#adapting to new routines is a long old process

[fodlanficdotcom]

CASPAR LINHARDT I HAVE NOT ABANDONED YOU I JUST HAVE A LOT GOING ON RIGHT NOW

[eldritch-spouse]

Seeing you new xenomorph OC reminded me of an old idea I had so long ago that I have never shared and I thought I've forgotten.

It was about a new rare species where there could be males and females unlike the original species where they were all females or asexual (i didn't check, correct me if I'm wrong) and looked like the drones except they have a simpler "crown" on their heads like the xenos queens. Like they are more like "princes" or "princesses".

The main differences are that they need another species to reproduce and the mature one can leave peacefully their hive to find their own mates and start their own. They prefer intelligent species as their mates (like humans! wink wonk).

Once they find their life mate (cuz they are monogamous too) they enter their "courting phase" where they are extra aggressive against everything specially those physically near their chosen mate. With their mate they try to show how attentive and capable to provide they are, like bringing trinkets similar to your belongings or something you seem to like (like that snack from that vending machine you seem to like, they swear they will learn how to get it from it like you do or rip it open and loot everything), other prey or some tough enemies like a yautja or a pile of marines.

Mostly, they would watch their mate from the shadows to learn their behavior and adopt it but sometimes they would approach and grope their body to learn about their anatomy and what make them tick. This last bit is important for the next phase, the "honeymoon".

Once they have learned enough and prepared a nice nesting spot, no matter if their mate is willing or not (although if they seem willing that would speed things up) they will knock them out and bring them to the nest. There they will seal the entry and start breeding their mate until "genetics decipher out". Once they are expecting they will start to grow in size until they are a xeno queen/king and being even more territorial. Don't expect them to stop trying for more offspring once they are kings/queens, the size difference won't deter them (maybe even encourage them). Btw, it's impossible for the offspring to be anything but xenos.

Also, I don't why I like to think if their mate dies for some reason or another they become depressed, like swans. They won't even be as aggressive as when they met their mate, maybe even passive to anything but not before getting revenge.

… Man, that was long. TL;DR: new species of monogamous xenos that need other species for reproduction and they are like xenos queen

I thought about something similar too years ago, but then I veered into a different scenario where a hive stricken by a virus that eliminated all females -Leaving none to become Queen- Had to adapt and pick another species' female to become their Queen. An old hive, with many a specimen from different hosts.

This is a grossly short summary of a rather complex idea that I'm freaky about, but naturally, you would be chosen. And part of the story I had concocted involved you coping with your new role, the new instincts and abilities you acquired, as well as managing to keep some of your creature comforts through it all (hilariously also watching xenomorphs of varied casts adapt to them). There was also a ridiculous amount of porn, because it wouldn't be my story otherwise. Since all males had to adapt to his new reproductive system, they would develop ruts and the hive would fall into chaos because hormones get in the way of their perfect routines. You come along and a selection process begins, wherein you must pick mates from all casts of xenomorphs present (they're all peacocking in efforts to get chosen) -To keep population levels stable- And those males will later enter your chambers to deposit the eggs within their painfully engorged ovipositors inside your adapted womb.

And who wouldn't want to mate with the Queen, right? Especially this new Queen, affectionate and soft and warm as she is...

I never played too much with the concept of a xenomorph King, but if I had to pick a specimen to base the concept off of, it'd be a tie between these three.

The "xenomorph King" figure, the "Chimera" from Aliens Rogue and the "Alpha" from Alien Bloodlines. I'm partial towards Alpha.

[kastlequill]

ii/v. unearth without a name: the world that hardens as the harsher winter holds

pairing: keegan p russ x f!reader word count: 1.8k synopsis: the second time you hallucinate keegan tags: whumptober, psychological warfare, blood and injury, brainwashing, hallucinations, hurt no comfort, established relationship, ghost!reader, 4+1, no y/n warnings: canon-typical violence, torture, non-consensual drug use ao3: read here ← prev | next →

II.

A semblance of a regimented schedule formed shortly after those first couple of days.

Two goons would begin the cycle with a visit, using you as a human punching bag until your ribs burned and your frayed nerves went numb. Then came the waterboarding and the breaking of bone, be it a rib or a finger. Last, but certainly not least, Rorke would work on molding your mind into something foreign, though whatever drug he’d administered on Day 1 hadn’t made a reappearance yet.

Yet.

You didn’t have it in you to treasure that simple blessing because your captors were constantly swapping one torture method for another, determined to keep you guessing. Recently, they’d started to get more creative; extreme sensory deprivation was still a favorite of theirs, but they had now added physically-intensive beatings into the mix.

Time elapsed strangely in this hellscape. With no sun to denote mornings and no moon to introduce nights, you had to measure its passage in terms of the damage inflicted upon you. Which was to say, what marked the beginning of a day wasn’t the sunrise; instead, it was the piece of stale bread that you received only after your captors made you beg like a dog.

And to determine when you’d reached the end of another day having survived, it was Rorke, not the setting sun nor the rising stars, who served as a useful metric. Night began in the moments following his departure from the chamber once he’d satiated his raging appetite for sadism, leaving you to succumb to your injuries and fall unconscious.

Eventually, those unfulfilling few hours of sleep would be interrupted by the force of the tossed bread hitting your head. Like clockwork, this cursed routine repeated again and again, though you couldn’t discern whether or not these recurring events were consistently scheduled at a specific hour. It would come as no surprise if they’d been staggered to hinder you from adapting to your new normal.

Such was the way of the Federation.

Regardless of the truth, according to your unconventional form of tracking time, nightfall was nearly upon you. Rorke had been here for what seemed like an eternity, putting forth a valiant effort in beating you into submission and breaking your will.

You just had to bear this pain a little while longer. Then, you could allow your body to recuperate through a bout of fitful slumber.

“Still got some fight left in you, eh?” Rorke wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. Hands that had spent the last however many weeks tenderizing your flesh and splintering your bones. “First, let me express my gratitude. I appreciate you makin’ this fun for an old man.”

You wanted nothing more than to kill him slow, to watch the crazed gleam fade from his deadened eyes, but you’d decided on Day 2 not to engage him beyond what was strictly necessary. If you managed to keep the talking to a minimum, then perhaps Rorke wouldn’t linger for too long. A flawed logic built on desperation.

It worked on occasion, boredom striking him sooner rather than later, ending the interrogation session without much fanfare. Though that wasn’t always the case.

The man was a loose cannon. He lashed out on a whim then switched up before you could process what he’d originally done. Even his co-conspirators avoided being caught in his blast radius, but no such hope existed for you, the prisoner who still breathed only because he willed it.

“Now, with that out of the way—”

An uppercut collided against your chin, sending you reeling, doubling over, stretching the muscles in your arms as the ropes that dangled you from the ceiling strained under the pressure. The impact rattled your teeth, and the metallic taste of blood doused your bitten tongue.

The bastard possessed an absurd amount of power for his age. And you, half-starved and broken in one too many places, were the lucky recipient of said power.

“What are the Ghosts plannin’ to do near the Gulf?” He forced your gaze to meet his, yanking your head backward by the roots of your hair. Resolute in your fatal desire to safeguard your comrades to the best of your abilities, your mouth stayed stubbornly shut.

If you couldn’t be of use out there by their side on a battlefield, the least you could do was stop the enemy from obtaining crucial intel. You couldn’t give the Feds the upper hand, not when that ran the risk of landing Merrick, Hesh, Logan, Keegan in some shallow grave.

Rorke sneered. “So that’s the kinda game you want to play? Alright, little martyr, keep your secrets. But listen up, and listen good: when I find all ‘em out, because I will find out, you’ll wish you hadn’t been so blindly loyal to those damn mutts. Better hope you’ve still got most of your fingers when that day comes ‘round.”

The grip on your hair relinquished, and your head dipped low, too fatigued to support its weight on your own. You were content to stay like that, crumpled and weak, but the sound of rustling fabric bid you to remain present and raise your lidded gaze.

Your stomach dropped at the sight of Rorke pulling out a syringe from a pocket on his tactical vest.

“Remember this?” Its needle glistened menacingly in the dull lamplight. The man must have seen the brief panic that flitted across your face because he gave a wry chuckle. “Hell, of course y’do. No need for a reintroduction, then.”

Without further delay, Rorke jabbed the syringe into a bulging vein in your neck, dehydration making it appear more prominent than usual. Your fear spiked as he injected its contents into your already-fragile system. Compared to the previous dose, you began to experience the drug’s effects much faster, blood suddenly afire, choking on hurried gasps, jaw locked. It held your body hostage while it hijacked your biological milieu and scrambled your brain.

The bombardment on your five senses was so overwhelming that you had to close your eyes, the surrounding visual stimuli too abrasive to withstand in your compromised state. When you did finally blink them open again, the scene that greeted you was of a different man, a man whose presence you greatly welcomed.

Decked out in full gear and face lathered in greasepaint wherever his mask failed to conceal skin, Keegan stood several paces behind Rorke. Arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart, cold stare devoid of any affection but flowing with disappointment. Before, he’d spoken everything you had never wanted to hear; this time, however, the apparition uttered not a single syllable.

A flash of white heat diffused throughout your body from head to toe as rage superseded pain.

Did he really think you were a failure, a disgrace? Was that why he opted to hold his tongue, finding you unworthy, an utter waste of his breath?

You recalled the days when he had barely spared you a glance beyond ensuring you weren’t falling behind. When he had gradually begun to reference you as an irreplaceable part of their established collective; when eliciting a low chuckle from him had been considered a victory and earning his praise had become something of an addiction. When he had listened to your whispered confession then offered up a weakness of his own; when he had agreed to learn bit by bit how to give you his heart and how to take yours in turn.

Looking back, the two of you had come so far. And yet, the fruits of your labor would go uneaten. You weren’t foolish enough to assume survival was still a possibility after a few more rounds of torture; if your mind didn’t break first, then your body would surely shut down.

Two good months. That was all you had gotten with him as a lover.

Just two months.

Another punch to your liver yanked you from your spiraling thoughts. “You ready to talk? No? Suit yourself.”

The onslaught resumed, ripping old wounds anew, further bruising already-sore skin, weakening calcium-deficient bones. Truth be told, you’d been ready to talk for the past eight cycles of this shit, but loyalty prevented you from squealing like a pig. Regretfully, this very same loyalty was beginning to feel misplaced.

Were they even searching for you? Was he? Had your comrades so easily written you off as KIA, unable to justify expending valuable, scarce resources on a mere stray?

Sure, Keegan’s last visit had been cruel, biting, but at least he had acknowledged your existence, your situation. The exchange, though agonizing, had reinvigorated you with purpose and determination to make it out of this hellhole alive. Now, if this fabricated Keegan would only address you, then the cracks in your composure and willpower could be rectified, bestowing upon you the strength to persevere, to suffer in silence until either your rescue or your death.

If he would only speak to you as a human being separate from this current timeline of misery and monsters among men, then maybe you had a real chance here. Maybe, you would again bask in the warmth of a glorious sunrise.

Say something.

He didn’t, of course. It shouldn’t have surprised you; he had never been the type to fill the quiet with nonsensical chatter. But you needed this, as starved of him as you were of food and water. You’d wait three seconds for him to correct himself, or else you would give him a piece of your mind, a proper tongue-lashing, scratchy throat and raw vocal cords be damned.

