#when we went to the mushroom museum and all the poisonous ones had names like PHALLIC KILLER it was so beautiful for me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inkmemes · 4 years

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nbc’s hannibal ( 2013 - 2015 ) pt 1 ↪ req’d by anon. s01e01 - s01e06. alter as you see fit. trigger warnings for death, gore, sexual themes

“he will die watching me take what is his away from him.”

“i can empathise with anybody.”

“can i borrow your imagination?”

“he’s like willy wonka.”

“the amount of detail is incredible.”

“i would apologise for my analytical ambush, but i know i will soon be apologising again and you'll tire of that eventually, - so i have to consider using apologies sparingly.”

“could be a permanent installation in your evil minds museum.”

“i've fantasised about scenarios where my actions may have allowed a different fate for [name].”

“what is that? i bet it’s marijuana.”

“i got stabbed in the third grade with a number two pencil. thought i was gonna get lead poisoning.”

“i'm very supportive of bake-offs.”

“i don't feel sorry for myself at all. i feel, um i-i i feel, um good.”

“i guessed your size, so anything you don't want, leave the tags on, i'll bring it back.”

“i'm gonna be messed up, aren't i? i'm worried about nightmares.”

“i was sort of expecting a body outline in chalk or tape.”

“i'll tell you if i saw him if you tell me why it's important.”

“your victimhood has a high profile.”

“i never connected to the concept.”

“the family you think is family, is just a stepping stone to real family.”

“thirteen-year-old milk carton material.”

“have you ever tried psilocybin? ‘mushrooms’?”

“i want to give you your power back.”

“a paradox in the midst of a normal family: he's an outsider who doesn't look like one.”

“well, i don't think you're gonna go home for a long time.”

“as someone who makes such a big deal about common courtesy, i’m a little taken aback.”

“think it's too late for us to have kids?”

“at night i leave the lights on in my little house, and walk across the flat fields. when i look back from a distance the house is like a boat on the sea.”

“i had two fingers of whiskey before i went to bed.”

“vikings used to execute christians by breaking their ribs, bending them back, and draping the lungs over them to resemble wings. ttey used to call it a ‘blood eagle’.”

“your perfume is exquisite.”

“even a drunk with a flair for the dramatic can convince himself he's god.”

“supplication is the most common form of prayer.”

“so can we have a conversation, or do you want to pretend that everything's alright?”

“you know something - i'm very good at sorting things out, and at the very least i can underwhelm you while you're being overwhelmed.”

“i won't insult you by asking if there's someone else.”

“my ears rang like the first time I heard my mom use the f-word.”

“i figured you'd be here.”

“it's your fight, baby, but i'm in your corner.”

“i thought if i kept it to myself, our lives wouldn't change.”

“you don't have to say a word until you're ready, but i'm not going anywhere until you do.”

“i cannot help feeling responsible myself for what happened.”

“i'm assuming that you're familiar with the chesapeake ripper?”

“how wonderful to see you again.”

“um, i was just, uh, in the neighbourhood.”

“you look like you were dreaming.”

“so, are you enjoying reading my mail?”

“[name] would you care to assist me with dessert?”

“it can sometimes be brave to allow yourself hope.”

“i believe the world is a better place with [name] in it.”

“if you'll wait here, i'll be right back.”

#rp meme #rp sentence meme #rp sentence starters #sentence meme #sentence starters #this was req'd so long ago but it's gonna take me SO LONG to sort thru and pick good ones so it's gonna get broken up into multi pts

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ask-de-writer · 4 years

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DARING DO and THE GRYPHON’S QUEST! : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 19 of 19

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

DARING DO

and

THE GRYPHON’S QUEST!

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

and

Carmen Pondiego

Cover art by Aranel the Cyborg, now Wind the Mama Cat

29584 words

Writing begun 03/29/16

This is a Fan Fiction based on My Little Pony. Canterlot, Princess Luna and the name Daring Do are owned by Hasboro Inc.

//////////////

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Chapter 19. Enlightenment

While Friend was tending to her newest “nymphs,” the young Eagles, Daring Do asked, “What was it? I guess that I was poisoned?”

The nurse, taking advantage of Friend’s slight distraction, started to take Daring Do’s blood pressure and stuck a thermometer in her mouth. She replied, “It was a whole Hellbore mushroom in the sauce and diced throughout your steak. They had two of them. The other was being prepared for the Imperial table.”

Grata, crest set to thanks, carried on, “Luck alone caused a server to be over eager for the credit of destroying the Blasphemer. If we had all been served at once, as planned, they might have killed much of the rule of the Empire.”

Carmen picked up the story. “You have chosen well to have Friend as your “hive.” That is what she means when she calls you Matunen. I know that you know what it means.”

Daring Do managed a small nod.

“When you fell, Friend was off that nest in an instant. She wrapped you in a form of magic that none of us, not even Uncle M, has seen. We know that it stopped your heart beat and breathing. It was impenetrable as well.

“Friend’s magic that seems so delicate? It reached out and sealed the whole banquet hall. One conspirator tried to fly through it. All that hit the floor was a rain of blood, feathers and shreds of flesh and bone. No other was stupid enough to try that again!

“She sort of swept the room with it. All of the conspirators there were wadded up and dumped before the Throne like a pile of rabbit droppings! Krapper was still yelling about Blasphemy.”

Daring Do chuckled. It hurt. A lot. It was worth it. Friend put down the Eagle chick that she was tending and stepped over to lay her horn to Daring Do’s forehead.

Calmly she stated, “Matunen is tired. She needs more prey.”

The voice of steel called out, “Friend needs more prey! You five! Come out for selection!”

General Ironhooves escorted the unlucky five Gryphons into the room. One whined, “It is bad enough that … that thing is killing us by torture. Why do we have to watch it happen?”

Grata, crest raised in outrage, demanded, “So, it was a matter of celebration to use THE COWARD’S WEAPON of poison against one who was PROVING our Legends but it is not OK to see the consequence of your criminal and cowardly actions?”

As they were speaking, Friend’s delicate seeming magic settled about one of the five. He gave a despairing squawk as he aged visibly. Feathers began to loosen and fall out. His eyes filmed over, going to an opaque pale blue. He simply withered where he stood, until he could stand no more.

Friend stepped over to her victim and simply bit into his neck. There was not much blood. The Eagles hop-fluttered to his carcass and began to strip what was left of his meat from the bones. One of the four being made to watch vomited.

Daring Do felt the soft, loving magic that she trusted absolutely settle through her. As it did, it brought safety, strength and comfort.

Having eaten her fill, Friend returned to her happy preening of Eagle chicks. A hospital aerie orderly came in and cleaned up the remaining mess. As he carried away the bones and scraps, he commented with cheer, “Another one for the midden.”

Daring Do brought something to mind. “The civil war? Did we stop it?”

General Ironhooves replied, “Oh, it started while the banquet and Friend’s little round up was going on. It is down to a few isolated actions in several valleys. It should be over completely in another few days to a week.

”For a long planned revolt, they were really poorly equipped.” He cast a glance at Carmen as he went on, “I can’t imagine how they wound up so short of equipment and ammo.”

He grinned hugely. “Carmen and VILE have the best combination of Intelligence and sabotage that I have ever had the pleasure of having on my side!”

Grata, crest rippling in amusement, added, “VILE sold us a most amazing array of military hardware at very reasonable rates! At prices like that, one would ALMOST think that they were not acquired honestly!”

Daring Do snickered. “VILE has never been proved of or caught in any illegal act. They MUST have been properly obtained.”

There was a small commotion at the door. Grata told the guards, “That is Marehem. He is both family and has Imperial clearance. Let him in.”

The blue changeling with his orange mop of a mane, entered the room. He made a sideways grin as he handed a check to Carmen. “Here you are, my Dear. The last of the settlements. It seems inconceivable, but Allstable Insurance has some unhappy customers.”

The General raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Marehem snorted, “We have been very actively selling insurance on collections of militaria throughout the Empire. Mostly to First Creationists.

“Recently, they opened up their warehouses and vaults. Many valuable articles were missing! Articles like main battle tanks and artillery pieces.

“Careful examination of each case resulted in denial of the claims for methods of loss not covered by the policy.”

