#i have been to many a zoo and never have i ever seen a captive green anaconda that wasnt submersed in its pond | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mozart-the-meerkitten · 2 months ago

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Random Star Trek thoughts now that my parents and I are a decent ways in to the first season of the original series. (none of us has ever seen the full show from start to finish, despite them being born in the 60's)

How many godlike alien races who want to watch the human race struggle for funsies like a twisted TV program are there in this universe

How do people dislike Enterprise when season one of the original series exists? Like how do you justify that? Kirk makes more ridiculous mistakes than Archer ever did and Kirk is around when humans have been in space for 100+ years! Enterprise was the FIRST, of course they were naive and made stupid mistakes and offended random aliens. What's Kirk's excuse? (I know out of story it's because the ~lore~ and ~worldbuilding~ were still in the process of being created, but seriously. what is people's beef with Enterprise and how DO they justify it when ssn one of the original exists?)

I love that the godlike alien races who keep kidnapping the crew have been absolutely ridiculous. Like we had the guys who wanted humans to be an attraction in their zoo and were gonna breed them as slaves to fix up their planet for them, only to finally check out Earth's history and go "wholy crap you guys are VIOLENT when in captivity you know what never mind we are afraid of you now plz leave". And then the guys who owned the planet that made whatever you were thinking of real (including, but not limited to, Alice in Wonderland characters, a tiger, a medieval knight, Kirk's Irish nemesis from college, and a WW2 plane that started a strafing run on the poor souls who accidentally summoned it) but neglected to tell the humans what was going on until after Bones DIED. Allegedly. But they brought him back to life, so it's good, right? And then there was the dude who kidnapped Kirk to hunt him for sport based off ancient Earth customs he thought he knew and turned out to be a celestial kindergartner whose parents intervened and grounded him for not playing nice with the people he brought to his planet. And THEN there are the people with the AUDACITY to call humans primitive and violent when they arrested Kirk and the captain of the ship he was pursuing (this is the Gorn episode btw) and plonked them down on the planet to fight to the death and watched it like a tv show because Enterprise and the Gorns dared to enter the part of space NEAR their SOLAR SYSTEM. Not near their planet, their SOLAR SYSTEM. And that's only like, half of them, maybe, I can't keep up with this.

The objectively and unironically best part of every episode is the intro with the silly music and Enterprise flying at high speeds directly at the screen in the most 60's cheesy special effect way possible. I laugh every time.

So very very glad I have watched the movies because the character development is taking a LONG time to get anywhere (I know this is partially due to the fact that the episodes were filmed and aired at different times but wowie).

We found the story about how Martin Luther King Jr. convinced Nicole Nichols to stay on the show and it melted all our hearts and I love her character so much more now.

It took so long for actual ALIENS to be in this space show, seriously, the first like 10 episodes are just How Many Ways Can Humans Sabotage Themselves ~in SPACE~?

Love that humans are so unhinged in this. We cannot be stopped, we WILL improvise adapt and overcome. 10/10 space orc energy.

Actual conversation: My mom: I didn't know if maybe you needed a break from Star Trek. me: mom I used to binge watch classic Doctor Who. I'm fine.

Okay, I'll stop, I am really enjoying it for the most part, especially as the characters personalities start to come out more. As far as I can tell it only gets more enjoyable from season 1 so I'm looking forward to the other seasons!

#star trek #star trek original series #star trek enterprise #don't take any of this too seriously please I'm being so silly posting this #except the part about enterprise being good I mean that 100%#kirk in the gorn episode: mr. spock I am not going to listen to a word you say and I refuse to be rational #spock: am I a joke to you :/#me: AT LEAST CAPT ARCHER *LISTENED* TO HIS VULCAN #desperately need a mega crossover of OG star trek> star trek enterprise> classic doctor who> 1973 battlestar galactica #it would be so funny #nothing would get done and everyone would be arguing it'd be hilarious #so many potential friendships and enemies

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wandringaesthetic · 2 years ago

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So a post I saw on here led me to look into how one might purchase human bones and the sourcing thereof, and:

There aren’t many laws restricting trade of human bones in the US. You can’t legally ship them to some states, but possessing them. Enh. It’s fine.

ETHICALLY, however.

Most human bones currently in, uh, circulation, came from India (which stopped exporting human bones in the 1980s) and China (which stopped exporting human bones in 2008). You can get bones relatively easily and legally, but they’re not generally going to be from the original source. There’s basically no way you can know whether any particular bone was acquired from the original owner with consent before their death.

The original post that led me down this rabbit hole had a twist ending regarding the resale of bones from dis-articulated Victorian medical skeletons. Which indeed might have been acquired through foul play or grave robbing or financial coercion. Who knows! But this line of thinking could conclude in a place where it’s rarely to never ethical to own human remains, which I’m not really comfortable with given this is why old-timey physicians sometimes engaged in a bit of grave robbing.

Gentle reader, I therefore ask you to question. These bones already exist with no practical way to trace and return them to their source. From where I’m standing you might as well sell human wrist bones to goths. Are you gonna steal em yourself and give these folks a proper burial? You don’t know what kind of rites the former bone-owner would have even wanted! I feel like it’s more respectful to use them for whatever witchy purpose or to carve them into earrings than it is to throw them in the trash.

Feel free to argue with me on this I don’t feel particularly strongly about it.

This reminds me of two things:

1) Buying and selling of feathers from most wild birds is illegal BECAUSE (I might be getting some details of this wrong) in the 1800s it was fashionable to decorate hats with feathers from songbirds which led to them being killed for said feathers and threatened/endangered. If there’s ever a huge market for human remains YES then this becomes an ethical issue. Because that incentivizes graverobbing OR outright killing people for their bones OR (more likely) pressure to sell ones’ remains pre-mortem.

2) Orcas in captivity. I agree that we shouldn’t be capturing any more. That’s appropriately illegal in most places in the world now. The vast majority of orcas currently in captivity were bred in captivity and attempts to release captive orcas into the wild have not been successful. I’m not sure about the ethics of breeding them in captivity, but.... If they need to be penned in order to survive, we might as well let people look at them until the ones in captivity die out? (I’ve seen proposals for some sort of sanctuary, a la elephants, but am unsure of the practicality of that. Also I’ve not seen the push to end elephants in zoos the way I’ve seen the push to end orca captivity, because..... ???)

#what if I just bought a human skull and put it on my shelf huh #what then huh #I could at this moment buy the skull of a dead child for ~2500 USD #I am not going to do this

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survey--s · 2 years ago

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490.

Have you ever seen an emu in real life, whether in captivity or the wild? Sure, they’re nasty little fuckers and like to nip and peck lol. Our local zoo has them free-roaming in some areas and you’re always warned to keep your hands well away haha.

When was the last time you visited your state’s biggest city? I’ve never actually been to Carlisle before. It’s a good 2+ hours away by car.

Do you remember what colour the eyes were of the last person you spoke to? Yeah, he has blue/green eyes.

Have you eaten pasta in the past week? Yes. I had noodles for lunch a couple of hours ago, actually.

Did you pierce your ears yourself or have it done by a professional? All my piercings were done by professionals.

Are you wearing any shoes right now? No, I’m wearing pink, white and grey ankle socks.

How many letters are in your surname? Six.

Do you enjoy Burger King? I don’t dislike the food (as in the taste) but something about it doesn’t agree with me and every time I’ve been there recently, I’ve been or felt sick afterwards lol.

Have you ever worn bell bottom jeans? Sure, they were all the rage when I was a teenager lol.

How far away from your house is the nearest ice cream place? It’s about a two minute drive, but it would take maybe half an hour on foot.

What colour is your kitchen counter? White.

When was the last time you washed the dishes? About an hour ago.

Do you own a lot of cookbooks? I don’t think we own any, actually. If I want a recipe I just look it up online.

How many rooms are in your house? Five.

Have you ever seen American Pie? No. I was never allowed to watch stuff like that growing up and as an adult it just doesn’t really appeal to me.

What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio? He’s a good actor.

Do you stay in touch with many people from high school or college? No, I’m not in touch with any of them lol.

Are you feeling nervous about anything right now? Hmm, yes, but not in a bad way? I have my beach ride tomorrow and I always get butterflies beforehand as it’s such an adrenaline burst.

How many cars can your driveway and garage hold? Our garage is too full to hold a car, and our driveway can fit one vehicle on it.

When was the last time you were late for something? I can’t remember, I absolutely hate being late. Do you own an iPod, and if so, what type? No.

Did you ever play Stardoll when you were younger? I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m going to say no lol.

Is there a university in your town or city? No.

What’s your father’s handwriting like? His writing is quite neat but it’s loopy so I feel like it’d be hard to read until you get used to it. When he prints it’s in all caps. <--- ha, this is exactly the same as my dad. I can read it but it takes a while if you’re not used to it.

Have you ever lived on a farm? Nope.

Are you hung up on anybody right now? No.

Do you eat fries one by one or in big bunches? Depends how big they are and what meal I’m eating.

Why did you last have to see a doctor? To get a sick note from work, but that was over three years ago now.

Did you wash your hair last time you showered? Yes, I always do.

Has anyone ever ransacked your bedroom? No.

Do you have any weird sleeping habits that people have told you about? Chris once told me I squeak in my sleep sometimes, hahah.

Do you enjoy That 70s Show? Yeah, it’s one of those comfort/nostalgia shows I can watch anytime. You definitely couldn’t air anything like that nowadays though lol. That 90′s Show is SO sanitised in comparison.

Are there any clouds in the sky, and what colour are they? White.

Do you think you’re fast at typing? Yeah, I did touch-typing at school and always get comments on it.

What was the last type of pizza you ate? Spinach and ricotta, with sundried tomatoes.

How old are you? 34.

Do you know anyone with an unusual middle name? I’m sure I do, but nobody is coming to mind right now.

Would you consider yourself to be intelligent? In some ways, yes. I’m quick to learn and have lots of book smarts but I wouldn’t say I was very socially intelligent.

Have you ever waxed your eyebrows? I have not.

What does your shampoo smell like? Whatever Tresemme smells like.

Have you ever passed gas in front of your significant other? Sure, all the time lol.

Do you have any big regrets in your life? No.

What colour is the ground or floor where you are right now? Grey.

Do you live on a street, avenue, road etc.? I live on a hill.

Can you taste anything right now? Yeah, Pepsi Max.

What was the last board game you played? Probably Monopoly as that’s pretty much all we ever play.

Are you renting the house you’re currently living in? No, we own our home.

Do you listen to Guns n Roses? No.

How old were you when you had your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Fourteen.

Have you ever been a bridesmaid? No.

Has the sun already set for the day? No, it’s 2:44 pm. Can’t believe I still have more than half my fucking shift to go. I’ve seen like 5 people in the last two hours. <-- ha it’s exactly that time here right now as well. Anyway, no, it hasn’t. Sunset isn’t for another 4-5 hours.

When was the last time you did laundry? I washed and changed out bedsheets this morning.

Do you know how to tie a tie? Yeah, I wore a tie everyday for school from the age of five. What are the age gaps between you and your siblings? I don’t have any siblings.

Does your birthday come before June 19th in a calendar year? Nope.

Do you pay attention to the FIFA World Cup? If so, what team do you go for? No.

Are you on any medications right now? Nope.

