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tgmsunmontue · 7 months ago

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Saga of Solitude 5/?

Nepo!Baby Bradley and his life at USNA and afterwards. DADT fully in force. IceMav AU. (Begun prior to 'It's not who you know' - the non-angsty version).

PROLOGUE (He remembers)

HANGSTER FIRST MEETING (Lonely Nights - set 2009)

Updating ~weekly (longer chapters).

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

ONE (2000) TWO (2001) THREE (2002) FOUR (2003)

CHAPTER FIVE – 2004

He spends three weeks in a submarine and it helps cement his decision to attend flight school, if they accept his application. There is of course the natural competition between everyone, it’s simply how they function, each striving to be better, make those around them better, but also support them and drag them through it if they have to. His third year at USNA wraps up and he’s facing his summer break. The entire year has gone well, no terrorist attacks, although there is definite heightened security since.

The routine is easy now, he’s an upperclassman, has Natasha and then a smaller circle of people he considers friends, if nothing close to what he has with Natasha. He’s aware that a significant chunk of upperclassmen think that he and Natasha are together, and the one time he checks in with her about whether she’s okay with that she’d just shrugged and said it had stopped the guys expecting her to pay any of them attention. No one asks, and they never correct anyone. When they head out to have leave together no one bats an eye. When they mention having spent some of the previous summer together it’s the same.

He finds out why Natasha doesn’t talk to her family. Teenage pregnancy. She’d refused to get married to the guy, someone she won’t even tall Bradley the name of, and the shame of either the pregnancy, or their daughter not obeying them, they’d kicked her out. Her application with USNA had already been accepted, her place guaranteed and Bradley doesn’t need to ask to realize what her decision must have been. He briefly feels awful about introducing Tamsin and Petra to her, but she seems to take great joy in chatting to them on the phone and drawing and sending them pictures, so he lets that guilt melt away.

They’ve both been asked to return to USNA and assist as upperclassmen for Plebe Summer, something he feels immense pride in, glad to have made a good enough impression that he’s being held up as a role model to the new recruits. Of course it makes their leave almost non-existent and they decide to spend it together, which he knows will only fuel rumors that they’re a couple. They go to San Francisco for five days at the start of their leave, and he finally gets to meet Natasha’s sole family member that has anything to do with her, and the way his eyes travel up Bradley’s body leave him blushing furiously. That he’s hot doesn’t help at all.

“Oh, it is nice to meet you,” Christopher says, shaking his hand and Bradley looks to Natasha with a raised eyebrow and she’s just shaking her head.

“Nice to meet you too. Bradley.”

“Mmm. I have heard a lot about you. She didn’t ever mention just how delightful you looked.”

“Because to me, he isn’t very delightful to look at. There are nicer views.”

“Hey!” Bradley objects, out of principle more than anything, and Natasha is already cackling and pushing past Christopher with her bags but Christopher is looking at him seriously, completely different to the over-the-top flirtation of a moment ago.

“Oh my god. You’re…” Christopher makes a limp-wrist gesture which sends Bradley’s eyebrows up in surprise.

“Uh. Don’t ask don’t tell…” he says, throat tight, wondering where the fuck Natasha has gone.

“Oh honey, I am not part of your weird cultish military shit. And I wasn’t asking, I was confirming. Holy shit. No wonder Tadpole likes you so much.”

“Tadpole?”

“Shut up!” Natasha calls out and Bradley grins.

“I’ll tell you the story later,” Christopher says, voice low and conspiratory and Bradley nods, hitching his bag over his shoulder. Christopher jerks his head toward where Natasha can be heard grumbling. “Sorry, only got the one guest room. She’s already claimed the bed probably, so you’re on an air mattress.”

“That’s fine, not the worst place I’ve slept by far.”

“You’re my guest, I’d like to hope not. I’ll let you guys get settled then we can head out and find some food.”

He leaves Bradley at the door and Natasha is smirking at him.

“You couldn’t have told me?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper.

“Sorry, his sexuality isn’t exactly something I drop into casual conversation. We’re at USNA remember. Repression is being ingrained into us.”

“Okay, would you hate me if I asked him out?”

“No. But his boyfriend might.”

“Oh. Yeah. Okay.”

“They can take you clubbing. I’m sure you’ll find ways of enjoying yourself here.”

She’s right, and she’s smug about it. During the days they do touristy things and just spend time relaxing, occasionally working out. In the evenings Christopher and his boyfriend Patrick take them dancing or clubbing. Natasha comes along once, but then tells them she doesn’t want to sit around getting hit on by anyone so instead either goes to the movies or stays at Christopher’s apartment.

He’s spent previous weeks on leave in New York, having sex with strangers, but this is a completely different experience. One he’s not going to forget in a hurry. For a start he has never had so much sex in such a short period of time, and it’s good sex, the guys that Christopher sends his way clearly more experienced and keen to give him good experiences or teach him how to give better blow jobs. It’s like each of the guys has undergone a screening process, and when one slips that he’s an ex of Patrick’s he realizes that maybe they have been. He can’t bring himself to care, not when he’ benefitting and enjoying it all.

… … …

They get to Ice’s house and there’s a welcome home party and he can’t believe how big Tamsin and Petra have grown. It’s a vastly different experience to their brief time in San Fransisco but he’s glad they have two weeks and Natasha seems to take her role as surrogate big sister seriously, the four of them watching movies, or lying around with slices of cucumber over their eyes. Sarah snaps a picture of them like that, gets it printed and gives copies to both him and Natasha, along with a pile of other photos she’s taken while they’ve been staying.

Of course, his birthday comes and he’s twenty-one. Maverick hands over an envelope and a key and he looks at it blankly.

“What’s this?”

“The deed to the house. It’s to go to you on your twenty-first birthday.”

“But… what am I going to do with a house?”

“Live in it?”

“But… I’ll be deployed or away…”

“Bradley, it’s the house your parents bought. What you do with it is up to you. I’d like to still live there of course…”

“Of course! I mean, if you’re not moving in with Ice, then of course you can stay there. It’s just… nothing has to change right? It’s just a piece of paper?”

“It’s just a piece of paper. And we’ll help navigate any legal stuff. And we won’t be moving in together any time soon,” Ice states, voice soft, but his expression is sad and Bradley wishes things were different.

