#its been a million years since i last drew them

[orangehalfpeeled]

i miss them !!!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Rummaging around my house and i got jumpscared

[mariacallous]

BERLIN — A German court has ruled that an 85-year-old woman and her son who live in a property sold under duress by its Jewish owners in 1939 must give up their home.

The ruling earlier this month capped a decade of legal wrangling over the home, located in Wandlitz, outside Berlin. For many paying attention to the twists and turns, the fight over the lakeside property came to symbolize the pain and turmoil of nearly a century of history — as well as the ways in which German families tell themselves complicated stories about their role during the Holocaust. It has also surfaced lingering resentments, some of them clearly antisemitic, about Germany’s efforts to repay Jews for its crimes against them.

The Wandlitz estate is likely one of the last property restitution cases to be adjudicated in Germany, as virtually all looted or “aryanized” property has already gone through the restitution process or been lost to history, with no one left to claim it. The deadline to file property claims passed decades ago.

The case centers on an estate, located in a bucolic area about 20 miles from central Berlin, that functioned in the 1930s as a summer retreat for an orphanage operated by two Jewish women, Alice Donat and Helene Lindenbaum. To comply with Nazi laws meant to expropriate Jewish wealth, they sold the land, complete with a structure in poor condition, to Felix Moegelin in 1939 for 21,100 Reichsmarks, a relative pittance.

Moegelin had to sign the statement “I am Aryan,” while the two women had to sign that they were Jewish according to the Nuremberg Laws of 1935.

The original house was torn down and eventually replaced, and Moegelin and his family settled in on Wegener Street. Donat and Lindenbaum were deported from Berlin by the Nazis in 1943 and murdered.

Today, Moegelin’s granddaughter, Gabriele Lieske, 85, still lives in the house with her son, Thomas Lieske, 61. They dug in their heels after a lower court ruled last year that they must give up the property or pay for it. Located in the suburbs of Berlin, where real estate is hot, the property is worth about $1.6 million today.

Now, the property will be seized by the state and transferred to the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the legal successor to unclaimed Jewish property in the former East Germany. No living heirs to the murdered owners were ever identified.

“I spent my whole life in the house and looked after my parents,” Gabriele Lieske said after the ruling, according to local media. “We don’t know where to go.”

The case drew national attention earlier this year after it was profiled in the prominent German newsmagazine Spiegel just after International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It vaulted back into public view this month when the Lieskes ran out of legal runway to appeal their case.

Seeking compensation, the Lieskes’ Munich-based lawyer, Raffael Nath, invoked a legal loophole that allows the German government to provide some payment to current owners who paid for rather than inherited the property from the original buyer who “Aryanized” the property. He argued that Gabriele Lieske actually did not inherit the property from her mother, Luise Moegelin. Instead, he asserted, Lieske purchased it in 1993 through an arrangement in which she would provide care for her aging parent and cover all the upkeep costs. Her mother died in 2012 at the age of 99.

The judge was not persuaded.

Gideon Taylor, the president of the Claims Conference, said media attention to the case was misplaced. “What the judge did was completely unremarkable,” he said, adding, “This is established principal in law that has been in place since the end of the war. A forced sale is not valid and that which was taken must be returned.”

Whether and when the Lieskes will move out is not clear. The Claims Conference has offered to let Gabriele Lieske remain as a tenant in her childhood home for the rest of her life.

Nath said in an interview earlier this year that Gabriele Lieske had turned down the offer because it would have come with an obligation to pay rent, and her son would not be allowed to live there after her death.

But no terms of a tenancy have been negotiated, Taylor said. “We are certainly willing to work out an arrangement with the family,” he emphasized.

Still, he noted that German law is clear about whether looted property can be inherited. “Where, as here, an Aryanizer took over Jewish property, it does not get passed to the heirs of the Aryanizer,” he said earlier this year.

The Wandlitz case is one of the last of its kind. Holocaust survivors, their heirs or the Claims Conference have received compensation or restitution for thousands of properties in Germany, starting in the west after the war, and in the east after unification.

A few cases are still pending, 79 years after the end of World War II. But some will never be heard, according to restitution lawyer Olaf Ossmann.

“So many families didn’t even start cases in the post-war period” because the legal hurdles and burdens of proof were so daunting, said Ossmann, who was born in Leipzig, Germany, and now lives in Winterthur, Switzerland, where he is president of the Jewish community. The task, he said, was “so depressing, in a way, that they stopped.”

In all, in the last 33 years, Ossmann estimates he has handled some 3,000 property cases — some for prominent German Jewish families, but mostly owners of smaller properties.

Ossmann, who today handles mostly looted art cases, still gets calls from people who found documents from their parents or grandparents and can’t make sense of them. “Fair and just” compensation is not really possible, he said. “The proper term I’m using normally is ‘the best you can get for the moment.’”

Very little is known about the two Jewish women who ran the children’s home. According to the Stolpersteine (Stumbling Block) memorial project, Alice Donat was born in 1898 in Vienna to Robert and Anna Donat, and had two sisters and a brother. She studied education in Berlin and later ran the private kindergarten and Jewish children’s home with Helene Lindenbaum. The two women purchased the property in 1932, according to the district court decision handed down in September 2023.

In his memoir, the late Emanuel Berger, an orphan who resided in the home and who survived the Holocaust, described Donat as loving and strict; she taught the children to sing and dance to her piano accompaniment.

Even less is known about Helene Lindenbaum, other than that she was born in 1888 in Berlin and was married.

When the women sold their property in 1939, about half the payment went to cover their mortgage. It is doubtful that they ever benefited from the rest, as the district court pointed out in its decision last year: A 1938 decree from the Reich and Prussian economics minister stressed the need to “secure Jewish assets” to prevent Jews from fleeing Germany with their money.

According to the Stolpersteine report, Lindenbaum and her husband, who is not named, were to be deported to Theresienstadt in 1943; they volunteered to go on the transport to Auschwitz with the two children from the orphanage, Emanuel Berger and his brother Erwin, but Alice Donat would not hear of it. Instead, Donat stayed with the two boys; they were deported together to Auschwitz in March 1943. Alice Donat and Erwin Berger were murdered in the gas chamber; Emanuel was selected for slave labor and survived.

Helene Lindenbaum, and presumably her husband, were deported from Berlin to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in March 1943, and from there to Auschwitz in October 1944, where Helene was murdered.

In the former East Germany, the process of restitution began after unification in 1990, when a two-year period of claims opened. Where no heirs came forward or were found, the Claims Conference submitted claims as successor at the end of 1992.

In 1998 the Claims Conference finally determined exactly which plot of land had belonged to Donat and Lindenbaum, according to Nath, the Lieskes’ lawyer.

That was when the German government could have informed the Lieskes of the claim, and barred them from selling, Nath said. He added, “Why it took another 17 or 18 years for them to inform the family, we don’t know.”

The Lieskes first learned from the government about the Claims Conference application in 2015, Nath said. They contested it. The court heard the case last September.

Gabriele Lieske told Spiegel magazine she’d rather die than leave the property. Her son felt the same. After all, they said, what happened was not their fault, but a twist of fate — one that ignored the family’s own history of having sheltered Jewish relatives during the war years.

Those relatives were Felix Moegelin’s niece, Margarete, and her daughter Irene, who was born in 1937. Margarete’s Jewish mother, Felix’s sister-in-law, was murdered in the Holocaust, according to the Yad Vashem database. Irene’s father was deported to Minsk and was likely murdered either in a mass shooting or by asphyxiation with motor exhaust fumes.

Meanwhile, as Gabriele Lieske recalls, her grandparents sheltered Margarete and Irene in Wandlitz. In an email to JTA, Lieske recalled that they “hid from the Nazis with us. Irene and I played together in the garden.” The extended family fled together when the Soviets took the area in the spring of 1945, but eventually returned, she said. Eventually, “Aunt Margarete and Irene moved back to Berlin.”

Documents at the Arolsen Archive indicate that Margarete and Irene both emigrated to the United States.

Gabriele Lieske only remembers her aunt and cousin visiting one more time, after the Berlin Wall went up in 1961: Margarete and Irene — then with a newborn child — visited Margarete’s sister Ella in Berlin. Irene’s husband also visited once, Gabriele Lieske said.

The Lieske family’s character, if this story proves it, was not relevant to the legal case, according to last year’s court ruling. “The fact put forward by the plaintiffs that the buyer hid a Jewish citizen on his property and thus saved her from the Nazis’ attacks has no connection with the purchase contract of February 8, 1939, and is therefore irrelevant here,” the court said.

Though no one has blamed the Lieske family for what their forefather did, several readers of the Spiegel article, at least, saw the legal process as unfair punishment.

“Can you still blame families if they live in such houses for the umpteenth generation?” asked one reader on the social media platform X. “Maybe without knowing how their ancestors got the house?”

Some have stood up for the Jewish victims. “If you accept an inheritance, you also accept the debts,” said one commenter on X, referring to German law, which transfers both assets and liabilities to heirs.

“Of course it’s bad for the current residents of the house, but in the end it doesn’t belong to them,” said another. “It never belonged to them. It was stolen — ripped from people’s cold, dead hands. Who wants to live in something like that anyway?”

(Another Wandlitz property burdened by the Holocaust, the opulent former estate of Third Reich propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, is on the market now. The German government, which owns it, has been unable to find anyone to assume ownership even for free.)

Some Spiegel readers suggested that Jews were inappropriately profiting from the Holocaust. “That’s almost 90 years,” one wrote. “It has to end at some point.”

Ossmann said the tendency of the German public to portray those who benefitted from the looting as the victims had always been a problem. Roughly two decades ago, he recalled, German citizens physically attacked journalists who were reporting on a restitution case. The reporters barricaded themselves inside a supermarket “to avoid being beaten to death,” Ossmann said.

The anger and resentment felt by some descendants of “Aryanizers” doesn’t fade, he said. But “if you take the perspective of the [original] victim, you would easily understand that it didn’t make a difference what you lost first or last, if you lost it by sale or confiscation or by whatever means,” he said. “Because at the end you lost everything.”

