#that's almost the size of Alaska!

[montereybayaquarium]

Happy 50th Anniversary, @noaasanctuaries! Thank you for conserving these essential ecosystems—we’re so lucky to call the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary our home 💙

[thereissomethingunderthestairs]

Ive always wanted a pair of combat boots to wear but ive never found any at thrift stores….. however i have a pair of bunny boots that i think are much cooler (pun intended).. i love walking around in my 10lb big ol boots with a pressure valve so that my feet don’t explode in high elevations

[therecipelibrary]

So I get an email a few weeks ago from Tillamook, apparently years ago I had asked on their website if they could please considering making a havarti style cheese.

I might love cheese, just a bit.

I've been an avid admirer of them since I was a small thing in Alaska, in a rural town with one grocery store that carried mostly, yes Tillamook. This love followed me down the west coast and to every place I have ever lived, though it is harder to come by here.

Anyway, so I think great, they emailed me to alert me that this product is available so I can go forth and purchase it.

Oh no.

Not only did they keep insanely good records from what must be millions of submissions, they tell me I submitted in 2015, 8 years ago?! And I had forgotten by now. Of course. Not only do they want to tell me this cheese exists, they want to send me some.

I think great. I'm getting a coupon for free cheese and proceed to perform a not so short dance of getting all the cheese.

They ask for my address and tell me it will arrive within ten days, it does not.

I wait for 2 long weeks, checking every letter. It does not come. I give up all hope, assuming perhaps it was a scam or a fever dream.

Until today.

I received a full sized cooler box with not one but four packets of havarti cheese. To say I am in cheese heaven is an understatement.

I love it, what other company would ever? They not only exceeded, but shattered every expectation.

(If you haven't made a trip to their factory near the oregon coast, let me just say it is pure magic.)

And yes it is delicious, and it melts very, very well and I dearly hope I can find more to buy eventually because I am hooked.

Not that I wasn't before, I almost always have some of their cheddar on hand. If you haven't tried their cheese, you should, and if you have an idea for them, well, it might just pan out in copious amounts of free cheese.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Annotations | Spencer Reid

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist!

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Just fluff! & a mention of child trafficking, but hey, what's different in the CM universe?

Author's note: I'm finally writing a season 1 Spencer fic! Wanted to add a bit of Elle in this one 'cause I do miss her! I actually also just love this one... I think it might just be my favorite Spencer Reid fic I've ever written.

Words: 3K

After a well-deserved day off, the BAU team was back at the FBI headquarters, ready to tackle another case. Spencer had enjoyed his Sunday at home, just reading and playing chess all day long, but he was happy to be back at work, too. 

He was the first one in the office and decided to head into the breakroom for a nice cup of coffee. As he stirred in his mountain of sugar, he turned and took a seat at the table. The breakroom table was almost completely empty, save from the single book that was on it. Intrigued by the lonely item, Spencer reached for it. ‘Looking for Alaska’ it read on the black cover just above the cartoon of a daisy. 

It was a book he hadn’t read yet but after quickly reading the back, he was quite interested to read the whole book. Seeing as Spencer had a little bit of time, which was probably enough for him to finish the entire book, he started reading it whilst enjoying his morning coffee. 

As he went through the book, Spencer noticed the annotations in the margins and the highlighted quotes. Something he’d found even more interesting than the book in itself. There was so much you could learn from a person by just reading their margin notes and even their handwriting. 

From the handwriting alone, Spencer could tell a lot about the owner of this book. The letters were of average size with a lot of space between them. They even slightly slanted to the right. They were well-adjusted and adaptable, they enjoyed their freedom and didn't like to be overwhelmed or crowded. 

Whoever this person was, judging from their notes in this book, they were the smartest and most interesting person ever in his opinion. 

“Everyone who wades through time eventually gets dragged out to sea by the undertow.” 

They had underlined the quote and wrote “Everybody dies – Death is inevitable” in pink. Spencer fought the urge to write his own thoughts right next to it. This was someone else’s book, not his. He couldn’t ruin this person’s book with his scrawny handwriting. 

Besides, his coworkers started to file in and JJ told everyone to gather in the briefing room. He left the book on the table and joined his coworkers on the case instead. Though his mind was preoccupied with the details of the case, it kept going back to the notes in the book. 

He didn’t even know who this person was and still, he couldn’t keep them out of his mind. It even got to the point that he got weirdly excited when the book was still there when he returned from the case two days later. 

This time around, he decided to write his own thoughts in the margins. They had used a pink pen, which allowed him to use his usual black one that made his notes stand out from theirs. It felt weird writing in someone else’s book, but he felt somewhat of a connection to this person reading through her annotations.

They had gotten halfway through the book, Spencer noticed. The annotations stopped when the ‘AFTER’-part started. Which was where Spencer decided to stop, too. He could read the entire book before their morning briefing, but he didn’t want to spoil the person reading this. 

Besides, he secretly hoped the book was there again tomorrow with more notes for him to read. 

Luckily for Spencer, the next day he got in, the book was still there. Or, upon further inspection, he found that the book was there again. The person had continued reading and continued annotating. When he went back to the notes he wrote down, he noticed more pink words. 

“What’s your Great Perhaps?” 

With a soft smile, Spencer grabbed a notepad with the FBI logo imprinted on it before scribbling down the answer to her question. There wasn’t enough space in the margins for all his ramblings, so this was his best option. 

Once he was done, he stuffed the A6 page between the book in the right spot before continuing to the next part where new notes in pink lettering had appeared. They had underlined and highlighted a couple of quotes, written down some thoughts. 

Spencer actually found her notes more interesting than the book itself. 

For days, Spencer spoke to the book’s owner through their notes. At first, it was ‘Looking For Alaska’ for a couple of days. Even though they had already finished the book, they kept communicating through their notes. The next Monday, they had left him ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcot. As they kept going back and forth, they kept changing the book they left. From old classics to poetry books to new releases, the two of them had their very own book club, even if he didn’t even know who this person was. 

“What are you doing?” Elle asked when she entered the breakroom where she found Spencer hunched over yet another book. 

It had been ten weeks since Spencer had first given his thoughts on Looking For Alaska and now he was reading ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’. Or, in Spencer’s case, he was re-reading it. It had been Spencer’s favorite book since forever and it made him wonder if she knew that. 

“Oh, I’m–” he let out a chuckle. “I-I guess I’m kinda book clubbing with someone I have never seen before.” He looked up to find Elle staring down at him with an amused smile on her face and an eyebrow quirked. Spencer chuckled before turning back to his book. “Yeah, I know how it sounds. But she’s been leaving me books in the breakroom and we’ve been leaving each other notes in the margins.” 

“She?” Elle questioned, stirring her milk into her coffee. 

A smile befell Spencer’s lips as he tried to hide the obvious red tinge that tinted his cheeks. “Yeah, I learned that her name is y/n a couple of days ago. She’s been writing to me in the margins in a pink pen.” 

“Romantic,” Elle wiggled her brows, which didn’t help Spencer’s furious blushing at all. “Have you seen her around? I mean, she must work here, right?” 

“I haven’t dared to look her up yet.” His coworker shot him an inquisitive look. “Yeah, I-I guess I’m kinda nervous? I mean– I got this pretty vivid image of her in my mind from her words on the paper and even her handwriting, I guess I’m scared she’s going to transcend my expectations.” 

A teasing smirk tugged at Elle’s lips. “You’ve got a crush,” she pointed out. 

“Who’s got a crush?” Morgan asked when he and Penelope walked into the breakroom, sending an even deeper red to Spencer’s cheeks. 

“No one,” he mumbled before grabbing his book and coffee, and heading back into the bullpen. 

The worst thing was that Elle was right. He did have a crush on someone he didn’t even know. He knew her thoughts on every single book that ever existed and he could tell a lot of things from her handwriting and her notes. 

No matter who she was or what she looked like, she was already the most beautiful girl in the world to Spencer. 

And that scared him. 

