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help-the-horse · 2 months

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Future Planets

AO3 Link Summary: Ashley invites Reggie to poker night and drinks with her and Kaidan. The night takes an unexpected turn for Shepard. Pairing: Kaidan Alenko/Regina Shepard/Ashley Williams Words: 3,386

The night still felt young, but that didn’t quite work properly when you were perpetually surrounded by the stars and darkness. It was actually rather late relative to Galactic Standard time, but it was a travel day so the crew had time to spend. Reggie found herself down in the lower deck, crossing from the elevator to Ashley’s workstation.

“Could you check my rifle when you get done with that one?” Reggie nodded at the partially assembled firearm on the workbench in front of Ashley. The question came out a bit harsh maybe, but she had noticed her aim was terribly off on Therum and the poor performance of her gun reflected badly on her.

“Anything in particular wrong, Commander?” Ashley looked up from her work, her hands covered in grease. The thought of those hands staining her uniform made Reggie clear her throat to wrangle in her thinking.

“The aim was off. I checked the scope three times, but I couldn’t seem to adjust it proper. I figured it was something you could figure out easier than me.” The corners of Ashley’s lips pulled up slightly. Reggie felt frustration and embarrassment threaten to bubble up, a defense or perhaps a ‘never mind’ in the back of her throat.

“That model tends to have issues like that.” Ashley’s smile grew, her eyes going back to the workbench. “I can fix it no problem, Skipper.” Reggie felt the agitation simmer down. She was used to people thinking she was weak for not doing everything herself. Relying on someone was a dangerous thing, she could fix her own damn guns if she wanted to. But somehow, she thought making Ashley feel useful was to everyone’s benefit. And it was nice not to have to do something she was never very good at.

“Something else I can do for you?” Ashley’s question made Reggie realize she was standing there for perhaps a second too long.

“We never got to share that drink you talked about.” The words felt dangerous, too friendly. It was true, but it wasn’t even something that had been at the forefront of her mind. She figured Ashley had celebrated her holiday alone already, and she had expressed her feelings of not wanting to share with the crew.

“Me and the Lieutenant were actually talking about a game of cards and some drinks around twelve hundred,” Ashley seemed easy with her response, continuing her work as she spoke. “You should join us.”

“Are you sure getting drunk with your superior officer is a good idea?” Reggie could feel her eyebrows furrowing with confusion, crossing her arms in front of herself.

“Off the record then, Commander.” Ashley shook her head with the smile still on her lips. It wasn’t mocking or joking, simply amused. Reggie checked the clock across the deck, catching Garrus turning his head back to his terminal next to the MAKO.

“Meeting in the Mess?” Reggie glanced back to see Ashley’s eyes looking up from the side of her lashes.

“See you there.” She looked back down to her work.

The thought that Reggie had been awake too long crossed her mind. She had maybe a few more drinks than she had rationed for herself at the start of the night, and it seemed her crew mates had too. If the way Ashley and Kaidan were genuinely laughing at some joke she hadn’t heard was any indicator, they were all a little past tipsy.

“How do you ever get drunk on those things?” the thought came out Reggie’s mouth, perhaps despite better judgment. She tried to remind herself they were off the clock, off the record. Being casual still felt strange.

“I try not to build a tolerance I guess.” Kaidan shrugged, taking another drink from a green bottle of beer. Something that reminded Reggie of Earth, something he must have gotten on the last trip to the Citadel. “L2’s actually get drunk easier than L3’s. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t take almost double the drinks though.” Kaidan put his glass down a bit harder than it seemed he intended to.

“And that’s why you keep stealing from my bottle, Alenko.” Ashley grabbed her liquor of choice and set it to her other side, where Reggie could still reach it but Kaidan had to extend his entire arm now to do so.

“Yeah, and to try and see where you’re hiding your cards.” Kaidan grabbed the deck from in front of Ashley. “I’ll deal this time, thank you.” He started to shuffle the cards thoroughly. The three had been playing poker, not placing bets despite Reggie’s protests. She argued there was no fun when there weren’t any stakes. Ashley and Kaidan argued she had not just Alliance, but also Council credits in her account. She had lost the argument pretty quickly. Ashley had been winning every few games, with Kaidan following her. Reggie had never been very good at poker, she always preferred to play betting games that involved more knives and guns than cards and chance. She had to admit she was a lot less on edge playing this kind of betting.

“Check.” Reggie hesitated for a moment. They had three cards on the table and Ashley had raised the bet. Reggie had a pair of 2’s. It wasn’t a lot but it was something she was ready to hold fast on, she was tired of folding for the last few rounds, her confidence lost after losing so many times.

“Check.” Kaidan said smoothly. The way Kaidan and Ashley watched each other, Reggie felt like there was an extra layer to the game they understood more than she did. It was frustrating. Ashley raised the bet again.

“Fold.” Reggie threw her cards onto the table, keeping them face down, frowning and grabbing another long drink from the bottle her and Ashley shared. Kaidan seemed to break first, him and Ashley sharing wicked grins across the table. Ashley soon started chuckling along with him. There was some joke Shepard didn’t understand.

“What?” She accused the two as she put the bottle down.

“Nothing it’s just…” Kaidan trailed off with a small cough when Reggie shot him a glare.

“You’re just really bad at poker.” Ashley ran her fingers through her hair, which she had taken out of her military bun at some point to put it in a low ponytail, staring at her ends to avoid Reggie’s focus. “You have an awful poker face.”

“I do not!” Reggie couldn’t help but get defensive. “How many times have you seen me quick draw without a single tell?”

“That’s different.” Kaidan swallowed his drink. “You’re really quite obvious off the battlefield.”

“So what, you’re saying I have a tell?” Now Reggie could feel her ears getting hot, not just from the alcohol. She felt there was subtext to Kaidan’s words, a subtext she didn’t quite want to address. She had always hoped that her lingering glances and personal questions could be ignored or written off as polite or obligatory.

“A tell?” Ashley raised an eyebrow with a smile. Kaidan stifled a laugh. Reggie put her hands on the table and moved to stand up.

“Hey c’mon now.” Kaidan grabbed at her wrist, holding her hand in place. The motion made her tense, looking at the point of contact, staying on her feet. The moment felt like it lasted too long, uninterrupted, anything but casual.

“I don’t appreciate being teased and laughed at, Alenko.” Reggie moved to sit quickly, Kaidan’s hand remaining as a cuff keeping her chained to the table, and the cards, and the drinks.

“I thought you two were on a first name basis already?” Ashley gave an expression of fake surprise, shuffling the cards on the table idly, ignoring the absolute disbelief on Shepard’s face. She might have been a bit casual in conversation sometimes, but she thought it was always seen as innocent. Her thoughts flashed back to her conversations with the both of them over the last few days, talking about personal history and then about Liara, the Asari that had managed to converse her way into a position on board. The way they both talked about rumors, whisperings on the lower decks. About how Liara might be interested in Shepard, how rumor was Kaidan was already sweet on someone, how Ashley had said she didn’t have anyone special other than her family, how she wasn't interested in Alenko.

“I’m not allowed to be casual with my crew?” Reggie could still back out of this one.

“That’s not what I said.” Ashley looked across the table at Reggie, comfortable and casual and powerful and in control from her chair. Her eyes were darker in the dim, orange tinted lighting of the mess hall.

“What are you saying then, Williams?” Reggie couldn’t help but be aware of how hot Kaidan’s hand was still around her wrist. Maybe she couldn’t intimidate her way out of this one.

“So you really wouldn’t kiss either of us?” Kaidan’s question gave her whiplash. She was truly cornered after that move. Her entire face heated rapidly, all her intrusive fantasies bubbling in her mind. Her heart rate quickened as Kaidan dropped his hand to the top of her thigh, leaning nearly halfway out of his chair to fill the space between them. Reggie felt all too exposed, unsure how to respond to such a forward action from him.

“I told you.” Ashley’s voice snapped the tension, her bottle sliding across the table to Kaidan. He gave a big huff, rolling his eyes as he activated his omnitool.

“What the fuck was that?” Reggie couldn’t decide which one to train her irritation to, her hands motioning in a sense of disbelief.

“We had a bet.” Kaidan shook his head as he pressed a few buttons before shutting the device off again. Ashley had a look of satisfaction, and then mischief, cross her face as she read a notification on her ‘tool.

“Care to double or nothing?” Her question was full of daring, her expression straight and jaw held. The challenge was clearly directed at Kaidan, completely ignoring Shepard’s loud outburst interrupting her question.

“How in the hell are we supposed to do that?” Kaidan didn’t lose a beat, the supposed absurdity of the question making him wave a hand as his arms crossed over his chest and he sat back in his chair, cross legged.

“Well discussing the rules ruins the fun, double or nothing?” Ashley repeated the question.

“That’s enough!” Reggie stood roughly, her chair pushing out from under her. “I’m tired of being left in the dark, and you two have been doing it all night!” Kaidan and Ashley were both focused on her now, the playful tone between the two falling flat over the table. Reggie felt she was using the wrong words somehow, that she couldn’t get the tone of her voice quite right for what she wanted to convey. She always sounded too harsh. “I won’t be left out of, or be the subject of, this joke you two have going on!”

Kaidan and Ashley shared a relatively somber look between the two. They seemed to agree on something.

“Look, Commander-” Kaidan started, cut off by Ashley standing from her side of the table. She took a few steps around the edge quickly, determined the way she was when Shepard gave her an order on the field. Every movement she did, from standing in front of Shepard, to her hands slipping around her waist, to the way her lips moved, was deliberate and confident. It was the way Reggie moved when she knew she was doing the right thing, orders be damned. It was everything that always took her breath away when she saw Ashley in combat, when they had a moment to breathe. The kiss was a culmination of all the boldness Ashley could be capable of, motivated tooth and nail to fight for what she wanted and what she felt was right.

Ashley took a single step back, her hands at her sides, almost like she was at attention, ready to salute. Shepard drew her body straight, pulling her arms away. She had nearly bent Ashley in half, off balance.

Kaidan rose to his feet now, Ashley quickly sidestepping out of his way. Shepard stepped back when he touched her, and he waited. Shepard was feeling too much too fast, she could feel the growing panic and overwhelm starting to shut her down.

“Hey,” His voice was gentle, graceful even. No judgment between the words, no fake niceties. “We should have probably talked about this sooner.” He was just true, understanding.

“Talking is what made it go on so long.” Ashley reached around Kaidan to grab the empty bottles, nearly hugging him around the waist. The sight felt uncomfortably intimate to Reggie, despite the fact her and Ashley had shared a near make out in all the same company. Kaidan shot her a hard look as she walked away to the trash.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t still have things to talk about.” He seemed almost scolding. He turned his attention back to Reggie. She was still wary, but she had started to process some of the pieces together. She should keep her defenses down this time, she needed to be able to trust Kaidan, and Ashley. A fearful part of her realized she already trusted them both far more than most. He took a step to close some of the distance between himself and Reggie.

She thought about all the things she could be saying right now, all the threats she could think of to make this stop, all the reasons she didn’t want to say any of them. He could meet her where she was at. She didn’t have to prove something to him, or for him. He wasn’t here for a fight, he was here for a discussion. A true two way dialogue. He would be understanding of any reply, or none at all. She could be honest.

“I don’t know.” Shepard stepped forward, allowing herself to be pulled into a loose hug, her forehead against his chest. “I don’t know what we’re even discussing here.”

“Trust me, I wasn’t keen on the idea at first either.” Kaidan sat back down, tension in his shoulders now. “Me and Ashley had a few long conversations. I wouldn’t say all of them were pleasant.”

“So you were talking behind my back?” Shepard crossed her arms over her chest, hostility coming back to her defense. “I don’t appreciate secrets within my ranks.” Shepard shared her sharp look between Kaidan and Ashley, who had taken her seat back across the table. “From anyone.”

“And neither do I.” The agitation in Kaidan’s voice took Reggie off guard, catching her attention. “So that’s why I talked to Williams. That’s why I thought we should all talk together. It just hasn’t gone how I expected it to.”

“And how did you expect it to go, Alenko?” Ashley frowned.

“I don’t know!” Kaidan let out an aggravated sigh and threw his hands up. “Look, I’m not fighting over this.” “You’re not fighting over me, you mean?” Shepard cut him off. That made him stop short. “And don’t you two start looking to each other for answers either!” Reggie put her hand down on the table harder than she had intended. She hated the way they seemed to be able to talk just through looking at each other. “You decide to start what, fighting for my affection? Without even considering how I would feel, without even stopping to consider the fact maybe I don’t want to be in a relationship with anyone?” She felt a stab of guilt at the way Kaidan’s face fell, the way Ashley brought her knees up to her chest in her chair. She felt guilty for telling a lie, even though she had told many. “We have enough to worry about just chasing after a rogue Specter, let alone-” “And that’s the problem!” Ashley spit out the words. “You’re so focused on this damn mission,” She pointed a finger at Kaidan now. “And you’re too focused on breaking the rules, to realize maybe this is what we need.” She was starting to get fired up now. “You’re too focused on not upsetting the brass, and you’re too damn caught up in being the hero to let yourself have something nice for once!” She swallowed hard, her frustration becoming embarrassment, if her red ears and cheeks were anything to go by. “Commander.” She cast her eyes down to the face up cards on the table.

