#but it shows the impact of protected parks

[awkwardbirdsdaily]

Day 19 of extinct birds - the broad-billed parrot (note that we don't actually know what colour they are, this depiction is only my guess!)

This was another bird from the Mascarene islands. With only short accounts, a few bones and a single sketch to go by, we know almost nothing about them. They were called 'indian crows', which could imply dark colours and/or harsh calls. The only notes on their colour are that they were red with blue heads - one sailor noted they were 'beautifully coloured' but we might never get to know them.

[b1mbodoll]

SKDNWJSN THAT ASK ABOUT STEPBRO HOON THREATENING TO BABY TRAP YOU. I'M SICK.

he'd visit your room at night and put a hand over your mouth while he fucks into you. "shh, take it like a good girl."

and he would pin you down as he cums inside of you to make sure you can't get away.

might even do this when you're asleep too, pumping you full of his seed every night so there's no way he won't knock you up <3

and when he does... he'll be a thousand times more horny. now that he's claimed you and ruined you for everyone else, you'll just have to put up with his kinks. he doesn't even tell you beforehand when he stuffs his cock into your ass unprepared or ambushes you while you're busy just to have you open up your mouth for him because he needs to piss.

slowly but surely your bump will become too large to hide and you'll be forced to come clean to your parents about what you and your stepbrother have been doing <3

pairings: park sunghoon x f! reader

warnings: stepcest + perv! hoon + innocent! reader + creampies + breeding + dacryphilia + virgin killer! hoon + pregnancy + lactation + anal + omorashi + hair pulling + impact play + toys + throat fucking + manipulation + blackmail + inflation + filming

💌: this ask has haunted me since i received it /pos i cant believe i was gifted w this incredible idea 💔

your parents trust sunghoon wholeheartedly. they trust him to protect your innocence and to take care of you while they’re away, and god does he take advantage of that. convinces you to sleep in his bad and let him spoon you, unaware of how he grinds his cock against you, cumming on your back as you sleep. he’s weirdly obsessed with being your first everything. the first to spread your pussy open with his fingers n cock, the first to make you cum on his tongue, first to fuck your asshole open and the very first to paint your womb with his cum.

he acts like the perfect stepbrother around your parents but little do they know he’s spitting mean words at you and calling you degrading names while he pulls your hair :( slaps you too and forces you to touch his cock. don’t even think about snitching either because if you do, he’ll make you pay. threatens to show everybody the pictures and videos of you begging for him to cum inside you again as you cream around him.

you’re forced to put up with his sick kinks and let him use you however he pleases. you don’t even pull away when he shoves his cock in your mouth, piss trickling down your throat as you swallow every drop, whining when some of it spills out. the obsession he has with your virginity involves your unruined asshole too btw. he doesn’t bother wasting his chances to knock you up by dumping his cum in your ass. instead he fills your asshole with piss, grinning like a freak when you squeal and cry because he’s never gone this far before. and when the stream of piss finally stops sunghoon slips a buttplug in you, forcing you to feel the way his pee flooded your insides.

he’s the biggest perv and can’t go a day without fucking you full of cum. goes on and on about how he’s so looking forward to the day his semen finally takes and it’s not long before that happens. you’d honestly be more surprised if you didn’t end up pregnant with your stepbrother’s child because he pumps you full of so much cum. when you start lactating sunghoon finally realizes he can’t give you up. would rather get disowned by your parents than be forced to stop fucking you because he’s trained you to be the perfect cum n pissdump for him. every time he fucks you during your pregnancy his mouth always finds its way around one of your nipples, drinking your sweet milk while his fingers roughly pinch ‘nd pull at the other one to make your milk leak out <3

[inkedobsidian]

~ Loyalty ~

prompt: #59 “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face”

requested by @handyulset

summary: Y/N & Honda go to protect Ji-an after Jin-man’s request and only one of them gets out

pairing: Y/N x Jeong Jin-man

warnings: violence, blood, someone dies

word count: 2,534

a/n: I skipped the morgue scene just bc it was already hella long with just setting up the story. Requests are open! Prompt list is there if you guys want extra ideas

Master-List - Prompts

Y/N wasn’t actually sure how many years it had been since her and her brother had seen Jeong Jin-man but she wished she could’ve said it was under better circumstances. Y/N and Honda had heard stories about Bale along her life and even had the misfortune of working with him from time to time so they weren’t surprised when Jin-man spoke about everything that happened on their previous missions.

Y/N had hoped that Jin-mans visit meant he was here to finally settle with his family but then again that would be better circumstances. Now Y/N and Honda find themselves racing in Honda’s car to what was inevitable death most likely. Jin-man had called Honda panicked finding out Bale was back and with his family. He had pleaded with them to go protect his niece which didn’t need much convincing from either of them

Speeding through the streets they only hoped that they were in the clear when they got there. Jin-man informed them that Ji-an wouldn’t let anybody in if they didn’t answer her riddle, smart kid honestly. As they parked up and ran in, in synchronized silence they could hear movement further up the stairs and a small voice on the other side.

As they advanced up the stairs they could see a man peak into the room and duck out slowly, probably looking to see if Ji-an was alone. Then he opened the door again and started to advance towards Ji-an but before his whole body got through the door Honda lurched forward to grab his arm and pull him back hitting his face on the wall. As he did he dragged him back into the hallway closing the door to Ji-an.

As Honda landed an initial punch Y/N who has just under him on the stairs grabbed the mans right leg pulling him straight to the ground. As Y/N pulled him Honda took the time to put on his brass knuckles incase the guy proved more a fight than he looked. As the man hit the floor he scrambled back pulling a knife out of his holster and decided to go for his closest target which was Y/N. She dodged as much as much could but a step only gives you so much lean so she was caught on her cheek but it didn’t make much of an impact to her.

In one movement Honda kicked the guys extended arm throwing him against the wall again and making him drop the knife. As Y/N picked up the knife she followed the upwards movement hitting him with the butt of the knife which was followed by Honda football kicking him one more time knocking the man clean out. It was a good thing Honda closed the door so Ji-an didn’t see any of that. Before moving the man Honda slid into the room to type ‘Stable Tennis’ on his mobile to show Ji-an, the answer to her riddle.

After asking Ji-an to hide in her room Y/N and Honda had moments to decide what to do from here.

“I am not leaving you in here alone Honda that is suicide.” Y/N signed to him angrily. Her brother did always have a death wish when it came to protecting people.

“One of us needs to be first defense what if they wipe us out.” Honda signed back. He knew what had to happen but he thought he had a pretty good chance anyway. It was worth it to repay Jin-man, he promised he’d protect Ji-an. Y/N didn’t have long to argue because they heard people coming up the stairs and Honda took the time to shove Y/N into the room with Ji-an.

Y/N got down to Ji-ans height smiled and waved hoping to not make this more scary but Ji-an was just looking at the cut across Y/N’s cheek. Then the door squeaked open and Y/N put her fingers over her lips to motion Ji-an to be quiet. Y/N motioned Ji-an over to the corner of the room near the window and stood in front of her listening to the sounds.

Then it was a quick sequence of sounds and with every sound Y/N could feel little Ji-an behind her jump. First there was someone crashing through a door then it was silenced gunshots. In that moment Y/N turned around to cover Ji-an’s ears with her hands to cover the sounds of violence but there was no one there for Y/N. She heard the entire exchange having to picture what was happened as she was completely blind and couldn’t move or Ji-an would hear too.

“Who the hell is this bastard.” She heard come through the door. In this moment she started to look around and noticed the very limited options they had. Y/N tried to focus on the conversation but she heard more footsteps and no more punches which only meant one thing. Y/N looked out the window to the drop below and knew the only option she had.

“Can you hang on the other side of the window, down to the pipe?” Y/N wrote on her phone and Ji-an nodded enthusiastically or maybe it was adrenaline. She really was Jin-man’s niece. As Ji-an lowered herself Y/N pulled her knives out of her pocket and positioned herself out of view of the door slightly behind a bookcase, not enough to hide but enough that they wont notice initially.

Y/N waited until at least 1 person had walked completely through and she took a quick wide step into view and hit the first 2 people in her view with a knife in the eye for each dropping them instantly. She low dashed forward to grab the weapon that the first person dropped. As she picked up the axe the 3 people in the living room all turned from looking at Honda on the floor to her. One pulled a gun quickly and shot her in the left shoulder which she retaliated by throwing the newly acquired axe in their head putting them down.

