#no ships required as per usual

[alectoperdita]

WIP Snippet Sunday

I mostly wrote smut this whole week. So here's probably what's going to be the only non-smut scene from the next chapter of Audience participation not required. 😂

---

"How's Bakura doing?" he asked, stirring his soda with his straw.

"He's busy prepping for the fall semester." Yugi appeared downcast before brightening. "But we do have date night tonight."

"That's awesome! A Saturday night date. You two crazy kids will paint the town red." Unable to resist, he reached across the table and gave the other man an affectionate noogie.

Yugi laughed. "Hardly. We're going to catch an early movie, have dinner, and probably be in bed by eleven. We're old now."

"We're thirty, dude. And just because you're in bed don't hafta to mean you're sleeping. If you catch my drift." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yugi exclaimed in false outrage. His eyes gleamed with humor, though. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

For some reason, his mind circled back to his stream with Ryuu. It wasn't actually a date, unless you counted compensated dating. But it was the closest thing to a date he'd had in months.

"I guess you could say I kinda have one tonight," he muttered absently into his drink.

He was quiet, but not so quiet that Yugi didn't overhear him. His friend's interest piqued. Yugi straightened in his seat. "Really? That's great news!"

"Don't get your hopes up. We, uh, we've only talked online so far."

"A first date, then. How exciting."

Jounouchi couldn't deny that. He looked forward to tonight. At least, he was looking forward to the toy.

"If you two hit it off, you should invite them to the next beach trip!"

[txttletale]

I'm asking this genuinely, as a 19 yo with no education in economics and a pretty surface level understanding of socialism: can you explain the whole Bananas discourse in a way someone like me might understand? In my understanding it's just "This is just a product we can give up to create better worker conditions and that's fine" but apparently that's not the full picture?

alright so some pretty important background to all this is that we're all talking about the fact that bananas, grown in the global south, are available year-round at extremely low prices all around europe and the USA. it's not really about bananas per so--the banana in this discourse is a synechdoche for all the economic benefits of imperialism.

so how are cheap bananas a result of imperialism? first of all i want to tackle a common and v. silly counterargument: 'oh, these ridiculous communists think it's imperialist for produce to be shipped internationally'. nah. believing that this is the communist objection requires believing in a deeply naive view of international traide. this view goes something like 'well, if honduras has lots of bananas, and people in the usa want bananas and are willing to pay for them, surely everyone wins when the usa buys bananas!'.

there are of course two key errors here and they are both packed into 'honduras has lots of bananas'. for a start, although the bananas are grown in honduras, honduras doesn't really 'have' them, because the plantations are mostly owned by chiquita (formerly known as united fruit) dole, del monte, and other multinationals--when they're not, those multinationals will usually purchase the bananas from honduran growers and conduct the export themselves. and wouldn't you know it, it's those intervening middleman steps--export, import, and retail, where the vast majority of money is made off bananas! so in the process of a banana making its way from honduras to a 7/11, usamerican multinationals make money selling the bananas to usamerican importers who make money selling them to usamerican retailers who make money selling them to usamerican customers.

when chiquita sells a banana to be sold in walmart, a magic trick is being performed: a banana is disappearing from honduras, and yet somehow an american company is paying a second american company for it! this is economic imperialism, the usamerican multinational extracting resources from a nation while simultaneously pocketing the value of those resources.

why does the honduran government allow this? if selling bananas is such a bad deal for the nation, why do they continue to export millions of dollars of banans a year? well, obviously, there's the fact that if they didn't, they would face a coup. the united states is more than willing to intervene and cause mass death and war to protect the profits of its multinationals. but the second, more subtle thing keeping honduras bound to this ridiculously unbalanced relationship is the need for dollars. because the US dollar is the global reserve currency, and the de facto currency of international trade, exporting to the USA is a basic necessity for nations like honduras, guatemala, &c. why is the dollar the global reserve currency? because of usamerican military and economic hegemony, of course. imperialism built upon imperialism!

this is unequal exchange, the neoimperialist terms of international trade that make the 'global economy' a tool of siphoning value and resources from the global south to the imperial core. & this is the second flaw to unravel in 'honduras has a lot of bananas' -- honduras only 'has a lot of bananas' because this global economic hegemony has led to vast unsustainable monoculture banana plantations to dominate the agriculture of honduras. it's long-attested how monoculture growth is unsustainable because it destroys soil and leads to easily-wiped-out-by-infection plants.

so, bananas in the USA are cheap because:

the workers that grow them are barely paid, mistreated, prevented from unionizing, and sometimes murdered

the nations in which the bananas are grown accept brutally unfair trade and tariff terms with the USA because they desperately need a supply of US dollars and so have little position to negotiate

shipping is also much cheaper than it should be because sailors are chronically underpaid and often not paid at all or forced to pay to work (!)

bananas are cheap, in conclusion, because they're produced by underpaid and brutalized workers and then imported on extortionate and unfair terms.

so what, should we all give up bananas? no, and it's a sign of total lack of understanding of socialism as a global movement that all the pearl-clutching usamericans have latched onto the scary communists telling them to stop buying bananas. communism does not care about you as a consumer. individual consumptive choices are not a meaningful arena of political action. the socialist position is not "if there was a socialist reovlution in the usa, we would all stop eating bananas like good little boys", but rather, "if there's a socialist revolution in the countries where bananas are grown, then the availability of bananas in the usa is going to drop, and if you want to be an anti-imperialist in the imperial core you have to accept that".

(this is where the second argument i see about this, 'oh what are you catholic you want me to eat dirt like a monk?' reveals itself as a silly fucking solipsistic misunderstanding)

and again, let's note that the case of the banana can very easily be generalised out to coffee, chocolate, sugar, etc, and that it's not about individual consumptive habits, but about global economic systems. if you are donkey fucking kong and you eat 100 bananas a day i don't care and neither does anyone else. it's about trying to illustrate just one tiny mundane way in which economic imperialism makes the lives of people in the global north more convenient and simpler and so of course there is enormous pushback from people who attach moral value to this and therefore feel like the mean commies are personally calling them evil for eating a nutella or whatever which is frankly pretty tiring. Sad!

tldr: it is not imperialism when produce go on boat but it is imperialism when produce grown for dirt cheap by underpaid workers in a country with a devalued currency is then bought and exported and sold by usamerican companies creating huge amounts of economic value of which the nation in which the banana was grown, let alone the people who actually fucking grew it, don't see a cent -- and this is the engine behind the cheap, available-every-day-all-year-everywhere presence of bananas in the usa (and other places!)

[doodlebeeberry]

It's OSC gift exchange number 4, baby!!

Thats right folks!!! once again so so excited to host the gift exchange, hopefully itll be yet another fun one! :D

doing things slightly differently this year: if you wanna join you can just fill out this google form! You can also still join by replying/reblogging/dming me with what you'd like if you prefer to do it that way though.

Rules, dates, and details are all under the cut (and also in the form), please read them through fully before joining!!!

Entries close November 28th at midnight (est)!

For those not in the know, the gift exchange is just what is sounds like! Upon joining, you tell me what you like to see in you gift. After, you'll be randomly assigned a giftee, and will make a gift for them based on what they've requested. When the day comes, you'll post your gift and @ the person it's for!

The timeline this year looks like this:

Nov. 7-Nov. 28: Join the gift exchange by filling out this form, dm-ing me, replying, or tagging this post with what you'd like to receive. You can ask for anything--shows, ships, ocs, whatever! Additionally, if there's anything you dont want to see or can't make (ie, ships that make you uncomfortable), you can make a note of that as well

Dec. 1: I'll let you know who you've been assigned and what they'd like! This'll most likely be done through tumblr dms, so if that's an issue do let me know!

Dec. 1-30: You make your gift! This can be anything, from art to writing to music and more! so long as you follow your giftee's request, the possibilities are endless!

Dec. 31: Post your gift, being sure to @ the person its from! Please do not post your gift before this date!!!

Some other things to note:

You can request anything--shows, characters, ships, etc--just please make sure they are osc related! it is an osc gift exchange after all

Asking for OCs is very much allowed, just be sure to provide me with a reference when you join

in regards to things you can't do, please do note that "i haven't seen x show so i wont do it" or "i'll only do requests for x show" are not being treated as valid requests in this context, so i won't guarantee them. also please remember that giftees are assigned randomly.

