#Greater Kruger

[pangeen]

" Cheetahs everywhere. " //© Patsy Weingart

#Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve #Sabie Game Reserve #Greater Kruger #South Africa #nature #landscape #summer #safari #savannah #wildlife #Cheetah #aesthetics #wanderlust #explore #follow #discover

[logi1974]

Südafrika 2022/23 Tag 18

Herrschaften und Oukies!

Natürlich klingelt auch heute Morgen um 4 Uhr wieder der Wecker. Wir sind schließlich nicht zum Spaß hier!

Heute Morgen wird uns allerdings nicht Keith selbst fahren, sondern ein Kollege einer anderen Unterkunft übernimmt für ihn.

Die anderen Gäste haben einen Bushwalk gebucht und den wird Keith selbst leiten.

Dazu hat er der britisch-südafrikanischen Gästegruppe gestern Abend schon die Leviten gelesen. Insbesondere den Damen zum Thema Schuhwerk. Keine Flip-Flops oder anderer stylischer Scheiß, sondern proper walking-shoes, denn das Ganze ist kein Spaziergang im Park.

Ein weiterer Kollege kommt dazu und beide Field-Guides sind bewaffnet.

Wir sitzen schon im Pirschwagen und als die potentiellen Wandersleute an uns vorbei zum Treffpunkt laufen, nehmen wir schon einmal die Schuhkontrolle vorweg.

Wir sind uns nicht so ganz sicher, ob Keith mit der Wahl der Schuhe so zufrieden sein wird.

Unser Guide heute heißt Philomelus und wir verstehen uns auf Anhieb. Er war schon in Deutschland und ist da mit dem Fahrrad den Rhein entlang gefahren. Davon schwärmt er noch heute.

Wir sehen zunächst nichts spektakuläres, bis auf die üblichen Verdächtigen: Impalas und Impalas und Impalas.

Dann entdeckt Philomelus plötzlich die Spur eines einzelnen Löwen. Dieser folgen wir ein paar Minuten und tatsächlich, da liegt der Kater mitten auf der Pad.

Es ist “Blondie” einer der Brüder, die wir schon beim letzten Aufenthalt sehen konnten. Auch er ist deutlich von der Tuberkulose gezeichnet.

Philomelus erzählt uns, dass sein Bruder “Scar Face” inzwischen gestorben ist.

Ebenfalls erfahren wir heute, dass bis vor wenigen Jahren hier gar keine Löwen ansässig waren.

Und dann auf einmal immer mehr ältere (und wohl auch kranke) Kater das Überangebot an Impala Antilopen für sich entdeckten.

Uns machen diese Art von Sichtungen überhaupt keinen Spaß und so gibt unser Guide noch die Position per Funk durch, bevor wir weiter fahren.

Dann geraten wir an einen sehr schlecht gelaunten jungen Bullen, der für die Safari begeisterten Touristen so gar nichts übrig hat.

Er droht und, fordert uns heraus und ist sichtlich gestresst. Ich rutsche vorsichtshalber schon einmal ganz an das Ende meiner Sitzbank - nur für den Fall der Fälle.

Für unseren Geschmack stehen wir deutlich zu nah an dem Elefanten dran.

Wir treffen auf ein weiteres Gamedrivefahrzeug mit einer jungen Frau am Steuer. Die berichtet später über Funk, dass sie an dem Elefanten schnell weiter gefahren ist, da dessen Laune immer übler wurde.

Wir sehen noch zwei Giraffendamen, die deutlich kooperativer sind und keineswegs unfreundlich wirken.

Wir treffen auf einen Privatwagen, dessen Fahrer berichtet von einer Leopardensichtung nur wenige hundert Meter weiter.

Nix wie hin - aber auch nach mehrmaligen Abfahren der Strecke lässt sich die Katze nicht mehr finden.

Zeit für den üblichen Buschkaffee. Wir finden dafür eine gut einsehbare Stelle, an der wir das Fahrzeug übersichtlich parken können.

Der Clou: gleich neben an ist ein frischer Dunghaufen von einer Impalagruppe. Hier lassen sich wunderbar die Pillendreher (Dung Beetle oder auch Scarabäus genannt) beobachten.

Wir haben Spaß, wie sich die Käfer versuchen gegenseitig die fertigen Kotkugeln zu stehlen.

