#nocturne research and development

[corvidaemnit]

let’s talk about the kiwi!!

(an info-dump about one of the weirdest, most scientifically interesting birds we know of today!)

so, we’ve all heard about ratites, right?

well, maybe you don’t know them by name, but you’ve most certainly either heard about them or seen them at some point.

some commonly known members of the ratite group are species like ostriches, emus, and cassowaries— as shown below:

ratites are all flightless birds within the infraclass palaeognathae— the infraclass that none other than the (now extinct) moa and elephant bird belong to!

now, these birds all share very similar characteristics; they’re large, long-necked, and long-legged with big clawed feet. all of these birds are also diurnal— which means they’re primarily active during the day time, just like us!

however, there is one species in this infraclass that is not quite like the others..

the kiwi.

not only are kiwi significantly smaller than their fellow ratites, but they also happen to be nocturnal.

and despite being small, their eggs are incredibly large, taking up to around 20% of the kiwi’s body weight, which has caused a lot of rigorous debate between scientists on exactly why.

one outdated theory suggested that perhaps the kiwi had shrunk over time from previously being very large like its ratite relatives, while its egg remained big…. but this has been debunked in recent years.

the current consensus, while still a theory, is that the egg size has to do more with precocity than anything else;

kiwis are born precocial, which makes them pretty much immediately independent upon hatching, with the ability to run and feed themselves without the help of their parents.

modern DNA analysis suggests that the size of kiwi eggs is not just a left-over trait from ‘incomplete’ evolution, but instead the exact opposite— an evolved adaptation to ensure better chances of survival.

due to their sheer size, kiwi eggs house more yolk than average, which ends up keeping newly hatched kiwis nice and fed until they learn to forage food for themselves.

when mammals began to spread in new zealand, kiwis had way more predators to worry about, and it’s theorized that they were previously unequipped to deal with this startling introduction of land-predators, such as stoats and rats, that started feeding on their eggs.

this could explain why kiwi eggs have developed to be so large over time— they give the chicks plentiful nutrients and thicker shells to ensure a better chance of survival against predation.

so… yeah. kiwis produce monster eggs and no one fully knows why just yet. neat, huh?

and that’s not even where the weirdness ends, my friends!

on top of all of this, it’s been a running joke in the bird world that kiwis are ‘honorary mammals,’ not only because of their weirdly mammalian appearance, but also because of some of their atypical biological traits.

for instance, kiwis have an average body temperature of around 38 degrees celsius .. aka, 100 degrees fahrenheit.

while this is not typical at all for birds, this is very typical for mammals, which has stumped a lot of researchers over the years.

similarly, kiwis are also the only bird in the world with exposed nostrils at the end of their beak, which can help them detect prey by using scent instead of their vision, which is very poor.

so… yeah. kiwis are the nocturnal, freakish little cousins of some of the biggest, most dangerous birds on the planet, and scientists are, quite frankly, still a little weirded out by them.

[captainzigo]

here’s another seinop! :) her name is selene halo. she was born on a night where one of the moons was encircled by this halo constellation. her helping hand is a night duck. its a nocturnal predator that lures in bugs with its bioluminescent antenna which evolved to mimic the bud of a certain bioluminescent flower

the seinop come in two major varieties. those with and those without antenna. those with antenna have psychic powers and are sometimes just called psychics. they can read emotions and lucid dream (more on that in a bit) and those who develop their power can do more advanced psionic spells. such as locating specific creatures at great distances or who are hiding. or reading minds. or wiping a creature’s memories. that last one is very important to their story because the use it on abducted ponies

all seinop, antenna or not, share their dreams. it serves a function kinda like the internet for them. most of their telecommunications are done via dream. include interstellar communication which is made much easier by their psychic dreams. this is why they are heavily dependent on psychics’ ability to lucid dream. keep everything organized and genuinely useful instead of just a weird thing they all do.

selene is very proficient at dreaming. before she was an astronaut, she was the server host for a big company’s dream. now she is in charge of telecommunications for the orbital equestria research project. making sure they stay in touch with the mother world. she sleeps a lot. even more than she should for her job

this is an AU that I am making with @antboyyyy if you want to know more about it, you can check the seinop tag. feel free to ask any questions! You can ask them to either of us. 

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

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

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[agoodomenssideblogiguess]

I keep seeing posts about how snakes have bad vision and Crowley probably can't see the stars and that made me so sad. So instead of answering emails at work this morning, I looked up videos about snakes to figure out how they see stuff and I learned so much and the implications of these facts are ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL:

(I'm putting it all under the cut because the post got long lol)

1. Snakes with vertical slits in their eyes are nocturnal.

2. Research suggests that snakes have the necessary receptors in their eyes to see mostly blues and greens (and any colors that are made up of those two) in the daytime and monochromatic (gray-scale essentially) in the night time. For reference, human color receptors in the daytime are red, green, and blue. For night it's monochromatic as well.

3. Some snakes have 'heat pits' along their pretty (pretty is subjective not a fact sorry) mouths that help them sense infrared light. The visual and infrared cues are overlaid in the optic parts of the brain. (Truly this is the coolest thing I've learned about snakes and I highly recommend reading the Wikipedia page about it, it is SO COOL). The heat pits work in such a way that if they don't cool down the receptors back to a 'thermal neutral' state (usually by providing extra oxygen to them) the snake will see afterimages even if whatever was giving off the infrared is removed.

4. Snakes smell with their tongues by picking up odor particles and then putting their tongue into little holes along the roof of their mouth where they have this thing called the "Jacobson's organ" that has receptors that can register the smells. To give you a sense of how sophisticated this sense of smell is, apparently snakes can tell which eggs have developing embryos in them in order to avoid them because it's easier to eat undeveloped eggs. (ISNT THAT INCREDIBLE?!?!)

IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FACTS:

1. Crowley can see at night because he's got them nocturnal snake eyes.

2. Crowley PROBABLY THOUGHT HIS HAIR TURNED BLACK WHEN HE FELL AND HE SAW HIS WINGS SORTA MATCHED. And unless someone has told him his hair is still red MAYBE HE STILL DOESNT KNOW

3. (Part 1) Nothing pisses me off more than that they didn't give Crowley's snake design heat pits along the lips because that would be so freaking cool to see in fanart of Crowley in like 'true form' or whatever cuz it would make him seem more "otherworldly" or "monstrous" but whatever. I'll forgive the designers because the heat pits he does have imply that he's a pit viper and also they're not visible on his human form (unless they're inside his nostrils?). Which means they're probably covered and don't cool back to 'thermal-neutral' properly so Crowley probably sees after images all the goddamn time (I'm gonna fucking write the saddest angstiest post season 2 fanfic for good omens called Afterimage BASED ON THIS FACT ALONE).

3. (part 2) because of how the regular vision and infrared vision are overlaid, anything that's warm/hot in temperature, like let's say an angel, probably looks like it's glowing. HELLO FANFIC AUTHORS WHERE ARE YOU?!? BLUSHING/FLUSHED AZIRAPHALE GLOWS BRIGHTER THAN NORMAL TO CROWLEY HELLO?!?!

4. When Aziraphale and Crowley kiss with tongue IF we give Crowley a Jacobson's organ, he would be OVERWHELMED WITH AZIRAPHALE. Imagine in every regular human sense, plus snake senses all of it is jUST AZIRAPHALE. Holy CRAP GUYS PLEASE (also like monsterfuckers/true form enthusiasts, the Jacobson's organ is just another fun snake feature you can include for funsies in your fanworks).

[nyeigneous]

Garth Igneous 加什·伊格尼斯

Age：45 年龄：四十五岁

Birth: 20/05/1893 生日：一八九三年五月二十日

Height：188cm 身高：一百八十八厘米

Build：Emaciation 体型：消瘦

Sexuality：Homosexuality 性取向：同性恋

Appearance:

He has short blond hair, light blue eyes, and an aggressive pointed nose.

There is a huge scar on the right forehead. A tattoo on the inside of his left forearm but is damaged by a scar. Both forearms were covered with scars made by knife. In addition, there are countless scars on his body, some of which are left by knife, some of which are left by wolves.

金褐色短发，浅蓝色眼睛，有着一个咄咄逼人的尖鼻子。

他的右侧额头有一个巨大的伤疤。

左臂内侧有一个纹身，但是已经被疤痕破坏掉了。他的每条胳膊内侧都布满了刀子划伤后留下的疤痕。除此之外他的身上也布满了数不清的伤疤，有些是自残留下的，还有一些是被狼咬伤留下的。

Personality:

Garth is a neurotic, selfish, arrogant, and cunning man. His good family background and rich knowledge make him have the arrogance to master everything, so once the development of things is not expected, he will lose his temper like a child.

加什是个神经质，自私，傲慢又狡猾的人。

他的良好的出身和丰富的知识储备让他有着一种对一切都尽在掌握的傲慢，所以一旦事情的发展不在他的意料之中，便会像孩子一样发脾气。

His mind is not complicated, but it is this straightforward way of thinking that makes it easier for him to do impulsive and reckless things.

他的心思并不复杂，反而正是这种单刀直入的思维方式让他更容易做出冲动和不计后果的事情。

He often overreacts to others.

他经常对别人的言行反应过激。

Because of bipolar disorder, almost all his shortcomings are magnified, making him a completely uncontrollable madman.

在患上躁郁症之后，他所有的缺点几乎都被放大了，令他变成了一个完全不可控的疯子。

Weapons and skills:

Shotgun, hunting knife, poison bait; Good at tracking, anti-reconnaissance, setting traps, and piss his partner off.

双管霰弹枪，猎刀，毒饵；

擅长追踪，反侦察，设置陷阱，还有惹毛自己的同伴。

重要的人：安德烈·别列科夫

���贵之物：浪琴狩猎者腕表（安德烈送给他的）

恐惧之物：极光；骑马

Important people: Andre Berekov Precious things: Longines hunter's watch (Andre gave it to him)

Fear: aurora; riding

Other：

吸烟很多；Smoking a lot;

情绪激动时会过度呼吸；Excessive breathing when excited;

酒量很差；Poor drinking capacity;

画画很好；Good at painting;

写日记；Keeping a diary;

喜欢用口哨吹肖邦的降E大调夜曲九号第二首；He likes to whistle Chopin nocturnes op.9. no2;

小时候被父母逼迫学过钢琴，虽然很痛恨钢琴，但是弹得不错；When he was a child, he was forced by my parents to learn the piano. Although he hates the piano, he plays it well

人物历史History:

北方口音Northern accent

加什的父母是是来自伯明翰的地质学家和生物学家，他们是典型的守旧并且固执的知识分子。 受到父母的影响，加什有着丰富的博物学知识，以及英格兰北方口音。 

Garth's parents are geologists and biologists from Birmingham, UK, they are typically old-fashioned and stubborn intellectuals. Influenced by his parents, Garth has rich natural knowledge and a northern English accent.

在1900年左右淘金热时期，伊格尼斯夫妻带着18���的大儿子赫尔，16岁的女儿利兹和10岁的加什来到阿拉斯加进行调研。与他们同行的还有26岁的詹森·斯坦福斯，作为孩子们的家庭教师。年幼的加什正是需要父母的时候，但是夫妻俩的工作非常繁忙，便将照顾加什和教他读书写字的任务全权交给了詹森。

During the gold rush around 1900, Mr. Igneous and his wife come to Alaska with their 18-year-old son Hull, 16-year-old daughter Liz and 10-year-old Garth for research. Along with them is Jason Stamford, 26, a tutor for the children. The young Garth is in need of his parents, but the couple's work is very busy, they entrust Jason with the task of taking care of Garth and teaching him to read and write.

