#Protector of Humanity queue

[eternalstarlights]

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[fanaroff]

Dp x DC Prompt: Space Like An Ocean

An alien had taken up residence outside of the Watchtower. Its first appearance immediately started a panic with most of the heroes that could survive in space converging on the station to see whether it was friend or foe. In the end, it did not seem either.

In fact, it seemed fine with just basking and napping wrapped around parts of the Watchtower that made up the outside. It wasn’t the size of the Watchtower, but off and on it was a very near thing.

Humanoid, yet distinctly inhuman. White whispy hair sat atop its head, pointed ears, and the only feature that could be made out of its face were two bright green glowing eyes. A color that sent Batman into a research frenzy. Its skin was void-dark. Almost looking as if a piece of space itself had separated from the cosmos and took and almost snake-like form. Or maybe an eel?

The most notable thing about the creature were its injuries. Multiple lacerations covered it, leaking a green that never touched the Watchtower and seemed to evaporate not long after leaving its body. Any silent attempts to collect it for study and to figure out what it was were met with emotionless green eyes and a bare hint of fang. They backed off quickly.

Flash liked to call it a mer-eel. “Cause it’s got an almost human torso, two arms, and the rest just kind of curls up!”

Wonder Woman was unimpressed with this. “That would suggest it is more like a naga.”

To which Green Lantern replied, “No, no, he’s right. There’s an almost white fin-like bit that goes down the tail like an eel’s does.”

Any more attempts to identify the creature led to nothing and soon the “eel” became a silent fixture of the Watchtower.

It was ages later when Zatanna entered the Watchtower to discuss a completely non-connected case when she stumbled immediately upon leaving the Zeta Tube and had to lean against a wall, breathing heavily.

“Something feels like Death.” Was all she could get out before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she dropped to the ground. She wouldn’t wake up, dead asleep. Immediate worry all around lead to Justice League Dark being contacted in full.

Constantine with Deadman in tow were ultimately the ones to solve the mystery. It took but a moment for Deadman to be seen thanks to Constantine’s “magic” and awe was the first thing apparent on his face. Deadman didn’t even need to leave the Watchtower to know what it was.

“Oh,” he whispered like a prayer. “So that’s where he goes when he takes a break.”

Queue questioning.

“He” turned out to be Phantom, the Ghost King who had apparently decided the Watchtower was a perfect basking spot. Confusion was abound at this.

“No, see,” Deadman tried to explain. “He has two Obsessions and the Watchtower feeds into both. Heroes who protect, as he is a protector spirit himself and probably feels a kinship, and space.”

Constantine and Deadman explained as best as they could, but when the questions finally settled, the last was “Why isn’t Constantine affected like Zatanna? Why aren’t the rest of them affected like Zatanna?”

“That’s easy!” Deadman piped. “None of you are attuned to death magic! I’m a ghost, he’s my King. Zatanna is a magician with experience in most magics. And Constantine doesn’t own enough of his soul to feel the death!”

In the end, a request from Deadman was all it took for things to change. With barely a rumble, Phantom pulled himself from the Watchtower and drifted far enough away for his aura to no longer affect Zatanna. The heroes could only watch in awe as the eel-like god returned to the open ocean of space.

Addition:

There were a giant green eyes observing the conference room. Every hero inside was frozen in place, staring back at the eyes and trying their best not to move a muscle. Phantom had moved from atop the station. Phantom had acknowledged them. Phantom was staring at them from a window of the Watchtower.

No one knew why he was there. Just that suddenly he was. The bright green lighting the entire room with its shine was the only warning they got. They stared. He stared.

Slowly, he moved. A hand-shape pointed with a claw. They were confused. The hand made a pointing motion again.

The table?

Ah. Several shards of kryptonite sat on the table. The topic of the discussion as someone had somehow gotten ahold of the shards and used them against Superman. They needed to know who supplied them.

The hand pointed again.

Why did Phantom want the shards?

Apparently, it wasn’t up to them to question as the pointing hand phased into the room, palm up. Waiting. No one moved for a moment until a white narrowed slit formed in Phantom’s eyes.

Green Lantern was quick to grab the shards (Batman made a token protest, those were his damn it) and placed them in the palm. He shivered as his finger brushed the skin, ice cold washing up and down his spine.

The hand closed, retracted and approached the face. The eyes stared as a large mouth opened (fangs, sharp sharp fangs laid in green) and a tongue popped out. The shards were placed on the tongue and the mouth closed with a sharp crunch.

Phantom grinned almost smugly before he drifted away from the window and back to the top of the Watchtower.

“Did- Did Phantom just ask for a snack?”

[aercnaut-archived]

@manaborn said: “ will you quit talking like that?! i’m not leaving you behind! “

" 'preciate the thought, kid, but i think we both know how this is gonna end. "

with him dead in a world far from his own because of his own stubbornness -- why didn't he just let the witches help? -- leaving another child alone and defenseless. he hasn't known the redhead long, but gwen has proven herself just as fearless as lyra, with all the audacity that came with it. funny how he keeps finding precocious teenagers with such intense need to save everyone.

hester raises her little head, giving him a look with pained, fading gold irises. remind you of anyone? she still doesn't speak, but it hardly seems to matter now.

" i just got one request for ya, gwen: when you see my friend -- and you'll know its him, he's missing a few fingers -- tell him to tell lyra i tried. "

[yanderes-galore]

Oooh what if wild Toothless who never got shot down by hiccup , toothless who can still fly , toothless who got attached very quickly to a injured human who stuck in his cove/nest❄️anon (yandere pet like concept/hcs/thoughts pretty please ) 

Yesss, here's what I got!

Yandere! Feral/Wild! Toothless Concept

Pairing: Animal/Pet-Like

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Dragons killing dragons, Forced/Dubious companionship.

I really like the idea of the roles being switched!

Instead of an injured dragon befriending a human, an injured human befriends a dragon.

This no doubt takes place during the times where humans and dragons are still fighting.

Toothless is still the last of his kind, an elusive species.

You've heard of dragons, you've seen what they can do.

Many vikings tell you to fear them.

You didn't believe them until you were attacked.

You met Toothless as you were hiding from dragons who attacked you.

The Night Fury no doubt smelled your blood from your wounds.

You aren't injured too bad but certainly can't make it back home.

Not with the dragons in the area.

You aren't sure what to think when you see a Night Fury attack the dragons around you.

Toothless sustains some injuries but for the most part is fine.

You fear for your life when the Night Fury approaches you.

Both of you are covered in blood, the attackers are gone.

His eyes are in slits for a moment but he notices you're harmless.

Weak, even.

You could be easy prey.

Instead, the Night Fury doesn't kill you.

Instead he nudges you softly, maybe even tries to clean your wounds.

This Night Fury would be more scared of you than you are of him.

He isn't hungry, he isn't scared, he just seems curious... concerned.

You keep staying still, even as the dragon lays beside you to watch you.

Since Hiccup didn't find Toothless in this you would be the one to give him such a name.

Maybe as you heal more you fed him, allowing Toothless to show his retractable teeth.

The cool thing about this version of Toothless is definitely his flight.

He doesn't need anyone to fly, he's a regular Night Fury.

Yet despite this the dragon befriends you, an injured human.

He doesn't eat humans, it's actually not in the Night Fury diet (Look at the Night Fury article on the wiki)

So he isn't interested in eating you.

This would explain why he chooses to protect you instead.

The fact you're both "harmless" is what makes you able to relax.

That is until Toothless decides to take you away.

After all, you can't be safe here.

Toothless means well when he tosses you onto his back and flies to the cave he usually resides in.

The dragon hates that you give him the cold shoulder afterwards.

He brings you back all sorts of food to care for you.

He wants his human friend to heal.

He feels you're being hunted just as much as him.