Wir erfreuen uns noch an der Vogelwelt und lassen uns auch noch die Verwandtschaft dieser lilafarbenen Blume zur Kartoffel erklären - beides sind Nachtschattengewächse.

Dann fahren wir weiter und kommen noch einmal an dem bedauernswerten Löwen “Blondie” vorbei. Der hat sich jetzt ein paar Meter weiter abgelegt, von der Pad ins Gras. 

Philomelus diskutiert die furchtbare Tuberkulose mit uns und findet es richtig, dass Namibia im Etosha Park keine Büffel zulässt, eben weil sie so große Überträger von Krankheiten sind. Wir erklären ihm, dass dieses Verbot ursprünglich noch aus der deutschen Kaiserzeit stammt.

Ein paar Minuten später kommt unser persönliches Highlight: ein Hornrabe! Er kreuzt den Weg und verschwindet Sekunden später im Dickicht. 

Aber immerhin können wir ihn ablichten. Was für eine tolle Sichtung! Wir sind begeistert! Ein weiterer Gamedrivewagen hat ebenfalls das Glück dieser Sichtung.

Langsam fahren wir zur Lodge zurück und lassen den spannenden Morgen ausklingen.

Beim gemeinsamen Frühstück wird sich wieder über die Aktivitäten und natürlich auch die Sichtungen ausgetauscht.

Wir haben den Eindruck, dass der Morningwalk mit Keith der südafrikanisch-britischen Gästegruppe nicht ganz so gut gefallen hat. 

Vielleicht hatten sie auch falsche Vorstellungen?! Jedenfalls wollen sie jetzt plötzlich auch unbedingt einen Morning-Gamedrive machen. Da wir morgen früh sowieso abreisen, überlassen wir ihnen “großzügig” unseren ursprünglich gebuchten Termin.

Wir schlagen Keith noch vor demnächst einen Anhänger hinter sein Fahrzeug anzukuppeln, für diese Art von Familiengruppen. Vorne sitzen die an Flora und Fauna interessierten Gäste, hinten die Anderen. Die stören dann wenigstens vorne nicht.

Den Rest des Tages verbringen wir wieder mit Relaxen. Dem elendigen Loadshedding und dem daraus resultierenden Ausfall der Klimaanlage entgehen wir indem wir uns in unseren Pool flüchten.

Ich will uns einen schönen Kaffee kochen, bis mir wieder einfällt: geht ja gar nicht, da kein Strom. Also, gibt es nur ein kaltes Wasser.

Das heutige Abendessen verläuft ebenfalls unspektakulär ohne aufregende Tiersichtungen.

Wir lassen uns um 20.30 Uhr zum Chalet eskortieren, da um 21 Uhr wieder der nächste Stromausfall angekündigt ist. Da wollen wir in unseren 4 Wänden sein mit unserer eigenen, unabhängigen Beleuchtung.

Irgendwie ist man immer damit beschäftigt, den Tag und die Aktivitäten um die Blackouts herum zu organisieren.

Einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr!

Lekker Slaap!

Angie, Micha und der Hasenbär

#Raptor Retreat Game Lodge #Krüger National Park #Greater Kruger #Balule Game Reserve #Südafrika #South Africa #Afrika #Africa

[fenrislorsrai]

Youthful Innocence by Xenedis Via Flickr: The hyena is an animal that has an undeserved bad reputation, and is seemingly considered the 'bad guy' of Africa. In reality, it is a highly intelligent and evolved species, which, like all other fauna, is simply trying to survive and thrive, and is critical to the ecosystem. There is a certain cuteness about hyena cubs such as this one. Even though the hyena is an apex predator, scavenger and enemy of the big cats, it is an interesting and valuable species which is great to observe and photograph.

#Crocuta Crocuta #Greater Kruger National Park #Hyena #Sabi Sand Game Reserve #South Africa

[andmaybegayer]

The Greater Blue-Eared Glossy Starling was named by some guy who didn't know those weren't ears.

Kruger National Park.