温柔的人 A mild person

詹森是一个才华横溢的年轻人，本职专业是古生物学，曾经是加什父亲的学生。他性格随和有耐心，但是因为患过小儿麻痹症，他的左腿肌肉萎缩，只能靠手杖行走，同时还有各种并发症，导致他虚弱而瘦小。但是这并没有影响他的温柔和对生活的热爱。这些美好的品德同时也深深地影响了加什。

Jason is a talented young man with a major in paleontology. He was once a student of Garth's father. Because of polio, his left leg muscles atrophy and he can only walk with a walking stick. Various complications lead to his weakness and emaciation. But this does not kill his tenderness and love of life. These beautiful virtues also deeply influenced Garth.

加什小时候体弱多病，不喜欢户外活动，因此除了上课，他也有大量的时间跟詹森相处，两人像手足和父子一样促膝长谈，读书，学习钢琴，亲密关系与日俱增。在加什18岁那年，他大胆向詹森袒露了自己炙热而迷茫的倾慕之情。詹森也很喜欢这个好学而热情的男孩，但是职业道德让他拒绝了男孩。因为詹森也是一名同性恋，他没有指责加什非同常人的性取向，而是鼓励他勇敢做自己，不要违背自己的意愿。

As a sickly child, Garth does not like the outdoors, so he spends a lot of time with Jason in addition to attending classes. The two talk like father and son, read books and learn the piano, and their bond grows.

When Garth turns 18, he boldly confesses his hot, confused admiration to Jason. Jason also likes the studious and enthusiastic boy, but the work ethic makes him turn him down. Jason, who is also gay, does not criticize Garth's unusual sexuality, but encourages him to be himself and not go against his will.

但是这些事都被加什的父母看在眼里，他们辞退了詹森。加什与父母大吵了一架。

But Garth's parents see all this, and they fire Jason. Garth has a big fight with his parents.

詹森回到曼彻斯特的老家之后身体状况堪忧，但是一直跟加什保持着密切的书信来往，给年轻人的困扰和疑惑以中肯而温柔的建议。三年后，加什22岁那年，詹森怀着遗憾离世。

Jason returns home to Manchester in poor health, but keeps up a close correspondence with Garth, offering gentle advice on the young man's troubles and doubts. Jensen died three years later, when Garth is 22.

逃婚 To escape a marriage

1919年，加什25岁，关于自己的职业和专业规划问题，他跟父母进行了一场非常激烈的争吵。他的父母已经详细地为他安排了工作和婚事，要求他迎娶当地投资商的女儿，以获得学术上的经济支持。但是加什冲动地向父母表明了自己的性取向以及对自由的渴望。他的父母非常生气，认为是詹森给自己儿子灌输了不好的想法。一怒之下加什收拾行李离家出走。

In 1919, when Garth is 25 years old, he has a very heated argument with his parents about his professional planning. His parents have arranged work and marriage for him in detail and ask him to marry the daughter of a local investor in order to obtain academic financial support. Garth impulsively tells them his sexual orientation and desire for freedom. His parents are very angry, abuse Jason for instilling bad illusion into his son. In a rage, Garth packs up and leaves home.

在这件事前半年左右，加什的父母认识了来自美国南部的安德森·黑斯廷斯（27岁），这位英俊而富裕的年轻人正在为自己的事业寻找地质学以及生物学领域的专家的协助，他衣着华丽，谈吐得体，很快就得到了加什全家人的认可。两个年轻人就此相识了，并且私交甚密。

Half of year ago, Garth's parents meet Anderson Hastings (27) from the south of the US. This handsome and wealthy young man is looking for the assistance of experts in geology and biology for his career. He is gorgeous in clothes and spokes appropriately and is soon recognized by the Ignoneus family. The two young people meet and become intimate.

加什离家出走之后理所当然的去投奔了安德森，他很快就带着加什踏上了去往苏联出差的游轮。两人开始热恋。

Garth runs away from home and goes to Anderson. Anderson soon takes Garth on a cruise ship to the Soviet Union for a business trip.

安德森对于自己性取向从不隐藏，并且向外人介绍Garth为自己的男友。这些行为令Garth感到安全，他以为这是安德森认真对待自己的表现。但是Garth没想到的是，自己只是安德森炫耀的资本。

Anderson never hides his sexual orientation and introduces Garth as his boyfriend which makes Garth feel safe. But what Garth doesn't expect is that Anderson just takes him as a property could show off.

另外，安德森还是一个非常有控制欲的情场老手，他认为爱情只是交易，他提供奢华的生活条件，而男孩们只要听他的安排就好。他认为Garth寻找精神伴侣的想法非常无聊且没有意义。

In addition, Anderson is a control freak playboy. He believes that love is only a trade. He provides his boyfriends with luxurious living conditions, and the only thing the boys need to do is following his arrangement. He thinks that Garth's idea of finding a spiritual partner is very boring and meaningless.

白月光Bright moonlight

在那个年代，通过学术研究项目来洗钱的现象逐渐在有钱人的圈内流行起来。而安德森带着Garth去见的人，大部分也是这类执绔子弟。游轮上的日子花天酒地且奢靡混乱，Garth对这种气氛感到无助且厌恶，安德烈·别列科夫（23岁）也就是在这段时间内出现在他面前的。

In that time, the phenomenon of money-laundering through academic research projects becoming popular among the rich. Most of the people Anderson takes Garth to see are such dandies. The days on the cruise ship are extravagant and chaotic. Garth feels helpless and disgusted at the atmosphere. Andrei Berekov (23) appears during this time.

安德烈是那群苏联学者团里最安静的一个，大家都在喝酒应酬的时候他会找个安静的角落独自写写画画。相识之后Garth很快发现安德烈像自己一样也是对这场所谓学术旅行抱有错误的期待的人，并且，他在植物学上的知识令Garth震惊（虽然安德烈的口音给两人的沟通带来了不小的困难）。

Andrei is the quietest member of the group of Soviet scholars. While everyone drinks and socialize, he would sit in a quiet corner and write alone. Garth finds out that Andre, like himself, is also the one who has false expectations for this so-called academic trip. Moreover, Garth is shocked by his knowledge of botany (although Andre's accent makes it difficult for them to communicate).

跟安德森完全相反的是，温文尔雅的安德烈总能看到Garth灵魂上的闪光点，他尊重他的每一个灵感和观念，并将其演变成一场场友好而意义非凡的学术讨论。这几乎就是Garth一直在追求的关系状态。

Contrary to Anderson, the gentle Andre can always see the flash in Garth's soul. He respects every inspiration and idea of Garth and can turn every chat into a friendly and meaningful academic discussion. This is the kind of relationship state that Garth has been pursuing.

与此同时，Garth与安德森的关系在逐渐瓦解。安德森自顾自地将Garth引荐给学术圈名人，用钱打通渠道让Garth发布未完成的论文，擅自为他安排好了一切，Garth只要做一个不用思考的精致男孩去谄媚安德森就可以。这所有的一切都违背了Garth的原则。一次次的争吵并没有让他们互相理解，最终两人分手。

At the same time, the relationship between Garth and Anderson is disintegrating. Anderson arranges cocktail party bender to introduce Garth to celebrities in the academic circle. He buys ways for Garth to publish his unfinished paper and plans everything for him without authorization. The only thing Garth needs to do is being a good boy to flatter Anderson. All this violates Garth's principles. They row again and again and break up.

这之后安德烈正式开始追求Garth，将他介绍给自己的家人，并且在白俄罗斯的老家一起生活了一段时间。后来，两人决定前往爱丁堡大学进修植物分类学。

Then Andre and Garth fall in love. He introduces Garth to his family and live together in his hometown in Belarus for some time. Later, the two decide to go to the University of Edinburgh for master's degree in plant taxonomy.

一年半之后，两人研究生毕业，安德烈在毕业典礼上向Garth求婚。两人偷偷交换了戒指之后，踏上了前往北极圈的旅行。

A year and a half later, they graduate. Andre proposes to Garth at the graduation ceremony. After secretly exchanging rings, the two men embark on a trip to the Arctic Circle.

极光中的骑行 Riding under the aurora

婚后三年，两人旅行来到了加拿大育空地区，与另外一伙皮草猎人小队起了争执，被对方发现了恋人关系之后，���到了恶意的报复。安德烈被殴打致死，割下生殖器之后尸体被悬挂在树上，并在脖子上挂着“我是鸡奸者”的牌子示众。加什则被监禁起来，被迫在极夜的漫天极光中看着恋人的尸体一天天被乌鸦啃食殆尽。几天后他凭借最后一口气逃了出去，骑马朝着南方一路狂奔，最终得救。

In 1923, the two men come to Yukon, Canada, and have a dispute with another group of fur hunters and they are maliciously retaliated. Andre is beaten to death. After being cut off his genitals, his body is hung in a tree and displayed with an "I'm a sodomite" sign around his neck. Garth is imprisoned and forced to watch his lover's body being eaten by crows in the aurora of the polar night. A few days later, with his last breath, he escapes, rides all the way south, and is finally saved.

育空疯狗The mad dog of Yukon

这段噩梦般的经历对他的打击非常之大，残酷的折磨也给他的右侧头皮部分留下了丑陋的巨大伤疤。���患上严重的躁郁症，自残，并且有自杀倾向。他曾经非常温和并且幽默，现在变成了一个臭名昭著的人，并且得到了一个育空疯狗的绰号。

This nightmare experience is a great blow to him, and the cruel torture leaves a huge ugly scar on his right scalp and countless scars on his body. He suffers from serious bipolar disorder, self-mutilation, and suicidal tendencies. He used to be a very gentle and humorous man, but now he has become an infamous one and gets the nickname of Yukon mad dog.

有传闻说，失去理智的加什找到了当年折磨他的狩猎小队并且用极其残忍的手法报复了他们，但是因为精神问题，警察让他只在监狱里待了很短的时间，他便重获自由。但是这也只是传闻而已。没人知道加什到底做了什么。人们只是再也没有在育空地区见到过那些人。

It is rumored that Garth finds the hunting team that hurt him years ago and retaliated against them with extremely cruel methods, but, the police let him stay in prison for only a short time because of his mental problems.

 It's just a rumor. No one knows what Garth does to them. People just never see those people again in the Yukon.

危险游戏 Dangerous game

尽管加什的精神问题非常严重，行为也非常不可控，但是不可争议的是他是这一带地区最杰出的猎狼专家。1932年，他被邀请加入一支狩猎小队，他们计划南下去狩猎大型毛皮猎物。

Although Garth's mental problems are very serious and his behavior is very uncontrollable, it is indisputable that he is the most outstanding wolf hunting expert in this area. In 1932, he is invited to join a hunting team. They plan to go south to hunt large prey for fur.

初冬季节，加什遇到了身为守林员的哈特。哈特毫无怜悯的攻击将小队逼出了林区，同时，这个阴沉而凶悍的护林员吸引了加什的注意。他觉得，能杀死他，抑或被他杀死都是不错的事情。

In early winter, Garth meets Hart, a forest ranger. Hart's merciless attack drives the team out of the forest, while the gloomy and fierce ranger attracts Garth's attention. He thinks it is all good to kill him or be killed by him.

加什很快发现，尽管这个护林员的攻击非常凶猛并且极具威胁性，但是他似乎并不是真正想要他们的命。加什离开了队伍，独自回到木屋附近，开始用主动攻击的方式试探哈特的耐心的底线。哈特几乎是马上回应了他的攻击。然而像加什想的一样，哈特并不打算杀掉他——每一次射击都擦着他的脸颊飞了过去，只有几厘米的距离。

Garth soon finds that although the ranger's attack is fierce and threatening, he doesn't seem to really want to kill them. Garth leaves the team, returns to the cabin alone, and begins to test Hart's patience by taking the initiative to attack. Hart responds to his attack almost immediately.

As Garth thought, Hart does not intend to kill him - each shot wipes his cheek and flies over, only a few centimeters away.

