#losing it at the near full-clear extinction

[florbelles]

— OCS AS AESTHETICS FOR THE ENTITIES

tagged by @gwynbleidd, @chuckhansen, @inafieldofdaisies, @queennymeria, @corvosattano & @deputy-morgan-malone (that tumblr is willing to show me in my notifs), ty beloveds!! not sending out any tags since i'm so so so far behind and i think this has made the rounds at least in terms of the usual suspects getting tagged at some point, but if i am Wrong please use this as yours xx

aesthetics for the entities, part i. bold what applies to your muse, italics what applies situationally or only in certain verses. this is based on a horror podcast; potentially triggering and / or upsetting content ahead!

i. THE BURIED. weighted blankets. drowning. the comfort of a loved one’s weight. soil & sand piling on top of you. hugging so hard it hurts a little. cramped hiding spots. letting out air underwater to sink to the bottom of the pool. walls pressing in on you. not moving from a position even though you’re cramping a little. dragging the last second before you have to inhale. lonely subways. feeling like one with the earth. a layer of dirt on you. looking for something below. cardboard boxes & tiny pillow forts. hands calloused from digging. knowing that your purpose is just below the surface. entering your final resting place before it kills you. a storm drowning you out. dust & sand speaking to you.

ii. THE CORRUPTION. insects. a close imitation of the natural course of life. an illness in a community. a rag that dirties more than it cleans. an untreated wound. containment. breaching containment. unbreathable air. fungi. one with that you love. one with what loves you. a corpse unfit for a glass case. hearing a song in the sound of tiny wings & legs. honeycomb patterns. an ecosystem within a person. a curse passed on. the hubris of a scientist. an ugly death where a glorious one is owed. blood on a handkerchief. parasites. something pushing up the sewer. a mask to keep something out. trypophobia. knowing you belong. death weeks after impact. fever. food that’s gone off. pandora’s box. death behind a glass.

iii. THE DARK. shadows. lights that turn off by themselves. the feel of cold marble. a beaked creature in the night. the difference between seeing darkness & seeing nothing. touch of something you can’t see. hiding under a blanket. white, clouded eyes. months without going outside during sunlight*. pouring dark. unscrewing lightbulbs. black matter. light sensitivity. a starless night. time before light was created. a shadow on the wall without a body to attach to. withering plants. a world without a sun. footfalls in an empty house in the night. a light that doesn’t reach as far as it should. desperate reach for a flashlight. clothes that hide your shape. staying unperceivable. winter months in the north. an empty church.

*in a bunker way, not a voluntary way

iv. THE DESOLATION. senseless pain. warmth of faith. wax where skin should be. a blazing fire. heat without a source. the third or fourth tragedy in the family. losing everything you’ve ever held dear. so much to live for, gone so soon. the smell of gasoline. touch that scars. coffee cup that never goes cold. scorch marks on wood. inescapably warm air. a child born in fire. death of a loved one. a candle without a flame. an altar in the middle of the woods. animals with burnt fur. plastic explosives. burning hot metal. sweating in an interrogation room. never touching a loved one. disfigurement. kiss that ruins you. the scent of burning fat. a tattoo that terrifies its viewer. the agony of hellfire displayed as art. auburn hair. little clothing in cold weather. a ripple in the air. trying to cool down in vain.

v. THE FLESH. body horror. factories. a hunger for something more filling. never quite happy with how you look. the terror of an animal waiting for slaughter. a very good meal. the liquid of a perfect steak. fighting your worst survival instincts. a twisted bone. long nights working out. more than one heart. appearance that shapes like clay. a bag of bones. bone broth in a pot. knowing to fear pigs. the butcher’s shop. plastic surgery. something alien inside your body. a hunger in the gaze laid upon you. unwitting cannibalism. forgetting what you used to look like. being admired for your appearance & appearance only. teeth marks on skin. scars from wounds that should’ve killed you. cooking in scarcity. fenced in with one way to go.

vi. THE END. the last page of a book. nightmares that don’t feel like nightmares. a skeletal hand. the grip of the grim reaper around your throat. existential pain. ivory dice. flatlining in a hospital. gambling with death. as old as the universe. soul & spirit tied to an object. a dream where you die. closing your eyes for the last time. the pleas of a dying one. knowing the fate of someone you know & being unable to prevent it. a thousand cords tugging you towards your end. skin that’s freezing to the touch. an act of desperation. someone’s life for yours. an eternity spent alive. the cost of your selfishness. watching your own burial. causing your own burial. the smell of death. numbness to fear. words from someone gone. meaninglessness of the actions or lives of single people in the universe. multiple near-death experiences you refuse to die from.

vii. THE EYE. googling something you shouldn’t have. eureka moments. the unforgiving lens of a camera. witness reports. hidden libraries. eyes of different colors. feeling of being watched. a death recorded in tape. a tragedy you can’t look away from. endangering yourself for knowledge. truth. analog records. a symbol of an eye. a watch tower. compulsion to document. turning on recording devices without thinking about it. saving the evidence before the person. extracting information. truth or dare, without the dare. a thirst for knowledge. books that speak to you. coordinated shelves. cataloguing systems. voyeurism. police report you can’t put down. reasoning your way out. smell of old papers. books that read you back.

viii. THE HUNT. sharp canines. sore calves after a run. the scent of blood. an adventure for the journey’s sake. the adrenaline right before the kill. a whistle’s echo. the woods. the doe eyes of a prey animal. your own breath in the air. sharpened claws. being tracked. fear of someone knowing your every movement. hunting down monsters. hide & seek. running away only to end up where you started. staying alive purely because the enemy enjoys seeing you run*. a set of footsteps behind you*. blood dripping from bare hands. barks & growls. focused eyes. a victim going limp under your hands. a mouth full of fresh blood. catching the scent of something monstrous. perfecting your craft. peering into the dark & running after it.

*she is the one who chases she is the footsteps behind you etc etc etc

ix. THE LONELY. an apartment too small for a double bed. completely vacant streets. waking up to see everyone gone. fog. point nemo. a house too big to hear your family members in. alone in a faceless crowd. a mask with nothing behind it. separated cubicles. a deafening silence where joy should be. a blinding spotlight. the least missed in your friend group. streets without lights in the windows. isolation. not truly knowing your friends. your friends not truly knowing you. need for silence. fear of crowds. staring into space knowing nothing is looking back at you. a ship alone at sea. depression. knowing your friends are better off without you. talking to someone only to realise they’re gone. a family too large to notice you there. safety in being alone.

x. THE SLAUGHTER. a game of tag. senseless violence. a true crime hobby. improvised weapons. blinding rage. intent to kill. a horrific day in a quiet community. a medal of bravery. holding on to what validates your anger. history books that spare no details. an injury you want revenge for. war. counting kills. songs of soldiers. a knifeblock on the counter. a pool of blood. shellshock. unspeakable horrors. anger pushing you forward. unimaginable pain. not seeing who will hurt you but knowing the pain is coming. a fully human monster. an authority sending its lessers to their deaths. kill or be killed. unedited wartime memoirs. a weapons collection. not knowing the names of who you kill. too many to remember. loss of hope. there’s no heroes in war.

xi. THE SPIRAL. sleep deprivation. corridors you can get lost in. maze puzzles that loop back on themselves. losing possessions. losing people. losing your sanity. corkscew curls. rows of funhouse mirrors. optical illusions. a separate reality. walking through the wrong door. delusions. not knowing what your hands are doing. blank spaces in documents. hallucinations. wrong proportions. a nameless thing. a place that has never existed. doubting your own mind. blind faith. losing track of names, labels, categories. distorted sound. an imperfection in a glass that twists the view. loss of time. a garish colour. doors that open to nowhere. lies. an unnatural laugh. jokes & tricks. illusions. a doorway. a sculptor with a wild imagination. limbs in impossible angles. doing what’s fun, not what’s sensible. fractals you can get lost in.

xii. THE STRANGER. wax figures. a close approximation of a human face. a borrowed appearance. a strange smell. glass eyes. furs & pelts. a dance. a song of a choir. the uncanny valley. stitching yourself together. the colours of a circus. a puppet with no strings. mannequins. glitter & sequin. a stranger you’ve always known. someone strange in the place of someone you knew. stolen identities. stolen skins. a machine imitating humanity. the anonymity of a service worker. hiding in plain sight. uncomfortable to look at. a faked accent. concealing. forgetting who you are. forgetting who others are. a replacement no one notices. images that look posed. the only one seeing the false face of someone.

xiii. THE VAST. open spaces. carnival rides going up & down. fear of heights. endless infinity around you. your insignificance in an universe. stomach turning at a drop. fear of not the crash down but the moment you slip. the sway of a cable car. an adventure holiday. losing track of where the surface is. miles & miles of nothing around you. staring at the sky & feeling like you may fall into it. loss of control. a fall that doesn’t end in death. glass floor to the view below. terminal velocity. the sound of wind in your ears. a reach over the railing. a jump from the top of the building. falling into nothing. feeling your feet let go of the ground. a leap of faith. motion sickness.

xiv. THE WEB. undecipherable code. a puppeteer holding the strings. power over the weak—willed. strings of fate. manipulation. an arranged accident. a hundred minions doing your bidding. cobwebs. spiders. a laid trap. never voicing discomfort. outwitting a cheater. doing things without realising it. red string across a corkboard. finding something lost where you were sure you checked. power over the unrealiability of chance. watching others dance for you. an entangled death. a thousand tiny legs & fangs. shady forum threads. something important gone missing. suspiciously disregarded case. a missing witness. connections. the world wide web. power of victimhood. gullibility. no control over your own decisions. an invisible leash. mass psychology. a horror film in the making. scapegoat. never remembering to ask for a name.

+ THE EXTINCTION. the end of an era. apocalypse movies. the alarms of warning systems. a desolate landscape. end of the world cults. nihilism. the last written history. a changed world. no survivors. old prophecies. a thousand predicted ends. a new chapter. an end with no escape. catastrophes. a calendar counting down. breaking point. overindulgence.

[thegrandimago]

This time last April, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the world was coming to grips with the isolation of quarantine and the economic and travel slowdowns that defined the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even now, with the rollout of vaccines, the virus continues to affect our daily lives. And the toll keeps growing: 3 million dead and more than 140 million cases worldwide.

If anything, the worst public health crisis in a century has brought our understanding of our planet, and our place in the fragile yet resilient web of life throughout it, into stark relief.

Amid so much grief and loss and uncertainty, the biodiversity crisis paced ahead over the past year, becoming a much bigger theme on the world stage. The climate crisis worsened, too. Wildfires blazed. Ecosystems became even more fouled up than they already were.

At the same time, the marked reduction in human activity spurred by the pandemic — what some experts have dubbed the “Anthropause” — has afforded scientists and researchers opportunities to observe the natural world like never before. Coinciding with these unique observational windows has been an increase in attention on Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship as a way forward in combating ecological catastrophe.

In true Vox tradition, here are the 10 most concerning, intriguing, and — dare we say — hopeful things we learned about our planet since the last Earth Day.

1) We saw just how quickly ocean noise pollution can drop, and how much that can help marine life

For a moment last spring, things got very quiet in the oceans.

The drop in human activity that came with the pandemic resulted in drastic and voluntary sound reductions that ran the underwater gamut: from a drop in shipping noise, the predominant source of man-made ocean noise pollution, to decreases in recreation and tourism. All of it suddenly ceased.

In Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, the foraging grounds of humpback whales, the loudest underwater sounds last May were less than half as loud as those in May 2018, according to a Cornell University analysis. A May 2020 paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America found that underwater noise off the Vancouver coast was half as loud in April as the loudest sounds recorded in the months preceding the shipping traffic slowdown.

Chronic underwater ocean noise had been rising over the past few decades, to the detriment of marine life that have evolved to use sound to navigate their world. “There is clear evidence that noise compromises hearing ability and induces physiological and behavioral changes in marine animals,” reads an assessment of marine noise pollution research published in the journal Science in February.

The majority of ocean noise pollution is a byproduct of economic activity. But compared with massively complex issues like climate change, noise is relatively easy to turn down, at least a little. Silencing it at its source has an immediate positive impact: Famously, researchers studying right whales on the East Coast measured a drop in the animals’ stress hormones in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, after shipping traffic abruptly dropped. Even tiny fish larvae are better able to locate the coral reefs where they were born, which themselves emit sound, when the oceans get quiet.

Man-made ocean noise has since ramped back up and is now stabilized near pre-pandemic levels. But it fell silent for long enough last March, April, and May that a global team of scientists is actively scrubbing through audio recordings gathered by around 230 non-military hydrophones — underwater microphones — that monitor ocean noise around the world. They aim to study the “year of the quiet ocean” in the context of ocean sounds before, during, and after the pandemic.

2) A new study found that the Amazon is likely warming — not cooling — the planet

The world’s largest and most species-rich tropical forest, the Amazon, is home to billions of trees that not only provide refuge to a diverse assemblage of organisms but also store and absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide.

That’s what makes the conclusion of a study published this spring so alarming: Due to human activity, the Amazon is likely contributing to — not offsetting, as one might expect— global warming. “The current net biogeochemical effect of the Amazon Basin is most likely to warm the atmosphere,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

While the Amazon is still absorbing loads of CO2, human activities in the basin, such as deforestation, are driving up emissions of CO2 and other more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide across the basin.

Deforestation, for one, deals a double punch: It both releases gases into the atmosphere and removes CO2-absorbing trees from the equation. That equation now sees the Amazon generating more greenhouse gases than it emits, the study suggests. (It’s worth noting, though, this is all really complicated. For more, check out Craig Welch’s story in National Geographic or read the full study here.)

3) We discovered a bunch of new species

While humans have made a mark on all corners of Earth, we’ve only discovered a small fraction of the species that occupy it. In fact, that fraction could be smaller than 1 percent. And remarkably, not all of those species are tiny microbes and insects. They’re also fish, lizards, bats, and even whales. That’s right: Even giant mammals can elude scientists.

In January, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they discovered a new species of baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico. (You can find the paper describing the discovery here.) Other teams of scientists are also on the trail of what could be yet another new whale species.

Last year, researchers documented scores of new plants and animals, from geckos and sea slugs to flowering plants and sand dollars, as Vox’s Brian Resnick reported. Our favorite? Brookesia nana, a thumbnail-sized chameleon native to northern Madagascar. It may be the smallest reptile on Earth; it’s certainly the cutest.

4) We got a much clearer picture of just how much wildlife we’re losing

The numbers aren’t good.

In September, the World Wildlife Fund published a report showing that the global populations of several major animal groups, including mammals and birds, have declined by almost 70 percent in the last 50 years due to human activity.

A separate report, published in Nature this year, found that populations of ocean sharks and rays have plummeted by more than 70 percent in roughly the same period. And one-third of freshwater fish have been found to be at risk of extinction.

A number of species were also declared extinct over the last year. Those include the smooth handfish, a bottom-dweller that rests atop human-like appendages on the seafloor. It was the first marine fish species to be declared extinct in modern history. (Environmental journalist John Platt has a list of recent extinctions in 2020 at Scientific American.)

5) Protecting plants and animals hinges on a thriving ecotourism industry

In the early days of the pandemic, the popular “Nature is healing” meme overshadowed a darker reality in many parts of the world: As travel ground to a halt, so did revenue from wildlife tourism, putting some wildlife conservation efforts at risk.

The fallout was most severe in Africa. According to a new collection of research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a government and civil society group, more than half of the continent’s protected areas had to pause or limit field patrols and other operations to stop poachers in the wake of the pandemic.

“Parks have emptied out to a large extent and there’s no money coming in,” Nigel Dudley, a co-author of one of the IUCN papers, told Reuters last month.

Some communities are deeply reliant on wildlife tourism. Late last year, Vox’s Brian Resnick spoke to veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who is working to keep coronavirus-susceptible gorillas alive in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

When tourism dropped, “everybody was struggling,” she said. “The local economy suffered and poaching went up.” (You can read more of Resnick’s conversation with her here.)

6) Researchers uncovered more proof that a key system of ocean currents is weakening

Graphics that show changes in ocean temperature over time generally reveal one trend: The ocean is heating up. But there’s one critical exception. Just below Greenland lies a large patch of water that’s cooling off. And that patch has scientists concerned that we could be nearing a tipping point for the climate.

The cold patch, scientists say, signals that a network of currents that bring warm water to the North Atlantic — known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC — is slowing down, and the melting of ice on Greenland is likely a culprit. One paper, published in the journal Nature in March, suggests that the current AMOC slowdown is “unprecedented in over a thousand years.”

The AMOC shapes weather across multiple continents, so any major slowdown will carry major consequences that could include faster sea-level rise in some regions, stronger hurricanes, and other changes in weather, to say nothing of the impacts to marine ecosystems.

But to be clear, the science on this is new and complex. For a great run-down, check out this recent visual feature in the New York Times.

7) The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs gave rise to the Amazon rainforest

The massive asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago may be best known for driving non-avian dinosaurs to extinction, but it also transformed entire ecosystems.

It may have even given rise to the Amazon rainforest, according to a study published in Science earlier this month. The finding is based on an analysis of about 50,000 fossil pollen records and 6,000 fossil leaf records in Colombia from before and after the asteroid crashed into what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The data reveals two vastly different forests. Before the event, the forests were stocked with conifers and ferns, and the trees were spread out, with plenty of room for light to stream through the canopy. After the asteroid event, however, flowering plants started to dominate the landscape and the canopy became much more tightly packed, resembling the forest we know today.

“If you returned to the day before the meteorite fall, the forest would have an open canopy with a lot of ferns, many conifers, and dinosaurs,” study co-author Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama told New Scientist. “The forest we have today is the product of one event 66 million years ago.”

The idea here is that the asteroid impact somehow triggered a series of events that led to the modern Amazon rainforest. What were those events? One theory the researchers offer is that, before the asteroid, herbivorous dinosaurs prevented the forest from becoming dense by eating and trampling plants.

8) A review of more than 300 studies showed that the rate of deforestation is lower on Indigenous lands

The global conservation movement is pushing forward a plan to conserve 30 percent of the Earth by 2030 — an initiative known as 30 by 30 — and increasingly calling for Indigenous communities to be central to that effort.

These groups have historically been uprooted from land in the name of wildlife conservation. There is also greater evidence that forests fare better when they are governed by Indigenous and tribal territories.

