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#bug free environment
astellarrion · 3 months
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Thinking about how the ice worm and the shadow leviathan both have bug-like features and appearances.....
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headspace-hotel · 10 months
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Tree stuff
Most trees should outlive you. If a landscaper tells you the lifespan of a tree is 10 years, they don't know what they're talking about.
Trees are free. Carefully comb over your yard for baby trees, especially in mid-spring!
Similarly, If you live near a gravel driveway or gravel parking lot, you can find baby tree sprouts that can be easily transplanted by gently removing the gravel bits from around the roots, wrapping the roots in wet paper towel, and transplanting to a large pot.
Do not pile up mulch around the base of a tree. You can mulch under the tree, but it should be a mostly flat layer, not a raised mound, and keep the mulch a few inches away from touching the trunk. Roots need some access to air or the tree will grow roots upward through the mulch, and the roots will slowly wrap around the trunk and strangle the tree to death. It's called root girdling and it is very sad.
Trees need friends!!! If possible, plant two or three trees instead of just one. Trees share nutrients through the mycorrhizal network and they protect each other from storm damage.
Always get a tree that is native to your area and suited to your local environment.
Growing an oak from an acorn is easy. Go to an area where there are oaks in the fall, and collect the acorns that have turned brown and whose hats have popped off. Get large pots at least 8 inches depth, and lay the acorns on their sides on top of the potting soil, then cover them with a layer of damp fallen leaves, and leave them outside all winter long. Just be sure to cover them with some wire mesh or something to protect them from squirrels
Please keep oaks and other large trees about 20 feet from any structure because they will grow huge. Websites will tell you to keep trees X distance away from "structures or other trees" but other trees can go as little as 6-10 feet apart whereas structures need to be like 15 feet away minimum, generally speaking
Prune the tree while it's dormant, NOT in the middle of summer!
If you happen to be from the Eastern United States, please consider getting an oak! They are keystone species and host plants for literally hundreds of insects. We have too many maples here too, so maybe consider a Sweetgum or Black Gum for pretty fall colors?
If you have a tree that's tied to a stake to keep it upright, get rid of that thing as soon as you can, particularly if there's zip ties holding it to the tree, because those can grow into the bark and kill the tree...
If your tree is dead, please consider cutting off the branches and leaving at least 6-10 feet or so of trunk standing. Dead tree snags like this are important nesting places for many birds and you might see a woodpecker
If you live in North America, whatever you do, do NOT get anything marketed as an "ornamental flowering pear tree." They're typically Pyrus calleryana, and they're virulently invasive
Bugs eating a few holes in the leaves of your tree? Good for them! (They aren't hurting the tree unless they're like, fully skeletonizing it, and they're just the caterpillars of butterflies and moths. Want Luna moths or Tiger Swallowtail butterflies? Let the caterpillars eat their dinner mmkay.)
Don't throw away the fallen leaves! Butterflies, moths, stick bugs, lightning bugs, ladybugs, and many other insects hibernate the winter in the fallen leaves. Use them as mulch for flower beds, compost them, or just leave them alone! You'll probably want to stop mowing after the leaves fall if you'd like to see bugs.
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prettieinpink · 6 months
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HAVING AN INTENTIONAL ROOM
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Your room is the most important place in your life. You sleep, wake up, heal and experience many emotions just in your room. You have to take care of your room, so it is spiritually the ideal place to grow into the best version of yourself. 
KEEPING YOUR ROOM CLEAN 
Keeping your room free of mess is an act of mindfulness and self-discipline that supports your overall journey and connects you with your higher self. It helps with promoting clarity, and cultivating inner balance and is an everyday self-care ritual. 
Make your bed every day. You have to respect the place in which you sleep and heal.
Hang up clean clothes after the day or put any dirty clothes in your laundry hamper, avoid tossing them on the floor. 
Find a place for everything, and know where everything is. If you do not know where each thing in your room is located, you either have too much clutter or you’re disorganised. 
Tidy up your room daily, neatly putting everything away in its place. If needed, buy a few organisers. 
Don’t leave rubbish for extended periods. Treat your room like a temple, don’t disrespect it, and pick up after yourself. 
Try to avoid eating meals in your bedroom. We forget the dirty dishes over time, and it stinks and attracts unwanted bugs. 
Change bed sheets regularly. Once a week at the most, for more hygienic reasons though. 
Remove unwanted items on your bedside table. Keep it minimal and intentional with anything you want to place on it.
Regularly clean up the dust in your room, using a duster or a damp microfiber cloth on all of the surfaces. 
ENCOURAGING GROWTH IN YOUR LIFE
A room designed to encourage inner growth serves as a physical reminder of your commitment to self-improvement, personal development, and overall well-being. It creates an environment helpful to improvement, self-reflection, and positive change.
Keep specific areas of your room designated to one task in your life. For me, my desk is for productivity, my bed is for resting or relaxing and my bedroom floor is for mindful activities. 
Throw away any items that do not serve a purpose to you anymore. Avoid keeping items that bring you painful or harmful memories.
Minimise the presence of technology in your room. I suggest having zones in your room which is device-free or having a time of day in which devices are not allowed in your room. 
Create a vision board poster in your room that you can see every day, which helps to visualise and motivate you to create your dream life. 
Place meaningful quotes, affirmations, mantras or prayers as reminders of the values, mindsets or intentions you wish to cultivate in your life.
Display personal achievements. If you won any awards or certificates, place them in a way in which you can view them every day. If you have done something in your life that you think is an achievement but have no award to display, just simply create your own. Buy some balsawood and glue it together to create your own medal. 
Place items that align with the habits or routines you want to cultivate in your life so that they are easily accessible. Put a workout mat in the corner, always have your journal on your desk or have a cold water bottle ready to go when you wake up. 
3. DECORATING YOUR ROOM TO REFLECT YOU
Decorating your room in a way that reflects your true self brings a sense of authenticity and comfort. It creates a nurturing environment that allows for self-expression, reflection, and personal growth which ultimately contributes to your journey of inner development.
Make a mood board or vision board of how you would want your room to look, how it supports you and how it makes you feel. Choose a colour scheme in this process as well.
Add candles or incense that you think embodies who you are, or who you want to be. For example, if I want to be a cleaner person, I would choose a candle that smells like fresh linen. 
Put up posters of things that you like, people who you look up to or anything that expresses who you are.
Add a canopy to your bed while you sleep. So cute, and I believe it helps protect you from any unwanted energy entering through you while you sleep. 
Add a rug, even if you already have carpet, to enhance the cozy ambience of the room. 
An ottoman at the end of the bed can elevate your room to look more expensive, if needed, it can also be an organiser for your extra things. 
Put life in your room, adding low-maintenance plants or flowers can liven it up. A little extra, research some plants or flowers meaning’s and pick one that resonates with you. 
Display any of your favourite jewellery, bags, clothing pieces, or make-up around your room. A nice way to appreciate what you have, without actually using them. 
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talesofsonicasura · 4 months
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To Save A DogDay
I couldn't help but write this after seeing the constant dedication of saving the giant toy doggo. So here's something to assist you guys in the effort. I've done some research(even though Google was being an ass) and took a look at this particular post by @dafloof
First off, DogDay is surprisingly big despite being cut in half. If I have to compare his size then think of those giant plushies you win from a theme park or carnival game. Thus the only possible carry for the average person to safely escort him is bridal or hanging off like a koala on the side due to the grab pack. He might be able to shrink himself to a more manageable size if DogDay is similar to CatNap in body structure.
Although that doesn't mean the task is impossible outside of adrenaline. DogDay may be big you got to think about his possible weight. Bigger Bodies are still toys with the Smiling Critters being plushies. How much of him is stuffing and not organs?
The necessary body parts for him to still be alive are the lungs, heart, brain, stomach, and some sort of skeletal structure. Here's a weight chart for the average human. (Although these might be smaller if harvested back as a child than an adult.)
Stomach: 2-4 pounds/lbs
Brain- 2.5 pounds/lbs
Heart- 0.25 pounds/lbs
Lungs- 1.8 pounds/lbs
Human Skeleton- 15-25 pounds/lbs
Average weight here 21.05 - 31.05 lbs. His arm bones might be reinforced similar to the Prototype but they still wouldn't be that heavy. For carrying in your arms, 35- 55 lbs is what the the untrained person can hold. Body weight contributes to how much someone can carry with a 139 lbs untrained woman being able to deadlift around 74 lbs. For men it is 125 lbs for 148 lbs.
Adrenaline can help contribute to this as there have been feats done by people in dangerous situations. One example being a human mother fighting off a polar bear to protect her kids or someone moving a car by themselves to get free. We can do insane things when it comes to survival.
There's also the mental side to this. Our brains actually diminish the perception of how strong we are by 40%. If you carry something you love or cherish like a person, then they can weigh less just from that viewpoint. Sometimes thinking like the Little Engine That Could will make a difference.
Now I am not forgetting the dangerous little critters. There are ways to deal with them and have enough time to bring DogDay along. In his cell, there are two ports they can crawl out of. Blocking these whether by flares or stuffing them with nearby items can do the trick.
Second is bribery. We aren't restricted to the environment like in the game and throughout the facility there are intact vending machines. The toys obviously need to eat but seem unable get into the machines. YOU CAN.
Break the glass and stockpile as much snacks as possible. Finding bags or boxes to carry them wouldn't be hard. Offer these to the little Critters in exchange for DogDay. You can open one bag for further incentive as the chance to get a special treat is something no one will be able to resist.
DogDay might be able to drag himself so breaking the chains with the Grab Pack or a different tool is possible. They are probably rusty thus easier to break. It will obviously hurt for DogDay to drag his body so stealing something like a cushion from CatNap's hideyhole could ease the pain.
Should that not be the case then other options are available. Considering Playcare is a fun house, you might be able to find scooterboards or a platform cart to carry him. If not then a makeshift sled to pull DogDay about is the next best move.
Now there's actually another escape route. A duck ride that you couldn't access in the game due to bugs. I think Mob was planning for a chase down there as it is fully fleshed out with puzzles and an environment.
DogDay can hold onto the boat while you solve the puzzles to get out. For those who hadn't chosen bribery then flares will keep pursuing Little Critters away. Maybe set a fire as you escape since there's plenty of items to make a molotov cocktail if crafty enough.
I suggest finding some walkie talkies as someone needs to look after DogDay. The area under the statue can be a possible safe spot but being able to contact Kissy Missy and Poppy will better the chances of his recovery than just survival. Both know the factory's inner works enough to remain hidden so they might know where to find supplies. A possible ally with valuable info can sway them to help.
There is also the option of coming back to Playcare. DogDay might still be alive as you can hear his muffled cries during the chase. He might be worse for wear due to the little menaces piloting him like a bootleg Megazord. Walkie talkies can help you page Kissy Missy to help with escorting the Bigger Body safely.
It is possible to save DogDay if you are smart or crafty enough to use the environment. The factory offers a lot of potential options to help with that. Do know that you can turn a simple water gun into a flamethrower.
Why follow the rules of the game when there are ways to break them?
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wosoamazing · 4 months
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The Transfer
Summary: You move to Barca.
Warnings: None I don't think
A/N: Google translated Spanish so I apologies if it is incorrect, hope you like it. Also as usual feel free to send requests, whether it is for this Series or for kid!readers, or something else. Hope you like it.
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You run to Leah when you see her, and give her a massive hug, you missed her, camp was hard, especially the second last day. There was a conversation you needed to have with her, you didn’t want to risk her finding out from someone else, so you decided to just start it right there and then in the airport.
“We need to talk about something, Le.”
“Go to Barca.”
“What?” you exclaim looking up at her, surely you heard her wrong.
“Go to Barca, you deserve it Bug, you’re amazing, go to Barca, you can always come back, Arsenal will take you back in a heartbeat, any club would take you back in a heartbeat, but you’re not going to want to come back, and I’ll visit I promise, and we can put daily facetime calls in our calendar for the first few weeks. Call me whenever you need, I’ll pick up the phone. But the girls are lovely there, and you will have Lucy and Kiera.”
“Wait, so you’re saying go? How did you find out?”
“Of course I’m saying go, it’s Barca, and the finding out part, well Alexia messaged asking if I knew anything I said no, asked Lucy and Kiera and they were like ‘yeah she spoke to us about what the people were like, and the environment etc we thought you knew’ Millie then walked in and was like ‘Guy’s shit just went down at the Matildas camp, might want to check your sister is okay though Leah’, Millie than told us what Sam told her and yeah”
“So, you’re not mad I didn’t ask you first?”
