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dyns33 · 3 months

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Firefly

I can't explain why but I like The Collector movies a lot, Asa Emory was a weird character, and so I needed to write something about him at least once

Y/N had met Asa Emory in college.

He already had this strange look and this fascination for insects, which explained his choice of studies. She had never met anyone who wanted to become an entomologist.

The other students were a little afraid of him, when they noticed him, because Asa was very discreet.

Y/N had noticed him, and she hadn’t been afraid of him. She had sat next to him in the library while he read a book about spiders. Her questions had initially seemed to irritate him, he was obviously not used to being spoken to, then he had been intrigued.

For a time, Asa had looked at her as if she were one of the insects he collected, but also as if she were trying to make fun of him. Yet he answered all her questions, adding more and more details and information.

He had no one in his life. No one to share your passion with. He didn't tell her all the details, but he had lost his parents and siblings when he was young.

This loneliness didn't seem to be a problem for him, but over time he got used to Y/N's presence, he looked forward to her questions, and he eventually grew attached.

“My firefly.�� He greeted her as soon as he saw her, with a shy smile.

“Why a firefly ?” she asked, laughing softly.

“Because you are a light in my life.”

Y/N might have taken offense saying that a firefly was a tiny, fragile light that would die quickly, but knowing Asa's love of insects, she knew he wasn't going to compare her to a sun or stars. It was even a nice compliment on his part that he deigned to compare her to a Lampyris noctiluca.

Even when insulting people, he never used insect names. That would be an insult to the insects and he couldn't do that.

As with everything else in their relationship, it was Y/N who invited him on their first date. He accepted without seeming to understand what that meant.

The poor man seemed lost when she kissed him. But not necessarily disgusted.

“My firefly, you are the only human being who matters.” he admitted when she asked him if he ever thought about marriage, after more than two years together. "There are only a few insects that practice monogamy, but most die quickly, sometimes during the act of reproduction. But you know how much I hate anthropomorphism. I will be happy to spend my life with you."

Life with Asa was calm. Perfectly organized, structured, like its classification of all arthropod species.

After obtaining his diploma, he had no difficulty in being hired in the largest natural science museum in the city. His name quickly became known in his field.

His frequent nighttime outings and other prolonged outings could have been frightening for Y/N, but he always warned her in advance, preparing his schedule according to the pace of life of the insects he was looking for.

"Rumors are circulating about an unknown species of grasshoppers in a forest. I will probably be gone all weekend."

"Oh. You won't be here for my cousin's birthday ?"

"I forgot. Forgive me, my firefly."

“It doesn’t matter… It’s for your work, it’s important.”

He promised to better note the dates that were important to her, because even though he was very diligent in his work, Asa was a good husband. He didn't care at all about other humans, and therefore her family, but he always tried to please her when he could.

Even though he had a true admiration for spiders, Y/N saw him more as an ant. He worked hard, he never seemed tired, and he often brought home gifts to make up for when he missed an appointment, or simply because he wanted to see her smile.

"Ants don't bring back gifts for the queen, they do this to feed the colony. Plus they work in groups, I work alone."

“I didn’t compare myself to a queen.”

"You could, it was you who worked to create our home. There is no colony without a queen, and there would not be our home without you."

Their house was perfect, but empty. They didn't talk about having children. The subject didn't seem to appeal to Asa. After all this time, he did not talk about his family, visibly traumatized by their disappearance, and his aversion to others, in addition to his complicated schedule, were not compatible with the role of father.

There were his dogs. Perfectly trained hunting dogs, who were only adorable with their master and his wife. But especially with Y/N, who loved to cuddle them.

“My firefly, they have already eaten and they are not allowed to be inside.”

"Oh, Asa, please ! It's cold outside, and they were very good !"

“You mustn’t get them used to it or they will become fat and lazy.”

“Only for tonight, please !”

His colleagues said he was tough. A cold, distant, almost mean man. It was quickly decided that he would no longer participate in school visits, because he did not know how to talk to children or teachers.

But with Y/N, he was gentle. He refused her nothing. The dogs stayed inside, and not just that evening.

The times Asa told her no, it wasn't his fault. The excuses he found always contained the words 'I would like to, but the museum, my colleagues, the insects…'.

No, she couldn't accompany him on his hunts. She wouldn't like it anyway. It was cold, there was almost no time to sleep, and she might be bored.

“I’ll be with you, that’s the most important thing.”

".. .It's always a joy to be with you. That's also why it's better if you don't come. Then I have a reason to come home."

And he always came home, tired, but satisfied with his work, placing a kiss on Y/N's forehead like a ritual, before caressing her cheek while looking at her as if seeing her for the first time, his eyes wide blacks seeming to devour her entirely.

Then came the night when he came home late, very late, with strange injuries and terribly angry. Growling like an animal, he slammed the door so hard that it woke his wife. She found him trying to stitch himself up, mumbling and shaking.

She had never seen him like this. Asa was always calm.

Hesitantly, Y/N asked him if he was okay, and when he looked at her, she was scared for the first time since they met. For a moment, he looked like he didn't recognize her, and was ready to jump on her. Then he took on the features of her husband.

"… My firefly." he sighed, getting up with difficulty to kiss her. "I woke you up. I scared you. Forgive me. There was an incident. I lost several very precious, unique species. But it's my fault, you don't have to suffer my bad mood."

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital ?”

"It's okay, I promise. Scratches, nothing I can't fix myself. Go back to bed, I'll be with you right away."

Nothing forced her to obey. Y/N could have insisted, asked questions, called an ambulance, but she returned to the room, staring at the wall unable to sleep. She didn't move when Asa came to her, holding her close, his face against her neck, whispering that he loved her.

They talked about the incident in the neighboring town the next day on television. An abandoned factory was ravaged by flames. But that wasn't the worst. It was the lair of a serial killer, whom they called the Collector.

The survivors spoke of horrible things. Of torture, of strange experiences. According to police, the man had died in the fire along with his guard dogs and most of the evidence there was nothing left to fear.

Y/N didn’t ask Asa where the dogs were. She tried not to think about it.

If he was waiting for her to ask him about it, he didn't show it. He didn't talk about what happened during the night, behaving as if everything was perfectly fine, and going to work like every day. He would come home, he would kiss her, and he would do it again. The difference was only that he went out less often.

According to him, the season was not good for hunting. And with the problem at his office, he needed a little time, to rest, to repair the place.

This excuse could have worked forever. Of course, Y/N could have called the museum and they would have confirmed that there had never been any serious incidents, but she didn't want to. She continued to lie next to her husband, letting him embrace her tenderly.

Then there was the man's visit. He seemed surprised to see Y/N, as he placed a large red trunk in the kitchen. Almost sad too. He was holding a gun.

"I imagine you don't know anything about it. I can let you go, if you promise not to warn him, and to let me do what I have to do."

"… I don't understand what to talk to you about."

"Your dear husband. The man who kidnapped and tortured me for weeks. You're lucky you didn't see his little collection. He's a monster. He needs to die."

No doubt the man was right. There had always been something strange about Asa, everyone had always known it and Y/N had been the only one to refuse to see it. She had built her life with him, her home. They had to share everything.

So even if he was right, she without thinking grabbed a knife when he turned, convinced that she had understood and she stuck it in his back, at the level of his heart.