A recent UN review of more than 300 studies found that forests within tribal territories in Latin America and the Caribbean have significantly lower rates of deforestation where land rights are formally recognized.

“In just about every country in the region Indigenous and tribal territories have lower deforestation rates than other forest areas,” wrote the authors of the report, which was published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. “Many Indigenous territories prevent deforestation as effectively as non-Indigenous protected areas, and some even more effectively.”

9) Wildfire smoke can turn the sky an apocalyptic orange

If there was one day in 2020 that defined the climate emergency, it could have been September 9, when the sky above San Francisco turned completely orange.

Strong winds had carried smoke from fires burning across California to the atmosphere above the city. Particles of soot absorbed or reflected blue light from the sun, letting only orange-ish light through. (Wired has the details.)

But what made the image go viral wasn’t so much the science but what it symbolized: a growing climate catastrophe.

Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and severe, and 2020 provided more devastating evidence. Last year was California’s worst wildfire season on record. By the end of the year, nearly 10,000 fires had burned over 4 million acres — an astonishing 4 percent of California’s total land, according to the state.

10) Scientists finally solved the mystery of why wombats poop cubes

Sure, it may not have kept you up at night, but the mystery of the bare-nosed wombat’s poop puzzled scientists for decades. Why do these adorable, chunky marsupials, native to Australia and Tasmania, leave behind feces with six sides?

Thanks to a new study — published in the journal Soft Matter — we now have the answer.

Building on research published a few years earlier, a team of scientists found that wombat intestines have regions of varying thickness and elasticity that contract at different speeds: The stiffer regions contract relatively quickly, while softer sections squeeze more slowly, together forming a cube-like shape.

But there’s still a bit of mystery left: Why is their poop shaped like this? The jury’s still out, but some researchers believe it’s because wombats climb up on rocks and logs, and the cube-like shape prevents the feces from rolling away. This is key for wombats because they use piles of feces to communicate with other wombats.

What a difference a year makes, truly.

[moeruhoshi]

I’ve already put this on my ff.net but I wanted to share it on here

There existed a legend of the undine, a powerful creature that provided the continent, Fiore, with its water supply.

The story began with a vast expanse of desert covering every inch of the land, barely a water source in sight. Water early humans were able to find, made for the center of town, small villages surrounding it. And once their source was used up, they moved to find the next one.

Soon, all tribes gathered around the last oasis, each leader convening to decide the best course of action.

They gathered all of their people, asking each and everyone if they were brave enough to wander the desert searching for the fabled undine.

There was a high risk of death from dehydration or getting lost in the delirious sun. But to save thousands of people from the brink of extinction would deem even the weakest a hero.

Silver Fullbuster offered himself for the task, the North's most notorious warrior.

The crowd roared with cheers as the leaders took him away, immediately preparing him for the turbulent journey.

An ancient map of the undine's possible location, enough drinking water for two months, rations, clothing, shelter. Silver's own camel would lead him through the trials of the hot sun.

He left that night, ignoring the cheers and hopes of the people, knowing their burden wasn't worth shouldering.

He wasn't doing this to gain status or heroism. Only a greedy man would save thousands to stoke his own ego.

His greed was personal, because of course, he wanted something in this world.

He wanted a family; a wife and a healthy little boy. But he never let himself fall into such an extreme fantasy.

How could he when the world was in so much trouble? When there was barely any water for the children to drink now? He refused to let his family struggle without a means of solution. And now, here one was. He could appease the undine, beg for their help, possibly return water to Fiore.

Once he went back, victorious, he could settle down and have the life he always dreamed of. That was the true reward in this trek.

So he kept a consistent routine; traveling at night under the moon's cool gaze and building shelter for the day's beaming sunlight.

Silver would read the map, re-reading day in and out. He memorized the landmarks on the way; massive sand dunes, clumps of palm trees, dried up oasis', gardens of cactus.

The undine rested in the northeast, the location, he found, that he'd never seen on a map before. He was quite an expert when it came to navigation, having read most maps that led his people to new water sources.

But this one led him past the highest dune, into an undiscovered portion of land. This assured him of the possibility of the undine's actual existence. He also felt a bit wary, unsure of what lay out in the mythical desert.

He hoped his sword wouldn't have to be drawn for anything but slicing his fruit.

The journey was taxing, Silver, fearing that his mind would begin to waver. Sanity was not easy to be kept by oneself, and he wished to have just one conversation with his old friends. The camel wasn't as interesting.

He hoped they were well, that the villages were, too. He hoped the water supply hadn't lessened by much, his self-made calendar almost a month in.

He neared the location, marking off each landmark that stood out to him. The palm trees, the oasis', the cacti, and finally, the series of mountainous dunes.

It wasn't long before his two months came to fruition, his water supply dangerously low.

It was enough to make it over that high peak in the distance, his goal just moments out of his grasp.

He traveled through the sun and the moon, not caring to even get a wink of sleep. He was almost there, almost there, almost...there.

Sand, sand, and more sand.

What? No, that couldn't be true.

Where was her cave, where was the blooming rainforest, the oasis?

Where were the plants and trees and water?

Where was the undine?

He gulped down the lump in his throat, calming his trembling hands as he ebbed his camel to begin its descent.

It had to be nearby; maybe it was just a bit farther than he could see.

But he didn't have enough food or water to make it past another horizon. His camel would lose its energy, and then, he would be left, stranded in the middle of nowhere, to die.

He held back his fear, taking deep breaths with his eyes shut tightly. Everything would be okay.

He repeated this in his head, holding onto the reins to avoid falling off.

Everything would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

Everything would be...gentle, like a droplet of water on his cheek.

Everything would be...silky, like a cool banana leaf brushing against his skin.

Everything would be...comforting, like a calm wind on a hot summer's day.

Everything would be...wait...huh?

Silver opened his eyes, leading his camel through a suddenly grassy area, plants, and trees surrounding every end. He couldn't even feel the sun on his skin, the leaves providing him with excellent shade.

He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, slapped his cheeks.

No way...

He stopped abruptly, eyes bewildered at the sight of a relaxed, glistening, untouched body of water.

He hopped off the camel, quickly throwing off his clothes as he jumped into the water. He couldn't help but laugh. He actually made it.

He knew he would never have a chance to bathe like this again, taking the soaps out of his supplies to properly wash the desert off of his skin.

Somehow, he felt healthier, renewed. Almost like the water was giving him nutrients, soaking into his body and returning all of his lost hydration.

He never smiled more than he did today.

He let himself rest against the water's edge, stroking the camel's head as it drank from the pond.

A sudden snap of a twig in the leaves startled him, Silver quickly standing in fear.

Until now, he hadn't bothered to wonder if there was anything else in this place. But, of course, wildlife could exist anywhere.

A sharp squeal punctured his eardrums, a girl not much taller than himself falling out from behind a nearby tree.

She was dressed in delicate white, albeit sheer, garb, hair the color of the moon.

Silver felt his cheeks reddened as they made eye contact, his heart suddenly unable to stop beating.

He asked carefully if she was alright, the girl quickly scrambling to her feet, giving him a haphazard bow before running off into the woods.

That couldn't have been the undine, right?

He hurriedly tugged on a pair of pants, running after her without a second thought. A smile grew on his face; somehow, he was having a lot of fun right now. Maybe it was the effects of this place, but he wouldn't question it.

She came into view, her hands carrying the ends of her dress.

He called out, asking her to stop, pleading with her, apologizing for scaring her off.

She eventually came to a halt, doubling over as she caught her breath.

"I've never run so much...in my life," She wheezed, Silver laughing as he caught up to her.

"I'm sorry," He snickered, running a hand through his hair. "Do you need some water?"

"...No, I'm alright," She said, standing straight to look him in the eye.

His heart jumped at her sharp gaze, finding it absolutely mesmerizing. But then, he remembered his task, remembered everyone who was waiting for him.

Either way, something told him not to ask just yet.

"How did you find this place?"

"By accident," He shrugged, the girl blushing at his lopsided grin. "Although, I do have a map,"

"Eh? Where? Show me," She said, quickly grabbing onto his arm. Both blushed at the sudden touch, Silver suddenly realizing that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

He led her back to his things without question, pulling the scroll from the camel's back.

"See," He pointed at the blank space. "This told me that I'd find this place here,"

"All this time, they had a map," Her lip trembled as she mumbled, staring at the expanse. "Why did no one come if there was a map?!"

Silver reeled at her sudden outburst, watching water drip from her arms and legs, forming a pool at her feet.

"Why..."

He struggled to speak up, not knowing exactly what to say. But he recognized that sad tone on her voice, one he'd come accustomed to in his own mind. She was lonely.

"No one thought this place was real," He said honestly. "It was a story for young children. Not a message to come find you,"

She sniffled as he reached out to rub her back, the two awkwardly meeting eyes again.

"I-I see... I'm sorry...I get very emotional at times,"

"That's okay," He shook his head, clearing his throat as he thought of something else to say.

"So...you have a name?"

"Mika...my name is Mika."

Silver then spent his days with Mika, wondering how he could ask her to provide water to the world. But he couldn't ask a lonely girl, barely his own age, to do such a thing. They just met; how could he make it her responsibility? She was abandoned by the world, left to take care of it without a second thought.

Unbeknownst to Silver, however, the world already began to change. The water seemed to grow from nowhere, the oasis back home never even falling an inch.

Old, dried up sources began to refill, and plants began to grow out of the ground. It was a true miracle, for every few hours equaled to about three months in the real world.

His presence alone filled the undine with a newfound emotion, one that stirred her to unconsciously plenish the Earth.

She showed him every plant and animal that existed in her domain, how she took care of them all these years.

He showed her how to wield a sword because that was the only thing he knew how to do.

She would watch him practice, trying not to stare so hard at his bare chest.

Mika didn't understand the deep welling in her chest that made her leak out of her ears at times. Silver was steadily filling a hole in her heart, one she didn't realize was so empty.

He was straightforward in most ways, knowing full well he'd fallen in love.

He went off and fell in love, unable to accept that he hadn't helped anyone by doing so.

He couldn't bear the weight of selfish guilt, wondering if he should just get it over with and ask the undine for help.

She sensed his anxiety, her own building as her thoughts began to wander. He wasn't from around here; what would happen if there came a day he wanted to leave? How could she go back to existing all by herself?

"You look quite somber," Mika said as she approached Silver from behind, sitting next to him as he stared into the reflection of the pond. "Anything I can help with?"

"I just miss my home," He sighed, tossing a pebble into the water. "I wonder if they're all okay,"

"I could show you?" She hummed, bending herself to enter his field of vision.

"How?" He stared at her as she waved a hand over the water, an image blurring into view. He saw his friends, the villages waving as they began to part ways. They were returning to their rightful homes, all with enough water to last the whole trip. He could see the plant life that never existed before, the clouds in the usually empty sky. He could see their vanished cracked lips, their joy as they helped themselves to the oasis water that didn't even lose an inch.

He looked at her with wide eyes, quickly understanding the situation. She craved for company, never having any before he stepped foot in here. And the world magically began to fix itself, all because her lonesome self was requited.

Silver no longer felt the need to hold back, grabbing onto Mika's shoulders. He pushed her down before she could refuse him, kissing her with his held back feelings.

The undine rightfully sprung a leak, unable to grasp the situation entirely.

This day would mark the first rainstorm to ever cross the land.

She kissed him back, finding herself more comfortable when he whispered between their lips.

"I love you,"

He finally had the family he always wished for, a wife and a healthy little boy.

They named him Gray, his sharp eyes a bit gloomy but bright and full of wonder.

He was an undine, like his mother. The day of his birth had unwittingly created what the world would come to know as oceans.

Silver lived without knowing what became of the world, its expansion, evolution. It was past its days of cloth tents and makeshift floors, buildings and castles built, wars fought and won, kingdoms conquered. The legend of the undine soon became a legend again, Silver's name lost in the history books.

He didn't need anything more than Mika and Gray in his life.

But Gray, well, Gray tirelessly craved something. He couldn't understand what; maybe this was just how an undine lived. His father was a human, so he couldn't understand well.

However, Mika repeatedly told him what it meant to find love. It was everything to an undine, a second close to their life's primary purpose. It was more than familial love, a bond that Gray could only ever have with one person.

The one person he met by falling through a pond.

Juvia liked to play by the water every day, skipping rocks and kicking her feet in the shallow end.

She was an only child; her parent's often too busy to pay her any attention.

The water created a reflection she spoke to, mistakenly learning the habit of talking in the third person.

Juvia this, Juvia that...her parents would never let her make a debut in high society with such an odd way of talking.

One day as she sat by the pond, the young girl was started by a sharp shout, one that was...falling from below?

She threw herself back and out of the way as a boy popped out of the water, gravity bringing him down on the ground.

He grunted, rubbing his nose as he stood up.

"What the..." He pouted as he looked around, soon locking eyes with the girl behind him.

"Who..." Juvia began to say, startled as he quickly jumped back in the water.

"Be careful! You could drown!" She shouted, rushing back to the water's edge. But the surface was still, and the boy was gone as if he'd never existed.

Gray did exist and quickly wished he hadn't. His chest, his heart...it felt like it would beat its way out onto the ground. What was this? What did she do to him? Why does he feel so...mushy?

He ignored such a creepy feeling, going back to the quiet life he lived with his parents, unable to get her image out of his head.

Years passed before they would meet again, on the eve of Juvia's eighteenth birthday. Her parents threw a ball, introducing her to all sorts of people from across Fiore. But she didn't really care to fake a smile all evening.

She escaped to her safe haven, sitting beside the pond once again.

She couldn't forget that strange boy with the droopy eyes, even after all these years. He was wonderfully precious to her, like a fairy. She wondered if they'd ever meet again.

"It's rude to leave a party without even having one dance, no?" She turned around, rolling her eyes as she saw Lyon.

"I don't care much for dances," She sighed, frowning as he crouched down beside her.

"I'd rather if you learned to be more well behaved," He frowned, tightly gripping her chin with his forefinger and thumb. "My fiancee has to have manners."

"I'll do well to remember that," She glared at him as he stood up, turning to walk back inside.

"I'll see you in a few minutes,"

Her rage always escalated when that creep was around, never even able to care about him for a second. He didn't like her anyway since their relationship was arranged for their parent's benefit. She caught him multiple times cavorting with his own maid that he seemed to adore ten times more.

She looked into the pond, sighing again. She wanted to be with that boy from her memories, wondering just what could lie underneath this shallow surface.

Maybe she could go through, too? She never thought to try it before. And drowning was always better than a miserable life with Lyon.

Juvia waded into the water, her large ballgown helping to drag her to the bottom.

Please, please, please, let me see him again.

She closed her eyes and held her breath, struggling when she needed to exhale.

Juvia forced herself to the surface, gasping for air as she reached the top.

Opening her eyes, she met the shocked gaze of a boy almost her age, those same droopy eyes staring at her with ripe panic.

"It's... It's you!" Her smile stretched widely at the boy before her, his blush increasing with each passing second.

"Could you...!" He roared and slapped the water at her. "I'm taking a bath!"

"Oh..." Juvia quickly turned around, covering her eyes. "My goodness, I'm so sorry!"

"Uh-huh, just don't turn around, I mean it!" He growled, the splash of the water letting her know he got out.

"Let me get your hand," Juvia blushed as she turned to see him holding out his hand, wearing nothing but a loose pair of trousers. She'd never seen a man shirtless like this before. It was...she couldn't think of the word.

"Thank you," She swallowed her nerves as they stood before one another.

"Do you need some help getting back?" He quirked a brow, looking over her shoulder. "That gate should've been closed, but I can push you back through it, so you get home,"

"N-No!" He took a step back as she shouted. "N-No, I don't want to go back there, please don't send me away,"

"Fine then," He huffed with an annoyed hue on his cheeks. "You can stay, but we'll have to ask my parents,"

"Okay," She quietly followed behind him as he began to walk, the soaked train dragging against the forest floor.

"May I ask your name?"

"Gray," He threw her a look over his shoulder, walking with his hands held up behind his head. "Yours?"

"I'm Juvia,"

"Juvia," He mumbled, unconsciously smiling at the way it flowed on his tongue.

[fe-husband-heaven]

Thanks to popular demand ;) Part two is here!!

Ehuehuehue of course, with the quote I think lands them on the list!

Part 2! Of Heroes I think have a thing for the Summoner:

Henry:

"You won't die, will you, Summoner? If you died, I'd have to invent a horrible new hex for whoever killed you. So just...stay alive, OK?"

Henry is genuinely sweet. So long as you're not on the wrong side;; He gets attached if you're kind to him so he's at your every beck and call rather quickly, even if you say he doesn't have to do your chores, he insists on it.

ZHDBDDH he's extremely protective, not in an overbearing fashion but more that anything that messes with you, messes with him. He's learned to keep his face in an eternal smile but he prefers to see that yours are real :')) Sweet boy

Henry and The Summoner end up just being known as that duo. As in Do Not Separate. (Mostly because leaving Henry alone to his own devices is asking for trouble) but also, Henry just likes having you with him during his shenanigans nyaha

Raven:

"Glad to fight for you. Long as it doesn't get in the way of...well, never mind." "Need me? Just say so."

"But now, none of that matters. I've come to my senses after watching you at work here. Does any of that make sense? If not, forget I said anything. I'll still fight hard for you."

Veterans of this blog...yall know know. This man is the start of it all djxjdj

Homeboy gave up his revenge, choosing instead to fight for you rather than a past that's haunted him.

Raven's a bit of a bodyguard, with his resting angry face, he scares off anyone who might approach you whenever you're with him. And he can be quite impulsive so if he thinks someone's upset you, he's out to pick a fight.

Hnnnnghgh my boy💖💕💖

Ephraim:

"I will fight. To bring peace to this world, and for your sake, too." || "You know, I like you. And I feel I can trust you completely."

"I will protect you. Just believe in me and follow my lead." || "I'll protect you. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"I'm thankful that the two us can spend this winter festival together. It means a lot to me."

Ephraim💙💙💙hnnnnngh, I love him so much!! And he's constantly going and on and on about how he's going to protect the summoner. A loaded statement considering how much he already has to protect ;)

Ephraim is a bit oblivious though, he has no clue he likes you himself. And he won't know until he's made to think about it by someone else. It's just something he's never worried about.

But his behavior makes it clear to others. Ruffling your hair, escorting you nearly everywhere and even having you nearby as he sparred with other heroes. It seems as though him and the summoner are inseparable!

