#z nation season two

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Sooo... what about a Zombie Apocalypse or Virus AU where regular humans turn into zombies or drones or mindless beings, but those who have the X-gene, when exposed to the virus or bitten, get their powers, and can control the hordes? And they also kinda are affected by the virus, because they want more of them, more mutants, and want a horde or hive or pack or family...

Reader is on their own at first, after surviving some of the worst of humanity, and falls in with a small group of teem survivors (some of the X-Teens and Brotherhood, maybe an Acolyte or two). They all banded together as they can survive better together, and the hordes leave leave be, and they all trauma bonded...

But... they keep running into strange people, adults and teens alike, who seem too friendly and too nice, and always offer a warm meal or warm bed or safe shelter... and always seem to secretly be kinda insane...

(Can you tell I've watched Z Nation, two seasons of TWD, and various zombie movies?)

@sugar-soda @vivid-bun @thewickedweiner @hermesserpent-stuff

[soosth]

AANG ＆ OZAI PARALLELS: DEBUNKED

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Because apparently the true villain is the sole survivor of a genocide of his entire nation, and not the imperialist colonizer.

Where do I even begin?? Because I’m genuinely holding in laughter writing this, it’s absolutely insane how certain people can make such egregious parallels that aren’t even found in the first place. 

AH, so a little backstory on how this fucking shit stained idea even came to existence, well our dear z^tara fans pissed their pants over Zuko and Katara not tying the knot, so, as a way of retribution for their supposed “honour” They take any chance to jump on the Aang hate train and make him into some irredeemable abusive demon, aaand they got that perfect opportunity because the LoK decided to take a lick out of the great “Main Characters Must Be Bad Parents In The Sequels” Trope. Which personally, does absolutely nothing to the protagonists resolution aside from cheap family drama but I digress. 

Now, I’m not behind the idea of the writers trying to make Aang a “flawed” Parent, I think it really makes no sense by how they went about it, (I might touch on this in another post) 

((And it’s so very clear that they’re trying to give it a soft “retcon” And even taking extra steps saying that Kya and Bumi just “remember wrong” Which I’ll actually take, because season two of LOK was hell on earth anyway so you might as well give it some saving grace.)) 

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There’s three main parallels that they got from Ozai and Aang: (god help me)

Favouring a child

isolating the rest

leaving pressure On the golden child

I’m going to debunk all three of them while trying not to fall into complete lunacy over how ridiculous they are. 

Favouring a child + Leaving pressure: 

OK, so people are clearly blind with context clues and media comprehension, got it. No surprise whatsoever. I can’t be disappointed if I didn’t even have any expectations to begin with. 

Let’s compare the treatment on how Ozai treats Azula, and how Aang treats Tenzin. (Holy Shit)

Beginning with Ozai, well.. It doesn’t take much of a rocket scientist to understand that Ozai essentially could not give two fucks about Azula, as she in essence, serves the role of an attack dog, as long as it does its job, it’s worthy. 

Ozai favoured Azula because she was molded to match his ferocity and hunger for power, she was a prodigy bender, and was cunning and calculated, all traits that Ozai found endearing and someone worthy to be crowned the next “fire lord.” His “favouring” Of her didn’t come out of genuine love or care, she is his tool who serves a purpose. In short, she showed more competency and more ruthlessness and callousness in comparison to Zuko. Which earned her, her place as the “Golden Child.”  

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None of this is even remotely similar to how Aang treated Tenzin and his kids, aside from the fact he supposedly “favoured” Tenzin more, but that is such a baseline statement and has absolutely no relation with Ozai's reasons.

You have to understand that an entire FUCKING NATION IS DEAD. History, Culture, Tradition, is at the BRINK of being wiped out, Tenzin is quite literally the only Airbender that will be left after Aangs passing. Why do people devalue this concept so much? 

“B-BUT THE AIR ACOLYTES1!!” Still have limited knowledge, airbending is so heavily tied to its spiritual roots, you LOSE your ability to AIRBEND, if you aren't inclined to your spiritual side. Which is a core part of the air nomad culture. Tenzin is... Literally the only god forsaken part left of that, so yeah. It’s a pretty big fucking deal. Aang values his culture and teachings to such a high degree, he is literally the survivor of a genocide. His favouring of Tenzin was done out of necessity and love, not out of a need for power and a new attack dog to send orders around. 

Tenzin will literally be the future “Director” Or guide for the next avatar to learn airbending, people still forget this, and it’s hilarious. He needs to know all the moves, all the teachings because he will be the next avatar's personal guide. 

Aang constantly reassures him, and apologizes for the pressure that may be put upon him but he always reaffirms that he’ll be there to guide him and they’ll “learn together”

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So yeah not the same thing at all. Fuck you for being so inept at understanding the different reasons and perspectives of those situations, just for some petty ship discourse, genuinely disgusting.

Isolating the children:

OK this part, I have to say that the writers definitely messed up with aangs characterization, but I think the execution came out way differently than the intention, so I will try to look more into the intention of each decision.

Ozai isolated Zuko, mistreated him, belittled him, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HIM, but yeah totally on par with Aang actually. 

I don’t wanna touch on this part much mainly because his treatment was literally explained all throughout the show, and granted, while I understand most of these people haven’t touched the show aside from reading fanfic 300000 Where Aang is revealed to us as satan himself, but perhaps, even a small peak at Ozai's parenting would reveal the laughable contrast between the two.

Zuko was a slow learner, and much more of a softie, and a “mama's boy” To Ozai’s heavy dislike, he was thus treated as such, he was belittled, turned down, and literally burnt alive for showing “weakness” He is meant to serve as a direct contrast to Azula, ”The everything he isn't.” 

Kya and Bumi on the other hand, don’t show any actual signs of trauma aside from some petty jabs they threw at Tenzin, 

Bumis talk with Aang at the statue was *very very* Clearly, meant to highlight his own inferiority complex that he internalized growing up. His need for proving himself to be capable of doing just as much if not more than a “bender” Probably happened because his two parents were both prodigy benders and him being a first born son who was a non-bender must’ve hit pretty hard for him, and I’m so sure that katara and Aang reassured how special he is but that kind of thing doesn’t really go away.

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Kya: [while healing Bumi] I told you those rocks were slippery. You're lucky you didn't kill yourself.

Bumi: You done with the lecture, mom?

Kya: Oh, grow up. You haven't changed one bit since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a bender can. Well, you can't. Deal with it.

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 That talk with Aangs statue was very much meant to unveil an internal struggle rather than a conflict he had with his father. Kya even doubles down on this, telling him “of course he’d be proud of you” Basically spoon feeding to us, the viewers, that this is much more of internal than an external conflict that he has to overcome along the show. 

“Why Didn’t he share his culture with them 1!!1!” 

He most definitely did, or tried to, but it’s clear they didn’t show much interest so he didn’t pester, this is shown many times throughout the show. 

“You know I could never keep all those gurus straight… There were like a million of them!

remember that long boring story about the guy who never ate?”

