#Wolves Of Isolation

[darkwood-sleddog]

If you have a deep fascination with sled dog genetics, breed split, and sled breed histories this is a very interesting study.

[beanarie]

8x17 and 8x18 would've landed so much better if they'd had buck isolate after the funeral. eddie's "you're not the only one who lost bobby. we all lost him." would've been a reminder that buck wasn't alone. it would've been a parallel with karen telling athena that they're family rather than a contradiction. eddie could still get upset with buck because buck is functionally absent! and eddie could still have his speech about having to process the loss on his own. then his big hero moment to make up for not being there for bobby would've been impactful for buck, too, as proof they can come full circle and move on, like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. which would lead to chim stepping up and pledging to keep their family together.

why could we not have that

[vrisbian]

For a bit of context to Mizu’s situation- she is going to travel to London in the year 1657

Right now, it isn’t the English who were doing the big trade in Japan or wider Asia, it was the Dutch and Portugese.

The Edo period of isolation is going to last for another 200 years.

The first Chinese person to enter England (at least, on record) won’t be for near another 30 years in 1685.

Tea hasn’t even reached England yet. The first shipment will arrive through Holland’s trade with China at about 1658.

This is the time of Oliver Cromwell, the Anglo-Spanish War, and England’s colonization of the Americas and is still beginning to claw itself into India.

Mizu cannot speak English (I hope she can barter for Fowler to teach her some in this months long voyage), certainly isn’t white passing, and is going to an England that would not be familiar with a foreign presence at all.

This is feels like a horrible trap that leaves her horribly dependent on a foul person and both highly noticeable and ‘exotic’. Like I really am interested if concerned to see where and how this can go.

[skibasyndrome]

.

[eruditic-akechi]

Thinking about how Rhine is actually truly alone for the first time since the Cataclysm. She's always had Albedo in the vicinity and Alice would've popped in to bug her fairly often but now she's sent Albedo away and Alice is MIA :(

[nomsfaultau]

wait y'all is it too obvious that Little House on the Prairie inspired The Lambs Wolves Wear?

[twilightrocksfanfic]

I am obsessed with the idea of soulmates, not only within the Twilight world but also in general.

Because of that I always kind of liked the idea of imprinting (granted in the context of this world it is a device to take controll away from an already severely oppressed minorty) and something I feel Stephenie Meyer and a big part of the fandom gets wrong about imprinting is that it just means falling in love with someone at first sight.

Because our souls are attached to so much more than just our hearts and I would love to have seen this explored more. Like someone of the OG pack imprinting on one of the many new wolfs from Breaking Dawn and protecting that young one from the horrors that come with shifting.

Like one of the wolfs imprinting on a girl to go on and have an incredibly strong platonic relationship with her.

Poly relationships could be worked out in such intricate ways with imprinting, like multiple wolfs imprinting on the same person or someone imprinting on a person but they have a partner they love and want to stay with.

Soulmates does not mean that there is one perfect person for you out there, it means that everything that you are can be attracted to everything someone else is, in so many ways and so many times through out your life.

[prommytheus]

long time no see

[rotinthedark]

Jumping on the badwagon, how screwed are you if you're caught out in the zombie apocalypse with your muse?

[pocketramblr]

For Dreams are at the heart of sorcery, surely they would've known making AFO so attached to his brother in order to keep him from turning on Yoichi's line would've made him so attached to Yoichi that he refuses to make any connections behind him because he feels all he needs is Yoichi and that he would become murderous once losing said cherished brother?

(dreams)

you'd think so yeah, but the trouble is "they" are 1- an incredibly independent wolf sorceress who has devoted so much to Prophecy that she doesn't even need to keep her mortal body on hand all the time, and 2- said Prophecy, a force of universe and destiny that continuously works to right the universe to it's happiest state. and also they didn't make AfO so attached- not on purpose, anyway. the dramatic irony of it all, i suppose.

Their plan was that AfO traveling for his studies would let him have other connections, other friends and people he cared for, the plan was that he'd see the world outside the Vale how they see it- something worth working to protect, even through sacrifice. if not because of it's innate value the gods created it with, then because AfO himself had invested so much time and effort into it. The plan was to learn of destiny from the Tree, and of love from Yoichi, and take both out of the Vale.

Unfortunately, the plan just... didn't work. AfO never loves the outside world- summertime Riva is more dreary and colorless than wintertime Vale- and while he is proud of some of his work (like getting sorcery banned in Tolnedra) its because he was showing off, not for any other reason.

they also didn't expect the murder reaction, because... well, up until that point... AfO hadn't murdered anyone that the two of them hadn't pointed him at. But Yoichi's death was the first time for a lot of things

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: THE GIRL IN RED by Christina Henry.

