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newvegascowboy · 1 year

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food & agriculture in fallout: extrapolation and speculative worldbuilding

Okay, well. This is going to be an extremely long and data heavy post. Bear with me.

I'm going to go into detail about the crops and available food given to us canonically and textually. I'm going to be drawing some real world parallels between the crops we see in Fallout and what we have here. I'll be pulling relevant data from all the games, but the majority focus on this post is going to be about the east coast and Massachusetts in particular because it gives us the opportunity to participate in the agricultural climate of the wasteland.

Is there a point to this? Not really, but I'm pedantic and I take things too seriously.

my sources will be linked in the text throughout. for those of you who want to read about agricultural and growing zones of the continental united states, please follow me under the cut.

Growing zones and real world agriculture

Shown here are the growing zones of the united states, divided into a temperature map of about 19 different regions. It's fairly intuitive to read -- colder temperatures are north and east, while warmer temperatures are south and west. The majority of the Mojave desert sits between 7a to 9a, a temperature range of about 20 degrees. DC and the nearby section of the southeast coast sits between 7a and 8a. The interactive map linked below will tell you where your growing zone sits.

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones and further divided into 5-degree F half-zones.

For the moment, we are going to focus on Massachusetts.

Using the temperature above, we can see that the growing zone of Massachusetts is 5a (-20f) at it's very coldest, all the way to 7b, (5f) at it's warmest during winter. Most of what we see in fallout 5 sits in the 6a to 6b zone, which is middle ground during the winter, but cold enough to want to warrant crops that can withstand the frost.

There is a solid 5 month window for planting annual crops, like corn, melons, and gourds like pumpkin. Your perennial crops are limited to fruit trees and possibly grains, depending on the variety and whether or not a perennial variety has been bred.

Cold weather crops include beets, carrots, greens like cabbage, collards, kale, and potatoes. These aren't the types of crops that will survive the winter as much as these are foods that can go in the ground as soon as it is unfrozen enough to be workable. Root vegetables and greens can germinate in soil as cold as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which provides some leeway with unpredictable frosts and late planting times.

Much of the agricultural landscape of Massachusetts is dependent on the dairy industry, farming cattle, and aquaculture -- fishing and catching shellfish. Those with access to the coasts, fish and shellfish ought to provide protein during lean months.

Why are we talking about this? Well, if we're stepping into the shoes of a subsistence farmer in the fallout universe, we're going to have to take into account climate and ideal planting times for certain crops. It's not wholly important in terms of things like fic writing, unless you happen to be writing about the life and times of wasteland agriculture, in which case, I hope this is helpful! Again, I am pedantic, and this section is to provide a template when considering and discussing other parts of the game and what their specific diet and agricultural landscapes might look like.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about how farms might function in the Mojave, for instance, or if you're doing worldbuilding for a different part of the US.

Crops in the fallout universe

Now that we're familiar with growing zones and why certain crops are planted and when, we're going to apply some speculative worldbuilding to fallout itself. We will be revisiting growing zones when we talk about other climates, but for the moment, we're going to focus on fallout 4.

Now to preface -- I don't think that the food that is given to us in game is wholly representative of the plants or animals that survived the apocalypse. If some managed to mutant and survive, I'm willing to bet others did. I certainly won't deduct any points from anyone who wants to talk about growing cotton, or farming peaches or cherries, and I won't raise any eyebrows if someone includes things like spices into their wasteland cuisine.

In the 210+ years since the bombs fell, I do not think that the majority of the US is a desolate wasteland, but this post is not going to be my beef with the devs about how brown everything is. This beef is about food in particular. However, for sake of ease, I'm mostly just going to focus on the food that is presented to us in game.

There will be some extrapolation and speculation later, but if I do that for everything, then we'll be here all day, and we've all got things to do.

I would also be remiss to mention that agriculture in the US is old. It predates colonialism. The Native Americans cultivated the land long before any European settlers. They practiced a type of crop growing referred to as Three Sisters planting, which utilized corn, pole beans, and squash -- all things that exist in the agricultural landscape of Fallout as we know it.

Corn

I'm not going to say much about corn because there's not a lot to say about it. We all know what corn is. Fallout's corn is visually similar to wild violet, a hybrid corn.

But I am not going to say Fallout's corn is one such variety or another. In the 210 years since the bombs dropped, I imagine corn varietals have been bred and interbred a thousand times, and it is probably it's own unique strain. It's kind of a moot point. Corn is corn. You can do with yellow corn what you can do with wild violet, and whatever special breeds that make up Fallout's corn.

Corn is the third largest plant-based food source in the world. Despite its importance as a major food in many parts of the world, corn is inferior to other cereals in nutritional value. Its protein is of poor quality, and it is deficient in niacin. Diets in which it predominates often result in pellagra (niacin-deficiency disease). Corn is high in dietary fibre and rich in antioxidants.

You can do a shit ton with corn. It's a staple grain. It would not be incongruous with the fallout setting to have settlers making tortillas, cornbread, polenta, grits, tamales, etc. Corn can also be used to make corn whiskey. The husks can be spun into yarn and woven into garments similar to cotton, which I thought was interesting and also solves the problem of where the hell wastelanders are getting their clothes. Corn can be used as livestock feed, especially in the winter when cattle can't graze. While corn is a staple grain of the US, the east coast has minor corn production compared to places like the midwest. Corn is a staple, but it does not consist of the entire diet of your average wastelander.

Carrots

Not going to say much about carrots either. They're carrots. They grow well in colder soil and tend to have a lot of natural sugars. The carrots we're shown in FO4 seem to be a mutated variety different than the "fresh carrot" consumable in FNV, but there's virtually no difference, so I'm not counting it. Make some carrot cake.

Razorgrain

"This species appears to be quite promising. It's a toothy grain that we may be able to grind in order to replace wheat, which is untenable in the Wasteland. We are uncertain how to increase crop yields, which are very unpredictable. Will continue to study."

Razorgrain is our first unique mutated crop in the fallout setting. It most closely resembles a barley or a rye. Both are a fairly hardy species and can grow all across the continental united states; rye can germinate in cold weather temperatures. It wouldn't be outrageous to assume that razorgrain is similar too or a crossbred variation of both rye and barley. I have decided to base the majority of my research assuming it is a barley variant. Barley is also a major crop on the east coast near the Commonwealth, so that would explain why razorgrain is present in FO4 and not in the other games.

Barley requires a mild winter climate and can grow in growing zones 3-8, so it would be viable in Massachusetts. Barley can be milled into flour and it contains gluten; the gluten content of North American wheat and barley tends to be higher to survive the colder climates, so razorgrain would likely be very glutenous. It is also less susceptible to ergot than rye, but barley can still become infected -- and, I am assuming, razorgrain could as well.

Razorgrain fills the nutritional niche of carbohydrates and can be used to make breads, cakes, pastas, etc. It produces darker breads that have an earthier flavor than milled white flour. There has to be some method of actually milling the grain, though, which is an intensive process that can often be dangerous. Grain can also be used to make malted candy, which is our first option for wastelanders with a sweet tooth. Obviously, razorgrain can also be used to make malt or grain alcohol and is probably the source of all the beer you find littered around the wasteland.

Gourds and melons

Gourds and melons are actually a part of the same family, Cucurbita. The category of 'gourd' covers several different kinds of vegetables, including ornamental fruits that shouldn't be eaten. We aren't going to spend a whole lot of time on this one, simply because canon doesn't tell us that much and there's a lot of wiggle room in terms of interpretation.

FO4's model looks the most similar to a pumpkin, but it could be some other squash varietal from the Cucurbita family, which includes watermelon, honey melon, cucumber, squash, zucchini and pumpkin.

Melons is another pretty broad category. Melons and squash are part of the same family, as mentioned above. If we're going visuals again, the model is likely intended to resemble a watermelon. Watermelons grow best in humid and semi-arid environments between 70 and 8- degrees Fahrenheit. It's not impossible for wastelanders to be growing watermelons, but considering the humidity and frequent rainfall in Massachusetts, the melons would be vulnerable to fungal infections.

There isn't a lot of information on what specifically gourds and melons are in the fallout universe, so you could get away with writing in a pretty wide variety. Personally, I lean a little bit towards melons being a muskmelon variety, like cantaloupe or honeydew. Squash fills in some vitamin requirements for the human diet, and can be canned and stored for winter. It tends to be high in vitamin C and magnesium.

The limit to this one seems to be your imagination. Go crazy.

Mutfruit

This wiki claims that the mutfruit (it has a scientific name apparently, malus maata) is a mutated species of apple and crabapple. There are two different wikis about the mutfruit, both distinct. The first is linked above. The second is linked here -- I got most of my information from this second wiki.

There is a handful of "canon" information we can take from this set of wikis.

Priscilla Penske in Vault 81 is attempting to create foods that have increased resistance to radiation. She mentions the mutfruit would do well, but isn't certain how the hybridization would affect the flavor and texture.[5]

This claim is taken directly from the second wiki, but in comparison, it makes no sense. If the mutfruit tree is a product of mutation, then radiation shouldn't really affect it at all. It's survived and propagated to this point, hasn't it? I am disregarding this claim on the basis of being stupid.

Farmers in at Warwick homestead will comment on the fruit's characteristics, such as tasting sweet and being versatile in recipes.[1][2] The vault dwellers of Vault 81 trade for mutfruit with the outside world, and use it to make special occasion desserts such as pie.[6][7]

If the mutfruit is an apple variant, then it likely has a high sugar content, and it would have to be harvested in the peak of summer or in early fall.

