#its like. 4 feathers. out of like. 100.

[atypi-cals]

the mere existence of dye lots pisses me off

[lilapplesheadcannons]

Nie MingJue, the unintentional kidnapper

Or that time A-Yuan almost got adopted into the Nie Sect

Nie MingJue is starting to get slightly uncomfortable. Sure, it has been decades since HuaiSang was a toddler (two decades, to be more specific), but surely toddlers need to blink more? The child is looking at him like he is the most mesmerising vision it has ever seen in its entire 4 years on earth.

He tries to glance through the door without being too intruding. He understands there is a touching reunion happening somewhere inside, and God knows he doesn't want to interrupt the Jiangs screaming and crying and hitting and hugging their wayward prodigal demonic cultivator, but surely someone else can take the child? Is it not a cousin of the Ghost General and her terrifying sister? Now he thinks about it, he is not so sure they are very fit guardians if they are willing to abandon their charge to any random cultivator. And the worst part is A-Yao, the person best suited to deal with this situation, has left with them, presumably trying to find a quieter resting place for the Wen remnants away from the chaos that is the 100 days celebration of the newest Jin baby.

He flinches when a soft finger cautiously pokes his cheek. The child grins guilelessly at him and says, "Pretty gege!"

Nie MingJue blushes to the root of braids. That's it! This child is obviously surrounded by unreliable people who would teach him utter nonsense or dump him in the middle of enemy territories, so as a responsible adult, it is his solemn duty to adopt the child (a boy? It is dressed as one, but who knows with Wei Wuxian?) and take it to Qinghe. He stands up with the child under one armpit, the child seemingly unbothered by being dangled like a sack of potatoes.

"He's mine!"

Lan Xichen's baby brother looks just as angry as he did on the day they first met, when he ended up biting HuaiSang. Except now he is almost as tall as MingJue, and he has already put the tip of his finger on his sword.

Rude!

Nie MingJue, a sect leader and the chief cultivator, is an older brother first and foremost. How can he resist ruffling Lan Er-Gongji's already ruffled feathers even more?

"I didn't know Wangji had a child."

Wangji bristles even further, reminding him of the time he accidentally stepped on Second Mother's cat's tail.

The child waves at him from his precarious position, "Rich Gege!"

Does Wangji's eyes soften a little? Nie MingJue can swear he saw a crack of smile in his lips. Surely, he is just hallucinating. The child chirps out again, "Pretty Gege!" pointing at MingJue. The room temperature plummets several degrees.

"GIVE HIM TO ME!"

If Wangji doesn't want to take over from Lan Laoshi, he can easily earn his living teaching enunciation to rich masters. Nue MingJue heard every syllable distinctly, including the single exclamation mark at the end. Is he serious?

Nie MingJue stares at him. He has heard rumours. The light bearing lord! The war has done awful things to the cultivators. Once kind, just men have been reduced to butchers with enough trauma to last a few lifetimes, but surely it hasn't changed the upright young man in front of him to such an extent that he was willing to...

He moves the child from underneath his arm and settles him down on the ground behind him.

"Look here, Wangji, he is just a child..."

He gets interrupted again by the same clear, obstinate tone.

"Give him to me! Now!"

Has Wangji lost it? Does he want to kill a child, practically a baby, to avenge his father and his sect? Does he really think he can get away with killing the adopted child of Wei Wuxian when Wei Wuxian himself was just a few doors away? Not to mention the Ghost General and the Jiang sect leader in the vicinity?

You can probably cut the tension with a blunt sabre. That's the first thing Lan Xichen notices when he walks in, the second thing being his brother and his best friend locked in a staring contest. Wangji looks like he is ready to start a fight, and Da-Ge has that little mocking smile, which means he is happy to indulge. Behind him, little A-Yuan is studiously examining the pattern on the carpet.

Wangji breaks the stare first. He turns to his big brother and says, almost petulantly,

"He's not giving A-Yuan back!"

Lan Xichen smiles and shakes a deprecating finger at MingJue in mock sensor,

"Now, now, what do you mean by not handing over my nephew to my brother? Da-ge! If you indeed want a child,..."

Wait a second! The jibe about the child being Wangji's, that was purely a taunt. Is it true? Did Wangji really have a child? A 4 years old? But, he begs your biggest pardon, Wangji is a child himself! How can he have a child? When? With whom?

Having his sympathetic brother on his side seems to encourage Wangji to speak further.

"A-Yuan called him pretty!"

If only people could see their Light bearing Lord pouting! Xichen tuts.

"For shame, Da-Ge!"

But before Nie MingJue can demand explanation, A-Yuan decides he has had enough of the carpet and stands up, then walks over to Lan Wangji in a brisk, businesslike manner, who bends down to pick him up without breaking eye contact with Nie MingJue and pointedly kisses the child's forehead.

Nie MingJue is pretty sure he is having a Qi deviation right now. Ah well, there are worse ways to go, he supposes.

[archtroop]

It's afternoon. It's hard to explain... the state of mind of Israelis right now.

Sometime at evening yesterday, all of us were alert. Waiting for the worst: is it a nuke? Did the Ayatollahs finally lost it? Then, the news go like this: Iran relwaed ta wave of... there are hundreds of UAVs on their way, it will take them approximately 9 hours to arrive".

And after realizing that, we are all on our heels because the JihaNazis sent a barrage of.... turtles at us, with enough time to make leavened bread, look.

Look. The overall mood in Israel can be summed up with one word: annoyed.

This was Iran doing a big big show to not lose face, with a "maybe we'll hit em, we don't really care".

And on one hand, good. This Israel and allies can handle. But in the other. This is a game to them. This is a game, on behalf of people's lives.

All of this, was, for the Israeli AIF like a big BIG drill. This was a scenario that Israel had never prepared for, although in THEORY, was supposed to be able to take on. And they did it.

In conclusion, all of these farce achieved the following:

1. Ruffled some Israeli feathers and the home front preparedness.

2. Put a little girl on the operating table with a head trauma. Her name is Amina, she is a 7 y/o Bedouin girl from the Negev. And she is ALIVE. More fake news going around about a casualty, this one casualty. Please don't put her in the ground before her time. She is being operated on.

3. Gave the Israeli multilayered Air Defense system a run for its money: it was never deployed in a 100% capacity. 99% of all incoming was shot down. That's 331 (approximately) various flying objects made for destruction.

4. Most importantly. More states and nations realize how crazy and dangerous it would be if Iran and an actual Nuke. While Russia, US etc hold them as deterrents.... Iran showed that they are irrational and erratic enough to actually USE ONE.

Iran threw out 5% of all their flying FLIES TO MAKE A POINT. (An estimate I take from an analysis done by Ryan McBeth).

Do with that what you will.

From the Israeli POV... much ado about nothing.

Oh! Forgot one more. So. Much. Black humor.

[angelmalocaris]

Emeryfession

Hello NEN Tumblr! Tumblr NEN fans! NENblr! Whatever you are!

There are like 5 of you at most, even when rounded up, but I have a confession to post.

