#he's not had great luck working with well known scientists and inventors so like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[labwebs]

🕸sometimes i think about making a verse where it’s been peter 3 in the mcu all along but also after everything he’s gone through he would’ve never ever gone along with tony lol

#and that is NOT a dig on mcu peter OR tony stark just like #he's not had great luck working with well known scientists and inventors so like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #ooc

[main-to-card-games-and-pain]

IronDad Bingo 6: Merpeople

Oh wow it’s been a while eh? I have missed writing IronDad, maybe that’s why this one is THE LONGEST OF THEM ALL. Also, this AU was straight up ridiculously fun to write. I wish I could do a full on fic for it. Please tell me what you thought of it, and what square you want me to do next! Also, please, please, please, do not be shy with my inbox, I love hearing from you all and responding to all the HCs or otherwise you send me! <3 

The water rippled with anticipation as the young merman approached the surface. He wanted to break the glass, press upwards and destroy the resistance, bridge the two worlds of Above and Below. 

His fingers stretched till they tickled the surface before hastily retracting. His eyes adjusted to the sun, it was so much brighter up there than Below. He wanted to feel warmth, true warmth, unlike the kind below the water, but he couldn’t. 

Above was forbidden. 

Peter flipped over in the water, letting his tail scrape the edge, he’d yet to ever pierce the surface. 

The youngling had to go soon, Tony was expecting him and he couldn’t risk staying still for too long and letting a human spot him. 

The waters around him were turquoise blue and perfectly crystal, and while Peter did love to admire its beauty staying too close to the surface was dangerous because even human eyes could see to a certain degree under the water. 

He wished that Above wasn’t so infested with humans, Peter hated them; humans killed his parents, they murdered them in cold blood. 

That’s why he lived with Tony now, the Royal Prince of Innovation had found him as an infant and taken him in. He’d basically grown up with the Prince as his father, but he didn’t call him that (sometimes he wished he did). 

Tony Stark was aloof, as far as mermen go. He didn’t like going out for grand parties and celebrations like the other royals did. Peter knew that at some point in his past he did, but not anymore. Now, he kept to himself, making new inventions for the kingdom and trying to stay out of the public’s eye. 

As far as guardians go though, Mr.Stark was great; he did his best and always had, he didn’t really show conventional affection but he always made sure Peter knew that he was looking out for him and that he had worth. It was just… when your mate dies it can be hard to find love again, of any kind, even for a child. Peter understood.  

Ms.Potts was killed by humans too. 

Peter dove downwards, leaving the surface and its mysteries behind him. 

“Hi, Mr.Stark,” Peter called as he entered their dwelling, casually slipping himself into the lab. “Sorry, I’m late, I got caught up in something.” 

He found the Prince where he always found him, bent over a lab bench, slaving over his newest project. The room was brightly lit, made completely of sandstone and equipped with all the latests innovations. (Peter knew it was nothing like the brightness of the sun.) Tony’s red-scaled tail still glimmered, casting iridescent threads of light over the lab. The blue mechanical scales he’d developed for himself glowed brightly against the glimmering tones of red.

“Where were you ‘getting caught up in something’ kid?” The inventor didn’t look up from his newest invention but Peter knew he could feel the vibrations in the water, giving his position in the lab away. 

“I was out exploring, same as always.” 

“Wandering around the borders doesn’t count as exploring, Peter.” His voice was stern but the youngling knew Mr.Stark was hiding a grin. 

“It does if I’ve never been there before,” Peter retorted, grinning cheekily. He swished over to the lab bench, peering over his guardian’s shoulder. “Whatcha working on?”

Tony grunted, “improved formula for the structural regeneration compound we developed last year.” 

Frowning, Peter looked over his notes. “Does it not work?” 

“Oh no, it works, but apparently the regeneration is taking longer than expected.” Tony rolled his eyes, Peter smirked. 

“They do know it would take double the amount of time without the current formula right?” 

“Of course they do, but ‘everything can be improved upon,’” Tony quoted, pretending to gag. “It’s not like I’ve got problems of my own, like rearing a foolhardy youngling for one.” 

“Hey,” Peter protested, “it’s just a stupid technicality that I’m still considered a youngling, the Age of Maturity should really be 80, not 85. Like really, what’s up with that?” 

“Ask Howard, kid, maybe he’ll do something about it. Also, that’s what you’re arguing? Your age and not the foolhardiness?” 

“Well I mean, there’s salient evidence for that one, so as a scientist I cannot dispute it.” Tony almost let himself grin, the corners of his lip twitching in amusement. “Besides,” the kid grumbled, “Howard doesn’t like me.” 

Tony stilled, casting a glance at his ward. “He doesn’t like me much either, kid, don’t worry about it.” 

“I wish my tail looked more like yours,” Peter mumbled, flicking himself away from the bench to float just above Tony’s head. “Yours is so beautiful.” 

“You don’t want your tail to be like mine,” Tony bit, “they’re damaged.” Tony had completely abandoned the project at this point, angling himself completely at his ward. 

Peter wouldn’t meet his eyes, already regretting his words. He hated reminding Mr.Stark of the attack that had claimed his mate and the functionality of about 40% of his scales and therefore tail. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” the boy whispered, “it’s just - I don’t know - Howard sees my tail and I think it reminds him I’m not supposed to be here.” 

Peter’s tail alternated blue and red every other scale; blue from his birth parents and red from Tony. Adopted children were easy to pick out in Below, since scales developed their colour half from upbringing and half from the merfolk’s bloodline. 

“I went my whole life trying to make Howard happy Peter,” Tony muttered, “I don’t want you wasting yours caring what he thinks. You belong here because I said so.” 

Peter nodded stiffly and bid his guardian goodbye, gently swimming away. 

Once he was sure Peter’s vibrations had faded Tony banged his hands against his workbench angrily. Peter deserved so much better than Tony had ever given him and - fuck - he was trying but he didn’t know what to do to make himself show Peter how much he loved him. 

“You belong here because you’re my son” was what he should’ve- wanted to - say. 

Peter moved languidly through the water, lost in his thoughts. He felt the ripples of the other residents of the palace as they moved around him, no one giving him a second glance. It was basically an unspoken rule that every one should ignore the Prince’s whelp. 

That’s why Peter wasn’t expecting something to collide into his path. Or not something, someone. 

“Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry!” The youngling squeaked, head whipping up to see who he’d knocked into. And of course, because Peter Luck, it was Howard Stark; King of Below. “Your Majesty!” Peter fell into a bow. “My most sincere apologies.” 

“Oh, it’s you, boy,” Howard sneered, making no effort to hide his displeasure at the youngling’s presence. “I haven’t seen you around lately, you’ve grown.” 

Howard hadn’t seen Peter since he was 80, Peter was 83 now. To be fair, Peter avoided the king just as much as the king despised him. 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Peter whispered. 

“It wasn’t necessarily a compliment.” Peter stayed silent, his head bowed. He flinched when Howard’s arm wrapped itself around his shoulder. “I’m just joking, smile a bit. You have, after all, been under my son’s wing for… what? Seventy years now?” 

“Seventy-five, my lord.” 

“Yes…” Howard started moving again, dragging Peter with him. “He’s had you for quite some time now.” 

“He’s the only parent I’ve ever known, sire.” 

The pair abruptly stopped. Peter’s breath hitched. 

“He’s not your parent, boy.” Peter grimaced as the king tightened his grip uncomfortably around his shoulders. “He may have taken you in like a stray but he is not your father. Just because he was mourning his mate and the unborn whelp in her womb and decided to do something stupid like keep you does not make you family, you do not belong here and you are most certainly no heir of mine,” Howard hissed cruelly. 

Peter nodded quickly, trying to control the tears spilling from his eyes. 

“Now leave me,” Howard commanded, “I grow bored of your presence.” 

Peter didn’t hesitate to obey. Howard’s words stayed with him though, and not only his cruel remarks aimed at the youngling but “the unborn whelp in her womb”; Mr.Stark had never told Peter Ms.Potts was with child when she was lost. 

“Peter,” Mr.Stark’s voice made Peter flinch in surprise. 

Mr.Stark never came to Peter’s room, what was going on? It was Peter’s little sanctuary, he spent a majority of his time either here, in the lab, or out watching the surface. It was turquoise like the water near Above, and large enough for whatever Peter may want, filled with equipment for various hobbies. 

“Sir?” Peter surveyed his guardian for any hints that something may be wrong. “Was there something you needed?” 

“You weren’t at midday meal, kid, I wondered where you were,” Tony answered. The Prince swam past the entrance and further into his chambers, taking the seat next to his ward. He could see it unsettled the youngling to see his guardian here and felt his heart clench at the fact. 

“I-I just got distracted and lost track of time. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” 

Peter eyed his guardian warily, thoroughly confused and still shaken from his encounter with the king. 

“I’m okay,” the boy swallowed. Tony’s eyes flickered to what he was working on and flashed his eyes with recognition. 

“Got caught up in drawing?” He asked warmly, shuffling through some of the papyrus drawings strewn about Peter’s desk. 

“Yes,” Peter murmured, turning his head away from his guardian. 

Tony looked through a few more of the drawings, admiring Peter’s talent for realism, when he noticed something in one of them. The Prince felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. 

“Peter,” his voice was suddenly tight, Peter looked at him worriedly, glancing at the revealing drawing. “What is this?” 

Peter’s mouth dropped as if to answer, but Tony cut him off before he got the chance. 

“Because it looks like those are sun-etchings, and that looks the surface line.” 

There was nothing Peter could say to dispute the claims. The lines the sun made underwater, the so called sun-etchings were there, plain as day, as was the line where the surface split a rock into two worlds. And for someone to see those two things they had to be exceptionally close to Above. 

“I’ve never touched Above, I swear,” Peter rushed. 

Mr.Stark’s eyes flashed, “Peter,” he hissed. “You know the law.” 

“I just said that I’ve never-”

“Our border ends at the Line of Visibility!” 

“I was just curious-”

“No. No, I do not want to hear your excuses right now. You could be whipped for this.” 

“You’re going to tell Howard?” Peter’s breathing picked up, panic creeping into his heart. His gills fluttered frantically, tellingly.  

“You think I would tell Howard about this? Poseidon Peter, no, I’m not going to tell Howard. But  this is serious, what possessed you to even think about going up there? Humans could have seen you, you could have been killed.” 

“Don’t you want to know what the sun feels like? Don’t you think it’s beautiful?” Peter was desperate for Tony to agree with him, empathize with him, he couldn’t handle another reminder that he was the freak of them all here.

“No,” Tony hissed, “I don’t care what it looks or feels like up there, and from this day on neither do you.” 

“Mr.Stark, please,” Peter begged, his eyes growing wide with desperation. 

“No,” Tony roared. Peter flinched and a stab of guilt drove through the inventor’s gut, he took a few breaths and lowered his voice. “No. Consider this your one and only warning, you are not to go anywhere near Above again, I am not losing another-”

“Another what?” Peter found his anger and cut his guardian off. “I know I was meant to be some kind of replacement but that obviously didn’t work out, so what am I?” 