You don't harm him because of a few reasons.

You wouldn't be able to go home... and you are admittedly attached to this dragon as your only friend and savior.

This is what makes you accept the supplies you're given.

You even allow Toothless to cuddle around you.

The issue is the dragon never lets you leave.

Nothing gets in the den, nothing gets out.

Toothless has taken the role of your protector.

Your family may think you've been killed.

You haven't.

In fact, you're really safe.

Toothless, as a Night Fury, is intelligent and powerful.

He understands your social queues and gets you what you need.

If you tried to leave then the dragon forces you back in the den.

If he lets you go... you'll die.

Dragons who try to sneak up on you are quickly attacked by Toothless.

Night Furies don't eat other dragons, but that doesn't stop Toothless from tearing into them.

Toothless washes off the blood of his kills before bounding to you.

Yet you know what he's done as you can smell the metallic smell on his scales and breath.

Toothless is loyal and will protect you no matter what it takes.

Why should you even go home? Home won't accept you anymore for having a dragon...

It's just you and Toothless now.

[2-dsimp]

I made some more fanart 💕

Imagine this, Wifey and Miki are at a work trip around a port.

Miki, who was normally attached to Wifey by the hip, was teared away by the group manager for some menial task. Begrudgingly, and with a lot of nagging from his work wife, he goes and tries to get it done quickly (and make Wifey proud).

Wifey was carrying some files for the manager, walking alongside the border and reading over the papers. Sumerged in the stream of words, she didn't notice a local walking in her direction. What she did notice was how she lost her balance, and soon enough, her footing. The papers flew upwards unto the port's walkway, unlike her, who fell right into the water with a loud splash.

Wifey desperately tried to get ahold of herself and try to swim. But to no alas, for she never learnt how. She hated the situation. She felt embarrassed, humiliated, cold, and most of all, scared.

Miki, having heard the splash and her pleas, didn't think twice, and after taking off his shirt, jumped in and saved wifey.

Queue in, Miki being worried, clingy, and angry at the same time. He demanded that he take his wife home to change. As work was already over, he got the approval (he did not really care, though) and rushed his wifey home. Got her into one of his shirts and learnt how to use a hair dryer.

♡♡♡

I hope its not very OOC, I've done what I could with the Miki info I got from Tumblr haha.

I can imagine Miki the Himbo Coworker getting spooked from feeling hot air blowing in his face for the first time. And wondering if this contraption is actually safe to use. With humans being as fragile as they are in his own opinion. Then being amazed at how human’s can tolerate being assaulted with hot air that makes his gills get dry.

Newfound respect has been achieved.

If he had just fished out his work wife then he’d settle them on a rock slab. After stripping them of all their clothes since he picked up from a random conversation somewhere that wet clothes on a human. Could potentially make them get sick or die from the cold temperatures.

Sure you might curse at him for stripping you naked on a public beach. But he’d ignore it since it’s all for your own good. He’d no later have you laid out to sunbathe in the most hottest spot he knows around the coast.

And watch over you as you air dry with his shark tail wagging in the water. Wondering if he did a good job as your protector.

[final-bae-stination]

Fight Me For His Health (Avatar: The Way Of Water)

This is the only picture I could find, for some reason, of both of them hurt. Please, though, imagine them as their real selves, not human like in the picture, okay?

The second photo is the room mentioned with Lo'ak.

Prompt: Let's pretend that on the SeaDragon, which is the tulkun hunting ship, Neteyam does get shot, but let's say he survives (because, as always, in my stories, he lives). Lo'ak, who was being...erm, tortured (A/N: Because your author wants as much angst as possible) freaks out and basically annihilates the soldiers for hurting his brother, his protector.

This gets bloody. And violent, like, really quickly, so please be warned.

I believe I wrote a scene/one shot where Neteyam lost control and like...tore someone's throat out. Now, we're going to see Lo'ak's way of doing it, which is almost the same but...well, just read. GORE WARNING!

*********************************************************************

Third Person POV

Neteyam knew his siblings and Tsireya were in trouble. He felt it, the same way Neytiri had once known without being there that Kiri had broken her arm when she was ten from falling out of a tree and had run to get her. He knew it the same way he knew Lo'ak would run to warn Payakan about the charges. He knew it the same time that his siblings and Tsireya didn't return home, and he had to go get them.

He knew it, deep in his bones, and he was going to fix it.

Lo'ak's Perspective

The ship, called the SeaDragon, was a tulkun hunting ship commandeered by Miles Quaritch, Spider's real dad and Jake's enemy since the Pandoran War fifteen years ago. Tsireya and Tuk were tied with restraints slapped to the bars. Tuk growled, tugging uselessly at them, but it was no use.

Quaritch stopped his Recom solider as the girl with tattoos over her blue skin went to tie Lo'ak up. "Put him in the Room." He snarled, his gold eyes filled with hate. Lo'ak glared right back as he was marched away to a white room with only a table in it. Lo'ak turned, trying to suddenly attack, and was backhanded so hard he fell to the floor, groaning in pain, glaring. The Recom woman just snickered, shutting the door and disappearing.

Warning: Trigger For Torture!

He sat in there for ten minutes, wondering what was happening, what was going to happen, when the door opened again. Quaritch bent, coming in the doorway, and Lo'ak hissed, backing up. Quaritch didn't flinch.

He carefully walked to the table, as close as he dared to get. "Where's your father and mother?" Quaritch asked. "Kä ne kllte, teylupil! Kalweyeveng!" Lo'ak hissed, which was Na'vi for Go to the ground, teylu-face! Son of a bitch! He glared hotly as Quaritch's face twisted. "I don't think you want to test me, kid." He snarled, but Lo'ak wasn't budging. "Kalweyev--" He didn't get to finish before Quaritch hit him, so hard his ears rang, as his head snapped back, slamming against the glass behind him. Lo'ak cried out, knees crumpling, and heard Quaritch snarl, "Where are they?!" "Fuck off!" Lo'ak shouted, in English, and was rewarded with a sharp kick to the ribs, making him yelp. Quaritch yanked him up by the base of his queue, making Lo'ak scream, clawing at his hands, but Quaritch wasn't letting go. "I have no qualms about killin' a bunch of blue rats," Quaritch spits. "Don't make me." He dropped Lo'ak, and Lo'ak coughed, groaning softly.

Neteyam POV

Neteyam was on an ilu, talking to Aonung and Rotxo. "They must've been caught," Rotxo says, his blue eyes wide with fear. "What will they do?" "It doesn't matter!" Aonung snarled, ears flat. "That is my sister, we are going!" he shouted.

Neteyam shared a look with Rotxo. "I am going, for that's my family." Neteyam whispered. Rotxo's eyes hardened like blue gems, and he climbed on his ilu. "Stick together," he said, which was a phrase often used by the Sully kids. Neteyam blinked, surprised that he'd picked it up, but then all three turned, racing for sea.

Back To Lo'ak...

!! Torture warning, tried not to make it too descriptive !!

He was in the room still, but was by no means able to currently rise. That woman, the one with the tattoos, seemed to love hurting him under Quaritch's orders. "Just don't kill him" was all Quaritch had said before leaving, and she hadn't, just beat him to the point he was tired of moving, even to twitch his fingers. She smirked down at him now. "What's wrong, baby?" She giggled. "Too tired?"

His hiss was like a tiny puff of air, not threatening at all. She snorted, kicking him in the face. His head snapped back, but he didn't even have the energy to scream anymore. He could only lay there, bleeding and broken. His breath rattled in his chest, and he found himself thinking of home, of his mom and Dad, no matter how rocky their relationship was. He found himself thinking of baby Tuk, of Kiri in the jungle, asleep as the wood sprites drifted over her. Of Neteyam, telling him not to go down to the battlefield as they scouted, and he wondered where Tsireya was. Is she hurt? Are they hurting her? But he didn't---couldn't---think of that too long, because any thought of her in pain hurt him, too.