加什几乎一下子就沉迷在了这场危险的游戏当中。哈特的反应让他十分满意——他的反击不会真正的对自己构成威胁，其中的威胁性又能让他兴奋起来。尽管他自己也清楚，这种病态的情绪源于当年他面对死亡时在心里留下对的心理阴影，这让他恐惧，狂躁，想哭又想笑，但是却是唯一能让自己感觉到活着的时刻。

Garth almost immediately indulges in this dangerous game.

Hart's reaction satisfies him - his counterattack would not only really pose a threat to himself, but also could excite Garth. Although Garth himself knows that this morbid emotion originates from the psychological shadow leaves in his heart when he faces death, which makes him afraid, manic, want to cry, want to laugh, it is the only time that he could feel alive.

怪人组合Freak couple

然而这场荒诞而危险的对决并不是以某一方的死亡为结局。在一个初雪天，哈特把加什逼到了绝路，但是他没有扣动扳机，只是问他为什么这么做。加什又哭又笑，说自己想死。哈特转身离开了。

However, this absurd and dangerous duel does not end with the death of one party. On a snowy day, Hart forces Garth to a dead end, but he doesn't pull the trigger, just askes him why he does it. Garth cries and laughs, says he wants to die.

Hart turns and leaves.

加什想不通为什么哈特有那么多次机会杀死他却没有下手。仇恨和恐惧在他的心里已经燃烧了太久，将他内心世界的草原烧得一片焦黑。然而从那天起，他能感觉到，一束光穿过黑烟照了进来，有什么东西在重新慢慢地萌芽。

Garth couldn't figure out why Hart has so many chances to kill him but doesn't do it. Hatred and fear have been burning in his heart for too long, burning the grassland of his inner world to black. However, from that day on, he could feel that a beam of light comes in through the black smoke, and something is slowly sprouting again.

重新建立信任的过程非常漫长。但是他们并没有什么细致的沟通和交流，对那场莫名其妙的枪战也只字不提。两个怪人只是共享一堆篝火，简单地说两句话，然后便自然而然的一起行动了。加什知道自然界也有不少很奇怪的搭档，比方说渡鸦和豺，蜜鸟和蜜獾。有的搭档甚至能终生在一起行动，即使一方死亡，��一方也不会再找新的搭档。也许他俩也是这样的动物吧。

The process of rebuilding trust is very long.

They do not have any detailed communication and exchange and do not mention the inexplicable gun battle. The two freaks just share a bonfire, say a few words, and then naturally act together.

Garth knows that nature also has many strange partners, such as raven and jackal, Greater Honeyguide and honey badger. Some partners can even act together all their lives. Even if one party dies, the other will not find a new one. Maybe they are such animals, too.

[yamayuandadu]

do you have any sources on the worship of the goddess inanna/Ishtar during the Seleucid/Hellenistic period to the Parthian period? i dont recall stumbling upon anything talking about her.

even though from what I've been reading mesopotamian deities were still popular (like bel-marduk in Palmyra and nabu in Edessa or shamash in hatra and mardin or sin in harran etc etc.. ) i dont recall reading anything about her or anything mention her worship (other than theories of the alabaster reclining figurines being depictions of her)

A good start when it comes to late developments in Mesopotamian religion is Religious Continuity and Change in Parthian Mesopotamia. A Note on the survival of Babylonian Traditions by Lucinda Dirven.

Hellenistic Uruk, and by extension the cult of Ishtar, is incredibly well documented and the most extensive monograph on this topic, Julia Krul’s The Revival of the Anu Cult and the Nocturnal Fire Ceremony at Late Babylonian Uruk, is pretty much open access (and I link it regularly here, and it's one of my to-go wiki editing points of reference as well); it has an extensive bibliography and the author discusses the history of research of the development of specific cults in Uruk in detail. The gist of it is fairly straightforward: her status declined because with the fall of Babylon to the Persians the priestly elites of Uruk decided it’s time for a reform and for the first time in history Anu’s primacy moved past the nominal level, into the cultic sphere, at the expense of Ishtar and Nanaya. Even the Eanna declined, though a new temple, the Irigal, was built essentially as a replacement; we know relatively a lot about its day to day operations. An akitu festival of Ishtar is also well documented, and Krul goes into its details. All around, I don’t think the linked book will disappoint you.

An important earlier work about the changes in Uruk in Paul-Alain Beaulieu’s Antiquarian Theology in Seleucid Uruk. There’s also Of Priests and Kings: The Babylonian New Year Festival in the Last Age of Cuneiform Culture by Céline Debourse which covers Uruk and Babylon, but there is less material relevant to this ask there. Evidence from Upper Mesopotamia and beyond is more fragmented so I’ll discuss it in more detail under the cut. My criticism of this take on the reclining figures is there as well.

The matter is briefly discussed in Personal Names in the Aramaic Inscriptions of Hatra by Enrico Marcato (p. 168; search for “Iššar” within the file for theophoric name attestations). References to a deity named ʻIššarbēl might indicate Ishtar of Arbela fared relatively well (for her earlier history see here and here) in the first centuries CE. The evidence is not unambiguous, though. This issue is discussed in detail in Lutz Greisiger’s Šarbēl: Göttin, Priester, Märtyrer – einige Probleme der spätantiken Religionsgeschichte Nordmesopotamiens. Theophoric names and the dubious case of ʻIššarbēl aside, there are basically no meaningful attestations of Ishtar from Hatra, but curiously “Ishtar of Hatra” does appear in a Mandaic scroll known as the “Great Mandaic Demon Roll”. According to Marcato this evidence should not be taken out of context, and additionally it cannot be ruled that we’re dealing with a case of ishtar as a generic noun for a goddess (An Aramaic Incantation Bowl and the Fall of Hatra, pages 139-140; accessible via De Gruyter). If this is correct, most likely Marten (the enigmatic main female deity of the local pantheon), Nanaya or Allat (brought to Upper Mesopotamia by Arabs settling there in the first centuries CE) are actually meant as opposed to Ishtar. 

Joan Goodnick Westenholz suggested that Mandaic sources might also contain references to Ishtar of Babylon: the theonym Bablīta (“the Babylonian”) attested in them according to her might reflect the emergence of a new deity derived from Bēlet-Bābili (ie. Ishtar of Babylon) in late antiquity (Goddesses in Context, p. 133)

In addition to Marcato’s article listed above, another good starting point for looking into Mesopotamian religious “fossils” in Mandaic sources is Spätbabylonische Gottheiten in spätantiken mandäischen Texten by Christa Müller-Kessler and Karlheinz Kessler; Ishtar is covered on pages 72-73 and 83-84 though i’d recommend reading the full article for context. The topic is further explored here.

In his old-ish monograph The Pantheon of Palmyra, Javier Teixidor proposed that the sparsely attested local Palmyrene goddess Herta (I’ve also seen her name romanized as Ḥirta; it’s agreed that it’s derived from Akkadian ḫīrtu, “wife”) was a form of Ishtar, based on the fact she appears in multiple inscriptions alongside Nanaya (p. 111). She is best known from a dedication formula where she forms a triad with Nanaya and Resheph (Greek version replaces them with Hera and Artemis, but curiously keeps Resheph as himself). However, ultimately little can be said about her cult beyond the fact it existed, since a priest in her service is mentioned at least once.

I need to stress here that I didn’t find any other authors arguing in favor of the existence of a supposed Palmyrene Ishtar. Joan Goodnick Westenholz mentioned Herta in her seminal Nanaya: Lady of Mystery, but she only concluded that the name was an Akkadian loanword and that she, Resheph and Nanaya indeed formed a triad (p. 79; published in Sumerian Gods and their Representations, which as far as I know can only be accessed through certain totally legit means). Maciej M. Münnich in his monograph The God Resheph in the Ancient Near East doesn’t seem to be convinced by Teixidor’s arguments, and notes that it’s most sensible to assume Herta seems to be Nanaya’s mother in local tradition. He similarly criticizes Teixidor for asserting Resheph has to be identical with Nergal in Palmyrene context (pages 259-260); I’m inclined to agree with his reasoning, interchangeability of deities cannot be presumed without strong evidence and that is lacking here.

I’m not aware of any attestations from Dura Europos. Nanaya had that market cornered on her own. Last but not least: I'm pretty sure the number of authors identifying the statuettes you’ve mentioned this way is in the low single digits. The similar standing one from the Louvre is conventionally identified as Nanaya (see ex. Westenholz's Trading the Symbols of the Goddess Nanaya), who has a much stronger claim to crescent as an attribute (compare later Kushan and Sogdian depictions, plus note the official Seleucid interpretatio as Artemis for dynastic politics purposes), so I see little reason to doubt reclining figures so similar they even tend to have the same sort of gem navel decoration are also her, personally.

A great example of the Nanaya-ish statuette from the Louvre (wikimedia commons). To sum everything up: while evidence is available from both the south and the north, the last centuries BCE and first centuries CE were generally a time of decline for Ishtar(s); for the first time Nanaya was a clear winner instead, but that's another story...

[myntrose]

ׂׂૢgenshin characters as meet-cutes!ׂׂૢ

ft: Tighnari, Diluc, Ayato x gender neutral! Reader (separately)

cn: modern au!, kinda academy au!, a lot of head-cannon dumping lol, prob grammar mistakes, a tiny bit ooc, fluff :D

a/n: hello:D im trying to get back to writing lol o/ also, for the meet-cute statements, reader would be "A"

word count: 826

*ೃ༄meet-cute: an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them.

Tighnari

*ೃ༄when A and B reach for the same book at the library

His footsteps were quick and rushed, each being more anxious than the last. It wasn't uncommon to see Tighnari in the library during the most obscure hours of the night. What was different was that, unlike his usual studious self, forgot to include a whole paragraph of research in his latest essay. Who could blame him? He was so busy with mentoring his underclassmen, and conducting all sorts of new projects that this particular one had completely left his mind. He skims through the shelves looking for a specific book. "The researchers guide to foreign fauna" (he had already read this one), "The sun's effects of nocturnal plants" (he had not read this one, maybe he should borrow it as well) and, ah! "The safety handbook vol. 1: caring for variegated plants" Just the book he needed. Instead of reaching out the grab the books spine, his hand collides with that of your own. He looks straight at you, the gears in his mind immediately clicking. Ah, looks like you need the same book. While he fights a conflicted battle of being a gentleman and giving you the book, or to just snatch and run, you realize that both your hands are still touching. You quickly retract your hand away, opening your mouth to start bargaining with your life as to why you really need this book for your research topic. Your convincing falls sort when Tighnari makes a slight cough.

"Heh... it looks like we both need this book. You can have it first, I don't mind..."

He pulls out his phone, opening up his contacts.

"...But please, the moment you have no more use for it, call me so I can pick it up."

If it hadn't been for the library's dim lights, perhaps you would have noticed the slight blush that brushed across Tighnari's face.

Diluc

*ೃ༄A is forced to attend a fancy party, gets seated next to B, who they complain about how lame the party is. B is the party host (A is unaware of this)

It's almost rare that Diluc could get a breather away from his own party. It came the time that it was the young heir's birthday once again. While his fellow classmates could only dream of having such an extravagant celebration, Diluc couldn't help but dread it. After all, he knew close to no one here, most being business partners, or the families of his fathers friends. He grabs his cup of grape juice, watching from the corner of his eyes as someone interrupts his silent bubble. Dread fills Diluc as he prepares a half-lived smile, ready to talk to whichever business owner had the nerves to ask for a collaboration-

"It's nice to see that someone else looks bored as hell in this party."

...?

He turns his chair to get a better look at you. He doesn't exactly know you. Maybe a child of one of the many CEO's present? You look like you're supposed to be at this party, dressed according to the theme and such. But he makes quick to recognize the slight scowl on your face. The look of, if-one-more-person-talks-about-economics-with-me-I'll-snap. You turn to fully look at the person you sat next to.