If your giftee requests more than one thing, you aren't obligated to fulfill all of their requests if you don't want to. Just be sure to do one of them and you're good!

If you need to drop out for any reason, that is completely ok, it happens! just please be sure to let me know ahead of time so I can re-assign your giftee!

On that note, if you have reason to believe you will be unavailable or otherwise unable to post your gift on the 31st, please be sure to tell me so we can work something out! Additionally, if you can't reach out on tumblr (say, your blog gets deleted) you can also poke me on bluesky (@ bumblebeeberry) or discord (thatonegaycat) about it

You can not join anonymously! I just don't think it'd fair to your giftee

While I highly doubt I will need to, I can bar you from participating if I deem it necessary. Again, unlikely, but in the off-chance it does happen I will message you to let you know, pretty please do not yell at me if I do

Not a requirement but when I send you your giftee if you could just let me know you saw the message i would greatly appreciate it!

As per usual I'll be tagging everything with #osc gift exchange, feel free to use it on your gift as well!

That's it! if you have any questions, comments, notes, what have you, please don't hesitate to dm me! :]

[mollyjames]

Commissions Are Closed

Hey folks! I’m mollyjames, and I specialize in bringing your original characters to life; no reference required!*

Things I will draw:

Original Characters (ANY genre)

Fanart

Some nsfw pinup art

Multiple characters / ship art (additional charges vary depending on style)

Things I will not draw:

Nudity

Gore

Additional Info:

Prices listed are per character. I do not offer discounts for including multiple characters.

Comic pages are 6x9in at 600 dpi. Please bear in mind the space you have available when ordering a page. Most comic pages average 5 or 6 panels, and usually cap out at 9 small panels. You may order additional pages at $250.

Free space: pay me to draw art I wanna draw. You wont have control over what I draw, but you will get a special thanks (if you want)

If you’re interested in a commission, please email me at mollyjamescommissions@gmail.com

*I mean, a general idea of what you’d like is always helpful, but if you’re not sure, I’ve got no problem winging it

[vurelly]

After having gone up for vote, the pins are up for pre-order! However, there's just one stipulation:

Due to the cost of bulk shipping, I've got to make at least 50 sales of each. These can be bought individually or together, but each design must meet the minimum requirement. If not, though, then everybody simply gets refunded and we'll try again in September.

Per usual, they're U.S. shipping only and you can find them in my ko-fi shop here! Thanks!

[theguyinthemathexamples]

From the Beauty, to the Creation

— to celebrate my beloved Argenti coming home after i first lost to Bronya (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

— C/W : trying a new fic format, extremely self indulgent, possibly ooc 😞, spoilers?, my first sahsr/sahsrau fic‼️

Being the vessel of an Aeon that was thought to have long since passed was no easy feat, as it required other Aeons to set their sights on you first.

Some call Them the Aeon of Creation, others the Aeon of Fate; the IPC have yet to decipher their time of arrival, much less their motives. Though, most theorize that they materialized long before the first atom had started moving, only to stay dormant in a state akin to hibernation after setting the universe up for self replication and ever expansion.

(more utc‼️‼️)

Their presence felt like home, a warm embrace, maybe even a light in the dark, or perhaps a form of escapism. Everyone is sure of one thing: once you accept Their calling, and accept the Astral Express's conductor's invitation, there will never be a way to turn back.

To others' eyes, a faint string can be seen reaching the heavens itself, tracing down a vessel, caressing their whole beings like a forced blanket thrown at their face.

An almost addicting bliss could be felt after these possessions, before that moment of ethereal release comes crashing down. Though, those that are used to always moving around — those with more stamina — don't usually feel this drawback as much as the others.

More often than not, the feeling of being watched and dazed dissipates and a feeling of fatigue sets in — intense tiredness, and even a slight chance to feel dizziness, had been reported from these... events.

But most importantly, a voice could be heard. A voice that many described as one which contained a thousand choirs, perhaps millions.

Among those was Argenti, a man of excellent talents that walked on the Path of Erudition, though claims to walk that of Beauty. One of the most recent vessels, per say.

He first felt this presence after accidentally hitting the Astral Express with his own ship, the "One and Only", he called it, the faint strings caressing the being of three out of the six Trailblazers.

To exude such a warm, calming aura around one at all times is truly a magnificent display of beauty, he thought.

The second time, however, it was quite a sudden moment. A strange letter was penned to him, claiming that it could make his goal of spreading the Beauty, if he used the golden ticket provided inside, a dozen steps closer.

The weirdest aspect was that he kept hearing faint whispers around him. Was this how vessels gained an invitation?

Though, feeling hesitant about this strange letter, he chose to send it instead to the Commander of the Silvermane Guards, Lady Bronya Rand, so that someone else could experience such a wonderful event.

The letter warned him that he must accept this invitation, were he to receive such a letter once more.

Third time's the charm, as they say, as not only did Argenti get another letter not too long after, the voices were much louder this time. They were more persuasive, more hoping and, most importantly, more enticing.

The letter beforehand told him of the earlier warning, and this one did not hesitate to emphasize it in the second paragraph.

And, left with no other choice, he had to accept this invitation. He truly didn't expect getting treated with such warmth and excitement seeping through every vein in his body.

He briefly caught sight of the Aeon in all their glory — was this a sign that his fate towards meeting the Beauty was slowly coming into fruition?

Being blessed by two Aeons, even briefly catching their attention, was a feat unlike any other, but being chosen as an active vessel by one? What a truly great achievement.

Along with the Trailblazer that caught him, four others stood behind them. A master swordsman that went by Yanqing, the owner of Neverwinter Workshop, Lady Serval Landau, the Commander of the Silvermane Guards he'd given the invite to earlier, Lady Bronya Rand, and a child that waved at him who called herself Lynx Landau.

Quite an interesting group of people, but a beautiful bond of friendship swirled among them nonetheless.

Slowly, he could feel himself getting stronger, even more so than before. This mysterious Aeon had gifted him so many things already, yet it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

From the creations of the acolytes of the Aeon of Remembrance, Lightcones, to relics which were created from anomalies caused by the Antimatter Legion, and more — all were given to him to make him more powerful.

It was as if meeting and becoming the puppet of this Aeon could make you undeniably better than your former self, even after you thought you were already at your peak.

The world doesn't revolve around you? The creator of the universe lovingly revolves around me 24/7, thank you very much.

In a place unknown, a black haired Stellaron Hunter sneezes, causing two others beside him to sneak a small glance.

He merely huffs, averting his own gaze away.

... Ignorance is often bliss.

This is my first time writing my beloved so I'm sorry in advance if he's ooc 😞😞

I hope you all liked this cuz i def liked making it hehe

Next on the agenda? My thoughts on sahsr/sahsrau :DDD

[bloodhaven]

Donation moving/medication post!!

I decided to remake my post because um well my old post wasn't getting any traction At All!

Hi! I'm Newton, im a bisexual trans man whos multiply disabled physically and mentally!

I need help paying for therapy, medications, and to move apartments My therapy is $108 per session (unless she diagnosis me with something new, than its $238) and my medication I don't currently know the price of, I just lost my medicaid so I have to start paying for it again. I am a type 2 diabetic and have narcolepsy with cataplexy, as well as depression, anxiety and D.I.D, as well as some other stuff diagnosed. I cannot go without my diabetes medication, cannot quit my narcolepsy meds at all, or depression meds cold turkey. If I can get weaned off my depression meds to save money I will try, but I will be severely depressed and suicidal. The rest of my medications I can quit no problem as they're just for acid reflux, bowel stuff, and bladder stuff.

I don't know how much they'll cost, I won't find out how much the trulicity is until later today when they get delivered.

I also have to save money to move. On top of THAT. My bank is overdrawn by $11.30, which isn't a lot and my wife is paid on the 7th, but she got less than 90 hours on her paycheck (87 hrs exactly) and we usually have 100-120 hours on a paycheck, our current rent is $775 + gas ($56-ish) + Electric ($90+ now that its summer) so it adds up. We NEED to go grocery shopping as we've been living off canned food for a week or two, which is bad for me especially as a diabetic as I have to watch my sodium intake as well.

My GFM is here I am not hoping to raise the full $2,500, I know this site cares more about billboards for racist tv shows than actual lgbt people. I just desperately need help to continue therapy and medications.

