#they're pretty cheap and they will last a lifetime

[hunter-rodrigez]

It feels kind of special to use a tool made of bone in this day and age.

Like literally tens of thousands of years ago, my ancestors, who were probably not even humans by that point, used tools much like this one.

20000 years of human civilization later, we got a research lab in earth's orbit, and we trapped lighting in a bottle... yet still nothing beats bone when you want a tool to fold paper.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddiemas challenge.

Permanent 99

Prompt Day 30: Smut Themed Sentence Starters | Word Count: 2811 | Rating: E | CW: Sexual Content, 18+ Only | Tags: Sports AU, Swimming AU, Modern Setting, Eddie & Gareth are BFFs, Olympic Swimmers, Heat Wave, Outdoor Fooling Around, Blowjob, Eddie POV

This follows my Sports AU drabble from @steddieholidaydrabbles where they were Olympic Swimmers, but can be read standalone.

This one is also available right here on AO3.

we're hot and sticky as we can get, don't need to go swimming to be soakin' wet, you lean in and you bite my lip, it's hard to be cool in heat like this, sweat drop at the end of your nose, makes you lose your mind and lose your clothes Christian Kane, Permanent 99

Eddie rests his forearm over his eyes, attempting to block out the way too bright sun and wipe the sweat away from his forehead at the same time. 

The strips of cheap vinyl from the PVC lounger are sticking to his bare back and he can't seem to shift in any way to get comfortable with the feeling. Steve is worth millions, but he's dragged out some old as shit, tri-fold lounge chairs from last century. They had to have been stashed in his parents' pool house, left over from the eighties, faded from sun and years of disuse. If Eddie's going to be subjected to the summer sun, he's definitely gonna need a newer chair, because this is really not working for him. 

He's sticking to it in ways that feel really gross.

That has a lot to do with the fact that it's so humid it's almost insufferable. The glare off of the water isn't helping matters. It's blinding him, even through his sunglasses. They've spent a lifetime looking at pool water, so Eddie's not entirely sure why they're still doing it now, on their own time.

“It’s hot as shit,” Eddie finally announces, moving his arm just enough to catch a glimpse of Steve next to him.

Steve smiles, seemingly unconcerned by the unrelenting heat. 

He's tanned, and glistening in the sun, looking every bit of a Greek god. That bastard.

Eddie's actually seen Steve in Athens, at the fucking Olympiad itself, and he damn well didn't look anything like he does right now. Steve was only nineteen then, still just a kid chasing a dream. And, now he's a man. A gorgeous man.

Eddie is pretty sure he looks like an overheated, wet cat in comparison. A pitiful thing that probably just needs put down.

But Eddie grins, because retirement looks good on Steve Harrington. Damn good. Retired before thirty. That's quite the thing to wrap his head around.��

But that's not going to stop Eddie's complaining.

“From now on, summer months will be spent strictly indoors. It's too hot, and I’m too pale for this,” Eddie declares, as if that is the final decision on the subject matter.

It isn't. Not if his perpetually sun-kissed boyfriend has a say in the matter.

Steve just rolls his eyes, and doesn’t look away from his magazine, "You made the worst dressed list, again," Steve offers, flashing the glossy pages in his direction. "They put you on the fug list."

Well, Eddie doesn't give a flying fug what that rag thinks. He's gonna wear what he's gonna wear. 

"And let me guess, you're in the other column?" Eddie asks, but he already knows it. Ever since they went public with their relationship after retirement, they've been tabloid fodder. Everyone has been speculating on how long this has been going on (since Athens) and how long it will last (hopefully forever) and they've picked apart every last detail of their lives they can get their hands on. And their very different style choices have been a popular topic of conversation.

Steve retired, Eddie didn't. Until he did. And now, they're both out of the meat grinder, free at last to do whatever they want to with all this brand new free time. Eddie's had fun running swim clinics for kids, and Steve has been funneling his time and money into his charitable foundation.

The rest of the time, they spend lazing together, just like this. Finally getting to really build this relationship of theirs into something even deeper, and stronger, than ever before.

They can't leave swimming, not totally. It's in their blood. But it's nice to be away from the early practices and constant sacrifices you have to make to be an Olympian, not just once, but several Games in a row.

Their not-so-secret love went public at Eddie's last Games, when Steve showed up, but kept out of the announcer's booth, and refused to be interviewed. He wasn't there for his own promo. Everybody was pissy about it, wanting a piece of him, wanting the ratings boost his voice, his face, would bring in. But Steve was only there to see Eddie, Gareth and the rest of his friends on Team USA swim, that's it.

So, it didn't take long for rumors to reach a fever pitch, and instead of denying them. They just admitted they were together, and had been, for a very long time. And now, they were looking forward to retirement, together. 

And that was that. 

They've been holed up at Steve's house ever since, trying to keep away from prying eyes, to just be together. With no other commitments. No early practices. No strict diets.

They're just Eddie and Steve. No longer Harrington and Munson.

But, Eddie's getting a little stir crazy and a lot hot. He needs to be anywhere but beside a pool right now.

“I haven’t even set foot in the goddamn pool and I’m sweating through my trunks,” Eddie whines, just making sure his opinion on the subject has been heard by Steve, loud and clear.

“Shoulda rocked the banana hammock, bro,” Steve supplies with a shrug of his shoulders, laughing loudly, totally unbothered by Eddie’s constant bitching. 

Eddie smiles, "Don't call me bro, dude."

Steve giggles, and it's the best sound. So carefree. All that weight of expectation just…gone. It was amazing to see. Retired from professional swimming, Steve doesn’t sweat the small stuff, not anymore. And Eddie is one hundred percent down for that.

"Speedos aren’t exactly casual pool wear, regardless of what you might think, Harrington,” Eddie adds.

“Sure they are,” Steve answers, waving his hand over his lap.

Eddie looks over at Steve, and lowers his sunglasses down his nose. Steve's wearing a tiny, all-white Speedo that Eddie can't look away from. It was a purposeful choice, Eddie is well aware. 

Steve's baiting him. 

And the white makes it basically see through. It’s nearly obscene and Eddie knows damn good and well Steve wore it on purpose, knowing he’d either sweat through it, and make it see through, or end up in the pool…and make it see through. 

Eddie knows this game well and it sadly always, always works on him. He's an easy mark. Always has been when it comes to Steve Harrington.

Eddie pushes his glasses back up on his face.

“You're right, the Federation should have forgotten all about the tech suits and went back to those," Eddie says, licking his lips, wetting them. Two can play at this game.

There’s a sweat drop clinging to the end of Steve’s nose and Eddie reaches over to catch it with his thumb. Raking his eyes all over Steve.

"Is this seriously turning you on?" Steve asks, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm basically wearing an old work uniform."

Eddie just nods, looking at every inch of Steve's body. Still toned, but already going slightly softer in places. Not to mention all the body hair. Steve's hairy, when the fuck did that happen? After only knowing him as the shaved and waxed swimmer, this has been a fucking revelation of a magnitude Eddie can't even put into words. 

Steve's a man. No longer the kid he was when they met, a million years and a million miles away from here.

"You're staring," Steve says, teasing him, and Eddie just nods. He's definitely staring and he'll do it some more. 

Steve smiles and sets his magazine down and crawls over onto Eddie’s lounger, straddling Eddie’s thighs. It creaks and shifts under them, and Eddie holds his breath, and prepares for the little metal legs to collapse. It doesn't, miraculously, and Steve takes Eddie's stillness for an opportunity to lean in and bite at Eddie’s bottom lip before Eddie can, well, give him any more lip. Eddie groans a little at the feeling, hands settling on Steve’s hips. Steve deepens the kiss and runs his fingers through Eddie’s sweat-damp hair.

When they finally break apart, Steve is even slicker with sweat than he was before, but he just grins down at Eddie.

“Let’s go in,” Eddie urges, thumbs tracing lazy circles on Steve’s exposed hip bones. Running his thumb over Steve's Olympic rings tattoo that's just barely peeking over the top of the tiny Speedo. 

Steve took Eddie to get his own rings tattoo after his first Olympics, and Eddie took Gareth after his. It's a sacred tradition. 

Eddie presses his thumb into the slightly faded ink, then dips it lower, stroking until he feels coarse hair under his thumb. Then, he's sliding his other hand up and down Steve's hairy thigh. More hair. Hair for days.

In fact, Steve’s chest hair is damp and right in Eddie’s face. It’s driving him a little wild. Steve spent so many years shaved, that this has been a goddamn turn on. Eddie leans forward and buries his face in Steve's chest.

Steve just laughs, and pushes Eddie back down, nipping at Eddie’s neck playfully, “S’good out here.”

“Think of the air conditioning. And the big, big bed.”

“This is bed-like,” Steve insists, reaching over and hitting the lever sending the chaise flat. The unsteady metal legs wobble comically and Eddie laughs as Steve topples over on top of him ungracefully. It's a nice change of pace, since Eddie often feels like he's the ungraceful one nearly everywhere but in the water. Always one wrong move from a trip to the E.R., while Steve stands by, shaking his head. 