His words shocked Tony into silence, his mouth gaping open. “Peter - what?” 

“I know that Ms.Potts was going to have a baby, but she… and then you found me and I was what? Some kind of second prize? Supposed to replace what you lost? And then you obviously figured out that I wasn’t the son you wanted so you just - I don’t know - figured you’d keep me around until I reached the Age and your obligations would be finished?” 

“No Peter, that’s not-”

“Would you have kept me if you hadn’t just lost your own family?” 

“I…” Tony wanted to deny everything, grab Peter and hold him as tight as possible, and express years of love to him right there. But he didn’t. He stayed silent, searching for words that wouldn’t come. 

“That’s what I thought.” 

Before Mr.Stark could stop him Peter had launched away from his desk and slipped through his window, swimming away with powerful tail-strokes, leaving bubbles in his frantic guardian’s wake. 

Tony had gone after Peter as soon as he’d snapped out of his stupor, but even that minuscule amount of time was enough to give Peter enough of a head start that the Prince had to guess where he’d gone. 

And shamefully he admitted he had almost no clue, he really was a terrible guardian. 

Until it occurred to him that Peter might have gone back to the origin of this entire debacle, Above. He clutched the drawing close to his chest and swam upwards, looking for that specific rock formation. 

The inventor could feel the moment he passed through the Line of Visibility, like a cord had been cut and he was left vulnerable and scared and too close to Above. 

“Tony!” His wife’s voice, screaming in panic, scrambling for a hold on his arm. 

“Pepper get back!” 

And he was in the human contraption, the net, it was tearing at his scales and it hurt, it hurt so much- it was excruciating. 

Pepper’s hand caught his and his mind cleared, replaced with all-consuming fear as she put herself in harm’s way. She was trying to tear the net with her fingers, her green tail spasming with the effort. 

“Pepper, no! Get back! Swim-!”

She gasped, and for a second everything was still okay, and then the water started to turn red. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her grip was suddenly lax in Tony’s. 

“No, no, no, no, Pep. Pep come on, you’re okay, you’re okay, right? TELL ME YOU’RE OKAY.” 

But she wasn’t, they killed her, they killed his wife; speared her in the back mercilessly, like she was an animal. 

Tony returned to himself with a gasp, dilated eyes focussing on his surroundings. He’d been dreaming of that day for seventy-nine years now, but they’d morphed in the past seventy to include Peter, his son. 

Who he needed to find, right now. 

Tony felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders when he spotted Peter’s tell-tail red and blue scales reflecting in the water. 

“Peter!” The kid looked up from his place on the sandy ocean floor, where he was laying and watching the surface ripple. There was no sun today, but it wasn’t nighttime for the humans either. A steep drop-off was a few metres to his left, Tony wanted desperately to pull him down it and past the Line of Visibility again. 

Instead he bit back his fear and approached the youngling, setting himself beside him against the sand. 

“You scared me kid,” he breathed. 

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled, not turning to face Tony. “You can’t tell me it isn’t beautiful,” he whispered. “Look at it.” 

Tony looked. 

It was beautiful, unlike anything you could find in Below, he remembered why he and Pepper had been so close to the surface that day. 

“You’re right.” Peter, who was expecting more arguing, whipped his head to look at Tony. “I’m sorry for how I reacted, Pete, I just-”

“What’s that?” 

Peter was looking over his shoulder, at something behind him. The youngling sat up and began swimming over to it curiously. Tony glanced backwards and felt panic unlike any he’d felt in seventy-nine years. 

The looming mass of darkness was a ship. 

Tony shot off after his kid, a desperate shout escaping his throat. “Peter, no!” 

Maybe it was his tone, or the volume, but Peter listened. He stopped and turned toward Tony just as the net was launched at him. 

Tony remembered the pain of his scales being ripped away from his tail, Peter would not feel that pain. He reached the youngling just in time, wrapping his arms around his chest and forcing him away from the net with his body. He panted with exertion, throwing a glance upwards at the ship. 

They were too high up, the humans could see them. “Let’s go kid, we need to swim.” 

Peter nodded, flicking his tail anxiously. Guardian and ward sat up and started to escape by keeping as flat to the ocean floor as they could, but the net came back persistently, and this time Mr.Stark couldn’t save Peter from it. 

The boy let out a terrified scream as he was yanked back, desperately trying to move a tail that wouldn’t move anymore. He’d never had his tail restrained before, it was terrible and it only added to the boy’s panic. 

“Mr.Stark!” Peter was being pulled away from his guardian too quickly, Mr.Stark wasn’t going to be able to catch him, but still he screamed for him. “Mr.Stark, please!” 

“I’m coming, kid, I’m coming,” Mr.Stark called back, and Peter could see how hard Mr.Stark was swimming, but it wasn’t going to be enough. 

Tony was not going to lose his family again. 

He reached the net just as they pulled Peter from out of the water. 

“No!” 

Peter struggled in the net, floundering and tangling himself further in its snare. There was no water, everything dropped so heavily and he couldn’t breathe, his gills were desperately searching for oxygen that they couldn’t get. He couldn’t float, and everything was sticking to him. 

He hit the deck with an impact unlike he’d ever felt before. It was coarse and itchy and something he didn’t know the word for but it hurt because there was no water. 

The net was ripped away and with it a few of Peter’s scales, he bit back the cry that threatened to escape and tried desperately to get back into the water. 

Ropes circled his wrists and pulled them together, and soon his fin was in a similar position, the men yelling things Peter couldn’t understand. His heart pounding in his ears and he couldn’t breathe. 

He wanted Mr.Stark.  

He was going to die. 

Tony burst from the water, in a jump unlike any Peter had seen in his life. He’d once watched dolphins breach the surface, Mr.Stark resembled them except with much more power, and he was infinitely more graceful. 

His guardian landed on the deck amongst the startled shouts of the men, baring his teeth at them while slicing at Peter’s bindings. Peter had the startling realization that the makeshift dagger he used were made of his mechanical scales. He’d pulled them away from his tail and pressed them together into the sharp shape. 

His face betrayed none of the no doubt excruciating agony he must be feeling right now. 

Peter felt himself be released and bolted to the ship’s edge as well as he could. There was an opening he thought he might be able to fit through but Mr.Stark was still- and the humans were closing in and they had weapons… 

“Peter, go,” Mr.Stark screamed, desperation tinging his voice. “Go! Swim!” 

“Mr.Stark, no! I can’t!” 

Something flashed through Peter’s vision, Tony saw it. He remembered what it was, what it did. No. 

He launched himself at Peter, pushing him away and closer to the ship’s opening. 

The spear ripped through Tony’s side. 

Peter screamed. 

The thing is, merfolk’s voices aren’t meant for humans to understand. It sounds otherworldly to them, screeching if they’re in distress and melodious if they’re just talking. A merfolk’s scream? Humans can’t handle it at all. 

Some of the men gasped, holding their heads in pain as their ears bled. Some fell to the deck, dead.  

It was enough to give the mermen enough of a reprieve to slip through the opening. Peter clasped his hands around his guardian and pulled them both through the hole, gasping in relief as gravity carried them back into the water. 

Peter grabbed his father’s hand and swam until he couldn’t swim anymore, until he was completely shrouded in the darkness of Below.

“Mr.Stark?” The boy tentatively tried, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the abyss. “Please say something, Mr.Stark…” 

A ribbon of blood was trailing out of his guardian’s side, along with countless threads from where his mechanical scales had been ripped away. 

Mr.Stark groggily blinked his eyes, to Peter’s relief. “Pe-Peter, you’re okay?” 

Peter nodded, a lump forming in his throat. Mr.Stark smiled, bringing a hand up to Peter’s cheek. “Tha’s good, tha’s all I wanted…” His eyes drifted shut. 

“No,” Peter encouraged, grabbing his hand and pulling him along again, sure that he could get them to the medical wing in time for his guardian to be saved. “No, stay awake with me Mr.Stark. We’ll get you help.” 

“Pet’r,” Tony mumbled, “Pet’r I hav’ t’ tell you, I love you, so, so much. You are my son. ‘m sorry I was so bad a’ showin’ you.”

Tears flowed unbidden from the younglings eyes, his words stolen to make room for his sobs. “I love you too Mr.Stark, please stay with me.” 

Tony nodded his head bonelessly. “I’ll try Pete, wha’ever you want.” 

“Peter.” Peter looked up from his desk, where he’d listlessly been sketching for hours. “Get up.” 

“I don’t feel like doing anything,” he muttered. “I just want to stay here.” 

“You’ll enjoy this.” 

“No, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“You’ve been cooped up in the palace for three months, you need to get out.” 

“I said I don’t want to.”  

“I’m your father, so unfortunately kid, I get the last say this time.”

Peter’s eyes immediately found the still red scar along Tony’s torso, which was there because of Peter. 

“I don’t want to do anything.” 

“Tough luck this time Pete, because we’re doing this. It’s time you got out of the palace.” 

Of course Tony knew the real reason Peter didn’t want to leave the palace. He knew that his anxiety would increase tenfold whenever he tried, thanks to their little ordeal with the ship. But it wasn’t healthy to let that fester without any healing, he should know. He didn’t want Peter to become like him.

Peter relented, nodding minutely at his guardian and swimming gently towards him. Again, Peter’s eyes found the scar, and then the small scales that had been replaced. He couldn’t see them anymore without thinking about the ship. 

“Close your eyes,” Tony murmured into his ear. “Trust me.” 

Peter complied, letting the Prince slip a blindfold over his eyes and lead him towards their destination. He felt when they left his sanctuary, his gills fluttered in protest. Tony rubbed circles on his back comfortingly until he calmed down and they kept going. 

It seemed like hours before they stopped and Tony removed the blindfold, keeping a gentle grip on Peter as he did. 

Peter soon found out why, because when the blindfold was off his eyes automatically adjusted to how bright it was, and it was bright because-

“No, no, no Mr.Stark I don’t want to be here, I want to go home.” They were near the surface. 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Tony hummed into his ear, pulling him into an embrace. “It’s okay.”

“No. No, we need to go, the humans-”

“Can’t find us here.” Tony smiled, watching as Peter’s eyes darted around suspiciously. “It’s a cavern Pete, the top of it is open so we can see the sun, but to humans it just looks like a lot of rocks.” 

This calmed Peter, slightly. 

“W-why are we here,” he asked quietly, “I thought you said-”

“We aren’t making a habit out of this, but I think this is what we both need. Look Pete,” he pointed to a particularly bright spot, streaming through the water. Tony gently guided Peter closer to the surface. “Want to feel the sun?” 

Peter’s eyes widened, his head whipping towards his guardian in shock. Part of him desperately wanted to say yes, parted of him wanted to leave right now and go back as far Below as possible. 

His fingers hesitantly reached for the water line, stretching till they tickled the surface before hastily retracting. 

“No, I don’t want to feel the sun anymore.” 

Tony took his hand softly and guided it towards the surface. “It’s okay Peter.” 