#greater blue eared glossy starling #birds #starlings #greater blue eared starling #wildlife #south africa #my photography #photographers on tumblr #wildlife photography #kruger national park

[herpsandbirds]

Greater Blue-eared Glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), family Sturnidae, Kruger National Park, South Africa

photograph by PanWoyteczek

#africa #glossy starling #starling #sturnidae #lamprotornis #bird #ornithology #animals #nature

[tiffanylamps]

ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ

ʜᴀɴ ᴊᴏᴏ ᴡᴏɴ & ʟᴇᴇ ᴅᴏɴɢ ꜱɪᴋ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴇᴠɪʟ ɪɴᴛʀɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ ʀɪᴛᴜᴀʟꜱ

~I made this a long time ago. this text was written back then~ I love Barbara Kruger's work. I studied her art while at university and have been saving this idea for months and months, wanting to do her work justice. I don't believe I have done it, but I hope we can all still enjoy the silliness of these two.

Han Joo Won's whole deal with touch is very interesting, considering how he's so against it and yet, when it comes to Dong Sik, he can't hold back. Whether that's due to him copying his father's expressions of anger (Han Ki Hwan also grabs people when he's highly emotional), or it's due to repressed attraction, or both, is up to the individual audience member to determine. In my opinion, it showcases a fundamental struggle between self-preservation and desire; he's both repressive and expressive, and that duality results in an explosive display of physicality and emotion. (he has the hots for the local dilf ngl)

Dong Sik, on the other hand, isn't so against people touching him. But despite Joo Won's aggression towards him and Dong Sik's history of being on the receiving end of physical violence (being beaten up by the police when he was 20), he never seems to have an issue with Joo Won touching him, even when they're arguing. This could be a tactic to protect himself, however, that theory doesn't explain why he is oftentimes the instigator of physical touch between the pair.

They're suss. One might say that they... enjoy it.

No matter the ins and outs of why they find ways to touch one another, it's fun to laugh at them for coming up with these bullshit rituals that enable them. There are so many examples, but these are some of my favourites. 1. Episode 1 2. Episode 6 3. Episode 8 4. Episode 13 5. Episode 16

[I have discussed this topic at greater length here]

#beyond evil #jtbc beyond evil #jwds #from the drafts

[mutant-distraction]

📷 The photographer’s first-ever sighting of a lion was one to remember. “We came across two male lions napping in the tall grass – rolling around, yawning, and stretching. Shortly after getting up, they started to roar. It was extraordinary to witness.” Balule Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa. © Kendra Page Stone (Photographer of the Year 2023 entry)

[terranlifeform]

Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) cow at Kruger National Park in South Africa

Leon Molenaar

#Tragelaphus strepsiceros #bovidae #mammals

[lost-lycaon]

Rainbow Skink - Modjadji, part of the Greater Kruger National Park.

#skink #lizard #south africa #africa #original photography on tumblr #wildlife photography #kruger national park

[funnywildlife]

Happy Caturday shout out from our South Africa’s @shindzelatc by our very own #wildographer & super guide @johansmalman. * Give him for regular updates & safari ideas for greater Kruger surroundings. #Wildography #shindzelatentedcamp #johansmalman #bigcats #bigcatsforever #wildographyandsafaris (at Shindzela Tented Camp) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkkmA9JAnh7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#wildographer #wildography #shindzelatentedcamp #johansmalman #bigcats #bigcatsforever #wildographyandsafaris

[logi1974]

Südafrika 2022/23 - Tag 17

Herrschaften und Oukies!

Auch heute Morgen klingelt wieder um 4 Uhr morgens für uns der Wecker bzw. (neumodisch) das Handy.

Wieder treffen wir uns mit Keith vorne am Gamedrive Wagen und wieder sind wir alleine mit ihm draußen. Die anderen Gäste bevorzugen, wie vermutet, den Nachmittag für die Pirschfahrt.

Sonnenaufgänge haben in Afrika einfach etwas magisches. Nirgends auf der Welt sind sie schöner. Jedenfalls bilden wir uns das ein...

Es ist schön, dem Sonnenaufgang zuzusehen und die ersten Zebras lassen sich blicken.

Dann kommt erst einmal eine ganze Weile nichts außer den üblichen Impalas und ein paar Kudus. Plötzlich kommt Bewegung in die Sache.

Über Funk wird eine Löwin vermeldet. Da mutiert Keith plötzlich zu Schumacher und in einem Affenzahn rasen wir durch den Busch. Zwischendurch kommt dann die Meldung, dass es ein ganzes Rudel an einem Riss sein soll. 

