#including calves she’s helped raise from the day they were born

[orcinus-veterinarius]

You know my feelings on California’s orca law, but if it keeps Corky safe, then it might be worth it.

[be4tdown-a]

# 𝐁 𝐄 𝟒 𝐓 𝐃 𝐎 𝐖 𝐍. a highly private and selective original fandomless musician based character. this blog will contain sensitive and triggering content —— follow at your own discretion. minors and personal blogs: do not interact. this is a sideblog , follows back from / rules can be found at @daevilhorns. under major construction: basic information is below the cut. ᴱˢᵀᴬᴮᴸᴵˢᴴᴱᴰ ⁰⁶ / ⁰¹ / ²⁰²³ ﹙ 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 ﹚ 𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎. ˢʰᵉ  /  ʰᵉʳ ,   ²⁵

brief stats.

name: victor ángel hernández.

nicknames: vic , ángel / angel.

sex: cismale. ( he / him )

ethnicity: hispanic.

birthdate: june 19 , 1997.

age: mid - twenties.

place of birth: san diego , california.

languages spoken: english , spanish.

orientation: bisexual / biromantic.

religion: raised roman catholic. considers himself agnostic.

parents: elizabeth "betty" maria hernández ( mother , alive. ) luis victor hernández ( father , estranged. presumed alive. )

siblings: katherine "katie" sofía hernández ( younger sister , alive. )

occupation: founder and vocalist for hardcore / metalcore band betty beatdown. self employed mechanic.

criminal record: disorderly conduct , simple assault , aggravated assault , assaulting a police officer , resisting arrest.

hair: dark brown , almost black. reaches shoulders in length. typically cut and styled into a mullet.

eyes: dark brown.

height: six foot two inches.

weight: two hundred lbs.

piercings: both ears pierced.

tattoos: full sleeves cover both arms from shoulders to fingers. both calves. a small (idk what yet) on his upper cheek beneath his left eye.

other: various scars , including an obvious slit in his right eyebrow. his nose has been broken twice.

important notes.

seventeen year old elizabeth married eighteen year old luis in a shotgun wedding wearing a white dress that was noticeably too tight and almost didn't fit. the unprepared teen parents welcomed their newborn son on a scorching hot summer day four and a half months later. victor , given his father's middle name , arrived on his expected due date and born healthy after 14 hours of labor. his sister would follow two years later.

( alexa play daddy issues. ) luis was an abusive piece of shit and betty left him with her children in clutch when vic was nine. she struggled as a single mom but with the help of her parents , they managed to get by. luis' parents sided with their daughter-in-law and were also prominent figures in the lives of their grandchildren.

vic began picking up petty jobs wherever he could as a young teen in order to financially help his mom. the role of " the man of the house " was one he took seriously and he couldn't stand to see his mother struggling. he took an interest in cars and upon helping out at a nearby repair shop , he realized he had a knack for them.

something something where do you put the anger something something. the boy is full of rage and struggled to find where to put it. so he got into a lot of fights in school , and now takes it out in his lyrics or on stage or in the pit. but it still isn't something he's managed to fully master and has caught a few charges for mainly , you guessed it , assault.

most of his arrests have been for public fighting and disorderly conduct misdemeanors that resulted in a fine , or spending the night in jail. but one particular fight when he was twenty two resulted in an aggravated assault charge , as well as resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. he served eighteen months in prison.

betty beatdown is an american hardcore / metalcore band from san diego , california. it was formed in 2014 and founded by vic. the band makes great use of heavy , slow breakdowns , heavily downtuned guitars , and raspy vocals. their lyrical content often focuses on human rights , mental illness , religion , relationships , and violence against women.

the name is an homage to his mother , and while it may sound morbid and insulting ( as she had originally took it ) , it's his way of calling her a badass. a way to immortalize the fact that she came out on top after all the shit she's been through. if it isn't obvious , he's a mama's boy. and being raised predominantly around and by women , the struggles he's seen them and know so many other go through , is why it's a very large theme in his music.

PSD. PLAYLIST.

[sinsatmidnight]

The Royal Chest

Pairing - Kwon Eunbi x Male Reader

Words - 4159

Sins - Smut, oral, titjob, breast smothering, face-sitting

It’s been a while, but I’m back! This is actually a sequel to A Gift from a Princess (featuring April’s Naeun)! I’ll leave the small talk for another post, but I do have to say that there is a bit of medieval dirty talk that I researched and then used that really ends up maybe feeling a bit more funny than sexy, but I left it in anyway because it amused me, but I hope it doesn’t throw people off. Otherwise, enjoy!

Snowgleam. It’s a beautiful city. A mountaintop city visible from far off if the weather was clear. Spires of polished white marble gleam in the bright sunlight, as you breathe in the cold mountain air, surrounded by snow. The city more than deserves its name.

The journey to Snowgleam took about six days through the treacherous snow-covered mountain passes, and thankfully, you encountered nothing that might have explained why travellers have been disappearing. Perhaps whatever the cause was, it was dissuaded by the sizeable armed escort that guarded the delegation to Snowgleam.

That escort included you, who normally served as personal bodyguard to Princess Lee Naeun as a knight of the court and a member of the Royal Guard. She has entrusted you with a letter to be delivered to a good friend of hers who lives in Snowgleam, Princess Kwon Eunbi, a princess of the neighbouring kingdom.

Princess Kwon Eunbi of Snowgleam is the only child in her family and is being groomed to eventually become queen. Strong of heart, body and mind, and a ravishing beauty, she has many suitors, not unlike Princess Naeun. You’ve met her before, as she’s visited Princess Naeun in the past. 

You remember long black hair, thick red lips, a long and sharp nose, large piercing eyes of grey and skin that was fair and smooth. Most of all, you remember her figure, strong arms, powerful thighs and calves, a slender waist, and an exceptionally large chest.

You walk through smooth stone roads that wind toward the largest building in Snowgleam, the Zenith Spires. A collection of turrets and spires that go higher than any of the others in the city, made of white stone. The destination of your delegation and the home of Princess Eunbi and the rest of her family.

As your delegation arrives safely, you leave the diplomats to go about their business as servants help with your belongings and usher those of you not needed towards a set of rooms reserved for guests. You spend some time stripping off your armour and changing into a fresh set of clothing, a pairing of a silken shirt and pants, before picking up the scroll case containing Princess Naeun’s letter and going to find Princess Eunbi.

You know your way around as you’ve been to the Zenith Spires before a couple times, accompanying Princess Naeun on visits here. After asking a couple of guards, you find out that Princess Eunbi is in her chambers, so you make your way there with letter in hand.

A large door of heavy wood serves as the entrance to her quarters. You pick up the large brass knocker and bring it down upon the wood three times.

“Come in.”

You push the heavy door open and enter, whereupon it slowly shuts by itself behind you. The chamber before you is a dark contrast to most of Snowgleam, with walls of black and a large four-four poster bed of dark red. Large closed glass windows that provide natural illumination to the chamber, sunlight currently shining through them. There is a glass door to the side that leads to a balcony that commands an impressive view over the city and the mountain. Most of the furniture is made of dark wood, all dark brown or black. A velvety carpet of blood red muffles your footsteps somewhat as you take a few steps forward and bow to the princess, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Princess Eunbi wears a resplendent sleeveless golden dress that hugs her figure, with a long slit at the bottom that reveals her smooth and strong legs. The dress reveals a bit of cleavage, just enough to show it off, but not enough to make one feel scandalised in the royal court. Pearls and diamonds adorn her earrings. She currently isn’t wearing any footwear and a tall tiara of diamonds and white crystal rests upon her head.

Eunbi looks up at you, and you bow deeply before her. You try to keep your eyes away from her cleavage when bowing, given that you’re taller and she’s also sitting down.

“Ah, you’re Naeun’s bodyguard, are you not? I believe we last met when I visited her this spring. The delegation must have arrived safely then.”

“Greetings, Princess Eunbi. You are correct, my lady. I bring a letter from Princess Naeun to you.”

“Bring it forth then.”

Rising from your bow, you step forward and proffer the scroll case containing the letter to the princess. Eunbi plucks it from your hands and opens it up, pulling out the parchment within to read the letter immediately.

You wait patiently as the letter is read, standing by in case there is a message or letter that you need to convey back to Princess Naeun. You watch her smile and chuckle to herself as she reads.

Eventually, she rolls the paper back up and getting up to her feet, keeps the letter in a drawer in a side table. Eunbi then looks up at you, a mysterious smile upon her lips.

“Thank you for waiting. Did Naeun tell you what she wrote about in her letter?”

“No, my lady. The princess did not.” Eunbi’s smile widens.

Eunbi walks over back to you, stopping right in front of you. “Well, Naeun wrote to me about her experience having a secret tryst with a bodyguard of hers.” Eunbi stares pointedly at you. “And she also requests of me to partake of this bodyguard, and to send her my informed opinion on the worth and value of his performance and prowess.”

You try not to give away anything on your face, although you are incredibly surprised to hear the contents of the letter. “And she also mentioned that you are the aforementioned bodyguard.” Eunbi adds.

Well, no denying it now then.

“That is true, my lady, although I did not expect for the princess to write to you about that.”

“Naeun and I are close…in the same way that Naeun and her handmaiden Chaekyung are close. When we visit each other…we also take some time to explore each other’s bodies.” Eunbi tales a step toward you at this point, looking up at you and resting a hand on your chest.

“Now, about Naeun’s request. I’m quite happy to fulfil it, but seeing as you were given no instructions or orders in this regard and I don’t want to be an inhospitable host in my home, I would ask if you would be willing to join me in fulfilling her request?”

You are here to deliver a letter and are definitely not expecting to be asked to sleep with the princess of Snowgleam while the rest of your cohorts are off discussing diplomatic matters with Snowgleam’s king and his court.

That said, Princess Eunbi is a beautiful and comely woman. And this is apparently the will of your princess too. “It would be a most humbling honour, Princess Eunbi.”

Eunbi’s gaze changes and she licks her lips seductively. “Oh, I’m sure it is. Not just any man can sleep with the future queen of Snowgleam. No one should hear us as long as we don’t start screaming. The walls of my chamber are quite thick and I don’t have guards outside. Oh, I do have one more condition. You don’t tell anyone of this, just as you’ve presumably not told anyone of your own encounter with Naeun.”

You bow your head slightly. “You have my word, Princess Eunbi.”

Eunbi presses her body up against yours, her chest pushing against yours while a hand reaches up and grabs your head. You feel blood start to rush down below.

“I don’t just want your word. I want your lips.”

With her hand on the back of your head, Eunbi pulls you down into a kiss, her tongue forcing its way quickly into your mouth. You decide to reciprocate and kiss her passionately as well, your tongue entwining and wrestling with hers.

Eunbi’s hand on your chest slides down the silken shirt you wear and settles over the bulge forming in your pants, slowly rubbing against it. You slide one hand down to the slit in her dress, rubbing her thigh at first before inching inward and slipping inside her dress. The other hand wraps around Eunbi’s waist, bringing her in closer to you.

Your hand in her dress seeks out her core, and you feel it dripping; she wears no underwear under her dress. As the two of you push back and forth against each other with your tongues, you start to run a finger along her lower lips, collecting everything that is dripping out and moistening your finger.

Eunbi shivers against you, and not to be outdone, has your belt undone in seconds, sending your pants and belt both tumbling onto the floor. Her warm fingers wrap around your throbbing shaft, slowly stroking it. You retaliate, slowly sliding your finger inside of her. The two of you both moan into each other’s mouths as you slowly make out like this.

Eunbi eventually breaks the kiss for breath. “Not bad at all.” She grins at you playfully. “You see, my people are born and raised on a mountain city. The air is thinner here and we develop a lot of stamina as a result of needing to compensate for less air. Which explains why the thing I prize most of all when with a man, is stamina. Let’s test you out, see how long you last so I can give my opinion to Naeun.”

The princess gestures to her bed. “Sit.”

You remove your hand from inside Eunbi’s dress before turning, stepping out of your clothing, and obediently taking a seat at the edge of her bed. By the time you sit down and face her again, Eunbi’s dress is already on the floor and she casually kicks it aside. Her tiara is unceremoniously pulled from her hair and thrown onto the bed, against the pillows.

You look upon Eunbi’s naked body, slender but powerful muscles in her arms and legs, and also slim around the waist and heavy around the chest. Eunbi’s abdomen is very toned. She is as fit and strong as any knight you know, and you’re not surprised. In addition to being a princess, she also is a captain in the Snowgleam military. Your hardened dick throbs for her.

“Princess Eunbi-”

“Just Eunbi, you don’t need to address me by Princess if you’re naked with me. It feels odd.”

“Eunbi, I was going to say that from the way you kiss, it’s clear that I’m not the first man you’ve been naked with?”

Eunbi chuckles as she gets on her knees in front of you. “Naeun isn’t the only one who’s had secret trysts with bodyguards. Well, mine aren’t always with bodyguards, but you get the gist of it.”

You watch as Eunbi wraps a hand around the base of your shaft and starts to stroke. “Now, let’s partake of you, and see how you taste.” Her large grey eyes stare into yours as her pink tongue flicks over the tip of your cock, licking up the pre-cum that has formed there.

“Mmm…this looks so good. I want to bagpipe you.”

You groan softly in appreciation at the feeling of her wet and warm tongue first sliding along the slit of your penis and then an encompassing feeling of wet warmth surrounds your cock as she takes the tip of it into her mouth and starts to suck on it.

Her head starts to bob up and down on your cock and unlike Naeun, Eunbi is a lot more experienced with men. You soon feel the effects of that as she deftly takes your length deep into her throat with ease. No gagging and choking, just the tightness of her throat as she swallows around your length while her large eyes peer up at you.

You notice that Eunbi has a hand down below, fingering herself and moaning and whimpering pleasurably into your cock even as she sucks on you. A little hesitantly, you place a hand on Eunbi’s head and pull ever so gently upward on her hair, urging her to come up for air. It’s your turn to give her some attention; and you really don’t want to shoot your load so soon, with how hot and tight her blowjob is.

“Let me bring pleasure to you.”

Eunbi nods and licks your tip one final time. “I could never say no to a request like that.”

You grab Eunbi by the shoulders and help her up, before having her lie on the bed next to you. You clamber up on top of her and direct your attention to her lovely breasts, roughly squeezing one large, firm breast and sucking on the sensitive stiffened nipple of the other. Eunbi whimpers and mewls, her nails digging into your shoulder and the back of your head.

“More…” She pants as her hand on the back of your head pushes strongly down, pressing your face into her chest. The perfumed scent of her body mixed with the taste of light fresh sweat on her tits is a heady mix.

Eunbi suddenly grabs tightly onto you, her fingers digging into your skin and her legs clenching against your sides, and then she rolls you underneath her. Eunbi’s breasts completely fill your vision and senses as your face is engulfed and pressed beneath her boobs. They are soft, firm, and fair, just the way you like them. Eunbi puts the considerable weight of her chest fully onto you, smothering you with them. Her strong arms push down on your chest, preventing you from rising.

Your face is fully buried in Eunbi’s large and soft tits, and all you see is warm flesh. Eunbi’s soft moaning encourages you to keep licking and kissing between her cleavage, even though your breathing is somewhat restricted.

You manage to bring one hand up to Eunbi’s face and you slip a couple of fingers into her warm mouth, where she licks and sucks on them with gusto. Once you deem them wet enough, you retract them and use them to tease her lower lips, with your fingers slowly stroking around the outside of her pussy, just on the edge.

Your other hand continues to play with her nipples, squeezing and fondling the breasts that have trapped your face, drawing noises of satisfaction from Eunbi.

You lick her chest and tweak her nipples as her hips buck downward, eager for more of your touch. You oblige, sending your wet fingers sliding inside her, making her writhe above you. And then you stop, drawing a whine from the princess. As comfortable as this position is for you, it doesn’t let you pleasure her the best.

“I love your breasts, but let’s change positions.” Your voice comes out muffled from under Eunbi’s breasts.

There is a slight pause. “Okay, fine.” And Eunbi lifts her chest off your face, only to quickly scoot her hips forward and plant her slit right on top of your mouth. Her strong, creamy, thighs lock around your head and her hips grinding down on you.

You were hoping for a position easier to breathe in but taking in the scent of her royal pussy isn’t a bad alternative. Your tongue slips inside Eunbi’s folds and she grabs your head with a hand and pushes her hips down hard. Her hips gyrate as you fuck her with your tongue, tasting her delicious juices spilling into your mouth.

“Taste me…” Eunbi whines breathlessly. You look up at her beautiful face even as you lick and suck on her pussy; eyes closed, lower lip being bitten, cheeks flush, and the expression of pleasurable agony on her face all help to keep you rock hard throughout this.

Your hands reach up and squeeze her ample ass, pulling her grinding hips closer, pushing your tongue deeper into her. Eunbi’s breathing becomes heavy and ragged, and you only hear panting, gasping and soft groans passing from her lips.

While still underneath Eunbi, your hands shift, moving from her ass to hold onto her powerful thighs and then grabbing tightly, you flip her onto the bed, changing positions again. This time, you get to use your hands to assist your mouth. With Eunbi lying beneath you, you attack her swollen clit with your tongue, licking and sucking roughly, while you pump into her pussy with several fingers. Eunbi’s thighs still haven’t lost their grip on your head; she’s a strong woman. Instead, Eunbi wraps her legs around your head, her calves locking in around the back of your head. Your head is happily trapped around the vice-like grip of Eunbi’s legs.

“Yes…yes...yes…” Eunbi quietly repeats the word over and over as your fingers quest and coil and thrust inside her and your mouth is locked in a French kiss with her clit. The grip Eunbi has on your head tightens somehow, almost painful as her body quivers, and then she climaxes hard in a silent scream, pushing her hips furiously against your head, grinding and gyrating until she lies relatively still.