Peter held his breath, letting Tony bring their fingers to the edge of the water. 

The inventor left them there, the final decision left to Peter. 

Together they felt the sunlight. 

taglist: 

@just-the-daydreamer @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars @ladyreyreigns  @thetranslucentwallaby @friendly-neighborhood-ash @delphinium2 @the-persian-slipper @shoyzz-art @four-am-fangirling

#irondad #irondadbingo #merpeople au #howard stark is an asshole #blood #protective tony stark #fanfiction #iron dad fanfiction #writing #character death #Peter Parker and Tony Stark #whump #irondad bingo #fluff #precious peter parker #not st*rker

[iheartgod175]

A Guide to LOST SONG - Part 1

AKA The anime that made me love Konomi Suzuki

When I stumbled across Lost Song on Netflix, I didn’t know what to expect. The style looked vaguely interesting, and I could tell immediately from the title that it had something to do with music. So I gave it a shot.

And boy howdy, am I glad that I did. This anime is not flawless, but there are so many things I loved about it that it almost outweighs the bad. It exposed me to Konomi Suzuki, who I absolutely love now. And it made me love Yukari Tamura even more, if that was possible. The fandom is small, but it’s passionate in sharing its excitement and knowledge of this anime. And for a while I thought of doing a review, but it hit me to do a guide for the anime to introduce others to it. 

So, let’s get into the bare bones of this anime, shall we?

(I’ll be writing my own synopsis since the one on Wikipedia is terrible)

(NOTE: LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!)

The Plot

We have two protagonists, Rin (voiced by Konomi Suzuki in her first acting role) and Silver-Haired Nanoha-I mean Finis (voiced by Yukari Tamura). Rin is a simple country girl who’s adorably ditzy, loves to eat food and most of all loves to sing. Finis is a beautiful but clumsy and airheaded songstress hired by the Capital to use her songs to aid the kingdom’s war effort. Both of our female leads have the ability to sing Spirit Songs, songs that can manipulate the four elements of the world and bring about miracles.  Both of them have problems related to their singing: Rin’s grandfather, Talgia, forbids her from singing for mysterious reasons, and she finds support from her older sister Mel and younger brother Al, the latter of whom wishes to go to the Capital to become a scientist (despite his numerous failed inventions). Finis’ songs, while vital to ending the war, severely shorten her lifespan, and she is seen as nothing more than a tool of war by the Capital’s war effort, namely by the prince, Rudo Bernstein (more on him in a bit). The only people who see her as a person are her servant Corte and Henry Leobolt, a knight assigned to protect her by Prince Rudo.

Certain events--the burning of Rin and Al’s village and the deaths of their sister and grandfather, and Finis and Henry’s forbidden romance amidst the war--set the stage for Rin and Finis to finally meet. Will the last song be one to save the world...or destroy it? 

The Characters

Lost Song has a host of characters, both male and female, that have an important role in the story and all get their own time to shine (although some characters do get the short end of the stick, as I’ll explain in part 2).

I’ll be breaking them down as best as I can, hopefully with as few spoilers as possible!

**NOTE: I’ll be using the Netflix translations for their names until further info is revealed (like how to actually spell them correctly)

Rin

A village girl with a passion for singing

Greatest wish is to travel to the capital to sing at the Star Song Festival

Blessed with an amazing voice, but is banned from singing by her grandfather

Possesses a mysterious power to both control the elements and create “miracles” with her songs

Loves her family and friends dearly

Blames herself for her sister’s and grandfather’s deaths as her song led Bazra to her village

Occasionally ditzy, gluttonous and sometimes hard on herself (due to the aforementioned deaths of her family), but is otherwise a sweet, selfless girl who tries to understand others

Will recklessly throw herself in danger to help those in trouble

Finis

The Capital’s Songstress who is also referred to as a goddess by the capital’s army due to her Power of Songs

Also blessed with an amazing voice (YUKARI TAMURA, DUH)

Her songs are used for war, so she is seen as a weapon by many of the Capital’s elite, namely Prince Rudo

Continued use of her songs shortens her lifespan, a fact known to her servant, Corte

Falls in love with Henry Leobolt, a knight assigned to protect her during the war, due to him treating her like an actual person.

Is eventually forced to kill people with her songs so Rudo won’t kill Henry

Very airheaded and has NO sense of direction, but is otherwise a sweet woman.

Al Hawkray

Rin’s adopted younger brother and Mel’s biological younger brother 

An aspiring inventor and scientist whose inventions sometimes fail at the worst possible time

Constantly points out how things involving songs are scientifically impossible

Travels with Rin to the capital after their village is destroyed and his grandfather and Mel are killed

Despite his bad luck, several of his inventions have proven to be useful as weapons (ie. his Star Bombs)

Greatly admires Dr. Weissen

Often the butt of everyone’s jokes, much to his annoyance

A little salty with his companions, but cares for them nonetheless

Has an unrequited crush on Rin

Pony Goodlight

A former Court Minstrel who travels around the country

Rin and Al’s first companion

Left the Capital and her job for unknown reasons

Is also a pretty good singer (her VA, Chiaki Takahashi, is Azusa from iM@S after all), with a knowledge of many Legendary Songs that she teaches to Rin

Likes to think of herself as mature, but can be somewhat temperamental

DOES NOT like to be called old. Or ugly. 

Also hates bugs

Likes to drink and gamble 

Has the hots for Henry Leobolt (calling him “Hottie” on several occassions)

The Lux Sisters (Monica and Allu)

Allu is the oldest, with short red hair and red eyes

Monica is younger with brown hair that covers one eye, and wears a strange rabbit suit 

They are Rhythmists who were working for the capital to manufacture Echo Devices for the war

They originally went to the capital to become Minstrels in the Court Orchestra, but gave it up to earn money to heal their mother’s blindness

When Rin heals their mother with the Song of Healing, they join Rin, Al and Pony on their journey to the capital

Allu is the braver of the two, but can come off as rude and harsh to those who meet her. Very protective of Monica, and has a habit of randomly drumming on objects at times

Monica is quieter, cowardly (having a habit fo falling asleep when in danger) and speaks very little. Is also a very good singer and can imitate any song perfectly after hearing it just once

Both are good friends with Rin (who healed their mom) and often tease Al (much to his chagrin)

Mel Hawkray

Rin and Al’s older sister

The only one who supports Rin’s singing talents, and is said to spoil Rin a little

Dies in the first episode, but appears a few times (in Rin’s dreams), and is mentioned by both Rin and Al

A sweet, nurturing woman who loves her siblings

THE MOST underused character in this whole show

Corte (pictured on the right)

Finis’ servant, who serves as a mother figure

Is practically glued to Finis’ side, though Finis loves her just as much and can’t function without her

Is always worried for Finis’ safety, but will put her life on the line to protect her

Supports Henry and Finis’ relationship

Dislikes Prince Rudo (then again, who doesn’t like him?) and knows of the danger he poses to Finis and Henry

Talgia Hawkray

Rin’s adoptive grandfather and Mel and Al’s biolgical grandfather

Kind old man, honestly, but is strict, especially with Rin

Bans Rin from singing for unexplained reasons, which causes a strain in their relationship

Also dies in the first episode, but appears later on in some very important scenes detailing Rin’s past

Along with Finis and Rin, he’s a fairly important character (if minor)

Henry Leobolt

A knight from the famous Leobolt family who is Finis’ bodyguard

A strong, brave and caring man who sticks with his ethics

He owns a family sword that is said to never break or rust, and is a master swordsman who can take down a whole army

Is wholly against war, but will not hesitate to defend himself, his men, or those he’s sworn to protect

Falls in love with Finis, and as a result is moved to the frontlines by Rudo as punishment, but manages to survive and command his own team of men

Knows of Finis’ curse and hates to see her suffer for his sake

Dr. Weissen

An eccentric old man who happens to be a renowned physicist, inventor and scientist

Has a croissant on his cane for random snacking (no, really he does)

Crotchety at first, but is actually a kindhearted old man

He originally did research to help people, but was then forced to build weapons of war under Rudo’s rule

Lost his entire lab, his assistants and his inventions to the Capital, which made him lose hope

Takes on Al as his assistant after Rin restores his lab and becomes his mentor

Prince Rudo Bernstein IV

The prince of the Capital

A cold, heartless, ruthless person who will kill those who oppose him in a heartbeat

Is disliked by many of the populace (and for good reason)

Is engaged to Finis (who dislikes him)

Hates Henry Leobolt, especially after he falls in love with Finis, and tried to kill him by putting him in the frontline of the war

Uses Finis as a tool of war, and eventually convinces her to use her songs to kill people by threatening to kill Henry

Bazra Bearmors

The General of the Capital’s army

A ruthless man who uses others for his personal gain

Is rivals with Henry Leobolt and tried to kill him several times throughout the show

Destroyed Weissen’s lab and also killed Rin’s grandfather

A powerful swordsman who can go toe to toe with Henry

The only other characters I can think of are the men that eventually join up with Henry after Rudo puts him on the frontline, but they’re minor, and not even the official site lists them as characters ^^;

Part 2 will kind of go into a bit more details about what to look for in the plot following episode 7, where things REALLY get kind of crazy, as well as my general opinions on the characters, the music and the general tone of the show.

If this mini guide had you interested in the ainime, then that’s great! I’m hoping that more people catch on to watching Lost Song. It really needs more love!

~iheartgod175, out!

#lost song #lost song anime #netflix anime #I'm doing my absolute BEST to not spoil this show for those curious enough to watch it #But yes #This is a long post about me gushing over this little known but lovably flawed anime

[scriptflorist]

Character (Benny)

Whoo, this was a lot of typing. XD I hope I filled everything out right. Thanks for the help!

Name: Benjamina Jiménez-Baird 

Nickname: Benny, Benji, Jamina

Alternate identity: She was a sidekick/hero before the beginning of the story, but I don’t have a name for her alter ego yet. She’s a hero similar to other non-powered heroes. She relies on gadgets. Her mentor is in the tech industry and all their technology is highly-advanced and incorporated with alien tech as well. Everything is very sleek and efficient. Most of it is related to electricity and sound in some way.

Birthday: 10.26

Zodiac: Scorpio

Birthplace: New Haven a city located in mid-west America, around Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. It’s a city-state that’s considered the birthplace of “the modern hero” in my story and so is home to multiple hero groups and organisations. It’s an alternate reality of our world so their America isn’t quite the same and at this point is much more lush and naturally developed. While cities are still built up, outside of cities is more nature.

Dwelling place: Diamond City a north eastern city around the New England aware (Massachusetts, Maine, etc.). A bit like the “new New York”. It’s a vibrant city heavily influenced by art and a culture of change. People go to the city to alter themselves in someway. Either creating new identities for themselves, realising new dreams, or finding new lives. Benny is here to get away from her past as a hero.

How do they live: Benny lives alone at first before being joined by a new friend and other important character later. She is a florist by day and homebody by night. After living such a boring life she tries to live simply and peacefully. Despite living in such an excitable city that never sleeps, as most cities do, she tends to keep to herself and rarely goes out, even for friends.