Grata, crest dripping sarcasm, asked, “How could that possibly have happened?”

Daring Do managed to point a hoof at Marehem. “HE wrote the policies! That is how!”

Carmen agreed, “It is indeed how. Agent payrolls must be met someway. I was happy to be of assistance in this case.” She grinned happily, “In the course of evaluating the “collections of militaria”, we found a few other things to acquire! Our private museum’s collection of Gryphon art and sculpture is much improved!”

She turned to the General. “Your advice on military collectibles has proved invaluable, General. We had not done much in that regard but now have the start to a good collection. Thank you.”

He tipped his hat. “It was a pleasure, Ms. Pondiego.”

Daring Do was hit by a question. “Umm, the war is almost over? How long was I unconscious?”

The nurse replied, “Define unconscious. By every test that we know, you were dead for the first week. We remember the fool that tried to fly through that weak looking magic of Friend’s!

“She was taking three or four prey a day for that week. She said that you were loving her back properly. Then you started to breathe and your heart to beat. That was two weeks ago. We have gone with her assessments ever since!”

Daring Do’s mind was ticking off the time that they had known Friend and helped her with her precious eggs. “Shouldn’t the eggs have hatched some time ago?” Friend looked up from her chick preening and feeding. “Friend loved them to wait so that Matunen could watch her nymphs emerge.”

There came a voice from the doorway that could be as loud as a Royal Canterlot Voice or as soft as a dream. Princess Luna entered the room.

The nurse, showing a typical Gryphon respect for leadership, crest rippling with amusement, commented, “Good thing that we don’t have a Navy! This much brass could overload and sink any ship!”

Luna turned to Grata and said quietly, “I am glad that you Gryphons can handle such informality. Our Court …” She shook her head. “Bunch of overstuffed lunks for the most part. No sense of humor.”

Grata, crest rippling amusement, replied, “You have had thousands of years of practice at being fluffed feathers. Give us time. With luck, we will learn to avoid that pitfall by seeing your experience.”

Chuckling, Luna stepped around the hospital nest and smiled at Friend and her nymphs. She stepped close and nuzzled Friend. “Thank you, Friend. You have given me the best gift that I ever got. These Gryphons that you loved into being are the best thing that ever came of our horrible Nightmare Wars.”

Friend looked up to Princess Luna, tears in her eyes. “They are good nymphs.” She suddenly made hardened steel seem soft. “Some are failed nymphs, good only for prey. They hurt Matunen. I take them and love their lives to help Matunen.”

Without any disturbance at all, Princess Luna said, “So I have heard. Why did you choose Doctor Do as Matunen? You know that she can’t give you eggs to tend.”

Friend stared over at Daring Do with love. “From her first word, Daring Do shared care for Friend. She shared mind/heart/love without hesitation or fear. She found out about my eggs. With many other things important to her, she made my eggs most important. No better Matunen could be.”

Luna nodded. “I do see now why you chose her. If none have told you so, Friend, you are wise.”

Luna turned to Daring Do and offered, “You have our greatest thanks, Doctor Do. We found your exhibit on the origins of Gryphons at the end of the last Nightmare War in the Royal Museum. Some, on the acquisitions committee, wanted to remove it until it should be properly cataloged and formally accepted. I ordered it kept on display without reservation.”

Daring Do glanced a question to Carmen. Carmen shrugged. “We know how much of a pain it is to give anything to the Royal Museum. True that they are far better now that Count Umber is out of the woodwork, but it is still not easy. It seemed more expeditious to simply install it in its logical place.”

Daring Do grinned at that. Turning to Luna she said, “I thought that you would like to know that this whole wonderful species came out of that terrible time. That such goodness and honor arose from that dark part of our past.”

Luna nodded slowly, tears at the corners of her eyes. “You were so right, Doctor Do. It really does help.”

Daring Do replied, “I am glad that it does.

“Friend, may I see our nymphs? Up close, I mean?”

Smiling, Friend brought over one chick at a time, using her egg turning claw as a sort of perch and support. After holding each chick close for examination, she set it down on Daring Do’s blanket and fetched another. When the last of the chicks had been transferred, Friend clambered up onto the hospital nest along with them.

She was happily preening the chicks and feeding them. Daring Do realized that she was feeding them by regurgitating small amounts of food. And what, or rather who, the food was.

Oddly, it did not bother her at all. She lay there and thought it over, figuring out that her sharing with Friend had been more complete than she had at first known. It was actually a comforting idea.

About two weeks later, Daring Do was back in the Royal Banquet Hall. In a mobility cart. Friend was pushing her along. In the cart with her was a collection of eaglets, just starting to fletch out.

After the meal, of which Daring Do could only eat a little, she was wheeled about to a place in front of the display of Gryphon origins.

She began, “As I was about to say, before I was so rudely interrupted …”

–THE END–

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<==PREVIOUS

#DARING DO AND THE GRYPHON'S QUEST!#Part 19 of 19 #MLP Fan Fiction #Written by De Writer and Carmen Pondiego

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arsonforcharlie · 5 years

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it’s that time of the week so you nerds get a fuck squad recap!

I feel like it’s notable that I have a chart up on my wall now where I can give my players gold stars if they do something really good and creative. So that’s fun and definitely not sparking competition at all!

We started with a discussion of “wailing widows” that I misheard as “whaling widows” and long story short I have a new comic book idea

Sergei, Maddela, and Saida see a crowd of people with weird, distorted faces staring at them. Maddela and Saida get Rhonia to cast Face of the Devourer on them so they fit in, while Sergei covers his eyes to not see them.

Yoni: “I would argue that only friends make each other piss themselves.”

Yoni slams the curtain that Rhonia ripped off the wall into the bag of trading.

“You pull out an old dirty sock.” Saida: Is that someone’s crankin’ it sock? Oh, wait, I can’t say that, you’ll lose followers on tumblr.”

Cue a discussion of that one time I got an anon saying they unfollowed me because of the ghost cum thing.

Saida: “Oh yeah, I remember that.” Sergei: “I don’t but there’s so much I don’t remember.” Saida: “Maybe you should lay off the party drugs.” Sergei: “MAYBE YOU SHOULD LAY OFF MY DICK”

Sergei blindly walks forward to a table in the middle of the room with a chalice on it, and triggers a trap that causes a hidden crossbow to fire at Maddela and an illusion to make it look like he did it.

Rhonia: “I put the crossbow bolt in his hand” “His hands are still over his eyes!”

They conclude that he clearly didn’t do it because dude didn’t even have a crossbow.

There was then some discussion of a poutine pinata which sounds like such a bad idea.

Sergei hits the chalice off the table with his orb and stick with his eyes closed, setting off a bolt of shadow that feels like flame.

Yoni scoops up the chalice with the bag of trading and gets a “not like top tier but about as good as you can get at the fantasy sobeys bottle of wine.” It turns out the door is unlocked and they can just walk through. The next floor is filled with a thick gray mist.

Sergei: “I have my stick out. My STICK.”

Sergei: “I didn’t go to fuckin’ wizard school! I went to clown college!”

Maddela strikes a match to see if the mist in the room they are in is flammable. It isn’t, but I feel like that’s a notably bad idea.

Sergei walks around the perimeter of the room with a rope tied around his waist and finds the door. However, when he tries to open it, a spear of ice springs up from the floor.

Meanwhile, the rest of the squad use the rope to navigate across the room to the door, and come across a weird stone box with a gold key in the bottom. When Rhonia reaches in to get it, a swarm of monkeys are summoned, one of which grabs the key before they scamper away into the mist.

Saida: “Does everyone have a lightning-proof hazmat suit? Because I have a plan!”

spoiler nobody had that

Saida also suggested Maddela melt the ice spear by dirty dancing on it. “Roll a fort save in case you froze your box!”

Maddela does melt the ice spear with some alchemist’s fire, but then immediately triggers another one by trying to unlock the door again.

Rhonia: “I’m just gonna fill the box with bananas!”

She does use her magic lunchbox to fill the pedestal with bananas, which lures all the monkeys in for snacks. After a few horribly bad perception checks, Yoni manages to see that one of the monkeys has the key so she hits it with her starknife and it dies.