This is literally Kya’s remark to Tenzin just after he tried teaching the airbender students this story, basically telling us that Aang DID try to tell them about his stories and culture, but much to their disinterest, didn’t try any further. 

And Bumi, literally could not pay attention to the story to save his life, and instead decided to fool around in his literal 60’s!! I mean Imagine what he was like when he was a kid!! 

I could imagine their dynamic was very similar to Jinora with Meelo and Ikki, Tenzin being the only one with actual interest and care, whilst Bumi and Kya goofing off and not putting much focus onto it. WHICH IS FINE BTW!! 

It only goes to reiterate that Tenzin was the only one who was actually giving interest and attention to the air nomad culture, and it was of Kya and Bumi’s own personal choice to not partake in it. To each their own I see. 

“BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VACATIONS” 

This.. I agree, weird for the writers to decide this, but given how they low-key are retconning it in interviews, my best guess is that each of those trips were side-quests during their journey to teach an important lesson that might’ve just drowned out because Tenzin may not have remembered it as well. 

Also keep in mind that Tenzin was put into a lot of pressure, Aang probably saw this, and as a way to still keep it enjoyable, he took him to trips that would help ease the mind for a little kid whilst also learning something valuable. That seems pretty on brand for Aang actually

And given that Kya and Bumi are literally in their fucking 60’s it wouldn’t surprised me if they didn’t have the greatest memory. Hell, they didn’t even fault Aang as a parent until Tenzin started boasting about “trips” That Kya and Bumi gave petty jabs but weren’t actually showing genuine hurt, just annoyance.

Kya even comments how Aang was too busy “Trying to save the world, and doing his duty that he didn't have much time for them” 

Phrasing as if it wasn't anything "important" But it's clear that this was Kya's own personal irritation towards Tenzin rather than an actual evaluation on Aang's duties.

A continuation comic best explains it in a deeper way:

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Literally showing that “neglecting” His kids wasn't up to him, and was out of a sense of necessity, trying to cram as much knowledge onto Tenzin, the only one who was basically putting his lessons into practices. Kya and Bumi were left feeling neglected. But that wasn’t out of his decision; he still loved them dearly.

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This. Literally highlighting how much pressure was forced upon Aang, so yes, as any person would, he struggled with making time for everybody. Holy shit who knew?? 

GASP!! IS THAT… A REALISTIC BUT UNDERSTANDABLE FLAW!!?? HOW DARE YOU! ITS OZAI #2 

The fact that the smiley energetic person forgets to SMILE, is a big deal, man was put through hells amount of stress but he never cracked.

So tell me, how is a genocidal freak, who treats his golden child like a tool and abuses the other both physically and emotionally for showing “weakness’ 

Even remotely comparable to

 the sole survivor of a genocide, trying to withhold his teachings and culture onto literally his only child that showed actual effort in doing so, while also maintaining the balance of an entire fucking world and being literally the biggest “advisor” And “Mentor” For society, OH! And also building and managing a literal city, but along the way struggling to make time for his children. 

Guess what, they’re not. And if you think they are. You are an idiot, with bias and headcanons.

So the conclusion is, Aang is a flawed parent, but he isn't a "bad" Parent - confirmed by the literal writers.

Comparing him to Ozai a literal dictator, is absolutely sickening, just for your petty shipping discourse when this show's been over for a decade is insane. Indulge in what you enjoy, but stop projecting delusions like they're canon.

:D

[calderacitylovers]

Zutara SlowBurn FanFiction: Personal Favs, part I

·        I AM STILL HERE by owedbetter Published: 2017-10-09 | 77K words | 7 Chapters

After the Last Agni Kai K heals Z with the help of bloodbending. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SUMMIT by AJLenoire

Chronicles post-war years, as Gaang and other characters gather for annual summits to keep peace and build relationships between the Four Nations. Katara yearns for a bigger purpose than the Avatar’s companion and slowly grows into a shrewd diplomat. Very sweet slow burn ZK story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        CLOTHE ME IN SEASONS, DRESS ME IN SNOW by sadladybug Published: 2015-01-05 | 62K words | 7 Chapters

Follows old Zuko as he reflects on his life and what would have been if he kept Katara closer. Absolutely beautiful, but also a devastatingly heart-breaking story about loss and pain.

 ·        SILENT DECLARATIONS by Megara Pike (Megara_Pike) Published: 2021-01-20 | 2,6K words

A short story based on animation by Hayley Wong. Z finds K asleep in her study and carries her to bed. Very sweet, gentle story.

 ·        COVERED IN YOU by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-02 | 55K words | 14 Chapters

Eight years after the war Z convinces K to take on a role of a Southern Water Tribe ambassador in the Caldera city. Both are completely clueless about each other’s feelings. Features political talks, big gestures, and a ball. Very cute, sweet slow-burn story. Has mature scenes.

 ·        TEN STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION by evergreenonthehorizon Published: 2021-04-03 | 29K Words | 12 Chapters

A collection of short stories filling in the gaps between some of the events of ATLAS3 and up to the Last Agni Kai. Features accidental cuddling, embracing in the rain, sharing a bed for warmth, post-Ember Island Theater discussions, being discovered, waiting to be kissed, Suki & Katara being good friends, battle plans, Zuko & Sokka getting drunk, slow burn & angst. Very sweet.

 ·        THE SWAY OF THE SUN by TheBlackBriarSparrow Published: Published: 2019-10-14 | 102K Words | 27 Chapters

Two years post-war Gaang reunites in Caldera city for a secret party in honor of the overworked Fire Lord’s birthday. Rebels attack the palace setting a thrilling consequence of events in motion. Adventures, investigations, and fights ensue. Z & K work together and enlist old friends to help find missing people. Beautiful slow-burn story with an exciting plot.

·        A WARM EMBRACE by ewinkie Published: 2020-10-06 | 19K Words | 7 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite from Southern Riders to the Last Agni Kai. Katara and Zuko have to hide in a cave following their encounter with Yon Rha. Comforting turns to cuddling, which turns to waking up on Appa's tail in each other's arms. Katara is shocked at how comfortable she is. Zuko is shocked that Katara doesn't hate him for it. Features sharing a bed, being discovered, slowburn, and lots of teenage silliness.

 ·        FOLLOWING BLUE by Boogum Published: 2018-11-07 | 39K Words | 10 Chapters

ATLA S2 rewrite. After Katara falls from Appa’s saddle during a pursuit, the Blue Spirit becomes her reluctant companion and helps her reunite with her friends. Ba Sing Se scenes are completely rewritten, and Z ends up joining the Gaang much earlier. Thrilling beginning, sweet middle, average ending.

 ·        ANOTHER WORD FOR ALCHEMY by FanPanda13 Published: 2014-08-19 | 108K words | 24 Chapters

Five years post-war Aang summons old friends for a summit and invites them on a trip to investigate mysterious locations where he experiences loss of bending. Features Gaang setting Z & K up, travelling on Appa like in the olden days, lots of sparring, royal courting, magnificent navy ships & war ballons. Thrilling story with fun banter between old friends. Slowburn, mature content.