Especially when he started noticing the books she was leaving him. At first it was ‘The Other Einstein’ then ‘Crime and Punishment’ and lastly, she left him ‘The Color Purple’. When she left him that last book, he knew she knew who he was. She wasn’t scared to look him up and find him. 

By week eleven, she started leaving him notes on his desk, too. It surprised Spencer that she hadn’t pushed him to meet. It had come up once, but Spencer got too scared and dodged her question. He thought she would just stop talking to him because he didn’t want to meet, but when the next book came the day after, he knew she respected his decision. 

“I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ask. And that in wondering about the big things and asking about the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, the more I love.” 

Upon reading the note, Spencer felt the tips of his ears heat up. He started to fall in love with the swoop of her ‘s’ and the way she dotted her ‘i’s and crossed her ‘t’s. 

He reread the note a couple of times, each time even better and more beautiful than the last. And each time, he noticed more and more how the pink ink was fading at the very end. 

That was when he decided to buy her a new pen. Two even. One with pink ink, the other with purple. He left them in the break room, slotted between his copy of ‘Love: Poems’ but not without underlining his favorite quote in the purple color. 

“Does the one who always waits suffer more than the one who has never waited for anyone?”

When Spencer found the book again a couple of days later in the exact same spot he had left it, he wondered if she had found it and read it at all. The disappointment slowly built inside his chest, bracing him for the worst. 

But when he opened the book, the pink pen had vanished and underneath the line he’d indicated with the purple pen was her answer. 

“So I wait for you like a lonely house till you will see me again and live in me. Til then my windows ache.”

The first five words were underlined twice as well as the last part of the line. She had even drawn little hearts in the margins. Spencer couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. He was probably crazy for thinking this girl felt the same way about him as he did about her. But seeing this, seeing the little hearts, he couldn’t think anything else. 

“You seem happy this morning,” Penelope said as she and Elle walked into the breakroom for their own coffees. 

Spencer quickly slammed the book shut and looked up at his coworkers. “Yeah, uh… I-I guess.” 

The two women in front of him exchanged glances. It was stupid of him to lie to one of the best profilers in the BAU and the woman who thrives on workplace gossip. He knew that, but he couldn’t just come out and tell them he was falling in love with someone he’d never met. 

“It’s her, isn’t it? Y/N?” Elle asked, her lips curling up on one side into a smirk. 

Penelope’s eyes shimmered at the promise of some new office drama while the two women walked closer towards Spencer to take a look at the book in front of him. Though he held his hand tightly on the item, Penelope and Elle somehow knew how to pry it off and open it, causing the purple pen to fall out and fall on the carpeted floor. 

Almost feverishly, Spencer picked it up and dusted off any dirt that had gotten on it. 

“She’s drawing hearts,” Elle pointed out. 

“Aww!” Penelope cooed. “She’s drawing hearts!” She clutched her chest as though her heart was going to pop out. 

Trying to ignore the heat that rose to his cheeks and that probably tinted his skin a bright red, Spencer grinned sheepishly. “What d’you think that means?” he asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose. 

“I think she’s into you as much as you are into her,” Penelope commented excitedly, which didn’t do much good for the blush residing on his cheeks. 

“You think so?” 

Elle scoffed. “Yeah! It’s very clear you guys are into one another. You should ask her out!” 

Before Spencer could say anything, Hotch poked his head inside the breakroom. “Who should ask who out?” he asked, having caught just the end of their conversation. 

“Spencer and y/n,” Elle replied without batting an eye, much to Spencer’s dismay. 

It was one thing some of his coworkers knew, but having his boss know about his little crush. This was even more embarrassing than when Morgan had tackled him in a park in Illinois when they were hunting down an L.D.S.K. and they had to duck before they would get shot. 

“Oh, y/n from the third unit?” Hotch asked, immediately capturing the youngest’s attention. He knew her? It surprised him a little that he didn’t know that. Neither did he know that she was in the crimes against children unit, though that part didn’t surprise him that much. “She’s coming in to help us with the case later today. We’ve got a child trafficking case.” 

Spencer completely froze up. He was actually going to meet her and it wasn’t even on his own terms. Of course, this was bound to happen, seeing that they worked in the same building. But he’d hoped he could ask her to meet him away from work. When he wanted to. 

“Seems like you’re gonna get your chance to ask her out, Romeo,” Elle joked as she smacked the book against his chest, holding it there for a moment until his hands got a hold of it, before passing by him.  

Penelope and Elle followed behind Hotch, leaving Spencer in the breakroom. He looked down at the book for a moment. He wasn’t going to have time to underline anything as a message to her, so instead, he drew a quick purple heart right next to the pink one she had drawn. At least then she’d know that he had seen it. 

During the briefing, Spencer couldn’t quite concentrate. His mind was a little too focused on the impending meeting. He was incredibly curious to know what she looked like and sounded like and if her perfume did smell of violets the same way her books sometimes did. 

“We’ve got the agents of the third unit consulting on this case with us,” Hotch explained to them and the mention of the unit y/n worked at captured Spencer’s attention. “Let’s meet at the SUV’s in ten minutes.” 

Hotch concluded the briefing and exited the room, having the others follow behind him. While everyone either went for a quick bathroom stop before leaving or gathered their stuff from their desk, Spencer made a beeline for the breakroom where he was hoping to meet her. 

As predicted, there was a girl hunched over the book he had left with a pink pen in her hand, scribbling some of her well-thought notes on the pages, sprinkling a portion of her in his belongings. She clutched her pen, her thumb sticking out ever so slightly. It looked almost childlike, but it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

“You hold your pen funnily,” he pointed out, capturing the girl’s attention straight away. 

Though at first, her brows were furrowed at the weird comment, her features quickly softening as her eyes landed on him. “Hi,” she greeted, her face breaking out into a big, toothy grin. 

Spencer’s world started spinning. The girl he had been talking to had to be the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Her smile, her bright, shimmering eyes, the freckles that were scattered across her nose and cheeks like a constellation… Everything was even more beautiful than he’d imagined. She was even more beautiful than he’d imagined. 

He was proven right. She did exceed his expectations in every way possible. 

“It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.” The quote rolled off his lips a little too easily. But it was the first thing that popped into his head once he realized he hadn’t said anything and he was just staring at her. 

Y/N’s head tilted slightly, almost in confusion. Then, she stood up and slowly approached Spencer. “At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid and it hurts, but then it’s over and you’re relieved.” 

There was a double entendre to her words. On one hand, she was merely quoting the first book they’d read together, but on the other, she was telling Spencer that them finally meeting was like pulling off a Band-Aid. 

Though in this case, it didn’t hurt. 

Spencer let out an airy laugh as he looked down at her. She was actually right here. In front of him. He could touch her, if he wanted to. He could smell the hint of the violet perfume she used. He could look into her eyes and actually witness how soulful they were. 

“I-I’m sorry it took so long for us to– I didn’t mean a-anything. It’s just–”

She placed a hand on his arm to stop him from stuttering and rambling, and chuckled. “It’s fine, Spencer. I get it. We were sucked up in our own world, communicating through these books… It was hard to break that bubble.” 

“Yeah,” Spencer all but whispered. He then grabbed the hand of hers that was still on his arm and squeezed it. “But now we can–we can talk about books in real life?” The statement came out in a question, uncertainty dripping from his tone. “I-I know this really nice bookstore in the city. I-I’d love to take you there sometime.” 

Her face lit up at his words. “Are you asking me on a date, Dr. Reid?” she asked. 

An awkward chuckle rolled off his lips as he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, not wanting to let go of her hand just yet. “Yes? I-I mean, if you wanna go. You don’t have to feel like you have to say yes.” 

Y/N squeezed his hand right back. “I would love to, Spencer.” 

And just like that, their fairytale that started in the margins of her books, sprang to life. 

Underlined quotes came out into longing gazes and sweet touches.

Annotations became sweet nothings whispered under the dim light of the bookstore. 

The perfect romance you’d only read about in books. 