“No, I’m proud, you asked the right people the right questions, you stood up for yourself, you manage to do some pretty hard ball negotiations, and you didn’t let anyone make the decision for you, you stayed true to yourself, and I’m proud.”
_____
“Ready to go?” Lucy asks as your suitcases are loaded into the back of the car, you nod you had just played friendlies against the Lionesses in England, so at least the travel there was short, however the travel back to your club was going to be a bit longer, as you weren’t returning to Arsenal but to Barca.
“I feel sick,” Kiera moaned as she came out to join you and Lucy.
“Yeah, I told you to stop drinking, why do you think we didn’t drink.”
“Ah because she is still a week and one year underage, and you I don’t know, because you don’t know how to let loose and have fun,” Kiera replies. Last night some of your national and club teammates as well as some Leah’s national teammates had a party in your honour, to celebrate you going to Barca and to celebrate your Birthday, which was in a week.
_____
It was your first night staying at Lucy and Kiera’s and somehow it was conveniently team bonding night at their place. It didn’t seem like a coincidence at all. You were really nervous to meet the team, they all knew each other already, this was the first time you were joining a team that you were completely new in, when you joined Arsenal you already knew the girls really well because of Leah, and then when you joined the Matildas you had Steph, Kyra and Caitlin, but this was different.
You had stayed quiet for most of the night, watching the game, trying not to draw attention to yourself, however that was all unravelled when Mapi sighed “Estúpido Àrbitro. Eso fue claramente una falta.” (Stupid Referee, that was clearly a foul)
“Casi fue tarjeta amarilla.” (almost was a yellow card)
Everyone heads turned to you, and their jaws dropped. “You know Spanish?”
“Ah, well a bit, mainly to do with the game, one of my Friend’s Dad’s is Spanish and they talk Spanish at home, especially when he is watching the game.”
“Leah never told me that,” Lucy remarked, “Leah doesn’t necessarily know” “oh, so is this a friend or a friend.”
“Lucy leave the poor kid alone,” Kiera told her off.
“So it is a special friend,” “Is she, or he, cute?” “Do you have a photo?” the girls all asked at once.
“Girls, as Kiera said, leave the poor kid alone, she just got here” Alexia told them, they all shut up immediately.
_____
“Oh, Bebita, what’s wrong?” Alexia asks you as she walks into the locker room, you were slumped back in your locker, leaning against the wall, “come here”, she says as she drags you up and brings you in for a hug, in which you broke, tears start to stream down your face as you try to get out of Alexia’s grip, it was only your third day at Barcelona and yet here you were crying in front of your new captain. Alexia only tightened her grip at your actions cooing “It’s okay, I’m here,” rubbing your back slightly. “How about we sit down,” she sat down and pulled you into her lap, you rested your head on her shoulder, giving into her.
“I-I miss Le,” You sobbed into her shoulder.
“I know, its okay Bebita, we’re here,” Alexia could never understand completely how you felt but she could imagine, she could see how close you and Leah were which wasn’t surprising considering you had been living with her for the past six years but leaving her and only seeing her through the phone was something you were struggling with, and the team had started to notice it, you were always slightly sadder when you re-joined the team after being on the phone with Leah.
_____
You woke up and looked at the clock, it was 9:00am, ‘shit’ you mumble to yourself, you sprung out of your bed before flopping back into it, after having the realisation that you didn’t have training today, you had a game last night, which you played in, it was much tougher than the games at Arsenal, so you were exhausted.
It was only then that you took in your surrounds, there were balloons scattered around your room, and on the floor, there were little present signs with arrows. You quickly got yourself semi presentable before following the presents, they lead you into the living room, all your new teammates were there. “Surprise!” they all yelled whilst someone exploded one of those confetti guns, you were in fact surprised, you had been at Barca a week, you were expecting something low key with Lucy and Kiera not a whole team affair, “Come sit,” Lucy said tapping the empty section of couch between her and Alexia, as you walked over you couldn’t help but notice the pile of presents on the coffee table, you had already received gifts from your family and arsenal teammates, so these had to be from your Barca teammates but you couldn’t really believe it.
“You got these all for me?” you questioned in disbelief.
“Yes, they are all for you,” Alexia tells you before handing you a gift, “here open.”
You eventually finished making your way through the present pile and thanked everyone profusely.
However, while you thanked everyone Alexia walked in with three more presents, these ones were quite heavy. “Don’t open them yet, I just need to call someone,” whoever she was calling answered, and then she handed the phone to you, it was Leah and Lia, “Happy Birthday Bug! We may have some surprises for you, open the skinny rectangular one first. It’s from Katie, she wanted you to have it on your actual Birthday, make it more special” you opened it up and grinned it was a whoop, “tell her I like it please, and that I said thank you.”
“Will do bug, now the smaller of the two remaining was Lia’s idea, but both presents are from us” you opened the two gifts and at the sight of them tears left your eyes, “T-thank you,” your sister and Lia had just gifted you a new Mac Book Pro and a new iPhone. Ingrid moved closer to you and hugged you, knowing it was what you needed. After getting ready the rest of your morning was filled with fun festivities as the girls made sure to spoil you, however it was time to start getting ready to go out for dinner, so everyone returned to their own homes in agreeance they would all meet there, waiting for everyone to be there before they went in.
As you walked into the restaurant with the team Lucy whispered to you, “there may be one more surprise,” she gestured her head over to the massive table in the restaurant, where two familiar figures sat, you couldn’t control yourself and run over to them. “Hi Bug, glad you’re happy to see us,” Leah said hugging you “we missed you” Lia said now hugging you.
“I missed you too” you said before you sat down between them, you were grinning from ear to ear. “How are you here?” “Oh, this was all Alexia’s doing, she planned it all.” You looked over to you captain who winked at you, maybe Barca wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
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balkanradfem · 1 year
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One of the points of Greta Thunberg's book about the Climate, was about female land ownership, and how we need an increase of it. That actually surprised me, not that I didn't think of it before, but because it was presented as one of the solutions.
Greta actually looked at what happens to the land when women reign over it, or when women even just have access to it and are allowed to work on it, and noticed that women almost always, naturally, regenerated the land. Women will go and plant trees on their land immediately, and feed their families with the produce it makes. Women will not even stop at planting trees on their land, they'll go and re-forest the surrounding areas too, sharing secrets of the trees with others who can benefit from the extra free food. Women will plant native species, bushes, flowers, gardens, revitalize the soil, add life to the dirt and the sand, and this is something that is recorded consistently and long term with the female land ownership, land is not only regenerated, but used for immediate benefit of all life on it. That includes humans, animals, bugs, bacteria, plants and the local environment in general.
Greta also points out that most of the land that women are working on, is currently not their own. They're most often lending their hands to the land owned by their husbands, brothers, uncles, relatives or landlords, and these m*n will sometimes decide to undo all that work, and build something environmentally destructive on it in order to make a personal profit.
This is why Greta implores that is important that women own more land, personally and with full power over what happens to it. Women having full control over land is nature's way of regeneration and prevention of climate change. Give land to the women to fight climate change.
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callofdudes · 1 year
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Simon "Ghost" Riley x Autistic Reader headcanons.
A/N: I myself am not autistic but I do know a fair bit about it. So I figured I'd write headcanons before writing a fic just to dip my toes in and see if I can get it right.
I know that autism can present a bit differently for some things across different people. Please feel free to let me know if something in this list is not correct. ❤️
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Ghost would be lying if he said he didn't give you extra special treatment apart from his other teammates. And it's well justified. Simon knows not to compare you to a child but he also knows that you need things the others don't.
Simon has picked up on subtle signs throughout the months working with you. How sometimes when things didn't go according to plan on base it would leave you more stressed out than it should have. Sometimes if your food wasn't what you had expected it to be, he'd notice how you'd react.
He eventually consulted your file before making any decisions. That's how he'd found out you are autistic.
Simon knew someone who was autistic, so he made sure to keep his eye close on you.
He noticed each little shift. How you would stim with your clothing or your hair, too embarrassed to carry a fidget toy around base. But that didn't matter to Simon. He made sure to take care of everything. He bought some fidget toys small enough to fit in his jacket and when in meetings or just sitting around, he'd pull a toy like magic from his pocket and hand it over.
You'd been incredibly grateful the first few times, and then it just became routine that Simon would carry around the toys for you and have one on hand whenever you needed.
He also noticed which ones you liked, and didn't like. Some you would hand back because they didn't feel right on your fingers. Others clicked and slid in a way you didn't quite like, and he kept a tab of that. He compared fidget toys you did like to similar ones and was very precise every time he got you a new one.
He made sure that in every environment he was nearby. How you'd react to the lights, different sounds. How you'd react when it got to loud and crowded or too quiet. What noises bugged you and what calmed you.
When on missions, Simon made sure to talk you through each step. He thought his voice would help you to face the unexpected. Telling you where to go and exactly what to do, ready to face any situation.
"Take a deep breath y/n, you're doing great. Two Shadows on your left, you can take them out from where you are without being spotted"
Your level of empathy and emotional awareness was also something he had to take into account. You could sensitive to anger. You could feel a great deal of empathy and almost take on the burden of It being your fault even if you had nothing to do with it. Because of this, Simon made sure that you were aware his anger was never on you.
"Simon? Did I do something wrong? You looked really upset when you looked at me earlier and I just thought that maybe-"
Simon places his hand on your shoulder. "No no, just had a rough morning. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Got it?"
Simon has also become much more aware of how he teases you. You were emotionally aware to the point that you very clearly understood Simon would joke about being hurt, or would make fun of you and it was all jokes. He understood that you understood how his emotions worked as well.
But there was the occasional time where Simon would pretend to be hurt by your words and you'd have genuine regret. It doesn't happen as often as he would have thought, but when it does, he's right there to reassure you he is completely fine.
Simon actually gets more upset than you do when people call you a child wrapped up in an adults body with a nice little bow on top. Of course you have your traits but Simon has seen your hobbies and interests. You're no super genius but you are more than a child. You just have a different trajectory point on life's train tracks. And Simon makes sure to remind anyone he doesn't think is being respectful of you as a person.
Nightmares can affect you more harshly because of your emotional investment with things and the people around you.
The first time Simon saw you become overstimulated he was a little scared he'll be honest. He panicked a little bit. But now he knows exactly what to do. At first he tried to comfort you, allowing you to be swallowed up in his embrace, he crushed you tightly in his arms and smoothed his hands over your muscles. It would sometimes take a while for you to come down from your high, but he was there for every moment.
When he becomes a bit better at knowing how to handle a situation when you get over stimulated the process is smoother. Simon will notice how you can completely shut down. Sometimes it's near a meltdown with tears flowing everywhere. And other times you just disconnect. You don't move, don't speak, completely distant. Simon approaches you gently and picks you up in his arms.
"This ok?" He whispers near your ear as to not startle you. You cling to him tightly, burying your head in his neck. "Alright, come on, you've had a long day."
He rubs your back and brings you to your room. If you're away from base he just finds a separate room that is quiet. Anywhere he can go to separate the noise and bustling energy from you. If you're in your room he'll lay you down and just get you to relax.
Tears flow down your cheeks, hands still clasping the material of Simon's hoodie. Simon gently rubs your collar and down over your shoulders. He presses on different parts of your arms until you relax. "Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath." Simon breathes in deeply, prompting you to mimick. He wipes the tears from your cheeks and fetches your heavier blanket from the end of the bed. "See? You're ok."
He grabs your fidget from your desk and place it in your hand, or sometimes he'll lean over you and allow you to play with his sweater.
He talks softly and calmly, he does know kinder and softer words of reassurance help.
Sometimes all you want to do is hug Simon under the warmth of your weighted blanket, his arms wrapped around you like mountains compressing you from all angles.
And sometimes Simon will shut the door, lay you on your back and lay the weighted blanket just above the bend in the bottom of your spine. If you want a fidget toy he'll get you one to distract your hands while he runs soothing motions along your muscles, feeling them relax and contract. He plays white Noise in the background for you, or he'll give you his phone so you can watch soap cutting videos or other visually satisfying things.
"How are you doing?" He whispers near your ear, thumbs rubbing over your stomach and up around your back to cup your shoulder blades. "Look at it." You flip the phone to show a satisfying paint video. "Oh, that's a cool one isn't it?" You nod and go back to watching it.
Wherever Simon got so good at doing massages, you would not change it for the world. You've expressed before how nice they feel and how they calm you down. And Simon continues to do them.
Simon always makes sure that when you're over stimulated you have something to do with your hands. Again, if you want to play with his hoodie he'll stay with you so you can. If you want to run your hands through his hair, he's become comfortable enough to allow it.