… … …

Tom wants to wrap himself around Maverick and never let him go. The amount he’s been away on deployment makes every moment they have together even more precious, and he’s starting to second guess his own rules, even if they’ve kept them both safe. He has two kids and an ex-wife which is a damned good cover, even if his best friend comes and stays frequently. He isn’t telling anyone that doesn’t already know, and no one is asking him, even if they have their suspicions.

He hates the fact that Pete is now effectively homeless, not that Bradley would ever kick him out of the house, but Tom wants him to have somewhere that is his, and maybe not his alone, but something that would just light Pete up from the inside. The way flying does. He pauses mid-thought and thinks back to a couple of years ago, the Beechcraft and the airstrip, Mav taking Bradley up in the air. Huh. Not a plane, not yet, but there were hangars out there. And a hangar beside an airstrip is probably somewhere Pete would consider living if he thought it was a legitimate option. Not that he himself would want to live beside an airstrip, but this isn’t about him.

He makes a few calls. Then a few more calls. He’s got to consider leases, and taxes and whether it might just make more sense to rent. He doesn’t want to rent though, wants to make some sort of large gesture and present it as a fait accompli that gives Maverick no wiggle-room to turn it down. He feels pretty confident it wouldn’t be turned away regardless, unless Mav was feeling particularly difficult on the day. Then he gets a call, someone had heard he was looking, and it’s an old Navy hangar, located at the very same airstrip and it feels serendipitous and he agrees to come out and have a look.

… … …

Of course, with how much mentoring he’s doing with the Plebes come the questions, and he remembers his conversation with Ice, a couple of years ago now. When they ask him questions about his parents he simply pulls a face and shakes his head, ignores his own peers, fellow Firsts, who he can see from the corner of his eye who were shaking their heads at the Plebes, trying to stop them from simply asking.

“My dad was a naval aviator who died in a Top Gun training incident in eighty-six and my mom died of cancer in ninety-four. I was raised by my step-father after that. Any other awkward questions you want answers to?”

It’s probably why they never ask him or Natasha anything, and another First slaps the Plebe on the back, mutters I tried to warn you off asking but he doesn’t feel upset about it at all. It’s not at all a lie, even if his step-father would be here in a heartbeat if Bradley needed him to be. He knows that both Ice and Mav intend to attend his graduation in formal roles, and while they might night get to acknowledge their roles with each other in such a formal setting he doesn’t care. They want to be there and they’re planning to be there, special leave already requested and granted long ago, considering they’ll be in uniform.

He and Natasha both work hard, both at their studies and also on their physical fitness. Their applications for flight school were submitted months ago, he really wants to go with her, can’t imagine not going without her. They’re both consistently in the top two or five percent, which he knows bodes well for them. Knows that their involvement with extra curriculars and being friendly with pretty much everyone has them well liked and respected. He just has to be patient and wait.

… … …

They both look at the envelopes, slapping them on empty palms. They look identical, but unlike his USNA acceptance letter, this is a single piece of paper and it could be flight school acceptance, or a decline.

“On the count of three?” Natasha asks and Bradley admires her courage.

“Yeah. Three.”

They rip them open.

… … …

“I knew it!” Maverick screams, his joy palpable through the phone for their Saturday afternoon call. “Ice! Ice! He got in! Hold on, let me put you on speaker…”

“Of course he did… well done Bradley. Congratulations.”

He blows out a long breath, because he’s glad they have seemingly unshakeable confidence in his abilities. God, he never wants to disappoint them.

“Thanks. Natasha got in as well.”

“She’s a very capable young woman. Proud of you both. Please pass that on to her.”

“Yeah, thanks. I will.”

“Yeah, we’re both very proud. You can go back to work now. I’m going to go outside and talk to my godson…”

He hears Ice mutter something in the background, not clear enough to make out, but then Mav is telling him off for rolling his eyes and he can just imagine what he said, the gentle laughter between them and he can’t help but smile.

“So. did Ice tell you he bought me a hangar?”

“He did what?” Bradley asks, because such a move seems like something Mav would make, rather than Ice.

“He bought me a hangar. Said that I was obviously always welcome wherever he was, but that he knew I needed my own place and that I now had a space for the plane I’ve been eyeing up.”

“You’ve been eying up a plane? Wait. A hangar. For you to live in? What about the house? You aren’t moving out are you?”

“No. Of course not. But I’m going to be there as often as you are, probably less considering Ice has become a lot more, uh, relaxed about his stupid sleepover rules. The hangar isn’t currently habitable anyway. But there’s this P-51 Mustang I’ve been looking at. It’s beautiful.”

“He proposed to you with an aircraft hangar. Oh my god, that’s so… romantic and practical of him.”

“He didn’t propose.”

“Mav. If a guy bought me an aircraft hangar what would you think about the guy?”

“That he was crazy in love with you, and utterly committed… oh shit. I’ll call you back.”

He is not surprised when he doesn’t get called back.

… … …

He hadn’t expected it.

They hadn’t warned him.

The emotions of the day, coupled with the fact that they’d asked every single member of the 1986 Top Gun class there, along with a few other friends of both his parents. He clearly has the biggest cheering section and he feels like a mess inside, although outwardly he’s all smiles and calm togetherness. Four years of training helps with that at least. Ice and Mav are both up on the stage, part of the VIP section, along with several others who are still serving, and he recognizes them from his birthday a couple of years ago.

“Did you know they were all going to be here?” Natasha asks, and he shakes his head, throat working against the tightness of his collar.

There are photos, Ice agreeing to so many photos with newly minted graduates and Bradley lets them all go, fights his way through the crowds to find Mav. He and Ice can stage photos later, there will always be times when they’re in uniform. Just the fact that they’re here is more than enough and he’s so happy that he has had them supporting him every step of the way.

“Captain Mitchell.”

“Midshipman Bradshaw. Congratulations. Your father would be very proud. I flew with him you know?”

Bradley blinks.

Blinks again.

Hopes his internal dialogue somehow is being telepathically beamed into Mav’s head.

You are such a dick. Hopefully his expression does enough to convey his exasperation.

“Really? I didn’t know that sir.”

Mav gives him a shit-eating grin and Bradley wishes Ice were there to hit him around the head. Not that he would, not in this setting, but damn he sees why he’s always so tempted.

“I’m going to have a photo with all the graduates who are going to be heading off to Corpus Christi for flight school. I think they want us over there.”

