#highly risky trees

[abowlofpetuniasandawhale]

I think the most interesting thing about the watcher situation for me is it doesn’t actually seem all that greedy when I dig into it (disconnected though? Definitely)

It just seems like they are trying to get the job they want making the art they want, which on the surface is to be applauded and I think a lot of people do recognize that.

However, they didn’t have the business acumen to realize 1) that’s just not the kind of content most of their audience is even there for (and no, they’re not obligated to make content tailored to the whims of the audience they have, but i think we can all acknowledge it’s the audience they have built, not random hecklers making demands here) and 2) that is not the business they’ve built thus far. Neither of those things are unchangeable, but that’s the status quo.

They’re a YouTube company that wants to be a TV network. Okay. But that doesn’t happen just by saying “we’re a TV company” any more than you can pick peaches by going up to an apple tree and asking nicely.

Streaming platforms producing their own shows have a huge amount of capital behind them. They can stay afloat for years on a loss while their customer base grows to a (maybe) sustainable amount.

Watcher is trying to replicate the same caliber of content (highly produced unscripted TV) made in the same way (made by full production crews) but without any of the financials that make that business model even potentially successful. There’s and obvious lack of understanding around production scaling, plain and simple.

It just really seems like these people have no real business sense. Something that is absolutely fatal when it’s combined with a gross overestimation of their audience’s willingness to support them in making their dreams happen, rather than a willingness to support them in making enjoyable content.

And that’s what makes me think it’s not greed. There’s so many overly parasocial takes on this about how “Shane would never support this!!!” and so on. I think that absolutely goes both ways here.

I think these three sat down with an absolute unwavering faith that their audience was parasocially invested in them achieving their goals (whatever those goals may be) because it had always shaken out that way, even when it was a risky business decision.

But when those goals and those risky decisions threatened the viability of the creator-audience relationship, the Watcher guys didn’t really notice.

Like it seems obvious to point out “your audience won’t support you if you make moves that guarantee many of them can’t be your audience anymore” as much as “your wife will want to leave you if you cheat on her” is obvious, but I genuinely think these guys were too hubristically high on their own supply to realize just how big of a pivot this actually is until the shit hit the fan

[wntrs0ldier]

An Offer · part 01

pairing: mob!bucky x reader words: 3,4k warnings: language, typical mafia themes, men talking, a/n: english is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes!

next part> | series masterlist

series summary: When your father dies, the only thing you can do for your family and the empire he built, is to marry a powerful man.

chapter sneak peek: At first he looked directly into your eyes, but soon his stare carefully slid lower. The muscles of his face highlighted as he clenched his jaw, something raw appeared in his eyes. You also glanced down at yourself and stumbled at how your body reacted to the cold and the undeniable electricity hanging in the air. It spread only between you and Bucky.

When your father died, you only had time to fit all the stages of grief into one brief episode of momentary shock, then your thoughts revolved solely around the future of the Family. Besides your mother and younger sister, you had to take care of business. And even though you understood the rules of the dark world you grew up in, no one had ever explained to you what decisions you should make to prevent the empire your father had created from crumbling. 

The warm rays of the setting sun were breaking through between the gravestones. You had to admit that the sun made everything a little better. Ironically, everything around you seemed to be coming to life; the greening grass, the budding leaves on the trees, the birds singing somewhere in the background. Even the slight rain didn't seem so bothersome when the sun was warming your skin and there was a crisp spring breeze in the air. 

You couldn’t focus on the ceremony, your thoughts were occupied by something else entirely. You were unable to ignore the fact that, as the minutes passed, your high heels were being swallowed up more and more by the mud. In all this sense of loss, which you had never experienced before, you felt sorry for a pair of shoes, even though you had hundreds of them. So instead of letting your emotions take over, you began to list some of the funeral attendees you managed to recognise.

You spotted some members of the Rumlow Family. Despite the generally accepted rule of temporary peace and immunity for any funeral, the sight of Rumlow Senior and his son made you a little uncomfortable. You knew that their presence in any other situation would have meant trouble. For as long as you could remember, your Families had lived in discord, and even if there had not yet been a major clash, their company carried the echo of a bomb ticking somewhere nearby.

A few rows away were representatives of the Russian mafia – Melina Vostokova, who stood at the head of the group, and Natasha Romanoff. 

You also saw Tony Stark – the biggest manufacturer of weapons, which your father helped distribute mainly on the black market. Tony himself claimed that he was not a gangster, but the truth was that he took the side that benefited him the most. No wonder he was the richest man in the United States. Or at least as far as you were aware.

Even state attorney Alexander Pierce showed up, which struck you as highly risky and simply stupid, but perhaps it was all about some twisted way of paying respect to a worthy rival. On the other hand – no matter how absurd it was – you wouldn't be surprised if it was John Walker, Pierce's nephew, who persuaded his uncle to attend the funeral. Walker had been looking for an opportunity to approach you for a long time; even now he was staring at you with a strange longing and an inappropriate dreaminess spreading across his face. You felt your skin itch as he stared at you like that, so you decided to look away in case John got the idea to take the initiative.

As discreetly as before, you looked a little further away. You weren't surprised by the presence of Timothy Barnes, the head of the Barnes Family, which not only lived in peace with yours; there were times when the paths of your Families would cross, so Timothy and your father occasionally visited each other to discuss the best strategy of action together. 

It was the company of his nephew that surprised you. Mainly because the presence of Bucky Barnes was an unusual occurrence – a few years ago he simply disappeared and no one really knew what was going on with him at the time. 

With much longer hair and a broader chest, he looked a little different than when you last saw him. And when you watched him from where you were standing you realised that he was staring at some indefinable point, and the hostility beaming from his eyes made you shudder; even if it wasn't directed at you.

You followed his gaze, wanting to know the poor man who had earned Bucky Barnes' cold, piercing stare, and you met Walker's eyes again. As John looked at you, Bucky observed him intently. 

You stayed close to your mother, but did not directly accompany her when condolences and respects were paid. Right next to you stood Michael – your father's trusted advisor and confidant.

“Look at that... How desperate they are,” he said quietly, leaning towards you. “Waiting to take over everything your father worked for.”

You blinked a few times, suddenly awakened by the interest in the man's words. You were, after all, supposed to somehow take care of all this, and what Michael had said complicated matters a lot. You didn't know how you could not only control the money, the power in the Family, the influence, the connections and the territories, but also keep it from the mentioned takeover. You were getting more and more confused.

“How would they do it..?” you asked hesitantly. 

“By marriage, certainly. Nobody wants a war,” Michael replied. Almost choking, you held your breath, an unpleasant knot, burning with anxiety, was tied in your stomach. “But don't worry about it,” he added calmly. “I'll try to get some suitable offer.”

Nibbling nervously on your lower lip, you glanced at your mother. You wished you had been a little more selfish and a lot more cruel – maybe then you would have focused completely on yourself. “Make sure they'll be safe. Mom and Suzie.”

Michael nodded obediently and walked away, leaving you alone with the impression that he had already begun searching for a candidate. But before that feeling could poison your consciousness completely, your mind picked up someone's presence. So you looked in front of you and, still confused by the subject brought up by Michael, fixed your gaze on Bucky Barnes, as it turned out. You frowned slightly, not quite sure why he was standing before you. In addition, alone; his uncle was talking to your mother.

“I'm sorry about your father,” he spoke, and there was something in his eyes that made you believe his words. 

“Thank you,” you replied quietly, but with proper politeness. For some unknown reason, you wanted to move. Perhaps you intended to shake Bucky's hand, or perhaps you just needed to change position. Whatever that was, you shifted, but one of your shoes refused to come off the ground. “Oh, this fucking mud…” you whimpered in helplessness rather than irritation.

Bucky immediately came to the rescue in this unusually absurd situation; he crouched down, and you felt the fingers of his warm hand wrap around your bare ankle. Aware that you wouldn't be able to free yourself from this ridiculous trap – at least not when your companion was throwing himself at your feet – you had to let Bucky handle it. Losing more control of your own legs, you leaned forward and involuntarily rested your hands on Bucky's shoulders. He didn't react; didn't frown, didn't give you an angry or confused look, didn't comment in any way. And you were really grateful to him for that, because you already had enough embarrassment. Though you couldn't complain about it at the moment – the unsolicited warmth spilling inside your stomach drowned out the rest of the emotions. 

Bucky tightened his grip around your ankle even harder – although you couldn't call the sensation painful or at least uncomfortable – and pulled it upwards in a firm motion, freeing your heel from the muddy ground.

“You alright?” He asked, and you hurriedly nodded in response.

You were too busy setting your foot in some safer place to remember to move away from Bucky. So once he straightened up, your hands were still on his shoulders. But he didn't do anything about it this time either. In the most literal sense, Bucky Barnes let you find support in him. As soon as you realised this, you immediately took your hands away and nervously smoothed your dress, only to have them occupied by something other than Bucky's shoulders.

Bucky clasped his hands together in front of him, wrapping the fingers of one hand around the wrist of the other. You couldn't look him in the eyes any longer; especially as his stare was somehow overwhelming. He nodded as if he were someone at your service, and you – too embarrassed by the event from a moment ago, stunned by the sudden, unexpected contact with Bucky Barnes and simply dazed by the atmosphere of the funeral – timidly followed him with your gaze until he disappeared into the crowd. 

Even though he vanished from your sight, you could still feel his burning touch around your ankle.

It was late. Far too late for any social gatherings, but Michael announced briefly that you were expecting guests. He seemed to be in such a hurry that you didn't want to waste time on getting ready either. You had only had time to comb your hair when a maid sent by Michael peeked into your bedroom. You didn't pay much attention to the fact that you were only wearing a short satin nightgown. All you could think about was Michael's nervousness; you wondered what it could have meant and how bad a situation you were possibly in. 

As you left the bedroom, you wrapped yourself tightly in the robe that was part of the set - just as short and satiny as your pyjamas. Before you had completely made it downstairs, you noticed two men not far from the front door. The prevailing coldness indicated that they had only just entered. You hesitantly stepped down from the last stair and headed forward. Recognising Timothy and Bucky Barnes, you immediately stopped. In your first instinct of learned politeness, you tried to give proper attention to the older one, but you couldn't help the way that every molecule in your body, pushed by natural curiosity, was drawn to Timothy's nephew.

Unlike his uncle, Bucky was not wearing a long coat but a leather jacket. Exposed to the pouring rain outside, it glistened in places. You raised your gaze to look at his damp hair, but before you got there, you noticed that he was watching you too. At first he looked directly into your eyes, but soon his stare carefully slid lower. The muscles of his face highlighted as he clenched his jaw, something raw appeared in his eyes. You also glanced down at yourself and stumbled at how your body reacted to the cold and the undeniable electricity hanging in the air. It spread only between you and Bucky.

“Gentlemen,” Michael said. An obvious tension in his voice reminded you that something was wrong. “Please.” He leaned meaningfully towards the dining room. “Miss Y/N should be here in a moment.”

“She already is,” Timothy shared his observation, a sly smile stretching out his mouth. Michael only then noticed your presence.

A silver tray with a couple bottles of alcohol – the only acceptable treat at this hour and on this occasion - was placed on the long dining table, along with glasses. 

You adjusted your robe precautiously and took a seat, facing your guests. Michael sat right next to you, completing the impression of the formation of two camps separated by a table.

