#horse barnacle

[thingspeoplesayintoontown]

[shoelesswonder]

cara mia

[madebycoffee]

oh pls behold a variety of ts4 horsies screenshots I took before I decided to bail on ts4 and play ts3 horsies instead lol

a pregante lobster vibing

The whole fam. Lobster, Crab, and Barnacle.

Gideon also 1. made a lot of bank from nectar and I rebuilt his ranch house, and 2. he has a bambino now too.

the legacy of sexy pancakes lives on.

howdy howdy howdy from the Lobster Shack (the name of the ranch lol)

[hershelwidget]

Cthulhu has had a fascinating experience with the Octopod

[octorosi]

Please enjoy barnacles driving everyone crazy by making up their own words-

————-

Barnacles-Hey guys! I’m taking Perry, koshie, and pinto to a horse Tornado!

Dashie-Uh- excuse me?

Peso-Captain-? What on earth is a horse tornado?!? It sounds terrifying!

Barnacles-Very funny peso,

Shellington-Captain- can you please describe this so called “Horse Tornado”?!?

Barnacles-you know! That thing they have at fairs and malls! The thing with spinning fake horses!

Dashie-y-you mean a………CAROUSEL?!?!?!

Barnacles-yeah!

Pinto-*sips icey* I like horse tornado better,

Barnacles-yeah!

Peso-don’t encourag her pinto-

Kochie-To the horse tornado!!!

Shellington-I pray they all come back alive-

Dashie-eh those kids are hard headed- they will be fine ig-

————-

[thehackneypony]

she is my lady!! the light of my life!! any criticism against her and you'll lose your kneecaps!!

[anony-mouse-writer]

grian as the strange man who appears suddenly on gem’s dock with no explanation. no one knows who he is.

no one saw him arrive and he has no car.

he’s never bought anything from the store, and a few locals said they saw him simply cooking and eating the fish he catches on the spot.

the only belongings he seems to own are his fishing gear.

when asked where he lives, he points to the cliff. there is a tiny blue house there, balancing precariously on wooden stilts. the house has never been there and no one’s seen it before, but the local gas attendant pulled up a 40 year old photo of her grandma on the beach, and sure enough, the tiny house is there, a wee speck of color hanging like a barnacle on the cold, wet bluff.

the age of his mysterious little home aside, no one’s sure when he visits it. he’s at his little dock before the earliest ships cast out, and the sickly glow of his lantern can be seen long into the coldest of nights.

the man has pulled the strangest things from the ocean. fish, to be sure, but other, stranger things. lily pads, far from their native biomes. fishing poles, tattered and worn, of various makes and styles- some look positively ancient. boots. giant shells with twisted patterns to match no living thing. a genuine horse saddle once. bowls. a bone that looked just a bit like a human femur.

and books. perfect, unblemished books, nearly glowing with some kind of energy and filled with a script both unfamiliar and unsettling to see.

he opens them each with a breathless anticipation that tastes like brine or maybe tears.

but whatever he sees in them is not what he wants, and each book is tossed aside with resigned disgust and something like despair, before the weathered pole is taken up to cast a line to sea once more.

[hedgehog-moss]

I meant to go admire a frozen waterfall yesterday, but I'm scared of driving on slippery roads so I ended up abandoning my car and my dreams and just wandering about by foot, following random roads.

(These first two photos are a little bit blurry because I took them while walking, but it does give them a certain je ne sais quoi... They look like childhood memories)

The soles of my boots had zero grip and were therefore great for sliding, so I ended up taking two sticks and using them like cross-country skiing poles to propel myself forward on the iciest portions of the road. It was fun! Pandolf thought I was insane. He was being extremely prudent on the icy patches, testing each step:

At the beginning of our walk he was prancing as usual but then at one point his front paws slipped forward without warning, turning him into a very long slinky dog. It was pretty funny. I laughed. I admit. He wasn't hurt but definitely a bit vexed.

We did leave the icy road on numerous occasions, to slip under fences and cross promising pastures (promising = lots of footprints; potential friends.) We met several creatures! Like this adorable shetland pony—I tried to take a photo from afar, with Pandolf nearby for scale, to show how scandalously tiny he was, but that turned out to be impossible because he was too friendly. Every time I took a step back he took two steps forward. Clearly he thought he was even better-looking from up close.

We also ran into the darling goat I mentioned yesterday, and I was told by several people on here that she looked more like a ewe.

Sorry for the mistake! But also I tried to look further into this and became more and more confused, as every source that mentioned a foolproof way to tell goats from sheep was disproven by another source—I found one that said sheep had a split upper lip while goats didn't (and my mystery friend didn't), but then another website contradicted it. I ended up with 32 tabs open with photos of goats and sheep of all kinds, some of which looked downright bizarre (what's with the Jar Jar Binks ears), and I began losing my grasp on the concept of animal species altogether. I understood how Darwin must have felt when he tried to figure out the differences between species of barnacles and asked people to send him various specimens and ended up with giant teetering piles of wet smelly boxes full of barnacles in his study that threatened to collapse and bury him alive. Then I closed my 32 tabs.

Honestly ever since learning that some sheep have horns and some goats don't, I've been lost. Not to mention, our mystery girl had a sheep-like tail but a goat-like beard. Are there sheep out there with beards and if yes, how do we make sense of the world? We should be able to point at a mammal with a goatee and say "goat" without doubting ourselves. That's my manifesto.

Whatever she was, the goat-ewe was very sweet, and she baa-ed a lot—at first I thought she was making conversation and I politely baa-ed back, before realising she was calling her horse bodyguards, just in case. Two horses soon showed up from behind a tree, very "What seems to be the problem ma'am?"

I offered nose scritches to the friendliest of the two and she went to report to the goat like "We've neutralised the threat."

Let me insert another (blurry) photo of a travelling Pandolf to symbolise the passing of time before moving on to our last encounter:

... I also had trouble taking photos of this one at first, because she kept coming closer to inspect my scarf—I thought she wanted to explore my pockets for potential treats like Pirlouit often does but no, she was very interested in the smell (texture?) of my scarf specifically.

The sky had cleared as we went down from 1300 to 1100m, as if we'd slipped under the clouds, so I tried to take a photo of this nice late-afternoon sky, and the horse finally stopped focusing on my scarf and instead started insistently positioning herself between me and my beautiful landscape.

Look at this lovely golden light in the snow over there which I was almost able to capture!