Eddie’s fairly certain this flimsy-ass chair can't hold their combined weight indefinitely, even without Steve trying to fuck him through it. But he still runs his fingers through Steve’s hair, pulling him closer, encouraging him. 

He'll ride this train into the ground, without question. 

Steve closes his eyes, and grinds down against him.

Eddie grips Steve’s hips, resting his fingers against Steve’s ass, cupping him through the Speedo. When he squeezes his fingers underneath the tight material, Steve opens his eyes to meet Eddie’s, and Eddie just raises an eyebrow, questioning.

“By all means,” Steve answers, lifting up enough for them to work together to get it shimmed off his ass.

It isn’t easy. Removing a wet Speedo never is, and Steve’s wallering him in the process. Eddie almost takes a knee to the nuts, but they finally get it peeled off Steve's hips and tossed onto the ground. 

Steve unties Eddie’s trunks and pulls the Velcro closure apart loudly. He snakes his hand inside and closes his fist around him, and Eddie can’t help but buck up into the tight grip. 

“Fuck, Steve,” Eddie pants, leaning back further, enjoying the feeling.

Steve smiles and leans forward, chasing him, licking a path of sweat off of Eddie’s chest. It makes Eddie shiver unexpectedly and he can’t stop himself from tangling his hand in Steve’s hair. Urging him lower. Steve takes the hint. He always does.

He pushes apart Eddie's trunks, getting himself better access, and Eddie lifts up, to let him tug them down a little further, but not all the way off. 

Eddie groans when Steve’s mouth makes contact with his dick.

He rests his hand on Steve's head, feeling every movement from above and below. Steve's a gold medal cocksucker, that's for goddamn sure. 

"That's good, sweetheart," Eddie says, and Steve hums in acknowledgement, head moving up and down, hand doing the rest of the work in tandem. 

Eddie slides his hand down to Steve's face, pressing his palm to his stubbly cheek, and Steve changes the angle, so the head of Eddie's dick now hits the inside of his cheek with every bob of his head, bumping against Eddie's palm.

Steve's teasing him, playing with him, but it's fucking hot. 

So hot, and it's all Eddie can take, honestly, and he arches his hips off the chair, coming. 

Steve pulls off, and makes eye contact as he swipes his tongue around his mouth, gathering up Eddie's come on his tongue, which he shows Eddie, before swallowing.

"You're gonna kill me," Eddie says, as he moves to wrap his hand around Steve's hard dick, but Steve holds up one finger, wagging it at him. 

And then he slides fully on top of Eddie, and ruts into his hip. Using Eddie to get himself off.

Jesus H. Christ. 

Retired Steve is his favorite version, so far. Even more than top of the podium Steve. Or secret locker room blowjob Steve.

This version? His to keep? This is the one. 

Steve's breathing heavy into Eddie's ear, hot puffs of air and soft moans that make Eddie wish he could get hard again right now. Eddie digs his fingers into Steve's slick back, just along for the ride. Getting to enjoy the sights and sounds of Steve working hard. Breath catching with exertion. 

It's so familiar, and yet, brand new.

Steve lets out a groan in Eddie's ear, and then comes inside Eddie's shorts, and that's a new feat, for sure. 

Steve clearly doesn't give a fuck if he glues himself to Eddie's pubic hair, as he lays down on Eddie fully. Naked, sated and happy. This is the kind of hot Eddie isn't going to complain about. 

He almost says so, when he feels the whoosh of air blow past his arm before there’s a splash in the pool. He freezes. He doesn’t dare open his eyes, even if he’s certain it’s only Gareth. Maybe Robin, if he's really unlucky.

Steve's house has a revolving door. You never know who's gonna show up, unannounced.

And Eddie can't help it, he flushes even further, cheeks red and hot, totally embarrassed. 

When Eddie finally cracks an eye open, he laughs when he sees Gareth standing in the pool, right at the edge. Arms folded, head resting on them. Staring right at Eddie. Gareth has no shame and doesn’t get embarrassed easily, if ever. 

Just like Steve, honestly.

How he's surrounded himself with these two, he's not exactly sure.

"Whatcha guys been doin'?" Gareth drawls out, like he can't see Steve's bare ass in his face and know exactly what they were doing. 

Gareth's caught them fucking in several countries at this point. This is nothing. It's not even in the top ten most compromising positions he's seen them in. But still. Eddie could do without it, for sure.

Gareth's dog, Bonzo, is prancing around poolside, barking and jumping, just as hyper as his owner.

Steve just shakes his head, leaning over and picking up his discarded Speedo and walks back towards the house, like it’s no big deal to be walking around the backyard, totally naked. It's nothing Gareth hasn't seen before, to be certain. They've all spent far too many years together, in far too many locker rooms. 

Still, Eddie lifts his hips, and gets his trunks back up and securely fastened. He’s not about to get caught naked if he can help it. Unlike Steve, he does have some shame, and doesn’t exactly desire his junk getting featured on TMZ.

Some days, Eddie thinks Steve's just daring them to run dick pics of him. Probably because he knows what he's packing, and nobody in their right mind is gonna give his dick bad press. 

Definitely not Eddie. No way.

Eddie is about to get up, when Bonzo seizes the opportunity for the freed up premium seating, and jumps up onto Eddie’s lap.

Eddie hears the chair give way before he feels it. Soon enough they’re both falling to the ground. It’s a short fall, but Eddie still scrapes his elbow on the concrete and Bonzo shoots him daggers as if this whole mess was Eddie's fault, as the dog darts away from the scene of the crime, and towards the house, trying to catch up with Steve.

Steve clearly saw it happen, and he’s doubled over laughing near the sliding glass doors, still naked, and Eddie really doesn’t find it all that funny. 

“Fuck you, asshole, that hurt!” Eddie yells across the yard as he awkwardly untangles himself from the wreckage. Steve just laughs harder, and as much as Eddie wants to, it’s hard for him to stay mad at Steve.

Eddie gets up and surveys the collapsed heap of vinyl and aluminum. It looks like it's a total loss, and that does make Eddie smile, fully thankful that the chair from hell finally met its overdue end.

He jogs to catch up with Steve, hoping to slide in the shower with him, where Steve will kiss his wounded pride all better, and maybe go for round two. 

Notes: Song is Permanent 99 by Christian Kane. It's not on Spotify, or I'd just embed it. Gareth's dog is Bonzo, after John Bonham. Because I still like to think he's a drummer in this world, and that still plays with Eddie here, too. They just took their focus elsewhere.

This is the kind of chair I'm talking about, which they're still making apparently?! I had no idea.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiemas and follow along!

If you want to see more of my entries from this challenge, they are in my tag right here!

[opinionatedpartridge]

Conservation Triage: are vaquita dead yet?

Over the last 5 or so years, I've gotten into the worrying habit of occasionally googling whether vaquitas have been declared extinct yet. It's not come to pass so far, but I know with near 100% certainty that it will within my lifetime, definitely this decade, likely within the next few years. If you will indulge me, dear reader, I would like to make the most pessimistic of arguments here that can be made: that we should let the vaquita die.

(Amber Marine; 'Keep Swimming, Little Vaquita!')

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), if you don't know, are the smallest and also the most endangered whale species in the world. They occur only in the Sea of Cortez in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico, which is a very small stretch of sea for an increasingly smaller population. The species was only named in 1958 and has been steadily approaching its inevitable extinction for the last 40 or so years. Because of the difficulty that counting them naturally presents, estimates of their number vary quite a bit. According to a 2012 study¹, they saw a total population decline of 57% from around 1997 to 2008. Towards the end of the 2010s, we were left with fewer than 30 vaquitas, and around ten or less in 2022.

These last 30 years of conservation attempts are an inscrutable mess of fishing and export bans, ineffective government regulation of fishing practices, local conflict, and awareness campaigns with a dramatically failed breeding program to top it all off.

But let's not get into that, if you really want to make your day worse you can read about all that on wikipedia. Rather, let's talk about what has these porpoises dropping like flies in the first place.

The cause of the vaquita's impending demise, quite straightforwardly, is poaching - although what's being poached is not actually the porpoise itself. Local fishermen are after another endangered species, the totoaba. Totoaba macdonaldi is a large species of fish also endemic to the Upper Gulf of Mexico, which is sought after for its swim bladders. These can be sold for their use in traditional chinese medicine (TCM), where they're considered an alternative to another endangered fish. Fishing totoaba for sport has been prohibited in Mexico since 1975 following a stark population decline, and fishing of the species using gillnets was banned in 1992, but with continued demand (thus, supply) fishing went on and there are now breeding programs attempting to save the totoaba population.

Fishermen use gillnets to catch totoaba because they are very effective, comparatively cheap, and do not require large boats to deploy. Vaquita, like marine vertebrates often do, end up as by catch in these, getting tangled and drowning. Of course they are also affected by evergreens of extinction threats like habitat loss and pollution, but their influence pales in comparison to casualties sustained because of gillnet fishing.

According to a 2020 study², vaquita actually show remarkable genetic resilience in the face of their diminishing numbers, which means theoretically they could recover from a pretty small population size, as opposed to getting caught in the downwards spiral of losing genetic diversity and resilience against stochastic events (misfortune befalling individuals having an impact on the population as a whole) called inbreeding depression, which often spells the end for endangered species. This is scientifically noteworthy, but will not keep them alive forever, and we may well have already passed the point of no return even given this natural advantage of theirs.

