#former wildlife ranger

[silverwoodwork]

Android 17 and his wife, Ranger Violet!

After betraying and robbing Commander Red during the events of Dragon Ball, the former Colonel later turned to preserving the wildlife that she prioritized over her Red Ribbon comrades

#android 17 #colonel violet #dragon ball #ranger violet #c17 #dragon ball z #dbz #dragon ball super #dbs #dragonball z #dragonball #dragonball super #red ribbon army #dbs spoilers

[wenutted]

What's With This Small, Sassy Child?

Tighnari & child!god!reader

PLATONIC

[TW/CW; swears, Tighnari has an OOC moment and lowkey panics about it, I writ this without any specific plot planned out.. it's very self indulgent-] [A/N; WHERE DID CLOSE TO 100 FOLLOWERS COME FROM? I feel like I should do something special to thank you guys, but I can't really think of anything specific that I could do, but either way, thank you, I do appreciate it ^^]

There had been a report of a Withering Zone recently.

At first, Tighnari had made a mental note of it, yet had decided to delay dealing with it, it was within a very small area and he had so many more pressing matters to attend to first. Now, within hindsight, he'd have to admit that was perhaps one of the dumbest decisions he had ever made. The Withering Zone had almost tripled in size and quickly became a hazard for both the forest and the wildlife residing within.

He had to do something about it, and quick.

Tighnari quickly gathered a group of capable rangers to accompany him and patrol the outer areas of the barren, corrupt land. Upon arriving, the area was so much worse than what he had expected, and by now, Tighnari was really regretting having not cleared up this area sooner. Tighnari could've destroyed the tumor just a bit earlier, and everything would've been just fine, instead of wilted, decayed, and most certainly toxic enough to leave ever-lasting damage.

Rushing into the withered area, Tighnari made quick work of any nearby monsters, shooting them down without hesitation, and began looking for the tumor. Hopping over crippled logs and dodging between various different types of flora, all having shriveled into a flimsy mockery of their former beauty. A bright crimson shone through a creak within a small cavern. Tighnari rushed in, hoping to find the tumor, or at least something that could be of use to him, only to find..

What the fuck.

Why the actual fuck is there a child in here?

Why do they look just like the creator?

And better yet, how are they alive despite literally LEANING on the tumor he had just been searching for?

______________________________________________________________

[ TLDR; Tighnari decides to ignore the Withering, fucks up, professionally panics, finds a child.]

[No guarantees that I'll write a continuation to this, even tho I have more ideas-]

#genshin sagau #sagau #self aware genshin #genshin impact sagau #genshin impact #genshin x reader #sagau x reader #sagau genshin #tighnari #child!reader #gn reader

[moregraceful]

wip....sunday?? new york rangers post-apocalypse au...

;;

The kids are alright, for definitions of alright. None of them have a green thumb to save their lives, though Chris has been trying to teach them, but all three of them are crafty, determined to survive. Kaapo can fight off the wolves without a scratch, Alexis can scatter the owls without hurting them or himself, K’Andre can see the ghosts, and all three of them can dodge a bullet without panicking. If nothing else, Chris taught them that last one well.

They sleep on a mattress on Chris’s living room floor, three kids in their early twenties from three different countries, finding comfort in each other after being left behind in New York by three different national teams. When the veil split over the Atlantic and the soul of the universe came pouring out, Kaapo and Alexis couldn’t go home. K’Andre won’t go home. And Chris won’t leave them alone.

Today, the kids go looking for food, or possibly trouble, leaving Chris at home with his garden. Chris is never really sure when grocery store runs are just thin excuses to antagonize haunted wildlife or see how far they can run across the Hudson before the ice is too weak to support their former hockey player bodies, but as long as no one’s actively bleeding when they come back, he doesn’t really care. He’s not their dad, except that he’s the only one they’ve got left to rely on, so he sort of is. He’s only nine years older than K’Andre, and ten years older than Alexis and Kaapo, but it feels like more, sometimes, when they come home in before dark with their eyes shiny and their hands wet with something or someone else’s blood, laughing with hearts that are growing harder each day.

Chris likes quiet time in his garden, working in the weak summer sun on the rooftop in the dirt. He’s been working on it for a couple years now, since the world turned wild and strange. Before, he had not paid much attention to the garden – as a professional hockey player, he had not had much time or energy to pay attention to his apartment building’s community garden – but as the years have gone by, he’s grown to love it. The vegetables he’s grown in the garden boxes, the small citrus trees he’s managed to coax to life in the winter. It helps having collected Kaapo, K’Andre and Alexis off the street early on, because they’re quite often bored and while they don’t have much interest in gardening, they love when Chris gives them pictures of plants he ripped out of stolen library books with titles like Native Plants of New York or Container Gardening For The Stay-At-Home Mom and sends them on a mission to find what he wants. They’re eager to please and love a challenge and he prefers the days when they come home just as the sun is setting, loaded down with plants in their pockets and hoods and arms. It beats the days when they come home bloody or sopping wet just after dark.

Today, he’s working on the lemon tree, a small little bush that is barely past his knees. It won’t bear fruit for several months, but he worries about its survival endlessly. It’s stupid of him – he should worry more about the tomatoes, he’s pretty sure, or anything that needs more sunlight than their summers provide these years. But he wants this little lemon tree to survive. It was the first thing the boys found for him and he’s desperate for it to live. They were teenagers growing restless and cranky indoors, until he was satisfied they wouldn’t die on the street without him and tore out a picture of a lemon tree from a book he’d stolen from the bookstore down the street, Fruit Trees for Urban Growers, and told them to go to the Botanical Garden and find him a lemon.

They’d stolen an entire tree, coming home as the sun was going down, yelling with pride for Chris to look at what they’d done. It almost died in the first three months, shrank considerably like the rest of Chris’s world, but Chris coaxed it into wanting to survive.

He can hear the boys down the street, yelling about something. He has no idea if they’re yelling at each other or someone else. Four years past their World Junior Tournament in Buffalo and three years since Chris rescued them off the street, and they’ve grown skinnier, grittier, more emotional. He doesn’t want to know what they do all day and doesn’t really care, as long as they come home before dark.

Gunshots down the street, more yelling. Chris ignores whatever is going on down there and focuses on clipping off dead leaves of the lemon tree and letting them fall to the ground around the trunk. He read in a book that the dead leaves help fruit-bearing trees grow, that mulch created from the dead leaves will help a tree become stronger, bear more fruit.

How poetic to grow stronger from a part of you dying, he thinks grimly. He clips off another dead leaf.

Down in the street, Kaapo, K’Andre, and Alexis are laughing.

#sunday afternoons are supposed to be my weekend but i have been doing pastoral care stuff all day 😩😩 #someone gave me a $30 starbucks giftcard and i've been sitting in here for like an hour trying to make myself write one single email #that would help with the care stuff but i'm so tired...maybe another latte idk #unfortunate birdcage fanfictions

[preservationofnormalcy]

For Jenny:

How did you get your current job at the Office? Was the interview process tough? What kind of qualifications do you have?

I was offered the internship here after moving from Florida; I won't pretend some of it wasn't nepotism, my grandfather has friends with the Office, and I'm almost positive he called in some favors to get me the interview.

As for qualifications, I have a B.A. in Communications from Wake Forest, and a Masters in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a concentration in Wildlife Forensics from the University of Florida. I definitely use the former more than the latter, but my masters does come in handy when we interact with the Rangers.

Honestly, the interview was the nicest one I've ever had; Helena from UnHuman Resources is a total sweetheart. Really good at putting people at ease.

#office for the preservation of normalcy #ask #ask jenny #intern day #It's been wild getting used to having winters again

[miscellaneoussmp]

The Pokemon Ranger au!!! For some cutes for you. The first batch of eggs from the initial event are on like year long work placements with Pokemon Ranger School, and get assigned to various bases around the region. The younger eggs are younger kids, not yet old enough for ranger school. The player characters are, like, the established rangers, or run businesses, or whatever. Ramon wants to be a scientist, so is placed with Pac and Mike at HQ, and how Pac and Fit get to know each other better than just in passing. Or, well, Fit heading back to get kit repaired or have upgrades explained and all that. Fit is technically speaking one of the Top Rangers, but generally works in the unshowy and difficult jobs - he doesn't calm legendaries attacking cities or look after abandoned mareep, he's knee deep in sand and mud trying to apply healing potions to grumpy hippopotas in the middle of the fucking desert in a sandstorm for no reason other than it's their job to help. Or dragging a very stubborn onix who is maybe eating a coal mine to a cave humans don't need to be using. That sort of stuff. Fit lost his arm to a Pokemon he was trying to wrangle. Absolutely doesn't blame the gyrados, it was him who fucked up and he knows it. Pac, however, lost his leg while he was still training, having been practicing Pokemon commands with his classmate Cellbit and Cellbit's Pokemon disobeying badly. They're still friends, but it was shaky for a bit, and it's what had Mike divert into science, with Pac following a bit after.

