#it’s a test given by the forest service

[botanyshitposts]

thinking about trying to do rangeland firefighting for at least one summer while I’m still in my 20s with derangements that make me love toiling like a medieval peasant but in order to do it next summer I would need to undergo a second, less illegal and contentious but some would say more difficult transition with my body. theatre kid to jock

[shoot-i-messed-up]

Highlights of Green Lantern: Sleepers book one

Hal is, albeit in an old timey way, lowkey implied to be gay via his deflections when Ganthet asks why he didn’t take up any girls’ offers of a night together

Hal daps up a random kid (although I could wrong in my interpretation of what a “soul clasp” is)

Alan Scott asks Kyle if he’s using protection with Jenny-Lynn

Hal tries to kill himself for what is in-book the 15th suicide attempt, but this time via laying down on train tracks. A fox (God) saves him

Limp Bizkit is referenced

Dinah uses her canary cry to bring down a rainstorm on a forest fire by using a frequency that would cause raindrops to coalesce and become heavy enough to fall (crazy creative use of that power)

Kyle has a panic attack because he finds Jenny-Lynn’s pregnancy test (they did not, in fact, use protection, as the narration is so kind to point out)

After that, he says to Jenny-Lynn he’s “going to get milk” but instead he immediately flees to Saturn (classic absentee dad moment)

Sinestro convinces a guy who seems to be the BBEG to hate Green Lanterns by implying that they molest(?) kids from third world countries

That guy (Eddie) describes Sinestro as looking like a “Pixar creature”

Jade has been canonically hit on by Donald Trump. This book was published in 2004.

The way you hail a cab on Qward is by doing the Hitler salute

When Jenny asks the taxi cab driver who she should pay, the cab driver says, “The service is provided by the Qwardians, qomrade.” Yeah. Qomrade.

As two “Weaponers” are about to capture Jenny, she notices “in passing” that they have no nipples. Very interesting priorities, there.

Kyle considers committing genocide, but is stopped by his conscience, which sounds like Hal Jordan so much that Kyle initially mistakes it for Hal telepathically whispering to him

In Oliver’s narration, he says that Hal seemed to have lost a lot of his personality after having become the Spectre

Plastic Man “greatly admires” Two Face

Wonder Woman has given Plastic Man a crash course in physics

Eel apparently thinks he stands no chance against fighting Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman

Eel asks Hal, the Spectre, why he’s “dressed like a hobo” (which is particularly funny to me because of my fic)

Hal sings “Don’t worry, be happy”

Eel thinks of Hal as being the most “enigmatic” of the League, unlike Batman, who “let you know right off whether he liked you or not”

Hal asks Eel if he would pray to Superman

[fallingdownhell]

Hi, I really enjoy your writing! Since you're taking requests may I ask for headcanons about what would cyno be like as a lover?

Have a wonderful day.

Of course!! I love Cyno so much! Relationship: Cyno as your lover Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; mostly just fluff; not proofread yet Word count: 890 words Enjoy<3

first of, I think Cyno would be a really good boyfriend

he's attentive towards your needs and wants, he listens to you and though he's not the best at communicating his feelings, he tries his best for you

I imagine he likes to do little things for you throughout your day. Making you breakfast is almost always a given with him. He prepares things for you he knows your going to need, either later or maybe for work the next day

he notices you had an exhausting day? He's preparing a nice bath for you to relax and calm down. If you want him to, he'll stay with you and either talk or listen, whatever you prefer. But if you want some alone time, he's fine with that, too

I think that his love language would either be Acts of Service or Quality Time. Since he sometimes has to go away on longer missions for his job, he likes to spend as much time with you as possible

for him, it's not about what you do together, just that it's the two of you doing it and spending one on one time

as much as he likes to be alone with you, he likes it just as much when you're spending time with him and his friends. He'd be especially overjoyed if you get along well with Tighnari and Collei

invites you along whenever he goes to the Avidiya Forest, and more often than not, you tag along with him, excited to see the Forest Ranger again

when you spend time alone at home with him and are not out and about with some activity, he likes to teach you the ropes of TCG

he wouldn't be too over the top with it, but he'd really like it if his s/o could play the game and do a few rounds with him

he wouldn't force you if you really didn't like the game at all, but he'd still like it if you'd at least watch the matches he has against other players

however, if you do let yourself get roped into it and let him explain the basics to you, he'd be excited like a little kid, helping you create your own deck and challenging you to a match to test your newfound skills

he'd go easy on you the first few rounds, but after that, he wouldn't evne hold back for you anymore. He's that serious about the game and the matches he plays

while playing, no matter against you or someone else, he'd try to fit in a few of his jokes

like, let's be real. If you want to be in a relationship with Cyno, you either have to have similiar humor like him to actually find his jokes funny, or you have to at least be able to tolerate them. Because you will never get Cyno without his jokes. It's a package deal

whenever he comes up with new jokes, he always comes to you first and tells them to you. It's gotten to a point where he has so many jokes that he has trouble remembering all of them. At that point, you have gifted him a little notebook for him to write them all down, so he'll be able to remember them. He carries that book with him whereever he goes

when you're not playing TCG with him, Cyno actually really likes to cuddle with you. He wasn't the greatest fan of it at the beginning, but once you've done it a few times, he's got to see how great it can feel

most the time, he's the big spoon, holding you close against his chest, his arms protectively around your body to shield you from the world. Only you and him matter right now, nothing else

but there are also times where Cyno would want the roles to be reveresed, where he takes the role of the little spoon

his job sometimes weighs heavy on Cyno. From time to time, he comes home with a dejected look on his face. He wouldn't be able to tell you about the things that had happened, but he doesn't need to

you understand what he needs just by looking at him. You open your arms wide for him and he falls into you, cuddling up against you. He enjoys the way your arms wrap around him now, the feeling of being shielded and protected. It's not something he usually feels, so he soaks it up like a sponge, basking in it every second it lasts

he's not too big on PDA. The most he'd do in public is hold your hand or place a kiss on your cheek. Everything else happens in private, where no prying eyes are on you two

his kisses are slow, delicate. He likes to enjoy the moment and not rush it thanks to emotions. Would place a hand to your cheek while kissing you. He just likes to touch you whereever he gets the chance to

overall a really great boyfriend if you can live with the fact that he's not present 24/7 due to his job and responsibilities. But he definitely tries his best to always make it up to you. And he appreciates you all the more for understanding and sticking around for him

he really, truly loves you

[auspicioustidings]

For the 1k requests/suggestions:

Druid!Soap who's protected the lands faithfully and ferociously for years, and Reader, the nature god/goddess/diety/spirit of those lands, decides to reveal herself and reward him for it?

Could go in any direction you want, pure fluff or darker or smut or anything! Just the first idea I had

Ok so you know how you said it could be darker or smut? Got carried away with this one :') This is just feral PWP that was written in one sitting and Johnny is mean as shit in it so pls HEED THE CWs.

Foul Magic

Words: 2.8k

CWs: Non-con, heavy smut, threatened bestiality (sort of, it's a Druid-ey shapeshifting hybrid thing and I have no clue how to CW that)

He was your greatest protector, had been for a decade now. When John MacTavish had offered himself to your service he had been a reckless teen, already an expert at spilling blood. You were no Silvanus, only a simple forest spirit with your own forest to tend and a handful of followers amongst the bordering villages mainly made up of the hunters and foragers who benefited from your kindness. 

“I will pledge myself tae ye for 10 years forest spirit” the young man had called out in the midst of the trees, “and in return I ask that once my service is complete ye reveal yourself tae me.”

It was a strange offer. You had never had anyone pledge themselves to you before. People left offerings certainly, made small shrines, but you had never had a sworn protector. A Druid, you thought, you could make him a Druid. You could finally test what your magic could really do.

Human lives were such short things that you didn't fully believe he would complete the 10 years. The life of a Druid was solitary and hard. He took to it with a violent fury that took your breath away. Never before had the soil been so sustained on the blood of those who sought to plunder its treasures without the proper respect. Every boon afforded him, John took and wielded as if born to hold such power. 

He was magnificent. Bear like in his strength, wolf like in his ferocity, fox like in his cleverness. And all too soon the 10 years was up. You had made a deal and would have to hold to it if you wanted to keep him. And you did want to keep him. The thought of your Druid leaving your forest made the flowers wilt around you.

He strode into your Grove, a man now. He was broad and full of scars proving his devotion to your protection, his hair shaved in at the sides but left long in the middle with braids shot through. You were fascinated by how strong he had become, muscles functional and snuggled under a layer of fat as proof of your care for him, tartan fabric held to his body with only clever pleating and a belt. 

“I have served faithfully for 10 years as was promised, I’ve come tae collect what I’m due.”

“And I hope in those 10 years you have enjoyed my patronage.”

He turned to see you, an ethereal thing made flesh for him. Fucking finally. He strode forward as your fond, soft smile turned to a look of fear, his hand bunching up in your hair and yanking you to look at him. You found that when you tried to shift to another form his magic, the magic you had given him, was weaving through yours to try and block you. The thought that you would be as helpless as some human maiden was horrifying.

“If ye had any sense at all, ye wouldnae have given me all yer power. Did ye really think I’d serve ye for ten years just tae look at ye?” he spat, venomous and unlike the Druid that had spoken worship on the wind to you all this time. “Fucked plenty of virgins in yer wee forest right under yer nose, had them gagging and crying, but none of them have satisfied what it is I really wanted. Been thinking about your tight wee nymph cunt being good and broken on my cock since I could use it, and I am a very patient man when it comes tae the things I want.”

You glowered at him, feeling your magic slide against the wall he had built and glancing off. He grinned an awful beastly grin and threw you to the floor, the slam of your knees on dirt unfamiliar and unpleasant. 

“You cannot do this. Please John, see reason. You are a protector of this place!”

He laughed and circled you, putting a boot firmly to the centre of your back and kicking you down so your face landed in the soil.

“Aye, I was until today. 10 years was the agreement, and now I take payment. Arse up, present properly for yer protector, least ye could do after all this time.”

He surely couldn’t mean to mount you like some beast. The idea that he meant to violate you at all was already unthinkable, but to do it in such a violent and debased manner was unforgivable. 

“You will not do this!”

You flared your power and he shoved it back, forcing it to act against you. He controlled it, the sickening pulse of your own magic being twisted as your body cracked and shifted. It was wrong, some half shift that felt unnatural. You heard the tear of the thin gossamer gown draped over you as something ripped through it. He laughed meanly and you howled in pain as you were grabbed by what you realised was a tail to force your hips up for him. He had done a disgusting thing with your magic, keeping you in your human form with the tail of your wolf form purely to torture you. It was forbidden to do such a thing, to create some new creature outside of nature in any way. You could feel hot tears spilling over as he wrapped the tail around his fist, pulling and twisting horribly. 

“Ye going tae behave? Or dae ye need to find out what I can dae to my own form?”

The implication was horrible. You scrambled with a sob, bracing your knees and moving yourself to present the way he wanted you to. 

“Aww, dinnae want a nice knot?” he said as he leaned over you, pressing his body to yours so his hot, wet breath was panting in your ear. “Maybe ye’d prefer something else.”

His foul magic invaded you again and you could see how your nails sharpened. Your hand barely started to shift into the paw of a snow leopard and you immediately started to plead. If he fucked you using that kind of cock you would surely be torn to shreds.

“P-please! Your cock! Just yours John, I want it.”

“Aye? I dinnae ken if I’m convinced. Maybe it’d be good to get my barbs in ye, fuck you bloody.”

