#GMO Collections

[drink-mpwr]

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[kotoryba]

#I have an idea but no time: what if "cultivation" in MDZS world really means... "farming"?

Based on this post: @dramatic-dolphin , I think you view things in the right direction! 😁❤️

Modern AU, where five powerful agricultural corporations practically rule the life of the country, dividing the workforce and resources for the best food production:

Cloud Recesses Inc. in Gusu — organic vegetables, strictly no pesticides, no chemical fertilisers; only straw mulching, complementary crops, attracting of natural predators for pests (ladybugs and other entomophagous predators), natural irrigation etc. Centuries-long history of family business, no outside high-level management at all. Organised the famous agricultural academy, where share the knowledge about organic farming.

Lotus Cove Company in Yunmeng — fisheries, lotus growing, for seeds, roots and making the dyes (famous "Yunmeng Lotus Purple), river pearls and others; the company unites many small local farms and proposes them the processing and manufacturing of finished products and logistics. Regular searches of new initiative talents for company from local residents, but they keep the controlling stake in the main family.

Jin Golden Carp Corp. in Lanling - floristic and orchard business, have huge greenhouses with exotic fruits; M&A the lands from small landlords and enterprises by cheap prices and in general lead the tons of leasing and funding financial operations. Not clean reputation, but the huge PR&GR and legal departments helps with this a lot.

Butcher's Saber Ent. in Qinghe — meat and dairy production mostly. They propose the best salaries on local workforce market and due to that acquire a strong loyalty among the residents — but have severe corporation policies about the industrial espionage and thefts . And also BS Ent. has the strictest (except Cloud Recesses Inc.) safety standards for all product cycle.

Wen LLC in Qishan — broiler poultry farming, second big competitor of meat production after BS Ent. in region; breeding of new sorts and seed selling business (here we have uncontrollable usage of GMO, chemicals and pharmaceutical products, but all experiments keeps in secret from public). Due to the excessive usage of pesticides and fertilisation, they faced with pollution and soil depletion, therefore actively expanding their cultivation areas by raider attacks and property fraud. Payed the good salaries but have a catastrophic penalty system for keeping the mouths shut, but you must be Wen for obtaining even the middle management position.

Maybe the story begins, where the prominent student WWX (who thinks about agricultural technologies in non-traditional way, for example — builds robots and automatisation programs for harvesters machines, searches the solutions in nano-biology and something similar) entered the Gusu Lan academy as a part of sharing experience delegation from Lotus Cove.

Or from the moment, when Wens decided to attack their competitors, using the false accusations about owners, cyberattacks, sabotage and brute force?

Or when the little WWX's innovative company in the most infertile lands of Burial Mounds became way too bottleneck due to progressive researches of someone's brilliant mind, that the other big corporations collectively decided to wip the unwanted competitor from the market at all?

Maybe in the classic way, when WWX, who was in a coma for thirteen years after a huge fire in his laboratory, received the organ transplant and new face from unknown beneficiary — and waked up? With clear suspicions who was really behind this incident that also killed his shijie and her husband? Now he's unrecognisable for his friends and enemies and can investigate the case freely. Maybe, the little help from LWJ, the second heir of Cloud Recesses Inc., could be useful? They were just-step-before-good-friends in his previous life...

Do you know, guys, that there are real wars in agricultural business nowadays? Maybe, they are even more dangerous, than in imaginary magical world of jianhu...

[tallulahneale]

Title: Intimate Friends

Pairing: Vince staples x fem!reader (Lula)

Summary: Lula and Vince get high, a heavy topic comes up that leads them being closer than close. (Shoutout to @bendoverboo for the inspo)

NB: I made some changes; Vince has asthma so he doesn’t smoke.

Warnings: Sexual content, 18+

Word count: 3k

Part 2

Part 1 Working from home was the best decision Lula made today, it’s Friday! Washday was done last week, fridge fully stocked and brownies are in the oven baking. She had not seen Vince since he moved out of his condo in Long beach to a place in Anahiem Hills. His IG was so lowkey that he didn't even post a room tour, but from their facetime calls the house looked huge!

She was going to be the best houseguest ever, with a cute little aloe plant and a tray of brownies. Reminiscing, she felt a little nervous as her last experience with edibles left her flustered and throbbing for 7 hours straight. I will pace myself this time, she thinks to herself. 

Wearing her purple mitts, she carefully removes the hot baking tray from the oven and places it on the counter to cool down while she gets dressed.

She hops in the shower, using her dove vanilla body wash and tahitian bean body scrub. The scent travels through the bathroom and sits lightly on her skin. Air drying and unwrapping her silk press she moisturises with cocoa bean bodybutter, Who needs underwear? she giggles to herself as she slips into a knitted dress and everyday flats. 

Once dressed she moves back to the kitchen, only to be stopped by her phone ringing.

“New nails, who this?”

“Hilarious” Vince deadpans “Lula Tallulah, you still coming over?”

“Of course! With a surprise too!” She beams.

“Unless it’s a gift card, I don’t want it.”

“Ewww, you still collecting gift cards? Oldie.” she snickers.

“I am a practical man” he says shrugging his shoulders, “Anyway, call me when you get here, don’t want my neighbors getting blind from your uncuteness.”

“Boy you know that’s a bold face lie, I’ll see you in 20!”

She hangs up, packs her LV mini pochette with lipgloss, phone, house keys and heads to the kitchen. The brownie tray is much cooler now allowing her to make square slices and sorting them in plastic containers. After she cleans up, Lula looks around to make sure she has everything. With the aloe plant in hand and the container in a bag she heads out.

She follows the waze map and pulls into his driveway. As she steps out, she looks around in awe at the neighborhood.

“Oooo he got moneyyy!” she giggles, the Quinta Bronson vine runs through her mind.

“Quit playing and come inside” Vince shakes his head standing at the open doorway. She jumps not expecting him to hear her, but laughs even harder as she steps through the door. The house has a distinct warm and homely feel with the signature scent of Vince; honey, sandalwood and a subtle peppermint undertone. 'The scent of a man' she nods to herself. He gives her a mini tour of his house, from the entrance to the garden and his creative workspace.

“Your place is so homely and comfortable Vince. I like it much more than your old apartment”, she adds handing him the gift of a house plant and the container of brownies.

“It’s not a gift card, but I’ll take” He collects them and leads her to the kitchen. 

“Thank you Lula” expressing his gratitude, he hugs Lula and her scent engulfs his senses. “Mhmm, you smell really good.”

Lula looks up at him shyly, as she reluctantly pulls away from the embrace, already missing his body heat somehow. She walks around the kitchen trying to distant herself from the building tension and checks the fridge for a distraction.

“Ooo you got peach iced tea and pure pressed apple juice, my favourite!”

“Yeah you put me on that and I’m forever grateful” Vince admits with a nod “none of that piss-colored GMO slop.”

Just as Lula reaches for the bottle, Vince steps behind her to grab two glasses. She subtly leans back into him as she feels his presence, Vince purposefully leans forward to steal the attention of her scent once more.

“Hey, I’m down here Vince!” she fake shouts, feeling a tingly sensational in her lower tummy and feather-like tickles on her toes. 

“My bad babygirl, you sure you’re 5’8?” He snickers as he glances down at her before moving to grab a plate for the brownies. Lula shivers and follows him to the counter, she brushes her ample chest against his upper arms as she saunters to where he is stood.

“You pressing up on me makes me feel things Vince” Lula whispers as she tip-toes to breathe onto the curve of his ear “Hope you know you got the right one…”

Vince blinks twice as he takes in what she said, watching her leisurely stroll away in the temptingly far-from-innocent dress. ‘Wait, is she wearing panties?’ He thinks to himself staring extra hard with each step taken. 

“Fuck me” he mutters to himself.

“Did you say something?” Lula asks as she sits on the loveseat, flicking through Spotify for a neo-soul playlist.

Vince doesn’t respond and stays composed taking two slices of the brownies and a jug for the apple juice to the centre table. He places the treats down and lounges on the armrest, right beside Lula.