He's just as protective as the Henry and Raven but Ephraim runs off of his instinct to protect you rather than than being pissed off at someone who upset you.

Yarne:

"You always look so busy. Why don't you take a break and pet my fur? I hear that it's pretty relaxing."

"I'm not big on danger, but I don't want to see you go extinct, either. On the battlefield, you stay behind me, OK?"

like Libra, HIS ENTIRE LVL 40 CONVO: "Hey, Summoner...Did you notice? I didn't jump when you spoke to me. I heard you coming. Lately, I catch myself listening for your footsteps, wondering where you're going...If you ended up getting attacked, summoners would go extinct! And I'd be pretty lonely. If you're ever in danger, shout my name, or just make a loud noise. I'll hear it and come running! Thanks to you, I've gotten plenty strong. Now I can protect you! Thanks for giving me the courage to help."

Bro...the footsteps thing is so cuuuute! The fact that he recognizes them...aww! ++Offering up his fur to be pet?? Absolutely superb-

Yarne's fear of going extinct is always something he's struggled with but he's willing to push through it to keep you safe. He's a sweet man who places the summoner's safety at the same level as his own. And that's why I think he absolutely deserves a spot on this list!

Lucius:

"I feared that you'd lose respect for me if you knew the truth—or would even be repulsed. I do such good works that I shouldn't allow myself to care, but when it comes to you...I do. I put myself in your hands. Will you like or loathe me? But know this, you will have my loyalty."

Lucius is so sweet and caring and very supportive of the summoner, my poor boy doesn't even care about whether or not you'd shun him, just that you know he'd support you regardless.

dndnxnx I can definitely see him falling for the summoner but feeling no need to divulge it to them juuuuuust yet. He's very much content with simply being near the summoner so he doesn't think all that much about revealing any feelings.

Of course, he's incredibly attentive so if the summoner falls for him...he'll know. But even then, he'll wait for them to come to him. Patiently. As long as he has to.

Valter:

"I will master you. Someday."

"You are mine now. Entertain me! More!"

"I do take what I want. I'll take whatever I desire. From anyone. Knowing this, you have made use of me. And you have granted me much power... I cannot understand your actions. Do you intend to control me? Or do you long for me to be your master? Either way, you have become my finest prey. I will not permit another to sate their bloodlust on you...Just me."

I said the ones who have a thing for the summoner, not whether or not it was a BAD thing cjcnfnfnxn

Hoo boy. Possessive and obsessive is the name of the game in this wheelhouse;; though it's a little strange when it comes to Valter. He has a very calm demeanor (most of the time) when speaking to the summoner as opposed to his manic state in batttle.

My reason for putting him on this list is the clear "This one belongs to me." attitude cjfjdjd I have a feeling that he has no issue getting to use his lance against any of the summoner's "admirers"

Gaius:

"Here to beg more candy off me? I'm not sharing this one, though— it's my favorite right now. Packed with sweet, sweet honey...Hm? You don't want candy? You got work for me, then? ...No? Wait, you're not just here to spend time with me, are ya? 'Cause that'd make you a big ol' marshmallow. Only softies try to build relationships up for their own sake. And here you are—soft as cotton candy. Heh. I changed my mind. Take the honey candy. No reason—just my way of saying thanks."

Isn't this SO cute?? Gaius, the king of all things sweet and sugary, giving his favorite candy to the summoner because they just want to spend time with him....how cute!!

He's such a softie for them and it's adorable! If anyone's being led by the nose here, it's Gaius. But without the summoner knowing how positively melt able Gaius is💖💖💖

Gaius isn't a mean guy by nature but I think him giving away his new favorite candy is a clear sign of a particular fondness.

Narcian:

"I'll make you regret that you picked a fight with me, Narcian! One day I'll make you kneel. Then I'll pet your head like a little kitty—and keep you at my side forever! Ha ha ha ha!"

Is this one surprising to yall? jddjdj its really just the kitty at my side part that makes me think it heheheh. Narcian thinks of Narcian first and such, he is deserving of the best.

And of all the fleas that drown in his brilliance, he has deemed you the best in suiting him. (ꈍᴗꈍ) Isn't that lovely?

In his lvl. 40 conversation, he mentions that the summoner has said he's full of himself so...this is 100% a dynamic of the summoner being tired of his crap and the guy who thinks this summoner belongs to him fjfjfjfj

Shigure:

"I'm glad you've come to see me. Do you want my company on a mission? Or perhaps to just look for a rainbow. I do enjoy being by myself, but spending time with you is also quite relaxing. Perhaps it's because... You're not the chatty type. I have grown fond of you. I hope you'll remember me even after we one day part ways. Nothing would make me happier than if every time you glance at the sky or hear a song, you think of me. Perhaps it's a bit selfish for a mere Hero to ask for such a thing from a Summoner, but it's simply how I feel. And I thought you should know."

"I don't like singing for an audience. Unless, of course, that audience is you. You are often in my thoughts."

"Would you walk with me sometime? You could tell me more about this beautiful world and about yourself as well."

So I counted, and Shigure has asked the Summoner like 5 times if they'd like to go somewhere or do something with him fjfjfjdn And he's asked them not to forget him, it seems that he wants to remain imprinted in their thoughts.

There's a bit of a calm but melancholy air in this dynamic sometimes. But it switches to a light environment when he speaks about going for rides on his pegasus with the summoner. :') Dhdjfj isn't it a cute idea to go on a flying date??

Shigure is sweet and is even willing to sing for the summoner, so long as they are the only one to be his audience. He's got no qualms about sharing his voice with the summoner and its "Got a thing for the summoner" worthy (ꈍᴗꈍ)

Chrom:

"Aren't you cold? I wouldn't be much of a Hero if I let our summoner collapse. Here, take my cape."

"If you're ever in trouble, just call for me. Wherever you are, I'll come running with the wind at my back."

"You spend time with me. You're by my side, cheering me on. You make me stronger. That...makes me happier than you can guess. I'm truly grateful. I'll do what I can to do the same for you."

Hxhxhx im a sucker for the "Take my coat" trope. He's so supportive and an absolute sweetheart, baring his heart out to the summoner. He speaks a lot about how nothing will ever break his and the summoner's bond too!

He mentions it constantly! In fact, in his lvl.40 Bunny Version Conversation, he paints (a bad) portrait of the summoner on a festival egg and writes a poem on the other side about how much he values the summoner's presence.

He's absolutely intent on displaying how much he cares about his bond with the summoner and it's a very sweet dynamic. He's eager to show how much he cherishes them and that's the easiest way to end up on this list xjxhxhxh

[whitherliliesbloom]

birds of a feather

[ ffxivwrite2021 ] ★ [ masterlist ] ★ [ prompt #16 - crane ]

[ illya & friends ] ★ [ 1,847 words ]  ★ [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] features ancientechos’ laurelis and two of my other ocs.

crane: a tall, long-legged, long-necked bird, typically with white or grey plumage

though their species varies as much as the colors of their plumages, birds of a feather flock the warrior of light together

“So...” Sigfred’s puzzled expression is framed by the furrowing of his eyebrows as he looks down at the young woman as she tries and fails to protectively shield her newest little companion away from his view. “You decided your aviary isn’t quite populated enough, did you?”

He says little, but the creature stood a good two feet taller than the comparably tiny lalafellin in front of it, the red tuff that crowned its head not helping it stay out of sight and unnoticeable either.

Of course, even if the peculiar thing hadn’t been almost the size of a small hyuran child or had striking plumage, it wouldn’t distract anybody from the fact that the lanky, majestic creature Illya had herded back home was yet another bird - a wild crane hailing from the far east.

“It wasn’t my decision to make.” Illya frowns, shaking her head while she idly raises her hand to rest upon the crane’s head, stroking it gently. “She just followed me back.”

“All the way from Yanxia?” The disbelief in his voice is his understandable, as is the skeptical crossing of his arms. He has trouble believing that a wild animal would doggedly tail Illya thousands of miles away from it’s natural habitat. Though his cynicism quickly fades when his scarlet eyes meet starlit ones, and he is reminded of the supernatural affinity the girl has with feathered creatures when a pigeon casually flutters over and lands on top of her head. 

He cannot tell if the lack of the wild animal’s natural fear of people when it came to Illya was more absurd, or the fact that she seemed completely nonchalant about the way a bird was nesting atop her hair. 

“Yes.” She answers, voice dipping slightly in pitch to convey her seriousness. “Hien had quite a struggle to chase her off the boat.” 

Evidently, the Prince of Doma had failed spectacularly... and as if self-aware, the crane puffs it’s chest out and tilts her head high into the sky. 

Next to Sigfred, the bard’s shoulder shakes in mirth, his loud guffaw echoing through the shroud of trees and causing the pigeon that had been peacefully resting on Illya’s head to flee, much to her unspoken chagrin. 

“Gods, I’m not even surprised anymore.” Wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eyes, E’lija finally speaks in between choked laughter. “Illya brings home a new bird like every other day.”

Heat spreads across the young lady’s face, though as if sensing her embarrassment, the cockatiel that had been sitting quietly upon the branch of Illya’s wisteria tree flys over before landing on her shoulder, now nudging it’s head against her cheek.

“I-I... I don’t choose to, most of the time at least... Plus, if I take good care of them, there shouldn’t be a problem. Isn’t that right, Orion?”

The cockatiel bobs its head up and down, much to the utter shock of E’lija who throws his arms up.

“W-wha- It can understand her??”

Orion doesn’t spare even a second to pause before turning it’s head to lock his beady, round eyes upon the miqo’te before his beak parts to voice his detest towards the man who would embarrass his master.

“Piss off.”

“IT CAN TALK?!?!” E’lija so very nearly falls off his fold up chair, threatening to take the cups of coffee and biscuits onto the floor with him.  “WHERE- Where did it learn that from???” 

“.....Estinien.” Illya frowns, lifting her index finger to poke at the cockatiel’s forehead in disapproval. “He got into a fight... well... argument with Orion. It wasn’t pretty.”

She really should find a way to tactfully ask the man to cut his expletives down... or at least not feel the raging urge to get into a debate with a mere bird, lest she have a harder and harder time convincing people that she was not in fact the one responsible for teaching her pet cockatiel how to yell ‘Thal’s balls’ in a guest’s ear. 

Sigfred merely hums, his hands stroking his chin as he narrows his eyes at the crane. 

“What kind of crane is it, anyway? We didn’t see a lot of it’s kind back in Doma.”

“It’s a Manchurian crane - one of the rarest species of cranes in the world, I believe. It’s particularly highly revered in the far east... which was why I had to hide her below deck while we were sailing by Kugane.”

His interest piqued, the redhead straightens himself and adjusts his hat before leaning back into his seat. 

“Why’s that?”

“Um... well, if I remember right, it symbolizes good fortune, longevity and immortality.”

E’lija has to stop his jaw from dropping so low that it’d collide with the table. Archons, and this apparently rare crane from the far east that represented god given virtues has now taken a liking to Illya so much it’d leave Doma to stalk her all the way back to Eorzea?

Internally, he wonders what sort of karma he must have to obtain such divine blessings. 

With a clear of his throat, Sigfred steers the conversation back on track.

“So what now? What do you plan on doing next with it?”

“I-I.... I don’t... I don’t know? She’s stubborn... wouldn’t budge for anyone. I had thought maybe letting her see just how different the shroud is from Yanxia, she’d want to go home but...”

A hearty, more pleasant giggle rings out next to her, and Illya turns to look at a pink-haired miqo’te who she had assumed would be too pre-occupied with cuddling her baby dodo to have paid attention to her conversation with her other party mates.

Laurelis still is, to an extent... her arms wrapped tightly around the plump, round creature as it lets out an occasional squawk. But as usual, when it came to the topic of animal adoption and welfare, she was ever the first to jump to contribute to the topic.

“Why don’t you just adopt her then? You already know how to take care of other birds so... just one more won’t make much of a change, would it?”

That was the exact mindset that would lead Laurelis to have an ever growing household of cats and dogs that she’d find on her travels... but Illya thinks pointing out the irony to that would only get lost to her dear friend. 

“Well... I... I have my reservations.” 

Illya turns behind to look back at the crane as it stares intently back at her. Whatever that was going through it’s head, it certainly had no intention of returning where it came from... But that in itself was a bit of a problem.

“Manchurians cranes are an endangered species... I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to take care of one, let alone adopt and keep one for the rest of it’s life, when it should rightfully be wild.” 

There was a drip of hypocrisy in her statement, certainly. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s had to shelter a wild animal only to be forced into a position of adopting it - and it didn’t just apply to birds either. 

But caring and raising a species at danger of going extinct was an entirely different issue that she rightfully felt she had no place dabbling in - not without professional training, at least... and the twelve knows when she’d find an expert in the matter willing to teach her.

Ethical concerns aside, Illya also struggled to find a concrete reason for why she absolutely had to keep this beautiful creature in her home. 

For most of the other animals she’d adopted, they had been rescued in some form or the other. Hazel for example, the brown sparrow that she had found with broken wings near Bentbranch Meadows a few summers ago. Though Illya had full intentions to release her as soon as she healed from her injuries, the little sparrow grew attached and has rarely ever left her side since. 

She’d struggled to find an adopter who would be willing to take in her mobirdly obese chocobo chick Lawrence, due perhaps to their reservations in regards to providing for his demanding diet. And likewise, the hunting hawk that she’d met upon a pirate ship had been abandoned after losing it’s eye... and his protectiveness over not just herself, but anyone he knew to be someone Illya cared for, made it difficult to even find ways to put adverts for his adoption. 

Illya had thought the reason why birds seemed to flock to and very often stay by her side had been for the simple fact that she’d saved them... and that their attachment to the one who saved them made it impossible for them to part from her. 

The Manchurian crane however, would perhaps be the clearest proof that her affinity with birds was... unnatural, to say the least. 

Not that she minded, of course... Because for as much as she would bring doubt to her own abilities to care for the animals under her care, she did secretly have a soft spot for birds that perhaps made it hard for her to give her feathered friends as much as it would be for them to find a new home. 

“Maybe I could foster it for a while before bring it back to Doma.” Illya hums, but hears Laurelis whine pitifully in response.

“But she’s clearly attached to you! I’m sure she’ll be happiest by your side. At the end of the day, her happiness and wellbeing is the most important, right? I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Illya!” 

The miqo’te points out, gesturing to the yard full of birds who roosted quietly - from Lawrence who was now rolling about in his little playpen full of sand, to Captain Blackbeak who sat vigilantly atop the purple mailbox decorated with golden leaves and stars that sat right outside her yard. 

Illya hears hazel singing from where she sat on the roof of the pagoda, and the nudging of the crane’s beak against her face, as if both voicing their agreement for Laurelis’ words... and Illya lets out a heaving sigh that was copied comically by the cockatiel on her shoulder.

“I-I’ll think about it.” Though there’s still a hint of hesitation, the fact Illya was willing to even consider was enough to cause Laurelis to break out into a grin, lifting her hands up to clap in delight.

“Oh goodie! Now think of a name for her!”

“N-now??” With widened eyes of gleaming lavender stars, Illya parts her mouth and shakes her head frantically. “W-when I’m put on the spot like that I can’t--... I can’t think of anything-”

“Oh!” Evidently more than happy to suggest some ideas, E’lija blurts out. “I have some ideas! How about... Queen crane! Or... Immortal Nancy! Or-”

“Shut up stupid! Shut up stupid!”

Bouncing up and down, Orion squeals out, causing the bard to finally collapse off of his chair and spill his milk coffee, which Illya is certain that Lawrence would be more than happy to hop over and drink off the floor.

[ardenttheories]

Your takes on gender can be applied these ways also: 1. Their species could be transphobic solely because they might view gender as unnecessary (which isn’t true, due to so many trolls being trans with no problem, so that’s out the window,) or 2. The Condesce herself or her generation created gender roles on Alternia; it would also make sense with The Signless preaching beliefs of freedom and possibly even expression, if we were to go that route. While it doesn’t fix all, it’s better than nothin

Continuing on with Signless and the Condesce, it would have actually made more sense for Sign to be a Fuchsia if society is based on blood caste, for more than one reason (I mean the political implications of a thief of BLOOD being a tyrannical emperor and what you could do with that are pretty fucking apparent but hey who gives a shit amiright) and while life can be just as politically aligned as blood, the inherent structure of blood and the way it’s broken and set up makes Sign a better fit

The bulge-nook standard is all just a bunch of useless bullshit, but it wasn’t in the past apparently; I think it’s mentioned somewhere in the comic that they’re actually close to extinction because the mother grub method is unsustainable and was created BY the Condesce? And that they actually could procreate together but they’re slowly losing the ability? Therefore you could also say that those who are still able to reproduce via encounters could be labeled differently, but that’s still shit

Continuing once again off of the whole mother grub thing (Sorry I’m spamming your inbox I just really like your think thoughts,) the only reason I could see a troll harboring certain ‘gender’ traits (boobs for example) would be for advantages in different climates, besides possible ovaries which, if trolls are more bug than human-like, don’t even make sense anyway. It’s all just a bunch of crud BUT the argument for being trans lies solely in what could remain, OR societal reconstruction I guess

I suppose HIC could have been the generation to assign gender roles to her society, but my only issue would be this: why? I pointed this out in another anon, but there’s no actual divide into “trolls who are superior for being x gender” and “trolls who are inferior for being x gender”. She’s the empress, so you’d think she’d have a preference for women - but her closest and most valued are both men. And even then, she kills indisciminately between genders. Her only preference I’ve ever seen gender-wise is that she always views women as heiresses (or, people who are possible to take her throne), and even that doesn’t entirely make sense; it can easily be explained away as Hussie trying to build a matriarchy where one just didn’t need to exist, to parallel Alternia and Earth. 

To HIC, hemospectrum trumps gender. A male and female rustblood could be standing side by side, both accused of a crime, and neither would be considered more or less guilty on a gendered basis: they’d both be culled for being rust. Likewise, two violetbloods could kill a purpleblood, and the male wouldn’t be more likely to get caught than the female, or viseversa. They’d both get away scot free because they’re highbloods, and higher than the purple they killed - or, they’d both be revenge-slaughtered by other purplebloods.

This isn’t even getting into the fact that, although our canonical legislacerator is female (Redglare), the actual judge (His Honorable Tyranny) is male. So, again, we have a male in power. Yet there’s no explicit bias towards or against men. 

