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roedniebuhr73 · 10 days

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Outer Banks Surf Fishing 101

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thewul · 24 days

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Ace full of Kings

Welcome to suburbia land and the wealth of suburban lifestyle, although on the surface it may have looked like nothing, boring even, there was good poker players and poker nights, Sunday baseball games were always fun even if it's just kids, and every Wednesday at the local bar karaoke nights entertained the best and worst singers the neighborhood had, there was different stuff once you started digging in it, once you got acquainted with the place and its people most of all, and you know anywhere is worth it if you find good poker players

Tonight we are having a poker night in a dimly lit small backroom at Harris, smoke filled with the cigars that Barnes procured from an army buddy selling them on the low from Puerto Rico where he was posted, the room had every kind of Seahawks team memorabilia you could think of, signed jerseys and footballs, players cards, framed press articles, and a heap of photographs with the players and staff plastered the walls almost entirely, a lifetime collection that spilled to a few large boxes stacked one on top of the other, as a cop Harris had his entries, originally from Seattle before he bailed after getting in serious trouble with organized crime, it even had trophy replicas on a shelve, complete with Seahawks branded coffee mugs and coffee machine

Seahawks was "the coolest name for a football team" and the retired street cop was a huge fan, and of course it had the crackling police radio noise in the background because that's what you would expect from a retired street cop, to stay put even if, a couple of years ago we had invested in a proper poker table, our pride and joy, professional green mat and cup holders, the bar well it wasn't much, but Harris kept it filled with his rake although he didn't like to hear that word

Meet the players, or the demonstration that maybe prosperity isn't what it used to be, that the neighborhood isn't what it used to be, life in general, but that poker can heal all wounds, imagine that a poker night at your neighbor's poker room, a bottle of the finest whiskey money could buy for under 100 Dollars, put together around the fine looking table more than a hundred years of life experience, retirees, O’Brian retired fireman, Harris still on police radio, Brown a retail store manager, a black man who fought his way in life arguing to too many customers that he was the store's manager, and Barnes a Vietnam vet with two rounds of duty under his belt and the scars to prove it

Billy Perkins wasn't half their age but they made a place for him because he was good at poker, above all they wanted to know why he wasn't not good at money other than the chips that he racked often, and above all if he realized that a man his age of his character can be anything he wanted in life, he was on to something big that's what they all thought of him

I'll have that widow hand, No Billy Perkins you can't have that Why not? You're not even married, Well look at me it's my winning hand, What do you know it's your winning hand? See it's two pairs already, say I score a full and a pair, I don't say nobody says that replied Barnes, Or 4 of a kind, ace high Come on now, Why come on, you're not even looking at your hand, don't like what you see? I have a better hand! What you're raising now, Of course am raising, am raising your better hand, Watch out the kid is on a roll

That fishing contest Billy how did it go? asked Harris, We won it, uncle Joe is the best, sold the fish for ten grands I made half of it, That's good money what are you going to do with, repaint the house I guess its been due for a while, Get a new lawnmower too your front yard looks like a jungle he added while fetching a couple of new cards, I was thinking of fixing it, That's what you said last week and the week before that

O’Brien took a long look at Perkins before deciding to share what he had in mind, tell me Perkins that O'Connor guy he's a big shot at the company where you work right? A big shot he's The big shot, used to be president and chairman of the board, Something is fishy about the whole thing, Such as? I've been told that propane tank was installed by a top notch utility business, checked it regularly, last time they did they replaced every joint gave the installation a clean bill of health, 3 months later the whole place blows up like a gas station on fire, wasn't supposed to happen like that

Retired Lt Harris who had listened on while staring at his hand paused his drink, see what you just described is murder for hire, come on now are we saying that rich folk homes don't blow up Brown interjected Brown, listen to the man Harris replied he said wasn't supposed to happen, But still it was a gas leak that did it am I correct, atleast that's what I read on the newspaper, Well there's guys that are into that stuff and they're paid big bucks to make murders for hires look like an accident

I didn't say a word more and kept focused on building my hand, thinking about what just been said, how O'Connor, Sullivan and Richardson had died within weeks, and so who benefited the most, Dillinger and again Dillinger who had an opening for president and chairman of the board, meanwhile he could push back indefinitely his retirement on the grounds that his succession had been hampered

Maybe if they fixed it wrong Brown went on, a botched job, you guys are always trying to make the stuff that happens in this city into a police movie, what do you know about gas Clayton replied O’Brien, what do I know about gas I used to run a retail store, it smells Clayton gas smells, see said Harris, the botched job might be O'Connor instead, did cops drop by at the company? They did answered Perkins coolly, keeping to himself that it wasn't about O'Connor that they showed up and that the murder count at Allstate was already 2 or 3 now by the looks of it, See no wonder, you have two guys who spent too many time doing this and they're saying that somebody punched that propane tank, Not the tank no that can leave traces remarked O'Brien, the joints are more likely

Because they would burn in the fire? Right it's not your everyday plastics but with that kind of temperature they will, If they don't catch who's behind this it's going to be another perfect murder, Perfect murder? That stuff exists? replied Brown, Oh yes it does and it's nothing that we advertise to people, Because you guys can't catch the murderer? No it's worse than that Clayton, we can't prove that it was a murder

Hey Barnes pour me a drink What's the occasion kid, Am doubling the raise, What for? For everyone's been throwing cards like they're yesterday's newspapers, But not the cards you want now Perkins, True haven't seen those, madam widow here is going to hand them right next, Ugly little weasel, Now now what's wrong with having a little drink

What on earth was he up to, a bigger pay no he was already well off, they all were, there had to be something else far more potent and sinister to justify his deadly power play, most of all the risks he took, Allstate was no small fish, 3rd largest insurance company amongst those who operated solely in the U.S, worth tens of billions

Am going all in gentlemen, Are you kidding us! It's several rounds we've been doubling that raise! Sergeant It's time to suck in the pain, What is it with suck in the pain, My favorite part, the single most telling line about war and about life, it's in the movie, What movie again? Barnes movie war movie, tell us about the alligators Barnes, There was no alligators in Vietnam, You sure look like you've been bitten by one, How come you're not a rich guy already since you're so cocky asked Barnes? Am hood rich, every week I come here and rack those chips Not always no, True sometimes I sit next to the bottle, Ouch

So? Am folding, Same here, Same, Barnes you're in? Let's see what you have, what I have is all in want to go all in? Not this time but I'll get you next time ugly weasel, I guess that's it, was nice playing you gentlemen partners, always a pleasure, Not so fast partner Perkins you have to pay the house, There you go Harris make my day, It's every other week that you always keep forgetting, But you don't

Let's see that hand you have, Does anybody look into a grave before getting in, That's it he had nothing but those two pairs, who let you sit next to the dealer anyways, The dealer sat next to me what should I do tell him to bounce, You think you're so clever, Look at you, you sat next to the bottle, Bluffers come with big mouths, Well you should have known Harris, He's been robbing us like that when he has nothing going he bluffs, Then I might have something going, Keep bluffing Perkins

How much did you make? Let's see there's a couple of upcoming games and I have to fork the beer cases at Barnes, Clayton asked me to take his car to the car wash stick me with bill plus extra for the leather chairs, O’Brien well what do you know he's got groceries he wants me to pick up any given Sunday, and Harris just raked me, Don't say that word, Why it's true, Keep things going for the club, Oh it's a club now? What do you think look at all the decoration

Was he after all of it why… Pretty much anyone else could arrive to the same conclusion as I did, police included especially the police, making him the prime suspect, or maybe in the back of his mind he thought he was so cunning that he could pull his moves without so much as a citation, so far he had succeeded that's the thing… The papers said the blast was an accident, and Richardson and Sullivan seemingly killed each others

That hand Perkins? It's there on the table, Can we? Go ahead what's the poker night for, What does he have? Aces full of kings!, Ugly little weasel, Keep going Perkins you'll get places, So he wasn't bluffing after all? Yeah it's the same to me Clayton, He's got something this young fellow, We agree on that, we said it over and over again, but he doesn't seem to know what it is himself, He's a good kid Harris he will find out when it's time, He doesn't look in a hurry and what do you know about time, it flies

Look at the hand that he has continued O'Brien, didn't even show it what does tell us about him Harris, Keeping his cards close to his chest, knows best in life than to show his cards and when you know that his age in life you already know a great deal, I think paused Clayton, no I am convinced that he can be anything he wants in life, Well he's got us posted about what it's going to be replied Harris

#HUGO BOSS #sunset creek

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killjams-ocs · 7 months

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Chapter 1 - Foraging

Summary: Foraging in the deep woods, ignorant that anything bad could happen.

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The main area of Star Cas, which was about a few minutes’ walk from your new home, was the most active part of this town. Many buildings close to one another with a cobblestone pathway connecting each building to each other. There was an occasional wooden bucket housing different flowers with a variety of colours. A few people were out and about, some walking to another building, others having a chat. Since it’s been a good while from the last time you visited, you couldn’t tell who was passing by or who lived here.

You take note of the many stores available in this area, ranging from a classic book store all the way to a store dedicated to photography. There were other buildings such as a café, post office and a local clinic. You make sure to take note of where everything was just in case you have a need for any of these locations in the future.

Walking passed the people and stores; you walk into where the woods were notably thicker and dense compared to everything else in the area. You have some memories of foraging through these plants and trees to help Nagi look for ingredients.

Fishing around your messenger bag, you pull out the notebook and flip the pages, not really needing to take a look through it as you have what is where memorized to a degree. There was a section dedicated to different drawings of what you’ll need to get yourself started with your new job.

Eyes carefully going over the grass below, you make sure you don’t accidently step on anything that can be useful or be missed from your view. There were a few sage roots that caught your eye by a tree trunk, so you gently kneeled down by it to harvest it in a way not to damage the root too much.

This is the wild variant, not as potent as what you can grow yourself with special seeds, but it’s a good starting point. You look over the plant’s info in the notebook, written in neat handwriting.

“Wild sage roots are a common find near star cas and many other areas of Cosmos Thicket. Can be used to make potions mainly healing the body from any type of injuries. Only used for light damage.”

You nod your head after reading the passage and mentally note down some possible brews you could make from these roots if you are able to find their other requirements. Standing back up, you take a look around to see where to go next. Over by some rocks, there were a few red capped mushrooms and you couldn’t help but to do a little sprint towards them. The closer you got, the more their blue stems came into view.

This was the amanita cap, no doubt about it! Flipping through the pages once again, you find information related to it.

“These mushrooms, often found in moist or damp areas, can be used to lesson lethal poison effects on the person. Make sure to cut the head from the root, as it can regrow its cap in a few short weeks.” You take note about the harvest technique writing down with the information. Luckily, you brought a switch blade with you in case it was needed, like now. You lay on the front of your body and carefully maneuvered the tip of the blade to only get the cap of the mushroom off. You couldn’t help but make a few slip ups here and there, but it was nothing too damaging to the root to prevent its regrowth. At least, that’s what you want to believe.

Like with the wild sage root, you carefully place it in your bag. Hopefully, you can find more variety of whats available in this forest to have a decent selection in your shop for the customers to buy.

The sun up above slowly inched through the sky as you made your way through the forest, snaking around the many trees and bushes, getting as much coverage as you can. By now you’ve got a decent collection of what you already have plus some new ones as well. All commonly found, so nothing too fancy can be made right now with what you have.

It was at least better than nothing. Perhaps if you can get the funds, start a little garden for yourself to grow these herbs and fungi so you can spend more time in areas with rarer ingredients. Just a thought for now.

Deep in thought, you didn’t realize the incoming threat who just laid their eyes on you.

Without any time to realize something was coming your way, a huge wild wolf catches you off guard. You yelled out as it knocked you to the ground, only aiming for your jugular for a quick kill. With what little strength you have, you block its teeth from your neck, earning many bites along the way. It was painful, but more bearable than missing a part of your flesh.

Your mind was blank as you tried your best to kick off the beast, but its determination was much too much for you to handle. First real day in Star cas, and you’re already dead meat. Great.

“HEY-“A voice could be heard somewhere around you, “I TOLD YOU I’LL GET YOU” Suddenly someone came running towards you and chucked their body into the wolf to get it off you. You quickly get up, legs shaking from the adrenaline rushing through your veins. You watch as what seems to be a tall woman with white hair take on the wolf with a claymore. You looked away after she gained the upper hand, not wanting to see what almost kill you get killed itself.

You didn’t hear her walk up to you, the only thing you can hear is the blood rushing through your ears as your eyes was squeezed shut.

“You alright, little one?” You peaked through your eye lids and took a good look at her. She had a pointy smile and heterotopia eyes, one yellow, the other purple. Small, black horns pointed out the top of her head, indicating she was at least part demon. There was blood splattered on her, but she didn’t seem to mind judging from the way she was smiling at you.

“Alive at least” was what you were able to speak out loud, arms violently from the many cuts. She looks down at your injuries.

“Ah- not in the best shape now are we?” She attaches the claymore to the sheath on her back and picks you up effortlessly from your spot, making your heart jump from the sudden contact and being held up from the ground. “Here, why don’t I get you to our nice doctor?”

“P-please do”

Along the way to where the suppose doctor of star cas lives, the woman starts a conversation with you.

“The names Veronika” She starts off, “didn’t expect to see the new face already almost dying on us”

“You know who I am?”

“Of course! Everyone is aware of the new potion maker in town.” She giggled. “I just didn’t think to meet you in these circumstances”

“I didn’t think monsters were this close to star cas…” You admitted.

