard of these portal stories on reservations. This was just what his own imagination dreamed up. That’s why I resist calling it sci-fi because to me these are stories I’ve heard. These multi-dimensional realms and universes are very common in some of our Indigenous stories. I don’t think Joy is as freaked out by the crazy stories. What’s weird to her are how these repressed, cut-off, or unspiritual people interact with the hole. That’s the thing that’s so very bizarre. I also love that the hole is not the only way to transition.

After your vision of the buffalo herd and Indigenous settlement in the season finale, what else do you hope to explore for Sheriff Joy’s journey in Season 2?

It doesn’t help the full Outer Range story, but for selfish reasons, I’d want her to stay there and connect with her ancestors. But realistically, I hope she learns something there that can give her the strength to finish the fight and find a way to stand up for what she’s fighting for, which is the goodness of this whole community. She was rooting for all of them. I think she’s 10 years away from being her strongest self. We’re finding her in that growth spurt. And to be fiercer and bolder and win that election!

[earthstellar]

TFP Concept Essay: What if the bots had come to Earth and landed in Russia?

Almost a year ago, I posted about a jokey mental image of Ratchet having to wear a giant ushanka if they had landed in Russia because he’s an old bot and would be more prone to cold metal fatigue, but it got me thinking: 

What if the Cybertronians had made contact on Earth in Russia, and not the USA? 

Why Russia? 

Both continents would be appealing from a landing standpoint; The USA and Russia both cover a massive amount of land, so even without knowledge of human national borders, it’s safe to assume that the areas on the globe that would look the most appealing may very well be: 

-North American Continent

-Russia/Eastern Europe

-African Continent 

Now, without knowledge of human national borders, many other parts of Europe, South America, etc. may have also seemed like good options at first, Brazil and Mexico come to mind, but we need to establish what Cybertronians would be looking at in terms of terrain and population risk. 

We can assume that Cybertronians didn’t have prior information on the actual life, society, and general human construction on Earth because the bots (while they have been on Earth long enough to have at least cursory knowledge of humans) still act as though humanity is a bit novel to them.

 A lot of information would not have been available to them outside of Earth’s orbit or atmosphere, and by the time they were in atmosphere, a decision would have to be made quickly based on relative proximity and what data they could scan for within that possibly very limited amount of time.

Nevada, USA likely seemed appealing because it has mountainous and flat terrain in large swathes, with few largely inhabited areas especially near old nuclear testing sites (some radiation may have appeared on any scans they were capable of performing once in-atmosphere and that ambient radiation may have obscured the radiation that they themselves generate as we know sparks emit radioisotopes), making it a good option if they happened to wind up over North America and had to make a quick call. 

(All of this assumes that they had some control over where they landed; It may have been the situation that their ship was damaged enough that they just had to end up wherever they ended up, in which case, they just as easily could have wound up making contact in Russia anyway.) 

This isn’t to ignore the suggestion that Cybertronians had prior, ancient involvement with Earth in some capacity. In fact, that’s a big part of why I think Russia is a reasonable place for them to go. 

-We know Unicron’s energy was deposited into or directly forms the core of Earth. This is explained, albeit quickly, that at some point in Earth’s early history, when Unicron was expelled from Cybertron, his life force ended up on Earth. 

-Would Earth have still been Pangea at that time? What did the continental layout of Earth look like when Unicron’s energy nestled into the planet? 

-Assuming Unicron’s impact with Earth was not the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, which in the TFP universe it may well have been given the timeline of Cybertron relative to Earth, let’s instead assume continental drift had already occurred. 

-Russia is well known for perma-frost and preserved biological life in layers going back centuries. I have a great visual concept of Unicron’s dark energon appearing as purple or black layers of ice, settled unseen and unnoticed under the ground. 

-We also know energon is naturally occuring, in a crystalline, mineral like form. Just like Nevada, USA, many parts of Russia have a similar history of mineral mines and crystal mines, so the actual potential for energon crystals to grow is definitely equal if not arguably better in Russia as there is far more variety of geological conditions across Russia as a nation than there is across Nevada as a state. 

-To better explain the above idea, Czech could also be an energon deposit area, as we know Czech crystal and mineral mines are very successful which is why they are able to produce so much garnet, and even garnet of different varieties. Red garnet and the rarer black garnet. We can assume energon and dark energon would form crystals similar, but not exactly the same, and we know that Central and Eastern Europe have very good geological conditions for this already in real life! 

Compare red garnet with energon, and black garnet with dark energon; Similar structures but very different end results: 

Notice also how energon crystals seem to form in clusters like plain quartz, which is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s crust: 

We can assume that because the crystal structures of quartz and energon are so similar, that energon may have the geological ability to thrive and be harvested from most areas on Earth in a similar fashion, so this doesn’t necessarily rule out other appealing continents/areas, either! 

But it’s not unreasonable to believe that when coming into atmosphere, the Cybertronian ship tech would likely pick up recognisable energy signatures before managing to process other purely Earth-native data. In doing so, they may notice concentrations of energon and dark energon in Central and Eastern Europe, or perhaps contaminated dark energon from Unicron’s initial contact with Earth within the terrain or perma-frost areas (where applicable), and decide to head towards those regions as fuel will be easier to find and closer to any base they might be able to establish. 

What if Decepticons land first? 

The above section also assumes the Autobots are the first to reach Earth; If the Decepticons were to arrive first, I have no doubt that they would head for any concentrations of dark energon as commanded by Megatron. Countries with larger land mass and older long-lived terrain may have a higher concentration than other areas.

For example, Florida would be a bad place for them to look for energon or dark energon deposits in the USA as the state isn’t that far above seawater and erosion is a huge problem, so there is likely very little dark energon concentrated in the actual land. No significant deposits would be found as there isn’t enough actual ground to contain all that much, compared to other places that may have mountains, hills, ice, valleys, etc. that may accumulate such materials over time significantly better and with higher concentration/overall quantity. This is why other peninsulas, islands, or coastal/water heavy areas like the Mediterranean or Holland may not be as appealing to the Decepticons.

Back to searching for the right spot...

Looking for a place to land, Central Europe, although with good crystal potential, may not look like as good of an option, due to population density that would become evident once better scans were available. Rural areas in a lot of Central European countries are still relatively small in comparison to slightly more north on the map, where rural Russian areas may afford larger spaces to work with, proximity to a wider range of supplies, afford a degree of secrecy, and there may be complexes or materials that could be easily stripped or repurposed that wouldn’t impact on native human life or communities/wouldn’t draw much attention. 

