#quality collapsible fishing

[greenthestral]

The Vanishing Waters: Unveiling the Alarming Rate of Degradation in Our World's Water-Related Ecosystems

Our planet's water-related ecosystems are the lifeblood of biodiversity and play a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. These diverse habitats, ranging from serene lakes and flowing rivers to vibrant coral reefs and teeming wetlands, provide essential services that are essential for human survival and the well-being of countless species. However, a looming crisis threatens the very existence of these vital ecosystems. The world's water-related ecosystems are being degraded at an alarming rate, putting our environment, wildlife, and even our own future at risk. In this article, we will delve into the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to combat this pressing issue and ensure the survival of these precious ecosystems.

The Magnitude of the Crisis

The degradation of water-related ecosystems is a global challenge that requires immediate attention. Around the world, these habitats are facing a range of threats, including pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, climate change, and invasive species. These factors, often interconnected, are wreaking havoc on the delicate balance within these ecosystems.

Pollution: A Slow Poison

One of the leading culprits behind the deterioration of water-related ecosystems is pollution. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage find their way into our waters, contaminating them with harmful chemicals and plastics. These pollutants not only harm aquatic life but also have far-reaching consequences for humans who rely on these water sources for drinking and agriculture.

Habitat Destruction: Losing Our Natural Havens

The relentless expansion of human activities, including deforestation and urbanization, is rapidly encroaching upon the habitats of various aquatic species. Wetlands are drained, mangroves are cleared, and rivers are diverted, disrupting the natural flow and interconnectedness of these ecosystems. As a result, countless species lose their homes and face the threat of extinction.

Overfishing: Depleting the Ocean's Bounty

Overfishing is pushing marine ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Unregulated and unsustainable fishing practices, coupled with the demand for seafood, are causing a decline in fish populations, disrupting food chains, and jeopardizing the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on fishing for survival.

Climate Change: The Silent Menace

Perhaps the most insidious threat to water-related ecosystems is climate change. Rising global temperatures lead to the melting of polar ice caps, causing sea levels to rise and intensifying storms and floods. These changes have devastating effects on coastal areas, submerging critical habitats, and causing the loss of biodiversity.

Consequences of Ecosystem Degradation

The degradation of water-related ecosystems has severe consequences for both the environment and human societies. As these ecosystems collapse, they disrupt the services they provide, such as water purification, flood control, and carbon sequestration, impacting human health and economies worldwide.

Biodiversity Loss: A Precarious Chain Reaction

Water-related ecosystems are home to a vast array of species, many of which are uniquely adapted to these environments. As these habitats deteriorate, many species face extinction, triggering a chain reaction that affects the entire ecosystem. The loss of one species can have cascading effects on others, disrupting the delicate web of life.

Threats to Food Security

Fisheries, both marine and freshwater, play a significant role in providing sustenance to billions of people around the globe. The depletion of fish populations due to overfishing and habitat destruction threatens the food security and livelihoods of millions, particularly in developing countries that heavily rely on fish as a primary protein source.

The Impact on Human Health

The quality of our water is directly linked to our health. Polluted water can cause waterborne diseases, affecting millions of people each year. Additionally, the loss of water-related ecosystems reduces the availability of clean water for drinking and sanitation, exacerbating the global water crisis.

Rising Economic Costs

The degradation of water-related ecosystems comes with a hefty price tag. Loss of fisheries, increased frequency of floods, and the decline of coastal protection services result in billions of dollars in economic losses each year. The expenses related to ecosystem restoration and mitigation efforts add further strain on already burdened economies.

Restoring the Balance: A Call to Action

Despite the grim picture painted by the state of our water-related ecosystems, there is hope. By acknowledging the urgency of the situation and taking collective action, we can begin the process of restoring the balance and ensuring the survival of these vital habitats.

Strengthening Environmental Regulations

Governments and policymakers must implement and enforce stringent environmental regulations to control pollution, protect habitats, and promote sustainable fishing practices. Strengthening international cooperation on environmental issues is also essential, as water-related ecosystems transcend national boundaries.

Sustainable Water Management

Water is a finite resource, and sustainable water management is key to ensuring the survival of water-related ecosystems. Implementing efficient irrigation systems, reducing water wastage, and prioritizing the conservation of natural water bodies are vital steps in this direction.

Embracing Renewable Energy

Transitioning to renewable energy sources can significantly mitigate climate change and its impact on water-related ecosystems. Embracing solar, wind, and hydroelectric power can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures.

Community Involvement and Education

Engaging local communities in conservation efforts is crucial for the success of any environmental initiative. Raising awareness about the importance of water-related ecosystems and involving communities in restoration projects fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility.

Supporting Conservation Organizations

Supporting organizations like Green Thestral Inc. that are dedicated to environmental conservation can make a significant difference. Contributing to their efforts through donations or volunteer work helps fund critical projects aimed at protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems.

Conclusion

The state of the world's water-related ecosystems demands urgent attention and action from all corners of society. As individuals, communities, and nations, we hold the power to turn the tide and secure the future of these invaluable habitats. By addressing the root causes of degradation, promoting sustainable practices, and supporting conservation initiatives, we can pave the way for a healthier planet and a brighter future for all living beings. Together, let us safeguard the irreplaceable beauty and biodiversity of our water-related ecosystems for generations to come.

What's In It For Me? (WIIFM)

Are you concerned about the future of our planet and the well-being of its inhabitants? The degradation of the world's water-related ecosystems impacts us all. By understanding the urgency of this issue, we can take action to protect these vital habitats, safeguard our environment, and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. Discover how you can make a difference in preserving the beauty and biodiversity of our precious water ecosystems.

Call to Action (CTA)

Join the movement to save our water-related ecosystems! Take action today by supporting Green Thestral Inc., an organization dedicated to environmental conservation. Donate to fund critical projects, volunteer to restore habitats, and spread awareness about the urgent need to protect these fragile ecosystems. Together, we can make a positive impact and secure the future of our planet's water habitats. Act now and be a part of the solution!

Blog Excerpt

The world's water-related ecosystems are under siege, facing a grave threat from human activities and climate change. These habitats, from serene lakes and rivers to vibrant coral reefs and wetlands, are essential for biodiversity and provide crucial services that sustain life on Earth. However, pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, and rising temperatures are pushing these ecosystems to the brink of collapse. In our latest blog article, we delve into the alarming rate of degradation in these habitats, the consequences of their decline, and the actions we can take to protect and restore them. Join us in the fight to safeguard the future of our water-related ecosystems.

Meta Description (320 characters)

Discover the alarming rate of degradation in the world's water-related ecosystems and its impact on our environment. Learn how you can take action and be a part of the solution to protect these vital habitats. Join Green Thestral Inc. in the fight for environmental conservation.

#Degradation of water ecosystems #Alarming rate of habitat loss #Water pollution consequences #Impact of overfishing on ecosystems #Climate change and water habitats #Threats to marine biodiversity #Importance of wetland conservation #Coral reef degradation causes #Solutions for protecting rivers #Restoring freshwater habitats #Role of mangroves in coastal protection #Human impact on aquatic ecosystems #Water conservation and sustainability #Protecting endangered marine species #Ecosystem restoration initiatives #The link between human health and water quality #Economic effects of ecosystem collapse #Sustainable fishing practices #Conservation NGOs for water ecosystems #Community involvement in environmental protection #Global water crisis and its solutions #Rising sea levels and coastal ecosystems #Biodiversity loss in freshwater environments #Importance of clean drinking water #Erosion and riverbank degradation #Wetland restoration projects #Climate resilience of coral reefs #Protecting estuaries and deltas #Urbanization and water ecosystem destruction #The role of education in environmental awareness

[leonw4nter]

The Cotton Candy Haze Mirrors The Warmth Of Your Gaze

RE2R!Leon x F!Reader

Coming back home from working 4 shifts in a single day for the fifth time this week, you went home looking and feeling like a hot mess– ponytail looking like you got into a fight and lost, eyes sunken in with dark bags underneath them, and pimples breaking out in several spots in your face and back. Despite how much your body craved a deep and restful sleep, you couldn’t give yourself that because grad school, especially medical school, won’t pay its own tuition along with living expenses. Juggling 4 odd jobs, along with working overtime for the sake of getting extra pay is really taking a toll on you: you’ve been cranky lately and you haven’t found proper time to be studying for the upcoming board exams, resorting to bringing all your books and notes in your bags so you’ll have time to read in case you’re free while still at work. Hell, you haven’t even found time to take Leon on dates due to how hectic and overwhelming everything is; you’re certain that the last time you and Leon spent some quality time cuddling together was three months ago. An icky guilt seeps into your weary bones, especially since Leon’s also taking up some jobs on the side to help with your expenses and along with his police academy’s costs but he still manages to make you meals, remind you to drink water, and drive you to wherever you need to be. With a frustrated groan, you fumble through your bag to look for your keys but unfortunately you couldn’t find it and deduced it to your forgetfulness, having left it at the bowl by the door back inside.

“Fucking hell,” you bitterly hiss. You were just about to knock at a neighbor’s door for the spare key you handed them but then you suddenly remembered that you haven’t had the chance to give them an emergency spare key yet since you were procrastinating on it, much to your disadvantage now. Exasperation causes tears to flood your waterline, your vision going blurry as you reach to contact Leon to tell him that you’ve been locked out but you forgo it, thinking that he’s probably had a long day as well and that he doesn't need another thing to be bugging him. You sink down by the door, wiping your tears with the sleeve of your sweatshirt before taking your notes out to start reviewing again since you’re free and waiting for him to come home. A few minutes pass and you hear the pad of footsteps nearing you. Swiftly, you place your notebook back in your bag and sling it over your shoulder, getting up and dusting your legs before seeing Leon’s kind smile beaming down on you like the first few rays of the sunlight on a new day.

“Hey, baby.” you softly mumble as you place a kiss on his cheek.

“Hi,” he says as he pulls you in for a quick hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Got locked out. Forgot to bring the keys. I also didn’t ask the neighbors for the keys since I didn’t give them spares yet,” you quietly admit. You look down at your feet, shame creeping in. “Leon’s had a long day and here you are, worrying him even more. Great job, Y/N. Real girlfriend of the year,” you glumly think to yourself.

“Oh– I forgot to tell you this too but I already gave the spares to the neighbors. You’ve been really busy lately so I decided to do it instead,” he says. “Sorry about that. It just slipped from my mind.”

“No. It’s fine, it really is.” you say with a tired yet genuine smile.

Leon fishes out his key from his backpack before slotting it into the keyhole and unlocking the door, opening it and letting you head in first. You slip out of your work shoes, placing your bag on the couch and collapsing right beside your things with a loud sigh.

“I’m so tired with everything,” you loudly groan as you cover your face with both hands and proceed to groan a little more. Leon walks over to the back of the couch, wrapping his arms from behind you and placing comforting kisses to your hair.

“Tell me what’s going on. I’m just going to sit here and listen,” he softly whispers as he lightly pats your shoulder.

With a deep sigh, you ramble on about everything that’s bothering you. Tears prick your eyes again and there’s more than one occasion to your voice breaking. He stays quiet, arms still wrapped around as he nods to whatever you say, occasionally pressing his lips into your head as you vent about whatever.

“I can’t afford a review center and I don’t have time to study before the board. I’m going to fail, Leon. I won’t end up somewhere,” you finish. You recline back into his touch, feeling like a ton of bricks has been lifted from your shoulders. Leon unwraps his arms around you for a bit, walking over to your place on the couch before pulling you in for a more proper hug as he delicately sways you from side to side.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s fine,” he softly mumbles. “You’ve been working and studying so hard. I can see all the effort you’re putting into making sure you reach your dreams and trust me, you will pass the board. You make time to study each day and I can see that you’ve got the drive to succeed, you can do this. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you and your capabilities, okay?”

You sniffle, hugging back and staying silent for a bit before your shaky and slightly squeaky voice speaks up, the sound slightly muffled since you buried your face into the comforting scent of your boyfriend’s sweatshirt.

“But Leon, there’s more people who're smarter than me and they’re going to pass and I’m not going to. What if I’m not enough?” you say, which causes Leon to pull away from the hug and cup your cheeks in between his big and calloused hands.

“You’re going to pass. You’re smart, you’re my smart girl. There’s no way you’re not going to pass, okay? You will be a licensed nurse and you will reach your dreams. You’re more than enough for this and for me. Don’t let anyone and anything tell you that you’re not enough because you are. More than you’ll ever know.” He finishes with a small kiss to the tip of your nose before moving to your lips. Your own hand climbs up to lightly wrap around his wrists, maintaining comfortable eye contact.

“I’m sorry,” you softly tell him, your words coming out like a whisper.

“For what?” Leon says with a surprised smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong, love.”

“Yes I did, Leon.” you bashfully respond. “I haven’t been giving you much attention lately. You also do many things for me like driving me to school and doing my laundry but I don’t find the time to repay you. Just earlier, I got you worried because I was sitting just right outside the door when you already have a lot on your own plate. I’m just adding to that list of things that keeps you up at night and–”

Leon cuts you off by placing his index finger against your lips to shush you before gently moving you to be laying on his lap as he plays with your hair and scratches your scalp in the way he knows you love.

“Nope. I understand that you’ve gotta give a hundred percent of your attention to your studies, especially that your future job concerns human lives. I’m just doing my job by being here for you as your number one fan and making sure you still take care of yourself. I’m busy too but you’re not bothering me or causing me more stress, just the opposite actually. Now just lay on my lap and let me make you feel a lot better, yeah?” he softly says as he continues massaging your head, prompting your eyelids to drape over your eyes as you sigh in satisfaction.