“I'm beginning to hear rumors that Brock Rumlow has made you an offer,” Timothy spoke, the expression on his face indicated that he wasn't surprised in any way.

“An offer..?” You repeated, holding back the urge to give Michael a disapproving look. He should have told you. 

“On your hand in marriage, of course.” 

‘Marriage’ combined with ‘Brock Rumlow’ made a mixture so disturbing and explosive that you felt the blast in your gut. As if someone kicked you in the stomach. You should have guessed what the ‘offer’ meant, on the other hand you hoped Michael would mention it as soon as it came up. But you didn't expect Rumlow to make a move so quickly.

“This worry does not concern you, I am afraid,” Michael claimed.

Timothy leaned back in his chair and looked at the man with a slightly dismissive look. “We had a good relationship. Freddie and I. We advised each other on many occasions so that our decisions wouldn't endanger our Families,” he said. “So yes, this worry does concern us. And I'm curious to see what you decide.”

You glanced surreptitiously at Bucky, as if you needed reassurance that he was still sitting there, but you sensed he was around even without that. He held his eyes on you as you watched him with evident confusion, then reached for one of the bottles standing nearby. He took a quick look at the label, then poured some of the rusty-red liquid into a glass and slid it over to you. Did he think you needed alcohol to process what you were about to hear?

“Brock Rumlow isn’t the worst thing that can happen to her,” Michael said calmly. “You know how powerful the Rumlow Family is. And making peace with such a strong enemy would make our business, as well as yours, easier. I suppose I don't have to explain it to you.”

“Do you think this is what Freddie would want for his daughter?” Timothy asked.

“Freddie got himself killed,” Michael snapped, the atmosphere at the table became even thicker. “And as for his daughter, he didn't prepare her properly. He was a fool if he thought it would never happen.” 

There was silence. You looked down at the glass wrapped tightly by your fingers, and finally decided to raise it to your lips. It wasn't the nasty, bitter taste of the drink that bothered you, but the thought of your future. You were pretty sure that your fate had already been decided. 

“If you make an agreement with Rumlow, sooner or later he will violate, if not break, all its points,” Bucky spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. “He made the offer less than twenty-four hours after the funeral,” he pointed out. “Not to mention he only showed up to steer you towards positive consideration,” he said casually, and you thought that such diplomacy was clashing with his wet leather jacket and stubble. 

“James…” Michael sighed.

It seemed, however, that Bucky was not going to let go. “You know what this deal is about,” he continued with a strange, surprising resolve, as if the matter affected him personally. “Do you honestly believe Brock Rumlow will hold up his part of the deal? Did you forget his relationship with women or are you just going to overlook it?” he sneered. 

“You know surprisingly much about these agreements.” Michael no longer concealed his irritation. 

“I can marry Brock,” you finally spoke up, and this time they all looked at you. Michael was relieved, Timothy concerned in some way, and Bucky appeared to be a little lost since you seemed to ignore everything he just said. “It’s not like I have to live with him. Right..?”

Bucky clenched his jaw and looked angrily at Michael. “You didn’t tell her.”

“I haven't had a chance. You admitted yourself that they were quick to make an offer,” Michael defended himself. Bending under the pressure Bucky was putting on him, Michael looked at you nervously. “Rumlow Senior has the right to claim an heir who will take over both of the Families in the future. In this case… it is possible that you will have to live with Brock after all.”

These words flooded your mind, almost making you dizzy. You grabbed your glass again and poured the rest of the alcohol down your throat to fight the nausea. 

“Well…” Lips pursed, you took a deep breath through your nose. “This complicates things… a little.”

“I will arrange a meeting and everything will be clear,” Michael said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “We are not sure what they think about all this. No matter what is said about Brock,” he glanced at Bucky not accidentally. “we should meet with him.”

“Great,” Bucky snorted. “I’ll be there.”

“Excuse me..?”

“Since our decisions affect our Families…” Bucky recalled his uncle's earlier words. “It’s obvious that Y/N doesn't know enough about arranged marriages, so I’ll be there. As an adviser.” He shrugged. “You are more than happy to team up with the Rumlows, and I will try to cool that enthusiasm.” He tilted his head, smiling insincerely. 

“If that's how you see it, it's more a case for your uncle,” Michael protested.

They both looked at Timothy, and his lips stretched slowly in a mysterious grin.

“I believe Buck can handle it,” he said. 

The meeting was over. You decided to accompany Michael to see the guests off.

Michael walked beside Timothy, who was walking to his car; they were discussing something that didn't exactly reach your ears, but you didn't feel the need to know. You weren't concerned that they were discussing your future - you doubted they felt like it after the conversation at the table.

“Bucky?” You started in a soft tone. Bucky, who had just left your house with the intention of joining Timothy, stopped and looked at you. You walked down a few steps and stood on the stone path, right in front of him.

He swept his gaze over you again, starting from your bare feet, through your exposed legs, to the delicate material of your nightgown. His stare didn't make you sick as the thought of Brock did. 

Bucky took a step towards you, and the scent of fresh laundry, mint and wet forest hit you. You stepped back, so he did it again until you were standing under the canopy that protected you from the rain.

“Do you always have to get some poor girl out of trouble?” You squinted, but couldn't help an amused smile forming on your lips.

“No. Just you.” He shrugged, slipping his hands in the jacket pockets. “I don’t want you to get cold. That’s all.”

“You don’t want me to get cold.” You nodded. “Just like you didn’t want me to drown in the mud. And now you don’t want me to marry Brock,” you pointed out, raising your eyebrows. “Why? Because Michael is right; joining our Families together would be the best option. You don’t want that?”

“The best option?” he repeated. “For everyone except you?”

You smiled softly in response – you didn’t feel like thinking about that again. “So? What’s the reason?”

Bucky looked away for a second, took a deep breath and shook his head. “Maybe my heart is in the right place. Maybe I want to do some good.”

You watched him expectantly, finally raised your eyebrows in theatrical disbelief and both of you laughed briefly. No matter how curious you were about the real reason, you decided not to badger him.

“Hey, what’s the deal with Walker?” Bucky asked playfully, frowning.

“Walker? John Walker..?” You let out a nervous chuckle. “Why?”

“I saw the way he looked at you. You can be sure he’ll make an offer, too.”

You wanted to laugh at his words, but the truth was Bucky could be right. And the thought of that made you more exhausted than you already were. “What about you?” you asked casually. You didn't beg for anything, you didn't offer anything. You were just curious. “You're not part of this?”

For a split second you witnessed him tense up. He clenched his hands, only to relax them immediately afterwards – just like his jaw muscles. You didn't understand the source of this reaction, but you didn't even think about it; it was like a brief flash that you didn't have time to think about properly.

“I may have my heart in the right place, but I'm not a guy you marry,” he said. “Steve is. I can put in a good word for you if you want,” he added jokingly, making you smirk. “Get back inside, Y/N,” Bucky commanded softly as he began to leave, taking a couple steps backwards. 

You rolled your eyes, and he turned his back to you, then got in the car, leaving you with that burning feeling again. This time it wasn't just limited to your ankle, but your whole body.

[kookblurx]

1920 - jjk [ chpt 5. ]

→ SUMMARY: a photo of a beautiful smiling boy; an old tree in your grandparents garden ... and a feeling of sadness. all those things are connected to each other ...

→ GENRE: time travel au; changing fate au; rencarnation au; university au; death; sickness; historical setting; trigger topics; smut; dirty talk; switching between present and the past.

→ chapt. 4 / chapt. 6

→ RATING: 18+ [ I HIGHLY RECOMMEND MINORS DNI with this chapter! ]

→ NOTE: HUGE DISCLAIMER, this story plays in a fantasy setting. the world YN lives in doesnt exist, neither jungkooks. so please dont mention anything just because its not historically correct. this is piece of art. so yes, jungkook wears armor like a knight and no there are no guns in his time period. thanks.

JUNGKOOK MASTERLIST ♡.°₊ˎ PLAYLIST FOR THIS CHAPTER

The Past:

everything was quiet as you closed your eyes, apperantly thats something you need to do, before the reaching the said destination in the past. slowly more and more sounds were travelling to your ear ... but something was strange. i didnt sounded like people running around in a mansion, or villagers on busy streets ... it was loud, there were screams. iron clang into each other, as soon as a hurtful scream reached your ears, you finally opened your eyes. right in front of you was pure horror, a scene you only had seen on the tv screen. you were hidden behind a large rock as you peeked over the edge. there it was, a hundred, no thousand of man running into each other with their swords. many of them were laying on the ground, you couldnt tell if they were dead of unconscious. some of them surely werent breathing anymore.

with terrified eyes you turned around to the fairy "what is this?! i thought you would bring me to the place were that picture was taken!"

"i-i dont know what happened really! maybe this ... place called for you"

"called for me?! im a damn woman on a freaking battlefield, i will get killed within seconds ... or worse" a shudder ran through your body as you remembered all the stories about war in one of your lectures.

"I-Im sorry, i will try to figure out how to bring you back ... just, just stay here" with those words the fairy vanished into thin air. leaving you between dead bodies and fighting man.

the whole situation was terrifying. shaking in fear you leaned against the sone with your back, hoping that no one would find you here. another scream was heard, you could hear how the blood gushed out of his mouth.

"hurry .." your voice was only a whisper as you waited for the fairy to return.

at the same time a familiar voice catched your attention "I got him! without them their front will be weak. we should hurry before they call for back up!"

slowly your head appeared from behind the stone. a few metres away from you was a man, he pulled his sword out of the other man's chest. the sound it made was disgustin. with a smile the man turned to the side so you were able to see his face. in front of you stood jimin, he cleaned his sword on his leg.

"good work jmin"

hooves could be heard on the ground as a horse drew near. heavy boots made the mud on the ground splatter into different directions. the man who just jumped down from his horse was no other than jungkook. same as jimin he wore a heavy armor with an iron plate around his chest. jungkook looked fine, his body was covered in blood but it wasnt his. on his cheek was a deep cut, however he seemed overall fine to you. a relieved sigh escaped your lips as you kept watching them. this must be the "war" jimin spoke about before you were thrown out of Jungkook's bedroom.

"damn fairy ..." you mumbled to yourself. if you were able to stay longer, maybe he would had stayed back.

the two man in front of you kept laughing as they moved the corpses near the stone you were hiding. automatically you held your breath, hoping they wouldnt see you. you were supposed to be somewhere else, it was too risky to reveal yourself now. maybe something like this could change the future into a negative direction.

suddenly the horse got nervous. his hooves scraped on the ground, dugging deep holes into the muddy ground.

"whats wrong buddy?" jimin walked over to the horse. no one was around and he couldnt see anyone.

"maybe hes just hungry, its been a while since we ate something" as usual jungkook was more than optimistic. he also didnt sensed any kind of danger in that moment.

you saw how jimin just shrugged before he got back to moving the dead bodies to the side. you didnt knew why they did that but the nervous horse made you nervous too. something was wrong. an animal would never react this way if there isnt any danger. while the boys were busy you kept looking around. at least someone should keep watch.

"but ... how will i be able to help.." you mumbeled to yourself.

at the same moment the horse let out a loud "scream". with a heavy thud it fell to the ground. an arrow had hitted it right into its left leg. the wound wasnt fatal but enough to made the horse panic. it was squirming on the ground as jimin was quick enough to pull the arrow out of its leg.

