#hes large and yummy your honor

[imagine-shenanigans]

thinking about you going up to three broad shouldered men in a bar because your crazy ex/some random creep/etc is following you and you beg them to pretend they know you. You slide into the empty space at the table theyve commandeered and right as the other guy comes up a scary looking big motherfucker with a balaclava and eyeblack slots himself right in next to you. You press yourself into his side when the creep comes up and you call Ghost your boyfriend, and Ghost (as you later learn to call him) grabs your hip possessively, tucking you in closer.

He doesn't let you go, later, when the creep fucks off. Instead, he slips your phone out of your pocket and puts his contact inside. Texts himself and slips it back into your pocket while making eye contact. Blows smoke in your face and snorts when you wave it away, huffing at him and sticking your cute little tongue out at him.

You have fun with the military men that night, Ghost even walks you home to feel safe. You wake up the next day, happy to be safe and sound, and go about your day. Forget all about Ghost for awhile, because he never texts you first.

Weeks later, youre in the middle of your kitchen when he walks in, a copy of your key in his hand. Slots himself in behind you and rests his chin on your head even when you panic and claw at him.

What? He's home now, came home to you, his partner. Just like you wanted, right? You wanted him, now you've got him.

[pupcor3]

My manz...

ALL RHE ROUNDS

SOAP MACTAVISH 🧼 IN “COUNTDOWN” | MODERN WARFARE II

[joeshiestyslover]

first sight- c. sturniolo

pairing: chris sturniolo x influencer!reader

summary: you are an influencer who first gained traction on youtube for your makeup videos and daily vlogs. you and tara have been best friends since you two collaborated over a year ago. she invites you to her 1 mil party where you meet a very special triplet.

warnings: language, mentions of alcohol, fluff

masterlist

lowercase intended

parties were never really your thing. sure, parties are apart of the influence lifestyle, but you never found yourself desiring to go to a party, get drunk, and stay out until three a.m. however your best friend, tara, is the complete opposite. she loves going to and throwing parties. every time, she tries to drag you with her, but most times, you just stay at home, either making content for your fans or simply lying in bed.

recently, she hit one million subscribes on her youtube channel and she immediately began planning a huge party that she wanted filled to the brim with friends and other influencers. the first person she invited was you. you were hesitant at first, but knowing how important this was to her, you agreed.

“come on, y/n, you have to go! it’s not like there’ll be random people there. larray’s gonna be there, jake and johnnie will be there. just please come, or at least consider it.” tara begs you. you sigh, knowing that she really wants you there. “okay i’ll go, but i may not stay for very long.” she immediately grins from ear to ear. “thank you!” she pulls you in for a hug, “you’ll have so much fun i promise.” you laugh at her excitement. “yeah, yeah, i’m sure.” you respond playfully.

a few weeks pass and it’s the night of the party. tara helped you pick out a sparkly minidress that shows off the tattoos littering your arms and some heels. you have to admit, you look good. the way your makeup accentuates your features and the way your outfit clings to your body makes you feel untouchable.

tara walks out of her bathroom after she finishes changing and looks you up and down, a huge smile on her face. “oh my god you look so good!” you return her smile, “you ready to go?” you ask her and she nods. “let’s go!” she interlocks her arm with yours and you two walk out of her apartment towards a limousine waiting outside. “there’s no fucking way you got a limo” you laugh, loving the effort your best friend put into the party. “of course i did! we need to arrive with some style.” she responds, leading you to the back of the large vehicle.

you both slide in and see champagne and some chocolates in front of you. tara grabs the bottle and opens it, pouring the drink into two glasses, holding one out to you. you accept it and tara holds out her flute, tapping it against yours before the both of you take a drink. music is softly playing in the limo as you two drink your champagne and laugh about random things.

you and tara arrive at the party where there are already a ton of people inside. the music is blasting through the speakers and the moment tara walks in, people begin to cheer after seeing the guest of honor. tara grabs your hand and begins leading you somewhere. “let’s get a drink!” she yells over the music. you two go over to the bar where you order a tequila shot to loosen you up and a modelo with lime. you throw the shot back and grab the modelo, squeezing the lime into it. you look around and see another one of your good friends, larray. you turn to tara, “i’m gonna go mingle. i’ll catch up with you in a bit.” she simply nods and you walk over to larray, tapping him on the shoulder. he turns around and his face lights up when he sees you. “hey y/n!” he brings you in for a hug, “i’m surprised you’re here!” he smiles at you. “me too, but it’s a tara yummy party, so i just had to go.” larray laughs at that, “well i’m so glad you came!” you both engage in conversation, talking about everything that’s going on in both your lives (and talking some shit about people you both hate).

tara’s talking with a few of her friends when she sees chris and nick sturniolo walking in. she excuses herself from the conversation and walks over to the two boys. “you made it!” she hugs them both. “of course we did! we wouldn’t miss this for the world!” nick replies and chris smiles, scanning the crowd, seeing a few familiar faces. “well, have fun and enjoy yourselves! there’s a lot of cool people here!” her face then lights up. “in fact, there’s someone i want you two to meet! she’s so fucking cool! come on i’ll find her!” she walks through the large crowd with chris and nick trailing behind her. tara spots you with your back turned to her, talking to larray. “oh there she is!” she points to you and chris immediately takes notice to your dress and your large back tattoo peeking out the top of the dress. “y/n!” she yells towards you.

you hear your name being called, so you turn around, being met with a smiling tara and two guys who look the same. you return her smile and walk over to her and she throws her arm around your shoulders. “what’s up?” you ask. “i want you to meet a couple of my friends! this is chris and nick sturniolo!” you look up at them and stick your hand out for them to shake. “hi i’m y/n.” nick is the first to shake your hand before moving your hand in front of chris. he takes your hand and shakes it gently, and you swear you can feel a sort of electricity run through your body at his touch.

chris on the other hand, is absolutely entranced by you. he swears he has never seen such a perfect human being in his life. the way your hair perfectly frames your facial features and the way your dress perfectly fits your body, you’re perfect in his eyes. he soon realizes he’s staring, and he snaps back to reality and the only thing he can get out of his mouth is: “nice to meet you.” you give him a smile in return. “i’ve seen some of your youtube videos,” nick speaks up, “you’re so funny.” you giggle at his compliment. “thank you. i try.”

while you’re talking to the two boys, you can’t seem to keep your eyes off chris. he’s one of the hottest men you’ve ever seen in your life. he’s exactly your type, brown shaggy hair, blue eyes, not too tall but definitely taller than you. he just looks so perfect.

as you’re all talking, tara notices that chris’ gaze never leaves you. she smirks and turns to nick, “hey, can you come with me to grab a drink?” he shrugs, “sure.” tara and nick walk away, leaving you and chris alone. both of you stay silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. you rock back and forth on your heels before chris finally says something, “i umm, i like your tattoos.” you lift your arms slightly, “thank you.” you blush a little, a small smile forming on your face. “i’m sorry i don’t usually talk this little. parties aren’t really my thing.” you say, but chris shakes his head. “no i get it. tara mentioned you’re not a party person.” you nod, “yeah i’m not. so you’re a youtuber as well right? with your brothers?” you try to make conversation. “yeah, it’s me, nick, and our other brother, matt” he replies. “and where is matt tonight?” “he’s back home. he’s not a party person either.” you nod in understanding. “i think i’ve seen some clips of your youtube on my for you page. nick was right, you are really funny.” chris smiles at you. “thank you, chris.” you can feel the heat rising up to your cheeks.

chris stays silent for a moment, contemplating what to say. “i’m sorry i just have to tell you, you’re really pretty. like really pretty.” your eyes widen a little at how forward he’s being, but you smile at him nevertheless. “you’re so sweet chris. you’re really cute too.” you can see a blush forming on his cheeks as he looks down at the floor for a moment. he looks back up at you to say something but he’s interrupted by sam and colby calling out both your names. you look over and see the two of them walking over to you, colby immediately bringing you in for a quick hug while same daps up chris, them engaging in their own conversation. “hey y/n! how are you?” “i’m great! how’s the ghost hunting going?” you ask, smiling up at him. colby chuckles, “oh, y’know, same old, same old. you should come explore a haunted place with us some day.” you wince. you don’t do ghosts. “i don’t know about that colbs.” “oh come on, it’s so fun. just give it a chance.” you sigh, “i’ll think about it.” he nods, “i’ll accept that answer. hey, i’m gonna go make some rounds, but i’ll see you later, yeah?” “yeah of course! see ya.” he smiles and walks away with sam into the crowd.

you turn back to chris. “sorry, what were you saying?” he looks back at you. “i wanted to know if i could maybe get your number? we could go out sometime?” he asks nervously, fiddling with his fingers a bit. you grin, “i would love that chris.” he smiles and takes out his phone to hand it to you. you quickly type your number into his phone, handing it back to him. you two talk for a bit before tara and nick make their way back over to the two of you. “how are you guys doing over here?” she asks with a knowing look on her face. “we’re doing great.” chris tells her, smiling over at you. “well, i’m glad. y/n we should go find jake and johnnie. they’ve been asking about you” you nod and motion for her to lead the way, but before you go, you turn over to chris and nick, “it was nice meeting you guys,” you look at the younger triplet, “and text me sometime.” tara then leads you away from the two guys, navigating your way through the large crowd.

nick looks at chris, “so i’m assuming you shot your shot with her? after talking about her for weeks?” nick smiles at his younger brother. “yeah i did.” he smiles proudly, thanking the universe for giving him the chance to talk to you.

you and tara are walking through the crowd when she asks you: “so it went well with chris?” you nod, “yeah it did.” you blush a little at the thought of him. “i’m glad.” you raise an eyebrow, “you planned that didn’t you?” “sure did.”

a/n: def gonna make a part 2 to this

tags: @sassysturniolo2008 @chrissypook

[shiningstages]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

have a diantha icon edited by the lovely serin a million years ago diantha you'll be revived properly one day i swear to christ -

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

me cracking my knuckles as i look over my whole muse list + diantha.

diantha is easiest because its just captain/diantha and clarisse/diantha (this ship can work flipflopped too but like someone see the vision please understand LOOK AT THOSE GIRLS!!!!!!!)

ratio and screwllum next easiest b/c those two have not left my mind since they were introduced at their respective times and they should hold hands (ofc i like aventio too, but screwtio is my ride or die and also don't sleep on screwtioturine think about it pls i beg). i actually ship both of them very leniently (if that makes sense?), because i'm a multishipper and i love people holding hands, but these are very much the otps (special shoutout to argentio and screwllum/herta and screwllum/gepard though; those are also cute and the last one is the latest collected bestie rarepair and we thrive on it)

looking at my other muses...LanVane, nods nods. BeaZeta, BronSeele (hi3rd and hsr; though multishipping seele in both contexts is also really fun, and in hsr seele/silver wolf angst or hsr seele/gepard and hsr seele with any of the main express friend trio...nods nods). March 7th you can ship any person under the sun in hsr with her, but my favs are caelus or stelle, dan heng, and robin. stelle gets protag rights, but ofc exploring my fav men through her would be fun. yu takasaki with anyone in the club because also protag/past self insert origins rights, but setsuna, ayumu, and shizuku hold special places. kotohonoumi with kotonozo and kotori/minato (p3) honorable mentions. eiden/blade will always be my fav in nu carnival, but shoutout to edmond and yakumo as well. i do like tsukasa/wxs it's true (yes all of them each dynamic is cute), but i think tsukasa/shizuku or tsukasa/haruka has legs to stand on as well (hard working people with personality differences but very determined when striving towards their goals; shizuku has the added benefit of older sibling talks). though i also ship haruka/minori, and minori/kohane. nice nature/tokai teio is a classic to me.

me trying to think otp-wise for other muses...shrugs~

what are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

i love a good domestic fluff, or writing about a couple just being affectionate or just going through slice of life together. also very much into writing out the scenes of my muses in love and flustered but not really knowing what to do in situations when they haven't quite confessed yet. drama is also yummy; love a kind of hurt/comfort working through issues or things that come up type thing too (and the varying degrees of success or failure in that department). since i've started writing more Stuff too, i'd be willing to write out...just a tiny bit of teehee~

how large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

me staring at screwllum, the oldest man alive...he's an exception because he's ancient.

for muses that are teens in canon (and in verses where they're teens, as in versus them in other verses as adults and stuff) it has to be pretty close in ages. but once we're past like 22 i'd say the world is our oyster.

are you selective when shipping?

not really, though on here i guess i don't seek it out as often because i'm not on here as often anymore! i'm a big fan of chemistry and usually only rping with friends anyways though, so we have to be cool with each other and think our lil dolls mesh well together before we can go and pursue more in a shipping on here sense.

how far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

i haven't written any of the teehee on here yet, but i'd say when it get's steamy is like...more than kissing. when you're describing grinding and kisses going places that are obviously to get a rise out of the other muse, or when clothes are being touched or played with or tightening in ways...then the nsfw tag and the read more are implemented. if it's just kisses though, they get steamy but not too much so.

does one have to ask to ship with you?

yes absolutely!! i love communication, and if you think our muses mesh well together like that, please reach out about that and don't just assume~ though also i only really rp with friends so i only talk about it really with friends i've talked about it with numerous times before (waves at wars and serin and j even though you're not really here anymore). but still reach out if we ever rp for a bit and you have ideas~

how often do you like to ship?

