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reasonsforhope · 3 months

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Interior Department Announces New Guidance to Honor and Elevate Hawaiian Language

"In commemoration of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month, and in recognition of its unique relationship with the Native Hawaiian Community, the Department of the Interior today announced new guidance on the use of the Hawaiian language.

A comprehensive new Departmental Manual chapter underscores the Department’s commitment to further integrating Indigenous Knowledge and cultural practices into conservation stewardship.

“Prioritizing the preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture and elevating Indigenous Knowledge is central to the Biden-Harris administration's work to meet the unique needs of the Native Hawaiian Community,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “As we deploy historic resources to Hawaiʻi from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Interior Department is committed to ensuring our internal policies and communications use accurate language and data."

Department bureaus and offices that engage in communication with the Native Hawaiian Community or produce documentation addressing places, resources, actions or interests in Hawaiʻi will use the new guidance on ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) for various identifications and references, including flora and fauna, cultural sites, geographic place names, and government units within the state. The guidance recognizes the evolving nature of ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi and acknowledges the absence of a single authoritative source. While the Hawaiian Dictionary (Pukui & Elbert 2003) is designated as the baseline standard for non-geographic words and place names, Department bureaus and offices are encouraged to consult other standard works, as well as the Board on Geographic Names database.

Developed collaboratively and informed by ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi practitioners, instructors and advocates, the new guidance emerged from virtual consultation sessions and public comment in 2023 with the Native Hawaiian Community.

The new guidance aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthening relationships with the Native Hawaiian Community through efforts such as the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program and Hawaiian Forest Bird Keystone Initiative. During her trip to Hawaiʻi in June, Secretary Haaland emphasized recognizing and including Indigenous Knowledge, promoting co-stewardship, protecting sacred sites, and recommitting to meaningful and robust consultation with the Native Hawaiian Community."

-via US Department of the Interior press release, February 1, 2024

Note: I'm an editor so I have no idea whether this comes off like as big a deal as it potentially is. But it is potentially going to establish and massively accelerate the adoption of correctly written Native Hawaiian language, as determined by Native Hawaiians.

Basically US government communications, documentations, and "style guides" (sets of rules to follow about how to write/format/publish something, etc.) can be incredibly influential, especially for topics where there isn't much other official guidance. This rule means that all government documents that mention Hawai'i, places in Hawai'i, Hawaiian plants and animals, etc. will have to be written the way Native Hawaiians say it should be written, and the correct way of writing Hawaiian conveys a lot more information about how the words are pronounced, too, which could spread correct pronunciations more widely.

It also means that, as far as the US government is concerned, this is The Correct Way to Write the Hawaiian Language. Which, as an editor who just read the guidance document, is super important. That's because you need the 'okina (' in words) and kahakō in order to tell apart sizeable sets of different words, because Hawaiian uses so many fewer consonants, they need more of other types of different sounds.

And the US government official policy on how to write Hawaiian is exactly what editors, publishers, newspapers, and magazines are going to look at, sooner or later, because it's what style guides are looking at. Style guides are the official various sets of rules that books/publications follow; they're also incredibly detailed - the one used for almost all book publishing, for example, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS), is over a thousand pages long.

One of the things that CMoS does is tell you the basic rules of and what specialist further sources they think you should use for writing different languages. They have a whole chapter dedicated to this. It's not that impressive on non-European languages yet, but we're due for a new edition (the 18th) of CMoS in the next oh two to four years, probably? Actually numbering wise they'd be due for one this year, except presumably they would've announced it by now if that was the case.

I'm expecting one of the biggest revisions to the 18th edition to add much more comprehensive guidance on non-Western languages. Considering how far we've come since 2017, when the last one was released, I'll be judging the shit out of them if they do otherwise. (And CMoS actually keep with the times decently enough.)

Which means, as long as there's at least a year or two for these new rules/spellings/orthographies to establish themselves before the next edition comes out, it's likely that just about every (legit) publisher will start using the new rules/spellings/orthographies.

And of course, it would expand much further from there.

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angel-of-the-moons · 5 months

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Eccentricities

Yandere!Miguel x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: DDDNE, Dead Dove Do Not Eat, NSFW, masturbation, spying, camera usage, Miguel being an overall gross creep, stalker behavior, possessiveness, obsessiveness, mentions of murder from the previous chapter, manipulation tactics

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: Woot! Sorry it's taken so long, everyone! I reinjured my back somehow so hopefully I can relax and get comfy enough to be a bit more regular with uploads to this! This chapter is a bit of filler before we once again, get into the heavier stuff later on. (And yeah I totally looked up the recipe for that drink because UGH I want it so BAD)

Part 2

Taglist: @vineberries9 @irmiki @autismsupermusicalassassin @obi-mom-kenobi @rin-matsuoka345-blog @loosecan @6thhokageswife @selarus @heyohalie @sapphire-and-ruby @night-spectrum @famouscattale @thespaceinbetweennothing @lazy-idate @toshimoshiko @saharadesertaj @flaps200 @amelialysm @fried-milkfish @zaunsin @darksidescorner @renareyouhere @vide0-vamp @reverieblondie @bunnibitez @kaqua @peterbparkersburger @tojishugetiddies @aisyakirmann @itslariette @xxeclipze @oharasfilipinawife @amber-content @ixanne2006 @miguels-aranita

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Pt. 3

Several weeks had passed since the incident with the man in the alley, since Spider-Man had come to your rescue.

Several weeks since Miguel first felt the taste of euphoria from claiming you verbally. Even if you didn't know it, or knew he was Spider-Man.

Snapping that disgusting prick's neck was satisfying. It would only have felt better if he had sunk his fangs in his throat and just ripped it out, or curled his talons deep, his fist wrapping around his windpipe and yanking it free of his body.

No, no, he had no time for that, though. He had to hurry up and get home so he could comfort you, his scared Little Bird.

His precious Little Bird.

Wrapping his arm around your shoulders and patting your back filled him with such a sense of accomplishment. Not even fighting and detaining anomalies felt that good. Protecting the multiverse paled in comparison to feeling your trembling little body beneath his hands, seeing your body visibly relax under his touch and in his presence.

Fuck, did he want you so badly. But, he couldn't. Not yet. He had to earn more of your trust.

Or at the very least, coerce it from you.

He felt pangs of guilt whenever he would think too deeply on it, but he realized when he checked your canon events, that... well. There was nothing saying you couldn't be his. That your universe would collapse.

You were safe, because you were in his native universe. You were safe because you were his.

Or, you would be. One way or another.

He wouldn't lose you the way he lost Gabriela. He wouldn't watch as you crumbled in his arms.

He wouldn't be alone again.

The way he rationalized it when his morals clouded his drive to possess you, was that you were precious. A cool drink of water after a run in the desert, a calm spot in the middle of a hurricane.

You were something pure that he needed to have. He needed to keep you safe.

Pulling up the statistics of your previous apartment district definitely solidified his reasoning that you simply couldn't be trusted to make decisions on your own. Why else would someone as naive as you move somewhere with a crime rate that reached nearly 76% in petty violent crime?

Which brought him back around to the garbage he tossed into a random alley in the city.

His fingerprints and DNA tied him to assaults and break-ins at your building and the neighboring district.

So once again... Miguel was merely doing what was best for you.

Thankfully you didn't have many friends, your busy work schedule from before saw to that. You were simply too raggedly worn to make friends. You even admitted that Lyla was probably the only friend you had (Miguel heard in the recordings of your conversations that you were still too new to Miguel as a person to count him as something so intimate just yet).

Another reason he was taking care of you.

You couldn't manage your work-life balance on your own, and you were struggling financially and mentally from the workload and lack of funds.

But because you were living rent free and with a paycheck to boot... Miguel knew that was the first turn of the proverbial key for your situation.

Soon, you would be locked inside your guilded cage where only he could touch and hold you.

You would thank him for it, eventually. He was sure of it. He would have you on your knees, smiling up at him happily, a pretty gold, necklace-like collar around your neck, the key would hang over his heart.

The thought alone made his cock throb.

No, no...

First things first.

He needed to earn you a bit more. He'd realized that with his work in Alchemax and the Spider Society, you and him hadn't had much interaction save for the end of the day, just after he'd come back from patrolling and you were headed off to bed for the night.

Well, lucky for him... Miguel had put in that he was taking a week away from work, and he even let Jess, Peter, and Lyla take control of things back at HQ, just so he can have time to spend with you.

He needed to make sure that you knew he wasn't afraid to be social with you, that he could be friendly and charming. Maybe once he hammered your walls down a bit... Things might be able to flow naturally. Maybe you would be interested in a relationship with him. It would make manipulating you that much easier.

'It's all for her own good. Nobody else can protect her like I can.' He kept telling himself.

'She'll realize that.'

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You had just let the dinner you made finish baking in the oven.

It was nice, you discovered, to have a conversation with your boss and Lyla while you worked.

Miguel--as politely as possible--convinced you to let him help you cook. He made some interesting dishes that smelled amazing, plus you two worked together to make a tres leches cake just for the two of you. He even showed you how to make homemade whipped icing! (That was messy but you two had fun doing it, of course)

He promised he'd teach you how to make chocoflan and a few other sweets, sometime. Maybe over the next week, since he had the coming days off; and your skills lie in appetizers and main dishes, not desserts.

And it was because of this topic that you learned Miguel had a hell of a sweet tooth. You made a note to add a few new items to your grocery list to make up for this oversight.

Because, hey, he's been working so hard, comes home ragged... who wouldn't enjoy coming home to a nice sweet, homemade treat after working all day and most of the night?

Thankfully your time as a bartender, you knew some things about making some good cocktails without skimping on the liquor.

Like, right now.

Miguel had a bar in his mansion (like most rich people in Nueva York, you assumed), and he allowed you free reign of it because he trusted you.

That knowledge made you feel a bit more pride than you normally would, because this rich and powerful man trusted you with bottles of liquor and champagne that cost more than a year's worth of rent at your old apartment.

At the moment, you were making him a cocktail you've always wanted to try, but menus priced them too high and you couldn't afford the proper stuff to make it right at home.

It was difficult, however, because he was so close, with his Adonis-like good looks and the body that surely made any woman's eyes wander. You had to snap your eyes away when he leaned on the counter, his biceps flexing beneath his partially unbuttoned dress shirt; the sleeves rolled up revealing his thick forearms and the veins lacing the gorgeous tanned skin that probably had phlebotomists fainting or swooning at the sight.

You tried so hard to stay on task as you carefully dipped the rim of the martini glasses in marshmallow fluff and rolled the rims in the crushed graham crackers. It took a few tries, because you were so distracted by the sheer inhuman beauty that was Miguel O'Hara, but his voice snapped you to attention.

"So... What is it you're making?" He hummed curiously, his brow quirking up from behind his glasses.

You cleared your throat and held up the two dusted glasses, "It's called a s'mores martini. It's a bit of a pain to make, but I'm told it tastes amazing."

"Ah." He smiled at you, resting his chin in his palm, his plush and pouty lips curled upwards as he watched. "But you've never made it before, hmm?"