 ·        CONSUME ME WITH FIRE, FLOOD ME WITH DESIRE by Dacamia Published: 2020-08-14 | 86K words | 24 Chapters

Steamy ATLAS2 and ATLA S3 rewrite. Z & K accidentally meetup on their way to Ba Sing Se and decide to travel together. Features aged-up characters, lots of intimate scenes, staying in a beautiful cave, helping villagers, betrayal in Ba Sing Se, reunion, forgiveness, etc. Explicit mature content.

 ·        ROOTS AND WINGS by zukoscomet Published: 2020-08-14 | 250K words | 25 Chapters

A series of short stories of Z & K as they grow closer, confess their love for one another and start a family.

 ·        THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE by hiwasseelane Published: 2021-05-02 |29K Words | 13 Chapters

An ATLAS3 rewrite. Sweet, teen-appopriate.

Here’s a link to Part II of my personal favs.

Here’s a link to Wholesome Zutara Short Stories.

[doudouneverte]

Love your fics and would you do one for Laura feirsinger something fluffy. ( Only if you write for her)

a/n: i wanted to write something for Feiersinger for a while so I'm more than happy with that request

"Say it"

Pairing: Laura Feiersinger x AUSTRIAWNT!Reader

Summary: you just want to hear two words

Type: Fluff

Warning: nothing

word count: 1893

translation: Ich liebe dich/Je t'aime/Ti amo = I love you

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You and Laura knew each other from as far as you can remember. First, you played together at Bayern Munich before she left for Sand, and you left to play two seasons for Lyon before coming back to Munich. Your relationship had always been special; you were practically a couple even before she asked you out formally. But it was only a few months before her big move to Frankfurt that she found the courage to do it.

Since then, a lot of things have happened. You joined her in her new club and had to leave your commun best friend, Sarah Zadrazil, behind. And more importantly, you were officially engaged. But unfortunately, your fiancé signed a new contract with AS Roma in Italy, which meant you would spend almost the whole season missing her.

Fortunately for both of you, you were playing for the same national team, and with the new National League came a new national camp. And that was where you were today. The girls just arrived at the hotel when you were already looking for your fiancé. Since her transfer, there was something she never told you, and you needed to hear it now.

As expected by all your teammates, when you and Laura spotted each other, you didn't leave each other. It was not a secret to everyone how close you were, and some of them were used to making fun of it at first, but now it has become something usual.

"Where is Laura?" Barbara asked when she spotted a group of girls talking in Manu's room.

"With Y/n. Like always." The goalie replied.

"Why do I feel stupid to ask that?" The midfielder asked before walking to your room. She was about to knock, but she stopped when she heard something unusual.

"Oh, come on, babe, I know you can say it. It's been like, what? Six weeks since you started to train with them, I'm sure you can tell me now." You said while you were unpacking your stuff.

"We already talked about it, Y/n. I don't know if I'm ready for that." She replied.

"Bullshit." You said before throwing yourself on the bed and dragging the Roma's player with you. "We both know that I'll find it." You said before gently kissing her.

"Yeah, but let me time to prepare myself before." 

"Okay, no pressure." You engulfed your body in her tiny ones, sharing as much warmth as you could. "I missed you." You confessed.

"And I missed you too. Now come on, let's get ready, or the girls will start to worry." She instructed you.

"Okay, but just five more minutes." Even if she knew she had to complain, she couldn't when she saw you so vulnerable.

On the other side of the door, your Frankfurt teammate was already not here. The midfielder rushed to her previous destination a few seconds earlier.

"Girls, I think we have a problem." She said bursting the door open.

"Don't you know how to know on a door?" Sarah Puntigam said after everyone was thrilled by the midfielder's antics.

"Sorry, not sorry, but we have a bigger problem than a fucking door." Barbara said.

"Don't swear in front of the kids." Sarah Z said covering Katharina's ears what made everyone laugh.

"Sorry, but yeah, I was saying that I think Laura and Y/n are breaking up." The new froze everyone and everything in the room for a few seconds.

"WHAT?" All the players yelled.

"Shh, keep it low." Barbara instructed them.

"How do you want us to keep it low when you announce something like that?" Sarah P said, gaining a nod from all her teammates. "And how did you get that information?"

"I may have or haven't heard their conversation when I was going to 

see Laura." She explained.

"WHAT?" Everyone yelled again.

"You know how much Y/n hate when someone tries to invade her privacy, and it's even worse when it involves her and Laura." Manu reminded her.

"I know, but it's not like I wanted to listen on purpose. I will apologize later. Now can we talk about the main subject?" 

"Oh, what are you talking about? I want to be in." You said, appearing behind your teammate. The room froze for a moment. You felt all eyes on you and started to feel a little confused. "Uh, are we interrupting something?" You asked.

"Nothing; we were just wondering where you were, right, girls?" Sarah P said trying to convince you and your fiancé. When you heard all the girls agreeing, you found it suspicious, but you were not going to question it, at least not now.

"Anyway, coach wants us in the meeting room in five minutes." Laura said, and after that, you both left to the room mentioned.

"I don't know about you, but they didn't seem to be near to break up for me." Kat said.

"I totally agree with you, but maybe they don't want to make us worry." Barbara proposed.

"Maybe, but right now the coach wants to see us, so let's go." Sarah Z said before leaving the room, quickly followed by the rest of the team.

In the room, the girls were a little shocked to see an empty seat between yours and Laura's. Even if they didn't question it, some glances were not discreet, and some whispers could be heard. The Bayern midfielder took her seat between the two of you while Barbara could finally talk with your fiancé.

At the end of the meeting, you were one of the first to leave the room. But you were quickly stopped by your ex-teammate.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sarah asked you.

"Uhh...yeah." You replied.

"Where are you going?" 

You paused a little. "Restroom."

"Oh, okay, sorry. I'll not restrain you more." She said a little nervous, making you chuckle.

"Yep, I'll be back soon; don't worry." With that, you just walked away.

What should have been a little weird thing for your teammates became something more when the next day Laura decided to train with her best friend letting you with Kathy. You both didn't notice, but a lot of confused looks were exchanged between the entire team.

At the end of the training the Roma's player was leaving with her best friend when she heard you calling her name. She quickly glanced at you before quickly running away from you, forcing you to chase her.

"Okay, that's weird." Sarah P started.

"The most weird thing was that they were both smiling." Manu continued.

"Maybe Barbara was right." Viktoria finished.

"No, that's impossible. We all know how much they love each other; they can't just break up and keep the facade in front of us. We need to start an investigation." Sarah Z proposed, and everybody agreed.

A few hours later, you were watching a movie with all the team in your room. There was a good atmosphere, and everybody was enjoying the moment until your phone buzzed. You excused yourself and left the room to answer. In less than five minutes, you were back in the room and found your spot next to the tiny midfielder.

"Who was that?" Laura asked you quietly to not bother everyone.

"Oh, it was just Laura who wanted my advice for something." You replied, and your fiancé just nodded before she placed her head against your shoulder.

