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mostlysignssomeportents · 6 months ago

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Real innovation vs Silicon Valley nonsense

This is the LAST DAY to get my bestselling solarpunk utopian novel THE LOST CAUSE (2023) as a $2.99, DRM-free ebook!

If there was any area where we needed a lot of "innovation," it's in climate tech. We've already blown through numerous points-of-no-return for a habitable Earth, and the pace is accelerating.

Silicon Valley claims to be the epicenter of American innovation, but what passes for innovation in Silicon Valley is some combination of nonsense, climate-wrecking tech, and climate-wrecking nonsense tech. Forget Jeff Hammerbacher's lament about "the best minds of my generation thinking about how to make people click ads." Today's best-paid, best-trained technologists are enlisted to making boobytrapped IoT gadgets:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/24/record-scratch/#autoenshittification

Planet-destroying cryptocurrency scams:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/15/your-new-first-name/#that-dagger-tho

NFT frauds:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/06/crypto-copyright-%f0%9f%a4%a1%f0%9f%92%a9/

Or planet-destroying AI frauds:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

If that was the best "innovation" the human race had to offer, we'd be fucking doomed.

But – as Ryan Cooper writes for The American Prospect – there's a far more dynamic, consequential, useful and exciting innovation revolution underway, thanks to muscular public spending on climate tech:

https://prospect.org/environment/2024-05-30-green-energy-revolution-real-innovation/

The green energy revolution – funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act and the Science Act – is accomplishing amazing feats, which are barely registering amid the clamor of AI nonsense and other hype. I did an interview a while ago about my climate novel The Lost Cause and the interviewer wanted to know what role AI would play in resolving the climate emergency. I was momentarily speechless, then I said, "Well, I guess maybe all the energy used to train and operate models could make it much worse? What role do you think it could play?" The interviewer had no answer.

Here's brief tour of the revolution:

2023 saw 32GW of new solar energy come online in the USA (up 50% from 2022);

Wind increased from 118GW to 141GW;

Grid-scale batteries doubled in 2023 and will double again in 2024;

EV sales increased from 20,000 to 90,000/month.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/blog/2023/12/19/building-a-thriving-clean-energy-economy-in-2023-and-beyond/

The cost of clean energy is plummeting, and that's triggering other areas of innovation, like using "hot rocks" to replace fossil fuel heat (25% of overall US energy consumption):

https://rondo.com/products

Increasing our access to cheap, clean energy will require a lot of materials, and material production is very carbon intensive. Luckily, the existing supply of cheap, clean energy is fueling "green steel" production experiments:

https://www.wdam.com/2024/03/25/americas-1st-green-steel-plant-coming-perry-county-1b-federal-investment/

Cheap, clean energy also makes it possible to recover valuable minerals from aluminum production tailings, a process that doubles as site-remediation:

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/toxic-red-mud-co2-free-iron

And while all this electrification is going to require grid upgrades, there's lots we can do with our existing grid, like power-line automation that increases capacity by 40%:

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/13/1187620367/power-grid-enhancing-technologies-climate-change

It's also going to require a lot of storage, which is why it's so exciting that we're figuring out how to turn decommissioned mines into giant batteries. During the day, excess renewable energy is channeled into raising rock-laden platforms to the top of the mine-shafts, and at night, these unspool, releasing energy that's fed into the high-availability power-lines that are already present at every mine-site:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/02/06/this-disused-mine-in-finland-is-being-turned-into-a-gravity-battery-to-store-renewable-ene

Why are we paying so much attention to Silicon Valley pump-and-dumps and ignoring all this incredible, potentially planet-saving, real innovation? Cooper cites a plausible explanation from the Apperceptive newsletter:

https://buttondown.email/apperceptive/archive/destructive-investing-and-the-siren-song-of/

Silicon Valley is the land of low-capital, low-labor growth. Software development requires fewer people than infrastructure and hard goods manufacturing, both to get started and to run as an ongoing operation. Silicon Valley is the place where you get rich without creating jobs. It's run by investors who hate the idea of paying people. That's why AI is so exciting for Silicon Valley types: it lets them fantasize about making humans obsolete. A company without employees is a company without labor issues, without messy co-determination fights, without any moral consideration for others. It's the natural progression for an industry that started by misclassifying the workers in its buildings as "contractors," and then graduated to pretending that millions of workers were actually "independent small businesses."

It's also the natural next step for an industry that hates workers so much that it will pretend that their work is being done by robots, and then outsource the labor itself to distant Indian call-centers (no wonder Indian techies joke that "AI" stands for "absent Indians"):

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/17/fake-it-until-you-dont-make-it/#twenty-one-seconds

Contrast this with climate tech: this is a profoundly physical kind of technology. It is labor intensive. It is skilled. The workers who perform it have power, both because they are so far from their employers' direct oversight and because these fed-funded sectors are more likely to be unionized than Silicon Valley shops. Moreover, climate tech is capital intensive. All of those workers are out there moving stuff around: solar panels, wires, batteries.

Climate tech is infrastructural. As Deb Chachra writes in her must-read 2023 book How Infrastructure Works, infrastructure is a gift we give to our descendants. Infrastructure projects rarely pay for themselves during the lives of the people who decide to build them:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/17/care-work/#charismatic-megaprojects

Climate tech also produces gigantic, diffused, uncapturable benefits. The "social cost of carbon" is a measure that seeks to capture how much we all pay as polluters despoil our shared world. It includes the direct health impacts of burning fossil fuels, and the indirect costs of wildfires and extreme weather events. The "social savings" of climate tech are massive:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/climate-and-health-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-dwarf-all-subsidies/

For every MWh of renewable power produced, we save $100 in social carbon costs. That's $100 worth of people not sickening and dying from pollution, $100 worth of homes and habitats not burning down or disappearing under floodwaters. All told, US renewables have delivered $250,000,000,000 (one quarter of one trillion dollars) in social carbon savings over the past four years:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/climate-and-health-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-dwarf-all-subsidies/

In other words, climate tech is unselfish tech. It's a gift to the future and to the broad public. It shares its spoils with workers. It requires public action. By contrast, Silicon Valley is greedy tech that is relentlessly focused on the shortest-term returns that can be extracted with the least share going to labor. It also requires massive public investment, but it also totally committed to giving as little back to the public as is possible.

No wonder America's richest and most powerful people are lining up to endorse and fund Trump:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-05-30-democracy-deshmocracy-mega-financiers-flocking-to-trump/

Silicon Valley epitomizes Stafford Beer's motto that "the purpose of a system is what it does." If Silicon Valley produces nothing but planet-wrecking nonsense, grifty scams, and planet-wrecking, nonsensical scams, then these are all features of the tech sector, not bugs.

As Anil Dash writes:

Driving change requires us to make the machine want something else. If the purpose of a system is what it does, and we don’t like what it does, then we have to change the system.

https://www.anildash.com/2024/05/29/systems-the-purpose-of-a-system/

To give climate tech the attention, excitement, and political will it deserves, we need to recalibrate our understanding of the world. We need to have object permanence. We need to remember just how few people were actually using cryptocurrency during the bubble and apply that understanding to AI hype. Only 2% of Britons surveyed in a recent study use AI tools:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c511x4g7x7jo

If we want our tech companies to do good, we have to understand that their ground state is to create planet-wrecking nonsense, grifty scams, and planet-wrecking, nonsensical scams. We need to make these companies small enough to fail, small enough to jail, and small enough to care:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

We need to hold companies responsible, and we need to change the microeconomics of the board room, to make it easier for tech workers who want to do good to shout down the scammers, nonsense-peddlers and grifters:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the FTC could hold Amazon executives personally liable for the decision to trick people into signing up for Prime, and for making the unsubscribe-from-Prime process into a Kafka-as-a-service nightmare:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/amazon-execs-may-be-personally-liable-for-tricking-users-into-prime-sign-ups/

Imagine how powerful a precedent this could set. The Amazon employees who vociferously objected to their bosses' decision to make Prime as confusing as possible could have raised the objection that doing this could end up personally costing those bosses millions of dollars in fines:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

We need to make climate tech, not Big Tech, the center of our scrutiny and will. The climate emergency is so terrifying as to be nearly unponderable. Science fiction writers are increasingly being called upon to try to frame this incomprehensible risk in human terms. SF writer (and biologist) Peter Watts's conversation with evolutionary biologist Dan Brooks is an eye-opener:

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-collapse-is-coming-will-humanity-adapt/

They draw a distinction between "sustainability" meaning "what kind of technological fixes can we come up with that will allow us to continue to do business as usual without paying a penalty for it?" and sustainability meaning, "what changes in behavior will allow us to save ourselves with the technology that is possible?"

Writing about the Watts/Brooks dialog for Naked Capitalism, Yves Smith invokes William Gibson's The Peripheral:

With everything stumbling deeper into a ditch of shit, history itself become a slaughterhouse, science had started popping. Not all at once, no one big heroic thing, but there were cleaner, cheaper energy sources, more effective ways to get carbon out of the air, new drugs that did what antibiotics had done before…. Ways to print food that required much less in the way of actual food to begin with. So everything, however deeply fucked in general, was lit increasingly by the new, by things that made people blink and sit up, but then the rest of it would just go on, deeper into the ditch. A progress accompanied by constant violence, he said, by sufferings unimaginable.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/05/preparing-for-collapse-why-the-focus-on-climate-energy-sustainability-is-destructive.html

Gibson doesn't think this is likely, mind, and even if it's attainable, it will come amidst "unimaginable suffering."

But the universe of possible technologies is quite large. As Chachra points out in How Infrastructure Works, we could give every person on Earth a Canadian's energy budget (like an American's, but colder), by capturing a mere 0.4% of the solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface every day. Doing this will require heroic amounts of material and labor, especially if we're going to do it without destroying the planet through material extraction and manufacturing.

These are the questions that we should be concerning ourselves with: what behavioral changes will allow us to realize cheap, abundant, green energy? What "innovations" will our society need to focus on the things we need, rather than the scams and nonsense that creates Silicon Valley fortunes?

How can we use planning, and solidarity, and codetermination to usher in the kind of tech that makes it possible for us to get through the climate bottleneck with as little death and destruction as possible? How can we use enforcement, discernment, and labor rights to thwart the enshittificatory impulses of Silicon Valley's biggest assholes?

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/30/posiwid/#social-cost-of-carbon

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dnalkaline · 1 year ago

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I have a major surgery coming up and the date got bumped up to Dec 15th. (I'm likely going to be fine they just have to remove some stuff and I'm not gonna be able to work for a few weeks.)

I don't have the energy to list these all on etsy right now so they're all Pay What You Want + Shipping (Usually like 5$ if you live in the USA) until Dec 13th.

Payment info:

Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/hshinai

Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/dnacademic

Cashapp: $hshinai

Venmo: @ hauntedshinai

If you want me to make a custom etsy listing for you to buy them I can also do that: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Alchemodel

If you don't want to buy anything and can't donate then reblogs help. If you want better photos of an object then feel free to message me. Most of these are meant to be like protection/lucky talismans and if you want deets you can ask me.

Info about the materials under the cut. I'll cross them out or something when they're sold:

CORD/CHAIN INFO

Black string with lobster clasp, semi adjustable ~22" long.