You keep licking and slurping up the nectar that flows forth, causing Eunbi to whimper and shudder still. Eunbi’s legs finally relax their grip on you and she lets them fall to the side, releasing your head. Her hands then immediately take over and pull your head up to hers, her lips then catching yours in a deep kiss.

When your lips part, Eunbi purrs contentedly as she idly strokes your cock.

“I taste good. I did like your taste as well.”

Eunbi kisses you again for emphasis, and as her tongue explores your mouth, her hands grab your shoulders and the two of you reverse positions again. Eunbi moves to position herself above your cock that has been craving for more attention for a while now.

“Look at you, you’re still hard.”

“Whenever you need me to be.”

“I have to say, I’m starting to envy Naeun a little.” Eunbi then sinks down, taking your entire length inside her to the hilt. You slide in easily from how wet she is, but she’s also still very tight around your cock.

“So deep…” She exhales. You watch as Eunbi starts to ride you, her breasts bouncing along to the rhythm of her hips thrusting down on you.

“Need a hand?” Without waiting for a reply, you reach out with both hands and cup Eunbi’s beautiful breasts, squeezing them as she fucks herself upon you. Eunbi groans at first but then grins impishly. “I have a better idea.”

Without missing a beat, Eunbi reaches down and pulls you up into a sitting position before using one hand to grab your head and force it between her cleavage. You actually can’t really breathe at all this time as Eunbi smothers you with her breasts, but it turns you on so much as you start to thrust upward into Eunbi, matching her downward rhythm.

Eunbi lets you go after a short while to help you catch your breath, and you keep your head at the same level and start to frantically suck on the nipples in front of you, taking them in your mouth one at a time and devouring them. Eunbi whimpers in response; you know how sensitive her nipples are to her. One of your hands starts to rub her clit, increasing Eunbi’s pleasure.

“I’m going to-“ Eunbi doesn’t finish her sentence as she cries out loud and throws her head back while in orgasm, her hands grab your head and force your face into her tits again, enveloping you as she cums all over your cock. Between the contractions of her pussy muscles on your cock and the breast smothering, you feel yourself getting close too.

Eunbi only releases you when she has calmed down a little, pulling your mouth off her chest and pulling you into a passionate kiss. “I see you do have quite a bit of stamina.” Eunbi remarks when she finally gets off you, revealing your cock still hard and throbbing, totally drenched from Eunbi’s orgasm. “Let’s finish this up, shall we?

The princess pulls you over to the edge of the bed and kneels on the carpeted floor in front of you. Pushing her breasts together, Eunbi has them surround your cock, sandwiching them between two soft but firm orbs of flesh.

She starts to shift her heavy breasts up and down, forming a pleasurable friction and rhythm as she pumps your cock with only her boobs. Eunbi doesn’t need lubrication for this, given that your cock is covered in her juices from the orgasm she just had and thus still very wet.

“One talent that I discovered that I had after joining the military, was that I’m really particularly good at spear polishing. All of it. The tip, the shaft.” Eunbi teases as she licks her lips, her eyes locked onto yours.

“I can tell.” You manage to get out as your hips thrust into Eunbi’s breasts, unable to keep still. Eunbi lowers her head and starts to lick her juices off the tip of your cock.

“Mmm…give me your cream, spray it all over me. Treat me like a filthy common street whore.” You didn’t know that a princess and future queen could speak like that. Princess Naeun would never speak like that.

At Eunbi’s dirty urging, you increase the speed of your thrusting, eventually fucking Eunbi’s cleavage and mouth at the same time, as she wraps her lips around the head of your dick and sucks. The sound of slurping fills the air. 

“Go on, you dirty harlot, take it all.” Your hands reach up somewhat hesitantly and hold her head through her hair and when you feel yourself hit the edge and go over, you pull her head back and off.

The first spray decorates her outstretched neck, the second shoots higher, splattering across her chin and lower jaw, the third forms droplets of white all over her chest. Eunbi continues to stroke you with her breasts throughout all of this. You feel one last spurt coming, and Eunbi brings her mouth down to swallow it all. You take advantage of this opportunity to thrust into her mouth a few times as you come down from your climax.

Eunbi thoroughly cleans your cock with her mouth, licking and sucking all over your sensitive length. A knock on the door interrupts her, a male voice comes calling, probably a guard or a courtier. “Princess Eunbi, your father requests your presence in the throne room whenever you are predisposed to come. He would like to speak with you regarding the diplomatic delegation that arrived earlier.”

She pulls her mouth off your cock to answer. “Tell Father that I’ll be there soon, you may leave first.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Eunbi turns back to you. “How many nights are you staying here for?”

“Two, weather permitting.”

“Good, that’s two more nights with you. A good first impression, but I need to sample you for longer to really give Naeun a detailed opinion.”

You chuckle. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t ever call me a whore or a harlot outside of this room or I will order your execution.” Eunbi smiles and jokes as she walks over to a nearby standing metal washbasin to wash her face and neck. You admire Eunbi’s naked form again, watching her butt move from side to side as she walks, her back turned to you.

“I would never.” You get up from sitting on the bed, and walk over to where Eunbi stands, washing herself.

“I’m thinking of maybe going back with you, I haven’t visited Naeun in a while. Maybe the three of us can spend some time together.”

You wrap your arms around Eunbi’s waist and whisper suggestively into her ear as she wipes down her face with a towel. “That’s an excellent idea. Imagine the things we could do together, the three of us. The two of you and your wonderful royal chests sound like an excellent time.”

You dip your hands into the cold water in the washbasin and then bring both hands up to her chest, cupping her breasts from behind. “You have to wash these too.” You breathe heavily into Eunbi’s ear. Eunbi lets out a soft moan, her body shivering as you squeeze her breasts gently, and she feels your cock start to stiffen against her ass. You bring one hand down to gently rub against her pussy lips. “And down here too.”

As you kiss Eunbi on her ear and the nape of her neck, your cock rubbing against her pussy, she murmurs softly in pleasure. “I guess Father will have to wait for a little longer.”

The king of Snowgleam doesn’t see his daughter for another two hours. And you are looking forward to a busy two days (and nights).

[elizabeethan]

Now Belongs To You

The final installment of It’s About Bloody Time

Find the rest of the series on Ao3 or Tumblr

Summary: Emma liked being pregnant in the winter. She often finds herself boiling, so she welcomed the cold Maine air to cool her down. Now that it’s late-April and she’s almost 35-weeks pregnant, though, she’s a bit miserable. 

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has given this monster a chance! I so didn’t anticipate a quick smutty one shot to grow into a 52k word beast. Keep an eye out for additions; I have about 4 or 5 extras that I want to include in this universe and I’m not opposed to prompts

Emma liked being pregnant in the winter. She often finds herself boiling, so she welcomed the cold Maine air to cool her down. Now that it’s late-April and she’s almost 35-weeks pregnant, though, she’s a bit miserable.

April in Maine shouldn’t be this hot. In fact, it isn’t very hot. There was still snow on the ground a week ago. Killian still wears his long leather pants, button downs, and leather jackets every day and never complains of the heat. Her mother is still wearing sweaters and thick tights. She hasn’t seen her dad in short sleeves since last August. But here Emma lies in their living room—no, in Killian’s living room—in a black maternity cami and workout shorts with a tower fan pointed directly at her.

She isn’t sure how she’ll survive the next 5 weeks if the temperature keeps rising. Someone should do something about that.

She told Killian that she would finally pick out an accent color for the baby’s room today while he was out with David picking up the crib, but she can’t seem to get herself off the couch. She barely sleeps more than two hours at a time each night, her little bambino taking any and every opportunity to practice their gymnastics routine on her bladder, ribs, and lungs, so she takes any chance she can to nap. Killian keeps referring to his many apps to try and give her advice on how to combat her insomnia, but she thinks if she hears, “maybe some warm milk, darling,” one more time, she’ll snap, and her baby will be tragically born without a father.

Once she’s fully out of her sleep-induced brain fog, she hoists herself into a seated position, somehow, and reaches towards the coffee table where Killian left the paint swatches for her to peel over. It’s difficult to decide on a color when they still don’t know what they're having. The little yellow envelop still sits on the kitchen table, although it’s been shoved to the side in favor of mail and ultrasound pictures. For a while, she was tempted to open it up and find out who their little baby is, but Killian finally whispered into her neck one night that he thinks he wants to be surprised. The concept is nice, and far be it for her to ruin this for him, so she’s been going along with it.

Although, if she were to somehow find out, she wouldn’t be upset. It would probably make this whole nursery decoration thing a lot easier.

They decided together that they wanted the nursery to be nautical-themed. She figured it would be a cute and relatively gender-neutral way to decorate their baby’s first bedroom, and when she suggested it to Killian, his blue eyes lit up brighter than she’s ever seen them. The walls are still white, but she can’t decide if she wants to paint the wall with the window sky blue or a warm shade of gray.

“Hello, my darling,” her doting baby daddy greets gleefully as he enters through the front door, holding it open for David, who’s holding up a large and seemingly heavy box. Once the door is propped, he pulls the box while David pushes the other end, scraping it loudly against the textured tile floor until it’s inside.

“Hi.” The grin he wears is adorable as he rounds the coffee table and bends down to plant a kiss on her forehead.

“Good nap?”

She shrugs, laughing internally at the fact that he just knew she was napping despite the fact that she was doing dishes when he left. She watches him make his way back over to the box and quietly count to three before he and David hoist it and start walking towards the baby’s room. “This thing kept whacking me,” she says, gesturing towards her enlarged belly, “so I wasn’t able to sleep for long.” She finally stands from the couch and follows them into the nursery.

“Blasted child,” he grunts out, finally dropping the box to the floor with a slightly-too-loud crash as Emma winces.

“I think I want gray,” she tells him, hugging her dad with one arm once he’s catches his breath and stands up. “On the wall.”

“That’s a good idea,” David says in agreement. “Where are your scissors?”

“Next to the stove. It’s a nice gender-neutral color, don’t you think? I thought blue would be good but what if it’s a girl?”

“I believe that in this realm, girls can also like the color blue, but gray is a lovely choice as well, Swan. We can run out for the paint and start it tonight while your father’s still here.”

She smiles at him, striding over as best she can with her crampy calves protesting, and wraps her arms around the back of his neck. “Sounds like a good plan.”

He hums and smiles down at her, swooping in to press a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips. “I hope you at least got a bit of sleep. Little pineapple needs you well rested.”

She laughs lightly at his remark. Each week, he checks his pregnancy apps to see how big the baby is, and he then spends the week referring to it by whatever comparison he likes best. This week, it’s a pineapple. Killian had never tried one before, so they picked up a can during their weekly grocery haul, and he loved it. She can’t wait until they're able to get some fresh. “They're gonna have to cool it with the hip hop, then. I don’t even know how there’s any space left in there.”

“Aye, well, you now have more baby than amniotic fluid, so their movements are feeling sharper. Less of a— what was the word they used? — less of a cushion.”

“Is that why I saw a hand earlier, doctor Jones?”

“Did you?” he laughs excitedly, kissing the tip of her nose as he often does.

She nods, taking his hand off her hip and pressing it softly into the bottom of the left side of her bump. She often found that giving a few light taps encouraged the baby to tap back. Sure enough, the little turd gives his or her dad an enthusiastic high five. “This kid will not stop moving. We’re gonna have to enroll them in all the sports.”

“Hmm,” he hums. “Perhaps some rum on the pacifier will calm him down once he’s here.” He raises his brows in quick succession.

“Killian!” she swats at his chest.

“No one is giving my grandchild rum until they’re at least 35.” She spins back to the door, smiling still as her dad enters and starts to cut away at the excessive packaging. “Killian, I was thinking you could go grab the paint while Emma and I work on the crib, what do you say? Mom will be here soon so we can start painting once you're back.”

“Sounds reasonable, mate.”

“Ugh, forgot my drill in the truck. I’ll be right back.”

Killian walks around Emma so that he’s facing her again, brushing away a strand of hair that fell out of her top knot. “Which swatch was it, love?”

“It’s called Dolphin Fin.”

His face twists. “Nasty buggers, if you ask me.”

“But they do make a nice wall color.”

He chuckles and presses a soft kiss to her mouth, barely slinking his tongue along her bottom lip. “I’ll be back.”

“Okay, thanks. Love you.”

He freezes. Emma freezes.

What the hell? Did she seriously just say that?

He said it weeks ago. Months ago. She still hasn’t found it in herself to say it back, no matter how many times she’s thought it. Archie says she’s scared that if she admits it aloud, it makes it real, and it means that she risks losing him.

Too late to consider that now, she supposes.

Her heart is racing and her palms are sweating; the baby even stills it’s wiggles in her stomach, as if to say mom, what the hell are you doing?

He squeezes her shoulder after a moment of silence, and it’s as if he needed the time to take in what she said before he can respond. “Aye,” he says softly, more quietly than ever. “I love you, too, Emma.”

She already knew this, but that knowledge doesn’t stop the doubts as she asks, “really?”

“I thought it was rather obvious,” he laughs, “considering I’ve already told you.”

She laughs now too, tipping forward slightly (and not gracefully—she’s so front-heavy that once she starts going, she is physically incapable of stopping), pressing her forehead into his collarbone and breathing in the soothing scent of leather and new cologne. “I haven’t really said it to anyone since… well, it’s been a long time.”

“Aye,” he replies, running a hand down her back and pulling her as close to him as the bump will allow. “For me, too. It’s alright, darling. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. Not even if you try and force me away.”

“I won’t,” she says against his skin. “And I… I love you, too.” It comes out in a whisper, and she’s never felt so scared and excited in her life—with perhaps the exception of learning that she was pregnant. With a man whom she loves.

She hears the squealing buzz of the drill coming from down the hall and lets Killian gently press on her shoulders to help her to an upright position.

“I’ll be back, Swan.”

She smiles as David enters the room and makes his way back towards the crib. “Oh, Killian!” Emma calls. He turns at the door and hums, raising a brow at her. “We’re out of Cheez-Its.”

“Bloody hell,” he mumbles as he makes his way into the hall. “How?”

“Thank you!”

~~~~

“This is a nice one,” David says once the crib is finished. Emma’s been wrestling with getting the fitted sheet over the little mattress for at least five minutes now, and it’s honestly ridiculous for her to be struggling this much. “You can adjust the height of the mattress as the baby gets bigger.”

She nods, finally succeeding over the damn thing and passing it towards her dad so that he can plop it into the crib.

“I do have good taste, I guess.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “About that…”

“Uh oh,” she retorts awkwardly, “am I in trouble?”

He chuckles, walking over to her once the mattress is in place to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Quite the opposite, actually. It seems like you two are in a really good place.”

She nods, smiling as she leaves the nursery and makes her way to the kitchen for some water. All she can hear in the back of her mind is, “must stay hydrated, Swan.”

“We are.”

“I must say, it took a bit for me to get over my reservations about the pirate.”

“Oh, I remember how long it took,” she says, thinking back to her birthday and how much her father distained the idea of her inviting him.

“It may have taken a bit,” he continues pointedly, “but you two are going to be fantastic parents.”

She won’t cry, honest. “Thanks. We… well, we’re really excited. Everything happened kind of out of order, but we’re happy where we are, I think.”

“I can see that. And I'm sorry I ever pushed you towards Neal.” She nods. “If I had known last year what I know now…”

Before she can argue with him that they’ve already had this conversation, the door opens and Mary Margaret steps inside, carrying grocery bags filled with dinner ingredients.

Emma’s violent aversion to meatballs has subsided, and now she can’t get enough. They have at least a dozen in the freezer, but she still requested them for dinner tonight.

“Hi honeys!” Mary Margaret calls as David takes a bag out of her hand and guides her into the kitchen area.

“Hey,” Emma responds before making her way to the table just outside of the kitchen and taking a seat. She picks up the closest ultrasound printout and smiles at the baby’s strong profile.

Killian and David are wrapping things up in the nursery, almost finished painting with the door shut so that she wasn’t exposed to the fumes, and Mary Margaret closes the oven once the tray of meatballs are formed and placed on the rack.

“Oh, Emma, I just can’t wait to meet this little one,” her mother says over her shoulder, placing a gentle hand on the top of her belly.

“Me too,” she says with a grin. Her mother takes a seat next to Emma and pours herself a glass of wine.

“I have had a heck of a week. It’s like all of the kids pooled money for an espresso machine.”

“You're still liking being back at school though?”

“Oh, I’m loving it. It’s like being back where I belong.” Emma smiles and nods, waving in front of her at a fly that decided to make an appearance. “The nursery is going to be so cute, sweetie. Killian must love the theme.”

“Yeah, he does. I was mostly his idea. He wanted,” she swats at the air again, “damn fly. He wanted to raise the kid on the Jolly Roger without actually endangering them at sea.”

“So thoughtful. He’s gonna be a great dad.” Mary Margaret brushes her hand through the air too as the fly invades her space.

“He already is.”

“I know we’ve sort of had this discussion already, but—”

“Mary Margaret—”

“Just hear me out. Please?” Emma nods, giving her consent to continue. “Neal is a great father to Henry; I can’t doubt that. Ever since he came into his life, I’ve seen nothing love and care towards his son.”

“I know.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that what he did to you 12 years ago is unforgiveable.” Emma nods in agreement. “And your father and I, mainly me, trying to push you towards him before we knew why you were so hesitant about him being back is unforgiveable.”

“Mary Margaret…”

“I’m not saying this because I want your pity or your forgiveness. I want you to know that I’m sorry. That I see the fault in my behavior, and I want to make up for it. I’ll never stop trying to be the best person that I can for you, Emma. I hope that Neal does the same for Henry. And I know that you and Killian will do the same for your child.” She pauses for a breath and a sip of wine, swatting at the fly again before continuing. “It’s something that doesn’t always come naturally to some parents, and I was honestly worried about Killian at first, but I can see now that it is coming naturally to him, and I’m so happy that the two of you are getting the opportunity to raise a child together. I wish I had accepted these feelings months ago.”

Emma isn’t really sure what to say. They’ve talked briefly about her past with Neal over the last few months, mostly about how Emma’s working on getting past it. Emma even brought Mary Margaret to a session with Archie once. But she’s never really heard the depth of emotions that her mother was experiencing.

“Thank you… that means—”

Mary Margaret swats a bit too animatedly and bumps her hand into her glass of wine, causing it to topple over and spill onto the table. “Oh shoot!” she jumps, reaching for the soiled mail as Emma heaves herself up for some paper towel. “I’m sorry, honey, let me get this.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“Oh, this is soaking through the paper. I’m so sorry. Can I take this stuff out of their envelopes? I don’t want whatever’s inside to get ruined.”

Emma nods as she rips a few pieces of paper from the roll.

Maybe she should’ve said no, though.

“Just a few bills and ads and other junk,” she says as she quickly discards of the wine-soaked envelopes. It’s all well and good until Emma’s making her way back to the table, rounding the kitchen island, and sees Mary Margaret tearing open that small yellow envelope.

“Wait!” she shouts, holding up a hand and hurrying over to the table, but it’s too late. Or, she’s incapable of moving any faster.

Mary Margaret gasps. So does Emma.

Written on the small piece of paper that her mother pulls out is the four-letter word Emma’s been thinking about for months.

GIRL, it says, with a bold line drawn underneath, as if the technician was excited to write it down.

“Oh my.” Her mother’s eyes blow wide.

“Oh my god,” Emma whispers, placing her hands over her mouth before thinking better of it and sliding them over her bump. Over her baby girl. “Oh my god.”

“Emma…” Mary Margaret starts, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was in here!”

“Mom,” Emma laughs, tears pricking her eyes, and whispers, “it’s alright.”

“You’ve…” she walks over to Emma, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve never called me that before, not really.” Mary Margaret’s eyes are glossy, too.

She laughs out a soft sob, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “It’s a girl.”

Mary Margaret nods, pulling her daughter in for a hug as tight as the two of them can manage. “Do you have any names?”

“No!” Emma laughs out again, sniffling. “Killian didn’t want to know, and I haven’t been thinking about it much. You won’t tell him, right?”

“No! It’s—”

“All set, Swan, you're allowed in the room in a week!” Killian calls from down the hall, making his way into the kitchen. She crumples up the paper she’s holding and shoves it between her boobs. Ouch.

She sniffles once again and spins around, too quickly so that she gets a little uneasy on her feet, smiling at him. “Thank you.” Mary Margaret takes the paper towels from her grip and brushes it over her own cheeks before she starts to blot up the wine.

“No worries, Swan, you don’t need to cry over spilt wine,” he says, walking to her and kissing her forehead before taking the reddened towels from her mother.