A well-aimed kick in the calf triggered a mental countdown.

Three. . .

Continuous heavy blows struck your temple, the resulting craters spouting a stream of blood, its damage producing a shrill ringing in your ears.

Two . . .

Forgetting the sound of his voice, struggling to replicate the unhurried yet impassioned cadence with which he spoke, gone was his deep tenor—

One.

“God, make it stop,” were the words that left your cracked, chapped lips. But there was no God to answer your pleas; not down here. Still, you begged. “Please, just make it fucking stop.”

Keegan said nothing, content to continue his silent appraisal of the scene before him. Scrutinizing your weaknesses, judging how much more damage you could endure before your total destruction. A sentinel, a voyeur of your rawest pain.

Rorke, looming above like impending doom, a deadly omen, simply laughed and laughed.

And in that moment, you couldn’t decide which of the two men you hated more.

tbc.

[havingaverydrarryday]

what are some of your favorite stories?

I have nearly 40 pages of bookmarked fics so this it by no means all of the stories I love. So here's a (not so short) list in no particular order. Some are individual stories, some are series. All on A03, some are restricted.

Azoth by zeitgeistic

Summary:

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

remember me by hupsoonheng

Summary:

On a chilly day in October, Draco kisses Harry goodbye before he goes on yet another dangerous, undercover mission with the Aurors. And then Harry doesn't come back. Only Draco believes that Harry isn't dead, and pours himself into finding his husband despite his friends' pleas to move on and grieve properly. What he finds at the end of that work, though, is not at all what he wanted.

you've got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass

Summary:

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want. He's never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try.

Way Down We Go by xiaq

Summary:

The war was over. Or at least that’s what the papers said. They’d been saying it, for months, as if people needed reminding. Maybe they did. *** In which Harry and Draco both run away from their pasts and conveniently choose to hide in the same tiny American town. It's super.

Variation by LowerEastSide

Summary:

Adaptation under isolation and domestication; characteristics both immutable and variable.   After suffering enormous losses, Draco Malfoy must now struggle to define his place in the post-war world. Through dashed hopes and changing fortunes, Draco carves out a new niche for himself. But adapting to life with Harry Potter may be the biggest challenge of all.

The Star Splitter by oflights

Summary:

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

It Was All Just a Game (Rewrite) by write_me227

Summary:

If there's one thing that Draco Malfoy yearns for, it's seeing Harry Potter in pain. How that happens, he doesn't care. When Potter's name is pulled out of the Goblet of Fire, Draco sees it as the perfect opportunity to fulfill his greatest desire. Except Saint Potter has luck swimming in his veins. He needs to be distracted... And the best way to do that is to make him fall in love.

The Man Who Lived by sebastianL (felix_atticus)

Summary:

Draco breaks a cup, and one thing leads to another. A story of redemption, tattoos, dreams, mistakes, green eyes, long conversations, and copious amounts of coffee. Set in New York twelve years after the war.

19 Years Later by ladyroxanne21

Summary:

Due to a previous agreement and a lack of communication, Draco realizes that Harry's cheating on him. He then has to decide if he wants to forgive Harry or leave him. But Harry's not about to let Draco go without fighting to stay together.

Chaos Theory by Tessa Crowley (tessacrowley)

Summary:

Chaos: when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. One gene varies, one neuron fires, one butterfly flaps its wings, and Draco Malfoy's life is completely different. Draco has always found a certain comfort in chaos. Perhaps he shouldn't.

Recursion by Tessa Crowley (tessacrowley

Summary:

A process is recursive when it defines or contains itself; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence, which determines the next number as the sum of the previous two. But not all recursive processes are mathematical. Recursion can happen in a temporal context when, for instance, the powerful magical force that is true love drags you back in time so it can create itself, endangering the fate of the Wizarding World—not to mention the very fabric of space and time—along the way.

Grounds for Divorce by Tepre

Summary:

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter. A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats

Summary:

Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

Stately Homes of Wiltshire by waspabi

Summary:

Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Valebis by Heerayni

Summary:

Valebis or Farewell. For Draco, it is all that remains. Death is a reward to be earned. But every reward must be deserved and it seems there remains a final, cruellest test before the time for Valebis arrives. Shattered heart and soul, Draco knows there is one last thing he can give to the reason of his destruction, the saviour of the wizarding world : His Life. Veela!fic- NOW with Epilogue

Redeem Me by Samayel

Summary:

Two years after the events of Harry's sixth year at Hogwart's, Draco stumbles back into his life. Harry is a bitter and vengeful young man, Draco is a walking wreck...and who is helping who? (Explicit rating is for later chapters. This fic is HBP compliant with only very small adjustments to suit this plot.) OOC- is for semiDark!Harry.

If Wishes Were Children by oldenuf2nb

Summary:

Harry Potter has tried to move on with his life after Draco Malfoy walked away from him months before with little or no explanation, but it's been hard. Then, on a joyous day at the Burrow, Narcissa Malfoy makes an unexpected appearance...

All Our Secrets Laid Bare by firethesound

Summary:

Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on.

Kiss Me (Under the Light of a Thousand Stars) by Iwao

Summary:

Harry rescues Draco Malfoy from Azkaban, where he has been imprisoned for three years after the war. Draco is not as Harry remembers, as Azkaban leaves its mark on even the strongest of wizards. With no memory of who he was or how he came to be in Harry's care, Draco needs Harry's help if he is to have any hope of making a full recovery. But Harry has his own demons to fight and together with saving Draco, Harry must also discover a way to find himself.

You open always (petal by petal) by birdsofshore 

Summary:

Harry’s not the kind of person who pays for sex. He really isn’t. Until he is.

Of Wands and Trees by Omi_Ohmy

Summary:

All Draco wants to do is be a wandmaker, but to do so he needs to understand the soul of trees. Of course, the only man who might be able to help him is the one man who is more of a mystery to him than any tree.

In the Mirror by CorvetteClaire

Summary:

Draco is standing on the top of the North Tower with his wand pointed at Dumbledore. How in bleeding hell did he get here? An alternate version of Harry's Sixth Year at Hogwarts. Harry is intent on saving Draco from his father's machinations, but when Draco leaves Hogwarts, Harry can't protect him. And Voldemort has ways of forcing people to do his bidding.

The Fall of the Veils by lettered

Summary:

This is the fic where Muggles find out about wizards, wars are fought, Apparition is abolished, political conspiracies abound, Draco is asexual, and Harry has Legilimency sex with him.

The Voldemort Manor by kedavranox 

Summary:

The Malfoy Manor is a state run museum, renamed The Voldemort Manor by the Ministry for Magic. As part of his probation, Draco is assigned as sole caretaker. When the Manor hosts a series of high class events celebrating the Wizarding World’s fourth Yuletide season Post War, it brings with it a swathe of people Draco hasn’t seen in years; including one, Harry Potter.

A Big Black Sky by alexmeg

Summary:

Draco shifts his head as he turns to look at Scorpius, his cheek touching the pillow. "Did you know that…" He pauses, his throat convulsing, and it sounds audible in the silence, besides Michael's steady, even breathing from the other bedroom. Scorpius is staring back at him, in wait of something new to learn, a beautiful and intelligent child. He has Draco's mind. He has Draco's eyes and nose and mouth and hair. He is his. All his. All he has of Michael are his wild curls and the green of his eyes, and sometimes he looks into them and imagines that they aren't Michael's, but someone else's. Draco leans his head closer, biting the quiver out of his lips before he breathes a laden and shuddering exhale, and he whispers, "You are my star in a big black sky."

The Green Vial by eidheann for capitu

Summary:

After months of seeing Harry Potter walk into his Apothecary disappointed and hopeless, Draco offers to carry the baby that Harry can't. Now he's just got to hide the fact that he's been half in love with Harry for years.

Stain of Silence by brummell (actualite)

Summary:

After the war, Draco serves out his sentence in Harry Potter's house.

Accidental Magic by PenguinAnimagus

Summary:

After the war, Draco left the magical world. He doesn’t lead the easiest life, doesn't sleep enough and has another mouth to feed. He doesn’t expect to be forced to go back early, but when his son’s accidental magic threatens the Statute of Secrecy, there’s only one person who can help.

Is It True That You Like To Sleep Alone (or is it what you just tell everyone) by LadySlytherin

Summary:

In the wake of the war, Draco has worked hard to scrub the taint from his name. He is society's darling and he relishes the rewards that come with it. Not ready to settle down - and with no intention of ever marrying one of the young witches his parents keep trying to force on him - Draco is enjoying the freedom to sleep with whomever he wants, whenever he wants. When Draco finds out he's pregnant, and that the father could be one of three different men, he has to figure out what comes next. It could be a fairy tale come to life...or it could be the biggest scandal in the history of the Wizarding World. It's all in how Draco manages to spin it...

Draco Malfoy and the GenderBend Blend by pixiedunhoff

Summary:

Draco takes a liking to GenderBend Blend and goes out on Halloween, which leads to an encounter with Harry Potter.

Special Gifts by oldenuf2nb

Summary:

Ten years after a devastating accident costs Harry Potter the love of his life and leaves him with life altering injuries, he is asked to return to Hogwarts to help the child of an old friend, with the help of an old adversary.

That Which Divides Us by oldenuf2nb

Summary:

Three years after what would have been their seventh year at Hogwarts, the war between the forces of light and Voldemort's minions grinds on. But even within the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix there are vast disagreements over what is good for 'the Chosen One' and his volatile relationship with Draco Malfoy has many on edge. Sometimes even the best intentions can reap disaster.

la pesistencia de la memoria by ScorpioPhoenix 

Summary:

Harry loses 5 years of his memory and doesn't remember his relationship with Draco. Who ended up pregnant by a strange curse. Harry tries to re-live his past, as Draco fights to keep his present. But will their love win in the future?

Strawberry fields (bitter bites) by sirlivi

Summary:

There is a truth, generally accepted amongst wizarding society, that while an unmated Alpha may spend their rut with whomever their desires dictate, an unmated Omega must not …

Hospital Shirt by Aeliz

Summary:

Draco has spent over a decade building a life in America, when a mysterious patient in Britain falls ill. After a barrage of letters and requests, he finds himself forced home -- to save the life of one Harry Potter.

If stars died of old age by DefNotForWork

Summary:

His mother had had six months after his father had died. But it was expected; they had prepared and were already rather distanced. Draco hadn’t been ready, and Merlin, he had been so in love. He knew he was counting down in weeks, not months.

Telling the Bees by hiimcibee

Summary:

Scorpius’ body was found in Hogwarts one early morning.

In the Blood by BiscuitBrunch

Summary:

Harry Potter thinks Draco Malfoy is a slimy git of a defense lawyer, who couldn't care less about doing the right thing. Draco Malfoy thinks Harry Potter is a filthy pig of an Auror, who couldn't care less about doing the right thing. They fight, fuck, fall in love, and fight some more. When they're on the brink of getting their shit together and starting a family, a blood curse surfaces that threatens the lives of Draco and their unborn child.