“They kinda are, you just wandered off from town a bit too far for your own good” Veronika pointed out.

“Oh uh-“You felt embarrassed now. “Sorry, got carried away with foraging…”

“No need to apologize cutie” She winks, “gives me an excuse to carry you” You didn’t realize she was also a flirt. After that, there was a silence between the two of you. Not that you had anything else to say other than complain about the pain and stinging from your cuts, but you didn’t want to come off as annoying to Veronika.

It wasn’t long after you both reached a cabin. If you remember right, it was still a bit of ways away from the main town area, but not as far as you went out in the first place. Veronika didn’t bother to knock and just kicked the door open, causing you the gasp from her sudden intrusion and possible property damage. Inside the cabin was pretty clean, aside from a desk with a variety of medicines, a mortar and pestle, with a variety of open books. More books could be found stacked beside the desk. You couldn’t help but to notice a cup of tea, still steaming, on the desk.

‘OI DOC MAN!” Veronika yelled out towards one of the rooms. “NEED SOME HELP HERE!” Soon after, a talk man on the lanky side walks out of one of the rooms and looks towards you and Veronika. He chuckles at the sight, smiling with the same kind of pointy teeth like Veronika. He didn’t seem to be part demon, in fact, more elf like thanks to his pointed ears. His eyes however… you couldn’t tell. Diamond pupils, yellow eyes with red sclera. A first for you to see.

“Ho ho~” He spoke up, not caring if his door was kicked in. “I knew we’ll eventually meet thanks to our close professions, but this was much sooner than expected” The makes his way over to you and Veronika and lifts one of your arms to take a close look at the wounds. He silently tsk’d from the sight. “Nothing I can’t fix, but I will need some time” He then walks away to another room and gestures Veronika to bring you over there. In this room was a makeshift hospital room. A clean bed with bright light magic to keep thing clear in here. You were laid on the bed as the man looked over some bottles on a shelf to the side.

“Just found them out in the deep woods almost getting killed by a wolf, like some innocent kid who didn’t know better” Veronika laughs. “I don’t mean this in a way to bully you, by the way” She reassures to you.

“Mind I ask why you were out there?” The man brings over a seat and starts to clean your wounds with a liquid from one of the bottles he brought over to the beds side table. As the medicine did its job, you couldn’t help but to seethe in pain from the stinging of it on your cuts.

“I just wanted to get some herbs and other things I could find to start brewing potions” You admitted. “I didn’t realize it was dangerous, I thought it was safe”

“It was safe,” he cleans another cut, making you hiss, “however, these days monsters have found a home in those parts of the woods.”

“Ah…” You let out. You can’t help but to feel a bit foolish.

“Nothing to feel bad about, Nagi had you last here many years ago” he tells you. “Before those things somehow got here” You couldn’t help but to feel a little confused. You didn’t know this guy, so how did he know you way beforehand?

“Welp- now you know more, albeit through the hard way” Veronika was leaning against the wall as this was all happening. “Thank the stars that I just happened to be near by to stop your death”

“Yeah, I greatly appreciate it, thank you” You continued to hiss from the pain before any left-over medicine was wiped off with a clean cloth. The man, whose name you still didn’t had, proceeded to use some magic from his hand on your arms, making you feel a little numb before getting some medical grade twine to stitch the deeper cuts closed. You kind of wished he did that numbing spell first.

He takes a bandage and wraps around both the wounds that were stitched and the shallow ones to make sure everything was closed up for proper healing. You glanced over your arms, faint red specks could be seen from the cuts, but it wasn’t anything too bad now. Since calming down from the whole situation, you almost pass out from the sudden realization from just how tired you were. The two people with you seemed to have noticed this.

“I would highly suggest you stay here for the night; I’ll wake you up once you need some fresh bandages.” The doctor stands up and starts putting some things away. “Before anything else however, please let me brew some tea for you” Kazuya stands up and walks over to one of the tables with a tea set on it.

“Tea? What kind?” You asked, curious as to why he was suddenly making you a drink as he went through the motions to brew some for you.

“It’s a medicine for the pain to keep at bay and to help you fall asleep. The healing process can be sped up this way.” He walks over to you and places the cup on the bedside table for you to have. “Please, allow yourself to rest after drinking this. In the meantime, Veronika,” he looks at the woman and she nods.

“Yeah yeah-,” She moves herself away from the wall and walks out of the room, soon followed by Kazuya. Now left in the room yourself, you help yourself to the tea. Blowing some of the steam off to cool it down before taking a drink. It wasn’t sweet nor was it bitter, nothing too notable in the first place aside tasting like the colour green. It was medicine after all, they’re not known to tasting like anything special or good.

You didn’t realize how thirsty you were in that moment however. You have been out for a bit before getting here, and almost being killed did made your throat dry from all the stress. Despite how warm the tea was for your liking, you gulped it down to quench your thirst. You placed the cup back on the table and decided it was time to lay down and rest for the night.

Body feeling light and eye lids becoming heavy, it didn’t take long for you to pass out in bed.

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yumi007 · 9 months

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The mangroves are thriving around what used to be the largest landfill in Latin America.

In Latin America, there used to be the largest landfill in the region, surrounded by thriving mangroves. It was once known as the largest landfill in Latin America. Now, ten years after Rio de Janeiro closed the landfill and doubled its efforts to restore the severely polluted marshes around it, crabs, snails, fish, and birds are thriving once again in the mangroves.

"If we don't mention that this place used to be a landfill, people would think it's a farm. The only thing missing is cows," joked Elias Gouveia, an engineer from Comlurb, the city's waste collection agency responsible for managing the reforestation project. "This is an environmental lesson we must learn: nature is extraordinary. If we don't pollute it, it will heal itself."

Gouveia has been working with Comlurb for 38 years and witnessed the cautious first steps taken to restore the Gramacho landfill in the late 1990s.

The former landfill was located next to Guanabara Bay and covered an area of 148 square miles (383 square kilometers). From 1968 to 1996, approximately 80 million tons of garbage were dumped in the area, polluting the bay and surrounding rivers with trash and runoff.

In 1996, the city began implementing measures to limit the pollution levels from the landfill, starting with the treatment of some leachate, the toxic byproduct of decomposing garbage. However, the garbage continued to pile up until 2012 when the city finally closed it down.

"When I first arrived there, the mangroves were almost completely destroyed due to the long-term discharge of leachate and garbage brought in from Guanabara Bay," recalled Mario Moscatelli, a biologist hired by the city in 1997 to help officials with the ambitious endeavor.

The bay used to be a thriving location for artisanal fishing and popular palm tree beaches. However, it later became a dumping ground for waste from shipyards and two commercial ports. During low tide, household waste, including old washing machines and soaked sofas, floated on enormous islands of sewage and sediment. The landfill, once a towering heap of garbage attracting hundreds of scavengers, is now gradually covered with clay. Comlurb employees started clearing the garbage, building a rainwater drainage system, and replanting the mangroves, an ecosystem that has proven to be particularly resilient and successful in similar restoration projects.

Gouveia explained that they are particularly interested in the mangroves due to their ability to capture and store large amounts of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. Experts say that mangroves bury more carbon in sediment than even tropical rainforests, making them crucial tools in combating climate change.

To protect the recovering mangroves from the impact of nearby community waste (sometimes thrown into the rivers by local residents), the city constructed clay fences in the marshland. To this day, Comlurb employees continue to maintain and reinforce these fences, but they are often damaged by intruders searching for crabs.

Even though the landfill is now covered, there are still leachate leaks, and Comlurb is collecting and treating the leachate at one of its wastewater stations. Comlurb and its private partner, Statled Brasil, have successfully recovered around 60 hectares of land, six times the area they started with in the late 1990s.

"We have turned the situation around," said Gouveia. "In the past, the landfill polluted the bay and rivers. Now, it is the bay and rivers that are polluted, and we are working to make them clean again."

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bfxenon · 10 months

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MozCon Field Guide: Exploring Summertime Seattle

MozCon 2023 is fast approaching (taking place August 7 & 8), and we here at Moz are so excited to see all the IRL and virtual attendees! As the event draws closer, we think it’s a great time to remind folks of everything you can do while visiting the Emerald City.

Nestled up in the corner of Washington state, surrounded by forests, mountains, and the Puget Sound, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). It is home to industry giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Boeing and is the birthplace of Grunge music (think Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam — all from Seattle).

Whether you’re traveling from near or far, we’ve compiled a list of some of the amazingly fun, educational, and sometimes weird activities around the city. And if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, don’t worry! It’s not too late. Head on over to the MozCon hub to explore purchase options. Night Owl savings are available through June 30!

For the sightseers

If this is your first time visiting Seattle, or if you love more traditional “tourist” attractions, these stops should definitely be on your list.

The Space Needle

Often synonymous with Seattle, you can’t find a photo or piece of video footage of the Seattle skyline without this iconic landmark included. Originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair (the inspiration for this year’s MozCon theme), the Space Needle now operates daily for visitors to take in a 360º view of the city. It is also home to the world’s first rotating glass floor.

Photo by Jared Lung

Columbia Center Tower

The Sky View Observatory of the Columbia Center is located on the 73rd floor of the “tallest public viewing area in the Pacific Northwest.” You can take in views of everything from Mt. Rainier to Bellevue from the viewing area and then grab a snack at the café.

Pike Place Market

This market is quintessential Seattle. Located near the downtown waterfront and founded in 1907, Pike Place is a must-see stop. It features local businesses of all kinds, including the infamous flying fish of the Pike Place Fish Market (featured in the opening credits of Real World: Seattle) and the first Starbucks. And for those with more time to explore, below the stalls of the street level is a maze of brick-and-mortar stores like Golden Age Collectibles (the world’s oldest comic book shop).

Photo by Farid Briones

Kerry Park

Located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Kerry Park is the go-to place for majestic views of the city and Mt. Rainier. Commonly used for shots in TV and film that establish Seattle as the location, it’s a great place to catch the sunrise or sunset.

The Seattle Great Wheel

At 60 meters tall, this ferris wheel is the largest of its kind on the west coast. And if you’re scared of heights (like me!), it’s still a great site to see. Especially Friday through Saturday night when they light it up with a fun light show!

For the lovers of learning

Seattle is home to a plethora of places to help expand your knowledge! Whether you’re into art, books, or history, there is something for everyone.

SAM

The Seattle Art Museum features art from around the world with both ongoing and featured exhibits. The featured exhibit for August will be Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks, which officially opens on July 13. If you’re planning a visit to SAM, be sure to keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Located at Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, the Seattle Asian Art Museum is another location of SAM. The upcoming Renegade Edo and Paris: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit officially opens on July 21. This museum is open Friday through Sunday.

Northwest African American Museum

Self-described as “... an anti-racist, pro-equity, affirming gathering place of hope, help, and healing for the entire Northwest region that is building intergenerational cultural wealth,” the Northwest African American Museum is open Thursday through Sunday. Be sure to check out the Freedom of Expression exhibit on display until September 3.

Museum of Flight

Seattle has a rich aerospace history, and you can learn all about it at the Museum of Flight. This museum is larger than life, featuring exhibits about space and air travel which include real planes (and a space shuttle full fuselage trainer!).

Photo by DreamArtist

MoPop

Located below the Space Needle, the Museum of Pop Culture, aka MoPop, will be the location of this year’s MozCon Closing Party. This museum is such a fun experience! It features exhibits about music, science fiction, indie games, and the world of fantasy. These exhibits are filled with relics, props, costumes, and more from your favorite films and TV shows. It is a must-see for any pop culture fan! You can even make your own music in the Sound Lab. And guess what? You’ll get to explore some of these exhibits at the after-party!

MOHAI

The Museum of History and Industry is located on the edge of Lake Union, and features exhibits all about Seattle’s history.

University of Washington

Seattle is home to the University of Washington, which has a beautiful campus ready to explore. Check out Drumheller Fountain, the quad, and Suzzallo Library before heading over to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture or Frye Art Museum.

Seattle Central Library

The stunning Seattle Central Library is located in the middle of downtown Seattle. The glass building was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and features art throughout – a must-see for any book lover!

Photo by Edward Palm

For the foodies

Seattle and its surrounding areas are chock full of amazing restaurants, cafés, breweries, wineries, and more.

Food

No matter what you’re craving, there’s a restaurant for you somewhere in Seattle. If you’re looking for a place to start, check out Seattle Met’s 100 Best Restaurants list. Some personal recommendations:Rocco’s Pizza, Cactus (Southwest), and Barrio (Mexican), Mighty O Donuts (Vegan & delicious!), and Dick’s Drive-In (a Seattle staple). If you’re looking for ideas of where to eat while at the conference, be sure to ask a Mozzer!

Coffee

Although Seattle is home to Starbucks headquarters, there are tons of independent and locally owned coffee spots to check out. Some include Fuel Coffee, Caffe Ladro, Cherry Street Coffee House, and Herkimer Coffee. Looking for more suggestions? Check out Eater’s list of Essential Coffee Shops.

If you’re interested in learning about the science and history of coffee and brewing, Seattle has you covered! Check out the Coffee Chemistry event at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Capitol Hill. They also offer various tasting events if you’re looking to try something new.

Breweries

Breweries are abundant in this area. And whether you’re looking to do a tasting flight or just grab a pint, the possibilities are endless. Right downtown, you have the Pike Brewing Company, and just up on Capitol Hill you have Optimism Brewing Company. If you’re able to venture beyond downtown, you have options like Reuben’s Brews and Fremont Brewing. More into cider? Seattle Cider Company and The Woods Tasting Room has you covered.