You cringed. "Er... Well. I mean... I've seen other people make it plenty of times..."

Miguel laughed a little, the noise softly escaping his lips as you first poured in the Irish cream, heavy cream, the chocolate syrup, and finally the chocolate liqueur into the shaker.

"Of course. We learn from watching others experience, right?" He hummed softly, eyes tracking your hands.

You awkwardly avoided eye contact as you closed the shaker and held it above you, shaking the contents to make sure they were well mixed. You didn't notice because you were a little embarrassed, that Miguel was staring shamelessly at your cleavage as they jiggled with each over-the-shoulder shake of the metal shaker.

"Well... Yeah! Exactly!" You smiled, finally looking back at him. He'd corrected his line of sight swiftly so you wouldn't notice his hungry leering.

Once it was done, you strained the mixture into the glasses slowly, smiling proudly at the fact you didn't accidentally drop or--god forbid--throw the shaker into the glass bar behind you or across the goddamn room.

You then impaled two marshmallows on both of the smaller skewers you'd prepared, and held them up one at a time, lighting them with the small handheld torch.

You always liked yours a teeny bit more burned, so you let yours bubble and blacken a bit more to ensure optimum gooey-ness before placing it above your cocktail, leaving Miguel's lightly toasted before placing his.

They looked damn delicious, if you did say so yourself.

Miguel gave a tiny congratulatory clap as he watched you finish garnishing the drinks, his lips still curled in that smirk of his.

He took the stem of the glass and plucked the skewer from the rim, making a small show of his tongue curling around the sweet fluffy treats before pulling them off the stick and into his mouth.

He felt his gut twist with a fire as he watched you awkwardly avoid looking at him once more as you munched on yours a bit less eloquently than he did, getting some of the delicious sticky treat on your bottom lip. Miguel continued to watch with ravenous eyes as your tongue swiped the excess off and into your waiting mouth.

Miguel cleared his throat to get your attention again, and lifted his glass in a small toast, "Salud."

Your smile could melt his heart any day, and he felt it do a funny little flip as you returned it. "Salud!"

You wanted to squirm with glee when you saw his eyebrows shoot up when the flavor hit his mouth. You could tell by his expression that it wasn't bad; on the contrary, it was the look of someone who tried something new for the first time and absolutely loved it.

"Muy Bien." Miguel grinned. "You're right. This is good. I didn't know this cocktail existed 'til you showed me."

"See?" You chuckled, licking some of the fluff and crackers off the rim before taking another sip (something Miguel couldn't help but shamelessly watch). "I love looking up drink recipes. There's this one made from melon liqueur that involves soaking chunks of the melon in the alcohol, right..."

"That sounds good... Sprinkle a little chili-lime salt on it, it could almost be like a treat I used to eat as a kid with my brother." He grinned at you.

"We'd go to the park, buy a mango fresh from the bodega, some of the salt, and just sit on a bench and eat it after school."

"Oh! You can make it with mangos, too! We could try that." You chirp helpfully, ignoring how your heart skipped a beat

"I'd like that." Miguel chuckled, taking another sip. "Perhaps I can make you a white Russian, too?"

"Oh! That sounds good! I've never had one of those..."

You smiled, taking in the quiet, budding camaraderie between you and your boss. Lyla had long since moved her little holographic self to the kitchen, carefully monitoring the food so it didn't burn, so it was just you and Miguel in the comfortable silence as you enjoyed your drinks.

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God, of course you couldn't keep your hands to yourself. The moment you finished your chores and bade Miguel goodnight, you ran to your room, your heart fluttering like a wild hummingbird.

It was the booze. It had to be the booze.

Especially with these thoughts running through your head. He was your boss.

He was your boss.

You couldn't think about him like that, it would only complicate things. Being friends you could do, but... job romances always ended nasty. Like when you broke up with your coworker at the insurance office.

Bryce was still pissy about that and would harass you on occasion, sending hurtful and suggestive e-messages to your addresses.

But... working for a guy who may as well have been molded by the gods themselves; how the fuck were you to function properly without your mind wandering to less family-friendly thoughts?

The answer: not fucking easily.

Like right now, you were laid back on your cushy, soft bed, your fingers rolling soft circles onto your clit as you plunged your silicone dildo in and out of your wet and messy channel, your slick and juices leaving a shiny and creamy trail along the length as you twisted and pulled, desperately trying to get that orgasm you wanted. Thankfully you had a towel cushioned beneath you to contain your mess...

Hell, you tried watching porn on your phone, but even that could only get you so fired up. And thus, you were stuck with what your imagination could cook up.

And right now it was a heated image of Miguel leaning over you, whispering filthy things into your ear;

"Ah, so wet and needy, doll? Need my help to work you through it?" He would growl, his teeth just barely grazing the shell of your ear.

"That's it, just tip it up a bit more, thrust it harder--like that. Good girl."

You couldn't help the small moans and breathy gasps that trembled free from your lungs as you felt that wonderful pressure begin to curl your toes.

Your fingers slid down, gathering some of your slick as you imagined Miguel praising you, encouraging what you were doing as you used your wetness to lubricate your fingers so you could do smoother rolls on your little bundle of nerves.

"Good girl." He'd breathe softly, his voice a hair above a whisper as his breath fanned over your cheeks. You could imagine smelling his cologne and aftershave wafting off of him, his natural musk bleeding beneath it all...

"Get yourself nice and wet. Keep going. So close now, muñeca, so close."

You imagined him then, behind your closed eyes, hissing through clenched teeth as he would smack your hand off of your toy, taking the base in his palm before shoving it roughly up into you.

"Need my help, huh? Your little hands not good enough? Fine."

He'd lean back, staring down at you with heavy, lidded eyes as he roughly fucked you with that pale imitation of a real dick; the bulge in his pants straining against the seams in a way you'd swear they would burst.

Miguel would bring a hand back, slicking his messy hair, the sticky gel coming loose from the sweat and heat that was shared in such a small space between you; and he would rip the buttons of his shirt open as he watched you squeak and mewl as your orgasm got closer.

He'd grin down at you, his crooked teeth gleaming like shark teeth on display as he'd twist and thrust the toy up further and further, hitting every spot you needed with every deft curve of his hand.

"And once I'm done, magdalena, I will show you what a real cock can do to that cute little pussy of yours."

You tossed your head back when your imagination spat that line of dialogue out, and moaned wantonly as your orgasm gushed out of you, every muscle in your body tensing and relaxing all at the same time as the euphoria crashed into you like a violent surf.

You just couldn't contain yourself, crying breathily at the mental image:

"Miguel."

You laid there for what felt like forever, breathing, trying to regain from the intense orgasm that made your head and heart pound.

That's when the post-coital clarity began to set in, and you sat up abruptly, covering your mouth in sheer shock at the fact you just called out his name.

Your boss's name.

You looked around, knowing it was stupid, that he couldn't have possibly heard you from elsewhere in the house, but the flush that crept up your body was there all the same.

Equal parts shame and arousal, honestly...

Thankfully, Miguel didn't hear you.

But you were still none the wiser to the cameras above your bed, pointing straight down at you; feeding right to Miguel's office so he could watch you like his own private peep show.

And you were definitely none the wiser about the thick ropes of cum that covered Miguel's fingers, or how his lips curled into a sick smile as he licked his warm spend from his own hand, his face awash in the dim glow from the monitors in front of him.

Yes. You were going to be a fun little project.

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Part 4: Coming Soon

#yandere!miguel o’hara #yandere!miguel #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara smut #miguel o'hara #miguel spiderman #miguel o'hara atsv

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teecupangel · 8 months

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Do we have a Phonenix yet in the menagire? We need one.

Phoenix!Desmond, probably looking like a normal bird for the most part, and stays with Sef when they go after the mongols (Altair probably thinks he's getting too old he looked a bit ratty lately) and takes the hit when Swami tries to kill him.

Idk whether to have this crack or angest with them thinking Desmond died, had a chick, and was apparently a female bird the entire time.

Okay, so I was checking the Phoenix wiki page for any information if it would be possible that Altaïr would know what a phoenix is and there’s this part written by Herodotus (yes, Kassandra’s Herodotos)

[The Egyptians] have also another sacred bird called the phoenix which I myself have never seen, except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there (according to the accounts of the people of Heliopolis) once in five hundred years, when the old phoenix dies. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follow: The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make and size are almost exactly that of the eagle. They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not seem to me to be credible: that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of the Sun, and there buries the body.

… which may be a reference to Bennu, the Egyptian deity connected to the sun, creation, and rebirth.

So Altaïr would meet him during his travels with Maria and he just stays. They assume he’s an exotic bird (or eagle), maybe a native to one of the places Altaïr and Maria visited.

Altaïr never told them that the bird flew into his room one night and began to chirp at him as if trying to tell him something. He also tried to tap the Apple but all it did was glow a bit.

The bird had been quite annoyed by it and began to hit it with his talons so quickly the Apple had a taptaptaptaptap sound rapidly before Altaïr could take the Apple.

After that, the bird just decided to sit on Altaïr’s shoulder when he left his room the following morning and Maria assumed he had bought the bird yesterday when they went their separate ways.

Her guess sounded so much better than the truth which was Altaïr spent the entire day yesterday holed up in his room, writing letters to be sent back to Masyaf as part of his deal with Malik in exchange for letting him go on this trip (which was to send letters detailing the geopolitical situations of the places he travels to with suggestion on what the Brotherhood should do in those parts… if they could do anything).

So nobody ever questioned the mentor’s newly acquired bird (except Malik but Malik had been more focused on the ex-Templar that Altaïr brought to Masyaf and married).

Then Darim and Sef were born and the bird (named Desmond because Altaïr thought of the name first when Maria asked what the bird’s name was) usually stayed with the children, letting out loud screeching cries whenever one of the two children were doing something they shouldn’t do.

When they got older, Darim and Sef learned the word ‘bribe’ and how Desmond can be easily bribed to look the other way in favor of delicious food.

Desmond stayed in Masyaf though, regardless if Altaïr or any of his sons left for a mission or to travel to a bureau. At some point, the bird had become a symbol of Brotherhood with its gold and red plumage.

So when Altaïr left with Maria and Darim to take down Genghis Khan, it was only natural for Desmond to stay with Sef in Masyaf.

Altaïr had been a bit conflicted though as Desmond’s feathers had grown quite… dull and he was moving slower than usual.

Maria and Malik both told them that Desmond was growing old and maybe it was time but the Ibn-La'Ahad boys refused to believe that.

Darim also believed that they might find medicine in one of the camps of the Mongols as they have been to many lands.

So when Desmond flew to protect Sef and got stabbed on the chest by Swami, Swami screamed as Desmond became shrouded in flames.

Swami burned as well and Sef could only watch in horror as white hot flames consumed the both of them.

Swami was left as a corpse charred beyond recognition.

While Desmond…

Only ashes remained…

And from those ashes…

Sef heard a small chirp.

As a little chick with red and gold plumage poked his head out of the ashes, shaking the ash from his small body.

Sef could only stare as he asked, “Desmond?”

And the bird gave him an enthusiastic chirp while jumping.