The woman's boot landed painfully on his ribs, and this time, he screamed, writhing, as something snapped. "I'm talking to you!" She shouted over his cries. He turned, trying to be fast, and sank his teeth into her ankle. She yelped, her fist landing on his face, three times before she could make him let go, and her hits were not soft. Fresh blood spilled from his nose and lips until he was forced to let her go. In retaliation, she became reckless and just started kicking the shit out of him, and he heard several sickening snaps before Quaritch was shouting at her to stop. "He's no use to me dead, Z!" He yelled. She was breathing hard, eyes flat and dark gold, her ankle gushing blood. "Out." Quaritch growled, and she stormed out, muttering under her breath. Quaritch merely glanced at Lo'ak's broken and bruised body before leaving. Lo'ak wasn't sure how much more he could take.

NETEYAM

Neteyam pushed his ilu as close as it could get to the hull, slipping his queue from the neural queue of his ilu. Aonung and Rotxo did the same. "Follow me, do not make a sound," Neteyam hissed, reaching for the side of the low ship. Aonung and Rotxo climbed after him, all three boys slipping behind huge crates as someone walked by. "Yeah," The voice, a woman, was saying. "Hey, that blue boy?" She laughed, and Neteyam, Aonung, and Rotxo shared a glance. Lo'ak? Rotxo mouthed, and Neteyam nodded.

"What about him?" A male voice asked, slightly deep and raspy. "Well, after I got done with him, he was more red than blue." Cold laughter. Neteyam's brain seemed to short-circuit. He was more red than blue...red is blood...

What has she done to my brother? He snarled in his head.

The two voices faded, two blue smears walking inside, and Neteyam saw them: the girls, Tuk and Tsireya, bawling against the railing, and he was shook. Tuk looked fine, physically, if not a little shaken up, but he was the eldest brother. He noticed a scratch on her face, a bruise on her cheek. If that wasn't enough, Tsireya's cheek was covered in blood from what looked like a knife slash, and she had bruises on her throat, arms, and face.

Aonung saw red.

"Don't!" Rotxo shouted, but it was too late.

With a shriek, Aonung threw himself at the nearest Recom, fingers spasming into claws and grabbing the guy around the throat before he could even squeak. Both toppled to the ground, and surprisingly, no one came running as Aonung slammed the guy's face into the deck, once, twice---crack! Snap!---three times before dropping him. "Nung!" Tsireya cried, tears falling down her cheeks as the three boys rushed over.

"Tuk-Tuk," Neteyam breathed, sawing with his blade at the restraints with his knife. He gulped, "Where's Lo'ak?"

She looked at him, her eyes full of tears, breaking Neteyam's heart. "T-they said the wh-white room..." She bawled. Neteyam glanced at Rotxo. "Can you get her to safety?" He asked sharply. Rotxo nodded. "Come," He told Tuk, who obediently climbed in his arms, and he slung her on his back as Aonung, helping Tsireya, called the ilu. As the creatures appeared, Aonung whispered, "Come back, okay?" He nodded once at Neteyam and helped his sister down, then joined her. Rotxo climbed over the railing carefully, Tuk glancing at Neteyam once more before she was gone.

Neteyam snuck through the ship, ducking behind crates and whatever was available when someone came around. He kept his ears and eyes open, moved as silently as possible, and wasn't caught, luckily. He made it around a bend and saw the white room, through two doorways, which made him curse. He'd have to either risk it and sneak in, or wait until the two Avatars currently in there left. But...he couldn't see Lo'ak. Where is that skxawng? He wondered.

Then, he saw him, and his world stopped, broke, and crashed. Lo'ak was being yanked up by he queue, which made Neteyam wince just watching it, and his face was bloody, bruises coloring his skin like a fucking ink splatter of blood and different shades of black, blue, and purple...and red, of course. His left arm looked broken, and his eyes were slipping shut. "Let's go," A heavily tattooed Na'vi Recom said, and the man dropped Lo'ak. Even out here, Neteyam could hear the thud his body made, and it made him cringe away. The Recoms exited the white room, stalking down the hall, laughing, like they didn't just beat the shit out of a kid with his (pissed, protective) brother watching. The moment they were gone, Neteyam bolted inside...

And nearly fell backwards, shocked, eyes wide. Blood covered the floor in thin streaks, clearly done by Lo'ak, presumably, dragging himself across the floor the way he was now, without even turning, like he was terrified Neteyam was one of the Recoms come to hurt him. "Lo!" He shouted, and Lo'ak went tense, then suddenly limp, and Neteyam heard him crying against the floor.

Neteyam rushed over, hands fluttering, unsure of where the fuck he could touch Lo'ak without hurting him. "They're...coming back," Lo'ak whispered, and glanced up. Neteyam recoiled at the bruises on his baby brother's face. "Just...just go. Quaritch won't let them kill me, not without Dad." "I'm not leaving you!" Neteyam screamed.

A door slammed. "There he is!" He turned, snarling.

Quaritch raised his hands. "Easy, kid. I won't kill you or your brother, alright?" He grinned, but Neteyam wasn't fazed. He stood, muscles tense, and as Quaritch took a step forward, hissed, to the point where Quaritch blinked, stepping back again. "Alright, alright," He said, raising his hands. "I get it, don't come close." He nodded. "I can do that. However, I need him." He smirked. "Your father's here. I made a deal, and he accepted: his sons for his life." No. Neteyam didn't want to believe it. But that was his dad, he'd do anything for his sons. Even die? What about Mom, or Tuk and Kiri and me and Lo'ak? He wondered. "Let us go, then." "Ah, it's...not exactly that easy. But!" He said as Neteyam's ears started flattening. "I can tell you, the moment he steps onboard, you're free." Neteyam paused. He wanted to rip this guy's fucking throat out, and it grew stronger when he glanced at Lo'ak, crumpled, bruised, bloody, and broken, in the corner, eyes foggy. "Don't, Teyam..." He whispered, the energy to speak leaving him. Neteyam glanced back at Quaritch. "Then let us go." Quaritch waved a hand. "I will. Don't fight," He said as four Recoms came in, two grabbing Lo'ak and two restraining Neteyam. He stayed still, knowing it would be worse, at least right now, to fight.

ON THE DECK

Neteyam saw them first: The Olo'eyktan, Tonowari, with his mate, Ronal. Then, his mother, her eyes hard and dark gold. His heart jumped into his throat, seeing Kiri beside her, her hand on her knife. Thankfully, Rotxo, Tuk, Aonung, and Tsireya were not there. "Mama," He heard Lo'ak wheeze, and it broke Neteyam's heart.

"Jake," Quaritch called. "Come on down," He laughed. Neteyam saw his father kiss his mother, saw him kiss Kiri's head, then come in on a skimwing. "NO!" He screamed suddenly, thrashing. "No, Dad, don't---Ah!" He yelped as something slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground. He was yanked up immediately by his queue, making him scream in pain until that was all he could hear. "Stop, stop it!" Jake was suddenly on the deck. Looking at Lo'ak, Neteyam realized, and he was horrified. "What have you done to my son?" Jake breathed, his eyes darkening. "What I had to." Quaritch snarled.

"Dad..." Lo'ak mumbled, his lips swelling from the bruises. The tattooed lady holding him snarled, "Shut up," her (actually pretty) blue face twisted in rage. Lo'ak ignored her. "Dad, I'm sorry--" He yelped, high and piercing, as the woman slammed her pistol into his already busted nose. That was the last straw for Neteyam.