There are fresh apples the be found across the wasteland, implying the existence of apple trees that have been unaffected by the bombs. Personally, I was assuming that the mutfruit was some kind of blackberry, given its appearance as a clustered fruit, or maybe even a type of plum. Regardless, the mutfruit is a fruit, which means that it would preserve well by being jarred or canned, has a high sugar content, and could likely be reduced to form sugar syrups. Like any fruit, it could be used to make alcohol.

Tatos

I want to stop myself from editorializing too much, but goddamn tatos. The crop that makes the least goddamn sense in the fallout universe. The bane of my existence. Let's get into it.

First off, we're given some pretty damning canon facts about tatos:

Tatos are a mutated hybrid of the cross-pollination of the tomato and potato plants.[1] The new consumable looks like a tomato on the outside, but the inside is brown.[2] Commonly cultivated in the Commonwealth, Appalachia and on the Island, its fruit is easy to grow and can keep one from starving, but their taste is described as "disgusting"[2][3][Non-game 1] and resembling "ketchup-flavored cardboard."[1]

According to some old botany texts we found, this appears to be combination of a now extinct plant called a "potato" and another extinct plant called a "tomato." The outside looks like a tomato, but the inside is brown. Tastes as absolutely disgusting as it looks, but will keep you from starving.

Note: This text was written from the perspective of someone who is unaware that both the tomato and the potato are being cultivated elsewhere. The writer also does not mention any sort of DNA test. However, the potato is also found in the Capital Wasteland, and the writer is a scribe in the Brotherhood of Steel, which originated from that area.

Both potatoes and tomatoes are from the nightshade family. They have the same nutrient requirements, and would compete for resources if planted separately but in the same soil. There is a method for planting them together where you splice a tomato stalk onto a potato root, but this is not the same as cross pollination and will not result in what fallout presents as a tato. What will happen is that the roots will grow potatoes and the fruit of the tomato will branch off the stems.

The potato itself is a stem tuber -- high in starch and calorically dense. A stem tuber is an offshoot of the parent plant that will grow beneath the soil as a type of asexual budding reproduction. We all know what a potato is. The tomato is a berry. It's the ovary of a flowering plant -- again, we all know what a tomato is.

I am going to give Fallout a little bit of grace and not comment on how mind bendingly stupid their description of a tato is. The outer skin is a tomato, but the inside is brown and starchy like the potato? I am not going to comment on how it makes little to no biological sense. The starchy tuber is starchy because it's an energy and nutrient storage device. The tomato is the enlarged ovary of a fruit. Why did those things, which are separately very good, combine into one very terrible thing? I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I don't really want to think about it. But these are the facts as they are given to us in game and I suppose I have to live with that. Obligatory "goddamn you todd howard. a pox on your house."

The tato is probably extremely calorically dense. It's specifically mentioned as being easy to grow and it is a better alternative to starving. It's probably grown as a staple crop throughout the planting season. I'm not entirely sure if the tato can produce glycoalkaloids like the potato does (that is, the green sections of the potato that can become poisonous when exposed to light) but if they can, and if stored improperly, it would negatively impact the health of whoever ate them.

I suppose since the taste is so offensive, tatos are better served as a carrier of some other type of food. Fried, mashed, baked -- the purpose of the tato is simply to get calories into your body. Starch can also be turned into alcohol, which I am going to need a lot of after reading the canonical facts of this stupid fucking plant.

Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Rulebook p.158: "A mutated hybrid of the pre-War tomato and potato plants, with the stem and reddish skin of the former and the brownish flesh of the latter. Tatos provide decent nutrition, but taste disgusting. However, they’re relatively easy to grow and thus are a staple of wasteland agriculture and is an ingredient in a variety of recipes."

fucker

"non farmable" crops

You can't cultivate these plants, but again - we're taking what's given to us and interpreting it extremely literally. There is no reason that these crops could not be domesticated and farmed.

Siltbean

Siltbean is likely a type of bushbean, rather than a pole bean. It's squat and low to the ground. Bush beans require little care or attention and you can pick them when you're ready to harvest them. Historically in North America, beans and corn were grown side by side (though those beans were pole beans using the stalks as support). Bush beans require successive plantings since harvests are early.

There's no good allegory for what type of bean this might be. The potato bean (Apios americana) is native to North America and also produces edible tubers, but there's no reason this couldn't be just some other type of bean. No beans that I could find had red/orange pods.

Beans are a good source of both proteins and carbohydrates, and another crop that can store well for the winter.

Tarberry

Tarberry is a little iffy, considering it is farmed by the ghouls at The Slog, but they're the only farm shown capable (or willing?) to farm the berries. Originally, I had assumed that tarberries were a type of mutated cranberry, and I thought the wiki was supporting me in that claim by saying this:

Tarberries are small, dusty orange berries of the tarberry plant. It is a water-grown crop similar to cranberries.

But cranberries themselves are also canon in the world of Fallout. So who knows! There's no canon information presented on the tarberry's characteristics, so it can be treated the same as any other fruit or berry.

Fungus variants

Glowing fungus: Glowing fungus is one of the few real world equivalents we have. It is a Japanese mushroom called Enoki. It is also farmable as shown in FNV at Hell's Motel.

Brain fungus: This is harvestable, but there aren't any "crops" shown as we would consider them. Considering it's benefits as a mentat replacement, then it's likely that there could be a dedicated space for growing it.

Food and Plants mentioned in the text

Potato

Thank god almighty, potatoes are canon in the universe of Fallout. Fresh potatoes are found as consumables in FO3 and FNV but potatoes are also mentioned in the text of FO4:

Mentioned in dialogue -- {Angry} Shut up Jake. If I hear anything out of either of you, you'll both be peeling potatoes for the next year.

I'm taking this as word of god. Potatoes are canon and I don't care what anyone says.

Tomato

Tomatoes are mentioned in the text, but are never actually seen in game. The only hint that this plant survived extinction is this excerpt from the wiki.

Note: As fresh tomatoes and potatoes are seen in the Mojave Wasteland as of 2281, with the potato seen in the Capital Wasteland as of 2277, the claim of either's extinction by 2287 in the Commonwealth Plant Database could be taken to mean local extinction in east coast regions, as opposed to global extinction. This entry may also just be in error.

There's potential for leeway here, but take it as you will!

Fresh apple

We discussed this back up in the mutfruit section of the essay, but the existence of fresh apples implies the existence of non mutated apple trees. They're found in both FO3 and FNV as a consumable item, so the apple tress have either proliferated across the continental united states, or multiple varieties survived the bombs.

Fresh pear

See above. Pears are also naturally high in pectin, which makes them useful for making jams and preserves.

Pinto beans

Pinto beans are a consumable in FNV and is another W in the bean category of the agricultural landscape.

Jalepeno

Look, I'm picking out this one specifically because I need to believe that other spices and peppers exist in the world. Where would we be without her? Nowhere good.

Raw sap

I am going to say that sap collecting is probably where most of the sugars and sweeteners in the wasteland come from. It's relatively easy to tap trees and collect sap, and it only takes a few hours to reduce the sap down into useable syrup.

Wild Blackberry, Lime, Cranberries, as well as Watermelon as being distinct from simply 'melon' are all mentioned in the text. The list of fruits mentioned or found in the games can be found here.

Animal husbandry

Fallout doesn't give us a lot of canonical information on the animal side of farming. The biggest real world agricultural export of Massachusetts is dairy and cattle farming. Chickens are canon in the worldbuilding of fallout as of Far Harbor, but canon feels both restrictive and extremely loose with regards to what animals can be cared for and how.

We aren't going to spend a whole lot of time on this one, only because the information is pretty limited.

Brahmin

There are plenty of brahmin found throughout the landscape of the wasteland. We most commonly see them as either livestock or beasts of burden. Things like milk, cheese, and other dairy products would be common if a farm has access to dairy cows. The investment to raise cows would be enormous for a subsistence farmer. Dairy cows would likely be kept for a number of years, where steers would be raised 12 to 24 months before being slaughtered; they'd likely be grass fed in the summer and corn or grain fed in the winter. Leather and beef would be products, of course, and things like soap and candles can be made from the beef tallow.

Chickens

Chickens are largely easy to keep and care for, producing eggs and necessary proteins. Chickens can provide niacin, filling in the nutritional gap that would be left by a heavy corn based diet. The investment for keeping chickens is lower than raising brahmin, but so is the payoff.

Bighorners

Bighorners are mutated bighorn sheep native to the American Southwest.[1] Humans have since domesticated them for their horns, meat, milk, and hides,[2][3]

Granted, bighorners are only seen in FNV, but I don't think there's any reason they couldn't have migrated east. In the text, it says they're kept for meat and milk, but there's no reason that they shouldn't provide a fleece as well. In the colder climate of Massachusetts, they would find value in wool, which can keep its warmth even when wet. They may be sparse across the commonwealth, but that would make wool and fleece all that much more valuable.

Fish

Yeah, I know. Technically we can't fish in Fallout (and depending on the game you play, you might not even know what a fish is). But aquaculture is huge in Boston, and with access to the coasts, it's completely fair to say that fish, shellfish, and hydroponics is a completely viable source of food in the wasteland. We see dead fish washed up on shore all the time, along with whatever the hell those shark things are. There should be fisheries and fishing towns all along the coasts.

New Vegas and Fallout 3

Consulting our growing zone chart, we can see that much of the southwest sits between 7b to 8b. The winters in the southwest are fairly mild, and while you can get seeds in the ground sooner, the majority of the battle is going to be finding a reliable water source.

The farming we see in New Vegas has one distinct notable inclusion: the NCR sharecropper farm.