The Claims Conference uses most proceeds from sales of unclaimed Jewish property to help Holocaust survivors in need with medicine, food and home care. It recently determined that there were 245,000 survivors still alive around the world.

One German commentator, the columnist Gunnar Schupelius, recently cited them in his assessment of the Wandlitz case.

“The Lieske family feels that the return is an injustice. It is really hard for them. But what happened is what happened,” he wrote. “We who are alive today are not to blame for the genocide of the Jews, but we should take care of the survivors and their descendants. That is only fair.”

Taylor urged an interpretation of the case that is divorced from broader debates about the lengths Germany goes to atone for the Holocaust.

“This is not about compensation from the German government and how much should be given to Holocaust survivors,” he said. “It’s about a fundamental principle of German law, never mind morality or justice. And nobody has challenged that.”

[desi2go]

First times - Lee Know

pairing: Minho x reader

warning: fluff

summary: How were your first times with him?

author's note: Happy birthday Minho! I hope you had such a wonderful day 🫶🏼💙

𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖒𝖊𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌

You never meant to be there. You were supposed to be on an airplane, returning back home to Seoul after a joyful week in Seattle. But instead, your flight has been delayed due to a technical problem. You didn't mind, actually liking this city in Washington. So, didn't waste any time after you had brought your luggage back into a hotel room that the airline provided for you and walked through the city, determined to spent the last evening where you could enjoy the last sunlight of the day.

As you leaned against the safety window of the sky view observatory, you watched the sky turn into various colours. Different shades of red, orange, yellow and pink painted the sky like a canvas. You loved the view over the city. Next to you, a boy group of eight watched the sunset, talking in korean.

It was funny to you that even here in America, you would meet people from home. Well, maybe they follow you. You chuckled as they joked around, filling the huge room with laughter and happiness. But you noticed that one of them seemed to hate the height, he didn't even try to look down and after some minutes, settled down to sit on a bench far away from the windows.

Sadly, a black mask covered his face but his eyes were focused, sharp like an eagle. His fluffy black hair was perfectly styled. You didn't know what drew you to him but you couldn't stop yourself from buying two muffins from the shop and sitting down right next to him. He looked startled at first, especially when you offered him one of the muffins.

"Not fond of heights, right?" you asked while smirking, placing the cupcake on his palm as he observed you confused.

"You're korean?" his soft voice was dripping with confusion. You laughed and nodded, taking a bite from your sweet treat. "I'm on vacation and you?" you added.

Carefully, he pulled the mask down to eat it as well. "That's nice. We're here for work" you nodded impressed, enjoying the sun that fell on your face.

His eyes never left your face as if he was still trying to make out your intention. "What's your name?" he asked curiously.

"Y/n"

"Well, nice to meet you, Y/n. I'm Minho" you loved the way how he pronounced your name, letting a chill down your spine.

It was crazy how you could talk to a stranger for only some minutes and still have the feeling like you knew eachother for years. you both kept talking and talking. You adored his humor and his from time to time cocky answers. Conversing with him seemed easy and flawless, the time passed so quickly and the staff had to shoo you away to close the observatory.

𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖊

After your first meeting in America, you exchanged numbers. Since then, your phone was constantly ringing with messages from him. Not that you hated it, no, you loved the attention he gave you. It made you feel special and adored like you hadn't in a long time. It was funny that both of you came from Seoul actually and never met each other there. Of course, the city was huge with millions of inhabitants but how high were the chances that you two would meet outside of Korea?

Your texting turned into late night calls nearly every evening. For hours you could talk and you were over the moon when he finally asked you if you would wanna go out with him. You loved how his cheeks changed their colour into a beautiful red and the sweetest, shy smile on his lips. How could you say no?

You were nervous when he wouldn't even say where you two would be going. "It's a surprise, dummy" he responded as you pouted and tried to coax him into telling you with your big puppy eyes. But he stayed strong, just telling you that you should wear something warm.

It was cold, the autumn on its peak and you actually loved this season. The spooky season where the nature would turn into the prettiest colours.

In the afternoon, he stood in front of your door, picking your up for your first date. He laughed when he saw how much layers you had on, put taking your hand in his as you pouted slightly. "You look like a marshmellow"

"That's not nice! I just get cold pretty easy" you grunted, looking down on you, your body completely drowning in the mass of fabric.

"But you know I love marshmellows" he whispered into your ear, making you red as you slapped his arm lightly.

After an hour of driving, you finally parked outside of Seoul in front of a farm. The whole area was filled with different types of pumpkins and you clapped your hands in excitement as you saw families and couples picking pumpkins from the patch and carving them.

You grabbed Minho's arm and headed straight to the pumpkins. Each one individual in their shape and colour.

"Do you want to carve one?" Minho asked you and you nodded fastly. He chuckled at how cute you were and helped picking out one for and one for him. He got the tools from one of the farm helpers and within the next two hours, both of you carved your own pumpkin into the desired shape.

You laughed as you watched Minho struggling with cutting the face into his, making his smile super big and funny. And when he showed you the final result, you couldn't help but laugh at how hilarious the face was.

"I think I have managed well. That's you by the way" he commented, a smirk present on his face. You pouted but grew red when he gave you a kiss on your cheek. "But I think in reality you are even more beautiful"

𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉

Every meeting was a blast, you collected tons of memories together and it didn't took long before he asked you to be his girlfriend. It was predictable, well, to his members.

Seungmin called him a "tame kitty cat" whenever he caught Minho talking to you, earning a scowl. But even though he liked to tease his friend, he was the first who urged Minho to finally ask you to be his girlfriend.

You thought it was just a regular date when Minho texted you in the morning. When he stood in front of your door this evening and you saw the light blush on his cheeks, you guessed it was from the cold weather not from the fact that he was nervous. It was almost christmas, just two weeks until Santa clause would visit you.

Minho told you that you should dress up warm and when he parked with his car near the christmas market. The air was filled with laughter and the sweet smell of mulled wine. The darkness was lit up with hundreds of fairylights.

You were excited to see what the small booths sold. You grabbed Minho's hand and pulled him towards the entrance. His hand was warm in yours.

You two bought a cup of mulled wine and roasted almonds, your favourite.

When you two reached the central of the market, decorated by a huge christmas tree filled with fairylights and baubles in different shapes and colours. Minho's arm circled around you waist as you listened to the choir on the small platform in front of the tree.

Gently, he pressed a hot kiss on your cheek, everything else being covered by your scarf or your hat. He knew that it was time for the important question.

"Y/n, I wanted to give you something" Curious, you turned fully to him, observing him while he rummaged through his jacket's pocket, searching for the little velvety box. He didn't hesitante and presented you the box. You gasped and took it into your shaking hands.

As you opened it, a beautiful necklace was revealed. Its design so simple but even more breath taking. As you gently pulled it out of the small box, you noticed the small pendant, a sun with a small cristal in the middle.

"Thank you so much!" you squealed and leaned into him, brushing your scarf down to give him a tender kiss on the lips.

He laughed, taking the necklace from you to put it on. "I'm happy you like it. It should symbolise our first meeting in the observatory. When the sun went down, you shone even brighter" he admitted, cheeks red like a tomato.

"Aww. That's so sweet! I love it"

"And I love you, Y/n. So, I wanted to ask you if you want to be my girlfriend?"

Your eyes went wide and the prettiest smile he had ever seen decorated you face. "Of course! I love you too"

first night together

In the same night, you decided to let him sleep at your apartment. He was your boyfriend now, you couldn't believe it. Plus, it was far too late to drive home, you argued. And you just wanted to cuddle your love.

You two layed spread out on your bed, watching a romantic christmas film, pointing out the similarities between you and the film. Minho laughed about a lame pick up line the male protagonist said.

"I can't believe he said that! That's so embarassing!" he exclaimed, hiding in your hair. You giggled, playing with his fingers.

"I think it's cute" you answered.

"Cute? His behaviour is so predictable" he mumbled.

"Isn't every christmas movie like that?"

"Yeah, sadly. They are always the same." he admitted.

"But at least the men are hot" you explained with a smirk, munching on a burned almond you purchased at the market.

"Excuse you? You have a boyfriend!" he shrieked, pulling his head out of your hair.

"I know, I know. But even you can't deny that they are-" you couldn't even finish your sentence as he threw himself over you, crushing under his weight while he tickled you.

"Yah. I'm your boyfriend! You should find me hot!" You giggled and trying to wiggle out of his wrath. His face was just centimetres away from you, watching yours with a loving gaze.

"Who said that I didn't think you're hot?" you questioned when he finally stopped, circling his neck with your arms to pull him down more.

wedding

For him it was clear from the first moment that he laid eyes on you that you were the one. It was just a matter of time before Minho would ask you THE question.

He proposed to you on a shared vacation. You two had decided to go back to Seattle together after three years to remember the old times, especially the first time you met. On your last day, you visited the observatory again. While you jumped from one window to another, he was shaking with anxiety from his proposal and the height. He really wanted to propose to you here. And when the sun went down, he took a deep breath and walked with you to one of the windows even though his heart was going to kill him, and went down on one knee.

Of course you said yes and just some months later it was time for your wedding. You had decided to pick a date in autumn as a memory of your first date. In Addition, your venue was rustic and created such a beautiful atmosphere.

Before the actual wedding you two had decided to do a "first look" together without many other persons, just you and him. What he didn't know, it was actually Han who would surprise him there. Minho was lead to you with a scarf over his eyes, blind to what he would see in just a minute. In front of him stood Han, dressed in a wedding dress that he had burrowed, stuggling to hold his laugh in.

Gently, he took Minho's hand and caressed it while you died from laughing in the back, hiding from your husband-to-be's eyes.

"I can't wait to finally see you my love" Minho whispered before he pulled the scarf from his eyes. His face was instantly red and nearly dropped to the floor, laughing like hell.