#survey #surveys

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rjzimmerman · 1 month ago

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The Panda Factories (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

TWO CHUNKY PANDAS, a male and a female, arrived from China at the National Zoo in Washington on Tuesday. If everything goes as planned, they will eventually have cubs.

Exchanges like this have helped turn giant pandas into the face of conservation worldwide.

The panda program was created with the stated goal of saving a beloved endangered species. Zoos would pay up to $1.1 million a year per pair, which would help China preserve the pandas’ habitat. By following carefully crafted breeding recommendations, zoos would help improve the genetic diversity of the species.

And someday, China would release pandas into the wild.

But a New York Times investigation, based on more than 10,000 pages of documents, has found that the Chinese authorities and American zoos have put a rosy sheen on a program that has struggled, and often failed, to meet those objectives. The records, photographs and videos — many of them from the Smithsonian Institution Archives — offer a detailed, unvarnished history of the program.

They show that, from the beginning, zoos saw panda cubs as a pathway to visitors, prestige and merchandise sales.

On that, they have succeeded.

Today, China has removed more pandas from the wild than it has freed, The Times found. No cubs born in American or European zoos, or their offspring, have ever been released. The number of wild pandas remains a mystery because the Chinese government’s count is widely seen as flawed and politicized.

Along the way, individual pandas have been hurt.

Because pandas are notoriously fickle about mating in captivity, scientists have turned to artificial breeding. That has killed at least one panda, burned the rectum of another and caused vomiting and injuries in others, records show. Some animals were partly awake for painful procedures. Pandas in China have flickered in and out of consciousness as they were anesthetized and inseminated as many as six times in five days, far more often than experts recommend.

Breeding in American zoos has done little to improve genetic diversity, experts say, because China typically sends abroad animals whose genes are already well represented in the population.

Yet American zoos clamor for pandas, and China eagerly provides them. Zoos get attention and attendance. Chinese breeders get cash bonuses for every cub, records show. At the turn of the century, 126 pandas lived in captivity. Today there are more than 700.

Kati Loeffler, a veterinarian, worked at a panda breeding center in Chengdu, China, during the program’s early years. “I remember standing there with the cicadas screaming in the bamboo,” she said. “I realized, ‘Oh my God, my job here is to turn the well-being and conservation of pandas into financial gain.’”

Dr. Loeffler, who spent part of her time in Chengdu as a scholar affiliated with the National Zoo in Washington, said that scientists there used anesthesia excessively and sloppily. At one point, she said, she bucked protocol and jumped onto an examination table to cradle an animal as it was being anesthetized.

Kimberly Terrell, who was director of conservation at the Memphis Zoo until 2017, said, “There was always pressure and the implication that cubs would bring money.” She noted that zoo administrators insisted on inseminating its aging female panda every year, despite concerns among zookeepers that it was unlikely to succeed. It never did.

“The people who actually worked day to day with these animals, who understand them best, were pretty opposed to these procedures,” she said. The zoo said its breeding efforts followed all program requirements. (Dr. Terrell, now a scientist at Tulane University in Louisiana, settled an unrelated gender discrimination lawsuit against the zoo in 2018.)

The Times collected key documents and audiovisual materials from the Smithsonian archives and supplemented them with materials obtained through open-records requests. The trove, which spans four decades, includes medical records, scientists’ field notes and photographs and videos that offer crucial evidence of breeding procedures, side effects and the conditions in which pandas were held.

They show that the riskiest techniques happened in the program’s infancy, but that aggressive breeding continued at the National Zoo and at other institutions for years. A panda in Japan died during sperm collection in 2010. Chinese breeding centers, until recently, separated cubs from their mothers to make the females go back into heat.

This panda proliferation has prompted debates among zoo workers and scientists over whether it is ethical to subject animals to intensive breeding when they have no real prospect of being released into the wild. But those discussions have largely played out privately because researchers and zookeepers said that criticizing the program could hurt their ability to work in the field.

#pandas

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yanderecrazysie · 3 years ago

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Here we go! The deadline wasn’t as scary as I thought! Thank you so much for including me in this collab! It was a blast!

Pairings: Merman! Kageyama x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, human zoo, swearing

Summary: Even if you believed in mermaids, you would believe those movies that say these poor creatures would be put in an aquarium. You couldn’t have expected it to be the other way around.

And you really couldn’t have expected the employee tasked with caring for you to fall deeply in love with you.

Collab: Aquatic August with @terushimooo and several others

captivity

/noun/

the condition of being imprisoned or confined.

You loved to swim, so a beach trip for your 19th birthday party was no surprise to anyone.

You briefly wondered if it was a bad idea to swim so far from shore, to go that close to the coral reef that beckoned you towards it with its pretty colors and the shimmering scales of fish flitting by.

When the fingers wrapped around your ankle and sharply tugged you under, you no longer had to wonder if it was a lapse of judgement. You now knew it was.

Darkness closed in on you much too soon to be from drowning. You felt the water disappear, replaced with air, and yet, you couldn’t see. The water was completely gone, but your world was so dark.

You didn’t realize until much later that you had been put in an air-filled bag, of sorts. One meant to capture land animals that come too far into a domain not meant for them.

“Look, Mom, it’s a human!”

“Wow, I’ve never seen one up close before!”

“How did they manage to capture one of those?”

“She’s so pretty!”

“Cool!”

You cowered, hyperventilating in the corner of your cage. Helplessly watching the flash of seashell-shaped phones snapping pictures of your swimsuit-clad form. As beautiful and mystical as these mermaids that gawked at you were, with their shimmering tails in all sorts of colors, all you could think about was your hopeless situation.

The cage you were in must have been enchanted by some sort of mermaid-magic or whatever sorcery these creatures possessed. Bars far enough apart to squeeze your arm through, but close enough together that you couldn’t hope to fit any other part of you through. Oxygen filled the cage like a square bubble, unpoppable and only contained in your cage.

Sticking your arm through the bars soaked you to the bone and left you shivering on the cold floor of your cage, dissuading you from trying to get out that way.

Even if you could escape, you were probably deep under the sea. If you had to guess, the ocean’s floor. You’d never make it to the surface in time. Your lifeless body would probably sink back down to the creatures that brought you there in the first place.

And that was assuming you could even escape.

The crowds thinned and eventually disappeared completely as the water darkened. You could only assume that this was closing time for whatever type of twisted zoo you were in. A part of you wondered if this was ironically their form of an aquarium.

With the mass of mermaids no longer obstructing your view, you could see your partners-in-captivity. Most were normal sea animals, which you couldn’t help but compare yourself to, such as dolphins, sharks, and a variety of fish. However, there were a couple dogs that shared your prison. An old golden retriever and a large mixed breed, both locked in separate cages, looking depressed, yet used to their new home.

If I ever get out of here, tears filled your eyes, I will be the biggest animal rights activist ever. I will free every animal from every zoo, aquarium, wherever.

This was easily the worst birthday you’d ever had.

Your moping was brought to an end with the sound of a door opening. You belatedly realized that everything here sounded and worked just like above the water in many ways.

The door that opened was no more than a slab of wood lodged into a sand archway, yet it still pushed out the water in a way that resembled a creaking door from the surface.

You couldn’t help but blush when your eyes landed on the pale expanse of a man’s muscular chest. You quickly looked away, trying to will away the rising heat from your cheeks. Once you had recovered, you studied the newcomer with curious eyes.

He was a tall merman, a muscular, lean form with a long, dark blue tail that reflected the light in short bursts. His fins were noticeably sharklike and his cold eyes reminded you of the deadly creature too.

The man swam over to the dogs and began barking excitedly. The dark-haired man tossed bits of fishy-smelling flesh to the canines, a wane smile playing across his lips as he did so.

When he turned to you, you couldn’t help but be blown away by his looks. He was even more handsome than you had thought: dark water-swept hair, chiseled yet pretty features, deep eyes, and muscle laid on a graceful figure under soft pale skin.

Maybe it was the unearthly glow of the light beaming through the darkened water or maybe it was the fact that a mythical creature you had dreamed about as a child now stood- or swam- in front of you.

The male approached you, holding some of the same chum he’d fed the dogs. Despite not having used your voice in hours, it was still clear as ever when you spoke to him.

“I want to go home.”

He stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise at your “outburst”. He tilted his head, looking thoroughly confused. “You can talk?”

“Of course I can!” You spluttered, concerned by how little these creatures knew about humans. This would either be very good or very bad for an escape attempt or your survival in general…

“Oh.” The merman didn’t seem to be a man of many words. You bit your lip in frustration.

“I’m (Y/n), what’s your name?”

“Kageyama.”

His name wasn’t the first thing you’d learn about him, but it wasn’t the most important.

The most important was that he didn’t seem to be the brightest bulb. The sharpest knife in the drawer.

And you were pretty sure you could use that to escape.

As your time in this “zoo” went on, so did your time with Kageyama. Despite not being very talkative, the merman often encouraged you to tell him stories of your time on land. His eyes shone with curiosity and wonder when you talked about the simplest things.

He was an employee: one that specialized in the care of land creatures. They hadn’t had a human in years, but, apparently, a nearby mermaid colony kept them supplied with information now that they had you.

You felt bad for the humans lived in that nearby zoo, but the fact that they had apparently been there for over 10 years terrified you.

When Kageyama next came to visit you, you tried to appeal to him again.

“I’m scared of what those visitors might do to me. I’ve seen the way some of them look at me. I can’t stay here, Kageyama…”

You felt like you’d tried everything. Claiming you were allergic to the dogs when you couldn’t actually get close enough for the allergens to bother you. Claiming your cage was too small. Claiming that humans could breathe fire.

Nothing worked.

Your friendship with Kageyama grew at least. You desperately hoped that you’d get close enough to convince him to release you, but you were losing hope the closer you got. He’d become possessive and even more sure that you should stay safe in captivity.

“They were looking at you?” That seemed to catch Kageyama’s attention. You bit back a sarcastic response. Of course they watch me, I’m put on display in a zoo.

“Yes. It scares me…” You used a trick you’d learned in an acting class- swallowing yawns to make your eyes water and tears spill down your cheeks. “I’m afraid of what they might do to me. I’m not safe, Kageyama…”

His steely eyes darkened and he studied you for a moment, his expression impossible to read.

“I’ll get you out of here, (Y/n), I promise.”

You could barely contain your excitement when the zoo closed the next night. You were going home! Finally!

Kageyama looked more serious than usual, if that was even possible, when he approached your cage. He lifted his hands and the same darkness that brought you here enveloped you.

This time, you welcomed it, an ecstatic warmth filling you as you pictured the relieved faces of your family and friends when you ran into your house. You wondered what they thought happened to you. Did they think you drowned? Did they think someone kidnapped you or that you got lost at sea? How much did they all miss you?

When you were finally able to see again, you realized that you’d never be lucky enough to find out.

A house made of sand. A larger cage, yet a cage all the same. A bed next to yours occupied by a familiar man.

When you demanded an answer, cried real tears, begged him to let you go for real, he simply gave you a small smile and explained his reasoning. Words that sent a chill down your spine.

“Now I’m the only man who can look at you.”