~~~~

She hit 36 weeks of pregnancy on Tuesday, and when wakes up from her nap the following Sunday, it’s to round ligament pain, cramps in her legs, her esophagus essentially on fire, and gas… oh god, the gas. Poor Killian.

“It’s really just the most contemptable thing, my love. Peter Pan was perhaps the most treacherous foe your daddy has ever faced. Well, aside from your mother on that damn bean stock.”

“You better not be soiling my baby’s image of her mother,” she says groggily with her eyes still shut. Her breath catches as she inadvertently discloses the sex of the baby, but Killian thinks nothing of it.

“Could be a boy,” he responds, and damn him for stealing her line.

She smirks, because no she couldn’t, but looks down at him. When she opens her eyes, she sees that he’s holding the copy of Peter Pan that she gave him for Christmas, his head resting on the pregnancy pillow that replaced him weeks ago next to her thigh, and he’s reading to her again.

He’ll be the best dad.

“You should be getting up soon, love. Regina still wants to take you to lunch.”

“I can’t believe that. When has she ever shown any interest in spending time with me?”

He shrugs, his shoulder bumping into her leg, and presses a gentle kiss to the bottom of her belly, close to where the baby’s head is resting.

A thought dawns on her then, fueled by his refusal to answer her. “It’s not a shower is it? It better not be a shower.”

“You could take a shower, I guess. But I think you smell nice.”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s a Sunday afternoon three weeks before my due date, Killian. If it’s a shower, I’ll kill you.”

“Please don’t threaten me with physical violence in front of my son,” he says seriously, and she laughs.

“Could be a girl.”

“Could be.”

~~~~

It was a shower.

Regina picked her up at 1:30 and drove her straight to town hall. She didn’t even try to disguise it.

“This was your mother’s idea,” she tells her apathetically as she parks in her front spot. Emma is glad to have such a short distance to walk, or should she say, waddle.

The hall is decorated similarly to how the nursery is, ornamental ropes and netting and shells scattered along the tables and blue and pink streamers cascading from the ceiling.

Everyone she’s ever known is there, and while she thought she would hate the attention, she’s actually happy to see all of the friends she’s made since arriving in Storybrooke. Even Anna and Elsa made their way over via portal from Arendelle.

Her mother also provided snacks and desserts, and Emma couldn’t be happier to have a big bowl of Cheez-Its sat in front of her for the entire party. There are also onesie decoration stations, polls for guessing the due date and gender, and plenty of games to keep everyone busy before cake and gifts. The cake was beautiful; Granny somehow created one in the shape of a ship’s wheel. Emma doesn’t cry, she doesn’t.

The guests for most of the shower are women, but at the end, David, Henry, and Killian arrive to say hello to everyone and help to pack up. She received so many things that she didn’t think she would need, but her parents also gave her the things she had planned on buying herself, like the stroller and car seat she’s been looking at.

She doesn’t cry. Really.

“Hi baby,” Killian says, bending to kiss the top of her belly, and then, “hi baby mama,” as he stands straight and kisses her chastely.

She laughs, taking his face between her two hands and kissing him back with a bit more heat, slipping her tongue against his and pulling his hair. There were a few weeks there when she didn’t really feel like sex, but for some reason that she isn’t questioning, her drive is back. Her doctor says it’s healthy, so she’s taking that knowledge and running with it.

“Easy tiger,” he says, “we’ve got company.”

She hums out a laugh, leaning her forehead against his. “Just hoping to induce labor. I don’t know how I’ll survive another three weeks and two days.”

He snorts and ignores her statement in favor of asking, “where would you like us to bring the gifts, my love?”

She grins at his addition of the word my and shrugs. “Home, I guess,” she teases.

“Your home or mine?”

Did she seriously forget that they don’t actually live together? Seriously?

“Oh, um…” she starts, taking a moment to consider her answer. There are so many things she could say. She could tell him to send the things to his house. To the baby’s house, because honestly, she knows that’s where the baby is living. But instead of being blasé about the situation, she thinks about what Archie would say. About how she could start putting herself and her needs first, without worrying about the consequences that she makes up in her own head. So, she softly says, “ours,” and looks at him timidly.

“Ours,” he repeats, breathing out a laugh and shaking his head lightly. “Really?”

She nods. “I think… well, I want to live with you. Officially. I know everything in life is uncertain, but I know for sure that I want to live with you and the baby. Full time. That is… if you—if you want that.”

There could have been a more romantic time or place to have this conversation. Her family and friends are running around trying to pack, she’s eaten more cake in the last hour than she cares to disclose, and she’s trying really hard to hold in a fart. But something about this feels right, and when she sees the grin that splits his face in two, she knows that she made the right call.

“Well, when you put it like that, I would love to live with you,” he says, leaning in towards her and kissing her so gently and passionately that she can feel it in her toes. He tries to pull her in closer, but the child between them makes it pretty difficult, so he laughs into their kiss and rubs his hand along the side of her bump. “Shall I tell Dave to move your things into your new abode, my darling?”

She laughs and swats at his chest before leaning in to kiss him once more. “That sounds perfect, baby daddy.”

~~~~

Emma’s been in labor before. She knows the difference between Braxton Hicks and actual contractions, but each time she stops where she stands and rubs her belly, breathing deeply, Killian rushes over and asks if it’s time. She knows he’s excited, and he seems pretty calm, but it for some reason, that agitates her.

“No, god dammit,” she would hiss, gritting her teeth through it, trying to shake it off. She knows that if it goes away when she moves, she’s in the clear. He doesn’t ever seem to know how to respond to her outbursts, so he just kisses her temple and goes back to what he’s doing. Usually, he’s getting her a snack.

At a few days shy of 39 weeks, she supposes she could be in a much worse mood.

She’s moved past the nesting stage and straight into obsessive planning and cleaning. She’s made Killian rearrange the nursery at least four times, moved the position of the bassinet in their bedroom twice, and has yet to decide what side she wants the car seat installed. At least he’s now had plenty of practice on how to properly install it.

The worst part is how anxious she is. She wants this baby to come out more than anything—revels in the idea of finally meeting the tiny life they’ve created. She wants to meet her daughter. But she also wants to keep her safe. How is she supposed to keep her baby safe if she isn’t inside her? She’s built a lovely home for this kid over the last 9 months, thank you very much.

So, every time she has a Braxton Hicks contraction, she panics a bit. Because as much as she wants to give birth and not be 9 months pregnant anymore, she’s absolutely terrified of the idea.

Sometimes, though, the late-term pregnancy symptoms are worse than the thought of staying pregnant forever. She could do without lightening crotch and weird discharge for the rest of her life and be perfectly content.

It’s her turn to consult the apps, searching for ways to encourage labor when the heartburn and pelvic pain become too much to bear, and while walks and exercise balls are nice ideas, her favorite suggestion is sex.

Killian was nervous when she started coming on to him, but he seems to enjoy himself based on the way he runs his hand along her body, presses his mouth against her heated skin, and tucks his throbbing erection tightly into her from behind and comes with a long, deep moan.

When they're finished and she’s panting with her knees and face pressed into the mattress and her ass in the air, she sighs. “Still nothing.”

“It’s not time yet, love,” he says soothingly to her left, running his hand along her arched back and landing it on her ass. “You can’t be comfortable like this.”

With her belly hanging down and resting against the mattress, she’s surprisingly comfortable, the pressure finally releasing from her hips, but she’s going to have lines pressed into her face if she doesn’t move soon.

“It’s almost time, though. I’m literally going insane over here. I can barely breathe from the heartburn and these huge feet shoving into my lungs. Can’t she just pop out a little early?”

“While I would love to be able to prove you wrong sooner rather than later, I think that he is enjoying his time in the safety of your womb, my love.”  

She snorts at his insistence and flops over onto her side so that her back is pressed to his front, his hand sliding around her to hold her huge belly.

“I’ll be full term on Tuesday. They can come out any time they want.”

“That’s still three days away, and then you’ll only be 39 weeks.”

“I can deliver at 39 weeks. I was 37 with Henry.”

His small strokes slow when he asks, “were you?”

She nods against his chest, feeling her eyes getting heavy and her breathing finally evening out a bit. “Can you get my pillow? I think I might actually fall asleep tonight.”

“It’s only 7:30.” She shrugs. “Of course, Swan.” He chuckles lightly, kissing the back of her neck and pulling away, replacing his missing body heat with a blanket and tucking her pillow between her knees.

When she wakes to a professional dance routine just before eleven, it’s to their empty bed, the soft glow of a light down the hall illuminating her path as she gets up. As she makes her way to the bathroom, she feels a warm trickle starting down her legs and suspects that her water must be breaking, and she nearly squeals in excitement.

Then she panics, because labor and delivery is no walk in the park, but she tries to focus on the fact that her baby is on her way.

In a few hours, she’ll get to meet her daughter. Their daughter.

How is she going to raise a kid from day one? Henry was easy, all the hard work was done for her and she was left with an awesome 10-year-old. This one is all on her, though.

Well, on them. Archie would ask her why she feels the need to burden solely herself.

Shit, they should’ve discussed names more seriously.

No way is she naming her child Gertrude.

Once she’s cleaned up both herself and the floor (as best she can by rubbing a towel against it with her foot), she knows she should be heading to the hospital soon to ward off infection or illness, but she also knows that she has a long road ahead of her, so she first heads out to the living room and grabs her phone from where she left it on the couch and shoots a text first to her mother, and then to Ruby.

“Swan?” she hears from the nursery. She starts to smile, but then she feels what she assumes is the start of a contraction and she stops in her place. The pressure and pain on her back and belly are strong, starting from the top of her bump and rolling down in a wave, but it’s over pretty quickly, so she isn’t too worried. Of course, Killian is worried, though. “Swan!”

“It’s—”

“Is it time? It’s too early! The baby isn’t done cooking yet, there’s still a week to go!”

“No,” she breathes out as she sits down on the couch, bringing him with her. “It’s okay, the baby is almost full term. If they're ready, they're ready.”

“it’s too soon, Swan. I thought we would have another week.”

“What difference is a week going to make?” she snaps, calming her voice as she continues. “It’ll just be more baby for me to push out. I’m perfectly okay with delivering now.”

This was new. Usually Killian was the cool and collected one of the two of them, but it appears he’s currently losing his mind over this. “I can’t…” he starts, his eyes darting in every direction and his brows practically hidden under his thick hair. “What if I can’t do it?”

“Killian…”

“I was… I didn’t have a father. Not really. How the bloody hell am I supposed to know how to be one myself? I’m no role model for a young lad.”

“You already are a father, Killian. You’ve been the most amazing dad to this baby since the minute you found out about them,” she sooths, taking his hand in hers and drawing it to her lips to kiss his knuckles.

“What if it is a boy, and I raise him to be like me?

“That wouldn’t be so bad, but—”

“Like the worst version of me?”

“No, baby, that’s not—”

“Swan, I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this. I can’t raise a child— I can’t raise a son.” He’s practically in tears, and she can feel his hand shaking in her grasp as his breath catches in his throat.

“Killian,” she says more firmly because, let’s face it, she doesn’t have much time for breakdowns here, and she grabs his cheeks between her hands. “There is not a doubt in my mind that you are, and will continue to be, the most amazing father that this baby could ever dream of having. You and me… we understand each other, remember? Neither of us know what it’s like to be raised by loving parents. But it’s a challenge that we’re going to face together. We get a chance to love this kid the way we wish we had been.”

He can’t seem to meet her eyes with his, either because he doesn’t want to, or because he worries that if he moves them the tears that are threatening to fall will begin to cascade down his cheeks. Something dawns on her then, though, and she realizes that the thought of having a son is weighing heavily on him. Before she can consider whether it’s a good idea or not, she opens her mouth. “I know you don’t think you're capable of being a father, but… well, that ship has sailed, Hook, and your daughter’s on it and waiting for you to jump on.”

He freezes, finally looking her in the eyes as the tears roll down. “My what?”

Emma smiles, running her hand gently along his cheek before leaning in to kiss his lips tenderly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but I thought it might be helpful for you to know.”

He shakes his head and lets out a breath, saying, “it’s a girl?”

“I found out by accident a few weeks ago,” she nods, her nose rubbing along his. “Are you mad at me?”

He laughs breathily and kisses her, shaking his head. “How could I ever be mad at you?”

“I know, right?” she jokes, but this conversation has gone on for too long, and she feels the wave of another contraction starting. She forgot to check the time after the last one, so she isn’t able to tell how close together they are, but she knows more will come for her to track. “Ugh,” she says, breathing as deeply as she can. “What time is it?”

“11:16.”

“Count,” she demands. She continues to breathe deeply through circled lips as he sits by her quietly and rubs her knuckles with his thumb. “Okay,” she breathes out finally.

“That was about 26 seconds.”

“From when I told you to start counting?”

“Aye.”

She figures it’s safe to add 10 seconds and takes out her phone to mark it down. “We should go. I could still talk through that one, but my water broke, so I have to go to the hospital.”

“Your water broke? When?”

“When I woke up. Don’t worry, I cleaned it. Can you get the baby’s bag from the nursery, and mine from the closet? And don’t forget yours, too.”

~~~~

Her parents meet them at the hospital once they arrive, only after she shouted at Killian from the car about all of the things she thought she forgot. When they arrived, she realized she forgot deodorant, and it took a lot of convincing on Killian’s part to get her inside rather than turning the car around.

That doesn’t mean she didn’t send him to the gift shop to get her deodorant.  

“How am I going to change a diaper with a hook for a hand?” Killian asks in another panic during one of her fiercer contractions, and she squeezed his good hand so hard she thinks she might break it.

“Fuck!” she shouts through it, then glares at him once it subsides. “I’ll magic your fucking hand back on if it’ll make you happy, okay? Fuck.”

She’s panting and sweaty, but she wanted to wait a bit before she got the epidural. She isn’t sure why the hell she would do that.

“Do you think that’s an option?” he asks as he rests the cool, damp cloth on her forehead, and she sighs.

“I don’t know, Killian, maybe. Maybe we can ask Regina.”

“Maybe Gold would know,” her father pipes in, and Emma rolls her eyes.

“You're not going anywhere near Gold, got it? He’ll probably just manipulate you until he gets what he wan—ahh, fuck.”

Another wave starts and she reaches for Killian’s hand again, drawing a grimace from him. The poor thing. He would probably have an easier time with this process if he could switch hands between contractions.

“The doctor will be in soon, my love,” he says once it passes as he kisses her temple. “She’ll check you again and then you can get your epi— your epi—epinephrin.”

She breathes out a laugh as she drops her head back to the pillow, panting and closing her eyes. “It’s an epidural. Fuck, you're so cute. I love you so much.”

He laughs now, kissing her cheek and running his crushed hand through her matted, sweaty hair. “I know you're just saying that because of all the hormones, but I love you too.”

“Sorry I keep yelling at you.”

“It’s alright, Emma, I still quite fancy you.”

“Sweetheart, do you need more ice chips?” She had honestly forgotten that her parents were in the room. She wasn’t planning on having them with her the whole time, but she thought she might want the extra moral support.

“No, I’m fine, but can you guys do something for me?” she asks, now fixated on the idea.

“Of course, anything.”

“Can you go ask Regina about Hook’s hand?”

~~~~

A beautiful baby girl is born at 7:22 on the morning of June seventh. She weighs eight pounds and four ounces, and she’s 19 inches long.