When she realized what she had just done, it was too late. The man was lying in his blood in the middle of the room, his gun fallen next to him. Y/N touched nothing, unable to do anything but cry while trying to remember how to breathe.

Asa found her like this, sitting against a wall, when he returned from the office. He looked at his wife, then at the scene in the kitchen, before putting his things down to crouch down next to her.

Like every times, he held her face so that she could look at him and he could kiss her on the forehead. Then with one hand he wiped the blood from her cheek, massaging her neck with the other to calm her down.

"Tell me what happened. Are you hurt, my firefly ?"

"No… He… He wanted to kill you. He said… Oh, my god. He had a gun, I… I was scared… He said you… Asa …"

"Shh. I'll take care of everything. Come on."

Holding her close, he took her to the bathroom where he helped her undress and get into the shower, which he adjusted so that the water was perfect. Taking a bath would have done her good, but he had to leave her alone to clean up, and he didn't want her to fall asleep.

"I'll be back, my firefly. Just sit here, it's okay."

Y/N didn't know how long she stayed under the water, shaking and crying. Not as long as she thought. Her husband quickly returned to help her get up, dry off and put on pajamas.

Although she was not hungry, he insisted that she have tea and biscuits, as it was not good to keep an empty stomach after such a shock, before putting her to bed. He certainly put something in the tea for her to sleep.

The kitchen was immaculate the next morning, as if nothing had happened. The man, the weapon, the red trunk, everything had disappeared.

Unusually, Asa had prepared breakfast. He was always up before her, but he only had coffee, and he often left for work while she was still asleep, coming to place a kiss on her forehead to warn her.

His dark eyes didn't leave her for a second as Y/N chewed her pancakes with difficulty, one hand on the glass of orange juice that she couldn't drink. She looked everywhere except her husband.

Before the intruder spoke, she had already started to have doubts. Questions. Now everything was quite clear, and all that remained was to decide what she was going to do. Asa was also obviously waiting, sitting near her.

The options were vast. Run away, call the police, risk getting killed… Y/N finally managed to lift the glass of orange juice, while thinking of their meeting.

"… Aren't you going to be late for work ?"

"No. I took some time off to stay with you."

“But your collection… I understood that it would take a long time to rebuild everything.”

"It's not as important as you, my firefly. My mantis religiosa. My black widow." he purred, running a hand through her hair, his lips on her neck.

Asa loved spiders. It was a nice compliment, even if she received it because she had killed a man and agreed not to report him to the authorities. He didn't seem to notice her fear, one of the reasons she remained silent.

Only the other reason mattered. And by giving her all these names, like a transformation, he was telling her that he would not harm her, that he did not see her as prey, and that even if she decided to do so, she could devour him.

#the collector #the collection #asa emory #asa emory x reader #asa emory fanfiction #slashers

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kiwisa · 1 year

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starry night ✩ cl16

Charles Leclerc x Fem! Girlfriend! Reader

angst & fluff • 1,000 words

IN WHICH... the nightmares plague your thoughts again, but fortunately, charles is here to chase them away.

For some, it was enough to hear three notes of music for their clenched shoulders to relax; for others, a film, a novel, or poetry would do the trick. For you, it was the stars.

There was something peaceful about looking at them through your window. Since childhood, these little spots painted in the vastness of the sky had been friends, confidants; a real source of calmness in which you would found refuge every other night.

These stars had this ability—this gift, rather—to weigh down your eyelids so quickly that you never had time to admire their beauty thoroughly.

If children knee-high to a grasshopper could not sleep without a nightlight, it had been impossible for you to separate yourself from those little white dots on a dark canvas. Your parents understood this very quickly and didn’t ask questions, trusting the astral bodies and their soothing natural light to watch over you.

Since that night, the one when, for the first time, the aura of the stars protected you from nightmares, you could not sleep with curtains. Those damned tissues would never stop bothering you. They darkened the room, forbidding you to distinguish the furniture and various objects placed on them. When black reigned supreme, your overflowing imagination created paintings whose dark colours and menacing figures would send you in a fit of panic.

A hand clenched on your beating heart, your wide but tired eyes looked at the window with alarm for the celestial spots, hoping that this nightmare would stop.

The curtains were not closed. However, the clouds rumbling with thunder had enveloped Monte-Carlo in their thick mantle of black for several hours already. Your room was plunged into darkness, leaving you alone to face your fears, your heartbeat ringing loudly in your ears.

Silence oppressed you, made fun of you.

“You’re an adult, you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark anymore,” the voices said. And they were probably right. Oh, what you’d give to not experience that feeling of paralysis every time black covered the colour palette that was your life.

Your irises swept the room, hoping to see something. Nothing.

You listened, hoping to hear something. Nothing.

Feeling the panic creeping a little deeper into your mind, your veins, your heart, your fingers came to feel the sheet, hoping to find what you were sorely lacking at that very moment. Your hand grazed the cold fabric of the duvet. A shiver ran your spine.

The pulp of your fingers met nothing but fabric. Exhaling the trembling air stuck in your throat—constricted by the lump in it—, your first instinct was to fold your knees against your chest, to make yourself disappear. You gradually felt the black paint spread through your thoughts, enveloping them in this cursed colour, erasing every trace of joy from your memories.

“Charles?”

Your voice had many times been described as authoritative, strong, capable of catching the attention of anyone at the first word spoken. From that voice, at that very moment, there was nothing left. Instead, a barely recognizable whisper crossed the barrier of your dry lips.

The silence answered you, then a crumpled sound; that of the sheets.

“What is it, baby?”

“Can you…” your exhausted gaze set itself on the form you could barely distinguish in the dark. Immediately, your heart began to beat less quickly. “Can you hug me?”

He said nothing for a few moments, the sleep clouding his mind or perhaps he had deemed this silence necessary to try to calm his racing heart. The latter, at the formulation of your request, had panicked, causing his face and ears to be coloured in a reddish hue.

It was moments like this that confirmed the love and trust you had for each other. The place he held in your heart was large enough for you to reveal yourself to him, in your most vulnerable moments, those when the paintings of your thoughts represented nothing but dark expanses.

“Come here.”

With all the delicacy of the world, his hand came to rest in the palm of yours. Your fingers intertwined, nesting perfectly, like two broken pieces of porcelain. With this simple gesture, already, a sense of security invaded you. The latter intensified when his fingers, which were longer than yours, squeezed them briefly. A small gesture, so delicate you thought you had imagined it.

You knew it was real, however; you knew what it meant.

You weren’t alone.

Your hands never detached themselves from each other, not even when he wrapped his other arm around your trembling body to press you against him.

You weren’t alone.

Kisses as light as the caresses of a feather were placed tenderly on your face. Charles began with your forehead, wanting to drive out all the evil thoughts which he knew had lodged themselves in every piece of your mind. Then, he smothered the tender skin of your cheeks with his lips, filling with love the furrows left by your tears. Finally, your lips, cold, were covered by his, warm. Through this kiss were said all the words left unsaid. The “everything will be fine”, “I’m here for you”, “I love you.”

All those letters pierced the dark place you had trapped yourself in, building a bubble around you both.

A bubble in which time stopped, as did worries.

A bubble in which you could stay for hours. Skin to skin. Heart to heart.

Sleep, which had eluded you for so long, enveloped you in its cloud of dreams when your gaze crossed Charles’s loving gaze.