It’s this foundational issue for trying to put a gendered system - as we understand it - on a system that just doesn’t work for it. I do very firmly believe that the trolls would have a gender system, yes; but I think it would revolve around something entirely different. More like how bee genders work; if they’re all “female”, then how do you differentiate the “gender” of bees? By focusing on what actually differentiates them societally: their roles in the hive. Queen, worker, drone - these are the bee genders. How you could implement that to Alternians, I’m not totally sure; I’d have to think on that a little more.

The Signless works well as a mutantblood for the martyr status Hussie was going for; he’s a very clear allegory for Jesus as-is, and having him be a fuchsia wouldn’t have really worked in that sense (because he would have been born into an inherent place of power, without the requirement to go through the martyr journey - and he could have much more easily set about a better, more equal structure had he been an heir than he could have being a mutant). 

It’s a good way to impose on readers just how violent troll society is against those who don’t fit into the spectrum, since the hemospectrum is a class structure that was instilled by both HIC and Doc Scratch (which doesn’t exist as strictly on Beforus, except that the upper classes look after the lower). It also just allows for the equal “one troll of each caste” motif Hussie wanted to go with. So, again, this is an unfortunate instance of Hussie choosing design over lore.

That said, being a fuchsiablood - or even a mutated fuchsia, if we still want to go down the mutant route - would have been endlessly interesting. It could have completely different to see a not-so-shoddily hidden allegory. How The Signless would have attempted to go against HIC, his abilities as a Blood Player, the potentialities of him still raising a rebellion and attempting to change the entire structure of Alternia to something more Beforean - it’s definitely juicy food for thought, if nothing else.

I couldn’t find anything on the Mother Grub method being instilled by HIC, or the fact that it was unsustainable - at least, not on Alternia. Everything I’ve seen relating to Alternia and Mother Grubs very much seems to state that these are the natural ways of the world, something that wasn’t meddled with (which goes along with a theory I had with a few anons some time ago, under the “#homestuck biology” tag, wherein the Mother Grub, trolls, and Drones are actually all founded from the same ancient species, but the trolls just so happened to be the ones to evolve into intelligent life). 

(Edited note: I did find something mentioning that the threat of global extinction allowed for the implementation of the caste system to begin with - as in, the hemospectrum didn’t exist until that specific point in time. It doesn’t mention anything about the Mother Grubs before or after this event, or what caused the near-extinction of the troll race. I would assume Doc Scratch, in order to force the Hemospectrum to exist in the first place, since he takes full credit for its conception. In either case, it isn’t an inability to breed that almost killed off the entire Alternian race - otherwise, even post-Hemospectrum, they would have still died out.)

Anything regarding unsustainability might be instead referring to HIC’s attempts to reintroduce the troll population to the Alpha kids’ Earth; she tries to bring lusii into the world and tries to repopulate Earth using genetic material via the Mother Grub (including for humans), but ultimately fails to do so (partly because her attempts to do so were thwarted by a clone of her lusus, partly because, I assume, human DNA isn’t compatible with the Mother Grubs). 

So, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like trolls ever had the ability to mate with each other and reproduce in a more mammalian way. Which I still despise as a concept, if I’m completely honest; the trolls are clearly meant to be based on insects, are surrounded by insect-like evolutionary divergences, and breed in a very insect-like way. The idea that they ever, at any point, had a more mammalian lineage just makes no sense. That’s like saying that we descended from ancient bees instead of ancient apes. 

It’s, again, one of those instances were you can tell Hussie tried to make something unique and interesting, but then didn’t fully think it through and returned to what he knew most - which is a very much more human experience. 

I think the best explanation for the “gender” differences - beyond “Hussie needed a way to show male and female characters because he didn’t think to include different genders in a society that clearly needed it - probably is the climate concept. It’d be more interesting, for one, and still allow for the potential that trolls don’t have - or show - inherent sexual dimorphism. Especially because, like you said, those are very mammalian traits? Insect-based species don’t have an evolutionary need for those things. 

[sevenstarsinning]

I’m sorry but like can I get angsty raditz smut please I can’t find a single good fanfic whatsoever and I’m so :(

Breaking a Saiyan bond was painful. There was a reason you had never heard much about it and you finally understood why. That pain went deep, like it completely rewired your entire being and all you could do was mourn the loss of your former self and the mate you would never have again.

Raditz was that mate. You could see the inevitable demise of your relationship for months before it actually happened. You were always so different and it was great in many ways but terrible in other more detrimental ways. You were never the kind of mate he really wanted and by the time it became obvious, it was too late.

Day after day you avoided stepping outside of your house unless it was absolutely necessary. Being around what was left of your fellow Saiyans was uncomfortable because they knew. A broken bond among their ranks didn’t fly under the radar, it was a big deal because two warriors were lost and the race was nearing extinction since the demise of Planet Vegeta.

You didn’t have to see Raditz to know he was completely miserable. Both of you were headstrong enough to weather the storm until you got used to the pain or it faded. Until then, fighting was out of the question and you knew there were more than a few Saiyans that weren’t happy about Raditz taking a step back.

By day five of yet another round of isolation, you were going stir-crazy. There was a constant struggle between staying in isolation to suffer in peace or leaving to rejoin civilization.

You opened the front door and nearly walked right into a wall of Saiyan. Raditz clutched your arms to steady you even though your balance wasn’t off enough to justify it. Just the feeling of his large hands on you took some of the ache away in an instant. His scent wafted by from a gentle breeze outside and eased it even more.

“How are you?” He asked, lacking his usual air of confidence. You stepped away and out of his grasp, close quarters were clouding your judgment.

“How do you think I am?” You moved back towards the kitchen to put a little more space between you.

“Miserable, like me,” he answered, taking you by surprise. He stepped into your house and closed the door. Seeing his long hair again brought memories flooding back of the nights you ran your fingers through it while he rested his head in your lap.

“So what if I am? It doesn’t change anything.” You crossed your arms and tried to push your feelings away. That was the only way you would make it through the conversation without doing something stupid.

“Can we at least talk about this?” He began moving towards you, invading the bubble of personal space you were relying on to keep you in check.

“I think we covered everything last time.”

“When you pointed out everything wrong with our relationship or the yelling after that? You said things I would kill anyone else for even thinking,” he chided.

“I pointed out the truth and you’re the one that started with the insults. Don’t dish them out if you can’t take them in return,” you shot back, anger rising to the surface.

“You know, for someone that denies her warrior nature, you can be vicious.” He grinned and stepped closer.

“Don’t,” you said as you moved to the right towards the living room.

“Don’t what? Point out the truth?” He taunted and took another step closer.

“This is one of the reasons we broke up, Raditz! I’m never going to be the Saiyan you want me to be. I don’t want to fight and conquer like you do!” You shouted, losing control of your anger.

“You should’ve told me that before we bonded!” He closed the gap and towered over you but you weren’t about to cower.

“This is the exact point I tried to make! You never cared about me! Only what I could provide you, someone to breed and watch your back in battle.” You were seconds from doing one of the stupid things you were trying to avoid.

“Is it so wrong that I want my mate to fight alongside me and bear my children?” He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

“It is when the other person doesn’t want it and you refuse to see it! Get it through your fucking head, I will never be what you want!” You screamed back.

He pushed you against the nearest wall and rested his forearm just under your neck to hold you there. You could’ve easily broken away and he knew that, he expected it, but you weren’t giving in.

“Did you really expect me to be happy when I found out you had no intention of conquering planets with the rest of us?” He growled very close to your face.

“I thought you would at least be understanding but I once again overestimated a Saiyan’s ability to care about anything other than fighting and conquering,” you said in a low voice, already exhausted from the fight. Despite the verbal sparring, you felt better than you had since before the breakup. Just having him close, even though you were screaming at each other, was enough.

“That’s all I care about, huh?” He laughed and shook his head, “I came here and told you I’m miserable without you. Do you really think swallowing my pride comes easy?”

Before you could answer, he leaned in and kissed you hard. You pushed against his chest with all of your strength and sent him staggering backwards.

“You don’t get to come in my fucking house and do that anymore!” You yelled before wiping your mouth on the back of your hand.

“Watch me, sweetheart,” he sneered before charging forward.

The first kiss cracked the wall you put up to keep your feelings at bay, the second sent it crumbling to the ground at his feet.

You jumped into his arms and he slammed you back against the wall before his lips came crashing into yours again. He ripped at your clothes and went straight for your neck, biting hard enough to mark you.

The familiarity of his teeth on your neck put a temporary block on the memory of your breakup.

Raditz wrapped his arms around you and walked down the hallway, kissing you along the way.

"It's taking too long, fuck me right here," you pleaded, grinding against his cock. He pushed your back against the wall again and reached down to pull his cock out. The tip grazed your clit as he moved it up and down your cunt before shoving it inside of you.

Your breath caught in your throat from the initial shock. Months had passed since you last felt his cock dragging against your walls while it stretched you.

"I missed this," he grunted. His tail wrapped around your thigh while yours wrapped around his.

Grabbing a handful of his hair, you jerked his head back. "Shut up and fuck me."

"Keep talking like that," he said before slamming into you hard and fast.

"Fuck me harder or I'll go find a stronger Saiyan to do it right," you panted and slapped his face.

He stepped away from the wall and grabbed your ass, lifting you up and down his cock. You let him take full control and felt every last inch of his cock deep within you.

He finally made it to your bedroom and fell back on the bed with you in his arms. You knew exactly what he wanted and wasted no time giving in. Placing your palms on his muscular chest, you bent forward, lifting your hips and bringing them back down with force. His cock hit even deeper and you couldn't help the loud moan that escaped your lips.

You rode him hard and felt your release building rapidly. Everything felt perfect but you knew it was just an illusion. As soon as you came down from the high of being with him again, reality would slap you across the face.

Raditz flipped you to your back and hovered above you, thrusting relentlessly until you came undone. You clenched hard around his cock as you came, moaning his name while your body trembled.

He wasn’t far behind and came deep within you before you fully recovered. He leaned down and kissed slowly from your shoulder to your neck and over to your mouth. You got lost in him for another minute before the blissful haze lifted.

He collapsed on the bed next to you and stared up at the ceiling. You could tell before he even opened his mouth that something else was weighing heavily on his mind.

“Prince Vegeta wants me to go to a planet called Earth to find my brother.”

Silence fell over the room while you processed what he said. It was normal for Saiyans to travel long distances in search of new planets to take but the way he said it made you think there was more to it. There was an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before.

“Do you not want to find your brother?” You turned to face him and fought the urge to scoot closer and drape his massive arm over you.

“I do, but it might take longer than usual and we’re not coming back here. Not right away, at least,” he revealed, glancing in your direction to see your reaction to the news.

“Why are you telling me?”

“Tell me not to go. I’ll stay here so we can fix this.” He turned on his side with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

You sat up and tried to think with a clear head but it was impossible with him around. The mattress shifted behind you and his hand moved slowly up your back. You took a deep breath and went with the first decision that came to your mind.

“You should go,” you paused and his hand came to an abrupt stop midway up your back, “we”ll try to work on this when you get back. Go find your brother.”

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 5x02 Red Queen

Note: I’m afraid that I’ll have to delay my review of 7x12 The Stranger a bit longer - maybe till Friday (because I’m busy with work, and I think that one may take a bit more time to finish), but in the meantime, here’s - finally - a continuation of my season 5 rewatch reviews. It happens to be the only seasons I haven’t covered yet - except for 5x01 Eden, which I rewatched a few months ago after 7x02 The Garden, because I wanted to compare the two. I was planned to do Red Queen right afterwards - it’s interesting to compare and contrast Octavia’s character transformations in season 5 and season 7 - but it didn’t pan out that way. But now, @jeanie205 and me have started another joint rewatch during the hiatus, this one of season 5. (She only saw it live, week to week, and hasn’t rewatched it yet, I binged it and this is my second rewatch.)

...............................

I’ve always thought of season 5 as a season with a really strong beginning - the first 3 or 4 episodes are fantastic - which drags a bit in the middle before ending a very strong two-part finale.. The 6-year jump, in terms of storytelling, had both good and bad results. These two opening episodes, Eden and Red Queen, really make the best out of the time jump, with flashbacks about Clarke surviving on her own on a desolated Earth and meeting Madi, and flashbacks of what happened to Wonkru in the bunker. It says a lot that we got half an episode of Clarke surviving on Earth, a full episode plus a bunch of flashbacks in 5x11 about the bunker... and nothing about the Ring (till that one flashback in season 7). It’s because the life on the Ring was so boring and uneventful that the show didn't care to show anything of those 6 years. Clarke’s peaceful life with Madi in Eden also happened off-screen - we only saw their first meeting and their later relationship in the present - but Clarke’s two months of terrible hardship got covered in amazing 20 minutes. But the bunker is where things were the most intense. 

If the Ring seems to be just boring everyday life of 7 people who can’t go anywhere for 6 years, and if Clarke got to live in Eden (paradise) with Madi after the purgatory of 40 50+ days in the desert, the bunker is clearly Hell. It is a claustrophobic underground world full of anger, conflict and violence that certainly looks like Hell by the end of the episode.

The last scene, with its horror imagery, reminded me of the current Sanctum storyline in season 7 (both Blodreina and Sheidheda like using skulls as decoration), and the comparison shows exactly why the bunker/Blodreina story worked so well, and why the S7 Sanctum story does not. It’s all about moral ambiguity and keeping the audience on its toes, pulling the rug from under us by making us unsure how to feel about characters and their actions, which Red Queen does so well (and which S7 Sanctum storyline completely fails to do, being very predictable and black and white). Red Queen is so well done and intense that I don’t even mind that Clarke and Bellamy and some of my other favorites aren’t in it.

Timeline: The episode starts 42 days after Praimfaya and ends 46 days after Praimfaya.

The opening scenes take place at the same time when Clarke arrived in Polis and tried to open the door. Clarke's only listed as appearing in this episode because of this repeated scene from Eden. (It’s weird that apparently not just the Temple, but the Tower also apparently fell on the entrance. The Tower is next to the Temple, but I’m not sure if that would really happen?) I’m not sure what exactly caused the rubble to fall down, but this is the moment where everyone loses hope, since they know they probably can’t get out, even though they have 5 years to try to think of the solution.

Niylah has found a bunch of books and some other stuff in the bunker, and one of the books was Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which we now know was Callie Cadogan’s book. (That was a nice Easter Egg in 7x08.) Niylah knows Bellamy used to read to Octavia about Ancient Rome - she must have heard it from her or from Clarke or someone else in Arkadia over the last month or so that she spent with them. It is still surprising she knows about Ovid, specifically. What she doesn’t know when she gives Octavia the book is how symbolic it is of what happens to Octavia throughout this episode - her metamorphosis into Blodreina. (We even see the opening line on screen: “ I intend to speak of forms changed into new entities..”).

Octavia Blake is a character who has undergone more dramatic transformations than any other character on The 100. I wasn’t a big fan of her in some of the early seasons, but now I think that, after what the show has done with her since season 4, she has probably had the best character arc of any character on the show. (Some would say it’s Murphy, but that’s because people like to think of character development as going from bad to good, a positive progression - which is a lot more predictable and done quite often. What the show did with Octavia is much more complex and unexpected.) Her turn to the dark side and subsequent redemption were really well done, and Marie Avgeropoulos is one of the best actors on the show (I’ve always thought so regardless of how I felt about her character at any given time) and pulled off her changes in season 5 so well.

What the episode does really well is maintain ambiguity about Octavia’s development as a leader. The first time you watch it, it’s not clear what is she developing into. Is this a story about a well-meaning but still inexperienced teenage girl becoming a great leader? Well, the cliffhanger of 5x01 showed the fighting pits and the new scary Blodreina look, so it’s already hinted it’s not quite like that. But the episode still makes you root for Octavia, who’s up against not just the difficult circumstances - trapped in the bunker, limited resources - but also tribalism of Skaikru and 11 Grounder clans and a lot short-sighted people who hate and keep fighting each other. You just can’t not root for her when she starts forcing them to obey, near the end of the episode (and it’ certainly comes off as a very badass scene - if a bit unrealistic, since Octavia has only been training in Grounder-style combat for about 7-8 months at that point) - but then things may start getting a little ominous as she repeats the mantra “You are Wonkru, or you are the enemy of Wonkru. Choose!” (“You’re either with us, or against us” statements by political leaders are always worrying), even before the ending, where both Octavia and the bunker look like something out of a horror movie. This entire storyline made the point that unity can’t be forced on people, especially not by a single all-powerful leader, without turning into tyranny and oppression.

What’s also morally ambiguous is advice from the mortally wounded Jaha, which ends up influencing Octavia’s decisions and development as a leader. Jaha was always one of the most morally grey characters - he’s not evil, always had good intentions, but his ruthlessness and willingness to disregard individual lives in the name of the Big Picture of saving “his (collective) people” and his complete confidence that this is the right leadership style, were always very disturbing, and made him the villain in the eyes of - and the lives of - all the young protagonists of the show. In season 4, some of them started seeing his perspective. faced with the similar difficult choices. After Clarke in season 4, Octavia also starts seeing his perspective - which is particularly disturbing because it is the same man who executed her mother for just having a child, and locked her up for a year as a criminal just for being born. But Jaha’s actions in Red Queen are some of his most heroic ever in the show, and he gets a heroic death and a moving death scene... while still being kind of a real d1ck, someone who justifies Aurora’s execution to Octavia by saying her mother made herself “the enemy” and bringing them “closer to death”. In the context, Jaha as an unexpected mentor to Octavia can be seen as something good or at least a necessary for her to develop into a capable leader... Or is it? The line between hero and villain can be very thin. Sure, it helps Octavia resolve the situation, save hundreds of people in the bunker, and apparently unite everyone into Wonkru - but as we see by the end of the episode and the rest of the season, it also ends up making her a tyrant who ends up getting hundreds of her people killed in the name of saving “her people” and delivering them to paradise as a messiah. She becomes the same thing she hated, an oppressor like those who forced her to hide under the floor and killed her mother.  

(This dialogue from season 4 is pretty relevant here:  

Clarke: You know, he used to be everything that I hated. Maybe he was keeping us together.

Jasper: When Jaha's looking reasonable, it's time to reassess.)