Meanwhile her pasture mate was eating a whole broom plant, slowly and thoughtfully, which makes me jealous because my llamas are supposed to eat brooms and they mostly don't, they think they're too good for brooms. They eat the very young ones but not adult brooms, so I have to do the work of three llamas and cut them myself. I wish I could send the Pampses as interns in this pasture, to learn the art of brush-clearing from this wise old horse.

I tried to take one last landscape photo and gave up when the aspiring model came to pose again.

Where was Pandolf, you might ask? Pandolf doesn't trust horses, especially large farm horses, and was quietly and insistently trying to convince me to leave. When Model Horse tried to greet him (it looks like she's chasing him but no, she was just stretching her neck to sniff him) he beat a hasty retreat toward the icy road, his former enemy. Some guard dog.

It may sound like Pandolf didn't have a very fun time on this walk, slipping on ice and running from horses, but don't worry, he found plenty of suitable empty pastures to practise his favourite hobby! Though I think at this point he has moved beyond a hobbyist and is ready to play in professional leagues. He does this thing now where he jumps up a bit to gain momentum; I don't remember him doing this last winter. He's an entirely self-taught dog (in the art of snow diving) and I'm proud of him.

[cryptidclaw]

Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is! 

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place! 

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish 

Fish

Bass

Bream 

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone 

Apricot

Barley 

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain 

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening 

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc. 

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright 

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce 

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

[thetriumphantpanda]

The Way You Miss Me | Joel Miller (Chapter Five)

You put your plan into action - in order to get closer to Joel, you have to get close to Ellie. The home truths that come out as a result aren't at all what you wanted though.

Pairing | Joel Miller x Female Reader

Word Count | 3K

Warnings | Angst and pining, mentions of death and origin story of readers scar which involves a knife but nothing else.

Authors Note | This one flew out of my fingers like lightening so I hope you enjoy it! Would love to hear your thoughts so leave comments, like or reblog or pop on over to my ask box if you fancy it! Also not me deadass writing in one of my favourite bands, shoutout to any of my fellow elder emo's out there. The shame of the outbreak is that these guys never got to jam along to Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge or Misery Business..... This fic is actually loosely based on an All Time Low song from their new album, if you wanted to listen you can find it here - listen and watch out for nods to the lyrics in the dialogue here!

It had been a week since the awkward encounter at the bar with Joel and you were frustrated that you hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with him. You’d been watching him from afar, he’d been in the stables one day getting himself assigned a horse so that he could start heading out on patrol. He’d spent an evening at The Tipsy Bison with Tommy, the only acknowledgement was a swift nod of his head towards the table you shared with your father but that was only because Tommy had hit him on the arm, mouthing for him not to be rude. You’d watched him walk down the street past your home a few times, watching from the window and wishing it had been your home he was coming to. The one constant in all of it? The little girl. Ellie was attached to him like a barnacle to a whale, he was never without her, and you’d bet your bottom dollar (If you had any) that the key to getting closer to Joel was that little girl. 

“Can I ask you a question?” You asked Tommy one day whilst you were helping him repair some fencing around the outer wall. 

“You just did, but sure thing Sunshine.” 

“Do you know much about Ellie?” Your tried to keep your tone as nonchalant as possible, but the grin on Tommy’s face suggested he knew exactly where you were going with this. 

“I’ve gotta be honest Joel’s kept her to himself mostly,” He shrugged, picking up his hammer to beat some nails into the wood you were holding still for him, “She’s a firecracker, swears like a sailor and is the only person I’ve ever seen make Joel laugh since the world went to shit.” 

You hummed in understanding, “You know about the things she likes to do?” 

“I think you’re treading a very thin line here.” He warned. 

“I’m not trying to do anything Tommy,” You spoke defensively, “She follows him around like a lost puppy, I’ve not seen her make any friends, I just wanted to try and do something nice for her to make her feel welcome.” 

Tommy sighed, “Space,” He replied simply, “Joel said she liked space, wanted to be an astronaut or something like that, and she's attached to that Walkman like it's her lifeline,” He was focusing on not hitting his fingers with the hammer, “Maria actually put aside a box of things she thought she might like, with the baby she hasn’t had time to take it over, but maybe if you drop back with me later you can drop it off for us?” 

“Sounds good,” You responded, “Will he be there?” 

Tommy smirked, “No, he’s on evening patrol on the fence tonight so nothing to worry about.” 

“I’m not worried Tommy.” 

“Sure, that’s why your nails are bitten down and you’ve been chewing at your lips since he arrived,” Your eyes widened, he was always the more astute of the brothers, “You used to do that before, when you were worried about things.” 

“Well like I said, I’m not worried about anything.” You mumbled. 

“Whatever you say, Sunshine,” He winked at you, “I finished hammering that about five minutes ago, you can let go now.” 

*** 

The box was heavy in your arms – you silently cursed Maria for filling it up so much, what was even in here? You could see a few books on the top and an empty notepad and there was some material at the bottom that could only be clothing. You thanked the Gods for not allowing the bottom to drop out of it, setting it down on the porch before knocking on the door of the house Tommy had pointed at when you were walking back to his. 

It took a while for someone to answer, but the door was eventually ripped open, and Ellie was stood in front of you, trying to catch her breath. 

“Oh hey,” She greeted, “Joel’s not here.” 

“Lucky me, because I’m actually here to see you,” You smiled, tapping the cardboard box on the floor with your foot, “Maria sent me over with a few things she thought you might like.” 

Ellie bent down to pick it up but you beat her to it, “It’s heavy, let me bring it inside for you.” 

She smiled and moved in the doorway to let you pass. The inside of their home was exactly as you’d imagine it to be, it wasn’t that much different to how yours had been when you moved in. Simple and bare save for the few pieces of furniture, a coffee mug was sat on the table near the kitchen – if Joel was half he man he had been before that would be his, half full of coffee that he’d drunk before leaving for patrol. 

“You can set it down on the table.” Ellie directed, which you did, taking hold of the coffee cup to find it was exactly how you’d imagined, half full of coffee which was still slightly warm, Joel had left recently. 

You watched as Ellie started going through the box, taking out the books to read the back of them before setting them down and investigating the clothes, seemingly happy with what Maria had chosen. 

“I hope you don’t mind but I brought you something too,” You spoke quietly, fishing around in your jacket pocket before pulling out a CD, “I don’t know if it’s your sort of music, but I’ve seen you with your Walkman around town and though you’d like something different to listen to.” 