We took a trip to Red River Gorge this weekend, and I both started and finished this book while we were there! It was a very speedy read.

While I did really enjoy the genre-savvy protag, I was expecting more Wolf Presence in a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, either literally or metaphorically (I mean, come on, look at that cover??). There were a couple references to (metaphorical) wolves and one coyote-man comparison early on (also metaphorical), but it felt like the Wolf Motif mostly was dropped, which was an Interesting Choice™, given that the plot entire was Red walking through an apocalypse and the forest to her grandmother's house. (Yes, she really goes by Red, which is not her name--she just really likes her red outerwear.)

This was also much more ongoing-apocalypse than post-apocalypse, and said apocalypse is referred to in-book as "the Cough" (publication date: June 2019?? wild). Family Units are endangered and fall sick on page, be warned! In addition to the Cough, there's also quite a bit of gore (via both brutal axe murders (self defense) and chest bursting a la Alien (which is the in-book comparison lol--see "genre-savvy protag")(admittedly this chest bursting subplot did feel very What The Hell Is This Fresh Bullshit, and not exactly cohesive with the rest of the story...not sure why that's in there lmao)).

Again: Quick read! Not super complicated or twisty, but it was a nice simple read after making it through THE BITCH QUEEN CHRONICLES, and I'm glad I read it for my own LRRH retelling reasons.

[randygrim]

Ok it is too late to pick up listening to the magnus archives. Jesus christ

[oysterie]

tellius world building lore is so funny like. Three thousand years ago or whatever the goddess decided she hated her creations fighting each other and flooded the entire world other than this single peninsula as warning (the rest of the world is probably completely fine there's just a giant desert and mountain range isolating them)

[justsomeimbicel]

The HTTYD universe's ecosystem must've been so damaged when all the dragons dissappeared.

"but people wanted to hurt them!" people want to hurt wolves to, but we don't send them all to an isolated cave because it would destroy the ecosystem.

In fact, "dragon" is just a collective word for multiple species so they really fucked themselves with that one.

In conclusion, the third movie was stupid.

Edit: Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and I love to hear about them. To that one person though, no need to be so aggressive about it.

[casuallyanidiot]

Yandere knight who once was a boy you adored.

A sequel to this

Dead Dove Do Not Eat! MDNI ! TW. Dubious consent, Mentions of non-con (past), forced marriage, isolation, yandere, fem pov, implied Stockholm Syndrome towards the end

You constantly had to remind yourself that there were many worse fates out there for young ladies like you. Ones so lowly they were pawned off to the palace to curry favor with the royal family. From birth, you’d been a lamb made to be thrown to the wolves, and he was the biggest one of them all.

Yandere knight who can't stand being apart from you.

You had to assume that it was something to do with being on the battlefield for so many years. He'd jolt awake screaming in the night, and then he'd murmur apologies for startling you out of your slumber. His arms would wrap around your waist, and he'd sleep like a babe after.

He practically demands that you sit in his study all day while he sifts through mountains of paper work. It must've been quite the shift, from being a mere squire to the hero of the kingdom and a Duke. He learned to read within the palace as part of a basic education, but he often pulls you on his lap and asks you for help.

"Tell me, love, what does this word mean?"

You'd be patient and kind, like any wife should be, and he'd nod and keep you pressed to his side for hours while he worked.

Yandere Knight who refuses to let you leave the estate.

After years of being in service to the princess, you desperately wished to go and actually explore the world a bit. But your husband had already seen far too much to ever consider letting you go.

Yandere knight who tried to sate your growing need for freedom with gifts.

At first, he tried giving you gowns and jewelry worth your weight in gold. They were dazzling things that you had long ago expressed to once wear for yourself after watching the ladies of the court parade around in such finery. Yandere knight who cherished your every word now and back then, and seeks to fulfill your every wish. But he simply refuses to let you out. Not for balls, galas, or a leisurely walk about the nearest town. Nothing. The furthest you are permitted to go is the lawn of the manor, and that is only with his express permission or supervision. It is suffocating, to say the least.

After catching you wandering in the gardens one early morning where you had snuck away, he'd had all of your shoes fit for going outside removed. It was only soft slippers and robes that you'd be positively humiliated if anyone from outside your household saw you in from then on.

Yandere knight who grows more and more desperate to have you love him as much as he loves you.