The next morning, the girls were planning a real plan to do everything they could to not let their favorite couple break apart when they heard someone run to them.

"Girls, please help me." Laura begged with an amused expression. The team didn't have time to process everything until you reached them.

"Okay, you know what? Let's do that in another way." You took a moment to think before you started again. "Okay, in English." 

The entire team was looking at both of you very confusedly.

"Okay. 3...2...1... I love you!" You both said at the same time. The girls were more confused, but you didn't give them time to question anything before you started again. "Now, in Deutsch. 3...2...1... Ich liebe dich." You said again at the same time.

"What's happening here?" Barbara asked.

"Just a minute. Let me finish that." You return your focus to the tiny midfielder. "Now... Je t'aime." You saw her blush, which made you grin. "And?" There was a little silence; all the attention was now on Laura.

"Ti amo." She mumbled, but your face showed her that you didn't understand. She took a breath and focused her gaze on yours: "Ti. Amo. Is this okay now?" 

Instead of replying, you hugged her and crashed your lips against hers. "More than okay." You said with the biggest smile you could ever put on your face right now.

"Okay, what's happening now? I thought you were about to break up. Why are you so lovey-dovey right now?" Manu asked.

"What are you talking about?" You asked, very surprised by her sentence.

"I heard you two talk the first day of the camp, and I thought that you were about to break up because she didn't want to do something or something like that." Barbara confessed.

"First, Barbara, you know that Y/n doesn't when you spy on her. Second, we never thought about breaking up; why could you ever think about it?" Laura explained.

"Wow, now we look stupid." Viktoria said.

"For your information, you always look stupid, like all of you." You said, making your fiancé laugh. "Except for Laura and Sarah Z, of course." You added.

"Okay, that's rude." Your captain said, "But can you explain what just happened?" Laura hid her face in your torso out of shame after remembering why you were both here.

"Oh, it's actually a funny story." You started. "You know that we have known each other since as far as I can remember. But we didn't always play together, so since I came back to Germany after my little trip to France, we decided to establish a rule in our relationship. Every time one of us has to play in another country, they have to learn the local language to say, I love you in this language." You explained.

"Why does that sound cute and dumb at the same time?" Viktoria whispered to your captain.

"Because it is, but she was the one who proposed that, and I can't refuse her anything, so here we are now." Laura defended you.

"But what does this have to do with your behavior from the start of the camp?" The Bayern Sarah asked.

"That's because she didn't want to say it. So I had to chase her everywhere to convince her to say it." You explained.

"I can't wait for the wedding. I would be personally offended if Y/n don't do something dumb like this on  D-day. Manu said. 

When the girls started to ask more questions, the coach called you for training. On your way to the pitch, you had your fingers intertwined with Laura's when she suddenly stopped making you look at her.

Fortunately for you, you didn't have to say anything because she didn't give you time to react before she kissed you. "Ti amo." She said before letting your hand go and running on the pitch.

"Wait, can we get married like today?" You asked while you ran after her.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

so this post is inspired by a person who sent an ask to @my-nitpicking-self (i hope you don't mind me tagging you), who mentioned the confrontation between katara and zuko in atla, in reference to glimmer's and catra's relationship in spop. i thought it was an interesting comparison, so i'm going to expand on it.

so two very similar scenes in atla and spop: katara and zuko being stuck together in crystal catacombs and glimmer and catra being stuck together in horde prime's ship. two things to note here - zuko was beginning to heal at this point and had almost completely given up his mission of capturing aang, while catra has just finished conquering salineas and was neck-deep in villainy.

as soon as katara sees zuko, she becomes outraged. keep in mind, zuko did not kill katara's mother. but she still had a valid reason to be mad at him. she holds him accountable for everything he has done.

K: Why did they throw you in here? Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!

K: You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!

Z: You don't know what you're talking about.

K: I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.

here, zuko doesn't try to argue with katara until she implies that violence and aggression is an inherited thing, because he's from the fire nation. zuko accepts his mistakes but he is also aware that being a fire nation citizen or even royalty alone doesn't make you a bad person. even then, he doesn't raise his voice or lash out at her, he just calmly disagrees.

after katara mentions her mother, he apologizes and sympathizes with her.

Z: I'm sorry. That's something we have in common.

K: I'm sorry I yelled at you before.

Z: It doesn't matter.

K: It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.

katara also apologizes but zuko understands that it was completely in her right to blame him. and then we get to the crux of the issue. katara's mother was killed years ago but she still hasn't been able to move on from the grief.

now, of course, zuko again turns back to villainy but this was an important confrontation. and it wasn't the only one. as you all know, after zuko's official redemption, the gaang still doesn't trust him and katara is the last person to forgive him. she is still upset and disappointed by the way he betrayed her after they had begun to bond in the catacombs. and zuko has to prove his loyalty before katara could forgive him.

now let's come to glimmer and catra. catra DIRECTLY caused the death of glimmer's mother. and it was recent. glimmer had been grappling with her grief in the last season, to the point where she spirals into a small corruption arc. s4 of spop does NOT forget angella's death.

so obviously, you would expect there to be a confrontation between glimmer and catra in s5, especially since they were alone together in a confined space. but let's see what happened.

Glimmer: You again. Why do you keep coming back here?

Catra: Just...bored, I guess.

Glimmer: No, I mean, Horde Prime told you not to talk to me. He's gonna catch you eventually. Why risk it? ...You're lonely, aren't you?

so far, no confrontation, no apology.

Catra: What do you know? You're the prisoner here. I can go where I want. So, stay here by yourself for all I care.

Glimmer: Okay, okay, you're right. It...helps having someone to talk to. Even if you're the last person I'd ever want to be stuck here with.

Catra: Trust me, Sparkles, the feeling is mutual.

and just like that, they're on better terms now. glimmer doesn't bring up angella's death, she doesn't bring up the way catra treated adora, how she and bow were kidnapped by catra, nothing. they seem more like casual rivals than enemies here. catra doesn't seem guilty in the slightest, she just has to threaten to leave and glimmer immediately makes her stay.

and not just that, they joke about adora's paranoia that was rooted in her trauma, as if it's just a fun quirk. at this point, it's clear that the writers are not even trying to make it seem like they don't favor catra over all the characters.

and the one time glimmer somewhat confronts catra—

G: Please, Catra. Do one good thing in your life!

C: Don't talk to me like you know me! You don't know anything about me!

of course, catra shuts her down immediately. and afterwards, even when catra saves glimmer, she makes it clear that she's only doing it for adora. while on the surface, this might still come off as a good deed, it's clear from her later behaviour that catra's goal wasn't to help either adora or glimmer. my best guess is that she was practically awaiting death at that point and didn't expect to face the consequences of her actions, so she wanted to go out with one good deed, much like shadow weaver.

it's crazy how zuko, who was just an antagonist and has done very little to directly hurt the gaang, faced the consequences of his actions and got a drawn out and detailed redemption; while catra, who spent the entire series hurting the protagonists out of her own interest, gets off scot-free.

any time her past actions are brought up, they are mentioned in the vaguest terms possible i.e. “she made some mistakes” or “shs hurt people”. it's so clear that the writers were hoping that if the other characters forgot everything that catra did, the audience would do the same. and the worst part is that they're right. 90% of the fandom were willing to accept catra's redemption because no one in the show ever holds her accountable or confronts her properly.