For the outdoor adventurers

When people think of the PNW, they often think of the great outdoors. And for those who enjoy spending time outside, we sure do have a lot of opportunities to soak up the sun! There are lots of hiking and walking trails around Seattle, including the Washington Park Arboretum (which also features a Japanese garden!).

If you prefer the water, you can rent paddle boards and kayaks to explore Lake Union and Lake Washington. Or, if you’re planning on attending MozCon in a larger group, you may want to think about renting a small electric boat to tool around in.

Have a picnic overlooking the water at Gas Works Park – featured in the iconic paintball scene from the film 10 Things I Hate About You.

Photo by Fernando Reyes

If you’re looking for places to explore that offer an outdoor experience, be sure to check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass at the Seattle Center or the Olympic Sculpture Park. Or take a stroll near the Ballard Locks to see one of the busiest lock systems in the country. You can also spend some time at their botanical garden and see the fish ladder. Pro tip! Wondering how the locks work? You can learn all about it at MOHAI!

Photo by Chris F

For the sports fans

Want to catch a game in a different city? Seattle is home to plenty of professional sports teams!

Baseball

T-Mobile Park is home to the Seattle Mariners. They’ll be in town playing the San Diego Padres and the Baltimore Orioles.

Soccer

OL Reign (Seattle’s Women’s Soccer team) will be playing Portland Thorns FC the Sunday before MozCon if you’d like to catch a match. They will be playing at Lumen Field, which is where Seattle Sounders FC (men’s soccer) and the Seattle Seahawks (football) also play.

Basketball

The Seattle Storm will be home at Climate Pledge Arena to play the Atlanta Dream on August 10 in case you want to check out the four-time WNBA Champions.

Football

Preseason will have started just in time for MozCon! The Seattle Seahawks will be playing the Minnesota Vikings on August 10 if you’re looking to root your heart out.

For the pop culture aficionados

If you’re into pop culture and are looking for some interesting stops to add to your Seattle tour list, we’ve got a few ideas for you.

Jimi Hendrix Statue

Although its real name is The Electric Lady Studio Guitar, it’s fondly referred to as the Jimi Hendrix Statue, and you can check it out in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on the corner of Pine and Broadway.

Fremont Troll

This infamous statue is located under the George Washington Memorial Bridge in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. It’s been featured in films like 10 Things I Hate About You and the TV show Once Upon a Time.

Fremont Troll. (2023, May 30). In Wikipedia.

Bruce Lee’s resting place

If you’re a martial arts fan (or a fan of The Crow), you can pay tribute to Bruce Lee and his son Brandon in Volunteer Park.

Kurt Cobain’s bench

Are you a Nirvana fan? Then be sure to add Viretta Park to your list of places to visit. This park is near the home of Kurt Cobain, and although you can’t see his house, there is a bench there that has become a memorial to the musician and is covered in fan messages.

KEXP Gathering Space

KEXP is a beloved non-profit radio station here in Seattle. You can stream them anywhere in the world through their app (and I highly recommend you check them out – they have amazing themed shows each night of the week). They have a public gathering space in Seattle Center which features a café, record shop, and a window into their studio. It’s a great place to relax and have a cup of coffee.

SIFF Cinema

Movie buff? Seattle is home to one of the largest film festivals in the world – Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Although the festival won’t be at the same time as MozCon, they offer year-round showings of movies from around the world. If you’re looking to check out a unique film that you may not get to see on the big screen elsewhere, check out the showtimes of the SIFF Cinema Uptown Theater or SIFF Cinema Egyptian Theater.

For the eccentric explorers

We can’t wrap up this list without including some of the outside-the-box activities and locales. So here are a few things to check out if you’re looking for something outside the standard fare.

Gum Wall

Although technically part of Pike Place Market, this attraction deserves its own entry on our list. The Seattle Gum Wall is exactly what it sounds like - a wall of gum. People come from all over to stick their gum to this brick wall hidden down an alley of the market. Fun (or maybe gross?) fact: the wall has only been cleaned off twice in its history – in 2015 and 2018. The cleaning occurred to help preserve the wall itself.

Fremont neighborhood

We’ve mentioned a few places in Fremont already (the Fremont Troll and Fremont Brewing Company) but if you have time to explore this neighborhood more fully, it is a fun and quirky area that doesn’t disappoint. Not only is it home to lots of fun shops and restaurants, but also a statue of Lenin, the Center of the Universe sign, a rocket, and dinosaur topiaries. Be sure to take a walk by the Waiting for the Interurban statue, too. It’s tradition to dress up the figures for different occasions and holidays.

Photo by Meghan Pahinui

Underground Seattle Tour

Back in 1889, a fire destroyed a large section of Seattle’s downtown. The citizens of the city opted to rebuild – on top of the existing city! Now there is a network of buildings and tunnels below present-day Seattle from the original city. You can take tours of Underground Seattle in Pioneer Square.

Seattle Pinball Museum

Like pinball? Feeling nostalgic? Check out the Seattle Pinball Museum — and bring some quarters!

Hat n’ Boots

Hat n’ Boots is a set of statues in Oxbow Park that include a 44-foot wide cowboy hat and a pair of 22-foot tall cowboy boots.

Photo by Meghan Pahinui

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re from the Seattle area or you’re coming in from out of town (or country!) we hope you discovered some fun ideas to bookend your MozCon adventure. If you haven’t purchased your tickets just yet, be sure to check out soon so you don’t miss out. And if you’re having trouble convincing your boss (or yourself) to send you to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, check out our Convince Your Boss blog post and initial agenda to learn even more about the event. Hope to see you in August!

We hope you’re as excited as we are for August 7th and 8th to hurry up and get here. And again, if you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet and need help making a case we have a handy template to convince your boss!

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seabreeze2022 · 1 year

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2023 Bahama Cruise, Part 21, April. 24. Cat Island Road trip.

Above on the left is the abandoned church built by Father Jerome, in 1944. It was mostly paid for by the Franciscans of Western Australia. Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Named after the patron saint of nature and animals on an island named “Cat Island”, go figure. Unfortunately we could not go in to see it. Look up the out of print book about his life, “The Hermit of Cat Island”.

This is a basic drawing by Father Jerome, of what he intended the church to look like.

The day starts with George picking up Nancy and I in his dinghy at 0800 on Sunday. After he drops us off at the beach we walk 30 minutes to Gilberts Grocery Store. We had arranged on Saturday that we could rent a car this morning. No cars today they say. Well maybe a car, they say. Ok you can rent that car, it is not clean.

Sure no problem. The car rental is $80 with $8 VAT tax. They copy down Drivers License. Give us the key. No questions about insurance, who the driver is. No mention of dents and damage. Those are a given!

We swing by the beach while George and Lisa anchor their dinghy and join us. With no agenda we head south.

Passing through Old Bight, we see a produce stand beside the road. Mary came out of her house and sold us tomatoes. Eight tomatoes cost $3.

Above photos are taken from the internet of the St. Frances of Assisi church. Father Jerome was ahead of his time and made the Jesus statue dark like the locals, instead of Lilly white like most did in his day.

Next stop was Hawks Nest Marina at the most southern and western part of the island. When the sport fishing boats return and clean their catch. Schools of Bull sharks go crazy. We only saw 3 Bull sharks waiting for dinner. To get to the marina you have to cross the runway. Thought of Rev. Burke Rolle who was hit by a plane doing that in Staniel Cay.

The quick drop off so near shore is the reason the fish and fishermen are at Hawks Nest Marina.

An ex-pats house name at Hawks Nest, which also the name of our sailboat.

We walked the north shore and the south shore of the area around Hawks Nest. While walking through the cemetery at Port Howe, the goats came walking by. Naturally Nancy had to go see them.

This is our visit to the Deveaux Plantations Great house, in Port Howe. A gentleman came over from next door to talk with us. His name is Prince Hunter. The slaves commonly took the names of their owners. Just up the eastern shore of Cat Island. Is the old 400 acre Joseph Hunter “Golden Grove” plantation.

This plantation made the news when there was an uprising of the slaves in 1840. Like most plantations of the day. Once slavery was abolished, the plantations fell apart. The rich white land owner left. The slaves were still on the land. Over the years and generations of squatting, the descendants of the slaves now consider it their land. Prince was no exception, when I heard his last name I said, “ Oh your are from the “Golden Grove” plantation. He said, “Yes that is my peoples land”.

Prince took us in to the back room of the cook house and showed us the scratches on the wall of ships. Very faint but they are there.

It was getting close to lunch time, so we back tracked to “da Pink Chicken”. Dean an American ex-pat and his wife Patti, who is a local run the place. They have a house on Duck Key in the Florida Keys. This is the place that movie stars, and Billionaires go to blend in. You never know who you are rubbing elbows with at the bar. Dean works a grueling 12 hours a week. Actually he tends bar and drinks 12 hours a week and his wife Patti slaves over the hot kitchen stove cooking fantastic meals. Conch are delivered fresh when needed. See the truck load above. They are then hung over the sea wall in nets. Fresh Wahoo and Cracked Conch were our request.

With full bellies we drove to the “Healing Hole” salt pond. Taking an overgrown dirt road a mile, we got to the end and found another car load of people partaking. Swimming in the “Healing Hole” is like swimming in the Red Sea. You float very high in the super saline water. Nancy was the only one brave enough in our group to try it. She had problems turning over on to her stomach.

We took a long and torturous road back to civilization. Along the way we did see someone doing “Slash and Burn Farming”. This is very common on the island. Besides burning the land they cut off all the trees 5-6 ft. tall. Then the peas can climb the trees trunks and get sun.

I needed to return the car the next morning, but the gas station was out of fuel. The rental agency told me drive down to Old Bight and fill the tank. It is about 4 miles south. So I got to talk to Albert at the gas station, laundry mat .

So ends the road trip on Monday morning. Rake and scrape next!

Sea Breeze, New Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas.

#seabreeze2022 #seabreeze2023

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apilgrimpassingby · 1 year

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Rhapsodising About The Ideal Middle Ages

My ideal fantasy world (not in the sexual sense) is "the middle ages as they should have been". And having thought a bit about it, I now have a fairly detailed ideal middle ages.

The population is overwhelmingly rural. There are towns and cities, usually along rivers and around royal palaces, but they are few, relatively small, and far between. The great majority of people live on family farms, cultivating about 10-20 acres per household, with each village having communal forests for fruit and firewood and communal pastures for cows and sheep. People grow wheat, oats and rye, cabbages and herbs and hops, and keep chickens and pigs. Their houses are two-storey buildings with a thatched roof, stone foundations and lime-washed wooden walls.

Villages cluster around the castle of the local lord and his knights. The lord knows his villages and sees them with affection, and is content to receive a regular payment of flour, ale and meat for the upkeep of his household and in exchange to make his land into family plots for the peasants. He and his men train at the sword and lance from boyhood, ready to defend their wives and peasants from barbarians, monsters and crooked lords.

As for their wives, they keep the household clothed and decorated through weaving and sewing; essential skills passed down by their mothers. They oversee the kitchens and stores of food, ensuring that the castle and its people - both nobles and servants - eat and eat well. Marriages are arranged in the late teens and early twenties, with careful consideration and selection by the parents. While the husband is given rulership and authority in marriage, few wives object to this and many are comforted by it. After all, knights and to a lesser degree other men are taught from earliest boyhood that women - and their wife, above all - are to be treated with unerring compassion, consideration, gentleness and protection.

All classes dress in bright raiment, dyed with woad, weld and madder. The peasant men wear breeches fastened with ribbon, tunics and hood, while the peasant women wear petticoats, stockings and shifts, and above that a dress, including pockets large enough to carry loaves of bread in. Because of cultural ideals of modesty and to protect the hair, women of all classes wear hair coverings of some kind on most occasions.

Religion is a part of the life of everyone. The wheel turns on a cycle of ceremonies, processions and festivals, and the day on a cycle of rituals and prayers. The priest is a respected and revered member of the community, whose advice is sought out for all major decisions. As is the advice of widowed and unmarried women, who live by weaving and by clever arts with healing herbs.

To the north lie the barbarians. On moors and plains left bare by the blasting wind and harsh soils, men who live by herding sheep and horses live. The commoners live in turf cabins and stone cottages, while the chieftains build stone towers. Land is held communally by clans, not by individuals, however high their birth. The lifestyle of the moors has created a people among whom all menfolk ride a horse and wield a lance ably, and use them to raid their richer southern neighbours. While often fighting them, the knights admire them - their skills with the horse and lance are greatly enviable, and they have an undeniable chivalry of their own.

Around and throughout the kingdom lies the forests. Dense tangles of oak and beech, home to a great deal of wild game - rabbits, pheasants, fish of many kinds and red and fallow deer - but also to dangers; trolls, fair folk, wolves, bears, werewolves, black dogs, outlaws and simply the threat of becoming lost in the woods. For knights to prove their mettle, or simply to seek for an accompaniment to the feast, there are few better places.

Also among the kingdom lie the marshes. Expanses where land, mud and water become one, full of reeds, willows and aspens. Regions where the ground is always unsure, and disease is always lingering. Where will-o'-the-wisps, ghosts and other baleful spirits lie in wait. Nonetheless, valued regions for producing peat and willow for baskets and pain-soothing, and so protected and respected regions.

