#it records the sound the water makes in the fishing level

[cherubytes]

i love it when people write v1 recording stuff around it for it to use later on, either to speak or make a point. its so fun. give that robot starling behaviour

[vanteguccir]

── ୨୧ !　𝗩𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗦

　　　　　　𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐 x famous!reader

SUMMARY: Where the world-famous actress and model, Y/N, is invited by Vogue to record a video of her Beauty Secrets, but during the recording, Chris, her boyfriend, decides to make a brief appearance.

WARNING: None.

REQUESTED?: No.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism, copy, or "inspiration"! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

　　　༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

The golden sun peeked through the silk curtains, illuminating Y/N's spacious marble bathroom. She was at home in her luxurious suite, ready to share her beauty secrets with the world.

A few days ago, Y/N was busy organizing her appointments when an email with the iconic Vogue logo caught her attention. With a mix of curiosity and anticipation, she opened the message to discover that Vogue was interested in featuring her in its exclusive beauty video series, Vogue Beauty Secrets.

The news filled her with excitement and pride. As one of the most in-demand models of the moment, walking on runways for renowned brands like Gucci and being a regular in the pages of Vogue itself, Y/N was already a familiar presence in the fashion industry. However, the invitation to share her beauty secrets with the Vogue audience represented an exciting opportunity to connect on an even deeper level with her fans and followers.

As Y/N prepared to start recording the video, she could hear the distant sound of laughter and the distinctive hum of video games coming from the next room. Her boyfriend, Chris, was immersed in one of his thousands of games, completely absorbed by the virtual world.

With a captivating smile, the girl waves to the camera with her left hand, starting the recording. Her long hair falls like a silken waterfall as she approaches the dressing table adorned with high-quality beauty products.

"Hi, guys! It's Y/N here." She greets enthusiastically, her smile stretching across her face as her right hand lifts slightly, showing the white mug full of fresh brewed coffee. "And I'm back on my favorite channel. Today is a very special day because I'm sharing my beauty secrets with you!"

With grace and elegance, Y/N begins her skincare routine, explaining each step in meticulous detail. She gently applies a gentle cleanser, massaging it into her skin in circular motions while commenting on the latest happenings in the fashion world.

"You know, being on the cover of Vogue for the fifth time is an honor." She shares casually. "But it's also a reminder of how much hard work and dedication it takes to get there. I remember when I was just a 10-year-old kid walking down the hallway at home in my mom's heels."

While applying a refreshing toner, Y/N describes how she likes to take care of her skin to keep it radiant and flawless, even under the relentless camera spotlight.

"It's all about consistency and finding what works for you." The girl advises gently, looking directly into the camera with confidence. "And never underestimate the power of drinking lots of water and getting enough sleep!"

With one fluid movement, Y/N moves on to the next step: makeup. She carefully selects her favorite products, explaining the reasoning behind each choice as she applies them with masterful skill.

"My makeup philosophy is simple: enhance natural beauty." She explains, delicately tracing her eyebrows with a pencil in the tone of her natural hair. "It’s all about enhancing, not transforming."

Y/N lowered her head slightly, her right hand hovering over her laid out products before her index finger and thumb fished out her Dior blush.

"This one is Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush. It's super beautiful and gives you, like, baby pink glow. I'm literally obsessed!" The girl opens the small packaging, momentarily showing the pink powder to the lens before applying it delicately to the apples of her cheeks with a white brush. "I used to use really heavy blush when I was in school." Y/N confesses, laughing. "My face looked like a paint palette! Chris said it also looked like I had sunbathed for hours without sunscreen. But over time, I learned the art of subtlety."

As she continued to expertly apply her makeup, focusing on the smooth strokes and precise touches, a noise at the bathroom door broke her focus. With a surprised sigh, she saw through the mirror her boyfriend entered the spacious room with a frustrated expression on his face.

"Fucking hell!" He grumbled under his breath, muttering curses as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

Y/N couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight of him, knowing he was dealing with another loss in his game against Nick and Matt.

"Having some trouble, babe?" She asked playfully, turning her face slightly towards him and giving him an amused look as she continued to apply her makeup.

Chris let out a heavy sigh and walked with quick steps toward her, looking over Y/N's shoulder to see what she was doing. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the strategically placed recording camera before turning towards his girl with raised eyebrows.

"Wow, wait!" The boy exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice. "Are you recording a video?"

Y/N nodded, smiling as she explained about Vogue's invitation and the opportunity to share her beauty secrets with the world, her hands gently closing the packaging of the blush before putting it away in its original place.

Chris watched with admiration her animated features as she talked and her hands moving her favorite products - which he had already memorized, him himself buying many of them for her everytime he passed by Sephora -, his eyes shining with pride.

"That's so cool, baby!" He exclaimed, smiling big and wrapping an arm around her waist, moving so that he was more centered inside the lens's frame and clinging to his girl. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"If your intention is to make me blush, it will be impossible under those layers of blush." Y/N intervened, raising her right hand with her palm facing him, rolling her eyes playfully in an attempt to feign annoyance, but the minimal smile on her face said otherwise. "Do you want to stay here? With me."

"Can I?" Chris widened his eyes comically, turning abruptly to her, feeling elated.

"Of course you can, honey!" Y/N couldn't help but laugh at Chris's excitement, nodding with a smile. "Welcome to my world of beauty." She opened her arms in an exaggerated gesture of welcome, receiving a nasal laugh in response.

As she resumed her makeup, explaining the next steps in detail, Chris watched with interest, asking questions and showing genuine interest in the entire process, a childish and euphoric aura surrounding his body.

As Y/N picked up her favorite mascara and began to explain in detail about the brand and its incredible formula that provided volume and length without clumping, Chris's eyes traveled between the product - which he already knew very well - and her concentrated expression. He could see the passion in his girlfriend's eyes as she talked about her beauty rites, and this only increased his admiration for her, an involuntary smile resting on his face.

Then, when Y/N was about to apply the mascara, the boy gently stepped forward, extending his hands, stopping her movements. The girl raised her eyes to him, a confused expression hovering over them before noticing what he wanted to do after watching Chris take the product from her hands.

That wasn't unusual between them; Over the three years of their relationship, Chris had become skilled at some specific makeup steps, helping his girlfriend on several occasions.

"Can I?" He asked softly, holding the mascara in her eyes level.

Y/N smiled, feeling grateful for her boyfriend's affectionate gesture, throwing a wink in the direction of the camera before turning her body slightly to the side, so that her face was still visible to the lens and that Chris could see her completely.

"Please, go ahead, baby." She finally replied, her eyes shining with tenderness as she watched Chris move closer, wanting to put himself in an easy position for both of them, without running the risk of smudging his work.

With skill and care, Chris began to apply the mascara to Y/N's long, naturally curled lashes, following the precise movements he had observed she doing so many times. He furrowed his eyebrows in a serious expression, determined to do an impeccable job, his tongue lolling out of his lips in concentration.

"Chris and I have an interesting ritual. For as long as I can remember, I've always been very careful about the way I look, and that didn't change after I started dating Chris, and much less when we started actively going to each other's houses." Y/N explained softly, without moving her lips too much with the intention of not making him smudge his work. "And Chris, being the adorably clingy boyfriend that he is, would spend hours in the bathroom with me while I was trying out new makeup or getting ready to go out. He would just sit on the closed toilet seat and watch me for minutes on end."

"How could I not look at a work of art as perfect as you?" The boy interrupted her, shooting off his sentence before an involuntary smirk appeared on his lips, feeling the skin of her right cheek burn against his own hand.

"And then, one day, he asked to do my makeup, but before I explained the function of each product." Y/N quickly resumed her train of thought, ignoring her boyfriend's flirting. "And over time, every time we go out together, he asks to help me, or just to watch me doing my skin routine."

"Sharing these intimate moments with you is the best part of my daily routine." The brunette said softly, his tone low with the intention of only his girlfriend hearing, his eyes meeting hers tenderly.

Y/N quickly pressed her lips into a thin line, feeling her neck and cheeks burn even more in shyness, her right hand moving up his body, caressing his covered hip lightly with her fingers in ghost touches.

When he was finished, Chris stood back with a triumphant smile, admiring his work with pride. Y/N turned around, facing the camera and the mirror completely, observing her own reflection for a few seconds, impressed with the result. Her lashes were perfectly defined and voluminous, exactly how she liked them.

"Wow, you're getting better at this!" Y/N exclaimed, approaching her face to the camera slightly, blinking repeatedly, wanting the lens to capture her boyfriend's perfect work. "Thank you, my love."

Chris smiled excitedly, happy to have made Y/N feel even more pretty, his hands returning to their previous place on her waist.

"Vogue, please, get Chris to do the next episode of Vogue Beauty Secrets."

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

extra - comments:

"petition for Chris and Y/N to start posting makeup videos together ✏️📄"

"I never thought I would see Chris knowing about makeup, much less doing someone's makeup 😭"

"this is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life 😔✋🏻"

"I need a boyfriend like Chris, who does my makeup every day 🙏🏻"

"Chris is the true meaning of acts of service 🥺"

"couple goals fr 🤞🏻"

"Chris is to blame for my standard being so high 😫"

"get someone that looks at you like Chris looks at Y/N while she puts on makeup 🤭"

“okay, but can we talk about Y/N’s flawless skin? I'm jealous 😫”

"Y/N's makeup >>>>>"

taglist:

@lustfulslxt @ladybunny44 @worldlxvlys @earth2starkey @remussbitch @freshloveforthefit @sturniolowhore @luvr4miya @alorsxsturn @urfavgirllyyyyy @hearts4chriss @cupidzsq @dracoflaco @rootbeerworshiper @junnniiieee07 @elliesturniolo1 @sstvrnioloo @lightsgore @gidgett11037 @ksskianshd @soimightlikeoldmen69 @ldr-sl0t @breeloveschris @its-jennarose @sainzzsturns @ecliphttlunar @soso-scarlettolivia @sturnolio-luvs @bitchydragonparadise @freshsturns @h3arts4harry @patscorner @strnilolo @bernardsbendystraws @mattsneezing @poetatorturadaa @meg-sturniolo @orangeypepsi @jnkvivi @chrisactualwife @watermelonreid @fratbrochrisgf @elordilover @somegirlfromasgard @hpyjw

(If you want to be added to the taglist, go to this post)

[bethanythebogwitch]

It's big, it's strong, its scaly, it's this week's Wet Beast Wednesday topic! An arapaima, also known as a pirarucu or paiche, is any of four species of fish in the genus Arapaima in the order of bony-tongued fish. There is som ongoing debate about the classification of the species, so to keep thing simple, I'm going to use the most common species names of Arapaima gigas (the type species and most well known, and the one with the most confusion about its classification), Arapaima agassizii, Arapaima leptosoma, and Arapaima mapae. Because A. gigas is the most well-studied of the species, unless I say otherwise you can assume everything I say in this post applies to it.

(image: an arapaima)

Arapaimas are bony fish that retain several primitive traits, causing them to sometimes be identified as "living fossils". They are most notable for their size, with A. gigas being a contender for the largest freshwater fish in the world. The maximum recorded size for one was 3.7 meters (10 ft) and 200 kg (400 lbs), but most get to around 2 meters (6.6 ft) long and 200 kg (440 lbs). That average length is decreasing as overfishing of the largest individuals is resulting in a selective pressure for smaller sizes. In addition to their size, they are extremely strong and can move fast if needed. Arapaima are fully capable of leaping out of the water if disturbed or they feel their current pond in unsuitable. Because of their strength, specimens in captivity must be handled with care as they can easy break bones if they slap someone. They live in rivers and lakes in South America, where they are often the top predators.