He shrieked, a weird sort of scream that belonged to a demon, and twisted as the man holding him tried to regain a grip. He swung without really looking, hearing a sickening crunch as chaos exploded around the ship. Jake lunged, the other Na'vi came running (or gliding on ilu and whatnot), and the battle begun. He fought his way towards Lo'ak, who was crumpled on the ground, eyes shut. No, no, please, Eywa, don't take him, Neteyam thought, blindly punching someone else. He heard a sudden shriek and turned, seeing his dad with a knife in his shoulder.

Neteyam was tackled before he could open his mouth.

It was the tattooed lady, snarling as her hands wrapped around his throat. Jake was still in a struggle with three others, the other Na'vi distracted and Lo'ak out for the count, so he was on his own. He choked, tail slapping thickly against the metal deck, and scrabbled for his knife sheath, finally unclipping it and yanking out his blade, but she saw that, smacking his hand. Neteyam's knife slid over the deck, rattling against the metal, and was flung over the side of the ship, lost in the sea. His heart ached almost as much as his lungs. His grandmother, Mo'at, had given him the knife, saying she was proud of him. It was like she was gone, now, too.

The woman laughed, her canines flashing in the sun. "After I kill you, baby blue," She mocked. "I'm killing the other." Her gold eyes flicked to Lo'ak, still unmoving, and that. Was. It. He screamed, his hands flying to her face, and dug his nails into her flesh, her cheeks, the only thing he could think of to get her far enough away. She howled in pain, letting go to clasp her cheeks, and Neteyam, moving on survival instinct, lunged, his mouth open, and sank his canines into her throat.

Her blood spurted from her neck, where Neteyam's canines were lodged up to the gums, and he wasn't letting go. She screamed, gurgling, as he pushed her back, teeth still firm, and jerked back, tearing her throat open, blood gushing from her neck all over Neteyam's mouth and chin, down his chest, and dripping to the metal deck like water. She gasped, gurgling wetly, eyes wide, blood staining both her and Neteyam, before she seized and went still. He was breathing hard, blood covering most of his front and his hands, and turned, eyes wild. Kiri, Jake, Neytiri, and Ronal were staring at him, and he wasn't totally sure if they were horrified or not. "Holy, shit," Kiri said. A groan interrupted them, and Lo'ak blinked, coming to. "Lo--" Neteyam froze, about to run over, but...but he was covered in blood. He couldn't see his brother. He backed up, eyes on Lo'ak, who was shaking his head. Kiri, always so understanding, put a hand on his arm, moving past him to Lo'ak. Lo'ak was staring at Neteyam, and Neteyam...he felt, for the first time in his life, like a monster. Like the demon everyone thought his father was. "I'm so sorry," He whispered, his voice loud like a gunshot in the silence. Lo'ak stood with Kiri's help and stumbled over. He kneeled, grasping a dead recom's shirt and ripping it in half before his fingers, five instead of four, touched Neteyam's cheek, soft as a feather, and wiped the blood away, all without a word. Finally, he spoke. "You're my brother, my tsmukan. Don't act like I'm scared of you," Lo'ak snapped, throwing the cloth, now stained red, to the side. "Oel ngati kameie, tsmukan."

"Oel ngati kameie," Neteyam whispered, tears filling his eyes. *******************************************************************

Glossary: Tsmukan = Brother. Oel ngati kameie = I See You.

[xasha777]

In the sprawling metropolis of Neo-Brattleboro, where spires scraped the stratosphere and neon lights flickered like stars fallen to earth, the Brattleboro Typographic Company stood as an anachronism. It was a place where old-world craftsmanship met the edge of technology, nestled in the shadow of towering skyscrapers.

They said the founder had been a lover of words, a keeper of history in a world racing towards the future. The company specialized in creating fonts that evoked emotions and encapsulated eras long gone. But as the digital age progressed, the demand for such novelty had waned, and the company had been on the brink of closure.

That was until the day the Colossus came.

No one knew from where the massive robot had emerged, but it stood sentinel-like beside the company's building, a guardian of iron and steel. Its single blue eye seemed to gaze wistfully at the flow of air-cars and the distant ant-like figures of people who scurried through the streets.

Then came the whispers of a secret deep within the company's vaults—a lost font said to unlock the language of the machines. It was a typeface that bridged the divide between humanity and the mechanical beings that had become their partners and protectors.

As the legend grew, so did the queues outside the Brattleboro Typographic Company, with beings of all kinds seeking to unlock communication with the Colossus. It became a symbol of hope, a convergence of past and future, and a beacon for unity between organic and synthetic life.

The Colossus, once seen as an oddity, was now the heart of a tale that spanned the city. Its presence had breathed new life into the company, transforming it from a relic into a hub of innovation and cultural exchange.

And amidst it all, the old fonts held their ground, telling stories that transcended time, while the city throbbed with life around them, a testament to the enduring power of language and the bonds it could forge, even across the vast expanse of stars and steel.

[ally-holmes]

Cats

Day 12 of the 30-days short story challenge

Today's topic is cats. Do you remember my Anders Johnson x Fem!Hades fanfic made for the #Deanobingo2023 hosted by @deanobingo?? Well, I decided to take a peek at Anubis' cats.

CW: different takes on actual and antient religions. Words: 1037

Here it goes:

Anubis had been a growing god since the beginning of times. He started his existence as the protector of graves, embalmer, and guide to the netherworld. Among humans, however, Osiris gained popularity just because he resurrected, Osiris took Anubis's job as lord of the netherworld, god of life, the dead, and the afterlife. That rubbed on Anubis the wrong way, especially since there was nothing he could do because Osiris was one of the most popular gods among Egyptians.

Tables turned when Egyptian religion declined. Monotheism took place and all the false dogma spread like a plague. Just as the Ancient Greek gods had done, the Egyptian ones left the human realm abandoning them without looking back. Osiris was expected to remain in the netherworld and attend to his duties, however, humans didn't respect him anymore which plied up with the notion that he felt the netherworld suffocating. Anubis, who had never dreamt of taking his rightful place once again, suggested to Osiris that it would be good for him to get some fresh air from the gods' realm. Sooner than expected Osiris sent Anubis a missive informing him that he refused to go back and that all his duties were now Anubis'.

Luckily Anubis had left his jackal body behind because if his tail was still in place it would have waged with renewed energy; just the notion was mortifying.

As time went by, his relations with other Mediterranean gods became stronger. In the end, they all had the same issue: humans didn't believe in them anymore which made most of the gods leave the mortal realm leaving behind the gods of the dead and the afterlife to take care of the poor mortal souls that piled up in their thresholds. The holy wars were a nasty business for them. Fighting for a non-exiting almighty god, humans had killed and gotten killed, and now their souls found themselves lost as they all expected to be gathered into some sort of Heaven.

One rule that one has to take into account is that, wherever one dies, one's soul belongs to the local god. Only Hades and Anubis kept working as gods of the dead, thus they divided the Mediterranean area between them. They both worked hand in hand to take care of all the holy wars' souls which wasn't a piece of cake; the fact that both sides found themselves sharing the exact same queue to have their souls weighed or tested was a big shock for them.

Nasty thing monotheism. And to think that the whole thing started just because Loki was sent to Earth and was getting bored…

Hades did something unprecedented at some point. She packed her things needing a change and, of course, to seize Loki and make him pay for all the paperwork he provoked them to do. Apparently, the northern gods had had to run away due to the ferocity of monotheism in those lands; they set themselves in New Zealand, blending their souls into human vessels to regenerate every human life until Odin completed a quest that would take them all to Asgard.

Despite the fact that Hades had changed her realm for New Zealand, she kept doing her work efficiently, and so did Anubis. However, more times than necessary, he found himself looking through the veil to the human realm. After Hades made up her mind and decided to stay in New Zealand as long as her new partner was mortal Anubis knew the human realm was his only chance to keep his sanity.