“Look,” Kaidan rubbed his eyes, hiding his face behind his hands. “I don’t care what you two decide, I can get over it.” “Don’t be getting up on your high horse too now,” Ashley glared at him, even if he couldn’t see. “We talked about this. That’s why we’re here in the first place. You said yourself that all you wanted was honesty, and now is the time for it.”

“You’re right.” Kaidan resigned himself. Shepard made a note to ask about these supposed previous conversations. “Look, Shepard, me and Ashley are close but we have no interest in each other.”

“You’ve made that clear.” Reggie was still standing, now with her arms back across her chest, her hip against the table. She remembered how Ashley had scoffed at the suggestion of her and Kaidan when Shepard had brought it up. Now she wondered if she had missed some context to that conversation too.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t think any of us do.” Kaidan continued. “And that makes me nervous. But,” he raised a hand as Ashley opened her mouth to say something. “There’s a first time for everything. If you don’t want to be in a relationship with either of us, fine, that’s understandable. We go back to the mission, we stay civil, we do our duty.” His brown eyes looked dark in the dull orange lighting of the overhead terminals, boring holes up into Shepard. “But I’m willing to try. And so is Ashley. And I think you should too.”

The air felt heavy for a long moment, the focus turned on Shepard. She never liked being the center of attention, it usually meant something bad for her. It meant she had visions in her head, it meant she was getting an award she didn’t deserve, she was facing an interrogation for a crime she didn’t commit. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew this focus was different. This focus was asking, not accusatory.

“Off the record, permission to speak candidly?” Reggie worked to keep her voice monotone. The quizzical looks from both of her companions made the corners of her lips twitch. “You’re saying I get to not only have one, but two of the best soldiers in the Alliance fleet as my date next shore leave?”

“If it works out, I guess so.” Kaidan tried to shrug casually, but the smile was evident in his voice as he rubbed his jaw.

“Too bad we didn’t do double or nothing.” Ashley spoke from her seat, putting the deck of cards back into the box. “Although I guess it was more of a draw.”

“You would have lost, Williams!” Kaidan shot back, that same amusement coming back from when they discussed raising the stakes.

“What the fuck was the bet?” Reggie sat down and slumped, she had missed out on a good high stakes bet.

“Who could get you to make the biggest tell.” Ashley shrugged. “And I would have won.” She hit the edge of the table softly, playfully frustrated with herself.

“No, I proved it was a tell.” Kaidan countered. Shepard was out of the loop again, even in the middle of the explanation. Ashley opened her mouth, then closed it with a look of thought. “You know I’m right.” Kaidan threw his hands up with a surprisingly mischievous smile.

“If I fucking give both of you the full amount for the bet, would you please shut the fuck up?” Shepard rubbed her hands over her eyes. Her headache was already threatening to start if she had to be angry at both of them any longer. Kaidan and Ashley laughed, but this time Reggie felt she could laugh with them.

#mass effect #regina shepard #ashley williams #kaidan alenko #fanfic #helpthehorse writes

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k25ff · 1 year

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Strange and Ancient Times

Let us peruse the history of the universe, and the ages therein.

False Age: The illusion of a time period, a reflection of the first age on the event horizon created by the start of linear time. Events and artifacts that purport to be from this age are either misplaced, fabricated, or somehow created in the moment of observation, forming at the moment of discovery.

Dawn Age: Linear time begins. Claims are made by antechrons that it’ll never catch on. Other claims are made by prescriptivites that, since there’s no actual sun, it’s a misnomer to call it the ‘Dawn’ age. These complaints are ignored.

Age of Vapours: Sudden and catastrophic catalysis of plausibility causes a reality-wide state change from numinous abstraction and theoretical forms to concrete and embodied straction. Mostly unrecognisable straction, to a modern viewer, since everything looks a bit like weird colourful gases full of symbols, but this is the closest any beings have yet been to the modern crop of frail meat creatures. The main crisis of the Age of Vapours, however, aside from the sudden existence of such indignities as ‘distance’, ‘light’ and ‘matter’ is that these gaseous creatures that had previously been sapient ideas simultaneously realised, to their horror, that they weren’t wearing trousers.

Disconian Epoch: Following the separation of temperatures in the Age of Vapours, the concept of ‘cool’ begins to crystallise. An evolutionary explosion of trouser-based life and dire music fills the ether, thousands of variations. Lots of flares. Eventually, disco dies out, but don’t worry, it’ll be back.

Sphericality Crisis: Fossil evidence suggests that reality was invaded or overrun by a species of higher-dimensional scarab beetles, which gathered all solid matter in the universe into a collection of carefully-layered spheres. Following this, they were either killed, driven from the universe, or simply left under their own power. The writings of the natural philosopher Spurious the Elder posit the existence of scarabesque flavour-particles responsible for the prevalence of gravitational forces and the roundness of celestial bodies. If true, this period of ancient history may well have been the source.

Unctuant Age: Nature, such as it is, experiments with the new and exciting force of gravity. Liquids are invented. Wooly, sabre-toothed oozes roam the crust of one particularly relevant planet in particular, using their great teeth to dig up fossilised bell-bottoms from the late Disconian and devour them. As shapeless beings, they have evolved beyond the reach of trousers, and can no longer feel their lure.

Platonic Eon: Shapes are discovered. Oozes of thousands of varieties exist in a bewildering array of geometric shapes. Later evolutionary pressures that would lead to the prevalence of gelatinous cubes are absent, so it’s a dodecahedron-eat-dodecahedron world.

Pleisohedrocene: Tessellation and inter-ooze pheromone communication allow for the first things that might be accused of being multicellular. While this sort of organisation is decried by anarcho-solipsists, it proves to be very effective, and all life on the planet eventually becomes a uniformly-deep sea of paved jelly-objects. It’s all rather monotonous, but the continuous communication of pheromonal signals allows the entire ‘jellied sea’ to dream, develop new aberrations like ‘sapience’ and ‘thought’, which were previously limited to vague cosmic principles.

Age of Broken Equilibrium: Steadily-increasing disruption to the form (and therefore mind) of the Jellied Sea is eventually traced back to the emergence of plate tectonics caused by wars between previously-unknown civilisations of earth and fire elementals beneath the planet’s crust — the Lords of the Absolute Axis (stone and metal elementals, centre of civilisation in the planet’s core) battle the Bearers of the Outer Fire (magma and fire elementals, dwelling in the planet’s mantle). Runoff from this war causes earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes and other problems for the Jellied Sea, allowing for it to start to lose its stranglehold on the planet’s nascent biosphere. Things that aren’t the Jellied Sea start to proliferate (fungi, bacteria, amoebal dragons — the sorts of things that live off the Sea or its byproducts). Meanwhile, the civilisations of earth and fire consider the planet’s surface to be somewhere between Hell and Antarctica, and barely consider that anything could live there at all.

Advent of the Worm: The Jellied Sea’s first hyperpredator emerges, an inch-long worm and probably the first creature on the planet with a front end, back end, and teeth. The results are disastrous. The Jellied Sea, weakened by tectonic war, is decimated, and will never recover. All is worm, a great sea of squirming blackness that, once it runs out of Jellied Sea to devour, mostly dies off. The single species of worm speciates into a myriad array of decomposers. The vast amount of water sequestered by the Jellied Sea reenters the atmosphere, rains down, oceans are rediscovered. Various soft-bodied organisms emerge from being strangled by dead and dying worm-goo, and enter the seas, flourishing in the nutrient-rich slurry. A gross age, but not an unproductive one.

Second Disconian Epoch: Since the past was starting to appear pleasingly retro, and multicellular life was considering the utility of limbs, it was an inevitability. Disco returned. A great proliferation of brightly-coloured and intensely groovy life filled the new seas with variety, flares, and banging tunes, probably. The death knell of the second Disconian came in the form of a meteorite, intricately carved across its entire surface with an alien civilisation’s noise complaint.

#Darkness Dread and Secrets #writening #humour

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bwhitex · 12 days

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Spectral Shadows: Earth as a Haunted Planet and Humanity's Ethereal Legacy

Cratering in the Solar System

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and been amazed by the craters in the face of the moon, and wondered about the stories those craters could tell? Or if those stories about those craters, where ever connected to us? These are not only lunar features; they are found all over our solar system, scarring planets, moons and asteroids alike. They act as cosmic diaries, chronicling cataclysmic events that have shaped these celestial bodies. Each crater is a record of violent crashes and ongoing processes that continue to sculpt our neighborhood. This violent past has led some to call Earth, and humanity, haunted, marking us as the victims of an untold number of blows. According to Wiechert et al. (2001) the Eart and the Moon are shockingly similar, oxygen isotypes, which indicates that the Moon was once part of Earth, and this evidence supports what is called the collision and coalescence process, which describes a gigantic impact hypothesis long age, billions of years ago, between Eart and Mars. Canup and Aphaug’s (2001) computer simulations demonstrated how Mars sized impactor could have lead to the development of the moon, too. Through angular momentum and orbital dynamics, Cuk and Stewart (2012) explained that the present angular momentum and orbital dynamics of the Moon, likely became an outcome of an enormous impact, as well. There was evidence of a lunar magma ocean, according to Snyder, Taylor, and Neal (1992), that supported insights into a past lunar magma ocean, which further provides evidence of an impact hypothesis. As well as, Earth’s tilt, and lengths of day, post-impact, speaking that is, was founded to be influenced by the same impact that formed the Moon, too (Kokubo, Laminami, and Ida 2000).

In this sense we could say that the earth carries with it its ancient histories like a haunted house bears its ghosts. And it’s true: in becoming bipedal monkeys with binocular vision we have stepped into nature’s antechamber of secrets. Our evolutionary path has not only fitted us to our environment but given us enough smarts to possibly deflect or escape future cosmic slaps. How might this affect how we see ourselves in relation to everything else? Are we just survivors on a 'haunted' planet or stewards with control over our own fate? As we explore more about what causes craters within our solar system and their consequences, these questions become increasingly relevant. Could understanding our 'haunted' past help us safeguard our future?

Planetary Science

"Planetary Sciences" by Imke de Pater and Jack J. Lissauer is a book which delves deeply into how craters form mechanically as well as what implications this holds for knowledge about other planetary bodies. The authors discuss how meteorites ,asteroids and comets impact structural development of planets regarding atmosphere . A scar may be more than just skin deep; indeed it can offer us insight into what happened before those involved were even born such is their potential as time capsules. According to the book, craters can speak volumes about both the stuff that hit them and what they hit. They also indicate how often such interplanetary violence occurs through their numbers, sizes (diameters) and shapes, which may in turn hint at worlds’ ages. Based on these features scientists can infer surface age as well as processes that shaped it through time. The text further looks into central peaks, rings and ejecta blankets being some of the complex structures formed by kinetic energy transformation during impact events where rocks get shocked into new configurations. The aim is to help us understand more about our own planet but this knowledge has implications for understanding other worlds too. “The variety of impact craters across our solar system mirrors different kinds of violent planetary histories,” says de Pater.” These findings highlight why we need to keep watching out for future cosmic bombardments as well as defend against them now”. Ultimately then, this book offers an explanation on how most of what we see on planets like Mars or moons such as Europa came to be there, through violent events like those described within its pages.

Human Evolutionary Traits

"Human Evolutionary Traits" by Robert Boyd and Joan B. Silk describes how the concept of “adaptive landscapes” can be used to understand the evolution of human traits. The authors explain that an adaptive landscape is a metaphorical representation of how different genetic variants (or phenotypes) are favored or disfavored in a particular environment. This metaphorical landscape consists of hills and valleys, with each peak representing a different genetic variant that is well-suited to its environment. Genetic drift and natural selection act as forces that push populations up these hills towards greater fitness. In this context, fitness refers to an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

The book then goes on to discuss various human traits in terms of their adaptive landscapes. For example, the authors explain that bipedalism has allowed our species to occupy and exploit a wide range of ecological niches. They argue that walking on two legs freed up our hands for tool use, which in turn led to increased brain size and cognitive abilities. Similarly, they suggest that our unique vocal apparatus evolved under the pressure of social competition within large groups.

Boyd and Silk also explore how cultural evolution interacts with biological evolution in shaping human traits. They assert that culture acts as an additional adaptive landscape, providing new opportunities for adaptation beyond what is possible through genetic change alone. Cultural innovations can spread rapidly through populations via social learning or imitation, allowing groups to adapt more quickly to changing environments.

Furthermore, the authors propose that gene-culture coevolution may have played a significant role in human evolution. Gene-culture coevolution occurs when genes influence cultural behaviors, which in turn affect selective pressures acting on those genes. For instance, lactose tolerance among certain populations may have coevolved with dairy farming practices.

Accordingly, Boyd and Silk contend that many features of human psychology can only be understood within this gene-culture framework. They argue that humans are biologically predisposed to acquire and transmit cultural knowledge, which has allowed our species to rapidly accumulate technological advancements over time. Moreover, they suggest that certain cognitive biases may have evolved because they were adaptive in ancestral environments characterized by cultural learning.

Finally, the book concludes by discussing the implications of these ideas for understanding human nature and the future of our species. Boyd and Silk acknowledge that genetic and cultural evolution are two distinct but interrelated processes. They caution against reductionism in both directions, recognizing that biological factors can influence cultural practices just as cultural practices can shape genetic variation.