She took the CD gratefully, “Foo Fighters, what kinda name is that?” 

You giggled, “You know they were actually pretty good, I listened to them all the time before all this, trust me.” 

“You sure you don’t wanna keep it?” Ellie asked, trying to pass it back to you. 

“I don’t have anything to listen to it on, so it’s all yours, I wanna know what you think of it though.” You gave her a smile and a wink. 

“Thanks,” She said, “This is actually super cool.” 

You knew you couldn’t linger too long here; you didn’t want to outstay your welcome and make Ellie feel uncomfortable. You wanted to do something nice for her so she would tell Joel. Then you’d be front and center in his mind. He might even thank you himself and surely that meant opening a conversation with him. Baby steps, you kept telling yourself. 

“You’re welcome,” You reached out and squeezed her shoulder, “And if you ever need anything else you can always ask me, I know how hard it can be to settle here after being… out there.” 

Ellie nodded at you, and you excused yourself, heading home and hoping you’d planted a big enough seed to grow. 

***

The next morning, as Joel was setting breakfast on the table for Ellie before she went to school, the seed started to bloom. 

“Your girlfriend came round last night.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You know that woman you knew from before, the one we met at the bar?” 

“Ellie, she ain’t my girlfriend,” Ellie shrugged at Joel’s answer, shoveling eggs into her mouth, “What was she doin’ here?” 

“Bought some box of stuff Maria set aside for me,” She said with her mouth full, earning a glare from Joel at her table manners, “She bought me this awesome CD as well, did you ever hear of the Foo Fighters?” 

Joel nodded, trying not to remember that the only reason he did was because you had insisted on keeping that damn CD in his truck – it had been the background noise to most of your evening escapades when you couldn’t be in his bed. It wasn’t his particular cup of tea, but he had always liked watching you out of the corner of his eye as he drove you to your spot, tapping your fingers on the side of the car and singing along when the moment took you. 

“Well, I hope you said thank you.” Joel grumbled, drinking the last of his coffee, “Now come on, you’ll be late.” 

As Joel stood on the porch and watched Ellie walk down the street to school he cursed you. Cursed you for being the sweet little girl he always remembered and making Ellie happy, because now he’d have to seek you out and thank you himself. Running a hand over his face he resolved to do it today, better to get it over with instead of dwelling on things. 

***

You were bent over the bench in the tool shed taking inventory when a knock at the door pulled you from your counting. Tommy had asked you to take stock of what materials were left after you’d repaired the fence the previous day and although it was giving you a headache it was distracting work, having to concentrate on something that wasn’t Joel. 

“Come in!” You called, not looking up from the pile of nails you were counting, you scribbled the number you’d already counted to on a slip of paper, dropping the rest back in the tub to continue counting later. 

Turning around, Joel was leant on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. In the daylight and up close he was just as devastating as he’d been all those years ago. You silently willed the giddy feeling in your bones to go away. 

“Not interrupting anything am I?” He asked, nodding his head towards the bench. 

“Not at all, it’s a welcome break actually, only so many nails you can count before you go insane,” You laughed, hoping he would do the same, but his face was as stoic as ever, “Do you need something?” 

He let out a sigh, “I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for Ellie yesterday, she’s been through a lot, and this is an adjustment to say the least, so thank you.” 

You smiled at him, “You’re welcome,” you replied simply, “I’ve seen her wandering around with that Walkman attached to her so figured she could use something new to listen to,” You started rambling now, “I can’t even believe I managed to find it, it was just hanging out in some old store we stumbled through a few years back and all I could think about what how we used to listen to it in your truck when you’d….” Your eyes went wide as you stopped yourself from finishing your sentence, this wasn’t how you wanted this to go, “Sorry.” You mumbled, looking down from his eyes to your fingers where you set to work worrying at a bit of loose skin. 

“It’s alright,” He spoke, “If I’m bein’ honest it’s exactly what I thought about when she showed me last night.” 

“Oh,” You exclaimed, snapping your eyes up to him, “Have you thought about me much?” 

“Darlin’,” He spoke softly, “It’s best not to talk about it, I don’t want to upset you.” 

You nodded, “That means no then right?” You replied, “Because if you had you would have said because that would have made me happy, saying you don’t want to upset me means you didn’t.” 

“It was easier that way,” He admitted softly, “Convincing myself you were gone.” 

“Wish I could say the same,” You shrugged, “Was there anyone else?” 

You didn’t know where all this was coming from and you were half expecting him to tell you to shut your mouth and mind your own business, but to your surprise he answered, “There was one woman, her name was Tess, it wasn’t…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words, “It just made sense, we ran in the same circle, and I guess we just helped distract each other sometimes.” 

“Understandable.” You replied simply, itching to get yourself out of the conversation now. 

“What about you, was there anyone else?” 

You laughed, “Travelling across country trying to keep my dad alive isn’t really conducive to that sort of thing, so no Joel, there was no-one else,” He nodded in understanding but didn’t move to speak again, “I should really get back to this.” You mused, pointing to the bench. 

“Of course, sorry for takin’ up your time, and thank you again, Ellie really did appreciate it.” 

Joel left without another word, closing the door quietly behind him and all the frustration you’d felt came tumbling out. Angry tears pricked at your eyes at your stupidity that he’d have thought about you at all. You were only ever the stupid little girl with her stupid little crush and the moment he had the opportunity to forget you he did. Of course he did. You wiped at your cheeks furiously, willing your emotions to get themselves in check so you could go back to work, but for the rest of the day you’d catch yourself in your melancholy, tears threatening to fall and your mind completely distracted. This was not how this was supposed to go at all. 

***

“You should have seen his face!” Your father roared at the table, “White as a ghost when I woke up.” 

You weren’t sure how you’d made it here but you were sat at a table in The Tipsy Bison with your father and Tommy, along with Joel and Ellie, whilst your father recounted stories of your survival, telling them with an enthusiasm that would rival a war veteran speaking about their time in the forces. He was currently going through the motions of explaining how you’d made it to Jackson and how he thought Tommy was going to pass out when he realized it was the both of you he’d rescued. 

You’d mostly kept quiet, only popping into the conversation to correct him when he got something wrong. Otherwise you kept your focus on the glass of whiskey in front of you that Tommy was keeping topped up with the bottle he’d bought from the bar for you all. 

“How’d you get that scar on your face?” You looked up at Ellie, everyone else looking at her in horror for being so blunt. 

