#North Shore Long Island

[stonecreationslongisland]

Robert Moses Looking Towards Fire Island Lighthouse by Paul Saladino Via Flickr: Fire Island Lighthouse was an important landmark for transatlantic ships coming into New York Harbor at the turn of the last century. For many European immigrants, the Fire Island Light was their first sight of land upon arrival in America. The first lighthouse built on Fire Island was completed in 1826. It was a 74-foot high, cream-colored, octagonal pyramid made of Connecticut River blue split stone. The tower was built at the end of the island, adjacent to the inlet. This tower was not effective due to its lack of height. It was almost entirely removed and the stone reused to build the terrace for the present lighthouse. Today a circular ring of bricks and stone are all that remain of the original lighthouse. Due to the westward migration of sand along the beach, known as littoral drift, the inlet is now approximately six miles westward of this site. In 1857 Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of a new tower, 168 feet tall. It was lit for the first time on November 1, 1858. This tower was made of red brick, painted a creamy yellow color. The tower was changed to the present day-mark of alternating black and white bands in August 1891.

[michaeljclarke]

Thatcher Island and the churning Atlantic.

PRINT SHOP

[herbalcheffieldofdreams]

[the-visual-chronicle]

Blue Reflection

[libertyfence]

Now installing Trex railings! We installed these at two newly constructed homes in Plandome, NY.

[celticquestfishing]

Fishing report for Long Island: What to look for this season |Celtic Quest Fishing

You can find some of the hotspots with the aid of the Long Island Fishing Report, and in this article, we'll also go over some of the essential fishing boats and how to use it.

[betty-gb]

Under the Stars | Luke Castellan

Warnings: none as far as I know, it’s unedited 🤭🤭, also the reader is not gender neutral (female)

AN: this is terribly short but I pulled it together at midnight so cut me some slack, it’s third person idk if that matters but ya, I am so desperate for show Luke stuff as I’ve been saying so here’s a little something

The night was quiet, not quite silent. Camp was never silent. If one listened closely they could make out the faint wails of the patrol harpies or the waves sloshing onto the north shore of Long Island.

A girl moved through this night, quiet footsteps blending into the environment. Trembling from the cold, she approached cabin 11. Cracking open the wooden door, cautious and slow, she crossed the room to the back right corner. It was a familiar path, one she had retraced many sleepless nights, but tonight something inside her hesitated. Despite her boyfriend’s constant reassurance and support, she couldn’t help but feel like a burden. Luke woke her too, night after night and she remained unbothered, but that logic didn’t shake the pit of guilt pooling inside her.

Sparing one last glance at her boyfriend’s sleeping face, she grabbed his sweater off of the trunk near his bed and re-entered the night. Often times when both demigods couldn’t sleep, they would climb to the roof of cabin 11, exchanging quiet whispers and knowledge of the night sky. Tonight the girl was alone as she scaled the ladder behind the cabin. With her legs curled beneath her and the familiar scent of Luke from his sweater engulfing her, she sat with her solitude, contemplating the dream that has disturbed her sleep. Typically demigod dreams were not peaceful, they were reoccurring, they fed on your fears. Tonight’s was no exception. She was so lost in thought she almost missed the creak of the ladder and second pair of footsteps that approached her.

“Hey baby,” her boyfriend greeted.

“Luke,” her smile was half-hearted, happiness to see him masked by guilt. His arm instinctively came to wrap around her shoulder and the girl leaned into him as he planted a kiss in her hair.

“Are you alright?” He inquired, eyebrows knit with concern.

“I’m okay, just a nightmare,” she reassured.

“You should’ve come to me.”

“I knew you would say that,” she sighed, “I don’t know, I felt bad. If I woke you every time I had a nightmare neither of us would ever sleep.”

“I don’t mind that. I’d chose you over sleep any day,” his eyes met hers and she could tell he was genuine, “but seriously don’t ever feel like a burden.”

“Ya, ya, okay,” her smile was more sincere this time.

“Do you need to talk about the dream?”

She shrugged her shoulders gently, “It wasn’t really anything new.”

He hummed in response as the two fell into a comfortable silence. Before long, he noticed the girl begin to drift off, tousled hair falling onto his shoulder. He knew he should wake her before she was truly asleep.

“Come on, you’re tired and we probably shouldn’t fall asleep on the roof,” his lips curved into a teasing grin, “you remember what happened last time.”

The girl let out a breathy laugh, recalling her punishment of cleaning the stables and Mr. D’s exclamations of “filthy teenagers!”

She accepted her boyfriend’s outstretched hand and together they made their way back into cabin 11 and out of the night.

[writingoddess1125]

loving reading Buggy's saga with his children, but I confess that I felt sorry for his balls being crushed in the last post😭

please help our dear Buggy recover from this illness 🥹

Of course sweety! 🍭 we shall cure the Muggy Buggy Balls!

Fever pt. 1

Buggy x FemReader + Buggy Twins

Old Men Series Masterlist

Wanna buy me some cup noodles? 🍜

After what was deemed the Nutcracker Arc, Buggy had been down a bit- He had wanted to have more children with you eventually but after the doctor saw the damage from the wooden sword and apparently damage from a previous incident that Buggy still refused to tell you about- The doctor essentially said his nuts were done for.

"I wanted daughters so bad..." He groaned into the pillows, still in his pouting faze as you sat next to him rubbing his back. It had been 2 weeks since Dee had taken the wooden sword to poor Buggys balls.

"I know honey.." You say softly, trying to comfort the man. Truthfully you had seen the damage and had a fairly confident feeling he was done with any baby making- Buggy was knife proof but not blunt force trauma.

"Hey it won't be that bad Buggy, You have two beautiful sons who will carry your legacy and besides we are heading to the island for the rest of our '60 day' vacation" You say softly, at this point the 60 days were no better then a joke- it had already been well over a month on the ship and with Buggy, you two just used the '60 days' as a way to tease one another over how silly it was. And an excuse for a vacation.