“Since you're being brave today” Vince says, taking a deep breath to enjoy her scent and watch the dilation of her pupils “I said, Fuck. Me.” He stares at Lula with a smouldering gaze as he smirks.

———————

There was a shift in the room, Vince and Lula could feel the thickness of the air as the tension built, raising goosebumps on their skin as the soothing melody of Ari Lennox plays in the background.

No one says a word.

Lula takes a shallow breath in, as she snacks on her brownie slice already feeling the mellow vibe. Vince has an arm spread across the headrest of the couch, his hand just a few inches from caressing her clavicle and the other on his phone mindlessly scrolling. She can feel her centre pulsating with thoughts of the two words he had spoken, her mind runs wild and she clenches her thighs together feeling the telltale signs of wetness. 

‘Is he going to touch me?’ She thinks to herself as she glances at his hand perched on the headrest. Lula watches his fingers play with the fabric, ‘manly hands’ she thinks to herself, quickly looking away.

From the corner of his eyes, Vince catches her watching his subtle movements as she squirms on the couch and plays with the hem of her dress as it rests across her mid thigh. 

“These brownies are really good Lula, you change the recipe or something?” He tries to get her to look at him, hoping she can feel the passion radiating from his fixed gaze.

“Thank you” she says softly as she quickly meets his eyes then looks away “Yeah I used a little less cannabutter this time… maybe that’s why.”

“Yeah, might be it. I’m feeling real good babygirl. Real good.” he repeats nodding at her.

She stays quiet.

“Vinc-”

“Lu-”

She looks up at him as there sharing a comfortable smile and Vince nods for her to speak.

“Go on Lula”

“… I-I want to ask you a question” she stutters nervously.

“If it’s about the wall art, please do not” he jokes, easing her nerves. She relaxes and rolls her eyes,

“Now that you mentioned it, who would pay you to paint.” 

“That was not a question babygirl”

“You’re distracting me” she mutters but continues “I want to ask you about platonic cuddling”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine holding a stuffed bear, but instead of a bear…”

“It’s a person” he finishes her sentence, wondering where she is going with this.

“Have you ever thought about” she takes a quiet breath in, “… you know… cuddling with a friend?”

He smirks, as he runs the back of his fingers across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. Lula trembles as she feels her nipples tighten, leaning into his gentle touch.

“Do you mean cuddling with you?” Vince asks, he has never been the type to beat around the bush. Lula plays with the hem of her dress and whispers a small “Yes”, as she turns to curl her legs up on the couch. This innocent action hikes up her dress even more, enough to keep her pussy covered but the scent of her wet musk melts into the air as she faces him.

“Lula if we were to just cuddle, would you like that?” He asks moving his fingertips over her pulse, tracing lines around the back of her neck. 

“Y-Yeah, you’re cool and we kno-“

“Listen to the question babygirl, just cuddling?” He emphasises as he stops his gentle caress and places his hand back on the headrest “A hug while laying down.”

Lula feels unspoken words catch in her throat and as he moves his hand back to the couch, a soft whimper desperately make its way out. Vince shifts closer to her, not touching or reaching out but making sure she feels his presence. From his scent to his aura to the feel from the cannabutter, she whines.

“You don’t want a platonic cuddle do you?”

“No” she replies softly 

“Do you want me to reach across and caress you?”

“Yes” she nods feverishly 

“Okay then” Vince whispers as he leans closer to her “when you're ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.”

From her position he can see the intersection of her thighs meeting her centre. As he takes a deep breath in, he welcomes the hint of her vanilla scent and the taste of her musk as it drifts up into the air, teasing his senses once more. Lula freezes feeling hot bothered and frustrated,

“Don’t play with me like that, I’m ready to talk Vince”

“You sure?”

“Yes yes I’m sure” she replies hurriedly. Vince has a look of satisfaction in his eyes as he beckons her to continue.

“I want us to cuddle” she pleads “and I want you to touch me more”

“Where baby, you need to talk”, he replies, coaxing her to share her hidden secrets. Lula hesitates before making up her mind. 

“Can I show you instead?” She whispers. Vince feels his dick stiffen at her tone, not knowing what she has in mind but excited to see what she will do.

Lula gently reaches for his hand, as she widens her legs, creating an opening for him. She positions it between her thighs and up to her wetness.

“I want you to touch me here” she says breathlessly, his hand is tucked close to her sweet spot as his fingertips press against her wet slit.

Vince breathes heavily. His mind is racing, his stiffening bulge grows and with what his fingers are feeling, makes him want to suck her dry.

“Why you ain’t wearing any panties babygirl?” Vince leans forward, running his fingers up to her clit and back down to the pool of wetness. Teasingly brushing at her lower lips, he sucks on her neck and grazes her pulse with his teeth.

“Answer me or this ends here and I will leave you soaking wet with nothingness.”

“I don’t know” She moans, basking in the feel of his voice against her ear and fingers soothing her ache. She desperately grinds against his hand, building more friction not wanting it to end.

“You have one chance to answer me, don’t get yourself in trouble” Vince warns, ghosting his thumb across her sensitive nub.

She whimpers at this, his lips sucking at the juncture of her neck as his tongue dampens the skin. Her eyes flutter and squeeze as she indulges in the teasing of his fingers at her dripping centre.

“Please Vince” Lula begs, too shy to confess that she didn’t wear panties because she wanted to see how far she could push him. She could not let him know this, but begin left untouched was far worse. Without warning, Vince pulls his lips away from her neck and she quivers. As he begins to slither his hand from between her thighs, she squeezes them to keep it trapped. 

“Wait!” she whines “I just wondered if anything could happen between us.”

With his hand secured at her centre, he firmly rubs up her slit and pushes past her folds. Dipping into the source of her waterfall, she clenches her teeth and her eyes drifts to his fierce gaze.

���So you come to my house, with no panties” his fingers glide against the tight walls of her pussy “with no bra” he cups her breast while sucking at a the nipple through the fabric “and expect to platonically cuddle?” 

Vince smirks up at her as he sees a look of submission in Lula that is unlike anything. He is intrigued. He lounges back against the armrest of the couch, his fingers teasingly move away from her sweet spot. She whimpers as he stares into her soul sucking them clean.

“Lula”

“Yeah” her voice is barely a whisper.

“This is not how platonic cuddling starts” Vince stated as he gathers the composure to stand up from the couch, turning towards the direction of his room.

“Vince wait-“

“Why you still sitting down? Come with me Tallulah” Vince beckons as he holds out his hand towards her.

“You came here for something, right babygirl?” she nods “Good. I’m going to give you much more.”

On shaken legs like a new born calf, she follows Vince down the hallway to his room.

———-

Next chapter is a home run!

Hope y'all enjoyed part 1 shoutout to @bendoverboo18!

[tomorrowsgardennc]

Seed Sourcing Guide: An Opinion

i was listening in on a seed saving nerd zoom meeting last night when one of the best quotes ever said was said said: "the best seed 'store' is your own backyard." and the lady is totes right. downside is... you gotta source the seeds before you start saving them. with it being seed buying season, and a lady totally saying the best quote for any and all seed nerds to fuel my drive to finally sit down and write this, i have come up with:

tier list for seed sourcing websites NOT SPONSORED BTW

✨ top tier best tier ✨

ok so, i never really heard of true leaf until last year. but i have been sourcing almost all of my seeds from them since! they're not the same grow zone as me, but utah has some of the best soil in the nation so maybe that's why their seeds are the absolute best when it comes to germination. they also have a huge variety of seeds, all gorgeously designed in a quick-to-understand format (like their icons for heirloom versus hybrid, container friendly or not, etc.) their information is all legit and comprehensive as shit. my microgreen farmer friend gets all his microgreen seeds from here, too. couldn't recommend them enough!

if your looking for tomatoes specifically, then tomatofest is legit the best. they were recommended to me a few years ago by my farmer mama, and legit they are the best for any and all tomato types. if i ever need a new tomato variety, this is where i go no matter what. if they don't have it, then must not be worth growing. germination rate is always high, the plants come out great, and always fast with shipping.

i have not met a home gardener or farmer friend who doesn't have hoss in their seed library. their selection is small and their website is mid, but damn do they have the best germination rates out there along with the healthiest looking plants i ever did done see or grow. and tbh that's really what matters at the end of the day - not the germination rates, or shipping, or quantity, but rather how the vegetable or fruit plant thrives and produces. and hoss ticks off all those boxes beautifully.