#medieval #fantasy #ideal world #traditionalism

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lagycart · 1 year

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tokyo tohoku trip - day 2.

woke up after a nice sleep to head to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, i really really like japanese hotel breakfast because it’s buffet and there are so many choices to pick from, most of them are locally sourced ingredients too, you get to try so many things in small amount at once.

since aomori is famous for their apples, the hotel serves apple pie, apple sorbet, apple curry, and of course fresh apples. both the japanese and western selection taste so good, i was completely stuffed, just to eat all the food that i like. the variety and taste is simple awesome.

after breakfast, i head out to the nebuta museum warasse ねぶたの家ワ・ラッセ, which is a popular spot for tourists to visit to view the giant nebuta floats. the floats are used during the featival in summer and, after that, stored in the museum for viewing, until next year. each float has a story behind it, and the people or company who sponsored or made it, it was a very interesting visit. all the floats are also beautiful, all handcrafted by talented people, it’s definitely worth the visit to enjoy the beautiful culture.

after that, my friend has arrived from tokyo, so we head to aomori gyosai center 青森魚菜センター for the popular nokkedon のっけ丼. this fish market is quite small but they have an iconic food item which is basically a seafood rice bowl, however, you get to pick and choose what goes into your bowl by visiting the stalls inside the fish market. it’s quite an enjoyable experience to just shop for what you want to eat and get served this way, definitely try it as the seafood is also very fresh, mostly caught nearby and probably on same day as well.

we did have a very enjoyable and satisfying meal, the seafood is just so yummy, and eating them raw and by it owns, you get to enjoy the freshest and most original taste. scallops are very famous in this area, so it’s a must try. also do try the local fishes recommended by the stalls as well, as some of them are really not well known outside of this place.

after filling up our stomach, we head over to another nearby market, auga fresh market アウガ新鮮市場, to browse and check what is available, as we will be purchasing some ingredients to be cooked for dinner tonight. many stalls are closed on sundays though, so the place is rather quiet as well.

as we still have time before taking the shuttle bus to our accommodation tonight, we decided to take a short break at a factory, which is a popular souvenir store just next to the nebuta museum and very close to the station. this place also sells all sorts of food that is popular around aomori. we bought an apple pie to share with coffee. the pie was so good, as the apple is yummy and not overly sweeten or seasoned, original taste is always the best. watching snow while sipping coffee is surely a nice way to pass time.

just before catching our shuttle bus, we went back to the fish market to get some fresh ingredients, and then collected luggage and went to the meet up point. the bus would take us to sukayu onsen, a very popular national onsen resort with many many years of history. this onsen resort in located up the mountains, and we get to see so much snow during the bus ride, the entire place is just white, covered with fluffy snow.

i was really excited with the snow as it’s just so beautiful, and it was also fun to catch it and just play around. after checking in at the hotel, we did played in a snow for a short while, took some photos and just admiring the beautiful snowy scenery.

we then take quick rest, before starting to prepare for dinner tonight. as this onsen is famous for its medical benefits, they are people who stay here long term for healing treatments, hence the resort provides kitchen and utensils for the guests to cook. we had a fun time preparing our meal, my friend did all the cooking and i just helped out from the side, she’s amazing.

she made a whole bunch of food which filled up our table completely - fish miso soup, sashimi, grilled shellfish, pickles, grilled fish, and white rice. it was such a yummy and heartwarming meal, never expect to get this experience in an onsen resort as a tourist, it’s truly unique.

after the meal, we rested for a while before heading to the main attraction - onsen! the unique point of this resort is that there’s a huge onsen which is shared by both male and female, and it’s so spacious that it fitted 1000 people at the same time in the past. shared onsen is super rare in japan, as you would probably imagined as everyone has to be naked in the bath. so there’s 2 hours a day when the onsen is reserved for females only, 8 to 9am and 8 to 9pm. during this time, women can enjoy this huge onsen by themselves without worries, so of course we went, it was really huge. the water is very nice and relaxing, it just feels amazing being in onsen, your whole body gets to be pampered both physically and mentally as it is just very soothing and healing.

even after 9pm, it is still possible to stay in the bath as we found an area where there’s a separator that blocks the view from the men’s side, what a great strategy, and we did enjoyed the bath as much as we wanted, and it’s also great that it’s almost empty as well. there’s so much to learn about onsen culture, it’s definitely one of my favorite thing to do in japan, as enjoying onsen is a one of its kind experience that i am addicted to, since my first experience many years ago.

the night just unwinds slowly with lots of chit chat and some light local beer, it was an amazing day with many new experiences for me and i’m grateful to my friend who brought me to the famous onsen, which is her favorite onsen of all times, as this is a very local experience, there’s almost no foreigners in this place, definitely no english at all, so it’s a truly authentic and unique charm that i get to enjoy. =)

to be continued...

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bestpetasheskeepsakes · 1 year

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Pet Ashes Keepsakes

A pet ashes keepsake is a special way to remember your beloved pet. This source memorial holds up to a cup and a half of your pet's cremated ashes. It is shipped to you disassembled and includes instructions on how to reassemble the urn. Some also include epoxy to seal the hourglass.

You may be thinking about storing the ashes of your pet. You may also wonder how to turn the remains into meaningful keepsakes. Here are some ideas for storing the ashes and creating meaningful keepsakes from them. Listed below are some ways to create meaningful keepsakes from your pet's cremated remains.

A pendant made of pet ashes is another beautiful way to remember your beloved pet. It has a small chamber in the center to hold the ashes of your pet. A piece of fur from your beloved pet's grave site can also be included in the pendant. You can also choose to include crushed flowers in the pendant.

Glass paperweights are another great way to commemorate your beloved pet. These can be customized into any shape and color. They can also hold a photo of your beloved pet. They can remind you of your love and bond with your pet for many years to come. Whether your pet was a dog or a cat, this company will have a keepsake that will make a perfect memorial to remember your beloved pet.

If your pet had a favorite place, scattering their ashes there can be a deeply healing experience for both you and your beloved pet. However, it is important to follow local and state laws to ensure that your pet's ashes are spread in the proper way. If your beloved pet was fond of the water, you may also want to consider a water burial. This type of memorial is an extremely touching and moving tribute. You can also rent a fishing boat or sailboat to hold a small ceremony in honor of your pet.

Another option for a keepsake is a locket made of pet ashes. These are made of resin and harden over time. As a result, you can design unique jewelry pieces featuring your pet's ashes. In addition to jewelry, pet ashes can also be incorporated into keychains. Many online retailers offer keychains made of pet ashes and can even be personalized by the artist.

Some artists use ashes to create beautiful works of art. Glass artists can turn your pet's ashes into beautiful glass pieces. These pieces can be made in almost any size. Alternatively, you can opt for figurines that resemble your beloved pet. Figurines are also a safe way to hold pet ashes close to your heart.

After your beloved pet has passed away, it can be difficult to process the loss. Pet ashes are a wonderful way to remember them and remember the love you shared with them. Even if you can't keep them in a physical container, they can be kept in a memory box for years to come. Check out this related post to get more enlightened on the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial.

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dakardreamsofsheep · 2 years

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The Sound of Music in Dakar

Note: Tumblr only lets you post one video at a time, another reason people are leaving in droves. There are too many videos to choose from, here’s just one from one of my last nights hosting a jam session on our terrace.

In different places I've lived, different senses store more memory than others. In Chengdu it was smell, hot pepper oil and frying scallions and mashed ginger. In Cercedilla, Spain it was sight, the roots and cobblestones meshed together on the old Roman paths, the valley vistas above Siete Picos and the low shrubs that hid sleeping cattle. Here in Dakar, my strongest sense-memories are tied to sound.

Some of it is city noise. I hear the barkers yelling out destinations from the back of shared busses, plinking on the back with a coin to signal the driver to stop. I hear the jingle on the harnesses of horse carts as they weave around people and cars to deliver loads of rebar or concrete to construction sites. I hear endless neighborhood games of soccer, and the grunt and swish of wrestlers in sand on the beach, and the scared but excited peals of laughter of women carried protesting into the water by bulky partners.

The most lasting sounds, though, are musical. There is always a beat in the background, always a melody. There is no elevator music here; even the supermarkets seem to have an expert DJ spinning Afrotracks in the booth. The nightly Sufi chanting circles gave me prickles of future nostalgia even as I heard them for the first time. Most of all, there are the drums. Odds are, somewhere in Ngor, most days, there is a wedding, nup ceremony, or naming day. That means a circle of drums and the leader, a local public drumline, rat-tat-tat, the stretched animal skin booming out from across the square. I could well imagine them using the giant signal drums I’ve seen in Casamance to communicate between villages.

It was impossible not to hear the drums and the think that somewhere down below, people were gathering in their best to celebrate the rituals of life. That there was a good chance I would run into these gathering walking back at night made it all the better, a permanent open invitation to wedding crashing, to join the spectator circle and just be. I never took videos -they were expressly forbidden at the healing ceremonies, and the rest of the time it felt othering- but these words will be enough to conjure them back.

Maybe even more than the adult drumlines, I loved watching kids practice. Using old plastic jerrycans or upturned pots, they would get together just like the bigs, older kids leading the younger ones. It wasn’t a hodgepodge, either. They would choose a rhythm and iterate on it. When I was younger I imagine I played dress-up. We all play at the adult world. When five year old are tapping out polyrhythms on the beach from inside the hulls of giant fishing boats, you know the bones of tradition are being passed down well.

For the first time, I can include my music in the sounds of the city. It took a little while to feel like my talented musician friends were not just doing me a favor by letting me sing and improvise along with them. The nigun singing circle I’d been a part of in Colorado gave just enough confidence to try. Whether plinking a metal pipe or scatting a high vocal over Abdalla’s guitar riff, jam sessions with friends around the neighborhood are some of my dearest memories. I had no ability to improvise with guitar or drums (and still don’t although I would like to), but vocalizations were different. Playing music together is a more democratic activity in Senegal, a lower barrier to entry. Daring myself to try and love it, to be a part of the jam session and not just an observer is a gift I’ll take back with me. I thought a lot this year about my own relationship with drumming. I loved hearing rock and roll drum solos, but also rolled my eyes at the white hippies in Boulder chanting out with their big African drums. My mind screamed cultural appropriation, that it was cringy and wrong. Was it just in my head?

Researching traditional Jewish drumming helped. Our people used mostly hand drums, “the Miriam drum,” a light tap-tap as opposed to a larger djembe or some such. Still, we stretched our animal hides over the top hoop, and danced. There was no snare drum then, no base. The same with Celtic drums, or Nordic, or Roman. White people have drumming in our roots too, though I feel divorced from comfort with the original instruments. Rock and roll, electronic dance music, all these pulsing, thrumming beats. We’ve had it all along. Is it not better to acknowledge the source?

Live music was everywhere. Our neighbors played, our friends played, we played, and went to several concerts. A few notables:

-Sona Jobarteh, Gambian professional kora player, the only woman with such a title. She comes from a traditional griot singer-storyteller family, and performed with her son and others at the French Institute in Dakar. She was a queen, enthralling, generous and also indisputably in command. The sound of the kora is like the harp, and from experience ai can tell you incredibly difficult to play

-Orchestra Baobab: I saw them perform twice, one of the original “Afro-jazz” sounds from Senegal to gain international recognition. They were originally the in-house band for one of the downtown hotels in the 1960’s, and the children of several original members still played with the band. They sang me “happy birthday Ryan” when I saw them in March at my neighborhood bar-resto, and I could have keeled over right then from happiness

-Burna Boy: The Nigerian wunderkind. The concert was an experience, albeit not entirely a positive one. Even in a land of loose time, this stood out. Doors opened at 7 PM downtown at the Grand Theatre, I got there at 10:30 PM, and Burna Boy didn’t go on till…wait for it…3 AM. Around 11 they started showing what I assumed was a music video of him on an airplane, until someone told me no, they were livestreaming his private flight from Nigeria. He hadn’t even left yet. Hubris. I was so tired and frustrated I left after two songs when he finally came on, but the songs are so infectious I can’t stop! I heard he was on time when he performed at Madison Square Garden last month, and it made me respect him a little less, but I will still always think of “Ye” as a track of this year

-Youssou Ndor: Maybe the most famous Senegalese musician. I watched a documentary about him before I ever came to Senegal, and jumped on the chance to see him at the Grand Theatre. It was like Touba all over again, the most elaborate outfits I had seen in the city, a private Dakar fashion week. It was worth the tickets just to people watch. He started around midnight, and I’d been warned about his legendary stamina. I also finally admitted to myself that while the mbalax music style he pioneered is something I can appreciate, it’s not a music that makes me watch to dance. There’s something about the mouse-heartbeat rhythm that doesn’t let my brain pause to hook onto a beat. The dance style is mesmerizing, frenetic movement of knees and elbows for a few seconds at a time. The dancers onstage were otherworldly. We left after a few hours, expecting the concert to go till dawn, and I’m still so glad I saw the icon.

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madeleinelovescolours · 2 years

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I’m making new friends. They’re orange.

#illustration #art #aquarium #goldfish #LFS #Local fish stores are places of healing #the temperature drops 5 degrees when you go in the back

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thegrandimago · 3 years

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This time last April, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the world was coming to grips with the isolation of quarantine and the economic and travel slowdowns that defined the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even now, with the rollout of vaccines, the virus continues to affect our daily lives. And the toll keeps growing: 3 million dead and more than 140 million cases worldwide.

If anything, the worst public health crisis in a century has brought our understanding of our planet, and our place in the fragile yet resilient web of life throughout it, into stark relief.