And remember what I said about radiated areas possibly affording cover for their own naturally emitted radioisotopes which may otherwise be detected by human instrumentation; Russia has a similar history of radiological site contamination to that in Nevada, USA-- And not just Chernobyl, which also irradiated Belarus as well as Ukraine, but there’s also Mayak/Kyshtym/Lake Karachay and the surrounding East Urals irradiation, among a few other sites. It might be an appealing factor for them to consider when choosing somewhere to land. 

(I don’t want to skim over the fact that people do live in the these affected areas; I highly suggest you research into this if you’re reading this and have never heard of those sites. There used to be a fundraiser for people living in and around Mayak as well as an awareness effort, but I’m unsure of where that link/website has gone. If I find it again, I will link it. For now, here is a documentary/interview series with local people; Please be aware it may be upsetting, but their voices deserve to be heard if you think you can handle it.) 

Once landed, they could also survey more, and consider their options. Russia has a lot of rural space in some areas, and plenty of very appealing abandoned sites that could possibly be converted into functional bases when supplemented with metal and other materials collected from other similar abandoned industry areas or factories etc., which would spare them the need to actually make their own; They could just re-use the raw material, whatever’s usable, and if necessary look for better cover. 

Russia has tons of biomes/terrain types: 

So they have options. We know in TFP that extreme cold does impact Cybertronians, so tundra and more northern arctic territory would be ruled out, but I can easily see them going for a rural abandoned industrial site in a forested area, which would provide significant visual cover, likely areas already cleared out by previous industry in a given area, and minimal chance of discovery by humans depending on specifically where they end up. 

How would Cybertronian-Human alliances go down? 

A big difference in approach to setting up a base would be the Russian government/forces, and the reaction to the Autobot arrival. 

In TFP, the bots work directly with the USA Air Force/Army, and the base seems to be primarily US Army operated. Their existence and the operations at their base may well be hidden from the wider USA Federal government for the most part at least, possibly using the already secretive clustered Nevada sites as a cover and making the Autobots something of an internal local operation or “quiet site”, which would fit what we see on screen generally speaking. We don’t really get a lot of clarification on this part of things.

But what would the reaction of the Russian government/Army be to discovering the Autobots? 

We know that Russian national forces are very, very capable of defending their air space. It’s unlikely if not impossible that a Cybertronian ship would go undetected or unnoticed, if not immediately then at least within. Seismic data is often monitored and reported as well, so the actual impact of landing may trigger an alert record to be sent to the relevant people, who can escalate those reports. 

Think about Japanese tsunami/earthquakes or West Coast USA earthquakes, and how quickly public alerts and operations are put underway, even before physical effects are felt. Most nations have at least some similar system in place, sometimes to detect earthquakes, others to detect suspected weapons impacts.

We can safely assume that even if they were remote and under as much cover as possible, it wouldn’t be long before Russian forces were involved, and therefore the Russian government. 

I won’t comment on the politics of other nations, although I am very open to hearing from Russian people about their take on this, but it is very possible that the initial engagement would go one of two ways: 

1) Defensive Conflict

2) Attempted Diplomatic Resolution 

I don’t believe conflict would be immediate, because of the sheer physical intimidation and surprise factors. Nobody expects to find giant robot aliens, and there may be immediate challenges surrounding basics like verbal communication (have the Autobots learned human language, in this case Russian, by the time of their discovery?) and so on. This may complicate first contact, as it would anywhere.  

I don’t know if resolution would be reached, as I think it’s likely that the Russian govt would like to weaponize or manipulate the Autobots, use them to intimidate other nations (”look, we have giant robot aliens”), or upon learning of the Russian government or after becoming more aware of the political/social mood amongst Russian citizens if they encounter any communities and perform low key intelligence gathering for a better idea of the local humans, seeing material conditions in some of these more rural areas, after obtaining historical or current socio-political data, etc., Optimus or others may simply decide they don’t wish to work with the government and attempt to peacefully decline, thus issuing diplomatic ultimatums (similar to the back and forth that occurs when trying to establish treaty agreements).

I’d like to note here that I think the Autobots likely had to have a similar discussion with the USA govt, as I think the US Army would have initially had a very similar thought process. I get the feeling Optimus made it clear he wouldn’t be manipulated and wouldn’t be caught up in other conflict(s)/fight human battles.

However, this would be their first experience with human government, as this would be their first contact. They may well assume that this is representative of how things work on Earth until they have the chance to learn otherwise, and in an attempt to be diplomatic, Optimus might cooperate until it becomes clear that it isn’t a good fit, and how the Russian government would handle the subsequent conversation would be anyone’s guess. (Again, Russian people, please tell me what you think!) 

Ultimately, either USA or Russian governments would likely want to at least not ruin diplomatic relations with a space-faring, seemingly extremely powerful alien species. Sometimes that’s what it comes down to, and that would be enough, although conflict could arise here and there, like when we see Agent Fowler have to defend the Autobots to his superiors. 

Episode / Scene Concepts

I have an excellent image of further down the line, however, where things are smoothed over or at least tenuously managed with the Russian govt (perhaps an allotted small autonomous zone for the bots to create their base in with minimal interference, under certain conditions)... There could be so much potential for some great episodes with human interaction with the bots. 

-A great episode of just creating the base, figuring out what’s around, gives us a look at where they are in Russia and who’s nearby, we could see some pretty beautiful shots of abandoned Soviet tech and sites being repurposed and revitalised (with Russian designs remaining evident in the final base construction, just with Cybertronian flair). Maybe within the Autobot Autonomous Zone we would even see locals engaging with the process after the initial shock...

I have an image of Ratchet arguing with an old Russian engineer, and it goes on for a while until the engineer explains to Ratchet that working with scarce resources in less than ideal conditions isn’t exactly new to them, and they might have some valuable tips for working under such conditions. Ratchet comes to respect the engineer after they work together to create a functional power network made from old factory components, a few turbines from an old textile workshop, power generators from abandoned Soviet sites, and power poles made from disused radar systems. 

They relate to each other after they get to talking while cleaning up the rest of the work, and it turns out both of them have similar concerns about the futures of their respective peoples, and have some degree of depression over what they feel they may have lost forever to political games and wars beyond their control, sharing some memories with each other. The engineer is their first local human ally. 

-Russian kids stumbling upon the bots! I’d love to see parallels to the American TFP kids. Miko from Yakutia would be the best, and I believe I talked about that with someone on here months ago. I still love the idea.

-Who would the Agent Fowler character be? He’s listed as being a US Army Ranger, and I’m not sure what the equivalent rank would be in the Russian Army. Google tells me that the equivalent would be a Spetsnaz role, but I am unfamiliar with Russian Army structure, or how personnel might be allocated to the proposed Autobot Autonomous Zone or “secret city” realistically. 