It’s chaos. Positive and energetic happiness with everyone feeling the sense that they’re about to begin their careers, that they’ve made it through what is meant to be the hardest part, even if Bradley secretly thinks flight school might be even more challenging, it’s only for eighteen months. He manages to get photos with Maverick, Natasha and Ice and nearly every available combination. Then there are photos with the 1986 class, and he ignores the fact that several of the other men seem to shed a tear.

Then it’s dispersing, the crowd thinning and families are gathering, taking more photos and he can see Sarah pushing through, the hands of Tamsin and Petra clasped and he grins, starts heading toward them, already thinking that Tamsin has grown a couple of inches, can see both his sisters pulling Sarah toward them before she decides to let them go.

“Natasha! Natasha!” Petra screams, and she’s running across the quad, hair streaming behind her with gold and navy ribbons mixed in, running past him and Natasha is grinning broadly, bending down to swoop Petra up in a hug. Bradley stands back up from where he’d been just about to scoop her up himself before she’d breezed past him.

“Wow,” he says to Sarah as she comes to a stop to stand beside him.

“Hurts doesn’t it?” Sarah says, not really asking and Bradley nods, murmuring a quiet yeah under his breath. He doesn’t begrudge Natasha the joy and love of his sisters, love isn’t in finite supply, it’s just a little hurtful to not even warrant a hello. He has to remind himself that Petra is only seven.

“I love you Bradley,” Tamsin says, arms coming around his waist to give him a hug, as if she can tell how he’s feeling and he hugs her back.

“Love you too Tam.”

“You’re dressed up all fancy like Daddy and Papa.”

“Yeah. You look pretty fancy in your dress too. Is that new?”

“Yep. Mom bought is especially for today!”

“We can look fancy together.”

“Congratulations Bradley, we’re all very proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you proud of me? I go to school too,” Tamsin says, and Sarah looks heavenward and Bradley wonders if she’s been fielding questions like this for a while.

“I’m proud of you, going to school can be really hard work somedays,” Bradley says.

“Daddy!” Tamsin says, and then Ice is there, pressing his cheek against Sarah’s in greeting and nodding at Bradley again.

“Bradley! Up!” Petra demands, appearing at his side and Natasha is grinning.

“Hello to you too Miss Petra, happy to be of service.”

There are a few people doing a double take as they see who he is standing with, who he is clearly family with, but he cares less now. He’s finished here, no one can claim he played any favoritism card. He knows flight school will be different, wants to be in the air as soon as possible.

He can’t wait.

CHAPTER SIX (2005)

#Saga of Solitude #IceMav #Hangster #Top Gun Maverick fanfiction

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kiurit · 11 months ago

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tadpole (2002) / little women (2019)

#tadpole #little women #parallels #*#why did he eat america ferrera in barbie like that...

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aisling-saoirse · 1 year ago

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White Ash - Fraxinus pensylvanica

For this post I'm going to discuss the snags and reason I got back into ecology: The Ash Tree

Around the 1990s an insect from northeastern Asia was accidentally introduced to the Continental United States, by 2002 this insect was identified in Michigan after destroying several million acres of forest, this insect was the Emerald Ash Borer. The borer's larvae consume the living inner bark layer (leaving an interesting pattern), ultimately starving the tree of nutrients. The bark will often flake or peel off. By the year 2015, there were signs that the borer had spread to the east coast, its journey likely accelerated by the spread of firewood from infected logs, by 2019 nearly every mature Ash tree in Northern New Jersey was killed.

I grew up in a yard with twelve 150 year old Ash trees, the yard was adjacent to a section of Ash dominant forest, I watched the slow decline of all these trees, for half a decade I hoped our trees would be lucky enough to survive but unfortunately they all died within a few summers. Although the White Ash trees I encountered were wild from a 20th century clear-cut, they were a fairly common street tree around the northeast, straight growing, lovely bark and unfortunately most of the nursery stock was derived from a similar gene pool. There was little genetic diversity and many suburban neighborhoods were wiped of Ash trees. Many Ash trees were infested and look like the section of log I saved from my yard now (image below)

Suburban yards aside I quickly began to notice entire sections of forest filled with standing deadwood (image below). Worse yet white ash wasn't the only ash species affected, the entire genus is at risk. American Ash species often occupy a unique niche in cultivating young organisms which grow in vernal pools, the leaves of american ash are low in tannin, meaning they're one of the few leaves which are a suitable food source for young frog tadpoles. The loss of the ash means damage to American frog populations. It also means insects which utilized ash as a host are also at risk.

Ash also has quite a lovely ethnobotanical history, black ash is famous amoung various tribes around the northeast for its use in basket weaving. Historically Lenape elders would use the juice from white ash leaves for reducing swelling. More modern settler usages revolve around using the elastic yet study wood for baseball bats, oars, hockey sticks, and tool handles. My friends father used to raid his boss's construction sites at night to harvest ash slated for removal and deliver it to a baseball bat manufacturer for a decent payout. Ash also has a lovely grain visible in the broken log in the second image

Ash forests now eerie snag filled openings which creak and occasionally fall on unsuspecting hikers. The thought of watching an entire forest ecosystem go really bothered me, ash swamps are unique, varied, there's something almost indescribable about growing up hearing early spring chirps from little tree frogs at night which are now silent. I left my job in architecture and started pursuing a degree related to landscape architecture and ecological planning (not that this is the answer). I started propagating ash trees where I could and planting them around. Unfortunately ash can't immediately return, invasive species often outcompete ash trees in their former forest, the added pressure ultimately reduces their ability to regenerate. The borer has spread so far there is little we can do to remove it, however there is a positive effect with biological control via the borers' specific parasitic wasp.

Is this the end of the ash? Hopefully not. I still find saplings throughout the woods, ash can be aggressive in the right conditions, can they survive into maturity is another question. Perhaps in another century, more will return, and ash will occupy our woods once more. Like the Chestnut work is being done to breed more resistant species.

#ash #ash tree #emerald ash borer #plant profiles #trees #white ash #fraxinus americana

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eldritchaccident · 2 years ago

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Timing: 2002 Location: Platja Cala El Golfet, Girona, Spain Feat: @faustianbroker & @eldritchaccident Warnings: Some descriptions of gore tw (shapeshifting) Summary: Teddy learns to swim!

The cove was as private as one could find in the area, requiring a moderate hike to get to. That coupled with the fact that the sun had already set and night was upon them, Leviathan and Teddy ran no risk of running into any strangers. It was only a risk because of their intended activity that night—it was going to be Teddy’s first full shift. Or his attempt at it, anyway.