“No please, it… it wouldn’t fill me properly if it wasn’t your human form. Wouldn’t be able to breed me like I want. Please fuck me with your cock John, I want it so badly” you sobbed, bile rising at your own words.

He laughed in dark delight, the hand gripping painfully at your tail letting go to plunge two fingers into you. It felt like you were being penetrated with a hot poker with how little warning he had given. You choked through breaths as your shape twisted back to yourself, tail painfully deforming and the formation of paws reversing. 

“Good thing yer body is backing ye up. So fucking wet and messy already little slut, knew ye’d be drooling for my cock.”

He noticed how you were taking shuddering breaths, clearly fixating on a spot in the distance to try and dissociate. That wouldn’t do at all and he ripped apart what was left of the thin gossamer so he could bring his open palm hard to the meat of your ass. He knew by how you squealed that nobody had ever taken a hand to you before and it was delicious.

Breaking you was all he had ever wanted, it was all he thought about when his cock was deep inside some new needy cunt or tight arse or wet mouth. He hated how after they would try to keep him as if he was something to be owned by anyone else. He had lost count of the lives he had taken from losing his temper over it. But now that he had you crying in the dirt, pussy throbbing around his fingers, he wanted to savour it. 

Your nails clawed at the ground and you tried to get onto your hands and crawl forward when his fingers left you and instead he buried his head between your legs. His grip on your thighs was painfully tight, yanking you right back into position with your arms collapsing back under you, face down ass up. 

It was too much, his tongue was wet and squirming and hot and inside you. He meant to devour you, to ruin you entirely. You had about braced to be fucked, but not for this, not for the intense spark of heady desire that came from this. 

“Fuckin’ knew it, knew ye’d taste sweeter than anything else” he growled against you as he released one thigh to get his fingers on your clit, needing to get you wetter to sait the thirst for your arousal that was burning through him now. “Dae ye taste good everywhere?”

“J-John! Ah you can’t, not there” you babbled as he licked up to your rim, diving into it with the same enthusiasm as he had your pussy. 

It was disgusting how he tongued up the slick that was weeping from your cunt to drag it to your ass, plunging his tongue in and out of your hole and driving you absolutely mad. This was debauched. The trees were creaking and groaning around you, powerless to help their mistress.

“Tell me ye fucking love it.”

“Stop, please!”

“Fucking say it” he growled, sinking his teeth into the same flesh he had slapped earlier. 

You screamed, sure he must have used that horrid magic again to sharpen his teeth to that of a predator with how you felt the skin break, his tongue lapping at the trickle of blood he had earned himself. 

“I love it” you said quietly, ashamed.

“Use your fucking words.”

The threat of his teeth was still there, they were scraping against your clit.

“I love your tongue in my ass! It’s perfect, thank you so much, making me so w- making me so wet” you moaned out, feeling your cunt clench with the shame of knowing it wasn’t quite a lie.

“Good girl” he purred, the praise vibrating through you. “Should reward ye naw? What dae ye want?”

There was a dark warning laced in his tone. You knew there was a wrong answer and you wouldn’t dare to give it. If you pleaded for a stop to this he would do much worse to you than if you pleaded for the less painful option.

“Want to cum on your mouth, want to cum on your cock in my pussy.”

“Mm? Whose mouth? Whose cock?”

You squeezed your eyes shut against the utter humiliation this human was making you face.

“Yours… master.”

“Atta girl.”

He laughed behind you before bringing that sinful mouth to latch onto your clit. He sucked hard and then lapped at it like a beast until you were squirming only to then go to your opening and make sure he got every drop of sweet liquid drooling out of you. It was torturous as your body betrayed you over and over again, pliant and gushing for him. He kept you on the edge of euphoria for what felt like hours before you broke.

“Fuck! Please master, want to cum!” 

The panting moans were brainless, you were so desperate. He cooed at you, his tone saccharine even as his words were degrading.

“Needy wee slut, cannae keep your legs closed can ye? Disgusting bitch tae let a man do this tae ye. Bet ye dream of walking into the village and letting everyone have a go at this sloppy cunt.”

“Only you master, please please please!”

“Aye, only me.”

His tongue which had been wild before was now lethally precise, the tip of it flicking rapidly at your throbbing clit. As you felt yourself crest he wrenched one of your arms to put your own hand there while he removed his face. Out of some hedonistic instinct you started to play with yourself to make the orgasm last, so stupid from the pleasure that it took a moment for the pain to sink in as his cock was forced inside you to the hilt.

Johnny was in rapture. Forcing himself in while your poor cunt was fluttering and clenching on nothing was almost painful from how tightly his cock was being squeezed. Your body was panicked, pleasure and pain at their height at the same time making you so incredibly tight and hot for him. Fuck, the way you were pulsing around him it was almost like getting a blow job, the ripple of wet pressure making him howl out his pleasure against your screech of pain.

He had already so thoroughly broken you that when he started to fuck you at a brutal pace you just drooled and cried and babbled. The distinction between pain and pleasure, what you hated and what you loved, was completely erased. It was all the same liquid heat inside of you that was demanding this. Demanding for you to be fucked savagley into the dirt, for you to take everything he had to give you. Demanding to be bred like the bitch in heat you were.

“I ken sweetheart, ye need tae earn it. Cum around my cock again.”

You didn’t even know what you were saying out loud and what thoughts were your own anymore as your clumsy fingers slipped around on your clit, trying to create friction despite the smooth glide from how much you dripped with arousal. You could feel the stickiness on your fingers, feel tendrils stretching lewdly in a connecting strand whenever you moved them away from your skin.

“Fucking dae it, cum on my cock!” 

It was a lightning storm of pain versus pleasure ripping through you as he adjusted to slam into that spongy spot inside you that set off every nerve ending over and over with no reprieve. At the same time he began to absolutely brutalise your ass with his open palms, violent and unrestrained. There was a gush of liquid as you came, screaming your throat raw.

John had never felt so powerful. You had been reduced to a squirting, screaming mess underneath him, a fucking animal begging in the dirt. He handled you how he liked, went as hard as he wanted. Any human would have broken. Any human would have fucking died with how he finally unleashed the beast inside of him, finally married violence with sex the way he had always wanted. 

“That’s it, fucking daft bitch, stupid wee brood mare, made tae fucking take it!”

You were begging again, nothing left in your brain but the desperation to be bred by a strong male. He was happy to do it, loyal protector that he was. Happy to give you exactly what you whined and mewled for, slamming home and cumming deep inside you. He fucked you through his own orgasm. He fucked you even when it was painful. It wasn’t until his cock finally slipped out, spent and struggling to find any purchase when he wasn’t fully engorged given how fucking sloppy you were.

He pushed you away after, leaving you a pile on the floor panting and ruined. Sitting back on his heels he had to take a moment for the dizziness from what had just happened to subside. Time for him to get out of this forest he supposed. He was not welcome on this land anymore. As he stood he took stock. While his kilt simply draped again to cover the sticky mess you had left on his skin and the dirt on his knees was easy enough to dust off, your gown was torn to shreds, your body beaten and bruised. He was perhaps a little surprised when your eyes opened and you blinked at him.

You felt the delicious strain of the most satisfying fuck of your life, only opening your eyes when you heard him get to his feet. Oh, he thought he was leaving. His eyes lit up with confusion and a tiny spark of feral delight as vines erupted from the ground to ensnare his ankle. Silly boy, thinking you powerless. If you had truly imbued him with the amount of your power he had deluded himself that you had, his human body would have burnt up and been dust on the wind years ago. It was laughable that he would have been able to block your magic.

“Did you truly think I didn't know your intentions from the start? Oh John, you are mine” you said with the fond bemusement one might have for a grumpy child. “Now come and perform your duty to your mistress, I am hardly done with you.”

[deimos-awaits]

Ironsong Initiate One

A short clip about an Ironsong Aspirant

Theophilus Attaliates was a child. He was a child of Astraea from the half of the world that had developed lush verdant forests instead of nigh endless pillars of choking industry. He had been selected the way his half of the world had selected all of their aspirants, one of a hundred victors of a biennial athletic competition. Now he was standing within the Spine of the Emperor, that vast mountain range that divided his world in half. Nineteen times his homeworld had orbited its star, fourteen standard terran years.

The Fortress-Monastery of the Ironsong Chapter was beautiful. Porfyropaláti in the heart of the Spine of the Emperor was a beautiful work of art. It was vast and made for a scale of human that Theophilus was not on, and hopefully would become. There were vast pink and purple tapestries gracing half the hall and the other half was raw industrial machinery that worked in a perfect precision. It was a strange room, the entrance hall of the chapter where he stood with nearly 200 other youths.

He missed his mother in Novos Athoni. He missed their small hab unit and the sounds the water purifier made. He missed attending services at the Temple of the Machine-God-Made-Flesh, he missed his gothic lessons. He missed playing in the market.

He had never been away from his family for this long and was beginning to be dimly aware that after weeks being screened and tested for diseases and other maladies, that he might never do so again.

Theophilus knew this was supposed to be an honor, it was it was, but he still was nervous.

Theopholius was torn out of his thoughts by a giant of space marine in front of him. The man, at least Theopholius assumed he was. The space marine was arrayed with a number of mechanical arms, and from what Theopholius could see a false leg. The marine took off his helm and Theopholius was also able to make out. He had beautiful white hair and violet eyes. In that respect he looked similar enough to the few Ironsong he had been blessed with seeing.

The marine did not have the voice Theophilius expected. He spoke steadily and with a mesmerizing voice. Everyone present even the other marine guards seemed to follow his words. “Aspirants! I am Strategos Siderénia Teleiótita of the Tenth Themata. You will be presented to the Artificer-Despot in the coming weeks. As of now you are the worthy two hundred of this year, this generation’s greatest and strongest. You see around you you future siblings in arms.”

Theopholius’s eyes widened. He felt like his soul was being stared into.

“You have spent the last few weeks being cleared medically and spiritually. Those of you that survive, for it is not guaranteed that all of you will, will be inducted into the Ironsong Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. It will not be pleasant. You will be becoming the Emperor’s Angels of Death!”

The room was dead silent as the Strategos let what he had said sink in. “As you go from aspirants to neophytes to full fledged Battle-Brothers, you will be assigned to my Themata. You will be under my wings, and I swear by the Machine God that I will do all within and even beyond my power to take the worthy among you to live up to the name of our genefather Ferrus Manus!”

Much later when they had each been assigned to their bunk and given schedules for the next seeable features of their lives, Theophilus. On the way to the dormitories he'd seen a chapel dedicated to the emperor. That was where he went; he was a faithful and loyal servant after all.

The young boy, for he was not yet a man depending on what happened may never become a man, he knelt in prayer he knelt before an icon of the throne of the emperor of mankind where his halves were on display here and human and machine were glorified.

Theophilus mumbled and started over prayer sent a thousand times before never before alone though. And after some period of time and contemplation he heard the door open. You turned to see who it was realizing just now what kind of offense that this might be.

It was the strategos from earlier in the day.

He smiled almost kindly at the boy stripped of the armor wearing more traditional clothing for their home planet though you greatly scaled up to accommodate his size. “Aspirant Theophilus?”

The boy did his best sign of the Aquila and stood at firm attention though he was so clearly shaking. “Strategos Teleiótita!”

The older space Marine did not display the harshness of face that Theophilus was worried about. “You are brave to break your curfew on the first night already. Why?”

The office did not know why but he felt no fear looking at the man. “I was scared, sir!”

“Scared of what? You're in one of the most secure places in the segmentum, aspirant.”