"Hey, I was thinking of leaving early and getting some takeout. Wanna come with?"

Maybe you were the breath of fresh air he needed.

Ayato

*ೃ༄A thinks they found their friend, giving them a surprise hug from behind. They hugged B. Their friend watched the whole thing happen.

Maybe Ayaka should have mentioned that she had a brother. Could all the blame be put on her, though? Yes, they did have very similar hair. But surely anyone could have realized that on height alone that the person you so very excitedly hugged wasn't her, but her much taller brother.

After class had officially ended, you spotted your dear friend at the end of the hallway. You were extremely tired as it is, with the only thought in mind being to regain energy through your very positive friend. Sleep made its way early to you, so when you bear-hugged your friend it took long to realize how you were actually cuddling.

On the other side of this, Ayato was deep in conversation with Thoma, before turning his head to see one of his juniors practically squeezing the life out of him. Thankfully, he sees Ayaka walk up to him, reaching to his ear and whispering what had just happened. Ayato couldn't help but let out a light-hearted smile. Ayaka taps your shoulder, causing your eyes to flutter open.

"Ayaka, please let me rest"

...

"Wait, how are you standing in front of me if-"

Maybe Ayaka should properly introduce you to her brother.

[vladdyissues]

Prepare some tea and pancakes because I'm gonna share with you my dp omegaverse au. Sorry for misprints, I try to fix them but always miss some of them.

1) Yes, halfas have ghost genders, too, because it's about a soul, not body. Dani? Well, she's too young yet, her personality isn't determinated

2) There are 3 ghost genders: alpha, omega and beta. Betas are the most part of ghosts (80%). As most people tgey exist to serve alphaa and omegas' wishes, ideas. Beta often doesn't even know what they really want or their desires are only a result of culture traditios. Examples: Bertrand, Technus, Bullet, Skulker*, Fright Knight (*hc that he is born ghost, so, he just want to survive being tge best hunter)

Alphas are the strongest gender (several alpha is stronger than several omega or beta). They dominate in a way people see it. They also barely doubt. They don't an appreciation but alphas often gather ghosts around themselves. As possible morpho feature is huge fangs. Examples: Young Blood, Pariah Dark, Danny* (at least we watched him developing as an alpha. Especially in season 3.)

Omegas dominates as well but through manipulations. This is why most omegas are demons (Desire, Ember, Spectra). They need appreciation, it's make omegas weaker. They make a cult from their persona or exist on their own. A possible morpho feature is fangs, too, but a bit smaller. One more example: Vlad.

3) Spirits is out of gender-party game (Clockwork, Valentine, Nocturn)

4) Instead of heat there's the vibrating period. (yea, sounds smutty, i know) It happens once in 4 years and lasts a month. This period is called from omegas' souls become extremely emotionally vulnerable and their core make vibrations that "vocals" all their deepest worries. Alphas of the same kind can apprehend vibrations and the scent of that omega (it's not sounds actually, they feel it by the whole body; more like snakes' bone conduction). This thoughts like a mantra sounds in alpha's mind, so, they try to help omega. Researchers-ghosts say that in the vibrating period increases the mating frequency.

An simple example of how it works on Pompous pep: Danny was 17 when oneday he started to hear in his head "Vlad needs you. He wants to get some love. You must be this one. He wants to love you and be loved by you. Vlad wants his happily ever after and vanilla family things with you. You know how much he's suffered from loneliness. What a hero would you unless you help him? At least one hug, a dinner, a kiss or just once have a..." Wherever or whever Danny is. This thought haunts him. The whole month.

And yes, omegas' emotions changes fast as a rollercoaster during the vibrating period. (sorry: they're purring. meow)

5) Fangs are for: a) mark your beta slaves; b) mark your omega (mate). Anyway, the mark means "you can't touch it, it's mine". It has the owner/mate's scent. Mated omega soul vibrations can't be apprehended by other alphas. Marks disappear after 4 years.

6) Betas lacks of gamets. Alphas and omegas are both isogamic. If they decide to make a child... they actually MAKE it. They form theur gamets and combine. Future parents watch for the egg, corrects the core from time to time. The eggs develops into the new ghost (halfa) after several months. But the child is still vulnerable. It can't survive without parents.

7) Sex? Well, ghosts can form genitals if they like too but it doesn't connect to mating or ghost born. It's like playing the ukulele. Do if you'd like to. However, I wouldn't say the same to halfas. They are half-humans after all.

That's all! Thanks for your attention and patience!

+ I forgot add to omegaverse au: Halfa born from alpha and omega can be connected to sex any way (e.g. the forming process starts a human way but after bones are ready the egg go out)

[beevean]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.beyondgames.biz/43436/from-vampire-video-game-to-hit-netflix-animation-an-interview-with-the-castlevania-nocturne-creator/%3famp=1

This...should also be interesting

man you're having fun sending me peak :P

This got a bit long, so under the cut it is - I'm also afraid I'm annoying others with this lol

Castlevania, the long-running and influential platform game series launched by Konami in 1986, follows the generations-long battle between the Belmont family and vampire lord Dracula. The Castlevania TV show told that story across four seasons.

This is a lie. Not only the og show only adapted one adventure and not the entire legacy, but that adventure barely took half of the runtime.

Yes I'm being petty, but can you blame me? They can't even gush about Best Videogame Adaptation Of All Time right.

I didn’t know the games, but I’d seen the earlier [Castlevania] show and liked it very much.

I had no doubts 🙂

Even as a fan of the show, though, Bradley's knowledge is lacking. Dude forgot basic worldbuilding like Devil Forging and the effect of crosses on vampires.

"Konami also gets sent notes and the scripts." I find funny how there is zero mention of their input lol. "yeah they get kinda warned that we're doing stuff with their brand. just in case someone cares"

I did quite a bit of reading up about it, especially the two games in particular. One of the difficulties in terms of working out a story is that in many of the games, including these two, Dracula was prominent. But in the original TV series, the Dracula story is kind of put to bed! Dracula gets a happy ending after season four. So I had to work out how – or whether – to handle Dracula. I started looking into other villains. There were two. I researched the games and cherry-picked what I could use. Olrox is in the game, but he’s different. And there’s Erzsebet Báthory, who appears in a different Castlevania game with an Anglicised name. I knew who she was already: she’s a famous historical figure. I decided to treat her as the historical character (who’s supposedly the worst female serial killer in history – [folklore] turned her into a vampire).

Nice to see Bradley has learned from Ellis' school of thought of just randomly selecting elements you might recycle with no further consideration. I'm surprised he chose Erzsebet and not, say, Barlowe, who was definitely alive back then.

To be fair, though, I can understand his frustration at the absolute idiotic ending of the og show.

[The Deats brothers] know how to use things from the games creatively and in ways that will work even if you don’t know the games.

... no. Moving on.

There is a character called Annette in Rondo Of Blood who is Richter’s girlfriend. She’s trapped in Dracula’s castle, and he has to rescue her in the game. Now, I was never going to do an eight-episode season, never mind two seasons or more, of Richter running around a castle rescuing a girl.

I can just hear the scoffing.

Alright, fair, I understand his point. You want a more dynamic plot, I get it. But you basically went "this is shit, I'll just turn her into my OC", just like you did with Olrox and Erzsebet, and just like Ellis did with pretty much everyone in the cast. You all just take names and create your own stories by leeching off the popularity of the source material and then expect to be clapped for writing the Best Adaptation of all time.

One of the tasks in developing the show and its story is that, of course, the reason it exists at all is because of the game. So you want to please fans of the game. But it can’t only be for fans of the game. It has to have a broader appeal. There’s a significant fan base, but you need more to justify a Netflix show. You have to have something that will work for a wider audience. It has to be something on its own, and you have to find the logic of the story that you started to tell. Sometimes, the problem with adaptations (especially if they aren’t very complex stories to begin with) is that if you keep trying just to come back to that, you’re going to lock yourself into a dead end. What you do is you develop characters and then the characters have a logic. And the story has its own logic. And you have to allow that to happen, or it will fail on every level.

... so, what was I saying?

This speaks for itself. I have nothing to add.

The name seems to work for a Mexica background – although it’s not really Aztec

the fuck are you saying? Olrox is a mistranslation of Orlok. It's German! What, just because there's an X there suddenly it can pass off for Aztec? So much for hiring writers that can help you with writing other cultures

So we have a bunch of kids who are out of their depth. Richter’s too cocky. He thinks he can handle everything, and he can’t. Maria is even younger than Richter and Annette. They’re all very obviously out of their depth. And there’s something very Buffy about that, in a way.

And Annette is just perfect, isn't she :) it's not like her brash outburst lead to Edouard becoming a Night Creature and she, instead of blaming herself, kept snapping at Richter for wanting to make her reason :)

also lol that Maria is only described as "young". She really has no personality and contributes nothing to the story.

There’s a lot of that in Olrox, and Drolta also has a touch of Anne Rice about her. Those particular vampires are quite ambiguous – and sexy!

Drolta is literally what the fandom believes game Isaac to be, a shallow evil horndog simp, but with tits. Ambiguous my ass.

We knew that the vampires in this universe are aristocratic.

bro accidentally wrote a story about vampires infiltrating human nobility to the point of becoming an accepted part of their world because he forgot that not all vampires are inherently aristocratic. i'm shitting myself.

The Night Creatures are in the old Castlevania show, and the game. But they tended to be a bit gross-looking. In contrast, we wanted something a bit more beautiful. It fits with the story about [transformed singer] Eduard. It felt important that in his Night Creature form, you could still see the beauty of the character. He needed to be a beautiful Night Creature, preserving his voice, and you needed to see the sadness in his eyes and everything. And he couldn’t be stupidly different from all the other Night Creatures, so they changed a little, too.

... what?

So you fucked over the entire lore of Night Creatures just to have a pretty Edouard??

I. No. Moving on again.

(also this is an insult to abel, even the one in the show)

There’s been less complaint about the portrayal of the Church than I thought there might be!

Yeah, because the audience of NFCV is so anti church that they cheer at the sight of the Devil sending human-eating demons to slaughter peasants who did not stop one execution.

Talk us through some of the other characters, please. You’ve got some great voice actors! Alucard was always going to be in it right from the beginning of working on this. The question was just when. We decided to end it on a cliffhanger. If you’re going to have a cliffhanger, you might as well make it as good a cliffhanger!

question: hey would you like to talk about the voice actors

bradley, not containing his boner: OMG HAVE YOU SEEN ALUCARD ALUCARD IS SO COOL WE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO BACK TO ALUCARD THE ONLY CHARACTER PEOPLE CARE ABOUT

One of the things that was great with this – and it’s a credit to Kevin Kolde and to Netflix – is that it is a very ‘free’ adaptation. They were very open to that and okay with it. Nobody at any level was saying, ‘Hold on a minute! You can’t do that.’ With any adaptation, there are things which you probably want to be more faithful to, because the story is already so great.

... is it me, or does it seem like he's saying "we were free to do as we pleased, while usually we can't because the OG story is already great - which was not our case, RoB's story was so shallow that nothing was worth keeping"?

Like. I don't think it's what he meant because it would be rude as fuck. But it sure sounds like it.

But yeah, I can tell no one gave a shit about Nocturne being an actual adaptation.

[droctaviolovecraft]

TW: Violence/gore, animal harming, body horror

ANM-682: "Laughing Swine"

Danger Level: RHTL (Rural Horror Threat Level) 🌲 | Uncontained ❌️

Insalubrity Level: 40%

Lead Researcher: Dr. Öctavio Kalev

Anomaly Type: Rural, predatory, bestial

Containment: ANM-682 is currently uncontrolled and highly dangerous. Due to its rural and remote nature, containment efforts are focused on monitoring rural areas in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and along the division between Piauí and Ceará. All reports of nocturnal attacks or sightings of giant pigs should be immediately investigated by the Elite Task Force "Foxhound" and the "Sewer Worms" Task Force, specialized in rural anomalies.