When you had first seen each other years ago, when your souls had pervaded one another, you had been charmed by his eyes. In them, which you could draw by memory—having spent so many hours immersed in their beauty—, the whole universe had been imprisoned. This brown river contained the most ethereal constellations, shooting stars, and nebulae.

Who needed the twinkle of a star when Charles Leclerc was by your side?

✩ taglist !

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#charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x reader #f1 x reader #charles leclerc #f1 fic #formula one fanfiction #f1 fanfic #charles leclerc drabble #f1 rpf #formula 1 fic #formula 1 rpf #formula 1 x you

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scuderiamh · 1 year

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WINDOWSILL || a. leclerc x reader

pairing: arthur leclerc x reader request: yes / no summary: the best friend you've been in love with since second grade shows up at your door at 3AM with pizza. word count: 1.4k warnings: talk of heartbreak and healing

a heartbreak past, a long road healing to come.

it wasn't linear. you knew that much. healing was a long, uphill battle. healing was adjusting to a drastic change and hardly knowing how. healing was leaning on the friends that have stuck by you. healing was difficult but most of all inconsistent.

some days were fine. you could work and go out and take care of yourself and your home. you'd think then you'd gotten over it, until it came down to the other days. where you could hardly will yourself to get up. where you didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything. where all you felt you had the mental energy to do was lie down and cry.

today was the latter of the two.

the breakup you’d had with your boyfriend was nearly a month ago now, but you've yet to escape the stuttering back and forth between being okay with it and not. it felt like someone was in control of a switch – one you couldn’t reach quite high enough to flip. and you were tired. every bad day felt like a thousand and you just wanted it all to stop.

now, as the sun had long since lain to rest, you sat on your windowsill watching the outside world. it was quiet, and dark. the company of the moon was one you’d always appreciated. it always made you feel comforted. but not even the moon was visible tonight and your heart felt like someone had left it out to dry and by now it has long since shriveled.

you could call a friend, but the one person in the world you wanted to talk to could’ve been asleep. and you didn't want to risk waking him up, given his hectic schedule.

another unspoken thing keeping you from reaching out was your not wanting to be a burden. as if you ever were, to him, but those were the worries you were put down by at times like these.

chin on one knee, arms hugged around a leg. you sighed heavily as you listened to the cadence of grasshoppers and distant waves, watching the occasional lone car drive past. only one thing broke this peaceful, lonely rhythm – a phone chime. a singular text.

you were tempted to ignore it. who could possibly need a reply from you this late at night? you didn’t want to talk unless it was to your best friend. but given the thought that it could be an emergency, you wouldn’t be able to wallow placidly for much longer if you hadn’t checked.

arthur: “open door, please”

you gave yourself no more than about two seconds to be confused before getting up and making your way to your front door, absolutely no hesitation in opening it. the one person you wanted to talk to.

“arthur, why are you-?”

“can i come in, please?”

there he was. standing at your doorstep despite the time of night. hair disheveled, looking like he might’ve just done some running. a large pizza box in hands, phone lying on the pizza box. looking simultaneously insane and so, so normal.

“right. okay. come in.”

you stepped aside, letting him come inside before you shut the door behind him. for a brief moment you told yourself to put up the persona and convince him you were alright, but you reminded yourself that this was arthur. you could take that mask off around him.

“what have you been doing?” he beat you to asking the questions. it’s fine, you weren’t about to interrupt.

you shifted your weight from one foot to another, considering your answer for a moment. if it were anyone else, you might've lied. “just… sitting. thinking, i guess.”

his only question was, “where?”

a frown tugged down at your lips. “um… my bedroom windowsill?”

“okay.” he answered with a small smile, one that held almost a hint of mischief. before you questioned his antics, he set down his phone on your counter, and with the pizza box, he went straight to your room. you followed without a word.

and suddenly the previously lonely windowsill containing a sad girl stuck in her mind now held a lovestruck boy and a box of pizza, with the girl of his dreams fast approaching. he’d made himself comfortable, so you followed suit. it was wordless, and a bit of a squeeze considering the size of the window, but just right. it always seemed to be with him.

him. the only man in the world who could wash away your worries, your sadness, the one who’d been there to wipe away many tears. the one who was always there. the one who showed up without being asked. the one you trusted with your life.

arthur. your arthur.

the starlight seemed to turn from gray and dull to a softer light – a change of situation seemed to change your perception of the setting right around. the sound around you turned from melancholic to hopeful. the breeze became comfortable, not taunting.

“what were you thinking about?” he asked you, retrieving a slice for you and one for himself.

you shook your head, taking a bite. “not important anymore.”

he just nodded in acknowledgement. chances are, he knew exactly what you were thinking about. but he didn’t press. he didn’t ask you out of nosiness or lack of knowledge in the first place, he simply wanted to open the door of talking about it, in the case that you wanted to. he figured you'd think you'd be burdening him if you brought it up yourself — he knew you and how your mind tended to work. as soon as you gave the indication of not wanting to pursue the topic he dropped it.

you two continued to eat in mostly silence. mentioning things about your days here and there, as if you guys didn’t talk about every detail of your days earlier. you talked just to hear eachothers voices. what the other had to say, despite hearing it before. just to talk to one another, just to soak in eachothers presence, fully. because you wanted to. you both did.

“can i ask you a question?”

arthur didn't wait a second to answer. “always. what is it?”

“why’d you come?”

he shrugged and glanced at you. “i don’t know. i was awake, i knew you would be awake, probably… and sometimes you just need nights like this, you know?”

you did know. you knew it more than ever. did he know how much you needed this? something told you he did.

pizza box empty, it was tossed into your room. you made a mental note to pick it up later. with a soft sigh, you rested your head on his shoulder. he wrapped an arm around you in response.

the touch was natural. nothing about it felt forced or out of place. it came with something you both knew – if the other asked, the touch would go further. the emotional connection was there, it always has been, but you never got physical like that with him. never spoke of that connection. let it go unaddressed. maybe out of fear of shattering your friendships, maybe it was something else. you never knew and you never asked.

but you both knew it could go there.

he could kiss you right now, sitting right by him. and you’d kiss right back, he likely knew that. but you didn't go there, neither of you did. you only enjoyed the warmth and security coming from him and he enjoyed providing that.

it was always there – the lingering love. a love never fully tapped into. a love that could be something, could go somewhere. a love almost too scary to be pursued. a beautiful type of love that broke your heart just a little, if you dared to let yourself think about.

you tried not to think about it. not usually. it's only times like now you almost, just barely, allowed yourself to indulge in those thoughts.

he wasn't just a friend and he never was. he was your best friend and your other half. has been as long as you remember. no one else was there for every celebration, every heartbreak, every achievement in the way that he was. nobody else connected with you like he did. and you were starting to believe no one ever would. you didn't want anyone to.

“hey, arthur?”

“hm?” he hummed back, rubbing little invisible patterns onto your shoulder.

“thank you for coming.”

a bit of a bewitching anguish, wasn't it? a mutual understanding of feelings unmentioned. all here on a healing windowsill.

“always.”

tag list: @holy-macncheese-balls @buendiabebeta @dan3avacado ... ask to be added or removed

#arthur leclerc #arthur leclerc x reader #arthur leclerc one shot #arthur leclerc x y/n #arthur leclerc fanfic #f1 #f3 #f2 #f3 x reader #f2 x reader #formula one fanfic #formula 1 fanfic

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moregraceful · 25 days

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I've been challenged to get toxically into Shakir Mukhamadullin/Filip Bystedt in the last games of the season and honestly I've never felt more alive. I wish I could get toxically into making this banana bread as much as I am committed to the Mukhamastedt agenda. pov you are my uncle who asked politely for banana bread in exchange for pizza and you have been watching me listen to 8 Dogs 8 Banjos for three hours.