Pokemon rangers do have partner pokemon who stick with them (and in this case they have multiple who chill at home when not with them), but most of the pokemon a ranger interact with they only keep temporarily to help them with a specific task, then let them go back to the wild. They are mostly park ranger? Dealing with ecological problems (and occasionally ecological crimes), but also wildlife rehabilitation. They also have a big comms network because this is the Pokemon world and like. Dealing with ecological disasters where Pokemon and sometimes legendaries are involved is almost superhero level bullshit (*looks at ruby and sapphire - pokemon rangers are who have to clean up if they'd actually started flooding everything*)

In the au sometimes Pokemon with more serious injuries are bought back and treated and there's the equivalent of a sealife sanctuary but for pokemon - heal and rerelease those who can be released, otherwise look after them if the injuries mean surviving in the wild wouldn't work. That's where Dapper is studying! Though, given his dad is the head of the project, that would happen.

Chayanne is placed under Philza, a former top ranger who was occassionally involved in the showy side of it, but stepped down after a nasty injury to lead a local branch. Chayanne and Tallulah are kids of single parent Missa, who is a fisherman. Chayanne's extra partner Pokemon stay with Missa and Tallulah when not needed. Chayanne is also trying to get his mentor and his dad together.

Um other bits... Foolish is a marine specialist! Not all of the rangers have diving training, and Foolish is especially good at it. (Chayanne actually wanted to do the marine specialist stuff, but Leo beat him to it. And won by being his kid).

Mostly its just an excuse for everyone to have cute fun times and sure there's some horrifying, but... it's pokemon ecological conservation hours my dude! Bobby is super passionate about the 'gross' pokemon being important and he's *correct*. Natural balance and all that.

~Factorial

Awwww!!! This is adorable!!!!

Everyone is so fitting in this au, too!!! (also all the nepotism going on is so funny ngl)

#asks #qsmp #qsmp au #factorial's pokemon rangers au

[ghostsxagain]

//alright so new test muses have been added, most are a result of that wonderful fc meme. like this post if you'd like a starter from one or more of them - please specify or it will be random!//

alfie perkins-mcfarlane (tyler lawrence gray). early twenties. pansexual (preference for males). trying to become a professional dancer but works as a mechanic with his dad in the meantime.

august hutchinson (kyle gallner). thirties. bisexual (preference for women). paranormal investigator that often brings entities home with him by accident.

clementine jackson (jasmin savoy brown). late twenties. pansexual (preference for women). sports agent. older sister to my existing muse aaron.

elias ward (penn badgley). mid thirties. bisexual. narrates audiobooks. often babysits his cousins young daughters.

fern carmichael (drew barrymore). late thirties to early fourties. pansexual. mother of two, divorced amicably. yoga instructor.

juno holland (jesse james keitel). late twenties. pansexual. co-owns a pottery shop and teaches classes occasionally.

levi tan (evan mock). twenties. unlabelled sexuality, nonbinary. public relations specialist.

nisha khatri (janina gavankar). age unknown. fluid sexuality. vampire. spends her time wrangling and training newly turned vampires in the family.

olive mcqueen (madelyn cline). twenties. pansexual. wildlife photographer. daughter of existing muse ranger.

oscar rivers (charlie heaton). twenties. bisexual. co-owns an oddity shop with his best friend harlan (played by @glimpse0fus)

rian danvers (miles teller). mid thirties. heterosexual (but questioning). works at a brewery and loves creating new drinks.

tripp mcfarlane (skeet ulrich). bisexual (preference for women). mid fourties to early fifties. mechanic, adopted father of alfie.

seeley, everett (rudy pankow). twenties. pansexual. prefers going by his last name. professional surfboarder that volunteers regularly at a local reptile rescue.

stormy greer (rory culkin). late twenties to early thirties. bisexual. botanist that really loves his job and spends a lot of time gardening.

viggo andersson (joel kinnaman). late thirties to early fourties. questioning his sexuality. former gang member, current bodyguard.

zeppelin leery (sam claflin). thirties. unlabelled sexuality. music producer. son of anakin & lilith (played by @glimpse0fus)

also angie dimaggio (lisa ann walter) but she is exclusively for @goxinsane at present

#yes this is a long ass list #no I do not regret a thing #starter call #welcome new muses to the roster <3333 #lets see how many I keep on permanently LOL

[steel--fairy]

Worldbuilding Headcanons #1

so the pokemon league definitely ISN'T the government lol no offense to people who like it, but that's just kind of a stupid idea with how suddenly the champion can change.

but i do think they're likely sponsored by the government. or even a part of the government but like. in a position like how the national parks service is part of the government? obviously part of it but pretty focused on their one thing and definitely do not have a say in how things are run overall.

the league mainly focuses on battling rules (things like making aiming at another person in battle illegal) and anti pokemon abuse. they're probably also a reliable source of info on pokemon, like if you find an injured wild absol when visiting hoenn, you'd call the hoenn league/check their website for info on what to do with it.

(...so the comparison i'm looking for is fish and wildlife services? hm.)

(on that note though, i do imagine that, because of the world they live in, most pokemon regions have a very weak central government and mayors have a lot of importance in how a place is run. i can't really say more than that though because frankly i dont care about this topic and i almost failed ap us gov for a reason)

and taking things from more recent games, there's the active side of the league (gym leaders, elite 4, champion) and the passive side (the chairperson and other pencil pushers). the passive side makes the rules while the active side makes sure they're being carried out. gym leaders focus on their cities and towns while the elite 4 and champion focus on the region as a whole. they mainly deal with things like "making sure pokemon aren't being abused" but being hired by the league does mean you'll be obligated to help out if some sort of shenanigans are going down (ie all the evil team plots) in your area. ignoring things can lead to you being fired.

(there's also an element of danger because of that that turns a lot of people off from being an active member of the pokemon league. possible death by rampaging pokemon or local mafia boss is not a great pitch.)

so league members do regularly get paid... though maybe not well given how many have other jobs lol probably depends in the region! they also have things like vacations and days off too.

i'd also say that gym leaders likely are more well known then the e4/champ since they interact with more people on a daily basis. local celebrities, basically. now, the others can be famous, but they're usually famous because of other things, not because theyre champion (minus galar). diantha's famous because shes an actress and wallace because hes a former coordinator, not because they're champions.

(and with the galar mention, i do see their league as being structured very differently. they're athletes who recieve sponsorships instead of workers with regular pay. paldea is also slightly different, with the league being tied to the academy. the regions from the ranger games have the ranger union instead of the league but they basically do the same thing)

i have no idea where else im going with this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ end post.

#pokemon #pokemon worldbuilding #pokemon headcanons #pkmn #pie has hcs

[thiswasinevitableid]

22 Construct, NSFW, OT4

I have so many potential starts for this. Manifesting Bigfoot and Mothman into existence? Summoning creatures from another world? Or Sylvain is dying and Indrid summons heroes from another world to help? So many possibilities 🤔

Here you go! This is inspired in part by the old Bigfoot hunting movies, which are some of the only media my brain accepts these days.

Duck’s been hiking the woods in general since 1949 and the woods of the Pacific Northwest since he moved out here for work in 1970. So excuse him if he’s skeptical that there’s some gigantic ape monster running around out here. 

“You don’t gotta be a believer, but this is a hell of a job. Make a little scratch, keep seasoned woodsman from gettin too big for their britches, and make sure they don’t muck up the ecosystem.”

Thacker had a point, which is why Duck agreed to act as both a naturalist and one of two back-country guides for the North American Wildlife Research center. The name is sensible enough, but after a week of hearing them speculate about Sasquatch at base camp, Duck is starting to despair for the wildlife researchers of the future. 