I have to say, however, in spite of all the moral greyness... I can’t stand Kara Cooper. She’s one of the few characters on the show that just piss me off to no end and I can’t find any sympathy for her. I know that it’s different for others, I’ve seen people say they see her perspective, and yes, the show  gives her a tragic backstory (losing her father in the Culling on the Ark and her husband in the Second Culling in 4x12)... but this time I can’t bring myself to care, because: 

She wants to leave some 1100+ people to die, even though she should be well aware that, even if there is a problem of overpopulation in the bunker*, she really doesn’t have to kill that many people, 

She’s a scientist and gives a speech about how the lack of diversity would lead to a massive die-off for plants... Surely she should know that the same would happen to the humans, and that a human race can’t survive with just around 80 people?! which leads me to

She doesn’t care about the survival of the human race and is ready to condemn it to extinction, just so she and a few others would live more comfortably and wouldn’t be in danger of immediate death, 

She says she wants to save “her people” - but it’s all about tribalism (Skaikru or not Skaikru?) and not love, and she is a hypocrite, because she is ready to leave a bunch of Skaikru outside the door to die, too, 

She is a hypocrite when she acts like Abby did something terrible by opening the bunker door to save Kane (which also saved hundreds of people more than would have otherwise been saved) - basically, she’s like “ Abby, how dare you not prioritize my husband, a guy you didn't even know, over your boyfriend? You're so terrible!" Sure. That makes sense. 

Her arguments about why the bunker “belongs” to Skaikru are rubbish: “ "Jaha found it. It belonged to us" - even if we accept the finders-keepers idea, actually, multiple people helped find the bunker. Yes, Jaha was the driving force, but Bellamy found the coin, and Kane, Monty and Gaia all massively contributed to finding it - without Gaia's info they wouldn't have ever found it - as did Indra, and the fighters from Trikru and their allies who guarded the temple so they could do it. She just ignored all these facts. If they had kept the bunker in 4x11, they would have left most of these people out (including Kane and Monty). Oh, and she is now trying to take the bunker back... and she’s ready to leave Jaha himself outside! 

And after all of that, she saves her own skin by being the most ruthless one of everyone Octavia sent to the fighting pit and killing them all - and then becomes Octavia’s right hand and sycophant. What integrity! 

While many people seem to think that Octavia’s downfall started with the cannibalism during the Dark Year, I think it’s the decision at the end of Red Queen to open the fighting pits and start punishing every crime by throwing people in them. This is her first really bad decision. In practice, this form of “justice” means that you can commit any crime you want if you're good at killing people once you’re in the pit. it fosters a culture of violence - even more so when death matches are entertainment. So, in the end, the guy from Delphi clan who just stole blankets (the Sangedakru delegate Brell demanded death for that - their laws are pretty draconian, makes me wonder in retrospect if Sheidheda was the one who first imposed them) died, while Kara effing Cooper got to live because she was the most ruthless person there. What I think Octavia should have done is - she should have executed the murderers and the leaders of the rebellion and given minor punishments to people who did things like steal blankets. (it's been argued they needed Cooper for the farm - but that was not the reasoning, Octavia left her with everyone else to fight.) 

This was Octavia, sadly, combining not the best, but the worst of the Ark system (death as the punishment for every crime or minor misdemeanor), Grounder tradition (death matches as the solution to everything) and her childhood stories of the Ancient Rome. If you're using Ancient Rome gladiator fights as your role model...you've probably stopped being a good guy.

The last scene, fighting pits 6 years later, is similar to the cliffhanger end of the previous episode, only now we get the cliffhanger of Kane being one of the fighters. Octavia is in her full Blodreina mode now. Not just her outward look has changed, but her facial expressions, too - this is the first time we see that cold, sinister Blodreina smile. Indra doesn’t look too happy, Gaia and Ethan are there. Miller- even after that much time - doesn’t look too happy with Cooper being there, by Octavia's side.

This is straight up horror imagery. There is even some sort of structure made of skulls next to where she's sitting!  Not exactly a throne of skulls like Sheidheda has in season 7 but something similar.

But here’s why this works so differently than Sheidheda and his throne of skulls in season 7 and why people are bored by the latter. There is no ambiguity in the S7 Sanctum story. Sheiheda is completely, cartoonishly evil, there is nothing complex about it, Murphy is now definitely a good guy, as are Emori and Indra, and none of them are in conflict about how to deal with him (except for a short moment in 7x09, which was OOC for Indra). The only characters that we may still wonder 'what are they gonna do? which side will they take?" are minor, underdeveloped characters like Nikki, or Knight (you're in trouble when your main question is "will Knight change sides?"). It's a very simple black and white story, the kind t100 normally doesn't do and Shady’s throne of . But when Octavia has her face painted in blood, has skulls next to her, and a creepy smile while she’s deciding the fate of the winner, that is genuinely disturbing because it's Octavia. You’ve followed her for seasons, and you’ve spent the whole episode rooting for her to solve the problems and deal with those really awful and annoying people... and then she does, and oh my god, suddenly she turns into a villain, and that’s chilling. 

Other observations:

I love the Kabby scene where they're talking while chained up in the farm, while a guy is playing guitar in the background. I think Abby was pretty unfair to Kane when she said he took away her choice to kill herself - because she didn’t try to kill herself, she tried to make Kane kill her, and then she expected him to be able to do it, even though she never could: not only did she open the bunker door to save Kane, she destroyed the radiation chamber (possibly dooming thousands of people) because she couldn’t allow Clarke to risk her life (in 4x08). Kane may be more of a “Head” than “Heart” of the two of them, but Abby should have realized he wouldn’t be able to carry her unconscious body (or even let someone else do it) and let her die of radiation. He loves her and he doesn’t really have anyone else. Abby really seemed to be taking out her own self-loathing out on him. It was still a sweet moment when he finally dropped the pretense that he saved her for being a doctor and admitted it was a Heart decision, and she finally admitted she would do the same and never regretted opening the bunker door to save him. 

But we get a hint about that Abby has already developed a pill addiction, which will strain and almost destroy their relationship. Kabby was a really well written relationship - we saw them falling in love over 4 seasons (which rarely happens with romantic relationships on this show) - but then we also saw that being together and loving each other is not enough to be “happy ever after”, not when you live in f*cked up circumstances and when you both have to deal with all sorts of problems. Love can’t conquer everything, which is more realistic way to depict romance.

Mackson actually have some screentime in this episode. This is actually the first time we see that they are together (after a brief flirting scene in season 4). I had forgotten that Miller says the L word in this episode: "You're a healer, nor a fighter. That's why I love you.” I thought “This was pretty fast” - but when you take into account they’ve been together for a couple of months, it’s actually not that fast compared to most of the romances on the show... It’ just that most of their relationships happens off-screen.

So Level C (which Cooper and her people took over) was where Cadogan planned to be with his family if the rest of the bunker goes to hell. Makes sense he’d do something like that.

Indra was already not a fan of the Commanders at this point, telling Gaia: "Your real Commanders would have left you to burn", "the spirits of the Commanders have abandoned us"

We got two Wells mentions in this episode! One when Jaha was reading a children’s book (apparently The Giving Tree - thanks @jeanie205​) to Ethan, and says it was his son's favorite bedtime story, and another one when Jaha is dying and says “Take me to my wife. Take me to Wells”.

ALIE would be proud of these people: they all keep repeating “There are too many people in this bunker” throughout the episode. Thanos would be proud of them, too. Why not instead say: “There aren’t enough resources in this bunker”? No worries then, they will manage to get 1/3 of those people killed - 814 will remain instead of 1200 by the time they get out of the bunker... What few characters in the show ever seem to realize are too few people for the human race to survive. That is, if they weren't lucky to always be running into more humans, and then everyone blows it away by killing each other, again.

A few lines in this episode feel like dark foreshadowing:

Abby makes the first mention of cannibalism, a dark period in Ark’s history called the “Blight"

"It won't be that easy", says Octavia to Cooper when Cooper wanted to kill herself. One could say the same when Octavia tried to sacrifice herself and die in 5x12

"I'll take care of the boy” - Octavia promises to Jaha to take care of little Ethan, just as Jaha promised to Ethan’s father. That didn't turn out so well in the end...

Rating: 9/10

[puppypaw-wc]

so since the @10leftau generator’s pretty easy to edit (here), i made a tnp version for the great journey, which is here.

let’s go through the results i got!

this is mostly kept to tnp’s events, so i didn’t give millie a description at all. graystripe’s there though. daisy and her kits aren’t listed, but they still join.

THUNDERCLAN 

graystripe

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), sorreltail (half-sister), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased), rainwhisker (half-brother, deceased), sootfur (half-brother, deceased), feathertail (daughter, deceased), stormfur (son, deceased), blossomkit (daughter, not born), briarkit (son (mtf), not born), bumblekit (son, not born)

mates: silverstream (riverclan, deceased), millie (former kittypet, expecting his kits, qpp)

rank: leader

graystripe had been taken by twolegs not long before the great journey took place. with help from his new friend, millie (yes, i will be adding millie), he managed to find his way back to the clans... only to find most of the cats he knew dead. his half-sister was his only remaining kin. he wondered how long thunderclan had gone without a leader, but ignored that thought and took the position. due to not yet having an equivalent to the moonstone, he was unable to receive nine lives or a leader name, but he’s more then determined to lead the clan.

ashfur

family: brindleface (mother, deceased), redtail (father, deceased), runningwind (father, deceased), whitestorm (sire, deceased), ferncloud (sister, deceased), tulipkit (brother, deceased), elderkit (brother, deceased), sandstorm (sister, deceased), cloudtail (foster brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: deputy

ashfur had already experienced loss many times. from the death of his brothers, elderkit and tulipkit, to the death of his mother, brindleface, he was well acquainted with it. when squirrelpaw, his niece who he was quite close to, came back to the clan with news of new territories, he was ecstatic. his niece larchkit had already died of starvation, and he was hopeful that his sister’s remaining daughter and sons would be safe in the new territory. but nothing went according to plan. even before the journey, hollykit and shrewpaw both died, which brought great pain to ferncloud’s family. but what brought even more pain was the journey itself. birchkit, sandstorm, squirrelpaw, spiderpaw, cloudtail... ferncloud... all of them were dead. once graystripe came back and heard all of this, the choice for deputy was clear.

cinderpelt

family: frostfur (mother, deceased), lionheart (father, deceased), brightheart (sister, deceased), brackenfur (brother, deceased), thornclaw (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: medicine cat

her apprentice being taken by twolegs wasn’t enough, it seemed, as now she’d lost her apprentice once and for all. leafpaw had so much potential. but she ignored that. surely one of graystripe and millie’s kits would have the same amount of potential. during the badger attack, she got quite injured, but the clans were much closer to one another due to the pain of the great journey, so she was saved. she was determined to make yellowfang, brightheart, leafpaw, everyone, proud.

sorreltail

family: willowpelt (mother, deceased), whitestorm (father, deceased), rainwhisker (brother, deceased), sootfur (brother, deceased), graystripe (half-brother), darkstripe (half-brother, deceased)

mate: mothwing, had a former crush on brackenfur

rank: warrior

losing her father as a kit was rough, as was losing her mother as an apprentice, but losing most all of her family was terrible. she’d never been close to darkstripe - in fact, her half-brother tried to poison her - but rainwhisker and sootfur were her best friends. graystripe had been taken by twolegs, and it worried sorreltail to no end. what if he was dead? but finally, after seasons of worry, graystripe came back, with a new clanmate in tow, who was pregnant with his kits. with sorreltail’s nieces. and she had mothwing. life was getting better.

SHADOWCLAN

russetfur

family: cinnamon (mother, status unknown), hal (father, deceased), boulder (fraternal brother, deceased), raggedstar (half-brother, deceased), scorchwind (half-brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: leader

a former kittypet who joined shadowclan with her brother boulder, russetfur was blackstar’s deputy prior to the great journey. during the journey, after seeing her fraternal brother boulder and clan leader blackstar die, she knew that she had to lead shadowclan once they got to their new home. before she could do that, she had to go back for runningnose, she needed a medicine cat. while most of the elders were dead or near dead, runningnose somehow was not, perhaps due to his herbal knowledge. regardless, after staying in the tribe for a bit, the two went to the lake, meeting up with graystripe on the way (dawnflower had been taking care of toadkit) and reforming shadowclan once they arrived.

runningnose

family: lizardstripe (mother, deceased), mudclaw (father, deceased), tangleburr (sister, deceased), deerfoot (brother, deceased), brokenstar (foster brother, deceased)

mate: nightstar (shadowclan, qpp)

rank: medicine cat

runningnose was never confident in his medical abilities. as much as he wanted to be a medicine cat, he couldn’t cure his own running nose, or nightstar’s sudden sickness. however, he was always eager to do good, and hoped that yellowfang was proud up in starclan. when the clans left for the great journey, he wanted to rest, but knew he could not when russetfur came in need of a medicine cat. temporarily staying with the tribe and learning herbal skills from stoneteller, the two left and reformed shadowclan. runningnose just hopes he can do good enough.

toadkit

family: tallpoppy (mother, deceased), dawnflower (foster mother, riverclan), unknown father, applekit (sister, deceased), marshkit (brother, deceased)

mate: n/a

rank: kit (six moons old, awaiting apprenticeship)

toadkit was eager to go on the journey, as were his siblings and crush, birchkit of thunderclan. however, the journey didn’t go so well. it was as if starclan had left them. his mother tallpoppy died first, the journey too tiring for her in her old age. next went applekit, in the darkness of the night. no one knew what happened to her, the cats who’d gone on the first journey presumed that a sharptooth had come, but no one knew for sure. next went marshkit, much like his mother, too tired. it had come full circle, and toadkit hoped that it was over... but it clearly wasn’t, as birchkit died as well, joining his siblings in starclan. by the time they got to the lake, only one of toadkit’s present clanmates was left, and she soon left to find runningnose, leaving dawnflower of riverclan to raise him. awaiting apprenticeship, toadkit just hopes he won’t succumb to the same fate as his mother, siblings and birchkit.

WINDCLAN

ashfoot

family: wrenflight (mother, deceased), stagleap (father, deceased), morningflower (sister, deceased), onewhisker (brother, deceased), crowfeather (son, deceased), eaglekit (son, deceased), downkit (son, deceased), hillkit (daughter, deceased)

mate: deadfoot (windclan, deceased)

rank: leader

having her mate die a few seasons prior to the journey, and all but one of her kits, ashfoot was well acquainted with loss. when her surviving son, crowpaw, came back with promises of a new home, ashfoot was hopeful. but the journey was far more tough then anyone could’ve thought. yes, they knew that a few cats would die, but no one expected the clans to go near extinct. once tallstar died, mudclaw took place as leader, but his time was brief, and without nine lives, he soon died as well, leaving his appointed deputy ashfoot as leader of the remaining windclan cats. as if her siblings and leader dying wasn’t enough, her single surviving kit died as well, leaving her alone. but she had her clan. maybe everything would be fine?

barkface

family: brackenwing (mother, deceased), redclaw (father, deceased), shrewclaw (brother, deceased), thistlepaw (adopted daughter)

mate: none, had a crush on tallstar

rank: medicine cat

apprentice: thistlepaw

barkface had always been a friendly and optimistic cat. when crowpaw came back with news of a new home, most windclan cats were doubtful, but barkface was optimistic, sure that they’d survive. the tragedy that came on the journey couldn’t have been anticipated by anyone. windclan had few cats as is, only having fourteen cats when the journey began, but by the time they arrived at the lake, they only had three: ashfoot, barkface himself, and thistlepaw, whose mentor had died. taking the apprentice as his own, both as an apprentice and as a father, barkface hopes that his clan will thrive, with additions in the other clans hopefully helping out.

thistlepaw

family: whitetail (mother, deceased), onewhisker (father, deceased), weaselpaw (brother, deceased), barkface (adopted father)

mate: none

rank: medicine cat apprentice

mentor: barkface

(as thistlepaw only appears in the allegiances, i had to give her a personality and description; here, she’s a solitary yet energetic black and red classic tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes. i used this generator and a name dictionary!)

thistlepaw had never had very many friends. she was close with her brother, weaselpaw, but windclan didn’t have very many apprentices, or cats in general. thistlepaw thought that the journey would be good, and that she could maybe bond with the other clans’ apprentices, but the death of shadowclan’s smokepaw was seemingly a bad omen. her parents both died, her mentor died, her brother died, all but two of her clanmates did as well... by the time they got to the lake, thistlepaw didn’t want anything more to do with death. her clan needed a medicine cat apprentice anyways, so she did what she must. and now, barkface is like a father to her, and she’s happy.

RIVERCLAN

mothwing

family: sasha (mother, status unknown), tigerstar (father, deceased), tadpole (brother, deceased), hawkfrost (brother, deceased), brambleclaw (half-brother, deceased), tawnypelt (half-sister, deceased)

mate: sorreltail, formerly was dating leafpaw of thunderclan

rank: medicine cat and leader

mothwing had never felt like she belonged in the clans. she didn’t have any parents to go to when life was rough, and most of her clanmates seemed... afraid of her and her brother. was tigerstar really that bad? she and her brother hawkfrost got their warrior names, but something still seemed... off. as if she was doing the wrong thing. she asked mudfur to apprentice her, and once an omen of a moth’s wing was found outside the medicine cat den, she was apprenticed to him. had starclan really put it there, though? when she found it, she swore she saw her brother’s tipped tail right there... regardless, the journey went badly. her mentor died, and she seemed to be left as both medicine cat and leader of her clan. she never wanted this, but at least she has sorreltail.

dawnflower

family: mosspelt (mother, deceased), frogleap (father, deceased), willowkit (half-sister, deceased), minnowkit (daughter, deceased), tumblekit (daughter, deceased), pebblekit (son, deceased)

mate: swallowtail (riverclan, deceased)

rank: queen (nursery helper)

dawnflower had a normal life. born with no siblings, she became a warrior with no real setbacks, and became good friends - and eventually mates - with swallowtail. accidentally mating with an unknown tom, she gave birth to minnowkit, tumblekit and pebblekit not long before the journey took place. her kits died on the thunderpath, not even getting to be apprenticed, and her mate died as well, both devastating her. by the time they got to the lake and all of her kin was dead, she decided that she didn’t want to be a warrior any longer. so much had happened in the past few moons... but dawnflower still had a normal life.

loudbelly

family: ottersplash (mother, deceased), timberfur (father, deceased), sedgecreek (sister, deceased), reedtail (brother, deceased)

mate: none

rank: senior warrior

loudbelly’s parents never really cared for him, as was clear through them naming him loudkit, while his siblings got actual good names. named loudbelly as a warrior, he felt like his life was all a joke, but he ignored it and was happy to get an apprentice in silverpaw. however, not very long after silverpaw was apprenticed to him, they disappeared. loudbelly truly felt like his life was all a joke, and by the time the journey came, he truly wished to just stay in the forest territories, but mothwing insisted he come. so, he did. his leader died. his deputy died. all but two of his clanmates died. and now, loudbelly felt like a bad omen and just wanted to retire. but his clan needed a warrior, so he was that warrior.

jfc that got angsty. o_o

i have lots of ideas for this, including for po3!! since i know most of you are probably wondering, “who’ll be the three if leafpool’s dead?” well, you’ll see!