It would be good to get an episode where the Agent or equivalent character first meets the Autobots, and how expectations differ from reality. Maybe over time we see a crisis of conscious with this character, where they initially start out as keeping an eye on things for the government, but slowly become friends with the Autobots and wish to engage more genuinely with them and the other humans who may be involved. 

-An episode where Optimus realises they need to learn more about these humans to work with them more effectively, and sets everyone on tasks related to cultural reconnaissance. 

Optimus studies the literature and history of Russia, and has perhaps some spicy takes. Arcee goes on a drive and has fun going up and down hills in Vladivostok, then races a Trans-Siberian Railway train back and takes note of what the people inside the train are doing. Bulkhead explores cultural identity with Yakutian!Miko. 

Ratchet looks into human medicine and is fascinated by Russian folk medicine and goes on a rant about Soviet spa/sanitorium treatment programs. Ultra Magnus delves into Russian law and almost burns out his processor. Wheeljack explores some industrial sites and studies the detonation techniques of Russian construction workers, comparing their casual conversations to those between him and fellow Wreckers. 

Bumblebee finds an old radio station and uncovers some extremely good bops. Smokescreen discovers Russian dash cam videos and gets pulled over for trying to recreate one. 

Phew! Initial post done! 

There might be more in the future as I love this idea, but I’d equally love to hear from Russian TFP fans: What do you think? What episodes or scenes do you think would be fun or interesting? Is there anything you’d like to add or change? 

Please add whatever you’d like, and if anything I said above comes across as uninformed, I encourage you to correct me or pitch other ideas if you would be so kind as to take the time to do so. :) 

[hamloid]

This Guide Will Help You Select The Ideal Van-Life Vehicle That Is Right For You

It's known as "van-life", "overlanding" or whatever you prefer. I've been doing this since the days when it was known simply as "living in your car." Over the course of many years and thousands of miles, I've learned what it takes to find a car you love. If you know what you want to search for, vans, SUVs and pickups can all be modified to fit the road-trip lifestyle.

Your daily life as a van driver will be influenced by the vehicle you choose to convert. The comfort, the volume of cargo you can carry, your day-to-day cost of living, even the likelihood of being pulled up by Karens or police officers--all are affected by your choice of vehicle.

If budget isn't a problem purchasing a van that is ready for life is, of course an easy task. Many companies now provide vans designed for endless road-tripping. But they aren't cheap. Even if they are used, for instance the popular Mercedes Sprinter will run you up to $35,000. Buy new and the sky is the limit.

We're not talking about the pre-made overlanders. Instead, I'm writing to the DIYers out there Many of them are probably working with the confines of a budget. If that's you, then let's get rolling.

Size and shape

The first thing you should consider when attempting to construct a home on wheels is how much area you'll be working with. The more room you have, the more space you'll have. On the other hand If you're living too large, you'll end up spending every penny for gas to transport the huge rig around.

It is important to strike the right equilibrium between how much space you can fit in and how little. While you might want the spacious panel van, you won't need to drive 14 miles per gallon for your car. A hatchback could be too small for long trips than weekenders, so you will need something with more elbow room.

Certain models also offer body shapes that are better to be converted. Certain SUVs may appear spacious initially, but as you begin building, you might discover that awkward angles or a small top can make it difficult to design an ergonomic camper arrangement. The more bigger the box, the better.

This is why I went with a Honda Element. While it's theoretically identical to a Honda CRV and Subaru Forester The Element is a large box when the seats are taken off. It is much more adaptable than other mid-sized SUVs. For the same reason, minivans are seeing a surge in sales to aftermarket. There's plenty of room for your family when you eliminate the child-friendly seats.

The gas mileage

While the cost of gas is always a major factor, it's now vital in the age of the six-buck-gallons. If you're embracing life on the road and paying your rent (or mortgage, if you're over 50) at the pump. A high MPG can make it impossible to live an ordinary life. It is likely that this is the reason you'll see increasing numbers of people choosing smaller SUVs rather than big vans these days.

Handling and capability

In my set-up, traveled more than 40,000 miles across North America last year. This covered all weather conditions and roads. Off-roading in Moab. Blizzards in Oregon, Idaho. Rural Mexico has bedraggled roads. Numerous rainstorms and hairpin mountain passes have been recorded. One tornado could have been in Colorado.

Overlanding isn't unusual for these kinds of driving situations. There are a lot of van conversions bouncing across the hardtop just outside Vegas, inching their way through a Pendleton snowstorm in winter's chilly temperatures, or attempting mucky dirt roads through the backcountry of Northern California.

In essence, you need the vehicle to be capable of handling the most severe road (or off-road) conditions you're likely to throw at it. The all-wheel drive feature in my Honda Element trim made it an ideal vehicle. Other reliable vehicles that you'll frequently encounter in the van-life scene include the Ford Transit, Subaru Forester, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Toyota 4Runner.

Reliability and the condition

The most obvious reason for looking for a car that's in good condition involves the human desire to ensure that you don't get a car that is broken down in the middle of the road, but an efficient conversion could have more ramifications.

Van-life was a new trend prior to the year 2020. It gained popularity because of the pandemic. Many people were looking for other travel options. Van conversions are now observed everywhere, and a lot of people who are not a fan of vans are fed up with the idea. People (or the police) who may not have been a bit irritated by someone parking on their streets for a night's rest a few years back are now much more likely to get up and make you go.

This has led to the growth of "stealth van-lifing" which is the act of parking your vehicle in a suburban or urban area and not attracting the attention of the locals. There are many techniques one can use to accomplish this, however, it all begins with the appearance of the vehicle.

[prof-peach]

Please, I need help with a rescue Togepi. Basicaly, she had been given to her 'trainer' by a dad who thought that a Togipi was the perfect pokemon for his 'baby girl'. said girl wanted a fighting type and basically just put this poor Togepi on a pile of blankets in the closet and left her there. it looks like she was also only fed things like chips and soda. She doesn't make any sounds and has an aversion to touch. I've only ever worked with Eevee/lutions but I desperately want to do this right

Right well, they’ll need to have their own space, first and foremost.for this case I’d suggest a small hide, within a larger space. You want to put healthier foods and fresh water at the other end of this space, to coax them to come out of their own accord to get use to being outside of a box. If all this pokemons known is a dark cupboard, then provide one of those towels from the old cupboard, a cardboard box, with a door cut into it would do, and also offer up other bedding items within their own space, this can be fabrics, hay, cotton down from Pokemon like wooloo or whimsicott, or shredded papers, they may take a liking to some of the new textures offered and begin using it to make their home more comfortable for them. The body of togepi within its egg, as you may have already noticed is covered in very small, very soft feather, not fur, and not skin. I’d advise not returning the Pokemon to a ball while working with it, unless of course you return them for safety reasons. They do need to have access to a bath, they will sometimes do this in their drinking water if one is not provided. It shouldn’t be more than 3-4cm deep, but big enough for them to sit in and manoeuvre to preen. They don’t do this often but it helps them settle to have the option. Outside of their new cardboard box home, try to keep it bright, and get the airflow up. Good fresh air, if you can, open a window and pop a guard over it to stop them hopping out and getting hurt. If you can, try to find someone locally who has one of this pokemons evolutions, and see if they could let them come to visit form time to time, having a gentle matured individual of the same species will certainly coax them out of their shell...no pun intended. Provide toys and games outside, offer them a chance to interact with them alone, no one watching them intently. This Pokemon will become more shy if you keep your eyes glued to it. Best thing you can do is to include them but not have the focus on their participation. Everyone’s playing? Give them a few things to look at, even if you leave them at the door of their box house, they may be tempted to peek out and see what going on.

