#nativity lobster

[foxsoulcourt]

Nativity Lobster (20893 words) by fuzzballsheltiepants Chapters: 8/8 Fandom: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau, Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard Characters: Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, Kevin Day, Aaron Minyard, Jeremy Knox, Jean Moreau, Nicky Hemmick, Erik Klose Additional Tags: Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Strangers to Lovers, Hook-up to Lovers, Professional Exy (All For The Game), Pining, Fluff and Light Angst, Found Family, Doctor!Aaron, therapist!andrew, therapy cat!Lego, Intersecting Storylines, involuntary outing, Smut, Sexting Summary:

Pro Exy player Kevin Day is fine with his secret fling with team doctor Aaron Minyard…but what if it could be more? Kevin’s teammate Jeremy Knox is struggling with the idea of Christmas spent three thousand miles away from his partner Jean Moreau. And Kevin’s best friend Neil keeps running into the same guy and his cat, and finds he’s much more intrigued than he intends.

 A Love, Actually-inspired collection of intersecting stories that has nothing to do with Love, Actually.

Bookmarker's Notes:

Thank goodness for our Fave Authors who have written the fics we love at first reading plus all those later re-reads! Have you ever realised you’ve forgotten one because there.is.so.much great stuff out here? And then someone reminds you about it + on this re-read you realise you forgot to comment or bookmark this treasure??!! That was me yesterday : GOBBLING up this deliciousness + making sure to share it w/others.

Reader, it doesn’t need to be Christmas to enjoy @fuzzballsheltiepants‘s Love, Actually-influenced story. Each chapter captures a different character’s perspective on their interwoven lives which they don’t realise are QuiTe So iNterWoVeN until the penultimate chapter.

Come for the humour + witty repartee; enjoy the smutty bits + tender kiss; savour witnessing each different character individually and as part of a friendship and pairing. I smiled, swooned, laughed, gasped + cheered.

What a gift!!! 💜

[summerwages]

enticing..

[greenvertumna]

Lobster used to be food for prisoners and poor people and that makes me mad. I love lobster and apparently rich people stole it

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

what compels you about the Lord howe island stick insect?

its supposed extinction was such a mundane tragedy, this entire population of insects on an isolated island wiped out by the unintentional introduction of rats aboard a ship. it's a fairly common byproduct of colonization, native species being outcompeted by rivals they never should have encountered at all. you so rarely hear about insects impacted by it though, because so few people care about insects even when they're dying out completely.

except they didn't die out. they were thought to be extinct for almost a century, until in 2003 researchers confirmed a surviving population on, of all places, Ball's Pyramid, a volcanic and inhospitable spire of rock twelve miles from Lord Howe Island. not an insurmountable distance, but pretty vast if you're a flightless stick bug. how did they even get out there? no one knows. but they were there, just 24 insects who were supposed to be dead all huddling under a shrub together.

researchers took four of them back to Australia to start breeding programs. at the Melbourne Zoo they've bred them in the thousands now, and they've started contingency programs at a few other zoos worldwide. they're still considered critically endangered, at tremendous risk of extinction, but there are cautious plans to start reintroducing them to Lord Howe Island, when it can be ascertained that the island will be safe for them. there are still European rats that need to be exterminated, and a fungus threatens the plants that the stick insects rely on. there's still a population on Ball's Pyramid, but it's perilously small. their future in the wild isn't certain by any means.

but they're alive, and there are thousands more of them than there would be if no one had gone looking for them. if all the stick insects on Ball's Pyramid get sick or drown or are eaten by seagulls tomorrow, there will still be Lord Howe Island stick insects in the world, and it's all because some people decided that these bugs deserve a second chance and dedicated their entire lives to giving them one. Paige Howorth, the director of invertebrate care and conservation at the San Diego Zoo, the first zoo to successfully breed the insects outside of Australia, said this:

My most vivid memory has to be the very surreal experience of flying back to the San Diego Zoo in 2016 with 300 critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect eggs in my backpack.... I’ll never forget counting out the eggs with the Melbourne wildlife health and care teams, who surface-sterilized them pre-flight, so that they could come home with me with a lowered risk upon hatching. The idea that we were finally bringing this incredibly rare species back to San Diego to make their global population a little more secure made me hug that backpack closer. And yes, I did take them to the bathroom with me on the flight. (x)

whenever people start rambling about how humanity is inherently evil or selfish or whatever I think about shit like this. a woman hugging a backpack full of 300 eggs close for a 13 hour flight, just to give some bugs a chance. imagine.

they're also called tree lobsters, which I think is just rad.