Es dauert auch gar nicht so lange, dann können wir schon einige Gamedrivewagen an einer Stelle versammelt sehen. 

Dort liegen zwei junge Männchen und 5 bis 6 Weibchen.

Der Kill ist natürlich schon vertilgt, die Löwen liegen mit dicken Bäuchen unter den Büschen. 

Das Interessanteste überhaupt sind zwei Schakale, die die Reste vertilgen und dabei ganz nervös sind.

Es benötigt eine ganze Weile bis man heraus findet, um welches Tier es sich bei dem Opfer handelt. 

Erst wird auf ein Warzenschwein getippt. Aber so ein ganzes Rudel davon satt kriegen? Das erscheint uns doch unwahrscheinlich.

Dann erspäht jemand aus einem der anderen Fahrzeuge mit dem Fernglas die Hörner eines Wasserbocks. Aha, das ist doch viel wahrscheinlicher.

So kann es weitergehen. Aber so geht es leider nicht weiter. Ziemlich lange fahren wir nur und können keine nennenswerten Begegnungen verzeichnen - es ist eben kein Zoo. 

So wird es dann mal Zeit für einen “Bushcoffee” mit den obligatorischen Rusks - diesen steinharten Mürbeteigkeksen. 

Keith hat zum Glück immer die Buttermilk Rusk im Gepäck - das sind sowieso die leckersten.

Diese Rusk halten ewig und gehören seit den Zeiten der alten Voortrekker in jeden Reiseproviant. Ein traditionelles Trockengebäck, welches in den Tee oder Kaffee getunkt wird. Zur Not kann man sich damit auch verteidigen oder auch ein Haus bauen.

Hoffnungsvoll machen wir uns auf den Weg, finden aber sonst keine interessanten Sichtungen weiter. Macht ja nix, dann muss halt die Vogelwelt herhalten.

Selbst die Geier sind heute langweilig.

Als wir zurück zur Lodge kommen, steht da der Wagen der Anit-Poaching-Einheit. Wir haben aber nix verbrochen!

Nach dem Gamedrive genießen wir wieder hungrig unser Frühstück. Die anderen Gäste treffen dazu ebenfalls ein und fragen natürlich nach unseren Sichtungen.

Danach wollen wir einfach am Pool chillen und lesen. 

Wir überspielen die Bilder und sortieren gleich aus, was kompletter Schrott ist. Micha hat einen interessanten Dokumentarfilm von dem Innenleben seiner Kameratasche gedreht, weil er aus irgend einem blöden Zufall die Videokamera angeschaltet ließ.

Wir genießen die Annehmlichkeiten der Unterkunft und haben dafür gar nicht so viel Zeit, wie wir gerne hätten.

Auch heute Abend gibt es ein köstliches Dinner und wieder nette Unterhaltungen, dieses Mal mit der Köchin. Sie weiß nicht, dass man Straußeneier auch essen kann und lässt sich von mir erklären, wie man Rührei davon macht. Wir sind immer überrascht, wie wenig die Locals über ihr Land und die Tiere wissen.

Später werden wir wieder zu unserem Chalet eskortiert und lassen auf der Terrasse noch die Geräusche auf uns wirken.

Da wir morgen früh wieder zur Pirschfahrt starten, geht es ruckzuck in die Heia.

Lekker Slaap!

Angie, Micha und der Hasenbär

#Raptor Retreat Game Lodge #Balule Game Reserve #Greater Kruger #Südafrika #South Africa #Afrika #Africa

[hellcab]

Fun Facts about Roth

Roth’s middle name is “Marion”, which he finds embarrassing.  

At his disposal, Roth has Chaos Magic. Chaos Magic itself manipulates parts of reality, on a smaller scale. Such as turning a gun into a banana. Or filling someone's lungs with water until they suffocate. These all require concentration and energy, namely, his energy. Every use of magic comes at the cost of his lifeforce. Roth's deteriorating sanity is also because of Chaos Magic.

At heart, Roth considers himself an intellectual. He enjoys studying history and culture. Before being discouraged in life, Roth wanted to become a teacher. He often spends his time inside dusty bookshops and old libraries. Shifting through books on culture, history and poetry.