(image: several anglers with an arapaima)

Arapaimas are obligate air-breathers and will drown if they can't get to the surface to breathe. This is accomplished with a specialized swim bladder. The swim bladder is filled with highly vascularized tissue, letting it act like a lung. This pseudo-lung opens into the mouth using a modified gill arch known as the labyrinth organ. Arapaima gills are too small to sustain them, but they can supplement their oxygen intake with the gills. Juveniles are born exclusively using their gills and transition into air-breathers shortly after hatching. Arapaimas can survive up to a full day out of the water. They typically surface to gulp in air every 15-20 minutes. Breathing makes a loud gulping sound that anglers use to target them.

(image: an arapaima at the surface)

Because of their ability to breathe air, arapaimas are top predators in low-oxygen environments. Non-air breathing fish are forced to slow down in water with low levels of dissolved oxygen as they can't get enough oxygen through their gills. Since Arapaimas breathe air, they can easily chase down lethargic smaller fish. They are especially potent predators during the low season, when water levels lower. A combination of rotting vegetation reducing oxygen levels and ponds getting cut off from rivers and losing a supply of oxygen lets the arapaima reign supreme. Arapaimas are primarily predators that feed on smaller fish, though they will hunt other types of animals and eat fruits and seeds. Even land animals aren't safe as arapaimas have been known to launch themselves out of the water to catch animals near the shore. A combination of sharp teeth and their bony tongues are used to debilitate prey.

(image: an arapaima with its mouth open)

Not content with powerleveling their attack stat, arapaimas also have excellent defense. Their scales have been compared to bullet proof vests. Each has a hard, mineralized outer layer over multiple layers of collagen fibers. These layers are all oriented at an angle to each other to provide extra strength. This orientation of layers is called a Bouligand-type arrangement and is similar to how plywood is assembled. The harder outer layers and flexible inner layers work together to allow for both strength and flexibility. These scales help provide protection form large predators such as caiman and small threats like biting piranha. They also like provide protection from other arapaima, as the fish are aggressive and will fight each other.

(image: a diagram showing the composition of arapaima scales. source)

You probably wouldn't expect a swimming tank of an animal to be a good parent, but you'd be wrong. Arapaimas work together in mated pairs to build nests for their eggs, then cooperate to guard the nest. Once the eggs hatch, the male will practice mouth brooding, keeping his young safe in his mouth. The female will also help by patrolling the area around the male to ward off predators. They secrete pheromones from their heads to ensure the young don't swim too far away. Eggs are laid either in in the low season or as water levels are starting to rise, ensuring that the young become independent during the high season.

(Image: baby arapaimas)

Arapaima are classified as "data deficient" by the IUCN. This means there isn't enough data to properly assess their conservation needs. They are known to be threatened by overfishing. Arapaima make up a large part of the diet of many South American populations. Habitat loss and pollution are also believed to threaten them. They have been introduced to many areas out of their native range and are an invasive species in placed like Florida, Malaysia, and India.

Does anyone else remember these cards? (image: the arapaima card from Weird n' Wild Creatures)

[gyllenhaalstories]

BODIES IN THE SAND — ELWOOD DALTON 🎂

summary: it’s your birthday and dalton wanted to make it special.

warnings: eating, mostly fluff & smut (making out, thigh riding). 18+ NO MINORS.

word count: 2730

gifs credits: me @/gyllenhaalstories / divider credits: @/firefly-graphics

notes: today is my birthday and i am, for the fourth year in a row, making it everyone’s problem with a (very boring) self indulgent fic. 🎈 thank you for reading & REMEMBER TO REBLOG!

The dock master waved at you when you passed by. You did not leave him enough time to repeat his speech about watching out for the damn crocs like a broken record. You had visited the Glass Key Marina so many times since meeting Dalton, one could think the old man would spare you the lecture. Whatever. This time, you ignored him. You stormed towards the wooden pier on a mission.

Dalton, now confident in Billy and Reef's abilities to handle the unruly patrons on their own (if they remembered to lift with their knees), allowed himself a night off from time to time. The pay as the bouncer of the roadhouse supported him plenty anyway. He did not splurge much, judging by the fishing box overflowing with stacks of cash. When he did spend his money, he would buy all the books Charlie recommended to him or he would treat you to his new favourite food, conch chowder.

You were usually the first person to know about his sporadic vacations, except for today. You drove to the roadhouse and Laura greeted you with a perplexed smile as to why you were there without Dalton. Frankie walked down the stairs from her office and expressed the same level of confusion. "Dalton called, said he's sick. I think the boat dreams are getting to him. Took him long enough." She explained before helping her employees to get the bar ready for another night. Dalton, sick? You stormed out of the bar with the same determination that made you beeline to The Boat.

"There you are." Dalton, who sat on the railing of the boat, stood up and turned around to greet you. The look on your face, painted with surprise, satisfied him, it was worth spending the entire afternoon decorating his corner of the marina. "Happy birthday."

You stood on a creaky wood plank and took in the scene. Orange balloons matched the colours of the sky as the early sunset reflected on the water. There were garlands and streamers, basically anything that could make the dock look festive. You scoffed at the Happy Thanksgiving banner attached to the back of the boat that clashed with the rest.

Dalton quickly justified. "I know... 'Was all Charlie could find." He worked on the ribbon of the balloon he had previously secured on the railing and held on it tight. He raised his leg to get off the boat, but you interrupted.

"I appreciate the thought. This looks so..." You spun on your heels and admired the decorations for a few more seconds. "This looks really nice. But that still won't get me to climb on that thing. It's literally sinking." You pointed at the rusty boat that the dock master constantly referred to as a frying pan. You wholeheartedly agreed with the older man.

"It's not sinking." He leaped from the boat to the dock. The tone of his voice failed to convince you. "... Yet." You both nodded in agreement. Not yet. Soon enough, Dalton would be taking a nap with the crocodile.

You let him come to you.

He tilted his head, eyes squinting at you. "You know, those little footsteps of yours sounded furious. Everything okay?" He clenched his jaw, already bracing up for bad news. It was all he seemed to attract: bad news.

"I should be asking you! Are you okay? I went to the bar and Frankie said you were sick."

"I don't get sick." He shook his head lightly.

"Then why did she tell me that?"

"Oh, I asked her to." He marked a pause, as if that was enough information. You pressed him to grant you with more details. "I thought it was a good excuse." There was a hint of pride in his grin.

"A good excuse that worried me a lot." Your attempt at reprimanding him failed miserably, especially when his grin widened while he stepped closer to you.

Dalton carefully tied the ribbon of the balloon around your right wrist. He then flicked the balloon, watching it bop. "Charlie and I have been planning this for a little while. Couldn't find a proper banner in time." His chin pointed at the Thanksgiving wishes.

"You can say something cheesy to make up for it." You suggested with a chuckle.

"I'm thankful that you're born?" Although he said it like a question, he was certain in the sincerity behind his words.

"That does the job." You both exchanged a moment of laughter. "Thank you for taking the time to decorate for my birthday."

"There's more." He guided you off the dock and through the makeshift path to the beach, always hovering a hand over your lower back to make sure he would be quick to react if you fell.

You let Dalton walk by the shore. Although you did not mind feeling the water run over your feet and ankles, he had insisted enough times that it was safer for you to stay on the other side. So you just let him do what he wanted. Your hand brushed over his a few times and you caught sight of the smirk on his lips.

He also noticed your head was turned towards the water so he pulled you to stand in front of him. He lost no time to hold your hand when you reached behind to grab his. Dalton mouthed a quiet wow when he took in just how beautiful you looked with the pink sunset sky.

Things were simple with Dalton. He did not talk much about what lead him to Glass Key, but you learned enough snippets of his life to know he wanted things to remain this way: simple. He liked the way you weaved yourself through the routine he built since working at the roadhouse. You'd visit before work, at work, after... You would hang out at the bookstore with Charlie, you would sit by the bar with Laura. It all felt simple. He did not hide his appreciation for the time you shared. He showed honesty in his intentions with you when a kiss turned into a lot more one too many times. Plenty of whispered praises, plenty of love filled gazes. You took it one day at a time with Dalton. And today was a special day in more ways than one.

Dalton bumped against you when you stopped walking abruptly at the sight of the makeshift picnic set up. Beach towels laid on the sand and held in place by a bunch of rocks and a pretty conch shell. It looked a little funky but he knew you could not care less. "After my first shift at the bar, Frankie told me this whole sales pitch about the place." He let go of your hand so you could wander towards the beach towels. "She said this was a beautiful spot to have a drink with someone special." Frankie was talking about the roadhouse, not the beach at the back of the marina but... It was close enough.

"She must be right." You sat down on the towel, Dalton joined you. He attempted to say something else, but the balloon floating in the evening breeze distracted him. You watched him intently as he untied the ribbon from your wrist and attached it to the handle of the cooler.

You exchanged a smile and enjoyed more of the sunset. You wondered to yourself how people could live in a beautiful place such as this and forget to pay attention. How could someone get used to a view like this? You certainly could never. You knew Dalton felt the same.

And Dalton knew what you were thinking about. He had travelled quite a bit, both for work and to escape it. He faced the same reflection time after time. "I don't know." He broke the silence, answering your unspoken question. "Maybe they don't have the right person by their side to remind them to appreciate the moment."

"I like the sound of that." You shifted closer to him and his hand slid along your lower back to find its place on your hip. "It's romantic."

"Wait 'til you hear about what I baked for your birthday..." He let out a small grunt when he stretched his arm towards the cooler to pull it closer.

"You can bake?"

"Nope." He opened the cooler and tilted in your direction. "But Charlie can." Kind of. He let you take a peak inside to admire the cupcakes that he prepared with the teenager and with Stephen on supervision duty.

You found it so endearing how he formed a bond with Charlie. Dalton even grew to like her comparisons to western novels and cowboy boots wearing broody heroes. You leaned in to admire the desserts and chuckled at the sight. "They're all squished."

"Shit." Dalton whispered at the sight of the dozen of misshapen cupcakes. He pulled out the tray and set it on the beach towel. He selected one that sort of held its shape during the transport from Charlie and Stephen's house to the beach. "I swear, I frosted them all nice for you." He grinned apologetically.

You grabbed the cupcake from his hand and took a bite. You swallowed thickly and tried to contain a funny face. "These are..."

"Burnt as hell." He stole a bite from the same cupcake and grimaced. He looked down at the rest of the desserts and began to explain that he was sorry, that he really tried to make your birthday special.

You interrupted him with a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "There was frosting." It was not entirely false, but you hoped this would stop the train of thoughts.

He still looked unsure, he worried that he had messed up.

So you kissed him again, on the same spot. You would usually let him lead and make the the first move so he would not feel trapped, but you wanted to reassure him. "Spending time with you is a nice gift on its own. So this?" You gestured around you. "This is great. And this." You held his head in your hands for a few moments, waiting for his lips to curl into a smile. "It's all I need to have a good time."

The smile stayed glued on his face even when you pulled away. You reached for the cupcake again and Dalton took it from your hand to put it back on the tray, slamming the cooler shut for good.

"You can't waste the cupcakes, you worked so hard to bake them for me." You would have eaten a couple of the sweets had he not stopped you, you wanted Dalton to know you liked the gesture.

"Then the crocodile can have them." You nodded, agreeing with his idea.

"Maybe he'll spare you for another night."

The sound of yours and Dalton's laughter blended together as one. "That's exactly what I was thinking." He replied.

"I know I just said I'm having a good time, but..." You crawled to kneel between his legs. You sat back, keeping a safe distance to let Dalton decide. "We can make it even better."

He considered the implications of your offer. Now, he felt like he was the one being celebrated. You were a real treat, kneeling before him with a gaze he had seen many times before. You wanted more... You wanted him. Dalton leaned in, glancing between your eyes and your lips.

You let him come closer until your mouths met in a gentle kiss, mirroring what you did moments ago.

His nose brushed against yours while he left you longing for another kiss. The small nod of his head told you everything you needed to know.

You erased the distance completely and kissed him again with your head tilted to the side.

Dalton's fingertips caressed along your arms and guided you to wrap them around his neck. He deepened the kiss when he felt one of your hands cradling the back of his head.