Local authorities and the public should be misled with stories of a dangerous escaped animal and should not approach or engage with ANM-682 under any circumstances. A network of Institute secret agents must be positioned in key villages and towns to track ANM-682’s movements and report any anomalies. Due to the difficulty of conventional tracking methods, a joint task force is working on developing a specialized tracking system based on pheromones.

If ANM-682 is found, personnel must maintain a distance of at least 200 meters and avoid all direct visual and auditory contact with the humanoid entity residing in ANM-682-1.

Description: ANM-682 consists of two distinct entities, identified as ANM-682-1 and ANM-682-2.

ANM-682-1 is a large, abnormally large pig, approximately 3 meters long and weighing over 1,200 kg. Its abdomen is crudely stitched with thick, rusted wire, indicating a recent and likely amateur attempt at surgery. ANM-682-1's skin is heavily scarred and discolored, displaying patches of necrotic tissue and purulent wounds, emitting a nauseating stench that can cause nausea and dizziness in those nearby.

The primary anomalous property of ANM-682-1 is its ability to sustain ANM-682-2, which resides within its abdominal cavity. ANM-682-1 appears to be in a constant state of distress, producing low, painful grunts interspersed with sharp squeals whenever ANM-682-2 is active. Despite its apparent suffering, ANM-682-1 is highly aggressive and will attack anyone approaching within a 50-meter radius, using its considerable bulk to trample, bite, or headbutt its targets.

ANM-682-2 is a human with severe physical disabilities, estimated to be in its late 30s, measuring approximately 1.50m. ANM-682-2 suffers from a multitude of chronic illnesses and physical deformities, including polio, genu recurvatum (backward-bent knees), and severe malnutrition. It is covered in scar tissue and old wounds, indicating long-term physical trauma.

ANM-682-2 is characterized by a continuous high-pitched laugh, similar to a pig's squeal, which it emits constantly while inside ANM-682-1. This laughter has a profound psychological effect on those who hear it, inducing severe anxiety, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations in exposed individuals. These symptoms usually escalate to full-blown psychosis if exposure exceeds 10 minutes.

During nighttime hours (between 21:00 and 04:00 local time), ANM-682-2 will exit ANM-682-1 through a large, torn cut in its abdomen. Covered in blood and organic fluids, ANM-682-2 will begin stalking rural communities, searching for human prey. It exhibits extreme agility and speed despite its physical disabilities, moving with an abnormally fluid and rapid gait, often running quadrupedally due to its bent knees.

ANM-682-2 is known to enter the homes of sleeping individuals, where it attacks them in their beds, targeting the limbs and facial features of its victims. ANM-682-2’s jaw is abnormally developed, capable of exerting immense pressure and chewing through bone and resistant organic material. This, combined with its resistance to damage, suggests a form of adaptation to its horrific dietary habits.

After consuming a sufficient amount of human flesh, ANM-682-2 will return to ANM-682-1 and forcibly re-enter its abdominal cavity. ANM-682-1 will then flee the scene, usually disappearing into densely forested or isolated areas.

Addendum 682-1: Incident Log

Incident 682-07-A:

Date: 08/23/2023

Location: Rural community near Montes Claros, Minas Gerais.

Description: Several reports of loud, animalistic laughter were received by local police over three nights. The following morning, the mutilated bodies of three farmers were discovered in their homes. The victims exhibited extensive trauma to the shoulders and face, consistent with ANM-682-2’s attack patterns. Surveillance footage captured ANM-682-2 entering one of the houses, but as usual, the image quality was too poor to provide useful identification. Agents on-site confirmed ANM-682's presence, and containment efforts were initiated.

Incident 682-09-B:

Date: 09/15/2023

Location: Surroundings of Bom Jesus do Piauí.

Description: A family of five was attacked in their sleep by ANM-682-2. The father, who survived the encounter, described ANM-682-2 as “the devil itself, with twisted legs, a mouth full of broken teeth, long hair, and exposed ribs, laughing like a pig.” Despite severe injuries, he managed to fend off ANM-682-2 with a shotgun, causing the entity to quickly retreat into a nearby forest. ANM-682-1 was seen retreating into dense brush shortly after.

Addendum 682-2: Psychological Effects

Extensive testing with Subject P personnel exposed to recordings of ANM-682-2’s laughter revealed a consistent pattern of psychological degradation. Subjects reported auditory hallucinations, including the sound of pigs grunting and human screams, even after the audio was stopped. Prolonged exposure led to violent outbursts, self-harm, and in two cases, suicide.

It is currently theorized that ANM-682-2’s laughter functions as a memetic hazard, potentially linked to the anomalous properties of ANM-682-1. Further research into the nature of this phenomenon is ongoing.

Addendum 682-3: Containment Efforts

Efforts to capture ANM-682-1 and ANM-682-2 have been unsuccessful. ANM-682-1 is believed to be capable of traveling long distances at high speeds, making tracking and capture extremely difficult. Current containment protocols are focused on minimizing civilian casualties and monitoring affected regions for signs of ANM-682’s presence.

Institute personnel are advised to approach all encounters with ANM-682 with extreme caution. Under no circumstances should there be direct contact with ANM-682-2. Any personnel exposed to ANM-682-2’s laughter must undergo immediate psychological evaluation and amnestic treatment as necessary.

[villainsimpqueen]

Below It Glows

Chp 7.

Miles Quaritch x Cave Navi Reader.

__________

(Fanart made by @nin3kyuu )

Enjoy!

**PERSONAL LOG - MILES QUARITCH**

*Date: ××, ××, 2144

**Encounter Report: Y/n Aysara - Na'vi Individual**

Tonight's shift took an unexpected turn with the unanticipated entrance of Y/n Aysara, a Na'vi individual, into the watchtower premises.

**Initial Observations:**

Y/n Aysara displayed signs of distress and aggression upon entering. Communication attempts proved futile initially due to language barriers.

**Communication Facilitation:**

Utilizing the translation app on the tablet, Y/n Aysara revealed affiliation with Eywa and expressed intent to teach Na'vi culture. A peculiar choice of instructor, considering my position.

**Physical Examination:**

Distinct physical features noted: four ears, two tails, and luminescent patterns on the skin. Silver eyes suggest potential nocturnal adaptation.

**Sanitation Assistance:**

Noticed motor oil contamination on Y/n Aysara. Offered water and a makeshift cloth for cleansing, revealing an aversion to motor oil.

**Language Exchange:**

Engaged in linguistic exchange facilitated by the tablet. Y/n Aysara emphasized the desire to convey insights into Eywa's teachings and Na'vi ways.

**Departure and Unresolved Mysteries:**

Y/n Aysara departed at dawn, vanishing into a mining hole, referencing a location known as "The glows." Attempts to locate her proved unsuccessful.

***Recommend***

I have decided to keep this a private matter, Limiting access to my files about this event.

**Conclusion:**

The encounter with Y/n Aysara presents an unprecedented situation requiring careful consideration and collaboration with the research team. Future developments will be monitored and reported accordingly.

*End log.*

Miles reaching his unit that morning was most likely the quickest he ever had been from returning home from a shift. He had practically collided with the unit's door as he stumbled into the entrance. He knew he should've been more quiet upon entering but he couldn't as he quickly crossed the living room to his desk snatching open its compartments for his old beaten up Holo Tablet device that was years old. It was the only thing he knew without a doubt it couldn't be traced and it was where he liked to keep his more reserved work files onto. Clicking the old devices buttons he waited as the screen booted up and projected allowing him to jot down everything that had happened. Gentle foot steps from the hall to their shared room brought little attention.

“Mi cielo, What are you doing?” Paz's voice slightly echoed in their living room a yawn covering her tone as she padded into their shared space. Yet Miles turns quickly and rushes towards her.

“You're not going to believe what happened.” He brought her over to their sofa sitting her down before he explained everything moving the updated tablet he had on him showing her the recorded conversation he had taken and the few poor quality pictures he managed which over pixelated The navy womens glowing stripes as if the holy tablets camera were not sure where to focus on the woman's body.

“She just..came into the tower.” Paz questioned as she read through the conversation staring at the woman's image.

“Stumbled through the door more like.” Miles answered as he moved, getting up and heading towards the kitchen to make them coffee.

“She was nothing like the other species Dr.Augustine's team had reached out to…four ears, two tails hell, even two of those connected things.”

“I believe they're called Queues..” Paz replied as she got up from the sofa moving to the kitchen's bar top to lean against it watching the back of her love.

“You should really take this to Grace.”

Miles did not respond right away, turning to lean back into the counter as he looked at Paz's face.

“I dont think it's a wise idea.” He spoke his tone lower than it had moments before, causing Paz to raise a brow, a simple gesture that he knew that she wanted him to explain.

“We're already on edge with the forest clan, Yea, and this Glows whatever they are…Paz they gotta be underground. She disappeared into an old mining hole. Straight down vanished. You think that's gonna go well with Ridge? This whole time with parts and stuff going missing, Mine operations are stalling and there could be a whole another clan hidden below our feet?”

He watched as Paz's brows furrowed, how her eyes moved from him and into the holotable in her hands.

“So what are you going to do about this?” She asked him looking back to meet his eyes with hers.

“Right now ima keep this on the low. Transfer everything to my old tab and data erase everything on my work one. Take it one step at a time.” He answers her moving to the other side of the bar leaning against it moving his hand out to take one of hers.

“I'd like you to show me how to do that.” He watched her brows furrow once more making his lips twitch upwards some.

“Erase the data.”

A snort leaving her as she shook her head.

“I will erase the data, but i want to know what's going on, if you're insisting on playing solo investigator, and she comes back i want to know everything.” Paz spoke to him firmly and He squeezed her hand.

“I wouldn't ever keep a secret from you Darlin.” He assured her.

And He found himself staying on the night shifts longer than he had originally planned. The difference was now Paz would sometimes come to bring him ‘lunches’ in hopes that she would be with him on a night where the mysterious Navi woman would appear.

Weeks had gone by before She had appeared again, one a night after Paz had left from bringing him ‘lunch’.

It was another night spent with the translation app on his work holo tablet and a conversation made up between broken tongue of the device, With a small screen off to the corner out his main screen way on mute communicating everything to an old outdated Holotablet in the Hands of the very woman who had missed out on being physically present in this encounter.

It had seemed to Frustrate You more as the conversation was not as fluent as a flowing river. And so this night was nothing but you saying the words in the correct way and having him repeat it back to you.

“Whetu Nui '' You spoke to him slowly in a way it sounded like your tongue was fighting against your teeth as you tried to dumb the word down for him for what must've been the hundredth time in the past five minutes.

“Whetu Nui” He Spoke back and watched how your ears moved. It was fascinating they could move individually had you wanted them too, but it seemed more commonly for them to move together.

You had nodded your head at him seemingly content in his pronunciation on how to say Big star in your language.

“Pai.” Your voice echoed through the call, as Paz held Miles' old holo tablet in her lab as she sat at the edge of the bed.

You were a stunning sight, sitting there close to the watchtower's doors in the darkened room, but she could hardly agree it was dark with how brightly things were illuminated by your markings glow. Sometimes the Camera would catch locking onto your body allowing a crystal clear image of what you looked like and it was those times Paz found herself quickly sliding her fingers across the holo tablets projected screen to snapshot those clear short lasting seconds before the camera became blurry or pixelated, It wasn't entirely the cameras doing but more so how Miles could not sit completely still.

The next morning it did not take Miles long to quickly return to her after the navi woman left.