#aquatic august #collab #yandere #yandere x reader #one shot #yandere one shot #yandere kageyama #kageyama tobio #haikyuu!!#yandere haikyuu

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thylacine-dreams · 4 years ago

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Thylacines likely went extinct much later than previously thought -- new research found

For three years a team of researchers combed newspapers, old books and Parks and Wildlife records in a bid to collect every sighting ever of the Tasmanian tiger. It was a painstaking process but the reward was a chance to track the extinction of the iconic species.

Small collections of sightings had been collated previously but never before had a group of researchers brought together every recorded sighting of the thylacine. Now thanks to scientists from the University of Tasmania a database exists where anybody can view the details behind every sighting since the 1930s. 

UTAS professor and Australian Lauriat Fellow Barry Brook said for the first time they were able to scientifically analyse the sightings to examine when the thylacine went extinct.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Tasmanian tigers since the last captive animal died at Hobart Zoo in 1936 despite there being more than 1200 reported sightings - the most recent of which was made last year. 

Professor Brook said it was easier to believe the species went extinct when the last captive animal died because there was no concrete evidence to show the animal still roamed Tasmania's wilderness.

But, through analysis of the more than 1200 sightings, now collated in their database, Professor Brook and his team found the likely extinction date for the thylacine to be in the late 1990s.

The group analysed each sighting and provided extra weight to "expert" sightings - those made by experienced bushmen and wildlife experts.

"Obviously there are different levels of credibility that you can attach to those types of sightings and so part of our analysis was attaching probabilities to these different sightings and accepting or rejecting them probabilistically," Professor Brook said.

"So there was a chance that even a tourist who saw something was right but it is a small chance and there was a large chance that they were wrong. So their sighting was down-weighted in the analysis as a consequence."

After assigning each sighting a probability of being accurate the group ran computer models on the data in a bid to determine the date of extinction. The models they used were widely accepted in the science of extinction biology and have been used to track the extinction of other rare species globally.

"When we did that we were able to determine that the most likely extinction dates are between the late 1990s or early 2000s which is much later than a lot of people might imagine," Professor Brook said.

"But the extinction interval is wide because of the uncertainties and the probabilities. So it could have occurred anywhere from the 1960s through to the small probability that the thylacines still exist in more remote areas of Tasmania even today."

Professor Brook said there was probably less than a one in 10 chance that the thylacine still existed in the remote areas of Tasmania.

"But it is not extraordinarily improbable as some previous work has suggested," he said.

"And that really only came about by taking a truly comprehensive look at all the records. [This work] also points out to people that it is worth making sightings and making reports to authorities, or to researchers, because they can be taken seriously. They are never believed or disbelieved -- they are taken into account."

This work forms part of Professor Brook larger look at the impact of humans on the natural environment. Along with tracking the extinction path of the thylacine the group also developed a new method of mapping the hotspots of sightings The new method could help scientists determine the likelihood of threatened species inhabiting a certain area.

"There are actually many species where we just don't know whether they are extant or extinct. They haven't been seen for either years or decades and they are hard to document," Professor Brook says.

"It is very difficult to prove that something is extinct because that is evidence of an absence and all you can really have is the absence of evidence. This is the general problem for threatened species - how do we know that a threatened species is in a particular place?  It can be important because decision on conservation might rest on whether a certain area has certain protected or threatened species in there. If they are unlikely to because they are already extinct then that will have management implications and vice versa if there is high uncertainty or there is reasonable probability that threatened species exist in an area and it is under consideration for protection or management then this is important information to contribute."

The database of thylacine sightings is publicly available. New sightings can be reported to Professor Brook via email - [email protected]. All new sightings can be added to the database.

"The idea here is that moving forward anyone can pick up this and do whatever they want with it, and add to it, and that will allow more clarity going forward into the future," Professor Brook said.

The article is behind a paywall and I can’t find any versions that aren’t, so I’ve pasted the text here. I’ve also made a few minor edits since I found some missing words and grammatical errors.

Tl;dr -- new research based on analysis of reported sightings suggests that thylacines may have gone extinct as late as the 1990s-early 2000s.

I have a few issues with this study, the main one being that not every sighting is credible/truthful. I do like that they put more weight on more “credible” sightings to buffer this, though.

Thylacines aren’t in the news very often so I’m posting this despite my reservations, since some followers may be interested!

#thylacine #Tasmanian tiger #extinct animals #cryptozoology #news

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wuh2k · 4 years ago

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The weirdest thing about the anti-outdoor-cat gang is the way they never shut up about ‘outdoor cats having halved lifespans’. I come from a very big, very cat filled family, and over the corse of my life I’ve seen seven cats shuffle off this mortal coil; all of whom were outdoor cats, and all of whom lived to see their late teens.

So either their cats are living to be at least 32, or their pulling numbers out of their behind...

Okay I get where you’re coming from but I’m gonna have to disagree with you. Individual cases don’t equal a trend. Every holder of the title World’s Oldest Cat has been one that was allowed to roam, but at the end of the day average lifespans are higher for indoor cats.

There’s three reasons I refuse to accept that argument as a reason to never let cats outdoors though.

Most species have longer lifespans in captivity (yes, I will 100% keep using that term ever since someone compared letting cats outside to feeding them poison and coz it’s the proper one), that doesn’t make it right.

Quantity of life =/= quality of life. Linking back to #1, that’s why we don’t round up all the gorillas. Though zoos play an extremely important role in conservation, I live for the day we can send them all back to their natural habitats.

Going back to #1 again, I’d assume the life expectancy of dogs & humans would be higher if they were kept in captivity. No kids/dogs hit by cars, less exposure to communicable diseases .etc .etc.

And again because I always have to add this caveat; I have absolutely zero problem with people keeping their cats indoors. From health reasons to accommodation to location, there’s tonnes of reasons to. But none of them apply to me or many other outdoor cat owners.

@fandomsandfeminism

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years ago

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Survey #526

“i found asylum inside your armageddon eyes”

Which of the guys you’ve been interested in hurt you the most? Have I ever talked about a guy named Jason b4?????????? How tall is the last person you kissed? I remember asking him on my birthday because it was relevant to the conversation, and this fucking colossus is at least 6'8'', possibly a couple inches more if I remember right. Our height difference is honestly hilarious. Did the last guy/girl you kissed have any piercings? No. That's a hard thing to even picture. What is the name of the last band you discovered? That I actually started listening to? I really don't know. Do you prefer group projects, or would you prefer to work alone? I prefer working alone so strongly that most of my teachers through my entire school career would let me work alone on a lot of things. They either were close to me and knew it's just how I performed better, or they barely knew me but could see very, very clearly how shy and anxiously reclusive I was. Are your days full and fast-paced? My days were monotonous and almost entirely indistinguishable before the hospital, but I am determined to try so very hard to change that. I can't imagine them ever being totally full, but I definitely want to try to make them more... notable and worth something. Are you good with painting nails with your left hand? I am absolute royal shit at painting nails, regardless of which hand I use, because I have intense tremors. Do you feel uncomfortable sharing drinks with other people? YES. I don't care WHO you are, I don't want to. Would you snuggle a snake? I've done that many times before and certainly would be missing out if it never happens again. Hard or soft peppermints? Hard, 100%. Soft peppermints disgust me. What browser do you use? Chrome. What's the craziest thing you've ever thought of doing for a job? idk Have you ever gotten stuck in quicksand? No. Can you whistle? No. How many digits of pi do you have memorized? Only the first three that everyone knows. Have you ever eaten grass? No... Can you make a paper airplane? Not anymore. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? I love them and could really go for one right now. Do you prefer your strawberries with chocolate syrup, sugar, or just plain? Strawberries with sugar is phenomenal. Have you ever gotten a tattoo unprofessionally? No. I never would. Have you ever had to take care of an elderly person? No, and I don't think I could, especially if it involved cleaning them. Have you ever had a nosebleed? More than once. What’s your favorite flavor of Doritos? Cool Ranch. What’s your favorite movie genre? (Action, comedy… ect.) Horror. Have you ever seen a hippo in person? At the zoo. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen? As it's part of my most severe phobias, the first time I saw a video of a very active baby moving in its heavily pregnant mother's belly, I nearly fucking retched. Chills down my spine and ACTUALLY nearly cried because it was just so otherwordly and gross to me. What do you like about the house you live in? It has two bathrooms. Are your parents still together? If not, do you know why? No. I think the primary reason was severe financial arguments, but I've never really asked them. I just know Mom hates his guts while my dad is over it. What's the most amazing animal you've ever seen in captivity? I've been very close to an African elephant. Do you have a favorite Marvel character? No. Favorite DC character? Harley Quinn. What is your favorite historical film and why? Maybe The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because it fucking slaughters my heart and reminds us to never let such history repeat itself. Name a sequel film (any franchise) you like better than the first film. Why is that? Ha ha I swear it's pure coincidence, but I agree with the person who took this before me in that my answer is Shrek 2. I love the series period, and the first is great, but I enjoyed the second more. Which do you find most interesting: Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology? Why? Greek, and idk, I just do. Which tale from whichever mythology you listed above do you find most interesting? Ngl, I don't remember enough details to answer this. Do you have any houseplants? No. What is your favorite type of bird? Barn owls, especially melanistic ones. Breath-taking. What is your favorite vampire movie? *shrug* Your favorite fictional couple? I'm not super invested in The Addams Family, but I do positively adore Morticia and Gomez. How I'm tryna be. Do you have a favorite historical couple? No. Have you received any good news recently? Yeah, like when I found out I was being discharged from the hospital earlier than I though. The doctor noticed I was on a decline the first few days, which I didn't think was even possible, and she believed I would do better with out-patient care versus being in the hospital after my suicidal ideation faded. She was 100% right. I only started to improve when I learned of my discharge date. Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? No. We can't afford the necessities for any right now. Do you like BBQ sauce? NO. Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. Even when I was a dancer, I was bad at it and could only do like, one or maybe two spins. Do you enjoy fishing? It's a guilty pleasure in that I find it very relaxing and quite exciting, but I don't actually do it anymore because even though I always released what I caught, I felt bad for the fish. Do you have any nicknames for your significant other? I always address him with a nickname. Have you ever set up your best friend with someone? Yeah. Then flirted with him behind her back like a total bitch. What’s the worst car accident you or a friend has ever gotten into? My little sister is remarkably lucky to be alive, as she once got into a wreck with an 18-wheeler because she was tailgating and something I don't recall happened when she tried passing. The car was totaled, but she miraculously got out with only some scratches and bruises with pretty intense seat belt burns. Have you ever gone to rehab or a clinic? For whatever dumb fucking reason, both psych hospitals I've been to doubled as rehab centers. What’s the weirdest thing about your parents? Uhhhh. I dunno, really. Do your parents openly make out in front of you and anyone else? That's a horrific image considering they're divorced and absolutely should be. But anyway, even when they were together, absolutely not. What’s the hardest thing about living in your house, with your family? The location just sucks; both Mom and I loathe it to the point it kinda depresses us two. Have you ever stood up to your parents? How did it go? My mom, yes. And it never goes well because she's always right. What would you do if your mother left you? I'm just going to be completely straightforward: if she left me by will and not death, I would probably entirely, absolutely shatter and kill myself. My mom is everything to me and does more than I could ever express for me. What would you do if your father refused to talk to you and didn’t want to see you anymore? I mean, I wouldn't blame him all that much with the letter I sent him when he abandoned my family. It was just... vile. I was so hurt and angry. I hate even thinking about it because sometimes I wonder how he forgave me so willingly. Have you or someone you know attempted to commit suicide? Me. Have you ever liked your best friend’s significant other? What happened? Once. I've told the story of Joel before and even mentioned it earlier. What’s the farthest you’ve ever gone on a school trip and for how long? Ummm probably the Asheboro Zoo in 5th grade. It was just for a day, obviously. Have you ever sabotaged an ex’s relationship just so the two of you could get back together? Even if I wanted to, I was at the very least decent enough to not try. What are you looking forward to the most this summer? People look forward to summer????????? Have you experienced a thunderstorm recently? No. There was a chance for some thunder a couple days back, but if it happened, I was asleep. What candy bar would you go berserk about if they ever discontinued it? LKJALKWJESLKWEJR the Reese's one that is shaped like a big Hershey's, with individual blocks. I fucking love that shit. Have you ever slept in a cabin? No! :( What would you do if you witnessed someone getting jumped? Call the cops while trying to get somewhere discreet to not be near the criminal. Can you read something in another language? I could probably pronounce most words in German, even if I don't know what it means, and I can understand a few things, but nowhere NEAR as much as I could in high school. Would you ever host a slumber party on a roof top? Hell no. I'd loooove to sit on a rooftop and stargaze with an s/o or good friend, but I ain't sleeping up there. what color are your favorite pj's? I love my pink polka-dot pj pants! I'm actually wearing them now, ha ha. What type of bread do you get from Subway? Uhhhhh I want to say Italian? Maybe? I don't go there nearly enough, and I don't know all their bread options. What would you do if you were caught in a tsunami? Uh, freak the fuck out and probably die??? Who do you admire the most out of your friends? That is VERY hard. I have incredible, very brave, and just in general good friends. I can confidently say Girt and Sara are very high on the list for various reasons, though. Who do you admire the most in your family? MY. MOTHER. Do you admire anyone that is famous? Sure, there's a lot, mostly YouTubers since I know the most about them. Markiplier gotta be #1 though, actual legend. Name one of your hobbies. I'm gonna use writing as the answer here. I'm going to try to do it more and make better use of it! What is something unique about you? The way I eat biscuits, ha ha. If it actually has contents and isn't just a plain ol' biscuit, I eat each part individually. What is your favourite thing about someone in your family? My little sister Nicole is basically a superhero. She's a children's social worker and is SO passionate about her job, literally saving the lives of children. All her babies LOVE her. She is incredible with kids. Describe yourself in three words. Passionate, empathetic, a dreamer. If you could trade lives with someone for a day, who would that be and why? biiiiiih lemme be Mark's girlfriend Amy for Reasons. What is your favourite television series currently? My love for Squid Game hasn't dulled down yet. I'm excited for the next season. Do you find dad jokes to be funny? NOOOOOO PLEASE NO If you could get yourself anything right now, what would it be? Y'all have NO fucking idea how badly I want Girt to be here so I can hug and smooch the life out this man lmao. He's spending the night tomorrow though! If money was not a limit, what would you buy right now if you could have anything? My mom a new, nice car. Ever wanted to visit outer space? A part of me wants to, especially as I've developed a deeper appreciation, awe, and general interest in it lately, but realistically, I'll never go. Even if given the opportunity, I'd miss Earth too much. If you had the ability to time travel, where would you go and what would you do? There are two big things: I'd love to witness the dawn of the universe, however it happened, and visit particularly the Jurassic Period of the dinosaurs. My inner paleontologist would explode. If you had the ability to read minds, what would you do with information you gathered? I honestly wouldn't want to be able to read minds. What is one thing you own that you wish you didn't? We have a decent amount of religious stuff in the living room which I really dislike, but this is Mom's house and it makes her happy, so I'm not about to complain. What do you and your friends do when you hang out? I only really "hang out" with my boyfriend, and we usually just watch TV or YouTube and snuggle, sometimes play games. Do you still have sleepovers with friends? Well, I guess as of tomorrow I'm comfortable doing that with, again, my bf. What is your biggest addiction overall? The computer. I'm really starting to see how problematic my dependence is, and I'm going to try with more vigor to at least ease up some. I need to have hobbies disconnected from technology. Once the pandemic is eased completely, what are you most looking forward to? Honestly, the pandemic doesn't affect my lifestyle much, but I suppose going to the movies.