This shrine, you see this “shrine” right here? From the NEN website? (CONT. under cut)

That is MY shrine. I made that. Those objects are in my possession.

This image is sort of old. I haven’t cleaned my bedroom in awhile so I will hold off on taking new ones for the time being, but here are my Emery related trinkets I have and projects I have worked on. This is not a complete list by any means, mostly just my biggest or most well known ones.

Lets get the big stuffy fluff-filled elephant out of the room, the pillow. Yes that is an Emery body pillow! (Or dakimakura I suppose.)

YES it is hand made! YES I do sleep with it every night! and YES my mom did help me make it! While it has become SIGNIFICANTLY more faded over time, it is well loved. That is my wifey! Of course I take care of her!

It's almost completely homemade, my mom prints t-shirt so we just printed on some fabric. There is a heart-shaped button and a few feathers in the stuffing, think like a BaB plushie.

Enough of that, time for a walk. Here’s the Emery engraved collar!

Real metal! After saving a bit of money and walking and hour or so, I purchased this at a store to be made by an engraving machine. Why? Because I can! And have you seen Emery? That’s definitely a critter.

I'm hungry... so hungry I could eat... an Emery!!!

Here are three separate Emery cakes I made! Left to right in order. They're all box mix but I baked them and frosted them on my own.

My grandma made this one. Goo Goo Gah Gah...

By now, all the cakes are long gone.

First Cake Death

Second Cake Death (My favorite!)*

Third Cake Death

*(also a remake of the first.)

Quick time event!!! Here's some Emeries I made in video games.

Note, while I did not make the Emery Mii (Hal did) I am including it here because I think it's notable that I got to marry Emery in the game.

I have lost my membership in this time so the full outfit is not possible for me anymore, but feel free to recreate it. Its simple and the items shouldn't be too hard to acquire.

It's just 1, the Square Glasses (members only) from Jam Mart Clothing in green for 350 gems 2, the tie from Jam Mart Clothing in red for 100 gems, and the Rare Crimson Topcoat (members only). While the topcoat is marked "Rare" its quite common for a rare item and IIRC I may(?) even have more than one.

I want to update the Petz 4 Emery. I could probably make it better now and I want him to be a dog when I decide to remake it.

I have lost my old save for tomodachi life but someday I will get married to him again... just you wait!!!

You know what games are made of? Code. So are webbed sites... Usually not the same code, but you get the idea.

This is my Emery web shrine! I will not link to it because its very old and not very good by my current standards. You can see its age by Emery being called "Telly" and some of the older artwork ( being by Hal of course.) Someday it will be made better and strong...

and yes. I did help with some (a lot) of the code on the NEN site. I'm blaming any of the messy stuff in there on Hal though because she's the one doing most updates. Sorry Hal! Maybe learn more than some HTML and I won't throw you under the bus. I need to log on and fix up some of that in a bit. I am sure it looks like a tornado hit it from the inside.

I have been at this for months, even years now. Longer than the NEN official site even existed. A lot of this is hand made and if not that, completely out of my own pockets. I plan to continue being crazy even if my pockets are reduced to nothing but lint and moths (they have, more than once.) I love Emery Phone.

Peace and Love (except for the french, that being Emery. I will get you Emery.)

Tschüss! Buh-Bye! Until next time! Au revoir! (Eww... French...)

[the-beginning-is-ending]

HOUSE M.D × INSCRYPTION

This isn't my first HouseMD AU, nor will it most likely be the last lol. You'll probably see less of this one??? Maybe??? Idk. Either way, I wanted to post this! Inscryption is one of my favorite games, and combining it with my favorite show felt right.

Questions about this AU or the game of Inscryption itself will be answered. I'm 100% willing to make a post explaining Inscryption as well for the HouseMD fans or people who saw this AU

Information of the AU under the cut!

[EXAMPLE]

Name [Attack/Health]

Animal [Sigil]

Sigil Meaning:

Animal/Card Symbolism:

ps: Masters & Amber will be included. just wait

FREE CARDS

GREGORY HOUSE [1/4]

Limping Jaguar [No Sigil]

Animal/Card Symbolism: Jaguars are strong animals, just how House is very clever, even for his field, and how a limp damages that view and themselves (A Jaguar couldn't survive long with a limp, House is damaging his body with Vicodin for it)

JAMES WILSON (0/3)

Hare [Many Lives]

Sigil Meaning: Whenever this card is sacrificed, it does not die

Animal/Card Symbolism: Hares are lagomorphs and still adored creatures, but are often seen as creepier than bunnies. Wilson, as willing and caring as he is, has a few horrors within himself.

ALLISON CAMERON [1/3]

Bunny [Hoarder]

Sigil Meaning: When this card is played, choose a card from your deck to be drawn immediately.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Bunnies are seen as innocent, fluffy animals and have connections to religion and morals

CHI PARK [1/4]

Beetle [No Sigil]

Animal/Card Meaning: Park is small and underestimated

2 BONES

CHRISTOPHER TAUB [1/2]

Hamster [Bone King]

Sigil Meaning: When this card dies, 4 Bones are awarded instead of 1.

Animal/Card Symbolism: A small coward. Rodent energy.

1 BLOOD

ROBERT CHASE [2/4]

Rat [Sprinter]

Sigil Meaning: At the end of the owner's turn, this card moves in the sigil's direction.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Chase is a coward who rats out and hides with anyone he thinks might just save his ass

ERIC FOREMAN [2/3]

Giant Salamander [Sharp Quills]

Sigil Meaning: Once this card is struck, the striker is dealt 1 damage.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Amphibians need specific living environments, being worse in poor ones than average. Foreman grew up in a not-so-good environment.

LISA CUDDY [2/3]

Clipped Parrot [Loose Tail]

Sigil Meaning: When this card is struck, a tail [feather] is created in its place and this card moves to the right.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Cuddy is intelligent and a valuable person, but can struggle with how she's taken due to her gender, and put down because of it. Held back by something.

LAWRENCE KUTNER [1/3]

Fox [Corpse Eater]

Sigil Meaning: If a card that you own dies by combat, this card is played from your hand on its space.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Foxes have a history of jokes and trickery, and can make laughing noises. I think this is fitting for the persona he puts on

2 BLOOD

REMY “13" HADLEY [2/3]

Spider Ball Python [Bifurcated Strike]

Sigil Meaning: This card will strike each opposing space to the left and right of the spaces across it.

Animal/Card Symbolism: Spider Ball Pythons have a gene that makes them wobble, and are doomed from the start

JESSICA ADAMS [2/4]

Hound [Guardian]

Sigil Meaning: When an opposing card is played opposite an empty space, this card moves to that space.

Animal/Card Symbolism: A working dog, stuck in one point of her life to never rest

[krizzler]

How I see

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

-as someone with synesthesia.