😐 middle tier is mid 😐

eden brothers is mid tier only because i have attempted to germinate about 12 different seed types from them over the past 5 years and never have i ever gotten anything better than 10% germination rate. but their BULBS, their bulbs are absolutely amazing! if i need a flowering bulb to add to my cut flower garden, then this is where i source them from. never any issues with molded bulbs, and they grow true to what they say they will and how (so information is accurate). just... don't bother with the seed section.

i really truly and honestly and want to put renee's garden seeds in top tier... but i have tried over 20 different herb seeds from renee's and the herbs just never germinate. ever! the flowers, amazing. the vegetables, pretty good. selection, absolutely amazing. but the herbs, bro i don't know where they're sourcing their herbs from but it ain't happening. at least for me. maybe others more north would have better luck.

grow organic is great for supplies such as fertilizers and such, but not so much for seeds. i sourced my California softneck garlic from them and they were wonderful. i've had another farmer friend say she gets all her onion starts from them as well and her onions are phenomenal. but i've tried only 3 seed varieties from them with decent germination but didn't live long at all. if you're looking for tubers or vegetable bulbs, then totes. otherwise, be weary of the seeds even if the germination is great. (me thinks they save seeds regardless of how the plant lived, compared to saving seeds only from healthy plants.)

💀 worst tier don't bother 💀

johnny seeds used to be my go to for seeds when i was only focused on transplants. this was because they're the only one who sells in bulk, and honestly that's the only perk for them. you have to buy their seeds in bulk to get any decent germination out of them. but if you want 200 basil plants, then buying 500 basil seeds from them will be just fine. if you just want 2 basil plants, then don't even look at this website. they have one of the best seed starting soil mixes, but the shipping costs more than the soil. and they have some nice supplies. but this is a seed tier list, not a supplies tier list.

hopefully the fiasco with the purple galaxy tomato in January of 2024 has shed some light to how bad this company is, but if not then i'm including them on this list. they were pretty bad before that, but at least they live up to their name. i have sourced a few vegetables from them, but only because nobody else had them. which honestly should be a red flag. BUT c'est la vie, i bought seeds from them 3 years ago and haven't gone back. they're overpriced, germination rate is OK but considering the price tag their germination rate should be better and they're not. they try to pull themselves off as the "small guy" when they're clearly not.

https://www.burpee.com/

burpee seed company is legit the worst. they're so bad that a link to their website breaks tumblr and makes my tier list look ugly. they might lure you in with their gorgeous website, and with the huuuuge variety they have. but the website NEVER works, the varieties are almost 99% hybrids that don't grow or produce well, and the germination rate is abysmal. yes, they sell in all major and minor box stores but that's because capitalism, not because they're the best. stay. away.

🏅 honorable mention 🏅

so first off, let me say i have never bought from this website. but i have been gifted many seeds from them from several people. not sure if that's good or bad, hence the honorable mention category.

the seeds i've been gifted from 3 different farmers, and they're all winter varieties. and they've all done amazing!! i did buy some flower and herb seeds from the local hardware store, and the seeds were acceptable for germination rate. i do not blame that on the company, though, since that hardware store is so old school that they don't even have A/C inside. creaky wood floors, smells like old metal, that kind of hardware store. so not the best environment to store seeds in. but i will be buying some for this year to try out directly from their website, seeing as how if 2 year old seeds germinate pretty good and ones stored in horrible conditions are OK then fresh from the source MUST be great!

📝 let me know who i forgot and where you would rank them 📝 plz thnx luv u

maybe i'll do a tier list for even smaller seed companies, like my size seed companies?? whatchu think?? i've only tried a few so it would force me to try out some more!

[liesmyth]

the locked tomb holiday exchange rec list

Behold! The good, the magnificent, the sad! The filth and the angst and the feelings! The weird shit that would make TazMuir proud! 💀🎉✨☠️🔥🎊

Here are some favourites from a skim of works posted for @tlt-holiday-exchange, both art and fic. They are MANY and they are JUICY. Find the entire collection HERE, and keep an eye on for authors reveal coming soon!

ART FILLS

A Beautiful Fairy Tale. Wake tells little Bomb a bedtime story but she can't mention a princess without talking about guillotines. Rated T.

Dubious Curiosity. Nona is curious. Nona loves everyone. And Nona wants Cam. (Camilla/Nona) Rated M.

Fingers In Her Mouth. Camilla Hect misses the Warden. Maybe he can lend a helping hand… even in death. (Camilla/hand!Palamedes) Rated M.

just guys being bros. Camilla/Gideon. Gideon touches a boob! A very happy new year to awkward butch lesbians everywhere. Rated T.

Pyrrha Dve Appreciation. Pyrrha & Nona, soft hugs! Rated G.

Stealing Breath. Camilla/Gideon butch-off make-out session. Rated G.

To Shreds, You Say? Pyrrha/Mercymorn/Wake fucking nasty. Rated E.

FIC FILLS

a buried and a burning flame. Coronabeth fucks Gideon's corpse. Rated E.

For all intents and purposes the corpse of the Ninth’s cavalier is a bad lay. That’s all fine, though.

a grave, deep and narrow. Camilla/Palamedes, GtN AU, Character Death, Tape Recorder Conversation Redux. Podfic included! Rated T

Only Lyctors were meant to leave the First House alive. Ianthe insists on bringing Coronabeth; Judith dies of her injuries. Camilla is stranded alone at Canaan House — alone, except for the persistent hallucinations of her necromancer.

affix. Coronabeth/Harrow, humiliation kink, improper use of bones, dom!Harrow, GtN era. rated E.

Cytherea doesn't go to Canaan House AU - Corona overconfidently approaches Harrow in the hopes of exchanging lab keys. Harrow humbles her quickly.

AITA for telling my dad I didn't like my birthday party? Gideon & John, In-Universe Social Media, Character study, Rated T.

I (20F) told my dad (45?M) that I wanted a cool birthday party, but he threw me a terrible birthday party instead. Am I really the asshole for telling him I didn't like it?

and kings shall come out of thy loins. Gideon/Ianthe, crack treated seriously, body horor, SNAKES. Rated M.

Ianthe saves God from the stoma and the River and all she has to show for it are these fucking snubes.

come, dearest heart. Lyctor Palamedes AU, HtN era. Camilla/Palamedes, Pyrrha/Palamedes, Pyrrha/Camilla/Palamedes. Rated E.

In Canaan House, Palamedes Sextus unwillingly ascends to Lyctorhood to put an end to Cytherea the First's rampage. He's left heartbroken, grieving, and terribly, terribly lonely.

Don't Care If You Think I'm Dumb (I Don't Care At All). Gideon/Ianthe, Gideon as Kiriona, Unwholesome Tower Princes Bonding ft. bad sex and retail therapy. Rated E.

The newly christened Kiriona Gaia is not having a good time on the Mithraeum. At least she has Ianthe there to make her worse.

Follow Your Dreams, Never Let Them Die. Gideon/Harrow, Pokemon trainers AU! Rated T.

On her Pokemon Journey, Gideon Nav approaches the mysterious Drearburh City Gym - but something feels oddly familiar.

Gaia's Natural Market. modern AU, retail hell, Harrow/Gideon, Harrow/Ianthe, Gideon/Ianthe. Rated T

RING-A-DING-DING, the Holiday's are here! And nothing says "Give!" like the bounty of the Mother Herself, so come on by to GAIA's Natural Market! Treat your family to a home-cooked meal with only the PUREST of ingredients - all Produce Organic, all Products non-GMO, and all Smiles Authentic and free of Toxins!