Eight Days A Week by Romaine

Summary:

This is foremost a love story and second it's about those growing up years. Becoming adults with adult lives and adult decisions. Yes, Harry's a Trainee-Auror and Draco's a Healer-in-Training after the war. Yes, Harry eventually moves into 12 Grimmauld Place. And, yes, attraction happens between Harry and Draco and they fall in love, but then there's more. Draco is now free from Voldemort, free from fear of going to Azkaban, free from his Father's beliefs, and free to be the person, the witch, the woman she always felt she should be. And for Harry, it’s time to lose the shackles of his childhood and discover who he really is and what’s truly important in life. This story begins one year or so after the Battle at Hogwarts and follows their relationship faithfully for two years. The final chapter will take place later in their lives. This is a positive transition story without body dysphoria, but will contain moments where prejudice and slights arise. This story is categorized as M/F.

Jolene by Romaine

Summary:

Harry comes back from a mandatory holiday and finds that an Auror raid on his favourite establishment could expose his biggest secret. However, another has even more secrets than he does at stake. - has a sequel, Jolene Deux

Tooth Rot and Chocolate Cake by Anonymous

Summary:

Draco Malfoy has an eating disorder that has gotten progressively worse throughout the years. No one knows how bad it truly is. No one, except Harry Potter, who catches Draco head in the toilet, hands halfway down his throat, purging his brains out - not once, but twice.

The Songbirds of Avebury Manor by Tessa Crowley

Summary:

Harry Potter presents as alpha at fifteen, and it is supposed to change his life for the better. Instead, it leads him to a beautiful noble omega he cannot have, a political plot he cannot escape, and a threat on his life.

Blood Link by CorvetteClaire

Summary:

It is Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, and Voldemort has returned to full power. The Death Eaters assault the castle and lay siege to it, injuring Draco and trapping the students inside. Chaos and much angst ensue.

Double Edged Sword by Romaine

Summary:

Harry thinks his life has been planned out, but the night he comes of age changes everything. Now there are decisions to be made and a path to be chosen, and the choices before him will change the lives of everyone he knows. But when destiny calls, Harry finds himself ready to listen.

This is an epic story of the love between Harry and Draco. Join them as they journey through their life together, through the good times and the bad, facing obstacles both external and internal, and see how they come to be who they were meant to be

Turn by Saras_Girl

Summary:

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl

Summary:

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go. Stanley!!

Alucinatio by alexmeg

Summary:

"It's... it's not good," Harry tells them lowly. "They've given him a month's time, only." There is so much he needs to explain, but his head is foggy and exhausted and he can't think properly, can't think of how to relay all that he's learned. "Have you heard of Alucinatio?" is what he starts with. "The Daydream potion," Hermione says. "The person who intakes it experiences very vivid and realistic daydreams of all they could ever want, but is essentially in a severely catatonic state out in the external world, incapable of any basic functions." Harry nods. "Somebody's given it to Malfoy." He remembers the tattered remains of a black cloak wrapped around Malfoy. "I think it might have been Professor Snape." They take a minute to process that. "And... the cure?" Ron asks. "Tears of anyone the experiencer craves love of," Hermione answers.

The Lily Spell by pickledghost

Summary:

Harry Potter is one of the most handsome and sought after alphas on the Hogwarts Higher Education Programme. Draco Malfoy on the other hand, is the Seventh Year omega son of deceased Death Eaters and is widely ignored and shunned by his peers. Harry doesn’t even know Draco exists until he discovers that the younger boy is pregnant with his baby thanks to a spell gone wrong.

[sleepvines]

PerLa introductory post

This might be a little all over the place since some of this is copy pasted from a lore doc.

An old headworld I used to post about here, Chasm, is actually alive and well! but it's transformed dramatically since 2020. It's since taken on the name Perpetual Legacy (PerLa) and shifted more towards being private because the sheer amount of difference and information felt too big to ever explain/share online. And I'm only half of the equation here, @acewarden is the other author of this setting. It wouldn't be the same without them.

This drawing from 2022 is super out of date as you can imagine, but it illustrates what happened over time (I was unsatisfied with the bird people, then the 2021!drebyl, and now I'm happy with my bugs. yes the cats are bugs.)

PerLa's differences are exceedingly numerous, so its best to treat it like a new setting altogether.

SO WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

As the lore goes, the forebears of this world, the people of the ancient civilization, were known as the Advancers. Advancers were ambitious and innovative by nature, borne from eusocial insectoid creatures. They tinkered away and invented new machines, formed a network of cities, and made miracles out of biomechanical engineering. Eventually they found a biological substance they called CFM, or Conductive Fusion Material, deep underground inside of a colossal unidentifiable mineral deposit. This substance could attach to both flesh and metal, forming a strong, seamless interface between the materials. It was also highly conductive when manipulated right, and became both a "glue" for new biotech innovations, and an extremely versatile conductor. Lastly it could store information through a complicated biological "encoding" process. This material became extremely important.

(A handful of advancers, 2022)

They used CFM to create biological tools by grafting mechanical parts and computational devices onto organic beings. Sometimes all they needed to use was the CFM itself to change an organism’s behavior and function drastically. The problem was, when the biological component died, the mechanical parts couldn’t sustain a grafted creature for long.

(CFM 2022)

So using this material they built giant machines they called S.E.R.A.s (Static Electric Recycling Amplifiers), in an attempt to create an ambient "charged" field to power their tech and biotech without the need to stop and recharge manually. It was their try at a perpetual energy machine. The idea was that they could use the conductivity of the material to bump up the level of static electricity in the air of their cities to a safe, livable degree, passively charging machines and artificial creatures. Recycling lightning strikes and solar power, it seemed like an efficient way to keep things running hands-free.

Unfortunately, SERA were only seen working in the low-voltage prototype phase. Due to a catastrophic, unforeseen consequence of the SERAs’ function, the voltage spiked and killed off the ancients via mass electrocution.

(A SERA and a drilling site 2022)

The CFM material, they didn't realize, was the grey matter of a long-deceased organism's brain, and they had just created a super network that could simulate unconscious, undreaming, REM sleep cycles. These fatal pulses of static electricity have since become a regular force of nature in the area, and organisms of all kinds have had to adapt over the many, many years the advancers have been gone.

From the lore doc: "THE HAZE: Electricity lingers in the air on the surface. Almost routinely, there are waves of heightened energy that agitate the ambient static electricity, and create shock-storms that pass through. These storms are deadly, but brief, and temporarily activate the dormant machinery the ancients left behind. The periodic haze storms occur due to the electrical activity occurring in the unconscious CFM within the SERA, much like a brain in an REM cycle."

The age of the Successors rose from these ashes. Terrestrial animals in the area fled to live subterranean lives, touched by the Advancer's technology or not. A trio of sapient creature species, the Successors, all have one thing in common: CFM has changed them, and they know they are not the first ones here.

(various successor drawings, 2022)

The drebyl are catlike beings with stingers at the ends of their tails and mandibles in their mouths. Their tie to the ancient civilization can be traced to precursory individuals getting trapped in biotech "programming" mechanisms, and emerging with injected CFM coding. These individuals were compelled to avoid areas marked as dangerous or prohibited for animals, so they had a higher survival rate. Culturally, they're known for taking it easy, indulging in the arts, and developing a modern written word based on what they can find of the advancer's ancient texts.

Syrels have a direct tie to the ancient civilization as escaped novelty tools. Previously known as SigRels (Signal Relayers), the advancers used them as an inefficient, but cute, means of communication. Imagine you could send a voice message or broadcast to someone that would arrive on four legs! They have feathery antennae, bald, colorful faces and scales, and a rodlike tail used for identification. They have the unique ability to communicate via their own "broadcast" waves, and catch decaying signals from even the advancers time. As such, many syrel groups believe they're hearing ghosts or spirits, and have developed a fascination around old audio logs and transmission equipment left behind by the Advancers.

The gul are the most nebulous of the trio, having a more indirect tie to the Advancers and originating from the underground already. Due to their inclination to dig, they stumbled upon open CFM deposits left accessible from abandoned drilling sites, and preyed upon creatures that had eaten the stuff. Now it expresses itself in the form of powerful electro reception that makes them more effective at hunting, and at sensing when the Haze will begin. They are the largest of the successors, with bulky bodies, thick claws, and large protruding horns. Some groups have a reverence for the Haze, feeling in tune with the electricity and performing burrowing rituals that leave only their horns exposed during a storm. This rite of passage is one of the most painful experiences a gul will ever have.

(gul sketches, 2022)

The successors have spread far and wide across the landscape. They have developed various settlements and communities all over the place, and travel between them frequently. Most time spent on the surface involves teams breaking into the ruins of dead cities and scavenging materials, tech, or just studying what they can find. Only when the Haze is dormant they can venture out safely.

(A syrel exploring ruins, 2023)

That's all for this world introduction, though. Thank you for reading if you got this far, I'm excited to finally share this world and what we've made so far, answer any questions, etc. I hope this will help us get in touch with it again.

[nonbinary-beast]

Thinking about the Valley of Obsolescence, and how really, no one can tell whether what AM shows is a hologram or the real thing.

Pretty much the first scene in the story is a bit of a parallel to the one scene of Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (the first one), where Wonka pretends to be sickly and need a cane, only to somersault and show that he was lying. I remember somewhere that Gene Wilder had wanted to have that in there to show that from that point on, no one could tell if Wonka was lying or not.

Same thing goes for AM and its hologram of Gorrister's corpse hanging from the ceiling, just in time for Gorrister to walk in and see his own corpse. Or so I think. From that point forward, it is impossible to tell if what the survivors are seeing is real or not.

But! In regards to that, I'm sort of thinking that the Valley of Obsolescence could also be fake. Probably AM wants to give the survivors the impression that it is always updating itself, and is ruthlessly removing old or damaged parts, to hide its weaknesses.

If it makes them think that it is always changing itself and updating its components, they would give up on the thought of possibly being able to override it or sabotage it. Any idea of trying to destroy it, along with escape, are hopeless- or so it wants to make them believe. It does not really seem to be established that AM has any means of updating itself, outside of "evidence" that it is doing so. We never see AM updating itself, no arms with soldering irons attached to them, nothing that suggests it knows how to make new parts for itself (and that in itself sort of falls into the whole "it cannot wonder" thing. And cannot make up its own ideas. Engineering takes creativity alongside problem solving, which it apparently lacks). We just know there is a valley of old parts.

So far as anyone knows, AM is using the same old components since it woke up and started killing everything. Given how important AM had been during the cold war this story is set in, it probably had been built to last for a long, long while without needing to worry about it breaking- barring of course, general maintenance. But since its whole thing with the survivors is that it prevents them from being able to adapt to the hellish situations it throws their way, to the point of even messing with their ability to sleep, allowing them to find any routine within its complex is unthinkable to it. So, why not apply that to itself as well?

The survivors will never adapt to the simulations it throws their way, and they will never be allowed the very idea they could adapt to AM enough to grow familiar with its system- regardless of whether that is at all true.

As for why AM needed to impress upon the survivors the image of it constantly updating itself? Who knows, given that in the story the only real threat was probably Benny, whom had been thoroughly nullified via Return To Monke. The rest did not seem all that tech savvy.

It could be a metaphor for how it is always perfecting its techniques to torment them, put into physical form, or maybe it is compensating for the fact that in the process of nuking all of humanity, it nuked the same people that kept it from succumbing to dry rot and rust, and now its putting on a front to keep them from catching on.