The day I am having defies my limited comprehension because somehow there were so many good funny joyful things but it was all colored by it being 7 years since my dad died. Like I woke up feeling BAD but actually I didn't feel bad most of the day, I felt fine. Slightly crazed by human existence. But good overall. My friends were very funny today. I did some slightly reckless things with my bank account that I'm looking forward to. Content. I miss him, I wish he could make some life decisions for me and answer some life questions for me, but these days have been worse.

I remember when my dad died everyone was like he's in heaven <3 he's in the Pure Land <3 he's in a better place <3 And the whole time he was in hospice his ass was like I am NOT done with samsara. I'm not dying btw but I'm coming back as a grasshopper, I'm NOT DONE HERE. And many people were very angered at the time of his death when I told them he did not go to heaven. He did not go to the Pure Land. They wanted him in "a better place." But he said he wasn't done. He knew he wasn't. So he's kicking around here somewhere and I hope he did get to experience the world again. I hope he got to experience the world again a lot. I hope he got to experience it better and worse and more beautiful over and over again. And truly I can say this only because it's been 7 years and hundreds of hours of therapy, but I think these days, you know, how can I assign all-consuming grief that I don't have him anymore over the idea that he's still here somewhere, going on the same journey I am?

#dude would have fucking LOVED the 8 dogs 8 banjos song #ok i need to stop posting and go make banana bread and go through sharkuda fills #and figure out where i can post this insane playlist fill i made for 1u #fresno oilers.txt #birdfam #a temple is a temple

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fatehbaz · 1 year

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Good news: 10 quintillion (10 billion billion) individual arthropods in Earth’s soil.

Including nearly 100 million metric tons of termites alone. And that’s only the number of “bugs” living underground. How many more live on the surface, in grasslands, forest canopies?

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Arthropods crawl and buzz around us in the wild and on farmlands, on the street and at home, under our floors and in our plumbing systems, even in our food and on our bodies. [...] Yet, despite their crucial importance to the environment and humanity, and despite data suggesting a worrying decline in their numbers in areas impacted by human activity, scientists did not have holistic, global answers to basic questions about arthropods, such as how many of them are out there and how much they weigh collectively.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now taken a significant step toward answering these questions. In a study published today in Science Advances, a team headed by Prof. Ron Milo has calculated that the total biomass, or collective weight, of terrestrial arthropods is about 1 billion tons, which is roughly the same as that of all people (about 400 million tons) and all farm animals (about 600 million tons) combined. [...]

The researchers gathered data from thousands of observations conducted over the years at some 500 survey sites around the world. [...] The scientists examined data on arthropod biomass both below and above the ground, for example on plants. The study shows that the bulk of terrestrial arthropods' biomass belongs to creatures that live underground -- including springtails and mites, tiny animals that are critically important for the rich ecology of the subterranean world. Underground arthropods are responsible for processes that fertilize the soil and affect the global carbon cycle. They prey on other organisms, maintaining an ecological balance.

The researchers calculated that the number of individual arthropods underground is about 10 quintillion, or 10 billion billions.

Social insects that live in colonies account for half of the mass of underground arthropods: Termites and ants constitute 40 and 10 percent of that category, respectively. As for aboveground arthropods, most of their biomass is probably found in tropical forests, and it includes many familiar arthropods such as butterflies, ants, beetles, grasshoppers and spiders.

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All content above, headline, images, graphics, captions, and text published by: Weizmnn Institute of Science. “The first global estimate of the combined weight of all land insects and related arthropods.” Phys dot org. 6 February 2023. [Bold emphasis and italicized first lines in this post added by me.]

The article itself:

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kingsandbastardz · 2 months

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There was a post that crossed my dash about the character for dream meng/mung6 (don't know which drama) but some dude got in trouble for using 14 strokes instead of the 13 stroke version of the character. Which got me thinking... I'm pretty sure I learned the 14 stroke version where it looks like grasshopper antennae on top instead of a bar.

So I decided to look it up while using both version for today's learning/practice. Using both a watercolor brush and a fountain pen with mini-bent nib today.

Parts:

grass hair

a hat

the 'going down' part of sunset (夕陽)

Apparently it's once again down to regional differences. The tufts of hair was used in HK and Taiwan (probably old gen only now) and is the older traditional version. The one where the hair is a whole piece is used in like... China and Japan.

So this makes me wonder why that character in that drama (idk what drama) was penalized for writing the word using a character style that would have been period appropriate in a costume drama? The connected crown is newer. :O

And now with Simplied, they grew a forest instead of hair, threw away the hat and let the sun set. So imagery-wise I'm getting.... dream = sun setting as a forest grows darker and darker. I kinda like that.

Bonus juk6gan2 肉緊 which I have been told is indeed outdated slang, so I'M BRINGING IT BACK. Cantonese for 'meat tight' = THE TENSION YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH CUTE AGGRESSION.

However, if you reverse the order to 緊肉 then it means "tight muscles". Like you haven't stretched enough and things are stiff. I have no idea if this is how it's used in mandarin. Feel free to let me know. not used this way in mandarin

Question: What's the use difference when both 夕 (alone) and 夕陽 ? Since both mean sunset...? Answered!

#cantonese #self teaching #handwriting practice #learning chinese #hanzi #im combating my illiteracy

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nepofminspo · 1 month

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happy friday ! this weekend will be the FOURTH of many upcoming meme weekends . if you wish to participate , please TAG YOURSELF ( DO NOT REBLOG ) in the comments . if you see any characters tagged , please be sure to send memes as well to ensure that everyone participating is included ! you may choose one ( or more ) of the following to send to people . questions may be sent all weekend ( friday – sunday ) and answered at player’s convenience .

HONESTY WEEKEND

with messages sent on anonymous , your character(s) MUST answer anything truthfully . however , this information cannot be used in game and will only be used for ooc purposes ( ie. headcanons , plotting , etc. )

𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑. ♡

⠀⠀⠀below you will find 20 creative questions about family designed to deepen your character building. such questions can also be used as ask meme or pov starters. ( credit: agronzky )

What is the dynamic of the character's family? Are they close and united or distant?

Who is the most influential figure in the character's life within the family?

Does the character have siblings? If so, how is their relationship with them?

What is the character's favorite family tradition and why is it significant?

How does the character deal with family conflicts? Do they avoid them or face them directly?

Does the character have a parental role model or do they prefer to chart their own path?

What is the character's most memorable childhood memory involving the family?

How does the character behave at family gatherings? Are they sociable or more reserved?

What did the character learn from their parents or relatives that influenced their adult life?

Are there any family secrets in the character's past that still affect them today?

Does the character maintain old family traditions or seek to innovate and create new ones?

How has the relationship between the character's parents or guardians shaped their beliefs and values?

Is the character more like a specific family member? How is this reflected in their personality?

What is the character's relationship with their grandparents? Do they play an active role in their life?

Does the character feel pressure to meet family expectations? How do they deal with it?

How would the character describe their childhood in terms of family support and love?

Is the character's family traditional or more open to different lifestyles?