Good Girl. Coronabeth/Ianthe, puppyplay, muzzles, rated E.

Coronabeth is Ianthe's big dicked bimbo puppy. Ianthe's into it.

Goodnight, New Rho. Camilla & Nona. Domestic Fluff, Missing Scene. Rated G.

Nona gets a bedtime story. Camilla reminisces about growing up with an older sister. They both sleep well, despite a notable lack of dogs.

In the Empire of the Deeps. Gideon/Nona/Ianthe, Gideon/Ianthe, Pirate AU, monsterfucking-adjacent, Nona is an eldritch sea creature. Rated E.

A chance encounter on the beach. Ianthe is manipulative, Kiriona is sad, and Nona is not as innocent as she seems. Sometimes, you might yearn for one person and meet another one. Sometimes, you have to take what you can get.

just like normal. Ianthe/Coronabeth, Cytherea is also there. Penis in vagina sex, Exhibitionism, Squirting. Rated E.

Ianthe gives herself a cock, and Corona is increasingly bewildered that she hasn’t been allowed to sit on it yet.

language of its own. Camilla/Palamedes. Worldbuilding, idiots to lovers, pre-canon. Rated T.

Camilla Hect has to do an erotic poetry final.

Masochism Tango. Porn with feelings, knifeplay, vivisection, lyctor-typical everything. Rated E.

Two occasions in which Pyrrha Dve had the pleasure of being under Cytherea's knife, and Mercymorn had the pleasure of Pyrrha Dve.

METHODS OF SUBDUCTION. Judith/Cornabeth, Judith & Varun. Planetary science rizz. Rated M.

Varun the Eater teaches Judith Deuteros how to flirt.

midnight mass. Mercymorn/Cristabel, pre-canon, Character Study. Rated T.

A lifetime before the resurrection and two decades before the apocalypse, a novice nun and a third-year medical student discuss goodness, passion, and salvation at midnight on Christmas morning.

motherhood. Mercymorn uses flesh magic on Wake. Hate sex ensues. Body horror, motherhood as violence, canon compliant. Rated E.

“I will kill you,” you say, with all the placid fervor of a religious convert. When you’re on the edge of real violence, you lose that tense little furrow in your brow—it’s beautiful, really. “Please give me a reason.”

My Love Overflows. Corona/Ianthe, Strap-on, Dirty talk, Impact Play, Hair Pulling, Bladder control. Rated E.

The one in which Corona pisses all over herself at Ianthe's whims.

name and rank. Judith/Coronabeth, Judith & Varun. Judith's failwoman swag! Rated T.

As Judith lies dying, she has nothing but time. Varun the Eater uses it to teach her how to flirt with the Princess. Don’t worry. Varun has got this!

New Rule. Mercymorn/Pyrrha, Ranch AU, stablehand Pyrrha, boss/employee relationship. Rated E.

Never hire stablehands who are too handsome and capable for their own good.

no shade in the shadow of the cross. Cytherea/Mercymorn, angst, fisting, two pillow princesses NOT making it work! Rated E.

Cytherea and Mercymorn have an ill-timed tryst.

per my last email. Camilla/Palamedes. Academia, banter. On peer review and multitasking. Rated M.

“Warden,” she said patiently, “you want me so badly it’s making you stupid."

RISKING OUR LIVES FOR UNIVERSITY HOLE???? 🤯😳 University AU, Team 69. The hole is a basement to be clear! Rated T.

The difficult part of visiting the local haunted house for a feature in the university magazine is not actually the visiting; it’s the writing about it afterwards.

So Messed Up. Ianthe/Coronabeth. Puppy play, collars & leashes, tail plug. Rated E.

Ianthe using her flesh magic to give Corona a big cock for petplay because she loves the idea of her sister being a big dicked bimbo puppy girl who just wants to rut into her.

The Great Gamete Gambit. Camilla & Palamedes, Pre-canon, worldbuilding, sixth house reproductive practices. Rated G.

Palamedes and Camilla have an important package to send, but there's been a heist in the gamete repository! Can the 15-year-old Master Warden and his cavalier crack the case?

The Sextus Scandal. Camilla/Palamedes, Epistolary, Pre-Canon Divergence. Rated E.

Transcripts and documents relating to the disciplinary hearing and subsequent resignation of Master Warden Palamedes Sextus.

Ways to Be Perfect. Babs/Colum Asht, GtN era, Rated M.

When Naberius first glanced across the supper table at Colum Asht, he didn’t immediately get the impression that he was liked.

The end!

Thank you for making it this far. If you enjoyed any of these works, or anything else in the collection, please drop a comment to make our creators feel appreciated <3

[post creators reveal exchange wrap post]

[twilightkitkat]

Ok soooo i just got an idea. So what if in the Logan movie they had tried to make clones of Logans DNA way earlier let's say in the early 2000s when they put the GMO's in the water supply. A girl was born but she had only a minor healing factor and no claws so she was deemed a failure and the clone project was put on a hold. They wanted to kill her but one of the nurses smuggled her out and she got adopted as a baby. The years go by and the girl grows up. Her name is Lia. She looks nothing like Logan. She is small, only 4'11 and overweight save for the same brown hair as Logan and the hazel eyes. But she is highly intelligent. She gets a hold of her medical file from Transigen, learning her biological mother was a drug addict who agreed to give birth to her for money for drugs and that her father is the Wolverine. She collects comics and articles and everything she can about him. She is devastated when she hears the news of his death in 2017. Then in 2024 she hears that Deadpool was seen with Wolverine. She does research about him and finds out he lives with a blind woman named Althea. She tracks down Al's address and shows up at her apartment. Wade opens the door and she discovers he lives together with Wolverine and that she has a younger sister named Laura. Logan doesn’t believe her, saying she made it all up and he's a different Logan anyway. He sends her away. Wade and him go on a mission and she follows them, manages to outsmart the guys they are fighting against with her intelligence. Logan decides to finally hear her out and they get to know each other. He tells her that he is very grateful to her adoptive parents since they raised her right. Lia says she is nothing like him since she can only heal minor injuries and ages a bit slower. Logan says that it doesn't matter and he is in awe of her intelligence saying he could have never figured it out and she's the first in the family to use her brain. He accepts her as his daughter and she becomes part of the family. She does detective work as a hobby, solving mysteries and sometimes when it's something dangerous Logan or Wade will come with her for backup.

What do you think of this idea?

I think this is a really interesting idea. I feel like most of Logan's "kids" are headstrong, stubborn, and emotional (like him). They all have strong or standout abilities and are the type to charge into a fight. Laura is practically his clone behavior-wise and some "unofficial" kids like Rogue also take after him in that aspect. It'd be interesting to have a more "balanced" family member who plays a more supportive role in actual fights but is a strategist, sort of similar to Charles (minus the brain of mass destruction plot).

I think that Worst Wolverine in general is reluctant to consider himself a dad or any sort of authority figure because he thinks he's the worst example. He doesn't think he's capable of being what a kid needs and he's hesitant to open up to others. He was only able to accept Laura because she knew he wasn't her original father and didn't expect him to be, so the relationship formed more naturally. It definitely helped that she was an adult when he talked to her, if she was a kid like in Logan the movie then I think he would've kept his walls up much higher out of fear.

As for Lia, I think his initial reaction would be defensive. He's scared of fucking it up somehow and when he looks at her, the first of his kids to not resemble him at all, he manages to convince himself that she must be lying. Even though his gut tells him otherwise. But even if he were her dad, what could he offer? He knows how to teach people to fight and light a fire and camp in the woods, not how to be a functional normal adult. Hell, he didn't have that one figured out himself.