"What are you doing up there?" He asks with a smile. You hum, combing your fingers through the short hair of his nape and up into the longer locks. "Soft." You express the feeling over your fingertips. "Yeah? I did shower." "I like your hair."
The occasional times you go nonverbal and are unsure how to express your needs, Simon will pull out a few toys and just crawl up next to you. He holds out his hoodie strings and comb his fingers through your hair.
He lays next to you, holding up one of the fidget toys. You gently take it and allow your fingers to move over it. Simon stays, fingers moving to drift through your scalp. You abandon the toy quicker than he expected and reach for his hoodie. "Oh you want this?" He smiles and moves closer so you can play with the strings of his hoodie.
Simon knows that you are incredibly passionate about what makes you happy. He often bugs you that you never shut up, but he knows you love it. One time when you both couldn't sleep early on the morning, Simon made you both tea and sat silently while you went on for nearly four hours about the lore of your favorite game/movie/TV show. He'd add little key points and poke out certain details, which would lead you down a detailed side rant before coming back to wrap everything up. The conversations would ring you dry of information. Simon would be lying if he said he didn't like it when you info dumped on him.
It was one of your ways you expressed your love. Sharing these things that made you so incredibly happy and Simon wanted to be a part of that.
Simon is still learning, and honestly he's very happy to learn. Sometimes he gets things right and sometimes he doesn't. But he is always here to make sure you get the care and provision you need. Whether it's taking a step back or a step in.
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ariseur · 2 months
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could I request cloud reacting to a reader who has never seen snow before? also, in a romantic setting if it isn't much trouble 😭? feel free to ignore if you don't want to do it :3
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“you okay?” cloud asked, tilting his head as he watched you peek out the curtains, sat on the couch with wide eyes. you turned to him with a grin, almost childlike as you laughed a little bit.
“it’s snowing outside, cloud!” you flashed a sleepy smile, turning back to the barely lit window. it was pretty early, the sun hadnt completely risen yet as the sky was still a dark blue and purple— meaning you must’ve woken up early just to see the snowfall.
he walked over to the couch, gently sitting upon the worn cushions as his eyes flickered between you and the window. the glass reflected your serene grin while you held your head in your hands, nothing could tear you away from the sight of the snow outside. odd, cloud thought. “yeah, what about it?”
you shrugged, “it’s pretty.”
“never seen snow before?” he quirked a brow. you seemed very focused on the white crystalline frost on the window, small flecks of it falling from the sky and onto the ground in piles as it covered the dirt. it wasn’t a common occurrence for snow to fall but cloud has seen his fair share of different environments with his job.
“nope.” you mumbled, still in awe at the sight before you. he made a small hum of acknowledgment as he looked back at you. he eyed the jacket on the chair near the door, an idea flickering inside his head.
“how about you get the real deal, then?”
“huh?”
“grab your jacket, let’s go outside.” he got up and made his way over to his leather jacket. it wasn’t much but cloud could withstand the cold. he watched with a soft chuckle as you squared and skipped along to find your jacket.
cloud waited by the door as he watched you emerge from the room with a comically layered outfit, almost expecting it to be freezing even thought it was just a tiny bit of snow. he scoffed with a small half smile before opening the door and letting you go first, your grin never faltering.
“woah—! wait!” he said, extending a hand as he watched your dive into the thin layer of snow that littered the grounds of your complex. he darted towards you, kneeling as he made sure you were okay. you rolled over, lazily grinning at him as you laughed, making snow angels and revealing the dirt that had been under the ground’s cold, white coat. “c’mon, cloud!”
“no, thanks.”
“pleasee—?” you drew out the ‘e’, pouting as he sighed. he brushed some of the snow away, making sure there were no bugs under the ground’s disguised layer of snow— before unceremoniously flopping over next to you.
he couldn’t help but crack a soft smile at your giggles when he saw you leaning on your elbow as you sat up and hovered over him. you two simply sat there for a moment, letting the silence overtake you. you could hear the faintness of cars and the chatters of people, but you two didn’t say anything until a few words finally left your lips. “can i kiss you, cloud?”
he huffed, an amused smile resting on his face. “sure.”
you leaned in, and he could feel you grin against his lips— icy and cold. lips that didn’t move very often only from the lack of things to say, but with you— cloud felt like he didn’t have to say anything. you two were just comfortable, and he liked that.
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frankiensteinsmonster · 6 months
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Is it invalid to worry about your environmental impact as a person who lives on this planet (especially when loads of other people seem to live in ignorant bliss or openly just do not care)?
Not at all.
But as disabled people* I really think we should allow ourselves those accommodations we need/that would make our lives easier.
Bottled body wash lathers easier and saves you that tiny bit of energy while you're washing up? Can't seem take care of your bar of soap so it runs out fast because it's always wet and actively makes your bathroom harder to clean? You deserve to preserve your energy and keep yourself clean. Use it.
Bottled water means your executive dysfunction won't get in the way of you getting hydrated? Means you can keep water by your bed so you don't have to endure the physical pain of walking to the kitchen? Means your OCD symptoms won't prevent you from drinking water for hours-days at a time? You deserve to drink water without stressing. Drink it.
Paper plates and plastic utensils mean you get to eat without having to worry about dishes + prevents you from having an overwhelming sink full of every dish you own covered in rotting, smelly food that may even attract bugs and cause them to breed in your sink? You deserve to eat freely and live in a clean and safe environment. Use them.
Can't wash clothes on the regular let alone cleaning rags due to energy/executive function, ability, finances, ect.? Use paper towels. For whatever reason you need them. Spills so you don't take up your only clean towel and risk it sitting + developing mold and mildew. Wiping off your counters. Dusting. Drying your dishes. Drying your hands. I literally do not give a fuck. Use them!
Use frozen vegetables that come in plastic bags and frozen meals that come in single use plastic and floss sticks and plastic cups and precut fruit and veg and whatever little necessary 'convenience' you can think of that makes your life easier. Just because you Technically, Physically can pull it off doesn't mean you should and it's important we think about the consequences of our actions even if we're the only ones really impacted by them. You're important. And for a lot of us, these things are what makes the difference between Getting Things Done At All and sitting in shame because we can't bring ourselves to make our own everything and do everything the long or right way. We put too much pressure on ourselves to make up for what abled people aren't doing themselves. If Anybody deserves a break it's us.
Don't misconstrue this as discouragement from doing what you can or whatever, but I need all of us to be a lot more realistic about what impacts our lives and which trade offs are worth it for our own sake.
It's unfortunate that we don't have options for more sustainable resources when it comes to taking care of ourselves, but it shouldn't fall on us to choose between a significantly more difficult life or feeling guilt free. Advocate where you can for better treatment of the planet, and until that can happen-- non-disabled people can and should pick up the slack for us. They literally have that option and the impact they face is an infinitesimal inconvenience compared to the real health/quality of life consequences that build up in such a severe way over time. We deserve that little bit of leeway.
*disabled includes both physical and mental ailments on this post btw
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vasiktomis · 4 months
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Overqualified (Choso x F!Reader, 18+)
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Summary: A series of vignettes over the course of which you decide you're actually pretty cool with the idea of giving Choso head.
Rating: Explicit (Minors do NOT interact). Word Count: ~7300. Tags/Warnings: Female Pronouns and Anatomy for Reader, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Time Blow Jobs, Social Anxiety, Vomiting (not part of the sex stuff I swear but icks are icks), Angst, Misunderstandings, Oral Sex, Mentions of Non-Con but No Descriptions. Canon-variant, nobody’s dead, everyone’s fine etc etc. Read it on Ao3 Here!
“You’re kidding, right?”
You’re all too familiar with how curses wear their expressions when they become powerful enough to learn to make them. 
In your line of work — at the level you’ve risen to — you’re often stuck with the ones that take human form. The ones that learn to mimic sounds and words and mannerisms. You’ve watched time and time again, the intelligence that forms in First and Special-grades that allows them to appear so convincingly human in such a short period of time. You learned the hard way early in your career, what it’s like to fall for the act and take pity on a curse. You’ve lost kind people to the trap of sentiment. 
You became wise to it; despite all that intelligence that came with such a degree of power, curses bore an unquenchable drive to harm humans.
You learned to see through the pleading. The crying. High-level curses learning to comprehend terror changes nothing. When you despatch them, it changes nothing. No matter how they beg for mercy, the instinct to kill you never ceases. 
It’s in their eyes, you learn.
It’s in his eyes, when the remaining students and teachers at Shibuya bring him home to Jujutsu High. A Death Painting Womb. A half-curse. You don’t need to hear the human half of it. Your mind’s made up the moment they put you in the same room as him, ordered in spite of all your protests not to kill him where he stands. He won’t harm the Itadori kid, you’re assured. The kid is safe with him. 
Choso.
You can’t even believe he’s got a name.
He sticks to the boy’s side, insisting their blood-relation while he glances about his environment with baby-fresh eyes. He’s a curse in the way he takes in information. Everything is new. Every emotion he feels borders on fresh.
Brow knitted. Jaw set. The dozens of little muscles around his mouth tighten. His eyes don’t blink for their minutes of fixation. Not until his attention is called away and Itadori leaves the room, beckoning him to follow. 
It’s in his eyes. You won’t be fooled.
He watches you like he wants to kill you.
_________________________________
Your orders keep you from destroying Choso. They force you to co-exist with your guard consistently up, and as the weeks draw on, your exhaustion builds. You manage to steer clear of him for a good month before Tsukumo weighs in with a surprisingly high opinion of him. Drinking buddies? Fuck off. That’s your job. You’re not going to be muscled out of your place at her side.
You’re confident in her opinion, of course. But it doesn’t change yours. Weakened resolve be damned — there’s no way you’re letting yourself be in the same room as him again.
Still, you suppose it couldn’t hurt humouring her suggestions for you to tolerate him. It’s not like you need to do much more than that. If somehow you turn out to be wrong and she starts buying free rounds for a curse instead of you, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself. 
It’s a rainy day lunchtime when you force yourself to approach the man, holding your lunch tray over your torso in the event he makes a jab for your internal organs as you join the line. 
He glances at you once. Twice. Aborting a too-late attempt to reach for a rice bowl when you snatch one from the warmer and take a step forward to force him along.
Fear. Good. He’s learned fear. 
Your tongue readies in your mouth. Your throat runs dry. 
“Shitty weather.” You manage.
His head whips around. Eyes bug out of his skull as he turns to regard you. There’s that clench in his jaw again. 
Choso does not respond. His posture changes, dipping down. Momentarily, you ready yourself for an attack, flinching to keep yourself from countering when he makes a sudden lurch for as many items he can reach. Shoving them onto his tray. Half a cup of steaming miso soup spills into his sleeve as he reels back and around you, storming out of the line without a word. 
You eat your lunch at the window. Watching as he eats his on a step in the pouring rain, glaring into the middle-distance. 
He must know you’re onto him.
_________________________________
The weeks drag on. Somehow, it feels simultaneously like your every move on campus grounds is watched by the half-curse while your every attempt to observe him close up is met with a hurried getaway. 
By social means, Choso develops quickly. He still spends most of his time by Itadori’s side, but he begins to branch out. Much to your chagrin, the staff warm to him, too.
It isn’t long until they have the kid hooked up to you, much like Nanami’s old role before his run-in with the disaster curses knocked enough sense into him to go part-time. It pissed you off the first you hear about it; it had to be Choso’s doing. He must have known that you’d had it out for him and he was going to try his luck separating you from your peers after gaining Itadori’s trust.
You knew it. He was plotting to kill you.
Then, you find out that it was Itadori who’d requested you as a mentor, and the wind gets knocked out of your sails pretty fast. 
It starts with a “Teacher!” Bellowed across the walkway. You’re hunched over, sipping from a faulty water fountain that the students seem to find great entertainment shoving twigs into to mess with the pressure. You know the kid’s voice well enough that embarrassment creeps up the back of your neck. 
You straighten out, wiping your mouth on your sleeve, angling to look a little less lame after being caught at the mercy of a shitty fountain. “Itadori.” You greet the approaching boy. The only acknowledgement you offer his company is in your periphery. Were it not so rude, you’d close one eye so that you only have to look at the kid while you regard them. “Looks like you’re my new protege.”
There’s a pause.
Itadori looks between you and Choso, waiting for the two of you to exchange your own greetings. 
It doesn’t happen.
More and more, Choso watches you with those unblinking eyes. Your focus is drawn. Minutely, you realise, he’s trembling. 
“You — you know! It occurred to me that you haven’t properly met my half-brother.” Itadori ventures to break the ice. “Figured it would be nice for you two to know one another if we’re going to be learning from you.”
We’re.
You’re not a two-for-one deal. You never agreed to help train a curse. 