My paidpalled is here

IF you donate my wife will draw for you!! proof of overdraw is there, and further examples of my wifes art will be under the read more!!

⇟↷↶↧⇓

This is a special charcoal piece my wife did for me of my OC abraxas, it was expensive to create and I own the physical piece as well. If you are willing to donate $80 she will draw your OC or canon character like this. We require multiple pictures of your OC, if you want the physical piece as well we require you to pay shipping and handling & you must be willing to give your address out (ADULTS IN THE US ONLY)

/)/) ( . .) ( づ♡ IF YOU CANNOT DONATE PLEASE REBLOG ♡

[weaselmcdiesel]

Commissions are Closed!

I will only take 3 orders at a time. Refer to my bio if you want to see how many slots are taken and if commissions are open!

I know it's a lot to read, but please take your time if you're serious about ordering from me! Also, while there's a lot of homestuck art in my examples, I'll draw from almost any fandom. All information about contacting me for questions is inside the order form.

Terms Of Service (presented in my Neocity)

Order Form (presented in a Google Form)

Below the cut is a transcript of all the text in the images above!

Style A "Smooth" Characterized by the sketchy black outlines, this style uses the smoothest brush of all styles. Lighting is usually executed in a cel-shaded style with some airbrushed portions where applicable. This style can support the most details/specifics.

Sketch Halfbody: $15 Sketch Fullbody: $30 Flat Halfbody: $50 Flat Fullbody: $70 Full Shading Halfbody: $70 Full Shading Fullbody: $90

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Style B "Chalky" Characterized by the chalky, soft brush and simplified details. This style has more of a painterly look to it, with the organic blended shading style, you can only order this style with full shading. Characters in this style have more chibi-like proportions.

Full Shading Halfbody: $40 Full Shading Fullbody: $60

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Style C "Inky" Characterized by the inky brush, this style has the cleanest lineart out of everything I offer. Some details may be simplified. Drawing characters with more chibi-like proportions can be asked for, but otherwise, full proportions will be delivered. Chibi orders come with shading but it is minimal. Simple backgrounds are also possible in this style.

Flat Halfbody: $50 Flat Fullbody: $60 Full Shading Halfbody: $70 Full Shading Fullbody: $80

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Style B Full Scene I can offer a version of Style B which involves a full background and full shading for all characters. It isn't exactly a lineless style like Style B but instead has a somewhat rough lineart. If you would like to order in this style, please note that you should be available for progress checks more often than usual, as this style is the most process-intensive out of everything I offer.

$140 +$80 per additional character

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Style C Full Scene I can offer a version of Style C which involves a full background and full shading for all characters. This style does not offer chibi proportions. If you would like to order in this style, please note that you should be available for progress checks more often than usual, as this style is the most process-intensive out of everything I offer.

$130 +$80 per additional character

--

Additional Info

Only accepting PayPal

50% deposit upon sketch, 50% upon completion

References required

Backgrounds are only available on Style C and full scene orders

NO discount on additional characters!

First come first served

Read my terms of service before ordering (Linked below)

Order through my Google Form (Linked Below)

Will Draw:

Your original characters

Ship art/Self-ships

Fan art

Anthros

Won't Draw:

Hateful art

Mechs/Overly complex designs

NSFW/Full nudity

Heavy gore

Someone else’s style

[ltwilliammowett]

The assistant surgeon

In addition to the actual surgeon on board a ship, there was also an assistant surgeon. This was usually a young man fresh from the Surgeons' School in Edingburgh, so please do not confuse him with a loblolly boy, who was simply an assistant from the crew. In Napoleonic times, in addition to a surgeon, it was compulsory to have three assistants on a ship of the line first rate, two on the other larger rates and one on a frigate. The Surgeon and his assistant were not required to wear a uniform until 1805.

Pay also varied according to length of service. A surgeon who had served for twenty years received 18 s. per day. A surgeon who had served for six years received 11 s. per day. Assistants had to serve three years on a ship, Navy hospital or dockyard before they were classed as full surgeons. As a result, each year of service had a different salary. The salary of the first and thus lowest grade was 4 S. per day. The other two grades received 5 S. per day. If they were not employed, surgeons and assistants received only half their salary, as was also the case for officers.

Being a Surgeon was not easy because both he and his assistant had to bring their own instruments, their medicines and other equipment were provided by the government, although there were many who made up their own medicines and passed the bills to the Admiralty.

One of the duties of an assistant was to keep a record of all cases presented to him, which was important in case of discrepancies, so that the Admiralty could compare these records with those of the surgeon and, if necessary, with the official logbooks of the captain and his lieutenants. He had to regularly check on the sick in the sickbay and show new cases to the surgeon.

He dressed the men's wounds every morning and had control of the lighter general cases. An assistant surgeon sometimes accompanied the logging and water parties, especially in places where the men were likely to stay ashore for a long time, just in case something happened. On these expeditions, it was his job to look after the men's health, keep them from drinking foul water and eating sour fruit in the heat of the day, and more.

Naval Surgeon: Life and Death at Sea in the Age of Sail, by J. Worth Estes, 1998

Rough Medicine: Surgeons at Sea in the Age of Sail, by Joan Druett · 2001

[ask-a-vetblr]

Hi I’m starting a book set in Australia (I’m an Aussie!) and it’s about Rabies getting loose in Australia but going to be like a sci/fi and horror novel. I thought I’d ask actual vets if you knew what could happen if rabies got loose in Australia?

gettingvetted here.

Our founder and native Aussie, drferox, is on hiatus, so I will give this a go.

Unfortunately for your book, rabies is one of the easiest diseases to control and eradicate, especially on a small scale and especially if you know the animal of origin. Vaccinations literally have to be upwards of 95% effective (at least in the US) in order to become licensed for use, and the immunity derived from rabies vaccines is long lasting at 1-3 years at minimum; it probably lasts longer but official studies to license vaccines for that long have not been done due to expense. Likewise, the vaccines are usually inexpensive compared to other vaccines like Lyme, as you can vaccinate a cat or dog for 3 years for roughly $25 per vaccine. You typically have plenty of time (weeks to months) after a possible exposure to determine if the biting animal is rabid, and even if you never find that out, rabies vaccination will prevent rabies in an exposed individual as long as they themselves are not showing symptoms (aka, there's a handful of known rabies positive animals in the country and you/your dog just got bitten by a kangaroo? get vaccinated, you're going to be fine even if they can't find the kangaroo again). The symptoms are pretty obvious and pretty classic, making the animal easily identifiable even among its peers, and once the stage of being symptomatic has arrived and thus transmission is possible, the animal will die in a handful of days, thus self-limiting the spread. The only "treatment" is humane euthanasia and as wildlife are the usual reservoir of the virus, there isn't much of an uproar when a select few are euthanized for testing or prevention each year. An interesting factoid is that while the US still has rabies, we *only* have wildlife strains present (not canine rabies). So even if a dog gets rabies from another dog, they will still have acquired skunk, bat, or raccoon strains of rabies. This is due to years of regulating that cats, dogs, and ferrets (domesticated carnivores) be vaccinated for rabies and euthanized for biting if unvaccinated until the canine strain was eradicated. Canine rabies is still an issue in countries with lots of feral dogs.

As a vet in the US, it is a MAJOR headache to ship animals from rabies-endemic areas to non-rabies-endemic areas. Even Hawaii is extremely difficult to pull off. Not only do they have to be vaccinated early (usually within 6 months of travel), they also often have to have rabies titers performed within the same time frame or sometimes even closer to the travel date. An extended quarantine period (I seem to recall that it is 6 months in some cases?) is also required prior to entry for countries such as Australia so that even if the rabies vaccination and titers were incorrect or forged and the animal has rabies, they would still show symptoms prior to entry into the country. Also, while unrelated to rabies, Australia requires veterinarians (not animal owners) to personally administer very specific parasite prevention to animals at very specific intervals to prevent certain parasites from entering the country too, so the amount of prep work required for export itself is often long enough such that if the animal had rabies, you would find out before they left the country. The regulations also differ depending on country of origin - countries with less control over their rabies status are either banned from importing animals or face even stricter import regulations. If any of these steps are performed incorrectly or without pristine official evidence of doing so, the animal gets right back on the plane and goes back to its country of origin, or is held in official government quarantine at customs. So it would be quite difficult to get a rabid animal into the country. Humans are a different story of course, so that may be the best way to bring rabies into Australia in your story. However, humans getting rabies is extremely rare, and considering the excellent healthcare in AUS, a human would probably seek care and be diagnosed before they could become insane enough to start biting wildlife (again, the only real scenario I could think of that could feasibly bring rabies to AUS, because if a rabies positive human bit another human or even a dog, you simply vaccinate that human or dog for rabies and they will be fine).