Maddela: “How much of your hatred of wizards is part of your history?” Saida: “I had a really bad run in with one once.” Sergei: “Yeah, ran into his dick with your vagina!”

The next room has a table with a mask on it, two poufs on either side, and a door. Saida puts the mask on immediately and it affixes itself to her face and she can’t get it off. When she and anyone else sit on each of the poufs, the other people get a quick lil fortune reading.

Sergei gets told that he’s trusting someone he shouldn’t, so his player was kinda freaking the fuck out the rest of the session. Who is it? Who knows? I’ll never tell. TEE HEE HEE.

(about Rhonia) “You want to help, and you can be very inventive but sometimes you may not think your actions through.” Saida: “Didn’t need a mask to tell me that!”

(also about Rhonia) “Your god is pleased with you... and so is another.” Yoni: “Better not be Desna! Stay away from my god!” “Other people worship Desna.” Saida: “And Yoni’s going to cut them all!”

Saida: “You know how there’s visual learners and audio learners? Maddela’s a vaginal learner.”

The next room is set up like a museum, with a huge T-Rex skeleton in the centre and glass display cases lining the walls.

Sergei: “This is the necromancy room and there’s a giant skeleton in the middle. I’m so excited. Not.”

He crosses to the door and touches it, which wakes the T-rex that attacks the squad.

“Does a 22 hit?” Maddela: “No.” “Oh, cool.” Maddela: “I’M STILL LYING!”

Maddela uses her wand of binding to bind the T-Rex while she runs to go unlock the three locks on the door.

Yoni: “I do one, uh, blunt damage” which brought him to 69. Nice.

Yoni: “Does anyone have ropes to tie his feet together?” Saida: “This is like turning into a caper, i love it.”

The rest of the squad beat it up, but then it reforms into two smaller T-Rex skeletons.

Saida:"That giant dinosaur lizard will never know the satisfaction of eating poop again. Because it’s dead.”

Saida: “Don’t you have, like, healing blast?” “Oh, you mean healing gun.”

Saida: “I haven’t been listening to how Yoni’s class works.” “It’s cool, neither has she.”

“You’re being very strategic tonight. Are you feeling okay?”

Rhonia animated one of the smaller T-rexes and named it Jonesy, so that’s a thing now. They tied up the other one instead of killing it so it didn’t reanimate as more smaller boys. God they can be smart on occasion.

Saida: “Apparently my bloodline gives me a bonus to knowledge religion. But I don’t want it because that sounds dumb.”

They move on to the next room, where the first-level wizard apprentice who was manning the door watches them stomp on in with a new t-rex pal and decides to let them go to see the council once they’re done with the meeting that they’re having.

Presented with the opportunity to get what they want in about ten minutes if they just wait peacefully, the squad all gangs up to try and kick down the door and all roll terribly.

Coming out of the door is Tarand, who, from what they can hear, has had some sort of ideological disagreement with the rest of the wizards and is resigning from his position here.

Saida: “We’re never gonna get as high level as he is because all we do is SHOP and FUCK”

she’s not WRONG

Saida, trying to figure out if he’s been exposed to the mushroom spores: “are you feeling hepatitis-y?”

Sergei: “Have you had to roll any saving throws?” Tarand: “I’m a very powerful wizard. I know what that feels like. I have not.”

He is very confused when they ask about the mushrooms and refuses to tell them why he’s leaving, so Yoni Flapdragon, in a fit of anger, punches him in the dick. And almost crits. It isn’t confirmed so it only does 3 damage, but still. That’s a thing they’ll have to deal with later.

They go in to meet the wizard council, who did just watch Yoni punch Tarand right in the dingalings. Most of them also don’t know much about the mushrooms, except one halfling with a wrinkled face named Effin who tells them that she had been working on something similar, but it didn’t work out so she sent it to the toxic waste disposal. When the squad points out that pretty much anyone can get in there, there’s a bit of confusion- there are supposed to be a bunch of curses and things protecting it.

“Academia, you know how it is.” Rhonia: “Isn’t that a nut?”

Saida’s player, tearing up laughing: “I’m just thinking of how much funnier every fantasy genre would be if there was bullying!”

Saida and Yoni stay behind to chat with the council, while Maddela, Sergei, and Rhonia go up to the greenhouse to get some of the asinus densissima flower to put an end to all this.

Maddela: “I don’t know anything about wizards and I’m not about to learn!”

Saida, trying to chat up the head of enchantment by talking about the school of magic: “Of course I know what enchantment is, it’s when you kinda rub magic on some pants and it sticks.”

He’s not impressed by her magic knowledge.

Maddela proceeds to buy some poison from the greenhouse, which has mushrooms visibly covering some of the glass panes. While Effin makes a deal with her, Rhonia gets Jason the skeleton to climb up onto Jonesy the T-rex skeleton and throw a trowel, breaking the glass of the ceiling and letting the mushrooms in.

SO THAT’S COOL

#fuck squad recaps #there are SO MANY FUTURE PROBLEMS

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littlefaerose · 6 years

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of trust and poison

WHO: Marley Rose and Dave Karofsky

WHEN: Monday, September 17th, 2018

WHERE: Student Building, Celestial Atrium

WHAT: Marley and Dave meet up to answer some questions and discuss the reality of their roles as Protector and Dignitary of the Fae. The first USB is handed over. Welcome to the rebellion?