This is a serious case of neglect and isolation, so don’t expect this to be a fast recovery. This poor Pokemon has had a rough start, and at such a young stage in their development. They’ve had no chance to gain social skills, learn about how the world works, or explore even just the home that’s been around them, so go slow and stead, all the way. Giving it a chance to meet one of its own kind is often a gateway for many Pokemon, they connect to them better, they recognise and relate to each other so much more. That’s not to say other species won’t be friendly and helpful, but this Pokemon hasn’t had a chance to even learn about itself, it’s skills, it’s heritage, seeing another Pokemon that looks like them will usually spark some curiosity and bravery in them. Even if they don’t interact much at the beginning keep bringing round others of this species, prefrably the same one if possible, keep a schedule, don’t make it a big song and dance, but certainly tell them they may have a visitor the day before and again the morning of. Routine helps them adjust, they learn there’s times and places for certain things, breakfast, playtime, if you want them to open up to you it may also be wise to let them know what you’re doing day to day. Just talk at them, don’t have to sit and have an intense conversation, just chat towards them in a light and upbeat way, and they’ll get use to humans being around them, it will also help to teach them that if you say you’re going out for an hour to get groceries, or to see your family, that you’ll be back. They won’t just get left alone again, put away in some cupboard like last time. I don’t doubt for a second that this togepi is going through a lot right now, new smells, new sounds, strange Pokemon, they don’t know you, or your family or your friends, they are no doubt terrified of so much right now. I would focus on getting them comfortable in the home before you tackle outdoors but if you can, alwasy offer them a way out to fresh air, just in case, Pokemon who haven’t interacted with others much tend to scope out a home to see when the Pokemon and people are gone to asleep, using this quiet time to come out and explore, to get a feel of the place. Give them that chance. If they at any point develop the strength to come out of hiding and test the waters, they gotta be able to take it so long as it’s safe. We advise keeping them near a door to the outside, with a small area around the exit fenced off, so they don’t go missing. This is fine if you have an enclosed garden, but if you live somewhere rural, it may be easy to lose such a small Pokemon.

As for the aversion to touch, they may never develop a huge love of it, or they may just not be use to it at this point in time. Pokemon can be pretty feral until handled and trained not to be, try them on different berries and fruits until you find their favourites, then use this as treats to coax them out of hiding, they can have the treat if they come get it. Start a few cm outside of their box hide, and every time they attain the fruit they love, add another cm or two. in time you may get them to come out without hesitation, or even as soon as you turn up in the space. It takes time, but they’ll get use to you being around, from there it’s quite easy to encourage play and develop a way to interact without freaking them out so much, touch should be done gradually, don’t just grab them a load and think it’ll work, they gotta be ok with it too. Alwasy ask permission, and don’t be upset with them if they get spooked and hide away again. It’s ok, there’s plenty of time to practice some more.

Start with this, once they’re brave enough to handle the house, we can discuss the great outdoors should they still have any severe issues. For most it’s a case of exposure and support. They must know it’s ok to feel how they feel, be it scared, or nervous, or sad, whatever it is, it’s fine. Everyone feels that way at some point, what they’re going through is entirely unfair, but it’s happened, so all you can do as a human is be there, and do your best to show them that there’s more to life. Taking on a case like this may mean sleepless nights and early mornings, but it’s worth it, these Pokemon are sweethearts to be around when they like you, don’t give up, and if it gets too difficult, call in help, ask your local nurses, talk to other humans who work with the species, contact professors again. We’re all here to help.

[dimonds456]

Okay, listen:

You know what? I am going to say this right here, right now. People aren’t reading the tags I write on things I reblog, and I am clearing the air. 

I WISH DEATH ON NO ONE.

NO ONE deserves to die because of something their group or circle is doing. NO ONE deserves to die because they said something racist, transphobic, aphobic, ableist, ect. NO ONE deserves to die because of another death related to them, on purpose or otherwise. NO ONE deserves to die because they have some kind of mental illness, or they’re struggling emotionally/physically. NO ONE deserves to die because of the way they were raised.

Yes, people do bad things. THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT’S SUDDENLY OKAY TO TAKE MORE LIFE. All you’re doing is brewing more violence. There are other punishments for all offenses, and the chance to let these people see that what they did was wrong.

Am I saying to forgive people who do terrible things? NO. It’s up to you if you want to forgive anyone for things like that. 

It’s not your place to play with people’s lives and lifespans like that. A lot of the time, isn’t that why you’re mad at the person in the first place? Because they took a life?

I am NOT an apologist. I am NOT forgiving people who do bad things. I am NOT defending people from consequence. What I am doing is putting my foot down. Death isn’t a good punishment, EVER. You can’t learn if you’re dead. You can’t see the ignorance you held onto if you’re dead. You can’t pull your life together because you wouldn’t have one anymore.

I get it. Some actions are inexcusable. I am going to stop being general and specify that I’m referring specifically to the whole “kill the cops” thing going around right now. YOUR PROFESSION DOES NOT DETERMINE WHETHER YOU ARE GOOD OR BAD. Just because someone is a cop, why does that automatically make them a bad person?

To everyone who knows me: I wanted to be a cop for the longest time when I was little. They were so cool and caring to us. I live in a rural area, and not a diverse one either, but my point is the same. If I decided to become a cop, does that make me bad? Or am I just trying to pursue a career that seemed healthy? Helpful? Protecting people, stopping bad guys- that’s what cops are to me. Yes, that can be abused, and as we’re seeing now, IT IS. But that doesn’t make all cops bad.

If you decided to become a police officer right now, are you suddenly a bad person?

By wishing death on someone, okay. I get it. That person did some really messed-up things. I don’t agree with you- I wish death on no one- but I’m not going to argue unless I seriously think they don’t deserve it. However,

WISHING DEATH ON AN ENTIRE GROUP BECAUSE OF THE ACTIONS OF A SELECT FEW INDIVIDUALS IS CHILDISH, IGNORANT, AND IGNORING A HUGE CHUNK OF THE PROBLEM. YOU ARE CREATING MORE ISSUES BY DOING THIS. 