Now, a week out on the trail, Duck suspects many of his fellow explorers have even less outdoors experience than they let on; there’s a whiff of weekend warrior about most of them that gives him the same bad feeling as watching someone wander up a trail in sandals. 

The one exception is Joseph Stern, a former FBI agent turned full time Bigfoot researcher. He listens when Duck points out interesting wildlife, takes both his warnings and opinions seriously instead of treating him like a hick they have to cart around in exchange for permission to be out here.

He also wears the tightest shirts known to man, and Duck is starting to suspect he wouldn’t complain if the ranger felt him up in the tent some night. Not when he made a crack about there being a bear in it the first time they shared. 

Duck’s in no hurry; they’re out here until early fall. If Joe still hasn’t made a move by them, Duck will wait until they get back to town to ask if he’d like to come over and “debrief.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------

“How you holding up?” Barclay sets the grocery bags on the dusty table. 

“I maintain existence is not all it’s cracked up to be.” Indrid stands, intending to join him, and bangs his knee on a chair. Barclay sympathizes; eyesight adjustment was bad enough going from bigfoot to human. He can’t imagine how difficult transitioning from mothman eyesight is. 

Indrid landed in Kepler–literally–three months ago with the same alarmed timbre to his voice Barclay had after stumbling into the place several years prior. He, and many like him, were conjured into existence by sheer force of belief after that fucking Patterson-Gimlin film. Indrid’s lot is even stranger in that mothman as a construct only encompasses a single entity, not the idea of new species, and so he’s the only one of his kind. 

Kepler is a saving grace for Cyrtpids in two ways; it houses the Amnesty Lodge, run by a woman who’s decided that just because cryptids come into being fully grown with memories and legends in tow doesn’t mean they don’t need someone looking after them. And it’s home to Aubrey Little, who’s parents founded the Sylvain commune and who can do magic that would put James Randi to shame. 

For starters, she can make the cryptids disguises so they’re not spotted and off to spend their lives in a zoo. 

Indrid likes to tease him that, if it weren’t for Aubrey making him such a distinct human disguise, Barclay would have no interest in him. They both know it’s not true; Barclay’s wanted Indrid since he first laid eyes on his eye-spotted wings. 

He draws the willowy man into his arms, “Go draw the blinds, little moth. I’ll get my claws into your feathers and show you just how nice being alive can be.”

Indrid kisses his nose with a chirp and a sly smile, “Hmm, well, I’m in such a mood, it may take you all night to convince me.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I thought this place was abandoned.” Joe, standing by his horse as they have lunch, pulls out the map and frowns. 

“It should be. That cabin ain’t had anyone in it for years. But I guess the new resident didn’t get the memo.” Duck peers through his binoculars at the humble structure down in the valley, clearly occupied and in the midst of being repaired. 

“We should ask if we can stay on his property.” Winthrop,one of the backers, looks at his bologna sandwich with disgust, “and if we can, I call the porch. Damn bugs.”

“Yeah, real rude of mother nature not to be a five star resort.” Duck mutters. Joe snickers softly and passes him the bread. 

It’s evening by the time they hit the valley. Duck stands beside Joe in the glow of the porchlight, moths bumping the windows as they wait for the occupant to answer.  When he does, Duck’s breath is gone with the daylight. 

The man in the door is tall and wiry, hair so pale it could be white, with red glasses perched on a narrow nose. His features are angular, his smile wide, and it should all add up to something alarming. Instead, he’s so gorgeous Duck forgets what he was going to say.

If Joe is having the same problem, he doesn’t let on, introducing them and explaining the situation. The man, who gives his name as Indrid, thinks for a moment before agreeing to let them cap near the cabin and make use of its restroom.

 As the others set up camp, Duck watches Joe chat with Indrid on the porch. He must have been a menace as an agent; in ten minutes, Indrid’s posture moves from relaxed to open, and soon he’s leaning almost flirtatiously on the railing as Joe talks. 

“Hey, slick, you gonna help me with the tent or what?” He teases, fully aware of the fact Indrid is now studying him with a flattering intensity. 

“One second, I was asking Mr. Cold if he’s seen any unusual, large, wildlife in the area.”

“Nothing but elk and one bear. Unless we’re counting deer as large? They strike me as medium sized, but no, other than those I haven’t seen anything of note.”

“Any strange smells? Like a skunk but more intense?”

“No? Goodness, who is spreading the word that these, ah, Sasquatch smell bad?” Something in Indrid’s smile flickers.

“It’s just something that turns up in eye-witness accounts. Have you-”

“O-kay, that’s enough with the interrogation for now.” Duck steers Joe towards their tent, “thanks again, Indrid. See you in the mornin.”

They pitch the tent and go over their notes from the last few days, discussing the route for tomorrow. Duck feels more than a little smug that Joe removes a cluster of sightings based on his explanation of how that’s absolutely where a bear den is and how weather can warp bear tracks to look plausibly like a bigfoot. The researcher does keep glancing over at the cabin; at one point, Indrid is at the window and waves to both of them. Joe waves back, a little awkwardly, and protective affection curls through Duck’s chest. 

By the time they’re done talking the rest of the camp is asleep. They lay down and shut off the lantern. Fifteen minutes later, a faint, red light emanates from the upper window of the cabin.

“That’s odd” Joe sits up, peering through a crack in the zipper, “there’s no reason to have a lantern there. It almost…almost looks like a signal.” He pulls the zipper further, reaching for his boots. 

Duck groans and sits up, “Joe, get your ass back in the tent.” 

Joe’s blue eyes glint in the faint light as he looks over his shoulder “Last I checked, Duck, I was the head researcher, and you technically answer to me.”

 “And last I checked, it was fuckin bad manners to creep around some poor fellas house.”

“I'm not creeping, I'm just...going for a look.” 

“No, you ain’t.” Duck grabs the back of the boxers Stern’s taken to wearing to bed. 

“Let go!” Joe hisses.

“Get back in the tent and I will.”

Joe simply turns around and tries to further unzip the tent, at which point Duck tugs, pulling him backwards and landing the taller man on top of him with a mutual “oof.”

“This seems unnecessary.” Joe mutters into his shoulder, though he stays down. 

“It’s necessary to keep you from violating someone’s privacy for the sake of a silly story.”

Joe’s posture sags, and after a moment he whispers, “If you think it’s silly, why did you agree to come?”

“Because y’all are payin me. And because I'm real curious about what people are seein'. Truth be told, you’re the first fella who’s made a case for Bigfoot that I even half-believe, because you know your stuff and actually think about things for two seconds.”

“Thank you. Really, coming from you that’s actually high praise.”

“Seems to me you deserve a little praise now and then.” Duck smiles. Joe shifts in his arms and so he quickly adds, “you need me to let you up?”

“No. Um, that is, I’m comfortable like this if you are.”

“I’d say I’m plenty comfy.” He hazards a glide of his hands down Joe’s lower back, settling them on his ass and getting a surprised sigh in return. 

“Really? I, I mean, not that I’m complaining it’s just, you seem like a very normal, red-blooded american man.”

“Sure as hell red-blooded enough to appreciate this handsome face” He moves one hand up to carefully trace a thumb along Joe’s jaw, a hint of stubble pricking his skin, “you crack me up, slick. You believe in a huge-ass ape thing but not a gay fella from the south.”

“That second one's not as much talked about.”

“Think you might just need to broaden your horizons some. If you stick around town when we’re done, happy to help you do just that.”

“I’d like that.” Joe shifts and rolls so that he’s straddling Duck, the smallest flash of shyness on his face before he dips down and kisses him. Duck slips his fingers into black hair, pressing him closer so he can tease his tongue between his lips. Joe moans, covers his mouth as Duck pulls away enough to kiss his way across his cheek and down his neck, nipping softly enough to avoid any marks.  

He grunts as Joe rolls his hips, the taller man smiling at the reaction and giving his thigh an appreciative squeeze, “If you want, I've been told I give good head. Through stalls, at least.”

The thought of Joe on his knees in some grimy bathroom with a dick down his throat sends most of his blood south, but the remainder still powering his brain reminds him the other man deserves something much better than an anonymous hook-up. 

“Appreciate the offer, darlin. But we got plenty of nights ahead of us, and you could do with a hell of a lot more kissin’ first.”