Buggy looked up st you, his makeup smeared on his face and he sighed in defeat. Nodding in agreement at this point.

"Yeah Yeah- Two destructive boys with devil fruit powers on an island unsupervised, What can do wrong" He said as he leaned his head against you his arm wrapping around your waist.

"Why would they be unsupervised?" You question with a raised brow, Buggy looking at you with a crooked grin.

"Well we will be busy of course" He says in a flirtatious manner- You playfully shoving his face away while blushing making both of you laugh.

"Land Ho!" A loud voice sounded through the ship, Snapping both of you from your thoughts as you your giggles.

Buggy getting up and offering a hand to you with a smile.

"Ready?" He asked, you could t help but feel your heart flutter at this. Grabbing his gloved hand and nodding, heading upstairs you saw the coming shores of land.

"Look!" Dee yelled from the crows nest, that being were he preferred to stay it seemed- Bee jumping around on deck like the hyperactive child he was.

There was a lush island that was filled with beautiful forest and a small village nestled there. It didn't take long for you all to dock at the island- Buggy happily escorting you and the boys through it.

The island he had picked was absolutely lovely, it was like a strip of paradise tucked nearly in the corner of the East Blue, a small village on the north side of the island and on the southern side was were Buggy had claimed for himself. It seemed Buggy was well Acquainted with the place as well since the locals were familiar with the crew and held no real fear of Buggy either.

"Wow! It's so big!-" Bee cheered loudly at seeing the Island, Dee nodding in agreement as they looked at the village.

"Hehe that's what your mo-" "Medium" You deadpanned, immediately taking the wind from Buggy's sails as he pouted at you taking his joke away.

"Here" Buggy said reaching in his pockets, handing the twins some change and telling them to explore the island and giving them the key to the Inn room they were in.

"This island is you're to explore, Just don't be stupid and go into the water" He said with a grin, the Twins smiling in delight at this before rushing off with their new found freedom.

"Buggy are you sure?-" You question as you watched them run away cackling like little demons.

"This place is totally safe- Besides I'm sure they are just gonna raid the candy shop anyway" You couldn't disagree with his decision and nodded.

Buggy excitedly lead you to the inn you all would be staying in while the details to the cabin was set in. It was a small tradional inn and had a hot spring attached, truthfully you thought it was quite adorable but beautiful non the less. Taking a seat on the massive futon bed you smiled at your Partner.

"I gotta admit, you did a really good job Buggy" You say earning a wide smile from the Clown Pirate.

Buggy was clearly proud of his choices, the praises from you and boys definitely fanning his ego. Especially since you didn't disagree with him that this was a terrific spot or that the inn was quite beautiful.

"I'm going to check how long till the cabin is complete-" He said with a grin kissing your lips before leaving.

The boys were out exploring the island, Buggy was checking on the cabin. You had the room to yourself? Oh how the stars aligned- jumping up you quickly grab a bottle of wine and open the back sliding door to see the amazing hot spring in the back. This was heaven-

Buggy returned after an hour, having picked up some dinner for the two of you to try and have a date night in- He knew he was still new to the whole romance thing but he was trying, aka using books to figure out.

"Hey (Y/N) yhe Cabin will be completed in a few days" Buggy said calmly, walking into the room expected you there- But was met with silence, raising a brow he walked in the room fully and opened the back sliding door that lead to the private hotspring.

That's when his world froze- There you were standing in the hotspring, it looks like you were grabbing a cool rag for yourself and just bend in the perfect angle to see everything.

You turned quickly hearing the noise of the door opening and saw Buggy there with his eyes as wide as saucers and clearly very pleased to see you. Not even having to say anything you turn and face him fully.

When the house was finished you and your small family all moved in. Buggy talking about this would be a safe house for you and kids anytime after the '60 days' or if you wished to just move here and he would return regularly.

Blushing as you stood in the hot water, Buggy catching the look in your eyes starting to strip and sliding into the water after you. His eyes never leaving yours as he closed the space between you two in moments- his hands wrapping around your waist quickly as you two smiled at each other.

It seemed Buggy was right, you and him would be busy.

Truthfully it was pure domestic bliss.

And it was this way- For a little over a month till one morning. You woke up and everything just seemed terrible, The bed made your back hurt, the lights were too bright, the twins already up and too loud.

You heard Buggy trying to talk to you excitedly but his voice was muffled and difficult to understand. Truthfully you didn't even remember making it to the kitchen and making yourself a cup of tea-

It was like you blinked and you were there, the boys chattering loudly as Buggy tried to get them to sit the fuck down as well as telling you something you didn't understand. You felt a hand finally touch your head, seeing Buggy in a different shirt and the twins gone... how long had you dozed off for?

"You look flushed-" Buggy muttered, his eyebrows crunching up as he got way too close to your face. You didn't know why but his face seemed to irritate you, or was it the smell of the apple shampoo? Or possibly-

"BLECH!" You vomited, right on the front of Buggys shirt.

Buggy's face turned red, like he was going to yell but held back and took a breath. See how you had been out of it most of the morning and fairly unresponsive despite him asking repeatedly if you were okay.

"Let's get you to the doctors.."

He said finally, Sighing as he peeled off the shirt and helping you up.

It was a short trip to the doctor in the village, Buggy being too loud in demanding you be seen right away- You wanted to choke him..

In a few minutes the doctor arrived and gave you a routine check-up, You sitting their while Buggy talked some more about random stuff as the Doctor stood back with a surprised smile on his face.

"I see what's going on-" The doctor said with a smile, both you and Buggy staring at the doctor as he set his tools to the side.

"Congratulations! You're pregnant" He said with a joyous voice- you and Buggy freezing at this.

"W-What but- I thought I was done for!?" Buggy said first as he pointed to his pants- The doctor shrugging at this.

"Well it sees you still gad a chance, but a chance non the less- If you keep trying eventually something can take root" The doctor admitted calmly. You sitting thinking back to different moments in your life... mainly your labor with the twins... 36 hours for both.. the diapers and all that 'fun'.

