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becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys · 1 month

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Hello I am going on a holiday to Eryri next month & I like to read up about an area before going there... do u have any reading or documentary or podcast recs? I'm particularly interested in the ecology & minority language activism & like. Peoples history & rural lives! I know this is stuff u know about in Wales but idk if north Wales is ur region! Míle buiochas ón Eireann!

Fáilte go dtí an Bhreatain Bheag! Or croeso i Gymru. Exciting! Keep an eye on the notes for others chiming in with good recs for documentaries and the like, I'm going to just give a super quick guide

Okay, pronunciation guide for place names and that is here in written form and here in video form. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you try to use the Welsh place names rather than the English translations. Duolingo is flawed but serviceable if you want to hear and learn some basic phrases. If you can at least throw out a 'bore da' to people you pass/shopkeepers, you'll be very well liked. You don't need to be fluent by any means, but Making An Effort is seen as, like, the nicest and politest and most wonderful thing in Wales, and particularly in regions like Eryri.

Because! It's one of the biggest remaining Welsh language strongholds. If you look at language maps over time in Wales, a pattern emerges:

And the current (2021) figures show this:

And you are going to this bit:

So you're heading into the Welshest bit in all of Wales! And the bit with the strongest and longest history of Welsh, too.

Which also means there's a lot of activism-related stuff in that area. It's probably worth you reading up on the history of Tryweryn (which was a bit further east, but sets the scene well); there was also a BIG thing a couple of decades ago where activists would burn down English-owned holiday homes (while they were empty in winter, not, like, with the English in them). This is because, in addition to the usual issues with the social impacts of holiday homes (driving up prices meaning locals can't live there, eroding communities, etc), holiday homes in Welsh language heartlands are a significant and tangible threat to the language. Even today, the issue of holiday homes is an extremely touchy subject, as is the issue of (mostly-English) people moving into the area because "It's so pretty!!!" and then not learning the language.

(Yet another reason they will love you if you Make An Effort)

Historically speaking, you'll be in a chunk of the country that was the ancestral seat of the last kings of Wales (Gwynedd). The final one, Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, was ambushed and murdered in 1282, which was the beginning of the end for fighting off English rule. In fact, Owain Glyndŵr later crowned himself king of Wales for about two years, but weirdly, no one acknowledges this as real kingship for some reason - if you google his name, he's always listed as a soldier or military commander, which really opens up a whole "Who gets to say when someone is royalty" debate, but he did actually claim descent from the House of Aberffraw anyway, so ultimately it still links back to Llywelyn.

Ecology! Temperate alpine. There actually isn't a global scientific distinction between hill and mountain, but most countries set an arbitrary height standard. This means it varies from country to country depending on how tall their topology is. Wales, however, bucks this trend, and instead decides based on what is formally referred to as 'land use' and colloquially referred to as 'Vibes'. If it's a hill, it's tamed - if it's a mountain, it's wild. This means Eryri is fairly short by the standards of tedious foreigners who regard mountains as a sort of geological dick waving competition, but it's in fact a whole mountain range; it's also older than Saturn's rings. And, crucially, it's very much sufficiently above sea level to have an alpine ecosystem.

There are three endemic (i.e. not occurring anywhere else in the world) species in Eryri, to whit:

The Snowdon lily. A small and delicate flower growing in protected and inaccessible spots on yr Wyddfa (formally known as Snowdon). Excessively vulnerable to trampling, so the national park keeps sections where it grows fenced off.

The Snowdon beetle. RAINBOW BEETLE.

The gwyniad. A sub-species of whitefish until recently exclusively found in Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), trapped there after the ice age and now developing its own genetic profile distinct from other whitefish. Some dickhead in the 80s introduced the ruffe to the lake for fishing, and the ruffe eats the gwyniad's eggs, so they've now transplanted eggs to Llyn Arenig Fawr nearby as a conservation measure.

There's also feral goats. And Welsh mountain ponies. Ooh, and, red kites - in the UK red kites were so heavily persecuted they eventually fell to just 7 breeding pairs in Wales. We established a protected zone and hired Nepalese Gurkhas to guard the nests and thus saved it from extirpation so successfully they later translocated Welsh birds to other spots in the UK. It's a big conservation success story, and now red kites are considered to be the national bird of Wales. They have a very distinctive silhouette, too, look for the forked tail.

Oh, and, we have a unique habitat type called ffridd, which you see a lot of in Eryri.

Final wildlife pictures to close:

Anyway - have a great time! Enjoy muchly.

#asks #wales!#closed for cleaning on mondays #long post

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rebeccathenaturalist · 9 months

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Foraging has become a REALLY hot topic over the past few years. We even saw a surge of interest at the start of the pandemic fueled both by the shutdown, and by concerns about food security due to grocery shortages. My foraging classes are consistently the most popular ones I offer, and the Facebook groups I'm on are absolutely teeming with new people interested in getting started.

But as with any extractive activity, foraging has its downsides. The more people out in the woods and fields looking for edible mushrooms (and plants), the more strain that puts on local ecosystems. In my classes I advocate for only taking 25% of a given species in an area (unless you find, like, three chanterelles, in which case just pick the three chanterelles.) A lot of people have less restraint, and of course you have commercial mushroom hunters who will clean out every single marketable mushroom they find, leaving nothing for anyone else.

This is a topic that I don't feel gets enough attention in the foraging world, but we desperately need to be talking about it more. Most of us who forage do not rely on it as a primary form of food security, and have other reasonable options for acquiring food. Yes, it can be fun to go out looking for mushrooms and berries and such when we're out hiking and camping, and I am a big fan of what I call "incidental foraging"--picking things you find while you're doing something else. It's good to know how to identify edible and it's a nice treat when I run across something. But unless my situation changes to where my food security is seriously threatened, I do not personally feel the need to be one of those foragers where 90% of what they eat is something they foraged, especially when I am financially secure enough to be able to go to the grocery store whenever I want. I think most foragers these days are in a similar situation, though there are always going to be people for whom foraging is a necessary and vital part of food security.

So yes, I am strongly in favor of bag limits for non-indigenous people, hardship permits for those in financial need (and don't make the application process too much of a hurdle), and curbs on widespread commercial mushroom harvest. It's not just to save something for other people, but to reduce wear and tear on the land. Those mushrooms need to be spreading spores for the next generation, and I worry that overharvesting is going to have deleterious effects both on the mushroom species being harvested, and the health of the ecosystems they are a part of.

#foraging #mushroom foraging #mushroom hunting #mushrooms #fungi #fungus #mycology #food #food security #nature #outdoors #ecology #environment #conservation

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alpaca-clouds · 11 months

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Cyberpunk and Solarpunk

Someone wrote a comment in a retweet under my last post about solarpunk. About how maybe Cyberpunk is more suited to motivate us to work for a better future, than Solarpunk is. Because Cyberpunk can show us, how bad it can get, it can be a warning.

My issue is, that for the most part it isn't.

Now, don't get me wrong. I adore Cyberpunk. I basically grew up in Japanese Cyberpunk especially (which I like a lot more than Western Cyberpunk - but the reasons are to complex to discuss here). But I think for a plethora of reasons it does not work as a "warning".

Part of the reason is, that the dystopia of Cyberpunk is not that far away from reality anymore these days. Even in effective Cyberpunk, that really goes into the Late Stage Capitalism... It shows a stark divide between rich and poor, state violence, rule of coorporations, end of ecosystems. Yes, it is more heightened than our reality, but it is all that we see in our reality right now and... we are kinda getting used to it. We are getting used to all the horrible things happening right now, because we feel powerless and our minds do not know how else to deal with it. So they will just chuck it of as "normal".

The other reason, why I think, Cyberpunk fails, is, that it is objectively cool. And a lot of people, who consume Cyberpunk media, do not engage with the dystopia, but just with the power fantasy of being a cool street sam with a lot of awesome augmentations. They want Cyberpunk to be real, not to prevent it. Because to them, it is mostly a really darn cool aesthetic.

And a last reason is, that in the end Cyberpunk does not offer solutions. Half the point of the genre is a sort of hopelessness. In most Cyberpunk there is no big happy ending. The happy end is, that the characters get to survive. Maybe, just maybe, the characters manage to bring down one coorporation or at least one corrupt CEO. But the most the characters get, is, to survive and maybe kiss a love interest. The point of Cyberpunk is the hopelessness.

But you cannot build a better world from hopelessness.

Which is, why I see Solarpunk as so promising - and am at the same time afraid of it turning too much into an "aesthetics only" movement. Because Solarpunk at its core is about reclaiming optimism for the future. It is not (only) an art movement, but first and foremost a genre of both fiction and activism.

If you look into the Solarpunk Manifesto, you will find that, it is about optimism and rebellion against the current system. About the things, that we so desperately need right now.

It is supposed to offer those solutions, that Cyberpunk does not want to offer - or rather that Cyberpunk thinks are out of reach.

Because here is the thing about Solarpunk: Yes, it is Science Fiction, but a lot of the Science it presents is available today. If states were actually to invest in it, we could have clean energy by 2035. That is not unrealistic. Because the technology is here, we just need to use it.

Degrowth, which is another core tennent of Solarpunk, is also possible. And it does not need to mean "live bad", as so many publications try to make it out.

Building local communities, too, is possible. The reasons we lost local communities, is, that the current system we live under, does not want us to have those communities - because communities allow us to organize and retake our power.

Those tennents have been there in Solarpunk from the very beginning. And it is quite frankly frightening to see, how the movement gets kinda taken over by people, only being there for green aesthetics.

This is not meant to be escapism. At least not just that. It is supposed to be a root of activism.

#solarpunk #cyberpunk #dystopia #utopia #scifi #clifi #renewable energy #fiction genre #writing genres #solarpunk manifesto #activism

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elodieunderglass · 2 years

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Someone who doesn’t follow me was concerned with the fact that my posts about plantcraft may not be ideologically pure.

Here is my response, which is more effort than a random really deserves:

I don’t hate any plant! They are all “native” somewhere, they are all “useful” somewhere, they all have benefits and lessons to share with us. I love the grass in the grassy part of my own garden. There are six different seed types and they are beautiful. I love seeing little wild birds eat the seeds, and seeing the chickens and Guinea pigs eat the leaves. I love how public parks with grassed areas stand up to every insult humans throw at them, and then in fine weather people automatically come and sit on it. I love the human impulse in fine weather in a city to find a place with mowed grass and Sit Upon It With Friends. No other plant than turf grass could serve the public like that.

I think it’s possible to have a deep and meaningful relationship with any plant that strengthens your connection to nature. I would rather have “ordinary” people practice No Mow May in joy and interest, and journal their butterflies, than bully them out of having a lawn. I think a sustainable interest in sustainable gardening can grow more naturally from “ordinary” people gaining knowledge and connection than through the ranting and bullying of people who actually KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PLANTS.

I don’t think people should water lawns (except in fire risk.)

I don’t think any land should be terraformed. People should not have turf grass in Arizona (it’s frankly cruel to the plant, and takes far too many resources to maintain.) but equally people should not be trying to grow thirsty vegetable plants and flowers in Arizona. People should not be growing almonds in California. The first principle of plantcraft i preach is to work with the local geography in respect for the land. Terraforming a plant that needs a life support system is wrong, but not because the plant is malicious or evil or deserves hate. It’s simply the wrong choice for that land, and would be a fine choice on other land.

I don’t think American dads should have three acres of lawn. I don’t think Americans should have 3 acres. I think they should give the land back. I think if you have more land than your household can reasonably maintain and use, it should be a common. In most cases in Europe and America this will simply be a reversion to how land-in-excess was handled. Many proponents of sustainable living set five (productive) acres as the maximum for a private household to own. In fact, I don’t think anyone should privately own thousands of acres. No, not even those slightly mythical cutesy American family farmers.

I have many political stances that sound a bit bonkers and radical, but when you carve them back, they’re actually deeply informed by science, ecology, sustainability, indigenous activists, and good relationships.