In 2021 a study³ estimated that the population could have recovered from as few as 13 individual porpoises, had we eliminated gillnet fishing in their habitat completely at that point.

But that is wishful thinking, so let's focus on reality. We know what's killing them, that it's happening quickly, and I will tell you now that nothing people have tried (and they've tried) has worked so far. This presents a question - why has no policy to date even made a significant dent in this problem?

Well, listen, we'll get there. Let's learn from this situation. And let's get a little bit theoretical about it, so we can apply our observations elsewhere, too.

🌐 IN SITU: The failures of conservation

Fundamentally, the problem boils down to this: the root cause of the vaquitas' misfortune lies in the surrounding areas' misfortune, and that is not a problem our modern ideas of conservation nor government are able to remedy, because they are part of the issue. The mechanism does not exist that can prevent the harm it itself causes; the master's tools will not dismantle his house and so on.

The totoaba and the vaquita's habitats are bordered by multiple local human communities, which have one thing in common: they rely almost entirely on fishery to support themselves.

This is not a question that a lot of popular media likes to engage with, but have you ever asked yourself why people poach, dear reader?

I would argue that there are two groups of poachers. There are trophy hunters, and then there are people who are just desperate. The first group you may find represented in children's cartoons - rich white men looking for an adventure and a pretty pelt. I won't tell you these people aren't 'evil' or what have you, but the fact is, the amount of wildlife they take is quite manageable, as well as monetizable. It sounds almost like a betrayal to say, but in many cases, the income gained from hunting permits sold to them can even offset the harm they do; it is a direct way for money to go where it's needed. Furthermore, they have access to resources that don't inflict a lot of unintentional additional harm. Group two does not.

No one in these communities hunts for totoaba swim bladders because they like causing the deaths of vaquitas, or probably even because they especially enjoy gutting large fish. Nor would I wager do they particularly care about supplying ingredients for TCM to black markets overseas. However, people will do what it takes to feed their families, and that is true everywhere, whether you have the luxury to look away from it or not. No animal can be faulted for wanting to live, and that includes people.

A good 50% of the population in these local communities rely directly on fishery, and that means that simply banning it, (or specific parts of it) making areas of the sea off-limits and similar restrictions handed down from the top will only cause more suffering and leave people with fewer options. Hence… poaching. A lot of people there do not have access to alternatives, and further, would require training and financial support to switch gears after decades of things being as they are for a wide reaching shift to stick.

So that is how we can solve it then, no? We just give the local communities other, less harmful ways to earn a living. And theoretically - yes. It would be as easy as that, if only this were at all an easy thing to do. Stay with me here, dear reader, because we're about to take a dip into political theory. I posit this: it is nigh impossible for a modern capitalist country to tackle a problem like this. The logistical effort aside, the sheer monetary investment needed would never be approved. We know that, because the Mexican government has been trying to tackle this issue for almost two decades now to less than no success. I'll provide you a graphic from a 2021 paper⁴, comparing some of the more serious measures taken against the population decline. They tried bans, they tried protected areas, and they tried compensating fishermen. As it turns out, voluntary programs that barely address people's actual problems, buy-outs and lacklustre monetary compensation do not make a difference.

None of them ran long enough, were consistently implemented or operated on a large enough scale to begin with. On top of that, a lot of programs were pulled in 2018, under the newly elected administration.

(Sanjurjo-Rivera et al (2021) discusses this really well if you want to read about the details of how all this went down.)

To succeed, conservation generally needs a few things that are practically unattainable as things stand. These are sustained effort, a lack of monetary pressure, and a huge deal of cooperation.

Both capitalism and all electoral systems fundamentally prioritise short term projects, which will guarantee a presentable bottom line or a politician's re-election. Effective conservation is inherently, diametrically opposed to this. You will not save a species beset upon by hunting if you can forbid it only until the next administration lifts your ban a year later.

Any public body's primary goal, be that an NGO, a company or a state run organisation, is to make money, or otherwise to not lose too much money. Those who don't heed this shut down. Such an environment does not facilitate actually objective decision making, rather it encourages cutting corners wherever possible to best use what limited resources are available in a system where everything has become a market, no matter how ineffective that actually is.

Another flaw of conservation is its limited scope: any snapshot of an ecosystem you can take is incomplete, and so focussing on only one part of a connected habitat will always be comically ineffective.

Humans are the only animals who care about political borders; truly protecting endangered species requires large amounts of international cooperation and the coordination of local policy, which are often neglected or not hashed out in the first place. You will not save a species threatened by water pollution by not dumping sewage in your stretch of river if your neighbour just keeps doing it a mile downstream.

You might see where I'm going with this, dear reader. We follow the biological problem only to find an even more complex political one at its root. I do believe the relevant local communities are not 'beyond hope' or what have you, but even if there were a wider effort from the Mexican government, fixing the actual underlying issue would still take much, much longer than the vaquita can afford. And so we arrive at my point: triage.

🌐 EX SITU: What is worth saving

If you're still here, thank you for hearing me out. I know it's a bummer. Please, before we wrap up, allow me one more seeming non sequitur - I promise I'm going somewhere with this.

How many endangered species do you think you can name on the spot?

Probably a few - more every year. Now, how many can you name that aren't mammals? That aren't birds? How about amphibians or reptiles, can you come up with a few? Bony fish? Invertebrates?

My point, dear reader: in modern conservation there exists an overwhelming bias towards what's called 'charismatic megafauna'. These are large animals, typically mammals at the top of their respective food chains, which are comparatively easy to drum up support for.

This is a direct result of financial pressures on conservation. Often you will hear these animals be called umbrella species; the hope is that protecting them will help the rest of their ecosystem as well: unspecific like a protective umbrella. It is significantly easier to raise funds to save the tiger, the elephant, the panda, than it is to make people care about arachnids, or fungi, or even their local salamanders.

Fungi that aren't edible are historically left out of conservation efforts, despite being incredibly integral parts of the ecosystems they are a part of. Fungicides are a large and largely under-researched threat.

Spiders, too, are overwhelmingly not even assessed, despite the key link that they are to many food chains. Invertebrates (all of them) make up only 31% of assessed species on the IUCN Red List.

Ecosystems are highly complex, dynamic things, which we know we can barely grasp in their entirety after years of study. This biased distribution of attention results in a very pronounced bias in support. In most cases, the species which receive the most care are not the ones which are most crucial to an ecosystem. Due to usually being larger mammals, efforts put into umbrella species more often than not do not 'trickle down' to much of their ecosystem, since the focus is on meeting the very specific needs of one species and those don't tend to overlap with those of animals of lower trophic levels as much as people think. How much do you think global zoo run panda breeding programs help local insects in their ecosystems of origin?

The way we treat what we do consider worth the money suffers from plenty of bias, as well. If you're an avid watcher of nature documentaries, you might be labouring under the assumption that the planet is overflowing with wonderful, untouched wilderness. Dear reader, I am sorry, it is not. In an effort to present a pure and untainted natural world, documentaries often take great pains to quite literally cut humans out of the picture; film from an angle where the village is just out of sight, ignore centuries of indigenous land management, things like that. It's common. The truth is, there is no spot on this planet that is untouched by us. From microplastic in deep sea organisms' stomachs, to birds collecting colourful bottle caps for courtship rituals. The great barrier reef is in danger not because people are trying to specifically destroy it, but because every single body of water on the planet is facing pollution and global warming.

This skewed, incomplete perspective is the cultural concept of 'nature' at work, which pits it against the artificial evil of humanity and puts this idea in our heads that the two are opposites, completely separate. This is not only harmful, but also just plainly untrue.

It is arrogant to think of humans as completely separate from the ecosystems they live in, and it leads to an unhelpful, almost anti-human attitude in popular discussions of conservation (as above: the intense and largely uncritical hatred of poachers). The ones most harmed by this are typically indigenous people, whose influence on land that they've lived on for generations is seen as inherently harmful as well. Dear reader, if you will excuse me making direct reference to the Americas for just a second, conceiving of all indigenous people as inherently, mystically in touch with nature is also pretty racist, it has to be said. The point is that in current discourse the only roles local people(s) are allowed to play are either disney's Pocahontas or those pesky egoists who won't leave their homes so a protected nature park can be built overtop their communities.

'Fortress Conservation' describes the (pretty colonial) idea that for ideal results ecosystems should be left to function in isolation as complete as can be achieved, and it ties in directly with the common glorification of 'untouched wilderness'. It's the scientific equivalent of turning your back and hoping the gods will handle it, and it also, just by the way, leads to human rights violations on a massive scale by encouraging aggression against local populations, displacing people and cutting off their access to resources and cultural sites.

A lot of indigenous land management is beneficial even by our current flawed standards - if you want to get deeper into this I suggest looking into controlled burns and forest gardens. Looking at modern conservation efforts, we're barely working on preserving ecosystems or even individual species here, we're trying to restore a tenuous balance that may as well be fictional. The best way to save the environment, dear reader, is sweeping political change and prioritizing human rights.