A soft moan, followed by a self-depreciating laugh, “Shit, that’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Damn shame.” Duck rolls them onto their sides, hooking his ankle over a toned leg, “guess I better get to makin’ up the difference.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------

“Ugh, you get sprayed by a skunk one time!” Barclay throws up his hands, “just my luck I walked by a campsite where someone had a camera right after.”

“That does explain Joseph’s comment…” Indrid stares out the window in the direction the research party left. He didn’t enjoy having to tell Barclay to stay away last night, but even with them both human the chances of the disguise malfunctioning were too high. 

(He does appreciate that when he moved from concept into concrete being, it was a version of him that had the gift of future vision).

“Do you think they’re a big threat?”

“I think Joseph is exactly the kind of person who brought us into existence. And that if anyone in that group is going to find out the truth, it will be him. Or Duck, because he’s looking for it, not just for us.”

Barclay takes his hand, “Come back to the Lodge? I know you need some space to sort out being mothman but I’d, uh, I’d feel better if you weren’t out here alone with them tromping around.”

“Yes, I think I had better.” He flutters his eyelashes, hoping it looks as alluring on him as it does on the heroines in his romance novels, “provided you let me stay in your room.”

Barclay kisses him, “Sure thing, little moth.”

—-------------------------------------------------------

Joseph knows Winthrop and the others are on this expedition in the hopes of making a find that will make them millionaires, and that it was only a matter of time before an argument like the one he had with them tonight broke out. 

He did not expect the end result of this to be his and Duck’s tent getting shoved down a hillside. 

As they scrabble at the polyester and the dirt beneath, trying to slow their descent and keep them from turning into a knot in one end of the tent, he marvels at the other’s confidence; yes, they have a second guide, but Duck knows the area better than anyone. He doesn’t wish harm on anyone, but if the rest of the party is never seen again, he won’t feel that bad. 

They almost make it to the bottom with only bruises and torn bags. Then the angle sharpens and they drop six feet, Duck landing on his wrist and cursing as Joseph frees them from the tangled fabric. 

“Fuck, think it’s fuckin broken, must’ve fallen on it dead wrong.”

“Stay still. My first aid kit is somewhere around here.” He digs through the mess, finds the red carrier and helps Duck onto a log so he can get the wrist into a sling and bandage the cut on his own leg.

“Good news is, owfuck, if my map” Duck taps his temple, “is right, we ain’t all that far from Kepler, and they got at least one doctor. But we might wanna wait until morning; stand a better chance of stayin the right course if we can see.”

“I’ll see what else I can salvage from the tent.” He runs a hand over his hair, “I’m so sorry, Duck. I should have kept my mouth shut.”

Duck’s uninjured arm bumps into his own, “All that woulda done is make it so I was the one who reamed ‘em out for the idea they could fuckin poach out here.”

A crack in the brush in front of them. Duck grabs the flashlight they’d been using to check their injuries. 

It’s not the reflective eyes that worry him; it’s the fact they’re a good eight feet off the ground 

“Gun in your bag?”  Duck whispers.

“It was. No idea if it’s still there.”

A low growl as the hulking figure moves closer. He motions for Duck to stay still and takes the flashlight from him, standing between his friend and the encroaching creature. Its fur is reddish-brown in the light, and it’s not nearly as hairy as he expected. The face is more human than ape, the ears pointed, and claws are visible on the tips of its hands. 

“It’s beautiful.” He says it half to Duck and half to himself, which is why he nearly drops the flashlight when Bigfoot responds. 

“Uh, thanks.”

“Holy shit.” He shakes his head to clear it, the urgency of their situation keeping him from jumping for joy at the fact he’s not only right but that the subject of his research can actually talk with him, “I’m sorry if we’re in your territory, but we were abandoned by our expedition and my friend here is hurt. Do you know the safest route to Kepler?”

Bigfoot chuckles, “Man, he wasn’t kidding about you. Yeah, I can get you there. You both okay to walk?”

Duck gets to his feet, “Yep. Just go slow to start, think Joe and I are both a little rattled in the skull from the fall.” 

Bigfoot gives a thumbs up, then waves for them to follow him. Joseph takes Duck’s arm, unwilling to risk his falling behind, and starts into the darkness after him. 

—-----------------------------------------------------

“Incredible” Joseph stares at his notes, coffee sitting untouched on the table in front of him. Whether he’s referring to the disguise charm, the way cryptids come into existence, or Barclay’s cooking, he isn’t sure. All he knows is those blue eyes have been sparkling at him all morning and he’s not interested in losing their attention any time soon. 

“Brought into being by intense, sudden, collective belief. I mean, the theological and metaphysical implications alone are earth shattering. Duck and I could write whole papers on how it influences ecosystems, too…” He sets the end of his pen in his mouth, pondering the notebook.

“Don’t let Mama hear you say that. She’s got a basement and she’s not afraid to lock people in it.” It’s a teasing comment; in the day since they arrived, Joseph has made it abundantly clear he has no interest in endangering Barclay or the others by revealing their exact location or identities.

Joseph lowers his pen, “What’s it like? Being you, I mean. Coming into the world that way.”

“It’s…weird. Like, I have these memories, this history, these features. I exist the way I do because enough people think that’s the truth. But at the same time I, I like cooking” he gestures to the flattop, “I like blues music and I hate the way smoke looks in the sky and I cry at wedding scenes in movies. No one gave me those things. That’s all me.” He shrugs, “Like I said, it’s weird. I, uh, I can try to answer whatever questions you have, though.”

A gentle, dazzling smile, “And if my questions are just about Barclay and not Bigfoot?” 

“That’s fine too.” He winks, then settles in for questioning. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Room service!”

Duck looks up from the paper to find Indrid Cold in tiny shorts and a tank top, beaming as he holds out a breakfast tray.

“Aw hell yeah, is that corned beef hash?” 

“Indeed. Joseph said it was your favorite.”

“Swear that fella’s got a mind like a fuckin steel trap.” 

“He is remarkably observant. I can see why you chose him for a mate.” 

Duck drops his fork, then laughs a little, “Guess that’s one word for him. Ain’t sure he’s interested in anything that formal.” Suddenly, all he can picture is Joe at basecamp, getting into his car and driving away, back to his small apartment and nights spent hoping someone will call him a good boy from the other side of the glory hole. 

“Uh, thanks, by the way. Barclay said you were the one who told him to come look for Joe and me.”

“I did. There were futures where you were more seriously injured and my future sight told me it was best if he moved in his true form so he could reach you more quickly.”

“Is that sight-”

“-Why I am here? No. I, ah, I am like the others. In a way.”

“You’re a Bigfoot?” 

The taller man shakes his head, stands, and removes his glasses. 

“Jesus!” He nearly overturns his chair jolting away from the huge, insectoid shape towering over him. 

“Yes. That seems to be the usual reaction.” Feathery antenna droop, “Mothman was created to be something to be afraid of. An explanation for disaster. Or so I gather.”

“Hey, hey no” Duck stands, “I ain’t scared. Just wasn’t expectin you to look like this” He uses his good hand to touch Indrid’s arm, the chitin smooth and cool under his fingers, “did they at least make you look like one of the cool moths?”

“I…I do not know” He turns, wings spread, “can you tell?”

“Damn” Duck brushes his fingers along the circle of red on the left wing, “almost look like a Cinnabar Moth. Fuckin amazin.”

“Thank you. I, so far it is only Barclay who has found this form appealing. And perhaps Joseph? He asked if he could study me in it and take notes, but I cannot tell if that is flirtation in this case.”

Duck traces a little heart on the glossy black feathers, wondering if Indrid can feel it, “Depends. If he turns up in his Bluff Creek t-shirt, I’d make a move.”

Indrid swivels his head, red eyes glowing charmingly, “Noted.”

—---------------------------------------------------------

“Do you still have the paper? I want to see if there are any apartments listed. Thank you.” Joe takes the pages, leaning his back on the wall. Duck, half-upright on the pillows, kicks his feet into his lap. 

“You plannin to stay?”

“I think I can make a case to the research center that this is a logical outpost for me. And I really would be researching, I just would be…discreet with my sources. Not to mention it, well, it’s not far from where you live. So if you wanted to keep seeing each other we could.”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes, if it’s what you want.”

Duck snorts, hoping the noise doesn’t sound cruel, “That ain’t what I asked.”