"jungkook! we need to go!"

jimin tried to push the horse up again, he was successful but the animal had other plans. as more arrows were raining down it made a break for it. leaving the man behind. jungkook turned his head which made you dissapear behind the stone again.

"well too late i guess" he drew his sword as 5 man approached them. they werent too friendly.

the next thing you heard were sounds of swords getting smashed into each other, mixed with screams. deep inside you prayed that those screams didnt belonged to jimin or jungkook.

"fuck!"

slowly you peaked again. the ground was painted in red, there was so much blood that it moved towards your stone. as you lifted your head a gruesome scene played right in front of you. jimin was bleeding heavily as he held his stomach. one sword in his shaky hand, he was standing in front of something, or rather in front of someone. your fingers dug deep into the mud as you finally moved your head to the body jimin was protecting. at the same time your heart sunk deep into your stomach. on the ground was jungkook, a puddle of blood had formed underneath him. his breathing was faint but still there.

"go and fuck yourself" jimin couldnt do more than only standing his ground.

the man in front of him chuckled. this is it. they will both die here. so many thoughts were running through your head as a second man tackled jimin to the ground. he held his arms as the other guy slowly moved forward to jungkooks body.

"finally, finally we will kill the war hero. his legacy will end here and us ... the Min Clan will rule over this country"

"no! i wont let you assholes kill him!" jimin was still struggling underneath the second soldier.

you could tell by the draining colour of his face that he already lost a lot of blood. the struggling just made it worse. the man in front of jungkook lifted his sword, ready to pierce it right through his heart. jungkook coughed on the ground, eyes still closed.

" .... no ... i cant .. NO!"

new strength went right into your legs as you leaped forward from behind the stone. your shoes sank into the mud as you ran into the direction of jungkook. you nearly stumbled a few times and to your suprise you managed to crash into the soldiers body, making him stumble to the side.

"YN?!" jimin's eyes widen "are yoz stupid?! what are you doing here?! run! hide!"

the moment the man regained balance you immediately kneeled down into the mud, both of your arms wrapped arounds jungkooks body as you pressed him close to you.

"i cant! you wont hurt him!"

both of them man were laughing now as the one came back to you, sword lifted "i wont mind killing you both honey".

you pressed your face against Jungkook's cheek. it didnt mattered if you died here, as long he can survive its fine. but there was still one chance and you decided to take it.

"please ... stop this! bring me ... bring us home! please bring us home and save him!" you shouted at the top of your lung. a warm and cozy light started to surround the both of you.

it was so calming and warm that you closed your eyes. against your chest you could feel jungkook's heartbeat, steady and strong as you succumbed to the darkness.

The Present:

"YN?! YN wake up!" someone shook your body, hard.

a grunt left your lips as you slowy moved your body to the side. something heavy was laying on your arm so you forced your eyes open. right in front of you was jimin, looking terrified.

"jimin...?"

"What .. what the fuck is this YN?! what the fuck.. WHO IS THIS!"

slowly you moved your head to your left side. it was hard to notice something as your eyes needed to adjust to the brightness in the room. jimin kept shaking you as another grunt was heard. this time it wasnt from you. the moment you heard that your body was up and wide awake. finally you manage to see who was right beside you and for a moment you thought you were dreaming.

"tell me this is a fucking sick joke" jimin was still talking with you but you really didnt heard him.

right beside you was jungkook, still bleeding. another jolt went through your body as you pulled your arm out from underneath him. the next thing you did was pushing jimin away from you.

"shut up and help me!"

"W-what?!"

"he is bleeding. stop acting like an idiot. next to the library is a bathroom get the first aid kit from there" you sat right beside jungkook, trying to get the iron plate off of him.

"fine. but you owe me a fucking explanation" mumbling to himself jimin made his way to the bathroom next door.

in the meantime you were able to remove all the armor from his body. kook's white shirt was drenched in blood as you unbuttoned it with shaking hands. you were scared that his wound might be untreatable. taking him to a hospital wasnt an option, you didnt had a drivers license and jimin doesnt seem like he came by car.

your hands were completely covered in blood as you opened the shirt. there was a deep wound in his abdomen but it didnt looked fatal. it was just bleeding a lot. examining the wound further jimin finally came back with the first aid kit.

"so?"

as you tend to his wounds, wrapping bandages around his body, jimin still had a big question mark on his face.

"would you believe me if i tell you that i can travel back in time and .. this is Jeon jungkook?"

"with every other scenario i would say you are freaking crazy but this-" jimin pointed at the bleeding jungkook "this isnt damn normal. so yes, for now i believe you"

a sigh escaped your mouth as you explained the whole situation to jimin. he really believed you, at least for now. after kook was all bandaged up, jimin helped you to get him into your bedroom. the hardest part would be to hide him from your grandparents. before jimin went home he helped you to hide the armor in the back of the basement. no one went there for years so it was well hidden there. the blood on the library floor was something you insisted to clean by yourself. it was your fault in the first place that he got here.

exhausted you finally got into your room around 4am in the morning. to your relief kooks breathing was stable and the wound stopped bleeding. you leaned against the bed with your back thinking about everything that just happened. you saved him but what now?

"we are in big trouble.." from the corner of the room the fairy finally made herself noticable. you had sensed her a while ago.

"i know ..."

"i dont even know how you managed that ... bringing him with you. because this wasnt my doing" with a serious expression the fairy looked over to the bed.

"well ... it is what it is now ... I just dont know what will happen now"

suddenly the fairy looked a little bit cheerful "dont worry, i will go back and check what this ... incident will cause in the past. for now, make sure he will feel better soon. i wont be able to send him back like this"

with those words the fairy vanished again. hopefully nothing bad will happen and hopefully jimin is fine. at least jimin still exist in your time so that must mean he was saved back on the battlefield. maybe the light caused auch a disturbance that he was able to free himself?

your mind was going crazy as you leaned your head back. your whole body was aching from worry. it didnt took you long before you succumbed to the darkness. the last thing you notices was, how something shifted on your bed and how someone placed a hand on the top of your head. it felt soothing, making it easier for you to fall asleep.

Taglist:

@junecat18 @hellbornsworld @stupendouscookiehumanmug

[stephensmithuk]

The Sign of Four: The Strange Story of Jonathan Small (Part One of Two)

I will split this in two parts as I've got a lot to cover here.

CW for discussions of nasty prison conditions.

The depth of the Thames is about 6.5 metres at low tide in Woolwich, near to the Plumstead Marshes as they were then. However, the river has strong currents and very little visibility, so it would be a risky operation even with 2024 diving technology for some rather small objects.

The rupee originally was a silver coin dating back to ancient times in India, becoming something of a standard currency during the Mughal period. The East India Company introduced paper rupees and while there was an attempt by the British to move their territory to the pound sterling, they soon gave up, minting their own rupees with the British monarch's head on. The currency was also non-decimal. India retained the currency post-independence and went decimal as well.

Mangrove trees are very common in equatorial coastline regions - they can remove salt from the water, which would kill many other trees.

Prisoners set to the Andaman Islands penal colony were forced to work nine to ten hours a day to construct the new settlement, while in chains. Cuts from poisonous plants and friction ulcers from the chains would often get infected, resulting in death.

The convict huts on Ross Island were two-storey affairs, with the bottom as a kitchen and took area, the prisoners sleeping on the upper floor. Designed this way as an anti-malaria measure, they however leaked and the prisoners themselves were constantly damp from the rainfall, offering them little protection from the mosquitoes in any event.

Ague is an obsolete term for malaria; adults experience chills and fever in cycles.

The British would conduct experiments with quinine as a malaria treatment by force-feeding it to the prisoners. This caused severe side effects.

The British would make use of locals as warders, who wore sashes and carried canes. I'd imagine they could probably be quite brutal.

Pershoe is a small town on the River Avon near Worcester. It has a railway station with an hourly service to London, taking just under two hours today.

"Chapel-going" in this context means that the people attended a non-conformist church i.e. not one part of the Church of England.

"Taking the Queen's/King's shilling" was a historical term for joining the armed forces - for the army this was officially voluntary, but sailors could be forcibly recruited, being known as "press-ganged" until 1815. You would be given the shilling upon initial enlistment or tricked into taking it via it being slipped into your opaque beer. You would return the shilling on your formal attestation and then receive a bounty which could be pretty substantial in terms of the average wage, although a good amount of that would then be spent on your uniform. Some enlisted, deserted and then reenlisted multiple times to get multiple payments. The practice officially stopped in 1879, but the slang term remains.

The 3rd Buffs refers to the latter 3rd Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment), a militia battalion that existed from 1760 to 1953, although it effectively was finished in 1919. However, in reality, they did not go to India to deal with the rebellion, instead staying in Great Britain to cover for the regular regiments who did.

The British never formally adopted the Prussian "goose step" instead going for the similar, but less high-kicking, slow march.

The musket would possibly have been the muzzle-loaded Enfield P53, a mass-produced weapon developed at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. It was itself was the trigger of the Indian Rebellion in 1857 due to the grease used in the cartridges. They would also be heavily used in the American Civil War on both sides, especially the Confederate one as they smuggled a lot of them, with only the Springfield Model 1861 being more widely used. As a result, they are highly sought after by re-enactors. The British used them until 1867, when they switched to the breech-loading Snider-Enfield, many of the P53s being converted.

The crocodile would likely have been a gharial, which mainly eat fish. Hunting and loss of habitat has reduced their numbers massively, with the species considered "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN.

"Coolie" is a term today considered offensive that was used to describe low-wage Indian or Chinese labourers who were sent around the world, basically to replace emancipated slaves. Indentured labourers, basically - something the US banned (except as a riminal punishment) along with slavery in 1865. In theory they were volunteers on a contract with rights and wages, however abuses were rife. Indentured labour would finally be banned in British colonies in 1917.

Indigo is a natural dark blue dye extracted from plants of the Indigofera genus; India produced a lot of it. Today, the dye (which makes blue jeans blue) is mostly produced synthetically.

I have covered the "Indian Mutiny" as the British called it here in my post on "The Crooked Man".

The Agra Fort dates back to 1530 and at 94 acres, it was pretty huge by any standards. Today, much of it is open to tourists (foreigners pay 650 rupees, Indians 50), although there are parts that remain in use by the Indian Army and are not for public access.

"Rajah" meaning king, referred to the many local Hindu monarchs in the Indian subcontinent; there were also Maharajahs or "great kings", who the British promoted loyal rajahs to the rank of. The Muslim equivalent was Nawab. However, a variety of other terms existed. The East India Company and the Raj that succeeded them used these local rulers to rule about a half their territory and a third of the population indirectly, albeit under quite a bit of influence from colonial officials. These rulers were vassals to the British monarch; they would collect taxes and enforce justice locally, although many of the states were pretty small (a handful of towns in some cases) and so they contracted this out to the British. As long as they remained loyal, they could get away with nearly anything.