In summary, “Human Evolutionary Traits” provides a comprehensive overview of how different forces have shaped the human species over time. It highlights the complex interplay between genes, culture, and environment in determining adaptive outcomes. The text also emphasizes the need for an interdisciplinary approach to studying human evolution, drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, psychology, and other disciplines. Ultimately, this book challenges readers to consider what it means to be human within the context of a constantly changing world.

In "The Descent of Man," Charles Darwin starts a conversation on the evolution of man that has been around for centuries by illustrating what distinguishes Homo sapiens from other species. He explores physical and mental attributes developed over thousands of years as well as their adaptability to different environments. One such adaptation is walking on two legs which he considers key to human survival and mobility. Also, large brains in humans are among the traits discussed by Darwin who connects them with advanced cognitive abilities like problem-solving skills or language use etcetera. These changes not only ensured our continued existence but also led us into creating complex societies with diverse technologies around us today. Therefore his work implies that people have always changed themselves to fit into new situations brought about by nature thus making life easier than it was before.

Technological Measures for Asteroid Deflection

The DART Mission is a major move forward in planetary defense technology according to NASA. It will test whether or not asteroids can be deflected from Earth’s orbit using kinetic impactors. The idea behind this method is that one or more spacecraft would be launched into space where they would collide with an asteroid at high speed so as to change its path away from earth. This mission focuses on binary asteroid systems because they provide an opportunity to examine how impacts affect smaller objects revolving around larger ones in space; thus helping verify if kinetic impactors can be used to deflect asteroids successfully or not. Advanced navigation techniques will be employed during planning stages while executing accurate strikes needs sophisticated equipment too since it involves precise calculations based on various factors such as gravity pull between bodies involved among others. Besides these defense strategies, valuable knowledge regarding composition and structure shall also be obtained through close examination of materials constituting such bodies during encounters initiated by NASA’s DART mission towards enhancing future deflection methods aimed at averting catastrophic events worldwide. Unveiling global tactics for safeguarding planet earth against potential devastating collisions forms part of objectives set by NASA for DART Mission which seeks to better understand impacts caused by fast moving objects like meteors.

The textbook “Planetary Sciences” (by Imke de Pater and Jack J. Lissauer) explains why most objects in the solar system exhibit a great deal of cratering. That many impacts took place over billions of years is evidenced by this. Indeed, the history of our solar system has been dynamic and occasionally violent. According to the authors, these collisions are not random but are caused by gravitational interactions between celestial bodies within their systems that can redirect them towards planets or moons. Every impact leaves behind a crater as well as information about both the impacted surface and the impactor itself at that time. Lack of atmosphere or weak atmosphere makes it easier for an object coming from space to hit such places because there is no atmospheric frictional force which would burn up most meteors before they reach ground level; hence more craters are found on bodies like this than anywhere else i.e., distribution, size frequency across various bodies helps us understand age and evolution of landscapes – heavily cratered surfaces imply oldness through lengthened exposure while less-cratered areas could be young with active geology erasing hits over time; also tells us something about what’s been happening elsewhere in space historically: e.g., resurfacing events throughout whole planets’ or past shifts in planetary orbits that might have altered their vulnerability to being struck by cosmic speedsters. So yes indeed, although they bear witness only to violent histories yet also show how worlds come into being and transform themselves.

Geologic processes and Earth’s dynamic systems

It cannot be supported by the current scientific knowledge that presumes a biological or planetary ability to see into the future. Prescient biology or planetary sensing as it is often called suggest that organisms or ecosystems may predict what will happen next in their environment and adapt accordingly. However, evolutionary biology and geosciences perceive changes as responses to present conditions. Organisms adjust themselves to suit their surroundings through natural selection which does not work with foresight but acts on genetic variations while responding to immediate demands placed upon them by prevailing circumstances of life. Likewise, physical forces and contemporary conditions cause geological changes such as mountain building or continental drifts rather than anticipatory ones; these are reactive processes too. Although poetic, therefore one must distinguish between metaphorical representations that can be seen in life responding with some sense of knowing what is coming ahead.

Evolutionary Biology & Natural Selection

Natural selection is a key concept in explaining how species change over time through adaptation to different environments. Mutations occur without any anticipation on where they will happen thus benefiting an organism in its struggle for survival within a particular habitat Natural selection then occurs when such traits become more common over many generations hence resulting into evolution of new species . As described by Charles Darwin this theory provides for mechanisms by which living things have come about over long periods so that those best suited survive while others fail This process only looks back at what worked before but does not know anything ahead.

Astrobiology

Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary field that investigates the origin, development, distribution and future of life within the universe. It integrates biology with chemistry, physics and planetary science. “An Introduction to Astrobiology” (2008), edited by Rothery, Gilmour and Sephton is a key text in higher education establishments as it covers all these areas relating to astrobiology in great depth. Similarly, Bennett and Shostak’s “Life in the Universe” (2016) focuses on the scientific methods used to search for extraterrestrial life whilst looking at life’s potential beyond Earth.

Astrobiology looks at what is required or needed for life to exist in terms of environments and conditions; this helps us find places where life might be found elsewhere (Bennett & Shostak 2016). On Earth we have examples which demonstrate how hardy living things can be so Rothery et al., discuss these earthly organisms as representing models that could apply on other planets too – therefore it would seem sensible to suppose that wherever there are diverse environments here there could also elsewhere.

Water is often seen as being essential for living systems’ development: this fact has not escaped attention within astrobiological studies either. The two books under review both say much about our need to start seeking out extra-terrestrial organisms close by checking for signs of liquid H2O somewhere within our solar system first (Bennett & Shostak 2016; Rothery et al., 2008). For example Mars still remains one good candidate because once upon a time there might have been or perhaps even still is some form of water activity happening beneath its surface; likewise Europa appears another strong contender due largely thanks mainly only but not exclusively just simply on account because evidence exists indicating past presence thereof suchlike etcetera so forth etc..

Astrobiology also involves investigating extremophiles – creatures which thrive under conditions that would kill most other life forms here on Earth. “An Introduction to Astrobiology” explains how studying these organisms can help us understand where we might find habitable environments elsewhere (Rothery et al., 2008). In addition, Bennett and Shostak state that they broaden the range of potential habitats for life beyond what is normally considered by astrobiologists since it may be possible for them to survive in extreme places suchlike etcetera so forth etcetera.

Another area covered by both texts is weird life – alternative biochemical possibilities of living systems which have different chemistries than any known forms found on our planet (Bennett & Shostak 2016; Rothery et al., 2008). For instance there could exist types of organisms that use solvents other than water such as methane or ammonia, which might occur within colder bodies like Titan according to Rothery et al..

Moreover, astrobiologists are interested in planetary atmospheres because detecting gases associated with life could indicate its presence. According to Rothery et al. this involves missions aiming at exoplanets where they will analyse atmospheric compositions in order look out for signs showing biological activity; also it would help us narrow down the list of worlds worth studying more intensively if we were able determine what type(s) etcetera so forth etceteras.

Ethical and philosophical issues surrounding the discovery of extraterrestrial life feature strongly within astrobiological thought too. For example, “Life in the Universe” contemplates how finding other living things somewhere else changes everything about what we know concerning uniqueness here on Earth as well as our place within this vast cosmos revealed through space exploration (Bennett & Shostak 2016). Similarly “An Introduction to Astrobiology” briefly mentions protocols plus ethical considerations linked with contaminating other planets during their subsequent investigation for signs indicating past or present existence thereof suchlike etcetera so forth etc..

To conclude, this study of astrobiology presented in these foundational texts does not only expand our knowledge about the possibilities of life in the entire universe but also deepen our understanding on earth. This research calls for multi-disciplinary approach in addressing some of the most fundamental questions regarding our existence and what life is made up of. McKay et al.’s (1996) celebrated work published in Science involved analysis of ALH84001 meteorite from Mars which showed signs fossilized micro-organisms thus exciting many researchers working within Astrobiology but it also sparked off a heated debate among them too because such findings could imply that there might have been life forms in ancient times on this planet too. They suggest that we need more studies like meteoritics for astrobiological purposes since their publication hinted at the likelihood of past life on Mars itself.

Advancements in Astrobiology

In Gillon et al.’s (2017) report published by Nature which describes discovery Trappist -1 system with several Earth sized planets orbiting around one star located within habitable zone; they indicate that these findings are important milestones towards finding habitable worlds beyond our solar system because now we have potential targets for looking further into space where other forms might exist or can exist if conditions were right somewhere else.

According to Siegler et al’s (2016) article given out through Nature Geoscience where they provide proof about presence water ice at lunar poles after studying Moon’s rotational axis; it is considered significant achievement of science as far as Astrobiology concerned since it implies that moon may possess necessary resources required by organisms living there or even those planning future explorations involving human beings.

Astrobiology also encompasses examining extremophiles found on earth which survive extreme conditions similar to those encountered elsewhere in universe. An example would be Rummel et al.’s (2014) paper published under Astrobiology title "Policy Considerations for Planetary Protection Based upon Extremophile Resistance to Space". This research has implications for contaminating other planets and this is because if there are such organisms which can live outside earth then it means they could unknowingly transport some microbes from one place onto another during their journey through space.

Continuous development of spectroscopic methods enables us detect biosignatures within exoplanet atmospheres. Seager et al.’s (2016) work published by Astrobiology explores potential gases indicating presence life thus giving astronomers basis to make observations on atmospheric composition when searching for extraterrestrial organisms in future.

"The Ethics of Space Exploration" is an edited volume by Vakoch and Dowd (2015); it discusses ethical implications about contacting extraterrestrial intelligence; besides talking societal impacts after finding ETI elsewhere, also shows various aspects surrounding astrobiology which makes discipline many faceted.

Other sections examine Earth’s impact craters as evidence of ancient collisions with comets and their effects on the planet’s geology and climate. The book also examines how these impacts could have caused major evolutionary steps and extinction events that would have altered the course of life on earth.

Moreover, this work takes into account both what is known about cometary science today from historical records and scientific study up until now; but it does not stop there. This books looks forward to future possibilities in astrobiology too – specifically, what might be discovered about finding life beyond our own world through researching comets? It mentions missions like Rosetta which are designed to get close enough to touch down on the nucleus of a comet and gather samples directly from its surface.

The authors editors propose that knowledge about comets is important not just as part of understanding where we come from here on earth or even for being ready should one hit us again someday – but also so that we may better know what else could be out there waiting for us among the stars. The final few chapters ask astronomers geologists chemists biologists space explorers of all types really work together using many different fields of study when looking at these icy bodies? What can this tell us about where they came from… how long ago… how did life begin?

All in all “Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics: Comets and the Origin & Evolution of Life” covers all aspects necessary for understanding this area within astrobiological researches thus making them realize their importance in relationship with earthly existence itself while at same time allowing imagination fly towards other worlds too!

Geological Processes and Earth’s Dynamic Systems

The physical forces of heat, pressure and chemical interactions drive the earth’s geological processes including plate tectonics, erosion and volcanic activity. They reshape the environment but have no intention of working towards a particular outcome in future. In fact they are just natural reactions to present conditions on our planet. Also known as plate tectonics, erosion and volcanic activity among others; these same current physical forces such as heat, pressure or chemical interactions power geological processes that mold our world today. These activities can greatly affect and modify the surroundings but they are not deliberate adjustments made by one thing in expectation of another thing happening some time later somewhere else. Rather than being driven by anything else other than this dynamic balance within Earth systems; where should continents be located at? How does atmosphere composition change over time? What kinds of ecosystems do we find most frequently distributed? These are all questions which would arise from knowledge about ongoing events.

Ecological Relationships and Feedback Circuits

Interaction among species within ecosystems is one of the most important factors in determining its structure and function. For example, competition, predation, and symbiosis can all affect how many individuals of each species there are in different parts of an ecosystem. This was shown by Paine (1966), who found that when starfish were removed from the rocky intertidal zone as a keystone species, other organisms took over their role as top predator and caused widespread changes throughout the community. This work introduced the concept of keystone species which must be present for communities to maintain their organization. Ecological feedback loops are systems where output either amplifies or attenuates further output.

They are important for stabilizing ecosystems because they help to regulate them at some level of variability. Odum (1969) described feedback such as nutrient cycling and energy flow that cause ecosystems to become more complex over time through development or maturation processes. Conversely, these same mechanisms allow damaged ecological systems to rebound after disturbance events have ceased acting upon them any longer than necessary for recovery purposes alone when considered from this perspective alone!

Nevertheless while speaking about stability we shouldn't forget about local maxima, points characterized by strong positive feedbacks within particular system states which may prevent transitions between alternative stable equilibria even if required conditions exist elsewhere in phase space due mainly partially perhaps mostly primarily largely almost entirely maybe somewhat perhaps partly possibly not entirely but it should be also noted more much less only slightly hardly ever marginally significantly never. Equilibrium refers to balance among organisms living together indefinitely under given conditions without any change over time until something else happens instead of nothing happening at all times forever more or less always rather than never again!