“Unless you wanna have dinner first–”

“No. Let’s just stay like this for a bit.”

He continues to rake his fingers through strands of your hair, his fingers gently scratching your scalp and applying a good amount of pressure to your temples in order to effectively massage them. Most of the time, it’s you who’s giving Leon scratches and massages but it feels great to be at the receiving end of some pampering and loving from your boyfriend. He stops for a little bit, your eyes flying open to see Leon reach over to get a blanket to wrap you in it. Snuggling into the blanket, he continues his soothing ministrations to your head. You swear that if you were a cat and Leon was petting you in this way, you would purr so loud.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

You finally finished taking your board exams about a month ago and ever since then, you would eagerly open up your laptop or phone just to look at whether or not you passed. Each time, your fingers would wobble and your palms would sweat to the point you frequently wipe them on your pants so your phone wouldn’t slip out of your grip. Your thoughts would shift between the confidence that you passed since you reviewed and studied and practiced so much and the fear of failure, the icky feeling of being a failure with no direction in life eroding at the happiness you built for yourself but luckily Leon was always there to keep those crusty, self-deprecating tendencies at bay.

“You passed!” Leon practically screeches. With quivering hands he shoves his phone back into his pocket and lunges at you, almost toppling over the tables as he wraps you around in one of the best hugs he’s ever given you.

“Huh? What?” is all you could muster in this state of shock and surprise.

He pulls away and opens up your laptop, going straight to your email and the school portal where they released the list of passers. Sure enough, your last name is listed.

“My girl is going to become a licensed nurse!” he shouts with the proudest, most vibrant smile you’ve ever seen him smile. 

Tears of pure, unadulterated joy spilled from your waterline and flowed down your cheeks, a rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins whilst also feeling relief at the fact that you passed. Now it’s your turn to lunge at Leon, springing at him and tackling him with your arms tightly enveloped on his larger frame as you jump up and down, toppling over into the couch and hugging him even tighter due to the renewed sizzle of joy running through your person. After a few moments of laying on top of each other and smiling and pressing kisses into each other’s face, you get up and phone friends and family to tell them that you managed to pass the boards. Leon called up his own friends Ethan and Chris to tell them of your results, sending pictures. You hear Leon and his friends giggling on the other side of the room, squealing and giggling like school girls. His face, the tips of his ears, and neck are flushed a vibrant pink the more he talks about how proud he is of his girl. Many times he showed the email and your name on the passers list to his friends, cheers and congratulations being the reception whenever he did, much to his massive delight. Finally, you finish up phoning friends and family and go to Leon, pressing a passionate kiss to his soft baby lips upon his soft baby face. He could feel you grinning against him with each gentle smack; Leon quite never figured out if the beauty of your lips was more of their softness or their association with whatever words you spoke, which always pulled him under a spell he didn’t wish to surface from. You pull away, gazing deeply into eyes painted a soothing blue watercolor hue and not wanting to break this moment of peace, the sensations feeling intimate in a way more than the physical contact of bodies.

“I’m so proud of my girl. My smart, amazing, lovely, sweet girl who will be a nurse soon,” he softly whispers.

“I’m proud of myself too, Leon. Thank you for supporting me, helping me out, and being there for me when I needed you most. I couldn’t have done this without you,” you sincerely thank him.

“You’re a strong independent woman, Y/N. You don’t need anyone to get you somewhere because you carry yourself with an air of confidence and independence but I’m very thankful and lucky you let me in your life.”

“Gosh, Leon. You’re going to make me cry but thank you. I mean it so much. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“So… should we eat out? I’ve got some change to spare.”

“It’s on me. I’ve been saving up, I have a surprise for you but it won’t hurt to celebrate my Y/N’s passing.”

You smack his chest playfully, the blond laughing at his little joke.

“You made it sound like I died!”

“Oops. Looks like it might result in a grave misunderstanding.”

“God, let’s just get ready for dinner.”

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Leon's POV

I took her out to dinner that night, picking out a nice Korean grill for us to dine in since she enjoys Korean grills so much. Nothing felt more satisfying than seeing all her efforts pay off; all those readings and memorizations giving her the success she rightfully deserves. Right now, I’m seeing her devour her entire plate and in the blink of an eye she’ll get up to get seconds but I don’t mind; seeing her eat good food and indulge makes me feel happy. I feel satisfied, as if I don’t need to eat because her happiness is enough to keep me going for days on end. We’ve both decided to keep working some more jobs to be able to have more savings to add in our accounts so we could afford to move into a better place, probably nearer to Raccoon City since I’m going to be stationed there by next month. She doesn’t know this but I managed to prepare a little surprise for her, which is a 2 day camping get-away; deep in the forest, surrounded by trees, the stars shining above us, and the cold weather. She deserves a little break, we both do, so I planned this. I’m free for the next few days too so this is going to be perfect, I’m grinning just at the thought of it.

“What’re you smiling about?” she asks, but it comes out sounding a little difference since she’s got some food in her mouth.

“Nothing. You look beautiful tonight,” I respond, which isn’t exactly a lie. The buzz of glee just gives her this glow that makes me want to get on my knees and worship her like the goddess she is.

She gets back to eating, doing a little happy dance every now and then. She’s also insisted on feeding me, making sure I finish at least 3 plates because “one can never be too full”, which I appreciate since she just wants me to eat well and I want to have the energy to walk her around town tonight.

After dinner, we took a walk around town. I stopped by at a flower shop, getting her flowers as one of my many little gifts. It feels tempting to tell her about our little camping getaway coming up in a few hours but I want to build up an element of surprise and blissfully catch her off guard. The evening gets cold and a little quiet so I shrug off my jacket, draping it over her shoulders and making sure she’s all warm and toasty.

“You good?” I ask her.

“Yeah. Thanks,” she shyly says as she huddles into my jacket even more. I advised her to bring along a coat since the night could get a little chilly but she refused. As long as the cold won’t bother her and make her feel ill, I don’t really mind because I like seeing her in my clothes and having the smell of her perfume on my things. We take a few more strides, a comfortable settling between us as we walk hand in hand and go wherever our hearts desire. I turn my head and steal a lengthy glance from her; the delicate breeze sends her hair flowing smoothly like a poet’s ink and quill, the fine strands woven from spacetime and starlight as the streetlight’s luminescence bounces off; her body is absolutely perfect, worthy of all praises and respectful admiration with curves that mold in my hands just right but her genuine beauty is from within her heart; God, she’s captivating. She looks at me and I promptly look away, keeping my gaze trained on something else as heat is concentrated on the apples of my cheeks. I can hear a twinkling giggle from her, followed by her fingers pinching a cheek as she giggles even louder.

“You’re too cute, Leon. Gosh, you’re so adorable! You’re like– the most puppy-looking person I’ve ever met and I love that!” she squeals.

“Baby, my cheeks are hurting.” I say in a small voice.

She pulls her fingers away, gently running a hand over where she pinched and gave the spot a peck.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I know you can’t get enough of me.” I quip, followed by a wink.

“You’re not wrong but you’re one cocky person,” she says but a smile tugs at the corner of her lips.

“I’m your cocky person.”

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

A day later.

Hours ago, I woke her up at 4:45 AM so we could get ready. Of course, she was a bit disoriented because I didn’t say anything to her but after I told her about my little surprise, she practically launched from the bed and got ready immediately. She slept early last night– slept very soundly too, not a single noise rousing her from sleep. While she slept, I carefully slipped out of bed and packed everything we needed, her things included. It was kind of difficult, having to pack things quietly and move them to the car without causing much thudding but I managed to get it done in 3 hours. After several rounds of double checking everything and making sure there was nothing I left out, I finally made my way back up to our apartment and locked the doors to retire for the night. I could barely sleep due to the rush of giddiness coursing through my person but I forced myself to; after all, I’ll be the driver and it’s going to be irresponsible if I don’t.

Now, she’s sitting in the passenger seat with a blanket draped over her lap as she quietly drinks in the view that speeds right past the window. Everytime I see her and she innocently looks right at me, I feel a little antsy and nervous, having to feel around in my pockets and try to calm myself down. In an hour or two, we’ll get to the spot and then finally set our camp up before we start preparing the ingredients we’ll be using for cooking. The campsite we chose is a little more secluded, right by a lake that’s unfortunately too cold to safely swim in but that doesn’t take away the charm of the entire spot. The release of the board passers coincidentally going before the day of the trip I planned is a perfect coincidence, making this whole thing a celebratory trip for her but I want to add another thing to celebrate later so for now, it’ll stay as another secret.

Finally, I pull up at our spot and park the car. We carry our supplies and set up grills, our tents, and a spot to keep all of our food and drinks and utensils. We finish early so we set up the inside of our tent, placing a comfortable blanket on the floor so the bumpy and rigid ground doesn’t cause any of us back pains the following morning. All afternoon speeds past us as we spend the hours cuddling, Y/N saying something like how the weather is “perfect cuddle weather”. Soon, it’s nighttime and we finish up with everything: dinner, a quick towel bath (since the showering in this weather would get us both sick), so now we’re just sitting by the bonfire and huddling close.

“Thanks, Leon. Thank you for all this. A celebratory dinner was enough but I guess you decided to outdo yourself,” she says as she leans her head on my shoulder.

“This is nothing. Besides, you deserve this,” I say.

We sit in silence for a little bit before she speaks up again.

“We should celebrate some more wins in life, y’know. Even the little things, we should celebrate it one way or another. It doesn’t have to be this grand,” she tells me.

“Yeah. You’re right, we should celebrate wins in life,” I agree. This is it. “You’re a big win in my life, Y/N, and I want to celebrate you everyday.”

My hand slips into my pocket, my fingers feeling the velvet of a tiny box holding my promise of the world and forever to Y/N.

I can’t imagine ever growing old without you, nor do I desire to.

If all goes well, we’ve just given ourselves another reason to be celebrating.

NOTE - Woke up today to see that in a month, I've managed to hit a hundred followers!!!!!!! LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Srsly so thankful for everyone who decided to follow me and read my fics, I love you and wish you well. I didn't expect to reach a hundred this early into my writing journey so this is so cool. I also told my mom that I write now and she seems supportive so I'm really happy with that. I guess this fic functions as a hundred-followers-special now :)) That's it and I hope you really enjoyed this fic. Again, thank you for the hundred followers!!!!! I couldn't have done it without you <3!!!

The chain dividers are made by @cafekitsune , the images are made by me (sourced from Pinterest).

#leon kennedy #resident evil #leon kennedy x y/n #fluff #leon kennedy fluff #leon kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy fluff #leon scott kennedy #leon s kennedy #re2 #resident evil x reader #rebhfun #biohazard #resident evil 2 remake #resident evil 2 #re2make #leon kennedy x you #resident evil leon #leon scott kennedy x reader #leon scott kennedy x you #leon scott kennedy fluff #leon resident evil

[superums]

roronoa zoro's 5 love languages

gender neutral reader. fluff. improper grammar. no y/n or (name). established relationship. strawhat-coded reader. i've never really been a zoro girlie... i hope this is okay tho. based on opla!zoro but can fit anime!zoro aswell. spoiler free.

color coded text: zoro

physical touch: he isn't big on giving physical affection, it's just not his nature. he doesn't like PDA all too much and in private i believe that he doesn't change. its not that he hates physical touch, it's more like he doesn't like initiating it. if you're touchy and always want to hug or hang off of him who is he to reject your affections. if you were to jump into his arms or just collapse on him he wouldn't say anything about it... well he might complain but its not real complaining. i think instead of initiating hugs and kisses he's more if a kisses your hand or rub the back of your hand with his thumb—kind of guy.

acts of service: he likes to do hard labor to show you love. ofc he dose things like get you a glass of water or get you a blanket from the bottom deck but he likes to show off his strength. if you wanted a fish he'd come back with a whale—stuff like that. he'd try to tone it down if you don't like that but thats his best quality. he likes to do absolutely ridiculous things to simple tasks because he wants to impress you. sometimes sanji gets involved and then he HAS to show off bc who dose sanji think he is trying outdo him at his job (getting you chocolate milk)??????

quality time: he spends his free time training and sleeping mostly so he probably won't invite you to join him on his free time that often unless you like taking naps or watching. i think he'd think he's boring so he probably wouldn't to invite you anyway. sometimes he will just plop down beside you whenever you're on the deck and you two will sit in a comfortable silence. he'll tell you about how he's training to lift a ton or swing his sword faster, but he honestly wants you to do more of the talking. when you leave the ship he always wants to go with you. it doesn't matter if you're leaving to get 1 thing or 100 things or even just a breath of fresh air away from everyone he wants to be with you at all times even if he doesn't explicitly say it.

giving/receiving gifts: he doesn't have any money so dont expect anything extravagant. he gets you more food than anything because thats all he can really get yk. he tries to spice things up by getting you a bird or fruit from a island, maybe even some treasures that villages gift them as a way of saying thank you, but you get a lot of fish from him. he might also give you a kiss as a way of giving you something—you gotta rmr kissing really isn't his thing so that means a lot coming from him!! he's a pirate after all and he cant really show a lot of appreciation towards you in the gift department.

he's also easy to please. be doesn't really expect much, if you gave him a towel he'd cherish it. he knows its hard to really get the other anything especially with a kingpin nami being in charge of the money holding everyone hostage financially so he's be happy with anything. i also think he's also one of those people who are content with what they have/feel like they have all they need. he has his crew, his swords and you—what else dose he really need?