“I… this is my first time away from home sir!”

The Elder sigh eand sat down in one of the pews. “You're lucky that you found me instead of any one of my brothers. Come sit with me we will pray. I remember what it was like to leave.”

Theophilus did as was asked. “Is it as dangerous as you said, sir?”

“More so. Theophilus if you wish you can be sent home you have gone through no trials. It will be no shame to you nor your family.”

“No sir! I want to serve the emperor sir!” This was obviously a test and one that he would pass.

“Of that I have no doubt. Have you any knowledge of the Benedictions of the Machine?”

The younger one of the two shook his head. “Then let us begin.”

[quaranmine]

Wildfire & Environmental Health

Here's a few interesting studies I read recently at work that were related to wildfire. Y'all know I find wildfire to be an interesting topic, and I'm an environmental scientist who primarily works in the public health sphere, so I thought I would share them!

The first is about metals found in wildfire suppressants. You know, the stuff they drop from planes?

This one immediately caught my interest since I primarily work in theings related to lead, which is a heavy metal. I had not thought about heavy metals in wildfire suppressants before, but it did not suprise me given our track record with fire fighting products in the past (PFAS in fire fighting foam and asbestos as a flame retardant....)

This study looked at fire suppressants approved by the US Forest Service and consumer use to see if it could contribute to increased heavy metals found in soil and water in areas following a wildfire. They looked at vanadium, chromium, manganese, copper, arsenic, cadmium, antimony, barium, thallium, and lead and found councentrations 4–2,880 times greater than drinking water regulatory limit. At least 8, if not all, of the above metals were found in every fire suppressant tested. The products themselves are not meant to be ingested, obviously, but the concern was that if it were many times above the drinking water maximum contaminant level, that it could still be high enough to impact drinking water quality if it ran off into a reservoir used for that. The Forest Service does have buffer zones around bodies of water where fire suppressants should not be dropped, but accidents happen frequently. They estimated that "fire retardant application in the U.S. contributed approximately 380,000 kg of toxic metals to the environment between 2009 and 2021."

All fire suppressants must be tested by the US Forest Service and have their full ingredient list disclosed, but for public facing material safety data sheets up to 20% can be considered "proprietary" and not disclosed. Chromium and cadmium are effective as aluminum corrosion inhibitors, so they have been added to prevent the product from corroding the aircraft's tanks. Chromium, cadmium, lead, copper, manganese, arsenic have all been documented a contaminants in phosphate ores, which could explain some of the heavy metal concentration in fire suppressants that contain phosphates (but not all of them contained phosphates.) Leaching from metal storage/production tanks could also potentially explain some of the metals in the fire suppressants.

This is an interesting article to me. The authors did not mention it, but I want to note that heavy metal contamination can be just as harmful to wildlife as it is to humans, so even if this contamination did not actually enter human drinking water, it could still kill wildlife. This is also just a terrible glimpse into the way we damage ecosystems. Decades of total fire suppression and poor forest management has lead to increasingly worse wildfires with more fuel to burn, and climate change is fueling through hotter and drier seasons, changed weather patterns, and more. Worse wildfires means fires that are harder to control, and thus fires that need increased use of fire suppressants....which are also toxic. Sigh.

The other one is a new study I just saw today, about the potential link between wildfire smoke inhalation and dementia:

This study looked at 1.2 million people in Southern California to see if long term exposure to wildfire fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was associated with dementia diagnosis. PM2.5 exposure is already known to be a risk factor for dementia but wildfire smoke is an increasingly common source of it that can have different chemical and physical properites than other sources of PM2.5. Wildfire-generated PM2.5 now accounts for "over 70% of total PM2.5 exposure on poor air quality days in California."

They found that for every one microgram increase in wildfire PM2.5 per cubic meter of air over the course of 3 years, the odds of dementia diagnosis rose by 18%. For comparison, the odds of dementia diagnosis for the same parameters of non-wildfire PM2.5 only rise by 3%. (This is compared to everyone's baseline risk, so it is still a fairly small risk over the total population.) The difference could because wildfire smoke participles often have higher concentrations of oxidative or inflammatory compounds, have a smaller average particle size, and typically spike intermittently at high levels at certain parts of the year. Low income communities and people of color were noted to be at higher risk—potentialy due to housing quality (air filtration) and systemic discrimination compounding their risks later in life.

This study is very full of statistics and analysis, so in full disclosure some of my summary is also based off a paywalled article I read first on it. It is an intersting study for sure—I would not have guessed that wildfire smoke specifically had so much higher of an impact than other sources of particulate matter.

Uh, happy Wednesday!

[ask-the-royal-absol]

And so Kader rushed off to gather the materials needed for his gift. His sister smiled. Seeing Kader be this excited about something made her happy. Considering all that had happened recently, she knew Kader needed something like this to keep him distracted. Clover headed back towards her room, humming the soft tune her mother used to sing to the both of them.

All the staff in the Whimsain Castle could see was the young prince moving with pace around the grounds. Nobody wished to question what he was doing but could see that whatever it was, it brought him joy. It was a nice sight to see. He'd been incredibly distraught after what had happened so this was the first they had seen him smile in a while.

First, Kader gathered some oak wood, taken from one of the trees in the nearby forest. He frequented the forest when he was young, going with his father on long walks. Next, he collected some of the metal scraps the Terrestrians traded to his kingdom. This trade involved an exchange of rare candies for metal parts. His kingdom was well known for baking the levelling up treats.

He asked two of his staff members, Ted the carpenter and Josey the blacksmith, to assist him in making the parts. There was some parts where he was unsure where to start but he knew he would be given help. Ted, the oranguru, laughed when the young prince decided to use the wrong type of saw for what he wanted to do and decided to take over for a bit. Embarrassed, Kader sat patiently and watched the oranguru work, marvelling at his skill. Ted had been in his family's service for years, crafting gorgeous furniture which were spread throughout the castle. The box had such a brilliant finish to it and Kader was given the opportunity to create some engravings on it. Working with care and precision, he finished after a good few hours. He pulled inspiration from the designs scattered around his kingdom. The tiny stars and swirls were a common pattern found engraved on many of the stone worked buildings. He was impressed. It wasn't as good as his sewing work but he was satisfied with the outcome.

Next came the metal pieces to be placed inside. Josey, an armarouge who had recently come over from Terrestria, had a knack for making delicate and intricate metallic structures and was able to shape the parts needed easily. It was lucky she also had some expertise in music and this definitely helped with getting the pieces to make the right notes. Kader wasn't a big fan of the heat needed for this work but appreciated the time it took her to make what he needed. She smiled at him as she pulled out the cooled tiny metallic tube and comb-like piece from the moulds. They looked perfect and had such a lovely shine to them.

Finally, with some assistance, he was able to piece everything together. It looked fantastic. He was so proud of what had been created. Testing it out by rotating the tiny handle, it sounded amazing. Each note reminded him of both of his parents. He practice singing with it a couple of times, though he soon realised he wasn't the greatest at singing. Regardless, he kept at it until he was able to get the song almost perfect. After carefully selecting some wrapping paper and ribbon to go around it, he wrapped the small box up, quite excited to see the reaction of the Pokémon he was giving it to. He sent a message to the star sending Pokémon, informing them of where to bring the recipient of his gift and what time. Everything was sorted. Now time to get himself ready.

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

This Pokémon really was something. A Pokémon that could create portals to different places. Kader wondered if he would be able to learn of this power someday. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and stepped through the golden ring. He arrived in the Golden Oak Forest, the same location where he got the wood for his gift from. He just hoped the other Pokémon was able to make it in time.

Sitting on the bench was a Pokémon he has never seen before. She looked a bit like a gardevoir and so figured that she may be a regional variant of one. He had heard about regional variants from the stories told by the guardian. He approached the Pokémon, a slight nervous tremble in his step.

"Excuse me," began Kader, looking down at the Pokémon, "Are you by any chance the one known as Magpie?" She indicated that she indeed was, which allowed Kader to breathe a small sigh of relief. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Kader of the Kingdom of Whimsain, located in Arkaedia. I am glad you were transported to this place without getting lost. Seems the star sending spirit did its job well. I must admit, I don't believe we have your species of Pokémon in our or any of the other kingdoms. I would love to ask you some questions but that's not the reason why I'm hear."

Kader carefully handed the box to Magpie. He waited in anticipation, hoping the gift would suffice. When the wrapping had been removed, Magpie held up a small music box, with small engraved patterns on. Looking inside, the carvings continued and tiny, intricate metal part stood still, eagerly awaiting the twist of the handle to sing its simple song.

"So, I saw that on your list, you wanted something related to music. I am going to be honest, I'm not the most musical Pokémon. However, my mother was. She was a wonderful, kind Pokémon who used to sing many beautiful tunes to my sister and I. I figured that I could share one of those songs as my gift to you. The music box was made with the wood from one of the trees in this forest. I helped with the engravings but my carpenter shaped the box. The metal parts inside were made by one of my blacksmiths. I'm not the best when it comes to work like that so I decided to leave it for her to do. I, with the instruction and guidance of my carpenter and blacksmith, constructed the box together. I hope you like it."

Kader sat down on the bench next to Magpie, shuffling to get himself comfortable."

"Before you take the music box away, I wish to share one of my mother's songs with you. It is a tune she used to sing whenever my sister and I were feeling blue. It used to cheer us up and I hope it will bring you cheer too in dark times."

He was incredibly nervous about this. His mother always made this tune sound wonderful and he knew he wasn't as good as her. However, he knew he needed to try. He cleared his throat and levitated the music box with his psychic abilities.

His voice was soft as he sung. He tried to copy how his mother would have approached the song. The music box sang its melody and Kader felt a sense of joy from it. Finishing the tune, Kader took a deep breath in. He was worried he may have been slightly out of tune but he enjoyed singing it.

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

Mod note:

So, this is my star sending for @idolmelodies ! I was so excited to get you! As soon as I saw your character wanted something related to music, I knew I needed to make a song. Gonna be honest, I have no musical knowledge so it was a challenge creating a tune but I enjoy figuring out the notes anyway! It was fun considering what Kader would do. Of course, having a mother who loved music certainly helped and when you're royalty you have access to a lot of resources. I hope you have a happy holidays!

[manorpunk]

To Seize and Hold - Act II

Distracting myself from election scrolling.

+++++

Jacob Martin Rider is modeled after a very particular type of guy, a type of guy who is intimately familiar to grand strategy gamers, central European history buffs, and anyone else who knows what a ‘Hussar’ is. That type of guy is the cavalry dandy.

The cavalry dandy is a grizzled, battle-tested, hard-drinking killer, a 17th century Rambo who charges into the nearest fight before he even knows who’s at war. The cavalry dandy is also a vainglorious fop obsessed with preening and fancy clothes. He is a perfect example of how changing and nebulous something like ‘masculinity’ is: the military is supposed to be the domain of masculine manly men, hard-eyed killers fighting other hard-eyed killers, but it is also a place of elaborate ritual, fancy uniforms with braids and sashes, dance-like ceremonies of precision movements, even those big dumb Air Force swords. Martial culture is the epitome of homiesexual. Or, to put it in Jacob’s words:

“If you want success on the battlefield, you need a fag. Alexander the Great? Huge fag. Frederick the Great? Huge fag. Napoleon? He’s French, so it’s complicated.”