The thing about Logan is that he isn't dumb, but he isn't a genius. He has a lot of knowledge he's accumulated over time, both from people he's known and places he's been. He's very good with his hands and has a wide range of survival skills. But he isn't the type to sit down and create an in-depth plan unless he has to, he'd rather fight more intuitively with a rough idea of where he's going. So to meet someone who is capable of running all the probabilities in her head would make him somewhat awestruck. It reminds him of a less annoying and fucked-up version of Wade.

Wade and Lia would definitely get along. I feel like he'd have more to teach her than Logan in terms of strategy, considering he actually thinks through his plans and knows how to be relentless. Lia would be the one who's book smart and knows all the information on a topic, but Wade would help show her how to apply it when formulating attacks. She could also teach him how to look for more specific clues about people and give him tips for online hacking so he can get better background information on the people he kills before going in. (Wade and Lia would both definitely be active on the dark web... Lia would show him some cool software tricks he didn't know and he'd let her use his name to threaten anyone who tries to probe into her identity.)

As for Logan, I think he'd find talking with her fascinating and vice versa. Logan has so much knowledge about history and people and places, some of which directly contradicts textbooks. He could tell her stories about the world and she'd be completely enraptured. On the flip side, her explaining her methodology as a detective and the technology she uses would have him scratching his head and nodding along. He'd be impressed by her deductive skills whenever he tagged along her to act as a bodyguard, asking questions along the way.

All in all, they'd be a very balanced and happy family. Al would be glad to have another girl around the house (she also loves Laura but both of Logan's kids only visit sometimes so the more the merrier). Mary Puppins would love her and cuddle up to her. Laura would be relieved to have someone to share her grief with over the original Logan and who relates to her experiences (plus the two balance each other out in skills and personality so I could see them working together a lot).

[blorbologist]

Feeding a Flying City

[Aeor, by Pretty Useful Co.]

This started as a little exercise in my worldbuilding thoughts for some off-hand stuff mentioned in my current fic, but I uh. Got Into It. So enjoy, if you're into two thousand words of nerding out about fantasy economics and agriculture and spells. For the sake of context, this is specifically looking at Exandria's flying cities in the Age of Arcanum, working off D&D 5E's rules as written (so I'm avoiding inventing spells).

When tackling the Age of Arcanum in my fanfic, I knew going in that I wanted to use this space to stretch my worldbuilding muscles and fill in some of the space left by Matthew Mercer and Brennan Lee Mulligan with reasonably plausible meat and bones.

One thing I was excited to squint at was the issue of how the hell flying cites feed their populations. 

The ‘lonely city’ is a common fantasy trope, especially in visual media. Your towering bastion of civilization (or spire of evil) on the open plains, or beside a river, or deep in the mountains certainly makes for a great symbol. A flying city is really the ultimate version of this, completely disconnected from the petty ground below… and the farmland that usually would surround any metropolis. 

See, in medieval times, you only had so much time to transport good until they spoiled. Some could be more forgiving than others - however, given a city often aggregates political and financial elite, there is an expectation that they can get their fresh fruits, and decadent game. Even beyond freshness, if you have a lot of people in one place who are not actively growing their own crops, a lot of more-or-less processed food needs to get into the city daily. And though you could station your acres of farmland just over the hill so they don’t ruin the ~scenic approach~, that will cost more to transport. The fact is, having a lot of people - poor and rich - in one place requires a lot of food, every day, to feed them. And it has to come from somewhere.

(Off-topic note, medieval castles (not necessarily cities) were also there to, y’know, defend the populace. So they had to be both near enough to their peasants to respond to aggression, and near enough for the people to get to the castle for shelter when needed. Which is not relevant to this point.)

Magic, like refrigeration, greenhouses and GMO crops, allows a society to sidestep some of these issues. Which is great! But how the flying cities could use the resources they have to feed their population is half the fun in theorizing. 

To quickly recap what we know to be common to flying cities of the time:

Limited to the city only, usually a location with ground dense with brumestone (i.e., no farmland). 

Their limited ‘undergrounds’ are often fairly dense with more structures (Aeor’s many levels; the labyrinth and tons of administrative locations inside Avalir).

They are nomadic and engage in trade (both with eachother and grounded cities, like Vasselheim).

… but they all likely came from landed roots, and potentially were once perfectly normal cities. 

So. How do you feed your people while flying a path that might take years to travel (ex: Avalir’s 7-year trek), especially between trade stops?

The last surviving flying city is Draconia, which is really fragments of a larger nomadic city that decided to remain fairly sedentary compared to its predecessors. Its answer was probably pretty simple: given that Draconia hovered within Dreemoth Ravine, the tailed dragonborn could just… collect a tithe of crops from the enslaved ravenites. It’s already canon that they were put to work in the mines, so working the land also unfortunately makes sense. It’s unclear how the food then got up to the city (skyships, given they have ready brumestone access?), but given Draconia seems to be an exception to the rules I can (mostly) confidently rule out ‘the Age of Arcanum was built on abusing the grounded cities and towns, potentially requiring an age of magically-enhanced farming to provide for the people above and/or risking the farmers going hungry in favor of the mageocracies’. 

Here’s where magic offers numerous solutions, and just as many weird problems! 

First of all, the stupidly isolated nature of flying cities means that any method of bringing food in has to be extremely structured. Mom and pop can’t just bring the donkey to the farmer’s market to sell their goods in Avalir; to get there you need to fly (more scheduled) or teleport (requires a mage, and limited quantities of goods). So from the getgo a lot of financial control is likely in the cities’ hands. Which… is not all too dissimilar from history, but the lack of flexibility is probably more striking here. Shit, I was hoping to get away from Draconia’s grim worldbuilding.

It also places flying cities in a role very similar to an advancing army, requiring food as they march to be drawn from the surrounding lands. While soldiers can break off and loot towns they pass through, a flying city probably can’t just dock in the middle of farmland, grab all the corn and bolt. So the need for a more organized food transport likely helps protect towns from that exploitation. (Though, with the military posturing of Avalir and Aeor, I could see flying cities strong-arming support from grounded ones in exchange for promised protection/aid if they needed it.)

Of course, when docked at another city (Avalir stayed at Vasselheim for ten days in the weeks before the Calamity), they can fairly easily trade with the surrounding towns there… who are also providing for the existing city. Hosting a flying city must be a huge logistics nightmare, but economically worth the headache. 

(Vasselheim likely has a leg up in that it has both a sitting population of mages, such as Vespin pre-fuckup, and the likes of Clerics, who I’ll get to soonish.)

In EXU: Calamity, skyships (and an offhand mention of something called an ornithopter) already exist, which could facilitate the bulk transport of goods. Based on the speed of the Silver Sun in Campaign 3 (4-5 days to cover ~700 miles translates to a speed of ~5-6.5 knots; for context that seems to be about the middling range for a medieval tradeship), this seems like an excellent way of transporting goods that do not spoil easily. Or use arcane equivalents to the canon Bag of Colding to help keep things fresh longer. However, as noted above, this would require a lot of community organization to get crops together when the skyship shows up for harvest.

The tricky thing is that Avalir, at least, follows leylines as it travels. So if there was intent to line up its passes over farmland with their harvest season - to minimize transport distance - it might be difficult to coordinate. Moreover, with an implied many flying cities, and no clear territorial delimitations between their routes (especially if they’re all following leylines; but Avalir at least made stops in Issylra, Gwessar/Tal’Dorei, and Dorumas/the Shattered Teeth at least), I wonder if there would be economic conflict over which cities could be highest bidder for the freshest crops. Which could be Interesting. 

(I wonder if sky piracy, or sky privateering, was a thing in the Age of Arcanum. Nydas is said to have been a pirate on the actual seas, so aquatic trade is still going strong, but given the flying cities are so reliant on limited methods to get food… you could put a lot of pressure on a rival city by capturing a few key skyships full of the last harvests before winter.)

Another option is teleportation. Avalir, after all, has an entire guild devoted to teleporting people around, so critical to its functioning that part of the Betrayers’ plan was to leave them without leadership when they struck. However, teleportation is very much a creature-oriented form of transportation; perhaps you could bring up a herd of cattle for slaughter, but that’s a pretty damn high spell slot for beef.