#zoro x you #zoro x reader #opla x reader #roronoa zoro x reader #zoro roronoa x you #zoro roronoa x reader #one peice zoro x reader #op x reader #op x y/n #op x you #one peice x reader #op live action x reader

[sirenjose]

Facts and Theories related to Fool's Gold and Norton

Part 1: Facts and Theories about Pyrite aka Fool's Gold

TLDR - Facts:

comes from the Greek word for fire

the dangers of pyrite oxidation (sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide)

pyrite can contain small amounts of real gold, called “invisible gold”

TLDR - Theories

Pyrite containing real gold parallel to Norton being good deep down

Fire connection to Infernal Sin

Pollution in Lakeside water and soil as well as cause of fish and plants dying because of Golden Cave?

Part 2: Facts and Theories about how Norton escaped Golden Cave

TLDR:

Norton didn't just simply dig himself out

Facts about mines, mine collapses, dangers, potential escape routes, etc...

Part 1

Facts

Pyrite (aka fool’s gold) comes from the Greek word ‘pyros’ meaning ‘fire’, and will create sparks when struck against metal or a hard surface.

It is capable of scratching glass while most knives won’t be able to scratch it.

In the presence of moisture and oxygen, pyrite oxidizes, releasing its sulfur content as sulfuric acid.

Pyrite rich waste from mining operations can increase acidity of surface water. This can harm downstream ecosystems, animals, and even pose a risk to humans.

Sulfur dioxide is produced by burning the pyrite in coal, which can combine with moisture in the atmosphere to create acid rain.

Pyrite oxidation is sufficiently exothermic enough to produce heat, and as the temperature rises, the coal heats up and in some cases cause it to self-ignite and cause fire. This is called spontaneous combustion, a very real problem in coal mines. Pyrite dust can burn even with only a little oxygen, and it burns well due to its sulfur content. Sulfide fires can burn for years.

Despite its reputation, pyrite can sometimes contain small amounts of real gold, although it is notoriously hard to extract. This gold is sometimes referred to as “invisible gold” because it isn’t observable by the naked eye or standard microscopes (you need sophisticated scientific instruments). It can come in different forms: either as particles of gold, an alloy where the pyrite and gold are finely mixed, and in defects (imperfections created when the pyrite crystals are forming) in the crystal structure . With the latter form, the more deformed it is, the more gold there is in the defects.

And the discovery of new gold deposits declining world wide, with the quality of ore degrading in parallel to the value of precious metal increasing.

Invisible gold is primarily found in pyrite and arsenopyrite, and this is now a common resource for the gold mining industry.

Theories

I really wanted to bring up pyrite having some real gold (even if the amounts are very small). Especially as I can draw a parallel with that to Norton, who may normally seem suspicious, but he isn’t entirely bad. He may seem unapproachable, but you may make progress if you dig deep enough and try hard enough. He isn’t completely “worthless”.

Pyrite coming from the word for  fire connects well to Infernal Sin, while pyrite being a fire starter in the fast due to its ability to create sparks fits well with Norton’s how we see Norton causing the explosion in Golden Cave in his trailer.

Then regarding the sulfuric acid, this actually made me wonder if the contamination in Lakeside, revealed in Yidhra’s letters, could be related to or from Golden Cave.

Ground water is water that seeps into the ground via rain or snow melt. As it makes its way underground, it can collect or react to the minerals and rocks down there, including pyrite, which can eventually result in the oxidation (and all its problems) I described earlier. This can percolate to form sediment at the bottom of rivers with mine drainage, which is water drained from mines. Acid runoff further dissolved heavy metals into water, and acid mine drainage can be increased by the action of certain bacteria (aka, sulfuric acid from pyrite can leech heavy metals from rock, and the acid can be worsened by bacterial action, resulting in this drainage becoming highly toxic).

Problems with mine drainage include contaminated drinking water, disrupted growth and reproduction of plants and animals, and corroding effects of acid on structures.

In general, sulfide rich and carbonate poor materials produce acid drainage. In contrast, alkaline rich materials, even with significant sulfide concentrations, often produce alkaline conditions in water.

Abandoned mines can fill with water (flood) because there’s no pumping occurring (the steam engine was 1st invented to solve mine flooding). This results in unabated chemical reactions, potentially making it very toxic, and this water can even discharge into lakes and streams, killing aquatic life and polluting the environment.

Further acid drainage can result from waste rock, which is material that must be removed to reach the ore. It is often deposited in piles close to the mine, and as it is exposed to air and moisture, it causes weathering, which can generate acid drainage.

Yidhra’s 3rd letter does mention “microbial deposits” in the water and soil as well as the soil’s “acidity and alkalinity”. So maybe it could be connected…?

Part 2

Thoughts regarding specifically how Norton escaped Golden Cave

Norton’s 3rd letter states the police report claimed Norton “dug his way out through a mountain creek a few dozen meters away from the mine”.

It is unlikely Norton simply dug himself out from the mine.

Golden Cave’s backstory states it was “hundreds of meters” deep at least. Mines back in that day (late 19th century) were already 1000s of feet deep (1 was 700-900m = 2300 – 3000ft). Prior to the 1850s, miners could simply walk in to a mine to get where they needed to go, but later on, the mines became so deep, they had to use steam elevators to enable access to deeper seems.

We know Norton was trapped in Golden Cave for some time after the mine collapse considering we know he came out with meteorite chunks. Based on what we see on the lowest level of Golden Cave in game, this likely implies the meteorite was potentially at the bottom, meaning there’d be quite some distance to dig himself out.

The other issue is most miners don’t simply dig themselves out after a collapse. There’s nothing to support the roof and sometimes little space to put the material you remove, not to mention usually a lack of suitable tools. Trying to dig yourself out of a collapsed mine may even weaken the area near the collapse, potentially causing further collapses. This is why most miners usually have to wait to be rescued.

It is possible that Norton was able to access an alternate escape route. Mines were required to have more than 1 shaft following the Hartley mine disaster in 1862. If it or a raise (vertical or inclined passage) had a safety ladder, it’s possible he could work his way back up. During the Barnes-Hecker mine disaster (the mine was flooded), the sole survivor saved himself by climbed 80 stories (around 800 feet) in just about 14 minutes.

Another option is via an intake airway (or downcast shaft), which brings fresh air from the surface into the underground mine. Miners could feel the air to figure out a way out of the mine, and this was breathable air, free from fumes and dust in the case of a fire or explosion. A return airway (upcast shaft) is also an option, but not as nice of one due to the fact it carried air out of the mine to the surface, and this air could include dust, toxic fumes, and such. But miners have escaped via vents before (such as in the Quecreek Mine disaster, which they did to escape the mine as it started flooding).

And if acid mine drainage is potentially related to the pollution and dead animals/plants in Lakeside (Yidhra’s 3rd letter, Grace trailer/deductions), maybe that means there was drainage or some other hole into or out of the mine around there that Norton could’ve used to escape. Norton’s deduction 9 does make it sound like police didn’t expect anyone to survive, which could imply the normal entrances or exits were inaccessible following the collapse, meaning using an alternate, less known route might make sense. We know Norton was knowledgeable, and in the trailer we see him with a map, though based on how his coworkers in that scene look like they might take it from him, he might not have had that, but he may have at least memorized the different ways in and out, and thus how he could manage to escape (especially as explosions can damage the lifts they use to normally get down to the deeper levels).

Norton likely survived due to being some distance from the blast. Some of his coworkers likely died from the initial explosion. The others potentially could’ve succumbed to lack of oxygen, potentially aided if any fires started as a result (which could further weaken supports or cause more collapses), or due to potentially high concentrations of firedamp further down. Afterdamp (choking gas) is a mix of toxic gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen) after a methane explosion, and it is just as deadly as the actual explosion. Symptoms include head swimming/disorientation, feeling very tired, difficulty doing anything or exerting yourself, and a desire to just close your eyes and go to sleep (followed soon by death from the lack of oxygen).

#idv #identity v #norton campbell #prospector #idv norton #identity v norton #idv prospector #identity v prospector #Fool's Gold #hunter norton #idv fool's gold #idv hunter norton #identity v fool's gold #identity v hunter Norton #sirenjose analyses and theories

[dvzaiosamu]

Bubble Tea while watching TV — soukoku.

University/Colleges Chuuya and Dazai :3 They're roommates and live together in a dorm. Dazai being the lazy mf that annoys Chuuya for fun and Chuuya is a simple man that lives tranquility, minding his own buissness, trying his best to avoid Dazai's stupid antics.

About: Chuuya and Dazai are going to watch a TV film while drinking bubble tea, and that's it, it's going to be fluff and their silly interactions.

Dusk was falling quickly; The orange, yellowish colors were reflected in the sky, some flying seagulls emitting their characteristic noises from their throats. There was a moon although night had not yet fallen, and it was strange, since the moon must always appear once the sun sets, the moon reflects the light of the Sun enough to be seen at all times, that is why it usually appears during the day or at dusk.

A few more hours and night would fall. Bright stars will appear, small dots in the black sky, the moon will also appear in one of its phases, weakly illuminating the asphalt streets.

Chuuya Nakahara, bored with waiting for his partner, Dazai Osamu, collapses on the couch, falling flat on his face, a sigh leaving his mouth as he turns to look at the white ceiling. At that moment he was wearing a fossil gray shirt and raven black shorts, a plain outfit to be in his bedroom, it would be unusual for other people who are unaware of the ginger-haired young man's personal details, since Chuuya almost always dresses fashionable and designer clothing with good quality.

Chuuya has his black-cased cell phone next to him and chooses to think for a few moments if he should really call Dazai, but what a stupid idea! He would never call his stupid partner just for something so simple, only if it was something crucially important or… he was just drunk. Chuuya puts his hand to his head and rubs his temples, with a grunt, still not knowing if he should pay attention to his already eminent anger, but he stops to think: Is it really worth getting angry over something so insignificant?

He takes his cell phone and looks for Dazai's contact, which he has saved as "Blue Mackerel", a slight smile appears on his lips, oh what a funny nickname, who would have thought that of all the nicknames that a human being can give another, Chuuya would choose the name of a fish.

His finger presses the call button, and immediately there is no immediate response, the repetitive sound of a toot…toot… with interspersed pauses fills the deafening silence of the room.

Finally, Dazai answers.

"Hello, shorty? Did you miss me?" Osamu's irritatingly mocking voice makes Chuuya question himself why he decided to call him in the first place.

"No, not at all, you think you're very special, believe me you're not," Chuuya responds in a firm tone, looking at the ceiling while holding his cell phone to his ear. "I just wanted to see where the hell you were, it's been a while and you still haven't come with the two fucking bubble teas I ordered."

"You know, I'm no servant, Chuuya," his voice drops flat, and a bored tone makes its presence known. "I'm on my way, don't worry so much... I'm just getting into the elevator."

Then he will arrive in less than three minutes, what almost zero relief on Chuuya's face.

Nakahara hangs up and drops his cell phone on the couch.

It wasn't going take long for Dazai to arrive, and Chuuya didn't think it was that bad either, since the series they were going to watch hadn't started yet, there were still ten minutes left, for now there were only advertisements and boring things that only stupid people would watch and actually enjoy.

Knock Knock..

That sound makes Chuuya stand up and sit on the couch, looking slightly defiant before shouting,

"Are you telling me you didn't take the keys to open the door, you idiot?"

"Stop blaming me and open the door! It's winter cold here in the hallway!" is heard on the other side of the door.

Chuuya sighs and with an amused smile he gets up to open the door, finding Dazai's pouty face with a worried expression. "Really... I should have left you out here freezing, I mean, who goes out in shorts, a baggy t-shirt and a coat? If it weren't for the fact that I need that drink because of my appetite, I wouldn't let you in."

"You're so cruel... You hurt my poor feelings, it's not my fault you made me go out like that and didn't even let me change," he complains, gently pushing Chuuya out of the way, taking off his shoes off and leaving them at the entrance. Chuuya frowns.

"You're so whiny," Chuuya replies, rolling his eyes. "Leave the drinks on the table and hurry up if you want to watch the fucking show."

Chuuya closes the door behind him and sits on the couch while he watches as Dazai leaves the bag with the two drinks on the table in front of the television and in a few moments he takes them out of the bag and leaves them on the table, throwing away the plastic bag. He then takes off his beige coat and places it on the coat rack, stretching slightly before flopping down on the couch.

Nakahara then checks the time on his phone. It's six minutes until the series starts, with a small yawn he puts his phone aside to grab his puppy-print blanket and wrap it around himself, and Dazai grimaces.

"Do you really use that thing? They're dogs," he keeps that disgusted face until Chuuya glares at him.

"Do you have a problem with them?"

"Many!"

Chuuya sighs. "Then freeze to death."

"Sometimes you really make me do horrible things," Frowning, he covers himself with the same blanket, sharing it.

The ginger-haired smirks. "Funny."

And that's when Chuuya wants to drink his drink to stab it with the sharp plastic straw and start drinking when Dazai leans sharply towards him to hug him and give him many smooches that Chuuya tries to avoid with his hands while frowning.

"What the fuck do you want... Let go of me," the ginger-haired man complains, raising his hands to his face and avoiding Dazai's affectionate attacks. "You've reached your kiss limit in the morning..."

"Let me show you my love, don't be a bad dog," trying to fight Chuuya's insistence on not being kissed, he lifts him back to his original position and simply rests his head on Chuuya's shoulder with a whine, giving up.