Everything taglist: @calamitykaty @littlemissaddict @n0wornever @wanniiieeee @unnowhatthisistbh

Criminal Minds Taglist: 

@boimlers-gonna-boim @samsbirks @tinaasthings @dysphoricsanity @love4lando @elenamoncada-ibarra @r-3dlips @magstheslayer 

[polymc]

Soulmate AU Facts

TW!! There is talks about people passing away. That is all though.

Main Story Facts

MC and the devils meet in order of the main story. Minhyeok first, Satan, Sitri, And so on.

They aren’t as horny as they are in the game. They still are but way more wholesome with a dash of smut.

When a zap happens, MC makes sure to tell their soulmate immediately that they have 72+ more. They don’t want to hide anything from them.

MC in this universe is a lot more laid back. They aren’t crazy horny all the time and genuinely want to get to know each soulmate they have.

MC’s parents did still pass away in this universe but It is unknown how. Only MC, Minhyeok, and his family know how they passed.

MC inherited a lot of money but continues to work. They still act lazy when at home but they work hard outside their home and try not to use any of that money.

Some of the devils live together and some of them are just close friends. The kings all grew up together thanks to their parents but while they were friends, They still had separate groups of friends outside of that circle.

Solomon was around when MC was a child. MC doesn’t remember much but they remember all the stores he would tell about magic and a fantasy world. When he passed, They kept all his books that he wrote those stories in.

The soulmates still all have their mental illnesses and have a lot of the same habits in the game. Example, Satan still grinds his teeth, Beelzebub can’t stay still in one place, And Leviathan’s jealousy. 

While they tend to get a little jealous, All the soulmates agree they love MC and they secretly not only look out for them but each other.

Funny Main Story Facts

MC has a group chat with all their soulmates but, the soulmates also have one without MC in it. The one with MC is called “Gotta catch them all!” and the one without is called “Hell's Council”.

They all take time out of their days to go to MC’s work just to see them and even have lunch. Their boss thinks it’s sweet so they made a section just for them. 

Dates almost always have all or more than one soulmate but MC makes sure they get 1 on 1 time with each soulmate.

All the soulmates have MC as their wallpaper. MC however can’t fit all of them on their wallpaper so they secretly have pictures of them in their phone case.

When a movie comes out that MC wants to see, They rent out the whole theater just to fit everyone... Don’t ask how they figure out who sits where.

Mammon has bought MC an Alaska King size bed in case any of the soulmates slept over. Though it was pointless since most of the time they steal MC to one of their places.

The mall almost has MC and all the soulmates working there. They are all spread out differently. 

First ever date they all went on was to an amusement park. None of them could agree where to go so MC snuck off and said whoever found them first got to choose. They all had fun at the end of the day.

All the soulmates that can cook have made it a habit to make lunches for everyone at least once to twice a seek. They mostly do this for MC but since they make so much food, They share it with the others. They fight who feeds MC though. 

Side Facts

Nina and Samael are soulmates in this universe. Nina is a regular at the store MC works at and Samael works at the cafeteria. Satan thinks of Nina as his little sister.

The Solomon we know doesn’t exist here. He is still MC’s grandfather but the devils never met him in this universe.

Belial still has Jjyu. He is now a small retired service dog who Belial rescued from a horrible situation. Jjyu only likes Belial, Satan, And over time, MC.

The angels exist in this world too but they are not soulmates to MC. They do however also share a soulmate but it is unknown who.

The red lump family exists but they are everywhere. Some are in the city, some in the countryside and so on. Wherever someone goes, There will be a red lump family there.

The king's parents are the same as in the game. Mammon and Belial dads for example are the same. That meaning Lucifer is related to the angels in this world.

There are all kinds of soulmates in the world. Some have just the one, some have multiple, and some even have platonic soulmates.

God in the game is human in this world as well. He and Solomon were actually very close at some point. His name is Go in this world.

Ppyong aka Juno is Minhyeok’s best friend still in this universe. He always knew of his crush on MC and constantly said that they were soulmates before MC’s birthday.

The kings families all have business under their surnames. Their surnames are dedicated to hell. Levithan’s would be “Hades” for example.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Farewell Little Hero

Humans do not live long, this is common knowledge. And so years after Cybrtron's restoration, Arcee returns to Earth to talk with her old ward one more time.

(Enjoy this short story :D)

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

“It’s been a long time… I’m sorry for taking so long to come see you again.” Sitting down on the grass, Arcee did not look toward her ward. Her optics were firmly on the rising sun in the distance.

“I am sure you have been wondering what we’ve been up to.” She continued with a deep vent to calm herself. So many years away from Earth… she had almost forgotten how beautiful the organic world could be when war was not eating away at her conscience. 

“Bumblebee is doing just fine. He’s an Enforcer now. Last I checked, he was leading a team here on Earth to capture rogue Decepticons.” Birds chirped in the distance, but Arcee’s ward did not answer. She did not look away from where the sun crept ever higher, she couldn't bear to. 

“He has a collection of younger bots with him. Strongarm, Sideswipe, Windblade, Grimlock, and an older mech called Drift. There are three minicons as well, but I didn’t have a chance to learn their names.” Arcee informed absentmindedly as she tracked a leaf that blew past in the wind. It was almost Autumn, Jack’s preferred time of year. He liked being able to wear long sleeves and a sweater without cooking alive in the heat of Nevada’s notoriously aggressive summer rays. 

Jack had even gone so far as to go on vacation out in Missouri and occasionally Alaska just to get a taste of some decent cold after spending his whole life in the air fryer that was Jasper. Arcee could vividly recall his various complaints about the heat over the years. He wasn’t particularly fond of the frigid cold either, but he always had a good time bundling up once and a while to enjoy snow in a different state. 

“I think you would have gotten along with Bumblebee more, at least now that he’s learned what it’s like to deal with those younger than him regularly.” The grass was uncomfortable as it slipped into seams in her plating and caressed her cabling like the skittering limbs of scraplets, but she paid it no mind as the sky turned from black, to purple, and then to a bright orange. Cybertron’s sky did not have such color in the early joors of the cycle, at least not like on Earth. It was such a small thing, but Arcee missed it during her time away.

“Bulkhead has taken on a position as an architect. I never would have thought he had it in him, but he enjoys working to return our world to its former glory.” A smile pulled at her face as she recalled the various instances of Bulkhead sighing in exasperation at Vehicons and other workers under his command. They had no clue what they were doing, but they tried their best. Bulkhead was patient, at least as much as a mech once belonging to the Wreckers could be. 

“There have been more than a few accidents, but he recently restored the Archives of Iacon under Optimus’s direct supervision. I think you would have laughed if you saw just how nervous Bulkhead was while working on the project.” A quiet chuckle escaped her vocalizer as she recalled the intensity of which Optimus devoted himself to the Archives restoration. Bulkhead had been so anxious to do it right that once it was complete and got the Prime’s approval, the former Wrecker passed out on the spot. 

“Primes don’t party, but apparently they do care a great deal about books.” Feeling for a container she brought with her, Arcee wordlessly pulled out a sized down datapad she’d asked Optimus for. Jack always expressed an interest in Cybertron’s stories when he wasn’t otherwise occupied with his two fellow troublemakers. She ran her digits over the surface of the device before placing it beside her ward without looking over at him. 

A gift given far too late to be enjoyed…

“Optimus died on Cybertron. I never told you because at the time… I didn’t want you to be upset. He only returned to us recently, and he’s settling into his former role as an Archivist.” Jack and the others were not exactly close with Optimus, but he was always a giant, even to Arcee and the team. He was unshakable, an infallible titan. His death to restore their world was one of the harshest reality checks Arcee had received in vorns. She never told her ward of Optimus’s passing simply because she wanted to ensure that Jack, Miko, and Rafael still had that wonder of their younger years.

Humans aged quickly. A vorn was enough for a human to live out their entire lifespan. If not telling them about Optimus’s death allowed them to keep that magical aspect of the Prime’s memory alive, then Arcee was willing to do just that. But of course, now he was back, and Jack had not had the chance to meet his childhood guardian again. 