"How far?.." You manage out, still feeling shell shocked at this news.

"Hm I'd say 5 weeks along give or take?-" the doctor said calmly as he tapped his chin.

You both looked at each other, the thoughts swirling in your guys head as it clicked. 5 weeks is when you guys arrived at the island and..

"The Inn Hotspring-"

You guys said in unison. Buggy staring at you in total shock like the puzzle peices were still formulating in his brain- before he broke out in a wide smile, started loudly cheering and jumping.

"YOURE PREGNANT HAHAHA!"

You sitting there in shock as your partner jumped around the room... did 60 days just turn into 9 dog damn months?

[floridaboiler]

Things You Probably Never Knew About The Great Lakes.....

1. Lake Superior is actually not a lake at all, but an inland sea .

2. All of the four other Great Lakes, plus three more the size of Lake Erie, would  fit inside of Lake Superior.

3. Isle Royale is a massive island surrounded by Lake Superior. Within this island are several smaller lakes. Yes, that’s a lake on a lake.

4. Despite its massive size, Lake Superior is an  extremely young   formation by Earth’s standards (only 10,000 years old).

5. There is enough water in Lake Superior to  submerge all of North and South America in 1 foot of water.

6. Lake Superior contains 3 quadrillion gallons of water (3,000,000,000,000,000). All five of the Great Lakes combined contain 6 quadrillion gallons.

7. Contained within Lake Superior is a whopping 10% of the world’s fresh surface water.

8. It’s estimated there are about 100 million lake trout   in Lake Superior. That’s nearly one-fifth of the human population of North America!

9. There are small outlets through which water leaves Lake Superior. It takes two centuries for all the water in the lake to replace itself.

10. Lake Erie is the fourth-largest Great Lake in surface area, and the smallest in depth. It’s the 11th largest lake on the planet.

11. There is alleged to be a 30- to 40-foot-long “monster” in Lake Erie named Bessie. The earliest recorded sighting goes back as early as 1793.

12. Water in Lake Erie replaces itself   in only 2.6 years, which is notable considering the water in Lake Superior takes two centuries.

13. The original publication of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax contained the line, “I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie.”Fourteen years later, the Ohio Sea Grant Program wrote to Seuss to make the case that conditions had improved. He removed the line.

14. Not only is lake Erie the smallest Great Lake when it comes to volume, but it’s surrounded by the most industry.Seventeen metropolitan areas, each with populations of more than 50,000, border the Lake Erie basin.

15. During the War of 1812, the U.S. beat the British in a naval battle calledthe Battle of Lake Erie, forcing them to abandon Detroit.

16. The shoreline of all the Great Lakes combined equals nearly 44% of the  circumference  of the planet.

17. If not for the the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron might be considered one lake.Hydrologically speaking, they have the same mean water level and are considered one lake.

18. The Keystone State  was one of the largest and most luxurious wooden steamships running during the Civil War.In 1861, it disappeared. In 2013, it was found 30 miles northeast of Harrisville under 175 feet of water.

19. Goderich Mine is the largest salt mine in the world. Part of it runs underneath Lake Huron, more than 500 meters underground.

20. Below Lake Huron, there are  9,000-year-old animal-herding structures   used by prehistoric people from when the water levels were significantly lower.

21. There are  massive sinkholes in Lake Huron that have high amounts of sulfur and low amounts of oxygen, almost replicating the conditions of Earth’s ancient oceans 3 million years ago. Unique ecosystems are contained within them.

22. Lake Huron is the second largest among the Great Lakes, and the  fifth largest in the world.

23.  In size, Lake Michigan ranks third among the Great Lakes, and sixth among all freshwater lakes in the world.

24. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is entirely within the borders of the United States.

25. The largest fresh water sand dunes in the world line the shores of Lake Michigan.

26. Because water enters and exits Lake Michigan through the same path, it takes 77 years longer for the water to replace itself   than in Huron, despite their similarity in size and depth. (Lake Michigan: 99 years, Lake Huron: 22 years)

27. When the temperature of Lake Michigan is below freezing, this happens.

28. Within Lake Michigan there is a “triangle” with a similar reputation to the Bermuda Triangle, where a large amount of “strange disappearances” have occurred. There have also been alleged UFO sightings.

29. Singapore, Mich., is a ghost town on the shores of Lake Michigan that was buried under sand in 1871. Because of severe weather conditions and a lack of resources due to the need to rebuild after the great Chicago fire, the town was lost completely.

30. In the mid-19th century, Lake Michigan had a pirate problem. Their booty: timber. In fact, the demise of Singapore is due in large part to the rapidly deforested area surrounding the town.

31. Jim Dreyer  swam across Lake Michigan in 1998 (65 miles), and then in 2003, he swam the length of Lake Michigan (422 miles).

32. Lake Michigan was the location of the first recorded “Big Great Lakes disaster,” in which a steamer carrying 600 people collided with a schooner delivering timber to Chicago. Four hundred and fifty people died.

33. Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes in surface area, and second smallest in depth. It’s the  14th largest lake   on the planet.

34. The province Ontario was  named after   the lake, and not vice versa.

35. In 1804, a Canadian warship, His Majesty’s Ship Speedy, sank in Lake Ontario. In 1990, wreck hunter Ed Burtt managed to find it.  Only, he isn’t allowed to recover any artifacts until a government-approved site to exhibit them is found. He’s still waiting.

36. Babe Ruth hit his  first major league home run   at Hanlan’s Point Stadium in Toronto. It landed in Lake Ontario and is believed to still be there.

37. A lake on Saturn’s moon Titan is named after Lake Ontario.

[therainingkiwi]

Train travel in The Lightning Thief/PJO TV season 1

Oh look, I'm overanalyzing fictional train travel because I'm one of Those neurodivergent people. Let's get into it. Warning for VERY minor book spoilers (just mentioning the names of all the cities our trio travels through).