Roth has family in Hell. His grandfather, Johannes Kruger ( better known as SIEGFRIED ), leads the sinner supremacist party in Hell. Siegfried asserts, that Sinners deserve even greater rights and power in Hell. He advocates for a "violent revolution" and the "ascension of sinner-kind". His ideal society leaving no room for any Hellborn. Despite how atrocious his beliefs are, many support him. With many joining his cause for Sinner liberation, having become fed up with Hell's ruling elites. Roth on the other hand, HATES his grandfather. The feeling between the two is certainly mutual, going back years before Hell.

Roth also hates musicals.

#Roth Kruger. #Fun Facts.

[dorminchu]

this aot post-canon marley arc au project is coming along nicely! an outline of concepts below the cut:

Paths do not function as time travel/interdimensional meddling, but rather the candidate attempting to process what's essentially an onslaught of memories/information. The Founder can technically control all the Wall Titans & regular Titans, Shifters, at the cost of severe psychological strain. Without royal blood, the inheritor would just lose his or her mind completely. Shifter memories can also be inherited from past lives, when consuming a Shifter’s spinal fluid (as with Marcel > Ymir > Porco, Bertholdt > Armin).

The 2000 year war/Ymir Fritz debacle is fabricated history to keep the denizens of Paradis ignorant. The year 845 in Paradis is mid-1900s to the rest of the world; War for Paradis/Marley arc takes place during 1910s. Paradis is viewed as a penal colony, a haven for political dissidents, and their people no better than cattle (Marley calls them children of the devil). There is a Mid-Eastern conflict while Grisha is growing up, and it becomes a “cold war” during the infiltration of Paradis (from when Eren is nine to sixteen).

Grisha Jaeger goes through about the same events as in canon, losing his sister, becoming radicalized by that loss & the Owl, marrying Dina and unsuccessfully radicalizing his son, who turns them both over to the police. Instead of being sentenced to death by Titan like his wife and son (he’s told they were), Grisha becomes instrumental in a secret government program on Paradis, headed by the Mid-Eastern Alliance, to create Eldian “super soldiers” who won’t disobey orders. The project started a few decades before, and most of the world is unanimously for it (less soldiers have to die for the greater good, and if they’re Eldian they’re throwaways anyway). Grisha works with candidates for Attack, Armored (Female is a prototype of Warhammer), and Jaw. Colossus is just a repurposed Wall Titan. Grisha is taught both the injection and training processes, overseeing the candidates’ reaction to the serum, walking them through the process, curse of Ymir, etc.

In secret, an aged Kruger (working for the Mid-Eastern Alliance like Grisha, but secretly a double agent) gives Grisha a vial of the Attack Titan’s serum, telling him the only way to stop this endless war is to infiltrate Paradis and find someone of royal blood. Note: The Mid-Eastern Alliance wants the Founder’s power to take over Paradis and use its population as Titans for war/manpower + access to its resources. The Eldian sympathizers (Kruger, then Grisha) wish to stage a coup and eradicate Marley.

In 845, the top Warrior candidates are sent to retrieve the founder’s power (Annie, Bertholdt, Reiner and Marcel). Their assignment is to break into Paradis and assimilate as soldiers, infiltrating the military. When the “coordinate” is are found, to bring it back to Marley alive. Curse of Ymir is in effect, corresponding to titan activation and regeneration. Certain candidates are more/less susceptible to hypnotic suggestion than others (Reiner and Eren the most, Annie and Marcel/Ymir the least). But they have cues; Annie's ring, Eren's key, Reiner, Marcel and Bertholdt as "warriors" that want to get to their "hometown".

But wait, Eren is not a Warrior, so why is he included? Before the fall of Wall Maria (and a little while after rescuing Mikasa), Grisha injects Eren with the Attack Titan serum bestowed by Kruger, and hypnotizes Eren in the same manner as the Marley warriors. This is why Eren’s able to transform and act as a Shifter without thinking twice early-on. Additional contact w/Rod Reiss, Dina & Historia also brings the "warrior" side to the forefront.

Titan transformations/actions are not just determined by brainwashing (that’s mainly a special case with the Warriors), but by the shifter's subconscious. It’s why certain Titans are deemed aberrant (the Ragako villagers, Sonny, Bean, and Dina). They are more aware but lack the agency of a true Shifter, and cannot follow orders or revert back to human form without eating a Shifter. “Regular” Titans are less aware, but still seek out a Shifter to consume.