As she adjusted her shoulder another one lunged forward to grab her, as her body got thrown into the living room right next to Honda she finally noticed his arm. While she was preoccupied with her brothers corpse someone landed a kick across her face sending her closer to the front door. Having to adjust quickly Y/N stood up and grabbed one of the umbrellas from the rack to her right. Not exactly a knife but what choice did she have. She lunged forward with the umbrella using it to knock the wind out of the closest guy to her. As his leant down reacting to the hit Y/N grabbed the back of his head and went forward with her knee colliding the two and knocking him out instantly.

She noticed that the other 2 men had gone through the room to Ji-an and she dashed forwards and she could only see one man in the room. Y/N dashed forward grabbing the man before he could notice and sending his head through the unopened window next to him. As he his head split open from the collision with the glass Y/N dragged his body back with so much force he hit his head on the wall on the other side knocking him out.

“JI-AN” Y/N screamed out the window as she could see the other man who had already reached the floor. Y/N flung herself over the window ledge and down the surfaces until she was an ok distance to jump down to the sofas. Just as she landed she heard the car collide with Ji-an and it made the man stop in his tracks. Y/N darted towards Ji-an and the man took the moment to dash in the other direction to avoid her. Luckily someone had already called the ambulance because by the time Y/N got to Ji-an she collapsed from the head wound she didn’t notice.

Luckily the hospital let Y/N sit beside Ji-an after her many protests, she was handling her injuries well and frankly with no guardian for Ji-an present the hospital felt bad for her. So that’s what Jin-man returned too. Ji-an was sleeping in the hospital bed covered in cuts and bruises and Y/N was across the couch with even more cuts and bruises. Y/N was on attack mode woke up just from the sound of the door but settled the moment she noticed it was Jin-man. She stood up and walked towards him motioning to go out into the hallway to let Ji-an sleep.

When she stepped into the light properly Jin-man could see all her injuries, well at least the ones on her face and arms. She had a full slash mark across her cheek and it looked like the bone close to her eye had been busted open. Her arms were covered in contact bruises and ever cuts from the shards of glass from the window. Jin-man struggled to contain the panicked look in his face.

“Are you hurt?” Y/N whispered. He couldn’t believe she was asking him in the moment.

“Are YOU hurt?” He returned the question because frankly it didn’t matter what happened to him.

“No.” She shook her head as she spoke almost dismissing his worry.

“Then why are there bruises all over your face.” He said softly but making sure to add a level of sarcasm. Y/N let out a small laugh in response and Jin-man’s face softened towards her as she looked back into the room towards Ji-an.

“She’s a lot like you y’know. Climbed out a window to survive,” Y/N let out a breathy laugh as she did she turned back to Jin-man who was looking at Ji-an and it was Y/N’s face that softened now, “Doctors said I’d be fine it just hurts like hell, had blood running out of my eye so it will stay red for a while.”

This comment made Jin-man turn back to Y/N and he properly noticed that the white of the right eye was completely red and the eye around completely yellow and purple bruised. He nodded at her comment and couldn’t settle the guilt, he’d gotten her injured and her brother killed.

“It’s not your fault Jin-man,” she spoke clearing the dead air. Maybe she could tell what he was thinking, he chuckled at that thought. If there was anyone to know what he was thinking it was her no matter how neutral his expression, “Honda would’ve done it all over again to protect that little girl, and so would I.”

Y/N reached up and put his hand on his cheek transferring her warmth to him and his shoulders relaxed for a brief moment.

“I’m going to get more sleep you’ll need to find the nurses and get the forms I can’t fill them out because I’m not family, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Y/N let her hand fall from his face and she walked back into the room. Jin-man just stood there for an extra second to take in the whole situation before he walked towards the nurses desk.

“Excuse me? I’m Jeong Ji-an’s uncle, I got told I needed to fill out some forms?” He said quietly. The nurses head from behind the desk shot up and she shot him a wide customer service smile even if it was 4 in the morning.

“Ah yes, it does need to be a parent if possible?” The nurse replied.

“Mmm, There was an accident both of her parents are gone. It’s just me actually.” As he spoke the words settled in. Bale had killed his brother, SIL, friend and he knew he’d also killed his mother he just couldn’t prove it. He noticed how the nurses face dropped in horror and she stuttered a reply.

“I’m so sorry sir your girlfriend mentioned an accident but didn’t know the details I’ll grab it now.” The nurse whisked away before Jin-man even understand her comment let alone even correct her. When she came back he decided to just fill it out in the waiting area since he needed the light. As he did he kept thinking about the situation over and over again.

As he slowly got further through the paperwork got to emergency contacts. He wrote down his contact information first and then stared at the piece of paper for a while where it said ‘Emergency Contact 2’ His mind wrestled with the thought for a while before he decided to add Y/N’s name as well. He submitted the papers back to the nurse and made his way out of the hospital towards the convenience store across the road.

When Jin-man finally returned Y/N was still awake but she was sat with her back in the corner her eyes fixated on the door like a security turret she was shrouded in complete darkness and her pistol concealed in a pocket with the silencer pointing with a clear shot of the door. Once Jin-man entered in the room Y/N let herself exit the darkness and the moonlight hit her perfectly. Jin-man nodded towards the door for the pair of them to leave Ji-an to sleep.

They walked in silence towards a table that had a clear view of Ji-ans door and they took seats either side and Jin-man pulled out the convenience store bag of food and Y/N chuckled noticing it was everything she normally picks out.

“So what do we do now?” Y/N sighs after taking a bite of food. Jin-man raised his head from the table to look at her and cocked his head to the side raising an eyebrow.

“We?” Was all he managed to save. She lost her brother and she was still willing to help him.

“Of course. Jin-man we have known each other for years. We help people in need and right now Ji-an needs everyone she can, poor little girl just lost her parents.” Y/N spoke so matter of factly in the moment it was throwing Jin-man off internally but he kept composure.

“Honda…” It seemed like he could only speak in one work sentences.

“Would do the same for you if it was me on the floor that day. We have been through hell and back before Jin-man, you think I care for you so little that I’d abandon you now?” Jin-man had never known loyalty like it, he had never known a person who was able to care so deeply in such a horrific world, with everything she had seen and done.

“First I need to go to Babylon, this stops now.” Jin-man hoped that if he said he’s stop hunting Bale then Babylon would call a ceasefire. Y/N nodded slowly. She started to slowly think about what Jin-man had mentioned to her and Honda a couple of days before. He knew her so well it was like he could see the cogs moving so he cocked an eyebrow at her urging her to speak her mind.

“You mentioned a website?”

And that’s how murthehelp began. Y/N took her and her brothers business online and her and Jin-man moved it out into the countryside along with Ji-an. Now to multitask raising a kid and running a shop for killers.

[useless-catalanfacts]

Gorgonias in the Mediterranean coast of Cap de Creus Natural Park (Comarques Gironines, Catalonia).

“The disappearance of gorgonias can cause a chain reaction that will affect the entire Mediterranean ecosystem” - Janire Salazar, Marine biologist from ICM - CSIC.

Gorgonias are organisms that make up entire underwater forests: areas in which many other species go to shelter, breed and grow. Mediterranean gorgonias currently suffer the daily impact of traditional fishing methods like gillnets. And like in any other forest, if the elements that make it up are not protected, the wildlife that it harbours will disappear. The ResCap project, which is carried out by ICM – CSIC, Fundación Biodiversidad and the fishermen’s associations of Port de la Selva and Cadaqués, aims to protect and recover all deep-sea gorgonias found in the Cap de Creus Natural Park.

Gorgonias are marine organisms which, despite the way they look, are not plants or algae, but animals. They are stationary, live in depths of more than a hundred meters, show very slow growth and take many years to recover. They are vulnerable, but great biodiversity depends on their growth. “Gorgonias are a structural species to the Mediterranean ecosystem, as they favour the growth and survival of multiple species,” says Marina Biel, one of the biologists from CSIC involved in the project.

Biologists, fishermen and agents from the Cap de Creus Natural Park work together to rescue all those gorgonias that have been accidentally trapped in fishing nets. Once recovered, the gorgonias are taken to the lab’s experimental aquariums to be studied and treated before they are freed again. When they are ready to go back to the marine environment, they are affixed to a base made of stone so that its weight will create the so-called “badminton effect” when they are released back into the sea. “The badminton effect ensures that the gorgonia will land on its feet on the seafloor and will therefore be able to feed itself and survive with no problems,” Marina Biel says.

The Pleamar projects bring to the forefront how important it is for biologists and fishermen to work together on the restoration of sea floors and the preservation of an essential species for the Mediterranean ecosystem: gorgonias. “Both parties work towards the same goal: to protect the sea floor and its biodiversity,“ ICM - CSIC biologists Janire Salazar and Marina Biel point out. Salvador Manera, a fisherman from the fishermen’s association of Port de la Selva and driving force of other sustainable projects linked to the Mediterranean, highlights how valuable these synergies will be into the future: “They help to raise awareness and to make us understand that we need to fish in a sustainable way if we want to carry on doing our job.” 