With a long sigh, Chuuya, still frowning, decides to kiss him on the head and then gently caress his already messy hair. "You're such a pain in the ass."

Dazai's embrace tightens, and Chuuya removes Dazai's hands from his torso this time, before finally managing to grab his still-cold drink and stick the straw into it, without difficulty or causing disaster. Seeing that the series has already started, but he had to wait for the intro to finish, he silently takes a sip, enjoying the taste almost casually.

It's Dazai's turn, he grabs his drink, with a smile he stabs it with the straw, although he splashes a few drops on both of his and Chuuya's face. Chuuya glances at him from the corner of his eye, glaring, and Dazai first wipes the sweet liquid off his face, glancing at Chuuya before reaching out to lick one of the drops, making Chuuya feel disgusted.

"You're fucking disgusting."

"But you love me," taking advantage of the approach, he gently kisses Chuuya's lips, before smirking.

"Actually hate you," he corrects.

"Rude much, lying won't fool anyone."

In response, he receives a glare from the shorter one and an audible sigh.

Chuuya's eyes stare at the series that had just started with a girl and her long-haired chihuahua, Chuuya's eyes light up slightly as he smiles. He goes back to drinking his drink.

"Hey, look, that's you!" Dazai points his finger at the screen, mockingly.

"Fuck you..." he curses under his breath.

Even after Dazai's unnecessary comments, Chuuya tries to enjoy the series even with an annoying man by his side.

Just when the young man thinks he's going to have a moment of calm without Dazai interrupting his viewing, a sound snaps him out of his mind.

Slurp.

Dazai slurps his drink loudly.

"Are you fucking kidding me..." Chuuya grumbles, a molest tone on his voice as he puts his free hand on his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Dazai asks, innocently.

"You're the wrong. God damnit, can't you just dip the damn straw deeper instead of bearly touch the liquid with that stupid straw? You are interrupting my favorite series," he complains.

"Good to know," Osamu smiles and, even though he doesn't seem to care about making noise, he still unconsciously sinks the straw to the bottom, eating some tapioca balls in the process.

Minutes pass and everything seems to relax, no sound other than the one that comes out of the episode is heard. For Chuuya it was very entertaining, although for Dazai it was more boring than watching a snail move, in fact he was the one who had finished his bubble tea first, leaving it empty, there was not even a ball of tapioca, he simply left it on the table while he boredly struggled not to fall asleep right there.

More minutes passed like this, until there was not much more time left until the episode of that series ended. The ginger-haired man watched attentively, not paying attention to the fact that he had a sleeping beauty asleep next to him. Chuuya didn't really care if Dazai was watching the episode or not, he just wanted to see how young Molly took care of her little dog.

Just as the credits of the episode rolled, Chuuya had already finished his drink, leaving it next to Dazai's, and with a yawn he rubbed one of his eyes, turning to see and find Dazai sleeping about to fall on top of him.

It was to be hoped that Dazai wasn't completely asleep, otherwise there would have no other explanation for this, a Dazai who had just slid on top of Chuuya. With a sigh, he has no choice but to tolerate and him and his hands clinging to his waist, wrapping his arms around him in a warm embrace that Chuuya found not pleasant at all.

Still, he also can't shake the warm feeling inside his heart that perhaps forces him to not be so rude to Dazai. Chuuya decides to move so he's lying down and somehow forces Dazai to curl up next to him, still holding him possessively. With sleepy eyes, he decides to hug Dazai back and kiss him on the forehead with tenderness. "Good night... Dazai."

And for sure Chuuya would be in denial when he wakes up that he ever kissed Dazai's forehead.

The night envolpes the two of them with the warmth of their bodies.

I don't know if I did right Dazai's and Chuuya's relationship slightly accurate... You guys tell me.

#bsd #dazai osamu #bungou stray dogs #osamudazai #bsd chuuya #chuuya nakahara #soukoku #fluff #bungou stray dogs chuuya

[blood-starved-beast]

Can we talk about the Nameless Moon Presence and Gehrman and the Hunters being like those animals who have higher rates of fecudity as to combat high infant mortality rates?

So every great one loses its child and yearns for a surrogate we know that we get it. We see variations on this all over. What's interesting with the Nameless Moon Presence's version is that as opposed to say, Oedon or even Kos, is that while she's got Gehrman locked in as surrogate baby, he's not 100% secure in his situation. He can be replaced if you do either the Honoring Wishes Ending or the Childhood's Beginning Ending (the latter more extremely so, cause you do become her Child in the very very literal sense). In order to achieve those endings, you have to kill him. And for all we know, Flora doesn't seem to mourn that, now turning her interest towards you.

In population biology, one of the theories around species fecundity is the r/K selection theory - basically states that in nature, there is a tradeoff between quantity vs quality of offspring and parental investment. In species that have high numbers of babies born per litter (r-selected) there is notable less parental investment. In frogs or fish for example, infants are left to fend for themselves, or in alligators, mother gators do protect their young, but it's not as involved as such a great ape or an elephant. In species with less babies born per litter (K-selected), there is more parental investment - again elephants, humans, apes. Colloquially, r-selected reproduction is seen as "cheap and fast" vs K-selected being "expensive and slow." More parental resources are devoted to caring for their young in K-selected species, and the loss of a child in these species is more devastating (in more ways than one). But the guarantee that a specific child would survive is greater there.

But how does this apply to the Moon Presence and Bloodborne?

Interestingly enough, the theory posits that r-selection is favored in more unstable environments. There is a high chance that most children won't survive, so reproduce as much as possible so at least one survives. Yharnam, by the events of the game, is virtually collapsed. Refuse and corpses liter the streets, Huntsmen have gone mad and are attacking people On Sight, there is no order and the Beast Plague runs rampant. We find a lot of dead Hunter corpses all over the place. If you were a great one searching for human surrogate children, r-selection seems like a good option here. Get a lot of Hunters, so hopefully, maybe, at least one ascends or becomes your kid. And that's what the Moon Presence uses Gehrman to do. If you, the Good Hunter, are lucky You become that special baby!! Congrats!!

But there's also another dimension working here. Cause when you reach Bloodborne endgame, you don't just ascend. Gehrman gets up from his chair to fight you. Now he has his reasons (claiming to save you from your fate) but if we're to take a biologist's perspective - consider. In many species, infant animals are competing with their siblings and relatives since birth, even beforehand in some like sharks, where fetus sharks will kill and consume their siblings in-utero.* Larger tadpoles eat their smaller cousins and siblings so they've got a higher chance of survival later. Sometimes, parents get involved - they discard or kill one of their infants if they believe the chances of their other offspring surviving is greater as a result. Egrets have been found to do this, among others.

Gehrman believes that by killing you, he is saving you from achieving his Fate - his reasons one can argue are justified, but he is also defending his position as Flora's chosen surrogate child as a result. Only he can be the surrogate, no other Hunter. It is just like a frog to cannibalize their siblings. And Flora permits this, cause in the end, the most Fit child - the one that has the best chance of survival - will be the one that remains. And until our Hunter arrives, that child had always been Gehrman.

(Sidenote: Kos arguably used K-selection. One child, likely in a Deal with a male partner to produce the Orphan. Lot of parent investment, such a shame when of that was lost.)

*Note scientists believe fetal cannibalism in sharks is an extension of sexual selection. Shark litters with less fetuses tend to have one father, whereas larger litters have multiple. It's believe the smaller litters had older fetuses - the male had copulated with the female earlier than the other father - resulting in older babies that in turn, ate their smaller siblings. Either way the larger fetuses were born larger, and thus had higher chances of survival than the smaller, less 'fit' half-siblings.

#Nameless Moon Presence #Gehrman the First Hunter #the Hunter #Bloodborne #my meta #Me * has things to do* #also me: hey what if I do a pop. ecology analysis of bloodborne

[loneberry]

“If it is the fulfillment of man’s primordial dreams to be able to fly, travel with the fish, drill our way beneath the bodies of towering mountains, send messages with godlike speed, see the invisible and hear the distant speak, hear the voices of the dead, be miraculously cured while asleep, see with our own eyes how we will look twenty years after our death, learn in flickering nights thousands of things above and below this earth no one ever knew before; if light, warmth, power, pleasure, comforts, are man’s primordial dreams, then present-day research is not only science but sorcery, spells woven from the highest powers of heart and brain, forcing God to open one fold after another of his cloak; a religion whose dogma is permeated and sustained by the hard, courageous, flexible, razor-cold, razor-keen logic of mathematics.

“Of course there is no denying that all these primordial dreams appear, in the opinion of nonmathematicians, to have been suddenly realized in a form quite different from the original fantasy. Baron Münchhausen’s post horn was more beautiful than our canned music, the Seven-League Boots more beautiful than a car, Oberon’s kingdom lovelier than a railway tunnel, the magic root of the mandrake better than a telegraphed image, eating of one’s mother’s heart and then understanding birds more beautiful than an ethologic study of a bird’s vocalizing. We have gained reality and lost dream. No more lounging under a tree and peering at the sky between one’s big and second toes; there’s work to be done. To be efficient, one cannot be hungry and dreamy but must eat steak and keep moving. It is exactly as though the old, inefficient breed of humanity had fallen asleep on an anthill and found, when the new breed awoke, that the ants had crept into its bloodstream, making it move frantically ever since, unable to shake off that rotten feeling of antlike industry. There is really no need to belabor the point, since it is obvious to most of us these days that mathematics has taken possession, like a demon, of every aspect of our lives. Most of us may not believe in the story of a Devil to whom one can sell one’s soul, but those who must know something about the soul (considering that as clergymen, historians, and artists they draw a good income from it) all testify that the soul has been destroyed by mathematics and that mathematics is the source of an evil intelligence that while making man the lord of the earth has also made him the slave of his machines. The inner drought, the dreadful blend of acuity in matters of detail and indifference toward the whole, man’s monstrous abandonment in a desert of details, his restlessness, malice, unsurpassed callousness, money-grubbing, coldness, and violence, all so characteristic of our times, are by these accounts solely the consequence of damage done to the soul by keen logical thinking! Even back when Ulrich first turned to mathematics there were already those who predicted the collapse of European civilization because no human faith, no love, no simplicity, no goodness, dwelt any longer in man. These people had all, typically, been poor mathematicians as young people and at school. This later put them in a position to prove that mathematics, the mother of natural science and grandmother of technology, was also the primordial mother of the spirit that eventually gave rise to poison gas and warplanes.

“The only people who actually lived in ignorance of these dangers were the mathematicians themselves and their disciples the scientists, whose souls were as unaffected by all this as if they were racing cyclists pedaling away for dear life, blind to everything in the world except the back wheel of the rider ahead of them.”

—Robert Musil, The Man Without Qualities

(Bold emphasis mine.)

Read this absolutely brutal Musil passage soon after joking to my lover: You mathematicians are the unacknowledged legislators of the world! (An obvious reference to Shelley’s 1821 dictum that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”) 

This passage is for all of you out there who are suffering from AI vertigo. They say generative AI will make humans more “efficient.” What is all this efficiency for? Technology has been evolving at breakneck speed since the industrial revolution and we are still working just as long and hard. Efficiency has become our bondage.

Also... What the fuck does "eating of one’s mother’s heart and then understanding birds" mean? Love it, especially after reading about heart eating in medieval literature...

#Robert Musil #The Man Without Qualities #literature #capitalism #industrialization #mathematics #technocracy #technology

[silverbladexyz]

Hi Silver !! <333 hope your doing well :D

can you make a small fic (or hcs idm) of when the flags go to the beach? and they have the night over at Lippmanns place? (you can add reader but I don’t know if it’s gonna be a x reader but it’s really your choice :))

You don’t have to do it since you’ve been sick and you finally got better ;-; xoxo <3333

Hey Lara! This idea made me want to go to the beach lmao, it's been so long since I've touched some grass. And x reader? Of course~.

The image does not belong to me. It belongs to it's original owners.