“You don’t say.” You mutter, finally meeting Choso’s eye. Alright, then. Just because you like the kid, you’ll humour him. “Hey.”
There’s no answer. Not right away. Not until there’s an elbow nudging at Choso’s ribs. His adam’s apple bobs in a visible gulp. 
“H-“
That’s all he manages before a mouthful of bile sprays out of his mouth. He has good reaction time, you’ll give him that. But it doesn’t help his cause. It just spills between his fingers as he tries to cover his face. You’d liken it to placing one’s thumb over a garden hose.
Itadori, meanwhile, springs into a panicked attempt to get between the two of you, shielding Choso from view with his body. “Haha! Okay! Great, so we’ll be seeing you!” He exclaims, alternating between leading his doubled-over brother back the way they came and waving at you. 
Once again, you watch. Once again, perplexed. 
“That was good, but it could have gone better. Next time, don’t throw up, okay?”
Anxiety vomiting.
Huh.
You’ll admit — this is a first. 
_________________________________
Okay, maybe he’s not so bad.
Sure, he can hardly formulate a sentence around you, but at least the lack of interjection makes it easier to focus on Itadori’s development. Is Choso’s presence a constant irritation? Absolutely, but not unlike his little brother, you grow accustomed to his presence. That’s not to say that you’d ever grow to care for him to the same extent you do Itadori. In fact, the only reason you keep your trap shut about having him along for the ride is for the kid’s sake. 
One thing that does start to irk you, however — even moreso than being stuck with a half-fucking-curse in your downtime, is how quickly Choso develops an opinion on your teaching style.
Rather, how critical he becomes of it. 
First, there’s a huff. A sharp exhale out his nose marking disdain when you call Itadori back to rest. It builds from there. Pointed looks. Scoffs. A subtle rolling of his eyes when you snap at the kid to watch his blind spots over the passing weeks.
You’re sure you might end up killing him unprompted at this rate. 
“You ought to praise him more.” Is the first full sentence he manages to get through when you’re alone with him. Itadori has left the two of you alone in a booth at CoCo Curry to excuse himself to the bathroom, and Choso jumps at the opportunity to level his criticism at you.
It’s a miracle he’s even speaking to you at all, you think at first.
Then, once you’ve registered what he’s said, you think it’s a miracle you managed to refrain from bringing your spoon down through his hand.
“Excuse me?” You seethe. “For your information, he does this every time. He always picks extra hot. He always empties the shaker when it gets brought out. He’s always shocked when he has to run off and shit himself before he’s halfway done.”
“I know that. His courage is unmatched.” Choso bites back, twisting in his seat to face you. “That’s not what I’m talking about. You’re too harsh on him in training.”
Where is all this bravery coming from all of a sudden? Is this really how protective he gets around the kid?
How misplaced. How sentimental. If you weren’t a sorcerer you might be moved by what comes off as brotherly affection.
You won’t  fall for it. 
A snarl curls at your lip. “Where do you get off, talking to me? You wanna give me life advice next? Wanna apply for my job? How many months have you been living outside a test tube, huh?”
“I’m only talking to you because I’m looking out for him.” He glares.
“Yeah, you and me both.” You dismiss him. “Look. I’ve got big shoes to fill. Itadori’s last mentor was hard on him. He’s closer to that guy than I could ever hope to be, but at least I know he listens to me when I boss him around. I’d rather the kid be covering his bases and coming home to me alive, than letting too much praise to go his head and getting him killed."
Choso doesn’t reply for a moment. His gaze remains hard, bottom jaw jutting out like a petulant kid. After a moment, he breaks away, redirecting his glare down at his emptied bowl. 
“He respects you a lot. He looks up to you.” The man mumbles, crossing his arms and sinking down in the booth. “Please praise him.”
The two of you sit in stubborn silence for the better part of half an hour, until your student returns from the bathroom with an exhilarated huff. You can practically see the stink lines radiating off him.
“Whew!” The kid exclaims, throwing himself down beside Choso. “Aw man, my food’s probably cold.”
Yeah, whose fault is that. 
“Hey. Itadori.” You grumble, earning the kid’s attention.
“Hm?” He perks up, mouth full. 
“You did well today.”
You’ve turned your attention to the menu, scouring a drinks menu you’re far too full to even consider ordering.
In your periphery, Choso sits up a little.
_________________________________
You don’t make a secret of where you live. In the Jujutsu world, generally speaking (with Tsukumo being an enigmatic exception), the more secretive one tries to be about their lifestyle, the more curious it makes everyone else. You watched Nanami learn this the hard way after his return to the job and the sheer effort he put in for a while there to ensure no one knew how to contact him outside of work hours.
Of course, everyone wound up with his landline number and personal address whether any of you visit him of not. 
It helps, having everyone generally know where they stand with you, anyway. ‘Emergencies only’ tends to be your rule. Approachable on campus and on the street, but home time is home time. Only show up if you’re in need of help. Or if you’re bringing free stuff.
So imagine your surprise when you open your front door and find Choso of all people, not at eye-level, but on his knees at your feet, forehead stamped to the doormat.
“What the fu-“
“Forgive me.” The man’s voice wobbles. He doesn’t move from the bow. You take the opportunity to look right. Left. Right again. Scanning for Itadori to come bounding over to escort him away from you once more.
Today, Choso is alone, but the thought of being attacked by him has dimmed to embers by now. You’ll chide yourself for it later, you think. 
Right now, you’re more concerned with not drawing too much attention from the neighbours. 
“Woah. Hey.” You crouch down. Choso flinches at your fingertips brushing his shoulder blade, but he doesn’t withdraw. Once again, he just starts trembling. 
Man, he really is the sensitive sort.
He better not throw up again. Not while you’re close enough to be in the firing line. 
“Forgive me.” Choso repeats. “I’ve been rude to you. I’ll try harder from now on. Let me redeem myself.”
“Okay! Okay, you’re forgiven, you’re redeemed. Now would you get up? I wipe my feet on that mat.” You hiss, tugging at his sleeve. This time, he gets the hint, getting to his feet and regarding you with an expression resembling hopeful and a patch of grit on his forehead. 
In spite of all the confusion, you’ll admit, he’s cute. In a — born sexy yesterday  kind of way.
In spite of yourself, you tug at his sleeve, taking the opportunity to rub the crap off his head. “Come inside before people get the wrong idea. You want a drink?”
“No, I’d throw up again.”
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your candor…—“ You trail, gesturing for him to take a seat on your couch. He does as instructed, scanning your apartment from left to right, committing it to memory. “Do I freak you out that much?”
Choso doesn’t mince his words. He isn’t learned enough quite yet to beat around the bush. Maybe he might not be the type, regardless. “Yes.” He nods, avoiding your gaze in favour of staring at your reflection on the TV screen. “You have every right to feel uncomfortable around me, but I want your permission to be honest.”
Frowning, you incline your head in acknowledgement. 
It’s almost like it’s the answer he didn’t want. All of a sudden, he’s not even capable of looking at your reflection. He seats himself on your couch and rubs his thumb into his palm. Holding his own hand. “I have awful feelings toward you.”
Something pricks at the base of your skull. Your eyebrows shoot up. Is this finally it? Is this your moment of vindication? Is he finally going to admit he wants to kill you?
“How awful are we talking?” You prod.
”Terrible.”
Your gaze flits around the living room for something to imbue, just in the event that he does pounce. “Uhhh, go on. I’m listening.”
“Looking at you makes me queasy.”
You abort an attempt to reach for your shark-grabber, reconsidering its promotion from TV remote reaching. “Harsh.”
“Were it not for the possibility of disappointing Yuji, I don’t know how else I’d be capable of controlling it. If I hurt you, he’d never speak to me again.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re trying to put a lid on it—“
“You’ve been putting in a lot of effort to tolerate me just so you can help make sure Yuji is okay, and I haven’t given you the same kindness. You’re good to him. It intimidates me.”
Okay, this is taking a weird turn-
“—I just can’t stop thinking about you.”
Heat creeps up your neck and into your ears.
“Oh.” You breathe, chest tightening as the realisation dawns on you. 
Ohh, you get it now. Despite the deviation, Choso looks guilty enough that he may as well have admitted to wanting to kill you after all. 
You swallow your pride, sitting down beside him on the couch. “You have a crush on me.”
His brow furrows. There’s that stare again. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure how to handle it. I don’t know what I should do.”
This whole time, it wasn’t aggression he’s been dealing with.
It was attraction.
“It’s okay.” You assure him for once, orbiting a fine line between emotional whiplash, awkwardness, and flattered sort of accomplishment. “You don’t need to do anything. People get crushes, it’s normal.”
People. It’s a person thing. There’s nothing cursed to it. Guilt pools in your gut. Just how nasty have you been toward the guy? Of course you’ve been freaking him out; he’s been catching up with the world this whole time and all you’ve done is make things harder on him.
And he still holds you in high enough regard to seek guidance from you, despite how embarrassing this must be?
“So what do I do?”
It’s not like there’s much of a choice. It’s not like you’ve really analysed your own feelings toward this man beyond bare tolerance at best — but you owe it to him to be sensible. You owe it to him to be a little more merciful than you would, even to a full-blooded human. Were he another sorcerer, you’d probably tell him to fuck off. Stop wasting your time. But he’s trusting you with a first that’s been torturing him.
He’s handsome, sure — but you don’t even know if you’re capable of trusting him not to end your life despite all he’s said. A single conversation can’t undo everything you’ve learned to feel.
“Well, if you wanna spare us both the discomfort, you could try asking another dude about how to handle it.” You suggest, casually as you can muster. “Not your teenage brother. Find an adult.”
Choso nods. You sense his tongue shifting behind his teeth. Considering asking why not you? But he seems to realise the implications by sheer instinct. The kind of conversation he needs to have can’t be with you. Not without altering your relationship before it can even find its feet. 
“Yeah.” He agrees, not quite able to hold eye contact with you for more than a few seconds at a time. “I’ll do my best.”
You’re getting sick of this. You’ve never heard such sincerity in your life. 
Oh, fine. 
You offer him a smile. Another first.
You’d fuck him.
_________________________________
You could never get sick of this.
“Saved you a spot.” Choso’s platforms lift off the seat beside him before you have a chance to notice the half-dozen empty alternatives. You do, however, become painfully aware that you’d been on your way to sit beside him anyway. There are plenty of alternatives. Years-long professional and personal relationships scattered all around the room, but your recent months with this one in particular have made him a begrudging favourite.
“Yeah, yeah.” You grumble, slumping down with a huff.
He’s been ten times easier to handle since your little deep-and-meaningful. As much as you hate to admit it, he’s actually been kind of a cool guy to hang around. 
As much as you hate to admit it, you can’t help but indulge in the idea that it’s probably all the jerking off he’s likely been doing. Nevertheless, as far as your increasing curiosity imagines, he hasn’t broached the topic with you since. 
“Bring my Kagome?” Choso asks, prompting you to hand him your bag to search through.
“Didn’t miss anything, did I?” You ask.
“Competition’s started, but no one’s made contact yet.” Utahime answers from up front, not bothering to break away from the screens showcasing the exchange event’s progress.
Beside her, Gojo sinks further into his seat. His head lolls against the arm rest. “It’s so boring in here with you lot. Hey, Utahime, why don’t you embarrass yourself for everyone’s entertainment?“
The ensuing squabbling is quickly dulled to you as Choso hands your bag back, stabbing a straw into the juicebox he’s withdrawn. Both of you watch the screens, looking for your protege in particular. 
“Yuji’s trying to group up with the other Tokyo kids.” Choso mentions, fingers brushing yours without flinching when you hand the box back after he offers.
“He knows he doesn’t have to do that, right?”
”Depends on how bored he gets on his own.”
Your comment causes Gojo’s head to dip back, angling his attention at you. His mouth opens, but no sound escapes him. 
His attention shifts to the side of you. 
“Hey, why does he get a juice?”
“Pipe down and watch the competition!” Utahime barks at him. Curiosity draws her attention up and back to you, however, gaze dropping to the drink in Choso’s hand. “Hey — is that berry salad?”
“Berry salad!” Gojo whines. “C’mon, share.”
You watch in your periphery as Choso leans forward, and the two up front stretch out an arm each. Gojo’s spindly limbs have poor Utahime beat, but Choso carries the prize just barely out of the man’s reach.
He holds it out to you instead.
You don't even mind that half the sip is backwash. It's nice being the favourite of your favourite.
One of these days you really ought to blow him.
_________________________________
The doorbell rings.
Habit has conditioned you to expect Choso at your door. When you open it, however, you’re made aware of two surprises: a plummeting excitement that had no right building in the first place that the person bowing at your front step isn’t the man in question, and secondly, that it’s his brother, your protege that stands in his place.