Over the first year of the project (2018), more than 400 gorgonias were released back into the sea, with a survival rate above 90%. All parties involved hope to match or improve these results in 2019, as they also help to raise awareness about these kinds of initiatives. “There is an increasing number of people who are interested in marine conservation projects,” Janire and Marina say, as they insist on the meaning behind these actions: “The actions you take today will be rewarded tomorrow. It’s about giving something in return for the great things that the sea gives us each day.”

Shared from: Pleamar Projects: RESCAP & MITICAP. Institut de Ciències del Mar through Estrella Damm.

[kp777]

By Miles Parks

NPR

June 7, 2023

Why are Republicans abandoning one of the best tools the government has to catch voter fraud? That simple question is the focus of a new NPR investigation, published Sunday.

The tool is the Electronic Registration Information Center, better known as ERIC. It was created almost a decade ago as a way for states to share government data, in an effort to keep their voter rolls up to date. It allows election officials better insight into when their voters move and die and the rare times when they vote twice in different states, which is illegal.

"The little secret is that maybe more than 10 years ago, if somebody voted in Ohio, in Florida, in Arizona and Texas, you would have never known," Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said in an interview with NPR in February. "With ERIC, we can compare our voter rolls to those states."

Eight Republican states have now pulled out of ERIC, including many with voting officials who are on the record as praising the partnership as recently as a few months ago. Ohio pulled out a month after LaRose spoke to NPR.

J. Christian Adams, a conservative elections attorney, has long been a critic of how ERIC operates. But he told NPR: "It's this crazy zeal to get out of ERIC ... that is going to cause voter fraud to flourish."

So what happened? Here are five takeaways from NPR's investigation:

1. A far-right website kicked things off

The story starts in January 2022, when a far-right website called the Gateway Pundit, which has pushed conspiracy theories in the past, began writing about ERIC. Up until then, the partnership was considered a quiet bipartisan success story, with member states that spanned the political spectrum.

NPR's investigations team analyzed hundreds of thousands of social media posts on a handful of social media sites frequented by election deniers. We found the Gateway Pundit's coverage started the far right's fixation on the program:

See Chart.

Roughly a week after the first Gateway Pundit article, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, a Republican, announced his state would become the first to pull out of ERIC, citing "concerns raised by citizens, government watchdog organizations and media reports."

2. Local "election integrity" groups are a political force

NPR found that while Ardoin did not make a big public show out of pulling out of ERIC, he did bring the announcement to maybe the only constituents at that time who would even care: a local group of conservative activists gathered in Houma, La.

The crowd, assembled for an "election integrity town hall," applauded for 15 seconds when Ardoin announced he was pulling the state out of ERIC. The event was publicized less than 24 hours before Ardoin's office released its statement on ERIC.

NPR's investigation also found these sorts of community election integrity groups to be critical in the effort to discredit ERIC across the country.

A group called Protect Your Vote Florida published a page on its website called "How to Influence Florida Legislators to Suspend Contract with ERIC!"

"The STRATEGY is to run a campaign directed at key Florida legislators," the group wrote in the post, which included a list of the state's lawmakers and contact information. "Hand delivered letters, emails, phone calls, and social media activity will all be utilized to maximize impact."

Emails acquired by NPR through public records requests showed election officials began to field questions from voters and state lawmakers shortly after these calls went out.

3. A Trump ally has coordinated an election denial machine

Cleta Mitchell is known by many for working with former President Donald Trump to try to overturn the 2020 election. The attorney was on the infamous call where Trump asked Georgia election officials to "find votes."

In the time since, she's been building an election denial infrastructure.

Her podcast, "Who's Counting," has become a central hub for stolen election narratives, and she's also started a coalition of grassroots groups across the country called the Election Integrity Network.

NPR's investigation found Mitchell to be a ringleader of sorts for the effort to dismantle ERIC.

She even hosted a secret ERIC summit with red state lawmakers last summer, according to documents shared with NPR by a nonprofit watchdog group called Documented.

Secretaries of state from the first five states to withdraw from ERIC attended the event, according to one attendee.

See chart.

4. Republican primaries are a driving force behind the ERIC exodus

In Louisiana, when Ardoin made the decision to leave ERIC, he was gearing up to run for reelection in a state Trump won by almost 20 percentage points. He was facing numerous challenges on his right. And ERIC was becoming a priority for Republican voters.

"We started hearing it on the campaign trail," added Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen in an interview with NPR.

Allen ran for his office last year, and shortly after the Gateway Pundit published its first article, he made a campaign promise to pull out of ERIC if he won. This January, he followed through, and Alabama became the second state to withdraw.

Secretaries of state in Missouri, West Virginia and Ohio — all states that have pulled out — have announced campaigns for higher office next year, or are expected to run.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis appointed Cord Byrd as his secretary of state last year, and the state's stance on ERIC shifted almost immediately.

NPR's investigation found that before he was secretary, Byrd regularly joined election integrity calls hosted by Mitchell.

5. ERIC withdrawals will make for "dirtier voter rolls" and an emboldened far right

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, put it simply in an interview with NPR: The states that have left ERIC "indirectly said, 'We're going to have dirtier voter rolls.' "

Brianna Lennon, a Democrat who oversees voting in Boone County, Mo., told NPR that will surely be the case in her county.

Before Missouri joined ERIC, the elections office relied on returned mail to find out if a voter moved to another state.

"That's what we'll have to go back to using," she said.

Election experts say less accurate voter rolls have a direct impact on voters, from longer lines at precincts to mail ballots and information getting sent to the wrong places.

Lennon told NPR she's worried about what the ERIC saga means for the 2024 election cycle. She had gotten a sense recently that community election integrity groups were gaining more traction in her state, but she says the secretary of state's decision was the first major policy decision she's seen that lined up so directly with their goals.

"I'm sure there are going to be ripples that come from this particular move and I'm not exactly sure what the end will be," she said. "I don't think this is an isolated thing."

Read or listen to the full investigation here.

[softcells]

Look. Just admit you're anti kink and fucking go. That's all your argument is. You're just pulling the "Oh think of the children" like conservatives do but using progressive language to hide it. You know damn well you don't actually care; you've just found an easy way to hide you being anti kink by coating it in feminist, progressive language

I helped run a monthly public kink demonstration with open play at a local bar for half a year. I am a regular member of an invite only pop up play dungeon, regularly attend the public dungeons, and have been invited into the private homes and parties of dommes who appear on the covers of magazines. I am in talks with the leader of the pop up group about using my perspective to teach classes about consent and acutally, edgeplay, the by in large topic of my post. I am not anti kink. I have a permanent mark on my ass from heavy impact play, and have been suspended. We own a strip of leather with a channel full of bird shot and Ive been wrapped by acrylic cans. I have discussed at length on this blog cnc and other forms of edgeplay and my understanding of safe kink in the past.

I was also groomed when I was 16 by adults who exploited my young interest in sadomasochism to get pictures of my pussy. Instead of excluding me from adult spaces, they encouraged me to identify with age play and pet play and use my naievitity to make a victim of me. When I was 18, I by my own will at the time considering kink to be a huge part of who I was, went to a munch. A 30 year old man propositioned me for play and sex even after I said "it's a school night". I did not realize that night why I deleted my Fetlife and felt so wrong, but it continued to haunt me for months later that Id felt so uncomfortable and the fact I was in highschool didnt perturb him. I am so greatful for my younger self, because I realized over the next few months that I couldnt jack off without tying myself off and Id never even had my first kiss. I did not return to kink for 3 years.

In that time I did exactly what I said in my post. I had shitty hook up sex with girls out of my league, gave bad blow jobs, went on cheesy dates at parks in midnight, showed off my dagger to a punk masc in the trunk of my moms tahoe 50 miles from home and went home at 7am. I had my first kiss, I realized I wanted flowers not just subjugation, and I realized when girls told me they wanted to date me for the first time ever- people loved me. I didnt jack off with rope for years. Until I was sure that I actually liked it, not just my groomers.

I realized I hate age play, its unsafe and gross. Its often used for exactly that, to groom young women, like I was. I cant get my pictures of my pussy back. I realized I love gay leather and it makes me feel masc in a way not a lot of things do. I found at the end of it all, restraint still turned me on, but this time I was gonna be safe. The first time I went back to the dungeon in 3 years was to a rope class. I wanted to learn shibari so I wouldn't hurt myself.