:))))))) i can become a lil fiend devil if you wanna

aventio and screwtio have made me particularily feel some sort of way that makes me go even more insane than my love live shipping days, and that says a lot.

in terms of actual writing shipping, i feel like i think about it constantly but also not at all fghfgjhfgjhf discord servers have been my breeding ground for rarepairs and more talks though (surprise it's just two mainly hsr servers wow can you tell i like this game and the friends that invited me to these servers omg hi toria and rei and jules if you somehow find this)

are you multiship?

(points to literally every other answer) oh yes. yesyesyesyesyes.

are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

hmmmmmmmmmm i think both. on one hand in general ships can just consume me, but on the other hand i like varied levels of writing (though also platonic shipping too let's not forget her...i love her too.)

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

screwtio / screwtioturine. aventio and ratioturine (i'm putting both because ppl can be really picky about name stuffs) are also very good yummy stuffs, but mushing my two men together and then adding aventurine into the mix.............yeah it's good stuff

finally, how does one ship with you?

(points to many points in this post) write with me, be niceies to me, and if you have ideas after we've gotten to know each other for a bit lemme know~

tagged by: @toestalucia warsssssssss thank you for unlocking my third eye and enabling me i love my bestie so much everyone aaaaaa tagging: teehee lmao~ @nokrysalis for crystal but also any of your other ocs or any canon muses you wanna yap about!!!!!!!!!

[a-ghost-that-writes]

Day 7: Watermelons are yummy!

Ships: Sasuke x Tenten, Shikamaru x Choji (honorable mention)

AU: Farm life/Farmers

For @narutorarepairjune​ @nart-rarepair-hellscape​

Summer was indeed in full swing now. The heat, the cicadas and dragonflies, and of course the summer crops. Tomatoes, Corn, Okra and other vegetables along with stone fruits, different kinds of berries, but the favorite of this town, watermelons. Sasuke was busy with his older brother Itachi and his Cousin Shisui harvesting some of the crops the Uchiha farm was growing this season: Tomatoes, Okra, Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melons. The summer had been good to them, there was a nice big bounty of fruits and vegetables to harvest.

Sasuke wiped the sweat from his brow with a hat protecting his head from the beating down sun.

“Sasuke! Tell your brother and cousin to come in and take a break! Your wife brought watermelon for everyone!” 

His mother Mikoto called from the large farmhouse where the four cats were relaxing under the shade. 

“Kay!” He replied. 

He collected the basket full of ripe tomatoes and called Itachi and Shisui over. Once the three men were inside, they were greeted with glasses of water with ice and Sasuke’s six month pregnant wife Tenten, happily chopping one of the three watermelons. 

“Ah, you all did a lovely job!” Mikoto mused. 

“Heh, this ain’t even all of it, we still got a lot left to pick.” Shisui chuckled.

Itachi nodded in agreement. “We did good this season, they’ll be a lot left over for us too.”

“Guess the good harvest is contagious.” Tenten said as she set the plates of watermelon out for the men. “Shikamaru and Choji had extra watermelon so they said it was a congratulation gift for the baby.” She laughed a bit. 

Sasuke gave a playful roll of the eyes and stole a quick kiss to his wife. “I’ll be sure to pay them back. I’m sure they won’t mind some extra corn and okra.”

“Yeah but for now, I think we will enjoy the watermelon.” Tenten teased back before happily helping herself. 

Having been married a year and now expecting their first child, Sasuke and Tenten were enjoying the most out of their lives together so far. They met as Tenten’s father owned the tools shop for Konoha and Sasuke would often see her there. Sometimes she would come over to the Uchiha farm with tools and they in turn gave her pleasant company. It was only natural that their relationship would bloom into romance. And ironically enough, their first day was the two of them alone, hanging out by the river at night, eating watermelon and watching the fire flies.

[conchoronzon]

Susanoo vs Orochi

A taste of my cock vore retelling of one of the myths of Susanoo, part of my Gods of Vore series which can be found here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/92273

Eight men walked into the room, each partially coated in serpentine scales. Elsewise, though, it was hard to visually tell they had anything to do with each other. Seven of them held a smell nearly the exact same. The eighth, wide and bald, smelled a bit more ashen than the others.

“Hello,” said the smallest of the eight. “You remember us, yes?”

“How could I forget you, o’ kami-sama?” said Susanoo. He bowed.

“Are you willing,” continued the small one, “to be consumed as were your brothers, or should we rain devastation on Inada?”

Ah. So they too enjoyed the idea of consent, Susanoo noted, though the way they went about it he wasn’t quite partial too. Did it even count at that point?

“Might we play a game?” asked Susanoo. He looked up and smiled as innocently as he could manage. He pointed at the large one. “He tries to eat me. I try to eat him. If he wins, then I’m a yummy meal. If I win, then I get to try to eat the rest of you as well.”

One of the eight, a tall one who wore a hat with drapery that hid his face, bristled and drew a sword. “How dare you,” he said.

“How dare you?” spoke the large and bald one. He shot a pointed look at the tall one. “You do not speak for me, my brother.” He turned to Susanoo. “I was taught to never play with my food. But what can I say? I never grew up.”

“Very well,” said the short one. “You two may play.”

“My mother has prepared sake for the rest of you,” Susanoo said. “She would be honored if you would drink of it. Think of it as their funerary offerings to their children and their new gods.”

One of the eight, one thinner than any human could possibly be, whooped. “One never turns down alcohol,” he said. Before any of the others responded, he was out in the hall and walking away.

The short one nodded at the large one. “Don’t take long.”

Then there was only one out of eight in Oshi’s room. The large one with the rolling bands of fat and the bald head. The serpentine scales on his body, a cerulean color, connected his nipples and stretched in a thin band halfway down his right side. His eyes, tinted yellow, had pupils slitted in that way reptiles’ are.

He slapped his stomach. The force sent ripples through his body. “Are you ready to end up in here?” asked the god.

“And you here?” Susanoo opened his mouth and placed the tip of one of his fingers on his bottom canine. He bit down slightly and pulled his finger out. As the other god laughed–he had quite a nice laugh, Susanoo thought–Susanoo moved his hand down and cupped the bulge in his Oshi fundoshi. “Or how about here?”

The god stomped forward with a smile painted on his face. He reached out a hand to Susanoo. “Go ahead, little human. Shove my hand in your cock.”

“Okay.” Susanoo reached inside Oshi and pulled his red-fabriced self to the side. His cock, brown and uncut and utterly perfect, spilled out. He grabbed the god’s large hand with both of Oshi’s small ones. He pressed the tip of one of the thick sausage fingers against his own sausage and said, “Thanks for the meal.” He blinked. Susanoo’s cock flared open like the maw of a snake. The stretched skin showcased a hole larger than either of the two gods.

Those snakish eyes widened. Fear flickered across the god’s face. That, that delicious look of terror, burned glee through Susanoo’s veins. He sneered as his cock lunged forward and took in all of the god at once. He’d not done this for a few years. Usually, he enjoyed taking his time with matter such as this, savoring the squirming forms struggling down whatever orifice his captives went down. But this was not about enjoying the act of eating. It was about punishment and anger and saving the angry little human he was going to marry.

His balls bulged out when the plump god was deposited in them. His form inside Susanoo wasn’t nearly as large as it was on the outside. The divine tended to house near-endless space. At least, Susanoo did, and he sort of assumed that was the case for all other gods as well. He could have shrunk his testicles, but he liked the way the added heft pressed against the fabric confines of Oshi’s underwear form. Maybe by the time all of Ochi was in him, Oshi would be able to think of nothing more than Susanoo, his scent, and being filled by him. That would be hot.

His cock, back to its usual size, stirred. As it jutted out, the god of storms grinned. “Tonight,” he said to his cock, “let’s call you Kusanagi.”

[rabbitcruiser]

Medjoola Date Day

Medjool Date Day takes place on February 4 yearly and serves the purpose of highlighting the benefits of the Medjool dates. Originally a Middle-Eastern fruit, Medjool dates made their way to the U.S in the 18th century, and since then, they have reigned in the hearts of the people. With a hint of caramel flavor, the dates are sweet, delicious, and one of the healthiest snacks on the market nowadays. They are also great for energy and can do wonders for people who are trying to cut down on the consumption of artificial sugar.

History of Medjoola Date Day

Medjool dates, like many other delicious fruits, have existed in this world for centuries. Though dates can be traced back to around 5000 to 6000 B.C., it took some time to reach different parts of the world. This was only possible with the technological evolution in transport, as the fruit was transported to different regions of the world. The Medjool dates, originally from Morocco, were brought to Nevada in 1927. From there, the plantation grew in abundance. Today, it is one of two date varieties grown in the U.S. And yes – people are really fond of this fruit.

Medjool dates were introduced into America by Walter Swingle in the 20th century. Swingle was assigned by the U.S government to identify some exotic crops around the globe, and after the researcher discovered dates, he transported them to America. During that time, however, not many were familiar with dates. This was, after all, a fruit they hadn’t heard of before. But as globalization happened and different cultures were brought to the forefront, people came to recognize dates for the delicious fruit they are. One of the main events that added to the popularity of dates in America was the annual date festival that started in 1921.

Today, dates are eaten by people of all ages, for their delicious taste as well as the numerous health benefits linked to them. A 2021 study reveals that Medjool dates are a good source of phenolic compounds.

Medjoola Date Day timeline

7000 B.C. The Fruit Delight

The Mehrgarh civilization cultivates dates in the Asian region.

3000 B.C. Reap What You Sow

Dates are grown in Mesopotamia.

2600 - 1900 B.C. Sweet Valley

The Indus Valley Civilization grows and consumes dates.

2019 Going Strong

Nine million tonnes of date fruit are produced.

Medjoola Date Day FAQs

What is the difference between Medjool dates and regular dates?

Medjool dates are more caramel-like in taste than regular dates (also called Deglet Noor).

Do dates make you fat?

Consuming a large number of dates can lead to weight gain.

Are Medjool dates healthier than other dates?

They may be healthier since Medjool dates contain more calcium.

Medjoola Date Day Activities

Buy some Medjool Dates

Share their benefits

Cook a dish

Honor the day by heading out to the store and buying some Medjool dates for yourself and your family. Don’t forget to serve them at the dinner table!

Since Medjool dates are good for health, it's only fair you share their benefits with other people too. Find some good articles and start posting on social media now!

Start the day well by cooking up some yummy date dishes in your kitchen. Some items you can attempt include date biscuits, puddings, and cakes.

5 Fun Facts About Dates

Dates are grown in California

Nickname of Medjool dates

Amount of fiber in dates

A perennial plant

Edibles made from dates

95% of the dates in the United States are grown in California.

It’s known as the ‘king of dates.’

It has 12% of the fiber amount our body needs daily.

The date palm takes four to five years to grow.

This includes syrup, alcohol, and vinegar.