“Oh, for the love of-“
“Teacher!” Itadori exclaims, bent from the hip at a perfect right-angle. “Please date my brother!”
What the hell is wrong  with this family?
Your throat closes on itself as you claw for a response that doesn’t involve punching this poor child in the back of his head. “Wha—! Who told you I — get off my property!” You bark, heat flushing your ears.
“I thought you rented.” Itadori straightens, confusion tugging an eyebrow up.
“That’s beside the point.”
Then he’s dropping right back down again. “Please date Choso!”
Choso. What’s he been telling the kid? Did he go back on his word and seek relationship advice from a teenager? Is he trying to kill you after all?
“What gives?!” You snarl down at him. “I’m your mentor! Would you pull this kinda shit with Nanami?”
“To be fair, Nanami is the one person I wouldn’t pull this with.” Itadori protests, holding his hands up in defense. “Date my brother!” 
“Agh!” With that, you slam the door on the kid. “Learn some damn respect! Jeez, I’m starting to get where Utahime’s coming from.”
There’s a grumble behind the wood. A defeat well-picked.
“Fine. See you tomorrow.”
You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Yeah, yeah. Think about what you want for lunch.”
_________________________________
The moment you wrap the training day and send the kid on his way, you snatch at Choso’s sleeve before he can shuffle off after his brother. “What the hell did you tell him!”
The man flinches at your touch. He frowns hard. “I didn’t tell him anything.” He grunts back, shrugging uncomfortably away from you. “You told me not to. Why are you mad?”
“Don’t jump to calling women angry. It’s anti-feminist.”
It doesn’t immediately occur to you that with just yourself and Tsukumo being the only adult women Choso knows, he probably hasn’t had much interaction with the women’s rights movement. Nevertheless, he runs with it.
“Okay. You’re not mad.”
“I am  mad! Why’s your little brother knocking on my door telling me to go out with you, huh?”
“What?!” Choso whips around, regarding you with terror. “Yuji?! I only talked to Ino-“
Your fist collides with your palm. “Ino!”  You seethe, content to settle on such a target, at least until Choso taps his index fingers together. Almost…like he’s counting. 
“— and he gave me some advice, but he couldn’t help me with one question I had. So I asked Ijichi, but he didn’t have an answer for me, either. So then I asked Tsukumo, and she couldn’t —“
Great, just great, you think, zoning out while the man continues to list off the names of almost every adult you interact with on a regular basis — the entire faculty staff and beyond know. Serves you right for trusting any one of those jackasses to keep a secret from a child.
You relent, if not at his sincerity, then at least just to escape the roll-call. “Okay. It’s fine. It’s all right. We’ll figure it out.” You sigh. “In any case, did you get an answer for your question?”
Choso pauses. Averts his gaze. “No. Well, Nanami gave me an answer he said works, but it’s not something I want to do.”
“…Can I help?” You offer.
“You said-“
“I know, but you’ve exhausted your other options.”
The look on his face is nothing short of defeated. You are not  the person he wanted to have to ask. 
“Can I take a raincheck?” Choso asks.
You touch a hand to his arm, an assurance of support. After how many months of progress, he shifts away from contact for a second time today.
Months ago, you would have felt relieved by such a rejection; now, it pools hollow and worrisome in your gut.
Something’s changed. 
“Yeah. It’s fine.” You lie. 
_________________________________
Weeks pass. It feels like an eternity.
You’re beginning to adjust to walking just yourself home again.
Choso seems to make himself scarce in your life what ever way he can, and where he can’t, he puts as much distance between himself and you as possible. He doesn’t look at you anymore. He doesn’t speak to you. You’re not the sort to reach out; you’re plenty used to people disappearing from your life without a trace — but this feels different. 
There’s no one to remind to take their big stupid giant shoes off at the step when you enter your flat.
It’s quiet. Lonesome, a needier person might call it.
Had you not convinced yourself this was something you’d wanted from the start, you’d confront him about it. Ask him why he’s avoiding you — but what would that fix?
What would you hope to get out of closure? 
You should be relieved that he’s lost interest in you. You should be over the moon that he ejects from conversations entirely upon your arrival. That he stands up and moves to the opposite side of the room should you put yourself in an empty seat beside him. 
Your life is no longer haunted by his gawking presence. Itadori shows up alone to his training sessions, and were you not hell-bent on putting on a show of relief at Choso’s absence to the rest of the world, you’d stoop to asking the kid what the hell was going on. 
As little as you can convince yourself any longer, you’ve got to convince the rest of the world. 
You don’t give a shit.
Pulling the fridge door open, you pull a juice box out of your bag and place it back on the shelf you’d plucked it from this morning.
Yeah. You’re fine. You’re great, actually. 
You don’t even fucking like berry salad. 
_________________________________
“How do I stop?”
You stare at the man in your doorway, halfway caught between dumbfounded and furious.
He stares back, refusing to elaborate for you.
“Are you kidding me? You haven’t spoken to me in months-“
“You promised me I could take a raincheck.” Choso says. “I’ve tried everything. Tell me how to make it stop.”
You should turn him away. You should say something awful and hurt him. Make him think twice before daring to get under someone’s skin the way he did yours.
A muscle in Choso’s jaw tenses. That would’ve been all it took, and you hate yourself for that much — but then he hits you with a staggered, weak little: “Please.”
“Make what—…ugh.” You relent, stepping aside to let him pass. “Shoes.”
He’s already stepping out of them, padding through your hallway on his way to the kitchen out of sheer habit.
“Don’t even think  about taking a Kagome.”
There’s a grunt. The fridge door closes. 
Choso’s stepping back into the living room when you’ve caught up with him. “I’m…really sorry.” He fiddles with his hands, shrinking into himself under the heat of your scrutiny. “I’ve—…missed talking to you.”
“Yeah, well I haven’t.” You snap. His gaze hits the floor, and guilt threatens to well in your throat. “I’m angry you ghosted me, okay?”
“I was trying to take Nanami’s advice.” He mumbles.
”Nanami.”
“But it hasn’t worked.“ The man continues, ignoring your targeted rage. “I asked him how I can stop feeling how I feel about you, and he told me to stay away, but I can’t, and I don’t know how to stop, and I know how sad it’s making you, but I can’t—“
You snap out of your haze at the wobble in the man’s voice, finding him clutching at his own sleeves, a futile endeavour at self-soothing. For just a moment, his gaze locks to yours.
Fuck, you’ve missed him looking at you. How sad is that.
“Why do you want to stop?” You ask, and all of a sudden he can’t look you in the eye again. “Did I do something to make you upset?”
“Because you don’t want it.” He explains, frustration mounting. “Everything I’ve read, everything I’ve watched, it’s not one-sided. In real life, with you — it’s only me. It makes-…it makes me feel terrible.” A pit forms in your stomach as he goes on. “Do you know how me and my siblings exist? Through my mother’s suffering.”
...
Oh, fuck.
You’ve been so stupid.
How could you have not thought this through? Choso’s a sensitive guy even without the nature of his existence coming into play, and your most rational thought when he came to you with this problem was to save your own embarrassment and throw him at porn?
The only prior understanding he’s had of sexuality is forced procreation.
All this time you’ve been torturing him, throwing him under the bus. Putting the entire responsibility for his interest in you onto him, without him even understanding any of it. You’ve been leading him along under the impression that you’re not interested, that you detest him, and while that might have been true at the start— 
“I don’t want to feel the way my father might have felt about my mother.” Choso admits. “I don’t want to want someone who doesn’t want me back.”
“You’ve got it wrong.” You manage. “You’re not bad for wanting me. There’s nothing I don’t like about that.” 
Your words fall on deaf ears. He’s already far too swept up in his own thoughts to hear you. 
“Choso.”  You speak firmly, and you’re not sure if it’s the tone you take or his own catastrophising, but you’ve never seen him look more afraid of you than he does right now. “It’s not the same, I promise you. That’s not how it works. I know you won’t hurt me.”
“But it does hurt you.” Choso insists, snatching at your shoulders like he's trying to snap you out of a stupor. “I see how much it bothers you. I don’t want to make you suffer.”
Your brow knits. Maybe if you weren’t such a pussy about all this you’d admit to him that the hurt of his absence has by far beaten any negative feelings brought about by having him around. 
“You treat my brother so well.” He offers, solemnly. “You tolerate me for his sake. It makes me feel so selfish — I want Yuji to be happy and continue to learn from you — but if you choose not to train him anymore because of me, then I  won’t be able to be near you anymore either. I can’t stay away from you, but I can’t bear to make you carry the burden of knowing how I feel about you. So please, tell me how I can stop.”
"I don't want you to stop." You blurt. This time, you're the one incapable of meeting his eye. Instead, you scowl at the wrap over his chest, doing your best not to get swept up in reuniting with the scent of him. "I'm sorry for making you go through this by yourself. I hate that I drove you away and made you feel like this. You can do what you want, but you need to know that what you're going through isn't bad. It's human."
Choso tentatively runs the fabric of your shirt between his fingers. Not quite touching you. Closing your proximity all the while. You feel his breath. You feel his warmth.
“It’s nothing like that,” You promise, “because I think the same of you.”
Then, you feel the fucker smirk down at you. "Yeah, yeah, I get the picture."
"Shut up. I'm trying."
His gaze flits between your eyes and your mouth, no doubt running through the natural course of events he’s been studying in whatever material the others have had him watch. His head dips, catching your attention, and then ever lower, nose almost brushing yours.
“You’re sure.” He breathes. 
You answer by covering the distance, ghosting your lips against his. Choso’s body stiffens, leaning into you in what he must assume is how he should reciprocate. You quell the insecurity, sliding your fingers down his arm before you find your balance with a palm pressed to his chest. He’s too inexperienced to take the cue, but he’s smart enough to break away with a questioning look. The blood mark across his nose has altered its shape. Not quite as straight as it once was.
“You can touch me. I want you to.” You murmur, tugging the bands out of his hair one at a time. “I’ll like it.”
The blood mark stretches over Choso’s cheeks. A hollow breathe escapes him just as he pulls you against him in another kiss, long arms wrapping firmly around your waist. He’s clearly inexperienced, but he's a quick learner. He follows your lead, mimicking your motions. Large hands drift over your ribcage. Pawing at your waist. Then, the moment your tongue slips over Choso’s bottom lip, he’s holding your hips just shy of his own. 
“You’re sure.”
His pupils are dilated beyond belief as he holds you at bay, lacking the willpower to keep from allowing you to push back into his grasp just a little, just enough to feel a burgeoning erection jutting against your stomach.
His hairties roll onto your wrist. Your fingers toy with his locks, gathering on his shoulders. “I think,” You smile up at him, “You should show me what you’ve been learning.”
Something in him snaps. His mouth is back on yours in a heartbeat, florid, hands yanking you in against his body. A ragged hum spills from his throat as you respond in kind, snatching at his cowl, breaking away from him just to untie the thing and pulling it off over his head.
Choso isn’t much of a talker. Not yet, at least. Not while so much of his concentration is on making up for lost time exploring you. For the moment, you have to find satisfaction in pulling wordless sounds from him, learning where he’s most sensitive. His ribcage. His throat. His hipbones. It’s not until your fingertips graze his cock through his pants that he musters a breathy little ”fuck—“
His weight braces against you naturally, chasing more, confidence growing. He spends a particularly long moment squeezing your ass before he hurriedly shifts his attention — just pointed enough to have you noting that he might already be figuring out his favourites.
When Choso’s fingers paw at your tits, though — a favourite of your own — you can’t help the little noise that escapes you.
He draws back. Pupils constricted. Blood mark tightening across his face. Sensing competition.
Not today, you affirm silently, walking the man backward until his legs hit the couch and he falls into a sit. You follow, sinking to your knees between his, palms resting on his thighs.
“Won’t you?” You ask sweetly, angling for a look akin to innocent, watching Choso gulp at the sight.
“Won’t I wh-what…” He stammers. So much for competition.
Your fingers curl into the fabric of his pants. You don’t take your eyes off him. “Show me.”
Choso takes a moment, considering your words in total silence. Then, with a shuddering breath, he’s fumbling with his underclothes, juban tugging up out of the way. Flashing his lower stomach as he busies himself with pulling his cock out of his pants. You find yourself vaguely scandalised at the sight. You’ve scarcely seen more of Choso than his arms. The flat of his stomach feels oddly intimate.