562 of these rulers were present at the time of Indian independence in 1947. Effectively abandoned by the British (Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, sending out contradictory messages), nearly all of them were persuaded to accede to the new India, where the nationalists were not keen on them, with promises they could keep their autonomy if they joined, but if not, India would not help them with any rebellions. Hyderabad, the wealthiest of the states, resisted and was annexed by force. The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir joined India in exchange for support against invading Pakistani forces, resulting in a war. A ceasefire agreement was reached at the beginning of 1949, with India controlling about two-thirds of the territory; the ceasefire line, with minor adjustments after two further wars in 1965 and 1971, would become known as the Line of Control, a dotted line on the map that is the de facto border and one of the tensest disputed frontiers on the planet.

India and Pakistan initially allowed the princely rulers to retain their autonomy, but this ended in 1956. In 1971 and 1972 respectively, their remaining powers and government funding were abolished.

Many of the former rulers ended up in a much humbler position, others retained strong local influence and a lot of wealth. The Nizam of Hyderbad, Mir Osman Ali Khan was allowed to keep his personal wealth and title after the annexation in 1948 - he had been the richest man in the world during his rule and used a 184-carat diamond as a paperweight, at least until he realised its actual value. The current "pretender", Azhmet Jah, has worked as a cameraman and filmmaker in Hollywood, including with Steven Spielberg.

[stoopid-turtle]

made-up mbti types for dd and gg

So the GQ event that dd attended recently (you know, the one with the love hat) was supposedly gonna share his MBTI type with us. I don't think they ever did, probably because dd just didn't do the test thing. I'm not surprised we never got to see his mbti type, but I did have my own guess as to what he'd score, so I figured I'd share here.

(As a note, MBTI is pretty much junk science but it's fun. Just don't take it too seriously. I used to be really into it in a fannish sense and it's the closest I get to woo-stuff. If you don't know what MBTI is, here have fun.)

Cut to the chase: I'd guess dd is ISFP. My reasoning below the cut.

Introvert - The best way I've found to describe the difference is that introverts recharge by being alone. That is, a weekend full of social engagements is something they need some alone-time after. For an extrovert, social events, themselves, recharge them. Being alone is what's exhausting and what they try to avoid.

DD's probably rarely fully alone, given his busy schedule and the life of a celebrity. But introverts have ways to introverting, even among a bunch of people. I think sometimes people conflate "introvert" to mean "shy", but they're not the same. I don't think dd is particularly shy. It's just all about where your energy comes from.

Sensing - This one is about how you process information.

As an illustration, my bff and I were on a road trip once. She's the type who liked to literally pull over a smell the freaking flowers. And she could name every single flower/plant/tree she came across. Her eye for detail and ability to describe things with precision is always boggling to me, because to me, the most I can say is something like "It was sunny and the trees are green". Very vague. All about the overall impression rather than the details.

In MBTI terms, my bff would be Sensing while I'm Intuition (this is the N. Just go with it). Intuition folks are thought of as the big picture, abstract thinkers while Sensing is about the details and about the Facts of the World.

I mentioned before that dd strikes me as a pretty literal thinker, and that type of thinking overlaps with Sensing more than Intuition.

Feeling - People get confused by this one. It's not about whether the person expresses emotions or anything like that. It's about decision-making. When making a choice, does this person weigh the pros and cons? Try to come to a reasonable and sound decision? Or do they go by gut, following their emotions like animes tell them to?

This is hard to assess because we don't know much about how dd goes about making the decisions he makes. We don't know what went into his decision to go into idol training, say, or why he put his hat in the ring for The Untamed.

I'm making a guess that he's more driven by emotion than thinking. This isn't to say he acts blindly without any thought or that he never makes rational decisions, but he weighs his feelings highly. He'll pursue a gay romantic relationship with another celebrity, despite the risks, because he's in love and, you know, he follows his heart. His decision to submit his headshot for The Untamed, especially, strikes me as being Feeling-driven. Given his career at the time, acting in a BL adaptation was off the beaten path and risky. He lost fans because of it.

I think both gg and dd make a feelings-based decision to drop candies for turtles. There's no rational business case to do so. It's simply because they value having a group of fans who recognize them as a couple and they want to keep those fans with them.

Perceiving - This one's about how you plan or organize your time (or don't).

Judgers are the type to have a planner with a set schedule a routine. They have trouble adapting when their schedule gets disrupted. Perceivers are more go with the flow, able to take things as they come. When taking vacays, they would rather not have a packed itinerary bc they want the freedom to go where the moment takes them.

This is also something I don't feel I have a lot of insight on. DD's schedule is heavily managed and heavily packed, and he spends most of his time diligently following along with that schedule. That's part of his job, though. On his own, would he be inclined to keep to a schedule? I kinda don't think so.

I'm just going based on his...um...general chaotic energy. That and his tendency to do his KPI social media posts all at the last minute. Classic Perceiver move.

***

So, ISFP. In truth, each of these traits is a spectrum and people show examples all along the different traits at different times (for instance, dd's decision-making in SDC is typically strategic rather than based on feelings). Most things are based on context. But this feels right to me, overall.

For gg, I haven't watched near as much of him as I have of dd, but a guess would be INFJ.

Feel free to share your own ideas. Or squee about the love hat. Whatever. 🐢🐢🐢

[tau1tvec]

Hello, hope you're doing well!

I don't really know where else to ask this, so sorry if this is annoying. I have seen your beautiful TS3 posts and It's making the craving I've had to play it for months even stronger lol

The problem is, no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to run without major lag/stuttering. I have a fairly decent computer with 16gb of RAM, and have followed all the steps I've seen on forums (Nrass mods and MCcc for cleaning up a save, lazyduchess' smooth patch etc.) and no matter what, it stutters. Sims 3 was my first sims game, so I know the usual amount of lag to have and what it's doing now isn't the usual normal amount; I can tell for some reason it's struggling to run smoothly and at the point it's at it's unplayable :(

Do you have any more tips that I could possibly do to get it to run? I feel so nostalgic for it :'(

Having a good amount of computer memory helps for sure, but the biggest help when it comes to games and smooth performance is your GPU memory, and the type of drive you’ve got the game installed on.

For The Sims 3 I think the minimum spec used to be 2gb, but I like to think these days 4gb-6gb GPU would be a better soft entry for it, esp if you plan to play with all packs, CC, and possibly an HQ mod. For storing the games files, I highly recommend installing it on an SSD ( Solid State Drive ), it’ll load things like objects and textures a lot quicker ( so long as it isn’t CC ), and you’ll get less pop ins, and waiting for stuff to render properly.

Now if you’ve got everything above, and are still getting lag without CC. Make sure the game recognizes your card, if this hasn’t been done the game isn’t properly using it. It would’ve been a step included in that one Steam Community tutorial I linked. The other thing is, esp if you’ve got a more powerful GPU, is to force fps ( frames per second ) to cap at 60 fps. This is so crucial bc The Sims 3 doesn’t have Vsync, it’s old as hell, if you’re running a brand new card, you’ll be pushing astronomical frame rates which is risky, and you’ll need to cap this through your GPU’s settings app, but doing it will save your GPU a lotta stress, and also stabilize The Sims 3’s performance, or any game for that matter.

Now if you’ve got everything above, and are still getting lag with CC. Especially if you’ve got a lot of it, there are ways to mitigate this. Try looking up tutorials on how to merge CC, and then to minimize load times, try using programs like Bulk Rename Utility to remove any spaces and special characters in CC file names. You want less than 100 files in your entire CC/mods folder, merging will help achieve this if you’ve got a lot of CC. I’ve got almost 30gb of CC, and my game takes like a minute and a half to load to menu.

Lastly just be sure your settings are set for your rig specifically, and honestly, even if your PC is powerful, things like high detail trees, and super water isn’t necessary, those settings will look fine ticked down a bit.

[tinkertoysdamn]

WIP Wed Starmora Thanos POV nonsense

Gamora was strong, obedient and highly capable.  For Ronan to have alienated her must have taken an act of supreme idiocy.  Still, Thanos wasn’t worried.  Once Gamora had a taste of the outside world she would come home.  

“She has escaped the Kyln, my Lord.”  Ebony Maw was one of Thanos’s most loyal and obsequious of his Children.  As nominal leader of the Black Order, he had seen and done many distasteful and horrid things.  Even so, he had only earned a fraction of the favor Gamora had with Thanos.     

“Excellent.”  Thanos had seen to her training himself, if Gamora had failed he would have been disappointed.

“She has collected some companions.”  The way Ebony Maw said the term, it sounded like he had discovered some new, poisonous species of bug.   

“Of course.”  Minions were always useful, it was good to have a collection of them on hand.  “When they cease to be useful, she will discard them.”  Thanos was certain of it.  “Who are they?”

Ebony Maw flicked his hand, using his powers to drift a tablet into his open palm.  “Drax the Destroyer,” Ebony Maw recited.

A dangerous and risky choice, getting his cooperation must have required some doing.

“A lab experiment of some sort, a rodent, perhaps?”

A most unusual choice.  “What skills does the rodent possess?” Thanos asked.

Ebony Maw scrolled through the file.  “He has escaped multiple prisons according to the Nova Corps.” 

That made more sense.  Gamora was nothing, if not prudent.  “Who else?”  Thano’s curiosity peaked.

A deep frown crossed Ebony Maw’s face.  “This appears to be a tree.”

What?  “A tree?”

“Yes,” Ebony Maw confirmed.  “A talking tree from a gravely endangered species.”

Thanos chuckled.  “One I will not need to cull then.”  He was nothing if not fair.  “Anyone else?”

“There is one more.”  When Ebony Maw read the name, he paled.  “Oh my.”  He had tried to be quiet to quell his distress and failed.

For someone to elicit that reaction in Ebony Maw must be someone powerful indeed.  “Who is it?”  Thanos had to know.

The sigh was long and deep.  “It’s Peter Quill, sire.  The one who calls himself Star-Lord.” 

The name sounded vaguely familiar.  “And he is?”

“He defeated Korath on Morag but more importantly—”  Ebony Maw steeled himself.  “He is the one who persuaded Supergiant to leave our Black Order.”

Oh.  He was going to be a problem. 

[sleuth-draws]

LOVESICK (part 1) - Wanna Fight, Princess? next >

Though it takes months upon months, Vitani and Kiara become quite close. 

Once the Outlanders had settled in the Pridelands, Vitani had initially been standoffish, preferring to either stick close to her former squadron or patrol the borders of the Pridelands by herself. Loathe as she was to keep away from her brother -- her only family now -- being around the royal family caused her hackles to raise involuntarily. It did nothing to quell King Simba’s leftover anxieties over how trustworthy the daughter of his enemy was but she needed time, they all knew; to spend your life as a pawn to a warmonger, preparing to overthrow a kingdom, and then end up making peace and living in said kingdom is no easy task.

It all changed with the concern of who would fill the position of Lion Guard in Kion's stead. All the creatures of the Pridelands were called to the Rock to seek council and discuss. It was an open forum and anyone was allowed to offer their suggestions. As King Simba would mention in his preamble to the meeting, his father would hold meetings like this so the lower subjects would not feel alienated in his reign.

Like clockwork, they gathered in the center of the plain, the royal family lying upon a flat rock, lions of their court around them, the elephants in the back and allowing smaller creatures to rest upon them, baboons and their babies nestled into trees alongside giraffes. The buffalo rest by the watering hole, the hippos poking their heads over the water’s surface, keeping cool as they listen, and the zebra and antelope graze all the while.