Amid so much grief and loss and uncertainty, the biodiversity crisis paced ahead over the past year, becoming a much bigger theme on the world stage. The climate crisis worsened, too. Wildfires blazed. Ecosystems became even more fouled up than they already were.

At the same time, the marked reduction in human activity spurred by the pandemic — what some experts have dubbed the “Anthropause” — has afforded scientists and researchers opportunities to observe the natural world like never before. Coinciding with these unique observational windows has been an increase in attention on Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship as a way forward in combating ecological catastrophe.

In true Vox tradition, here are the 10 most concerning, intriguing, and — dare we say — hopeful things we learned about our planet since the last Earth Day.

1) We saw just how quickly ocean noise pollution can drop, and how much that can help marine life

For a moment last spring, things got very quiet in the oceans.

The drop in human activity that came with the pandemic resulted in drastic and voluntary sound reductions that ran the underwater gamut: from a drop in shipping noise, the predominant source of man-made ocean noise pollution, to decreases in recreation and tourism. All of it suddenly ceased.

In Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, the foraging grounds of humpback whales, the loudest underwater sounds last May were less than half as loud as those in May 2018, according to a Cornell University analysis. A May 2020 paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America found that underwater noise off the Vancouver coast was half as loud in April as the loudest sounds recorded in the months preceding the shipping traffic slowdown.

Chronic underwater ocean noise had been rising over the past few decades, to the detriment of marine life that have evolved to use sound to navigate their world. “There is clear evidence that noise compromises hearing ability and induces physiological and behavioral changes in marine animals,” reads an assessment of marine noise pollution research published in the journal Science in February.

The majority of ocean noise pollution is a byproduct of economic activity. But compared with massively complex issues like climate change, noise is relatively easy to turn down, at least a little. Silencing it at its source has an immediate positive impact: Famously, researchers studying right whales on the East Coast measured a drop in the animals’ stress hormones in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, after shipping traffic abruptly dropped. Even tiny fish larvae are better able to locate the coral reefs where they were born, which themselves emit sound, when the oceans get quiet.

Man-made ocean noise has since ramped back up and is now stabilized near pre-pandemic levels. But it fell silent for long enough last March, April, and May that a global team of scientists is actively scrubbing through audio recordings gathered by around 230 non-military hydrophones — underwater microphones — that monitor ocean noise around the world. They aim to study the “year of the quiet ocean” in the context of ocean sounds before, during, and after the pandemic.

2) A new study found that the Amazon is likely warming — not cooling �� the planet

The world’s largest and most species-rich tropical forest, the Amazon, is home to billions of trees that not only provide refuge to a diverse assemblage of organisms but also store and absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide.

That’s what makes the conclusion of a study published this spring so alarming: Due to human activity, the Amazon is likely contributing to — not offsetting, as one might expect— global warming. “The current net biogeochemical effect of the Amazon Basin is most likely to warm the atmosphere,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

While the Amazon is still absorbing loads of CO2, human activities in the basin, such as deforestation, are driving up emissions of CO2 and other more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide across the basin.

Deforestation, for one, deals a double punch: It both releases gases into the atmosphere and removes CO2-absorbing trees from the equation. That equation now sees the Amazon generating more greenhouse gases than it emits, the study suggests. (It’s worth noting, though, this is all really complicated. For more, check out Craig Welch’s story in National Geographic or read the full study here.)

3) We discovered a bunch of new species

While humans have made a mark on all corners of Earth, we’ve only discovered a small fraction of the species that occupy it. In fact, that fraction could be smaller than 1 percent. And remarkably, not all of those species are tiny microbes and insects. They’re also fish, lizards, bats, and even whales. That’s right: Even giant mammals can elude scientists.

In January, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they discovered a new species of baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico. (You can find the paper describing the discovery here.) Other teams of scientists are also on the trail of what could be yet another new whale species.

Last year, researchers documented scores of new plants and animals, from geckos and sea slugs to flowering plants and sand dollars, as Vox’s Brian Resnick reported. Our favorite? Brookesia nana, a thumbnail-sized chameleon native to northern Madagascar. It may be the smallest reptile on Earth; it’s certainly the cutest.

4) We got a much clearer picture of just how much wildlife we’re losing

The numbers aren’t good.

In September, the World Wildlife Fund published a report showing that the global populations of several major animal groups, including mammals and birds, have declined by almost 70 percent in the last 50 years due to human activity.

A separate report, published in Nature this year, found that populations of ocean sharks and rays have plummeted by more than 70 percent in roughly the same period. And one-third of freshwater fish have been found to be at risk of extinction.

A number of species were also declared extinct over the last year. Those include the smooth handfish, a bottom-dweller that rests atop human-like appendages on the seafloor. It was the first marine fish species to be declared extinct in modern history. (Environmental journalist John Platt has a list of recent extinctions in 2020 at Scientific American.)

5) Protecting plants and animals hinges on a thriving ecotourism industry

In the early days of the pandemic, the popular “Nature is healing” meme overshadowed a darker reality in many parts of the world: As travel ground to a halt, so did revenue from wildlife tourism, putting some wildlife conservation efforts at risk.

The fallout was most severe in Africa. According to a new collection of research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a government and civil society group, more than half of the continent’s protected areas had to pause or limit field patrols and other operations to stop poachers in the wake of the pandemic.

“Parks have emptied out to a large extent and there’s no money coming in,” Nigel Dudley, a co-author of one of the IUCN papers, told Reuters last month.

Some communities are deeply reliant on wildlife tourism. Late last year, Vox’s Brian Resnick spoke to veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who is working to keep coronavirus-susceptible gorillas alive in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

When tourism dropped, “everybody was struggling,” she said. “The local economy suffered and poaching went up.” (You can read more of Resnick’s conversation with her here.)

6) Researchers uncovered more proof that a key system of ocean currents is weakening

Graphics that show changes in ocean temperature over time generally reveal one trend: The ocean is heating up. But there’s one critical exception. Just below Greenland lies a large patch of water that’s cooling off. And that patch has scientists concerned that we could be nearing a tipping point for the climate.

The cold patch, scientists say, signals that a network of currents that bring warm water to the North Atlantic — known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC — is slowing down, and the melting of ice on Greenland is likely a culprit. One paper, published in the journal Nature in March, suggests that the current AMOC slowdown is “unprecedented in over a thousand years.”

The AMOC shapes weather across multiple continents, so any major slowdown will carry major consequences that could include faster sea-level rise in some regions, stronger hurricanes, and other changes in weather, to say nothing of the impacts to marine ecosystems.

But to be clear, the science on this is new and complex. For a great run-down, check out this recent visual feature in the New York Times.

7) The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs gave rise to the Amazon rainforest

The massive asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago may be best known for driving non-avian dinosaurs to extinction, but it also transformed entire ecosystems.

It may have even given rise to the Amazon rainforest, according to a study published in Science earlier this month. The finding is based on an analysis of about 50,000 fossil pollen records and 6,000 fossil leaf records in Colombia from before and after the asteroid crashed into what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The data reveals two vastly different forests. Before the event, the forests were stocked with conifers and ferns, and the trees were spread out, with plenty of room for light to stream through the canopy. After the asteroid event, however, flowering plants started to dominate the landscape and the canopy became much more tightly packed, resembling the forest we know today.

“If you returned to the day before the meteorite fall, the forest would have an open canopy with a lot of ferns, many conifers, and dinosaurs,” study co-author Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama told New Scientist. “The forest we have today is the product of one event 66 million years ago.”

The idea here is that the asteroid impact somehow triggered a series of events that led to the modern Amazon rainforest. What were those events? One theory the researchers offer is that, before the asteroid, herbivorous dinosaurs prevented the forest from becoming dense by eating and trampling plants.

8) A review of more than 300 studies showed that the rate of deforestation is lower on Indigenous lands

The global conservation movement is pushing forward a plan to conserve 30 percent of the Earth by 2030 — an initiative known as 30 by 30 — and increasingly calling for Indigenous communities to be central to that effort.

These groups have historically been uprooted from land in the name of wildlife conservation. There is also greater evidence that forests fare better when they are governed by Indigenous and tribal territories.

A recent UN review of more than 300 studies found that forests within tribal territories in Latin America and the Caribbean have significantly lower rates of deforestation where land rights are formally recognized.

“In just about every country in the region Indigenous and tribal territories have lower deforestation rates than other forest areas,” wrote the authors of the report, which was published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. “Many Indigenous territories prevent deforestation as effectively as non-Indigenous protected areas, and some even more effectively.”

9) Wildfire smoke can turn the sky an apocalyptic orange

If there was one day in 2020 that defined the climate emergency, it could have been September 9, when the sky above San Francisco turned completely orange.

Strong winds had carried smoke from fires burning across California to the atmosphere above the city. Particles of soot absorbed or reflected blue light from the sun, letting only orange-ish light through. (Wired has the details.)

But what made the image go viral wasn’t so much the science but what it symbolized: a growing climate catastrophe.

Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and severe, and 2020 provided more devastating evidence. Last year was California’s worst wildfire season on record. By the end of the year, nearly 10,000 fires had burned over 4 million acres — an astonishing 4 percent of California’s total land, according to the state.

10) Scientists finally solved the mystery of why wombats poop cubes

Sure, it may not have kept you up at night, but the mystery of the bare-nosed wombat’s poop puzzled scientists for decades. Why do these adorable, chunky marsupials, native to Australia and Tasmania, leave behind feces with six sides?

Thanks to a new study — published in the journal Soft Matter — we now have the answer.

Building on research published a few years earlier, a team of scientists found that wombat intestines have regions of varying thickness and elasticity that contract at different speeds: The stiffer regions contract relatively quickly, while softer sections squeeze more slowly, together forming a cube-like shape.

But there’s still a bit of mystery left: Why is their poop shaped like this? The jury’s still out, but some researchers believe it’s because wombats climb up on rocks and logs, and the cube-like shape prevents the feces from rolling away. This is key for wombats because they use piles of feces to communicate with other wombats.

What a difference a year makes, truly.

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ramblesofajester · 3 years

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whispers of a witch (chap1/?

this is just a self indulgent fic for me to write when I feel like shit and yes it will have nsfw

info: they/them, curvy body, glasses, anxiety.

The cool wind sweep past your cheek as you squat down, fingers numbing and turning blue from the constant foraging across the forest floor to fine the herbs you require, its late winter and you have just run out of several herbs you use quite frequently for personal use and when healing the villagers. of course as always there is a catch when you need to get something done. one, you where delivering a baby a good portion of the day, then doing your normal round with the villagers, so soon night is to fall, two the Lycians have been testing there luck with the village borders as of resent, three the only place those herbs are left growing are near Heisenberg's land due to you harvesting all the more accessible ones previously. and just to top it all of duke wouldn't be able to gather a shipment until the next new moon, that being two weeks away so here you are right before dusk cut plants with frozen fingers outside of a missive chain-link fence in the middle of the woods. Gazing around, you are in a small clearing, the village is about a mile, mile and a half to the south west of here. the factory's smoke stacks just visible over the tree line. Sighing you focus on the task at hand, slowly griping the base of the plant you say thanks to the earth and pull it up root and all, listening to the birds as there song slowly drifted thru the trees. standing up you, make your way over to the next bushel of plants emerging from the thin coat of snow. suddenly all the brides stop singing setting off of several alarms in your brain knowing its wasn't you who disturbed them wiping around, franticly looking you hear and see movement all around you just out of sight in the brush you cant tell what it is. assuming it to be Lycians or and angry bear or even a stray ghoul from the castle grounds. garbing the dagger from your boot you crouch down to an defensive position slowly making your way toward the path you came from. as you take a step back slowly a few Lycian emerge from the tree line teeth bared eyes holding a burning hunger. a soft gasp leaves your lips if there are this many you know more are soon to follow

"well shit, I couldn't just go and have an easy day now could I?" you ask the Lycians sarcastically not really expecting a reply. a deep chuckle caught you off guard and in your shock you hear the swift shifting of metal. the feeling of cold steel on your ankle stealing your attention from the fast change of gravity as you are hoisted into the air, dangling like a prized fish. attempting to regain your bearings. you look around seeing the Lycian pack now completely surrounding you.

"well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," standing clear in the path arm outstretched to hold the chain around you feet taking a step further with every word.

"a lost little bunny, who is hoping around where they should not be..." he says in a little tune with mirth in his step. finally stopping right in front of you raising you so your face is level with his shoulders you reach out attempting to swipe at him with you dagger, as soon as you weapon is revealed is ripped from your grasp and now spinning around you and the lord. a large gloved hand grips your face forcing you to look at lord Heisenberg.

"now I cant tell if that was stupidity, or bravery little bunny but I'm guessing you dont know who I am." he speaks with amusement as he examines your face and, forces you to look at him. you stop squirming long enough to stare at the round shades perched on his nose. this being the first time you have seen the lord this close ,its usually only in passing or from the shadows as to not be noticed, but now you have to admit the stubble and scars, the cocky smile, the smell of oil, pine, smoke, and Tabaco is actually not that bad.

"No I know who you are, just really dont care cause I'm a little busy" you immediately wiggle from his grasp and start reaching for the chain around your ankles. a boisterous laughter is released from behind you and suddenly your falling about a meter, back connecting with the ground a large "oof" emanating from you. Rushing to get the chain from around you ankles it fly from your hands. jumping to your feet you face Heisenberg head held high

"oh... you do know me, so it must be stupidity, that must explain why your on my land as well" Heisenberg ponders aloud." so you must either be lost or have a death wish" he says with a chuckle

"nope not lost, just need some of the herbs here and if you live in this village and haven't runaway or offed yourself you have a death wish" you reply flatly brushing the dirt of of yourself as you stand to gather your things. "now" you say turning back to him "my dragger if you'd please" extending you hand cautiously with and expectants look.