“Wheeljack has been doing Primus knows what off in space. Sometimes he brings in refugees, other times he vanishes for stellar cycles at a time. But he always comes back alive, so you can reassure Miko with that knowledge.” Arcee still did not look at her ward. She did not expect an answer from him. The silence served well enough as the world continued to come alive in response to the sun rising ever higher. 

“Ultra Magnus has kept himself occupied trying to get the government in order now that he’s no longer blacklisted. I forgot to mention it, but for a while our government went to slag. Hundreds of Autobots were exiled for supporting Optimus during the war.” No reaction met her words, as was expected. Cybertron always seemed to have a new civil issue to deal with. First was the caste system, then the high council. Of course the war came next, and then just as they finished their mass slaughter of their own people, the new government decided it needed more power.

A fragging mess. Thankfully, it was one that was being dealt with.

“It’s fine now though. Ratchet has stepped up with other war veterans from both factions to set things right. He hates his job and calls the old team regularly to be a glitch about it. Optimus helps sometimes, but it's largely Ratchet and the new council who run things.” Arcee could almost see the confusion written on Jack’s face at the prospect of Ratchet of all mecha being the one to run a government. The doctor never was the most pleasant during the war, but since its end, he had mellowed a degree. But of course for Jack, it likely seemed preposterous. 

“Surprising isn’t it? I never expected it out of him either. But Ratchet was a Senator in name before the war. He didn’t do a lot since it was honorary, but he knows how politics and governance is supposed to work, at least in theory.” Arcee smiled again as she shuttered her optics, feeling the cool air of the morning turn into something warmer as it brushed past her face. Like this, she could almost imagine things as they used to be.

“I know you and Smokescreen got along well, so I think you would be happy to know that the rookie is doing just fine. He’s signed on with the Enforcers until the Elite Guard can be reestablished.” She recalled how much fun Jack and Smokescreen had even while war raged. It was such petty enjoyment. Trashing the car of a bully and goofing off… despite that, Arcee had not seen Jack laugh so gleefully until the rookie came in. For that, she could be somewhat grateful for the trouble Smokescreen brought with him and continued to create wherever he went. 

“Knockout is working in a clinic in Praxus, Soundwave is currently in rehabilitation on Optimus’s orders, Starscream is dealing with the same. We don’t know where Megatron is, but he’s staying quiet. The other Con’s seem to have largely calmed down enough to rejoin us on Cybertron.” Her voice rang out on the hillside as she reached into her container again and pulled out a photograph she’d had printed and framed. It was of the whole team smiling during the anniversary of Cybertron’s restoration. They were all there… except for Jack. 

“Arcee, the others are waiting for you.” The sounds of wheelchair wheels rolling over the ground reached Arcee’s audio receptors. Nodding once she gathered up her now empty container in her arms and moved to stand. Rafael smiled up at her as she did so. His wrinkled face still left Arcee doing a double take even now. He did not match the memory of the young boy she knew but a vorn ago.

“I know… I just wanted to catch up with him.” Sorrow sat heavy in her spark as Arcee at last turned to look at her ward. A soft song escaped her vocalizer as she got down as low as she could to gently press the crest of her helm to the marble surface of Jack’s tombstone. There was no warmth in what remained of her ward, but as she pulled away and carefully arranged the datapad and picture at the foot of his grave, she felt a degree of peace.

She had not been there for Jack as much as she should have been, but she could hold his memory in her spark. So long as she lived, Jack Darby would not be lost to the tests of time. She would ensure it. 

“Farewell little hero. May you be at peace wherever your soul is destined to go.” Arcee allowed her touch to linger on the top of the tombstone a moment longer before she gathered herself and turned away back toward the base. Rafael rolled along beside her and together they moved in silence. 

They would remember, and when Rafael joined Jack and Miko in their rest, Arcee would carry his memory with her as well. 

They would not be forgotten.

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

today's fish of the day is the giant pacific octopus!

The giant pacific octopus, also called the North Pacific Octopus, scientific name Enteroctopus dofleini, is known for being the largest species of octopus! Living exclusively in temperate waters, their range stretches from Southern California up to Alaska, and from the West coast of Northern America, to the Aleutian Islands, and East coast of Japan. Giant pacific octopi live along coral ranges, rocky outcroppings, and intertidal zones where catching prey is easier. The bite of the giant pacific octopus contains a venom that breaks down proteins in animals, softening muscle tissues and organs over the course of a few hours. Their diet consists of almost anything they can fit in their beak: fish, crabs, lobster, shrimp, some smaller sharks and dogfish, clams, snails, and seagulls. They can tear apart animals with far tougher skin than their own due to a beak structure that can be found on all octopi, made of chitin. This diet can support them getting sizes as large as 29 feet! Their arm span alone can reach 19 feet across, and the heaviest recorded specimen was almost 200 pounds!

Many scavengers predate on octopi, and the great pacific octopus is no different, even drawing in larger predators due to their size. Many marine mammals, such as harbor seals, sea otters, various dolphins, and sperm whales have been found hunting great pacific octopi, along with large sharks. Humans also hunt great pacific octopi with commercial fishing for consumption across the world, taking 3.3 million tons annually. However, great pacific octopi are especially known for their high intelligence, which is used to avoid many of these predators. Octopi are known for being able to survey their surroundings and camouflage at will in many different ways. These animals have 9 brains, one in each of their 8 arms and a central brain, which does more than the others, each of the arms controlling over 200 suckers, which they have the control over like we do of our individual fingers, giving them high control over their movements. Along with the ability to create havoc in research environments, dissasemling expensive equipment, and escaping. 

Like many other cephalopods, the giant pacific octopus can change colors, using this to blend into the rocks around their hiding caves. This color changing ability is quite interesting for study however, when the octopus is resting they turn a milky white color, and when the octopus is occupied by other worries, they turn a deep red color. However, it is found that throughout an octopus's rest they will change into molted patterns that are also found in alert octopi: leading to the theory that octopi too, can dream. In other situations, these octopi have been known to create molted patterns to seduce partners, and to confuse prey. Other than their color changing abilities, they also have been known to surround themselves in shells and other remains of previous meals, to disguise their body when venturing for food. These animals also possess the well known ability to squirt ink out of their siphon, used to confuse predators. They also have been known for changing the texture of their skin, to blend in better with their surroundings. Their intelligence is so high that it is thought the octopi are some of the only invertebrates that engage in play activities.

Giant pacific octopi spent around 90% of their time inside of dens, venturing out only to find prey, and bringing them back into the den to consume. This creates an 'octopus garden' on the outside of the den, where there are piles of bones and shells piling up. However, depending on population, throughout the year these octopi will migrate, in accordance to seasonal changes. Eastern populations tend to locate new dens when the water experiences temperature changes in summer and winter, whereas western populations will move dens to shallower waters in early summer and winter, and then move to deeper waters in the later summer and winter. Northern populations, both the Alaskan and Northeastern, do not seem to have migration patterns.

Their lifespan is relatively long compared to other octopi. Sexual maturity is achieved at 1-2 years of age, but the giant pacific octopus, with a lifespan of 3-5 years, will wait until it reaches a sufficient body mass. This is because a giant pacific octopus will only ever go through one sexual event in a lifetime. After laying eggs within their den, males will fertilize. The female octopi will then brood over these eggs for 6 months, refusing to leave the den for any purpose, eventually dying of starvation, just as the eggs hatch. Eggs are cared for, by having the mother keep them well aerated with cool water from her siphon, and she'll clean them to ensure algae or parasites wont prey on the eggs. Males will also die after reproduction, although they will do this in their own dens. After hatching, the eggs grow quickly, reaching adult sizes within a year. Thus, continuing the cycle.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

[bethanythebogwitch]

Today's Wet Beast Wednesday is about sea otters. I was originally going to do this last week in honor of the 24th birthday of Rosa, the world's oldest sea otter (and one of the oldest sea otters on record) but, well, I forgot. But better late than never.