I dont always advertise all this, but I also have no shame admitting it, because I was the person I was referring too. I didn't take it too far, and allow my entire sexual life to be dominated by racism, rape culture, and pedophilia. I actually realized all the ways I had had my sexual freedom ripped from me. Kink is actually a massive part of my life, and I will always advocate for safe, healthy, responsible, and ethical kink. I will not be called a puritan or a reactionary for protecting what I love from a complete disregard for everything moral, and I will never EVER stop advocating for young people to come into their own not with the expectation that to be attractive is to take or to be taken from, but to give and receive equally, which youll find good kink is just this. Its not having a public ask blog at 19 asking strangers to send you death threats. Thats not kink its self harm.

[whatlovelybones-if]

I absolutely adore Salem and if you don't mind and if it's not spoilers, I have some questions. How did Salem and Mc meet and how old was the Mc when they first met Salem?

i’m just throwing crumbs from the actual book at y’all atp smh not that i’m complaining under the cut in case y’all wanna avoid spoilers

a kitten jumps over the fence with a speed so fast that it seemed like a black blur to the passersby. she runs on her little feet, scratches adorning her belly and paws and black fur slightly matted with blood. she couldn’t be more than a month old and looks extra small with ribs sticking out and her big green eyes staying on alert.

two dogs sprint after her, strays with large muzzles and jaws which could break her ribs in pieces if they ever bite down on her small body. the cat knows that turning around or stopping will not end well for her. so she runs. she runs with swift feet and a rapidly beating heart.

she would outrun them today, tomorrow, and however many times she has to. this is the price she has to pay for living in a dog-eats-dog kind of world. to survive, you must run. especially with her size, she was never going to soundly defeat those two dogs.

she knew she had made a mistake as soon as she entered the uncharted territory behind the diner. what was even more stupid was that she decided to dig through the large trashcan anyway, searching for any scraps thrown out by the diner.

it was the smaller dog which noticed her first, immediately growling and giving away his position. the sheer timing of that was the only reason why the cat managed to get out of the way when the other dog pounced on her. to her tiny frame, they were titans armed with big, sharp teeth and aggression. and she was nothing but someone trying to live another day.

the little cat did not go without a fight though. she jumped on the larger dog, scratching one of his eyes and leaving him to whimper in pain. the other dog backs away for a second, before gearing up to strike her. she uses the injured dog as a leverage to jump and leave a deep gash on the smaller one.

he yowls and smacks her away with his sharp claw, causing deep gashes on her belly. she shakes her body, trying to get rid of the sudden dizziness and pain which assaulted her at the impact. when she senses one of the dogs leaning in to smell her, she hisses ferociously with an anger of a lioness and lands another swipe of her claws.

she wasted no time in just running with no destination in mind. the little cat didn’t care where she was going, she just wanted to be rid of her two aggressive pursuers who were still on her tail.

this was when she noticed a manor in the distance, looming like a menacing shadow over its premise. she also saw someone coming out of there, walking to a car parked nearby. the little cat didn’t think any further as she darted towards them, slowing herself down to a pace.

the person stops in their track and tilts their head in interest as she walks closer, meowing and making sure to show off the slight limp in her leg. they frown and immediately crouch down, taking off their gloves to reach their hand forward so she could sniff them and get familiar. the little cat contemplates what to do just for a while before she comes closer and runs her head against their hand after sniffing.

she couldn’t understand it herself but the person exuded a protective and warm aura, despite the coldness of their hands. they coo at her as she gets more confident and rubs herself all over their white coat, purring like an engine going haywire.

“are you hurt, you sweet little thing?” they ask in a fond but worried voice, fingers scratching near her tail in a way which makes her lift her lower half up. she all but meows repeatedly in confirmation.

that is all it takes for the person to gently scoop her up in their arms while taking care not to hurt her. the kitten purrs even louder—feeling comfortable and loved like this was a new but welcomed feeling.

“it’s alright, darling,” the person coos in a reassuring voice, softly scratching behind her ear. “we’ll get you all patched up, okay?”

the kitten meows and paws at their arms, as if making tiny biscuits and it brings a genuinely amused laugh out of them. it abruptly stops when she notices, at the same time as them, the two dogs prowling and watching from a distance. they seem to hesitate, as if something was holding them back. but her nose had always been good, and she could detect exactly what they smelled of.

fear. the most primal kind. fear of what exactly, she couldn’t tell, but it wafted off of them like rotten fish. the mere whiff of it raised her hackles and she hisses at them, this time even fiercer than before.

“i think what she is trying to say here is that you should leave,” the person’s voice was colder enough to freeze hell over. “now.”

“i’m guessing they’re the ones who did this to you,” the person says, examining her and looking over the fresh wounds. “you’re a brave little girl though, aren’t you?”

the pair didn’t need to be told twice as they yelped and ran, tails between their legs in the opposite direction.

the kitten meows and nestles into them further, enjoying their embrace.

“how about a name, hmm?” they scratch her chin fondly. “what about salem? fits you quite well, doesn’t it?”

the kitten, now named salem, purrs in approval. the person chuckles, holding her close and pressing a kiss on her head. salem meows and paws at the collar of their coat playfully.

“looks like we’re gonna have lots of adventures together, little salem.”

[bengiyo]

Be My Favorite Ep 11 Stray Thoughts

Last week, we all fell into intense brain rot over the ace!Kawi discourse, and did not appreciate Aou in those shorts enough or the fact that Max FUCKS. We suspect that Pisaeng may or may not have time traveled. Kawi is dealing with some of his own intimacy issues. It feels like they had their first time at the end of the episode. Also, Pear is not happy with her mom for abandoning them, Pisaeng’s mom pulled a complete reversal to support him, and Kawi reflected on his dad urging him to live his life for himself.

It’s like they knew I still was skeptical of Pisaeng’s mom, Daow, so they have her working out her issues with Pear’s dad, Phong.

I’m glad that Pear found a way to give herself peace about her mom.

I like Pear reading a poem over these scenes. The bed kissing was pretty decent.

Okay, the morning after scene was really sweet. I liked that.

I’m not sure how I feel about the flashback to a conversation we weren’t part off with the magic guy. I don’t mind the show laying out its core thesis about being present in your life and focusing on the things you can control explicitly for the audience, but it felt a bit weird. I feel like I need to brace for high-impact drama now.

Everyone has graduated, but what did Not do after getting wrecked so hard?

Domestic montages, my beloved.

I’m encouraged that these two stayed together for years, and maintained friendships with the characters we liked.

Sponge baths, my beloathed.

This timeline is too enjoyable, and Kawi doesn’t seem to have a job. They’re going to take this timeline from us. What happened to Kawi’s music aspirations?

Oh, never mind. Seems like Kawi is still involved in music.

Is Kawi about to get sick and die and then force Pisaeng to travel back to the past (Samurai Jack)?

Okay, but this actually just got super heavy. This show has not been soft about its support for gay political issues, and medical care is one of the big concerns queer people face without family and domestic protections. Some of my actual work is helping couples circumvent these blocks.

I am genuinely invested in this terminal medical condition plotline.

Oh ho! So he does go back to the past (Samurai Jack) and now we return to the day of the amusement park, now with double the time travel shenanigans!

Okay, high-key I love this. I haven’t been this stressed by the thematic implications within a BL in a really long time. We had the magic man imply that we can’t alter our destinies, but we can fix our mistakes. Kawi wasn’t destined to win the lottery, and it feels like they’re saying he wasn’t destined to save his dad either. Pisaeng is convinced that he is the reason that Kawi got sick and is facing death in the future even a Max insists that it couldn’t be his fault. Now he’s gone back to the past and altered the happy timeline we saw completely. Now he and Kawi will both face each other as time travelers trying to fix what they believe to be their mistakes in the finale. I’m so excited because we all felt that they went into that bed scene without clearing something, and now we have to face it.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

If y'all don't stop tagging me in "list your favorite ________" challenges, I swear.....(kidding)

You know I'm indecisive and that the second I'm asked questions like this everything I have ever known or loved just falls right out of my head :'(

ANYWAY. I was tagged by @colourme-feral to name 9 favorite TV series. Nine? Not ten? Alright, whatever. Now presenting, in no particular order

wen-kexing-apologist's Top Nine Favorite TV Series

I think, much like last time where I listed my ten favorite characters AND THEN LEFT OUT PIKE MOTHERFUCKING DEXTER LIKE A GODDAMN NOOB I can't be certain I am forgetting one that I cherish greatly.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

I'm putting this first because A:TLA was a show I watched live in my youth and I remember running the hating Zuko to loving Zuko gauntlet in real time.

But seriously, you can't give me the single greatest redemption arc written in human history and not expect me to cradle this show close to my chest for the rest of my life.