"What do you think, my love? Am I not beautiful?" Jisung joked, swaying back and forth in his dress.

Minho cried tears of laughter. "Absolutely, bro. But where is my bride?"

You came out of your hiding place, giggling. "I'm here"

His eyes widened as he saw you in that beautiful dress (much more beautiful than hid best friend but he wouldn't dare to say that out loud).

first child

Minho and you had talked shortly after the wedding what you wanted for the future. It was important to you that both of you knew what the other wanted. Especially when it comes to children.

You both agreed that you would wait a few years. And when the time came, two years into marriage, you were open to becoming pregnant. You didn't want to force it. But fortunately, you didn't need to wait long to announce to your beloved that you were pregnant.

Minho was over the moon and the moment you revealed the big news, he was already up and baby proofing the house.

When you were eight months pregnant, you went into labour and Minho panicked, immediately driving you to the hospital. You were both anxious, fearing that something was wrong.

Labour was the most painful moment in your entire life but also the most beautiful. After ten hours of pain and contractions, your little son was born. He was premature and the doctors checked him several times to reassure that he could breathe on his own.

After that, all the tension broke off from you and you cried as you observed Minho cradling his baby in his arms to bring him over to you. Through the whole examination, after he was sure that you were fine, he watched the doctors and his son with eagle eyes. His protectiveness rising high.

"Look my love! We created such a beautiful boy"

[xoln04f1xo]

He’s a hot-headed street racer, you’re the new cop in town. After chasing him for months, you're forced to work together on a city charity race. Sparks (and tires) fly.

Warnings: implied gun violence, betrayal, tension, suggestive dialogue, jealousy, emotional whiplash

WC: 2.4k

Divider credit: @strangergraphics

Three days. That’s how long it took for everything to go straight to hell.

The case? Off the rails.

Max? Missing.

You? Under investigation.

It started, as disasters often do, with a phone call that wasn’t meant for you.

You’d just returned from a briefing, hair still damp from the rain, caffeine-deprived and two hours into a stress headache when Moreno cornered you near the records desk.

“You’re not gonna believe what popped up on last night’s drone feed,” she said, shoving a tablet into your hands.

You glanced at the paused image: a warehouse rooftop, blurry due to distance, but clear enough to see two figures.

One was Ash.

The other?

Wearing a hoodie. Curled over a laptop.

Same stance. Same curls...

Max.

You felt your stomach drop.

“No way,” you muttered. “That’s not… he’s been feeding us intel. He gave up Ash.”

“Did he?” Moreno asked, voice sharp now. “Or did he steer you exactly where he wanted?”

It didn’t help that a shipment had gone missing last night - vintage cars worth millions, gone without a trace.

And guess who had the layout to the impound?

You, and apparently… Max.

You drove straight to his garage.

It was in an abandoned lot beneath the freeway, masked behind a fake car wash sign and enough graffiti to blend in with the scenery. You’d only been here once, a mistake, after a night chasing leads and hitting dead ends. He’d offered you a drink and a smirk. You’d taken the smirk.

You hadn’t told anyone about that night.

You banged on the side door.

“Verstappen!” you shouted. “Open the damn door or I swear I’ll break it down.”

Nothing.

You kicked it once, and it creaked open on its own.

Inside? Empty. Tools scattered, monitors blinking, a coffee mug half-full on the counter.

He’d left in a hurry.

Or… someone had made him leave.

You turned toward the workbench.

That’s when you saw the file.

Your name on the tab.

You opened it with shaking fingers.

Inside... surveillance photos... of you.

Walking out of precinct. Talking to Moreno. Buying groceries. Laughing at a food truck. One… outside your apartment. At night.

There was a note scrawled on the last page in Max’s handwriting:

I told you not to trust me.

Back at the precinct, they pulled your badge.

Pending review.

Internal Affairs was circling like vultures. Moreno tried to defend you, but even she looked shaken.

“You were with him,” the captain said. “Off the books. That makes you compromised.”

“Compromised?” you snapped. “He played all of us.”

But inside?

You weren’t sure.

Then, the call came.

Blocked number. A voice modulator.

But you’d know that lazy drawl anywhere.

“Meet me,” Max said. “Alone. No wires. Docks, midnight. Come armed.”

You almost didn’t go.

But of course, you did.

Because you're either the dumbest cop on the force or the most loyal, you haven’t decided yet.

The docks were foggy, the air sharp with salt and steel.

You found him leaning against a shipping crate, hood down. No car in sight. Just him. And a pistol hanging loosely at his side.

You drew your own weapon, aiming straight for his chest.

“Hands where I can see them.”

Max didn’t flinch.

“Put the gun down,” he said softly. “Please.”

You hesitated.

Then, slowly, lowered it.

He exhaled, like he hadn’t breathed since the last time he saw you.

“I didn’t steal the cars,” he said. “But I knew Ash was going to. I had to stay close enough to feed you just enough info to build a case... without blowing my cover.”

Your heart stuttered.

“Cover?”

He nodded. “Interpol. Under deep.”

You stared at him like he’d spoken another language.

“You’re telling me… you’re a cop?”

“Technically,” he said. “An asset. They recruited me two years ago. Used my racing ties to infiltrate the network.”

You couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t.

He reached into his jacket, slow, deliberate and pulled out a folded ID... Interpol.

His face.

Code name: Phoenix.

“Oh my God,” you whispered.

“I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “Not even after you showed up. You were never supposed to be part of this.”

“Then why did you keep talking to me?” you asked, voice breaking now.

He looked at you for a long time. “Because you made me want to tell the truth.”

You stepped forward. Then back again. Conflicted. Your brain trying to keep up.

“Everyone thinks I’m dirty,” you said. “They’re going to bury me for this.”

“No, they’re not,” Max said, stepping close. “Because tomorrow morning, Ash is going to get arrested, and you’re going to walk into the precinct with the USB I give you, containing every trade route, shipment manifest, and coded message he’s used for the last six months.”

You stared at him. “You’re just handing it over?”

He gave a sad smile. “I was never in this for glory. I just wanted out.”

A pause.

“And to maybe see you again… not behind a badge.”

You tried to scoff, but it came out more like a laugh choked with tears.

“You’re unbelievable.”

He nodded. “Takes one to know one.”

You stepped into his space, pushed a finger into his chest.

“You’re still an asshole.”

“And you’re still the hottest person who’s ever threatened to shoot me.”

You hated that your pulse jumped at that.

“Don’t flirt with me right now.”

“Not flirting. Just… trying to memorize your face. In case this is the last time.”

He reached into his coat again and handed you a small drive. Sleek. Black.

“The truth,” he said.

You took it.

And then, without thinking, you grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a kiss — not soft. Not sweet. Fierce. Messy. Desperate.

He kissed you back like he’d been waiting for this moment since the day you first chased him through Crosswell.

When you broke apart, breathless, you didn’t say anything.

You just walked away.

Because if you stayed another second, you might not leave at all.

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[victusinveritas]

From Rebecca Solnit:

"My God. I was out all day today. Bashar Al Assad, the Butcher of Syria, has fled, his infamous prison/death camp/torture center has been freed, and rebels have taken Syria as far as I can tell. What a week. Insurrectionary Georgia. Coup-repelling South Korea. Now this.

The Guardian reports: When Islamist militants swept into her home town of Aleppo little over a week ago, Rama Alhalabi sheltered indoors as fear engulfed her. Forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad, who had sought to reassure residents that nothing was happening, suddenly deserted the city. But as the insurgency pushed south, rapidly seizing control of the city of Hama on the road to Damascus, Alhalabi’s fears about life under militia rule have slowly ebbed. Instead they have been replaced by fears that her friends in the army will be abandoned by their commanding officers as Assad’s regime loses its grip.

“People in Aleppo are feeling more comfortable now we’re further from the areas under the regime’s control,” said the 29-year-old, while still using a pseudonym in fear Assad could retake the city.

“At the same time, I have many friends serving in the army and I don’t want them to get hurt. People with power inside the regime will protect themselves, and they will leave the poor fighters who were forced to join the army to face their awful fate alone.

“Things changed insanely fast,” she added. “We can barely believe what’s happening.”

As militants spearheaded by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) massed outside the city of Homs and rebel forces said they had entered the vast southern suburbs of the capital, rapid change swept across Syria. The Syrian army declared it had “redeployed,” its forces in two restive provinces south of Damascus in the latest thinly-veiled message of retreat, days after they withdrew from Hama. In under a week, five provincial capitals across the country were suddenly no longer under Assad’s control.

“We can hear the bombing nearby, and we are praying, hoping – and waiting,” said Um Ahmad, an elderly native of Homs, sheltering with her husband at home as the fighting drew close enough to be audible.

Assad loyalists fled the city, while people who stayed only have a couple of hours’ electricity each day and what goods are left in the shops are unaffordable. Those remaining in Homs waited to see if this might be the end of Assad’s rule, while an insurgent commander told his regime’s forces inside the city that this was their “last chance to defect before it’s too late”.

Um Ahmad was consumed by a single thought, that she might finally be able to see her sons again after a decade of separation and exile. “Most people are frightened but they fear the regime’s revenge more than anything else,” she said, as Russian and Syrian airstrikes pummelled the countryside around Homs and Hama.

When a popular uprising swept cities across Syria in 2011 calling for Assad to go, it initially looked as if demonstrations could topple another regional autocrat. But the Syrian leader swiftly turned the state’s weapons on his own people to crush dissent. As the uprising slowly morphed into a civil war, Assad freed jihadist prisoners from his fearsome detention system to alter the forces rising up against him, before relying heavily on his allies in Russia and Iran to provide the military muscle he used to reclaim control.

The civil war killed over 300,000 people in 10 years of fighting, with some estimates putting the true toll at twice that number. Tens of thousands remain in detention, including 100,000 believed missing or forcibly disappeared in Assad’s prisons since 2011, and subject to what United Nations monitors have described as systematic torture. Over 12 million people have been displaced.