Vitani had never seen so much prey in one place, but contrary to seemingly popular belief, she’s no mongrel. She chose to linger in the back, feeling out of place in the communal crowd and hardly listening to them all babble on and on.

It was only when Kiara spoke up that her attention was caught. "What about Vitani?"

Creatures of all sizes turned towards her. Vitani, startled, bared her teeth out of instinct. "What about me?"

The prey around her trembled at her hostile response, but Kiara was unphased; in fact, she smiled. "Well, I figure if there's anyone who's up to protecting the Pridelands, it'd be you. I always see you out there diligently patrolling the border."

The Pridelanders couldn't help but agree. While initially stubbornly reluctant to fill such a highly spoken-of position, even Vitani had to admit: being the Pridelands' protector gave her something to do that felt satisfyingly familiar. 

King Simba, placing an overwhelming amount of trust in his daughter, gave his blessing in the decision; the job was hers from then on, but she couldn’t do it alone. Her Guard needed the strongest, fastest, bravest, and keenest-of-sight she could find and there was no group better equipped for these positions as her old squadron.

They all took to it quite quickly. It seems they were feeling similarly out of place in the aftermath of the war. Imara, with her newfound strength from her weight gain after finally finding sufficient food, impressed the Pridelanders with her ability to carry so many of them out of harm’s way. Kasi, eager to use her skills from her days as the team’s scout, rivaled Fuli, her predecessor, in her record speeds to relay information between trouble and the Guard. Shabaha found the life of a simple subject to be rather boring and was at last able to achieve the thrills she’d missed from her days in the Outlands. And Tazama, once trained to be an observant lookout, felt satisfaction in her usefulness to the kingdom, in a way that was far less murderous and risky.

They already had the advantage of knowing how to work as a unified team. As the Guard, they prospered far more than before.

And so, slowly, Vitani began to open up more. Protecting the lands put her in everyone's good graces; she was no longer a soldier, but a guardian.

This also meant reporting closely to Kiara. King Simba was emboldened from his daughter’s vouching of Vitani and placed her in charge of the Guard’s operations. The princess, strange creature that she is, seemed more than happy to have a way to keep in contact with Vitani, even to the point of becoming… friends . 

Vitani had always found her to be odd. Pretty. But odd. Before she’d assumed Kiara was a ditz, just a royal with shit for brains who understood nothing of life’s realities and was easy enough to trick into being a cog in her mother’s plan; but when she and Kovu ended the war by force, all her assumptions were dashed instantly.

She leaned into it. Kiara was kind. Though the royal family might have given her the creeps sometimes, Vitani had no reason to think she held any animosity toward her, especially Kovu at her side.

As their relationship slowly transitioned from friendly at work to friends before and after work, it was strangely easy to lie in the sun with her, chat about their days, and even groom one another, just as the other lions do.

Which leads them to now.

As per usual after the day’s work is done, the pair of them are stretched out together on a grassy strip and enjoying the warm sunset. Conversation had metered out into content silent.

Beyond comfortable in the dirt, her arms and paws satisfyingly sore from evening patrol, Vitani can’t help but linger on the fact that she no longer feels the anxiety she used to feel in the Pridelands. Things changed entirely without her even realizing.

Vitani asks, "Hey. Can I ask you something?"

Kiara looks over and gave that bright, playful smile of hers. "You just did."

"Aw, shut up."

Kiara giggles. Vitani can't help but crack her own grin. "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead."

“You remember the council meeting from a couple seasons ago? The one where they were discussing who’d lead the Lion Guard.”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you vouch for me then?”

Surprised for a moment, Kiara quickly sobers and sits up from her supine position. "Oh. Well...I mean, I meant what I said. There's really no one I could think of that'd be better for the job than you."

"But we didn't know each other then. Not like now." The princess has a way with getting people to open up to her.

"True, but Kovu had told me a lot about you."

Kovu. Right. Vitani's throat tightens for a reason unknown to her.

Kiara continues, eyes searching Vitani's, "He's told me about how strong you are and how you took care of him when no one else could. You were at the forefront of Zira's army."

Vitani breaks eye contact to swipe at some pebbles in front of her. "Ain't exactly a good thing, Princess."

"What I mean is, you're experienced in both leading a group and extending that paw of guardianship.”

Vitani grumbles, brushing off the accolade. She shouldn’t have asked. 

Kiara examines her for longer before smiling a tad cheekily. 

“You wanna know something? You act all cool and tough and mysterious, but at this point, I think I've got you pegged, Vitani."

Vitani raises a brow, something of a thrill rolling over the fur on her back. "Oh, you do , do you?"

Kiara leans in, smiling. "Yeah. Despite it all, you're a big softie ."

It's enough to throw Vitani into a fit of laughter. She shoves Kiara's shoulder. "Oh, fuck you!"

Kiara shoves back. "It's true! You're a lion on the outside, but, like, a bunny on the inside!"

"You take that back!" Vitani pounces and Kiara receives her readily. The two wrestle in the dirt, laughing and kicking up grass. Kiara is not the little lioness she was at the time of the war. She's bulked up significantly since then, with her training to ascend to the crown continuing where it had left off. Vitani has to admit; she's rather impressed by her progress. She herself has started to fill out with her newfound and ever-replenishing food source here in the Pridelands, but Kiara was truly something to marvel at in terms of physique goals.

Eventually, Vitani breaks free, panting, "Damn, I guess the termite's been teaching you well!"

Kiara glared playfully. "Oh, none of that was Kovu; my mom taught me those moves!"

"Oh, yeah?" Vitani rolled her shoulders in anticipation and crouched readily, "Well, now I'm interested. Show me some of those moves you learned from your mommy ; I want a good fight outta you, Princess!"

Kiara readies herself, almost perfectly mirroring Vitani. "Bring it on!"

With that, the two leapt at one another.

[ninjacat1515]

My Minecraft AU Info for Illagers

Ravagers are not just beasts of war, they're also raised for meat. Illagers domesticated them from a massive ancestor, and a few still exist today.

Moose, bears, sea monsters, and even dragons are on the grocery lists of Illagers. One, because larger prey means more meat for the tribe, and two, hunting dangerous animals is seen as more brave and a sign of toughness.

Old Illagers that are cast out from their homes due to breaking rules or failing health, often become "man eaters." Humans, while most are armed with weapons, are considerably less risky to target than a 3,500lb tank with massive horns and tusks.

In the case of Matias and his tribe, they've always had a taste for human.

Illagers do grow starchy tubers like potatoes and others, along with nutrient dense dark leafy greens. Getting the most calories out of their gardens is the goal, as when much of your life centers around roaming, magic, or battle you need the right food to fuel you.

They do not need to consume vitamin C as their bodies naturally make it. Their ability to taste sweets is a bit less acute than a human's so their baked goods tend to be spice or savory heavy. They can still enjoy pastries and cakes, but their cravings fall into the salty or savory category more often.

Illager vision is best adapted for lower light conditions, which is why their homes are not as brightly lit. Noses are VERY keen and they can track animals or people from a few miles away. Hearing is stronger but not leagues more.

Skin and bones are denser, and given illagers larger stature they tend to struggle with climbing trees in the freestyle way humans are infamously known for. But they can learn and also use their claws to get into the bark. With varying degrees of success.

Their culture revolves around power and strength, and a sense of entitlement. They're bigger and tougher than humans and Villagers so why not take their Loot and food? Public displays of affection tend to be discouraged and most illagers save such activities for when they're alone together. But some like Matias and Fiadh, do not follow that unspoken rule.

Showing vulnerability is highly looked down on in most tribes. Crying and letting others know you're in agony is a big no. Not only makes one seem weak but letting an enemy like a human know you're really hurting is bad news.

But when it comes to celebrations they party just as hard as humans. Birthdays are generally not a thing after a child grows up. When many are not guaranteed to return from scouting, patrolling, or fighting, birthdays become less important. Illagers tend to live in the moment more than humans as a result, worrying less about their future and focusing on the now.

[whumpdrivethru]

Hello! Can I get a Sam Wilson using his badass parescue skills to patch up Bucky after a mission gone wrong? Thank you!

Heyyy! Thank you for choosing the whump drive-thru! Enjoy!

Stitches for a Deeper Wound

Characters: Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, mentioned Steve Rogers and mentioned original unnamed villain. Characters are property of Marvel and not me; otherwise, I'd be pretty damn rich. Words: 1.2 k

TW: Blood, gunshot wound, death mentions, general angst, stitches, pain

Saying the mission had gone wrong was a gross understatement. 

Sam Wilson was not exactly the most optimistic person around. And with an operation as risky as this one, there were at least a million and one unpleasant outcomes plaguing his thoughts, but none of them could even so much as hold a candle to this.

Aside from the fact that a highly dangerous crime lord who was running illegal experiments on humans and was wanted by every country and their mother had just escaped their clutches and seemingly disappeared into thin air, Bucky was down, and he’d called Sam for help.

He’d called him for help.

Bucky was the very definition of the word stubborn. Requesting assistance had never really been his cup of tea, only something he’d do out of dire necessity, and in better circumstances, help meant backup. And this wasn’t it. He had a nasty habit of toughing out his injuries, but he could mostly handle himself. 

But when Sam heard that horribly ragged breathing, the weak, desperate “Help,” over his communicator, he’d feared that his worst nightmares were coming to life. Bucky may have been a pain, but Sam couldn’t lose him. 

That kind of suffering was one he could only survive once, and even then it left scars that even eons of time could not hope to heal.

Thankfully, Bucky wasn’t too far away, and Sam spotted a dark figure lying by a tree. . .with a pool of crimson around him, his uneven breaths seeming to get shallower by the moment. 

“Bucky!” he whispered curtly, rushing over to his fallen teammate. “Don’t you dare die on me, you bastard,” he snarled, trying to hide the concern in his voice that Bucky easily discerned, flashing him a weak smile on bloodied teeth. 

If he wasn’t grievously injured, Sam would have at least tried to strangle him.

“How’d he do this to you?” he asked. It wasn’t such a common occurrence that someone could beat a supersoldier, and their enemy, while formidable, didn’t possess any superpowers or extremely powerful gadgets. 

“He drugged me. The experiments he’s running, they’re insane,” he rasped out, wincing slightly as his chest rose and fell with his ragged breathing. 

“He shot you, but the bullet went straight through,” Sam attested, reaching into his backpack for anything that could help. There was a gaping hole near Bucky’s heart, but not quite at it, which was good, except the bleeding was crazy, the skin around it red and angry, muscle pierced through and torn. Sam needed to get the wound clean, having to pour some of the faint-scented cologne that he’d brought for no reason as disinfectant and a piece of his already tattered shirt as a rag. 

No matter how badly he wanted to tough it out, Bucky couldn’t hide the sharp hiss that escaped his lips. 

“Hold still,” Sam commanded through gritted teeth, applying pressure on the wound. 

He couldn’t exactly make out what his friend and absolute royal pain was saying because his weak, tormented voice was barely above a whisper, but he knew it was a swear. Definitely meant for him, but he currently didn’t have enough brain power to reply or even be slightly offended.

He pulled out a needle and thread, thanking God a hundred times over that he’d remembered, in the haste they were in, rushing to leave, unsure they’d packed exactly everything.