Joe places the paper on the dresser and says calmly, “I want it so badly I could scream.” He shifts, nudges Duck’s legs apart, “I never, never thought I’d find someone like you. When you smile at me it’s like coming home, and your body” he pushes Duck’s shirt up, kisses just above his bellybutton, “your body makes me want to invent new sex positions just so we can fuck in every one of them.”

“Yeah?” Duck moves his hand, palming his fly, “seems to me you’re anglin for a tried and true one. 

Joe watches the glide of his hand, the swell of his dick against it, “May I?”

“Knock yourself outAHhey” he laughs as Joe bonks into his belly, “didn’t mean literally.”

Joe laughs, guides his cock from the fly of his boxers, “I maintain my enthusiasm is warranted.”

Duck groans as an eager tongue glides up his shaft, “Fuck, nice to be appreciated.”

The other man takes the head into his mouth, sucking skillfully as he tucks a hand under his waistband. Unlike most things Joe does it’s aimless, no defined goal beyond squeezing and pawing at Duck’s body. 

He digs his fingers deep enough into black hair to muss it, savoring the fact he’s the only one Joe allows such a gesture (he slapped Winthrop's hand away when he tried it at camp one night). 

“Good boy, fuck, Joe, you know how to make a guy feel like a fuckin king.”

Joe moans at the praise, then freezes as a knock comes from the door. 

“We were gonna go grab a bite. You guys wanna come?” 

At Barclay’s voice Joe’s eyes squeeze shut in pleasure. But when he tries to pull off to reply, Duck holds his head in place. 

“In a few. Got somethin y’all might wanna see first. C’mon in.”

Barclay and Indrid step inside, only for Indrid to grin and Barclay to slam a hand over his eyes. 

“Is, is this what you wanted us to see? Joseph, is it okay with you?”

Unable to move his head, Joe gives them a thumbs up.

“We have the all clear dearest.”

Barclay drops his hand, needy growl filling the air the moment he looks at Joe.

“See, here’s the thing. Joe’s real proud of his cock-suckin, and it’d be a damn shame not to give him the chance to show off. Not to mention, if you let him get a peek at what your dicks look like in your, uh, other forms, he’d probably bend over and let us fuck him two at a time.” He releases Joe in case he needs to protest or catch his breath. 

“God yes” He gasps, surging up to kiss Duck, “see, this is why I’m sticking around, no where in the city can I find a bear this smart.”

“Bear?” Indrid cocks his head adorably.

“I’ll explain later, sugar.” 

Indrid chirrs, blushing as he reaches for his glasses. When he’s Mothman once more, Joe sighs, “I’ll never get tired of looking at you.”

“Ahem” Barclay’s shadow falls across the bed. 

Joe’s gaze starts at his face, moving down with a smooth smile, “Or you, big guy. Um, very big guy.” He scoots to the edge of the bed, circling both hands around Barclay’s formidable cock, “amazing, the head is more flared than a human’s would be” he runs his thumb over said head, setting pre-cum beading down it, which he then licks at with an inquisitive expression.

“Why is this so hot?”

“Earnest interest in a partner is very attractive?” Indrid grins, antenna twitching, “or perhaps you get off on geeks.”

“Oh I gonna get off on him alright.” Barclay is now caressing Joe’s face, nudging him towards his cock, “you want in?”

Indrid rubs between his legs, “I’m working on it. It, ah, it takes rather more effort for mine to emerge.”

“Want a hand?” Duck tries not to snicker at the pun.

“I have four already, but yes.” Indrid steps into his space, folded wings bumping the edge of the bed, “be a sweet human and help me.”

Duck offers his good hand, “Show me how?”

Indrid guides it along the feathers, holding Duck’s fingers down and circling them until the skin parts. Silvery slick runs down his wrist, silky rather than sticky for which he has to say he’s grateful. The cryptid purrs, running black claws down his arm as his cock curls free. It’s thin and flexible, curling around his wrist enough that Duck wonders if there’s any chance it’s prehensile. 

“Ohmylord.” Joe nearly tips over turning from Barclay to Indrid, “I’ve never seen…Indrid this is amazing.” He examines the tentacle for a moment, then drags his tongue along the side, following it along Duck’s wrist and finishing with a kiss to his palm. As he pulls back, the appendage follows him, making Barclay laugh. 

“Damn, baby, it likes you.”

Joe glances at Barclay, winks, and then takes the whole thing into his mouth. Indrid trills and his wings snap open hard enough to knock a picture off the wall. 

“Awww, you excited sugar? Duck stands, stroking a palm against the closest wing.

“Extremely, oh, ohgoodness, you were not exaggerating he is magnificent.”

Joe moans, waving one hand at Barclay.

“Want me to do something?” The cryptid grins. Joe’s nostrils flare and he points more emphatically at the floor directly beside Indrid. As soon as he’s in reach Joe’s hand flies up to stroke his cock, smirking when Barclay yips.

“This is what you’re gonna do once you move, ain’t it?” Duck continues caressing Indrid’s wing, planting kisses on the edges nearest his shoulder, “be a nice, upstandin’ researcher all day and then spend the night on your knees.”

“Mmmhmmph” Joe nods, pulls free of Indrid and immediately takes Barclay’s cock into his mouth.

“Rude, pet.” Indrid crows against Barclay, cock pushing past the corner of Joe’s lips. Blue eyes widen in excitement, and from here Duck can see the tendril pulsing against his cheek as Barclay’s cock forces his mouth into a wider stretch.

Fuck, he should have made him finish before letting the others have a turn, he’s still so hard he could carve a fucking statue with his dick. 

A black wing drapes over his shoulder, drawing him against Indrid’s side, and a spindly hand reaches around his dick.

“Allow me.” Indrid dips his head, nuzzling Duck’s hair as he moans and bucks his hips, “my lovely Duck, so thoughtful, sharing his mate.”

Joe moans, eyes wide and a bit hazy when he looks Duck’s way. 

“Yes, pet, you’re very good too. So handsome and composed, even on your knees. But you’ll look far nicer in just a moment.”

“Fuck!” Duck gasps as his orgasm hits him in the gut and Joe in the face. As his legs buckle, Indrid grabs him and holds him close, trilling sharply. He can see Joe’s throat working, but as Indrid’s cock retreats, silvery cum trails down his chin. 

Then Duck is scooped up in four arms and carried back to the bed, Indrid cradling him close and wrapping his wings about him like a luxurious blanket. 

“C’mon babe, touch yourself while I fuck your throat, fuck, Joseph, that’s it, fucking-A you feel so fuckin tight when you moan.” There’s a howlgrowlpurr and a gasping cough. When the gasping continues, there’s a thud. Duck peers over Indrid’s wing to find Barclay kneeling on the floor, cupping Joe’s face and using someone’s discarded shirt to wipe his chin. 

“There we go, I got you blue eyes, are you okay? You need water? I can get water or-”

“I’m fine, big guy.” Joe’s voice is rough but happy, “riding out my own orgasm while you came all down my throat turned out to be a bit too much multi-tasking, even for me.”

“Thank fuck, I was so worried I’d hurt you.” That needy growl is back as Barclay joins them on the groaning bed and cuddles the human against him, “everyone good?”

“Divine.” Indrid nuzzles Duck again. 

“Fuckin great.” Duck glances over at his fellow human, “seems to me like whoever came up with the, uh, constructs of these two made ‘em real fuckin fun in bed.”

Joe smiles at him, sandwiching himself more comfortably between Indrid and Barclay, “No, I think we just got lucky.”

#OT4: Government Men and Their Cryptid Boyfriends #sternclay #indruck #inclay #agent stern/duck newton #terato #monster boyfriend

[positivedevelopment]

Monthly Roundup February 2023

Statement by the Prime Minister on the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers

“Today, we commit to continuing to work with the international community to ensure that all children can live their lives free from violence. Together, we can make sure children remain children, and build a safer, more just future for all.”

The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security

Strategic Plan for 2022 - 2025

Why aren’t child soldiers treated as human trafficking ‘survivors’?

"What happens to child soldiers once the fighting is over? How do they re-integrate into society, and who supports them to find a new place in civilian life?"

"Children who have been used by armed actors do not reintegrate easily. Depending on when they were used and how old they were at the time, they may return to civilian life still as children or as adults. Regardless, many of them will be viewed with suspicion, stigmatised, or outright rejected by their families, communities, governments, and even the international community."