Barefoot and shin-deep in the water, Leviathan looked down at its ward with a fond smile. “Just like I’ve shown you, tadpole. Don’t be afraid of the pain, you’ll get used to that. You need to envision your new body within you, see the beast in your mind’s eye and conjure it into being. It will rip free from this vessel you’re in now, but it will still be you. If it helps, you may wade our further into the waves and feel the way the sea calls to you. Answer it.”

Wading deeper into the water, Leviathan closed its eyes. “I can see its face,” it explained, arms hanging at its sides with palms open, facing the horizon. “Staring at me… turning, now. Swimming in a tight circle. Coiling. Beckoning.” There was a beat of silence before it spoke again without looking at Teddy. “Tell me what you see.”

—

At this point it was quite rare for the young demon to withhold anything from his father. Even though he was fourteen now and verging on the start of puberty, he wasn’t like human kids. Didn’t feel the need to be obtuse or aggressive towards Leviathan just because it was an ‘authority’ figure. As far as Teddy was concerned, they were cut from the same cloth. Or at least Levi had woven the child into the greater quilt that was now ‘The Jones Family.’ Something like that. In any case it was a strange and weathering sort of feeling to be holding something, anything back. But the demonling had been parsing it out, wanting to have the idea fully formed in their head before letting it out.

Much like Levi was telling them to do now.

The young one’s gaze remained up. Staring deep into the dark, watching the scattered stars that twinkled effortlessly. Looking as if they were just floating up there, in the same way Teddy was floating on his back. Unblinking, letting the waves gently roll underneath him. Feeling the water’s hold, and trying very hard to focus on the lesson at hand. A focus that just didn’t quite come out from behind the big block of unfinished ideas that blotted out pretty much everything else.

“Uhmm. I see–” Up until this point, Teddy had also been pretty good at not taking things like this too literally. There was an esoteric side to magic, who knew? “Mostly darkness?” It was half a joke, maybe. Leviathan called out to the sea creature within it so easily. Who even knew if that was something Teddy could do? What if he couldn’t? What if it stopped at scales and teeth? A bit of enhanced strength, some better senses than the average joe? He had tried before. A few times. Just not… with anyone else around.

Not together.

Like many things, Teds wanted to surprise their father with the finished version. Not a test run. He didn’t like being seen doing things that he wasn’t already good at. But when Leviathan surprised him with this little trip… Well, he tried to be excited about it. Certainly put on a good show to that effect. It was gorgeous up here. And Teddy wanted more than anything to be able to do what Levi was suggesting it just— It wasn’t coming naturally. And that made him scared. A little defensive. And so much more aloof than he normally was around his dad.

—

Releasing a soft scoff, Leviathan opened its eyes and looked to find Teddy floating in the water, staring at the stars. “My son,” it sighed, lowering itself into a seated position beside the child and reaching for him, tugging him into its lap. “You can do better than that. Come on, now. Focus.” It pointed out to sea before canting its head to the side to get a better look at Teddy’s profile. “Tell me what you feel, if you don’t see anything yet. Just… listen to what the ocean is saying to you. Though I came from the stars, the water has always been my home. It has always been our home. Listen to it.”

Though it had no way of knowing the source of Teddy’s apprehension, Leviathan admittedly also did not know if this would work. Giving a human a touch of demonic power was uncharted territory, and if that touch would allow the boy to shift into powerful, monstrous forms was nothing more than a large question mark. But they had to start somewhere, and with Teddy fast approaching adulthood, the demon had figured it was about time.

“Tell me what you feel,” it repeated itself in a slow, soothing tone, resting its chin atop the young boy’s head for comfort. Even if it was dissimilar to what the Leviathan felt, it would at least draw them a line in the sand that they could mark as the start. Different was fine, it just wanted to know how different.

—

“Sort of sounds like a repetitive whooooshh.” Teddy rolled his eyes and laughed, allowing himself to be pulled in close. The cracks of mirth gave way to the apprehension he couldn’t keep at bay. The child laid his head against his father’s chest. Held himself as close as possible, as if he’d be able to hear the great beast inside if he could just listen hard enough. Though, from this angle it was more like Leviathan’s stomach, and the sounds Teds heard were more like digestion. They did have a rather delectable dinner before setting out on this journey.

“I–” With a long sigh Teddy closed his eyes and tried to focus again. Tried to turn his thoughts from inevitable failure to possible success. It wasn’t an easy feat. “I feel the rhythm of it. The way each wave carries energy, and even as it crashes on the beach, none of it is lost. The ocean brings it back.” Our home. Ours. The backdrop of his whole life, sure. The way the family traveled, and more often than not, where they slept or retreated to for safety. But Teddy couldn’t be so sure it was his home. After all this time he’d still not been able to make his body capable of surviving beneath the waves for long without surfacing. He felt torn. Like he belonged to both worlds. Or neither.

Too strange for the shore, too human for the sea.

“I feel my heartbeat, slowing and syncing up to the waves.” Teddy curled in tighter, nestling up under Levi’s chin, filling its whole lap with his gangly limbs. “There’s… a song to it.” The boy’s brows knit close, delving deeper into the depths of his mind. Letting the drone of the waves, the music of the ocean call to him, closer, closer. It whispered in his ears and pulled at his chest. The sensation swelled, pulsing through Teddy, making his mind swim and for just a second he– No. Nothing.

“What if I can’t?” It came out quiet, barely a whisper above the sea foam. “What if I’m not good enough?”

—

Things came naturally to Leviathan, for the most part. That had everything to do with the nature of its existence rather than an excess of skill, but it meant that sometimes the demon didn’t take time to consider what it might be like for someone to not have an innate ability to do something they wanted to do. And as a result of that, it was unfamiliar with the sense of uncertainty, at least from a place within. Uncertainty was what had always drawn it to others, but now, seeing that in its son? It was… upsetting.

“Hey, of course you’re good enough. But this is… learned. It won’t be easy.” Such a foreign concept. It felt strange on the demon’s tongue.

Circling its arms around the boy in its grasp, Leviathan rocked forward and stood up out of the water, striding briskly forward, away from shore. It wore a cheeky grin as it gave the child a hefty toss, hucking him out into deeper water. The demon was quick to follow, diving beneath the waves to join him. The transformation was rapid and messy, the creature diving down beyond the edge of the drop off to guide the viscera to a place where it wouldn’t cloud their practice area as it got swept up in the current. It was much smaller than normal, only about twice the size of the man that had just been holding Teddy in his arms, but the added bioluminescence illuminated the water around them.