WARNING(S): use of poisonous fungi for medicinal purposes

Marley felt like she looked a little ridiculous toting her box of tissues around campus with her, but after sneezing in the face of a customer the other day at Faun's Floralis and being sent home from work, it had felt like a bit of a necessity. She coughed and blew her nose yet again, depositing the waste in a nearby paper bin (even kleenexes can be recycled, right?), and dabbed her hands with another few drops of hand sanitizer before continuing toward the student building. There was plenty of quiet spaces to talk there, and given that school hasn't started just yet, she was sure she and Karofsky wouldn't be disturbed. She located the Celestial Atrium, one of her favorite rooms in the building, and took a seat at one of the study tables, setting the tissues and a piping hot thermos of herbal tea on top before taking a seat. She pulled a notebook out as well and opened up to a page filled with scribbled questions she had for her... Protector? Bodyguard? She still wasn't sure how to refer to him if asked. Shaking her head, she pushed that mundane worry aside and focused instead on her list while she waited for him to appear. David asked many people on the way to be sure to not get lost and arrive late to meet Lady Marley Rose, Dignitary of the Fae, Luminary of the Aether, Protector of Earth, Flowerchild, Great Employer of Faun’s Floralis and Protégé of the Karofsky clan. Still, she arrived before him. He approaches her. "Marley Rose, sorry for bein' late. Got ya potions for your bronchitis." He said, taking two little bottles and putting them on the table. "One today and you'll feel better. One tomorrow and it should be over. If not, tell me." He said, but he was pretty confident in his healing potions, especially for Fae. "What'cha wanna know?" He asks. "If ya need me for any Mabon activity, I'm free for ya." Maybe it was just because Marley was sick and her brain was processing a little bit slower than usual, but David's onslaught of information had her blinking in surprise. "Oh, um... well, why don't you take a seat?" she offered, pointing to the chair opposite her. "I have quite a list of questions for you." Her eyes panned over to the bottles he set in front of her. "...starting with what's in these potions?" she asked curiously, picking up one gingerly to examine. David takes a seat. "Ask away." He looks at his own potions. "Ginger, water, honey, common ink cap, helvella dryophila, pink crown, and beautiful clavaria. Ginger and honey mostly for the taste." Marley’s eyebrows popped up at the mention of so many fungi. She was less familiar with their uses but familiar enough with their names. "And it's... safe to drink?" she asked tentatively. David nods. "'Course. I'll never give ya anything I didn't taste first to check if it's good for ya." He already knew how to make the potion, but still, he did a spell to ask the Aether for its effects on Faes. Always check it double for Marley Rose. Blaine's words were still buzzing around in Marley’s head. 'You should give him a chance'. And if the guy could drink bleach without dying... well, she hoped that kind of guy knew what he was talking about when he made potions out of fungi. She took the top stopper off the bottle to sniff. "Okay... tell me about your clan. How did they become involved with the Fae?" she asked. David nods. Hoping he can make the story justice. He knew it better by songs. But he wasn't going to sing it. "Long ago, when we were exiled from the witch community, our clan went to the forest to find a place to live. The Faes were wary, understandably so. Some said humans were a plage. A few were alrigh'. Lots were a pandemic, like the group of a very poisonous fungus which was spreading across all the forest. It was an infestation. Faes said they were everywhere. No live being eat it, 'cause the poison. And if you tried to get rid of one of it, the spores would just make a dozen more. They feed on living organism, destroying trees." He stopped to breathe. "Then, the Fae Helene Hydrangea, we got a statue of her on the village, spoke in favor of humans. She said humans, fungi, parasites and any being who needed to take to live was as much part of nature as the ones who don't. Clan said we didn't have to be harmful parasites. We could be in symbiosis. We would do no harm to them, and if we did, we would fix it. They said we could live in the part of the forest where the poisonous fungi were. We could make our homes where the dead trees where. Clan said they'll get rid of the fungi infestation. By eating 'em. Faes reminded the clan they were poisonous. Clan said it didn't matter. A witch one of the mushrooms, prayed to the Aether and did a spell for protection. Then, the mushroom in their hands disappeared. The Aether took it. We took it as a sign the Aether approved of our affiliation with the Fae, letting us protect the forest too." There was something about a good origin story, that was for certain. Marley leaned in as curiosity bested her and listened as David weaved his story. Symbiosis... funny, it was something she ached to find herself. A way to find a balance between the two worlds she now belonged to. To find some kind of peace among the races. It still felt like such a far way off, especially given the current state of things. And yet, David's clan seemed to figure out a way to make it happen. Maybe there was hope yet for the world at large. "So the Aether took away the poisonous infestation?" she asked, raising both brows. "Just like that?" "No." David took one of his offering mushrooms to show Marley. "They mushrooms are still there, where we live. One of those." He took an anti-pollution potion from his grimoire. He opened the bottle. "Look. <<Aether may enjoy this gift, clean the air>>" He whispered the small spell. The offering mushroom on his hand disappeared, and the content of his potion spread around them. Invisible. It got rid of the pollution around, and the air was fresh as being in the middle of the forest. Just a small area around them. "This just last three hours. But it's nice. Air's weird in the city." He goes back on track, telling the story. "Only one mushroom goes to the Aether with each spell. We took it as the Aether likes 'em. We call 'em offering mushrooms, we give one to the Aether per spell, to thank and pay for our magic. All while cleaning the forest so the mushrooms don't completely destroy it. But we won't get rid of 'em all. They're part of nature too. We just control it doesn't harm the forest. And listen to Fae to know how to take care of Earth." Marley sat back as she watched the mushroom disappear like... oh, that was so cliched. But not a breath later, the air around them shifted. Cleared. She took in a deep breath, eyes closing for a brief moment. The last time she'd breathed air this clear had been on her spring break trip. Incredible. "Weird is... putting it lightly," she agreed, though she couldn't comment further as he went on to explain how the process actually worked. An offering to the Aether. It seemed so obvious, made so much sense. It gave an almost holy sense to the work David claimed his clan did. A respectfulness to both the Aether and their fellow inhabitants in the forest. "That makes a lot of sense, actually. Striking a balance," she nodded, her brow furrowing as she thought about the fae he mentioned. "And this understanding has been going on for how many years now?" David nodded, he knew the pollution affected Faes way more than humans. And more than him. For him, the only problem was the smell. "Got more if ya need. Some are for an area and others to drink. Isn't a permanent solution, but it helps a bit." He felt honored to be heard by Lady Marley Rose. "I know. That's how magic should be. Witches here forget where their magic came from. They don't take care of Earth, the Aether, of the Aetherlings." He said, worried. "'round two hundred years." "That I can definitely agree with," Marley frowned, grabbing another tissue before pausing. Oh, screw it. She grabbed the first bottle he'd handed over and drank it down, wrinkling her nose as she swallowed. "So for two hundred years, the Karofsky Clan has co-existed peacefully with Fae. That's... incredible." She washed down the taste of the potion with a long sip of her tea. "And how long ago did the Fae come to you about me?" "Yes. We did, still do." David says. "Know my kind been terrible. Know Fae here still worked with 'em to help Aetherlings and others. I'm not very good with history, but heard at our last museum visit 'bout how the Fae here did so much for the descendants of the Aether." He hoped his potion worked. He knew it would work, but still, he hoped. "Recently. We respect Fae secrets 'bout Fae. When I was preparing to go to NYADA, Silene Astrantia the Fair told me 'bout ya. And to protect ya." She said a lot of things. "We owe everything to the Aether. It's why we're even here," Marley nodded. Even if she sometimes doubted whether Earth Mother was still watching out for her, she could always depend on the Aether. Lips pursing together, she set her thermos aside and leaned onto the table again. "What things did she say about me?" she asked. It was one thing to ask a witch - a human - to protect her. But what was the motive? Was there one? David nods. "She said you were very important. She didn't tell me why." Silene Astrantia the Fair told him to give his life for someone he never met, with no explanation. What could he say but yes? He trusted the Fae. "You know why, righ'?" He hoped at least Marley knew why she was so important to the Fae. Marley swallowed uncomfortably and sat back again. "I do," she confirmed, though her brow still furrowed as she went about cataloging names of fae she hoped to speak with soon. Perhaps... well, maybe they would be willing to listen to her. Or she could at least hear from someone other than those closest to the Ambassador. "And if you've been instructed to protect me, then I think it's only fair that you understand why." David didn't expect to actually have an answer to the reason why, but if Lady Marley Rose, Dignitary of the Fae, Luminary of the Aether, Protector of Earth, Flowerchild, Great Employer of Faun’s Floralis and Protégé of the Karofsky clan wanted him to know, it must be for a reason. "Thanks for giving me a chance, Marley Rose." "Of course... it's not just that though. It's a matter of concern for the safety of the general public as well," Marley explained, blowing out a breath - without a wheeze. Had the potion actually worked? She cleared her throat but found the action unnecessary. She raised a brow at David, but once again leaned forward to acknowledge him. "Tell me, what is your stance on divination? Are you a believer of... say, predictions of the future? Prophecies? Divine destiny?" David thought for a moment. "This isn't only 'bout Fae." He understood. "General public?" He wonders how does it mean. What pool of people it represents the general public. He wonders if Marley Rose really means everyone. "Don't know much 'bout divination. Think if it works to predict bad things happening, so we can stop it, it's great. You?" Marley shook her head 'no'. "No, it's bigger than just the fae, no matter what the Ambassador would have people believe." She paused to look around the room. They were alone. No one loitering in the entryway or exits. No plants. She'd have to risk it. "I didn't believe in it before. I thought it was foolish - who could tell the future? Predict things to come? It seemed hokey to me... but I saw the vision of a prophecy with my own eyes this past summer and it's not something I can forget. I was told about two years ago but I didn't know what to make of it. Now?" she said quietly, still using caution in speaking about something so important. "Now I truly believe we're in danger. Not just the fae but other LN. Witches. Humans. All of us." David listened to everything, in silence. The vision of a prophecy. Everyone would be in danger. The pride of being trusted by Marley Rose quickly turns into worry. The Fae knew for two years. A secret not even his Clan knew of. Or him, at least. He wondered if the elders knew. "Everyone. But, how? Why?" What was the good of knowing the future if you couldn't change it? "Can we protect 'em?" Marley took another admittedly unsteady breath. "I don't know," she admitted, the worry tugging at faint lines on her face as she frowned once more. "Our Ambassador has decided that all attempts at seeking help from the magical government should cease. That we should cut off any further contact with anyone, anything, outside the court of fae, and accept the hand of fate given to us by the Great Flower... the Great Flower being the source of all prophecy." Aether, she was really crossing lines here, but what did it matter if they were facing the potential end of their existence on this planet? "Most of the fae I know will follow whatever the Ambassador asks of them. But I... even if I am the Flowerchild, I can't stand by and just let this planet and everyone on it die. There has to be another way. That's why I'm reaching out for help." She turned away then and pulled out one of the many USBs Tina had given her to hand out to their friends and acquaintances. One for each member of their party. "This is the safest way I could think of to spread the word and find others who might be able to help me figure out an alternative to just waiting for the inevitable." David knew not even the Fae could know everything. He wasn't going to let all that responsibility to Marley Rose alone. "We'll figure it out. You have the entire of the Clan Karofsky at your service." But if Ambassador Raphaële Le Fay decided to accept fate, it changed everything. "Why? Wouldn't all Fae be in danger? Don't know much 'bout it, but, if the Great Flower warned the Fae 'bout it, wouldn't be so they stop it?" He says, confused. The Fae cared about Earth. They wouldn't let everyone be in danger. "Ye, know most Fae would follow Ambassador Raphaële Le Fay. Know others that won't." And the Karofsky clan served all of them. Then, she says it. The end of this planet. He lefts a moment to sink it. He knew Marley Rose was important. He didn't expect the fate of the world would be on the line. "I-I'll help." He says, a thousand questions on his mind. He takes the USB. "Should I warn my clan? It's this a secret?" Marley considers this for a moment. How quickly did she want this to come out? What if word spread to the fae, and then to Raphaelle? "For now? Yes... though if your clan really does have these close ties to the fae, then once we have more of a plan in place? Yes. Warn them," she nodded. "I realize that something this dire usually requires the help of Cardines or adults in general, but we have been failed in so many ways by them. I would rather outsource to people whom I've seen take legitimate action to make a change. To help people. People with abilities that could help bring this to a halt." And if it really came down to it... well, she would pull a Delmyra. "It has to remain a secret until we can pull together some kind of plan to stop it first. Can I trust you to do that?" "Alrigh'. It'll wait. When you need 'em to know. Just give me the word." David can't still believe the situation. But something in him still tries to do something and not panic in from of Marley Rose. She would have panicked about it for so long. "Well, we're adults. And if it affects the whole world, everyone should help. But I trust your judgment, Marley Rose." She knew about this for two years, he just learned it five minutes ago. If Marley counted him as one of the people who take action, he won't let her down. "Won't say a thing til I have your permission, Marley Rose. I swear." There was still so many questions he had. "I'll use this." He says, showing her the USB she gave him. "Would do anythin' I can. Help with the plan. Does anyone else know?" He asks, wondering how much the Fae keep this a secret. And why did they? It felt like Marley was handing over one of a limited number of life vests, and to someone whom she admittedly didn't know very well yet. But if he was truly sent to protect her and his clan could help... well, it was a risk she would have to be willing to take. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the creak of a door opening and the clattering of shoes on flooring stopped her. She leaned back a bit as a few students passed through into the room, giving him a quick shake of her head. "Only a select few so far," she answered, getting up from her chair and gathering her things. "Hold onto that jumpdrive. Keep it safe. If you can't figure out how to use it, ask Tina. She'll know all about it." She blew out a breath, shifting the items in her grasp before adding a grateful, "Thank you. For everything." David stands up, nervous. Someone entered. He wonders who are the other selected few. "Thanks to ya. Talk to you later."