Had we effectively grappled with all these issues before the decade began, I believe the vaquita's fate would not have been sealed. Fundamentally, this is a problem that has to be negotiated at a local level as well as requiring an adjustment in popular attitudes about conservation. Neither of that is meaningfully happening, currently.

Undeniably, conservation has seen great successes. I don't believe, however, that the field as it is currently is truly equipped to tackle the increasing pace at which species are becoming endangered in this and future decades.

The vaquita, dear reader, would require not only immediate, but impossibly well coordinated and steadfastly implemented measures to save, and to rebuild a healthy population would take decades of sustained effort. This is likely possible, to be clear. But it is not in any way plausible.

And so here we are: money and time spent trying to save the vaquita now is money and time wasted. It would be better spent on a million other things - social development, programs to better monitor the populations of still less endangered species, even measures to save the totoaba - because unlike vaquita, they've been shown to survive breeding programs.

I believe that it is ultimately better to focus on what we can feasibly save as things stand instead of dwelling forever on lost causes, sad as it may be. Phocoena sinus will join the baiji as the second whale species made extinct by human hands, and we should move on to saving what we can in the face of what has rightfully been called our planet's sixth mass extinction.

So what can you do? I don't know. Stay informed, inform others, support realistic policy and indigenous efforts if there are any where you live. Be wary of eco-fascism. Maybe plant some native plants to help your local pollinators. Maybe donate. Maybe participate in revolutionary action or ecoterrorism.

Sources (separate for seo lol) https://www.tumblr.com/opinionatedpartridge/723926301806903296/links-are-vaquita-dead-yet

[stormgardenscurse]

Can I order a scenario about reader and ruggie making valentines day chocolates together but at the end, reader gives a special batch of (honmei/romantic) chocolates to ruggie and fumbles over her words while confessing? Thank you so much if you do this! - anon 🥑

(Combined this with valentwst!)

Day 4: Ruggie + Stars

Summary: A modern reincarnation AU, where you meet Ruggie once again in your second lifetime.

Note: Italicised paragraphs are meant to be memories from your time in Twisted Wonderland!

Ruggie was never one to waste a wish on something impractical. In last year’s event, he used his star in regards to a steady future - this time around, he bends that sentiment a bit.

Because you see, he met someone he knew he’d cherish for lifetimes to come. Thus he made a nonsensical wish: to remain by your side so that he may experience many more things with you. It only made sense, seeing as having you in his future would make him incredibly happy.

If he had his way, Ruggie would’ve wished that in another life, you’d have the opportunity to meet a bit earlier; just so he could’ve seen more sides to you and get to witness how your smiles have grown.

Ah, but that was simply him daydreaming, wasn’t it? Turns out even practical guys can get like that sometimes… Just what were you doing to him?

-

“I can’t believe we’re getting paid for taking pictures like this,” Ruggie laughed. “Not that I’m complaining. It’s easy money, and a fun place to visit too.”

It was a Saturday afternoon when you and Ruggie wandered about the zoo, photographing the animals for a small job. A college student needed images to accompany their research project and was too busy to do it themselves, which was where the two of you came in!

“That’s true,” You hummed in agreement. “Though you worked here before, right? Wouldn’t you be kind of bored about coming back again?”

Ruggie seemed to have a good memory too, seeing as he still remembered the zoo's layout like the back of his hand.

“Well, I guess it’s different when I’m here as a customer. There’s no free lunch, and I don’t get to drive those fun safari cars anymore,” Ruggie joked. “But it’s still pretty fun since I’ve got company that I like. I wouldn’t have dragged you along otherwise, ya know?”

“...I see,” You tried to appear as nonchalant as possible. “In that case, should we get souvenirs for today? Since I’m your favorite person and all.”

“We can get matching ones.” Ruggie browsed the shelf of keychains, finally lifting up a pair. “What do you think?”

Sometimes, you really didn’t know if his relaxed reactions were a blessing or a curse. On one hand, it meant you were close enough to joke as much as you’d like - on another, it meant that if you were ever going to confess to him, you’d have to be so obvious that it'd even get through to a rock.

It wasn’t even because Ruggie was oblivious, but rather you had a gut feeling that he could sense you were nervous.

Damn him and his compassion sometimes. He was waiting to see when you’d feel most comfortable with putting everything out there.

You're pulled out of your thoughts as you walk by a discount basket full of soft toys - it seemed like there was a design error for the plushies, resulting in the store cutting the prices by a large amount. Even students like you could afford to buy a couple.

Or maybe…

"Ruggie," You tugged at his sleeve and pointed towards the basket. "Do you think you could get these for the kids living near you?"

His eyes lit up. "Huh, I wonder…"

Ruggie counted the numbers in his head as he looked through the toys, deciding on a group of mixed animals as you helped him plop them into a basket.

"I know they're cheap, but it's not like you to just go ahead and buy so many." You observed, nonetheless aiding him with the purchase.

"That college guy said he'd pay more if the picture quality was good, right? We took care of that, and I'm pretty sure I can talk a bit more out of him~" You made your way out of the souvenir shop half-a-dozen plushies richer, finally calling an end to your time at the zoo.

"You seem a bit more victorious than normal."

"The younger kids will be pretty happy with this haul, so that's enough of a victory for me." He offered to take the bags from you, carrying them with ease. "I don't always spoil them, so once in a while I'll consider it a good deed."

"You're using your cut from this job to fund it, right?" When he nodded, you smiled in return. "Well, I can't have them thinking you're better than me. I'll put in some of my share too."

Ruggie tried to gauge your expression. "You sure?"

"Who do you take me for?" You playfully scoffed. "They aren't bad kids, so I might as well."

"Something special every now and then can really lift their spirits." He agreed.

"We should treat ourselves too. There's a donut shop nearby, right?"

-

"Ruggie, are you not planning to do anything on valentine's day?"

"Hmm? Not really, though that holiday does get busy, doesn't it? Maybe I'll find something to do."

...He wasn't about to start signing up for delivery jobs, was he? "You really should treat yourself more, you know."

"Shishishi, are you worried about me?"

"Just…" The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Gathering your courage, you quickly fished a box out of your bag and shoved it into his hands, speaking quickly. "I made these the other day with Trey's help. They should be edible, at least - I'll see you after class!"

And with that, you were gone; your departure too abrupt to notice the surprise on Ruggie's face, followed by a fond, disbelieving laugh.

"...You can't expect me to not be happy, right?" He muttered to himself, smiling like an idiot. "Who would've thought that I'd get chocolates like these?"

There's a little note taped onto the box: 'Take care of yourself, will you? Happy Valentines!'

Well, Ruggie wasn't about to let this slide: White Day was going to be fun indeed.

[smute]

SO YOU WANT TO COLLECT CLASSIC BOOKS...

So here it is! (almost a year later lmao)

My collectible classics "masterpost"!!!😌 🗣🚨🤯

Splain it!

When I say "collectible" classics I'm talking about any ongoing series of reprints of classic (English-language) titles with a cohesive design. They should look good on a shelf and (ideally) be made to last a lifetime. I'm not talking about rare, antique, or limited editions, or books that are expected to appreciate in value.

I'm focusing on collections of classic works of prose fiction (some classics are nonfiction; poetic and dramatic texts are often published in separate collections), i.e. texts with a timeless appeal, texts that have been in print for a long time, and that have been recognized by critics and readers as "must-reads". Very often, these texts are also considered to be part of the English literary canon.

I'm rating each series on a scale of 1–10 and the final score is based on nothing but my extremely correct opinion. I'll do my best to explain all the pros and cons but I don't have a strict rating system or whatever. Just vibes. 🤪

What I care about:

1. Paper: You don't start a classics collection with books that are gonna turn brown and crumble to dust after 15-20 years. That's why you want acid-free paper. Some publishers even use expensive "archival" paper. (There is no set definition but it generally means that in addition to being acid-free, it's made from pure cotton fibers rather than wood pulp, and without optical brighteners.) Normal acid-free paper goes a long way though. It's used for most hardbacks today anyway, so you shouldn't expect anything less from a collectible edition. I personally prefer paper that is neither too coarse nor too smooth. It should also be durable and neutral in color.

2. Binding: There are many ways to bind a book but for the purpose of this ranking we only have to worry about two (okay, three):

Perfect binding (glued binding): The leaves (1 leaf=2 pages) are folded and gathered in signatures (sections). The signatures are combined into a single textblock, the folded edges are sanded off, and the whole thing is glued directly to a flexible cardboard cover. This type of binding is cheap, it produces a very even result (hence the name), but it is not very durable. It's used for pretty much all paperbacks.

Case binding (sewn binding): With case binding, the leaves are also gathered in signatures, but they're sewn together. The finished textblock is usually reinforced with a backing material along the spine (ideally fabric; sometimes paper) and attached to the hardcover (case) via end papers. That means the text block can move independently from the spine and, when opened, all pages will lay flat. This type of binding is much more durable and it's the preferred method for (high-quality) hardbacks. Many case-bound hardcover books will have additional features like endbands, ribbon bookmarks, and protective dust jackets. This used to be the preferred method for binding books and it is still considered the gold standard but, as you can imagine, it is much more expensive than perfect binding.