But seriously, who the hell is this Jacob Martin Rider guy? Here’s what has been pieced together from a combination of primary sources, interviews, and good old-fashioned rumor, as will be revealed throughout the story:

Back in the day, JMR was a self-defense instructor who worked with queer groups, training people in martial arts and shooting. By 205X, when the remnants of America were bogged down in multiple wars with massive fronts, Jacob gathered his former students and lovers together into a small army and offered his services to the New US Army. He was hastily given the rank of Major by general Tony Poolsupplies and stationed in the northern Michigan front of the Quebec War.

Tony had little faith or trust in Jacob, however, calling him a “dollar-store Napoleon,” and he plunked Jacob down at a quiet outpost along Michigan’s coastline and refused to give him any orders. Jacob, meanwhile, privately referred to Tony as a “McClellan-ass bitch” and accused him of deliberately prolonging the war to get kickbacks from arms manufacturers.

Despite being roadblocked by his superiors, Jacob worked tirelessly on scouting, surveying, and reconnaissance, and noticed what appeared to be a contingent of the Imperial Quebecois Army preparing to reorganize by transporting reinforcements across Lake Huron in unarmed and unarmored ships. He recognized the opportunity for a rapid attack that could isolate and scatter the opposing army, potentially winning the war in one fell swoop. When Poolsupplies left him on read, Jacob decided to go ahead with the attack anyway. The Battle of Lake Huron was a resounding success for the Great Lakes Republic, and his use of small-arms drones for screening has arguably been influential in the development of mid-21st century drone tactics.

Despite his success, Jacob was immediately stripped of his rank and put on trial for disobeying orders, or lack thereof, and launching an independent offensive. And also for a lot of procurement fraud, that’s how he got rich but everyone forgets about that part.

Fast-forward, and enter Sunny Roosevelt. She thinks that JMR would make a perfect candidate for her defense advisor - talented and experienced enough to be useful, and crazy enough that she could always find a reason to drop him like last season’s merch. There’s the perfect opportunity to test him, too. Northern Michigan looks like it’ll be crawling with right-wing forest militias - again, sigh - so he can start off by getting a lay of the land and drawing up some contingency plans. What Sunny does not know is that there’s nothing Jacob loves more than strolling into a small town and pissing everyone off with his public flamboyance.

It does not take long for Jacob and Liam to both capture each other’s interest. The attempts by Liam’s father to keep the two of them apart other only gives it the sweet, sweet allure of ~*~forbidden love~*~. After Jacob saves Liam from being cornered by Byron Weber (one of Remington’s large adult sons), Liam enthusiastically agrees to be whisked away from his hometown to live at Jacob’s mansion.

<gratuitous sex scene>

And what a life it is! Peace and luxury, no need to work, and he can finally get in touch with the side of him that he’d had to keep hidden for all his life. Things slow down a bit as we take some time to develop the relationship, reveal Jacob’s backstory, adjust to the new routine, and have lots of gratuitous sex scenes. The fun and games before we raise the stakes and have the big midpoint moment, to put it in plotting terms.

<gratuitous sex scene>

Liam gets to know the new cast of characters, including a trio of maids who seem to share a special, as-yet-undisclosed relationship with Jacob:

Anton Smolenski, from Moldova. Short and somehow has naturally pink hair. He is the stern and serious one of the trio, perpetually scowling with his hands on his hips or his arms crossed.

Brandi Hyde, from Tidewater. Tall, gaunt, and stooping with long blonde hair, facial scars, and a wide, unsettling grin. The creepy one of the trio, fond of eye shadow, knives, and giggling slowly.

Ismai’l “Izzy” al-Iskander, from Balochistan. The suspiciously sweet one, with sleepy eyes, perpetually tousled hair, and a fidgety smile.

Still, it’s not long before a sense of unease starts to nag at Liam, although everyone else assures him that it must be him shaking off the results of his upbringing. For instance, he gets some odd looks for practicing Founderism - the fun new Christian heresy where the Founding Fathers are worshipped as saint-demigods. It’s not just Liam’s upbringing, though, it’s also his knowledge that he won’t be able to stay here forever - and even if he could, he wouldn’t want to. He wants to keep a sense of independence, the knowledge that he’d be okay if he ever had to leave, but he quickly learns that it won’t be easy. First, he’ll need to get his future-GED to qualify for citizenship. Classes are all online, and he tries to find a study group or a way to meet with other students, but other people tell him shit like “oh yeah if you have a Buck.it account you can sign in through Toastr. Do you have Bip? You need Bip.”

<gratuitous sex scene>

Liam continues to play Aivrcade, but one day when he signs in, he’s suddenly locked into a private server that he’s never heard of before. When it loads, he’s in a room with Sunny Roosevelt. She is distinctly not cute and bubbly. In fact, she’s dressed like a mob boss, with a red suit and large shades. She tells Liam that Jacob’s been talking about him - not a lot, but she picks up on these sorts of things. Jacob seems to like him. A lot. And that’s a very useful bit of information. Especially since Sunny needs someone to keep an eye on Jacob. Hint hint.

Liam objects - after all, he hasn’t exactly been trained in espionage. How could he pull this off?

Don’t worry, Sunny says, you grew up queer in a small town, so you obviously have some practice with hiding things. Besides, there’s a lot of money in it for you if you say yes. You’re trying to be independent, right? Don’t look so surprised, of course I knew that, I’m Sunny. With the money I can give you, you’ll be set for life without a sugar daddy.

Liam asks if he has to go along with this or if he can say no.

That’s a very good question, Sunny says. Can you say no to me? I suppose there’s only one way to find out. If you really want to know the answer that badly. :)

Liam says yes, and Sunny gives him the password for the private server he can use to contact her to give her all the juicy details.

As a result, Liam starts to look at Jacob differently, the things he says and does and what they mean. He listens in on Jacob’s conversations, and 

Turns out the maid trio have been with Jacob since the Battle of Port Huron - they look much younger than they are thanks to future-drugs. Anton thinks Jacob has been going soft and has been privately goading him to get back to his roots. What happened to the old Jacob, the one who trained people, taught them how to protect themselves? Goddammit, it’s time to bring back the Battletwinks. Anton is like a foil to Liam’s desire for self-reliance and autonomy, taking it in a more aggressive direction - “autonomy means forcibly carving out a niche for yourself and remaining vigilant in a cruel world.”

I notice now that this is a bit messy - I mean obviously, it's an outline, and it's the middle parts, it's the different threads that will have to be bound together very carefully. Setting up the dominoes to have a satisfying payoff.

<gratuitous sex scene>

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Merlin isn’t fond of the early season knights, because of them throwing custard during food fights 🍮

Episode: "Lancelot" questions #1

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used for reference: A Fighting Chance, Poisoned Chalice, Merlin Complete Guide and The Traitor Within

Question: Historically, it wasn’t uncommon for knights to be a commoner that was knighted for acts of valor in battle, great service to a much higher lord, or marrying a noble woman.

So Lancelot coming there a commoner and hoping to be a knight is unusual, but not unheard of?

My answer: It’s possible that other kingdoms might have different rules concerning the eligibility of knights, but Uther created Camelot’s first knights and the first code of their knighthood ensures that only those of noble houses can serve.

Interesting enough, Merlin initially tells Arthur that Lancelot is a noble, because in his mind, the “tall, dignified young man” who saved him in the forest was more noble than the other knights he knew.

Merlin mentions twice in this book that he isn’t overly fond of the knights, given their tendency to throw custard 🍮 during food fights, make a mess and ruin the prince’s clothes.

He also mentions that the food fight from the previous ‘feast of Beltane’, reminded him of his time in the stocks and being pelted with old vegetables. 🥬🍅🥔

Book description:

Arthur still wasn't taking him seriously. 'That's great, Merlin, I'm sure he's terrific. But you forget the First Code of Camelot. Only those of noble blood can serve as knights. So unless your friend is a nobleman ..:

No! Merlin wanted to shout in frustration. But then ... well, Lancelot might be a nobleman for all he knew.

The tall, dignified young man certainly seemed more noble than a lot of those custard-throwing knights that Arthur hung around with. 'He is a nobleman!' the warlock said hurriedly.

- Merlin had no particularly romantic view of the knights - their most recent battle had been a food fight during a celebratory feast - it had taken him hours to clean all the custard off Arthur's clothes.

- Merlin sniffed again and instantly regretted it. Putting on a brave face, he started sifting through the robes, flapping them out at arm's length and folding them.

Inevitably, all the movement wafted the smell around some more. It reminded him of his time in the stocks, being pelted with old vegetables, rather than of any feast.

'Did it end in a food fight?' he wondered, wrinkling his nose.

Question:

Arthur: “Pass this and you are a knight of Camelot. Fail and you're no one. Grimmond second son of Wessex. Your time starts now.”

OKAY lots to talk about here? First of all Knight of Camelot must be a great honor. This dude is the second son of at LEAST a noble family? So being considered no one is huge?

My answer:

Being a knight of Camelot is a huge honor.

It’s a much bigger deal than simply being a noble, because only the most elite of the noblemen can pass the test of skill and serve their kingdom.

1. Uther himself refers to ‘the knighthood as the very foundation of Camelot’ and tells Lancelot that he does their kingdom an honor by joining them.

2. Whereas Gaius recognizes that the king believes the knights of the realm are upright, honourable men, and beyond reproach from anyone.

3. Arthur refers to anyone who lasts in a fight against him and joins the ranks of his knights…. as the elite.

Book description:

His face was stern as he spoke. He addressed all those present, although his words were aimed at Lancelot. 

'The final challenge. Succeed, and you join the elite. Fail - and your journey ends here?”

- Merlin strained to listen as Uther drew Lancelot aside. 'You do us a great honour, Sir Lancelot, the king was saying. 'The knighthood is the very foundation of Camelot.'

Gaius looked at the dying knight and shook his head angrily. If the king knew what one of his precious knights had done ...

Gaius slumped onto a chair.

And there was the root of the problem. The king believed that the knights of the realm were upright, honourable men, beyond reproach from anyone, let alone a servant. If Merlin accused one of them without proof...

Question:

Is Wessex subordinate to Camelot?

Or are knights just coming from outside Camelot, because being a knight there is such a big deal?

My answer:

The lord of Wessex and by extension his sons, have sworn their allegiance to Uther, despite not living in Camelot (Source: Merlin Complete Guide)

Camelot knights are very well trained and even their enemies (like Morgause) have noted how talented they are as fighters.

So it’s not hard to imagine knights from other kingdoms wanting to serve amongst their ranks.

During the siege of Camelot, Morgause herself noted that Uther's men were too well trained and were able to valiantly fight off the attackers, despite being outnumbered.

Compared to the Camelot knights, the army that Cenred had put together was an undisciplined rabble.

Book description:

WESSEX - lord with allegiance to Uther

- For a moment Morgause thought that the battle might be over even sooner than she had expected, but Uther's men were too well trained and valiantly fought off the attackers, sending them tumbling and screaming as they pushed the ladders back or sent down arrows in a deadly rain.

Morgause gave a hiss of disappointment.

Compared to the Knights of Camelot, the army that Cenred had put together was an undisciplined rabble.

Question:

Why is becoming a knight of Camelot something that people want so bad. Is there some level of renown?

Uther does not seem to give out bits of land so it can't be that.

My answer:

The majority of the knights of Camelot consider it an honor, because symbolistically the knights as a whole are supposed to emphasize dignity, gallantry and honor.

Lancelot wanted so badly to be a knight of Camelot because even as a foreigner, he knew being there would give him a chance to stand up against tyranny and evil.

Something he sought out desperately after watching his parents and everyone in his village be slaughtered.

Book description:

And on top of that, it might lead to Lancelot's dream coming true. It could give him a chance to stand up against tyranny and evil. Surely that would all outweigh just one small lie ...