#1 - SKINNY

I kinda think of skinny as light, pale and soft. I think the lyrics really reflect those elements, especially since the song is mostly about body dysmorphia. And when I think about body dysmorphia I think of pale and colourless things. So everything about this song just lacks colour, but in a good way. I think it symbolises Billie's growth and development through the album. She starts paler but then she slowly develops colour through the songs, also symbolising that she's found herself and she's comfortable in who she is.

#2 - LUNCH

Lunch is definitely a hard one. Whenever I listen to a song, I can always see all the colours in different parts of the song. Especially this one. But it only looks good in my head and to physically make it visual to other people is hard because I had to include all the colours without it looking terrible. So what I did was I kinda channelled the main colours and what came out was blue and orange. Blue being the base of the song, and then orange being the guitar in the background. These two colours and this song make perfect sense to me and I'm super happy about this one.

#3 - CHIHIRO

This song is mostly blue but BITTERSUITE and BLUE are blue already so I wanted to make it more diverse. So I gave the song a listen and decided that the base of the song is blue 100%, and in the chorus of the song you kinda feel melancholic, euphoric, ethereal etc. So I drilled deeper into my brain and decided that in the chorus of this song, I could feel a bit of yellow. I think it adds to that floating, euphoric feel of the song.

#4 - BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Unfortunately my least favourite on this album. I obviously don't hate anything Billie's put out at all, but it screams clean girl. I can't stand clean girl so I have a bit of a dislike towards this song. It's a good song obviously, but not for my ears. It's very soft and dream like, and I think the white and baby pink really reflect it. Love how this is like a polar opposite to LUNCH.

#5 - WILDFLOWER

This was nice to do. Finding and looking through photos really helped me understand this song better. It's the perfect balance between hard and soft. I think this is like the middle man in this album. Especially when you know what it's about. Or who. This reminded me a lot of Guitar Songs (TV and The 30th). It's like a morning walk through a field on an overcast day at your grandma's house. It's a bit of a laid back green. Symbolising the mood of the song.

#6 - THE GREATEST

This was the hardest song I've had to visualise. This song is more of a feeling than a visual. But I'd probably say it's a mix between blue and green. Blue being the base, green being the accents. This whole album definitely has blue in most of its songs. I'm still not sure how to view this song but I think this is the closest I can get.

#7 - L'AMOUR DE MA VIE

I don't think this song needs much of an explanation. It's neon, it's bold, it's different. It's a vibe. The colour perfectly matches the sound of the song. I mostly see red and orange in this song and I think that's to do with fire for some reason. It's hot and it burns your eardrums like a hot branding iron in the best possible way.

#8 - THE DINER

I think the diner has the same look for everyone. It's dark, spooky and possessive. I can't believe it's second least streamed song on the album because it's my no.1. Black is the base of the song because I feel like it's set at night, then we have red because it's hot and bold. I added in some photos of circuses because the little instrumental sounds like a spooky circus. This is THE Halloween song of 2024. Fight me.

#9 - BITTERSUITE

This is such an amazing song. To me it's blue. But a very darkkk blue. It also feels like you're drowning so I incorporated lots of water into it. This feels like swimming at the sea in a storm. It's terrifying and exhilarating in the best way. I think this song would also smell like Eilish no.2 and I'm so sad that this is the least streamed of the album.

#10 - BLUE

this song is the bluest of blue. It's neon. It's again more of an feeling that a visual. Very similar to BITTERSUITE but just more vibrant. I find it hard to explain this one but I think for a song that's also hard to visualise, it's probably the most accurate on the list.

[adrianfridge]

Teen Wolf is a werewolf soap opera horror that gradually changes into a gritty horror thriller. And I’d like to explore that in terms of its campiness.

For me, the campiness is determined by the personality of the villain. I’m going to focus on their theoretical willingness to put on the most flamboyant outfits, but that’s merely an illustration of their vibes.

Season 1 has Peter and Kate, who, if we’re being honest, would both go on stage wearing just the most glitter, feathers, and wig to have an epic lip syncing battle. There would be surprise outfit reveals and at least one would do a split. It would go down in history. 10/10 perfection

Season 2 has Matt and Gerard. Matt would only reluctantly put on an outfit, and it’d be something spandex to emulate the superhero comics he reads. Meanwhile Gerard would be eating up the frenzy that Kate and Peter left behind. His outfit would be more grand than both of them combined. He only pretends he’s retired while being the Final Boss of Drag Race. 9/10 some hesitation to cheer for an incel but grandpa can work those high heels

Season 3A has Jennifer and Deucalion. Jennifer is gothic rock opera chic. She’ll flip her hair while singing soprano in an obsidian gown. And Deucalion? He’s gone mad from losing to Gerard at Drag Race, and now he’s back for a rematch, this time with a BDSM-kink themed outfit to display he’s gone darkside. 8/10 trying a little hard but I can get behind it

Season 3B is the Nogitsune. It’s here when the show begins to get more serious, which I think is the wrong lesson the writing room took from its popularity. The Nogitsune has multiple outfit changes. It is kabuki theater. It is a troll dressed as Stiles while wearing the most bombastic display of practical special effects. There’s a smoke machine running underneath the robe that lights up with each step while a soundtrack plays. 100/10 Megamind would be proud

Season 4 is a mixed bag. It promises a rematch of Peter and Kate, but it doesn’t do either of them justice. Instead they’re pushed to the sideline in favor of a more traditional thriller Benefactor arc. The one highlight is the episode 4x07, Weaponized, which has The Chemist bringing back the pizazz (highly recommended; the episode is practically a one shot with everything you love from the early seasons). 5/10 averages to meh

Seasons 5-6 are entirely dedicated to seriousness.

Season 5A is Theo and the Dread Doctors. Theo is like if you took Matt and then squeezed out any joy. He’d refuse to dress up because he’d feel it’s beneath him. Meanwhile the Dread Doctors, who are already in full Steampunk attire, are doing nothing with it. As stiff as mannequins. All business, no play. They’re just here to get the job done and leave. 3/10 but has the potential

In season 5B we get Valack and the Beast, aka Sebastien. Valack, whose power is to disguise himself as other people, is the type to hate costumes. He’s going to wear an accurate reproduction of a medical professional, and he’s going to be annoying about it. Sebastien tries to be camp but it comes off like a parent incorrectly using lingo to try to be hip around their child. No one wants to see it. 1/10 please stop

Season 6A has… a literal Nazi. And the Ghost Riders, who only know how to walk a cat walk. They’d make great supermodels if their job wasn’t to make people forget they exist. 0/10 I want my money back

Season 6B is just straight up trying to be an allegory for modern day political discourse. There’s also the Anuk-Ite, a creepy-pasta knock-off of the greatest hits. You can’t even look at it without being turned to stone. -100/10 I’d rather fight a muskrat on twatter

Ultimately, my point is you lose much of the dramatic flair after season 3B. For many people, such as myself, it’s a disservice to why I started the show. But for other people it’s a good turn since they prefer the gritty realness. It ends up being one of the many reasons for the split in fandom over the direction of the show. And I can bet money that the movie is going to suck all the glamor out of the Nogitsune in favor of the same sort of straight-laced horror the later seasons embodied. Which is to say some people will love it, and it’s not going to be me or Megamind.