I'm not a pressman so I'm not sure about the terminology, but I've noticed many hybrid variations in between these two methods. For example, some paperbacks consist of signatures rather than single pages, but the textblock is still glued directly to the cover. This prevents single pages from falling out, but over time entire signatures can come loose. Some books have sewn signatures while others use staples, and so on and so forth...

Due to their very limited lifespan, paperbacks are not the best choice for a collection... generally speaking. However, they are ubiquitous, affordable, and many people genuinely prefer compact paperbacks over clunky hardcover books, so I've decided to include both kinds in this list.

3. Content: Many texts have been altered significantly over the course of their publication history, and the most common editions aren't always complete editions. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal preference—like theatrical releases vs. director's cuts. I'm not normally a snob about abridged texts but if your goal is to build your own little classics library, I think it makes sense to stick to complete and unabridged editions. Abridgments aside, most publishers choose their editions very carefully and put a lot of thought into commentary, footnotes, and background information. Some prefer to stick with the most popular versions of texts, others print less common editions. Some want to make texts accessible, others want to stay as close to the original as possible. Some editions include just the original text, others feature introductions or even extensive annotations and additional critical material.

4. Design: should look good innit

Please keep in mind that I'm rating these books with regard to their suitability for collectors specifically.

So here goes! 👁👁

Penguin Classics [3/10]

a.k.a. Black-spine Classics. Books from this series are truly ubiquitous and, in my experience, they tend to accumulate on their own lmao. The series offers a huge selection of nearly 2,000 titles, but as standard paperbacks they're not made to last. They're very flexible and feel good in the hand, although the print quality varies. The paper texture is okay but it's pulpy and not acid-free. Black-spine Classics generally include useful introductions and other supplementary materials.

Pro: literally thousands of titles to choose from, good price, good size, very flexible, okay look and feel, minimal design, additional materials

Con: paperback, black spines crack quickly and don't look very nice on a shelf

Penguin Modern Classics [2/10]

Another huge selection (1,200 titles) that covers more recent texts. They're affordable but, unfortunately, very cheaply made (see below). The discoloration is truly BONKERS—the paper edges yellow super quickly. Very pulpy and definitely not acid-free. They feel aw-FUL.

Pro: same as above

Con: somehow even less durable than the regular Penguin Classics

The Penguin English Library [2.5/10]

I have quite a few of these, but they're not any better or worse than other Penguin paperbacks. The covers are beautiful—very understated and somewhat timeless—and the paper is very flexible and feels quite good compared to other Penguin editions. But it's still not great (see below).

Pro: looks, paper (although not acid-free)

Con: limited selection (126), standard paperbacks

A note on Penguin paperbacks:

All Penguin paperback series suffer from POD disease (POD = Print-on-demand). POD is often used for backlist (=older) titles and titles that are out of print. Thanks to POD, such titles can remain available for a long time after their initial release but since POD uses digital printing instead of offset printing, the quality is absolute dogshit*. The paper used for digital printing is softer and kind of spongy compared to regular books, the text is gray rather than black, and very fuzzy due to the lower resolution. You could achieve the same quality with a photocopier. Personally, I've noticed it the most with the English Library and Modern Classics editions. On some pages, the text blocks are crooked and off center, and some people online have even complained about MISSING PAGES lmaoooo... anyway.

*(I mean that Penguin's POD books specifically are dogshit. Some digital printing methods can produce excellent results.)

Penguin Clothbound Classics [2/10]

Again, a decent selection of nearly 100 titles with absolutely gorgeous covers and a very cohesive design, but made from thee worst materials. The coarse linen fabric feels absolutely gross, the stamped-on decorations basically rub off instantly and the colors fade SUPER quickly. (You can buy a brand new copy, take off the barcode sticker, and the fabric underneath will be several shades darker. The color fades THAT quickly. And yes, the sticker will also take off the decorative pattern.) They're relatively cheap for hardbacks, except they're not actual hardbacks. The have glued bindings with a hard cover, so... the worst of both worlds: stiff spine AND stiff cover. The paper is bright white and feels cheap in the hand, although it is on the finer side, and (as far as I can tell) it is not acid-free. They look really nice on a shelf but if you actually want to read your books, they're terrible. I have no idea why these are so popular.

Pro: hardcover (with glued binding not sewn), original design

Con: they seem affordable, but for glorified paperbacks wrapped in shitty linen they're actually still overpriced

Vintage Classics [5/10]

Another imprint of Penguin. (What isn't?) Vintage Classics look and feel just a little bit nicer than other Penguin paperbacks imo. They feature actual cover designs rather than stock images, but they're still not particularly durable. They do, however, have a few author series with gorgeous covers made from thicker cardboard, e.g., the Austen series or the Woolf series.

Pro: the author series if you're looking for some nicer paperbacks

Con: same as all the other paperbacks

Virago Modern Classics Designer Collection [3/10]

These are very similar to the Penguin Clothbound Classics—beautiful decorative patterns (printed on paper so at least they don't rub off) and the same awful glued-bindings-with-hard-covers-situation. I only have one of these and it's so goddamn stiff it won't open more than 90°. It's pretty much unusable. Also worth noting: they feature some good introductions.

Pro: price, cover designs

Con: small selection, poorly made

Everyman's Library [10/10]

This is one of my favorites. I personally collect the Everyman Classics / Contemporary Classics. The Classics include ancient and non-Western classics, and there are separate collections of Children's Classics, Pocket Classics, and Pocket Poets. EL was founded in 1906 and the current design has been around since the early 90s. EL offers one of the largest selections of hardbacks on this list with new titles being added on a regular basis, and given its century-long history and enduring popularity it'll probably be around for a long time to come. It's an excellent option if you're thinking about starting a collection.

The production quality is unparalleled in this price segment—sewn full-cloth bindings with a rounded spine, ribbon bookmark, and a dust jacket. The fabric feels fantastic and the paper quality is superb. I have no idea how these are so affordable. They could go for 50 or 60€ and still be a great deal. They're color-coded by period and other criteria, but all titles share a similar design and look great together. They also include extensive introductions and additional information.

This series absolutely deserves 10/10 points, but if we're nitpicking... I guess the design may be a little too uniform and understated for some? They're elegant books with a timeless look but they're not exactly jaw-dropping lmao

Important: Most titles are printed in two locations, under different ISBN numbers. The US versions are printed in the US by Berryville Graphics, while the UK versions are printed by GGP Media in Germany. Everything mentioned here applies to the UK versions only. The US versions are glued and the print quality is so bad that people have returned books because they thought they received a counterfeit. If you're buying in person you can simply check the edition notice to see where the book was printed, but if you're buying online you may have to do some digging to find out which exact ISBN to get.

Pro: fantastic quality, very good price, huge selection, future-proof, unpretentious design

Con: differences between US/UK versions

Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics [7/10]

First of all, these things are huge. They are indeed bound in leather, if you consider bonded leather (fine leather scraps mixed with polyurethane on a paper backing) to be leather. The sewn binding seems sturdy, the pages open flat, and the gilt edges (foil, obviously) are among the better ones out there. They have a more classic look with faux hubbed spines (horizontal ribs that help strengthen the binding; purely decorative in this case), and the covers are embossed with foil print. Afaik they use acid-free paper, which also feels very smooth. For their price range (20-40€) the quality is decent.

The series includes some interesting omnibus editions (several titles by the same author in one book) and anthologies, but due to their size and weight you basically need a table or bookstand to read them. They're mostly just great shelf candy. I mean... look at this.

Pro: Big and beautiful, decent quality at a moderate price

Con: Not very user-friendly, made from cheap materials

Barnes & Noble Flexibound Editions [4/10]

Interesting combination of sewn bindings with flexible rubber covers. Ironically, the text blocks feel stiffer than the leatherbound titles. The paper is kind of dark and it feels coarser than other B&N editions. I personally can't stand the texture of the rubber covers and the material tends to attract lint and dust. There are some interesting designs but due to the strange plastic material they just look tacky imo.

Pro: flexible covers if you're into that, moderately priced

Con: unremarkable design and overall quality, small selection

Oxford World's Classics [6.5/10]

Another big selection of several hundred paperback titles. These are definitely better than anything Penguin sells, but what really makes them stand out is their content. As one may expect from a university publisher, they often use less common editions of famous classics, and all of their titles include a ton of additional materials from introductions and annotations to bibliographies, illustrations, and even glossaries. If you want to start reading classics and are interested in supplementary educational materials, these are a great place to start.

Pro: huge selection, low price, focus on scholarship

Con: standard paperbacks, not particularly beautiful or durable

Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection [3/10]

What a tragedy. I'm a big fan of the minimalist look, but they're similar in quality to the Penguin Clothbound Classics. They use the same glued bindings (wtf?) and the same cheap fabric on the covers. The paper is unusually thick but it still feels very coarse and pulpy. Their unique design makes them stand out, but due to the poor manufacturing quality, I can't recommend them at all. Of course, these also include extensive introductions and additional commentary from renowned scholars, just like their paperback counterparts.