#survey #surveys #lyrics: ''cyberhex'' by motionless in white

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forgive-me-your-highness · 3 years ago

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Your highness demands questions to be answered.

This fool would love to appease Her Majesty

1. You just opened up a web browser. What is the first site you visit?

First thing that opens for me is Ao3

2. You just walked into a bookstore. What section do you go to first?

Sci-fi

3. You are hanging with your closest friends. What are you most likely doing?

This!

4. You just turned your car on. What station is the radio tuned to?

80’s on 8 LMAO

5. You have just woken up for the morning. What is the first things you do?

I go back to sleep

6. Complete this phrase: You cannot buy happiness, but you can buy____.

Shiny gloves

7. What would you do if you woke up as the opposite gender?

I’d text my friends that I have big dick energy

8. Are you more likely to cook for yourself or buy food from a restaurant?

Cook for myself

9. If you had to lose one of your senses, which one would you rather lose?

Smell

10. If you could relive any one year of your life, how old would you be?

I’d go back to 7 or something

11. Would you take a bullet for anyone you know?

Many people

12. Would you rather be rich and dumb or poor and extremely intelligent?

Extremely intelligent

13. What TV character do you most relate to?

I watch a solid 1 show right now and as a fellow nd I relate to Dr. Shaun Murphy

14. You just walked into a supermarket. What section do you first go to?

Dairy

15. Is sex before marriage wrong?

FUCK NO, like buddy there’s worse things to worry about than where someone sticks their dick before they sign a paper

16. You just won the lottery. What is the first thing you do with your winnings?

Depending on how much I’ve won, help out my mom

17. If your best friend admitted that they have a crush on you, how would you react?

I’d be over the moon

18. Will the USA ever have a female president?

I just want to drink my hot cocoa in peace…

19. You are carpooling with your friends. Are you more likely to be the driver or a passenger?

Hands down a passenger. I sleep through any drive

20. How short is too short for skirts and dresses?

If you, the person wearing it, are uncomfortable with the length then it’s too short. If you like it then fuck yeah rock that skirt!

21. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, without any consequences, what food would you choose?

Shit man probably chicken noodle soup

22. It’s Saturday night. What are you most likely doing?

Either relaxing with Lulls or sending her some fun ideas

23. You go on a blind date. Your date is extremely beautiful and physically captivating, but you hate their personality. Would you want a second date?

No thank you, if we don’t get along then I’ll respectfully turn them down

24. How strict should gun laws be?

If it means I don’t get shot while studying then I’ll praise the goddess

25. Would you rather be the worst player on the best team or the best player on the worst team?

So long as we’re having fun I don’t mind

26. How well do you work with others?

Depends on who I’m working with

27. You have the ability to cure only one fatal disease and eradicate it forever. What disease do you choose?

If cancer isn’t a disease then I just made myself a fool

28. If you could go back to college and choose a different degree to study, would you?

I’m good with not thinking of that

29. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I hope I’m not dead

30. Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

Sir this is a Wendy’s

31. Would you attend a same sex wedding if invited?

HELL FUCKING YEAH I WOULD AND IT’D BE MINE (or some close friends!)

32. So far, what has been the greatest day of your life?

I’m saving the best day of my life for the future

33. Has anyone you know ever been arrested?

Yup

34. If it could be one season year-round, what season do would you want it to be?

Winter

35. What is your biggest regret in life?

Didn’t get to say goodbye to a friend

36. If you could bring one celebrity back from the dead, who would it be?

Robin Williams

37. What offends you the most?

I’m pretty hard to offend (Skyward Sword is a bad game, it was a GOOD GAME OKAY?)

38. Would you rather have an ugly hairstyle or be bald?

Ugly hairstyle because that’s mine everyday

39. At what age did you have your first alcoholic beverage?

3 (don’t @ me I know, bad parents)

40. What do you think happens to us when we die?

Don’t make my religious crisis worse

41. What do you think is the best way to quit smoking?

This just unlocked memories I forgot about

42. If you could take home any one animal from the zoo, which animal would you choose?

FISH, any kind

43. We’re humans created or did we evolve from earlier species?

Prob evolved

44. What scares you the most?

The list goes onnnn

45. What personality trait turns you off the most?

Lack of boundaries

46. You got offered a job to do something you hate, but the pay will make you rich. Do you take it?

If it means being able to live comfortably then yes

47. If today you only had what you were thankful for yesterday, how much would you have?

Fireworks

48. How often do you get mad or upset at yourself?

More often then I should

49. If you could choose one celebrity to be your parent, who would you choose?

I don’t even know any

50. If you could only listen to one musical artist for the rest of you life, who would you be listening to?

Ah a tie between Unlike Pluto and MISSIO

51. Have you ever used you cell phone while driving?

I’ve seen it go wrong so that’s a hard no

52. Had anyone you were close to die way too young?

Sir this is a WENDY’S (ex boyfriend)

53. Is world peace possible?

God I wish

54. You go on a blind date. You date is extremely ugly and physically appalling, but you are madly in love with their personality. Would you want a second date?

Oh my god if we get along then hell fucking yes

55. How did you discover that Santa Claus isn’t real?

Aged out of it lmao

56. Do you believe in God, or some form of higher deity?

Please I beg of you I can’t answer this

57. If you could save someone you deeply cared about, but it meant breaking a law, would you do it?

Will do

58. What is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done for money?

25 year old wanted to date me and he still buys me video games :/

59. If you were to make a YouTube video about what you know most about, what would the subject be?

Either LoZ or Service Animals

60. What do you think is your greatest personality flaw?

Oh damn where do I start?

61. If your friends spoke to you the way you speak to yourself, would you still want them as friend?

Considering it’d be rambling then sure

62. Have you ever “woke up like this”?

You guys wake up?

63. You got offered a job to do something you love, but the pay is one of the worst out there. Do you take it?

HELL FUCKING YEAH

64. What do you think is your best physical feature?

I have nice tits lmao

65. What do you think is your worst physical feature.

I’m too soft :(

66. Do you know anyone who has committed suicide?

Mm ex

67. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for someone you don’t know?

I helped a lady find her camping spot, and when I realized it wasn’t safe for her I let her stay at my camping spot with me. She was very nice and had lots of good stories to tell

68. Have you ever had a night’s dream come true?

Sort of? I heard a voice and the next day someone said it word for word and it shook me hard

69. How would you reject a date offer from someone you didn’t like?

Done it many times and I try to respectfully turn them down

70. Which do you think is worse: Failure, or never trying at all?

Failure :/

#tw suidice #tw grooming #bad tags I know but trust me it ain’t that bad #the dusk and lulls saga continues #toad and frog ask too many questions

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thefemdomenchantress · 4 years ago

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The Enchantress: Feral

[Once again, what was supposed to be a comedic short concept turns into, well, this. Please enjoy]

Hero: Hmm... I’ve some time between now and my next scheduled assignment. Normally I’d spend it with the princess... But I suppose I’m due for some alone time! I’ll go rough it out in the woods with the wolves.

Enchantress, spying through her crystal ball: Spending your free time alone? Oh ho, not if I have anything to say about it.