So, let's assume that you got rabies into the country and a handful of wild animals of various species are exposed. We'll even assume that it was a dog that somehow brought it in despite all the red tape designed to make it impossible, and that dog is ownerless or escaped so there is nobody to tell officials what type or how many animals it bit before it died of its symptoms. It would probably take a significant amount of time for anyone to figure out what was going on. Vets who are educated in countries that have endemic rabies are taught that any animal with any neurologic symptoms should be treated as if they have rabies unless they recover. I.e., if a neurologic animal dies without a definitive diagnosis of some other neurologic disease (such as EPM, distemper, etc) and especially if that animal is unvaccinated for rabies, you MUST assume they had rabies and send them for postmortem testing so that any human or animal who was exposed to the potentially rabid animal can be vaccinated if necessary. However, vets who are educated in non-endemic countries are of course aware of the disease, but probably wouldn't have it on their radar for a neurologic animal. It would probably take a few wildlife or pet animal cases being sent for necropsy and testing after sudden neurologic death before rabies was diagnosed, which probably wouldn't happen until a few months to a year after the first case arrived in the country, at the earliest. Then a few things would happen.

First, the owners of the pet animals and the organizations dealing with wildlife would be extensively interviewed to determine location and possibly the species of animal that bit the now-dead-and-necropsied rabid animal. These areas would be surveyed extensively and unfortunately a lot of local wildlife mammals would probably be preventively eradicated especially if positive cases were found in a given species. Import/export of ANY animals from the country would be immediately halted and mandatory vaccination of all owned animals in the country would likely be established and enforced. Travel of humans likely wouldn't be stopped, but rabies vaccination would be added to the list of recommended vaccines for travel to AUS, similar to malaria vaccines in endemic countries. Again, the excellent and affordable healthcare system of AUS (at least compared to the US) would probably lead many or most Australians to be vaccinated for rabies prophylactially, which can cost thousands of dollars in the US and is usually not covered by health insurance. There would probably be a huge push for vaccination of wildlife with rabies vaccines dropped from aircraft, which could be done both within the area that suspected exposed or definitively positive animals have been found, as well as a radius around those areas as prevention. Vets would be mandated to report any neurologic or behaviorally abnormal animal even if rabies wasn't the suspected cause, and unfortunately would likely be forced to euthanize many animals that were not rabid. There is a chance that with these measures, rabies could be eradicated, but it wouldn't be certain, probably ever. Longer term, surveillance measures would be taken (and I don't mean surveillance like the FBI, I mean epidemiologic surveillance such as monitoring cases that pop up and physically checking on and sampling the typical populations of wildlife that carry the disease). Regardless, it would be extremely difficult to cause any kind of fatal epidemic using a standard rabies virus. Ounce of prevention/pound of cure and all that, but Australia currently chooses a pound of prevention.

Definitely an interesting concept for a book, but I would go with a carnivore parvovirus or canine distemper virus that mutates quickly enough that it can't be vaccinated for, and is transmissible from animals to humans. Parvovirus, specifically, is extremely hardy in the environment and is far more contagious than rabies. Without effective vaccines, I'm betting that either distemper or parvo would cause more death than the plague, especially among pediatrics. I'm not familiar with hendravirus given that we don't have it in the US, but to my knowledge that is also a horrific and contagious disease that is already present in AUS.

Hope this helps!

[ornii]

I would like to ask an Ask, how about Vi and Caitlyn with an M!Reader who is an extremely powerful wizard, capable of generating tornadoes when channeling magic.... But he is extremely lazy and prefers to teleport instead of walking, and This usually results in them getting scared by him appearing out of nowhere, and in Vi's case, him getting punched (Unintentionally of course)

“An Acquired Taste”

Vi X M! Reader X Cait

The Sun rose solemnly on the island of Forgrove, An island resting miles off of Piltover. Upon that island was a Strong fortress, moreso a castle, inside said castles Royal bedroom, a prince awoke from his rest and tries to keep the sun out of his eyes. Entering his Royal bedroom was a man, seemingly nonexistent, entirely blue, glowing like a pearl.

“Your highness, it is morning. A bath has been drawn for you.” He said, the prince grumbles but kept his attitude to himself, in a flash of blue light he disappears into his Bathroom, reappearing into his Bath. He slowly sunk deeper into the water, letting the aches of the past wash away. His blue servant enters and gives him his speech.

“My Lord, the crops have come in fine this season, the walls are still strong and require little maintenance sire. All seems well…” he says, the young Prince kept silent, until he sat up and stretched.

“Good, as per usual..”

“Although..” The servant says, and he stops.

“Although what?” He asks.

“There was a letter?” He says, “Directed to you, Lord (Y/n).” He says, (Y/n) sighs and stands up, stepping out of the hot soothing water and with a snap of his fingers, Royal towels float over begin to dry his body.

“From Piltover.. specifically their council.”

“Oh, and here I thought it was from someone important..” (Y/n) says a bit saddened. Teleporting back to his room, with a wave of his hand, his closet opens up to seemingly endless space. He begins to search for what to wear. “Toss it away like the others…”

“But sir, this was Signed by.. Lady Kiramman.” He Said, (Y/n) stops searching and halts, hearing it. His clothes begin to attach to his body, dressing him.

“If memory serves, house Kiramman served yours very diligently…” the servant in blue reveals the letter.

“.. What does it say?” (Y/n) asks.

“For your Appearance at the council, it seems urgent, at your earliest convenience.” They say… should I still burn it?” He asks.

“No, prepare the ship… we’re heading back to Piltover..” he says, now fully clothed and dressed. While he prepares for the journey, Piltover was slowly coming to a boil with its civil unrest, the prince may be able to resolve this. More importantly, Caitlyn of the Kiramman family was given an “important” task.

“Watch the Prince?” Caitlyn asks her mother, as she stood across her mother, who sat upon her desk, writing a letter. “This seems the least of our problems.” Caitlyn said complaining to her mother, who calmly puts down her Quill and Pen, she looks up to her daughter.

“Caitlyn, I understand this may not be the order you wish to hear but this must be seen through, the prince will be able to assist us with the control of Hextech, and keeping it from the hands of our enemy. This is an important task I am giving you..” She said, Caitlyn was convinced but reluctantly agreed, leaving her room, caitlyn let out a sigh of frustration outside her mothers room. A voice came from nearby, leaning against the wall, Vi.

“So, had fun?” She Said, Caitlyn was fuming.

“No, I have babysitting duty. For a prince!”

“Another big wig asshat, fun.” Vi says to herself as she follows caitlyn down the hall.

“He isn’t a Bigwig, hes the son of former council members, mother always said such good things about them, but they died during the revolt…so we took their place.” The duo exit the councils building and make their way to the docks, awaiting the arrival of the Prince.

“So, when will we know this guys coming?” Vi asks, before she can respond something comes in the horizon of the water. The head of a large ship moving at high speeds, it was made of a deep auburn wood, seemingly brand new. The head of the ship was a woman adorned in armor. Soldiers of blue March out of the ship, their bodies intangible to reality it seems, and from the under of the ship the Wizard walks out, now dressed in his dinner jacket and brooch combination. He didn’t look particularly amused to see Piltover. He walks off his ship to the docks, Caitlyn and Vi have never seen magic so effortlessly wielded. (Y/n) wasn’t paying much attention to them. He approaches them, and Caitlyn takes the mantle to go first.

“Um.. Welcome your highness to Piltover.. we’re glad to have you.” She says, (Y/n) wasn’t saying much, he thinks.

“It looks worse since I left… are you servants?” He asks, Vi opens her mouth to say something probably insulting but Caitlyn intervenes.

“No, we’re to escort you to the council.”

“Ah, I can get there on my own…” he says. “But my mother wishes for us to personally—“ Caitlyn begins her bargain, but (Y/n) poofs out of existence right in front of them, Caitlyn was actually speechless and Vi smirked.

