#log generation techniques

[virtualizationhowto]

Synology Logging: Easily View Synology NAS Logs

Synology Logging: Easily View Synology NAS Logs @vexpert #vmwarecommunities #homelab #SynologyNASLogging, #SynologyLogCenterGuide, #AccessingSystemLogs, #NASTroubleshooting, #SecureLogAccess, #SynologySupportServices, #LogGenerationTechniques

Logging is a critical aspect of monitoring and troubleshooting any device or software application. If you are running a Synology NAS in your environment, logging helps monitor activities, troubleshoot, and ensure optimal operation. Synology Logging is found throughout a Synology NAS system. Administrators can review and access logs on a Synology system for various purposes, including monitoring,…

[anakinstwinklebunny]

ANAKIN SKYWALKER HEADCANONS

Author's note: this may be.. different

Anakin Skywalker who has an incredible long-term memory but an awful short-term memory. He is the type to remember something from years ago in painstaking detail—like the exact color of your dress the first time he saw you or a specific phrase you once said that made him laugh—but completely forget why he walked into a room five seconds ago.

He’d be so frustrated with himself, too:

«I can rebuild an entire podracer from memory, but I can’t remember where I put my damn lightsaber five minutes ago!»

If you would just tease him about it, his lips would twist into a pout;

“Well, at least I remembered the anniversary of our first kiss.” (Cue him smugly crossing his arms while you roll your eyes.)

Anakin Skywalker who has a diary that he writes in with a glittery gel pen;

He’d sit cross-legged on his bed in the quarters, hunched over the journal with the sparkly pen in hand, writing furiously:

«Mission Log: Obi-Wan still doesn’t get it. He says I’m reckless, but who saved his ass again today? Oh, right, me. Also, y/n smiled at me when I said goodbye, and I’m not saying it means anything, but maybe it does. Anyway, I need a new purple pen—this one’s running out of glitter ink.»

Anakin Skywalker's diary would be filled with doodles of podracers, little hearts around your name, and the occasional rant about sand;

Humming softly, he bent over the page, scrawling your name in his bold, messy handwriting. He frowned, mumbling under his breath about his uneven letters before shrugging it off. Next to your name, he started to doodle little hearts, as if each colorful heart was the show of his affection. Pink, silver, gold—he used every glittery color he had, filling the margin with love-struck decorations.

He paused, tapping the pen against his lips thoughtfully before scribbling, «You’re my favorite everything», right under your name. The ink shimmered in the dim light, catching his eye in a way that made him grin.

He felt ridiculous, like some love-struck teenager, but he didn’t care. This was for you, even if you’d never see it. A quiet, glittery tribute to the person who made the galaxy feel a little less dark.

A soft knock startled him, and his head snapped up, his heart skipping when your voice came through the door.

“Anakin? You still awake?”

Scrambling, he slapped the diary shut and stuffed it under his pillow, cheeks burning as he tried to change his expression into something casual. “Uh, yeah! Just… meditating!”

When the door slid open and you stepped in, his breath hitched. You were in your sleepwear, hair slightly tousled, and that soft smile on your face made him melt. You tilted your head, eyes narrowing playfully.

“Meditating, huh? With glitter on your fingers?”

He looked down, cursing under his breath at the sparkling pink smudge across his thumb. “Uh… yeah, it’s a new technique.”

Anakin Skywalker who has a sketchbook, where he draws A LOT of things. Podraces, you, ships, speeders, random people on the street

Anakin Skywalker who once brought you flowers after a mission;

He trudged through the Jedi Temple’s halls, boots barely making a sound on the polished floor as he fidgets with the bouquet in his hands. Well, bouquet was a generous term. It was more of a sorry-looking cluster of flowers, their once-vibrant petals now limp and pale, some barely clinging to their stems. A petal fluttered to the ground just as he took another step, and he stopped mid-step to glare at it, like he could will it back into place.

He groaned softly, running a hand through his messy curls, smearing a streak of dirt across his cheek. This had seemed like a good idea earlier. Why does everything he does fall apart before it even gets to you? His pout deepened as he plucked out the most shriveled flower, tossing it to the side with a defeated sigh.

Finally, he reached your chambers. Standing outside the door, he took a deep breath, smoothing down his tunic with his free hand and rearranging the flowers one last time. Maybe if he held them at just the right angle, you wouldn’t notice the sorry state they were in.

The door slid open, and there you were, rubbing sleep from your eyes, your expression softening the second you saw him.

“Ani?” you murmured, stepping aside to let him in.

His voice was unusually sheepish as he held out the flowers, eyes darting everywhere but your face.

“I, uh… I picked these for you. On my mission. But, um… they didn’t exactly survive the wait.”

You looked down at the wilted bouquet in his calloused hands, a few petals already scattered on the floor at his boots.

“They’re perfect,” you said softly, reaching for the flowers.

He blinked, pout fading into something almost hopeful. “You don’t have to say that. They look terrible—”

You cut him off with a kiss, lips pressing to his tenderly, hands resting on his chest. He stiffened for half a second before melting into you, his arms wrapping around your waist, the bouquet forgotten as it dangled by his side.

“You’re such a sweetheart,” you whispered against his lips, kissing him again for good measure.

He huffed, but his cheeks were pink, his free hand gently stroking your back. “I just… wanted you to know I was thinking about you. Even while I was out there. I saw them and thought you’d like them.”

“I love them,” you assured him, cradling his face in your hands, thumbs brushing over the dirt smudges on his cheek. “And I love you for bringing them to me, even if it meant walking through the Temple like this in the middle of the night.”

Anakin Skywalker who sneaked out with you to lower levels of coruscant;

As you passed by a flower stall, the vibrant colors caught his attention. He paused, eyes scanning the rows of flowers, before reaching out and plucking two purple blooms—one light lavender, the other a deep, rich violet.

“Perfect,” he murmured to himself, flashing you a smile as he walked back to you, holding the flowers gently.

“Here,” he tucked the lighter lavender flower behind your ear. Fingers lingered on your skin just for a moment, a little touch, a little enough to make your heart skip a beat. You giggled softly, cheeks flushing.

He grinned mischievously, then slid the darker flower into the breast pocket of his jacket. "For me," voice low, teasing.

You stared at him, smile widening as the warmth spread through you. “Now, that’s a perfect match,” you whispered, giggling.

“Mm-hmm,” the grin on his face stretched even wider. You could see the mischief dancing in his eyes, the way his lips curved up as if to say, «this is my favorite moment ever»

“Got it,” you said with a laugh, pressing your hands together like you were taking a picture in the air.

Anakin's face softened for a moment, and then a gleam sparkled in his eyes. “Wait, wait,” he said, holding his hands in front of him like he was about to snap a photo, just like you did. He mimicked your pose, grinning widely “Got it,” he repeated with a smirk.

Anakin Skywalker who as a young baby used to give you flowers from Jedi temple garden;

“This is for you!” he’d chirp, holding the flower up as if it were the most precious gift in the galaxy.

You’d kneel down to his level, heart melting into a puddle at how shyly he’d avert his gaze, cheeks tinged pink. “For me? It’s beautiful, Ani.”

His smile widened, bright enough to rival with the Coruscant sun. “I thought it’d look pretty on you,” he’d mumble before stepping closer, his small fingers fumbling to tuck it behind your ear.

Affection swelled in your chest as his fingers brushed against your skin, before he’d pull back to inspect his handiwork with thoughtful expression. “There,” he’d declare softly, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Your little arms would wrap tightly around his neck, voice muffled against his shoulder. “Thank you, Ani. You’re my favorite Jedi, you know that?”

“You’re my favorite everything.”

Anakin Skywalker who would eat most of your food he'd find in your chambers

Anakin Skywalker who smells like vanilla

Anakin Skywalker who loves when you stroke his back in the morning while he's still sleepy and just nuzzling to his pillow;

Soft, golden glow of the sunrise gently filtered through the curtains in your chambers , casting a gentle illumination across the side of the room. Anakin laid sprawled across the bed, body entangled in sheets. His breathing was slow and steady, tousled curls sticking to his forehead in a mix of shadows cast by the night and the faint morning light. You, propped up on one arm, tenderly stroked his back, fingertips gliding over his skin while time to time pressing gentle kisses to his bare shoulder. The sensation stirred his body slightly, and he shifted beneath your touch, acting like a contented puppy who curled up to enjoy the affection.

his words laced with a lazy, sleepy drawl. "Don’t stop," he murmured, a soft groan escaping his lips with his eyes remaining closed. With a gentle smile, you continued your gentle caresses, tracing small circles across his back, watching him shift and sigh while his muscles relaxed under your touch.

But as you took your hand away to change your position, he stirred once more, rolling onto his side to face you. His eyes were half-lidded and clouded with the remnants of sleep, a soft, pleading expression in his tone. "C'mon... more... please," his hand reaching out towards you, pulling you closer, fingers grazing along the sheets. You let out a soft chuckle, but without hesitation, drew closer to him and your hand shot out to find itself in his curls. With delicate fingers, you ran them through the soft strands, lightly massaging his scalp, causing a small hitch in his breath.

Anakin Skywalker who read tons of books, watched a lot of videos about gardening all to make you proud that he could seed tulips and make them grow

Anakin Skywalker who secretly sips on your coffee, always muttering that «sharing is caring»

Anakin Skywalker who makes «your mom» jokes

Anakin Skywalker who constantly hacks their stats in every video game he plays

Anakin Skywalker who uses the word «fuck» like a comma.

Anakin Skywalker who definitely has a roblox account and even though he's a softie, he bullies some kids there;

He logs in with the most ridiculous username, something like DarthSlayer69, and his avatar is over-the-top—dark cape, glowing red eyes, and a lightsaber accessory. He’s spent way too much time customizing it because, of course, he has to look intimidating.

And then? He enters some innocent game like Adopt Me! or Brookhaven and immediately starts causing mayhem.

"Get off my property, kid," he types in the chat, standing in front of a house he didn’t even buy.

In Tower of Hell, he’d purposely push people off platforms, then type: "Too slow. Guess you weren’t strong enough."

If anyone dared to clap back, he’d go full into fighting back; "Do you know who I am? I’ve fought in wars. You’re just a noob with bad Wi-Fi."

When you walk into the room while he’s cackling at his antics, you took one look at the screen, and roll your eyes.

"Anakin, are you bullying children again?"

"No, angel, I’m teaching them a valuable lesson." He'd say too smugly

Anakin Skywalker who uses two-in-one shampoo and conditioner yet still has the softest hair ever, which obviously makes you mad because you have to use tons of products to make your hair look decent.

Anakin Skywalker who fixes your lightsaber too often;

Anakin leaned back against the workbench, arms crossed over his chest, as he watched you sheepishly place your lightsaber in front of him. His expression was equal parts of amused and exasperated

"Again?" he drawled, raising an eyebrow.

You shrugged, avoiding his gaze as you fiddled with the hem of your tunic. "It... broke."

"It broke," he repeated, tone dripping with mock disbelief. He picked up the hilt, turning it over in his hands like inspecting some troublesome droid. "No, sweetheart, you broke it. What did you do this time? Smash it against a rock? Use it to pry open a door?"