[sunskate]

Warsaw Cup 2024 RD

why are some events higher scoring season after season? Denis Ten kind of broke their tendency to be sky high this year, but here, 8 of the top 10 scored season or personal bests. the two who didn't had twizzle mistakes

Lauriault/Le Gac came out strong at Lake Placid and won against teams like the Browns, P/B, F/A and N/M but have had big errors and strange mistimings at every competition since. idk if it's gotten to them mentally. here, besides a big twizzle mistake, they couldn't complete a move where she goes through his legs and swings up because they didn't connect

Bashynska/Beaumont: they're having a rough go this season. the programs aren't doing them any favors, the taste level in the packaging, oof. this is a team who won junior GPF over Lim/Quan and the Mrazeks - they have more potential than they're showing right now. they skated ok here, but like L/LeG they've had some very bumpy competitions, and it's maybe affecting how they carry themselves. they still haven't gotten to do the ballet program of their dreams, and more elegant packaging could do a lot for them. hate to say it, but maybe the costco of ice dance would be better for them

i like Dupayage/Nabais, but thanks to Jean-Luc i can't stop noticing how much they accordion in the spacing between them as they go through their program

Lopareva/Brissaud looking solid besides a twizzle level. all the judges had them first except the German judge who had Pate/Bye 1st with a 81.17 and 4 points higher than L/B how 👀

Z/K looking crisp, and he's calibrating his energy level so it's less frenetic. she had a balance check in a twizzle and pirouetted part of her 3rd set for a level 2 - judges though gave them GOE from -1 to +3 😐 the Ukrainian judge didn't see either of her twizzle mistakes?

watching Hannah and Ye's RDs at their 2 GPs and then here, they've been pretty consistent. live in Quebec in August, this program was already good but even more for the potential to be really exciting - at Skate Canada it looks like they had a lot of glide. GP Finlandia it was a little bit more noticeable that their pattern maybe isn't as big as some other teams and that they're not as deep into their knees or the ice? the choreo on their ChRS lets them down a bit in the middle - too much pointing on the beat, the kicks don't match - it doesn't add a lot of interest, and you know they have the potential to eat up a choreo sequence

i never understand J v R/S's costumes lol

but a personal best for them and tied for 2nd in BV. German judge can’t be accused of national bias - had them in 4th

[jadevine]

An online friend sent me this video on Nov 10, and I immediately started taking notes on it, lol.

There is nothing better/worse than a white dude learning about arnis and getting So Fascinated by it. Thank the gods that he has a Filipino friend.

The first few minutes are generally a solid if brief history: Eskrima/kalis/arnis started as a commoner’s art with no official “system,” aside from being practical, deadly, and using a variety of weapons.

Spain came around and forbid blade usage, hence the transition into the now-famous sticks. Speaking of which, Filipinos killed Magellan using the bladed version of eskrima. Like… A LOT of Filipinos. Magellan and 49 Spaniards just rolled up to a full army of 1,500 natives and assumed, “Well, we have guns, so we’ll be fiiiiiiiiiiine!” Fuck around and find out, colonizer.

The thing that jumped out at me was the comment about eskrima being “hidden in dance and play,” which is likely referring to two things: The maglalatik dance is specifically a war dance. I don’t know if that’s “hidden,” so much as “this is literally supposed to be practice for young men to learn how to fight, and for seasoned fighters to keep in shape.”

The other might be the common old wives’ tale saying that kalis fighters practiced to music. This is something that I’ve only seen done 1) for performances/displays where no actual fighting was going on, or 2) to pull foreigners’ legs about secret Pinoy techniques. Some people call it “cheesy,” and I personally think some guys saw Pinoys sparring to their workout playlist (or the historical equivalent), and they thought we did that all the time.

Like, nobody minds if a white guy spars with “Eye Of The Tiger” blasting because maybe he just likes working out to music, but when a Filipino guy/group spars with eskrima to their favorite beats, suddenly it’s a “time-honored tradition?” I haven’t seen any dance-battlers mentioned in the Boxer Codex or other records, so until someone has evidence, I won’t say it’s historical.

Regarding the hands-on stuff: I feel like they intentionally skipped the most boring stuff, either so the video would be more exciting, or to just fuck with poor Martin. Like, they handed this poor man a stick right off the bat and started him out with hitting stuff and sparring? Where is the training montage??? Was all of it cut???

Also, here’s an intersection with “real fights aren’t nearly as long as the movies pretend” and “fighters are not necessarily good video-makers:” The spars lasted all of five seconds each, and it was mostly to “the first one who lands a hit wins.” This is okay when it’s clearly in good fun, but it’s also not very educational and it tips a little bit into “TELLING people how awesome eskrima is” instead of “SHOWING people how awesome it is.”

Martin does not look like he learned any footwork, either, but he says he knows boxing! The sport that people literally compare eskrima’s footwork to the most often!

Maybe this is my entertaining/acting side coming out, but if you’re planning a video well in advance, with someone that you know is not trained in this field, and an indirect purpose of this is to spread knowledge of your country’s national sport/combat-style, I feel like you need to set aside a couple hours for a crash-course of “here’s how to do X, Y, and Z,” while the actual students and teachers are doing fancy stuff. You can film however much you need, and then CUT however much you need to fit the time-limit.

The video would have greatly been helped if they kept a training montage that lasted twenty or thirty seconds--it would be much more involved than what the video seems to have done, by just tossing a new guy a stick and messing around with him.

General impression: An easy to digest taste of eskrima, like Cup-O-Noodles / instant ramen, or whatever your country’s version of “cheap and easy food” is. Not bad for what it is, but you’ll need something meatier after a couple of hours.

[beholdtheapocalypse]

Z Nation (2014-2018) Season Two | Episode Three

[cipheramnesia]

Working on re-watching Season 5 of Z Nation as a group. Every time I watch this show it always reminds me of how amazing it was the first time through. Like going from "hah, dumb cheap zombie series" to "hold on, this is weirdly good." Having no idea if there was a second season coming after season one ends in a literal nuclear apocalypse. Season two unloading an absolute double barrelled shotgun blast of every idea they could throw at the wall. Just on and on, it felt so bizarre to see a show getting away with being so good and so absurd at the same time. What a rush.

[natlacentral]

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Crown Prince Dallas Liu Had Elliott Smith on his Zuko Playlist

With the Netflix show officially renewed for two more seasons, the actor talks to GQ about his personal style, his cult series PEN15, and bending lightning.

Before he found his calling, Avatar: The Last Airbender star Dallas Liu considered becoming a stuntman. But when Liu was only 12 years old, his soon-to-be manager discovered his competition videos on YouTube and asked him if he'd ever thought about acting. The answer was yes: “Martial arts had definitely inspired me to become an actor, because of the performance aspect of it,” Liu tells GQ from his home in California.