Why We Love Medjoola Date Day

The fruit is highly nutritious

Its potential health benefits

It can be a substitute for sugar

Offering a significant amount of fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals, Medjool dates are a rich source of healthful nutrients. It also contains more calcium than other common date varieties.

Protection from disease, indigestion, and cell damage are a few of the many health benefits of Medjool dates. And compared to figs and prunes, it has the highest antioxidant content.

Medjool dates are a rich source of natural sugar. The stone fruits are especially good for people monitoring their blood sugar because they have a low glycemic index and do not cause large increases in blood sugar.

Source

[anxiousanteaterr]

Character Info below the cut

1. Mnyah: A "Goddess", for lack of a better term. Mnyah is big, tall, and very chill. She rarely speaks, but would go anywhere and do (just about) anything with you if it meant being in your wonderful company. If you decide to stay indoors and have brunch or take a walk somewhere private and secluded, Mnyah can tell you stories from her past adventures, and you can tell her your own stories. However, seeing this woman go white water rafting in a ball gown is also one hell of a sight, and she WILL be good at paddling.

2. Meldria: A honorable mercenary who fights more for the good for the world than for the money. Strong, tough, and loves to have fun. Meldria tries to act chivalrous, but if she thinks you're hot, it just turns into fancy-worded flirting. She loves to eat, drink, and will accept near any challenge offered to her. Staying indoors isn't much her thing unless its with a big group of friends.

3. Novox: The most powerful Dark Mage in Adrinirda. He is a member of the Council of Magic, acting as the head for Dark Magic. He is smart, calculated, and cares deeply for animals, his heritage as a Dark Mage, and his loved ones (including you!). Novox prefers staying inside, either reading or practicing magic, but he also loves to dance. With a little coaxing, you could get him to go out somewhere.

4. Na'an: A thief with no name, Na'an named herself after her favorite bread. She's excitable, laughs loud, loves going on adventures big and small, and is down for pretty much anything as long as its fun. She does suffer from anxiety, so she might do a 180 here and there and get cold feet, but if you're really into into the activity you two are doing, she'll feed off your energy and keep going.

5. Current: Jordancia's resident technophile, Current loves two things: technology and music. During the day he tinkers in his shop, and at night he's the head DJ at the Arcade Cabinet Club in Jordancia's Arcade Disctrict. If you're a night owl, Current will gladly put a robot in his place at the turntable to go hit the town with you. Hit the dancefloor, hit up bars, hit up the 24/7 shops and museums, or just hit the road on his hover-scooter and watch the city lights blaze by. Whatever you choose to do, the two of you will have painted the town red by dawn.

6. Loelle: Ranked the #1 pastry baker in Jordancia and a skilled Nature Mage, Loelle mixes her two passions to breathe new life into her cooking. Literally. Stay in and make some yummy cupcakes as the cookies dance along the countertop, or spend some time out in the gardens, smelling the flowers, picking fruits, or toiling in the vegetable garden. The compost bin might try to follow you guys though. Loelle likes to take it slow, and prefers to spend time with few friends rather than large groups.

7. Valorn: A Summer Fairy cast out of the Eternal Forest, Valorn's magical capabilities encompass all of the elements, and she has the skills to prove it. She may be struggling with her depression and have self-doubts because of it, but a nice day spent window shopping, visiting the park, or just wandering the streets in the warm sunlight is good enough for her. If its raining or you just don't want to go out, Valorn has a nice sunroom just for those days, where you two can sit on plush beanbag chairs and just hang out until the sun sets and you have to play games by the light of the fairy lights lining the room.

8. The Reckon King: A Dark Mage with great and terrible potential, The Reckon King suffers from a lot of insecuries and depression. He won't tell you the details though, unless you two are very, very close, and even then you'd have to wrestle it out of him. He loves the night, and you two can burn moonlight taking walks by the river, stargazing, going to the movies, playing games at the boardwalk, or attending a concert. If you ask nicely, he'll even show you a few of his favorite dark magic parlor tricks.

[venusandsaturnsrings]

sorry for the break but im back ueueue

got me thinking,,, do u ever think that incel diluc has some sort of savior complex rooted from the whole dark knight hero thing from canon? like i imagine that when he was running that bar, he'd have cases of people getting roofied and nearly taken advantage of and saves them, not mentioning that more than 3/4s of those cases were paid staff he hired personally,,,,

then when u came along strutting in with ur colorful attire and cheeky grin, dilucs mouth nearly waters and he has since decided to plan the most elaborate rescue to have u in his palms. he doesn't immediately save u when u were dragged out and stuffed into the van, he tracks u down (more like just drives through the abandoned warehouse he obviously rented for this masterpiece) and times his entrance just right so that he can stop it just as u were about to be disrobed. he knows he's won this when he sees ur thankful eyes, mascara running down ur tear streaked cheeks and pupils heart shaped at ur gallant savior.

honestly i see him justifying this with no one being really hurt in the end, and sometimes treat it as some sort of extreme sport.

idk sorry im really bad with other charas that aren't childe aaa

OOOOOOOOOH my love... you always feed me so so yummy... i'm never opposed to childe content EVER since he's almost all i talk about but diluc is so yum too... emotionally constipated red-head man <3 responding to this with @teyvatmoon in mind...

PLEASE READ THE TAGS ON THIS, IT'S A WEE BIT DARK

Diluc could justify anything and its somewhat of a talent. it's gotten him out of plenty sticky situations and is partially what has kept his reputation so very shiny. what kind of respected figure can't smooth talk and pull excuses from their ass? none of them. Diluc can do whatever 'horrible' things he wants as long as he can paint them as 'honorable' instead. who would go against the twenty-three year old student and business owner? no one with a brain, that's for sure.

since owning a café on campus was wildly successful in the day time, it was only the natural progression of things for Diluc to obtain a liquor license to host events in the evening. such after-hours happenings weren't frequent since it always took a lot of work and a lot of staff but he was happy to provide a space on campus for people to drink since, for everyone but you, it was safer. prior to starting these monthly events it took a lot of work with both the university, himself, and city representatives but Diluc is beyond charming when he sees fit. sorting out rules and standards was like nothing to the young man and so, every last Friday of the month, he'd host drinking at was usually a calm café.

you and your friends had frequented there during the day for quite sometime now so it was no surprise when you all began showing up to these monthly binge drinking sessions. it was nice to attend such an event somewhere you were already so familiar with in the day time. it didn't take long for you and the rest of your group to warm up to the place. perhaps for you, it was too fast.

the buildings front was a large glass garage door that would be rolled up in the hot months to create better airflow since there was no air conditioning and it also allowed for more people to hand about the area with extended seating. being September it wasn't quite cold enough for it to be necessary for the door to close and thus it was still left open. students milled about the whole area drinking and laughing. you had decided to wear something a bit more revealing and daring this evening just for fun, well, what was supposed to be fun.

the skimpy and fully pink outfit had definitely garnered stares; hungry ones. such a head-turning outfit surely had more than just Diluc staring desperately. this... choice... of yours simply furthered the righteous feelings brewing in his heart. he was excited and many surly mistook the slight upturn of his lips as love for his work when really it was love for you. it was hard for even such a self controlled man as him not to stare at your tits, ass, thighs, stomach, or any other expanse of skin his eyes could find. your plump flesh was everything to him and he was certainly going to savour this first night of many in which he'd indulge in such a beautiful body. Diluc had almost entirely zoned out on you up until you had finally come to him grinning and asking for a drink. whatever he recommended, you said. his dick jumped at the words. well, he certainly did have something extra special to make for you. the drink was a deep purple colour, bordering on black, and glittering. it smelled of alcohol as well as a cacophony of berries. it tasted almost better than it looked. the only thing that would've made it better was a less salty and bitter taste but Diluc had given it to you on the house so no real complaints could be made. the drink as well as the evening was gone in what felt like seconds.

you had stumbled around back near the parking lot for some air and to text your friends only to remember you had handed off your phone and wallet to one of your friends with pockets in their outfit as you had none. it only took that one moment of disorientation for you to feel as though your body was being twisted and wrung out in every direction. in a way, you were. the hard landing on metal barely covered in cheap blankets did nothing to soothe the growing panic and nausea filling your body. you squirmed in every direction and cried as loud as you could but the hands trying and holding you down never ceased. the latex gloved hands all smelled of rubbing alcohol and all the voices sounded like venom. you were wholly convinced this was where you'd die. the roughhousing that ensued upon the van stopping was almost worse. being thrown on the ground and dragged over sharp gravel and nails would've made you worried about tetanus if there wasn't a knife right against the back of your throat. you heard doors slam and felt your body slam. this was the final time you were to be thrown but also the first time it had caused you to throw up.

the bile rose up your throat quickly. the salty and acidic liquid that rose up ended up covering part of your front and all of the floor in front of you. the group of men merely laughed at you. mocking how you're so weak and useless. can't even hold it together enough to not make yourself sick, they crooned. their hands, however, never let up on their assault of roaming your body. you thought perhaps they expected this and the gloves were a preemptive measure. with your head still spinning and stomach churning you almost felt upset about the masks you could now see obscuring their faces. 'cowards,' you thought. they paused. did you say that aloud? ah. you're really fucked now.

the chunk of wood that flew across the room and hit one of them hard in the nose startled you. with a heavy head, you turned to see him. Diluc. so he had piped up to insult them and he had come to save you; if the gun in his hand was pointed at them the way you thought it was. it didn't take long for the under-armed group to flee and Diluc to land by your side. concern was etched all over his features as he gently untied and helped you up. he didn't seem to mind the vomit getting on him at all. it was sweet in a gross way.

he took you back to his very nice home, after a brief trip to urgent care for aforementioned needed tetanus shot, to have you properly cleaned up and given a mix of medicines that should alleviate the drugs running through you rather quickly. his hands were soft and human. not a touch of latex or a whiff of rubbing alcohol. his arms felt safe. Diluc held you until you slept that night, more than pleased with how things turned out. you'd be his now and the extra jack-off material he got from recording the whole ordeal could stay a secret. that was his guilty pleasure. <3

[ooops-i-arted]

101 yodes, "I volunteer myself to go last."

Din got his friends loaded into the Razor Crest.  They protested, of course, but as soon as he said his elder sons had specifically requested them over on Yavin 4 where Luke had taken Yod’ika and his brothers 1-20 to train in the ways of the Force, everyone had agreed.

The ship was far more cramped than Din liked, but he had Winta in the cockpit and was showing her how to fly the ship, Omera smiling proudly at her daughter the whole while, so he was spared Greef and Boba arguing about running a planet and trying to one-up each other as the best Cool Uncle Figure while Peli and Kuiil tried to tear his ship apart mid-flight in the name of upgrades and Cara and Fennec pulled out bigger and bigger guns to compare, and on top of all of it IG-11 tried to prepare a meal while whining about the complete lack of kitchen facilities.  He couldn’t even imagine if he’d brought Boga Jr. along, but she’d stayed behind along with the group of villagers who had volunteered to take care of the little ones during the trip.  Landing the ship and unloading was a relief even when the moon’s humidity immediately soaked his jumpsuit.

They made it to the temple nearby, where Luke was waiting with his gaggle of students.  Din narrowed his eyes, instantly suspicious.  They were bouncing in that excited way they did when they were up to something.

“There’s my little ones!” Greef said cheerfully, moving to scoop up an armful, but Luke raised a hand to stop him.  “The Yod’ike wish to speak to you first.”

“What is it, ad’ike?” Boba rumbled as the rest of the best babysitting brigade assembled before twenty-one of their charges.

Yod’ika toddled out in a self-important way that made Din glad his grin was hidden behind his helmet.  “On lots of planets there is a day for mommies, and a day for daddies, and a day for nonbinary parents.  There are days for teachers, and doctors, and kings and queens.  But we couldn’t find a day for babysitters.  So we made one.  Today is Babysitters’ Day.”

The entire crew was melting; even stone-faced Fennec had a crack in her facade.  Din’s smile under his helmet was huge.  Sometimes with all the sibling infighting he worried about what they were learning, but he was glad to see his eldest sons show such kindness and appreciation.