The sharecroppers are growing a number of crops, including maize, tobacco, pinto beans, and honey mesquite. Corn can handle hot, arid weather, it's just not commercially grown out west. Barley can also handle hot, arid climates, and razorgrain would be suitable for the western front -- maybe we can assume it's made it's way that far west and is being cultivated alongside corn.

Most of the plants we see in FNV aren't the type we would see typically domesticated for agricultural use, but that doesn't mean people haven't adapted to their surroundings. It makes a lot of sense for locals to have domesticated local plants like prickly pear and banana yucca. There are a number of fresh produce items to be found as consumables, alongside local fruits the local fruits.

Heat-loving plants are best suited for summer production in desert climates. The plant families that fit into the heat-loving category are nightshade or Solanaceae (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) and squash or Cucurbitaceae (cucumbers, melons, summer and winter squash). Corn and beans also perform best in hot climates.

Most plants CAN handle the heat and climate of the southwest, the issue is just finding a reliable source of water. Somewhere close to Lake Mead or the banks of the Virgin River would be prime real estate for farming, since irrigation could be accomplished without the use of pumps, like the sharecroppers use.

If we look back at the history of agriculture, it's developed along established waterways in almost every ancient civilization because that's what's easiest. There should be thriving communities surrounding the lakes and rivers in the southwest.

Comparatively, DC was formerly a swamp. It's hot and humid in the summer, though the winters are fairly mild. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that farming practices in the Commonwealth don't differ all that much from farming in the Capital Wasteland -- you could even posit that food from the Capital is of better quality ever since the successful activation of Project Purity. Fresh and unirradiated food was growing there before, so it's entirely likely that even more is growing now. YMMV!

Other consumables

We would be here all damn day if I did research onto every single consumable item available across all three games, so this mostly just because I'm covering my bases.

Look, I'm picking out this one specifically because I need to believe that other spices and peppers exist in the world. Where would we be without her? Nowhere good.

Pre War food

Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the ‘best by’ date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.

The risk with improperly canned good, or damaged canned goods, is botulism. Botulism will straight up kill you. You don't even have to consume that much of it; just a little bit will leave you dead in days. As desperate as I might be for a meal, I'm not going to risk dying because that can of two hundred year old peaches looks really tasty.

If properly sealed and in a dry, ideal environment, I... guess things like cereal and instant food could be okay? But again, with access to fresh grain, sugars, and yes, even potatoes and pasta, why would you want to risk eating InstaMash that's been around since before your great grandmother.

Pre War drinks

Sigh. Okay.

Unless stored extremely, extremely well, most bottled drinks aren't going to last much longer than 9 months. A year, if you're lucky. Exposure to sunlight and improper storage will break down the contents -- the best bottles are brown, then green. Clear glass is the worst because it does nothing to protect the liquid inside.

All the Nuka Cola you find throughout the world is flat, nasty, and will probably make you sick. I don't think that really needs to be pointed out, but there we go. I suppose the soda could probably be reduced to form sugar syrups, but with access to sap syrup and grain malt, I'm not sure why you would be desperate enough to do that.

So what does food look like in Fallout?

If there's one thing I know about humans, it's that humans like to eat. Food is culture, as much as culture and community is built around food. Good food and access to it is paramount to human happiness. All this to say is that food in fallout is whatever you want it to look like.

I can extrapolate and theorize all day long based on what Fallout tells us definitively, but I'm not going to tell you what the culinary landscape in the wasteland looks like. The only point that I will stress is that humans are really, really good at making things appetizing.

The fandom is already so creative when it comes to developing their idea of what food means in the wasteland. It's what's directly inspired me to write up this stupid, long ass post about farming and agriculture.

Obviously this is not a comprehensive list of all the base ingredients you can find in Fallout. I picked the ones I did because of the potential for consistent farming. Wastelanders have had two centuries to develop agricultural practices based around subsistence farming. I am not a subsistence farmer, and I have no idea how wasteland cottagecore would work at the heart of it. Running a farm is extremely labor intensive, and so much of your investment has to be immediately recouped in the form of eating what you harvest.

What a farm is likely to look like will start in the early spring when the ground begins to thaw, and a farmer can plant his cold resistant crops, like green vegetables and razorgrain. Potatos, carrots, and tatos will also weather the spring chill. When it starts to warm up, the more delicate plants like corn, beans, and squash or melons will get planted and tended to.

If your family is lucky enough to have a greenhouse, you can keep crops growing all through the winter and have a surplus for trade and barter, or just to preserve and refill the pantries.

A lot of the investment will have to be immediately recouped. Eggs from the chickens can't be preserved, obviously, but there will be meat from hunted animals, milk from the brahmin, probably an early harvest from the beans and tatos, and whatever else is in the pantry from the previous harvest.

Some of it will be canned or preserved in the forms of jams or jellies (just remember what I said about botulism). Meat from animals that get hunted can be smoked or otherwise preserved. Grain can be milled into flour or eaten whole and unshelled. Even the corn silk can be woven into clothes for the summer.

There really is no limit to what can be done in the end. While a lot of this information was taken from what we're given in the text, there's no rule that says you have to follow it word for word. If you believe something exists out there, then write it! We're all just making shit up as we go along anyway. If you need permission, then here it is. You can do whatever you want. Make up recipes! Go insane. Follow whatever your little foodie heart desires.

#fallout #kal talks #fallout 4 #fallout new vegas #fnv #fallout 3 #fallout meta #fallout food #fallout headcanons #behold. the agricultural masterpost of my farming headcanons #here she is

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sprinklenoodles · 14 days

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Cuz I'm bored and in a mood to ramble, I'm gonna do a little mini-series! About the pictures most of the THH survivors got in Chapter 6 because those are interesting.

I Will be looking at them as if the person who isn't in the picture, made it. That just seems the most logical to me and makes things more fun!

Part 1: Byakuya's picture

Staring off with this one because it's one of my favs!

So, in the front we have Sayaka and Kyoko. Neither of them are swimming, they're just relaxing on the side of the pool. Sayaka looks very happy while Kyoko looks a bit surprised. I could see this as their reactions to Byakuya agreeing to take the picture.

Like, this is most likely later into their life in Hope's Peak, which is why Kyoko is more expressive. Probably let her guard down after a bit around her classmates.

But Byakuya is also Byakuya. Him agreeing to take a picture would very much be a surprise. And Sayaka is probably just happy about it since it makes them feel closer, more like a group.

It could also be that Sayaka was the one asking Byakuya to take the picture and was glad he said yes to her. Like, they could've been friends- something that I won't talk about this time but can talk about another time- and she's happy Byakuya let a bit of his ego go and took the picture.

But behind them we have Makoto... He just looks kinda cunfused. Probably cuz he's just not good at posing for pictures.

In the far back we have Toko and Celeste, which I don't really have anything to say about. They probably just don't like swimming.

Then we have Aoi, who's the lifeguard. That obviously makes sense, though it's probably not her fav thing to do. I have a feeling she would want to be in the water.

Left from here, we have Junko and Leon. Leon is spashing water in Junko's face. This doesn't surprise me much, he's the type of guy to do that. But since only the 2 of them are there, they're probably just hanging out together there in the water, which may mean they are friends.

Most of the other things aren't really interesting. Other than Sakura punching a massive fish out of the water. Like, how tf did it even get there??? Oh, and Mondo watching Taka swim (kinda gay my dudes)

But that's all for this time! Will talk about the other pictures next. Feel free to suggest the one I should do next, might also do the other pictures found in THH that take place before the game :3

#danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #byakuya togami #sayaka maizono #kyoko kirigiri #makoto naegi #leon kuwata #junko enoshima #sakura ogami #aoi asahina #mondo owada #kiyotaka ishimaru #thh pictures

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silent-raven13 · 9 months

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Jealous Hobie

Miles talking with Ganke about the latest One Piece episode and hyping for Gear 5 Luffy. The two are so close they like to hug and snuggle while watching movies or anything friendship bonding.

Anyway!

Hobie decides to drops in on Miles' dorm to surprise him with a cute date, he saw how his boo is snuggling and sharing a blanket with Ganke. The two unaware of Hobie coming into the window, because they are so busy laughing, chatting, even sharing snacks while watching their anime.

Miles eyes on the tablet: Yo that's sick! He's JOYBOY! -fed his best friend some popcorn-

Ganke chews on the popcorn: Right! This shit is so fire! -they sat closer to have a better view while having the blanket covering them-

Hobie press his lips being annoyed seeing his boo giving the same affection to his best friend instead of him, and got more annoyed that they didn't noticed him. So he purposely made a loud noise or drop his gibson electric guitar on the floor causing them to look at the direction the sound came from.

Miles noticed his bf: Oh Hey, Hobie.

Hobie eyes on the two: Hey, luv... Darling, what's going on over here? -using his hand to show the two why they are so close-

Miles unaware of Hobie being jealous because he never knew Hobie can get jealous or is the jealous type: Oh, me and Ganke are watching a show. Shh, we want to finish the episode -He then lays his head on Ganke's shoulder and Ganke lays his head on Miles'-

Hobie stares almost ready to fight, but held it in. Then he angrily forces his way to be in the middle.

Ganke: YooO! WTF! -popcorn being spilled over the bed-

Miles scooting to the side: Ow, Hobie! What are you doing, man! We're wat-

Hobie sat between them, having one arm around Miles' shoulder: That's more like, ain't that right luv? Aren't i better. Here lay your head right here.

Miles blink in surprised then laughs: Okay, bae.

Ganke rolled his eyes: You know, me and him are just friends right?

Hobie: I'm all for platonic love and friendship, but this man right here -using his hand to squish Miles' face making his lips look like a fish- is mine.

Ganke: Pfft, hey he is all yours.

Miles: Can we just finish the show!