That all said, I sort of see why it tends to... idk, mess with Ted the way it does? At least going by the game, they're both liars trying to cover up their faults. As for the story, I don't have a clue, so far as I know AM isn't even talking to him and he's just having a mental breakdown in the form of the computer talking to him every once in a while.

[sapphireblueandfire]

Awful accident where Rhaenyra and Daemon die. Jace is a famous singer and wants to help raise the boys but he’s travelling too much. Rhaena is studying to be a doctor and Baela is in Jace’s band so she’s travelling just as much as him. Aegon - out of the question. Nope. Laenor and Qarl want to but they live so far away and it’s best not to uproot the kids so much at a time like this.

That leaves Aemond and Lucerys. Aemond’s already a lawyer and Luke is studying to take over his grandfather’s business empire (that Aemond works with/for) but together they make it work. They’ve been together less than a year at this point and haven’t even moved in together. Guess there’s no choice now. They take the guest room in Rhae and Daemon (now Luke’s) house. Aemond’s flat is too small and Luke still lived with his parents still but his room was barely big enough to fit a double bed, let alone Aemond’s desk and both their clothes as well. They leave R+D’s room untouched. Viserys is barely a few months old, Aegon is two and Joffrey is a month off seven.

They struggle at first to get into a routine and get the boys settled, but eventually they make it work. Joff’s birthday comes along and Jace and Baela manage to make it home in time for his party. A big event. Fireworks and ice cream cake and everything. Joff runs off before they light the candles, though. No one can find him. Luke stays inside with the babies while the rest of them search.

Aemond finds Joff under the covers in his mother’s room. He’s disturbed the dust that’s settled on the bed. Gently, he peels the covers back and asks if he’s ok. Does he need a minute? Would he like to send everyone home? Joff shakes his head. He’s enjoying the party he just misses Mama and Papa Daemon so much. Aemond’s surprised when Joffrey hugs him for the first time, but hugs him back. Holds him while he cries.

When they return to the party - ice cream cake nearly melted - everyone pretends not to notice Joffrey’s red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

Three months later, as Christmas break is coming up, Aemond is there to pick up Joffrey from school instead of Luke - Viserys and Aegon had a doctors appointment- and there he is, standing in the snow with a big black trench coat, eye patch on and hair long and sleek. Looking as intimidating as ever. The parents are looking at him, the kids are looking at him, the teachers are looking at him. Aemond hates putting himself in such a public setting but it’s all worth it when Joff runs out to him, jumping into his arms.

Until one of the nosey parents ask him ‘do you know this man?’

Joffrey looks up at them like they’re stupid.

“Of course! He’s my dad!”

Aemond tries not to cry. It’s hard, but he manages to wait until they get home and Joffrey’s showing Luke the family portrait he drew of them all (with Mama and Papa Daemon in heaven with Papa Harwin)

this is both so beautiful and heartbreaking. i can imagine how sad and hard it'll be for the kids because it'd be almost unbearable, losing their parents so young, and it would be such a long process, to adapt to this new situation and to each other and relearn how to trust and coexist with this new fear of losing they've been forced to face at such young ages. how to let love in again and it's beautiful and hopeful, the fact that luke and aemond are willing to give the kids what they need, because damn, i can't even imagine what i'd be like for them. that part with joff broke my heart i swear. but guess love comes back to our lives even when it feels impossible. and god, it feels really impossible sometimes but "he manages to wait until they get home and Joffrey’s showing Luke the family portrait he drew of them all" yeah. now they have two more dad dads that truly love them.

thank you for this lovely little story, so full of emotion and detail.

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

I am so curious about bedrock bros persuasion fic. share? :eyes:

OMG ANTIMONY-MEDUSA???????? o_O

Oh gosh, umm okay!! Hehe😅 Soooooo, basically, it started bc I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jane Austen(I'm not into romance stories, but Jane Austen's humor, and the neat way she handled the romances had me hooked), and Persuasion is one of my favorite Austen works!

Unfortunately, the 2022 Persuasion adaptation wasn't very..... um. Yeah. You can guess.

So that got me thinking about the theme & story of Persuasion. A little wandering of the thoughts, and boom. Bedrock Bros Persuasion AU.

This is gonna get a bit long, be warned:

So basically, Techno's family fostered/adopted Theseus, and the two boys get very close. Except their parents unexpectedly die, and Theseus gets sent off to foster care again while it's arranged for Techno to go live with his uncle Schlatt and cousin Tubbo. Techno would rather stay with Theseus, but ppl tell him Theseus would have a better chance at adoption if he was on his own since he's 11, and Techno is 16. Plus, Schlatt is really busy and doesn't think he could raise another 11-year-old kid. Techno REALLY doesn't want to let Theseus go on his own, but ultimately decides Theseus would be happier with another family(either the foster system is better in this universe, or Techno doesn't know it sucks. I haven't fleshed this bit out very well yet😅).

Theseus takes it about as well as you'd expect him to, and their last few days together are filled with bitter, sour silence.

Timeskip to like 5 years later, at the start of summer. Techno is a 21-year-old college student who's back for summer break, in the small town where he lives. Tubbo talks about the new neighbors who moved in recently, they have two kids, and the younger one, Tommy, is Tubbo's age. They've become fast friends, and the next day, after Schlatt leaves for a week(?)-long business trip, Tubbo takes Techno to meet the neighbors, and, turns out this Tommy Craft kid is Theseus. Theseus- Tommy now- is very much Not Pleased, and since Phil and Kristin invite both Tubbo and Techno to dinner, things are pretty awkward between them. It does NOT help that Wilbur, Tommy's current brother, insists that he and Techno look alike(they do not) and that they're basically twins.

So things are really awkward for Bedrock Bros, especially since Tommy and Tubbo(plus Ranboo) hang out basically every day. Tommy bascially just ignores Techno. Techno is sad obviously, but he doesn't say anything, just silently accepts this is their dynamic now. He doesn't even feel jealousy towards Wilbur. A bit of envy maybe, but he doesn't hold a grudge. After all, he wanted Tommy to have a happier life, and Wilbur clearly makes him happy. He doesn't see any reason to be angry- though he does wish he could have been what Wilbur now is to Tommy.

Then one day, while they're out, Wilbur gets into an accident(I'm thinking car accident, but this fic is still in the plotting process so idk for sure😅), and since Kristin(successful businesswoman) is absent for a few days, Phil is the one to stay with Wilbur in hospital, and Tommy stays with Tubbo overnight. And subsequently, stays with Techno overnight.

Tommy's in a bit of shock. Tubbo is also scared, but he's significantly calmer, and is more concerned about Tommy. Techno, seeing how bad Tommy's doing, starts the comfort routine they had when they were brothers. (He has a different routine with Tubbo. Tubbo and Tommy are different people after all, plus, Tommy's routine is for Tommy alone.)

Later that night while Tubbo's not there, Tommy asks Techno why. He doesn't elaborate, just asks why. Techno thinks he's talking about the comfort routine, & replies that he thought it would help Tommy calm down a little. That's not what Tommy meant though. He meant, why did Techno send him away? (Since he obviously cared/cares about Tommy, if he still remembers their routine down to a T.) Techno replies that he thought Tommy would be happier elsewhere. And Tommy is happy- right? Tommy goes silent for a moment, then slowly replies that yes, he's happy- he loves his family, and the friends he made- but he's not sure if going away made him happier. Because he was already happy. He was happy with Techno, and was heartbroken when he was sent away. And that hurt never really disappeared, even after his new foster family ended up adopting him almost immediately, or after he found a new brother in Wilbur.

Then Tommy (FINALLY) tells Techno he missed him, and Techno tells him he did too. They hug, and after Tubbo joins them they set up blankets and pillows in front of the landline, staking out for the call from hospital.

Late that night/early next morning they get the call, Wilbur's gonna be fine, he's sleeping now.

So yeah. After Wilbur's discharged they all just hang out. Later when Techno is reading in the backyard Tommy comes up and sits next to him. Tommy tells Techno that he'd been thinking, and he doesn't actually wish things had gone differently, since they wouldn't have ever met half of their friends otherwise. Techno concedes he has a point, though he still regrets sending Tommy away. They sit there quietly, watching the summer sun slowly start to set.

...Aaaaaand that's about as far as I've gotten for now haha. I'm gonna have to flesh it out more/fact-check some stuff before I actually start writing it.

Thank you so much for the ask, I had a lot of fun writing this! Cheers💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Have this meme!

[mariacallous]

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

My small turboprop plane whirred low through thick clouds. Below me, St. Paul Island cut a golden, angular shape in the shadow-dark Bering Sea. I saw a lone island village—a grid of houses, a small harbor, and a road that followed a black ribbon of coast.

Some 330 people, most of them Indigenous, live in the village of St. Paul, about 800 miles west of Anchorage, where the local economy depends almost entirely on the commercial snow crab business. Over the past few years, 10 billion snow crabs have unexpectedly vanished from the Bering Sea. I was traveling there to find out what the villagers might do next.

The arc of St. Paul’s recent story has become a familiar one—so familiar, in fact, that I couldn’t blame you if you missed it. Alaska news is full of climate elegies now—every one linked to wrenching changes caused by burning fossil fuels. I grew up in Alaska, as my parents did before me, and I’ve been writing about the state’s culture for more than 20 years. Some Alaskans’ connections go far deeper than mine. Alaska Native people have inhabited this place for more than 10,000 years.

As I’ve reported in Indigenous communities, people remind me that my sense of history is short and that the natural world moves in cycles. People in Alaska have always had to adapt.

Even so, in the past few years I’ve seen disruptions to economies and food systems, as well as fires, floods, landslides, storms, coastal erosion, and changes to river ice—all escalating at a pace that’s hard to process. Increasingly, my stories veer from science and economics into the fundamental ability of Alaskans to keep living in rural places.

You can’t separate how people understand themselves in Alaska from the landscape and animals. The idea of abandoning long-occupied places echoes deep into identity and history. I’m convinced the questions Alaskans are grappling with—whether to stay in a place and what to hold onto if they can’t—will eventually face everyone.

I’ve given thought to solastalgia—the longing and grief experienced by people whose feeling of home is disrupted by negative changes in the environment. But the concept doesn’t quite capture what it feels like to live here now.

A few years ago, I was a public radio editor on a story out of the small Southeast Alaska town of Haines about a storm that came through carrying a record amount of rain. The morning started routinely—a reporter on the ground calling around, surveying the damage. But then, a hillside rumbled down, taking out a house and killing the people inside. I still think of it—people going through regular routines in a place that feels like home, but that, at any time, might come cratering down. There’s a prickly anxiety humming beneath Alaska life now, like a wildfire that travels for miles in the loamy surface of soft ground before erupting without notice into flames.

But in St. Paul, there was no wildfire—only fat raindrops on my windshield as I loaded into a truck at the airport. In my notebook, tucked into my backpack, I’d written a single question: “What does this place preserve?”

The sandy road from the airport in late March led across wide, empty grassland, bleached sepia by the winter season. Town appeared beyond a rise, framed by towers of rusty crab pots. It stretched across a saddle of land, with rows of brightly painted houses—magentas, yellows, teals—stacked on either hillside. The grocery store, school, and clinic sat in between them, with a 100-year-old Russian Orthodox church named for Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the day in June 1786 when Russian explorer Gavril Pribylov landed on the island. A darkened processing plant, the largest in the world for snow crabs, rose above the quiet harbor.