"wow, you've got some balls on you" puffing on his cigar "you better watch that attituded bunny" you are suddenly painfully aware of the small pack of hunger Lycian circling you both "and remember who the man in control is" hand still outstretched you snap back with

"listen hear 'lord Heisenbitch' I am sorry for trespassing on you land but I need 7 different herbs and at least 5oz of each, I need them before tomorrow evening, some of them for mother Miranda, as well as a women who just gave birth in the village. Now unless you wish to explain to Miranda why her healer is missing, and her people dead due to illnesses I would like my dagger back and you and your fine fuzzy companions to kindly fuck of." you knew your words where dangerous but at this point in the evening you really didn't give a fling fuck and the shock on Heisenberg's face when he recognizes you almost made it worth it.

"Wait your Miranda's prized witch, oh man this is great, how have you lasted so long, your so small bunny" this just pissed you off more you want your dagger back but he's just so infuriating. your dont have time for this

"Fine, just keep the dagger" you say shoving past him. Growling at the Lycians blocking the path they stay there ground and growl back, only to glance behind you whimper, and slowly back away clearing the path. A chain roughly wraps around you waist spinning you around and pulling you flush against Heisenberg before returning to his trench coat pocket. blowing his smoke in your face he drawls

"wow wow wow, slow you roll peter cotton tail I ain't being stingy, I just wanna talk a little" as he says this he wraps his arm around you waist slipping your dagger back into its sheath leaving his hand to rest on the dip of your hip, the other griping your chin forcing you to look up at him

"Let. Me. Go!" you hiss out never braking your gaze of his glasses

"now what would Miranda think of this, her pet of the leash, not respecting or listening to your lord" he teases not lessening his grip at all

"I dont give a scraggly rats ass, just let me go you bastard!" you spit at him, resaving a chuckle as a reply .

"ohhh I like you bunny, you've got fight not a lot of that left hear any more. but I need something from you darling, so we are gonna take a little walk back to your place, your gonna help me, then ill help you with your little situation how does that sound there bunny?" spinning you around arm still securely on your waist, he starts to walk still puffing on his cigar, quickly you realize you have no choice in the matter. the Lycians slow start to follow you keeping there distance at about 3 meters back this continues for a wile and it might have even been pleasant having company for once on the walk, you if you ignore the hungry Lycians and the fear Heisenberg will get angry or be done with his little game. slowly the forest edge and the village come in to the distances well as a small well worn foot path leading into a thick pine forest near the base of the Benevento valley

"so bunny, which way is it" Heisenberg ask moving his arm up to rest on your shoulders using the other to jester at the path ways.

"This way" you mumble out, gesturing to the pine foot path. now moving forward on you own accord tiered of being user around like a lost child. you dont make it very far seeing as soon as you start to move away he tightens his grip

"ohh come on bunny, no need to get cold feet. your getting something good out of this too, you just chill a little there thumper" he says smirk never leaving his face.

"well it sure as hell dont feel like it, this feels more like a kidnaping only we are headed to my own dwelling" you watch as the pine trees grow thicker with every passing second drawing closer to your burrow. soon a large moon gate covered in rosemary and lavender comes into a view just beyond it several greenhouses small and large soft light emanating from a few

"Now hold up thumper if you have all of these, what were you doing traipsing around by my factory? you weren't trying to get my attention were you?" he jabs at you obviously trying to get a rise out of you.

"What I was looking for I do not grow because it is local and I had a store of some, but it a since been exhausted, lots of sick ones this season." you replied tiredly seeing as dusk has passed a wile ago and you had been called out well before day brake. now you where just too tired to deal with his shenanigans. continuing forward you approach the door and tap the center of the door with the old iron key handing from your neck three times then you insert it into the keyhole and twist it three times to the right and it slowly creeks open. rushing forwards in an attempt to put some distance between the two of you you start to tend to the fire stroking the coals and adding a few logs. while your bussing your self Heisenberg makes himself at home pulling out a chair and throwing his feet on top of the table and popping a new cigar between his lips . Turning to grab your tea pot you see this unfold waltzing over to him and slapping his feet of the table

"That is mahogany" as you say this he goes to protest " no 'lord' Heisenberg you in my domain now no feet on the table" you snatch the cigar from between his lip and toss it into the fireplace "and no smoking in the main room."

"alright, alright," he says holding his arms in the air "one you could have just put it out and handed it back thumper, and second of all watch who your talking to darlin" to this you quickly respond with

"Still dont care" he gives you grunt as a response

"third of all I still have yet to disclose the nature of my visit I need you to look at something for me" and with that he stands up his chest now centimeters from your nose he reaches for his hat and sunglasses setting them on the table, tossing his trench coat on to the chair. your face quickly turning a shade of red dark enough to rival the radishes out in garden as you realize just what he is doing. pulling of his shirt with a wince. Holding his shirt in his hands, you try not to make your gaze obvious, he slowly turns to reveal a large, deep laceration very poorly bandages and clearly in the throes of a terrible infection. you immediately push all other thoughts aside concern taking its place, you recognized this wound, you where present when he resaved it .

flashback

"you stupid man child, you know nothing you should just leave the talking to the adults like a good little boy"

"shut your dame hole you bitch"

they have been going at it for 37 minutes and counting Alcina said something Karl disagrees and so the back and forth begins about 5 minutes ago Karl brought out his hammer and been waving it out in the open. tensions have been rising and your a little worried it is about to get violent. Anggie who had been watching the argument from you lap starts to vibrate with joy sensing the approaching violence.

"ooooooooohhh its aaboutttttt tooo get goooooodddddd!!!" she sings while hoping off your lap to sit closer on donnas lap seeing as you are perched by the back wall behind Miranda. and just as you both had predicted disaster struck.

"you insolent fool." Alcina suddenly cry's, swiping her hand forward as Karl turns his back to her slashing from shoulder to hip. you immediately rush forward, only to be stopped by mother Miranda holding her arm in your path.

"ENOUGH, stop the foolishness NOW!" Miranda's voice ringing out clear through the entire hall "Heisenberg my son, stand," she demands. he slowly makes his way to his feet now facing mother Miranda "your actions have been stupid and reckless as punishment, I shall leave you with this burden to care for. maybe it will teach you how much effort it takes heal rather than destroy. and what if feels like to live with ones mistakes." you hand covers your mouth as you bite your tongue. you may not like Karl that much but he still is not as bad as they say.

end scene

"BY THE GODS, how has this not healed yet!? have you been rubbing dirt in it? I knew this was a stupid lesson. I knew I should have gone against that two faced, false goddess, pretensive ass, bitch and marched my happy ass to that factor. THAT WAS TWO WEEKS AGO, this should have been gone ages ago!!!" you shout while carefully examining the laceration. quickly you pull out the char he was previously siting on out, so he could sit on it with his back to the fire and lean on the back of the chair. grabbing Heisenberg's shoulders you gently shove him into the chair. rushing around you grab several herbs hanging from the ceiling in bundles. then over to the counter you produce a mortar and pestle along with several oils and extracts

"woooow, thumper slow down, slow down," he chides calmly garbing your shoulders, your arms still packed full of items. slowly he starts to set the items on the table. "now I didn't rub dirt in it, but there might be some oil, its not healed because I have no idea how to treat a wound this large. and what's this about Miranda being a bitch and ignoring orders?" as he says this you realized just how bad you have fucked up.

"OH MY GODS, I didn't mean a word of it lord Heisenberg I meant no disrespect please I am so sorry dont tell mother Miran-" you franticly bow keeping your eyes to the floor hoping he would ether spare you make you death quick. while he clearly doesn't like Miranda or her family he was still a part of it.

"hay hay hay thumper calm down your alright. I'm not gonna go all psycho on you, and your secret is safe with me, your not the only one with unsavory views on that bitch Miranda." your slowly look up at him in shock it is widely know that he disagree with the other lords but this is a first. you gingerly make your way over to the table and start to mix together several herbs and flowers. "and thumper just call me Karl" he says with a flirtatious grin, you blush but grinding the herbs into a powder

"only if you stop calling me thumper." slowly adding some drops of oils to the mixture making a thick green salve.

"well I gotta have something to call you bunny" he say grin stretching across his face as you blush even more now

"well my name is (Y/N) ok, now stop" you say while puffing up you cheek in a pout. rushing behind him so he can no longer see your face and you can apply the salve" this is going to sting" not give him tome to proses any thing you said you rip off the bandages and start to carefully apply the salve. a shout bubbles up in his throat the second the salve touches his shoulder

"SON OF A Bitch..." he snarls" maybe a little more warning next time y/n" as soon as he growls out your name you short circuit you hand no simply resting next to his wound "y/n... y/n" he waits a couple of seconds before trying again. "y/n!" jumping a little you come back to reality " you all good back there" Karl questions

"almost done just need to finish this up, then I will apply bandages, and all you need to do is rest for a day or two" as you Finnish saying this you reach for he bandages and gently begin to properly wrap the wound "this is how you properly wrap a wound Karl" you make sure to say first his name. "go all the way around and over and around the shoulder" slowly and carefully placing the bandages showing him the movements and positions. you move around to the front of lightly wrapping his shoulder "dont go to tight when bandaging joints, it increases mobility but not lose enough to move" as you speak solely focused on you task at hand you dont see Karl staring at your face, a look of adoration on his face which he is quick to drop once you turn to him. gently patting his shoulder "now all you need is a lot of rest and a hot meal" smiling you slowly make your way over to the fire removing the teapot and hanging a medium sized cauldron over the fire. turning kettle in hand you see Karl putting on his hat and going to pull his coat on having already put his shirt on

"well thumper its been wonderful but I have to get back to my-" you cut him off taking his coat and hanging it by the door.

"oh no you don't, you need rest and real food, and not to make any assumptions but I doubt you'll get any of those in your factory" as you say this you put the chair back in its normal position swiftly going to a small spare room on the side. grabbing a thick blanket you walk to the table, and drape it over the back of the chair. patting it flat you open your arms and jester to the chair "now please have a seat food will be done shortly" you say with a smile as he just stand there slack jawed at you attempting to boss him around. slowly he take a seat and just watches as you prepare a cup of tea for you both "hear this should help with the pain" you say handing him a large mug that still looked too small in his hand. you turn and head back to the counter and start dicing us vegetables and some fish to put the cauldron.

"thank you" he mumbles quietly watching you dance about the kitchen a soft smile on his face. "so what's your story? you obviously dont like Miranda so why stay and be her little pet healer on her beck and call." Karl jests wanting to know more about you now that he has the chance with out his stupid family there

"well a long time ago I has someone I had to look out for, they needed help I could not provide it, Miranda could. So I made a deal, help her, and ill do as wish. So I comply to keep her safe and happy, if it went for her, I would have sent that false deity to her flaming grave decades ago." you finished cutting the veggies and meat depositing it in the pot, you make your way opposite of Karl at the table and take a seat. slowly sipping your tea. "now I just tend to the villagers for Miranda and visit my belladonna"

"wait who is belladonna" he askes a look of confusion overtaking his features

"my apologies, I mean donna, before Miranda adopted her and gave her her gift she was a sad and lonely child with parents too ill to save, so after her parents passing, I watched over her and loved her as my own" you say a soft smile on your face looking around the room I was the only one she let touch Anggie, she was such a kind child asking so many questions behind closed doors and always eager to learn new skills" you reminisce the old days setting your now empty cup on the table. "but now she's grown and well, and happy, so that is all that matters" you say curtly standing and heading over the the bubbling pot of stew and giving it a stir.

"so wait your telling me you the witch who raised Benevento," Karl spouts astonishment clear in his voice. "One how are you not dead yet? Two that's why you spend so much time in that spooky ass house, and three how come you aren't an old hag you dont look a day over 25?" even in shock this man some how still manages to throw in a flirt. you give a small chuckle.

"well when I struck my deal with Miranda," you make you way over to a tall cabinet and withdraw two wooden bowls and a large ladle ." donna was just become a young adult, so she new what excepting Miranda's gift would entitle, including the prolonged life." returning to the stew and scooping a hefty serving into Karl's bowl and only filling your half way. "after her parents suicided she couldn't handle the loss another parental figure, her words not mine, she refused the treatment unless Miranda changed me as well." hanging the ladle on the wall and carefully turning back to Karl and making your way to him. "I had already had my go at life and helped as many as I could so I agreed not expecting to come out alive," you say calmly sitting down in the seat acres from Karl. "unfortunately my will was to strong so hear I am now, a fail experiment serving out my end of the deal" you give a sarcastic smile and do a little jazz hands as your story comes to a close. Karl is still for moment then burst into a deep laughter, but still alarmed at your willingness to except death.

"I'm sorry bunny I dont mean to be insensitive," he attempts to suppress his chuckles. "you are really the one that raised donna?"

"yes I am I know its a little hard to believe, but yes." you say solemnly feeling a little weird everyone who knew you too be donnas nanny have long since passed.

"no no no, there ain't nothing wrong with that darlin! In fact you did fucking awesome, out of all of us monsters she has the best manners and turned out the best." he says in a panicked tone, afraid he has said something wrong.