- The other shook his head. What made it worse for Merlin was that even now, Lancelot was displaying the dignity and gallantry that marked out the best of knights!

‘The choice was mine, the man said. 'My punishment is mine to bear, and mine to bear alone.'

Question: Gaius: “Uther knew he would have to trust each of his knights with his life. So he chose them from the families that had sworn allegiance to him. The nobility.”

That makes sense considering how Uther treats commoners and how paranoid he is?

My answer: Uther doesn’t think anyone but nobles have any worth.

Gaius is rather well regarded as a peasant, but since he’s not a noble, he’s often regarded as more of an object (like every other servant) and his worth is entirely dependent on the kings whims.

Book description:

To Uther, only nobles have any worth.

Those of lesser rank may become well regarded - Gaius, for example - but their fortune is entirely dependent on the king's whims.

Servants are regarded more as objects than people. He orders Merlin to test a drink for poison, despite the boy's bravery in speaking out and possibly saving Arthur's life.

[ramoth13]

The Question of the Rings: What do they do? A Brief and Humble History

Season 2 has been a hive of fascinating interpretations. Annatar's manipulations, Celebrimbor's crafts, or the stranger's tension between mastery and service, there is almost no end to the ways in which the series has taken on fundamental aspects of the lore.

But one element I've been rather intrigued by is the way the series will display its title subject matter: the power of the rings. Here, I would like to take a turn discussing the Elven Rings specifically. And hopefully I can take a turn at the other sets (men, dwarves, and Sauron's later). There is an answer that stays true to the original intention, which they have seemingly held true to in the series as well,- the rings provide stasis of life.

In the third age, Elves no longer dot and populate the trees, hills, and mountains of Middle-earth. In fact, there are seemingly only four elven realms left, Rivendell, Lothlorian, Mirkwood, and the Grey Havens. Of these, only Mirkwood is not under the direct power of an Elven Ring at any given time.

Mirkwood's king, Thranduil, is unique in this roster as being the only king of an elvish land never under the stasis of a ring. But it is important to also note that his realm is the only realm that is shrinking, beset on all sides by the darkness of the forest, the invasion of the spiderlings, and even Necromancers. Even if the necromancer in question was Sauron (and there is plenty of evidence to suggest it was, but nothing definitive so far as I'm aware), the Sindarin king is a far cry from his powerful former counterpart, Thingol, whose wife was a maiar with the powers of protection. Thranduil's kingdom isn't just shrinking though, it is also the last of the original holdouts.

Although Thranduil and his son Legolas are Sindarin, those people who went towards the Valar but never made it to the sea, they rule over Silvans, those elves who stayed in their forests refusing the call of Valinor. They are hermits, whose way of life is quickly fading. They are considered the least in grandeur and wisdom of all elves (my sincerest apologies to Arondir and Tauriel, I love you both and dearly).

So why is it that the realm of Mirkwood is struggling to stay afloat while the other three elven strongholds thrive?

Indeed, the rings of power have the power to maintain. Think of the trees of Lothlorian, which have all faded and died in all other parts of Middle-earth (minus the seedling which Samwise plants in the shire, of course). Think of the last homely house of Elrond, right at the foot of mountains filled with goblins and wargs, yet not even the Witch-King of Angmar may enter it.

At this point, some of my fellow Enthusiasts might point out that in the third age, the third ring of power no longer resides in the Grey Havens. Old Círdan gave his ring away...

They are correct, of course. The last of the Elven rings, Narya, lies hidden away, upon the finger of a wandering Maiar trapped in the body of an old man. An istari, once known as Olórin, better known to the elves as Mithrandir, and to the Dwarves as Tharkûn, but to good hobbits and men as Gandalf.

So how does the Grey Havens fit into the stasis field? It is not a kingdom, but a doorway, one in which the Valar have opened and maintained, to bring the elves home to Valinor. Only those under the powers of the rings and the holdouts, the Silvans, are left. But the Valar maintain that opened gate. The Haven is not a permanent residence, but a path towards the home of all Elves.

Which at last leads to the question: if Gandalf has the ring Narya and its power is one of life and stasis, how is he using it? I suspect Rings of Power may yet show us. But if they do not, I would posit that his wanderings are a clue. The great elven lords of the third age (Elrond, Galadriel, and Círdan) are maintaining their realms for very different reasons. Unlike the others, Galadriel cannot leave for Valinor, for her test is not yet finished (she must prove that she is willing to give up power). Círdan is maintaining the Havens until all of the elves leave, and Elrond seems to be acting as historian and tour-guide to those passing to Valinor.

But Gandalf's use of the ring seems to be less regional. That is, by traveling, he spreads the Ring's influence throughout Middle-earth. My speculation here (and in that I mean that this is where personal opinion is treading new ground) is that the Gandalf uses the Ring to bring life and prosperity wherever he travels, be it as Gandalf to the Hobbits and Cities of Men, as Mithrandir to the Elven Havens and elvish realms, or as Tharkûn to the Dwarven halls under mountains.

It is worth noting that the Elven Rings have been rumored glimpses of martial power, such as when the aforementioned 9 wraiths are halted at the border of Imládris. It is presumed that it is the powers of the Ring that kept them at bay. But with the exception of the video game (Shadow of Mordor), I am not familiar with any other attempts to show the rings as martial weapons. Not to say they don't exist.

It will be interesting to see where the Rings of Power series takes the power of the rings. I hope this was helpful and/or at least interesting!

Na lû e-govaded 'wîn.

~Ramoth13

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

You have to give infinitely more props to every character who's immortal or at least invulnerable or less vulnerable in some significant way [can't be greatly or permanently harmed by anything or by very much, or just resurrects, Super man, super boy, Klaus, Logan, even Hank or Luthor etc...] and doesn't act like -I- would about it. [They can be shamed and I can't. good luck]

Literally I would simply follow every impulse I had to:

Just walk off, especially into rivers, lakes, forests, and just keep going in that direction until I felt better

Explore wherever the fuck, swim an entire river just to see where it goes, wander off for months at a time because I started looking around and somehow got away from where there were roads

Go look at the moss, and then leaves, and then follow a little creature, and then get hungry and go looking for timmies or some berries, just jump into a river for salmon, whatever

Like I would not announce my leaving either, but I wouldn't wait until I was about to have a mental breakdown to go, I would simply get bored of whatever movie was on or the conversation, or someone would say something rude to me, and I'd just go "Hey I wonder what that island halfway across this lake is up to" and I'd just start swimming.

And experience junkie or not I -really- don't like extreme injury or suffering, but especially not endangering other people, so I'd go about things the most unhinged and patient "scenic" way possible... Like walk all the way to another country [in a big country] or swim somewhere instead of taking or stealing a boat. Take a little photo journaling tour through the desert or forest. Things with motors are for people who don't like to stop and look at the lichen.

I probably wouldn't do drugs much, but without anything being able to harm me I'd be a lot more free spirited about experiences in general. And I'm a writer, and I think that makes me worse. I could literally just test things myself or on myself. I'm not a reckless person, but if you made 90%+ of things not actually reckless for me... All bets are suddenly off. I have time now to figure it all out.

And trying to make me feel guilty for it would result in "sorry I wandered off and got a bit lost, lol" I'm a grown adult who is not contractually obligated to make myself available to other people 24/7 and I was raised by parents who tried to control me with guilt. It stopped working on my when I was a child.

And trying to make me feel weird or less human about it would result in "Sorry I'm autistic and I don't actually value social convention, I'm not hurting anyone... expect maybe the salmon, and frankly I think you need to review what natural human behaviours are, and also what ableism is..." I'm a grown ass adult and I don't answer to anyone who tries to tell me I can't go fishing however I want to, so long as I have my license. [I only answer to OSHA and fish and wildlife services.]

You could try to accuse me of not thinking, or of acting feral or whatever and I'd just be like "No I made the very calm and rational decision that I wanted to go for a walk in the woods and was hungry for fish and that none of this would harm me and isn't really any of your business <3"

The only way to remotely tether me would be if I had a dependent to get back to like my cat, and you would simply be very aware that was the only thing keeping me from downsizing my life to a camping pack with a fancy laptop and existing wherever the fuck I wanted to at any given moment, provided I at least have a fixed address at which to store books and things I collected, and for like, legal reasons.

Like my whole bit is having boundaries and whimsy in my heart... And it would make me completely ungovernable.

Every person/character would be like "why can't you be more like _____" And name the guy who they *currently* get mad at for leaving sometimes without notice or coming back and getting blood on the carpet, or wanting a month off on occasion to go get something out of his system, because by comparison he's the new favourite [Also he doesn't have an annoying fixation with keeping giant pine cones and big fossils and interestingly shaped driftwood that everyone keeps complaining are making the room I was assigned look like I am taking the forest home with me (you were the ones who said I was free to keep stuff in this room and act like I live here when I want to, I can go if you want)].

And OH! Weird 'pets'. My reluctance to kill things I don't have to, plus not having to worry about them accidentally or intentionally hurting me? Oh I would be rescuing things no person ought be rescuing all the time and there would just be a bear sometimes and I'd be the only person who could get near it but there I am with 'my' bear... Reminding you that he is a wild bear. There would be a bear in the pool and people would be like "get your bear out of the pool" and I'd be like "s'not my bear" and they'd be like "Whatever, he's his own bear, yeah yeah, but get him the fuck out of our pool" just assuming that the bear is there because of me, and I'd have never seen *that* bear before in my life but I'd be like "Well I guess that's my friend now and I need to go convince him out of the pool, ig". Eventually people would be like "Your bees are becoming a problem" and I'd have to be like "What bees?" [ig I am adopting bees now?].

Frankly, people would start to wish I woke up and chose violence *more* often... As opposed to my established RP habit of "can I gain it's/their confidence instead of having to kill it/them, and also do they like pies?".

The only reason I wouldn't get kicked out is because when I am around I would be *nice* to people and cook and bake a lot and keep bringing things like smoked salmon. I would be able to have this patience with people because of all the time I'd take not being around people.

And the other guys you were trying to stuff into a mold of conventional living even if it makes them a bit crazy? I'd make them all worse [read: better]. And you'd let me because there would be 20% fewer mental breakdowns happening with my influence, and probably less drugs or other acting out. And way more cookies. But also some people would just stay 100% infuriated by it/me at all times.

"Why are you like this? >.>"

"Because nothing can stop me, and I'm not hurting anyone <3"

[sunriseriverrvparkcampground]

RV Maintenance Tips for Traveling Through Crawfordville, Georgia

Traveling through Georgia, especially near areas like Crawfordville, offers picturesque views, tranquil surroundings, and the ultimate escape into nature. As you journey, it’s crucial to ensure your RV is in tip-top shape. Whether you’re staying at Sunrise River RV Park or passing through RV parks near Augusta, GA, maintaining your RV is vital to ensure a smooth and enjoyable trip. Below are some essential RV maintenance tips to keep in mind as you explore this beautiful region.

1. Regular Tire Inspections

One of the most critical aspects of RV maintenance is tire care. Before heading to any RV park near Augusta, GA, check your tires for proper inflation, wear, and tear. The varied terrain in Georgia, from highways to forest trails, can strain your tires. Ensure they are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure. Also, inspect the treads for any signs of excessive wear, and replace tires if necessary. A blowout on the road can be dangerous and inconvenient, so this simple check can save you a lot of trouble.