His cock is just as pale as his fingers. He slowly, steadily pulls his foreskin up, though his grip conceals him for the most part, much to your disappointment. When he draws back, you lean in insistently, ignoring a little shiver on his part at how close your face gets. Colour gathers on the delicate tip, much like the hue of his eyelids. Choso draws up again, and you find your mouth running dry at the glimmer of a tiny drop of pre-cum, at least before it gets swept away by his fingers.
“If you wanted to watch so bad, you should’ve asked.” He mutters, tone chastising — yet undermined by the flush blotting his neck, and again, you make a note. He’s going to be bratty once he gets the hang of this.
“Maybe if you’d been nice about it-“
“Are you gonna let me blow you, or what?” You interject.
Choso goes silent. Eyes wide. You’d think you’d gone too far if he hadn’t immediately relinquished his grip.
You waste no time replacing his hand with your own, balancing his cock between your fingers, tipping it toward you as you shimmy closer, nudging his knees further apart.
The flat of your tongue presses to the tip, and you grin at the way his whole body seems to flinch. A hum vibrates in his chest. Flagging permission to keep going. He can handle it. You don’t have to be content with just a taste.
Your mouth envelops his cock, and Choso grips hard  at the cushion beneath him. He stops making noise altogether as your lips venture mid-way, holding his breath while you pause to run your tongue against the underside. Then, when you hollow your cheeks and pull back up, a ragged sound escapes his throat. Pre-cum spurts over your tastebuds. So much so that you’re worried he might already be done for. Waiting another moment brings nothing else, but he probably needs a moment regardless.
Sitting back on your heels, you check in, poising your wettened lips just shy of the head. Choso looks like he’s on the verge of tears. It isn’t helped by the rorschach blotting of the blood mark dripping down his cheeks like drenched mascara.
“You okay?” You check in. “You need to stop?”
“No!” He yips, sitting up, bordering outraged. It takes a moment for him to register the smile on your face as a taunt. That you’re not serious about backing out.
All the same, if you didn’t have him pinned to the couch right now, you’re sure he’d be bowing at your feet again.
“Keep going. I can take it.”
Your hand works him slowly from base to tip, squeezing out another clear, oozing droplet. You smear it back and forth over your lips, and Choso’s head dips back against the couch, scrunching his eyes shut. Poor thing. As fun as it is teasing him, you owe it to him to at least get him off.
“Just relax.” You murmur, licking your lips, brushing your tongue around the head of his cock and waiting for a minute nod on his part before continuing on. Sinking down, you take him deeper with each bob of your head, building into a steady, consistent rhythm so as not to catch him off-guard. You want to draw this out as long as possible for him. You want him at your door again, at your feet, begging you for more.
You want to be the only one he wants doing this to him.
There’s no helping a swallow on your part when he nudges the back of your throat one too many times, though, and Choso gasps like he’s dying. His posture curls, instinctively trying to find purchase on something that isn’t just the couch. His cock twitches in your mouth, and you go still.
He’s on the brink, but you’re convinced you can work just a bit more out of him with a little patience.
Choso’s hands come to hover over your head. You don’t have the ability right now to tell him you’d be fine with having his grip guide you, and without that go-ahead, he’s not taking his chances. He’s far too considerate to do that.
So he just sits there, letting himself suffer, not quite sure what to do with himself beyond entrusting that part to you.
Once his muscles have relaxed enough, signalling his body’s retreat from the orgasm that had been building, you deem it safe to resume. Starting slow and shallow once again, you earn yourself a frustrated groan.
That’s more like it. The nerves are settling. He wants  to cum, now.
You can’t help but go back on your word, just a little. You can’t help but taunt him, pulling back to suck on just the head until his fingernails are digging into his palms. Choso’s hips judder, threatening to buck up into your mouth and taking a conscious effort to be stilled. His breaths push and pull through gritted teeth, and fine, it might be time to give the poor guy a break.
Choso all but cries out when you take him all the way in again, stifling an instinctual gag when another spurt of pre-cum hits your overworked throat. You don’t let up, for his sake. His breaths come short and sharp. His cock swells on your tongue, leaking pitifully in sync with an equally pitiful sound in his chest.
“I—“ He whimpers, voice wobbling, “I’m gonna—“
There’s no curse words he’s been exposed to enough to pick out, and when Choso peaks, he does so wordlessly in a mess of gasps and groans. The first pulse of cum jets across your tongue, and you draw back to hold your mouth open, working him through it with your hand. Ribbon after ribbon coats your face as Choso keens his way through the aftershocks, only filling your mouth when the force dwindles and his body slackens.
You’d mistake him for a corpse, were he not twitching every few seconds. His eyes are fixed on your face, glassy and unmoving, mouth agape as if he might burst into tears at any moment, unaided by the running of his blood mark down his cheeks.
Sitting back and admiring your handiwork, you swipe a thumb across a stripe of cum that starts to streak down your face, watching the man with a smile. You pop your thumb into your mouth, and Choso jolts to life at the sight, sitting up, suddenly breathing again.
His hand brushes your face. His own thumb tentatively brushing across the bridge of your nose.
“Please date me.”
You’re pretty certain he’ll cry for real if you say no.
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craftingcreatures · 7 months
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Today I want to talk about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus (Octopus paxarbolis).
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OK, so for those who don't know, the PNW Tree Octopus was an internet hoax created in 1998 consisting of a website detailing the animal's life history and conservation efforts. It's completely fake - saying that up front. This animal never existed.
But if you look at this from a speculative biology standpoint? It's genius.
There is one, and only one, thing preventing Octopus from colonizing and being hugely successful in terrestrial environments in the PNW, and that's the fact that no cephalopod has ever been able to overcome the osmotic stress of inhabiting freshwater. We don't know why this is; other mollusks evolved freshwater forms just fine. But if you hand-wave away that one, single limiting factor, the PNW is just primed for a terrestrial octopus invasion.
The Pacific coast of North America is an active tectonic boundary, meaning the coast transitions pretty much immediately into the Cascade and Coastal mountain ranges (contrast with the east coast and its broad Atlantic plain). It's also a lush temperate rainforest, with very high precipitation. This means lots and lots of high-gradient mountain streams with lots of waterfalls and rapids and cold, highly oxygenated water, and not as many large, meandering rivers.
This has important consequences on the freshwater fauna. For one, there are not many freshwater fish in the Pacific Northwest - the rapids and waterfalls are extremely hard to traverse, so many mountain streams are fish-free. There also just isn't much fish diversity in the first place - there's sturgeon in the big rivers, salmonids, a few sculpin and cyprinids and... that's pretty much it. These cold northern rivers are positively impoverished compared to the thriving fish communities of the Mississippi or Rio Grande.
Few fish means few predators, and depending on the size of the first freshwater octopus, salmon and trout just wouldn't be much of a threat. And while these rivers don't have much in the way of fish diversity, there's lots of prey available - crayfish, leeches, mosquito larvae, frogs and tadpoles, water striders, and other aquatic insects, just to name a few. So the first Octopus pioneers to invade the rivers would be entering what essentially amounts to a predator-free environment with lots and lots of food and no competition. Great for colonization.
These ideal conditions get even better once you get up past the rapids and waterfalls, since there's no fish whatsoever in those streams. Octopus, with their sucker-lined arms, are perfectly equipped to navigate fast-moving, rocky-bedded streams and climb up cliffs. They'd also be well able to traverse short stretches of dry ground to access even more isolated pools and ponds. In fact, once Octopus overcome the osmoregulation problem there's nothing at all preventing them from colonizing land in earnest, since the PNW rainforests are so wet; there's no danger of drying out.
Finally there's the question of reproduction. Octopus are famously attentive mothers, because they need to keep the water around their eggs moving and well-oxygenated. In a mountain stream, this wouldn't be an issue, because the cold, turbulent water holds lots and lots of oxygen. Breeding in high mountain streams would be ideal, and the mothers might not even need to attend to their eggs, freeing them up to evolve away from semelparity and allowing them to reproduce more than once in their lives; their populations would thus increase rapidly and dramatically.
I think, if octopus managed to invade freshwater ecosystems in the PNW, it would dramatically change the ecology much like an invasive species. They'd be unstoppable predators of frogs, bugs, slugs, maybe even larger animals like snakes, birds, and small mammals. Nothing would eat them except maybe herons, and things like bears and raccoons would give them a wide berth due to their venom. They would rule that landscape.
The tl;dr is that the PNW is primed for invasion by cephalopods, if only they could manage to overcome the osmoregulation problem and live in freshwater. If the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus really did exist, it wouldn't be a shy and reclusive species on the brink of extinction; it would be a pest, an invasive, overpopulated menace you couldn't get rid of if you wanted to. I can just imagine them crawling up onto people's bird feeders and either stealing the nuts or luring in unsuspecting sparrows and starlings. They would sit in the trees and throw pinecones at hikers for fun. They would be some unholy mixture of snake and slug with the personality of a magpie and I am incensed that they only exist in fiction.
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headspace-hotel · 4 months
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Problems like climate change, where solving them requires millions of people to collectively work at hundreds of different solutions at once, are black holes for internal peacefulness because they give you a type of frustration where you alternately become bitter towards yourself or everyone around you. "If only I could work harder to fix the problem!" makes you exhausted, so you must become angry at others: "If only they cared about the problem!"
People who are already working on fixing climate change need to convince more people to work on it. And a popular thing is to share writings that describe how doomed we all are if climate change is not fixed, how terrible everything will be because of climate change, and how quickly all the treasures of our world are being lost.
There is a particular understanding of human behavior that is being accepted here without thinking about it hard enough. Popular news media shows headlines with terrible prophecies, written that way in hopes of getting the attention of otherwise disinterested people, who will then be "motivated" to fix climate change.
The trouble is that fear is no good for motivating thoughtful, patient, steady commitment to solving a problem. Fear is made to cause an organism to avoid things that might harm it. It creates a brief and explosive pulse of action where the organism's energy pours out as it instinctively, thoughtlessly reacts to escape the danger as fast as possible.
It's silly to blame people for avoiding thinking about climate change. The point of an organism responding to stressors is to avoid them. Oftentimes, the only tool people are presented with is personal choices about what products to buy, which inevitably is horribly frustrating and stressful, since a person will frequently be coerced by their situation into buying a certain product, and even if they don't they see others doing it all the time.
Relentless exposure to imminent threats that cannot be escaped causes Trauma, which severely impacts a person's ability to be resilient to stressors.
I think there is definitely a type of trauma associated with being constantly aware of the destruction of the environment and feeling helpless to do anything about it, especially since we as humans have a deep need for contact with other living things and aspects of the natural world, such as trees, water, flowers, and animals—a need that is often totally denied and treated as merely a Want or a hobby meant only for certain people who enjoy particular activities, like Hiking or Gardening.
We need to expand our minds on how this disconnection can hurt a human being. Imagine if a child's need to be loved by their caregivers, a person's need to be loved by their friends and family, was treated as a desire for indulgence or luxury, or a certain use of free time!
Yes, yes, one person has a condition that makes it hard to walk up hills, another doesn't like the bright sunshine, another is allergic to the grass or fungal components of the outdoor world, but WE ARE PART OF THE FAMILY OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH and WE EXIST IN SYMBIOSIS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH TAKES CARE OF US. Who showed you what beauty was, who taught you to feel peace and relief inside you in the form of a caressing breeze and rustle of leaves, who gave you awe and wonder at seeing the stars or the mountains? Where does every delicious food come from but the soil teeming with creatures? Isn't the most perfectly sweet berry grown from a plant, nurtured by the soil and pollinated by the bugs? Don't you feel delight at seeing a springy carpet of moss, a little mushroom, or a tiny bird? Think of all that the trees give us. Whose breath do you breathe? Whose body frames your home?
The writings of Indigenous writers such as the book by Mary Siisip Genuisz I am reading right now show me that the other life forms are our family. They take care of us and provide for us, and they would miss us if our species disappeared. Isn't that a powerful, healing fact? I think everybody is so enthusiastic about the book Braiding Sweetgrass because it is a worldview that those of us coming from the dominant colonizer culture are straight up ravenous, starving to death for.
Maybe, I think to myself, humans can experience a kind of trauma from being deprived a relationship with their Earth, just as they would experience trauma from being deprived relationships with other humans.
I really believe that it hurts us to be surrounded by concrete instead of soil, to see a majestic tree cut down on a whim without any justice possible, to see wild animals mostly in the form of mangled corpses on the roadside, to have poison sprayed everywhere to kill the insects that life depends on, to hear traffic and lawn mowers and weed whackers instead of birds and flowing water.