If you have a problem with what I am saying here, please leave my blog. I WISH DEATH ON NO ONE, and I certainly don’t believe an ENTIRE GROUP should be killed off because of the horrible actions of a select few. You know who else has those mindsets? Genocidal people. WHICH IS AN INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIME. FOR A REASON.

To any cop reading this that is just trying to get by: thank you. Thank you for trying to keep this world safe. Your peers are making you look bad just by deciding to pursue this career, and I hope it gets better. This blog is a safe space for you.

If you are a cop reading this who has done any of those racist things, like arresting black children for petty crimes or automatically assuming violence when dealing with a non-white person, this blog is NOT for you. People are people, and that’s final. Treat everyone with equal respect and fairness, don’t be an asshole, and I hope you can understand why your actions are wrong one day, before it’s too late. I hope you can maybe one day rise up and stand with us to stop racism, and these violent acts on the street for the smallest things that while people wouldn’t even need to get out of their cars for. Until then, leave this blog and don’t come back until you understand- well and truly- what I’ve said here today.

Black children shouldn’t have to be taught to fear cops. They shouldn’t have to be arrested for being suspected of theft with no evidence, then getting screwed over because of it. Black adults shouldn’t have to deal with obeying every law to the letter 24/7 all the time, because even the slightest tiny error may result in their deaths. That shit needs to stop. But it doesn’t end with police officer’s deaths; it ends when the bad cops get their badges taken away forever, and good people replace them. That way, we can arrest the bad people, as it was supposed to be from the very beginning.

I WISH DEATH ON NO ONE. If you can’t agree with this simple statement, get off my blog.

[thiswasinevitableid]

15. Nymph SternClay alternately, Stern is a Dryad residing in a huge forest where a strange creature, similar to humans but different (aka Bigfoot) wanders alone. Ever curious, Stern seeks to understand why this beautiful creature doesn’t seem to have anyone else, and even tries to hide from the few humans who venture deep enough into the woods. Can they be alone together?

Here you go! It’s SFW

Joseph knows he can’t spend every hour in the Great Oak, reading and researching the movements of humans. He still struggles to justify his fascination with creatures that have little contact with his kind. Some of his peers go so far as to insist humans are a myth, or the result of the odd dryad or naiad seeing a bear from the wrong angle. 

This is false, of course, and humans have been getting bold lately, making paths and taking walks deeper and deeper into the trees. This means that dryads assigned to security roles must spend at least six hours a day in their tree to make sure no one threatens their home. Joseph is in a Copper Beech not far from the GreenBriar river, mentally drawing up his to-do list for the week, when heavy footsteps catch his attention. 

At first he thinks it’s a particularly hairy human tromping through the underbrush, decked out in a ratty flannel shirt and what he’s heard humans refer to as “sweatpants.”  But his feet are bare, his limbs and face covered in dark, copper-flecked fur, and his ears are more pointed than those of a human. He leans against Josephs’ tree, drumming his fingers on it as he surveys the area, massive back-pack slung over his shoulders. There’s a flat patch of grass twenty yards away, and this is where the visitor eventually settles. Within fifteen minutes, a small tent sits on the grass. When the creature crawls inside and lays down, his feet stick out of the flap. 

Once snoring filters into the air, Joseph slips from the tree, conjures a blanket from moss, and sets it across his feet. It gets cold here at night.

His kind gesture does not go as planned.

The instant the fabric hits skin, the figure in the tent jolts upright, growling.  Joseph sits back as his guest's head bursts into the open. Then their positions instantly reverse, the other creature scrambling backwards in alarm.

“What the fuck? Where, where’d you come from, I didn’t hear you, didn’t even smell you sneaking up on me.”

Joseph raises his eyebrows, “Probably because I smell like bark and my footsteps are no different from falling leaves.” He holds out his hand for the creature to shark, “Joseph Stern, dryad.” 

“O-kay, so why is a dryad trying to…” he looks at the blanket for the first time, “tuck me in?”

“You’re new to woodland living, I take it?”

“Not really.”

Joseph sighs, “There are specific rules that govern this forest. One of them is that dryads are responsible for everything within a two mile radius of their base” he points to the Beech, “including any residents, visitors, or refugees. Which means you’re my responsibility.”

“Uh, I’m good, you don’t need to, like, babysit me.”

The dryad produces a notebook from his pocket, flipping to the section for his resident intake form, “I’m not babysitting you, I just need some information for my records. Name?”

Deep brown eyes blink, perplexed, and then his guest shrugs, “Barclay.”

“Species?”

“No fucking idea.” Barclay picks up the moss blanket, folding it and setting it next to the tent. 

“Purpose of stay?”

“To get some peace and quiet.” He turns a pointed glare at Joseph. Even with the glower, he’s the most handsome creature the dryad has ever seen. 

“Um. Right. I’ll just fill in the rest myself. If you need anything, I’m just over there.” He walks briskly away, managing to only look over his shoulder once. Barclay is watching him, looking for all the world like a hare waiting for the fox to pounce. 

It’s only when he’s back in the tree that he realizes having a resident will cut down on his research time. Then again, his guest is far more intriguing than any human could ever be.

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

Barclay was so ready to stop feeling bad. He feels bad for stealing the tent from a guy he scared off his campsite two towns back. Bad for yanking clothes off the clothing line of rural houses so he could have two sets to rotate instead of a filthy, single shirt and shorts combo. Bad because it’s been months since he ate anything but MREs, granola bars, and day olds salvaged from dumpsters. 

Now he gets to add “feel bad because you’re crashing on some guys front lawn” to that list. He didn’t even know nymphs were a thing; he thought he was the only weird semi-human in the world. Yet here’s Joseph, hair as dark and shiny as the leaves on his home tree, skin the color of bark, and vines occasionally twining up his arms and legs. Unlike Barclay, his inhuman features make him beautiful, not beastly. 

Barclay came here to be alone. 

Barclay hates being alone. He wants a house full of warmth and voices mingling over a kitchen table, wants people to care for and who care about him. So when Joseph appears the next morning near his small fire and it’s boiling pot of foraged tea, he offers the dryad some. 

They sit, awkwardly sipping from their mugs, when he decides to take advantage of his host.

“I, uh, don’t suppose there’s any herbs growing around here? Like mint, or maybe alliaria? I wanna catch fish for dinner, but they taste better if I can season them.”

“I think there’s some growing upstream. Do you want me to show you?”

“Uh, no, that’s fine. I’m used to finding stuff on my own.”

Joseph nods, finishes his tea, and magics the cup clean before handing it back to Barclay.