#ngl #super tempted to make desmond a female bird and have him freak out when he suddenly plopped an egg #we can go for the ‘his ancestors get reborn too as his children’ route #and the eggs stay dormant #until the death of his ancestors #so desmond’s gonna be the mother of a flock of phoenix(es)#desmond is turned into an animal subgenre #desmond is turned into a creature subgenre #ask and answer #assassin's creed #desmond miles #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: assassin's creed #altaïr ibn la'ahad #sef ibn la'ahad

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 7 months

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AITA for reporting my shitty college roommate to the FWS and her teacher, and possibly getting her suspended/expelled/jailed/fined?

CW for brief dead animal mention

For context: I live in the USA and all native species of birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to kill, harm, etc. native bird species and/or possess parts of them including molted feathers, bones, nests, etc.

Also: The FWS is the Fish and Wildlife Service and is a government agency that deals with animal and plant conservation and habitat protection.

Anyways, I (F25) live in a dorm room with two other people, Ally (F26) and Sammy (F28) (not their real names obviously). Sammy is a nice roommate, she's very considerate and kind, and we get along really well.

Ally, on the other hand, is a nightmare.

Very self absorbed, rich parents, "white witch" privileged white girl type, treats Sammy and I like maids instead of roommates.

Ally and I are both art students, I'm pursuing 3D animation and she's doing... Something. I have no idea. Sculpting?

I do digital modeling and animation so I can just do that in my room on my PC, but she needs a specific area to do her sculptures, which is fine!

Except that she does NOT clean up after herself. Leaves material all over the place, there's bits of clay stuck to fucking everything, and she does it right in the living room.

She's also burnt sage INSIDE THE APARTMENT despite Sammy having asthma. She did not warn us beforehand, we found out when we walked in and Sammy started coughing and wheezing and we had to go back outside. She was 100% aware of Sammy's asthma because she saw her use her inhaler once and asked about it.

She then asked if she "could try it" which... Girl what. "Can I try it?" Has now become an inside joke between Sammy and I about her inhaler.

Coming from a rich family, I can tell she's never faced any consequences for her actions. Ever. She thinks she's untouchable and that mommy and daddy will pay for everything and make all her problems go away.

Sammy and I come from families who are not ungodly rich, and that's resulted in her treating us like live-in maids. She does none of the chores, none of the housework, absolutely nothing. Constantly inviting her friends over to peruse her "art gallery". Regularly keeps Sammy and I up at night with her music and friends.

We rent an apartment near our college, and we don't live in the dorms so we don't have anyone to complain to besides our landlord, who's an incredibly sweet elderly woman that we're all hesitant about bothering.

Except for Ally, who's prepared to bother her about everything, including but not limited to: Apartment being too hot. Apartment being too cold. A weird smell. Noise from the street. Neighbors dog barking. Front door being creaky.

We basically went "Haha hey Ally don't worry you're SO busy lol we'll talk to her for you okay!" just so she doesn't bother the poor lady.

We're mostly just afraid that if we kick out Ally, her parents will tear that woman apart. Sammy and I are both unconfrontational anyways and don't want to bother anyone.

Ally is working on her latest sculpture for finals (basically the big report due at the end of a semester). It actually looked pretty cool, but something about it was... Off.

Oh yeah, it's absolutely covered in native bird feathers and a nest. A real one, not one of those fake ones you can buy at a craft store.

She came home one day after going out with her friends for HOURS, and she had two big bags full of stuff. I asked what she was up to and her response was sort of "It's a secret teehee, it's for my art piece ;)" so I was just like haha okay.

So, it turns out her and her friends went out into the woods and spent HOURS picking up molted feathers (all of them are very witchy do-no-harm types so there's no way any of them killed live birds. Ally refuses to even kill bugs, I have to catch them and let them out). She also mentioned her friends parents have tons of bird feeders at their house, which means LOTS of molted feathers.

Also, instead of cleaning them in her bathroom sink she washed them off in the kitchen sink, meaning we couldn't do dishes for a few hours. So that was cool.

I actually collect and clean animal bones in my free time, so I'm very familiar with the laws. I know which species in my state are protected, which species I can possess with a permit, etc. I also know that the MBTA is a thing that exists.

I've met her art teacher before, and I know that the woman's not stupid. She will DEFINITELY notice that the sculpture is covered in blue jay, cardinal, grackle, etc. feathers.

I was going to keep my mouth shut and just let Ally dig her own grave, but I did mention it to her through text. I said "Hey, I love your sculpture but I just wanna let you know that using those feathers is actually illegal, since they're from native species of birds. My parents own chickens and ducks and I can get you a lot of really cool feathers for your project if you want! Sorry for the bad news but I just don't want you to get in trouble :("

She messaged back and said "Um, thanks but I don't want feathers from gross barnyard animals, Mother Gaia gifted me these beautiful feathers. Besides, I actually have money to take care of my problems."

What the fuck.

I didn't know what else to do besides message back "Oh! Okay!"

Those "gross barnyard animals" she mentioned include breeds like dominiques, copper marans, both gold and silver sebrights, Yokohama, and a few cayuga ducks, all of which have absolutely gorgeous feathers. I was also going to surprise her with some peafowl feathers because my parents' friend owns them.

So here's where the AITA part comes in.

I was furious with her constant classism, treating Sammy and I like shit, and blatantly disregarding laws (especially ones literally put in place to protect "Mother Gaia's" creatures) just because her parents have money.

So after she went to bed I went out into the living room, took pictures of her sculpture, and then not only sent the pictures to her art teacher but the FWS. I let the game warden know I also emailed her teacher and vice versa. I also sent screenshots of our conversation where I told her about the law, so they had proof she was 100% aware of it but ignored it anyways.

I let Sammy know, and her response was "That's a thing? Well, her teacher would have reported her anyways I guess."

A few days later, we get a knock on the door. It's a game warden. I let him inside, went to my room, and proceeded to listen to Ally doing her "I'm a poor innocent victim how could you do this to me!" crying. I mostly just felt bad for the poor game warden for having to deal with her.

The only thing I could hear from the other room was her wailing like a banshee and him going "Ma'am, please calm down. Are you alright ma'am? Ma'am..."

A few days later Sammy and I came back from the store to see all of Ally's stuff gone. All of her clay, supplies, clothes, etc. were gone and her room was totally empty except for her bed frame (which came with the house).

I have no idea what happened. I'm sure she wasn't allowed to turn in a sculpture covered in illegal feathers for her final, so Idk if she was suspended/expelled or if she just had a tantrum and moved out?

On one hand it was really fucking nice seeing her face consequences for her actions, but the other part of me feels bad about possibly getting her suspended/expelled/fined/jailed over feathers and a nest.

The EPA website states that punishment for MBTA violations for misdemeanor offences (which I believe she committed since I don't think she planned on selling anything, and I know she didn't kill any of the birds) can range from up to $5,000 in fines to no more than six months in jail.

So, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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orcasoul · 4 months

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Warm or cold

Summery: You and Din work well together tracking and apprehending bounties but this one time it all goes wrong when you are put in mortal danger. Din makes him pay. No one hurts his Cyare!

Warnings: Swearing, brief mention of smut, under 18's DNI, no use of Y/N, fluff.

"Let's split up. Well flank him and cut him off!" Din yelled through the dense forest. You immediately break off to the right while Din veers to the left. It would be so much easier for him to use his jet pack but the thick and overgrown vegetation makes manoeuvring at high speed almost impossible. Besides, it definitely makes for a more interesting hunt when you're both working together. He never imagined you'd take to the bounty hunter life so naturally and he enjoys seeing the reaction it draws from you; Excitement, fearlessness and determination. He has finally met his equal in this line of work and he is relishing every moment of it.

You don't know if it's because of the adrenaline coursing through your veins like high voltage or maybe you're just hyper perceptive in tense situations but the forest seems to radiate with energy and life as you relentlessly pursue the latest bounty. The sunlight dappling through the thick canopy crates a dancing array of light and contrasting shadows alike. The various native birds grace the air with their unique songs and tweets that you've never heard anywhere else and the bountiful mossy ground feels like a plush carpet under your boots. Any other time you would have taken a moment to stop and appreciate the picturesque woodland but now is not the time. You have a job to do and you intend to execute that job with everything you have within you.

*****

It took a long time to finally convince Din to allow you assist him on hunts, well, the less dangerous one's, anyway. For months you'd been Grogu's nanny and had cared for and nurtured him, and even took care of Din when he'd return from hunts with injuries, despite his usual insistence that he didn't need help. But every time you'd fought him on it until he realised you're just as stubborn as he is and it was easier after a few disagreements to just let you help. You loved caring for the little 'family' you'd all created. Even if you were a very unorthodox family, they were your family none the less. So when Grogu Left with Luke Skywalker to learn the ways of the force the separation broke your heart, carving out a Grogu shaped crevice that only your little green son could ever fill again.

You missed him terribly but took solace knowing he's safe, and that you and Din will see him again soon. It was the agonising impact of Grogu's departure that forced you and Din to finally admit your feelings for each other, after months of subtle flirting, gentle touches and lingering glances. You both felt the loss of your son, profoundly and realised how suddenly things can change, for better or for worse and neither of you wanted to waste anymore time secretly yearning for one another. The truth came out the same day Grogu left and you've been a couple ever since. In the early weeks of your relationship Din wouldn't even entertain the idea of you joining him on hunts. The very thought of you in any kind of danger made his chest tighten with anxiety and his palms sweaty.

He'd always felt protective of you when you'd became Grogu's nanny and now that you are his, his Cyare, his protectiveness had increased tenfold. He know's you can handle yourself in tense situations, how you've never shied away from confrontations, that you're a hell of a shot with a blaster and very adept at self defense. You'd explained to Din when you'd first met him, during an altercation on Tatooine involving some sleazebag (whom you'd beaten the shit out of) that your father was a trained guard for the senator Prince Tal Merrik of Kalevala and he'd insisted that you learn how to fight and defend yourself in an unforgiving galaxy. It was after a lengthy discussion that he knew he could trust you with Grogu's safety and offered you employment.

As time went on he saw the bond you two had formed and he knew you'd love and defend his foundling with every fibre of your being and you were well able for it. But the fact that you were now so insistent on helping him catch bounties made his gut twist. He knew you'd felt increasingly restless and useless without Grogu around to care for and being cooped up on the Crest for days on end did nothing to stimulate your mind. As much as Din would have liked to shroud you in bubble wrap and keep you on the ship where it's safe, he know's he can't expect you to just exist there and wait for his return, so with great reluctance he finally gave in as long as the bounties were low threat. And now this is your life, detaining bounty after bounty, working together in perfect tandem, watching each other's backs and revelling in the post hunt high you both got after every successful capture.