“Ellie, don’t be so nosey.” Joel chastised her. 

“It’s alright,” You shrugged, “It’s pretty lame actually, we’d shut ourselves in a house a few years ago trying to hide from a pack of infected, not realizing someone else had the same idea. I was looking out the window to see if we had a clear route out when I heard someone shuffling behind me. I turned around and by the time I realized what was happening he’d slashed the knife on my face.” 

“Did you kill him?” 

“Ellie!” Both Tommy and Joel burst out at the same time. 

You chuckled, realizing you probably shouldn’t encourage her questions, but replied anyway, “In a way I guess I did, we had a bit of a struggle and he tripped and fell out of the window, it was a tall building so yeah, he died.” 

“That’s cool.” 

You shrugged, looking around the table to see that everyone was willing the conversation to move elsewhere, you were itching to know more about how Joel and Ellie had come to be together aside from the snippets Tommy had told you, but you didn’t think this would be the right place to ask. Instead, you fished a cigarette out of your jacket pocket, shoving it between your lips and excusing yourself. 

You were halfway through it, leaning against the railing outside the bar when you felt someone come up behind you and lean themselves down next to you, “Never thought I’d see the day when you turned to those.” 

“Well, I’m not surprised if you spent the last twenty years convincing yourself I was dead,” You shrugged at Joel, as always, alcohol emboldening your tone, “I’ve gotta die of something and I’d rather these than being torn apart limb from limb or sprouting mushrooms from my face.” You punctuated the end of your sentence with a long drag of your smoke, blowing it out into the cool night. 

“How do you always do that?” He asked. 

“Do what?” You raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Make anything seem funny,” He offered, “The world’s gone to shit, everyone we’ve ever really cared for is dead and yet here you are, joking like we’re back to the days before.” 

 “It’s the only way I don’t focus on all the shitty things I’ve done to get here.” 

It was silent between you for a moment. You could have sworn you saw Joel move his hand as if he was going to place it reassuringly on your arm like he always did but he didn’t, even if your head was screaming at him to do it, just to breech the barrier he had up between the two of you. 

“Can I say something?” You asked after a moment. 

He nodded, “I don’t want to step out of line, but I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about Sarah,” You could see him physically tense next to you, “You don’t have to tell me what happened, in fact, it’s probably best you don’t but… I liked her Joel; she was a good kid and she didn’t deserve what happened to her and I’m sorry you had to go through that.” 

“I hate the way you miss me.” He mumbled. 

You looked him dead in the eye for the first time, “I don’t hate the way I miss you,” You spoke honestly, “I think it’s the only thing that kept me alive sometimes, thinking about the chance to see you again, hold your hand or kiss you.” 

He sighed, “You can’t stand there and say that,” He spoke roughly, “With your big eyes beggin’ me to be the man you deserve, I couldn’t be that before all of this and I certainly can’t be that for you now,” and then finally, “We can’t keep doin’ this.” 

You nodded, stubbing out your cigarette and throwing it to the ground in front of the bar, “Understood,” You spoke, giving him a final glance, “Goodnight Joel.” 

PREV | NEXT

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Results of Round 1

Long post, many stats.

The three biggest landslides were Opiliones (daddy longlegs) beating Parasitiformes (ticks) (87.89%, 334 to 46 votes), Terebellida (Pompeii worms) beating Scolecida (bamboo worms) (88.94%, 193 to 24 votes), and Hemiptera (true bugs) beating Phthiraptera (lice) (91.04%, 19 to 193 votes).

The three closest matches were Perissodactyla (horses and rhinos) beating Pholidota (pangolins) (50.6%, 747 to 765 votes), Caniformia (canines, bears, foxes...) beating Feliformia (felines, mongooses...) (50.28%, 538 to 532 votes), and Struthioniformes (ostriches) and Rheiformes (rheas) tying (50%, 144 to 144 votes).

To break the tie, I will discount my own vote (for Struthioniformes), so Rheiformes win.

Interesting that the top 3 landslides were all invertebrates (actually all top 7), while the 3 closest matches were all between Chordates (actually 4).

The average winning percent was 67.10% for all matches, and was 71.28% between non-chordates and 62.91% between chordates. So the chordate matches were closer in general.

As you may have guessed from the biggest landslides, parasites fared quite poorly. While the bracket started with 9 primarily parasitic clades, only 3 made it to this round (Hirudinea [leeches], Eucestoda [tapeworms], D. medinensis [nematode]) and all three were against other parasites.

The biggest landslide among Mammals was Didelphidae (possums) beating Hyracoidea (dassies) (80.26%)

The biggest landslide among Birds was Columbiformes (pigeons and doves) beating (flamingos) (72.34%)

The biggest landslide among Non-Avian Reptiles was Serpentes (snakes) beating Rhynchocephalia (tuatara) (60.60%). The closest match among Reptiles was Iguania (iguanas, chameleons...) beating Anguimorpha (Komodo dragon) (51.09%)

The biggest landslide among Cartilaginous Fish was Myliobatiformes (stingrays) beating Rajiformes (skates) (81.20%). The closest match was Rhinopristiformes (shovelnose ray, sawfish...) beating Torpediniformes (electric rays) (51.44%)

The biggest landslide among Bony Fish (and Chordates in general) was Osteoglossiformes (African Knifefish) beating Hiodontiformes (mooneyes) (84.71%). The closest match was Toxotidae (archerfish) beating Istiophoriformes (swordfish) (50.64%).

The biggest landslide among Echinoderms was Asteroids (starfish) beating Peripodida (sea daisies) (82.95%). The closest match was Echinacea (sea urchins) beating Gnathostomata (sand dollars) (55.38%).

The closest match among Annelids was Eunicida (eg. Bobbit worm) beating Phyllodocida (eg. Gossamer worm) (54.38%)

The biggest landslide among Gastropods was Neomphalida (volcano snails) beating Umbraculoidea (false limpets) (86.67%). The closest was Conidae (cone snails) beating Strombidae (conches) (51.39%)

The biggest landslide among Cephalopods was Sepiida (cuttlefish) beating Spirulida (Ram's horn squid) (77.53%). The closest match was Oegopsida (glass squid, giant squid...) beating Myopsida (European squid, reef squid...) (61.9%).