There they both quickly went over everything, over several shared cups of coffee and it ended with Paz erasing all corresponding evidence of this hidden encounter off Miles' work Tablet and had everything encrypted over to the old beat up one which Miles would store the device away at the work desk.

“She was beautiful.” Paz whispered as they both laid together in their bed, her head against his chest as she could feel his hand moving up and down her arm.

“You should see her in person, it's something else, Darlin.” He whispers back, making her huff and smack his chest.

“I will be there next time she comes.” causing a chuckle to leave him.

“Of course Darlin.”

but it seems you were on an entirely different time schedule.

For you never showed up at the same time each time you did appear. Always at different times and So Paz watched you through a screen speaking to Miles, more so teaching him more of your language and unknowingly her as well.

“Whaea Nui.” She listened to your streaming voice.

Paz slowly mouthed the words before she too spoke them aloud.

“Whaea Nui.” Glancing from the old Holotablet to her own updated work tablet with the translation app spirling its little icon before the line moved forming the translation of Na'vi to Human English.

‘Great mother’

“Wha Nu.” Miles' voice crackled through the old Tablet projected screen causing Paz to let out a snort.

“Kino!..Whaea Nui. W h a e a N u i.”

“Whea Nue” Miles attemption of repeating what you had once again slowed down for him. Paz watched the screen amusedly to see how your pixelated ears moved back.

“Whaea nui homai te kaha ki ahau me tenei tama a tetahi atu whaea.” Your voice moved through with tones of draining patients and While Paz didn't fully need to know what you must've said, she could feel your irritation to understand. Through her eyes moved to her work tablet watching how the words translated causing her to snort.

“Hey, I'm trying!” Miles' voice cut through the olden tablet caused Paz to snort out another round of chuckles as she could assume his own tablet finally translated your tongues language.

It wasn't long before the first rays of the Pandoran sun started to peek through her and miles room window, and not even a few moments longer before you had vanished through the mining operations sight and into another hole when Paz heard the clicking noise of her being unmuted.

“Where do you think those lead too?” She asks him.

“To wherever she keeps calling the Glows darlin.” Miles voice records over.

Log Entry 1

Date xx, xx, 2144

She keeps coming back and it seems every time she does I miss her by a hair. I can see why Miles is captivated by her, for I am just as much as entangled by her as well. Each time she does appear at that watch tower, I find myself more and more curious about her. I've been taking well to her lessons, practicing her tongue as if it was my own. I found myself whispering her raught words as I did my rounds through the engineering room or other assigned tasks throughout my shifts. Miles and I have both taken to studying the Navi language through the Translation app far more seriously.

When I do get to finally meet her, I want to be able to speak with her without the tablets. Focus more on her facial expressions, for language is more than just simply saying the words, it is a dance of expressions giving the words meaning and life in the conversation.

I believe actually hearing her voice in person versus the cracking of miles old screen will help with that.

The last encounter Miles had asked her when she would be back, She had replied in a hurry before leaving.

The translator spit out nonsense

‘When the water stops dripping.’

We both could not come up with what she meant by that, another reason why we must learn her language to understand her better.

Log Entry 2.

Date xx,xx,2144

She meant when it stops raining!

I sometimes forget how attune to nature they seem to be with this planet. It wasn't even a day after the last encounter before the storms started to roll in. I Have never seen such hard and heavy rain, so much clean water poured down.

Miles and I have taken to the patio during these days, just sitting and watching the rain fall. It's calming, Just us sitting beside each other watching the storm pelt clean water against our patio glass, beating down on the forest that surrounds the base.

We have discovered that even when the forest is being pounded by the heavy falling rain that it's brimming with life.

The amount of creatures that seem to come out during the rain was carefully documented by Hells Gates research team, and the data uploaded for all to see.

Miles and I got the delight to see one of these creatures up close against the patio's glass paneling. A strange little creature that Dr. Augustine's team drew common parallels to extinct earth species of Hylidae, Gekkonidae. Miles kept poking at the patio glass to make the little thing move around despite me telling him to stop.

Dr.Augustine's team predicts that the rains will continue for at least two weeks before the storm passes through. That at least gave Miles and I a rough idea of when she would start coming back again.

This time when she comes back, I will meet her.

_________________

Whetu Nui- Big star

Whaea nui- Great mother

Whaea nui homai te kaha ki ahau me tenei tama a tetahi atu whaea- Great mother give me strength with this son of another mother.

[pransesdp]

*sips tea* -Soooo, dunno if the ship-circle-meme thing is still popular or not/has been done lately in the DP fandom... buuut couldn't resist giving it a try after I went back and updated a ship template I made awhile back lol Here's the blank template below for anyone who wishes to fill it out too (just be sure to give credit when you're done! ^^):

My current ship opinions shouuuuld be self-explanatory for the most part, but for anyone curious of my specific thoughts & such, feel free to read below! 👍

~DP OTPs~

-Danny x Sam

Yeah yeah, call me cliche/basic all you want with this being in the OTP rank… but dangit, I just can’t help it after all the fond nostalgia for them I’ve had over the years~💜. A dorky ghostly hero w/ a spunky goth girl, encouraging eachother’s strengths & working through whichever hardships come their way, and by staying so supportive through thick & thin… it allowed for feelings to steadily blossom by the end~ 💚. Was it "perfectly" handled, development-wise? Well, maybe not. Do I wish they could've gotten together sooner so we'd actually see how they'd work as a couple? Absolutely. But all-in-all… writing flaws aside, I can't help but enjoy them anyway~ x3

-Dash x Jazz

Most def one of my more… "controversial" picks for an OTP these days, but hear me out lol. As much of an obnoxious jerk Dash was for most of the show… it always intrigued me alot for how he had that brief crush on Jazz early-on 🤔. Like, the girl wasn't even a popular kid herself from what we've seen in the show (often preferring books to people, half the time)… yet Dash of all people caught a bit of feels for her enough-to invite her to his party? Interesting 👀 Do I think they would've worked as an actual canon ship? …Weeell, most likely no lol. BUT, can't say I'm not a sucker for a good ol' "confident nerd x smug jock" dynamic, esp for the potential of Jazz helping to humble Dash in his place + Dash encouraging Jazz to loosen up more & have fun (away from just being the "responsible" smart one all the time). Hehee~ ;p

-Ghostwriter x Ember

One of my "newer" OTPs as of late, I just love the potential of two artsy-inclined ghosts (Ember w/ her music + Ghostwriter w/ his writing) forging a special bond together~ 💜Whether it's Ember nudging GW out of his comfort zone like the kickass babe she is, GW encouraging more "downtime" moments for Ember at home (whenever the rockstar fame gets too much), and then occasionally annoying everyone with their poetic displays of lovin' when they're out & about together~ -w-

-Jack x Maddie

I mean, this one's a no-brainer to put here lol =P Two happily-married, proud ghost-researchers who work perfectly as a "brains & brawn" duo. Even if there's occasional moments of marital spats (-often from Jack's excitable mishaps 😅 lol), the way they're ultimately always able to find their way back to eachother (even in an AU-timeline where Maddie married Vlad) is just… d'awwww~ ❤️

-Johnny 13 x Kitty

The OG ghost sweethearts whom I'm so sad never seems to feel fully-appreciated by the fandom… even though there's SO much to love about them imho~ The way Johnny was so devoted to bring Kitty into the human world with him (even if it had to involve using Jazz along the way), Kitty's protective rage upon seeing Danny hurt Johnny (despite being mad at him earlier), and the behind-the-scenes element of their VAs being a married couple irl just adds another layer of sweetness to them ngl~ 💚

-Nocturn x Desiree

Two ancient, powerful ghostly spirits keen for chaos and grandeur for themselves… they'd be quite a power couple match the more I've thought of them (+working with their son, Reve). Reminding me alot of Xibalba & La Muerte from "The Book of Life", in a way~ lol ;p

-Walker x Spectra

The stern, crooked ghost warden w/ the cunning shadow lady, if thats not already a recipe for some "steamy" chemistry there~ 👀💚

-Fright Knight x Dorathea

The fiercest ghostly knight with the growing-badass dragon princess spells SO much for beautiful ship chemistry~ :love: With the Fright Knight clearly being a man who values strength & confidence, to have Dorathea around for him to admire and protect (& vice-versa with her own dragon-shifting skills)… just hhhhhhh I NEED it in my life ToT ❤️

-Danielle x Valerie

These two definitely caught my heart ALOT more than I expected these last couple years; from the way Danielle was the key to helping Valerie realize not all ghosts are bad, their moment of teamwork once Danny & Val helped to save her from Vlad, and even that bit of them sneakily scaring Danny at the end was pretty amusing to see~ lol Whether as a strong duo of friends, or something "more" down the line, either way these girls def deserve all the love in the world~ ❤️

-Paulina x Star I will never not be a sucker for a classic "girlboss gfs" ship, and even if Paulina & Star didn't get too much development/focus (outside of being mean girls)… well, they just give me all the feels with how well they click together~ ❤️With Star being one of the few characters Paulina was shown to genuinely care about (to the point of legit crying when Star went missing in "Claw of the Wild"), and the way they're always so doting & sweet when hanging out on the sidelines, how could you not see them potentially getting together~? :3

~DP Loved Ships~

-Desiree x Dorathea

The sneaky chaotic genie with the dutifully kind princess, a pair I think could have loads of potential after all both ladies have been through~ :aww: If it weren't for my attachment to other ships (+Arthur & Reve's characters in my NG), I'd def be down to give 'em more love ngl~ ❤️

-Freakshow x Lydia

While we never really got to know more of the context behind their relationship (if they're just a pair of allies, friends, or something "more"), I enjoyed seeing their chemistry of working together stealthily even after Freakshow lost everything/got further lost-in power. If there ever was a chance to see more of them together, I'd be down for that! ^^

-Kwan x Sam

My overall second-fave Sam ship from the series and one I seem to grow more & more fond of as of late 💜While only really interacting a handful of times, I just love how Sam was able to reach out to Kwan in offering him a chance to hangout (seeming to know that deep down he truly means well, despite all his clumsiness/loyalty to Dash). And Kwan being so dorky and keen to get into Sam's interests was pretty adorb too, so I can just imagine all their fun potential as a "golden retriever x black cat" duo :3 . Sam encouraging him to stand his ground, Kwan helping Sam tone down her temper/stubborn habits, all that jazz~ ;P

-Tucker x Valerie

Ngl, I'm still bummed the show abruptly ended this one before it could fully-flourish… 'cause man they seemed to have such a sweet setup going by "Shades of Gray" 💛. Tucker reaching out to Valerie to cheer her up (even after she lost her popularity/wealth), Valerie (albeit at first using him to get more info on the Fentons) seeming to lowkey enjoy his company the more she hung out with him, and seeing Tuck even going that extra mile to take the fall for Valerie's dad during that ghost accident at the end (which could've really gotten him in trouble)… just, c'mon how could you not find see the ship-potential in that~? :3 While I'm ultimately fine with these two just staying as friends from then-on, I can't help thinking of the "What Ifs?" with them now & then~ ^^

-Valerie x Sam

Again, yet another pair that I feel the fandom's sadly sleeping on… 'cause c'moooon, these girls would be SO fitting as a gf duo together!~ :D Their whole conflict regarding Danny aside, they've got quite a bit in-common in terms of their strong-willed spirits, loyalty to their loved ones, and even while stubborn at times, they've got the drives to try & do the right thing when it all comes down to it~ 👍 As well as having their own lil differences that could help give each girl a better perspective on things (not all popular/preppy kids are bad, not every outcast kid is a “loser", etc.). Ups & downs they may have at times, Val x Sam could def use some more love all-in-all! 💜🧡

~DP Liked Ships~

-Danny x Valerie

Probably the most popualr Valerie ship in terms of the general fandom, and rewatching the show its not hard to see why! Both having gone from two bickering kids unable to stand eachother, to a ghost & hunter duo having to learn how to work together, and even their brief dating phase/further-truce down the line allowed for some solid development to form imo :3 I may not be too invested in this one compared to other ships I have for them both, but kudos to the fans who try to give them that proper attention the showed failed on (even if just closure-wise) anyway! ^^

-Danielle x Sam

While their interactions all-in-all were a lil brief, I couldn't help getting the cute image out of my head of Dani lowkey getting a puppy crush on Sam at some point~ ;p Nothing too serious or anything, just a nice lil bit of amusing fluff imo.