"I didn’t!" you protested, immediately crossing your arms in self-defense. "I was fighting, and—"

"And you lost control," he finished for you, shaking his head with a chuckle. "You know, lightsabers are meant for precision. Not..." He gestured vaguely, as if mimicking you wildly flailing the weapon around.

Your face flushed at that, and you jabbed a finger at him. "Are you going to fix it or just stand there and tease me all day, Master Skywalker?"

At the sound of his full title, he grinned, as if it alone was enough to satisfy his ego. Setting the hilt down on the bench, he reached for his tools. "Oh, I’ll fix it. Like I always do. But you know..." He shot you a sly glance. Uh, oh.."If you keep this up, I’m going to start charging you."

"Charging me?" You blinked, incredulous. "With what? We don’t even use credits in the Order!"

He leaned in closer, smirk deepening. "Not credits, sweetheart. Favors." his eyes roamed down and up your body

Your stomach did a little flip "Favors?"

He nodded, picking up a small tool and starting to carefully disassemble the damaged saber. "Mm-hmm. Maybe you take over my chores for a week. Or you could cook dinner for once instead of ordering ration packs. Or..." He set the tool down and leaned in again, voice dropping to a near-whisper, eyes darting down to your lips. "You could just kiss me every time you break it."

you scoffed "That’s a ridiculous system," you muttered, but you didn’t pull away when he leaned even closer

"Is it?" he murmured, breath warm against your skin. "Seems fair to me. I put in the work, and I get a little reward."

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop the grin that spread across your face. "Fine," you relented, leaning in to close the distance between you. Your lips brushed against his in a soft, quick peck, and you felt him smile against you.

When you finally pulled back, he looked far too pleased with himself.

"See?" tone smug. "Much better payment than credits."

TAG LIST: @kingdomhate @divineani @haydensprettyprincess @skyguys-princess @catnipaddictt @heartscone @haydensbbg @inneedsoffanfics @jediavengers @literally-izzy @anisluvrgirl @slutforfinnickodair @xhunnybeeex @fuckmyskywalker @gallerygourmet @ysrjune @anakinskwkler @bimbo-baggins17-deactivated2025 @cookybananas @emotionallybruisedx @diorvalentina @sevinax @throughparisallthroughrome @aniiuv @ritosparty @ninastyless @lily-strnlo @thesassypadawan @awhhayden @sydkneez @anisangeldust @l1ttle-misssunsh1ne @anakinca @rubiesarepretty

[weaselle]

i am convinced that human evolution and development was centered around the basic up-grade from "i steal your resources" to "i steal your behaviors and concepts"

We got clever enough and we just started copying absolutely everything we observed just because now we could figure out how to copy concepts and things that other animals were doing

see that squirrel hoarding acorns for the winter? we can do that. okay now how do we make these acorns edible, cause they are poisonous to a number of animals and we don't do great with them either. What if you put them in the fire? or just on hot coals? what if you put them in water on hot coals and boil them? Oh if you soak them in cold water for 24 hours and maybe change the water a couple times you can totally eat them? YOINK storing acorns for winter is our idea now.

or, you ever seen a weaver bird do it's thing? if not i'll give you one guess what they do

or how about the tailor bird that uses spider silk to stitch the edges of a big leaf together to make a nest in

or sometimes they'll stitch a bunch of leaves into a little cup for a nest

like i'm not trying to downplay how clever it is to be the first humans to weave or sew, and indeed, being the first person to weave that anyone knew about probably happened many times throughout human existence but my conceit is that most if not all of those times was a human seeing something in nature that was basically weaving and going "i'ma do that, and get real good at it - i'ma take that concept and really make it mine"

like it wouldn't surprise me if humans got dogs because we saw how ravens were treating wolves and went "shit yeah, great idea - YOINK that's my idea now."

most of the things that we think of as special human skill or behavior can actually be found elsewhere throughout nature -- all over there are animals using tools, farming, ranching, building, etc.

my favorite primate behavioralist anecdote is a group of people studying tool use in chimps were spending their days in the bush logging the use of twigs to catch termites, and over the campfire at night they're like "it's so boring i wish they'd do something more impressive than this completely basic tool skill."

and one of them was like "actually... how do we know its not a difficult skill? has anyone tried to use a twig to catch termites and see?" and so the next day, like good little scientists, they went out and recorded their attempts at catching termites with twigs.

And lo and behold out of the whole group and all their attempts that day, only, like, a single termite was caught by a human, mostly by chance. Suddenly the whole situation flipped - they'd been thinking of it as basic unskilled tool use, but actually the chimps knew how to do something that none of them could easily figure out on their own - or even together as a group!

y'all, they had to go back to watching the chimps do it to figure out how. Think about that. University degrees, scientific minds, educated people... and they had to be taught how by the chimps.

It turns out there's a reason that young chimps will spend like a year closely studying how an adult is fishing for termites. You gotta select the right kind of twig or leaf stem, maybe you fray the end like a paint brush depending on particulars, you gotta have just the right poking and little shaking technique to provoke the termites into biting the twig, it's a whole thing. There's even regional/cultural differences in the general approach to termite fishing that are distinct between groups that live in different areas.

Now, wild chimps have been observed using objects as tools to fashion crude spears for hunting (it's the mothers doing it by the way, and slowly some of their kids have been growing up doing it, which will probably result in refinements and developments eventually.

ants do both farming and ranching. For real. Some species of ant grow a fungus they eat AND it's a domesticated fungus, like our corn, it can't actually reproduce and survive in the wild without the ants farming it. They maintain its growing conditions and feed it leaf litter mulch, and the fungus produces some kind of ant food idk i forget the details about that. But that's farming. They are farming a domesticated mushroom, basically. And other species of ant will maintain a herd of aphids; they'll move them from grazing area to grazing area, and protect them from predators, and they "milk" them for a liquid food substance and also every now and then they straight up eat one. That's ranching.

beavers sometimes have muskrat... tenants? pets? The muskrats low key pay rent by changing out the reed bedding they all use, and they live in the beaver's lodge with them and eat some of the food. So. idk

Some Tarantulas keep frogs as pets

anyway my point is, i think the true human skill that sets us apart is our ability deconstruct and reconstruct anything we see into something that is for us. Oh, you eat that? Now WE eat that. You have the perfect teeth to drill little holes in specific tree trunks to let the sap ooze out and eat it because it's high in sugar? We don't have those teeth but we're gonna do that now and if we can't figure out a tool that's as good as your teeth at it, watch out, because we will absolutely just also steal your fuckin teeth.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Hi! Recently I became curious about how ancient people hunted in the world of TwistedWonderland.🧔🏹🦣

If they didn't have magic in Monster Au, they used their wits and ingenuity. Animal hunting and fishing🦣 🏹 🐟. Pits, a stone maze so for catching fish and cattle.

You can see the reaction to the methods and techniques of trapping characters.

Don't mind me trying to work my way into a good groove and answering asks in my inbox 😅

It’s simply amazing what human ingenuity can do to get a task done, especially when it comes to surviving out in nature! Throw these craft humans into a world of monsters and magic, and you pretty much have what most epics and legends in our world describe mythical creatures and feats of strength. 😆

Once Yuu arrives in Twisted Monsterland, they may start seeing old paintings depicting clashes between humans and monsters. Ranging from spears and swords mistakenly melding into flesh like malformed limbs and claws to wearing leather and gleaming silver armor mistaken as insectoid carapaces, it’s no wonder humans were used in stories to scare little children into being good. These ancient humans looked positively monstrous—perhaps even more so than any monster in existence. Perhaps that is why so many were both terrified and confused as to why this scrunkly of a creature calling itself a human didn’t even match the few surviving paintings from a bygone era.

Pair that with the stories told on how ancient humans would hunt for food or built traps to capture monsters and comparing that to how Yuu looks? It’s easy for the monsters to brush off these abilities of magicless humans as being anything more than just mere fantasy or exaggeration. There’s simply no way a human can build traps and webs like spider monsters, create fire that lasts for days without smoke, or chase their prey for days on end without breaking a sweat!

Turns out, those myths are more true than the monsters realize. Especially if their resident human just so happens to have survivalist training under their belt…

///Camp Vargas///

“Uh…why are you digging a hole in the ground?”

“Making a fire pit.”

Ace glanced at Yuu as they continued to shovel more dirt out of a relatively large hole. “So…if you’re building a pit, then why did you make a smaller hole right here?” he asked, pointing at said opening in the dirt. “And if you’re building a fire, why aren’t you making one above ground? Are you trying to bury it or something?”

The shovel broke the last of the dirt wall between the holes before Yuu straightened up, gathering several long branches they’d collected with several large cuts of logs and starting to set them up at an angle. “Oh, I’m still building one above ground. I’m just making two different ones.” Pointing at the hole they’d just dug out, they said, “We call this one a ‘Dakota Fire Hole’. Typically this one is used for outdoor cooking, since it produces little smoke and doesn’t need a lot of fuel.” Setting some sticks and tinder inside the larger of the two holes, the took a piece of flint and began striking it with a stone. Soon a small yet hot fire was blazing inside the hole, just barely licking the air outside of the hole before settling down into a steady flicker. “The second hole generates airflow, which keeps the fire fueled with oxygen so it’ll burn longer.”

“Then what’s the other one for?”

“A self-feeding campfire.” They began loading chopped logs on both sides of the now V-shaped structure they’d built. “It uses gravity to drop new logs to keep the fire going, which means it’ll last all night. Pretty handy so you don’t have to keep getting up to replenish the log pile!”

One ear lowering in confusion, Ace stared at Yuu as they struck up another inferno on the bottom log. Somehow the fire didn’t crawl or spread to the rest of the logs. “…how exactly did you learn this?” he finally asked.

“Survivalist training. Why do you ask?”

Snap! Twang! “Fynaaah!?” Fwoosh!

“Uh oh. Grim! I told you to stay away from there! That’s where I set up the snare trap.”

“Why did you set it up so close to the tent?!” the chimera yowled as students stared in shock and surprise.

“To keep away intruders.” A sudden cacophony of clattering and clanging rang out, followed by a startled mix of a canine yelp and deer-like squeal before a thud hit the ground. “Epel! Are you okay?!”

“What is this?!” the einfield snarled, twisting and trying to untangle himself from the string of empty cans and bells. “Git it offa me!”

“Hold still, or you’ll strangle your wings! Ace, could you get Grim down for me? The snare hook is on the ground behind the tree on the tent’s left side.”

As Yuu went to free Epel from the new contraption—which Ace heard them comment was their ‘alarm system’—he shook his head in confusion and disbelief. What was even happening? Did Yuu pick up some strange trick from one of the spider monster students when he wasn’t looking? “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what other traps you set up,” he finally called out, warily looking around for more strings and rope near his large rabbit feet. “I don’t want to get tangled up in anything like those two did!”

“Oh don’t worry, I didn’t have time to set up any other snares or alarms yet,” Yuu called out, carefully freeing Epel’s arm before working on freeing the rest of his body. “You’re safe, so long as you-”

Shoof! “WAH!?!” a familiar loud voice screamed, the sound echoing so far that it reverberated through the trees. WHUD!! “Urk…HUMAN!!! What foul trickery is this?!?”