If it is too much to conjure your own, then just try to imitate this, it offered, voice sounding only in the boy’s head. I believe in you, boy. You can do this.

—

While Teddy didn’t have experience from the whole of existence by his side, he did have his dad. Which was more than a little comforting. The strong arms that held him close lent their strength to him in more ways than one. For a split second, the boy thought Leviathan standing up might just mean the end of today’s lesson. A ‘good try’, a ‘do it again another day’ kind of thing. But no. Papa Shark’s wicked grin told a tale the kid knew well. One they only had a moment to prepare for.

All at once, he was airborne. Screaming like a banshee on a rollercoaster. Howling with delight and a sudden break from the cocoon of tepid misery he’d been weaving himself into. This was so. much. better. Teddy landed in the water in the world’s most ungraceful cannonball. Limbs akimbo, gangly things going this way and that. Pushing the water away only for it to come rushing back to greet him. To hold him up like it always did. The ocean was there for him, in the same way Levi had always been. Somehow it just took being tossed like a caber to make that click.

The water wasn’t the only thing rushing around him. Nor was the quick flight the only thing flooding Teddy’s chest with a swift sharp swell of elation. This close the child could feel the Leviathan shed its human facade. Giving him a proper demonstration as well as a heavy dose of motivation. Probably the very last thing he needed to spur him onward. To be able to actually do this.

One thing Teddy never lacked was imagination. The voice in his head might not have intended to strike up his intense competitive streak, but it sure did. An idea finally formed, a vision of what could be coupled with the power of belief that he could actually do it. Something massive began to stir inside him. Had he been above the waves his chest might have started heaving. Instead it seemed to collapse as the air escaped in a cloud of bubbles. The child grinned, swimming after Leviathan as the changes began to take hold.

Uncoordinated, clumsy, and all together quite abruptly Teddy’s skin began to splinter. Like watching popcorn in slow motion, or a flower bursting to bloom. There was pain, but he’d been told to let it happen. To let it take its course. So he did. Let the sharp ripping sensation be the peel that opened up so many new doors. Let it be the thing that made his dad proud of him. An underwater scream and the rest of the demonling’s new body seized and took over the space. Leaving a second wake of viscera behind.

The new shape was unique. But inspired by his dad. Some unholy cross between a crocodile and an axolotl, with his own shade of glow. A big toothy maw to match papa’s, and best of all, lungs that could breathe down here in the depths.

—

Twisting its great head around at the sound, the creature’s jaws parted in a monstrous grin at the sight of the small human form starting to split open to make way for something bigger, something better. Something that the Leviathan had laced into the human’s genetic makeup when he was just a babe, carving archaic runes on his ribcage and fusing him with extra dimensional power. The pained scream was like music to its ears, in ways that might be difficult for a human parent to understand.

The beast slowly circled the youngling, giving him a thorough inspection. Grunts of approval carried through the water, the nose nudges here and clawed grips to lift and push aside there only serving to amplify this sense of approval.

Gills flared on its neck, and it offered a gentle nip at the boy’s throat. Congratulations, it purred fondly in his head. Now… keep up. And with that, the demon was off like a shot, leading them deep into the open ocean. It was time to test the limits of this new body.

—

Lighter than air and stronger than he had ever been, nothing in the whole world could have prepared Teddy Jones for this new feeling. The water cradled and held the creature upright as its ‘breath’ hitched, cavernous chest swimming with the host of new inputs fluttering around. Each newly formed limb begged to be tested. A brand new kind of sensation bloomed from each nudge and nip of the larger demon, Teddy hadn’t even realized that the connection had felt so weak in his human form, comparatively. This was… it was alive. It was resplendent. It flooded his brain with endorphins and made the pain worth it.

Freshly formed gills flared as water ran over and through them. Teddy could feel the way it seeped in cold and refreshing only to swirl around and pool out as something warmer. He was stunned. How could he not be? Movement felt like lightning. Each fiber of each muscle sent pure unfiltered electric pulses through the boy’s body. This form had no time to have tempered itself to sensation. It just was. And everything felt so much all at once. A prickling kind of pain that only served to magnify the pure elation that continued to drive Teddy towards the happiest he’d ever been.

Words filtered into his mind, in a way that was old and familiar, but from a new angle. A new perspective. Wonderful. Leviathan nipped again, and spurred Teddy onward, a call to action and a challenge for his new form. Even better. Massive webbed hands scooped at the water in front of him, Teddy had been swimming all his life sure, but this? Words couldn’t quite describe it. This body carved through the water, it commanded it. It felt correct, It felt like he was a force of nature.

Teddy darted around Leviathan as soon as he caught up. Made a point of kicking up the silt of the ground floor below just to burst through the cloud and slam into his papa’s side. Looking like the aquatic version of a kitten with zoomies trying to get mom to come play. The alligator-like tail was long, wide, and ended almost like a rutter, was impressive in its ability to propel the young thing so quickly, so effortlessly.

Communication, however, was not as natural in this body as taking to the depths had been. When Teddy opened his mind to talk, it was not words that sprang forth, but a flood of images. All in quick succession, and with hardly any reason or rhyme. Teddy giddy and high off adrenaline, of course, did not realize.

—

Jaws snapped lazily at the young thing as he bowled into his creator, the affectionate feeling that Leviathan had been acclimating to for years now reaching a new peak. Proud of you, it pushed out, and to its surprise, it received a flurry of imagery in return. Peculiar, but not disappointing. It was something they could discuss later, when the child regained his ability to speak.

The pair swam for what was likely hours, exploring every nook and cranny available to them in the area near their cove. The wariness of the other marine life was on full display, though it did die down a bit once the pair had been in the area for a while without incident. Leviathan wasn’t hungry, after all, so there was no need to feast wastefully.

Eventually, though, came the lesson about shedding this body. It was decidedly less violent than the reverse, at least in Leviathan’s case—it couldn’t say for certain what the transformation would look like for young Teddy. For the ancient sea demon, the fishy, reptilian body simply bubbled away, turning to sea foam that coated the surface of the water until nothing was left but the body it had used upon the shore.