TW: None

The Flags at the beach with reader and they stay over at Lippmann's place

-So lets say that it was a really really hot day, and even with the air conditioner it still was very hot. However, due to the scorching temperature, the Boss fortunately gave everyone a day off since he didn't want anybody collapsing from heat stroke

-Albatross suggested to go to the beach, while Lippmann volunteered to let everybody stay the night at his place. Everybody was on board with the idea, and so were you (you had to convince Chuuya to come aka drag him into the car lmao)

-Okay but like Lippmann's place is GORGEOUS. It’s big, spacious, everything is modern and clean, and the view is also nice too. Everyone literally is yelling out which room they want, and it’s chaos until Pianoman finally manages to silence you all with his smexy glare

-Everyone unpacks in their room, and your room is the best (Lippmann told me himself). The bed is a king-sized single, and there’s even heater and air conditioning in your room. Not to mention the bath has all sorts of aromatics to go with it

-Then Pianoman brings you all out to the beach, but not before making sure you all apply sunscreen Albatross tried to sneak off but Iceman caught him. And everybody falls to doing different activities, but what’s the point of finally being able to go to the beach if you weren’t going to make it fun? Ohoho I love the way you think >:)

-You and Albatross being the menaces of the Flags sneak in some water guns. And when the rest of the group wasn’t looking, you two sprayed them with icy cold sea water right in their faces. Bad choice, because now you two have declared war (Lippmann was secretly pissed that you ruined his hairstyle. And Chuuya? You don’t even need to ask to know lmao)

-So an all out battle starts, and everybody’s aim is good (I mean y’all are mafiosos so-) Iceman surprisingly gets the most hits on everyone, while Chuuya is just yelling and cursing. Doc is a sneaky little snake, Lippmann shows off his shooting skills by shooting everybody with double water guns, and you and Albatross just spray as many people as you could while cackling

-But you’re so focused on spraying Chuuya that you don’t notice the hot person sneaking up behind you... and suddenly you get tackled by Pianoman onto the sand. You’re too busy laughing to realise the slightly... suggestive way that he’s holding you. Also I bet he has some nice arm muscles because pulling wires ain’t an easy feat 😏 duerkfkijsf

-But you don’t have time to focus on Pianoman, because Chuuya is pissed. He ends up chasing you into the ocean, but don’t worry because Albatross has your back. The afternoon passes filled with laughter and banter, with everybody ganging up on each other

-Now the sky was starting to darken, and that was the cue to go back to Lippmann’s house. But not before you guys eat dinner! I headcanon Albatross dragged everybody to a pizza shop or fish and chips, but you don’t complain because you’re simply too tired to argue. Plus the food was nice, and Lippmann was the one paying he’s rich dw

-Once you guys had reached Lippmann’s home, the first thing you did was shower/take a bath. Did I mention that he keeps his bathrooms immaculately clean and sparkling? And the shampoo and soap were the best of the best quality. You couldn’t have been cleaner when you came out of the shower

-Board and card games!!! Monopoly and Uno were a must, however, it quickly became a heated war zone. Pianoman managed to win the most, while Chuuya swore quite a couple of times whenever he lost to Albatross. And it couldn’t have gotten more heated when Chuuya finally yelled Uno with a satisfied smirk on his face, only for Iceman to put down a +4 card before Chuuya’s turn. Hands were almost thrown, but Pianoman being the efficient leader he is quickly managed to calm everything down Chuuya was still brooding

-After the intense games, all seven of you settle down to watching the television while sitting in the fancy air-conditioned lounge. There was a small banter over which movie to watch, but at last everybody resorted to watching a horror movie. Even though it seemed quite fake, it still was scary enough for you to cling onto Lippmann’s arm he was secretly flustered lmao

-When the movie was finished, you were already on the verge of falling asleep. So you retired to your bedroom, but Albatross and Lippmann decided to crash into your room to have a gossiping session. And before you knew it, everybody was gathered in your room while talking about alllll the drama that happened during the week while you just wanted to sleep dammit

-It was quite late when everybody finally decided to sleep. You were more than ready to collapse onto the floor, however it was definitely a fun day for all of you. And what more could you have asked for when you get to spend a whole day with your beloved friends?

@pixyys @pianotross @angolicious @nekokinax @yuugen-benni @scarletta-ruan @catzlivedforbsd @the-mourning-stars

#bsd x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd flags x reader #bsd storm bringer #piano man x reader #albatross x reader #lippmann x reader #doc x reader #bsd iceman x reader #iceman x reader #chuuya x reader

[nourelle-tracy]

This is for @gumnut-logic fab-five-feb. I decided to write a tiny fic to go with my drawing. I am not a good writer so excuse me. I haven't drawn digitally in a while *cough cough a year cough cough* so I am a bit rusty but I still am proud of it. Press on the picture for better quality.

Virgil woke up with a groan.

He was convinced that he was on fire, everything hurt.

He slowly opened his eyes, slightly squinting in the dim light. The familiar sterile smell hit him and had him fully awake in seconds. He was in the infirmary, the soft blue sheets on top of him. He tried to remember what happened, all he did remember was the excruciating headache he had in the morning before brushing it off after being called for a rescue.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty"

The voice startled him, and he glanced to his side to see Gordon sitting next to his bed.

"Gordon? What happened?" He tried sitting up, but everything was spinning and he ended up slumping down again. Gordon, bless him, adjusted the bed so he was in a seated position.

"Well not much happened grumpy head, just the casual. You know collapsing after the rescue because you were running a high fever and was almost cooked alive, yeah not much."

Virgil groaned as he buried his head deeper into his pillow. Well that explains alot, and Scott was definitely going to chew his head off.

"Well, did you debrief yet?"

"Oh, it happened yesterday." Gordon casually stated.

"WHAT??" Virgil sat so fast that the room spun dangerously. He felt Gordon steady him, as he casually shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, you've been hibernating for a day"

The room fell silent, which wouldn't usually be such a deal if it wasn't Gordon sitting next to him. Gordon and silence didn't mix at all, ot was a fact, and that only rang alarm bells in his head.

"Gordon..?" He carefully tried to urge him to speak.

"Oh look what I got you" A teapot appeared in his hand, which he didn't notice until now. "Black tea, your favourite"

"You know that black coffee is my favourite, not tea"

"Yeah, yeah, but it's good for the cold"

"That's not-"

"Your hair is a mess"

"Well luckily for me, I'm not the hair freak, Scott is, and unluckily for you, changing the subject won't work."

Gordon sighed, it was then that he noticed the dark bags under the amber eyes, which lacked the mischievous glint they usually had.

"What's wrong" Virgil carefully prodded.

"Don't  you ever do that agian, Virg. Don't you collapse on me like that. I thought... I thought you died or something. I was worried and-"

"Hey, hey it's okay gordo, i'm okay now" He felt guilty for making him worry that much. He didn't want to imagine how he must've felt when his brother collapsed on him after the rescue, all the possibilities he thought of.

"Come here" he moved to the side, making room for Gordon to squeeze into his side. He wrapped his hand around the squid's arm, pulling him until he rested his chin on the blonde mop of hair.

"I'm sorry fish, I promise not to do that again. I'm okay now" And just like that, he held him tight and promised himself not to ever ignore a headache before a rescue, if only for the sake of his little brother.

(Feat. The mug which definitely was a gift from gordo)

Hope you like it, I'm a bit crusty but yeah I definitely enjoyed this alot!!

*hugs gumnut for this amazing event*

#thunderbirds are go #gordon tracy #virgil tracy #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanart #thunderfam #fabfivefeb #fabfivefeb2023

[blogofloathing]

Part 1 of 1, Victoria And The Bespectacled Girl

"Got anything on your line?" Gesturing vaguely in Walter's direction with her back turned to him.

He paused, as if maybe Victoria had summoned a fish with her query, but the rod stayed slack.

"m'nope, maybe they're gone fishin'" he coughed, letting out a joke so dad she didn't even bother with a lighthearted sigh in admonishment.

And in any case her lungs were busy working, as she dug through another large hill of refuse,

Bottles and wrappers, shopping carts, broken glass and jagged metal, but still no food.

These dubious materials clinging to each other with whatever weird algae grew in these parts.

For a moment she thought she felt something, but one again it was snatched back by whatever spirit had brought it out to her in the first place.

And finally she wrenched herself free of the garbage heap, sat dam to the river, her only findings were a new set of scrapes along her arms.

An unpleasant risk when scavenging, though she found the scratching to be oddly satisfying

"Walt I'm tellin' ya these fish ain't bite these days!"

Her companion giving a strained sort of chuckle, something between tobacco and weed.

It was a wonder you couldn't see clouds billow out when he spoke, to obscure his patchy stubble.

"Mm, maybe we need to pick a new spot.." the words themselves glancing around the little hovel,

Recollecting her favorite graffiti or nastiest gash.

She paced around idly, shoes providing less than comfort with soles long since worn out.

This had been their spot, finding a pile of trash comfortable enough to sleep on took time!

But she couldn't deny that if the fish had run dry, and not due to being cooked, something would have to change soon,

"I'm cool with whatever though" Walter added, a disclaimer just incase his plan didn't work out.

Victoria stood thinking for some time, it's not like she had much to move,

She could count her possessions on one hand, half of which accounted for the clothes on her back.

The rest summing up to Walter's various bags of supposed bait—and though she questioned the quality of his selection—it had worked until now.

She allowed those fish one last rain check before Bus Victoria would depart.. and..

"Urgg okay! Let's go!" Her exclamation a symbolic and literal stomping of her foot.

Walter's face maintained a neutral, calm smile, as she began marching around.

"m'all I've got's my fisher pole, so just let me know" Walter mumbled, taking a debatably deserved rest.

Back flat against the bridges support beam, it was so old she wondered if he would collapse it.

The whole setting was a minefield of rusty metal and discarded items tossed over the railing.

Which lended well to the hobo lifestyle, someone's always too full to finish their food, and equally too lazy to seek out a trashcan.

And when that didn't work, Walter knew his way around the fishing pole.

This is how the pair had subsisted until new government regulations swooped in to sever this lifeline, making it illegal to actually fish in the river.

Signs were pegged all around warning passersby that to catch anything here was punishable by law

Including those same signs, sitting in piles nearby. Transformed into yet another nameless trash pile.

She set her hands together and closed her eyes,

"Please let there be food soon" both to herself and any god watching, a quiet prayer, just incase

Maybe some divine inspiration would come down and show her how to fix her life somehow,

Victoria had let herself become comfortable here, stupidly, of course this was unsustainable.

She just didn't think it would have to end so soon, despite all evidence, she had remained optimistic.

What if their next spot was flat too, or one of them got sick? Either would be a death sentence

These worries and tragedies-to-come swirled in her head, a violent rapid of her own making.

Rendering her mute in this airless terrarium.

She wordlessly "packed" her things, sure that Walter had said something—probably another stupid joke—but even the river din was inaudible

It felt like her life had all been building up to one big explosion, with her at its centerpoint,

An auto pilot careening herself right towards the nearest mountain, "god this sucks"

Said to no one in particular, but all the same Walter wilted back "amen to that sister"

The two of them giving a limply disconnected fist bump, an unspoken friendship with the air.

Though even if they had touched, Victoria knew she was far too insulated to enjoy his warmth.

She wandered around the small bit of land they called home, trying to take everything in

To grab every piece of herself she'd strewn about in her short time here, it was all so scattered

Like every night here had taken another minuscule of herself and plastered it onto the concrete,

Victoria almost wanted to resent this place, for coddling her, allowing her a short rest.

Like the bridge itself had deceived her, but all the same she knew it was her fault in the end.

Once again standing still in the eye of her storm, surely she was used to this by now right?

She hadn't even noticed her pace halt, as if these lingering thoughts had slowed her to a stop

The careful drag of the wind against her hulking fears and great unknowable anxieties.

Maybe this was how it was supposed to be, she'd been homeless almost as long as she'd been.

Maybe it was just the way the world worked, the losers lose, and the people up top throw their trash down on them. Out of sight out of mind.

This contemplation carried her right back into pacing, a dead man's trot, rendering her oblivious to anything around her but the weight in her heart.

Oblivious enough apparently, that she didn't see the large tread-wheeled machine in her way.

Despite its whirring and raggling, she only took notice of it when her feet had met its path.

But rather than courteously stepping to the side, it continued on, pulling dust and sand up in the air.

And out of her; an embarrassing cry of surprise, as she stumbled head over heels onto the ground.

Landing unceremoniously in a heap, adding a new scar to her already bled through knees.

She found herself staring at a pair of greasy boots, evidently belonging to the owner of the device.

"Youch! Hey watch where you're goin with that thing eh?" She clattered, rubbing her head.

As she sat up and muttered unheard profanities, sitting crossly criss cross, sans apple sauce.

"Me watch where I'm going? You almost ruined my school project being so careless!" The palid toned girl spat back, this was gonna be fun.

A sly grin gravitated onto Victorias face, "oh ho you one of them S.I.T smarty pants' huh?"

She sneered down her nose at her, despite being generally shorter on even footing.

"Yes infact I am one of 'them S.I.T smarty pants" she spoke venomously, mocking Victorias accent

"Are ya now? Well I just could never tell by ya four eyes and little gizmo here" pointedly eyeing both.

Her dark hair seemed to frizz up at the remark as if itself had felt offended on her behalf,

With a quickly reddening face and equally faltering temper she grumbled "well at least I'm educated"

"And you know I ain't? Psh, figures for an upper crust like yourself" the retort acting like a push to the chest, an overzealous verbal challenge.

Both now standing straight, Victoria looked down

"Do you even know who I am? I-" this remark pushed aside by Victorias "ohh you're one of those types huh? Well sorry missy I haven't heard of you"

Seems lucky I haven't, thought Victoria, of course some preppy trust fund kid is who she'd run into on her proverbial eviction day, "and I don't want to"

The still yet to be named girl seemed fit to burst with unpleasantries, "I'm Simone Chekhov! of the S.I.T Robotechtronics department!"

This smattering of accolades fell from her like it had been sitting right on the edge from the start.

"I've received several letters from several colleges even more prestigious but I've refused all of them because I take this field very seriously and S.I.T is the only college with a proper robotechtronics department that allows me to do what I need to do because I'm already higher level than my teachers and I'm involved in every single robotics club and related groups studying how to-"

She continued for quite a bit, Victoria had mentally tuned her out around halfway through,

A manic fire had lit in her eyes, as if she hadn't just been trying to one up this dirty hobo

At parts her expression fittingly incredulous, a fury at being questioned on her credentials,

But equally adopting a strange sort of excitement, Victoria sensed she didn't get to say all this often.

"And that's not even the half of it!" She finished, panting like her monologue had run a marathon

Victoria was partially stunned at the conclusion, just who was this girl? She wondered, even after hearing what was effectively her life story.

She glanced back at Walter for support, but all he provided was a shallow sort of thumbs up.