Black leather with lobster clasp, semi adjustable ~18" long

Stainless steel chains in 18", 20", and 24"

If you need another lengths, I have some copper-toned chain that can be cut to any length. If you want the custom sized chain, I also have copper-colored lobster clasps that are larger than the average size if you have a hard time using the regular ones.

MATERIALS

All pendants are wrapped with copper wire. The ones that have silver-toned or gold-toned wire are wrapped with plated copper.

Moons: (about 4-5cm long. warning these can be on the heavier side for amulets)

M1 - Dyed sapphire cabochon along with beads of tiger eye, cat's eye, agate, shell, moonstone, and an aura quartz point

M2 - Dyed emerald cab, tiger eye, fluorite, agate, quartzite, aura quartz point

M3 -Tiger eye, glass, plastic, aura quartz

Ammonites: (about 5 cm long)

A1 - Ammonite fossil, tiger eye

A2 - Ammonite fossil, tiger eye, cat's eye, sunstone

Ruby:

B1 - (8 cm) Dyed ruby, cat's eye, faux coral, carved garnet

B2 - (5 cm) Dyed ruby

1 - (9.5 cm) Coyote teeth, glass, onyx, blue lace agate

2 - (9.5 cm) Coyote teeth, malachite, onyx

3 - (9.5 cm) Coyote teeth, labradorite, onyx

4 - (10 cm) Coyote teeth, glass, carved and dyed emerald

5 - (7 cm) Bismuth, carved/dyed emerald

6 - (8 cm) Carved/dyed emerald, dyed sapphire, agate

1 - (6.5 cm) Rutilated quartz, strawberry quartz, fluorite

2 - (8.5 cm) Dyed emerald, rutilated quartz, fluorite

3 - (5 cm) Dyed/carved emerald, glass

4 - (8 cm) Rutilated quartz, tiger's eye, fluorite

5 - (9 cm) Glass, citrine, aura quartz

E: (all about 10 cm long)

1 - (I have 3 of these) These are all stones except for the plastic rainbow heart but I don't remember what stones. Also a dyed quartz point.

2 - Glass, agate, aquamarine, aura quartz

3 - Glass, quartz, shell

4 - Glass, aura quartz

5 - Glass, onyx, coral

6 - Glass, onyx, aura quartz

7 - Glass, citrine, aura quartz

1 - (12 cm) Glass, dichroic glass, agate, aura quartz

2 - (8 cm) Dichroic glass, fluorite, onyx, tiger eye

3 - (8 cm) Dichroic glass, sea sediment jasper, tiger eye

4 - (9.5 cm) Dichroic glass, tiger eye, aura quartz

Beaded Necklaces:

G1 - (~24") Coyote teeth, coral, glass, faux coral, onyx

G2 - (~18-19") Mixed metal, resin, wood, jade, glass, ceramic

G3 - (~21") Enamel / mixed metals, agate, aquamarine, glass, sodalite, reconstituted shell

G4 - (~18-19") Agate, ceramic, lava rock, glass, howlite

#Wanìshi!#my art #man what the hell do i even tag this as

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aquaspiderart · 1 year ago

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Since December is just around the corner, here's a Pokécember prompt list!! Inspired heavily by @lugidog's Pokedexxy challenge from... oh my god ten years ago???? Since the font came out a little smaller than I planned, I've also provided a prompt list under the read-more.

Feel free to take liberties with these prompts, and have fun! You don't necessarily have to do your favorites, you can just draw whatever pokémon you'd like for these categories! They're really only here for inspiration. I'd love to see what everyone comes up with!

Favorite Normal Type

Favorite Bug Type

Favorite Grass Type

Favorite Water Type

Favorite Fire Type

Favorite Electric Type

Favorite Dark Type

Favorite Psychic Type

Favorite Steel Type

Favorite Poison Type

Favorite Fighting Type

Favorite Ghost Type

Favorite Flying Type

Favorite Rock Type

Favorite Ground Type

Favorite Dragon Type

Favorite Fairy Type

Favorite Ice Type

Favorite Starter Pokémon

Favorite Eeveelution

Favorite Regional Form

Favorite Move

Favorite Route

Favorite Town

Favorite Battle Gimmick

Favorite Spinoff

Favorite Legendary

Favorite Mythical

Favorite Fossil

Friend's Favorite Pokémon

Underrated Pokémon

#pokemon #pokecember #art prompt #drawing challenge #art challenge

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solarpunkbusiness · 6 months ago

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North Sweden’s green industry boom

Northern Sweden’s plentiful supply of cheap hydro and wind renewable electricity, coupled with a supply of raw materials and affordable land prices are prompting a ‘green’ industry boom in Sweden’s far north.

Long home to polluting industries, the Norbotten and Västerbotten regions are at the centre of an eco-boom attracting industries including battery manufacturing, data centres and low carbon steel which Sweden’s government estimates to be worth around US$120bn.

Last month, Swedish steel producer SSAB announced it would be building a 2.5 million tonne capacity fossil-free steel mill in the city, supplied with fossil free sponge iron from the Hybrit plant in nearby Gällivare. In January, steel company H2 Green Steel announced it had secured US$4.4bn in debt financing to build the world’s first large scale green steel plant in Boden, to the northwest of Luleå. And also in January Swedish battery producer Northvolt announced it had raised US$5bn in debt financing to help it expand its gigafactory in Skellefteå in Västerbotten.

And the creation of thousands of new jobs in the region is in turn prompting a need for new homes, shops and roads, which is again increasing demand for low carbon construction equipment.

“We have been following the development in the northern market for many years and see that there is room for a niche player like us,” Eriksson adds. “With the market’s focus on sustainable development, we are well-positioned for expansion northwards. Our focus will be on making electric and hybrid-powered units available from the fleet as needed.”

Source

#solarpunk #solarpunk business #solar punk #sweden #industrial transitions

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xxwitchylanexx · 1 month ago

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From the Keys to Your Heart

Rebirth Retold Chapter 6

The parade in Junon isn't until the end of the week so maybe a little side quest to Crow's Nest to kill the time.

This is my longest chapter yet, and you should reread chapter 7 cause the beginning has changed a bit to fit in this new chapter. Thanks everyone for reading! Feel free to comment and let me know what you liked, and if you feel like this fits our Cloud <3

Masterlist

Chapter 7

Side quest spoilers

*~*

Under Junon didn’t exactly embrace your group with open arms, but you’d take what you could get especially since the members were labeled as eco-terrorists. The mayor, a hardened woman from years being crushed under Shinra’s boot, turned a blind eye and pointed you in the direction of a cozy inn in the heart of the fishing town. You had your reservations: the glint in her stare were practically made of dollar signs, and how she sat at the entrance like she was waiting for them, not to mention the bounty on your companions heads could drastically increase the quality of life for her residents. But who were you to turn down her hospitality when the prospect of a real bed outweigh your reservations.

You were eager to walk along the uneven cement pathways, the stone was so worn down from decades of traffic that the path was nearly just gravel now, as you imagined what these houses, warehouses, and businesses looked like before they deteriorated to the crumbling patchwork structures they were now. The town was probably charming, maybe gentle, before Shinra installed gaudy support structures and the big steel plate above their heads, what once gave hope for a city metropolis now sucked the life and sunlight from the very heart of the under city. You could almost see it in your mind, cute vintage houses made of the finest dark wood, with olive shutters on the windows. Aesthetically pleasing open verandas that connected right to a shopkeeper’s house so they could run their mom n’ pop shop right outside their homes. An intricately designed harbor that really gave the town its spirit with top of the line boats to fish, after all Junon was known for its fishing.

Now those darling houses were patched with driftwood and corrugated tin, most houses had spiderweb cracks in more than half of the windows, and the shutters were long since abandoned. The shops were still open but the owners eyes were hollow and shaky on their feet, too weary from the day to day fight to keep breathing. The docks were in shambles, the planks throughout its entirety had more holes than wood and what was patched was half assed with whatever material they had on hand, but the most devastating aspect of Under Junon was the ships and the sea. Each vessel was anchored on the shore under Shinra’s order. The nets were moth eaten and moss grew along the sides where the boat met the water. The sea was polluted and greenish yellow particles floated within it, the air was smoggy and thick. Without their boats you assumed the people were going hungry. What once was a bustling port town was now the slums 2.0. Meanwhile Shinra turned a blind eye, the only ones hearing the townsfolk’s protests were the foot soldiers who operated the elevator.

You sat in the town square on the circular benches near the anchor they immortalized when they first founded Junon, it was the very first anchor they dropped on their first deep sea fishing voyage, that's what the plaque says anyway. Your inquiring eyes moved over to the colossal skeletal fossil of the towns greatest rival, The Terror of the Deep. Its maw hung open and its empty sockets bore into your own. Funny how their symbol of liberation, now foreshadowed their impending doom.

The sun had set beyond the horizon an hour or two ago. The others split apart to gather any potential info on where the guys in robes were going next or any details on the big event that Shinra was preparing for at the end of this week. You heard whispers, but nothing solid. However one thing seemed pretty clear from a rumor that everyone seemed to be repeating. Rufus Shinra was coming to town, and where the president goes the Turks follow.

A shrill scream pierced through the evening chill, and panic followed. “Help! Priscilla is in trouble!” You seen Cloud dart out of the inn, a hand firmly wrapped around the hilt of his sword. The others soon joined him in a circle, hovering over the narrow stone stairway that led to the docks. Please…. just don’t get involved… Your inner voice pleaded. Your head wasn’t in the game. Aerith’s teasing and Gabe’s implications weighed you down significantly. Your body was sore and tired from falling down a mine, sleeping on a rough rocky terrain, and riding chocoback for a whole day. Overall your head was foggy and sluggish, your edge was dulled and your instincts lagged behind.

But of course they were going to help, they always did, and despite every muscle in your body begging for relief, you hauled yourself off of the bench to follow them into danger.

*~* Who would’ve thought you’d save two people from drowning within two days, and why on this floating rock through space does no one else know CPR? You groaned, your shoulders slumping with the breath that left your body, as you stalked back up the stairs from the utter disaster of battle. You reeked of fish, and brine. Your clothes were wet from the slimy terror splashing in and out of the too warm sea. Your back ached from bending so far back that you almost fell over, all to avoid being smacked by a fish tail. You only wished you’d stabbed the overgrown goldfish harder. The only thing reigning in your fiery temper was the free room, all to yourself, with a shower and a laundry facility.

The inn was one of the only buildings that still held a calming warmth. You traced the pattern of the sage green wallpaper with a fingertip as you passed through the halls, taking time to admire the paintings of sea creatures cased in handcrafted golden frames.

You ascended the staircase to the next floor and rounded the corner at the top, walking right past a door that was left ajar thinking nothing of it before stopping in your tracks just past the frame as Cloud’s voice filtered past the doorway. His words were dry, almost emotionless, but if not for that underlying sadness you would’ve thought nothing of it and carried on.

“Was that another test?” You braced your weight alongside the wall, your palm brushing against the ridges and dips along the surface.

“What? No!” Tifa sputtered, her voice high and defensive, before heaving in defeat. “Why try to deny it. I guess it was. I’m sorry.” Your pulse quickened as the room remained silent the only thing to be heard was the rush of blood in your ears. You didn’t need to be inside to feel the thick tension that built between the two much like the twisting nausea that crawled inside your stomach. >Just how close are they?

Cloud huffed. “We’ll find time to talk, just the two of us. Figure things out.” Your nostrils flared, your esophagus began to burn as the bile worked its way up. This was none of your business.