"Karl none of you are monsters, and your ok you didn't say anything wrong" you say quickly adding " none of you are monsters! you and the other were forced into the experiments, unlike donna and I. your only a monster when you subject an enter village to a false religion just to slaughter them for her experiments under the name of a sick false family she has not love for!" you say venom and hate for that hag dripping from each word. a stern but caring look on your face as you look rights in his eyes as you say this "you aren't a monster. you where a kid with out a choice, and now you are a man surviving and your doing amazing in your situation." you cautiously grab his hand resting in the table " you are not a monster no mater who has told you that including your self" He pulls back lightly but does not remove your hand from his., allowing you to rub his knuckles.

"but I-" he starts but you dont let him continue

"nope you cant convince me other wise, I'm the village crazy witch I am all knowing and wise." you say in a cherry tone, garbing his hand with both of yours. using one to tap out a small tune on the back of his hand. that nice deep laughter made an appearance again you have to admit its nice to hear him laugh instead of ague with everyone.

"well dame bunny, can't argue with that logic now can I " A large toothy grin takes over his face little crinkles show at the corners of his eyes. shaking his head he gives a chuckle then picks up the bowl of stew and finishing what was left in the bowl in a few gulps. setting the bowl down he asks "shit that hit the spot, can I just take you home with me and have you cook for me every night that some dame good stew" he jokes. laughing a little you finish your bowl, garbing his you stand and bring them to a bucket at the end of the sink.

"no I cant come home with you every day" rinsing the plates before setting them in the bucket you continue. "but you can come over when ever the lantern on the porch is light, if its not I am either in the village with a patient, or visiting donna or Miranda, or foraging. I am a busy witch Karl, just a warning." he chuckles

"ill make a note of that expect me often that shits good." he says pointing at the pot hanging over the small flames.

"well in that case ill put some in jars so you can take it with you when you leave tomorrow" you say off handedly while making your way over to the pot fishing the leftovers out, and putting it in two large mason jars. out of the corner of your eye you see him deflate a little when you when you mention his departure tomorrow. moving over to a wall of cupboard you store the two jars "to night you can take my bed or the cot in the guest room, though I dont know if you'll fit" you say walking over to said door and opening it reveling a small room with a vanity in the back left corner to the left of the door was a small sink and counter with a basin next to it. opposite to that was a small cabinet and in the back right corner a small wooden cot about half the side of the man now standing directly behind you in the doorway. so close, when he took a deep breath you could feel his shirt brush your, and his warm breath fans across your neck. now with bright red face you make you hastily make you way to the cabinet to the right of the door and start to grab a large quilt and a pillow or two. Karl enters the room looking around taking in the new environment and casually making his way over to the cot and taking a seat. you head over to him staring at the blanket hoping that he would not see your face

"thank you, y/n you really could've just sent my packing I really appreciate it I do" he says with a soft smile resting on his scared face, 'it suites him,' you think to your self 'he should smile more.'

"well hear you go this should be think enough it gets pretty chilly in hear and I haven't fixed the heater yet so if you need more there are some in the cabinet you say gesturing to the cabinet with your head. holding the blanket and pillow out for him to take he reaches hands grazing against yours as he takes them from your hands pulling them closer"

"thanks bunny I re-" he is abruptly cut short by a sharp wine of wood under duress followed quickly by a loud snap of the cot braking a the loud thud of Karl's ass hitting the floor. "OH FUCK" Karl was now the one looking up at you. slapping a hand over your mouth to suppress the laughter about to burst from you.

"OH by the gods, are you ok" you say still trying to hold back the onslaught of giggles offering a hand for him to take

"so this is what the weather is like down here" he says jokingly as you hoist him off the ground carful of his shoulder and back. gently slapping his chest

"I'm only a little shorter than you, ya know" you say "but in light of me needing to purchase a new cot from duke, I guess you'll be sleeping in my bed tonight." he gives you a flirty look

"dame thumper if you wanted me in your bed that bad all you had to do was ask not buries my ass first" he says with a deep chuckle.

"I am not tying to get you in my bed" you say panicked face exploding with red. "I wont even be in it with you, and secondly it wasn't that far of a drop so the only thing damage was you ego and my cot obviously. now come follow me please." you say now attempting to lead him out of the room. Karl looks at you as if he was trying to figure something but soon trailing behind you like a lost puppy. you lead him through the main room down a hallway with three doors heading to the furthest down you push open the heavy wooden door. letting Karl enter first you make your way to the bed garbing your favorite pillow and a thick blanket off the bed spread "well she's all yours" you say jokingly waving your arm over the bed as a invitation dont lay on your back or shoulder" you say making your way back to the door arms now full "sleep well." and with at you turn to leave only to be stopped by a hand on your shoulder.

"wait if I'm sleeping here and I just demolished your spare bed where will you be sleeping" he ask concern lacing his voice a he turn you around to face him

"well ill go clean up the old cot and then ill just use some spare blankets as a mattress for the night." you say with out a second thought.

"no no no, I will not let you do that you have done enough for me. I'll just go back to my factory and be out of your hair." your face scrunches up.

"you say that as if I am annoyed by you, but I can assure you, you do not annoy me. next I wont let you leave this hut you need to rest and I need to change those bandages as soon as you wake." you say no room for argument evident in your voice. "and if you have such an issue using my bed but I apologies its the only one, and I wont let you sleep on the floor with that wound." you with finality.

"then I guess well just have too share it. cues I will just jump through a window to go back home" he say with a laugh. you have no idea if he was joking or not. still, gazing up at his face the smirk remained "so" he asks "which will it be will you join me or and I gonna have to practice my long distance sprint." you sigh growing tired with every passing second your long day finally catching up too you. no longer having any energy to argue.

"fine" you huff out walking over to the bed where Karl was I like the right side" climbing in you take a body pillow from the back of the bed putting it in the middle " you better stay on your half of the bed old man" you say climbing back down from the bed and heading a dresser under a large window. you produce a pair of sleep thin pants and a large think white long sleeved shirt. "I need to change so ether steep out or just dont look." to tired to care at this point you look over your shoulder and see him turned away from you sitting on the left side of the bed. replacing your dirty clothe with fresh sleep pants and a oversized top. garbing a spare pair of large sleep pants and shirt before making your way back to the bed, flopping onto it comically ,while tossing the change of clothing on his side of the bed "hear you go, this should fit" he looks down at the articles of clothing.

"well thank you bunny," undoing his belt and changing his pant, completely ignoring the new shirt. "but uhhh I dont think that shirt is gonna work though" he says smirk evident in his voice.

"and why would that be-" you ask confusion clear on you face as you roll over to face him without thinking. face exploding in color as you freeze up, now staring at his bare chest brain loosing any train of thought.

"my eyes are up hear now bunny," he says with a deep chuckle "but please dont let me interrupt your staring. as for why I never sleep with one its confining" smirk never leaving his face, as he lays down on his half of the mattress. quickly you roll over

"I wasn't staring, I zoned out. Just toss the shirt on to the top of the dresser" he gives another chuckle but says nothing. pulling the thick comforter up to you chin due to the chill, reaching over you turn the knob on the lantern smothering the flame. "good night Karl sleep well" you say without a second thought closing your eyes slowly, reality fading out as you hear Karl

"goodnight thumper sleep well" a gentleness to his tone that sends the rest of the way to sleep.

word count: 5884

ps: please forgive my horrid grammar

#karl heisenberg #karl heisenburg x reader #resident evil #res 8 #res evil #donna beneviento #re8 angie #re8 donna #re8 karl heisenberg

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consumeconstantly · 4 years

Text

Summer Photography (aka the thirst trap)

Summary: Marinette is forced to take pictures for Gabriel in order to pay for her summer graduation trip with her best friends from lycee. Adrien, her primary model, wants to avoid the summer heat and pulls in one very attractive bad-boy motorcycle man to be his replacement.

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July in Gotham comes with an almost rancid kind of heat.

The kind of heat that is impossible to banish unless the air conditioning is set to 65 degrees and there’s a dehumidifier in the room. The kind of heat that makes babies cry with discomfort and adults curse whenever they have to take a foot outside. The only age population that enjoys it are the teens. More precisely, the teens are more fans of being on summer vacation, rather than the sticky warmth, but they find ways to work with the heat, rather than against it. Some teens gather on apartment rooftops, taking in the rare, smoggy breeze with pleasure. Others frequent their local swimming pool, an ice cream parlor or convenience store. If they get really desperate, they take shelter in the library.

Should a teen be forced out onto the muggy sidewalks full of sweaty bodies, they drift towards parks or areas of ‘city beautification’ and find a tree to rest their weary bodies under.

Of course, there are always exceptions to these norms.

“Marinette,” Adrien groans, sweat on his brow. “Can we please do this not during peak heat?”

“No,” Marinette says. “Your father insisted on having pictures of a male model at precisely two in the afternoon, and it took me months to convince him to let us come on this trip, so we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize it.”

“It’s not like he can do anything now. We’re literally an ocean away.”

“Suck it up, sunshine,” Marinette swats her hand at a lazy fly, not bothering to look up from changing the lens on her camera. “Maybe I’d let you get away with a substitution. Gabriel didn’t specify that the person in the pictures had to be you, but we don’t know anyone in Gotham, and everyone we’ve come across so far isn’t exactly the friendly sort.”

Adrien flicks the collar of his t-shirt, desperately trying to generate some sort of a breeze so he doesn’t melt. “This is all Nino’s fault. He and Alya insisted on going to that couple’s show when he could have been out here, taking my place. If Luka were here, he wouldn’t have deserted me like that.”

“We all know of your and Luka’s undying love for one another, but he is busy touring. He’ll meet up with us in New York, though, and you can have your disgustingly sweet love-fest over there. Meanwhile, I’ll be forever alone.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that, Marinette. At least five people in each city we’ve gone to so far have tried to go on dates with you.”

She crinkles her nose and does a test shot, making sure the light setting works out. “Yeah, but they all reeked of desperation and alcohol. Plus, at least two of them were just looking for a person to cheat with.”

“No good,” Marinette says, frowning at the shadows the tree cast. “Gabriel won’t be happy with these kinds of photos. You’re going to have to move out of the shade.”

“No!” Adrien wails. “I refuse! It’s bad enough that you dragged me out here, but to make me go in the sun? You know I burn easily.”

“Yeah, yeah drama queen, but these photos aren’t going to take themselves, and I’m one hundred percent sure that you don’t want to have to do this twice. Which is what we’ll end up having to do if you don’t get your little butt out into the sun so we can take quality shots.”

Adrien whines before a motorcycle revs in the not so far distance. A very Chat Noir smile creeps onto his face. “I don’t think I will. I’ve just found my substitute.”

Marinette follows his gaze, then shrugs. “If you think you can convince him to substitute in, you’re free to go. But remember, it’s Gotham, and if you get jumped, I’m not going to help. It’s too hot for a fight.”

“You underestimate my charm.” Adrien says, already triumphant.

True to form, Adrien somehow manages to get motorcycle man over to her.

“Not sure how Adrien convinced you to do this, but I guess he gets a free pass.” Marinette knows exactly what Adrien’s going to do with his free time. He’s gone on and on about Gotham’s Museum of Vigilantes, and to be quite frank, Marinette doesn’t want to get caught up in another one of Adrien’s rant sessions on the Bat Family. “Anyways, nice to meet you. I’m Marinette, and my awful boss has come of with the wonderfully creative idea of Summer Heat for a photoshoot in the summer.”

She has a bone to pick with Gabriel Agreste. More than one, actually. In fact, she’d say that out of the 206 (well, 207, if she counts the fracture she got in her left pinky toe after that last akuma battle that weirdly, still hasn’t healed) bones in her body, she’d pick a fight with Gabriel over at least 200 of them. The lack of originality is one thing, but she’s not sure how she feels about his blatant attempts to set her up with her son during this trip. Somehow, he still hasn’t grasped the fact that his son doesn’t swing her way despite having hundreds of pictures of being lovey-dovey with Luka all over the internet. In fact, maybe it’s because Adrien and Luka have that many pictures that Gabriel is trying to push for a heterosexual relationship. A lack of vision both for his photo shoots and for his company. Marinette doesn’t understand how she once looked up to this man.

“It’s no problem. I’ve got nothing better to do, anyways.”

Marinette blinks, then reassesses the man in front of her. Not only does he have a sinfully attractive voice, but his visual appeal isn’t that bad, either. “It’s still nice of you to do this. Should be a pretty quick shoot. Five outfit changes and a few poses in each-- shouldn’t take any longer than an hour, hour and a half.”

She rummages through her bag, fishing out a stack of paper. “You’ll get paid for your time. $250 for the whole shoot, and if you want to keep one of the outfits, feel free.”

If she’s being completely honest, she thinks that Gabriel’s summer collection is a hot mess, and she doesn’t particularly want the burden of bringing back the disgusting articles of clothes back with her in her suitcase. Should motorcycle man not want any of them, she’ll send them back via express mail.

“Don’t need the money, but I’m trying to stay out for as long as I can. Any way you could make the shoot go on longer?”

“You want to stay out in this heat?” Marinette asks in disbelief, taking out a small bag of makeup to apply to his face. She motions for him to sit in the shade of the tree while she sees what she needs to cover up.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Motorcycle man says.

“Like the owner of a custom Harley-Davidson is poor,” Marinette quips. Humming in approval after giving his features once over, she decides that foundation isn’t necessary, only concealer to cover up the dark circles and some old scars.“You have great skin.”