#paras #of trust and poison #knockonkarofsky #cw: poison

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camigani · 6 years

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Update: My Trip to China

Hi, all, it’s been an insane couple of months! Where have I been and why haven’t I been updating? Well, I’ve finally moved in a completely new place all by myself with a new job and lots of pleasant isolation in a tiny town by the sea. Right before that, my family took me overseas to China for a final family trip. I only got food poisoning twice. Oh, and I caught a cold. -v-

LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!!

Things I noticed that generally happen in China:

1) There are a lot of couples! Compared to Japan and Taiwan, I noticed the people here are more open about traveling and showing affection (and discourse) publicly. Where are the lonesome ones? Well, my brother deduced that because Chinese has so many people, the single people stay at home. TvT

2) Women like to cling onto arms or hold hands with their friends or lovers. My Shanghainese housemate was like this, too. I guess it’s a cultural thing.

3) Men tend to smoke, not women. You find women smoking sometimes, but it’s usually associated with being dirty and shameless. The men tend to cough and spit a lot. Everyone openly coughs and sneezes. There are no common words for “Excuse me” and “Bless you/Salud/Gesundheit/etc” in the Chinese language. It feels rude, but that’s how they are.

4) The subways are hi-tech. The navigation is better than Japan and Taiwan. The maps are friendly and easy to read for Chinese and English-literate people. Similar to an airport, however, you have to pass your bags and luggages through a scanning system and have your liquid containers examined before security allows you to board trains. The rides are cleaner.

5) In modern areas, everyone is very well-dressed. They have a fashion style evolved to incorporating modern and slightly retro looks. Unlike Taiwan and Japan, you don’t see people wearing traditional clothing unless it’s for shows or homely occasions.

6) There are cameras everywhere. It’s like London crosses the Patriot Act. Cameras on the highways, cameras on the streets, cameras in the subways. They use facial recognition and license plate recognition. A price of freedom to pay, but because of this system, we were able to track down one of our luggages that we left in a taxi cab. (Haha.) Security checked where my parents got off onto the subway, found the license plate of the taxi cab, and phoned the taxi driver to tell him to meet my parents at XX station to drop off their luggage.

7) They, uh, don’t like Japanese things in China. There are very few Japanese cars, buildings, and brands, going as far as vandalizing Japanese chain stores and boycotting products despite being safer and better. You can say it’s attributed to history and culture. Chinese people view self-humiliation in a different light. They can be quite envious.

8) Infrastructure is king. Not being political; from an objective outlook, the US spends a hefty amount of tax money on military. China invests in infrastructure. There are a lot of building projects going into apartments, museums, preserving historical sites, and parks and recreation. It’s at the point where national parks are completely paved and tiled. (Kinda defeats the purpose of national parks, but at least you don’t have to worry about muddy shoes.)

9) Local vendors that don’t belong to companies or corporations may sometimes be unsanitary, but the food quality is generally cheaper and tastier. Otherwise, if it wasn’t tasty, how would they sell?

10) Hype isn’t always a good thing. Just about every restaurant we’ve gone to where it was packed with people was just okay. Quiet hole-in-the-walls have a personable charm, quicker service, and equally if not better food. Real talk, the original ma po tofu shop serves tofu that is extremely spicy and bitter. Not worth it.

11) Public facilities like museums and libraries are taken quite seriously. The government believes when things are free, people are more civilized. Go figure, yet in my experiences, people were. Not sure about the museums since there’s a lot of Chinese history and culture to go through, anyway, but the public libraries are utilized to the fullest. You need identification to get inside, and every then, you’re only allowed to bring certain material into the library after going through a baggage and metal scan. There are lockers for your things. It was school time next to a university when I visited, so every seat was occupied with a busy Chinese scholar with a stack of books reviewing notes and practicing words or formulas. It was pretty surreal. I didn’t take pictures, but I’ll let you know there were very few fictional books where I visited.

12) Chinese people don’t listen to signs or tourist warning information. Seriously, as someone who’s part Chinese, myself, the tourists can be extremely disrespectful, and it’s super embarrassing. It’s usually the older generation because...well, if you know your history, you might know why they’re like this. But if it says no cellphones and pictures, you’ll find cellphones and pictures. Lower your sound? Someone’s yelling on their phone about the most trivial thing like what they ate for dinner. Stay on the path? Let me just hop this fence and proceed to head towards this dangerous slippery waterfall to take a mediocre selfie. Yeah, it wasn’t a great time. Someone like Germany would blow their brains out.

13) BRING YOUR OWN TOILET PAPER

I cannot stress enough how precious soft butt paper is. The kind they sell in China are sandpaper scrolls on your tender cheeks. Bring your own tp from home if you are to survive the plight of the outdoor public restroom. And soap or sanitizer. There is normally running water in bathrooms, but no soap! What’s the point if the bacteria is going to spread through the water?! Be prepared for squatting, turds, smells, and wet rims. Unless you stake out in your western hotel all day, you WILL find a squat toilet, and there is a high chance it WILL smell or be mysteriously slippery.

Anyway, here are some pictures I lazily took. The descriptions are all on the top of the photos.