(Image: a sea otter on its back, yawning)

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is one of only two otters to live in salt water, the other being the rare and poorly-understood marine otter (Lontra felina). Otters are aquatic mammals of the family Mustelidae, which makes them cousins to weasels, badgers, wolverines, and martens. While many mustelids can swim, otters have adapted to a primarily aquatic lifestyle. Sea otters are divided into three subspecies: the Asian sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris) which lives from northernmost Japan up through the northwest Pacific, northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) which lives from Alaska down to Oregon, and the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis), found in California.

(image: a sea otter relaxing on a rock)

The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals (only the marine otter is smaller), yet it is also the heaviest of all mustelids. Males are larger than females, averaging between 1.2 and 1.5 meters (3'11" to 4'11") and 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lbs). Females average 1 to 1.4 m (3'3" to 4'7") and 14 to 33 kg (31 to 73 lbs). I honestly thought they were around the size of cats and was surprised to find out how big they can get. Otters are the most recent of the marine mammals and have not developed the thick layer of blubber other marine mammals use to keep themselves warm. Instead, sea otters warm themselves with the densest fur of any mammal, with almost a million hairs per square inch. The fur has two distinct layers: a longer layer of waterproof guard hairs and a shorter underfur layer. The guard hairs keep the underfur dry and trap air between the layers. This air gets heated by the otters body heat and provides an extra layer of insulation. This is the same principle that wet suits work on. The air layer also provides some added buoyancy. Sea otters are positively buoyant and can float on the surface of the water. There are many other adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle that sea otter have. Their feet are webbed and have long digits, allowing them to act as flippers but also making them slower and more clumsy on land. The front claws have retractable claws and pads that let them grab onto slippery objects. When swimming, they use their entire real bodies, but primarily their hind feet, for propulsion. They can hold their breath for up to five minutes and have whiskers used to search for food in darker water. Their ears and nostrils close when submerged to keep water out. While sea otter can, and often do, move around on land, they are capable of living their entire lives in the water. Some evolutionary biologists think sea otters represent an early stage of marine mammal development and can compare them to more established marine mammals like cetaceans and pinnipeds.

(image: a wet weasel holding a sea urchin)

Sea otters are carnivores whose diet consists mostly of hard-shelled invertebrates, though they will also eat fish. They forage for food on the sea floor in dives that usually last a minute. Their paws give them an advantage over other marine mammals, who can only use their mouths for capturing prey. Otters by contrast can pick up and move rocks and dig into the sediment. They are the only marine mammals to catch prey with their paws instead of teeth. Otters carry prey to the surface and eat while floating on their backs. Famously, they use rocks to break open the hard shells of their prey, making them one of the relatively few mammals to use tools (though tool use is proving to be more common than previously thought). Under each arm is a pouch of loose skin that is used to hold prey and rocks. Each otter has a favorite rock that they carry with them. Sea otters have blunt teeth used to crush through prey's shells.

(image: an otter dining on crab)

While sea otters do spend a lot of time in groups, they are not considered truly social animals as they forage, groom, and defend themselves on their own instead of with help. Groups of otters are called rafts that typically have between 10 and 100 members, but can reach up to 2000 members. Rafts are single sex, each having only male or female members. When resting, raft members will hold hands to keep themselves from drifting apart. One social behavior they engage in is play, which is done frequently. Mating season happens in autumn. During summer and autumn, males will attempt to establish territories and push other males out. Females mover between territories at will. Males without territories will swim around and attempt to find females in heat. Males will attempt to mate with multiple females. During estrus, the males and females will bond through play and sometimes aggressive behavior. When mating, the male will bite the female's head, which can leave scars. Otters are capable of delayed embryo implantation, where they can wait for several months between conception and the embryo beginning development. Pregnancy lasts four months and typically results in a single pup. While males are absentee fathers, females are very caring mothers who spend almost all their time caring for their pups. The only time she leaves her pup will be when diving. The pup will be left floating on the surface, often wrapped with kelp to keep it from floating away. The baby will cry for its mother until she comes back. The mother will teach her pup how to dive and forage as it ages. Pups will stay with their mothers for 6 to 8 months (longer in colder areas), and sometimes until they are fully developed. Childless females will foster orphaned pups. Females reach sexual maturity at age 3-4 and males around age 5. They average 10 - 15 years in the wild and can live significantly longer in captivity. The oldest living sea otter is Rosa, living in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who is 24 years old. The oldest sea otter on record was a female named Etika who lived to be 28.

(image: two sea otters holding hands)

(image: a sea otter mother sleeping with its baby on its stomach)

Sea otters are a classic example of an endangered species. They have been hunted throughout history for their fur. Eventually, this reduced the world population to less than 2000 individuals. They are now the target of conservation measures worldwide and local and international protections, which has helped the population rebound. They still have not regained their historical population or range, though reintroduction measures have helped them reestablish in historical territories. The southern sea otters are the most endangered. Famously, almost all southern sea otters alive today are descended from a group of 50 discovered in 1938, when the subspecies was almost extinct. Sea otters are classified as endangered by the IUCN. Sea otters are a keystone species, having a major ecological impact on their habitats. Famously in California, the near-extinction of southern sea otters resulted in a population boon of sea urchins (their primary prey) which proceeded to kill vast areas of kelp forest. Curren threats include predation, pollution, and habitat loss. Oil spills are particularly devastating to sea otters, as the oil destroys the air layer in their fur, destroying their ability to keep themselves warm.

(image: an employee with MBARI releasing a rehabilitated sea otter back into the wild)

[dreamstar-moonlight]

Hey! I was wondering where I can find that drive for CaffeinatedFlumadiddle fics? I've been looking for a fic for about a year now and thought I was going insane, I just learned about the situation, it's so awful.

Hey anon!!!

First off, I'm SOOOOOO EXTREMELY SORRY for replying to this so ABSURDLY late -

I never imagined someone would send in an ask - to me, of all people! Because I've only ever seen Important People on Tumblr being sent asks, and I'm definitely not one of them!

So, uh - I actually made a detailed post with all the links to the now deleted fics, which you can find here,

But in case Tumblr messes up, and the link doesn't work, lemme copy-paste the contents of that post below:

1) Son of Sea Foam, originally published on Ao3

SoSF Google Doc Part 1 | Part 2

SoSF in pdf format

2) Descendants of Olympus, originally published on Ao3

DoD Google Doc Part 1 | Part 2

3) Highway To Hell (fic)

4) Hello Ocean, My Old Friend (fic)

5) Fishing in Alaska (epub) | archived Ao3 site

6) Stealing Shells (fic)

7) Google Drive folder of a bunch of fics and one-shots | 

8) Another mini-google-drive backup of a few fics 

9) Even more fics (there’s 70 of them here)

10) Almost all PJO and Merlin fics in epub format! Estelle series has series order in metadata.

To read epubs, good apps are Moon+ reader for Android and Calibre for PC. epub is a reflowable format that allows changing the font size, background, margins etc, and has title/author/series into embedded and sortable. 

11) Roman Percy | V2

12) A bunch of archived Tumblr posts

13) The entire tumblr (but on the archive website)

14) OneDrive link to download PJO & Merlin fics. 

Once again, my HEARTFELT APOLOGIES for not seeing this sooner!

Edit: @cmxlkaze brought it to my notice that the link to “Descendants of Olympus” Part 2 had been broken It's fixed now, though it took me a bit – sorry about that! If any of the other links get taken down or appear broken, do let me know, and I shall fix them immediately.

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Brant (Branta bernicla)

(Photo by Beko Binder)

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Habitat- Canada; Alaska; Eastern Siberia

Size (Weight/Length)- 2 kg; 65 cm; 120 cm wingspan

Diet- Eel-grass; Seaweed; Sea lettuce

Cool Facts- While lesser known than the Canada goose, the brant deserves just as much love. These geese never leave their coastal home, sticking to the saltwater. Brant feast on aquatic plants, using salt glands in their nares to excrete excess salt through their boogers. Brant used to exclusively feast on eel-grass, until 1931 when eel-grass almost went extinct due to a slime mold infesting the waters. The brant population dropped massively, at least until they learned that sea lettuce and seaweed made a great diet substitute. Today, they number half a million individuals.