"Engaging with child soldiers as ‘survivors’ is one way to open up a path for involving them in policy and programme design. It’s also a potentially powerful way of changing the narrative around them in ways that can ease their reintegration."

How can we sustain systems of support that are designed with the experiences of child soldiers at their centre?

"What is needed now are ideas for how governments and humanitarian organisations could bring former child soldiers into the policy and programming process, so that the system could – for the first time in their lives – work for them."

Here’s how AI is helping Africa’s endangered elephants

"In collaboration with Dutch tech start-up Hack the Planet, a team of British scientists at Stirling University has developed a new camera that could help protect elephants and other wildlife. The AI-powered device connects directly to satellites and sends real-time information to forest rangers or local villagers."

'The Elephant Whisperers' — An Oscar-nominated love story about people and pachyderms

"[Bellie] is part of the Kattunayakan community, a tribal group that, for generations, has devoted itself to caring for elephants. "For us Kattunayakans, the well-being of the forest is all that matters," she says."

"I wanted the audience to stop seeing animals as the 'other' and start seeing them as one of us," she says. "The Elephant Whisperers helps people understand more about the elephants and their human caretakers, how they love and understand each other, how they've learnt to adapt and co-exist."

#monthlyroundup #DallaireInstitute #children #peace #security #childrenNOTsoliders #acttoprotect #childrensrights #development #conflictresolution #reintegration #rehabilitation #reconciliation #Canada #RedHandDay #stoptheuseofchildreninwar #Africa #saveelephants #wildlife #conservation #saynotoivory #AI #theelephantwhisperers #documentary

[tripcabinet]

Exploring Fort Canning Park: A Gem in the Heart of Singapore

Singapore is popular for many as the modern cityscape that is always busy. Also features historic corridors and leafy areas where you can hide from the city bustle and noise. This collection of heritages includes Fort Canning Park a historical monument bewitchingly set in the city-state center. The shade-giving trees and other park attractions on top of Fort Canning Park’s historical and cultural importance enable visitors to experience a combination of nature, heritage, and recreation.

Introduction to Fort Canning Park

History

The name of Fort Canning Park. Which was once called Bukit Larangan (Forbidden Hill), symbolizes its substantial place in the history of Singapore. Traditionally, it was the source of power for many Malayan kings and the place of palaces of the noble Malay clans. After this, the hill was in the hands of the British at the beginning of the 19th century. Becoming a fortification point against foreign enemies. The fort was named after the personality of Viscount Charles John Canning. Who was the 3rd Viceroy of India. The Governor-General of India held the office and built it to protect the colony by safeguarding its interests and becoming a part of Singapore’s defense strategy.

Today

Now, Fort Canning Park serves as a legacy of the singular traditions of Singapore and is rich in many historical markers, lush greenery, and recreational facilities. It is a place of recreation, relaxation, and education for both residents and visitors of the city. It provides access to its visitors for leisure activities such as walking, picnicking, exploring cultures, and getting a chance to learn.

Exploring Fort Canning Park

Historical Landmarks

Fort Canning Green: This expansive lawn area serves as a venue for various events and concerts throughout the year. It is surrounded by the park’s lush vegetation.

Fort Gate: The main entrance to Fort Canning Park. Marked by a majestic gate, welcomes visitors to explore its historical and cultural offerings.

Fort Canning Centre: Housed within a colonial-era building. The Fort Canning Centre hosts exhibitions, performances, and educational programs that highlight the park’s history and significance.

Sally Port: A hidden gem within the park, the Sally Port is a secret entrance that once provided discreet access to Fort Canning for its inhabitants.

Battle Box: A must-visit for history enthusiasts, the Battle Box is a former underground command center used during World War II. It offers immersive tours that recount Singapore’s wartime experiences.

Nature and Recreation

Nature Walks: Visitors must be acquainted with the park’s diverse ecosystem through several walking trails. And will appreciate capturing flora and fauna pictures. Park rangers will lead the guided nature walks where a player can learn about the different bird and wildlife species and conservation drives in the park.

Picnic Areas: Several picnic areas have been earmarked. And you can find them to be particularly suited for savoring a tasty repast while basking in the beauty that is nature. Friends and families can sit and enjoy a picnic in a beautiful ambiance to reach a much-needed serenity.

Fitness Activities: Fort Canning Park serves as a health and fitness campus with fitness stations and open spaces for exercise where people can run, play, do yoga and other workouts. There’s a chance for fitness-loving people to get a fresh supply of air and to view the green scenery while maintaining fitness activities at this serene place.

Amphitheater: On top of providing a venue for various outdoor performances and cultural events featured against the naturally arranged scenery. They can unwind by visiting musical concerts, performances of dramas, and cultural festivals amid a ching-green environment.

Cultural Attractions

Archaeological Dig Site: Archaeology is the study of human history, which means that it involves the exploration of the past through the uncovering of artifacts and contents that reveal the history of old civilizations and early settlement patterns. Visitors can get acquainted with the park’s archaeological discoveries from guided walks and informative displays that are placed around the park.

Asian Civilisations Museum: The Asian Civilisations Museum which is just adjacent to the Fort Canning Park presents the various cultures and civilizations of Asia through its thematic exhibitions and large collection. Visitors have the opportunity to step into the museum’s galleries which are full of artifacts that speak of Singapore’s rich cultural heritage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. What are the operating hours of Fort Canning Park?

Fort Canning Park is open daily from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. However, specific attractions within the park may have different operating hours.

2. Is there an entrance fee to visit Fort Canning Park?

No, entry to Fort Canning Park is free for all visitors. There are no admission charges to explore the park’s attractions, including historical landmarks, nature trails, and recreational facilities.

Conclusion

Fort Canning Park stands as a cultural oasis amidst Singapore’s urban landscape, offering visitors a glimpse into the island’s rich history and natural beauty. Whether you’re a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply seeking a peaceful retreat from the city. Fort Canning Park beckons with its historical landmarks, lush greenery, and recreational amenities. So, the next time you find yourself in Singapore, be sure to carve out some time to explore this hidden gem tucked away in the heart of the Lion City. And if you’re planning your trip to Singapore from Visakhapatnam. Don’t forget to check out Trip Cabinet’s Singapore tour package for a hassle-free and memorable experience.

#FortCanningPark #SingaporeHistory #HistoricalLandmarks #NatureEscapes #UrbanOasis #CulturalHeritage #ExploreSingapore #GreenSpaces #ParkLife #SingaporeAttractions #PicnicSpot

[woodcries]

i haven't added a coral island mc because at this point. this canon pokemon character i stole is basically my oc and my mc for this game. and i think it's perfect to have a former ranger/someone who was doing conservation work and saving wildlife in the field find a new life on a farm where she can take things slower and deal with her injuries from her time there. while also still giving back to the environment and learning to rely on others again

#ooc.

[taruntravell]

Alcatraz Tour Guided Tours: What To Expect

An Alcatraz tour guided tour offers an immersive experience of one of America's most infamous prisons, located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Here's what you can generally expect from an Alcatraz guided tour:

Ferry Ride: The tour usually starts with a ferry ride from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island. The ride provides scenic views of the city skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Welcome and Orientation: Upon arrival, you'll receive an introduction and orientation from National Park Service staff or guides. They'll provide you with information about the island's history, its significance, and the guidelines for your visit.

Cellhouse Tour: The primary focus of the tour is the Alcatraz Cellhouse, where you'll explore the prison's various areas, including the cells, dining hall, library, and recreation yard. Guides often provide captivating stories about the inmates, escape attempts, and daily life on the island.

Audio Tour: Most guided tours include an audio tour, which you can listen to on a provided device. This self-guided audio tour features narrations from former inmates and guards, enhancing the experience by sharing personal anecdotes and insights.

Cell Displays: Throughout the Cellhouse, you'll find cells set up to give you a sense of how they were arranged during the prison's operational years. Some cells feature exhibits about famous inmates and significant events.

Recreation Yard: The tour often includes a visit to the recreation yard, where you can see the outdoor area where inmates would exercise and spend limited leisure time.

Special Exhibits: Depending on the timing of your visit, there might be special exhibits or events taking place on the island. These could include art installations, historical displays, or talks by experts.

Ranger Programs: National Park Rangers conduct various programs and talks that provide deeper insights into Alcatraz's history, wildlife, and conservation efforts. These programs can be informative and engaging.