The enchantress begins to weave her magic.

Hero: Man, it’s been so long since I’ve gone absolutely feral!

The enchantress ceases casting her spell as she sees the hero remove all of his clothing and begin wandering the woods in the nude. He begins hunching over, a wild look appears in his eyes as he prepares to once again become a beast.

Enchantress: . . . Or, perhaps, I could just let you do your thing, hero...

*** *** ***

The enchantress learns a few things as she watches the strange naked creature for the next several days.

One, there’s something about looking at a man’s bare and round ass that’s totally different and exciting when you’re watching it from below the tree that man is climbing. The enchantress wonders if it’s the athleticism that turns her on, or the frustration that the sunlight never shines enough upon it from that angle, never allowing her to see it in all it’s perfect glory.

One and a half, when you watch a man of the hero’s physique in the wild you soon forget about his abs and pecs, as they seem to blend into the total scenery of erotic wildness that is he himself. The ruggedness and dangerous nature of the wild hero seemed to matter more to the enchantress than his general nudity.

Two, there’s also something oddly sexy about watching a man create plates from clay, mud, and stone. Watching the hero sit on his makeshift floor of sanitized leaves and soot, his legs crossed, carefully rounding out a lump of clay into useful plates and bowls, is surprisingly enjoyable to watch.

Two and a half, the feral hero is more religious. He uses said plates and bowls to make arrangements of his collected vegetables and fruits and seems to pray before them each evening before eating. It seems almost second nature.

Three, even while detached from his civilized nature the feral hero is still a hygienic man. Brushing himself in soot and mud to repel insects, bathing in the nearby rivers...

Four, the feral hero, as it turns out, is well known as a cryptid in these woods. This had clearly not been his first time pulling this charade. After only two days of becoming a wild man nearby towns become alert to his presence. Tales of how “The Man-Beast is Back!” spread, with many preparing traps to capture the creature. The thought of the poor thing being caught in one of their traps and, perhaps, treated like some sort of zoo creature for display is saddening, and yet so alluring...

And finally, the feral hero possesses a quiet aggressiveness she has not seen in her hero before. Far from simple, the feral hero seems more focused, as though the stress of life has melted away leaving room in his mind for more selfish thoughts. Thoughts of food, sleep, crafting, shelter. He chases off fauna and pests like deer and rabbits who would steal his vegetables with a harshness and territorial fervor. He greedily spears fish an will dig for root vegetables even in the territories of other beasts and even monsters. The feral hero is a brute... The enchantress wonders how much of a brute he really is...

After a week and two days, the sight becomes somewhat stale. The enchantress finally decides to spice things up...

*** *** ***

The hero stalks the outskirts of a town. It is on edge, many guards in place to prevent that dreaded “man-beast” that he has become from entering the town, as though he were planning to waltz on up into the town square and steal their daughters. He sighed.

This feral nature was a part of the hero and would always be. Perhaps, if long ago he never found the princess and learned the joys of being civilized, if he never fell pray to her siren song and fell in love, this was the type of man he would have stayed.

Well, no, the hero admitted to himself. He knew that this “man-beast” that he allowed himself to become every now and then was just an exaggeration. A therapeutic temporary escape from reality. He sighed.

Hero, thinking: It’s been fun, but I should head back to where I buried my stuff now. Time to go back to clothes, warm houses, swords and magic.

But as he thought this a sound interrupted his thoughts.

A beautiful voice, humming in the distance, coming from the direction of the river.

He followed the voice...

The singer, a young woman in a cloth skirt and white summer gown, collected water from the river side. Her head was hidden behind a hat that hung behind her head by a ribbon around her neck. Her musical voice humming wordless melodies that captivated the feral hero’s mind and soul...

She turns around... Of course... It’s the enchantress once again.

Enchantress: Oh dear! The man beast. My, you’re not as terrifying as the village men warned.

Hero, thinking: This is ridiculous. I’m ending the charade right now!

But even as he thinks this he still approaches the enchantress with caution. Still thinking like a beast.

Enchantress: You’re even a bit charming, I think. Are you hungry?

She offers a handful of berries. The hero mentally scoffs.

Hero, thinking: Does she think I’m just going to play along?

But as the enchantress places the fruits close to his face he can’t help but accept them. He picks at them and eats them instinctively. She pats his head and strokes him as he does so and he leans into her hands...

Hero, thinking: What’s happening... why can’t I stop?

Enchantress: You’re a really good beast, aren’t you?

Hero, thinking: I’m not... I have to stop now...

But the hero’s voice within his mind becomes softer and softer and soon disappears against his base instincts, as the enchantress continues to tame the feral man.

She hums as she strokes the feral hero’s hair, her hand trailing down his muscular arms. She pushes him down to his knees without him resisting at all...

Enchantress: I know you’re not a bad man beast... I know you’re a good boy.

The hero groaned. He looked up at the enchantress with wide, dazzled eyes as though this were the first time meeting her. To the feral hero, which (with her hypnotic assistance) was taking over the hero, she was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Even as the hero deep down screamed to resist the seduction the feral hero was hooked.

Enchantress: Well, feral boy? You’ve found a beautiful young lady, all alone with no one to stop you. Aren’t you going to do what the villagers are all afraid you would?

The feral hero shrunk back, shocked at the implication. The enchantress giggled and winked. She wrapped an arm around the hero, comfortingly.

Enchantress: It’s okay, man beast. Take me to your cave, hero. Do whatever you wish to me. I know that you want to.

The enchantress’s alluring scent... Her sublime beauty... She was intoxicating. The hero slowly and carefully scooped her into a bridal carry. The enchantress accepted the embrace, relishing feeling the bare, muscled body she had merely been watching from behind a crystal ball for days.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him, dazzling and exciting him more so effortlessly. With her in his arms, and his heart in her hands, the feral man beast took the lovely village lady back to his cave in the woods.

Beneath the star filled sky that night was smoke from a campfire. On a floor of softened soot and grass, skirts and gown thrown away onto the dirt. Among the chirping of crickets and cicadas and the coo’s of night birds rang the ecstatic screams of a young woman and the grunts and guttural cries of a beastly man. The strong and aggressive feral hero made wild love to the tender village lady all night long.

*** *** ***

[I felt a bit uncomfortable writing this one. Did I accidentally play into some stereotypes to the end here? Let me know if you think I did]

#the enchantress #b d s m #f e m d o m

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schmergo · 4 years ago

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Growing up in the DC area, seeing some really cool historical artifacts on display was always just kind of... normal for me, but one thing I never really appreciated was some of the noteworthy ANIMALS I got to see at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute as a child! You do kind of forget that it being the 'National' Zoo gives it a sort of special clout. Plus, animals can live to be pretty old, so it's easy to forget about the lives these animals lived before I saw them on display! So, because I miss going to the zoo during the shutdown, here's some fun facts

* HSING-HSING THE PANDA: In 1972, Richard Nixon was given a gift of two pandas by the Chinese government following a successful visit. Their names were Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing. While Ling-Ling died in 1992 (which still made it the longest-lived panda outside of China at the time), Hsing-Hsing lived until 1999, which means that I definitely saw a panda that had seen Richard Nixon several times in my childhood-- one of the first two pandas to ever live in National Zoo! (There had been other pandas in US zoos up to that point, but this was the first to grace DC.) Of course, the current pandas they display are major animal celebrities, too!

* PANGHUR BAN THE WHITE TIGER: The first white tiger in America (in fact, the first white tiger outside of India), named Mohini, moved into the National Zoo in 1960. Almost all white tigers in the USA are descended from Mohini, and ALL white tigers are descended from her father, Mohan, who stayed in India. (Note: this is one of the reasons I'm vocally against the breeding of white tigers, who are pretty much all inbred and have significant health problems, but more on that later.) Mohini was a massive celebrity and was officially presented to president Dwight D. Eisenhower on the White House lawn, giving her the nickname, 'First Cat.' She gave birth to several cubs, white and orange, over the years. The Smithsonian's last white tiger descended from Mohini, Panghur Ban, died in 2002. I distinctly remember him leaping impressively in his exhibit when I visited on a kindergarten field trip! The National Zoo no longer breeds or displays white tigers for ethical reasons.

* RUSTY THE RED PANDA: This is a more recent celebrity. A red panda named rusty escaped from the zoo in the summer of 2013 but was luckily recovered in Adams Morgan. Rusty moved out to their suburban breeding facility later, so you can't see him anymore (if he's even still alive-- I'm not sure how long those guys live), but I was delighted to see him during college!

* SHANTHI AND AMBIKA THE ELEPHANTS: Elephants have long, long lifespans. Unfortunately, two of the National Zoo's oldest and most distinguished residents died in 2020. Shanthi had been at the zoo for 44 years and Ambika for 59 years (although Ambika was thought to be as old as 72 when she died, having worked as a logging elephant in India before moving to the USA). It's wild to think that anyone visiting the zoo for the past 4 or 5 decades probably saw these same elephants. Shanthi and Ambika were two of the most studied elephants in the world (Shanthi was also one of the first elephants to give birth from artificial insemination) and zoos have learned a LOT about elephants in captivity during their lives and elephants are getting better care thanks to what was learned from these two.

* BONNIE THE ORANGUTAN: She may not be a worldwide celebrity, but she IS a scientific phenomenon and the subject of academic papers! Bonnie, who was born in 1976 and has lived at the Zoo since 1980, has an unusual talent: whistling. She appears to have learned this skill from zookeepers and is the only known non-human ape to do so. This is not a sound that orangutans are known to make in the wild, though they do sometimes pick up sounds from other species. She wasn’t trained to whistle and doesn’t do it for rewards— she just seems to like the sound! Like many of the zoo’s orangutans, she travels between the Great Apes house and the ‘think tank’ building over crowds by something called the ‘O Line.’ Unlike the other orangutans, though, she doesn’t merely cross quickly. She often stops sits on the tower and watches the crowds below!

***HONORABLE MENTIONS***These are two celebrity residents of the National Zoo that I never got to meet-- but my parents would have!

* SMOKEY BEAR: The real life Smokey Bear was a black bear rescued from a forest fire in 1950. When he came to live at the National Zoo, he became a huge celebrity and over 13,000 fan letters a week were addressed to him! When he died in 1976, his obituary in the Washington Post described him as a longtime government employee in DC. I remember there used to be signs and displays of him at the zoo when I was little.

* HAM THE CHIMPANZEE: The National Zoo used to be home to a real astronaut! Ham the chimpanzee is sometimes described as the first hominid in space. Unlike past primate flights, he actually had to do tasks in space, so he wasn’t a mere passenger. He was launched on a suborbital flight in January 1961 as part of the Project Mercury missions. Ham was transferred to the National Zoo in 1963 and lived there for 17 years!

***OTHER HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Most Endangered***These aren’t celebrity animals, but some of the rarest creatures you might see on display at the zoo when it reopens:

THE PANAMANIAN GOLDEN FROG: Some of these live in the Reptile house (and possibly Amazonia?) None have been seen in the wild since 2009. This species has been decimated by a disease caused by amphibian chytrid fungus, which the National Zoo was instrumental in identifying and researching. They are also part of reintroduction efforts

SCIMITAR HORNED ORYX: Two of these live in the Cheetah Conservation Center exhibit, and while most guests are most interested in the cheetahs (also famously endangered animals), say hi to the oryxes next time you get a chance! This species is excinct in the wild, though the National Zoo is participating in reintroduction campaigns. There are now thousands in captivity.

BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS: You can see some of these in the small mammal house. These are now considered only endangered (as opposed to critically endangered), but they used to be extinct in the wild in the mid-1990s. Thanks to a reintroduction campaign, there are now over 1,000 in the wild.

PRZEWALSKI’S HORSE: These beautiful wild horses live in a pen across from the Elephant Trails exhibit. Formerly extinct in the wild, there were only 12 horses alive in zoos by the end of the 1950’s, and reintroduction projects have occurred since the 1990s. There are around 1,900 alive today. The National Zoo was home to both the first successful reversed vasectomy on a Przewalski’s horse and the first birth by artificial insemination.

SUMATRAN TIGER: These creatures are critically endangered, with only 200-400 left in the wild. No, that is not a typo. The National Zoo is home to a female Sumatran tiger named Damai, as well as several Amur tigers. Damai gave birth to three cubs over the years, all of which have moved on to different zoos.

What's your favorite animal to see at the zoo?

#washington dc #dc #national zoo #zoo #animals #elephant #endangered species #smithsonian

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cottage-babe · 4 years ago

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Burning Scars part X

Previous | Chapter 10 | Next

Masterlist

whoops i missed two weeks of updating, sorry, concussion stuff :) im all good now tho so more! updating!

I changed the original story up a bit :)

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny?

___

Zuko’s been acting a little... weird lately.

Well, let’s clarify something; Zuko always acts weird. But ever since the trio went into work that day, the boy had been on edge.

Y/n was standing at the tea station, just leaning against the wall and spacing out. Iroh was beside her, humming a small tune as he prepared the next batch of tea. Then, the boy quickly walked up to them in panic.

“Guys, we have a problem.” He said as he set the teacups he was holding onto the table. “One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now but there is a girl over there at the corner table.”

Y/n snapped out of her daydream and looked over to the person Zuko was talking about. It was a pretty girl; she had long dark hair pulled into two braids and a sappy smile on her face. Instantly Y/n knew that she wasn’t suspicious of anything.

“Didn’t I say don’t look?!” Zuko whispered and dragged both of his companions arms to turn away.

A laugh almost escaped Y/n’s mouth as she shared a look with Iroh. “You know Zuko, I think you’re right, I’ve seen her here a lot.”

The clueless teen nodded his head and furrowed his brows.

“Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you.” Iroh laughed and went back to whatever it was that he was doing.

Zuko let out a ‘what?’ and Y/n sighed in response. She had to keep reminding herself that she and the other boy were nothing remotely close to romantic. If anything was learned from last night, they were just friends; family, at most. And she was okay with that, honestly. She had so many issues with him that it probably wouldn’t even work out. But still, she couldn’t deny the fact the Zuko might’ve been the topic of her daydream just moments ago.

Y/n resumed her position of leaning on the wall. She watched as the ‘mysterious’ girl walked up to the counter and began to talk to Zuko flirtatiously. The girl introduced herself as Jin and payed for her drink.

“Thank you and ... well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?” Jin asked with a hopeful gaze.

Zuko paused in bewilderment and it almost made the poor girl regret her request. Y/n wasn’t going to butt in, she really wasn’t, but soon she decided that it was for the best. Maybe if she helped him get in a relationship, it would help her get over her slight (once again, very very slight) feelings over him.

“He’d love to.” Y/n responded for Zuko.

The boy looked around his shoulder and sent the wolf a questioning glare, but she just sent him a smile and turned to help Iroh make some tea.

My job here is done.

Jin and Zuko talked a bit more and ended with her saying that she’d meet with him at sundown. That meant that for the rest of the day Zuko chatted nervously with Y/n and Iroh, giving off mixed feelings between ‘I don’t want to go’ and ‘should I dress nice?’. Y/n let Iroh do all the talking, she wasn’t too much of an expert in that area.

When she was in her pack, Y/n wasn’t exactly popular among the boys. They mainly drifted her to strong, beautiful sister and the girl wasn’t bothered by it too much. She had a few crushes here and there, but that was about it. Nothing was ever acted on.

So hearing that this was Zuko’s first date relieved her to an extent; at least she wasn’t the only one who’d gone this long without being in a relationship. But there was the other part that nagged her a bit, the fact that Zuko was having his first date; with a stranger none the less.

Quit all this feeling stuff, it’s getting annoying.

Y/n may or may not have been giving Zuko a form of silent treatment for the day. If he ever asked her anything, she answered, but other than that, she never intimated any conversation. There wasn't any particular reason (lies), but it certainly didn't go unnoticed by her roommate.

"Hey, uhh.. if you don't think that I should go, I won't." Zuko said randomly on their break.

Y/n's eyes furrowed in confusion. "I literally answered her for you, Lee. If anyone is being hesitant, it should be you."

"So," he began. "Your not bothered? At all?"

There was this weird look in the boy's eyes, something of... Hope?

That's weird.

"Listen, if you need advise or something, Iroh will probably be your best bet." The werewolf laughed awkwardly.

He just sighed and went back to work.

When closing time was coming and there were hardly any customers left, Zuko and Iroh went to the backroom to prepare. Y/n didn’t really pay attention to what they were doing; she just assumed that they were cleaning up any dirty bits he picked up or making him smell better.

That was why when Zuko walked out into the dining room with his hair slicked back ridiculously, Y/n couldn't hold back the snort that escaped her. Why would Iroh do this to him? Some revenge she didn’t know about or something?

Zuko glared at her and she just masked up her laughter as a cough. “You look great!” She even put a thumbs up to try an convince him of her lie. He just rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly opening the door of the restaurant. By that time, the few remaining people had filtered out and it was just the three of them.

When the view of Jin came, even Y/n couldn’t hold back her gasp.

The young girl was really quite beautiful. Her braid was fixed and she had a youthful enthusiasm to her features. It was a beautiful contrast to the adult life that Y/n and Zuko were thrown into.

Jin’s eyes widened at the boys new look and laughed, saying something clever to him. Zuko just shut the door so his two roommates wouldn’t listen in on their conversation.

“He’s growing up so fast,” Iroh jokingly sniffled and wiped a fake tear.

Y/n laughed and nodded her head. I hope he’s nice to her.

The werewolf turned and returned to the backroom so she could put her apron away. She assumed that Iroh was following, so she didn’t bother waiting.

“So,” She began, “what should we do tonight?” Y/n began to wave her arms around dramatically. “Get some food? Watch a play?”

She was really looking forward to tonight. Now they didn’t have Zuko here constantly breathing down their necks (”We don’t have enough money for that!!” “Why buy that when you can buy this!” it got a little redundant at times).

Iroh slid his apron off and chuckled. “Oh no no... I’m far too old to have fun at night.”

Y/n deflated. To be fair, the sun hadn’t fully set yet. “I mean... I guess we could read at home?”

He shook his head once more and turned toward the werewolf. “Just go have fun, meet new people. Don’t let someone like me slow you down!”

She pouted. Why does he think that time spent with him is wasted? She has plenty of fun hanging out with the sweet uncle! Y/n looked at his happy, aged face and observed his truthfulness. She knows that he just wants her to have fun, but still...

“Just go, Y/n, and I’ll see you back home tonight.” Iroh smiled.

Y/n sighed, looking at Iroh one last time, before turning around and heading out the same door that Jin and Zuko left through. When the brisk air hit her, it felt different somehow. Maybe because this was her first time being out alone. She means this quite lightly, of course, but something about it still irked her.

The sun was sorta bright out, but not much.

It had set halfway, so the small beams were jutting out the tops of the building and the sky was painted the scene of fire. Oh, her and her love for sunsets.

Y/n decided to pick a direction and walk. Honestly, in this part of the city, there weren’t many sights to see; everything interesting rested in the higher Rings since they could afford it.

After a few minutes, the girl saw a stand selling sweets. She patted her pockets and brought out her tips from work. It wasn’t much, but definitely enough for the night.

She paid for some iced treats; Popsicles of some kind. She wasn’t entirely sure which flavor to pick, so she went with her childish side and decided to buy two that she was interested in.

As she continued her trip, Y/n stopped at a few places to watch things. Since night was approaching, shows were starting on random parts of the streets. People performed odd talents for money and it excited the girl; maybe she should do something like them, it seems fun.

At some point, Y/n ended up at the entrance of a zoo.

She was almost finished with the first ice cream in her grasp when she decided to enter the park. It seemed deserted and there was only one person at the front desk.

“Umm, excuse me? Are you open?” Y/n asked since the worker was almost half asleep.

The man jumped awake and looked around, startled. Then, his eyes landed on the girl’s curious figure. “Yes. Is it just you? Where’s your friends?”

Y/n pouted in response. “It’s just me, how much is it?”

She began to ruffle through her pockets, hoping that it was enough to see the animals, but the man waved a hand in the air.

“It’s fine, you can just go ahead. Just don’t feed the animals.” He said while looking suspiciously at the girl’s popsicles.

Y/n nodded her head and smiled in thanks. Then, she went inside.

She wasn’t entirely sure why she wanted to be here; it would be hard for her to see captive animals when she herself was one (well, not caged, but you get the point). Her pack elders had informed her of zoos and used it to scare the kid wolves so they wouldn’t go and try to find humans. Of course, that never worked on Y/n and her siblings. She honestly just thought that it was fake up until this point.

The werewolf walked around to each cell to observe the animals. It almost made her cry; they all just looked so lonely. Y/n couldn’t imagine how trapped they must feel in this small cage; a part of her was happy that she wasn’t in that situation, though.

“They all look so sad.”

Y/n turned around and was met with a young boy, possibly about twelve years old. He was bald with a blue arrow tattooed across his forehead and arms and held a long stick in his hands. The orange of his clothing made him standout against the dreary greys of the zoo.

The girl looked at the animal across from them. It was a Rabaroo, an animal with long ears and bouncy legs. Y/n could hear small chirps coming from the pouch in her front, but she decided not to say anything.

“She’s really hungry too, I can tell.” Y/n said as she walked up closer to the cage.

The poor animal was almost pleading for help. She had a thought that the Rabaroo knew what she was, a predator, but still asked for help. These animals must be really desperate.

The boy joined her. “I wish there was something I could do, but I’m not sure how to help.”

Y/n nodded her head in agreement. When she got this feeling in the past (before they entered Ba Sing Se with their Ostrich-Horses), she found a solution; to just let them go and be free. Now, however, she just felt helpless.

Instead, she just looked at the boy and held out the other ice treat in her hand. “Do you want one? I can’t finish both.”

He got a childish excitement in his eyes and grabbed the treat. Y/n smiled back at him, maybe something good can come from today.

“I’m Aang, I’m looking for my lost Sky Bison.” Aang said as he began licking to Popsicle.

“Y/n,” she introduced herself while thinking, what the Spirits is a Sky Bison? “I'm just wandering the city; thinking."

“Really?” He asked. “What are you thinking about?”

What was she thinking about?

There’s so much that should be on her mind right now; her future, how her family’s doing, how she’s doing, but for some reason the only thing that’s been scattered around her brain recently was Zuko. Something about him just seemed so.. spirits, she couldn’t even find the word for it. But it seemed like she was seeing him differently now.

“Oh, you're still here?"