Has the character ever had a serious disagreement with a family member? How did this affect their relationship?

How does the character define the concept of family? Who do they consider to be part of their "family" apart from their biological relatives?

How does the character feel about their role in the family? Do they take on responsibilities, do they seek to be the link between the members or do they prefer a more independent approach? How does this influence their identity within the family?

🐝 * ― 𝑪𝑶𝑪𝑲𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑳 𝑸𝑼𝑰𝒁.

( credit: poohsource )

[ mai tai ] if they could have any superpower in the world, what would they choose?

[ white russian ] what would they do if they won the lottery?

[ grasshopper ] what / who would they dress up as for halloween?

[ tequila sunrise ] how would they spend their perfect day?

[ californication ] what do they think is their greatest achievement in life?

[ caipirinha ] if they could change one thing about themself, what would it be?

[ painkiller ] what is their greatest regret?

[ moscow mule ] if they could travel through time, where would they go?

[ dry martini ] what is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to them?

[ tom collins ] which living person would they most want to meet?

[ greyhound ] if they could have a dinner with just one person ( dead or alive ) who would they choose?

[ planter's punch ] how long does it take to befriend them?

[ sangria ] do they have any special routines they follow every single day? if yes, which?

[ whiskey sour ] what is the biggest lie they ever told someone?

[ zombie ] do they believe in life after death?

[ margarita ] what are their biggest pet peeves?

[ mojito ] what is one goal they are working towards?

[ appletini ] who do they consider the most important person in their life? why?

[ cosmopolitan ] what is their happiest memory ever?

[ gin tonic ] who influenced them the most?

[ bloody mary ] what would they do if they only had one week left to live?

[ manhattan ] where would they like to travel the most?

[ old fashioned ] what would their adult self tell their kid self if they could go back in time?

[ blue lagoon ] how do they typically react when faced with something they fear?

[ sidecar ] what type of person are they most likely drawn to?

[ negroni ] what is one piece of advice they would give others?

[ hurricane ] which song describes them the most? why?

[ sex on the beach ] what do they consider red flags in a relationship?

[ mimosa ] which incident shaped them the most?

[ long island iced tea ] if they had the chance to redo their life, what would they do differently the second time around?

[ mint julep ] which was their dream job as a kid?

[ singapore sling ] how do they react to disappointments?

[ alexander ] what would they do with one million dollars / euros / pounds / whatever currency they use?

[ screwdriver ] which habit do they wish they could get rid of?

[ gin fizz ] do they consider a glass half-full or half-empty?

[ aperol spritz ] which is one thing they still think about a lot?

[ piña colada ] how do they show affection?

[ swimming pool ] what is the most important lesson they've learned in recent years?

[ b52 ] how would they describe themselves in as few words as possible?

[ daiquiri ] do they believe in true love? why or why not?

& .˚ found family prompts.

( it is a very loved dynamic so here are some memes to go wild with it. these are mainly fluff, supportive and some emotional ones. to reverse the action prompts, send ( prompt ) + ) ( credit: lavendermemes )

“ you’re not alone, not anymore . ”

“ i didn’t really have anyone before you guys . ”

“ thank you for everything you’ve done for me . ”

“ you’re my family . ”

“ you’re my family, screw what everyone else says . ”

“ i now have a life i like living because of your support . ”

“ you’re the best thing that ever happened to me . ”

“ hey, i got you . ”

“ let us take care of you . ”

“ a fight doesn’t change anything between us . ”

“ we still care about you . ”

“ you know you can talk to me about anything, right ? ”

“ if you need anything i’ll be there for you . ”

“ you’ll always have a place with us . ”

“ i’ve got your back . ”

“ i love you . ”

“ do you want a hug ? ”

“ i’m here, i promise . ”

“ i’m not going anywhere . ”

“ are you okay ? ”

“ hey, [name]. tell me what’s wrong . ”

“ i’m going to prank [name], do you want to help me ? ”

“ you’re one of us now . ”

actions.

( hug ) - for the sender’s muse to hug the receiver’s muse after an emotional moment .

( kiss ) - for the sender’s muse to kiss the receiver’s muse on the forehead, head, cheek, [insert where you want ] .

( bed ) - for the sender’s muse to join the receiver’s muse on their bed and cuddle after a long day .

( food ) - for our muses to cook together .

( tears ) - for the sender’s muse to wipe the receiver’s muse tears .

( blanket ) - for the sender’s muse to place a blanket on top of the receiver’s muse after a hard day / after they’ve fallen asleep somewhere .

( help ) - for the sender’s muse to patch the receiver’s muse up .

( reconciliation ) - for our muse to make up after a fight .

( fun ) - for our muses to spent the day doing fun activities together .

( protect ) - for the sender’s muse to step between the receiver’s muse and a threat to protect them .

#meme weekend.

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littencloud9 · 2 months

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What do you think are Itadori and Fushiguro’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Sorry if you've answered these questions before.....

P.s

If you want to answer the questions above with Atsushi/Akutagawa's or Cheng Xiaoshi/Lu Guang's dynamics, I don't mind....😁

hello!!! sorry this took me so long to get to i have been procrastinating on answering this cause i cannot be normal and give one paragraph answers. thank u for the questions :)

🩷🐾 itafushi:

i think yuuji's greatest strength is definitely his compassion and perserverance! he is just so so kind and always thinking about others, even strangers. e.g. at the detention centre when he wanted to bring the dead bodies back, at the station when he paid respects to the person who was killed by that grasshopper curse, how he cheers nanami on when he's feeling anxious and so on. even when hes lost and lost and lost, he gets back up to keep fighting. hes really incredibly strong both physically and mentally and I LOVE YUUJI. his weakness is arguably also his kindness. he lacks the brutality to live in jjk's world (put him in a romance anime now) and that hinders him a lot. he constantly blames himself and that makes it easier for people like mahito or sukuna to tear him down :( for megumi, i think his greatest strength is his intelligence. my boy is SO clever. we always watch him analyse a situation quickly and hes able to guess the opponent's ct, and then counteract that. he also uses his own ct in really cool ways like combining shikigami, storing things in shadows, or even blending himself into the shadow <3 his weakness, which is kind of mentioned in canon, is how much he doubts his strength. he lets other people do the job. he tends to summon mahoraga when things get tough. he has a lot of potential thats acknowledged by really strong characters like sukuna and gojo, but he holds himself back, and i think he loses battles because of this itafushi my loves... i love that they care SO much for each other. they have their whole 'save me' thing going on which is great. also black cat x goldren retriever dynamic is always a fav. i love that they have SUCH faith in each other and never give up on the other and how they're always protecting each other (dont tell itadori & dont you dare say that to fushiguro). gege give them their happy ending now please