-Jazz x Sam

They may have had their differences when Jazz first joined the team, but I did find it sweet how well the girls learned to work together by the end of "Girls Night Out" (gave me a bit of Starfire & Raven vibes ngl lol) :3 I may lowkey be a bit more invested in them friendship-wise, but they're still a fun pair either way ^^

-Pandora x Dorathea

Hehe, the Double-Dora ship lmao =P Silly pun-theming aside, I think it'd be cute seeing Doratea be so in awe of Pandora's wisdom, strength & protective heart for her realm. Even if nothing serious forms from there, I think it'd still be sweet~ ^^

-Kwan x Paulina

Set as I am with the Paulina x Star ship, if I had to envision what kind of guy I'd potentially put with her instead… hmmmm, I think her & Kwan could be cute? .3. With his laidback sweetheart nature balancing well against her sassier tendencies, it'd be fun to see how they'd click imo :3

-Kwan x Tucker

Hehe, ngl… it will never not crack me up how Tuck's first instinct of "YOU'LL NEVER REPLACE DANNY, NEVER!" is almost-immediately followed up to these two frolicking through a meadow lol Guess even Tucker couldn't resist the big sweetheart after awhile, d'aww~ ;P

~DP Ok Ships~

-Jazz x Tucker

A semi-common ship I’ve seen floating around in DP fanfics (mainly as a side ship to DxS), and I’ll admit I can see why it’d appeal. Both are generally smart kids, having helped eachother out here & there on Team Phantom (like the “Frightmare” ep), and the idea of Danny’s bff becoming his future brother-in-law has some cute & funny potential to it lol. On the other hand, though… ehh, part of me feels like it may be a bit too convenient to ship off Tuck w/ Jazz as the only other singles in Team Phantom (lowkey almost akin to Sokka x Toph being commonly shipped alongside Kataang in ATLA-). Not to say its a “bad” ship idea in the grand scheme of things… buuuut idk, I feel like it’d kinda depend on how its written imo .3.

-Wes x Jazz As generally “in-the-middle” I’ve always been to Wes Weston on his own (since he basically just kinda exists to be the “Derpy Hooves” in the DP fandom lol), I’ll admit the fan-content between him & Jazz looked rather cute ^^. Can’t quiiiite put them much higher given Wes’ overall background character-status (so his personality could basically be anything you want… for better or worse lol), but yee .3.

-Technus x Desiree

I seem to semi-regularly spot this around here & there whenever I look up ghost-focused DP ships… which seems like they’d have an interesting “Opposites Attract” angle together, the more I think about it 🤔 Can’t say I’ve ever been that big of a Technus fan tho, hence why this one’s a bit lower-ranked ngl.

-Kwan x Star

One of the other “mainstream” human ships I’ve seen in the DP fandom, mainly shipped through some side ship/NG-related roles. And… I mean, I guess it is a fairly harmless pair for the most part, given they both seemed to genuinely connect well after getting ditched in “Lucky in Love”. But I just… idk, something about them never really intrigued me much to ship them in the longterm :P Not really sure why tbh…

-Sam x Star Saw a couple pieces of them floating around that I'll admit looked cute (esp with their contrasting aesthetics & what-not). Though again, with Star, well… not having a whole lot to her when not with Paulina/the other A-Listers, its kiiinda hard to rank it much higher imo

-Paulina x Tucker

A concept I've only ever seen pop up rarely in the fandom… though, I could potentially see something work here if written right? .3. With Tuck being alot more confident than most "geeks" around him, I'm sure he'd be able to handle Paulina's attitude (which I'm sure in her position, I'm sure she'd probably find a lil refreshing lol), if they ever got the chance to one-on-one bond. Idk, there's still some other ships I tend to prefer more for the both of 'em… but hey, more power to those who wish to explore them anyway! ^^

-Gregor (aka: “Elliot”) x Sam

While I’ll admit seeing Sam’s initial crush on the guy was kinda cute… the fact that he diiiiid turn out to be lying about his goth Hungarian identity by the end (+his sudden jerkiness to Tucker) sadly killed the ship’s chances from there, I’m afraid ^^;. Kudos to some of the rare bits of fan-content I’ve seen exploring their (+Gregor’s) potential a bit more tho… it looks interesting .3.

~DP Neutral Ships~

-Skulker x Ember

One of the more "common" ghost ships ever since the early fandom days… and, not really one that's caught my eye in recent memory 🤷‍♀️ Like, yeah I know they're both fiery punks & became an actual canon thing by the "Girls Night Out" ep… buuuut eh, it just felt a bit too randomly-placed for me to get that many "feels" from them imo. Not to say I'd mind seeing them as a side ship in other DP fanfics or however… just kinda depends on how they're written imo.

-Danny x Star

As much as I'll admit there's some rare bits of fanart that looked a lil cute with them both… ehhhh, again Star's just never seemed to click enough with Danny for me to get more into it (with the most being when she did all his homework to win a beauty pageant… and thats it lol). But thats just me .3.

-Danny x Wes

With how popular Wes is on his own, its not too surprising this one would lowkey become a crackship after awhile. Though… idk, for me it almost feels like a copypaste of Danny x Val's dynamic for most fan-portrayals I've seen of 'em, so I didn't quiiiite stay that interested, I'm afraid .w.;

-Dash x Paulina

Similar case to Kwan x Star in essentially being one of the more “common” human side cast ships (mainly for both of 'em being jerkish popular kids lol). Not a bad idea per-say for a ship concept… buuuut at the same time, just a tad too predictable for me to fully-pair 'em imo.

-Tucker x Danielle Only once or twice I've seen this one shipped, and… I guess I can see some ship potential, kinda? Idk, for some reason its been hard for me to fully-see Danielle with guys lately… dunno why lol

-Tucker x Star

Star may not have been the nicest to him when they briefly hooked up in "Lucky in Love" (on account of Tuck mainly going after her as the "satellite" popular girl lol). I guess I could maaaybe give this one a pass if Star got some more development… tho again, it just depends .3.

-Vlad x Spectra

A fairly common Vlad-focused ship from what I've seen (generally based on their similar aesthetics, in a way?). Seems… alright as a potential pair, but for some reason I just… can't seem to get into it one way or another. Eh… .w.;

~DP Disliked Ships~

-Danny x Dash

“He bullies you ‘cause he liiiiikes you~” has long since grown stale as a shipping trope imo, so I really don’t get why this ship’s semi-popularity lasted as long as it did :/. Like, sure I don't mind the potential of Dash getting redeemed/developed more beyond just a bully… but outside of him hero-worshipping Danny's Phantom half, what else really "is" there to count much for a ship? For me… I just don't see it :/

-Danny x Ember

A pretty popular ship whenever I try to look up Ember content… aaaaand again, not one I've ever been down for much :P. Seems to really mostly appeal to those who think Ember's hot & thus feel like Danny has to have her (+other ghost girls) by-default… which idk, just kept giving me squicky vibes after awhile tbh >>. Not to mention some of the more… "vocal" fans seemingly to also be particularly strong Sam-haters for most of the D/E circles I've stumbled across, aaaaand then it just became even less appealing from there tbh -x-

-Danny x Paulina

A surprising ship I've seen getting steadily popular in recent memory, and… ehhhh as much as I've tried, I just can't bring myself to get into it myself ^^; Again, I'm not at all opposed to Paulina changing her ways & developing better beyond a popular girl role… buuuut with Danny basically doing nothing but awkwardly ogling her looks (+her using him whenever she wants something) for most of the show, like… again, is there anything else to truly "tie" them together, longterm-wise? ^^; Idk, personally if I wanted to pair Danny with a "mean girl-turned-ally" character, I'd rather just stick with Valerie imo.

-Dash x Sam

With how little tolerance Sam has for obnoxious dumbassery, and Dash… well, basically being that in a nutshell lol, I can't say there'd be much of a chance for this one to work imo. Even in a potential one-sided crush situation on Dash's end (and/or Sam's parents maybe pushing for it as an "image"-boost in their rich circles), it just ain't meant to be :P.

-Vlad x Desiree

This dude's basically the embodiment of everything Desiree hates in guys (self-absorbed, greedy, and a creep)… need I say more? lmao

-Paulina x Sam

Again, I've gone over this a few times in the past… buuut as much as I've always yearned to end the "Not like OTHER girls" mantra from way back when, it doesn't automatically make me keen to ship EVERY combo of a girly-girl & alt. tomboy together :/. Not helped by Sam's hurt from Paulina toying with Danny (aka: her best friend) due to one of their petty arguments, aaaaand I can't say I'd ever see this one working outside of maybe a (distant) friendship, once they've grown up a bit better. Otherwise, ehhhh… 🤷‍♀️

~DP NOTPs~

-Danny x Kitty If it weren't bad enough that Kitty was ONLY ever dating Danny to make Johnny jealous… the fact that there's the added ick of Paulina being used as a "host body" by Kitty this whole time (-when the poor girl can't even consent/never wanted to date Danny to begin with) just adds a whoooole new layer of "nope" to this pair, if you ask me >>;;

-Danny x Vlad

…well, do I need to go into detail why this ship's here? 🤢Hella-huge age gap, Vlad being a pervy creep to Danny's mom, constantly going out of his way to breakup the Fenton family/cause other villainous mayhem overtime… just eughhhhh, keep this shit far away from me, thanks =_=;;

-Johnny x Jazz

Similar reasons to Danny x Kitty, this one was basically dead-on-arrival if Johnny's only real "interest" in Jazz was to use her body to bring Kitty into the world with him :no:

-Vlad x Maddie

How many times do we have to say it, Vlad? MADDIE. DOESN'T. LOVE. YOU. 😑

-Tucker x Sam

Ughhh… while I know there's arguably worse ships out there in the grand scheme of things, this ship just always rubbed me the wrong way with how cheaply they've been shipped about in this fandom..😒Mostly ever done as a way to keep Sam away from Danny (and… I guess to just give Tucker something to do when he's not really focused on fanon-wise, either 🤷‍♀️), it fails to take into account just how much Tucker & Sam's differences/attitudes are too fundamentally different to work. From their whole "meats vs. veggies" conflict in the first ep having been the cause of a ghostly mess at their school, to them having to practically always need Danny around to balance their friendship… it just ultimately proves to me that not ALL opposites are meant to attract, I'm afraid >>

~DP BrOTPs~

-Danny/Tucker/Sam

The OG Phantom trio from the very beginning, what more can I say about 'em that the show haven't showed enough of? ^^ Even if Tucker x Sam still rubs me the wrong way ship-wise, I still enjoy their overall friendship & teamwork when it comes to supporting Danny & vice-versa. And heck, even if there's a scenario that Danny & Sam don't end up together, I like to think they'd always be the best of friends no matter what~ :3

-Danny/Clockwork

I enjoyed seeing their mentor & student-like dynamic the more they interacted in "The Ultimate Enemy" & "Masters of All Time". While rather trollish to Danny at first, its clear Clockwork means well in wanting to teach Danny a lesson that actions have consequences (no matter how big or small) ^^