You hummed when his hands began to explore your body. The gentle touching up and down your back grew in eagerness.

Dalton's hands gripped firmly on your hips, pulling you closer. He placed a hand under your thigh and positioned you how he wanted. He took it slow, one step at a time. His hand travelled back up to the curve of your ass that he squeezed a little bit harsher than you expected.

The whimper you let out only encouraged him to keep going while his feverish touches fuelled you to take this further. Your tongue traced his lips before he parted his mouth open.

Your tongues danced together while he let go of you briefly to unbutton his shirt. Immediately after, your hands were all over him. Your fingertips followed the shape of his collarbone down to the curve of his pecs to end on the valley between his abs. You printed each and every detail of Dalton in your mind.

Your loving touch spread goosebumps on his skin, or perhaps it was the breeze getting cooler. The sunset reached its last instants, the sun appeared to be swallowed by the ocean far beyond the horizon. The marina was peaceful, but not quiet. Soft whimpers and grunts filled the silence as the waves slowly hit the sand.

You paused to catch your breath, Dalton could not take his eyes off your kiss swollen lips. "Wanna make you feel good." He whispered against your lips before leaning in again to let his tongue invade your mouth. His hands rested on your hips, squeezing the flesh and making your body move back and forth.

You ached from the lack of direct contact with him, you needed to feel him. But, again, you wanted to respect how far he seemed willing to go.

So he put his words into actions. Dalton made you straddle his thigh, trying to adjust the best he could to make sure you were comfortable. With his hands on your ass again, he began to make you grind on him. At first the movements were tentative, he let you adjust to the friction between your core and the clothes. But when you moaned at his ear, he could no longer hold back.

You rocked your hips back and forth, succumbing to the ever-growing hunger for more. More of this heated intimacy, more of Dalton's warm skin on yours... More.

Every time a door opened, Dalton closed it by repeating that you were a nice person, that you did not want to know him in that way, that you did not want to get close to him.

Yet, you waited. You showed him you had all the patience in the world for him. You showed that you were not out to get him, that you simply wanted to make Dalton feel good too.

You succeeded. The more you waited and reassured him that you would respect his boundaries, the more Dalton wanted to explore what lied beyond those limits.

"I don't want to stop." You murmured at his ear, trailing kisses from his ear and along his jaw until your lips connected again.

"I don't wanna stop either." His grip tightened on your hips, forcing you to slow down. "But since you refuse to get on the boat with me..."

You remained categorical, he would never convince you to step foot in that death trap. "We can go back to my place."

"Oh yeah?" Dalton kept you immobile, pressed down on his thigh. Your whine of complaint sounded like music to his ears. "You think you can wait that long?" It was quite the drive between the beach and your home. If either of you had the genuine intention to leave, you would have done in a while ago. "I'm not too sure about that."

You scoffed at his assumption. "Can you wait?"

Dalton answered your question by capturing your lips with his in a rough kiss. He slowly, carefully, helped you to lay on your back. He guided your legs apart to make space, his gaze meeting yours while his hands caressed your thighs. He let the tension build, he needed you to give him one more sign that you wanted this just as much as he did. When your hips bucked forward, your body pressing more against his, he grinned. "I've waited long enough."

[goldenboikuvasauce]

Backstory/personality of your oc/s, mylord?

This is the Most Question of all time. So I will be putting it under the cut LMAO. A lot of my Tenno were developed when Duviri was announced, but there were no details. I assumed it meant Tenno aged normally. Now that we have an explanation for Drifters these backstories are most likely going to be retconned. Most of my Tenno are adults now so they're more relatable to me (and I don't have to stomach child soldiers as much - it just makes me sad)

there's also a lot of canon divergence stuff just cos I like silly aus. I just like giving my actual warframe ocs reason behind sentience... I rather be a space meat robot than a kiddo.

and if anyone has been ao3 in 2021... some of these names and faces might be familiar... and you know of their many sins... please forgive everything being over the place. it's how my brain is wired and one can say wf ocs are my own personal brand of cocaine duviri

Group 1)

Antaeus, a confuzzled Tenno who woke up a lil too late with a serious case of amnesia. He appears to be in his mid 20s. He loves kavats, languages, and history. He's fluent in Corpus and Ostron and can read Grineer script easily. He's also very optimistic, playful and friendly - assuming that the biomechanical beings on the ship he woke up on are his roommates, not machines he's supposed to control.

K - My main Nidus 💕 He's broody and shy, but really he's touch starved. He loves sculpting and hates kavats and by extension, the resident Valkyr. Ironically, as he gets over the hatred, he ends up mutating a kavat like helmet (Nightstalker helmet my beloved). K is capable of speech, but his overly infested vocal chords make his voice sound raspy and rumbly. He speaks in short sentences or simply grunts for brevity. K usually speaks outloud just to insult Valk, but not much else. He is incapable of communicating with text and doesn't care for the group chat anyway.

Pneuma - My starter Mag. she's a lil cold and stern but is super caring underneath all that. She lost her left arm to a Bombard while trying to save a kubrow pup. She's extremely protective of everyone on the ship and is considered the resident mom friend because of that. Pneuma has a vocaliser, but with no Tenno transferenced in she does not speak. She instead communicates with blank stares that say 1000 words. She uses text otherwise, and is as articulated as one can be with one hand, or a parazon. She doesn't capitalise the start of sentences though.

Valkyr - She's a big herbo who loves Pneuma to bits. She also loves fishing, kavats, and treating Antaeus like a kavat kit even tho he's a grown man. She hates magnetic Eidolon water and K. She is capable of speech, though her vocal chords are hoarse and it's difficult to speak in longer sentences. She mainly uses her voice to hiss at K. Her talons stop her from typing quickly, but she's fond of kavat emojis. With a parazon her communication style is expressive. While her personality seems as primal as a motherly kavat who loves her wife so much, she has been able to express her level of intelligence and self reflection through personal logs that are recorded by the ship Cephalon.

Zippo - Nezha - He has the emotional maturity of a 12-14 yo, and he loves trying to cook and the Index. Valk found him wandering around by himself at a relay and just took him back to the ship. Zippo communicates in sign language, and a lot of emojis in text form - he has bad grammar and over uses punctuation for emphasis. His nickname was given to him by Nando as a bit of an insult (see group 3) when they were in an Index match together. Zippo, or Z, having a tiny infested brain, didn't catch it was supposed to be a jab at him, ended up liking it. Z's celebrity crush is John Prodman.

Xuron - Ship Cephalon - Initially assigned to monitoring Pneuma by Simaris, due to her sentience, Cephalon Xuron abandoned his precepts of investigation when Simaris wanted to synthesise Antaeus. Xuron moderates of the crew's group chat, which serves as a way for everyone to communicate with each other, at least until Tae learns to actually utilise transference. Xuron has had "software failures" that are more serious than Ordis' blurts - due to remembering traumatic experiences prior to being Glassed.

K's Helminth (not pictured cos they're an infested room) - After a traumatic event that had awakened K's sentience, Helminth had spawned their physical form from a self inflicted neck wound K had made in madness. Helminth has possessive nature over K, seeing him as an extension of themselves, and actively tries to sabotage any progress Antaeus makes towards transference. They see the tenno as a force that removes a warframe's free will. If it were up to Helminth, Antaeus would be dead and it would be Helminth and K, forever and ever...

...

Group 2)

Lissa - Lone Tenno. Lissa has lost control of most of her warframes with the exception of her Nekros Prime and she doesn't know why - but she knows it makes her violently ill at times. Because of this her cephalon had abandoned her. Despite all this she tries to be kind to those less fortunate than her, specifically the Solaris. She mainly resides in the Fortuna alleyways. She appears to be in her early 20s. She has a strong bond with Charon, and since he is the only frame she has left, she'd put her life on the line for him.

Charon - Lissa's Nekros Prime. Like any Nekros he enjoys grave robbing and dismembering enemies - he's honed his craft and can dismember very quickly and precisely. He's a hoarder who keeps his and Lissa's things in his Hey Kavat backpack, as well as his guts. He likes shiny things, pain, keeping his Mortus binds in a bow and painting his and Lissa's nails. He's in a situationship with K. Charon always had a low level of sentience, stemming from being protective over Lissa. The intense stew of raw emotion and happy brain chemicals being with K gives him had fully awakened Charon's hidden personality however. That and the cheeky lil cyst made of K's Helminth.

Blaze, a Red Veil operative and Railjack hire. He's also Lissa's ex boyfriend. The relationship was taboo under the Red Veil's rules, he ended the relationship when it got to his conscience. He is a devout Veil cultist and feels great guilt over "leading the Tenno astray" by courting Lissa when they were just love sick teens. He still deeply cares about Lissa, and wish she'd put herself first every now and then. He does not believe Charon is sentient, and is worried Lissa is projecting or experiencing delusions.

...

Group 3)

Nando, an obnoxious Tenno with a penchant for overspending and recreational substance use. He has a serious fear of the Infestation and refuses to do any missions that involve them. For this reason he sticks with more mechanical frames like Gauss, Zephyr Harrier, and Octavia. Nando appears to be in his early 20s and shares his orbiter with his lil "cousin" Max, who he's protective over despite being barely able to look after himself.

Mac - Nando's Gauss. After being infected by a Helminth cyst that was contracted from Charon (who contracted it from K), Mac developed enough sentience to hide the cyst from Nando. However, all the running into walls keeps Mac's probable IQ in the double digits. Nando eventually finds out and tries to scrub the cyst, but the damage had already been done. Mac has a singular braincell!!

Max, a young Tenno, who was only a toddler on the Zariman during the Void incident. Biologically, they are not related to Nando, but because they came from the same long dead tribe Nando calls Max his lil cousin as per custom. Max is still young, about 12-14 years old. They enjoy conservation and collecting floofs, and playing in the Index with Nando. The two share an Ash Shroud frame together, but Max mains Xaku (Nando was not going to step foot on Deimos to seek the parts out) and Equinox. Max is best friends with Zippo (but doesn't know that Zippo is actually a sentient warframe)

...

Group 4 - my more evil ocs lmao)

Sar - New Loka Tenno. She enjoys fashion (of frames and humans) and flowers. Her bubbly personality is a rouse however. She's well on her way to being the best assassin in the syndicate, happily purging those that are tainted and ruined - including other Tenno. She is in her 20s, and through meditation and guidance from Amaryn she makes sure to keep the Void from completely robbing her of her sanity.

Jase - Perrin Tenno. Jase was 17 during the Zariman incident. His huge stature let him assign himself as a leader among the children, and he lead the assault on those corrupted by the Void. Because of his role and readiness for combat, he was one of the first Tenno Lotus woke up. While the Somatic dream and transference freezes the body of a Tenno, Jase preferred hand to hand combat. This aged him over time, and as his biological clocks continues to tick he's at high risk of Void Corruption. He was recruited by the Perrin Sequence as brutish muscle to occasionally intimidate brokers into diplomacy.

Kaiju (Jase's Chroma - not pictured cos idk how to draw Chroma) Kaiju is a Chroma Jase forced Transference with. But as Jase slowly falls into Corruption, Kaiju regains his sentience and fights back for control. This results in catastrophic events, especially when Kaiju decides to murder and consume a Volt, Frost, Saryn and Ember Prime - in order to himself a Prime.

Sar's Trinity Prime , who's fashionframe was rightfully titled "the Harmacist" by a wf friend of mine (speaking of which he'd be traumatised if he saw the state of my blog rn). She has an all white colour palette, with the prime body and Strega helmet, and the eros wing ephemera. She enjoys luring unsuspecting victims to Kaiju for him to eat. Sar utilised her Trin in the meta ways often, and also has a killer DPS Tank build for Trin.

...

Group... Infested and Feral >¦3

Fester (Rhino) - Dumped in Deimos after his Tenno had reached mastery with him. The Grey Strain took over him, and gave him sentience. He is bonded with an infested Volt named Nux (my boyfriend @tethermaw's oc). Fester has crazy abandonment issues.