[letbarbieshavedragons]

Um no... there was PLENTY of foreshadowing since at least season two that Dany would go "mad". And she's definitely not mad, she's calculated and cunning but not mad. She had showed signs of being villainous since the beginning. Were you paying attention when she would yell about using fire and blood to get what she wants? When she burned people alive for not bowing to her? When she only "freed" slaves when it benefitted her goals to conquer. Her dark turn was obvious from the start.

right so not really sure where this came from lol, but since you actually took the time to come to my asks and you don’t seem snarky or whatever, i guess ill respond. 

I’ve never said there wasn’t any foreshadowing. I’ve said there was no character development for it or not near enough consistent or logical build-up, but that’s very different from foreshadowing. foreshadowing at this point is just a fandom buzzword. it’s vague enough that literally anything could be considered foreshadowing, especially in hindsight. so yes there is foreshadowing that Dany is a villain. there is also foreshadowing Jon and Arya and Ned and Sansa and Bran are villains as well. there’s even foreshadowing that Jojen was turned into paste and bran ate him. that word has lost all weight and meaning and it can’t (and never could) prove anything. at best foreshadowing is grounds for conjecture. not proof or a replacement for character arcs. and even then its flimsy. 

As for your other points your really cherry-picking the facts here if not just completely distorting the narrative. The Fire and Blood speech was a) a show only event and b) said out of desperation to get sanctuary so she and her people didn’t starve in the desert. she tried being polite and accomodating but they were going to leave them so in a desperate final act, she spit some (metaphorical) fire at them and it worked. so not exactly villain territory. not to mention fire and blood are her family words, of course, she used them. how many times do the starks go on about winter? or the lannisters about debts? this is hardly proof. 

As for the burning people for not bowing to her I assume you mean the Tarly’s, which is once again cherry-picking the facts. They were at war. You think Robert or Ned would have let Aerys’ supporters live if they had refused to bend the knee? What about the Umbers if Smalljon had survived the Battle of the Bastards? Rob Stark threatened to hang a man simply for implying he wouldn’t answer his call to war. Jon Snow beheaded a man for disobeying orders even after said man agreed to comply.  In ep 1, Ned Stark beheaded a man for simply being scared from his post. 

After the Battle of the Bastards, Sansa didn’t even want the Umbers family to keep their lands! In that sense Daenerys comes out more merciful seeing as she not only doesn’t take the Tarly’s lands, I don’t remember her even discussing it. and while i hate to acknowledge anything in s8, she even legitimizes Gendry and returns the Baratheon lands to him saving the house from extinction (even tho Gendry’s father nearly wiped hers to it). And while no this wasn’t done out of the kindness of her heart, it also wasn’t exactly a necessary political move and shows more graciousness than Sansa did in 6. (And I’m not trying to shit on Sansa here, i didn’t actually take issue with her decisions. just pointing out you have to hold everyone to a fair standard here) 

The Tarly’s betrayed their liege lord (to side with the usurper that murdered said liege lords and the queen) then murdered them, which by Rob’s own words is grounds for execution. Their liege lords who also happened to be Dany’s allies. If the show had any desire for consistency by s 7 (or really any narrative integrity at all) then there would have been people urging Dany not to offer any clemency in the first place. Daenerys was showing mercy by offering them a chance in the first place. Hell, she even offered them two. Bend the knee or take the black. That’s more than Robb gave. It’s probably more than Ned would have. 

With full context her offer was more: you are defeated, agree you will stop trying to kill me and I will forgive you for betraying a murdering your liege lords and my allies a and I won’t kill you in return. Hardly villain territory. 

And the “only freed slaves when it benefitted her?” is just completely and categorically false my dude. like i really shouldn’t have to explain this but your ask seems to be in good faith (and not just baiting me) so here we go. 

Dany didn’t have to free a single slave. She already had the Unsullied her plan would have worked had she freed them or not. In fact if anything she risked more by freeing them bc she had no way of knowing they would still follow her once free. But she did it anyway. She freed them because it was the right thing to do. So already thats wrong, but i’ll go on.

She gained nothing from freeing the slaves in Yunkai, in fact it was objectively an unstrategic decision, her advisors even tell her not to. the show even makes a point in saying its not the militarily strategic thing to do. she gains nothing from it but dead soldiers, potential catistropohic failure and (if she succeeds) thousands of freedmen she doesn’t really have the resources to support. And considering Yunkai even offered her money and (if i remember correctly) ships to leave them be, she’s washing all that down the drain too. So no, once again she gained nothing from attacking Yunkai, she only stood to lose. The only thing she won was the only thing she wanted, which was the freedom of those in bondage. 

And for Meereen,  I guess you could say she gained her queenship? Except she didn’t want to stay in Meereen and both the show and the books make it very clear she only does bc she’s afraid what happened in Astapor or Yunkai after she left will happen again in Meereen when she leaves, so she decides to stay long enough to transition the city into a free city, not bc she wanted to be queen of meereen. So even then its very disingenuous to say she freed the slaves in Meereen for personal gain. 

like my dude are you for cereal? at least the first two points I can understand from the standpoint of someone who is looking for dark Dany. If you are already convinced Dany is secretly a villain I can at least see how these things would stand out. But this idea that Dany freed slaves for personal gain goes beyond simply assuming the worst of her character and is just a complete distortion of the text.

I could go on about all the times the Starks have done shady or questionable stuff and no one is pointing fingers at them or about how Dany being a “secret” villain this whole time isn’t even the narrative we got (we got a fall from hero to villain further proving that at the very least even dnd thought she was a hero at the start) or that even if Dany is a “secret” villain having another badass blonde villain queen isn’t just redundant in the narrative and an overplayed trope, in general, it’s also not even a better or more subversive arc than just having her be a badass heroic dragon queen who has had to fight for every inch of her respect and power but this is already long enough and I’ve already made posts about these things 

[izzyphantomgamer]

How to survive - Chapter 1 [Kageyama x Reader]

Why am I so slow  ｡ﾟ(｡ﾉωヽ｡)ﾟ｡ but here it is!

She allowed a small breath of air to leave her. Her hands felt cold, the tip of her fingers all numb. It was long forgotten the last time she made herself comfortable – the privilege to rest in a safe shelter became a dream that was out of her reach. All was quiet in the four cornered room and that was a relief to her.

She looked up to observe the place she began to call home: it was a small and rundown house, the front door sealed tight and the windows in the same conditions, the wall covered in dust – the dull color made her feel more confined, there was a lone chair and a table in the middle of the room she was in. She had no need for more.

She felt an ache on her lower back, she wondered for how long she was on the cold tiled pavement. There was a bag that was not too far from where she was. From the small aperture she was able to see its content and much to her fear, she realized that she was almost out of supplies. A sensation of dread casted aside her fatigue, the adrenaline from the newfound emotion was fast to course through her.

“What do I do?” She whispered, a small crack that penetrated her voice.

She was nervous, but she had to do what she had to do in order to continue to survive – in a harsh truth that she never anticipated, she was all on her own. Her mother was nowhere to be seen, she pleaded the heavens for their safe reunion although her hope began to dwindle. She felt all alone.

A little after, she was back on her feet and she was in need of a plan. From the second floor of the house, she was able to see them. The once human that pulled their feet across the ground, the wretched smell that was emitted from their decomposed bodies, the horrible moans and the low guttural sounds that made herself tremble in fear. There were hundreds of them, all trudging amiss in search of food.

She felt almost faint but there was no choice left for her. The bag was placed on her back, it contained the small amount of items she needed for her scavenge. There was no time to lose hope – she told herself and climbed out of the window. There was a little connection to another building, a small wooden structure that secured a passage but it never spared her the fear that a mishap was a possible.

A small creak was heard at the first movement. She closed her vision from the monsters underneath, she encouraged herself before she continued to move. She focused on her destination, pushed her worries aside and pressed on until she reached the end. No problem – she thought to herself while she landed on the concrete floor, much to her relief.

She observed the scene around her: the air was clear and the lack of pollution rendered it feasible. The moment the human race started to decline, Mother Nature commenced to recover – it was a little belief she had. The ironic tale of how the Earth reclaimed its life while humankind was on the brink of extinction. It was that precise moment she came to realize the metaphor that presented itself in front of her: she saw a clear view of the eternal blue of hope whenever she looked above her, but when she looked down all she saw was darkness that threatened to swallow her.

She had to be brave, she needed to hold on to the small piece of hope that she was able to survive and find her mother, a wish to reclaim their home when all was over. The words she told herself more than she was able to recall.

She was near her destination at last. It was a small convenience store that was situated a little far from the heart of the town and, much to her pleasure and relief, it had a lot of things she needed for the following weeks, a wide variation of food and first-aid supplies. There was a handful of monsters that walked around the perimeter although there was one safe route from the back that granted a certain access.

It was no difficult task for her to reach the small door she needed to enter the store. A few more structures to pass and climb from where she stood, but nothing that posed a challenge. The door was found in a position that was sealed and well hidden from the rest of the town, the presence of a metal fence that closed her off and shielded her from the undead. She was safe. For now.

It was quiet inside, no sound was heard save for the noise of her passes, there was no one else but her. It was a dilemma that struck her more than once: was she relieved to not hear a sound, to be all alone? Or was it fear that she felt to be on her own? She started to retrieve all the items she needed to survive the weeks ahead, the small noises she heard while she filled her bag echoed in the store and it made her feel unsettled.

She was accustomed to the silence that haunted her, it happened a few times when she was unable to recall even the sound of her own voice. She had no person to talk to. No person to save her if she made a mistake. No person to catch her if she fell in the void she could never return from. No person to make her feel hope or courage whenever she felt weak and driven insane.

Her train of thoughts came to a halt the moment she heard a sound that she never wished to hear. It was true that the store was sealed from the inside and there was no possible route of entrance, was it a mere hallucination from the whole situation? She pleaded to be correct, she was desperate to be correct.

It was time to leave – she reminded herself and made sure that all was in order before she walked to the back door to leave and return home, although the same sound made itself heard a second time. She felt suffocated, the unwelcomed sensation in her stomach became persistent and she was scared, terrified. Her palms drenched in sweat and her movements uncertain, she was able to retrieve the firearm she was fortunate enough to obtain from a dead police from her back pocket.

“Please.” She muttered under her breath. There was nothing in her field of sight, but rather than relief, she felt anxious. The possible occurrence of an unforeseen attack, what were the chances? The thoughts that penetrated her brain made her feel restless, she felt the tears that threatened to fall but she fought them back, she had to survive.

There was nothing that was able to prepare herself from it.

She felt a force that made her stumble on her feet, her back slammed against the cold pavement. There it was. Her terror – the undead was in front of her. Dread, fear, helplessness. The creature held her ankle tight, she tried to kick it off of her but to no avail.  

‘No, No, NO!’ she screamed in her head ‘Dear heavens, no!’

The tears stained her face, her hands all drenched in sweat. The gun in her hand was nowhere to be seen. She felt the sharp claw pierce her skin, it bleed. She trembled, she was scared. She began to squirm, the adrenaline that circulated in her made her movements more violent. Despite all her effort, she was unable to free herself. She was about to die.

It was at that moment that she saw its face slammed across the hard wall. The action was repeated once again, a strong guttural sound it made before it laid on the hard cold ground. She had to blink once to clear her vision from the tears that blurred it and then she started to become conscious of what had occurred in the last few seconds.

She saw the undead on the floor, immobile. She felt her heart almost out of her chest, she had to calm down, but the image of the attack was still vivid. The vacant sockets of their eyes, the mutilated cadaver, the rotten flesh that smelt putrid. She felt sick. She wanted to regurgitate.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

A voice. For the first time, after months, she heard a voice that was not hers. A voice that was not the guttural sounds that haunted her even in her sleep. It was a voice that was full of life, from another human. In front of her, she was able to see her savior: a tall, black haired figure. The baseball bat leaning on his shoulder, full of blood and other substances she failed to identify. He offered her a hand.

“Come with me.”

“But I…”

“If death is what you want then so be it, but if you want to live then come with me.”

She was hesitant. She had no idea who he was, but he saved her. She felt herself almost in tears once more, but no longer from fear, rather for the relief she felt that she found another survivor. She took his hand, it felt warm.

“My name is [Last Name] [First Name].

“Kageyama Tobio.”

However, the conversation came to a halt when another growl was heard, the monster was back once more. She felt a sense of nervousness wash over her, but Kageyama took no chances. He took a hold of her hand, and left the store.

From the events that unfolded in one single day, all she was able to feel was relief. Relief to live another day.

@sunshines-and-tatertots @trashcanweeb @tiger1719 @masako55 @artsamber @ewfilthymundane @salty-blocker @estherwritess @macaronnv @burnt-tomato @hatsukei

[frontierbound-archive]

Verse 8: The Dead don’t Die

The Walking Dead / Zombie Apocalypse Verse

Born in California, Samuel is of English Irish desent, born to an English Mother and Irish Father, both of whom travelled to America prior to Samuel being born. Tragically Samuel loses his Mother in childbirth and so is raised by his Father alone, living on the family ranch located near the San Joaquin Valley. At the age of 17, with the permission of his Father, Sam leaves the ranch to join the Navy. At the age of 24 Samuel transfers to the Navy SEALS. Following his special operations training, he becomes a member of an elite platoon responsible for taking out high level targets. Eventually rising to become the leader of the platoon, he is a member of the unit for a total of eight years before finally abandoning his post after a mission in Botswana goes terribly wrong, resulting in mass casualties and the death of half his platoon. He spends the next two years working alone, undertaking black ops work; in exchange for his full Navy pension upon discharge, he agrees to covertly take out targets; those not ‘officially’ sanctioned by the Government. At the age of 34, having spent the last 17 years travelling the world, Samuel finally chooses to settle down in a medium sized apartment in Seattle, a city his Father took him to visit as a child that he has been fond of ever since.

For two years he lives in Seattle, using former contacts to go into business for himself as an assassin for hire, accepting only those contracts he is comfortable with; contracts for morally reprehensible men, the kind most would consider absolutely wicked. He has just newly turned 36 when the outbreak first begins and reaches Seattle. At first when seeing the news footage and pictures online, Samuel believes the cause to be the release of some kind of bio-weapon, responsible for turning people violent and crazed. As a man with many enemies, he finds himself more prepared than most, already having bags packed, hidden under the floorboards of his apartment, filled with tactical gear, weapons, passports, money and supplies, all designed to allow him a quick getaway if necessary.

After making contact with a crime boss Samuel has worked for frequently in the past, he is informed of a large boat leaving from the Port of Tacoma and is told that his skills will be of use on its journey, if he can make it to the port by sunrise. Upon leaving the apartment, he is prepared for encountering violence but nothing prepares him for the sight of his neighbours, a young couple in their mid-twenties, eyes glazed, mouths bloody as they furiously chase their own five year old daughter down the hallway. It is this first encounter that confirms two vital things to Samuel – firstly this is no bio weapon; these people are the dead walking and secondly, it seems the only way of stopping them is to destroy the brain.

After executing them both, he grabs the child and heads into the street; the city is burning, swarming and in no time at all, he finds himself descended upon, the child ripped from his hands as hungry teeth gnash at his visor and frantic fingers tear at his tactical gear. Mercifully, he escapes without injury but the incident haunts him from that moment on; some nights he is still awoken by the sound of the child’s desperate screams and freshly feels the pain of that failure all over again.

He makes it to the Port of Tacoma and boards a stolen container ship; the Lady Elizabeth, sailing as part of its security detail, returning to land only for supplies and to refuel. During his time aboard the vessel, each new trip to the mainland becomes bleaker and bleaker, making it clear that rather than recover, the world has collapsed. The living seem to be teetering on the brink of near extinction while the number of dead walking seems only to grow and grow.

He remains aboard the crew of the Lady Elizabeth for almost a year, travelling from the West Coast to the East but is forced to abandon the vessel after an electrical fault starts a raging fire in the middle of the night, one that causes the ship to rapidly capsize and sink. With what little supplies he can carry, Samuel manages to fight his way ashore, swimming through the bloated bodies of the living corpses that now litter the coastline, all hungry and eager to grab anything that passes by their way. By the time he reaches the beach, most of the crew are dead and are now making their way out of the water towards him.

After running through the night, fighting for his life, Samuel, having been separated from the other survivors, discovers he has washed ashore near Charleston. He spends the next three months scavenging, building up his supplies as he stays on the move, travelling from town to town.

Eventually, much to his surprise, he discovers a settlement of people living in Woodbury, Georgia. Having arrived with supplies, military training and weapons, he is welcomed by their leader, ‘The Governor’ but within only a few days determines that it is best he moves on. There is something off about this town but quite what Samuel just isn’t sure. When he leaves, his suspicions are confirmed the moment the Governor’s security detail tries to kill him. Having badly underestimated him however, before the night is through, Samuel succeeds in killing each and every one of the men sent to execute him. When he returns to the town a few weeks later he discovers it burnt to the ground and overrun with the dead.

Eventually Samuel settles in the small town in Laurens County, Georgia, named ‘Dublin’, feeling, due to his Irish heritage, that the name of the place is a good omen. It is there he creates a well defended home within the upper levels of the Military College building.  

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

Samuel is an intelligent man with extensive military experience and training, astute and observant, he is willing to do what it takes to survive, but he has not allowed his experiences in this cruel apocalyptic world to make his heart cold. He is not naturally aggressive and he will help survivors, but he is no fool and can’t be easily manipulated. He rides a motorcycle and has gathered a fairly sizable collection of them which he houses on the second level of the Military College Building he resides in alone. He has hidden various supplies around the town of Dublin, including fuel, weapons and food. He will protect his property and has no problem killing raiders. His experience has led him to believe that those who try to establish communities in this new world are destined to fail and as of yet, he hasn’t been proved otherwise. He both craves and fears human contact in what is left of his crumbling world.