Y/n and Aang turned to the voice that spoke. It belonged to the man at the front desk, the one that let her in for free.

"Do you know what's wrong with the animals?" Aang asked the owner, ignoring the rude phrase that he said.

"Well, the Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming. And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke." The owner sighed. "I wish I could give all these animals the big, open space that they need."

Y/n frowned. He must have really good intentions, it's just the situation that makes him seem bad.

She met eyes with the younger boy to her side and was surprised to see the... Joy?

"Let's do it!" Aang yelled out, surprising both people beside him. "There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city!"

"But how do we transport them?" Y/n asked.

She was totally on board with the idea, it's just that it seemed a little... Impulsive. But she was talking to a child, though, and they always have such big ideas.

"Oh I'm really good with animals." The boy smiled. "Do you want to help me?"

The werewolf paused, thinking that maybe she shouldn't get involved in this event. But one look at the poor Rabaroo peering up at her with it's wide eyes made her cave in.

"You know... I'm pretty good with animals too."

She was not as good as she thought she was.

Aang and Y/n separated because they needed to find a way to calm the wild animals running loose. The boy (spirits bless him) thought it was a fantastic idea to let all of the animals go at once; from the biggest animals to the smallest rats. It was wild.

And so here the werewolf was, chasing down a pair of Raccoon-Crows. Since the sun had set long ago, there weren’t a lot of people out. Most who enjoyed the liveliness of the night has had their fun and returned to the welcoming embrace of their beds. Oh, if only I stayed home to sleep.

“Get back here!” Y/n yelled as the birds flew off once again.

They seemed to look at her with a mischievous gleam in their eyes; waiting for her to get close before bolting off once again. It was getting very annoying.

She didn’t regret helping the young boy, especially since she might’ve gained a friend out of this. She only regretted not coming up with a better plan; or at least to wait until morning.

“AHHH!” A voice screamed off in the distance.

Y/n groaned and turned toward the yell, knowing that some animal was probably attacking some random citizen. What she didn’t expect though, was to run face first into Zuko and Jin’s date.

Jin had a hog-monkey climbing on her dress and Zuko was in full panic mode. He tried to help her push the animal off, but it seemed to have a steel grip on her. Luckily, they were alone in some fire lit plaza.

Y/n felt really awkward, especially with how private the area was. What would they need privacy for? She quickly pushed that out of her head though and whistled loudly to catch the Monkey’s attention.

The animal and the two teens looked at her in surprise. Y/n took out a treat that the Zoo Keeper had given her and waved it to catch the eyes of the Hog-Monkey. When it loosened it’s grip, she threw it as far as she could away from the group. Luckily, it jumped away in excitement.

“Y/n?!” Zuko exclaimed. Sighing in defeat, the werewolf slowly joined the duo.

Jin was still slightly frightened and was grasped onto the boy’s arm. Y/n pretended not to see it.

“Hey Lee. Fancy seeing you here?” She tried miserably as she scrunched her face up in discomfort. Maybe they’ll be able to cut this conversation short.

“Why aren’t you back home with Uncle?” Zuko said as his eyebrows squished together in anger. “What are you even doing out here?”

“I decided to go out too,” she explained quickly, “but listen, I met this boy and we’r-”

“A boy?!” He seemed to be fuming now. “You can’t just go around talking to random people.”

This made the werewolf (and Jin, but we’re kinda ignoring the sweet girl for a moment) raise her eyebrow in disbelief. He’s really out here, scolding her for making friends when he’s on a date with some girl he’s never met before. Does he ever think before he speaks?

“I-” Y/n paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. “You know what? We’ll talk about this later. I think we’re both busy at the moment.”

Zuko glanced at his date and the werewolf used that distraction as an excuse to leave. She ran off in the direction of the Hog-Monkey, hoping that it hadn’t run too far and purposefully ignored the boy who yelled in protest behind her. Stupid Zuko and his stupid anger issues.

When she got far enough, she slowed to a walk and looked around. The monkey must’ve gotten away because it was nowhere in sight.

“Hog-Monkey.... c’mere monkey, I have treats.” Y/n spoke loudly out into the dark streets of Ba Sing Se.

She hoped that the animal would hear her words and come barreling toward her, but she was only greeted with silence except for the soft footsteps coming from a lady walking down the street. Besides for the lady, the entire street was empty and no other animal was in sight.

That was when she heard it.

A high pitched ringing noise that rattled her bones and made her brain shrink in protest. It was louder than anything she’d ever heard before. It wasn’t the noise that was painful, no no, it was the feeling of being ripped apart that did.

The noise, for some reason, caused the werewolf in Y/n to go absolutely crazy. It was fighting the girl; desperately trying to shift into its natural skin so it could run toward the ringing.

Y/n hunched herself over and groaned out in pain. She looked at her hands and saw it shifting between claws and human hands; she could only imagine what the rest of her body was doing.

“Are you alright, sweetie?”

The transforming-girl looked up to meet the eyes of the lady who was on the street. Her eyes were filled with worry, but slowly changed into something of fear.

Before the werewolf could do something to hurt the kind woman, Y/n bolted down an empty alley. Spirits, what is happening to me?

She leaned against the dirty wall and tried to catch her breath, but her wolf just kept clawing at her, desperately trying to escape. She punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized dent (her mind just brushed it off as her wolf power, but that was weird, right?). Then, while the ringing noise still blasted through her ears, she felt her snout slowly grow out of her face; a growl of effort roaring through the alleyway.

The young girl wanted to cry. Why couldn’t she control herself right now? She was used to the pain of transforming, she had done it all of her life, but she’d never experienced the pain of her two natures battling. It was something entirely different.

The seconds that were passing seemed like hours.

All she could think was, when will the ringing stop?

Soon, she didn’t have the power to hold it back anymore. Her human body was weak and she hated herself for it. She let her werewolf grow into its natural size, towering above her normal height. She felt her clothing rip until it was just strips of fabric on on the floor.

The ringing stopped, but her wild mind remembered where the sound came from and began its run there.

Fortunately (although, its also very unfortunate), her journey was ended when something sharp pierced through the skin on her neck. Her dark eyes jumped around until it landed on the fearful lady from the street shaking beside a group of men.

Y/n felt a sudden drowsiness come over her and her large body fell limp to the floor despite it’s fighting. Just before the unconsciousness came over her, though, the green circle on the men’s chest became prominent in the moonlight.

Then, her world went dark.

Dai Lee >:(

also Aang’s whistle thing >:(

i know that this is a VERY slow burn, but maybe some... couple-y stuff in the next few chapters? we’ll see ;)

Previous | Chapter 10 | Next

Masterlist

Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here @bwndito @kiaoizz @lrmilikepie @ohmigooosh

#zuko #zuko x reader #atla #avatar

32 notes · View notes

survey--s · 1 year ago

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578.

Have you ever seen an emu in real life, whether in captivity or the wild? Yeah, both in a zoo and in the wild - they're evil fuckers lol.

When was the last time you visited your state’s biggest city? I've actually never been there.

Do you remember what colour the eyes were of the last person you spoke to? He has blue/grey eyes.

Have you eaten pasta in the past week? I've had ramen if that counts? I guess it does - it's noodles after all.

Did you pierce your ears yourself or have it done by a professional? All my piercings were done by professionals.

Are you wearing any shoes right now? Nope.

How many letters are in your surname? Six.

Do you enjoy Burger King? I actually don't dislike the food but it always gives me the shits lol.

Have you ever worn bell bottom jeans? Sure.

How far away from your house is the nearest ice cream place? About two minutes drive.

What colour is your kitchen counter? White.

When was the last time you washed the dishes? About ten minutes ago.

Do you own a lot of cookbooks? I don't think we own any actually - I find all my recipes online.

How many rooms are in your house? Five plus a hallway. Six if you include the attic but it's not really habitable.

Have you ever seen American Pie? No. I was just a bit young for it when I came out and my dad never approved of stuff like that anyway.

What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio? I don't really have an opinion on him - he's a good actor though.

Do you stay in touch with many people from high school or college? Not really, just a handful of people here and there.

Are you feeling nervous about anything right now? No.

How many cars can your driveway and garage hold? Technically two, but the garage is full of stuff lol.

When was the last time you were late for something? Today - we were going to my parents' and Mike took the wrong turning so we had to turn around and do a really long detour.

Do you own an iPod, and if so, what type? No.

Did you ever play Stardoll when you were younger? I have no idea what you're talking about, lol.

Is there a university in your town or city? No.

What’s your father’s handwriting like? Actually really neat - he writes in like, really professional looking cursive.

Have you ever lived on a farm? No, but I love the idea of it. I know farms are a LOT of work though.

Are you hung up on anybody right now? Nope.

Do you eat fries one by one or in big bunches? It depends on how big they are and how hungry I am.

Did you wash your hair last time you showered? Yeah, I always wash my hair when I take a shower.

Has anyone ever ransacked your bedroom? No.

Do you have any weird sleeping habits that people have told you about? I mumble in my sleep apparently - lots of people have told me that.

Do you enjoy That 70s Show? Yeah, I really liked it. That 90s show was a disappointment though.

Are there any clouds in the sky, and what colour are they? I can't see the sky from here, but I'm going to go with yes, and probably mostly grey.

Do you think you’re fast at typing? I know I am.

What was the last type of pizza you ate? BBQ chicken with peppers, bacon and onions, plus a cheese stuffed crust.

How old are you? 34.

Do you know anyone with an unusual middle name? I'm sure I do, but nobody specific is coming to mind right now.

Would you consider yourself to be intelligent? In some ways.

Have you ever waxed your eyebrows? No.

What does your shampoo smell like? Coconut.

Have you ever passed gas in front of your significant other? Of course, all the time lol. I mean, we sleep together every night so it's not like I can control it.

Do you have any big regrets in your life? Nope.

What colour is the ground or floor where you are right now? Grey.

Do you live on a street, avenue, road etc.? Hill.

Can you taste anything right now? BBQ sauce. I just had some with my sweet potato fries.

What was the last board game you played? Monopoly, I think.

Are you renting the house you’re currently living in? Nope.

Do you listen to Guns n Roses? Not really.

How old were you when you had your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Fourteen.

Have you ever been a bridesmaid? No.

Has the sun already set for the day? I think sunset is in about an hour.

Do you know how to tie a tie? Yeah, I had to wear a tie for sixteen years at school.

What are the age gaps between you and your siblings? I don't have any siblings.

Does your birthday come before June 19th in a calendar year? Nope.

Do you pay attention to the FIFA World Cup? If so, what team do you go for? I do not.

Are you on any medications right now? Nope.

#survey #surveys

0 notes

colehasapen · 4 years ago

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(ONE SHOT) oya'karir STAR WARS

(belated) Whumptober no.28 - Such Wow. Many Normal. Very Oops.

Comfortember no.2 - First Day/Night

There’s an injured animal in the forest, Obi-Wan can hear it from his cabin over the sounds of his banthas bellowing to each other, and the shrieking of his chickens. Standing on his porch, Obi-Wan can hear the sounds from the dense underbrush of the woods that surround his home, traveling up the mountain, as well as the distant sounds of hunting dogs. The druid had lived in the mountains long enough to have memorized what hunting season is when - it’s like clockwork - but whatever is out there isn’t something that’s supposed to be hunted, and it’s not an animal that he’s heard before.