Assad kept control of Syria’s major cities for years, as battle lines from the country’s years-long proxy war hardened. HTS ruled over a mountainous pocket in the northwest, cut off from the outside world. The group appeared a dim threat to Assad until they suddenly launched an offensive that saw them take control of Aleppo within days.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/07/syria-assad-damascus-hayat-tahrir-al-sham-insurgents

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2025 Anime Overview: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun/Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun Season 2

After a five year wait, one of my all time problematic fave anime is back, and the anime about a hopeless romantic and her weird little ghost friend continues! I basically wrote a novel when the first season of Hanako-kun hooked me, so you can check that review out for more information about the show. This is a season that contains multitudes—the first arc finally covers the time keeper’s arc in the manga—an arc that had some really good parts and introduced an ongoing dramatic conflict, but also unfortunately introduced one of my least favorite characters (and relationship dynamics) in the series.

That’s a bit subjective and I plan to tag this so I won’t go into detail since I have no interest arguing about it, basically the character in question’s behavior is supposed to be funny and it’s not, I don’t find their motives or dynamic with the character they’re obsessed with interesting (and said dynamic will dominate said characters screen time later on and she deserves better), and the bad behavior is only jokingly condemned and not seriously called out in the way Hanako’s possessiveness is.

 But then the second half covers my favorite arc in the manga, so I was a happy camper. This arc has a lot of emotional development for the main characters, with Mitsuba and Kou and Hanako and Nene all having great little stories, relationship growth, and dramatic moments, the premise is heartbreaking and creative, Mei is complex antagonist and great character, the manga comes out in favor of the power of girls writing self-insert OCs, and there’s a beautiful message about how fiction can help us keep going through dark times, and how it can be a way to live on. It’s so good.

The change in directors is from the first season is noticeable, though the animation is a lot less limited, it’s notably less stylish and striking in its use of colors and elegant flourishes. Don’t get me wrong, it still mostly looks good and the cool art style that drew me in remains intact. There’s some really beautiful moments. I just sometimes found myself missing the pizzazz of the previous director sometimes. While the little manga panel transitions were there in part to cover up the first season's limited animation, I still missed how distinct that style was. It would have been nice to see what that direction could do with the second season clearly getting more of a boost resources-wise. But it's not the end of the world.

The caveats from the last season remain—the frequent mean spirited running joke about Nene’s ankles (as a manga reader, this does stop appearing as often in later arcs at least), and a good amount of ~funny pervert~ moments (though fun fact about one comment Hanako makes: a million chapters later it will be revealed that by “pervy stuff you could do with time travel powers” he meant…touching someone’s upper arm because apparently he’s secretly a Victorian child??? Also he’s legitimately embarrassed he said that later on, wow, growth). You can check out my first review I linked above for a more thorough rundown.

Some additional warnings: A character impulsively attempts suicide (but talks about planning to find a way to come back to life as they do). The attempt's method is not graphic, but I thought I'd warn just in case. Suicide is also discussed a few times, with a few nameless background characters making some shitty comments that are appropriately framed as a bad thing.

Hanako-kun as a story is interested in screwed-up romances and relationships in general, none of them are completely healthy. Personally, I don't need characters to be unproblematic and I usually find how the show explores these relationships really interesting, with a notable exception that I mentioned earlier. Hanako does do some screwed-up things that don’t respect Nene’s agency this season, but Nene reasserts her agency and thoroughly takes him to task for it. She’s so good, I adore her.

It’s a messy show, but it remains a rewarding one, especially if you love ghost stories and tragic ghost/human relationships like I do. I’m so happy we’re getting a third season soon. 

[rontra]

this year is the Vale Demolition Squad!! gratulerer med dagen!

it snuck up on me this year! ... i draw a goofy My Blorbos bunad image every year for may 17th. i think it's fun to have a Specific Thing i draw annually, since it's fun to compare them over time. so kind of to that end i wanted to draw two i've actually done before ... salem was in 2020 and summer was in 2023

as usual, outfit notes 👇

well, last year i attended a confirmation where i saw a lot of "non-standard" personal flair, and ever since then i've been kind of itching to incorporate elements like that. so drawing the same two base fits that i've drawn before but messing around with them a little was very fun

largely speaking the notes are the same as on their individual previous posts (ørskog / winter hardanger) including stuff like summer wearing a different belt than standard, and salem's 9 million MARRIED WOMAN tokens

now, the patch notes:

salem lost the chest piece that's supposed to go inside the jacket (bringeduk) for no reason other than "now the color blocks are reminiscent of the necklines and boob windows i otherwise draw her in" . for a second i contemplated dropping the shirt entirely but then i was like there are LIMITS.... so i settled for the mere illusion....

huge loss to hardanger's general identity so it looks much less decorated/finished at all (lol)

also there's no longer anywhere for the medallion (agnus dei) to hook on to, so she's holding it in her hand. she's discarding her Married Woman Things i hope summer is paying attention 😳

also i let her keep her spike earrings instead of swapping to style-matched ones. because i think its coooool

one of her silver belt things (beltestøl) is actually from summer's set. as mentioned in previous posts these belt studs are often received 2 at a time as gifts by married women. they traded one for gay loyalty reasons (summer's isnt visible but it's on her belt for sure)

speaking of summer i don't think swaggy fingerless gloves are usually standard style but i thought it would look cool

rose print floral shirt. this was a big thing i saw--people wearing cool patterned shirts in fun colors (with bunads that traditionally have plain shirts). i really loved this so i wanted to draw it

she lost the silver in her collar and her cape

I ACTUALLY DREW HER EMBROIDERY THIS TIME AAAUGH

[plandthealguidebooktranslation]

Azran Legacy Guidebook: Page 37

Previous Page: Page 36

(continued from previous page)

II: The Three Legacies and their Connection to the Sanctuary

Sticky notes at the top of the page:

3 legacies

Misthallery’s Garden of Healing, Ambrosa’s City of Harmony, The Infinite Vault of Akbadain

All of them are in their control!

Having existed for at least 1 million years prior to modern society, the Azran were a vast, world-wide civilization, and many of the mysteries surrounding this civilization remain unsolved. How and why did such an advanced civilization built by the Azran vanish so abruptly from the forefront of of history? The key to unlocking the proof of this civilization lies in the Azran ruins mentioned by Donald Rutledge in “Ancient Histories”. Namely, three sites known as the known as the “legacies”.

These three legacies are of importance, as they are thought to embody the values of the Azran Civilization. During his worldwide search for Azran ruins, Dr Rutledge found three reoccurring words amongst the artefacts: “healing”, “harmony” and “infinity”, and identified the three sites – the “legacies” – which were constructed to be embodiments of these three concepts. In addition to these “legacies”, exists a “sanctuary” which could be called the centre of Azran society, indicating that… (page cuts off).. these three… Azran Civilization…

Figure B: Mishallery’s Garden of… Figure C:…

Sticky note: Should I refrain from mentioning Aurora’s existence in my paper?

Lined page: At the dawn Of time. the world was one big continent, and the Celestial King sheltered all the lands beneath his ample wings. All living things served him. The king had five children, the Great Riders of the Sky, but they were proud and coveted their father’s throne. The constant warring Of the Riders exhausted the people and tainted the land.

Roused at last to anger, the king drew his sword and made four strokes, slicing the land into ten continents. His children.. He banished them to live on Earth

Unable to sit back and watch, the King used his sword and made four slices, dividing the land into ten continents and banished his sons to the earth. The king sealed the sacred gates to the skies and scattered the five keys on earth, that his children might one day find them. -> Eggs?

Ever since that day. the king’s children have gazed up at the skies, longing to fly again one day.

On corner of lined page: Inscription on the wall of the gods

III: The Scattered Ruins as Azran Systems

The excavated ruins show that the concepts of “healing” “harmony” and “infinity” were highly revered by the ancient Azran people. According to “Ancient Histories”, each of these concepts encapsulates the knowledge and technology of the Azran Civilization. “Healing” controls the life of living organisms, and “harmony” controls the environment in which they live. The third, “infinity”, though difficult to believe, involves a device that supposedly generates infinite amounts of energy. By use of these technologies, the Azran are said to have built a civilization unparalleled by any other in human history. My own fieldwork, appears to support this. We have found, for example, sluices and wind-controlling devices which may have served as systems to regulate the “harmony” of the surrounding environment.

Figure G: Egg Figure H: Popoños

IV: Purpose of the Eggs

In “Ancient Histories” there are several references to mysterious egg relics, found scattered amongst Azran ruins. Based on Dr Rutledge’s research, it may be that that these Eggs function somehow as a key to the Azran’s central sanctuary. …(cut off)… because of the attention on this relic, worldwide…

For example, Hoogland is famous for its belief in the dragonlord, the folklore of which has been the subject of much research. Interestingly, this village also has a tradition tied to “egg” relics, with a related shrine that contained a wind-control mechanism, believed to belong to the Azran.