[boywizardscanbecute]

Take a Chance

Hello beautifuls! Here is a short fic requested by the lovely @queendemonfangirl It was an idea I wouldn’t have come up with on my own and I loved writing it! Please enjoy! 

Request: Hello! I saw your requests were open! May I request a Newt x Reader oneshot where the reader is some kind of human/beast, like a large nymph or something, and she lives with Newt? And has feelings for him?

Word count: 3.5K 

*Not my gif* 

Walking in a forest known for its wand wood, you trailed your hands along the barks of the trees, healing the broken wood. Sensing a nearby group of bowtruckles you study them, smiling at their interactions. A rustling comes from nearby bushes and you sense a human’s presence coming closer. Quicker than lightning, you scramble up the branches of a tall oak, nestling yourself in the foliage. A tall, rather gawky looking man approaches the very tree you sit in. Pressing yourself as hard as you can against the bark, you hold your breath.  But the peculiar wizard doesn’t look up at you, he instead studies the bowtruckles resting in the lowest branches. The man chuckles, “Don’t worry you lot. I won’t take you away from your tree. I shall bring it with you, that way you never lose your home.” Before you can comprehend what he means by this, the Brit raises his wand and the tree disappears, along with you in it. 

You reappear in what you can only describe as a fascinating hodge podge of habitats. Cautiously looking down, you don’t see the ginger haired man, and decide to descend out of the tree. Your feet nimbly catch you as you hit the ground. Turning around, you spy the bowtruckles and speak to them. “Alright there little ones?” you ask them. They eagerly nod and begin to traipse up your arms. Laughing, you speak lightly to them, “How beautiful you all are. And what a lovely tree, I’m sorry to see it leave the forest.” You continue your soothing words and quickly lose track of where you are at. You don’t even hear the footsteps approaching. 

Newt’s POV

    Descending the steps into his magical menagerie, Newt hears a soft lulling voice that stops him in his tracks. “What is…” his voice trails off as he rounds the corner and sees the source of that feminine call. Standing beneath the vibrant green leaves of his newest edition to his research was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Well not woman, but creature. He’d never seen one in person before, but he was positive that a forest nymph stood before him. She was far too dainty and spotless to be a human, and there was the telltale point of her ears. He recalled that nymphs were guardians of the forest, especially wand trees, and cursed himself for not checking the tree before transporting it. She had bowtruckles traipsed up and down her arms and was chatting with them. Her long h/c hair flowed down over her shoulders like a halo. She wore simple dark green linen pants that hung loosely around her legs and a t-shirt that was cut short, right below her top ribs. The shirt was tattered, but was white with a pattern of red roses all over it, a soft cotton material. Throughout her long locks, garlands of the greenest leaves were woven in. Newt’s breath hitches in his throat, unsure of what to say. She continues on conversing, unaware of his presence. Finally, Newt finds his voice and breathes softly, “Who are you?” Then, her e/c eyes blink up to meet his own. 

Regular POV 

    The words, “Who are you?” echo through your ears. Immediately your eyes meet the same wizard’s vibrant green ones. Frightened, you retreat up through the branches, climbing higher. The cinnamon haired man rushes forward, raising his arms to show he means no harm. “Wait! Please wait!” he calls up to you. His voice is surprisingly gentle against your ears. “I don’t intend to hurt you. I would never,” he continues. Your body stills, frozen in your indecisiveness. You bite back your surprise as the leaves rustle and the wizard begins to climb the branches. Moments later, he enters your line of vision. Maneuvering his body to a branch right below you, he stops. Blushing, he sheepishly admits, “I’m sorry I didn’t check the branches before transporting. It was wrong of me.” Surprised at his confession, you find yourself at a loss for words. Eventually you reply, “I’ve never met a wizard before who would admit his wrong doing.” The young man chuckles wholeheartedly. “Yes well, I care a great deal about magical creatures. I’m trying to educate my fellow wizards about them,” he tells you. This makes you soften a bit. “Most wizards don’t care about such things,” your voice comes out soft as a whisper. His cheeks reddened as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, whispering, “Yeah well I do.” He studies you for a few moments before clearing his throat, “I’m Newt. Newt Scamander.” He holds out his hand for you to shake. You’re hesitant, but after a brief pause you reach out and take it, replying, “My name is Willow.” He immediately responds, asking, “Named after the tree I presume?” You nod, “Yes. The willow tree was the tree I was born from.” A look of wonderment briefly flashes across his gaze and you try to hide your blush. “Willow, it’s lovely to make your acquaintance,” Newt says. You gulp, “Yours as well Newt. But I feel I should tell you, even with their home still perfectly intact, bowtruckles are highly sensitive to changes in the environment.” He ponders your worry. “You’re right,” he sighs, “I don’t know what came over me. I should have been more careful.” You immediately notice how he is beating himself up about this greatly. You rush to his aid, saying, “Perhaps I could stay. Help them adjust. No one knows bowtruckles better than a forest nymph. That is, only if you want me to.” His gaze shoots up to meet your own, a smile making its way across his lips. “That would be a big help. Thank you so much,” He gushes in gratitude. “Of course,” you return his smile. A moment of awkward silence passes between the two of you and finally Newt blurts, “Well, shall we climb down out of the tree? I’d love to show you some more of my creatures.” “Okay,” you reply quietly. Newt nimbly slinks down out of the tree, and you quickly follow suit. Your feet land softly in the grass, barely making a noise. “Come on follow me,” Newt says eagerly. So you trail after him, your curiosity and intrigue for both the man and his profession growing. 

    Newt walks straight into the meadow that houses his litter of mooncalves. Gawking up at the full moon conjured above you, the awe builds up in your chest. Newt begins, “These are called-” You cut him off, finishing the sentence for him, “Mooncalves. I’m familiar with them. One got lost in the forest once, and I know they are native to meadows so I helped him find his way back.” Newt responds, “Yes, well, I have a herd of my own. They’re just babes now, but they populate fast. Then I’ll release them back into the wild.” Intrigued, you ask, “So you’re a breeder?” Newt shakes his head, “No. I’m a magizoologist. I’m writing a book, like I said, trying to educate my fellow wizards on why we should protect magical creatures. And whenever I come across an injured creature, I rehabilitate them. Nurse them back to health. So many of these creatures have been close to being extinct. I’d rather like to repopulate this earth with every kind of creature imaginable.” He rambles on passionately and you listen, content to indulge him. Eventually, he asks you, “If you’re a forest nymph, and I’ve just pulled a tree, with wand quality wood mind you, from the forest you guard, doesn’t that mean you have to kill me?” You stare at him in bewilderment, and burst out laughing a second later. You wheeze, “No, I’m not here to kill you. That is an ancient greek myth. Yes I guard the forest, and heal anything within that is hurt, but I can’t really harm anything. It’s against nymph nature. I can only heal. The worst I can, the worst I have done is to haunt those who traipse through the forest like they on it. Make them think I’m a ghost.” Newt breathes, “That’s brilliant that is.” You continue to laugh, “Most normal witches or wizards would think that’s cruel.” Newt argues, “Anyone who can harm something that can’t defend itself is cruel. You’re just bringing them to justice.” You smile, “That’s one way of looking at it.” 

    You stroll with the magizoologist for what feels like hours. Helping him tend to his creatures, you offer small insights into what they’re feeling. Newt slowly walks you back to the original tree as the night comes to a close. He fiddles with his hands and asks shyly, “You’ll be alright down here?” Meeting his gaze, you respond, “Yes I’ll be okay. It’s the perfect place to rest. Thank you, Newt.” He laughs, “I should be thanking you. You’ve given me insight into my creatures hearts and minds that I could have never imagined.” You shrug, “I enjoy helping you.” Newt stutters, “Yes… well, I, uh, thank you. Goodnight Willow.” You watch him go up the stairs and call after him softly, “Goodnight Newt.” Nestling into the soft grass beneath the tree, you hum softly to yourself in contentment. And the last thought that crosses your mind before you drift off to sleep is how handsome of a wizard Newt Scamander was. 

    Over the next couple of days, you get to know Newt and his creatures better. Every minute you spend with him, you felt yourself being more and more attached. And you knew what would come of it, but nevertheless you were helpless to it. Newt Scamander was everything you could have ever dreamed of in a companion or someone to talk to. Falling for him was almost too easy, quickly taking hold of your heart. 

One morning Newt asks you to tell him a bit about what the bowtruckles are feeling that particular day. Sitting next to him near the tree, you tell him, “They’re responding to the change quite well. I like to think bowtruckles are excellent judges of character. And they know you mean to take care of them, not harm them.” Newt audibly sighs in relief. Studying him, you say thoughtfully, “You really care about them don’t you?” Newt absentmindedly nods, continuing to observe the new bowtruckles. Your eye catches a movement and you watch as a tiny bowtruckle emerges from his breast pocket. Ignoring the flush of electricity between the two of you, You lean into him, your knees touching, and look closely at the bowtruckle, your nose level with his neck. “And who is this little shy guy?” your breath washes against the tiny portion of his chest that peeked out of his shirt. Newt shivers at the feel of it. He looks down at you and speaks softly, “That is Pickett. He’s got some attachment issues.” You smile at the tiny creature and hold out your exceptionally small hand, offering it to Pickett. Much to Newt’s surprise, Pickett is immediately drawn to you and strides across the back of your hand. After a moment, you tell Newt, “He simply adores you.” Newt blushes, “I know.” Eventually you delicately put Pickett back in Newt’s pocket, electricity sparking against your hand on his chest. Newt jolts and you immediately pull your hand back, muttering, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” You turn your gaze to the grass and look down, cursing yourself for being attracted to a human. Newt looks at you, willing you to meet his gaze. When you don’t, he desperately reaches for your hand. You gasp, and finally meet his gaze. “Don’t be sorry. I’m simply not used to such a gentle and healing touch. It’s…. Nice,” he trips over his words. His words touch your heart, leaving a warmth in its wake. You equally struggle to reply and say, “Oh… well, thank you Newt.” 

    Your hand still rested in his and in this moment you thought you would be content to stare into his eyes forever. The deep forest green that stared back at you, it felt like home. Like the leaves of a willow tree, it was so familiar, so warm. Without thinking, you comment, “Your eyes. They’re nearly the exact shade of the willow. It’s beautiful.” The blush creeps up from his neck all the way to the tip of his nose. “Yours are as well,” he manages to say. His hand travels to your ears, and his fingers graze the point gently. He studies you intently, as if he’s trying to memorize every inch of your face. It is then that you realize how close you are to him. Gulping, you ask, “Newt, have you ever met a nymph before?” His hand travels back to down to your palm, and he rubs your knuckles affectionately. He responds, “No, you’re the first one I’ve ever seen in person.” Joking, you chuckle, “Well then it’s an honor.” He goes along with it, responding, “The honor is all mine.” Newt was a fairly nervous man, who nearly always had trouble articulating his words. Digging deep inside of himself for whatever courage he could muster, he rushes his words, “You are the most beautiful being I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on.” And a compliment that should have made you happy, instead brought you crashing back down to reality. You were a nymph, a creature designed to be seductive and entrancingly beautiful. And that’s all that Newt was seeing. He was mesmerized by your god like qualities, just like every other man you had ever met. Nearly sitting in his lap now, you saw how this would unfold. And you needed to remove yourself, before you got hurt. Nimbly crawling away from him like a jungle cat, you sigh half heartedly, “Thank you Newt.” 

    Rising softly to your feet, you walk around the tree, desperately trying to avoid his beautifully piercing gaze. Much to your dismay, Newt immediately follows. He asks curiously, “Willow is something wrong? What did I do?” He follows you around the trunk, stopping in front of you. You smile at him sadly, “You did nothing wrong Newt. You’re the most wonderful man I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. But it was wrong of me to suggest I stay here for a while. Humans and nymphs, they don’t mix. Well human men and nymphs don’t mix.” Turning away from him, you continue to pace around the tree. He turns as well and comes stopping in front of you, resting a hand on the bark above your head, unintentionally pinning you against the tree. “What do you mean by that?” he whispers, his bated breath tingling against your skin. You turn your head to the side, avoiding his gaze as you attempt to say emotionlessly, “Human men are transfixed by any nymphs. It’s part of our power, our goddess like quality, like the goddesses we are descended from. So you don’t really mean that. It’s just the effect I have on humans.” His stare bores into your head and you reluctantly look at him and are met with a confused gaze of green. Finally, he says, “But if it’s inevitable like you say, that doesn’t explain why you’re upset with me. Not if you knew this was going to happen. Why are you upset with me?” Letting go of your control, only briefly, you brush an auburn curl out of his face. Sighing, you respond, “I’m not upset with you Newt, how could I be? You’re the best kind of human imaginable. No, I’m mad at myself. I knew this would happen, but I still let myself get attached to you.” A flash of surprise crosses over his face and he gasps, “You grew… attached to me?” You tell him honestly, “You shouldn’t be surprised. You’re a wonderful person to know Newt. But it wouldn’t be fair to you, for me to stay. I can’t stop you from living your life, from meeting someone else. And if I stay, you’ll only ever have eyes for me. I’m sorry Newt. Truly. I wish things were different.” Ducking under his arm, you dash to make your escape, the tears already glimmering in your eyes. 

    Newt grabs a hold of your tiny hand, and pulls you back. Being lighter than expected, your body crashes into his own, the two of you falling against the tree. His hands wrapped protectively around you, he breaks your fall. He slowly drops his grip on you, leaving a fire in its wake. Turning, you look up into the gaze that felt like home, and blink back your tears. Newt whispers, “But what if I can see past that? Imagine, just for a second, that I am a magizoologist, and I know the effect that nymphs have on humans. Don’t you think I would have prepared for that? Don’t you think I’m smart enough to know what I was getting into when I wanted you to stay?” You whimper, “It’s not that simple Newt. It’s not something you can prepare for. It’s complicated.” His face looms over your own as he softly responds, “Yea but it doesn’t have to be. I gave you that compliment not because of your looks. No because of your beautiful mind Willow. You understand me. You understand my creatures even more than I do and you understand my love for them. You’re the first being I’ve ever encountered who has liked me for me. You didn’t think it weird, when I told you what I do. You’ve never passed judgement on me. You’re simply content with me being… well me. No one has ever been before. When I look at you, I see everything I could ever want in another. You make me feel whole. Like I’m doing the right thing because it’s what you would do. You get me, and I promise you that’s got nothing to do with you being a nymph.” His speech floored you. He talked about you with the same passion that he did about his creatures. It made your heart ache. It made you melt, and you knew in your soul that it would be all too easy to give in. You argue, “But Newt it-” he cuts you off, pressing a light finger to your lips for silence. His lips now inches from your own he whispers so only you can hear him, “But nothing, Willow. Take a chance. I can see it in your eyes that you feel the same way. So please, please just let yourself. Some souls are just meant to meet.” His eyes search your e/c gaze for any sign as to what you’ll decide. Biting your lip, you throw caution to the wind and let the feelings you had pressed down churn their way back into your heart. Delicately wrapping your arms around his neck and standing on your tiptoes, your nose brushes against his own as you whisper, “Okay.”

    You are only briefly able to see the joy settle in Newt’s features as he takes you in his arms, lifting you up and spinning you around happily. The leaves in your hair fall around the two of you and you giggle gleefully. Setting you back down, Newt breaths close to you, “I’ve been waiting for someone like you for a long time.” Blushing, you respond, “Well, here I am.” Newt echoes your statement, “Here you are. Finally.” And with a massive grin, he presses his lips to yours passionately, his feelings pouring into the kiss. Your hands clutch his chest as your system floods with new emotions. His hands are wrapped around the small of your back and you delicately move your hands through his hair, your eyes fluttering shut. Heaven. In a word, it was heaven. Better than anything you had ever felt in all your life. And when Newt finally pulls away breathless, he presses his forehead to your own and sighs in awe, “I’ve never felt so much joy in my entire life.” You laugh, “Me neither. I’m so glad I listened to you, but the truth is, I don’t think I could have stayed away from you even if I tried. When I look at you, when I see that green in your eyes, I’m helpless. I’m home.” Emotion shows on Newt’s face and he holds you tightly to his chest, never wanting to let you go. “I’m so glad I found you. Stay with me, please. You’ve no idea how much I need you,” Newt chokes against your hair. And you immediately replied, “Of course I’ll stay with you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” And as your words travel through Newt’s ears, he holds you even tighter, sighing in relief. You hum softly in his chest, content to be in his arms forever. And in that moment, you knew that you’d never leave. Because no matter how Newt saw you, he was the first person, the only person you would ever love. Of that much, you were certain. And you couldn’t be without him. 

[nerdishfeels]

Victory at a cost

| Dedicated to @magic-in-every-book |

It's been a while since I played the mass effect trilogy, so it was nice to revisit the characters, especially my favourite OTP!

Hope you like it 😊

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

It was unusually quiet at the Purgatory Bar. 

A place known for its never-ending purple, pink and blue neon lights, buzzing conversations amongst species and that one asari conquering the dance floor, was now monochrome and resembled the atmosphere of that found in funerals.

The ground floor was packed with all kinds of species: Turians, Asari, Quarians, Salarians, Humans…

They all stood still like soldiers, surrounding the Normandy Crew. 

The floor was shrouded in near darkness, save for a single spotlight on a woman’s body, lying motionless on the table before them. 

The woman slept peacefully, unaware of the solemn, downcast faces that surrounded her. 

Her once shattered armour was replaced with a new, glossy black. The insignia, “N7���, shone brightly on her chest. Her helmet sat beside her head, along with a framed photo of herself in military attire. 

Garrus sat alone at the island bar, his back facing the crowd, a glass of hard liquor in his hand.

Joker, who stood at the head of the table, cleared his throat. 

“Thank you all for coming. We are gathered her today to celebrate the loss of a legend. The bringer of Peace and Prosperity to our galaxy. Our Commander Shepard.”

Joker cleared his throat again and pulled his cap down over his eyes. 

“Commander Shepard started off as a soldier, who earned her rank honourably. A sworn duty to the Citadel, became a life-long purpose to unite and prevent the extinction of all species.”

“The Normandy always felt like home, not just because I was its pilot, but because Shepard brought us altogether. She made us a family.”

“They say that a Captain dies with their ship. Even without her presence, we felt the Normandy die without her.”

“It will never…” Joker trailed off. He made an indistinguishable sound. 