The biggest landslide among other molluscs was Polyplacophora (chitons) beating Scaphopoda (Tusk Shells) (84.35%). The closest was Heterodonta (edible clams) beating Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) (52.08%)

The closest match among Insects was Mantodea (mantises) beating Blattodea (roaches and termites) (72.9%). Interestingly still a pretty big landslide.

The biggest landslide among Crustaceans was Thecostraca (barnacles) beating Tantulocarida (parasites of crustaceans) (83.33%). The closest match was Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp) beating Copepods (56.54%)

The closest match among Invertibrates was Eucestoda (tapeworms) beating Amphilinidea (parasites of turtles) (50.65%).

Round 2 starts tomorrow!

[everythingseasoning]

AOT Scouts as your bf/gf pt. 1 (Requested)

NOTE: I’m redoing this post so that it’s better quality :) and adding in more characters for the head canons. Revised post will be out on ?Saturday? as a new post.

*Characters are 18+, content is SFW

Eren (the scout)

The early stage of your relationship with Eren: 

Somebody once said, “A cheetah doesn’t change its spots overnight.” Meaning that a person can’t so quickly change their nature.

The same goes for Eren Jaeger: No matter how many times you try to lecture him about his habit of impulsively risking his life during missions, he can’t help but accidentally come close to dying again on the very next mission. 

(Luckily, he has Mikasa to cover him, and Armin to form smart battle strategies that put him in less danger).

—It’s not that Eren doesn’t value your opinion, it’s just that he’s naturally a reckless spirit. Eren immediately does whatever his heart screams is the right thing to do. He doesn’t use his head, but he uses his entire steely will and incredible power, to save dying comrades and complete mission goals. 

In the heat of battle, Eren has to either abandon the idea of you, OR the idea of giving in to the titans, and let unjust deaths occur. He often chooses to abandon the former.. you…

... Still, everytime he returns from those missions (after a close brush with death), he hugs you guiltily, and you can just *tell* what he’s trying to communicate to you: I’m sorry. I love you. I had to do it. 

After just a year with you:

Eren has fallen deeply, deeply in love with you. (I mean, this dude falls fast, and hard, like a bowling ball crashing through an old wooden floor ok– he is DEVOTED to you, you can’t shake him off, he’s a barnacle—)

Once upon a time, Eren only had one goal that consumed his mind: kill all titans. Then he met you. Eren needs to kill all titans, and stay alive so he can spend time with you, being with you whenever and wherever you want to go. You’re the f*cking love of his life. 

So now he has two goals; Eren promised himself he’d do whatever he could to not only save fellow soldiers, but to also actively try to stay alive for you, for his future with you. This means that Eren absolutely cannot let himself die, that he must devise strategies in battle that allow him to keep himself alive while saving the most people… 

Eren literally took lessons from Armin on “Quick Thinking” (Lessons summarized: When confronted with a problem, look at the issue, and then at resources around you that you can use, and try to find a solution using those resources), and another lesson from Armin, on “Devising Quick Strategies in the Midst of Battle.” 

 …Though Eren would’ve let himself die a year ago if it meant he helped the Scouts— it’s a different story now. Eren can’t ever fully shake the hold you have on him— the love he has for you— the promise on his tongue that he swore to you in the middle of the night after you woke up screaming from a nightmare, sobbing because you “really saw him die.”

So Now, when Eren is out on missions, he is focused on the chaos and action happening around him at any moment— but in any second that he isn’t in imminent action, he sees your face in his mind. And he remembers all over again what he is fighting for: your safety. He unlocked a level of protective desire unlike anything seen before. 

Fluff fluff fluff:

1) You’re there, waiting at the gate everytime Eren returns from a mission. You literally have a f*cking meltdown when you spot him— the stress and fear melting your legs into jelly as you sink into the ground— and Eren has made it a point to get off his horse and run to catch you before you fall, wailing on the ground. 

2) Eren will hold you as you cry, kind of half teasing you like, “It’s like you’re the one who went out on the mission, not me.”

3) Sorry to say that you now have a name for yourself in town, too, and everybody knows you as “Eren’s sweet (crybaby) girlfriend” – Because of this you often get free snacks and gifts whenever you walk around the market whenever the scouts are out on mission—

4) When you and Eren arrive home, you’ll have stopped being uber emotional, but now it’s Eren’s turn to brood: he usually showers before sitting on the couch and staring at the table with dull, empty eyes, and you have to walk him through the trauma and loss he just endured… Because honestly, talking is a great medication… 

5) Eren will always feel better after talking with you. It’s like a rush of warmth flows from his heart, gushing throughout his body, and he grabs you, pulling you flush to his chest, eyes scrunched shut as he tells you how much you mean to him.

6) —He’s also secretly so relieved you aren’t in danger. He’s happy you aren’t a scout— because you keep him sane in this cruel world—

7) You will then show Eren the snacks you’ve accumulated while he was away that day, and he’ll just insist on f*cking feeding you like you’re a little bird or something. But he looks so happy so you just go with it.

At sundown, you two will take remaining snacks and a blanket, go to an open field, and eat together while watching the sunset. You two will usually talk about whatever hobby you’ve picked up, and Eren will build off your excitement and ideas; i.e. if you’re talking about a book you read on animal biology, you’ll be talking about how whales once had hip bones because they descended from a four-legged animal— and Eren will say, “Imagine riding a whale on the ocean!” “Eren we’d get salt water sprayed all over us, they have a blowhole!” “But just imagine it!” “...That’d be surreal.” And you two will giggle and feel such wonder about the world. He’s your best friend and lover, who makes life more exciting. 

Jean (the scout simp)

The early stage of your relationship with Jean:

Jean with a non scout lover… Ohhhh boy, hahaha: 

Jean had SUCH a mental crisis after he met you: he wondered if he should’ve chosen the Military Police instead of the Survey Corps, so that he had a better chance of staying alive, and living his days out with you. 

You assured him that you wouldn’t have dated him if he didn’t join the corps (LMAO). This did make Jean’s mental crisis stop, because damn he would rejoin the scouts if it meant you’d be his girlfriend. And, you told Jean that you admire his courage, and that you’re so proud of him for being brave, for not choosing to stay lax after seeing the evil nature of titans. You told Jean that he’s leader material, just like Marco said. 

When you’re comfortable in the relationship:

—On that Marco note, Jean is beyond relieved that you’re a normal citizen, and not a scout. He already lost the only person her ever considered a true friend. 

During missions, Jean gets courage to do terrifying things from knowing that you’re back at home, safe, waiting for him :’) oml..