Time to Explore: While the guided portion of the tour is focused on the Cellhouse, you'll have the opportunity to explore other parts of the island on your own. This might include visiting the old military fortifications, gardens, and scenic viewpoints.

Souvenir Shop: Alcatraz Island usually has a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs related to the prison's history and the National Park Service.

Return Ferry: After your exploration, you'll take the return ferry back to San Francisco. This is another chance to enjoy the views of the city and the bay.

Keep in mind that tour offerings might change over time, and it's a good idea to check the official Alcatraz Island website or contact the National Park Service for the most up-to-date information on tour options, schedules, and any COVID-19 related guidelines. Additionally, tickets for Alcatraz tours tend to sell out quickly, so it's advisable to book in advance, especially if you have specific dates in mind.

#Alcatraz tour

[spaceprincessleia]

I commissioned the two OCs for my story, a Twi'lek and a Togruta. I've never had any OC commissioned, nor someone non human. I don't know when the commission will be finished, but ahhh. I'm so excited. Spent at least an hour yesterday collecting color codes and what not.

The commissions will be portraits, so no clothing. Should probably think of a scar or something that both would have from their work (a former soldier and a wildlife ranger). But I can always add such details later, don't want to get hung up on them at this stage.

#i just ... cannot even imagine how they will look like drawn #like i have vague images in my mind #but they're mostly tied to characterization and vibes

[discoveryprimet]

How Can Wildlife Tourism Help The Environment And Nature?

There have been more than its fair share of negative headlines in 2019 regarding the climate and the environment, but there have also been some positive stories about wildlife and the advantages of Wildlife Tour to India.

These are some of the top stories, in our opinion:

Tigers of Bengal

The number of tigers has climbed from 2,226 in 2014 to a total of 2,967 in 2018, which is heartening news from India. By the time you read this, that number should have comfortably surpassed the 3,000 thresholds. This astonishing increase in just four years is a monument to the tireless efforts of conservationists in India and around the world, as well as the rewards of tiger tourism, without which the funding for their activities would be significantly diminished and far less effective. India Wildlife Tour, in addition to having a direct impact on park fees, also provides much-needed cash for the local rangers, guides, and lodge personnel, bolstering local opposition to tiger poaching and poisoning.

One-horned rhinoceros of India

Since 1975, the larger one-horned rhino population has grown dramatically, making it a success in terms of conservation. Only 600 rhinos remained in the wild at the time. After decades of successful conservation efforts, the species' population in India and Nepal reached 3,500 by the middle of 2015, and it is likely substantially higher now. Of the three Asian rhino species, the one-horned rhino is currently the most prevalent. Yet, the species continues to be threatened by habitat degradation and hunting for its horn. The majority of the funding used to pay for the hire of rangers and other facilities to help police the park at Assam's Kaziranga National Park came from tourism. Even the numerous visitor jeeps parked on the ground act as a deterrent to people who would kill these kinds of animals for their organs.

You can also check out these: -

India Travel Guide

Private Car and Driver for India

Best Tour and Travel Company in India

The humpback whale

The western South Atlantic humpback whale population has increased from roughly 450 whales in the 1950s to a very healthy 25,000 whales now, according to a Royal Society Open Science journal study dated October 2019. Surprisingly, researchers think that the present number is very similar to pre-whaling levels. This welcome growth has benefited considerably from the restriction on commercial hunting. The increase in wildlife tourism, which allowed former whaling populations to move from hunting to whale viewing as their primary source of livelihood, may be equally significant in terms of improving the sustainability of both whales and straightened coastal communities The fact that so many whale sightings occurred in UK waters in 2019 is evidence of the global whale populations' resurgence.

Steps You May Take

There is no denying that flying adds to climate change and global warming. But, by opting for a Wildlife Safari Tour Packages, you are actively preserving some of the most endangered environments on the planet. In addition to providing much-needed jobs and revenue to some of the world's poorest places, your park fees cover the wages of rangers, trackers, and park guards. The tourist infrastructure of lodges, vehicles, and guides also supports these vital industries. Due to several interrelated considerations, maintaining these forests for tourism is frequently more valuable than cutting them down for logging, hunting, or agriculture.

In addition to the advantages that such tourism delivers for wildlife, planting trees can help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with flying. The Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership runs an excellent tree-planting project at Kianjavato, and Reef & Rainforest is proud to assist them. We encourage our clients (and everyone else) to support them to stimulate rainforest regeneration and help offset their carbon footprint.

[xtruss]

Boosting Desalination with the Sun! Solar Power Could Open the Floodgates For Desalination, Giving People Access to Clean, Cheap Water.

— Rachel Nuwer

“Welcome, this is paradise!” declares Galgalo Abdi, sweeping his arms open in a dramatic gesture.

For a moment, I think he is being sarcastic. This parched swath of wilderness in northern Kenya certainly does not look like paradise to me. In fact, it appears downright hostile to human life. All around us, leafless grey bushes shaped like giant tumbleweeds form a thorny obstacle course, while a few scraggly palm trees sprouting around a bone-dry riverbed offer the only hint of green. All else is orange dust and pale rock, whitewashed by the sun’s inescapable glare.

Galgalo Abdi and Ibrahim Wario walk to a dry riverbed near Biliqo-Bulesa Community Conservancy in northern Kenya.

Abdi’s earnest expression, however, conveys no hint of jest. To him, this harsh landscape is paradise on Earth—his beloved home.

I’ve met Abdi, a ranger at Biliqo-Bulesa Community Conservancy, at an outpost made up of a few barebone buildings where he and his colleagues live while on the job. Abdi spends his days and nights protecting elephants and other wildlife from poachers and also helping to maintain peaceful relations between nomadic herders who pass through this historically conflict-prone region. He insists that he absolutely loves the job and the place except for just one thing: for half the year, there is no water.

Like much of Kenya, Biliqo-Bulesa receives virtually no rain during the dry season. Although wells here produce ample water, like throughout much of northeastern Kenya, the sulphate-rich soil renders it highly brackish. While it’s less salty than ocean water, it’s still undrinkable for humans. (Elephants, on the other hand, have no problem digesting it and even dig their own wells). Twice a week, Abdi and his fellow rangers drive 45 miles each way on rutted dirt roads to fetch freshwater. The roundtrip journey takes some five hours, Abdi says, and is an unbelievable hassle.

The Biliqo-Bulesa Community Conservancy

As of September 2017, however, he never again had to make another of those grueling runs. His ranger station just became the first site in Kenya to receive a new, ultra-efficient solar powered desalination unit. Each day the suitcase-sized device transforms 211 gallons (800 liters) of salty well water into freshwater. It’s more than enough to meet the needs of the dozen men working and living there, who need about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of freshwater per day—and to share with visiting nomads, too.

“Before, the water here was not good for us, but now we have very nice water, very sweet water,” Abdi says, leading me to an overhanging porch sheltering two large black plastic tanks. Salt water pumped from the well enters into the tank on the left and, after undergoing reverse osmosis, becomes freshwater deposited in the tank on the right. The whole thing is powered by a few solar panels, situated just above us on the blazing tin roof.

“The machine is very smart,” Abdi says. “It’s helped us a lot.”

To demonstrate, he twists open the tap on the freshwater tank. By this time sweat is pouring down my face and neck, and I eagerly lean over to drink directly from the faucet. Cool liquid fills my dry mouth, indistinguishable in taste from a fancy, overpriced bottled. I would gladly pay money for this water—even if I wasn’t in a desert.

Ibrahim Wario and Galgalo Abdi draw water from the storage tanks fed by the desalination equipment.

This small unit is just the first in a grand plan to eventually bring water to thirsty communities throughout arid regions in Kenya and beyond. The program will soon be expanded to a handful of other remote ranger stations, and in January, a much larger commercial unit will be installed in a drought-plagued village near the Kenyan coast.

The project comes courtesy of GivePower , a California-based non-profit organization co-founded by Lyndon Rive, former CEO of SolarCity. Rive initially wanted to bring clean energy to Haiti and other places devastated by natural and manmade disasters, but eventually, the plan expanded to include electrifying communities in developing countries and, now, to bringing clean, affordable water to drought and disaster-stricken places. Traditionally, desalination hasn’t been an option for places like Biliqo-Bulesa because it tends to be expensive to install and energy intensive to run. That may be changing, though.