“…oh, right. I forgot about the pit trap I dug earlier,” Yuu said as multiple eyes stared at them.

“Why in Twisted Wonderland would you need to build something like that?!” Riddle all but shouted once it sank in what just happened.

“Hey, if a bear comes rampaging around the camp because you guys aren’t putting your food away, don’t come crying to me if there’s no pit trap to keep it busy!”

Needless to say, after everyone was rescued, no one could fathom how Yuu learned such archaic—if frighteningly deceptive—trapping methods for a camping trip. It wasn’t until the last night of Camp Vargas that they understood why when the remaining students used the trap to buy themselves some time from the “beast” before running to the swamp.

/-------------/

Now of course the defensive traps were pretty impressive, Ruggie had to admit that much. But traps that catch fish with little to no effort? Even he was impressed by the speed at which Yuu was able to harvest so many fish in one sitting, and with a simple stick and twine “fence”? Let alone the basketful of fish they’d caught by hand after making a shady spot with a tarp propped over the water!

“Sure, I could use a fishing rod if I wanted,” Yuu commented as they continued whittling away at the tip of a sturdy branch. “A net would also come in handy, but since we’re going to be here for a short time, I wouldn’t be able to make a decent one to use it effectively.” Jabbing their carving knife over at the fire pits they had dug earlier, they added, “Besides, if I don’t adapt and use what I have available, then I can lose out on a good food source and my chances of survival are slim to none.”

“Huh. Yeah, that makes sense,” he agreed, the leucrocuta looking between his catch and Yuu’s. The human’s collection was quickly catching up to Floyd’s, which was surprising since he’d stopped earlier due to boredom. “This came from that survival training thing you mentioned earlier, right?”

“Mm-hm! I can teach you a few things I learned if you want.”

“Shehehehe~! Sounds great! Just one question though: what’cha making? Some kind of walking stick?”

“Oh, this? It’s going to be a spear.”

“…spear?” The word sounded vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t quite place why as he tried to examine it. It didn’t look like anything he’d seen any other monster use or make before. “What’s it for?”

“It’s used for different things, like defense or attacking.” Cutting a few more chips off, Yuu stood up and examined their work. They had whittled one end of the branch to the point it was needle-sharp, a sight that weirdly sent chills down his spine when he looked at it. “I made this one specifically to go spear fishing. Here, I’ll show you!”

As they walked into the water, he expected the human to immediately strike into the water like they had when they did the shadow fishing. However, they simply stood still, eyes locked onto the water’s surface with the spear raised over their shoulder. He watched in silence, instinctively knowing that Yuu was hunting for their prey yet not understanding how this would work. Suddenly, they tensed, their shoulders tightening as they raised their spear higher in a smooth motion. For the briefest moment, he swore he saw the human with the needle-sharp arm in his history book instead of Yuu, his heart leaping in his throat at the vivid imagery. Before he could react, the spear was sent flying forward-

Splosh!

And struck the riverbed, Yuu immediately rushing forward to grab the upright tool before pulling it out. To his shock and utter amazement, the spear had pierced the body of a large trout, still flopping even as Yuu carried it back to shore with a triumphant grin on their face. Their smile faded to one of concern as they asked, “You okay, Ruggie? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Chuckling nervously, Ruggie uttered, “Uh…you could say that.” A ghost of the past maybe, he thought as he picked up the baskets. “Hey, uh, why don’t we go ahead and cook these? I think we’ve got enough!”

“Oh. Sure, sounds good. Oh! I know a few tricks to preserve the meat for later!”

“Great! Just…do me a favor and not point that spear thing at anyone, okay?”

////////

I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more that could be said or done, but you get the picture. XD Hope you all enjoy!

[cosmic-vacuum]

Introduction.

Heard someone online say this— "The right DIRECTION is actually more important than HARD WORK itself."

The first step to "working smart" is also stepping in the right direction.

Hard work directed towards unproductive and degenerative activities is equivalent to stalemate in the specific field if not further degradation.

HOW SO, DO WE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

Step 1: Have a talk with yourself about what you really wish to do.

My talks before starting this usually ended up in tears.

I've been failing in life altogether for over two years now and all the cumulative criticism combined with regrets and embarrassments fueled defense mechanisms and avoidance techniques to develop inside me.

The talk was obviously hard, but finally I've opened myself to opinion and change recently— this in itself is the greatest change a human being can have.

It wasn't easy, of course.

I was supposed to fight down my own behaviour and impulsive reflexes to understand words and opinions of the other people around me whilst not being swayed completely by them or even rejecting them completely.

This is one of those things easier said than done.

It was talking to myself more that led to this.

The only person who can reach the inner voice of your consciousness is you. This voice is the most truthful and genuine guide you can find, only, you must know to separate it from words materialised by intrusive thoughts.

Sit with yourself, talk to yourself, ask yourself what you want to do.

It may take a while, but you will surely get response when you try to connect to your inner self.

Step 2: Get into what you wish to accomplish— know more.

Reasearch about your goal. We can't start into something we barely know about.

2024 is a great year to live in but only for the seekers.

You'll find everything you need to know about anything online today, all you need to have is the desire to see.

This is the first step to "Smart Work" too.

[Smart work: works only when applied with hard work. It's not the other way around— you can not replace hard work by smart work]

We will be revisiting this several times in times ahead so don't worry if there are unanswered questions [you can always comment or dm them to me].

Step 3: This is probably the TRUEST of all advise I've heard growing up– You're the average of the five people you listen to everyday.

I have personally seen so many people change for the worse on having bad company surrounding them.

It's easier for people yo pick up bad behaviours rather than good ones so no matter how selfish it would make you feel, cross out bad influences from your life

If you happen to be someone mostly at home and in presence of parents or siblings (like me), try to make firstly, your pwn mind your best companion. When there's problems, talk about it to your own self.

It's magical, trust me.

This takes time to get a hang of but it's magical.

Other than that, fill your ears with podcasts or perhaps you tube videos of people who are wise and/or related to your specific goal.

[I will be sharing a list of thr best podcasts to hear for personal growth later in a separate post.]

Step 4: Have a proper plan.

How you spend your minutes, hours, days, months and therefore the years becomes how you ultimately spend your life.

A— Take either a calendar or just draw out the months which compose your selected "two month" time.

B— Write your goal on a piece of paper and formulate a monthly procedure to achieve it.

If this goal is some sort of skill development for example, divide the procedure into the two months and then further down to weeks. Then, divide the workload per day of the week.

This is also applicable for students preparing for some or the other sort of examination or are just studying in general.

C— People who wish to upgrade their personalities will be part of a more active process which will run alongside the daily log posts.

WHAT NEXT?

Once we've got all we wish to change outlined, we can step into finally starting the process.

This turned out to be longer than I expected so I'll keep it till here. Anything else we need to do will follow in the following posts.

If we wish, we can.

[check out the blog to join the journey]

[captain-mj]

I JUST READ THE BOY FIC AND OMG YOU SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE LIKE A HORROR CAMP RELATED ONE. like a rlly sweet one like they could be camp counselors yk?? <333 or just like camp counselors?

Hell yeah! I'd love to! So there's this webcomic where Jason Voorhees becomes a camp counselor made by Janie Lee and I took a little inspiration with the general vibe. 10/10 recommend that series because it's amazing. Mentions of trauma for several characters but it's not taking seriously

So it's hopefully clear but I know I can be a little subtle with subtext, so each of the characters are loosely based on a horror villain. It'll be fun to see if you guys can figure it out!

Ghost pulled the third kid out of the lake that day, silently patting their back to help them get all of the water.

"You alright?"

They nodded and coughed up a little more water before settling down. "Thank you so much, Ghost sir!"

Ghost patted their head and watched them run off to their friends. He looked around and saw Alejandro and Rudy talking. They were talking to each and clearly not watching the damn kids.

He waved and they waved back and he flipped them off.

Alejandro grinned. His perfect hair and perfect teeth.

He got on Ghost's nerves.

Especially because Alejandro was the person to wake them up every morning.

They shared a cabin with Alex and by all accounts, they were all early risers, but Alejandro was different.

This morning, and every morning, he woke them up at 4:30 in the morning as he took a shower, iced (what even is that? Is it like an ice bath? Icing a cake?) his face, and then used tons of product in his hair to define each curl.

Ghost and Alex made a deal to kill him every morning after being dragged out of their private rooms. 

Alejandro had laughed and pulled them out of bed to fucking exercise. They'd do fucking pushups and planks and Alex would always use his missing leg as an excuse to get out of squats. Ghost would glare at him and grumpily continue to do whatever he had been challenged to do. He almost always beat Alejandro which surprisingly never made the man angry. Alejandro would just smile and say he’d beat him next time. 

Once he made breakfast, Alex and Ghost would change their mind about killing him. Alex was the only one that drank coffee, Ghost preferred tea, but the smell was nice and inviting enough. It reminded him of being home, but in a good way. 

Then they’d get everyone up at 8 am sharp and they’d handle the kiddos. 

Ghost liked kids just fine. Honestly they were a bit annoying but he didn’t want anyone to get hurt and other people didn’t really seem interested in watching them so he did it. He put on his mask every morning and acted like a human being for a few hours until the kiddos went to bed and the other counselors would buddy up and talk to each other like friends. 

Being friends with your coworkers? That was loser behavior. 

Ghost ignored that his only friend was his little brother. 

Gaz talked about the podcast he was listening to with Ghost. Well. More talked at Ghost as he didn’t really contribute. 

“Doesn’t it feel… manipulative? Listening to these people talk about these murders.”

Gaz shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s… interesting.”

“In a ‘you want to do something similar’ or ‘gets you off’ way?”

Gaz laughed. “No. Just… how they are you know? How they get caught. The small mistakes. The way they could so cruelly kill those people. It’s just… Don’t know. It’s horrific but addicting.”

Ghost didn’t understand but nodded all the same. 

Sometimes, he thought it would be nice to sit with them. The fire looked nice at least. 

Alex knew exactly how to toast marshmallows. He had this secret technique to get them just right to be smushed but not enough for it to taste burnt. It was how he lured Ghost to them, using s’mores as a form of bait. 

Ghost ate one, perched on a log, prepared to sprint. 

“Riley, we’re going to be working together all summer, man. You can relax around us.” Gaz said with a smile. “You might even like us!”

Ghost grimaced and pulled his mask back down. “Doubtful. I don’t do friends. And I prefer Ghost.”

Soap smiled and lightly tapped his foot against the log Ghost was perched on. “I see. Well, Ghost. What’s with the mask?”

Ghost shrugged. “I just… like wearing it.”

“That’s an understatement. You came out of your room wearing it. Is it like Roach? Got scars under there?” Alejandro asked, arm around Rodolfo who looked less than amused by the whole situation. 

Roach hit Alejandro and checked that his mask was on properly. According to what Ghost had heard, he had some rather severe burns. Poor guy. He had some gorgeous brown eyes and tons of fluffy blond hair that could be seen over the mask. Alejandro clearly didn’t strike a nerve, which was good, but he didn’t look very happy. 