Your feet carried you swiftly away from there, much like a mouse running from a cat, past the next door and stopped in front of the room designated to you. Your vision tunneled and your surrounding grew hazy as his voice replayed ‘just the two of us’ in your head. Your eyes stared blankly at the 203 on the doorplate. You could faintly hear your name being called, but you were unsure if it was real or just the quiet yearning of your heart that you were struggling to accept.

You closed your eyes and propped your head against the door, inhaling deeply to calm your rapid heart beat, and turned the handle of the door and slipped into the comfort of the rooms closed walls. Your lungs expanded freely without the eyes of your friends around, as you sagged against the door frame. It's none of your business. You reminded yourself as you tilted your head towards the ceiling letting your eyelids slide close.

You slowly peeled your eyes open to look around. This room was similar to the rest of the inn as far as wall style went, only this one was a rich red instead of earthy green. A queen bed, all done up in blankets of cream and tan, was pushed right up to the right side of the room. It was well lit with a square fixture on the ceiling overhead and a few table lamps. A round rug covered the wood and provided a layer of insulation from the cold creaking floor.

With a strangled groan you pushed yourself off the door and shrugged off your equipment, leaving it to fall haphazardly to the floor. Every muscle in your body burned as you lumbered over to the bed, your clumsy feet catching on the rug a few too many times. But every moment of pain was worth the relief you felt as your face nuzzled into the plush mattress and warmth flooded you as you buried yourself under the blankets.

Regardless of the pure exhaustion that plagued you, sleep had continued to evade you. Your head swam with the event of the day and thanks to Aerith’s little accusation yesterday you came to the conclusion this horrendous feeling must be jealousy, though if you admitted it you’d have to accept the fear and anger that’s welling inside you too. Gods you angry. Not at her, or Cloud, or Tifa, but yourself. How the hell did this happen? You don’t do feelings, and you certainly didn’t do romance. Seduction and infatuation, sure, but never love. It was a liability, a weakness, one could exploit if they wished. So where did it all go wrong?

It didn’t help that his room was right next to yours. Only the thin drywall between your two headboards separated you, and his thumped against the plaster rhythmically, his raspy grunts muffling through to keep your rapid thoughts circling the thought of him. Were those reps he was counting? Leave it to him to have a nightly workout.

You sighed, and mentally imagined as the conflicting emotions, the jealousy, the wishful thinking, the ghost of possible feelings, all the warmth and comfort, and pushed them all into a tiny metal chest at the deepest and darkest place that house all the other memories you kept locked away. You can’t be jealous because you don't care. You just needed to keep your distance and in a couple weeks you’ll be at the saucer and can put this whole fiasco to bed. A tiny murmur of sadness shined from the useless organ in your chest, which you quickly stamped down too. This will pass. After all you’ve gotten rather good at separating your mind from pain. You don't see how this was any different.

Once you did finally achieve the sweet release of unconsciousness you were submerged into the hideous atrocities of your childhood. Usually your subconscious could identify when you were reliving one, and change the course of the dream world, but after all of the challenges today- and yesterday- brought, your body and mind were just to exhausted. Your collective presence was pulled down into the sedation of lethargy.

It started back in the saucer. You had just won the last race, beating out the slimy asshole Chuck, and now you stood in the glamorous stables, a brush in hand and a treat in the other. It felt as if your head, or eyes, was vibrating as you ran the brush through your silver chocobo’s feathers. You heard sniffling, but kept your eyes on your bird. The last thing you wanted was to catch his attention. “No…please, stop…” Your pulse spiked, and blood ran white hot with fury. You set your brush down calmly, and assured the bird in front of you that everything would be okay.

But when you turned around to beat the shit out of the guy, you were suddenly clawing desperately at the gritty ground. Adrenaline flooded your brain as pure desperation clutched at your chest and constricted your airways. No… not here… Not again… Footsteps dug into the gravel and the ground under you vibrated. A group of men circled around you, four at least. The one closest to you gripped your ankle hard enough that it would bruise and began to drag you back into their makeshift circle. Tears fell rapidly, and your nose ran like crazy. You tried to focus on the taste of your own tears to distance yourself from the burning pain in your fingers as your nails cracked against the tiny pebbles and pieces of cement as you clawed at anything to get away.

You found that escaping was futile, so changed gears trying to kick frantically to open a chance to escape, all you needed was an ounce leverage. A small part of you just wanted to stop. Your lungs burned. Your fingers were bleeding. Your vision blurred. Your ears rang. Why fight it? There was no hope. You will die here.

A sick sadistic cackle seeped through the static. His gravelly voice, like an old muffler that rusted through where it should’ve connected to the carburetor, told the others to stop. You couldn’t make out his words, your consciousness was distorted like you were being held just beneath the surface of water, but his tone sparked fear in every fiber of your being. And like a match the embers of your resolve caught flame and blazed brightly once again. You kicked and screamed and scratched and even bit, as the other men shuffled around trying to grab whatever they could get their hands around to hold you down, but the moment you heard the clicking and shuffling of a belt coming undone you crumbled.

Your eyes filled with tears that refused to fall. Your mouth felt dry and your own cries, pleas, and begging sounded funny to your own ears. You searched for anyone, anything that might help. You knew hope was lost when your frantic gaze landed on the nosy middle aged woman in the window across the street. She held her silk curtains open with her fan, her cold impenetrable chocolate eyes watching you like it was the best entertainment she’d seen that night with no intent or sense of urgency to help.

Darkness pressed in on you until everything faded to nothing. Whether it be that you didn’t remember exactly what happened or if it was just so horrible that even your unconscious mind didn’t want to relive it, you would never know, but when you came to everything was red. No matter how many times you’ve relived this nightmare it always returns here. Your vision was streaked in crimson, bodies lay in piles around you. Some were intact, others were heavily injured, the rest were in pieces scattered around you. All of them in pools of their collected blood. Their eyes wide, still, and lifeless. Their expressions frozen as if they were screaming for their lives that never reached your cotton filled ears.

You caught an image of yourself in the rippling reflection in the puddle around your bare feet. You looked like an emissary of Odin himself. S/c skin smeared with blood, and every fiber of your awkwardly torn clothes soaked as well, and dripping down the planes of your thighs. Your sunken eyes were hollow, and lifeless beyond the flicker of wrath held within. Sobs convulsed through your tiny malnourished body and the rusted knife shook violently in your hand. A scream pierced your ear drums and everything began to shake violently. Pressure began to build and squeezed and—

You shot up from the mattress like you were struck with magic, gasping for a clear breath and clawing at the clothes that clung to your form. Loud knocking rattled the door, and a voice you weren’t entirely familiar with yelled at you from the other side. Your thoughts were far away when you stumbled to the door. You took a deep breath and collection your carefully collected facade before pulling the wretched door open. The ninja girl that you saved yesterday smiled widely at you, her lips moving a mile a minute but nothing reached your ears. You weren’t sure if you should consider her a bad omen or a breath of fresh air.

She barely gave you enough time to fix your hair and put your boots on before she herded you into Cloud’s room for weird introductions and strategy planning. Only to find out that the mayor did, in fact, rat you out. You couldn’t find it you to be angry with her though.

An engine roared to life just outside the inn, as Yuffie escaped out the rattling window. The obnoxious revving made your ears ring again and your head throb behind your eye. You’ve met some weird people while traveling with the gang but you never would’ve guessed Cloud had a biker stalker, and surprise surprise hes another soldier. You’ve been awake for all of an hour, and you were so weary you nearly said your goodbyes and parted there. If it wasn’t for that small masochistic part of you that was comforted by the chaos you would’ve been on the first chocobo home.

Once you all regrouped you discussed what you should do now. Shinra wouldn’t arrive until the end of the week when the parade was scheduled to begin. You had three days to kill, and it didn’t seem like a smart move to go topside until the day of. Barret and Cloud didn’t exactly blend into a crowd. So Barret sought out the mayor with a bone to pick as you kept to the back. You just felt so out of place. You didn’t belong with these people. Every piece of you just fought to stay upwards under the immense pressure.

Though here you were, listening as the mayor explained why she did it. She even gave him a portion of their bounty in exchange for the trouble, and the argument stopped there. She pulled her dry brown hair back into a tighter pony before returning her gloved hand to her hip. “Well, since you clearly didn’t have anything better to do, think I could out source you to work?” The mayor, Rhonda, spoke. Barrett nudged Cloud’s shoulder before shuffling in front of him. “The remainder of your bounty- I need it delivered to someone. I’ve already got a porter picked out too.” She whistled and a gray whippet dog came running before sitting back on his haunches at her feet. “This here’s Salmon. Since he’ll be the one making the drop, it’s your job to get him there safe.”

“Doesn’t seem like too much if a hassle, but… who exactly is this money for?” Barret rasped, crossing his arms over his chest.

“My son. Haven’t seen him in a spell, not since he left town… and never looked back. This gil is me washing my hands of him.” She mimicked hand washing to accentuate her point. “He’s a grown man. Can’t be clingin’ to his mom’s skirts- or her pocket book.”

“We’ll take the job, for a price.” Cloud said as he shifted his weight.

“Much obliged. Once you make it to the Crows nest, find Toby. He’ll make sure you get the reward. But if I find a single hair outta place on Sam, you won’t live to enjoy it. You keep my boy safe.” She said with a finger pointed at his chest. You scoffed, you hardly doubt that she would last a minute against Cloud, let alone you.

*~*

You decided that Barret was just a man made up of intense contradictions. He was loud, brash, quick to jump the gun, yet could be incredibly gentle, and cautious. He was as stubborn as he was loud and nearly six feet and four inches of hulking muscle. A walking intimidation, yet the first to go to bat for his people. His face, while moderately attractive, was made of sharp lines, and a strong jaw. His glare struck in many through the dark lenses of his shades, and his resting bitch face had people running for the hills. Not to mention the gargantuan canon grafted to his arm. He was both a fierce, loving, and protective father, and the paragon of terrorism- something Shinra monopolized on that.

So the scene unfolding just before you really struck a chord in you. You were never intimated by him personally, you had nerves of steel and skills to back you up, but to see all that muscle, all that bark, hunched over this white and grey mutt scratching behind an ear and cooing his promises to keep him safe with puckered lips like he was speaking to an actual child really dispelled all illusions of his tough guy persona.

“Don’t you worry. Any monster that wants to getcha is gonna have to go through me.” He gave one more scratch under the dogs chin then straightened out to his full height. Salmon, the dog, turned on his heels and scurried down the beaten and barren path that led away from the rotting stench of the sea town. You followed along at the back like a captured spy now held hostage.

There was no joy right now, your circumstances and inner mockery only intensified the emptiness that lingered, but you tried your hardest to focus on the changing terrain, the rocky footpaths slowly fading into something a little more green. There wasn’t much of point you discovered as the back of Tifa’s head beckoned your scrutiny. Every swish of her perfect brown hair ticked like a bomb under your skin just waiting for the clock to hit zero. Her motherly nature shined brightly and lessened Aerith’s concerns, and in that moment you wished you were more like her. Tifa could easily validate someone’s feelings while providing a soothing direction. You actually envied her ability to connect with people, something you struggled with, and it occurred to you that this may have been the first time you’ve ever viewed someone as competition, and the notion left you uncomfortable especially since you truly did enjoy Tifa’s company.