Xantho (Ash) - Initially a feral Ash maggot looking for a humanoid corpse to claim as a host, Xantho found a dead explorer in the isolation vaults. Unfortunately, a Saryn and Banshee maggot had the same idea, so Xantho had to fight them off for the cadaver. This resulted in the subsumation of Saryn's Molt and Banshee's Silence. As a full fledged feral frame, Xantho spent most of their days waiting for Tenno to open up vaults, just so they can sneak in and steal the goods. But now Xantho lives with one of my boyfriend's Nidus ocs, Plague 😊 Xantho is spoiled so much

Maprico (Feral Nidus) - mistaken for a tame cryptillex, Maprico was adopted as a maggot. Maprico had intended to kill and take over this person's body but found something much better. They got their namesake when they refused to eat kibble, and instead gorge on human food made with the bright orange fruit. However, when a thief broke into the home one night, Maprico tried to scare off the intruder with cute lil squeaks. The Intruder laughed then screamed, as Maprico had already pounced at the jugular. The next morning, Maprico is engorged with human flesh, preparing their host for metamorphosis.. Much to their person's dismay. Maprico eventually grew to the great height of 8ft as a full fledged Nidus, and was a much better guard. They went on to have many of their own maggots, who now inhabit the happy and safe settlement like their own nest.

Cage (Nidus - Maprico's spawn). Cage was a fiesty maggot, who bit one of the settlement's children in the arm when the child kept pestering them. The child had to have the arm amputated, and the little maggot was put in a timeout cage by Maprico. Cage gnawed at the bars and escaped.. to go nuzzle and apologise to the child. Years later, Cage grew alongside the child, who was now a teen. Cage was ready to search for a host, and when they were fully fledged they enhanced their friend's prosthetic with the Infestation. The two now work with Steel Meridian, the syndicate that helps protect the settlement.

Venous, an unranked Nidus that was built for one purpose: to be consumed by the Mouth Wall. Venous was next in line to be subsumed, after a Titania frame. Venous broke out the arsenal and into the infirmary to destroy the Chair. After escaping with the other frame, the two formed a close bond and are now inseparable. Venous is very feral and likes rotting grineer as their energy source

Caelus, an unranked Titania that was built only to be subsumed. Venous broke Caelus free from the Chair and together they escaped. Caelus, despite being a Titania, quickly presented more masculine to distance himself from the prime fae frame that took his place. With Venous, Caelus attempts to learn his abilities through clumsy trial and error.

...

more or less civilised ocs

Axenic - A Nidus that works as a Perrin Sequence mercenary. Axenic was an unnamed and unknown Nidus captured by the Corpus. They were tortured, lobotomised, and vivisected so the scientists could experiment with the Helminth strain of the infestation, as well as an attempt to copy its chrysalis system and Tenno warframe maintenance procedures. They were dubbed Axenic, as they were brutally scrubbed and sterilised. The experiments resulted in Axenic losing the passive healing, Larva and Ravenous abilities, which where replaced with Ensnare and Eclipse. Axenic was eventually bought/emancipated by the Perrin Sequence, and the upkeep of Axenic's functions are supported by the syndicate. This involves supplying Axenic with a shield capacitor, aggressive painkillers and high octane stimulants. In terms of personality, The Axenic Nidus has none. At least that's what they portray. Internally, Axenic mourns they can not cultivate their own Infestation and parthenogenise their own maggots, that choice was taken from them.

Axenic's mercenary work leads them to becoming a bodyguard for Latrox Une in the Cambion Drift, as he films nature documentaries and enjoys studying the Infestation with funding from the Entrati. This leads to Axenic protecting Une from an attack from Fester and Nux, and as Axenic links to Fester, they contract a part of the Grey Strain that mutates Axenic enough to have a form of reproduction again. With some enthusiastic experimentation and vigorous testing with Une the two discover the reproduction is allogamous. It is still ineffective and Axenic has only been able to produce one living spawn and has no interest in utilising this in combat. Axenic now takes in maggots often abandoned by their progenitors, and teaches them how to assimilate with Tenno without raising suspicions about being unmanned.

Jnr. - A hybridized Nidus, and Axenic's only spawn. Jnr. was a very weak maggot and lived most of this life stage in intensive care in Une's lab/home. Junior is more learned and academic than your average feral maggot, but of course he lacks the basic survival instincts or "street smarts". In that way it is a blessing that after his metamorphosis he maintained a more humanoid appearance (at least in silhouette) as he can fit in normal humanoid attire and attend Perrin board meetings on an operative suit. However, Junior didn't feel like he was making much of a change at a desk, and snuck off to join Steel Meridian despite his progenitor's values. He feels more at ease among defectors and freedom fighters with prosthetics and other chronic disabilities. He meets Cage, who easily detects him as another Nidus despite his (adorable) defector disguise. Cage keeps his secret, and the two occasionally hold hands, because Junior's Link ability sprouts from his palms. Axenic eventually finds out about Junior joining an enemy syndicate, and upon seeing the bond Junior had made with Cage Axenic makes no comment on the topic. The equivalent of acceptance. And when Axenic has the equivalent of wallet photos of Junior's and Cage's own maggots, that can only be seen as familial pride and approval.

..

Group "they're from the red veil so they're unhinged but that's their normal"

Phryke (Nidus) + Dyanta were created my boyfriend @tethermaw but I develop them too.

When kids act up, parents warn them that a particular Nidus Phryke will eat them for being bratty and ungrateful. And it's true, Phryke did eat a bratty kid - his own Tenno Operator. He only ended up regretting it when the transference bolt he was built with was becoming a literal pain in the neck, so loitered around in RJ groups hoping he could steal some Tenno for himself, maybe there were older operators who weren't annoying pieces of shit... Then he met Dyanta.

Dyanta wasn't always part of the Red Veil. He had been harvesting and selling organs since he was a child, roped into the scheme to pay off his shelved father's debts. He was able to pay it off, and as an occupational perk he was allowed to stay in mostly one piece, and when he made it to adulthood he got free gender affirmation surgeries on the house. But when the operation was busted Dyanta's employers left him on the operating table to escape and Dyanra was literally arrested with his pants down. During his incarceration he shared a cell with a cannibalistic cultist named Grun, who he found enigmatic and so magnetic.. He was initiated into the Red Veil by him and when they broke out together and went their seperate ways, Dyanta formally joined the cult. Due to the secrecy of the Veil, Dyanta wasn't able to get back in contact with Grun, but he couldn't stop thinking about him. He kept himself busy by becoming a Railjack defender for hire. During one mission, Dyanta was struck by a void storm bolt just as Phryke was about to jump and protect him from the blast. When Phryke got up, Dyanta had disappeared... accidentally transferenced into Phryke. Being more than compatible, Phryke decided that Dyanta was going to be his Operator. There were bonuses for Dyanta too. He went from being mostly illiterate (he could only read and write HEART, LUNG, KIDNEY, LIVER, in Corpus) to being able to read Orokin text within milliseconds. He also has Phryke to blurt out his thoughts (without his permission), which can be helpful in some situations, like when he reunited with Grun.

Grun was the only son in the middle of 7 sisters, born and raised on Mars in a Red Veil resistance that fought off the Grineer. Grun was trained in the ways of espionage, and the art of cleansing evil from the system - by consuming the flesh of enemies. After Grun failed to properly conceal an assassination attempt he was arrested and charged for multiple counts of terrorism. Someone in the higher ups, a Red Veil spy, had more plans for Grun and turned Grun's solitary confinement into an executioner's room, where a starved Grun would be made to kill and eat some of the prisoners to keep numbers low. Dyanta was thrown in this cell, and when finding Grun was chained up, emaciated and covered in years old blood, Dyanta snuck in food and water for Grun. The two ended up falling for one another without realising, Grun scarified a Red Veil insignia into Dyanta's wrist, and they planned an escape. Grun found the Red Veil plant that trapped him in that cell with no real food or water. He killed them in a "cleansing fire", as subjecting him and others to such conditions was indication of corrupted power. He took the ashes back to his splinter. He was praised for the cleansing, but for killing one of his own he was to take a vow of anonymity. Grun could never speak outloud, contact his family, or show his face to anyone ever again. It didn't stop him from working or basic socialisation, as he could still use sign language and encrypted text to communicate. But when he found Dyanta again, he broke the vow of anonymity, just for him (and Phryke).

I didn't mean to write so much about these three but grunyata has been rotting my and my bf's brain for 2 whole years.

Phryke and Grun have done some Real Red Veil """studies""" together, and the results gave them two groups of maggos.

the first clutch was an accident, Phryke dispelled them hoping they'd attack and blow up some Corpus as Ravenous maggots would. That didn't quite happen. Instead only three maggots ran amuck, and did attack but refused to blow up, even when Phryke tried to squish em with a Virulence (dad of the year!) They ran away from the ability and played a game of hide and seek with Phryke (Dyanta was cracking up in his head)

Rakta was the first maggot to find a body, to inhabit among the ruckus. When Phryke tried to pull Rakta away from the body Rakta protested and bit him. Phryke tried to squish Rakta for this but these maggots seem to be made of ooblek lmao. So Phryke decided to just try to extract without em, like a parent starting to leave a toy store cos their child won't listen. Rakta threw a tantrum about this and demanded to be carried back to the orbiter. WITH the body.

the line "I dont think that corpus is my son" is so funny to me. (excuse the discord grammar)

Rakta is named as such as they have an obsession with playing in Phryke's arsenal. They also don't really care about anything else, just guns and cookie dough.

here's another discord screenshot that makes me laugh still

Phryke is truly dad of the year.

The poor lil maggot in question is named Blight. They were half way through their metamorphosis when the Corpus attempted to extract them. This resulted in them having very thin transparent membrane skin, a loss of fangs.. baby Blight wasn't doing too good. Grun did his best to help Blight, by wrapping them up with his kevlar scarf, cutting small lil giblets for them, but he could only do so much. Grun took Blight back to Phryke, and Phryke let Blight crawl under his stacks to heal. After this Blight was good as new, but a lot more wary about being left alone. (just a baby... a little baby...)

unfortunately I have run out image slots...

Taurus + 9 living spawn

While initially retrieving Blight, Grun came across the final maggot to escape Phryke's parenting. This maggot was the biggest, well on their way into melding with their host, and shared Phryke's huge horns. Grun hid them in a hard to reach vent, hoping they won't have the same fate Blight experienced.

Years later, Blight and Rakta have gotten antsy about being babied, ready to go out on their own.. Phryke didn't expect to be hit with empty nest syndrome, since he always disliked children. He didn't realised he enjoyed this weird parenthood of licking cookie dough off Blight, wrestling an Ignis out of Rakta's inquisitive hands. Mostly keeping them out of trouble.. It made him wonder what it would have been like, coming into the world the way his spawn did. And it made him wonder.. where was his third spawn...? Did they survive...?

...

I would continue but not being able to share more drawings makes me so sad 😭 So I've reached the end of my rope with writing this all out, my boyfriend said I might even end up finding the word limit on a tumblr post!

There are a few more OC's.. most lack names (I tend to name my OC's after the cosmetics they don, because most of them have such nice names) There is also a current warframe concept I'm working on but development is mostly kept private for now.

[bh-writingdump]

Change of Revenue

Oakland, Chapter 2 Part 1

Far from your grumpy roommates, you nestle yourself in a cubicle off to the side in the library you reserved. A tiny sound proof room big enough to sit in with a small office chair but if you lean back too far, risk hitting the door. Some call it claustrophobic.

You call it home.

Your own room doesn’t even have a deadbolt. The Man Behind the Desk is the sort who couldn’t care less if you shot up, smoked, fucked or recorded porn. All he cared about were 3 things.

Accurate check-ins/-outs

Cleaning up

If you can’t, then fess up immediately.

It’s surprising this place hadn’t got shut down. No cameras inside. No accountability.