[tyrantchimeraart]

Guess who spent way too much effort drawing when she decided to joke around with the fandom debate over Alastor having a tail? Me, that's who!! It was an fun exercise in character design for sure. Background image is just an altered screenshot, I obviously don't claim it. Below are descriptions for each tail:

0: No Tail There's two of these ones, one front and one back. They're the base I used and show off what he looks like "normally".

1: Devil Tail His VA said, when asked if his character had a tail, that he thinks Alastor would have a devil tail. So of course I make one that's party sized. (That's also why I changed his brooch to an apple, for eagle-eyed viewers: his VA said that he thinks Alastor's favourite candy/fruit would be an apple and loool why not let's bait the shippers trollolol!)

2: Radio Antennae Honestly just makes practical sense for a guy like Alastor. Helps him transmit and used his powers.

3: Deer Tail The fandom's generally favourite tail headcanon for Alastor. I like it too tbh.

4: Deer coat-tails Double the fun! What if he actually had two tails to mimic the coat-tails of a swanky jacket?

5: Peacock This show-offy bastard likes attention and he deserves a tail that reflects this. 100% I'm taking the piss over this. But also the eye spots on the feathers mimic his microphone, so there is that.

6: Raccoon/Cheshire The radio drama king deserves a drama king tail, and minus the peacock, there isn't anything quite as stand-out as a raccoon tail. But then I looked at it and his grin and went, "Wait, is that a raccoon tail, or a Cheshire cat tail?" And honestly I could not answer that.

7: MIC TAIL OMFG OMFG GOD CONSPIRACY THEORY GUYS VIVZIE IS CRAZY HIS MICROPHONE IT'S BEEN HIS TAIL ALL ALONG!! ITS JUST DETACHABLE!!1!

8: Deer tail (tiny) How else do you think he's kept it hidden so long? Bet he's embarrassed to show such a smol little butt floof.

9: Combined tail Combined the devil tail idea with the deer tail idea. This is also based on a previous picture of mine (link here)

10: Dog/fox Apparently Alastor doesn't like dogs according to a wiki? They might have had something to do with his hunting-accident death. So of course I'm gonna be an asshole and give him a dog tail so he can never forget it. (Legit though it's kind of hilariously fucked up that you take a form in Hell based on how you died lol). This tail could also be a sort of fox tail too, for those of you who think his deceptive nature makes him kitsune-like. I ain't drawing a nine-tailed fox version of him, what the fuck are you asking, do I look like I have room anywhere!?! …Jokes aside (not), the dog tail might be the most likely to be canon? Maybe?? So where is it? He probably hates it so much he cuts it off the first chance he gets (and probably eats it too, knowing this MOFO.)

Anyways, hope you've enjoyed this exercise. I sure have! Feel free to experiment with your own versions of this idea, but please credit me if you do... Or at least let me know so I can see it? Pretty please?

[holyunholy]

thoughts on priory of the orange tree (minor structural spoilers)

i liked the first 3/4s of this book a lot more than the final stretch. the book builds its world from familiar fantasy tropes remixed in fun ways and then subverted in even more interesting ways. the basic structure of the book, alternating its narrative between east and west, with 4 PoV characters, lends the story a good rhythm, at least after the first couple chapters where it feels like reading four different first chapters in a row. but all 4 pov characters felt distinct and powerfully realized and I enjoyed my time with all of them.

for a fantasy book I felt like it all felt a bit un-magical. by about halfway through the book has explained the rules of its world, the types of magic and how they work and who can use them, and it cleaves totally to those rules until the end. its just a bit "magic is when you shoot fire out of your hands" for me. doesn't spoil the book or anything but its not my preference. like if you can explain it then its not really magic is my feeling.

my biggest gripe is that there's a point towards the end where all the conflict seems to go totally out of the book. like once all the mysteries are solved and the protagonists have the full picture, they make their plan to win the day, and then the last 20% of the book is just them doing that with very few hiccups.

okay i think i'm being too harsh. they definitely still encounter difficulties on their way to it but the plan they execute is exactly the plan they made. that just feels a bit anti-climactic to me? like the book just tells you how its going to end about 100 pages before the end. and then it does end that way. there's a lack of tension. feels like either something should have gone wrong, or they realize they've misunderstood some fundamental aspect of things and need a new plan.

like it's very much a book about Realizing Things, which is exactly what I loved about it. its about the conflicting beliefs of various cultures and the way ideology distorts history, etc. the big mystery of the book is "What is the real history of this world?" but that mystery is solved about 80% of the way through, and we're left with a big battle scene that doesn't meaningfully engage with the question. just needed one more fundamental shift in understanding right at the end I thought. honestly I was convinced the book was setting us up for that too, but then it just doesn't happen.

in general the ending feels a bit rushed. i dont mind the pacing picking up for the climax of a story but the earlier chapters are so vivid and lush with detail, and then at a certain point we just stop learning new things, so it ends up feeling like just a list of things that happen, idk.

anyway endings are hard, and it's ultimately a pretty small part of a very long book, and the sense that there is some enduring mystery does set it up well for a sequel, which I'd be eager to read. apparently there's a prequel book, which I think I would read if I knew a true sequel was coming, but might not get around to otherwise.

i always sound so negative when i book post but I genuinely liked this book.

last few thoughts uhhh. the book has this really amusing tendency to just kill characters as soon as its done with them. not a criticism except in the instance of (minor spoilers) Tané's friend who got sent to feather island. that one felt odd in that it really seemed like Tané was being set up to meet her there and maybe learn something about how she viewed people (and herself) growing up but then oops! she's actually already dead when we get there.

the romance was very good.

shout out to Roslain I just think she's a great character and she gets one of the best lines in the whole story

also I wish we'd gotten more Tané but apparently the author agrees on that point lol. dragon-hearted girl you mean everything to me

[ozrockbitway]

Do you have any Vanguard OCs? 👀 (Or possibly any ones you'd want to see in a deck)

KICKS DOOR DOWN HELLO YES I DO HAVE SOME

no unit??? OCs??? YET....but I want my funny Solrairon/Kheios/Mikani ship to have a kid...who let you have 3 dads??? they could be related to glitter or be one of those duel nation units

anyway SLAPS DOWN MY OC info that I still have thank god I saved this- I really should use toy house............

I've only draw a semi full pic of Michi...everyone else has a picrew cuz Im lazzzyyyy...mamoeni kid does have a headshot tho

Michi

renai fankid. Kagero user. Psyqualia. A really nice kid. A bit lethargic and has his head in the clouds. He’s mostly daydreaming about vanguard and Cray. He keeps an optimistic attitude regardless of how others treat him. He can be a little sneaky and playful, using things to his own advantage (ie. using his cute charms for a headpat) but never had any ill intentions. Thanks to his best friend ‘mothering’ him he is a little spoiled and tends to expect the same from others. When he was younger, he was bullied and kept that to himself, not wanting to make his best friend or anyone else worried. He doesn’t want to feel like a burden to others. Is aware that he is a little ‘weird’ and is labelled as an ‘outcast’ so doesnt want others to fall into that same pit.