EDI patted his shoulder. 

“…be the same without her,”  she finished. 

Joker nodded with appreciation. 

“Shepard put everyone before herself till the very end,” Liara chipped in. 

“She gave me a chance to live,” Grunt added. 

“Hell, she had the balls to cure the Genophage,” Wrex said with a laugh. 

“Commander Shepard accomplished what my people could not; Defeating the Reapers. The souls of my fellow Protheans can finally rest in peace,” Javik said. 

“She knew how much my name and reputation meant to me. It is because of her that I wear my name proudly. Tali’ Zorah Vas Normandy,” Tali praised. 

“Shepard had every right to turn us away. But for the greater good, she put aside her differences and brought us on board. And I'm thankful that she did,” Miranda added. Jacob nodded beside her.

“She was a great leader and a close friend,” Kaiden said. 

Joker regained his composure and spoke,

“The Legend of Commander Shepard will never be forgotten. It will be translated into ballads and sang by the worst, drunken voices imaginable-”

“And if Joker is done polishing Shepard’s ass, maybe she’d like to raise a toast and get this party started!” Jack smirked.

On cue, Shepard opened her eyes. She sat up with a wide grin. 

“Way to rain on my parade, Jack.” Shepard laughed.

A chorus of laughter followed. 

Garrus spun around, a smirk on his face. 

“I totally thought I was going to blow my speech,” Joker blurted, his words slurred by his laugh. 

“I told you I would have made a great actor in those space operas.”

EDI stared at Joker. 

“So, you were not on the verge of tears?” She questioned. 

Guilt coloured Joker’s cheeks. 

“I mean, I was, when I got into it, but…”

EDI turned away from Joker. 

Wrex laughed, smacking Joker on the shoulder. 

Shepard stood up on the table. She noticed Avina watching them from the balcony of the top floor. She pointed at her wrist. 

Shepard ignored her. 

Garrus walked over to Shepard and handed her a drink. Shepard’s eyes skimmed the crowd.

“Thank you for your warm words at my retirement party. Before I let you disappear and have fun, I wanted to commemorate the service of my friend, Captain Anderson. He was no stranger to pain, but that didn’t stop him from completing his duty. He may not have been the best drinking partner, but he was certainly the best captain to have by my side. He will be dearly missed.”

“To Anderson!” Shepard cheered, raising her glass. 

“To Anderson!” The crowd cheered before gulping down their drinks. 

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

Having stripped out of her armour, Shepard returned to the bar, to find it in full swing. 

The techno-music was on full blast and the dance floor was now swarming with dancing bodies. 

Shepard grinned, as she saw Joker and EDI dancing awkwardly, whilst not too far away, Jack was throwing moves that attracted a lot of attention.

The rest of the crew were scattered elsewhere; Wrex and Grunt sandwiched in-between four eager ladies on one of the couches, Samara and Javik engaged in a conversation on the top floor and Cortez and Kaiden arm-wrestling, whilst others placed their bets (more were placed on Cortez).

Distracted, Shepard missed Garrus walking towards her. 

Garrus let out a long whistle. 

“Va Va Voom,” he teased. 

Shepard glanced down at her outfit. 

The thin straps intertwined into an X-shape, leaving her shoulders and sculpted arms bare. The black, velvet dress moulded over her curves, stopping mid-thigh to expose her legs.

“You know you already get first class seats to this,”  Shepard teased back, signalling her body. 

“And yet, I want to do a standing ovation, whenever I see you,” Garrus flirted. 

He held her hand and guided her to the seat beside his, far away from the blaring music.

“You always have so much to say, but you didn’t join in with the others?”

“What I wanted to say, was for your ears only,” Garrus said. 

Shepard blushed. 

He turned to the bartender and ordered them drinks. 

“So, how does it feel to retire early?” Garrus asked.

“Like losing an arm, but I’ll live. You?”

Garrus shrugged. 

“I didn’t expect to feel so light. I love my job, but I guess it was time to settle.”

The bartender placed two sturdy glasses in front of them. 

Shepard took a swig of hers. 

“Do you remember what I told you before we fought the Reapers?” Garrus suddenly asked. 

Shepard smiled. “Of course.”

“You told me that I would never be alone…You know when you were… when we didn’t find any sign of you, it was a dark time for me. It felt like my whole world was consumed by a terrifying black hole.” Garrus spoke carefully, as though keeping the emotion out of his voice. 

Shepard placed her hand on his. 

“I remember wishing I had gone to Heaven before you did. At least you wouldn’t have been alone.”

Garrus finished his drink down in one gulp. 

Shepard held both his hands on her lap, making him swivel to face her. 

“You know, when I had to make that choice, I thought of the future you dreamed for us. I could see it so perfectly in my head. Both of us relaxing on a warm, tropical planet, you showing off your lithe arms and legs in your palm tree-styled shirt and shorts-"

Garrus laughed. 

“Even if I didn’t live to see that day, I knew I would shape our heaven that way. But it turns out there were no vacancies for us.”

Shepard scooted forward, tracing her hand on his scar. 

“I meant it when I said there was no Shepard without Vakarian. I’ve never believed in fate, but you were my calling. Biology can’t manufacture what we have. Pure and unfiltered love.”

Garrus grinned. 

“I thought saving the galaxy would be the most fulfilling, but waking up in the morning and seeing you by my side, is far more rewarding.”

Shepard leaned in, bringing her lips to his. 

As they kissed, Garrus held Shepard’s hand and slipped something onto her finger. 

He gently pulled apart and kissed her hand. 

“By the power invested in me, I now pronounce us as Turian husband and Human wife.”

Shepard held back a gasp. She gazed at the engraved band on her ring finger.

The band was thin and ebony black. On top, stood a small, glistening diamond, in the center of an infinity symbol.

“Garrus… it’s beautiful,” Shepard whispered. 

“The boys and I went searching for a ring before the battle of the Reapers. After getting Javik’s unpopular opinions on the origins of the rings, I decided I wanted one made from scratch. The band was made from a part of our armours combined. I wanted this ring to signify that our love is eternal and unlike any other.”

Shepard shook her head in amazement. 

“Garrus… I don’t know what to say…”

Garrus pressed his forehead against hers and planted her hand on his chest. 

“Just say yes. I don’t think my heart can take any more agony.”

Shepard smiled widely. 

“Did you even need to ask?” 

Shepard cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed him. 

Garrus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. 

“Let’s make some new memories tonight. How about a little tango to celebrate?” Garrus whispered on her lips. 

Shepard instinctively retreated.

“Oh no…” She protested. 

But Garrus had already dragged her onto the dance floor before she could finish her sentence. 

As they swayed, their smiles resembled those on everyone’s faces. The happiness in the Purgatory bar was contagious, creating a rippling effect into the wide galaxy.

For now, a legend has hung up their helmet and suit.

Until next time, when a new hero rises. 

Enjoyed this fic? Why not buy me a coffee? :)

[sciencespies]

The World's Marvellously Freaky Carnivorous Plants Are in More Trouble Than We Knew

https://sciencespies.com/nature/the-worlds-marvellously-freaky-carnivorous-plants-are-in-more-trouble-than-we-knew/

The World's Marvellously Freaky Carnivorous Plants Are in More Trouble Than We Knew

It’s hard to fathom that carnivorous plants exist. When Charles Darwin first described how a Venus flytrap worked, calling it “one of the most wonderful [plants] in the world”, some people simply didn’t believe him.

Today, just as we’ve come to appreciate the gruesome nature of these remarkable predators – which can capture and eat flies, rats, salamanders, or the droppings from shrews - they’re now fast disappearing.

The first systematic assessment of carnivorous plants around the world has found a quarter of all known species are at risk of imminent extinction.

“Without urgent action, we stand to lose some of the most ecologically unique, evolutionary interesting, and horticulturally-celebrated species on the planet,” scientists warn. 

As of January 2020, researchers have described roughly 860 species of carnivorous plants in total, and while habitats vary, these plants are usually found in wetlands.

Unfortunately, wetlands are also some of the most vulnerable to clearing, logging, and climate change, which puts the future of carnivorous plants at odds with human development and our emissions.

In recent years, pitcher plants and Venus fly traps have received more interest from scientists and the public, but their conservation status in many cases is unknown.

In 2011, a review of carnivorous plant species found habitat loss from agriculture, the collection of wild plants, pollution, and changes to natural systems were the biggest threats. At the time of the research, however, only 600 species had been described; comprehensive data were available for only 48 species. 

In the years since, we’ve come to understand carnivorous plants a lot better, and the implications have scientists concerned. 

If nothing changes, climate predictions suggest nearly 70 percent of modelled species will be adversely impacted by climate changes. By 2050, several species are expected to lose 100 percent of their potential range.

The first conservation examination since 2011 now shows us well on the way to that reality.

Compiling full or partial data from all known species, researchers found carnivorous plants were most diverse “in some of the most heavily cleared and disturbed areas of the planet,” including Western Australia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, Brazil, and the eastern United States.

In the end, the authors say eight percent of all species (69 species in total) are critically endangered, 6 percent are endangered, 12 percent are vulnerable, and another 3 percent are near threatened.

“Globally speaking, the biggest threats to carnivorous plants are the result of agricultural practices and natural systems modifications, as well as continental scale environmental shifts caused by climate change,” says botanist and ecologist Adam Cross from Curtin University in Australia.

“In Western Australia, which harbours more carnivorous plant species than any other place on Earth, the biggest threat remains the clearing of habitat to meet human needs, resulting hydrological changes, and of course the warming, drying climate trend that affects much of Australia.”

Even if these plants could flee from human development and the effects of climate change, many have nowhere to go. Carnivorous plants are highly specialised, and as such, many species occupy very specific niches. 

This extreme restriction means many carnivorous plants are moving towards the edge of extinction in a rapidly changing world.

In the current global analysis, at least 89 species are known from only a single location. Worldwide, almost a quarter of all species are facing three or more existential threats, including global climate change, the clearing of land for agriculture, mining and development, and illegal poaching. 

While the plucking and selling of precious carnivorous plants is illegal in most parts of the world, in economically deprived areas it’s hard to stop black markets from popping up. The study authors say these trades remain an “open, tolerated secret”.

“Everyone has mobile phones and the internet for eBay, so there’s a massive trade in the world of rare plants, and it gets bigger and bigger every year,” one naturalist explained to the BBC in 2016.

“People in Europe and North America want specifically different ones, which drives people to go up the mountains, rip them out and bring them back to sell locally and internationally.”

So hungry are carnivorous plant collectors, they will sometimes pay US$1,000 for a single plant. It’s not unusual for requests about the plants to roll in to researchers and photographers within days or even hours of a new photograph reaching the internet. All the authors of the present work have experienced such requests for these rare plants.

There have even been tragic instances when entire populations have been poached within days of their discovery. 

While Venus fly traps are popular among collectors, tropical pitcher plants were found to be the most at-risk from poaching, especially in Malaysian Borneo, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which all rank in the top six worldwide for most critically endangered carnivorous plants. Brazil is number one, with 13 species facing critical extinction.

To prevent these plants from disappearing in the near future, scientists say we need to take immediate action.

“Conservation initiatives must be established immediately to prevent these species being lost in the coming years and decades,” argues taxonomist and field botanist Alastair Robinson from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Australia.

“Urgent global action is required to reduce rates of habitat loss and land use change, particularly in already highly-cleared regions that are home to many threatened carnivorous plant species, including habitats in Western Australia, Brazil, southeast Asia and the United States of America.”

The cultivation of rice and oil palm are destroying habitats in Southeast Asia, while logging and development in Australia encroaches on native flora. In fact, Western Australia’s ‘wheatbelt’ has one of the highest rates of habitat clearance on the planet.

In South Africa, extreme drought has left many wetland ecosystems unusually dry, and high intensity and frequent fires in Brazil are wiping out precious wilderness when humans don’t get there first.

One region in Brazil is said to harbour at least 70 species of carnivorous plant. It’s also headed towards ecological collapse thanks to climate change, which is expected to remove up to 82 percent of suitable habitat by 2070.

But all is not lost. Scientists say if we can shift our attitudes and actions as a global community, shutting down the illegal market of carnivorous plants and implementing better development regulations, we could save at least some of these species.

Carnivorous plants are pioneers, the authors say, and when they are exposed to wet soil, they stick to it like a fly in a trap, producing large quantities of seeds to colonise new areas.

“Thus, while suitable habitat remains and natural ecological processes can be maintained, there is hope for [carnivorous plants] to survive (in) the Anthropocene,” the authors conclude.

The study was published in Global Ecology and Conservation. 

#Nature

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Pluralistic: 08 Mar 2020 (Ghost flights over Europe, Patagonia joins Right to Repair, EU's R2R showdown with Apple)

Today's links

EU airspace is full of empty planes: Flight slots are use-em-or-lose-em.

European Right to Repair for phones is finally on the horizon: Will the EU finally defy Apple?

Patagonia offers tutorials and supplies to fix your clothes: Companies that guarantee their products for life have different incentives.

This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

EU airspace is full of empty planes (permalink)

In the EU, airlines that do not fly at least 80% of scheduled flights risk losing their spots to competitors, so Europe's skies are filled with largely empty "ghost planes," burning tons of fuel for no reason.

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-airlines-run-empty-ghost-flights-planes-passengers-outbreak-covid-2020-3

Covid-19 has crashed aviation demand, but not flights themselves. Miraculously, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps – an otherwise useless idiot – has led on this, asking British aviation regulators to relax the 80/20 rule.

https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1235614933292920832

European Right to Repair for phones is finally on the horizon (permalink)

The EU has led the world on Right to Repair, with extensive regulation mandating both easy-to-repair designs and manufacturer cooperation with the independent repair sector. But there's been one glaring omission in EU rules: smartphones. Though the official reasoning for not mandating Right to Repair for phones – which are universal and a major source of e-waste – is that the sector is too fast-moving to regulate, it's far more likely that the EU shied away because were scared to pick a fight with Apple.

Apple, after all, is the most repair-hostile manufacturer in the world. It's official reasoning on this is laughably terrible and transparent.

https://www.ifixit.com/News/33977/apple-told-congress-how-repair-should-work-we-respond

Especially when considered in light of its investor disclosures, which make it clear that the company views the tendency of customers to fix and keep their phones (rather than buying new ones) as the major threat to its profitability.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/letter-from-tim-cook-to-apple-investors/

Apple is a one-company environmental apocalypse, with the industry's worst practices for old/broken electronics. Others fix systems, re-use parts, and keep parts available. Apple literally orders its partners to shred it all and turn it into landfill.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

This has the major advantage (for Apple) of curtailing the used equipment market, which means that potential customers are herded into buying new. It also means that those new devices have a hidden drain on their value, because they have no aftermarket commercial life. It's no wonder, then, that Apple led the industry coalitions that killed all twenty state-level Right to Repair bills in 2018.

Which brings us to today, as the EU is contemplating a new set of Right to Repair rules, including rules for electronics, including – possibly – phones. The new rules will be published this week, and Apple has lobbied heavily against this outcome.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/03/right-to-repair-will-the-european-commission-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-to-apple-et-al-details-on-wednesday.html

If the new ecodesign directive covers mobile phones, the Commission will finally be addressing one of the great e-waste sources worldwide. If they do, though, expect Apple to squawk, as they did when the EU mandated a single charger for smartphones, which Apple publicly freaked out about as though it was an extinction-level event.

Patagonia offers tutorials and supplies to fix your clothes (permalink)

People buy Patagonia not just because it's long-wearing, but because it comes with what amounts to a lifetime guarantee.

https://help.patagonia.com/s/article/Ironclad-Guarantee

Companies that offer lifetime guarantees want their customers to be able to effect their own repairs and maintenance – unlike companies whose profits depend on you throwing away and replacing your purchases every 18 months.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/08/ghost-flights/#eurighttorepair

So it's delightful (but not surprising) that Patagonia have partnered with iFixit to produce detailed repair and maintenance documentation for its products.

https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Patagonia_Product_Care

The official Product Repair Guide fits right in with the company's longstanding ethic and messaging (after all, these are the people who ran an anti-consumerism campaign called "Do Not Buy This Jacket!").

https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/patagonia-will-teach-you-how-repair-clothes.html

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Waxy and his mom trying to save journalism program in SoCal's Oxnard College https://waxy.org/2005/03/my_mom_fights_t/

#5yrsago Stomach-churning details of CIA waterboarding crimes https://web.archive.org/web/20100310233037/https://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/03/09/waterboarding_for_dummies/index.html?source=rss&aim=%2Fnews%2Ffeature

#5yrsago Imaginary ISIS attack on Louisiana and the twitterbots who loved it https://render.betaworks.com/media-hacking-3b1e350d619c

#1yrago The media company paid by the EU Parliament to make a video promoting a copyright law it stood to make millions from once sued a photographer for complaining that they'd ripped him off https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20190307/16175941758/eu-parliament-paid-news-publisher-afp-to-create-bogus-propaganda-video-favor-eu-copyright-directive.shtml

#1yrago Thanks to audiobooks, reading's popularity still strong in America https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/25/one-in-five-americans-now-listen-to-audiobooks/

#1yrago Millions of Americans have left Facebook, led by young people aged 12-34 https://www.marketplace.org/2019/03/06/tech/exclusive-look-numbers-showing-users-leaving-facebook-by-the-millions/

#1yrago A machine-learning system that guesses whether text was produced by machine-learning systems http://gltr.io/

#1yrago Towards a general theory of "adversarial examples," the bizarre, hallucinatory motes in machine learning's all-seeing eye https://perma.cc/3ZQQ-A7MY

#1yrago Chelsea Manning has been jailed for refusing to testify at a grand jury about her whistleblowing https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/8/18256173/chelsea-manning-wikileaks-jailed-testify-refusal

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Slashdot (https://slashdot.org) and Naked Capitalism (https://nakedcapitalism.com/).

Hugo nominators! My story "Unauthorized Bread" is eligible in the Novella category and you can read it free on Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

Upcoming appearances:

Museums and the Web: March 31-April 4 2020, Los Angeles. https://mw20.museweb.net/

LA Times Festival of Books: 18 April 2020, Los Angeles. https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Currently writing: I'm rewriting a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I'm also working on "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel afterwards.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: Disasters Don't Have to End in Dystopias: https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/01/disasters-dont-have-to-end-in-dystopias/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020.

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a very special, s00per s33kr1t intro.