“So we made you a surprise!” they all chorused in unison, and as one they used the Force to lift away a curtain behind them and reveal a table set with plates, spoons, and a large vat of the most foul-smelling, bubbling, green-grey, mysteriously lumpy stew Din had ever seen.

“We made it for you!” the Yod’ike said, all beaming with pride and smiles.  “There’s enough for everyone!”

Dead silence filled the glade.

“Who wants to eat first?” Yod’ika 3 asked brightly.

Din glanced at his friends.  His friends glanced at Din.  He didn’t need the Force to know they all felt the same - how could they hurt the kids’ feelings, but how could they eat that sludge?

Already big green ears were starting to wilt as they sensed hesitation.  Din knew a longer silence would only upset them more.  “I volunteer myself to go last,” he finally said.

Everyone else glared at him; even Luke’s serene face pinched a bit.

“You don’t wanna eat it, Dad?” asked Yod’ika.

“Well I’m not a babysitter.  I’m your father.  It’s not right I eat before any of your babysitters on Babysitters’ Day,” Din said.

The children all nodded in agreement.  The time was enough for Winta to muster her courage and step forward.  “I want to try your soup.  It looks yummy.”

Eagerly the little ones nudged her forward, using the Force to ladle stew into her bowl and pull out her chair to help her sit.  “Everything is safe for humans and Ugnaughts,” Luke muttered as the kids were distracted.  “I checked.”

Din watched them all look between each other.  But now that Winta was served, those perked-up ears and big bright eyes were waiting expectantly for their next babysitter to honor.

Kind Omera stepped up next, smiling as she took her bowl.  Kuiil followed her, warmly thanking each Yod’ika who helped him.  Greef - after a judging look at Boba - went next while jovially insisting the stew smelled amazing.  Boba moved ahead of Cara to go next, asking for an extra ladleful.  Peli cut in next, praising her clever little bright eyes for cooking their very own meal, to their delight.  Fennec joined the line, graciously accepting her portion.  Cara muttered to Din that he owed her a big drink but got in line with a broad grin and even slurped up a spoonful then and there.  Even IG-11 accepted a bowl, but the kids insisted they had a special ingredient for him and poured a cup of oil into his stew so that he could “eat” it too.

At last it was Din’s turn.  “We made you a spot inside so you can eat by yourself, Dad,” Yod’ika said.

“No, I got Papa a straw so he can eat it with all our friends,” said Yod’ika 10.

“I don’t want to interfere with your special day for your babysitters,” Din said, privately relieved by the perfect excuse.  “I’ll eat quickly inside then come back out and sit with you.”

The children agreed.  Din knew how dangerously clever they were, so he quickly located a vac tube and poured the stew out in portions so it wouldn’t clog the pipes and be found.  He was pretty sure a live bug or two was wiggling as they went down.  He hoped his friends were faring better.

He dreaded what he might find, but the kids were laughing and delighted as they gobbled up stew, seated between their caretakers.  Winta was showing off how to blow bubbles in her stew with the straw Yod’ika 10 had given her.  Boba and Greef were in competition to see who could down a third bowl while a gaggle of children cheered them on.  Kuiil and Peli were tending to IG-11, who had clearly had some stew against his better judgment and clogged his wiring.  Fennec was juggling five knives to entertain the kids; even Omera was watching in open appreciation and multiple children were arguing with Luke about being able to try it in the temple.

Din sat himself by Cara.  To his surprise, her bowl was nearly empty.  “You ate it?”

Cara glanced around to make sure none of the kids could hear before saying, “It’s not as bad as it smells.”

Din took a whiff and turned the scent filters on his helmet back on.  “I’ll take your word for it.”

“I had worse on Endor.”

“Endor?” Yod’ika asked.  “What’s Endor, Cara?”

She grinned.  “Well, it is a war story.  Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“I love your stories!” Yod’ika insisted as several brothers came over to join him.  “Tell us, Cara!”

“All right,” Cara said.  “Well, let’s start with what Endor was like.  Green and hot and foresty, just like this place, but picture giant teddy bears like that one Yod’ika 66 has…”

Yod’ika settled on Din’s lap as the other babysitters joined them for the story.  Din smiled.  Each and every one of them deserved their day.  But maybe next year, he’d help the kids make a real feast instead.

[leahdarkspear]

Echo Isles Reimagined, Pt 4 - Shrine of Lukou

So guys, we’ve seen the Temple of Bwonsamdi and the Temple of Gonk, now it’s time to move on to the cave shrines around Loa Isle! Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support as I share my headcanons and my version of the Echo Isles. You’ve all been wonderful and uplifting and I appreciate it.

In my first post, I explained that I thought the Darkspear to be a very practical people, and so instead of filling in the naga caverns below the isle, they would clear them of all signs of naga occupation and repurpose the valuable real estate. This led me to design a series of cave shrines around the isle’s perimeter, where each Darkspear Loa can be honored individually in a way that suits them. Now, I promised myself that I would go in a kind of order focusing the more well-known loa, but y’all, I was so proud of this I had to let it jump the line. I present to you the Shrine of Lukou - Loa of Healing and Respite!

(Marker designating Lukou’s shrine)

So not much is really known about Lukou in WoW lore. One could even say that she’s not a canon Loa, since the only time she’s mentioned at all in game is when Shadow Hunter Ty’jin uses Blessing of Lukou. Info about her from the RPG is also sparse - it says only that she grants the ability to heal allies and has no power against undead. When I started thinking about what form a Loa of healing would choose to manifest as, my first thought was a nature spirit of some sort. So naturally my mind goes to druids, whose resto form is a tree. So what about a tree spirit?   I started searching for anything at all from WoW lore to corroborate this, and I got a whole lot of nothing. However, I ran across a Wikipedia article about a real life Loa called Loco (or Loko) who is the patron of healers and plants, especially trees, in the Vodou religion. Offerings to him are tied in straw bags and hung in trees. He’s also said to be related to two species of sacred trees that grow in Africa, MesoAmerica, and the Caribbean. He also bares lots of similarities with an Arawak deity named Louquo. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in spelling, and knowing Blizzard’s penchant for borrowing from these cultures, I felt it appropriate to use this info as my inspiration.

With all this in mind, I decided to go with something druidy, but with a trollish spin. Here’s what I came up with:

We have a cave filled with foliage and flowers and brimming with nature energy. In the center is a large tree is decorated with beads and lanterns and surrounded by trollish runestones. An enchanted tiki mask represents the spirit of Lukou, who is said to inhabit the tree.

Offerings to Lukou are placed on the wooden altar at the entrance to her shrine. Unlike most Darkspear Loa, Lukou prefers vegetarian fare and earthy incenses over meat. Sometimes she will manifest as a butterfly to inspect her followers’ gifts.

Of course, when the offerings to your Loa are mostly yummy plants, sometimes they attract unwanted visitors too. Here we see a Lukou Adherent shooing away a pesky Echo Isles Fruit Thief.

So there you have it! I hope everyone enjoyed this. If you’d like to check out the articles I found on Loco, you can find them here: Haiti: List of Loa Loco (Loa) - Wikipedia

[pvccblog]

WEDNESDAY FLEW BY!

This day was so incredibly packed. It started off bright and early with a breakfast at the Barlow's house. We love this family so much and they've shown kindness to us from the time we met them. We had omelettes, hash browns, and home grown sausage! It was so yummy!

Sports Camp rocked today, we had 58 campers!! They were so energetic and most of them participated in the dancing and also did very well at the sports. Vevalee taught a great person about our theme of the day - peace. I have to mention that Vevalee showed a lot of peace while she was up there, she didn't seem nervous at all! The kids were interacting well and having a fun time. It was a relatable message for them and for the parents that were listening. Really, a relatable lesson for all of us!!

After lunch we toured the Short Creek Dream Center. Ryan was a great host as we got to hear more about what God is doing through that ministry. It's a pretty incredible story if you've never heard it. This is a Christian rehab and recovery ministry that is operating out of Warren Jeff's former house! The house has almost 50 bedrooms and is 30,000 square feet! It was amazing to hear all the good going on there - what Satan meant for evil, the Lord meant for good!!

BARF Night started out kind of different tonight as there was another group there playing on the ballfield when we arrived. We ended up moving our event to the other side of the parking lot and it was a pretty tight space, especially for all the people that we had. At the end of the night, I counted over 100!

John shared his story tonight and it was the first time I've seen him interact with children in a large group. He's a gifted communicator and relates well to people of all ages. He even came over after the night to a small group of teenagers I was interacting with and we had a brief but engaging spiritual chat. John - I'm so glad you're here!!

Tonight a lot of parents hung out during BARF Night, especially moms. Our ladies interacted very well with them and got into some great conversations. I've noticed that the team is really being intentional and getting deeper fairly quickly. We went through a book called God Space in our training for this trip and it really seems to have helped! I highly recommend the book!!!

It's weird to think that we only have two more days left. I find myself tearing up often on this trip as I look over the crowd at BARF Nights - the smiles, the laughter, the Joy, the discussions - all of it. It's amazing the incredible change we've seen here since our first trip in 2014. It is a real honor to be a part of this. I never imagined I would EVER be involved in something so impacting.

We shared together in joyful ways tonight as a team during our late night family time. Mr. Bill of course made brownies! Bill, we appreciate your consitency and hard work!

We're going to bed with smiles on our faces tonight as we feel that God has called us here and we are in the process of fulfilling the mission He has set before us. Thank you all so much for your prayers, your comments of encouragement, and all your other support.

Love y'all!!

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Of Ice and Blood

Part 8

Supposedly everything I post consecutively is one part, but I always reach the 250 block limit everytime so I am forced to cut it off! It's all good though, I just hope you don't mind that.

Anyways, enjoy reading! I'll be working on my requests after I post this and the slasher fic in my works.

Edit: Holy sh*t I thought it wouldn't fit but it did! (And I meant the word count you dirty lil thing—) This will be the longest part in the series yet (since 4.3k words fit perfectly)

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Fem!Human/Reader)

Word count: 4.3k

Warnings: None :)

Contains: f l u f f (and maybe too much blushing but I have no regrets)

—

You let the student call the police as you tied up four unconscious men using their clothing. You left when you heard the distant sound of sirens and trusted her to explain what had transpired in the alley. You bid her farewell, resuming your walk to your destination. You breathed out your exhaustion, the little energy you got from a short nap earlier got spent punching people again.

"So...that was..."

"Expected." The orc supplied when you trailed off.

"Mm...Yeah."

Expected, both disappointing and frustrating. You did your best not to snap at the kid for it and only hoped she understood and learned.

The sun had already sunk long ago, but there was still a myriad of warm colors. Very subtle, but there. Each passing second transitioning it into a darker shade until little specks of light became visible. The sky...black in a matter of minutes. Street lamps lit your path as shops both closed and opened for the night with people saying hello and goodbye.

"Thank you, by the way. For uh, earlier." You got careless. Too careless than you usually are.

You shivered at the thought of what might've been the outcome.

He only nodded, along with a grunt of affirmation beside you.

"Are you mad?" you whispered. Was he angry at you being a stupid idiot and rushing straight into danger?

"No, just, "—he sighed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers—"worried." His scent was clearly not just of worry. He was also scowling.

-

Tai'chi was very worried about you, he always had ever since you met, which wasn't long but he felt a strong need to protect you, even if you could handle yourself well on your own. Oh, but he was angry, enraged within at those men who harmed the poor student, especially at the one who almost stabbed you at the back. If they were in his stronghold they would've been fed to the wargs.

No, he would've torn them apart himself.

You didn't speak again until you arrived at your place, finally. You're not rich and even if you were you have no desire to live in those luxurious and super expensive condos. You preferred to have something homey, small, as long as it had what you needed for comfort and safety, you were content.

It also saves a lot of money for future expenses and emergencies.

"So, uhm, welcome." You said as you unlocked your door after several tries on putting the key in. Tai'chi ducked considerably under it, his large frame barely making it through.

You took off your shoes, placed them on the side, and kept your socks on. He followed suit, taking off his boots, coming out barefooted.