Shiro

Link Joker user. transfer from Hong Kong (chinese/japanese) and knows the Soryuu family. Was supposed to be an Aqua Force user. A very serious cardfighter. Dislikes nicknames. Has a hard time getting along with others who are the ‘fooling around’ type. Isn’t mean but does speak his mind. He is actually a very chill and kind person but loses his chill when around kousuke and michi (mostly Michi). Doesn’t laugh a lot, more on the stoic side. Can knit. Might be nominated for Student Council president??

Momoka (Momo)

Mikuru’s daughter. Pale Moon user. A vanguard nerd who keeps up to date with everything, it helps that she works at card capital. Keeps her job a secret bcuz she’s not supposed to have one but she doesnt work all the time. More like 1-2 days a week, 3 at most. Her mom wanted to be an idol and she does to so she has a stressed life. She’s not that popular, yet. Hardworking and determined but doesn’t really give herself a break. She comes off as tired but its worth seeing people smile, on or off the stage. Her stage name is the Pale Moon Witch? Uses a wig or lets her hair down as an idol, keeps it a secret.

Tatsunagi OC (I never named her cries)

Tatsunagi family (takes over after Nome). Like the others, she is simply an observer watching between Earth and Cray. Knows about the half units on Earth.

Kuro

Shadow Paladin half unit. One of the Dark Dragon’s Grade 4 kids. Meant to oppose the Ezel half unit. Emotionless and sticks to the mission. Is somewhat curious about Earth and doesn’t know how some things work. Goes to Fukuhara. Clueless about relationships and is just a pawn to the Dark Dragon.

Mamoeni fankid (never named her either RIP)

nonbinary? Angel Feather/Gear Chronicle. Good and quiet child with a heart of gold but stricken with an illness.

Sayako

Mamoru’s gf. Shadow Paladin user. Has a bad habit of smiling when nervous. Has to live up to older sister’s legacy but can’t handle it so she tries to come off as indifferent/nonchalant. Family thinks she’s heartless. Doesn’t know if she hates her sister or not because thanks! you left me with shit to deal with. Not lazy but hates being compared to her sister. Good but snarky.

Haru (not pictured here waaaaa)

Angel Feather user. sadistic/masochistic type of person. works as a bartender. an ex-delinquent. is still physically strong and can kick your ass outside a cardfight. doesn’t always think plays through, but lady luck is on his side so it turns out in his favor. doesn’t cuss at work but will 100% cuss outside of work.

[reflectionsofacreator]

Fic progress, so I can make myself realize that stuff is getting done and not just despair over it all--

Raven Feathers ch 11: 7,531 words, halfway done with the last major scene of the chapter

Queen Malapropos ch 6: 8,102 words, almost done with scene 3 of 4

Astralfire Credence: a) 3,512 b) 978 c) 2,610 that needs to be scrapped/rewritten. I also have a 30k+ flashback that needs to be completed, but it's not 100% relevant for the next chapter getting out (as it will not be revealed until Way Later).

Immanent Apotheosis: Part 3) 5,429 about 2/3s done, Part 4) 1,882 roughly 1/4th done, Part 5) 4,621 roughly 2/3s done, somewhat stagnant due to trying to figure out events

dry wine rebirth ch 3: 548 words, haven't really worked on it save to get some preliminary ideas down

So I have... roughly 32k already written for different projects, but actually getting them finished and done with is the difficult part. It does not help that my chapters are just getting progressively longer and longer no matter what I do.

With the way I'm writing it'll probably be Queen Malapropos that gets its chapter next, then Raven Feathers. RF is in a weird spot because I'm trying to figure out how to do the memory echoes in a text format and also from Mia's perspective, rather than the protagonist, hence that while it's further "done" than QM it's taking me longer to puzzle out.

I am also, admittedly, somewhat psyching myself out because I am realizing how Big these projects are getting as I continue to add stuff to the outline/refine ideas. Astralfire Credence in particular I'm like, half convinced that no one will ever read/like and that is just because I am so familiar with it and it's moving at a somewhat slower pace.

Agh. but. I am doing things. I am. Huzzah.

[semper-legens]

100. The Betrayal of Thomas True, by A.J. West

Owned?: No, library Page count: 301 My summary: Thomas True is a lad with a secret. Arriving desperate and alone on London Bridge, he chances into the company of Mother Clap's molly house and the men who patronise it. But such establishments live on a knife edge. When their love is deemed a capital crime, mollies like Thomas have to keep their wits about them. A trial too daunting for the trusting Thomas. Luckily, he has Gabriel Griffin, a carpenter by day and molly guard by night, to help keep him alive. But with a rat in Mother Clap's and Gabriel tasked with unmasking him, can the traitor be found before they all meet the gallows? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Ah, the Georgian era. One of my favourite times to read about, if I'm honest. And this book was interesting from the get-go. It's about a young man who frequents molly houses, the secretive social clubs and gatherings for men who liked men (molly being an arachaic nickname for mlm), and the mystery of a murderer and traitor among them. And it's a gorgeous book. Each part begins with a beautiful illustration of London in all its grit and grime, and the edges of the book are sprayed with peacock feathers. This was exactly the kind of novel I love, and I am very, very glad I picked it up.

Mollies had hard lives. Hiding their love from the world, they could really only express themselves in settings like the molly house, as sodomy was illegal in Britain at this time. There were societies out to rid the world of gay men, sending men into molly houses either to impersonate mollies or who were mollies being blackmailed, in order to lure men out and catch them in the act. If men slept together and were seen, those witnesses could be used by the authorities to hang the men. And yet, despite it all, men met each other, dressed in drag, tried to live as best and authentically as they could. I love the way this book depicts the camaraderie of the mollies. It's very familiar to anyone who has been inside the modern LGBT+ community; the catty queens, the old dears, the brash youngsters. I really liked how names were used. Mollies had feminine names they used in the molly houses, and when the book shifts inside, characters are referred to with feminine names and she/her pronouns pretty seamlessly. It's an interesting way to play with gender, and I'm very here for it. And the mollies catchphrase of 'always together' was heartrending - an undying cry of the LGBT+ community and our solidarity against adversity.

The mystery itself is interesting, with the continued idea of who the Rat is, with cryptic hints and contradictory clues. I guessed the Rat's identity before the reveal, but to be fair, the narrative did keep me doubting. The overall point that the narrative seemed to want to make with the Rat (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers) was a little clumsy, but I appreciated it nonetheless. The characters are pretty larger-than-life, particularly the antagonistic judges who are almost ripped from the pages of a farce, complete with silly names, but for their deadliness and willingness to see men hanged for the crime of loving men.