Sometimes I feel that the internet isn’t ready to handle complex thoughts about ecosystems, and maybe that’s fine. Maybe people need to have very simple ideas like “Grass is Bad, Bees is Good” and it doesn’t really matter if, as a result of believing that, they kill lawns with roundup to be more eco-friendly and displace native pollinators with cute European honeybees. Because maybe simple is just that much easier to handle.

But I cannot explain how much I dislike viewing the natural world as a set of fandoms. In which there are organisms you’re supposed to support and plants you’re supposed to hate and people have to check the purity of your preferences. I just don’t think that the lenses of supremacy, power struggles and borders are useful ways to relate to the inhuman universe: they aren’t lenses that zoom in to deep truths, they’re mirrors that only show you reflections of your own thoughts.

I can only warn you that doing so leads you farther away from building relationships and connections with the natural world, and separates you from it, instead of leading you to your place in it.

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sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 1 year

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Life Is Short So Make It Sweet

Chapter Eighteen: Introductions Made

Summary- 3.9k Curtis Everett x Plus!Sized Reader. You and Claude might be playing matchmaker. When they do take an interest, Curtis suddenly finds himself with more time on his hands.

Warnings- Phone sex and discussing the use of toys.

A/N- As always, Thank you all so much for reading and sharing this little series. I appreciate whenever I get to hear what anyone is thinking about these two and how they navigate a building relationship. Thank you @what-is-your-plan-today for taking the time to beta this project for me. Dividers made by @firefly-graphics

Chapter Seventeen / Masterlist

You pondered at Curtis’s kitchen table, papers scattered all around, your reading glasses half slid down your nose as you leaned over with a pen poised in your hand, glancing over essays. Or that is what you were supposed to be doing. But, you had something more important distracting you.

Claude happened to bring up the newest addition to the middle school team, Yona. In particular how sweet, smart, funny, and kind the soft-spoken teacher’s aide was and how she thought that there was someone you both knew who would probably really like getting to know her- Edgar.

Things between you and Edgar had changed, immensely after that Halloween party, for the better. You two had gotten to actually know one another now that you were a frequent member at Paulie’s for game nights. Yes, he could be hot-headed and run his mouth too far as he proved at your party. But, he also grew a pair and came out to apologize with sincerity, that you were sure of. Now the man would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it. He also proved himself to be funny and caring, a bit shy whenever complimented. You were rather fond of the man now.

Yona was much more of an observer and tended to be more cautious with things. Claude thought this would be a moment where perhaps opposites attract. Now that Claude put that thought in your head, it wouldn’t stop rolling around up there.

“How’re the papers going?” Curtis questioned from behind you, startling you a moment to glance over your shoulder to see him coming in from the garage. His hands were covered in what looked like car oil. “Can you get the sink for me so I don’t touch anything?”

“Slow… slower than I like.” You answered his question as you went to turn on the hot water and go under the sink to find the special mechanics degreaser soap.

“What are the papers about this time?” He had you pump several squirts of the soap in his hands before he started to scrub at them.

“The winter ecosystem and hibernation of local wildlife.” You went back to the table to sit back down. “Simple enough, but… I need your thoughts on an entirely different matter.”

“Shoot.” Curtis scrubbed at his nails with a brush before he was satisfied that they were clean once more. Cleaning up around the sink, he turned to dry his hands on a hand towel.

“Edgar ever have any serious girlfriends?”

“Edgar? Um- not for a hell of a long time.” Curtis pondered, trying to remember his last serious girlfriend. “At least for a couple years. He was with one girl, but she moved away. He has had dates, but never anyone he was serious about. Why?”

“Well, there is this woman who started just before Christmas named Yona. She just moved here, really sweet and kind woman. I was gonna mention to Claude about maybe inviting her to Paulie’s, and see if she wants to join in on one of our game nights.”

Curtis listened closely while settling in the chair across from you. “If you think she would like to hang with us Honey, invite her. I know Edgar showed his ass back at Halloween, but if you trust him, he would probably love to meet Yona. I know he misses having someone, you know?”

“I picked up on that.” You plucked your pen back up to start working on the papers once more, only having a couple more to go. “He did say he was jealous of you before.”

“Well…” Curtis moved to a stand, sliding his hand under your chin to tilt your head back to look up at him. “I would be jealous too if I let you get away from me.”

You rolled your eyes at him playfully, but couldn't hold back the way it made you grin all proud as he dropped a kiss to you. “Good thing you saw me first?”

“Remind me to thank Gilliam for that. You almost done?”

“Just a couple more, I just gotta focus.” You blinked up at him.

“Okay, let’s go out to dinner tonight when you’re done.” Another nipping kiss had you pushing your hand lightly against his chest.

“You gotta let me finish then, stop being a distraction, Curtis.” He caught one more protesting kiss before backing up with his hands in the air in surrender.

“Fine, fine. Come find me when you are ready.” He grinned while retreating into the living room, you waited a few seconds before leaning forward in your chair, looking around the corner to see him grabbing a book and settling in the recliner he preferred to read in while waiting for you.

“I promise you will have a good time,” Claude assured Yona while you went up the stairs to Paulie’s and held open the door. You two had managed to coax Yona to come to game night to meet the guys. It took a little convincing but she relented when you and Claude both offered up rounds of beers. Somehow the guys made out on this deal too.

Yona followed you up the stairs and stepped inside, glancing around. “Looks like a grungy sports bar with cold beers and greasy food.” You nodded since she basically nailed Paulie’s on the head. “I already love it.”

“Did Y/N tell you about her first trip here?” Claude smirked as she stepped in behind Yona and you let the door shut behind you.

“Met your boyfriend here, didn’t you?” Yona inquired and you shrugged.

“Actually I met him on a school trip, but we did run into each other again here and had a fun night. “ You glanced around, looking for Curtis, Edgar or Gray. “According to Curtis it was our first date, but I say it wasn't.”

“Why not? “

“Because he never asked me out that time. We ran into each other.”

“Fucking fate is what it was.” Claude leaned against the bar. “Paulie, where are the guys?”

“Out in the back room.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “They already have drinks back there waiting. Maybe. They already came out once for refills.”

You led them around the bar and disappeared through the kitchen and into the back store room that Paulie set up for you guys to practice throwing axes You could hear the three of them debating near the large bullseye.

“Yeah, it veers to the left because you are not throwing straight Curtis.” Edgar stated while studying the implanted hatchet.

“I bumped my shoulder the other night.” He admitted, his hand lifting to rub at his shoulder. “Must still be sore.”

You hid a grin, knowing full well why he bumped his shoulder. The two of you tumbled out of bed right in the middle of making out and Curtis had managed to wedge himself between you and the floor before you both landed. You felt awful at the moment as he hissed in pain, scrambling off to sit next to him, half-undressed while he laughed hard, assuring you that he was okay.

You certainly didn’t see anything funny about what just happened, worried that you had really hurt him but he pulled you back to him, kissing and pulling you against him till you were lost in the haze that being with him brought. “Get your ass back up on the bed Honey, we weren’t finished.” You never got off the floor so fast in your life. Curtis right behind you, rolling the two of you back together, making you laugh at his enthusiasm.

Next morning, he was lame.

“Well now I know how I can win against you.” Grey joked. “Gotta maim you.”

“Fuck off Grey, you been ahead in points since Christmas.” Curtis flipped him off while you three entered the room, breaking up the debate as all three of them saw your small group coming in.

“Hey guys…” You paused to sling your arm encouraging around your friend. “This is Yona, Claude and I work with her.”

“Hi, Yona.” They rang out in unison, making the woman next to you laugh with her own greeting back.

“This is Grey.” Claude pointed him out. “Curtis is that tall brute next to him.” Then she sauntered over to Edgar, taking his hand, not being too subtle at all as she pulled the man forward. “And this is Edgar.”

Edgar blushed wildly, making him look cute and boyish at that moment. “It’s nice to meet you Yona.” His hand slipped into hers when she offered it, giving a shake. His hand swallowed hers but just watching them, you had a feeling that Yona had the upper hand.

“You too Edgar, what were you guys doing?”

“Throwing hatchets, do you want to try?” Edgar perked up, Curtis wrapped his arms around you, invested as well in the interaction.

“Absolutely.” Yona set her purse down on the table and wriggled out of her winter coat. You watched as Edgar set about finding her some hatchets. Curtis tugged on your jacket, encouraging you to slip it off and settle in for game night.

“I like her.” He admitted, still listening to her and Edgar talk while they both took up spots to throw with hatchets in hand.

“I knew you would.” You said softly back while turning to face him, eyeing his shoulder. “Is it still really sore?”

“Nah, just stiff.” He rolled his shoulders, wincing a bit. “Okay, A little bit. You gonna kiss and make it better?” A wriggle of his eyebrows disappeared under his black beanie. He looked so hopeful at that moment, you had to give him a little something to ponder.

“Will do more than kiss it better.” Giving a wink, you took his hand in yours and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “But not till later, we have all night.” You tugged him closer to the throwing line so you could watch Yona’s and Edgar's throws, Curtis groaning behind you.

“Later? Honey you want me to hold out that long?”

“Hold out for what?” Claude piped up, her eyes teasing at Curtis while you let Curtis engulf you, his arms draped around you and his chest pressing against your back, his groin pressing half-hard against you.

“Exactly what you think.” Curtis retorted while Claude cackled, you scoffed and looked up at him.

“Behave.”

“Make me.” His grin was wickedly teasing, you let yourself lean back into him while Edgar lined up his shot and swung his arm to send the hatchet spinning in a blur but it planted into the bullseye very close to its intended target. “Damn, keep going and you are gonna be hitting those dead center.” Curtis complimented and you gave a small squeeze to his hand in a thank you. You knew Curtis didn’t give them out to Edgar, not often since Halloween and you hated the rift between the two of them, even though Edgar had been wildly out of line that night.

Edgar shrugged, trying to brush it off while Grey and Claude added their own input, but you saw the little secret smile he hid when he ducked his head, stepping aside for Yona to throw. Yona approached with some apprehension. Everyone started to yell encouraging, but Edgar motioned for you all to pipe it down. You muffled yourself in Curtis’s arm, still watching as she made her throw.

And it landed so close to Edgar’s, even though it did bounce off, that you and Claude cheered. Grey and Curtis exchanged glances, grinning at one another. “Let her throw again,” Curtis mentioned. “And give her one of those sharper ones.”

“Yeah!” Edgar went to grab another, this one gleaming with a fresh blade as he carefully handed it over. “Throw it again, Yona.”

“Why did you give me a dull one before?” she quizzed him and Edgar shrugged.

“It was the first one I grabbed that looked like would be a good fit for you.” Edgar tried explaining hurriedly to defend himself, you saw the flash of nerves across his face that he might have screwed up. Yona giggled and bumped her shoulder against him, breaking the seconds of tension.

“I’m just teasing.” She whirled up to send that one flying. It was closer to the bullseye and stayed in the board this time.

You all gasped in surprise and Edgar rushed right over to check it, wrenching the hatchet out while placing a marker in the spot. “You are good at this.”

She shrugged, this time she came off as a bit shy. “Ah, well I did archery every summer at my family’s camp.” She collected the hatchet in Edgar’s hand and swooped down to pick up the first one that dropped. “I have really good aim.”

Curtis, who was still behind you, watching the interaction dropped his mouth to your ear, whispering softly. “Oh yeah, I really like this friend. Edgar does too.” Your eyes flickered to Claude who was whispering excitedly to Grey, the man nodding in agreement with what she was saying.

In the following weeks, Edgar and Yona started to see one another outside of the group. Curtis certainly noticed a change in his friend. He stopped being sullen about things, more enthusiastic and exuberant at work. Although whenever Grey or Curtis mentioned getting together at Paulie’s, Edgar had an excuse for why he couldn’t go out.

That made Curtis home more often as Grey was also going out with Claude when he wasn’t spending his evenings with Sophia. You as well were busy with after-school programs involved in coaching students who were struggling with their studies. It turned into late nights in his garage working on the Camaro till he wandered up to his bedroom to shower, read and share a few messages with you before bed.

You offered to come over afterward, but Curtis knew how busy and tired you were. Not to mention the fact your apartment was a lot closer to the school. As a compromise, you always made sure to call him while you were getting ready for bed.