TL; DR our trio's cross country travel route makes no sense at all.

In the first book/season of the Percy Jackson series, our main trio takes a cross-country trip from Long Island, NY, to Los Angeles, CA. In the beginning, it appears as if they've boarded a cross country bus that will drive them the whole way there (a trip that usually takes ~72 hours). However, they get derailed in rural New Jersey (presumably the northwestern part of the state).

After New Jersey, the action immediately skips ahead, and we next see our trio on an LA-bound train that's about to stop in St. Louis (and in the book, has a later stop in Denver).

So, just off the bat: the train route that the trio are taking doesn't exist IRL (assuming they board a train in Trenton, and that train stops in St. Louis, Denver, and Los Angeles). It's also impossible for a single person to travel that route for $200, much less three people. Chiron needs some up to date information about cross country travel prices.

If they were traveling a reasonable IRL amtrak route, they'd probably take the Cardinal from Trenton to Chicago, and then take the Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA. However, if they can get back to Penn Station from Aunty Em's, they could take the Lake Shore Limited from NYC to Chicago, which would be 7-8 hours shorter than getting to Chicago via the Cardinal.

They could also take a bus from north New Jersey to Chicago.

However, the Southwest Chief (most direct amtrak route to LA) stops at neither St. Louis nor Denver. The most notable cities along the route are Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff.

If they wanted to take a route to LA that had them pass thru St. Louis, they could take the Texas Eagle from Chicago to St. Louis to San Antonio, and then take the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to LA. There are 3 trains per week that make this two-leg trip without requiring travelers to transfer at San Antonio, so our trio are probably on one of those. Why they didn't take the (shorter, cheaper, and more frequent) Southwest Chief is a mystery, honestly.

Since Chicago is the USA Amtrak hub, most routes will pass thru that city. The only alternative route is taking the Crescent from Trenton to New Orleans and then taking the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to LA. This would take them nowhere near Denver or St Louis, but probably wouldn't have a significant time/price difference from routing the trip thru Chicago (assuming they travel direct from Chicago to LA rather than taking the Texas Eagle thru San Antonio).

Unfortunately, there are no trains in the USA that travel between St. Louis and Denver (or even between St. Louis and Colorado in general), so that leg of their trip would have been made via bus. Greyhound (the USA's main long-distance bus travel company) has buses directly from St. Louis to Denver that end in California (but in San Francisco rather than LA).

In conclusion, I propose a new Amtrak route called "The Lightning Thief" that travels from New York-Penn Station, down the Northeast corridor thru New Jersey, and then turns west, making major stops in St. Louis, Denver, and Las Vegas, before terminating in LA. It doesn't stop in Amtrak's Chicago hub because all hub-and-spoke transit systems should have rim routes, and because Chicago isn't mentioned in The Lightning Thief.

Also, in conclusion, the USA needs better rail infrastructure and I'm a fucking nerd.

Amtrak map below for reference.

[franki-lew-yo]

Fifty actually good Free to Watch Animated Movies

Most are on Tubi, of course, but I don't think you'll mind that. Get em while they're hot - please dm/pm with any potential triggercontent warnings that you think might be needed.

I especially recommend Mary & Max, Kubo and the Two Strings, Last Unicorn, The Wolf House, Ernest and Celestine, Rock & Rule, Hair High, and Nocturna.

They're all beautiful and absolutely worth your time while they're still on Tubi, Youtube, or just online at all.

Safe for Families 

The Legend of Hei (Chinese, English Dub) Action, Fantasy

Ernest and Celestine (English Dub) Comedy/Drama

All Dogs go to Heaven (English) Fantasy/Action/Musical

The Secret of NIMH (English) Adventure/Action/Drama

Nocturna (English Dub) Fantasy/Comedy

The Mouse and his Child (English) Drama/Adventure

The Magic Pony/The Humpbacked Horse (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (English) Fantasy/Adventure/Musical

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (English) Comedy/Fantasy/Musical

Moon Man (English Dubs) Fantasy/Comedy

The Legend of Sirius/Sea Prince and the Fire Child (English) Fantasy/Romance/Drama

The Adventures of Unico and Unico and the Island of Magic (English Dubs) Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy

The Snow Queen (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

Long Way North (English Dub) Adventure/Historical

Eleanor’s Secret (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

The Last Unicorn (English) Fantasy/Drama/Adventure CW: Contains a harpy for one scene that your super religious mom might have a fit at but otherwise safe

Night on the Galactic Railroad (English Dub) Drama/Fantasy

Havoc in Heaven (Mandarin, subs available) Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Tito and the Birds (English Dub) Fantasy/Action/Horror

The Thief and the Cobbler (English) Adventure/Fantasy/Action CW: Ideologically sensitive despictions

The Adventures of Mark Twain (English) Adventure/Fantasy CW: May disturb some children, ideologically sensitive material

Raggedy Anne and Andy: A Musical Adventure (English) Adventure/Fantasy

On Happiness Road (Hokkien/Mandarin, English Sub) Drama/Comedy/Adventure CW: Systemic oppression

The Tale of the Fox (German, English Sub) Fantasy/Adventure

Ringing Bell (Japanese, English Sub) Drama/Adventure CW: May upset some children as it's an analogy for child soldiers

- Hey there, It's Yogi Bear (English) Comedy/Musical/Adventure

Mature 

Have a Nice Day (Mandarin, English Sub) Action/Thriller/Crime CW: Violence, Domestic Abuse

The Painting (English Dub) Adventure/Comedy/Drama

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (English Dub) Drama/Thriller/Action CW: Police Brutality

A Cat in Paris (English Dub) Action/Comedy/Crime

Penguin Highway (English Dub) Speculative fiction/Drama

When the Wind Blows (English) Drama/Horror CW:Radiation poisoning, Elder Abuse

I Married a Strange Person (English) Comedy/Horror/Romance CW: Violence

Blood Tea and Red String (English) Horror/Arthouse CW: Violence, Sexual assault imagery