Ymir eating Marcel complicates the whole mission. She inherits Marcel's memories, but she hasn’t been programmed like the other Warriors. Hence why she comes to care for Historia on her own, and why she picks up on Reiner’s fugue state and the “warrior/hometown” cue before Eren does. I’d ideally love to give her a bigger role in the plot, but I need to flesh this out.

Bertholdt’s background doesn’t matter too much. Reiner is much the same as in canon. Annie is not adopted, but her mother does die a few years after giving birth to her and her father, himself a veteran of the Mid-Eastern conflict in Grisha’s time, never quite forgives this. Instead of telling Annie he loves her, he makes sure she’ll be the best damn Warrior candidate she can be, because to be born as Eldian is basically a death sentence. (Bertholdt and Reiner want to complete the mission for patriotic reasons, while Annie’s heart is not quite in it.)

During Stohess, Annie is captured by the Scouts. She admits, under pressure, that she was supposed to bring Eren to “hometown” because he’s like her. Irvin and Hanji appeal to the military tribunal to let her work with the Scouts, same as Eren, under the determination she was coerced into working for the enemy’s orders. This does not go over well initially. Levi is able to put his feelings aside for the good of the mission, but that’s as nice as he gets—she’s on thin ice after slaughtering his squad. Most of the Scouts are scared of Annie, but Armin, Eren, and Ymir show various degrees of sympathy.

Thanks to Marcel’s memories, Ymir suspects the coordinate is Eren (but doesn’t know the relation of Zeke to Eren, or why he’s so important) and that Reiner and Bertholdt will need to bring him to “hometown”. So Ymir and Annie initially work together to bring Eren in; but Ymir splits to protect Historia, while Annie sides with Bertholdt and Reiner.

Eren still punches the Smiling Titan. Historia becomes Queen of Paradis, etc. Flash forward to the Marley/War for Paradis Arc. Annie and Reiner survive, while Bertholdt does not (I’m quite fond of Ymir, but I also think her arc concluded pretty neatly, which is more than I can say for other characters).

With the help of Yelena and Floch, Eren goes AWOL for ten months, posing as an injured veteran and learning Marley’s situation. He develops a tendency for self-harm beyond the need to heal, and his regeneration begins to lessen with age.

Annie and Reiner return to Marley empty-handed, but with plenty of intel. Annie gets promoted to Vice-Commander. Reiner was the lynchpin of the operation (but he's really starting to lose it). Now she has to be the leader, and she didn't care about much else but getting home before this. Reiner is the only one who seems happy for Annie’s promotion (her heart wasn’t in it, point of contention with Marley’s Warriors and their zealotry) because he’s riddled with guilt for failing to save Bertholdt, thinks she’s better-suited for VC.

Annie recognizes the injured veteran in Liberio but no one believes that he's a threat (just like in Paradis!). She's doesn't want another tragedy, but she's also nursing a grudge about her lack of success in Paradis and her current bad blood despite the promotion (unhappy, now that she’s got what she once wanted). So she tracks Krueger down to his apartment and tries to find evidence he's up to something. He's a little drunk and physically impaired (has to keep injuring himself), but certainly remembers her.

She can't find his letters (he’s “cleaning house” to return home), nor turn him in on a hunch. So she gets a little tipsy and they end up reconciling. Maybe a little more than that. If I'm going to be self-indulgent, Eren admits he'd marry her despite the Curse of Ymir, etc., as they're both Eldian (because he's inebriated). She doesn't shut him down (because she's inebriated) and suggests he ask after the war's over. Eren says he will remember.

But when the time comes, Eren still kills Tybur and the Warhammer Titan. He’s taken back to Paradis. (Tenatively might kill off Reiner and have another kid take his powers.)

The Jaegerists encourage Eren’s goal of “genocide” under the guise of blind jingoism without understanding precisely what they’re asking for (they’re mostly seen as “useful idiots” outside of Paradis). The Anti-Marley group is more aware of Eren's underlying condition, and have been promised (falsely) by the Mid-Eastern Alliance that eradicating Paradis will make them heroes/grant them immunity—they are still Eldians in Marley’s eyes. All they have to do is manipulate Eren into starting a war with Marley.