Now, at 22, Liu’s credits include a Gen-Z cult comedy (PEN15) and a high-profile Marvel film (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.) He’s been able to channel his eclectic background to play the complicated villain at the center of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, Fire Nation royal Prince Zuko.

A few weeks before Netflix announced that Avatar had been renewed for a second and third season, Liu talked to GQ about how playing Prince Zuko changed him, his love of A24 films, and the Pen15 renaissance.

Were there any Avatar scenes that you were really excited to film?

All of the flashbacks. All of episode six was super fun, but specifically the scene between Aang and Zuko in that shed after an escape. And then, when Zuko sort of blows up at Zhao, at the fight at the Northern Water tribe.

The writers had given me a lot of good stuff to work with, and so I was just happy that in our show Zuko gets a character arc. In the first season of the animated series, he’s sort of one-note and quite melodramatic in each scene—he's sort of being repetitive about his motives. [But] he was always my favorite character as a kid. I just loved Zuko. Being able to play him was a dream come true.

I saw in another interview that you said that it was great to humanize him. Was there anything that you kind of discovered about yourself through playing Zuko, because he's such a complicated character?

Yeah, since he’s so complex, playing him opened up my heart while I was off-set. When I had originally arrived in Vancouver to work on the show, I was similar to Zuko in that I was very narrow-minded in what I wanted to do, in terms of how I wanted to be an actor on set. I thought this was my one opportunity in life to prove to the people that I have a spot in this industry.

I was like, I'm focused on my work, do my job, go home, rest, and just take care of myself. And throughout that process, that's what it feels like with Zuko and Iroh. Zuko is like, "I'm just going to capture the Avatar, and then return them to my father and then I get to go home." And we see that that's not the case.

There are so many things that are involved in this journey that Zuko and Iroh go on, and something that I felt was my relationship with the other cast members and with the crew members started to grow. I found myself wanting to open up my heart and share this experience with them, and share all the love that I had inside of me that I had been trying to hold back on.

If you were not playing a character from the Fire Nation, what powers would you want to have personally?

Oh, it still definitely would be fire. It’s the most aesthetically-pleasing one in my opinion. In the world of Avatar, you can start to manipulate other elements once you become a master of that base one, and I think lightning is something that I've always thought would be super cool to bend. I think fire represents me, my heart.

What's your Zodiac sign?

I'm a Leo.

That adds up.

Wait, why?

Leo is a fire sign!

Oh, yeah, that's true!

Have you seen the TikToks about the Pen15 renaissance?

During my time shooting it, Pen15 was still blowing up. It's been on this continuous rise, which I'm so happy because that show—now it's really, really popular. But at the time, it was so underrated. I was still tapping into a younger version of myself on that series. But [for Avatar] I took inspiration from watching Maya and Anna act out as kids, for Zuko being an innocent child himself in the war meetings, in that first scene with Uncle Iroh in episode six.

I mean, you were still a kid. You were 16. That's a child.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I guess it's a lot closer to Zuko, and that he doesn't think he is.

Did you really shave your head for this, or did you do a bald cap?

Given that we were trying to stay faithful to the original and what it represented in the show, I thought it was extremely important for me to shave my head. I had a choice. I won't get into what it represents so much, but you get to see a little bit in some of the Avatar lore that exists outside of our series. But it gets you into character so much because it pisses you off so badly every morning. Waking up on the weekends when I'm not working and I just want to go out, I have to throw on a beanie. But waking up and staring at myself—This is my life now, this is who I am—I think it certainly got me into character very easily.

I really liked your red velvet suit at the premiere. How has your style evolved from your younger years to now?

My mom has always been my biggest fashion influence. She's the one who sort of turned me into this picky critic when it comes to outfits and clothes. Even when I was younger, I wouldn't ever let her pick out my outfits. And because I didn't let that happen, I ended up looking really stupid and goofy a lot of the time.

But I think everyone starts in sneakers—very common, especially for guys. You start with basketball shoes, and then you transition into Jordans, and then you transition into some form of streetwear after that. And at that point, you could go, I think, either into this world of vintage or archive clothing, or obviously, people love designer clothing and mixing up that world of streetwear with that.

But for me, I think I just really elevated basics. My style has just become less about brands, obviously, and more about quality. I'm 22 now, so I'm paying for all of this stuff myself. So I'm like, is this worth it? Am I going to be fine without this? On carpets for the Avatar premiere, I wanted to go all out. When I'm in real life, I just stick to all black and different shades of gray.

Did you make a playlist for Zuko, his character to get into character?

I did, but at some point, I stopped using it just because I sort of found my groove from the character. But some artists that were in there were Elliot Smith and Duster.

Which Elliot Smith songs did you put on there?

“Between the Bars.” And just all of his most popular stuff for sure, because especially “Between the Bars” relates to some part of Zuko's life, whether it was his actual scar banishment or catching the Avatar.

Are there any genres you want to dabble in next?

I honestly love drama so much. Obviously, the new Dune film just came out and I just love Denis [Villeneuve]. Every actor, I feel like can agree with me on [that]—and that we want to do an A24 film. But honestly, I'm still just trying to take any work that I can get, because I do want to show my range as an actor. I'd love to work with Willem Defoe on something, that'd be cool. So, just projects that are grounded, but have a stylistic element that separates it from Hollywood blockbusters.

[wolfman-moony]

 Fanfic requests open!

My requests for stories are open!!

I’ll write any character on this list x male reader, non-binary reader, gender neutral reader, gender fluid reader, any specific pronouns you request I’ll do.

My rules on what type of stories I will, and will not right↓

Fandom and characters I’ll write for!

~Harry potter~

Draco Malfoy

Blaze Zebini

Viktor Krum

George Weasley

Bill/William Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Cedric Diggory

~Stranger Things~

Eddie Munson

Steve Harrington

Gareth Emerson

Billy Hargrove

Nancy Wheeler

~Julie and the phantoms~

Alex Mercer (i’ll only write male reader for him)

Reggie Peters

Luke Patterson

Willie

Nick

~Descendants~

Harry Hook

Gil LeGume

Carlos De Vil

Jay

~The 100~

(Note: I’ve only watched the first two seasons of the 100 so far)

Jasper Jordan

Monty Green

John Murphy

~D & D Honor among thieves~

Doric

Simon Aumar

~The school for good and evil movie~

Hort Hook

Hester

~Z nation~

10K

Sarge/Lilly Madison Mueller

~Okja~

Silver

Blonde

~Words on the bathroom wall~

Joaquin

~Diary of a wimpy kid~

Rodrick Heffley

~The Entitled~

Dean Taylor

~The Santa clause movies~

Bernard the head elf

~Evil Dead Rise~

Danny

~Matthew Lillard Characters~ 

Tim LaFlour

Stu Macher

Shaggy Rogers

Stevo

Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein

William Afton

Brock Hudson

Roger Sperling

And most any other character Me has played as long as I know the character 

[alwaysdevilday]

So I found an interesting worldgen… (Icemourn Pt. 1)

Last night I got the itch to play some Dwarf Fortress (the Steam version because I love me some pretty graphics and menus) so I loaded it up and generated a world.