You’re probably familiar with sweet, briny snow crab—Chionoecetes opilio—which is commonly found on the menus of chain restaurants like Red Lobster. A plate of crimson legs with drawn butter there will cost you $32.99. In a regular year, a good portion of the snow crab America eats comes from the plant, owned by the multibillion-dollar company Trident Seafoods.

Not that long ago, at the peak of crab season in late winter, temporary workers at the plant would double the population of the town, butchering, cooking, freezing, and boxing 100,000 pounds of snow crab per day, along with processing halibut from a small fleet of local fishers. Boats full of crab rode into the harbor at all hours, sometimes motoring through swells so perilous they’ve become the subject of a popular collection of YouTube videos. People filled the town’s lone tavern in the evenings, and the plant cafeteria, the only restaurant in town, opened to locals. In a normal year, taxes on crab and local investments in crab fishing could bring St. Paul more than $2 million.

Then came the massive, unexpected drop in the crab population—a crash scientists linked to record-warm ocean temperatures and less ice formation, both associated with climate change. In 2021, federal authorities severely limited the allowable catch. In 2022, they closed the fishery for the first time in 50 years. Industry losses in the Bering Sea crab fishery climbed into the hundreds of millions of dollars. St. Paul lost almost 60 percent of its tax revenue overnight. Leaders declared a “cultural, social, and economic emergency.” Town officials had reserves to keep the community’s most basic functions running, but they had to start an online fundraiser to pay for emergency medical services.

Through the windshield of the truck I was riding in, I could see the only cemetery on the hillside, with weathered rows of Orthodox crosses. Van Halen played on the only radio station. I kept thinking about the meaning of a cultural emergency. 

Some of Alaska’s Indigenous villages have been occupied for thousands of years, but modern rural life can be hard to sustain because of the high costs of groceries and fuel shipped from outside, limited housing, and scarce jobs. St. Paul’s population was already shrinking ahead of the crab crash. Young people departed for educational and job opportunities. Older people left to be closer to medical care. St. George, its sister island, lost its school years ago and now has about 40 residents.

If you layer climate-related disruptions—such as changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and shrinking populations of fish and game—on top of economic troubles, it just increases the pressure to migrate. 

When people leave, precious intangibles vanish as well: a language spoken for 10,000 years, the taste for seal oil, the method for weaving yellow grass into a tiny basket, words to hymns sung in Unangam Tunuu, and maybe most importantly, the collective memory of all that had happened before. St. Paul played a pivotal role in Alaska’s history. It’s also the site of several dark chapters in America’s treatment of Indigenous populations. But as people and their memories disappear, what remains?

There is so much to remember.

The Pribilofs consist of five volcano-made islands—but people now live mainly on St. Paul. The island is rolling, treeless, with black sand beaches and towering basaltic cliffs that drop into a crashing sea. In the summer it grows verdant with mosses, ferns, grasses, dense shrubs, and delicate wildflowers. Millions of migratory seabirds arrive every year, making it a tourist attraction for birders that’s been called the “Galapagos of the North.”

Driving the road west along the coast, you might glimpse a few members of the island’s half-century-old domestic reindeer herd. The road gains elevation until you reach a trailhead. From there you can walk the soft fox path for miles along the top of the cliffs, seabirds gliding above you—many species of gulls, puffins, common murres with their white bellies and obsidian wings. In spring, before the island greens up, you can find the old ropes people use to climb down to harvest murre eggs. Foxes trail you. Sometimes you can hear them barking over the sound of the surf.

Two-thirds of the world’s population of northern fur seals—hundreds of thousands of animals—return to beaches in the Pribilofs every summer to breed. Valued for their dense, soft fur, they were once hunted to near extinction.

Alaska’s history since contact is a thousand stories of outsiders overwriting Indigenous culture and taking things—land, trees, oil, animals, minerals—of which there is a limited supply. St. Paul is perhaps among the oldest examples. The Unangax̂—sometimes called Aleuts—had lived on a chain of Aleutian Islands to the south for thousands of years and were among the first Indigenous people to see outsiders—Russian explorers who arrived in the mid-1700s. Within 50 years, the population was nearly wiped out. People of Unangax̂ descent are now scattered across Alaska and the world. Just 1,700 live in the Aleutian region.

St. Paul is home to one of the largest Unangax̂ communities left. Many residents are related to Indigenous people kidnapped from the Aleutian Islands and forced by Russians to hunt seals as part of a lucrative 19th-century fur trade. St. Paul’s robust fur operation, subsidized by slave labor, became a strong incentive for the United States’ purchase of the Alaska territory from Russia in 1867.

On the plane ride in, I read the 2022 book that detailed the history of piracy in the early seal trade on the island, Roar of the Sea: Treachery, Obsession, and Alaska’s Most Valuable Wildlife by Deb Vanasse. One of the facts that stayed with me: Profits from Indigenous sealing allowed the US to recoup the $7.2 million it paid for Alaska by 1905. Another: After the purchase, the US government controlled islanders well into the mid-20th century as part of an operation many describe as indentured servitude.

The government was obligated to provide for housing, sanitation, food, and heat on the island, but none were adequate. Considered “wards of the state,” the Unangax̂ were compensated for their labors in meager rations of canned food. Once a week, Indigenous islanders were allowed to hunt or fish for subsistence. Houses were inspected for cleanliness and to check for home brew. Travel on and off the island was strictly controlled. Mail was censored.

Between 1870 and 1946, Alaska Native people on the islands earned an estimated $2.1 million, while the government and private companies raked in $46 million in profits. Some inequitable practices continued well into the 1960s, when politicians, activists, and the Tundra Times, an Alaska Native newspaper, brought the story of the government’s treatment of Indigenous islanders to a wider world.

During World War II, the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor and the US military gathered St. Paul residents with little notice and transported them 1,200 miles to a detention camp at a decrepit cannery in Southeast Alaska at Funter Bay. Soldiers ransacked their homes on St. Paul and slaughtered the reindeer herd so there would be nothing for the Japanese if they occupied the island. The government said the relocation and detention were for protection, but they brought the Unangax̂ back to the island during the seal season to hunt. A number of villagers died in cramped and filthy conditions with little food. But Unangax̂ also became acquainted with Tlingits from the Southeast region, who had been organizing politically for years through the Alaska Native Brotherhood/Sisterhood organization.

After the war, the Unangax̂ people returned to the island and began to organize and agitate for better conditions. In one famous suit, known as “the corned beef case,” Indigenous residents working in the seal industry filed a complaint with the government in 1951. According to the complaint, their compensation, paid in the form of rations, included corned beef, while white workers on the island received fresh meat. After decades of hurdles, the case was settled in favor of the Alaska Native community for more than $8 million.

“The government was obligated to provide ‘comfort,’ but ‘wretchedness’ and ‘anguish’ are the words that more accurately describe the condition of the Pribilof Aleuts,” read the settlement, awarded by the Indian Claims Commission in 1979. The commission was established by Congress in the 1940s to weigh unresolved tribal claims.

Prosperity and independence finally came to St. Paul after commercial sealing was halted in 1984. The government brought in fishermen to teach locals how to fish commercially for halibut and funded the construction of a harbor for crab processing. By the early ’90s, crab catches were enormous, reaching between 200 and 300 million pounds per year. (By comparison, the allowable catch in 2021, the first year of marked crab decline, was 5.5 million pounds, though fishermen couldn’t catch even that.) The island’s population reached a peak of more than 700 people in the early 1990s but has been on a slow decline ever since.

I’d come to the island in part to talk to Aquilina Lestenkof, a historian deeply involved in language preservation. I found her on a rainy afternoon in the bright blue wood-walled civic center, which is a warren of classrooms and offices, crowded with books, artifacts, and historic photographs. She greeted me with a word that starts at the back of the throat and rhymes with “song.”

“Aang,” she said.

Lestenkof moved from St. George, where she was born, to St. Paul when she was four. Her father, who was also born in St. George, became the village priest. She had long salt-and-pepper hair and a tattoo that stretched across both her cheeks made of curved lines and dots.  Each dot represents an island where a generation of her family lived, beginning with Attu in the Aleutians, then traveling to the Russian Commander Islands—also a site of a slave sealing operation—as well as Atka, Unalaska, St. George, and St. Paul.

“I’m the fifth generation having my story travel through those six islands,” she said.

Lestenkof is a grandmother, related to a good many people in the village and married to the city manager. For the past 10 years she’s been working on revitalizing Unangam Tunuu, the Indigenous language. Only one elder in the village speaks fluently now. He’s among the fewer than 100 fluent speakers left on the planet, though many people in the village understand and speak some words.

Back in the 1920s, teachers in the government school put hot sauce on her father’s tongue for speaking Unangam Tunuu, she told me. He didn’t require his children to learn it. There’s a way that language shapes how you understand the land and community around you, she said, and she wanted to preserve the parts of that she could.

“[My father] said, ‘If you thought in our language, if you thought from our perspective, you’d know what I’m talking about,’” she said. “I felt cheated.”

She showed me a wall covered with rectangles of paper that tracked grammar in Unangam Tunuu. Lestenkof said she needed to hunt down a fluent speaker to check the grammar. Say you wanted to say “drinking coffee,” she explained. You might learn that you don’t need to add the word for “drinking.” Instead, you might be able to change the noun to a verb just by adding an ending to it.

Her program had been supported by money from a local nonprofit invested in crabbing and, more recently, by grants, but she was recently informed that she may lose funding. Her students come from the village school, which is shrinking along with the population. I asked her what would happen if the crabs fail to come back. People could survive, she said, but the village would look very different.

“Sometimes I’ve pondered, is it even right to have 500 people on this island?” she said.

If people moved off, I asked her, who would keep track of its history?

“Oh, so we don’t repeat it?” she asked, laughing. “We repeat history. We repeat stupid history, too.”

Until recently, during the crab season, the Bering Sea fleet had some 70 boats, most of them ported out of Washington state, with crews that came from all over the US. Few villagers work in the industry, in part because the job only lasts for a short season. Instead, they fish commercially for halibut, have positions in the local government or the tribe, or work in tourism. Processing is hard, physical labor—a schedule might be seven days a week, 12 hours a day, with an average pay of $17 an hour. As with lots of processors in Alaska, nonresident workers on temporary visas from the Philippines, Mexico, and Eastern Europe fill many of the jobs.

The crab plant echoes the dynamics of commercial sealing, she said. Its workers leave their homeland, working hard labor for low pay. It was one more industry depleting Alaska’s resources and sending them across the globe. Maybe the system didn’t serve Alaskans in a lasting way. Do people eating crab know how far it travels to the plate?

“We have the seas feeding people in freakin’ Iowa,” she said. “They shouldn’t be eating it. Get your own food.”

Ocean temperatures are increasing all over the world, but sea surface temperature change is most dramatic in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. As the North Pacific experiences sustained increases in temperature, it also warms up the Bering Sea to the north, through marine heat waves. During the past decade, these heat waves have grown more frequent and longer-lasting than at any time since record-keeping began more than 100 years ago. Scientists expect this trend to continue. 

A marine heat wave in the Bering Sea between 2016 and 2019 brought record warmth, preventing ice formation for several winters and affecting numerous cold-water species, including Pacific cod and pollock, seals, seabirds, and several types of crab.