There are so many shows we grow up with that we remember fondly and that in the grand scheme of things aren't that good, protected by young minds and nostalgia AND THIS ISN'T ONE OF THEM.

Seriously my poor mother has had to listen to hours worth of rambling about the incredibly strong adult themes, three dimensional characters, and conversations around war and the portrayal of no one society as inherently evil from both of her children.

This is my boy and I will love him until the end of time, I'm sorry that I hated you when we first met. In my defense the narrative compelled me to do so.

Sense8

Queer, sex positive, beautifully crafted, orgies as a symbol of human connection, the way the world is so small and that people from all over the world have skills that are valuable, that save lives, that are needed and necessary. Humanity and complexity given to people involved in the drug trade, humanity and complexity given to drug users, humanity and complexity given to gang members, humanity and complexity given to prisoners. Love, loss, tragedy, trauma, trans joy, throuple, couple and whatever the fuck Daniella is doing, one really good weed brownie curing transphobia.

The ending wasn't perfect but that isn't the Wachowski Sister's fault, it was Netflix's fault.

I Told Sunset About You/I Promised You The Moon

This show, especially I Told Sunset About You, may be the single most emotional a show has ever made me. I think I cried four times per episode for ITSAY, the only time I didn't cry four times was Episode 3, where foolishly I made it through 98% of the episode went "this edible ain't shit I don't know why everyone is so emo about Ep 3, it's been the most mild so far" AND THEN FUCKING BAM

Teh with the steel fucking chair!

When I tell you I spent hours, numb, staring up at the ceiling?? It's not an exaggeration.

When I tell you I thought about this scene for more than three and immediately burst into tears??? It's not an exaggeration.

This show altered my brain chemistry, this show altered my DNA, this show was so fucking good and ruined me so thoroughly that I wasn't even able to make my brain come up with things to analyze.

in this show, WHERE THERE IS SO MUCH THERE TO ANALYZE. I am making a friend watch it right now so I'm hoping I will have more to contemplate and talk about as I rewatch it now that the emotional impact has softened.

Moonlight Chicken

Look no further than my Gay Meta Masterpost pinned to my page to understand why I love this show so much. It is gorgeous, it handles the subject of disability well, it's the show that got me to start posting meta and as a result it is the show that got me all the friends I have on tumblr now.

This show is perfect, the acting is spectacular, the inherent queerness that runs through the narrative, THE LIGHTING. Aof knocked it out of the motherfucking park with this one.

The Eclipse

Folks let me tell you what happens when you go from Not Me to The Eclipse...

you fall desperately in love with First Kanaphan Puitrakul and his masterful acting ability. I love this show so much. P'Golf had things to say and she was not afraid to say it. The queer characters got to be complex and messy and wrong sometimes, none of the main characters were morally superior, they all contributed to maintaining the system, they all helped harm other queer people. This show was made with pocket change and a dream and it gave me two of my favorite kisses in BL, one of my favorite stories in BL, and my sweet summer child

my beloved Baby War Criminal who is my favorite character ever in BL. Look at him. He is under so much pressure. GOD I LOVE THIS SHOW. And I love Thua too.

Our Flag Means Death

Setting aside the problematic fans, I watched this show eleven times. It was one of the only shows I'd seen where every couple was queer, I love how gradually the writing team was able to move this show from comedy to something more serious, I love the way Stede returned home only to find that he had been forever changed, I love the way Blackbeard was on his way to grieving and healing with healthy coping mechanisms, and the commentary the show gave on how exposure to toxic masculinity and internalized/externalized homophobia (in the form of Izzy) can alter that course. I love that traditional roles and expectations are subverted in this show. That Pete and Lucius are in love, that Olu gets thrown around by Jim, that the show allows for an older queer person to both realize his sexuality and experience his first queer love.

And also

it introduced me to one of the first nonbinary characters I had seen on screen. Jim Jimenez you can murder me whenever you wish, it would be my absolute honor.

What We Do in The Shadows

For one, it's hilarious

For two, Jackie Daytona exists.

For three

It gave me Guillermo de la Cruz, the sexiest motherfucker alive.

The Owl House

Queer, neurodivergent representation????? In my TV show??????? A main plot point being around the all consuming nature of white supremacy and religious zeal. Hunter? Dear sweet, awkward, traumatized Hunter? RAINE MOTHERFUCKING WHISPERS?!

Listen, I'm a simple bitch, okay? You put an enby in my television and I will be forced to stan.

I mean look at them!

Word of Honor

*points to username*

If I didn't put WoH on here I would have to give up rights to my username.

This is the show that started me on the BL spiral and having read the novel, I have to say that I have never seen a show change a character and expand upon a story as well as Word of Honor has.

The sex appeal, the swagger, and the lowkey unsettling obsession The Scorpion King has in the TV show compared to the book?

Expert execution of fundamentally and fully changing source text. The costumes are gorgeous and the way I was driven to the brink of insanity by how gay this show was despite censorship is truly unmatched. I know censorship can dampen a queer story experience, but damned if i didn't go feral and say "I can't believe they got away with that" at every given opportunity.

And

It gave me my beloved Adult War Criminal, Wen Kexing, who as we all know, has never done anything wrong in his life, ever.

___

Bonus Round:

aka shows that I haven't or that haven't finished yet so I am contractually obligated not to put them on a list.

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

I have two episodes left, it is absolutely killer, and if it continues to be as strong as it is this will be a 10/10 show for me and join the ranks of my favorites. This show is driving me mad with both hands and barriers and I need everyone to know that.

La Pluie

There are three episodes left for this to go wrong which is the only reason why I haven't put it on the list. But similarly to 180 Degrees, if it continues the way it is going now this will be a 10/10 show for me and join the ranks of my favorites. I LOVE what they are doing to subvert the soulmate trope. It is a masterpiece so far and I need more people to be watching this.

Tagging:

@solitaryandwandering, @ranchthoughts, @wanderlust-in-my-soul, @so-much-yet-to-learn, and @neuroticbookworm

Your choice whether to participate or not and apologies if you have already been tagged.

[shiningshenanigans]

Thoughts on Loki S2E3!

Henceforth and forevermore, Loki and Mobius shall be known as “The Wizard Gentleman and His Butler”

This whole episode had such an interesting vibe. I loved the way they utilized the film/storytelling styles of the time period, with all the melodramatic acting and ragtime score. But, it was also just so different, it took me out of the story at times. I really like it when the show feels grand and ethereal and sci-fi-ish. Still feel like we’re missing some of that this season, but the tonal shifts were a cool storytelling tool nonetheless.

We don’t talk about Mobius and Ravonna enough. Their relationship fascinates me. I love how patient he is with her, how much he genuinely wants her back on his side. The parallels between them and Loki/Sylvie seem very intentional this season. (Ps. I may or may not have a theory that they were married on the timeline, and one or both of their nexus events involved Ravonna leaving him for a Kang Variant. Has anyone theorized about this before and I’m just completely late to the game, or…? Guess we’ll find out soon enough?)

I don’t know how much more of Loki and Sylvie fighting I can take. 😭They’re struggling! They need each other! They both think the other doesn’t care about them anymore and they can’t get a moment to talk about it because the universe is melting! Please, Marvel, just LET THEM REST!!! 😭😭😭

All that said, I am SO👏PROUD👏of my girl Sylvie for starting to recognize that her bloodlust is killing her from the inside out. This is exactly the kind of growth I want for her. Her heartbroken expression when she realizes that killing Timely would make her just like He Who Remains, choosing who lives and who dies for the sake of the greater good… *chefs kiss* Sophia Di Martino knocked that WHOLE PERFORMANCE out of the park. 

Also, as much as I want her and Loki to just hug and make up, I do kind of love the fact that he’s giving her the space she needs to come to these conclusions on her own. He’s been where she is (felt what she feels, etc.). He knows that no amount of persuasion on his part is going to get through to her right now, so he’s letting her figure it out while he works behind the scenes to protect her new life. He’ll be there when she’s ready to take those next steps towards reconciliation (and he better have 10,000 snuggly tablecloths ready because sweet girl needs to be cuddled. A LOT).       

Watching Miss Minutes shift from one dated style of animation to another filled my little animator heart with so much glee. And yes, that whole scene of her coming on to Timely was delightfully terrifying. 

Poor Victor Timely did not ask for any of this when he woke up this morning. Give that man a break.

Ravonna is… awful. I’ve always disliked her. But honestly, hearing her monologue about how often she put the TVA before her own happiness, how it stole her humanity from her… I’m kind of invested in her growth now. Like, I’m starting to want redemption for her, too. Huh.    