When she does go out she’s often unable to go to highly-populated areas or places with a lot of buzz because of who her adopted father is (a well-known inventor and business man who’s often in the news for his creations and business practices) and other heroes know who she once was. She’s often questioned on her decision to leave her city and life behind by various people either those who know about her alternate life or those who simply see her as some sort of minor celeb/former influencer. 

Appearance: She tends to dress simply and practically, but always keeps on her a wristwatch and gold necklace from her birth parents. She has naturally dark brown hair but often dyes it in light colours such as pastels.

What’s in their bag/pockets: A collapsible taser stick for defense, mini first aid kit she can keep in her purse or pocket, gum, keys, phone, mirror, she tends to be the sort of person you’d ask if ever you need something. She probably has it on her, even if it doesn’t even look like she has a bag or pockets. Maybe she keeps it in her hair. We’ll never know.

Species: Human

Name of parents: Mason Baird is her adopted dad. Her birth parents were Bento and Gwen Jiménez

Not-in-blood-but-in-bond-family: A friend named Daniel Onassis who is also a good friend of Mason. They grew up together in the same hero circles and even teamed up a few times. He is older by four years and acts like a big brother to her. He’s very gentle and has a difficult time not giving authority over to older heroes, despite the fact he’s often better equipped for the job and more than capable of solving problems on his own. 

Benny is extremely protective of him.

Family history: Benny was raised in New Haven after her parents moved there from the Caribbean. Her dad was a doctor and her mom a scientist that worked for a local private agency that studied alien tech. They moved around a lot before settling in New Haven to raise their family. They ended up only having Benny bet became close friends with many in the hero community because of their jobs, including Mason.

Benny grew up around heroes and knowing much of the reality behind the image normally shown to the populace. She knew secret identities, private beefs, the true results of fights with villains, what kind of music a city fave liked best, etc.. She admired her parents friends, but never wanted to be them. She wanted to take after her father and become a doctor and help heroes that way, hoping to become hired one day as a team doctor for one of the hero teams.

Her parents died in a fight that decimated much of the city. This fight took out a good deal of heroes as well and as a result Mason Baird ended up becoming the main hero in town. Because he was such good friends with her parents and she had no relatives to go to, he adopted her. Eventually he got her involved in a junior hero program and she was taken on as his sidekick.

Favourite colour: earth tones (wines, browns, reds, greens), anything vibrant and rich in colour

Favourite animal: likes all animals, but especially marsupials 

Favourite genre: Loves romance, fantasy, and realistic fiction

Favourite food: Likes all food, but the more flavourful the better. Not over found of bland things like simple salads and soups.

Favourite place to be: In her reading nook as it rains, with a warm drink and roaring fire, the library, coffee shops, gardens, the flower shops greenhouse in the back, by the secret pond in the giant city park that no one seems to know exists and might actually be another dimension.

Personality: Benny is a romanticist who just wants to live her life free of drama and hypocrisy. She’s the most loyal person you’ll ever meet, but when you’ve lost her trust it’s a lot harder to gain it back than it was to earn it in the first place. She wants to believe that people are, at their core, good, and that’s why she left her life behind to hold on to this belief. While she’s very nice, her nicety is more an over politeness in a society that’s a bit more brisk and domineering than she’s used to back home. Very charming, and knows 5000 different ways to politely tell you, you’re outfit is hideous. Able to talk so sweetly you’d pay her for doing your job.

____

Hi thugbatman!

Don't worry you did it right, let's go for it.

Based on alternate Identity.

coriander – concealed merit, hidden merit/worth

toothwort – concealment

Birthplace: New Haven a city located in mid-west America, around Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa.

The respective state flowers are sunflower for Kansas, goldenrod for Nebraska, hawthorn for Missouri and wild prairie rose for Iowa.

goldenrod – (careful) encouragement, precaution, be cautious

hawthorn – hope

sunflower (dwarf) – adoration, your devout adorer

sunflower (tall) – pride, haughtiness, false riches, lofty and pure thoughts, smile on me still

rose (wild) – simplicity, poetry

While cities are still built up, outside of cities is more nature.

magnolia – love of nature, dignity, perseverance

mullein – good nature, take courage

persimon – bury me amid nature's beauties

Based on dwelling place.

New England is composed of Connecticut (mountain laurel), Maine (white pine cone and tassel), Massachusetts (mayflower/buttercup), New Hampshire (purple lilac), Rhode Island (violet) and Vermont (red clover).

buttercup – ingratitude, I wish I was rich, childishness, riches, desire for riches

clover (red) – industry

laurel (mountain) – ambition

lilac (purple) – first emotions of love

pine – pity, time and faith, boldness, hope

violet – modesty, modest worth, faithfulness, virtue, affection

Trying to go for the vibrant type of city here.

acanthus – (the) arts, the fine arts, artifice

clianthus – self-seeking, worldliness

lucerne – life

pimpernel – change, assignation, the weather-glass

rye grass – changeable disposition

salvia (red) – energy

Based on how they live.

apple blossom – fame speaks you great and good, preference, better things to come, good fortune

cattail – peace, prosperity

chickweed (mouse-ear) – ingenuous simplicity, simplicity

dog rose  – simplicity, pleasure and pain

hazel – peace, reconciliation

heath – solitude

heather – solitude, admiration

huckleberry – simple pleasures, faith

lichen – solitude, confidence. dejection

olive – peace

rose (burgundy) – simplicity and beauty, unconscious beauty

rose (single, full bloom) – simplicity, I truly love you

silver-weed – simplicity

sweetbrier (american) – simplicity

trumpet flower – fame, separation (toxic)

trumpet (vine) – fame

Benny is extremely protective of him.

eucalyptus – protection

heather (white) – protection, wishes will come true, good luck

juniper – protection, asylum, succour

Based on family history.

adonis (flos) – sorrowful remembrance, sad memories, painful recollections

aloe – grief, bitterness, religious superstition, bitterness and pain

aloes (parrot-bill) – grief, small talk

coneflower (purple) – strength and health

harebell – grief, submission, humility

iceland moss – health

marigold – grief, cruelty, inquietude, contempt, trouble, chagrin, pain, pretty love, sacred affection, caress, sorrow

parsley – useful knowledge, festivity, feast

primrose – early grief, childhood, early youth, modest worth, sadness, I can't live without you woman

sage – good health and long life, domestic virtue(s), esteem, great respect, wisdom

walnut – stratagem, intellect

water lily (yellow) – growing indifference

willow (french) – bravery and humanity

Favourite genre: Loves romance

alyssum – worth beyond beauty

amaranth (globe) – hope in misery, immortality, unfading love,

ambrosia – love returned

bay (red) – love's memory

catchfly (red) – youthful love, I fall victim

clover (white) – think of me

coreopsis (arkansa) – love at first sight

cranberry – cure for heartache, hardiness

dew plant – a serenade

forget-me-not – forget me not, true love, memories

geranium (rose) – preference

gillyflower – bonds of affection, lasting beauty

glory flower – glorious beauty

heart's ease – forget me not, think of me, you occupy my thoughts, thoughts

heliotrope – devotion, devoted attachment, I love you, intoxicated with pleasure, the intoxication of love, I turn to thee, infatuation,

honeyflower – speak low if you speak love, love sweet and secret, sweet, secret love, generous affection, sweetness of disposition

honeysuckle (wild) – generous and devoted love

indian cane – rendezvous

lilac – first emotion(s) of love, earliest love

linden tree – conjugal love

mallow (syrian) – consumed by love, persuasion

mignonette – your qualities surpass your charms, moral and intellectual beauty, “without pretension to beauty possesses qualities which command profound respect and affection”

motherwort – concealed love

myrtle – love positive, love, love in absence, joy

pineapple – you are perfect, perfection

pink – pure love, lively and pure affection, boldness

pink (clove) – true love

ranunculus – I am dazzled by your charms, you are radiant with charms, your charms are resplendent

rose (austrian) – thou are all that's lovely

rose (cabbage) – ambassador of love

rose (campion) – only deserve my love

rose (china) – beauty ever new, beauty always new

rose (damask) – freshness, bashful love, brilliant complexion, ambassador of love

rose (musk) – capricious beauty

rose (musk, cluster) – charming

rosebud (moss) – confession of love

scabiosa – unfortunate love, unfortunate attachment, I have lost all

spindle tree – your charms are engraven on my heart

tulip (red) – declaration of love, beautiful, believe me

tulip (variegated) – beautiful eyes

tulip (yellow) – hopeless love

violet (blue) – enchantment, love, faithfulness, watchfulness

Based on personality.

allspice – compassion

bell flower (small, white) – gratitude

calycanthus – benevolence

chrysanthemum – loveliness and cheerfulness,  truth, abundance, wealth, cheerfulness, you're a wonderful friend

cineraria – always delightful

feverfew – warmth

glycine – your friendship is pleasing and agreeable to me

goat's rue – reason

imbricata – uprightness, sentiments of honour

mandevilla crassinoda – you are too bold

meadow lychnis – wit

petunia – thou art less proud than they deem thee, your presence soothes me

poinsettia – be of good cheer

poplar (black) – courage

primrose (red) – unpatronised merit

rock rose – safety

rose (striped) – warmth of heart

rue (wild) – manners, morals

spearmint – warmth of sentiment

zinnia (white) – goodness

Misc

cedar of lebanon – incorruptible

celandine – joys to come, future joy

cherry – good education, education

chamomile – energy in adversity

clover (purple) – providence

columbine (purple) – resolved to win

convolvulus – bonds, uncertainty

convolvulus (blue, minor) – repose, night

convolvulus (major) – extinguished hopes

cress – stability, resolution, power

daffodil – chivalry, deceitful hopes, self-love, regard, new beginnings, unrequited love, sunshine, respect

eremurus – endurance

lint – I feel my obligations

penstemon azureus – high-bred

red valerian – readiness

– Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_and_territory_flowers

#victorian flower language #flowers for characters #Benjamina Jiménez-Baird #Benny #ask answered #mod jana #submission

[radioactivedelorean]

Human Sample #5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Chapter 5: Morning Thoughts

Producing the equations and blueprints needed for Rick's ship was the easy part of the job. These sorts of things Ford could do in his sleep with one six-fingered hand tied behind his back. Most of them were simple electrical equations - voltage, current, things like that. Getting the supplies and actually building the ship was the difficult part. Somehow, building the ship was more difficult than building the portal. It was much smaller, for a start, so all of the mechanics and engineering had to fit in a much smaller space. That was easier said than done when you were looking at the blueprints. In practice, there seemed to be wires flowing out of every possible place, circuit boards everywhere and bits of metal strewn haphazardly all over the garage floor. Rick had found an abandoned garage workshop just around the corner from the apartment block years ago and had been using it to store all his interdimensional junk.