“I have our flight booked for Florida.” He could hear you shifting the blankets around and the creak of your bed as you got in. He also heard the unsaid questioning part in your statement.

“I’m ready for some sunshine, sand, and sex with my girl.” He teased as he flopped on his bed, having taken a shower earlier and set the heater for the night, he was just wandering his bedroom in his boxers now, ready to crash after you said goodnight to him. You laughed at his statement, relieved sounding.

“Sunshine, sand and sex actually sounds really good.” You gave a little moan in the phone, more rustling of your beading, and Curtis could hear the soft hitch of your breath.

“You tired tonight Honey?”

“No…”

“But I hear it in your voice, what is it you are wanting?” Curtis questioned, his legs stretching out as he leaned against the headboard, waiting for your answer.

“I miss you.” You said hesitantly. “I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever now. I’m sorry, I know it is because of my stuff at the school we haven't.”

“I miss you too, Honey. I know we were supposed to meet up with everyone at Paulie’s, but what if we just spent the evening together this weekend?” Curtis knew it was late, and both of you would be up at the crack of dawn, but he had to make the offer. For you, he would make that drive. “What if I came over now Honey?”

“No.” You said firmly, being the more reasonable to the two of them. “Friday is your early day so you can’t be late and I will just be passing out after talking to you.”

“You, Pretty Girl, are such a teacher.” Curtis teased. “All responsible. Fine, fine… I could help you go to sleep though.”

“Well I am, but seriously Curtis, you would just be coming here to cling to the edge of my small bed and not get a good nights sleep.”

“Your bed isn’t that small.”

“Smaller then your king size one.” You giggled and almost shyly inquired his other proposal. “How are you going to make me fall asleep?”

His sweet little Honey, how he wished he was there to see your reaction to what he was offering.

“We have never had phone sex Pretty Girl.” There was that whine of surprise, a bit needy and he assumed it was from him using Pretty Girl.

There was silence, but then a tiny breathy “Oh.” reached him. “No, we haven't done that.”

“We don’t have to if you are not in the mood.” Curtis offered, giving you an easy out if you were not interested.

“No! Um- I’m very much in the mood Curtis.” Your bed creaked once more as you wriggled around in your covers Curtis guessed from the sounds you were making on the other end.

“Just relax Y/N, I got you.” Curtis tilted his head back, letting his eyes close so he could picture you laying in your own bed. “What are you wearing Honey?”

“Um, well I am wearing your Highway To Hell tee.” That made Curtis smile, knowing you were wrapped up in his clothing.

“I left it there for you to use Pretty Girl. Where do you want to touch yourself first, close your eyes and picture it, talk to me.” He was patient, not pushing you further. But he could picture you trying to work through your thoughts, the way your expression would go from unsure to exited at the challenge.

“My thighs, sliding my hands along the tops of them.”

“You do have beautiful thighs.” Curtis started, his free hand rubbing down his bare chest and belly to rest above the bend of his boxers. “I love feeling how soft they are as they wrap around me and squeeze.” Your breath hitched at his words, he swore he heard a touch of a whine in your voice.

“Then to my inner thighs, my hands are not as good as yours though. Or your beard.” You tone started to sound breathy, like you were headed towards something.

Curtis ran a hand against his chin, rasping it enough so you could hear it. Your breath hitched just as he hoped. “You like my beard rubbing against your skin, marking you all over Pretty Girl?”

“Yes!” you said with enthusiasm, Curtis cussed under his breath hearing you and moved his hand under the band of his boxers to press his palm against his throbbing cock. “Run your face up and down my thighs.”

“Play with your tits Pretty Girl, I know you love your nipples licked and sucked on.” Curtis wrapped his fingers around himself, squeezing lightly, resisting jerking himself off listening to you for now. “Push your shirt up off yourself.”

A rustling started in the phone and then you started whimpering. “I do love when you suck on me like that.” You sounded so sweet, making Curtis grunt lightly as he pulled his hard throbbing cock out, fisting himself tighter.

“Honey, I would be pulling and sucking on them, kissing all over till you were covered. One day I will fuck your breasts.” He jerked himself, pushing his legs up to brace his feet against his mattress.

“Your big fat cock pushing through my tits.” You encouraged him. Curtis let his head fall back, letting himself get lost in the moment listening to you. “I want you too.” Your voice drifted off a moment. “I have to touch myself.”

“Do it Pretty Girl, you must be wet now.”

“Uh-huh.” Curtis recognized that tone, the soft wail starting to build up, the sound of you rubbing your clit. “I want you inside me. To feel you on top of me, holding me down.”

“Trust me Honey, I will be soon.” Curtis felt himself shudder hearing you, his cock throbbing, needing to release. He worked his hand harder, chasing that feeling that burned in his belly.

“Have you underneath me feeling so good.”

“Hands pinned back?” Your covers rustled in the phone like you were kicking them off. The sound of your whines and moans coming more frequently, your fingers now burying into you from the sounds of it. Curtis could just picture you, your thighs spread open and your fingers pushing into your heat till you were messy sounding, your pussy squelching with every squeeze around your digits.

“Fuck I will tie you up if it will get you off Honey.” Curtis hissed into the phone. “Fuck-” His hips chased his fist, his cum starting to shoot over his hand. You were quiet a moment, just soft pleading whines coming through.

“Did you come?”

“Yes Pretty Girl.” He exhaled deeply. “Your turn Honey. You are so good, always feel so good squeezing my cock Honey, feel yourself squeezing your fingers.”

“Its’s not as good as your cock though.” You sighed in frustration and his phone ruffled a moment. Then a buzz came through. Curtis couldn’t help but grin that you must have gotten a toy.

“Pretty Girl, have you been holding out on me?”

You sounded sheepish on the phone. “Well, I haven't needed anything since being with you.”

“Well damn Honey, glad to have been of service. But I think should take some of those out next time I’m over. Let me hear you Pretty Girl, I wanna hear you feel good.”

You started softly, rebuilding back up, but within minutes you were chanting Curtis’s name and crying out in need. “You’re so close Honey, fuck you sound so good you are gonna get me hard again” When you came, Curtis started praising you, telling you how good you did for him, that he couldn’t wait to see you.

You said his name with a curious tone. “Curtis… you really don’t care about the toys?”

That surprised him for a moment. His brow furrows in his confusion. “No? I think that we should start using them if you didn’t mind. Why?”

“Well… I have known others to be jealous of me having them.” You stated cautiously and Curtis would have been willing to put money on who exactly that would have been.

“Honey, toys don’t bother me. You want them, then you should have them. Damn, I will buy you some when I find out what you like.”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“No, I don’t have to but I sure as fuck want to. I would never tell you that you can’t have them anymore, or ever care if you used them. If you are worried about me feeling jealous of some toys, don’t. I’m not at all concerned that I’m not pleasing you. Adding toys will just make it that much better for us.” He pointed out.

“You are really okay with this.” You stated almost incredulously.

“Y/N, I’m serious, It doesn’t bother me.” Curtis stated. You yawned into the phone, making him speak up. “I am gonna say goodnight though Honey, you have an early day.”

“I’m not tired… much.” You rebutted. “But you are right. Thank you Curtis.”

“Thank you Honey, it was good hearing you even if I can’t be with you. Goodnight Pretty Girl.”

You groaned into the phone in exasperation, making Curtis chuckle. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

"Trust me, will be dreaming about loving up on you. Talk tomorrow Beautiful."

#life is short so make it sweet #curtis and honey #curtis everett x reader #curtis everett and reader #curtis everett x you #curtis everett and you #curtis everett x plus sized reader #curtis everett and plus sized reader #curtis everett au #curtis everett #chris evans characters #amber writes #sweater writes

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progenycursed · 6 days

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what’s the pale kings relationship to each of the dreamers? I kept re-reading your comic and noticed how friendly PK and Lurien are, like really friendly like when PV first eats or in the first enhancement (?) to PV. And it got me thinking how PK and Lurien see each other and that lead to how the Dreamers see PK and how the PK sees them. uhh sorry if my wording is weird lol

At long last! Wall of text be upon ye! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Since the comic is still a fair ways from the dreamers being chosen, this information might change in the future. ┐(´～｀)┌ At this point in the comic(chapter 16), the dreamers have not been chosen. With all the set backs with the vessels, the Pale King hasn’t been able to figure out what all the Hollow Knights bindings would look like. He needs to know what the final product is going to be and how the void behaves so he can make the bindings as secure as possible. Can’t make a trap without knowing what materials one is working with. Can’t make a prison cell if you don’t know how the biddings are set up. So at this point, the eventual dreamers, are just people living their lives. Each with their own relationship with the Pale King.

Lurien:

Mentor mentee. Pseudo friendship

Lurien idolizes the king. Coming from an ant colony, a strong devotion and non romantic love for their leader is common place, expected, and instinctual. From this base point, his admiration only grew after the king healed him, gave him his dream job, and extended his life.

So how the pale king acts around him, throws him through a loop. Lurien expects a regal leader, calm, composed, with the highest of manner and indifference to the individual. But instead, he gets very enthusiastic god that sees no reason to hide his emotions or interests, sees no reason to use something as trivial as manners, and genuinely cares about all his people. Lurien wants to try to match that energy and casual nature, but he can’t throw away natural instincts and a lifetime of social training. So he can never really relax to the degree he wants. He is a very well spoken individual that always knows what to say, so when he tries, it’s not uncommon for him to forgets all of it when he talks with a literal god king.

For the Pale King, Lurien is the closest thing a mortal can get to being a friend. Which doesn’t sound like much, but for a being that outlives every mortal he comes across, and with higher beings tendency to hate one another, friends are few and far between. So to him, Lurien is one of the most important people to him. He enjoys his company, but he is well aware that Lurien will always sees him as a god king. So he can’t be as himself as he would like around.

And for those wondering, neither of them have romantic feelings for the other. Lurien has never even entertained the idea. If he ever did, the idea would be appalling to him. The king is his leader, not some romantic crush. As for the Pale King, wyrms are not designed to have romantic feelings. Cause if two fully grown wryms stuck together to raise their young, they would decimate the local ecosystems to feed them, and their offspring would still starve. So the Pale King, doesn’t really experience romantic love. So sorry-not sorry to the shippers on this one, there is no romance between these two in this comic.

Monomon:

Science buddies.

There first meeting was an accident. She needed to talk to the king so she went to find him. In his lab, fixated, working on kingsmold and wingsmold. Not knowing better, and slightly intrigued at seeing void, she approached, and learned first hand what happens to anyone in the lab with him. Unlike other impromptu lab assistance thought, she enjoyed it. She offered advice, suggestions, feedback, and knew when to duck out of harms way. Leading to engaging discussions, new breakthroughs, and not a fixation-breaking dead body. It was only when the fixation ends, did the pale king realize she was there. Sure he was talking with her, working with her, having full discussions with her, but he was fixated. Steps are skipped when you are fixated. For example, the steps to meeting people:

Step 1: Consciously acknowledge there is a person

Step 2: Can talk, interact, and work with said person

He just, skipped step 1. Onto how they see each other.

To her, the pale king is another hardcore science nerd like her, and an untapped resource of knowledge. Few others can keep up with her intellect, curiosity, and drive to learn more. Sure he is the king, but he is another scholar first in her mind. So she is known for just dropping in to see him if she has a new discovery or all her assistants have fallen asleep during one of her multi day science experiments. Her only issue with him is his tendency to keep some things hidden or abstract. He won’t explain anything about the void aside from it’s dangerous for mortals. And when she asks about his experience as a higher being, he explains it in a way that no-one could understand.

For him, she is the only mortal that has a level of intelligence, knowledge, and scientific enthusiasm that is any where near his. She can keep up with his fixations and science/engineering spirals. She can keep up with his ramblings, doesn’t hate them, engages with them, and is willing to act on them with him. And she is smart enough so as to not die or get hurt during any experiments. The age difference does cause problems though. She is a fraction of a fraction of his age, and their are many times that becomes apparent. There have been many a conversation where it becomes clear him and his experiences are alien to mortals. She also lack political grace, so she doesn’t understand there are some things that are better left unknown to mortals.