Pro: minimalist design, supplementary materials

Con: cheaply made, small selection

Canterbury Classics (Leatherbound) [4/10]

They're very similar to the B&N Leatherbound Classics, except they don't look as nice. Not a fan.

Pro: (bonded) "leather", okay quality at an okay price, classic look

Con: big and clunky, boring covers, exactly like the B&N Leatherbound Classics but without any of the redeeming qualities lmao

Chiltern Classics [5/10]

A lot of people seem to love these (???) but I can't really make sense of them. They're on the smaller side, with embossed cover designs, lots of foil print, gilt edges, ribbon markers, and sewn bindings. For some reason, however, they're printed on stiff, satiny, semi-glossy paper that you would normally use for pictorial content, and the books feel like a brick in your hand. I personally don't like it at all. The weight of the paper alone makes them feel quite premium, but it also seems to put more stress on the binding. (One of the two titles I own is already falling apart.) I don't think that they're deliberately cutting corners or that the books are cheaply made (although they use paper instead of fabric as backing material), but some of their ~very interesting~ design choices simply do not translate into a better product.

Chiltern's mission statement promises "the most beautiful classics ever published" so their main focus seems to be on aesthetics. Their titles don't include introductions or any additional commentary, and they don't provide any information on editions/versions of the texts used other than "they are unabridged" lol. Tbh it's hard to find ANY sort of information—about the company, the materials, the editions, the production process, the founders, where the books are printed, ANYTHING. It all feels very gimmicky.

All I know is that Chiltern Publishing was founded in 2018 and that the first Classics were released in 2019. The current selection is small, but growing (I assume). But with such a young publishing house there really is no guarantee that they'll still be around in a year or two.

Pro: pretty, heavy, pretty heavy lol

Con: small selection, no info on anything, glossy paper (unless you're into that)

Macmillan Collectors' Library [9/10]

Another favorite. The quality is comparable to the Everyman Classics, but they use very thin paper that is strangely white. And when I say strange I mean it's BRIGHT white. They're bound in light blue fabric (love it or hate it) with gilt edges, endbands, and a ribbon bookmark, and they come with beautiful dust jackets. Very unusual nowadays: the fabric cover underneath actually has an embossed pattern, so they look good with or without a jacket. They're travel-sized, so the text is on the smaller side, albeit very sharp. The overall quality is fantastic.

What makes MCL books stand out from the rest is their editorial quality. The collection includes more classics from otherwise underrepresented writers, and most titles also feature detailed introductions commissioned specifically for this series. As naive as it may sound, it seems as if MCL is one of the few series whose main purpose is not just to squeeze some cash out of old titles. It feels much more measured and.. meaningful (if that makes sense lol).

Pro: excellent selection, great quality, small size

Con: the paper is very white, small size = small text

Norton Critical Editions [6/10]

These are standard paperbacks printed on 30% recycled paper, but in terms of content, they're a fantastic option. No other series provides such a breadth of supplementary materials. Most texts are fully annotated and include hundreds of pages of criticism.

Pro: focus on scholarship

Con: paperback

Honorable Mentions:

The Folio Society

Illustrated editions, high-quality hardbacks, high price point.

Calla Editions

Dover's premium imprint, facsimiles of famous editions rather than original designs

Knickerbocker Classics

Heard good things but cannot speak to the quality since they're kind of hard to find where I live.

Thomas Nelson Seasons Editions

Beautiful hardbacks with laser-cut dust jackets. Collectibles in the classical sense: each edition is limited to 10,000 copies.

Easton Press

Really fucking expensive.

(Not an exhaustive list, obviously.)

[pettyvxbes]

COLSON BAKER x READER - OCEAN EYES IV

BRIAN, JIMI, JANIS, KURT, AND. . .COLSON?

"Can we get two 16oz house drips, one black with two sugars and the other with two sugars and a splash of cream?" He ordered, remembering exactly how you took your coffee, even after all the time you'd been separated. It made you smile, knowing that you still occupied some space in his mind.

"So this is your coffee shop?" You asked, leaning against the side of the counter as you waited for your drinks.

"Yeah, I opened it last year. It turned out pretty cool." He smiled as he looked around the room. You could tell he was proud of it.

"It's badass" You agreed with him.

"If you're hungry, we serve brunch." Colson handed you a menu to peruse. "This is actually why I was at the farmers market. All of our fruits and vegetables are local." You looked over the list of food, noticing all of the fresh ingredients.

"That's so cool. Everything sounds delicious." You said, flipping the menu over to continue exploring. On the opposite side, you found a cocktail menu. Some of the drink names made you chuckle. There was 'the gunner,' 'sex, dope, and cheap thrills,' 'screw me' with its counterpart, 'screw you,' and the 'you know I'm no good.' Without even seeing the ingredients, you immediately thought that the last one sounded like a drink you'd choose.

Colson exchanged the menu in your hands with a coffee cup filled with hot coffee. You looked at him and gave him a weak thank you smile which he inadvertently returned, and just like that, you were taken back to the first morning you had ever spent together.

You woke up randomly as the sun was shining through the tiny window of your dorm room. You were still wearing the same clothes from the night before. It confused you because you hadn't even remembered falling asleep. The last thing you could recollect was laying with Colson in your XL twin bed, which he noted multiple times was fantastic because his tall, lanky ass fit perfectly.

"Good morning," Colson whispered. It took you a moment to fully wake up, but you noticed how your bodies were intertwined when you did. Your head was on his chest, and his arm was holding you close to him. It was cozy.

"Good morning." You repeated, squeezing him and nuzzling your face into his neck. "How long have you been awake?" You asked sleepily, afraid that you were the only one who had dozed off.

You and Colson had agreed to stay up as long as you could talking to each other. After all, it was the first time you had seen each other since Atlanta, and even though you had basically talked every day for the last 3 months, you still had a lot to talk about.

"Not long, maybe like fifteen.. . twenty minutes" He shrugged. "I didn't want to wake you. I just wanted to lay here and hold you a little longer, watch you sleep, smell your hair." He squeezed you, placing a small kiss on the top of your head. "I wanted to memorize all of it because this weekend will be over before we know it, and then It'll be back to facetime calls and falling asleep on the phone."

"Blahhh, don't remind me." You pouted, sitting up to face him. You enjoyed every single second you got to spend with that blue-eyed boy in your bed, and you never wanted it to end. He had quickly become your best friend, your person.

"Sorry. Y'know, you're fucking cute when you're sleepy" Colson smiled at you, no makeup and hair a mess. To him, you were perfection. "Oh, I ordered coffee." He said excitedly as he sat up, reaching for the cups on the table next to your bed. "Remind me to thank your roommate later. She was not very happy when she was woken up by the Doordash driver." He chuckled.

"She'll get over it" You took the warm cup from him, sipping slowly. Careful not to burn your mouth. You immediately spit the coffee back into the cup, scrunching your nose up at the taste. The coffee was sweeter than a glazed chocolate donut filled with thousands of tiny sprinkles. You thoroughly enjoyed coffee, and you liked to be able to taste the flavor in every sip.

"Shit, did I get it wrong?" He asked worriedly. It was one of the topics you had discussed last night, and he had already forgotten.

"Yeah, but we've never had coffee together, so I'll give you a free pass." You joked. "Two sugars and a splash of cream," you reminded him with a small smile.

"I swear I will never forget again." He promised, passing you his coffee to share.

"Let's sit back here" Colson's voice pulled you from your memory. As you followed him to the back of the coffee shop, you noticed photos of different famous musicians on each table.

"What's with the pictures?" You asked, gesturing towards a table with Kurt Cobains' face on it.

"They're all a part of the 27 club." He could tell by the expression on your face that you had no idea what that meant. "a bunch of artists and entertainers that died at the age of 27." Colson explained.

"Oh." you gasped, finally understanding the name of his coffee shop.

Colson led you to a table in the back corner. It was secluded enough to offer a little privacy from the rest of the customers. You took a seat, instantly noticing the photo that was on your table. It was him. Your narrowed eyes and knitted brows caught his attention, and he followed your gaze to determine the look of confusion on your face.

"You're 31." You stated the obvious.

"Yes, but most days I feel like my life ended when I was 27." He let out a small chuckle.

You took a sip of your coffee, waiting for Colson to elaborate further. Quickly getting distracted by the liquid in your cup. When the coffee first hit your tongue, you could taste a combination of floral and fruity notes, but as you swallowed, you noticed a nutty caramel tone. It was unique and unlike any other coffee, you had ever tried.

"Mmm," You hummed quietly, approving of the noteworthy java in your hand. "You remembered how I like my coffee." You said without thinking.

You regretted it almost instantly. You didn't want to discuss your past relationship or talk to Colson like old friends. You just wanted the explanation you deserved so you could be on your way. It wasn't necessary to spend any more time with him than need be. You didn't want to conjure up old feelings any more than you already had by being in this stupid city.

"I said I would never forget, didn't I?" He looked at you like you made the whole world spin, and for a moment, it was like time stood still.