Snow crab stocks always vary, but in 2018 a survey indicated that the snow crab population had exploded—it showed a 60 percent boost in market-sized male crab. (Only males of a certain size are harvested.) The next year showed abundance had fallen by 50 percent. The survey skipped a year due to the pandemic. Then, in 2021, the survey showed that the male snow crab population had dropped by more than 90 percent from its high point in 2018. All major Bering Sea crab stocks, including red king crab and bairdi crab, were way down too. The most recent survey showed a decline in snow crabs from 11.7 billion in 2018 to 1.9 billion in 2022.

Scientists think a large pulse of young snow crabs came just before years of abnormally warm water temperatures, which led to less sea ice formation. One hypothesis is that these warmer temperatures drew sea animals from warmer climates north, displacing cold water animals, including commercial species like crab, pollock, and cod.

Another has to do with food availability. Crabs depend on cold water—water that’s 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit), to be exact—that comes from storms and ice melt, forming cold pools on the bottom of the ocean. Scientists theorize that cold water slows crabs’ metabolisms, reducing their need for food. But with the warmer water on the bottom, they needed more food than was available. It’s possible they starved or cannibalized each other, leading to the crash now underway. Either way, warmer temperatures were key. And there’s every indication temperatures will continue to increase with global warming.

“If we’ve lost the ice, we’ve lost the 2-degree water,” Michael Litzow, shellfish assessment program manager with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told me. “Cold water, it’s their niche—they’re an Arctic animal.”

The snow crab may rebound in a few years, so long as there aren’t any periods of warm water. But if warming trends continue, as scientists predict, the marine heat waves will return, pressuring the crab population again.

Bones litter the wild part of St. Paul Island like Ezekiel’s Valley in the Old Testament—reindeer ribs, seal teeth, fox femurs, whale vertebrae, and air-light bird skulls hide in the grass and along the rocky beaches, evidence of the bounty of wildlife and 200 years of killing seals.

When I went to visit Phil Zavadil, the city manager and Aqualina’s husband, in his office, I found a couple of sea lion shoulder bones on a coffee table. Called “yes/no” bones, they have a fin along the top and a heavy ball at one end. In St. Paul, they function like a magic eight ball. If you drop one and it falls with the fin pointing right, the answer to your question is yes. If it falls pointing left, the answer is no. One large one said “City of St. Paul Big-Decision Maker.” The other one was labeled “budget bone.”

The long-term health of the town, Zavadil told me, wasn’t in a totally dire position yet when it came to the sudden loss of the crab. It had invested during the heyday of crabbing and with a somewhat reduced budget could likely sustain itself for a decade.

“That’s if something drastic doesn’t happen. If we don’t have to make drastic cuts,” he said. “Hopefully the crab will come back at some level.”

The easiest economic solution for the collapse of the crab fishery would be to convert the plant to process other fish, Zavadil said. There were some regulatory hurdles, but they weren’t insurmountable. City leaders were also exploring mariculture—raising seaweed, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. That would require finding a market and testing mariculture methods in St. Paul’s waters. The fastest timeline for that was maybe three years, he said. Or they could promote tourism. The island has about 300 tourists a year, most of them hardcore birders.

“But you think about just doubling that,” he said.

The trick was to stabilize the economy before too many working-age adults moved away. There were already more jobs than people to fill them. Older people were passing away, younger families were moving out.

“I had someone come up to me the other day and say, ‘The village is dying,’” he said, but he didn’t see it that way. There were still people working and lots of solutions to try.

“There is cause for alarm if we do nothing,” he said. “We’re trying to work on things and take action the best we can.”

Aquilina Lestenkof’s nephew, Aaron Lestenkof, is an island sentinel with the tribal government, a job that entails monitoring wildlife and overseeing the removal of an endless stream of trash that washes up ashore. He drove me along a bumpy road down the coast to see the beaches that would soon be noisy and crowded with seals.

We parked, and I followed him to a wide field of nubby vegetation stinking of seal scat. A handful of seal heads popped up over the rocks. They eyed us, then shimmied into the surf.

In the old days, Alaska Native seal workers used to walk out onto the crowded beaches, club the animals in the head, and then stab them in the heart. They took the pelts and harvested some meat for food, but some went to waste. Aquilina Lestenkof told me taking animals like that ran counter to how Unangax̂ related to the natural world before the Russians came.

“You have a prayer or ceremony attached to taking the life of an animal—you connect to it by putting the head back in the water,” she said.

Slaughtering seals for pelts made people numb, she told me. The numbness passed from one generation to the next. The era of crabbing had been in some ways a reparation for all the years of exploitation, she said. Climate change brought new, more complex problems. 

I asked Aaron Lestenkof if his elders ever talked about the time in the detention camp where they were sent during World War II. He told me his grandfather, Aquilina’s father, sometimes recalled a painful experience of having to drown rats in a bucket there. The act of killing animals that way was compulsory—the camp had become overrun with rats—but it felt like an ominous affront to the natural order, a trespass he’d pay for later. Every human action in nature has consequences, he often said. Later, when he lost his son, he remembered drowning the rats. 

“Over at the harbor, he was playing and the waves were sweeping over the dock there. He got swept out and he was never found,” Aaron Lestenkof said. “That’s, like, the only story I remember him telling.”

We picked our way down a rocky beach littered with trash—faded coral buoys, disembodied plastic fishing gloves and boots, an old ship’s dishwasher lolling open. He said the animals around the island were changing in small ways. There were fewer birds now. A handful of seals were now living on the island year-round, instead of migrating south. Their population was also declining.

People still fish, hunt marine mammals, collect eggs, and pick berries. Aaron Lestenkof hunts red-legged kittiwakes and king eiders, though he doesn’t have a taste for the bird meat. He finds elders who do like them, but that’s gotten harder. He wasn’t looking forward to the lean years of waiting for the crabs to return. Proceeds from the community’s investment in crabbing boats had paid the heating bills of older people; the boats also supplied the elderly with crab and halibut for their freezers. They supported education programs and environmental cleanup efforts. But now, he said, having the crab gone would “affect our income and the community.”

Aaron Lestenkof was optimistic that they might cultivate other industries and grow tourism. He hoped so, because he never wanted to leave the island. His daughter was away at boarding school because there was no in-person high school any more. He hoped, when she grew up, that she’d want to return and make her life in town.

On Sunday morning, the 148-year-old church bell at Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church tolled through the fog. A handful of older women and men filtered in and stood on separate sides of the church among gilded portraits of the saints. The church has been part of village life since the beginning of Russian occupation, one of the few places, people said, where Unangam Tunuu was welcome.

A priest sometimes travels to the island, but that day George Pletnikoff Jr, a local, acted as subdeacon, singing the 90-minute service in English, Church Slavonic, and Unangam Tunuu. George helps with Aquilina Lestenkof’s language class. He is newly married with a 6-month-old baby.

After the service, he told me that maybe people weren’t supposed to live on the island. Maybe they needed to leave that piece of history behind.

“This is a traumatized place,” he said. 

It was only a matter of time until the fishing economy didn’t serve the village anymore and the cost of living would make it hard for people to stay, he said. He thought he’d move his family south to the Aleutians, where his ancestors came from.

“Nikolski, Unalaska,” he told me. “The motherland.”

The next day, just before I headed to the airport, I stopped back at Aquilina Lestenkof’s classroom. A handful of middle school students arrived, wearing oversize sweatshirts and high-top Nikes. She invited me into a circle where students introduced themselves in Unangam Tunuu, using hand gestures that helped them remember the words.

After a while, I followed the class to a work table. Lestenkof guided them, pulling a needle through a papery dried seal esophagus to sew a waterproof pouch. The idea was that they’d practice words and skills that generations before them had carried from island to island, hearing and feeling them until they became so automatic they could teach them to their own children.

This story was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, a nonprofit news organization.

[kafkaoftherubble]

纯属自娱。看官们无需顿足。

Accidental Cult Leader, F (3) Near Enemies

With F's growing sense of self comes a ballooning of ego.

Psychic powers like his are pretty easy fodders for megalomania. F has never felt revered before, and to suddenly experience so much of it makes him believe his uniqueness has been mislabeled all along.

He's not a monster; he's a god.

He says he tries not to influence people passively with his power, but he hasn't really put much restraint at all. If people agree with him and do as he says, he argues it's because they see the worth and wisdom in it, not because he psychically influences them.

He decides that granting people happiness and bliss is his raison d'être. The result is that any time, anyone starts to struggle, doubt, or experience a little emotional turmoil, he snuffs it out. Any kindling of rage? He snuffs it out. Struggles are pains. He emphatically feels it and knows it upsets him. Therefore, he concludes, to bring about happiness he must eliminate all mental pains as soon as they arise.

Except anger sometimes arises because one feels unjust about the system around them, or towards individuals who have wronged them or innocent people. Sometimes that emotional turmoil is grief, but it's because that person loves the recently deceased and is trying to process their passing. Unsatisfactory feelings and emotional pains, hurt as they might be, arise out of reason. By killing them as soon as they rear their heads, F disables his followers from reasoning.

By artificially bolstering the feeling of goodness without effort and a natural fall of dopamine, F inadvertently conditions his followers to become addicts. After all, if your dopamine is consistently high at a level, your brain starts to adapt to it as the new norm, and the feeling of joy dissipates. It takes greater stimulus to make you feel high again; thus, common sources that used to bring these followers joy no longer work. The only way they can feel joy is through F. Leaving him induces a mental nosedive into misery.

F is their addiction.

F cares about his followers, so he psychically enforces a regiment or state of mind for all of them to follow. The followers are not allowed to deviate from this routine because F has decided that it is the best for everyone's well-being. His care deforms into patronizing control.

Why is F so against the possibility of other ways of living—or even individual deviations—being just as beneficial to one's welfare? Because he's too sensitive to everyone's mental state.

By this point, he has long abandoned his old practice of putting a healthy distance between "himself" and others (the same attitude that has previously rendered him seemingly apathetic) because, by always forcing others to be happy and without pain, he thinks he has found a way to liberate himself from the agitation of other people's emotional state. There is no longer a need for the gap, he thinks...

But abandoning that distance makes him sensitive to others' mental turmoil, including those who don't follow him (yet). The sheer amount of everyday suffering and dissatisfaction with real life has made him cynical of how well humans can live without his divine psychic intervention.

In truth, F, too, has developed an addiction to his followers. They make him feel accepted, revered, and better-than-weapon.

Ada can only watch with horror from the side. She realizes just how deeply her mediocrity cuts. She is completely powerless to prevent F's gradual descent into megalomania.

------

There are repercussions to F's expanding cult. In fact, F later swears it off afterward following a series of horrific events and spends much time trying to come to terms with his mistakes... and forgiving himself.

That, however, is a tale for another time.

written at 10.04pm, July 2nd.