Hobie snuggles Miles being super possessive: Now we can! -then look at the odd show- so what is dis? About pirates, mate? Why do they need gears if they are on a ship, luv?

Ganke and Miles freak out because they forgot Hobie is on a different timeline: OH MY GOD! YOU DON'T KNOW ONE PIECE!

(Part 2)

#punkflower #miles morales #hobie brown #gunk lee #jealous hobie brown #spiderman #spider verse #across the spider verse

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valiantstarlights · 11 months

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[Dreamling Week Day 7: AUs or Crossovers] Of Surviving

This is a Dreamling Hunger Games AU oneshot. I finished writing it on May 27, but then I saw @mr-sadman 's prompt list for dreamling week 2023 and thought, 'Oooh 🖤 This is going to be perfect for Day 7!'

And here we are 2 weeks later. I hope you guys like it! 😊

CW: I mean...it's The Hunger Games. That's a warning all by itself.

"And why should we bet that you would win?" The host asks, fake teeth gleaming under the harsh stage lights. The same question, the same maddening smile directed at all the tributes.

"Because," Dream says, feeling bile rise up his throat, "I am better than the two who came before me."

The crowd gasps, but he could see a couple of audience members, the rough-looking shark-like types, nodding in consideration.

He hopes his siblings aren't watching.

"And why should we bet that you would win?"

"You shouldn't," the smiling boy from District 9 says. "But do it anyway for spite. Who knows, in the unlikely event that I win, you'll have me to thank for getting you at least a dozen new mansions."

The crowd laughs. Dream watches from backstage and immediately dismisses the boy as someone who would die an hour into the games.

The next time Dream sees the boy from District 9 is when he was aiming a javelin right at Dream. The first words the boy ever says to him is, "Duck!"

Dream ducks, and watches as the boy's javelin strikes true, right in the chest of District 2's career tribute.

"I thank you for saving my life, but I hope you are not expecting me to save you back."

The boy looks at him like he's a weird seven-legged fish. "Sure. You're welcome, District 4."

They part ways.

"Thought you said you wouldn't be saving my life," the boy from District 9 says, hand still holding Dream's as the two of them run away from the trap Dream has sprung, which caught a couple of other tributes who had been chasing him. Them both.

It was a coincidence that they were even in the same place at the same time.

Dream should really shake the boy's hand off.

"I am saving mine in the process of saving yours," he says. "Having an ally means surviving longer."

"An ally, huh? Well in that case, the name's Hob. Well, Robert Gadling, actually. I'm from District 9."

'I know,' Dream doesn't say. 'I thought you would be one of the first ones to die.'

"My name is Dream."

Dream wouldn't have volunteered this information, or really, anything about himself, but Hob has earned his trust by being an incredibly resourceful partner. He hasn't killed anyone else aside from that one career tribute, but he makes up for his lack of kill count by helping Dream (who grew up near the sea) survive in the arena the gamemakers have fashioned for them, which was part dense forest and part prairie.

"It suits you," Hob says, eyes on Dream's when he says it, his smile soft.

Dream looks away.

The faces of the day's dead have just finished being shown in the sky. Five more dead tributes. He imagines how their family back home would react to the news of their death. Would they be angry? Would they be disappointed?

Would they be relieved that there will be less mouths to feed from now on?

Dream wants to scream. He wants to think about anything else, so he turns to Hob, sitting beside him, face still turned upwards, contemplative. Dream wonders if they're thinking the same thing.

"Tell me about your family," Dream says.

Hob shrugs. "Not much to tell, really. We're poor like the rest, work hard like the rest, and try our best to live a life like the rest."

Dream sees his hands balled up into fists by his sides, knuckles white.

"What did Johanna mean, when she said you'll share the same fate as your siblings if you cross her path?"

It was early the next day. Hob is talking about a conversation between Dream and Johanna that took place in the morning of the previous day.

"I had six siblings," Dream says. They were gathering firewood now, for another trap that Dream is planning to spring. "Two of them were both reaped last year."

Hob stops in his tracks. "Oh," he says, sadness coloring his tone and setting Dream's teeth on edge. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Dream says simply. He clutches his bundle tighter in his arms so Hob wouldn't see how his hands have began to shake. "You did not pick their names at random."

"Their names were Destruction and Delirium," Dream tells him later that night in their little camp, hidden deep within the forest. "Sometimes I wish I had volunteered in my brother's place and managed to save my sister."

"Oh, love."

"Why did you call me 'love' yesterday?" Dream does not look at Hob when he asks this.

"Why do you think?"

He wonders if Hob is looking at him when he answered.

"You should eat more."

Dream ignores him and curls up more in his tattered sleeping bag. The trap succeeded, but the gamemakers fucked around with the weather and Dream had been soaked to the bone. And now it seems that he has caught a fever.

"Please," Hob begs, warm hand on Dream's freezing arm. He has cooked a meager amount of watery vegetable soup from the plants they had foraged. "For me."

"You will be better off without me," Dream says, because it's true. "There are only a few tributes left."

Hob sighs. "Look, if you don't eat by yourself, then I'm going to feed you like a baby bird, and then we'll both feel awkward."

Dream imagines Hob sipping the soup and keeping it in his mouth, then pressing his lips against Dream's and feeding him in this manner, just to make sure that Dream has something warm and healing in his stomach. He reddens even more despite his raging fever.

He still has some good sense remaining, however, so he sits up and shakily accepts the small bowl from Hob's hands, unable to look directly at him.

Dream tilts his face away. "We shouldn't."

"Why not?" Hob has not moved, body still close and face a breath away from Dream's. "What are you so afraid of?"

Dream pushes him away with both hands, but he does so gently and with a lingering touch to Hob's clothed chest that his hands were immediately engulfed by Hob's larger ones.

Dream is becoming a hedonist under the boy's influence. It is apparent when their fingers tangled together almost automatically.

"Because if we share a kiss," Dream says, "then we would cease to be vigilant for a few precious seconds, and that could mean the difference between life and death."

Hob says nothing for a moment, before he inhales deeply and nods. "You're right."

"I almost always am."

Hob rolls his eyes at him. "I mean that you're right in that we should always be vigilant. Not that when I kiss you, I would only want it to last for a few seconds."

'When,' Hob says. Not 'if.'

Dream tries not to obsess about his wording.

He fails.

"I apologize. You should not have seen that."

"What, you killing Johanna by drowning her in quicksand?"

"I did not mean to! It was just the easiest way to do it." Dream looks down at Hob coldly, willing his anger to overtake the fear that this would be the thing that would make Hob betray him.

"You're afraid of me now."

Hob shakes his head. He still has not looked at Dream in the eye again, but his tone is as kind as always. Dream wants to hold his hand and ask for reassurance that Hob does not hate him. He doesn't, because he has always been a coward.

"I'm afraid of dying," Hob says. "Totally not the same thing."

"Dream?"

Dream is pretending to be asleep. He has to. He dares not show Hob his tear-streaked cheeks.

Hob sighs.

"Okay, here's the plan." Hob's eyes are looking furtively behind them, body tense. They are almost at the end. There are only a couple more tributes left other than the two of them. "You run right, I run left, then we lead whoever is following us to your traps."

Dream looks at Hob's handsome, dirt-streaked face and wants more than anything to survive with him. But there can only be one victor, and he has already failed two of the people he loves.

He leans forward and kisses Hob for the first and probably the last time. Then, he stands up and runs as fast as his feet can carry him towards the traps, ignoring Hob's panicked shout behind him.

"I don't want to survive if you don't survive with me," Hob tells the stars when Dream is pretending to be asleep. "I can't. I wouldn't be able to."

"Who says you're dying?" Dream replies just after dawn, when Hob is sound asleep beside him, snoring softly. "You are not allowed to die under my watch, Hob Gadling."

"No! Dream!"

"I'm...I'm sorry," Dream says, voice soft and weak. There was way too much red surrounding him. Hob is losing his mind. "I love you. I'm sorry."

"You cheated." Hob's hands are shaking as he takes his jacket off and bunches it up, pressing it hard against the wound on the other boy's stomach. "You're supposed to be the one that survives!"

"I don't want to go back," Dream tells him, eyes turning glassy with unshed tears. "Not without you."

"Shit, you're losing too much blood."

"I would have liked to show you the place where I like to read in secret..."

"Gods, shut up, shut up, shut up--" Hob looks around frantically, trying to find something, anything, that could save Dream.

He is handed a knife by a bloodied, trembling hand, so pale it was almost white. "Here," Dream says. He points to an area under his own jaw. "Put the knife... Slash deep here. A little diagonally. Most effective..." His eyes were already blinking slower, movements growing sluggish.

"No," Hob says fiercely. The knife's handle is digging into his palm from how tight he's gripping it. "No, I'm not killing you. Fuck you for even--"

"Love you..." Dream's lips mouth at him, his striking blue eyes still looking at Hob's, as if he wants Hob's face to be the last thing he sees.

"No," Hob spits in denial. "Fuck this--"

Hob has always been a quick learner. His mother had always told him so. When his older brother was reaped six years ago and died within the hour of the games starting, Hob marched out of their house and immediately learned how to handle all the farming equipment from the older men, so his family could continue to eat.

He now places the knife Dream gave him against his own neck--

Dream gasps awake and clutches at the shape beside him desperately. Hob startles awake at the frantic touch, then pulls Dream towards him, holding him tight and steady, a fortress against a howling storm.

He murmurs soft words next to Dream's ear, one hand rubbing his back gently, while the other partially covers the large jagged scar on Dream's side. Dream presses his face closer to Hob's neck, his nose right where Hob's own scar is. It's small and looks insignificant compared to the one on Dream's body, but it proved more effective in getting the gamemakers to panic. They needed to have a victor, after all.