Obi-Wan had never been able to ignore a creature in pain, he’d never been able to turn away from something in trouble, and walking away from the monastery hadn’t changed that, no matter what his former mentor seemed to believe. He had been raised to love and care for all beings as an orphan left on the doorsteps of the Jedi Temple, he had been taught to protect and heal, and choosing to leave didn’t change that. It didn’t change who he was.

So with hot determination burning in his chest, Obi-Wan abandons his tea and his planned morning of gardening, to instead slip into his traveling clothes and sling his bow over his shoulder, and set off into the woods. For a gifted animal druid like Obi-Wan, tracking is a breeze, and he’s very quickly able to pick up the trail. There’s no obvious prints in the dirt; they’ve been brushed away and covered with leaves, showing an intelligence not seen in common animals, which makes it likely that Obi-Wan is tracking a magical creature. It’s illegal everywhere to hunt magical creatures, as they’re recognized as sentient, but it didn’t stop certain sorts from seeing it as either sport to hunt them, as their ancestors once had, or they consider them delicacies and their bodies go for a lot on the black markets.

He finds a broken, bloodied bear trap deeper into the forest, likely what had injured the unknown creature, and a quick taste of the flaky blood has the creature’s emotions exploding in his senses. Pain, frustration, and fury were the strongest, burning like spices in his mouth and nose, followed by an undercurrent of protectiveness and determination, and the faintest sting of rotten fear. Whatever creature was injured here is protecting others, younger than they are, because the protectiveness carries the smallest traces of the sweetness of a parental love.

Obi-Wan straightens. Using the creature's blood to draw a quick tracking rune on a leaf, and setting it flat on his palm, the druid watches it spin like a compass. The spell would lead right to where he needed to go, whereas tracking the trail would waste much needed time. Time that could have the creature suffering needlessly, or help the hunters catch it’s trail.

Obi-Wan continues to duck through the trees, covering his own trail as he goes, following the compass through the underbrush while also keeping one eye on his surroundings. Finally, the leaf quivers, pauses then drops, and Obi-Wan stills. A warning growl from the thick shadows around him has the druid carefully lifting his hands to show the creature watching him that he means no harm to them.

“Good morning,” He greets, slowly scanning the trees around him, straining his ears to try and pick up where the creature could be. Whatever it is, it must be a predatory creature, because they’re soundless beyond the growling and the faintest ruffling of underbrush that shows where it was as it stalks him. “I’m not a hunter.” Obi-Wan assures, “I’m a druid from further up the mountains.” The creature’s growling quiet slightly. Most magical creatures knew instinctively that druids could be trusted, being linked to them and nature in ways that most would never understand. While they weren’t drawn to druids like common animals were, they weren’t often aggressive either. “I mean you no harm, I just want to help you.”

The growling stops, going quiet. The only sound he can hear is the rustling of the thick foliage over his head, and the chirping of birds. Obi-Wan keeps himself carefully still, keeping his body language loose and nonthreatening. And then, like a ghost, a large figure steps out of the shadows.

It’s a wolf, larger than any wolf Obi-Wan had seen in person before. As black as night, and with glowing golden eyes, it’s the size of a large pony, and the blue and white marks splashing through it’s fur give them away as a magical creature if it’s size hadn’t already. He - and now that he’s close enough, Obi-Wan can sense that the wolf is male - either a young Direwolf, or something else entirely. He’s limping too, hind leg dragging behind him as he shuffles towards Obi-Wan, nose twitching and teeth bared in a silent threat, ears perked.

“Oh.” Obi-Wan breathes in shock, awed at the sight of the magnificent creature in front of him, “Hello there.”

The wolf is large, streamlined for speed and endurance, and Obi-Wan can see powerful muscle moving under his lovely pelt. The golden eyes are sharp with intelligence, even for a magical creature, and he studies the druid in turn, probing. Then, in front of his eyes, the wolf gives a full body shake, fur melting away to reveal scarred brown skin, and Obi-Wan takes an instinctual step back in shock.

Oh.

Oh - a Mandalorian wolf.

Obi-Wan feels vaguely faint - the Mandaloran wolves had been labelled endangered and nearly extinct when he had been thirteen. Hundreds of them had been hunted and slaughtered on the fields of Galidraan, by a party led by once-Master Dooku and on the orders of the Duke of the territory. It had been under false pretenses, but it had still been horrible, and the monastery had felt the consequences of their participation and had removed Dooku from the Order for his crimes. The Duchess of Mandalore had banished the last of them from their ancestral lands when they had refused to bow to her newly claimed authority. Obi-Wan had loved Satine once, he might always love her, but it didn’t mean he had to agree with her, and her decisions involving the Kingdom she was leading were most of the walls that had been placed between them.

“You’re a druid?” The Mandalorian grunts, voice guttural and deep, and Obi-Wan can smell his muted hesitation and hope. He’s a large man, just as he was a large wolf, with thick rolling muscles packed under brown skin and handsome features, and short-cropped black hair that curled tightly on top of his head. Golden eyes are watching him, and Obi-Wan shakes himself out of his shock.

“Yes.” He says in a rush, forcing his eyes away from the rippling muscles of the man’s chest and stomach, painfully aware that the Mandalorian is naked. He’d barely had any interactions with another person since leaving the monastery, and now he finds himself face-to-chest with a very muscular, and very attractive man.

An injured man who needs his help.

��My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He introduces himself, and the Mandalorian tilts his head, assessing and hesitant.

“Alpha.” He says, “You said you have a place up the mountains?”

Obi-Wan nods, “Yes, it’s not large, but no hunter would dare enter my land. It’s safe there.”

The wolf’s hesitation tastes sour in the air, though it doesn’t show on his face. If it weren’t for his scent-based empathic abilities, Obi-Wan doubts he’d ever be able to read the man’s expression.

“Got enough room for cubs?”

The druid is an odd one. Admittedly, Alpha had never met a druid before in his life, but it couldn’t be considered too odd, since he’d spent most of it, up until a few moons ago, in confinement. There were no druids on Kamino, and if they were, Alpha suspects their little zoo would have long since been destroyed, and the Kaminoans’ experiments would have been halted. Alpha and his cubs would have been free before now.

When he had escaped Tapioca City with six cubs of various sizes in tow, he had been intent on hunting down a pack to take them in, to help him protect his cubs. They may not be his, not by birth, but Alpha had claimed the litter, and the runt, as his own. He had taken them in, he had protected them, nurtured them, and trained them to defend themselves. They were still young though, still small and breakable, and they wouldn’t be useful on the battlefield for years yet, not unless the Kaminoans used their disgusting alchemy. They needed the protection of a pack, they needed stability and a place where they wouldn’t need to be afraid of being taken back to the cages.

Alpha had spent long enough in captivity that he barely remembers being free, he barely remembers his family, or his home, and he’s long since forgotten his name, but his cubs? The children magically created from his blood knew nothing beyond the cages of Tapioca City , and the cold cruelty of the Kaminoans.

The world outside is strange and odd to them, and more dangerous than Alpha remembers.

The hunters had been tracking them for weeks, and Alpha had thought that their luck had finally run out. They had been hunted up the mountain, forced to keep moving or risk being caught, with little food or rest. Rex, smaller and more sickly than his older brothers, had fallen ill - he had been deemed defective by the Kaminoans and slated for culling to remove his “unwanted genetics” because of his white fur and hair, and his frailness. When he had been distracted by Rex’s sickness, his older pups had slipped away, wanting nothing more than to help and bring back food in hopes that it would help their younger brother get better, but it had ended with Kote getting injured when the hunting hounds found them. Alpha had fought the hounds off, had killed them, but they were still coming, so he had been forced to hide his cubs in what had once been a badger den, then leave them behind to lead the hunters away.

Exhausted and distracted by his hunger and worry, Alpha hadn’t seen the bear trap until it was too late and it had already snapped closed around his leg. He had been forced to shift to pry the metal trap from his ankle, likely making the injury worse, and then shifting back to keep moving. He had continued going out of stubborn determination to keep his pursuers away from the cubs he had hidden.

He hadn’t expected a druid to come out of the trees and offer him and his cubs a safe place to rest and heal. Obi-Wan Kenobi; Alpha isn’t sure what to make of the human. His instincts tell him he can trust the druid, but his experiences tell him to be wary.

So Alpha stands at Kenobi’s shoulder, hovering protectively as the druid finishes stitching the wound on Kote’s face closed, a dozing Rex, drowsy from the tonic Kenobi had given him, held securely in his arms, white and blue fur smelling of herbs. Wolffe and Fox press against his legs, their curiosity strong, while Bly and Ponds roam around their new environment. The human’s pale hands contrast against Kote’s dark skin, and Alpha’s second youngest cub stares up at the druid with large amber eyes, completely in awe.

Kenobi keeps up a stream of inane chatter as he works, talking about the flora and fauna of his mountain, or the funny things his bantha herd had done. Anything to keep Kote’s attention away from the sharp needle poking through his magically-numbed face, but it wasn’t really needed. Kote is completely enraptured by the pretty human looking after him and tending to his injury.

Maybe if his cub was older, Alpha would push Kote towards Kenobi as a possible mate, but he’s only nine.

Kenobi was definitely everything Alpha himself had always imagined in a mate; he’d only known the man for a few hours, but he could feel the stirrings of attraction towards the druid and his sweet scent. Strong enough to defend himself, smart enough to provide, beautiful and fertile-smelling, and kind and gentle with his pups. Alpha had been imagining his possible mates since the moment he was sexually mature enough to able to breed and the Kaminoans had started shoving female wolves into his cage - he’d never taken any of them, had been insulted by the insinuations that he’d breed with common animals, and the scientists hadn’t been overly pleased with him for it. He’d imagined a pack far away from Kamino and any possible intruders, with a mate at his side and plenty of room for his cubs to run and grow without fear. Kenobi’s mountain sanctuary already met those criteria, and the longer Alpha was around the druid, the more he thought about those dreams.

And he’d only just met the man; what would happen during the long recovery period that stretched before him?

Kenobi had welcomed them into his lands, had treated Alpha’s leg and gave Rex medicine. He’d gone out and hunted them dinner when Alpha couldn’t, he’d let Ponds paw through his books and carved Bly toys, even after Alpha had warned him that the cubs would chew them up within a day. He’d shown Wolffe how to string a bow when the boy had asked, and had comforted Kote through his fear of needles and distrust of medicine. Alpha could smell the arousal on the man whenever Alpha was in his space, which could also be counted as a possible success as a potential mate.

Though Kenobi’s attraction was likely as instinctual as Alpha’s. The druid is alone, any scent beyond his own, and now Alpha’s pack, is so stale it’s nearly non-existent. The clothes Kenobi had given him to wear were larger than the druid, like the only thing that would fit Alpha, and made from rough-spun fabric with a scent so stale that it couldn’t have belonged to anyone in years . Kenobi had been alone for a long time, he needed a pack.

Well. Alpha stares at the human, considering, scanning his eyes across broad shoulders and his gentle expression as he talks with Kote. There’s always room in his.

#cole writes #star wars #fanfiction #whumptober 2020 #comfortember 2020 #obi wan kenobi #alpha 17 #alpha-17 #obi wan kenobi/alpha 17 #no.28 #no.2 #wolf au

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