You had no idea that seeing you outsmart and overpower the targets would make Din absolutely feral for you. After your first successful capture Din couldn't get you back to the Razor Crest fast enough! As soon as the quarry was frozen and out of the way Din all but slammed you into the cold steel wall of the ship, (while cupping the back of your head for protection. So caring, even in his lust filled haze!) wrapping your legs around his waist and pushing his hardened length along your clothed pussy. "Maker, Meshla. Seeing you handle that man like that,..." Din's voice came out in awe, one hand roving to cup your breast and the other gripping your hip, "I have to have you, right now!!" "Hmm... liked what you saw did you?" you purred as you pulled the cowl down from around his neck and planted wet and slow kisses all over the exposed area of tanned skin. That night the stars Din made you see could have put actual stars to shame as he pulled out orgasm after orgasm from your trembling body. If you'd known this would be his reaction you'd have suggested this teamwork a lot sooner!

*****

Running through the tightly packed undergrowth seemed to slow the Nikto down a bit, giving you an advantage to gain some crucial ground on him. Ferns and low lying vegetation whipped at you face and shoulders as if nature felt bad for this guy and tried to give him a sporting chance. But the sting barely registers through buzz pulsing through your system. As you get closer the adrenaline and anticipation seems to give you a much needed boost of energy. Through the trees ahead you can see a cliff, meaning the Nikto will have to change course. You watch as he suddenly stops for a few moments, desperately looking around before he turns slightly to the right to run alongside the cliff edge. Those moments were all you needed, along with the adrenaline burst to slink off to the right and disappear into the trees, to come out in front of him and cut him off.

The look of surprise on the Nikto's face brought a smug sense of satisfaction to you, even though you kept a 'professional' expression. "I can bring you in warm... or I can bring you in cold," you cautioned in an authoritative tone while holding your blaster on him. "Hey, that's my line," a calm modulated voice sounded from behind the bounty, causing him to turn around in alarm and raise his hand in surrender. You playfully smirked and shrugged at Din. "I got here first, so I get to say it." A small chuckle escaped Din's modulator at your self satisfied comeback. Din can't help but feel proud of your tenacity and for a moment you can feel that pride emanating from him, like an invisible string connecting and bonding you both. Maybe you should have paid more attention to the Nikto than your lover. Had you done that, you would have seen his gaze snap to your feet and to the liana snaking around your foot and trailing all the way to him.

Before your mind could even register what was happening you were flat on your back, the wind knocked out of you and your ears ringing from the impact of your head hitting the ground. Amidst yelling and shuffling you feel yourself being yanked harshly to you feet by your hair, every follicle screaming for release, as you try desperately to make your attacker unhand you. "Owww!" you shriek while digging your nails into his fingers, feeling the wet sludge of his blood seeping under your fingernails, but his hold only tightens. "Shut the fuck up!" he screams into your ear, loud enough to physically hurt your eardrum. A cold, sharp prick at you neck causes your eyes to snap open in fear as you realise you now have a knife pressed to your carotid. Din stands just feet away, chest heaving, blaster drawn, eager to find it's target.

The instant he saw you fall his blood turned white hot with rage. His chest constricted and he leapt forward without even thinking about it. All that mattered in that moment was protecting you. But he didn't move fast enough. "Drop the blaster or the bitch dies!" the Nikto demanded, pressing the knife slightly harder at your throat, drawing a trickle of blood. Din immediately threw down his blaster, holding his hands out in a show of cooperation. "There's no way out of this," Din growled in a deadly manner as the Nikto looked around him with fear in his eyes. He moved closer to the edge of the cliff, dragging you with him. Din's feet instinctively moved forward as he saw how precariously close you were to the edge. "Stop!" the Nikto shouted, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "Let her go and I won't kill you!" Din warned, his fury now radiating off of him, as if he could physically feel it bursting through his pores. How did the tables turn so quickly?

The look of terror in your eyes almost brought Din to his knees. He can't lose you, he won't! The Nikto seemed to frantically think through his options, the silence and uncertainty that came with it was intolerable. A few moments later he looked Din right in the T of his visor, a sickening smile spread across his face and a dark look in his eyes. "You can't catch us both, Mandalorian." And with that he flung you over the edge. "Noooo!!!" Din roared in sheer panic as he watched you being thrown like a rag doll into the open void below. The sound of your petrified scream will forever be rooted into his brain, torturing him in his subconsciousness. The Nikto sprinted off as Din launched himself over the cliff after you, igniting his jet pack.

The scream that tore from your throat is stolen by the brute force of rushing air, smothering you like an invisible blanket. Your limbs flail uselessly, reaching out and grabbing onto oxygen as if it could stop your downward plummet. You felt the urge to be sick as your stomach flipped and roiled as gravity claimed you, pushing you down faster and faster. Your eyes water furiously, the wind force whipping the tears across your temples and all the while you feel like your heart is going to explode from the insurmountable terror now consuming you. The ground is fast approaching, once small rocks becoming lager and more jagged the closer you get. If the wind wasn't already lashing at your eyes, you would have cried. The images of Din's helmet and Grogu's face flash before your eyes as you squeeze them closed and brace yourself for the bone shattering impact on the rocks below.....

Only the impact came from above, in the form of cold, hard Beskar and strong arms, tightly gripping your torso. In the literal blink of an eye ground began to get further away from you and your breath returned as you felt yourself ascend into the sky, the roar of thrusters replacing the wind howling past your ears. Still to frightened to fully realise what is happening you are twisted around, relief suddenly overwhelming you at the welcomed sight of Din's T-shaped visor. Your arms and legs automatically wind around his back and hips and you bury your face in the crook of his neck, holding on for dear life! It was probably only minutes later (but it felt like an eternity) that Din carefully touched down, back on the cliff side. At first you don't hear Din's voice through your panicked breaths and the blood pulsating deafeningly through your ears. "Cyar'ika!... Cyar'ika, It's over, you're safe. I've got you, I've got you," Din whispered gently, over and over into your ear, one arm holding you against him and his other hand rubbing soothing circles across your shuddering back.

You remain locked onto Din's frame, muscles still frozen and rigid, too afraid to move, too afraid to open your eyes. It was only when Din cupped your cheek and slowly pulled your face away from his shoulder did you open your eyes and look once again at that helmet you've grown to love so much. "That's right, keep looking at me," Din coaxed. "You're okay now, you hear me. It's okay." "Din!!" you sobbed in both fear and relief. You buried your face back into the crook of his neck and wailed, gripping his cloak with shaking hands. Din brought his hand to the back of your head, caressing your hair with slow strokes. He consoled you while you let it all out. "It's okay. I'm so sorry, cyare. I'm so sorry," he mumbled over and over until your trembling ceased and the tears dried up. "Let's get you home," Din insisted as he tightened his grip with both hands around your waist and took off above the treeline.

*****

You breathed a sigh of relief as you both touched down beside the Razor Crest. It felt good to have your feet on solid ground again. With the adrenaline long gone you feel your body crashing. All you want to do now is rest. Din pressed the button on his vambrace to lower the ramp, wrapped his arm protectively over you shoulders and led you inside. The ramp hissed closed and Din scooped you up bridal style and delicately sat you on a crate. "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, worriedly as he slowly ran his hands over your whole body, checking meticulously for any sign of injuries. You gingerly shake your head 'no' while looking down into your lap. Seeing you look so broken brought a lump to Din's throat. He removed his gloves, wanting to feel your skin, but more importantly, wanting you to feel his. He hopes the warmth of his skin can help to sooth you, bring you back to the hear and now. His hands cup both of your cheeks and you quickly grab onto his wrists for comfort.

"Din I..." you shaking voice barely passed your lips, "I thought I was going to die," at that your tears spilled once more. "I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you and Grogu again." Din tipped your wobbling chin up to look at him while rubbing up and down your arm. "Hey..." consoled Din, "you're alive, you're home, you're with me, okay? I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," he promised as he pulled you into his chest-plate in a comforting embrace. "Thank you," you sniffled in a small and doleful voice. Din smiled in relief, knowing that you're here, safe and unharmed, after all it could have ended so differently. "Let's get some rest, Meshla. You need it after today." Once Din had removed all of his armour (except for his helmet) he led you by the hand to your shared cot. Exhaustion now wracks your body as you lay down on the soft mattress. Din turned the light off and slid down beside you, the familiar hiss of his helmet disengaging, filling the tiny room.

His tucks you under his arm and into his broad chest, soft and tender lips finding the crown of your head. You sigh as you feel every muscles relax under his silky kiss and you reach up to smooth a hand over his stubbly jaw. "I love you," you breathed, quietly, never wanting to leave Dins' warm and safe arm's for as long as you live. "I love you too, baby... so much," Din emphasised the last two words, holding you close and secure as you gave into enervation. You sleep deeply, while Din lays awake, furious, imagining all the ways he can make that Nikto pay for what he did. But he's not just angry with him though, he's angry with himself. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted, he should have been faster, he should have expected every eventuality. He won't ever make that mistake again.

*****

You wake to the sound of the ramp being lowered and an empty bed. Opening the door to the sleeping compartment, you squint at the early morning sunlight flooding into the cargo bay. It takes a moment for your vision to become accustomed to the bright light. Din walks up the ramp with the bounty draped over his shoulder. Once in the cargo hold Din unceremoniously throws him down head first onto the floor. His chest isn't moving and his face is a broken and bloody mess. You look up to meet Din's eyes behind his visor. Din just shrugged, tilting his helmet slightly to the side. "He chose cold the moment he put his hands on you," he said casually. You offer an understanding smile and nod. Of course you understand. You would have done the same thing for Din. You wait in the cockpit while Din freezes the dead body to stop it from smelling. Upon reaching the cockpit Din sits in the pilot seat. "I don't want you coming on any more hunts," he blurts out while turning to face you in the co-pilots' seat. "Din-" you begin to protest but he cuts you off, "You almost died!" his voice cracks and he grabs your hands. "I can't lose you," he cried almost frantically.

You take a deep breath, "Din, I can't just stay hidden away here forever. What else am I supposed to do?" Din doesn't respond so you continue, "We both know the dangers involved with this kind of work. There's always going to be a risk but we've had each other's backs so far. I'm alive because of you, so please don't take this away from me." Din knows you have a valid point and he can't expect you to just sit and wait for him for the rest of your lives, but at the same time he's terrified of losing you. "I'll make a deal with you," he ventured. Your eyebrows shoot up in intrigue. "Go on....," you smile. "We can still work together but I'll cuff the quarries from now on and if at any time I tell you to run, you run, no questions asked." You consider this deal for a moment. You know Din is always concerned for your safety and how against his better judgement he's willing to compromise, so the least you can do is meet him half way.

You hold out your hand and smile, "Deal." Din looks down at your outstretched hand and snaps his visor back up to meet your gaze. "Close your eyes," he says in a low, smooth voice. You grin and do as you're told. You hear a hiss and a clunk before Din pulls you into his body and kisses you passionately, licking into your mouth and drawing a moan from you. You pull away breathless, your eyes still closed. "I like how you seal a deal!," you gasp, chest heaving and cheeks flushed. "I can do more than that to seal the deal," he chuckles darkly, as he scoopes you over his shoulder and carries you effortlessly to the sleeping chamber, while you giggle and squirm in his grasp.

Thanks for reading. There's plenty more Din Djarin to come over the next year. Please check out my master list. Comments and re-blogs are always appreciated.