The Wolf House (SpanishGerman, English Sub) Horror/Arthouse/Psychological CW: ASMR, themes of religious abuse, csa and cannibalism

The Plague Dogs (English) Drama/Action CW: Animal abuse, animal death, violence

The Romantic (English) Fantasy/Horror CW: Domestic abuse

A Dog's Courage (English dub) Drama/Action/Adventure CW: Animal abuse

Mary & Max (English) Comedy/Drama CW: Selfharm and ablism

Vampires in Havana (Spanish, English Sub) Comedy/Drama CW: Violence

Gandahar (French) Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Animal Farm (English) Drama/Thriller CW: Animal death, animal abuse

Technotise: Edit & I (Serbian, English Sub) Thriller/Fantasy

Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (English) Horror/Fantasy CW: Religious/sexual/domestic abuse imagery, violence

Louis by the Shore (English dub) Drama/Psychological

Memories (Japanese, English Sub) Horror/Thriller/Action CW: Violence

Rock & Rule (English) Fantasy/Action/Musical

Ghost in the Shell (English Dub) Action/Thriller/Drama

Millenium Actress (English Dub) Fantasy/History/Action

Away (Latvian, no talking) Arthouse/Drama

[the-visual-chronicle]

A Hard Days Work

Fujifilm X-T5 and XF 60mm R Macro Lens

[mozziu-s]

Introducing you all to Caribou and Moose, an IceWing and a RainWing dragonet native to the SFAU, and two of my most popularly requested characters since their inception.

In this alternate version of Pyyrhia, Queen Scarlet has more than just her gladiator arena to satiate her need for controlled violence. Luckily, an island miles to the north of the Sky Kingdom, ringed in a mile of boiling water on all shores, served to be her new favorite place to pass the time.

The island, called Menagerie, became Scarlet's preferred POW camp. Her prisoners are brought in with their wing membranes shorn in half, or "clipped" so no dragons can fly away. It serves as an illustrious hunting playground for the SkyWing elite, as their flightless prey are still full of spunk and more fun to chase down.

It was here that Caribou, a second-circle military commander for the IceWings, was dumped- and subsequently where she met two fangless RainWings, who had lived on the island so long, they had a dragonet together. When the two caught wind that Caribou was attempting escape, they begged her on talons and knees to take their son with her. Reluctant, and wary of dragonets in general, Caribou begrudgingly agreed.

If you like these two and my other SFAU content so far, I recommend visiting my Instagram profile (@mozziu_s) to see all of the posts in their original glory, and to be immersed in the stories they tell. Thank you for lending me your eyes here, enjoy!

[amtrak-official]

North American Commuter Railroads ranked on which ones I think of first

Metra

Marc

Long Island Railroad

VRE

Sounder

Metrolink

Metro North

Go Train

Sun Rail

The T

NJTransit

Trinity Express

Caltrain

Coaster

Rail Runner

Front Runner

ACE Rail

SMART

CT Rail

SEPTA

RTD

South Shore Line

Tri Rail

WES

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: Adélie penguin

I previously covered the world's most famous penguin, the emperor. Today I'll be covering its less famous neighbor, the Adélie penguin. While being much smaller than the emperors, Adélie penguins are just as charismatic and highly ecologically important. They were named after the wife of the explorer who first described the species. Let's see if that was romantic or a mistake.

(Image: an Adélie penguin standing on a rock and facing the camera. It is a bird standing upright with flipper-like wings and webbed feet. The belly is white while the head and back are black. There are white rings around the eyes. End ID)

The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) looks like a penguin. Like picture a generic penguin in your mind and it'll probably look like an Adélie. They are flightless birds that stand upright, a posture that seems to be unique to penguins. They have countershading, with a black back and white underbelly. The most distinctive feature of an Adélie penguin is the white ring around its eyes. As with other penguins, Adélie penguin wings have adapted into flippers that enable powerful and graceful swimming but renders them flightless. Adélies reach a height of 73 cm (29 in) and a weight between 3.8 and 8.2 kg (8.4 to 18.1 lbs). The primary difference between males and females is that males are significantly heavier than females of the same size. As with most penguin species, it can be difficult to tell males and females apart without examining them. Adélie penguin feces and nasal discharge has been noted to be high in salt, the result of living in a very saline environment. By ingesting salt and nitrogenous substances in the sea and excreting them on land, the penguins help hasten the movement of nutrients from sea to land. This makes the penguins highly important to the antarctic ecosystem.

(Image: an Adélie penguin seen from the side as it walks over snow in a very dapper pose. End ID)

Adélie penguins are are one of the two penguin species to inhabit Antarctica itself, the other being the emperor penguin. They also share the many antarctic islands with multiple other penguin species and are rarely found as far north and Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and South America. The penguins spend most of their time out on the pack ice, hunting for food to build up the layer of protective subcutaneous fat that helps keep them warm. Adélie penguins can be found hundreds if not thousands of kilometers from shore as long as there is access to the sea and ice flows to rest on. As the ice extends hundreds to thousands of kilometers in winter and retracts during the summer, the penguins will be on the move to retain access to the water. A penguin can migrate up to 13,000 km (8,100 mi) every year to retain access to both ocean and sea ice. They hunt and forage underwater, with a diet consisting primarily of krill, fish, squid, and jellyfish. Chemical analysis of shell fossils has revealed a change in diet from primarily fish based to primarily krill based around 200 years ago. It is believed that this change in diet was due to whaling diminishing the local baleen whale population, which was the primary krill predator. This resulted in a population boom of krill that the penguins took advantage of. It is very cool to me that you can tell what diet animals from thousands of years ago analyzing ancient eggshell remnants. Adélie penguins swim at around 8 km/h (5 mph) and can leap 30 meters out of the water to reach ice flows.