Yet, you’d never come into a cubicle that had more than a few eraser bits.

Rumor has it the addicts give the Man Behind the Desk a heads up. The only rooms you’d ever smelt a hint of smoke have a massive fume hood and an on switch. Honestly, with how much it takes up, you find yourself avoiding that one, you had your limits but it’d been a few years since anyone OD-ed since the library got the cubicles so you couldn’t be too miffed at the loss of the 4 at the end of the hall.

You wish you were smoking a joint today. It’s hot enough that you could use the edge off. Unfortunately, the bastard college calls for its sacrifice and you needed learn the cursed material.

With a borrowed library laptop, you boot up the decade old keester. Your rations recently included new pencils. Those of which you immediately chewed up into “shadows of their former selves” as your tutor would say.

It’s strange thinking of a time when you’d have to pay for college classes. Most of the entry level ones you got through the local community college. A bare bones school that helps you take out the basic general credits. It gets you up to speed to college level courses prior to taking them at out-of-town schools. Then you get help transitioning into online classes if you plan on sticking in Oakland.

Nobody’s sure how tens of thousands of dollars get missed but sure as hell the people of Oakland don’t mind. Without the little clerical error, you wouldn’t have a chance in hell getting any higher education.

It’s when you hear a knock at the door, so lost in thought, you scream at the sight of your tutor deadpan staring at you through the narrow window in the door.

In cyan magic, ey writes in near perfect calligraphy, “I wrote an email.” Like that explained why ey was here and not on the computer screen.

Ey rolls eir eyes, walking off. It’s surreal seeing em standing there. Sure, you’d seen em the one time but that had to be months ago at least. In school months, it felt like decades passed. Even while on the lap top, there’d be days that it was just eir voice. Ey became a legless, shapeless, certainly not the type to pair a sharp blood red blazer over black dress that flowed like water off a fish’s back.

It's then you realized you gaze dropped all the way down to eir feet. When you come up, you could’ve sworn eir cheeks became flush with that cyan magic but it passes so quickly you’re not sure if you imagined it.

Ey wordlessly turns on the heel of eir combat books, marching like few would through a silent library.

“Keep it down, twinkle toes.” The Man Behind the Desk hollers, only to be shushed by a horde of prairie dog monster librarians.

“What? We don’t need no stompers.”

A pen and paper sign in sheet hangs above the door. Marked for this timeslot, the note makes you smile. “6’2” Student and tutor… you know you can call me my moniker. I wouldn’t be offended.”

The door closes behind the tutor.

You peak in. You’d never taken one of the reserved rooms. If the coffee shops closed, people flock to the meeting rooms with their superb AC units. It’s said that you can crank them down below freezing until a certain someone tried to make a mini-ice rink.

Though, you can’t get over the reservation note. Something about it didn’t add up. Was it the way ey phrased it?

“Was there… a specific assignment?”

You realize you were staring off into space again. “Yeah the..”

Then it hits you like a thunderbolt.

“How do you know how tall I am?”

The mathematician smirks. “Do you remember the stroll we took several months ago?”

So that’s what we’re calling it?

“Sure.”

“Remember how we went through the forest? You nearly poked your eye out with a branch.”

“I did?” You raise a brow.

Ey nods sagely. Ey definitely remembered more than you did. Most days come up with spark notes for you and a few images. Unless particularly remarkable you usually forget things like that.

“… that’s how you found out?”

“’I measured the stick from prong to base, then I measured its base to the point where you had to be standing. Honestly, I thought you’d be taller.”

Your jaw drops open.

Did ey… go back and measure dirt and sticks just to get your height? Why?

“Damn.”

“I’m not stalking you.”

The indignance in eir expression to the haughty glare as if ey expected you to fight em for something so benign nearly makes you laugh. Instead, you gasp, “Who knew all this math was good for something.”

Ey coincidently took that about as well as you thought. “Of course it does! What you’re currently learning even more so! Let’s say you wanted to calculate the length of a fence but you were only given here-here-here and—”

“I believe you, I believe you.” You wave a white piece of paper like a flag with a lowercase-i on it. “I give, oh wait look at that… Is that an imaginary number.”

Your tutor huffs, dropping back in eir chair. “I’m glad that sunk in. Do you recall how to calculate a polynomial with a x-intercept that’s an imaginary number?”

You can imagine the color draining from your face. “uh… magic?” Sparks of indigo rise form your thumbs.

It’s then that ey unloads an assortment of Tupperwears.

The stupid grin is impossible to wipe from your dumb mug. “I like your collection. Who’s your supplier?”

The little mathematician’s brow twitches like a Giger counter reacting to radiation. “An anonymous donor.” Eir usual patten sneer weakens by the presence of a certain Tupperwear wrapped in a paper bag. “You know everyone in this town, yes?”

“Yeah?” You chuckle.

“Do you know whom would bombard me this provocative container?” you unwrap it, already knowing what’s inside but then it strikes you. “You don’t know who it is?”

“No! Of course not, they run away before I can catch a glimpse of them.”

“You barely open your door.” You mutter.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” You sit up a little straighter. You didn’t remember giving em that Tupperwear in particular. You were certain when you’d drunkenly put together that cake that you’d grabbed a flower Tupperwear. Instead, you grabbed the one you most definitely shouldn’t give to a tutor. It’d been a day you had to rush over. How you managed to deliver it without recognizing it’s phallic shape, you will never know.

“Nope. Don’t know anybody who’d deliver that intentionally.”

Ey shakes eir head. “If I find them, I’ll..” Ey clenches eir fists and you suddenly feel like the heat spiked in the usually freeing room, ey listlessly gestures, “who’s to say what I might do but I’d hate to get my hands dirty.”

Damn, definitely ding-dong ditching from now on.

“Speaking of tight situations, any chance we can speed this one up? My mechanic is almost done, I don’t like to leave them waiting.”

“We’ll finish when we finish, unless you’d like to finish another day?”

You wild, welp, it was worth a shot. You pull out few worksheets from class.

Distantly, someone cries out. You tense a moment, only for a crowd of blue polos to swarm the location of the commotion of books flying. You relax back into your chair. Since every able-bodied person started taking shifts at with the de-escalation force, it made little fusses at the library a thing of the past.

Almost anyone could sign up force the class and take a shift. Usually, it was the same mid-age folk who did it. They’d probably be escorting he person to the side to cool down with some water and snacks.

“I wasn’t aware the library had a prison.”

“A what?” You watch a lady who works at the local diner get escorted to the backroom. Her hair covered in something orange. Part way they pause as she pounds on a polo shirt’s arm who was escorting her.  “Have you ever been here? They’re helping her.”

“Does she look helped?”

You look back. The polo shirt sits beside the woman, talking to her as she sobs. The other polos disperse while the two of them chat on the floor.

“Umm yeah?”

Ey stares like it doesn’t quite add up. “This… this is what they do?”

The woman pants into a paper bag, gripping the polo’s arm in a death grip.

“Not always. Sometimes it’s just listening. This is a little more dramatic than it usually is.” You return back to looking over the worksheet.

“’And they won’t expel them from the premises?”

“Course not. Polos just wanna make sure their alright. I think that’s.. Pop.. she’ll probably stay an hour more. You don’t know a true carnivore until you see what Pop can do to a mystery novel.” You think back to the array of book recommendations she’d had given you when you gave the vague impression that you might read a mystery novel if given the right one. “Woman can devore 3 of them a week from what I’ve heard.”

Ey nods but the further in the session the two got, the more ey kept looking to where the Pop sat. “Think of zeros like x + h = 0.” Ey murmurs, not even looking at the page as ey points. 

“No comprendo, por favor.”

Ey writes it, this time as an example. Ooooh, so it is an x-intercept. That’s so fucking weird you relax your grip on the table. Where your hands once were, little finger shaped grooves are stamped into the table.

“Shit, Man Behind the Desk is gonna get a kick out of this.” You sigh. Then he’ll probably ask you to be on the basketball team again. How many times do you have a tell someone that no matter how tall you are, your depth perception will counteract that?

Part way through the problem, eir handwriting gets far more scribbly and ey no longer explains as ey goes.

“Uh.. why’s the four there again?”

Eir gestures at the line previous toward an eight and a 1/2 .

“What? It’s addition? Multiplication.”

Eir nods.

The two of you keep working through it. Sometimes when the little mathematician is in the zone ey isn’t the biggest talker. You fall into a comfortable rhythm, asking questions as ey does problems.

When it’s finally your turn, your hand comes away from the table this time with no dents.

Thank fuck for small miracles.

You set to work. Your pen dancing across the page as somehow all the practice comes together.

There’s a knock at the door.

.

[Oakland Ch2, pg1] cont -->

[bitchfitch]

Marnie and John are on my mind right now, mostly just because I'm chewing on how funny their sorta tangential relationship to the mers is.

Like, They both meet this intern within a few minutes of each other and this intern is like Weirdly good at hearing the nuance in an alien language that's basically just whale song and and can translate it with an excessive degree of accuracy no one else has been able to. It's not even his first day, they haven't actually gotten to the research station yet.

One of the fuck off giant alien mermaids takes a liking to him and begins following the ship around. It's fun to tease him about the mermaid having a crush on him Right up until it exceedingly obvious the giant alien mermaid Does Actually have a crush on him and isnt going to play nice if he doesn't come hang out with him. and it's a Touchy situation because on one hand. They don't know the level of sapience these fish are working with. They suspect something that's at least near to human level? but they can't confirm that. On the other a small whale regularly ramming your vessel and threatening to sink smaller collection boats (which double as the lifeboats, they're Very important) is Bad. And it's unclear what is the Ethical thing to do in that situation because he is posing an immediate threat but he might also be a person so like. What Are You Going To Do besides just put the intern he's sweet on in harm's way to keep the big fucker entertained and helping out.

And then they get to the island the research station is on and everyone thinks the mermaid will get bored and leave eventually. but he doesn't. one of the beaches is just his beach now. He's Extremely aggressive and breaks shit if he doesn't get visits from the intern. and like. it's the closest look basically anyone has managed to get at one of these things and he's tolerant enough of the intern to let him take cheek swabs and draw blood and take vitals and such. So like. Again pros and cons. Furthering the understanding of this actual alien? good. Potentially letting an alien eat the intern? bad.

The mermaid goes so far as to start teaching the intern bits and pieces of its language bc the whale song sounding stuff is more akin to yodeling in its purpose than an actual spoken tongue. it's for shouting and being heard from far away. So Again. This is something that Probably on par with a human but itll do tricks for frozen grapes and will with no hesitation act like a beast because he Genuinely has no interest in being friendly to anyone Besides the intern. And they still haven't figured out what about the fucking intern is so enthralling to him

Anyways. The season ends and the researchers are leaving to go back to earth to wait out the hurricanes that ravage that hemisphere throughout it's equivalent of spring and summer. and it's heartbreaking watching this massive asshole who's been a thorn in their sides since they got here mope along beside the ship on the way back to the portal.

They all go home and there's still so many damned questions. The intern is now full time translating recordings and explaining the language but there's so many elements that most people Physically can't hear. They're too high pitched. and adjusting the pitch to make them audible screws up the Rest of the recording because of how it flattens everything out and makes it impossible to tell certain elements apart. and the Details Matter. So this intern is Still the only person capable of hearing everything and being able to make heads or tails of it even After they figured out that sub 25yos can usually hear the higher tones bc of how the ear works it's just impossible to parse them if you aren't already Used to parsing them.

Anyways. Fall rolls around and everyone is back out on the boat to return to the alien water world. That winter goes about the same as the last but the intern is Acting weird and cagey now. He and the mermaid keep disappearing for hours at a time and then for whole days. It's not like. Hard to guess what they're getting up to. The intern is getting to see things no other human has and is probably meeting way more mers and learning a lot more about the culture than he's letting on. and tensionsbare starting to run a little high. he's withdrawing a lot more and the translations are getting inconsistent. He's intentionally omitting things and mistranslating entire recordings. He stops trying to get the mermaid to be friendly.

spring is here and the storms are brewing. it's time to go home again. The intern is acting business as usual, for the most part. he's cold and quiet and shaking a lot. Everyone just assumes he's going to miss whatever he's found here. The mermaid follows the ship to the portal again he's agitated and staying back.