2. Check and Maintain Brakes

Given the hilly landscapes around Crawfordville, ensuring your brakes are in excellent condition is essential. Regularly check the brake pads, rotors, and fluid levels. If you notice any squeaking, grinding, or decreased braking efficiency, get them serviced immediately. The peace of mind knowing your brakes are functioning correctly will make your travel through Georgia’s scenic routes much safer.

3. Inspect Roof Seals and Vents

Georgia’s climate can be unpredictable, with sudden rain showers even in sunny conditions. To avoid leaks and water damage, inspect the seals around your RV's roof, windows, and vents. Look for any cracks or deteriorated seals, and reapply sealant if necessary. This small step can prevent costly repairs later, especially if you're planning to stay at Sunrise River RV Park, where the natural surroundings are best enjoyed dry and leak-free!

4. Keep the Electrical System in Check

Your RV’s electrical system is its lifeline, powering everything from the refrigerator to the air conditioning. Before you park at any RV park near Augusta, GA, inspect your batteries, wires, and connections. Make sure your batteries are fully charged and in good condition. Test your generator to ensure it’s functioning properly, especially if you plan to camp in more remote areas like Crawfordville. Keeping a multimeter handy can help you diagnose any electrical issues that may arise on the road.

5. Monitor Your Water System

Georgia’s humidity and temperatures can lead to unique challenges for your RV’s water system. Regularly check your freshwater, gray, and black water tanks for leaks or signs of wear. Ensure that the hoses are in good condition and securely connected. If you plan on staying at Sunrise River RV Park, you’ll appreciate having a fully functional water system for showers and kitchen use. Additionally, consider investing in a water pressure regulator to prevent high-pressure water at certain campsites from damaging your RV’s plumbing.

6. Keep Your HVAC System Clean

The summer heat in Georgia can be intense, making your RV’s HVAC system essential for comfort. Clean the filters regularly and ensure that the air conditioning unit is functioning properly. If you're visiting Crawfordville during the warmer months, you’ll want to stay cool and comfortable after a day of exploring. Routine maintenance of your HVAC system will keep you and your family comfortable throughout your journey.

7. Stock Up on Essential Supplies

Crawfordville offers natural beauty and serenity, but it’s also essential to be prepared for any situation. Ensure you have a well-stocked toolkit that includes wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and any other tools specific to your RV model. Carry spare fuses, bulbs, and essential fluids like oil, coolant, and windshield washer fluid. Being prepared will ensure that minor issues don’t escalate into significant problems, allowing you to enjoy your stay at any RV park near Augusta, GA, or beyond.

8. Plan for Waste Disposal

Responsible waste management is vital for the environment and the longevity of your RV’s sanitation system. Before arriving at Sunrise River RV Park, familiarize yourself with the park's waste disposal facilities. Ensure that your black and gray water tanks are emptied and clean. Carry appropriate chemicals to treat your tanks, reducing odors and buildup. Keeping your waste management system in top shape ensures a pleasant experience for you and your fellow campers.

9. Check Your Propane System

Propane is essential for cooking, heating, and refrigeration in many RVs. Before embarking on your journey through Georgia, inspect your propane tanks and lines for leaks. Make sure your tanks are securely mounted and that your regulator is functioning correctly. It’s also wise to keep a carbon monoxide detector in your RV for safety. Regularly inspecting your propane system will allow you to enjoy meals and hot showers without worry during your stay.

10. Protect Against Pests

Crawfordville, with its lush landscapes and natural beauty, can also be a haven for insects and small animals. To protect your RV from unwanted guests, seal any gaps or cracks where pests might enter. Regularly clean your RV’s interior, removing food crumbs and trash that could attract pests. If you’re staying at Sunrise River RV Park, you’ll want to focus on the natural beauty of the area, not on dealing with ants or mice inside your RV!

11. Keep Your RV Clean

Traveling through Georgia can expose your RV to dust, dirt, and debris. Regularly wash your RV to maintain its appearance and protect its exterior from damage. Pay special attention to the undercarriage, especially after traveling on dirt roads or through muddy areas. Cleaning your RV not only keeps it looking good but also helps prevent rust and corrosion, ensuring it stays in excellent condition for years to come.

12. Stay Informed About Local Road Conditions

As you travel through Georgia, staying informed about local road conditions can help you avoid unexpected delays or hazards. Check weather forecasts and road reports, especially during the rainy season, when roads can become slick or flooded. Knowing the conditions ahead of time allows you to plan your route and adjust your driving to ensure a safe journey to Sunrise River RV Park or any other destination in the area.

Conclusion

Maintaining your RV is essential to ensure a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable journey through Crawfordville and the surrounding areas of Georgia. Whether you’re heading to Sunrise River RV Park or exploring RV parks near Augusta, GA, following these maintenance tips will keep your RV in top condition, allowing you to focus on the adventure ahead.

From regular tire checks to ensuring your water and electrical systems are functioning properly, taking the time to maintain your RV will enhance your travel experience. By being proactive with your maintenance routine, you can enjoy the natural beauty and serene landscapes of Crawfordville, Georgia, without worry. Safe travels!

[caxycreations]

Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den

Chapter Nine: Sweet Tooth

Ferusian Law, Third Sequence, Article 3: Law of Trespass

Ferusian citizens are entitled passage and habitation of any residency or public space as recognized by the Department of Home and Business.

Citizens are strictly forbidden from passing through, entering, or inhabiting any residency or public space owned privately through individual or business contract, such as homes, apartments, or private contractors.

Citizens are also forbidden from entering any space designated as Hazard Level C or higher by the Department of Risk Assessment, such as some condemned buildings, glassed towns/cities, or storm-wrecked districts.

Citizens caught in forbidden areas are fined no less than $10,000 and given a minimum of two months community service, up to a maximum of six months imprisonment.

I woke up to the sound of a claw tapping on glass, and for a minute I worried I'd been out here so long security flagged me as a risk. A glance out the window brought a smile to my face instead of a scowl, seeing I was wrong. A pale blueish gray caxy was standing at the window, dark markings in the shape of a cats eyes framing their forest green eyes. Ears pierced ten times each, and sharing Davina's signature studs above the eyebrow.

A lip ring adorned the thick, black bottom lip they shared with their mother. Brown hair, fluffy and thick, messy but swept to part on the left side. They were wearing a dark green bomber jacket, one that matched with David's, and Davina's, in style if not in color. A hand-drawn, stylized S was on the left side of the chest. Trace's logo.

Moss.

I chuckled, unlocking the doors and stepping out, pulling the young hybrid into a hug. "Howdy, pup. How's life?" I asked, smiling. I could guess easily how life had been. Life with Davina was always interesting, given her habits. But I was still curious to hear how they'd been, and what they'd been up to, apart from that. Moss shifted in their seat, trying to get comfortable before giving me an answer.

"It's been good! Mom's been stressing over my weekend trips like usual, but she did mention something about taking my driver's test next year, so soon I'll be able to start practicing!" They said, half excited. Moss smiled, buckling into their seat and looking at me expectantly.

"Hell yeah! You gonna practice with 'Vina or Trace?" I asked, starting up the truck and pulling out of the lot, heading for the nearest Mac Patty's.

"I think I'd like to practice with Trace. Mom's great, most of the time, but I don't think she'd be very good at teaching me while she's busy fussing over every little thing I do behind the wheel." They said, letting out a chuckle. It was wild imagining Davina of all people fussing and fretting over little things, but I understood. Moss was special to her like that. We pulled in and got out, heading in and placing our orders before settling down at a table.

"How's it been here? Been good or...?" Moss trailed off, smiling curiously. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Well, David's avoidin' home for a while. Tired of th' empty space, I reckon. Can't say I blame'im, he's got next t' nothin' unpacked there an' it's a damn depressin' little apartment." I responded with a dismissive wave. "Other'n th' houseguest I've been entertainin', it's been same as usual. Got a job offer though, security at th' club David had his 21st at."

Moss suddenly lit up, smiling wide at me and setting their burger down. "Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you, do you think you can get me in some time? I'm here every weekend, can't you get me in?" They asked, excited and almost pleading. They made wide, hopeful eyes, the smile on their face warm and eager. A hope, warmth, and eagerness I had to crush, unfortunately.

"No can do, pup. Ain't old enough an' they card ya at every turn in there. Davey almost gets thrown out ten times a night when he's in there, they have such a hard time trustin' his ID." I answered, half-sad at having to deny them. "Y'wouldn't be able t' get on th' dance floor, wouldn't be able t' get t' th' bar t' order water, an' ya wouldn't be able t' get in th' front door. Even if'n I helped ya by, they'd card ya inside an' we'd both be in trouble." I said with a sigh.

I watched them deflate, shoulders sagging and smile fading to a frown, eyes shifting to look at their food again. "Oh…Okay, sorry Uncle Rye." They apologized, low and quiet. I hated being the bearer of bad news. I glanced at the menu and chuckled, seeing a few pies, cakes, and ice cream options. I tapped one I knew they liked, a personal sized mulberry pie, and raised an eyebrow, smirking. They looked at the menu where I'd tapped and laughed a little, then looked at me.

"Are you sure, Uncle Ryder? I don't wanna cost you too much…" they said hesitantly. They glanced back to the menu, and I heard a soft, quiet mewl from them. I nodded, laughing a little and waving over a waiter, ordering two of the pies and a third to-go. Moss smiled, still not as energetic as they had been, but noticeably better than they had been a minute ago. We finished our food in silence, and when the pies came out, we ate them quickly and left.

Moss smiled as they sat their take-home pie in the floorboard, buckling in. "So guess what Trace said he would buy me today!" they said excitedly. I chuckled, shaking my head. Gifts from Trace were always bad news in the best way. I couldn't help but wonder what the fox had planned.

"What's that, pup?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Running shoes! There's a new shop that opened a few blocks from the mall, and he said when we leave there he'll buy me a pair!" the little caxy exclaimed. I smiled, nodding.

"Hell yeah! Well let's get ya back there so y'can get'em then." I said with a grin, putting the key into the ignition.

Starting the engine, I pulled out from the lot and headed back for the mall, settling into a space near the doors. Moss and I headed inside and, with a little searching, found David and Trace in Sugar Shack, a candy store David seemed incapable of skipping over when he came here.

"Trace! They have them this time!!" He exclaimed, bouncing giddily as he pulled a bar from the shelf. Double-stuffed king-sized cream bar, one of his favorites. Chocolate coating, Kanorian egg cream inside, and almonds throughout. He put several of the bars into his basket and skipped off to one of the scoop carts, grabbing a bag and filling it with various treats.

"Yep, I see that, did you leave any for anyone else?" the fox said with a smirk, walking over to keep up with David. Moss and I walked in and I grabbed a basket of our own, smiling.

"Go on, pup. Grab whatever y' want, I'll pay." I said, nodding to the candy. Moss shook their head and took the basket from me, quickly rushing off to fill it with their own selection of treats. I followed behind, tallying up the cost as they went. I knew better than to think they'd let me pay for it, and the only way I'd get the chance is if I was up there before they were and had the money ready to go.

"Oh my gods!!!" The exclamation turned every head in the shop, all eyes on the little grey caxy that had shouted. David was standing there holding a large box, a logo stamped on the back. He still hadn't noticed me, or Moss. I smirked, resigning myself to overpaying and just getting change back when Moss was done. Heading over to David, seeing Moss do the same out of the corner of my eye, I settled into place behind him, crossing my arms and looking over his find.

It was a gummy wolf, blue raspberry flavor. Industrial sized, the ones as big as a teddy bear. The eyes were peppermints, orange and white swirls meeting in a single point in the center. Trace had noticed me, but hadn't said a word, merely offering an acknowledging glance before focusing on David's presentation, the caxy now turning the box to face Trace.