Eren breaks out of confinement on Paradis, storms the interior, activates the Founder using Historia instead of Zeke and unleashes the Colossi to decimate Marley and anyone else who dares fire a shot on Paradis. Well, that’s the plan. What actually happens is: the Mid-Eastern Alliance takes him out by cooperating with the military on Paradis (the colossi can’t reach the zeppelins). Eren's connection is severed from the Founding Titan, but he’s not killed. He and all the Warriors/normal Titans lose their powers and revert back to human form. It effectively kills the Colossi crossing the sea. It's not a total massacre like in the comic/show.

With Paradis losing its greatest asset, they have to declare an armistice or risk total destruction by modern planes, boats, etc. "cutting edge" tactical warfare against titans. The island is in shambles, but not eradicated as the other side hoped. The narrative becomes that Eren Jaeger, a rogue soldier, sought to bring a casualty so massive the world leaders had no choice but to band together against the horror of the rumbling. He and the other Warriors + Jaegerists are tried for war crimes. Historia decrees Eren an “honorary Marleyan” and sends him to live in exile in Marley, as he can’t really harm anyone without his powers or public sway.

Eren’s a pariah, or a tragic war hero who fought for emancipation of the Eldians, depending on who you ask. He ends up in the same Liberio tenement he occupied during his ten-month stint. He goes through a lot of emotional processing, gets in fights, drinks heavily, yet slowly finds commonality with the surviving warriors (Pieck, Porco, Falco, Reiner, Annie) that they should have been fighting the Mid-Eastern Allies, not each other.

Public feelings are mixed. They're heroes for stopping Eren, but also an unpleasant reminder of Marley’s embracing of science without ethics. They frighten children and invite the ire of normal vets who cannot regenerate, and were displaced by titan shifters.

Pieck and Porco move to a different city, Eren gets a job as instructor at military college while Annie becomes a clerk for Marley’s military police (again!). They get "set up" by a colleague. Circumstances change and she has to live with him after a block of Liberio gets torched (not everyone in Marley is happy about the Warriors). They reunite, reconvene, and eventually find a life together in the rubble, eking out their remaining years as civilians. Think Curious Case of Benjamin Button in terms of bittersweet tearjerker. The love was there, in spite of the horrors of war.

#aot #snk #upcoming projects #meta? #a gratuitous amount of headcanon #marley arc #canon rewrite #ereannie if you really really squint

[herpsandbirds]

Greater Blue-eared Glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), family Sturnidae, Kruger National Park, South Africa

photograph by @anthony.press

#starling #lamprotornis #sturnidae #bird #ornithology #africa #animals #nature

[english-portfolio-22-24]

IO REFLECTION

To prepare for the IO I first picked the literary and non literary texts: The Handmaid’s Tale and Barbara Kruger, based on the similar themes that they adress. Then I narrowed down the themes to come up with the global issue “The limitation of women to birthing roles and denial of reproductive rights by those in power”. Then I proceeded to look for fragments in both texts that address this GI, as well as are rich in literary and stylistic devices that support it. When I had my fragments and global issue confirmed, I went on to write the outline and later a more detailed analysis which I practiced saying out loud while timing myself.

I think my introduction was well structured, and made clear the two fragments I was going to discuss, as well as the global issue. I said the key things I intended to and remembered to make connections back to the gi. For the final orals I think that I need to know my fragments and body’s of work better, so I can answer the final questions in greater detail.

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 43

We continue from where Al, Lin, and Winry left off. Al reveals his soul will eventually get rejected by his armor body. Lin just goes full Dunning-Kruger and thinks the solution is as simple as switching to a new body and says Al's situation is very convenient. Lin really is just like Greed.

The scene of Al's first night in that armor might be the first time we've gotten full confirmation that he doesn't sleep. If you pay attention to Winry's movements in that scene, she was about to offer her jacket to Al when she asked if he's cold. She wanted to give Al some sense of comfort but Al's body made it impossible.

Ed has another nightmare. He's trying to blame Truth for making Al what he is, but Truth and Shou Tucker tell Ed that he is responsible for what happened to Al. And then Trisha in that mangled form asks Ed to fix her and bring her back.

Tucker's taunts at Ed have been buried in the back of Ed's mind this whole time. Ed really does think he's no different from him, because they both did forbidden acts because they could and consequently trapped someone in an inhuman body.