Rating- 13/10 (Was once classified as a fish rather than a bird, I’m not joking.)

[yuly]

Hey, hope you're doing good today 🤠 can I get a hurt/comfort with Hotch pining after reader, but she has a boyfriend? (She likes Hotch too, but he was with Beth, so she never made a move) Bonus points if you toss the one bed trope in there 🫠 please and thanks 🥺

→ hi lovely!! Can I just say that I love your ideas!! Hope you enjoy ♡

Aaron Hotchner x reader 

Cw: mutual pining, loads of fluff 

Lifeline 

 *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

He’s always had a soft spot for you, there's a magnetic-like force that compels him to you. He always picks the seat closest to you, always pairs you with him, and always finds a reason to check in on you. But he can’t get himself to admit his feelings for you, not even to himself, much less make a move. He’s convinced himself that you are too good for him, that you deserve better, and that he would never have a chance.

You’ve always felt something special for him. There's something about the way he talks, his gestures, and the little habits he's so consistent with. He’s a dose of happiness you allow yourself to enjoy, but only from afar. You could never approach him with these feelings, he's a well-respected man, a professional in all aspects, and your boss. You've convinced yourself that he would never look at you that way.

Finding out that he was seeing someone was the proverbial last straw for you. You decide to leave the daydreams alone and function in reality. He would never and could never be yours. So you try to move on and start dating a lawyer, a distraction from what your heart truly yearns for. 

When he finds out you're seeing someone, it feels like a dagger to the heart. It's hypocritical coming from a man who isn't single and doesn't have the guts to approach you anyway, but it hurts just the same. She provides him with companionship and satisfies his needs, but nothing will satisfy the yearning in his heart for you.

An eerie case finds you both in frigid Alaska, where suddenly, everyone has to bunk up and share a room. The rest of the team is quick to pair up and the two of you find yourselves with no other option. 

You’re fidgety and panicky, this is way too close quarters to share with the man you’ve nursed a crush on for almost 2 years. You silently pray to God that you don't embarrass yourself.

He has no idea what to think, mentally cursing himself for not being faster to speak up. How would he survive being in a room with you alone knowing how he feels deep down?

You both exchange awkward smiles and trudge up to the room.

“You’re kidding.” You stare wide-eyed at the single queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. 

He clears his throat, “I’m fine with the couch.”

You argue that the love seat is barely big enough for him and that you would fit better on it. He simply cannot accept this and you are at a standstill. 

You get yourself ready for the night and settle onto the couch to watch TV, hoping he will give up and just take the bed. 

He sighs at the sight of you bundled up on the couch.

“Y/N, this is not up for debate,” he sounds exhausted, but all you can focus on is the navy long-sleeve he's changed into.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” you respond sweetly and turn to the TV.

Surely enough, he settles into the couch next to you, the two of you sitting side by side, bundled up in blankets. 

20 minutes later, you've dozed off, and you unconsciously rest your head on his shoulder, softly snoring away.

He freezes at the sudden contact. Unsure what to do, he contemplates carrying you to bed, but he doesn't want to wake you. He removes the blanket around him and settles it into his lap, gently laying you down. Once he’s satisfied that you won’t wake up with a sore neck tomorrow, he grabs a cushion from your end of the couch and settles it between your arms. He smiles brightly as you instantly cuddle the cushion, he knows this will help you sleep better. It takes everything in him not to give you a kiss goodnight. He finds himself counting each breath you take before he eventually slips into a peaceful slumber.

You wake with a start, causing Aaron to wake up in a slight panic.

“Hey, I’ve got you," he croaks in his raspy morning voice, instinctively wrapping an arm around you. 

“You’re really stubborn Hotch, you could have left me here and taken the bed!”

He blushes slightly, “didn’t want you to get cold.”

A moment passes before you break out into a smile, and the both of you burst into giggles. The air in the room is carefree and playful, contradictory to the reality of the world outside of it. 

You attempt to shuffle off his lap when he pulls you back with a firm grip.

"Aaron-"

"I'm sorry, I know this isn't appropriate I-"

"Does it feel right?" you ask solemnly. 

"Sorry?" 

"Does it feel right?"

"It only ever feels right with you," he looks dreamy, like he's stuck in a trance and you're the only thing that exists before him.

You pull him in for a hug, and he clings onto you like you’re his lifeline, the oxygen he needs to breathe, a living embodiment of his happiness.  

You pull back to look into his honey-brown eyes, bringing you both back to Earth. 

“But Aaron, we're not...you’re-"

“I know angel, I promise we’ll do this the right way, but for now,” he nestles you into his chest once more, “we have 15 more minutes to cuddle.”

You smile as you return to rest in your favourite spot, counting his heartbeat while softly tracing random shapes on his chest. 

[rabbitcruiser]

Alaska (No. 4)

The state is bordered by Canada's Yukon and British Columbia to the east (making it the only state to only border a Canadian territory); the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south and southwest; the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west; and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Alaska's territorial waters touch Russia's territorial waters in the Bering Strait, as the Russian Big Diomede Island and Alaskan Little Diomede Island are only 3 miles (4.8 km) apart. Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. Alaska's size compared with the 48 contiguous states (Albers equal-area conic projection)

At 663,268 square miles (1,717,856 km2) in total area, Alaska is by far the largest state in the United States. Alaska is more than twice the size of the second-largest U.S. state (Texas), and it is larger than the next three largest states (Texas, California, and Montana) combined. Alaska is the seventh largest subnational division in the world. If it was an independent nation, it would be the 18th largest country in the world; almost the same size as Iran.

With its myriad of islands, Alaska has nearly 34,000 miles (55,000 km) of tidal shoreline. The Aleutian Islands chain extends west from the southern tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Many active volcanoes are found in the Aleutians and in coastal regions. Unimak Island, for example, is home to Mount Shishaldin, which is an occasionally smoldering volcano that rises to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above the North Pacific. The chain of volcanoes extends to Mount Spurr, west of Anchorage on the mainland. Geologists have identified Alaska as part of Wrangellia, a large region consisting of multiple states and Canadian provinces in the Pacific Northwest, which is actively undergoing continent building.

One of the world's largest tides occurs in Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage, where tidal differences can be more than 35 feet (10.7 m).

Alaska has more than 409,000 natural lakes at least one hectare or bigger. Marshlands and wetland permafrost cover 188,320 square miles (487,700 km2) (mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands). Glacier ice covers about 28,957 square miles (75,000 km2) of Alaska. The Bering Glacier is the largest glacier in North America, covering 2,008 square miles (5,200 km2) alone.

Source: Wikipedia

[c0smoshit]

hi hi i just wanted to say that i ADORE your fanfics omg… if you don’t mind / if it’s not too much of a bother, i’d be curious to know how the metal gear men would take care of their s/o during her period? mainly solid snake, big boss, and venom snake but feel free to include more if you’d like! really going through it with that rn lmao but i hope you’ve been well! stay hydrated and take care of yourself! <3

Thanks for the compliments dear!!

And ofc your wish is my command ;))

Damn Periods

⋆ ࣪. ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 ≫ Solid Snake, Big Boss, Venom Snake and Raiden

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ≫ none, pure fluff!

⋆ ࣪. 𝔸/ℕ ≫ thank you guys for these requests, they are so cute😭

Solid Snake (David)

★ At first he wouldn't mind your periods that much since he really didn't know how they worked

★ But if he sees you in any kind of pain be sure that this man is 24/7 on you

★ Want to be alone? That's alright with him. Want to cuddle all day long? Perfect. Want to go out? Let's go. Want to stay inside? He's already bringing the covers

★ He'll adapt, so don't stress too much about it

Now that you were here in Alaska, back with him again, the cold wasn't really a burden with such good company.