He’s gotta make it back to you!

And Jean has such a soft spot for you, you who reminds him of Marco. He loves it when you praise him, and give him attention. He loves it when you make it clear that you love *him* — when you point out his strengths, etc. 

God— he loves you— you make him feel like he’s alive— He will smother you in kisses when you two are alone, if you even so much as smile at him.

AND OH. MY LORD…

Jean would also definitely tell ALL the scouts about you, “his girl.” 

For example, “Jaeger you better not f*ck this mission up— I can’t die, because I have to get back to my girl!” 

Another example, “Connie, one day, you’ll be as lucky as me, and have an amazing girlfriend who makes you so happy, who you love more than anything else.” 

And one more example, when Jean is drunk at a Survey Corps Celebration Dinner, “Did you guys know that my girl and I are going to get married?! I’m—I’m gonna marry that lady!” 

“Shut up Jean, you’ve only been dating her for six months!”

“I’m gonna marry her,” he says wistfully, a faraway look in his eyes, his face flushed deep pink.

Fluff fluff fluff:

1) When Jean gets back from missions, he is *exhausted.* He’s seen comrades die, and he’s so tired after having gone through terrifying events… When Jean sees your face though, he remembers why it’s all worth it: He’s helping the Survey Corps so that he can ensure (to the best of his abilities), that you have a life within the walls, safe, and sound. 

2) When he sees you, he just feels relief. He just feels like everything is right again. TT oh my lord I’m gonna cry writing this ANYWAY (I wanna be loved like that tho–)

3) Jean forcesX asks you to wear matching necklaces. Jean likes that you two look like a pair. 

Not fluff:

And Jean is a sucker for s*x — I am so sorry I had to say it— I *had* to (!not an exaggeration!). But this is supposed to be SFW— so that’s all ima say about this. (18+ people only: you check out my other posts for NSFW content though. Minors DNI with nsfw tho, you’re banished until you’re old enough, thems the rules, ily tho). 

Historia (the scout my wife) Author’s very important note: I would fight Ymir (and lose) to be Historia’s girlfriend ok– Also this one is sooo self indulgent but you can’t tell me it doesn’t work with her character—

Historia will fight for anybody and everybody who needs a savior. She’s been through sh*t, and she won’t settle for others to be abandoned like how she was. (She just like me fr, can we kiss now??).

ANYWAYS. (no but i have to tell y'all, I have a terrible savior complex OK BYE MOVING ON—)

Historia is dedicated to saving those that need saving. That also means that she’s determined to stay alive— she needs to be here on Earth so that she’s able to keep helping people who are in need. People in need, which includes you—

—Historia is no stranger to your sappy, long poems that describe in bewitching detail how much she lights up your life, and is your inspiration, 

and how she is your anchor in this insane world…

and how she is the definition of ‘beauty’ in life, etc, etc— 

You need her, and you’re her girlfriend, and Historia is glad she’s able to be something good for you. 

During missions, Historia is in her element: as she flies through the air, slashing titan necks, protecting Captain Levi’s squad, she is calm, knowing that she is aiding in the salvation of humanity. (Miss girl is driven by the urge to be helping people, it’s her stabilizer). 

Historia is also gaining courage from you, knowing that you are helping humanity in your own way at the very moment that she’s fighting titans: you’re encouraging kids to be model citizens with integrity in their hearts. She’s fighting for humanity’s survival, and you’re fighting for humanity’s spirit. 

Because she’s a scout, you worry for Historia’s safety, but you also know that she can handle herself. Still, she’s your girlfriend, and you worry, and fret, during every single minute that she’s away

— Usually you channel this energy through baking. You’ll make cherry pies, blueberry scones, butter cake, lemon cookies, chocolate mousse, candied ginger, and more, non-stop, whenever Historia is away. You *need* that distraction to function through your mind-numbing fear. 

But, unfailingly, Historia always returns home to you, and you two will GORGE on the delicious sweets you’ve made, starting from the very moment she first arrives back: When Historia comes back from a mission, upon seeing you she’ll hop off her horse with renewed energy, half walk-run to you like a haloed, stunning, adorable angel, and hug you tightly, before you shove a dessert in her mouth: the sweet, tangy flavor erupting on her tastebuds. After an intense, cruel, dirty mission, the sharp plunge of sugar is a reminder of the beautiful things in life: you. The both of you laugh before kissing each other deeply, tasting fruit on each other’s tongues (this is SFW, right??)

In your free time, you and Historia will sometimes do charity work together, including tilling the fields, milking cows, picking apples, doing donations, etc. Even hard work is fun when you’re doing it with somebody you enjoy talking to, especially if you both believe in the cause. On other occasions, the two of you will give yourselves time to *be people* — usually this means snuggling together on the couch, having deep talks, and just holding each other. 

Also, Historia loves *you*. She loves how kind you are, and how you work as a teacher at Trost Elementary. Historia feels a lot of her energy is fueled by the loop of goodness you two share and believe in (helping the world). 

Plus, Historia is endlessly grateful to have a warm, safe person to return to at the end of a long day. Everybody needs comfort. *Historia didn’t know how much support, relief, and happiness, a comfort person would bring, until she fell in love with you.* When she’s exhausted, she leans into your warmth like two birds ruffling feathers, and charges up on your summer glow. And when Historia sees your eyes sparkling, talking about whatever cool thing you noticed in the day, she feels *unbelievably warm* inside, just pure happiness. You also care for Historia, as she cares for you— tucking her in bed and humming as you hold her (as the big spoon), after a mission that went terribly. 

Please LIKE this if you enjoyed it!! (I spent a lot of time on this — no, really it do be taking hours)— your likes are encouragement to keep doing this :) 

Feel free to comment your feedback/thoughts (gimme ur comments, i wanna hear), and comment to be tagged in part 2, 3, etc! 

AND I’m adding in non-requested characters too, as a present for everybody! …Onwards: Pt. 2: Reiner, Levi, Armin (will be done and tumblr-published within probably 24 hours)

[nothinghereisworking]

Memories, Like Grains of Sand

Elrond and Elros remember their lives before the sack of Sirion.

G, Gen, 1,000 words [AO3]

Elwing-positive (and let's just say 'late for @sindarweek' for good measure) - Inspired by @imakemywings ... and cats. Thank you @polutrope for the beta.