Copying Hades' actions, Anubis changed his godly appearance in favor of more human traces. He became a tall man with wide shoulders and firm muscles, black eyes, and strong black hair modernly styled in perfect harmony with a well-kept puffy beard. Not only that, he also copied Hades inserting himself in the law business in Egypt. In the end, as gods of the dead, they seemed to gain pleasure in applying laws and doing paperwork —to some extent, of course.

Hence his current position eying some of the latest paperwork Hades had sent him, written in ancient Greek, in his very luxurious law firm.

Silently, Mummy jumped on his desk blinking at him once he looked at her. The white cat was sensing his distress. Leaving his stylus aside, Anubis pulled away from the desk taking a deep breath. Mummy moved carefully on top of his documents before letting herself drop into his lap. She stretched herself before hitting Anubis' chin with her head while purring. The god surrounded the cat with his big arms and walked with her against his chest making a beeline to the Chesterfield sofa that was awaiting him for a moment of relaxation. As he launched at it, Mummy left out a little meow before resuming her work.

Implementing the use of cats as emotional-support pets instead of just guards of the dead was a very good idea. Anubis and Hades were drinking their miseries away several centuries ago when they came to the conclusion that their souls were terrified of both, Greek three-headed dogs and furless cats. They trained their animals to be soul keepers for millennia, but a change was needed thus they started the new training with the new litters.

Hades had accomplished a great deal by allowing her three-headed dogs to transform into cute normal dogs, especially golden retrievers. Her souls felt more at ease when the emotional support beast was cute and ready to cuddle.

Anubis did the same, only with the difficulty that cats were more independent than dogs yet they needed more attention somehow. Only a cat wasn't enough to keep his stressed souls happy, he had to lend his cats in pairs.

There was also the issue of those people in his realm who didn't like cats. Anubis and Hades signed a collaboration treat in which they were going to share cats and dogs when necessary. There has not been a problem since.

Flail jumped into his stomach claiming her own time smoothing Anubis' emotions. Mummy allowed her sister a spot reluctantly leaving Anubis with no other choice but to scratch each cat with one of his hands, the paperwork could wait.

The end.

[aphilosopherchair]

Alice in the Mart

—A rollercoaster-y reboot

In this AI mashup of Pegasus Market and Alice, a group of misfits at a failing supermarket headed by a ruthless demoted CEO determined to close it down discover in the basement of the supermarket a portal to a future world. This other world is called Alice, a parallel universe where anything is possible. The supermarket employees now have a chance to use Alice to find new products and ideas to save their jobs, whereas the CEO does his best to sabotage their efforts.

In the end, only one side can succeed. Will the employees be able to save their store? Or will the CEO succeed in closing it down?

Alice Promoter Droid (with real-time human dubbing in places):

Hey there, prehistorics, welcome to our hyper-advanced world of mealtime solutions in AL Year 160!

Employees:

We want to upgrade our instant ramyun.

Alice Promoter Droid:

A perfect choice! Allow me to introduce… Hydroponic Instant Ramyun! Simply put this widget in a pot of boiling water and wait 5 seconds! The Hydroponic Instant Ramyun has been infused with hyper-intelligent nanotechnology that turns water into instant noodles! With 13 flavors to choose from, there is something for everyone! A small box filled to the brim with packets of instant ramyun-shaped tools, with cool, futurist packaging. Lots of flashing colors

CEO:

How amusing. No processed food is truly instant. Guys, guys, let's launch a green campaign that gets shoppers to queue up for the ramyun for an hour for the benefit of environmental justice!

(Shoppers curious about the queue end up snaking around the street like noodles coiling around chopsticks. Hydroponic Instant Ramyun goes out of stock due to over-demand. Disappointed shoppers end up buying less processed noodles so that they get something out of the queuing time, and subsequent shoppers start to think that the amazing queue is meant for the less processed noodles. The less processed noodles become a sensation, driving up sales. The CEO receives his Earth Protector of the Year award with the scowl of the year.)

Employees:

We shall ride on the sustainability wave! Give us sustainably raised seafood.

Alice Promoter Droid:

I present to you… The Fish Printer! This amazing device prints out a random fish fillet that uses the fish's DNA as a template. No overfishing in the future, no siree! Enjoy the taste of responsibly-sourced fish! A large tube with lots of buttons

CEO:

What did the saying about giving a man a fish say? Hold pompous talks on every yawn-inducing detail about printer construction and assembly, right in the middle of the fish section.

(The tech speaker from Alice turns out to be a beauty tech-enhanced beauty who gets flocks of men shopping for fish alongside the housewives.)

Employees:

Alice is the Queen! Alice is the Heart of Hearts! Cabbages next.

Alice Promoter Droid:

I bring you… The Cosmic Cabbage! This cabbage is grown in interplanetary conditions, which creates a unique and delicious flavor unlike anything you've ever tried! Be warned, it may not have the same nutritional value as Earth cabbage. Enjoy! A large purple cabbage in a futuristic farm

CEO:

You get the origin of the name? Add cosmic garbage to the promo leaflets.

(The funny results become the talk of the town. Sales obligingly soar.)

Employees:

We're living the ultimate dream. What did we do to earn such a genius boss? What other magic can he pull off? Do you sell only mealtime solutions? We have a boring stationery section.

Alice Promoter Droid:

I am glad you asked! Try Venus-grown pens, made using the special materials found within Venus' thick, toxic soil. They are known for retaining ink for up to 200x longer than ordinary pens. They are also known for causing horrible mutations, cancer, and other life-threatening side-effects. It's a fun gamble either way!

Employees:

…

Alice Promoter Droid:

I can assure you, Venus-grown pens have been extensively tested. In lab conditions, we were able to reduce mutations by a whopping 15%. So come on and gamble your health for a fun little pen!

CEO:

I counter that offer! An Earth-bound vacation, on Jeju island's volcanic soil, for all employees as a reward for their mega sales growth! Why, I see, no one's interested.

Employees:

Me! Me! Me!

(The CEO smirks to himself. Surely the vacation will reverse the sales trajectory?)

Alice Promoter Droid:

I can help! Introducing the Stasis Capsules! Just insert yourself into the pod and select the desired duration, as short as you need, and the capsules will hibernate your body while your mind waves are sent to your selected vacation resort, as immersively as you want! You'll wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Disclaimer: Some users have reported waking up with amnesia or as a different species, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. Small pods with lots of glowing buttons

CEO:

Take your bodies to Jeju island too, you fools. Me and new temporary staff will cover for you.

(In a heroic shot, the CEO takes off his blazer and quickly rolls up his sleeves to go around peddling noodles, fish and cabbages, cursing himself under his breath. Rapturous applause breaks out among the employees before they thank the droid and disperse.)

Alice Promoter Droid:

(Smiling quietly to itself)

Take this along. I present to you the Stellar Compass! A device displaying an interactive map of all known stars and solar systems, and even calculating the fastest routes to whichever one you desire, wherever your happiness lies. A pocket-sized holographic display of our solar system in AD 2023

Credits

Concept: Bard

CEO's DNA: Pegasus Market

Alice Promoter Droid: Computer scientist Landon S's brilliant 2389 AD Designer + said human dubbing

Top image: WOMBO

[survivingnightbyday]

the amount of attention part one of my Context/marvel-danny phantom WIP received makes me feel very emotional, thank you.

In that same sentence, I have more motivation to not put it down! Yay! So.

I have headcanons. Or kinda notes about what was going on.

Edit I meant to put this in a queue, crap.