Waiting for him under your two heavy blankets that couldn't compare to the heat of his own skin, you craddled your arms closer to you, lower stomach cramping.

"Where were you? Off to Shadow Moses again?"

You whined as you saw him bringing a steamy cup with him, which you knew you had to share with him. He smiled as he pried the two blankets from your surprisingly still cool body, seeing you curled up.

"Wouldn't even dream about it darling"

You planted your feet against his bicep, chuckling as he hissed, goosebumps forming on his skin almost immediately.

"How are you still that cold?"

You smiled as you giggled at his stunned expression, grabbing the cup that was being handed to you, sighing at the feeling of his arms wrapping around your middle.

"This morning wasn't enough for you? Greedy girl"

He pinched your cheek as he smiled and you recalled the moment he was talking about; you wrapped on one of his fluffiest sweaters, forcing him to cuddle you in bed before he had to head off to take care of his dogs.

You pressed your back further into his chest, lolling your head to the side and resting it on his shoulder bone. Only your heads were visible as the dawn cascaded through the creaky wood.

"Still hurting?"

"Yeah"

You muttered out as you went to grasp your belly, feeling a pair of bigger hands already soothing the skin there, kneading softly and rumaging through the expanse of your skin.

You sipped your favourite warm drink he knew you loved, almost melting at the way he choose the perfect options for your taste buds.

"You're the best, really"

You nuzzled your cheek into his jaw, smelling his aftershave, the one you had bought him not long ago. Lifting your shirt, he finally felt the softness of your skin, massaging now your lower belly as he felt you melt under his touch.

"Better?"

You nodded, already feeling yourself close your weary eyes, nape resting on the expanse of his shoulder, legs resting between his own.

Big Boss "Naked Snake" (John)

★ I see him definitely being the meme of "What size pussy do you wear, woman?" When buying you pads

★ But jokes aside, he would be such a sweetheart with you

★ Will buy you any sweets too whenever he had to buy tampons or pads

★ Belly rubs are a MUST

Curled up on the bathroom floor as your cramps had gotten even worse when you had left the bed to change, stained cheeks that you tried to rub off and finally get up.

"Lets go back to sleep sweetheart"

You had already started to avoid questions like how the fuck was he able to sneak on you like that when the answer was pretty obvious.

He was indeed big boss

Hooking an arm under your knees and the other by your back he lifted you up easily, cringing at the way fat tears still rolled down your cheeks. He hated seeing you in pain, he hated your damn cramps even more than you did.

"It's okay"

He wiped your cheeks with his thumb as he laid back down on the bed with you, not even letting go of the princess carrying as he laid back down on your many pillows.

"Cmon sweetie, you're with me now"

You pressed your face on his chest, trying to surpress your incessant cries you didn't even know where they were coming from. He melted as you muffled your words into his naked chest.

"Didn't want to- wake you up"

Interrumpted by a hiccup you felt even more tears falling down your cheeks, making you separate your wet and hot face from his chest, rubbing your eyes.

"Don't waste such a pretty voice in such fool words"

He whispered out, grasping your hair and pressing your face into his neck. Your hands now hugged his neck as he laid down a bit, finding a comfortable position and pecking your head on the process, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on your knee.

You both fell into a comfortable silence and when he looked down he saw his wet chest and your beautiful pout as your lips were pressed tightly into his pectoral.

"Sweet dreams"

Venom Snake "Big Boss"

★ His overprotectiveness definitely goes up to a 100%

★ He doesn't want to see you moving a muscle, and less if your periods are painful

★ Cuddles, baths, belly rubs, pills, pads, whatever you ask for, he is giving

★ Will stay in the bath with you, doesn't care if he ends up all bloody, he's used to it anyway

You were out again, after he had told you multiple times to stay back at your shared home. He found you trying to fix one of his guns you knew he used a lot in missions, fumbling with it on the desk.

He always thought you looked way too cute to be holding such weapons and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. But then he saw that you were hunched on the chair, remembering why was he here on the first place.

"Works over, you're coming back"

Turning around you didn't even have the time to greet him before he had you scooped on his arms, dragging you back to your room with him.

"I can still walk yknow"

He chuckled, opening the door with his foot.

"Yeah, but you love my arms too"

You sighed as he ploffed you down on the bed, bouncing a bit by the impact and you almost immediately felt the pain again as you got comfortable.

"This is why I hate having no distractions"

You muttered as you hid your face on the pillows, letting him take off your pants for you, lifting your hips so he could slide them off.

"Well, I sure am having a distraction right now"

You didn't even look at him as he patted your thigh. Letting him lift you up to take off your jacket and shirt as he made sure you didn't have to move a muscle while putting your pijamas on. You heard some shuffling behind and you guessed he was getting ready to bed too, already getting yourself comfortable under the covers as you waited for him.

"See? All nice and comfy here, not out there getting yout hands dirty for me"

He pulled you into his arms immediately after laying down on the matress, rubbing your back with his thumb.

"I do it because you deserve it"

Raiden (Jack)

★ this man is an absolute vamp so he isn't grossed out by some blood

★ uses your period just to give you belly rubs, he loves massaging your skin sm

★ like solid, if you are in any kind of pain he is going to be 24/7 on you

★ periods with Raiden definitely consist in constant massages, movies and many, many cuddles

He was sitting on the other end of the couch, watching the movie he couldn't stop telling you about. Looking at you to see your reaction to a particular scene, he saw that something was wrong.

"Do you not like it? We can watch anot-"

"It's not that, I just, well..."

You cut him off and now you were both looking at each other and he could see ypu grasping your belly as you laid down, making him finally figure things out.

"Oh, so It's that again"

"Don't worry I want to watch it either way- what are you-?"

You said between giggles as you felt him move over the small sofa, lifting your body so you were now sitting on top of him, his surprisingly soft hand landing on your chest, motioning you to lay down further into him.

Your lips let out a little whimper at the feeling of new added preassure to your tummy.

"Tell me if you want me to stop or something"

He whispered into your ear as his eyes still danced through the screen and soon, the preassure had became a new soothing feeling.

"Please don't"

He smiled into your hair, hands still rubbing slow but firm circles, trailing lower and then back up, all over your soreness.

You soon found yourself actually watching the movie, placing your hands on his tattoed arms as your nape rested almost on his chest now. Feet supporting yourself on his thigh, you were almost laying completely on him.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Why Forests Need Salmon

(Originally posted at my blog at https://rebeccalexa.com/why-forests-need-salmon/)

One of my favorite fall activities is to check local streams for salmon runs. Here in the Pacific Northwest, and extending north into Alaska, we have seven species of anadromous Salmonidae: chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coastal cutthroat trout  (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii), and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). My favorite run is the chum salmon that run up Ellsworth Creek in southwest Washington each fall, but I’m honestly just happy to see any migrating salmon. And as I hike through stands of ancient western red cedar (Thuja plicata), I like to think about the many ways in which these and other forests need salmon for their ongoing health.

Anadromous fish are those that are born in fresh water, spend much of their adult lives in salt water, and then return to fresh water to spawn. Some, like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and some populations of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) are iteroparous, meaning they can make this journey multiple times in a lifetime. Pacific salmonids, on the other hand, are semelparous, meaning that they spawn once and then die shortly thereafter. (From here on out I am going to use “salmon” as a general, casual term referring to both the Oncorhynchus species, and the steelhead and cutthroat trout.)

Pacific salmon were originally freshwater fish that inhabited lakes and slow-moving rivers. Somewhere around 25 million years ago, the climate cooled significantly, with average temperatures dropping almost twenty degrees F. We’re not sure at what point after this the salmon began expanding into brackish estuaries and then the Pacific Ocean itself, but when they did they found rich sources of food unlike what they had access to in fresh water. Over time, they evolved a life cycle that let them be born in the relatively safe shelter of freshwater streams, and then go out to the ocean to feast on the banquet found there when they were large enough to have a better chance of survival.