[ugly-anastasia]

"We get good seats? I'm getting good seats. You can find your own," Annie retorted. Of course, while the other parents certainly cared about getting a good view of their dear children, nobody else seemed quite as determined to be at the front of the pack as Howl and Annie, so they wound up surveying the front row together, anyway.

She parked herself in a seat in the center of the row, then placed her jacket on the seat next to her— and her purse in the one next to that. "My mother and sister are on their way," she explained.

@oh-heartlessman

Somehow, Howl found himself standing next to Annie on the night of the Christmas pageant. They weren’t really sure how, but here they were. Waiting. Still completely unsure of what Maggie’s actual role in the pageant was. When they occasionally crossed paths at rehearsals, Annie had remained very vague about Jaxson’s part, only insisting that it was the “titular role” or something. 

Yet Annie would probably prove to be a useful ally in this situation, especially when it came to muscling their way to the front of the crowd. 

“Oh thank God,” Howl sighed, when the doors finally opened. “Quickly, let’s push to the front so we get good seats — excuse me, coming through!” 

@ugly-anastasia

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - August 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my new(ly repurposed) Patreon!

1. Smart hives and dancing robot bees could boost sustainable beekeeping

“[Researchers] developed a digital comb—a thin circuit board equipped with various sensors around which bees build their combs. Several of these in each hive can then transmit data to researchers, providing real-time monitoring. [… Digital comb] can [also] be activated to heat up certain parts of a beehive […] to keep the bees warm during the winter[…. N]ot only have [honeybee] colonies reacted positively, but swarm intelligence responds to the temperature changes by reducing the bees' own heat production, helping them save energy.”

2. Babirusa pigs born at London Zoo for first time

“Thanks to their gnarly tusks […] and hairless bodies, the pigs are often called "rat pigs" or "demon pigs” in their native Indonesia[….] “[The piglets] are already looking really strong and have so much energy - scampering around their home and chasing each other - it’s a joy to watch. They’re quite easy to tell apart thanks to their individual hair styles - one has a head of fuzzy red hair, while its sibling has a tuft of dark brown hair.””

3. 6,000 sheep will soon be grazing on 10,000 acres of Texas solar fields

“The animals are more efficient than lawn mowers, since they can get into the nooks and crannies under panel arrays[….] Mowing is also more likely to kick up rocks or other debris, damaging panels that then must be repaired, adding to costs. Agrivoltaics projects involving sheep have been shown to improve the quality of the soil, since their manure is a natural fertilizer. […] Using sheep instead of mowers also cuts down on fossil fuel use, while allowing native plants to mature and bloom.”

4. Florida is building the world's largest environmental restoration project

“Florida is embarking on an ambitious ecological restoration project in the Everglades: building a reservoir large enough to secure the state's water supply. […] As well as protecting the drinking water of South Floridians, the reservoir is also intended to dramatically reduce the algae-causing discharges that have previously shut down beaches and caused mass fish die-offs.”

5. The Right to Repair Movement Continues to Accelerate

“Consumers can now demand that manufacturers repair products [including mobile phones….] The liability period for product defects is extended by 12 months after repair, incentivising repairs over replacements. [… M]anufacturers may need to redesign products for easier disassembly, repair, and durability. This could include adopting modular designs, standardizing parts, and developing diagnostic tools for assessing the health of a particular product. In the long run, this could ultimately bring down both manufacturing and repair costs.”

6. Federal Judge Rules Trans Teen Can Play Soccer Just In Time For Her To Attend First Practice

“Today, standing in front of a courtroom, attorneys for Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, two transgender girls, won an emergency temporary restraining order allowing Tirrell to continue playing soccer with her friends. […] Tirrell joined her soccer team last year and received full support from her teammates, who, according to the filing, are her biggest source of emotional support and acceptance.”