Ghost slowly waved before signing. “What’s another name for a sleeping bag?”

Roach tilted his head questioningly. No one else seemed to know what Ghost was signing, though they watched his hands. 

“A nap sack.” 

Roach laughed. And so did Soap. 

Ghost glanced at him, watching him cover his mouth. Soap looked away. 

He then stretched and took another s’more from Alex. He had undone part of his shirt that exposed his chest a little. It made Ghost’s stomach feel funny. 

Gaz smiled. “Let’s play truth or dare. No gross stuff though. Keep it PG-13.”

Ghost reluctantly relaxed. “Okay. Sure.” He’d pick all dares. Easy.

They started up.

He learned quickly that picking dares was not a good idea when Alejandro had Alex slip his shirt off. They all looked at him. There was some scarring along his stomach from a fire that had raged. 

Weird how many slashers had brushes with fire. 

But he was fit and rather hot. Ghost glanced away and realized there was no universe where he could so easily strip himself of his clothing. His body had scars, but it was nothing like Alex who had lost his brother to one or Roach whose school had burned down with almost everyone in it. 

No. No one died in the events that scarred Ghost. And he knew if they looked at him, they’d immediately realize they were purposefully inflicted by both Ghost and others. It wasn’t something he wanted anybody to know about. So he had to make a decision. 

“Ghost.” Soap smiled. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.” 

“What’s the farthest you’ve ever gone with someone?” 

Ghost froze, staring. “That’s not PG-13.”

“Oh, so you’ve had sex?” Gaz pointed out, the pretense of being clean gone. 

Ghost hesitated just long enough for them to pounce. 

“You’re a virgin??” Alejandro asked, almost scandalized at the thought. “You’re 6’4, built and mysterious as hell. How are you fucking that up?”

“Uh…”

Alex defended him. “Maybe he’s just shy!”

Soap translated for Roach. “Or saving himself for marriage. Gary, personally I don’t think that’s it.”

Ghost stood up. “I’ll be leaving now.”

Rodolfo hummed. “Is it religious? Or just never found the opportunity?”

“I’ve already answered my question.”

Soap tsked. “Actually, you haven’t. You just said it’s not PG-13. So… until you answer the question, we can ask whatever we want.”

Gaz nodded. “Those are the rules.”

Ghost squirmed. “We counting nonconsensually?”

That ruined the vibe really fast.

“Oh!” Soap covered his mouth, looking horrified. “I’m so sorry.” 

Ghost shrugged. “If it’s just consensual, I held hands. Once.” 

Roach planted his head in his hands, shaking his head. 

Somehow, Alejandro and Gaz got the game going again. Ghost picked dares after that and they all had the politeness to not make him or Roach do anything salacious. Sometimes, they’d ask Roach or dare him to do something dirty and he’d grab his cross and freeze. He always did it, letting Soap translate for him so everyone could understand him. 

As the night started to wind down, Roach ended up next to Ghost, both of them on the same log. Soap was doing something with the other guys and they both noticed the other person glancing at him. They quickly looked away again. 

Ghost had never felt uncomfortable with his sexuality. He liked men. Simple as that. But attraction was not something he liked acknowledging. Some people were attractive and it made Ghost nervous and sometimes he did find himself wishing for easy camaraderie and beautiful blues eyes to be…

Oh yikes. 

He was imagining Soap. 

Ghost was glad it was one of the single guys so he didn’t feel like an ass but it had to be that one?? 

Roach glanced at him and looked flustered. “I don’t really get the big deal either.”

Ghost nodded and tried to look stoic. He felt flustered and anxious though. His mask luckily kept him looking fine. “I just think there’s better things we can be doing. Like our jobs.”

Roach smiled. Ghost could tell by the way his eyes crinkled. “Yeah. Exactly.” 

They started to talk and Ghost found he was easy conversation. Before long, it reached midnight and as much as everyone would’ve loved staying up, they did have work in the morning. 

Alejandro and Alex walked on either side of Ghost. 

“By non-consensual…”

“Alex, I’ll rip your head from your fucking body.”

“Nevermind.”

[mrsclearwaters]

Paul Lahote x Emmett Cullen imprinting fic

Paul imprints on Emmett at a meeting and tries to fight it.

Some angst, fluff

3,068 words

(I originally uploaded this like a month ago on another account that I’ve had for years. It was my first ever post but I’m stupid and the email I used for that account was from when I was 13 and I don’t have access too it so now I’m logged out permanently which is kinda heartbreaking. Luckily I still have the story in my drafts so I’m reposting).

Paul was unable to make it to the treaty meeting after Jacobs imprint and didn't witness Seth and Leah's imprints but he was less than pleased when he saw it replayed in the shifters minds.

He likes to think he could've stopped this madness, not the imprints but at least the treaty mishap, if he was there.

The leeches claimed 3 of his friends, his family, and it pisses him off to no end. He knows he can't blame his pack mates for their imprints but he can sure as hell blame the vampires for choosing Forks, for meeting the pack, for everything that led to this moment.

Sam decided to make them come to this meeting in their human forms, something he'd argued against for hours but eventually had to give in to his Alphas decision.

Seth, Leah and Jacob seem to have warmed up to their imprints, Leah more reluctantly than the others and as much as it infuriates him, he can't exactly expect them to deny their fated mates.

This meeting is to discuss fighting techniques for future issues that both may encounter and he reluctantly follows Sam and Jacobs trucks on his bike, with Seth clinging onto him as he drives and the others riding with the Alphas.

When he finally pulls up and Seth runs towards his imprint before he fully stops, he groans at the inevitable torture.

Leah and Jacob stay put on either side of Sam but they aren't as tense as Paul in front of the vampires.

"Hello Carlisle," Sam addresses their leader who smiles and greets him back.

"I'm glad you're open to building trust with us." Sam nods,

"It'd be best for the future of both of us. You said we we're going through fight techniques?"

"Yes, Jasper is a trained general, he knows how to fight vampires, specifically newborns who would be a great threat should we ever come across them. It would be a useful tool to learn."

"Okay so let's do that." Carlisle nods and Jasper steps forward, he goes into an explanation and then a demonstration with all of the Cullens.

Paul thinks this is a pointless exercise, they know how to fight, and vampires are their natural enemies, they don't need tips.

He watches Sam go against Quil, Embry against Colin, Rosalie against Jared and Alice against Seth until Jaspers eyes land on him.

He rolls his eyes and steps forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Who am I fighting?"

"I think Emmett should be a good fit against you." He learns that Emmett is the brute when he steps forward with a shit eating grin but his eyes shift when they land on him.

Edwards eyes widen and he looks at him confused, the mind reader just shakes his head as if to tell him to wait.

He shakes it off but he feels them eyes stay on him as he goes behind a tree and shifts before coming back to face his opponent.

When he does he regrets everything. He should have skipped this meeting too, because the universe clearly hates him.

His imprint, his whole world, his sole purpose for living, is a fucking leech. That must have been the reason for the shift in the brutes eyes, he'd mated and when Paul shifted so did he.

The shifters who'd already had their matches started exclaiming their shock in his mind until Sam silenced them all.

'Oh my god! Paul, you too man?!' Jared, he didn't fucking ask for this.

'This is so good!' Seth, and he rolls his eyes because this is anything but good.

'Maybe this is a good thing,' Colin, he appreciates the effort but he wants to fucking scream at the thought of this.

'Come on Paul, he's your soulmate, there's clearly a reason for this.' Embry, yeah and the reason is that the universe has it out for him.

'I still don't get how this shit is possible,' Quil, the voice of fucking reason.

'Everyone Quiet!' Sam, now he's going to get a lecture about accepting this and not breaking both of their hearts or some shit.

'Paul-'

'I don't wanna hear it Sam.'

'I won't lecture you. Just talk to him before you do anything you'll regret.' Too late.

As soon as his imprint steps forward, he moves back and then before he knows it he's running.

He hears the pack shouting for him, and Jacob telling his imprint to, "give him time," but he doesn't dwell on any of it.

He's outside his house and he's unshifted. He thinks about it for a moment and decides he'd rather not face his parents right now, he's too out of it too make anything up.

So he does the next best thing, and climbs in through his bedroom window.

The only thing he can think to do is sleep, he doesn't want to think about what just happened and what it means.

He's fated to a leech, what a fucking nightmare.

When he wakes up his head is throbbing and he knows it's not normal but he ignores it and goes out for his usual run, pushing through the pain and ignoring the occasional tug from the new link in his mind.

Every day that goes by with him ignoring the imprint, the pain gets worse but he forces himself to push through it.

His heart feels like it's being ripped apart every time he thinks about Emmett's face when he ran away but all he can do is push it to the back of his mind and ignore it.

On day 5, Sam asks him to do patrol, he's avoided shifting for this long knowing how much worse it will get when his wolf has control. He's been pushing his wolf down for so long and it's been fighting back, pushing him towards Emmett.

When he finally shifts with Quil and lets Jared end his patrol he feel's everything tenfold. The pain from Emmett is mixed with a hunger he's never felt before and he realises his mate hasn't been feeding.

'Ffs, I need to hunt for him now.'

'Mate, you should just speak to him. Clearly it's affecting you. You can barely function.'

'I'm fine. Quil, you need to give this to him. I can't be near him.'

'You can't trust yourself with him?' Quil laughs and he gives him a deadpan look knowing how weird it looks in his wolf form.

'Alright, I'll do it.' He rolls his eyes and begins his search for prey.

He comes across a deer and slowly sneaks up on it, attacking the jugular and making sure it's dead before dropping it in front of Quil who grabs it and runs towards the Cullens house.

He watches through the pack mind as Quil comes to a stop in front of the mansion and a confused Carlisle opens the door.

"Quil, right?" He nods and Carlisle smiles still confused before Edward joins him and reads his mind.

"Paul knows Emmett hasn't been feeding, he sent Quil to give him the deer. He hunted it himself."

Emmett steps onto his balcony as soon as he hears his mates name and jumps down in front of the wolf who drops the food in front of the vampire.

"Thank you." They all know it's aimed at Paul and he practically swoons at the small smile sent his way.

'You're already sappy for him bro.' Quil laughs.

'Shut the fuck up.' He watches Edward laugh a bit at the conversation and tells him to fuck off too.

Quil nods at them all before leaving and making his way back.

Slowly the hunger Paul could feel through the link dissipates and the pain that has been lingering for days also dulls slightly.

He repeats Emmett's smile in his head through his whole patrol and Quil practically runs home when they're done, glad to be done with his pining.

'Just talk to him man,' he hears before the pack mind is empty. He rolls his eyes and unshifts himself to go back to his usual routine, sleep, eat, and then sleep some more.

Sleep is the only thing that dissipates the pain, heartbreak and throbbing head alike.

But at the 2 week mark his mind is playing with him, his days consist of staying in bed, his parents and the pack forcing him to eat, he can't shake the squeezing of his heart and the feeling that his very being and soul is hurting, his dreamless nights have turned into a nightmare.

Emmett being chased by some random vampire, she's right on his tale until she starts jumping through trees in the preserve and then finally lands on him and rips his head off.

He wakes up screaming and sweating when it happens. Sam comes running in with the rest of the pack in tow, they were discussing what to do about Paul's imprint when they heard his cries.