The ship was taking a considerable amount of time to construct, longer than what Ford had anticipated. He’d been staying at Rick’s place for a week already and they’d barely started building the engine. Ford had been spending the nights on Rick’s couch, the mounds of junk that had once been on it having been relocated to the floor. The couch had a funny stale smell of alcohol and some sort of chemical. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, but it was better than lying on the ground. Five out of the seven nights he’d been here, he could hear the bed in the apartment above him squeaking, accompanied by moans and gasps. The sounds of the frequent love-making going on in the floor above him kept Ford awake and quite frankly made him feel very uncomfortable. He had been tempted on more than one occasion to go upstairs to that apartment and asked them to try and calm down, but he would no doubt be met with a barrage of abusive language.

Maybe it was just his paranoia, but Ford had a feeling that the people in Rick’s apartment block didn’t care for their temporary resident. He had barely left the apartment, but on the few occasions on which he had ventured outside, he’d been met with shouts and obscenities, most of which centred around his birth defect. Despite the fact that he’d hidden his hands in his pockets or behind his back, the inhabitants had been quick to pick up on his deformity. The word that a six-fingered man was currently living with the drunk scientist had spread like wildfire and before he knew it, most of the people in the building knew about him. Now, every time he left Rick’s apartment, there was always somebody there to greet him with insults.

Ford was torn between understanding why Rick lived here, and wondering how the man could ever deal with these people for longer than a day. Once, while he’d been buying some groceries from the convenience store across the street, he’d heard people talking about him from the aisle next to the checkout. On his way back to Rick’s place, someone had thrown an empty beer bottle at him. The bottle had shattered upon impact with his shoulder, leaving fragments of razor-sharp glass embedded in his skin. He’d spent the better part of that afternoon picking the glass out of himself with a pair of tweezers and patching himself up, all the while with Rick’s loud profanity blearing in his ears. The scientist wasn’t exactly happy that one of his neighbours had injured the man helping him, and had let his thoughts be known. Ford had found it touching to say the least.

Laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, was where Ford was now. He was engrossed in thought. On his off-hours from working on the ship, he frequently pondered on ways he’d be able to get home. Maybe Rick could help him. After all, the scientist had invented a device that allowed him to traverse dimensions at will, with the ability to return him home any time he liked. The device, appropriately named a ‘portal gun’, was a small, white device that looked like one of those barcode scanners cashiers used to scan the price of items in a store. It had a small green, glowing crystal on top which seemed to be the source of the toxic green portals the gun produced. Rick had used it numerous times throughout the first week to hop between dimensions to collect various materials for the ship. Ford reckoned, if he could figure out how to program it correctly, that he could use the device to get himself home.

The gun in itself was a mystery. Even more so was its inventor. Ford had little to no knowledge on who Rick really was, where he’d come from, what he was doing or even how old he was. Rick had said that his Dimension C-137 counterpart was a legend amongst the Council of Ricks, leading Ford to question just what C-137 Rick had done to earn such a title. His own Rick, of Dimension E-292, was rather reluctant in disclosing any information about himself. Ford had shared a lot of his own personal details with the scientist - excluding the majority of his childhood - and had expected Rick to reciprocate the gesture. Instead, he’d only been given a brief response, saying that Rick had gone through so many dimensions and done so many things that he simply couldn’t remember his origins any more. Ford had thought he was bullshitting, but hadn’t pressed on any further. He told himself that he had no right in asking Rick for all his personal details when he had only known the man a week. He was sure Rick would reveal his secrets in due course, anyway.

Ford then thought about himself. Rick had said that he was only one of countless Ricks in the multiverse. Were there other Fords, too? Was Ford of Dimension 46’\ simply one of hundreds of Fords, too? Was there a Ford in Dimension C-137, or E-292 as well? What about a Ford in any of the dimensions 1’\ to 45’\, or did they simply not exist? Were there any Fords who were master criminals, or Fords whose corresponding Stans hadn’t ruined their science projects. Ford wondered if there was a dimension where he had gone to West Coast Tech after all, and not been landed in Backupsmore. He could have made something great out of himself. Instead, he’d spent many nights during his college years purging his college dorm of cockroaches, rats and other such vermin. Maybe, in the West Coast Tech-successful dimension, he’d have never met Fiddleford. Ford had always wondered what a genius like McGucket was doing in a shabby, below-average college like Backupsmore anyway. Had he had a similar stroke of bad luck as Ford? Perhaps, in that dimension, the two would still have crossed paths, be it at an earlier or later date.

Ford also wondered if there was a dimension anywhere where Bill Cipher didn’t have any sort of power. Rick had informed him that the dream demon was known by many names across hundreds, if not thousands, of dimensions. From Isosceles the Irritating to The Triangular Terminator, Bill had been given many different titles. However, no matter what his name was, if one were to mention the name ‘Bill Cipher’, nine times out of ten, the response would be one of both horror and understanding. Ford sincerely hoped that at least somewhere in the multiverse, there was a dimension that was ignorant to Bill, or had yet to become aware of the dream demon’s intentions of destruction.

Ford rolled onto his side, trying to get comfortable on the couch. It wasn’t easy for him to sleep with Rick’s thunderous snores reverberating through the wall and echoing inside his skull. The constant level of alcohol in the scientist’s system caused him to snore like a freight train. Ford was usually quite a heavy sleeper, life in storm-prone Oregon conditioning him to be able to sleep through a hurricane, but on occasions Rick’s snoring was too loud. Jamming a cushion over his ears, Ford shut his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

After a hour, though, he was still unsuccessful. Looking over at the small digital clock next to the TV, Ford figured that, at five A.M, it wasn’t worth trying to get any more shut-eye. Hauling himself out of the cocoon of blankets he had made, he flattened down his hair and got up, heading into the small bathroom to freshen himself up. Once he had done so, Ford headed into the kitchen to get himself some breakfast. Since staying at Rick’s place, he had been the one to do not only the washing up, but the cooking and laundry too. Rick seemed incapable of boiling water without burning it. The scientist often splashed money (Ford didn’t know where he was getting it and was quite frankly too worried to ask) on takeaway food of various origins, not only the standard Chinese, Indian and Italian, but all sorts of foods from all sorts of dimensions. Ford had grown quite fond of the pizza Rick bought from the Gromflomites’ planet. It was a strange blue colour, but had a wonderful flavour of a mixture of cheeses, cured and cooked meats and all sorts of other toppings. Rick himself preferred the curries the Gazorpazorps made, but didn’t object to the pizza. Ford hadn’t actually cooked all that much, since they’d been eating takeaway so often, and he was beginning to worry about his health.

Fishing out a clean bowl, the milk from the fridge and the box of cornflakes, Ford poured himself some breakfast. He looked over at the sink, where last night’s dirty dishes sat stacked in a pile. He made a mental note to clean those once he’d finished eating. It was quite frankly a miracle that Rick hadn’t been crushed beneath the mounds of filthy laundry, dirty dishes and piles of litter strewn about the apartment. The amount of mould growing on things was an increasing concern to Ford. Who knew what kind of interdimensional parasites were present? Maybe Rick had just developed an immunity to such diseases over time.

Ford sighed. As much as he liked the fact that he was no longer on the streets, he couldn’t wait to be out of this place. He had a commitment, though, to stay with Rick until the ship was complete. He couldn’t just bail out on the scientist after he’d liberated him from that zoo. He probably owed the guy his life and Ford had never been the sort of person to con someone like that. He’d never dream of taking advantage of someone’s hospitality (as limited as Rick’s may be) and then simply running off. Ford was nothing like his brother.

His brother…

Damnit, he was thinking about Stanley again, wasn’t he? Ford cursed himself. He knew he’d have to get over his brother one day, but the thought of his twin never seemed to leave him alone. Whenever Ford was alone with his thoughts, Stan often drifted back into them like some sort of homing device. He figured it was natural. He’d never been away from his twin for so long before, especially without any form of contact. Sure, he hadn’t seen his brother for ten years after the science fair fiasco, but at least then he’d had some way of contacting his brother. Even though Stan had been on the move a lot and didn’t have any permanent address or telephone number, he’d still managed to get the postcard through to him. That was something, at least.

Now, though, Ford’s ability to contact his brother was practically non-existent. Not only did he have no access to any means of communication through another dimension, he had no idea if Stanley was still in Gravity Falls or if he’d skipped town after his brother’s disappearance. Heck, Stan probably thought Ford was dead. There was no way Stan could know what that portal did, where it led or what lay behind it. Ford had almost predicted that he would die as soon as he landed in the Nightmare Realm, but he’d been lucky enough to survive. He dreaded the possibility that something from Bill’s dimension had made it into Gravity Falls, or even worse, someone. Ford simultaneously wanted to go home and wanted the portal to remain shut forever. He couldn’t risk anything from Bill’s world making it into Gravity Falls.

Placing his spoon into the empty bowl, Ford quietly rose from the table and went over to the sink. He figured he may as well start on the dishes so at least they had some clean ones for later in the day. No doubt Rick would be straight into eating as soon as he got up. Putting his own dirty dish on the side, Ford put the bowl in the sink and ran some hot water into it, adding a splash of washing up liquid into it and grabbing the sponge. He diligently worked his way through the mound of dishes on the side, leaving the clean ones on the draining board on the left. Once he’d cleaned all the dishes and cutlery, he tipped the dirty water out and grabbed a tea towel. One by one, the clean and dry dishes, knives, forks and spoons made their way back to their respective cupboards and drawers.

By the time Ford had finished, it was pushing seven A.M. His hands had turned wrinkled from the prolonged exposure to the water and they were uncomfortable to touch. Drying off his hands, Ford hung the tea towel back up on the rack and went to get some clean clothes. Rick had managed to “acquire” some spare shirts, sweaters, jackets and trousers for Ford to wear, since the majority of Rick’s clothes were not only too small around the waist and shoulders, but far too long on Ford. Ford’s clothes sat in a neat pile on the floor at one end of the sofa. Grabbing a clean shirt and pair of trousers, along with underwear, Ford headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He always made sure to keep the bathroom door locked when he went in, ever since Rick, in a drunken stupor, had walked in on Ford having a shower. The scientist had apologised (although not without profanity) and immediately shut the door, but Ford wanted to avoid another such encounter if at all possible. He knew Rick wouldn’t be awake just yet, anyway.

Locking the bathroom door and stripping himself of his clothes and the bandages on his shoulder, Ford turned on the water and stepped into the shower. The hot water worked miracles on his aching back (sleeping on the sofa for the past week had given him some terrible cramps). He tilted his head back and let the water run over his chest. Rolling his head around on his shoulders in a slow circle, Ford gently massaged out the cricks and tight spots in his neck, earning a satisfying crack from each one. He then put his head right forward, letting the hot water rush over his spine. The water stung the cuts on his shoulder, though, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t deal with.Spending longer than he really needed to, Ford washed himself thoroughly and got out, turning the shower off. The change in temperature between the hot water in the shower and the cool air in the bathroom made him start to shiver, goosebumps rising on his skin and the hairs on his arms and legs sticking up.