7. Pilot study uses recycled glass to grow plants for salsa ingredients

“"We're trying to reduce landfill waste at the same time as growing edible vegetables," says Andrea Quezada, a chemistry graduate student[….] Early results suggest that the plants grown in recyclable glass have faster growth rates and retain more water compared to those grown in 100% traditional soil. [… T]he pots that included any amount of recyclable glass [also] didn't have any fungal growth.”

8. Feds announce funding push for ropeless fishing gear that spares rare whales

“Federal fishing managers are promoting the use of ropeless gear in the lobster and crab fishing industries because of the plight of North Atlantic right whales. […] Lobster fishing is typically performed with traps on the ocean bottom that are connected to the surface via a vertical line. In ropeless fishing methods, fishermen use systems such an inflatable lift bag that brings the trap to the surface.”

9. Solar farms can benefit nature and boost biodiversity. Here’s how

“[… M]anaging solar farms as wildflower meadows can benefit bumblebee foraging and nesting, while larger solar farms can increase pollinator densities in surrounding landscapes[….] Solar farms have been found to boost the diversity and abundance of certain plants, invertebrates and birds, compared to that on farmland, if solar panels are integrated with vegetation, even in urban areas.”

10. National Wildlife Federation Forms Tribal Advisory Council to Guide Conservation Initiatives, Partnerships

“The council will provide expertise and consultation related to respecting Indigenous Knowledges; wildlife and natural resources; Indian law and policy; Free, Prior and Informed Consent[… as well as] help ensure the Federation’s actions honor and respect the experiences and sovereignty of Indigenous partners.”

August 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Lord Howe Island Stick-insect (Dryococelus australis)

(Photo from Melbourne Zoo)

Conservation Status- Critically Endangered

Habitat- Ball’s Pyramid

Size (Weight/Length)- 25 g; 20 cm

Diet- Melaleuca leaves

Cool Facts- Also called the tree lobster, the Lord Howe Island stick-insect is considered possibly the rarest insect alive today. By 1920, they were believed to have gone extinct after their complete eradication from Lord Howe Island due to being a popular fishing bait and invasive black rats. In 2001, these stick-insects were rediscovered on the tiny island of Ball’s Pyramid with 24 individuals found alive. Two breeding pairs were removed from Ball’s Pyramid and sent to the Melbourne Zoo and a private breeder. Further breeding programs across the world have increased their population to an estimated 9,000 individuals. As of 2018, efforts began in eradicating the black rats from Lord Howe Island with future plans of reintroducing these amazing insects to their native range.

Rating- 13/10 (One of the very few, possibly monogamous insects.)

[millenniumfae]

Hades Fish - What They Taste Like, And How To Cook Them

TARTARUS

Hellfish - Evolved from pond snails, and as Achilles says in his codex, they traveled from the surface to the Underworld by sticking to the bottom of Charon's boat, and eventually became undead. Around the size of a navel orange. Tastes mostly like regular freshwater snail, except less of the 'dirt' aftertaste and more 'metallic blood' thanks to the Styx. Usually served lightly blanched to avoid chewiness, and served drizzled with oil and salt.

Knucklehead - Originally the spirits of common saltwater sardines and anchovies that convalesced into their own undead species. Classical Greece's fishing economy centered heavily around those two fishes, and that cultural reverence essentially brought the Knucklehead to existence, so to speak, through indirect worship. Average size of 12-15 inches, and they no longer have scales or skin, exposing their translucent green flesh. Has the flaky texture of oil fish when cooked, and tastes like if you stuffed a sardine with pennies.

Scyllascion - Related to the legendary Scylla, but didn't spawn from her as individuals. Like real life catfish, they can keep growing to monstrous sizes, and are aggressive and territorial. Only one Scyllascion hangs out in each large patch of Styx. Zagreus only ever catches the younger, smaller ones, since the huge varieties are too smart to be fooled by a Rod Of Fishing. Caught Scyllascion range from 17 inches to a Great Dane. It's cooked by removing its iron-hard head and fins, then roasted whole or in stews. Meat is surprisingly mild and absorbs flavor well.

ASPHODEL

Slavug - An example of a species that never evolved from a surface animal. They spend an equal amount of time in and out of the lava, sometimes hanging out on the rocks or the shore. An adult Slavug is about a foot long, and five inches thick. When they die, they go from lava-hot to stone cold, and usually cooked by boiled or steamed whole. Slice them like a cake to serve. The flesh is bouncy and porous like bread, and they taste like shellfish.