"Paul! Paul, what's happened. Calm down, tell me what happened."

"Em-Emmett. He died- ahhhh." He thrashes and screams at the pain that fills his whole body now, his heart is breaking, the guilt of not being there, of not saving him is overwhelming.

He hears muffled talking and shouts until Jacob and Leah are in front of him, "Paul, he's okay. He's alive. We just saw him."

He looks up at them, trying to find out if there's any truth in their words, and he finally feels the link in his mind still exists. His heart rate picks up in relief and he lets out a sob.

"Paul, please. It's killing you. Just go see him." Sam begs and he looks at the alpha.

"He's not doing well either." Seth starts, the look Jacob and Leah share with him doesn't go unnoticed.

"He's been begging us not to tell you, to let you figure it out on your own. But you haven't shifted, so you haven't seen it. When you told Quil to give him that deer because you felt the hunger when you shifted. It's the last thing he let himself eat because you got it."

"He's been getting worse, like he's punishing himself for not being good enough for you. He won't leave his room, he shouldn't get sick but he looks paler every time we see him, like he's disappearing before our eyes." Jacob adds and he reels in anger, shock, and guilt.

He knew ignoring his imprint would hurt him, he didn't know that mates worked the same way, he thought Emmett would be okay without him. Albeit hurt but okay nonetheless.

"What the fuck?! Why hasn't he been feeding? Why does he think he's not fucking good enough?!" Before the pack can say anything else he storms out and shifts.

He pauses when it hits him, agony. He feels like he hasn't eaten in months, the link between them that's stronger when shifted is weak, he can barely feel him.

His wolf cries out and he runs as fast as he can towards the Cullen house.

When voices pop into his head one by one he ignores them and pushes through, finally reaching the mansion.

He shifts back, pulling his shorts on and speeding to the front door, where Alice opens it with a sympathetic smile.

He doesn't deserve that, he's pissed at himself more than anything. He could take the pain, but how dare he cause his mate the same fate.

"Where is he?" She points to the stairs and he rushes past her, the rest of the Cullens scattered across the living and the pack piling into the house behind him.

"It's the second room on the left," she says to him as he goes and he mutters a small thanks as he runs up.

He barges into the room, and the sight he's met with makes him want to throw up.

Emmett quickly stands from his bed and smiles softly, "Paul." He looks so pale, even for a vampire this doesn't seem natural, his eyes are bloodshot, there'd be tear tracks down his cheeks if he could cry.

Paul rushes forward and shoves him into the wall next to the balcony,

"Why haven't you been feeding?!" Emmett looks confused and shakes his head,

"How could I? I don't deserve to feed. I'm a leech remember, you could never love me." Paul reels in shock, his grip loosens and he feels a lump in the back of his throat.

"You- you're."

"Im sorry you had to come here Paul. You can leave if you want." He knows neither of them want that. He can see in Emmett's eyes that he's hurting at even the idea.

He doesn't know what to say so he does the next best thing, he holds out his arm. Emmett looks even more confused now, eyebrows knitted together, it's kind of cute.

He shakes the thought out of his head, right now he needs to help his mate, and his blood should bring back his strength faster than anything else.

"Eat." He demands and Emmett's eyes widen. "I- I can't. I haven't fed, I don't think I could stop myself."

"I'm willing to take that risk... and.. I trust you." Emmett shakes his head,

"I'll hurt you. I can't."

"Emmett, you're weak, this is the only way to bring your strength back. I'm your mate, I know you won't hurt me."

Emmett looks at him, his eyes conflicted and he brings his arm too his own mouth, using his sharp wolf teeth to penetrate the skin, hissing a bit, before pushing his arm closer to Emmett's mouth,

"Eat." He says again and finally he gives in, gently holding his arm and bringing it to his mouth. He hesitates for a second before licking the dripping blood and then allowing himself to continue.

It doesn't hurt the way Paul thought it would, it's like the more his mate drinks, the more satisfied he feels. When Emmett finally feels the liquid he worries for a second that he won't stop. It's better than anything he's ever tasted, and he knows it's because it's Paul. But he also knows he could never hurt him and allows himself to enjoy it for a moment.

Paul feels weak, not from his blood being drained but from the feeling of giving his mate strength. It's overwhelmingly good.

He rests his head on Emmett's shoulder and feels the vampire pause, "it's okay, keep going." He says it in the softest tone and he doesn't think he's ever heard himself use that tone with anyone.

When Paul actually starts to feel lightheaded he lets Emmett keep going for a few seconds before he stops him.

"Emmett.. that's enough." He thinks the vampire can't hear him for a second but then he feels the fangs retract and Emmett licks the wound to clean it up.

When they look at each other they realise what just happened, Paul can't help the blush that spreads across his cheeks. He'd ignored it for so long and when he finally gave in it was so intimate that it was overwhelming.

"I'm sorry I caused you pain," he whispers and Emmett just smiles at him,

"You don't understand how long I've wanted this."

"I think I do." Paul can't help but steal a look at his imprints lips before looking back into his eyes.

"You're the most stubborn man I've ever met you know." Emmett says. He laughs a bit and nods.

They're so close that their breaths are mingled and Paul can't help it anymore, he leans in and closes the gap, catching Emmett's gasp and deepening the kiss.

When they pull away so Paul can catch his breath their lips are bruised and Emmett is beaming at him.

Paul feels even more lightheaded after that and stumbles the tiniest bit, but Emmett catches on and helps steady him, moving them towards the bed.

"Did I go too far," he panics and Paul shakes his head, "no, I'm fine. It's fine." He whispers softly.

"Do you want to sleep?" The thought of climbing into his imprints bed and being surrounded by that smell is so tempting. He nods and moves to get under the covers.

When Emmett sits on the chair next to the bed he looks at him confused and the vampire looks back with a similar look.

"Why are you over there?" The vampire grins cheekily, "you want me to lay with you?"

The growing smirk makes him blush and he rolls his eyes indignantly, shaking his head.

"Nah, I'll just sleep on my own." He turns to his side and hears a laugh that makes his heart race.

"Paul?" He ignores it, "pauul," and he shakes his head.

It's silent for a second but then he hears ruffling and their's a breath on his neck, "Alright, I'll lay here with you." The hairs on his neck rise and he turns around quickly. His breath hitches at how close they are again.

"I didn't think you'd want me too." Emmett tells him honestly.

"I just let you drink my blood. I think sharing a bed is a small step compared to that." He whispers back and Emmett laughs a bit.

"That was a hell of a way to start wasn't it?" And Paul just nods in agreement, closing his eyes.

"Does this mean you've accepted me?" Emmett asks after a few moments of silence. Paul peeks an eye open to see if he's being serious and when he realises he is he looks at him incredulously.

"Okay, okay. You have. I was just making sure you won't leave again." Paul feels a pang of guilt hit him again when he realises how much he's hurt his imprint and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry. I should have come sooner." He whispers and Emmett smiles softly, "I understand." Paul shakes his head, "no, I won't ever forgive myself for putting you through that." Emmett rolls his eyes now, "you put yourself through it too. You're just stubborn." Before Paul can speak, Emmett kisses him softly.

"Sleep," Emmett tells him when they pull away and he sighs but obliges, closing his eyes and falling asleep comfortably for the first time in weeks.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Earth liberation

The emergence of animal liberation has been mirrored by an additional trend, no less vital for the ongoing greening of revolution: earth liberation. In this case, the extension of political concern to nonhumans goes even beyond the domain of sentience, here being applied to ecosystems altogether, if not planet Earth as a whole. Many relate to the oppression of the land least easily, given that the value beholden to ecosystems is the most far removed from the kind we ourselves possess. Yet this stubborn attitude is doing us no favours: as we move into the thick of an uneasy century, for the first time unsure as to whether we’ll even make it to the next, we can only begin to reconsider the human presumption of supremacy over all things.

Compared with the radical animal rights movement, the origin of radical environmentalism tells a different story, arising as it did in response to the failings of the mainstream movement. When Greenpeace, for example, was established in 1971, its explicit purpose was to overcome the conformity of groups like the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth. But it wasn’t long until Greenpeace, too, ended up looking like any old political party or corporation. By attempting to build a centralised mass movement, the bureaucratic division between campaigner and supporter was continually reinforced, swapping the commitment to direct action for an uninspired focus on fundraising. The radical image was maintained as a winning advertising technique, even though illegal actions were typically condemned in favour of institutional engagement. Actual change was supposed to be brought about not by ordinary people, but instead by lawyers and businesspeople, their salaries (and indifference) soon growing out of all proportion. Despite access to untold funds and resources, therefore, groups like Greenpeace failed to offer much trouble to the growing surge of environmental devastation, often halting certain projects only at the expense of openly endorsing others. The presumed sincerity of its founders were ultimately irrelevant: playing by the rules of a system that takes economic growth as inviolable can only mean complicity in the ecocide.

Faced with this largely symbolic environmentalism, one definitive response was the formation of Earth First! in 1980. Set up initially in the US, and spreading internationally a decade later, the point was to exceed the limitations of the mainstream movement by focusing instead on grassroots organising and direct action. This opened up a terrain of struggle in which dialogue with the state, and bureaucratic procedures more generally, became completely unnecessary. Committed from the start to offer “No compromise in defence of Mother Earth,” Earth First! encouraged people to take matters into their own hands, quite aware that obeying the law would only guarantee defeat. In doing so, countless ecosystems were protected from the likes of logging, damming, and road-building, in spite of activists having never spent an hour in a boardroom meeting. To note, similar direct action tactics were already being used, for example, by anti-nuclear activists in Germany and the UK; yet Earth First! made a point of applying this approach much more broadly, setting out not only to oppose new projects, but also to roll back the frontiers of industrial civilisation altogether.

Another key event in the development of radical environmentalism was the creation of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) in the UK, 1992. Modelled along the lines of the ALF, the ELF set about utilising the very same emphasis on informal organisation and sabotage, only this time in the defence of the environment. This allowed aboveground groups like Earth First! to publicly dissociate itself from more militant actions, concentrating instead on mass demonstrations and civil disobedience, even though strong ties were maintained between the two movements. The ELF soon spread capillary-style across the globe, firstly throughout Europe, and then to North and South America. From the forests of Khimki and Hambacher, to the sprawling metropolises of Mexico City, Santiago, and Jakarta, the fires lit for earth liberation continue to land on fertile ground; hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage have been caused to ecocidal industries, including targets such as logging infrastructure, biotechnology labs, power lines, retail sites, car dealerships, luxury residential projects, and ski resorts. Already in 2001, the effectiveness of the ELF had been confirmed beyond all doubt, with the FBI declaring them “the top domestic terror threat” in the US, despite having never caused physical harm to a single living being.