That year, they had two.

That had been ten years ago.

"We made it, my love," Hob says against his hair. It smells like the very sea that is only a short walk away from their home. Hob can hear the waves lapping peacefully at the shore. "We made it. It's all over now. We made it."

#dreamling hunger games AU #idk why clips from the hunger games movies keep popping up on my youtube feed #but we're taking it as a sign and rolling with it #hello my loves I come bearing pain 😊#dreamling #DreamlingWeek #DreamlingWeek2023 #the sandman #my writing #good job my thumbs #wahoo i managed to complete an entire week's worth of stories! 😭🙏 🎉🎉🎉

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kaythefloppa · 25 days

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Wild Kratts - Fish Out of Water Review [Spoilers]

April is finally here, and with it, three new episodes have been released on the PBS Kids Video App ahead of their release. At the time I'm posting this, it is midnight and the one hour special "Our Blue and Green World" is yet to air on televison and streaming, so I will get to that when I get to that. Given that I have already reviewed No Name Dream and Backpack the Camel, I'll give a review to this episode as well. Spoiler warning and opinions ahead under the cut

First New York, then Hawaii, and now a goddamn University on the list of areas I would never expect these guys to film. Bros are everywhere.

As someone who is about to graduate high school, I feel IMMENSELY jealous of the college students who saw the motherfucking Kratt Brothers filming an episode on campus. I can already begin to see the floods of social media posts bragging about this on Tumblr and Twitter threads.

Ok I feel bad for being a bit salty earlier, I actually think it's really sweet how these people outside of the show can share their interests and expertise in biology and physics to help children educate. The entire live-action opening where they study the locomotion of mudskippers is honestly really sweet, and we haven't even gotten to our main animal yet!

God these are such cute animals. But beyond that, the term "fish out of water" could not be a more fitting title. They have joints like we do, can adapt to different environments, and can swim and climb like we can. This is probably my favorite live action segment because of how well structured the clips and movements are and just how fun it is seeing these little blorbs move around the place.

I should talk about how it took us half a decade to see a mudskipper on the show, and 13 years overall to get a focus episode, but so far, up to a great start and definitely worth waiting (for the most part).

Oh so is it like the Hermit Crab episode where in all of the official releases they leave out the determiner but in the actual episode it's there? This has no overall bearing on the episode but I just felt the need to point it out.

I should check off on my S7 bingo card about seeing the old inventions again because holy shit it's been almost a decade since we saw the Butterflier XT

Also can anyone identify those butterflies? I know for a FACT that those motherfuckers aren't monarchs because of their patterns (the only pattern variation in butterflies is sex-linked, and while I'm aware they live in Asia, this again, does not look like a match) but they also aren't viceroys because they lack the line around their wings. I only ask this to bring up my next point.

I thought the Butterfly Disc we saw in Season 1 was specifically programmed based off of Monarch Butterflies. But as established (until proven wrong), these are not monarch butterflies. So unless Aviva retrofitted or reprogrammed the disc to be multi-familial, as in they can touch any butterfly regardless of classification and activate accordingly (like with the Crocodile, Dragonfly, and Gecko Discs), the activation should not work. I only ask this because while it seems miniscule, Chris' decision to bring out the disc is what sets off the plot - It's what causes him to loose the discs in the butterfly swarm, so I feel like, while not a critique, it's a legitimate question as to the direct programming of the discs vs. the animals used to activate.

Man, Zach wasn't even in this episode and somehow they STILL lose their discs? (Actually, I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to have this be a Zach-related episode).

You think they'd put a tracker on the collection or encode a chip the actual discs so that they wouldn't get lost this easily. This again, sounds like a nitpick, but earlier seasons set up a firewall for the Creature Power Discs and a tracking device/rocket-device on the Creature Power Suits and gloves because of how frequent these types of contingiences are, so there's really no excuse for this.

(Suck my ass PBS Kids Video App, I'm still able to get high quality snips even with your bullshit formatting!!!)

They really went all out with the "other-wordly" vibe that the mudskippers' territory gave off. Once again, we waited two years for this to be put to animation and to see come air.

I've made enough jokes around these situations in the show, so I think we'd all benefit if I just changed the subject: That front-facing mudskipper is fucking hilarious.

*Martin's voice* - Slimy Skin-breathers!

Okay, but I actually did not know that. At all. Even 10 years later, this show is still teaching me new things about animals in the most beautfully unexpected ways. This is one of the many reasons I will never give up on the show.

[Unexpected angst in bagging area - Also, with the inclusion of No Name Dream, which will air two days before this episode, that brings our Krangstt quota to #2]

Okay so I really like the set-up here, and it genuinely was a surprise seeing Jimmy angst in this episode as a subplot in a series that rarely operates on A-plots and B-plots (unless you count the villains' schemes which are usually just A^2 plots) like most shows. And as someone who legitimately was going through rough times (S7 was actually one of my few reasons to keep going), I heavily related to Jimmy. So yeah, a Jimmy angst episode? Can totally buy. What I'm not gonna buy is how they execute it with the ending, because that and the implications.... yikes...

C'mon! "Mudspitter" was right there! Right there!

Ok, here is where my main problem with this episode's subplot is. If I could boil it down to one word, it would be: Incomplete. Jimmy feeling inadequate based on an observation he made is one thing. Him immediately leaving afterwards on a whim moments after said observation is completely another and doesn't align that well.

Like, this would only work if Jimmy had attempted to be a fish "IN" water. If he tried to help Aviva and Koki with the data-research and inventing, but he failed, and they politely turned him down. Or if there was any basis as to why he suddenly disregards his piloting skills or teleporting, whether he doesn't care or doesn't think them to be enough for him to fit in. Like, he wants to be in on the action because some part of him doesn't feel like sitting around by the teleporter is enough. What I'm saying is, there is no pathos. I personally find it to be relatable, but on a narrative level, it doesn't work. I know the "character feeling left out so they leave" thing is cliche'd, but there's a reason it's a cliche, and that's because it follows a lot of writing beats that this particular episode doesn't, so on top of being cliche'd as fuck to begin with, it feels very awkward. And this is going to be apparent both here and in this episode's climax (which I also do not have many kind words for,) so I had to use my allotted time to talk about why this doesn't work.

Could... could they not call him on his Creaturepod? Could the brothers not call him on his Pod? Did he even have his Creaturepod?? Again, there are so many plot-holes in this B-story that could've easily been written around with a change of dialogue or scenery. Have Jimmy's Creaturepod be shown left lying around which makes them realize they have no way of getting him back to the teleporter in time. Jimmy would have no reason to even bring his Creaturepod on his adventure, so that just raises even more questions. Like, this isn't an active diss on the writers, but I think there should've been more proof-reading of the script since this is a massive oversight.

I think now is the time for me to bring up this question I've had for years now; How exactly does the teleporter work? In several episodes, we've seen that there is a coordinate code in the teleporter that allows it to be sent to the target. Koki's "the communication queen" as Aviva puts it, so she'd likely be able to triangulate the brothers' location. So I'm not sure why the show presents this as a struggle for Koki. This isn't the only example, so I won't hold it against the episode, (they have this be the case specifically to emphasize the point that they need Jimmy, which I can forgive) but it's another piece of lore that I should probably theorize about lmao.

Also

YOU HAVE LITERALLY TELPORTED THE CREATURE POWER DISCS FOUR TIMES.

TWO OF THOSE TIMES BEING IN A ROW.

AND ONE OF THEM WAS FOUR EPISODES AGO IN THIS EXACT SAME SEASON.

This whole episode spent the past five minutes making its main characters look incredibly idiotic for the sake of its B plot.

Once again, this episode's spitting facts that I didn't even know.

This is actually a neat seguay, having the brothers figure out the abilities of the mudskippers while exercising their own cool abilities. It feels really natural, and again, is an inventive way to show off the locomotive abilities of the mudskipper.

I feel like this falls very well between "accurate enough to be admirable" and "uncanny." I can (maybe on my deathbed) get used to this suit's design (though I'm partly glad Chris doesn't activate it because spoilers, he doesn't).

I've given this subplot a lot of flack, but credit where it's due, even with its misses, it does hit with the emotional beats.

Very conflicted on this:

On one hand, Jimmy actually taking the initiative to miniaturize is pretty ballsy. The show, despite not being serialized, does develop its characters in a way that you can sense a clear difference of them when you compare the modern seasons to the earlier ones. And this can be seen as a positive development for Jimmy, since it's his "Creature Adventure."

On the other hand.... back to what I was saying about consistency. Why did Jimmy bring the miniaturizer?? What was his prompting?? Was he planning on shrinking himself down the whole time? Like, he left his friends for god knows how much time and is now out of nowhere shrinking himself down to fish size because he feels inadequate? Uhm, Jimmy, ever heard the idea of therapy?

Also, again, very weird presentation of the episode. They don't at all put any attention to Jimmy's coms and whether or not he has them, (which would easily solve a bigger issue of why he's not contacted), yet they have him carry the Miniaturizer with him. Now, the latter is plot-relevant, but so could've been something about the Creaturepod.

This [from what I interpret] gets Jimmy out of his slump, making his "scientific discovery." Not realizing that his job of piloting and teleporting are equally important. Again, this is structured poorly. I like what they were going for, but it shouldn't have been the only thing that altered the trajectory of this subplot. Again, he can teleport discs to the brothers and pilot and while those are mentioned later on, it's not something he comes to himself in an "oh shit" moment. So this just feels unearned and weird. I really hate how harsh I am, since it's a Jimmy centric episode and it was the #1 requested thing on all the chat-boards during the hiatus, but this is one of those things where it has to be done right if at all. This isn't done right, and the fact that it takes up 50% of the episode just... ugh.