#pedro pascal #din x reader #mando x you #the mandalorian fanfiction #mando #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian #din djarin x female reader

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pokemonshelterstories · 7 months

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hi! love your work, its really inspiring :3 recently, i've been working on an outdoor garden because my boyfriend has a sick bulbasaur that needs a good place to recover. i also wanna provide a place for grass and bug pokemon to chill, especially cos i live in a relatively open area where these pokemon are susceptible to getting attacked by flying types.

my only concern is that i'm not sure if this is allowed. besides my bf's bulbasaur and my grubbin, we don't own the other pokemon, and they have freedom to roam around other areas. i also look around the garden to make sure that the pokemon are safe to hang around with each other. if i see pokemon that can potentially harm the others i try to shoo them off. i'm not sure if this is considered as pokemon hoarding or whatnot. i don't wanna get arrested for protecting them :c i don't know who to talk to about this, should i ask my local pokecentres?

aww, this is super sweet of you!

im guessing youre referring to wild bug and grass type pokemon? in that case, there's absolutely nothing wrong with providing a welcoming environment for them in your backyard! of course, you can't prevent every flying type from getting to them- getting eaten is a part of being in the ecological web- but as long as you dont feed pokemon directly and dont try to scare off any bird pokemon then this sounds lovely! you're not keeping the pokemon yourself or preventing them from leaving, so this isn't a hoarding situation.

i'd talk to your local rangers about different kinds of native plants and natural cover you can provide, since they can give advice specific to your area and they would LOVE to help you out.

i hope the lil bulbasaur feels better btw! i find that natural sunshine does SO MUCH for grass types, but you could also talk to your vet about certain plant supplements that can be mixed into water for your bfs bulbasaur.

#charlietalks #pkmn irl #pokemon irl #pokemon care

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nelson-and-friends · 11 months

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I'm posting here because I need to advertise like a little bit.

Hi! We out at the Unovan Conservation Center (UCC) and the Pokémon Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) are asking for donations and funding for the Entralink Preserve, located in central Unova.

Though not open to the public, we care for many endangered Pokémon, and even some Pokémon that are extinct in the wild. While most of the Pokémon in this preserve are native to the Unova region, we take care of a couple endangered or extinct Pokémon from other regions, such as Hoenn's Relicanth, Kanto's Lapras, Kabuto, and Omanyte, Kalos' Aurorus, Sinnoh's ancient Braviary and Zoroark, and Paldea's Great Tusk, Brute Bonnet, and Slither Wing.

Recently we have been going over the daily budget just trying to feed these Pokémon and pay the small amount of people that work here. Our requests to the Unovan government to increase the budget has continually been met with no's. So, we are asking for any amount of donations to keep the Entralink Preserve up and running.

You can donate HERE, and sign a petition to up our government funding HERE.

Below is a short video exploring a small section of the Entralink Preserve.

[Fading in from black is a wooded scene. On the ground, sleeping curled up in a ball is a giant, old Eelektross. It is over triple the size of the average Eelektross. It is curled up around a baby Frillish. A deep voice starts to speak.

"Hi, I'm Pokémon Ranger Speck, and I'm here to show off a bit of the Entralink Preserve. I'm currently in the Unovan section, the largest section of the preserve. Right in front of me we have great-granny Elle, our elder alpha Eelektross. She's curled up around baby Liffy, her great-grandchild. A little known fact in Unova: Alpha Pokémon weren't just rumors or legends, they were real! Under intense stress for a period of time, a Pokémon would grow stronger and bigger, just like Elle here. Today's Pokémon have 'traditionally' evolved to no longer need Alpha Pokémon.

"Elle here is the last Alpha of her kind, though her children still exhibit traits of Alpha Pokémon, such as being much larger than the rest of their species, and increased strength from birth, though those traits get weaker and weaker with each generation.

"Elle is also the oldest living Pokémon in our care, being several hundred years old. Imagine that! Well, let's move onto someone else."

The camera cuts to a new scene. This scene is a grassy clearing, with a large tree in the center. In the tree is numerous Archen, as well as a single Archeops.

"This is Bird Tree. Our Archen all live here, as well as their adoptive mother, Eliza, our Archeops. Eliza takes care of all of the Archen here. Right girl?"

The Archeops in the tree "caws" loudly.

"Eliza here wasn't actually revived from a fossil: she was found here many years ago as one of the last living Archen. She's a survivor, and that definitely shows in her personality.

"Well, that ends this little showcase of the Entralink Preserve." A thumbs up appears in front of the camera as a link shows up on screen. "Please donate! We're pretty understaffed here, and we don't get enough funding from the government. You can donate at the link on screen, or look up 'Entralink Preserve' on the internet! Thank you for watching!"]

#entralink preserve #<- the tag i'll use whenever i post relating to the entralink preserve #pokemon #pokemon environmental protection agency #unovan conservation center #pokemon irl #unreality #rotomblr #pokeblogging #real pokemon ranger #pokemon ranger #irl pokemon #ooc: no there is no actual link

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ourtheoi · 3 months

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Over the years of worshipping the greek panthion I've learned to do things on my own and adapt the practice to modern times.

Let's take offerings for example.

We have a lot more laws and knowledge to protect the nature around us than the ancient greek had at the time. Which means burying or pouring out offerings outside might not be suitable for everyone depending on where and how they live.

I have the privilege of owning a backyard so I'm free to make an outdoor altar if I so wish. However I happen to live in finland where over half of the year the soil is frozen and covered with a knee length of packed snow. This does mean that even if I have a backyard I will not be able to use it for the majority of the year.

Besides this, I have to leave out offerings that are suitable for the hares that frequently visit and sleep in my backyard aswell as the birds.

Not to forget that a lot of plants or food that has seeds might be illegal to bury to protect the native plants.

These points are the major reason I do not do outside offerings unless it's just water.

Some seem to believe that not going by the ancient ways of worship is some how illegal or disgusting even. Many of times I've need people jump on others for worshipping "wrong" to the point that new worshippers are scared that they might offend the gods for not being able to do things like they were used to.

It bothers me alot because the world, people and traditions change naturally as we grow. Besides the gods will understand. They are patient. They know that times are different now and how worship changes overtime. I'd even argue they'd be more disappointed for not doing thing your own way than offended.

#hellenic worship #polytheist #paganism #pagan #hellenismos #hellenism #hellenic devotees #hellenic polytheistic #hellenic pantheon #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polythiest

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thebindingofpillo · 1 year

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Lilith

Some of you are about to get real mad at me.

While Lilith is traditionally considered Adam’s first wife, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, her status as mother of all demons is also false because Lilith is not a demon at all, she’s a monster. Or at least she was, before making a deal with Satan, we will explain everything in due time. I wanted to make a separate post about the differences between demons and monsters, but there’s not much to say about them, so I’ll condense everything here.

Monster = mortal, weaker than demons (but still stronger than a human though), their magic is more specialised and requires physical things like blood ad flesh (usually human blood and flesh) to work. Unlike demons, who are naturally evil, monsters can be more morally grey, and while there’s a lot of them who eat and kill humans for whatever reason, friendly monsters do exist.They are born, not created, and are native to Earth. Monsters were incredibly common on Earth in the ancient times, but were progressively driven out of their habitats by humans, which brought most of them to extinction. Nowadays monsters are very few, tend to stick to their own communities or blend into human society and fly under the radar. This is what Lilith does, she’s a preschool teacher and lives a quiet life with her Incubus. Demon = immortal, have access to more magical powers (and brimstone!) and are born in hell, which is on a different plane of existence. They can still visit Earth, but it takes time and energy. And also they’re all evil. Sorry.

Lilith is a Hebrew word, that might derive from the Akkadian Lilitu, which might derive from the Sumerian Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke (or just lil). All of these words describe a type of female monster that lives at night and preys on men (If you’re a nerd like me, here’s the handy video that started this whole thing lmao). The noun (yes, noun) “lilith” is used exactly once in the Bible (Isaiah 34:14) and is translated as “lamia” in the Greek version of Symmachus (dated around 200 c.e.) and the Latin Vulgata, which is another type of female monster that feeds on children and kills men after seducing them. Everything fits. King James’ bible translates lilith as “screeching owl” so I decided to co-opt that for her design, and give her some feathers.

And now for the actual lore, the preamble is done I swear.

Note: I’m gonna use “lamia” when talking about the creature, and “Lilith” when talking about the character What are lamias (in my AU) Lamias are a type of female monster whose powers revolve around illusions and transformation. Their normal state is usually of half-bird women with pronounced snake features (like Lilith in her normal form), but they can turn into full snake ladies if they need to (usually to protect their territory, or fight off other lamias). Doing so requires a lot of energy, and is a difficult form to maintain, even for the oldest, most powerful ones. Lamias can also turn into beautiful women to better attract men, their main source of food. They are also known to feed on human children, who are usually kidnapped from their homes and eaten whole. Lamias can feed on women and cattle too, but this is quite uncommon and usually only done in dire situations, like after a war. They are all females. Male lamias do not exist. This is another reason why they need men: they cannot reproduce by themselves.

Lamias usually live in family groups, composed by a matriarch and her (often many) daughters and her granddaughters. Once the matriarch dies, the eldest daughter takes her place, and so on and so forth. These groups can get quite large! So much so that sometimes, the oldest daughters might leave their mother to create their own pack somewhere else (usually due to lack of food and resources).While lamias prefer forest terrain and hotter climates, any place with a lot of hiding spots and a decent dry season is enough for them. It’s not uncommon to find them chilling amongst abandoned buildings, or in the mountains, in caves etc. they’re very adaptable, and while their wings might seem small, they’re still able to travel long distances to find a perfect place for them. Note: their wings are usually only accessible in full snake form.

Lamia culture is usually passed down orally from mother to daughter. They worship the Earth as the First Mother, from which every creature came, and to which every creature will return after death. Their rituals usually revolve around fertility, love, abundance of preys etc. I still don’t know if they believe in the afterlife, but they probably believe that once dead, they return to the womb of the First Mother, where they can rest in eternal bliss and be loved forever. With deforestation, poaching and human being less afraid of monsters in general, lamia population has greatly decreased, and with them being mortal, there could be a very concrete possibility that Lilith is the last lamia alive.