What set groups like Earth First! and the ELF apart from the mainstream movement was not, however, merely a matter of tactics. In many cases, the refusal to compromise on the defence of the planet was underpinned by a philosophy Arne Næss called “deep ecology,” namely, the view that ecosystems possess value in and of themselves, irrespective of their utility for human beings. As a replacement for anthropocentrism, Næss endorsed biocentrism, the idea that life itself is the locus of moral value, and that such value is equal in weight to that which we ourselves possess. The human experience is but a single facet of a vast, interconnected web of life, all members of which – from forests, to insects, to mountains, to oceans – have just as much right to exist and flourish as we do. Biocentrism thus contends that richness and diversity within the biosphere can be reduced only in order to satisfy the most vital of human needs. The exploitative assumption that wilderness is wasted unless made profitable must be turned on its head: the wild is intrinsically valuable, whether or not humans are there to enjoy it. Life exists for itself, not merely for us.

Deep ecological thinking is often contrasted with what Næss described as “shallow ecology,” which is the tendency to respect the need for ecological protection, but only insofar as doing so can be justified as promoting human interests. All that shallow ecology offers, therefore, is a more prudent take on anthropocentrism: given that our own long-term survival as a species is dependent (to a degree) on a healthy environment, it would be foolish to devastate it too severely. Which might sound like a benign view, but it brings with it severe implications. If ecological concern is taken only as a means towards promoting human wellbeing, it follows that, in those cases in which the two fail to coincide, no basis whatsoever can be provided for worrying about the environment. Without adopting a deep ecological position, we couldn’t explain, for example, what the problem would be with wiping out every last trace of wilderness on earth, presuming that doing so had no adverse effect on humans. Nor should we see anything wrong with the idea of artificially altering global weather on purpose, so that rain or sunshine could be triggered with the touch of a button. Neither does shallow ecology treat climate change as a problem in itself, meaning that, if humans could somehow relocate to another planet in the future, we could quite happily choke this one to death.

These are only thought experiments, but for most of us they stir an important intuition, rooted in the part of ourselves that hasn’t yet been fully domesticated: humanity is but a part of Nature, with no higher right to inhabit reality than anything else. Besides, there’s something about shallow ecology that’s inherently paradoxical: an authentically ecological sensibility can only be grounded in respect for the horizontal symbiosis of all life, something that treating the earth merely as a pool of human resources necessarily violates.

Whilst the terminology invented by deep ecology is recent, however, the wisdom it invokes is not. As long-standing ALF/ELF warrior Rod Coronado explains, in light of his Native American heritage: “The world that our people come from and that still exists for many indigenous people – and non-indigenous people too, if they choose to recognise it – is a world that sees every human being, every animal being, every plant being, as part of a whole and equal to each other.” Understanding deep ecology isn’t so much a matter of learning something new, but of remembering that which was once as obvious as anything. The intrinsic value of life itself must be rediscovered and fought for until the bitter end, not as a distraction from other liberation struggles, but instead as an inseparable component of a single, multifaceted fight against all forms of oppression. The last few decades divided the struggle; at this point, these separate strands are invited to converge, offering a glimpse of an entirely new revolutionary horizon.

Some of the most revolutionary texts penned in recent decades – think of Alfredo Bonanno or the Invisible Committee – possess at their core a profound affirmation of life. This is exactly what inspires that eagerness to see the existent cast in flames: the order that professes to rule over us is, in essence, a system of death, capable of persevering only to the extent it grinds down all that’s wild and free. Far too often, though, an appreciation of this sentiment is limited to a discussion of human life, forgetting that life in general is what’s really at stake. By reproducing human supremacy within revolutionary struggles – that is, by predicating the liberation of our own species on the enslavement of all others – we fail to challenge the common enemy on every front, inviting it to recuperate where our backs are turned. The struggles for human and nonhuman liberation do not compete, precisely because they aren’t separate. In the 21st century, the only fault line that splits the entirety of society, including each of us, is that which affirms life compared with that which destroys it.

[manybcdthings]

The Jones Family Legacy of Blue River Ranch

As of 2025, Blue River Ranch is a sprawling 15,000 acre operation on the outskirts of Clearwater, Wyoming. Passed down through generations, every corner of the ranch—from the cattle pastures to the old homestead—whispers the stories of the Jones family.

The Founding Generation Samuel “Sam” Jones (c.1830–1900) & Elizabeth “Lizzie” Jones (c.1832–1895)

In the early 1870s, Sam Jones ventured into the rugged frontier near the Blue River, drawn by its wild beauty and the promise of fertile land. Not long after, his courageous partner, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Jones, joined him. Together, they built a modest log cabin right beside the river—the seed from which Blue River Ranch would eventually grow.

Early Trials & Triumphs: Sam and Lizzie battled brutal winters, unpredictable floods, and the daily hardships of frontier life. Their evenings were filled with stories by the crackling fire—a tradition that would inspire future generations.

The Expansion Generation William Jones (b.1855–d.1940) & Catherine “Kate” Jones (b.1858–d.1935)

William, the eldest son of Sam and Lizzie, inherited not only the land but also the unbreakable spirit of his parents. Determined to transform the humble homestead into a working ranch, he, alongside his devoted wife Kate, set out to expand the operation.

Building the Ranch: Under William’s guidance, the first permanent structures were built—corrals, stables, and barns that would later define Blue River Ranch. Kate’s exceptional organization and warm hospitality ensured that every family gathering on the wraparound porch was filled with hearty meals and tales of frontier grit.

A Culture of Unity: Their work and love established a tradition of hard work and community spirit—a legacy that the Jones family would carry forward for generations.

The Modernization Generation Robert Jones (b.1880–d.1960) & Margaret “Maggie” Jones (b.1882–d.1962)

As the 20th century began, Robert—William’s son—took the helm and steered the ranch into the modern age. Embracing new agricultural techniques and early machinery, Robert modernized the once purely manual operation.

Innovations on the Ranch: With Maggie at his side, Robert expanded the infrastructure of Blue River Ranch. They built Equipment Sheds, a Bunkhouse for ranch hands, and an early Smokehouse. Maggie’s meticulous record-keeping ensured that every innovation and every hard-fought victory was memorialized for future storytellers.

The Transitional Generation Harlan “Hal” Jones (b.1915–d.1980) & Mabel Jones (b.1918–d.1990)

As the world continued to change, Robert and Maggie’s son Harlan (affectionately known as “Hal” or later, “Old Jones”) was born in 1915. Hal’s life bridged the gap between the old ways and the modern era, and his story is one of adaptation and community leadership.

Innovator & Community Pillar: Growing up on stories of his father’s and grandfather’s struggles, Hal introduced the first tractors and modern irrigation systems to Blue River Ranch. He organized community workdays during harsh harvests, ensuring that neighboring ranchers could share resources during difficult times.

Traditions & Celebrations: Hal instituted the annual harvest party on the hay fields—a festive day of music, food and storytelling. This event became a cherished ritual, reinforcing the bonds between family members and the wider community.

Mabel’s Warm Legacy: Hal’s wife, Mabel, was known for her secret recipes and her talent for turning simple meals into family feasts. Every evening, Mabel gathered the children and grandchildren on the wraparound porch to recount legendary tales—like the “Midnight Rescue,” when a fierce winter storm threatened the livestock and she rallied neighbors to save them. Her quilting bees and pie-making afternoons further cemented the Joneses’ reputation for nurturing both family and community.

The Modern Era Everett Jones (born 1950;) & Geraldine Jones (born 1950; passed 2022)

Everett, the son of Hal (born when Hal was 35), inherited a ranch rich with history and innovation. Raised amid the legacy of his forebears—from Sam and Lizzie to Hal and Mabel—Everett emerged as the modern patriarch of Blue River Ranch.

Steady Leadership: With decades of hands-on experience, Everett has maintained the ranch’s operations on over 15,000 acres of cattle pastures, woodlands, and creeks. His commitment to both tradition and progress has kept Blue River Ranch one of Clearwater’s most respected landmarks. All of it passed to his son Ethan Jones, who is now preparing for the next generation.

Geraldine’s Enduring Influence: Everett’s life partner, Geraldine, was equally dedicated. Together, they nurtured every facet of the ranch. Although Geraldine passed away in 2022, her gentle guidance, warmth, and spirit remain interwoven into every family story and every well-tended field.

[mixotrophics]

time layers

tree rings tree-time / dendrochronology. Look at a cut log, look at its rings. growth in trees occurs near the bark, while the deeper-in core layers are preserved rings of past growth.

The seasons / environment affect the growth rate of the tree , creating generally a visual difference between spring / summer+autumn ring growth in temperate regions, hence 1 ring = 1 seasonal cycle. Generally, spring is associated with less-dense, rapid growth, while summer (sometimes into autumn) growth is denser.

width of rings can also be used more finely, wider rings = more growth that year, so probably better conditions... overlapping ring-dates between trees can lead to a long, multi-tree chronology for the area.

.

ice cores layers are built by annual snow, compacted into ice underneath the layers forming above. Ice traps atmosphere , how we can know the rough % oxygen/carbon dioxide/etc of past atmosphere circumstances. Heat doesn't flow well through ice, so even past temperatures can be trapped in large sheets.

dust and marine salt-ions can be trapped within, giving further depth to past ecologies.

.

lake cores mud at the bottom of the lake builds up in undisturbed layers, trapping things that land in the lake and sink.

Trapped pollen can be observed under a microscope & can identify what plant it is from, helping the understanding of how plants spread ; such techniques have been used to find out when some crops were domesticated & cultivated (1).

.

sedimentary & metamorphic rocks an iconic time-layering. sediment builds up in layers, compresses under the weight of the layers above and becomes stone. Traps things in there, and they may become coal, fossils, etc. Other things are trapped: the ripples in sediment formed by waves, so that we may know past sand-beaches.

with enough time, these layers become distorted by geological processes, becoming Wiggly (should they move downwards), getting turned non-horizontal, getting weathered (should they be exposed to air/water/etc), so on.

.

scutes scutes: plates of a tortoise/turtle's carapace. They grow more quickly in warm seasons than cold ones, forming a ring much like a tree's, even mirroring that same seasonality. elderly animals may have worn-down scutes so particularly-old animals are difficult to age exactly (2).

.

otoliths inner-ear-bones. in fish, the large otoliths also form rings with age, so fish-ages can be counted. Again, they are seasonal, growing faster in the summer and slower in the winter.

.

stromatolites bacterial fossils / fortresses. on the sea-floor, bacteria can grow into a mat, which is sticky... sand and such gets stuck, forming a layer, and the bacteria then migrates to the top of that layer. repeat. sometimes, more than sediment is stuck : microfossils, for example (3).

stromatolites used to be commonplace, but they do not form without enough of a bacterial mat: in modern times, the mat struggles to form under grazing pressure from things such as snails, shrimp, and so on. Modern stromatolites -- their mats formed of different bacteria than the ancient ones -- can be found in places too harsh for their predators to inhabit.

.

baleen whale baleen, the filter-teeth they have, grows in a sturdy sheet. The filter-bristles are formed by the rubbing of baleen-on-baleen, breaking the sheet's ends apart. To compensate for continual wear, the baleen grows.

hormones, which can indicate stress, pregnancy, etc , and isotopes, which indicate different water conditions and therefore different locations / food, are stored in the baleen (4). while the growth/wearing means it is not a complete record of a whale's life, it is still an invaluable and rich slice.