Literally everyone in this show is on the same side. They’re all just disagreeing about what the proper course of action is. My guy Mobius’s words are really impacting me right now: “We’ve all lost our way… but someone’s got to keep track of the big picture here.” If that doesn’t ring true of our world, then I don’t know what does.

[favcharacterpoll]

ROUND TWO, MATCH EIGHTY-THREE: NORMA VS. USAGI

Norma Khan from Dead End: Paranormal Park faces Usagi Tsukino, aka Sailor Moon, from Sailor Moon

Norma Propaganda

"autism"

"She's also the character to start a revenge plot against the Angels that killed her best friend's dog. In the journey it takes to do this her soul starts to detach from her body at random times, so she ends up becoming a vampire. Also she's Bisexual. She is 100% swagless and her fashion sense sucks but I think that adds to her character."

Usagi Propaganda:

"One of the literal most popular characters of all time, but also in my opinion the best protagonist ever written. Kindhearted and loving, powerful and pacifistic. She feels incredibly human and is universally loved in the fandom and across continents in popular culture."

"Girlie is bordering godhood, a reincarnation of a princess of an old moon kingdom, is the strongest in the universe, other people who are also some of the strongest serve her. Yet she's. Still the same person she was in the beginning. She's silly, and despite her kindness and power, she keeps being incredibly goofy.

And despite it all, she's so cringefail!!! Will cry bc a 5 year old got candy and not her, will call it unfair (and that 5 year old is her daughter from the future. Despite her power, she is incredibly human.

And while she is a stereotypical teen girl, and has her own thing about romance going on, the ultimate focus of her life is being Sailor Moon. It is protection not only of the Earth and the human world, but the universe entirely.

GIF by rainbirdsky

Lastly, I've seen some people mention that Norma is bisexual for their propaganda, but so is Usagi! Yes, she ends up with Mamoru, however throughout the series and the manga she develops numerous crushes on women. Haruka, the character above, is one of the examples. She also very commonly remarks on other women's attractiveness throughout the series.

And while the anime (especially 90s version) hid Usagi's queerness, the original manga shows many instances of her crushing on girls.

Lastly, no matter if you're a die hard Sailor Moon fan or someone who watched Sailor Moon as a kid, her cultural impact is undeniable. Sailor Moon is one of the most iconic, one of the best written, characters ever created. She led to the modern resurgence of currently popular pop culture themes such as first love, personalification of celestial bodies, powerful women in media, fashion trends from the 90s to today. And while several characters had wonderful style, Usagi's was the most influential of them all:

She influenced 90s comeback, high chromatic clothing, preppy style sweaters and crop tops, full pastel, big cropped denim jackets on top of preppier styles, and overall femme styles.

Her influence also shines through fansites that have been running for decades.

That's all that really comes to mind, so vote Sailor Moon RIGHT NOW!!!"

[siremasterlawrence]

Brother Boyfriend Redux Part 3

Fire Within

Cowboy Grayson is currently rolling in his bed lost to time as he smirks falling in to a void of nothingness.He free falls in to darkness in the abyss of it all he can see is four walls of glass coming to a head. He ricochets back and forth shattering one glass after another entering one dimension to the next. In the light of golden yellow protection hover over it descending on to him carrying him to the side.

Spinning through time Richard sees me in the middle of the space floating with such of control. I open his arms outward taking a turn he is wide open with excitement the shattered pieces rain over him.His body hit a hard surface upon impact he woke up sigh a large gasp of breath coming from his mouth.His face full of sut covering him in large dark patches he attempts to crawl to a chair but it’s burning hot.

He can hear the sound of a fire truck loudly emerge through the chaos of the city streets and he smirks. The plan is a go as Master Lawrence his ole God perfect in everywhere has depict to come to fruition.The fire truck stops parking in backyard the teams scream planning out the attack to get the fire to cool off. One of them Fire Fighter Brandon breaks in through the hard cold glass smashing the glass on to Brandon.

The man knelt down removing the building remains off of him kicking things inside he lifts him up in his arms facing the exit he is checking the entire area out for every way available. He races towards the window he leaps in to the air crashing through the window he felt scrapes over his body and he lands in h r backyards and puts him down to due a medical check.

He stops finally come to he stares into the surrounding completely in shock to see his crew completely disappear not even a trace of his team is left and all of it comes to ahead. Brandon’s body feels faint, his head began to spin spiraling, internal fiery super hot heat overtaking him, eyes rolling back up into his eye sockets then his body shuts down.

The hour flies by his eyes pop open in to a whole new world his existence became a non starter he cannot recognize anything in his sight he can feel a shadow overcast him. A man emerges from the back of the room a gigantic empty space fill to the broom with I’ll intention he can sense the pain shoot up from his legs upward to his body.

The man he saved from the eruption of the well to planned fire with television coverage and the sound of sirens causing the citizens to panic on to the streets screaming in a will of dismay and shock. The young man places both of his hands on both of his shoulders holding him down to the ground he struggles hoping he could fight and escape though it a failed effort at best.

The other man he calls Master Lawrence his God with gloved hands out stretching in to the air, he knelt down next to him placing his hand on his chin he swivels his face to look at him. Brandon face becomes on of utter disgust his expression of fear is quite sexy if I mist admit it for the world and I have it I mean have to have him I think pulling him in to a kiss.

“Sorry about all this! I set up a trap.”

“I figured that you bastard.”

“Oh! I like them feisty”

“Do you ? You won’t break me”

“Will see about that fucker”

“Fire Fighter pretty boi”

“Fuck you “

“Fine!”

“Gag him, tie him up and drug him”

“Yes Master”

“As you wish”

“No! Stop Please”

“Zip your pie hole”

“Master will displeased “

“Now open up that smart mouth”

“Mwahahahahaha “

“No! Wait”

“Mmmppphhhfff”

“Exquisite”

“You did well”

“Mmmmm”

“Tend to me now”

“Suck me off”

“Enjoy the show pretty show”

The end

Hello Teacher

Reaching the core of his being, receiving the absolute control mentally, emotionally, and physically ownership of the entire life of his being because now my slave Brandon is all mine.

His younger brother Clark who is a moonlighting professor who is also reporter to Major Company The Daily Planet News Paper a rag that I cannot stand to read happens to pass by hoping tocatch him.

He parks the car happily with a bright smile on his face sitting outside of his my home he settles in turning off the engine, he removes his keys placing them back in to the car as he unlocks the door, and steps out of the car slamming it shut.

He starts to walk up the stairs to the front of the door knocking on the front door it opens up greeting him at the mat is his brother Brandon they hug tight.

Whether he knew I am in the shadows he is aware of my presence as his brother leads him inside waving at me with a signal to get the plan going I race down the staircase to get things rolling.

He smirks with love his left hand crosses it’s fingers cementing his own implosion at the hand of his brother the two stand by the couch when Brandon wraps his hand on his neck.

The super muscular hand slicks into his way tight pants pocket digging in to find the prep needle he yanks off the cap pressing it up in the air and the spurts flew in to the air it is all ready.

He raises it up injecting him with it harshly upon impact the syringe goes in deep sinks very quickly the liquid formula soaks in very deep transforming him from the inside he is re-written.

Clark’s eyes roll back face palming in to the ground automatically he starts to fall in to a state of shock he begins to shake frantically speeding in to the wall he is knocked out cold yet again.

Brandon laughs so hard at his brothers own undoing I join them in the room taking his sly hand in mine with his arms wrapping on to me Brandon kisses me slowly our tongues push past each other.

I snap my finger in the air signaling a heavy change with eerie sea air washing over the room cooling everything follow by the dark window shades blocking the sun causing the room to spin.

The furniture start spring backwards freeing the space entirely for all of us to wonder about, the floor pulls apart beneath us an elevator shaft booms on under us descending through a cave below the base the house.

“Brandon carry him to the medical slab in the middle of the room and don’t ask any questions.”

“Yes Master Lawrence! “

“Sir Yes Sir”

“He is set up”

“Excellent! Perfect boi”

“Kneel in front of me”

“Waist on my hips”

“Grip me tight”

“Inhale my scent “

“Mmmmmm”

“Yes Master”

“Now sleep”

“Aaaahhhhh”

“Priceless”

“On to bigger and better things”

“Electrodes, strap and machine check, and check and check.”

“Initiate the transfer “

“Beginning in five…four…three…two…one”

The end

[endlingmusings]

[ A northern spotted owl in Oregon, photo courtesy of Kyle Sullivan. ]

“In the U.S., where 90% of the population was historically found, the federal government listed northern spotted owls as threatened in 1990. Despite vocal opposition from loggers, lawmakers levied the Endangered Species Act and other legislation to shut down logging in vast tracts of the owls’ remaining habitat, virtually overnight.