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

“What...what’s all this?” Barclay stares, stunned, at the pile of goods sitting by his firepit. He counts a camp stove, teapot, and two boxes of fresh food, including bread and cheese,

Joseph looks up from organizing the supplies, “A few friends of mine, plus the Ashroot Market.” He smiles, Barclay’s stomach flipping like a flapjack when he does, “did you think we live on berries and air?”

“Kinda, yeah.” Barclay rubs his arm, embarrassed, “thanks, Joseph. I, uh, I don’t really have money, so maybe I can pay you back with-” he trails off as the nymph stands and sets a hand on his shoulder. 

“Barclay, you don’t owe me anything. I did this because you keep saying how much you miss cooking from a real pantry and, um, I thought it’d make you happy to have some options.”

“It does.” He freezes as Joseph strokes the fur poking through a hole in shirt, “I can restock your sewing kit the next time, if you want.”

“That’d be great.” He wants so badly to touch him back, to see if he shudders away from his claws or holds his hand. 

Josephs arm drops back to his side, “Ned has a surprising number of camping supplies. I suspect he stole them from humans, which is technically against the rules but” he indicates the stove, “I’ll let it slide for now.” 

A conspiratorial wink and Barclay rumbles out a purr, catching it before Joseph notices.

“Will, uh, will you at least let me make you dinner as a thank you?”

The dryad nods, “That sounds perfect, big guy.”

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

Barclay doesn’t howl often; it draws unwanted attention and there’s no one like him out there to answer anyway. Tonight he couldn’t help it, the loneliness tearing him to bits on it’s climb up his throat. He’s cross-legged on the ground, face to the stars, when Joseph sits down beside him. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. Thought you were out.”

“I was reading.” Joseph scoots closer, rubbing Barclay’s back, “and I can tell you’re lying.”

Barclay delays answering, fixes his gaze on the Beech where Joseph lives. Nymph homes occupy liminal spaces, fitting an entire domiciles within trees. His current hobby is imagining what it looks like on the inside; whether there are books stacked neatly everywhere, whether there’s a nice kitchen, how big the bed is, what the view from the bed is like…

He’s never going to know, Joseph made that clear. 

“It’s not that no other creature is allowed in a nymph home, more that getting them in there takes a dangerous amount of energy.”

“Barclay?” Joseph rests his head on his shoulder, “have you always been alone?”

“No. Or, well, I don’t think so. I get flashes of memory from when I was really little. Like there’s this big house with lots people who look like me, and they’re talking and keep passing me around so the grown-ups can ruffle my fur and make this, this sort of” he breaks off into the low, soft hoots that echo down through the years, “and then...then there’s this gap and the next thing I remember is being dumped on the side of the road somewhere in central California, more or less an adult myself. I spent so long looking for my family, for anyone who looked like or could give me answers and all I got was some scars and a bunch of T.V shows about hunting me.” 

“That sounds awful. I, um, I’m glad you stumbled into my neck of the woods. I know I’m not always the best company and ask more questions about living around humans than you’d probably like but, um, you deserve to have at least one person on your side.”

“Thanks” Barclay tips his head sideways so it’s resting against Josephs’, “Uh if, if you ever want to, we could have a dinner here with Duck and them. I like cooking for people; one of those things I know about myself even if I can’t remember why.”

He must imagine the lips brushing his forehead as Joseph sits up, “I’ll invite everyone first thing tomorrow.”

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

A danger of sleeping in Joseph’s clearing is that Barclay feels safe. Starts sleeping like he has nothing to fear. 

The voices in the distance, jarring him awake in the dead of night, remind him of the truth.

“Shit” he scrambles out of the tent, piles it and all his other possessions into a hollow log and throws the moss blanket over it just to be safe. Then the worst sound in the world reaches him: barking. Not only are the hunters close, they have dogs. And, his acute hearing informs him, he’s their prey. 

Fuck, his scent and fur are all over this part of the woods, no wonder they’re honing in on him so fast. His best chance is to run and cross the river, but there’s an open stretch on the other side, so unless he’s lucky they’ll still spot him. 

“Hey! I think something is moving over here!” 

He flattens against the Copper Beech, narrowly dodging the beam of a flashlight. 

“Shit, shit” he doesn’t want to fight, doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He doesn’t want to be caught. Inhaling, he readies himself to give the loudest roar of his life. 

Then the world tips and twists and he’s no longer in the woods. He is, however, in a tree, if the view from the window is anything to go by.

Gasping sends his attention to the floor and he drops to his knees, scooping a limp, pale Joseph into his arms. 

“Wel, welcome to my house. Sorry it’s such a, a mess.”

He glances at the polished furniture, the neatly stacked books, and the spotless floor.

“Seriously, babe? That’s the first thing you say after saving my neck?” He giggles, tipping towards hysteria. 

“I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

“You could have died.” Barclay adjusts him so he’s mostly upright and hugs him close, “I coulda lost you why, why did you-”

His question is lost in the clumsy kiss Joseph pulls him into. Barclay’s body gives up on adapting to anymore surprises and he falls onto his back, the nymph weakly petting his cheeks as he tries, clearly exhausted, to continue kissing him. 

“You’re the most incredible being in the forest and, and I’ve been so happy since you came to stay. My entire body feels like a leaf beaten limp by the rain and I’d do the same spell this instant, without hesitation, if that’s what it took to keep you safe. Keep you with me.”

Carefully, Barclay guides him into another kiss, vines curling up them both the more he pours all his affection and thanks into the nymphs mouth. When Joseph finally pulls away, he nestles down on Barclays chest, running his fingers through his fur. 

“You, um, you may be here awhile. I’m not sure if I can get you out safely or if Dani and the others will have to help me.”

“No complaints here.” Barclay strokes his hair, which feels like soft leaves and normal locks all at once. 

Joseph answers a few more logistical questions before falling asleep in his arms, which is plenty of answers for one night. And in the morning, when the nymph rolls over to smile at him, he can confirm; the view from the bed is beautiful.

[dasphinxone]

Book of Nile: Werewolf and Witch AU

Alright, yes, I’m late for Halloween. But that also means I used Halloween to discuss an awesome AU where Booker is secretly an werewolf and Nile, his new neighbor in a rural town on the edge of the woods, is secretly a witch. Shoutout to @lady-writes​ @winterequinoxx​ @nevermindirah​ @highlightcity159​ @druidspell​ @rainofdreams29 @ruby-white-rabbit​ and the BoN chat for this amazing brainstorm.

Nile has just graduated from veterinary school after her time in the marines. She’s moved to a rural area in the northeast that’s in need for a vet since the old one plans to eventually retire. Renting a cute little cottage on the edge of the woods, she settles into a quiet life there. 