It wasn't smelly, which was pretty surprising.

You headed to your kitchen and prepare dinner for both of you, but a hand on your shoulder stopped you in your tracks.

"I will cook." Tai'chi spoke and you immediately replied, stuttering.

"I-I should be the one cooking for you! It's not right. I'm the host and you're the guest it shouldn't be—"

"Pearl, I will cook." He asserted, his voice deep and confident, you sighed as it made you relent. You'd make a mess if you did anyway, might chop your hand off with a knife or dunk your head in the pot.

"Fine. But next time I'll do something for you instead," you groaned.

-

The orc grunted once before he stepped past you and into your kitchen while you plodded to your room.

Tai'chi paused for a moment to take in the details of your house. It was fairly small. From where he stood, his head was a foot away from touching the ceiling. To his left was an open way to what he assumed was the living room where he could make out half of a brown couch facing away from him. He also noticed a couple of framed photos hanging on a faded orange wall. Tai'chi glanced in the direction where you disappeared, he could hear the faint sound of the shower going on.

Good.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he started preparing dinner for the two of you, making use of what was present in your humble home. You had a similarly humble kitchen with a simple stovetop and double-door cupboards.

A decent-sized (a/n: everything is small to him okay) refrigerator sat in the corner where he found some meat in its freezer, quite a huge portion for such a small person like you, but then again he witnessed firsthand how much you could eat, and eat like an orc you did. Tai'chi reached inside to grab the meat but met resistance. He subconsciously yanked the frozen thing off, his eyes widened when he realized what he did, nearly topping over the whole appliance. Tai'chi sheepishly adjusted the refrigerator back in its place, before he looked for other ingredients while he carefully moved around to avoid any more mishaps.

-

You went inside your bedroom, groggy and disgusting as you pulled off your clothes and threw them in a basket just outside your bathroom. You stepped inside and took a long, hot, well-deserved shower to get that dried sweat and blood off of your body. After you rinsed down, you sunk yourself in your little tub, sighing in content as you tried your best not to fall asleep. You shuddered and trapped yourself in a daze, enjoying the hot water around your naked form, relaxing in the aromatherapy you made for yourself as you hummed a tune, letting your thoughts wander.

The precision of that throw was simply scary. But also cool...mm. Awesome.

I wonder what happened to the Silverstones...

Courting, huh...who would've thought I'd be courted by an orc. I wonder what that entails...

Wait, I'll be courting him too, right?

"..."

You got out when the wrinkling started. Your muscles were still aching but less so than before. You used a towel to dry down before wearing a black oversized shirt, you had about 6 of them in your wardrobe 'cause hey, not one to dress up fancy and flashy. Plus blood gets splattered on your clothes a lot, it would be a waste of time and money. You also slipped inside your favorite pair of dark grey joggers, the one you always wore when you were at home. They were comfy!

You let your hair fall over your shoulders and back since it was still damp. When you got out the scent of cooked food engulfed you, wafting from your right.

Oh, how mouth-watering it was.

You tiptoed to your kitchen to peek at what Tai'chi cooked up. Unfortunate when you couldn't see anything with his broad physique was blocking your line of sight on the table.

"I could smell you, you know."

You almost, almost let out a yelp. You wiped your drool with the hem of your shirt.

"I- uh-"

He chuckled, "You must be starving. I—" Words died in his throat when he turned around to look at you.

He gawked.

You surprised him for the nth time today. There you stood before him, relaxed and freshly cleaned up, a whiff of mint reached his nose, your shampoo perhaps, mixed with your scent. You didn't have your mask on, which gave him a full look at your face, your lips were a little chapped, half-lidded eyes showing your exhaustion.

"Is there something on my face?"

"N-No." He stuttered as he tried to get something out. "Ehem, no. You just look... I'm done with dinner, you— we should eat, and then we can talk." Tai'chi said as he moved to take a chair and sat across you. You let that go, in favor of sating your hunger.

His cheeks were a bit darker in shade than his skin, but that slipped away as the dinner in front of you grabbed your full attention. It looked and smelled like pork curry. Was it pork curry? It's like something straight out of a Ghibli movie.

Bite-sized chunks of meat, diced potatoes, and carrots coated with a rich syrupy brown soup together with a modest –at least to both of you– portion of rice next to it. It was simple, but the way it tempted your senses implied that there was something more than what meets the eye, and your nose.

Or it's your gluttony speaking, probably.

You picked up your spoon and wondered if it's as good as it appears to be. You gulped, audibly.

You brought a small portion into your mouth, nearly falling off of your seat as you resisted the urge to make any sound that would outright embarrass you, but lo, as you took another spoonful, you couldn't stop yourself from letting out a moan. Your eyes widened and immediately covered your face with two hands as you felt it heat up.

You chewed and swallowed before you squeaked out, "I-I-I'm so sorry! It- It's just so yummy and tasty and I— it's amazing, and uh..." You trailed off and groaned, at a loss of words in your embarrassment. You risked to part your fingers and peek at him. He met your gaze and you hid again. His cheeks were in a darker hue than before. Was he flustered like you? Oh no, you shouldn't have done that, now he will think you're being weird!

Tai'chi cleared his throat and you removed your hands but refused to make eye contact with him, your face still hot.

-

"We... We should eat." He said, stiff and trying to seem indifferent. But that sound you made would forever be engraved into his mind, it was both cute, and, well, sensual.

Okay fine, it was somehow arousing, but he has it under control, he will keep his damn urges in check, even if it means jumping out of the window just to make sure he won't scare you away. He's an orc of honor for goodness' sake, he swore an oath, he will keep it.

You ate fast but paused to savor the food, minus any embarrassing noises, thankfully. The curry was rich and a bit spicy, the pork was soft and tender as you chewed at it easily, juicy as it is, along with the potatoes and carrots, both cooked and prepared with obvious care. You almost cried from the combination of flavors you nearly forgot it was just curry you're eating.

But damn, this is the best curry you've eaten your whole life.

It was minutes later when you finished your fourth heaping plate of food. Tai'chi had five. He made a lot which was great, considering how your plates were wiped clean as if they weren't used in the first place.

Damn, you ate like you didn't eat for a week.

With some regained energy, you stood and took the dishes before Tai'chi could even stop you, putting them in the sink and washing them, quick and thorough. Once you were done with that, you went back to your seat, ducked your head, and stared at your lap.

"..."

"I... Thank you for the food. It was really delicious and great and everything! And, uhm, you made the pork curry like a pro and I never tasted anything so fulfilling, —my mother will beat me if she heard that—and it was a simple curry but I, it's just so, so—" you huffed, "mind-blowing!" You were rambling, you knew. You looked up when he didn't say anything.

H-He's grinning...

"Thank you. I pride myself in my skill in the kitchen and I'm happy what I made for you was satisfying." Tai'chi thumped his chest, showing that he was very honoured to hear your words. He's never telling you he almost broke your fridge though.

"It was great!" You exclaimed right after him, throwing your hands up. It was truly great. He grinned even wider at this, that dark shade still present in his cheeks, though you were no better as you could feel the warmth on your own.

"Then I am beyond happy and honored to hear that from you," liga lul, he stated, only saying of the last part in his head.

You smiled at each other.

-

"Is now a good time to discuss my kind's courting rituals?" Taichi asked after a minute of sitting there in silence.

"Y-Yes, please," you replied. "So, how do orcs court someone?"

He straightened up in his seat.

"We show off to the one we're interested in, basically speaking. Ranging from skills in fighting to proving that we could provide for our...mate." He paused, watching you closely.

You nodded for him to continue. Not gonna lie, that last part made your heart skip a beat. Mate, huh.

"We," he coughed, "we also chase or fight off other suitors, be it threatening them or engaging them in battle. And if they attempt to kidnap or hurt the person courted in any way, they will suffer the wrath of an orc."

"So, they'll...die?"

"Yes, or so that's what it usually was back home. Here, in this city, it's a crime to kill someone just for that reason, but it is law among us. No one would bat an eye if someone gets beheaded just because they were foolish enough to insult the person an orc is courting."

"Oh," pretty brutal but okay. "Is there an option where they don't get murdered or..." You asked, waving your hand around. Killing because of an insult is going overboard, in your opinion, but then again, anyone would be furious if their potential partner gets slandered or taken away forcefully.

"When the courted wills it. It is always up to them to decide the fate of those who tried to harm them, and the orc must take their words into action."

"Oh, good. I really don't want you getting in trouble just because someone called me a freak and all," you said. You looked at your hands, calloused and a little rough from experience. Scars were littered over your body and you hid them well from any curious eye with your long sleeves and pants. Though right now, some of the scars on your arms were visible.

You jerked when you felt his large hand grab your arm and moved along to yours, rubbing his thumb on the back of it, his brows furrowed as he looked at you.

"They are wrong to call you that."

"And everyone's a piece of shit to call you a beast, a savage, or a murderer," you followed up in an instant.

His expression softened, and you smiled, ignoring how your heart hammered in your chest as he continued to caress your hand.

Tai'chi could feel your pulse, beating so fast he was scared for your health. But he was happy to know he could make you feel this way, his own heart was thumping loudly in his chest too.

"As I said before, we would show that we could provide for our potential partners. We would bring to them our best kills from hunts, offer gifts crafted by ourselves if we have the skill, if not, we will buy them tokens and things that remind us of them or what pleases them."

"Wait," you interrupted, "when you insisted on cooking dinner, was that a part of courting?"

He gave you a small smile as he scratched his sideburns, sheepish like a little child caught stealing candy.

"Yes." He answered, rather quiet than his usual booming voice.

"Uhm, I must say, it was really amazing. Your cooking, I mean. And thank you, again."

"The pleasure's all mine," he replied. "Building houses or fixing the courted's current one is also a part of it."

"You're not gonna build me house right away, are you?" You joked, but then he didn't reply. "Wait, you're serious? But we're still studying and—"

"I am serious about building a house for, uh, the two of us," he interrupted, "but yes, I understand our current situation won't allow that to happen...yet."

"H-How long does the courting last?" You couldn't help but ask. He's talking about building you a house someday and you don't even know how old he is! No connection to what you're fumbling about but yeah, your mind is messed up. You are curious though...his age.

"It usually lasts for six months, to give time to get to know each other but also not prolong the courting stage so they could proceed to the next, but there are times when it lasts longer than that. You will have absolute control over how fast or slow we proceed in the courtship. That means it's up to you on when to end it and decide whether you'll...take me as your mate, or turn me down."

"Sounds pressuring but okay." You want to, like, combust right now.

He chuckled.

"Pressuring? No, no, please do not be pressured. Your word is law and I will face death by my family's ax if I disobey your final decision."

"Again with the death thingy!" You were appalled at how extreme orcs were.

"Us orcs are very strict and firmly tied to our traditions, but I can say we are changing. It is slow, but change nonetheless."

"I have a question," you raised your free hand out of habit.

Tai'chi nodded.

"I hope this is won't offend but how old are you?"

There, you said it. Oh fuck, you hoped it wasn't offending. Shit it was— asking his age, seriously?

"How old do you think I am?" He questioned, teasing you, a smirk on his lips catching you off guard.

"What? Noooo that's not an answer! I can't guess, you might get angry."

"I won't," he supplied right after. Why would he be? In fact, he is pretty much enjoying himself just watching you fidget with your ears slightly tinted pinkish. By the gods, he wants to touch them.

You sighed.

You stared at him, avoiding eye-contact as you tilted your head to get a good look at his features. He had a long and narrow scar you didn't spot before, in a lighter green color on the left side of his face. It wasn't noticeable if you stare at him up-front. It went down his neck and ended just above his collar bone. You wondered what caused it.

The orc was rough, his double tusks sharp and intimidating, even horrifying to another set of eyes but to you, he was attractive and rugged, his scent alluring and you only found him more fascinating each passing second. The scars he had enticed your curiosity but you weren't gonna ask about it, yet.

You always thought the standards set by society are rather absurd. You looked back at the time when someone asked you what your type was, along with showing you different pictures of men, human men, which were deemed "hot" (with quotation marks, yes) by most people. You didn't answer because; one, you don't know them; two, you couldn't tell what their personality was because you can't scent them; and three, it only annoyed you. People found you even weirder after that. Ironically deeming you senseless for not having an eye for beauty. No taste or missing out, they said.