And this book is grim, make no mistake. Men are killed for being who they are left, right, and centre; tormented, brutalised, clubbed to death, stabbed, slashed, and mutilated by our shadowy antagonists. Many of the characters are convinced they're going to hell for their attractions. The book contains a very fictionalised version of a real raid on Mother Clap's, in the aftermath of which three men were hanged. We see this hanging here, see the fear and the bravery exhibited by the victims, and it's all played very sympathetically. There's tragedy here, but there's courage in the face of it. The end of the book is very bittersweet, but we know that our protagonists knew to love, and knew how to be loved. That's not nothing. Because at the end, that love can sustain them through a lot of adversity.

Next, over to non-fiction, as we look back at the culture of the Taíno people.

[magnuficent76]

Random bits of worldbuilding, #3 !!

Felt like drawint some different hands, so here we are !!!

Hands from the diff species THE Guide

Humans are just regular ole hands. If you know about human lore, you know about human hands and their capabilities.

Aasyrans have hands with pads on the very center to secure enough heat while foraging through snow. They evolved to comfortably move around in cold enviroments, so claws n fatter fingers to better maneuver. Wrist's pretty normal too, moves the usual way. Claws are retractable but it's seen as a fashion statement to just leave them like that

Matuvi'ran hands are built for their own protection, as they use spells often and can injure hurting themselves with improper casting. The webbing is there to position the trigger fingers into position more easily, and the 3 other ones are shortened just for convenience. Palm lines lead directly to the wrists, usually speculated to be a way to course magic through their veins or something along the lines. Nails are very sturdy, blunt and straight edged. They have double jointed wrists which makes it so their shit can move around even more fluidly. They can probably move their hand like 100° around before having to move the rest of their arm.

Uve'illian hands are built for swimming most of all. Webbing facilitates moving around in the water, like when doing sharp turns and gathering speed. Hands tend to generally be smaller and accumulate a little more fat so the fingers don't freeze while in colder water. Non retractable small claws, perfect for puncturing right through fish brains.

Cyclops hands are odd, being similar to a humans', while also having the oddity of lizard-like pads on the palms, and individual ones at the end of the fingers. It is speculated that this formation is due to their shape-shifting nature, allowing them to morph in and out of other forms of miphelim. Their nails are barely sharper than a human's as well.

Titan hands are, unsurprisingly, very big, covered in dark fur, with only the underside exposing the rough skin of their palms. They have large thick claws sticking out, meant for digging around in snow and self defense. Their fur has evolved to keep their internal temperature stable, being especially thick near the hands to keep away the chance of hypothermia.

Fae are insectoid, and their limbs are entirely segmented, much like how a marionette's limbs act. They only have 4 fingers, but they can twist their hands around almost entirely, so it never really becomes a bother. They have no nails, replacing those with spikes at the end of each finger, with the possibility of venom being injected from the same. Their palms resemble the symbol of the Court, which might've been the reason behind its initial conception...

Maariwas are an avian based species, having their talons adapt to a more "humanoid" shape. However, the basic concept for talons are still there: They wrap around the intended object or prey, while the 5th finger keeps it still, often penetrating as a security measure. The palmside is extremely rough, while the feathers on the upside are smooth and often taken care of with pride. The claws themselves are an extension of the bone, having to be carved out and sharpened every now and then.

[senditcolton]

Hello my love! Congrats on 1k!! You are so deserving of all the love you’re getting, and I adore you to bits! 🥰💚

My I please have one of them there “Lead Me to the Garden” Chai Cookies?? With my boy Tyler and the prompt “myrtle”?? You know…because tis the season with him. 😉

listen: Tyler is fun and chaotic, his wedding reception seemed fun and chaotic, and i was in a fun and chaotic mood while writing so that's the vibe! (also Katy Perry's "Waking Up in Vegas was on repeat while writing for additional vibes) [also, also: i adore you more!!]

word count: 1.9k (went off again)

The groan you let out is involuntarily as the sharp ray of sunlight cuts through the window and onto your face. You attempt to roll over and turn away from the light but your movements are halted by a strong arm tightening around your waist. The weight of it against you causes your eyes to pop open before squinting shut again as the sun continues to pierce your line of sight.

It takes a moment for you to wiggle your way into a shadow so you can survey your surroundings, your head still pounding.

Your eyes scan the hotel room, clothes thrown on the floor and trash and other memorabilia strewn around the room. It takes a minute for you to remember that you were in Vegas, a much-needed vacation with a few of your closest friends. But while you remember your location, the memories of last night were still a blur of neon and alcohol.

There were plenty of questions in your head, all of which you needed answers to. But the most pressing one in the moment was finding out whose arm was slung over your frame.

Your eyes start at the tips of his fingers and travel up across the tattooed skin, the patterns seeming familiar but in your hungover haze, your mind was having trouble connecting the dots. That is until you see you see the 5-3-1 on the top of his shoulder and you can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as you spin and come face-to-face with your boyfriend Tyler.

You don’t bother being gentle as you throw Tyler’s arm off of you, with only a slight mumble from him in protest as he nestles deeper in the sheets, no doubt fighting the same hangover that you were. You heave your body into an upright position, a move which you swiftly regret as the room immediately starts spinning on its axis.

Your hands shoot up to your face as you take a few deep breaths to ground yourself, reverting to the exercises that your therapist taught you for when you were feeling unmoored.

5 things you could see: the skyline from the window, the feather boa thrown over the desk chair, your heels kicked off by the door, the bouquet of flowers on the table, and Tyler in bed next to you.

4 things you could hear: traffic from outside, the whir of the air-conditioning, voices from the hall passing in front of your door, and the vibrating of a phone somewhere in the room.

3 things you could smell: Tyler’s cologne, your own perfume, and the lingering scent of coconut rum.

2 things you could feel: the hotel sheets against your skin and the cool metal of a ring on your finger.

1 thing that was real right now: you felt like you got run over by a truck.

Another small groan comes from you as you move your limbs, your joints cracking as you stretch, shaking as much of the lingering ache from your body. You still weren’t 100% sure what happened last night but damn, it must have been one hell of a party if this was how you felt afterwards.

You sigh before turning to look down at Tyler, his curls messy and his face buried in the pillow. Part of you didn’t want to wake him up but another part of you wanted him to share in your misery. The latter wins out as your grab his shoulder and start shaking.

“Tyler,” you say, your voice coming out hoarse and you can’t stop the grimace that appears on your face. You quickly shake off your disgust and start to say his name until the glint of gold stops your motions. Your eyebrows furrow as you eye the band sitting on your left ring finger.

The design seems familiar; the shield, scroll, and wings in the center all tugging at the corner of your memory. You lift your hand off of Tyler’s warm skin to examine the jewelry further. As you bring the ring closer to your eyes, you manage to make out the inscription of St. Michael’s College surrounding the signet. When the combination of the image and words finally click, it doesn’t give you any answer, just more questions.

Like, why the fuck were you wearing Tyler’s class ring?

An image of a man dressed like Elvis and the phantom feeling of Tyler’s lips on yours invades your mind and your heart drops as your mind starts to piece together a possible explanation.

No. That couldn’t possibly be right. Take a deep breath and think.