But neither Canada nor the province of British Columbia had comparable legislation; despite listing the owls as endangered in 1986, the government allowed old-growth logging to continue apace.

By the early ’90s, the spotted owl population in British Columbia was down to fewer than 100 breeding pairs, a fifth of what the population had been before colonization. The province pulled together a recovery team, and in 1997 it implemented a management plan that, it claimed, had a 60% chance of stabilizing, and possibly improving, the population. Of the more than 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) set aside for owls, some was in existing parks, and in much of the rest, logging was still allowed.

Meanwhile, the owl population in British Columbia continued to spiral to fewer than 30 breeding pairs by 2002, and three years later, to just 22 owls, including 6 breeding pairs.

By 2006, an independent panel of scientists decided captive breeding was necessary, and the province opened a northern spotted owl captive-breeding program, the first of its kind in the world. To date, conservationists have taken a total of 10 owls, as well as a number of eggs, from the wild for captive breeding. Though progress has been slower than hoped, the captive population is now approximately 30 owls.

Joe Foy, a campaigner with the Wilderness Committee who has been working on spotted owl conservation for more than 30 years, says the crux of the problem is that provincial governments gave forestry precedence over wildlife conservation. According to British Columbia’s Forest and Range Practices Act, timber was always the most important value of the forests, allowing provincial regulations to constrain the impact that habitat protection for wildlife could have on timber supply. That, Foy says, is why we “ended up with a broken forest, and this species almost gone.”

Hobart says the decline in owls is symptomatic of wider imbalances in the landscape. The owls are one of the species, he says, “that we consider to be the messengers from the forest, from the water, from the sky.”

Logging is not the only reason northern spotted owls are now a hair’s breadth away from extirpation in British Columbia. Invasive barred owls (Strix varia), which are native to eastern North America but have been moving westward, are also muscling out spotted owls, and more frequent and intense forest fires due to climate change are adding pressure.

But logging was undoubtedly the catalyst for their decline, and the destruction is also impacting other species. Southern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) depend on lichen in old-growth forests for food in the winter. The marbeled murelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), an endangered seabird, needs old-growth trees for nesting — and these are still being cut down. A recent study showed that logging even impacts salmon.

The old trees also store incredible amounts of carbon in their massive trunks and root systems; preserving standing forests is considered one of the cheapest and simplest ways to fight climate change.

- Excerpt from “One left: British Columbia’s last chance on northern spotted owls” by Ruth Kamnitzer.

[monstersandmaw]

So today, I heard a track from Evanescence’s 2003 Album ‘Fallen’, (which was incidentally the first CD I bought with my own pocket money (aged 13) and which I listened to so intensely that I still know every word on the album) and it viscerally brought back my first real OC comfort character.

If you want to meet him, I'll put what I 'know' of him below the cut. It felt like meeting an old friend for the first time in years while I was driving along and thinking about him again today, all the while singing along to the album that inspired him in the first place.

His name is Kian, and he's a soft, shy goth boy in a band...

(Brief mention of car accident as a child and resulting physical disability)

Kinda tall and rather lanky, with long black hair to his waist and the kind of skin that burns at the first hint of sunshine, he's intensely shy and doesn't talk much, even with the people he's very comfortable around.

I didn't know the nuance of it at the time, but I can say now that he's definitely panromantic and demisexual/grey-ace.

He's the main songwriter and guitarist for a rock??/symphonic metal?? band that plays the same kind of music as on the album 'Fallen' (which is how I first imagined him), as well as stuff like Nightwish... His primary instrument is actually keyboard/piano (he could have been a classical concert pianist but he chose the band over that, much to his parents' eternal disappointment...). Sometimes the band has an instrumental section in their sets, with him playing the piano with his back to the audience, and it's become a bit of a trademark in their concerts :). The band is doing really well and becoming pretty popular, and the other members are a short girl with a plus-size figure and long black hair (singer), a 6'3" tanned, muscled, tattooed, smiley blond guy with viking hair and a teddy-bear personality (bass player and backing vocals, dating the girl), and a punk with piercings, tattoos, and spiky hair that changes colour basically every week (drums, gender???).

When Kian was nine years old, he was involved in a car accident and his right leg was crushed by the impact. It wasn't deemed necessary to amputate, but it's left him with a lot of pain in his right leg and he walks with the use of a cane or crutch (depending on the pain) and wears an orthotic brace. He has a wheelchair he uses sometimes, but with constant physio and attentive care, it's not often necessary. He uses it when he needs to though.

Kian is a sweetie who would do anything for the people he loves, but rarely enjoys going out in crowds and prefers to keep to himself or on the edge of social gatherings. He does really enjoy going out and about on his own to places like the park, and sitting on a bench to read in the shade with a coffee or tea. His bandmates are super protective of him because he's so shy (which he can find a bit chafing, but it comes from a good place), and they shield him socially when they do go out to crowded places, making sure he's not overwhelmed. Bass player is Big Protecc Bear with all his friends.

Kian's more of a dog person than a cat person, but he loves animals in general, and he loves it when the singer (I don't have a name for her) brings her dog to his apartment and lets Kian dog-sit when she needs someone to look after her (she's a Tamaskan who absolutely adores Kian, so that works out well for both parties).

He's pretty into social media, but mostly posts artsy shots of sunlight on his piano or his coffee etc., or snippets of stuff he's working on, and he rarely shows his face. He games a lot in his spare time, and though people know he's into online gaming, and which ones, they don't know his name/handle. I like to think that maybe he meets his future SO online and they fall in love without knowing who he is...

If you've played Stardew Valley at all, you'll know why I instantly fell in love with Sebastian - same vibes as Kian in many ways.

So yeah, that's one of my very oldest OCs (one who's human anyway. I've talked about my winged, skull-headed, half-man-half-reptile/gargoyle, temple guardian lad on here before, I'm sure, and he's even older than Kian).

Anyway, I hope you liked meeting him :). This was oddly personal for me, and I've never shared him with anyone before. Thinking about him and listening to 'Fallen' got me some of the toughest of my teenage years, so be kind, and if you think any of the above is silly or whatever, please just move on with your day and don't say anything :3.

I'd love to write something for the band and get to know them all over again now that I'm an adult. Maybe I will one day :)

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Norfolk Southern has agreed to a $600 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit related to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.

The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge.

"If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment," Norfolk Southern said in a statement.

The spill forced hundreds of nearby residents out of their homes and sparked fears, as five tankers carried vinyl chloride, which posed serious health risks, burned, sending a massive plume of black smoke into the sky. Burning vinyl chloride can create dioxins, which are carcinogenic, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Two days after the crash, residents were evacuated over fears the tankers could explode. The evacuation order was lifted on Feb. 9, with the EPA saying the air had returned to normal levels.

Norfolk Southern outlined how the settlement will be split up: $104 million for community assistance, including $25 million for a regional safety center, $21 million for a park, $21 million in direct payments to residents and $9 million to first responders; $4.3 million to improve water infrastructure; $2 million for "community-directed projects"; and a $500,000 grant for economic development.

"The agreement is designed to provide finality and flexibility for settlement class members," the company wrote. "Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment. This could include healthcare needs and medical monitoring, property restoration and diminution, and compensation for any net business loss."

No one was injured in the derailment itself, but residents of the area have complained about a variety of nagging health issues in the months after the crash.

Ashley McCollum, a resident of East Palestine who lived in a hotel for a year after the derailment and chemical leak, told ABC News earlier this year that her family has experienced issues including "rashing, numbness and tingling in your mouth, ear pain, blood in your ears, hair loss."

The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report from its ongoing investigation into the derailment two weeks after the crash, saying surveillance video showed "what appeared to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment." NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy called the derailment "100% preventable," and said it was "no accident."

The plaintiffs in the case released a joint statement saying the settlement "will provide substantial compensation to all affected residents, property owners, employees and businesses residing, owning or otherwise having a legal interest in property, working, owning or operating a business for damages resulting from the derailment and release of chemicals."

"We believe this is a fair, reasonable and adequate result for the community on a number of levels, not the least of which is the speed of the resolution, and the overall amount of the awards residents can expect, which will be significant for those most impacted by the derailment," said Seth A. Katz of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, M. Elizabeth Graham of Grant & Eisenhofer, Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy, and T. Michael Morgan of Morgan & Morgan.