That is where it ends for the both of them. They don’t have any sort of relationship outside of being science buddies. They never make small talk, neither care to talk about their personal lives with each other. Not for any negative reasons, but because they would rather talk about science. Neither want to risk changing their relationship, so they are never interested in trying.

Herrah:

Political leaders.

When she first went to meet him after her spouse died, she expected a fight. To prove she was the true deepnest leader as she had done with her own people that questioned her. She had all her arguments prepared, and even weapons if it got heated. Instead, when she introduced herself as the new deepnest leader, he just accepted it. No argument, no protest no questioning of her skills. Just Okay, so about the trade agreements. It was with that one sentence that she realized that maybe, just maybe, all the stories she heard about the pale king may have been biased. So she decided to make her own opinion.

Most of the politics between Hallownest and Deepnest are handled by ambassadors. The two of them rarely meet. Usually only doing so in the most serious of political situations. As he isn’t allowed in Deepnest as he is to bright for all the night vision people creatures living there. And she hates going to Hallownest, because it is to bright, clean, and uppity.

Herrah is a smart and cunning leader of the beasts, and show knows better than to pick a fight with a civilization that vastly outnumbers hers. Especially since their standing with the Mantis tribe is, rocky at best. That paired with their well established trade relationship, she plays nice. For the most part. She will still poke at their boundaries to see where the line is with the Pale King. To her, he is a leader that sits behind his walls of luxury and never involves himself with the lower class. A pompous, dainty leader that knows little of the world around him. Just like the rest of the Hallownest upper class that infest the palace. So she likes to try and push his and Hallownests boundaries to test him. To her great irritation, he rarely reacts in a way for her to get a good handle on what kind temperament he has. And he treats her like a common citizen which pisses her off to no end.

For the Pale King, he both likes and dislikes Herrah in different ways. He doesn’t know much about the Deepnest culture, and never understood the whole ‘bloodline’ thing that ran the leader position for so long. To him, she is just another mortal leader. So he treats her like everyone else. When she speaks with anyone, she is blunt and straight to the point. A trait he wishes many of his citizens would have. So many of his citizens talked in long winded political speeches with hidden meanings and requests sprinkled throughout. Making it very difficult for him to respect their privacy and not read their minds just to get to the damn point!

For the dislikes, when she has to get involved in a political conversation instead of her ambassadors, she will barge into the palace and demand to speak with him. Refusing to leave until he shows up. Even the other Deepnest leaders didn’t do that. But it is well within the behavior the spiders employe in their political practices. ‘Poking the wyrm’ as they all liked to call it. Testing the limits of his patiences by pushing the borders between the lands, harassing his citizens whenever they are in the city for negotiations, and the constant threats and posturing that is their ‘trade negotiations.’ He knows how to deal with them, and unlike the other Deepnest leaders, she is far more willing to work with his kingdom and actually think instead of just playing tough. Unlike some other political leaders he has to deal with.

And because I know this question will be asked after all that:

White Lady

Best friend and platonic soul mate.

As a wyrm, he doesn’t really have romantic feelings. It’s not advantageous for his species, so there was no reason to evolve it. Very similar to the White Ladies’. Keeping the mate around would lessen the offsprings chance of survival. So neither of their species is designed to feel romantic love. But the White Lady does feel lust.

My head cannon for their relationship is different than what a majority of the fandom thinks. I don’t think he pursued her. I think she pursued him. It’s cannon, from her mouth directly, that she has a “voracious desire” to breed. (◯Δ◯∥) So I image the moment he was within line of site, she was on him, flirty up a storm. Leaving him, just, absolutely baffled. This was not a behavior he had ever seen from another higher being, let along it being directed at him.

That was how it was for the first hundred cycles or so. Her, trying various ways to seduce him. Him, trying to ignore the horny tree as he learned how to build a kingdom. But as the cycles went on, they slowly began to learn about each other. Whether they wanted to or not.

For her, this was the longest another higher being put up with her flirting without either teller her to ‘f*ck off’ or attack her for being annoying. When he didn’t chase her off, she just started talking with him. Asking him what he was doing. Confused that he was trying to help bugs that weren’t his. He didn’t make them, they weren’t his offspring, why did he care? It was baffling, but intriguing to learn what it was he was trying to do.

For him, it was the longest another higher being had been around him and not attacked. She was persistent, and wouldn’t take ‘I’m not ready for kids’, ‘I don’t even think that is possible,’ for an answer. But she never threatened him or his budding kingdom, so he put up with her. When she started asking questions, he shared his plans to at least placate her. What he wasn’t expecting though, was her actually listening. Which was a new experience for him. Sure some of his new people tried to listen, but his goals were far beyond what they could comprehend. Their eyes always glazing over shortly into the explanation.

With each new interaction, they learned more about the other. She began to see him as something besides a way to procreate. He began to see her as something besides a pushy plant begging for a drink. They would talk for days with each other. Both learning what it meant to be able to relate to another being. They began to enjoy each others company. Getting to a point where they could enjoy each others company without having to say a word.

They became friends, not only enjoying each others company, but actively seeking it out. They began to build the kingdom and rule together. When he cast off his shell, she followed shorty after, spreading her from so far that her main body shrank. They were each others best friend. The only person who understood them on every level in every way. They could vent to each other, bounce ideas off each other, joke with each other. They were always interested in the others newest fixation and would always ask questions. Knowing how much it meant that someone was interested enough to want to know more.

It was’t long until their people started calling them soul mates. A concept neither of them fully understood, but it was accurate enough they never refuted it. Going so far as to confirm their union to the people of Hallownest by solidifying it with each other. The titles of king and queen no longer just symmetrical titles, but official in the strange customs of the mortals. Swearing their commitment to the other with a medallion, then each taking a piece to always keep with them.

Those are, at least at time of writing this, the relationships between the dreamers and the pale king. With a bonus ship thrown in. Again, not sorry about not being on the Lurien/Pale King ship. That will be a running theme in this comic. Loving relationships that don’t end with fucking. Because I want some variety dammit! (ﾉ｀□´)ﾉ⌒┻━┻

#progeny cursed #hollow knight #hollow knight pale king #pale king #hollow knight lurien #monomon the teacher #lurien the watcher #herrah the beast #white lady #answered asks

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davekat-sucks · 1 year

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I think it would suck horribly to be friends with trolls if you're human (hell even a troll). Tavros and Xefros being the exception and a few others, most are just so violent and mean and would probably murder you over the pettiness of shit. Take a look at friendsim, see how majority of them would kill someone and have no problem with it. Trolls are instinctually a violent species, not peaceful and I'm wondering how the hell the adjusted to human customs in comic? Kanaya obsessively watches Rose, Karkat was obsessive over Terezi, Equius tried to Force Aradia to love him, Vriska tormented Tavros, point is it's natural for them to take things to the extreme even if it would hurt their love interest or friends. Isn't it IRONIC that out of my examples Eridan was the most emotionally mature about his feelings? The bar really is that low. Sure he bugged (ha pun) everyone but at least stopped after he was rejected. Even with the whole joining Jack bullshit he was giving Feferi an option to come with him. He didn't kill her because of rejection, he killed her out of self defense and even tried to apologize to her when dead, he feels remorse for his actions. Karkat fucked up big time and admits it, he do nothing to diffuse anything and was focused on Terezi pussy. Trolls are a terrifying species and they would not be soft and cute are they are so commonly portrayed you'd have to be crazy to even date one

If not only biologically that they are violent creatures, but the living conditions that the trolls had to go through was also hell that it is instincts first before logic and reason. Anything and anyone could kill you at a drop of a dime. Whether it is from the wild animals that live by or to the literal acid rain that pours down the planet. Trolls, when they start as wrigglers, need to rely on their lusus being strong and smart against the ecosystem of their planet. They have advance technology, but the start of how they raised are feral for the most, even for highbloods since they are born in the same caverns as other trolls have. Eridan could have used his highblood status to make others like him. But he never did. He had power close to Feferi's, but never used it to force it on others. Sort of surprising people look past Equius making Aradia love him via a robot programming. Yes he does get his beat shit out of him and a kiss that ended to be a joke, since they weren't really together together. But also not even Aradia speaks to Equius again when he became ARquiusprite. So it shows much how Aradia cared little about Equius too, in both pre and post retcon. Tavros and Xefros would definitely be the only exception of trolls being the nicest and would not harm anyone, not even a fly. People may try to point Nepeta, but they forget she is a hunter. Crazy cute cat shipper girl hunts animals herself for meat and paint. She hunts using her own biological instincts that she honed and trained for sweeps. Nepeta would prefer to hunt a rabbit that shows up in your local town than get it from some grocery store, because the meat is better fresh when they were alive than placed in some fridge for who knows how long. Most fantrolls, especially in the nu-fandom, always go for the route of "trolls rebelling because the hemospectrum system is bad" as the easy way out for why their trolls are more nice and heroic. They want to avoid everything that makes Alternia the way it is or why we were interested in trolls in the first place. We liked the trolls because they were alien and foreign that their lives are different than ours that they accepted their horrible planet as it is. But now, people just think of trolls as just GREY HUMANS. They are not these unique cool aliens anymore. It sucks!

#Homestuck #Homestuck fandom #Alternia #fantrolls #fan troll #fantroll

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cookinguptales · 2 years

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idk if I told tumblr the story of how I read Dracula the first time... it’s one of those stories that paints a really, really vivid picture of what I was like as a child, I think.

so when I was in seventh grade, my science teacher told us about a ~writing contest~ being put on by the local chapter of the Audubon Society. she really, really wanted us all to enter, but like... obviously, no one wanted to do this.

I also did not want to do this, but unlike my classmates, I had a deep and pathological need to please the adults around me. plus, honestly, I felt really bad for our poor science teacher, who became increasingly devastated when no one entered.

so... I entered the writing contest. did I do my best work? no! I did not care about our fragile local ecosystem! I was twelve! but I wrote 500 words about conservation after school one day and handed it in just to sate my teacher’s unquenchable lust for ecological preservation and the Audubon Society.

you can... probably guess where this is going. I don’t know if every other school also had trouble finding nerds to enter this contest or what, but... yeah. I won the writing contest.

the prize was a week at “nature camp”.

now, you may be picturing a nice camp in the woods where we study animal tracks and stuff. NO this was FLORIDA. this camp was just MUCK and BUGS and HEATSTROKE. honestly, I could write a thousand words about my weird, fucked-up camp experience but that’s kind of immaterial rn.

the point is, I had zero interest in 95% of the camp’s activities. I had a lot of undiagnosed chronic illnesses at that age, but at the time, most people just thought I was activity avoidant. (and, like my dear friend Dracula, I did not function well in heat and sunlight.) so I sat out during a lot of the physical activities, which was... all the activities, and I read.

see, I had been gifted an absolute mammoth of a book before I left. it contained Frankenstein and Dracula and it was essentially a brick. I got through Frankenstein pretty quickly (and loved it) but, spoilers for all my DD friends, Dracula is really fucking long.

by a couple days into this camp experience, I am completely immersed in this book. I do not care about making friends. I do not care about swimming in the snake-infested lake. I kind of care about bug-watching, but I wasn’t allowed to do that, so Dracula it was.

and idk if you’ve ever been a bookworm at a summer camp, but I’ll tell you! they don’t like it. lmao. eventually, as punishment for reading too much, I got my book taken away. ;;

FRIENDS. like my sweet blorbo du jour Guillermo de la Cruz, I transformed from an embarrassingly eager-to-please preteen to an absolute petty little bitch in like five minutes flat lmao. they soon realized that I would now refuse to socialize out of spite because they had taken my book, but it’d be even worse because now I refused to do anything but sit there and glower at the camp counselors.

(I was... a difficult child. lmao)

anyway, they lasted like a day before they decided that this was really more trouble than it was worth, and my book was returned to me. I read about vampires and steadfastly ignored my bunkmates and that’s why I didn’t get in trouble with all the rest of them when it turned out that they’d been sneaking boys in for sex!