“What the hell were you thinking, Bucky? Going after this nutcase alone, and you knew full-well how dangerous he was. You should’ve called for backup! Is that so hard to understand?” Sam cried, exasperated, stitching up the other man’s wound. 

“Well, I didn't die. How the hell was I supposed to know he had that stupid drug? And you know I always catch bastards like him. And me getting hurt is a goddamn occupational hazard. I let him think I was dead, anyway. This isn’t the first time I get shot, Wilson. And if I had the necessary materials with me right then, I wouldn’t have even asked you to show up,” he retorted.

Raising an irritated brow at Bucky, Sam continued stitching the wound. “Listen up. You asked for my help, even being the stubborn bastard that you are, you still did. Which means you knew you screwed up. And he got away. All because you wanted to prove something stupid to yourself,” he seethed, eyes now slits and his tone dangerously calm. Oh, he was pissed at Bucky, and he was going to let the idiot know.

“I’m entitled to my own decisions. You’re not my mum, Steve!”

At that, Sam’s eyes went wide, and for a brief moment, guilt flashed across Bucky’s features. He mentally cursed himself for being so impulsive, saying the first thing that came to his mind without thinking. 

“D-don’t call me that,” Sam snapped, finally done with his stitches. 

“I - I’m sorry,” he stated, trying his hardest to sound sincere, to let down the wall of emotionlessness he’d been forcing himself to hold up for years, or whatever it was his therapist said he should do. Sure, Sam’s worrying and mother-henning was irritating on a good day, but he cared, he was Bucky’s best friend, his brother, and he was right. He’d asked him for help, relied on him. This was supposed to be a team effort. But deep down, he really didn’t want Sam to get hurt. It was part of the reason he’d make sure to go after the criminal alone. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Sam’s diamond-hard gaze softened. “It’s alright. Just don’t pull any of that crap again, good? Or I swear, I will give you a reason to be sorry.”

“Deal. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.”

Sam rolled his eyes, but he helped him up, shaking his hand, and then he didn’t even register how or when Bucky had hugged him. It was for an extremely short amount of time, but still, Bucky wasn’t really a hugger, unless you were a stray cat, which he most definitely was not. 

Still, it meant that the ice was melting just a little bit. That their disastrous team-up was finally starting to work out. 

They went back to their current shared residence, a small apartment in a quieter part of the city, so that they could come up with a better plan with more efficient execution. They still weren’t sure exactly where to start, but something told them both that they’d catch this bastard, one way or another.

He gets on your nerves without trying. He finds a way to disagree with everything you say. It feels like you’ve been arguing with him from the beginning of time. But he is your best friend, your brother, your family, the kind that teaches you that blood never mattered in the grand scheme of things, more about a fate you do not choose, simply a circumstance. So you bear whatever it is he does because you know just how far he is willing to go with you, the precarious road he’s willing to tread. You trust him with your life more than you do yourself. And if anything were to happen to him, you’d be truly lost. A friend you live, die and kill for, without hesitation. 

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

This fresh whumpy meal has been prepared by Natalia.

[jones-friend]

I RECENTLY PLAYED TWO MORE GAMES

Clank! Catacombs is a variant of the Clank! games that plays more as a roguelike. This is a combination deckbuilder dungeon crawler. In Clank! Catacombs you draw 5 cards off your deck and must resolve all of them. Blue diamond symbols let you acquire new and better cards. Boots allow you to move about the dungeon. Swords let you fight enemies for one time bonuses. Clank! is a negative resource accumulated on the Clank! board where health is depicted. Whenever a dragon attack is rolled each players Clank! cubes accumulated here are added to a bag and randomly drawn. If your color is drawn you take a damage. Tiles are revealed as players explore the dungeon, your goal is to find an Artifact in the depths and escape the catacombs.

I love this game, especially bc I died and got 0 points. This is a huge risk/reward game with balanced mechanics. The Clank! mechanic works beautifully making more powerful cards more risky as is exploring the dungeon. The marketplace of cards to buy never gets too wonky, there’s a great balance of power. I highly recommend Clank! Catacombs if you want something fresh to bring to your group.

Earth feels a lot like someone played Wingspan and said “why can’t my forest bird be on the last row?” In Earth each player is building an ecosystem of plants and terrain scoring points based on your sprouts, how tall your trees, starting goals, and any other scoring goals you give yourself. Its marketed as a game without downtime, whenever a player takes an action you get to take a smaller version of that action.

I feel like that last bit about being no downtime is a bit overblown, games have been doing that for a while and I don’t feel that point makes Earth stand out (see: Race for the Galaxy, where turn phases are dictated by cards played). This is similar to Wingspan as cards activate depending on the type of turn being taken. So if someone takes the Compost action all your red actions trigger. This is the only real player to player interaction the game has. Cards will not affect or score off of your opponents areas like Wingspan or Flourish. I remember Ark Nova being compared to Terraforming Mars but when I played it the game felt different enough. This is a liiiiittle too close for comfort to Wingspan. The games run very similarly. If Wingspan is dnd 5e this is Pathfinder where you can minmax your board with abilities in different ways instead of being constrained by Wingspan biomes. I do also have a bone to pick about the card design, I feel there’s a lot of visual clutter with sprouts being the only transparent feature, its a little bit symbol hell but not the worst case. Overall this game has good bones, great replayability, there’s depth to the strategy in ways that give it its own personality distinct from games of its type. If you enjoy engine building games this is a great example of one.

[pyonyonmomo]

Keito Hasumi [ as your sibling ] hcs !!

( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ ba-kyun~!

➳The kind of strict brother that everyone is familiar with. When you engage in mischief or was about to, he might be highly critical of you

➳ He wouldn't mind if you casually /informally addressed him since you two are siblings. But if you did it to someone who isn't him, he would immediately correct your speech pattern

➳ Being keito's sibling means you have to watch him bury himself in work and energy drinks on occasion. Whether at school , or at the agency , or at home. You are aware of how much he is overworking himself

“You’re gonna get sick from drinking all that ya’know ?”

“I need these to finish up these documents for—“

“That’s it , I’m calling Eichi or Rei “

↳ When you threaten to call Eichi or Rei to get him to stop what he is doing, he is forcefully compelled to stop since he doesn't want to subject himself to more mocking or conversation with them about the issue at hand. (Your only options if none of them respond are your parents which is very risky but has a high success rate)

➳ Keito is reputed to be highly brilliant, and he would assist you in any way he could if you ever needed help with your studies. Just be aware that when he is teaching, he is very rigorous and likely resembles both of your father

➳ Because he is preoccupied with his idol life and you are preoccupied with your own personal life, having an idol sibling occasionally prevents you from seeing each other. When you two do have a chance to meet, you both engage in a lengthy discussion on how each of you is doing

When Keito feels the closeness of his siblings, he treasures moments like these.

➳ You two are hardly strangers to sibling fights. Since you and keito frequently hold opposing viewpoints, it might occur anyplace. I'm sure that has happened before when his unitmates are present. A sibling argument doesn't always end with an apology because you two sometimes simply go along with it, but if keito were to take it too far, he would really apologize.

➳ You would undoubtedly share many humiliating tales about Keito with his pals. He'd try to get you to stop chatting when he finds you though

“Keito once thought a ghost was coming at him during a trip , he screamed so loud and started reciting Buddhist prayers- only to later find out it was a dead palm tree !”

>> keito somewhere

“ *stops typing* ( why do I feel as if y/n is telling stories about me again… )”

➳ Putting jokes aside, if you ever got into problems, he would come to your rescue right away. Although his scolding might be pretty harsh and occasionally annoy you, it is one of the ways he demonstrates his care for you

He has an unspoken duty to look out for you and protect you since you are his sibling. He makes sure to guide you because he doesn't want you to take the wrong turn and miss the opportunity to see the end of the dark tunnel. where you can feel secure and happy

➳ you would often tease him with his “ba-kyun~!” , he detests you for it. Quite literally

( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ જ⁀➴ ba-kyun~!

[profmusic]

The Tree of Roots (1)

Summary [Raine’s been made deal with unknown entity in order to protect Eda from Emperor’s guards, but caused of their body and mind.]

Raine’s always been on Eda’s side far longer than whatever Emperor’s Coven’s think of. Their love for Eda is preferable with instead of getting of fame from Belos’ false promises, thought of his lies have caused everyone’s happiness faded away in centuries. So it’s enough of his delusional ambitions and thought of idea to resign from his coven, joining Eda in her Owl House to come up with plan to take down his empire and continue with unbreakable magic of love. Unfortunately, the Emperor have his way to gain Owl Lady with his grasps and harshly arrested his former member for their betrayal.

The trouble’s not been stooped there, as he’s planned to execute The Owl Lady with an irreversible petrification spell, and without their instrument to aid with their magic abilities, all they will do is hear her painful scream right on top of their darkened prison. Always thinking of a plan to get her out has proven impossible, and now things will be worse from here on, giving Raine despair day. Not able to protect her and free the Boiling Isles from their tyrannical mastermind stabbing their hopeful hearts, all of their hard work became for nothing. It’s until they hear somewhat childlike laughter from the shadowy, hooded figure, sparkling with stars and small moons. Its magic doesn’t even match any other ones in the Boiling Isles.

Without any traces of knowledge about this mysterious figure, Raine’s instinct is to back away from them with a surprised glare to let it know that they don’t trust this strange creature with unknown magical powers, not even getting into a prison to help its case. It wouldn’t stop its laughter, only telling Raine that they will never tell who or what they are, but they give them an unusual offer by giving them the instant freedom of Eda and stopping Belos in exchange for having the role of becoming like power above all witches, such as one who stands in front of Raine.

It’s pretty sure that it's almost like forcing them to join like their former emperor did... But could Eda survive this upcoming tortuous execution? Reluctantly, they shook each other’s hands, brightening up the body with something that no one could comprehend.

Up to the petrification execution room, where everyone is going to witness the Owl Lady’s fate, Belos secretly tells Eda that he has won one of their "childish" games, letting her know that he will find the replacement for Raine’s spot after the execution. Her wrathful tears fall from her eyes, eager to get out of her chains, and will tear him from limb to limb if he ever tries to make risky moves toward Raine, but he only sees her words as empty threats, as he's proven to be a fact that she’ll only waste her breath on something that couldn’t be possible to upstage his glorious power. His very words were proven wrong as the strange roots grew out from the ground, sprouting the different colored bats from the plants, which caused everyone to look upon this plant magic; even the ones who’d mastered them had never seen this kind of magic before. The Emperor demands an explanation for this sudden intervention in this execution.

Then the eerie music that answered his question slowly came to some cloaked with long cloth wrapped around themselves. That’s the moment when it was uncovered, revealing Raine... no, something about them is quite different, as if they were not the same Eda remembered. Of course she’s relieved to see her beloved partner well and alive, having a nice upgrade and being equally gorgeous, but her heart tells her that something may not be a good sign either. Not even Belos knows what’s going on, but his eyes behind his mask change from confidence to highly feared, as if he learned from ancient history about this kind of power all over Raine, which is bad news for him. With the newfound magic all over their instrument and gloved hands, Raine plays the soft music to cause the field to push Belos away, covering him with glowing bubbles and cosmically powered vines that can prison him for his traitorous acts against the wild witches, well, the whole Boiling Isles. Speaking of wild witches, Eda has been freed from her chains thanks to their own bats chewing them away from her hands as part of this stranger’s deal to rescue her. It went on like a good ending, right? Well, the trouble has just begun.