“Wow, you were so boring you made him stop existing—“

“Shut it! We have to find him!” She looks around to see he’s walking past them. He’s searching for something and eyes the building. He then snaps out of place again, in a flash of light he appears before the council, shocking many. He looks around in the center to the members seeing his profound arrival. His eyes trace to Lady Kiramman. He gives a small bow of courtesy.

“Lady Kiramman.” He says, she quickly adjusts herself and stands up.

“My Lord.” She says, “Council Members, this is Lord (Y/n) of The Island of the Gold Moon. Profound In all of the magical arts, he will be a valuable asset in the management of magic and Hextech.” She explains, “But… where is Caitlyn?” She asks.

“…Who?” (Y/n) replies.

“My Daughter? The girl who was meant to bring you here?” She says, (Y/n) slowly began to piece together it all, the perfectly shaped nose, the beautiful blue ocean eyes, the long gorgeous hair, she’s the spitting image of her mother. Perfect and Beautiful, (Y/n) puts his hand on his face in dismay.

“Dammit.” He murmurs, and as if on queue, a pair of girls burst into the room, Caitlyn and Vi. They see the Wizard and their mother.

“I apologize Lady Kiramman, I didnt know it was your daughter.” He says, and then turns to Caitlyn.

“I apologize for ditching you, I suppose I should have listened to you, now.. well I suppose I’m all ears.” He says, Lady Kiramman was the first to explain.

“We you’ve heard before, our rising issues with Hextech and those who seem to wish to destroy us, Jayce can give you more information.” she sits back down and (Y/n) folds his arms and turns to face this Jayce Talis, he’s heard things about his genius.

“So, what do I need to know?” (Y/n) begins, Jayce fiddles with a pen, upset at having to ask for help from a Wizard.

“Hextech was meant to be a stepping stone towards a future not bound by old ideals and superstition. But with all this power we have, it seems someone is looking to use it to tear down everything we’ve been building. Hextech can power generators, teleportation devices, but also weapons of power we can’t even fathom.” Jayce wasn’t very thrilled with all of this, his greatest achievement used to wipe what he loved off the face of this hunk of rock.

“And you wish for someone actually proficient in magic to fix the situation. Why am I not surprised.” (Y/n) shakes his head.

“But why should I help you? I have no stake in this…” (Y/n) says, the council members murmur slightly to themselves. One stood up, beautiful with amazing dark skin and gold accents to adorn her body. Mel was her name.

“Piltovers finances, even with our current situation, are better then they have in the last decade, we have the means to pay you very handsomely for it—“ Mel begins, but (Y/n) cuts her off.

“Miss, I own a castle, an entire garden of food and a ship worth this entire building. I am not feigned for money…” he admits, Mel keeps her calm look and slowly sits down. (Y/n) then turns to Jayce.

“I have no reason to help you, or really anyone. Piltover was my Home until a certain uprising occurred, and my parents perished for the selfishness of a bunch of council members, who couldn’t look past their own noses for the safety of others.” (Y/n) has scorn in his voice, the small sense of victory was felt as he turned to leave.

“A word of advice, do not mettle with things you cannot control, so this won’t happen again.” He takes one step to leave before a hand grabs his wrist, he turns to see it was Caitlyn, in a desperate plea.

“My mother always talked so honorably about your family, I know we’ve only met a few times, but I know your family. Please, not for us but all of Piltover and the Undercity, they don’t deserve to be caught in a civil war.”

Caitlyn’s plea was passionate, and honest, Vi stepped up to him, “My family’s from the underground too, I didn’t want them caught up in all of this either, Cmon…” she was the last nail in the coffin. (Y/n) sighed, “Fine.” A small Look of relief was on the faces of Vi and Cait.

“I’m going to need a laboratory… and assistants.” (Y/n) says, and grabs the two girls by the wrists.

“Luckily, I already have two.” He said, Vi turns to him.

“We don’t know shit about magic..” Vi said

“You don’t need to, warm bodies work well enough. Plus for my type of Assistance, you’re perfect.. I have an acquired taste in them.”

[homestuck-archive]

HOMESTUCK: BEYOND CANON 6/12 NEWS POST

Hi, James here. Happy American Karkat day. European Karkat day, of course, being on the 6th of December. That’s how birthdays work. Don’t look it up.

Some of you may have noticed I am going to be on a stream with a “Virtual Tuber.” Depending on when exactly this goes up, that might actually be going on right now. If you are coming from over there it is very likely you are just now learning we are still doing Homestuck in 2024. Welcome back. You missed a lot but don’t look any of that up either.

What news for the birthday boy? As you may have seen across various platforms we’re partnering with Makeship, and launched a petition for a Highly Marketable Karkat Vantas Plush! The way this works is, they gauge interest by seeing if we can get 200 people to pledge they’ll buy it before the company commits to producing anything. Their business model allows them to do this at no up-front cost to us which is good because it takes a lot of money to manufacture and ship things. Once we reach our initial goal they then move forward with production and do design revisions, prototyping, etc. They send us a little sample and once we’re all approved and on the same page they do a limited pre-order run. For the first 399 pre-orders we get a 10 percent revenue share, which then changes to 30 percent once it hits 400. You might be thinking “Hey man, that's not very much!” and you’d be right, but they cover all manufacturing and fulfillment and shipping costs. And I don’t own a warehouse. So. This is fine with me.

I did promise to try and be more transparent with what's going on behind the scenes, even when it is boring. The thought process here is that, while less lucrative overall than producing and shipping ourselves this will allow us to try out more merch options. We’ve designed some apparel, and are working out something with Andrew and the usual merch guys. This might take a while, I am still new to this. That Vinyl is still on the back burner as we wait for a few holdouts that sort of make or break things. (There are people who are notoriously hard to get in contact with, so it is taking a while and I overestimated my ability to get this done in a timely manner while in poor health. That's on me.)

The whole idea here is to get you guys some cool stuff, and to pay my team more. Right now the Patreon is doing alright, and we’re trying out some new exclusives over there. Music previews, merch previews, and things like that for paying members. Nothing required to enjoy the comic, and things people will all see eventually. Since I’m trying to pay my team as fairly as possible I split everything we make evenly. Right now, for each team member it comes out to a few hundred bucks each per month which is pretty nice for getting to work on Homestuck, but isn’t exactly a liveable wage. And you see how much work they put into it. I want to give them the world, short of that at the very least a fair wage for all the work they do. Also I don’t know if you’ve noticed but a sandwich costs $19 now for some reason. That in mind if you are a company or private individual and want to pay me to promote your product let's talk. We can work something out. I will put it in Homestuck. I will make Rose Lalonde say she loves the bold refreshing taste of Diet Mtn Dew G’raha Tia Blast. I am not joking. This is my solemn vow. Maybe it's time to bring back the “Your Fantroll Gets Put In Homestuck” deal.

Anyway, two updates this month. I Like this schedule, so it looks like we’ll be keeping it up for the near future.

So to Summarize the key points so there’s no room for confusion:

Karkat Plush Makeship petition (the pre-pre-order, even) is now live

Trying out this style of limited run merch to see what's possible

Apparel incoming, not sure when

Still trying to work out details with musicians, sorry.

Fun new Pateron exclusives, including music and merch previews. Maybe more?

Open to more collabs

Sticking to shorter, more frequent updates for now.

Ok, thanks everyone have a good one.

[piglet26]

Reylo Scenes: TROS Part 2

After a failed attempt at killing Rey and Rey slashing Ren's fighter. He's relieved he didn't kill her. She's relieved she didn't kill him. He emerges looking fucking glorious while Rey tried to stop a ship from flying off cause she thinks Chewie is on board. What the hell are they doing putting a mask on him at this point?!

In the novel from Kylo's perspective, "But his impulse to kill Key had almost ruined everything he had been planning..... but his deepest desire, the thing he wanted most (Rey) would require planning and patience."

"It didn't matter what or who was inside that transport that made desperate to prevent it's escape, he was not going to let her have it. He reached out, felt the massive machinery in his mind, yanked it towards himself."

What's interesting in this scene is Kylo Ren is pushing her and Rey ultimately pulls from anger to best him and keep chewing. That's what always been interesting about Rey is she's the Jedi, but often times she fights with anger, fear and aggression. In the novelization it's revealed that over the course of that year she's been hearing voices. It looks pretty and it's a good shot, but I kept thinking didn't we already see this? Force wise... they're pretty even. While it doesn't hit as hard as the tug-o-war in the TLJ it does serve a purpose. Rey is a Palpatine after all.