We went to Shanghai first. The people are meh at best. But the architecture is interesting because of the heavy western influences. (Missing obligatory picture of The Bund because I exported it somewhere else.)

Beef noodle soup! My favorite! I like it with a little spiciness. They made the noddles with a knee paddle. Only $2 USD!

I’m not sure how to explain it correctly, nor do I know what the exact name of the method used to make the noodles is. I tried to explain it in the crude drawing I made below.

...

This is KFC.

The majority of the trip was spent in Chengdu in Sichuan Province. It’s hot and humid in the summer, but it was just right when we went.

There are a lot of open markets. Look at all the meat and produce! They even had morel mushrooms. Too bad we didn’t have a stove or butter in our hotel.

We visited Kuanzhai Street, a historical alley consisting of wide and narrow paths with historical buildings. Its initial intent is to let tourists experience some of the old culture of China, but nowadays, there are a bunch of vendors who try to capitalize on how many people go there. It gets very crowded.

A most mysterious wall of memes.

Not bad.

Sugar-blown rooster! It tastes like those rainbow lollipops you sometimes see at fairs or candy shops. You get to blow up the sugar, yourself. An interactive show. :)

Burnt sugar rooster! It tastes like the top of a creme brûlée.

Went on a tour to a panda rehabilitation center. Chengdu is a popular spot for earthquakes, and the one in 2017 left pandas injured and traumatized. This place helps them recuperate until they’re well enough to go back to the public zoos. Outside to greet us was a 5-some of panda statues. The one that stood out was the one on the far right with one leg. I thought he was just leaning his leg behind him, but it turns out, his leg is missing! Affirmative action?

(Missing black and white panda because my good captures were all videos.) The red panda tails are so fluffy and gravity-defying. The tails are like a foot long and stay straight in the air.

A Tibetan-like feast! You eat with your hands, and they give you gloves. Everything was fresh and tasty. They served us yak milk. It tastes like if you mix 1 part milk, 2 parts water, so it’s not bad if you don’t mind the watery taste. Over here, your wealth is measured by the number of white yaks you own.

I’m missing pictures, but there was a good number of performances with singing, dancing, and conga lines at our table. My dad got really into it. Because some Chinese cultures are normally reserved, they weren’t used to his disco dancing. Later, they called him Uncle Buddha. And they said he looked high.

Jiuzhaigou. It was closed since the 2008 earthquake due to high levels of mountain and road collapses. It opened recently, so the locals were surprised to hear that it was open again. You can even take pictures wearing local minority Chinese garb. I think it was around $3 USD, but we needed to haul butt.

WATCH THE PICKLE!! We stayed at a decent hotel, but a popular breakfast dish in China is porridge with various kinds of pickled vegetables. I figured I needed vegetables to help me “go” easier during our travels, so I ate a little of everything. So did my dad. My brother and surprisingly my mom, who eats more veggies than anyone in our family, skipped out. Two hours of a bus ride later, I threw up on the street. My dad threw up minutes after I did. We’re pretty sure the old used for the spicy pickle was stale.

Eh, what can you do?

A clear limestone lake. Surprisingly not many people here. It was also very quiet and clean.

We went to Leshan to see the giant Buddha. It’s not too bad of a walk, maybe because it’s at sea level. (Two days prior, Jiuzhaigou was at 7000ft/2100m, so it was really hard to hike without getting tired.) This thing is HUGE. You might be able to see tiny people in the upper right-hand corner for scale. Only take pictures on the Buddha’s right side!

By the way, there are a lot of little statues and tiny Buddha carvings littered on the hike up there. Per Chinese superstition, you are not supposed to take pictures of them. Some either house evil spirits that you can take home with you or you might trap good spirits from spreading fortune.

Very pretty architecture behind the statue. You can drink tea here for about $5, however, it’s a tourist trap! Don’t waste your money and time. See how these pictures don’t have tourists in them? It’s because they were all caught up drinking tea and sitting on their butts.

Aw, the picture rotated. Anyway, here’s a fly modern monk with Nike’s and a smartphone.

Kinda mad I can’t remember this place, but there were many elephant themes in this tourist town we visited. My brother (listed in the picture below with the ONLY pair of long pants and jacket he stupidly packed for the 12-day trip) found a mantou shop that sells these long buns for only 1 YUAN. That’s like $0.17 USD. As a bun advocate, he said they were tasty.

DPRAUNNDKA (Someone was drunk, alright.)

Hot pot! Taiwan was better, and the Guangdong guys were too afraid to try to spicy broth. (Like Hong Kong, haha. Because Cantonese people don’t like spicy food, according to Himaruya.) It was okay, but we only had 30 minutes to eat before catching a show. I don’t have pictures, but the sets and performances were really cool!

Gelatins! Sketchy at best but tasty-looking!

A pleasant view of the hike up Umeishan. Right past this chasm are monkeys! If I panned my phone down, you would’ve seen trash. This is from the monkeys eating tourists’ food. You have to watch your pockets and bags because they’ll go through them for kicks, usually not even for food. And don’t wear red because it intimidates them.

You can hire rickshaw(?) carriers to take you up the mountain. Great for elderly or lazy people. I think it’s about $32 per way.

Famous Emeishan statue thing. You are supposed to take pictures relevant to your zodiac sign, so there are twelve positions like a clock. It’s COLD up there. But the hike makes you warm! And there’s a cable cart that takes you up most of the way.

Zoomed-in luna month friend. It was behind a temple door. The wings looked so soft.

I forgot what this trail was called. The whole hike was about 7 km. Supposed to be 10, but it started to rain, so we skipped the end. Lots of tourists in places, but very nice scenery. Walk fast to avoid smokers. Why do they smoke while walking? :/

Beer Garden in Chengdu City. It’s a strip of bars and clubs where foreigners can sing American pop songs and drink beer. Lots of “trashy” women with rich drunk men. It’s an insane atmosphere with rich-looking people and every bar being full. Seriously. I’d show more pictures, but you really need a video to get an idea of the vibe. Here’s one of Goose Island, whatever that means. Next to it were two hedge sheep. Look at this shit, there’s a picture of the White House on the poster! Ahhh! XD

Chengdu Global Center Mall

Cheese and rice, I thought Tokyo’s AEON Laketown mall was huge. This place has a hotel and a water theme park built into it with a grocery store and food court in the basement. At this point, my family’s feet hurt from all the walking. -.-’

Boo. We came too late. All the boba was sold out. Hey, cat poop coffee on the top.

Just why?

Last full day in Chengdu. Here’s the outside of the museum. You have to wait in line to get screened before going in, however, it’s free.

An underground strip mall. Okay here me out, we tried very hard to look for bootleg Chinglish shirts, but we could NOT find any. The Chinese locals seemed to either snatch them up or we weren’t looking in the right places.

lol and that’s it. We went back to Shanghai for a full day after that, but I caught major food poisoning from something I ate. It was bad. My bowels felt all twisty and uncomfortable. So I spent the entire day in the hotel while my family had a blast eating food and looking at architecture. My brother found a slew of funny Chinglish menus. I wish I had the pictures. If I find them, I’ll pass them along.

Thanks for reading and I’ll try to update stuff when I get settled down in my new place. :3

#china #not hetalia

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dalecmainviscom · 6 years

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‘For the Love of Birds’ TED talk Transcript

Washington Wachira at TEDGlobal 2017

With me here today I brought something beautiful. This is a feather from one of the most beautiful birds we have in Kenya, the crested guinea fowl. But this feather is more than just that. If you've taken time when you are outdoors to look at the feathers around you, you'll have noticed that there is this huge variety of different sizes, shapes and even colors. The feather is one of the most astonishing pieces of technology invented by the natural world, and for centuries, this feather has helped birds to keep dry, to keep warm and even power flight.Only one section of the tree of life can actually make a feather. Among all the world's animals,birds are the only ones who can make something like what I'm holding today. I personally have given them a nickname, and I like to call them the feathermakers. It is the major difference between birds and any other animals we have on earth, and if you can't make a feather, you cannot call yourself a bird.

For us humans, who are earthbound, birds represent freedom. This feather has enabled birds to conquer gravity and take to the air in an extraordinary way. Don't you sometimes wish you could fly like a bird?