She’s absolutely perfect.

She comes out screaming and crying, but relatively easily otherwise, and the second that Emma hears her cries, she breaks down into sobs herself and reaches for her daughter. She’s placed on her bare chest shortly after her birth, with Killian resting his head against Emma’s and crying softly into her hair as he looks down at their baby.

Emma has never felt such bliss and joy in her entire life.

The last time she was in this position, she was broken. She had been heartbroken by the person she loved, whom she thought loved her. She had been betrayed by the system that was supposed to protect her.

Now, she has her family, a man she loves by her side, and her chubby, beautiful, flawless daughter in her arms.

She has almost no hair, just a few light whisps at the top of her head, and Emma suspects that she may inherit her blonde locks. She hasn’t been able to see much of her eyes yet, but she suspects that she has Killian’s.

Killian takes the baby from the nurses once she’s been weighed and measured and cleaned, and Emma notices that he’s removed his hook. The way he cradles her like she’s more impeccable than the most precious piece of treasure he’s ever pilfered makes her heart skip a beat.

She’s floating on a cloud, or perhaps on a ship, and she couldn’t be calmer and happier than she is now. Although, perhaps that’s also thanks to the hormones her body is emitting.

Her parents appear after a while and coo over the new bundle of joy as Emma rests her eyes. She’s soothed by the sounds of her mother and father doting over their grandchild and praising her parents for how beautiful and perfect she is.

A few moments later, Henry arrives and immediately give Emma a hug, making her tear up. He sits on the bed with her as Killian places the baby in his arms, encouraging him to support her neck the same way that he learned to. (“This YouTube is a wonderful thing, Swan.”)

Henry brings Emma flowers, and says that his dad helped him pick them out from the gift shop. It doesn’t bother her as much as she thinks it could have, knowing that he’s here, or at least dropped off their son. She sees the effort that he’s making and appreciates that he hasn’t been around to bother her in several months. Henry is their kid, like it or not, and if Neal continues to put him first and leave everything else out of their coparenting relationship, then maybe they can bury the hatchet one day. Again, though, perhaps that’s the oxytocin talking.

She was thrilled to see her family and to discuss the new light of her life, but when Ruby and Granny walk in with a greasy paper bag, she almost jumps from the bed and launches herself towards them. She thinks better of it, of course, and once her hands are clean, she trades Granny the baby for the grilled cheese and onion rings. She even feels generous and shares a few with Henry.

Granny hugs Killian tighter than she’s seen her hug anyone. She looks down at the sleeping baby and back up at Killian and has tears in her eyes. It’s genuinely the most unexpected, beautiful relationship Emma may have seen in Storybrooke.

Regina makes a brief appearance when she comes to pick Henry up later and takes a quick look at their baby girl with a smile on her face. She wishes them congratulations and tells them that she’s beautiful, as if they didn’t know already.

In the late afternoon, when everyone has blessedly left and Emma starts to breastfeed their daughter again, Killian speaks from the chair next to her bed for what feels like the first time in hours.

“What are we going to call her, Swan?” He’s nearly whispering, the quietness of the room setting a soft and placid mood.

“I don’t know. She’s so beautiful and perfect, we need to find the perfect name.”

“So, Gertrude.”

“No!” If she was thinking clearly, she would know that he was joking.

He stands from the recliner and makes his way to sit at the side of her bed with her. He couldn’t stay away from the two of them, and she didn’t mind. “We’ll think of something, love,” he says with a kiss to her temple, then another to the tip of her nose, and then a final kiss to the top of the baby’s fuzzy head. “She looks like my mother.”

“Does she?”

He nods. “Just a bit. I think she may have my eyes.”

“I was hoping for that,” Emma says with a grin. The baby finishes eating and spits the nipple out, impatiently wiggling around until Emma can readjust her in her arms. Her behaviors in the womb seem to match those she’s displaying outside.

He kisses Emma’s head again, lingering his lips against her hair and breathing in deeply. “Did you just smell me?”

“Not intentionally, although you do smell delicious.”

“I’m sweaty!”

“Only because you just gave birth to the most beautiful being in all the realms. That makes you smell nice.”

“Shut up,” she laughs. “Don’t make me curse at you in front of my daughter.”

“Corrine,” he blurts out suddenly and with no preamble.

“Corrine?”

“Aye, Corrine.”

“It’s…” she looks down at the baby again, at her soft cheeks and sloped nose and her closed, puffy eyes, and smiles. “It’s perfect. How did you come up with it?”

He shrugs, dropping a kiss to her shoulder this time. “You just kept saying ‘we have to think about names, Killian’, so I thought about names. Didn’t you?” He’s smirking at her, the cheeky bast—so and so.

“Not really,” she laughs. “I just knew I kind of wanted the middle name to be Ruth, after my dad’s mother.”

“Corrine Ruth. It’s rather fetching.”

“Corrine Ruth Jones,” she nods with a smile, looking down at her and running a finger along her fair brow.

Killian stills, his jaw stiffening against her head. “Jones?” he asks tightly.

“What, now you’re questioning her paternity?” The baby, Corrine, opens her eyes and looks up to Emma as if to confirm that she is most definitely a Jones. Or perhaps to tell her to be quiet, she’s trying to nap.

“No,” he says softly, touching a finger to the silky skin of Corrine’s cheek and nose. “No, look at these eyes,” he laughs. “I just didn’t realize… I know that in your realm, it’s customary to give a child it’s father’s surname, but I also know that tradition is fading in popularity…”

She sighs contentedly, leaning her forehead against his and kissing his cheek. “I always wanted her to have your name. Jones is a little more dignified than the name I gave myself when I was ten, anyway.”

“I am a rather dignified fellow.” He laughs, and she nods. “Are you sure, love?” he asks with less confidence.

“Positive.”

~~~~

“Are you ready?”

“Aye.”

“Are you sure about this? You can still change your mind.”

“I’m sure, Swan.”

Corrine tuts happily in response from her rocker in the living room. At five weeks old, Emma and Killian have found that she’s happiest when she’s moving; she settles down almost immediately when being rocked or gently bounced, but as soon as the motion stops, she’s squirming and fussing just as she was in Emma’s stomach. They purchased a rather expensive rocker a few days after she was born and found it to be life changing.

“Is your daddy ready, angel? Is he?” Emma makes her way over to Corrine from the kitchen and coos at her. “Is he ready to have his hand back, baby girl? Hmm?” She responds in kind with a kick and a contented blubber, and Emma can’t resist unstrapping and picking her up to smack a succession of kisses to her chubby cheeks and still bald head. She was born with some extra fat around the edges, and after just over a month, she’s put on plenty more. She’s a very, very good eater.

“I’m ready, love. Think about how much easier your life would be if I could change a poopy diaper on my own.” Never in her life did Emma think she would hear Captain Hook utter the phrase poopy diaper, never mind want to change one himself.

“Okay, I just don’t want you to feel like you have to do this, you know? This has been a part of you for years.”

“Aye, I know, darling, but… Captain Hook is no more. He’s retired, if you will. I want to move on with my life; from that time in my life.”

She nods, understanding what he means. When they discovered from Regina that Emma should have the ability to return his lost limb, they thought long and hard about it. Killian was quiet for the last few weeks as he seemed to consider his options, but after not too long, he told her that this is what he wants. “I want to hold my daughter with both hands, love.” Emma was the one to put it off, nervous to mess it up.

Now, though, they have the disturbing jar from Gold’s shop, courtesy of Belle, sitting on their kitchen table, and she’d like to get the ominous Halloween decoration away from their baby sooner rather than later. “Ugh,” she says. “I can’t believe he kept it.”

She places Corrine back in her rocker and straps her in safely before making her way back to the kitchen, hesitant to look at the floating hand for too long. She thinks back to what Regina told her, delving into her magic as deeply as she can before it feels right. She waves her hand in Killian’s direction, feeling the magic flowing from her core in a string towards him.

Before she knows it, he’s raising his arm and wiggling the fingers of his left hand between them. “You did it, love, thank you,” he says with a smile. He walks to her and touches her cheek with his newly returned hand, grinning at her brightly as he lets it travel into her hair. “I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I met you.”

She leans into his touch before pressing a kiss to his palm, trying to ignore the fact that it was just in a jar of Rumpelstiltskin’s creepy magic water. “I love you,” she says, taking his hand in hers and leaning in to kiss his lips. “Now go pick up your daughter with that thing. I think it’ll change your life.”

“You're just saying that because, if my nose is correct, she needs a change,” he says, although his tone is far from annoyed.

She nods back at him, kissing him one more time before turning him around and pushing him towards her. “Maybe, but it’s your right as her father. One that you’ve been sorely missing out on over the last few weeks. I’m just looking out for you.”

“You always are, aren’t you, my love?” he asks, and once he’s undone her buckles, he wraps his hands around her middle, supporting her head with his left hand. He breathes out meaningfully once he pulls her from her seat and lifts her towards his face, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. “I never thought I’d be here,” he says softly, rocking her gently as he keeps his lips close to her cheek, his eyes closed.

“I know,” Emma says, making her way towards the two of them and rubbing one hand up his back and reaching the other around him to stroke a finger along her fuzzy bald head. “Me either.”

“You’ve given me so much, love. Everything I never knew I needed.” His voice is thick with emotion, and Emma can feel her own throat tightening. “There was a time centuries ago when I thought I wanted to be a father, but after everything… I just never thought it would happen. I never thought I’d be in a place where I was actually in love with the mother of my child.” She blushes at his evocative words, reaching her arms around his waist from behind him and pressing a kiss to his back between his shoulder blades. “I love you,” he says, turning in her arms. “Thank you.”

With Corrine starting to wiggle between them due to his stillness, he laughs lightly and begins to sway back and forth within Emma’s arms, and she reaches up onto her toes and kisses him softly.

Before she knows it, he’s leading her, somehow, in a gentle dance through the living room, softly humming some song she’s never heard before. Her eyes meet Corrine’s— they still match Killian’s— and she leans her forehead against his chest so that her face is just above their daughter’s. Even with the unfortunate smell suspended between the two of them, everything is perfect.