The portals take a Massive amount of energy. their batteries are the size of small buildings and require entire nuclear generators to be entirely devoted to them. Once a portal is open it can only remain open for a few minutes and it will not be openable again for months. That's just the reality of the situation.

The portal is opened. They cross through. The intern isnt aboard when they dock. Security cam footage caught the moment he jumped over board but there wasn't a clear enough view of the water to know if he sank swam or got caught.

The waterworld is not suitable for humans. there's not a single drop of fresh water anywhere on the planet. They might never know what happened to him.

Spring turns to summer the summer to fall. It's time to board again.

The mermaid doesn't follow them. there's not even a sighting of him. The intern was liked. He was sweet natured and always eager to help. Curious and charming in an awkward way and the sort of person who older researchers looked at and just knew he had a future brighter than most would ever dream to have.

Everyone was hoping he'd be at the station. That the mermaid would be on his beach. He wasnt.

The door's lock was bashed open. security cam footage showed the intern visiting the station a few times in the spring. Stealing this or that and on a pair of occasions doing something with the computers but destroying the logging files before he shut them off again to prevent anyone from being able to know what exactly it was he did. Everything was backed up many times over so they know he didn't add or destroy anything. Just looked.

He was never seen on any of the ocean cameras but the mermaid was. usually traveling with another of his kind who had only started to be spotted last winter. but never was he seen with the intern

They comb through all the security footage. It's been months since there was last any sign of him. They assume the mermaid finally got bored. Someone jokes that they don't know if they hope he ate the intern nice and quick or if he died from exposure or drowning without knowing that kind of betrayal. no one laughed.

Research continues. everyone is a lot more wary of the mermaids and the mermaids seem more aware of the cameras and microphones. avoiding them and quieting anytime they were near enough to one they might be heard.

It's the day before the portal is going to be opened again.

The mermaid beaches himself, alongside another. More are circling out in the water. It's largest number of mermaids in one place anyone had seen before. There's a lot of uncertainty and fear. Until someone spots him. The intern is on the beach. his hair is a tangled mess and his wet suit has seen many better days. but he's there. full faced, rosy cheeked, a few shades darker from spending so much time in the sun. He looks worried, but fine. Healthy and alive.

He waits with the mermaids until Marnie is sick and tired of the higher ups bickering about what to do. She stomps out to demand to know what's going on, John following close behind because fuck man, that's his Friend he thought was Dead.

The intern hugs them both. he smells exactly like you'd expect a man whos spent a year in the ocean would.

He tells them everything he kept hidden. The mermaids are people. They don't want their home invaded, they don't want their waters made into a laboratory or filled with pollution and rot. They're far more advanced than they had been letting on. They will fight if they must, but they don't want to. Peace is an option.

The humans needed a pair of portals powered by top of the nuclear reactors. The mermaids didn't. they weren't going to be sharing that secret yet.

They did share one though. The mystery mermaid, not the one who'd been spotted over the last year, a different one who'd been seen many times for at least a decade. He introduces himself. in full English sentences, mangled as they were by an inhuman tongue. As does the big one who'd started this all. He could understand English just fine too. He just didn't like talking. Especially not to people he wasn't particularly fond of. Especially not when it was much funnier to play dumb.

The new mermaid gets a chuckle out of that and moves on to the actual important topic at hand. the mermaids have chosen the intern as their ambassador. They want peace. They want more than that. Their home is vast, they can share some if humans share with them as well.

The intern says he's already spoken with some people on the other side of the portal, but needed help proving that really was him. So he gives them each a word to carry home for him. Promises to see them again. and then says good bye. He leaves with the mermaids, carried away by the big fucker who was never very nice but now they all knew had been just fucking with them that entire time.

It's a bittersweet but hopeful goodbye

The absolute last thing the two of them ever expected to see when they got back to earth that next day was the intern and a tall, broad shouldered, mute stranger with a familiar glint in his eye.

John asks him if he'll still do tricks for grapes and gets shoved into the water for it.

[lynnaudioartistry]

Exploring Soundscapes: The Inception of my Creative Sound Venture

In the beginning, my idea for the sound project was that I wanted to make a space that is rarely heard in real life, but is real. So that when people hear it, they want to explore and experience something they have never experienced before. The first thing that came to mind was deep diving. I went deep diving for the first time in my life last summer, and what stood out to me the most when I went under the sea was the "sound". The underwater world was so quiet that I could only hear my shallow breathing and the sound of bubbles rising above my head. On the other hand, the sound of the tiny currents brought by the fishes was very clear. I was pleasantly surprised by the silence that instantly isolated me from the real world. Therefore, I thought of making an underwater space to simulate the sounds of deep diving. During the dive, we may experience the thrilling experience of touching reefs, encountering schools of fish and being chased by sharks, before returning to the world at sea level. I wanted my project to be realistic and adventurous. I collected a lot of dive videos before I started working on this project. I found that since they were generally recorded with external cameras, they were not a very good representation of the underwater world as the human ear hears it. I seemed to be stuck with creating this space from the sounds I remembered. I planned to record some real sounds of the sea and add to create some subtle sounds. Once I was fully prepared, I went to the beach and recorded the sounds I wanted. I happened to be lying on my friend's tummy playing with my mobile phone that night after I returned, when I suddenly heard the sound of digestion in my tummy which was very similar to the sound of bubbling sea water that I had recorded today. So I suddenly had a bold idea, what if I made a food tummy trip?

[wickedsrest-rp]

NAME: Ahuizotl

RARITY: ★★★☆☆

THREAT LEVEL: ★★★☆☆ | Some draw people in to eat. Not especially aggressive and no supernatural abilities beyond imitating sounds. Can be handled by physically capable laypeople.

HABITAT: Rivers and lakes though they can also be spotted in streams. It seems they almost exclusively hang around bodies of water that don’t see a lot of foot traffic.

DESCRIPTION: Most people who see an ahuizotl first assume it’s a dog, otter, or monkey; it looks like some cross between the three. However, it can easily be distinguished by the hand on the end of its tail, which it uses to pull its victims into the lake or river it resides in. They are able to come out of the water but typically stay close to their home. They have an appetite for humans and are always keeping an eye out for those fishing or otherwise distracted. An ahuizotl sometimes attracts its victims attention first by imitating the cry of a baby, and when the unlucky human draws close to the water’s edge, it grabs them and pulls them asunder. Several days later, the victim’s drowned corpse usually surfaces, missing its eyes, teeth, and nails.

ABILITIES: Beyond their special prehensile gripping tail, ahuizotl don’t have much in the way of supernatural abilities. They’re good at imitating sounds, which they take advantage of to collect their prey, and can remain underwater for long periods of time between breaths. The longest recorded dive for an ahuizotl was 28 minutes. Ahuizotl are clever as far as beasts go and their cunning allows them to make good use of their imitation abilities and physical strength.

WEAKNESS: Ahuizotl can be killed by normal means– if you can catch it. Blood loss, decapitation, and a bullet to the heart are popular choices. They also get really confused if you imitate their imitated sounds back at them, and can be scared off in such a manner. Most people don’t know that, though.

OTHER VARIANTS:

Water monkey (Shui houzi): Discovered in China, these smaller variants of ahuizotl resemble small monkey otters, but have only a stump where you’d expect to see a hand tail. Rather than pull people in with an appendage, water monkeys leap upon peoples’ legs, clinging to them and using their disproportionate strength to drag them into the water. They reek of wet fur and can be smelled before seen. Someone who has a water monkey on their legs should remove their pants.

Ball-tailed cat: First described by American lumberjacks, the ball-tailed cat was initially mistaken for a puma. However, its features more closely resemble those of a gigantic weasel, like an otter or fisher. These distant cousins to the ahuizotl range through mountains and deep woods, uninterested in bodies of water. They’re skilled tree climbers and will wait on tall branches or atop rocky ledges for someone to come within striking distance. They have a disproportionately long tail, and the very end of it is rounded into a large, bulbous mass, which it uses to attack people. There seems to be a silver-coated variety as well, which has a mace-like tail covered in spikes.

Arbodex: With gnarled coats, these ocelot-like ahuizotl perch on the branches of tall trees. Most of the time their victims don’t even see them. The arbodex waits for someone to walk underneath the tree, then swings its hand-like tail down, grabbing its prey. Despite barely being larger than a house cat, they have an incredibly strong grip and are able to pull even an adult human up into the tree with them. The length of their tails vary, growing longer with age, and the oldest arbodex will be found in the tallest of trees.

Tentacotl: These oceanic ahuizotls resemble sea lions, including their mouth full of sharp teeth. Those who get a closer look will notice they have longer muzzles, lankier limbs, and a rusty coat that looks perpetually bloodstained. Tentacotl swim along the coastline, looking for swimmers or even just those walking along docks. When they see someone or something they want to eat, they extend their long tentacle-like tail out of the water and use it to wrap around their prey, quickly dragging them under the waves.

[mikeo56]

The coral reef is currently experiencing its worst mass bleaching event on record — warming waters brought on by climate change are to blame.

Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is fundamentally changing because of repeated bleaching from high ocean temperatures brought on by climate change, according to marine biologists.

“It's not a question of reefs dying or reefs disappearing, it's reef ecosystems transforming into a new configuration,” says marine biologist Terry Hughes, from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.

“Species like fish and crustaceans and so on — the iconic biodiversity of reefs — all depend on the structure and three dimensionality the habitat provided by corals,” Hughes says. “When you lose a lot of corals, it affects everything that's dependent on corals.”

Corals ‘bleach’ when stressed, expelling their colourful resident zooxanthellae. According to a report released on 17 April by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority – the Australian government’s reef management agency — the World Heritage-listed reef is experiencing its worst mass bleaching event on record. The Reef Snapshot said three-quarters of the entire reef is showing signs of bleaching and nearly 40 percent is showing high or extreme bleaching.

The report is based on aerial surveys of 1,080 of the Great Barrier Reef’s estimated 3,000 individual reefs, and in-water surveys of a smaller number of reefs.

It showed that while bleaching was observed along the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, it was most severe in the central and southern regions.

“We've never seen this level of heat stress across all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef,” says Brisbane-based marine biologist Lissa Schindler, from the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

This is the fifth mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef in eight years. Hughes warns that climate change-driven increases in ocean temperatures are making it more difficult for the Reef’s corals to recover between bleaching events. “In the last six years, we've settled into bleaching every other year – in 2020, 2022, and now 2024 – and that's simply not enough time for a proper recovery,” he says.

Global phenomenon

The Snapshot was one of a series of reports released this week on coral bleaching that also sounded alarm bells for reefs. The Australian Institute of Marine Science announced on 18 April that the Great Barrier Reef experienced water temperatures in parts of the southern reef at 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than historical summer peaks.

Meanwhile on 15 April the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the fourth global coral bleaching event on record, and the second in the past decade. The declaration acknowledges that the warmth of the southern hemisphere summer mirrored coral bleaching events seen in the northern hemisphere summer last year.

It comes as global sea surface temperatures again broke records in 2023, associated with a strong El Niño weather pattern, recording an annual average temperature around 0.3 degrees Celsius higher in the second half of 2023 compared with 2022.

“There have been very high temperatures driven by climate change all across the world, and there has been coral bleaching in many other countries,” says environmental scientist Roger Beeden, chief scientist for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville.

Hughes says the warming climate is pushing reefs to have less coral, and the mix of coral species is changing. For example, the branching and table-shaped corals are often the fastest to recover from a bleaching event because they are fast-growing, Hughes says. However they’re also very prone to bleaching and have higher levels of mortality during bleaching events.