Nile does her daily runs on the trails through the idyllic woods in the mornings and sometimes at night. She gets to know the townspeople as well. They include  Andy, who runs a law firm in the town. Along with her wife Quynh, who is an interior decorator. Couple Yusuf and Nicolò run the coffeeshop/bakery across the  street from the veterinary practice where Nile works. They get to know Nile first since she swings by the shop every morning for breakfast. Soon, they start inviting Nile to dinner with them. It then eventually expands to dinner with Andy, Quynh and Booker. It’s the first time Nile meets Booker and he reveals he’s also her next-door neighbor. She’s surprised that she hasn’t met him yet. After all, she moved into the the town weeks ago. 

Booker is apparently the only single person among Andy, Quynh, Yusuf and  Nicolò. So Nile suspects the group is trying to set them up to date since they always seat her next to him. Booker’s nice enough (and pretty damn good looking). But he also seems distant towards her. While she’s fine with his company at dinner, there’s not really a huge connection there for her. However, they settle into a steady friendship, especially as she sees more and more of him as a neighbor. 

One night, Booker’s hanging out on his front porch when he catches Nile coming back from a night run. He’s stunned to see her out so late, especially in the woods. He warns her that there’s a lot of dangerous and aggressive wildlife out there that like nocturnal hunts. She waves him off and expresses that she can take care of herself just fine. Especially since she’s an ex-Marine. Booker tries to warn her again, looking worried. Nile again laughs him off and bids him goodnight. 

That’s because unknown to Booker, Nile is secretly a witch. In fact, her family has practiced magic going back generations and even before they survived the Middle Passage. She uses the excuses of her night runs in the woods to cover up the fact that she’s doing magic rituals there. Mostly because her magic is very nature based. In fact, it’s part of the reason why she became a veterinarian; her nature-based magic gives her a healing hand with animals, including wild ones. Other rituals she does are for self-protection, opening pathways, remaining in balance with nature and warding off evil influences that seek to harm in general. That’s all why she’s not particularly scared of the woods.

In the meantime, Nile runs into Booker on her own at the supermarket while she’s running weekend errands in town. He has a whole hot lumberjack aesthetic going on as per usual, with a plaid jacket over a denim shirt, jeans and hiking boots. Nile jokes that he must be having some sort of party at his place that he didn’t bother to invite her to since he’s buying so much red meat and food for a single person Booker insists he’d never be so rude. He just...eats a lot. 

Without warning, he quickly excuses himself and all but flees from Nile. She finds it odd but continues her shopping. When she gets back to her cottage, she finds Booker reading a book and drinking coffee while sitting on his front porch. While he waves hello, he quickly goes inside. Nile is annoyed; as far as she can tell, she didn’t say anything offensive to him. So why in the hell does it seem like he’s avoiding her?

One night later, there’s a full moon. While Nile is aware that wolves are native to the area, she’s surprised at how loud they are that night. Yet the constant howling doesn’t bother her much. If anything, it soothes her to sleep. However, she wakes up the next morning to find holes dug up throughout her backyard, like some sort of dog or wolf has been messing around back there. There’s no damage or blood, so she just fixes up her yard and moves on. 

Over the next few weeks as the autumn gets colder, Nile realizes she’s going to need to start stockpiling wood for her wood stove that helps warm her cottage. She heads back into town where she runs into Booker at the general store. This time, he’s much more friendly with her. 

When she explains that she’s going to have to spend more money than she thought stockpiling wood, he quickly offers to start chopping it for her. She’s taken aback at how quickly he does so. Yet he’s super friendly about it. At the same time, she doesn’t want to take advantage, so she tries to decline. Booker insists that it’s no big deal. He’ll just add whatever surplus of wood he doesn’t need to her pile at the side of her cottage. She won’t even know he’s there. Nile agrees. 

She starts finding herself running into Booker all over town. She also finds out from Yusuf and Nicky that they’ve known Booker for a long time. It turns out he’s a computer coder/programmer who works remotely from home. They also assure her he’s a good guy. At the same time, he can get a little melancholic sometimes and drinks a bit. Mostly because his wife divorced him after she had a string of tragic miscarriages. His wife also missed their native France. She let him keep the house and moved back to France. Last they heard, his ex is happily married to someone else and has kids.  

Nile starts noticing a pattern; Booker is either super friendly with her or oddly distant. Every few weeks, he’ll just disappear and she’ll see no trace of him at his cottage next door. She chalks it up to his depression over his breakup with his wife. While she’s not a therapist, she leaves him little care packages of her baked goods whenever he disappears. He always returns her Tupperware to her after a few days. Though the first time she includes chocolate treats, he politely tells her he’s allergic to them. From then on, Nile avoids giving him chocolate.

Eventually, Booker and Nile grab dinner together and get a bit tipsy. They end up sleeping together and both have a damn good time. Nile notices that Booker is a bit possessive in bed and seems very much into her, in a good way. He’s also super tactile. And really into how she smells. He also doesn’t seem to mind hanging around the next morning and immediately offers to cook Nile breakfast. Everything goes off without a hitch and Nile and Booker soon start sleeping together regularly.

That’s when Nile starts noticing more of Booker’s slightly odd behavior.

He’s always leaving his sweaters and sweatshirts at her place. When she tries to return them, he refuses and insists that she should wear them to keep warm. Whenever he sees her wearing one of them, he gets super excited. He offers to fix things around her house instead of her wasting money on a plumber. He always makes sure her firewood pile is stocked up. He loves taking walks with her in the woods. He’s always offering to cook for her whenever she likes. Especially because he seems to pretty much inhale a ton of food. However, he always makes sure her fridge stays stocked and she never runs out of anything. He’s protective of her but not in an overwhelming way. Nile’s not sure if they’re exclusively dating…but she wouldn’t mind if they were.

Meanwhile over Thanksgiving, Nile’s mother and brother come to visit her. Nile’s mother is still a practicing witch and her teenage brother is a warlock. As he’s not an adult yet, he hasn’t achieved his full power but he’s still able to cast lighter spells and do rituals.

Nile also has Booker over for Thanksgiving dinner since it'll be nice to introduce him to her family. As soon as Nile introduces Booker, her mother and brother immediately raise their eyebrows. For they both realize that Booker is not the human he appears to be.

Nile’s brother tries to tell her something is up with Booker. But she assures him that Booker has been nothing but sweet to her. He gives her space when she wants it. Yet he’s always willing to help her out whenever she needs it. Almost as though he revels being at her beck and call. Besides, Nile’s a powerful witch in her own right and has enough protection spells wound around her.

Her brother explains that he’s not worried about Booker doing anything to her. He’s far more concerned with the trouble he can bring to her doorstep because he’s not what he appears to be. At the same time, Nile’s brother says that it’s not his right to reveal to Nile what Booker is, as he’ll have to do that himself. 