-Danny/Danielle/Jazz

A bundle of Fenton siblings that I can't help but find wholesome the more I've rewatched the series~ :) From Danny & Jazz's growing support for one another upon Jazz realizing her lil bro's secret, to Danny learning to lookout for Danielle beyond her being his clone (akin to how a big brother would, in a way ^^), and even though we sadly didn't get the chance for Danielle to meet Jazz (or the other Fentons) before the show ended, I like to think the two girls would get along great either way as (technical) sisters~ :3

-Dark Danny/Danielle/Jazz Even though you could argue Dark Danny (or "Dan" if you prefer) should prob be more considered his "own" character at this point, I just can't help enjoy certain fan-depictions of him maintaining a strong sibling bond with both Jazz and/or Danielle ^^ Guess that brotherly instinct inside Danny would never "fully" go away even while evil… awww ^^

-Danielle/Youngblood

With them both being the youngest ghosts in the series, I love the idea of them having a grand ol' time messing with the older ghosts & pulling pranks around the place lol

-Desiree/Spectra

Two matured, devious ladies with alot of experience on their plate, they'd be quite a fun villain duo if you ask me ;P

-Ember/Kitty

The rebellious bad babes of the Ghost Zone who'd be down to wreck up the place & go vibe on the town, what more can you ask for in a pair of villain besties? lol ;p

-Jazz/Sam/Valerie

I'm always a sucker for a good trio of heroic besties, and what more can you ask for with a kickass mix of brains, brawn & heart from these three? ^w^ Whether they're kicking ghost butt, hanging out at the mall, or training up for future adventures, I'd SO be down to see it! :>

-Dash/Kwan

While Dash may not always be the nicest/most considerate to Kwan at times, I like to imagine at the core they're still generally a tight pair of "bros", when it all comes down to it :3

-Skulker/Technus

As much as I may not be the biggest Technus fan around, I did lowkey enjoy seeing his teamup with Skulker here & there (like in TUE's timeline where they're fused in-one). It was cool ^^

-Dorathea/Sam

While they had their differences with Sam being caught up in Dorathea's plan to give her brother a "bride" (via-the beauty pageant), I found it quite touching of how much Sam inspired the princess to stand up for herself by the end 🥺👏Would've loved to have seen more of that potential friendship throughout the show ngl.

-Star/Valerie Even if Valerie's not part of the popular squad anymore, its kinda sweet ngl to see Star still hanging out with her here & there. Guess the lil sassy blonde's got more of a heart deep down after all, aww~ ^^

~Paired with an OC/Non-Listed Character~

-Dark Danny x AU!Sam

With all the colorful AUs & fanfics out there with Dark Danny, its always intrigued me of how much people play around of how DxS could still work in a "corrupted" TUE timeline .3. Whether its with Sam being an equally-evil Plant Queen, or Sam actually surviving the Nasty Burger explosion somehow (+potentially working alongside Valerie as a huntress), just imagine the tension to form with her & Dark Danny~ 👀

-Vlad x Harriet

I may not be suuuuper huge on Vlad on his own accord, but ngl… seeing the rare bits of art/fics with him & Harriet Chin (Maddie's old college friend) got me lowkey intrigued o3o. Reminding me a bit of a "darker" version of Superman/Clark x Lois' dynamic, I can imagine Harriet getting more intrigued to find out more about the "mystery" of Vlad's Plasmius half (perhaps as a way to restore her own reputation post-"Bitter Reunions")… coming across eachother enough for some potential "sparks" to form. Idk, I'd have to look into it more if I could see it working endgame-wise… buuuuut either way, I be curious~ .3.

~Stay Single~

-Clockwork With his duties of looking after time itself, I feel like Clockwork would consider romance too "distracting" to his work.

-Pandora

Similar reasons to Clockwork, I feel like she's too stuck by her role of keeping the "box of evil" closed to venture much into a dating life.

-Poindexter

…weeeeell, I just never cared for this dude to think of anything ship-wise for him, romantic or platonic tbh lol 🤷‍♀️

-Youngblood

Seems pretty content atm to be a carefree kid to wanna give much focus to "grownup" things like romance… less it gross him out like w/ most kids his age lmao.

~Crossover Ships~

-Tucker x Wendy Corduroy ("Gravity Falls") Was a reaaaally random old crossover I had that I didn't get to work with much, but I couldn't help finding it cute back when I was more into "Gravity Falls" :> The idea formed of it being Tucker essentially getting sent down to Gravity Falls via-family vacation (as a lowkey break from him being so "tech-obsessed" lol), coming across Wendy & getting mixed into her own misadventures at the Mystery Shack. Can't quite remember if I thought more to their ship setup further, but its still a cute concept imo~ ^^

-Sam x Tom Lucitor ("Star VS. The Forces of Evil")

Ok, now this one I'll admit I just always had this in the back of my mind but never got the chance to talk more about it… buuuuut this is what happens when you have two comfort faves & want all the best for 'em lol ^^. Essentially I see this happening on account of Tom (having already gone through enough bs by the end of "Star VS."), somehow coming across Sam and forming a connection along the way. Both coming from affluent families but struggling to get involved socially in such roles (Sam being the "perfect" prim daughter + Tom being a prince), having an affinity for alternative/rebellious interests, and both having a stubborn but strong loyalty for those they deeply care about. With the potential of Sam even further helping Tom ease up on his temper/encourage him to be himself more often, who knows what other antics they can get up to together!~ :3

[salternateunreality2]

Preggoroth: Momma Cat

Note: the "research" for this post was abso-fucking-lutely delightful

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

Cloud: why is my boss biting the back of my scarf?

Zack, being held by the scruff of his neck: oh it's his new thing, don't worry about it!

Cloud: erk! Zack, where is he dragging me. Zack. I am worried, Zack.

Zack: Cuddles!

Cloud: ZACK!

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

3am

Sephiroth: *scratch scratch*

Zack: mlem mlem mlem huh? Oh, the door....

Sephiroth: 🐱

Zack: Hey bud, what's u- IS THAT A LIVE WERERAT?!?!

Sephiroth: You need to learn how to hunt.

Zack: IT IS 3AM

Sephiroth: ??? Wererats are nocturnal???

Zack: WHAT?! NO DON'T SET IT DOWN AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Angeal: Zack! I heard you screa- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Wererat: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Genesis: *wisely invested in earplugs and won't find out about this until later* zzzzzz...

Sephiroth: Zack, kill it with your instincts.

Zack: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA IT'S CLIMBING INTO MY COUCH!!!!!

Sephiroth: Once you're done here, I will lead you to their primary nest, this is important for your development.

Angeal: *beating the couch with a broom*

Zack: *scrambling for his sword*

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

Cloud: Alright, if that will be all, sir, I'll get back to my post.

Sephiroth: *growl*

Cloud: ...was there something you needed, sir?

Sephiroth: No, Strife, you are free to go.

Cloud: *moves towards door*

Sephiroth: *growl*

Cloud: *steps back*

Sephiroth: *purr*

Cloud: *moves towards door*

Sephiroth: *growl*

Cloud: *steps back*

Sephiroth: *purr*

Zack: Cloud, come on, just crawl under the desk.

Kunsel: Yeah, it's super cozy down here!

Roche: There's snacks!

Cloud: IS IT A DESK OR A CLOWN CAR?!

Kunsel: Both

Zack: Haha both

Roche: *snacking noises*

[abyssbirds]

The fact that most of the tags under n24 have nothing to do with the disorder and that there's only a handful of posts under every single tag for it sure FEELS like ableism even though it might not be. But I have the time to talk about it so I might as well spread visibility.

(Info under read more)

N24, Non-24, or Non-24 Sleep-Wake Disorder, is a circadian rhythm disorder where your body doesn't run on a (roughly) 24-hour cycle like most people/people without the disorder itself. For example, my days run roughly 18-19 hours instead of a typical 16. My sleep gets later and later and later. I've tried melatonin, tried resetting my sleep schedule by staying up for >24 hours until a "normal" time for bed, and tried keeping ambient noise on like music or nature sounds. I've tried blue light filters. My days are just 26-27 hours instead of a normal 24, though every person with N24 is different.

It's primarily diagnosed in Blind patients, since the cause among Blind people with the disorder seems to be that not being able to see the transition from day to night makes their bodies not produce the proper sleep hormones at the right time.

Among sighted people, the cause seems to be unknown (last time I checked; just one person with the disorder should not be your only source of information!) and, since N24 among sighted people is more rare and less lucrative, it's an orphan disorder. There's not much research into how to help us sighted people with N24 because treatment is often pricey or not an actual solution, or it is aimed directly towards helping Blind people with N24.

As far as I know, there's apparently an implantable device in development. The main suggestions I see are training via sun lamps and melatonin or just trying to get on sleeping pills by lying about insomnia. There is a pill that can be taken, but if you live in the US, it is extremely expensive. So, essentially, this orphan disorder is overlooked and misdiagnosed, and those of us with it have to hope that one of the coin-toss methods of treating N24 works.

N24, even on its own, can be a very disabling disorder. You're either too-sleep deprived to do the things during the day you need to or are busy being asleep because the human body needs rest at some point. Socialization gets very difficult when your circadian rhythm is nocturnal for a couple of weeks. It's an isolating experience. It also makes it harder for people to work and make themselves money. I don't even know if N24 is something that can apply to an application for disability, though given it's not well-known, I doubt it is.

I'm not used to making informative posts like this, so I don't know how to end it, but please do some research into N24 on your own time--I am by no means a medical professional and my anecdotal explanation may contain errors. I just want people to know we exist.

[thewaltcrew]

Chanticleer concept art by Marc Davis

(Please check out my previous post on Chanticleer where I discuss the history of its development and cancelation!)

These drawings are specifically of Reynard the fox, some bird townsfolk, and the creatures of Reynard’s dark carnival, run by nocturnal animals and vultures. They entertain the citizens, causing them to stay up all night and miss their work responsibilities in the subsequent days, angering the mayor Chanticleer.

research source [x] photo sources [x][x]

[ladyandherbooks]

So thanks to @miracama who sent me the link to Sam Deats' twitter post where he confirmed that Maria is 16 years old in Nocturne.

I did originally think that she was 13 or 14 given how young I thought she looked but it makes alot of sense that they aged her up to 16.

Firstly I'm not going to mention Maria/Alucard in this post. Not because I hate it, (I don't) I'm just not interested in discussing this in the post.

Now I do think that it makes more sense to have aged Maria up to her mid teens as it now makes her the same age as your typical YA heroine. And that gives the writers more freedom to put Maria in more dangerous situations and have her involved in more mature storylines than the 12 year old Maria from the games.

It also makes more sense that Tera was so comfortable with Maria going to the Chateau to fight the vampires as well as organising her revolutionary meetings in the woods. 12 year old Maria simply wouldn't have made sense in these situations and I think that many fans would have questioned Tera's parental instincts if she had been that young.

Next it also makes Richter and Maria closer in age which also allows them to develop a deeper bond, one where they are more equal and allows them to fight side by side as well as hang out together by choice on a daily basis.

Maria being 16 also falls in line with the shows canon for all confirmed ships - they all fall for one another hard and fast, with those that conceive children doing so very quickly (Lisa and Dracula and Trevor and Sypha, the latter of whom conceived a child less than 3 months after meeting one another). Tera came to Machecoul and met the Abbott 17 years ago so Maria being 16 makes sense.

It also helps with her understanding and interest in the revolution and her ability to rally some of the people of Machecoul to this cause that she so clearly cares about. She's old enough to have an understanding of the revolution and it's causes and she's clearly been researching it for some time now and tries to stay informed, despite the delays that they have in receiving this information. She would now have been 13 when the revolution started and I do think that she became interested in politics etc at around the same time, especially afted she first read about it.

Finally, with a good chance of a time skip occurring it means that Maria can finish the show as an adult, with all the growth and character development that comes with it. And she can start making her own way in the world