In addition to being a famous tourist trap, San Grio… (cut off) … objects called “popoños”…

3 つのレがシ ー ~ストハレリの応しの園、 プロシアの調和の町、 アンー ダインの無限回廊ア すべてやつらの

Ⅱ.神殿と 3 つの遺産の関連

現在の人類史より 100万年以上も前に存在した、世界をまたにかける巨大な文明、アスラント。この超古代文明には、いまだナゾの部分も数多く残されている。 それだけ高度な文明を築いたアスラントが、なせあるときを境に歴史の表舞台からこっ然と姿を消したのだろうか。 この超古代文明実在の証明の鍵となる、アスラントの-遺跡"の存在については、ド ー ン・ノ ーランの「古代史」にて、関連すると思われる言及がなされている。それは 3 つの遺産"(レガシ ー )と名付けられた、一連の遺跡群である。 これら 3 つの"遺産"は、アスラント文明の思想を体現する遺跡として存在しているとも考えられる重要なものた。

ノーラン博士は、世界各地に見られるアスラント文明の痕跡を求めるうち、それぞれの遺物に”癒し” “調和” “無限” という 3 つの言葉が散見され、これら 3 つの概念を体現する遺跡が、3 つの遺産として建設されたという記述を発見した。 これら"遺産"となる遺跡群には、アスラント文明の中心地とも言うべき、　“神殿"と、アスントのを指し示す、という…ており、この 3 つの ラント

アーリアの存在を論文で公表するのは控えるべきか？

世界はかってひとつの大陸だった… 空駆ける王は大いなる翼でせ界を覆い、生きとし生ける者すべてが王にかしずいた。 偉大なる王には 5 人の息子があり、それぞれが次の王位をめぐり、争っていた。 戦いは長年に渡り、 国と民とを混乱に陥れた。 見かねた王は剣を4振りし、地上を１０ の大陸に分けると息子たちを地上へと追放した。 やがて王は嘆き天の扉を閉ざし((5 つの鍵を))血の狭間に封印した。エッグか？ 自らの罪を悔い改める時、天に戻れるように。 閉ざされた扉を見上げ、王子たちは各地に散らばり、鍵を探 しなが ら 天へ戻るいを夢見て いる。

神々の壁の碑文よリ

III: 各地に点在する遺跡は、アスラントのシステムである可能性が

出土する遺物には、古代アスラント人が重きを置いた"癒し"調和""無限"という 3 つの概念が散見される。 「古代史」によれば、それぞれはアスラント文明の叡智テクノロジ ー を表すシンポルでもあるという。癒し"は生物の生命活動をコントロ ールし、調和"は生命の環境をコントロ ー ルする。 そして 3 つ目の、無限"は、にわか��は信じがたいが、なんと無限のエネルギ ー を生み出す装置であるらしい。アスラント文明はこれらテクノロジ ー により、人類史上類を見ないほどに高度な文明を築き上げていたという。 だが、わたしはこの度のフィ ー ルドワ ー クで、それを裏付けるかのような、水門や風のコントロ ー ルのための施設など、-調和"に関わる環境を調整するためのシステムを担っていたと思われる遺物も、数多く発見することとなった。

Ⅳ: 工ッグという遺物の役割

「古代史」にはアスラントの遺物に散見される、ナゾのエッグ"という存在についての記述がいくつか見られる。ノー ラン博士の研究によれば、この、・エッグ"という存在こそが、アスラントの中心地である神殿"への何かしら鍵のような役割を果たすものだと推察している。 ….この遺物に注目し、世界各地の….

例えば、しばしばフォークロア研究対象としてその題材とされることの多い、龍神信仰で有名なマリードールだが、驚くべきことにこの村落にも"工ッグ"とおぼしき遺物の伝承が遣されており、またそれに関連する祠には、アスラント文明のものと思われる、風をコントロールする機構が存在した。

またそのほかにも、避暑地として有名なマル …物に「ポポンチョ」とい

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

reach for the stars

cw. olnf week 2024, pre!release, step 3-4 (step 1 flashback), established!relationship

pairing. sparkling leaves

notes. day 4 of @olnfweek2024. arguably the day i was looking forward to the most because i had a very creative interpretation of the stargazing prompt. i can't believe i've written consistently 4 days in a row for an event week, that's the power of olnf i guess

“Did you know I can hold stars in my hands?” 

“Really?” Tamarack perked up at Nyla’s sudden revelation, raspberry eyes wide in amazement.

“Uh huh!” Nyla grinned, scooting closer to her best friend on the leaf-dappled ground.

It was a good day in Golden Grove. First and foremost, it was Friday, the best of all weekdays. Mrs. Murray played The Nightmare Before Christmas for the last half-hour of class and even passed out cookies. The day was only made better when Mom didn’t mind if Tamarack spent the whole weekend at their place. Until the hour drew for dinner and bedtime near, though, the two girls were content to play in the forest they called a backyard.

It had only been a few months since Nyla and her mother moved to the mountainous town in Oregon but it felt like she’d known Tamarack Baumann her entire life.

“Show me,” Tamarack whispered in awed excitement. Tamarack believed in the magic of the world as easily as she breathed, both of them did. If Nyla could do something as magical as holding stars in her hand, she wanted to see it.

“Alright,” Nyla started coyly, shifting so that she sat in front of Tamarack. “But you have to close your eyes first.”

Tamarack squeezed her eyes shut fiercely, giggling all the while. 

Nyla had met a lot of people in her 10 ーalmost 11!ー years of living.

Some of them had black hair like her and her parents. Some of them had green. Some of the people she met even had hair that was red, pink, purple or peach! But none of them ever had hair that sparkled, Tamarack was the first and only. 

It was amazing.

Nyla had plenty of questions about it ーwhere the sparkles came from, how they never fell off when Tamarack’s grandma brushed themー but Tamarack never had any good answers about it. Her hair just sparkled, that’s all there was to it. It’s something simply Tamarack. Nyla thought that was the answer she liked the most.

“Tada!” Tamarack opened her eyes and excitement turned into surprise as she took in how close their faces were.

“Where are the stars?” Tamarack blinked up at the taller girl.

“I’m holding onto them already,” Nyla beamed, heart fluttering as she held gamboge waves in her hand. They sparkled like a million precious jewels. It’s hard to breathe as Tamarack’s berry-red eyes look up at her, just as shiny as the sparkling hair that frames them. Tamarack Baumann is the prettiest girl in the world, Nyla knew this was the truth in its purest form. No one came close, not even Brittany Taylor who kids like Adrian Woodward swore was the prettiest girl in school. Nyla wiggled her fingers, marveling at every individual speckle that glinted in the process. “I’m holding stars in my hands.”

“That’s my hair, Nyla,” Tamarack giggled, shaking her head gently so as to not snag her hair on Nyla’s fingers. In spite of her protest, Tamarack’s cheeks were flushed. “That’s not a star.”

“Nope,” Nyla emphasized the ‘p’ stubbornly but mirthfully, brushing her thumbs across Tamarack’s fluffy locks. She felt as pink as Tamarack’s cheeks, both of them smiling widely despite their differing views. “I’m holding stars.”

Nyla chuckles lightly at the memory as her thumb and index finger toy with a lock of her girlfriend’s hair. Sitting in the living room of Tamarack’s childhood home, watching the Cinderella movie Brandy and Whitney Houston with Tamarack is a far cry from the young girls they once were running amok through the forest. Back then, their responsibilities were few and far in between. Presently, they were simply housesitting for the Baumann elders as they went on a trip to Long Beach to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

I was obsessed with Tam’s hair back then. Watching the soft golden speckles glint in the dim glow of the television, Nyla’s lips curl into a lazy smile. They’re laying in a comfortable position on the convertible couch mattress, Tamarack resting her head on Nyla’s chest. Not much has changed, I guess.

One cool day in autumn, Nyla moved to Golden Grove and was struck with a paper airplane that changed the trajectory of her life forever.

But considering how we were neighbors, we would’ve met eventually. Plus we had school the next day too. Logic is pushed aside for the magic that was their first meeting. Fate had been at work that particular day Tamarack caught sight of a bright-eyed fellow new kid looking for something to throw herself into. Nyla wouldn’t have their first meeting go any other way.

Girls like Tamarack should be met in the forest.

Looking at the soft, sparkling crown that grows from her head, however, Nyla thinks girls like Tamarack can be met under the light of the moon too.

But with how she carries the stars with her wherever she goes, my girl can go wherever she wants. Nyla presses a firm kiss atop Tamarack’s head and her girlfriend giggles, arms squeezing just a firmer. She may have lost a portion of her enthusiastic squeeze but Tamarack still gives the best hugs Nyla’s ever received.

Tamarack shifts so that she is able to look at Nyla properly, a serene smile adorning her face. “Hey you,” she murmurs softly against the sound of Prince Christopher’s parents fussing over the party preparations for his birthday.

“Hey,” Nyla’s fingers run through Tamarack’s chin-length hair without shame.

Tamarack’s eyes squint with a gentle but playful gleam, “you’re not paying attention to the movie are you?”

Nyla doesn’t argue against the observation, “oops,” she says despite sounding not particularly bothered she’s been caught. “Looks like you caught me. Guilty as charged.” We’ve seen this movie a million times anyway. Nyla is sure she could quote it in her sleep. Could sing the songs in perfect harmony, mostly perfect. She only gets to look at Tamarack in this specific moment once and she is going to cherish each and every second.

“And what’s got your mind so preoccupied,” Tamarack inquires dreamily.

“Just stargazing,” Nyla murmurs before pressing their lips together.

not enough people wax poetic about the fact tamarack's hair sparkles, so i decided to go full throttle

[dougdimmadodo]

COOL ZOOLOGY STORIES OF 2023

Happy New Year! At the start of 2022 I put together a list of some cool zoology-related news stories from 2021, and after... kind of forgetting to put a list together for 2022, I wanted to do the same for 2023. Here are some of my favourite animal-related news stories from the past year (plus one plant-related story, as a treat.)

An elusive little mammal was spotted for the first time in nearly a century

Species Concerned: De Winton's Golden Mole (Cryptochloris wintoni)

Family: Golden Mole Family (Chrysochloridae)

Source(s): here and here

A small, superficially mole-like animal seemingly found only in the area around Port Nolloth, South Africa, De Winton’s Golden Mole has long been feared to be extinct due to a total lack of confirmed sightings since 1937. This changed in November of 2023, when (after years of extensive searching) a De Winton’s Golden Mole was found alive for the first time in 87 years, and was photographed for the first time ever.

Though similar to moles in both appearance and behaviour, golden moles are actually part of a separate and only distantly related group of mammals known as Afrosoricidans (alongside tenrecs and otter shrews) that have independently developed mole-like bodies to exploit a similar ecological niche – with massive, shovel-like front paws, short limbs, protective “shields” of toughened skin on their heads and non-functional eyes covered by skin to protect them from irritation, members of this family are adapted to burrowing, and in most cases will spend their entire lives underground unless disturbed. Due to the scarcity of sightings very little is known about the biology of De Winton’s Golden Mole, but based on its sandy coastal habitat and the behaviours of its closest relative, the Van Zyl’s Golden Mole (Cryptochloris zyli) it is likely that members of this species live solitary lives and use their digging abilities to “swim” through sand, preying on insects and small vertebrates which they detect using unique structures in their inner ears that are highly sensitive to vibration.