/fin

#also I was a baby gay so #but yeah I was 12 so I barely remember the book #also my grandfather died while I was at camp #so maybe that's why they thought I was acting up #no I didn't even like my grandfather GIVE ME MY BOOK #just me #long post

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ppenvs3000w24 · 1 month

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Blog 9: Last But Not Least

As the last blog post of this semester, I want to talk about my personal ethics as a nature interpreter. Everybody interprets nature differently, governed mainly by their ethics, beliefs, and learning styles. One of my personal mantras/ethics is to treat everyone fairly, not equally. Although this might come off as something negative, I believe treating everyone equally can cause massive issues, especially when dealing with a diverse audience. As mentioned in Chapter 7, “Studies have shown that interpreters often don’t know their audiences well and have misguided beliefs about audience values, beliefs and motivations” (Beck et al., 2018). As a nature interpreter, we need to get to know our audience better before we engage professionally with them. When guiding visitors on a nature walk, we cannot assume everyone on the hike can see what we see. They could be too short or visually impaired to notice what we are trying to showcase. As nature interpreters, we should ask everyone to see what we see and even describe what we are looking at so they can paint a picture in their heads. In Chapter 7, we learn about how to serve diverse audiences, and the part that really stuck with me was that we severely underestimate the knowledge and wisdom older people have when it comes to natural interpretation (Beck et al., 2018). Older people have the most time and money to spend on nature interpretation, thus making them the most knowledgeable and experienced nature enjoyers. Yet, we bore them with simple interpretations geared for new visitors due to prior assumptions (Beck et al., 2018). If we spend additional time at the beginning and ask if they have been to the park before, we will know that we can delve more into complex topics instead of simple ones. I believe that treating your audience fairly by getting to know them allows you to make the event more enjoyable for everyone involved, but treating them all the same can lead you to alienate certain individuals.

My most prominent personal belief is that we should always respect nature. In my ‘Blog 1: First of Many’, I have already mentioned how my culture and heritage heavily impacted my relationship with nature. Those two factors taught me to respect and fear nature, as nature can be gentle but unforgiving. I believe that as a nature interpreter, you must respect nature as it can influence how your career develops and progresses. If you are a nature interpreter who routinely litters while giving guides, your littered work environment might attract unwanted attention from animals such as bears or coyotes, making your job harder. Your littering might also cause certain plant and animal species to disappear, drastically impacting the local ecosystem and your workplace. These factors can lead to fewer visits and interest from tourists and locals, all because you, as a nature interpreter, decided to disrespect nature by littering. As nature interpreters, it is our responsibility to help people respect nature, which is impossible if we do not respect nature (Beck et al., 2018).

Velcro was created by observing how burs work.

Another one of my beliefs is that we should let nature guide us. We as humans try to bend nature to our will too much, with constant deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, etc. We should and have started to let nature guide us instead. Much of our studies advancing research in cancer, age, and regeneration are being done by studying animals such as the axolotl, hydras, flatworms, and naked mole rats (Bellantuono et al., 2015). Many architectural buildings nowadays try to gain inspiration from nature, as most natural structures are solid and sustainable due to the long lineage of evolution and selective pressure (S, 2023). These are great examples of us letting nature guide us, and I believe that is where our future lies.

'Exotic' animals being sold in small plastic containers not suitable for their health.

My final belief is that we should not cage nature. As a person who grew up around wild and domesticated animals in Nepal. Seeing wild animals being kept as ‘exotic’ pets in small places that do not meet their habitat requirements feels weird. I specifically remember going to a reptile expo and observing multiple artificially and selectively bred boas, turtles, anoles, and frogs being kept in small plastic containers and bags that were too big to fit in. It disgusted and frightened me to see an exotic pet trade taking place under the title of an ‘expo’ where wild animals that do not belong in homes are being sold for profit. Domesticated animals, such as cats, dogs, and cows, are animals that have been tamed millions of years ago and now can safely live with humans and do not pose a threat when kept as pets. Exotic animals are wild animals that have not been tamed by humans over time but have been taken from the wild and kept as pets. Most wild animals kept as pets have huge habitat ranges compared to their body size, which they forage and roam for food, shelter, socializing, and mating. People who keep wild animals as exotic pets cannot accommodate these animals for their habitat size and instead give them drastically reduced cages where they are kept and fed way beyond their health limit. Also, these exotic pets are wild animals that have not been tamed. They cannot comprehend humans the same way domestic animals such as dogs can. This usually causes issues around the time these animals reach maturity, causing wild outbursts and violence against owners due to owners not caring for their exotic pets. There was a famous case in 2009 where a chimpanzee being kept as an exotic pet attacked their owner’s friend, severely injuring her limbs and face, leaving her permanently disfigured and traumatized (Gritt, 2021). The chimpanzee was killed in the incident, and investigation revealed that the chimpanzee was overweight, showcasing violent tendencies recently, and had been fed Xanax-laced tea to self-medicate for anxiety and lyme disease (Gritt, 2021). This is a classic case of owners keeping exotic pets and abusing those wild animals without realizing their wrongdoings.

Travis the chimpanzee involved in the 2009 incident was already overweight at the time of the picture.

Finally, as a nature interpreter, I like to learn visually and experience nature myself. I cannot feel a connection with nature without seeing, feeling, hearing, and experiencing the nature described by myself. I can enjoy documentaries, pictures, and videos of nature and nature interpretation projects, but that does not resonate with me as much as when I go camping, hiking, fishing, or identifying unknown plants and animals I stumble on.

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Serving Diverse Audiences. In Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World (pp. 127–158). Sagamore Publishing LLC. https://sagamore.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781571678669/pageid/145

Bellantuono, A. J., Bridge, D., & Martínez, D. E. (2015). Hydra as a tractable, long-lived model system for senescence. Invertebrate Reproduction & Development, 59(sup1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1080/07924259.2014.938196

Gritt, E. (2021, May 12). Crazed pet chimp wails as he rips off woman’s face and eats eyes in harrowing phone call. Daily Star. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/crazed-pet-chimp-wails-rips-24088031

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Values to Individuals and Society. In Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage For a Better World (pp. 41–56). Sagamore Publishing LLC. https://sagamore.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781571678669/pageid/73

S, A. (2023, January 17). Nature-inspired design: Biomimicry in architecture. Parametric Architecture. https://parametric-architecture.com/nature-inspired-design-biomimicry-in-architecture/

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waltherbusch · 2 years

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Tips That One Could Start Using These days About Songs Downloads

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#Nanomax #Music #loudspeaker #karaoke

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morganscolloquiumjournals · 2 years

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Journal 2 on Field trip One (Section one)

SECTION ONE: FGCU SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

Stop #1 We began our journey by starting in the center of campus. We talked about the names of the building surrounding us and their significance, the one that was most interesting to me was located behind us and was named after FGCU's first African American president.

Stop #2 We continued our journey towards the breezeway here we talked about the trees that surrounded us. FCGU purposefully only uses native plants, in the hopes of allowing them to grow naturally. This way you are using fewer fertilizers and pesticides that are polluting our waters. Our guide also mentioned that the grass in Florida that you see in many people's yards is fake and that the grass at FGCU shows a real representation of Florida's landscape. Due to much of Florida's land containing sand and the sublimate soil that we lay down.

Stop #3 Outside of Seidler Hall we discussed the environmental significance of FGCU's buildings. Every building at FCGI is LEED-certified, which is a green building ranking system. However, the Siedler Building is platinum-certified which is a great accomplishment, as many of the resources are made locally which lowered the footprint that it took to build this hall. There are many benefits to creating sustainable buildings like these, for example, promoting a healthy environment, boosting public image, assets to the corporate, lower utility cost, and positive eco-impact. Our guide also mentioned the significance of the roofs of our buildings being green and how it helps keep the heat off. This stop really opened my eyes to how FGCU has gone out of its way to help make their campus environmentally friendly.

Stop #4 Whitaker Pond

We walked behind the building and found a path, which I never even knew existed. We stood outside the Egan Observatory and discussed how the breezeway is designed to cool camps, as it is facing a certain way so the wind travels down it like a tunnel. Fun fact, FGCU has no gutters, they allow the water to disperse naturally. Below FGCU's roofs are rocks that break the water. Our path is lined with pavers which allows water to pass through and run off into the pond. FGCU ponds are also retention ponds that mimic the natural ecosystems. The ponds throughout campus are connected via pipes that ensure water control and allow the turtles to travel between them. When FGCU was creating these ponds they wanted to create a bigger pond than needed, one to be more ecofriendly, and two to create opportunities for expansion. The building to our right, the student union and counseling center, was built where the pond used to be.

Stop #5 FGCU Chiller plant

Now, this was a very fascinating stop. These big containers are actually FGCU's air conditioning system. It is run solely off of water, the water freezing, and then is run throughout pipes all across campus. It has a 50 million pound capacity and keeps recycling the same water over and over. It is a closed-loop circuit and can never have a chemical leakage like most air conditioners. However, it is quite expensive to install, but in the long run 100 percent worth it. This system is one of the largest used by a university in the whole country. Having an energy-efficient system like this is a game-changer and I believe that FGCU needs to broadcast the efforts they are making toward its sustainability.

Stop #6 Big belly solar trash compactor

This trash collecting is environmentally friendly as it creates fewer trips for the staff and runs off of solar energy. It counts the number of times that it is opened to know when to compact the trash. It has a locking system that keeps critters from getting inside and contains the trash from escaping. Here we also learned that Lee county burns trash and resells it for electricity, which in theory gives a positive to polluting our air from burning trash. I thought that this is a great idea but should be implemented more throughout FGCU's campus because this is the first one I have seen.

Stop #6 Parking garage #2

Every Thursday for field trips we will meet at this garage and must be there at 3 pm. There will be a bus waiting with our professor's name on the front windshield.

Stop #7

Before heading on the nature trail we stopped by a pond right outside. We discussed how Florida stores their water in aquifers that we drink from and that all of southwest Florida drink the same water. Florida's water demands are their highest during our dry season, which made a feel quite uneasy about our water situation as we rely on our running water so greatly.

Overall, learning about FCGU's sustainable efforts was really eye-opening. I have only completed one year at FCGU so I have not created a big relationship with the campus yet, however, after learning about the building and exploring parts of campus I didn't even know existed I have a lot more respect for the school. Knowing the steps and efforts that were put into designing this campus makes me feel proud to be a part of this university.

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circethegoblin · 3 years

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STAYING ALIVE MASTERPOST, FROM A BROKE TEEN WITH ADHD

here you go. some down to earth tips on how to not die metally nor physically.

tired of those "drink three liters of water everyday uwu" and "wake up at 5 am" and "buy a bath bomb and a fec mask and some other things you don't have the money for" shit? i'm here for ya.

1. NOT DYING

eat at least three meals a day, one of which m u s t be warm and above 300 kcal (it can be istant ramen with an egg added if you have to)

you technically should shower everyday, but we know how it is. A change of clothes is sometimes enough.

DRY SHAMPOO AND BABY WIPES!!!

keep bottles with water everywhere. On your desk, near that spot on the floor you always end up sitting on, near your bed, basically whenever you know you spend a lot of time. No need to get up and go to the kitchen will help. Obviously change the water in the bottles as often as you can.

Get some form of physical activity. It doesn't have to be much, you can for example replace scrolling on tiktok by walking around your room and scrolling on tiktok! Brilliant, isn't it? Obviously, running or doing those 10 minutes workouts from youtube is better, but you are still getting like an hour of walking.

Buy blankets. Steal blankets. Summon blankets from other dimensions. Just make sure you have a lot of warm, soft blankets in your house. You will thank me when you won't have the anergy to wash your sheets (just take them off and throw some blankets on your bed), or when the power goes out.

If you have pets, ALWAYS keep spare food that'll last for a week for them.

things to always have in the kitchen: milk, eggs, flour, rice, pasta, yeast, cheese, oil, a leafy vegetable, onions, tomatoes, apples, patatoes, some flavourful sauce, sugar, salt, spices and an emergency chocolate bar. You can make a lot of food with those. Just make sure you won't eat the chocolate too fast.