Lilith time for real this time Lilith is a sweetheart. A big softie and a hopeless romantic, perfectly content in her quiet life of preschool teacher. She likes cheesy romcoms, long walks and hot chocolate, but it wasn’t always that way for her. Born a little after the birth of the Roman Empire (around… 40/45 AD, she’s the youngest of the immortals), Lilith used to live in a secluded forest with her mother and sisters (and her daughters too, even if she didn’t have that many yet), occasionally luring men in, eating human flesh and generally having a good time. Think… Libia. Around there. I don’t know. Somewhere with both trees and Roman occupation, I’m not gonna pour more hours into this character PLEASE I’m doing all of this for free. Anyway, life was good for her and her family, until one day Cain passed through that forest, looking for a new place to live after he was exiled for the umpteenth time. Lilith immediately noticed the man and tried to entice him, but Cain (who had at least a couple of millennia more of experience) was not having it. He just wanted to leave the forest behind and find a new home, he didn’t have time to entertain a lamia, so he booked it out of there as soon as he could. Unfortunately, Lilith took that as a challenge and started chasing after him, hoping to tire him out enough to pounce him and put an end to his existence. The chase lasted two whole weeks by the way, but at that point Lilith was too stubborn to let it go. Cain was smart enough to always stop in densely populated areas as to lose his scent and get some extra protection (lamias and monster in general were already close to extinction at the time, and usually steered clear of human cities) but even with the best precautions, Lilith managed to corner him and finally get to him, but she was also exhausted after two weeks of constant chase, and could only knock him down and give him a couple of nasty bites. Cain still has the scars to this day. Sadly, Lilith was not aware of the other, worse part of Cain’s curse, so when she hurt him, her destiny took a turn for the worst. The man managed to wiggle free of her grasp, and while Lilith would have gladly chased after him some more, she realised she had been away from home for way too long, so turned back, only to find her beloved forest and family gone forever. In the weeks she was away, a Roman troop had levelled the forest, cutting down all the trees, killing her mother and sisters and selling her youngest daughters into slavery. She was desperate, and vowed to take revenge on the whole humankind, and that’s when things got even worse! Hearing her cries and pleads for revenge, Satan himself, king of hell, decided to pay her a visit. He offered her eternal life, a chance at taking back what was hers, and in return she would become his, in body and soul, and help him grow his army even further (which is a very fancy way of saying Lilith would become his wife, give him children, and he could also do whatever he wanted to her). Now, Lilith would have never accepted such a rotten deal, but she was incredibly desperate and in a very vulnerable position, and Satan knew that. He played her and used her trauma as an excuse to grow closer to her, promising her he would help her take revenge on the people who wronged her, and would even help her save some of her family, if there was anything to be saved.

Anyway, Lilith accepted the deal, and thus became immortal. Her new home was in Hell, ruling at Satan’s side… only he didn’t really want her ruling anything at all. He was a terrible husband, let me tell you. Once he secured the deal, Lilith was just another unfortunate soul to exploit, so he relegated her somewhere in Hell, and only came to visit once in a while, to check in on her and maybe send her on some errands. Pretty soon, Lilith became restless, and started pushing for her husband to hold up his end of the deal, only Satan wasn’t really planning to. In a fit of rage, he gouged out her eyes, and left her helpless and without sight. Luckily Lilith was immortal now, and losing her eyes didn’t kill her. She could even put them back in again, if Satan let her, but he usually kept her eyes hidden on him all the time, in a little satchel around his neck, only letting her have her sight back if he needed Lilith to run some errands for him. Satan kept her blind to control her better. After enough time, Lilith decided that a life of servitude to a man she didn’t even love wasn’t cutting it, so she walked out of Hell. She was strong, she could handle being blind, and even managed to snatch one of Satan’s little minions on the way out, her trusted Incubus. It was a meagre victory, but at least now she was free, and the Incubus useful enough. Sadly, there wasn’t much she could do about her revenge now. The Roman Empire had fallen while she was in hell, and the men who killed her family were already long dead and forgotten. She managed to meet Cain again after a while, in a different place, as different people, and the two actually became friends. This friendship would only grow stronger over the centuries, Lilith being one of the very few people Cain could be fully open, and while Cain could be considered the source of Lilith’s misery, she was quite understanding of the nature of his curse, and while it took some time, she came to understand that it wasn’t his fault.

Where is Lilith now. As said before, Lilith is now enjoying a quiet life. She works as a preschool teacher (children have always been her passion). She lives in the same city as the majority of the rest of the cast (her and Maggy are coworkers too!) and maintains a close friendship with Cain. Her magic has greatly diminished over the millennia because she firmly refuses to consume human flesh. She doesn’t really see the point in it anymore, since her whole family is gone and monsters are incredibly few. What little of her magic remains, she uses to keep a human form during the day, so she can work and run errands without much trouble. She could theoretically return to her full powers (and even transform fully into a lamia) with some generous blood donations, but it’s not really something she has any desire to do. Over the years she’s ha many relationships, some even quite serious, but tried her best not to have children. She doesn’t know if her immortality would be transferred to her daughters and doesn’t want to run the risk of seeing her children die. Incubus is still with her after all these years, and while she can’t exactly take him out like a normal pet, he can still follow her everywhere by hiding in her poofy hair. He loves it.

Other stuff that I couldn’t fit anywhere else

Lilith is not her real name! That’s just another name for her species, like calling someone “human”. Her real name is unpronounceable by a human mouth, and with lamias being basically extinct, she’s made her peace with the fact nobody will ever call her that again. While “Lilith” is not an ideal name (she prefers going by “Lily”) it’s still okay.

Can sustain herself with human food too! Just prefers her meat extra rare. This is how she maintains that little magic she needs to turn human.

Incubus is sentient, but to a lesser degree. He’s like a very intelligent animal (his ref is coming eventually I didn’t have time for it UGH)

I hope you enjoy her! I did not proofread anything of this, just take it.

#reincarnation AU (working title)#tboi reincarnation #tboi lilith #tboi #binding of isaac #the binding of isaac #tboi repentance #tboi rebirth #tboi au #pillart #lore post

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mantisgodsart · 7 months

Text

Looks To The Moon Anatomy Post

Because why not?

Rather than having the "normal" two eyes, our Moon has three! The semistandard two, and an overdeveloped parietal eye, which also serves as her forehead marking. As her biological parts are primarily engineered from reptile-equivalent organisms, she lacks an opaque eyelid, instead having a transparent nictitating membrane like a bird or a crocodile.

The surface of all three of her eyes are made largely of a specific (semi-shatterproof) form of borosilicate glass, and is protected by an engineered biofilm that keeps them clean and moist while repairing most damage done to the surface of the eye. Though not indestructible, the glass outer layer keeps mainly-organic inner workings safe from most potential damage more effectively than a more organic outer layer could, and can repair itself within a few days while its native biofilm is intact.

Now what, you might ask, can she see with those eyes?

Absolutely fucking nothing. She's legally blind. She's been drowned enough times that foreign bacteria have entirely outcompeted the biofilm that would normally protect her eyes and her eyesight consists mostly of blurs, smudges, and vague light levels. A lot of her pearl reading is reliant on the fact that pearls are encoded in a format that can be read with equipment imbedded directly into her puppet's arms. If she wasn't a computer then she just wouldn't be able to read anything due to damage to her eyes, her ocular nerves, and... hell, her entire nervous system.

Thankfully for her, there's not a whole lot that really needs vision beyond "a bunch of blurs". It's more than enough to tell if there's something in her can, and figuring out what that something is a lot easier when you're stuck inside a single room and your visitors are either Scavengers or Slugcats, who usually have enough color variance to semi-reliably tell apart. She leans a lot on Overseer footage for things that need fine visual interpretation, once she's got them, which is really not a lot since pretty much everything she might need to do can simply be routed through the computer that is her.

A screen is just a useful way to lay out information, and though not being able to interpret one is annoying, it's really not that big of a deal when she can just look at the raw data instead. The screen's already running on her. Pebbles is close enough to just run any communication through the connection between their superstructures. It's not like she needs to interpret subtle expressions in real-time video data from structures that are miles and miles away anymore, right?

#rain world #looks to the moon #rw lttm #art #our art #headcanons #sketch #writing #the overseer method has a lot of delay but she really isnt running anything where that delay would Matter #it works and her eyes are too far gone to repair by now anyways so good enough is good enough #unfortunately she cannot read braille because her chitin isnt actually sensitive enough to pick up the individual bumps

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gumnut-logic · 1 year

Text

It was a tropical island with the foliage to match. Ferns, palm trees, warm air, the distant sound of ocean with a breeze that caught in his hair.

Virgil found himself up high, sitting on a fat patch of moss in a protected nook far above the construction busily happening below.

From here he could see the footprint of the villa, the hole where the pool was going to go, his father directing operations like the commander he always was.

He had to admit, it was amazing.

Seeing the plans was one thing, seeing it being carved out of the volcanic rock was another.

In the distance sat the chiselled-out runway, another of Tracy Industries’ cargo planes coming into land. No doubt it was stock full of luxury fittings. Fancy doorknobs, Scott’s king-sized bed and other frivolities. But Virgil knew that under the disguise of rich eccentricities there were more important things.

The Island was riddled with secrets, most of which had been actioned long before the villa.

But now the house was the final piece. The topping on the cake. And it was amazing to watch it come together.

A scuff of boots on gravel and Virgil jumped.

“Relax, Virgil.” A gentle hand on his shoulder and his younger brother pulled up a chunk of moss beside him. John’s hair always lit up in the sun, almost a warning as to what that sun could do to that pale skin.

There must have been something on Virgil’s face, because John held up a hand. “I have sunscreen.”

“Sure you do, but is it on your face?”

The glare from his twenty-year-old brother tipped the scales into affirmative.

“Just checking.”

The glare turned into a frown. “What are you doing all the way up here?” A twist to his lips filled with put upon sarcasm. “Are you wearing sunscreen?”

Well, no, but then Virgil wasn’t used to thinking of that yet. His skin tended to brown with what little sun he picked up in Colorado. John, on the other hand, had been wearing the stuff since the day after he was born.

Virgil wasn’t going to admit that though. “I have protection.”

John snorted. “You’ll learn. This is the tropics, Virgil. Southern hemisphere, just that touch closer to that healing wound in the ozone layer.”

“I’m aware of the meteorological and geographical differences, John. I don’t need a space degree for that.”

His brother just shrugged. “It’s on you, big brother.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just because John was right didn’t mean he had to be all haughty about it.

“You started it, remember?” Turquoise eyed him along with an amused smirk.

Virgil shrugged it off and turned back to staring down at the construction below.

There was silence except for the sounds of nail guns and power tools bouncing off volcanic rock.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Virgil’s voice was quiet. “Yes, it is.”

“You okay?”

“Sure.”

Almost level with them, a huge bird that just had to be an albatross, wheeled past.

“Wow.” The word was out of his mouth without thought.

“There is a lot of wildlife out here.” John’s voice was matter of fact, lacking the feeling welling inside of Virgil. The wind tousled red hair and the artist inside suddenly had the urge to paint it. In fact, that was the source of it all, Virgil realised. He was inspired. To paint.

Everything.

“Have you spoken to Mel Fisher?”

“Huh?” The bird swooped back out over the caldera and Virgil’s eyes tracked it.

“The director of the Raoul scientific expedition. She should have some data on the species native to the island.”

“Oh, yeah, Gordon has been liaising with her.” It was a welcome distraction from the pool. Virgil had been both supportive and worried about Gordon’s obsession with the Olympics. Combined with his school studies and a gruelling training regime, these few weeks of family leave was exactly what was needed.

Of course, tropical island meant sea water that could replace the pool for that time and his little brother had been in the caldera every morning. Their father had spoken to the local authorities...aka Mel Fisher, newly appointed director of the Kermadec expedition on Raoul Island a few hundred kilometres south...about what wildlife existed in the region that could kill or injure an over enthusiastic Tracy fish. The list had been considerable.