“It's a bit analogous to a fire on land through a forest, that favours a bounce-back by flammable grasses before the trees can recover,” he says. “Ironically, that that bounce-back, that resilience, undermines the ability of the reef to cope with the next inevitable bleaching event.” Seaweeds also flourish when corals degrade.

Beeden says those who live and work on the Reef are observing significant changes. “There's historical photos that show inshore reefs that were laden with coral, and that’s very different now,” he says.

He says there are an estimated 450 different species of coral on the Reef, and such diversity means there is a chance the Reef will adapt to the changing conditions, even if it changes character. “What we see within species is definitely there is variability in how they respond to stress events.”

Hughes says the solution to the Great Barrier Reef’s bleaching problem is clear. “Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Full stop.”

[drogba-prospect]

Saint-Louis, Senegal - Wikipedia

Salut Akon Nigö Nasser Al-Khelaifi Freebandz,

The Saint-Louis Jazz Festival is the most important jazz festival in Africa. Jazz first became popular in the 1930s when records produced in Cuba were aired on the radio. After World War II, visiting U.S. GIs popularized jazz bands and by the 1950s local groups had adopted a "Cuban" sound. Another music festival, 1, 2, 3 musiques, exhibits various genres of music.

In 2017 Saint-Louis, Senegal have seen a large decline in harvest, causing ripple effects on nutrition and food supply in the country, where 75% of animal protein comes from fish.[12] Fisherman from the community spend twice as much time for catching smaller hauls, and are now competing with foreign fishing vessels.[13]

Rising sea levels, as well as water levels flowing out of the Senegal River now threaten the low-lying islands which make up the city. In June 2008, Alioune Badiane of the United Nations' UN-Habitat agency designated Saint-Louis as "the city most threatened by rising sea levels in the whole of Africa", citing climate change and a failed 2004 river and tidal canal project as the cause.[14] Since the coast of the community has eroded by 1–2 meters a year.[13]

Pardicé Minuit and Conservation Peninsula the Midnight Paradice Subsidiaries will be placed in Saint-Louis, Sengal. Rihanna made this WAY TOO FUCKING POLITICAL!

Salut,

Ezra Hughes

[noparg]

Beyond Blue - Review

There are not that many educative games out there, which is quite surprising though understandable due to the limitations that would have to be imposed. Through its deep ocean exploration and species discovery gameplay, Beyond Blue attempts to be one of such games even if it ultimately falls somewhat short.

Story   

Ironically for a narrative game, Beyond Blue’s story is not the best by any means.  It revolves around Mirai, an ocean scientist and diver part of an expedition tracking a pod of whales and exploring the area. Here is where the problem with the story comes though; instead of continuing with this, two other plots are introduced, one about Mirai’s family and another about some illegal miners.

By splitting the game into these three plots, all of them get unsatisfying endings without real development. Instead of being well paced stories, with each getting their own time, they feel shoehorned and rushed, especially the miner’s side story which leads nowhere.

Another issue with the pacing is due to how in between each playable section several days pass. During these skipped days things still happen, but the player is only told afterwards instead of seeing them, leaving a sense of disconnect with said events.

These problems combined make the story very weak and make it more of a side event than an important thing. It just trudges along without leaving any remaining impression after the deal is done. It doesn’t help either how the characters get very little development, staying the same all along the story.

Graphics

Beyond Blue’s graphics definitely are the best part of the game, the models and environments are well designed and polished, though not without fault. Fish of the same species look identical to one another except in the cases where the story requires it, with some that look plastic/toy-like such as the reef sharks. Environments tend to be quite empty as well, with some areas straight up being just water without any land in sight.

Sound

The sound department in Beyond Blue is a very mixed bag; while the soundtrack is good it is composed by popular songs from known artists, not music made for the game. There is only one song made especially for it which is what plays during levels on a loop. While this song is not bad it is definitely not enough. The game also includes a “streamer mode” which supposedly disables some songs for streaming, but this “some” equates to all but the one previously mentioned.

Some of the SFX are problematic to say the least as well, wildly changing the volume from one to another. Several of them also make sounds that might prompt the player to believe their sound system is broken due to the values used.

The game also is fully voiceacted, a point in its favor. The quality of the voiceacting is arguable though; while the volume, entonation, etc is correct it still is somewhat lifeless, as if the actors recorded their lines separately. This is especially evident in the multiple choice sections, where the pause makes the delivery awkward.

Gameplay

There is not much to Beyond Blue’s gameplay either, it plays as a diving sim of sorts where the player goes around scanning different animals.  It doesn’t get much deeper than this, the player goes to several buoys where animals or objects required to progress the story are found by sound; which then they must proceed to find and scan.

Along the way other animals can be scanned, unlocking information about them which can later be read in the menu. By scanning more of an animal more information is unlocked up to a limit. Some of these animals appear in several areas, requiring the player to be attentive to scan all of them.

After these scanning sections the player always comes back to the submarine, where they can look at several items and menus. In said submarine the main feature is the seat at the helm, where Mirai calls her coworkers and sister to talk. These conversations all progress the story and are required to advance, once they’re done the player can dive again.

There are also several things to do in the submarine, such as looking at a few non-interactive items and using the menus. Said menus include the music player (which as previously mentioned is useless in streamer mode), an animal catalog with the data of those scanned and a short documentary menu.

These short documentaries are unlocked as the story progresses and are bite sized looks into the life of a researcher. They are interesting and well produced, with the total duration for all combined being around 30 minutes.

Once the story has been beat the player unlocks a free roam mode, but still divided per are without an open world. This doesn’t really change much besides offering the option to revisit old levels in any order.

Conclusion

Beyond Blue is not a bad game, it is interesting and informative enough, but it doesn’t really offer much freedom. The gameplay itself is also simplistic without much development; it is more of the kind of game someone would play to relax rather than for the gameplay. Overall, Beyond Blue is recommendable for those who go in knowing what to expect, a pretty but overall weak game which offers a relaxing and educative experience.

Personal Opinion

“I had some trouble playing Beyond Blue; due to the type of game it is I kept dozing off and getting sleepy. This isn’t against the game though, it was just really calming. When you go into a game and spend most of the time swimming around with peaceful music you are going to feel relaxed, in my case it just was a bit too relaxing. The lack of a better soundtrack is a shame though, the song selection is okay, but I expected more music made for the game and less made by unrelated bands. While I wouldn’t say Beyond Blue was my kind of game, I wouldn’t dismiss it for someone else; it is entertaining enough.”

[ib2se]

🎶 B:sides ~ Hall of Sand

💿 All Albums from Chant Records 💿

1. [5:37]

MoGoToYoYo (Yasuhiro Yoshigaki, Keigo Iwami, Ryuichi Yoshida, Motoharu, Rabbit Arimoto) – introducing of Theme for MoGoToYoYo Performed by: Yasuhiro Yoshigaki ds,perc,vo Keigo Iwami b,vo Ryuichi Yoshida bs,perc,vo Motoharu sax,perc,vo Rabbit Arimoto tp,perc,vo Composed by Keigo Iwami Arranged by MoGoToYoYo Produced by Yasuhiro Yoshigaki Engineered by Watanabe and Keigo Iwami Recorded live at Shinjuku Pit Inn

2. [4:18]

Fire_Arms (James Dellatacoma) – Hall of Sand Performed by James Dellatacoma Composed by James Dellatacoma Arranged by James Dellatacoma Produced by James Dellatacoma Engineered by James Dellatacoma Recorded at Orange Music Sound Studio

3. [3:36]

Freakdom (David Konopnicki, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Kenny Grohowski) – Konop’s Vamp Performed by: David Konopnicki – Fretless Guitar Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz – Double Bass Kenny Grohowski – Drums Composed by Konopnicki, Grohowski, Blumenkranz Arranged by FREAKDOM Produced by Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz Engineered by Marc Urselli Mixed by David Konopnicki Recorded at East Side Sound – New York Mixed at 4A Sound Factory – Forges-les-Eaux – France This track is a piece of a “one day album session” at East Side Sound

4. [4:11]

Grextet (Gregor Frei) – Instant composing # 4 Performed by Gregor Frei – soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, piano, drums Composed by Gregor Frei Arranged by Gregor Frei Produced by Gregor Frei Engineered by Gregor Frei Recorded at downstairs One hour of inspiration

5. [6:49]

Guy Barash – Quintet No. 1 “Flowers Between the Fingers” Performed by: Thomas Piercy, conductor Ryuta Iwase, bass clarinet Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, shakuhachi Makoto Aruga, vibraphone Go Mochizuki, mandolin Sansuzu Tsuruzawa, bass shamisen Composed by Guy Barash Produced by Guy Barash and Thomas Piercy Recorded by Atsushi Yoshinaka Recorded live at Ohmi Gakudo concert hall, Tokyo Opera City Unlike traditional piano or string quintets, Quintet is a work for mixed ensemble of Japanese and Western instruments. It was inspired by the poetry of Chika Sagawa. Unlike most female Japanese poets of her time, she wove Western influences into her work, used free verse to explore her interiority rather than relying on traditional forms, and expressed an individual relationship with nature. On a personal level, I relate to her condition: fragile physically, standing up alone, trying to make sense of the universe. And aesthetically we converge: deep pain and radiant beauty resonate throughout her work, often triggered in the same moment. Chika Sagawa died before her twenty-fifth birthday. I dedicate my piece to her.

6. [2:39]

Hiromichi Sakamoto – Ophelia In Ashes Performed by SAKAMOTO Hiromichi Composed by SAKAMOTO Hiromichi Arranged by SAKAMOTO Hiromichi Produced by SAKAMOTO Hiromichi Engineered by SAKAMOTO Hiromichi Recorded at my home studio in Yokohama Japan

7. [4:13]

Erik Friedlander – SHIVER Performed by: Brad Shepik, guitar Matt Darriau, winds Lucia Pulido, voice Satoshi Takeishi, percussion Stomu Takeishi, elec bass Erik Friedlander, celli Composed by Erik Friedlander Arranged by Erik Friedlander Produced by Erik Friedlander Engineered by Erik Friedlander Recorded at ArconomX Studios

8. [3:05]

Ian Clark Smith – Succulents Performed by Ian Clark Smith

9. [7:06]

Jessica Lurie Ensemble – A Tiger For William Kentridge Performed by: Jessica Lurie – alto saxophone Naomi Siegel – trombone Brian Marsalla – piano Mike Gamble – electric guitar Todd Sickafoose – acoustic bass Allison Miller – drums Composed by Jessica Lurie Arranged by Jessica Lurie Produced by Jessica Lurie & Todd Sickafoose Engineered by Billy Barnett Recorded at Gung Ho Studios, Eugene, OR Mixed by Todd Sickafoose

10. [4:59]

John Lee’s Chu Bubaloo – Fish Out Of Water Performed by John Lee – electric and acoustic guitars TJ Turqman – electric bass Graham Doby – drums and piano Matt Rippetoe – tenor saxophone Composed by John Lee Arranged by John Lee Produced by John Lee Engineered by Adrian Olsen Recorded at Montrose Recording – Richmond VA Mastered by Steven Wright – Wright Way Studios Baltimore Md

11. [8:06]

Kaiser Musso / Echoes For Sonny – Promises Kept Performed by Henry Kaiser, Robert Musso, Nick Didkovsky, Jesse Krakow, Weasel Walter Composed by Sonny Sharrock, Robert Musso, Henry Kaiser Arranged by Musso, Kaiser Produced by Robert Musso Engineered by Robert Musso Recorded at OMSS on 2/9/2015 Copyright MussoMusic.com 2015, MuWorks Publishing 2015, Additional Recording by James Dellatacoma

Veckans BibelVers: “Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.” ~ Luke 22:35🎧

Drink Espresso - God bless U! /MrZ :)

www.ib2.se Soli Deo Gloria

[guletbroker22]

Gulet Cruises - Romantic and affordable

Gulet Broker is a successful and fast-growing company for the gulet charter and brokerage sectors in Turkey. Apart from private gulet charter services, it also possible to organize cabin rentals tailored to the customer’s style and taste. With their experienced and professional team, they provide high-level and quality service with a yatch portfolio that is suitable for every budget and expectation.