—

As young of a human Teddy was, the demon he’d become was twice that. Maybe more. Barely out of its toddling stage. So much room to grow and develop into a great beast like his dad. The rambunctious youth didn’t seem to notice the fact that what it was trying to say wasn’t exactly going through as intended. Only that each new place they explored was more incredible than the last. That eyes built to see down in the depths made things so much clearer, so much more interesting to look at. There was a whole world down here that they hadn’t seen before. That they hadn’t been able to.

This was the best day ever.

But the itty bitty demon committee was tired. Spent. At least half of it was. Levi may have been no stranger to these long marathon swimming days, but by the time they headed back to shore the younger one was all but clinging to the dorsal fin of his father just to keep from trailing behind. Half snoozing and ready to fully fall to that comforting slumber. Teddy moaned as he was moved off of the demon’s back, as the body melted away into the familiar face. Pulling a certain sleepy glee from the child as they rested their massive head atop the now smaller human, almost squishing it in the process.

It was time to turn back. Teds was too tuckered out to get in his head about it, to panic, or even to think about it all too hard. In a way, that made it easier. Made it a lot like falling asleep. The sea beast crawled its way up onto the beach and slowly it too sloughed away with the waves. Leaving nothing but a naked babe burrowing his hands lazily through the sand. Contended and sleepy, dreamily waiting to be collected into his fathers arms. There was a slight shift though, in the form the child retreated to. Ridges down his spine jutted out just a little further, and patches of his skin began to tint more towards blue than the usual tan. Just a small change, but noticeable enough that he was definitely marked as different.

“Dad– That was– amazing, when can we do it again?”

—

“How’s tomorrow sound?” Leviathan proposed with a chuckle, gathering the child in its arms to carry it back to the tiny beach house they were staying in for the moment—back to dry clothes and warm blankets. He’d need to rest up after such an adventure, and even though they’d eaten a large meal before the swim, Levi knew he’d be ravenous after a nap.

After they’d dressed and settled down indoors, Leviathan sat at one end of the couch with Teddy’s legs in its lap, thumbing slowly through a book it had been meaning to finish. “You did an excellent job, my boy,” it said gently to Teddy, glancing away from the page to give him a smile. “Feeling alright?” There was a platter of snacks on the coffee table in front of them, for whenever those hunger pains hit, full of dried meats and cheeses—the best human vittles after a long day of swimming, Levi found.

—

Teddy was more than content to let himself be carted off. Yawns came in droves. Ted couldn’t help it. It was like his body was still trying to breathe for the larger creature that it just was. Even in the coziness of the beach house, things didn’t feel quite right. Bones sat unsettled in a way Teddy couldn’t even begin to describe. The ache that had filled their chest before the great beast burst its way through… it was still there. Returned. Maybe even louder than it had been. Made him shift this way and that, as if the couch was the problem. Not something deeper. Not something much more worrying.

Levi seemed to notice the boy’s irritation. Or maybe it was just asking because the kid kept squirming half way in and out of its lap. Hesitation to speak reared up for the second time that day. Don’t be afraid of the pain, you’ll get used to that. Getting used to it meant that this was normal. This was growing pains. This was just something that Teddy would have to become familiar with. If they told Levi just how wrong things felt after having shrunk back down… would the old demon be less proud? Would it mean that Teddy hadn’t done such an excellent job? What if… it meant they did something wrong?

“Hey… dad…” Slowly, Teddy sat up. Deciding the other way around might do them some good. Head in lap instead of feets. Certainly felt closer to comfy. The pain hadn’t been the only thing on their mind, and the later bit of Levi’s compliment amplified the demonling’s concerns. Easier to talk about, but maybe harder to pinpoint. Something to deflect the discomfort away with. “What if–” Teddy’s tiny features twisted up, looking for the right phrasing. “What if– What does it mean if I don’t always feel like a boy?”

—

Now, Leviathan had never been one to deal in binaries. How could it, being a creature born from the infinite possibilities of the universe in elemental chaos? In reality, it had no gender. No sex. Nothing that would remotely draw any kind of similarity between it and the world it now lived in. This body that it had crafted was out of necessity, and given its proclivity for targeting those weaker than it, it needed something intimidating. This body achieved that just fine, but it had never been a reflection of what the creature really was. Such a thing was impossible to know.

Still. Its son—child—was different. Born of this world and with greatness thrust upon them. Mm. They might have been used to dealing in binaries, but there was no reason for it.

“Then you are not always a boy,” it answered simply, smoothing one palm over the child’s hair, looking down at them with a smile. “It does not matter what people call you, just what you feel about yourself. And if you are looking for a word to match that fluidity, well…” It thought for a moment. It, the word it often used for itself, the word that Teddy often used for it, was quite uncommon among the humans. Perhaps even unheard of. There was one, though—the first that had sprung to mind once Teddy spoke. “You are, maybe, a ‘they’. Sometimes you might feel more one way than the other, but ‘they’ can mean either. Would that help you feel more like yourself?”

—

Leviathan’s ward took a moment to consider. To roll the term around in that little noodle and feel out how it applied to them. To them. Ah. Hmm. Something clicked, like all this time they’d been carefully working at picking a lock, and now they had finally opened it. Stepping through the threshold was all that was left to do. Teddy nodded, gleefully and greedily accepting this new term, and adopting it to their whole self. “You can still call me your boy though. I still like that. At least most of the time. Maybe except Tuesdays and bank holidays.” The small face in Levi’s nap had lit up like the fourth of july in vegas. All traces of self-doubt and worry over the lingering pain in their body seemed to evaporate with the gift their dad had given. All together, the day had still been one of the best they could remember. Teddy was content to ignore a bit of uncomfortableness to keep the rest as golden as possible.

#wickedswriting #thread; swimming lesson #faustianbroker #eldritchaccident #gore tw

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jumpstartfactoftheday · 2 years ago

Photo

CJ’s kindergartner design (left) bears some resemblence to the character Chad Tadpole (right), who was portrayed as a nephew of CJ from around 2001-2002. Namely, they are both young frogs that share the distinct trait of wearing a hat that entirely covers their eyes.

#character trivia #cj #jsfotd

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majestativa · 1 year ago

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His subjects, [...]

Mysterious vagabonds with tadpole mouths And putrefied souls.