"Love, why do you avoid my kisses?"

It was such a blunt query that you had to drop your fork. It clattered loudly against the porcelain plate, and you stared with wide eyes at your husband who's face was obscured by candlelit shadows. You stammered and tried to answer, but he sighed, looking almost sad.

"I know that you did not wish for this," he admitted softly, like it was some grave secret. "But I will not have you ruin our happiness."

Yandere Knight who starts to become more demanding with his affections.

He's your husband, so you must do as he says. You know that. You held your tongue when he claimed you so roughly in the carriage. You held your tongue before you cried quietly at night. You held your tongue as he began to fuck you while he worked in his study during the day, but you wondered how much longer you could hold out.

"You will love me," he whispered into your ear, his breath rasped over your ear as he slowly fucked into you. You struggled to maintain composure. It wasn't fair that he was dressed while you were in barely more than a nightgown. He'd been removing even more from your wardrobe until you couldn't bear to be anywhere but in your shared chambers or in private like this.

He had gotten better at writing, even more so while he was buried inside your velvet cunt. You gasped and twitched, tears spilling from your eyes.

"I'm certain of it. I adore you, so it is only natural," he promised, more to himself than anything else. He pressed kisses to the back of your neck, his eyes focused on the paper he was scrawling on. His mind, however, was in a thousand different places. All of them being a nook and cranny of your body, sweet and his to rightfully claim. Honored by the king, honored by the country, so what else could you do besides take it?

Anguished whimpers that used to spill from your tongue gradually faded, and you found yourself leaning into his touch for the first time. He shuddered, but did not make a move to startled you. His hand was splayed over your hip, squeezing gently as he slowly set down his pen and hugged you. His face was buried in the crook of your neck, and you could feel tears of his own start to spill. You could hear him silently whispering 'thankyouthankyouthankyou'. To whom, you did not know. You did not care to find out.

You melted against each other, both wallowing in two different kinds of desperation. Yours was far more nostalgic than you had expected. Perhaps you should have known that there was no other option for you than to seek out his warmth. For the fuzzy, innocent feeling that he had stolen from you. There was little comfort to be found, though.

After all, the boy you'd adored had died at war and now returned a monster, and there was hardly any love you could feel for that.

[headspace-hotel]

so I was running the first paragraph of this essay I hate through google translate, for reasons that are too long to explain, and became very thoughtful about these lines:

Most North American places have shed wolves, elk, moose, brown bears, panthers, bison, and a variety of fish and wild plants, which were all abundant four hundred years ago. Before those species were driven out, there was the slaughter of the mammoth, the ground sloth, the wild horse. The squirrels, rabbits, and sparrows that surround my North Carolina porch are less signs of burgeoning life than survivors of an apocalypse; so are the revenant coyotes that poach chickens and puppies from the neo-hippie farmsteads outside town. 

I was interested that the author mentioned living in North Carolina, a place that is such a stunning jewel of biodiversity. The world capital of salamanders, home to numerous endemic plants including the Venus flytrap, the most biodiverse temperate forest in the world.

I detest nature writing by people who do not engage with nature around them, and worse, denigrate it for being worthless compared to some imagined pristine pre-human Wilderness.

The author grieves the loss of the animals missing in the environment around him, but he does not love or revere the animals that still exist or newly arrive.

The essay goes on to further discuss the extermination of wilderness, the elimination of the human connection to nature, and his longing for a primitive, spiritual sort of connection to land and nature. He presents brief reviews of several books of nature writing, all of which he judges as incomplete for addressing this primitive spiritual yearning. His review of Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane is insultingly egotistical, dismissing the meaning within Gaelic vocabulary because it doesn't give him the sense of "animistic" connection to the land that he wants.

But the author reveals the reason his yearning remains unsatisfied in the first few lines of his essay! He is isolated from the natural world because he has decided the Nature around him, the Nature he can see, touch, experience, and commune with, is "already destroyed" and no longer Nature at all. He refuses to see wildness in the sparrows, therefore wildness is inaccessible to him.

When he thinks of ecological tragedies of the past, or ecological threats of the future, it is all generic: destruction of bison, climate change, losses of species. No sign of intimate communion with the devastating wounds of the land on which he lives: the killing of millions of salamanders in logging, the perishing of the spruce-fir forest due to acid rain... he is tormented by abstractions of ecological tragedy, not the suffering of the land that is his home.

He wants to be deeply spiritually grounded in place....but no, not the place he lives in, some Other place that fulfills all his fantasies of "wildness."