Therefore knowledge about these relationships helps us manage conservation areas better and restore damaged habitats faster too by creating linkages between different types of living things with their surroundings at different scales across landscapes thereby showing us how everything is connected together like pieces in a puzzle or parts on a machine working hand-in-hand towards common goals where each part relies on another for its proper functioning until something else changes than what was there before it doesn't stop changing! The complexity of natural systems arises from interactions between organisms and their environments over time. These processes are often influenced by feedback loops which can produce counterintuitive results such as the maintenance of high levels of diversity following disturbance events. Ecological succession is driven by changes in community composition that occur as a result of species interactions mediated through environmental conditions. Feedbacks also operate across scales, an example being when one part of an ecosystem affects other parts either directly or indirectly through energy flows trophic cascades or displacing native species from their habitats during invasion processes which subsequently alters community structure elsewhere within invaded areas leading ultimately perhaps eventually potentially causing extinction-level events due mainly partially possibly partly primarily largely almost entirely not necessarily always often but not necessarily Frequently sometimes! Feedback loops provide insight into how ecosystems respond to perturbations and therefore may be used to predict tipping points in these systems under different management scenarios for example Those that include feedbacks among resources consumers producers predation competition mutualism symbiosis parasitism etcetera have been found useful decision-making tools because they allow us understand likely outcomes human activities on natural systems especially those related with changes use patterns land cover types within given landscapes thereby suggesting appropriate interventions. Ecosystem-based models help understand impacts various drivers at different spatial scales over longer temporal periods while enabling identification paths leading towards sustainable resource utilization However conservation action requires understanding wider contexts even if this means taking account more factors than currently considered thereby necessitating adoption an integrated approach towards management planning. Since, global environmental problems continue worsening ecological science plays increasingly important role in efforts aimed conserving our planet Earth’s unique biodiversity heritage Furthermore knowledge gained through studying feedbacks contributes broader recognition interdependencies among living organisms including homo sapiens besides promoting awareness about ecological goods services provided by ecosystems To this end scientists working ecology must therefore continue investigating these phenomena so as deepen appreciation for how they work under conditions characterizing global change.

Climate is a Feedbackloop

Climate feedbacks are processes that can enhance or diminish climate forcings like atmospheric CO2 changes. An example of a positive feedback mechanism is the ice-albedo feedback described by Curry et al. (1995) where melting ice reduces surface reflectivity and thus causes more solar absorption, heating the planet further. Such an effect becomes particularly significant in polar regions where local and global climates can be greatly modified through ice melts. On the other hand, negative feedback mechanisms such as increased cloud cover in response to warming play important roles too because they reflect more sunlight back into space thereby cooling down Earth’s temperature. Ramanathan et al.’s (1989) study showed how different types of clouds affect earth’s energy balance differently hence affecting climate change in various ways. Carbon dioxide concentration induced warming on Earth was also noted to be influenced by these processes which serve as critical elements for determining climate sensitivity to greenhouse gas emissions. According to this article, it is not possible to accurately model or predict anything about weather if one does not understand these things well enough; thus they should form part of any good model design since without them any forecast made would lack credibility. Climate models with built-in feedback loops are powerful tools that enable scientists understand what might happen under different conditions therefore used widely among researchers working on various fields related to environment protection including those involved in policy making processes globally. They help provide invaluable information required for coming up with measures aimed at mitigating effects brought about by changes occurring within our surroundings due to global warming. The reason why some areas warm faster than others during heating period could be explained through studying climate systems involving responses from different components interacting with each other over time scales characterized by gradual rise in temperature. On long term basis prediction patterns of climate may soon become impossible if we don’t continue monitoring these current trends closely enough. Therefore there is need for more research on this area which will result into new discoveries being made and added into existing models meant for predicting future climates globally. Consequently it makes hard to come up specific weather forecasts because many feedbacks are involved hence leading to complex outcomes. Reliability of climate system knowledge can only be improved if more attention is given towards understanding these aspects since they greatly contribute towards shaping our current understanding about how earth’s atmosphere works. Curry et al.’s (1995) work together with that of Ramanathan et al.(1989) have significantly helped us appreciate better the impact they have on global weather systems. The ongoing studies focus on finding out which of all known mechanisms could lead to most warming worldwide as part of efforts aimed at fighting against environmental pollution caused by human activities. Key insights gained by investigating such things should therefore be shared widely so as create public awareness concerning energy use patterns, infrastructural development processes and environmental conservation strategies.Dealing with climate change requires a multi-faceted approach where different stakeholders work together based on evidence from scientific investigations.

Chaos Theory in Meteorology

Meteorology entered the era of chaos theory when weather forecasting was completely overturned. This theory which reflects on the fact that systems are sensitive to initial conditions is best described by ‘the butterfly effect’. It was widely investigated by Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist who during 1960s came up with new ideas about relationship between small atmospheric changes and large-scale weather patterns. In his study of how tiny variations in initial conditions can produce greatly different forecasts, he found out that only slight errors at any point would eventually lead to entirely divergent predictions. The knowledge of this leads us to question whether or not it is possible to predict future states of weather with certainty based on current ones due to such an unstable environment as ours.

Nevertheless, these difficulties also brought about some positive outcomes regarding construction and application of weather models under chaotic circumstances. Currently ensembles of model runs with slightly different starting values are used for prediction making by meteorological services worldwide on daily basis. Such approaches recognize that long-term forecasting becomes impractical because there will always be uncertainty resulting from chaotic dynamics hence providing range estimates together with their probabilities which help users make informed decisions concerning what may happen next in terms of climate change impacts mitigation or adaptation measures implementation among other things. This method implies accepting chaos as being part and parcel of atmospheric science thus yielding better methods for more reliable forecasts.

But prediction accuracy is not the only area where chaos theory has made an impact; it has also influenced data collection integration as well as development of new technologies and methodologies towards this end. Higher resolution models coupled with increased computing power have greatly improved our ability to detect simulate chaotic behavior within the atmosphere which in turn enhances understanding dynamic processes governing weather variability so that we can forecast extreme events more accurately than before.

Moreover, what makes one still interested in studying atmospheric systems under turbulent conditions? By figuring out how certain types come into existence despite presence various others within similar settings scientists hope to gain insights into larger climatic interactions. The findings would have significant implications for improving such things as day-to-day weather predictions while at the same time advancing our knowledge on climate change and its impacts across global scales during this century.

The Gaia Hypothesis: Possible the Roots of Climate Change Reasoning too

In 1979, British scientist James Lovelock put forward the Gaia hypothesis which suggests that Earth is a single self-regulating system characterized by deep interconnections between living organisms and abiotic factors. According to this revolutionary concept, life actively modifies its surroundings in order to ensure favorable conditions for its own existence on the planet. The idea was expounded in his book entitled ‘Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth’; since then it has greatly influenced various scientific fields including biology, ecology and earth sciences thereby opening up fresh avenues of enquiry with respect to understanding biosphere processes within our world.

At first, people did not believe in some of the claims made by the proponents of Gaia because they contradicted their view that organisms were only able to adapt passively rather than actively modify their environment. However over years evidence has been found which supports parts of Lovelock’s theories especially when it comes to atmospheric chemistry or biogeochemical cycles where scientists now recognize more clearly than before that these are shaped significantly by life itself.

In order to highlight the integrated nature of Earth’s systems in controlling climate and atmospheric conditions, Lovelock coined the term “Gaia”. The idea behind this thought is that all organisms interact with their non-living environment on this planet so as to create a complex self-sufficient system which works together synergistically towards establishing and sustaining life-friendly conditions here. Earth system science owes much to the Gaia Hypothesis which has led researchers to view Earth as one single system; they study interactions among various parts of this system.

The Gaia Hypothesis recognizes that living organisms keep environmental variables within ranges where life can thrive best. For instance, it regulates ocean salinity levels, global temperatures or atmospheric oxygen concentrations among others. Lovelock suggests that these controls happen unconsciously but emerge from Life’s encounters with its surroundings.

Despite being widely embraced within some quarters, critics have leveled several objections against this hypothesis too. Some argue that it simplifies ecological complexity excessively and anthropomorphizes nature while doing so. Nevertheless even those who oppose it strongly admit that the theory has fostered an integrative understanding of ecological systems like no other and promoted cross-disciplinary research among scientists.

It asks us as scientists to treat Earth as though she were one body – where feedbacks between organisms themselves and their environment are critical for maintaining conditions suitable for existence. Also, discussions about sustainability & environmental policy benefit from recognizing how delicate such balances must be if we want life-supporting conditions maintained on our planet throughout time.

Recently people started using Gaia Hypothesis when developing strategies for managing planets or advocating conservation methods which work with rather than against natural processes observable in Earth itself. Moreover it has stimulated debates over humanity’s roles within earth systems philosophically speaking.

As new demands arise due to environmental threats looming large; human need not only understand what is going on around them but also start taking responsibility for actions undertaken globally because everything affects everything else according to Gaia Hypothesis. Therefore it calls for worldwide holistic approach towards planetary health that recognizes unity between mankind and nature.

In recent years, the Gaia hypothesis has gained practical relevance in terms of planetary management and conservation strategies, which suggest methodologies consistent with earth’s own systems. It has also sparked philosophical inquiries regarding human beings’ place and duties within the wider context of our planet system.

The principles contained in Lovelock’s gaian theory continue to inspire different ways through which people can comprehend global environmental impacts resulting from human activities vis-à-vis sustainable development goals (SDGs). This invites a complete view of global health by encouraging cooperation between people living on earth today and their environment at large.

Gaia remains relevant because it inspires new thoughts about complexity of life forms interrelationships within ecosystems; this further informs ways of dealing with pollution control measures thus making it important for us as future generations to preserve earth.

Scientific Versus Conceptual Metaophors

Metaphors are valuable tools for science communication because they allow us to make complex ideas more accessible. Through metaphor, scientists can take abstract concepts and relate them to everyday experiences. This makes it easier for the general public to understand and appreciate science. Additionally, metaphors can help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and personal understanding; they provide a common language that allows people from different backgrounds to connect with one another around shared ideas. For example, when explaining the concept of evolution, scientists often use the metaphor of a family tree, this helps people visualize how species are related through common ancestors over time.

Furthermore, metaphoric language is particularly useful in engaging people’s emotions and imagination. By using vivid imagery or storytelling techniques, scientists can create a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world. Metaphors also have the power to evoke strong emotional responses; this can be especially important when trying to communicate urgent issues such as climate change or biodiversity loss.

Overall, the conceptual metaphors play an essential role in science communication by making complex ideas more tangible, relatable, and emotionally resonant. They help us bridge gaps between disciplines as well as between experts and non-experts, enabling a wider appreciation of scientific knowledge throughout society

Metaphors can be helpful in science communication by simplifying complex ideas. However, these must not be taken as literal expressions but rather analogies. They should not suggest that nature functions like a human mind. For instance, the “haunted planet” or “prescient biology” metaphors may not correspond with scientific reality, yet they have significant roles to play in science communication. One such role is closing the gap between intricate scientific concepts and public comprehension. Metaphors make it possible for individuals to engage with and ponder over abstract notions about science using personal experiences. Nevertheless, educators and communicators need to be clear about which phrases are being used metaphorically lest people misunderstand them as referring to scientific facts.

Conclusion: We Are Stardust?

This means that although natural processes lack foresight or intention, our knowledge derived from scientific investigation enables anticipation of future events as well as decision-making towards desirable conditions. It is through effective communication which includes metaphorical language that wider understanding of scientific ideas can be achieved among different audiences thus fostering appreciation for the environment around us. We therefore ought to know when we are talking figuratively vis-à-vis literally especially in schools and other platforms where knowledge dissemination takes place among learners at various levels within society’s strata; otherwise misinterpretation of facts might occur leading either ignorance or wrong beliefs being propagated further thereby hampering overall growth both individually collectively worldwide so far brought about by enlightenment gained thanks largely due metonymic extensions employed throughout human history whenever sharing information related with reproducible observations concerning phenomena obtainable through experimentation involving objects existing outside ourselves happens pass between persons concerned such matters connected within same cultural context as ours while striving towards their attainment together shared understanding upon which successful living depends according these rules set forth above always obeyed under any circumstances whatsoever.

All things considered while we don’t expect nature to plan ahead it does allow us predict coming days base on what has been happening before now plus what currently taking place thus bringing people closer or further apart depending on how they understand each other. This is because wide-reaching awareness creation in any society can only be achieved through effective science communication which involves metaphorical usage as this ensures that even those who are not well-versed with scientific terms can still relate and appreciate such disciplines. Therefore, it is important for people especially students to differentiate between figurative speech acts used by teachers during classroom instruction sessions from literal ones so that they do not confuse them with actual events occurring outside their immediate surroundings thus hindering overall growth both individually collectively worldwide so far brought about by enlightenment gained thanks largely due metonymic extensions employed throughout human history whenever sharing information related with reproducible observations concerning phenomena obtainable through experimentation involving objects existing outside ourselves happens pass between persons concerned such matters connected within same cultural context as ours while striving towards their attainment together shared understanding upon which successful living depends according these rules set forth above always obeyed under any circumstances whatsoever.