Chrustacean - These clearly-lobster-adjacent fish are not tolerant to the lava like the Slavug is, its carapace serves as a heat-proof shield. Shades of Asphodel sometimes keep them as pets because of their inquisitive, friendly behavior. Cooking Chrustaceans means prying off their metal shell before exposing them to heat, which leaves their raw, goopy flesh exposed before cooked to firm and usually made into lobster cakes, or as toppings on salad. Tastes like if a lobster was boiled in a sulfur spring.

Flameater - Canonically thought to be native to the Underworld, and perhaps related to the Ladon dragon that Heracles killed. Its large maw is actually a filter feeding system for Phlegathon's minerals, and its passive and shy, making it hard to catch. Average size of a desktop keyboard, and its mouth alone can stretch to the circumference of an umbrella. Cooked through application of frostbite by use of ice, usually by burying it in an icebox for 15-20 minutes. Eaten alone, its weirdly cartilage-ridden and tastes strongly of overcooked egg, but it makes for a great broth or stock starter.

ELYSIUM

Chlam - All fish of the Lethe feed on memories, and this one most of all. Evolved from surface scallops, not clams, lending it its flat, ridged shell and glowing eyes. Usually around the size of a human hand, but the older ones can be the size of a truck tire. Has the soft texture of real life scallops, but its taste depends on what memories it had most recently eaten; bittersweet, salty, horny, etc. Cooking multiple Chlams together in a stew makes for a taste best described as 'headache-inducing' if not spiced correctly.

Charp - The Codex entry implies that its the shade of real life Koi fish (which are colored varieties of the widespread Amur carp), but Hades also implies that its mythology exists independently outside of the Greek world. Koi wouldn't naturally exist above ground, and no one in-game would be familiar with them aside from a possible passing encounter. Therefore, the Charp evolved from common Greek carp into an undead species similar to the koi, and a few worldly shades have remarked on its similarity to a surface species found on distant shores. Like real-life koi, it tastes and cooks like carp, but tinged with memories like the Chlam.

Seamare - Thanks to the Lethe's calm, warmer waters, it has a few reefs that house a natural-borne seahorse-akin fish. They only feed on pleasant memories, lending it a sweet taste, and are usually the size of a dinner plate. They're also intelligent, and can memorize human faces. Catching them is difficult not because they hide, but because they fight back; thanks to all the warrior memories they've swallowed, they have a battle-spun spirit and won't let you reel them in without a struggle. If not kept as pets, they're usually speared on sticks and fire-roasted over coals.

TEMPLE OF STYX

Gupp - Naturally borne from the Styx, it's less of a guppy analogy and more like a Greek freshwater shad. They swim in schools against fast currents, and are usually the length of a pencil case. But like a guppy, they livebirth fry dozens at a time, and are used as utility fish for seeding waters. It lacks scales, like real life catfish, and has the unique life/death cycle of livebirthing pre-existing Gupp in a method of rebirth whereas all other Underworld fish have to wait to respawn upon being eaten. Thanks to its proximity to the surface, it tastes exactly like a regular river fish, just scaleless.

Scuffer - All fish in the Temple are sought-after for their unique overworld-ajacent taste, and the Scuffer even more so for its utility purposes; its tough and giant swim bladder can be made into high quality vellum, its toxin has many medicinal purposes useful to immortals, and its liver a fruity delicacy served raw. Other parts of its flesh are edible to anybody immortal/undead, but you still 'die' so its not recommended. A Scuffer's liver tastes reminiscent of a merlot thanks to its life spent swimming and feeding upon the Styx's floor. The adult ones can be as big as a pineapple.

Stonewal - Evolved from swordfish, and retains their migratory, aggressive behavior. They're an important part of the Underworld's ecosystem, because they regulate the population of any fish that make it too close to the surface world. Range wildly in size, from a modest foot long to as big as a bathtub. Usually cut into fillets and fried upon flat griddles, or served roasted on a rotating spit whole during feasts as a centerpiece. And like the previous two, they have utility purposes as well; their long, sturdy, but flexible bones are made into crafting tools, and weapons like bows and arrows.