In the movie, as per usual, this next bit doesn't make any sense. Ren seems stunned and just let's Rey, Finn and Poe run off. In the novel it makes more sense.

"Kylo Ren watched the freighter rise into the sky, Rey inside it. She had beaten him again (she thought she killed her friend not really a win but you're emo) and yet, he was filled with triumph. He'd been right to push her. She had just demonstrated unbelievable, mind blowing power. Dark power. Sith Power. The scavenger was almost ready to turn. And when she did, they would both kill their light, embrace their darkness, then the star destroyer fleet and the Sith throne would be theirs."

Kylo Ren is a Reylo and is trying to make power couple goals happen and we have to appreciate that.

This is concept art from "The Rise of Skywalker" notice how their costumes mirror each other.

The chemistry between Rey and Kylo is electric whenever they share the same space, so much so that sometimes it feels like we, the audience, are intruding on a private moment between the two.

On board Ochi's ship Rey confesses she has sex dreams about Kylo Ren. Let's be honest they both do and she confesses she's had visions of her and Kylo Ren on top the Sith throne.

Next scene is them in Kijimi. Ren is looking for his future Queen who is trying to find the sithway finder or whatever. Arriving in his pretty cool ship.

In the novel per Zorii, "As the black clad man approached the squads officer snap to attention, "Supreme leader".... the man standing below with his gang od butchers was Kylo Ren himself.....The supreme leader said his voice was tight and calm, but Zorii got the feeling he was barely containing his rage. He looked around almost as if he were sniffing the air. "We have a perimeter around the city." The lieutenant began, but Kylo Ren cut him off, "We're too late, the scavenger is gone." Zorri goes onto describe Kylo Ren having a moment whipping his lightsaber out and going beast mode.

In the movie through the force it's implied that that's how Rey knows Chewie is onboard Ren's destroyer, but in the novel it's different. He interrogated Chewie forcefully (wink wink ha ha ha) to get information on Rey. Rey was able to link mind with Kylo Ren and that's how she knew Chewie was onboard. They should've shown them linking minds more.

Then Rey was in his room, or excuse me, private quarters. Anyone else surprised his room was so white and pretty, if no impersonal. Where's his bed? I saw it in the first movie I think.

"Rey. Wherever you are, you are hard to find."

I'm wondering if at this point that can connect to one another more voluntarily. Rey is always swinging first. Like always. This scene can only really be described as exposition scenes, but there is a nice aspect to it. It's nice to see what they see from one another's viewpoint when they force bond. They just see each other. The dyad is increasing in power, not only can they now touch through the force, they can fight and their spaces even blend. They were together and yet separate. Kylo Ren also seems to be very excited his girl is in quarters and wants to lock down that ship.

In their next scene, again, Kylo tells her the plot of The Rise of Skywalker while wearing that damn mask. I have questions when did Kylo Ren find out they were a dyad?! Why were denied this scene? Obviously they instinctually know they are connected, they just never knew the word to put to it, but were is the exact scene? The thing about Kylo Ren is he uses information to twist it like a knife. He's going to use the truth that they are Dyad, that she is a Palpatine and ultimately the attraction she feels for him to seduce her to the dark side. From Rey's perspective, "He extended his black gloved hand to her, she looked at it, remembered. The last time he extended a hand had been in the wreckage of Snoke's throne room. Their combined power had defeated him. It was true. That together they could do such incredible things. Suddenly, she sensed a weight at her back and along with it... Finn. His presence a bright beacon of light piercing the dark." Ren pulling some MJ Smooth Criminal moves there.

After Rey flees with her crew, in the novel it's gives Kylo Ren's reaction. Her surveys the damage left from The Falcon's engine wash. "Kylo considered it a small price to pay to encounter Rey again. To provoke her into a rage. To say the word Dyad and watch the truth of it wash over her lovely face......he hardly paid attention, he kept seeing her face. The way her lips had parted with surprise. The way her body had canted (leaned) toward him. If the Millennial falcon hadn't appeared she might have come to him. Taken his hand. Kylo really hated that ship.... he'd been so very close, but now she knew the truth. She would accept it."

Yeah, they're horny. It's the first time Kylo described her in such detail and really let us as the reader or audience know..... he wants power, but he wants Rey more. If Ren had the world in his hand it wouldn't mean as much without Rey. This is the first scene in the movie where Rey acknowledges how much she wants to be with him. Interesting, Finn again is really her solid base on the good side of the force.

Side note: Dark Rey is hot.

The lightsaber fight onboard the death star wreckage. I've heard criticism that this fight while beautiful is pointless. I disagree. It's actually a scene that pushes them forward. Rey said, "give it to me" and Ren giving this shudder like he just came in his pants. hmmhmm! Ren likes feral, passionate Rey. He's pushing her and pushing her when she's already at the edge. Interesting enough, Ben can take whatever Rey has to give. All the anger and the fury she's had to hide from everyone else she can express to him. The fight is really about their likeness and yet difference, their passion, how Rey has grown in her lightsaber fighting and fixing the end of The Force Awakens. Ren is fighting at full force capacity, he's not injured and he's not emotional.

The way he is in love

“He sent the thought directly into her mind: I know you. No one does, she shot back. But I do.” WHY WASN'T THIS IN THE MOVIE?!

They fight until Rey is exhausted and when it looks like Kylo Ren might strike the killing blow, Leia reaches out through the force before she passes. In a fit of rage Rey stabs Kylo Ren, but snaps out of it when she feels Leia's passing. She begins to heal the wound she created.

How did she heal? Oh, you know those books she had in the beginning of the movie? Those book were the sacred Jedi text from Acht-to. She smuggled them onboard the falcon. So they never were actually set fire. Turns out Yoda that they actually were useful.

Rey showing him compassion, healing him, believing in him almost doggedly is so empowering for Ben Solo to return. His parents might be gone, but he still has someone to return home to. This movie has flawed writing but sometimes almost accidentally that land on something that works. The line where she admits she wanted to take his hand is a great line. It's declaration of love for Ben, not a rejection of Kylo Ren. It's her saying, "I didn't reject you. I wanted the best version of you"

After the unconditional love offered by both parents and the selfless, sacrificial love offered by Rey...... Kylo Ren becomes Ben Solo again. We just don't see him for the next 20 minutes as Rey processes her identity crisis and then goes off to fight to Palpatine..... without a plan.

There's also something purely adolescent about Reylo. Even in TLJ, these two throw themselves into one another. Like Rey having a vision of their future together so she goes alone to an enemy ship based purely on belief in him. Now we have Ben Solo, in a moment of pure adolescent "I gotta get to my girl" just needs to be with her on exegol as she faces down Palpatine.

From Adam Driver, "and the thing that we started with for "Who is Ben, then? There's no ambiguity about what it is that he has to do. There's no more seesaw that's happening. For the first time, someone who has never had the answer now finally knows his purpose or destiny. But I don't know that he entirely is sure of what's going to happen from there, nor do I think he cares. I think it's so long as he is with her, he's on the right path. " Adam driver is a Reylo.

Ben solo is back and he's glorious. He's likeable, charismatic, he's funny and he shoots backwards like his dad. People appreciated Adam Driver in an all new way with these scenes. He doesn't say a word except "oh, but you know he's shifted from Kylo Ren to Ben Solo. His physical acting is so strong. The subtlety showed his talented and not many actors can say that.

It such a beautiful moment when finally Ben Solo and Rey connect instead. In the novel and in the film especially so because she reaches for her connection to Ben right before she's going to kill Palpatine.

He acknowledged her and Rey’s lips parted in surprise. The connection was… right. Good. Like coming home. They wasted a precious moment reveling in this new sharing. This is how it should have been all along. A true dyad.

Rey lowered the lightsaber behind her back, as if readying for a massive blow. She reached for the Force. The effort made tears sting in her eyes. [...] She raised her hand ... which was now empty. She had projected her weapon away. [...] The moment Ben felt the grip of Luke’s lightsaber in his palm, he knew it belonged to him, an extension of his very own self. He raised it slowly, relishing the feel of it. ”

It's a beautiful moment where Rey and now Ben Solo have a redo of The Last Jedi. Rey looks at Ben with such love, joy and relief. Ben looks at Rey with such confidence, determination and love. It's the "Are you with me? "Yes, I'm with" Now with them both in blue light.