— Else Lasker-Schüler, Selected Poems, (2002), on George Grosz

#German #Else Lasker-Schüler #Selected Poems #2002 #George Grosz

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buk0wskis · 1 month ago

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having an actor as a special interest is awesome. what do you mean he’s played a 15-year-old milf hunter

#i am in the process of watching tadpole #and it’s a fun time #silly of course #but fun #i mean oscar is lowkey real as hell #he spends the whole 79 minutes yearning for sigourney weaver #i understand him #tadpole #tadpole film #tadpole 2002 #tadpole (2002)#oscar grubman #aaron stanford #sigourney weaver

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stacys-mom-has-got-it-goin-on · 1 year ago

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"So, you're going to dinner with both of them? The girl you like and the girl you slept with?

Yeah, my dad's coming too."

#awkward #quotes #tadpole 2002 #dysfunctional family #love triangle #mrs. robinson #cougar #stacy's mom

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ageofevermore · 4 years ago

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I AM NOT OLD I PROMISE WE'RE A YEAR APART PLEASE HAHAFCGVHBJ

i have a secret, i wasn’t meant to be born in 2004. the thought repulsed me, please don’t bully me <3

#2002 !!#that’s an anne marie song !!#i accept you #young tadpole #hales <3

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dalek-101 · 2 years ago

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Ok so today while I was off school I learned about the Mountain Chicken. I was infodumping on the groupchat but most of them completely ignored me. So today, if you choose to read on, you will also learn about the Mountain Chicken. To warn you I’m not a great researcher and some articles weren’t dated so some things may be slightly out of date and some of information slightly conflicts with each other but the story is pretty much the same so it doesn’t much matter

Starting off strong, the Mountain Chicken is not a chicken at all, but a frog. It looks like this;

Pretty cool, right?

Have some cool facts:

It’s other names are: the ‘Giant Ditch Frog’ and the ’Dominican White-Lipped Frog’.

The Latin name is ‘Leptodactylus Fallax’

It is native to Dominica and Montserrat in the Caribbean

They are carnivores and like to eat tarantulas, insects, spiders,snakes, land snails and pretty much whatever else they can find.

They can weigh over 900 grams, reach over 20 cm in length and live for up to 16 years.

It is one of the world’s largest frogs

Their name comes from their call sounding chicken-like and their size. And some people also say that they taste a bit like chicken.

It was also Dominica’s national dish

Using a trilling call. the male entices the female to a nesting burrow. They mate and a foam nest is produced where the female lays her eggs.

She lays infertile eggs for the tadpoles to feed on. When tadpoles metamorphise into juvenile frogs they leave the nest.

The males are very territorial and will wrestle to protect their territory

They have very powerful hind legs that enable them to be able to jump over 2 metres

Also check out this guys grinch feet

But the thing is, they are critically endangered.

There was roughly a 90% population decline after an epidemic of Chytridiomcyosis (Chytrid) in Dominica in 2002 and an epidemic in Montserrat in 2009. Batrochochytrium Dendrobatidis (BD) is a fungus that causes Chytridiomcyosis in amphibians. The arrival of BD to Dominica is what caused the population to decline. Bd is one of the most destructive animal epidemics. It is assumed that the international amphibian trade was a key factor in the spread as infected amphibians may have been transported around the world for consumption and laboratory use. BD was discovered in 98 but by then it had already spread. Within 18 months of the first confirmed case the Mountain Chicken Frog population had shrunk by about 85%. The disease attacks the outer layers of the amphibians skin which affects the ability to regulate water and electrolytes. It also seriously affects tadpoles mouthparts. Some of the symptoms are lethargy, redness of the belly and legs, and muscle tremors. Some amphibians are more resistant so act like vectors, transporting the disease. About 40% of amphibians are at risk of extinction.

After the population decline, there would be loads of dead frogs in streams. Forests used to be filled with the sound of their call but the forest have fallen silent from the loss. Before the epidemic, the population was in the tens of thousands. The disease affecte dover 90 other amphibian species and we could lose another 600 species in 20 years.

In 1997 there was a large volcanic eruption on Montserrat that affected lots of wildlife and their habitats. For instance some bats lost their fur and some fruit-eating bats lost their teeth due to the abrasive action of the ash that covered the fruit. Although the ash was rich in minerals and the forest that survived the explosion began to thrive. The silt from the explosion also almost completely killed the coral reefs but 20 years on the reefs have recovered. The pyroclastic flows and ash destroyed many populations and habitats so the species were restricted to a small place in the island’s Centre Hills Reserve.

However things are looking up due to conservation efforts. The Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme was set up; coordinated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,in partnership with the government of Montserrat’s Department of Environment. When the disease hit Montserrat in 2009, 50 Mountain Chicken Frogs were rescued so as to establish a captive population. They established a bio-secure safety net population in 3 zoos across Europe. These have been successful so the frogs have bread many have been microchipped and released back into the wild. An antifungal drug, called Itraconzale, was established and it was used to treat amphibians in the wild in periods of risk. Frogs were washed for 5 minutes in a bag containg the antifungal bath; even if it didn’t actually stop them dying, it showed potential in extending the time till extinction so it was still a success. Over 20 frogs were reintroduced from ex situ breeding programs into a fenced-off area. The area was specifically tailored to the frogs needs with artificially heated ponds to escape the disease as Chrytid can’t survive over 30°C but the frogs can. There is also a live food facility where they breed crickets and cockroaches for the frogs to eat. There used to be one in Dominica too but the captive breeding programme was shut down after Hurricane Maria hit. In Dominica in 2008, the island’s population was assumed dead but in 2011 there were reports of the frog’s call being heard at night.The future is looking good for these guys

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this because I certainly did. I got genuinely quite sad while researching. Sorry if it’s a bit all over the place. I’m writing this from my incoherent messages to the group chat that only acted like they cared when I made a fuss about them not caring. Anyway I feel like I should mention that I did all this after watching a six of crows tiktok.

In case anyone can’t be bothered to read this;

The Mountain Chicken Frog, that resides in Dominica and Montserrat, hit a hard population decline in outbreaks of the fungal disease Chytridiomcyosis. But conservation efforts mean things are looking up for them.

#frogs #mountain chicken frog #endangered #infodump #wth is lizzie doing #if i accidentally mispelled anything no i didnt

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apod · 4 years ago

Photo

2021 June 21

The Tadpole Galaxy from Hubble Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing: Amal Biju

Explanation: Why does this galaxy have such a long tail? In this stunning vista, based on image data from the Hubble Legacy Archive, distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral galaxy Arp 188, the Tadpole Galaxy. The cosmic tadpole is a mere 420 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation of the Dragon (Draco). Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long and features massive, bright blue star clusters. One story goes that a more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front of Arp 188 - from right to left in this view - and was slung around behind the Tadpole by their gravitational attraction. During the close encounter, tidal forces drew out the spiral galaxy's stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular tail. The intruder galaxy itself, estimated to lie about 300 thousand light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen through foreground spiral arms at the upper right. Following its terrestrial namesake, the Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose its tail as it grows older, the tail's star clusters forming smaller satellites of the large spiral galaxy.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210621.html

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fatehbaz · 5 years ago

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Why is it called the “Caribou Rainforest”?