In addition to conventional habitat surveys within De Winton’s Golden Mole’s presumed range, the team responsible for this species’ rediscovery also utilized several newer or more unusual strategies to search for their focal missing mammal, including thermal imaging to detect underground body heat and the testing of soil and sand in the area for eDNA (tiny amounts of genetic material that organisms leave in water, soil and on other surfaces, giving insight into which species are found in an area without having to actually spot them.)

An "ancient plant" turned out to be a baby turtle

Species Concerned: "Turtwig" Cretaceous Turtle

Family: Unknown

Source(s): Here and Here

In 2003, a priest and fossil collector named Gustavo Huertas identified what he believed to be the fossilised remains of a tiny plant of the extinct genus Sphenophyllum in cretaceous-era rocks near Villa de Leyva, Columbia, and named the new species Sphenophyllum colombianum. Huertas' find was unusual in that it dated to the early Cretaceous period (making it over 100 million years younger than other Sphenophyllum species, the last of which are believed to have gone extinct in the late Triassic period,) and it was the fossil's unusual age that drew the attention of Fabiany Herrera, a curator of plant fossils at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, USA and Héctor Palma-Castro, his student. After taking an interest in the fossil the two travelled to the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Columbia where the fossil was held in order to inspect it, and after realising that its features were unlike other Sphenophyllum species and consulting a vertebrate palaeontologist, Edwin-Alberto Cadena, they eventually came to realise that what Huertas had found was not a Sphenophyllum species, or event a plant - what had originally been interpreted as the stems and leaves of a plant were actually the ribs of a very small, and likely very young, prehistoric turtle.

The ribs of turtles are located on the upper surface of their shells, where they form a sort of "roof" that strengthens the shell's outer carapace. Newly hatched turtles have fragile bones and shells that are easily broken beyond recognition during fossilization, so finding the well-preserved remains of a young turtle (estimated to be less than 1 year old when its bones were buried) is very rare. The discovery of the true identity of "Sphenophyllum colombianum" was published (here) in early December 2023, and as such the newly discovered turtle fossil has yet to be given a new name. Instead, it has been affectionately dubbed "Turtwig", after the half-plant-half-turtle gen 4 starter Pokemon, until it can be formally reclassified.

The Indochinese Green Magpie became the Photo Ark's 14,000th species

Species Concerned: Indochinese Green Magpie (Cissa hypoleuca)

Family: Crow Family (Corvidae)

Source: Here

The National Geographic Photo Ark is an ambitious project led by Canadian photographer Joel Sartore which aims to photograph every species held in captivity worldwide, providing high-quality images of often relatively obscure species and raising awareness of each species involved. In 2021 the Arabian Cobra became the 12,000th species added to the ark, in 2022 the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper became the 13,000th, and as of May 2023 the Indochinese Green Magpie has become the 14,000th species Sartore and his team have photographed.

Unlike the vast majority of crow species, the 4 species in the genus Cissa, known collectively as green magpies, are brightly coloured, largely carnivorous birds with vivid green feathers and bright red beaks and feet which are thought to aid them in camouflaging against the leaves and bark of the dense, humid forests they typically inhabit. The Indochinese Green Magpie, which is found in densely forested areas from central China to southern Cambodia, is one of the most common green magpie species, but is still believed to be experiencing a decline in population size due to the intense demand for members of this species in the illegal wildlife trade, both for their feathers and to be kept as illegal pets. The model for Sartore's photo, a female named Jolie, was herself found in a suitcase that was intercepted while being smuggled through the Los Angeles International Airport, and is now kept Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The team behind the Photo Ark have expressed hopes that Jolie's picture and story will help to raise awareness of the harmful effects of the illegal exotic pet trade and its prominence within the USA. On a happier note, the photo also seems to show that Jolie is now doing well - green magpies kept in captivity have been known to sometimes take on a duller colouration due to a lack of carotenoids in their diet, so her natural green feathers are an indicator of good health.

A very rare, very weird plant was rediscovered after 30 years

Species Concerned: Thismia kobensis

Family: Burmannia Family (Burmanniaceae)

Source(s): Here, here and here

In 1992, a bizarre-looking plant was found growing near the city of Kobe in Japan; pale and partially transparent without any leaves or chlorophyll, it was a member of the genus Thismia and was notable for being found further north than any other Asian species in the genus to date. A single plant was collected and taken to the Museum of Nature and Human Activities in the nearby city of Sanda, and in 2018 extensive examination of this single preserved plant led to it being determined to be a previously undocumented species, Thismia kobensis. This discovery led to surveys being dispatched to the area where the species was originally discovered in hopes of gathering additional samples and learning more about T. kobensis in the wild, but after surveys of the area were unable to find any remaining individuals, and following the discovery that the site from which the original sample had been collected had been converted into an industrial complex since the 1990s, the species was feared to have gone extinct. In February of 2023, a team of researchers led by Kobe University's Professor Kenji Suetsugu announced the first documented sighting of Thismia kobensis in 31 years, having found a small population growing in Sanda, not far from the museum that holds what had long been the only known specimen of the species and roughly 30km (18.6 miles) from the site at which the species was originally discovered. Their publication can be read here.

Thismia species, also known as fairy lanterns, are almost alien-looking plants that, as mentioned previously, lack chlorophyll and do not carry out photosynthesis, instead gaining nutrients parasitically by connecting their roots to the hyphae of typically mutualistic fungi and extracting nutrients from both the fungus itself and from any other plants that it has connected to (making it a mycoheteroph, much like the slightly better-known ghost plant/ghost pipes.) This unusual lifestyle likely developed as an adaptation to allow members of this genus to survive in forests with dense canopies that block out sunlight, but also makes them highly sensitive to environmental change - in order for an area to support a healthy population of Thismia kobensis, it must also support healthy trees and healthy soil fungi. As the original preserved 1992 specimen of T. kobensis was long dead and slightly damaged, its rediscovery also allowed Suetsugu's team to further study the species, leading to a surprising conclusion - genetically and anatomically, Thismia kobensis seems to have more in common with Thismia americana (the only known North American species of Thismia, which was last sighted in 1916 and is similarly feared extinct) than to any other Asian Thismia, possibly suggesting that T. kobensis and T. americana are descended from common ancestors that spread either from Asia to the Americas or vice versa during a time when their ranges were connected by a land bridge.

Important progress was made in saving the Sumatran Rhinoceros

Species Concerned: Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

Family: Rhinoceros Family (Rhinocerotidae)

Sources: Here and here

Distinguished from the other 4 rhinoceros species by its relatively small size, 2 horns and short black fur (which is barely present in adults, but very prominent in calves) the Sumatran Rhinoceros is one of the rarest mammals on earth, with an estimated population size of roughly 30-80 individuals. Having had its numbers drastically reduced by poaching, habitat loss and extreme weather events, the species is now threatened by its own small population size - found only in tiny scattered populations across Sumatra and Borneo, it is now extremely difficult for wild members of this species to find mates, and where mating does occur such a small population size considerably limits genetic diversity, increasing the risk of calves being born with health complications. To combat this numerous efforts to breed Sumatran Rhinoceroses in captivity have been developed, and as of November of 2023 the results have been promising; last year saw the birth of 2 Sumatran Rhinoceros calves at the Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, Sumatra.

The youngest of 2023's calves, a male, is the son of a female named Delilah who was herself the second calf to have ever been born at the park's Sumatran Rhinoceros Sanctuary (a site where members of this species are cared for and protected from illegal poaching while breeding.) This marks the first-ever instance of a captive-born Sumatran Rhinoceros giving birth, and therefore represents a key step in establishing a healthy captive breeding population of Sumatran Rhinoceroses to help preserve and increase the genetic diversity of wild populations. The calf's father, named Harapan, was born in Cincinnati Zoo in the USA, and it is hoped that the careful incorporation of the handful of Sumatran Rhinoceroses held in zoos into wild breeding programs can further help to increase the species' genetic diversity in the future. While extensive action is still needed for the Sumatran Rhinoceros to be saved, the park's work this year represents a significant step towards the species' conservation.

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

Have a great new year!

[followingforest]

Reflection on Wembley & getting ready for Brentford

Well remember all those debates between the FA Cup and Champions League qualification? We can park that until next season.

No one will properly know how close Aina was to being fit and did Nuno decide not to risk him. Also was Elanga not starting about managing his minutes or a tactical decision that backfired? What we do know is we lost and we have to move on quickly and with no regrets. We had 36,000 fans there. We could have sold their empty seats too. We enjoyed the build up and tried our best in the stands but the early goal did knock the stuffing out of the team and most fans too if we are honest with ourselves, at least for the first half.

Obviously both the team and the fans rallied and we had some 'oh so nearly' moments in the second half. I'm not going to try to over analyse the game as it will be done to death on the podcasts but we all saw the key moments. We've had a brilliant season but we know we have missed some big chances along the way and whilst the defence is a million times better than last year we can still be vulnerable to headers in our box.

Playing a City side who have not lost since we beat them, who by their own recent standards are having a poor season, it was always going to be the hardest team to play in the semi finals. To do that without Aina, Williams and Yates was a step too far. Its a timely reminder that we were relying on an academy lad playing his second game for us and Toff in such a crucial match. Credit should rightly go to Zach for how he handled himself yesterday - made us all proud for sure.

However to compete again next season, with hopefully European football of some description to come, we need greater squad depth. City will say they've had injuries - and they have - but they bought 4 players for over £100 million in January to compensate and had a bench full of internationals yesterday too.