The last nightmare Ed had was about his mother, and he woke up with pain in his left leg. This nightmare was about his brother, and he woke up with pain in his right arm.

Ed gets his repairs done and decides to answer the question Hohenheim asked. As he and Pinako approach where the body was buried, Ed's heart starts to race, and his stomach starts to churn. When Pinako points to the spot, his heart let's out it's strongest beat.

As they begin digging, Ed's heart can no longer be heard, but the stress is still there. He vomits multiple times from the stress, but every time he collapses, he gets back up with a greater fire in his eyes. His hands shake less each time he grabs the shovel again. The sounds of his shoveling grow louder with each panel.

Gracia told Ed he must move forward otherwise Hughes's death meant nothing. Winry said she wants Ed and Al to get their bodies back even though she doesn't want them to put themselves in danger. Breda, Foo, Armstrong, and Maria Ross gave Ed their support when he said he would move forward. Hohenheim told Ed he wasn't moving forward but was instead running away from his mistakes. It's been less than a week since Ed learned about Hughes's death, and this is the first time he's figured out how to start moving forward.

And then he digs up a bit of bone and hair. His heart begins to race again. He's about to find out the truth about that day. He takes the hair, rinses it in water, and inspects the color.

As they dig up the bones, Pinako is able to confirm nothing about what Ed and Al made was actually Trisha. And Ed laughs.

He laughs the kind of laugh one makes when a great burden has been lifted from them. for 4 years, he'd thought he had revived his mother only to kill her again by placing her in some twisted body. But now he knows that isn't the case. He understands the dead can't return to life, but he knows Al can.

In his own way, Hohenheim helped Ed the most here. everyone had been telling Ed to move forward and Ed himself was convinced he must, but he didn't know what that meant. Hohenheim instead demanded Ed to reevaluate everything, determine whether his assumptions were true, and then act accordingly. He could have given Ed an answer, but he wanted Ed to decide for himself if he would face the truth.

Ed decided to face the truth and now he can truly move forward. He's not moving forward to distance himself from what he's done; he's moving forward because he's found closure and can begin to focus on what he needs to do rather than trying to atone for a sin. Ed can truly move forward because he knows for sure Al can return to normal, even if he's not sure how.

We finally get another chapter with May (not including the easter egg from chapter 40) after 11 chapters. It's night time at Central City when Yoki finds her collapsed on the ground.

Scar encounters Giolio Comanchi, the Silver Alchemists. He's one of the silhouetted figures from chapter 7. There's not a whole lot to say about the fight itself outside how it lets us know Scar is still murdering State Alchemists. So I'm just going to talk about Comanchi's tattoos.

To start, I can't determine what the symbols on his inner fingers are, nor can I determine any of the writing along them, but I can tell what most everything else is supposed to be or can make a guess.

Starting with his right palm: It's a circle with a downward pointing triangle. There is also a smaller upward pointing triangle which is slightly inside the large triangle. There is a circle with a dot inside the upward triangle. The lower part of the large triangle is wrapped in another, smaller downward pointing triangle. Inside it is a crescent moon.

The larger triangle becomes the symbol for earth due to the other downward triangle cutting a line through it. That downward triangle forms the symbol for water. Meanwhile the upward-facing triangle is air due to the large triangle striking a line through it. The circle and crescent are gold and silver respectively.

As for his left palm: It has a six-pointed star with an upward triangle in the top point. In his palm is the symbol for Mercury which is also called Quicksilver. The six-pointed star is transmutation. The upward triangle is fire.

On each fingertip is a transmutation circle. The corresponding digits are the same on each hand. His pinky is two downward triangles where one is slightly on top of the other. This causes the top triangle to become Earth and the bottom to be Water. On his ring fingers are two upward triangles with the same layout. The bottom one is Wind and the top is Fire. His middle fingers are the six-pointed star for Transmutation. We can see on his right thumb is the six-pointed star again. There's something in the middle, but I can't tell what it is. His index fingers are obscured by text boxes.

So overall, Comanchi seems to have a very chaotic Alchemy style where he 'cheats' the structure by overlaying symbols such that any marking could potentially represent multiple elements as he needs. Not that it helped him.

I was going to also expand on the loose chronology stuff I mentioned last chapter, but this has gotten too long. I'll save it for next chapter.

Nina Trauma Count: 5

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