CHAOS

Mati - Its appearance is a dead ringer to real life anglerfish fry, but it'll spend its whole life in their gelatinous, bloated form. As a fish of Chaos, it was borne from and represents sapient gaze; AKA, a gaze cast with intelligent emotion. Eating a boiled Mati has the texture of eating an old grape with a hard kernel within, and tastes like if fresh sea urchin was a yeasty porridge. Mati that can be caught are no bigger than a smartphone, but if you look into the distance, you can see car-sized ones.

Projelly - These fish spawn from Chaos like shed skin cells; unconsciously and ever continuing. They're unintelligent except for a minor nervous system that propels their bodies along in a purposeless compulsion. Which is what makes them hard to catch, since they float around too deep for a fisher to just scoop them up, but good luck trying to dredge one upon your hook. Pretty tasteless, but with a pleasant cartilage-y texture. Often served dried out as a snack, then re-hydrated or marinated to be chopped and plated cold with oil.

Voidskate - The biggest fish you can catch in-game. If you look closely, you'll notice that those table-sized Voidskates are seemingly swimming upside down, because when you cast a hook into their reality, you're actually pulling them down from where they fly in the air. Not only that, but their fishable state is their limbo life, and their 'dead, eaten' state is their actual life. They're a source of study from philosophers trying to learn more about life and death, but they never get far. Prepared by slicing into thick, dense steaks, then fried on grills. Has a sour, rich brightness like buttermilk.

[tea-withnofixinsplease]

Me: I wanna rewild a golf course,

Normal people: oh that's great! I mean, it'll help local wildlife, cool down the temperature for the surrounding area, help native species of pl-

Me: -I need to grow lobster mushrooms and the internet says I can't grow them in my basement like the rest, it needs a tree or something.

Normal people:

Me: i need that sweet sweet lobster bisque,

[bayoubashsims]

The Pantheon of the Nereitria

So I don't know if I'm going through with such a complex Lovecraftian idea for the merfolk of Monkfish Bay, but so far these are the fucked up mermaids I've concocted that live beneath the Besanyonne Sea of Monkfish Bay in a kingdom called Nereitra in the native tongue of the merfolk.

Thoggus, the Dark Emperor of the Seas

A long time ago, Thoggus ruled over the SImlantic Ocean in tyranny and he was dubbed the Dark Emperor of the Seas. He had the body of a merman, the arms and claws of a lobster, and the face of an octopus. A monstrous and power-hungry deity worshipped by many a merfolk, his centuries rule was ended when his own descendants usurped and dethroned him, imprisoning him in the deep with his daughters ruling together.

Mureina, the Queen of the Sea

Mureina, eldest daughter of Thoggus and the Kraken, was the mistress of the tides who ruled over the waves and where the sea met the land. With her father deposed from the rebellion that she led, she relinquished the rest of the seas to govern themselves to convene during important times in the Simlantic Council.

Nycothena, the Queen of the Abyss

The younger daughter of Thoggus and the Kraken, Nycothena is the ruler of the abyss, holding dominion over the strangest of fishpeople. Neither good or evil, this eight-tentacled and squid-beaked cecaelian is a mistress of magic and mystery. She guards the prison that keeps her father Thoggus away from the world, keeping him from taking over the seas once again.

Nen, the Duke of the Waves

Nen was originally a diplomat from the neighboring kingdom of Squaria who had long admired Mureina but truly fell in love with her when she liberated the seas from the tyranny of her father. Now, he stands by her side as she presides over the merfolk of Nereitria as a loyal consort.

Prince Chelan, the Prince of the Tides

Chelan was, like his mother before her rule, tasked with the tides and waves and the responsibility of where the land meets the sea. As the eldest, Chelan is next in line for the throne of Nereitria. But will he stop playing with the dolphins long enough for him to start taking his royal duties more seriously? Or will it take a landlubber to set his heart where it should be?

Princess Asherah, the Princess of the Marsh

The youngest of Mureina's offspring, Asherah is often the odd one out. A romantic at heart, she immediately claimed her territory when the tides receded far enough centuries ago to create a marsh at the inlet of Monkfish Bay. She spends her days pranking the local fisherman, and secretly dreams of marrying one.

[shapeshiftersvt]

Cryptid Collection Spotlight: The Jackalope

We're going to be spending this week infodumping about the six cryptids we chose to feature in our Cryptid Collection! We'll be posting about the lore and origins, our thoughts, experiences, and relationships with all of these cryptids, and we encourage folks to share their own!