We KNOW that this is physically bad for our health, the stifling, polluted, and stressful environments of a civilization that doesn't know the ways of the plants, but I think it's a kind of moral injury too, right? To see a beautiful field turned into a housing development of ugly, big, expensive houses—no thought given to the butterflies and sparrows and quail of the field? To see a big old tree cut down, a pond full of frogs obliterated and turned into a drainage ditch beside a gas station? They aren't just things, they are lives, and while expansion and profit and progress are "necessary," a nice old field of wildflowers or a pond full of frogs are a different kind of necessary. I remember feeling this as a child without words for it—the sheer cruelty of a world that is totally without reverence for the other creatures.
"They own the property, they can cut down the tree" "They bought the land, they can do what they want with it" <but it can also be wrong, and many people know this on some level, even though our culture doesn't provide us with the framework.
Fear could never give people the motivation to fix climate change. Constant fear of what will happen in the future forces a person to protect themselves from the relentless stress by shutting it out entirely or developing apathy.
A fear based argument for fixing climate change either causes a worldview of nature with no bond of kinship at all, based on the physical and practical dependence on Nature as a "resource," or forces people to experience their kinship with Nature only through grief.
Fear tells us that we want to live—it does not tell us WHY to live. If a person tries to live on fear alone, they will eventually find the desire to live burdensome and painful in itself. I see this emerging on a society wide scale in the USA, feeding on influences from the Christian evangelicalism that sees the Earth as something already sullied and worthless, to be thrown away like a dirty tissue, and on the looming monolith of nuclear winter that gave our parents recurring nightmares as children.
If you go to r/collapse on Reddit (don't do that) you will see a whole community of people who cope with the threat of climate change by fantasizing about it, imagining it as a collective punishment for all humanity and a cathartic release from the present painful situation.
We cannot learn to live without seeing the reason for living. We cannot save the Earth without loving it. We cannot heal nature without caring for it. In order to collectively take action against climate change, we must be moved by something other than fear—and that something is love. Not just love of the outdoors as an activity, but love of the Earth as something that loves us.
The dominant Western culture cannot borrow Indigenous land stewardship techniques as though they are just one climate resilience strategy, without being also willing to change its dreadfully impoverished way of viewing human relationships with Nature.
What right have we to think, "Huh, maybe those guys were on to something with the multi-level polyculture systems and controlled burns" while still thinking humans are nothing but a disease on the Earth, and that Earth would be happy to be rid of us? The sustainable ways of using the land practiced traditionally by cultures who have lived in relationship with their ecosystems for many generations work because humans can exist in mutualistic symbiosis with the life forms around them. We care for them. They care for us.
I know for a fact that plants seek relationships with us, and I was taught by them to see how interconnected everything really is, and how I was made to be a caretaker of my ecosystem. I was, a few years ago, just as I describe above. Too scared and pessimistic about the future of nature to bother loving it, and because of this, I could not realize my niche in the ecosystem. It felt for many years like I could do nothing—i believed in climate change, but I felt hopeless, so I put it out of my mind. But when I began to cultivate a love and reverence for the sad, scraggly, beaten-down fragments of Nature around me, everything changed. So much became possible.
I am still learning and exploring, trying to open my mind to ideas totally different than the ones I knew growing up, paying close attention to every plant and learning its ways. And it stuns me to think—some people write about climate change without this process.
The author of the book "The Uninhabitable Earth" (a scary book about how doomed the Earth is because of climate change) says in the beginning of the book that he is not very much of a nature lover. You fool, love is our most powerful evolutionary adaptation!
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shadow4-1 · 6 months
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Getting Drunk Imagines w/ the 141 Boys + Alejandro, Rudy, & König (SFW)
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I was getting drunk for my besties birthday, and at the bar I was hit with the idea. What would it be like to get drunk with these guys one on one?
Tags: Light kissing, romantic undertones, no smut. (MDNI, this is still 18+ content imo)
Captain Price:
It was a night of liberty that he, unfortunately, wasn't allowed to enjoy himself. He had too many reports to write and a multitude of things to prepare for. Laswell was breathing down his neck, and by God, was there nothing worse than that.
He eyed the team group chat with a sigh, watching as the boys drunkenly sent nigh illegible messages to each other. He'd wanted to join them at the bar, some lil' hole in the wall place with decent enough booze and decent enough eye candy. But he couldn't. He was a Captain, and he had responsibilities.
There was a knock at the door. He was annoyed at the prospect of being torn away from his already time intensive work. This impromptu meeting would be cutting into whatever free time he might get tomorrow. Despite his annoyance, he opened the door to invite the guest in. Huh, it was you. Weren't you supposed to be out with the boys and under the watchful eye of Ghost?
He raised a brow as you sheepishly, sank into the seat before him. Your body seemed more relaxed than usual. He rested his head on his hands and watched as you tried to make yourself as small as possible in the rather large office chair. Before he could question you, Soap barged into the office, out of breath and excited. He asked if Price had seen you, not even bothering to glance over the tall back of the chair. No, no he hadn't. With that, Soap was gone, and Price had questions.
You shrugged and admitted that you had asked Soap to bring you back to base for a "forgotten phone" only to ditch him. You loved the boys, so much. But as of lately, they had been getting too rowdy for your tastes. You much preferred a quiet, more relaxed environment to drink.
Priced hummed and sat back in his chair. He asked if you liked bourbon. You shrugged. He offered you a glass of some. You agreed.
The night went on. The two of you conversed about a multitude of things. Some of them were work related, but some were more personal. The two of you bonded over a shared interest in countryside life, the logistics, and how you wanted to set up a self-sustaining lifestyle. You both found yourself laughing and drinking even more. Eventually, the decently filled bottle had been emptied out. You covered your mouth in a display of shock. You two had done that?
Price couldn't help himself. He laughed, loud and boisterous. He couldn't remember the last time his belly ached with such amusement. The word escaped from his lips without him thinking.
"Cute."
Cute? You clammed up but he could tell it was a certain type of shyness. It brought him back to a memory of his first girlfriend in primary school. They'd held hands and pecked shyly away from the prying eyes of other people. The office was warm and secluded. During the conversation, you'd moved closer to him. You were only an arms length away.
You called his name. Something about the way you said it was too much for him. He cupped your jaw and kissed you senseless. All logic, all common sense was damned as he licked across your tongue.
Lieutenant Riley:
You weren't stupid. You knew that this was an honor very few, if any would be afforded. You tried to keep your eyes off of the very few belongings he did have within his quarters.
A sickness had broken out across the base your team was stationed at. It wasn't deadly, just a contagious strain of the flu. Despite being vaccinated, the bug was still going around. All of the other boys, including Price, had fallen ill. As the team's field medic, you'd wanted to help them, but everyone fought against it. You couldn't get sick. It'd jeopardize everyone's safety on the field. Meanwhile, because of the many layers he wore, Lieutenant Riley was also unaffected.
You were dying to do something, anything, than continue to be stuck on the sidelines. Ghost had offered a drink to ease your nerves. You took him up on it.
You sat in his desk chair as he pulled out a full bottle of whiskey from a locked box beneath his bed. He then sat on his bed as he uncapped it. He offered you the first drink, which you graciously accepted. The liquor burned badly on the way down, but you weren't a lil' bitch, and were determined to keep up with your unflappable lieutenant.
Eventually you lost track of how many times you'd passed the bottle back to him. Your body felt warm and delightful. You couldn't help but smile. He asked you what was funny but you didn't reply. Instead you sucked down another greedy gulp of alchohol. It didn't taste nearly as acrid as it had at first. It was almost pleasant at this point. Uh oh.
Simon drained what was left in the bottle with a few heavy gulps. A little bit of excess amber liquid dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. Before he could move to wipe it away, you did it for him. Your thumb brushed sweetly over the seam of his lips and over the slight stubble of his chin. He sighed out, seemingly enjoying the touch.
You blinked, and the spell was soon broken. You pulled your hand away and couldn't meet his hungry eyes. You hadn't meant to overstep like this. You tried to stand up, tried to leave, but it was obvious Simon was just as under the influence as you. He grabbed your arm, seemingly off balance. He pulled you into him despite that not seeming to be what he wanted. The moment became an awkward push and pull as the two of you tried to navigate whatever this was.
"Just c'mere, love."
Eventually, you caved, and pecked him on the lips. He grumbled in contentment, and soon, the two of you were laying flat on the bed.
Sergeant MacTavish:
Taking leave was never something you looked forward to. Every time you were forced to, you'd always end up alone at your parent's vacation home. It was a scenic little place, but it was always a boring affair. That was, until you realized Johnny had gotten his new flat a few minutes away.
He'd given you a "tour" of the one bedroom apartment. A total bachelor's pad, complete with shitty futon and painting covered hole in the wall. You'd brought him the nicest bottle of whatever your parents had laying around (its not like they were drinking it anyway). He'd graciously accepted it and opened it.
He didn't have glasses so he offered to just pour the liquid down your throat. Of course you brushed him off. He always flirted that way. But you did manage to get a few swallows down before passing the bottle back to him. The two of you settled down for a movie and a dinner consisting of takeout food.
Despite the two of you getting drunker and drunker the vibes were great. Eventually the two of you managed to get to the bottom of the bottle. You pulled the last little bit of liquor into your mouth, but before you could swallow, Johnny whined for it.
"Please, hen. I wan' th' rest of it."
Feeling a tad cheeky, you obliged him. He pressed his lips to yours and you let him drink the last of the alcohol straight off your tongue.
He couldn't get enough, and the next thing you knew, he'd pinned you down to the futon. Soon enough, your mouth tasted more like him than any booze you've ever had.
Sergeant Garrick:
The two of you had a habit of going on long drives off base when you could get a chance. It gave you both a well needed break from the hustle of the 141 team. Occasionally, you'd pack food, but the two of you also liked to stop and get greasy food from local fast food restaurants.
A drive-thru bar? Gaz was shocked, what a truly American thing. Despite his reservations, the two of you opted to get more than your fair share of mixed drinks. They were supposed to be for the boys too, but halfway back, you both agreed that the ice in some of the drinks would be melted by then.
Gaz pulled over into the parking lot of a grassy park, wet with dew and rather pretty bathed in the hues of the sunset. The two of you enjoyed a meal and as many of the assorted flavors of booze you got your hands on. Gaz turned on the radio and soon enough the quiet was broken by the sound of your tone deaf hollering.
The two of you calmed down and got to talking. It was nice. Gaz always has such a level head. You told him that, and you didn't miss how his face lit up.
"This is why I only associate with pretty people. They're always so sweet."
You chuckled and flushed with heat at his comment. You shot back that if he thinks you're so pretty, why hadn't he made a move yet?
You aren't surprised by how he kissed you sweetly over the center console.
Colonel Vargas:
Ever since Valeria escaped, Alejandro had changed. He was still as intense as ever, but his attitude had taken a dangerous edge to it. He tried to not snap at your fellow members of the 141, but it was obvious he was having a hard time adjusting. This night was no exception.
The other boys had scoffed and left the rec room to go outside and smoke. They had grown tired of Alejandro's constant growling and his thinly veiled comments about them cheating at pool. You were the only one left willing to put up with his out of character behavior.
You'd texted Rudy about it, and he suggested you get the Colonel drunk. As ridiculous as that sounded, you agreed that maybe you should listen to Los Vaqueros' second in command. You had a few shit beers you were saving for a time like this.
You offered them to Alejandro and he thankfully accepted your offer. The two of you drank and chatted as you played pool. It was in his nature to be competitive, and so when you began to win, he grew snippy. It wasn't the mad, annoyed kind of snippy he was towards the boys. This was more challenging in almost a...hungry sort of way.
"You think you can beat me? Ha! I'll fuck you up, cabrona."
You laughed at him, rolling your eyes. That seemed to have been wrong thing to do. He cornered you up against the pool table, tossing your pool stick onto it, completely ruining your game. He tells you not to fuck with him unless you really want to feel the consequences. Again, he's not threatening per se, but almost demanding.
You can almost taste the beer on his breath. His cheeks are flushed a cute little pink. You tell him that. He pins you to the pool table to force his tongue down your throat.
Sergeant Major Parra:
It's just a check in. Alejandro would happily go back home to Las Almas if he wasn't so hot on Valeria's tail. Instead, he sent you as a representative of the 141. Rudy is just so happy to see a familiar face. Los Vaqueros welcomed you in with open arms.
They showered you in gifts. So many beers and shots of tequila were fed to you that you lost count. Eventually, the night slowed down, and you had no choice but to lean on Rudy for support. He was so kind, he steadied you so well despite the fact he was just as drunk as you. Giggling, the two of you tripped and fell into the brush at the perimeter of the base. It was so funny that neither one of you couldn't stop laughing until your sides ached.
You both laid there, out of breath, minds swimming, looking up at the southern stars. He took the chance to hold your hand. You kissed his cheek.