🐉�� shin soukoku:

i think atsushi's greatest strength is that he chooses kindness. a little different from yuuji who is inherently kind. atsushi grew up tortured and bullied and has every right to be cruel, to lash out, and we have seen his strength. he is able to kill. but atsushi chooses to be kind and forgiving. he has his sassy moments but hes gentle to kyouka, he loves dazai and the agency, he shares a sort of understanding with akutagawa and so on. id say his weakness is his uncertainty. i mean definitely not his fault! but hes new to this world, and in bsd it's be quick or be killed. he also tends to throw himself in the line of fire due to his regenerative abilities so thats not great either sjfsks akutagawa's strength imo is his determination. he is often compared to a dog, in the way that he is fierce and sinks his fangs into things he wants. in beast, it’s especially clear how much he cares for gin and how far he will go for them, the fact that he’d do ANYTHING. he keeps his promises, like the one with atsushi, where even as a vampire he managed to refrain himself from killing aya and anyone else. thats insanely impressive and i think it’s a really overlooked part of his character! however, his weakness, to me, is the way he sees himself. i read a post about how easily akutagawa dehumanises himself, referring to himself as a dog, a murderous beast etc. i think a part of his jealousy towards atsushi stems from this factor. because atsushi is this shiny, perfect version of him, and he is a monstrous dog from the slums (and he also has dogs on his dislikes list so that makes me go hmm). sorry i dont know where im going with this but i think basically akutagawa needs to recognise his strength in order to BE stronger, and thats part of the reason why he remains stuck in this cycle of hatred and anger with himself—he cannot see his own worth, and that makes him bitter. i love my dear sskk they are INSANE. they have everything—enemies to lovers, yin and yang symbolism, not so different after all trope, funny sassy moments, HUGE angst moments (this isnt you!!!), horny vampire bites etc. their development across the series continues to be the best of all time in my opinion. akutagawa going from this terrifying, horrible beast in atsushi’s eyes, to being one of his guiding lights (asking him to look out the door where dazai is pointing). and atsushi going from the source of akutagawa’s bitter jealousy and fury to the person he gave his life for. they are WONDERFUL i love them sm

🩵💛 shiguang:

CHENG XIAOSHI MY BELOVED. i think his strength and weakness are the same—his bleeding heart. cxs is shown time and time again throughout the series to be so empathetic towards everyone. i think him being able to feel the emotions of the person he’s possessing symbolises this more than anything. he’s had a rough childhood—lost his parents, shunned for being different by other kids, other adults shitting on him etc, and yet he remains so kind. his speech with emma really made me cry. the way he was delivering chen xiao’s messages as well was so heartfelt. he cares so much for qiao ling and lu guang too. also the way he so easily extended a hand to invite lg to play bball with him and his friends! cxs is just so sweet despite everything i love him cxs’s bleeding heart is a huge source of his meltdowns. lg tells him time and time again that he cannot change the past, but cxs tries and tries and tries. the earthquake episode really stuck out to me with how devastated cxs was about failing, when there was really nothing he could do. then he blames himself. he falls apart and starts giving up. he loves too hard, empathising with strangers, and then he gets caught up with the emotions and fucks some stuff up (sending emma’s parents that text message), which as we can see created a butterfly effect to the entirety of link click lu guang’s strength imo is his sensibility! i think this is really important in link click, as we are showed that the key message/takeaway is to not change the past. to let things be as it is. lg understands this (though hes a hypocrite) and he is cxs’s guidance, helping him grieve, even lying to him when he has to in order to get cxs out alive. i think it takes a lot of strength to make your best friend hate you and lie to them the way he did (again, earthquake episode i am looking at u) lu guang’s weakness comes in the form of one person and that is cheng xiaoshi skfnsk. not even for shipping purposes cause this is canon. we see how he absolutely FREAKS OUT over the possibility of cxs dying. hes not as strong of a fighter as cxs is, but he went feral. he was throwing punches and yelling, which is really different from the cool demeanour that lg usually has! then we find out hes been trying to save cxs, going against HIS OWN RULES, things he know can fuck up the timeline, all for him. just one person. cxs makes him lose his sensibility (his strength!!) and it gets him into trouble pretty often shiguang means the world to me because they are so devoted to each other. they vibed one (1) time and became bffs of all time. cxs is gentle and teasing and annoying to lg because hes comfortable around him. lg does loosen up around cxs imo, and his willingness to break his own rules just for cxs!!! ahhhh!!!! i also love their dumb inside jokes and how theyre both so smart but also share one brain cell. they’ve been doomed from the start. i cannot wait to see where link click goes with them and how we will progress now knowing that lg has been breaking the laws of time askfjdb

#asks #i am not rereading this any typos is on me sorry #THANK U FOR THE ASK sorry for the essay i love tjese three ships so much #bsd #jjk #link click #itafushi #shin soukoku #shiguang

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midnight-in-town · 10 months

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Do you think Sebastian is going to end up getting into a serious fight with the bizarre doll "butler" that killed Agni? Agni was perportedly Sebastian's physical match in battle, so if Seb had to go up against stabby mckniferson I think he could still be at an impasse even if the blades don't do any lasting damage. For all we know, Undertaker could have somehow equipped this bizarre doll with weapons that could actually hurt him.

Hey Anon! Sorry for the slight delay! June is finally over.

Soooo, as it turns out, @cielsama14 and I had a recent lil discussion about when the twins confront each other in a final chess match and who their allies might be at this point.

Speaking strictly about who will fight who though, I'm not sure yet. When it comes to Agni's killer, Polaris (= Joker), as I explained here, I think it's possible that Agni was overwhelmed because Polaris has metal/steel/robotic arms.

Another possibility is, seeing Layla in the previous mini arc, that the current BD star lords somehow had their strength enhanced (which would not be a first in the story, considering characters like Finny, Ran-Mao and also maybe those kids at the orphanage).

Either way, I agree that Agni being overwhelmed was really surprising back then, which is why we all were very moved when he died, because he indeed stood his ground rather incredibly against a demon like Seb. So depending on what the answer is, behind the strength of Polaris, I'd say the one(s) who will take Polaris down can be different characters.

I understand that, since they had a peculiar link (as meaningful as can be when Seb sees humans as grasshoppers), fans would want to see Seb destroying Polaris...

...However, in the final part of the chess game, Seb might be busy fighting against Shinigami deserters (like UT or others).

If Seb's out, then Finny's strength might come in handy against Polaris, especially since all servants liked Agni very much. Just like Snake, whom I think will choose the Phantomhive household over his old comrades of the circus, will probably join the fight against Joker (if that's who Polaris indeed is) because he'll need catharsis.

Lastly, there's Soma, who also knows how to fight and who initially rescued Agni to have a sparring partner, who would most likely want to avenge Agni if faced with his killer. However, Polaris acted on real!Ciel's orders and, since Soma wanted to become our!Ciel's Agni, I'd rather see him playing a more significant role in the our!Ciel vs real!Ciel confrontation.

TL;DR for now my bet is more on the Phantomhive servants fighting Polaris together, in order to avenge Agni's death but also to help Snake move on about his previous comrades (if Polaris is Joker), but I could be wrong ! :)

I hope this answered your question? Have a nice day. :D

#kuroshitsuji #agni #sebastian michaelis #undertaker #2CT #ciel phantomhive #soma asman kadar #joker #snake #finnian #kuroshitsuji theory #blue revenge arc #anon #answers

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boyakishantriage · 10 months

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She had an evil grin in her eyes.

"I assume that's the monster?" She asked, clearly not phased by whatever made the noise.

"Yes! It howls and-"

They'd barely finished before she fired the pistol into the very explosive engine room.

"Aight. That's it?" She said, putting the gun away.

"Are you insane?"

"Probably."

Ignoring the questions her answer gave, he looked down at her as she threw the shivering remains of a rat in her gloved hand.

"Grasshopper mouse." She explained, throwing it into the engine's incinerating heat, the room physically drooping where she opened and closed the hatch rapidly.