Today we're talking about the Goncharov of cryptids, the Jackalope!

👣The Cryptid Collection 🐇Jackalope Travel Poster 👥Cryptid Binders & Sportsbras 🧵Cryptid fabric designs

Myths, legends, and tales of horned rabbits or hares have existed throughout human history and across the globe, from Central America to 13th century Persia and throughout Europe.

But we're not here to talk about those. We're here to talk about the Goncharov of cryptids, the Jackalope.

The lore of the Jackalope is particularly fun because it's a centuries-long exercise in collective storytelling. It's hard to say what the first stories were and where they originated, which is unusual with US cryptids. Even if the veracity of the reports and photos is in question, we do generally know where and when sightings of other cryptids happened, with documented newspaper articles, police reports, and the like. They detail what happened and what the cryptid looked like and where exactly they were spotted.

But instead of dates and locations and detailed descriptions of encounters, what we have for the Jackalope are lists traits, mostly unrelated, all layered on top of each other, each more outlandish than the last. It's easy to see the ways the lore of the Jackalope was told and built upon over and over — a collective folklore invented by anyone inspired to add to it and enthusiastically encouraged and welcomed by the rest.

The Jackalope is a hare, indistinguishable from a normal hare (also sometimes called a jackrabbit) except save for the pair of antelope-like antlers growing from its head — hence the name, Jackalope (not to be confused with the antelope jackrabbit, which is just a normal hare native to Arizona and Mexico). It's a fearsome antagonist of hunters, who have to include stovepipes in their regular hunting gear to wear as leg armor or risk being gored by the vicious Jackalope's horns. But a hunter can leave out some whiskey at night, preferably during a full moon, and wait for the Jackalope to chug it down and they'll have no problem hunting that wily, but now drunk, Jackalope. Which, of course, when cooked tastes quite similar to lobster. When cowboys would sit out in the desert singing songs around the campfire, the Jackalope would sing back to them, mimicking their voices. Or maybe it would sing along, always taking the tenor harmony. Maybe it only did that when there also happened to be a lightning storm. Because, of course, the Jackalope has an affinity for lightning storms, since it can only breed within the microseconds of a lightning flash.

The crowning glory of collective meme of the Jackalope, though, was the brainchild of two brothers, Douglas and Ralph Herrick, in Douglas, Wyoming. According to Ralph, the two returned from a hunting trip in 1932 having bagged, among other things, a jackrabbit which they tossed haphazardly into their taxidermy shop. It landed amongst some deer antlers and Douglas was struck with inspiration. They attached the antlers to the jackrabbit's head, mounted it in the style of a hunting trophy, and sold their newly minted Jackalope for $10 (around $214 today) to the owner of a local hotel who displayed it in the lobby.

That first Jackalope head started a whole Jackalope taxidermy business for the Herricks, which eventually exploded into a modern day Jackalope industry. Books have been written, adding to the meme with winks and nods back to the Herricks and Douglas, WY. In fact both the town of Douglas and the greater Wyoming have enthusiastically taken up the adopted and added to the lore. You can find informative articles about the Jackalope on official government websites. Stores in Douglas sell Jackalope milk. And the local Chamber of Commerce issues Jackalope hunting licenses, which permits the bearer to go Jackalope hunting on June 31st, between midnight and 2:00 AM, but only provided the hunter has an IQ between 50 and 72.

Of course when you read anything about the Jackalope, you'll inevitably see something about Shope papilloma virus. Because even when the meme is obviously a meme, there will always be someone who wants to try to explain what it "really" is.

But we don't think the Jackalope really needs explaining. The Jackalope is the manifestation of the human desire to connect and make a Weird Little Guy and tell each other stories about it.

[scotianostra]

On December 2nd 1971 the last two permanently resident families leave the island of Scarp, off Harris in the Western Isles.

It was 52 years ago this week that the last native residents evacuated the island of Scarp with a family leaving on a small boat packed with furniture as their two cows swam behind them. The departure of Mr and Mrs Angus MacInnes and their two sons marked the end of an era on the island which was home to more than 200 people in the late 19th Century.