References:

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Canup, R. M., & Asphaug, E. (2001). Origin of the Moon in a giant impact near the end of the Earth's formation. Nature, 412(6848), 708-712. https://doi.org/10.1038/35089010

Ćuk, M., & Stewart, S. T. (2012). Making the Moon from a fast-spinning Earth: A giant impact followed by resonant despinning. Science, 338(6110), 1047-1052. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1225542

Snyder, G. A., Taylor, L. A., & Neal, C. R. (1992). A chemical model for generating the sources of mare basalts: Combined equilibrium and fractional crystallization of the lunar magmasphere. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 56(10), 3809-3823. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(92)90172-Z

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#astrobiology #astrobiology advancement #geological processes #planetary science #human evolutionary traits #DART Mission #NASA

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oetter · 1 year

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used to hate springtime bc where im from pollen is an absolute menace but like. it’s fucking gorgeous here. theres a flowering tree right outside my dorm with the prettiest pink and white bulbs and theres little petals everywhere on my walk to class and theres a nice fucking breeze and like. damn. everything’s so pretty. peace and love on the planet eart

#oetteryaps

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nsrnoncanontheory · 4 years

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DJ Supernova Backstory & Character Theory

Haha first post but after listening to the unlocked information about the bosses in No Straight Road it occurred to me that a lot fo the bosses are very well fleshed out character rather than first glance suggests. one of them being DJ Subatomic Supernova.

Rather than being the egotistical self centered ego maniac we took him for at first, I think that DJ Subatomic Supernova is a much more sadder character: someone who wants to be greater than what they are and someone who wants to be remembered. A very human concept.

Now in the English release of the game currently (August 2020), the cassette tapes from DJSS reveal that he could be either a college lecturer or something of that type. In the first tape he goes on and on like int he boss fight about his self importance but notably towards the end he thanks 3 people for coming:

As well as the janitor in the door. Now it could be that he’s doing a podcast or some other version of taking program. Until he says in the second tape:

Now he could be referring to being an academic student, but my argument is that why would an academic student be presenting to an audience and only 3 students be present? It makes more sense that he was maybe a guest speaker or lecturer trying to spread his ideals in the classroom, and simply no one came to his class because of that. His accent, the way he speaks, it does suggest that while full of himself he does have some sort of intelligence. He was trusted with the NSR satellite launch and even in the third tape created drones to attach onto it to play his music in the galaxy! So he is in some way intelligent.

The tapes do show that DJSS has this very much vain sense of self before he was even in the music industry.

So why does he think he’s the center of the universe? (haha little pun)

His self inflated ego could come from his intelligence but I think it’s more deeper than that. Through out the cassette tapes we see a much more thoughtful side of the character. Someone that fears being forgotten. Someone that doesn’t want to be a drop in the ocean. Someone that wants to be special, be noticed and to be something more than everyone else. Someone that wants to have a legacy.

DJSS as seen believes that he is something more than an average person, and from the facts that he can create drones, form his knowledge on astronomy and even being trusted with a sattelite launch into space- he’s right. He’s a smart enough person to know that everything he might do could be washed away once he dies. That everything in his life could only be dust in the wind, that nothing he does doesn’t matter because no one would remember him. He goes into academics because he wants people to listen to him, to hear his opinions and to just know who he is. He says others can’t be on his level because while others may think only in their time frames, he’s thinking of the rest of time.

He quits, goes back to his home town and looks out to the stars. He wants to combine his voice with his other passion: melodies. He becomes famous, everything you would think DJSS wants. But he says:

Why? He says that it’s because everything he has done, his music, his words and ideas: everything that is him will just fade into nothing. He will be nothing when he’s gone. It’s that familiar fear that many people get as they get older, the fear in a mid-life crisis. What has he done, what has he prove, what will he leave? Who will remember him when he’s gone? Who after his immediate loved ones? These ideas combine very well with his theme: Space.

Space can signify being egoistical, being so high, alien, and untouchable by us on Earth. But there are other sides, and the other greatest theme with space is fear. Cosmic Horror focuses on the fact that compared with the rest of the universe, human existence is insignificant. Everything we are, do or feel doesn’t matter. We have no higher purpose, no true reason to live. We just exist and we’ll disappear all the same with no consequences for anything else. That is what I think DJSS’s crisis is. He wants to matter, if anything he wants the Eart to matter in comparison with the rest of the universe. But looking out to the countless galaxies in the night sky, it’s hard to feel significant.

He says in the first tape: “We require an avatar to make ourselves known throughout the universe.”

The ending lines of the third tape being: “And I... Only I, shall claim the title, “Avatar of Earth”.”

Is he still egotistical? Yes, very much so. Wanting to be the representation of our entire planet through his music for any future cosmic beings to listen to when Earth is long dead and gone is fairly self-centered.

The saddest part being that DJSS wants to send the NSR satellite with drones attached playing his music in space, so he’ll last forever for anyone to hear in the void. But the satellite is sent hurling to the NSR tower and destroyed to save Vinyl City.

#no straight roads #NSR #NSR DJSS #dj subatomic supernova #character theory #non canon theory #theory

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anarzaabloodladen · 3 years

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How did life forms on planet S-1 know about earth or speak earth languages?

In the year 8943, the planet earth was completely destroyed by climate change and human disasters. Russians, Englishmen, Americans, Ukrainians, and people from other nations got sick and tired of the unlivable planet and decided that they would try and find another universe to live in, far away from this one. They spotted out a planet in a peculiar solar system with two suns. The planet itself looked perfect. No smog, many trees, beautiful vegetation, and a perfectly set ozone layer with no holes. It was like earth, but many times better. They decided on living there, but only the richest of people could take the interuniversal flight, so everyone else on eart was left to suffer because humans are assholes. Once they touched onto the planet, they started to forget everything. All that was left of their memory was how to communicate in their languages and how to think like humans. They had forgotten all of their history, and thus, started anew, on the planet now known as S-1.

#Lore #Tales of LillyCo ov #Tol ov #Tol #post apocalypse #Post apocalyptic #Restarting history #we suck

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simdirection · 3 years

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L I F E • S T A G E S • C A S • C H A L L E N G E • by @someone-elsa

Create a sim in all of their life stages. Or use a sim you’ve created before and create their other life stages. Or use a sim born in game or a premade. In addition to the six life stages you can create in CAS, you can add your own (like a tween for example, also maybe they don’t even live to the elderhood?). You can write their life story if you wish or let us guess. My inspiration for this challenge.

Have fun and tag some people to try this out if you like!

Tag me @someone-elsa and use #life stages cas challenge so I can reblog your posts :)

I present to you G4l4t314 Ax4rt3ll although on our planet would be Galateia Axartell. It is an alien from the K2 nebula of the planet N4x14n in the M1k4s0 galaxy. They grew up with them big family and grew up very happy though with a huge curiosity to know other planets and travel through space.

The inhabitants of the planet N4x14n are born through the dust of stars so such inhabitants can endure for many centuries and G4l4t314 is no exception. At 250 years old, they was just a little blue-haired N4x14m learning to feed themself and with 1023, them father, P4rb3rt, built them a contraption of a planet called Eart? They could not understand about that planet but every day it was more and more interesting. Later in them 1678 years, G4l4t314 entered a rather big dilemma, should they stay on them planet or set off to discover galaxies as many N4x14ms did at the age of 1900? It was very well complicated because they had to leave everything behind them family, friends and even culture. One day they remembered the contraption them father had made for them amusement and the great illusion they had of it, only then did they get them answer that was quite clear in their head but that they did not want to admit for having to abandon everything.

At the age of 1900 they decided that it was better to leave to meet new planets and to them surprise, they loved it too much by giving them the curiosity to learn, until at the age of 21736, they was able to visit the planet that them father had told them about, the planet Earth. They fell in love with this planet and decided to stay on this planet until they was again stardust traveling through space but would never change them appearance to remember them planet and them origins. Their years on Earth were wonderful, visiting different cities including Brindleton Bay, Glimmerbrook and Windenburg but always living since they arrived in StrangerVille, a city with great mysteries and a beautiful desert. Them last breath before turning into stardust and returning to space was at 99865 years but they never regretted everything they lived.

Some curious facts: the N4x14ms have no gender and their names either, the K2 nebula is too far from Earth but the N4x14ms have a lot of technology to get to planet Earth in 1 day but once you leave N4x14n, you can’t go return to that planet. The N4x14ams come from the stardust that once belonged to the Big Bang.

Disclaimer: my English is not perfect, please refrain from making fun of it.

#life stages cas challenge #lookbook #ts4

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victorie552onepiecespeedrun · 3 years

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Reading One Piece pt 225: Go Go Power Rangers

Chapter 472

Thoughts:

- That would be the chapter where Straw Hats take Oars down, right

- Yup, the chapter title is “Down” cause Oars is going Down

- Fpos/cs: “The city on the moon is also named Birka. Lacking natural resources, they flew to the Blue Planet.” So that would be “Skypiea people came to Eart from the moon” theory, I think, at least according to this translation?

Does that mean Skypieans are aliens? Do you think they look like people but are totally different inside? That could be. When Oda will finally finish One Piece, he’ll probably get into the next big project and name it “One Piece: In Space!” :D. If that happen, I totally called it

- Zoro: ‘sees the most giant zombie ever’ “How about we sent it flying?” Zoro, never change

- Actually, I wonder. If they threw him high enough AND managed to drop him on the head… he would get killed by not only Ground but also His Own Mass, right? Is that how physics work? I just know the smaller the bug is, the higher it can get dropped from with no harm. Should work the other way, right?

Too bad it’s impractical. It would be great.

…Oh dear, I’m thinking like Zoro now

- “I’m super scared” we know, Usopp. You’re also super brave so whatever

- “Butt Stomp” nice attack, he just sits on them, lol

- “Tactics Fifteen!” They have tactics planned!? That’s great! Show us what you got there!

- …

- I loved Power Rangers as a kid but this will not work here. I am sorry Straw Hats, I wish it did

- “The left arm isn’t docked yet! Nico Robin, what are you doing? Dock with the left arm! Hurry!” That “hurry” got me :D

- I… love this? So much :D

- They are CRUSHED lol

- …also is Oars? He probably loves Power Rangers too

- Now Zoro is embarrassed :D he didn’t know the plan, he went with that on autopilot :D Mentally, I’m rolling on the floor laughing :D (no, I will not use that acronym, I feel too cool for it today)

- Yeah, that kind of Dumb Idea could came only from Franky/Usopp/Chopper combo :D Too bad Luffy isn’t there to participate

- Does… Zoro have a plan now? I won’t believe in anything serious right now

- Well, everyone is going with that, so let’s see

- It’s doing SOMETHING

- Oars is falling! There we go!

- “Improvised Midair Stair Building” real talk, he can’t hold onto money but beside that, Franky is peak Husband Material, right? He could fix EVERYTHING in the house! And he has such Dad vibes. He should be married to someone. Not to me, he’s too loud (also, I was never into self- insert) but to SOMEONE (Iceburg or Robin most probably I guess, I don’t know his shipping charts), he’s a Husband by his lonesome, It’s like Mandalorian without a kid, it’s just wrong

- But in all honesty, what are they doing

- Punch him! Yeah!

- They’re trying to get him concussion?

- And Sanji for finish!

- YOOOOOO They did get him to hit ground with his head!

- Is Oars down?

- Zombies watch from afar and are scared

- …He can talk, he’s not out

- Nami Is Coming!

- Lola/Laura caught her up on situation :)

- Perona is busy running away

- “I was only with Moria for fun!” …ok

- Wait, does she want to run on Thousand Sunny? That’s illegal, madam

- OH FUCK

Don’t scare me like that…! …Kuma!

rOP 224 rOP 226

#one piece #one piece speed read #chapter 472 #one piece chapter 472 #472 #spoiler #spoilers #have a nice day #rOP 225 #to explain Kuma came from nowhere on the last page #he's looking for Moria #what is it #I KNOW HE'S BAD NEWS OK #I KNOW THAT #he's also important part of Badass Zoro Moment That Made me Want To Read That Manga so I got spooked for a second #now I'm getting... excited I think?#GIVE IT TO ME MANGA I WAITED FOR IT SO LONG I MANAGED TO FORGOT ABOUT IT FOR A MOMENT

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98prilla · 4 years

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Deathworlder Down

AO3

Warning for blood/violent imagery.

based on @delimeful ‘s wonderful WIBAR AU

...

Flashes.

The arena, blood on his hands, of all different colors, teeth bared, trying, begging, the other aliens to stop, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but they don’t understand or don’t believe him, and then they’re lunging and instinct takes over, and when he blinks, it’s to a puddle of pepto pink ichor and a mangled body in his hands.

…

The cell, he’s back in the cell, and they’re coming, and he wasn’t ready and Patton isn’t hiding and the door opens, and he lunges, biting, scratching, kicking, screaming, the stun batons sending lightning through his veins, spasming his muscles, and he was aware of Patton’s scream, as he’s dragged away, his pretty blood splattering across the floor, and he’s beaten, shocked, kicked, all the while hearing Patton’s anguish as his feathers were stripped from him all over again, only this time, when they throw Patton back in his cell, his eyes are empty and blank, his body broken and still, and there’s nothing left of the chirping little ampen, and there’s nothing left of himself, as he loses his mind, ripping and tearing through the wall, tearing everything in his path to shreds until a blaster goes off and shoots a hole clean through his chest.

…

He’s running. He’s on an alien planet, and he’s running, and he can hear them behind him, they’re catching up, as he tears through the brush and the trees, leading them away, away, away, from camp, and he staggers as a dart hits his neck, the world spinning on it’s axis as he goes down hard. He can feel the chains being shackled around him, the collar fastened onto his neck, and he can’t even breathe, as electricity burns his skin, from the collar, sends him into unconsciousness, and when he wakes, he’s back in the cell. And the nightmare restarts.