Gordon had immediately parroted off what he knew about every single one of those lifeforms enough to glaze over his father’s eyes. The Tracy fish had then been referred to the Director.

The speech Mel had given him was long.

Three other Tracy brothers - John was the one escapee having been on the other side of the planet at the time - were dragged into it and lectured on the hazards of living in a wildlife dominated area.

The biggest danger was apparently death enacted by the Director should they impact the area in any way.

Even their father had taken a step back at the passion in the woman’s speech. Young, blonde and ready to kick a billionaire’s butt, if necessary.

She and Gordon had hit it off immediately.

A distracted smirk at John. It could be entertaining to see the spaceman encounter the eco-passionate Mel. “You guys need to meet.”

Far down below, his father yelled something at one of the workers. He stormed across the construction site and by the amount of gesturing, Virgil reckoned the man had committed at least a level three offence. Probably a safety deviation. Virgil was glad he wasn’t down there to hear the lecture.

“Have you spoken to Scott?”

It startled him. It shouldn’t have, but it did. His head was in the clouds and he obviously needed grounding. “Uh, yeah. He is okay as he can be.”

His big brother was suffering from an abrupt end to a career he thought would be his life. Honourable discharge was one thing, but after what his brother had given the Air Force, the strain behind those closeted eyes...

It was enough to sprout a permanent dislike of the military deep in Virgil’s soul.

“He is managing.” A breath. “This should help.”

The silence returned, both men lost in their thoughts.

“What are you two doing up here?”

It was inevitable really. Virgil looked up as his fish brother approached, his eyes curious. Gordon’s hair appeared permanently wet and sticking up in all directions. He had his latest loud shirt on, but it wasn’t buttoned up. Little more than flip flops protected his feet from the volcanic rock beneath them.

“I could ask you the same thing. Do I need to lecture you on appropriate footwear again?”

Gordon slumped. “God, Virg, when are you gonna loosen up?”

“When my brothers learn to look after themselves.”

“If you expect me to wear flannel and steel-tipped boots in this tropical climate, you are dreaming, bro. Not all of us want to smell like you.”

“What?!”

“You do the ‘working class man’ thing just a little too much, big bro. Have you noticed the humidity? We’re gonna have to invest in a deodorant factory if you keep wearing that outfit.”

Of course, John had to throw his dice into play. “Tracy Industries already has a personal hygiene department.”

Virgil turned his glare to his traitorous next younger brother.

“What? We do! We produce some very good quality products.”

“Next supply run, we’ll need to stock up for Virg.”

“Shut up, Gordon.”

He didn’t stink, did he? A sniff of his armpit would be too obvious and would just inspire more smart-ass remarks from his brothers. And yes, that was a plural. He could trust John about as far as he could throw him...though admittedly that was quite a distance nowadays, but still…

Gordon derailed that train of thought by dumping himself down beside Virgil. He smelt like seawater.

“So, we spying on Dad, or what?” Gordon pointedly stared down at their father who was still giving that one worker the riot act.

“No. Just came up here for the view.” It was the truth. Ocean for miles in the distance, Mateo and its birds, jagged rock, crystal clear water in the caldera, their future being built beneath his feet.

Gordon didn’t immediately answer and Virgil looked in his direction. He found a small smile on his little brother’s face as he stared down at the turquoise depths below them. It suddenly struck him, that of all of them, this move was going to be the best for Gordon. Surrounded by sea life and the very ocean he adored; his fish-loving brother would be in his element.

Once he landed himself that Olympic medal, finished high school and grew up.

Virgil blinked.

‘Grow up’ and ‘Gordon’ were interesting when combined.

He loved his little brother, but he was a handful. Without thinking, Virgil reached out a hand and squeezed Gordon’s shoulder. That prompted a quizzical look in his direction, but Virgil just smiled a little before letting go and returning to his gaze far down below.

“Gordy! Where are you?” The high-pitched voice of the youngest Tracy bounced freely about the rocks.

Gordon rolled his eyes and whispered. “Keep it quiet.”

Virgil frowned. “Why?”

“He’s looking for someone to play that stupid space game with him.”

That earned Gordon a clap around the ear.

“Hey, I played it with him all day yesterday!”

“You could have told me, Gordon.” John was frowning.

“That’s why I came looking for you! I figured if you beat him several times, I wouldn’t have to worry about it tomorrow.”

Virgil clapped him up the ear again.

“Ow! Quit it, Virg. I don’t see you volunteering.”

“No, I’m too busy with that stopwatch timing your ass.”

Gordon blinked. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“What are you guys doing up here?” Blond, blue-eyed and nine years old, little Alan bounced into the grotto and stared at the three of them before looking around. “Wow, this is a cool spot. You can see everything!”

The kid glared at Gordon for a second before pushing himself in between John and Virgil.

“Hey, sprout. What you been doing?”

“Looking for you guys. Gordon won’t play Star Hero with me.” Those blue eyes shot daggers at the next eldest brother.

“Maybe spending some time outside would be a good idea.”

“Aw, Virg. I’m nearly at the next level!”

Virgil reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders drawing him to his side. “But there is so much to see out here, Alan.”

“We’re gonna be here forever. I can see it then.”

A frown. “Allie, you okay?”

“I just wanna play Star Hero.” That was definitely a whine.

“Alan, if you drop the attitude, I’ll consider playing it with you tonight.” John’s voice was cool and clearly not tolerating his little brother’s tactics.

Alan lit up, eyes widening. “You will?! Be on my team?”

John arched an eyebrow. “As long as you don’t give me a silly name.”

“He called me Drockus Doofhead yesterday.” Gordon growled from Virgil’s other side.

“That’s because you are a doofhead. You don’t know the difference between a supernova and a nebula.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Prove it!”

“Hey, hey!” It had been quiet. It had been inspirational. Now... He shoved a finger in Gordon’s direction. “You, he’s nine. Give him a break.” Another finger in Alan’s face. “You. Respect others’ skills. Everyone is different. Consider how much Gordy does know that you don’t, how much he can help you and how much you can help him.”

The pout didn’t fully disappear, but Alan muttered something that could be considered an acknowledgement.

Virgil squeezed his shoulders, but didn’t say anything further. The breeze picked up a little and played with his hair. “Do you like the Island?” The question came out without thought and it stopped him in his tracks, suddenly wondering what his little brothers’ responses might be.

“Are you kidding? There are dolphins, Virg! I was swimming with dolphins this morning! This place is fantastic!”

Yeah, that was the response he expected from his fourteen-year-old fish.

“What about you, Allie?”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“Allie?”

“I’m gonna miss my friends.”

“You can still see your friends.”

“How?”

“Hololink.”

“Not the same.”

“We can fly in and out as much as you like.”

“Until you’re too busy.”

Silence fell over the grotto, returning it to its natural soundscape of distant waves, birds and the wind.

“I will never be too busy for you, Alan.” The deep voice of his eldest brother broke into the grotto and Virgil’s heart lurched. He looked up to find Scott staring down at their little group. He was still pale, the gash at his temple still pink with healing.

The walking stick in his hand was being leant on heavily.

“What the hell are you doing all the way up here?” Virgil shot to his feet and hurried over, grabbing his big brother’s arm almost terrified he would fall on his face.

“Can it, Virgil. I’m fine.”

Virgil ignored him. “Sit down.” His three other brothers shuffled over to make room and the recovering pilot rolled his eyes before lowering himself awkwardly down onto the moss carpet.

“I should be asking you that question. Is this a meeting I missed the memo for?”

“No. I just came up here for some quiet.”

Scott snorted. “Really?”

“Well, I didn’t expect a family convergence.”

“Can’t escape us, Virg.” Gordon was grinning.

“Wasn’t trying to, Gordo.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“What?”

“Well, why do you think we’re all up here? You’ve been disappearing every afternoon for days. We had to ask Brains to ping your locator.”

“What?!”

A hand landed on his arm and he turned away from Gordon to find Scott staring at him. “Maybe you should answer your own question, Virgil. Do you like the Island?”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

So, he closed it again.

It wasn’t just a question of his liking the Island. The eldest three knew far more than the youngest two. Exactly why they were moving to this isolated chunk of rock.

Scott squeezed his arm. “Johnny is in a star man’s paradise with his observatory, and you know my opinion.” He certainly did. Scott was itching to get back into the sky with that rocket plane. “But I don’t recall hearing your thoughts lately.”

“You know my answer. I agreed.”

Eyes as blue as the sky above them interrogated him. “But what about now that we are here?”

“I agreed.” This was not something he wanted to talk about in front of Gordon and Alan. Hell, Gordon’s amber eyes were as sharp as anything. “This place is beautiful.” It was. As if to emphasise the statement, the albatross reappeared from behind them. Its massive wings were hardly moving to keep it aloft. It coasted above, its eyes passing over all five brothers. “I think we can be happy here.” He hoped.

That hand squeezed his arm again and the grotto fell into a thought-filled silence.

The albatross caught a thermal and rose far above the Island.

Virgil watched it grow smaller and smaller.

Scott’s hand did not leave his arm.

Alan clambered around Gordon and curled up next to Scott. Just as Virgil had done earlier, Scott automatically reached out an arm and pulled him close.

Gordon threw a nasty glare at his little brother, stood up, stomped around Alan and Scott and pointedly dumped himself on the other side of Virgil. There may have been an exchange of raspberries between the two youngest, but Virgil tuned them out to protect his sanity.

He did not fail to notice John closing the gap left by Gordon and sidling up next to their littlest brother.

He ignored the sputtering of the fourteen-year-old he grabbed and drew close to his side in a sudden need for closeness. His other arm snaked around behind Scott, snagged John’s collar and gave a yank. The astronaut let out a yelp and nearly fell on Alan. Virgil’s fist caught in the back of his shirt and he managed to sandwich all his brothers together.

“Virgil!” His name was protested vehemently, but he had to smile when none of his brothers pulled away.

“Love you guys.”

Various sputterings of affirmation had him grinning outright. Gordon was literally squirming.

“Love you, too, Virgil.” Alan’s high-pitched voice was refreshingly honest.

“Thanks, squirt.” It was whispered.

Scott’s hand moved from his arm to wrap around Virgil’s back. A tired forehead dropped gently onto his shoulder.

His big brother didn’t say anything.

He didn’t have to.

Virgil’s voice was rough. “Dad has called this place Tracy Island. We are the Tracys. Let’s make it ours.”

“Except the crabs.”

A blink. “What?” He stared at Gordon.

The kid was still under his arm, but was grinning up at him, mischief in every line.

“Half the crabs are on the endangered list. Mel has already laid claim to them.”

Another blink and Virgil just drew his little fish in tighter.

“Oh, god, Virg, need to breathe.”

A laugh welled up and burst out of Virgil from somewhere deep inside.

“I’m glad you find this funny.” The words were perturbed and put out, but John’s struggles were strangely in vain. Alan put an end to them by wrapping his arm around his astronaut brother and dragging him even further into the pile.

No one could resist the squirt.

They sat there together, quiet except for a few sputters from the fishy teenager.

Down below Dad was waving his arms around in front of the tiny figure of Brains.