.

sources:

Åkesson, C. M., McMichael, C. N. H., Bush, M. B., Late-Holocene maize cultivation, fire, and forest change at Lake Ayauch, Amazonian Ecuador, Sage Journal

Attenborough, D., Life in Cold Blood

Microbal Mats

Holland, J. S., A whale's baleen bristles reveal the story of its life, Smithsonian Magazine

.

if you know others, feel free to add :]

[fatehbaz]

[C]elebrated Victorian travel writer[s] [...] recounted the wilful behaviour of these captive animals [...] [in] a growing corpus of travel writings attempting to capture and relay the sites and scenes of the colony for a wider British audience. [...] [A] range of colonial-era writings - including veterinary texts, memoirs, diaries, fiction and travel writings - [...] [demonstrates] the entangled histories of elephants working in Burma's timber trade [...] [and] trace[s] the development of imperial knowledge about the Asian elephant [...]. The specific configuration of animal agency within the [British imperial] timber trade was a prerequisite factor for the generation of scientific knowledge about elephants. [...]

Teak operations in British Burma during the second half of the nineteenth century had resulted in the decimation of easily accessible forests. Timber firms now had to push their operations into more remote regions of the colony. This necessitated capital-intensive operations involving the purchase of elephants whose labour made possible the logging and transport of this harder-to-reach teak. By the period between 1919 and 1924, elephants represented the largest assets owned by the biggest timber firm operating in the colony [...]. This animal capital, of around three thousand creatures, represented between five and six million rupees annually, the equivalent of roughly a third of the corporation's liabilities. [...]

And these elephants must have been busy. This five-year period saw half a million tons of teak exported out of the colony, the overwhelming majority of which was exported by a handful of large British-owned firms. Their ownership of these beasts of burden gave imperial trading firms a considerable advantage over smaller-scale Burmese outfits and, according to some, over the government of Burma. [...] [T]his expanding and increasingly monopolized animal workforce, mostly employed in camps located in the colony's borders with Siam and Assam, brought unprecedented numbers of Asian elephants into the purview of the colonial scientific gaze. It made colonial Burma an important site for the study of elephants. [...]

---

Within the camps the ‘crush’ was the principal site for exacting discipline. The crush was a wooden structure [...]. Efforts to escape would tire and demoralize the animal, who would have been weakened through deliberate starvation. [...] Supplementing these physical impediments were pharmacological restraints. Opium was used to make elephants more amenable to human direction, particularly to tranquilize elephants for medical interventions. [...] These disciplinary techniques produced knowledge of individual elephants and their characters. Descriptive rolls were maintained providing the physical details of each elephant, giving information on its origins, listing any ailments and recording any misdemeanours, especially episodes of violence.

These documents were held by European supervisors employed by the timber firms to oversee operations. They were used to monitor the Burmese staff too, [...] reinforcing the imperial racial hierarchy in the everyday routines of the camps. The self-serving idea of the white officer protecting the elephants from indigenous cruelty was repeated throughout the early twentieth century. [...]

---

The contingent way that elephants’ bodies changed in the camps mattered for the generation of scientific knowledge. The question of how long elephants could live, and the difficulties of judging an elephant's age, demonstrate this point. [...] The sportsman Fitzwilliam Pollok claimed to have never found the remains of an elephant that had died of natural causes in all of his travels in the colony. This apocryphal but famed longevity stood in contrast to their lifespans in the camps, where elephants over the age of forty were considered elderly [...]. Imperial elephant knowledge was based upon these camp-conditioned bodies [...]. The elephant camps and timber yards were sites that enabled imperial authors to make their studies.

The development of a vaccine against anthrax in elephants illustrates the global significance of the colony's industry in contributing to scientific knowledge. [...] The outcome of these discussions, in 1928, was the employment of a veterinary research officer paid by both the state and the big timber firms. Revealing the wider imperial networks at play in this process, it was determined swiftly after establishing this agreement that the research officer should be a South African. This reflected the status that this settler colony had acquired for expertise in veterinary medicine within the British Empire by the interwar years, particularly for diseases affecting livestock, such as anthrax. [...]

---

Elephants in colonial Burma's teak industry were vital actors, in both senses of the word 'vital'. [...] The agency of imperial corporations to exploit Burma's resources was the effect of relationships between humans and elephants, and other animals. [...] Racial hierarchies and divisions of labour segmented the human workers. [...] Scientific knowledge of animals was not innocent of the structural position of a species in the empire. Certain creatures became available to imperial researchers through the specific relationships engendered by imperial expansion.

---

All text above by: Jonathan Saha. "Colonizing elephants: animal agency, undead capital and imperial science in British Burma". BJHS Themes, 2017 (2), 169-189. Published online: 24 April 2017. At: doi dot org slash 10.10016/bjt dot 2017.6. BJHS Themes is a companion journal of the British Journal for the History of Science. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[kon4ka]

Challenge: Drawing D&D classes - Topic 12 - Monk 2

🌊 Monk of the path of the Four Elements - Astra 🌊

Race: Human Alignment: Lawful good Background: Hermit.

📘 Backstory: Since childhood, Astra has never been truly happy with life. As a child, she was a very weak child, so her body prevented her from living. Whatever she does, wherever she is, she did not feel calm, safe. And from childhood she was drawn to water in every possible way. She spent so much time by the river in her village that she was nicknamed "the water one." This would have continued if their village had not turned out to be the epicenter of a showdown between two kingdoms and it was simply burned, considering that the residents were sheltering the enemy. The river saved her. When the wooden village was blazing like a torch, Astra jumped into the water and tried to swim across the river, but her strength was clearly not enough. And when she began to drown, someone pulled her by the hand onto a log… But she was alone… She was carried into the city down the river. She was found by a fisherman while collecting his nets. He brought the girl home, she was unconscious.

The fisherman's wife and her children left Astra, she came to her senses and, in order to repay, helped the father of the family with fishing. But first of all, she tried to return upstream, hoping for no one knows what. But there was only ashes and clay skeletons of houses. She returned to the fisherman's family with nothing, but from then on her life turned into a nightmare. At night, dreams haunted her, and during the day she herself was like a ghost, filled with longing for unknown reasons. Everything changed after she decided to work as a guide and did not lead one group of adventurers to a nearby dungeon. They traveled for several days and one of the adventurers at an evening halt saw this “irrepressible melancholy” in Astra, which greatly frightened her. But he said that if she wanted to get rid of this, then after the dungeon, he would return to the city and take her to where she would be helped. And so it happened. The adventurer monk on the way back brought her to the temple of the elementals and left her there. And only there did she learn that her weak body was unable to withstand her predisposition to spiritual practices, which is why she felt so bad all this time and why she was so drawn to water. Astra began to learn and gradually she was able to balance her stamina and her abilities.

✒ Character: A very caring girl, she enjoys helping others and tries to be useful even if she herself is feeling bad. She can explode with anger, but this is rare and for this it takes a long time to bring her up. No matter who you are surrounded by, still lonely in some ways, but it’s not the oppressive loneliness and melancholy that I had in my youth. This loneliness helps her see things differently. Astra knows how to take care of others and knows how to do it.

🌀 Skills: Swims like she breathes, her control over water is excellent, other elements are at an average level, except fire, due to injury, she found it difficult to use, so she deliberately avoided techniques involving it. He is not very good with weapons, using water instead, or, at worst, his own fists.

✨ Features: She is generally not susceptible to colds and has a higher freezing threshold than others. She always has water with her. She dances well. Her magic is not just fighting techniques, but her way of living and expressing herself.

RU

🌊 Монах пути Четырёх стихий - Астра 🌊

Раса: Человек Мировоззрение: Законопослушно доброе Предыстория: Отшельник.

📘 Предыстория: С самого детства Астра никогда не была по настоящему довольна жизнью. В детстве она была очень слабым ребёнком, поэтому её тело мешало ей жить. Чем бы она не занималась, где бы не находилась, она не чувствовала себя спокойно, в безопасности. И с самого детства её тянуло к воде всеми возможными способами. Она так много времени проводила у реки в своей деревне, что её прозвали "водяной". Так бы и продолжалось, если бы их деревня не оказалась эпицентром разборок двух королевств и её просто сожгли, посчитав что жители укрывают врага. Река спасла её. Когда деревянная деревня полыхала словно факел, Астра прыгнула в воду и попыталась переплыть реку, но её сил явно не хватало. И когда она уже начала тонуть, кто-то вытянул её за руку на бревно… Но она была одна… Её вынесло в город вниз по реке. Её нашел рыбак, собирая сети. Он принёс девочку домой, она была без сознания. Жена рыбака и её дети выходили Астру, она пришла в себя и чтобы отплатить, помогала с рыбалкой отцу семейства. Но первым делом она попыталась вернуться вверх по течению, неизвестно на что надеясь. Но там было лишь пепелище и глиняные остовы домов. Ни с чем она вернулась к семье рыбака, но с того времени её жизнь превратилась в кошмар. Ночью ей не давали покоя сны, а днём она сама была словно приведение, преисполнена тоски неизвестно по чему. Всё изменилось после того как она решила подработать проводником и не провела одну группу преключенцев к подземелью неподалёку. Они добирались несколько дней и один из авантюристов на вечернем привале разглядел в Астре эту "неуёмную тоску" чем очень напугал её. Но он сказал, что если она хочет избавиться от этого, то после подземелья, он вернется в город и проводит её туда, где ей помогут. Так и случилось. Авантюрист монах на обратном пути привёл её в храм стихийников и оставил там. И только там узнала, что её слабое тело не в силах выдержать её предрасположенность к духовным практикам, поэтому ей было так плохо всё это время и поэтому её так тянуло к воде. Астра начала учиться и постепенно она смогла сбалансировать свою выносливость и свои способности.

✒ Характер: Очень заботливая девушка, испытывает удовольствие от помощи другим и старается приносить пользу даже если ей самой плохо. Она может взорваться гневом, но это редкость и для этого её нужно долго доводить. Кем бы ни была окружена, всё ещё одинока в каком-то смысле, но это не то гнетущее одиночество и тоска, что были в юности. Это одиночество помогает ей смотреть на вещи иначе. Астра умеет заботится о других и умеет это делать.

🌀 Навыки: Плавает как дышит, её контроль над водой превосходен, другие стихии на среднем уровне, кроме огня, из-за травмы, ей сложно им пользоваться, так что она сознательно избегала техник с ним связанных. Не очень хорошо владеет оружием, используя воду вместо него, ну или собственные кулаки на худой конец.

✨ Особенности: Вообще не подвержена простуде и у неё выше порог замерзания чем у прочих. Вода при ней всегда. Хорошо танцует. Её магия это не просто техники боя а её способ жить и самовыражаться.