There was still hours of hiking left, and you didn’t want to stare daggers at her back for the remainder of it, so you picked up your pace and slipped between the two of them until you took up a place between the guys at the front. Out of sight out of mind, right? Thankfully for you, Barret was loud enough to drown them out, although being up here came with it’s own challenges. You tried to subdue the rapid thoughts that created the lingering weight that plagued your body, and resisted the deep seeded temptation to sneak a peak at the blonde man to your right. You kept telling yourself that this new stubborn obsession stemmed from curiosity, that’s why, no matter how many times you swiped away the words that formed behind your eyelids, the question always circled back to the forefront of your mind. Was Cloud and Tifa an item? A wistful sigh slipped past your bow shaped lips. You didn’t need to see him to know his eyes were on you, searching for a reason for your distress.

You saw his mouth open to say something out of your peripheral, but before he had a chance to voice his concern Barret was barking out a question, and his heavy gaze finally moved on both giving you a sense of relief and longing. “Hey, Cloud! Remind me, how old were you when you left home?” Fortunately, or maybe not, Barret’s inquiry also piqued your curiosity. You certainly didn’t need to know anymore about him, but the topic was a good distraction from the chaos brewing in your head.

“Fourteen.” He answered simply, his attention returning to the trail in front of you. “No, wait, it was spring so thirteen.”

Barret sucked his teeth a moment in thought. “Suppose that’s usual for small town boys like you. What’d your mom have to say?” As if you didn’t have enough problems rattling inside your skull, as the word mom hit your ears your heart squeezed painfully in your chest. You didn’t think about mothers a whole lot, specifically cause you didn’t really have one. Though now that you were thinking about it, it was hard not to wonder what his mother was like. She must have been a strong woman to have raised such a stubborn man. What would you have been like if your own mother had survived?

“Not much.” The words left his lips so casually as he shrugged. “Didn’t try to stop me- like you said nothing unusual about it. But…”

“But?” Barret badgered.

“Two-thousand gil. She offered me that. ‘Make a fresh start’.” You looked to your shoes to hide the yearning look on your face.

“Guess mom’s are the same, all over.” You scoffed inwardly. Yeah, if only that was true. The mother-like figure you had to endure was a far cry from a good role model. She hadn’t even provided the basic safety and shelter, at least not for free. In her eyes you were just a cash cow, and the debt you racked up just living with her was enough to keep you there forever if not for Sam.

“I turned the money down though. Didn’t need it. I was planning to enlist straight away.” You raised your head to sneak a glance at him for the first time since yesterday. The slant of his mouth inched upwards, a ghost of a smile, like he was recalling the memory. You wonder, did she worry about him? Was she sad to see him go? Was she lonely? It might be sick to wish someone to be sad, but for his sake you did. What kind of mother would she be if his absence didn’t bother her?

“But you still can’t help settin’ your price at two grand. Sentimental ain’t cha?” Barret wiggled his eyebrows at him, Cloud’s lack of response answered his question.

About two hours in your party approached the coast line, and your inner turmoil seemed to mellow out like the slow crashing waves against the rocky shoreline. You held your hand above your eyes as a make shift visor as you looked up at the scorching high noon sun. Something course rubbed along your calf had you casting your stormy e/c eyes down to the source. Red’s large golden eyes, albeit spotted with burning circles that swam as your eyes readjusted, peered up at you as his fur brushed lightly against your skin.

“Are you alright?” He asked, the timbre of his voice so smooth it did put your heart at ease, maybe a litter bittersweet but it was something nonetheless.

“Yeah.” You lowered a hand to ruffle the fur on his head. “I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay. I didn’t get much sleep.” Your gaze wavered from Red to Barret briefly as Barret belted on a “Okay, hear me out.” which usually meant trouble for the rest of you.

“What?” Cloud snapped, his patience for the hulking man nearly spent already. You cocked an eyebrow at Red as you gave him a toothy grin. You angled your head towards the men hoping that Red caught your drift. You sincerely enjoyed the banter and nitpicking between the two.

“Ya know how some parents stop their kids from leavin’ the nest? Claimin’ ‘it’s too soon’ or ‘they’re not ready’” Barret ranted waving his arms here and there to make a point. “Any excuse to keep them at home.”

“What about it?” The crease between Cloud’s eyes returned and his frown deepened.

“Loads of parents’re like that, but I told myself I’d be different.” His big meaty palm thumped at his chest right above his heart. “I’d never keep my little girl from flyin’! I don’t wanna clip her wings! I want ‘er to soar!” Both arms raised through the air, flapping childishly like a bird. Cloud scoffed with an exaggerated eye roll, the barely noticeable smirk not going unnoticed. Barret swirled around to get into his space. “I hear you scoffin’. You think I can’t do it?! You think I’ll keep er all to myself!”

Cloud stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms, his baby blues amusedly gazing over the hulking man. “Oh yeah.” You snickered.

“And that’s what scares me!” Barret erupted, his arms falling heavily to his sides. The two of them moving their feet once again. “As much as I wanna let ‘er fly, I dunno if I’ll be able to let go when the time comes! Maybe I’ll panic- get in her way, hold her down, all to keep her safe! Oh, Marlene! I wish you could be my baby girl forever!” You stared wide eyed at his hysterics. You couldn’t believe what you were looking at. Is he crying? You shot a look at Red to see if he was seeing this shit too. He heaved a heavy sigh, and shaking his head. He wasn’t nearly as entertained as you.

Soon the coast line faded and the path led you higher up hills, and up a rocky cliff past an old decaying boat, an old weather worn flag still lamely adorned the mast. The crumbling brittle ferns were replaced with lush leafy plants and full swaying trees the farther you got from Junon. It wasn't until you passed one of Chadley’s information towers that the gravel path ended and you came across patches of little yellow flowers. Each patch bloomed with different shades of yellow; some light like the sun, others deeper like the hues in Red’s eyes and your favorites were pale and light like the color of a Woodland chocobo or the spikes of his wild hair.

“Oh my sweet baby girl!” His cries took you by surprise, but the tears streaming down his cheeks really left you dumbfounded. This can’t be the same guy who blew up a reactor. It just can’t.

“What now?” Cloud snapped, his steady loss of patience over the day coming to it’s end.

“Your daddy… your silly daddy… he’s gonna…” Barret’s sobs were briefly interrupted as he sniffled wetly between deep shaky breaths. “He’s gonna fail you! Oh, I can’t let you go! I just can’t!”

“Barret, get your shit together!” Cloud snarled. “Marlene’s barely out of diapers. You got time!”

“Right, right. I’m just getting worked up over nothing! Yeah! She won’t be leaving me for awhile!” His sentence started a bit crestfallen before perking up towards the end.

That seemingly was the end of the conversation, but then a few minutes later as you were passing one of the beaten down chocobo rest stops you seen a wicked smirk form on Cloud’s face from the corner of your eye. “Then again…” He trailed off in a mocking tone. You couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Barret chastised him with a stern ‘Hey’ then the two of them turned to look at you as you doubled over in hysterics. It just caught you so off guard. You hadn’t seen Cloud really joke around, but this fucker was turning out to be a mischievous little shit just like Aerith.

You straightened up and took a deep breath to compose yourself. You reached out and pushed against Cloud’s arm with a wide smile on your face. “You’re such an ass!” His smile faltered as the light force made him take a step back before it changed into something more gentle, more intimate, and you quickly turned to Barret. He stood there frozen and quiet which you didn’t actually think was possible. The girls giggled along behind you, Aerith giving you a pat on the back and then you started moving again. “I wouldn’t worry Barret. After all you clearly know what’s best for her.”

“You mean it?” he asked. You nodded.

“Just look at now. You left her behind to keep her safe, even though I’m sure you’re missing her.”

“You’re right!”

“Also…” you snuck a glance over at Cloud before finishing your train of thought, “Just like Cloud’s mom when she offered him money, you can let her fly and still be the air under her wings. Support is everything.” You heard him sniffle again and you rolled your eyes. Gods he was so unexpectedly emotional. His steps thundered loud against the ground was your only warning to the crushing hug he enveloped you in.

He wrapped his arm around you from behind and squeezed you to his body, picking you up off your feet in the process. You squirmed in his embrace, kicking your feet trying to free yourself before you submitted to your fate. The girls came to your rescue, and tried to pull you free, each pulling on an arm. Aerith even tried to tickle him to get him to release you. When he finally set you down your eyes caught Cloud’s again. The gentle smile, and softened eyes made your chest warm and fluttery. You swallowed it down, and chalked it out to be lingering exhaustion, and stretched out your now sore back.

Salmon started barking from up ahead, and your hand dropped to the hilt along your back out of habit. You couldn’t see anything, but your ears trained on a rhythmic flapping sound, and the hairs on your arm stood up. “There!” You yelled. The others looked up and seen the giant winged fiends. Sandstorm Drakes. “Take cover!” You ducked behind a giant red tank as one of them cast aerora, and you cursed under your breath. You peeked over the metal tank as Cloud grabbed your arm and pulled you back down to cover. Heavy winds soared above you as your chest heaved with adrenaline.

“You okay?” He asked looking no worse for wear.

“Yeah.” You let the quiet settle you as you thought out a plan. You weren’t bad at aerial fighting, but in this instance you didn’t have any long range weapons. You could jump, but you doubted you get a good enough range to land any hits. If you could time it right to use the tank for height you should be able to reach. Cloud shifted besides you and another idea formed in your head as you registered the sound of his sword clanking against the metal tank. You did have materia. You gaze flicked to his, and a sly grin spread across your face. “I can give you an opening.” You could hear Barret screaming at the flying creatures as he shot at them and chime like music of Aerith’s magic hitting its mark. The screeching of the drakes continuously got louder and louder along with the increase pressure of the wind whipping around the battlefield ringing in your ears.

He gave a curt nod before jumping back out there. You creeped around the side of the tank and clutched at the bangle around your wrist concentrating on the green materia slotted into one of the chambers. The orb began to glow before you released the spell and aerora was cast on the closest drake. Its wings beat heavily against the current, but its protective aura faltered and disappeared. You jumped into the fray and scurried behind Aerith’s shield clutching your bangle as you prepared another spell.

A sharp cry pierced the sky as one fell to the ground with an echoing thump as Cloud pierced it in a upward arc. Your second spell landed much like the first however as it’s shield flickered out it became enraged and locked its eyes on Cloud’s falling form. It began to swoop and before you could fully think it through you raced across the land and jumped. Of course you wouldn’t reach its height on your own but as Cloud descended he held his blade flat on its side. As you gained height you planted your feet firmly onto the blade and pushed upwards giving yourself more momentum to gain altitude.

You pulled your sword free from its scabbard and angled back. As soon as the you were in range you plunged the sword into its chest. It’s screech pierced your ears and made them ring painfully the proximity disorienting you for a moment. You firmly brought one foot to its chest and kicked with all your strength to free your sword the movement adding an extra distance between you and the carcass. As fell you realized the fiend was following the same path down only a few feet beside you and there was no way to change direction or move out of the way before it crushed you. You sheathed the sword, the weapon only to cause more harm if you were land on it, and turned you body so you would land sideways. The impact will painful, but you’ll be able to roll away before the drake’s crushing weight would flatten you like a pancake.