A newspaper report documented the exit of the MacInnes family, who came ashore half-a-mile away at Hushinish Beach on Harris before settling on a croft at Govig.

The article, printed in the Press and Journal, noted how the island was then “left to the Old Etonians” given its remaining residents were Andrew Miller Mundy, whose father once owned the North Harris Estate, and his school friend Andrew Cox, who temporarily moved to the island earlier that year with his wife and their baby, India.

After the MacInnes family left, life on Scarp continued for several more weeks until a heavy storm cut the island off with provisions running ‘dangerously low’. Mundy, in London at the time, sent a helicopter in to rescue his girlfriend, a model who he later married, with food also choppered into Scarp - just in time for Christmas.

Mundy later relocated permanently to Harris, trained himself to catch lobsters and worked the waters around St Kilda for a decade. He became a popular figure to many, representing Harris at council level for many years and was admired for his dedication to wildlife and conservation. Scarp, meanwhile, has seen little human life since the early 1970s. Those who inherited the island’s crofting rights still keep sheep on Scarp with rams taken over for tupping and lambs returned to Stornoway for sale in September.

The ruins of several old buildings remain scattered over the island with a handful of holiday homes bringing in visitors from time to time.

From a high of over 200 the population of Scarp was still a relatively healthy 100-150 at the turn of the 20th Century. The island is rocky and the north part is over 300m in height with a steep drop to the sea. The village, which is now in serious disrepair is located in the south-east corner where it is partly sheltered from the Atlantic winds. The only land capable of cultivation is near the village on the east coast. The local economy would have been very basic - potatoes, cabbages, oats, milk, fish. Billingsgate market in London would have been the destination for much of the lobster caught by the Scarp fishermen.

The village on Scarp had no electricity and the only means of illumination would have been oil lamps. There was piped water and the village did have a small shop. The telephone line was installed in 1947. Despite these few basic comforts Scarps population like so many other small islands around Scotland continued to decline. In 1966 the Church of Scotland refused to replace the lay preacher and a year later the village school closed. Two years later it was the Post Offices turn to close its doors for the last time and with it so ended all mail deliveries to and from the island.

As the islands infrastructure continued to deteriorate the next thing to go was the telephone cable. This was severed in a storm and the GPO simply refused to repair it. This was just about the last straw for the remaining islanders.

The people may have left but Scarp still gets mentioned in many a conversation to due the adventures of German rocket scientist Gerhard Zucher. The German boffin attempted to develop a rocket which could 'fire' mail from Scarp to Harris and vice versa. Unfortunately the first launch simply exploded on the spot. A second firing from Harris to Scarp was a success but the project was quickly forgotten....but still very much lingers in the legends and stories of Scarp.

Although there are no permanent residents, a handful of holiday homes still welcome visitors

[finrays]

Like, I… joke around about getting super angry about the fucked-up ecology of Horizon. Mostly because it’s fun to go on screeching all-caps rants about fictional settings that Oopsie-Daisy their plants and animals, but… even though it’s mostly just me being silly…

It DOES make me a little bit sad.

I mean, we know these guys consider there to be four “Pillars of the Horizon Game World;” Human Tribal/Preindustrial Societies, Animal-like Machines, “Ancient” Technology (which is just ours, advanced by about a half-century), and Beautiful Nature.

We know they consulted with people who build robots for Hollywood productions. And they consulted with anthropologists about how human societies form from scratch and the ways that the ruins and robots might affect their growth and leanings. How our civilization might have decayed in the time after its fall.

Which “pillar” didn’t get consultants?

Yeah.

This could have been a really good opportunity to talk to people who work out in the areas the game takes place in, and to fill them with things that live there now. It would have fit so nicely with the messaging of caring about the world you live in; look at what’s here, now. Look at what’s around you. You can preserve that. Hear that bird singing? If you live in the same area as Aloy, you can put down the controller and go outside and hear that same bird RIGHT NOW.

They could have spotlighted native species in need of understanding and conservation.

But they didn’t do that, and now you have to listen to me rant about lobsters in more ways than one, instead.

[vvatchword]

I have been reading Archie TMNT Adventures every other day or so. What a weird fucking series this is. Sometimes I like to list its traits just to watch people's expressions transform from amused to horrified to confused and back again.