[mybeingthere]

Joyce J. Scott (born 1948) is an African-American artist, sculptor, quilter, performance artist, installation artist, print-maker, lecturer and educator. Named a MacArthur Fellow in 2016, and a Smithsonian Visionary Artist in 2019, Scott is best known for her figurative sculptures and jewellery using free form, off-loom beadweaving techniques, similar to a peyote stitch. (wiki)

Joyce Scott associates her beadwork with American Indian, African American, and West African cultures. Scott grew up in Baltimore and trained in fine art and art history. Drawing on past generations of craftspeople in her family, she adapts the traditions of handcrafted beadwork to create edgy imagery that often suggests issues of race and gender. The expressive faces in Africa appear to tell a story, but Scott invites us to form our own ideas about what the piece means. She used the ​“peyote” stitch to craft the necklace, a technique that derives from American Indian beadwork. The name comes from the peyote cactus, which is eaten during spiritual ceremonies with a beaded utensil. (SAAM)

https://www.craftinamerica.org/artist/joyce-j-scott

[24karatcherrygold]

Log Entry Leith de Aurum, Master Engineer and Researcher Skylanders Academy Laboratory Cycle 5471, Day 186

"Subject: Exploring Traptanium’s Potential as a Security Measure

Traptanium continues to surprise me with its multifaceted properties. Its ability to shift color in response to the presence of an individual—reflecting their spirit and magical essence—has immense potential beyond containment. Could we repurpose this phenomenon for something as practical and vital as security?

To explore this possibility, I enlisted the help of Tiger Lily, whose stealth and agility make her an ideal test subject. If Traptanium could reliably detect someone as elusive as her, it would validate its application as a high-level security measure.

================================================

Experiment One: General Proximity Detection I placed a small shard of Traptanium in a sealed room and asked Tiger Lily to approach it. The crystal, initially clear and dormant, shifted to a vibrant green as she drew closer—a hue that seemed to mirror the vitality and life force she exudes. Even as she masked her footsteps and suppressed her magical aura, the crystal continued to react, growing brighter as she approached.

This confirmed my hypothesis: Traptanium is not reliant on traditional sensory inputs like sound or sight. It responds to the presence of an individual’s essence—an almost metaphysical interaction.

Outcome: Traptanium could serve as an early warning system, alerting to the presence of anyone nearby, even those skilled in evasion or cloaking techniques.

================================================

Experiment Two: Identification by Essence Next, I tested whether Traptanium could distinguish between individuals. After calibrating the crystal to Tiger Lily’s essence, I asked her to leave the room. When I entered in her place, the crystal remained clear and inactive. Tiger Lily then re-entered, and the crystal immediately resumed its green glow.

To test further, I introduced Cynder, Encritus, and a magically animated construct into the experiment. Each subject elicited a distinct color reaction: deep purples and blacks for Cynder, deep bloody reds and oranges for Encritus, and an pale icy blue for the construct. No two individuals produced the same hue or pattern, reinforcing the idea that the crystal’s reaction is unique to the essence it detects.

Outcome: Traptanium could be used as an identification system, recognizing individuals by their magical signature rather than physical appearance.

================================================

Experiment Three: Intrusion Detection The final test involved a more complex scenario. I installed multiple Traptanium shards around the perimeter of the Academy vault. The goal was to determine whether the crystals could not only detect Tiger Lily’s presence but also track her movements.

True to her reputation, she managed to evade visual detection entirely, weaving through shadows and avoiding patrols. Yet, the crystals betrayed her every step. Each shard shifted to green as she passed, creating a trail of glowing markers that effectively mapped her path through the area. She admitted afterward that it was “frustratingly effective” and suggested we not use this system in any pranks involving her quarters.

Outcome: Traptanium could serve as a motion tracker or perimeter defense, providing real-time information on an intruder’s location.

================================================

Limitations and Ethical Considerations Despite its potential, there are challenges and ethical dilemmas to consider.

Range and Sensitivity: The crystals are reactive only within a certain radius, which appears to vary depending on the strength of the individual’s essence. Stronger magical presences, like Encritus, trigger reactions from greater distances, while weaker or suppressed signatures require closer proximity.

Privacy Concerns: The fact that Traptanium reflects not just presence but essence could lead to significant ethical concerns. Using it for security would mean constantly exposing an individual’s magical signature—a deeply personal aspect of their identity.

Tampering Risks: While Traptanium can be refined into a nearly indestructible material under most circumstances, its reliance on essence could theoretically allow an exceptionally skilled magic user to manipulate or obscure their signature, bypassing detection.

Future Possibilities The idea of using Traptanium as a security measure is tantalizing. With further refinement, we could create systems that:

Identify individuals with unmatched precision.

Detect hidden threats in real time.

Map intruder movements, allowing for swift responses.

However, as Tiger Lily wisely pointed out, such systems must be deployed with care. Security should not come at the cost of trust or freedom. If we choose to use Traptanium in this way, we must ensure its use remains transparent, ethical, and limited to safeguarding what truly matters.

For now, I’ll continue refining the system, perhaps experimenting with integrating Traptanium into mechanical constructs or automated defense systems. There’s a delicate balance to strike between innovation and responsibility, and I’m determined to find it.

End Log.

[rui-drawsbox]

hey dude

how did you develop your art style? ive been drawing for years and I cant seem to get a handle on ANYTHING

4 almost 5 days late sorry dude you shot right into my inability to put thoughts into words properly HAHA

alright so first of all, i don't even think a style is something you need to do art. I'm a hobbyist apologist and as long those people enjoy creating it doesn't even have to look "good".

That aside i'm assuming you want to take art at least a little seriously so i'm just going to be straight forward and say that the only way is ping-pong between styles/techniques/themes and just stick with the stuff you feel more comfortable doing.

Now going into my personal experience, that's what you asked after all lolol (from now on this is just yapping so feel free to ignore it)

alr soooo im skipping my first steps into art and going into the humanoid phase. I actually started with sonic! Specifically the show Sonic X, of course i picked up mannerisms from the anime when it was time of doing comedic doodles (and cuestionable taste on fashion)

(im going thru my big inspirations so bear with me here)

2015 came and i discovered my two main inspirations for a long time: fnaf and Ed00chan! (link to her abandoned deviantart so yall can see the style of the time). As i was completely enamored by her anime-yet-cartoony style i was also hyperfixated with fnaf and those two things combined perfectly into (the infamous in the spanish side of the fnaf fandom) fnafhs! bing bang boom there it goes my personality for the next 5 years!

sprinkle a few power puff girls z too why not

anyway at that time i wanted to become a pro like ed00 so i had to understand anatomy, and my go-to channel was Bgm94! But the elders said that to broke the rules you have to understand them, so i just kind-of started doing more "realistic" bodies while maintaining the cartoony-ness i liked so much. Which to be fair, didn't last long before i got bored and jumped straight into cartoon/chibi again

also since we're entering my digital era i'm including some drawings with wild style changes since the experimentation never ends owo9

anyway that was 2018 and before! it was around 2017-18 that i dropped the general tutorials and just started experimenting on my own style/anatomy and trying to improve my skills (im ignoring my sketchbooks bc from now on they just become- well, sketchbooks, instead of doing full drawings i just doodled in classes and leaved the detail for digital stuff)

i would love to include all my 2019 folder bc i consider it was a year full of love for my silly doodles but tumblr has a limit for images HAHA. Hopefully you can see how i go trying out stuff and pick little stuff from every stage with me lolol

2020 hits and you can *see* my hyperfixation with twisted wonderland here, at least my folder is 60% twst drawings i made for my fanfic at the time LOL. Not so many style jumps here tho so let's keep going

2021 and 2022 here! at the second half of 2022 i found my oh so beloved crunchy brush and i also fell hard for Arashi Narukami, so basically my tumblr became an arashi fanpage lol

stuff at 2023 keeps pretty the same until now tbh, the only highlight would be the re-inclusion of noses bc of spiderverse 2. My style also has been pretty well maintained since i started doing commissions so i don't really do so much experimentation anymore, at least not with proportions and such.

alr so that was my journey on artstyle! Of course it's not like you're gonna guess all my process just by looking at the images so i'll say what type of stuff i feel influenced my decisions.

i'm very lazy and for a log time i just abandoned my projects if it prolonged more than a day or two, that obviously made me lean into the cel/plain shading rather than spending hours and maybe days rendering (not that i don't try rendering every now and then but i don't enjoy spending so much time in a single piece)

everyone around me always has been extremely supportive so i had the privilege of dedicating all my soul to drawing silly characters haha, i feel like since i never felt the need of comparing myself to others i could actually experiment so unapologetically with my style until i was satisfied

finding an actual brush that i like is always crucial to me tbh, even in traditional i'm pretty picky with how the ink and type of pen i'm using. Of course, i also tried multiple traditional art techniques (watercolor, acrylics, crayons, pencils, pastels, my favorite are pen+markers)

i dont like feets. that shows until today.

in general i think an artstyle is something extremely personal that every person has to shape themselves and that it can't really be a permanent thing, it's gonna fluctuate with the artist whenever they like it or not.

[deardarlinggames]

Devblog 1

Hi! My name is Wendy, I'm a software developer, and the creator of Dear Darling Games. I'm going to be using Tumblr as a more relaxed and unpolished blog. For now, because I don't know how to format a blog post professionally quite yet. Later, I'll want a break from the structure of it, and have many things I feel I can chat about.

About me! I'm currently twenty two years old, and my goal is to be a solo game developer with a heavy focus on visual novel RPGs. I have no experience, and I'll be logging and citing my entire process as I learn to the best of my ability. Even figuring out the right questions to ask has been quite the task.

Tonight, I'm starting at square one. I'm using an IdeaPad laptop, and operate on a night-shift schedule due to work and life circumstances. This means most updates will be around four in the morning for me. I'm head of household in many ways, so sometimes I will have to step away for a day or two to get my affairs in order.

Here's all I'm learning, planning to learn as of now, and what I have so far.

Planning to learn: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Godot Engine, Procreate, and Blender. 2D paper-doll animation, rigging, video editing, layering, how to use Alpha lock... Sound design - cello, violin, piano, flute, foley techniques, and general sound equipment. Navigate and create - a website, a put together GitHub profile, and my first game pair; a 2D Mouse themed VN RPG, and a 2D farming game inspired by Zombie Farm with significant changes to the storyline, main mechanics, and characters. In essence, a reworked fan remake, and it will be free to play. I will also be learning how to navigate matters of intellectual property, copyrighting, and more in that area. Finally, I'll be learning Bootstrap, Sass, and React and Redux to create Single Page Applications.

Learning now?: HTML, CSS, Godot Engine, Procreate. Foley techniques, and I've officially gotten down plucking scales on my cello. No luck with the bow yet... I'm refreshing my guitar skills, and saving for a keyboard. I'm utilizing RPG Maker to start familiarizing myself with very, very basic aspects of how to communicate with the computer. Plus, it gives fast results which help lulls in attention span for learning how to do it all myself. I am not planning on publishing a game with RPG maker for *professional* purposes to illustrate learning or ability, but it is very fun to use.

What I've got: Full storyline and pathway branching for decisions, voice bits and character voices [done by me], snacks, water, and a dedicated workspace. Character sketches on paper, most of the dialogue, a working title for both, and most of the battle and other systems planned. It feels like all that's left to do is code and Learn How to Draw Digitally, but that's sure a lot when you have to break it down into all the little steps and refocus those into groups and whatnot. I also have a GitHub profile and joined their Developer Program, I have this tumblr, a Jira account to break down tasks and to-dos in a more manageable way, and my Neocities website has officially been set up to the point of Having It.

I'll release a pinned post with my production announcements later.

fin: 4:04AM