Rubbing himself down with the towel hanging over the sink, Ford got himself dressed (he couldn’t be bothered to redo the bandages) and left the bathroom. He could still  hear Rick’s loud snores from down the hall, indicating that the scientist was still fast asleep. Ford was surprised the guy wasn’t constantly hungover from the sheer amount of alcohol he drank on a daily basis. He’d found bottles upon bottles of the stuff in Rick’s kitchen cupboards while searching for ingredients for a meal. He was pretty sure Rick had a stash underneath his bed, too. It wouldn’t surprise him. Rick was always drinking out of his flask and Ford frequently saw him with a bottle in his hands. The guy’s liver was probably damaged beyond any hope of recovery by now. Ford, on the other hand, barely touched the stuff on account of his remarkably low alcohol tolerance. The first (and only) time he’d been drunk, Stan had caught him singing “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles in front of the bathroom mirror, dressed in nothing but a towel around his waist and singing into a hairbrush as if it were a microphone. Stan had taken a good few Polaroids had been taken before Ford had realised what was going on. After that, he’d strictly avoided any sort of alcoholic drink.

Leaving his dirty clothes in the wash basket beside the machine (he made a mental note to do the laundry later that day), Ford dumped the used bandages in the trash and usied himself by picking up the remains of last night’s takeaway, chucking the rubbish away and storing the leftovers in the fridge. His mother had always made the twins clear up after eating, or playing, or building, or doing crafts or whatever it was the pair had been up to. Whenever they’d helped with the cooking, their mother had taught them to always store leftovers for another meal and never to waste food if there was enough for another helping. Old habits died hard.

Around nine thirty, Rick’s bedroom door opened, revealing the scientist in nothing but a pair of boxers and a plain white T-shirt. He grunted something along the lines of “good morning” towards Ford before heading straight into the bathroom. Ford left the man to it, taking the full trash bags and leaving the apartment. He walked down the hall, down all three flights of stairs to the ground floor and outside towards the dumpsters. Throwing the bags into the dumpsters in the parking lot of the apartment block. Ford dusted off his hands and headed back inside. By the time he got back, Rick was just leaving the bathroom, his hair dripping wet and a dressing gown tied around him. He had dark bags underneath his eyes and still reeked of alcohol. “Where’d you go?”

“I took the trash out,” Ford jerked his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the now-clean living room. “It was starting to stink. There was some stuff left so I put it in the fridge.”

Rick shrugged and headed into the kitchen. “You’re such a mama's boy.”

Ford simply shrugged. “Well it’s either that or chuck it outside for the rats to eat. There’s enough for at least another meal, anyway.”

Rick yanked the fridge open with more force than necessary, hunting for something to eat. Eventually settling on a handful of cold spring rolls (they’d had Chinese last night, taking a break from any of the interdimensional stuff), he plonked himself down in a chair and started eating. Ford filled the kettle with water and set it on to boil, grabbing two mugs and dumping some coffee powder into both. He added extra to his mug. Since his college days, Ford had had his coffee strong and black with no sugar. Stanley, on the other hand, had his with enough milk and sugar to send Willy Wonka into a diabetic coma. Ford had tried some of his brother’s coffee once and had nearly been sick.

By the time the kettle had boiled and Ford had made the coffee, Rick was digging through the fridge again. “Hey, Fordsy, there ain’t any of that pizza stuff left from Tuesday, is there?”

“Yeah, bottom shelf,” Ford replied, adding a splash of milk to Rick’s mug placing the coffee mugs down on the table. He sat down opposite Rick’s seat and cupped his own mug in his hands. “There’s three slices left.”

Rick took a slice out and shut the fridge. He sat opposite Ford again. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Ford nodded, taking sips of his own drink. He rolled his eyes as he noticed Rick add a splash of some sort of booze to his coffee. “Seriously? You’re going to get liver cirrhosis or something from the amount of alcohol you drink.”

Rick just shrugged, a bit of pizza cheese stuck to his bottom lip. “Don’t care. I can just get a rep-uurp-placement.”

“I doubt they’ll give you a transplant if you’re just going to ruin it again.” Ford pointed out.

“I know a guy.” Rick stated simply. Swallowing the last of his pizza, he got up from the table and wiped his mouth off. He downed the rest of his coffee in one go and left the kitchen, heading into his bedroom to get dressed.

Ford sighed and stared into the swirling depths of his mug. The progression of the ship was slow, much slower than he’d have considered reasonable. They were barely finished with the engine and hadn’t so much as started on anything else. They had the blueprints for the gearbox, exhaust system, hydraulics and other mechanics, and had a rough idea of what the chassis and bodywork was going to look like, but had barely gotten any further than that. At this rate, Ford calculated it would take at least another six months to get the ship completed, and that was if they worked at the same pace. More than likely Rick would drift off schedule and they’d be delayed even further. The scientist, even though he was the one who wanted the ship, seemed to have little to no desire to actually work on it. It frustrated Ford whenever he was working on the ship and Rick would just get up and leave, often not returning for an hour at least. Only occasionally did Rick ever actually do anything. Most of the time, he sat in the corner of the garage and told Ford what to do, then call Ford a moron if he got something wrong.

Ford sighed and took a large swig of his coffee. He eyed the flask Rick had left on the table. Picking it up, he shook it gently. It was half-full. Ford unscrewed the cap and gave it a quick sniff. Whatever in there was strong, to say the least. He put the mouth of the flask to his lips and took a quick drink. It was actually rather pleasant, not the burning, acrid taste he had expected. He took another couple of drinks before putting the flask down, already beginning to feel tipsy. He finished off his coffee just as Rick emerged from his bedroom fully-dressed and smelling of aftershave.

“Ri-uurp-right,” Rick grabbed the key to the garage. “Let’s go.”

“You’re not going to bail out on me, again, like you did yesterday, are you?” Ford raised an eyebrow. “Considering this is your ship I’m building, you don’t seem to be particularly enthusiastic about it.”

“Calm your tits Pines,” Rick shot the man a look. “We’re way behind schedule and you keep fucking up, erg-uurp-o I’m actually gonna do something today.”

“I hope so,” Ford muttered, following the man out of the apartment.

----

Based off the bonus part of @looloolalalol  ‘s post , although by now it’s diverged so far from the original plot it’s barely the same any more.

AO3

#this is basically shipping #pure filler content #actual quality stuff next chapter #i promise #pretty much rickford at this point #i have mcfallen #rick and morty #gravity falls #rick sanchez #ford pines #stanford pines #human sample #this is utter garbage #its so boring #also kudos for reading all the tags ;)

[healthandfitnessrecipes-blog]

How Did Plastic Straws Take Over the World?

https://healthandfitnessrecipes.com/?p=8266

By Dr. Mercola

In the U.S., nearly 500 million plastic straws are used every day,1 many of which end up polluting the environment. While the number may seem extreme, you likely have not taken notice of the straws you use. Nearly every time you order a drink at a restaurant, there's a good chance you'll receive a straw to go along with it.

Unfortunately, while this may seem innocuous, Australian scientists estimate as many as 8.3 billion plastic straws are polluting beaches around the world.2 Eight million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year, and straws have been a focus for change since, for most able-bodied people, the straw is often something you can easily do without.

In other words, eliminating the plastic straw from your daily use likely does not require a radical change in your behavior. However, while the straw is not a necessary utensil, it is found in nearly every home and restaurant across the world.

Who Started Using Straws?

Drinking straws are one of the oldest utensils, but only became popular during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s.3 Ancient Sumerians were one of the first societies known to brew beer, and they used long, thin tubes made from metal to reach the liquid below the line of fermentation.4

In the 1880s, Marvin Stone was drinking a mint julep with a stalk of ryegrass, the standard straw in his day.5 Reportedly, Stone hated the residue left in his drink as the straw broke down, so he made his own device, wrapping strips of paper around a pencil and gluing them into place.6 He patented the design in 1888 and by 1890 was mass-producing them.

The next step in the evolution of the straw occurred in 1930 when inventor Joseph Friedman added indentations to the paper straw so they could easily bend without breaking.7 Hospitals were the first to embrace this new iteration as it allowed their patients to drink while lying in bed. Until the 1960s, paper straws ruled the market. According to David Rhodes, manager of Aardvark Paper Drinking Straws,8 “The paper straw had a slow death throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. By the mid-‘70s [they] were all gone.”

Plastic straws were one of the many single-use products being manufactured and quickly became cheaper and more durable than paper.9 Additionally, restaurants found they could be wedged into a fast food restaurant’s to-go lids without ripping or tearing.

Rhodes commented on the growing trend to use single-use plastic straws, although plastic straws are theoretically reusable, saying,10 “It was better, it was cheaper and they didn't fall apart. It truly was a better product at a cheaper price and, in that era, no one looked at the future impact it would have on our environment.”

Large manufacturers were meeting the demand of a society looking for single-use items that could be taken on-the-go and disposed of away from home. Plastics Europe,11 one of the largest plastic producers in the world, reports 1.5 million tons of plastic were produced in 1950. However, by 2015 this number had multiplied to 320 million tons of plastic. In what National Geographic is calling a “plastic pollution hangover,”12 corporations, cities and even governments are analyzing and proposing a ban on plastic straws.

Cities and Companies Banning Plastic Straws

If you're looking for a plastic straw in Seattle, you will be out of luck.13 A citywide ban on straws and plastic utensils in bars and restaurants has gone into effect in an effort to reduce plastic pollution.

Seattle is the first major U.S. city to undertake this eco-conscious decision, to reduce plastic pollution known to be damaging to marine wildlife. Seattle public utilities general manager Mami Hara stated:14 “Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world's oceans, and I'm proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban.”

Seattle isn’t the only city to consider a ban on plastic straws and utensils. Proposals are being considered in New York, Hawaii and several cities in California including Alameda, Carmel, San Francisco, Richmond and Berkeley.15 Other cities in Washington, as well as in New Jersey and Florida, are also considering taking action to reduce or ban the use of plastic straws.

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May announced16 a plan to ban the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. McDonald's Corporation recently announced a ban of plastic straws in its U.K. and Irish restaurants, while Bon Appétit management announced it will phase out plastic straws in 1,000 U.S. food locations.17

Following the pleas of a 16-year-old girl scout, Alaska Airlines18 has decided to no longer use plastic straws on any of its flights. Shelby O'Neil, founder of the conservancy group Jr Ocean Guardian Ambassadors, wrote to Alaska Airlines outlining the negative environmental impact the straws have and the 22 million the carrier used last year.

Following in Alaska Airlines’ footsteps, American Airlines19 announced it will replace plastic straws and drink stirrers with biodegradable alternatives, and move toward more eco-friendly flatware.

American Airlines, the world's largest airline, stated the move will eliminate more than 71,000 pounds of plastic a year. Hilton Hotels announced it will remove straws from 650 properties it manages by the end of 2018, estimating this will eliminate more than 35 million straws each year from waste management.20 The Hyatt Corporation is also jumping on board, stating it will provide straws by request only, using environmentally friendly alternatives when they're available.