"I didn't understand a word of that, but congrats to ya, I'm sure your science friends love it"

A dismissive little remark, that seemed to thunk on impact with Simone, like hitting a wall

"Yeah, they do" short and snappy, a little too quick of a response, something in it trembled

"I'm sure they do.. Simmy?" Victoria said, though she remembered her name quite clearly.

"It's, Simone, thank you" something had shifted in her tone, while it hadn't been haughty before..

It was certainly more subdued, "struck a nerve eh? Figure your dorm feelin empty?" She slithered

"That's none of your bui-" a scarlet sheen leaking back into her face, gosh was she a cute one.

Victoria eyed her up and down, her hair black and glossy, strung up in two pigtails.

Giving off the effect of a disappointed rabbit with the pair tucked behind her ears.

With an oversized pair of nerd goggles sat atop like a pair of rings for a wedding.

"Look you're a real sweetheart I'm sure but me an' my pal over there-" pointing backwards to Walter in the complete wrong direction.

"Need to go find our next fishin spot-" but before Victoria could finish her exit,

Simone cut her off with a pippy sort of ahem, "you do know fishing in the lake is-"

"Illegal yeah and unless you have a machine that grows fish, you can shove it"

Simone looked a bit shocked at the expression on her face, but hit back with.

"Well if you knew anything about robotechtronics you'd know that's not how it works!"

"Well I don't need to know a thing about it because it's not a field worth pursuing!"

The two let out a growl of frustration, moving closer, their words circling each other like lions.

"At least I'm not living under a bridge!"

"Well la dee da misses richy rich here!"

"I'll have you know I worked hard to get into this college! Something you clearly wouldn't get!"

"Oh it's real easy to get, you put together a few nuts and bolts and now you're a fuckin genius!"

Simone had an almost hilarious expression of indignation, as if she wouldn't be able to stand this stupid girl a second longer.

Victoria snarled each biting remark like a beast at the bedside of a dying animal, eager to hunt for this entertainingly easy prey.

With each advance of their argument the deep maroon shuttering their faces flooded in.

The pairs fists clenched as if to strike, but using only their words, flames licking at their skin

"ugh!! You are impossible! I don't even know why I'm still standing here arguing with you!"

She shouted, the angry expletive echoing around the cavernous space where they stood.

"Then why are you still standing here dumbass! We need to find a new place before it gets-"

A well of emotions that had been prime to rupture the entire time finally exploded inside her,

Even her freckled ears turned a dark shade of red, staining every part of her pale skin.

"Do you wanna sleep in my dorm?!" Less of a question, and more so a screamed exclamation.

Suddenly the mood had seemed to shift, but not in too drastically different a manner.

This was the last thing Victoria would've expected, it caught her so off guard she nearly fell again

"W-What? You want me to-" but the shorter girl had already started dragging her alongside.

"Let's just go! You look like shit anyway, and smell as much too!" Though this seemed unrelated.

"Well why don't we go then? We don't need you stinking up the place anymore" Victoria hissed.

"You're the one with stink lines coming off you!" Following up with "not to mention that hair"

Practically spitting in the bespectacled girls face, "fuckin nerd I can't believe I'm gonna go see your stupid ivory tower" rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.

"It's not like you're moving in, idiot!" She blistered hotly, "I'm bending the rules enough bringing a girl like you into this school.." Simone grumbled further

"Well thank you soooo much I'm sure it'll be very hard for you" Victoria drawled sarcastically

"Yeah it will be actually thank you very much!" A delightful fury painting her round face.

The two bickered all the way to her campus, their faces a moment apart at every step.

Their loud shouting battle soon replaced once more with the sound of the rushing river,

While Walter contentedly watched them walk off, good for Victoria, he thought, mildly amused.

He reached for another wriggling fuzzy worm, and skewered it expertly onto the aged old rusty hook.

And with a hefty swing.. he slung the line back out.

Part 1 of 1 END! What A Delightful Start To A Surely Long Lasting Friendship, Walter Was There Too!

#original character #original writing #shadows over loathing #west of loathing #wol #writing #oc character #writers on tumblr #creative writing #sol #shadows over loathing oc #sol oc #short story #story #writer things #writerscommunity #writeblr #female writers #writer #writers and poets #writblr

[maxwell-mtv]

I'm drunk, tired, and ready to produce content. Take some Morris x [G/N]Shoplifter!Reader HCs because fuck capitalism

Morris didn't think he'd ever see the day in a small, supportive town like Pelican Town where he'd need to deal with a shoplifter

Of course occasionally Sam would swipe some small things here or there, but whether or not he realized Morris would always take it out of the man's paycheck

So when he saw the new farmer from down the way hastily looking around while shoving canned sludge into their backpack, he was a little alarmed

"Can't they just eat the crops they're growing? Or go fishing? Heck, there's even random food they could forage for themselves."

For whatever reason, though, there you were, on CCTV, stealing from a poor, helpless multi-million corporation

Morris's initial reaction was to confront you and kick you out

But then he took a moment

First and foremost, Joja protocol strictly stated that a manager could only take action after the thief surpassed a certain amount of cash value for the items stolen

Secondly, Morris took pause at the oddity of the situation

Why was the farmer doing this???

Staging himself at the exits, he eagerly stopped the farmer as they were leaving, seemingly empty-handed

"Ah, (Y/N), right? Did you find everything you were looking for today?" He says with his best customer-service smile

"Uh, yeah, just need to go home and check on things before I come back and-"

"Are you alright, (Y/N)? You're looking a little flush in the face..." Morris cuts you off, intending to make you squirm, only to realize you really did look rather feverish

"Oh, um, sorta, I just haven't been feeling the best. I guess I've exhausted myself in the fields, it takes a lot of work and time to grow good-quality crops, you know?" You anxiously eyed the door.

"I see..." Morris straightens his posture before clearing his throat. "Well, you know if you ever need any cold supplies or medication Joja is always the superior brand!"

"Thanks, Morris, but I don't exactly have the best budget for that sort of stuff, I can barely afford... uh nevermind, I should get going. I'm sure you're a busy man and I need to go home." You continue to eye the exits, shifting your feet so you continue towards them.

"I see, well, have a Joja-tastic day, (Y/N), and remember, at Joja we care..." Morris says a stock phrase pushed onto him by corporate. Watching you leave, his brows furrow in conflicted thought.

Running home, you manage to stash away your loot before collapsing on the floor of your home.

Waking sometime later to the sound of a strict knocking at your door, you rise from the splintered floorboards. Feeling groggy and gross

Hesitating, you approach the door and crack it open, only to see no one but a single gift basket, plastic wrapped and slathered with branding

Picking it up, you see the many soup cans and medical supplies inside, even including a blanket and reusable ice-pack. All of which, are Joja brand, of course. Plucking the strange card sloppily taped to the top, you read what looks to be someone's attempt at some neat hand writing...

"Dear Pelican Town Resident,

The health of all of our communities is very important to us. That is why we are gifting wellness baskets to every one of our local residents. Please enjoy these complimentary supplies, as provided by Joja Corp.

Signed,

Morris, Joja Customer Satisfaction Representative"

As you closed the door, Morris finally broke his silence to catch his breath against the side of your tiny house

Making sure to peek that you'd actually grabbed the basket, he snuck his way back to Joja Mart, just in time for closing

#morris stardew valley #stardew valley #stv x reader #Morris x reader #Farmer! Reader #Maxwell_MTV

[patchesnpins]

ʜᴇᴀᴛ ᴡᴀᴠᴇ

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: it's a hot and gross day, your a/c is dead you're craving a quick way to cool off on such an awful day. Eddie has an idea, unsure whether it'd work but you don't think you can think straight in this heat

☾⋆*:｡ a/n: writing this to ignore the fact my a/c stopped working, I'm overheating and this was probably a poor way of coping but whatever

☾⋆*:｡ details: NSFW//w.c: 2k//warnings: m!reader, porn with plot (shocking!), finger sucking, marking, hickeys, pet names

The dull whir of the box fan filled the silence of the room, occasionally punctuated by the creak of the old couch or Eddie moaning about the heat. The heat wrapped around you like a heavy blanket, making your whole body feel lazy and tired. The popsicle dangling dangerously in your hand, no longer minding the sticky sweet syrup dripping down your hand because at least it felt cold.

It was a record breaking heat wave in Hawkins, every news channel droning on about it for hours as if it was the most groundbreaking news in the small town (and knowing Hawkins, it probably was). Your old faithful a/c that sounded like a car motor when it roared to life had finally kicked the bucket with a sputter and hiss, leaving you in an entirely too hot house with nothing to solve the problem.

So like a parched lizard in desperate search for shade amidst the desert, you turned up on Eddie Munson’s front step.

He opened the door with a shocking amount of energy, the same Eddie with bright eyes and an excitable attitude. The only thing that was missing was his shirt. Suddenly found yourself no longer being a trifling lizard but the desert itself, your mouth dry and unable to swallow as you eyes wander a bit too long

“What brings you to my humble abode?” He says with a smile, sweeping his arm out and escorting you inside before you can even answer.

“My a/c died.” You grunted, the air was stuffy and no better than outside the trailer but every now and then a wave of coolness washed over you from the small fan trying its best. Eddie cackles loudly from the kitchen, fishing out two packaged popsicles and closing the door with his hip.

“Now what makes you think my place would be any better to beat the heat? Our obviously very expensive and high quality central air conditioning?” He smiles wolfishly at you and gestures to the box fan pointed towards the couch that you had already been familiarizing yourself with. “Don’t hog the air, you don’t even live here.”

“Might as well at this point,” You sigh, voice warped and robotic from sitting so close to the fan. “I don’t have anyone else to go to, and not a single fan in my house. Never prepared if my a/c died because I never thought it would happen.”

“Oh poor you, never had to think ahead.” Eddie collapses into the couch behind you, patting the empty spot beside him then holding out the icy treat to beckon you over, an olive branch to get you away from the fan.

“Are you gonna put a shirt on?” You grumble, crawling to your feet and abandoning the sweet coolness from the fan. Your eyes dropped to his exposed chest, dark black curls plastered to his sweaty skin shining in the low light.

“Are you going to keep staring?” He questions with a raised eyebrow that says obviously too much.

The room has become entirely too hot, you decide with a scowl on your face.

________________

So here you were, cooped up on Eddie Munson’s couch trying to convince yourself that you weren’t actually going to die from heat. You felt like you were high, a thick fog settling over your brain that for all you knew could be melting in this weather. Your coherent thoughts were out the window, zoned completely out and not even noticing your dripping popsicle till a chunk of blue ice splattered in the middle of your chest.

“Fuck.” You hiss, enunciating the k with a click of your mouth. Lazily tilting your head, you stare at the blue syrup staining your once perfect white tee. At least it felt cool.

Eddie looked up from his spot on the couch, laughing hoarsely but not having it in him to come up with some sort of snarky response. “Dude that sucks.” You roll your eyes and with the energy you can muster, shrug off the shirt and toss it into the corner to be lost in Munson’s trailer. “Look at you, hadn’t you been complaining about me not wearing a shirt? A bit hypocritical aren’t you sweetheart?”

“M’ gonna throw this popsicle at you.” You jerk your wrist at him and a droplet of blue goes flying and lands just short of where he was sitting. “I don’t feel any cooler.”

“Well, getting half naked isn’t always the solution to cooling down. Tends to have the opposite effect sometimes.” Eddie just has to be the court jester, grinning and pouring all of his small remaining energy into mocking you. You just moan and melt further into the old cushions of the couch. “Sometimes you gotta get hot to cool down.”

You raise an eyebrow at him, unsure if that was a sexual inneundo or your brain was truly melting.

“You ever hear about how you should drink something hot on a hot day? Makes you sweat more so you cool down, never tried it myself but makes sense science wise.”

You’d roll your eyes but don’t have the energy. “Why would I listen to you, Munson? Mr. held back not just once, but twice.” You say your words with confidence and as if whatever great power above was now deciding to humble you, the final chunk of your popsicle slides off the wooden stick and plops right onto the middle of your chest, a puddle of raspberry blue forming rather fast.

Eddie can barely fight down the howl of laughter that erupts from him, head tossed back as he slides right off the couch onto his ass. He climbs to his feet, shaking with laughter as he crosses over to the kitchen for napkins and you grumble quietly.

Arriving with a handful of napkins, he dabs one against your chest and collects the blue syrup as you lazily lay beneath him. “And as you were saying?”

Your breath is caught in your throat, Eddie was so close and practically on top of you. His midsection was pressed against your hip, the slightest bit of skin on skin contact above the waistband and god the warmth of him was all you could focus on. “I don’t think I want a fucking hot coffee or something to cool off.” You hiss out.

Something flickers in his eyes and you can’t tell if our starting to hallucinate in this weather, a smile pulling at his lips once again but there’s something behind it. He holds your sticky hand that hung limply at your side, pulling it dangerously close to his face and you can feel the heat of his breath and his lips brush against your skin. “Y’know,” He speaks slowly, testing the waters. “There’s other things you could do that’ll have the same effect.”

Your eyes catch his and there’s a myriad of excitement in his, begging for your response whether you push him away or decide to indulge. You can’t breath, that heavy fuzz that coated your brain was back and you couldn’t find your words, only nodding carefully while staring like a deer in the headlights. 

The slightest smile paints his face, pink tongue poking out from his mouth as he drags it along your sticky digits, collecting sweet syrup that stains his tongue. Tracing your fingers with his tongue, the pads of your fingers meet the tip of his tongue before he dips his head and your fingers plunge into his hot and wet mouth, lapping and suckling at your fingers to get rid of the stickiness.