So! Most of the time, Danny phantom is placed in like early EARLY 2000s right? Marvel is ever so slightly ahead of that. So... I'm skewing the timeline! Anything that's Avengers takes place AFTER individual movies (so Iron Man the trilogy are before the first movie) because I despise the time gaps and I would rather not write about those (unless I fill it with drama about Danny trying to get Amity Park back under control and Ghost Politics)

I mean, my general sense for both (no matter how many times I watch marvel, I always space out smh) of the timelines are already murky. But this'll take place like a year after the accident I think, and a week before summer break. I just got out of highschool, I do Not Want To Write About It.

So Danny's still pretty young. Anyways. The chitauri invasion is a couple of days after Part 1. Not many, but like one or two. Yeah... uh... Danny's getting out of school early. His family are Freaking Out. As is the rest of Amity Park. Phantom is gone, and the ghosts are ALSO freaking out because their resident playmate and territory protector is GONE so new not so nice murdery ghosts are starting to be a bit... attracted to the resident town with a hole in reality in it.

So, Strange and Wong are the ones who summoned Danny. They don't know everything about the future, but they know enough that they need backup. Stuff is going to go Down, and that's kinnnda scary. So they want to get the Ghost King to make a deal with them. If it gets too bad, the Ghost King can put the people in the GZ or help out in general.

The thing is... Pariah Dark is a known cruel king. The order (i forgot what they were called ;-;) have dealt with him before, and they are Not keen to do it again. However, Strange being Strange decides that future events are more dangerous than a pissy ghost king.

...they aren't expecting a pint-sized baby-face ghost. Who talks about Pariah like he's a toddler throwing a tantrum.

And who can break out of ghost barriers and time-pauses, apparently.

Danny's had enough close encounters with timelines and time magic/energy stuff to build up a bit of a... resistance. Add to his halfa status and general overpoweredness, and he can do a LOT of reality breaking. If he leans into one side more though, he can mess himself up. Like if he's being Danny Fenton and is showing off ghost powers, he could end up puking ectoplasm as a sign of straining himself. If he's Danny Phantom (only Amity people know him as Danny Phantom though) and straining his more human qualities, his core starts hurting. Badly. (This leads into smth else that I have a plan in mind for but I'm not getting into.)

Back to Strange's and Wong's POV. So, they tried to catch him when he broke the barrier via utilizing timepausing (i cannot for the life of me remember the actual term), but as most know that doesn't work. Danny gets out of the house, and vanishes.

...Strange and Wong are having both an argument and a mental breakdown at the same time. Did they just accidently unleash some new overpowered ghost or-?

Who even WAS that and WHY did he show up when they summoned the Ghost King?

Unless...

[eternalstarlights]

[therealvinelle]

how do you think book 3 of breaking dawn would have gone if bella had stayed dead?

Well, Renesmée is traumatized, for starters. There was one person in the universe who loved her more than anything, and she killed her. Thanks to her hybrid memory being perfect, she won’t forget a moment of that awful birth either.

Rosalie would swoop in, be a very performative Stepford mother who ultimately isn’t that good at it, and in the long run make Renesmée feel all the lonelier.

I’d imagine her relationship with Edward would be much more fraught. He couldn’t save Mother. Edward would blame himself too, of course, he’d be devastated by grief, and the knowledge that Bella’s daughter felt the same would make it even worse. It’d be a mess, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he left the family to grieve and to spare his daughter from growing up around her mother’s killer (which is how he’d come to view things).

I imagine Jake would try to get custody. Her mother is dead, her father is a wreck who may or may not have fucked off to Rio, really the best place for Renesmée is with him. Rosalie nearly commits manslaughter, while Carlisle puts on his best upside down smiley face, “no.”

Carlisle would be a much bigger part of Renesmée’s life, because there’s not a lot of options. He cringes the first time Renesmée calls him “Papa”.

Apart from that, the story stays the same.

Irina still goes to visit the Cullens, and she still spots Renesmée. She narks to the Volturi, and Carlisle has to frantically gather his army witnesses. The showdown still happens.

And this time there’s no shield.

Aro no longer has reason to execute them.

The Cullens and their witnesses aren’t threats, as proven by the fact that Alec uses his power on them and they drop like flies. The Volturi are in complete control of the situation.

Now, why would they execute the Cullens?

They haven’t broken any laws. 

Some of the witnesses present, like the Romanians, are there because they want to see the Volturi fall, but the Volturi are as supreme as ever. Even if Caius pushes through on executing them, it’s no reason to kill Carlisle.

I don’t think Aro was lying that day when he said he didn’t want to kill everyone. He didn’t know at the time that Bella could protect everybody, so there was no point in going «hope you haven’t broken the law so you won’t die. Oh, you haven’t, well, psyche! You’re all gonna die anyway.»

As it was, Aro had witnesses of his own, and the Cullens had created a huge splash already insisting they were innocent. Killing 20-something (I forget how many people Carlisle had) vampires would damage the Volturi’s reputation as fair rulers and murdering his best friend would be Aro cutting off his nose to spite his face. I don’t think he was queueing up to wipe out a newly discovered, exciting species, either, though Caius would be on the yes-side for that one.

Point is, I think the reasons not to kill the Cullens outweigh the reasons to kill them by far. Aro’s had his show of power, now he can show mercy and get to preserve his best friend’s life and come out looking like a fair and wise leader.

I think he’d ask that Renesmée come to Volterra for observation, which would be a de facto invite for all the Cullens to come.

From there it’s smooth sailing for Aro, not so smooth for the Cullens. Or Caius, for that matter, his palace is full of Carlisle wannabes and the OG himself, and there’s an abomination running around.

Aro is able to fix his relationship with Carlisle, much of the plot of Twilight is fuelled by miscommunications and character assassinations, now they could talk it out. His decision to spare Carlisle’s family would give him credence, and there’s always Chelsea.

In Volterra the Cullens would implode, as they always do. 

If Alice and Jasper came along in the first place (I’m on the fence on them. They’re loyal to their family, and would know that neglecting to come along, and so soon after ditching them once already, would effectively be leaving the coven for good. On the other hand, Alice would be very paranoid about not being allowed to leave. With Renesmée in the mix her visions wouldn’t be able to help her, so... yeah, she wouldn’t come along. Carlisle forgave Edward’s rebel years, she’d count on him accepting this too. And he would, he’d be entirely understanding, even as they were both standing there talking about meeting up in ten years knowing it’s not going to happen) they’d be the first to go. Edward would go into protector of the family mode and try to play political games with Aro, it would be embarrassing for everyone. 

Renesmée would have it better there.

Here would be a home with no reminders of her dead mother, a home not heaved down by constant grief and with a gaping wound in its core. She’d have new people, a lot of them. It’d be very healing for her.

Rosalie would double down on trying to mother here before realizing that Renesmée doesn’t need her, and now that the Cullens aren’t doing the human lifestyle she needs (Carlisle would bat his eyelashes at Aro so he could do night shifts at the local hospital, but that would be it) there would really be nothing for her in Volterra.

Edward would leave, and while Esme’s been having a great time redecorating the tower, she would not bear him going off on his own.

The Cullens leave Volterra one by one.

In the end there’s only Carlisle and Renesmée, and Aro high-fives imself.

[quirkymarshmallows93]

Calm Design/Calm Technology

A kettle, an airplane lavatory lock, and a matchbox. What do all of these objects have in common? They are examples of calm design. It is all around us, it is the result of human ingenuity, and it's hardly noticeable, which is by design. When something is calm, it can be used in a passive manner and can remain in the periphery of one's attention, only making itself known when there is a natural call to action, or an interaction with the object that changes its functional status. The quintessential example of calm design is a stovetop kettle. Once it is filled, it sits quietly upon a burner until the water inside it has started boiling, at which point it starts to whistle loudly by virtue of the transformation of its state of matter, providing an audible queue to its user that the stove should be turned off and the kettle's contents can be poured into a mug to brew some delicious tea. The user can return to other tasks after setting it on the stove and will only be reminded of its presence once it has done its job. Some kettles are so simple that they do not have a wide opening, and water must be poured into them through the very spout it will come out of, thereby ensuring their whistle is secure and will sound once ready, and further adding to the humble kettle's calm design.