"M'kay. I'm gonna find a sink before the shock wears off." She states simply, walking past the physically superior alien as her arm wriggled and writhed with a magical prowess...

I rubbed my eyes at my clone's nonchalant act.

"Before you ask, no not all humans are like this."

The grasshopper like alien looked down at me.

"I'd hope they'd not."

"Some are worse."

"..."

The man appeared to be physically hurting in confusion before settling on.

"How."

"They don't have that level of control to their magic."

"...."

He made a chirping squeak at that.

"I am to believe that humans with less control..."

"Ever seen a human in grief captain?"

"Yes."

"Ever seen an angry mother human captain?"

"Unfortunately, also yes."

"Do I need to explain why women are greatly respected, given therapy after any sort of death?"

It seemed to finally be clicking for the captain, the man sitting down as he seemed physically incapable of withstanding all the thoughts he no doubt had.

"All of you humans are..."

He were at a loss for words as I sat down beside him.

"Stupid? Crazy? Impossible?" I suggested, the captain seeming to be losing more and more of his sanity as a notification beeped on his device.

"You're not gonna do the order huh?"

"... You knew."

"Wasn't really hard, I mean, your fucking guns were loaded and aimed on us when I was told everything around our system had no danger."

"How..."

"mm. Less than a year?"

He stared opened mouth at the human, not only deducing the war, purpose, reason and how long it'd last.

"How are you doing this??"

"... I don't know."

"Is that a lie?"

"Again. read above."

"read what?"

"I don't know."

He just sighed, standing up as a guard were thrown into him.

"FOR FUCKS SAKE." Shouted the clone, shooting her head off in a ritual as more guards streamed into the hallway. Guns pointed at the enemy, she sighed summoning a sword.

"ALRIGHT CUNTS. IF YA DON'T WANT TO FALL TO EARTH STOP THE FUCKING SHIP." She roared, striking the titanium like alloy as it crumpled her fist. A moment later, the ship itself turned to it's more meltable side. Lurching towards the ground below, hand against the wall, body crackling with magical energy in a show of force.

A few lies really, most of humanity could use magic but her level of control and power? Practically one of a kind.

#tag #Triage #humans are space orcs

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anawkwardlady · 6 months

Text

Dadbastian week day 2 : Identity

(poem referenced is The Wolf and the Lamb by Jean de La Fontaine)

The reason of those best able to have their way is always the best: We now show how this is true A lamb was quenching its thirst In the water of a pure stream. A fasting wolf came by, looking for something; He was attracted by hunger to this place.

Humans are grasshoppers. Children are worth even less. After all, they're just beginning to gain a sense of value to humans themselves since it's so easy to make them, to lose them, to make some more. They’re nothing but an unshaped clay of potential for creatures like him. Shaped by knives, intentions and expectations, probable pain— until maybe one day, one or two walks outside, reeking of blood and rage, right into his mouth. And it's been this way since the dawn of time, time he killed for centuries to fill the gaping hole where a soul should be, which he filled with many others.

When that unshaped clay signed his soul away, the demon signed away his freedom for a mere potential. No choice was left for any of them. He was to take on the role of hands and knives but did not think through it very much. He was himself unshaped clay of somesort, walking within the human skin of a protective adult. The demon looks down on the tiny thing that called him over.

—What makes you so bold as to meddle with my drinking? Said this animal, very angry. You will be punished for your boldness

The now Butler looks at his wet gloved hands. They burn. Pain of the flesh is inconsequential, he could get a new one some time soon, it's a foreign feeling, while obviously unpleasant. Like maybe cutting a finger up while dreaming away. Pain of the ego however rings through his entire body. The unshaped clay now Master is behaving like a newborn pulling a cat’s tail over and over again. It soon enough will become a bit of an endearing trait of his, probably. When it’ll stop triggering his desire to maim. He looks up at this weak master who slowly gains a shape.

—Sir, answered the lamb, let Your Majesty Not put himself into a rage; But rather, let him consider That I am taking a drink of water In the stream More than twenty steps below him; And that, consequently, in no way, Am I troubling his supply.

Blood is on the grass and more will pour. Body filled with adrenaline as it rips more intruders, more targets. Nothing is known of them, and the demon wouldn’t care to learn such things as family, names or any pleadings, any excuses. Death doesn’t come out of anger nor is it personal. He is ordered to execute and execute he does. Soon enough he only knows executing, can only smell blood and starts to drown inside his limiting cage.

Everything morphs into each other, flesh is wounds is meat is guts is human. Like all the times he reached this state before, he gains the knowledge that better sleeps soundly inside. Wonders if it will finally be the time to toss aside those learned quirks of patience and care, of loyalty and dignity to give in to hunger. He used to quietly slip back inside, soiled with death, towards the master’s bedroom he entered without a sound just to stare at the little figure. The boy doesn’t move, probably won’t hear. He spent too many sleepless nights before, thus sometimes got a little help in his milk before laying down, to avoid complete exhaustion. Works wonders. Humans develop new tricks everyday to avoid children's screams.

—You do trouble it, answered the cruel beast. And I know you said bad things of me last year. —How could I do that when I wasn’t born, Answered the lamb; I am still at my mother’s breast. —If it wasn’t you, then it was your brother. —I haven’t a brother.—It was then someone close to you;

The child is the weakest of its kind. His prey smells like death and yet it only brings questions. The demon should eat to appease hunger but cannot, because he chose to be Sebastian. Sebastian is a placeholder for a child’s needs but even that part doesn’t reason. After all, even a mother cat eats her sickest kitten. And it seems like deep down even the master knows the wrong kitten was dragged to hell. In the end, Sebastian showed up and ate what was on the plate. Nothing more nothing less. Everything in nature should take this life away. Nothing did. Humans tame themselves for preservation sake. Something valuable to learn about them. Tame yourself and wait.

For you have no sympathy for me, You, your shepherds and your dogs. I have been told of this. I have to make things even.

Tame yourself and wait.

As the demon thinks of his hunger, the butler starts to mechanically check a mental list of tomorrow’s imperatives. His stomach tores apart. He wonders if the bread could make a good Pain Perdu for tea time. Blood sticks to his skin. The young master will be wearing his blue coat, because the air starts to get cold.

He gently puts his tainted red gloves away, rearranges Ciel’s pillow and covers before disappearing like he came. Cleans the mess outside.

Tame yourself and wait.

Saying this, into the woods The wolf carries the lamb, and then eats him Without any other why or wherefore.

Thankfully he was always more bored than he was hungry.

#q #dadbastianidentity #dadbastianweek2023 #nana is posting

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bonefall · 1 year

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Are there any cats who are just considered,,, weirdos(affectionately)?

Yes and no! Clan populations are pretty small. There's plenty of weirdos and they're just part of the group.

Littlecloud infodumps and doesn't understand when to not interject. His friends and clanmates learn to communicate more clearly with him; "Short answer: are the kittens suckling?"

(In Clanmew they probably make a special particle for him. Prryyp for Question and Eebrryyp for Little Question)

Flipclaw.

Sorreltail's love of grasshoppers is not normal for ThunderClan, and her enthusiasm for odd things sometimes has her clash with older members.

Harespring is socially clumsy, and kind of awkward. He likes to bite through his tunnelbuns, but is respected as being a dependable Clanmate, eventual leader, and friend.

#Clan culture #Better Bones au #I cannot stress enough. Flipclaw.