__________________________________________________________

Elrond remembers petting the cats which were ever-present on the docks. Sometimes they would be caught stealing from the fishing boats, but more often they contended with the gulls to feast on the cast-offs, or prowled the grain stores for rats. He would sit with his legs dangling over the dock, a black-and-white cat curled up beside him, and watch into the sunset for the silver sails of Vingilot to herald his father’s return.

Elros remembers the seaweed dishes on the table, now wondering how they came to be such a staple. Neither Doriath nor Gondolin would have had fresh seaweed. He missed it when they were taken by the Fëanorians, and it was only sometimes available during the War.

“Círdan?” Elrond offers.

“I doubt he was helping the cook,” Elros counters.

“But he would have been sending supplies,” Elrond says. He thinks for a moment. “She made better lembas, too.”

“Better than who?” Elros asks.

“Anybody,” Elrond says after a minute rather than admit he does not know who made those they ate during the War.

They fall silent again, toes dangling in the water. The wind is a familiar cold; it is not strong today but is heavy with the scent of the sea. The incoming tide curls around the barnacle-covered piers, bringing little jellyfish with it.

“I remember Mother crying at night, when she thought we couldn’t hear,” Elros whispers.

Elrond nods. He would cry then, too, sometimes. “Or she would be at the window, praying to the Lord of Waters for Papa to come home.”

Elros nods.

Sometimes it was hard to look at the Star and remember it was their father and not their mother. That light was so familiar to them, warm and comforting like her arms had been. It was comforting now, to know his search had finally ended.

“Like the quilt she made us,” Elros murmurs.

“I forgot about the quilt,” Elrond admits, eyes going wide as the image of it springs to mind. “It was green-”

“It was blue,” Elros interrupts.

“I remember it being green,” Elrond says.

“You didn’t even remember it a minute ago,” Elros insists, giving Elrond a playful push.

It had been both, sewn with the many colors of the sea, and it shimmered like the delta at sunrise.

“I suppose it was lost, like everything else,” Elrond says, staring down at the water and wondering how he had ever forgotten it.

Elros says nothing.

“I remember the little model of Vingilot,” Elrond says. “Do you remember Father carving it? He even gave it a sail from a little scrap of the real one.”

Elros scrunches his brow, trying to recall such a thing. He could well recall the ship, but he did not remember a model of it.

“I remember a horse,” he says at last. “It had a little rider that could come off.”

Elrond stills and bites his lip, wondering for a moment if he should say it. “I think Maglor made that,” he murmurs.

“Oh.”

They both fall silent then, for those memories are far too complicated for today. The wind has grown colder and the water is up to their ankles now. The boards of the pier are smooth from years of wear, and Elrond rubs his hand over their surface. So many memories here. He will have cats, he decides. Wherever he goes, he will have cats with fine Sindarin names who will get fat on kitchen scraps and will not need to fight the gulls for their dinner.

“I still miss her so much,” Elrond says, and wipes quickly at the tears which well in his eyes.

Elros squeezes his hand tight and resists his own falling. “Squid,” he says as a distraction. “We had squid once. Maybe more than once, but I remember it once.”

Elrond laughs a little at that. “I don’t think I believed her when she said that was what we were eating.”

“You believed everything she said,” Elros says, though immediately regrets it when Elrond’s face drops.

“I did,” he admits. “But being wrong is not the same as lying.” It had taken him a while to accept that. To accept that when she told them they would be safe, or that their father would come home soon, that it was as much her own need to believe it.

Elrond finally looks back at the charred remains of Sirion. A few homes built on stilts over the water remain, though fallen to disrepair and the elements in the years since. But the rest of the haven is long gone, black and ash among a stone graveyard. Still, they both remember this was where their house once stood, its supports half-burnt, fallen timbers covered with silt and rockweed beneath the waters.

Elros looks up, wishing the clouds would blow away so he could see the sky that night. He remembers laying in the hammock and looking at the stars. He thinks he remembers their father teaching them their names in two languages. How he wishes those memories were clearer, but he is not even sure he remembers what their father looked like any longer.

“You will come and visit, won’t you?” Elros asks finally, the question he has been avoiding asking for weeks now.

Elrond looks horrified at the question. “Of course!”

“You’ll…” Elros chokes a little. “And you’ll tell her I loved her? That we - I - didn’t hate her?”

Elrond can no longer hold back and lets out a sob, hugging Elros. He does not know when he will ever see their mother again, but he promises, he swears on the very Star that sails overhead that he will tell her. Even if it takes ten thousand years, he will carry that message.

He swears it again four and a half centuries later, when he kisses Elros on his brow and promises to always carry their half-cobbled childhood memories with him.

“It was green,” he whispers, if only to see Elros smile one last time.

[hershelwidget]

OH I NEVER SHOWED YOU GUYS LARS

Here he is :) In my really wild AU I’ve been writing for over a year now he was the First Captain of a sort of Beta version of the Octonauts, and knew both Professor Inkling and Min a bit before he joined the team !! After an Incident that killed nearly everyone onboard he went missing and later turned up on an island in the middle of nowhere as “Soup Man”. Lars is a LOT older than he looks, his many soup recipes have some fascinating effects!

[barry-j-blupjeans]

TAZ NC Day 4: Rest

@taznovembercelebration

The boat was sealed away in a hidden port off the Sword Coast. The walk to get there was long and almost made Davenport wish he had brought someone with him for company. It was much too sandy for any reasonable person to lend him a horse, even if he was being heralded as one of the seven saviors of the world. Luckily, he didn't have too much to bring with him. Just the clothes on his back, a knapsack full of his favorite little trinkets, and a compass.

It wasn't like he was given the chance to collect more belongings over the last ten years.

There's sand in Davenport's boots by the time he arrives at the sea cave. He's on the base below a sharp cliff and the cave is cracked into the face of it, seawater calming as it goes further inside. Normally, he'd have to figure out a way to get in there without getting wet but, luckily, he was tol— he already knew a separate entrance. Davenport studied the side of the cliff for a second before reaching out for an edge that looked a little out of place. And sure enough, the edge easily folded back into the rock, opening up a hidden door.

The inside of the cave is less imposing than the outside of it. There are torches that line the wall, though they aren't lit. The path here is made of wooden beams, some parts of it extending over the water. And at the end of that makeshift little dock, a boat floated in the water, teether with a simple sturdy rope.

It's a beautiful boat. Or, well. It was. He could tell that a preservation spell had been placed on it, but it had started to fade long ago. Now, the boat was simply beaten down by the elements. The front end was cracked and what he was sure was once thick, dependable sails were fraying at the edges. Not to mention the erosion and the number of barnacles that had made themselves at home along the bottom.