“The technology is now hitting this inflection point where we can produce water at a much lower cost than you can buy bottled water,” Rive says. “If you don’t have access to running water and you have to travel long distances to get bottled water, then bringing in a clean source that’s a lot cheaper will have a big impact.”

Indeed, whether serving 12 men in the bush or an entire town of 5,000, desalination can free up time, energy and funds formerly drained in the constant search for water.

That has certainly been the case at Biliqo-Bulesa. As Abdi emphatically tells me, “This water has changed our lives.”

Turning Tides

Desalination—the process of rendering undrinkable water drinkable by extracting salt and minerals—is not a new concept. One of the first known references dates back to the 6 th century BCE in the book of Exodus when Moses, confronted with “bitter” water and disgruntled followers, threw in a holy log into the source “and the water became sweet.”

As a modern, scientific process, though, desalination took off in the late 1950s, when engineers developed reverse osmosis membranes. A pump exerts pressure of 600 to 700 pounds per square inch (psi) on salt water, forcing fresh water molecules to squeeze through the membrane, leaving behind a briny discharge.

“The technology is now hitting this inflection point where we can produce water at a much lower cost than you can buy bottled water.”

Today, an estimated 300 million people get some or all of their freshwater from nearly 18,500 desalination plants operating around the world. San Diego , for example, relies on “drought-proof” desalination to reduce dependency on the Colorado River, while Israel has used the technology to transform its nation from water scarce in 2008 to water abundant today, producing 55% of its water from desalination. The results are considered such a success that Israeli scientists are in discussions with drought-plagued neighbors like Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey about exporting the technology, in the hopes that desalination may pave the way for improved diplomacy in the region.

The technology, however, is not suited for every environment. For starters, access to groundwater or seawater is a prerequisite, and desalination can’t be significantly more expensive than other available options. Then there’s the matter of cost and infrastructure. “Will desalination help if it’s the right system of the right size for the right use in the right location? Absolutely it will,” says Yoram Cohen, director of the Water Technology Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. “But there’s no such thing as one magic solution that works for all.”

There are ways around those obstacles, however. Spectra Watermakers , the California-based company that manufactured the Biliqo-Bulesa desalination device, specializes in small-scale, energy efficient units that can run on solar power. Originally dreamed up by an avid offshore sailor who wanted such a contraption to use on his boat 20 years ago, the company offers models ranging from a small unit that produces up 40 gallons per day to a much larger one that churns out 14,000 gallons per day—all of which operate on about a quarter of the power required for conventional systems.

A small set of solar panels atop the roof powers the destination device.

The key to that efficiency, says Michael Anderson, an applications engineer at Spectra, is a process called energy recovery. Whereas standard desalination systems immediately release the high pressure brine discharge to the atmosphere, Spectra’s technology recirculates the discharge to help pressurize new water coming into the system by pushing up on a piston pump incorporated into the design. This minimizes energy loss by up to 75%.

Despite the lower cost to run, even the small Spectra units are typically too expensive for people in developing countries to purchase themselves. Instead, any desalination units that do find their way to such communities are usually one-off projects arranged by an individual donor who perhaps passed through on vacation or by a company that installed it in exchange for something—such as the right to drill for oil nearby. But the problem with those kinds of donation-based projects, Anderson says, is that once the unit is installed, it’s usually forgotten about. When it inevitably breaks, it will stay broken.

“When you give someone something but there’s no one around who can fix it, it never works,” Anderson says. “We’ve had cases where we’ve gone to install a watermaker and there’s literally three or four other makers already there in various states of decay.”

Water, Water, Everywhere

There is, however, another way—which is where the GivePower model comes into play. While small watermakers like the one I saw in Biliqo-Bulesa are being brought in on a philanthropic basis solely to support the men in the field, the large units to be installed in villages are meant to evolve into self-sustaining businesses. That requires both trained operators and repairmen with access to spare parts and a way to make a profit off of the water—meaning it must be competitively priced. GivePower believes their machines, training, and support will satisfy all of these points, and they plan to test that hypothesis with the first large-unit installations at the beginning of 2018.

In addition to providing water to communities, the Spectra machines will save people money by eliminating the need to pay outside companies to truck in expensive water. Whereas villagers current pay 20 cents per liter, the cost of production for the desalinated water will hover around three cents per liter, allowing them to pay just a fraction of what they are currently charged. Meanwhile, they can also charge higher profit-generating prices to outside groups such as the army or navy who seek to purchase their water while passing through.

A nomadic herder stops by the station for some water and a shady spot to rest.

“Twenty-thousand gallons of water won’t satisfy the needs of the entire Kenyan coast, but the demand is so great and the supply is so scarce that the underlying economics look really good,” says Barrett Raftery, executive director of GivePower. “Turning this into a viable business that can make money is the only thing that will enable a solution at a regional level.”

GivePower will cover initial installation and equipment costs for such units, and over the next five years, the community will purchase back the loaned equipment through profits made from the water. After that, all money generated will stay within the community, to be reinvested into building schools, setting up microloan programs, or sending kids to college. GivePower’s financial role in the project is finite, which it argues will allow it to install more units elsewhere.

“The ultimate goal is scale,” Raftery emphasizes. “For us, that means looking at the community as a partner and ground operator.”

That partnership is made all the easier because Biliqo-Bulesa and 32 other communities in northern and coastal Kenya have already formed their own self-governing conservancies, all of which fall under an umbrella organization called the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). Not only do the NRT conservancies have a 14-year track record of managing their own resources to the benefit of their residents, but they also put wildlife conservation—which brings in tourist dollars and Western donations—at the heart of what they do.

On the coast of Kenya, says Ian Craig, “freshwater is gold.”

However, rather than install the first large desalination units in the most stable and successful NRT conservancies, Raftery and his local partners instead selected the one that needed it most: Kiunga Conservancy. Located on the coast, Kiunga is intermittently plagued by political insecurity, terrorist visitors from neighboring Somalia, and tribal violence exacerbated by drought. Despite these challenges, in January, a village there will become the site of the first two larger-scale desalination units, capable of producing nearly 5,300 gallons (20,000 liters) of freshwater per day and meeting the needs of 5,000 people. The units, which will run off Tesla Powerwalls, will also mark the first known Tesla products in Kenya.

While the desalination units will not be able to green the arid savannah for improved cattle grazing or to irrigate largescale crops, those involved in the project are convinced of its merits. “On the coast, this technology has the potential to change so much, because the availability of fresh water is a major limiting factor in people’s lives,” says Ian Craig, director of conservation at the NRT. “Freshwater there is gold.”

Raftery also believes that affordable water can make the region more peaceful. Currently, people often compete with each other as well as with wildlife over limited water resources. “Intertribal violence is based on scarcity of resources,” Raftery says. “Extremist groups also benefit from poor quality of life and lack of basic infrastructure there, because recruiting is much easier when people are destitute.”

Mark Zeitoun, a professor of water security and policy at the University of East Anglia, warns, however, against overestimating water’s ability to provide a quick fix for violence-plagued regions. While headlines tend to state that drought leads to conflict, he points out that water scarcity and other environmental issues are generally subordinate to political tensions and asymmetries in power and privilege. “Yes, water is definitely a part of conflict in Kenya as elsewhere,” he says. “But digging a few wells and getting water everywhere won’t resolve anything—except to stop a few people from dying, which of course is a good enough reason to do it.”

Two tanks store water produced by the desalination unit, which is kept inside in a case the size of an old trunk.

That said, Zeitoun adds, “if we get to the point where we can mass produce water through solar desalination at rates competitive to current cheaper solutions, I do think that will be a technological breakthrough that will change the equation for lots of people.”

Whether GivePower, Spectra Watermakers and other similarly-minded ventures can make that happen is yet to be seen. It is the ultimate goal, however. Anderson, for example, imagines sending containers filled with parts to build 1,000 watermakers to various locations around the world through philanthropic funding or a public/private partnership, thus eliminating the need for communities to rely on large-scale municipal projects. “Ultimately, we want the technology to be completely supported and sustained locally, which means assembled, installed and maintained by the community,” he says.

In the meantime, though, the project has at least brought Abdi and his ranger colleagues a little bit closer to paradise.

— Photo Credits: Rachel Nuwer, Andreas Kallioras/imaggeo (CC BY-NC-SA) (listing image)

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