[random-thought-depository]

Oh, re: Blindsight vampires as beekeepers and how they'd protect their hives: wait a minute, if vampires were around for hundreds of thousands of years and were superintelligent, I could totally see them using selective breeding to create a type of bee tailor-made to their needs! Maybe call it the Renfield bee? Why didn't I see this earlier?

Traits vampires would want in the Renfield bee:

1) The Renfield bee's hives can be kept in hidden or camouflaged locations; underground in a cave or burrow might be ideal, but tree hollows and hollows in rocks might do too. The Renfield bee's foraging behavior might also be optimized to make its hives less conspicuous to humans, e.g. leaving the hives in ones and twos throughout the day instead of in bigger groups, or leaving the hive to forage just before dawn and returning to the hive just after dusk.

2) I've been thinking in terms of how vampires would protect their hives. Silly human, thinking of bees as some kind of helpless "damsel in distress" that would automatically need some big strong mammal to protect them! Bees have spent millions of years protecting their own hives from big animals that seek to plunder them; bees already have a provision for protecting themselves: their sting! All that's really necessary in the Renfield bee is to "amp up" the bee's own defense system and modify it to better suit vampire needs. I'll have to look up what sort of sense of smell bees have to check whether this would work, but I think the ideal traits for the Renfield bee would be A) they become very agitated and aggressive in response to human (or Neanderthal, Denisovan, etc.) scent, but they are calmed by vampire scent, B) they have a very potent and painful sting, more like a bullet ant (I think the ideal would be that they have some kind of venom that's fatal to humans but harmless to vampires, but that would probably be hard to do with just selective breeding, so a combination of A) with a very potent, painful, ideally debilitating sting would do). If the sort of scent system I've described isn't feasible, maybe vampires could come up with some other behavioral, visual, sonic, or scent-based "passcode" to calm the Renfield bee (it would have to be something humans are unlikely to figure out, like a sound humans can't hear or a scent humans can't detect).

Come to think of it, 2) might more-or-less make 1) superfluous. Renfield bee hives wouldn't need to be hidden in the same way Medieval castles didn't need to be hidden: they wouldn't be vulnerable, they'd be formidable anti-human fortresses! The bullet ant is called that because its sting feels like being shot; imagine if the Renfield bee had a sting like that and became highly agitated and aggressive in response to human scent! A single sting would be a significant problem to a group of humans, and humans trying to destroy a Renfield bee hive would face a highly aggressive swarm of thousands of bees, administering stings like that by the hundreds! I think they might not survive the experience! Renfield bee hives might be very dangerous to even approach for humans, creating large zones around themselves that humans would usually be better off avoiding. I guess humans might just set fire to the whole area around the hive and destroy the hive that way or attack it while wearing thickly padded full-body "armor," but just setting the whole area on fire is risky (the fire might spread uncontrollably), and creating firebreaks beforehand or creating and wearing special anti-bee suits (likely to be hot and restrict vision and hearing) is involved and there's the risk that vampires might be lurking in the vicinity.

The Renfield bee might have become the keystone of a wider vampire proto-agricultural system of sorts. Vampires might have done some ecosystem-engineering to encourage the growth of flowers so the Renfield bees produce more honey. But also, if the Renfield bee's instincts could be "tuned" so they were calmed by vampire scent but reacted aggressively to humans and common herbivorous animals, Renfield bee hives might have created exclusion zones where edible plants could thrive in a profusion unlikely to exist elsewhere. Vampires would probably have been much too lazy for true agriculture, but they might have planted edible plants in these exclusion zones and then taken advantage of them. If vampires had a strong sweet tooth, they might have often planted fruit trees and berry bushes near the Renfield bee hives and applied selective breeding to the fruit trees and berry bushes too, creating varieties that produced fruit bigger and sweeter than the ones produced by the ancestral plants.

Renfield bee hives may also have allowed vampires to create a kind of semi-permanent home! A vampire could make a home near the Renfield bee hive, where it would be safe from humans, protected by the Renfield bee's stings! The immediate surroundings of a Renfield bee hive would also be a good site for a hibernation den, for the same reason, especially if the Renfield bees could also be "tuned" to attack animals like wolves and foxes that might eat parts of a hibernating vampire if they found it. Instead of the vampires needing to protect the bees, the bees may have protected the vampires!

It also occurs to me that vampires might be able to weaponize the Renfield bee for hunting, e.g. a vampire group attacking a human homestead might be able to just release a few Renfield bees from some small container, wait a few minutes for the Renfield bees to instinctively sting the humans, then easily kill the debilitated agonized humans.

Swift and Heron certainly don't have a castle like Dracula. But they might have a Renfield bee hive in an area of fertile soil and good water catchment far from any human settlements, surrounded by a fruit tree orchard, in which berry bushes, root vegetables, and other food plants also grow, as well as medicinal plants and flowers. This "garden" might be surrounded by a larger zone where the growth of flowers and edible and medicinal plants is encouraged at a lower intensity. Probably this "homestead" doesn't have a hard boundary, rather the vampire ecosystem engineering just gets less and less intense as you move away from the hive until it gradually fades out. Near the center of the orchard, quite close to the hive, is the den. It is this place that Heron comes to when she is pregnant; here she can complete her pregnancy, give birth, nurse, and be fed in relative safety while the rest of her family hunt. Here, too, her children can be relatively safe until they grow up. It is here that her (fully vampire) children feel safe enough to indulge in the games of hide and seek and pursuit that vampire children love; outside the protection of the Renfield bee hive, they feel less safe, and cling to their mother or whatever other parental figure is available. Possibly Swift's/Heron's family has multiple such hives with associated dens and surrounding orchards, in different parts of their vast hunting territory, moving to a different one when they start to exhaust the local human prey population or it otherwise seems like a good time for a move. When outside these sheltered places, they sleep in more carefully hidden dens. There may also be some Renfield bee hives in their territory which have no associated orchard-garden-den complexes; these are treated as a commons, which any vampire may take advantage of if they appropriately restrain their appetite and leave enough honey for everyone else; rocks and trees near them become "message boards" for vampire script. Of course, these orchard-garden-hive complexes would be very feared and shunned places to humans; there monsters live!

Why isn't the Renfield bee still around? Well, I think one obvious possibility is it became dependent on vampires for its propagation, like bananas are dependent on humans. Maybe it lost the normal bee behaviors for establishing new hives, becoming dependent on vampires for that. When vampires went extinct, the Renfield bee followed. Vampires were really smart for a really long time, they probably did ecosystem engineering, it would make sense for them to have been a keystone species, and for their extinction to have reverberated through the wider ecology!

On that note, I can definitely see the Renfield bee being a keystone species. For instance, it may have delayed the extinction of some Pleistocene predators (besides vampires) that habitually preyed on humans. Instead of developing a mother's wisdom food list that excludes humans, some of these predators may have developed a behavior of sleeping and denning near Renfield bee hives, where they would be protected from human revenge. Of course, as the vampire population declined, the Renfield bees would have declined too, and these other human-eater predators would have been exposed to human revenge and declined as well, which might have caused further effects as they stopped predating on their other prey species. On the other side of that coin, some herbivore species may have developed a behavior of running toward the nearest Renfield bee hive when beset by human hunters (vampires may even have deliberately "tuned" the Renfield bee's instincts to encourage this; prey animals that did this might occasionally become a convenient "delivery" meal for the vampires instead, though obviously they wouldn't want to do that too often, as this hunting strategy would only be possible if this sanctuary-seeking behavior usually saved the animal).

I wonder if old vampire culture had any rituals or traditions acknowledging the Renfield bee's importance to them, like a vampire version of telling the bees?

[tvdoes]

Zonnia Pokedex: Zarunt, Roizaru, and Zaroyal

Zarunt

Silent Pokemon Normal Nidoran♀ + Slakoth

Appearance

Zarunt are small simian Pokemon, measuring only six inches in total height. The Pokemon have a coat of dark brown fur with a pale white underbelly, and paler fur around the eyes and mouth. Both hands and feet have two claws only, and the Pokemon have a curling tail that reaches a foot in length when stretched fully out - though rarely is it seen that way.

The eyes of Zarunt are round with light red eyelids and black dot eyes. Black fur markings form a diagonal cross shape across the Pokemon's small mouth. Its nose is part of its face, with small nostrils between the mouth and eyes. Small white whiskers poke out from the sides of Zarunt's face. From the sides of Zarunt's head, a larger amount of white fur points outwards in the place ears would be. Zarunt have small ear holes on the sides of their head, which are obscured by this fur.

Ecology

Zarunt are arboreal Pokemon, living almost entirely amongst the treetops of the Zonnia Basin. The Pokemon's greatest muscles are in their prehensile tails, which they wrap around tree branches to secure themselves and hang from freely while eating fruit and caught insects. Highly communal, where one Zarunt is seen, many more are sure to be nearby. Despite this, finding the Pokemon is a difficult exercise, due to their proclivity for silence.

Although capable of producing sound, Zarunt rarely do, communicating almost entirely amongst each other through body movement cues and facial expressions. Due to their small size, quick movement, and relatively obscuring colouring - matching tree bark well enough - Zarunt are tricky to find in the wild, for both predators and potential Trainers. While the Pokemon's interest can be lured with offerings of food - fruits for example - the most effective way to encounter this Pokemon in the wild is to flush them out with Pokemon capable of tracking them - those who excel in vision or sense of smell for example.

Being communal, Zarunt live clustered in small areas, meaning large portions of the Zonnia Basin have no presence of this Pokemon at all, and then a small grove of trees may have hundreds about. However often nearby to a community of Zarunt are rampaging Roizaru, or guarding Zaroyal, which makes approach a risky prospect.

The voice of Zarunt is high-pitched, and loud enough to cause a ringing headache. When feeling threatened, a Zarunt may shriek - disorienting those around it. A large number of clustered Zarunt shrieking at once can induce fainting and potentially cause permanent hearing damage.

Field Report

While Zarunt traditionally live in communities restricted to a small number of connected trees, a sizable population live alongside the humans of Matu Village, deep within the Zonnia Basin. A long history of the village has allowed it to blend with neighbouring Pokemon species, with a number of Pokemon either willingly avoiding, or interacting with, the village as per their own interests and desires.

For Zarunt, the trees and rooftops of the village provide excellent connection and foodstuffs for them, allowing the Pokemon to live in large numbers in the boughs above human presence - the actions of humans creating a safe environment for them, and their own silent nature causing little friction between the Zarunt and their neighbours.

Those places deeply tied to singular Pokemon species are often, far and away, the greatest sources of knowledge regarding those species - a description Matu Village rises to with ease. The combined research of the rest of Zonnia regarding the Pokemon of the Zonnia Basin still struggles to compare to the long inherited cultural knowledge of these people, and their understanding of their Pokemon neighbours is without peer. The Zonnia Pokemon Laboratory has worked as best it can alongside those of Matu Village to record what knowledge we can, but the deep connection between the humans of the Zonnia Basin and the Pokemon around them is something that cannot be documented by word or acquired through study.

For those interested in capturing and raising a Zarunt partner, travelling to Matu Village, making your case to its people, and learning from them the ways of Zarunt and its evolutions are without question the best method one can find.