Avalir is in a fortuitous situation, in that it has a longstanding relationship with the Gau Drashari; druids, well-known masters of plant and animal life. In theory, this could mean Plant Growth casts to increase harvests… but at this time the Gau Drashari specifically only live in Caithmoira, guarding this holy site. So hopping from one druid-boosted farmland to another is unlikely. 

Well, if transporting food to the cities is such an issue, why not produce food in the cities?

While magical greenhouses must account for some luxury fresh goods for sure, I really don’t think the cities as illustrated have enough real estate to actually support their whole populations like this. Like I noted above, of the two cities we know really well, their insides are already full of labs and labyrinths and all sorts of things probably best kept away from your food supply. 

D&D 5E spells offer another answer, and another piece of potentially complicated worldbuilding: Create Food and Water. Per the spell description, it creates enough food to feed 15 people for 24 hours, which seems to neatly solve all our problems! Until you realize the food is explicitly bland (bet you the mages turn up their noses at it), vanishes if not consumed after 24 hours (so that’s a daily 3rd level spell slot from some poor schmuck), and is mostly limited to Paladins and Clerics. You know, godly people, who are so fondly looked upon by the mageocracies. Artificers, at least, are more in line with the Age of Arcanum attitude - but we don’t see any in Calamity, so it’s unclear if the class ‘exists’ per say in the time period. Reducing powerful Paladins and Clerics to food dispensaries - and not even good food, probably for the lower class - would fit in neatly with how the powers of the divine are seen as lesser. Goodberry falls into a similar role: useful, but probably something mages would avoid.

Speaking of spells, let’s get a little fucked up, hm? Who is to say a mage couldn’t just. Summon some pigs to be served up as bacon tomorrow? Well. Conjure Animals specifically says the animals are actually fey, and vanish when their HP reaches 0. Summon Beasts? Same thing. Find Steed? You guessed it. So magic can help us grow food, and transport it, and preserve it, but not actually make it out of nothing. (If there’s a spell I’m missing that completely solves this, please let me know, but I can’t really find one.)

My final little thought came watching geese migrate some time ago. The passenger pigeon has been extinct for… a hundred and ten years, now. But in its hayday, flocks of the birds would literally cloud the sky. Exandria is home to far more stunning beasts than pigeons, and hunting flying game is likely a lot easier when you yourself are flying too. 

Sure, you can apply this to actual fishing when the cities are over the seas, but! Imagine fishing boats but for birds and all manner of winged beasts in great flocks, netting and catching them to haul in. Maybe the magical equivalent of those helicopter boar hunts to deal with invasive populations, but landing at all introduces a whole lot more hassle. Big net and flying device = fresh meat, with an arcane twist.

So: how do you feed a flying city? Especially one with a lavish lifestyle as seen in Avalir, or a hard research focus as in Aeor?

Have an extremely regimented relationship with the towns on your path (likely in competition with other flying cities using these leylines when you are) or that otherwise have food you need. Make sure skyships arrive in time for the harvests. Miss that and things get dicey. 

Supplement this with trade, both with other flying cities and grounded ones when docked. However, docked time has to be limited to not risk starving out the countryside surrounding the city hosting you.

Small deliveries, especially of fresh livestock, can be accomplished through Porter’s Guild or equivalent.

Magically preserve food thus obtained to survive until your schedule and harvests of X Y z goods next align. 

City-based organizations can ‘fish’ for birds as the city flies (or potentially even actually fish as they fly over the ocean) for fresh meat.

Hope to gods (but without hoping to the gods because they’re schmucks) that you time your pick-ups right, that there are no famines, or early frosts, that no one steals your fucking skyships our outbids you on a key agricultural contract, or casts Dispel Magic and makes your food all spoil.

When the carefully-scheduled management of the city’s resources fails, turn to your diviners or healers and have them feed the masses with bland crackers while the Somnovem or Ring of Gold continue eating honeyed lamb and figs. 

If you read this far, I'm super flattered you shifted through my rambles! I'll gladly discuss any glaring mistakes or things I've overlooked; this is only what I considered in worldbuilding for a fic, and I don't pretend to be an expert on medieval agriculture or economic practices.

This was still very fun to (over)think about <3

(Water, of course, would be a similar limiting factor, but is easy enough to magically purify, and would not be too bland when made by Create Food and Water, so I didn’t bring it up.)

[maybe-im-dark]

Ok soooo i just got an idea. So what if in the Logan movie they had tried to make clones of Logans DNA way earlier let's say in the early 2000s when they put the GMO's in the water supply. A girl was born but she had only a minor healing factor and no claws so she was deemed a failure and the clone project was put on a hold. They wanted to kill her but one of the nurses smuggled her out and she got adopted as a baby. The years go by and the girl grows up. Her name is Lia. She looks nothing like Logan. She is small, only 4'11 and overweight save for the same brown hair as Logan and the hazel eyes. But she is highly intelligent. She gets a hold of her medical file from Transigen, learning her biological mother was a drug addict who agreed to give birth to her for money for drugs and that her father is the Wolverine. She collects comics and articles and everything she can about him.She is devastated when she hears the news of his death in 2017. Then in 2024 she hears that Deadpool was seen with Wolverine. She does research about him and finds out he lives with a blind woman named Althea. She tracks down Al's address and shows up at her apartment. Wade opens the door and she discovers he lives together with Wolverine and that she has a younger sister named Laura. Logan doesn’t believe her, saying she made it all up and he's a different Logan anyway. Wade and him go on a mission and she manages to outsmart the guys they are fighting against with her intelligence. Logan decides to finally hear her out and they get to know each other. He tells her that he is very grateful to her adoptive parents since they raised her right. Lia says she is nothing like him since she can only heal minor injuries and ages a bit slower. Logan says that it doesn't matter and he is in awe of her intelligence saying he could have never figured it out. He accepts her as his daughter and she becomes part of the family.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Power plants in Brazil deploy GMOs to combat Asian pest

Genetically modified golden mussels target invasive species in hydroelectric reservoirs

A research initiative led by CTG Brasil—a Chinese company that ranks among the largest power generation firms in the country, with 17 hydroelectric plants and 11 wind farms—has developed a genetically modified golden mussel prototype in the lab. When introduced into reservoirs alongside the invasive species, the modified mussels induce infertility in future generations, with the goal of eliminating the pest.

The Asian mollusk, no more than two centimeters long, has no natural predators, is not edible, and reproduces rapidly. It causes estimated annual losses of $120 million to hydroelectric dams across the Paraná, Alto Paraguay, Tocantins, and São Francisco river basins—and poses an imminent threat to rivers in the Amazon.

Other sectors also suffer from its spread: fish farming operations face the risk of submerged net tanks due to the added weight of millions of mussels; water collection, treatment, and distribution are disrupted; ecotourism is impacted; and river biodiversity is under threat.

A 2018 study funded by CTG—which assessed maintenance-related revenue losses and cleaning costs—found that the golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei) is present in 38% of Brazil’s hydroelectric plants, representing 55% of the country’s installed capacity.

Continue reading.

[ranticore]

answering oc asks all in one bunch as promised

@fair-lead

don't worry about the broken emoji it's the only one of the set so i know which question it is hehe

🪽does this character believe in a higher power?

Yes! Ishmael has a strong belief in the same higher power that every other settler of his time believed in - Atom Genetech, of course, the corporation that developed him & the other GMO humans of Siren. The reverence held towards Atom was practically religious - the Company was the reason for being there, the Company was always watching, the Company had mysterious designs upon this world which most people were not privy to.

Unlike all of us, Ishmael knew for a fact that he was designed exactly to be the way he was. He had a creator. But he also had a belief in destiny, and that it was his destiny to have been born into that strange twisted form. Once he accepted that he was never going to become normal, he had to accept that he would always be like That. Therefore it was his destiny to suffer, and the creator, his creator, made him for the sole purpose of recording that suffering.