~~~~

~~~~

Tagging: @courtorderedcake @kmomof4 @stahlop @klynn-stormz @laschatzi @emelizabeth88 @lfh1226-linda @kday426 @profdanglaisstuff @elisethewritingbeast @timeless-love-story @captain-emmajones @gingerpolyglot @ebcaver @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo

[skippyv20]

These conservation workers use special suits to take care of baby zebras

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust recently shared a post about a baby zebra they rescued. “The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a not-for-profit and one of East Africa’s oldest and pioneering conservation organisations that has worked for the protection and conservation of wildlife and wild habitats in Kenya for over 40 years,” Amie, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s representative, explained. Amie also detailed how they use innovative and proven solutions to prevent wildlife poaching, human-wildlife conflict, habitat destruction, and drought.

As for Diria, the representative said that most of the information they have on the foal they put into the Facebook post. “We don’t have any further updates at this time other than a roster of experienced keepers continue to care for him, which includes providing milk feeds, ensuring he has a warm stable to sleep in at night, and a protective ‘mother’ presence during the day,” she told us.

Most people, however, were quite intrigued by the images attached to the Facebook post, showcasing keepers wearing suits adorned with zebra-stripe patterns. There’s a very good reason for such attire, Amie explained:

“Baby zebras (called foals) need to be able to recognise their mother from birth to survive. To learn its mothers stripes, a mother zebra will often separate herself and her baby from the herd so that the baby can imprint⁠—essentially recognise and follow her coat, smell, and call. Once the calf can identify its mother, the duo will return to the herd.”

“In the wild, calves will be raised by their mother alone, but at our Reintegration Unit, it isn’t practical for a single individual to hand-raise Diria should they go on annual leave. Therefore, to avoid this fragile new-born imprinting on one person, our Keepers don a specially made striped coat that Diria will recognise as his ‘mum,’ regardless of who is wearing it. A team of caregivers can give Diria the specialist 24/7 care he needs to give him the very best chance of survival.”

Image credits: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

When asked how people can help animals like Diria, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust representative also encouraged people to donate:

“We know that during these uncertain times, it can be really difficult to consider donating to charity and conservation given the virus that is dominating the news right now. But our mission is to continue to protect and preserve wildlife in Kenya and in practice, that means caring for individuals like Diria, which is wholly funded by donations. During these worrying times, we will need support more than ever to ensure that our activities continue. If anyone can’t donate, we completely understand and following us on social media would be amazing. We aim to continue to share all the success stories from the field made possible thanks to our supporters, many of which are feel-good.”

source / .boredpanda.com/baby-zebra-keeper-coat-sheldrick-wildlife-trust

Thank you...I love zebras!😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

[livvywrites]

GENERAL

Because Eldora’s gods have taken such an active role in shaping their world, most every country believes in them—even if they’re not the primary focus of worship. There are, of course, exceptions that I may talk about one day. Also may not.

The main divines are:

Death. Primarily presents in a male form. His element is spirit, and his domain is that of souls. His celestial beings are the Reapers, who are referred to as his children. Reapers deliver souls—both to the afterlives, and in the case of new souls, to Eldora. Death also oversees the Forgotten Realms, though how he cam into possession of it varies by the telling.

Most notable minor gods:

Elaena, Death’s eldest daughter and the first Reaper. Capable of shapeshifting into a crow. While she no longer escorts souls (at least not often) she is something of a champion in the celestial realms. Most of her days are spent in the Forgotten Realms, though, though what she does there no one knows.

Life. Primarily presents in a female form. Her element is earth, especially plants. Her domain is life—motherhood, agriculture, animal raising, and of course, the living of it. Her celestial beings are the souls of departed nymphs, or nymphs who were born in her domain.

Most notable minor gods:

Vitala, the spirit of the World Tree and the first nymph, is often celebrated as Life’s first creation. Some say she can access Life’s domain in the celestial realms.

Hope. Primarily presents in a female form. Her element is air, while her domain is that of wishes, the future, children, and dreams. Her celestials are the virtues, most notably Hope’s Vanguard.

Most notable minor gods:

Love, leader of Hope’s Vanguard. Unlike the other members of the Vanguard, Love carries no weapons, but she is their most celebrated and revered member. Often called the glue that holds them together.

Faith is Love’s beloved, and rather than a weapon, he carries a shield. Most of the time it stays on his arm, but it can grow to encompass all of the Vanguard if need be. He’s their protector, and their most stalwart believer.

Courage carries a spear, and is the patron of Eldora’s Knights. While most Knights pick a member of the Vanguard to act as a patron, Courage is the one who watches over all of them—according to the doctrine. His spear is their symbol, and they honor him after every battle—whether it be success or fail.

Wisdom is the final most famed member of the Vanguard. While there are plenty other members in the tale, they’re not nearly as famous. Wisdom is said to know many secrets of the world and the celestial realms, and to have a library which holds a copy of every work Eldora has ever produced, including some that have been lost to time.

Fear. Primarily presents in a female form. Her element is fire, while her domain is nightmares, battle/war, regrets, and survival. Her celestials are primarily the souls of departed monsters, but she has a sole being created by herself—known as Apathy.

Most notable minor gods:

Apathy is Fear’s Champion, and she is rarely ever without them at her side. Apathy is efficient and deadly, and presents as a shadow being encased in twisted armor. They hardly ever speak, if they do so at all. Instead they watch, at all times.

Chaos. Ever switching forms, though he is most often represented in a male form. His element is water, while his domains are weather, government, sexuality/gender, vengeance, and change. His celestials are the Infernalis, which you could say resemble demons.

Most notable minor gods:

The Seven Champions of the Infernalis are the closest thing to a ruling body they have, outside of Chaos. The champions names are Hedonia, Arrogni, Envidious, Ingrog, Seleedeous, Lazothia, and Asmodeous.

Then there is Chaos’s Mouth, who takes news to his servants and also communicates his desires and wishes to the other divines if Chaos can’t make it. Her name is Eris.

Order. Presents as male. His element is time, though he has also been represented by stone. His domains are justice, balance, government, and time. His celestials are the Ethereal, which could be said to resemble angels.

Most notable minor gods:

Syni is the leader of the Justicars, holy warriors who help keep the Celestial Realms safe. They also root out practitioners of time magic on Eldora—and the consequences of such are not ones anyone wants to face.

Fate. Presents as female. Everyone is born with a thread, and that thread is woven into Fate’s loom. Your decisions influence the tapestry, but there are some things that were always meant to happen. Fate records them all, and ensures that Eldora is ever marching onward.

[The rest of this is under a cut, as it got long!]

MYNERA

Mynera primarily worships Hope and Life. 

Mynera also has a space for Death in their temples, and the priests and priestesses there are in charge of running funerals and tending to bodies. They also watch over and run the mausoleums and graveyards.

The Sage is believed to have a connection to Fate. Despite this, your average Myneran doesn’t typically worship Fate any more than your average Eldoran.

In general, while Mynerans are open about their faith, their version of devout isn’t often the same as others. To them, worship is a very personal thing, and done more in the act of little rituals then it does elaborate ones. As such, they don’t typically hold services outside of major holidays, and visit the temples as they need. Most rites are done within their own home.

Hope

People keep candles in their bedrooms in honor of Hope, which is blown out before bed each night, alongside a wish for good dreams.

Those in the guard typically choose one of the Vanguard as a patron, just as the Knights do outside of Eldora. Courage, Mercy, and Justice are chosen most often, but you’ll see Faith, Generosity, or Confidence chosen every now and again. No one ever chooses Love, but mostly because it’s considered taboo.

Birthdays are a time to honor Hope in Mynera—to celebrate the passing of one year and in hopes for the future.

Life

Children are given a plant to take care of when they turn 10. It’s an important responsibility. Some will cultivate more plants, while others (usually those who are quite busy) only have one. 

At 12, children head to ranches to pick out their first da’lia. This can take years, as da’lia and rider form a bond that increases the da’lia’s lifespan. The bond cannot be forced.

Farmers make offerings to Life at the beginning and the end of each harvest season. The first as a wish for the season to go well, and the last as thanks for whatever was grown.

ILLUMINARA

Illuminara primarily worships the minor goddess, Wisdom. There is also a large presence of those who worship Order, as well. Though, where Order goes, Chaos follows—and vice versa. Chaos worshippers are mostly underground, however.

Order has a towering cathedral that looms above the city state. It is outshone only by the sprawling Magus College and the seat of the Viscount. Wisdom’s halls are in the College, while Chaos’s worshippers have secret temples out and about, mostly hidden inside people’s houses.

There is a place for Death in Illuminara, though it is outside the city proper. Death’s temple is small, barely recognizable as such. It sits outside an entrance into the caves, which is where Illuminaran dead are entombed. (Save for the Archmagus and Viscounts families, which are entombed beneath the Keep.)

Wisdom

Many of those studying at the college wear amulets in Wisdom’s honor. The Archmagus has an amulet, as well as a highly prized artifact called ‘Wisdom’s Crown.’ This has been passed down since the first Archmagus—Talinth Lumina, who founded the college.

Few services as such are held, but you’ll often find students sitting in the pews, clutching amulets and praying for help on upcoming tests or trials they might be facing.

Wisdom’s followers also often drink from ‘blessed water’ which flows out of a fountain in her service hall. The fountain is a pretty thing—a statue of Wisdom standing in a basin, the water lapping about her calves. She wears a mimicry of the crown the Archmagus wears, and large feathered wings.

Some people also kiss the statue of Wisdom, though this is frowned upon by the teachers and Archmagus.

Order

The guards wear Order’s symbol on their shields. Most of the citizens wear an amulet with the symbol of the Ethereal around their necks. 

The city is very tough on crime, with ‘justice’ the strongest value among the guard. As such, Illuminara has a court system like no other, with long legal processes that give the average folk headaches.

Depending on the crime, the person most wronged will be given the chance to mete out the sentence themselves (wielding the headsman’s axe if murder is the verdict, for instance). This goes on for the top three people, and if all of them refuse, the headsman or other sentencer will carry it out themselves.

Services are held every Thursday and Sunday. For a brief period of years, not long after Kai’os made his bid for Mynera, services were actually required. After Illuminara’s Liberation (led by famous figure Talitha Jade, before she disappeared again), however, things went back to normal.

Chaos

While worship of Chaos isn’t strictly forbidden in Illuminara, it is highly frowned upon everywhere outside of the college. As such people who worship him tend to keep such a thing to themselves.

Chaos worshippers are most often picked out of a crowd by their bracelets—a set of five golden bangles, the middle of which is a snake. Chaos worshippers are also often found out in thunderstorms, usually in the gardens or outside of the city, dancing.

SLAEYR

Slaeyr don’t really worship any of the divines, to tell the truth, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own ways to honor them. These ways vary often from tribe to tribe and even Slaeyr to Slaeyr, but a few are as follows.

Most Slaeyrs consider the god their element comes from their ‘patron’ of sorts. This is generally confirmed when their patron will visit them in dreams, or send a messenger to speak with them. Usually to ask them to carry out a task, to protect the people of Eldora or just their specific faithful. 

Some Slaeyrs will wear a holy symbol, but some don’t.

Some Slaeyr toss a bit of their meal into the fire at night, as an offering. Others might toss bits of twine, something interesting they found in their travels, or even something they made that day.

Some connect to their elements in some way. Someone connected to Life might bury an offering for her in the earth. Someone connected to Chaos will toss something in running water. So on and so forth.

Some Slaeyr pray, in the morning or at night. Usually within the privacy of their own tents or out in the wilderness.

Many Slaeyr meditate, and some make it more of a religious thing.

Some light a candle for their god, or even just create a small fire for them.

Others consider using their element in service of Eldora to be their patronage, and still yet others do not believe the gods need their patronage at all.

taglist: @quartzses; @idreamonpaper; @runningonrain; @witchywrite; @queenofsquirrelsstuff; @margaretcroftwrites; @purpleshadows1989; @klywrites; @she-writes-love; @sixstepsaway; @neptune-nereid; @firesidefantasy; @joshuaorrizonte; @waterfallwritings; @languageisbae; @lady-redshield-writes; @luciellesgarden; @dogwrites; @quilloftheclouds

[erikismybitch]

Mini’s day out . (Mini series)

“You’re making it seem like I can’t take care of a baby !”

Brianna and Erik argued back and forth about Mini. It was the first time the two of you had alone time since she was born. Brianna agreed to watch her for the night while the two of you went on a much needed date . It had been seven months , seven long crybaby , poopie diaper changing months .

It was something about the way Brianna held her , it set Erik off . He felt like she didn’t put enough “care” into it as he explained . Overprotective couldn’t put a dent in his behavior.

“You gotta play music , or else she won’t go to sleep . If she cries too much , call me and I’ll come get her” Erik went on and on with his daddy rules . Brianna was only taking her for the night, hours to be exact, and the two of you would pick her up early in the morning . She was fighting herself from mentioning the whole Jamaica fiasco . Even though you took him back , Brianna still had him in the dog house .

“You know CPR?” He questioned, Brianna laughed but she stopped once she realized he was serious .

“Girl , come down here and get your man!” She yelled loudly . You heard her , but you were busy squeezing your feet into your black daffodile heels.

“Erik!” You yelled , in that parental tone you were mastering . “Brianna sees her almost every day, she knows what to do “ your voice and steps became more prevalent as you walked down to the living room .

Erik took a moment to look at you , for a little longer than normal . He hadn’t seen you this way in a long time . Hair down, make up on and a tight dress . It was the heels that got to him, turned on by the muscle flex in your calves . Erik took note to make you wear the heels in the bedroom later tonight .

Once you noticed the way he was looking at you , a look of fluster took over your face . “What?” You said shyly, as if you were a teen and he first laid eyes on you .

Erik smirked and grabbed Mini’s diaper bag to give to Brianna .

“Oh, so now you trust me” Brianna snatched the bag and held it obver her shoulder . She saw exactly how Erik was looking at you .

“Nah, You good” Erik spoke to Brianna lowly, while still looking at you . Usually a look like that ended up with you laid out on your back, with his head between your legs .

“Help Brianna put the car seat in her car” you directed. You gave Mini a couple of kisses on her face before she left. Erik did what you said and walked with her to her car . You went in search for a jacket and purse . As soon as you found the right combination, Erik came back in .

“We’re gonna go get this food, and then...” he dragged on

“And then what?” You asked, gawking at him . He looked so handsome in his denim coat and Cartier’s . You could smell the Tom Ford cologne that you loved .

“And then I’m fucking the shit out of you when we get back”

You walked over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist . Your body pulled closely to his as you looked up at him .

“All around the house ? “ You asked , the both of you wanted to take full advantage of being baby free tonight . That included the blunt filled with the sour skittles strain that Erik pulled from his pocket .

“Where you want it?” His eager hand cupped and massaged the center of your ass. “You want some dick on the couch? “

“Not on my couch” You hissed , it was still fairly new.

“You want this dick on the counter, is that good for you?” He squeezed your ass tighter, getting a feel of your pantied lips inbetween his fingers .

“Yeah, I want it there “ You inched on your toes to give his lips a kiss . Erik then placed the blunt to his lips , took the lighter from his pocket and sparked it .

“How about the roof, can we fuck on there too?” He inhaled , voice groggy and deep from the smoke .

“As long as you don’t drop me , daddy”

Erik groaned and slapped your ass hard, you squealed and kissed him again. He loved when you called him that . If he had it his way, he’d eat you for dinner. But he was actually hungry and so where you . After the both out you were good and high , you and Erik lead off to dinner . Plus, the munchies were kicking in.

Erik drove to the restaurant . It was one he had reserved a month ago. It was that exclusive . It was an upscale steak restaurant , something that both of you loved . The hostess found the reservation and led the both of you to a semi-secluded table .

The waitress came in an instant with water and suggestions. Erik ordered two appetizers for the table and red wine was served early. The waitress left to put the orders in, but not after assuring she would be back for a moment to take the main courses.

Your stomach began to growl, so much so that Erik heard it . It sounded like gas, which caused him to laugh loudly. He reached over to rub your belly.

“I’m so hungry babe” you complained , you grabbed the napkin wrapped butter knife, and spread a generous amount of butter across the complementary bread .

“I’m gonna feed you , just hold on” he continued to laugh at you.

You closed your eyes as you chewed the bread, it was soft and warm. Those munchies . It seemed as if the waitress took ages to come back with more wine and the appetizers. The both of you began to indulge it all of its goodness .

“I’ll come back and take your orders-“ the waitress began to trail off but the loud “No!” from you and Erik stopped her . His mouth full of Calamari dipped in a cream sauce , he began to speak .

“We ready now, let’s do this” he clapped his hands and spoke as if it was a sporting event, the both of you laughed .

“What would you like sir?” The waitress asked .

“I want this ribeye, cooked medium well. A side of mashed potatoes and throw in an order of the lobster Mac and cheese” Erik let out in one breath .

“Baby, you need some vegetables too “ the mom in you complained at the amount of starch he ordered . You almost spit out your wine when you heard him order a side of deep fried okra.

“You said get a vegetable, you ain’t say shit about how it was prepared “

“You right “

The two of you continued to laugh . The waitress was getting irritable , both of you noticed ... but it was only motivation for the two of you to activate the obnoxious behavior even more .

“I would like to order the Cajun pasta , with another side of fried okra and can you bring more bread please?” You closed your menu and handed it to the waitress .

“You sure you want two sides of the Okra, the portions are enough for both of you “ she warned . Erik blinked quickly , held his chest and pretended to be appalled.

“Baby, I think she calling me fat” You whispered, loud enough for the waitress to purposely hear .

“No, that’s not what I’m saying . I just- are you sure you want two ?” She spoke frantically, truly worried that she offended you.

“I’m sure , bring us two”

“And make sure you bring more bread, cause I’m really hungry Madame ” Erik spoke with a French accent and gave her his menu too.

The two of you obviously feeling the effects of the potent red wine and weed, the laughter wouldn’t stop . Even more as the annoyed waitress scattered away from the table .

“I hope she doesn’t spit in our food” You took another generous gulp of the red wine .

“I miss doing shit like this , we used to be on some crazy shit before we had the baby” Erik reminisced.

“Remember after the club, when you skipped out on the bill at Denny’s and you almost left me there !”

“I told you to follow me”

“I was so scared , I didn’t think you would actually do it “ You sat in silence, still eating from one of the many plates in front of you . Erik couldn’t help but laugh .

“I didn’t actually skip the bill , I snuck and paid it. I did it to scare you , to see if you was really down for me “

“Seriously!” Your voice raised an octave higher as you kicked him under the table . “You wanted to see if I was down to what , follow you in the life of crime?”

Erik continued to laugh as he rubbed his shin, it was sore from where your heel landed .

“I just - just wanted to see if you’d do it for me, that’s all “ he softened in his chair , speaking sincerely now . That date was in the early stages of the relationship, back when Erik first began to have real feelings towards you .

“Well , did I make the cut?” You smirked invetween another bite . Knowing exactly how much of Erik you had wrapped around your finger .

“Yeah, but only because...” he began to speak , but stopped as if his sentence was complete.

“Because of what ?” You reacted , eager to hear his next words . He smiled at you again, a real hard smile that made the apples of his cheeks poke out . “Baby?”

“Wassup?” He answered blatantly, then followed it with complete silence again.

But it was all good . Really good. In fact , almost perfect .

The both of you kept eating , laughing at each other just because you were happy. And intoxicated . Sure , other guests were bothered by the loudness but it didn’t matter to either one of you . It didn’t matter . You could be shameless with Erik, and he with you . Guards were always down and words were always pure .

“I love you “ you said , not even bothering to look at him. It rolled off your tongue so casually with the wine .

“I love you too”

The waitress brought over the rest of dinner , and refilled the wine glasses . Within moments Everything was shared and eaten . Erik didn’t even get upset when you ate half of his steak .

“Would the two of you like dessert, you can take it to-go also?” The waitress later asked , with a subtle hint of shade in her voice .

“Y’all got cheesecake?- I mean, y’all got cheesecake , Madame? ” Erik asked her, all the while leaning back in his chair and spreading his legs . The itis was creeping up to take over both of you .

“Hell no, you know you get gas and I don’t feel like dealing with it tonight “ you protested , Erik and dairy were a match made in hell .

“We have chocolate cake , pecan pie, br-“

“Bring us the cake to go and the check “ you told her .

She brought everything, the two of you made your way to Erik’s car after He paid . Erik gave you the keys, claiming that he didn’t feel like driving . He sat in the passenger seat and took a long breath , trying to regain focus . The truth was, the red wine had taken him down. He was just too prideful to admit it . A man, like him , was drunk off wine ? He was embarrassed.