"God. I'm so stupid." His words came out as a whisper as he looked away from you. Shame and guilt wallpapered his face. "I made the biggest mistake of my life by losing you, and it's something I'm never going to forgive myself for."

"Why'd you leave Colson?" You were blunt, and your words were shaky.

"Because y/n, you deserved better." He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I was laying there with you in my arms that morning thinking to myself, 'how can I possibly love this amazing woman the way she deserves to be loved when I don't even like who I am."

The sadness in his voice was evident, and you could clearly see the pain in his glossy blue eyes. He hurt himself just as much as he had hurt you.

"I was the biggest fuck up on the planet. You sacrificed your happiness to be with me, to support my dreams, and be my biggest fan. . .I was selfish, and I took you for granted. I broke your heart, and somehow you still managed to see the best in me. It wasn't fair to you. -- Y/n, I had to go because I knew that staying would have been even more painful for you. I was a sinking ship that was burning, and I couldn't bear to be the reason you went down in flames too." A silent tear slid down his cheek.

You sat there speechless as you listened to the explanation you had waited years to hear. You hadn't even realized it, but at some point, you had started tearing up too. Colson reached over, wiping the tears from your face.

"I hate myself for fucking things up with you." He said, staring at you.

You didn't know what it was about him, but when you looked into those blue eyes, you saw a reflection of your soul staring back at you. He was your person, always had been, and always would be. You and Colson had a once-in-a-lifetime connection. The kind of connection that made you feel alive by just being near him, even the silence between you, was comfortable because you felt complete in each other's presence.

"You are worth so much more than second thoughts and maybes'. I am so sorry y/n" You could feel the emotion in Colson's words. His apology was like rain on a dehydrated garden. Grossly overdue, but miraculously just in time.

You sat in silence for a few moments before speaking. "Earlier, when you said you lost your life at 27, what did you mean?" You questioned.

"Y'know, everyone thought I was overreacting after our breakup. . ." He started. You had no idea where he was going with his response, but you let him continue." what they didn't get was how much of my life you really were. . .You were more than just another relationship down the drain. You were my past, my present, and my future. Y/n, you were my life."

At that moment, you understood why his photo sat on a table in that coffee shop. He was a part of the 27 club, not because he physically perished at 27, but because that was when he lost the only thing that ever made him feel alive, you.

TAG LIST @canyoubuymetoast @ticketstomydaydreams @mvrylee

[nancypullen]

IT'S AUGUST!

You guys, we're just a short walk to the "ber" months! If this month zips by like the last couple, we'll be smack dab in September before we know it! I love that. I 'm not wishing my life away, but I sure am wishing this summer away. With Tennessee still at a 30-something percent vaccination rate, we haven't really gone anywhere or done anything. No baseball games, no festivals, no fun. Sure, we're vaccinated but that shot is meant to keep us from severe COVID, hospitalization, and death. I don't want it at all. I've got friends who had it, never ended up in the hospital, but months later are still battling symptoms. No thanks. Soooo, on Saturday night we got real fancy and picked up a sack of Taco Bell and went to the drive-in to see Jungle Cruise. The movie was bad, but the company was excellent and the nachos were delicious. No regrets.

What can I say? I'm a cheap date. Before I forget- I've had some questions about the refrigerator pickles. Yes, they were a success. When the first jar was ready for the frig I had the mister taste one and critique the flavor. He said there wasn't enough of a vinegar bite. I added an extra tablespoon of vinegar to each jar and after that he deemed them perfect. In fact, he's enjoyed them so much that he's mowed through the whole batch (4 jars). Today I'll be picking and pickling some more. After that I may pull up the cucumber plants. They're starting to look like they've lived a good life. Besides, IT'S AUGUST. We're nearly finished with summer! Can I get an amen? The bell peppers still have plenty of production time, I've had a pretty good crop and there are still lots of baby peppers on the plants. I'll give them a stay of execution for now. I've been at my desk making cards again. No special occasions, just nonsense.

Today I plan to make one for someone special who is battling health issues and maybe a couple of back-to-school cards for teacher friends. It would be kinder just to send them haz-mat suits. That's it, you're all caught up on the fast-paced life we're living - drive-ins, pickles, and paper crafts. In about three weeks we'll mask up and FLY to Baltimore. This will be the first time I've been on a plane since February of 2020. Holy cow! Eighteen months feels like a lifetime. Anyway, we've got a meeting with a builder, we plan to visit a couple more towns that we missed the first time we went exploring, and hopefully, HOPEFULLY make a final decision of some sort - even if it's just agreeing on a spot. We've had zoom meetings with the builder and have been going over floorplans and options - I'm still not convinced it's our wisest choice. I'd love a sparkling new home with hand-picked finishes, but there are a lot of hidden costs. We built this house in 1999 and it was all pretty straight forward and we knew exactly what we were getting for our sale price. This time around everything is an "option". Oh, you want a light above the kitchen island? That's another $800. What's that, you want steps to the front porch? We can do that for $1800. Every extra window is $500 or more, and (surprise!) most rooms only have one. The optional stone fireplace is $7,000. They don't sound like much one at a time, but added together it's a bundle. Buying finishes through the builder is very convenient, but far more costly. The same granite or quartz kitchen counters the builder will install are a thousand dollars more than Lowe's or Home Depot - the very same granite! And you know darn well that the builder is buying them at a contractor's price. The catch is that you must have a countertop in order to close. So if you have them install a basic laminate and choose to replace it with granite of your choosing, then you're paying the new installers extra to remove and haul away the laminate that you didn't want in the first place. Ugh. We've also remembered that we are not HOA people. The neighborhood we are considering is really lovely - it sits on a golf course (we don't golf) and has a community pool, fitness center, etc. Of course, there's a fee for all of that. That fee also includes trash pickup and lawn maintenance. Mickey would never mow again! He likes that. BUT, and for me this is a big but, they control every shrub or tree you might want to plant. No trees with a trunk diameter over 12 inches. They also hit you for $650 every January for maintenance of water and sewer. They're on public sewer and water, so I'm not sure what that covers. Of course, we can always purchase a lot elsewhere and build on that, but odds are that would entail having a well and septic put in and I am not a fan of that at all. The allure of building is that we could control the timeline (pretty much). If we broke ground in September or October could list our house in the spring and make our move. That gives us time to book a moving company and have a schedule that doesn't create panic. Our other options are to keep scouring real estate and jump on a house that meets our needs, list our house, close on our house and the new house in a timely manner, cross our fingers we can hire a reputable moving company on short notice, and drive to Maryland with two cats...or...list our house, close, hire a moving company, drive to Maryland with two cats, put everything in storage, rent a place until we find what we love, then hire movers again to get everything from storage to the new place. I'll be honest, the worst part of both scenarios is the idea of driving with two cats. They may have to be drugged. I'm currently liking this house in Ocean Pines. It's a little wonky-looking, but the interior and the lot are appealing (that dappled shade is perfect for hydrangeas!). I'm crazy about that screened room. https://www.homesnap.com/homes/for_sale/MD/Ocean-Pines/p_(21,21266)/c_38.381705,-75.146285/z_12/m_7,107492455 I've

already decorated it in my mind. It's 5 miles from the beach, the community has 5 pools ( 1 indoor), tennis courts, pickleball courts, walking trails, playgrounds, etc. No hidden fees. Every Saturday there's a farmer's market, and everything we'd need from a good hospital to Home Goods is nearby. The biggest drawback is that it's two hours from the grandgirl. Two hours is much better than our current eleven hours but that's definitely not the easy drop-in we'd hoped for. Arrgh! They'll just have to move. Ha! Alright, I've dumped my brain out on here and I'll leave you to pick through the mess and make sense of it. I have to run out to mail a box, then I'll feed the mister, fold some laundry, and make a couple cards. That's kind of a terrific Tuesday. No complaints from me. Besides, we're now just 89 days from Halloween! The stores have had fake pumpkins out since mid-July, they know the way to my heart. One more reason not to buy a lot outside of a neighborhood- no trick-or-treaters! Can you imagine if this was to be my last official Halloween? Tragedy! Gotta' run. Stay safe. stay well, and be kind to each other. XOXO, Nancy

[hylianassassin]

Found this during a google search. It's incomplete, as it doesn't have Smash Bros. Young Link or the drops from the Champions set, but so far it's been pretty accurate. Useful guide for anyone interested in purchasing a LoZ amiibo for their BotW playthrough. And better yet, these are just the amiibo exclusives. They actually drop a good variety of things in the game. Ganondorf drops precious stones and claymores, usually Gerudo Golden Claymores, along with barrels (sometimes handy explosive ones!).

The Champions drop weaponry and equipment from their respective tribes, in addition to various food items. Urbosa drops a lot of raw meat (of all tiers), and perhaps most hilariously, Mipha drops live fish which tend to get smooshed by her chest which spawns last xD. Always good for a laugh. Daruk drops precious stones and rock salt, and also comically, Revali, a birb, drops a lot of fruit and seeds. He also drops arrow bundles.

Smash Bros. Link drops arrows, both regular and elemental. He also drops high level shields and swords. He also spawns a few food items though nothing of particular interest. The Zelda 30th Anniversary Twilight Princess Link supposedly drops the same loot table as Smash Link, but hey, why not get both and benefit from two similar drops a day?