The world isn't as threatened by supervillains so much as it is from the effects of climate change

One TMNT ally went insane after watching his parents get shot to death in front of him. His entire race was lost to genocide. He is the comic relief and his insanity is played for yuks

Leonardo is almost ludicrously anti-gun. He has no problem wielding murder swords and fights once per issue without question, but the minute he sees a gun he starts screaming about it and nobody will make him stop

One character is the product of an affair between a jaguar spirit and an extremely foul-mouthed lady who would fight god if given the opportunity. I am not joking. She tries to fuck up both Death and the devil while swearing profusely and, at one point, threatens to cut the devil's dick off

The TMNT and their allies fight the four horsemen of the apocalypse in one surreal issue. Famine causes them to starve in minutes, draining their body masses until they look like noodles

The devil is a businessman who employs a cowboy. The cowboy must be stopped from enslaving the native peoples of the Amazon and dumping radioactive waste using submarines. The cowboy shoots a lobster goldfish who talks like a Pokemon, which is particularly unforgivable

A duck becomes mutated by extreme pollution. He just becomes extra big and can talk now. He soliloquoys while covered in petroleum

Several of the TMNT's allies die in a mass shoot-out

Alien grays show up and fuck around. They are telekinetic. Nobody knows what they want, including the writers of this series

Not-infrequent dick jokes

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

3,9,35 for the marine ask! :)

Do you have a favourite aquarium? Yes!!! I have not been to too many aquariums in my life but my very favourite one is Maretarium located in Kotka, Finland! It is an aquarium focused on showing fishes and other aquatic animals found in Finnish waters and the Baltic Sea, both native and introduced species. I counted on their website that they showcase about 47 species of fish, (though I know for a fact they house even more), which is most of the 60 reoccurring Finnish fish species! It's not much compared to grand aquariums with warmer climate-focused tanks, but it is phenomenal, my friend. Maretarium is home to the biggest tank in Finland, the Baltic Sea tank which holds 680 000 liters or 179 636 gallons of water! The Baltic Sea tank is open at the top so the fish experience seasons naturally, it has Siberian sturgeons, Russian sturgeons, rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, European perch, common rudds, asps, roaches, and others if I recall! One of the Siberian sturgeon is leucistic, even. Not all of those are native fishes, the aforementioned sturgeons and rainbow trout are introduced species in the Baltic, but they do occur there hence why they're in the aquarium. I think that's pretty nice! Instead of only focusing on native species, they also show a more full range of what you can find out and about, and they educate what species are invasive and what invasive species can do.

Maretarium is also very interesting because they had the first and so far only case in Europe where a European eel naturally produced roe, in 2019! European eels only reproduce in the Sargasso Sea (not an aquarium mimicking their non-spawning grounds), and never before has a European eel produced roe without any hormonal stimulation. They're trying to look into why that could be! And wow, look at me, talking so much about Maretarium. I just love that place so much xO I'm visiting another aquarium at the end of the month with my friends, but I really really want to go to Maretarium once more.... it's a trip, but a trip worth making, I'll tell you!

If you could keep any aquatic animal as a pet, with all the space they need and perfect care, what would it be? Imagine how amazing it would be to keep sturgeon in your home A whole massive school of cardinal tetras would be a dream, like a hundred or more fish. Imagine the shining and glittering! Also, crayfish and lobsters. Love those guys, would love to keep them. I'd house them alone and give them the nicest hiding spots and so many places to dig in.

Most beautiful fish? This is cheating, but here's two fishes I find very beautiful but for different reasons: queen parrotfish and starry sturgeon!

[hexjulia]

oppian was living in exile when he wrote this.

"The Lobster again holds in his heart a love exceeding and unspeakable for his own lair and he never leaves it willingly, but if one drag him away by force and let him go again in the sea, in no long time he returns to his own cleft eagerly, and will not choose a strange retreat nor does he heed any other rock but seeks the home that he left and his native haunts and his feeding-ground in the brine which fed him before, and leaves not the sea from which seafaring fishermen estranged him. Thus even to the swimming tribes their own house and their native sea and the home place where they were born instil in their hearts a sweet delight, and it is not to mortal men only that their fatherland is dearest of all; and there is nothing more painful or more terrible thenº when a man perforce lives the grievous life of an exile from his native land, a stranger among aliens bearing the yoke of dishonour."