Have a lot of spare batteries. A lot.

Get urself a flashlight, a lighter, and a pocket knife.

Remember the apples? eat one a day. if you don't like apples or you can't eat them for any other reason, you can take a kiwi, banana, orange, basically something that will give you vitamins and non processed sugar.

do the dishes before your sink starts developing it's own ecosystem

drugs from that one guy around the corner = very bad time

2. NOT DYING INSIDE

Open the damn window.

Don't watch so many commentary videos. You are probably not even checking the sources, so you can easily make unjust judgement, and like. did you even hear of half of those people before?

make a discord server just for yourself. get into the habit of writing little things that happened to you there. rant about the fanfics you read. or the movies. vent there if you don't have anyone you can vent to. write your ideas there, write e v e r y t h i n g. make a section for passwords, for quick ideas, for your to do lists. you won't lose it as you do with sticky notes or notebooks. there is no risk anyone will see it. oh, and when you'll have a strong impulse to tell emily that you hate her? write that message in your private server and list all ur arguments. look at tat the next day and decide if you really mean that.

life sucks. come to peace with it.

cuddle ur pets if you have them

1 hour a day without a lot of sensory input. if you have to, reduce to half an hour.

if you find yourself scrolling endlessly through social media, make sure it's pintrest (just don't compare urself to the people here; if you have issues with that, tumblr may be better)

delete. twitter. from. your. phone.

influencers are lying to you; maybe not even intentionally. remember when you were watching that cute-aesthetic-productive morning routine, and you were wondering why your life isn't that pretty? why your room is a mess? why you cannot for the life of god be aesthetic 24/7? its the filter. don't worry about it, their lifes arent that nice either.

realize there's actually nothing stopping you from screaming as loud as you can right now. like there is no physical barrier. think about it. realize there's no actual physical barierr to many other things.

your body is your body. you can decide how it looks like; just remember it's in your greatest interest to keep it healthy.

3. BEING A LITTLE BETTER THAN JUST ALIVE

If you wear make up, take it off before you go to sleep.

moisturize your body; everything is better when your skin doesn't feel dry

have a one brand of cosmetics that you love and buy things mainly from it. they often have sets of products that complete each other. i like ziaja. it's a polish brand, it's surprisingly cheap and has nice quality

cleanser, moisturizer, face mist

of you can, change your sheets once every two weeks

do the dishes before your sink starts developing it's own ecosystem

do a deep house clean once a month (don't beat yourself up when you don't tho)

keep your workspace organized (it doesn't have to look organized to other people, remember)

sunscreen

cook your own food

keep a calendar

no money for scented candles? got ya. make a simmer pot: throw some apple peel, a couple of cinnamon sticks and whatever spices that smell good you have into a pot, add some water and simmer. boom. your house smells good, and you haven't spend 20 dollars.

If you really like candles, buy scented wax melts. it's cheaper.

Buy urself scented mists. they're pretty cheap and will make you feel A LOT better.

keep your clothes clean. if you aren't sure if that shirt thats on your chair is dirty or not, throw it in the washing mashine anyway. better be sure.

if you can, make your bed right when you get up

wear clothes that make you feel good. put some effort into your outfits. really.

4. OTHER PEOPLE

be nice to essential workers.

if you have money, give tips.

remember, you do not owe anyone love; it is not something you can force. even if they saved your life. even when they helped you in your darkest time. if you don't love them, you don't.

you don't have to be in a romantic relationship to be happy.

if you want to, date! date everyone! date girls, date boys, date nonbinary people! date people completly different than you, date people from different countries, date them!!! just make sure they're kind and won't kill you. even if you don't end up in a relationship, you can learn a lot.

don't be afraid to piss off people that deserve it

smile to strangers :)

5. NOT FAILING SCHOOL

heard of dark academia? check it out

romanticize the heck out of studying

do not let your studying be just reading the same partagraph over and over again. it won't work. believe me.

seterra for geography, quizlet for everything else

try to make yourself intrestet in whatever you are studying (watch veritasium, listen to podcasts about weird history facts)

notes are for you and you only; don't worry about them looking pretty. doodle on margins, make weird metaphors, squeeze in as much info as you can.

when you're studying, listen to music without words/in a language you don't understand.

chew gum while you study

get the forest app, get attached to the trees, focus.

don't feel guilty for taking breaks

grades aren't everything, but they are important.

eat something in school

don't just use the cheapest pens. invest a couple dollars in something that will make writing enjoyable and smooth

those study with me videos? they're great

if you like to argue with the teachers, take care of your grades becouse. they may not like you afterwards.

be nice to your classmates and help them with homework. if you don't do your homework they'll help you

executive dysfunction won't let you study? been there. sometimes it's better to wake up ealier tommorow and do that homework then.

don't feel guilty for failing a test

go to the goddamn class

don't pull all nighters oh my god don't especially on weekdays

6. OTHER LIFEHACKS

don't get involved in the crime, and if you do always have a believable explanation why you were doing it

have different alarm sounds for every day of the week

set a daily limit of money that you spend

great hobbies that don't require a lot of money; urban exploration, writing, hiking and learning other languages

thrift stores

don't eat grapefruits while on meds

nail polish removers dissolve most strong glues.

if you have a cut on your skin, desinfect it. do it. please just do it.

always have pads with you. even if you don't get periods, at least one of your friends probably does

#life hacks #life #not dying #staying alive #no one will see this #who cares though

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whiterosebrian · 3 years

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Letter To Democrats

I felt the need to do something besides raising awareness of environmental, indigenous, and socio-economic issues. I’ve decided to compose and then mail multiple printed copies of a letter to multiple politicians across the USA. I did wonder if I should copy-and-paste the letter to social media profiles like I did for the one that I wrote to President Biden. Ultimately, I decided that posting the letter would serve two purposes. First, I wanted to let indigenous activists know that they have another willing accomplice. Second, this could provide a decent template for anyone who also feels a need to write to political leaders and put pressure on them to take much-needed action. Without any further ado…

Greetings,

I am writing a generic letter to send to assorted politicians across the United States. For reasons that I will articulate over the course of this letter, I felt a serious need to address as many members of the American political leadership as possible. I do not intend to call you out personally. If you do take it as a personal callout, please consider why you feel that way.

The reports of wildfires, heat waves, and floods have filled many, many observers with existential terror. Some have even expressed utter despair over whether the world will be inhabitable by any form of life. At times I have been tempted to join the despair, to give up hope of ever leaving a beautiful legacy for future generations. For the sake of all the people of the world, I must fight that temptation. I need to do my part to fight for the future.

There are a large number of activists trying to protect the environment. However, they need help from people who have the power to make really concrete changes. That is why I am writing to you and other Democratic politicians. That does sound very partisan, but the sad fact is that the Republican party is almost a lost cause at this point. I wish to be proven wrong about that. The fact is that it already engaged in brutal obstruction during the Obama administration. A sinister side to the base already started emerging during that time as well. With the rise of Donald Trump, the much of its leadership and nearly all of its electoral base have become increasingly unwilling to offer the kind of compromise needed for a functional democracy.

The Democratic party as a whole has been criticized as very weak in opposing the radicalizing Republican Party. The current President has spoken of a desire for restoring national unity. That desire is certainly laudable in itself when Trump blatantly stoked resentment and division. Again, however, the Republican party and its core supporters have shown a complete unwillingness to work with any opponents in any way. They view their opponents as subversive enemies that need to be crushed underfoot. The Republican party has inched towards neo-fascism at a time when neo-fascism is mainstreaming around the world. The Republican party has also already been beholden to the selfish interests of major corporations for decades. It even seeks to magnify the already dire influence of corporations chiefly responsible for pollution. Its propaganda outlets outright deny pollution and mislead millions of people.

Some Democratic politicians have also been criticized as going along with corporate interests and watering down legislation meant to oppose corporate influence. By now it has become clear that corporate elites do not have the safety of the world and its human and nonhuman denizens in mind. By now it has become clear that they must be reined in for the greater good. The only language that major corporations even comprehend is money. Here I arrive at the first main point of this letter: I urge you to work with other Democratic leaders to divest from major corporations and their executives, especially those most directly responsible for polluting the Earth. I’ve also seen proposals that corporations be forced to contribute to removing as much pollution as possible. Quickening the transition away from fossil fuels is crucial.

However, alternate energy sources are not enough. Switching from gas-powered cars to electric cars is not enough. Building solar or wind farms in place of coal-burning power plants is not enough. Extraction and consumption cause their own serious problems. The problem of environmental degradation has roots that are far too deep and complicated to address here, though I will touch upon one later. Going hand-in-hand with corporate influence are the bad social and urban infrastructures that do not encourage sustainable lifestyles. I barely even know where to begin in this regard. Cities are too often built for cars and not people. Most people have to drive carbon-spewing cars to work at jobs that are not well-suited to their needs in order to pay their bills and feed their families. Too many people are left in poverty or near-poverty, some people are more-or-less isolated in suburbs, and a tiny handful are virtually untouchable in their wealth and privilege. Healthy food is not always accessible, and even when it is, it often has to be shipped very far from the source.

My second main point is this: in addition to transitioning to cleaner energy, the very infrastructure of our society needs to reformed. Local communities need to be lifted up so that they can better care for themselves without the need for distant figures constantly having to provide for them through convoluted supply chains. It’s true that right-wingers speak of “small government” with the unspoken agenda of leaving corporate oligarchs and ultra-conservative clergy to rule over ordinary human beings. Nonetheless, I believe that, at this point, government needs to assist in rebuilding communities so that they can eventually leave denizens to stand on their feet and care for each other. The pandemic, along with the poor responses of many local officials, has shown the need for communities to engage in mutual care.

I will confess that this exhortation is the vaguest one in this letter. I lack in-depth education on such matters. I bring it up in order to further nudge you in a direction that would be far better for the Earth and its people. I can offer one example of what must be done that is slightly clearer: helping communities establish gardens and small-scale farms to better feed themselves.

On a very important side note, this nation needs to divest from the military as well. The largest and most powerful military in history is known to be among the largest polluters on earth. Too many politicians seem to ignore how massive the military already is an insist on subsidizing it at the cost of actually building a peaceful and prosperous society.

I further wish to discuss the need to center indigenous peoples in renewing our society. No, I am no indigenous myself. I simply wish to point to their wisdom. Yes, the sagely magical Indian who is one with Mother Earth is a crude stereotype, and I have no intention of reinforcing it. With that said, I follow a number of indigenous writers, activists, spiritualists, and influencers on social media. I learned about how many indigenous people are attempting to reconnect to previously outlawed and hidden heritages. The stereotype could be rooted in reality.

In most cases, those heritages include animistic spiritualities, in which aspects of the natural world, from plants to animals to waters to stones, are seen as having spirits. Furthermore, these aspects of the natural world are seen as relatives to humans. I should note how some well-meaning white people, wishing to bond with the earth instead of submitting to organized religion, appropriate these indigenous spiritualties and associated practices. Indigenous writers will encourage such people to instead delve into their own pre-Christian heritages, which have similar animistic philosophies, however obscured by time they may be. I have actually been doing just that—though I won’t elaborate because I don’t want to center myself.

You may be asking, what is the relevance said common thread of the spiritualities of indigenous peoples? That animism seems to go hand-in-hand with methods of land care that developed over generations of trial and error, along with the principles behind those methods. With the subjugation and expulsion (and worse) of the land’s original caretakers, though, these practices fell into obscurity. The most dramatic example, perhaps, is the suppression of controlled burnings on the western coastline leading to the wildfires that we have seen in recent years. Indeed, the different lands of different indigenous nations need their own subtly distinct approaches, based on ecosystems, geographies, local histories, and general senses of place. Indigenous activists and figureheads are calling upon governments to heed their words on not only conservation but also regeneration.