Starbucks Steps Up to the Plate

Starbucks’ announcement to eliminate plastic straws and stirrers from their establishments by 2020 was made just days after Seattle, its corporate home base, enacted its ban on plastic utensils and straws at food establishments. The announcement may be the boost environmentalists need to convince other food establishments to eliminate the use of plastic straws and find environmentally safer alternatives. In the short video above, you'll see the plastic lid Starbucks has designed for their cold drinks.

The announcement earned Starbucks media praise as an environmental milestone, since it is the first major restaurant chain to make a move in response to growing concerns about plastic pollution.21 The corporation has more than 28,000 stores and generates $22.4 billion in sales — half of which they say came from cold drinks typically served with a straw.22 This shift also demonstrates cultural differences between Starbucks and close competitors such as McDonald's and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Dunkin’ Donuts announced it would eliminate Styrofoam cups by 202023 but made no mention of plastic utensils or straws, and McDonald’s announced it has begun testing plastic alternatives in 14,000 stores in the U.S.24

The plastic straw ban by Starbucks is being heralded as a smart move to help them restore their reputation and remind consumers what separates them from their competitors. Environmentalists are hoping this move will be enough to prod other restaurants into taking a similar stance to protect the environment.

Plastic Straws Are a Menace to Wildlife

The no-straw movement gained significant traction three years ago after a video showing a sea turtle with a plastic straw wedged in its nose went viral. Since then, a number of local governments have passed legislation restricting the use and distribution of plastic straws,25 but Seattle was the first to ban it completely.

While straws may amount to a fraction of plastic pollution in the ocean, their size makes them insidious as they are consumed by fish. Jenna Jambeck,26 engineering professor at the University of Georgia, calls on individuals to make a choice not to use a plastic straw and keep them off the beaches and out of the ocean. Jambeck was the lead author in the groundbreaking study that measured how much plastic debris was entering the ocean each year (8 million tons each year).27

Plastic straws are only the latest in an expanding list of products environmentalists are fighting to ban, tax or boycott in an effort to reduce plastic pollution. In one study,28 researchers estimate the weight of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish by 2050.

More than 70 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of turtles have been found with plastic in their stomachs.29 When plastic is ingested, marine life has a 50 percent mortality rate. Plastic straws are among the top 10 items found during beach cleanups. Because of their size, they're often mistaken for food by animals and because of their shape, can cause suffocation and death.30

Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan is also fighting to reduce plastic pollution and plastic straws along the coastlines.31 The award-winning photographer has worked in some of the world's most extreme environments, capturing footage of polar bears and killer whales in Arctic temperatures. He recalls filming on the remote northeastern coast of Scotland and finding plastic straws on pretty much every part of the beach. He recounts:32

“It’s a sad fact of reality that they are pretty much on every shore I go to. They are dotted along the high-tide marks of beaches facing the prevailing winds, ruining the view. High-tide marks are great gatherers of everything. Anything which ends up at sea inevitably is washed up — and ends up at the high-tide mark. It’s like a collecting point where all the rubbish gets concentrated. You walk along the foreshores at the top of the tide line and you will see plastic straws lying there."

But, wildlife are not the only ones to be injured by plastic straws. An estimated 1,400 people33 visit the emergency room every year as a result of injuries caused by straws. The majority involve young children with lacerations to their mouth or abrasions to their cornea. Some young children also insert them in their ears and nose. In other instances, adults are injured when drinking from a glass and, forgetting the straw is in the drink, poke their eye or nose.

Lids Are Recycled but Straws Are Not

Most plastic straws are too lightweight to make it through a machine recycling sorter.34 While they can theoretically be recycled, they drop through screens and mix with other materials too small to separate, and get disposed of as garbage. However, the lids are large enough to be sorted and recycled.

Although most are happy with the removal of plastic straws from food service and an anticipated reduction in ocean pollution, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade organization representing plastic manufacturers, is not. Steve Russell, vice president of plastics in the ACC,35 believes the focus should not be on a specific product but rather on the global issue of waste management as a better way to prevent more plastic refuse from entering the oceans.

However, as you may imagine, large-scale waste management policy changes are years in the making, while changing a single behavior of drinking from a cup instead of through a straw starts reducing pollution along beaches and damage to wildlife far more rapidly.

We also cannot continue to depend on waste management; we simply must reduce the total production and use of plastic products. There’s only so much room on planet Earth to bury plastic garbage, and we’re running out of space. Greenpeace’s Kate Melges told Seattle news station KIRO 7:36 “It's taking a stand on plastic pollution... and really taking a stand on what needs to happen, a ban on all single-use plastic products.”

Choose Reusable Over Single-Use Products

It is crucial to rethink society’s throwaway culture and become more sustainably creative. Ideally, seek to purchase products not made from, or packaged in, plastic. Another important point is to choose reusable over single-use, which is possible in many instances. For instance, opting for the following will help you to inch closer to a minimal-waste lifestyle while reducing your share of plastics pollution:

Avoid plastic bags (including for snacks and food storage)

Avoid disposable straws (reusable straws made from stainless steel, bamboo and even glass are widely available)

Choose a nonplastic toothbrush made from bamboo or flax

Avoid disposable plastic bottles; bring your own reusable bottle instead. Also bring your own mug for coffee

Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning

Store foods in glass containers or Mason jars rather than plastic containers and plastic freezer bags

Avoid processed foods (which are stored in plastic bags). Buy fresh produce instead, and forgo the plastic bags

Opt for nondisposable razors, washable feminine hygiene products for women, cloth diapers and infant toys made of wood rather than plastic

Wash synthetic clothes less frequently and when you do, use a gentle cycle to reduce the number of fibers released; consider using products that catch laundry fibers in your washing machine

When washing out paint brushes, capture rinse water in a jar and dispose of it at your local landfill in designated spots for paint (don’t let it go down the drain).

You can also make your own milk paint in lieu of plastic-based latex and acrylics — to do so “add lemon juice to skim milk and filter out the curd, add natural pigment to what is left”

Source link

[jakehglover]

How Did Plastic Straws Take Over the World?

By Dr. Mercola

In the U.S., nearly 500 million plastic straws are used every day,1 many of which end up polluting the environment. While the number may seem extreme, you likely have not taken notice of the straws you use. Nearly every time you order a drink at a restaurant, there's a good chance you'll receive a straw to go along with it.

Unfortunately, while this may seem innocuous, Australian scientists estimate as many as 8.3 billion plastic straws are polluting beaches around the world.2 Eight million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year, and straws have been a focus for change since, for most able-bodied people, the straw is often something you can easily do without.

In other words, eliminating the plastic straw from your daily use likely does not require a radical change in your behavior. However, while the straw is not a necessary utensil, it is found in nearly every home and restaurant across the world.

Who Started Using Straws?

Drinking straws are one of the oldest utensils, but only became popular during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s.3 Ancient Sumerians were one of the first societies known to brew beer, and they used long, thin tubes made from metal to reach the liquid below the line of fermentation.4

In the 1880s, Marvin Stone was drinking a mint julep with a stalk of ryegrass, the standard straw in his day.5 Reportedly, Stone hated the residue left in his drink as the straw broke down, so he made his own device, wrapping strips of paper around a pencil and gluing them into place.6 He patented the design in 1888 and by 1890 was mass-producing them.

The next step in the evolution of the straw occurred in 1930 when inventor Joseph Friedman added indentations to the paper straw so they could easily bend without breaking.7 Hospitals were the first to embrace this new iteration as it allowed their patients to drink while lying in bed. Until the 1960s, paper straws ruled the market. According to David Rhodes, manager of Aardvark Paper Drinking Straws,8 “The paper straw had a slow death throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. By the mid-‘70s [they] were all gone.”

Plastic straws were one of the many single-use products being manufactured and quickly became cheaper and more durable than paper.9 Additionally, restaurants found they could be wedged into a fast food restaurant’s to-go lids without ripping or tearing.

Rhodes commented on the growing trend to use single-use plastic straws, although plastic straws are theoretically reusable, saying,10 “It was better, it was cheaper and they didn't fall apart. It truly was a better product at a cheaper price and, in that era, no one looked at the future impact it would have on our environment.”

Large manufacturers were meeting the demand of a society looking for single-use items that could be taken on-the-go and disposed of away from home. Plastics Europe,11 one of the largest plastic producers in the world, reports 1.5 million tons of plastic were produced in 1950. However, by 2015 this number had multiplied to 320 million tons of plastic. In what National Geographic is calling a “plastic pollution hangover,”12 corporations, cities and even governments are analyzing and proposing a ban on plastic straws.

Cities and Companies Banning Plastic Straws

If you're looking for a plastic straw in Seattle, you will be out of luck.13 A citywide ban on straws and plastic utensils in bars and restaurants has gone into effect in an effort to reduce plastic pollution.

Seattle is the first major U.S. city to undertake this eco-conscious decision, to reduce plastic pollution known to be damaging to marine wildlife. Seattle public utilities general manager Mami Hara stated:14 “Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world's oceans, and I'm proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban.”

Seattle isn’t the only city to consider a ban on plastic straws and utensils. Proposals are being considered in New York, Hawaii and several cities in California including Alameda, Carmel, San Francisco, Richmond and Berkeley.15 Other cities in Washington, as well as in New Jersey and Florida, are also considering taking action to reduce or ban the use of plastic straws.

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May announced16 a plan to ban the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. McDonald's Corporation recently announced a ban of plastic straws in its U.K. and Irish restaurants, while Bon Appétit management announced it will phase out plastic straws in 1,000 U.S. food locations.17

Following the pleas of a 16-year-old girl scout, Alaska Airlines18 has decided to no longer use plastic straws on any of its flights. Shelby O'Neil, founder of the conservancy group Jr Ocean Guardian Ambassadors, wrote to Alaska Airlines outlining the negative environmental impact the straws have and the 22 million the carrier used last year.

Following in Alaska Airlines’ footsteps, American Airlines19 announced it will replace plastic straws and drink stirrers with biodegradable alternatives, and move toward more eco-friendly flatware.

American Airlines, the world's largest airline, stated the move will eliminate more than 71,000 pounds of plastic a year. Hilton Hotels announced it will remove straws from 650 properties it manages by the end of 2018, estimating this will eliminate more than 35 million straws each year from waste management.20 The Hyatt Corporation is also jumping on board, stating it will provide straws by request only, using environmentally friendly alternatives when they're available.

Starbucks Steps Up to the Plate

Starbucks’ announcement to eliminate plastic straws and stirrers from their establishments by 2020 was made just days after Seattle, its corporate home base, enacted its ban on plastic utensils and straws at food establishments. The announcement may be the boost environmentalists need to convince other food establishments to eliminate the use of plastic straws and find environmentally safer alternatives. In the short video above, you'll see the plastic lid Starbucks has designed for their cold drinks.