On Radio Nottingham this morning a woman said we could not have dreamed of this 5 seasons ago. She was absolutely correct. In the 20/21 season we finished 17th in the Championship. Lewis Grabbon was our top scorer with SIX goals! We went out of the FA cup in the 4th round to Swansea losing 5-1, and the first round of the league cup to Barnsley. We only won 2 of our last 15 games. In the equivalent game week we drew 1-1 with Stoke. So yes we know the following season Cooper changed all that. Then 2 seasons of backs to the wall and staying up when everyone predicted us to go down.

So lets be absolutely realistic of where we have come from. That same season of 20/21 Liverpool won the league and they, Arsenal, City etc have been soaking up the top 4 for years with all the European money that brings in. This season we have beaten City, held Arsenal when they needed to win to keep in the title race and remain the only side to have beaten Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League. We win on Thursday we go back 3rd and stay right in the race for top 5.

Nuno has been like a stuck record all season - "one game at a time" - lets not get ahead of ourselves now. Beating Brentford is all the team can prepare for. Our role as fans can only be a wall of red and noise on Thursday night.

Despite the result I enjoyed the Wembley experience but if you said to me now 3 points on Thursday and don't go to Box Park again I'd say absolutely ......until next April!

Steve Battlemuch

Trent End Upper/Away Member

Find me on X and Bluesky.

#NFFC #nffc #NottinghamForest

[helix-3]

Cant draw now because im going back home today

And i was scrolling through my own art and i was like. What the fuck was i drawing. Kinda feel like theyre just a bunch of nonsense.

Idk why. Maybe because theyre a bit... Childish? But i do remember i wanna see them during the time of drawing...

Maybe i draw comics because im not good enough to draw good single illustration. Just look at that last kayo i drew. Completely fucked up his torso's perspective and it feels more like a very flat cylinder instead of, you know, a torso

Yeah... Its almost lunar new year now and we do have holidays for that in my country. I just... dont know how much i will draw during this this. Like, i know every artist probably went through this, but i just feel sad and defeated when i know i wont be satisfy with the thing i draw. I just know they would be... not up to anyones standard. I dont know what to draw anymore.

Sigh. I really dont know how to handle this situation. Is this an art block? I feel like ive been through this a million times since the time i started drawing.

[clandestine-weepings]

Hi everyone this is for @tiredandlonelymuse so if you aren't Halsey please keep scrolling (or don't, idc).

Hi H. I hope you're feeling well as you continue to sweep the country by storm on this phenomenal surrealist tour of magic and aMUSEment 🫶🫶🫶 I have so many things to say to you at this point and don't even know where to say them, so here they are!

I have been listening to your music since 2015, and it has seen me through a million and one life changes from the middle of high school through the near end of my twenties.

Every album is tied to a different monumental time in my life, every song has empowered me and spoken to me differently, but explicitly Manic and TGI have carried me through some of the darkest points of my life. Manic (ironically) came out when I was at my lowest, I just found out my (abusive, narcissistic, addict, liar) fiance was cheating on me, and it was also my senior year of college. That album helped me grieve a relationship I was still in, and recognize that finding yourself is a scary ass fucking experience.

Flash forward past IICHLIWP (Not because I'm not obsessed with it - trust me, I am, Lighthouse supremacy every day of the week) - last year, when you announced TGI, it rocked my world. For context, I spent probably the majority of 2017-2022 pushing for a doctor to hear me (finally got an endo diagnosis in 2022), and then even moreso from 2020-2022, when I was trying to get diagnosed for some neurological and nervous system issues I was having (lo and behold, I have fibromyalgia - but I didn't know it, and it was bad enough by the summer of 2022 that I went from roller skating daily and working 10 hour days to barely being able to walk). Since being diagnosed, I've developed some other autoimmune/bodily ailment shit (POTS is the big one so far, lol), and that shit really turned my life on its ear while I was learning to navigate it and how to "treat" it. Sometimes it feels like the things that are wrong with me don't stop or end, it's just a spiral that never stops moving. But I am also a hurricane thst never stops moving (I am nothing without making art, without being me, without doing the things I love, etc, something I know you relate to). When you put out The End, it made my chest ache in new ways, and made me feel so seen even on a much smaller scale. When you announced I Believe in Magic was inspired by Linda Ronstadt, I froze in my tracks, because she is my mother's favorite artist and I grew up with her playing around our house every single day and I have never related more to a song about realizing your mom is getting older and so are you and time is fleeting. A Springsteen girl through and through, Letter to God 83 speaks to my heart, and as a PJ and Fiona lover, I listen to the Arsonist and Dog Years religiously. A few people I know said they just "couldn't relate" to TGI as much as some of your other albums, and all I could think was both "you are so lucky to not get it" and "I am so lucky to be able to get it" because it is so crazy to have an album where every single song speaks to my soul in a like deep cutting way (fwiw, Manic did this as well, but I think being older this time around I am feeling it a lot more intensely).

As soon as I heard the singles, I knew I wanted to get a tattoo for this album, and you bet I did. My friends and I all got a hand of cards tattooed, we each picked our own colors but got the same design (I drew it). We booked the tattoo one day, and a few days later, you announced the tracklist using cards... and if that isn't divine providence, I don't have a clue what is. But anyway, since this album came out, I have just felt so seen in my most vulnerable moments, and it has become such a comfort for me (and so many others). Thank you for releasing it and for letting us into your world again. I cannot wait to see you in Chicago with my little sister and three best friends this month. (We'll be in the 300 section because at least 3 of us did not want to risk trying to stand in the pit all night - again, how do you stand onstage all night?! Your willingness to give every ounce of yourself is so magnificent and it does NOT go unnoticed, especially by the chronic girlies).

PS - I went to the art institute of chicago last weekend and I saw the Frida Kahlo x Mary Reynolds exhibit and I think you'd appreciate it. There's plenty of surrealism in it, photos by Man Ray and drawings by Jean Cocteau (his star reminds me of your stars and his line drawings remind me of yours), Mary's bookbindings, paintings by Frida and Dali. If you have a chance... you'd love it.

Anyway, love you bunches. I hope I can show you my TGI tattoo one day and say thank you in person. Until then, a digital thank you must suffice! 🫶

Xoxo,

Nina

[ausetkmt]

The chained hand of Archer Alexander, who was the last slave captured under the fugitive slave law, is depicted in a statue commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation. A bill to study reparations for slavery advanced through a House committee this year but hasn't gotten a floor vote.

Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

Seven months ago, a House committee advanced a bill to study reparations for slavery, after more than three decades of efforts to build support for the idea.

But the bill has not been taken up for consideration by the full House of Representatives even though it has the backing of some of the country's most prominent Democrats.

"Since April there has been very little movement on the bill by the leadership in Congress," said Kamm Howard, a national co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America.

Advocates for reparations are frustrated despite the fact that the proposal faces steep odds of fully passing the closely divided Congress even if the House did take it up.

The bill is H.R. 40, and it gets its name from the unmet promise that former slaves would be given "40 acres and a mule" as the Civil War drew to a close. It would establish a 13-person commission to study the effects of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States, from before the country's finding to present day.

The commission would hold hearings, submit its findings to Congress and recommend "appropriate remedies." It would also consider a "national apology" for the harm caused by slavery.

The bill's original sponsor, the late Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, first proposed the bill in 1989, and did so year after year for nearly three decades, until he retired in 2017. After that, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas began sponsoring the bill.

"I don't think anyone could argue against the fact that the trajectory of slavery has gone through the centuries, the decades and is in the DNA of descendants of enslaved Africans," Jackson Lee, a Democrat, said in an interview with NPR. "America would do well to try to bring healing and repair, in this time and in this century."

The bill finally gained political traction among Democrats as the country grappled with race and systemic racism and protests sparked by the killings of Black Americans by police flowed through the streets of U.S. cities large and small over the last two years.

Republicans oppose reparations. Democrats say even studying them has value

The bill has nearly 200 co-sponsors in the House, including members of House Democratic leadership. But it is widely opposed by Republicans and was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee in April with only Democratic votes.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican, argued that because the committee's members would be appointed by the president, the House speaker and the Senate pro tempore, who are currently all Democrats, the commission would obviously come to a conclusion in support of reparations.

"Spend $20 million for a commission that's already decided to take money from people who were never involved in the evil of slavery and give it to people who were never subject to the evil of slavery," Jordan said during the hearing on the bill. "That's what Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are doing."

Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, one of two Black Republicans currently serving in the House, said that the concept of reparations is "divisive."

"Reparation where you take people's money that they've earned — it's punishment, it's theft, it's judgement," he said in the hearing. "It's saying that because of your skin color, you owe me. That is not the American way. We're not racist people. This American country is based on meritocracy."

Jackson Lee says arguments like this miss the point. The bill does not prescribe what form reparations should take, a question that is a point of debate among supporters of reparations for slavery.

"It is not the study of getting a check. It is not giving you a check. It is not the bill on a check," Jackson Lee said. "It is to study slavery and develop reparations proposals, which would create, first of all, the platform for understanding."

Rep. Jamaal Bowman talked about reparations frequently when he campaigned for his New York congressional seat.

"We haven't taken a moment to stop and pause and reflect and look ourselves in the mirror as a country and really be honest with ourselves about how those harms continue to persist," Bowman said.

A group of advocates has been pushing Democrats to bring the bill up for a vote, arguing that it is deeply popular.

"We are working diligently to basically get them all in a room with us and tell us directly how we can move this bill forward," said Nicole Austin-Hillery of Human Rights Watch, one of the advocates calling for a meeting with House leaders. "They have the power to do it, and we're imploring them to do so."

Some argue that House leadership has yet to bring the bill up for a vote because they fear a backlash among voters. Democrats are coming off of a series of bruising off-year elections that featured fresh Republican attacks on race and culture. In next year's midterms, Democrats will be defending incredibly slim majorities.

"The Democratic leaders are saying that they are scared if they move this legislation today, that it will hurt their chances of keeping control of the Congress," said Howard.