(Image: a group of Adélie penguins leaping off of ice and into the water. End ID)

Adélie penguins are noted to be very curious and fearless on land. They have no land predators and therefore have no predation response on land. Antarctic explorers have recorded that Adélie penguins would walk right up to charging and barking dogs without fear and quickly get eaten. They have been called boisterous by explorers and have been seen challenging much larger creatures to fights over space. During the filming of the BBC Earth documentary Spy in the Snow, the filmmakers caught footage of an Adélie penguin deliberatly protecting a group of emperor penguin chicks from a southern giant petrel who was hunting them. Despite the petrel's threat and the chicks being of a different species, the Adélie put itself between the predator and prey and repeatedly charged the petrel (which occasionally hunt adult Adélies) until it gave up and left. Adélies are not always as nice to each other. They will fight each other, especially during breeding season. Adélies are known to be reluctant to enter the water if they can't see another penguin swimming safely. They will gather in groups on the edge of the ice until one penguin gets pushed in. If that penguin doesn't get attacked by a predator, the rest will join.

(Image: a group of Adélie penguins being examined by a scientists sitting on the ground in a red coat and black pants. The group includes adults and chicks. The penguins show no fear of the scientist and some appear to be examining them. End ID)

Mating season lasts between October and February. During mating season, the penguins gather in rocky areas with no ice covering. The males gather piles of pebbles which will become nests. Males will try to steal pebbles from each other, which can led to fights. Once his pile is complete, the male will stand on top of it and begin a display involving pointing his beak up, vibrating his chest, and flapping his wings. A female who is wooed by his display will approach and bow, which he will then reciprocate. The male then shapes the nest into a pit and lets the female lay down in it. The male stands on the female's back to mate and they will rub beaks together while doing so. Adélie penguins are serially monogamous. They will form mated pairs during mating season, but will usually not pair off with the same penguin next season. On the other hand, Adélie penguins have been suggested to engage in prostitution. Males have been known to mate with females they are not paired off with, after which the female will take some of the stones from his nest. The reasons for this behavior is not clear and calling it prostitution may be applying human ideas to non-analogous animal behavior. Females may be examining males as potential backup mates should hers die. The male allowing the female to take some stones may also be an advantageous trait as if she does lay his eggs, having better stones will give them a better chance of surviving with him not there. Adélie penguins are notorious for their aggressive sexual behavior. Males will attempt to forcibly mate with females (possibly as a result of mistaking her bending over as a mating bow) and males without partners will attempt to mate with such things as chicks, dead penguins, and the ground. During mating season, males accumulate the hormone corticosterone in their systems. This hormone increases aggressiveness and sexual activity in birds and is likely why males who can't attract a mate will attempt to mate with anything they can.

(Image: two Adélie penguins mating. The male is standing on top of the (presumably) female, who is lying stomach-down on the ground. The male's head is bend down and the female's head is bent up so their beaks touch. End ID)

After mating, the female will lay two eggs, the second a few days after the first. If one egg is lost soon after being laid, a third may me produced to replace it. The second egg is usually smaller then the first so they will still hatch around the same time. The father and mother share share incubation duties. One parent will sit on the eggs to warm them while the other parent returns to the sea to feed. The incubating parent will not leave the nest during this time. They do not eat while incubating and will projectile defecate to keep feces away from the nest. Shifts change every 7-10 days, allowing both parents to eat while keeping the eggs incubated. When both parents are at the nest, they will perform a mutual display involving waving their heads while calling out and bowing to each other. The eggs hatch after 32 to 34 days and the chicks will remain with their parents for another 22 or so days. During this time, the parents will take shifts guarding the chick and returning to the ocean to feed. The chicks are fed regurgitated, partially-digested food. Mothers who have lost their chicks have been known to try to steal chicks from other parents. After the 22 days, the parents abandon their chicks and return to sea. The chicks gather together in groups called crèches for mutual protection from predators. They must subsist on fat stores for another 30 to 40 days before developing their adult plumage and setting out to sea.

(Image: a group of Adélie penguins with a focus on a parent and a chick. The chicks are smaller than the parent and are covered in gray, fluffy down. End ID)

One of the earliest texts on Adélie penguin behavior came from the journal of the explorer George Murray Levick in 1911-12. He described the sexual behavior of the penguins but the result was considered too explicit and immoral to be publiched with the rest of the expedition's notes. As a result, Levick's noted were not discovered and published until 2012. One of the things in the notes that resulted in them being denied publication was the description of homosexual behavior. That's right, this is a surprise pride post. Despite what many conservatives would like you to believe, homosexual behavior is very common in the animal kingdom. Penguins are seemingly especially known for this behavior. While initial reports suggested that Adélies would accidentally mate with other males as a result of mistaken identity, this have been proven to not be the case every time. Male Adélies have been seen taking turns copulating with each other, which means they definitely realize the other is male. Similar behavior has been seen in other penguins. Famously, a male/male pair of chinstrap penguins (a close relative of the Adélies) named Roy and Silo in New York City's Central Park Zoo successfully fostered an egg and hatched a female chick named Tango, who also went on to bond with another female penguin. Multiple other species have also been know to form same-sex bonds in captivity (wild behavior being harder to study) with many even building nests and using round stones in place of eggs. Same-sex pairs have been known to bond with each other year after year when other penguins will chose different mates each year. Multiple zoos will let same-sex penguin pairs to foster eggs.