A gulet cruise is a very romantic way to celebrate a marriage or anniversary and is affordable. Gulet boats are smaller than your cruise ship, so you won't have many people sailing with you. There are usually only three crew members on board. You can even plan your itinerary depending on the cruise you book. Gulet type boats can be sail or motor operated and have three to twelve rooms. Depending on the gulet charter, you can find master, double and twin cabins. During your gulet cruise, you will have many things to do on the boat, off the boat and in the water. A professional chef will cook for you using local produce and fresh fish, accompanied by local wines. Soda and fruit juices will also be served to those who prefer it.

All of this may sound expensive, but there are gulet holidays to suit everyone's budget. For a more expensive cruise, you charter a private gulet with a specific itinerary or your own design. While this type of gulet charter will be more expensive in July and August, it will be slightly cheaper in April, May and October. The most suitable cruise will be the cruise that you will share with other passengers during the months mentioned above. It may also be cheaper if you choose one of the routes offered by the company.

Most gulet cruises are booked for at least one week, but you can plan for two or more weeks. Most gulet tours depart on Saturdays, but if you need to board the gulet on another day, you may have to pay an extra fee. In order to get the dates you need, you should book your gulet holiday 5-6 months in advance.

While traveling on a gulet, there are many captains who prefer to use sails instead of motors to offer you a comfortable cruise. The gulet will normally only sail for two to three hours each day, so you will have plenty of time for sunbathing, enjoying the water around the gulet, swimming, diving and other water sports. You will also take excursions to local villages for sightseeing, shopping, visiting local historical sites and tasting local cuisine. Some even organize night cruises from gulets to villages.

You can visit your local travel agency to learn more about a gulet holiday. Make sure to bring your camera to record all the memories you have made during your gulet cruise.

This article was written by Avisha Jain, a travel lover. She has traveled to many places in Europe and Asia and loves to write about different travel destinations and attractions. She recently vacationed in Croatia where she bought a Gulet Broker from Majstor Charter, a well-known Gulet Broker company that offers you many tours and package options. More information can be found on their website https://www.guletbroker.com.

[cherycarchronicles]

Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Executive Review

The dust has settled on Chery’s monumental return to South Africa, but that hasn’t stopped the growing Chinese brand from expanding its portfolio with more SUVs for our market. Set to slot in between its two existing models, the latest Chery Tiggo 7 Pro comes with all of the bells and whistles that are now expected from the automaker in the hotly contested compact crossover segment. We spent the day with the newcomer in Gauteng to get to grips with the Chinese marque’s latest offering.

The affordable SUV segment grows by the month, we sound like broken records repeating this tune but manufacturers know the value of this lucrative market that South Africans have taken to like a fish to water. Fortunately, in the compact crossover SUV segment there aren’t many bad products, if any at all but contentiously, the growing segment is host to attractive vehicles which at the same time can lack true authenticity in terms of styling. There seems to be a safe recipe with an exterior aesthetic that most automotive designers adhere to, don’t take anything away from a modern and elegant design but there are cues that mimic Chery’s chief rival; Haval and their H6.

As with the Phil Simmons penned H6, the latest Tiggo 7 Pro looks to get a sizable chunk of the proverbial compact crossover SUV pie since it is a competitive and well-equipped offering. Powering the sub-1,5-ton vehicle is the same 1,5-litre turbocharged in-line-four petrol motor found in the Tiggo 4 Pro. The 108 kW and 210 N.m mill are coupled to a CVT which delivers power solely to the front wheels, unlike its fellow Chinese counterpart which has four-wheel drive optionality. This is also the same motor that boasts impressive after-sales support, but more on that later. 

Its performance is commendable when lugging the unladen weight around, with sufficient grunt available for highway overtakes while retaining ample comfort with the continually shifting cogs in the CVT of little notice to the occupants within. Foot-flat scenarios may warrant that the mill gets a little bit noisy but for the most part, it is quiet and comfortable with the momentum from the power being delivered in a linear and constant manner. The plush and softly sprung suspension instils the same level of refinement, particularly over some poorly maintained Tshwane side roads. It also provided great comfort when traversing over rippled sand roads en route to the lunch destination for the day, with deeper crevices expectedly being the only real noticeable aspect of the journey. 

The straight and flat highveld roads leading to the destination didn’t provide many opportunities to experience the latest Tiggo 7 Pro’s cornering capabilities but we found solace in the cruise control system and driving assist which simplify long, open road travels. The tech-filled Executive model which we tested boasts a shopping list of features which includes blind spot detection, lane departure warning, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking to name a few. That being said, there were a few niggles that are yet to be sorted which include the overly-enthusiastic hazard lights coming alive at every braking instance, even in scenarios of gentle deceleration. The few scenarios of low-speed cornering did present a considerable amount of body roll and weight transfer for a vehicle of this stature but nothing alarmingly uncontrollable that isn’t already expected from models churned out in this segment. 

Onto the topic of fuel consumption; From our limited encounter during the day which was dominated by highway routes and flowing country roads, our round trip of 200 km returned an economy figure that hung around 10 L/100 km. Despite being freshly out of the box and without run-in mileage, this still makes Chery’s claimed controlled cycle of 6.8 L/100 km seem slightly unrealistic although less enthusiastic driving on a car with more than 200 km on the clock might yield a slightly lesser number. 

Jumping aboard the commodious interior and like the Haval H6, the new Tiggo 7 Pro offers a level of luxury and refinement unheard of at its price point. Familiar-looking air vents and components line the dashboard which is covered in soft-touch materials with a 7-inch digital centre information panel in front of the driver and a centrally positioned 10.25-inch LCD screen. The user experience is identical to its other siblings with clear resolution on both. A 360-degree around-view-monitor and park distance control make navigating the subcompact crossover SUV in tight spaces an easy endeavour while music or navigation can be screen mirrored, via cable, onto the screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Tiggo 7 Pro boasts a fair bit of utility too, with a boot capacity of 475 litres which retracted seats can yield as much as 1,500 litres of cargo space. 

The newcomer will entice customers with its brimmed technology features that trump other competitors but the Tiggo 7 Pro manages to pip the Haval H6 in terms of pricing and has now become one of the most affordable options in the segment. Trim levels are divided into the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Distinction which will set buyers back R409 900 while the top-spec and fully loaded Tiggo 7 Pro Executive will come in at an affordable R444 900. 

Seven colours are available to spec the Tiggo 7 Pro in, which includes: Khaki White, Silver, Vanilla Blue, Caledon Ash (grey), Blood Red, Carbon Crystal Black and two-tone Khaki White with Carbon Crystal Black roof or Blood Red with Carbon Crystal Black roof.

Chery will once again offer their 10-year/1-million-kilometre engine warranty for the solitary motor in the range. All Tiggo 7 Pros will also include a 5-year/60 000 km service plan, a 5-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assistance programme, a 5-year/150 000 km general mechanical warranty and offers a comprehensive.

Like both of its predecessors did, the latest offering from the Chinese automaker should entice consumers looking for an affordable SUV that can do the daily commutes and double up as a holiday hauler. Just keep your eye out on that fuel economy gauge when you do. 

FAST FACTS

Model: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Executive

Engine: front-mounted, turbo, 1 498cc, in-line-four

Transmission: CVT Model 25

Power: 108 kW @ 5 500 rpm

Torque: 210 N.m @ 1 750 – 4 500 rpm

Driven wheels: FWD

Fuel consumption: 6,8 L/100km (controlled conditions)

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Review compiled by https://www.carmag.co.za/car-reviews/

[bg3kagha]

Kieran Duffy isn’t your stammering, shy baby masterpost:

↣ very confident in his abilities: knows he’s capable with horses, knows he is a good fisherman. Thinks of himself as ‘a valuable asset’ worthy of a ransom. I’d lump his cockiness/how jovial he is at Six Point Cabin in with this, tbh: open body language, laughing, and ‘see, Arthur, I ain’t so bad’ (boy, they’re 👌 THIS 👌 CLOSE 👌 to killing you)

↣ to the point where he belligerently insists on running his mouth when it absolutely would be better if he would just shut the fuck up -- comparing the VDL gang to the O’Driscolls the SECOND he got let off the tree, the smell of charred pubic hairs off the tongs still hanging in the air, was perhaps the stupidest thing Kieran did in-game... he criticises the gang a few times, such as this example: ‘y’all just killing innocent folks now? You’re just like Colm O’Driscoll’.

↣ potentially quite confrontational! He tries to threaten Arthur when held in Colter, and does stand up for himself a fair bit when antagonised - or at least as much as he can given the complete lack of social and physical leverage he has in the VDL gang. With that in mind, though, it’s worth remembering that Kieran has recorded dialogue in the game files. He’ll even get involved in trying to tell Arthur to leave others alone: ‘I won’t be bullied by you!’, ‘you ain’t got no manners, leave her be!’ 

↣ plus has full combat dialogue, so like.. the man clearly is capable in a fight.

↣ has a sense of humour. He is quite happy making jokes, even if they’re slightly dorky or awkward, even if they’re not appreciated. He can make fun of Arthur’s hygiene levels - he’ll say ‘dang, Arthur, you been courtin’ a pig?’ if (I presume at least) Arthur comes to camp dirty, and he’ll mock Arthur’s hair ‘your hair is as long as a girls’ if he’s due a haircut (which, as an aside, implies that Kieran does value personal hygiene more than his bio suggests... which is... a weird inconsistency). If Arthur gets punched, Kieran will laugh at him about it. Nothing about any of this suggests that Kieran is timid.

↣ is also quite happy inviting Arthur out with him to go fishing, in spite of the fact that he’s not received much kindness from Arthur at this point. 

↣ actually, is relatively comfortable approaching people, in general. He’s happy to approach Karen and initiate a conversation with her, even after she threw a cigarette in his face. And when they talk about how he’s worried about the boys killing him, he does so with a fair degree of indignation, as opposed to being scared - he rolls his eyes and huffs and gets all indignant when Arthur tells him to watch himself. He sounds more annoyed with his lot than actively terrified.

↣ one word: plucky. He’s very socially confident, and the minute he’s not at risk of being maimed or murdered, he’s pretty perky for the most part. Notably, he’s mostly twitchy and nervous around Arthur - who regularly threatens to kill him for the slightest thing - or Bill - who held hot gelding tongs to his genitals twice, and is, y’know, Bill.

↣ he whines. Incessantly. Literally incapable of shutting the fuck up. He recognises that he’s not happy with the way he’s treated, and is vocal about it.

↣ I don’t care what Kieran says: approaching a young, unmarried woman, and telling her that she’s ‘very pretty’ IS incredibly forward. It’s hugely inappropriate. And I’m sure ganglife leads to a lot of those gendered dynamics and gendered social etiquette being functionally redundant, but still. It would be forward, now; you would still recognise it as a flirtation. It would be EXTREMELY forward in 1899, especially considering the fact that Kieran and Mary-Beth were not courting at this point. It’s pretty much the first real interaction they have had, barring the few lines spoken to each other when she gave him water. I read the fact that he tried to back off by saying that he wasn’t “being forward, or nothing” as suggesting that he was aware of the impropriety and tried to retroactively be a bit more respectful by backing down to try and clarify that he had no intentions upon her. But he was still being forward.  So... potentially he’s quite openly flirty? It’s hard to call because he has few opportunities to be, but you could totally read him that way.

Kieran can be cocky and snide and sarcastic and rude and it gives him a lot more an interesting edge, much more than the constantly stammering (which, btw, as someone with a speech impediment... some people overdo that SO much, sometimes. I know nobody means anything harmful by it, but just letting you guys know) and nervous ~softboi~ personality that is assigned to him. Kieran’s not a cute horseboy, he’s a bit of a cockroach, actually.