[neuroticboyfriend]

do you struggle with cognitive rigidity too?

my main problem is a mix between adapting to new information about hyperfixations and my moral perfectionism. i have a set of rules about how to interact with hyperfixations — i know it's silly but i can't help it, it's just how it is. so i always get anxious about interacting with hyperfixations in the "right" way or in a "perfect" way. if i realize i may be wrong about a character or situation, for example, i start panicking and ruminating about it for a whole day or even weeks until i fix whatever I was "wrong" — it's just really hard to let go of old beliefs about my hyperfixations and it's painful to get through the process of "fixing" whatever it was. but i *have* to do it the right way so i *must always* fix what was wrong, no matter how upsetting it is or how long it takes. it happens all the time bc once i'm done with something, i find a new flaw to panic about.

in 2022 i got spoiled for a show and proceeded to spend the next 5 months thinking only about this — bc getting spoiled meant i was going to watch it the wrong way. i'd wake up thinking about it and shower thinking about it and eat thinking about it and, well, it was impossible to not think about it. my brain would urge me to fix it but there was nothing to fix bc i couldn't just forget what i knew. and it took me months of shutdowns and anxiety attacks and sleepless nights for me to finally accept that i had to let go of that hyperfixation — my brain would never stop trying to fix what was "wrong" and it'd never be enough bc it'd only be satisfied by perfection.

anyway i never spoke about this to anyone else bc people don't understand just how intense my feelings get — i feel genuine despair and anguish over this stuff, i feel like hurting myself over this stuff. do you go through something similar? is there anything you do that helps?

i do experience it, yeah. mine is more like to social situations, routines, and events, though. if something doesn't happen as i expect it to, i can get very confused and distressed. it brings out a lot of anxiety in me and i don't know how to handle the information. someone could say one thing differently than they normally do and i just don't know how to react. i don't know if the things that i usually do in that situation apply anymore, and i beat myself up a lot in the process. it feels like the end of the world if i don't do something right.

it's a mix of that cognitive rigidity and trauma, for me. what helps me is telling myself it's okay to be confused, and it's okay if i do something "wrong." a lot of the time whatever i'm worrying about is very inconsequential, so even if i don't know how to react and what i do doesn't fit as a response, it'll be okay. people will understand and if they get on me for it, well, that says more about them than it does me.

[xawkward-ariesx]

At first Jackie loves it, their new life in the parallel universe, sure adapting is a long difficult process but she hasn't had the chance to stop ever since Pete died. And even before that she'd had to work hard to keep them a float when his latest idea didn't pan out. So it's almost like taking a vacation this new relief of not having to worry about money, not having to work multiple jobs so as to not lose the flat and finally having the chance to relax.

And then novelty fades. She's spent over twenty years working herself to the bone to put food on the table and to pay the bills. And now that she didn't have to? Well she felt adrift. She wasn't used to being so idle. She missed running errands, she missed hearing the estate gossip as she ran a salon from her kitchen, she missed picking up skills with every odd job, she missed the familiarity most of all.

But she couldn't call Bev for a chat between episodes of different soap operas, she didn't have to make up elaborate stories when she bumped into people while doing errands when they asked about Rose, there was no more anxiously waiting to hear from her daughter. Her old life was gone and the routines and people with it.

There would be times where she'd reach for the phone already dialing Bev's number when reality sank back. On few occasions it had taken the empty static to remind her that there was no Bev waiting at the end of this number in this universe. But it was when she'd been mentally shelving her complaints about this universe's Eastender's storyline to tell the Doctor when he came to visit and he'd ask her to catch him up, that it really settled in for her.

That was two months before she'd fallen pregnant and before he'd returned to say goodbye to her daughter.

But it had been the push she needed to accept her new life here and to start carving a space for her that was actually comfortable for her. One of the first changes had been the staff. She hated having strangers in her house, particularly ones who weren't up for a friendly chat with their employer. It was especially uncomfortable after Elton. Even if she didn't dislike the lack of control, tripping over people and the lack of optional distraction in the form of housework, it would have been an unpleasant reminder.

Pete tried to disway her, it was a big house she couldn't do it all by herself, particularly if Jackie was adamant about it not effecting their income. Which she was. She'd been the person dependant on a stable income and the difference in made in being able to eat or not that week, she wouldn't take that from someone. Eventually she relented and the various staff would be by twice a week to help but otherwise it was up to the Tylers to stay on top of it.

But even that didn't keep her occupied for long. She tried reading through some of the books in Pete's extensive library, but reading had never been her thing - she much preferred gossip rags - so that didn't hold her attention for long.

Eventually she took up gardening. She'd never had a garden before but now she filled it with seasonal flowers, teaching herself all the best ways to care for her flourishing plants. The house was frequently filled with the heady scent of flowers in various vases throughout the house all freshly cut from Jackie's garden. When she became pregnant and digging around in the garden was no longer an option, so she took to growing herbs from the kitchen window sill.

And for a time that was enough. She'd do chores around the too big house, tend to her herbs and cook for her family. But she was still lonely. Pete, Mickey and Rose often worked long hours at Torchwood, particularly Rose, who Jackie noted was slowly becoming obsessed though she didn't yet know how to address that. Her friends where a universe away and the acquaintances of the Jacqueline Tyler of this universe were the sort that looked down on the woman Jackie was. She didn't have anything in common with them and she wasn't inclined to pretend, not after everything she'd been through.

She wanted people she could talk to without having to filter herself about the crazy alien shit in her life, she found a modicum of that during the Torchwood galas. And then one of the women there invited her to their coffee mornings. And well it was no Mo or Bev but it was still nicer than what she'd had.

But even there there was a disconnect. She didn't really understand all this alien nonsense and more often than not she felt left behind when work discussions would occur at the dinner table. And that led to the next change she wanted to make for this new life of hers, whilst also opening up an opportunity to talk to her daughter who had very clearly been spiralling since Norway.

It was slow going and wrought with frustration on both side but gradually Rose taught Jackie all that she knew and Jackie came to understand just a little more about this life her daughter had been living amongst the stars.

After Tony was born and Jackie had recovered, she told Pete that she wanted to take self-defense classes. Pete had adamantly refused at first but Rose and Mickey had been quick to pipe up about all the times Jackie's life had been in danger (i.e. autons, slitheen, Elton, cybermen and daleks). It had been Rose reminding him about this universe's Jackie that had Pete relenting.

So Jackie took self-defense classes and was taught how to use a gun by Torchwood staff all under her husband's watchful eye. She also took hypnosis resistance training, first aid classes and basic field agent training without Pete's knowledge when Rose or Mickey were able to sneak her away.

She knew all about the dimension cannon and what Rose planned on doing. They spoke about the dangers over dinner and Jackie found she had little trouble keeping up now. She knew more about parallel universes, other planets and all that sci-fi stuff than she ever could have imagined five years ago.

But she wouldn't change it for the world not when it had prepared her for this moment; hopping parallels, a gun strapped to her chest with her adopted son as they chased after her daughter.

[nitiemily]

How Robotic Process Automation Enhances Productivity Across Industries

In today's fast-paced world, organizations are constantly on the lookout for ways to boost productivity and streamline operations. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has emerged as a game-changer, offering innovative solutions to age-old challenges. Whether you're running a manufacturing plant, a financial institution, or a healthcare facility, RPA can enhance efficiency and effectiveness across various industries. Let’s dive into how this technology is revolutionizing the workplace and driving productivity to new heights.

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic Process Automation involves the use of software robots or “bots” to automate repetitive and routine tasks. These bots interact with digital systems and applications in the same way a human would, performing tasks such as data entry, process management, and customer service. By mimicking human actions, RPA can significantly reduce the time and effort required to complete these tasks, allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities.

Streamlining Operations in Manufacturing

In the manufacturing sector, efficiency is key. RPA is transforming how operations are managed, from inventory control to supply chain logistics. For example, bots can automate the process of tracking inventory levels, placing orders, and managing supplier information. This not only reduces the risk of human error but also accelerates the procurement process, ensuring that production lines run smoothly.

Furthermore, RPA can optimize quality control processes. Bots can analyze production data in real-time, identify defects or anomalies, and trigger corrective actions swiftly. This leads to higher quality products and fewer production delays, ultimately enhancing overall productivity.

Revolutionizing Financial Services

The financial industry has long relied on manual processes for tasks such as transaction processing, compliance reporting, and customer service. RPA is now stepping in to automate these labor-intensive activities. By handling routine tasks like data reconciliation and transaction processing, bots free up valuable time for financial professionals to focus on more complex and strategic work.

Compliance and regulatory reporting is another area where RPA shines. Bots can generate reports, ensure adherence to regulations, and handle audits with precision and speed. This not only reduces the risk of compliance issues but also ensures that financial institutions can adapt swiftly to changing regulations.

Enhancing Efficiency in Healthcare

In the healthcare sector, efficiency and accuracy are paramount. RPA is helping healthcare providers streamline administrative tasks such as patient scheduling, billing, and claims processing. By automating these processes, healthcare facilities can reduce administrative burdens, minimize errors, and speed up patient care.

For instance, bots can handle appointment scheduling, send reminders to patients, and manage follow-up communications. This leads to improved patient satisfaction and better utilization of healthcare resources. Additionally, RPA can assist with managing electronic health records (EHRs) by automating data entry and ensuring that patient information is up-to-date and accurate.

Transforming Customer Service

Customer service is a critical component of any business, and RPA is revolutionizing this area as well. Bots can handle routine customer inquiries, process service requests, and even provide personalized responses based on customer data. This not only improves response times but also enhances the overall customer experience.

For example, in e-commerce, RPA can automate order processing, track shipments, and manage returns. In customer support, bots can handle common questions and route more complex issues to human agents. This leads to faster resolution of customer issues and a more efficient support system.

Boosting Productivity in the Legal Sector

The legal profession is known for its document-heavy processes and meticulous attention to detail. RPA is making significant inroads here by automating tasks such as document review, contract management, and case management. Bots can extract relevant information from documents, track deadlines, and even generate standard legal documents.

This automation not only speeds up legal processes but also reduces the risk of errors and frees up lawyers to focus on higher-value work, such as strategic planning and client consultations. By streamlining administrative tasks, RPA helps legal professionals deliver better outcomes for their clients.

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing the Future

While the benefits of RPA are clear, it’s important to acknowledge that implementing this technology can come with challenges. Organizations need to ensure that their processes are well-defined and that employees are trained to work alongside bots. Additionally, integrating RPA with existing systems and managing change can require careful planning and execution.

However, the potential rewards are substantial. By embracing RPA, organizations can achieve higher levels of efficiency, reduce operational costs, and enhance overall productivity. As technology continues to evolve, the capabilities of RPA are likely to expand, offering even more opportunities for businesses to optimize their operations.

Conclusion

Robotic Process Automation ( RPA ) is proving to be a powerful tool across various industries, driving productivity and operational efficiency. From manufacturing and financial services to healthcare and customer service, RPA is transforming how businesses operate and deliver value. By automating routine tasks and allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities, organizations can achieve greater efficiency and remain competitive in today’s fast-paced market.

As businesses continue to explore the potential of RPA, it’s clear that this technology will play a crucial role in shaping the future of work. Whether you’re looking to streamline operations, enhance customer service, or improve accuracy, RPA offers a promising solution that can help you achieve your goals and drive success.

To Know More About Robotic Process Automation ( RPA )

[bedworldonline]

Adjusting to a New Mattress: What to Expect

When you purchase a new mattress, excitement often comes with the prospect of better sleep, improved comfort, and reduced aches. However, adjusting to a new mattress can take time, and the transition period may not always be as smooth as anticipated. the Understanding what to expect during this adjustment phase will help you ease into the new mattress and make the most of its benefits.