"IT'S RYDER!!!" He yelled through his giggles, smiling wide. Moss, now approaching from behind Trace, nodded at David. The youngster nudged Trace, who nudged back with a grin, casually grabbing a couple of things from Moss' basket and slipping them into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Sure is, Dee. I can definitely see Ryder." Trace said with a smirk, glancing at me again as he spoke. My smirk turned to a grin and I reached forward, grabbing the box from David's hands and heading for the front counter, carrying it under my arm and pulling my wallet out.

"Hey, that's-!" I heard David cut his words short, most likely realizing I had been the one to take it. I heard footsteps following, and as I set the gummy wolf down on the counter, David smacked my shoulder.

"That was rude, you know!" He scolded. I let out a chuckle and pulled a couple of hundreds from my wallet, looking around the store for a minute before nodding to myself and looking at the clerk.

"Here, $200, paying for everything these guys plan on getting. Whatever's left over you can pocket." I offered, holding the money out. The cashier, a black and brown husky, looked at the money and nodded, smiling.

"Understood, Sir! Take your time and stock up, we're closing for a few weeks for renovations in a few days so we won't be available much longer!" They responded, setting the money into a space beside the register to use when we checked out. David gave a mrow of disappointment and smacked my shoulder again.

"I was gonna pay for our candy…You need to save up-" I cut him off with a look, sternly locking eyes with him.

"Jus' cause ya got more'n we'll ever have in our lifetimes don't mean ya gotta pay for all our shit. Sometimes we wanna do somethin' nice for ya an' that's that." I said, relaxing into a smile. "Besides, I planned on payin' for the candy Moss grabbed an' figured I may as well cover all th' stuff if'n I'm gonna cover any of it."

David gave another indignant mrow before shaking his head, smiling wide and taking off to continue filling his basket. Moss gave me a playful glare before running off to stock up their own basket. Trace just stood beside me, rocking on his pads and watching the two boys collecting candy.

"Not gonna get any for yourself?" I asked him, looking over curiously. Trace simply smirked, making a show of shaking his head while his hand shifted in his pocket. I knew that signal perfectly. His coat was stuffed with snacks, tucked away in his 'special pockets' he'd had put in. Connections in the underground paid for themselves, I guess. "Understood." I said with a chuckle, shaking my head.

Had it been anyone else, I might have tried to stop them. Paid for their goods myself, at best, convinced them to pay themselves at worst, but Trace was a special case. We'd never seen eye to eye on this sort of thing, and learned early on in our relationship it was best not to ask where Trace got anything, and even better for us not to question the methods if we did find out. I watched David and Moss, giddy over the snacks they were finding, sharing excitement across the store.

Moss was athletic, healthy, they didn't indulge in sweets much, but a candy store like this had plenty they could enjoy. David was even helping, pointing out anything he found that wasn't some sugar-filled monstrosity of cavity-inducing sweetness. I leaned back, watching them, from David's tail, long and freely swaying in his joy, to his hair, flying every which way as he turned sharp corners, excitedly darting from shelf to shelf. It was too cute not to laugh a little under my breath, smiling wide.

Trace nudged my side, raising an eyebrow at me. "You ever gonna ask the lil guy out? Come on, man. You've been making puppy eyes at him for the last ten minutes." He asked, causing me to look at him with wide eyes, my brow furrowed.

"Jus' so y'know, I ain't got any intention'a askin' David out. We ain't like that, ya oughta know that by now. Jus' cause y'like fuckin' your friends don't mean everyone with a best friend is pinin' t' pound'em." I scoffed, shaking my head. Trace smirked a little more, flashing his teeth at me.

"You're just jealous it's so easy for me, but face it, anyone with eyes can tell you want a little more than just a night of caxy magic, you want the caxy himself." He accused, turning to face me properly. I frowned, shaking my head. The odd feeling here and there didn't mean anything, it was natural for folks as close to each other as David and I were to wonder once in a while, but that didn't mean we had to pursue it. I knew better than that.

"Might wonder now an' then, but I learned pretty well that friends don't make good mates. Learned that from you." I said pointedly, hoping the jab might make him drop the subject.

His own smile faded into a frown, and he sighed. "I'm different. I liked you. You loved me. Doesn't work if it's not a real back and forth, dumbass. Gotta be mutual." He said, leaning back against the counter and pulling his hands out of his pockets, crossing his arms. I nodded, looking at David and Moss again. Moss hardly had anything in their basket, focusing on the healthy treats, the sugar-free stuff. Comparing that to David's was an anthill to a mountain, David now carrying a second basket, the first piled high. I hoped I'd paid enough for all of it.

Moss ran up and set their basket on the counter, smiling. "I got all I wanted, Uncle Rye!" they said with a wide grin. The cashier scanned the items, a few bars, a couple bags of chips, some gum, and used a bit of the money I'd given to pay it out. Moss smiled, taking the bag of candy and settling in between Trace and I. Trace nudged Moss, the young caxy looking at him curiously. "What was that for?"

Trace nodded towards David idly. "Y'think Ryder and Davey would make a good couple, kiddo?" he asked casually, leaving me glaring at him. The last thing I needed was Moss thinking about that sort of thing.

"Aren't they already?" They asked the fox, genuine curiosity in their voice.

"No, pup, we ain't. Jus' friends." I answered before Trace could corrupt the situation any further. Moss looked at me, confused.

"But he lives with you, y'all sleep together most of the time, too. And you're always watching out for him, buying him gifts like today. Are…you two not dating?" they asked, and I began to wonder what sort of things Davina had told them, or neglected to tell them, about David and I. I shook my head, sighing. This subject was starting to wear on me.

"No. Davey's my best friend, ain't nobody like'im, but that's all. Gotta be mutual. An' it ain't." I said, looking over at the little grey caxy across the store, grabbing a few more candy bars and bounding towards one last display. "Th'feelin's ain't there, pup." I said plainly.

"Oh." The younger caxy said, idly pulling one of their snack bars from the bag and starting to eat it quietly. Trace looked at me, shaking his head and letting out a sound that was half a sigh, half a growl. I looked over just in time to notice him grabbing my shirt hard, pulling me with all his strength out of the store. I could have resisted, but if he wanted to talk, better hear him out than have him make a scene in the store.

"Moss, stay there and make sure David uses what Ryder paid before he tries paying himself. I've gotta talk to your Uncle." he said, scowling. We made our way out of the store, settling in a few stores down with Trace glaring up at me, arms crossed.

"Do you have any clue how dense you are? Any idea at all?" He asked angrily, scowl only strengthening. "David looks up to you, admires you, adores you, trusts you more than he does any of us, even his own damn sister. We see you two together every time we see one of you, can't get an hour alone with either one. Even when you took off with Moss, you were back in forty minutes. Just can not stay away. But the feelings aren't mutual?"

I started to answer, but he cut me off. "Nuh-uh, quiet, not done. I've watched you rush in like a bat out of hell for the kid, but I've never seen you hurry like you have for David. Nobody else gets that privilege." His expression softened, and he looked at me with sadness in his eyes, though he tried hard to hide it. "Not even me, back then."

I was taken aback. Trace was always the blunt one, having this explosion was rare. He always spoke his mind in the moment, and I wondered why he had bottled this up. But I wasn't about to ask and risk getting hushed again.

Trace returned to his scowl, shaking his head. "The feelings weren't mutual on your end, Ryder. Not then. But now? Now anybody on Relan can take one look and see that you'd take on Gaius himself if he were a danger to David." He accused, shifting his weight from one paw to the other.

"Trace, I do all that for David cause ain't nobody else done it." I said, sighing. He had a point, one I wanted desperately to ignore. I didn't want David and I to go the same way Trace and I had. I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't hurt him too.

Trace glowered at me, then let his shoulders slump. "You are…too stupid for your own good." He said, frustration in his voice. "And for David's."

His words came with a finality I didn't dare question or add on to. I watched him pad back towards the store and followed quietly. He had said his piece and I had no idea how to respond besides simply going back with him. I felt a tightness in my chest, heat rising in my heart. Anger, remorse, regret, blame, all fighting on equal ground to decide how I was supposed to feel.

We got back to the store, David and Moss waiting by the door. Trace smiled, wrapping an arm around each of the caxies. "Got your goods, boys? Gods know I do!" He said with a laugh, letting go of David to pat his pocket, the sound of cellophane crinkling as he did. I stepped up behind Moss, ruffling his hair and putting on my best smile. I ruffled Moss' hair, earning an angry mrow from the young caxy.

David looked at me and mrowed curiously. "Everything okay, Rye? What did you and Trace need to talk about?" He asked, obviously a little worried. I shook my head, smiling.

"Jus' some old wounds needin' t'be licked, that's all." I said casually. Trace nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, he licked my old wound real good~" He said with a smirk. Moss playfully smacked his shoulder, laughing. I admired how easily he could slip back into his casual, playful attitude.

"Trace!!" the younger caxy exclaimed, trying to quiet their laughter. The four of us headed for the front entrance, and Trace stopped us at the doors.

"Alright, David, remember the game plan?" he asked, a wild smile on his face. David nodded excitedly.

"Yep! Tomorrow night at eight, you pick me up at Ryder's and we head out. I've got my stuff at my apartment so we'll make a stop on the way home so I can get it!" He answered eagerly.

Moss smiled, nodding. "I've got my gear in the back of the car! So we'll be all set and ready to go!" They said confidently.

"Y'all wanna tell me what this is about?" I asked worriedly, looking at the excited trio. Trace grinned at my question, like he knew how the answer was going to make me feel.

"We're going ghost hunting at the mall in Old Town." he said proudly, like it was worth bragging about. Old Town was no joke. Spire in the area failed during a storm, and the entire district was lost to a lightning strike. Hundreds, gone in an instant. The stories of ghosts ran rampant after that, and with the damage to structures, I didn't like the idea of David going out there one bit.

"Y'all ain't doin' that. Not with David. I know you'll be fine, Trace, y'got that wind shit ya do, an' I trust Moss t' take care'a themselves jus' as well. Davey, please tell me ya ain't goin' with'em?" I asked, half-pleading.

David simply shrugged, smiling. He was going, and wasn't about to give me a chance to turn him away from it. I sighed, nodding.

"Take care'a Davey out there then. Ya put'im first, 'fore yourself, got it, Trace?" I insisted, baring my teeth. The fox shrunk a little at that, but nodded.

"We'll take good care of him, we always do!" Moss said with a smile. The little caxy nudged Trace and pulled his jacket a little. "C'mon, we gotta go get some sleep if we wanna be up all night tonight!" they demanded, grinning.

Trace nodded, following suit and waving his hand at us. "You two be good, and don't forget what I said, Ryder!" he yelled our way, heading for his car.

David and I shared a laugh, my own being more tense than happy, and headed for the truck. If David was going to go, at least I knew Trace had agreed to watch him like a hawk. For all my worries, I could trust Trace to keep his word. I had to hold on to that.

I had to trust David would be safe without me tomorrow night.