During their summer trip, Marinette has become makeup artist, photographer, public relations manager, and trip advisor. It’s a taxing job, but well worth the reward, which is an all-expense-paid graduation trip with her friends from lycee. Well, Nino and Alya had to pay, but between Nino’s part time DJ gigs and Alya’s ad revenue on the Ladyblog, it wasn’t hard for them to raise enough for the two month long, seven city, four country trip.

“One of my siblings is insistent that we do our best to minimize the scarring. Don’t know what his deal is, it’s not like our faces are sellable commodities.”

“That’s where you’re wrong-- you’re pretty good looking and could easily go into modelling or acting if you wanted. So props to whoever your sibling is. And thank your genetics too.”

Motorcycle man snorts. “Not cut out for that lifestyle. I like more… adrenaline inducing jobs.”

Marinette almost-- almost laughs. The placement of the scars on his face do imply that he’s gotten in at least one or two knife fights before, and there’s a thin line on his neck that definitely looks like it hurt. Motorcycle man has definitely been in trouble before, but he’s also good enough to get himself out of it. She’s not going to bother asking what his job is. She doesn’t want to be an accessory to any of his crimes. “Action movies, then?”

“Oh sweetheart, I make action movies look like a kid’s fist fight.”

“Wow, we have a bad boy on our hands, ladies and gentleman.” She finishes applying highlighter and sits back to admire her work. His jaw can cut glass. “Okay, Motorcycle Man, it’s time to take pictures. If you’re good, maybe I’ll draw the shoot out-- I’m not a fan of this humidity.”

Summer is better than winter, if only because she’s acquired a weird habit to almost hibernate when the temperature gets too cold. It’s easy for Marinette to shrug off the heat most days, even when her friends complain constantly.

“The name’s Jason.”

“I think I’ll stick with Motorcycle Man. Alliteration, you know? Now, one hand in your pocket, the other at your collar. Left leg out a little, like you’re ready to take a step-- perfect. Walk forwards a little, yeah, just like that.”

Jason is Adonis personified. The perfect package of cocky, arrogant, and bad boy. It doesn’t hurt that he’s well muscled either-- even Adrien doesn’t have thighs like that, and he spends hours as Chat Noir jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

“You’re a natural,” Marinette praises. “Have you ever modeled before?”

“Not like this, but I’ve got my fair share of pictures on the internet.”

She’s going to regret asking this. But curiosity killed the cat, not the ladybug. “If not for modelling, then what for?”

“Oh, you know. This and that. A few odd jobs here and there.”

And if that doesn’t make Jason sound more like a criminal, she doesn’t know what will. Marinette decides that she definitely won’t bring up a day job, let alone a night job.

“All right, next outfit.” She pushes a muscle tank top and light, ripped jeans into his hands. “You can change in the public restroom, and if anything doesn’t fit, just let me know.”

He takes the outfit, but pauses at one of the other outfits she has in her bag. “Is that… leather and fur? For a shoot with the theme of summer heat?”

“I don’t call the shots, I’m just the poor lackey who has to make them look good. Trust me, if I were in charge of design, the only outfit that might still be in the bag is the one you’re holding right now.” Gabriel is definitely losing his touch. But hey, doing this weird intern summer program for him isn’t the worst thing she’s had to do in her life. It’s good to learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than making them herself.

“Don’t worry. Crappy fashion isn’t going to scare me away. Have you seen some of Gotham’s villains?”

At that, she couldn’t suppress a laugh. “You’re talking Gotham villains? How about Paris?”

“Paris is some weird alternate dimension. It doesn’t count,” Jason protests.

“I could say the same for Gotham. Really, why are there so many Robins? Can’t they come up with another name?”

“I almost wish I could argue with that.”

He comes out of the stall, and Marinette feels the summer heat. Jason, Motorcycle Man is ripped. Yeah, his thighs are probably some of the thickest she’s seen, but his biceps are to die for. She’s half tempted to ask for his workout regime, but she’s sure that somewhere he’ll casually throw in ‘beating up random people on the street’ or ‘punching people who piss him off.’ Those are just the kind of vibes that Jason gives off.

“The arm holes are kinda tight.”

“I’m sure they are,” Marinette breathes, chest tight. Jason’s eyes smoulder. He knows exactly what he’s doing as he places an arm on the door frame and flexes. She thinks she can die happy, now.

They wrap up the shoot quickly. All of the clothes are promptly packaged up except for the tanktop and jeans.

@jasonette-july-2k20

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For the other jasonette prompts i’ve written for so far, i think i’ll probably continue them eventually, so lmk if you want to be added to the tag list for that. pretty surprised these are getting such a good reception thank you guys for that ;)

#jasonette july #jasonette #jason todd #marinette dupain cheng #maribat #miraculous ladybug #dcu #summer #jason has thicccc thighs #marinette is a ho for muscles #adrien agreste #original content

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heroofpenamstan · 3 years

Text

—OC PROFILES: JOANNE & MICHAEL

tagged by the lovelies: @shallow-gravy, @shellibisshe, @belorage, @honeysides, @strafethesesinners, @faithchel, @blissfulalchemist! thank you, dears! x since i’m tragically late to the party as per usual, not going to be tagging anyone since i assume most of my mutuals have done it, but if you want to go right ahead and tag me too so i can see! :”)) also, fair warning: 80% of the questions i answered at ungodly hours overmedicated on paracetamol and it shows because re-reading this in the morning was a Yikes

GENERAL

name: joanne burton alias(es): jo, annie ( mike exclusive ), burton, dep, jr. deputy, rook, traitor, sinner, wrath/pain in the ass ( john exclusive ), rabbit ( jacob exclusive ), heinous fucking bitch—( also john exclusive ), black widow ( new dawn au ) gender: cis. female age: 29 birth: 30th october, 1988 place of birth: meridian, idaho spoken languages: english; may or may not recite some hebrew lines over the holidays sexual preference: bisexual occupation(s): junior deputy of hope county, montana/menace to all cultists everywhere ( in a certain radius of said hope county, montana, anyway )

APPEARANCE

eye colour: brown hair colour: black height: 157cm ( 5′2 ), or approximately 7′11 when balancing on michael’s shoulders to peer inside john’s windows scars: split right eyebrow ( thanks, jake ), minor cuts and incorrectly healed bruises and gashes, scarred bullet wound on left hip ( you’re welcome, jake )

FAVOURITE

colour: orange or yellow or cyan, or whatever is more stupidly eye-catching and not at all fit for her current environment song: i’ve been thinking by handsome boy modeling school food: various stir-fries, fruits and protein ( or anything that she claims to be “healthy” when, truly, bitch is one step away from living off of instant noodles and canned pineapple and cigarette buds from dutch’s stash ) drink: beerherbal teas and infusions

HAVE THEY

passed university: no, but passing the police academy was already a pleasant enough surprise for her had sex: today? no. two weeks ago? probably had sex in public: probably said two weeks ago gotten pregnant/ someone else pregnant: yes, but we don’t talk about it kissed a boy: yes ( derogatory ) kissed a girl: yes ( affectionate ) gotten tattoos: yes, loads: most were practice scribbles for her ex-girlfriend, and the only true meaningful one she possesses is lydia, scrawled into her pinky in remembrance. otherwise, john seed do not even engage with that rusty ass tattoo gun— gotten piercings: yes, loads multiplied; if there’s a place for a piercing in her ears, she has them. also, an old septum piercing she hasn’t worn in a hot second been in love: yes, loads squared ( girl rents out her heart on the weekdays and cries about the scratches she notices on saturday, but still repeats it all over again come monday; falling in love for her is easy, but actually loving someone and getting over her self-loathing to do so is a whole different ball game ) stayed up for more than 24 hours: she’s probably on hour 31 as we speak ( someone knock her out pls )

ARE THEY

a virgin: whitehorse has heard enough horror stories in the break room between her and joey to last him a lifetime a cuddler: closeted cuddler, yes a kisser: most definitely; woman has to play up her natural assets scared easily: her response time is too lagged for that jealous easily: depends; she’s more jealous of what she should have/could have/would have had in a general sense than being jealous of a particular person or a thing trustworthy: in her own way, yes dominant: disgustingly so submissive: not in this lifetime in love: very much so single: very much so part 2

RANDOM QUESTIONS (tw for self harm/suicide mention)

have they harmed themselves: yes, but it’s more by means of unintentional yet severe substance abuse thought of suicide: not as often as one would assume; joanne has a very strong sense of self-preservation, but tends to run from her bleak reality by means of one harmful way or the other attempted suicide: once or twice during her lowest points in life wanted to kill someone: on the daily have/had a job: girl had juggled three part-time jobs; there is nothing she fears anymore have any fears: ( see above ) to fall back into old bad habits, loss of control, death, failure, a bad future, poverty, being abandoned and forgotten, long stays at a hospital, the judges, the bliss, the power of john’s hair gel

FAMILY

sibling(s): micah burton ( older brother ) parent(s): abigail burton née belman ( mother ); jim burton ( father ) children: asher seed ( daughter in new dawn au ) significant other: jacob seed ( circumstantial lover/”could do without” mentor/#prisonwife #prisonhusband #imkidding #kinda ) pets: boomer for the cuddles, cheesecake for the throttles ( bitch naturally attracts the judges but will forget her dog 101 and run away like what does she think will happen then?? )

GENERAL

name: michael scott-hughes alias(es): mike, mikey, mickey ( mary may exlusive ), mike the bike/fall’s end’s bicycle, resistance’s poster boy, manwhore, cassanova, the archangel ( joseph exclusive ), the antichrist ( also joseph exclusive ), war dog, hughes boy ( fairgrave exclusive ) gender: cis. male age: 30 birth: 6th july, 1988 place of birth: fall’s end, montana spoken languages: english, russian, basic chinese mandarin and turkish sexual preference: pansexual occupation(s): residential shady, shady man ( international arm’s dealer, most recently demoted to local resistance leader and occasional general goods store co-owner )

APPEARANCE

eye colour: green hair colour: brown height: 181cm ( 5′11 ), and 6ft on tinder jkjk man’s confident enough to not grasp for that extra inch, unlike someone ( john ) scars: heavily burnt left hand ( from trying to fish out his ex girlfriend’s boiling corpse r.i.p. to that steaming puss— ), gash on his right temple, nicely healed gun wound on left shoulder, not so nicely healed amputated right hand ( man’s not having the best time in my canon, is he ), various incorrectly healed cuts and bruises

FAVOURITE

colour: green and rustics song: wild world by yusuf/cat stevens food: unlike the faker above, michael actually likes to cook and eat healthy meals, so anything from salads to veggies to oatmeal to soups will do ( and meat; man’s been a vegetarian for a grand total of 4 days in his entire life ( or 14, if you count the time he got abducted to john’s bunker womp )) drink: sugary drinkswhiskey, fresh juices, “water can be so, so sexy, annie—”

HAVE THEY

passed university: no, though michael really busted his ass to self-educate on subjects that will be beneficial to his line of work had sex: we stopped keeping tabs and numbers nearly ten years ago had sex in public: we stopped blinking at these types of shenanigans nearly ten years ago too gotten pregnant/ someone else pregnant: yes? no? maybe? ( mike’s too afraid to even think about it, but hopes he hasn’t fathered any babies any time soon ) kissed a boy: yes ( affectionate ) kissed a girl: yes ( affectionate² ) gotten tattoos: yes: the sword of damocles on his left inner forearm, intertwined snakes running across his right ribs, a tiny smiley face on his ass lord save him gotten piercings: yes, and everyone hated his attempt to revive the 90s with his lil earring like c’mon you already have a reputation of being a sleaze— been in love: yes, but surprisingly not as many times as one may think ( truthfully, three times: mary may, lana, joanne mary may again ) stayed up for more than 24 hours: sometimes it just cannot be helped

ARE THEY

a virgin: maybe in a past life as an amoeba a cuddler: yes ( try to escape his hold during a summer night i’ll give you 5 bucks if you can break the deadlock ) a kisser: he just exists to smooch at this point scared easily: truthfully, he’s quite desensitized as is, so it’s really hard to truly rock him jealous easily: no; though he might get a bit petty and bitter if someone mentions merle and mary may becuase, like, c’mon, mary—merle briggs? trustworthy: one of his better traits, but past events have shown that boy tends to lose some of his morals for love dominant: yes submissive: yes part 2 man will accommodate and switch it up in love: often single: loosely, often

RANDOM QUESTIONS (tw for self harm/suicide mention)

have they harmed themselves: michael has bad mental health trips stemming from having a lot of insecurities as a child; these may evolve into bad habits and pure recklessness on his part to prove his worth thought of suicide: these thoughts don’t come often, but when they do, it’s harder for him than most to shake them off and recover attempted suicide: once, during the boiling pit incident wanted to kill someone: yes, but it comes more from need than want usually have/had a job: yes, though no retail until he was 30 and stuck providing hope county with slugs and bullets have any fears: loneliness, rejection, abandonment, repercussions and consequences, not being good enough, powerlessness, loss, the angel pit, the process of dying

FAMILY

sibling(s): none, but: jackson hughes ( uncle ) parent(s): jessica hughes née scott ( mother ), david hughes ( father ) girl i have his whole family tree drawn up like you wouldn’t believe children: andrew hughes ( son in new dawn au and maybe canon ) significant other: mary may fairgrave ( childhood sweetheart/awkward ex/once in a rare cosmic event fuck buddy/volatile lovers ) pets: peaches loves him she doesn’t; she just wants to chew on his hair

#tag game #deputy joanne burton #michael s. hughes #oc: get to know jo #oc: build a bicycle #my stuff #far cry 5 oc

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