But your brain had already made the logical conclusion so try as you might, you couldn’t even focus on any other possibilities. That’s why your shaking of Tyler turned from annoying to frantic.

“Tyler. Tyler. Tyler!!’ you repeat, your voice raising with ever iteration of his name.

“What. What?” Tyler grumbles, finally waking up and turning around in the bed to glance up at you through squinted eyes.

“I – I think we got married last night.”

“What?” Tyler says, your words causing him to sit up fully and take in the room.

“Do you remember anything?”

“Not… really. But what makes you think we got married?”

Your wordlessly reply by holding up your hand so he can see the ring sitting on your finger. You feel Tyler grab your hand to take a closer look before he drops your hand onto the plush sheets.

“Okay but that doesn’t mean that we actually got married,” Tyler says, his own voice ladened with disbelief. “There has to be another explanation.”

“What other explanation is there? Your ring on my finger, us in bed together, the bouquet of fake flowers on the table and the fucking veil thrown over the lampshade!” you list, your anxiety continuing to spike by the minute. You can feel the tears welling in your eyes and your hands once again move to cover your eyes. “Oh my god, we had a Vegas wedding and we can’t remember it. I feel like I’m in a bad comedy movie.”

“Hey, it’s okay just breathe,” Tyler interrupts, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Let’s just try and figure this out, yeah?”

His voice pulls you back to reality as it always did and you open your eyes again, glancing in his direction. His soft smile pulls a similar grin onto your lips as you take another few deep breaths.

“Okay, I think the best thing for us to do would be to find a phone. Call our friends, see if they remember last night any better than us,” Tyler explains.

“I know I heard someone’s phone buzzing earlier. I think it’s on the desk.”

Tyler doesn’t hesitate to slide out of bed and wander over to the desk and after moving some clothes and beads and papers, he triumphantly hold up a cell phone and you sigh when you recognize your phone case. He wanders back over towards you, handing you the device.

You snatch it from his hand and press the lock button to light up the home screen. The second you do, you find dozens of text messages from your best friend.

Do you remember what happened last night? It’s a little bit of a blur to me. Oh fuck. Babe, wake up. Are you with Tyler right now? Answer me, I need to talk to you. I found these in my camera roll. [4 photos, 1 video] That’s you and Tyler, right? Please tell me I’m not hallucinating. Helloooooo???

Your heart continues to pound as you click on the attachments and scroll through. And there is no denying that the subject of every one is you and Tyler:

You and Tyler fully clothed in a pool. You and Tyler sitting on a pink convertible. You and Tyler posing under a floral arch, a bouquet in your hands and a veil on your head. You and Tyler posing with an Elvis impersonator at the end of an aisle. And when you click the video, you are no longer shocked to see a shaky video of you and Tyler kissing in some random chapel.

“Holy shit,” you hear Tyler say and when you glance over your shoulder, you see Tyler hovering right next to you, watching the video as well. “I can’t believe it. We’re actually married.”

The two of you just stare at each other for a moment, the reality of the situation sinking in. You don’t know what to say, what to think, what to do. But eventually, your involuntary reactions take over and you… start laughing.

Laughing at the absurdity of it all, laughing at the mess you got yourself into, laughing at the fact that you married your boyfriend of 2 years in the most cliché way possible.

Tyler stares at you in confusion for a moment before he is joining in. Your laughter mixes together and it isn’t long until you two are collapsed back in bed, looking over at each other.

“We’re married!” you exclaim, the lingering giggles painting the tone of your voice.

“Yeah…” Tyler sighs, staring up at the ceiling with you. “Why the fuck did I give you my class ring?”

“That’s what you’re asking right now?” you say in disbelief, propping yourself up on your elbow to look at Tyler. “I mean, my guess is you didn’t have another ring so you gave me the only one you had.”

“I mean, that would make sense. But I do have another ring.”

The words hang in the air as you try to decipher their meaning. Tyler lets you process for a moment but when no explanation comes to you, he is once again scooting off the bed. This time he walks over to the closet and open the door. You peer over his shoulder trying to see what he’s doing but you can’t see anything. You can only hear the rustling of him digging through his duffle bag.

Tyler lifts himself up and turns back towards you, his hands hidden behind his back.

“I was planning on this being a little more romantic but I guess I was too excited to marry you that I just cut out the middle man.”

Your eyebrows furrow as you listen to him, watching his slow approach as he sits down on the edge of the mattress.

“I’m really happy we’re married – even if neither of us can remember most of it,” he says with a laugh, one that you return. “But I do need my ring back. So…”

Tyler trails off, only to pull a small ring box into your line of sight and you gasp when he opens the lid to reveal a beautiful engagement ring nestled in the velvet.

“I would ask you to marry me but it feels a little awkward since we already are. Um, so, will you do me the honor of… staying married to me?”

You can’t help the laugher that falls from your lips as you take in everything that happened in what was most likely the weirdest morning of your entire existence. But the answer to Tyler’s awkward question would have been the same, even if he was asking it in front of the Bellagio fountains while you were wearing your best dress.

And for the first time this morning, you don’t overthink the situation as you practically leap into Tyler arms and kiss him fiercely. Tyler responds by pulling you close, his arms securing you as he deepens the kiss.

After a moment you pull away, smiling like a fool up at him.

“Yes, Tyler. I will marry you, stay married to you, whatever. I wouldn’t leave you for all the money in Las Vegas.”

“Bold statement,” he teases. “We still got three days here. Maybe we can hit the biggest jackpot ever tonight.”

“Well, if we do, let’s make sure we stay sober enough to remember it.”

[scarysanctuary]

the chucky series, even when i dont love or even like a decision that is being made plot/character-wise, or even when it flat out makes me cringe, i love it so much, and always have fun, theres truly nothing else like it out there in the horror space. i will always respect Don and people like him that are continually trying to shake things up, and transform their craft, it takes guts. as a viewer, it makes me feel that my time is being respected, hes not just phoning it in and doing the same stuff every season out of fear of ruffling some feathers or not sticking the landing. when he takes these chances, some of it is gonna be a miss, not everyone is going to love it. some plot lines are too thin, hurried and lacking the proper weight, while some drag on too long, this show would benefit from a finer precision, patience and focus. every season i get the feeling that they are fearful of not being renewed and that they have to go at a 100 mph to get everything that they want jammed in there, its chaotic and makes deep emotional investment almost impossible, in my opinion. which, they seem to have a lot of pride in their kills, and as a gore hound, i do love them too, but i dont necessarily think it needs to be as big of a focus as it has been, what i mean by that is oftentimes kills, and the body count in general, are prioritized over a good plot line. killing off Ms Fairchild so soon after introducing her as their foster mother was plainly just a bad decision, they could have shown their dynamics grow closer behind the scenes, she wouldnt have even had to be directly helping the kids, so the story that we got wouldnt have been impacted, but instead she could have played a motherly role whenever they came home from their misadventures, until finally the kids are getting close to her, letting their guard down and BAM then you kill her. the way it was executed in the show though, sure it was surprising, but shock only lasts so long, but heartache lingers, case in point, the kids didnt seem that affected by her passing and didnt even mention her later on. you cant have most of your characters treated like canon fodder but also try to pull at our heartstrings, expecting us to get invested when we know you are going to kill them at the end of the episode, you've got to have patience, let these relationships breathe. BUT, as i said, i do love the show and will always want more, i do think that this season was a good set up for a much better season 4, the potential is there, and seeing how much the cast and crew wants it to be renewed as well is heartwarming, it really is like a family