Another common example of calm design is the lock on an airplane bathroom door. The sliding motion of the lock that comes from inside the restroom simultaneously communicates in analog form to someone outside the door if it is vacant or occupied. Furthermore, some planes have a technology that can sense if the door is locked, and will illuminate a sign in the aisle to relay the same message, allowing a passenger to see if the restroom is free without even getting up, and avoid having to stand outside it. The information conveyed is visible to everyone, but does not stand out in a distracting way, blending in while being instantly accessible to someone searching for it.

An instance of a calmly designed object I have thought of myself is a matchbox. The box has two functions: storing matches, and acting as an ignition for them. In order to safely and effectively light a match, the box must be closed to avoid accidentally lighting the other matches, stabilize the striking surface, and keep the remaining matches from falling out of the box. The manner in which one performs the first three actions leading up to lighting a match - opening the box, taking one out, and closing it - does not impede on the final step of actually striking it, which requires the box to be closed anyway.

In modern times, calm design is also called calm technology when referring to software that can function in the same way as an analog calm design. In fact, the term "calm technology" came before "calm design", as the former was coined to describe information systems, and the latter was used retroactively to extend the concept to the physical world, although the word "technology" does not necessarily correspond to computers as popular use implies. There was not a term for this attribute in design until 1995, when computer scientists Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown were researching design while working for Xerox, and coined the term "calm technology". The pair described it by saying, "Calm technology engages both the center and the periphery of our attention, and in fact moves back and forth between the two."

A few more examples, just for shits and giggles:

The cap of a laundry detergent bottle: it acts as a necessary airtight protector following manufacture, a guard against spills or leaks when storing or transporting the liquid, and also conveniently acts as a measuring cup for detergent, living upside down on the jug and always available when doing laundry. This usage is naturally intuitive: one does not need to think twice about using the cap as a measuring and pouring tool. Consumers need not go out of their way to find a dedicated measuring cup for their detergent, and have a simple tool at their disposal every time they purchase more detergent or do laundry. Additionally, particularly well-designed caps have their screw mechanism on the outside of the cap, allowing excess liquid to drip back into the container without ever leaking outside of the cap or bottle, avoiding the tragedy of dried encrusted detergent. This multipurpose design of caps certainly goes for other bottled liquids, but is especially multi-pronged when observing laundry care products.

The camera indicator light on computers: the bezel of most modern computer monitors houses a webcam, microphone, and a small light that is invisible when not shining, residing behind the glass of the screen. When one is not using the camera, there is no outline of a light, and when the camera is in use, the user may want to confirm that it is truly on. If the camera is hacked, the light will presumably turn on, returning from its dormant invisible state and contextually informing the user that the camera is being used without authorization. Conversely, when someone has just finished using the camera, it is sometimes willed to observe the light turn off, to make sure they are no longer being watched. This tiny light goes beyond calm design - it is not just undistracting, it is invisible until triggered, and once visible, it is still in the periphery of one's attention. In older MacBook models that do not have glass bezels, dozens of lasers shine through tiny holes in the metal bezel, which is an incredible engineering feat and workaround in itself, considering light does not travel through metal otherwise. This doesn't actually have much to do with anything, I really just wanted to share the slightly ridiculous fact that product engineers signed a quarter million dollar exclusivity agreement for manufacturing the camera indicator light in Apple's laptops with a company that specializes in technology that allows for light to be transmitted through metal via lasers.

Alarm setting on smartphones: if a user has set an alarm to go off, an icon will appear in the status bar informing them to this fact. If one is about to go to bed and would like to check if an alarm was already set, they can check the corner of their screen before going into the clock app (not TikTok) to set their alarm. Furthermore, if someone is silencing their phone before an event, they can also double check for the alarm icon, since silencing one's phone does not disable alarms, and avoid disrupting something by accident. The icon is passive, blending into the background of the screen while simulataneouly being accessible at any given moment. This applies to other situations as well, like location data collection and battery status.

Clothespins (Is that how you spell that? It looks weird): a clothespin lives on the clothesline through its entire lifespan. When needed, it is within arm's reach on the same line that the clothes that they will hold in place will hang from. It can slide down the line easily, while staying in place when being used to secure garments. Clothespins do not need to be stored in a box, they can just stay hanging from the clothesline. They are available when needed, already in the exact location they will be used.

The placement of a washing machine in the bathroom, adding a third anecdote to the laundry examples (and the bathroom example): in Germany, and probably other countries, the norm for washer placement is the bathroom, which makes sense from the standpoint of routine. At the end of the day, one will undoubtedly use the bathroom before bed, whether to shower or just brush their teeth. While in the bathroom, one can also undress as they normally would and throw their day clothes right into the washer where they would have ended up sooner or later. The washer essentially also functions as a hamper, making itself useful in more than one way and staying as a passive and mostly unobtrusive fixture in the restroom, only moving itself to the forefront of one's mind once needed to wash clothes.

The divider on the conveyor belt at grocery stores: something unique about the divider is that it is ultimately used to signal a similar message to three different parties: the previous person in line, the next person in line, and the cashier. It is the first person's duty to grab the stick and divide their items from those of the person behind them, which also sometimes acts as a signal that the next person in line can start unloading their cart. Once the divider makes its way down the conveyor, the cashier will put it back, taking it as if it were another product, pushing it into a chain of a few others, and making the next one available. When the divider is needed, it is available for use, and when not needed, it will stay in place and go unnoticed, in line with the principles of calm design. It is not per se taking up space either. The conveyor belt needs to have a narrow open space on both sides in case an item goes slightly over its edge; the divider simply integrates itself in this space, and stays a friendly neighbor with the gum and candy next to it. Tumblr veterans will remember this post about them. (I'm not even a veteran, I've only been on this site for less than two years, although I've seen that specific post float around elsewhere on the internet.)

Finally, the double door lock system: in my home, the entry door has two locks that function slightly differently. The bottom lock can be turned from the inside while still allowing someone to exit and close the door, locking the door and only enabling entry back in with the key to the bottom lock. This is convenient when one is in a hurry, and would like to quickly lock the door and not fumble with the key when outside the door. The top lock is only lockable with a key when on the outside; it is impossible to lock the door inside and then exit, unlike with the bottom lock. This is reliable when one is home, but does not want to be locked out by mistake. For example, when getting home, both locks will be disabled since this was necessary to get in, but when one wants to secure the home again, only the top lock will be turned. To get out, the lock must be disabled, which is not the case for the bottom lock. The top lock is useful when exiting the house temporarily, to go on the porch for instance. When leaving for a longer time, both locks are secured for a safer two-step entry process. The top lock specifically is what constitutes the calm design of the system. When going on the porch or to the backyard, where the home is still being watched and is unlikely to be broken into, the person leaving is guaranteed not to accidentally lock themselves out, which would be the case if using the bottom lock. In order the leave, the lock must be undone, which comprises the intentional and passive design of the mechanism. (In the photo below, which I found online, the scheme appears to be reversed, but functions identically. I'm too lazy to take a photo of my own lock and deal with Tumblr's photo addition bullshit.)

Calm technology has become a significant touchpoint when it comes to designing new products whose creators are interested in differentiating them by way of making them simultaneously helpful and not too overbearing. Mui is a consumer product that has made its calm design a central tenet of its marketing. It can be described as a simplified smart home hub like an Am*zon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub, or Facebook Portal, but contained within a panel of wood that only shows information on a strip of embedded illuminated dots and buttons, a la mesmerizing scrolling LED board at the front of the bus. In a world where screens emit light that interferes with sleep, app icons are brightly colored to encourage clicking, and most of our waking hours are spent staring at pixels whether for work, entertainment, or communication, this product is a refreshing take on smart home technology that could act as a personal assistant that also does not bombard the user with loads of information and graphics. Most things either do not follow the principles of calm design, or they do, but they do not make this into a feature; mui is unique in its advertising of its own calm design as an asset.