[dearestones]

Twisted Wonderland Matchup: Silver

@astralmysteria Request: Can I have a romantic twisted wonderland matchup plz

Gender: cis female

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: heterosexual ally

Appearance: 5’2 African American hourglass body (although I’m more top heavy if you know what i mean) black curly wavy hair blackish brown eyes chubby cheeks wears glasses sometimes (im far sighted so it’s usually when driving in class or at the theater)

Personality: kind smart funny motherly responsible empathetic anxious emotional moody perfectionist helpful people pleaser caring compassionate nerdy curious protective polite respectful indecisive fearful nervous introvert shy awkward clumsy low self esteem low confidence (more pertaining to my talents or personality then my looks) sassy sarcastic (I’m mainly these things with people i feel comfortable with like friends or family) soft spoken cute (my friends think im cute because i can be pretty innocent plus I’m small physically)

Likes: animals books reading writing fantasy magic sci fi anime music video games friends alone time learning personality quizzes sweets and bread helping being a part of something bigger than myself

Dislikes: spiders loud sounds people who harm others people who don’t take others into consideration (like make insensitive jokes or don’t consider the comfort of others or are mean just cause they can) people i care about not caring for themselves (im a hypocrite on this i take care of everyone else but not me) not being listened to weird holes and patterns math and tests (I’m being tested for a math disability and i have test anxiety)

Love language:

Giving: acts of service gift giving and physical affection (if they’re ok with it)

Receiving: words of affirmation and physical affection (although i can be shy about it)

Extra: i pace a lot i sing when im alone i talk to myself im a picky eater (mainly with textures) i have a cat

Thank you

.

.

.

After going through the description given, I believe that you best pair well with Silver!

Silver is a gentleman through and through, so while he appreciates your figure, he doesn’t ogle it mindlessly like some other students might. Although, if pushed, he would find that you are adorable and quite eye-catching, what with your curly black hair and chubby cheeks. And because you’re so short, he may endeavor to help you with fetching things like books or cups from high places—provided, of course, you ask for assistance because he still is a very polite young man.

Silver doesn’t often think about romance or any other feelings relating to that particular emotion. Most of the time, he’s trying to better himself as both a knight to his prince or to become a worthy mage that his father can be proud of. That said, he appreciates your kind and caring nature. As a student of Night Raven College, most of his peers are not as willing to bear vulnerability or compassion so openly. If nothing else, he finds your attitude refreshing because it is also a reflection of himself.

Silver believes in you despite your awkward and clumsy nature. Everyone has their faults and yours is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s rather endearing; almost as if you were one of those deer he would find near his childhood home or in the forests that surround the school. 

In addition, if he ever finds that you are feeling doubtful about your talents and abilities, he is quick to reassure you and lay any doubts to rest. It takes a while to become confident, but like all things, when you want to become better at someone, you have to continue to practice and work hard to better yourself. 

Silver is straightforward and serious. Although he is far more adept at interacting with his peers when compared to the rest of Diasomnia dorm, that doesn’t mean that he’s loads better. Therefore, don’t be too discouraged or saddened if Silver doesn’t quip back with his own sarcastic retorts or laugh at your sass. He’s an earnest, polite soul; it’s best that if you want to communicate with little miscommunication, you are clear and concise with your words. 

(That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any moments when he can’t be funny or crack a smile at your humor. Give him time, he’ll get there eventually). 

Don’t blame Silver, but he also thinks that you’re rather adorable. It’s a mixture of your mannerisms and your physicality, but it’s also because you remind him of his woodland creatures that he talks to sometimes. It doesn’t help that you’re rather soft spoken and that you share his love for animals!

Speaking of animals, you can join Silver whenever he decides to take a walk through the forest surrounding Night Raven College. Even though he’s usually busy because of club meetings, schoolwork, and a plethora of activities that he must complete as knight to Malleus, he’ll still make time for you. Sometimes, dates with him will culminate in a lovely picnic underneath a great oak tree. There, the both of you can talk about your wants and dreams, pet the animals that will eventually swarm Silver, or even take naps together. 

(You can even ruffle or comb through Silver’s hair whenever he takes an impromptu nap. Just be sure to wake him up eventually). 

Whenever Silver sees that you are not taking care of yourself —especially when you should—he’ll offer to lighten your burdens. If you need help cooking healthy meals, he’ll take over the kitchen for you. If your living space needs cleaning, he’ll freely get cleaning supplies and get to work. Whatever you need help with, he’ll do his best to uplight you and make it so that it’s easier to enact self care. 

If you are ever worried about not getting listened to, don’t fear! Silver isn’t very talkative, but he’s always willing to listen to others. There may be times when he may not have words of advice should you need them (he might have to refer to Lilia for worldly advice), but his comforting presence more than makes up for it. 

As for your listed love languages, Silver appreciates all three of them. His favorite, however, is acts of service. He’s a knight and had to spend most of his childhood learning how to be self-sufficient. To know that there is someone out there who can share some of his responsibilities lightens his heart. He’s a little confused when you give him gifts (it’s not often that he’s spoiled like this), but will accept them nonetheless. As for physical affection, he’s more than fine with it! He doesn’t often initiate, but won’t stop you if you reach for his hands or pull his face in for a kiss. 

As for you, Silver is not always outspoken, but you can be assured that whatever he says will always be the truth. No matter how blunt his words, know that he means all of it and that he would never directly hurt you with words alone. Again, he’s not great with initiating physical affection, but if you inform him that you would like him to start, he’ll gladly do so. He’s not exactly as shy as you, but he’ll be very gentle, almost hesitant to touch you. After a while, he’ll become bolder and offer you physical affection whenever he sees you.

All in all, your relationship with Silver is pretty mellow, but filled with quiet affection and love between the both of you. 

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If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

TWISTED WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

[cryopathiic-a]

MONK NPCs :: I've been meaning to make this post and add a few standard Monk NPCs that I default to mentioning. It makes things easier for me as a writer to have a few set NPCs to fall back onto. So here are the three prominent grandpas of Eternal Paradise.

MONK TENZIN:

Tenzin is Douma's right hand. He is a man in his 80s that seems to be the most knowledgeable about the temple and Eternal Paradise faith and has served for the longest time. He is aware of Douma's nature and willingly serves under the belief that if he serves dutifully the people of the temple will have a better faith. Tenzin has agreed to serve until the end of his days with the promise that, when his time comes, Douma won't turn him into an oni and condemn him to eternal life. Tenzin used to serve a different mountain temple where he had raised several generations of priests and devoted his life to ascetism. One night, he was headed for his futon after seeing the temple's children to bed. He counted his beads, took his personal time to meditate, changed into his nightwear and laid down on his futon. What followed was a tragedy that would mark the rest of his days. By the time the sun rose that winter morning, the demon that had raided his temple was gone, leaving behind naught but corpses and rubble. Without expression, Monk Tenzin cleaned up the mess, cremated whatever parts of the dead he could procure. And then he set off, from village to village, looking for a place to continue his practices in hopes that it would alleviate the survivor's guilt he was left with. Eventually, word reached him of a temple hidden deep in the forest. And so, Tenzin arrived at Eternal Paradise. When the temple's Lord Founder heard of his story, he begun to cry. Tenzin, thinking the man was soft-hearted and had been touched by his tragedy, promised to serve dutifully if he would be allowed to stay — 'You promise?' the Lord Founder asked him. And only after he'd given his word did he notice the glimmer of pearly fangs under his lips.

MONK AOTO:

Named after the color blue, Monk Aoto is a man in his sixties that embodies the melancholic disposition. He is the one in charge of the kitchen, preparing the communion and procuring supplies. His hidden passion, however, has revealed itself over the years; the culinary arts. Monk Aoto's spiritual quest took a peculiar turn after he realized his one true calling in life. Exploiting that sense of ambition, the Lord Founder revealed his secret to him and offered him eternal life, in exchange for his services. 'If you become a demon, you will live to perfect your cooking skills into eternity.' Douma conveniently forgot to mention the part where he would no longer be able to taste-test the food, of course. And so, Aoto serves with this sole goal in mind. Around the temple, Monk Aoto is known for being very strict — especially when it comes to who is allowed in his kitchen. He is a disciplined man and very stern, which has made the temple girls groan when they're selected for kitchen duty.

MONK YUZUI:

Monk Yuzui is a very bulky man in his forties. He towers around a height of 6'4'', taller than the Lord Founder himself even and he has biceps the size of a small tree bark. Yuzui is in charge of temple repairs and restorations as well as implementing new structures. As the youngest of the bunch, he is the most amicable and approachable, however he is also known to get temperamental when his structures are damaged by the elements or the temple-dwellers. Monk Yuzui has a penchant for painting beautiful murals and most of Eternal Paradise's artworks have been done by him. Douma finds the image of his callused, thick fingers holding a dainty paintbrush so deftly very funny.

Yuzui knows of the demon's nature as well, however, unlike the other two, he simply believes that Douma is a godlike being and his personal loyalty to him is very hard to shake. Yuzui arrived at the temple during a time when Douma would still perform a lot of healing miracles using his blood art, so he thinks of him as a heavenly sent savior, a prophet and truly believes in the Eternal Paradise pantheon, that is comprised of the Twelve Kizuki and Muzan as the Sun God. He is a true believer and thinks that Douma eating the temple's followers is granting them passageway to eternal nirvana. In exchange for his service, Yuzui didn't ask for anything. And so Douma has decided to keep him with the potential of turning him into a demon, eventually.

[beardedmrbean]

Helsingin Sanomat has a comparison of pay rise figures from a number of countries with similar pay bargaining to Finland.

No wage earner will be surprised to learn that the Finnish figures (3.5 percent this year, two percent next for industrial workers) are the lowest of the lot, and well below inflation.

In Sweden industrial workers' agreed pay rises were 4.1 percent this year and 3.2 percent next year, in Germany workers get more than five percent this year and three percent next plus a 3,000 euro tax-free one-off payment to help with the cost of living.

In Belgium, pay rises are automatically linked to inflation so they have been set at 12 percent this year.

That number gets to the heart of the problem, according to HS. Consumer prices have risen some 15 percent over the last two years, and pay in Finland has not kept pace.

Collective agreements do not reflect the complete picture. Some of the comparison countries do not apply the rises to everyone, and in Finland the sum of wages is a better guide to how salaries have risen.

It includes wage increases for people who change jobs and for those who otherwise get a better deal than the minimum levels agreed by unions.

But even so, the paper carries quotes from the labour unions think tank suggesting the time for pay restraint has passed, and workers in Finland need a salary uplift.

Helsinki spying hotspots?

Russia has been making big claims about Finnish intelligence, reports Ilta-Sanomat (IS). Russian channels RT and Rossija24 both reported that Supo has been trying to recruit Russian embassy workers at various locations in Helsinki.

Among the claims is that staff at various service businesses in the capital have passed information about workers to Finnish intelligence.

IS sets out to test those claims, asking at various locations for comment. A travel agency refused to say anything, while a dog daycare business was a little more forthcoming.

The doggy daycare was supposedly a target for an officer from Britain's MI6. The Russian reports claim that an alleged officer brought his own mutt to be looked after in the hope of meeting Russian embassy staff.

Workers at the kennel service said they were amused by the claims, as they have "hundreds" of British customers and were curious as to who the supposed agent might be.

The claims themselves were given short shrift: owners do not really interact with each other and don't receive information about other customers. The information the business is interested in relates mostly to the dogs, which may be of limited use to espionage practitioners.

Overlooked superfood

It is bilberry season in the woods and forests of Finland, with plenty of the tiny fruit on offer to intrepid explorers.

Iltalehti, though, suggests that people take a second look at an often-ignored alternative: the bog whortleberry. Known as juolukka in Finnish, the bog whortleberry is slightly darker and grows on bushes higher off the ground than its cousin, the bilberry.

It's considerably more nutritious too, containing more vitamins than the more popular alternative. So if you're out and about in nature this week, do have a look for the hidden superfood.