Advocates are urging Biden to act without Congress

A senior Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the status of pending legislation, said that conversations about the legislation are ongoing, and that Democratic leadership and the White House are working together on the path forward. The aide said that equity is a central priority of the party.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a co-sponsor of the bill, told reporters earlier this year that he hopes that President Biden considers establishing a commission similar to the one called for in H.R. 40 using executive authority, noting that the chances of the bill passing the Senate "are pretty dim." In the evenly divided Senate, legislation requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. A Senate companion bill, sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, has just 22 co-sponsors, with no Republicans.

The idea of Biden establishing a commission on his own has also won the support of some activists, including the Rev. Mark Thompson.

"What sets H.R. 40 apart from all of those other pieces of legislation that 'Manchinema' are blocking, is this" he said — using a compound reference to moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. "H.R 40 is the only one ... that Biden can sign and enact by executive order."

The White House hasn't said whether Biden would consider creating a commission on his own.

"He supports a number of components of the bill, including the funding and the proposal for a study, which he feels would be the next important step forward and something that he feels would be absolutely correct in addressing ... these moments in history," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in June.

Jackson Lee said she's focused on the legislative process and still hopes to get a "successful result" in the House, but said that there's a "great deal of power in the White House and in the presidency."

"I think there is certainly a sufficient body of people that would give President Biden a standing ovation if that was the direction that we needed to take," she said.

[fay-run]

It was late, much too late for Sindyrdra to still be avoiding her trance. She wasn’t on watch, nor did she have any good reason for not allowing herself to meditate. Instead, she lay with her eyes open, watching as the githyanki beside her slept peacefully. Lae’zel, her Lae’zel. Sindyrdra smiled, reaching a hand up to brush a rogue braid off of her lover's face. Almost as soon as it came, the smile fell and her stomach tightened. She was no stranger to fear. Powerful a sorcerer as she may be, she feared for her life on more than one occasion in recent months. But the fear of losing someone, of having to live without someone she loved? It hadn’t been long since that kind of fear had last held her in its clutches. It was horrifying. 

Her memory flashed back to the morning prior, the sunbeams rising around the surrounding buildings as they sat on the balcony. Lae’zel next to her, holding her with a gentleness Sindyrdra never in a million years would have guessed she could possess. Her fingers drew comforting motions along her back as they spoke of their travels, the future. Their future. Lae’zel’s voice became small and quiet, timid, and her words came out almost pleading.

When all this is over, will you stay with me? For good?

Hearing the subtle, silent hope in Lae’zel’s words had jarred her. It had already been well established they had become more than what they had originally agreed to, just a way to let off steam in the midst of the mess they’d been thrust into. They’d grown to trust each other enough to tell one another the details of their pasts, the thing each member of their group kept under heavily guarded lock and key. They’d bonded over the similarities of the life they’d grown up in; Lae’zel in Creche K’liir and Sindyrdra in Menzoberranzan. They’d forgiven one another for their past transgressions, for the things they were forced to do in the unforgiving societies they’d inhabited. Even after all this, the idea of looking to the future, whatever future they might have after dealing with The Absolute, wanted to send her into survival mode. There was a possibility they wouldn’t even have a future. That they be killed, or turned into mindflayers. How could she even consider what comes next? 

Then Sindyrdra looked into Lae’zel’s wide, expectant eyes, and she just melted. Vulnerability didn’t come naturally to Lae’zel, she knew how hard this was for her. Sindyrdra allowed herself a moment to think about what if. What if they defied all odds? What if they could destroy The Absolute? What if their parasites would be gone? 

And she’d realized quickly enough that she could not imagine anything else but being by Lae’zel’s side, wherever it took them. She didn’t care if it meant having Vlaakith loyalists coming for them for the rest of eternity. She didn’t care if it meant fighting alongside her in the astral plane, if she’d even be allowed to do so. 

As her response, Sindyrdra kissed her. Sweetly, deliberately, the type of kiss meant for long-term lovers. Tenderness was something so foreign to the both of them, but they were learning. Together.

“I admit this ‘trance’ of yours is foreign to me, though I believe your eyes are meant to be closed.”

Lae’zel’s voice was groggy, and when Sindyrdra turned to look at her she was attempting to blink away the sleep from her eyes. This stubborn woman wouldn’t just go back to sleep when woken, of course. She probably knew Sindyrdra was still awake while in the clutches of sleep and willed herself awake just to fuss at her. 

“I still have plenty of time,” she responded, waving away Lae’zel’s encroaching concern. “Go back to sleep. You need it.”

“And you do not?”

“I don’t sleep,” she said, grinning while she eyed Lae’zel. “Remember?”

Lae’zel made her little ‘chk’, a mannerism Sindyrdra found utterly adorable. 

“Yes, I remember. I find it unfair that your kind should have this advantage,” she sat up, holding herself up by the palms of her hands, and blew her messied hair out of her face. “And I find it odd that you opt to stare mindlessly at the ceiling rather than do something proactive with your extra freetime.”

There was a time when Sindyrdra may have been offended by Lae’zel’s bluntness, but she now knew that her words didn’t come from malice. She had been forced to spend every waking moment training, or studying, or doing something that her kin would deem as ‘worthwhile’. It was all she knew, to be militant during all hours. In her mind, she did not understand why Sindyrdra would take the extra time her lack of a need to sleep granted her to simply sit and reflect, rather than do anything productive.

“Sometimes it's nice to have time to yourself,” she replied, turning her gaze back up to the ceiling. “To think. I guess I might have thought like you, once. Before I left home.”

She’d been such a different person back then. Anything to please her mother, anything to please her House, anything to please Lloth. And all of it had come back to bite her. If any good came of it, it was that she had the wisdom to guide Lae’zel through the very same plight. 

Lae’zel was wide awake now, clearly not allowing for Sindyrdra to stay up without her. Sindyrdra shook her thoughts out of her head and turned her body so she was facing Lae’zel, taking one of her hands in her own. The gith looked down at their interlaced fingers between them and frowned. A gentle touch was more startling to Lae’zel than a slap to the face. Yet she did not yank her hand away as she once might have. Instead, she allowed Sindyrdra to pull them both to their feet, and began guiding them out of their room in the Elfsong Tavern. 

“Where are we going?” asked Lae’zel, eyeing Sindyrdra suspiciously but giving no resistance to her lead. “This bears a frightening similarity to the night you forced me to wade through the river with you. I will not be pleased if I see us approach any body of water.”

“I did not force you,” Sindyrdra insisted, turning around for only a moment to shoot Lae’zel a look. “You know, most water in the Underdark is too cold to swim in. I wasn’t used to it either and I still had fun.”

“You pushed me in before I was ready.”

Sindyrdra was certain if she turned around again, she would be met with the most adorable Lae’zel pout she’d ever seen, but she resisted. “And if I hadn’t you never would have gone in. Now, hush. It is my turn to show you something.”

Lae’zel acquiesced and fell silent. While she couldn’t see her, Sindyrdra furrowed her brow and worried at her lip. The decision to show this to her was a last-minute one, thought of only when she woke just now. Now, she worried it would upset her. Or worse, anger her. But there was no turning back now, of course. Lae’zel would never allow it. 

The cool night air nipped at their skin when they opened the hatch to the roof of the tavern. Selune was full and bright, and her light lit up the rooftop gardens enough for them to find their way to the stone bench in the middle. Sindyrdra sat Lae’zel down and took a seat next to her. Lae’zel’s expression had grown increasingly concerned, and shoulders were tense when she turned to her. 

“Why have we come here, Sindyrdra?” she looked around. “If there is something we must speak about, surely–”

“There is nothing we need to talk about, Lae’zel,” she assured her, placing a hand on her arm, then pointing to the sky. “Look up.”

Lae’zel looked up. For a moment her face was blank, searching for whatever it was her lover was trying to show her. Then, her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes widened. “The Tears…” she breathed, reaching to the sky as if she could touch them. “K’liir… They are so bright.”

Sindyrdra swallowed, still nervous the gith would only grow bitter at the sight of her home. “It happens when the moon is full. Gale pointed it out to me, one of the first nights we camped together. I thought you might like to see.”

When Lae’zel didn’t immediately answer, her stomach twisted in regret. This was stupid. She deserved whatever scolding she was going to get for this. 

But Lae’zel’s expression did not turn sour. Instead, it illuminated; shining brighter than The Tears themselves. She took the hand laying on her shoulder and brought it to her lips, then looked up from it with a smile. 

“Your thoughts were correct,” she said, looking at Sindyrdra as if all the stars in the Realms could compete with her beauty. But they could not, because to Lae’zel, Sindyrdra would win against each one. “This is just another wonder of this world you have shown to me. One I will cherish greatly; for I will think of you each time I see it. It is magnificent.”

Sometimes when she looked at her, Sindyrdra couldn’t believe Lae’zel was real, and tonight was no different. The woman beside her was the most incredible woman she’d ever known; more fearsome than any drider, more depth to her than any abyss. She was truly something to behold. Sindyrdra kissed her, and when they detached, she placed her forehead against hers for just a blissful moment, before pulling back again. “Yesterday, when you brought me to the sunrise I… I was quiet. I couldn’t use my words. I fear for the future and I fear losing you, which makes it hard to say, but you deserve to hear it out loud,” She licked her lips timidly. “I will stay with you, Lae’zel. After we defeat the Absolute, and for eternity. No matter what you choose when you are faced with the choice we both know you will have, I will be by your side. Whether physically, or if it must be some other way. I will be here for you to come to, always.”

It is a terrifying thing, to show all of your heart and soul to another, especially when it goes against everything you were ever taught. The two of them seemed to be doing it often as of late, however. And each time, it got a little easier.

Lae’zel’s big, emotive eyes were looking at her with what could only be described as awe. And this time, she was the one left speechless. So Sindyrdra kissed her once again, because they’d said more than enough the past two nights. After the brain was defeated there would be more time for flowery confessions of love, without ever truly saying the word love.

It wasn’t needed. They stayed under the Tears of Selune as they finished their journey over the night sky, as close to one another as the material plane would possibly allow, and each of them knew what the other felt.