Even non-Zelda amiibos drop food items into the game. I have Ridley and Wolf from the Smash series that I got lucky with and picked up on clearance. I have yet to see them drop any chests, but they do drop noms.

So, are these little guys pricey? Yeah, not gonna lie. Most of the time I can't afford to buy new ones and when I can I usually only can get one or two at a time. But, are they worth it? In my opinion, yes they are. All the items listed above are useful in BotW, but that's just one game. These guys are compatible with multiple games, and will most likely be compatible with numerous future games, including more Zelda games. In my opinion, they're a lifetime investment for any gamer, casual or hardcore. Hundreds of dollars' worth of content is hidden away in these guys. Plus, they look really nice on display, are pleasant to hold, and are very high quality.

So, if you're interested in getting into Nintendo Amiibo, I recommend it. Just buy wisely. Personally I refuse to go through any other sites than Best Buy, Gamestop or Wal-Mart. I use Wal-Mart the most. The ones I get through them always come in their original packaging. I take them out because I buy them to use, but they're still valuable as collector's items. And as a former Wal-Mart employee, I know that third parties selling through their website have to be legitimate. Wal-Mart's too big a corporation to tangle with if the seller is sleazy. It may cost more than say, a seller on Ebay or Amazon, but, I can buy in confidence knowing that I am getting what I'm paying for. I would rather pay more for something I know is a sure bet, than to try and be cheap and get nothing at all.

Anyhoo, just thoughts from a random Amiibo collector. Happy Hunting!

[pbandjesse]

I can't believe that I was in New Jersey with James yesterday. It feels like it was a week ago. I'm laying in another hotel room but by myself this time. I'm exhausted. And while it's only 9 here it is midnight back home. And I've been awake since 4:30 this morning. So I'm really going to try to go to sleep soon.

I went to bed at like 8:30 last night. Or at least soon after 8:30. I was certain this morning was going to be terrible. But going to bed so early actually help me out and when my alarm went off I felt fine. I got up and got dressed. I texted James. I fed sweet pea and made sure all the dishes were put away. I took the recycling out. And then James was there. I said goodbye to Sweet Pea. And we headed to the airport.

James and not going to bed at all. He had gone straight from our trip to home to eat and then right to work. They had some Ghost Hunters on board constellation. And they interviewed him with my ghost story from sting I saw on the birth stack. So that's pretty cool. But he was kind of exhausted. He felt okay enough Drive but I really don't like when people drive when they're tired. But I was still very grateful and thankful for him taking me to the airport so early in the morning.

We got there about 5:30. In line for TSA was surprisingly long. But I made it through. I had to get patted down because my jumper had a knot on the side of it that's at the machine off. But then I texted James that we were all good and he went home to go to sleep.

I looked out that the McDonald's is right across from my gate. So I got breakfast and tried not to get a nervous stomach. I had until 6:45 when we were boring. I ran to the bathroom and wash my hands and tried to mentally prepare myself for a 6-hour flight. It's the longest flight I've ever taken. So I was a little bit nervous. And like the TSA is fine and the actual flying is fine. The worst part of felt air travel to me is the few minutes between first boarding and waiting to get in your seat. For some reason that makes me so stressed out. I just want to be in lazy and sitting down with my headphones in and not thinking about anything.

But I got on the plane and my seat was great. Right over the wing-like I like. It's still see the ground but if I didn't want to see the girl I didn't have to go. I had to endure this. The girl next to me was incredibly fidgety but then when they close the door there was an open seat near her family so she moved. So I had an open seat next to me. The ideal way to fly.

And it was a really good fight. It took us a little bit over half an hour to actually get off the ground. But we make great time. I texted everyone that I love them just in case. And then kind of half those. I have snack. Arrested. I don't think I ever actually fell asleep. I started multiple different podcasts. I couldn't focus on one so it was hard. Actually don't even remember what I ended up listening to. Oh it was a lifetime podcast because it was 4 hours long and I thought that would be my best bet. But I was barely listening.

I played a game on my phone for a lot of the time and look at the window when I could. The sun was on my side of most the entire time so it was reflecting off the wing pretty badly. But I got to see mountains in the desert. It was just really cool.

I was really happy to not be in the plane anymore though. Home time it was 2 pm. In California it was 11 a.m. Well actually it was about 10:45 when we landed and my driver who was scheduled for an app all of a sudden was coming a half an hour early. Because my plane landed 15 minutes early. It was very confusing. Especially because wall we landed we didn't get off the plane for almost 15 minutes. So then I was very stressed out. And that went to me ending up leaving at the wrong terminal. And then my poor driver had to try to find me. He was a really sweet guy though. You're younger than me. We talked for the entire 40 minute drive from Los Angeles to Thousand Oaks. He's a nice guy. And it was nice being able to talk to someone for that long about paranormal stuff and other nonsense.

I was really happy to be a busy Hotel though I was starving and gross. Find that long was hard. My flight back is not that bad. I got to stop over with an hour break in the middle. But I checked in and they were very apologetic because they were all out of king size beds and so they had to give me to Queens. I'm one person. Why do I need to Queens. But that's fine. Maybe I'll sleep in that bed tomorrow. Get use out of both of them.

Once again packed I headed out again. I caught a car and I headed up to a local barbecue place. It was like $3.50 left. I have never ever experienced a car ride that cheap. And it would be the only lift I took today. Because I decided to walk everywhere.

I ate so much food. I got a burger and fries and salad and bread. And I saved some of the bread. Hey I didn't eat everything. But I felt much better. And then I left there and walked over to the Antique store. I picked up barbecue place because it was in the same shopping center as the antique store I went to the last time I was here in 2017. And it was just as good. I ended up getting a stone bracelet that is locally found courts. But mostly had a good time just kind of taking pictures of my clock Furby I brought, Otto, and looking around. It was nice.

I went to a couple other shops in that shopping center. Including the other antique store. And then I decided to walk. For a really long time. Almost 2 miles. I was specifically looking for an antique store thing. It turned out to be more of a consignment shop when I finally did find it. But before that I found some really cool shops and adorable Bakery. Where I bought the prettiest little cheesecake. Which I saved until about an hour ago. I was shocked that it survived my backpack all day. But it was still really really good.

I found a tiny Goodwill bookstore and I got a milkshake. I enjoy being outside. I saw a cactus . Just growing on the side of the road. And the weather was beautiful. And I'm just having a great time. I was tired but walking was nice. Ended up finding these like Spiral shells and the dirt. So I can collect a bunch of those as I was walking. And then listen to the Adventure Zone podcast and enjoy the weather. Because it was beautiful outside. I'm a little sad that I'm going to be missing 7 in of snow in Baltimore tomorrow. But they did preemptively close the schools so I'm not missing as much work as originally thought. And I am a little sad that I'm alone out here. Like I like my own company don't get me wrong. But I miss James. Or Jess. This trip would have been nice to have with someone else. But it's okay. I'm still having a really nice time.

I started my truck back to the hotel. I stopped at this little Park where they change the kind of cement runoff River into a more natural environment. And I sat and watched the nature for a while. I saw a little bunny. But then I was starting to get cold. In my headphones were dying. I plug those in for a while in my backpack and walked around. Just enjoyed looking at the mountains and feeling the Sun.

I got about a half mile away from the hotel and I had to take a break. I sat down on the side of the road. It was a safe spot. And I just kind of played on my phone for a few minutes. This usually brought or not my normal travel shoes. I accidentally sent those back home to my parents house and so I kind of had to make a game-day decision and we're untested she is. And I got a little blister on my heel and on the side of my foot. So I'm a little frustrated about that. But it's okay.

I made it back to the hotel in one piece. Tired and sore. But one piece. I cleaned up and just kind of laid down for a while. I didn't actually fall asleep but it was nice being horizontal. Eventually I got up and went down to the bar to grab a fork for my cheesecake. I was going to get a soda too but I decided I really should not have any caffeine. And I should just get some sleep. But it took I really nice bath. I do the face mask. And now I'm just in bed. I think I'm going to do some yoga try to stretch it out a little bit. And then I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Tomorrow is the big day. My plan is to wake up early and have breakfast at the restaurant here at the hotel. Then I would like to go up to the closest state park. And walk around a bit. Then at 11 I have to head up to the campus to do the talk thing that I'm here for. That's until about 1 and then I'm going to take a car and go to the art museum. I was originally going to do that today but then I remembered the reason I had set the schedule to do the art museum tomorrow is because it's closed on Tuesdays. That's fine. I had a great day with what I ended up doing.

I'm excited to see the art museum and then there's a Goodwill up there as well. And just kind of them all. So I'm going to just kind of wander around and enjoy myself. I may be having dinner with someone from vibrant lives so that would be cool. But that's really my whole plan for tomorrow. Just kind of enjoy the nice weather before I go back to very cold Baltimore. I'm praying now I think I'm just going to get some stretching in and then some sleep.

I hope you're all having a great night. I know this post is later than normal because of the time difference. But I hope you're all well. Sleep well everyone be safe.

[binebo]

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