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daily-quirrel · 1 year

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Is Quirrel a Bug?

Complicated answer!

My vision of canon Quirrel is that he's a pillbug (which despite the name are not bugs, but crustaceans!), but my version of Quirrel is actually half pillbug / half grasshopper.

So to answer the question; yes and no (as far as this blog's quirrel goes, anyways).

#quirrel #daily quirrel #hollow knight #hope this helps

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imthepunchlord · 3 months

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How many Miraculous do you plan to put in the box?

Exploring the route of Miraculous being universal, I've crafted a rule that for an animal to plausibly exist for a Miraculous, I need to find more than five cultural aspects of them popping up in different cultures. That can work off that, yes, these magical jewelry pieces have traveled around, either a lot or a decent amount.

Which for my rule and through my research, I have found about 35 animals that can plausibly exist as Miraculous, having more than 5 aspects to them and having them pop up in different cultures. Now the 35 is much more manageable than the 100s that canon was going with, but it's still a good size number and the purpose of these polls is to figure what really, truly should exist.

There is that possibility that all 35 will exist. But through the polls, the number could be shrunken down. I'm aiming to get others' opinions to help decide as I've gone back and forth on these animals. I can see points for them to exist, points for them to be combined, and points for them to just be cut.

Like, one upcoming poll with have Frog in it. Should Frog really exist as there are already similar animals that will exist as Miraculous: like Grasshopper and Rabbit for animals that hop around and are tied to luck, prosperity, and healing. For the aquatic aspect, there is Turtle. For the themes of transformation, there is Butterfly.

But Frog uniquely is tied to wealth and money through the Money Toad. It's also pretty tied to rain. It does hop up a lot in different cultures and viewed largely positively. And for any amphibian rep, it has the strongest standing.

So, with me going back and forth on this sort of matter, I'm hoping these polls will help finalize a decision.

And I'm realizing this really went off for the question, so actual answer, there is no set number yet. The max will be 35, but depending on how the polls go, it could be less.

#ask Punchie #miraculous changes

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rebelspykatie · 7 days

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that green light, i want it

Epilogue

“Just like that,” Steve guides El’s hands, making a minor adjustment, “good. That’ll push people away, it’s a good defensive spell.”

“This is like Mister Miyagi.” El says, looking up at Steve with a soft smile.

“Yeah, you’re a real karate kid, Hopper junior,” Eddie says from his spot on the porch stairs. He snaps his fingers. “Hey Steve, you should call her young grasshopper.”

El doesn’t look like she understands that reference, but her smile grows into a grin that makes her look like sunshine incarnate, nodding at Steve regardless.

Steve rolls his eyes. “You two are trouble together.” He looks over at Eddie with a faux stern look and points a finger. “Stop encouraging her. This isn’t karate, it’s magic.”

“You can’t get mad at me that your hand signals look dumb,” Eddie says, bumping shoulders with Nancy beside him on the steps. “Nance agrees.”

“Putting you two together was even worse.” Steve groans, rubbing one hand down his face. “Call the coven and complain to them, I didn’t make this shit up.”

“Language,” Nancy chides, grinning at him mischievously. “There are children present.” She points a thumb in Eddie’s direction.

“Yes, and my sensibilities are so fucking delicate, sweetheart,” Eddie calls out, leaning back on the stairs and crossing his legs at the ankles.

“Munson, are you corrupting my kid?” Hopper says walking through the front door while wiping his hands on a towel. He stops behind Eddie and Nancy, looking down at them with a sour look on his face. Steve can see his mustache twitching from here, though. He’s fucking with Eddie on purpose, then.

Eddie scrambles to sit back up straight, almost whacking his head on the railing in the process. “Uh, no sir. A-and Steve started it,” he points a finger accusingly, “He said it first.”

Steve tries not to laugh in Eddie’s face. Hopper’s about the only adult that scares Eddie, a remnant of his past dealing drugs, but Steve gets it. Hopper has the kind of authority that you want to respect because he protects the right people. That take-no-shit attitude has helped them far more than it hurt them. Steve was glad to have him on their side.

“Don’t knock yourself out, kid,” Hopper finally cracks a smile. “Everyone inside, it’s time to eat.”

Hopper helps Nancy up and leads them inside, El trailing behind them. Eddie hesitates to follow, watching Steve with knowing eyes, reading his thoughts before Steve can even pull him aside.

It’s been several months since everything happened. Hopper got them through the investigation and offered them a place to lay low from the coven. They’ve been hanging out at his cabin ever since, working through issues with the coven and how to move forward.

One of those issues was Steve’s unknown power. Nancy’s helped him research it, but there’s still a lot of unanswered questions that they need the coven’s library to answer.

They haven’t done anything to harm them, but Steve doesn’t trust them after learning that they actively participated in the ritual to kill Barb. With their ring leader dead, they’re not as much of a threat, but Steve’s not taking any chances. Now that they know Steve’s a druid, they seem unwilling to double cross him. They almost treat him with reverence or fear, his powers othering him in their minds.

Another issue was what to do about El’s growing powers. She was already bursting at the seams with power at an uncommonly young age, but Steve didn’t realize how much until he started training her. It didn’t take long to figure out she was more like him than Nancy.

She’s already more powerful than Steve, but she’s naive. She doesn’t quite grasp why defensive magic is the most important thing she can learn, or that she can’t share this with anyone. They told her what happened, and she knows about Hopper’s involvement, but that doesn’t exactly make it real in the mind of a thirteen year old girl.

The other issue was Eddie. It was an issue that Steve trusted him so fast, let him in too quick. He was scared that Eddie would see too much, get scared, and run away screaming from the insanity of Steve’s life. But, he hasn’t.

In fact, Eddie’s been right by his side every day since the graveyard incident. He takes learning about magic in stride, poking fun at it and making Steve laugh. The circumstances under which Steve learned magic were stressful, trying to get answers for an unsolved murder and trying to keep Nancy and himself alive while he was at it. He never had an opportunity to take in how magic could benefit him outside of that.

Eddie helps him see it as a gift, instead of a burden. When Steve was at his lowest, Eddie stepped in and helped him pick up the pieces. No one’s ever been that crutch for him. He has the ability to flip the script and put everyone around him at ease, especially Steve.

It didn’t take long for Steve to stumble upon grounding techniques in the druid manuals the coven lent them. Even in magic, someone can use a person or an object as their anchor, something that pulls them back from the brink of magic enveloping them. But druid’s need it. It’s essential to their ability to function.

Anger was his anchor before. That burning fire in his gut that kept him searching for answers was enough to keep him centered. But once he had answers, he was left adrift. His powers wonky for weeks before he figured it out and started looking for a new anchor.

He hasn’t told Eddie about that part, yet. Everything between them is too new and exciting to dump that kind of thing onto him so early. He doesn’t want to come on too strong and scare him away. They only just admitted their feelings to each other a few weeks ago.

But as he sits there in front of Steve, that sweet, dimpled smile on his face, Steve wants to tell him. He’s already halfway in love with him. Already trusts him more than anyone else besides the people already inside the cabin. He wants to scream about it from the top of the highest point in Hawkins.

Instead, he slides his hands along Eddie’s shoulders, wrapping his arms around his neck. He kisses him softly, just a quick peck on the lips before he’s resting his forehead against Eddie’s in the quiet cover of dusk. They still have a long way to go, but at least they can face the future together.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #katie writes

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