You can't tell it through screenshots but with the way Aviva says it and the scene cutting to her and Koki laughing at it, I'm 98% inclined that this was a specific innuendo, and ngl, I kinda laughed too.

Oh look, it's Kenge's cousin! [For you Lion Guard fans that also recognize Wild Kratts] - [I was inclined to make a reference to Jessie, but that felt in bad taste considering y'know]

Ok, but that has to be an Asian water monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm definitely not wrong about is that their bites contain venom; To a human it's not lethal, however to small prey, including mudskippers, or anything around that size, it's lights out. So yeah, Chris and Martin are fucked.

Ok this line is absolutely badass.

Also, grey?? Grey?? I thought Jimmy's signature color was orange/yellow? Or red with the implication of the tail episode? Great, now there's another color that'll be in the debates for his future Creature Power Suit.

Once again, this arc feels weirdly put together. This notion comes up specifically at the climax when it should come up beforehand as Jimmy realizes his worth. Because otherwise, it gives the implication that he knew this all along and yet still felt like a fish out of water, which doesn't mesh together properly (it could, if the episode actually tried to do so which it didn't).

The episode, Sea Otter Swim, does this plot so much better. We see Jimmy's doubts, and we see how he overcomes said doubts in a way that is presented clear to the audience, and the climax where he actually realizes what he's capable of feels earned. This is not earned. So even though I am rooting for him to win, this whole thing just feels messy.

So is nobody gonna ask why Jimmy left his post? Is Jimmy not gonna tell everyone why he left, or at the very least ask why nobody bothered to call for him? Is nobody going to at least let Jimmy know that he can't just... abandon his post without warning because of the fact that they need him? Is Jimmy not going to come to that conclusion himself? Is anything in this episode gonna be earned??

This entire ending feels like an ass-pull: First off, Jimmy and the brothers had enough time to head back to the miniaturizer and then the Tortuga, and in none of that time, did Jimmy ever give them the Power Discs? Why? Yes, it was for the sake of the fake-out defeat/joke, but was there any reason why Jimmy just kept the thing hidden waiting to give it to the brothers?

The entire emotional climax to this episode is basically everyone putting Jimmy on a pedestal. It's unsatisfying because there wasn't any acknowledgement or follow up to Jimmy's conflict at the beginning, nor is the lesson learned in the right way, and the conclusion just overreacts by hyping up Jimmy instead of just having a reasonable "We're a team!" thing, or through any self-actualization of his good qualities that Koki pointed out. None of it, friggin' none of this is earned! Now it comes across as Jimmy being uncharacterstically boastful and cocky and the others just kissing his arse. That's probably not the intent but it was the result.

That is actually like, so fucking cool. I have massive respect for all of these people, like legitimately (also, considerning that's the exact opposite of what Zach does on an ethics scale, I find that really interesting). But beyond that, I think this episode has the best live action segments ever, they are so ingenuitive. I could easily see someone at my high school showing a clip of this episode in robotics' or biology class.

CONCLUSION:

PROS:

The live action segments.

The info dumps about the mudskippers.

The Kratt Brother's adventure with the mudskippers.

The animation

The background music (a lot of which is recycled from earlier seasons)

CONS:

Everything else (specifically the B plot). I feel like the writers wanted to give Jimmy his own storyline, either out of interest or seeing how popular the character was in chat-boards, but they didn't know how to do it so they just went through the motions without really connecting anything at all, so it's a lot harder relating to the exact conflicts in some cases, and you feel disatisfied by the cimax. It reminds me of what they did with Vitani in the Lion Guard finale, a case of giving this one character the spotlight, but hitting all of the wrong marks that does the character and the audience a disservice and leaves a bitter taste in the viewer's mouth by the end credits.

This is the first episode this season that has made me cringe, primarily off of its premise, not just a particular scene, a dated pop culture reference, or a weird-looking Power Suit. It is the first to make me cringe because of its story, which again, the B-plot takes up 50% of the episode, so it's constantly in your face. It's definitely not bad, not hateable bad, and it's far too early in the season to call it the worst, and there are definitely worse episodes out there, ones that have aired and ones that probably will inevitably air, but I can safely say, thus far, it's the one Wild Kratts episode that I enjoy, but only to an extent. The live action segments were by far the only thing that I got extremely engaged in, but other than that, and the other pros, it's not that good.

Final Ranking: 6/10: Above Average, but Needed Improvement.

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tobiasdrake · 1 month

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It's nice to get some non-gross Mikuru content. I haven't talked much about Mikuru because she's...

She's hard to talk about.

Mikuru bonding with, uh... with... the sister....

Does she have a name?

Anyways, Mikuru bonding with Kyonsis is cute. I wish I could like the Kyon/Mikuru ship. Which is to say, they get enough cute moments and development together that I would totally support this ship if the show didn't also have Kyon grossly indulging in Mikuru's harassment too.

...in general, a lot of the way the show handles Mikuru is gross. Like. They even brought in Future Mikuru at one point to wax nostalgic about Haruhi's harassment.

That's the kind of move a creator makes when they know they're being gross and want defensibility. "It's okay, she secretly likes it; She'll look back on it fondly some day."

I'm never really sure what to make of Mikuru because this isn't, like, a Male Gazey kind of show. It doesn't have the typical background noise of camera shots lingering on objectified body parts or slow panning over female bodies that typify shows made from the perspective of the Male Gaze.

Even things like the bunny girl outfits or Haruhi aggressively beginning to change while people are still in the room as a power play aren't dwelt on to the extent you'd expect from the Male Gaze.

But Mikuru feels like a character from one of those kinds of shows. The recurring joke is Haruhi physically bullying Mikuru, forcibly stripping her, making guys molest her, making her dress in various fetishized costumes, forcing her to eat expired shit from that guy's fridge they broke into, etc. - often to the point of leaving Mikuru in tears, and... that's it. That's the punchline. LOL Haruhi objectifies her body and treats her like shit.

This is one of three main things Mikuru does. The second is to form a Love Corner of

Haruhi -> Kyon (<-?) -> Mikuru

And honestly? Like 90% of the time, Kyon and Mikuru's interactions are great. But then he does shit like saving those erotic Mikuru photos he made Haruhi delete to a private folder for his personal perusal. Or says shit like this.

Or the show does shit like this.

Future Mikuru literally telling Kyon, "For compensation, feel free to make out with my past self while she's drugged!"

He does not. Thankfully. But it's so fucking weird that she even said that. Why would you write this dialogue?

And then her third thing is time travel. Which isn't given the same level of gravitas as Itsuki and Yuki. She can't fight the battles like they can. She can't exposit information like they can because everything's classified. She isn't even very good at time travel; It's explicitly brought up that Yuki's better at it.

Essentially, she has no powers or abilities beyond being present in the group so Kyon can ogle her and Haruhi can molest her.

If this were a big Male Gaze type of show, I'd be like, "Oh, yeah, she's the Fanservice Girl. Got it." But it's not. So I just. I don't understand why she's handled like this. Why is this here?

Which is what makes it nice when the show isn't doing that, and instead we get nice Mikuru content where she's being happy and everyone's treating her well.

Less of... whatever all of that is and more of this please. She's great with kids! She plays Go Fish!

Which she took second place in, by the way. Mikuru beat God at cards and entertained the small child while doing it. So HA!

#the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya #mikuru asahina #drake watches haruhi suzumiya #all of this is to say that the way the show treats mikuru makes me uncomfortable #i like her as a character #but the show is weird about her #it's really weird about her

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somesmartsmarties · 1 year

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F7 eating habits headcanons!

So after seeing this wall of text, a friend of mine asked if i could make one for their eating habits, and who am i to say no U_U

I humbly apologize for the fact that this one won't be as long as the previous one, there aren't that many eating habits headcanons to get ideas from so about half of this will probably just be what i think some of their favorite foods would be- 😭

Anyways, here we go

Merlin

- i feel like he'd be a picky eater, but maybe not the most picky eater out of the group - he'd be the type of guy to divide the food on his plate in "food i like more" and "food i like less" and eat the former for last - it'd be pretty funny if he couldn't handle spicy food like at all - i actually don't know what his favorite food could be- - we've seen he likes carrots in the movie but that isn't really a dish i don't think- - carrots are probably one of his favorite vegetables tho - i feel like he'd have a preference for savory foods (not spicy however, just salty) - probably doesn't ask for seconds very often, but he's done it a few times in the past - always leaves some amount of food on his plate (usually not that much however)

Jack

- SO picky - refuses to eat bird meat - saves his favorite food for last - has called food bad just because of how it looks at least once - "I don't have a sweet tooth, don't be ridiculous" he says, eating his fifth marron glacé of the day - i honestly don't know what his favorite food would be, something fish based maybe- - eats rather quickly, but not like "scarfs his food down" type of quickly, does that make sense- - hates beans - apples are his favorite fruit (yes, even after all that happened with Regina; he avoids eating them in front of Merlin and Snow for a while after the movie's events) - barely ever asks for seconds, you REALLY need to make something amazing for him to ask for seconds

Arthur

- the least picky eater on the planet - scarfs his food down, but he doesn't do it too often and even then he doesn't look like a wild animal when eating - you'll be hard pressed to find a food he doesn't like - probably always asks for seconds - has probably asked for thirds a few times - the group trash bin (aka all the food that everyone else leaves he'll gladly eat) - i don't think he's the type of person to not finish all of his food, the few times it's happened he was probably really tired and fell asleep before he could finish everything - his favorite food would probably have meat and vegetables in it, me thinks - i don't think he'd eat vegetables unless paired with something else, like fish or meat

Hans

- not picky in the slightest - tries the food before calling it bad - always eats less compared to everyone else (because of... reasons..) - probably doesn't have a favorite food, likes most things he eats honestly - takes his time to savor everything, but doesn't take forever to finish his food - always finishes his food - has a slight preference for sweet food, but only slightly - only ever asks for seconds if he's not the one cooking, and even then he doesn't ask that often

Pino, Noki and Kio

- don't ask them their favorite food, it changes every month - not super picky, but sometimes it is hard to find something they like - favorite vegetables are carrots (onions are close seconds) - usually eat everything that's on their plate (or at least they try) - super fast eaters, they can be done eating in 5 minutes if they want to - don't really have a preference for sweet or savory foods, both are equally good in their eyes - usually ask for seconds - have a bad habit of eating so fast that while they're done eating everyone is still halfway done so they either leave the table or they remain seated and talk a bit, either to each other or with whoever wants to - they really don't like it when fruit or vegetables are really ripe, they don't like how squishy they get

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unremarkablechap · 1 year

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META : ARTHUR'S TRAUMA . ↳ AND WHAT IT DOES TO HIM .