But one's beauty wasn't found in sight alone.

You hummed to yourself. His hair was rich black, no trace of graying, so maybe he's not so old? 30s? How fast do orcs grow up? Do they even age? What do they look like when they were children?

You were brought back to the present when he gently squeezed your hand.

"Oh— uh, 35?" You blurted out, a bit panicked. As far as you know no one is as....buff as him in your age— but wait he's an orc!

"Oh no wait that's—"

You were cut off by a loud snort followed by a boisterous laugh coming out of Tai'chi, making you more embarrassed than you already are. His guffaw shook your apartment you swear your neighbors are filing a noise complaint tomorrow with how much he was laughing and you raising your voice.

"No," he said, "no actually, I'm still in my 23rd year. Do I really look that old?" He questioned as he chortled.

"23rd?! But you're— you're," you gestured at him. He's just five years older than you (which isn't long period of time you think) but he's— he's fucking huge! What the hell did they eat up North?

"Yes," he laughed again, amused by your reaction. "Believe it or not I am. Orcs begin training at age 6" he shifted the topic, "The adults would let them choose their desired weapon and craft to pursue, but also allowed them to experience all selections, from swords, battle axes, hammers, and many more, along with skills and crafts like hunting, blacksmithing, combat, construction, even basket weaving.

"I went on my first hunt when I was 12 and brought a stag back home. I tamed my first warg at 15, named him Nadul, Orcish for 'night'."

"6 year old me snuck out of the house during nap time to collect twigs in the woods while you were wielding weapons and—"

"That is correct,"

"And you had a pet warg?" You knew what wargs are, you read about them when you were in high school, along with other animals that fascinated you. They looked like large wolves with the stature of an adult grizzly bear and can carry a full-grown orc into battle.

"Have," he corrected, his fluffy buddy was still very much alive and well the last time he went back to visit his home, which was three months ago. He doubted anything could take down Nadul, not even a Frostbear, he was the one who trained him after all.

"I still can't believe you're 23. You look so..."— you were not gonna say old, no— "mature."

"At a different rate from humans, yes."

Of course they do. You got so much to learn about orcs, and him.

"And you? How old are you?"

"19."

"Oh? You look 13 with how little you are,"

You didn't expect him to be playful like this, but you went along.

"Hey! I'm only small compared to you, you giant!" True, you were a tad shorter than most girls your age but it has its perks! You'd save a lot of money from buying clothes just because you grew rather slowly. "And in fact, I'm still growing!"

"So am I." He grinned, smugness painted all over his face.

"Noooo, if you keep growing you won't fit through the doorway!" You whined, pouting at how much of a tease he was being.

He found it adorable, the way your lower lip was upturned as you looked at him. The sudden urge to pat you rose but he didn't act on it.

"Do not worry, us orcs stop growing in our 25th year," or not. "And I will make sure to feed and treat you good so you'll become taller!" he stated confidently. Tai'chi was about to laugh again, but he froze with his jaw open when you turned real red, your ears tinted and your lips quivered, unable to speak out anything.

That last part, made your face feel like fire just kissed it, twice. Panicked and having no idea what to retort, you let your head fall on the table with a thud. You gripped his hand tight and took silent breaths to calm your thumping heart down.

"Y-Yeah... I..I l-look forward to that, Tai'chi." You were able to say that at least.

He gave a soft grunt as he looked at you on the table.

You were very flustered, he scented. His comment-sort-of-declaration was clearly the reason. But oh, he had no regrets. He will make sure you're healthy and well-fed, and it's just one way of showing off with his skills.

That's only the beginning.

You were in for some Orcish surprises.

You sat in comfortable silence again for a while, just taking in each other's scents, soothing and calming your hammering heart. Tai'chi continued to caress your hand, gentle for such a big orc like him. He could snap your neck with two fingers alone, but he remained careful like he was holding a thing so delicate.

Tai'chi could feel your pulse slow down to a normal rate, your scent shifted to that of a relaxed state and something fuzzy. He can't call you his yet, you just met today but you already got him wrapped around your tiny fingers. First, he will court you and show his admiration, prove his worth. And you, yourself, turning it into love the more you spend time together, he knows it will.

And he'll surely be damned to let this chance slip. Not once did he took interest in getting a mate before, his mind too busy and filled with his responsibilities along with studies in other kind's culture, and taking care of his siblings.

But back then and there, something pulled on his heart, the way your eyes stared into his for seconds that felt longer than eternity itself. An exaggeration, but that's what he felt.

He found you.

-

You were about to doze off so you removed your head from the table and tried to blink away your sleepiness, the light hurting you a little. You should get to bed soon, your first class starts at 8 in the morning. You stared at Tai'chi, admiring that blue eyes of his, its hue similar to that of lapis lazuli, you thought.

"I should take my leave now. We need to rest, especially you." Tai'chi said when he saw how tired you appeared, you were barely keeping your eyes open. He stood up from his seat, lightly pulling you up with him. You shook your head, rubbing your eyes as you led him to your door.

"Keep safe," you bid once he was ready to go.

"You as well... I will see you tomorrow."

"Mm, g'night."

Tai'chi breathed through his nose before he placed a kiss on your forehead. It was brief, but it sent a pleasant warmth all over your body. You were too sleepy to even bother being shy now, so you only smiled at him.

"Goodnight, lak'mar lul." He gazed at you, sighing before he stepped out of your apartment.

You stood there for a moment before you checked your door and made sure it was deadlocked. You killed the lights off as you sluggishly trudged to your bed. Darkness enveloped your home, a welcome one. You crawled to the middle and tucked yourself under the dark blue cotton sheets.

You were out like a light once you settled down. Much too many things happened right after another, draining you to an exhaustingly low point. You only prayed you'd feel better in the morning.

Your last thought was about how warm the orc was, and how, for some reason, his scent, his presence, felt like a home you never had, which was saying something since you had encountered a lot of scents in your life, both good and bad. You hugged your pillow tight as you succumbed to a dreamless slumber.

—

I'm putting this off for a bit to give time for requests and other WIPs. But if a random continuation pops out I'll have to write it down and set it aside for editing later.

Thank you for reading!

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

The Strange Saga of Spinosaurus, the Semiaquatic Dinosaurian Superpredator

I’ve been captivated by dinosaurs for as long as I can remember. My parents tell me that I told them that I wanted to be a paleontologist as early as age four. Naturally, then, I had lots and lots of books about dinosaurs when I was a boy growing up during the 1980s. One of the dinosaurs that always fascinated me the most was Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Found in 1912 in the Bahariya Oasis of the Western Desert of Egypt (could anyplace sound more exotic to a small-town kid from upstate New York?!), Spinosaurus was originally known from a highly incomplete but also very large and extremely distinctive partial skeleton found in a middle Cretaceous-aged (roughly 95-million-year-old) rock layer in the oasis. Among the few skeletal elements known were part of a strangely shaped (for a dinosaur) lower jaw, some crocodile-like teeth, and most strikingly, several back vertebrae that each sported tall spines, some of them measuring nearly six feet. These spines clearly impressed Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach, the German paleontologist who studied the skeleton and gave the animal its name in a 1915 publication. Tragically, however, that original Spinosaurus skeleton—and all of Stromer’s other dinosaur fossils from Egypt—were destroyed during the Second World War, more specifically in a British Royal Air Force bombing of Munich on April 24, 1944. The story of Stromer’s lost dinosaurs found its way into many a children’s book, including several that I read cover-to-cover. As such, the tale took on near-legendary status for me, and, I’m sure, many other young dinosaur enthusiasts around the world. Here was an absolutely extraordinary dinosaur from a faraway land, similar in size to the gargantuan Tyrannosaurus rex, but clearly very different from all other predatory dinosaurs known at the time – and it was represented only by a few teeth and bones that had been blasted into oblivion decades ago and so now existed only as pictures in books.

A scan of my photocopy of plate I of Ernst Stromer’s original 1915 publication on Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, showing some of the teeth and bones preserved in the holotype (= name-bearing) partial skeleton, discovered in 1912 in Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis. Check out the long spines on the back vertebrae at lower left!

Stromer’s conception of Spinosaurus, as depicted in a 1936 publication and on a glass slide of his that colleagues of mine scanned during our visit to the Paläontologisches Museum München in Munich, Germany in 2001. Stromer knew this animal was big, as evidenced by the human skeleton he included for scale. Interestingly, too, he reconstructed Spinosaurus with unusual proportions for a carnivorous dinosaur, such as an abnormally elongate torso and short hind limbs. We’ll come back to those odd proportions a little later…

When I arrived in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, one of the first things I did was make a lengthy list of all the paleontological sites I was interested in exploring, ranked by their potential (in my mind, at least) to produce scientifically significant finds. The Bahariya Oasis and the search for a ‘replacement Spinosaurus’ quickly rose to the top of the list. Amazingly, no one had ever found—or at least officially reported—new dinosaur fossils in the oasis in the more than half-century since Stromer’s beasts were obliterated during that fateful airstrike. A need to keep this post to a reasonable length prevents me from describing the stars that had to align to make this happen, but in January 2000 I found myself in the Bahariya Oasis—one of the places I’d dreamed about going since I was a small child—as part of the first significant ‘dinosaur hunt’ to take place at the site since the early 20th century. It was bittersweet, though, in the sense that we never really found that ‘replacement Spinosaurus’ I’d fantasized about – all we ever discovered of that creature were a few isolated, fragmentary teeth and bones (and, in a very different location, a couple previously unpublished photos of the original skeleton in a Munich archive). We did find and dig up a gigantic new species of long-necked, plant-eating sauropod dinosaur, Paralititan stromeri, a creature that to this day is one of the largest land animals of any kind that’s ever been found, anywhere – but that’s another story for another time.

One of the rare contributions that I personally have made to scientific knowledge of Spinosaurus: a glass slide showing the only known photo of the right dentary (tooth-bearing lower jaw bone) of the original, name-bearing partial skeleton from Egypt. Like all of Stromer’s Egyptian dinosaur material, this specimen (including this bone) was destroyed in a British air raid on Munich during World War II. Several colleagues and I ‘rediscovered’ this photo—which nobody apparently knew existed—in an archive at the Paläontologisches Museum München in 2001. We published it and one other previously unknown photo of the Spinosaurus type specimen in a 2006 paper in the Journal of Paleontology.

A much younger yours truly digging up the incomplete left humerus (upper arm bone) of the gigantic sauropod (long-necked herbivorous dinosaur) Paralititan stromeri in the Bahariya Oasis of Egypt, February 2000. Paralititan is one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered – a nice ‘consolation prize’ given that we didn’t find much of Spinosaurus during our expeditions to Bahariya. (A cast replica of the complete right humerus of Paralititan is on display in PaleoLab at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.) Credit: Josh Smith.

Back to the matter at hand, meaning Spinosaurus. Fast-forward to 2011. I had the honor of serving as the external thesis examiner for Nizar Ibrahim, a promising doctoral student at University College Dublin in Ireland. I’d known Nizar for years, ever since he reached out to me by email while an undergraduate at the University of Bristol, England, to discuss our mutual interests in African Cretaceous dinosaurs. Nizar’s Ph.D. thesis was on dinosaurs and other middle Cretaceous-aged vertebrates from the celebrated Kem Kem beds of southeastern Morocco, a set of rocks that had yielded a fossil fauna very similar to, though seemingly more diverse than, that of the Bahariya Oasis. Among the many finds that Nizar documented in his colossal thesis were intriguing new remains of Spinosaurus. I went to Dublin to participate in his successful thesis defense, and afterward, he and I hit up some of the city’s finest public houses to celebrate (no surprise for those who know me). Over a pitcher of yummy Irish stout, he told me an exciting story – he and his team had lately discovered not just isolated bones of Spinosaurus in Morocco, but parts of a probable new skeleton. If so, this find would be the first skeleton since Stromer, and moreover would be exceedingly important given how little was known about Spinosaurus, even as recently as the early 2010s. The more parts we paleontologists have of a given fossil animal, the more we can generally learn about it, so the prospect of a new and relatively complete Spinosaurus skeleton—in other words, many bones belonging to a single individual dinosaur—was thrilling to say the least.