"I'm glad you're here, amiga."
Colonel Konig:
No one in KORTAC really liked each other. All relationships were based on respect and rank. All new meat, aka you, were at the bottom of the pecking order. You got shit gear and even shittier respect.
You'd always been scrappy. And so clawing your way into the good graces of the higher ups had been relatively easy. What you hadn't expected was the backlash and annoyance of your fellow operatives. If it hadn't been for O'Conor pushing you to take his spot at poker night, you would've had a nice quiet evening. Instead, you had no choice but to beat Horangi and Hutch and turn them into angry dickheads. A part of you didn't blame them as stolen barrels of liquor had been freely flowing the entire night.
Horangi growled at you, half in English and half in Japanese. He pointed angrily at your face, his nigh unintelligible words getting more and more scathing. Just as he was getting around to calling you a cheater, someone snapped their fingers. Immediately, the entire room went silent. Konig scoffed something in his native tongue but switched to English shortly after.
"If any of you bother maus again, I will bother you." He chuckled darkly.
Immediately everyone packed up, grabbed their things and left the recreational area. Horangi hissed at you but left his lost money on the table. He also left his glass of liquor behind. Deciding to enjoy all of your spoils, you stole his cup and began to drink.
Konig hummed at you, seemingly enjoying the view of you drinking down the juice of your pissy comrade. He offered you his untouched glass. You humored him, sitting on the table as you chose to nurse his drink instead. You thanked him for standing up for you. He shrugged, and let his eyes hungrily devour the sight of your body.
As you got to the bottom of the glass, you quickly realized that you had allowed yourself to walk right into this trap. You were alone with him, and no one would be coming to bother you for the rest of the night. König's eyes felt like fire on every exposed piece of your skin.
You licked your lips and pondered the situation. You had nothing to lose.
You smiled at him, leaning back farther on the table. You curled your finger at him in a beckoning motion. He kicked the chair away as he quickly moved to stand over you.
You supposed there were worse ways to attain power among thieves.
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soapywankenopy · 6 days
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SDV car headcannons
[this gets pretty specific because i've had way too much time to think about it]
1. Harvey
Harvey drives an old, beat-up red Ford Ranger. It's a standard transmission, and the clutch is super finicky, so when he tries to drive other cars, he has a bad habit of shoving in the clutch too hard (or if it's an automatic, slamming on the break, thinking it's the clutch). It was a gift from his parents when he started med school. It was old when they bought it, but Harvey does his best to maintain it. He's not a "truck guy," but he changes his own oil and keeps it running well. He would like to buy a Subaru because quote, "they're very safe cars," but he doesn't use his truck a lot as it is, so he doesn't see a need to get a new car.
2. Leah
Leah drives a silver Subaru Baja. You can not convince me otherwise. She views cars as a necessary evil. It wasn't really all that useful in the city, but she's glad to have it now that she lives in Pelican town. It's well-loved, and it's pretty beat-up, but Leah says it works fine for what she needs it for.
3. Shane
He drives a 1999 Ford Taurus in that weird pinky-gold color. It smells like pizza and pepper poppers, and there are feathers in the backseat. Sometimes, he'll let Jas sit on his lap in the driver's seat and let her steer while he works the pedals. Mayor Lewis caught them once and was not happy. Shane does it anyway because it makes Jas happy.
4. Sebastian
He drives a motorcycle, lol. I admittedly do not know very much about motorcycles, but it looks like a blue Kawasaki Vulcan to me, but idk. (If you know more about motorcycles, feel free to give your two cents)
5. Sam
Sam does not have his own car, but he frequently borrows the family van. It's a silver 2003 Honda Oddysey. The van lands him with driver duty for the band and their equipment.
6. Elliott
Elliott disagrees with cars ideologically. He had a grey 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander that he inherited from his aunt. He sold it before he moved to Pelican town. He thinks it's more romantic to walk everywhere, but if you ask him why he walks everywhere, he'll say, "Because of the environment."
7. Penny
Penny doesn't drive. Pam tried a million times to teach her, but Penny just doesn't want to. She doesn't trust herself with such heavy machinery.
8. Maru
Maru does not have a car but will borrow Robin's work truck if she needs to. Sebastian definitely taught her how to ride a motorcycle. One of her many ongoing projects is a custom bike for Sebastian. Demetrius was very insistant that she learned to drive stick.
9. Abigail
Abigail does not know how to drive. Pierre was too busy, and Caroline never felt the need to teach her. She's happy to explore by foot, so it doesn't really bother her.
10 & 11. Emily & Haley
Their parents bought them a 2012 light green Toyota Prius to share. Haley thinks it's cute and Emily likes that it's a hybrid. Haley says eventually she might buy a blue Volkswagen Bug.
12. Alex
Alex doesn't drive and it's a sore subject for him. Don't bring it up. He might end up crying. He's always said that he would want a green Dodge Charger as soon as he learns to drive.
I have more headcannons about the other characters, so I may put them in another post
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quimichi · 1 month
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TW: obsessive behavior, stealing
SUMMARY: He couldn't take his eyes off you...why are you so...catching? So pretty to look at...Why do you have to have this beautiful soul...and why would he do anything for you?
CHARACTERS: SUB!Yandere x F!Reader
WORD COUNT: 854
*character in the picture: Yoshiki - The summer Hikaru died
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¡! ❞ Akito always loved beautiful things. Since childhood he loved to watch the sunset or sunrise. His parents always had to stop their car when there was a rainbow so he could take a picture with his little kids toy camera. When he got older, he also hot into poetry. He found his mothers poetry book in the bookshelf before he could even understand half the words written there. He just knew those words and phrases must be pretty.
¡! ❞ All things fascinate him, because all things are beautiful in some way. So it wouldn't have been much of a surprise that when he sees you, he would fall hard.
¡! ❞ But...it was. There he was, standing his eyes almost popping out of his skull while he introduces himself to the class. He just moved here, everything i so new to him. There's so much to discover! But he had no idea he would discover love...discover you.
¡! ❞ He stared, directly at you, you saw and felt it. Normally, you'd think its really weird, cause it is. But since he appears so cute and innocent, you shake it off as a nervous fixation. Surely someone like him wouldn't be THAT weird. Wrong...
¡! ❞ The teacher decides the best place for him to sit, is the free place beside you. There are many more free seats, but you were one of the nicest in class, so your teacher figured it would be best if Akito sat beside you. Maybe you will even show him around? Introduce him to the new environment?
¡! ❞ So he sat down beside you, and immediately introduced himself, "Akito." He extends his hand, wanting you to shake it, and of course you place your hand in his...oh-your hand is...so warm? It feels nice against his skin. Your skin against his. Youe have really nice hands, with hands like these you MUST obviously do something. Art? Maybe you compose songs? Poetry maybe! "I know-!" you giggle as you shake his hand. Akito tilts his head, "Huh?...oh-i already introduced myself-!" He's a little ashamed, but he had worse situations. Your beauty is just...he doesn't know how to describe it, it caught him off guard a bit.
¡! ❞ "I'm Y/N, it's really nice to meet you." You shake his hand, you can't deny it, he's kinda cute. But the introduction was short lived because the lesson was about to start. While you were able to pay attention, Akito was not. He doesn't dislike school, but neither does he love it. Hes a pretty good student, he can pay attention. But rn the lesson is just bugging him the wrong way. It cut you off, you couldn't talk to him anymore...He wanted to hear more of your voice...what a shame, truly.
¡! ❞ But its ok, he can just sit there and learn about you! Oh, now he knows what those hands do. Your handwriting is pretty, the way that pen flows over the paper makes it look so elegant, so easy. You wouldn't pay much attention to it cause well, its not really important is it? Its just your handwriting. But Akito already memorized how each letter is written, connects with the other, how they look in combinations.
¡! ❞ You, again, notice his stare. And, again, you shake it off. You move your hand over and turn the paper into his vision, "there." You honestly just thought he wants to see your notes and maybe copy some of them. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO NICE??? Why is his heart pounding so much?? Is this love? No, it can't be you two just met??
¡! ❞ at the end of class he noticed how one of your pens mustve rolled off your table. Seems like you also didn't noticed...so you wouldn't notice if he would take it, right? You're so nice you wouldn't mind one pen less right? Its also the pen you took your notes with!...that means your warm soft hands touched it...pretty hands.
¡! ❞ Quickly he shoves it into his pocket before someone notices him and walks out right after you, following along like a lost puppy. You know where the next class is, so you don't mind. But he actually forgot about this fact and just wanted to follow you, because...well youre interesting. He keeps playing with the pen in his pocket, the material is nice. You must probably like the pen if you take notes with it. And he saw more of the same brand laying around on your desk. Is it your favorite brand? Should he buy you some?...Or do you have enough? Wait-why did you stop walki-
¡! ❞ He bumped into your back, or more specifically, your backpack. "Sorry-! I uh...didn't pay attention to where i was going..." You laugh it off, saying its ok while walking away to a friend.
¡! ❞ Odd...this feeling in his stomach, the sudden drop. Perhaps...jealousy? Is he truly jealous of your friend? Just because you walked over to them to talk to them instead of you? Cause your attention shifted?...
to be continued?
I realized I take waaay to long so--more parts? Was it even good???
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granulesofsand · 9 months
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Reasons people underestimate the prevalence of RAMCOA:
Untraumatized people don’t think about trauma nearly as much as survivors
People don’t know what the signs are. Trainings are shitty when given, attendees don’t think they’ll need to use the information, and trainings offered are usually online and easy to walk away from
Mandatory reporters don’t usually follow through their contracts. This is sometimes a good thing, but it can leave room in the wrong places for endangered children
People who know the signs will ignore them. They think it unlikely, that they’re overreacting, or they just don’t notice
Survivors are quiet. Speaking up puts us in danger, and more people think of us as media material than peers
The police don’t do jack shit for us. Some stations train officers to overlook our cases, and it’s difficult to take to court if a survivor wants to. In larger cases, government works with organized criminal groups that perpetrate or do so themselves for research
We’re a test question. The only time we are brought up in psychology classrooms is if they want to nod to a DID diagnosis. Few therapists are educated and willing to take us on as clients
Abusers know how to make connections with local authority. In high control groups, members may be taught how to abuse and evade interception
All of this makes it hard to report anywhere how many survivors exist free, and the low numbers in turn make us less believable when we do report
RAMCOA includes severe religious abuse, manipulative coercion, programming, cults, trafficking rings, criminal gangs, and more. Survivors are your coworkers, neighbors, cashiers, librarians.
Signs to look for:
Ritual Abuse
History of self-harm, substance use, sui/homicidality, especially with prescribed patterns
Unusual phobias (red or brown foods, kinds of houses, churches, hospitals, fear of the dark or being alone in adults)
Aversion to or obsession with the occult/witchcraft or other faith traditions
Patterns of nightmares, aversions or obsessions with common or nondescript themes (gore, needles, bugs, rodents, monsters, babies, men or women)
Sudden or irresistible urge to relocate, recontact abusers, participate in abusive ceremonies
High pain tolerance
Repeated phrases with violent, aggressive or religious themes
Mind Control and Coercion
Unquestioning obedience of a person or doctrine
Defers to another, speaks as though scripted, frequently accompanied by another or has to ask permission inappropriate for their age
Sudden or dramatic change in behavior, hobbies, or long-standing habits
Refusal to consume media unless approved by another/without further explanation
Anxious or idealized descriptions of childhood home and family, unable to recall these things
No memory of childhood or missing years
Multiple self-states, especially in high quantities
Organized Abuse and Trafficking
Disconnection from peers, family and friends
Does not attend community events or faith services or is perpetually preoccupied with a single group
Repeated unexplained absences from work or school
Disoriented, confused or dissociated for long periods of time or without explanation
Fearful or self-persecutory behavior, especially with allusions to another person or group
Bruises, broken skin or other wounds in various stages of healing
Minors engaging in commercial sex (including CSEM or survival sex)
Timid, skittish, fearful or submissive behaviors (including when this is the norm)
Malnourished, dehydrated, exhausted or with untreated ails
Without belongings or suitable living space
Many indicators of abuses flow together, as do the events themselves. It’s common that RA and OA perps use MC to keep victims in line, and techniques are often implemented by default in abusive environments. A group using RA or MC also qualifies as OA. This is why the community acronym includes all three.
There are more discreet examples for each. It’s possible to find many symptoms of RAMCOA and have none of those maltreatments as the cause. It’s possible to have none and still be abused.
Noticing indicators in children should be followed up by alerting any available reliable authority. Children sometimes disclose using metaphors or slang words they have been taught, so keep this in mind if you work with them.
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