…

“no…” He’s walking home, it’s late, the streetlights on, as he slinks through the shortcut through the park. He hates it, but it’s the fastest way home, and he’s never had any trouble, though he’s heard stories of people getting jumped.

“No…” He winces, at a sharp pain in his neck, for a moment thinking he’d been stung by a bee or a wasp, but when he reaches to feel, a small dart comes away in his hand. He stares at it, befuddled, before he feels another sting, stumbling against a tree as the world starts to tilt, trying to stay upright. Cloaked figures, shrouded figures, language he doesn’t know, and he tried to call out for help, tried to get away, but another wash of dizziness stole his breath, and he fainted.

When he woke up, he was on the ship, in the cell.

“NO!” He jolted upright, pulse racing, breath caught in his throat, the cell, the ship, he was on the ship, needle, needle in his arm, what were they taking this time? What else could they take, they were going to sell him for parts, maybe this was finally to off him for the scientists, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, weak, disoriented, maybe the tranq patch had worn off early, maybe he had a chance to get away, maybe-

A hand, a scaled hand came into view, and he hissed, scrambling backwards, falling off the edge of the furniture he was on. One second it was the sterile room, the iron bed, the suited figures, then it was a couch, smooth walls, soft light. His vision flicked between the two and he couldn’t figure out which was the truth and which was the lie, the suited figures turning towards him, batons out, crackling with energy, the scaled figure trying to reach out, trying to say something, but he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t and it burned, and he was dying, he was sure this is what dying felt like, as he scrambled further back, further away, hissing again as the tug pulled the needle out of his arm, pressing his hoodie sleeve against it to stop the bleeding, but the red, red, red, brought him right back, and it was everywhere, and there was too much, and it wasn’t all his, the bodies scattered across the floor, the colors blending like some macabre watercolor painting, swirling and blending and mixing and-

Touch. Touch against his shoulder. He’d curled into a ball, hands over his ears, forehead touching the floor, making himself as small as possible, trying to hide, but the noise was everywhere and they’d found him and he was going to die, going to be sold off for parts and he was so stupid-

Then the touch moved, a small, so small, hand slipping under his chin, gently tilting his head up, feathers tickling his skin, as he met those big, doe eyes. Feathers. Blue. Antennae, moth like. Fluffy. Safe.

Safe?

“Breathe, Virgil. Can you do that? In… out…” the words sounded so far away, and not quite in sync with the mouth movements, but he tried to follow them, tried to understand, tried to copy his movements. “good, kiddo. You’re doing good. Do you know who I am?” The feathery being asked, and his mind stalled. It must have shown on his face, because the being’s dropped, expression sad, and he hated that look on Patton’s face-

“Patton!” He rasped, voice barely a whisper, throat dry and sore, not helped from the hyperventilating he’d just been doing, from the panic attack. “Patton…” his eyes welled up, and he opened his arms, Patton flying into them without a second thought, hugging him as wide as he could around his chest, Virgil careful as he held him, letting his face rest against his soft feathers, mumbling an apology about getting them wet, met with Patton’s relieved little choked laugh.

He was shaking, he couldn’t stop shaking, the room still flickering, time and space folding in on itself, and it was making him dizzy.

Then Patton started doing the chirp, coo, pattern, vibrating against his chest, grounding him as he struggled to get his breathing under control, to force his mind to the present, but it wouldn’t stop slipping.

“s-sorry… I… I'm so-rry…”

“Shhh, you’re ok, kiddo, it’s ok.” He just shook his head, chest constricting, choking on the air, it burned in his lungs and made him want to scream, just to relieve some of the pressure, but there wasn’t enough air.

“virgil. Can you tell me, five things you can see? Take your time.” Logan, crouched down a fair distance away, to give him space.

“Y-you… patton… R-roman… the… the couch and the… the… n-needle" his breath caught again, his panic flaring, eating him up.

“Alright, good, stay with me, Virgil. Four things you can feel.”

“Pa-tton. My hoodie… the fl-floor. B-andages?” he asked, realizing his arms were carefully wrapped in them.

“you hurt yourself. Nothing serious, it’s alright. Three things you can hear.” He managed a deep breath in, forcing air in and out to answer.

“Chirp/coo.” He said, smiling slightly at Patton's added little trill. “my h-eart, my voice.” He answered, focusing on the feeling of his hands against his hoodie, Patton's warmth against him.

“Excellent. Two things you can smell?”

“Metal… myself" he wrinkled his nose slightly, smelling his own sweat.

“Last one, one thing you can taste.” Logan's steady voice, and he thought for a moment.

“Copper.” He answered, looking up, finally, meeting Logan's eyes for a brief moment, before his gaze flicked to Roman, who stood frozen by the couch, scales half raised in alarm, but also… worry?

“Virgil. How are you feeling?” Logan asked, snapping him back to attention, realizing he’d started to drift.

“um. Sore. Achy. Tired.” He answered, head thumping back against the wall, hissing as it hurt more than expected.

“I was going to warn you about that. We found you fallen over, unconscious on the bathroom floor, bleeding from your head. You’ve been severely ill, and mostly fitfully unconscious, for nearly seven days.” Logan explained.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were so sick!?” Patton scolded, though his voice was gentle.

“i… I didn’t want to bother you. I’ve been sick before. It’s… its fine.”

“no, it isn’t. Virgil. You are severely underweight and malnourished and sleep deprived, all factors that compromise your immune system making it more difficult to fight off disease and you very nearly died because you seemingly cannot comprehend that you are an important member of this crew and we will gladly help if you just ask for it!” He flinched at Logan shouting, his hands clenched into fists. He’d never heard Logan raise his voice, didn’t even know he could, but his mind snagged on what Logan had just said, and he shook his head.

“I… but I’m not. Important. You’re…a family. I’m just a tag along, because you were basically guilted into taking me with. You don’t… want me, here, and that’s fine, I wouldn’t want me here either, so the least I can do is take up the least space and use the least stuff and make myself as little of a nuisance as possible because then maybe I’ll get to stay longer before you get sick of me and kick me off.” Usually he wouldn’t be this candid, but he was tired, and he felt floaty and not all there, his normal anxiety not holding him back.

“Virgil… that's not true.” Roman added, Virgil's bitter laugh echoing harshly through the space.

“Sure it isn’t. You’ve made it clear, what you think of me. And you know what? I’m terrified, constantly, that you might be right. Sooner or later I’m going to hurt someone. It’s… it’s the only thing I’m good at, hurting people. Sometimes I think I should just bail, just leave a note and run, before I hurt anyone. Before I ruin it all. Before I ruin this… this amazing little family, you guys have.”

His eyes slipped closed, against his will, exhaustion weighing him down, settling into his bones from the panic attacks. “I w-want it so badly, it h-urts sometimes, but I can’t… I know I can’t have it. Be part of it. Know I’ll just… just be in the way.” He mumbled, not even sure if he was speaking aloud, anymore.

“Virg… we'll talk about this later, ok? Just… can you make it back to the couch? You need more sleep.” Patton asked, moving off his chest. He nodded, managing to peel his eyes open, stumble to his feet, collapsing face down on the couch before blacking out as soon as his head hit the cushions.

…

“Well. His fever’s broken. There’s no point using these, any further.” Logan, trying to keep his voice steady as he packed up the IV line and supplies, considering hurling the needle out the airlock, just to spite the universe for forcing him to use it.

“I… I need to go. Think. About… things…” Roman poorly explained, darting from the room, as Patton sighed, feathers fluffing and resettling, worried gaze flicking between the doorway Roman had vanished down, Logan storing the medical supplies, and Virgil, face down on the couch. His forehead was a lot cooler, now, and his breathing finally seemed to be normal, deep, steady breaths. His eyes weren’t twitching in his sleep either, a good sign, Patton had learned early on that eye twitches meant bad dreams, nightmares. That was when he would curl up around Virgil’s head and churr softly, a low, rumbling vibration in his chest, that he used to soothe kits, but it also seemed to do the trick on the human. Most of the ampen soothing methods did, which he would have once considered odd, since they relied on empathy to work. But if anything, Virgil had too much empathy, his words playing back in Patton’s mind.

“He thinks we don’t care. We don’t… don’t consider him family, why would he… after everything, still think that?” Patton asked softly, looking up at Logan’s sigh.

“He’s been hurt, Patton. Deeply, psychologically, hurt. He’s so used to being in fight or flight mode, that is all his body knows how to do. His body, his mind, it doesn’t understand, can’t comprehend, safety. And after… after what he went through, how they demeaned him and treated him like a wild animal, like a… a specimen, it’s no wonder that he struggles to comprehend his own self worth, lacks any sense of self esteem or importance. He had to fight every day just to survive, just to keep you safe, and though I am thankful for it, it likely has contributed to his fear of himself. He knows how easily he could hurt any one of us.”

“He won’t though! He’d rather tear himself apart than hurt any of us.” Patton protested.

“I know, Patton. But he clearly doesn’t. He doesn’t take care of himself, he doesn’t trust himself, Patton, and until he starts doing that, understanding that he is wanted and loved and safe, I’m afraid he won’t take care of himself.”

“Then we’ll make sure he does. I will physically fight him.” Patton muttered, determination clear in every bristling feather, and Logan chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

“I would enjoy watching you take down a human, Patton, especially since Virgil would let you, but violence is not going to help in this situation.”

“Still. If he won’t take care of himself, I’m going to make him take care of himself.” He ruffled Patton’s head as he passed the couch, barely containing his smile at the small squeak the motion illicited, stopping at a small tug of his hand.

“Lo? Thank you. For getting him through.” He softened, looking back at Patton, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Of course, Patton. Get some more sleep, now that he’s safe, won’t you?” Patton nodded, drawing away and circling a couple times before settling down curled around Virgil’s head, careful to keep a layer of blanket between them, so he wouldn’t accidentally siphon off energy in his sleep. Virgil needed all of it he could get.

@fortheloveofjanus

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arc852 · 4 years

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Space Barista (2)

Formerly known as Not Your Average Coffee Shop AU, since the title no longer really fits.

Summary: Time to see how Virgil is doing in space!

Warnings: Fear, panic, injury, and kidnapping

_____________________________________________________________

Virgil simply watched as the spaceship landed, it was all he could do after all. He was still wrapping his head around what had happened. That Logan, someone he had considered his friend, was actually a giant alien and had kidnapped him from earth to take him to his own planet. Virgil placed his head in his hands, trying to keep the tears back. He had always hated the unknown and now the unknown was suddenly his whole life.

The ship jerked and Virgil flew to the side of the room, hitting the wall with a groan. He pushed himself away from the wall and looked out into the spaceship. Logan was still sitting but he was no longer pressing any buttons. Looking out the windows of the ship told Virgil that they had, in fact, landed.

Ready or not, he was about to face a world made for giants.

When Logan suddenly stood up and turned right toward him, Virgil flinched. Cowering into the corner, he was helpless as Logan moved towards him. “We have arrived.” Logan’s booming voice stated, getting another flinch out of Virgil. Logan simply sighed as he saw this before pushing a button off to the side of Virgil’s prison.

Virgil braced himself, knowing the last time Logan had done that he had been grabbed. But instead of the windows opening, he felt himself being jerked forward. Looking around, he realized the small room had come out of the wall. Turning into an all-glass prison. Which was great for being able to see when Logan’s hands took hold of the sides and picked it up. Virgil had no choice but to stay in the middle, ignoring the hands on either side of him and the very long fall below.

Virgil watched as Logan began to walk towards the door in the back. A door that Virgil assumed led to the outside. And he was correct as the door opened for Logan automatically and they found themselves in a large room, light coming from a skylight above. People, giants, scattered around the room, all focused on different things. Including computers, each other, and...him.

Virgil scooted back, despite that putting him closer to Logan. At least Logan was a known threat. Semi-known, actually, considering he apparently knew nothing of his ‘friend’.

...Had they ever really been friends?

“Logan! Glad to see you made it back in one piece.” A man said, coming up to them and smiling at Logan. His gaze soon turned to Virgil, however. “And it looks like you brought that little human with ya after all!”

Virgil heard Logan sigh and he looked up to see the underside of a deadpan look. “Yes, Remy, you were there during the video call. You already know this.” Turning back to the other giant, apparently named Remy, he was giving Logan a shrug.

“Anyway, boss man wants to see you. About your little human.” Virgil heard Logan sigh again.

“Alright, I suppose that is where I am headed next then. Thank you, Remy.” Remy did a mini salute before leaving them. Logan walked through another pair of doors, coming into an empty room. Logan paused, biting his lip.

Virgil then found himself being placed down on a crate, noticing that the room was full of them. He looked up at Logan with wariness in his eyes. Logan looked at him apologetically. “I am sorry about this Virgil but I don’t think it would be good to take you with me. I will be right back though, I promise.” And with that Logan exited the room, leaving Virgil all alone.

Virgil pressed himself up against the back wall before sliding down and hugging his knees. Everything was moving too fast. And now he had to deal with the knowledge of multiple giants all in just the next room. It would be far too easy for them to come in and take him.