Again I’ll skip details for brevity’s sake, but fast-forward once again, to 2014. I was contacted by an editor of Science—one of the foremost scientific journals in the world—to peer-review a paper that had been submitted by (you guessed it!) Nizar and a long list of collaborators describing that new skeleton of Spinosaurus that he’d told me about over beers in Ireland three years before. Nizar and team had revisited the quarry and it had panned out in a big way. From this one, single individual Spinosaurus—again, the first associated skeleton of this dinosaur to have been found in roughly a century—they had bones from the skull, backbone (including a few of those famously long-spined vertebrae!), forelimb, pelvis, and hind limb. More importantly, these ‘new’ bones revealed that Spinosaurus was even more bizarre than anyone imagined! We already knew, from Stromer’s specimen and other, isolated finds made through the years, that the shapes of the skull and back were really weird for a predatory dinosaur. Now, the new skeleton showed that the bones were remarkably dense, the hind legs were oddly short, and the hind feet may have been webbed! All of this led Nizar and colleagues to propose that Spinosaurus may have been semiaquatic; in other words, that its lifestyle was much more comparable to that of a modern-day alligator or crocodile than it was to a more ‘typical’ land-living predatory dinosaur such as T. rex. Other evidence for an affinity to watery habitats had been found in Spinosaurus and closely related dinosaurs (known, perhaps unsurprisingly, as spinosaurids) before, but this was, in my mind, the most convincing case yet made that these animals spent significant amounts of their time at least partly submerged in lakes and rivers. The paper was published in Science a few months later, accompanied by a cover story in National Geographic magazine and a special on the venerable PBS TV series NOVA. Almost exactly one hundred years after it had been named, Spinosaurus had become a celebrity.

Nizar Ibrahim and colleagues’ initial conception of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in the flesh, released to coincide with the publication of their Science paper in 2014. Two aspects stand out: as Stromer already knew (see his skeletal reconstruction above), the animal is enormous, but it was more oddly proportioned than even he had imagined. Note also the ‘regular-looking’ (for a dinosaur) tail, and read on. Credit: Davide Bonadonna.

Semiaquatic Spinosaurus chowing down on a tasty lungfish in what is now northern Africa some 95 million years ago. Italian paleoartist Davide Bonadonna has produced some of the most beautiful and accurate modern depictions of this extraordinary dinosaur, and I’m grateful to him for letting me reproduce his art here.

But the story didn’t end there. Some prominent paleontologists criticized Nizar and colleagues’ semiaquatic interpretation of Spinosaurus. These opinions weren’t a final judgment. Instead, this is just how science works: we scientists propose ideas, or hypotheses—in this case, that Spinosaurus lived and behaved more like a crocodile than your garden-variety carnivorous dinosaur—and then test these hypotheses by reevaluating the existing evidence and/or bringing new information to light. If a hypothesis repeatedly stands up to testing, then it gradually gets incorporated into the body of knowledge. Other paleontologists presented evidence that they claimed refuted the semiaquatic hypothesis, but Nizar and team eventually countered with new data of their own. In late 2019, another prominent scientific journal—this time it was Nature—came calling, asking me to review a second paper by Nizar et al. on Spinosaurus. What, I thought, could these researchers have to say about this dinosaur that they hadn’t already said before? Well, as it turns out, Nizar and colleagues had kept digging at their Spinosaurus skeleton site, and incredibly, they’d continued to find important new bones belonging to the same specimen. Among these post-2014 finds was the almost complete tail. When I saw what it looked like (via an illustration in their paper), I literally laughed out loud with surprise and delight. Somehow, the shape of the Spinosaurus tail Nizar’s team had discovered—the first even reasonably complete tail of this dinosaur to have ever been unearthed—was simultaneously both unexpected and predictable. It looked really dissimilar from the tails of other predatory dinosaurs, but it was nearly exactly like what one might expect for a dinosaur that used its tail to propel itself through water. In other words, the tall, fin-like tail of Spinosaurus looked more like that of a supersized alligator or newt than that of T. rex.

Nizar and team’s Nature paper on their Spinosaurus tail was published this past April 29. Is it the last word on this dinosaur and its mode of life? Most certainly not, but the evidence is now stronger than ever—in my opinion, very strong—that Spinosaurus spent more time in the water than any other non-avian (= non-bird) dinosaur that we currently know about.

The modern view of Spinosaurus, not as a ‘regular’ predatory dinosaur, but rather as a specialized semiaquatic hunter that spent much of its life in the water. Self-serving side note: the three smaller, spiky-looking fish are Bawitius bartheli, a polypterid (an archaic, still-extant group of thick-scaled ray-finned fishes) that several colleagues and I named in 2012 from fossils found in the Bahariya Oasis. The larger fish at lower left is the giant coelacanth Axelrodichthys (sometimes called Mawsonia) libyca. Credit: Davide Bonadonna.

Two Spinosaurus invite the sawfish Onchopristis numidus to lunch in what’s now northern Africa some 95 million years ago. Look at those fin-like Spinosaurus tails! Credit: Davide Bonadonna/National Geographic.

Nizar (who’s a Research Associate here at Carnegie Museum of Natural History), myself, and our many colleagues and collaborators are continuing to study the mysterious dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates from the middle and Late Cretaceous of northern Africa. Indeed, Nizar and I have several collaborative papers in the works right now, and I’m also working with an amazing team of paleontologists at Mansoura University on multiple new Egyptian fossil finds. It’s a good bet that African Cretaceous dinosaurs even stranger than Spinosaurus are still out there, waiting to be discovered!

Further reading/watching:

Nothdurft, W. E., with J. B. Smith, M. C. Lamanna, K. J. Lacovara, J. C. Poole, and J. R. Smith. 2002. The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt. Random House, New York, 256 pp.

Smith, J. B., M. C. Lamanna, H. Mayr, and K. J. Lacovara. 2006. New information regarding the holotype of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus Stromer, 1915. Journal of Paleontology 80:400–406.

Ibrahim, N., P. C. Sereno, C. Dal Sasso, S. Maganuco, M. Fabbri, D. M. Martill, S. Zouhri, N. Myhrvold, and D. A. Iurino. 2014. Semiaquatic adaptations in a giant predatory dinosaur. Science 345:1613–1616.

Bigger Than T. rex (NOVA documentary): https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/bigger-than-t-rex/

Henderson, D. M. 2018. A buoyancy, balance and stability challenge to the hypothesis of a semi-aquatic Spinosaurus Stromer, 1915 (Dinosauria: Theropoda). PeerJ 6:e5409.

Ibrahim, N., S. Maganuco, C. Dal Sasso, M. Fabbri, M. Auditore, G. Bindellini, D. M. Martill, S. Zouhri, D. A. Mattarelli, D. M. Unwin, J. Wiemann, D. Bonadonna, A. Amane, J. Jakubczak, U. Joger, G. V. Lauder, and S.E. Pierce. 2020. Tail-propelled aquatic locomotion in a theropod dinosaur. Nature 581:67–70.

Matt Lamanna is Mary R. Dawson Associate Curator and Head of the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum staff, volunteers, and interns are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[krizaland]

Dib x Male!Reader, but Zim also had feelings for y/n, maybe something similar to the Tak episode but Zim genuinely likes them

You got it, friend!!

Here is the song I used btw

Ever since your first day of Skool, you could tell right off the bat that both Zim and Dib liked you.

Zim was always blushing and stuttering around you. And Dib would cut his paranormal rants short the moment you walked into class.

It wasn’t long before you decided to talk to them.

You decided to start with Dib since he seemed easier to approach.

After sitting with him at lunch, you and Dib quickly became the best of friends.

You found his knowledge of the paranormal endearing and actually enjoyed going cryptid hunting together!

You never once called him weird nor creepy! Hell, you even stuck up for him whenever someone bullied him.

However, you drew the line at exposing Zim.

You felt like Dib was being a bit too hard on Zim.

Thus you decided it was finally time to talk to Zim.

Unfortunately, Dib was less than thrilled and would constantly try to keep you away from him.

Luckily the next day, Dib seemed to be absent.  As much as you hoped he was alright, you decided to use the opportunity to have a chat with Zim.

You found him sitting by himself at lunch.  He gave his lunch tray a sniff before recoiling in horror.

“Hey, can I sit with you?”

The sound of your voice caught Zim off guard.

“I’M PERFECTLY NORMAL!” Zim screeched as he jumped up onto the table.

“I…didn’t say you weren’t….”

“Oh, you didn’t? Well why else are you here Y/N-Beast?! Come to bring me to the Dib-monkey?!” Zim asked as he poked your chest.

“No! No! I’ve actually been trying to convince Dib to stop calling you an alien.” You explained gently.

“Eh? Really?” Zim’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes, really! I want to show him that you’re not an alien!” You confirmed with a nod.

“Well then, strangely attractive human-worm beast! I shall give you all the proof you need!”

And with that, Zim sat back down and picked up his spoon.

“Witness my perfectly normal bean-chewing!”

After making sure you were looking, Zim gingerly took a heaping spoonful of beans and slowly led it to his mouth.

His arm shook as his face begun to sweat. Zim fought back the urge to vomit as he shoved the beans into his mouth.

Zim sounded like he was dying as he struggled to choke down the beans.

“You see? I’m…perfectly..ACK!!!!”

You let out a gasp as Zim fell backwards out of his seat.

“Yummy….”  He whimpered weakly.

You rushed over to check on Zim and let out a gasp of horror!

There, sprawled out on the floor, was a horrifically disfigured Zim.

His head was so swollen it throbbed as a glowing green substance oozed out of it!  Zim’s breathing was heavy as his worm like tongue hung out of his mouth.

“Oh god! Zim!”

Without thinking, you dove behind the table, scooped up Zim, and rushed him out of the lunchroom.

“Don’t worry, Zim! I’ll get you to the nurse! She’ll know what to do!” You reassured as you kept running.

“No…Nurse….”

Zim’s words made you stop dead in your tracks.

“No nurse?”

“Take me….to…locker……” Zim begged as he coughed up more ooze.

“Ohh-kay then…”

After bringing Zim to his locker, Zim slid out of your arms, opened it, and pulled out a large strange-looking pump.

Before you could even blink, Zim put the pump on his head.

SLURP! SLURP! SLURP!

The pump slowly drained the ooze from Zim’s head and emptied it into a clear container.

Zim panted as he removed the pump and pulled out a can of soda from his PAK.

“Are you ok?” You asked as you gave Zim a concerned look.

“Of course I am! Zim is always fine-” Zim took a sip of his soda- “I just simply had a perfectly normal human allergic reaction!”

“Err…Ok then… Are you sure you don’t need to see the nurse?”

Zim quickly finished his soda before acknowledging your question.

“What? Oh right! Worry not, Y/N-beast! Zim is perfectly fine! No need to get the nurse involved.” Zim’s voice quivered as he flicked his wrists.

“Well glad to see you’re ok. I guess this happens to you a lot since you have that pump thingy,” You noted as you rubbed the back of your head.

“Yep but thanks to my SUPERIOR healing skills I recover quickly!” Zim boasted as he put a hand on his chest.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at Zim’s over the top behavior.

You decided to hang out with Zim for the rest of the day.  

Zim was actually a very interesting guy! He even shared your sense of humor!

You couldn’t understand why Dib kept accusing Zim of being an alien. If anything, Zim was just a little weird. Being weird doesn’t make anyone an alien right?

Zim found himself growing fond of you as well!

He hadn’t expected a human to be so interesting! Let alone so attractive and kind!

The longer he talked with you the more Zim’s PAK sparked!  

His feelings were scary and confusing but Zim never wanted them to go away!

No matter how his squeedillyspooch fluttered, Zim just couldn’t resist you!

Zim found himself wanting you to stay by his side longer and longer!

When the Skool day came to an end, Zim practically floated all the way back to his base.