🪱 would this character move a worm off the pavement or save it?

When he was growing up, Ishmael had not much feelings for the smaller animals around him. He was never taught to view them as anything other than strange aliens to be documented by people smarter than himself. But once he was released from active study (he got too big and uncooperative) and spent more time in the seas of Siren, the natural world, he was able to observe the smaller creatures in situ, and he found a lot of peace in that. Once he began to recover from his entire childhood, he was an emotional wreck, feeling things all at once and far too strongly and unable to dissociate from those feelings anymore. And many of those feelings involved a deep, aching pity and empathy for the animals around him, to the point where he tried to be vegan for a while. So yeah he'd move a worm off the pavement lol but only at that point (and he'd beat himself up for not doing the same in his earlier years)

⚖️ how do they seek justice?

Through violence.

@sleepvines

👛 what is always with this character?

His glasses are the obvious answer but I also think he carries with him a small library of literature wherever he goes - mainly guidebooks of deciphering ancient languages and navigational charts that point the way to the ruins of the first settlements on Siren. He already can't fly so it gives him a little bit more freedom to carry around heavy stuff than other shortwings (and, anyway, Huarva does the carrying). Hidden among his scrolls cases of important archaeological guides and lexicons you will find a collection of adventure serials which he avidly collects; monthly releases of chapters written by some of the most famous novelists of the Spire.

🪷 what gives this character inner peace?

I don't think he experiences inner peace tbh. His life is extremely hectic and dangerous and his favourite activity is debating people under the table, he might find a peaceful mindstate a little boring. He might enjoy a moment of silence while crossing the sea on the raft towed by Huarva but it would be very quickly broken by him needing to say something; he can't just sit with himself. He has to DO something.

@magmacannon

🐁 how are this characters ethics?

Qedivar: actually not too corrupt all things considered (and corruption is the way of the things at the university). When he discovered the Truth at the end of his archaeological quest, he knew that it was information he should release publicly (i.e not behind a paywall and also not after the other scholars had edited out all of the juicy bits), and he was faced with an ultimatum - release it, and risk his life, or keep it hidden and accept the nice promotion the scholars dangled in front of him. He chose to release it instead.

Ishmael: all fucked up, bouncing between extremes (as I said above). He was never raised to be someone who acted ethically or unethically, he was raised to be studied. He was never given lessons or even a good example to follow, especially since all he knew for a LONG time were the lab techs who were not ethical towards him. So an important part of his character is that he turned around and enacted the same bad treatment on the only people of the settlement he considered 'below' him, the beta phocids. He got better later, after developing a friendship with Cherta, but it was always a bit of an uphill battle to get him to behave normally, he was always hard to be around, always offputting, and had no benchmark for 'normal'.

Mia: not quite so high stakes as the other two but he is a terrible gossip and is not above opening other people's mail just to spectate on the private lives of others. Other than that he does his job well and makes sure the letters are delivered on time, which i guess is ethical?

♟️describe how they would play chess, if they would.

Qedivar: he'd be good at it for sure but overly defensive, maybe not taking advantage of as many openings as he should.

Ishmael: overturns the board the first time someone captures one of his pieces

Mia: gets 75% of the way through the game, loses interest

🦇 biggest material fear (ie heights, bugs etc)

Qedivar: heights is probably accurate. He can't fly. He also hates sipho nymphs (which resemble winged silverfish and are about a foot long) because of how they wriggle.

Ishmael: needles

Mia: drowning; a practical fear, as he spends so much of his time on the wing over the sea. He is buoyant and can rest on the water, unlike many longwings, but bad weather can be so dangerous over open water. So probably a fear of storms as well.

🛡️how does this character protect themself and others?

Qedivar: he's very bad at this. He'll try to argue, use his words, but he's a scholar and quite insulated from the real world. He can fight shortwings as part of a spirited thesis defence, but if someone really wants him or his friends dead there's not much he can do about it. He is a songbird.

Ishmael: with violence

Mia: just fly away man what's all the fuss about lol

⚖️ how do they seek justice?

Somewhat naively, Qedivar believes that justice is inevitable, and that if enough knowledge is spread, if enough people see Facts and Truths, they will naturally come to the most just conclusion on things.

Mia hasn't had to seek justice really since all he does is deliver letters and stuff but he has a 'live and let live' attitude and up to a certain degree of severity, he's probably not going to seek justice at all.

i know that guy

🪷 what gives this character inner peace?

Inner peace? what the hell is that

♟️describe how they would play chess, if they would.

If you could play a glass cannon in chess i think it would be like that. It's all attack all the time, but the defence is lacking. He IS good at 4 player chess because his opponents' attentions are divided and his bad defence isn't such an issue (unless they team up on him).

🐌 do they carry their home with them or is it a place?

He has no special attachment to any place of residence; his actual home, where he's supposed to be living, is mainly a place to store stuff (the bed is dusty at this point). He does get homesick about Ferru but more for the practical, everyday stuff than any intangible concept of Hometown(tm). He misses the climate, the food, but not the people.

🪓 would they make it to the end in a horror movie?

Not in a million years would John be a final girl. He wouldn't be the first dead, but he would be the intellectual/sciency character who tries explaining the horror away as EMF waves or whatever, and when he inevitably dies, it changes the tone dramatically because now we know it's Serious.

[good-old-gossip]

Israel uses starvation and deprivation as a systematic weapon of war against civilians, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law

The Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip accused Israel on Monday of intensifying the suffering of Palestinian children as a result of the ongoing genocide and the oppressive blockade that the occupation state has imposed on the enclave. This has led to the spread of severe malnutrition among more than 65,000 children out of a total of 1.1 million suffering from daily hunger, said the GMO.

A Palestinian child named Osama El Rakab struggles for his life at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, located in the southern part of Gaza, due to malnutrition-related body weakness on April 24, 2025 [Doaa Albaz/Anadolu Agency]

Israel uses starvation and deprivation as a systematic weapon of war against civilians, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” explained the media office. “The blockade and the ongoing closure of crossings have led to a catastrophic deterioration in health conditions and the spread of severe malnutrition, especially among children and infants.”

Palestinian officials said that they hold Israel fully responsible “for the worsening humanitarian catastrophe and for endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, women and the elderly due to the lack of food, medicine and water.” They also hold the “international community and its institutions responsible for their silence in the face of these crimes and their failure to take deterrent steps to hold the leaders of the Israeli occupation, which is committing its brutal and continuous violations, accountable.”

The GMO called on the international community to take action to prosecute “Israeli war criminals” before international courts to punish them for their multiple crimes, “especially the use of starvation and deprivation as a weapon of genocide” against the Palestinian people and their children. “We welcome the International Court of Justice’s confirmation that the Israeli occupation violates international law through its occupation of Palestinian territories and undermines the rights of our Palestinian people.”

The immediate and unconditional opening of all crossings is essential for “the entry of humanitarian aid, food, medical supplements and medication, especially for children and the sick, to save their lives and end the catastrophic humanitarian situation,” added the GMO.

Israel has blocked the entry of food, relief, medical aid and goods for the Gaza Strip since 2 March, causing a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation of Palestinians, according to government, human rights and international reports. Such collective punishment is, of course, a crime under international law.