One of the main demands that indigenous activists make is for the return of their lands, full sovereignty over them, and the facilitation of cultural revival. Yes, that is a very simple manner of justice and righting a historic wrong. It has become evident that their wisdom is a crucial piece of the puzzle of solving environmental problems as well. Simple “colorblind” or “globalized” liberalism won’t suffice when working for social or environmental justice. Indigenous activists argue that colonialism is at the root of so many of our world’s problems. Many of them even outright state that the “colonial state” in itself is a problem. I can see how colonialism has promoted the rise of an all-devouring capitalism and perpetuated it. The grim historical fact of how the enslavement of Black people and the elimination of indigenous peoples contributed to building this nation remains a grim historical fact.

I myself am figuring out the world and learning many truths, but I am sympathetic to people who have borne the brunt of colonialism. I welcome the humanistic achievements of modernity and utterly oppose fundamentalism and fascism, I assure you, but I’ve come to accept that the modern world is broken. Simple progress won’t heal the world. “Big government” certainly has a role to play in mobilizing the needed social changes, such as what I’ve alluded to above, but the “colonial state” needs to ultimately divest its own power.

I’ll try to summarize my points now. Major corporations and economic elites need to be drastically reined in and disempowered (along with the military). The transition to renewable energies needs to be quickened—but also needs to be accompanied by drastic changes to infrastructures and supply chains so as to result in less extraction and consumption. Localized communities need to be empowered so they can better care for themselves without much out faraway aid. Indigenous peoples need to be given their lands back, be elevated to leadership roles in caring for and regenerating said lands, and be empowered so they can rebuild their cultures. Settlers should learn from them as well. In the end, the state and the socio-economic system that it has upheld need to recede—not for billionaires or grand inquisitors or dictators, but for ordinary people and the earth. In truth, humans are meant to be a part of nature, and the generational challenge is for humanity to reconcile with the rest of nature.

This all may sound idealistic or radical. This past summer has shown us that we shouldn’t settle for anything less than radical social change. This nation, which has been a major world power for over a century, needs to be radically reimagined. This all may sound vague as well. I have little education in politics and governance apart from what I’ve tried to learn for myself across the internet. That is all the more reason for people like you—people with more real-world power than I—to push along radical social change. This letter is meant to raise awareness of your duty as a leader. A leader is meant to be a guide, not a dominator. There’s a chance that you could be recorded in history as a leader who did what was necessary to make the world’s healing and renewal possible.

Thank you.

You may call me Brian Solomon Whiterose.

#environment #environmentalism #indigenous rights #indigenous people #us politics #social justice #social reform #colonialism #capitalism #long text

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decodingellipses · 3 years

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Alexis Nikole, The TikTok Forager

This piece is part of the Person of Interest vertical at @bonappetit

Alexis Nikole considers her TikTok fame a fortuitous accident. She knew nothing about the platform until she started an account for her day job as a social media manager. But when the 28-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, began experimenting on her personal page during the pandemic, she got more than she bargained for. Specifically: over 600,000 enthusiastic followers and 10.3 million likes.

Since April of last year, Nikole’s now viral account has been showcasing her immeasurable knowledge of foraging and cooking with wild plants: a sorbet made out of Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) turned into lush salads, and common dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) battered and fried like fritters. She studied environmental science and theater at Ohio State University, and often combines her two passions on the platform—where you’ll find her singing original songs about cattails and sassafras.

By sharing excellent foraging tips laced with undiluted humor, Nikole’s intentions were for people to take agency over their meals and make the most of foods that were free and readily available all around; especially after COVID-19 hit American shores and shopping was anxiety inducing. During the early months of the pandemic, Nikole’s TikToks focused on how foraged goods could extend groceries and increase access to fresh ingredients, especially for those living in food deserts. This is precisely why Nikole’s videos are so grounding; in these times, it’s crucial to feel some sense of self-sufficiency and stability.

Amid global adversity, Nikole forages because it reminds her that she’s human—and humans, at their very core, are part of the ecosystem, no matter how much we distance ourselves from that truth. I called up Nikole to learn more about her foraging background, how she practices gratitude for what is all around, and why the world needs more hyper-localized food systems.

Foraging makes me feel I am a part of something bigger… and that feeling is really good at chasing the depression away. Typically I go out between two to five times a week on average. In the dead of winter, I might only go once, and during the dog days of summer, I’m in the woods and nearby parks every single day. I’ll jam to ’80s funk the entire walk to the creek, but the earbuds go away when I get there. I want to hear everything—the crunching leaves under my feet, the babbling brook, and people conversing and laughing in the distance.

I used to dream of being a pop star… by night and a scientist by day. I’ve been surrounded by music for a long time. I was three when I joined the childrens’ choir at my dad’s Baptist church, I started classical piano at age five, I was in choir every year through junior high and high school, I performed a cappella in high school, and was on the e-board of ukulele club in college. I was never a prodigy, but music brings me so much joy, so I love being able to sneak that into my TikTok videos.

The best meal I’ve made using a foraged ingredient is probably… chicken-of-the-woods mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) “crab cakes” and an American sea rocket (Cakile edentula) and steamed beach pea (Lathyrus japonicus) salad tossed in olive oil infused with goldenrod (Solidago). Very gourmet!

My curiosity for the outdoors… was nurtured from a very young age by my parents. My two sets of grandparents knew that scouting was good for building connections and recognized the importance of getting outside, and thus got my parents into it early. My mom scouted longer than my dad did and went to sleepaway camp in New Hampshire in the summertime. Eventually, while working at Procter & Gamble, she gardened on the weekends to decompress. I would help her, spreading mulch or digging into the earth with a tiny trowel while she quizzed me on the plants. Unbeknownst to my mom, I was picking up a lot of information. From there it grew into a love of all things growing plants outdoors.

You don't have to go full forager… to reduce your environmental impact. Over the past few decades society has trended away from a localized food system, toward a global one. On the upside, it’s much easier to find ingredients like star anise at the grocery store. However, access to tomatoes year-round means they’ve got a higher carbon footprint because they traveled thousands of miles to get to your plate. Even shopping at your local farmstand helps with lowering your carbon footprint; it’s also a little easier than identifying a plant and bringing it home to eat.

Everyone was afraid of going to the grocery store… when I started my TikTok foraging videos in April 2020. So I thought: Hey! Here are a few plants that are really common and probably growing in your neighborhood that you can gather, and maybe that’ll stretch your groceries a bit.

Poor and POC communities are hit hardest… when major disasters hit. We saw the same thing playing out in Texas with the massive winter storm. So I offer my knowledge to help someone who needs to get some fresh food on their plate.

As a Black, queer female forager on the internet… I’m not the person people expect to see excited about foraging, the outdoors, biology, botany, and history. I have delightful forager friends who are white, and I notice they don’t get questioned nearly as much as I do. That’s heartbreaking. When my dad learned that my account becoming viral also meant me becoming susceptible to online harassment, he got angry and told me, “I’ve been alive for 65 years. It doesn’t feel good that you’re still called into question because of who you are.”

Though, it all feels worth it when… a follower sends me a thank-you message saying, “Because of you, while I was out walking I recognized this plant and it made me feel like my neighborhood was a cooler and happier place.” To be less unacquainted with plants or more connected to surroundings because of me is a huge win. We take better care of the things we know.

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lalainajanes · 3 years

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For “neighborhood block party” on my bingo card! This one takes place in the same universe as Sweet As (quirky supernatural small town fic in which Caroline’s a dryad who owns a bakery and Klaus is the leader of the local werewolf pack and mates are a thing ;) ) though it’s more of a prequel.

The Fall Festival

Before he’d met Caroline, Klaus’ mornings had fallen into a predictable pattern.

He would wake up at the same time, wander into his kitchen to find a full pot of coffee and a pack member or two. Occasionally, there was an emergency. Sometimes there was an issue where his opinion was wanted. Most often, his visitors would come with a problem that could have been solved without Klaus’ input, though he’d never complained.

Klaus had been an outsider once, had become pack leader when the father he’d never known had died, and Marcel had shown up at his door in Chicago. At the time, Klaus had resented the disruption to his life.

Now, he doesn’t understand how he’d survived so long, locking himself in a cage every month.

His mother had explained his parentage when he’d turned twelve, and it had been revelatory, explained why he’d always struggled to wield even a hint of the power that came naturally to his siblings. Esther had told him what to expect, that he’d be dangerous, but she’d refused to tell Klaus anything about the man who’d passed him the werewolf genes, hadn’t even supplied a name.

The rift in their relationship had begun there, had only widened since. When Klaus had chosen to accept his birthright, he’d ensured he’d never be welcome in the home he’d grown up in. He’d never regretted it.

Most of his siblings happily defy their parents to visit, and the pack had become another sort of family.

Three months after Caroline had opened her shop, Klaus had trekked out into the forest to deal with one of the rare emergencies. A scent had been picked up on a security run two days prior, of a young, unfamiliar wolf.

A wolf who proved to have a gift for hiding.

Klaus and his inner circle had been trying to track the interloper, had to find them before the next full moon. His pack had long-standing agreements with the humans and the various local supernatural sects. A young wolf could have jeopardized the easy peace the town enjoyed without meaning to. Klaus and his pack would have had to pay the price.

Young wolves could not always assert human will over animal instincts, which could be deadly if any prey crossed their paths.

And to a werewolf, just about anyone can be prey.

That morning Klaus had decided to head west to an area of that woods that was dense with trees and wildlife. His pack usually leaves it be, understanding that there would be objections if they were to start messing with the local ecosystems. Besides, it offers little opportunity to run, something a werewolf is always eager to do when given a chance.

He’d been moving slowly and silently, examining the ground for prints that looked similar to the ones they believe belong to the young wolf. He’d frequently paused to see if he could pick up a scent, but he’d grown distracted.

Klaus had come across a grove of trees emanating a strange warmth. Curious, he’d rested his hand on the trunk of one.

Only to have the rough bark shiver under his touch and melt away, growing soft and smooth and scented of cherries and spice rather than earth.

He’d snatched his hand back and turned away as soon as he’d realized what was happening, had awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, and wondered if it would be cowardly to flee. He’d heard rustling, soft footsteps, the glide of fabric over skin. Then a woman’s voice, dripping with amusement, “You can turn around now. I’m dressed.”

Klaus had turned slowly. “My apologies. I was unaware I was trespassing.” He’d averted his eyes, realizing that “dressed” wasn’t entirely accurate. The woman had only slipped on a robe, a pale green confection of a garment made from silk and lace, loosely belted and short. He’d looked closely enough to realize she was gorgeous, with a riotous mess of blonde curls framing a flushed face and friendly, curious blue eyes.

His body had reacted, and Klaus had forced himself to begin breathing through his mouth. Her scent had clouded his thoughts, tempted him to step closer.

He hadn’t understood what was happening, why he was reacting so strongly to a stranger.

Klaus might have grown particular about who he invited into his bed, but he was hardly inexperienced or prone to awkwardness in the presence of beautiful women.

He’d gone a little wild when he’d become pack leader five years ago, had freely partaken in pleasure just about any time it was offered. Offers were still coming, but Klaus had largely lost interest, leery of complications that could occur with attachments. At the time, he’d only occasionally indulged when an alluring visitor caught his eyes.

Which hadn’t happened in months.

Why was this woman, not even a wolf, so very compelling?

When he’d clasped his hands behind his back and carefully fixed his attention to just above her forehead, she’d made a noise, an aborted laugh. “Wow, never met a shy werewolf before. You guys are usually super quick to get naked.”

Klaus’ eyes had swung to hers, shocked and a touch suspicious, “How do you know I’m a werewolf?”

Her head had tilted towards the trees, “It’s hard to explain. When I’m in that form, connected to the ground, there’s a heightened amount of intuition. Most supernatural beings pull power from some variety of natural elements, and I can usually tell which one, feel the energy.”

“You’re a dryad,” he’d said slowly. He’d remembered reading about them as a child, in one of his mother’s books. An old, thick tome, with tiny print, that detailed the origin stories of all the known species that walked the earth. He hadn’t recalled much more than the basics, had made a mental note to check if the library in his home had a similar volume.

“Guilty,” she’d chirped. She’d held out her hand, “Caroline Forbes. I bought the bakery in town a couple of months ago. You should stop by sometime.”

He’d shaken her hand, that contact enough to ensure Caroline would never stray from Klaus’ thoughts for long.