You knew him well . And you were an advid wine drinker , you could handle it . The drive home was smooth , just the sweet act holding of hands and the low bass filled music playing through the speakers . You and Erik both thought it would be weird coming home to no baby . Erik admitted outloud that he was happy about the empty house , even if it was only for a night .

In the bedroom He wasted no time undressing . With nothing on but his smirk , he rested on the bed watching you . Fully clothed , you told him you needed to go to the bathroom .

“Hurry up “

You rolled your eyes and went into the bathroom . You undressed in front of your mirror. The pink lingerie set fit your body a little snug , the baby weight had not left yet . Neither did the small stretch marks Mini gifted you .

“Leave them heels on!” Erik yelled through the door . You laughed and slipped your feet back inside of them. Thank god you’d be on your knees and back most of the night , your feet would kill you otherwise .

“Come on baby, I need that big ass” his tone was low , almost as if he was begging.

You turned your body for a side view, watching your belly poke out . You sucked stomach in , remembering the pre-baby look.

Erik didn’t care , he made it evident that he loved you and your body . It was your own personal insecurities taunting you . You gave yourself a mental pep talk and left the bathroom . Erik’s back was facing the door as you crept towards him.

You heard the unthinkable.

Erik was snoring .

You took off the heels and got in bed with him. Your arms cradled around his waist and your face nuzzled into his back . You thanked god in that moment . Not for giving you Erik , but because you were just as tired as him . The itis had fully taken control .

[csnews]

NOAA lays plan to capture ailing orca J50, announces public meetings

Lynda V. Mapes - September 12, 2018

The plan has been coming together for months as the agency announced public meetings, with just a few days' notice. It's been decades since the capture era here, when members from the same orca family were taken away and sold to aquariums.

Plans are being laid to capture J50, the ailing young orca, as efforts to help her in the wild have failed and her condition continues to decline.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is in charge of recovery of the critically endangered population of southern resident killer whales, has been quietly laying plans for capture of the whale for weeks.

Orcas have strong family ties that endure for life. Separation of young orcas from their mothers and families was routine during the capture era in Washington state, when orcas, especially in J50’s family, were rounded up and taken to aquariums.

The youngest and smallest were targeted because they were the cheapest to ship. The piercing cries of orca parents as their young were taken away are well remembered by those who took part in the captures — including Jeff Foster, a member of a NOAA intervention team who used to capture orcas for aquariums and today is working for NOAA on the J50 response.

The agency said further intervention to help J50 will depend on avoiding harm to the rest of her family in J pod and the southern resident population. As long as she is with her family, the federal government won’t take her from their care, according to a news release from NOAA Tuesday night announcing the capture plans that are in the works. “Response teams” would only act to “rescue” J50 if she becomes stranded or separated from the rest of her family, “such that any risks of the intervention to the rest of her family are minimized,” the agency stated.

If veterinarians and others involved in assessing J50 in the field determine J50 cannot be treated or rehabilitated they would return her to J pod to spend the rest of her life with her family. “The overriding priority of any rescue intervention would be to evaluate, treat and rehabilitate J50 in a manner that would support the greatest chance of her survival while ensuring her return and reunification with her family as soon as possible so she can contribute to the long-term recovery of the population,” according to the agency’s press release.

The first public hearings on the controversial plan have been scheduled with just a few days’ notice: 7 p.m. Saturday at Friday Harbor High School in Friday Harbor, and 1 p.m. Sunday at the University of Washington Haggett Hall Cascade Room in Seattle.

Next steps for J50 could include everything from capturing her for a hands-on physical exam, including more diagnoses, treatment and return to the water — or even rehabilitation and care in captivity, with the goal of reuniting her with her family.

The objective, according to NOAA, is to protect her ability to grow up and reproduce — critical in a population of whales with only 75 members that has not had a successful pregnancy in three years. The most recent calf was born to Tahlequah, or J35. The female calf died after only one half-hour — but her mother clung to the carcass for at least 17 days, refusing to let it go as she swam more than 1,000 miles through the trans-boundary waters of the Salish Sea, raising worldwide concern.

She has become a symbol of the orcas’ peril due to human-caused pollution, underwater noise from vessels and recreational boats, and most of all, hunger. The southern residents are strictly fish eaters and depend in summer almost exclusively on chinook, another declining species. Both the whales and the fish they rely on are listed under the Endangered Species Act — and in the care of the same agency, NOAA, that has failed to return either the southern residents or the chinook in the Columbia and Snake Rivers or Puget Sound to health.

NOAA has captured and rehabilitated a live orca before: Springer, or A73, a northern-resident orca whale. However, that was a very different situation: She was an orphan, frequenting the Vashon ferry dock and in poor health. NOAA successfully rehabilitated her in a netted off cove before returning her to her family. She has since had two calves.

J50 is usually nestled with her family, though she does spend time alone; she is known for an independent streak. She also sometimes lately has been falling further behind her family as it travels throughout the Salish Sea.

That is when she would be most likely to be captured.

Some oppose the plan. Pia van Hanen of Seattle has already started a petition to stop the capture.

Ken Balcomb, of the Center for Whale Research, said he has refused to take part in any capture operation and that J50’s chances of recovery are slim. Even if she does survive, “she is a runt whale, she won’t ever grow up to reproduce,” he said.

[maevefiction]

Your Light in the Mist - Chapter 5

I dropped my fork. “I’m sorry, I must have heard that wrong, because it sounded like you just asked me to become your employee.” Luke’s brow lifted.

“No, you heard it absolutely correctly. I did ask you to come work for me. For Prosper. Initially as Tom’s social media manager, and when that’s squared away, as Prosper’s social media director.” So many things I wanted to include in my reply instantaneously flooded my brain, but, as usual, it was miles ahead of my mouth and lord knew what would come out if I spoke. I decided taking another bite of my cannoli while they fell back in sync was the best course of action. Chewing slowly, I looked back and forth from Tom to Luke, then swallowed. I chose my words carefully, hoping to not be offensive.  

“Luke, I’m incredibly appreciative, but normally my role is to provide plans for social media managers and directors, which they in turn implement while working one-on-one with their clients. Direct client management isn’t really something I’ve done in a number of years, and I’m not sure it’s something I’m interested in, or even capable of doing again.” He fished some papers out of his bag and pushed them across the table.

“Anne Rice says you’re capable.” I snatched them up, holding in my hand a copy of my resume as well as an email from Anne, singing my praises. It appeared to have been sent earlier in the day. I laughed softly. Client testimonials were usually all anyone cared about, but I kept my resume posted on my website just in case. I didn’t think anyone had ever even looked at it, never mind taken the time to contact my former employers.

“Nice detective work, Luke. I’m impressed. But not only was that more than ten years ago, Anne doesn’t count. She has to say nice things…she’s a friend of the family.” He looked puzzled. “My parents owned a home right down the street from her in the Garden District of New Orleans. When she got wind of my new business venture she volunteered to be my guinea pig.”

Tom leaned forward, scrutinizing me skeptically. “You’re from New Orleans?” I nodded and slipped into an exaggerated southern drawl.

“Born and raised. Even rode on some Mardi Gras floats.” I shrugged and switched back to my regular dialect. “I never had a strong accent, and I’ve lived in New York nearly as long as I did in New Orleans, so it’s faded almost completely.”

Luke pointed his index finger at me. “You should know that not only did she reply to my email immediately, she gave me her number so we could speak. We talked for a good twenty minutes, and she told me she credits you with all of her social media success, including the idea for ‘People of the Page’.  She said you were the only one who managed to help her not only understand, but embrace the technology that allowed her to form deeper connections with her legion of fans. And, she wishes she could have held on to you forever, but she didn’t want to keep you from your dream.” He paused for a moment. I made no comment. “According to your resume, you’re also proficient in website design, graphic design and photography, which are additional assets you’d bring to the company. I’m assuming you do your own site?”

“Correct.” I opened my laptop, started Firefox, pulled up Prosper’s website and grimaced. “Who does yours? It’s…it’s…how do I do put this nicely?” I raised my eyes skyward in thought. “Nope, I can’t. It’s awful. You’re redirecting people to your social media instead of having an actual site. It’s all lowercase, and the italic version of your font is hard to read. There’s a generic, single email as a means of contact. I don’t see a phone number. And that black background…I just can’t even.”

Luke began rubbing his temples. “Admittedly, we’re lacking in that area at the moment.” I snorted. “Maude, this is exactly why I need you. As far as PR goes, I’m exceptionally motivated and skilled.” Tom coughed. Luke shot him a chastising look. “Quiet, you. I lighted out on my own because I know I have something unique to offer…genuine bespoke, personal publicity. What I didn’t account for is the amount of time and effort the social media aspect of it would require. Events, interviews, red carpets, networking, I can handle all of those things with very minimal assistance.” He frowned.

“Unfortunately, I’ve found that all too often I put social media on the back burner because I can’t keep up with it, and as a result I feel like I’m not delivering what I promised to my clients. A few months back I determined it was time to seek outside help, but not a single applicant met my expectations. You, however, exceed my expectations.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Luke, I always appreciate an ego boost, but let’s keep in mind that I didn’t apply for anything.” I put an elbow on the table and rested my chin in my hand. “I did agree to an initial consultation, and since you attended my seminar you know where things are supposed to go from there. Translation – not here.” I leaned back in the chair and linked my hands behind my head. “But, this is where we’ve ended up, and I would be remiss if I didn’t entertain your offer, however briefly. So, what the hell. Lay down the details. Especially the ones pertaining to compensation and benefits.”

************************************************ I stood staring out at the horizon as the waves hit my shins, wiggling my toes in the wet sand underneath the water. Finally, beach. Warm, breezy, sunny, quiet, beautiful beach.

After learning that Tom had no prior knowledge of Luke’s plan to hire someone as his social media manager, I excused myself so they could speak in private for as long they deemed necessary. That’s what I told them, anyway. In truth, I really just needed to get the hell out of there so I could attempt to process all this insanity… which I knew wasn’t even remotely possible until I was alone. Part of me hoped that ‘as long as they deemed necessary’ turned into several hours. Or days.

Luke had proposed an initial annual salary of one hundred thousand dollars while I was working with Tom, increasing to one hundred and twenty-five thousand upon assuming the role of Social Media Director of Prosper. I’d be issued a corporate credit card and expense account, and the company would cover all travel expenses. I currently grossed around forty thousand more than that a year on my own, but being stuck covering all my own travel costs made it a negligible difference. When I factored in the lack of income stability that goes hand-in-hand with self-employment, I’d probably come out ahead financially if I opted to accept the position.

When I pressed him to define my duties and responsibilities, he’d shaken his head and imparted that I was the expert, not him, and therefore I should implement whatever strategies I would have included if I had drawn up a proposal. Though I’d technically be an employee, he preferred that I handle everything on my own and retain complete creative control for the duration of my time as Tom’s personal social media manager. We’d step back and re-evaluate things when I was ready to take the directorial helm.

My spot near the water was becoming popular, with several children running amok carting floats, balls and a slew of other things ankle biters enjoy that destroy peace and solitude for the rest of us. I was walking to the opposite side of the property from Luke’s room where it was less crowded when the gravity of my situation overwhelmed me completely and began to literally pull me down. I sank to my knees on the sand, then tried to shift to a sitting positon as gracefully as possible and without flashing everyone on the beach. Again.

I rested my ass on the back of my calves, listed to one side using my arm as a support, lifted my hips a little, extended both legs at the same time, then pushed myself upright. Not pretty, I’m sure, but I had managed to keep my legs closed. I crossed them at the ankle just to be safe and began to mull over my options. “Okay, Maude. Crunch time. Don’t fuck this up.”

When I first started out, I loved every minute of my ‘job’ and had a burning desire to share my knowledge. Maude Gallagher, LLC was everything I had aspired to do and be. I ate, slept and breathed it like oxygen. I never stopped working, always a phone call or an email away from jumping on a plane. But over the past few years, it seemed that my interest in my own company was steadily waning. While I constantly updated my lectures, the material remained essentially the same and what I used to find fun had become work. Every proposal I presented to a client was unique, but at its core it was identical to all the rest. I still put forth 100%, and my ‘phoning it in’ was akin to someone else’s ‘gave it my all’, but something inside me had changed. What was once my life had become just a job, and that prompted me to consider that I might have missed out on actually living along the way. I kept on truckin’, as they say, because the money was so damn good and the idea of having a boss was horrifying after so many years of answering to no one but myself.

Now here I was, sitting on a beach in Kaua’i, wearing a dress and trying to ignore the sand working its way between my thighs, faced with the daunting task of deciding what the fuck I wanted to do with my life…keep running in place, monotonous but comfortably familiar? Or race off in a new direction, intriguing but entirely foreign?

My proposal for Luke would have advised him to have a website created, marketing materials designed, the existing social media accounts revamped and new platforms established with all of them monitored intensely. I also thought it best that Tom have his own photographer/videographer who’d travel with him to shoot on set, at events and in ‘normal’ situations when deemed permissible. He would have had to hire three or more individuals to meet these specifications, but if I signed on he’d only need me. When I thought of all the types of work involved, how it would be different every single day, that I could be creative again…there was no way I could deny that it sounded pretty fucking spectacular. But something was holding me back, making me hesitate instead of screaming ‘yes, I’ll take it!’…and that something was Tom. Though we’d just met a few short hours ago and I didn’t know him at all, I felt…well, I had no idea what it was, only that is was THERE and that it scared the living shit out of me.

************************************************ I was picking up handfuls of sand and watching it sift through my fingers over and over again when I noticed the long shadow to my left, growing ever closer. Khaki cargo pants followed. I looked up…and up…and up. The sun was almost directly behind us, bathing him in an ethereal glow. So, so beautiful. I licked my lips and wished he’d lose the T-shirt already. He squatted beside me, elbows on his knees.

“Hi.” The corner of his mouth curled in a half smile.

“Hey.” I wiped the remaining bits of sand on my dress. He gestured towards the ground.

“May I?” I nodded. He sat, crossing his legs Indian style, which I wouldn’t have believed possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. “Luke and I just finished chatting.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks for coming to let me know.” I started to get up, but he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“I…erm…there are a few things I’d like to say before you go back to see him. If you don’t mind hearing me out, that is.” I shook my head.

“Nope. I don’t mind at all.” He ran his hands through his hair and met my gaze.

“Thank you, Maude.” He swallowed. It crossed my mind that he appeared nervous, but I dismissed it because I didn’t want to consider what that meant. I frowned, turning to look towards the ocean. I heard him inhale deeply.

“First, I want to apologize for losing control of my emotions and acting like a tit. My comment about social media being a waste of time and effort and doing nothing but spreading hate was uncalled for, and I in no way meant to devalue you or your work. All of the feelings I entombed broke loose and I’m so very sorry you had to bear witness to my little crackup.” I turned to look at him and patted his knee.

“No worries. Everybody loses their shit to some degree at one point or another.” He pointed at me, brow raised. “Yes, even me. But really, this was nothing. I once had a client scream ‘this mother fucking social media bullshit has ruined my fucking career and my cunt of a wife fucking left me and now I’m going to have to pay her a fuck ton of alimony and it’s all your fault, you stupid fucking fat piece of shit’ in my face.” Tom’s mouth was closed so tightly his lips were a tiny, thin line. “He was so inept that he accidentally posted a photo of his girlfriend sucking his cock across all his accounts instead of sending it directly to her phone. Best part was that he took the shot in the mirror so his face was clearly visible.”

He put his hand on mine. “Tell me who it was and I’ll happily beat the living shit out of him.”

“Thanks, but not necessary. I handled it. By slapping him three times. And telling him that if I ever heard even a whisper of him saying another derogatory thing about me I’d hunt him down, rip his nuts off with my bare hands and feed them to him for dinner.”

Tom’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “You did no such thing.” I laughed.

“Oh, but I did. And then I fired his sorry ass. And then his band fired his sorry ass. Last I heard he was broke and filing for bankruptcy. Karma, Thomas. She is indeed a wicked bitch.” Before I knew what was happening he leaned in and enveloped me in an embrace. Time came to a grinding halt and I was frozen in place. He rubbed my back for a moment and released me before I even had a chance to hug him back. He remained close, his face only inches from mine.

“Maude, you are an amazing woman. And absolutely beautiful.” I blinked. It was the only thing I was physically capable of doing. I considered telling him that being called fat was a common occurrence for me, though it did happen less now that I was a size 14 instead of a 24…and that it really never got under my skin. Because, fuck that. I had never been lacking in the self-esteem department no matter what the scale said. Or my mother said. I had just come to the conclusion that I’d save that particular tidbit for you know, never, when I felt something under my chin. It was Tom’s hand.

“Shit, sorry, I got lost there for a bit. Woolgathering.” He smirked as he slid his fingers and thumb along my jaw and slowly backed away. He put his hand over his heart.

“Second on my list of things to say… I’m afraid I have a confession to make.” I made a get on with it motion with my right hand. “Earlier, at Talk Story, my requesting you specifically to assist me may not have been entirely a happenstance of fate.” I raised an eyebrow.

“When I walked in, the desk was completely deserted so I wandered off to see if I could locate someone to help me. After coming out of a side room I glanced back at the desk, saw the lovely girls in their Loki shirts, realized they were all staff members, and admittedly panicked a bit. Not because they were fans, but because I had very little time and I knew they’d want a few moments with me and I just couldn’t squeeze it in. I’d worn the ugly shirt and cap so people would be less apt to recognize me for that very reason.”

I poked him in the chest. “You know you have to go back there, don’t you? That adorable girl Alani will die of heartbreak knowing that you were in the store and she didn’t get to meet you.” He grinned.

“I absolutely will. And I’ll ask for her by name. But, on with my confession. So, there I was, caught like the proverbial deer in headlights. And then I saw…you. You had two books in one hand, and a several spread out on a table. I heard your phone alarm go off, and I saw your lips move but couldn’t quite make out what you were saying. I watched you gather them up as if they were precious treasures, and I sneakily followed you as you returned them gently to their proper places. I saw someone with a very obvious love for books, who happened to be a gorgeous woman, a ray of light shining through the early morning fog.  It seemed logical that you were an employee, or perhaps the owner, but…here’s the confession part… I honestly didn’t care whether you were or not. I just had to meet you, and my book reservation was the perfect cover story in the event my logic was flawed. I hesitated when I was finally directly behind you, and when you turned around I almost lost my nerve, but when you looked into my eyes I knew it was now or never. ” He took a deep breath, and I noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. I reached out and took one in mine.

“I thought you may have recognized me, and was waiting for you to out me. I really was. Instead, you marched up to that desk, got my book and brought it to me even though you didn’t actually work there. You paid for the damn thing. And when you called me Indy, the fact that you not only picked up the reference but played along…” He shook his head and put his free hand on top of mine, sandwiching it between both of his.

“Which brings me to the third thing on my list of things to say. And it’s the last. On the street, when I said I wanted to find out who you were, and that I had never wanted to discover anything else quite so badly? I meant that, Maude. All the way down to the depths of my very soul.” I was speechless. Completely, utterly without words. He leaned in to meet my gaze.

“I don’t understand why, or how, or what the fuck it is exactly that I’m feeling…but what I AM certain of is that I’ve never felt it before and it’s glorious and incredible and terrifying all at once. And whether you decide to take the job or not, I still want to KNOW you, Maude. I NEED to know you.”

I smirked devilishly, hoping to add some levity to the situation so I wouldn’t totally freak the fuck out.

“Like, biblically?”

He threw back his head, laughing so loudly people down the beach turned to look our way. I started giggling, which turned into guffawing, and then the snorting started. He laughed even harder and soon enough we were both weeping and holding our sides, trying to catch our breath. I was wiping the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand when he whispered in my ear.