The announcement earned Starbucks media praise as an environmental milestone, since it is the first major restaurant chain to make a move in response to growing concerns about plastic pollution.21 The corporation has more than 28,000 stores and generates $22.4 billion in sales — half of which they say came from cold drinks typically served with a straw.22 This shift also demonstrates cultural differences between Starbucks and close competitors such as McDonald's and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Dunkin’ Donuts announced it would eliminate Styrofoam cups by 202023 but made no mention of plastic utensils or straws, and McDonald’s announced it has begun testing plastic alternatives in 14,000 stores in the U.S.24

The plastic straw ban by Starbucks is being heralded as a smart move to help them restore their reputation and remind consumers what separates them from their competitors. Environmentalists are hoping this move will be enough to prod other restaurants into taking a similar stance to protect the environment.

Plastic Straws Are a Menace to Wildlife

The no-straw movement gained significant traction three years ago after a video showing a sea turtle with a plastic straw wedged in its nose went viral. Since then, a number of local governments have passed legislation restricting the use and distribution of plastic straws,25 but Seattle was the first to ban it completely.

While straws may amount to a fraction of plastic pollution in the ocean, their size makes them insidious as they are consumed by fish. Jenna Jambeck,26 engineering professor at the University of Georgia, calls on individuals to make a choice not to use a plastic straw and keep them off the beaches and out of the ocean. Jambeck was the lead author in the groundbreaking study that measured how much plastic debris was entering the ocean each year (8 million tons each year).27

Plastic straws are only the latest in an expanding list of products environmentalists are fighting to ban, tax or boycott in an effort to reduce plastic pollution. In one study,28 researchers estimate the weight of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish by 2050.

More than 70 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of turtles have been found with plastic in their stomachs.29 When plastic is ingested, marine life has a 50 percent mortality rate. Plastic straws are among the top 10 items found during beach cleanups. Because of their size, they're often mistaken for food by animals and because of their shape, can cause suffocation and death.30

Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan is also fighting to reduce plastic pollution and plastic straws along the coastlines.31 The award-winning photographer has worked in some of the world's most extreme environments, capturing footage of polar bears and killer whales in Arctic temperatures. He recalls filming on the remote northeastern coast of Scotland and finding plastic straws on pretty much every part of the beach. He recounts:32

“It’s a sad fact of reality that they are pretty much on every shore I go to. They are dotted along the high-tide marks of beaches facing the prevailing winds, ruining the view. High-tide marks are great gatherers of everything. Anything which ends up at sea inevitably is washed up — and ends up at the high-tide mark. It’s like a collecting point where all the rubbish gets concentrated. You walk along the foreshores at the top of the tide line and you will see plastic straws lying there."

But, wildlife are not the only ones to be injured by plastic straws. An estimated 1,400 people33 visit the emergency room every year as a result of injuries caused by straws. The majority involve young children with lacerations to their mouth or abrasions to their cornea. Some young children also insert them in their ears and nose. In other instances, adults are injured when drinking from a glass and, forgetting the straw is in the drink, poke their eye or nose.

Lids Are Recycled but Straws Are Not

Most plastic straws are too lightweight to make it through a machine recycling sorter.34 While they can theoretically be recycled, they drop through screens and mix with other materials too small to separate, and get disposed of as garbage. However, the lids are large enough to be sorted and recycled.

Although most are happy with the removal of plastic straws from food service and an anticipated reduction in ocean pollution, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade organization representing plastic manufacturers, is not. Steve Russell, vice president of plastics in the ACC,35 believes the focus should not be on a specific product but rather on the global issue of waste management as a better way to prevent more plastic refuse from entering the oceans.

However, as you may imagine, large-scale waste management policy changes are years in the making, while changing a single behavior of drinking from a cup instead of through a straw starts reducing pollution along beaches and damage to wildlife far more rapidly.

We also cannot continue to depend on waste management; we simply must reduce the total production and use of plastic products. There’s only so much room on planet Earth to bury plastic garbage, and we’re running out of space. Greenpeace’s Kate Melges told Seattle news station KIRO 7:36 “It's taking a stand on plastic pollution... and really taking a stand on what needs to happen, a ban on all single-use plastic products.”

Choose Reusable Over Single-Use Products

It is crucial to rethink society’s throwaway culture and become more sustainably creative. Ideally, seek to purchase products not made from, or packaged in, plastic. Another important point is to choose reusable over single-use, which is possible in many instances. For instance, opting for the following will help you to inch closer to a minimal-waste lifestyle while reducing your share of plastics pollution:

Avoid plastic bags (including for snacks and food storage)

Avoid disposable straws (reusable straws made from stainless steel, bamboo and even glass are widely available)

Choose a nonplastic toothbrush made from bamboo or flax

Avoid disposable plastic bottles; bring your own reusable bottle instead. Also bring your own mug for coffee

Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning

Store foods in glass containers or Mason jars rather than plastic containers and plastic freezer bags

Avoid processed foods (which are stored in plastic bags). Buy fresh produce instead, and forgo the plastic bags

Opt for nondisposable razors, washable feminine hygiene products for women, cloth diapers and infant toys made of wood rather than plastic

Wash synthetic clothes less frequently and when you do, use a gentle cycle to reduce the number of fibers released; consider using products that catch laundry fibers in your washing machine

When washing out paint brushes, capture rinse water in a jar and dispose of it at your local landfill in designated spots for paint (don’t let it go down the drain).

You can also make your own milk paint in lieu of plastic-based latex and acrylics — to do so “add lemon juice to skim milk and filter out the curd, add natural pigment to what is left”

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/07/25/plastic-straws-environmental-impact.aspx

[theliterateape]

Lives That Science Claimed: A Piece of Radiological History

By J. L. Thurston

Before I begin this historical article, I'd like to inform you, dear readers, that most of the information used was taught to me in X-ray school. I do have a degree in radiography and have been working in the field for five years. Though I have dressed up some of the information to demonstrate to you that the historical figures that are the focus of my article were real human beings with desires, hopes and suffering, I do not wish you to think that I have wedged in artistic lies to amp up the story's drama. Every event I've recorded below is a documented historical fact.

Part One 

"Don't talk to me about X-rays. I am afraid of them." —Thomas Edison

Life is not easy. And sometimes the things we love the most and make us the happiest become our undoing. No one knew this more than Clarence Dally. He’d been a young man with bright dreams when he returned from the Navy. Those dreams dimmed when he spent a year toiling as a glassblower. Dally was one of the curious, a lover of science and technology.

Luck seemed to turn for the better when he signed on as a mucker at the West Orange Laboratory. He’d be assisting Thomas Edison on incandescent lamps.

It was a decision that would end in his early death.

While still fresh in his work with Edison, news from Germany sent a sensation around the world. A physicist found a way to image the bones in his wife’s hand like a photograph.

This new scientific magic known as X-rays was fascinating to any scientist or inventor. Edison and Dally could see the possibilities opening up before them. There were so many ways to alter the radiation output, using stronger and weaker tubes. It was amazing, new and fun. Dally spent hours with his left hand in direct exposure to radiation between a fluoroscope and an X-ray tube.

Years went by and the excitement of this discovery never diminished. Possibilities opened up for the entire world. Surgeries could be assisted with higher survival rates, bullets and other foreign bodies could be easily located. But first, the science behind it all had to be perfected. Edison and Dally had to learn how to control X-rays, and that meant long hours of testing and recording.

There were plenty of 90-hour work weeks with Dally as the main test subject, which may have accounted for his exhaustion. He chose not to slow down; he was working to help save thousands, millions of lives, after all. He was nearing middle-age and hadn’t lived a terribly easy life, which may have explained his hair falling out. But the strange marks on his hand, and the blisters and sores that began to form were not as easily explained away. However, science could not rest for a painful hand. Dally simply switched which hand he used when experimenting and continued on.

He slept with his swollen, red hands soaking in water. Eventually, the festering wounds required skin grafts.

Perhaps he was not keen on the idea of letting down the famous Thomas Edison. Perhaps he had too much pride as a mucker to give up the work. But maybe it was his love for science, for the advancement of mankind and the obvious medical benefit X-rays could provide. Whatever the reason, Dally pressed on, far past the point of no return.

The lesions on his hands travelled up his arm and onto his face. It was plain to all who could see that it was metastatic carcinoma. Dally had his left arm amputated just below the shoulder. Then his right hand underwent an amputation of four fingers.

Pain. Immeasurable pain. All in the name of science. But the work had to stop. Dally had given nearly everything for his work, and it was time to retire. Edison continued to pay him while he rested at home with his wife and children. Though his work with X-rays had been ended for two years, the cancer had already taken hold. He had his remaining arm amputated. Less than a year later, at the age of 39, he died of cancer caused by radiation exposure.

Body and life, Dally had sacrificed it all for knowledge.

X-rays had taken a life. Edison was left behind with severely damaged eyesight and guilt at the loss of life of his employee and friend. He later would be quoted to say, “Don’t talk to me about X-rays. I am afraid of them.”

Part Two

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." —Marie Curie

Ten years later, the entire world was in war. The Great War, World War I, began to rage. Throughout Europe, bodies of soldiers were piling up. Combat medics struggled to save their fallen heroes, only to fail against unseen traumas.

The world needed science.

Marie Curie was well aware of this problem at the very start of the war, being the quick-witted woman that she was. She would never confess to being a genius, though at the start of the war she was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. She was nothing if not humble, and until her dying day she remained unaffected by riches or fame. All she really wanted out of life was a chance to serve mankind.

And a bigger lab would be nice.

When soldiers began to fall at the front lines, Curie quickly thought up an idea to save them. Her idea involved tutoring herself in the new discipline of radiology. She also taught herself anatomy and automotive mechanics. All that knowledge filling up Curie's brain produced a beacon of hope for the wounded soldiers; portable X-ray vehicles.

The battlefront changed dramatically in the first year of WWI as Curie built 20 X-ray vehicles and 200 radiological units for field hospitals. It was only then she felt comfortable enough to train others to assist her.

Now soldiers had a fighting chance at life when injured in battle. Curie exposed herself to dangerous doses of radiation in order to save wounded soldiers, but she would not allow herself to worry over such a thing. In the face of suffering, she could never have withheld her help.

And when the war ended, her work still carried on.

Ultimately, she passed away in 1934 of aplastic anemia, likely from her work with radiation. It was no surprise, from her years of unshielded X-ray exposure in the war, and being known to carry around test tubes of radioactive isotopes in her pocket.

When she died, she had already been given the honor of being the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize, and still to this day is the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences.

This brilliant woman died at the age of 66, exchanging years for the service of mankind.

She is quoted to have said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”

Though the early deaths of Clarence Dally and Marie Curie were unnecessary and tragic, they did not die for nothing. Clarence Dally helped the world to realize the negative effects of radiation exposure, and Marie Curie gave the world courage to use radiation when needed. Today, there are still negative effects from using radiation in medical imaging, but the advancements in which our historical pioneers have led us have saved millions of lives, and it is important to remember our heroes of history.

But, as Einstein once said, “I’m more interested in the future than in the past, because the future is where I intend to live.”

#Clarence Dally #Thomas Edison #Marie Curie #Einstein #X-Rays #Radiation Poisoning #WWI #Historical Non-fiction #Nobel Prize #Courage #Fear #Sacrifice #J. L. Thurston