Birds are my passion, and I want to change the way each one of you thinks about them. The easiest reason I love them so much is because they are beautiful. There are 10,000 species in the world, and each one of them is uniquely beautiful. Birds are amazing, and this talk is dedicated to all the birds of the world.

Indeed, these birds have been part of our lives and cultures all over the world for centuries,and every society has a story about birds. You probably have heard childhood stories of different birds and how they relate with man. I personally recently learned that our human ancestors would follow flocks of vultures and then they would help them to identify where carcasses have been dropped by large carnivores, and these humans will scavenge and eat part of that meat. Birds have been used as brands and labels all over the world. You know the bald eagle? It was chosen as the national emblem for the US because of its majestic strength,beautiful looks and even a long lifespan. And just like us humans who have managed to live in virtually all habitats of this earth, birds have also conquered the world. From birds such as these beautiful penguins that live in the cold ice caps to even others like the larks, who live in the hottest deserts you can imagine. Indeed, these species have conquered this world.

Birds also build houses like us. The real pros in housebuilding are a group of birds we call the weaverbirds, and this name they were given because of the way in which they weave their nests.

An interesting one: birds also love and date just like us humans. In fact, you'll be surprised to know that males dress to impress the women, and I'll show you how. So here we have a long-tailed widowbird, and this is how they would normally look. But when it comes to the breeding season, everything changes, and this is how he looks.

Yeah? Birds also, multiple species of them, do love to touch and cuddle just like humans. And I know you're wondering about this one. Yes, they kiss too, sometimes very deeply.Some have even learned to cheat on their spouses.

For example, the African jacana: the females will mate with multiple males and then she takes off to find other males to mate with and she leaves the male behind to take care of the chicks.

And birds help us so much, and they play very crucial roles in our ecosystems each day.Vultures clean up our environment by literally digesting disease-causing pathogens, and they finish carcasses that would otherwise cost us lots of money to clear from the environment. A sizable flock of vultures is capable of bringing down a carcass the size of a zebra straight to the bone within just about 30 minutes. Owls help to rid the environments of rodents and this helps us a lot because it saves us money -- we don't lose our crops -- and secondly, we don't have to buy harmful chemicals to handle these rodents. The beautiful sunbirds we see in our environments are part of nature's pollination crew, and they help our plants to form fruits.Together with other pollinators like insects, they have actually helped us to get most of the food crops that we depend on for many years.

Unfortunately, the story of birds is by far not perfect. They are faced by numerous challenges every day wherever they live. Top on the threats facing birds is habitat loss and reduced food availability. Birds are also hunted, especially migratory species and ducks that congregate in water bodies. Poisoning is happening to flocks that like to stick together, especially in places like rice schemes. Moreover, power lines are electrocuting birds and wind farms are slicing birds when they fly through the blades. Recently, we've heard the talk of climate changemaking a lot of headlines, and it's also affecting birds, because birds are being forced to migrate to better breeding and feeding grounds because unfortunately where they used to liveis no longer habitable.

My own perspective towards birds was changed when I was a small boy in high school, and there was this boy who struck, injuring the wing and the leg of a bird we called the augur buzzard. I was standing there, just a mere 14-year-old, and I imagined a human being in a similar situation, because this bird could not help itself. So even if I was hardly any biologist by then, I gathered with three of my friends and we decided to house the bird until it had regained strength and then let it free. Interestingly, it accepted to feed on beef from our school kitchen, and we hunted termites around the compound for its dinner every day. After a few days, it had regained strength and we released it. We were so happy to see it flap its wingsand fly off gracefully. And that experience changed the way we looked at birds. We went on to actually make a magazine, and we called it the Hawk Magazine, and this was in honor of this bird that we had helped within our own high school.

Those experiences in high school made me the conservationist I am today. And a passion for birds should especially matter for Africa and all Africans, because among all other continents,Africa hosts some of the most amazing bird species you can find anywhere in the world.Imagine having a name like "shoebill." That's the name of that bird. And there are countries like DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya who are leading the continent in highest numbers of diversity when it comes to the species. These birds continue to provide the continent with very crucial ecosystem services that Africa needs. Moreover, there is huge potential for Africa to lead the world in avian tourism. The economy will definitely benefit.Imagine how many communities will benefit from groups of tourists visiting their villages just to see the endemic birds that can only be found in those villages.

How can we help birds together? There is now a chance for all of you to turn your passion for birds into contributing to their continued survival, and you can do that by becoming a citizen scientist. Citizen science is a growing trend around the world, and we are having scenarios where people are sharing information with the rest of the community about traffic updates,security alerts and so on. That is exactly what we realized as bird-watchers, and we thought, because birds are found everywhere, if we've got all of you and everyone else in Africa to tell us the birds they find where they live, where they school, or even where they work, then we can be able to come up with a map of every single species, and from there scientists will be able to actually prioritize conservation efforts to those habitats that matter the most.

Take for example these two projects, the Africa Raptor DataBank, which is mapping all birds of prey in the continent of Africa, and the Kenya Bird Map, which is mapping about 1,100 species that occur in my country, Kenya. These two projects now have online databases that are allowing people to submit data, and this is converted into very interactive websites that the public can consume and make decisions from.

But when we started, there was a big challenge. We received many complaints from bird-watchers, and they will say, "I'm in a village, and I cannot access a computer. How do I tell you what birds live in my home, or where I school, or where I work?" So we were forced to renovate our strategy and come up with a sustainable solution. It was easy: we immediately realized that mobile phones were becoming increasingly common in Africa and most of the regions could get access to one. So we came up with mobile phone applications that you can use on your iPhone and on your Android phone, and we made them freely available for every bird-watching enthusiast out there. So we came up with BirdLasser, which is used by the Kenya Bird Map, and also we have the African Raptor Observations, which is now used by the African Raptor DataBank. This was a huge breakthrough in our work and it made us get enormous amounts of data from every birder out there in the regions. With this, we realized that citizen science is indeed very powerful, the reason being, citizen science is adaptive. And we were able to actually convert many bird-watchers to start sharing new information with us.

When we were starting, we didn't know that birds could be a huge gateway to approaching conservation of other forms of animals. Interestingly, now in the Virtual Museum for Africa, we have maps for dragonflies and damselflies, butterflies and moths, reptiles, frogs, orchids, spiders, scorpions, and yes, we are even mapping mushrooms. Who could have imagined mapping mushrooms? So this showed us that indeed we've created a community of people who care about nature in Africa.

I hereby call upon all of you to join me in promoting the value of birds within your communities. Please just tell your friends about birds, for we are always inclined to love and care for that which we know. Please spend a few minutes in your free time when you are at work, at school, or maybe at home, to at least look around you and see which beautiful birds are there. Come join us in citizen science and tell us the birds you're finding in the places where you visit. Even simpler, you could buy your child or your sibling a pair of binoculars or a bird book and let them just appreciate how beautiful these birds are. Because maybe one day they will want to care for that one which they know and love.

The children indeed are our future. Let us please teach them to love our feathermakers, because the love of birds can be a huge gateway to appreciating all forms of nature.

reference: https://www.ted.com/talks/washington_wachira_for_the_love_of_birds/transcript

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topsolarpanels · 7 years

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‘ Who knows what we’ll find next ?’ Journey to the heart of Mozambique’s hidden forest

Since it was identified on Google Earth in 2005, the forest of Mount Mabu has amazed scientists with its unique wildlife. Jeffrey Barbee joins explorer Professor Julian Bayliss on the first trip to its green heart

The soggy boots of the team slide backwards in the black dirt as they struggle up towards the ridge line separating the forest edge from one of the last unexplored places on Earth.

The rain is an incessant barrage of watery bullets firing down through the tree canopy. Thunder crashes. Tangles of vines and spider webs make for a Hollywood movie scene of truly impenetrable jungle.

Near the front of the 7 hikers is a Welshman carrying a billhook, a knapsack almost the same sizing as him, and what appears to all intents and purposes to be a briefcase. The slope is so immerse that the heavy briefcase clatters against the ground at every step, so he swings it in front of him clonk like a ship employing an anchor to warp out of harbour against the green, horizontal tide. He takes two steps up and swings the suit up the hill again. Clonk.