[unabashegirl]

Lycan 7 (HS)

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is forced to return to the town where she was born for extraordinary reasons. Her father is extremely sick and on the verge of passing away. Alsfield has changed and is far from what she remembers and even though she lived in town until her high school graduation she barely recognizes it. The town hides a big secret from a few individuals that live in it including Y/N. The man who maintains the town's secret and protects it is no other than Harry Styles. Things take a sudden twist when they meet. Numerous things will impede Y/N from returning to San Francisco to her somewhat ordinary life, will she be able to abandon the town that she had successfully escaped the first time? What is the big secret that the townspeople are hiding, and what is Y/N's role in it? Who is Harry? Where does he come from? Had she met him before? And what does he want from her?

Author's note: as promised. here is this week's chapter. please let me know what you think! I am so excited for this one! — xx maria 

—all chapters of lycan—

The sun had set by the time Harry drove Y/N back to the hospital. The hospital's exterior was bathed in the soft glow of lamplight, casting long shadows across the parking lot. Y/N's heart felt heavier as the reality of parting set in. She turned to Harry, her eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and uncertainty.

“Thank you for today,” she said, her voice soft yet sincere.

Harry's eyes held a warm sincerity as he met her gaze. “It was my pleasure, Y/N. I'm glad I could show you a bit of the town.”

As they stood by the car, the atmosphere was charged with unspoken emotions. Y/N felt a pull towards Harry that surprised her, leaving her feeling both comforted and vulnerable.

“We'll be meeting again soon enough,” Harry said, his voice carrying a note of assurance. “There's still so much to explore.”

Y/N nodded, her heart fluttering at his words. She felt a sense of loneliness creeping in already, surprised by how much she missed him before he had even left her sight.

“Take care,” Harry added, his eyes holding an unspoken promise.

“You too,” Y/N replied, her voice soft and tinged with a hint of longing.

They exchanged a final, lingering gaze before Y/N turned and walked towards the hospital entrance. The door closed behind her, separating them, and she was left with a strange mix of emotions. She couldn't deny the connection she felt with Harry, and the prospect of seeing him again brought a sense of anticipation she hadn't experienced in a long time.

As Y/N drove away from the hospital, her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion. She had only just met Harry, and yet the impact he had on her felt profound. She wondered if it was the enigmatic air surrounding him or the depth of understanding he seemed to offer that had left such an impression. Her emotions were a puzzle she wasn't sure how to solve.

The drive to the Brown's house was short, and as Y/N pulled into their driveway, she was met with the warm glow of welcoming lights. She was greeted by Mrs. Brown at the door, a warm smile on her face.

“Y/N, dear, we're so glad you could make it!” Mrs. Brown's embrace was reassuring, wrapping Y/N in a sense of belonging she hadn't felt in a while.

Inside, the dinner table was set with care, and the aroma of home-cooked food filled the air. The evening unfolded in a comforting rhythm, laughter and shared stories flowing effortlessly. Y/N and the Browns reminisced about the past, about times when Y/N would turn up on their doorstep after a particularly rough day, seeking refuge from her troubled home life.

“I always felt safe here,” Y/N admitted with a nostalgic smile. “You both were like a second family to me.”

Mr. Brown's eyes twinkled with affection. “You are always welcome here, Y/N. We were happy to provide a safe space for you. 

As the meal continued, Y/N's curiosity about Harry gnawed at her. She decided to take the opportunity to ask Mrs. Brown, who had lived in the town for many years.

“Mrs. Brown, do you know much about Harry?” Y/N inquired, her tone casual but her curiosity genuine.

Mrs. Brown's eyes sparkled, and she leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret. “Harry's a bit of an enigma, isn't he? He's always been that way. Mysterious and charming.”

Y/N nodded, eager to learn more. “Do you know anything about his family?”

Mrs. Brown's smile softened. “Not much, I'm afraid. He keeps his personal life close to his chest. But I've heard whispers about a tragic past.”

The mention of a tragic past only deepened Y/N's curiosity, and she felt a stronger desire to unravel the mysteries surrounding Harry. She turned her attention to Mr. Brown, her gaze thoughtful.

“Mr. Brown, I couldn't help but notice something strange in the woods the first night I arrived,” she began hesitantly.

Mr. Brown's expression turned intrigued. “What did you see?”

Y/N described the eerie creature she had glimpsed, the way its eyes had seemed to glow in the darkness. Mr. Brown's eyes held a mixture of intrigue and something else—a shadow of concern.

“That creature,” he said slowly, “has been rumored to roam those woods for years. It's best to stay away from it.”

Y/N's curiosity was now fully ignited, her determination to uncover the town's secrets growing stronger. The mysteries that surrounded Harry and the creature in the woods were intertwined, leaving her with a sense of purpose she hadn't felt in a long time.

As the evening came to an end and Y/N bid farewell to the Browns, she found herself once again haunted by thoughts of Harry. The connection she felt with him was undeniable, and despite the whirlwind of emotions it brought, she couldn't deny that she was eager to see him again. With the

The soft hum of the car's engine was a steady backdrop to Y/N's thoughts as she drove back to the hotel. The sky was adorned with stars, a blanket of mystery that mirrored the thoughts swirling in her mind. Her fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel as she replayed her conversation with Harry, breaking down each word, each glance they had shared. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she remembered how he had made her feel heard, understood.

The road ahead was illuminated by her headlights, the darkness around her only serving to enhance the glow of her thoughts. There was an unexplainable connection she had felt with Harry, a pull that seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment. She found herself eager to see him again, to delve deeper into the secrets that surrounded both him and the town.

Just as Y/N's thoughts began to drift into the realm of possibility, a car up ahead pulled onto the side of the road, its taillights blinking as if signaling her to follow. Intrigued yet cautious, Y/N slowed down, her curiosity getting the better of her. She pulled up behind the parked car, the woods looming ominously in the background.

Her heart raced as she watched the driver's side door open, and Niall stepped out. He was dressed in his uniform, just as she had seen him earlier. The moonlight cast a pale glow on his features, and for a moment, Y/N wondered if she was witnessing something she wasn't meant to see.

Niall's movements were deliberate as he shed his uniform, revealing bare skin beneath. Y/N's breath caught in her throat as she watched him, her senses heightened by a mixture of intrigue and unease. She could see the chill in the air, the mist that seemed to swirl around him as he stood on the edge of the woods.

With a final glance back at his car, Niall stepped forward, his feet carrying him into the heart of the dark, foreboding woods. Y/N's heart pounded in her chest, torn between the desire to follow and the fear of what she might uncover. The woods seemed to swallow him whole, the shadows enveloping him as he disappeared from view.

For a moment, Y/N sat frozen in her car, her mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts. What was Niall doing in the woods at this hour? Why had he stripped down to his skin? The mysteries of the town were beginning to intertwine with her reality, leaving her with more questions than answers.

Summoning her courage, Y/N opened the car door and stepped out onto the cold pavement. The air was heavy with the weight of the unknown, and yet she couldn't ignore the pull that drew her towards the woods. With each step she took, the darkness seemed to close in around her, the sounds of the night amplified by the stillness.

As she entered the woods, the shadows danced around her, the moonlight filtering through the dense canopy above. The air was cold and crisp, sending shivers down her spine as she ventured deeper. Every rustle of leaves, every whisper of wind seemed to echo with the secrets the woods held.

She followed a faint trail, her senses on high alert, until she reached a small clearing. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw Niall standing there, his bare back illuminated by the moon's glow. The sight was both eerie and mesmerizing, and she couldn't tear her gaze away.

Niall's form was still, as if he were communing with the woods themselves. And then, with a sudden movement, he turned around, his eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, their gazes held, a silent exchange passing between them. There was a depth in Niall's eyes, a hint of knowledge that left Y/N feeling exposed, as if he could see the very depths of her soul.

Just as abruptly, Niall turned away and walked deeper into the woods, disappearing once again. Y/N stood there, a mixture of awe and fear coursing through her veins. The woods seemed to pulse with an ancient energy, a living entity that held both beauty and darkness.

With her heart still racing, Y/N retraced her steps and returned to her car. The drive back to the hotel was filled with a mixture of wonder and trepidation. The encounter with Niall had left her with more questions than answers, and the mysteries of the town seemed to grow ever more intricate.

As she settled into her hotel room, the events of the night played over and over in her mind. The enigma of Harry and the town's secrets were now intertwined with the cryptic figure of Niall and the eerie woods. Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to uncover, more truths waiting to be unveiled.

As sleep eluded her, she stared out of the window, the moonlight casting long shadows across the room. The mysteries whispered to her, tempting her to delve deeper, to unearth the truths that had been hidden for so long. And as she drifted into an uneasy slumber, she knew that her journey was only just beginning...Click below and join our community to continue reading Lycan. Check our different tiers one for $3.00 USD or get access to both series for $5.00 USD.

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