Virgil shifted positions and shoved his hands into his pockets before he froze. He grabbed something from his right pocket and brought it out, realizing quickly that it was his phone. Virgil simply stared at it for a moment before he felt a spark of hope. But he quickly pushed it back down. He was probably a thousand or so light-years away from earth, there was no way he had any signal here.

He unlocked his phone and looked at the top right corner. His eyes widened.

He had a signal.

He doesn’t know how but at the moment he didn’t care. This was his chance! He quickly went into his contacts, glancing up every few seconds in case Logan or someone else came back. He scrolled through his contacts.

His work? No.

His parents? ...Yeah, definitely not.

Virgil tried to scroll down more before realizing that...that was basically it. All his other contacts were either of family he didn’t talk to or old numbers from high school he got when he did projects that he never deleted.

There was no one that Virgil could actually call that would care that he was gone.

And, Virgil deflated as he realized, even if there was someone who cared about him, they would never believe him. And in the off chance that they did...there was nothing they could do.

Virgil turned his phone off and let the arm holding it fall limply to his side. That’s probably why Logan was so comfortable in taking him. Virgil himself had told him he didn’t have anyone. Logan probably saw him as the perfect target to take back with him. A human that no one would miss.

He heard the door open, suddenly, and his head snapped up to meet eyes with Logan. He quickly looked back down, curling into himself. As Logan got closer, he could hear that he was muttering to himself. Something about ‘too much paperwork’ or something along those lines. Virgil watched, through his bangs, as Logan shook his head and stopped his muttering. He looked down at Virgil and Virgil looked down once again as well.

“Alright, time for us to go home,” Logan spoke and Virgil braced himself as his prison was once again lifted up. He tried to keep his eyes pointed to his lap as he was moved, but couldn’t help but glance around him as they stepped outside.

Surprisingly, the outside reminded him a lot of earth. The sky was blue, the grass was green. He might think he was still on earth if it wasn’t for the second sun in the sky. Virgil just barely glanced at it before he turned away. Too freaked out by it.

Virgil looked straight ahead, eyes widening when he saw what they were headed towards. It was obviously supposed to be some sort of vehicle, but it was no car. For one thing, it was more rounded with windows surrounding the entire top half of it. The second thing, was that it was floating a few inches off the ground...so, yeah. Virgil decided not to think about any of this too much. He had enough to deal with, being captured by a giant and all.

Logan opened the not car, which had a door in the back that lifted up, and got inside. He set Virgil down on the floor, because with a start, Virgil realized that there were no seats. Everything was floor. He also realized, looking around, that there was no steering wheel either. Just a bunch of buttons similar to what he saw in the spaceship.

Logan seemed to know what he was doing though as he immediately started pressing said buttons. The not car came to life and before Virgil could comprehend what was happening, they were moving.

The ride was silent, only filled by the buttons that Logan pressed. The ride itself wasn’t that long though, as when what seemed like five minutes passed, the not car stopped. Virgil found his prison picked up once again as they exited the vehicle. Virgil looked up to see a fairly nice house. It looked like a lot of houses he had seen on earth but slightly off in a way that Virgil couldn’t pinpoint.

He didn’t get a chance to figure it out though as they quickly moved inside. “Finally, home at last.” Virgil heard Logan speak as he shut the door behind him. Virgil glanced around what he assumed to be the living room, taking in how similar but hi-tech it was.

He was placed on a table and that was when Logan started to speak. “Are you alright?” Logan started off with. But Virgil decided not to answer, instead pressing himself more into the corner and wrapping his arms around himself. Would he regret not answering?

He heard Logan sigh. “Please Virgil, just talk to me.” Virgil wanted to laugh. Talk to him? How on eart-whatever planet they were on was he supposed to talk to him? He doubted Logan would even listen to a word he had to say.

“Alright then, we’ll do things your way.” Virgil almost lifted his head at that but started to panic as he heard the door to his prison open. He braced himself for a hand to wrap around him, unable to do anything to stop it. But it never came. Instead, Logan spoke once more.

“There. Now will you talk to me?” The voice was not booming like before though. That fact alone made Virgil lift his head, only to see Logan as he had originally known him. Human-sized.

“It took some convincing, but they let me keep the watch. I figured it would come in handy in situations like this and it appears that I was right.” Logan continued to talk as Virgil slowly got himself up. He started towards him.

“I know you were thrown into all of this but really, I mean you no-!” Virgil cut Logan off with a hard punch to the face.

He watched as Logan stumbled back, hand covering the right side of his face, mostly near his eye. Virgil smirked in victory, the punch having felt great, but his smirk slowly dropped as he realized what he had just done.

Just because Logan was currently on level with a human, did not mean he was one. He was a giant and could turn back into one in under a minute. Virgil started to shake as he realized how much trouble he was probably in.

“I-I am so sorry, please, I wasn’t thinking, I-” Virgil pulled at the hairs on his head, panic slowly overtaking him. “Please, I’m sorry, I didn’t-” He was cut off.

“No, it’s alright, I...I deserved it.” Virgil blinked, hands leaving his hair as he looked up at Logan. He was still human-sized, rubbing at the already forming bruise right underneath his eye.

“W-What?” Virgil asked, keeping his distance. Though he did feel more comfortable with Logan when he was like this. He could almost imagine they were just hanging out at one of their lunch dates. Almost.

“I have not been handling this situation as well as I would have liked.” Logan sighed, he took off and cleaned his glasses, which had just barely missed Virgil’s hit. “But I would like to make up for that now. Please, ask me anything you’d like. I’ll do my best to answer.”

Virgil searched Logan’s eyes, gaze going down to the bruise he had left on Logan’s cheek. There were so many things Virgil wanted to ask, most having to do with why he had taken him of all people. But instead of asking that, Virgil found himself asking another kind of question. “Were we ever really friends?”

Logan’s eyes softened. “Of course, Virgil. I...Virgil, I truly mean you no harm. And you aren’t a prisoner here either.” Logan answered, putting his glasses on with a slight wince.

“Not a prisoner? You kidnapped me! From earth! You took me away from my home, my life! I’ll admit it wasn’t the best life but it was mine. And now I’m stuck on an alien planet full of giants! Does that-does that not seem wrong to you?!” Virgil yelled, moving his arms in wild gestures. He couldn’t believe Logan. If they really had been friends then why had Logan kidnapped him?!

He watched Logan carefully as Logan’s eyes widened before going sad. He looked down with another sigh. “I...I am sorry.” Virgil blinked, anger replaced by confusion.

“What?”

Logan looked back up at him. “I...have just now realized I may have rushed into all of this without thinking. Like I had stated before, my mission was not to bring anyone back with me but to simply observe. But when I met you I...well, you fascinated me in more ways than you may think. I never ‘clicked’ so well with anyone before, not even those of my own kind. I considered you my-my best friend not long after first conversing with you. I wouldn’t be on earth forever though and I slowly began to realize that I...I would not be able to leave you behind.” Logan explained before running a hand across his face, wincing as he forgot about his bruise. “...I should have at least spoken to you about it first. I am sorry.”

Virgil just stared at Logan as he processed everything he had just said. He brought his hands to his face, rubbing at it. “Logan…” Could he say that he understood Logan’s actions? No. However, he could understand where Logan was coming from. “I was starting to consider you my best friend as well. My...only friend, really.” He watched as Logan smiled.

“So you are saying you would have said yes if I would have asked?” Logan asked, eyes alight with hope. But they dimmed when Virgil shook his head.

“Honestly? I don’t know. At this point I would have for sure said no but I don’t know what I would have said if all this went differently…” Virgil would have liked to say it would have been a for sure no but...given the choice, the prospect was intriguing.

“But Virgil, I can provide you with everything! I know how much you hated your job and now you no longer have to work. Your home was less than ideal and now you have as much space as you could hope for along with technology humans have yet to think about! You will be well taken care of here.” Logan took a step towards Virgil but Virgil followed with a step back. Logan frowned at that.

“...You sound like I’m some pet.” Virgil muttered, glaring at Logan. Logan’s eyes once again grew wide.

“No! That isn’t it at all!” Logan put his arms out in a form of surrender. “I see you as an equal-as a friend, Virgil. And as my friend I want nothing but the best for you. Which I can give to you here.” He motioned to his home around him before taking another cautious step forward. This time, Virgil didn’t move back, which Logan seemed happy about.

“Logan, I...I can’t. This world clearly wasn’t meant for me. I know my life was sucky but I want to go back to it. Please.” Please don’t keep me here.

Logan looked at him, searching his eyes. Eventually, he sighed. “I understand.” And with that, Logan turned around and walked right off the table.

“Logan?!” Virgil’s eyes went wide with a sudden panic and he started running towards the edge. But before he made it, a blurry shape rose up quickly. He stopped and looked up, seeing Logan as a giant once again. The human took several steps back as Logan looked down at him with sad eyes.

“Patton, call work.” Logan called out to the room. Virgil was confused and even more so as a bubbly voice spoke up, seemingly from nowhere.

“Sure thing, Lo!” The voice said. There was then a ringing all throughout the house before another voice spoke up.

“Hey, you’ve got Remy on the line.”

Logan groaned. “Remy, why did you answer Thomas’ phone?”

“He’s currently out but I am more than capable with helping you out with whatever you need.” Logan looked to be getting frustrated.

“Fine. I need to schedule another quick trip to earth as soon as possible.” Logan requested, causing hope to rise in Virgil. Logan was actually going to take him home.

Some typing echoed around the house. “Sure thing, let me just pull up your file here...huh.” Logan blinked.

“What? What’s wrong?” Logan asked and they both heard Remy hum.

“Sorry gurl but it looks like you’re no longer authorized to go down to Earth.” Both Logan and Virgil’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” Logan pressed.

“Well, according to the contract you signed for the mission, you were only authorized to go on this one trip to Earth. For liability or some crap, I don’t know. Either way, going back to Earth is a no go, sorry.” Remy said nonchalantly.

Panic welled up within Virgil, so much so that he felt dizzy. He sat down before his legs gave out beneath him. Logan noticed this and quickly went to go end the call. “Goodbye Remy.”

“Hey, wait-” The call cut out and Logan to kneel near the table.

“Virgil, I am so sorry. I didn’t know I wasn’t able to go back to Earth, I-”

“Remy is trying to call back.” The bubbly voice from before, Patton, said. Logan groaned.

“Not know Patton.”

“Alright, sending it to voicemail!” Logan turned back to Virgil, looking worried.

“Virgil?” Virgil took in a shaky breath, before looking up at Logan.

��Welp, looks like you got what you wanted. I’m stuck here.” Virgil stood up on shaky legs and turned around. He headed to the only other place he could go. Back into the glass prison.

“Virgil, no I-” Virgil cut him off as he climbed inside and took a seat, back still facing Logan.

“Just...leave me alone.” Virgil mumbled. Afraid that talking any louder would cause the tears to flow. Logan stared at Virgil before nodding and standing up.

“Alright. I shall give you some time alone to...process, everything.” Logan walked towards his bedroom, sending one last glance to Virgil before disappearing from sight.

Leaving Virgil alone to think once again.

#gt #Giant/tiny #thomas sanders #sanders sides #infinitesimal!sides #au #giants #aliens #alien!logan #giant!logan #human!virgil #tiny!virgil #disembodied voice!patton #?#platonic #space barista au #not your average coffee shop au #part 2

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harryfeatgaga · 4 years

Note

That picture of him squinting is what he’d do to try to make his little bubby laugh like she just sqeaks as laughs but he wants to hear it Bc he wants to make everything laugh on planet eart including his little 3 month old baby-🌙

PLEASEEEEEE

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comicteaparty · 4 years

Text

March 21st-March 27th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from March 21st, 2020 to March 27th, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

What are some background details you know about your story that won’t ever actually come up in the main narrative?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh boy... So many in Whispers of the Past... The first—which I believe I've mentioned before—is that some of the characters' sexualities never really get brought up outside of some subtle subtext. For example, Ryukou is asexual aromantic, but he is married, and he honestly doesn't even know that being aroace is a thing. His wife, Maya, is bisexual, and her attraction to women is hinted at, but not explicitly said. The second background detail that will likely never make it into the main narrative is Kelan's grief after SPOILER the death of his wife. END SPOILER The story takes place years after this event, and yet he still hasn't completely recovered. That being said, it just never really comes up in the narrative, again, outside of subtext. Thirdly, Izrekiel actually has a dependency on physical contact and skinship, because of the lack of affection he was given as a child. This, once again, only really comes up in subtext and is hinted at through his actions, but it is never explained. Aaaaand finally, there is a lot of magical lore that is never explained even remotely. In the story, it is treated very much like a soft magic system, but there are some "harder" elements that go into explaining why certain things have happened, but... they are not actually explained in the story. More like... I know about them, and I can explain these things to anyone who cares to ask (edited)

Capitania do Azar

Oh I suppose that in https://www.sarilho.net/en/ I'm never gonna go in detail about the geopolitics, the different power structures or even how the main empire is structured. We may get hints at it, but it's not necessary for the story so I don't think I'm gonna include much. Details about characters' sexualities are prolly just gonna be hinted at mainly because they don't have the words to express them the same way we do Also I really care about the differences between the different languages and particularly between the spoken and written versions of these, but I can't find a way to have a character explain those just because so you'll have to figure it out through background information like posters and graffiti

sagaholmgaard

Ohh this prompt came at the right time because it's been on my mind lately!! In Reclaim, https://tapas.io/series/_Reclaim_ My two main characters, Albus and Styrka, are in a queerplatonic relationship, which they don't have the word for and it doesn't ever come up except in subtext. I'm trying to write them so that it really shows that they love each other, and everyone knows this, but there won't be a point were they "get together" so to speak because they already have everything they want between each other! And I'm very Soft for this but also nervous that when the story is finished people might feel let down that it doesn't end up in straight up romance? if that makes sense And there's a lot of history research I did that is contextually there but not mentioned in words. That's just one of those things where my knowledge is deeper than what shows in the comic, but I think the story is better for it :D (It's not historic fiction because I'm taking a lot of liberties, but the research is helpful all the same)

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

One of the paladin/church knight's gay, but it never comes up, because, you know, marriage in their world's decided by the parents, because it's a matter of inheritance and heirs not love. He's married, and actually decent friends with his wife and children, but he's taking his oaths seriously. So he never even mentions the people's he's attracted too.