(Image: two penguins standing among a pile of pebbles. End ID)

Levick's notes on homosexual behavior in the Adélie penguins described them as deviant and disgusting. I bring this up because it leads me to a point I want to discuss. It is very important to not judge animals by human moral standards. Study of homosexual behavior in animals has been distorted and repressed by generations of scientists operating under an Abrahamic religious worldview where homosexuality is considered a crime against nature. In that worldview, it would not be possible for animals to be homosexual because now could nature commit a crime against nature? Thus, the use of rationalizations, deceptions, and cover-ups by scientists operating under that worldview. When the facts conflicted with their beliefs, they chose their beliefs. This is not the only time this has happened. Back in the early days of paleontology, famous paleontologists such as Sir Richard Owen discovered that theropod dinosaurs had similar traits to birds and that dinosaurs were not the slow, lumbering, lizard-like animals they were initially assumed to be, but highly developed, powerful animals. This conflicted with their pre-conceived religious beliefs in Biblical creationism where all species were created as they were and did not evolve and that modern species must be the better versions of past species as God wouldn't replace something powerful like a triceratops with something less powerful like a cow. These early paleontologists covered up and denied evidence that went against their beliefs and in doing so, set back the fields of paleontology and evolution in ways we are still trying to fully recover from. Failure to separate our moral standards from animal behavior is important to studying animals for the same reasons that those early paleontologists failing to separate the evidence from their religious beliefs was. I have heard popular animal Youtubers insult animals like Adélie penguins and dolphins in exactly the same way Levic did because of their behavior when mating. Those kinds of attitudes are thing we need to get over when studying nature. Nature is under no obligation to conform to the many and varied moral standards of humans and we need to recognize that. This doesn't just apply to people who disapprove of animal behavior. You will notice that I never called any of the penguins "gay" or anything similar in the above passage. That was deliberate and it's not because "I'm a homophobe trying to to deny that gayness exists in nature" or anything like that. That would be a pretty fucking hypocritical thing for me, a trans lesbian, to believe. I don't think it's fair or intellectually honest ascribe human descriptions of behavior and psychology to nonhuman animals. We have very different psychological makeups from penguins and the definitions we use simply may not apply to them. Similarly, penguin mental constructs or concepts wouldn't apply to us, at least not in the same way. Nobody can read a penguin's mind and nobody can Animorph into a penguin to experience its psychology first hand. If Roy and Silo were able to talk, would they identify themselves as gay? Would the modern, western idea of gay even make sense to a penguin? I have no idea and neither does anyone else. And I think applying labels for human concepts like being gay that may or may not apply to an animal risks introducing bias to our understanding that can produce mistakes and misunderstanding about that animal's behavior. This is true whether you think being gay is good (like me and hopefully everyone reading this) or bad (like Levick did).

Oops, what's this doing here? (Image: an old-fashioned soapbox. End ID)

Adélie penguins are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. This does not mean they are not facing challenges. The loss of sea ice due to global warming has reduced the available habitat and has seen population drops. Chick survival rates have also been decreasing. In addition, as of 2024, a mass die-off of over 500 birds was discovered and is being attributed to H5N1 bird flue spread from South America. This strain has also been found in local skuas, which could act as vectors to spread to to other species and populations. This situation is currently under investigations and we currently can't predict where it will lead.

(Image: an Adélie chick nuzzling its parent's belly. End ID)

[pinkcherryblossom18]

Take And Take And Take (Me As Yours)

Jacaerys Velaryon/Twin!Reader

Summary: A fight breaks out and Jace is sent to make you see reason but what reason is there that doesn’t go against everything that you know?

TW: Twincest, Descriptions of violence (The Driftwood incident), sex and death, Fingering, Making out, Arranged Marriages, Angst, Codependency?

Word Count: 2.1k

The sky was bright with stars and full of the moon that casted along the shores that crashed against the rocks of Dragonstone with a calamity inducing force but no such accidents would occur. They had always threatened to drown the rocky island but have yet to do it in the centuries that the Targaryens had made it their home. 

Your feet were cool with the water that sprayed out and touched the bottoms of your toes and the tops of your shins as well as soaking the edges of your dress. Your mother wouldn’t say anything about it but Daemon might for nothing more than the opportunity to jest and make fun of you in the subtilist of ways. It was loving, something that you wouldn’t have expected from a man called the Rogue Prince but he had proved himself to be alright over the years, showing so in ways of small gifts and jokes that led to laughter and a weird sort of bonding. 

Rheana and Baela helped as well. 

Though you hadn’t talked to them a few moons after the accident on Driftmark that left your uncle with a missing eye and you with a long scar on the top of your forehead from the rock that was intended for your brother. You were sure that Jace would have finished Luke’s unfortunate swing of protectiveness of both you and your dear twin. It was a sureness that had you gripping his arm tightly and shaking our head at him when he made his way to get up and attack him, doing away with the knowledge of Aemond’s new injury, only focused on the gash on your head that let rivers of blood flow down your face and leaving you as blind as Aemond until the maester was able to get all of the blood out of your eye. 

He hadn’t left your side when all six of you were dragged into the hall. His hand in yours as the maester stitched up your forehead and not even letting go when your mother ran up to you, cradling your head in her hands as she demanded to know what happened. She had kept you close the entire time as well, keeping both you and Luke tucked up against her side as she tried to reason with Alicent who only demanded your younger brother’s eye as a repayment for Aemonds own, as if that would have fixed anything. 

That night, Jace stayed with you, curled up in your bed holding you as tears ran down your face. Jace cried as well. Both of you in sadness, loss of your aunt, what had transpired only an hour before and the death of your birth father. It seemed that despite the added pain which made tears still cascade down your puffy cheeks in lumps, Jace cried harder. He never told you why and you never asked beyond that but you could feel what it was. Anger; rage swelled up and twisted so tightly inside of him that it was bound to break one way or another. 

Jace hadn’t been too far from you since then, not that you two were far apart anyhow. Always close, ever since birth and just getting closer as the seconds ticked past and the sun rose and fell, being replaced by the moon. Then a few years later, it was replaced by touches that seemed different from the blushing romances that you had read in your books. There were no shy touches or sneaky glances that ended in giggles and red tinted cheeks. No, you two were sure with your affections. Hands grabbing waists with the affection that fifteen year olds going through changes can muster and kisses with the forces of waves at sixteen that shunned upon comparison how you two moved onto the next step at seventeen and now at eighteen with looks of longing lust gone and replaced with the infectious love that goes through the line of siblings in the great House Targaryen. 

That would all go away soon. 