The sun glittered off the turquoise caldera.

Virgil smiled.

They were the Tracys.

And this was their Island.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #virgil tracy #scott tracy #gordon tracy #john tracy #alan tracy #nuttyfic reblog

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notwarriorswiki · 1 year

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Have you made any changes to the tribe? P.s. love your blog

They're still a work in process as I wanted to be sure I'm thorough in my research and understanding to fix the issues presented in the books regarding the portrayal of The Tribe of Rushing Water. Arguably they are just going to be a separate group entirely, however I am preserving their general """existence""" specifically in regards to Lark's story, Feathertail, and Brook.

Still playing with their name, but I'm considering calling them simply The Cats of the Twelve Pillars, in reference to the mountain points that surround their territory. I think no matter what, using Tribe in the name will illicit the thought of Native American culture, which I do not want. They should simply be another group of cats. I'll take suggestions but again, still brainstorming.

Stoneteller has nine lives now.

Jayfeather has no involvement in "deciding" their new leader, nor are any of the clan cats reincarnations of ancient tribe cats for that matter. But yes, the mountain cats are capable of handling their own political affairs without needing the clan cats.

The "silver cat savior" prophecy is reworked, and rather than the clan cats being presented as saviors for the tribe, Stoneteller simply receives a message foretelling their travels and to grant them safe passage. Feathertail dying fighting off Sharptooth is not a prophecy nor destiny, but truly a sacrifice that involved Feathertail being the kind and earnest person she was. She'd die protecting any body of cats, clan cat or not. The mountain cats honor her because she helped them in warding off this danger, but she is no deity, nor is Stormfur confused for one.

Brook and Stormfur are still a couple, but it's just two cats who fall in love. By removal of the savior prophecy, my hope too was to remove the feeling of Stormfur being presented as a "white savior" who falls in love with "tribal woman" Brook.

The group is equal to the Clans. Clan cats do specialize in battle culture and thus their fighting skills and tactics are better developed, but the Mountain Cats have better hunting and mediation skills. They're capable of taking down large birds of prey, something truly clan cats cannot do. The Mountain Cats are shocked at the idea an owl carried off a full grown clan cat.

Mountain cats aren't complete fucking assholes who can't ask for help ever and literally kick out people who merely suggest a differing opinion. Unless Stoneteller was corrupt, that shouldn't be the culture.

No, Jayfeather also didn't found the group, create democracy, create prophecies, none of that. No time travel or historical interference from him, nor anyone.

Mountain Cats matters are decided via voting. Stoneteller's duty as leader is more of an advisor and caretaker to the people. Unlike clan leaders who have a sense of final say in clan culture, Stoneteller is simply guidance, and the group's matters are decided via the casting of stones by all members of the group who are of age.

Additional Rank added - Advisors. There are three of them at a time - one being the Head Guard, one being the Head Prey-Hunter, and finally one being the Head Caregiver. They are appointed through voting by their respective groups and are more of the political leaders of the Tribe, communicating change and speaking for the people to the Stoneteller as they work together to make decisions.

Additional Rank added - Caregivers. Cats who decide to focus on caring for their clanmates and learn medicine, as well as tend to the young, mothers, and elderly.

Naming is changed - Kits go unnamed beyond fond nicknames and identifiers from their parents until they are old enough to begin their training. It is here they receive their first trial, and explore the mountain territories. Upon the completion of this escapade and absorbing all they learned their first day, the unnamed cat declares their own name. For example, Brook was affectionately called Grays for her distinct gray eyes. She chose her own name of Brook after witnessing the beautiful wear the water erosion made, marking their territory like claw marks of history.

Mother does not name kit after "the first thing she sees".

It's a work in progress, and while there are facets of the Warrior Cats series that are eyebrow raising, I do not intend to remove the use of Clan, or change the naming system for the main clans for instance. I will be changing Medicine Cat to either Medic or Mender - though that class will eventually be divided later into the Healer and Seer roles.

I'm happy to answer more questions, and most of all wish to be educated if I do miss certain things I did not discuss here. Thank you for your understanding :)

#warrior cats #po12

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teecupangel · 10 months

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Desmond as a maned wolf for the animal desmond asks?? With their long legs, they're so elegant looking!

(One of these days, I will tag all the Desmond turns to an animal ideas but today is not that day)

Oh my god. Look how elegant maned wolves look:

Those legs… dammnn.

Unfortunately, this does mean that Desmond would be eye-catching, especially if we take in consideration how they’re native to Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay so… any timeline we put him in, he’s gonna catch people’s attention.

Unorganized Notes:

Altaïr would definitely try to keep him in Masyaf because he’s so eyecatching. Desmond starts making noises that sounds like he’s dying whenever Altaïr tries to leave him behind so he gets to come along but they make a compromise and Desmond needs to stay in the bureau. Desmond does use his long limbs to jump out of the bureau using the rooftop exit and guards who see him just freerunning on rooftops would swear they have seen a devil dog who can ‘fly’. Altaïr ignores all that rumors because he’d just get a headache if he admits Desmond has been leaving the bureau and the Rafiqs (and Malik) don’t bother to tell Altaïr what his ‘pet wolf’ has been up to because they know Altaïr knows.

Desmond would stay in Monteriggioni because Ezio asks him to protect his mother and sister. He likes to hunt birds and the servants in Monteriggioni knows that he’s requesting them to pluck the feathers whenever he brings his prey into the kitchen. They would give him a basket filled with the plucked and clean feathers that he would give to Maria in hopes of helping her. Everyone is wondering how Desmond knows about Maria’s ‘feather collection’ but they just try to reason that the wolf must have seen Ezio do it and is copying his ‘master’. Maria doesn’t miraculously get better but Desmond is sure he’s doing something good because Maria had started petting him whenever he brings a new basket of feathers. Plus... The kitchen staff always have fresh birds to serve.

Ratonhnhaké:ton definitely takes him with him but he always asks Desmond to stay in the forest if he’s going to cities. Desmond stays… for an hour then uses the rooftops to navigate the city where Ratonhnhaké:ton is. Ratonhnhaké:ton is never surprised and, really, Ratonhnhaké:ton is sure Desmond is more intelligent than most animals and treats him like they’re equals, much to the confusion (or derision) of others.

#desmond is turned into an animal subgenre #apparently that’s a thing now #desmond as a maned wolf #assassin's creed #desmond miles #altaïr ibn la'ahad #ezio auditore #ratonhnhaké:ton #connor kenway #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: assassin's creed #ask and answer

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leebrontide · 1 year

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Growing a tea garden?

Full disclosure, I once had an actual Camellia sinensis tree that I loved dearly and flowered for me and was such a joy. But I misunderstood some aspects of taking care of it, and after 2 years, I lost it, which was tragic. I've yet to find another one in an in-person shop near me, so I remain tea-less, technically.

BUT, last summer I found out that there's something called New Jersey Tea. Which, despite the English name, is native to a lot of northern North America, including my own area. And native planting is always a thrilling bonus for me.

Look at it! It's so pretty!

Perfect for a combo native prairie/English cottage garden vibe that's going to go well with all our fruit plants. Being native it's not fussy and I can mostly plant it and forget it, which is ideal. Plus it's a pollinator favorite.

There's a sort of mostly-dug-up garden along the back porch because the previous owners took some apparently massive rhubarbs with them. It's a sunny spot with some decent soil, so a good spot for a garden, and plus then you'd be hanging out with these nice, aromatic plants.

Supposedly, when it's fresh the leaves have an almost wintergreen taste, but when dried it tastes like a spiced black tea. It has no caffeine. It was also supposedly a huge favorite during the US revolution, when tea imports were difficult.

So, then I started thinking about what OTHER plants I can use for making tea that will grow in my frigid home climate.

Canadian Ginger

Just like now New Jersey Tea has no particular relation to Camelia, this is nothing to do with the tropical grown ginger, which is the ginger you probably think of. BUT, it has a deeper ginger taste.

Swamp Mallow Hibiscus

So, again, you think of Hibiscus as being tropical. I only thought to check because one of my neighbors has a bigass deep red hibiscus that's been flowering away every summer for years. Apparently it's some kind of hybrid situation that lets them grow here.

I thought this sort of coloration would look better with the kind of garden I've got going, since I don't want to look tropical.

I adore hibiscus tea. It's tangy, it's colorful. It's refreshing. but I'll be honest, I haven't been able to find any reviews of what the flavor of these hybrids is. If you happen to know, please pass on your knowledge to me.

Fireball Bee Balm

This may shock you, but bee balm is another very pollinator friendly plant. I'm looking to get the fireball type specifically because I like this crimson color. the more common colors are between lavender and hot pink, which are not so much my jam. Plus, it's another native plant to my area!

They have the added bonus of being on the short side, and bunnies don't really like them, so they can form a perimeter around my tea garden to protect the other plants. We have a serious lack of predators in my neighborhood and the rabbits are OUT OF CONTROL. Last winter they ate every one of my cherry shrubs and my entire raspberry bramble down to the ground at the old house. I don't know what we need to do to get some birds of prey over here but we could use them.

Bee balm flavor is a little mint, a little oregano, and a little bit citrus, so that's a natural for tea.

Rose Hips

Apparently you CAN look up which kinds of roses have the tastiest rosehips! Rose hips are the seed of the rose, are in the same botanical family as apples. These are a few of the tastier heirloom varieties I've located. I likely won't plant all three of them. My porch isn't that big and I want to leave a lot of room for the new jersey tea.

Rosehips are lightly floral and tart/citrusy and are a fantastic source of vitamin C. You can of course also eat the flowers, but I don't plan to. My grandma always wore tea-rose perfume and I don't really want to drink a tea that feels like drinking how gramma smelled.

The two lefthand roses are both tree roses (from the middle ages!!), the one on the right is much more low-growing. So I suspect how I end up arranging these will determine which we get.

Anise Hyssop

Proper anise (the flavor for licorice) also doesn't grow here, BUT, anise hyssop has a similar flavor from the mint family. Again, it's usually a purple or pink color, but I CAN find it in an apricot tone, which I love.

Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle

Native to IA, not MN but still in the general right biome and so pretty resilient here. I only found out in researching tea gardens that the flowers make for tasty, very sweet, lightly floral tea! I knew you could drink the nectar out of them but this was news to me. And, of course, they make everything around them smell amazing.

I have 16 feet to work with, so plenty of room for plants.

A few other plants that wont be in the garden proper are raspberries, whose leaves have a milder and easy to store version of the fruit flavor, and mint. Both of these though are tremendously prone to conquering any area around them, and so they need some extra containment. We don't really do year-round container gardening here because the roots freeze and kill almost anything. But, the boulevard between the front sidewalk and the street, under the big maple tree, is slated for mint seeding in the spring, and the side garden already has raspberries I'll tell you about on another day.

Chamomile, lavender and echinacea all grow here and are thought to make tasty and healthful tea but...I don't like the flavor of any of them, so they aren't invited.

If you have other plants to suggest, let me know!

#Stormbrew House #gardening #tea #tea garden #long post #gardenblr #gardeners on tumblr #garden planning #Stormbrew Garden

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