That brief brush of her skin on his had spurred a change in Klaus’ morning pattern.

He’d visited Caroline’s bakery the next day. Had rolled out of bed, earlier than he had since he’d been obligated to attend morning meetings, and driven to town. Caroline’s business had been easy to spot, featuring a cheerful striped awning in the same shade of green of the robe Klaus had spent far too many minutes contemplating.

He’d slid into a booth shortly after Caroline had opened up. She’d noticed him, appeared pleased to see him and wiggled her fingers in greeting.

And thus began a new routine.

* * * * *

Caroline smiles at Klaus as soon as he arrives. His face immediately grows suspicious.

Oops. She might have overdone it. Klaus is weirdly adept at spotting ulterior motives, and Caroline needs a teeny, tiny favor.

Which is not to say that she doesn’t look forward to his morning visits. More often than not, they’re the highlight of her day. She happens to have gotten a delivery late yesterday afternoon, one that’s essential to pulling off something she’s been working on for ages, so she’s particularly excited about it. She needs to borrow Klaus’ artistic skills to realize her vision.

That she’ll get to spend a little extra time with him is just a bonus.

He walks up to the counter and leans against it. “You look like you’re plotting something.”

She tilts her head to the side, uses her sweetest tone, “Don’t you think it’s a little early to be accusing me of such a thing?”

She spots the twitch at the corner of his mouth though he maintains an impressively deadpan expression. “Honestly, I suspect you’re usually plotting something.”

Caroline had to give him that one, “Okay, true. I might need a hand from someone who’s more artistically inclined than I am. AKA you.”

“What can I do for you?”

She smiles again, kind of glad that there’s a counter between them because Klaus’ lack of hesitation has her feeling all sorts of fuzzy things, and she very well might have thrown herself at him.

Which is not a thing that they do, though she’s hoping that changes at some point.

“I bought some lights and paint for the window. I splurged on it because it’s supposed to be really pretty, kind of sheer, and shimmery. I was hoping to paint some leaves and vines around the borders of the window, but my test runs were… subpar.”

“Still a bit upset about the Summer Solstice party then?”

Caroline glares without any real ire, “Shh. You know that’s a sore subject!”

She’d been woefully unprepared for just how serious the town took its celebrations. The Summer Solstice had been her first one. She’d nailed the food, had baked up tiny, fluffy meringues, served them with a vanilla peach compote, topped with fresh whipped cream and toasted almonds. Everyone had raved about them. But a few people – mostly the members of the town council who are generally unpleasant and excessively gossipy, in Caroline’s not at all biased opinion – had made snide remarks about her lack of decorations.

She’d been mortified even though it totally hadn’t been her fault. She’d miscalculated, not yet grasping just freaking slow the mail was. She’d had a ton of fresh flowers, but the paper lanterns and candy-colored trays and linens she’d ordered had arrived two days too late.

Caroline’s determined to do better this time and prove that party planning is her super-power, damn it.

Klaus is shrugging out of his jacket, “Show me to the supplies, love.”

“You’re the best!” she exclaims, reaching over to flip up the top of the counter. “Come on, it’s all in my office. Along with my very bad diagrams but feel free only to use them as a guideline. Far be it for little ‘ol me to tell a professional artiste what to paint.”

“Willing to cede control?” he teases. “Shocking.”

Caroline shrugs, “Guess I must trust you.”

Whoops. Caroline means it, but it’s a weighty thing to say.

Klaus has stepped passed the counter, bent to stash his jacket underneath. He freezes, head bowing before he up back at her. “I’m pleased to hear that,” he replies.

Caroline’s teeth sink into her lower lip, and she glances around. A few people are watching her curiously and, though she hates it, she knows now is not the time to dig into anything serious.

Though she’s not sure how much longer she’ll be able to resist.

Caroline clears her throat, heading to her office. She unlocks the door, stepping back to gesture Klaus go in first. She turns around to check that April’s come out from the kitchen, motions that she’ll be back out in ten, and then she joins Klaus.

He’s eyeing the sofa, “How often do you sleep here, sweetheart?”

“How do you… oh, right. Werewolf.”

Caroline’s pretty careful not to think about Klaus’ senses. Intellectually she knows he can probably sniff out all sorts of secrets, that the way she reacts to him is entirely unsubtle. She lives in purposeful denial to avoid melting into a puddle of mortification.

“Rarely. I did it a lot when I was scrambling to get this place opened. Now it’s pretty much just the night of the full moon, or the odd day when there’s a big complicated order.”

“Why the full moon?”

Caroline snorts, “Has it escaped your notice that you guys pack away a ton of food after the full moon? It’s my most profitable day of the month.”

She leans down and hefts the box of paint. Klaus steps forward, “Here, let me.”

Caroline lets him take it off her hands, “You know I’m probably at least as strong as you are, right?”

“I had read that, yes.” His eyes flit over her speculatively, and not for the first time in his presence, she thinks about how nice it would be if telepathy were in her bag of tricks. She knows what she hopes he’s thinking. Caroline’s been spinning fantasies that run the gamut from sweet and sensual to hot and frantic since Klaus first wandered into her grove. She’s pretty confident her interest is reciprocated, but he gives her mixed signals.

Caroline’s naturally tactile. She tends to crank that up when she’s in flirt mode. Klaus is careful to stay at a polite distance. He doesn’t cringe when she touches him, but he doesn’t touch her back either.

It’s confusing.

Caroline had gotten tipsy and whiny about the situation last weekend at the bar. Bonnie had been sympathetic and knowing, refused to spill what she clearly knew. Bonnie had only said, in that infuriatingly cryptic way witches have, that Caroline would figure it out when the time was right.

She and Bonnie haven’t known each other long, but Caroline had sensed she wouldn’t budge. She’d pouted until Enzo had arrived with shots.

Things had gotten a little hazy after that.

“Ah, so you’re just gentlemanly?” Caroline teases, watching as Klaus sets the box on her desk. He’s focused on it, so she takes the opportunity to ogle a little. His grey t-shirt is thin and snug. She’s going to be thinking about the way his muscles shift underneath it when she’s alone.

“Something like that.”

“Well, never let it be said that Caroline Forbes doesn’t pay her debts. I’ll save you a bunch of the desserts I’m making for the festival. I’ve perfected them over the last few days – pumpkin with pecan crumble, a delicious marriage of the best fall pies.”

He shakes his head, a laugh rumbling from low in his throat. “Sounds delicious. Perhaps you’ll save me a dance? There’s always a bonfire once the shops close down.”

Huh. That seems like an unmistakable signal. One Caroline hadn’t expected.

She swallows her initial instinct, the urge to joke about how Klaus must have decided she doesn’t have cooties after all. Caroline licks her lips, wonders if he can hear that her heartbeat has quickened. “I’ll make sure my dance card has a spot for you.”

* * * * *

Klaus finds Marcel in the living room when he comes downstairs on the night of the fall festival. He stops short, dread growing in his stomach. He’d spoken to Marcel earlier, and he hadn’t mentioned stopping by. “What happened?”

Marcel’s eyes narrow, “Is that a new sweater?”

Klaus doesn’t understand how that’s relevant to Marcel’s presence in his home.

He lifts his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question. Marcel grins, “Alright, not in a talkative mood. Heard. No disaster, don’t worry. I added an extra few cases of wine to the regular order last month, remember? Just here to grab them for the festival.”

Right. The pack operates several businesses but nothing with a storefront in town. On festival nights, the shops on Main Street decorate and offer free food or small gifts to anyone who wanders in. The town council covers the food available in the square, and Klaus’ pack supplies a significant portion of the booze (only fair since Klaus is quite sure they partake more than most). For this one, if he remembers correctly, they’re providing mulled wine and spiked hot chocolate while Enzo’s bar will set up kegs.

Klaus nods, relaxing. He glances at the clock on the wall. “I trust you can handle the delivery yourself?”

“Why, got a hot date? I don’t remember you ever doing much more than making an appearance at one of these things. This eagerness to arrive early is interesting.”

Marcel sounds far too knowing. To an extent, as the pack’s second in command, it’s his job to know Klaus’ business. He suspects what Caroline means to Klaus, that his wolf has chosen her, but Klaus has never confirmed it.

He’s been resisting the pull, exerting iron control over his instincts, maintaining a careful amount of distance even when he ached to return her affectionate overtures. And it’s not because he doesn’t want her, but because the bond is permanent. Unbreakable, once it’s solidified.

Klaus’ path is set. Caroline’s not bound by the same magic, not unless she wants to be.

“Obviously, you have this under control,” Klaus says, spinning on his heel. “Lock the door when you leave.”

Marcel’s laughter follows him out of the house.

* * * * *

Caroline’s nervous. More nervous than she’s ever been before a date, and it’s not even a date. She’d selected her outfit carefully. Her cream sweater dress has a wide neckline that’s prone to slipping off her shoulders. She’d selected dark tights for underneath and thigh-high boots, which are saved from being too risqué for a family-friendly event by their minimal heel.

She’s been getting compliments all evening, had smiled politely. She’d picked the outfit with one person in mind.

At nine, Caroline locks up, rushing into her office to let her hair down and touch up her makeup. A tap on the window comes at 9:06. She tucks a curl behind her ear, takes a deep breath, “You are not fifteen. Get it together,” she mutters to herself before she flicks off the lights.

She waves at Klaus through the window, grabs the small box where she’d packed up the portion of tartlets she’d saved for him and her keys.

Main Street is brighter than usual, street lamps lit and wrapped with strands of tiny white lights. Caroline steps outside, her eyes running over Klaus. He’s changed since this morning into darker jeans and a navy sweater. Is it a date outfit? She kinda thinks so.

“Hi,” Caroline says, impressed it’s not a squeak. She doesn’t trust herself to open with a compliment about how he looks – her brain-to-mouth filter is unreliable even when she’s calm, cool, and collected. Instead, she gestures to the windows, “Your paintings were a hit.”

Klaus doesn’t seem to hear her. He swallows heavily. “You look…” he trails off, but Caroline’s not an idiot. She knows exactly what the tiny ring of gold around his irises means.

Caroline’s grateful for the confirmation that her attraction isn’t at all one-sided. Her cheeks heat, “What, this old thing?”

He reaches for her, and Caroline’s heart stutters, mouth going dry. It’s the first time Klaus has made any sort of move, and it feels like the start of something she’ll want to remember.

Though she’s not capable of explaining that certainty at the moment. Caroline can’t claim to have a quiet mind, she’s capable of laser focus, but there’s usually a whole list of thoughts and questions in the background, each clamoring for attention.

Right now, there’s only Klaus and the shrinking distance between their bodies.

His palm lands on her upper arm, warm even through her sweater. His fingers tighten, skimming down, lingering when they meet the bare skin of her wrist before his palm meets hers.

She exhales shakily, returning the pressure. Caroline sways forward until her knees brush Klaus’, and his free hand clasps hers. He leans forward, and the hint of stubble on his face rasps against her cheek. “You are overwhelmingly lovely,” he murmurs, mouth brushing her temple.

Caroline’s lips part, and she’s seconds away from turning her head and rising to her toes when Klaus takes a half step away. He pivots until they stand shoulder to shoulder. He keeps one of her hands, and Caroline follows his lead when he begins to walk towards the town’s center.

She barely registers her surroundings, couldn’t name any of the people they pass or describe the decorations. She only feels Klaus’ hand, the solid strength of him next to her, is only aware of the addictive mix of comfort and anticipation fizzing through her veins.

He pulls her into his arms when they reach the makeshift dancefloor next to the bonfire.

It doesn’t feel like a first dance.

There’s no awkward shuffling or hesitant hand placement. Klaus’ grip on her changes, fingers threading between hers, and he wraps his arm around her waist. Caroline’s body melts into Klaus’, her hand rising to rest against his chest. She shivers when his head dips, his breath skimming across her bare shoulder.

There’s music, but it’s not important. She and Klaus move together seamlessly, closer than they probably should be in public, lost in their own world.

No one dares to disturb them.

#klaroline #klarosummerbingo #klaroline fanfiction

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