Here it comes. You thought as you tucked your arms in before your body met the unforgiving ground. You bit your lip to contain the scream that died in your throat as your arm took the brunt of the impact. You rolled three times before coming to a halt.

You flopped your head back for a second to just process the pain shooting through your body, a warm heat radiating from your forearm. You took a few shaky breathes as the intensity faded. Nothing that a simple cure spell wouldn’t heal. You propped yourself back on the uninjured elbow to make sure everyone else was okay. Aerith dusted of the bottom of her dress, Tifa was messing with the straps of gloves, Barret was adding extra bullets to one of the fiends, Red sat back licking a paw, and Cloud was faced away from you slotting his sword back onto his back. Looks like no one else is hurt.

As the fiends broke down and return to the lifestream in ribbons of twirling luminescent greens you tuned in to the way the Planet welcomed them home. You always wondered why humans didn’t return to the planet the same way. Souls, yes, but the bodies are usually sent out to sea or buried, sometimes even cremated. You weren’t sure if other people could feel it the way you do, but it felt different when the two species returned. Fiends are warm and accepting of the change as if that was what they were born to do. Humans felt more complex, though it could be because you were the one to send them ‘home’. Some fought it, other times the strands felt empty or sad, or extremely angry, but no matter the emotion the lifestream was there to accept them, leaving their empty husks behind. You could only hope that people who leave this life to cross to the next, who died of natural causes, went more peacefully.

Does Aerith feel them too? It was a valid question. As a Cetra you imagined she could feel the lifestream better than you. Could she hear them?

The hand that was outstretched towards you came into focus as you blinked yourself back to reality. “You good?” Cloud asked as you took his gloved hand in your own.

As he pulled you to your feet a sharp pain blazed across your forearm. You bit the inside of your cheek to keep from reacting though his blue eyes flicked down to the offending appendage. You huffed as you regained your footing cocking your good arm on your hip to mask the throbbing. Damn thing is probably broken. “Why does everyone keep asking me that today?”

“That wasn't an answer.” He shot back as he scratched at the back of his neck.

You huffed and poked his forehead with a finger. Your eyes narrowing as you studied him. “You’re to observant.” You spoke low and smooth, then retreated from where you wished to be.

Salmon barked down the road and if the windmills, and tattered fences were anything to go by you were close to Crow’s Nest.

*~*

Cloud followed after Toby into the wooden walls of Crow’s Nest and down the rocky trail that led into the fortress. Toby rambled on and on though it all went in one ear and out his other, you consumed every little thing that raced through his head right now. He’d taken his eyes off you for a second as seven of you entered and in that second you were gone, and if he was being honest he wasn’t sure if he’d find you again.

Walking in he couldn’t help but notice the sturdy structure, safety was always his top priority. It was smart that they used the rough rocky mountain as part of their defense, he’ll give them that, but they needed a much gate and guard system. Then there was these sand bags piled up along the left wall, and he could only hope they weren’t there to hold up the wall— it wouldn’t surprise him though.

At the bottom Tifa and Aerith also broke off the main group to take a look around, and with some luck one of them would run into you. The gravel under his feet turned to smooth stone, albeit uneven, as he descended into the heart of the town. He paused to scan his surroundings, that’s what his excuse was anyway, but really he was searching for you. He relented before climbing up the stairs to the bar after Toby, Barret and Red close behind him.

He caught the gist of what Toby wanted. Fiends at the lighthouse, and Kyrie causing more trouble. He huffed and rolled his eyes, a hand landing on his hip in irritation. With Red’s nose and his annoyance directed at the wannabe merc they decided they should probably deal with this. They could set out in the morning, take care of it, then make their way back to Junon in time for the big event.

He didn’t spend another minute taking about it though, he was already down the stairs and looking for their lodging for the night. With that injury he thought that’d be the best place to start his search.

When that came up empty, checked out the cliffs that overlooked the sea. More often that not he’d run into you- on purpose, but he’d never admit that- on your own away from their make shift camp for the night basking in the quiet of nature. He liked to think it was the privacy you craved, much like himself, though when you were asked you said you just felt more relaxed under the open sky. But, now as he stared out and the sunset over the cliff side you were nowhere in sight.

He seen the flow of the skirt of Aerith’s dress before he heard her. “Looking for Y/n?” He turned to see her better at the pier just up the staircase next to him. Both of her hands were clasped behind her back as she swayed along with the wind, the wood creaking beneath her feet as she moved.

He didn’t hesitate, or grow embarrassed, this time. “Have you seen her?”

She skipped down the steps her smile growing in diameter as she stepped up to him. She opened her mouth to tease him, he was sure of it, before her brows wrinkled and a frown replaced her smile. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her since we came in.”

“Right.” He nodded and mumbled a quick ‘Thanks’ before stalking off, with just a bit more gusto, to resume his search.

You’ve been acting strange since last night- no-before that. Whatever Gabe said to you was the beginning. You distanced yourself from everyone leading your chocobo behind the rest of them. You masked it with a charming smile and deflected questions, but he noticed. He always notices. The light didn’t reach your eyes as you joked around, and you didn’t even try to scold Barret for being obnoxious. He seen the way your movements were sluggish, how you stumbled on your feet as you hacked at the Terror of the Deep. He waved it off as exhaustion, so much has happened in just two days. Even he was wearing down. He hoped a good nights sleep was all you needed.

But you looked worse than just exhausted as you slumped over the door in the inn. All worry and doubt he felt from his conversation with Tifa disappeared when he seen you. You looked so defeated. The door the only thing keeping you on your feet as you stared vacantly at it. His chest tightened and he stumbled closer. He didn’t know what to do. Comforting people wasn’t exactly his specialty though when called out to you that seemed to help. His heart dropped to his stomach when you just shrugged him off and slipped inside your room leaving him to stare where you were just moments before. He warred with him self for a moment between knocking on your door or leaving you be, ultimately he turning back to his down and going inside with a slump in his shoulders. Had you even noticed that he called out to you?

He couldn’t sleep of course, not that he ever did anymore. Even the tiniest of sounds were enough to have him stirring, but last night he was filled with a restless energy. Every time he closed his eyes your crestfallen expression appeared. He tossed and turned for upwards of an hour before giving up, settling on some sit ups until his muscles ached and his eyelids drooped.

When the first rays of sunlight filtered in through his window everyone was herded into the room, and that’s when he started to think he’d done something wrong. You lingered in the back, you didn't offer any suggestions, you wouldn’t look in his direction at all. Every time he checked on you you had that same far off look glued onto your pretty face. He couldn’t think of anything he did to upset you, unless he creeped you out in the mines- and honestly he wouldn’t blame you. The timing just didn’t make sense though. You got along fine until you left the ranch. He spent most of the day agonizing over how to mend the situation, and frustrated that he was too awkward to know what to say.

Then out of nowhere you brightened up again, your laugh as breathtaking as the radiant smile on your face. Pride swelled in his chest and a heat rushed to his cheeks. He made you laugh. His heart still throbbed when he thought about the way your hand felt so warm against his upper arm as you pushed him playfully. He didn’t think you’d been listening to Barret’s nonsense either, yet there you comparing the knucklehead to his mom.

He really thought that would be the end of whatever was going on with you, but now he thinks he may have overstepped. He was just going to tell you your fighting was good as always or maybe something less lame when he held out his hand to help you up. But he saw it. Your lips pushed together in a thin line, your eyes slid shut, and if it weren't for his enhanced senses he would’ve missed the sharp breath that you sucked in. His eyes flicked down to your arm. Your arm tensed creating an unnatural shift of bone underneath the skin. He just stared dumbly at it. “Why does everyone keep asking me that today?” Playful tone and a clever deflection once again. Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed the issue. You clearly were hiding it from everyone, which made him irrationally angry. What you said next worried him. With a finger pressed to his forehead your whispered words cut sharply into him, “You’re too observant.” Your eyes cold and hardened, but he swears there was an underlying fear beneath the icy exterior and then he realized maybe you two weren’t that different.

You built this solid wall around yourself to keep everyone a safe distance around you never being aloud to cross the distance. You can’t get hurt if you never let anyone in but in reality you just cage yourself in. He did the same, only he used his broody nature and impassive strength. Until the plate fell he was able to do a job with no concern for the client, keeping a barrier between their problems and his feelings, now with this journey being so entwined with Sephiroth it was hard not care. Maybe that’s why he feels drawn to you. For the first time he wants be the one to reinforce your strengths. He was determined to reach you even if he had to break the damn doors down himself.

His hand threaded behind his neck up to scratch at his nape as he went re-climbed the steps to the bar taking two stairs at a time. He stalled at the top as a familiar remedy. The gentle and harmonious hum echoed through the open frame leading into the unfinished bar.

Melancholy and nostalgia filled him and constricted his chest like a vice. He ambled slowly to the wooden framing and settled himself against the smooth stone to watch the scene unfolding before him. He had expected Tifa to be the one playing this old song. Instead there you were. Sat straight on the black wooden bench your fingers gracefully pressing against the old piano keys creating the melody song he heard growing up in Nibelheim. The song took him back to his childhood bedroom listening intently to the girl, Tifa, next door practicing it at all hours of the day. You were the only one consuming his thoughts now, and what a vision you were. Your e/c irises were hidden behind closed eyelids. The smooth planes of your face looked relaxed, but dejected. His awestruck stare followed down the slope of your perfect button nose, and over the bow shape lines of your down-turned lips The low lighting from the lights strung above the both of your heads emphasized the highlight in your hair swayed back and forth around your bare shoulders in time with the glide of your fingers as you recalled each note meticulously from memory.

He glanced quickly around the bar finding nothing but empty seats around round tables. His legs brought him closer to you out of their own volition as if the very thought of you beckoned him closer. “Where’d you learn that?”

Your fingers faltered on the keys, and your body lurched in fear, a tiny squeak escaping your lips. Cute. “Son of a-” You took in a deep breath to calm yourself before the full weight of your glare was on him. “You’re the only one that has ever snuck up on me! Stop it!”

He laughed, the noise sounding odd to his own ears. “Sorry.” He scratched at his nape once again as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He propped Hardedge against the wall then closed the distance between you. He felt silly for lowering himself onto the narrow bench so slowly but he wanted to make sure you had no objections. The bench had just enough room to sit comfortably apart, but with a newfound sense of courage he slid closer to you, feigning ignorance to the available space, so the sides of your arms rest against one another. His pulse pounded in his ears and his hands grew clammy as they rested on his knees.

“I was at a ranch near Nibelheim. The owner’s daughter taught me the song.” You looked up at him with curious orbs. “You grew up in Nibelheim, right?” He nodded his head. “Tifa, too?”

His throat clenched at your inquiry. Nibelheim wasn’t something he usually talked about, the mere memories enough to dredge up a rapid river of intense emotions. Fear, hatred, devastation. He often found it to be a topic of great discomfort. It could've been the song that eased the wounds or possibly all the discussion of his mother this morning, but for the first time in a long time he wasn’t so hesitant to talk about home. “Yeah.”

You looked back down at your fingers that hovered over the keys. “You guys must’ve been close.” You mumbled.

He shrugged, “Not really.” He was hyper focused on the way your arm brushed against his as he readjusted. “I was… I’ve always been… like this.” Awkward, and unsociable. He wanted to say.