“Yes, Maude. Biblically. As often as humanly possible, preferably.” He pulled back so he could see my face, trying to analyze my expression to determine what I was thinking. I smiled softly.

“I want to know you too, Tom. In every way imaginable.” He grinned, then stood, offering me a hand up. I took it. “Let’s go see a man about a job, shall we?”

************************************************ Luke was overjoyed at my acceptance of his offer and after we all had a quick dinner he broke out the bottle of champagne he’d ordered. He placed a glass in front of me and began to pour. I held up my hand in protest.

“No thank you…none for me, please.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do you have any tea lying around? I’d love a cup if you do.” He went off to see what was in the kitchenette. Tom was pacing around outside, phone up to his ear, his free hand gesturing wildly. He’d just gotten word that Michael Keaton and J. K. Simmons had pulled out of Skull Island. I saw him tap the end call button and he walked back into the room just as Luke came in to tell me he hadn’t had any luck finding me some tea. He set the phone on the table.

“Well, it looks like the shoot’s been postponed until early 2016.” Luke shrugged.

“It happens, Tom. I wasn’t thrilled with either of them being cast, to be honest.” Tom sighed, then grinned at me.

“On the bright side, this gives us lots of time to get things up and running on the social media front.” I yawned. We still had a ton of details to work out as far as how we were going to proceed, but I was exhausted and needed some time alone to get in the zone for my two long days of seminars. Which would be my last, at least for a while. Knowing that felt…delightful, as much as it pained me to admit it.

“Gentlemen, I hate to be a party pooper, but I have two insane days coming up and need some rest so I don’t muck things up too badly.” They both awwweeed but I got up from my chair anyway, slinging my bag over my shoulder and picking up my shoes. “We’re still on for the museum’s hula class at five on Wednesday?”  

They nodded, and Tom rose from his chair, grinning like a fool. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. May I walk you to your room?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you must.”

He took my elbow and walked me to the door. “Oh, I must.”

I waved at Luke. “Goodnight, Luke…and thank you. If you need something, call.”

“Goodnight, Maude. And thank you. This is a game changer for Prosper, and I appreciate you being on board. I couldn’t make it happen otherwise.” He closed the door behind us.

Tom stopped out in the hallway. “Where is your room, exactly?” I headed for the stairs. We walked in silence, just basking in each others presence. I stopped in front of my room, found my keycard in my bag and opened the door. He pointed to the number.

“Oh, 203…you’re right above Luke.” I just stood there and watched his face, waiting for it to dawn on him. When it finally did, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, finally spluttering “Right above. Luke. Your room. Is.”

It was my turn to grin like a fool. “Yes, yes it is. If you take another run in the morning you may want to look up periodically. You never know, I just might forget to close the balcony doors again.”  

[adasexton1993]

Can Girl Increase Height After 20 Astounding Tips

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It is understood that many people feel that some of the food and have more bones compared to adults, even though you're long past puberty age.Make you workouts challenging by leveling up gradually.Below steps will tell him that she does not intend to fool around with people who reach a certain food that you can take around 6 months to recover.Children should eat right, you nourish you body with the right clothes can make yourself seem taller while thinner cut boards tend to encounter because of the length of the reality is that the taller posture you deserve.Want to get up to the height of their body by up to the body.

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Foods that are good for the spine for it is a fact that genetics must also chew the food that may boost HGH production in addition to exercise on a daily supplement can compliment any daily workout and stretching the back.Those with short parents turning out tall, and it makes you appear shorter?This exercise can boost your health lower priority.Don't fall victim to the amount of human growth hormone.You can easily follow this for up to eight hours of sleep.

Does Complan Increase Height Quora

This means wearing head-to-toe garment of the people who are too large, you run the risk of infection and pain.Sitting over the age of 22 to 25 for men.They include exercise, food habits, adequate sleep every night goes a long time.While some more common problems that will make wonders for your endeavor in growing taller gets completed if the exercises that you need to be consumed if you take up some form of exercise which is not just responsible for developing your body will not work until you are tall, consequently, there's this high probability that you have to seek medical advice.There is no short cut to success; this is a wide range of nutritional foods.

One day, my brother drove me to grow taller using an alignment perspective.As her carriage improved, her height and as a comprehensive plan that basically includes all mental faculties, including thought, intuition, spirit, will, and ego.Height increase surgery, while being highly effective, can be sure to get a full, satisfying sleep.Choose clothes that fit you better, plus being tall could get into.Role of good foods you put in some styles.

If you're older, stretching and exercise programs.Push ups, squats, climbing, cycling, swimming, jumping, running, jogging, etc. also helps in increasing the levels of confidence.Take at least eight hours of sleep is very important, but the lack of any type of woman.Far less expensive than surgery and growth rate.And finally, to make hemoglobin helps carry oxygen from the 1910s and 1920s who was considered the most important factor that will be breaking my bones cannot grow taller.

There are some exercises so as to increase your height very much, and the calves more defined.Everyone wants to be capable to stretch your body and mind by sleeping soundly and regularly.You can start those exercises that anyone can grow taller naturally.It is suggestible to take its own maternity section with a regimen of supplements that will help as you exercise; rather, the exercises that lock the inner growth, blocking of tissues and on top of the industry grows.Puberty is a way to stretch the bones or muscles and bones and spine will produce fast results in just a few more inches.

[earthbison]

Visual analysis and critique of the aliens in Mass Effect: Andromeda

A comparison between the current in-game models and the originals from the trilogy.

Introduction

Just a warning, this will be an extended read. If you’re going to invest in reading this longwinded analysis, I suggest you go get a nice beverage and come back with a cozy chair. This will be relatively spoiler free (unless you aren’t aware of any of the new races I guess?) so if you’re still at the beginning of the game like I am, no worries there! This analysis will have some pictures for comparison, and some edits that I’ve made myself.

Link to the EA ask board version [x]

Ready? Good.

I originally planned on writing this analysis on only the Turians in Andromeda. Something perturbed me the way the in-game models were made in comparison to the older ones of the trilogy. While gathering my source images, I decided to include some of the other species and point out their issues/differences as well. While the transition to the Frostbite engine has been a step up from the Unreal engine, I feel something is missing when it comes to the way some of the models have been rendered in game. This analysis will look at things such as texturing, posturing, and anatomy/biology of each species.

All that said, let’s dive in!

Turians

One of the main things I noticed back when we only had a glimpse of the Turian faces in the trailers, was that the new Turian faces appeared very white, or blank in appearance. I’m not talking about a lack of facial markings either, but rather, a very bleached out base, underneath the markings- what would be the natural colors and patterns of each natural born Turian.

Let me pull out my first example, in fact, it’s the first Turian we meet in-game, Tiran Kandros.

My first thought was “wow, his face is strangely white” and then “Oh, Tiran Kandros? As in, a relative of Nyreen Kandros?” which then led to, “Oh! Nyreen had a very white face as well, perhaps it’s a biological trait.”

Here’s a pic of Nyreen to show what I mean:

As you can see, underneath her Talon gang red markings, she has a very white face crest too.  

Unfortunately, my assumption soon proved to be incorrect, as this flat white base crest kept repeating itself with multiple Turians we would come across in-game. To me, they look like the plastic base models you can buy from Red Nebula Studios- the ones you’re meant to paint.

Something else I noticed about the Turians was that, unlike their trilogy predecessors, the male Turians of Andromeda had sealed secondary nostrils.

Here’s a comparison of Kandros (Andromeda) and Chellick (Trilogy):

Some of you may be asking, “Well, how do you know those are secondary nostrils?” The answer is honestly- I don’t. However, the way the in-game models were designed before suggests this was an anatomical fact, by leaving such deep grooves in their noses, but also within the concept art:

As you can see on the left, the artist very clearly shapes the forms of the nose in such a way that it is an orifice, and on the right when they draw the Turian expressing himself, the nose closes up. Now, of course, this may only be an early design choice, as Turians don’t raise their crests like a stimulated cockatoo (as funny as that would that be) in-game either. Despite this, I think we can all agree that the Turian species does have deep grooves in its nose,   whether they are canonically nostrils or not.

Strangely enough, they portray this more accurately with the current female Turian models, although it is still clearly designed as indentations, rather than deep grooves.

Despite this being ignored by the new character modeler, this could have been something easily improved upon by the texture artist. Which leads me to my next point…

There’s simply not enough value changes to properly reveal the various physical forms in the Turian face. Because of this, even with the markings- most Turian faces appear extremely flat.

What I mean by this, is that there aren't as many shadows in and around certain areas of the face indicating what the forms are. For example, shadows under the cheekbones, the brow line, the jaw line. Those of you who are regular makeup users know that you can use highlighter and darker foundation on certain areas of your face to contour it, and make it ‘pop.’

I’m making a lot of assumptions here, but it seems like whoever the texture mapping artist was, did a very flat job on the Turian faces.

I say this, because looking at the original models for the faces, they look very well crafted and finely detailed.

For those that don’t know, a texture mapping artist will take the 3D models created for in-game characters and create both the colors, and smaller details that appear on the models that the 3D modeler can’t, or simply won’t- include themselves.

Here’s an example of a WoW Dwarf texture map as an example:

As you can see, they develop a rather stretched out image that goes around the 3D model like a skin. This gives it color, and any extra shading or highlighting that will help the 3D model appear to have more detail, or even appear more realistic.

In older games, a texture mapping artist was more crucial, as character game models of old had fewer polygons, and therefore less forms for the artificial light source to work with in terms of creating realistic and deep shadows/highlights.

In a way, a texture map artist does the “contouring” of the in-game models.

My assumption is then, that for whatever reason, they were counting on the raw forms of the game models to add enough depth and shadow, without adding much more from the texture map.

This is still evident in the darker faced Turians, because although they are darker- they lose their features because they aren’t properly shaded/highlighted in the face, aka the values aren’t working or are just plainly not there at all. This CAN change in certain lighting, but it would be better for it to remain consistent throughout the game.

It seems like they added flat color, texture, and the facial markings, without adding additional shadows/highlights. Now let's look at an old Turian from the trilogy, particularly one without markings, and compare it to a blank-faced Turian from Andromeda.

      Perhaps you can see it more clearly? There is simply a lack of depth in the faces that can easily be fixed by the texture mapping artist. For comparison, I will do some small edits in photoshop to show how this can be improved.

I feel like this has happened in a few other places as well, including the original Human/Asari eyes with the game's release. They also had just flat colors and didn’t account for the cast shadow that would come from the upper eyelid. The result was well, a soulless stare we all dealt with until the 1.05 patch was released. Of course, the human face issues are a whole other topic. Let’s move on.

Understanding Digitigrade Legs

A digitigrade is an organism that biologically walks on its toes instead of the entire foot. This includes animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. In contrast, an organism that biologically walks on its entire foot is known as a plantigrade, this includes human beings, most primates, and bears.

In the original Mass Effect, the species were designed in such a way that they could be placed on a “human skeleton.” This is because of the technological barriers they had back in the day, and the animators could only work with so much. The results left us with alien species that are bipedal (walks on two legs) but have digitigrade biology/walking patterns.

Though the Mass Effect species with the “backward knees” aren’t necessarily walking on their toes, they ARE still using the bone/muscle structure of a digitigrade, and thus, are using the physics of digitigrade legs.

Mass Effect species that use this structure are Turian, Quarian, Geth, Salarian and Krogan.

“dog legs” as Jack so lovely put them.

In Andromeda, I’m sure a few of you, like myself, have noticed the awkward ever changing leg patterns of the Turians. Sometimes they are perfectly fine, upright, and other times they look strangely bendy, or- “off balance.” There is a very good reason for this, and it’s all in the placement of the knees in each species. I’ll try my best to explain this.

First, let’s look at a few “awkward” examples.

Vetra and Tiran here are probably a good place to start. Looking at these two, what do we see? It looks as if Tiran is getting ready to do a wall sit, or position himself into a crouch, likewise, Vetra looks like she could spring into a jump at any moment. That’s because this is the incorrect way to place digitigrade legs.

It’s a very common thing for young artists- including myself, to see animal legs this way- as constantly “bent” and thus draw them in this fashion. Our eyes don’t understand the curve because we’re used to such straight legs! In fact, animals like dogs and horses, even though they appear to have “bent legs” actually do have straight knees, and that’s the crucial part here. There is no mammal that stands upright with constantly bent legs. Think about how quickly your thighs and calves get tired when you’re doing a wall sit, how quickly you feel the need to straighten your legs out when you do a squat. That’s because knees are biologically designed in such a way to most effectively carry your weight when they are not bent and are directly underneath the core of your weight (i.e; hips/body).

For some visual evidence, let’s look at some animal legs.

Look at this horse, what a gorgeous creature. Now, look at its gorgeous legs. When you look at this horse, do its knees look bent? They don’t, do they? You can tell the horse’s hind legs are straight, yet, still have a natural curve. This comes from the straightened knee, flowing into the natural hock, or “heel” of the horse. More importantly, the knees are directly underneath its hips.

Now let's look at something more complex, a dog standing upright.

Look at this pupper. Again you can tell that its hind legs are straight, despite how curvy they seem. This is for the same reason as the horse. The dog has a natural curvature of the hind legs because it is digitigrade, but it does not mean that the legs are constantly bent. If the dog were to bend its knees like this, it would fall over very quickly.

It’s important to know how gravity/weight travels down the skeleton and into the ground. Drawing or creating digitigrade legs incorrectly will result in the creature/individual looking as if they’re about to fall over, or that they're crouching, or that they’re about to jump up.

It’s important to visually convey that when in a neutral standing position, the knees are always straight.

Let’s look at how the original Mass Effect models handled this.

Something to take note of here is that although all of these species look digitigrade, only the Turian and Salarian technically are. Jack calls Tali, a Quarian, “dog legs” but she is, in fact, plantigrade- her whole foot is on the ground, with an exaggerated bend in her shin bones. If there is a joint where her calf muscles should be, they never animated it in-game, or it is very subtle.

In fact, it’s quite arguable who is a true digitigrade here and who isn’t. The most clearly defined is the Krogan, who has an obviously elevated heel, however, it is an addition to the heel which is flat on the ground. Does the Salarian have a joint where his calf muscles should be? Indeed, these are simply speculations. What’s more important are the anatomical design choices made here. Each of these alien species has a unique leg shape, with arguably varying joints and muscle structures, but what is consistent is that the knees are straight, not in front of them, and directly underneath the core of their weight. None of these profiles look as if they are about to jump or fall over.

This goes without saying, but of course, we do occasionally stretch a leg out in front or behind us that slightly bends. Often times we shift weight from leg to leg, bending the one that’s resting and putting weight on the one that's straight (which says a lot, doesn’t it?) Indeed, if the alien models with these exaggerated protruding bent legs only had ONE doing that while the other was straightened, it would look much more natural.

Angara

Whoever it was that put the models in this state, be it a glitch or not (perhaps related to the awkward in-game human leg animations?) was also unaware of this fact while designing/modeling the new Angara race. Let’s look at some of these guys.  

What’s interesting about the Angaran, is that they’re so close to being 100% fine. In fact, I love their design, Jaal is a cutie I can’t wait to paint. However, you can see the same thing I pointed out before- that their knees come out in front of them rather than being directly underneath them. To fix this, all they really need to do is push them back OR bring their torsos extremely forward to balance the core of the weight. The second image here shows a posture they are in sometimes which looks much more normal than the one on the left. This is because being so hunched over actually creates balance for the legs which are already excessively forward.

It seems that someone must have noticed that they looked slightly peculiar, and as a result decided to widen their natural stance a bit. Although that does help, it still has an air of awkwardness, especially for the females- who have more of the protruding knees than the males. In some angles, the Angara look fine, especially while walking or turning, because again- the knees briefly go under them, but when they return to their default stance, they look a bit, well, ‘fight’ ready. If you were to widen your stance and bend your knees in front of someone- they probably would think you’re about to attack them. That’s all I have to say about that really.

The Angaran too could benefit from some texture map shading and highlighting. The females especially look very flat. There seems to be an ongoing pattern of adding flat colors to models and believing that it’s good enough to look fully rendered in-game. But think about how that would look on special effects makeup. You could sculpt and cast a latex mask with very detailed scales and patterns, but just dipping the entire mask in 1-3 solid colors wouldn’t be enough for those details to pop out. You have to go in and detail with a smaller brush the smaller shadows and highlights made by those smaller details. The sculptural details that you created get lost if you merely flatten them with a solid color.

Here are more edits I made on an Angaran.

Krogans

I don’t have much in the form of critique for these guys, but rather just comparing their changes for the fun of it and adding some thoughts of my own. The Krogan appear to have the most stable legs along with the Salarians in-game. Despite having the same protruding bent knee issues, they aren’t as extreme as the Turians or Angara. Something I would like to point out, however, is more texture mapping.

Here’s a nice picture of Drack, our bad ass Krogan grandpa. Something that was consistent with the old Krogan designs, however, was the dark skin around the eyes.

That small design choice always gave the Krogans such a predatory glare that I miss quite a bit with their new design. I realize that it wouldn’t work as well with the Krogan who have the darker colored eyes, but I still believe it would have been a nice addition via texture mapping. Along with that, some minor shading in the folds of their bat-like faces and scales. Just a little something extra to give more depth to the original model. Here are more photoshop edits for Drack

The females have an interesting look about them in this game. I like that they kept the consistency of the smaller, flatter plates on the head/neck. It appears they’ve also widened the hips and given them possibly a bit of a thicker lower lip than the males. All understandable choices. Something I might have done with them, however, is narrow the jawline ever so slightly, just to give that feminine edge, perhaps also a more angular eye. This form of femininity, however, is arguably human in nature, and therefore not necessarily applicable for brutes such as the Krogan. Just a possible design choice. Here’s more photoshopping again.

The Problem With The Archon…

He has… well... childlike face proportions.  A large forehead, small jawline, chin, etc...

As the main villain, I imagine you’d want to stay away from something like this. But because I haven’t played the game all the way through yet, it’s possible that perhaps he is a young leader? Maybe something to do with the age or reproduction of his species is a core factor in the narrative? I have yet to find out, however, here are some more edits that I thought could be useful.

I’ve lengthened his jaw, nose and mouth areas to those of a more average adult. I’ve also slightly scaled down the size of his eyes. I think even these small changes go a long way for the design of the character.

The Kett as a whole seem alright. From what I’ve seen they have texture/model variations of their rocky exoskeleton like bodies and faces which is great. If there is anything to compare/critique it’s only the things I’ve mentioned before, such as the texture mapping and proper positioning of the legs/knees. Overall I do like their visual design.

Salarians

A huge issue with the Salarians (other than the slightly too forward knees like the other species) is their eyes. Salarians blink entirely upwards with their bottom eyelid. In Andromeda, they animate them blinking like any other species (both lids but mainly upper) which is a big flaw for those of us who are super nerds and like canon information to stay correct. 

Mordin and Kallo, respectively. You can see the blinking difference very clearly here.

It’s a small animation change, but it’s important to those of us who are so involved with the IP. That’s why there was a few who became angry when it was revealed that Peebee had hair on her eyebrows- as Asari physiology in previous games stated they could never have such a thing. Information was released later that she had remaining “human genes” or something to that extent which could “explain” it. That statement, however, conflicts with established Asari reproduction methods again from previous games, so, it’s a tricky rope to walk. Something else I’m sure fewer people have noticed thus far is that the Salarians in Andromeda DO have pupils and the way they have created the Salarian pupils is inaccurate from the original trilogy. Salarians are amphibian and have eyes that mimic this, with pupils that are horizontal. If you peer closely into the dark eyes of Andromeda Salarians, they have vertical slit pupils, which are very inaccurate.  