Of all the grizzly bears, wolves, wolverine, lynx, mountain lion, elk, moose, salmon, salamanders, slugs, mushrooms, giant cedars, and mosses that live here, several of which only live here, why caribou? Came across some newly published map stuff and info that kind of addresses the question of why the name makes sense, and describes the close relationship between lichens, the endemic caribou facing imminent extinction, and the unique inland temperate rainforest region. As unique as the region is, there is not really a formal name or label that has been applied to it, until recently. From some recent visits, here are some typical habitat in the inland temperate rainforest, where the smaller creatures (fungus, moss, ferns, terrestrial molluscs, amphibians) dwell:

Ascaphus montanus, the “inland tailed frog,” is endemic to the region, like the southern mountain caribou. They are small, silent, cold-tolerant, and highly-aquatic creatures of the streams. Their tadpoles have suction-cup “sucker” mouths, so that they can attach to rocks without getting carried away in the strong current of the fast-flowing streams.

In 2019, when the last of the southern mountain caribou were relocated outside of US borders, caribou were declared extinct within the contiguous US for the first time. A majority of the rainforest, and most of the southern mountain caribou herds, exist on traditional Sinixt land (who were wrongfully declared “extinct” by the Canadian federal government decades ago, and who are now actively engaged in legal pursuit of recognition).

Basically, this is one place where a specific type of caribou not only inhabits mountain landscapes, but also depends on the presence of intact rainforest and cannot exist outside of the rainforest.

Older maps, because I wanted to give a shout out to the some of the rainforest’s iconic endemic amphibians.

Another endemic species: Coeur d’Alene salamander, whose distribution range closely follows the limits of the inland temperate rainforest. These salamanders are usually subterranean for much of the year, but they apparently love living in “watefall spray zones,” where they hang out on the rock faces, doused in mist, next to the rainforest’s many small waterfalls. I’ve also read that waterfall spray zones are important in the inland temperate rainforest specifically, because they provide adequate moisture for “oceanic species” of mosses and ground-dwelling plants that typically live along the Pacific Northwest coast, allowing them an opportunity to live here, away from the ocean where it’s drier. [Photo from me.]

More caribou:

The “Idaho giant salamander” is also endemic to the inland temperate rainforest region, but has a much more limited distribution. [Photo from me.]

Here, rainforest species more typical of the marine-influenced coast (amphibians, salmon, slugs, cedar, hemlock, ferns, mosses) mingle with species more typical of the Rockies and boreal forest (grizzly bear, gray wolf, wolverine, fisher, lynx, puma, moose, elk, caribou). Chinook salmon still migrate into the portions of the rainforest within US borders, and white sturgeon and other anadromous fish still live in the Canadian portion. It sits within a wider region known as ��the Columbia Mountains”.

But in recent years, the moniker “Caribou Rainforest” has become popular.

‘Since 2002, the Valhalla Wilderness Society has sponsored research on inland rainforest lichens [...]. They have found that the inland temperate rainforests contain one of the richest tree lichen floras in the world – richer than BC’s coastal temperate rainforest. [The sponsored researchers] found more species of lichens in the Incomappleux Valley than tree, shrub, herb, grass and moss species combined.’ [Source: Valhalla Wilderness Society, 2008.]

Many of the special endemic species of this rainforest are plants (like mosses and ferns), invertebrates (like molluscs and harvestmen), or amphibians (like giant salamanders and tailed frogs). So, maybe comparatively, the caribou is a “cuter” animal to use as a popular emblem. But also: There is a special relationship between lichen and caribou that seems very emblematic of how temperate rainforest involves many close relationships and exchanges between the sea and the land; rivers and forests; aquatic animals and terrestrial animals; etc.

The so-called “southern mountain caribou” is a special population of caribou that lives only in the inland temperate rainforest region. The region has a lot of ocean-influenced moisture, like the coastal rainforest. But since this inland region is mountainous, much of the moisture comes as winter snow, unlike the coastal rainforest. Deep snow usually covers lichens growing on the ground, which would normally deprive caribou of access to wintertime food, so many caribou might usually avoid high elevations and deep snow of mountains in winter. However, the cedars and hemlock of the inland temperate rainforest have many lichens hanging from their branches, which are accessible as food for caribou throughout the winter.

Anyway, newly-published map and data:

Here, CTR stands for coastal temeprate rainforest; ITR stands for inland temperate rainforest.

From the authors: ‘Deep winter snow plays important roles in Inland Temperate Rainforests, preventing frost from penetrating into the ground and protecting shrubs, herbs and soil biota from extreme winter cold. Melt of the winter snowpack is vital for groundwater recharge, sustaining springs and seepage areas that support ancient cedar stands. ‘

Local extinction and demise of individual caribou herds in the inland temperate rainforest: Caption from authors: “Trends in mountain caribou abundance for selected herds in the Caribou ITR (Central Selkirks, Columbia, Groundhog, Narrow Lake, South Selkirks) and Interior Wetbelt (Purcells South). Adapted from British Columbia provincial government status reports [...].”

Worth noting that most of the southern mountain caribou populations live on traditional Sinixt land. [Map of their traditional territory, from Sinixt Tribe’s online portal.]

The Canadian federal government declared the Sinixt people “extinct” in the 1950s.

As of 2019, the (contiguous) US now considers the caribou “extinct” within its borders.

Found this aquatic larva of the Idaho giant salamander. They dwell in the small mountain streams. Unlike most other salamanders, whose larvae live in still water like ponds or lakes or vernal pools, these salamander larvae live in the tumultuous and fast-flowing streams, where there are many little waterfalls and broken cedar logs creating nooks and crannies for hiding.

A cryptic friend. There are many slugs and land snails in the inland temperate rainforest. The presence of so many molluscs is unique for a location so far away from the moist and mild climate of the ocean’s shore. Many of these molluscs haven’t been formally documented.

#ecology #multispecies #paleo #landscape #endemic species #salamander #amphibians #frog

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