Eventually salmon runs could be found in streams as far inland as eastern Idaho, eastern British Columbia, and the southern two-thirds of Alaska (with some Alaskan runs even crossing over into Canada!) And until the arrival of European colonizers, these streams consistently provided indigenous people all along the Pacific coastline an incredibly important source of food, cultural and economic trade, mythos, and more. Unfortunately, the newcomers overharvested the salmon, dammed and destroyed streams and other habitat, and of course spearheaded the causes of anthropogenic climate change.

Indigenous people fish for salmon at Celilo Falls on the Columbia River. As the single longest continuously inhabited community in North America (over 15,000 years!), this location was a home and hub of cultural activity for many indigenous tribes and communities across the region before it was flooded by the completion of the Dalles Dam in 1957.

All these factors have led to a precipitous decline in the size of both salmon runs, and the salmon themselves. This isn’t just detrimental to indigenous communities, though. It also threatens the health of forests all throughout the salmons’ range.

A forest isn’t just made of trees. It’s composed of entire plant communities, fungi (including mycorrhizal species), and the animals, bacteria, and other living beings that share space with them. When salmon travel up and down the waterways as fry, and then later to spawn as adults, they have a direct impact on that ecosystem.

Salmon fry are an important source of food for larger fish, amphibians, birds, and other beings that seek food in the water. In fact, part of why salmon lay so many eggs (over 5,000 in the case of chinook!) is because most of the fry that hatch will never make it to adulthood. But adult salmon aren’t safe from predation on their return trip to their birthplaces. In fact, they are caught and eaten by a wide variety of animals from bears to eagles, wolves to osprey, sea lions to bobcats.

Bears are of particular interest here. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are well-known for gorging on summer and fall salmon runs to build up massive amounts of fat in preparation for winter hibernation. (Katmai National Park even celebrates their bears during Fat Bear Week every October!) You can watch video feeds of several bears hanging out in their favorite fishing spots by waterfalls and in the flow of the river.

Imagine that you are a young bear, perhaps recently forced to independence by your mother who is now focused on your younger siblings. You have to not only start catching fish without her protection from bigger bears, but you also need to make sure those stronger bears don’t steal your catch. What’s the best thing to do? Run far away into the woods to eat your salmon in peace, then leave the remains among the trees and head back for more.

If the fishing is good, bears will often eat only the fattiest parts of the salmon like the brains and skin, and then leave the rest behind for scavengers. The nutrients in the salmon then disseminate throughout the forest, whether carried in the digestive systems of animals, or broken down in place by decomposers. This helps make the nutrients available to the plants, particularly trees which may store massive amounts of nutrients in their trunks; when the trees die, they essentially become a food pantry for younger beings like new seedlings, fungi, and so forth.

Now–what’s so special about the nutrients in salmon? Well, remember that these fish spend years out in the ocean. And the ocean has an entirely different balance of nutrients floating around in it compared to what’s found in fresh water or on land. The salmon are essentially the only way these ocean-borne nutrients can make their way into the forest in any meaningful amount, and they do so on a regular basis each year. The trees near salmon runs fished by bears may be 300% larger than usual, and salmon also provide nearly three quarters of the nitrogen in the forest. That’s a pretty impressive contribution!

This isn’t just about how forests need salmon; it’s a reciprocal relationship. While the salmon’s immediate habitats are aquatic, these streams, rivers, and other waterways are directly affected by what happens on the land around them.

Every waterway has a watershed–an area of land from which precipitation drains into that waterway. These watersheds nest within each other; the watersheds of small streams are nested within the watersheds of the rivers the streams feed into. That water carries things with it, from soil to pollutants. So the health of the land has a direct impact on what is found in the water.

But it goes beyond what’s washed downstream, and into how it’s washed down. In a healthy forest, for example, the soil is able to absorb a significant amount of precipitation that falls throughout the year, keeping it from simply cascading down hillsides to create flooding and landslides. Water is also stored in the various living beings in the forest; again trees are often the champions with their great size, but smaller plants help with water retention quite a bit as well, both through internal storage and preventing evaporation from soil. A forest that is badly damaged, such as through a clearcut or wildfire, won’t hold water as well. This can lead to floods, landslides and other erosion, and increase the impact of summer droughts as the land simply can’t store as much water, or for as long.

All of this affects the salmon directly. If the watershed is no longer holding and releasing snowmelt, rain, and other water in a controlled manner, this can lead to flooding in waterways which can wash away salmon eggs and fry. Increased erosion buries the gravel that salmon lay eggs in with silt, smothering the eggs so they never hatch. When a riparian zone–the land along a waterway–is stripped of vegetation, the water loses crucial shaded areas that keep temperatures cool. Salmon easily overheat when temperatures rise even a few degrees. And drought can dry up smaller streams, stranding and even killing young salmon while preventing adults from reaching their spawning grounds.

While not every single salmon run exclusively travels through forests, many of them do. And many spawning grounds are found in forests, or at least areas with significant tree cover in riparian zones. Salmon must have healthy forests in order to continue to survive, and the loss of these forests is just one of many factors contributing to their severe decline.

Thankfully, I am far from the only person concerned about the safety of our wild Pacific salmon. There are numerous organizations working to protect and restore salmon habitat through dam removal, preservation and restoration of aquatic habitat and surrounding land, regulations on salmon fishing, and educating people about sustainable seafood options (or just not eating seafood at all.) And even habitat restoration efforts that aren’t directly in salmon-inhabited waterways still have a positive impact on the forest ecosystem as a whole.

We know that forests need salmon, and salmon need forests. To protect one is to protect the other, and long may they both thrive.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[dailymothanon]

Sitka… Alaska’s first capital, formerly known as Novo Arkhangelsk (or new archangel); also the biggest city in the U.S by area, four times the size of Rhode Island… I did try to implant tlingit physical features but I swear I’ll get better at it 😼 I also read the tlingit did trade before European contact as far south as Northern California, so I think that’s pretty cool; Also Alaska is home to 90% of the worlds sea otter population, I think that’s pretty cool as well (I imagine Sitka has hazel eyes) Sitka’s design is probably gonna change a few times idk yet but I’m content with this so far, I’d like to hear more ideas if y’all got some

I like to imagine that since Sitka has a tree named after them Sitka can stand perfectly still for hours on end. Also I read in Sitka it rains 2/3 days throughout the average year that’s why I drew that 🤷

some random other things, I imagine it’s terribly tough to tell what Sitka is thinking almost all the time, again cuz of Sitka spruce trees, although there’s a handful of things named after Sitka I like the idea of her being the equivalent of a plant/tree, and you don’t know what a plant is thinking even if they don’t; cuz it’s generally a thing in Alaskan culture to be able to talk without talking— not sign language, but simple gestures, I’ve read about it and it varies per Alaska region but not having to be vocal seems to be a common thing, and also cuz it’s a widespread belief in all alaska native cultures that everything and everyone has a spirit/soul so they are taught to treat everything with respect

I also like to think Sitka is like an older sibling to Alaska, not literally, just like

[cozycryptidcorner]

Something to consider if you get a loft bed.

how often do you have to pee at night (I almost always have to pee at night and it was SO SO SO annoying with the loft bed) and how coordinated are you after waking up (seriously it's a miracle I didn't hurt myself in that bed) also changing the bedsheets is a pain in the ass.

Also also how active of a sleeper are you? I once hit my head because I sat up in my sleep. ._.

Probably not suited for sexy stuff, except you're able to REALLY bolt it to the wall...

And if you have hot summers where you live there is not a lot of cool breeze happening in a loft bed

If all these things are no concern to you, it's a banger bed, the extra space is so cool and you can decorate it so cute 😭

(I once saw a loft bed that double functioned as a playground with climbing stuff and all that jazz. Still heartbroken that I couldn't find that in adult size)

I’m not that active of a sleeper, I live in Alaska so summer nights are usually cold, and the only hot singles in my area are enlisted military folks which BACK 🤺🤺🤺 BACK I SAY 🤺🤺