We all know that Arthur isn't perfect. Though generally very cordial, polite, and considerate, he has a sort of air to him of emotional instability and jealousy. Also, he can be a bit defensive and self-centered from time-to-time, often putting himself first when it comes to situations that may induce any emotional, physical, or psychological damage to him. If things aren't necessarily the way that he finds suitable for him, he tends to flee the scene.

So, that begs the question. Where the heck did all those glaring flaws come from?

( TL;DR -- Loads of emotional abuse by an emotionally absent father, the death of a mother, and a woman who never gave him a secure relationship lead him to have a rather temperamental attitude. Both because he subconsciously doesn't know how else to get his feelings out but by being as emotional as possible as he was never taught to rationalize or emotionally regulate and because he never had the chance to put himself first having been forced to watch someone who had autism as a preteen. )

Let's start with Sally Boyle. The first woman that Arthur ever loved. He knew her since primary school and used to watch her from her window from time-to-time, the pervert! Without knowing how else to approach her as his mom was already sick from an odd disease and couldn't help him talk about women, he waited to spend time with her until she began living with him.

It was a wonderful time at first. As hinted in the game multiple times, Sally encouraged Arthur to trespass in places they weren't supposed to. They blew up a postbox, and they put fish in the fountain at a park. Normally Arthur isn't this type of person -- he's very sheepish and to himself. He'd rather read a book than go off and rob a place. But because Sally had that spunk and he loved her to bits, he did it for her because he wanted to spend time with her.

But then she started spending time with other people:

"The thing is, I don't trust her. She was always so wonderful when she was there, but a girl like Sally always has so many better places to be, and better people to be with, or worse people that she prefers anyway for some reason." -- Arthur's Notebook in game.

Which immediately hints that she never made their relationship secure. Now you may doubt that but here is a note from Sally when she kisses him on impulse.

"why did i do that?

it was nice. why didn't i ever do it before?

because look at what happens. i fuck everything up. think, sally, think!" -- Sally's Notebook in game

At multiple points in Sally's act, you hear reminiscing from her thinking about how much she loved Arthur, but she could never just take that step to make it official. She only knew how to use men because she doesn't trust or necessarily like them. And because she never made a relationship secure with Arthur, he felt like she was never honest. And never wanted to be around. Or always fancied someone else, even if she never really did.

But Arthur can only comprehend what he believes to see. He is so adamant on what he witnesses, as he is an extremely analytical person. Though he gets that from being a stupendous student and excelling at english class, he was also abused from his father. And those abused are often more than not, rather astute at others body language and emotions. Though it doesn't outright say it, you can gather the hints at it in his memories.

youtube

At the memory in 7:28, it talks about Arthur's father calling his son down from a tree after realizing he's being sent off to Germany. Instead of trying to rationalize the situation and allow his emotions to be regulated or teaching him to regulate them, he simply manipulates him into coming down.

At 10:55, the memory talks about Percy wondering why the Germans are taking the kids away. Instead of taking a moment to regulate emotions, Arthur lets them out impulsively and regrets it a second later. This hints again, he was never taught to regulate.

At 14:20, there's another memory where the same thing happens again.

At 17:50, Arthur's father tells his son that they're bringing him Sally from her house. Begrudgingly, Arthur disagrees and says that she's an idiot. Instead of trying to explain how that's not generous of him, he says "you two should get along perfectly." Literally him bullying his child.

At 20:21, the memory talks about how Percy doesn't want Arthur to leave for Germany. But it also says that their father never really talks to Percy, opening up a whole new can of worms for his abusive nature. Also, if you look at their birthdays, they are genuinely less than a year apart, meaning that his father wanted to have a kid as soon as they realized that he wasn't "normal."

And at the last memory, his father tells Arthur he doesn't talk bollocks all the time when he realizes that Percy is gone forever. He never wanted that child. And frankly, because he's such a shit man, he never treated Arthur right to begin with.

He just wanted to have a kid to seem "proper" to everyone. He never knew how to raise something and didn't want to after his wife died.

Throughout the game, there are various voicelines articulated by Arthur that describe a hatred toward his father. He never missed him, he never treated Percy right, and he was generally a pisspoor person. Though he did teach Arthur how to be a handyman and punished him whenever he fucked up at school or trespassed with Sally, it doesn't add up to horrible mistreatment, manipulation, and general lack of decent parenting over the years.

After all, he was left to raise Percy on his own as a child. He wasn't equipped to raise Percy! He didn't know how to handle someone with autism! In fact, there's a voiceline Arthur says that hints that he didn't even know what Percy had!

"I remember when they came back from London, Mum wouldn't stop crying for a week, but all Percy could talk about was the train." -- Arthur Voiceline whilst Idle.

"They never told me what that specialist said, the one in London, when they took him to see him." -- Arthur Voiceline whilst Idle.

Arthur never felt like he could do anything by himself. He never had a childhood, and as such, he grasps what control he can have now since his father never cared for his brother and his mom died when they were growing up. If he can try and manipulate a situation or perhaps a person ( which his dad did too, btw, like father like son ) , maybe he can get off scot-free? Though that usually only happens, as I said before, in situations he doesn't seem that would be pleasant to him.

Percy wasn't a pleasantry. He loved his brother and cared for his brother, but he was just so tired. He wanted to be by himself. He wanted to have a childhood that Percy was having. So, because he neglected the emotional regulation thanks to a neglectful father, his impulsive behaviors lead to the departure of his brother.

Arthur has grown so much. But because of his father, because of Sally, and because of the death of his mother, there are just some pieces of himself that he can never change. Emotional regulation is extremely tough, and his expressive nature, exploding rage, and immense jealousy is a prime example of that.

#; [ 💊 metas .#( THE HOES GONNA LOOOOOOOOVE THIS )#( its super long though so only read if you want! )#whf #we happy few #arthur hastings #whf arthur #arthur whf #sally boyle #whf sally

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pocketgalaxies · 1 year

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okay i have a confession...i never liked ashton...i tried, especially when we found out he has chronic pain and a legitimate reason for being an asshole...but i just can't get on board with him and often roll my eyes at his scenes. and that last convo with laudna made me so frustrated bc it seemed like he was totally emotionally dismissive and wanted to play the "i had it worse" olympics. i've never disliked a cr character before and i don't know what to do about it. any advice? or anything that you particularly like about ashton that could help me get on board a little?

hi anon thanks for asking! unfortunately i can't help you a huge amount because i also! have never liked ashton and have historically had trouble finding reasons to like them. but i will try my best to help

well the first thing i'd say is i don't think you need to find reasons to get on board with ashton. interrogating your feelings about a character is always good to take in the full depth of their behavior, but if you go through that whole process and you STILL don't like them then maybe they just aren't your cup of tea. which is totally valid and acceptable!!! and i know it's not easy to dislike something about a show you love so much, but i'd say just try and sit with that and tell yourself that you're allowed. there are so so many fish in the cr sea and you're far from expected to love each one

that being said if you still want to hear my thoughts here they are! (it got very very long)

i've seen a few people mentioning that ashton might've intentionally started that conversation with laudna because he knew she specifically would be in the position to shoot them down. a sort of self-inflicted scolding, i think. watching the ep, i also got the sense that he was intentionally trying to upset her by bluntly phrasing things to dig into her trauma and i think it makes sense based on what we know about them. maybe he wanted someone to yell at him and tell him he's being weak (in a lot of ways similar to early-c2 caleb's pervasive self-hatred driving him to intentionally seek out places/people with which he is made to feel like shit). or maybe he needed someone else to look him in the eye and tell him "stop hiding and let the people around you help you." maybe they needed a reason to say out loud that they're only with the hells bc they're using them, because that's the only way they can hear themself and how ridiculous and false that sounds. who knows! regardless, i think it's uninformed to say that tal wasn't doing this on purpose. it means something, and it opened up something that will most certainly have some growth and ultimately resolution later

this is kinda separate but we could also get into the details of his word choice, like what did he mean by "i know a loneliness that you don't" was he just talking about a certain kind of loneliness that he perceives to be distinct from the loneliness that many other of the party members have experienced? (worth pointing out that bells hells is a party full of people defined by their loneliness in many ways. food for unrelated thought) is it true that ashton's loneliness is unique to them and no one else in the party? is it even meaningful to put people's loneliness into different boxes? how has loneliness affected the way they distance themself from some people vs. the way they latch protectively onto other people? maybe those questions are of interest to you!