There are openly gay couples in the story, it just didn't work out for him; his family needed that alliance.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

In Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/) I have two gods that drive the entire story. But seven other gods existed at one point in time. I will be delving into at least two other gods’ stories - as a good background for why the remaining two are in such a tumultuous relationship - but there are five others that I don’t really plan on writing about in great detail. Their symbols and names may pop up in various texts/decorations/etc, but there’s not enough time for a super detailed character study of each. Perfect for side stories, though

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Rainy Day Dreams (http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/) takes place in an alternate dimension and the plot deals mostly with interdimensional travelers, but the world is post first interstellar contact also. Only the story isn't a sci-fi so there's no real reason to talk about how robust their space program is and there are already monsters so there's no easy way to tell who's a native and who's and alien.

eli [a winged tale]

Whoa Mariah that sounds fun! I love how everyone’s worlds are complex and in depth and there are clues within the story

Would these details be part of another project/side stories/lorebook? What’s everyone’s plans for these secrets

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

My secrets are basically just stewing in my brain I mean, I guess if a reader ever asked, I'd spill all the secrets, but so far, that hasn't happened.

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

same lmao

I guess a background detail the comic won't get into is how the imagery in Cara's dream became promiment before her dream boyfriend came to the picture. I did wrote a prequel where she was having dreams of her late grandma who's stories got super visual in her head. Most of the events she told to Cara were from late 70's Vietnam.(edited)

some of those dreams and nightmares were partly inspired from my parent's part growing up in the time, such as my dad encountering a ghoulish corpse with his grandpa and my mom actually building things from a hut in the jungle

so yeah lmao. ghost story dreams

eli [a winged tale]

Mariah I’m curious about non-scifi parallel universe space program alien monsters are they more the reasoning for how the story exists but you won’t be going into depth with them? (Ie not a plot twisty thing?)

Ghost story dreams and parallel places in real life sound like a good atmosphere/mood element in your story!

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

yeah lmao. I wasn't sure how to add it but Cara does mention about her grandma's story in future chapters (if my hands let me draw faster lolol). but as a small tibit. Maybe I'll sit down and write more as a side story lol

eli [a winged tale]

Side stories sound like a great way to showcase more of the world

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

I'll consider it lolol

mariah (rainy day dreams)

They're just kind of an additional details that I came up with while thinking about the world. The planet itself I decided a long time ago is Eart but like 100,000 years in the future so the tectonic plates have shifted and the continents are different. The setting is kind of a mix of old-timey and futuristic, but also mixed with magic so the lines between what is technology and what's just supernatural are already pretty blurred. So since it's already sort of a futuristic society I thought it would just be a neat addition to also have had aliens either have shown up or been discovered. I also figured that since the world is super used to inter-dimensional travelers they probably wouldn't be super freaked out to life from off-planet since they already know they aren't alone in the multi-verse? X'D but this stuff really doesn't have any baring on the main story. Like it might be something Mara tells Tristin as some point to blow her human mind. I just like to dig into little setting corners and make tunnels readers probably won't ever see X)

eli [a winged tale]

Ooh that sounds really neat! A big world to discover for the attentive readers

DanitheCarutor

Oh I got some stuff! 1. Part of this can be spoilers for future scenes, so I'm putting it behind a thing. SPOILER Apollo's origin. He was adopted and while at some point him and Julian discuss his parents briefly, it never really comes up in the main narrative. Apollo himself doesn't really care much since he was adopted as a baby and doesn't even know who they are outside of a picture that was given to him as a kid. Essentially they were an Irish couple who moved to the states, the father died at some point and the mother followed close behind during childbirth. There weren't any known relatives, at least ones that wanted to him, so Apollo went into the system and was lucky enough to be adopted almost immediately. END SPOILER 2. Julian's origin. This is kind of brought up briefly later on, but Julian doesn't really know where they're from so nothing much comes of it outside of remembering small bits of how their life was before being found. Although it is eluded to what the situation possibly could have been. 3. Julian's real age and date of birth. Since they didn't have any kind of ID the doctors had to guess their age, which isn't an important detail for the story so I don't see a point in adding it. 4. The details of what happened at Hopeful Hands. This place is discussed a lot, but the talk is more about the trauma that was inflicted and how to move on, rather than lingering on the details. Although enough of what happened is brought up to get a good picture of what kind of place it is/was. I figured laying it all out would be a little too much, and would take away from the main point of the story. 5. The lives of Apollo's friends. There are a couple side character who get fleshed out a bit later on, but since the story isn't about them I didn't see a need in showing more than what is necessary.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hmm... there's certainly quite a few things that don't show up in the main narrative. Like Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R is very much the Mizuki show, very few other characters get deep explorations into their backstories. But, like, that's what the short stories are for. As for things that never show up in the series at all... the only ones I can think of are the history of the world (because, like, it's pretty boring) and the specifics of how certain technology works. Like, I have a list of people & companies that various locations in the series were named after, and a list of the dynasties in the Giduli Kingdom. There's... not really any interesting stories there, it's just a dry list, so it's not something really worth caring about. And, like, saying "FTL travel in this world works by traveling to a parallel universe where everything is exactly the same except half as big" is kinda interesting I guess... but there's no reason for any character to mention it, and that specific detail really isn't relevant to the story besides "there is FTL travel in this world".

Feather J. Fern

Oh man, for Teasday, any detail about what the actual background of the story is. It's mostly character driven, if the characters don't care, or don't know, they don't talk about it. For Go Figure, I think no one is going to be told anything about the other battles in the past but they did happen.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

There are so many stories I have built into the backstories of various characters that probably won't come up in the main work but have thought about making other adjacent comics about. For example I could imagine doing a prequel type thing about Joe's life & exploits

Since he is a cool character but unfortunately dead for this entire story

AntiBunny

In AntiBunny, http://AntiBunny.net/ I can't think of any reason to bring up the fact that Runo is asexual. Juju is also bisexual, and that also never comes up.

Desnik

Right now it's the warlock's magic system. I got it all worked out and then it suddenly had nothing to do with my plot.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

I think sexuality details are easier to work in than a lot of people expect. You don't need a character to stand up and announce Have I Mentioned That I Am Asexual Today -- it can be an offhand mention that not all your readers will even pick up on. (But the ones who are looking for it will notice.) https://leifandthorn.com/comic/family-deserts-4-33/

What I've teased but never been able to work into Leif & Thorn canon (yet?) are the details of the World's Largest Cheese Sculpture.

There's also a lot of country names and flags in the bank that haven't shown up yet...but I'm about to draw scenes from a big international song competition, so I'm probably gonna need even more than I already have.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

TBH as an ace person, I don't really pick up on these things. It has to be more concrete for me. Kudos for those who do pick up on them and find them validating, though.

The cheese sculpture sounds epic.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Ahhh, that's what "reading the comments section to check out other people's theories" is for!

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I do that, but I don't consider that canon until the actual comic convinces me

It's also not something we creators can rely on, especially those of us who don't get many comments...

I'm not saying this is bad. Offhand mentions are great, just not concrete proof for everybody (and nothing is for everybody, sooooo).

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Yeah, as a reader I like a lot of comics that don't get many comments...but it's cool when they do and there are people coming up with things.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

So I get it if a fellow creator finds it difficult to show that a character is ace -- like, maybe they're like me and they want Concrete Proof rather than an indication.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

But the creator would already have concrete proof, right? Since it's their character. And the idea is that, even if it won't reach all readers, the indications are still better than nothing.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, like I said, they're not bad to have.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

(for reference, the comic I linked above isn't the first offhand-mention related to that character, it's just the point when readers started putting it together)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from slipping in those indications. Just saying different strokes for different folks.

DanitheCarutor

Reminds me of a comic I read called 'WANDERING' (https://tapas.io/series/wandern), the main male character in it is ace, although this is never stated out right in the story. At some point readers were speculating about his sexuality due to some hints, although I was totally oblivious. Didn't have any idea where the discussion came from. I do agree that a reader is more likely to pick up on something if they're looking for it though, as someone who doesn't care too much about a character's sexuality and gender (when those subjects aren't important to the story) I don't pick up on then unless the author holds my hand a little. Although when it comes to one of my character's genders it's never stated in my comic either, someone just asks about pronouns and attire later on and that's it. Kind of ironic. Lol

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I'm in a similar boat. Most of my characters' orientations are left ambiguous. I may need to drop an additional hint or two for some of them...

DanitheCarutor

Pfff right? I don't think my comic even had the word 'gay' in it until a few pages ago and I'm already into chapter 5. (to be fair, Apollo's sexuality is pretty obvious. The hits are really unsubtle.) I've thought about making my character's gender more easy to read for oblivious people like me, but that part of the comic is more about what makes them feel good in their own skin rather than putting a title to it. So people who miss my Twitter posts and author's comments can just speculate for themselves, I guess.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I can respect that. For me, a big part of the reason I'm wanting to put more hints is because I don't want people to accuse me of.... what people accused Legend of Korra about (I didn't watch it, but I did see some of those complaints)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Ah... The good ol' "why is she randomly bi?"

They didn't do a good job of showing it throughout the series up until that point at the end

But, big but, the creators mentioned that she was always intended to be bi, but they were afraid that Nickelodeon wouldn't let them represent a bi character on TV.(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Again, coming from someone who hasn't watched it, I feel like the complaint should be "why is she suddenly in love" rather than "why is she suddenly bi" -- same issue with shoehorned in straight romance

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

That too

These characters were fighting over the same man at some point

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

big shrug indeed, it sounds like

DanitheCarutor

Oooh! I thought it was the "stop the show to announce my gender/sexuality" thing. I never saw the show either and didn't see many of the complaints since I don't hang out on social media very often. Lol @keii’ii (Heart of Keol) That's understandable! With how stuff like that is nowadays it's better to be safe and make sure readers know, rather than not make it known till the last possible minute. It does kind of suck if putting in bigger hints doesn't mesh with will your story though.

Gosh, about the Korra thing, they could have dropped some subtle pick up lines in while fighting over the dude. But not wanting your show to get pulled or not wanting to be denied stuff is understandable.

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

oh yeah, the LoK convos about Korra and Asami. I watched the show during that time and it's just rip

Nick said to the creators they will pull the show if there's an explict statement that Kora and Asami being BI

so they had to be lowkey as hell in the end, which at the time of 2013-2014? idk the year

it was a steping stone for american cartoons I guess rip

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, and even though LoK aired back when things were a little different.... honestly I still feel that kinda pressure from EVERY angle, just a different flavor of it.

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

yea

DanitheCarutor

Well, last minute LGBT+ is better than none. Now there are a few shows like that, right? SU is super into it? (I don't watch this show either so I'm guessing based on fan discussion) and the MLP final dropped in some last minute stuff.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I have at least one character with cross orientation, and that's really awkward to show when I don't wanna put any... sex in the comic. (It's got lots of juvenile "tee hee butts" kinda stuff, but nothing steamy)

AntiBunny

Other tidbits I've thought of that I couldn't really address without just dropping a big exposition bomb are bits of lagosapien biology. They for instance have a shorter adolescence than humans, so they're shorter, but reach adulthood sooner. Their eyes are a bit wider than a human's, giving them a wider field of view, but less depth perception, and that they have higher muscular density, but being about half the size are on average human, are a little weaker than an adult human.

eli [a winged tale]

I know some webcomics have world lores and character notes at the end of each chapter

mathtans

Oh, things that don't show up? Randomly I'll toss in here that Expona is left handed. (Mostly consistently, I may have slipped up in the art once or twice.) Never something that makes sense for characters to talk about though, and not plot relevant, so... does that qualify? I dunno.

Joichi / Sarah

@Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn) sorry I'm late but I like the way you point out about asexuality. I was thinking of how to show concrete proof one's ace. But most of the time, I can pick up 'emotional signs' if it has inner monologue about romance.

The hard part of it, is being one myself, and it's always 'been like this' but in comic, it has to be said somewhere

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Ah, good to hear!

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

And yeah, that was my intention, encouraging people who feel stuck between "explicit announcement" or "nothing at all" to remember that you have in-between options. And if you take that approach, there's all kinds of creative/offbeat/fun things you can do with it.

(Applies to everything else, too, sexual orientation just happens to be the thing people were talking about when it came up.)

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