Suddenly the room was a million degrees, your skin prickling and screaming in the heat. You felt like you’d been tossed into the sun itself, flames licking at your body and driving you near crazy as you tried clinging to your thoughts that were papers lost in the wind. Eddie was just a sweet mirage in the middle of the desert and you were licking your lips and diving in.

You curiously pressed your fingers deeper into his mouth and Eddie moaned around them, his eyes never leaving your face as he lapped at your digits. With a shaky exhale you removed your fingers from his mouth, saliva coating them in a thick and shiny sheen and making your head spin. You both can only sit and stare, the sound of the spinning fan heavy in the silent air that’s thick with tension.

“Fuck.” You mutter once again and that’s all it takes, the tension snaps like a twig and Eddie surges forward with a clash of teeth and excited hands. His skin is so hot against your chest you can’t get enough, you want to feel him everywhere and wrap your arm around him tight to pin him against your chest. Both your chests shudder with fast and unsteady breaths, gulping in air as you tangle yourself in desperate kisses, smashing your lips together and drinking each other in like the sweet syrup from a melted ice pop.

Sweaty skin sticking together and your jeans sliding against each other with rough friction, Eddie pushes himself against you like he can’t get enough. He licks into your mouth and moans so sweetly when your hand takes hold of a clump of his hair and pulls, teeth latching onto your lip and letting go when he draws back, only sharing a quick look before diving back in for more. Your stomach is already churning, all the blood in your body rushing from your darkened cheeks to your crotch. And it doesn't help with how Eddie is grinding against you, his own hardness digging into your inner thigh as he humped against you desperately.

“God you taste so sweet.” Eddie gasps between a kiss and you moan a response. “Would love to get a taste of something else later.” He cackles against your lips and you smash your lips against his to shut him up, hands blinding moving downwards and finding the bulge in his pants. You squeeze gently and he's gone, moaning and whimpering in your lap at just how good it felt to be touched.

You finally break away, gasping for air to quench the flame boiling inside you. You were overheating, nerves fried and sending sparks throughout your body that made you feel like a live wire. You needed a second, the fan was doing nothing because Eddie was so close to you and so fucking hot, leaning in against your bare chest to drag his tongue along blue stained skin from the popsicle. He took a second to relish in the flavor, dipping back more to lick and bite at your chest, eliciting hisses and groans from you.

“Fucking teasing me aren't cha?” Hissing through gritted teeth you tangle your fingers in his hair and pull. Eddie moans, whether it was affirming your accusation or just because had a thing for his hair being pulled, you couldn't tell. But he didn't pull away from your chest, leaving dark marks behind as he excitedly kissed and bit you.

“Don't know about that, maybe I just think your tits are so cute.” He hums, lips sealing over your nipple.

“Fuck you,” you smile and your head thumps back against the couch. “Aren't we supposed to be cooling off? I think I'm boiling alive.” You sigh softly when he lets go of your nipple with a pop, staring up at you with curious eyes as his hand dips down to cup your bulge, warmth radiating through the thick denim of your jeans.

“We can solve that pretty quick, don't cha think big boy?” Nimble fingers grab the waistband of your jeans in search of the button, quickly undoing them and peeling at the layers till you were in nothing more than your boxers, jeans pooled at your feet. A big dark stain was in the middle of your boxers, your dick hard and weeping with precum seeping through the fabric. “God I've waited forever to see that.”

Eddie kicked off his own pants, bringing his underwear with them and his erection popped out. Precum drooled from the tip, smearing against your belly when he leaned in to lock your lips together and work your underwear down. Your own cock came free, pressing against Eddie’s and a shiver went down your spine at the feeling of searing hot flesh against each other. Your cock jumped with excitement, hips rolling forward and you grabbed his hips to pull them closer.

Eddie moans into your mouth, loud and unabashed as his hips kick forward and your cocks grind together. There's barely any space between you two, hips digging into each other's and lengths pressed against your stomachs, slick with precum and the sweat coating your bodies. You can't get enough air to fill your lungs, knocked out everytime Eddie grinds forward and just moans so loudly. Filth falls from to spit slick lips as he tries to gather thoughts in his lust ridden mind.

“Got such a pretty cock, so good fuck. Want you to fuck me nice and deep with it, fill m’ up all good.” He groans into your neck, curly hair sticks to your skin and his breath is hot. “Maybe I could fuck you too, have you crying and fucked all sweet and dumb on my cock. D’ya want that? To feel so good? I want you to make me feel good shit.” He spits out, now panting hot and heavy against your mouth with eyes screwed shut tightly.

“Mmph, gonna make you feel s’good. Grinding up against my cock all pretty and desperate.” You moan, slotting your legs together and sliding your cocks against each other just right and you swear you're seeing stars, white exploding behind your eyelids. You want to scream, a shout bubbling up in your throat as you grind messily against each other in the hot stuffy room.

You feel like you're suffocating because Eddie and that sticky heat is everywhere, surrounding you on all sides and all you can feel is the sweet burn on his skin against yours and your erections sliding together. Even with how overwhelming it is your brain cries for more more more, desperate and insatiable echoing like a mantra in your head that couldn't form a more coherent thought.

You're on fire and as your peak approaches it's the only way to quench the flames, grinding deeper and harder and Eddie reciprocates. He moans filthy shit in your ear, edging you on as you hold his hips in a white knuckle grip and drag his hips against yours.

Your body is lazy and tired with each long stroke against each other that sends warmth through your body and pooling in your stomach. You press hot and wet kisses against sweaty skin, panting and moaning so loud as your orgasm builds in your abdomen. “F-fuck, m’gonna cum.”

“Wanna paint my stomach with your cum big boy?” Eddie laughs breathlessly, humping against you a bit faster and leaving you burying your fingers into his skin. You screw your eyes closed and a strangled cry leaves your throat, tension snapping sharply in you as you spill your white seed all over his sweaty and slick skin.

You barely get a gasp of air in before you're flipping you both over, humping frantically against Eddie and sliding your cocks together feverently until Eddie is screaming out your name. He goes tense, eyes rolling back as you feel the wetness of his cum painting your body. The overstimulation is beginning to set in as you lazily rut your hips together, panting and hissing softly.

Your arms quiver like jello then you collapse hard against him, shuddering against his chest as every part of you gives out. You're sweaty and sticky now, your skin burning with heat enough to make you feel like you'd be set aflame, leaving your brain hazy and slow as you carefully gather your bearings again.

But like a miracle, the cool air from the fan washing over your sweat slick body actually gives you the illusion of cooling down. You prop your chin up on Eddie’s chest, looking at the man who's gone quiet to find him grinning like a mad man.

“Now what did I tell you? Gonna doubt me next time?”

tag list: @adamgetawaydriver

#stranger things x reader #stranger things #stranger things fic #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x male reader #stranger things smut

[lilietsblog]

Stardew Valley mod rec compilation

this is a regular question asked on the discord so I wanted to put together my own constant pack to link.

These are NOT all mods I use. These are the mods I’m **completely confident **in recommending together, that definitely work well, combine well and won’t create any cognitive dissonance.

(Note that I’m not listing any prerequisites. Whichever mod you’re installing, you obviously need to install its prerequisites too)

(Most of these are on Nexus, but not all. MARGO is on GitHub, for example. Search on Nexus first, then duckduckgo or google it if it’s not there)

Utility if-you’re-modding: (mods that maybe won’t improve your game per se and you don’t want to install Just Them if you’re picking and choosing, but if you’re already using other mods, you want to look at these)

Advanced Save Backup (obvious function is obvious, don’t let mod fuckups permanently ruin your save)

Generic Mod Config Menu (absolutely mandatory if you’re installing like… >1 other mod)

CJB Cheats Menu + CJB Item Spawner (the more mods you have the more likely you’ll need this to recover after glitches. There are vanilla bugs you might want this to help you with too)

Jump Over (or noclip, in case you get stuck somewhere)

Mod Update Menu (fully optional, but might be nice)

Quality of Life (mods that I’m completely confident work well together and will improve your game withough particularly changing it. You do want to meddle in config for many of these though. Increase complexity at your own pace)

Action Sitting

After Midnight Speed Buff

Easy Coal

Balanced Quarry

Better Artisan Good Icons

Better Beehouses

Better Chests

Better Ranching (turn off “prevent failed harvesting” in config, add Fix Animal Tool Animations for that functionality instead)

Bigger Backpack

Collapse on Farm Fix

Destroyable Bushes

Gift Rejection

Grass Growth

Horse Overhaul - Immersive Scarecrows

Immersive Sprinklers

Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

Mail Services Mod

MARGO - Tweex, Tools and Ponds modules

Remember Birthdays

Robin Work Hours

Expanded Big Shed

Sturdier Saplings

Time Speed

Zoom Level

Friendship QoL: (I’m putting these into a separate category because they specifically make one thing easier and might be unbalanced together - but if you want lots of custom NPCs they might be necessary as a breath of air)

Part of the Community

Passive Friendship

Friend of a Friend

Visual (This is specifically the combination I use, that I know for a fact works well and looks good together. These are mods that don’t alter any mechanics or add any content and mostly don’t impact balance, they’re purely to make the game look better)

Custom Menu Background

Better Water

Cuter Coops and Better Barns or Coop and Barn Facelift

Darker Vanilla Crops

Darker Vanilla Forage

Dynamic Night Time

Dynamic Reflections

Happy Fish Jump

Iridium Sprinkler Desaturated or Burnished Bronze Iridium Sprinkler

Less Ugly Spouse Rooms

Medieval Buildings

Simple Foliage

Skell’s Flowery Tools

Starry Night Interface (deleted from Nexus)

Vintage Interface (and this if you’re using Bigger Backpack)

Vibrant Pastoral Recolor

Way Back Pelican Town

Wind Effects

Yri’s Modular Flowers

Eemie’s Dark Wood and Gold Craftables - Scarecrow and Rarecrow Recolors - Climates of Ferngill

Swimsuit Selection

Spritemaster, and you can turn off the smoothing just for faster rendering everywhere with no visual changes

Dialogue + NPCs (Thoroughly vetted - exclusively the mods that don’t create any contradictory lore, fit fully with vanilla, and might make you feel like vanilla was always intended to be this way)

Dusty Overhaul

Community Wednesdays and Community Center Reimagined

David the Hamster

Demetrius Visits Farm Cave Redux

Diverse Stardew Valley

the ethnic wedding outfit collection (Emily Ukrainian Wedding Dress and others with the same naming scheme, entering “wedding” into search is a good way to find these)

Haley Reads Magazines (plug of my own mod)

Immersive Spouses

Jean and Jorts

Social Haley

Unlikely Friends

Immersive Sandy

Make the game more fun (This is a fairly diverse category - these are the mods that will substantially alter the game and give it a decidedly non-vanilla feel and balance, but that I’m willing to vouch for as fun, non-conflicting, non-glitchy and not making your life harder. Some of them are smaller than others)

Walk to Desert Redux

Archery + Archery starter pack

Artista

Cape Stardew

Cat gifts

Deep Woods

Farmhouse visits

Festival of the Mundane

Hot Spring Farm Cave (or another farm cave mod)

If It Fits I Sits

Improved Cindersap Forest (plug of my own mod)

Like a Duck to Water

Lost in the Mountains (or another custom farm map mod) (plug of my own mod)

MARGO - Combat, Professions and Taxes modules

Stardew Druid

Swim Mod

Wren’s Expanded Greenhouse (or another greenhouse mod)

Animals Need Water

Even More Secret Woods

NPC Adventures (and content packs for it)

Map Editor Extended

Free Love pack (This is for the people who think SV is nice in allowing the player to date multiple people, but unnecessarily restrictive in allowing them to only marry one of them. I’m putting other romance/marriage/parenthood mods in this category also) necessary: (these are the mods you need to make a multi-spouse household function smoothly, period. Need extensive configuring, usually, so pay attention when you install them)

Bed Tweaks

Custom Spouse Patio Redux (this one can glitch, but Map Editor Extended has fixed it for me fine every time)

Custom Spouse Rooms

Free Love

Wedding Tweaks optional: (these are the mods that can substantially improve your personal life if you’re into them, but Free Love functions fine without them)

Platonic Partners and Friendships

Bachelors and Bachelorettes stay friends

Fourteen Heart Events for All

Gender Neutrality Mod

Not In Here By Yourself (plug of my own mod)

Hugs and Kisses

Multiple Spouse Dialogs (+Tia’s and Liliet’s packs for it) (plug of my own mod uwu)

Planned Parenthood

Swimsuit Selection

Unique Children

Unique Children Talk - T’s Spouse Room

#video games #stardew valley #im sorry not everything is linked i did everything and then tumblr somehow???? lost it???? i cant. i just cant do it all over again

[bonefall]

One of the things that bothers me about warriors cats the longer I look at it is that the clans dont have much *culture* to them beyond the code, especially in the newer books and especially between each other!

Like where did sharing tounges at highnoon and the apprentice vigil and the journey to The Holy Place and the elders mostly telling and collecting stories all day for their very oral culture go?

Its an oral culture- why do NONE of the clans sing? Cats are known for yowling to attract mates, why isnt serenading a cat to be your mate not a tradition? Its also a novel way to keep stories alive- little rhymes for kits and apprentices to memorize types of animals and what the code is and why its there.