i think ashton is a very meaty character with a lot of complicated stuff going on and tal loves to create characters like this, characters defined by arrogance or a self-aggrandizing belief in their own suffering, or characters who are intentionally and unrelentingly abrasive. they become likable and compelling because of the underlying context and past and often conflicting and changing behavior over time.

it's just that those types of characters will always be a little polarizing, and i personally have a LOT of trouble enjoying tal's characters, because that's just my personal preference. they are complicated and juicy but they historically just do not do it for me. i was very incensed by that conversation with laudna because i am a laudna stan above all else and i thought ashton was being Awful to her, even if i can understand that they knew they were being awful and had reasons to be that way. the important thing is that i recognize it's a double-standard in my own mind and i know that about myself, and i'm not being a willingly narrow-minded jerk to the fans who like ashton and were thrilled by the convo. but i don't have to feel forced to like them and read/reblog meta about how sad they actually are etc etc. you know what i mean?

anyway at the risk of going on a tangent where i complain about that convo for no real reason related to your question, i will stop talking now. hope this helps in some way or another! your feelings are valid and you definitely are not alone in struggling with this character, if the posts and tags i've seen the past few days are any indication. just be nice to people and it will be all good. cr characters are fictional but cr fans are not <3

#anonymous #ask #answered #critical role #cr3 #cr spoilers #cr meta #cr negativity #nova shh #yes i Did write two paragraphs about how much i hated that convo before realizing it wasn't needed or productive #so i deleted them #but. if you really want me to complain. and just be mean. i guess you can send me another message idk. i just don't want to be murdered

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thenativetank · 3 months

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Just found your blog and I love it! Really impressed by the planted tank. How do you combat algae? All my plants have died over time because they get covered in algae and I think I damage the leaves if I try to scrape/wipe it off.

You wanna know my secret? Im doing my best to fight algae but algae holds its own. I have hairy algae growing on vals and some brown diatoms growing on the lower parts of my hornwort that miss out on direct light.

So what can you do? You can make your tank conditions favor the plants (CO2, strong lighting on an appropriate timescale), you can add in algae grazers (my ramshorns seem to handle the brown algae well enough) and you can manually remove it as it grows. But honestly you learn to live with a little.

As you find in your case, too much algae can be bad. Additional thoughts below:

Your tank is obviously favoring the algae indirectly by being inhospitable to the plants you've selected. You'll need to fix that balance, either by correcting the tank conditions or finding plants that outcompete the algae. So:

Let's start with water conditions. If you are feeding your fish too much, have low water flow, water that is too hard or too soft, using distilled/RODI/softened water, or aren't supplementing nutrients, you're going to have a hard time with plants. Algae seems to outcompete plants in these conditions, in my experience. We can talk via chat if you want to brainstorm.

Your plant selection may be problematic here too. Some plants seem to favor acidic conditions, others basic. A bunch of slow growing plants are also going to be an instant target for algae. Anubias is one such case and will grow blue-black algae extremely easily. I recommend doing some research and selecting a fadt growing plant that likes your source water - hornwort, watersprite, wisteria, bacopa, and anacharis are some of many options.

Check your lighting. Do you have an appropriate lighting strength and color value? I've found in general LEDs are better than fluorescents for plant growing, but even then what you use depends on tank depth, plant type, etc. Also make sure your tank lighting isn't on too long (10-12 hours is about right for fast growers).

Make sure your tank avoids direct sunlight. Easy way for algae to grow.

Finnicky plants especially need CO2, but most plants appreciate it. If you were trying to grow microsword or red leaved plants without CO2, you're gonna have a bad time. I've found vals will grow in tanks without CO2, but they don't grow as strongly.

make sure you actually have aquatics! Bamboo, mondo grass, and others aren't aquatic and will die after an extended period submerged.

Just some off the cuff thoughts! Feel free to message me with tank details, livestocking, plants, lighting, etc and we can figure this out.

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rozaceous · 1 year

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idk that it fits anywhere within my existing tcba fics, really, since it's not an extra or an au? but here, have my original ending to tcba's wave arc before i decided that i actually take serious injury seriously

The bridge is in its last stages of construction and Mariko has convinced Kakashi that she's well enough to at least watch the bridge be finished. She is, too, because the headaches are all but gone and the tinnitus had stopped four days previous, but also she'd been going stir-crazy in the house, especially since she'd had trouble focusing on her embroidery long enough for it to function properly as a distraction and Tsunami had refused to let her help with the housework.

But she's perched on one of the bridge’s support beams with a warm, if humid, wind in her face, and Kakashi's stitches--just as neat as hers, but he'd used the last of her blue embroidery thread because she was out of her surgical thread, and she isn't sure she's forgiven him for it because blue is one of the only colors she can see properly--itch a little and the area will probably scar. But it doesn't hurt much any longer and the muscles underneath have mostly healed and there aren't any signs of infection. In fact, she should be able to remove the stitches later tonight.

So she's feeling pretty good, all things considered.

Zabuza and Haku show up mid-morning, the former conferring with Kakashi and the latter offering a small wave to her in her high-up resting place. Mariko wastes no time in sliding down the nearest column with a controlled glide of chakra coating her hands and feet. Sasuke and Naruto also take a pause in helping the construction crew to come over from their position further down the bridge.

"I'm not so sure you should be moving," is her greeting to him.

Haku just smiles. "Shouhei-sensei cleared me for travel so long as I don't exert myself, Mariko-san. And how are your own injuries?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she says dismissively, right hand already glowing green. "And no offense to Shouhei-sensei, but he doesn't have jutsu to back him."

Haku lets her fish her hand through the front of his kimono top and lay it over his shirt, one eyebrow up and seeming dreadfully amused. "I don't need to worry about my intestines, do I? I promise I'm type O, and Shouhei-sensei cleared me of any blood borne illnesses."

Mariko falters and has the horrible sensation of heat creeping into her cheeks.

Naruto and Sasuke choose this prime moment to arrive, with Mariko blushing and with her hand in a smirking Haku's shirt. Naruto comes up short, and Sasuke narrows his eyes.

"I thought you'd passed out by that point," Mariko says, forcefully returning her attention to Haku's neatly bandaged side.

"Oh, not quite yet," Haku says pleasantly. "It was such a graphic threat, I would've been afraid to fail to hear the end of it."

"Threat?" Zabuza pipes up, because apparently he and Kakashi are finished talking and the universe hates her.

"Mariko-chan," Kakashi says warningly. "What did I say about iryouninjutsu before we got you checked out at the hospital?"

"It's just a diagnostic," she retorts. But she drops the jutsu anyways and retrieves her hand. She takes a half-step back because she'd definitely invaded Haku's personal space and, wow, it's a warm day. She clears her throat. "Well, your ribs are fragile as all hell, and I don't know if your nerves will ever fully regenerate there. It's not too far from the spine, so there's at least a chance you won't have a permanent numb spot. But you really need to see a proper medic soon to check out your heart and kidney and to bolster all the work I did reconstructing your ribs and muscle. No jutsu, no jumping, no throwing, nothing faster than a leisurely walk, don't lift anything heavier than a spoonful of soup, and drink plenty of water but not all at once. Your kidney's this close to giving up, you still might go into cardiac arrest, and I didn't spend all that chakra just for you to die because you thought you were well enough to move with more speed and agility than a geriatric sloth."

Haku smiles at her again. "Thank you for the advice, Mariko-san. And for your assistance that day. I owe you in more ways than one."

Faster than he can blink, she has a hand and a scowl pinning him in place. "I know you weren't just about to try to bow, Haku-san."

Haku's eyes go a little wide.

To her right, Naruto snickers.

"It wasn't advice," she says, retracting her hand from his shoulder. "They were medic's orders. And you don't owe me anything. Just paying you back for those herbs you gave to Naruto for me."

"I didn't realize I charged such a high rate of interest."

"Good thing I never plan to let you loan me money, then."

He laughs and covers his mouth with a hand demurely. Haku moves on to thank Naruto as well, but all Mariko really registers is the flaming hellscape which is her face and the intensely judgmental look Sasuke is giving her.

"Shut up," she tells him.

He scoffs.

Zabuza's voice, when it comes, is a low rumble.

"I owe you one, little girl."

Mariko looks back at him, a little startled, but then her eyes narrow. "You owe me two, Momo-chan," she replies firmly, because an inability to haggle is something that would cause her parents actual disappointment. "And my name's Shiko Mariko, not 'little girl.' Get it right."

It's generally held wisdom amongst shinobi not to share your family name if it isn't the sort of thing to help you, but Mariko has a powerful feeling that this isn't the last she'll see of Zabuza or Haku, and if one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist owes her, he'd better know who he's owing.

Zabuza hasn't re-bandaged his face--probably because he needs those bandages everywhere else--so she sees the razor points of his teeth when he grins at her.

"Two, huh?"

"Two," she confirms.

He doesn't challenge her count which means he's just as aware as she is that if she were any less skilled at iryouninjutsu and had died from his blow during their initial meeting, not only would Haku be dead because she wouldn't have been there to save him, but Zabuza himself would be dead because Kakashi would have made sure of it. And that was assuming that Naruto wouldn't have freaked out, lost his handle on the Kyuubi, and done it himself.

But Zabuza didn't need to worry about that last part.

His grin widens. "Am I not pretty enough to get a bye?"

Mariko sniffs, cheeks that had cooled coloring again. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am both just and merciful."

"Whatever you say, Shiko Mariko."

"Glad you're catching on."

#tcba #tcba meta #(sort of)#the universe outside us #(also sort of)#i prefer how i ended up rewriting it but this still holds a lot of charm #also bc i want ppl to understand the haku/mariko dynamic #and how much momo-chan sees #(also kakashi after this: NO.)

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