He hadn’t realized the difference in your height before now as he towered a head and half above you. His soft gaze falling down to your lips. It was enough that he’d have to lean down to—

“But, you guys seem really close now.” You peered back up at him through the loose strands of hair framing your face. He quickly turned his head to stare at the wall to hide the heat that was spreading under his skin.

“I guess…” His relationship with Tifa seemed to be rocky as of late, but he couldn’t deny she was important to him. “She’s like a sister.” His answered lamely as he turned his attention to the keys before him.

“Really?” The inclination of your voice pulled his eyes back to your own, the warm hue soothing the wave of anxious jitters he was experiencing. “I would’ve pegged you guys to be more than that.” You bumped the ball of your shoulder against his bicep.

“What? It’s not like that.” He quickly huffed. His reaction pulled another musical laugh from you, something he was slowly becoming addicted to he feared.

“If you say so.” You teased.

The tension in your body practically dissolved with his answer, and the sparkle in your eyes that he’d grown accustom to returned casting the once dull and emptiness back to the recesses from which they came. He relaxed and exhaled the bout of nerves that plagued him before he settled into the comfortable silence. You returned to playing the Nibelheim lullaby, the warmth of your arm rubbing against his taking precedence at the fore front of his mind, when he remembered why he was worried about you in the first place. He observed your facial expression at first looking for any signs of discomfort and when he saw none he moved his attention to the offending appendage. His frown deepened as he looked for any unnatural shift beneath your skin. It appeared to be fine. There was no bruising or swelling. Your movement was clean and precise. You must have snuck off to mend it in privacy, but even with healing materia it must be sore. “How’s your arm?”

Your e/c orbs narrowed slightly, your nostrils flaring as you exhaled sharply. He was actually beginning to like this side of you. You’ve been level headed and witty the entire time, along with being a good conversationalist and polite when speaking to anyone. So to see your temper flare and an attitude when this didn’t go your way was almost refreshing to him. Perhaps something was fundamentally wrong with him, or maybe a part of him took pleasure that he was the only one to see it. “Nothing materia couldn’t fix.”

He itched to press the issue further to see more of your fiery personality, but her erred on the side of caution. Your answer was satisfactory so he supposed he could drop it. He peeled his eyes from you, now slightly embarrassed he’d been staring for so long, and looked down to the keys on the old instrument. He let his own fingers slide over the naturals and pressing onto each note softly creating a different song he’d learned in Midgar. Your fingers slide off and landed in your lap. He could feel the way you gawked at him the weight of it nearly burning holes into the side of his head. He felt heat rush to the tips of his ears as you propped yourself up on an elbow to watch him.

“So Mr. Soldier, when on Gaia did you have the time to learn piano? Or was that part of your training too?”

He realized he never actually told anyone this, and the thought of sharing it with you made him feel exposed. Yet he wanted to share this piece of himself with you. “I got homesick… when i enlisted. I had a lot of time on my hands before I climbed the ranks.” Your bought your hands back to the ivory notes pressing down on a few to play a complementary part the song. The two of you sat together of upwards of an hour side by side playing a few different melodies you’d learned over the course of your travels.

You movements stilled and fingers hovered above the keyboard. You turned around, your back now facing the piano, and looked above to the sky through the holes in the ceiling. He too let the music die there and angled towards you. As you admired the sky he shamelessly stared at you. His chest tightening as his eyes trailed over the slope of your nose and glazing over the smooth strands of hair illuminated by the twinkling lights and rays of moonlight.

Your irises moved down to meet his own as a smile graced your lips. “Thank you.” You voice sounding smaller in comparison under the stars. “I feel lighter now.” His brows scrunched minutely as he briefly pondered your words. He didn’t have to chance to linger on the statement, though, your soft warm hand inched towards his. You gently laced your fingers through his and giving his a small squeeze before pulling away and standing up. With one more pat to his shoulder you walked towards the entrance. “Good night, soldier boy.”

He gazed up and the night sky hoping to find what you found so intoxicated by the moon, and he caught himself smiling. He didn’t know if your growing relationship was romantic or not, but he decided that he wasn’t going to shy away from it like he did with almost everyone. No, if he wanted to be the air under your wings then he too would bare his soul to you.

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rjzimmerman · 26 days ago

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Excerpt from this story from Canary Media:

The world’s biggest decarbonization challenge comes not from cars, planes, or power plants, but from the highly polluting heavy industries at the heart of modern society.

New data from the Rhodium Group shows that, worldwide, no sector emits more planet-warming carbon dioxide than industry. That fact is not projected to change in the decades to come.

Cement, steel, petrochemicals, and various other mass-produced industrial metals and materials, from aluminum to glass, are ubiquitous.

They also make up an enormous and rising share of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

In 2022, the industrial sector accounted for 31 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, Rhodium forecasts that the industrial sector could emit as much CO2 equivalent as the power, transportation, and building sectors combined.

The biggest driver of industrial emissions is oil and gas production. The manufacturing of cement and other non-metallic minerals is the next-biggest contributor, followed by steel and iron production.

Emissions from oil and gas production mostly stem from the enormous amount of “fugitive” methane that escapes into the atmosphere: 80 percent of the sector’s emissions take this form.

In cement production, there are two key sources of emissions: high-heat, gas-fired kilns and the limestone used as an ingredient in Portland cement, which releases CO2 when heated up. Steelmaking emissions mainly come from the use of coal-fired blast furnaces to make iron.

Many of these industrial sectors have historically been described as “hard-to-decarbonize,” but in recent years experts have pushed back on that label as new pathways to cleaning up heavy industry have emerged or been proven out.

Rhodium, for its part, sees the oil and gas industry’s fugitive methane problem as solvable thanks to “cost-effective mitigation solutions that exist today,” the report notes. Plus, if global fossil-fuel consumption falls due to the rise of clean energy, heat pumps, and EVs, those emissions will follow suit.

The report also sees a solid pathway for the steelmaking sector to become less carbon-intensive by increasing both the use of electric arc furnaces, which use electricity to recycle scrap steel, as well as an alternative, coal-free ironmaking process called direct reduction, which can be fueled by fossil gas or hydrogen.

The research firm is less optimistic about cement emissions in the near term, citing a lack of mature technologies. Major cement producers and startups are working on different techniques to chip away at emissions, and companies are also devising ways to produce low-carbon Portland cement, but the industry is still far from the wholesale transformation needed to radically reduce emissions.

#industrial greenhouse emissions

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twodragons-blooper-reel · 9 months ago

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Let's roll the bloopers!

POST LIMIT: I LIVE

Hi there! It's @twodragonsinatrenchcoat I have several Pokemon IRL blogs in the rotumblr sphere and I wanted to make a sort of hub for them! Not just for organization and a spot to hold onto ask games I enjoy- but for meme and AU purposes as well!

I'll post ooc updates as well as jokes I have while writing here from time to time as well :3

I am also happy to do blog promos, I'm bad at looking for new blogs but send me an ask with the blog name or whatever and I'll reblog your pinned

Feel free to ask any and all questions pertaining to the blogs that are listed below!

Pokemon Irl blogs are listed under the cut, all are currently inactive

Active blogs are one I'm posting on actively, Light Activity Blogs are ones I'll reblog to occasionally and Inactive Blogs are blogs I have no intention of returning to in the near future.

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Active Blogs:

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Light activity Blogs:

@celadon-arcade-champ <- new blog. Character works at the Celadon game Corner, completely unaware that it's a front for Team Rocket :]

@disparate-traveller <- A faller blog about my character Diamond who yeeted themselves into Rotomblr to hang out with their bestie

@dersite-agent-jack <- I love Jack(Bec) Noir. So have a homestuck faller blog :]

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Inactive Blogs:

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If I'm answering a question about a specific blog I'll put it in the tags as "blog talk: [Blog name]"

I'm open to questions directed at characters, directed at myself, au talking- Just about anything honestly! This is just a fun sort-of hub for my pokemon blogs.

uhhh love y'all bye for now! <3

@rotumbeast <- The spirit of Rotomblr. Might be responsible for chaos

@piplup-at-naranja <- An in character liveblog of my playthrough of Pokemon Scarlet :]

@magical-girl-evoli <- An eevee magical girl! Because I'm not immune to brain rot

@hello-am-zacian <- A real life dog got Fallered and transformed into legendary pokemon Zacian. She's having a great time

@synthetic-radiance <- Cursed Chosen named Orion, Type:Null hybrid.

@psychic-type-appreciator <- Seraphina's sister Agni. She's less of a wet cat

@ghost-type-appreciator <- A Ceruledge hybrid blog :] her name is Seraphina! She's a wet cat

@clockwork-soul-heart <- Princess Steele! She's been trapped in a clockwork kingdom by a haunted doll for the last seven years of her life.

@drifting-rocket <- Kidnapped Aegis a couple times. His name is Drifter, he's a Team Rocket Executive. He's got so many issues.

@oreburghminingmuseum <- A blog about Aegis's caretakers and the museum they work for! Mostly an excuse for a place where I can post non-shieldon fossil pokemon art-

@fields-of-gracidea <- Vio! Branded chosen of Shaymin, Sawsbuck Hybrid, tasked with taking care of the younger brandeds

@sturdy-and-soundproof <- What you probably know me from! Aegis! Shieldon boy! I'm not sure how best to explain him besides he's cute. Has a whole slew of blogs related to him which are up next :)

@mareeplings <- My first pkmn Irl blog :D I dream of returning to it someday but I can't find the inspiration.

@snarling-maschiff <- a blog with a normal person running it as opposed to all my other blogs (whoops) They like dog pokemon!

@wayward-silver <- One of 13* Silver blogs, he's a mew taking the form of his past life. Was stuck underground as a ditto for like 20 years though.

@devilisinthedeinos <- A "Sleeby" named Eris who turned into a deino after getting top surgery. There's something else behind the scenes there...

@distortion-escapee <- A blog for my personal take on giratina, related to Dakota's blog.

@dakota-and-paris <- About a girl who has had way too much on her plate for thirteen years and will continue to have too much on her plate until I say so.

*there's so many silver blogs on this website i'm not gonna keep this number updated but that's how many there was when I made the blog

#pinned post #intro post #hub blog #tori talks

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alpaca-clouds · 1 year ago

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Would Nuclear Energy ever be part of a Solarpunk society? Or rather, do you think that Nuclear Energy could ever be used in a Solarpunk society, without breaching into Atompunk?

Thank you for the question.

Now, let me prephase this with saying, that I am very pro-nuclear, due to my degree and due to having done an internship in a nuclear power plant 12 years ago. I think that the fear of nuclear desaster is greatly overblown, mostly because the worst case scenario is so scary, no matter how rare it is. Which is why many will prefer coal to nuclear, even though the scenario in which coal operates as intended is just as scary. But in a way that we have gotten used to.

However, there is the fact that for the construction of a nuclear power plant we need a lot of steel and concrete, two things that we currently cannot produce without emitting a lot of CO2. While most renewables also need both things, the amount needed is a lot less, even based on the amount of energy generation.

And, admittedly, there is also currently the issue of how the nuclear fuels are mined in often unsafe conditions for the workers and the environment and in some cases on indigenous land without the consent of the indigenous people in question and without them being compensated for it. Though other than the CO2 issue, those things could be regulated for better outcomes.

Even though, I do think that the quickest way to shift to entirely green energy would be to supplement a renewable grid with nuclear reactors. Ideally new nuclear reactors that meet modern safety standards. While nuclear is still always fairly safe, it is unconscionable that a lot of the reactors in use right now were once built for a twenty year useframe and are now at times going on to thirty or forty years.