Finally Ben Solo and Rey are united. These soulmates separate by so much over the course of two movies are finally as they were suppose to be. Palpatine and Skywalker standing together. What it should have been is act of love, redemption and hope defeating evil. It should have been Ben Solo confronting his demons with the woman he loves and fought to be with. It should have been is Rey belonging; a redeemed Ben was supposed to become her new home and/ fulfill her need for a family. It should have been a power couple fighting evil with the Force.

But no. Somehow the two of them coming together empowered the devil. Their power like a source of life itself. Then Ben Solo is chucked off a cliff after draining their energy. Why? Ben Solo should have faced his grandfather's and father's enemy, or his clone. Palpatine confirms all the voices he's been hearing in his head has been Palpatine. He literally made irrelevant to something he is very relevant to.

They fail together, but she succeeds alone after the spirits of the Jedi aiding her?! I hate all this. Then she dies after her energy being drained, or she clutches the lightsaber too hard, I'm not sure it's not described. It's annoying. Ben drags himself up broken ribs and all to get to Rey. He crawls to her when he realizes she's passed. It's a horrible moment where you feel how alone Ben feels.

"He could see her now, collapsed on the floor, and the pain in his chest was suddenly so much worse than that of a couple broken ribs."

Ben initially mourns her until he realizes there might be a chance to save. He heals her like she healed him. Oh also none of the films go into the fact that because of their bond they were able to learn the force, including fighting moves, from one another. "Ben poured everything into her. He found reservoirs he didn’t even know he had. He gave her his whole self"

Then Rey finally takes his hand! She's back! Ben is so relieve that she's there. In the novel, "She was glad to see him. Glad to be with him in this moment. It was the greatest gift she could have given him. His heart was full as Rey reached for his face, let her fingers linger against his cheek. And then, wonder of wonders, she leaned forward and kissed him."

Reylos! We finally get our kiss, they smile at one another, look they're so happy! Probably the happiest they've ever been. A celebration!

Anddddddd he's gone. Seriously. Rey mourns him in the novel like we never see her do in the film. "The girl who had felt alone for all those years on Jakku had been part of a dyad the whole time. And just when she'd discovered that precious connection, that incredible oneness, it was ripped away. A voice came to her through the Force, clear and strong. I will always be with you, Ben said."

It's tragic because there's so much to Ben Solo we just don't see as an audience after 3 films!!!!!! He doesn't have any lines.

This movie was edited until literally the week before the films release. The recall of the artbook, the last-minute editing, Adam Driver recording new dialogue in his closet..... I'm wondering if the original idea for TROS Reylo was, well, this. We know from the editor, they didn't know for sure if they wanted them to kiss until post-production. Much of the movie wasn't decided until post-production.

And then we get to the ending. Rey Skywalker. How are you not Rey Solo after the man you felt kinship with and the man you were in love with?! Like da fuq?!

Moving forward to this Rey 2025 movie. I'd like it to do well. I hope it does well. It probably won't unless Ben Solo returns. Reylo might be controversial (whatever) but it's currently one of the biggest draws this franchise has. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is the most popular character out of the sequel trilogy. We deserve it and I'd pay to see it.

sigh the ending we should have gotten

This post took me like 4 days

[offtorivendell]

The Cauldron and its far reaching threads; who is susceptible to the puppet master, and how might it work?

Disclaimer: this is a massive crack theory that I have held off posting since June 2022, but fuck it I guess, let's go! This is not a shipping post.

As usual, I am absolutely NOT suggesting that anyone who is influenced by the Cauldron is inherently evil in any way. This is just a crack theory. If you can't interact respectfully, then please keep scrolling.

Spoilers: ACOTAR series to date, and massive character spoilers for River Song and the Ponds from Doctor Who (if you care about that) in part 2.

Part 1 - Cauldron Made Beings

This first section will be stating some of the obvious, as we know, per Amren in ACOSF, that Cauldron-Made beings are able to be influenced by the Cauldron, though the “how” is not yet clear. @wingedblooms has theorised extensively about the living bond that Elain Archeron may share with the Mother's crockpot, and I suspect that this bond may also tie (terrible pun, sorry) into how the Cauldron can exert control: by pulling the “bond” threads that connect it to its former inhabitants.

Cassian’s breath caught in his throat. “It was a fluke, Amren. Nesta didn’t make it on purpose.” Amren shook her head, hair swaying. “Nothing is a fluke. The Cauldron’s power flows through Nesta, and could use her as a puppet without her knowledge. It wanted those weapons Made, and thus they were Made. It wanted Rhysand to have them and thus the blacksmith brought them to you. - ACOSF, chapter 42

Finding the link would be basically impossible at this point, but I've previously mentioned that I wonder if the Cauldron's dark maker could be Koschei, or another death god/Daglan. To briefly rehash my thoughts: if there is a dark maker, it stands to reason there be a light maker, too… is it the Mother? Could Koschei be the dark mother that the Naga referred to in ACOTAR, as the terms “mother” and “maker” could demonstrate in-universe evolution of the same word? I've also previously theorised that Koschei may have been controlling the Cauldron through the King of Hybern/vice versa, and that is how the Elucien bond came to be, but this is not a shipping post, sorry!

As a quick aside, the above passage also makes me wonder if the Cauldron, or one of its hypothetical makers, wanted the Archeron sisters Made - it's something I've meant to post about, but I think Koschei has had a hand in things since Papa Archeron’s ship was lost at sea, at the very least. They are each a weapon in their own right, as Amren went on to state their powers match Rhys’ own. I know @nikethestatue has had similar thoughts. But I digress.

Look at the use of “bird in a cage” in the following passage, used to describe Nesta, which parallels nicely with Thesan’s use of decorative birds in cages as spies to listen in (thank you so much to @ladynightcourt3 for the first quote).

The amusement only grew, and Helion pushed a finger against his lips in mock warning. “Careful, High Lady. Even the birds report to Thesan here.” I frowned at the birds in cages throughout the room, still silent in Azriel’s shadowy presence. I threw shields around them, Rhys said down the bond. - ACOWAR, chapter 47

“Like calls to like,” Amren countered. “You were Made by the Cauldron. You may track other objects Made by it as well, as Briallyn can. And because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” A glance to Elain. “Either of you.” Nesta swallowed. “I can’t.” But to let Elain involve herself, jeopardize her safety— Amren said, “You tracked the Cauldron—” “It nearly killed me. It trapped me like a bird in a cage.” Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.” “Absolutely not,” Nesta spat, fingers curling at her sides. “Absolutely not.” - ACOSF, chapter 21

I think Nesta briefly (I hope, though who knows) became a puppet/shell for the Cauldron's puppet master - perhaps a death god such as Koschei, if @fawnandshadows is correct that he bastardised the Cauldron in some way, millennia ago (I think she's onto something) - and that's who we were seeing when she locked herself into her mind while scrying in ACOSF.

“Get her out, Rhys,” Cassian demanded. “Get her out now.” “I can’t,” he said softly, his power a cloak of stars and night around him. “I— The doors to her mind were open the other night. They’re shut now.” “She doesn’t want it seeing her. Or us,” Feyre said, her face tight. “She’s locked it out, but also locked herself in.” Cassian’s stomach twisted. “Nesta,” he said into her ear. “Nesta, open your hand and come back.” Her breathing sharpened. The cold deepened. “Nesta,” he snarled— And the cold halted. It didn’t vanish, but rather … stopped. Nesta’s eyes flicked open. Silver fire burned within. Nothing Fae looked out through them. Rhys shoved Feyre behind him. She shoved her way back to his side. But Nesta’s hand continued to squeeze Cassian’s. He squeezed back, let his Siphons send a bite of power into her skin. She turned her head so slowly it was like watching a puppet move. Her eyes met his. Death watched him. - ACOSF, chapter 31

I think a similar situation - though more high stakes/urgent - could come to play in Elain's book.

Elain is a Seer with mystical powers that are potentially tied to the Void.

She may try to See through mist and shadow, and accidentally make herself known to Koschei or another death god/Daglan?

In ACOSF, Nesta warned her to “stay away from the Cauldron,” and even Azriel suggested there was a darkness to the Dread Trove that “Elain should not be exposed to.” This, of course, makes many of us think that Elain will go after the Cauldron in her own book.