On this wet March day in Mozambique, Professor Julian Bayliss, naturalist, explorer, fellow of the Royal Geographical and Royal Entomological societies, is heading deep into the green heart of the Mabu forest for the first time. The forest, also known as the Google forest after the route he detected it employing Google Earth in 2005, has more recently been called the butterfly forest, after the butterflies that congregate around the summit of Mount Mabu at certain times of year. Many of the species since identified here carry Baylisss name. These include Nadzikambia baylissi , the sleek little chameleon with the prehensile tail, and Cymothoe baylissi , the graceful forest gliding butterfly, both of which exist only here within the largest rainforest in southern Africa.

One other thing we have discovered on this trip, shouts Bayliss, with a huge smiling over the voice of yet another downpour on another day on another seemingly unending hillside ascent, Mabu is not flat.

The scientific discovery of Mount Mabu was a huge breakthrough. Running with Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, the Mozambique governments institute for agricultural research( IIAM) and the Darwin Initiative, Bayliss was sitting at his laptop looking at Google Earth in 2005, when he wondered whether mountains in Mozambique might also harbour some of the species he was uncovering in nearby Malawi. So he and a Malawian botanist named Hassam Patel decided to take a look.

As reported by the Observer , over the years Bayliss and the Kew Gardens team have since identified three new species of serpent, eight species of butterfly, a bat, a crab, two chameleons and many plants, as well as a trove of rare birds that are critically endangered.

However , no one has in the past journeyed into the heart of the forest until now. Previous discoveries came from the forest base camp, the peak and a small spacecraft camp, all on the lower eastern edge. To explore Mabus secrets further, an expedition has been undertaken this month by the international scientific and environmental reporting initiative Alliance Earth.

The Alliance Earth teams objectives were to create a 3D map, uncover new species, check on the health of the forest, publish an ethno-botanical analyze, seek out potential non-timber forest products, make a feature documentary and cinema a 360 -degree virtual reality experience for museums and science centres around the world, so everyone can explore the mountains mysteries.

Alliance Earths 360 -degree look at the Google forest. Copyright: Jeffrey Barbee/ Alliance Earth

This is a new species of Dipsadoboa, Bayliss tells, holding the poison tree serpent with a twinge of obvious fear. As it writhes, he holds it farther away from his torso. This is currently undescribed, it doesnt have a name yet. Stretching out imploringly, the serpent tries to reach the perceived safety of my video camera. To find an actual new species of serpent is exceedingly exciting, and very rare. He has now found three new snakes in Mabus forest.

According to Bayliss, on this trip the team have identified at least one new butterfly species, and quite possibly more, once genetic testing confirms them. They have also discovered a Caecilian, one of the rarest animals on Earth, which is sort of a cross between a reptile and amphibian, and may be a new type of its kind.

But these precious determines arent the only new discoveries that have him excited. Under a huge tree he airs his wet boots, squeezing his socks dry before putting them on again. Yesterday was great. We detected a new waterfall, which is fantastic. Weve never been here before, and because its the rainy season the water was merely crashing through the rocks.

More discoveries have come daily, such as the valley of giants, an open valley with a central created ridge surrounded by the largest grouping of big trees yet detected. Their vast trunks stretch upwards like a cathedral, blending into the green nave of leaves hundreds of metres above. These waterfalls, huge trees, deep canyons, and riverside camping places are important geographical discoveries that Bayliss hopes will assist bring tourists here.

At periods the forest guidebooks are clearly as puzzled about directions as the team, looping round in ever-widening circles in search of a route across the maze of folded valleys, often climbing up and down one penalise ridge after another that are intended to make headway.

Bayliss holds what is possibly yet another previously unidentified species of butterfly. Photo: Jeffrey Barbee

Senior hunter turned guide Oflio Cavalio, 41, and his son Bartolomeo, 26, joined the expedition one morning before breakfast, hiking from their home many kilometres away. They heard through the grapevine that Bayliss had returned and so tracked him down. Cavalio and Bayliss have worked together on every visit he has made to Mabus forest. The local hunter and famous scientist have developed a friendship and deep respect for one another.

Once Cavalio arrived, the team started to push deeper into the most unexplored parts of the eastern forest, in accordance with the tops of the ridges and making better time.

Guides such as Cavalio have an intimate knowledge of the region, making the outside discovery of Mabu a purely scientific designation. According to him, the local people have benefited from the forest for generations. It even saved their lives during the back-to-back conflicts that started in 1964 with the war of independence against Portugal, before segueing into the civil war that eventually ended in 1992.

His friend, 38 -year-old guide Ernesto Andr, agrees. He grew up in the forest, sheltered from the ravages of war, with dozens of other people in small forest camps. Not far into the undergrowth, holes the size of unfilled graves are clearly man-made. Standing in one, Andr explains that these sheltered whole families and were the only route to hide the audios of crying children from the Portuguese soldiers who tried to hunt them down.

On a remote ridge line with another potential new butterfly in his net, Bayliss talks about the future of the mountain. Every new discovery helps construct the suit for the mountain to be officially protected, he says.

But time is of the essence. The team finds the forest intact, yet still not officially protected. A recent report in the Guardian told how, despite a two-year outlaw on lumber exportations, corruption and organised crime are still stripping Mozambique of woodlands such as this. According to the independent Environmental Investigation Agency, as much as $130 m worth of hardwoods are stolen from Mozambique annually. Much of it is sent to China.

Ecologically aware guests could help build a tourism industry here that protects the forest and benefits the community in a sustainable way, while safeguarding the incredible biodiversity, according to Justia Ambiental, the Mozambican environmental justice group that has been working at Mabu since 2009 establishing and enforce an eco-tourism plan for the mountain.

Mount Mabu expedition 2017. Created by Alliance Earth. Edited and written by Jeffrey Barbee. Camera Jeffrey Barbee and Julian Bayliss. Copyright: Jeffrey Barbee/ Alliance Earth

The groups forestry expert, Rene Machoco, explains that its vision is for Mabu to be legally designated as a community conservation area.

Andr says that before Justia Ambiental went, his community didnt suppose the forest was particularly valuable, but then it was explained and we knew the truth. The forest is life and the forest is wealth.

Tourism is merely one route to help people like Ernesto benefit from their home. Expedition team member Ana Alecia Lyman is a non-timber forest products specialist based in Mozambique who runs Bio leos de Miombo. Non-timber forest products, such as honey or mushrooms, can be sustainably derived from the landscape to generate income in rural communities without jeopardising local biodiversity, she says.

After assuring the forest first-hand, she is enthusiastic and feels that the more people who are engaged in these sustainable value chains, the more local investment there can be in the health of the forest.

Under the tree canopy, Bayliss is hunting an elusive butterfly that eventually flutters and rests on the leafy forest floor in a scattered ray of sunlight. Butterflies use solar energy to fly. Their wing veins are usually dark that are intended to channel energy from the sunlight to engage their muscles. This is why when they are seen slowly folding their wings while perched in the sunlight, they are getting ready to take to the air. But the shy brown butterfly with the spotted wing differentiates is no match for the speedy scientist from Wales. A deft swaying loops the net shut, I suppose I got it!

This is probably a new species, he tells, appearing through the net and walking over to a sunny spot. Extracting it gently he examines the wing places. This is probably the one we have been looking for. He looks closer. With a breathless voice he violates with his usual understatement. This is very exciting this is the first time I have ever seen this butterfly.

What else awaits discovery in the remote forest of Mabus basin? Potential their responses to that question sit snugly in Baylisss anchor-like briefcase: motion-sensitive video cameras, the first ever to be deployed at Mabu. Encased in steel boxes and strapped to trees, the four high-definition cameras will be left operating at secret locatings deep in the foliage for two years.

Having finished securing the last camera above a river, Bayliss washes his hands in the clear water among the mossy stones, appearing satisfied. Every day we come to Mabu we discover something new. Who knows what we will find next?

The question hangs in the air as he turns around and starts back on the long hike to base camp with his butterfly net in hand, his briefcase empty, and his wet boots squishing merrily.

Alliance Earth paid for Jeffrey Barbees transport and accommodation .