But it was his. This was his. …It had supposed to have been, anyway.

Davenport had— he knew Lucretia had acted on what she believed to be the best decisions. And, after hearing about the lives she set up for their family, he had no doubt that the life she had fabricated for him would have been just fine. Except, well. That didn't change that Davenport didn't get that life. He didn't get that peace, that momentary rest where things were okay, if only for a little while. Life could never be perfect, he knew that by now. They all did. But she had tried.

He hated… her? The situation? Just the fact that it had been an option at all to her. He hated what she made him become, what she took from him. He could barely stand to be in the room with her, but she had never acted out of malice. Even when he was incapacitated, she never treated him like less. She had always been looking for a way to reverse what she had done but he hated that his personhood didn't come before her plan. He wouldn't have been like that for that long if she had given him the ichor.

When she had come to him, mere hours after the defeat of the Hunger, he hadn't wanted to talk. He— he might never want to, and that was scary but it was true— but he had let himself get sat down. And he had let her talk like he had for the last ten years. And he listened to the apologies (like he had for the last ten years), not feeling any different because of them.

But she had a plan. She always did. Davenport used to love that about her. He… still did. Truly.

"It's… it's just off the Sword Coast," she had said. They were in one of the Bureau's meeting rooms and morning sun reflected behind her as they talked. He thought about Merle and what he described his talks to the Hunger to be like. He wondered how Merle ever got used to it, knowing each conversation would end with his death. "There's a notch— a ledge, really, if I'm being honest— next to one of the bigger caves along the west end. I— I had planned for you to… well, uhm. I bought a boat for you, Captain."

Davenport set down his knapsack on the dock, rolling up his sleeves. If he was going to make this work, there was a lot of work to be put in. After the ship was up and running, he could think about rest. For now, he just needed to do.

[coarsely]

Build a pokemon team for your ocs

Jumping on from @thanataes, because I thought this was such a fun idea! I may have gotten a little carried away, but I really like pokemon :) it's really fun to look at what suits their aesthetic, their fighting style, their personality, etc, while trying to create a balanced and workable team.

Ucalegon, Nod's most beloved warrior.

Ucalegon is someone fairly concerned with aesthetics, but also as a fighter for Nod has to have a fairly balanced team. She often uses eletricity to taze and shock people, but also lives in a fairly urbanised area, hence the eletric and steel types. There is a certain level of mystique to her, which Absol represents, while also being considered wild and uncivilised by the Bronze Eden populace, which Lycanroc shows. Tauros acts as a good balance for the rest of the team's speciality, while also showing how full-on she can sometimes be.

Hendrix, leader of the Undark.

Hendrix's team are all visually related to water creatures, although only two are actual water types. While he is heavily involved in the pirate aesthetic, he is not actually one, so I thought it would be fun to show that by only visually looking like sea creatures, while not being one. I chose two poison types, because he is mildly radioactive. Most ground attacks are physical, which suits his physical and aggressive nature, hence my choosing of those. Barbaracle was chosen because Hendrix does have barnacles in different places on his body, so it just makes sense. Garchomp, I can't really explain, it just feels right to have at least on dragon type on there. There's a certain status symbol thing with dragon types, and he is a leader of sorts, so it fits in!

Vítor Cadogan, former Gladiator of Golden Glimpse.

Vítor was quite fun to do. Aside from Mimikyu, I tried not to choose too many recent pokemon, to show he's a little older than maybe you'd first expect. Once being a superhero for Golden Glimpse, I tried to make his team more varied, to have more options in a fight. Lucario evolves with high friendship, so it's nice to have that sort of implication that Vítor treats his pokemon very well. Jolteon is honestly mostly chosen because Golden Glimpse is visually very yellow, and it's cute to imagine one curling up in his lap. Porygon2 is because it requires a lot of trading to evolve, and Vítor is someone very well connected. His protective instincts are symbolised via Aegislash, and his secretive nature while also being very socialble feel well represented by Mimikyu.

Dr Edgar Edwards, former heavyweight champion of Bronze Eden.

As his title suggests, Ed was once a highly successful boxer in Bronze Eden, winning the heavyweight championship 3 times in his career. This is why Hariyama and Machamp are there! Steelix and Weezing I chose due to his rags to riches story, which both represent to me with the sleek steel form and the pollution tophats. Houndoom feels like they fit in very well as a guard dog, which in a way Ed is one himself. Venusaur just felt right to add there. Very large, poisonous, and Ed is a war criminal who is not far off 8 feet tall, so it just feels good!

Diomede, exiled leader of the Vagor.

Diomede is a horse girl, so Mudsdale was an obvious choice. His actual steed though is an elk, which Sawsbuck sort of emulates, so I went with them too. Crobat was fun to add because of the whole "cannot evolve without high friendship", while also being scary-looking, which hints at how much he loved his people when he was part of them, but doesn't necessarily show it. Golurk, being inspired by a golem, also shows that latent protective instinct he had. Being a ghost type also feels like it shows those are just memories now, which i like. Bisharp was chosen as Diomede is a weaponsmith like most Vagor, and Bisharp looks like it would help out! Bouffalant works well as being a Vagor is also about working in tandem with the wilderness and with the untameable megafauna that roam Nod, which Bouffalant is clearly inspired by.

Saccade, Punisher of Neo-Babylon

For Saccade, it was important almost every pokemon felt recognisable as an animal. Saccade is quite a down-to-earth, no nonsense person, so these choices sort of infer that with their recognisable designs. Two are normal type, further cementing that she isn't someone majorly into the flashy looks of other pokemon. The exception to this is Noivern, who I'd imagine she rarely deploys as a sort of "suprise tool that will help us later". Mabosstiff, some of you might have noticed, is a shiny! I imagine Mabosstiff as a gift from her spouse when they were still alive, who Saccade rarely brings out in a fight either, for fear of losing them. Durant was chosen frankly just because I really like durant! Gallade, because in between these two pokemon she's hesitant to bring out, I think she needs a more aggressive partner to compensate. This team was also very fun to put together!

This was so fun to do! I'm gonna tag @megarywrites, @solipseismic, @revenantlore, @noblebs, @dyrewrites and @cream-and-tea, and of course, absolutely anyone else who is as taken with this concept as I was! Here is a link to the team builder, enjoy yourselves!