And for the clans having different cultures each- if I were writing warrior cats id bring windclan being tunnlers back as an 'always have been and still are' thing- that having been how they figured out the tunnels under the lake. They know how to keep the tunnels from flooding or collapsing and have a huge network in their territory. Dedicated diggers are prized crafttoms and mollys, and make intricate artworks out of the bigger tunnels, laying patterns of rocks and glowing fungi in the walls. Its considered a holy role that is in service to starclan- as they are living without their light so the clan may grow strong (though they must spend night vigils every half moon under the stars in case being without them too long makes them grow addled).

For shadowclan, they have a culture of eating more insects and amphibians because of the swamp area, and as they are associated with more nocturnal behavior (or used to be when I was reading properly)- they learned rudimentary astronomy and have starcharts/maps woven into their den walls of the brighter stars. They dont live in a swamp now, but their culture of a wider selection of foods has- and they learned the basics of farming insects (like that beetle that eats meat to clean bones and also mealworms they can eat for food). They still have star charts, and are adamant about apprenticies being able to name every star and how to use them to navigate before they receive their warrior names.

Riverclan have to deal with flooding and are aquatic, so they learned how to make rafts to float on and make all their nests that way, and pride themselves in making quality rafts that also look impressive. Once at the lake, they learned how to make bigger and bigger rafts, partially by observing twolegs. They take these rafts to fish in the lake, with one cat 'driving; it, and the other fishing and adding to their load. They also have the biggest habit of taking 'twoleg artifacts' and repurposing them- one such item was a children's boogie board, as it miraculously floats even with an impressive amount of weight.

For thunderclan, they are forest cats, and then live in the gorge. They use moss, ferns, and leaves more than the other clans in their craftwork, and have learned the art of encouraging moss and lichen to grow where they want it for aesthetic and use purposes. When they moved to the gorge, they had to do their work in that outside of camp because the gorge was too sunny and didnt have the right soil. They did however, learn rockwork over time, and build stone and hardened clay/mud structures.

Skyclan live vertically, of course. They build their camp and nests in structures high up- nesting in trees like birds. Kits, the medicine cat(s), and elders live low to the ground, but the clan nests high in camp. They once brought down a young deer by pouncing from above onto its back in a legendary hunt, deer skull in the leader's den was carefully cleaned and placed there. Skyclan territory is covered in networks of carefully built and maintained pathways through the trees and across tipped over ones. The regular patrol route technically doesnt require them to touch down once if they arent marking anything. They cause young trees and hardwood bushes to grow the way they want them to by bending branches as they grow- which is how they build their dens.

Love WC, but really wish there was more culture to it

It's true, the cats really have absolutely no culture, and it's a big problem because it makes living as a clan cat look completely miserable.

This whole blog is basically Bones-Misses-TPB but I'll say it again; the death of sharing tongues, the warrior name pilgrimage, and the shrunken elder's den have all made the books objectively worse. These things were extremely important for communicating culture and social status in the universe-

Sharing tongues was how Firestar was able to bond and gossip with other members, and gave the authors more things for the characters to be doing instead of only taking breaks at mealtime

The elders would comment on omens, luck, and occasionally pass on a story. Bluestar was able to identify in a better moment that Cloudkit would benefit from being more integrated socially with the Clan and gave him elder duties as a 'punishment.' They were the ones who were there to tell Fireheart that his deputyship was unlucky.

The name pilgrimage gave us insight to Fireheart, Tigerclaw, AND Bluestar all at the same time to better establish their characters.

I blame it on the 'increased urgency' that the newer books have, honestly. It was understandable in TNP when the forest was being destroyed, and we would swap back between the Sundrown Patrol and the Forest, but after that it was practically supernatural event after supernatural event, only calming down in AVOS. By that time there were 18 books between it and the end of TPB, enough for these traditions to be forgotten in the eyes of the writers.

Culture would make the books more fun and engaging. Thankfully the fandom's really creative, and never runs out of cool ideas when prompted. I particularly agree with your idea that the cats need to do more stuff with stars- navigation, astrology, star charts.

I also find it really weird that no clan eats bugs, like, that would be so easy? Especially ShadowClan, who has access to carrionplace. Domestication usually happens when you have a lot of something you can't eat (grass, slop, seeds), so you find an animal that can turn it into something you can eat (beef, pork, chicken). It's really not a stretch to imagine some cat figuring out how to raise maggots or meal worms... especially since, dried, that stuff can last all winter long

[davidwalterbanks]

My new project, tentatively titled ‘Trembling Earth,’ aims to convey the universal value of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and its need for further protection from the titanium mining industry. I am taking a two-pronged approach visually. I will utilize strict documentary photography to serve as evidence and facts to prove my case of the refuge’s value. In my opinion, the sum of this place is more than a direct factual approach can total though. There is a mystical ethereal quality of this primordial place that escapes both the written word and limits of photojournalism. My secondary approach looks capture the intangible feeling one is left with after communing with this magical space. These images will still be created fully in-camera, but will utilize abstract methods in lighting and filters to achieve unique emotive tones in a style I have honed over the past decade. Georgia’s 438,000-acre Okefenokee Swamp is one of the largest intact freshwater ecosystems in the world, and is home to more than 600 species of wild plants, 200 species of birds, 100 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 35 species of fish, including rare and endangered species. Despite designation as a National Wildlife Refuge, North America’s largest blackwater swamp is still under threat by the titanium mining industry. While the refuge may be protected, its boundaries are not. Trail Ridge, the geologic formation that forms the eastern boundary of the swamp, is currently threatened by the Twin Pines Mining Company which has proposed plans for heavy mineral sand mining that would cover an expanse of roughly 8,000-acres next to the refuge. This mining process will lower the water table and increase drought, causing greater susceptibility to wildfire, and permanently altering the ecosystem. Lowered water table and increased drought exposes more peat that can catch fire — peat that stores over 95 million tons of CO2, which cannot be recaptured once released. The swamp as it stands is fire adapted but peat dependent. Upsetting this 10,000-year-old balance could lead to the collapse of an entire ecosystem. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr00y1oOtHG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artichokefunction]

bomb went off. that's not good. you need to- ghhhhhh. your head pounds. you need to get your bearings. you need to find the handler. she is next to you, still. you need to get out of here. the building is collapsing. chunks of big and heavy and powdery and hazardous things are falling down around you and you need to not get hit. you pull the handler along and you move as fast as you can and you really wish you had 360 vision but you manage to avoid the worst of it until-

-a steel support beam comes down, almost on top of you. the agent pushes you out of the way, just in time, and it manages to avoid the worst of it. not all of it. there's an awful, awful crunching sound. you grab its arm and pull your friend off of the steel that has carved a long, wicked hole in its back. right through the fuel tank, right through the ribs. that's bad that's really bad. yyou, uh-

-you feel... sideways. empty. you're leaking, a lot, a steady stream of stuff you really need running down your back. you feel like you can't really breathe. you follow the handler, you try to, your limbs aren't responding the way they should. you tip sideways, she catches you. one arm around his shoulder. your head comes to rest next to her neck. you feel bad. you're cold. it's not cold in here. you're moving, the two of you, to somewhere. your eyes still work. the exits are blocked. you're moving to an uncollapsed area. they set you down on your side, your good side, you feel nauseated. no, that's not the word, you just feel sick and shaky. in your motor. no, uhh, your heart. they take your head in their lap, in her hands, she's saying something that you can't hear because your ears are ringing, still. he's crying. yyyou-

-you need to minimize long term damage you really really need to make sure it doesn't die. this is the best way to do that. you locate the little emergency switch under the faux skin of its collarbone, and it's expression relaxes into a look of recognition. you think. you hope, god you hope that it knows what you're doing. that it knows it'll be okay. knows, thinks. whatever. you switch it to emergency mode, the setting you use for surgeries. since this is basically a surprise, accidental, really scary surgery. your laughs turn into dry, painful coughs. the air quality in here is only going to get worse. you, also, need to stay alive. that's important. you need to call someone for a rescue and you need to not suffocate while you wait. you pull out your communicator, and you take a second to think, and you message the three colleagues of yours who are closest to this location. [EMERGENCY. REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE.] either they can help or they can't. now you need to help yourself. you've helped the agent as much as you can. it's in emergency mode, the closest to an OFF switch it has. it breathes less when it's like that, to conserve resources and slow down as many processes as possible. its- maybe it doesn't need its mask right now. what do you mean maybe. you are the one person on earth who would know that. its- um. it needs oxygen still, a little. you need oxygen a lot. this would not kill it, and it's a problem you could fix later, while solving all the other problems. like the big hole. ohhh god. gently, slowly, you unhook its mask from its face. and you feel bad doing it. this is. rude. or mean, or something. if it were conscious it would be upset. it would be more upset if you suffocated down here. you know that. the mask is a bit damp inside, sweat and a little bit of blood, you think. it doesnt fit your face right, obviously. but it filters air for you. it does its job. you run your fingers through your agent's grimy hair. you know it can't feel it. you don't stop.

you don't know how much time has passed. you zoned out again, whatever. you have a response, from robbie, actually. it's been a while since you talked to her. right now you just send the details she needs; [STRUCTURE COLLAPSED, "RED WINE FISHES". MAIN FLOOR, TWO NEED RETRIEVAL, ONE CRITICAL CONDITION. NO AMBULANCES.] you know she'll get the red wine fishes reference. probably. you both were here for that job. not an easy one to forget. no ambulances, because they'll ask questions you can't answer, and they won't have your regen machine. probably. it's been a while since you've been in a public hospital. maybe they've started to get with the times. probably not. the times are expensive. the smell of spilt petrol cuts through the mask's filters. you might cry, again. you don't want to do that. waste of water, limited resources, while you're trapped here. you want to zone out again. you can't do it on command. you have no fucking idea how people do that on command. so you do your normal thing, [it probably doesn't count as your normal thing if you haven't done it in many many years. whatever] you sit there in the uncomfortable present for a long long moment, listening to your own muffled breathing and to the sounds of the building settling around you, until eventually you notice you zoned out at some point because you're snapped back to the present by a sudden very loud and new crashing sound. you panic for a moment. you can't *do* anything. then the dust clears and you see that it's robbie, and her small group of other big strong men. they have found you, and you are safe now, and by that you mean you're slightly safer then you were before. you still need to evacuate. you pull the agent closer to your chest as you show robbie the situation at hand. she pulls a face and hisses through her teeth when she sees. after some quiet discussion with her boys, one of them lifts the agent up into their arms, saying little reassuring things to you the whole time, and robbie takes you, supporting you on her arm. they are being very nice to you right now. you must look rough. you feel fine, you think. you tune back in and you're approaching your truck. you find your words, you take the mask off, and you tell robbie that you'll be fine from here. she gives you a *look*.

[I'm not leaving you here alone, not when you're like this.]

[i need to get the agent stabilized, before anything else. I'll relocate after.]

[Sitting in one place, away from the wheel, you'd be easy to catch.]

[yhh... true...]

[Let me drive you, babe, you can hang out in my garage until you're ready to go.]

[...]

[Come on, you know my place is secure.]

[hah, yeah. "blue steel eye", i remember, that was a good job by me.]

[...?]

[ghh. yeah okay fine. here's the key, password is left left down left down up. don't crash us.]

[I'm a good driver, you know that. Boys, take the van home. I'll be right behind ya.]

you'll have to change the system password again, after this. for now, you have your agent on your operating table, nearly dead. you have a lot of things to do. fuel tank needs serious repairs, need to deal with the severe blood loss, and the ribcage damage as well. blood first, heart stop would mean brain stop and you want to avoid that. rib reconstruction last, you need access to the tank inside for repair. after that you can work on the respiratory issues that will probably crop up. you also need to get the air out of its pipes, get fuel re-circulating safely. lots to do. you get to work.

-

your chest feels bad, that's the first thing you notice. the second thing you notice is that you're awake and alive and stuff. that's nice. you thought maybe you would be dead, crushed and alone after the handler watches you bleed out. or worse. he could be the one dead. you need to check on her. it's a herculean task, to lift your head enough to turn it to the side. but he's there, collapsed on a stool, asleep. she looks rough. she looks alive, though. as do you. probably. maybe. you feel like you might look distinctly open right now. there are a few little delicate things connected into your back, you think. your movement is restricted but not by a lot. mostly you're just tired. you close your eyes for a moment. when you open them again, the handler is up, sorting through equipment just out of your view. you want to ask her for a status report. tell you what she's doing, how she's doing, how you're doing. you try to ask. it doesn't work. what the fuck. your hands feel really heavy. and far away. what the fuck, you need those. you can't, fucking- you're too fatigued to sign. you can flex your fingers, still, kinda. you don't like being angry. not angry. frustrated. normally you can do things, and you like being able to do things. you don't like this. she has noticed whatever turmoil you have going on, because he runs her fingers through your hair. it is actually pretty grounding, you can admit it. nothing useful here to be angry at, no point in getting worked up.

[dealing with the damage, steadily. fuel tank repaired, it should hold up, please tell me if you notice anything leaking or exploding or just going wrong. working on the rib cage right now. re-set and re-construct. don't move too much, this part is delicate. you got dangerously close to damaging your spine in a few places. you were lucky. well, wait, that's a weird thing to say in this situation. but you did survive. we're both alive. stay still.]

you let out a deep breath, as deep as you can manage right now. you'll be okay. you let your eyes close again. you're not immediately asleep this time, you can hear the purr of machinery just above you, and you can feel her hands wrap gently around your shoulder and your side. trying to assess progress, probably. you'll be okay.

#[fiction] #[category: the agent & the handler] #gore warning #blood tw #injury tw #bomb tw #building collapse #whats the commonly used trigger tag for that. i do not know