“Gah! Look at me! I’m feeling all…tingly..and sparky! I’m becoming weak….Y/N must’ve given me some kind of Urth illness!” Zim threw off his disguise,  “Computer! Preform a bioscan for any illnesses!”

“SCANNING….SCANNING!!!!”

ZAP!

“BIOSCAN COMPLETE! NO ILLNESSES FOUND!”

“WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE! Why else would I be feeling all…mushy and stuff?!” Zim whined as he gestured to himself.

“I DON’T KNOW…MAYBE YOU JUST LIKE Y/N?”

“LIES!!! I-”

“Nya!”

Zim was cut off by Minimoose’s tiny voice piping up.

“Eh? How can having FILTHY FEELINGS for Y/N possibly be a good thing?!” Zim demanded as he shot Minimoose a glare.

Minimoose was unfazed by their Master’s outburst.

“Nya!”

“Use Y/N to help keep up appearances?” Zim hummed as a large grin spread across his face.

“Yes….That just might work!”

The next day, you told Dib everything that had happened at lunchtime.

“Y/N! How could you help him?! He was probably trying to trick you or something!” Dib scolded as he threw his hands into the air.

“Dib, I couldn’t just let him leak all that goo everywhere!” You huffed as you folded your arms.

“Did you at least get any-HEY!”

Dib was cut off by Zim shoving him aside

“Y/N-Beast! I have come to offer you the most AMAZING opportunity you will ever receive in your inferior human existence!” Zim announced dramatically as he pointed to the ceiling.

Caught off guard by Zim’s interruption, you simply blinked in surprise.

“From the moment we’ve met you’ve proven yourself to be a worthy ally! Your physical appearance is pleasing and I can tolerate your presence! Therefore I now bestow upon you the honor of being MY LOVE PIG!” Zim sang as he threw his hands into the air.

You opened your mouth to speak but Dib piped up.

“NO! Y/N! DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! IT’S PROBABLY A TRAP!” Dib wailed as he sprung in front of you.

“TRAP?! I can assure you this offer is no trap! Y/N, YOU are the only one worthy of being my love pig” Zim cleared his throat, “So what do you say?”

You tired to speak but yet again, Dib cut you off.

“He says no! You can pick on me, Zim but I won’t let you hurt Y/N! I care about him far too much!” Dib snarled as he jammed a finger into Zim’s chest.

“YOU DARE SUGGEST THAT I WOULD HURT Y/N?! I’M OFFENDED YOU WOULD EVEN THINK I WOULD DO SUCH A THING!” Zim roared as he swatted Dib’s hand away.

“Why do you care so much about Y/N anyway?! I thought your kind didn’t need anyone!” Dib growled.

“I think the real question is why do you care about Y/N so much, Dib-worm?!” Zim snapped as he snapped a finger in Dib’s face.

“Because I…..Because I….” Dib trailed off as his words got caught in his throat.

“Because you what?”

“Because I love him ok?!” Dib gasped as he quickly clamped his hands over his mouth.

You nearly stumbled backwards at the confession while Zim simply stared at Dib incredulously.

Zim shook away his shock and let out a giggle. The giggle grew and grew until he burst into a full on fit of laughter.

Dib’s face glowed bright red as he tried to sink into his coat.

“Oh, you hideous fool! You can’t possibly love Y/N!” Zim wheezed as he wiped away a few tears.

“Oh yeah?! And just why not?!”

“Because I love Y/N more than your big smelly head can comprehend!” Zim cackled as he threw his hands in the air.

“No way! I love Y/N more! You probably don’t even know what love is!” Dib snarled as he glared into Zim’s eyes.

“GRARGH!! I LOVE Y/N MORE AND I CAN PROVE IT!”

Before Dib could say another word Zim trotted up to you and cleared his throat.

“Conquering worlds is what makes me feel alive! It’s the life I decide as I destroy everything in sight! But when I’m by your side, your voice sounds ever so kind. It’s what’s guiding me and gives me peace of mind!”

Zim gave you a wink before dramatically putting a hand on his forehead.

He imagined himself as the ruler of Urth as flames rained down from the sky!

“Doom from above is all that I’m dreaming of! But you showed me a world beyond the skies that I can touch! From that day ever more I felt my insides so brightly beating! Bursting with this lovey-dovey feeling now!”

The flames turned into heart bubbles as Zim’s fantasy came to an end.

Zim took your hands in his and gently spun you around.

“All I need to survive is to be right by your side! It’s the pulse through the night that sets my soul alight! Can’t believe even me could laugh on so easily as I’m taken by the beat in the quantum breeze!”

Zim tried to twirl you into his arms only to find that Dib had pulled you out of his grip.

Zim let out a low growl as he tried to glare in Dib’s direction, only to gasp as Dib darted down the hall with you in tow.

Once Dib was certain you and he were far enough away from Zim, he took your hands in his and gazed into your eyes.

“All that I know is that I hate being alone. Cause wherever I go there’s the fear I’ll end up on my own so, Right by my side take my hand and hold it tight. Cause it’s you that is guiding me and gives me peace of mind!”

Dib hung his head low as he remembered how poorly he was treated by his peers and his family.

“When I’m all alone I’m just nothing but a joke, but you gave me hope and validation even so!”

Dib’s face lit up as he looked back up at you.

“From that day ever more I felt my heart so brightly beating bursting with this lovey-dovey feeling now!”

Dib gripped your hands tighter and pulled them closer to his chest.

“All I need to survive is to be right by your side! It’s the pulse through the night that sets my heart alight! Can’t believe even me could laugh on so easily as I’m taken by the beat in the quantum breeze!”

You opened your mouth to speak again when-

FWOOM!

Zim had activated his PAK’s jets and was zooming down the hall.

Before you could even process what was happening, Zim scooped you up and made his getaway.

“Hey! Let Y/N go, Zim!” Dib demanded as he chased after him.

“Ha! Now you’re all- ACK!”

CLANG!

Zim crashed into a nearby pole, causing you to fall out of his arms.

“Don’t worry, Y/N! I’ve got you!” Dib reassured as he quickly caught you.

“T-Thanks for the save…” Was all you could utter as your mind struggled to process what was happening.

“Let’s get you to safety.”

And with that, Dib ran as fast as his legs could take him.

Unfortunately, Zim quickly peeled himself off of the pole and followed suit.

“RETURN MY Y/N YOU INFERIOR STINK WORM!!”  Zim roared as he picked up the pace.

Dib was unfazed by Zim’s threats and continued running.

He swerved around poles, he jumped over random pieces of trash on the floor, and he even plowed by the other students.

Zim struggled to dodge the obstacles but continued his chase.

Eventually Dib found himself running out of breath.

He stopped behind a locker to catch his breath before looking down at you.

“All I need to survive is to be right by your side. it’s the pulse through the night that sets my heart alight-”

SWIPE!

Zim swooped in and snatched you out of Dib’s arms.

“Can’t believe even me could laugh on so easily! Like an angel in the sky flying high and free!”

Dib let out a growl and tried to out-sing Zim as he gave chase once more.

“All I need to survive is to be right by your side! It’s the pulse through the night that sets my heart alight! Can’t believe even me could laugh on so easily as I’m taken by the beat in the quantum breeze!”

Eventually, Dib managed to chase Zim into a corner.

“It’s over, Zim! There’s nowhere left for you to hide!” Dib announced dramatically.

Zim opened his mouth to speak but you finally managed to get a word in

“STOP!!! Guys! I love you both ok?! Can’t you guys just share me or something?!”

“WHAT?!” Zim and Dib exclaimed simultaneously.

“ME?! SHARE WITH THE HORRIBLE DIB-STINK?! NEVER!” Zim snarled as he clung to you protectively.

“Y/N! Have you gone crazy?! There’s no way I’ll share with an evil alien monster!” Dib snarled as he folded his arms.

“Either you two share me or I won’t date either of you!” You threatened and you turned up your nose.

Zim and Dib exchanged horrified looks.

“Ugh! Fine! I’ll share you with Zim…” Dib sighed as he hung his head.

“What about you, Zim?” You asked sweetly.

Zim growled for a moment  before his face softened a bit.

“Oh-kay….But I get to hold your superior hand!”

“Great! Can you put me down now?” You asked gently.

“Oh yeah, of course.” Zim muttered casually as he slowly landed and released you from his grip.

You wobbled a bit as you regained your balance.

“Thanks for being such good sports, guys! I promise neither of you will regret this!”

And with that, you pulled Zim and Dib into a group hug and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

[rabbitcruiser]

Medjoola Date Day

Medjool Date Day takes place on February 4 yearly and serves the purpose of highlighting the benefits of the Medjool dates. Originally a Middle-Eastern fruit, Medjool dates made their way to the U.S in the 18th century, and since then, they have reigned in the hearts of the people. With a hint of caramel flavor, the dates are sweet, delicious, and one of the healthiest snacks on the market nowadays. They are also great for energy and can do wonders for people who are trying to cut down on the consumption of artificial sugar.

History of Medjoola Date Day

Medjool dates, like many other delicious fruits, have existed in this world for centuries. Though dates can be traced back to around 5000 to 6000 B.C., it took some time to reach different parts of the world. This was only possible with the technological evolution in transport, as the fruit was transported to different regions of the world. The Medjool dates, originally from Morocco, were brought to Nevada in 1927. From there, the plantation grew in abundance. Today, it is one of two date varieties grown in the U.S. And yes – people are really fond of this fruit.

Medjool dates were introduced into America by Walter Swingle in the 20th century. Swingle was assigned by the U.S government to identify some exotic crops around the globe, and after the researcher discovered dates, he transported them to America. During that time, however, not many were familiar with dates. This was, after all, a fruit they hadn’t heard of before. But as globalization happened and different cultures were brought to the forefront, people came to recognize dates for the delicious fruit they are. One of the main events that added to the popularity of dates in America was the annual date festival that started in 1921.

Today, dates are eaten by people of all ages, for their delicious taste as well as the numerous health benefits linked to them. A 2021 study reveals that Medjool dates are a good source of phenolic compounds.

Medjoola Date Day timeline

7000 B.C. The Fruit Delight

The Mehrgarh civilization cultivates dates in the Asian region.

3000 B.C. Reap What You Sow

Dates are grown in Mesopotamia.

2600 - 1900 B.C. Sweet Valley

The Indus Valley Civilization grows and consumes dates.

2019 Going Strong

Nine million tonnes of date fruit are produced.

Medjoola Date Day FAQs

What is the difference between Medjool dates and regular dates?

Medjool dates are more caramel-like in taste than regular dates (also called Deglet Noor).

Do dates make you fat?

Consuming a large number of dates can lead to weight gain.

Are Medjool dates healthier than other dates?

They may be healthier since Medjool dates contain more calcium.

Medjoola Date Day Activities

Buy some Medjool Dates

Share their benefits

Cook a dish

Honor the day by heading out to the store and buying some Medjool dates for yourself and your family. Don’t forget to serve them at the dinner table!

Since Medjool dates are good for health, it's only fair you share their benefits with other people too. Find some good articles and start posting on social media now!

Start the day well by cooking up some yummy date dishes in your kitchen. Some items you can attempt include date biscuits, puddings, and cakes.

5 Fun Facts About Dates

Dates are grown in California

Nickname of Medjool dates

Amount of fiber in dates

A perennial plant

Edibles made from dates

95% of the dates in the United States are grown in California.

It’s known as the ‘king of dates.’

It has 12% of the fiber amount our body needs daily.

The date palm takes four to five years to grow.

This includes syrup, alcohol, and vinegar.

Why We Love Medjoola Date Day

The fruit is highly nutritious

Its potential health benefits

It can be a substitute for sugar

Offering a significant amount of fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals, Medjool dates are a rich source of healthful nutrients. It also contains more calcium than other common date varieties.

Protection from disease, indigestion, and cell damage are a few of the many health benefits of Medjool dates. And compared to figs and prunes, it has the highest antioxidant content.

Medjool dates are a rich source of natural sugar. The stone fruits are especially good for people monitoring their blood sugar because they have a low glycemic index and do not cause large increases in blood sugar.

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