Much to my surprise, one of the options for a starting civilization (a nation of origin from which my dwarves can be from) was this:

What you're looking at is a civilization of one (1). The king of this entire nation is also its only member, and he spends all his time sitting in his castle alone at the edge of the known world surrounded by ice and frozen peaks. There ain't anybody else other than my seven starting dwarves.

I thought to myself "oh this is gonna suck, there's no way I can't do this", and decided to go for it. I was gonna raise this nation out of the dirt as if my life depended on it.

I chose a spot in the frigid coniferous forests off the landmass's southern coast. No close neighbors, just me and the bears and whoever decided to pass through.

For my preparations, I loaded up on the bare essentials until I ran out of points, gave my dwarves the standard spread of jack-of-all-trades skills and took a few animals for emergency food and protection. The water buffalo are hard to take down and although they eat a lot of grass in pasture, they yield lots of useful resources if I have to Do The Deed. War dogs would take up the task of saving my hide from any potentially dangerous wildlife.

I named the fortress "Icemourn" or Ushilleshal in the dwarven tongue. I thought it appropriate, given that the land remains frozen and blanketed with snow 9 months out of the year.

My embark location was rather auspicious, sporting a wide range of towering trees and plenty of fruit during the admittedly brief surface growing season. The presence of a small river and a natural (if shallow) cliffside did not go unappreciated.

My first task was to carve out a chunk of the hill into something more useful (and aesthetically pleasing). It was there that I would set up my home base, digging out soft and heavy earth to make room for rudimentary bedrooms and the first two workshop areas. The room to the north would be my first dining room, something I planned to convert to a tavern's main floor later.

Initial setup complete, I set about securing my dwarves' safety with some log walls around the entrance. A drawbridge would block all but the biggest and meanest of hostiles from entering in times of emergency. Thankfully, trees were so plentiful in this location that I almost certainly would never run out of usable wood (though that might spell trouble if elves decide to visit later).

That done, my next task was to start carving out the uppermost workshop and stockpile rooms to ensure that my dwarves could carry out essential tasks without being forced to venture into the harsh winter. Dirt walls are ugly and unpleasant, but they get the job done. Beautification would have to come later.

The bare essentials on their way, I had time to order my dwarves to dig deeper, down about 8 z-levels (units of height, estimated to be about 2 meters) until we struck rock. To my delight, the substance proved to be shiny black obsidian. An aesthetically pleasing material, and one I could make basic weaponry out of without having to go to the effort of setting up forges. And as a bonus, fire opal gemstones! Right at my fingertips!

By this time the year's thaw had come, right on schedule in the middle of the summer. Pretty! Warm! Hospitable!

This brought to mind the fact that sooner or later, I would need a water source, so I set my dwarves to tunnel out some of the loam towards the river, forming a subterranean channel that would pipe fresh water into a cavity beneath my entrance's "courtyard". A covered well would allow the dwarves access to drinkable water year round, without concern for it freezing easily.

As autumn approached, the first traders arrived from somewhere far away. I hastily set up a trade depot for them and dumped my sole bin of wooden crafts onto the offering table. By the time the deal was done, we had procured several barrels of alcohol (and the trader had procured a nearly 60% profit, absurdly) and had lightened our load a bit. Unfortunately, our three months of sunlight was over and the snow once again began to fall as the traders packed their things and hastily left.

Continued Later

[knivesovt]

I'm going to do a quick summary of each of my characters, for the sake of perhaps sparking someone's interest in writing with one of my sweet girls. If anyone is interested, please feel free to like or comment here and I will come to you !!

S o p h i a P e l e t i e r. We all know Sophia from season one of The Walking Dead. I do have my own spin on her, given that I've aged her up a bit ( as I'm not comfortable writing a child character -- to each their own, it's just not for me ). So, in my version, she was around 17 years old during the time of the initial outbreak. That said, when she was separated from the group, Sophia was chased away from the road by more walkers and unable to find her way back. She is very fearful of the dead, but not so much toward other survivors. Dangerous optimism or perhaps just naivety -- either way, it is very easy to establish a connection with her, given that she is a very sweet girl . . . but she's not going to be much help in a fight.

E l e a n o r B r o o k s. Before the outbreak, Eleanor was just a normal girl with a bit of a co-dependency on her older brother. She was an elementary school teacher ; she loved her job and the children, and often took it upon herself to care for them as if they were her own -- given that she had never had the time to settle down and start a family of her own. When things started to go downhill, Eleanor's brother ( Denver ) was quick to get the two of them out of the city. The pair lived out of his truck for months, never really finding a place to call home, but it did feel safe . . . enough. After an uncertain amount of time, the two found themselves scavenging abandoned homes for food or supplies -- just as everyone else. But they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, when the Claimers stumbled upon the home that the two had been shacked up in. Denver put himself in between the strange men and his sister, allowing her time to hide . . . but his death wound up being in vain. She was found and taken by one of the Claimers, a man named Jericho. Later, after discovering an unplanned ( and very much unwanted ) pregnancy, Eleanor made her escape after attacking Jericho in his sleep. She's been on the road, trying to put enough distance between herself and the men, knowing that they would likely track her down again.

M u r p h y C r a n e.

Very loosely based on Murphy from Z Nation ( the name was just kind of a coincidence, because I love the name Murphy for a girl ). Murphy's life was very normal growing up ; she was an only child and her home life was really good. When she was in high school, her father was diagnosed with cancer, and the family was always in and out of hospitals. It was never something that she complained about, and often found herself being the one to accompany her father on his trips. Though, during one of his hospital stays, things took a turn. Military were crawling all of the place, panic spread about while patients were forced to keep to their rooms. When gunfire started, that's when her parents took initiative to get her out of there as quickly and safely as possible. Her father stayed as a distraction, while Murphy and her mother ran. It as a decision that would always haunt her -- leaving him to die like that. Her mother, however, wound up doing something similar months down the road. During a supply run with her mom, Murphy was bitten by a walker ( along the top of her shoulder ). She was brought back home, where she was made comfortable and bandaged up. But the symptoms began soon after : fever, cold sweats, nausea, the indescribable pain in her bones, the whole nine yards. It was something that her mother couldn't handle, it seemed. Murphy was told that she was just going out to get some medicine -- anything to try and help her . . . but her mother never returned. Murphy's wound healed over and she's now known to be immune from the infection. The dead don't seem very interested in her anymore, finding that she can simply walk right past them without batting an eye ( she won't, because she's very fearful of them given her trauma ). This is a very well kept secret -- she is terrified of what might happen to her if anyone were to find out about her immunity. She doesn't want to be a lab rat.