While calm, intuitive design exists in many forms everywhere, equally unintuitive and less thoughtful technology also permeates our world and adds burden to our lives, however small. It is not worth expanding upon these examples, as there is no such things as uncalm design, just poor design. This being said, I would like to add onto the kettle example with a personal anecdote.

About a year ago, my parents bought a new, rather fancy electric kettle at Costco. The purchase was a whole ordeal; since we don't have a membership, we took a trip to the warehouse with people we know who do and spent $40 on the device, and have been served well by it since. The kettle has a glass build, a luxury compared to its plastic and metal predecessors. It even has different temperature settings for different types of tea that brew at different temperatures. However, a flaw I have experienced while using it is its "keep warm" feature. After boiling a pot of water, the kettle automatically enables its setting that keeps the water at its high temperature for an hour after initially heating it up. The problem in this design is the lack of intentionality in enabling this function. Immediately after putting the kettle back down on its base, the "keep warm" function turns on, even though in the majority of use cases the user was only heating water for immediate, one-time use. Often, the kettle will keep powering its heating element in vain, just for the sake of this feature. It will turn off once the user puts the kettle down and afterward presses the off button. The issue is the treatment of the setting as a default. The original kettle was calm by nature, but this futuristic model will often waste energy to heat water for an hour that will more often than not be sitting there for a while. Instead, the option to "keep warm" should be opt-in, meaning that by default the kettle should turn off, and only when entertaining guests, for example, when a warm beverage will be served multiple times in a given period, should the function be enabled by the intentional press of the power button. This is a small, if not nonexistent, issue; most people know how to operate the kettle efficiently, but its programming should be made more in line with calm design.

The intuitive design principles of calm technology should be implemented where possible, with the benefits of making life easier, reducing confusion, and allowing for more focus on things that matter more than becoming frustrated with an everyday object.

Sources

[the-nerdy-fangirl]

omg guys please imagine for me.

Danny is exploring the GZ to get a better understanding of how it works

He flies into this ragged young man with long red hair

A human man

He’s covered in wards and repellent, so Danny retreats to a safe distance quickly

But something strikes him as familiar

The man is glaring at him with squinted eyes

They spend about a minute just staring each other down

But then both their eyes widen and

“you’re REAL?!?!?”

Both shocked by the other’s exclamation

The man starts talking about the “defeater of Pariah Dark and true king”

The “Protector of the Realms”

The “biggest annoyance this side of the Styx”

Danny interrupts mostly to get him to stop with

“I thought Mom and Dad made you up, you know for like, lab safety and junk”

Under his breath “although based on me it wasn’t very effective”

Queue whatever fun Flynn plot you want

[proship-moodboards]

can i request a Bill x Mabel in a victorian au moodboard? if you could make it like Bill is the tutor and protector of a little miss Mabel please!

Bill is a little bit absent from this once, since human versions of him are largely fan art, so apologies for that. Hopefully his presence shines through, lol, and I hope I chose a good pic of Mabel. It's headed to the queue. :)

[odos-bucket]

A rewrite, because I’m still not over this concept

I’ve written some stuff about Geralt starting out the process of figuring out how he deserves to be treated, and what his worth is. In my mind it seems obvious that this would be something he confronts with Jaskier, that the bard would help him work through. I think Yennefer tries to help too, even if she doesn’t really have a baseline for normalcy to reference. I’m sure they both protect him viciously. So when some lord is pushing him to take a dangerous contract before he’s fully recovered from his last fight, or a sorcerer demands his blood as payment for some service rendered, or they come to an inn that only has a free bed for him if he agrees to let them chain him to it for the night, they find themselves needing to deal with his protectors. Jaskier in particular has definitely gone absolutely rabid on some of these people. So it’s not just the way they treat him, it’s the way they expect other people to treat him. And he’s trying to learn how to expect the same, even if he’s not sure he really deserves it. But however much Yen and Jaskier help, I think the real change comes with Ciri.

She’s training to be like Geralt, to become what he is. And she’s absorbing and internalizing things from him all the time, because she’s young (I’m thinking maybe 15 at this point) and that’s what kids do. She’s learning how to be a witcher, even in moments when he’s not actively teaching her.

So one day something like this happens:

There’s a wizard, whose help they desperately need for a hunt. In exchange for his services, he wants to perform some experiments on Cirilla. He’s got this intense and terrifying focus that he’s honing in on her, like he wants to dissect her or something. But he promises that when the experiments he has in mind are completed, she’ll be in more or less the same condition as she is now. And she agrees to it.

They get whatever it is that they need from him to complete the hunt, and when it’s done he comes to collect his payment.

Queue Yennefer, Jaskier and Geralt being horrified and furious. This particular sorcerer isn’t strong enough to hold out against Yennefer’s attempts to convince him to renegotiate the deal, but the next one very well may be.

Jaskier ushers Ciri out of the cottage ahead of the others. And she’s more relieved than she thought she would be to be emerging back into the daylight, which she supposes means she had also been more afraid than she’d realized in the moment.

She doesn’t notice that she’s crying until he’s wiping the tears away. She hugs him, and he holds her tight, and he’s shaking like he does when they overhear the words “butcher” or “mutant” in a pub. The adults are pissed and she’s trying to figure out whether or not that means she’s in trouble.

In complete contrast from the natural order of things, Geralt is the one who breaks the silence that’s followed them outside.

“What were you thinking?”

And this is when something that none of them had quite realized was building up comes to a head.

Ciri says, “He had information we needed,” like it’s all the reason they should need.  “It’s not a big deal right?” She asks. “Witchers are supposed to do what we need to to protect humanity.”

The arm that Jaskier has around her tightens, but he doesn’t say anything, and that in and of itself is a little disconcerting.

Yennefer speaks next.

“Cirilla, you never let yourself be hurt if you can help it. And if you ever think that someone might want to hurt you, you tell us, that way we can hurt them first.”

Ciri has a look of intense concentration focused toward the ground. She’s still processing her relief, and coming to terms with the fear that it implies that she can’t remember feeling.

“When I know what I need to do to keep people safe, don’t I have an obligation to do everything in my power to get it done?” She looks at Geralt. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

The question makes him want to hit something until the skin tears off his knuckles, or push himself to exhaustion and collapse. The only noise he manages to produce is a soft “no,” and even that it feels like he has to drag out of himself. He can’t keep it out of his head that anything that might have happened to her would have been his fault. He wants to hold her, but doesn’t feel like he has the right to touch her. He can’t look at Jaskier and Yennefer, can’t get away from the thought that this is his fault, and that they must also have realized that.

“I’m strong enough to get through anything he could have done to me,” Ciri says. And Jaskier makes a broken sound.

He’s still holding her, and she’s got her arms wrapped around his middle.

“You don’t need to be,” he tells her.

“Don’t I though?”

“No,” he reinforces. “Sweetheart, no.”

But she just keeps on looking at Geralt. Because she’s learning from him. Because she’s supposed to be like him. And she’s trying to understand, to pull together everything she thinks that she knows and shape it into something with some kind of internal consistency.

And he’s completely nonverbal, and fully aware that she’s watching him expectantly, and that the others probably are too, but he can’t bring a damn thing out of himself. No one else seems eager to step in and break the silence, so it keeps its hold for several moments more.

Then finally Ciri asks:

“So what would you have done?”

And Geralt just breaks