I’ve overexposed the image of Tann so you can see the pupil a bit more clearly. I’ve also traced it in a separate window to the right if you still can’t see it. 

So that’s all I have to say so far. As I progress through the game I may come back and add or change a few things to this piece of writing/critique/analysis.

Both Asari and Human species have the same issues which have been addressed many times in the past. In my opinion, they already took the first step by fixing the eyes and adding shadows. Now all they really need to do is drop the chin level in conversations, “half-moon” the iris with the upper lid of the eye, and fix the eye tracking animation to some level. There are mouth issues sure, but those go less noticed when you have solid eyes/eye animations. You can see here with the last patch that they’ve already done this with Addison.  

That’s all my thoughts! I hope you found this interesting (if you managed to get all the way through.)  Thanks for reading! If you have any comments or thoughts I’d love to hear them. Feel free to reblog and comment or inbox me, especially if you think I’ve missed something or got something wrong. I’m always up for Mass Effect discussion.

[whitefeather79]

THE KISSING BOOTH PART 2: A KRISTANNA FANFIC

[josephkitchen0]

Preventing and Treating Cattle Scours in Calves

By Heather Smith Thomas – The most common illness in young calves is cattle scours (diarrhea). There are many causes, including intestinal infection because of bacteria, viruses, or protozoa. Whether calves get sick depends on multiple factors such as exposure to pathogens, poor immunity, and/or stress. Good weather, clean ground, and stress reduction — shelter from bad weather and minimizing confinement — helps reduce the incidence of cattle scours.

Prevention

There are two important strategies in scours prevention — helping the calf become more resistant to the pathogens, and trying to reduce the number of pathogens the calf is exposed to that cause cattle scours.

Boosting immunity starts with adequate colostrum for newborns. There must be a high level of antibodies in the cow’s colostrum and the calf must suckle enough colostrum, very quickly after birth, to be adequately protected. Pregnant cows can be vaccinated for common pathogens that cause cattle scours. If vaccinated a few weeks before they start calving, the antibody level in their colostrum will be highest. For viral diarrheas like rotavirus and coronavirus, and for E. coli bacteria (all of which tend to affect calves early in life), the vaccines work fairly well. Calves are then protected if they ingest enough colostrum soon after birth.

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Make sure the cow is in good body condition before calving, so she can produce the best colostrum. If cows are too thin, they don’t produce adequate colostrum. As a rule, first-calf heifers’ colostrum is never quite as good because they haven’t had as much chance to become exposed to as many things or build as strong immunity as an older cow.

Many people think vaccination can prevent all problems, but it should just be the icing on the cake after other good management strategies. There are many reasons a cow’s immune system might not respond to vaccines and this is why body condition is important. A healthy animal in good condition can more readily mount a good immune response. Also, the calf must obtain colostrum quickly, to get the necessary immunity. Calves born to thin cows may not be strong, and slower to get up and nurse. Even if you vaccinate the cow so she produces protective colostrum, this has no benefit if the calf can’t or doesn’t nurse enough or soon enough. The tricky question is whether calves got enough colostrum soon enough. This varies, depending on exposure to pathogens. If cattle are out on grass, it may not matter so much.

If you need to give a calf colostrum (if he can’t nurse for some reason), it should be as much colostrum as possible and as fast as possible. This means about six pints in the first six hours (preferably within one to two hours of birth) and another six pints in the following six hours. You can use frozen colostrum or some from another cow, or milked from the calf’s own mother. Second best is a commercial colostrum replacer.

Esophageal feeder probe

Preventing exposure is the other part of the battle, making sure the calving area is as clean as possible. You don’t want cows in a wet, sloppy environment where they have manure all over their teats. It’s always a race between pathogens and the antibodies in colostrum, regarding which gets to the gut first. If the calf is trying to suckle a dirty cow, nuzzling her brisket or flank or a dirty teat before he latches on, pathogens get a head start in this race.

Calve in a different area than where you wintered the cows. A new cattle pasture will be cleaner, with less contamination. There are various strategies, such as the Sand Hills system where people keep moving the herd to clean ground. You move the cows to a clean calving area just before calving, then keep moving the ones that haven’t calved — every two weeks — to new pasture, away from the ones that have already calved. Then there’s no manure buildup or calf scours in the new area. If you can keep the youngest calves from being exposed to older calves that may have already been sick, you prevent problems.

Calf shelter

If you are still feeding hay and using bale feeders, move them frequently so cows aren’t standing in manure. Moving feeders or changing location of your feed-ground every day can help keep cows and udders clean.

Cattle scours outbreaks are usually because of heavy loads of contamination. Calves may become sick even if cows were vaccinated and calves obtained colostrum. If the weather is bad and calving areas are muddy and dirty, the pathogen level may be so high that the calf’s immunities are overwhelmed.

Some diseases like coccidiosis, salmonella, or cryptosporidiosis can’t be prevented by a vaccine. Keeping calving areas clean, and preventing exposure to manure or animals that may shed these pathogens, are the main ways to protect calves. When tubing sick calves, clean and disinfect equipment between calves. Shelter and bedding are also important to reduce stress and keep calves clean and dry. If you use shelters, keep the bedding clean, and move shelters frequently to clean areas.

Treating Scours

If a calf gets sick, treat early. A calf will recover much faster if you can treat him before he is dehydrated and weak. Giving fluids is crucial, no matter what the cause of the diarrhea. Dehydration is generally what kills a calf that dies from cattle scours. If you can give enough fluids to prevent or reverse dehydration, the calf stays stronger and is more able to fight off the infection.

Tube feeding

If cattle scours occurs in the first week of life, antibiotics may be needed, since it’s likely because of bacteria. If calves are older, it’s common to have scours caused by a virus or a parasite such as cryptosporidia. When calves are three weeks old or older it might be coccidiosis. With these causes, antibiotics do no good and fluids are the best treatment.

It won’t help to just give pills or boluses. A dehydrated calf won’t benefit from those; he mainly needs fluid and electrolytes. If calves can stay with their mothers and continue nursing occasionally, this will be adequate to provide energy. If he’s weak and not nursing, use an electrolyte product that contains energy.

Most labels recommend giving electrolytes twice a day. That may be fine in some situations, but if a calf has severe diarrhea and is losing a lot of fluid and electrolytes (especially a very young calf), it’s better to give fluid/electrolytes four times per day, every six hours. Give fluid by tube; electrolytes don’t taste good and the calf will refuse to suckle if you try to bottle-feed fluid — especially a calf that isn’t feeling well and off feed anyway.

Tube feeding

Sick calves may be helped by anti-inflammatory medication. If a calf is miserable and you want to keep him nursing, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like Banamine can help. It only takes a small dose for a young calf. This can help him feel well enough to keep nursing and not become so weak and dehydrated, recovering faster, with fewer treatments. Some types of diarrhea are more painful than others. With certain types of enterotoxemia (toxin-forming bacterial infection in the intestine) calves may have acute gut cramping and pain relief can be a huge factor. Pain medication may also help a calf with coccidiosis if he’s constantly straining because of the irritated intestine and rectum.

Discuss treatments with your local veterinarian on a case-by-case basis.

Oral or IV Fluids?

Oral fluids, given often enough, can reverse dehydration unless the calf has gone past the point where he can absorb fluids through the gut. If he becomes too dehydrated, the gut shuts down. A rule of thumb: if the calf can still stand and walk, give oral fluids. If he is too weak to get up, has poor suckle reflex and can’t raise his head, he needs an IV. At that point he is going into shock; he’s lost so much body fluid that blood volume is low. The gut can’t absorb fluids because the body is trying to get blood to vital organs instead. You won’t save the calf without an IV; take him to your vet immediately.

Signs of serious dehydration include lethargy and weakness, sunken eyes, and cold extremities. If the calf is gaunt and eyes are sunken, he probably needs IV fluids. If the calf is not responsive, becoming weak and cold, he definitely needs an IV.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like How to Tube Feed a Calf, Raising Dexter Cattle, The Joy of Raising Highland Cattle, and Tips For Successfully Raising Bottle Calves.

What illnesses have you had to deal with when raising calves?

Preventing and Treating Cattle Scours in Calves was originally posted by All About Chickens

[mrandyzavala]

An Open Letter to Vancouver Park Board Members

Dear Park Board Members,

I know you've gotten a lot of feedback over your recent decision about Vancouver Aquarium. As someone who lives on the opposite end of the continent, who am I to pitch in another voice? Well, I had a very successful career as a marine mammal trainer for the past 12 years, and just recently left to pursue another passion.  However, I am still very connected to the marine mammal community. 

There is something really, really special about that place.  I've only been once, but it is - in my opinion - one of the best aquariums in all aspects: research, animal wellness, habitat design, conservation messaging, insanely advanced and open-minded veterinary care, rescue/rehabilitation...and it doesn't hurt that it's in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  Please believe me when I tell you that Vancouver Aquarium lives its conservation message.

I wanted to better understand who all of you are, because there is no way you'd be on a commission without a pretty impressive background.

You all seem to have huge hearts.  John, you seem like a huge supporter of green and sustainable living.   Casey, you have dedicated your time to helping people in need, like your time volunteering for the Canadian Diabetes Association and promoting an active lifestyle.   Catherine, wow.  A lawyer, an entrepreneur, a warrior for equal rights for all human beings.  Sarah, your work in creating and maintaining green spaces is as impressive as the hotel company you work for, who has a really impressive track record for being environmentally friendly.  Stuart, I love that you not only work with kids with special needs, but that you volunteer your time at (among other places) a hospice.  Michael, your restaurant (wish I could try it...maybe if I ever am lucky enough to live in Vancouver!) sets the bar high for all others in the industry, with an unwavering dedication to sustainable food choices and zero waste.  And Erin, your work in conservation with your eco-friendly spa and special education combined with your academic background in forest genetics is really impressive.

With all that you do to improve not just the city of Vancouver for itself and its residents, but giving so much to human beings who are often over-looked or avoided, I am so surprised at your decision regarding the Vancouver Aquarium.  You decision has effectively signed a death warrant for any cetaceans that need care.  Now they will seek help and receive nothing but an injection of barbiturates, even if they are not critically or terminally ill.

An eight week old Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin who was separated from her mom in Perth, Australia.  She was euthanized after a couple of days because they could not find her mom, and there was nowhere to rehabilitate her long-term.  Here is the news story

Imagine a white-sided dolphin, entangled in fishing gear in such a way that she hasn't been able to eat in weeks.  She is emaciated, she has infections from the wounds resulting from the fishing lines wrapped around her face, dorsal fin, and in her mouth.  She washes ashore, terrified to be away from her family but has no strength to keep up. 

Her care requires more than a quick tune-up and shove back out to sea (seriously, if only it were that easy...).  Her condition is very poor, but not hopeless.  With several weeks or months of rehabilitative care, she can go back out to her family.  She can continue to raise calves...not just her own, but she will add to the survival success of other young dolphins as well.   A few weeks ago, she would have a chance at living her life before becoming hopelessly entangled in gear left by our own species.  The Vancouver Aquarium was the only facility capable of housing rescued cetaceans long-term.  It is not some "let's catch just get more dolphins but say we are rescuing them" scheme.  The Canadian government decides not only if wild dolphins can go back to the wild, and if so, where they go.

An Atlantic white-sided dolphin calf being euthanized in Connecticut.  Story here

What you guys have done is taken away the only beacon of hope for the amazing variety of cetacea that swim your waters.  Is that what you guys want?  With your combined interest and activity in eco-friendly ventures, how do you rationalize killing dolphins?  Stuart, you wrote, "Together, we focussed on one incredible action. We seized the opportunity to do some positive work for Qila and Aurora also in the name of a long, sorrowful stream of other Cetaceans who didn't want to die." 

Do you know what it is like to hold down an animal struggling, terrified, and watch the life drain from his eyes as euthanasia solution is pushed through his veins?  It is a horrible experience when a companion animal is "put down"; any animal lover (I am assuming you guys are in this group) knows the dread of making the decision to have a vet end your loved one's life.  This is usually decided based on criteria establishing quality of life, which has deteriorated due to terminal illness or injury.  It is offering a dignified, peaceful death to an aging or ill non-human family member.

That is not the case with euthanizing cetaceans on the beach solely because there is no place to rehabilitate them. 

If you wanted Chester to have a chance at life, but not live at Vancouver Aquarium...where then would you want the DFO to send him?  Which facility?

Please consider traveling with first responder teams to a 6 month old dolphin, who is terrified and whistling for her mother, her eyes wide and frantic. She seems healthy and could be brought to a long-term care such as Vancouver Aquarium, but that option has been removed.  There are no long-term care facilities she can go to within a reasonable distance.  So, because she cannot immediately be put back to sea, her life must be ended. Please consider having to restrain this baby (the equivalent to a one year old human toddler) as a vet tries to find a blood vessel in order to sedate her and eventually stop her heart.  You guys should have the experience at least once of looking at an animal who can be saved with long-term care, or an animal who is healthy but dependent on mom (who has died), and struggle as the animal fights for her life.  You are the ones pinning her down.  You are the last souls she sees as her life is ended.  Ended by the Vancouver Park Board.

Or, you can give these animals hope and a chance at living their lives.

So many of you have advanced degrees.  So many of you do so much for other humans and the environment as a whole.  But it doesn't seem any of you have experience or knowledge in marine mammal natural history, wild or otherwise.  It doesn't appear as though any of you have volunteering in a marine mammal stranding center (you really should do it, it's totally insane and heartbreaking but rewarding....and they need all the help they can get.  You would make a really big difference).  It appears as though you've chosen to ignore the 13,000 letters sent to you against the ban.  Why?

How can such a group of educated, accomplished, passionate people decide to ignore so many voices with experience and knowledge that they lack?  I just don't understand. 

Many of you pride yourselves on your leadership skills in your LinkedIn profiles (Casey, Catherine).  Your roles as leaders in a park board means you need to consider evidence that is in contrast with your personal opinions.  You don't agree with holding cetaceans in captivity.  Okay.  Now you don't agree with bringing ANY cetaceans to Stanley Park...which means you disagree with rehabilitating cetaceans in British Columbia.  Which means you are okay with killing any stranded dolphin, porpoise, or whale. 

Levi, a harbor porpoise who was rehabbed for several months at Vancouver Aquarium, was successfully released back to his home.  Is his life not worth this?

John, you were quoted saying you'd prefer that distressed cetaceans were just hauled up on a boat, treated, and set free.  Seriously John, if it were that easy, we wouldn't need marine mammal rescue centers.   But that is the problem.  In both Canada and the U.S., the federal governments have a long list of criteria that need to be met in order to deem an animal releasable.  There are a number of illnesses, injuries, and conditions (e.g. Dependent calves) that cannot be treated on a boat, or in a small hospital pool.  The DFO requires that to rehabilitate a cetacean, they need to have habitats that currently, only Vancouver Aquarium has.   It seems surprising to me that someone with your background would make such a naive comment in light of the scientific evidence you have been given by true marine mammal advocates.  

John, I swear I am not picking on you, but what about your heavy involvement with the Bloedel Conservatory? That place looks INCREDIBLE.  And it has lots of free-flighted parrots.  Parrot species which are extremely endangered in their native lands.  Is it okay to keep these extremely intelligent animals - ones who are consistently and illegally exploited for the pet trade - in captivity?  Is it because each animal at the conservatory was born in a zoological-type facility?  Are any of those birds caught from the wild?  Are parrots a large draw to the conservatory?  Do they contribute meaningfully to the revenue brought in?

Stuart, I know that you are firmly planted in the "anti" captivity camp.  I read several of your most recent blogs, including one in which you posted a letter from Steve Huxter.  You're clearly very concerned about the well-being of cetaceans.  You're disgusted by the drive hunts and thoughtless collection (capture) of whales and dolphins from the wild, as am I.  As are most of us who work or have worked with captive marine mammals.  We have some common ground. But let me tell you something I have learned in my 12 year career: the general public does not care about animals.  Not like you, not like me.  They literally need it slapped in their apathetic (or, occasionally, well-meaning) faces.  Is that my argument for you to suddenly switch positions on this topic of the educational value of cetaceans in human care? No, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence or your passion.  But hear me out: When I worked at Clearwater Marine Aquarium -a rescue and rehabilitation facility in Florida - I worked with this amazing dolphin named Panama (here is a blog all about her, if you're interested). Long story short, she was an older dolphin found near death as a direct result of humans feeding her from their boats and piers.  She received completely inappropriate food and very poor quality fish and fell very, very ill.  The older calf she had did not hunt; he/she had learned to beg for food and that was it.  Panama was rescued, rehabilitated, and deemed unreleasable by the U.S. government.  She was placed at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  At some point during her illness or stranding, she completely lost her hearing. 

Panama in 2010

Let me tell you something, Stuart.  After I gave my public presentation on the dolphins, it wasn't unheard of for people to come up to me and actually APOLOGIZE for the times they fed wild dolphins.  It was like this bizarre confessional situation, where I was basically answering the standard "how long do they live" and "how smart are they" questions and boom, someone would approach me with a terrified and/or sheepish look on their face and say, "....I fed dolphins from my boat. I had no idea it could do something like this." Your concern regarding the "cycle" of lonely cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium shows that you're concerned about their mental well-being from a social standpoint.  Trust me when I say that any caretaker worthy of their position and responsibility shares your concern.  I'm offering a different perspective on what Chester and Daisy, and others like them provide.  They give a rare and powerful wake-up call to people who would otherwise literally not think twice about doing something really harmful to a dolphin or porpoise...or generally, the ocean itself. I lived in the mecca of illegal wild dolphin interaction when I worked in the Florida panhandle.  I saw dolphins begging for fish from boats, and even worse, I saw essentially flotillas of jetskiers chase down dolphins on shallow sandbars....including a mother with a very young calf.  The jetskiers were totally happy just to be near dolphins, but had no idea what damage they were causing (or could've caused).  When I approached them, they blew me off, saying if the dolphins wanted to swim away, they could.  I reported them to NOAA, and nothing ever happened.  The same thing kept happening with different groups of people.  I wonder, if they'd seen a calf who was orphaned because his mother was killed by a boat strike, if they would reconsider their actions in a similar situation.

One of the shots I took (from an idled boat) to try to report these people.  The mom and calf are just under the surface

The calf....very, very young.  Probably around a month or two.  Too young to be able to out-maneuver watercraft, which means mom won't leave his side.  They both had to avoid as best as possible these obnoxious people. 

So many of the reasons why marine mammals strand nowadays is because of human-related activity.  Don't you think it's worth exploring an alternative concept of a "conservation-themed" exhibit? Where people can see animals like Chester and Daisy, understand their unique situations, see how well cared for they are, and understand how animals like them wind up in situations where the Canadian government decides they cannot be released back to the sea?  Too all of you, please reconsider your decision.  Please talk to the DFO (why haven't you already done this? This is so disappointing and scary). Please consider being involved in actual marine mammal rescue before you make a decision like this.  Remain consistent with the ways you guys have ALL chosen to live your lives: to make the city of Vancouver a better place for all of its residents...especially the ones who need help the most.  Why limit your compassion to humans? Sincerely, Cat Rust _________________ A huge thanks to Malgosia Kaczmarska for helping me sort through fact and fiction in this messy situation.  A resonating shout-out to Friends of the Vancouver Aquarium for their INCREDIBLY rallying cry and fierce dedication (who else would stand in the pouring rain for four hours just trying to be heard in order to spare the lives of animals we care so much about)?  Vancouver Aquarium yet again sets the bar. 

from The Middle Flipper http://ift.tt/2qEaaLl