Follow the source link to AO3 to learn about the evolutions of Zarunt: Roizaru and Zaroyal!

[stumpingglenwaverly]

Why You Should Consider Professional Tree Removal Services: Benefits and Cost Analysis

Trees are a beautiful addition to any landscape, providing shade, oxygen, and aesthetic appeal. However, there may come a time when it becomes necessary to remove a tree from your property. This may be due to disease or damage, safety concerns, or simply the need for space.

While some homeowners opt to tackle tree removal as a DIY project, there are several compelling reasons why you should consider professional tree removal services instead. This article will explore the benefits of hiring professionals for tree removal and provide a cost analysis to help you make an informed decision.

Why Tree Removal May Be Necessary

Tree removal may become necessary due to various reasons. One of the primary reasons could be the safety of individuals or property that the tree threatens, such as when it is leaning dangerously. Trees infected or dead trees, especially those near buildings, should also be removed to prevent accidents.

Additionally, trees with extensive root systems can cause damage to driveways, sidewalks, and building foundations. Sometimes, landscaping projects may require removing certain trees for new plantings or structures like patios, sheds, or even swimming pools.

Whatever the reason, tree removal should be done by a professional service to ensure it is done safely and efficiently with minimal impact on surrounding areas.

DIY Tree Removal vs Professional Services: Pros and Cons

Tree removal can be a challenging and risky task. Many homeowners prefer to do it themselves to save on costs, while others rely on professional services. DIY tree removal can be an option if you have the necessary tools and experience in tree cutting and pruning.

However, it can also lead to property damage or personal injury if you need to be more skilled in handling trees properly. On the other hand, hiring professional tree removal services ensures your safety, avoids property damage, and provides efficient and effective tree removal with their expertise and specialised equipment. It is essential to weigh the options before deciding which route to take.

Safety Concerns When Removing Trees

Removing trees can be a hazardous activity that requires expertise and caution. Safety concerns when removing trees include the risk of falling from heights, injuries from malfunctioning equipment, and a tree or its branches falling unexpectedly.

It is important to hire a professional tree removal service that is licensed, insured, and experienced in handling potentially dangerous situations. They will have the necessary equipment and training to safely remove trees without causing harm to people or property around them. Precautions should also be taken, such as establishing a safe work zone, utilising personal protective equipment, and identifying any potential hazards before beginning the job.

Benefits of Hiring Professional Tree Removal Services

Hiring professional tree removal services can be beneficial in several ways. Firstly, tree removal can be dangerous and should only be performed by experienced professionals with the right equipment to ensure safety. Secondly, professional tree removal services can help prevent damage to surrounding property and structures that may occur during DIY attempts at tree removal. Finally, hiring professionals can save time and money in the long run, as they have the expertise to remove trees quickly and efficiently without causing further damage or creating additional work.

Hiring professional tree removal services provides peace of mind and ensures a well-done job.

Expertise and Experience of Professional Arborists

Professional arborists are highly skilled and experienced individuals with extensive knowledge about trees, growth patterns, diseases, and maintenance requirements. With years of hands-on experience in their field, they possess valuable insights into the best tree care and maintenance practices. These experts can provide a wide range of services, such as pruning, trimming, stump removal, tree planting, and fertilisation.

By availing of the expertise of professional arborists, you can ensure that your trees thrive in a healthy and safe environment.

Specialised Equipment for Safe and Efficient Tree Removal

When it comes to tree removal, having the right tools and equipment can make all the difference. Specialised equipment for safe and efficient tree removal can include things like chainsaws, ropes and pulleys, chippers, cranes, and even personal protective gear for the crew.

Chainsaws – Using chainsaws for tree removal is a common practice among professional arborists and those who manage large pieces of land. Chainsaws are versatile power tools that can cut through any type of wood, making them essential equipment for felling trees safely and efficiently. However, it is important to note that using chainsaws requires proper training and safety precautions to avoid accidents and injuries. When operating a chainsaw, one should always wear appropriate protective gear such as gloves, eye protection, and sturdy clothing. In addition, it is recommended to seek professional help if you’re not experienced in tree removal.

Ropes – Using ropes for tree removal is a method that utilises ropes and specialised equipment to carefully and efficiently remove trees. This approach is often preferred when traditional removal methods, such as cutting or using heavy machinery, are not feasible. Arborists can safely guide the tree’s fall direction using ropes and prevent any harm to surrounding structures or flora. Additionally, this method allows for more precise cuts and minimises the risk of damage to the tree trunk during removal. Whether it’s a large tree in an urban area or difficult terrain, using ropes for tree removal can be a safe and effective solution.

Pulleys – When it comes to tree removal, using pulleys can greatly simplify the process and make it more efficient. Pulleys are simple machines that help redirect force and can be used in several ways to assist with lifting and lowering heavy objects. For tree removal, pulleys can be attached to ropes or cables connected to the tree trunk – this allows workers to control the direction of the fall and safely guide the tree away from any obstacles. Additionally, pulley systems can be used to cut trees into smaller pieces for easier transport. With the proper use of pulleys, tree removal becomes safer and easier while minimising damage to surrounding structures and landscaping.

Chippers – Chippers are powerful machines designed to reduce the size of trees and branches. They are commonly used for tree removal as they can quickly and efficiently shred branches and other waste into small pieces which can be easily transported or disposed of. This method of tree removal is also more environmentally friendly than traditional methods, such as burning or hauling away debris. Using chippers for tree removal allows for a cleaner, faster, and safer process than manual methods, making it a preferred choice for many homeowners and professionals alike.

Cranes – Tree removal can be a challenging task, particularly when it comes to handling large or tall trees. This is where the use of cranes for tree removal comes in handy. By using a crane, arborists can safely and efficiently remove trees by lifting sections of the tree and lowering them to the ground. This process ensures that the tree is removed in a controlled manner and reduces the risk of damage to surrounding property or structures. Moreover, cranes allow access to trees that might be difficult to reach otherwise, making the task less labour-intensive and more cost-effective.

Personal Protective Gear – When it comes to tree removal, personal protective gear is essential for staying safe. This gear includes hard hats, gloves, chainsaw chaps, and ear protection. When working with heavy equipment and sharp tools in unpredictable outdoor conditions, accidents can happen quickly and unexpectedly. Personal protective gear can help prevent serious injury or even save your life. So before you start any tree removal project, ensure you have the right gear to stay safe while you work.

Using these tools properly can ensure that the job is completed safely, expedite the process, and minimise damage to surrounding areas. For those in need of tree removal services, it’s important to choose a company that has experience working with specialised equipment and understands the importance of safety protocols.

Proper Disposal of Tree Debris and Waste

Proper disposal of tree debris and waste is important for maintaining a healthy environment. When trees are trimmed or cut down, a large amount of debris often needs to be disposed of safely and responsibly. This includes branches, leaves, stumps, and other wood products.

If not properly disposed of, tree debris can create safety hazards, cause environmental damage, and even lead to legal consequences. Depending on the type and amount of waste generated, there are various ways to dispose of tree debris. Proper disposal methods include mulching, composting, recycling, or using professional disposal services.

Following local guidelines and regulations when disposing of waste material is critical to protect the environment.

Avoiding Damage to Surrounding Property

During tree removal, it is essential to ensure the surrounding property is not damaged. Falling trees and branches can cause extensive harm to nearby buildings or structures, leading to costly repairs or legal issues.

One way to avoid damage is by hiring professionals with adequate experience and equipment to remove the tree safely. Additionally, the experts should thoroughly assess the site before undertaking any tree removal activities. They should also obtain relevant permits and execute proper planning before starting the job to ensure everything is in order. Lastly, protective measures such as shields, ropes, and barriers may be used to prevent flying debris from destroying surrounding property.

Liability Issues Related to DIY Tree Removal

When it comes to tree removal, there are many liability issues that homeowners need to consider before attempting a DIY approach.

One major concern is the potential damage to property or injury to people if the tree falls in an unexpected direction. Additionally, inexperienced individuals using heavy equipment such as chainsaws and wood chippers can be a safety hazard, leading to accidents that result in serious injury or worse. DIY tree removal could also violate local ordinances or regulations regarding protected trees or safety requirements.

For these reasons, it’s often best to hire experienced professionals trained and insured for safe and effective tree removal.

Cost Analysis Comparison: DIY vs Professional Tree Removal Services

Tree removal services can be expensive. While some may choose to take on this task themselves in an effort to save money, it is important to consider the cost analysis comparison between doing it yourself and hiring a professional.

DIY tree removal requires specialised equipment, knowledge of proper techniques for safe removal, and potential liability risks if something goes wrong. Professional tree removal services typically have all the necessary tools and experience to do the job safely and efficiently.

By weighing the costs and potential risks, one can decide whether DIY or professional tree removal services are the better options for their specific situation.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Professional Tree Removal Services

Several factors can affect the cost of professional tree removal services. One of the main factors is the size of the tree, as larger trees require more time, effort, and equipment to remove. The tree’s location and any obstacles in the surrounding area can also impact the cost, as it may be more difficult to access or remove the tree depending on its surroundings. Additionally, the condition of the tree and whether it poses a safety risk can also play a role in determining the cost.

Ultimately, it is important to consult with a professional tree removal service to determine an accurate estimate for removing a tree from your property.

The Importance of Obtaining Multiple Quotes from Different Companies

Obtaining multiple quotes from different tree removal companies is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to compare and contrast the prices offered by each company and make an informed decision based on your budget. Secondly, it allows you to gauge the professionalism and expertise of individual companies before committing to one.

Additionally, by getting multiple quotes, you can avoid overpaying for a service that could be done for a lesser cost without compromising quality. Therefore, taking the time to obtain several quotes can ultimately save you both time and money when it comes to tree removal services.

Insurance Coverage for Potential Property Damage or Personal Injury During Tree Removal

When it comes to tree removal, accidents can happen. Property damage or personal injury is a real concern for the property owner and the hired professional. That’s why having insurance coverage for potential damage or injury is important.

The insurance protects both parties in case of an unexpected incident during the tree removal. It ensures that any necessary repairs or medical expenses will be covered and not placed as a financial burden on either party involved. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when ensuring proper insurance coverage before starting any tree removal project.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a Professional Tree Removal Service Provider

When it comes to tree removal, choosing the right service provider is critical. However, many homeowners make mistakes during this process, leading to poor results and unnecessary costs.

One of the biggest mistakes is not properly researching the company before hiring them. Make sure you read reviews, ask for references, and verify that they are licensed and insured.

Another mistake is choosing the cheapest option without considering their qualifications or experience. Don’t compromise on quality just to save some money in the short term.

Lastly, failing to ask questions about their processes or not getting a written estimate can result in misunderstandings and unexpected expenses later. Be thorough in your selection process to avoid regretful mistakes when choosing a professional tree removal service provider.

Conclusion

In conclusion, professional tree removal services offer numerous benefits, including safety, efficiency, and expertise. While the cost of these services can vary depending on several factors, obtaining multiple quotes and ensuring proper insurance coverage can help you make an informed decision that fits your budget and needs.

You can ensure a successful tree removal project by avoiding common mistakes when selecting a service provider, such as not researching or choosing the cheapest option without considering qualifications or experience. Hiring professionals for your next tree removal project is a wise investment in the health and safety of your property and loved ones.