Nile is confused, but takes her brother’s words to heart. She also appreciates how her brother does a protection ritual for her and her cottage before he and her mom leave. Nile's mom also leaves her a ton of fresh ingredients and blessed items for her spells and rituals.

Two days after Nile’s mom and brother leave, there’s a full moon. Which means the wolves howling in the forest are back. Again, it doesn’t bother Nile and soothes her to sleep. 

That is until she’s woken up by noise coming from her front porch. She peers outside her window to find a VERY large wolf-dog looking animal whining and pawing at her door. It’s massive. Yet when it spots her, it doesn’t attack but rather starts nosing at the window, as though it’s trying to get her outside. Nile cautiously opens the door to find the wolf-dog bleeding from a nasty looking wound on its shoulder. The wolf-dog is nearly passed out and is losing blood fast. So Nile gets her veterinarian’s kit and drags the animal into her house.

It never attacks her. Not even when she sedates it. If anything, it’s exhausted but friendly. Sewing up the wound, Nile also casts some spells of healing for the wolf-dog so that it can heal faster. Not wanting to leave a traumatized animal alone, Nile falls asleep in the living room with its head in her lap. She doesn’t worry about a wild animal attacking her due to her own protection spells for herself.

When Nile wakes up the next morning? She finds Booker asleep and curled up with his head in her lap. Completely naked. And with a healed scar in the same exact place on his shoulder where she stitched up the wolf-dog the night before.

Booker quickly explains to a stunned Nile that he’s a werewolf.

In fact, the first time he met her at the dinner Yusuf and Nicolò had, he immediately picked up on how good she smelled. Just an intoxicating blend of spicy, boozy, vanilla, cinnamon and a hint of flowery deliciousness. It was so overwhelming that he mentally freaked out. And it got worse the next time he ran into her at the supermarket. That was because the closer he is to the full moon, the better and stronger she smells to him. It in turn makes him come off as awkward and weird. Mostly due to his general behavior getting more animalistic the closer he gets to the full moon.

He tells Nile that he’ glad she didn’t seem to notice his weird behavior. At the same time, Booker admits he finds it odd that out of the people he’s had a romantic interest in, Nile’s scent overwhelms him the most. Even more so than his ex-wife. Not wanting to scare her away, Booker initially thought a friendship with Nile would be enough to sustain himself. Well, that was until they slept together.

It also turns out that the reason that Booker is so close with Andy, Quynh, Yusuf and Nicky? Well, Andy and Quynh are a werewolf and witch pair, with Andy a werewolf and Quynh a witch. Joe is a warlock to Nicky’s werewolf, forming their pair as well. 

When Booker was bitten by a werewolf, his wife was initially surprisingly accepting of it. They actually ended up moving to the town soon after his first full moon so that he didn’t have to deal with too many people knowing his secret. However, she came to hate him due to going through the trauma of her miscarriages. She blamed the fact that he was no longer human for not being able to have children. Booker blamed himself as well. After his wife left him, Booker never believed that he’d ever find his mate. Well, that was until Nile moved in next door to him. Her scent set off something primal in him that had him attracted to her nearly at first sight. 

Except werewolves Andy and Nicky never got around to explaining to Booker how their witch mates have an attractive smell to them that only they can pick up on. So Booker was going nuts trying to control himself around Nile. He of course didn’t want to be a creep and be all up in her space, scenting her.

The reason Nile smells so wonderful to Booker? He was picking up on her hereditary witchiness. However, he didn’t realize that she was a witch until she stitched him up in wolf form and cast her spells to speed up his healing. He swears he’ll keep her witchiness a secret. Especially since he trusts her to keep him being a werewolf a secret from everyone else outside of the other four.

Nile is stunned by this information. She’s also concerned about him potentially biting her and turning her into a werewolf. Booker is horrified at the concept. He explains:

1.)    Modern, enlightened werewolves do not turn people without their consent. It’s rude as hell.

2.)    Even if he were to non-lethally bite someone in werewolf form, they have to be genetically predispositioned to turning. So not everyone who’s bitten even turns.

3.)    Nile is full of powerful, generational magic flowing through her veins. Plus, her protection spells (which Booker was also picking up on before he realized she was a witch) protect her from getting turned anyway.

Booker being a werewolf also explains how Nile’s mother and brother realized that he wasn’t quite human. Along with Booker basically courting her protective wolf style while in human form. Leaving his sweaters and sweatshirts around her place means she’s constantly wearing his scent. Constantly cooking for her shows he’s a good mate who provides food for his beloved. Fixing up her place on his own, making sure her fridge stays stocked and getting her firewood also shows he’s a good mate who provides the best shelter.

Basically, modern and enlightened werewolves hunt big game during the full moon. Booker does so with his pack of Nicky and Andy. Witch Quynh and warlock Joe will sometimes accompany them because the nights of the full moon are when magic is the strongest. In fact, Booker is surprised that they’ve never run across Nile in the woods on full moon nights.

She explains that due to the wolf howls she’d hear on those nights, she practices her magic at her cottage. Which also explains why wolf Booker showed up on her doorstep when he got injured; the magic spells protecting Nile and her home ensured that he wasn’t there to harm her but actually needed her help.

Basically, Nile and Booker are both adorable dumbasses who didn’t realize each other’s true natures.

When Nile facetimes her mom and brother to let them know she and Booker are not only together but that he’s also a werewolf, the two of them joke that they’re shocked she didn’t realize something was up with Booker. After all, he was all over her and the house when they visited her for Thanksgiving. And in what were clearly wolfy courting rituals. He also was pretty submissive to Nile’s mom and especially her brother. That was clearly a sign of Booker accepting her family. Also, witch and werewolf pairings occur pretty naturally in the mystical world.

So it was no wonder that Booker was literally sniffing around her for months on end before they slept together. His scenting of her also increased afterward. Didn’t Nile realize how much Booker loved it whenever she wore his clothes? Because it meant Nile was voluntarily wearing his own scent and accepted him into her life .

Nile is aghast. Her mother and brother roll their eyes but are happy for the pair of them.

As Nile and Booker settle into their relationship and Nile’s friendships with the other four deepen, things are going well. That is until Merrick and his assistant in Keane suddenly show up into town.

It turns out they’re trophy monster hunters who have heard rumors of witches and werewolves out in the woods. The townspeople immediately find Merrick extremely irritating and Keane scarily aggressive. With Merrick and Keane sniffing around, Andy, Quynh, Yusuf, Nicolò, Booker and Nile are on high alert.

Will they be able to survive Merrick and Keane’s invasion of their little town? And will Booker and Nile’s courtship be able to weather the coming storm?