[nookishposts]

A-gain

15 days ago we brought home a set of day old chicks, Red Sexlink, which have proven wonderfully good layers and easy to care for . At a day old, each about the size of my thumb, a baker's dozen of surprisingly shrill peepers came in cardboard box too small to hold a pair of shoes. They only half-filled it. We set them up a table-top condo and dipped their beaks to get them drinking. When they are hatching they absorb the stuff in the egg through their belly buttons, giving them enough nutrition to get through a day or two, then they are at totally at our mercy, and quite fragile. Cold and dehydration are the biggest threats. We watch carefully for splayed legs or pasty vents , but they all look like healthy little peepers.

These girls are our 3 set of chicks, the first 6 were ready-to-lay at 17 weeks, quite happy until a mink intervened on their first Christmas Day. The following Spring we got our first dozen day olds and all of the fun of watching them wake up to the world. At that age they must be kept at 95-100 degrees fahrenheit for the first week, reducing the temps by 5 degrees each week thereafter until they are developed enough to cope with the same temps that we do. This means that as it's April, we have had 13 demanding little divas living in a succession of cardboard boxes on our kitchen table, with the heat lamp strung from the ceiling fixture and some mesh across the top to discourage our curious cat. Our older hens, having pretty much stopped laying at age 3 or so, have been free-ranging themselves silly on our property, enjoying a smorgasbord feast of bugs, seeds, and sprouts, including my Lilies of the Valley. There are only 5 of the big girls left, due to mostly natural processes and the occasional intervention having taken 7 already. We think it's a happy and well-earned retirement for the survivors. They have pretty much flown the coop. Which means, I need to Spring clean it for the new tenants. Who, if I may admit, have worn out their welcome after 2 weeks of messy, smelly, gawky, mouthy, pre-teen behaviour. Good thing they are still cute, although that too is changing what with fluff sprung like dandelions and new deep red pin feathers appearing in strategic places.

The coop is kept tidy and healthy throughout the year, but the big clean comes after 6 months or so of Winter layering....all of the things that come from a chicken's body, mixed with about 8 inches of accumulated wood chips that absorb the worst and keep them warm. It takes me about 4 hours, with a wheelbarrow, a snow shovel, an ice scraper, and a broom to get down to the concrete floor....filling the barrow about 7 times and running it all to next years compost pile. I insulate the walls with moving blankets over the Winter and this time,discovered 4 large mouse nests in the process of removing them. Plus a hole chewed through the bottom of the bin where I keep the mash, so those wee buggers had a good Winter all snug in feathers and down, not to mention well-fed. Off I went to the feed store for fresh bales of shavings and a large galvanized bin with a tight lid.

Saturday mornings at the feed store finds customers all in some form of work duds, picking up whatever it takes to get the current chores accomplished. On a rural property, something always needs to be turned, moved, cleaned, fed, watered, built, deconstructed, or replaced. People greet one another by name with a nod and always a smile. I have a city friend who will only purchase rubber boots from our feed store. Its not a large place, but you can get almost anything there, and we do. But the feeds that they blend are what makes them famous. Most of the time,before I get to the counter, they know what I want and I find it waiting on the loading dock outside. They also order the chicks, so since its been a couple of careful weeks, they're expecting us. Its nice to be a part of the regular crew.

Back home, I have barrowed and scraped and swept, and wiped out the laying boxes, filling them with fresh shavings even though our little ones won't be producing eggs until September. ( I remember our very first one, almost 5 years ago, tiny and perfect and still warm in my hand. What a thrill!) I haul in a couple of inches of sweet smelling shavings and spread them evenly, then bring in the galvanized barrel and fill it with chick mash and a fresh scoop. Waterers and feeders get filled and placed, and the very last thing to do is hang the heat lamp low enough to keep them cozy another couple of weeks, and high enough on a strong chain to avoid causing a fire. Back into the house I go and my Beloved interrupts her knitting seminar long enough to help me lift the sagging cardboard box from the kitchen table, out the sliding door and across the yard into the coop. The little ones, carried like tiny Egyptian Queens are stunned into silence as their world shifts quite literally beneath them. We manoeuver the box into place under the lamp and I slice one side of it away, enlarging their playpen 10 times. They huddle in one corner, blinking, heads tilted and tiny wings tucked as close to their bodies as possible, tufts of fluff floating to the ground, everything suddenly very different. Gone are the cooking smells and the dog rumbles, the conversation of two familiar female voices, the hum of the refrigerator and the beep of the microwave. These are replaced with the sound of the wind, the scrabbling of chipmunks across the roof, and the sweet smell of pine.

I bring in a lawn chair to sit with them a while as they adjust. A few tentative cheeps are all I've heard, each rising with a question mark at the end. Curiosity wins out over confusion and one brave little chick steps to the edge of the box peering around a minute before she steps out. She looks at me, and I murmur soft noises of encouragement. Out she plops, mostly feet-first into a soft landing. Tenatatively she takes a step and then another and before I know it she has stretched her wings to their full length as if to say :" I claim this land in the name of mt sisters!" She smells the water, locates her crumble feed and having satisfied herself that the basics are in place, she begins to explore. A couple of her sisters shortly follow her lead, but the rest hang back, still awaiting their bravery. They comfort one another with soft coos, and I answer as best I can. I leave them to their exploring, knowing that when I check in a couple of hours later, there will be chicken poop on my chair, evidence that all is well and we have begun the cycle successfully once again. In a day or two, I will remove what's left of the cardboard condo and consign it to the fire pit, with their baby box and some groundfall and we'll have the first bonfire of the season.

As I walk back to the house, tired and filthy and satisfied, ready for a hot shower and a cold drink, I pause and look around the yard. The newness is everywhere. Lilac buds are getting fat, day lilies are reaching, the garlic is up about 6 inches, and the grass will need mowing in a couple of weeks, once I've cleaned the Winter tenants from under the hood of the dormant tractor. Its too soon to do much, the Earth still needs a little time, and the critters are tending their babies in the hidden places while the days grow longer and the trees begin to leaf out in a million shades of green. In a few weeks, the garden beds will warm and be ready for the seedlings we nurse in the greenhouse. We won't need jackets, we will default to the barbecue weeknights after work, and lots of porch-sitting will allow the couch to re-inflate the dents left by our Winter backsides. By then the older hens may well be gone, happily surrendered to old age or wetland prey. The coyotes sing us to sleep through open windows and the birds awaken us at dawn. We have the sense to understand that we are part of the cycle, fortunate stewards, temporary in our own way, and best to mostly bear witness to Earth's wisdom.