Soon you would have to go North and marry some Karstark or other to make an alliance with the North, to transplant what little Targaryen blood you have in you into some frigid bastard until it was bred out of whatever children or grandchildren that you two would possess. It wouldn’t matter, you would finally succumb to the fate all bastards are given: no longer existing in any matters of importance. To be erased from all minds and hands washed of any blood spilt, dirty blood that was tainted and spoiled by unfaithfulness and wandering hands of two persons who could no longer bear not touching each other. 

Once you hadn’t understood such a thing with the thundering force of resentment and inner hatred. Now you understood, it was all clear. 

Something could be done, by you and by Jace. 

But Jace was dutiful. He was the good son. The future King and Lord of Dragonstone when your mother became queen and when she inevitably died of either age or sickness (you hoped for the former). He wouldn’t taint his already soiled reputation, he wouldn’t.

Jace was still a dragon. Dragons take and take and take until they wholly claim what they believe is theirs.

You turned your head at the sound of feet approaching, watching your twin’s messy hair being swept by the wind that only made its current state worse with each passing breeze. A laugh bubbled in your chest at the pout that graced his lips at such an inconvenience but you were sure that he had already given up on fixing it as his gaze stated on yours when they caught each other. 

He stands above you, a small smile on his face but the remenits of the past conversation la in face with the lines of grimaces on his face just below his eyes and a certain look in those dark colored eyes of his. Love is in there, that is something that you are sure will never go away but something alike to pity also resides in there. You hate that but what can you do but welcome it when it comes from Jace? “May I join you?” He asks you.

A sigh comes from you. Joy is a key factor in what you feel when you look at him but the ever looming aspect of the conversation you two are about to have is clear and hateful. The feeling of crawling sickness builds up in your chest just at the prospect of it. 

“Go right ahead,” you say, gesturing at the open space beside you that still doesn’t feel full when Jace sits beside you, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. Your knees touch and warmness courses through your body in waves of the storms that had sunk many ships before they could reach this rocky island of your home. 

It doesn’t feel like enough. For once, it almost doesn’t feel right. 

Perhaps it’s the anger or the war that is coming soon but something in your heart had tweaked when the announcement of your betrothal was announced. He hadn’t said anything as you yelled at your mother, calling her a hypocrite and so many nasty names that you can no longer remember them all. Those names had even been directed at Luke. Sweet, loving Luke who had done nothing wrong but would inherit Driftmark now. You’re birthright and you’re way of becoming something—someone in the history books. Along with your mother, you would have inherited a powerful seat as a woman. 

Now that was gone and Jace had done nothing to stop it. 

He settled fast and reached for your hand, grabbing it in his anyway even after you had pulled it away. Not letting you go from him. You hoped that it was a good sign, you hoped that it meant more than it actually did. “It wasn’t mothers fault, you can’t get mad at her for this,” he says softly, as if talking to Vermax when he was angry or agitated. 

A scoff comes through it heavily and it leaves off with a giggle that has you shaking your head humorlessly. “Try me,” you snap and snatch your hand away from his. You clamber off of the sandy ground, brushing off the grains that are on your dress and skin before storming off. 

His footsteps are normally light, something that he brought with him from years of training. His gliding swordsmanship of quick feet and fast reflexes had come into his everyday life along with the strength that he had gained from it. “You’re not being fair,” he says and you stop.

Your footsteps are contrary to his own, their rough and angry and full of hatred toward your beloved twin that you never knew that you could hold in your love filled heart. “Fair?” Anger filled tears take over your waterline, threatening to fall out in a manner that would have Septa Cragen—a woman most unfortunate looking as her name—shaking her head. “Don’t talk to me about fair Jace, nothing about this is fair.” You shake your head and try to pull back your tears. “Out of everyone I expected you to be just as pissed as me.”

Anger is now in his features as well, he wears them well. With grace and dignity, unlike you. Unlike you who had caused a scene earlier, who had caused such a ruckus that even your loving and understanding twin has turned against you so easily. “I am.” 

You don’t believe and start to walk away but in quick strides he is closer to you and has your head in his hands. They are rough and calloused but so very soft when touching you. His dark brown eyes are filled with something carnally desperate that you want to reach out and feed into it with a vigor that fuels your own desperately wanting and all consuming love. 

Those hands that hold you don’t tighten like his words that grow rough. “Trust me there is nothing more that I would love than to go up in the North and kill that Karstark boy. I want to keep you here, with me, at my side like we always have been.” You’re tears finally fall and he catches them, a well practiced move since you two were nothing more than small babes still suckling on your mothers teats. 

You grab his arms. “Then marry me, like we’ve always talked about. Like we planned. Fuck them,” you spit out. Jace looks shocked but he doesn’t say anything, knowing that there is more. There always is more when it comes to the two of you. “The Queen, the King, the Karstarks. Our mother. Fuck all of them. Marry me like Daemon did with mother, take me as yours.” Your hand now grasps his face and you lean toward him, he allows it and his head falls so that now both of yours are touching. Lips only an inch away. “Take me,” you whisper to him.

He doesn’t do anything but take his hands away from your face so that they can wrap around your waist and pull you closer, your head now nuzzled comfortably in his chest of warmth and safety. “I will, I have always promised you that.” His hand strokes your back as he whispers to you words that calm something in you that has reared up on hind legs since the fight. “Not tonight, not when you’re not thinking straight.” You look up at him but his face is stern, leaving no room for arguments. “Don’t argue, you know that I am right.”

You huff. “Fuck you for that too,” you say and he only laughs. You join him right before your lips connect. 

All seems to fall into place, more so when he joins your bed. Your dress is hiked up on your legs with you head tilted back as he presses his lips on the sensitive skin that lays there while his fingers go in and out of you. His lips suck and bite and press promises that you hope that he keeps while he brings you to your peak with his lips against your own with the same words on his lips as they had been on your neck. “My little wife, all mine. All for me,” he whispers, it consumes you and over takes you much like your peak. All because of him. 

It's all a fire that swarms you. Like a dragon. Like Jace who is much like one himself as he takes and takes and takes what is his by right. By birth.

By blood and fire.