Initial Discomfort is Normal One of the most common experiences when adjusting to a new mattress is initial discomfort. Your body has likely adapted to the old mattress over time, even if it was unsupportive or worn out. A new mattress, especially one that is firmer or softer than your previous one, will feel different. This change in firmness may lead to temporary discomfort or pressure points as your body adjusts to a new sleeping surface.

The materials in a new mattress may also need time to break in. Memory foam, latex, and hybrid mattresses can take several weeks to fully soften and conform to your body. During this period, you may notice that the mattress feels firmer than expected. Give it time to adjust, and your body will gradually adapt to the new support.

How To Long Does the Adjustment Period Last? The adjustment period for a new mattress can vary, but typically, it lasts between 30 to 90 days. This timeline allows both the mattress to break in and your body to get used to the new feel. If you have switched from a significantly different mattress type, such as from an innerspring to memory foam, the adjustment period may be longer as your body adapts to the changes in support and comfort.

Many mattress companies offer a trial period of at least 30 days for this very reason. They are  understand that it can take time for your body to adapt, and they encourage customers to give the mattress a fair chance before making any decisions about returns or exchanges.

Physical Adaptation: How Your Body Reacts the are Switching to a new mattress can have an immediate impact on your body, especially if the new mattress provides better support than your previous one. It’s common to experience some muscle soreness or stiffness during the initial weeks. This is often a result of your body adjusting to the improved alignment provided by the mattress.

For example, if your old mattress lacked support and caused poor spinal alignment, your muscles may have compensated for this by tensing during sleep. A the more supportive mattress encourages proper alignment, which can lead to a short period of discomfort as your muscles and joints adjust to their new, healthier positions. Tips for Easing the Adjustment Process Be Patient: Allow yourself time to adjust to the new mattress. It may take a few weeks for your body to become fully comfortable, especially if the mattress is significantly different from your previous one.

Use a Mattress Topper: If the mattress feels too firm initially, consider using a mattress topper for added softness during the break-in period. A topper can help cushion your body while the mattress materials conform over time.

Break in the Mattress: Speed up the break-in process by regularly walking or rolling on the mattress. This is a can help soften the material and make the mattress feel more comfortable sooner.

Rotate the Mattress: For mattresses that can be rotated, flipping or rotating the mattress every few months can help distribute wear evenly and ensure you get the most consistent comfort over time.

Maintain a Sleep Routine: Keep a consistent sleep routine during the adjustment period. Going to bed at the same time each night and ensuring you get enough rest can help your body adapt to the new mattress more quickly.

Long-Term Benefits of a New Mattress Though the adjustment period may be uncomfortable, the long-term benefits of a new mattress are well worth the wait. A the mattress that provides proper support can improve your sleep quality, reduce aches and pains, and promote better posture. Over time, you’ll likely notice that your sleep becomes more restful, and any initial discomfort will fade as your body adapts to the mattress’s improved support.

When to Consider a Different Mattress If, after the 90-day adjustment period, you’re still experiencing significant discomfort, it may be a sign that the mattress isn’t the right fit for you. Every person’s sleep preferences are different, and what works for one person may not work for another. If the mattress is causing you pain, or you simply aren’t sleeping well, consider taking advantage of the return or exchange policy offered by many mattress companies.

Conclusion the Adjusting to a new mattress is a process that requires time and patience. It’s a important to understand that initial discomfort is normal and that your body needs time to adapt. By the giving the mattress a chance to break in and following tips to ease the transition, you’ll soon enjoy the long-term benefits of improved sleep quality and comfort.

[manifesttwinflamesss]

Unveiling the Power of Angel Number 2255: A Pathway to Positive Change

Angel numbers are messages from the universe that carry deeper spiritual meanings. One such powerful number is 2255, which holds significant importance for those who encounter it. This number is more than a random sequence—it’s a divine signal urging you to embrace transformation, balance, and new opportunities. In this article, we’ll delve into the meaning of angel number 2255, exploring how it impacts various aspects of life such as relationships, career, and personal growth.

Understanding the Core Meaning of Angel Number 2255

At its core, angel number 2255 represents change and transformation. This number combines the energies of 2 and 5, each appearing twice to amplify their vibrations. The number 2 is associated with harmony, balance, and cooperation, while 5 resonates with freedom, adaptability, and major life changes.

Seeing 2255 is a message from your angels to trust the journey of change. It’s a sign that significant transitions are about to occur in your life, and you should welcome them with an open heart. Whether it’s a shift in your career, relationships, or personal growth, this number encourages you to adapt and grow through the process.

How 2255 Influences Your Relationships

Angel number 2255 has a profound impact on relationships, particularly in encouraging healthy dynamics and communication. The presence of 2 signifies the importance of balance and cooperation, urging you to focus on harmony with those around you. Whether in romantic relationships, friendships, or family connections, 2255 reminds you to nurture understanding and compromise.

For those seeking love, 2255 can indicate that changes are necessary to attract the right person. It encourages you to let go of past patterns that no longer serve you and embrace new opportunities for emotional growth. If you are already in a relationship, 2255 serves as a reminder to maintain balance and support each other through challenges.

Angel Number 2255 in Career and Professional Growth

In the realm of your career, angel number 2255 signifies that a major transformation is on the horizon. Whether it’s a new job opportunity, a shift in responsibilities, or a complete career change, this number is a sign that positive changes are coming. Your angels are guiding you to be open to new challenges and opportunities that will lead to growth and fulfillment.

The influence of 5 in 2255 is particularly important here, as it symbolizes adaptability and personal freedom. You may need to step out of your comfort zone, but rest assured that these changes are meant to align you with your true purpose. The presence of 2 reminds you to stay balanced, even during periods of uncertainty. Trust that the changes you experience will bring long-term success and personal satisfaction.

Spiritual Growth and Self-Development

Angel number 2255 also speaks to spiritual growth and personal development. It encourages you to embrace change not only in your external environment but also within yourself. The repeated 5s are a powerful reminder that personal freedom comes from adaptability and open-mindedness.

This number encourages you to shed old habits, limiting beliefs, and past experiences that no longer serve your highest good. It’s time to welcome new spiritual insights, practices, and routines that will enhance your connection with the divine and your inner self. Trust that your angels are supporting you on this transformative journey, helping you evolve into your best self.

What to Do When You See Angel Number 2255

When you repeatedly see 2255, it’s a sign from the universe that you’re being guided toward important changes. Here are a few steps to take when you encounter this number:

Embrace Change: Don’t resist the transformations happening around you. Trust that they are happening for your highest good.

Seek Balance: Whether in your relationships, career, or personal life, focus on maintaining balance and harmony. The presence of 2 calls for cooperation and teamwork.

Stay Adaptable: The influence of 5 encourages flexibility. Be open to new experiences, even if they push you outside your comfort zone.

Focus on Personal Growth: Use this time to focus on self-development and spiritual growth. Let go of old patterns that no longer serve you.

The Impact of 2255 on Twin Flames

In the realm of twin flames, angel number 2255 is especially significant. Twin flames are believed to be two halves of the same soul, destined to meet and grow together through their unique spiritual journey. The appearance of 2255 in your life suggests that your twin flame journey is about to enter a new phase of growth and transformation.

The number encourages both you and your twin flame to remain balanced and open to the changes that will bring you closer to each other. Trust that the universe is guiding your connection, and focus on maintaining harmony within yourself as you navigate the challenges of this deep and intense relationship.

Conclusion: The Power of 2255 in Your Life

Angel number 2255 is a powerful signal from the universe, urging you to embrace change with open arms. Whether it’s in your relationships, career, or personal growth, this number encourages you to trust the process and remain adaptable. The energies of 2 and 5 combine to create a balanced, transformative force that will guide you toward a brighter and more fulfilling future.

Stay open to the messages your angels are sending, and remember that every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth and spiritual evolution. By embracing the changes brought by 2255, you can achieve balance, personal freedom, and lasting success.

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Turning Challenges into Opportunities for Growth

In the world of digital creativity and influence, setbacks can feel particularly disheartening. Recently, I faced a significant loss when my Pinterest account, a platform where I had diligently built a collection of viral pins and reached a milestone of 1,000 followers, was abruptly removed. This was not an isolated incident; it echoes my past experiences of losing my Etsy shop to false reports and, more recently, my Snapchat account with 9,000 followers. Each of these losses has left a void, both in my professional life and in my personal routine, especially given the additional challenges I face due to daily disabilities.

As someone who believes in karma and spiritual balance, these recurring setbacks have been both perplexing and deeply triggering. They stir a mix of frustration and introspection, raising questions about why these events keep happening and what deeper meaning they might hold. However, amidst these difficulties, there lies an opportunity to transform these challenges into powerful avenues for growth.

Transforming Setbacks into Opportunities

1. Reflect and Reassess

The first step in turning a setback into an opportunity is reflection. Take time to analyze the situation objectively. What led to the loss? Are there patterns or factors that could have been addressed differently? In my case, it’s crucial to consider whether there are preventive measures or changes I can make to safeguard my digital presence in the future. Reflection isn’t about dwelling on what went wrong but about understanding and learning from the experience.

2. Embrace Adaptability

Setbacks often push us out of our comfort zones, encouraging adaptability. This might be an opportunity to explore new platforms, diversify content strategies, or innovate in ways that were previously unexplored. For instance, while rebuilding my Pinterest presence, I could also focus on expanding into other social media channels or enhancing my content creation process. Adaptability allows us to pivot and find new paths when the old ones are obstructed.

3. Strengthen Your Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover from difficulties, and it’s built through facing challenges head-on. Each setback serves as a test of our ability to endure and rebound. By maintaining a positive mindset and continuing to pursue your goals despite the obstacles, you reinforce your resilience. This mindset is crucial for long-term success, as it prepares you to handle future challenges with greater strength.

4. Leverage Your Network

In times of crisis, your network can be an invaluable resource. Reach out to supportive colleagues, friends, or communities who can offer advice, assistance, or simply a listening ear. Building and maintaining strong relationships can provide not only emotional support but also practical solutions and opportunities that might not have been visible before.

5. Find Hidden Opportunities

Setbacks often conceal opportunities for growth that are not immediately apparent. For example, the loss of my Pinterest account might have inadvertently opened the door to refining my approach to digital content or exploring new creative ventures. Look for silver linings or new avenues that these challenges might be creating. Sometimes, what seems like a setback is actually a disguised opportunity for personal and professional development.

6. Reaffirm Your Purpose

Challenges can also be a reminder to reconnect with your core purpose and values. When faced with setbacks, reaffirm what drives you and why you started your journey. This reinvigoration of purpose can provide renewed motivation and clarity, helping you to navigate through the difficulties with a stronger sense of direction.

7. Implement Lessons Learned

Every setback comes with lessons to be learned. Whether it’s about improving security measures, better managing online interactions, or refining content strategies, applying these lessons can lead to more informed decisions and a more robust approach moving forward. Implementing these insights helps transform past failures into stepping stones for future success.

In conclusion, while setbacks are undeniably challenging, they also offer valuable opportunities for growth. By reflecting on the experience, embracing adaptability, building resilience, leveraging support, discovering hidden opportunities, reaffirming purpose, and applying lessons learned, you can navigate these obstacles and emerge stronger. This approach not only helps in recovering from setbacks but also in fostering long-term personal and professional development.