[aureli-us]

okay halo people new question: what do you think chief actually looks like??? i LOVE masked characters (cough miraak) because i love the chance to sort of invent them physically below the mask. for that reason i hope to never actually see a canon john face in the games (despite being the literal greenest newbie to play halo on the planet rn) BUT i really enjoy trying to think of it myself??? some ideas i got browsing:

from the halo: escalation comic so the site said. i LOVE his baby blues i love how deep and colorful they are. i cant tell if he looks a little tan under there or it's just the shadow? i've seen somewhere the games or books describe him as too pale bc he rots in his armor all the time lmao. BUT i really really enjoy the oceanic eyes. idk if this comic ever shows his full face, i saw others did, but i would be SO interested to see what they do with the rest of him bc he'd probs look sick as fuck in the dark horse style

THIS ONE to me is gorgeous. i 100% love his hair here, it's exactly how i imagined it. brown and short, but like, military short but NOT a buzz (sorry i hate him w a buzzcut. its most probable but i cant😭) big fan of the widow's peak/hairline and tbh i really like his scars? im all for him being fucked up. part of me also wonders if his face would possibly be more protected??? but also all i know about spartans is that becoming a spartan Hurts so maybe they're like,,,, GMO scars

(ik i legit haven't touched deviantart for like....a decade) THIS was a cool collection. OP points out some similarities that are interesting (mainly his short brown hair, straight nose, and SCRUFF🥰🥰🥰). my favorite favorite favorite is probably second column from left, three down, the one where he has 117 buzzed into his undercut. that shit goes fuckin HARRRRRRRDDDDDDD. i tried to reverse search it but i couldn't rly find the OG of that one, which is sad 😔

that's all!!! i just thought it'd be cool to get ppl's thoughts. i saw a lot of comments that were basically like "chief has no face to me, he's the helmet" and tbh it makes a lot of sense, esp since that's legit how he was designed for the express purpose of first person feeling/relatability. feel free to reply or dm me your ideas!!!

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Gemini North Captures Galactic Archipelago Entangled In a Web Of Dark Matter

One century after astronomers proved the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way, enormous galaxy clusters are offering clues to today’s cosmic questions

100 years ago Edwin Hubble discovered decisive evidence that other galaxies existed far beyond the Milky Way. This image, captured by the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, features a portion of the enormous Perseus Cluster, showcasing its ‘island Universes’ in awe-inspiring detail. Observations of these objects continue to shed light not only on their individual characteristics, but also on cosmic mysteries such as dark matter.

Among the many views of the Universe that modern telescopes offer, some of the most breathtaking are images like this. Dotted with countless galaxies — each one of incomprehensible size — they make apparent the tremendous scale and richness of the cosmos. Taking center stage here, beguiling in its seeming simplicity, the elliptical galaxy NGC 1270 radiates an ethereal glow into the surrounding darkness. And although it may seem like an island adrift in the deep ocean of space, this object is part of something much larger than itself.

NGC 1270 is just one member of the Perseus Cluster, a group of thousands of galaxies that lies around 240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus. This image, taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory — supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab — captures a dazzling collection of galaxies in the central region of this enormous cluster.

Looking at such a diverse array, shown here in spectacular clarity, it’s astonishing to think that when NGC 1270 was first discovered in 1863 it was not widely accepted that other galaxies even existed. Many of the objects that are now known to be galaxies were initially described as nebulae, owing to their cloudy, amorphous appearance. The idea that they are entities of a similar size to our own Milky Way, or ‘island Universes’ as Immanuel Kant called them, was speculated on by several astronomers throughout history, but was not proven. Instead, many thought they were smaller objects on the outskirts of the Milky Way, which many believed to comprise most or all of the Universe.

The nature of these mysterious objects and the size of the Universe were the subjects of astronomy’s famous Great Debate, held in 1920 between astronomers Heber Curtis and Harlow Shapley. The debate remained unsettled until 1924 when Edwin Hubble, using the Hooker Telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory, observed stars within some of the nebulae to calculate how far they were from Earth. The results were decisive; they were far beyond the Milky Way. Astronomers’ notion of the cosmos underwent a dramatic shift, now populated with innumerable strange, far-off galaxies as large and complex as our own.

As imaging techniques have improved, piercing ever more deeply into space, astronomers have been able to look closer and closer at these ‘island Universes’ to deduce what they might be like. For instance, researchers have observed powerful electromagnetic energy emanating from the heart of NGC 1270, suggesting that it harbors a frantically feeding supermassive black hole. This characteristic is seen in around 10% of galaxies and is detectable via the presence of an accretion disk — an intense vortex of matter swirling around and gradually being devoured by the central black hole.

It’s not only the individual galaxies that astronomers are interested in; hints at many ongoing mysteries lie in their relationship to and interactions with one another. For example, the fact that huge groups like the Perseus Cluster exist at all points to the presence of the enigmatic substance we call dark matter [1]. If there were no such invisible, gravitationally interactive material, then astronomers believe galaxies would be spread more or less evenly across space rather than collecting into densely populated clusters. Current theories suggest that an invisible web of dark matter draws galaxies together at the intersections between its colossal tendrils, where its gravitational pull is strongest.

Although dark matter is invoked to explain observed cosmic structures, the nature of the substance itself remains elusive. As we look at images like this one, and consider the strides made in our understanding over the past century, we can sense a tantalizing hint of just how much more might be discovered in the decades to come. Perhaps hidden in images like this are clues to the next big breakthrough. How much more will we know about our Universe in another century?

Notes

[1] The discovery of dark matter in galaxies is in-part attributed to American astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who used the rotation of galaxies to infer the presence of an invisible, yet gravitationally interactive, material holding them together. She is also the name inspiration for NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction in Chile, which will begin operations in 2025.

TOP IMAGE: NGC 1270 is just one member of the Perseus Cluster, a group of thousands of galaxies that lies around 240 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus. This image, taken with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, which is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, captures a dazzling collection of galaxies in the central region of this enormous cluster. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/ Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) Acknowledgements: PI: Jisu Kang (Seoul National University)

[tache-noire]

i need a collection of shirts that say shit like "I ❤ ASPARTAME" and "I ❤ MSG" and "I ❤ GMOS" because im sick of people constantly trying to bitch at me about processed foods

im on josh scherer's side, we got so many fuckin modern marvels in food and im gonna eat all of them and idgaf if a rat got a brain tumor!!!!!!! i live to eat not eat to live!!!!

[frostybearpaws]

I want to talk more about my homunculus idea because I like it :3

I was doing some more research on how alchemists made homunculi and I found it really interesting. The artificial humans come from the process of purification.

The steps to making a homunculus are as follows:

Extract human sperm

extract a horse uterus

collect horse dung

artificially inseminate the horse uterus with the human sperm

inside of a glass jar place horse dung and the inseminated uterus inside and seal glass

allow to ferment for 40 days (the form that you will see is a pale, transparent humanoid)

place humanoid on a warm place and nourish with human blood

Homunculi come from the breaking down and resulting consumption of the uterus, semen, and dung inside of this sealed environment.

(side note: (not exactly important but interesting) the reason this was thought to work was because of the spermism theory where it was believed that inside the sperm there was a little person that wouldn’t grow until placed into a uterus. Obviously some of the issues with this theory is that it didn’t explain how children got traits from their mother if the child only came from the father /gotta love when sexism and poorly understood biology meet/)

so in essence a homunculus is a human created artificially form human sperm incubated within a external womb.

how does this carry over into my idea?

In my world homunculi are different from GMOs because everything, down to their very genome, is completely fabricated. In other words they are not made from a pre-existing creature like spider-goats (goats that have a gene placed into them that causes them to produce web proteins in their milk) or glow monkeys (monkeys with a gene spliced into them to make them have bioluminescence).

And here in lies the problem. Homunculi have never existed in nature and arguably never should. They are a completely man made creation made possible by the wonders of science. If they are not a pre-existing creature what do they classify as? Are they even an animal? Do they even need rights?

When it boils down to it, homunculi are a product, no matter how biological they may be. They were made to serve a purpose for a human, that purpose might be long term or it might be short term.

When all is said and done, they are cheap, easy to make, and replaceable.

[sevenrs]

inspector eyes have a collect score (trade value?) of 20. Singularity bombs and pearls have it at 10 (outpost value?)

Gooieducks have it at 1, UNLESS they're in farm arrays, in that case it's 2.

one inspector eye can get you through two posts... split it in half

do you think a scav has ever seen an inspector eye. like suddenly you pull up with an overseer eye as big as their head and they just

??? also why farm arrays specifically. do they just taste better there because its like. more fertile or something? would scavs support gmos or are they organic all the way