The reason I am for an energy mix that includes nuclear is, that we right now have an issue with storing renewable energy. While this is a much smaller problem then fossile fuel cronies will make it out to be, we still do not have a reliable method to store large amounts of energy outside of using hydropower. Which means, that we do need a way to supplement renewable energies for those days when renewables do not create enough energy. Especially until we have build better energy grids. And I think that nuclear is good for that.

So, yes, I do think that nuclear has its place within Solarpunk, just not as a main energy source and rather a supplemental source of energy to help us shift.

Going into 70-80% nuclear instead of renewables (like France is doing) would be a mistake. But a 20-30% nuclear with 70-80% renewables energy mix should be a good solution.

Because I can guarantee you one thing: Nuclear is definitely safer than fossil fuels - even ignoring the entire climate change issue.

I hope that answers the question.

If any of you have any other question, feel free to send in an ask. You can find more information here.

#solarpunk #renewables #renewable energy #nuclear energy #nuclear #nuclear power #energy mix #answering asks #answering questions

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zvaigzdelasas · 2 years ago

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Steel is usually made in a process that starts with blast furnaces. Fed with coking coal and iron ore, they emit large quantities of carbon dioxide and contribute to global warming.

The production of steel is responsible for around 7% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. But in Boden, the new plant will use hydrogen technology, designed to cut emissions by as much as 95%.

Although the first buildings have yet to go up on the remote site, the company behind the project, H2 Green Steel, believes it's on course to roll out the first commercial batches of its steel by 2025.[...]

The centrepiece of the new steel plant will be a tall structure called a DRI tower (DRI means a direct reduction of iron). Inside this, hydrogen will react with iron ore to create a type of iron that can be used to make steel. Unlike coking coal, which results in carbon emissions, the by-product of the reaction in the DRI tower is water vapour.

All the hydrogen used at the new green steel plant will be made by H2Green Steel. Water from a nearby river is passed through an electrolyser - a process which splits off the hydrogen from water molecules.

The electricity used to make the hydrogen and power the plant comes from local fossil-free energy sources, including hydropower from the nearby Lule river, as well as wind parks in the region.

17 Feb 23

#h2

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throwingawayhailstones · 2 months ago

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New raid dropped and it's kinda peak???? (party 2.2 (i actually finished the story))

yea ok holy fuck kill Barkat. KILL (spoilers btw obv)

The story was honestly pretty sweet. Even though it's a raid boss you don't actually fight the conductor in 20-5. He says he's not the combat type so he was just gonna let them go, but turns out the doors won't open until he finishes a proper performance. Them's the breaks. So the gang play some music with him and take him through therapy. it's really cool. He's like "i'm just an android i do i really count as alive?" and Eve is like "well you can hold a conversation far better than the androids outside and you can also create art. Even if you aren't a Nasod that's alive enough for me :)" I love this man i SWEAR TO GOD BARKAT IF YOU KILL HIM FOR LETTING THEM THROUGH I'M GOING TO BE REAL UPSETTI

I love him so much

Little guy discovers free will omg

AYO ADD NOT THE NEANDERTHAL ALLEGATIONS

KILL HIM EVE

The 20-4 story was really funny with Haivan realizing the trick to getting past the security system right before the communicator broke and Add and Eve getting all upset because that dumbass Haivan figured something out before we could wdh wdh

Eve is great in this chapter btw. She's honestly the star of the whole raid even though it's Lu's region. I lover her heart to heart with the Conductor and I love her getting snippy.

(anyways turns out since it was a "simple" machine they just asked it what the passcode was and it was like lol sure gimme a sec)

Oh gee a chapter called "Manipulate" I sure wonder what's going on in there

Ah..

DIGG NOO

(btw for context, he was one of Lu's closest followers and went by "Digg" rather than his birth name "Tarith" to distance himself from his piece of shit dad)

GOD I HOPE

THEY KILLED CIEL NOOOO (he's fine (probably))

Also next raid is a cool dragon or something. Apparently Barkat kicked the Tortas out of their territory to excavate some fossilized dragon bones that were in there. That's why they've got that cool elevator lol.

HMMM AISHA I WONDER WHO WOULD BE EVIL ENOUGH AND POWERFUL ENOUGH TO ORGANIZE A RITUAL SACRIFICE OF THAT SCALE??? SURELY NOT SOME TWO-FACED BITCH??? Barkat's reckless mining operations poisoned the land, she reduced Lu's castle to a crater to repurpose the raw materials, and now she's (might) kill all the people too? What does Lu even have to come back to??

On a side note, I like how in the recent storylines they didn't forget how "morally questionable" (evil) some of the gang and their allies are. While exploring the land of steel, the Tortas were slaughtering anyone who questioned them. They didn't suddenly become good people now that they've adopted Raven as their boss.

Remember that all the Ikus of Magmelia are terrified of the Torta. The only reason they are even alive is because Vasili (Incoolord) convinced Ricardo to let them go in exchange for their vision. (This is why all the Ikus in Karis' army or in Magmelia either have scars on their faces or blindfolds).

In the Monaterra storyline we have Ciel openly and proudly talking about ways he'd efficiently kill his targets, and it's like "oh right he was an Assassin. He worked with the Lanox underworld."

Raven and Elesis were mercenaries, they've definitely killed people for money.

Aisha is a Landar mage and not a single one of them is normal (except my goat Yuria).

Even though Tir is an ally for the Abyss storyline, he still absolutely cannot be trusted and would bet on the gang's deaths for a laugh.

Aren openly invited Ran into his body because of his treatment in the Xin capital. He may not have forseen everything that would've happened, but he definitely knew that a lot of people in the palace (many of them innocent servants) were going to die.

Haivan plotted for Aegrip and Berthe to kill eachother during their rampage and isn't sorry about it even though he'll admit that the current outcome where the capital doesn't get turned to rubble was preferable.

Add was openly talking about taking apart the Conductor which they just made friends with.

Ain is STILL RACIST

Interestingly, this contrasts with Elboy's decision to do everything he can to spare the baby Myuriconus in 18-2 (Abyss). He feels bad after seeing how the Magmelia Dream Demons are mourning Karis and doesn't want to kill if it he doesn't have to. The gang follow him even though Ciel or Raven or even Elesis absolutely would have killed it in such a desperate situation (they were actively dying due to being in the Abyss) yet they still followed him because they trust Elsword as their leader and moral compass (even if they make fun of him in the down time)

#elsword #serpentium raid #barkat #tarith #yeah so like she definately poisoned him #like 100000% she did #he's got a similar affliction as lu and lu's small because she lost all her power #barkat is definitely draining his power #please please please let the conductor live i want to see him again i love him so much you don't understaaaaaaand

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saiyanprincefiregod · 9 months ago

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How I would reboot MegaMan (Classic), MegaMan Zero, and MegaMan X pt. 3. Mega Man X Reboot 1-6

Now it's time to show my reboot of MegaMan X. Like MegaMan Zero MegaMan X is set it in an alternate timeline from the Classic MegaMan, with the characters Zero, Ciel, Cereavu, and Dr. Timothy Cain with Ashoka Kanme, Seth Kenka, Joseph Park, Saria Ame, Alia, Signs, Lifesaver, Douglas, Steel Massimo, Spider, Marino, Cinnamon, Chief R, Nana, Professor Gaudile, Aile, Layer, Pallete, Axl, and our favorite true blue hero, MegaMan X

The Plot of MegaMan X

Before the Event of MegaMan Zero, MegaMan Zero 2, MegaMan Zero 3 and MegaMan Zero 4, Sometime in the Year 20XX, Dr. Thomas Xavier Light completes work on [MegaMan] X and seals him away for 30 years of diagnostic testing, believing that the world will not yet accept a robot with free will. Dr. Wily seals away his final creations - [MegaMan] Zero and the Maverick Sigma Virus - without completing them to his final specifications. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily both pass away, but their wills persist in their creations. The soul of Light dwells in hidden Light Capsules and Cyber-SoulSpace, while Wily somehow lives on in the Maverick Sigma Virus.

Before MegaMan Zero [1-4], Dr. Cain embarks on an expedition to research a fossil record of Mesozoic plant life. Dr. Cain sets up camp and draws the preliminary groundwork for his dig. He notices an odd reading at location "E-46", deciding to investigate the following day. Dr. Cain uncovers ruins of a laboratory used by Dr. Light. Inside, he discovers documents referring to a capsule. Dr. Cain locates the capsule. He notes in his journal the specifications (14 meters tall by 8 meters wide and that it was under a collapsed ceiling. Cain clears dust from part of capsule to find a large letter "X", and activates the message left by Dr. Light.He notes the the indicators on the capsule are all green, and that he plans to open it the next day. Dr. Cain successfully opens the capsule and activates X. Dr. Cain examines the design notes and specifications for X left by Dr. Light, learning that X is a leap above anything in robotics the world has ever seen. Dr. Cain cancels his expedition to transport X and Dr. Light's materials to his lab. With minor modifications to Dr. Light's original designs, Dr. Cain works with X to create the first Reploid Sigma. Dr. Cain reports that the Reploids have been in mass production for several weeks, and that the general populace is excited to accept the new generation of robots. By this date, there have been two instances of irregular Reploid behavior. The term Maverick has been coined and applied to Reploids who disobey orders, commit acts of terrorism as well as injure and kill humans or innocent reploids. On this day, a third Maverick instance occurs, where three Reploids injured two humans. Dr. Cain reports that the council is debating halting the assembly of Reploids, but he doubts it will occur. [the events of Mega Man 1-4]. After the ending of MegaMan Zero 4, when Zero leaves to find Sigma, X joins the Maverick Hunters to fight for peace, being assigned as a B-Class Hunter.

MegaMan X: Sigma begins to resume his plan for human genocide after the events of Zero 4 and has been approaching his strongest Maverick Hunters to recruit them into an anti-human Reploid rebellion. Sigma revolts against the humans, taking many Maverick Hunters with him. Zero arrives in Los Angeles to see that the entire city is in ruins, X begins fighting Sigma's army on the Los Angeles highway, but he is ambushed by Vile piloting a Ride Armor. Zero comes to his rescue, forcing Vile to retreat. Zero assures X that he has the potential to become stronger, and orders him to continue fighting Sigma's forces while he locates Sigma's Hideout.

X faces Sigma's lieutenants, growing stronger by destroying all eight of the former Maverick Hunters. Zero then informs X that he has located Sigma's airborne hideout, and the two rendezvous to infiltrate it. The two are stopped by Vile, and Zero chooses to face him alone but is caught in a trap. X tries to rescue Zero, but Vile uses a Ride Armor to beat and paralyze him too. As a last resort, Zero self-destructs on Vile's Ride Armor, inspiring X to break free from his paralysis and finish off Vile. In his last moments, Zero encourages X to defeat Sigma. X confronts Sigma in his tower, defeating his guard dog Velguarder. Sigma then faces him one-on-one. As X deals the final blow, Sigma laments X's decision to side with humanity as the fortress explodes. X retreats to a cliff overlooking the ocean, watching the explosion, and wonders if the fighting is truly over. Indeed, a message left by Sigma boasts that X has only won a temporary victory, and that his "spirit and virus" live on.