[desertmountainapothecary]

Tidepools of La Jolla, California – Nursery of The Pacific Ocean Marine Life - Torrey Pines, California – San Diego Pacific Ocean Beach Adventure

To the north and east of the beach Los Peñasquitos Marsh Natural Preserve is one of the last remaining salt marsh areas and waterfowl refuges in southern California. The marsh, coves, and tidepools are rich in sea life: limpets, shore crabs and hermit crabs, mussels, barnacles, sea anemones, and many species of snails and cast-off shells.

This is the perfect place to watch the annual gray whale migration. All year round, you can see Seals, dolphins, porpoises, and sea lions in the ocean. About two hundred species of birds are protected at the reserve, including migratory ones.

Year round Resident shore birds include brown and American white pelicans, black-bellied and snowy plovers, American avocets, western sandpipers, willets, whimbrels, sanderlings, great egrets, and longbilled curlews. Occasionally, visitors may see gray foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and mule deer. Reptile residents include rattlesnakes and various other snakes and species of lizards, including the endangered horned lizard.

The Torrey Pines 2,000-acre reserve contains about 300 endangered and protected species of native plants. These vanishing habitats are home to sand verbena and beach primrose on the beach, as well as California sagebrush, California buckwheat, black sage, and coastal barrel cactus. On the cliffs other high elevations there are many chaparral plants, including chamise, manzanita, ceanothus, California scrub oak, toyon, and mountain mahogany. Many of these scrub plants in particular provide the refreshing herbal fragrance that mixes so incredibly with the ocean breeze.

Before this area was colonized by Spain, the Kumeyaay tribes migrated lived here, and migrated between here, the deserts, and the mountains throughout the seasons. The land was bountiful, and the Kumeyaay would have fished, hunted, collected crustaceans, and gathered seeds, fruit, roots, to create probably a very healthy and tasty diet. The Kumeyaay have left an indelible archaeological and cultural legacy here in San Diego county and they continue to be a strong tribal nation today both here and south of the border in Baja Norte state.

The water is usually so clean and clear here, and because of the lack of shoreline development, and the underwater marine reserve, this constantly ranks as one of the 3 cleanest beaches in SoCal. This is a wonderful rare instance of extremely valuable real estate, both being a wildlife refuge and habitat, and a beautiful escape from civilization for people to enjoy for the most part in harmony.

It’s been an incredible day on the coast here in Torrey Pines and La Jolla, and I’m so glad that we were able to explore my favorite beach together. You can enjoy my series: Torrey Pines – La Jolla, California – San Diego Pacific Ocean Beach Adventure, full length, 3 glorious days on the North County coast, and experience all of the different moods and landscapes from the ever-changing interplay between the coastal inversion and sunlight.

Full Length Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLyySza85jA

Thank you so much for joining me for this adventure in my favorite beach town on the west coast, the gem of the San Diego coastline, La Jolla, California. It means the world to me to be able to share my treasured slice of heaven in the summer heat with you, and thank you so much for watching, upvoting, commenting, and subscribing.

All the best,

William Z. Brennan & Desert Mountain Apothecary

Please Enjoy Anza Borrego Desert Wildflower Superbloom – We had the most incredible wildflower superbloom in the California Desert this past year, join me from the beginning of the cold winter through the waves of dazzling blooms to the hot end of the season.

Web: https://desertmountainapothecary.com/

Medium: https://desertmountainapothecary.medium.com/

Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@DesertMountainApothecary

Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/DesertMountainApothecary

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/desertmountainapothecary/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/desertmtnapothecary/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/desertmountainapothecary

Please Enjoy More Videos!

Supreme Superbloom! Anza Borrego Desert Spring Wildflowers! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGDPHEmN3v8

Grateful Desert Ocotillos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bstybc3XcAk

Coyote Canyon Offroad Adventure! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQYPvqj2ouU

Julian & Santa Ysabel, CA Epic San Diego Backcountry Road Trip- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Z_o0S4Hpg

Bellport in Spring - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J9hzsFhS-k

Santa Ysabel Preserve – Backcountry Hiking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XLrSJMLXUw

[aziraphales-library]

Hello!

Thank you so much for the work you’re doing, this blog literally is a national treasure ☺️ somehow it’s August already, so to cheer myself a little it would be awesome to read some proposal fics, I’m craving something nice and wholesome right now, as I’m sure, a lot of us do. Any raiting would do, and of course, the longer the merrier :)))

Hi and you’re welcome! It is definitely no longer August, but here are some proposal fics for you...

Waiting Until Marriage by IneffableDoll (T)

Aziraphale tells Crowley one day that they ought to “wait until marriage.” Crowley is deeply confused for two reasons: a) Neither of them is interested in sex. b) When, exactly, did they agree to get married?

love rings true by asideofourown (G)

Aziraphale stared down at the box, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He had seen this kind of box before, of course, and he knew what was usually inside them, but surely—

Aziraphale carefully popped open the box, and his jaw dropped when he saw the ring inside. It was— Crowley had— he had an engagement ring? Because this was very, very clearly an engagement ring, round and gold and surprisingly simple given the demon’s usually ostentatious taste.

Aziraphale quickly closed the box again and stuffed it back in the drawer, his mind whirling. Why in the world would Crowley have an engagement ring? Had it been given to him, or had he— had he gotten it to give to someone else?

[Aziraphale stumbles upon a ring in Crowley's flat and jumps to conclusions]

Be my husband by candelina (T)

5 times Aziraphale tried to propose to Crowley and 1 time he did it (and he got an unexpected reaction).

~~~

Aziraphale’s plan was to do it in 2041. He and Crowley had been together since 1941, when the angel finally realised two very important things: the demon loved him and his feelings were mutual. A 100th anniversary was indeed a very special occasion and what better moment to ask the love of your life to marry you? It was a perfect plan. Unfortunately, a much bigger Plan had to ruin it all.

Anywhere You Go, I'll Be Right Behind You by PositivePumpkin (G)

He might be going too fast again, but at least if Aziraphale rejected him, the idea would be put in his head and he could try again in a few thousand years. And maybe, if he kept the ring, it would protect him.

Or, Crowley tries to make the perfect proposal.

You are HoMe (Half of Me) by angelsnuffbox (T)

Aziraphale had gotten dumped, plain and simple. But that small detail wasn’t nearly as important as all the things that happened after he’d gotten dumped - such as coming to a few realisations about his best friend of sixteen years.

All The Seasons Of My Heart (Ineffable Advent) by Z A Dusk (M)

It started under the mistletoe on a winter night in Soho, 1881. Or perhaps it started in a flower-strewn cave in Mesopotamia.

Wherever it started, it's become a tradition for Aziraphale and Crowley to meet (almost) every festive season. Just one night where they don't have to hide their feelings for each other. It starts with a kiss, but it's always meant so much more.

This is part UST-fuelled slow burn and part soft, soft historical-to-modern romance.

- Mod D

[ofnailbatsandaxefives]

By clicking the links below you will find #682 gifs of Nat Zang in Z Nation Season 5. He is white (German, Irish, Scottish, English). Do not use in gif hunts or make icons. Remember to please like and reblog if you decide to use.  

Part One / Part Two