Could Elain mistakenly Look too far and open herself up to the Cauldron's living bond? That being said, it could simultaneously be using at least Jurian and Amren as well, and we have no idea if Made Fae who haven't been inside the Cauldron, such as Feyre and Miryam, are equally susceptible.

Part 2 - Not Made, yet possibly susceptible

I have been wondering for a while if the Cauldron can somehow form bonds, or weave threads, between itself and anyone exposed to it - or a part of it, when it was separated and hidden in different locations - for extended periods of time, or perhaps crucial ages, like somebody's formative years?

His mouth tightened, and he swallowed once before he said, “Hybern was looking for the Cauldron back then—for the pieces of its feet. One was hidden at the temple in Sangravah, its power used to fuel its priestesses’ gifts for millennia. - ACOSF, chapter 14

What if Gwyn - or anyone else - who grew up in Sangravah, a temple that housed one leg of the Cauldron, internalised some of the magic (sort of along the lines of River Song having regenerative abilities because Amy Pond fell/was pregnant while travelling on the TARDIS, and everything that happened after she was born - being taken away)?

All the High Priestesses wore the billowing, artfully twisted and layered robes—though they certainly were far from matronly. Ianthe’s slim waist was on display with a fine belt of sky-blue, limpid stones, each perfectly oval and held in shining silver. And atop her hood sat a matching circlet—a delicate band of silver, with a large stone at its center. A panel of cloth had been folded up beneath the circlet, a built-in swath meant to be pulled over the brow and eyes when she needed to pray, beseech the Cauldron and Mother, or just think. Ianthe had shown me once what the panel looked like when down: only her nose and full, sensuous mouth visible. The Voice of the Cauldron. I’d found the image unsettling—that merely covering the upper part of her face had somehow turned the bright, cunning female into an effigy, into something Other. - ACOMAF, chapter 2

@wingedblooms has suggested that priestesses could be influenced in general because they worship the triple goddess/divine trio, which follows along with what Feyre hinted at when thinking about Ianthe, all the way back in ACOMAF; that they opened themselves up to the divine during their services (in a similar way to how I imagine Elain's Sight may function). That being said, it's hard to say whether the priestesses at Cesere, Sangravah and Itica are more susceptible than their colleagues from other temples due to their prolonged proximity to the Cauldron’s feet, but I suspect it might be the case.

Could they have a deeper connection, or a bond of sorts?

One that remains even when they aren't communing with the Mother or the Cauldron?

One that may be accessed by the Cauldron or its Maker, for such nefarious purposes as letting in enemies to a library sanctuary?

Gwyn is likely already a lightsinger - please see @silverlinedeyes and @merymoonbeam for some brilliant posts that cover the basics of the theory and then some here, here, here, here and here - but if not, or maybe in addition to that, what if she was "Made-adjacent," and so also able to be used as a "puppet" by the Cauldron/the being controlling it, and thus any threads it may share with others? If accurate, this would work for anyone who was born, grew up, and/or lived for a long time in Sangravah, Cesere or Itica. To clarify, I don't think that these priestesses could call to or search for the the Cauldron, as they are likely not true “kin” - as, say, the Archeron sisters are to other Made items - but I could always be wrong about that. Or is this what lightsingers truly are?

Alternatively, what if every Singer (shadowsinger*, lightsinger, or any other type) was capable of the silent song, or had Made/Starborn powers in a way, and/or could be used as a "puppet" by the Cauldron or its master/maker? It would explain how Azriel's shadows could be used by someone else, maybe Koschei, thanks to the hypothetical living bond between the Cauldron and Made beings? So Nesta, Azriel (whose shadows are potentially Made, if not himself), Elain, Feyre, Amren, Miryam, Jurian, Gwyn and a whole lot of priestesses besides...

Too crazy? Probably, but that's why theorising is fun!

TOG SPOILERS BELOW

* Another theory I know I share with others, but at least @ladynightcourt3 and @psychologynerd, is that Azriel's shadows could be Valg. What if Valg have a living bond back to their respectful Valg King? If @fawnandshadows is correct that Koschei/death gods twisted the Cauldron, could this be how? Valg magic?

[thebibliosphere]

if you're not able-bodied enough to ship, you can definitely team up with someone who is and split profits (most zines are run by multiple people, and the person who volunteers to ship is usually able-bodied). the massive increase in profits by publishing this way means you may generate anywhere from $10-20 in pure profit per book you sell (after subtracting production costs), so you'd probably only need to sell around a dozen books total to get enough start-up money to move to ingram afterward! it's definitely not something you have to stick to long term, so no worries about burning out. this really is just a method that I think would be helpful to new authors with little resources. even for new writers with low levels of followers, I don't think it'd be hugely difficult to commit to drumming up enough social support to sell a dozen books, considering the alternatives also seem to require some level of social networking. I'm more than happy to answer questions about the process, since I really don't think the process of zine creation is prohibitively difficult! many zine moderators are running zines as hobbies on top of their full time jobs or school life!

I understand what you're saying, but that's a lot of 'ifs' and assumptions.

All of the people I work with are disabled in some way. That wasn't a conscious decision, it just happened because a lot of the indie creative industry is held up by people who can't work in the mainstream.

Saying you can find someone to handle it all is also putting the onus on a single individual, which is not always great. It's why so many projects crash and burn out the starting gate. Or relationships fracture.

And considering some authors with trad pub houses struggle to sell a half dozen copies a year beyond launch week, drumming up interest isn't always as easy as you think unless you're in something that's already popular and has an as easily accessible audience.

I'm not discounting it entirely. I'm just saying what you are proposing is not as easy as you make it sound. And I speak from experience.

[vampirefest]

Hello, dear companions in the darkness! We hope you had very happy holidays and a rocking New Year!

We're back with another event for the month of love. The tagline for this event is "I Lay Down With the Devil", and it's all about celebrating our favourite toxic vampire romances.

The celebration will commence on February 1st and run until Valentine's Day on February 14th. This event is open to all creations for the AMC show, the movies and the Vampire Chronicles. You can find the rules, guidelines and other extra info below the cut.

We're looking forward to all your lovely creations! ♥︎

Rules and guidelines

The event will start on February 1st, and we have 14 prompts in total, one for each day. But feel free to use more than one per creation and to mix and match to your heart's desire.

As usual, this is a low-pressure event. If you participate for one day, amazing! If you manage to do all 14 of them, also amazing! We want this event to be a fun creative experience, so let that be your only goal. 

Any kind of creation is welcome. Options include, but are not limited to: fanfiction, fanart, fanvids, edits, podfics etc. Whatever you feel inspired to create, we’re happy to have it. 

All versions of the characters are welcome, just be sure to specify which in your tags if you think it's relevant.

We are firm believers of “don't like don't read”, so be sure to curate your experience if there are some prompts, pairings or types of content that make you uncomfortable.

Cross-posting with other events is welcome, just make sure you’re satisfying the requirements for this event. 

You can share your work on any platform you like. If you make a post here on Tumblr or Twitter, tag us and we'll reblog you. And if you post your work on AO3, don't forget to add it to our Bloody Valentine Collection.

Be sure to tag with #bloodyvalentine or tag this blog @vampirefest so that we can easily find your post.

Please also include: 

Which Day/Prompt you have filled.

Any relevant warnings or ratings, tags or trigger warnings (we want to take care of our little community, so please tag appropriately).

You may also include the relationship you’re writing if that is applicable but keep in mind we will reblog with the exact tag you use so ensure your ship name is correct. 

Example of how reblogs will be tagged:

#BloodyValentine #[Day] #[prompt being filled] #[type of content; fanart, fanfic etc.] #[trigger warnings that we get from your post] tw #[ship name or pairing]

AO3 collection:

The Bloody Valentine AO3 collection will be open starting on February 1st: You can find the collection here.

We’ll keep the collection open even after February 14th for people who still want to add their works.

Instructions on how to add your works to the AO3 collection:

To add your fics to the collection, simply go to [Edit Work] on AO3 and type in BloodyValentine in the [Post to Collections / Challenges] box that is located below [Summary] and [Notes] and it should pop up in the suggestion.

You can also head to the collection main page linked above and hit the [post to collection] button.

If you have any questions, please hop into our ask box. Suggestions and comments are also welcome.