MegaMan X2: Six months have passed since Sigma's uprising. X is promoted to S-Class Sergeant for saving humanity and defeating Sigma. X now leads the Maverick Hunters' 17th Unit to root out remnants of the rebellion. However, Maverick activity is on the rise once more, and Mavericks are found containing a chip bearing Sigma's mark. Dr. Cain traces the chips to a factory under Maverick control, and X leads a battalion to destroy it. With the factory out of commission, a new uprising suddenly breaks out, led by eight SA-Class Mavericks. As X fights them, he learns of the X-Hunters - Serges, Agile, and Violen - who lead this rebellion. They also hold three rebuilt parts of Zero, but require his control chip (held by Dr. Cain) to reactivate him. X duels each of the X-Hunters over Zero's parts. Once X defeats the eight Mavericks, he infiltrates the X-Hunters' Arctic base and destroys all three of them. However, Sigma returns and challenges X to face him at the Central Computer, which is spreading a Maverick Virus across the internet. There, X is met by Sigma with a copy of Zero, only for the real Zero to appear, reconstructed by Dr. Cain, and destroy it. Zero tells X to finish Sigma while he destroys the Central Computer. X destroys Sigma, only to discover that he has become one with the virus itself as the Sigma Virus. X then defeats the Sigma Virus, who disappears as the Central Computer explodes. X and Zero reunite outside, but X wonders what must be done to achieve true peace.

Mega Man Xtreme: Three weeks have passed since the X-Hunter Incident, X learns that the Maverick Hunters' Mother Computer has been hacked, and works with Middy to digitize into cyberspace to find the culprit. He defeats the Shadow Hunters, Zain and Geemel, before confronting the hacker himself, Techno. Upon killing Techno, X is distraught to learn that Middy died too, being his twin brother. He then learns that Sigma manipulated Techno into hacking the Mother Computer, and destroys him in revenge. X and Zero defeat Sigma and stop him from using the Mother Computer.

MegaMan X3: Several months after the Mother Computer incident, Dr. Doppler creates a cure to the Sigma Virus. His invention attracts advanced Reploids from far and wide, who construct a utopia called Dopple Town in his honor. However, Dopple Town suddenly falls into Maverick chaos, revealing Doppler is their leader. X and Zero are deployed to quell the riots, but Doppler's army attacks Hunter Base in their absence, forcing them to retreat. X is almost kidnapped by the traitor Mac, but Zero rescues him and terminates Mac. X and Zero return to Dopple Town and fight the Doppler Army's strongest Mavericks. They encounter Doppler's right-hand-men, Bit and Byte, who ambush X to capture him dead or alive. X also fights a resurrected Vile MK-II, who is seeking revenge. Once all eight Mavericks are defeated, Dr. Cain uses their memory chips to pinpoint Doppler's lab, and learns that Doppler is constructing a giant battle body. X faces Dr. Doppler, who reveals his loyalty to Sigma and plan to use X's body. X brings Doppler back to his senses from the Sigma Virus, so he tells X where Sigma is. X fights Sigma's giant battle body, while Zero sabotages the laboratory. However, the Sigma Virus threatens to take X's body. Fortunately, Doppler arrives with a real Sigma Virus vaccine, and self-destructs to neutralize the virus. X escapes the laboratory to reunite with Zero. Upon their return to Abel City, X and Zero are greeted and congratulated by now promoted General William Kaname along with Dr. Cain, Cereavu, Ahsoka, Ciel, Joseph, Sara and Seth.

MegaMan Xtreme 2: Two months have passed the incident at Dopple Town, A mysterious phenomenon dubbed Erasure occurs, leaving Reploids empty husks. When a mass event occurs at Laguz Island, X and Zero are sent to investigate with the rookie Iris. They meet Gareth, who refuses to acknowledge them until they prove their strength against the "guardians" of the island. These turn out to be resurrected Mavericks, revealing that Gareth and his partner, Berkana, are responsible for the Erasure and have been stealing Reploids' souls to grow stronger. X defeats Berkana while Zero defeats Gareth, restoring the souls of every Reploid suffering Erasure. Then Sigma reveals himself as the one who led Berkana to this experiment, so they defeat him too.

MegaMan X4: One year has passed since the Erasure Incident, Dr. Cain signs an order to form the Reploid military organization Repliforce. They are intended to assist the Maverick Hunters, but have recently proven reckless and unreliable in practice. Repliforce soldiers are spotted in a Maverick attack on the flying city Sky Lagoon. X/Zero rushes to aid, but Magma Dragoon reveals that the city is falling and they have no choice but to retreat. They return to the crash site, where Zero rescues Iris. X/Zero requests for Colonel, a high-ranking officer in Repliforce, to disarm for questioning, but he arrogantly refuses. All of Repliforce is branded Maverick. Their leader, General, announces a coup d'état to move Repliforce into space aboard the Final Weapon. This starts the Great Repliforce War. X and Zero move to stop them, aided by the rookie Double and the troubled Iris, respectively. After fighting eight Repliforce Mavericks including the traitorous Magma Dragoon, they try to stop Repliforce's launch. However, Colonel buys enough time for his comrades to escape to space, before dying. Inside the Final Weapon, X is forced to fight and kill Double, who is secretly a Maverick agent planted in the Maverick Hunters. Zero is forced to fight and kill Iris, who is driven mad by Colonel's death. The Hunters then face General, but even after beating him, the Final Weapon prepares an attack on Earth. This is revealed to be the work of Sigma, who manipulated Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters from the beginning. They defeat Sigma, and General sacrifices himself to destroy the Final Weapon. On the way back to Earth, X makes Zero promise to stop him if he ever goes Maverick. Zero reflects on his failure to protect Iris and Colonel, and wonders if his destiny only holds destruction.

MegaMan X Innocent Impulse: Three weeks have passed after the Repliforce Incident, The events deal with the aftermath of the Great Repliforce War, where several Repliforce members were unfairly judged as Mavericks due to Sigma's actions sabotaging both sides to fight each other. The public has grown to distrust the Human Government and the Hunters organization, who believe the Repliforce was labeled Maverick for political reasons, not being aware of Sigma's involvement in the incident due to the information being considered classified. During these chaotic times where riots against Human and Reploid institutions are on the rise, a new unknown threat emerges in a southern region that causes Reploids to act erratically and violently. X and Zero are dispatched to investigate, unaware that what they'll find will be but the prologue of a global scale catastrophe. Giro Express, a human cyborg, is sent to assist the Maverick Hunters, but they are attacked by Mavericks. X and Zero are separated from Girouette, ending up near the rendezvous point where Prairie and the Maverick Hunter Unit 22 are also under attack. To save them, X and Zero assist Maverick Hunter Unit 22. After defeating the Mavericks, X and Zero meet up their leader Giro and explains the violent terrorist attacks are caused by Maverick terrorist organization called Arcadia. Shortly after, a city comes under attack by Mavericks, so X, Zero and Giro rush to the scene. However, Giro is overpowered by Serpent, the leader of the Maverick Terrorist Organization Arcadia. Serpent brainwashes Giro using a mind control neck brace on him forcing him to fight X and Zero. Afterwards, Serpent kills Giro and departs to let the Mavericks clean up. Without hesitation, X and Zero escape the ambush. X and Zero returns to the Maverick Hunter Southern HQ and plans to stop the eight mavericks affiliated with Arcadia and Serpent's forces. They hunt the Mavericks working for Arcadia. After defeating four Mavericks, Serpent sends Vile to assault the Maverick Hunter Southern Base, but X and Zero defeat him. Once all eight Mavericks are defeated, X and Zero locate the Arcadia fortress. X and Zero infiltrate Arcadia to stop him, but they are ambushed by Vile and they defeat Vile once again. Serpant merges with a high advanced mechaniloid he created begins his showdown with X and Zero. After defeating Serpent, Serpent dies at the hands of Sigma who was the mastermind behind Arcadia and begins the his final showdown with X and Zero. Sigma is destroyed again, but X and Zero know he will return to face them again.

MegaMan X5: Two months since the Arcadia Incident,

The Maverick Hunters experience an employee turnover from the Great Repliforce War, such as the new commander Signas and navigator Alia. The world undergoes repairs for damage caused in the war, including the space colony Eurasia. Somehow, Sigma meets Dr. Wily through the Sigma Virus, learning that Zero's original evil nature can be awoken with a powerful virus. Sigma hires Dynamo to plant the Colony Virus in Eurasia. He then attacks a city, goading X and Zero into a fight that ends in Sigma exploding into the Sigma Virus. The virus spreads across the entire globe, causing worldwide chaos. Then, Dynamo sets Eurasia on a collision course with the Earth: these combined disasters are dubbed the Earth Crisis. The Maverick Hunters devise two plans to stop Eurasia's fall: the Enigma cannon and Space Shuttle, which both requires parts. X and Zero travel around the globe to retrieve the parts, facing eight virus-infected Mavericks along the way. The Maverick Hunters destroy Eurasia, but the planet is still damaged by debris. The Colony Virus mixes with the Sigma Virus, fusing into the super-powerful Zero Virus and a cyberspace void called Zero Space. X and Zero enter Zero Space and are brought to blows with each other, but they come to a draw and focus on defeating Sigma instead. Upon his defeat, Sigma self-destructs to rip Zero in half. X lifts Zero, only to be struck by a laser from Sigma - Zero fires a final shot to destroy Sigma, before dying. Though X is wounded, Dr. Light's soul spirit repairs him so he can return to the Maverick Hunters. In memory of Zero's sacrifice, X carries the Z-Saber with him into battle.

MegaMan X6: Three years after the Earth Crisis, Gate explores the Eurasia crash site and finds a fragment of Zero's body. His analysis of the viral technology drives him mad, fueling his dream of a world of only advanced Reploids. He works with the scientist Isoc to create a reality-warping virus called the Nightmare, the invincible High Max, and a crazed replica of Zero called Zero Nightmare. X hunts Mavericks at the Eurasia crash site, where he runs into the Zero Nightmare. High Max then appears, alleging that Zero is behind the Nightmare. Isoc announces the threat of the Nightmare to the entire world, blaming it on the Zero Nightmare, and asks for volunteers to risk their lives helping High Max stop the phenomenon. X is enraged at this disrespect for Zero, and the Maverick Hunters begin their own investigation. X explores the areas afflicted by the Nightmare, meeting eight Nightmare Investigators who attack on sight. He also defeats the Zero Nightmare, allowing the true Zero to reveal he has been miraculously repaired and will help X clear his name. With all the Nightmare Investigators defeated, Gate reveals himself as the man behind Isoc, High Max, and the Zero Nightmare, and invites them to try storming his laboratory. Alia recognizes him as an old colleague. As X and Zero infiltrate Gate's lab, he reveals the origin of the Nightmare and challenges them to battle, but is defeated. Gate then unleashes his trump card - an incompletely resurrected Sigma - who kills him. X and Zero pursue Sigma and end him once again, exiting the laboratory with Gate's body for Alia. The Maverick Hunters agree to rebuild the Earth better than ever before.

That's it for Part 1 of the MegaMan X Reboot, Part 4 will Include X7-X9

#MegaMan Reboot #MegaMan (Classic)#MegaMan Zero #MegaMan X #MegaMan (Classic) [Reboot and Reimagining]#MegaMan Zero [Reboot and Reimagining]#MegaMan X [Reboot and Reimagining]#Reboot

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